September 16, 2022

Volume 91 • Issue 1

September 16, 2022

FSUgatepost.com

A victorious black and gold beginning

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST (Left) St. John Fisher University Defensive Back Justin Rodriguez attempts to stop Framingham State Quarterback Nick Goffredo’s run during the Sept. 10 game.

Framingham State won the game 31-20.

President Nancy Niemi restructures FSU administration

By Leighah Beausoleil Editor-in-Chief Framingham State President Nancy Niemi announced organizational changes to the University’s executive staff in an Aug. 30 campus-wide email.

Niemi said the adjustment will “bring fresh perspectives” as well as allow staff the opportunity to “realign services and operations.”

Included in Niemi’s reorganization is the creation of a new division, which will be known as Academic Enhancement, according to the email.

“The Division will center services that are integrally tied to students’ learning success by intentionally bridging Academic Affairs and Student Affairs through strong collab-

oration for holistic student support and advocacy, and through the intentional use of data analytics and measure of student progress,” Niemi said in the email.

This new division will be under the direction of Lorretta Holloway - no longer the vice president of enrollment and student development, Holloway will now serve as vice president of academic enhancement.

In this position, Holloway will now oversee CASA, Academic Advising, International Programs and Study Abroad, Retention and Graduation Success, and Family Engagement, according to the email.

Holloway’s former division of Enrollment and Student Development will no longer exist as enrollment management and student life will

now report directly to the president, Niemi stated in the email.

Therefore, Dean of Students Meg Nowak Borrego will now report directly to Niemi and hold the additional title of chief student affairs officer.

Sara Gallegos, who served as director of student involvement and leadership development, will now serve as executive director of student experience and careers, and will be “overseeing Student Involvement, First-Year and Transfer Orientation, and Career Services.”

An interim chief strategic enrollment management officer will be appointed while the University undertakes a search to permanently fill the position, according to Niemi.

See RESTRUCTURING page 6

Wardell Powell appointed interim leader of DICE

By Emily Rosenberg Associate Editor President Nancy Niemi announced Wardell Powell’s appointment as Inter he vers ty ncl s on ficer (CDIO) in a campus-wide email Aug. 26.

Powell started on Sept. 1 and will remain in the position until the Vice President of the Division of Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement (DICE) search committee has completed its work, according to the email.

Niemi wrote that the committee ntends to r n final sts to ca p s during the fall semester and to have the

pos t on per anently filled y the eginning of 2023.

The position has been vacant since former VP of DICE Constanza Cabello resigned in August 2021. During academic year 2021-22, staff in the department reported directly to Lorretta Holloway, vice president of academic enhancement, formerly vice president of enrollment and student development (see pg. 6 “President Nancy Niemi restructures FSU administration”) Powell is an assistant professor for the Education Department. His research focuses on making science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculums more accessible to marginalized communities.

News SGA pg. 3 COVID-19 GUIDLINES UPDATE pg. 5

Opinions

ENGAGEMENT pg. 8 COMIC pg. 9

Sports

This past summer, he helped lead the ac al ty nst t te a five week intensive program for Framingham State as well as Mass Bay Community College STEM faculty on crafting an anti-racist curriculum.

Powell said he accepted the position after Ellen Zimmerman, former The Gatepost Archives academic vice president and provost, asked him during the summer. He said, MEN”S SOCCER pg. 10 considering the “important work that needed to be done” and how the University had already gone a year with the position vacant, he agreed.

Powell said a goal of his as interim POETRY OPEN-MIC NIGHT pg. 12 CDIO is to be able to learn what BEST OF SUMMER pg. 14-15

Arts & Features

See INTERIM CDIO page 7

INSIDE: OP/ED 8 • SPORTS 10• ARTS & FEATURES 12

NEWS

2 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Editorial Board

Gatepost Interview

Editor-in-Chief Leighah Beausoleil

Nancy Niemi

Associate Editor Emily Rosenberg

Framingham State University President

By Leighah Beausoleil Editor-in-Chief

News Editor Sophia Harris

Please provide a brief summary of your resume and educational background.

I started as a middle school English teacher - loved it - decided I needed to answer bigger questions, and so I went back to school. I got a Ph.D. in curriculum instruction - loved it - changed my life. I had questioned everything, and then became a professor of education.

Then, I saw that being a chairperson really had let me help people even more - taught new teachers and also helped lead, and that led to helping other people learn how to teach as well. After my kids graduated from high school, I moved to New England - went to University of New Haven and then Yale as director of teaching faculty teaching initiatives, and decided I wanted to go to a public school, which is where my heart is. So I went to the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, and then answered the call up here and was very fortunate to get a position here. … I also have publications and research as well, which focus on gender and higher education and how they nfl ence each other and what impact it has on equity.

Asst. News Editor Branden LaCroix Opinions Editor McKenzie Ward Sports Editors Danielle Achin Tyler Wahl Arts & Features Editors Emma Lyons Ryan O’Connell Design Editor Maddison Behringer Asst. Photos Editor Christy Howland Staff Writers Christopher Alano Jackson Clyde Raena Doty Dallas Gagnon Owen Glancy Mark Haskell Jack McLaughlin Carly Paul Ryan Schreiber

What is it about Framingham State that compelled you to enter your name into the presidential search?

It was public and it was in New England, so those two things made me read the ad right away. But then the school was founded by Horace Mann and company and being the teacher educator that I am, I thought, “Wow, that co ld e a ood fit. nd then the ore I learned and the more I interacted once ot called or a first nterv ew on oo - just the warmth and the opportunity, the camaraderie just comes through everybody’s interaction, and you can’t fake that. And so that really attracted me and then then it kept getting better.

Advisor Desmond McCarthy

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TH E GA T E

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Asst. Advisor Elizabeth Banks

Since coming to FSU, what has been your impression of the campus?

