WINTER print edition 12.9.22

NEWS, 2

170 student organizations signed open letter to rename Myles Standish Hall

GALLERY, 6

Things you can do in Boston to feel the holiday spirit 50

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Men’s basketball falls to Notre Dame 81-75 in South Bend J O U R NA LI S M

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Editor-in-Chief Molly Farrar reminisces about the semester

YEAR LIII. VOLUME B. ISSUE VI

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Center for Computing and Data Sciences holds dedication ceremony

BY ANNA RUBENSTEIN AND SANGMIN SONG Contributing Writer and CoCampus Editor

Boston University Center for Computing and Data Sciences held its dedication ceremony Thursday afternoon, with guests from the BU community, City of Boston and construction partners.

The ceremony started with Jean Morrison, University provost and chief academic officer, giving a welcome speech.

“Boston University has had a remarkable roster of talent across the fields of Computing and Data Science, but never a chance like the one we celebrate today,” Morrison said in her speech. “The Center for Computing and Data Sciences will be at its core what it’s always been about, harnessing the strength of this university, its great faculty, to produce new research, innovation and ideas across dozens of fields and in turn, impacting the lives of populations around the world.”

Mayor Michelle Wu attended the ceremony with her city council colleagues and commented on the effect she hopes the new building will have.

“I hope this building is also an example of how each one of us, each institution, each community, each individual, in some way can have an impact in what feels often like a pretty big and daunting set of challenges ahead of us,” Wu said in her speech.

President Robert Brown said the development of the building began over a decade ago. He said he believes it will become an integral part of campus after the final completion.

“This building will be a centerpiece of the Charles River campus,” Brown said in an interview at the event. “It’s really a stake in the ground for the University in our climate action plan of how we think, what we need to do to play our role in the climate mitigation plan.”

Three years ago, University Trustees, along with Brown and former Mayor Martin Walsh, ceremonially broke ground for CCDS on Dec. 5, 2019. The construction for CCDS began in Spring 2020, aiming to open in late 2022.

Dennis Carlberg, the associate vice president for BU sustainability, was

members” and spoke about the environmental impact the building will have.

“If you break down the numbers in Boston, more than 70% of our emissions come from buildings,” Wu said. “So to have one of our very large buildings very plainly saying not only can we make it work, not only is the

CLARE ONG | DFP STAFF

The ribbon cutting ceremony that commemorated the opening of the Boston University Center for Computing and Data Sciences on Thursday.

involved with developing the climate action plan for the building’s creation and said he hopes BU and the larger City of Boston take inspiration from CCDS. “(CCDS is) a fossil fuel free building, so there’s no gasoline connected to this building and it’s geothermal, the ground source heat pumps that were able to heat and cool the building,” Carlberg said. “My biggest hope is that this building is used as an example of what we can do … to curb climate change.”

Wu also described the center as a “clean, healthy and inspiring space for many talented students and faculty

technology there, but we are going to prove it, and live it and be able to have a place where you can feel it and experience it, that is so powerful.”

KPMB Architects was chosen to administer this project after winning in a competition and has been responsible for CCDS’s design since the beginning.

“We really thought of this building as (part of) a vertical campus, a vertical neighborhood,” said Paulo Rocha, a KPMB partner. “That’s where you start to see the movement of the building and the shifting of the boxes, kind of came through those stacking of neighborhoods.”

Rocha said he is interested in seeing

the reaction of the BU community to their work after the grand opening.

“I want to come back in March, when students are actually here,” he said. “(Students) are going to be the ones that are going to tell us if it’s working, and hopefully it is, hopefully we’ll see people on this collaboration.”

Azer Bestavros, the inaugural associate provost for CDS, discussed another unique element that makes it distinct from other buildings on campus.

“This is a building that has no walls, (and) the whole idea for this building is to bring students in,” he said. “I really like that because when you look at BU’s buildings, there is no building like this, even the GSU.” Bestavros said he “couldn’t be happier” about its completion as he was one of those who started initial conversations with architects.

“The words iconic, remarkable, these words people are using, I don’t think it does justice to this building,” Bestavros said. “This building is amazing.”

The new building has catalyzed conversation amongst BU students.

Neeza Singh, a sophomore in CDS, expressed her excitement after seeing the construction process.

“When I first came to BU as a freshman it was barely a building, all you could see was sticks holding it up so I’m surprised that they got it done so fast,” Singh said. “Now that I see it completed with the glass windows and every floor has a different design from what I’ve seen, I really like it.”

Amidst BU’s primarily Gothic architecture, CCDS has caused many students to hope the new style spreads through campus.

“I hope we can get more of the CDS building vibe (to campus) because I really like how it’s going. I just think it is a little odd how it looks in comparison to all of the other BU buildings,” Singh said. “But by itself I really like it.”

CCDS’s grand opening will take place on Jan. 15.

St. Mary’s dining returns

BY BAILEY SCOTT Staff Writer

A new all-weather dining area and several new restaurants are coming to Brookline, potentially as soon as March, according to the real estate agent representing the property.

The building, which will house the new dining area and restaurants, sits directly in front of the St. Mary’s Street T stop, right near the corner of St. Mary’s Street and Beacon Street.

The dining area will consist of a heated and enclosed glass paviliontype structure that will provide a place to sit through all four seasons.

According to the property listing on Crexi.com, a commercial real estate website, the pavilion will have a retractable sunroof in order to control how much light enters the space. It will extend from the storefronts to the sidewalk, a distance of 20 feet.

According to the listing, the property is 16,000 square feet, and made up of seven units, with three of those units currently available.

Roy Papalia, the property’s real estate agent, said this kind of depth in front of a building is rare in Boston.

He added that the dining area will also be on the sunny side of Beacon St., making it an ideal location for restaurants.

According to the plans for the property, the new restaurants accompanying the dining area will be Baby Cafe, KYU Ramen which is a New York-based ramen restaurant and Kyoto Matcha, a Japanese dessert and drink shop.

The property previously contained O’Leary’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, a Dunkin’ Donuts and Sichuan Gourmet, which, according to residents, were forced to close when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe. The buildings have remained empty since then, boarded up as they CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Boston’s Christmas tree gifted from Nova Scotia for 51 years

BY MACIE PARKER Staff Writer

Towering 45 feet over the Boston Common, Boston’s official Christmas tree from Nova Scotia commemorates a 51-year-old tradition between Boston and Nova Scotia.

In 1917, a munition boat from New York stopped overnight in Halifax before its journey overseas. Early the

next morning, it collided with another boat, exploding in the harbor, killing more than 1,000 people and devastating the area around it.

“There’s even folklore tales that the explosion was heard in Cape Brenton and even from some fishers that were on the New England Seaboard,” said Tory Rushton, minister of Natural Resources and Renewables for the Province of Nova Scotia.

SAM BETSKO | DFP STAFF

Boston’s official Christmas tree in the Boston Common stands 45 feet tall. Nova Scotia has sent a Christmas tree to Boston every year since 1917.

Boston did not receive transmission through the lines from Halifax, so after hearing of the explosion, Boston brought assistance, loading trains with medical supplies and physicians to help, Rushton said.

“For the last 51 years,” he said.

“The Province of Nova Scotia has sort of undertaken that gift, and we always make sure that we send a tree down as a thank you to the people of Boston for their assistance back in 1917.”

Nova Scotia chose to send a Christmas tree as a gift because the tragedy happened so close to Christmas.

After the tree arrives in Boston, the city engages in a celebratory tree lighting ceremony.

According to the City of Boston, “the official holiday season kick-off in Boston includes the lighting of the City of Boston’s official Christmas tree and trees throughout Boston Common and the Public Garden.”

This year, the lighting took place on Dec. 1 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“It’s a tradition for many families in Boston,” Rushton said. “It’s a tradition that many Nova Scotia families look forward to here, especially the communities where the tree comes from.”

The celebration in Boston this year

featured special performances from America’s Got Talent finalists Sons of Serendip, who met in graduate school at Boston University, Jimmy Rankin, a Nova Scotia native and award winning singer-songwriter, Reeny Smith from “Six: The Musical,” award-winning recording artist Michelle Brooks Thompson, and country music sister duo Tigirlily Gold.

The lights in the Boston Common attract citizens and visitors each year.

Natalie Weiss, a retail manager in Boston, said, “the holiday season goes pretty hard in Boston.”

At the cutting of the tree ceremony in Nova Scotia, Rushton said the community celebrates while local elementary school children perform a festive song, community college students take part in cutting down the tree and a minister speaks of the history of the tradition.

After the celebrations, the department staff from Natural Resources and Renewables and Public Works put the tree on Public Works trucks where it’s taken to the port of Halifax and is part of a celebratory parade.

The tree makes a few stops on its way to Boston, like Bangor, Maine.

During the pandemic, Nova Scotia “scaled down” their celebrations,

Rushton said.

“The last two years the tree was actually loaded onto a container ship,” he continued. “We didn’t want to risk not getting a tree there in time for Boston’s celebration.”

To choose the right Christmas tree, each year Nova Scotia evaluates a list of six or seven trees that are nominated by residents according to Rushton.

“It comes from a different family each year and usually a different area of the province,” said Rushton. “This year, it came from a more rural setting from a place called Christmas Island.”

This year’s 45-foot white spruce was donated by the Townsend family.

Along with the large Christmas tree in the Commons, local Christmas tree growers in Nova Scotia also donate around 100 trees. “(They) go down to community organizations of Boston to share with maybe some underprivileged families or some of the food banks,” Rushton said.

