9-1-2020

ANTIRACISM, 4

RETURN OF RHETT, 8

SILVER LININGS, 11

TAKING STANDS, 12

Ibram X. Kendi shares his insights.

Rhett the Second makes his debut on campus.

A mostly virtual semester may not be so bad.

Sports boycotts while playing in quarantine — that’s 2020.

CE LE B RATIN G

TUESDAY, SEPT. 1, 2020

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

YEAR L. VOLUME XCIX. ISSUE 2

Classes to take unprecedented format this Fall Melissa Ellin Daily Free Press Staff

ANGELA YANG | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Students sit on the College Communication lawn, either physically distanced from one another or wearing face coverings.

Campus life transformed in wake of precautions Melissa Ellin Daily Free Press Staff Traditional campus life may be nearly unrecognizable this Fall, with social distancing infused into all aspects of university activity. Boston University administration also holds the right to shut campus down again.

Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said the University made decisions — detailed on the Back2BU website under “Same Campus, New Campus Life” — for the health and safety of its community. He said on-campus residents have a collective responsibility to adhere to the guidelines to ensure maximum safety.

“I think what we’ve got to imagine is how we are resetting a social contract where we’ve got to be much more mindful about each other,” Elmore said, “where we’ve got to hold each other mutually accountable for doing some basic things like wearing

face covers in public.”

The University has the ability to entirely terminate students’ housing agreements and ask everyone to leave campus, as it did in March. In the event of this, students will once again be refunded for the unused remainder of their room and board fees.

Students who have already chosen to return to campus can opt to go remote at any time — as stated in Learn from Anywhere documents — but room and board will not be refunded if they leave campus to go remote.

An application to request Spring housing will be available for those not returning to campus in the Fall.

Their old assignments will not be held for them.

The University also released an advisory stating it may move students from their assigned residence to enforce a quarantine or isolation period, or to de-densify a residential building.

Students in quarantine or isolation

housing will receive food and care from the University when relocated — if they were living on campus — to a space with a private bathroom.

As for visitors, no one who is not affiliated with BU will be allowed in dormitories, and students cannot enter the living spaces of those who are not in the same dormitory.

Campus dining will offer contactless serving and limited seating in dining halls. Face coverings will be mandated in dining halls.

Students can pick up pre-packaged meals at dining hall stations, or order Rhetty to Go meals at any time during normal service hours.

Lobster Night, according to the BU Dining Services website, is still set to happen Sept. 10 — although students will be served lobster rolls as opposed to whole lobsters.

The University has partnered with GrubHub to offer pick-up orders CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Amid police reforms, city’s advocates push for more Daniel Kool Daily Free Press Staff Outraged over the murder of George Floyd, protesters in Boston and around the world took to the streets this summer demanding law enforcement reforms.

While the City and state have made some reforms, many activists are calling for more changes.

Mayor Marty Walsh declared racism a public health crisis and proposed a $12 million, or 20 percent cut, to the Boston Police Department’s overtime budget on June 12.

The funds would be redirected to the City’s health commission, economic support for minority businesses and other community investments.

On June 17, Gov. Charlie Baker proposed a bill requiring that police officers receive their licenses through

standardized training with clear expectations for recertification.

The bill also called for police officers’ discipline and training records to be visible to out-of-state departments.

James Machado, executive director of the Massachusetts Police Association, told The Daily Free Press in June that his group supports the bill.

“We are always proponents of advancement and the professionalization of law enforcement,” Machado said.

Boston’s operating budget for the fiscal year 2021, which includes Walsh’s proposed cuts, was passed on June 24 by the City Council with an eight to five vote.

The day before the vote, Councilor Michelle Wu, who rejected the budget, tweeted that its “slight changes from the pre-pandemic budget don’t represent the type of transformative

investments that our community members, activists and residents have been reaching out for.”

Compared to 2020, this year’s budget cuts the BPD’s total funding by more than 3 percent.

The department remains the second-highest funded line item in the budget, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Tahia Bell-Sykes, an organizer for Mass Action Against Police Brutality, said that more needs to be done.

“Any decrease in funding for the police, if it’s going to the right areas, is great,” Bell-Sykes said. “But it’s just not enough.”

The areas with the least amount of crime have the most public services, not the most policing, Bell-Sykes added.

Councilor Kenzie Bok, who chairs CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

The Learn from Anywhere model that Boston University has adopted for Fall 2020 will allow students to choose their learning experience: virtual, in-person or a mix of the two.

Regardless of individual selections, however, the way classes operate will see many changes this semester.

Some classes will be entirely remote, meaning that both in-person and virtual learning students will attend class via Zoom each day.

Other classes will be entirely in-person — if the room size and number of students enrolled permit it — and other classes will have “pods.”

The pods are assigned groups formed by the professor or teaching fellow who will designate which days of the week in-person students will be eligible to come into class.

On the days a student’s pod is not assigned for in-class learning, that student will be required to attend the

lecture virtually.

This year, classes will be equipped with added technology that will allow professors to simultaneously teach virtually — via Zoom — and in person.

There are pro LfA classrooms and basic LfA classrooms, each of which provide slightly different technological offerings.

Each pro LfA classroom will have a camera that will record lectures, and professors will be able to share PowerPoint slides on their personal computer or the room’s desktop.

The slides can then be projected onto the screen in the classroom and screen shared on Zoom for those joining remotely.

In a basic LfA classroom, professors will need to use the wall outlets to plug in their personal laptop, as these rooms do not have computers installed.

Cords will be required to sync the laptops with the microphone and camera in these rooms.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Massachusetts in reopening limbo Isabel Contreras Daily Free Press Staff As college students from around the world return to Boston, many are eager to enjoy their favorite Boston businesses.

Restaurants and retail stores have been reopening their doors throughout the summer after initial coronavirus shutdowns, but many Boston businesses are not quite like students remember them.

All individuals over age two must wear a face covering in stores, on public transportation and when social distancing is not possible.

Businesses can refuse entry to those who decline to wear masks without having a medical exemption.

In response to the pandemic, Massachusetts officials have put in place a series of precautions and regulations in accordance with Gov. Charlie Baker’s four-phase plan to reopen the state.

Boston is currently on the first step of Phase Three — the second-to-last stage — of the state’s reopening plan.

The city moved to this phase on July 13, a week later than the rest of the Commonwealth.

After an uptick in cases and violations of state guidance, however, Baker indefinitely postponed step two of the phase.

Here is what that means for local businesses and services in Boston and the rest of Massachusetts: CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

A person wears a mask while riding the Green Line, following state health rules.

2 NEWS

Student events to face limitations Inyeong Kim Daily Free Press Staff Boston University’s student organizations must hold most events virtually this Fall, according to the Student Activities Office. Some gatherings can still be held in person, but under strict capacity limits and with furniture fixed in place to ensure social distancing.

Attendees at indoor events cannot exceed 25 people, and the limit for events held in outdoor spaces cannot exceed 50. All event planning should be done in collaboration with SAO, which will oversee case-by-case limitations.

Director of Student Activities John Battaglino said events and activities that require an in-person experience must be coordinated carefully, and organizers must cooperate to understand what the result will look like.

“I would suggest not meeting in person and we use some of the virtual platforms we have, like Zoom,” Battaglino said.

Organizations on campus must keep local public health guidance in mind as they coordinate spaces and set program rules, Battaglino said, as the University will not be exempt from any city or state rules.

Those who are going to meet in person — whether indoors or outdoors — will be required to bring BU identification cards to events to verify their student status because only BU students will be allowed to participate unless an exception is granted.

Any non-BU students who wish to attend will need to seek approval from Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore or individual schools prior to the event.

Each attendee must also show their green attestation badge confirming they do not have COVID-19 symptoms.

Battaglino said it will be up to the hosts of each event to enforce these measures on everyone entering.

Student leaders will be expected

CAMPUS Crime Logs Melissa Ellin DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs between Aug. 19-28.

Theft on East Concord Street BUPD received a report of a larceny of more than $1200 that happened Aug. 19 between 5 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. at 80 East Concord Street. The case is still active.

Disturbed person on Albany Street MIKE DESOCIO | DFP FILE

Traditionally large events such as Splash cannot be held like usual this semester. Most activities must now occur remotely.

to dictate their own precautionary practices at their scheduled events and monitor the venue to ensure safety is being upheld, according to the Back2BU website.

In a meeting for Student Government leaders held Aug. 3, Elmore said students should be prepared to wipe down desks and other surfaces before use.

Elmore also announced Aug. 26 that student organizations or teams who host gatherings of more than 25 people will be suspended and have their University recognition withdrawn for at least the Fall semester.

StuGov president Oliver Pour said during the meeting that StuGov is looking to connect student groups through Slack to heighten collaboration.

Nyah Jordan, StuGov’s vice president of internal affairs, said in an interview her team has been working on initiatives — such as creating a mental health blog — that will help connect the student body virtually.

“We’re trying to get students really involved, whether you’re on campus or whether you’re remote,” Jordan said. “That means anybody and everybody signed up to be a staffer,

ranging from incoming freshmen to seniors.”

Jordan said StuGov has held meetings over Zoom and will continue to do so to ensure remote students retain opportunities to participate in and organize events.

Christa Nuzzo, vice president of the Queer Activist Collective at BU, wrote in an email that Q will adjust its meetings accordingly.

“This fall we’ll be prioritizing the safety of our members. If this means having all of our meetings and events virtual, then that’s what we’ll do,” Nuzzo wrote. “In order to avoid excluding members from holding the in-person meeting within 10 people, Q will continue to conduct meetings online.”

Q has held virtual meetings since March, Nuzzo wrote, and values connecting with its members on personal levels.

“Zoom is an awkward and anxiety-provoking platform for many,” Nuzzo wrote, “but I think what’s key is understanding what your members feel comfortable and safe doing.”

Q is also particularly interested in incoming students and supports them as well, Nuzzo wrote. She add-

ed that the group will look for feedback on its mental health workshops and Jackbox Games tournaments as it seeks to improve its events.

Grace Lee, vice president of external affairs for BU’s Asian Student Union, wrote in an email that meeting health requirements will prove challenging, but not impossible. She wrote the club will have to start planning again “from scratch.”

“As of right now, we are trying to find creative ways for all of our members [to] be involved with our organization from a distance,” Lee wrote. “The experience will not be the same as being in person, and our members will feel the difference, but it’s our hope we can still interact with our members whether it’s talking on Zoom or through movie nights.”

Ann Yin, a graduate student in the College of Communication, is set to join COMLab this Fall. She said she is excited, despite the lab’s virtual setting.

“We’re all staying at home … which is kind of lonely,” Yin said. “I think doing COMLab is another way for me to make friends, and it really feels good to talk with my classmates and talk with my friends online.”

Officers responded to a report of an emotionally disturbed person at 609 Albany Street Wednesday morning at 8:45 a.m. The case is now closed.