There is so much good already happening and so much possibility and people are hungry and ready to do even greater things than they already do, which is already exciting. Whether I’m @Tstudents or staff talking to HEGATEPOST members or faculty members or community members, everybody wants Framingham State to succeed wildly - even more than we already have. That collective goodwill and energy to move forward is fantastic, and I’ve really seen that and

T TH EGATEPOS

100 State Street McCarthy Center Room 410 Framingham, MA 01701-9101 Phone: (508) 626-4605 Fax: (508) 626-4097 gatepost@framingham.edu @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Courtesy of Framingham State felt it as I’ve been working here for the last two-and-a-half months.

What are some of the initiatives you’d like to focus on?

We need to turn around our enrollment, and we need to do it in a way that is meaningful for us. With state universities, public state universities, we all are cut initially from the same cloth.

We’re regional public universities that are comprehensive - we serve the region - and we can’t all be the same because then there’s no differentiation. And why go here when everywhere else is equally the same? We need to focus on what we do or can do very, very well or even better, programmatically, as well as student service and make sure we let folks know that - potential students, current students. So we need to do that, and there are a number of programs and possibilities that we’re all working on … about how we do that. And then we also need to pay attention to who our community is outside of us. We have beautiful, robust populations that comprise our community, and we want to serve them.

So the Hispanic population, Brazilian pop lat on first enerat on pop lat on - all of those people - many of those people will live in our community. They all are welco e here and we need to fi re out how the students we want to serve we can serve extraordinarily well. And so that’s an initial look as to how I think we can and will move forward.

How have your friends and family reacted to your agreeing to become the FSU president?

They were very excited for me. Some of them said, “Yeah, we knew you were going to do this. You wanted to be a president and you did it. Here you are.”

And others said, “Why didn’t you think of this before? Nancy, this is the right place for you.” And for all the reasons I’ve already discussed. And many of them were just really happy that I was so happy. And I found a place where I felt like I would belong and that the campus would welcome me as much as I welcome the opportunity.

What’s something students might be surprised to know about you?

I don’t know how surprised they’d be - I absolutely love to cook and bake and still do it as a kind of therapy when I’ve got stress, so stress baking. I love all things paper and ink by extension.

Another life, I must have been or will be an artist with paper. I’m fascinated by it. nd so can t help ysel when find a bit of strange paper or ribbon - I collect t eca se fi re ll do so eth n w th it.

Do you have any advice for students?

Let us help you get a great education, so you can have a great life in the way that you want to. We need to know how best to help you, and so let us do that.

And come see us. Come see me, so we can do that together.

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

Police Logs Sunday, Sept. 11 01:53 Inebriate Larned Hall Assignment Complete

Tuesday, Sept. 13 01:17 Tresspass Tow O’Connor Hall Citation Issued

Tuesday, Sept. 13 05:34 911 Hangup Hemenway Hall Unfounded

Wednesday, Sept. 14 03:22 Alarm (Trouble) North Hall Referral Filed

NEWS

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 | 3

SGA holds first meeting of the year

By Sophia Harris News Editor SGA discussed concerns about Dining Services and campus accessibility at ts first eet n o the year ept. 13.

Dara Barros, president, began the open forum addressing the quality of Dining Services’ operations. “It’s been a disappointment in my opinion.” She referenced the recent change to the hours of Sandella’s, Rams’ Den Grille, and Red Barn Coffee Roasters.

She said the reduced hours are an inconvenience for students with limited availability due to work or other commitments in order to get a meal.

Barros said Sandella’s recently announced that it’s going to be closed on the weekends, which means “students who work on the weekends and don’t have the time to go to the dining hall during normal dining hall hours, which usually closes at 7 p.m. on the weekends” will have limited options. She said it is unfair to students who pay for a meal plan.

She noted that Red Barn closes “six -and-a-half hours earlier” than other dining options on campus and the Grille is not open until “11” a.m.

She expressed her concern for these reduced operating hours and believes students are not getting their money’s worth from their meal plans. “If we’re spending all this money that’s going into dining, I feel as if we should be getting” better quality service.

Sophia Harris / THE GATEPOST (Left) Austin Van Lingen and (Right) Erin Gemme being sworn into their new positions, SGA Sept. 13.

Kiwibots are food delivery robots, which are a part of a new program implemented by Dining Services.

Barros said if students want to mobile order for pickup or delivery, they will “have to use [their] own money even though [they] already paid for [dining dollars].”

She added, “I personally don’t think that it was necessary for this University

“It’s honestly just disappointing for me - for them to get robots to deliver food, but not improve our quality of food.”

-Dara Barros, SGA President She said that although Framingham tate has prov ded financ al rel e on tuition and fees, Sodexo has not provided any meal discounts. “Year after year, the University has frozen our tuition and fees. But Sodexo has not done that, and their quality hasn’t really improved.”

She added, “With the amount of money that I spent on dining, I could buy my own groceries and make my own food and it would be nutritious and ore enefic al or e.

Concerning the Kiwibots, Barros said there is no option through the Everyday app, which is the platform for students to order meal delivery, to add dining dollars to use them.

of hills to have robots on our campus to be delivering food.”

Barros said Sodexo does not have the correct priorities in what students at FSU need. She referenced the lack of enough “gluten-free and allergy-free options” that have been brought to Dining Service’s attention in the past, and said she has not seen improvements.

She added, “It’s honestly just disappointing for me - for them to get robots to deliver food, but not improve our quality of food.”

McKenzie Ward, student trustee, added, “Seventeen out of over 3,000 students have subscribed” to the Kiwibot service and Framingham state is the leading school in the number of

Weather

subscriptions.

Erin Gemme, diversity and inclusion o ficer sa d a enefit o the w ots s for students with disabilities or health concerns to be able to get their meal delivered to their building.

They added if this is the case, students who need the service “shouldn’t be charged as much” as they are using it for a valid reason, including injury, an existing condition, or a disability.