Some residents like Bostonian Vik Evangjeli were not aware of the longstanding tradition of the tree.

“It’s great that it has a history and we can tie it back into something,” Evangjeli said. “It makes me appreciate it more.”

NEWS 3

2 NEWS

Open letter to rename Myles Standish Hall signed by 170 student organizations

BY TALIA LISSAUER Co-Campus Editor

Over 170 student organizations signed an open letter to President Robert Brown and the Board of Trustees demanding 610 Beacon Street, Myles Standish Hall, be renamed to Wituwamat Memorial Hall to honor those killed by Standish in 1623.

The letter comes nine months after Brown rejected Thomas Green, the vice president of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, and Travis Frank’s, a former BU faculty member, request to rename the building, stating in a response letter he was “not prepared to remove his name at this time.”

Myles Standish was one of the 102 people that arrived in North America on the Mayflower in 1620. In 1623, Standish killed members of the Neponset Band of the Massachusett Tribe after inviting them to attend a peace talk.

Brown’s response stated BU purchased the Myles Standish Hotel in 1949 and kept the name, saying Standish himself has no connection to BU. He wrote Standish was a “capable and flawed individual.”

The letter demands that BU remove any reference to Myles Standish Hall, rename the dorm to “Wituwamat Memorial Hall,” display a plaque inside and outside the building with the history of the Wessagusset Massacre and create funding initiatives to support Native BU community members and local indigenous communities.

In addition to the open letter, 1,774 people have signed the

Change.org petition to change the name of Myles Standish Hall.

“Boston University’s refusal to honor the wish of the Massachusett Tribe to rename Myles Standish Hall sends a message that the genocide of Indigenous People by European colonists is tolerable and worthy of praise and recognition,” the letter said.

Anne Joseph, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, a leader of the CAS Anti-Racist Initiative and coauthor of the letter, said this initiative is a continuation from last year and represents the “voice of the student body.”

“Writing the open letter was really the next step in ensuring that BU prioritizes indigenous communities and really getting the amount of student support that we got was essential in making sure President Brown, and the Board of Trustees know that this demand has been a long time coming,” Joseph said The Board of Trustees has not responded to the letter or to multiple requests from The Daily Free Press for comment.

Adam Shamsi, a junior in CAS and CASARI member, said he was involved in the process by collecting organizations to sign on to it. His motivation stems from hearing Green speak on Standish’s history, which Shamsi was previously unaware of.

“We have no connection to (Standish). He’s not an alum.

He didn’t donate money,” Shamsi said.“It’s just an old building in a hotel that we bought, inherited the name from, there’s no attachment to

this name.”

Joseph said everyone should stand up for those affected by

legacy,” Joseph said. “It affects people in thinking about their history, their ancestors, and it

DAVID YEUNG | DFP FILE

Boston University’s Myles Standish Hall. Student organizations signed an open letter demanding Myles Standish Hall to be renamed to Wituwamat Memorial Hall.

Standish being “glorified” by BU continuing to display his name.

“It’s not just a name. It’s a

should impact you. It should strike that nerve in you that indigenous communities should be respected.”

Shaye Kibara, a sophomore in CAS and member of CASARI, said she helped edit the letter, but mainly focused her attention on advertising the message on social media to gain momentum and encourage other organizations to get involved.

“It should be a decision that President Brown and the Board of Trustees should be able to easily make but since it’s not, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that 610 gets renamed,” Kibara said.

Shamsi said BU has over 35,000 students, 15 of which are Native American or Native Alaskan, and that all students should stand up for the indigenous population.

“As tuition payers, as students that study here, we have a say in what the next stages of the University are going to look like,” Shamsi said. “I would hope that everyone agrees that the next stages are ones that commit to equality and equity for all of your students, especially those that have been left out of BU thus far.”

This letter has brought together clubs that don’t interact on a regular basis, Joseph said, and has rendered “unanimous” student support.

“I would ask President Brown, if you are in this position as president, and the responsibility as a president is to listen to the students, what better opportunity is there then now to listen to the students,” Joseph said. “There’s solidarity across so many different student organizations and it is past time for this renaming.”

New dining Royal family visits for Earthshot Prize Awards in Fenway Hosted by broadcaster Clara area, restaurants the Boston Children’s Chorus. Wu and Prince William.

BY SARA CREATO Amfo and actor Daniel Dae “They’re the most important During the ceremony, Contributing Writer coming to Mayor Michelle Wu spoke figures of the night … they Kim, the Earthshot Prize Awards about the recently renovated caught the most attention and supported sustainability efforts Prince William and Princess and climate-resilient City Hall therefore people are more likely by having the hosts wear reused Brookline Catherine of Wales attended a to listen to what they said,” outfits and pledge to donate the ST. MARY’S FROM 1

awaited new residents.

“They were all viable businesses until COVID,” said Frank Farrell, a retired Brookline resident. “They just couldn’t make it, so they shut down.”

Farrell said only a couple of buildings on Beacon St. today are owned by the residents or businesses that occupy them, since most are now owned by companies and rented out.

Farrell described how O’Leary’s had served the Brookline area for 28 years before closing in June 2020.

He said he hopes the next businesses that inhabit the space will stay there for a longer time than the “two or three years” of the past businesses.

Some residents have said they will welcome the change and that it will provide some new energy for the area, which has been relatively quiet since the restaurants’ closure.

“It’ll be nice when there’s some progress,” said Kevin Lovett, a store manager for the Economy True Value hardware store that neighbors the property. “It’s been … kind of quiet with nothing else on the block.”

The City of Brookline has also been involved in the plans, according to Papalia, with the goal of making the outside seating welcoming and open to the public.

But some concerns remain, primarily over the longevity of the new restaurants.

“If they can do this right, it would be good. The question is, will they?” said Farrell. “What’s the sustainability? How long are they gonna last?”

Construction on the pavilion structure is expected to be completed by the middle of March, according to Papalia, with construction of the restaurants taking place at the same time.

public ceremony at Boston’s City Hall on Nov. 30 as part of their three-day trip to Boston culminating in the annual Earthshot Prize Awards held last Friday.

Established in 2020 by Prince William and the Royal Foundation, the Earthshot Prize grants funding to environmental entrepreneurs in order to advance their work.

This year was the first time the awards were hosted in the U.S.The Earthshot Awards were held at MGM Music Hall last Friday, the first time that the event was hosted in a city outside of the UK. “Boston was also the obvious choice because your universities, research centers and vibrant startup scene make you a global leader in science, innovation and boundless ambition,” William said.

This visit marks the first time the royal couple has visited the United States in eight years and their first trip made outside of the United Kingdom since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and since they were named Prince and Princess of Wales.

At Wednesday’s ceremony, thousands gathered at the City Plaza. Dean Hara, a former financial advisor at Boston Harbor Now, said he knew the Earthshot ceremony was “very significant.”

“Why not have an opportunity to see and be a part of something that is historic?” Hara said.

The welcoming event featured various Massachusetts government officials who spoke about the urgency of taking action against climate change, followed by a performance by

Plaza in light of the heavy rain.

“Every drop of rain falling on us and onto the ground right now is being captured by permeable pavement and green infrastructure to prevent run-off and provide irrigation for all the trees and plants,” she said.

According to the Earthshot prize website, President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot speech, which aimed to transport the first man to the moon within a decade, was William’s inspiration behind the Earthshot Prize. In addition, this year’s Earthshot Prize was in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Foundation.

“President John F. Kennedy’s moonshot speech laid down a challenge to American innovation and ingenuity…that inspired me to launch the Earthshot Prize with the aim of doing the same for climate change as President Kennedy did for the space race,” he said.

Bethany Loach, a freshman at Emerson College, said she was excited by the prospect of being at an event with the royal family.

“The highlight was hearing Prince William’s words in person about how much (the Earthshot Prize) actually means to him and how important this is to the city of Boston,” Loach said.

Michael Kang, a graduate student at Boston University, said he chose to attend the event after learning about it earlier from an Uber driver. He specifically said he enjoyed the speeches made by Mayor

Kang said. “It’s important to have those influential figures and people with titles to let us know what’s going on.”

From 15 finalists, five startups were awarded with one million pound prizes each — equivalent to a little more than $1.2 million — for each of the five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.

The five recipients of the Earthshot Prize were the organizations Kheyti, Mukuru Clean Stoves, Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef, NOTPLA, and 44.01, respectively.

plants used for the award show to Boston schools and communities.

The show also featured speeches from guests such as environmentalist Sir David Attenborough and President Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy.

Celebrities, such as David Beckham and Rami Malek, also presented along with performances by Chloe and Halle Bailey, Billie Eilish, Ellie Goulding and Annie Lennox.

“It’s cool that they (the royal couple) went out of their way to decide to come back for this event because the event is to better the Earth,” Loach said.

“It’s nice to see that they care so much about it.”

TAYLOR COESTER | DFP STAFF

(Left to right) Prince William of Wales, Princess Catherine of Wales, Gov.-elect Maura Healey, and Mayor Michelle Wu pressing a button that illuminated Boston buildings in green light during the public ceremony at Boston City Hall on Nov. 30. The royal couple presented the Earthshot Prize Awards on Dec. 2.

College of Arts and Sciences faculty voted to add a college wide natural science study requirement for CAS students

By RUIHAN YANG Staff Writer

College of Arts and Sciences faculty voted in a meeting on Nov. 16 to require CAS students to complete a natural science course with a laboratory component in addition to standard Boston University HUB requirements.

The new requirements will not affect current CAS students or newly admitted students in the upcoming coming academic year, as CAS faculty needs to consider how to implement the requirements.