Robbery at Albany Street

A robbery in progress occurred Wednesday around 10:30 p.m. at 610 Albany Street. The case was activated at 10:45 p.m. the same day and is now closed.

Attempted crime at East Newton Street

Campus police received a report of an “attempt to commit a crime” Thursday between 5:15 p.m. and 5:50 p.m. at 100 East Newton Street.

The report was received by the BUPD during this duration and a case was activated around 6:15 p.m.

Bike theft at East Newton Street A past bike theft was said to have occurred Friday around 4 p.m. at 75 East Newton Street. The case was activated immediately on the same day and is no longer in progress.

This is how campus will operate Fall semester CAMPUS LIFE, FROM PAGE 1 from all open retail locations affiliated with BU, such as Starbucks and Raising Cane’s.

The University also released on the Back2BU website a guidebook for how clubs should conduct themselves, mandating mostly remote meetings with some heavily regulated in-person options.

BU traditions, such as Weeks of Welcome — which includes the Splash club fair — have already adopted an online format.

“I hope people see that we’re not going to lock you in your rooms.

You’re going to be able to still do what you do,” Elmore said. “I think it’s just a little bit more careful planning.”

The Fitness and Recreation Center is set to reopen, but capacity will be limited and those taking courses in the building will have priority access. People will be expected to wear masks at all times — including during workouts — and wear their workout clothes to the facility to avoid use of shared changing rooms.

Face coverings will be mandated at all times on campus, and the University recently updated its facial covering policy to allow only cloth masks, surgical masks or N95 respirator masks on campus. Gaiters, valved masks and one-ply cloth masks are strictly prohibited after re-

search found they are not effective in decreasing the spread of the virus.

Classrooms will be equipped with technology to aid in physically-distanced learning. The University will also work to ensure the campus is sanitized frequently, and requests students help by cleaning up after themselves.

While proper implementation of these guidelines will be left in the hands of students themselves, Elmore said, everyone will have to undergo COVID-19 testing and complete self-assessments of symptoms through the Healthway website.

Undergraduate students will also be expected to get tested at one of the University’s four on-campus COVID-19 testing sites twice a week. Graduate students will need to be tested once a week, and staff and faculty will be tested based on their contact with others and presence at the University.

Elmore said he hopes every individual takes it upon themselves to ensure the campus community is practicing proper health guidelines, but hopes people will refrain from calling DOS or the police over matters like someone not wearing a face mask.

“I hope the answer is, you’d actually tell them they should probably do that,” Elmore said. “We’ve got to solve our conflicts without escalating it to the point of a disciplinary sanction or jail.”

However, Elmore later released a policy stating students who host or attend on- or off-campus gatherings of more than 25 people will face suspension for the remainder of Fall semester. They will no longer be able to attend classes and will not receive a refund of tuition or room and board.

Neil Baker, a rising junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Fine Arts, is an American citizen who currently resides in Australia, which forces him to comply with travel sanctions. He said he has concerns over how the University will be able to promote healthy socialization among students despite social distancing.

“Over time, the accumulated lack of people’s ability to go to these social engagements, to be able to participate in the way they want to in student life,” Baker said, “is going to have strong … detrimental [health] effect.”

Baker said learning remotely while overseas proved challenging last Spring. He said in June that he would take a gap semester if he could not return to campus, although it wasn’t ideal.

“Waking up in the middle of night to do classes is just awful,” Baker said. “I was doing it at the end of last semester and it just wasn’t working.

Your grades suffer, motivation suffers, everything suffers. And that’s not a sacrifice that I’m willing to

make again.”

Soros Wen, a rising junior in CAS, said he does not trust students to follow proper health guidelines.

“I’m very concerned about safety in the bathroom because you see people don’t know how to flush toilets, which is a super simple action compared to doing social distancing,” Wen said. “So I don’t know whether or not you can keep it clean.”

He added that large dormitories could pose additional problems for social distancing.

“The situation in Warren Towers is terrible because every ... night there will be a long line waiting for the elevator,” Wen said. “And then you limit the number of people that can take the elevator at once, the line is going to get longer. And I’m not sure how BU is going to take care of that.”

ANGELA YANG | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Bathroom cleanings are among the practices that will occur more often in Fall.

NEWS 3

Businesses balance safety, sustainability

FELIX PHILLIPS | DFP FILE

As a safety precaution, essential businesses in Boston are temporarily no longer subject to the City’s ban on plastic bags.

Daniel Kool Daily Free Press Staff As the pandemic forces Boston businesses to prioritize public health, many face a trade-off between establishing effective sanitation protocols and maintaining environmentally sustainable practices.

At restaurants, more customers are utilizing take-out and delivery options, leading to increased use of disposable utensils, packaging and plastic bags. Surface transmission concerns have prompted several Massachusetts cities, including Boston and Brookline, to temporarily suspend their plastic bag bans.

As take-out sales increase, the use of plastic bags and single-use packaging helps restaurants ensure sanitation and build customer trust, Joe Rostelli-

ni, owner of T. Anthony’s Pizzeria on Commonwealth Avenue, said.

“A lot of people request contact-free delivery,” Rosetellini said, “so everything’s throw-away.”

Disposable packaging is one of the easiest ways to reduce surface transmission, he added.

“Everything gets prepackaged in the restaurant,” Rosetellini said. “It’s up to [customers] to immediately dispose of things and even clean the counters or tables off wherever they put the stuff.”

Among restaurants offering partial-dine-in services, like Fenway’s Tasty Burger, disposable cutlery and paper plates have replaced traditional table settings, as recommended by the state.

Massachusetts dine-in guidelines also ban self-serve stations, like buffets and drink fountains; mandate the

use of digital, disposable or large-display menus, like chalk-boards; and ban on-table condiments in favor of single-serve portions or containers that can be sanitized after each use.

Some environmental advocates are concerned that these regulations create an uptick in Boston’s solid waste.

On March 24, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh issued an executive order exempting essential businesses from the city’s plastic bag ban. In July, the order was extended until Sept. 30.

The order was made with a focus on the health and safety of Boston residents, Kathleen Hart, communications manager for the City’s Environment Department, wrote in an email.

“Mayor Walsh’s first priority is the public health and safety of our residents and businesses,” Hart wrote. “[The extension] will allow stores

to use up any single-use plastic bags that they have purchased during the emergency.”

Then followed a statewide ban on reusable bags issued March 25 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

While that ban was rescinded in July, a number of Boston retailers — including the Fenway Target, Allston Star Market and Beacon Street Whole Foods — maintained company policies barring outside bags until mid-August. At some retailers, customers may use reusable bags only if they bag their own items.

John Hite, a policy analyst with the Zero Waste Project, said those bans continued even after reusable bags were no longer considered a threat, creating unnecessary plastic waste.

“It quickly became evident that reusable bags were not a concern from a public health perspective,” Hite said. “The Baker administration did keep that policy in place about two months beyond when we felt pretty confident that COVID-19 was not being spread [from the bags].”

Even short-term increases in pollution during the pandemic can trigger long-term consequences, said Janet Dominetz, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group.

“What we know from myriad academic and public health studies,” Dominetz said, “is that waste that we generate, and in particular, plastic

waste, is ... it’s bad for public health.

It’s bad for a sustainable economy.”

Hite said quarantines present an opportunity for businesses to adopt new methods of sustainability. Some restaurants in Northern California have opted for services that deliver food to customers in reusable takeout containers, all of which will later be picked up by the service for sanitization, as reported by Berkeleyside.

Some Boston restaurants, like vegan chain By CHLOE., offer compostable take-out containers. However, these sustainable alternatives are often more expensive than plastic, making them impractical for many smaller businesses with tight profit-margins.

Edward Chen, owner of BU-adjacent Nud Pob Thai Cuisine, said that staying open has been his top priority throughout the pandemic. He estimates that the restaurant has seen an 80-percent drop in take-out business since BU’s campus closed in March, making it difficult to justify sustainable materials due to their cost.

When preparing take-out orders, Nud Pob currently double-bags its meals and includes prepackaged, plastic cutlery. Chen said that while he acknowledges the environmental waste that comes with it, this practice is necessary to keep customers comfortable and safe.

“Hopefully this is the short term,” Chen said, “and it’s not too impactful.”

What’s open now in Phase Three REOPENING, FROM PAGE 1 Eating Out Restaurants can currently open for outdoor and indoor dining, as long as they abide by the state’s restaurant safety standards. They must enforce a maximum party size of six people, have proper ventilation and sanitation practices, as well as set tables six feet apart or separate them with a protective barrier.

Patrons must wear a face mask when leaving their table, and some restaurants require masks to stay on until after a server has taken the party’s order.

Takeout and delivery are available at many restaurants. This remains the safest way to “eat out” due to the reduced person-to-person contact.

Standing and sitting at bars is still not permitted, and all patrons must order food to be served alcoholic beverages.

Bars and Clubs Bars that do not serve food will not open until Massachusetts enters Phase Four. Bars originally fell into Phase Three of the reopening plan but were pushed into the last phase in June, joining large venues and nightclubs.

Prior to Baker’s halt on reopening progress, some bars had served snacks in attempts to pass as a restaurant. At a press conference in early August, Baker said these bars were “masquerading” as restaurants.

Moving to the next stage depends on COVID-19 infection rates, hospital capacity and the successful development of a vaccine or effective treatment.

Shopping Essential businesses such as grocery stores and pharmacies have remained open throughout the pandemic, while abiding by safety protocols.

Nonessential retail, such as clothing shops and bookstores, were permitted to open in Phase Two. Shops can allow lines to extend outdoors to avoid the risk of overcrowding, and the City of Boston has also temporarily permitted small businesses to set up tables outdoors on public and private property.

Gyms Fitness centers can open for both indoor and outdoor operation during Phase Three. They must comply with social distancing, hygiene, ventilation and disinfection protocols set by the state.

Beauty Salons and Barber Shops Salons and barber shops have been open since Phase One. Across the state, these businesses have implemented social distancing protocols and set up plexiglass barriers for protection.

Public Libraries Boston Public Library branches are currently closed to the public.

However, the BPL is offering ebooks, movies, TV shows and audio files through its online platform. The only thing users need for access is a library card. For those who prefer physical copies of books, the BPL offers pre-orders for pick up at all of its branches.

The Public Computer Access program was launched Aug. 25 and allows individuals to schedule a twohour appointment to use the Central Libary’s computers in a socially distanced manner. Nine library branches will also offer 24-hour outdoor WiFi access.

Printing services at BPL are only available remotely at this time.

Patrons can print up to 10 pages per day and must request the printing job 72 hours in advance to ensure the file will be ready on time.

ANGELA YANG | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston Police Department officers stand watch, batons in hand, as protestors line the streets on June 5 in Jamaica Plain.

Mass. attempts reforms for cops POLICE, FROM PAGE 1 the City’s Ways and Means Committee, said in a July interview that actions like these budget cuts, although incremental, are a good first step toward dismantling systemic racism within the department.