Senator Dillon Riley said he is concerned a o t the tra fic sa ety v olations the Kiwibots could potentially cause and what that liability means for Framingham State.

Ward addressed accessibility concerns on campus.

She said the issues that were raised at the last campus safety walk such as the curb that is not handicap accessible, located in front of West Hall, the parking space that is located in front of the curb cut and the lack of direction in Maynard Lot, have not been addressed.

She added it is “ridiculous that after six months, nothing has been changed.”

She said it is not only a problem of accessibility, but also of inclusivity.

Ward said Framingham State “constantly talks about how we are an inclusive campus, but we are not being inclusive.” She said she is “concerned” with the “lack of follow through” from administrators not addressing these issues.

She added, “The number-one priority of FSU should be the students, and I don’t feel like sometimes that is the number-one priority of every single person on this campus.”

Senator Serina Broderick said a

problem with accessibility on campus that she has noticed since sustaining an injury that caused the use of crutches is that the handicap accessibility door opening mechanism in Miles Bibb is not working.

She said, “We’re not making this a friendly, open campus for people who have disabilities.”

Barros advocated for the continued efforts to create a gender-inclusive athroo on the second floor o the McCarthy Center as well as changing tables in bathrooms.

Gemme said they are working on creating an Accessibility Committee to work through these concerns. They invited any students who want to join to reach out to them.

Riley, Austin Van Lingen, Evelyn Campbell, and Gemme were sworn in to their positions as senator, senator, outreach and events coordinator, and d vers ty and ncl s on o ficer respectively, for Academic Year 2022-23.

Barros also invited students to attend the Black Student Union’s Kickback, which is on Sept. 17.

Sara Gallegos, executive director of student experience and careers and SGA advisor, added there is “a new incentive” to place posters in the entrance of McCarthy highlighting the home games for the upcoming week.

The “U-Rock” was presented to Barros from Campbell for helping her step into her role as outreach and events coordinator.

CONNECT WITH SOPHIA HARRIS sharris9@student.framingham.edu

Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov

Sunday night Sept. 18 Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Wind around 5 mph. 30% chance of precipitation.

Monday night Sept. 19 Cloudy, with a low around 62. Wind around 5 mph.

60% Chance of precipitation. is 60%.

Tuesday night Sept. 20 Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Wednesday night Sept. 21 Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Wind around 5 mph.

Monday Sept. 19 Partly sunny with a high near 78. Wind around 5 mph. 50% Chance of precipitation.

Tuesday Sept. 20 Partly sunny with a high near 78. Wind around 5 mph. 30% Chance of precipitation.

Wednesday Sept. 21 Sunny, with a high near 74. Wind around 5 mph.

Thursday Sept. 22 Sunny, with a high near 80. Wind around 10 mph.

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM

4 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

NEWS

In memory of Tyrese Lee

By Leighah Beausoleil Editor-in-Chief FSU junior Rese Treyvon “Tyrese” Lee, 21, died of injuries sustained in a car accident June 11.

Lorretta Holloway, vice president of academic enhancement, sent an email June 15 informing the FSU community of Tyrese’s passing. yrese was orn n pr n field on March 11, 2001.

He was a business management major with a minor in sports management.

“He would always joke around about becoming an athletic director with the athletic director here, who is also the head football coach,” said Cully Curran, a senior management major.

Tyrese had a love for sports and was an athlete himself both in high school and at Missouri Valley College, where he received his associate’s degree before transferring to Framingham State for the Fall 2021 Semester, according to his obituary on the Sampson Family Chapels website.

Curran said he, Tyrese, and their friends would all play non-competitive sports together such as pick-up basketball, and watch sports games, including the times they would go to Boston Red Sox games.

“He’s the kind of person - he walks into the room and his smile lights up the whole room,” he said. “He would make everyone feel included, like kids that people don’t normally talk to anyone like that. He would make sure he went out of his way to make them feel comfortable.”

He added, “It was pretty cool to see someone do stuff like that.”

Curran said Tyrese had an “infectious personality” that would bring out positive energy in the people around him.

“I just want to keep his memory alive,” Curran added.

Cam Lee, a sophomore business management major, said he and Tyrese grew up together as they were both from the same town and went to the same middle school and high school.

Lee recalls playing basketball with Tyrese and all of their siblings.

He said Tyrese was “the most energetic person ever. Anytime he’s around, everybody’s happy or in a good mood.”

Lee highlighted how fast Tyrese would make friends with people. “My first t e even r n n h aro nd the football team - I play football - brought him along one time, the next day, I see he’s chatting with them, too. I was like, ‘You just met them.’”

Joshua Lopez, a sophomore psycholo y a or sa d he first et yrese when he came to FSU. “I was really going through it when I first et h ope sa d. was o n through a dark phase, and he took me out of that phase. He gave me my mojo back.

“He helped me without even helping me - just by him being him,” he added.

He sa d yrese s confidence s what really made him, him. He did not care what people thought and only cared for the people around him.

Lee said Tyrese always knew “how to just mess with somebody in the slightest way just to make them laugh.

“Everybody just loved being around him,” he added.

Joedion Medina, a sophomore business management major, said, “Since the day I met him, it’s always been good vibes. He was one of those guys who had his friends’ backs no matter what.”

Medina recalls the time he, Tyrese, and their friends had a splatterball war.

“We were on the same team and all I can remember is him having so much energy and us just having so much fun and laughing nonstop,” he said. “I remember the day like it was yesterday and it’s one memory I’ll never forget.

“Tyrese will never be forgotten and was loved by many people,” Medina added.

Nick Ashley, a senior communication arts major, said, “My relationship with Rese was real. We met through mutual friends, but he showed me love like we knew each other our whole lives.”