CAS faculties believe that CAS students should receive more education in natural sciences than current requirements, as the one HUB unit in Scientific Inquiry is insufficient, according to an email from Joseph Bizup, CAS associate dean for undergraduate academic programs and policies.

“Given the importance of the natural sciences in today’s world, we believe that all of our undergraduate students should acquire an understanding of the processes of scientific inquiry through actual experience conducting laboratory experiments,” Bizup wrote. “This process will take some time and the requirement will not go into effect until sometime after the coming academic year.”

Bizup added faculty at the Nov. 16 meeting also voted to continue suspending the Divisional Studies for another year, which was automatically supposed to be reinstituted after a five-year period.

The requirements were initially suspended to put the HUB in place.

The Divisional Studies requires CAS students to take six onesemester courses, two in each of the three divisions outside the major — humanities, social sciences,

natural sciences, and mathematics & computer science.

Meers Oppenheim, professor of Astronomy in CAS, said although HUB requirements provide students with the opportunity to gain basic knowledge, they do not go as in depth as Divisional Studies.

“Since the institution of the HUB, students have been getting considerably less exposure to natural science,” Oppenheim said.

“The faculty is not sure that’s a great thing.”

Oppenheim said he believes if Divisional Studies was restored, students would benefit from it.

“Students need a certain level of fundamental understanding of mathematics and fundamental understanding of natural science, social science and humanities,” Oppenheim said, “to consider yourself a really broadly educated student, which is what the College of Arts and Sciences strives for.”

Oppenheim said the Divisional Studies, which is completely separate from the HUB, should still be compatible with HUB requirements.

“You got to make sure that the HUB and the Divisional are fully compatible and not a huge burden to the students for both programs, if we do reconstitute it,” Oppenheim said. “I think it’s doable, but it’s tricky.”

David Carballo, a professor of Anthropology, Archaeology and Latin American Studies in CAS, said although there is value in taking an additional science lab, he thinks restoring Divisional Studies is not good for students.

“I don’t think that adding all the other divisions back would be good for students,” Carballo said.

“It would make CAS students’ lives

very difficult and advising in the HUB very difficult.”

He added he believes HUB requirements better prepare students for the world compared to Divisional Studies.

“The HUB is much more explicit about what we should learn in terms of breadth and what students should come away with in terms of skills that will prepare them better for the world of today,” Carballo said.

“A lot of the value from going to university are these other skills that we would call transferable skills that you can take with you … that’s how the HUB is constructed.”

Carballo, who chaired the committee that created the

social and scientific inquiry units, added although some science faculty members in CAS have dissatisfaction with HUB requirements, the HUB increased the number of students taking science classes.

“Before the HUB, there were many students, not in CAS, but in other schools and colleges that took no science,” Caraballo said.

“Actually, because of the HUB, more BU students overall are taking science than they did before.”

Ryan Li, a sophomore in the Pardee School of Global Studies, CAS, said HUB requirements allow students to explore different subjects and allow non-science

MEGHANA PATNANA | DFP FILE

The Boston University Hub Office. College of Arts and Sciences faculty voted on Nov. 16 to require CAS students to complete a natural science requirement in addition to standard BU HUB requirements.

Boston scores bid to co-host 2026 FIFA World Cup

BY TAYLOR BROKESH City News Associate

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is currently being battled out in Qatar, drawing global audiences of captive fans from oceans away.

But in four short years, the World Cup will be landing right on Boston’s doorstep. The city will serve as one of 16 host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026, jointly hosted by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

FIFA announced Boston as a host city in June, along with Atlanta, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver. The matches in Boston will be held at Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxborough, and with its capacity of 70,000 people, it may be able to host a semifinal match.

“Boston has a long and rich football history, an extensive fan base, and a diverse and enthusiastic community of volunteers ready to welcome fans around the world,” according to the United Bid Book, the official submission from the three host countries in order to be considered

by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. Most details concerning Boston’s role in the tournament have not been finalized, wrote a spokesperson for Gillette Stadium. Conversations will begin in 2023 to determine specifics such as ticket sales and dates. According to a press release from the stadium in June, each city is slated to host four to six matches.

“The City of Boston is excited to once again welcome the worldwide soccer community and visitors as the FIFA World Cup returns to Massachusetts,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in the press release, referring to Boston’s role as a host city in the FIFA World Cup 1994 and in the FIFA Women’s World Cups 1999

and 2003.

“We’re proud of our long legacy of championship teams and fans, and we’re ready to showcase our city to soccer fans around the world as they come to celebrate the beautiful game,” she wrote.

The City wrote in an email that they have been collaborating with Boston Soccer 2026, the committee that helped develop Boston’s successful host city bid, and the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau throughout the planning phase.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will also be the largest tournament yet — FIFA is increasing the number of 32 teams to 48, and the number of matches played from 64 to 80.

This will give teams who may not have ever made it to the world stage a chance to play against some of the most dominant countries in the world.

major students to develop a good understanding of science courses.

“If I were to take more science classes, I don’t see how it can help me in my career path in the future, but I think that students still should take some sort of (science) class,” Li said. “The requirements right now are sufficient.”

Eve Kleiber, sophomore in CAS, said she would be happy to take more science courses as a psychology major.

“I’m happy to take some more science classes,” Kleiber said. “I know some kids probably wouldn’t though, like English majors, maybe they don’t want to take a science class extra.”

Dan Lebowitz, the director of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University, spoke about how an event like the World Cup has the potential to transform society.

“People can have different religions, and different political views, and different racial identities, and just an entirely different view of the world, but they all find some kind of commonality in embracing the beauty of, in this case, soccer,” Lebowitz said. “That common language of soccer can create the very unity that’s often missing in our world community.”

Lebowitz said this year may have been a “turning point” for the U.S. Men’s National Team in Qatar — despite the team going out in the round of 16 against the Netherlands.

However, he said, not nearly as much national attention had

been paid to the U.S. Women’s National Team when they competed, despite winning backto-back tournaments in 2015 and 2019, with the latter’s final being won against the Netherlands in a 2-0 match.

Lebowitz said soccer has not yet been proliferated in the United States as much as other countries because of access.

“I would argue that part of that reason is that we have kids in every city who might’ve been the sons or daughters of great players from Africa, from Jamaica… and haven’t had a lot of access to soccer,” Lebowitz said. “And the more access you see, the more you see the lineage of crossgenerational soccer, making an impact on our level of play and our level of play within the context of the World Cup.” Caroline Foscato, the founder and president of the Soccer Unity

COURTESY OF MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF TRAVEL & TOURISM VIA FLICKR

Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Boston will be one of 16 host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026, holding its matches at Gillette Stadium.

Project, which aims to improve access to soccer for youth and adults across the city of Boston, said over her lifetime, soccer has become more and more of an American pastime.

“It is a thriving, growing, expanding sport literally every year,” Foscato said. “We now have young professionals and parents who grew up playing soccer, and that was not the case, necessarily, for a large part of the population when I was a kid.”

Foscato explained the Soccer Unity Project’s impact on the Boston community.

“We really see soccer as this hub for our community, to bring together people, have them learn about each other, learn to have compassion for each other, build trust between each other and as a part of that being a central spot of connection and also creating opportunity,” she said.

Lebowitz explained how teams such as the USMNT can inspire young Bostonians and allow them to see themselves one day becoming World Cup players, too. He specifically highlighted the USMNT captain, 23-year-old Tyler Adams, as a worthy role model for kids.

“The energy level, the leadership, the maturity that he brings to that field is something just amazing,” he said. “A lot of kids will start to see themselves in Tyler, perhaps, or will see themselves in Christian Pulisic … and I think that’s always how the game proliferates.”

Lebowitz explained how the FIFA World Cup 2026 will give Boston a chance to demonstrate its merits for viewers across the world.

“We’re a world-class hospital city, we’re a world-class university city,” he said. “And this is a chance for the city to shine on an international scale, beyond the things we normally are known for.”

Casey Choung contributed to the reporting of this article.

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COMMUNITY

COM StuGov’s short film festival highlights students work

BY SIENA GRIFFIN Contributing Writer

Lights, camera, action: Boston University students showcased their work on the silver screen Dec. 1 at the Short Film Festival hosted by the College of Communication Student Government at Tsai Performance Center.

One of the event’s coordinators and a COM StuGov Film & Television department representative, Brady Willis, said the event was “a minor version of a big film festival” intended to give students a platform to share their films and display a tangible example of what COM students can create.

“A big part of filmmaking that people don’t necessarily think about is the step after making it…showing people what you’ve made,” said Willis, a freshman in the College of Communication, in an interview. “I think a lot of people were eager to jump on that opportunity.”

Arin Gökdemir, another event coordinator and COM StuGov Film & Television department representative, said that the two aimed to dispel the myth that COM students don’t do any work during the event’s opening remarks.

The festival showcased seven films from BU students including “Premeditated” by Elle Misko, “Down the Drain” by Shayna Smith, “Herb” by Lynn AsareBediako, “Dear Future Sam”

by Brianna Altman, “Chronic”

by Maggie Borgen, “Doctor’s Orders” by Aaron Newman

DOROTHY DU | DFP STAFF

The audience at the Short Film Festival hosted by the College of Communication Student Government on Dec. 1. The festival at Tsai Performance Center gave students a platform to share their films.

and “Redemption Day” by Ida Baybekman. Before each screening, student filmmakers spoke about the production and inspiration behind their films.

The event offered students the opportunity to meet and collaborate with other creators, Gökdemir said in an interview.