“Dismantling structural racism in our society is an enormous task,” Bok said. “Anything immediate is also pretty easy to immediately reverse.”

Boston’s previous police contract, which officially expired on June 30 but remains in effect until another is established, dictates that no union-belonging officer “shall be disciplined or discharged without just cause,” and that disputes must be filed with the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission.

As ongoing contract negotiations remain opaque, Bell-Sykes said she worries about the Walsh administration’s reliability in representing the public.

“If you’re willing to cover up someone’s behavior as they murder someone … it’s hard for me to imagine that in any of these areas, you would look at your contract in an honest way,” she said.

The state Senate on July 14 passed

a police reform bill, which bans chokeholds, limits the use of tear gas, mandates licensure of all police officers and incorporates education on the history of racism into a standardized training.

The bill also scaled back qualified immunity for Massachusetts police officers — a move praised by the ACLU and other local activists.

The Massachusetts House of Representatives then voted on July 23 not to outlaw the use of chemical agents like tear gas and pepper spray by police officers.

Critics argued that exposure to tear gas could increase protestors’ risk of contracting COVID-19.

Amesh Adalja, senior scholar on infectious diseases at John Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the effects of tear gas can make people more likely to spread and contract the virus.

“They’re likely to rub their eyes, they’re likely to cough,” Adalja said.

“So they can infect themselves or spread the virus to others because of the symptoms that are induced by the tear gas.”

The next day, the House passed its own police reform bill, creating a new certification system for officers

and suspending the use of no-knock warrants — which have grown increasingly controversial since the police killing of Breonna Taylor in late June.

That bill was met with pushback by civil rights advocates, who argued that it does not do enough to address qualified immunity and retroactive justice for victims of police violence.

Tensions have remained high in Boston even after the twin legislations. On Aug. 12, the ACLU sued the BPD and city for withholding public records.

Last week, MAAPB left the state to lead a ceremony and press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington. They were backed by at least 60 families of Bostonians killed by the BPD. Bell-Sykes said such rallies are an important way to spread national awareness of police brutality in Boston.

“One of the things Boston is really good about is covering up,” BellSykes said, noting the importance of maintaining a peaceful image for the college town. “You notice we don’t have any national cases, or cases that people know nationally … but that’s for a reason.”

4 NEWS

Ibram X. Kendi speaks on anti-racist research Sarah Readdean Daily Free Press Staff Scholar of racism Ibram X. Kendi is spearheading Boston University’s new Center for Antiracist Research.

BU announced his appointment on June 4. In an interview with The Daily Free Press Wednesday, Kendi said discussions of the Center arose around this time last year.

Kendi described four prongs of the Center’s work — research, policy, narrative and advocacy — and said the academic activities that already exist at BU can be implemented to bring about change and equality in the greater community.

Read the transcript of our interview with Kendi below. Excerpts have been edited for clarity.

What does anti-racism research look like? Will the Center for Antiracist Research primarily focus on racism against Black people, or against minority groups in general?

We live in a society where there’s racial inequities and disparities between groups. Racist research typically asks the question, what’s wrong with these people?

And then those researchers try to figure out what is genetically or even culturally or behaviorally wrong with a particular racial group, which, for those researchers would then explain these disparities. So if Black people are dying more COVID-19, it must be because there’s something Black people are doing wrong.

Well, anti-racist research asks a different question, which is what is wrong with society? What’s wrong with our policies? What’s wrong with conditions? What’s wrong with practices?

And so if Latinx people are being infected at a much higher rate than white people, the question isn’t what’s wrong with Latinx people, the question is, how can we figure out what in society is causing this?

Black people are not the only

group of people who are facing forms of racism. And so we’re going to be studying all groups of people who are facing and historically have faced racism in this country.

How do you plan for your program to be different from other research programs at BU? Essentially, our research apparatus is going to have three different prongs. One is we’re building a racial data tracker. And just as we as a Center have been tracking COVID racial data through our COVID racial data tracker, which is a collaboration with the COVID Tracking Project, so, too, do we plan to track racial data in every sector.

We want to track in real time all racial health disparities, we want to track educational disparities, racial wealth disparities, housing disparities, disparities in police violence and incarceration, environmental disparities.

The reason why we want to do that is just like with COVID, we want to know in real time where the hotspots are, where the problems are. Hopefully, that will not only guide larger public discussions and awareness, and thereby research, but then also guide the Center’s researchers.

We’re building an affiliates program that will allow and provide for BU faculty and graduate students the ability to affiliate with the Center, and we hope to build programming around these affiliates, as well as provide them with other services.

What we’re hoping our affiliates will do is each year design what we’re calling research and policy teams.

These research and policy teams will start with a problem, typically a racial disparity, formulate a multidisciplinary team of researchers who will not only track and understand that disparity and all of its manifestations and intersections, but then also seek to understand the racist policies behind those disparities or practices.

And then as part of that team, they would also have a policy expert, who can then design policy correctives

COURTESY OF STEVEN VOSS

A historian and leading scholar of racism, Ibram X. Kendi is leading the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University.

that could reduce that disparity or eliminate it.

They would also have an artist, as well as a journalist who can sort of humanize the research and the policy innovation. They would have an advocate who can literally work toward seeking to implement those policy correctives. So what you see from that is really the four prongs of the Center, which is research, policy, narrative and advocacy.

What is one step everyone can take right now to correct any racist tendencies they may have?

Everyone can be asking themselves why does fill-in-the-blank racial disparity exist? And if they answer that there’s something wrong with a particular racial group, or right about a particular racial group to explain that racial disparity, then they should recognize that those ideas are racist ideas, and they should begin to see that, indeed, the problem is policy. And they should figure out a way that they can be part of the struggle against those racist policies.

What are you excited for or see challenging about coming to a new school, a new city and, frankly, a

What do you want BU students to know about the Center and its importance on campus?

and we have teachers here, and we have students here, all of whom are engaged in research, teaching and learning.

And I don’t think it’s enough for us to research, teach and learn for the sake of researching and teaching and learning. We can be researching, teaching and learning to make a difference, to drive down racial inequity, to be a part of efforts to undermine racism, and we want to systematize that within the Center.

So we not only, of course, want to provide avenues for BU faculty to engage in research that can lead to policy change, but we also, through the Center, want to administer project-based courses that would be a part of those research projects that can then allow students to take those courses and through their learning, be involved in projects that hopefully lead to policy change.

And so I think that’s really the message that we should be focused [on]: We want to create a center that allows people to do what they’re already doing, which is researching, teaching and learning, but then also make a difference in anti-racism.

I think the Center is critically important. We have researchers here,

Caroline DeHaven contributed to the reporting of this article.

significantly different world due to the pandemic and frequent discussions about racism?

I think there are many challenges. I mean, you have people who are aware that racism is an issue, but they want to stop there: with awareness.

And trying to bring them along to action is a challenge. Since our Center is so public and people are familiar with my work, it can be a challenge when people think that we should be involved in any and everything related to race, or people of color.

And when there are other entities, there are other organizations, there are other institutes and offices and people who are already engaged in that work. That can be a challenge, because we have a very simultaneously expansive mission, but also it’s very focused. And then also, it’s always a challenge when you’re getting to know a new community, a new campus community, a new community of students.

Classrooms adapt to remote teaching components CLASSES, FROM PAGE 1 Both types of rooms will also come with at least a ceiling microphone that will allow for all voices present to be captured.

For professors who feel they need further voice amplification, the University will provide an additional USB microphone.

The University has provided in-

structional videos for how to work the LfA technology on the BU Classrooms website.

Unless professors choose to project the remote students onto the projector or in-person students opt into the Zoom call, in-person students will only be able to see those in the room.

Similarly, remote students will only be able to see in-person students who are within range of the in-room

camera.

LfA classroom moderators — a new job on campus for student workers — will be assigned to classrooms to offer in-person assistance with technology and help engage with remote students.

Moderators will be in classrooms with faculty who do not already have a teaching assistant and have more than 20 students enrolled.

For some courses, the physical classroom space has also changed. In attempts to de-densify spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, some classes have been reassigned to the Tsai Performance Center — which has not been used for classroom spaces before.

The University has also decided to use available rooms within the George Sherman Union for classes

this Fall.

Reassignments are still being processed and may take place up and through the first week of school, according to Christine Paal, assistant vice president and university registrar.

Newly coordinated classrooms will also be available to use for non-academic purposes, such as University-approved events.

CAMPUS CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2

THURSDAY, SEPT. 3

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

How to Learn from Anywhere Workshop

Stump Trivia

BU Fall Arts Fair

Splash

8 p.m.

Zoom Hosted by the Student Activities Office

11 a.m.

2nd floor of the George Sherman Union Hosted by the BU Arts Initiative

1 p.m.

Virtual Hosted by the Student Activities Office

Sunday Interdenominational Worship Service

3:30 p.m.

Zoom Hosted by the Educational Resource Center

11 a.m.

Zoom or Marsh Chapel Main Sanctuary Hosted by Marsh Chapel

NEWS 5

Learn from Anywhere means most faculty must teach in person, drawing criticism Jane Avery Katarzyna Jezak Chloe Liu Daily Free Press Staff Unlike undergraduate students, who can choose to attend classes online or in person this Fall, Boston University faculty will not quite have the same choice.

When responding to workplace adjustment requests late July, BU Human Resources stated that fully online teaching is being considered as a possibility only for instructors under “high risk.”

Provost Jean Morrison had written in a memo to faculty June 18 that those who do not meet the high-risk criteria as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control are required to teach in person.

“The in-person engagement of faculty, students, and staff is a fundamental characteristic of our University,” Morrison wrote.

Those applying to teach from home were also asked to get medical notes to back up their requests.

Morrison said in an interview that faculty should be willing to engage with students via in-person learning.

“That’s why we have given the opportunity for adjustments for people who meet the criteria,” Morrison said, “but then otherwise have the expectation that faculty who have responsibilities in the classroom will meet them in the classroom.”

Deans have been adjusting which courses will be taught by those qualified to teach online, Morrison said.

“If there is a particular course in a department that really does need to be taught in person, but the professor has an adjustment and will not teach in the classroom,” Morrison said, “the dean and the academic leadership may decide to assign someone else to teach it in person.”

The Learn from Anywhere pro-

gram allows students a personal decision between in-person, remote or a mixture of the two. The demand that faculty must meet certain criteria to qualify for the same right, however, has created upset.

Philosophy associate professors Daniel Star and Russell Powell, who have been campaigning for a change in this policy since early June, spent the summer asking that professors be given the same leniency as students.

“All teachers should have that right that the students also have: to be able to teach at home,” Star said. “BU has been calling the policy Learn from Anywhere. Russell Powell and I started using the phrase ‘Teach from Anywhere.’”

Having received many supportive messages from other faculty, Star said they are not alone in the Teach from Anywhere movement.

“There’s widespread discontent with the policy path that BU chose,” Star said. “It really was something that was imposed on us.”