Ashley said the memory that stands out to him were the times they would see each other in the Dining Commons and Tyresse would raise his hands up and with a “big smile” on his face and would say, “Woo!” “He was a shining star and being aro nd h ave yo yo r own confidence to be a shining star,” he said.

Ashley added, “Rese was the mayor

Courtesy of Nick Ashley (Left) Nick Ashley, Tyrese Lee, Cully Curran, and George Zabalou at a sports game. @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Courtesy of Cam Lee of Framingham State.”

Along with Lee, Adryen Daniels, a junior communication arts major, also attended middle school and high school with Tyrese.

When Tyrese transferred to FSU, he and Daniels were roommates.

“It was like living with my brother, to be honest,” Daniels said. “He’s one of my closest friends.

“The energy that he had, he was able to have crowds of people just following him,” he said. “He made friends super quick, so it was a good vibe on campus with him.”

He added Tyrese was someone who loved to live in the moment.

In 2020, Daniels, Tyrese, and their friends from high school all went to Los Angeles, California together and were able to cross items off of their “bucket lists,” including visiting a place celebrity Pop Smoke was staying at and eating at Rascals, a restaurant.

Business Professor Denise Brown said she had Tyrese in her Organizational Behavior course and presented h s cert ficate o co plet on d r n h s funeral service.

“That’s a core course that they have to take that he really excelled in,” Brown said.

She said in the course, they discussed different types of leaders and described him as a “charismatic leader.

“The way he talked so very softly, but with pull - power,” Brown said.

She said Tyrese was always a “gentleman” who would respectfully address her as “miss.” “I reminisce over his emails now that he sent me,” Brown added.

She said through her time working with him, they had built a relationship and yrese wo ld co e to her o fice to talk about everything, including his dedication to his education and his love for sports.

Brown added at the funeral there were multiple large framed photos of Tyrese playing basketball. She described it as walking through the Bas-

ketball Hall of Fame.

“I can only imagine all those pictures sitting around in his room,” she said.

Brown recalled how “perfectly braided” Tyrese’s hair always was and the time she had just got hers done. “He was across campus and he was yelling, ‘I like your hair! I really like your hair!’”

She had assigned the students in her class the task of rewriting Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech for the 21st century and read aloud the end of Tyrese’s essay, which she described as “phenomenal.”

“I’m going to try and do better and help change my community around and keep them from the disease of racism. Is the racism problem too big to solve? No. I do think the change must start with us, and it must now. It must start with us.”

According to his Sampson Funeral Chapel obituary, “Tyrese was predeceased by paternal grandparents Willie Lee and Elma Lee. He leaves his parents Omar Lee and Janet Correa of pr n field two rothers avon ee o pr n field and ay an ee o ansas City, MO. His beloved niece, Chloe ‘Coco’ Chanel, grandparents, William and Janet Correa, Uncle and Aunt Elton H. Davis and Betty S. Davis of Hartford Ct, Uncle Gregory Earl Lee (Desireé), Uncle, James Earl Horton (Angie), Uncle Christopher Lee, aunt, Elizabeth ‘Tata’ Correa, aunt Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Correa and niece, Ellani Best, Titi Clara, Godmothers Saida ‘Nina’ David and Maricruz Richardson, sisters, Ashley and Aaliyah David, adoring cousins, Tatiana, Adriana, La-nyia, Jaiden, Trajahn, Tianna, Tierney, Gregory Jr., Mon e ashon ordan ondon anda ahron nton a ara v en Moe, Godbrother and sister, Amanda and Bryan, and many, many other family members and great friends.”

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

NEWS

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 | 5

FSU Sets New COVID-19 Guidelines

By Branden LaCroix Asst. News Editor FSU’s COVID-19 Guidelines for Academic Year 2022-23 relax the masking mandate and surveillance testing for students, faculty, and staff.

In an email sent Aug. 24, President Nancy Niemi laid out the changes made to the University’s COVID-19 protocols, which includes the removal of the campus-wide mask mandate and asymptomatic surveillance testing of students, staff, and faculty.

Ilene Hofrenning, director of the Health Center, said the University’s COVID-19 guidelines were changed based on the CDC’s data and its recommendations and because of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots.

“Because of the vaccines, fewer people are getting really sick,” she said.

“There’s fewer people with serious illness, hospitalizations, and death.”

She added the “other half” of the guideline changes is “trying to get life back to normal - trying to get back to normal university life.”

According to the new guidelines, while masking is no longer required in most spaces, students who wish to continue masking can do so, and faculty who want masking to continue in their classes can require their students to wear one.

Certain facilities on campus, such as the Counseling Center, Health and Wellness Center, and Athletic Training Services also require guests to wear masks.

The University’s vaccine mandate is still in place for students, staff, and faculty unless they have a medical or religious exemption.

Hofrenning said she has heard some

The Gatepost Archive and test as soon as possible. If the test is negative, students are to continue masking and test again after 48 hours.

Hoffrening said testing and masking even with mild symptoms is important because, even if someone initially tests negative, “there’s still a good chance you have COVID - you just don’t have enough of the virus to show up on the test.”

If a student’s test returns positive, the student must inform the Health

During previous semesters, Linsley Hall was a designated quarantine area for students infected with COVID-19.

Hofrenning said Linsley Hall was planned to be a designated isolation space for students, but the building currently has “facilities issues” and is not in use.

She said, “What we did, what we’ve always done, and will continue to do is encourage people to go home if they can’t or isolate off campus.” She add-

“If anybody has any kind of cold or any kind of simple scratchy throat, or they think it’s allergies, anything, they should test to see if they have COVID.” -Ilene Hofrenning,

Director of the Health and Wellness Center

concerns over the new mask guidelines, but added most “people are happy with this.

“For instance, a professor can decide, ‘I want people in my class to wear a mask.’ And they of course will be required to wear a mask as well. Or other professors can say, ‘You know, it’s not required in my class - you can wear one if you’d like,’ and students seem to be OK with that. And it seems like most professors are OK with that as well,” she said.