“We just really wanted to get people in a room and celebrate student filmmaking and show their work and network a little bit,” said Gökdemir, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

It wasn’t always supposed to be a film festival — their

idea originated as a networking event, Gökdemir said. When they gained access to Tsai Performance Center to host their event, he said, they realized they could expand it to include a film screening, complete with a live jazz band.

One of the challenges was finding students to submit short films because students were hesitant to showcase their work from class, Willis said. Many of the premiering films were made by students for film production classes, he said.

To get more film submissions,

ARTS

Willis said he and Gökdemir reached out to Delta Kappa Alpha, the professional film fraternity of which Willis is a member, and RedList, BU’s independent short film club of which Gökdemir is the president.

Shayna Smith, a junior in the College of Communication, submitted her short film “Down the Drain” about a man who wins the lottery and explores the paranoia and pressure of wealth that follow. Smith said she was excited to see the film, which she created for her Production 1 class, on the big screen.

“It’s really cool to see the different things that all sorts of student filmmakers can do with what we’re given,” Smith said in an interview. “Obviously we’re still learning, but I think it’s really incredible to showcase work that’s not done at an industry professional level.”

The festival’s focus on student work made it a unique experience different from the forums and panels that COM StuGov usually plans, Willis said.

“For the student body overall, it’s always good to have something that can enrich what we have as a culture,” Willis said.

Gökdemir said he hopes that the festival instilled “an appreciation for how much goes into the filmmaking process, especially for new students.”

Abby Carella, a freshman in College of Communication, said the festival “gives students a platform that they might not have otherwise,” and expressed that she learned a lot.

With more events like the Short Film Festival in the future for COM StuGov, Willis said he hopes they can demonstrate the many opportunities students have to get involved in film and “encourage all the film majors to go out there and make something.”

“Everything that we work towards in student government is just on making everyone feel a stronger connection to one another without the bounds of major or year,” he said.

‘We’re not afraid’: Nozama Dance Collective performs at BU Dance Theater

BY EMILY WYRWA Contributing Writer

Dana Alsamsam, the now artistic director of Nozama Dance Collective, remembers her first rehearsal at the company — the moment another dancer approached her.

“She came up to me and just said, ‘I’m so excited to learn from you,” Alsamsam said. “‘I loved watching you dance. I feel like we’ll really be able to learn from you.’ And that’s very much like in the spirit and DNA of Nozama, just being this kind, welcoming environment and community.”

Nozama showcased that “spirit and DNA” at the group’s 2022

show “DISSENT” at the Boston University Dance Theater on Dec. 3. Nozama Dance Collective is a Boston-based contemporary dance company that features 10 “non-men” dancers.

In 2021, during Alsamsam’s first year as artistic director, the company’s show was entitled “Autonomy,” and focused on women’s and members of the LGBTQ+ community’s fight for their rights. Alsamsam said “DISSENT” was the natural “next chapter” in the story of Nozama.

“In this country in 2022, we’re still having to fight and disagree and go against the grain just to have those basic rights,” Alsamsam said. “So dissent …

COURTESY OF NOZAMA DANCE COLLECTIVE VIA THE BOSTON CALENDAR

felt pretty natural to me.”

Nozama Dance Collective is focused on “portraying intersectional experiences of identity through technical movement and dance,” according to its website.

“We’re not afraid of talking about the news, talking about things that affect women and queer people in particular, because those are the identities that most affect the people in our group,” Alsamsam said.

Juliana Willey-Thomas, the rehearsal director of Nozama, said she was excited to share “DISSENT” with audiences and believed it was Nozama’s best show yet.

“To show the passion and

the motivation…that we’ve been working on is something that’s really important to me,” Willey-Thomas said. “We’ve all collectively, no pun intended, put so much work into creating these pieces for not only ourselves but for the audience.”

Many of the collective’s “thoughts and opinions” for “DISSENT” were centered around the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June, Alsamsam said.

The rehearsal room served as a space for dancers to “process what had happened,” she said.

“We definitely have all been pondering this idea of dissent and keeping each other updated on our wins when we’re doing this positive political act of

A promotional poster for the Nozama Dance Collective’s “DISSENT” show. The show was performed at the Boston University Dance Theater on Dec. 3.

disagreeing in our everyday lives, because it’s not easy to do,” Alsamsam said.

Despite the often heavy nature of the subject of the choreography, Willey-Thomas said she aims to lead rehearsals with “lightness and levity,” in order to “meet everybody where they’re at.”

“I am myself most when I’m in the studio or on stage. I feel most authentic, I feel most organic and true,” Willey-Thomas said.“I look at (going to rehearsal) as the start of my week on Sunday versus the end of my weekend because I’m starting the week off on a good note.”

Sofia Harris, a freshman in the College of Communication and one of Willey-Thomas’ dance students, described the performance as “gorgeous.”

“Even though there was not really anything educational, I definitely feel like I learned something about every dancer,” Harris said. “It was really moving, and it left you thinking how to better yourself and better the world and really what it means to be a woman.”

Such a review is exactly what Alsamsam had hoped for. She said she hoped audiences would be impressed by the visual dancing and be moved by the performance’s message.

“For folks who maybe have similar identities to those of us on stage, I hope they feel seen and heard,” Alsamsam said.

“For those who do not have similar experiences or identities to those on stage, I hope that it pushes them to think a little bit differently about something. A slight bit of discomfort while viewing or experiencing art I think is a very positive thing.”

REVIEW

beabadoobee brings dreamy grunge to Roadrunner

BY MOLLY FARRAR Editor-in-Chief

Beabadoobee brought energy and love to Roadrunner Sunday night, with a satisfyingly long set list that traversed through her numerous releases since 2017.

I walked into a packed venue running a little late because Roadrunner was simply difficult to find through a construction zone from the nearest bus stop. I walked in, and Lowertown, a duo also signed to beabadoobee’s label Dirty Hit, was leaning into a screaming, rock vibe.

The crowd moshed for the band’s last stop on tour, but seconds into the final song, the singer Olivia O. called out to someone in the crowd.

The music abruptly stopped, and the crowd parted to make room for a wheelchair and EMTs after a fan was injured. The opener’s set ended one song early.

After Roadrunner staff handed out free waters for audience members, the crowd was ready for beabadoobee, who came on stage quite promptly around 8:40 p.m.

She began a steady flow of her style of catchy, dream-pop rock with “10:36” opening her “Beatopia” album tour. She then traveled to her 2019 “Loveworm” for “Apple Cider,” and then to her 2020 album “Fake It Flowers” for “Care.” She gave the audience her less popular hits to start, but it was a great taste of her progressions, which would continue throughout the rest of the show.

MOLLY FARRAR | DFP STAFF

Beabadoobee performing at Roadrunner on Sunday. She performed to a sold-out show of 3,500 people.

Then, she continued with “Fake It Flowers,” playing crowd favorites “Worth It,” “Together” and “Charlie Brown” all after the album closer “Yoshimi, Forest, Magdalene.” They fit together seamlessly, all from the same beabadoobee era of grunge rock with romantically tragic, angsty lyrics.

The music continued as she took a moment to address the sold-out show of 3,500 people. She asked for house lights to see our faces but kept it short and sweet, saying she loved us and

that Roadrunner is a bigger venue than she’s played in the past.

Boston was the last stop for both beabadoobee and Lowertown together, but beabadoobee will continue with a tour in March. She will start in Europe and then open for ever-loved Taylor Swift around the United States.

“Going on tour with (Taylor Swift),” she tweeted last month. “holy sh— a dream come true.” Since the announcement, beabadoobee will be supporting Swift on an additional

four tour stops. The 22-year-old also just performed her first Tiny Desk Concert for NPR on Nov. 29.

After the run of “Fake It Flowers” songs, beabadoobee played more from “Beatopia,” which was released in July. She played “the perfect pair,” a sweet, grungy, dreamy return to the touring album, and then “Sunny day,” a cutesy, feel-good vibe.

After 2020’s “Sorry,” beabadoobee said how much she loved her fans before counting us off to get dancing and bouncing to “She Plays Bass.”

The venue was a crowd of bobbing heads as we obliged — jumping up and down to a song about a “chick who plays bass.”

I loved the culmination of her noisy pop and rock solos to this high energy moment. After the 2019 hit, she took it slower, and played her favorite song, she said, “See you Soon,” followed by “Don’t get the deal,” both on “Beatopia.”

The last four songs before the encore came from her “Our Extended Play,” “Fake It Flowers” and finally “Beatopia,” each extremely popular based on the screams from the crowd.

She quickly took her exit off stage as soon as the last note rang out. Cheers for an encore were immediate.

Beabadoobee came out with an acoustic guitar, and I was so excited for a different type of encore. She played “Coffee,” her first release, and everyone screamed along to the first couple lines of this viral hit. Her band joined her for another acoustic performance of her new song “Ripples.”

“Experiencing all of these people knowing me. It’s so strange,” beabadoobee said on stage, smiling with her acoustic guitar. “I can see how much my music means to you. I really love you guys, like honestly. I respect that you respect me too.”

The show ended loud and noisy and dreamy, just like her. Her track “fairy song” completed the show as a head-banging and atmospheric outro while throwing cute stuffed plush animals off stage into the shrieking crowd.

BUSINESS

Boston’s Snowport Holiday Market spotlights ‘unsung heroes’

BY DAISY LEVINE Contributing Writer

Boston’s Seaport District has been transformed into the city’s very own winter wonderland. With a gigantic Christmas tree, lights and holly strung along every corner and holiday classics from Wham! to Ariana Grande playing through the streets, Snowport is spreading holiday cheer.