Powell and Star said they were prompted to write an open letter, released June 2, objecting to the University’s plans after perceiving a lack of flexibility — indicated by a University email sent to faculty May 29 — for them to make a choice about how to teach Fall semester.

An anonymous submission to the BU Gigs Instagram account wrote that BU administration has given faculty two restrictive options, neither of which prioritize safety.

“Our options are either to show up anyway or get replaced for the semester without pay,” the source wrote.

“We of course want our students back and to teach in person but above that we want our students SAFE and we want to be protected as well.”

Morrison said the University aims to have a smooth-running semester founded on the willingness of the BU community to follow public health guidelines.

“It is our hope that as we go into

the Fall and our students return and enter into, along with faculty and staff, the testing and contact tracing protocols and that as everyone follows the public health guidelines,” Morrison said, “that we’ll be able to have a healthy and really positive Fall semester.”

Morrison said it is important that the community follows safety protocols in place to ensure COVID-19 cases stay at a minimum. Those in close contact with anyone who tests positive, for example, will be asked to quarantine until they test negative.

Star said he sees two issues with BU’s safety procedures: the absence of a required quarantine and poorly ventilated classrooms. Both of these, he said, increase the risk for further spread of the virus.

“There’s a lot of anger, a lot of concern, a lot of pointed questions about ventilation, about the general policy that we’ve been criticizing,” Star said. “A lot of people feel like they’re not trusting the leadership at the moment.”

On July 29, Joseph Bizup, associate dean for Undergraduate Academic Programs and Policies, sent an email to College of Arts and Sciences department chairs advising instructors on how to communicate with students about Fall 2020 course formats.

To clarify what the University deems appropriate information for professors to relate to students in light of the ongoing pandemic, Bizup included specific examples of subjects that professors should and should not discuss.

The memo encourages professors to “use [their] own words” in communications with students, but dictates what those words should be: “While using your own words, please avoid these: “‘Online’: That word is problematic from the perspective of international visa requirements. No CAS courses are ‘online,’ but some of our courses may be delivered ‘remotely,’” Bizup wrote.

“‘Value’: This word potentially draws attention to the financial dimensions of attendance at BU, which is not the aspect of the student experience we want these communications to emphasize.”

Bizup also told professors to offer “affirmation” of students’ decisions to return to campus this fall.

“Crafting these sorts of communications,” Bizup wrote, “can be rhetorically challenging because they must work not only to inform but also to assure and reassure.”

Faculty should avoid any mention of obstacles that are a direct result of the ongoing pandemic, Bizup wrote, adding that professors should instead focus on the positive aspects of their courses and teaching methods.

In reaching out to students about virtual meetings, Bizup told professors not to mention how health precautions like masks and social distancing may make it difficult to make and maintain connections.

He wrote that professors should instead tell students how the meetings will allow them to “benefit from working more closely with one another.”

Bizup also advised professors to keep communications with students “brief and straightforward.”

He wrote that professors should communicate the new course format, but avoid explaining to students the reasons for courses being structured a certain way.

“Say what you have to say and stop,” Bizup wrote. “Keep references to Learn from Anywhere brief.”

Bizup told professors not to reveal any workplace adjustments when explaining Fall 2020 course formats to students, but rather to explain new course formats as optimal for learning.

“Students need to know the formats of your courses, but they don’t necessarily need to know the reasons for those formats,” Bizup wrote.

“If you choose to explain why your

courses are structured as they are, frame your explanations in terms of how your courses’ formats contribute to their efficacy rather than in terms of the personal factors that may have influenced their design.”

He also called on faculty to not refer to uncertainties in interactions with students and only to communicate what they know.

“It is better to be vague,” Bizup wrote, “than to emphasize uncertainties to be resolved.”

Some CAS department chairs refused to distribute the memo to faculty members in their department, said Laura Korobkin, an associate professor in BU’s English Department.

Korobkin said she is disconcerted by the rhetorical guidance in the memo.

“I found the tone of the letter to be deeply inappropriate. It’s condescending,” Korobkin said. “The letter asks faculty to communicate with students really on behalf of the administration, using the administration’s priorities, rather than trusting them to make their own decisions about what to say, how to say it and when to say it.”

Bizup submitted a letter to The Daily Free Press on Aug. 13 responding to an op-ed by CAS junior Sophia Poteet, in which she wrote she was “shocked by the condescension, blatant prioritization of money over student experience and utter lack of respect for both students and faculty displayed within the memo.”

In his letter response, Bizup wrote Poteet’s piece helped him understand the full impact of his memo, and that he has resolved to “do better” by the community he serves.

“It pains me to know that colleagues whom I respect found my memo inappropriate,” Bizup wrote.

“It pains me even more to know that it has damaged the trust that you and other students should have in your University. I am sorry for that most of all.”

Ballot breakdown: congressional primary race

PHOTOS BY LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Sen. Ed Markey (left) is facing off against Rep. Joe Kennedy in a Senate primary.

Allison Pirog Vanessa Kjeldsen Daily Free Press Staff Massachusetts is gearing up for a primary election unlike any the state has seen before. Voters are choosing their party’s U.S. Congress candidates Tuesday, while the state battles a pandemic and record unemployment rates. Take a look at who’s on the ballot in Boston: Democratic U.S. Senate Incumbent Ed Markey was elected to the U.S. Senate in a June 2013 Special Election and previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 37 years.

Along with Rep. Alexandria Oc-

asio-Cortez, Markey introduced the Green New Deal in 2019.

His opponent Joe Kennedy III, grandson of former senator and attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, is in his fourth term in the House. Like Markey, Kennedy also identifies as a progressive.

U.S. House of Representatives In the Seventh Congressional District, incumbent Ayanna Pressley is running unopposed for her second term in the House.

In 2009, she became the first woman of color ever elected to the Boston City Council and, in 2018, she made history as the first Black woman elected to Congress from the Commonwealth.

Pressley is known as a member of “the squad”, a group of four progressive freshman congresswomen

including Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

Incumbent Stephen F. Lynch of the Eighth District began his political career in 1994 when he was elected to the Massachusetts. House of Representatives. He has represented the Eighth District in the U.S. House since 2001.

Running for the first time, meanwhile, is progressive candidate Robbie H. Goldstein.

Goldstein is a primary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he helped create the hospital’s Transgender Health Program.

Republican U.S. Senate Scientist Shiva Ayyadurai ran as an independent against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018. He controversially claims to be the “inventor of email”.

Attorney Kevin O’Connor is running for office for the first time. He is a proponent of inter-party cooperation — such as that of Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker with a largely Democratic State House — as opposed to the partisan division he sees on Capitol Hill today.

How People Will Vote Massachusetts’s early voting period for the primary began on Aug.

22 and wrapped up Friday. Boston voters could vote at several polling locations across the city and did not need to provide a reason or excuse to vote early.

Because of the pandemic, the Massachusetts legislature approved a temporary measure allowing all Massachusetts voters to vote by mail.

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot was Aug. 26. This option will also be available for the general election in November.

Beth Huang, executive director of Massachusetts Voter Table, a non-profit that works to increase voter engagement, said this was an important step in maintaining a fair democracy.

“We believe that no one should have to choose between their health and their right to vote,” Huang said.

Alex Keyssar, professor of history and social policy at Harvard Kennedy School, said it’s important to take advantage of accessible voting.

“I think the reasons for being active for voting and being active to try to encourage voting this year is quite obvious,” Keyssar said. “The direction of the country seems to be at stake and if one cares about that, then it’s important to vote.”

Mail-in ballots for the primary must arrive at the election office by 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Those who wish to vote by mail in the general election

should send their application by Oct. 20 — but Oct. 28 is the latest applications will be accepted.

Registered voters can also vote in person. Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. However, voters should check their polling location before heading to the polls, as many traditional locations have changed due to the pandemic.

COVID-19 precautions will be in place to keep voters safe. While waiting in line, the Election Department instructs voters to wear a face covering and practice social distancing.

Poll workers will be supplied with masks, face shields, gloves, disinfecting products and hand sanitizer.

Workers will be asked COVID-19 screening questions and will not be allowed to work if they’re experiencing symptoms.

Voting machines, clipboards, auto-mark machines and other frequently touched surfaces will also be cleaned “constantly,” according to the Election Department.

Regardless of the means, Huang said it is important to vote. In local elections, it can be easy to swing the vote with increased participation.

“Really every single vote matters,” Huang said. “Your roommates, your friends or other members of clubs that you’re in [can make up] actually the margin of victory in some of these campaigns.”

6 PHOTO

BU community holds multimodal pro Angela Yang Daily Free Press Staff Cars, pedestrians and bikers took to Commonwealth Avenue on Aug. 13 to rally against Boston University’s reopening plan.

Those who weren’t present in person tuned into the multimodal event via Zoom.

Raising slogans on handmade signs, protesters stood in physically distanced groups facing the street at various locations along its public sidewalks.

Written in chalk on the campus

cobblestone were words and arrows encouraging ralliers to keep their distance from one another.

All speeches during the protest were delivered virtually through a Zoom webinar, which gathered more than 200 attendees. On-screen interpreter Joan Wattman live-translated to American Sign Language as each panelist spoke.

Michelle Walsh, a lecturer at BU’s School of Social Work, opened the online speeches by calling on the University to “be better and do better” in its commitment toward social justice.

Various unions representing cam-

pus personnel have explicitly asked to meet with BU President Robert Brown, but have not received a response, Walsh said.

Her speech centered around the University’s lack of engagement in transparent negotiations with these unions.

“If Boston University is truly committed to what it proclaims, then listening to and acting upon the recommendations of its most directly impacted personnel is a moral mandate,” Walsh said. “We can help you to find a moral center in this, so that those who are already the most marginalized among us do not carry the

bulk of the weight of shared sacrifice about which you speak, President Brown.”

The Campus Health is Community Health campaign highlighted three primary demands for BU: de-densifying campus by maximizing remote work, providing personal protective equipment to all on campus and offering free COVID-19 testing to surrounding community members who must live in proximity to its students.

But graduate student Zachary Bos added two additional requests during his speech.

He asked that BU grant hazard pay to all employees who must work in

person as well as rehire all staff who were laid off due to recent budget cuts.

“My union members have been fired, furloughed and laid off,” said Bos, who serves on the executive board of Union Auto Workers Local 2324. “And throughout this entire process, the students are being welcomed back to campus and asked to pay for and bring their own first-aid kits.”

City Councilor Kenzie Bok of District 8, which encompasses BU, said during the webinar that she has repeatedly asked BU and Northeastern University to rethink their in-person

LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

PHOTO 7

otest against campus reopening plan reopening plans and opt for a virtual-learning model.

The councilor had also sent a letter to Brown and NEU President Joseph Aoun on Aug. 3 requesting this.

Bok said the decision by the schools to forge ahead with hybrid models is a “wrong” and “foolhardy” one, as she does not wish to see a new spike in COVID-19 cases that would force the city into another full shutdown.