Free rapid-antigen tests are available at the Health and Wellness Center to all students. Self-administered PCR tests are also available, but are limited in supply.

According to the guidelines, students displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 are advised to wear a mask

Center by email or phone and the Office o the ean o t dents who w ll notify the student’s professors.

Because contact tracing is no longer performed, students who test positive are required to notify anyone they have been in close contact with.

The University follows the CDC’s guidelines on isolation for people who test positive for COVID-19. The CDC reco ends solat n or five days nstead of the previous 10 days.

According to the CDC, students may end solat on a ter five days they have not had a high fever for 24 hours, but suggests wearing a mask through day 10.

The full CDC isolation guidelines can be accessed at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html.

ed in the event a student cannot isolate off campus, “We will accommodate whoever needs to be isolated to make sure that they have a safe and appropriate place to isolate.”

Although the University has a vaccine and booster mandate in place, there is no requirement to get the newest booster, but Hofrenning said she is encouraging people to get it as it will protect against BA.5, the newest strain of the COVID-19 virus.

Hofrenning said there will be an on-campus booster clinic sometime n cto er t a spec fic date has not been set yet.

Marysa Kenney, a freshman, said she had to mask while she was in high school and said, “It’s good to see that we’re kind of moving forward.”

She said she is not concerned with

catching or spreading COVID-19, but added, “It’s still a thing and I think people should just be careful and cautious, especially with older people who can get sick easily.”

Emily Hanson, a junior early childhood education major, said she is “OK” with lifting the mask mandate, but still worries about spreading COVID-19. “I work with kids and I have grandparents who I worry about.”

She added, “I think we should possibly be testing the same just to keep a record of it and track it.”

Judea Blake, a junior psychology major, said, “It’s easier to live on campus because we don’t have to get tested every week or every two weeks.”

She said, “I think people just need to keep their hygiene up - keep washing your hands - stuff like that.”

Billy Ginepra, a sophomore sociology major, said he feels “comfortable getting back to how we were before I’ve seen everybody’s faces again.”

He said he is only concerned “once in a while” about catching or spreading COVID-19. “Like, if someone’s sick around me, I’ll take consideration of it and keep my distance, but for the most part, I think the vaccinations are doing good.”

However, he added, “You have to remind yourself that it exists. You still have to be aware of what you touch and who you’re in contact with.”

Hofrenning said anyone with questions about the University’s new guidelines should email or call the Health Center at 508-626-4900.

She said, “If anybody has any kind of cold or any kind of simple scratchy throat, or they think it’s allergies, anything, they should test to see if they have COVID. “We’re having to live with COVID and it’s still very transmissible,” she said.

CONNECT WITH BRANDEN LACROIX blacroix@student.framingham.edu

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM

NEWS

6 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Restructuring Continued from page 1 Other structural modifications include more changes in division reporting. University Police will report to Executive Vice President Dale Hamel as they did prior to reporting to Holloway.

Leah Mudd, assistant director of orientation, now reports to Gallegos.

“The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs will now report to Eric Gustafson, vice president of development and alumni relations,” Niemi explained in the email. “The AVP [assistant vice president] of Human Resources & Equal Opportunity and Director of Communications will report directly to the president.”

With Patricia Whitney, associate vice president of facilities and capital planning, retiring in November, Danny Giard will take over as executive director of facilities Nov. 7, and a search is currently in progress for a director of capital projects management, according to the email.

In an interview, Niemi said the changes were “all student focused.”

She said, “We had a very big division of enrollment management and student experience and the vice president, Dr. Holloway, in charge of that, had so many responsibilities that it was very difficult to do all of them justice - not because it was her - but because there’s just so many pieces to student life and enrollment.”

Niemi explained there were multiple departments that reported to Holloway that were important to the University, such as University Police, but were unable to receive enough attention due to other areas frequently requiring immediate attention.

“We were able to give different parts of it more energy and more light and more impact,” she added.

Niemi said although not many

two months into Niemi’s presidency and all of the executive staff were involved in the discussion. She said some FSU employees believed the action was taken too quickly, while others praised it as efficient. However, she believes there were more people who appreciated the quickness of the change.

“I felt it was time to take some serious action,” she said, emphasizing the importance of enrollment management given the University’s drop in enrollment in recent years.

Niemi said the University will be using The Registry, an organization that provides higher education experts for interim positions, to fill the chief strategic enrollment management officer position.

“I don’t know who it is yet,” she said. “We tentatively are looking at the beginning of October, but as soon as we can get someone here, we will.”

Holloway said, “I think people were expecting change,” but not “as much change or as quickly.”

She said her former position “was just too big and I used to joke that I had become the junk drawer of the University where people didn’t know where to put stuff so they put stuff in there.”

Holloway added because of this, she was only able to focus on areas that needed immediate attention rather than areas that involved longterm planning such as orientation.

Her new call to action is to strategize ways to implement an academic-support network for students not only as they enroll, but throughout their education until graduation. The second piece is to assist faculty and staff in developing “improved systems for family outreach and support in their divisions,” she said.

She added she is sad she will not

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST Lorretta Holloway, formely vice president of enrollment and student development, now takes on role of vice president of academic enhancement. if it continues as a program, he said.

He will also no longer be overseeing the Tau Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies.

“I’ve been doing the same things for many years, and it was time for me to do something different just for my own professional needs,” he added. “I’m excited about the opportunity to build on family engagement - just the next step of my career.”

Executive Vice President Hamel said, “Restructurings are typically undertaken to address specific needs,” and the University needed to address enrollment management.

“I love that we’re putting students’ success front and center with the new Division of Academic Enhancement.”

-Eric Gustafson Executive Vice President universities have a division of Academic Enhancement, she has seen it implemented successfully.