The Holiday Market at Snowport boasts over 120 vendors, varying from artisan candles, to alpaca fleece, to handcrafted lobster nativity scenes.

The annual event takes place from Nov. 11 to Dec. 31 in the Seaport District.

Michael Wood, senior public relations manager at Constant Contact, the title sponsor for the Holiday Market at Snowport, said the event is really about supporting small businesses during their most lucrative time of year.

“Everybody wants to support small businesses, especially during the holidays,” Wood said. “Small businesses fly under the radar for a lot of the year, and there are moments near the holiday season where I think everybody realizes how important they are, and they really come to life.”

Andrea Malm, the head of marketing for Crystal Rock Maple which sells pure maple syrup, is at Snowport for the first time this year.

The company draws in customers by displaying maple syrup in small shot glasses and insisting each customer stop and try a sample.

“It’s been wonderful foot traffic,” Malm said. “It’s really great for our demographic. Ours is gift-giving and home use.”

The vendors, decorated with tinsel and twinkly lights, offer a wide variety of items and range from options in food and drink, gourmet gifts, home decor and toys and games.

The stars of Snowport, however, are the passionate, authentic frontpeople for each booth.

Wood said the holiday season

YITONG LI | DFP STAFF

The Holiday Market at Snowport in Boston’s Seaport district. The market houses over 120 vendors and will remain open until Dec. 31.

is truly the time for these small businesses to shine.

“It’s great to see some of this stuff come to life because small businesses are unsung heroes for a lot of the year, and it’s nice to have this kind of an activation,” Wood said.

Tabitha Gilligan, an artist’s assistant at Melsy’s Illustrations, another booth at the event which sells prints, greeting cards and other collections, said that Snowport has “really brought the community together.”

“It’s a nice area for people to meet with friends, get food, shop for presents for Christmas and we even have Christmas trees here,” Gilligan said. “It’s just a really cool atmosphere to visit in this up and coming area.”

Gilligan said the experience of being a part of Snowport has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“We’ve gotten so many new customers, as well as ones that have returned from past years or even from different countries to visit us,”

Gilligan said.

In the wake of Small Business Saturday, Wood described the real meaning behind the Holiday Market.

“It’s not always clear to people what exactly are small businesses,” Wood said. “You think of the coffee shop down the street… but there’s so much more than that.”

Wood said that the interest in the market “exploded” this year. While it has been “well received” for the past few years, this year it doubled in size and in number of vendors. He said

that anecdotal evidence suggests that attendance has also been up.

“There’s an appetite for supporting small businesses that’s pretty strong in the city and in the region,” Wood said. “The Boston area in general is, I’d say, fervently supportive of small businesses. The city is built on small businesses and really that’s the purpose of our business is to help those businesses be successful and really just raise awareness for how important they are in everybody’s lives.”

PHOTO 7

6 PHOTO

GALLERY Winter festivities in Boston

BY DAILY FREE PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS

Whether it’s your fourth winter in Boston or your first, the city has a lot to offer for you to feel the holiday spirit.

Sit along Commonwealth Avenue Mall and watch the row of lights. SHANNON RUSNAK | DPF STAFF

Seaport comes alive each winter with the annual Holiday Market at Snowport, the perfect place to find a holiday gift.

DANNY DOLAN | DFP STAFF

Head over to Boston Christmas Trees at 22 Harvard Ave. and wander through the rows of fresh evergreens. KATHERINE DALY | DFP STAFF

The iconic 45-foot tall Christmas tree in the Boston Common is an essential part of the holiday season in Boston. MOLLY POTTER | DFP STAFF

Admire the Christmas tree in Copley Square as it stands glowing in front of Trinity Church. AMANDA CUCCINIELLO | DFP STAFF

Ice skating in the Boston Common Frog Pond is a tried-and-true Boston winter tradition. SAM BETSKO | DFP STAFF

Go shopping at the Christmas in Boston store at Faneuil Hall Marketplace for a huge selection of holiday gifts. ANGIE YE | DFP STAFF

Spend a day at Faneuil Hall Marketplace and admire its festive decorations. ANGIE YE | DFP STAFF

Snowport is not the only holiday market you can visit — check out the SoWa Winter Festival in the South End that has over 100 vendors. ISABELLE MEGOSH | DFP STAFF

Happy holidays! ISABELLE MEGOSH | DFP STAFF

EDITORIAL 9

8 OPINION

COLUMNS

Sangmin Song, Co-Campus Editor

The trials and tribulations of feeling like a fraud

Addison Schmidt Columnist

I

felt three things when I first committed to run for Boston University’s cross country and track teams — joy, relief, and pure dread.

Joy, because I’d accomplished a goal I’d been working towards for a long time. Relief, because I firmly believe the recruiting process is a legalized form of psychological torture brewed by the NCAA, and I was glad to leave it in the dust. And finally, dread — because I knew that, soon enough, everyone was going to find out I was a fraud.

Despite the fact that running is a sport where talent cannot be considered subjective — after all, times are our main form of capital — I still felt like I’d connived my way into a position that I didn’t deserve, fudging my credibility and my aptitude to present myself as an

fraudulence I stumbled upon a quote from Maya Angelou, one of America’s most respected poets, memoirists and civil rights activists: “I have written 11 books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’”

There is an odd sense of comfort in knowing that even world-renowned writers and Academy-award nominees cannot stop themselves from questioning their credibility.

The more I mature, the more I understand that this tendency to question my accomplishments is simply an affliction of having a high standard for success — much like the vast majority of other students who attend rigorous institutions like BU. We often choose to rely on the moments where we’ve fallen short to dictate our self-perception, while still finding it within ourselves to cast doubt on the times where we have succeeded.

But I’d like to believe there is a way out of this seemingly endless cycle of insecurity and instability. We can destroy these feelings of uncertainty by recognizing the paradox within their existence. They can only make you feel like a fraud because they themselves are

imposters of truth. It’s in acknowledging this contradiction that reality is revealed — your triumphs only exist because you were talented enough to accomplish them.

Heading toward the end of another semester at BU — or your first, like me — I encourage you to cast out any inklings of doubt that are projecting uncertainty upon your accomplishments from these past few months. Feelings of insecurity, as overwhelming as they seem, are just that: feelings, not facts.

As isolated as the imposter phenomenon might make you feel, keep in mind that even individuals who are revered as masters of their crafts are not immune to the pitfalls of feeling like a fake. If anything, y o u r trials and tribulations in dealing with fraudulence put you in fabulous company. It is simply the tendency of those who strive for perfection to feel they do not deserve the reward of their efforts.

ILLUSTRATION BY HALEY ALVAREZ-LAUTO

Bad Art:

Aimless people and others in ‘The White Lotus’

Bini Ollivier Yamin Columnist

eople are obsessed with Mike P White’s “The White Lotus” — a show where you get to see Jennifer

Coolidge say the word “chaise” and rich people suffer on vacation. It’s fun to watch rich people suffer, but also in watching their suffering, we find we want to suffer as well. Or at least, suffer in the way that they do.

The show is framed as a “social satire” exposing rich people’s “worst, most privileged impulses.” To be honest, the people in the show are so repressed it’s a miracle they give into a sneeze, let alone an impulse. But that’s the appeal of the show — that these people have been made chronically aimless and plagued by their financial stability, while we get to watch them stumble into a plot.

My problem with it is that this season has felt particularly aimless. I feel characters come and go. Storylines are dropped and then picked up again, rather than built upon incrementally.

Take, for instance, the character of Lucia.

This season is taking on the issue of toxic masculinity and love. Lucia

figures into that theme of love and relationships through her job as a sex worker. She spends the runtime of the show going from one awful man to the next without much of a sense of self.

She is there to be of use to the plot, and to more central, male characters.

She is there to show the audience, for instance, this one middle aged guy’s sex addiction, and later, his son Albie’s kink for “pretty wounded birds” (I’ve never cringed harder. This line deserves the death penalty.) She is there to show us one handsome rich guy’s predilection for cheating on his wife. But she herself has no purpose of her own making. Even when the show gives her a motivation or a singular emotion, it is not rooted in a definite sense of self. I mean, in the fourth episode she revealed that she was working to gather enough money to open a clothing store, but so far has never mentioned it again. She begins to have moral qualms about her sex work, but this anxiety comes seemingly out of nowhere, and leaves with little fanfare once she settles on the lukewarm Albie.

In the last episode, her pimp threatened her and followed her all around town while she traveled with Albie. There are questions about whether the pimp is actually harassing her and not in cahoots with Lucia to scam Albie. Even if the threat was real, the whole thing feels entirely in service of the lukewarm rich guy’s development, and not hers. We don’t get to see her scheme or think or worry, and even when we do, it feels flat, unexamined, not as complex as the traumas of the hotel guests.

This is perhaps the great irony of “The White Lotus” — that although it means to deride the problems and dull malaise of rich people, it primarily serves to humanize them. Ultimately,

it is a show in service of rich people’s existence and continuation.

Stories about rich people keep them relevant in our public consciousness and give them subconscious purpose in our minds. We need rich people, because who else is going to think about whether they’d die for beauty while they sit in an Italian palace next to a suspicious man?

What I mean to say is, even if a show claims to be critiquing some kind of system, it is making a value judgment in where it’s pointing the camera in the first place.

The first season of the show suffered from similar issues of lack of character development for its non-wealthy (or non-white) characters. It was set in Hawaii, and its Native Hawaiian characters in the show were barely fleshed out. The first season also utilized Native Hawaiian folk music, appropriating it from its original context.