While the University will enforce frequent testing for BU community members who return to campus, Bok said this free service should also extend to neighboring residents.

“It’s great that we have … the lab capacity to build this kind of testing,” Bok said during the webinar, “but I think we need that capacity as a public resource that’s shared.”

BU spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email after the event that the University continues to make its reopening decisions with meticulous consideration and regularly updates its Back2BU website with new and relevant information.

“The University has put a lot of careful thought, extraordinary effort and thorough planning in place for the fall,” Riley wrote. “We are confident in the plans we have made, and

look forward to implementing them along with faculty, staff and students this fall.”

Rachel McCleery, internal organizer at Service Employees International Union Local 509, was an organizer of the protest. She said the idea for the rally came about less than two weeks ago.

McCleery described the planning process as triple the amount of work a typical protest would require, as the organizers had to make preparations for cars as well as both in-person and virtual attendees to congregate in unison.

“We felt that it was worth the ex-

tra work to make sure people had a choice and felt safe in whatever they chose to do,” McCleery said in an interview. “We wish that BU would do the same.”

McCleery said she believes a remote semester is feasible now that instructors have developed some experience teaching virtually from the shift that occurred in Spring when the pandemic began. “[They] found out what worked and what didn’t,” McCleery said, “and figured out how to design a really good class.”

Graduate student Devlin Moyer attended the protest despite not being

heavily impacted by BU’s reopening.

The University does not pay him to teach, meaning he can choose to learn remotely without fear of losing a stipend.

Moyer said he participated, however, to support those who are afraid of “retaliation for being concerned about their working conditions.”

Moyer said more transparency in decision-making is one change he hopes to see.

“People have been complaining about that for a long time,” Moyer said, “and BU has been doing nothing to even seem more transparent. And that’s frustrating.”

LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

LAURYN ALLEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

8 FEATURES

There’s a new Rhett in town Cameron Morsberger Daily Free Press Staff Boston University’s unofficial mascot, Rhett the Boston Terrier, died March 3. For 12 years, Rhett frequented campus, met generations of students and became a living symbol of the University’s spirit and community. Now, six months later, a new puppy is taking Rhett’s place.

Named R2 — Artoo — short for Rhett the Second and a reference to Star Wars’s R2-D2, the three-monthold dog is already exploring BU’s grounds and interacting with students as they return for the Fall semester.

R2 was born May 21 at a Boston Terrier-exclusive breeding farm in Northern Vermont.

His owner, Calvin Iwanicki, who previously cared for Rhett, bought R2 in mid-July.

Iwanicki said R2 is behaving “like a typical three-month-old puppy”: full of energy and playfulness.

He said he is excited for both himself and the rest of BU to have another furry friend.

“The students on campus enjoyed [Rhett] so much,” Iwanicki said. “[R2] is only three months old and insanity is already starting.”

Iwanicki, who graduated from BU’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2011, said Rhett’s passing took an immense toll on him and his family and that they needed time to mourn before considering a replacement.

But Iwanicki said the months without Rhett reminded them of the com-

fort that a dog provided, prompting them to look into adopting another little Rhett.

“At first, it almost seemed like the world went to hell once he died,” Iwanicki said. “We were missing companionship. Boston Terriers, I think why we like them is they’re just people dogs.”

The pup made his first social media appearance after one student posted a photo of him on BU’s Reddit page — which is named “Rhett-It” — on Wednesday, reporting his name to be “Rhett Jr.” The post sparked conversations over R2’s name, his owner and the post’s legitimacy, which were later made clear by Iwanicki.

Neither Rhett nor R2 are affiliated with the University, and Iwanicki said he hopes R2 does not “feel pressured” to perform like Rhett had.

But Iwanicki said the attention Rhett and now R2 receive is welcomed, and that he recognizes how much his dogs mean to the community.

“He wasn’t a mascot or anything.

He was just a Boston Terrier on campus,” Iwanicki said. “In the beginning I was like, ‘He’s not really the mascot, he’s not really the mascot,’ over and over. Then after a few years of that, I’m going, ‘Oh, screw it, yeah, he’s the mascot.’”

Trevor Powell, a sophomore in CAS, met R2 on campus Friday during a Pep Band performance.

Powell said he thinks R2 pays homage to Rhett both in name and in character and that the new unoffi-

COURTESY OF CALVIN IWANICKI

Born three months ago, Artoo is making appearances around campus after Rhett the Boston Terrier’s death in March.

cial Rhett will lift students’ spirits on campus.

“I’m a big dog person and I’ve always loved that BU’s mascot is a dog, and that we have an actual dog,” Powell said. “I think that’s great for [Iwanicki] and his family that they can have this new dog to spread joy and happiness to the campus, because that’s always what Rhett did, and I know that that’s what this dog will do as well.”

Kiana Carver, a senior in the College of Communication, said the tran-

sition from Rhett to R2 is a great way to memorialize Rhett’s legacy.

While Rhett’s personality will be missed by the student body, Carver said R2 will fill that void.

“I loved that dog so much. He was so goofy-looking but he brought me a sense of comfort,” Carver said.

“So I think it’s really nice, especially during what’s going on right now, that there’s a cute little puppy walking around campus.”

Given the nature of the coronavirus, Iwanicki said he is weary of

students getting R2 sick, but he said anyone can stop and say hello to meet BU’s newest recruit.

“One thing I’m not going to allow is for him to be petted while the pandemic is going, because there’s questions of whether dogs and cats are getting this from human contact,” Iwanicki said. “But obviously, people can stop and stay socially distanced from us and they can take all the pictures they want … I’m sure he’s on probably a few hundred cell phones as we speak.”

A transformed college experience for freshmen Diana Piper Contributing Writer The prospect of college has drastically changed this year. Instead of welcoming a packed crowd of incoming freshmen with lively dance and music performances, Boston University hosted an online Orientation this summer, transforming how new students experience on-campus spirit and community.

Many incoming students won’t even come to campus this Fall as BU implements its Learn from Anywhere plan, in which students can choose to take their classes either in person or online throughout the semester.

College life will be remodeled, and freshmen will have nothing to compare it to.

Henry Nossiter, a freshman entering the College of Arts and Sciences, has accepted this new reality. Arriving from France, he has already experienced lockdowns unlike that of the U.S., due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

With that frame of reference, Nossiter said he is more willing to accept BU’s restrictions and appreciates the in-person opportunity.

Nossiter said he is excited for what the Fall semester will bring, and is glad to have the chance to not sit at home.

“I did make the conscious choice to come and stay at BU and come to in-person classes, because I wanted to feel like life was moving forward,” Nossiter said. “I suppose I just wanted to get the ball rolling and at least feel like I’m moving on with my life.”

Still, Nossiter said he recognizes the shortcomings of his “neutered” college situation. The muted social life will mean fewer and smaller so-

cial gatherings, leaving just the academic face of the college experience.

“I think it’ll make life here seem a little more slow and difficult than it would otherwise, just because I won’t be sure that I’ll have that release of just being able to go out and gather with my friends,” Nossiter said. “It certainly gives you less to look forward to, in terms of college life.”

CAS freshman Ulala Kajioka has also opted for the in-person route. Although she is nervous about coronavirus transmission, she said she could not forgo the interpersonal college experience and would prefer a gap year over online schooling.

“This has been something I’ve been looking forward to for a really long time,” Kajioka said. “It is really disappointing that I won’t get the full experience, because I feel like this is

like a rite of passage.”

Kajioka found her roommate online, but otherwise has had difficulty connecting virtually with BU students. She said she believes even a restricted in-person presence can help, but will still not provide the full experience of being in the BU community.

Diminished social access is even more difficult for those attending online, like CAS freshman Jason Su. Living in Hong Kong, where the coronavirus situation is more stable than in the U.S., Su decided that remaining home for the Fall semester would be safer.

However, this means he must communicate through more impersonal mediums — social media and Zoom.

“I managed to meet a couple of people through orientations and through joining Facebook groups,”

Su said. “It’s definitely a great way to at least get a foundation of knowing people before being in person in January.”

Studying in a time zone 12 hours ahead of Boston has left Su taking courses in the late evening. But for some classes that quickly filled, he was pushed into 2 a.m. class times.

He said this is a sub-optimal academic situation, especially as Zoom sessions cannot replace an in-person education.

Rigpea Wangchuck, a freshman in the College of Engineering studying remotely from India, found a perk in staying home. Wangchuck must buy his own equipment for classes instead of using university-provided resources, which he said allows him a more flexible and individual experience.

“Having my own things, I can do

ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIE PARK | DFP FILE

Freshmen arriving on campus this Fall won’t be socializing with new classmates in quite the same way as in years past.

so much more,” Wangchuck said.

“Once I dive more into the course, I can find out more about what I can do with this equipment to benefit me.”

Wangchuck said he is also excited to be able to share his work with his family and friends. After living away from home for years, quarantine has allowed his relationship with them to strengthen, compensating for the weakened social experience at BU. “I used to go to a boarding school, and this is the longest period in eight years that I’ve been together with them,” Wangchuck said. “I can really share what I’m learning and I can physically show the products to them, and I think all these things bring us closer together.”

Mariam Hydara has also strengthened her familial bonds in quarantine. As a freshman in the College of General Studies, she will start classes in January and study in London next summer, making up for the missed Fall semester.

Hydara said she is using her gap semester to work, tend to her mental health and further her family bonds.

“My siblings and I were all in the house together,” Hydara said. “I experienced new sides of my siblings that I didn’t realize before, like my brother’s really funny, which I never knew.”

Hydara said she hopes her Spring semester will be less consumed by the coronavirus. But she said the future, like the present, is murky with unanswered questions. “[At first] I was like ‘Okay, there’s no way this is going to reach the summer,’ and then it did. And then I was like ‘Okay, there’s no way, it’s going to impact the Fall semester,’ and then it did,” Hydara said. “So now, there’s really no way to assume how far this will reach.”

FEATURES 9

A look into student isolation housing Belle He Contributing Writer Boston University currently holds around 20 students in designated isolation housing, which is reserved for those on campus who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Sophomore Jasmine, who requested her last name not be published, is among them.

Jasmine’s first on-campus test came back negative, but her suitemate, who moved into their dorm the following day, tested positive. As a close contact, Jasmine was first placed in quarantine before testing positive and being moved to isolation housing Aug. 21.

“In quarantine, they regularly test you just to make sure that you’re still negative,” Jasmine said. “And from the brief interaction I had with her the day she moved in, I guess I ended up catching it from her, which is how I got a positive test and got put in isolation.”

Although Jasmine’s suitemate had already informed her that she had tested positive, Jasmine said it took several hours for BU to notify her that she needed to be moved into quarantine housing.

“The only part where I would say BU messed up is when my suitemate tested positive before they put me into quarantine,” Jasmine said. “It took them a really long time to call me. I stayed in my dorm room because I knew she had tested positive … but it took them a good six hours to call me.”