She added Georgia State University was one of the models that demonstrated “using data to help measure and putting these students’ success measures together in one location to really work with each other.

“They’ve had wild success with that,” she said.

The formation of this new division will allow the various departments to “work even better together to help students have a wildly successful academic experience and really be able to improve our graduation rates or retention rates and just have better mentoring, better tutoring - all the things that we know help students have successful college lives,” Niemi said.

This decision to restructure the University’s administration came

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

be working with some staff she has been working with for years - or at least not on a regular basis.

Benjamin Trapanick, who was director of new student and family programs, will now be the executive director of family engagement.

He said the original program is now “essentially dissolved.” He will have less involvement with students and will focus primarily on families.

“A lot of that has to do with the fact that Rams [101] has been gearing up to include more courses and therefore, there’s less of a need for Foundations courses,” Trapanick added. “With that being the case, some signs are pointing that it might be done after this semester.”

Because of this, Trapanick said it was a “good time” for new focus and new responsibilities.

Trapanick will no longer be overseeing orientation and Foundations

Hamel added, in the short term, he will need to re-work and adjust budgets for areas in the University that were affected by the changes. “We’ll be making those changes and in the interim, we’ll just be bypassing the structure that had been set up until those can occur.”

While the University awaits a new chief strategic enrollment management officer, he said, “We’ve got a couple of large projects going on, such as the strategic enrollment planning process, and all of us will have to step in to assume some of the responsibilities related to those projects.”

He added he believes the inclusion of Nowak Borrego in the executive staff will be beneficial when considering decisions that will affect students.

Nowak Borrego said, “I think it’s a good thing that the person whose

job is to focus on student affairs and student life - that is their focus fully reports to the president and is at the executive staff table when decisions are being made and the student experience will be impacted.”

Having been a vice president of student affairs for 10 years at her previous institution, Nowak Borrego said she sees it as an easy adjustment to be back on an executive staff.

“I respect the president for taking such a bold approach, and an early approach, to reorganizing in a way that she and the Board [of Trustees] believe will best impact our student experience and the University and recognizing some of the areas that we’ve struggled with, and then making change to address them,” she added.

Vice President Gustafson said, “I think it’s very positive for Framingham State. I think it makes a lot of sense on every level. I love that we’re putting students’ success front and center with the new Division of Academic Enhancement.”

Gustafson added a lot of the changes made put parts of the University “where they belong.”

He said including the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs under his division makes sense given that his focus is on fundraising.

“It’s a little different than the fundraising work we do in development, working with government agencies and private foundations, but it really is part of our overall fundraising picture,” Gustafson said.

About the restructuring decision, Niemi said, “We didn’t do it lightly. I hope that we never do.

“They affect people’s lives, and even though my team felt like it was the very right thing for us to do,” she added, “it affects people, and we want to make sure that we have the University’s best interests at heart, even as we act boldly and go move in a direction that we hadn’t before.”

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

NEWS

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 | 7

Interim CDIO Continued from page 1 students, faculty, and staff need from DICE and to provide the opportunity for the campus community to share their feedback through a campus climate survey.

The campus climate survey is university-wide and aimed at collecting data about campus safety as it pertains to inclusivity and cultural differences, Powell said.

The last campus climate survey was conducted in 2018, according to the minutes from a March 27, 2019 Board of Trustees Meeting.

“I think having that data for the next person coming in would be very helpful,” he said.

Eric Nguyen, director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence, said in an email he hopes having a CDIO will help to “build trust between various constituents and the institution in that DEI [diversity equity and Inclusion] and anti-racism will continue to be high priorities for the University.”

He added, “That trust will be essential as we appoint a new VP of DICE so that that person can begin to engage the community and learn about how they can best serve the community.”

He said as he knows one of Powell’s priorities is to collect data and get a better understanding of campus climate, having this information will help the next VP of DICE identify priorities.

Nguyen said it is a relief to have another point person for DEI-related matters.“It has been humbling to serve as a resource for so many different people at FSU, but it has also limited my ability to dive more deeply into various programs and projects.

“It is also important to me to have an additional thought partner in this work. DEI work can be very lonely, but I have been fortunate in that I can lean on numerous colleagues over the past year - both external to FSU and at FSU - including Dr. May Hara, Dr. Lorretta Holloway, and Dr. Cara Pina. But these incredible individuals also have their own responsibilities at FSU, so having another person now within our division is great,” he said.

Powell said a challenge going forward will be helping students, faculty, and sta eel ore confident n the administration’s commitment to DEI

Courtesy of Framingham State work.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion work is really important,” he said. “We went an entire year without someone in the position. There might be students, there might be faculty, there might be staff who might think the University isn’t really committed to this work.”

President Nancy Niemi said in an email she believes Powell will succeed in the position “because he is part of the FSU community and is committed to working with all of us to do the long, hard work of making structural changes that we need to create a more equitable FSU.” vers ty and ncl s on ficer Erin Gemme said they hope while Powell is transitioning into the interim position, he is open to ideas from st dents. find ta n a lot o n ormation from students would be very helpful because students are going to be the ones who know best in these situations.”

Matthew Maury, a senior psychology

major said, “We should have done this [appointing an interim leader] to begin with. But I get it - it may take time or there may have been no one willing to step up. So I think now that we have at least for now, a designated point of contact, it’s going to make things go a lot more smoothly.” a antha tafins a sen or n l sh major, said last year, there was no VP of and st dents defin tely s ered because they didn’t have someone to look to as guidance for diversity and inclusion.”

Nassiem Cleophas, a freshman business and IT major, said he hopes DICE leadership is transparent. “It’s 2022 you need to have to be able to not see colors. You have to see a person for who they are - equal. … It doesn’t matter what color you are - you have to know at least a little bit about each culture.”

Gerald Fernandez, a sophomore accounting major said, “I didn’t even know we had one [a VP of DICE] and apparently, now we’re getting one.”