In a Vox review of the show’s relationship to indigenous people, Hawaii resident Mitchell Kuga stated that the show used “Hawaiian folk music the way it uses its few Native Hawaiian characters: as hollow plot devices in service of illuminating the inner lives o f the series’s mostly white protagonists.”

Moreover, the first season was also filmed in Hawaii during the height of the pandemic, despite indigenous Hawaiians having repeatedly told tourists not to visit due to lack of

sufficient infrastructure for the island’s population.

In July of last year, residents in Maui suffered a drought and could be fined $500 for utilizing water to water their lawns. But in hotels and resorts, water usage continued to fly under the radar.

COVID-19 hit Hawaii especially hard, and it does not have the necessary medical infrastructure to take care of both its visitors and locals.

In the first season, the show mocked its characters for being clueless about the damage they caused to the indigenous Hawaiian population, but in its own creation perpetuated some of those very injustices. The second season is no different, with the show delving into issues of toxic masculinity without much care to sketch out some of the women caught in its toil.

It’s fun to watch the rich people in “The White Lotus” suffer, because when they’re shown suffering they get to be full people. Suffering the way they do feels important, because that’s the kind of stuff that makes good television, or at the very least, makes it to television.

This is all not to say that the show is bad. It’s actually my favorite thing on TV right now. But if it wants to say something more substantial about humanity — and it seems like it does — then i t

Clare Ong, Co-Photo Editor

Editorial Board

On the Record:

athlete I was not.

Somehow, it felt more logical to attribute my success to divine intervention rather than hard work.

Even now, a semester and six races into my time here at BU, I still find myself enduring the tingling sensation of fear each time I put on my uniform, sure that an unidentified force is going to round the corner, rip off my invisible mask, and reveal my success to be the work of a fake.

I’m wise enough now to know that my feelings are not revolutionary, but rather a product of the “imposter phenomenon” — a syndrome defined by the Harvard Business Review as “a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success.” Despite the fact that this syndrome thrives off of coercing you into believing your fears are entirely individual, nearly 82% of people struggle with feelings of fraudulence — even award-winning actresses.

In a recent interview, Florence Pugh, star of critically-acclaimed films like “Little Women” and “The Wonder,” detailed her experience dealing with the burden of the imposter phenomenon.

“I was in the room with all these greats,” Pugh said. “It’s very easy for you to suddenly feel like you’re not supposed to be there or that you don’t have the right skill set to attack something like they’re attacking.”

The influence of imposter syndrome on notable people doesn’t stop in Hollywood. In a quest to find comfort in the depths of my struggle with

Tanisha Bhat, Managing Editor

Molly Farrar, Editor-in-Chief

Ava Berger, Co-Features Editor

THE INDE PE NDE NT STU DE NT NEWS PA PE R AT B O STO N UN IVE R S I TY

The Daily Free Press is published Monday through Friday during the academic year except during vacation and exam periods by Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc., a nonprofit coporation operated by Boston University Students. Copyright © 2022 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All right reserved.

Talia Lissauer, Co-Campus Editor

Eliza Nuestro, Co-Photo Editor

Haley Alvarez-Lauto, Layout & Graphics Editor

Claire Law, Co-Features Editor

Bella Ramirez, Co-City Editor

Casey Choung, Co-City Editor

Samantha Betsko, Multimedia Editor

Lydia Evans, Opinion Editor

Payton Renegar, Lifestyle Editor

Brendan Nordstrom, Co-Sports Editor

Chloe Patel, Co-Sports Editor

Taylor Hawthorne, Co-Podcast Editor

Nellie Maloney, Co-Podcast Editor

EDITORIAL

FreeP editors wrap up 2022 I

t seems like every year we enter a new round of unprecedented times — war, disease, natural disaster — a slurry of supposed chaos touted as Gen Z’s next opportunity to live through a historical event. It’s rewarding to just call the world crazy and brandish the bad as some trophy to celebrate surviving another trip around the sun.

In truth, 2022 was as indescribable as any other, containing the good, the bad and the in between, with these times as precedented as they’ve ever been. Chaos is routine.

With that in mind The Daily Free Press Editorial Board has picked out some moments that distinguish these 365 days from the 1.658 trillion which preceded it.

Ukraine War The year kicked off with a horrifying bang when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The war, which Russia still insists on referring to as an ongoing military campaign, was launched to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. Russia hopes to absorb Ukraine, re-stitching the long seceded country into the Soviet quilt of Vladimir Putin’s dreams.

Since the invasion, tens of thousands have died and millions have been displaced.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was recently named TIME’s 2022 Person Of The Year for his salient efforts to defend the country.

Will Smith Slap If you are asking “That was this year?!”

Yes, it was in March. We forgot too.

The Terrible T Summer in Boston is never for the faint of heart but this year, overwhelming humidity and high temps were exasperated by constant

would do good to consider more of its characters as people.

ILLUSTRATION BY HALEY ALVAREZ-LAUTO

ILLUSTRATION BY HALEY ALVAREZ-LAUTO AND CHLOE PATEL

problems with the T. Walking across the city is a nuisance in general, adding 90 degree weather forces even summer stans to ache for the blistering cold of Boston winters.

The entire Orange Line was shut down between Aug. 19 to Sept. 18, and a portion of the Green Line was shut down from Aug. 22 to Sept. 18.

The T also bore witness to several lifethreatening and fatal incidents. In one specific case, commuter Robinson Laslin died when his arm got stuck in the doorway of a Red Line train.

The COVID-19 Horizon Though it seems we’ll never truly be rid of COVID, returning to Boston University in September definitely felt like an abandonment of the dreaded “new normal” everyone grew used to over the past two years.

Finally it was just, normal normal.

Mask mandates at the University ended on May 13, as well as required testing. While many celebrated this return to pre-COVID etiquette, the move was also criticized for putting high risk individuals in jeopardy as the change loosened the reins which had kept cases down for the past two years.

Labor Rights Like the Billboard Music second best song of the year, “Break My Soul” by Beyonce, 2022 sang the scolding criticisms of capitalism.

According to data from Bloomberg Law, the first half of 2022 saw unions win 641 elections, the most in nearly 20 years.

BU’s campus was no stranger to these trends in labor rights. The Starbucks at 874 Commonwealth Ave. was on strike for 64

days, the longest documented strike in the company’s history.

BU Graduate Workers also launched their campaign for unionization this past September.

Their union election was held earlier this past week from Dec. 5 to 7, with 1,414 in support of the union and 28 against.

Northeastern Mail Bombing On Sept. 13 a Northeastern University employee placed a call to 911 claiming a pelican case expelled sharp objects when opened, sending shrapnel into his arm and him to the hospital.

The alleged bombing shocked students across Boston and the nation with the threat of this incident’s potential wide reaching effects.

However, after further investigation, the hurt party who made the original call was revealed to have placed the “bomb,” which wasn’t exactly a bomb, himself, seemingly in an attempt to the get the University’s virtual reality lab shutdown.

Itaewon Halloween Crowd Crush On Oct. 29, a crowd crush occurred in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, Korea due to overcrowding. 149 people were killed and 150 injured, many of which were teenagers and people in their early 20s participating in the Halloween festivities.

Ye Crude commentary from Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Ye, isn’t a feature unique to 2022 considering the rapper’s long history of speaking his mind no matter how problematic the thought.

However, West’s antisemetic string of remarks throughout the fall were a departure from his usual explosive language. Balenciaga

and Adidas felt it impossible to stick around for his ruined reputation era, dropping the artist from their respective collaborations.

Even Elon Musk, known proponent of freeing the tongue on his newly acquired platform Twitter, chose to boot West from the app when he posted a swastika.

Maura Healey On a more positive note of people who made this year unforgettable, Maura Healey made history this past November when she was elected the Governor of Massachusetts.

Healey is the first woman and openly gay person to the hold the office.

Qatar World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18, to the dismay of much of the world. Earlier this year it was revealed Qatar’s winning bid to host the cup was in fact a result of bribing FIFA administration.

To make matters worse the path to the cup was one riddled with labor violations. The country was condemned by activists across the globe for exploiting migrant workers to build seven new stadiums for the event.

Movies of the Year In the words of Harry Styles, my favorite thing about these movies is, like, they feel like movies.

Our favorites of the year include the absurdist philosophy and googly eyed fun of “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” emo Bruce Wayne in “The Batman” and “Don’t Worry Darling” for having a press tour more interesting than its plot.

LIFESTYLE 11

10 LETTER

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

LIFESTYLE

These trendy winter staples are taking BU campus by storm

BY CAROLINE BENNETT Contributing Writer

Welcome to December in Boston!

I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to what feels like -20 degree wind tunnels and seven inches of snow during the harsh winter. How are we supposed to get through this long winter? I gave you fall wardrobe staples, and here are some winter wardrobe staples!

UGG Shearling Earmuffs I get the skepticism, I was skeptical at first too. However, earmuffs on a windy day, when it feels like your ears are about to freeze off, are like heaven. The earmuffs have shearling on the outside and fur on the inside, so the fur is protected from the elements.

There’s a variety of earmuffs to choose from. However, I chose to highlight the UGG earmuffs because they also serve as headphones.

They’re Bluetooth headphones, so you can listen to music, keep warm and look cute. What’s not to love?

The Bluetooth is at a slightly higher price point, so if you’re just looking for earmuffs, they also have a nonBluetooth version!

Platform boots These are genuinely a staple to combating hazardous winter weather.