After Jasmine tested positive her-

self, she said she was moved into isolation housing within two hours of receiving the result. She stayed until Monday, when she completed the mandatory isolation period.

Quarantine is a 14-day stay-inplace period for those who have potentially been exposed to coronavirus but have not yet shown symptoms.

Isolation lasts 10 days and is required when an individual already displayed symptoms or tested positive.

In accordance with safety protocols, any service worker who enters an isolation building wears a hazmat suit, Jasmine said, and no one else is allowed in the building.

Jasmine said Student Health Services calls daily to assess self-reported symptoms, and Residence Life can also regularly check in over the phone on her food and water supply and overall wellbeing.

“We still have to submit the daily symptoms of how we feel,” Jasmine said. “If you do start to feel any symptoms while in isolation, then the 10 days has to restart from the day you feel your symptoms.”

While she is currently asymptomatic, Jasmine said there are procedures in place to help her if she begins to feel ill.

“If the symptoms aren’t too bad, we can call Student Health Services, and they can bring us medicine or whatever we need,” Jasmine said.

“But they said if the symptoms get really bad, like we can’t breathe, to just go ahead and call 911 first and go get taken care of, and then afterwards inform the school.”

She also said she won’t be tested

for COVID-19 for another 90 days.

“Apparently, you can test positive, a false positive, for up to 90 days after you catch [COVID-19],” Jasmine said. “After 10 days, you’re no longer contagious, but you can still test positive.”

Catherine Klapperich, director of BU’s COVID-19 testing, had previously confirmed this to The Daily Free Press.

Jasmine said she was allowed to bring her own belongings, but found almost everything she needed in the room provided by BU. BU Spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email that there are nearly 800 beds set aside for quarantine and isolation.

He wrote that rooms are furnished with necessities such as wireless internet, bed linen, pillow, towels and food.

“The quarantine and isolation accommodations include a supply of groceries and beverages, and BU Dining Services will provide regular delivery of prepared meals for reheating, fresh fruit, produce, and dairy products,” Riley wrote. “All quarantine and isolation spaces will contain a MicroFridge or a small kitchen with a microwave and refrigerator.”

An email from Director of Residence Life David Zamojski to students required to relocate detailed what they would have access to, such as food, laundry vendors and XFINITY On Campus. It also outlined what they should consider bringing with them, including clothing to last up to 14 days, a comforter, toiletries and chargers.

They were also provided with es-

sential contact information and informed that they would receive transportation to and from the isolation housing.

The email also stated students are not to receive any deliveries, and to contact BU staff if there is anything they need.

“Once inside your room, except for a medical or fire emergency, it is critical to both your health and others that you do not leave the building,” the email stated.

With classes starting this week, Jasmine said the experience has not significantly disrupted her schedule, and she was able to reschedule in-person meetings on campus to remote meetings on Zoom.

As of Monday, 40 out of 30,347 BU community members have tested positive for the virus, making the University’s positivity rate 0.13 percent, according to BU’s COVID-19 Testing Data Dashboard.

Upon their return to Boston, students must take a COVID-19 test at one of the four on-campus test collection sites, according to the Back2BU website. They are then advised to stay-in-place in their residence until they receive three negative results.

All faculty, staff and students must record their daily symptoms and schedule frequent testing through the Patient Connect portal.

Richard Galgano, associate director of Primary Care at SHS, said the Healthway department was developed to coordinate testing and other matters related to COVID-19.

He said Healthway staff will contact students who test positive by phone and will conduct contact tracing in-

vestigations.

Students living in BU residences who switch into quarantine or isolation housing will remain in those spaces until approved for release by a Healthway health care provider.

Galgano said the duration of student isolation is based on guidelines set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Those placed in isolation work with contact tracers to identify people the patient was in close contact with while they were infectious, Galgano said.

“Contact tracers then notify individuals who may have been exposed to the patient,” Galgano said. “The process is conducted in a manner which preserves confidentiality. Individuals identified as close contacts are provided information and support.”

The CDC identifies “close contact” as being within six feet of another person for at least 15 minutes.

As the pandemic continues to evolve, the University encourages students to check the Back2BU website frequently for updated information. The impact of testing and quarantine protocols on campus life remains uncertain as the semester begins.

Riley wrote that BU does not currently have any concerns regarding the number of students in isolation.

“The screening, testing and contact tracing that the University has implemented is designed to limit and contain the spread of the virus,” Riley wrote, “and will do so as long as members of the BU community commit to following all of the other public health guidance.”

Social media campaign pushes for public safety Cameron Morsberger Daily Free Press Staff As Fall classes loom and Boston University gears up for in-person operations, students concerned about harmful ignorance surrounding campus safety were pushed into action, and they have some strong words to express that apprehension.

The “F--- It Won’t Cut It” campaign launched over Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter to urge BU students returning to campus to follow COVID-19 safety protocols and encourage their peers to do so as well.

The initiative is driven by eight College of Communication students involved in AdLab and PRLab, who began posting online Aug. 9.

Hannah Schweitzer, a rising senior studying advertising and the president of AdLab, is the project manager and account executive at FIWCI. Schweitzer said the student-led organization is encouraging those returning to campus to act responsibly for both their own health and community health.

“What’s so exciting about this campaign is that it’s really in the students’ language, it’s students talking to students,” Schweitzer said. “Being on campus is a privilege, so it’s on us, the students, to follow the protocols and take care of each other, take care of the BU community and take care of Boston.”

Before the official launch, BU Trustees filed FIWCI for a trademark Aug. 6, garnering online attention for the school-sponsored profanity.

Students had pitched several ideas to BU when it asked them for a public safety campaign that would connect with the student body, and the University approved the FIWCI idea.

The name “F--- It” came as a re-

sponse to other young people’s disregard for nationwide health guidelines such as social distancing, said Christoper Young, advertising senior and copywriter on the campaign.

Young said the explicit title is meant to not only entice fellow students to interact with their bright marketing, but also to show the larger community that not all students are detached and irresponsible during the pandemic.

“We wanted to use bold language, bold colors to really get any student’s attention, because we have the potential here to actually encourage safe behaviors and really change not just our attitudes, but also our lifestyles,” Young said. “We wanted to show that students really do care.”

The campaign’s Instagram account, @fckitwontcutit, has gained more than 3,200 followers since its inception. The campaign includes information on travel safety, campus testing procedures and ways students can socialize and date with caution.

In response to the account’s popularity and growing presence among BU students, another social media campaign called “F--- It Didn’t Cut It” launched on Instagram to disclose on-campus gatherings that their advocacy failed to prevent.

The account’s creator, a BU student who asked to remain anonymous, said that as a “non-University sponsored voice,” they hope to use their platform as a form of citizen journalism and to encourage members of the BU community to hold each other accountable and keep campus open.

“This is not our playground,” the student said on Aug. 23. “We are lucky to go to school here, and we can’t rampage all over the people of Fenway and Allston and Brighton just because we want to party. We

can’t put lives at risk.”

The FIDCI account was deleted later that day due to backlash over posts advising students to call campus police, which some said was “threatening Black life on campus,” the creator wrote in an iMessage.

They wrote they hope the creation of a task force separate from the police could mitigate situations more responsibly.

Meanwhile, some students have been vocal about their disapproval of the University-sponsored FIWCI program and its messaging, including COM senior Brandon Millington, who posted his criticism on his personal Instagram account.

By supporting the campaign, Millington said, BU administration is undercutting its own role in keeping students and faculty safe, instead unfairly putting that pressure on the students themselves.

“Students and faculty and staff did not have a say in the reopening plans, and to use the PR team and the campaign to kind of rally students into believing that now they have a responsibility and accountability is just not fair at all,” Millington said.

“And it is deceptive, at the end of the day, for the PR team to promote this.”

Massachusetts has averaged around 58 new COVID-19 cases per million daily over the last month and a positive testing rate of just over 2 percent, according to The COVID Tracking Project. This data classifies the state as “lower-risk,” as per the state’s COVID-19 Travel Order criteria.

BU students largely began moving into on-campus housing on Aug. 15 and are required to complete a COVID-19 test upon arrival.

In addition to Back2BU and campus-issued announcements concerning the pandemic, FIWCI offers

students a voice and platform to protect themselves and their peers, Mia Trentadue, assistant director of community initiatives and online education at BU’s Wellness and Prevention Services, said.

Trentadue, who works on virtual programming for incoming students, said it is important to prioritize COVID-19 safety this Fall.

“It’s really a community effort to look out for one another, to look out for yourself [and] to keep folks safe,” Trentadue said. “The campaign that students have put together is eye-catching, it is bold, and it really sounds like it comes from a student voice.”

Kira Milgrim, a rising sophomore in the College of Engineering, followed the project on Instagram after a colleague recommended the account to her. While students’ adherence to health guidelines is somewhat unpredictable, she said she remains hopeful that the community will look out for each other with the help of FIWCI. “It’s a great idea for raising awareness about all this stuff,” Milgrim said. “People need to realize other people in the community are affected by their actions, so I think this campaign’s pretty important, and it speaks the language of us, so hopefully people get on board.”

While he supports the movement’s efforts and the student engagement it

COURTESY OF F--- IT WON’T CUT IT

promotes, Millington said he would prefer to see critical conversations involving the entire BU community that directly address people’s concerns.

“I want to see students and faculty having an open discussion, an open dialogue as to how their specific courses can benefit this semester,” Millington said. “Even though BU administration hasn’t given students and staff that voice in the planning aspects of reopening, I still think as a community effort, a conversation can still be made for all of us to think, ‘how can we stay safe the semester?’”

In the coming months, the project will be “all over campus this Fall,” Young said, with proposed signage outside of Warren Towers, promotions on the BU Shuttle, posters across Commonwealth Avenue and merchandise for students.

While the campaign’s messages and aesthetic are spirited and colorful, Schweitzer said she and her team are dedicated to spreading awareness and ensuring that students demonstrate real obedience to keep BU open and safe.

“This is us saying we’re in this together, we love being on campus, this is the place we feel at home, these are the people we love being around,” Schweitzer said. “But if we are going to get this awesome privilege, we need to really take care of each other.

10 OPINION

EDITORIAL BU’s reopening prioritizes undergraduates, fails wider community As schools begin to reopen, the coronavirus threat continues to loom over the country. Despite tens of thousands of reported COVID-19 cases having arisen already from college campuses across America, Boston University is committed to inviting students back.

As irresponsible as this may be, there is no stopping it. Students have already trickled their way back to campus, and to reverse course now would require a worst-case scenario to play out — following in the footsteps of other schools’ failures.

In comparison to many other institutions, BU can boast of a much more thorough plan for the return of its student population: All undergraduate students will be tested for COVID-19 twice a week as well as immediately upon arriving for move-in.

A strict mask mandate requires facial coverings, all of which must meet the proper criteria, to be worn in all public places on campus, including classrooms, common living areas and on public transportation.