He added with the new interim leadership, he hopes the division is able to advertise their work and make it more available to students.

Susanna Krantz, a sophomore nutrition major said she hopes the interim leader is open to talking to students directly because inclusivity is an important issue on campus.

Sahir Russell, freshman biology major, said one thing he’d like to see DICE achieve is to help “diversify the staff.

“I see mostly white teachers in my classes,” he said. “So seeing more Black faces would be cool.”

Bella Nederios, a freshman Early Childhood Education major said she hopes with an interim CDIO, FSU is able to attain a welcoming climate.“Anyone of any race or gender - anything - that they’re accepted for who they are,” she said. “No one wants to feel ashamed of who they are.”

CONNECT WITH EMILY ROSENBERG erosenberg@student.framingham.edu

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion work is really important,” he said. “We went an entire year without someone in the position. There might be students, there might be faculty, there might be staff who might think the University isn’t really committed to this work.”

-Wardell Powell,

Interim Chief Diversity Inclusion Officer

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OP/ED

8 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

O P / ED

Grappling with Britain’s past

By McKenzie Ward Opinions Editor

THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Engagement 101 The transition to college is overwhelming.

No matter what school a student comes from or to, it will always still be that - a transition.

Coming to college means students are granted much more independence than they ever had in their academic careers as well as their personal lives.

However, this independence can also come with loneliness as students may be living away from home for the first time in their lives. Or if they are commuting, they may be taking on a whole new routine that is separate from their support system.

Becoming engaged on campus and with the FSU community is the best way to combat the isolation that initially comes with being a new student.

Engagement can look different for every student.

It can be short term, such as attending an Arts & Ideas presentation, or long term, such as joining a student organization or sports team.

It can be academic, such as participating in classes and going to office hours, or social, such as attending a residence hall event.

But it can also be engaging in self care, such as eating well, getting enough sleep, and using campus resources, including the Health and Wellness Center.

However, the only way for students to become engaged in college is by being proactive.

Engagement is about discovering how you want to be a member of the FSU community and actively seeking to reach that goal.

Here at Framingham State University, everyone understands the challenges of asking for help and taking those first steps to become engaged, and therefore, everyone - from building maintainers to our new University president, Nancy Niemi - is more than willing to assist.

Though some high school teachers like to scare their students into believing they’ll be on their own in college and professors will not care, that is simply not the case at FSU. Professors hold weekly office hours designed to provide support in a one-on-one format for their specific courses. Students should feel free to attend these to ask questions, share concerns, or simply to chat.

The Center for Academic Success and Achievement (CASA) provides tutoring for all as well as accommodations for those who may have received an IEP or 504 in high school.

Career Services and Employer Relations helps students construct resumés and cover letters, find internships, and prepare for the job market.

Foster Hall is home to both the Health and Counseling centers. Both of these wellness resources support students’ efforts to maintain physical and mental health.

The Dean of Students Office supplies relief in situations of crisis, food and housing inse-

curity, as well as financial emergency.

This office also operates the Rams Resource Center (RRC), which supplies toiletries and non-perishable food items to those in need.

Lorretta Holloway, vice president of academic enhancement, maintains a laptop loaner program for students who do not have one or are having difficulties with their own.

If a student is having problems in a residence hall, resident assistants, administrative resident assistants, and area directors are there to provide support and conflict management to ensure all residents feel comfortable in their on-campus homes.

Students who feel unsafe on campus or see any suspicious activity can contact University Police either through a phone call or by using an emergency blue light. These lights are stationed all around campus and have a button that will automatically connect the student with a police officer.

On campus, there is an array of student organizations, including student government, affinity groups, major-based groups, faithbased groups, and special-interest groups.

These organizations are managed by Student Involvement and Leadership Development and can be found on Ramlink.

We at The Gatepost are here for you as well. Your 90-year-old, award-winning college newspaper publishes every week. We inform and entertain the campus community and serve as a forum for free expression and creativity.

Becoming engaged on campus is not weird or embarrassing. You should not be intimidated. The FSU community is incredibly warm and inviting.

No matter who you are, you will be embraced!

No matter where you’re from, you are home!

Welcome to FSU!

The Gatepost Archives

Have an opinion?

Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu Opinions should be about 500 words.

Anyone can submit.

We look forward to hearing from you! @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

When Queen Elizabeth II’s death was announced on Sept. 8, 2022, the world went into a frenzy.

As I scrolled through my social media timelines, I saw a countless number of posts honoring the memory of the queen and her legacy as the longest reigning English monarch.

However, while Queen Elizabeth II did greatly impact the history of the entire world and was seen as a fixture of stability, the British monarchy should not be romanticized.

Rather, we need to ask the British government to grapple with its devastating and painstaking history.

The queen’s death brought upon conversations across social media platforms about the devastation that a multitude of countries have faced as a result of British colonization. However, those who did attempt to address these tragedies, were attacked and accused of being disrespectful.

According to British historian Stuart Laycock, who wrote “All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To,” out of 193 countries who are members of the United Nations (UN), Britain has either invaded or fought conflicts in 171 of them.

That is nearly 90% of the members of the UN. And while Laycock does define invasion very broadly, which has caused some debate among historians, it is still jaw dropping the sheer number of countries that Britain has had control over at some point in history even if one does not use a broad definition of invasion.

And although dozens of countries that were colonized by the British Empire have since declared independence from Great Britain following Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1952, according to Time Magazine, that does not mean that these countries are free from the effects of colonization.

An example of a country still negatively impacted by colonization is the Green Isle - Ireland.

Ireland was essential to Britain’s colonial expansion and this colonization of Ireland allowed the British to perfect their techniques in terms of expanding their empire, according to University of Manitoba scholars, Aziz Rahman, Mary Anne Clarke, and Sean Byrne.