They’re a cute way to lift you off the ground enough to prevent water from getting into your shoes and socks.

Platform boots also compliment everyone’s body and elongate your legs, which is very flattering. A few cute options are the UGG Neumel Platform Boot and the Doc Marten Jadon boot.

These are comfortable, sturdy and keep you warm! However, these brands are not rain-safe. A weathersafe option is the Chelsea Hunter boots. There’s a 20% discount for students on the Hunter boot website.

Aritzia Super Puff jacket This may seem obvious, but you need a huge winter coat for this weather. However, most winter coats are lacking in the fashion department.

The super puff not only claims to warm down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit but also pairs very well with dad jeans, flared leggings or sweats! It’s stylistically versatile and extremely comfortable.

The fabric is soft and feels like you’re entrapped in a squishy, airy marshmallow. There are a few varieties of the super puff, along with a multitude of color options. Aritzia has the original Super Puff, a vest, a waterproof version, a recycled materials version and the lite version.

The lengths can vary from original, mid, long and short. They also have them for men. Compared to Canada Goose and Moncler, they are more affordable by far. The price ranges

Illustration by Haley Alvarez-Lauto

depending on style and length. You’ll be thanking yourself on the next snow day once you purchase this Leather pants While these aren’t made to keep you warm, they’re incredibly cute and festive! Truthfully, whenever I wear leather pants, I sweat. They’re insulating and trap heat very well, so

while they’re not meant for warmth, they certainly help. They also protect you from the wind and reduce the speed at which you lose body heat.

The dark leather is also sleek and perfect for the cold, dark ambiance of winter. Leather pants are versatile for every event too. You can wear them to Christmas brunch, going out

or to class. Aritzia has a great pair — known as the Melina Pant — in multitudes of colors and styles, and Abercrombie also has them.

I hope this list helps you all create a warm and stylish winter outfit.

Have the coziest December, and happy holidays!

Places to go on campus to feel like a music video star

BY CHLOE PATEL Co-Sports Editor CLARE ONG | DFP STAFF

T

BY MOLLY FARRAR Editor-in-Chief

he Daily Free Press, Boston University’s independent student newspaper, is a home for a lot of different types of students. We are a seemingly random group of College of Communication students — advertising majors, film and television, a few minors here and there, and of course, journalism students.

This semester, we were able to expand the editorial board to double the positions. While my managing editor Tanisha Bhat and I worked each night, most of our section editors were able to lean and rely on a partner.

We’re still ironing out the kinks, but together, we were able to approach our important work healthier and happier each week.

Now, we’re working on our last print edition, themed “winter.” Tonight feels like a well-oiled machine, but I can’t help but think back on our previous print nights. We started this summer with an unprecedented summer print. I

worked alone in my Brookline apartment, waiting on the edition from my hard-working Layout Editor Haley AlvarezLauto. I got back a beautiful edition with Co-Photo Editor Clare Ong’s perfect full-page photo, taken from the top of 33 Harry Agganis Way. I wheeled the wagon full of our Orientation issue each Wednesday in June after my HUB Philosophy class. I saw droves of new students in the George Sherman Union each week, picking up our guide to Boston and an inaugural semester at BU. When we started this Fall in earnest, I was excited to start strong. Our food edition at the end of the first semester was gorgeous. Co-city editors Bella Ramirez and Casey Choung budgeted West Campus Starbucks’ record-breaking union for the front page, along with Co-Features Editor Ava Berger’s news-breaking story about the seven-year med program coming to an end.

The crossword by College of Fine Arts senior Clara Montes stumped even the best of us,

and Co-Features Editor Claire Law edited one of our favorite stories about FitRec wait times. Our digital content also thrived with lifestyle content

by Lifestyle Editor Payton Renegar about passing out in FitRec, movie reviews and sex advice columns.

During the semester, Multimedia Editor Sam Betsko spearheaded a revitalization of our social media content. We pulled our Facebook, Reddit and TikTok out of obscurity and began our Daily Free Minute — where we give you today’s news in one minute.

A week after our first late night, we partnered with our affiliate the Boston Hockey Blog, where directors Caroline Fernandez and Belle Fraser compiled Terrier hockey content for their first physical hockey print in years. Co-Sports Editors Brendan Nordstrom and Chloe Patel organized the phenomenal hockey edition, as well as some of the FreeP’s first coverage of rowing and cross country.

In October, Co-Campus Editors Sangmin Song

diligently directed Student Government meeting coverage each week, while Co-Campus Editor Talia Lissauer budgeted the coverage of a student vigil for Iranian women at the beginning of the month. Talia’s story on the open letter signed by 170 student clubs to rename Myles Standish Hall also is in this print edition.

Our October music edition, Payton listened to the entire editorial board argue over the songs on Taylor Swift’s new album “Midnights” and wrote a ranking within an hour after it came out. It went to print and was one of our most viewed articles this semester.

Our election night was one of the toughest nights of my life.

We had teams at three different watch parties and multiple staff writers putting together a story night-of. We left the office when the sun was rising, but the next day I looked at one of the best editions of the Daily Free Press in years.

Our galleries are always worth a mention. Co-Photo Editors Clare Ong and Eliza Nuestro organized the more

emotional and intense photos at the women’s march, climate strikes and the graduate student union. Each edition, our full color pages popped with our gorgeous galleries.

Finally, each week, the editorial board gathered for an editorial, where Opinion Editor Lydia Evans reigned in our crazy to discuss topics ranging from the Try Guys to gun violence to the TikTok industry.

Her witty writing and strong editing will shine through next semester when she takes over as editor-in-chief.

Honestly, this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Leading each of these young journalists while also figuring out my own way has been incredible. I’ve learned so much, but more importantly I’ve met some of the best people ever :)

As classes wind down for the semester, final projects, papers and exams are in full swing. It’s probably the most important time of the semester to clear your head and make sure you are in the best mental space for everything going on.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to feel like you are starring in a music video. You know when you’re sitting in a car on a road trip, listening to some indie music, staring out the window and feeling like you’re in a music video? Well, there are a couple places on campus where you can go to match that exact feeling.

MBTA The first place is — of course — the MBTA. Whether you’re on a bus or train, as long as you’re sitting down and gazing out the window and listening to music, you’ll feel edgy.

Pick a good sad song — I recommend

the intro and outros to “All Too Well (10 minute version) (Taylor’s Version)” — and stare at the bodies walking down Commonwealth Ave. to feel introspective. If you want additional edginess, remind yourself that everyone else has their own story, fears and dreams.

Yawkey Center for Student Services The next place is in the Yawkey Center for Student Services. More specifically, the top three floors of the building. On one side of the building, there is a beautiful view of the Charles River. On the other side, you can see the hustle of Commonwealth Ave. at Kenmore Square.

These floors have super comfortable chairs, and it is easy to get distracted by everything happening around you. Because of the stellar views, this is another great place to listen to music, get lost in your surroundings and feel as though you are the center of the world.

BU Beach Sit on the picnic chairs and look at the Charles River for a calming experience. When the academic world becomes overwhelming, the cold air can bring you back to life, reminding you there’s an outside world outside of school. This is also a great location

after it snows. Obviously, we haven’t gotten any snow yet, but when the first snow comes, the BU Beach provides a place to make snow angels and be the star of your own show.

Alexa, play “Snow on the Beach’’

by Taylor Swift.

COM Lawn

The final place is the COM Lawn.

What kind of COM student would I be if I didn’t include it? The views of the sunset reflecting off the CCDS building and the MBTA passing by can feel like a movie. With the best songs playing in the background, you can be your own music video star.

If you’ve ever sunbathed on the COM lawn, you already know how this feels. Again, this is another location that can get chilly, so pack some mittens and earmuffs in your bag, alongside your laptop and study materials for a well-deserved break.

Honestly, anywhere — well, almost anywhere (I’m looking at you CGS) — on BU’s campus can be romanticized if you try hard enough and if you have the right soundtrack.

Finding moments during finals season to enjoy smaller things that you actually enjoy about BU will bring a sense of calm and remind you that it’s not all bad.

ILLUSTRATION BY CHLOE PATEL

No, I really do care about your Spotify Wrapped

BY LEA RIVEL Contributing Writer

On Nov. 30, the long-awaited 2022 “Spotify Wrapped” was sent out to users of the popular music streaming platform. The popular campaign tells users their top songs and artists, genres

they explored that year and what moods their listening habits suited. Every year as it rolls out, large groups of social media users save their trend reports and post them to social media.

The anticipation for Spotify Wrapped to release increases each year, as people take to social

Daily Free Press Fall 2022 Editorial Board

ILLUSTRATION BY HALEY ALVAREZ-LAUTO

media to discuss their opinions.

I’m sure you’ve seen the tweets and the memes. During the time of the release date each year, videos making fun of Spotify Wrapped posts pop up on our social media feeds. For many, it’s easy to make scornful comments in the direction of music fans, or those who are proud of their musical taste.

Though this mocking may seem harmless, I disagree with the trend. As the Spotify Wrapped season progresses, I want you to know that somebody cares about your music taste.

Sure, it’s a lighthearted trend towards the end of the year.

But the reason why we post our Wrapped data means a lot more than just the pretty visual designs that come with the stories, or confirming the song we listened to 1,000 times this year is our most played.

Music is an integral piece of both our society and our identity.

Even before streaming services and social media existed, it’s been a way to unite communities, cultures and individuals through the universal language of sound.

Music says a lot about someone’s interests and who they are as a person. When you share something like Spotify Wrapped with your social media followers you’re telling people your identity.