The University will suspend not just those who host gatherings of more than 25 students, but those who even attend them — all without refunds for tuition or room and board.

BU is incredibly privileged to have the resources it does. Smaller schools most likely cannot afford the high cost of establishing on-campus testing labs that process results at such a quick rate.

Reopening and revamping a campus during a pandemic is no cheap task, and BU could not have confidently predicted if the revenue from in-person attendance would outweigh the costs.

So, as much as there is worth criticizing about BU’s reopening plans, we should not neglect to give credit where it’s due.

The University is tackling an unprecedented yet highly consequential endeavor, and every misstep is amplified under the weight of public scrutiny.

Like any first attempt, it cannot possibly be perfect. But it is indeed clear the administration

has thoughtfully, and to the best of its ability, planned out as safe a return to campus as possible under these circumstances.

However, the school’s preparations have consistently centered only on its undergraduate student population.

While it has spent the summer months catering specifically to this group, it has failed other members of both the BU and Boston community: graduate students, faculty and local residents.

Keeping BU’s biggest pool of students safe, while essential, is not enough. Undergraduates were the only ones who — if they were not in-

impact.

It was unfair, for example, for the University to promise a hybrid learning environment before first having solicited comprehensive feedback from instructors themselves.

And the neighboring non-BU residents in Allston, Brighton and Fenway might be screwed over most of all.

Just when Massachusetts was becoming a model state for its handling of the pandemic, back-to-school season rolled around.

City Councilor Kenzie Bok has urged BU and Northeastern University to go remote for the Fall, warning of heightened dangers brought

The University ... must take the initiative to minimize harm to others. It has failed to show any inclination of doing that so far — but it’s not too late. ternational — had full freedom over whether to return or not. For others, no such right was granted.

PhD students who have a teaching appointment must return to campus in order to receive their stipend. Heavy limitations on the hours graduate students can work per week effectively force them to depend on that stipend to afford school, meaning this policy asks students to choose between risking their health or their education.

Meanwhile, BU’s lack of clear communication continually leaves faculty in the dark, and many major decisions have been made without adequate input from the professors they will

EDITORIAL BOARD Angela Yang, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Readdean, Managing Editor Melissa Ellin, Campus Editor Jane Avery, Associate Campus Editor

in by out-of-state students and off-campus activities.

Councilor Liz Breadon, too, wrote to BU and Boston College with similar concerns.

Their sentiments reflect the fears embedded in the residents they represent.

However many guidelines are put in place and however severe the consequences, there will always be certain elements that cannot be feasibly controlled.

Parties and other large gatherings are undeniably hotspots for the virus to spread, but that’s not the only way cases can rise.

Students commute to class, work and other social events via public transportation. BU is

also located near many retail stores and restaurants. Just as students in these spaces can contract the virus from residents, students will pass it on to them just as easily.

Local Bostonians are rightfully scared of what’s to come. And yet, they have no choice but to watch it happen.

If the University is to be a responsible neighbor, it must take the initiative to minimize harm to others. It has failed to show any inclination of doing that so far — but it’s not too late.

If BU has the capacity to process more than 5,000 COVID-19 test results a day, then it cannot be impossible to extend that service to the surrounding community. Local residents who live in close proximity to students deserve to be offered free testing, at the least.

At this point, the administration has made evident its dedication to protecting its undergraduates. Going forward, it’s time to expand the spotlight.

Graduate students and faculty members are just as vital a part of the BU community, and they deserve to be heard. These groups are likely even more committed to university-wide safety than top administrators are, because they each have individual stakes in it.

So not only is transparency and consultation with them a bare-minimum courtesy, but it can only benefit BU to listen to their ideas and criticisms.

At the same time, the people of Boston have already suffered from the consequences of this pandemic. If they must be hit by another potential wave — at the hands of a wealthy and powerful institution, no less — it’s only right that they receive some protection. Access to free and frequent testing is one place to start.

Bottom line: reopening campus affects so many more people than just the students who choose to return. To truly ensure a successful semester, BU must take into consideration the needs of all those impacted by its decisions — not simply those who fork over the most housing dollars.

EXECUTIVE BOARD Haley Lerner, Chairman Victoria Bond, Vice Chairman Angela Yang, President

Chloe Liu, Associate Campus Editor

Allison Pirog, City Editor Kasia Jezak, Associate City Editor Daniel Kool, Associate City Editor

Cameron Morsberger, Features Editor Nancy Jiang, Associate Community Editor Madeline Humphrey, Associate Business Editor Margaret Farrar, Associate Arts Editor

Maxwell Bevington, Sports Editor Jacob Nesson, Associate Sports Editor Zoe Pantazelos, Associate Sports Editor

Colbi Edmonds, Opinion Editor Lauryn Allen, Photo Editor Hannah Yoshinaga, Associate Photo Editor Perry Sosi, Associate Photo Editor Minh Ahn Nguyen, Associate Photo Editor

Amber Bhatnagar, Blog Editor Justin Tang, Podcast Editor

Diana Leane, Secretary Hillary Hao, Treasurer Sophia Yakumithis, Staff Recruitment Chair Ananya Panchal, Internal Affairs Chair Samantha Kizner, Public Relations Chair Nick Telesmanic, Grants and Awards Chair Sam Drysdale, Advertising and Fundraising Chair Alex LaSalvia, Web Chair Shaun Robinson, Audience and Engagement Chair Vivian Myron, Alumni and Archival Chair The Daily Free Press is governed by Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc., a Massachusetts 501(c) nonprofit organization. BBPC’s Board of Directors is made up of former editors and is responsible for the publishing and general business management of the paper.

OPINION 11

COLUMNS Silver linings in learning remotely

Abbigale Shi Columnist For students returning to Boston University, all classes and social events this Fall will be mostly, if not entirely, virtual. The promise of in-person classes has all but vanished, save for a couple of hybrid-based course modules.

The consensus for this semester is that it will suck. Based on our trial run earlier this year, it’s a more than reasonable hypothesis. But professors have been working hard to adapt their curriculum and classrooms to the new environment on Zoom. So, how can we as students make the most of an otherwise isolating and strenuous experience?

There are some aspects of online classes that actually make learning easier for students.

Many professors will provide recordings of their lectures for students to access at will. This means students can learn concepts at their own pace, and missing a piece of a professor’s explanation is easily amendable.

Students may also find that they have more time in the day compared to living on campus and attending classes in person. Online learning reduces commuting time, which means there’s more time to do homework, try out a new recipe or work out.

When everything is on your computer, you don’t have to travel far or plan around public transportation schedules or the time it takes to walk from East to West campus. Barring faulty wifi or other technological hiccups, classes and back-to-back meetings should be much more convenient in an online format.

Online learning can also help reduce carbon footprint and personal waste. Not only will assignment submissions be mostly online rather than printed, but notes and textbooks can also be electronic and more easily accessible, consolidated and organized.

Despite these advantages, there remain several inevitable challenges of online learning.

One of the hardest obstacles to overcome, especially for incoming freshmen, will be the social component of academics: effectively participating in online classes and finding classmates to engage with.

Though online learning arguably makes an already taxing transition more stressful, class participation can actually be made less so.

In any online lecture, students can join the discussion or ask questions by messaging in the chat or speaking out without the physical weight of all eyes on them. Participating can become easier for students who are normally quiet in the classroom, and in fact, they are enabled by this new format to elevate their learning and engage with their classmates on a level they otherwise wouldn’t have.

Without being able to meet classmates faceto-face, the chance of collaboration may seem out of reach. However, students are not limited to studying independently as study groups are still possible through Zoom and class group chats, and sometimes professors will even create class Slack channels. All of these options provide a forum for classmates to discuss material and take their learning into their own hands.

But aside from the academic challenges that come with these shifts, online classes can also pose significant challenges to students’ mental health. For this reason, it’s crucial to set time aside for self care. It can be incredibly stressful and tiring to continually social distance and quarantine, stare day in and day out at a screen and all the while continue to maintain strong academic performance.

This year more than ever, it’s vital that students leave time for breaks in their schedule, picking up new hobbies, connecting with their loved ones and safely venturing outdoors. Providing structure to each day prevents online learning from slipping into monotony and ensures a healthy lifestyle moving forward.

In that same vein, choosing a designated study space that’s not in bed can help students be present and get in the headspace for learning.

And on sunny days, soaking up a little vitamin D outside while studying beats a cramped seat in a lecture hall any day.

While there are many real challenges, and some students may be put at a greater disadvantage than others due to the restraints of online learning and living situations, there remain several ways to make the most of the upcoming semester.

You’re back, now don’t mess it up!

Meredith Varner Columnist For me, every day of this summer was spent in anxious anticipation of returning to campus and adjusting to the new rules and new normal of life in a pandemic.

I am sure many of you felt the same way, especially when we did not know whether we would be returning at all.

I felt very conflicted as my senior year approached because I wanted it to be as normal as possible.

But, given the circumstances, normal is not an option.

I wanted classes to be in person because I learn better that way, and I wanted to return to campus to have access to some of the facilities.

But at the same time I did not want students flooding Boston and endangering the residents, Boston University staff or faculty.

I was torn on my feelings for this semester.

Regardless of how you wanted life to look this Fall, the semester is set and students are making their way back to campus in preparation for hybrid learning.

As you arrive on campus, I know there is a strong temptation to return to life as normal.

You are finally getting out of your childhood bedroom and many of you are back in the environment you were in before the pandemic.

Even I feel a bit of relief to be in my apartment and independent again.

Still, I cannot stress enough the importance of following BU’s guidelines and being the responsible adults we are all capable of being.

I have to applaud BU’s system of testing and containing the virus.

I have been tested three times now and each time I was in the building for less than two minutes and received my test results within 20 hours.

I feel safe knowing that every student has to get tested and there is no getting around it — you even get an email reminder every time you need to schedule your next test.

The system the University created is our best shot of getting through the whole semester as safely as possible.

The quickest way to screw it up is by attending large gatherings and not social distancing.

No one wants to get sent home again, but many colleges have shut down recently, so it is very much a possibility if we act selfishly.

The New York Times found that many of these college outbreaks are not linked to the classroom, but instead to Greek life events and other large gatherings.

The University of Alabama had more than 1,000 cases after just the first week of classes.

Schools that are shutting down or experiencing large outbreaks serve as a precautionary example of why we must strictly follow the guidelines and sacrifice the partying.

All I want is to be able to attend classes and get the in-person learning my degrees require.

I also want to be able to stay on campus and live my life outside of my childhood home — I am sure many of you can relate.

Skipping out on the partying for this semester is worth it if it means everything else can happen safely and as normally as possible.

While partying is a fun part of college, the main reason I am here is to learn.

I do not want to lose that.

There are so many other ways to be social without ruining it for the entire campus.

You will have roommates and people on your floor you can safely see, and while the weather is nice you can even have distanced hangouts with friends outdoors.

Clubs will be resuming activities both virtually and at some socially distanced in-person meetings.

Campus facilities like the library and dining halls will be open.

While it may not feel the same, you are not confined to your dorm every day.

There is a whole city out there to explore beyond campus.

Wear your mask and social distance, but get out there!

Grab pizza and a cannoli in the North End and sit in one of the city’s endless parks.

There are ways to have fun and be safe at the same time that do not include a frat basement.

Just get creative and don’t ruin this semester for the rest of us.

Are these truly ‘uncertain’ and ‘unpredictable’ times? Probably not.

Bini Yamin Columnist I can’t tell you the number times I’ve been falsely encouraged by the phrase “in these uncertain times” throughout the last few months.

These words have been used by companies to sell everything from beer to life insurance, and fall under the narrative that we will get through this pandemic as long as we know that Buick and GMC have always been here for America with strong, family-centered values.

God forbid we are not explicitly informed of Tractor Supply & Co.’s official response to the coronavirus.

I don’t blame companies for their lack of creativity. I’ve used the phrase in articles, emails and when handing in late assignments because it sounds much better than “in these times of death

and suffering” or “in these times of white women thinking getting a haircut is more important than human lives.”

But the more I think about it, the more inaccurate this phrase feels. A lot of what’s been happening recently seems certain. For instance, low-income Black, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Indigenous communities are disproportionately exposed to pollution and toxic waste and, as a result, are more likely to develop cardiovascular and lung diseases.

People with underlying medical conditions such as respiratory or cardiovascular illnesses are more likely to suffer life-threatening cases of COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Additionally, reported numbers show that Black and Brown communities are suffering disproportionately high death rates.

These deaths are not unexplainable or uncertain. They are the product of structures that have been in place long before this virus ever existed.

Even those emphatically white crowds protesting their right to be exposed to the virus — all in the name of getting a massage or playing golf — seem predictable. There’s a lot about these “uncertain” times that certainly seem already characteristic of life in America.

I don’t mean to minimize any of the suffering or loss that people are going through right now.

We are experiencing horrific, unusual and devastating times — it is not normal for this many people to die in such a short span of time.

I mean to say that the structures that existed before the crisis arose, and that are known to (and in many cases explicitly created by) government officials, exacerbated the spread and devastation of the disease in marginalized communities.

Black communities in Louisiana, for example, forfeited necessary access to primary care when Gov. Bobby Jindal rejected the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid. When Jon Bel Edwards was elected as governor, he then accepted Medicaid in 2016. But this expansion of primary care can only do so much for the health of communities that have been hurt for generations.

Any semblance of uncertainty feels like a cruel joke.

I think we label these times as “uncertain” because we want them to be. We use the phrase as a way to look away from how much unimaginable loss people are going through, and to pretend thousands of deaths weren’t preventable.

That is not to say there is nothing uncertain about the future. Now that many states are reopening in spite of opposing medical and public health expert opinions, the future at the other side of this pandemic feels opaque and untenable, despite being all the more near to us.

In a New York Times article, reporter Gina Kolata wrote, “an end can occur not because a disease has been vanquished but because people grow tired of panic mode and learn to live with a disease.”

The Black Death is marked as lasting from around 1347 to 1351. But, the plague reemerged every 20 years in London until 1665, killing 20 percent of the population each time.

Is this what we have to look forward to?

The AIDS pandemic technically has not ended and, as it did in the 80s and 90s, still disproportionally affects Black and Brown LGBT communities. Even if the COVID-19 pandemic ends, what will we be returning to?

I think there is an urge for us to go back to normal, to visit our friends and go back to campus. We want to pretend the pandemic was a time of irregularity and that the suffering we may have witnessed or experienced was characteristic of a past time, and not of the continuing structures under which it occurred.

To be honest, I don’t have any idea how this pandemic is going to or should end, but I think it’d do us well to let go of uncertainty as a comfort.

Yes, life is unpredictable and horrific. But even chaos theory dictates that chaos is ruled by a certain set of deterministic laws and patterns.

The course of human history is not something we can clearly define, but the parts of it that we can perceive and study are ultimately rooted in intentionally constructed systems.

If we are certain in our history, then we can be certain on how to deconstruct these systems and emerge from this crisis with purpose. The future may be uncertain, but our response to it doesn’t have to be.

Sports Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020

The year sports fans will never forget Chad Jones Daily Free Press Staff 2020 has been a year unlike any other, and no one is more in tune with that fact than sports fans. After a long suspension of professional sports in the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League have all returned to play.

However, with the rise of racial tensions happening in the U.S., the spotlight has been turned even brighter on these leagues.

The NBA has certainly been under a microscope since restarting its season at Disney World.

The league has written “Black Lives Matter” on its courts, allowed players to print messages of social justice on the back of their jerseys and has had almost every player kneel for the national anthem.

On Aug. 26, it took an even bigger step.

Amid racial unrest in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks decided to forfeit Game 5 of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic, which led to a suspension of the NBA playoffs for the time being.

While it does appear that the playoffs will carry on, the players have made their feelings known — they want to get involved with more social

justice causes and be at the forefront of change.

Seeing LeBron James, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo and others battle for a championship is exciting, but the most memorable part of the NBA playoffs could have nothing to do with basketball.

With racial issues in mind, the NHL had also decided to postpone playoffs in both its Toronto and Edmonton hub cities in Canada, but playoffs restarted Saturday.

The NHL has been criticized in the past for not being very proactive when it comes to social issues. So, even this postponement raised eyebrows, considering it was a full day later than the NBA boycott.

But regardless of timing, the NHL is trying to show it is listening to its players’ concerns and that it wants to improve the league.

Fans are watching to see if the NHL continues to step out of its hockey thought bubble during this postseason and beyond.

The MLB has also suspended regular season games. On Wednesday, four games were postponed. The next day, some teams chose to postpone their games while others decided to play.

More than 30 MLB games have already been rescheduled due to COVID-19. And as the only league of the three not currently confined to a bubble, it might have given an outline

COURTESY OF BUCSWEB VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Entrance to Disney’s Wide World of Sports, which is becoming the epicenter of the nation’s professional sports this year.

to the National Football League — whose season is set to kick off Sept.

10 — on how to and not to handle a traveling sports league.

But before all that comes along with the beginning of football season, the NFL commented on the nation’s biggest story. On Thursday, the NFL Players Association released a statement alongside the league itself.

“We will continue to not only use our collective platform to call out racism and injustice whenever and wherever it occurs in our country,” the statement reads, “but also fight together to eradicate it.”

The other top story is how these leagues have handled the COVID-19

pandemic. While the NBA and NHL have not had much of a problem dealing with an outbreak, the MLB season might be a sign of things to come for the NFL. Between travel and the contact that occurs in a football game, it will be difficult to have zero positive cases throughout the season.

The NFL would be smart to handle its campaign like MLB has: if a team has positive cases, shut down practices and postpone games.

While that very well could lead to an unbalanced schedule or the postseason being delayed, these leagues have shown a commitment to completing their seasons.

There is a lot of uncertainty in sports, the country and the world right now. However, sports fans do have things to hold on to during these challenging times.

Sports are not normal right now.

The fact these games are being played in empty arenas with announcers calling games from home is strange.

2020 should remind fans just how important they are to the professional sports machine. Whenever spectators are allowed back into arenas, the players will appreciate them like never before. Their cheering, their jeering and their tearing will always be an integral part of the sports experience.

Many college sports to not see fall season they have done so out of concern for public health and safety, but their decisions have been met with backlash from players, parents and coaches.

The Big Ten especially has received significant resistance for its decision, as well as for its lack of communication: not consulting players in the decision and never instituting conference-wide guidelines on how to safely practice and play.

University of Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh has said he is disappointed in the conference’s decision and that he believes his program was capable of meeting the challenge presented by COVID-19.

Some Big Ten head coaches, such as University Of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Scott Frost and Ohio State University’s Ryan Day, have even considered the possibility of playing in another conference that has not canceled fall sports.

Despite two conference cancelations within the Power 5, the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 have all remained committed to playing sports this fall season.

In the ACC, the field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball teams will each compete in

the minimum number of games required to be eligible for an NCAA tournament.

For football, each ACC team will play 10 in-conference games and one out-of-conference game, and the non-conference matchup must be against a team within that school’s home state.

The SEC and Big 12 have enacted similar plans with football teams playing a conference-only, 10-game schedule in the SEC and a 10-game schedule with one out-of-conference opponent in the Big 12.

Both the SEC and Big 12 have suspended fall sports competitions until Tuesday. The SEC is expected to kick off its football season on Sept.

26, while the ACC is slated to start on Sept. 10 and the Big 12 on Sept. 12.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have expressed a desire to play their fall sports in the spring. However, regarding football, several individuals have spoken out against that proposal, saying it would be too much stress on the body to play in spring and then turn around and play the subsequent fall.

The conferences that are currently scheduled to play in the fall could still pull the plug, but as of now they will proceed to play amid the pandemic.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 3

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Boston Celtics tip off Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors at 6:30 p.m.

Boston Red Sox take on the Toronto Blue Jays in a double-header at home starting 4:10 p.m.

First off icial FBS college football Saturday kicks off, starting with Eastern Kentucky vs. Marshall at 1 p.m.

ANGELA YANG | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Patriot League has canceled all fall sports, meaning they will not be able to compete when the academic year begins.

Maxwell Bevington Daily Free Press Staff When the coronavirus surged throughout the U.S. in March, forcing an abrupt end to all collegiate winter and spring sports, many were not thinking ahead to the upcoming fall sports season. But as student athletes return to their schools, the effects of the virus will surely be felt.

As COVID-19 remained very prevalent throughout the summer, smaller collegiate athletic conferences began to cancel their respective fall sports season.

On July 10, the New England

Small College Athletic Conference announced the cancelation of all fall sports competitions, which came just two days after the Ivy League took the same action.

The Patriot League, home to all Boston University Athletics except for ice hockey and crew, then made the decision July 13 to cancel fall sports in hopes of being able to return in spring. Hockey East, the conference that BU’s ice hockey teams belong to, announced July 29 its plans to move forward with the season, which will prioritize scheduling conference opponents. A start date is yet to be announced.

More major college athletic con-

TUESDAY, SEPT. 1

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2

Tennis matches f rom Round 1 of the U.S. Open continue at 12 p.m.

Boston Red Sox close out a threegame home stand against the Atlanta Braves at 7:30 p.m.

ferences began to make decisions in August on the viability of fall sports.

On Aug. 8, the Mid-American Conference became the first Football Bowl Subdivision conference to cancel fall athletics, including college football. Two days later, the Big Ten became the first Power 5 conference to do the same — major football programs will no longer play as scheduled.

Another significant cancellation came Aug. 11 with the Pacific-12 conference’s decision to suspend all sports until at least January 2021.

Many university presidents and conference officials who supported the cancelation of fall sports say

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