Something I love about Spotify Wrapped is that it creates a playlist of my top 100 songs each year. It acts as a time capsule to associate what I listen to with what I felt and experienced in that year of my life. This year, my data told me what genres of music fit my morning, afternoon and night, telling me a great deal about my moods during the day.

Sharing music on the internet, whether during Wrapped season or otherwise, lets the internet bond over their love for certain songs, artists and genres.

Sometimes sharing our Spotify Wrapped stories is a flex, especially if you’re in Taylor Swift’s top .05% of listeners, or your music taste is underground, so nobody knows the top five songs you played this year.

More than anything, sharing music gives us a sense of belonging, and of shared

interests. Even when we try to deny it, people like to categorize themselves. It’s comforting.

So sharing something like the fact that you played 20,000 minutes of Harry Styles this year doesn’t just get you a myriad of Instagram likes but lets your mutual followers know that you have something in common, which may have not been expected.

Discovering and sharing one’s music taste and listening habits offers people to not only learn more about themselves, but also about the others around them, and Spotify Wrapped serves as the perfect vessel to do so.

Whatever your reason to actively partake in the Spotify Wrapped season is, it will serve a beneficial role in your enjoyment of both listening to music, as well as scrolling on social media, something which is often not a positive experience.

So, ignore the haters and post your stories because there’s always a chance that you can create a new connection with someone, or discover something about yourself.

12 SPORTS

SPORTS

Career night for Brittain-Watts not enough as men’s basketball falls to Notre Dame 81-75

BY BOBBY SERAFIN Contributing Writer

Non-conference games continue to cause trouble for the Boston University men’s basketball team.

The Terriers (5-5) suffered a 81-75 loss to the University of Notre Dame on Wednesday night at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana.

This now marks the Terriers’ fourth loss in the last five games — all coming on the road or at neutral sites.

The Fighting Irish (7-2) held the lead for the majority of the game and ended BU’s hope of winning their first game against an ACC opponent since 2013.

Despite the resilient effort, head coach Joe Jones believes his team could have given more.

“We weren’t tough enough to win,” Jones said. “We don’t prepare every day the way we’re capable of preparing, and we got to change that.”

The Terriers struggled from the tip-off, allowing the Irish to take

a 10-3 lead six minutes into the game. While BU was able to keep the deficit small for the majority of the first half, a series of Notre Dame 3-pointers helped stretch the lead to 13 with seven minutes to go.

“We’ve got to change our habits,” Jones said. “We’re an older team.

We’re an experienced team.”

The Terriers have repeatedly found themselves behind the 8-ball to open games, and that has cost them valuable wins over the last month.

BU trailed by a game-high 16 points early in the second half, with

ELIZA NUESTRO | DFP STAFF

Senior guard Ethan Brittain-Watts prepares for a layup. The men’s basketball team lost 81-75 against Notre Dame on Dec. 7.

graduate student forward Walter Whyte and graduate student guard Jonas Harper — the Terriers’ leading scorers — held in check.

While BU’s usual suspects struggled, senior guard Ethan Brittain-Watts picked up the slack with a career-high 19 points.

Brittain-Watts hit 5 of 10 from behind the arc and added three assists with no turnovers. “(Brittain-Watts) had a great offensive game,” Jones said. “He gave up on some defensive plays, but had a great offensive game.”

Brittain-Watts wasn’t the only Terrier to connect from downtown.

BU hit 12 threes on the night, three shy of their season high. Junior guard Caelan Jones hit a three with 4:12 to go in the game after a missed BU free-throw.

Despite not making a field goal for the final 5:41 of the game, the Fighting Irish shot an excellent 20 for 24 at the free-throw line.

On the other side of the court, BU forced Notre Dame to commit a season-high 16 fouls — a rare performance for a team that commits the fewest turnovers in the country.

The Terriers’ deep bench kept them in the game and outscored Notre Dame’s bench 32-11.

BU shot over 40% from downtown, but Notre Dame was even better. The Fighting Irish connected on 53% of their threepoint attempts — nearly 20% above their season average of 37%.

Graduate student guard Cormac Ryan led the way for the Fighting Irish with 21 points on 6-7 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-4 from deep. Graduate student guard Trey Wertz added 16 points and four assists in the winning effort.

“They’ve got so many weapons.

It’s hard to contain all their guys,” Jones said. “We didn’t contain the ball, and that was a big part of the second half.”

The loss put BU at .500 on the season, but after a competitive effort against a tough Notre Dame squad, the Terriers proved they have the foundation in place for a successful season.

BU will stay on the road for the next game, as they head to New York on Saturday to take on Marist College at 7 p.m.

The Mezzala: The World Cup and its new iconic moments

BY BENJAMIN LEE Columnist

Every four years, in each rendition of the FIFA World Cup, we are subject to a familiar depiction of drama, glory, and passion. This year in Qatar has been no different. Stunning upsets and goals overflowed in the group stage.

Group Recap In Group A, most of the attention was on the hosts, and how they would fare against teams who actually worked to qualify for the World Cup. Needless to say, it did not go well for them. Not only was Qatar eliminated from the competition after their second game, but they ended up boasting an impressive zero wins and a negative six-goal differential.

The hosts had something to cheer about in their second match against Senegal when they scored their first World Cup goal in history. Still, by then, most Qatari spectators had left, leaving only the over-enthusiastic fans with suspiciously matching shirts to cheer for their team.

It’s speculated that these fans are from other countries and are being paid to cheer on Qatar — a true display of footballing spirit.

The Netherlands and Senegal ended up advancing, with Senegal eliminating an Ecuador side that many would’ve wanted to watch more.

In Group B, all eyes were on the U.S. and England. How would they fare in the group with Wales and Iran, and more importantly, how would they fare against each other? Although the other games that both teams participated in

were entertaining, the hyped-up “Soccer vs. Football” match was a snooze fest. After 90 minutes and zero goals, nothing could separate the sides, and both teams ended up advancing.

Group C started with a complete shock, with Saudi Arabia beating Argentina in their first match.

Some may call it luck, but how Saudi Arabia organized their high defensive line was nothing short of perfection. The Argentines were frustrated as they could not find a way to deal with such a tactic. However, the loss ended up not mattering as Argentina finished top of the group, entering the knockout stage with Poland.

Everyone knew what would happen in Group D. As the reigning champions and one of the favorites to win it again, France would surely top the group. This did end up happening, but only after a shocking 1-0 loss to Tunisia in their final game in the group.

Denmark and Australia battled it out, with the Socceroos brushing off the Danes and advancing with the shaken-up French.

Group E was nothing short of a rollercoaster. Their first matchday ended with Germany getting upset

by Japan 2-1 and Spain thrashing Costa Rica 7-0. Japan then suffered a surprising loss to Costa Rica. On the final day, anyone could either qualify or be eliminated. Japan dispatched Spain in a shocking 2-1 defeat that saw Japan go to the top of the group with Spain right behind them. On the other side, Germany dramatically beat Costa Rica, scoring a series of late goals to secure their victory. Despite their win, the Germans were

eliminated in the group stage for the second World Cup in a row — quite shameful for such a talented and well-funded program.

Group F saw a strong Moroccan side climb to the top, with Croatia following them.

The Belgian golden generation continued to disappoint, failing to advance. Canada’s second World Cup also ended in disappointment after losing all of their games.

The main controversy came in Belgium’s match versus Croatia in their final group-stage game.

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku missed several chances that, had they gone in, would have sent them into the next round. Lukaku has been a source of great debate as of late, with many questioning his quality as a player. He could not prove himself despite stating he was the greatest Belgian striker of all time.

Group G saw Brazil defeat their first two opponents before falling to Cameroon in the final minutes of their last game in the group stage. Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubakar, who scored Cameroon’s game-winner, took off his shirt to celebrate and was hit with his second yellow card of the game before receiving a sendingoff. Serbia and Switzerland were fighting for the final spot in the knockout stages at the same time in which Switzerland would come out on top in a 3-2 thriller.

Similar to many groups, Group H came down to the wire.

Portugal and South Korea ended up advancing, with South Korea scoring a game-winner in the 91st minute against Portugal.

As a result, Uruguayan hopes of

advancing were torn apart despite their hard-fought win against an overperforming Ghana side.

Qatar World Cup or The World Cup? As mentioned in previous columns, this World Cup is particularly controversial. There have been many fiery interactions across all social media platforms, with people arguing for speaking up about human rights and others arguing for people not to criticize Qatar and just to enjoy the football.

I implore those who demand players to only play and not make things political to consider that the players are also humans and not solely for entertainment. They have a job, but they still have the right to speak their mind. Would it be fair to ban a person with a 9-5 job from making any opinionated but harmless comment on social media because it can make their workplace “political?”

This controversy has primarily contributed to the World Cup becoming the Qatar World Cup. Of course, the host nations will always be tied to the World Cup they hosted, but in this case, Qatar and its issues are taking somewhat of a center stage with players protesting for LGBTQ+ and migrant worker rights. It is important to respect a country’s culture, and I understand how Qatar can feel violated for having theirs criticized on such a large stage. However, why would the World Cup even be held here if this was the case?

It is the World Cup, meaning it is an event for the world — not for the world, excluding communities like LGBTQ+. For this reason, Qatar is simply not a good host for an event that has traditionally been all-inclusive.

ILLUSTRATION BY CONNIE DAI

Bottom Line MEN’S ICE HOCKEY

WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Dec. 9 at Boston College

Dec. 9 vs Holy Cross

Dec. 10 at Marist

Dec. 13 at Yale

Dec. 13 vs Dartmouth