In Rahman’s, Clarke’s, and Byrne’s article on the British colonial model in both Ireland and Canada, they state that Ireland is Great Britain’s first colony. They invaded in 1179 and have been under Britain’s rule for nearly 1,000 years.

While the Republic of Ireland, formerly known as the Irish Free State, became fully independent and severed all political ties with Great Britain in April 1949, according to The New York Times, Northern Ireland has yet to gain independence from Great Britain, even 843 years since the Norman Invasion of Ireland, which marked the start of Irish colonization.

One of the lasting effects of British colonization in Ireland has been its impact on language.

Currently in Ireland, the most prominent language is English. However, the indigenous language of Ireland is Irish Gaelic.

But as a result of British colonization, there has been a steep decline of fluent Irish Gaelic speakers in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. According to historian Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc, in 1541 legislation was passed in Ireland that banned the use of Irish in all areas under British rule.

Unfortunately, Ireland’s story of their colonization is just one of dozens.

As the British monarch moves into a new era with King Charles III, it is necessary for them to address their empire’s past with colonization, even if these atrocities were committed by their ancestors.

In 1910, after King George V’s visit to Ireland, James Connolly, who opposed British rule and led the Irish Citizen Army during the 1916 Easter Rising, wrote, “We will not blame him for the crimes of his ancestors if he relinquishes the royal rights of his ancestors; but as long as he claims their rights, by virtue of descent, then, by virtue of descent, he must shoulder the responsibility for their crimes.”

OP/ED

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 | 9

Sam and Samantha’s Situationship

Christopher Alano / THE GATEPOST

Campus Conversations What is your favorite on-campus resource?

By Maddison Behringer and Emma Lyons, Editorial Board

“Probably CASA. They were the first people I went to. I thought they were advising, actually, but they actually helped me with my schedule. I don’t remember the woman’s name, but she was really nice.”

-Katelyn Holbrook, freshman

“I’m actually a math tutor. Honestly, everyone in the Math Department is super great at helping each other. I personally think you can’t get through a math class unless you have a group of people to help you through it - so me and all the other math tutors are always available. I use it myself.”

-Bee Simmons, sophomore

“My favorite on-campus resource would have to be CASA. I use it a lot - especially now that I’m taking Organic Chemistry.

I feel like it’s a really good resource for students to get extra help when they need it.”

-Emily Del Rosario, sophomore

“CASA - it’s very helpful for people with disabilities or just [people] trying to get certain accommodations.”

“CASA is the only thing I’ve used.”

-Hannah Lima, senior

“It would be the Counseling Center.”

-Sam Murdock, senior

-Izayah Morgan, freshman

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM

SPORTS

10 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

SP O RTS

oot all do nates n 31 v ctory over t. ohn sher

en s soccer p and r nn n n 3 1 v ctory

By Danielle Achin Sports Editor

By Tyler Wahl Sports Editor

he ra n ha tate oot all tea sec red the r first v ctory o the season n the ho e opener a a nst t. ohn sher n vers ty on ept. 1 . esp te the ard nals prev o s v ctory n an nt dat n 1 lowo t a a nst alo tate the a s char ed the field w th deter nat on to w n on the r ho e t r . rst arter opened p w th a pa r o to chdowns or t. ohn sher p tt n the p1 t the r l c wo ld soon r n o t.

W th less than a n te n the first w de rece ver anny ara connected w th arter ac cholas o redo or a yard to chdown or the a s. n the second ana ed to tac on the s n le to chdown o the arter and t e the a e 1 1 w th a three yard r n ro arter ac oah eonard. ter a scoreless th rd arter o redo opened the o rth w th another co pleted pass to w de rece ver c ordon or the to chdown. esp te the to chdown e n revo ed d e to an nsports anl e penalty a a nst a s c er atthew arley converted a yard field oal v n the a s a 1 1 lead.

W th st over e ht n tes on the cloc l ne ac er ylan eWol e recov ered a le and ret rned t 3 yards nt l he was p shed o t at the 1 yard l ne. h s lt ately set the a s p or another scor n opport n ty. to chdown r n ro r nn n ac eva n ord and another co pleted c ro arley le t the ard nals tra l n eh nd 1 .

W th st over two n tes n the a e and the ard nals a ew yards shy o the end one de ens ve end erell oyce ntercepted t. ohn s pass and re t rned t yards. t the 1 ar de ens ve ac s lha co pleted the three yard r n p sh n the lead to 31 1 . he ard nals ana ed to add to the r score n the last n te o the a e t the a e wo ld concl de w th the a s v ctor o s y a 31 score. he ho e opener v ctory proved not only to the other opponents t the a s as well what can happen when players are n sync w th one another. ara co pl ented h s tea or co n to ether when they needed to ost.

We d d leave a lot o po nts o t there t the de ense ca e n and d d what they had to do he sa d. ense ca e n as well and we played as a tea . We d d what we had to do. ara sa d there s a lot o prove ent needed on oth s des s ch as con t n n to wor as a tea and c tt n down on penalt es t the tea s ore than ready to pro ress. apta n lly rran pra sed h s tea or co n ac ro a slow start and answer n w th a ress on and deter nat on rather than lett n de eat set n y the first arter. really l ed the way we responded t s a reat way to respond as a tea and t lds confidence o n orward he sa d. rran sa d as lon as h s tea co es o t fir n on all s des ro the start they sho ld have no pro le s ov n orward w th the lea e. he a s loo to cap tal e on the r v ctory when they w ll e travel n to ass art o th ac n o a a nst the orsa rs on ept. .

he a s en s soccer tea res ed act on on ho e field ept. 13 ta n down the ol a s 3 1. en or oal eeper a e Hartshorn started the a e o loc n a shot ro ol s rady orenson w th st over two n tes n the first hal . clean shot on oal ro a s resh an orward stav He n sen e plo ted holes n the ol de ense w th over 1 n tes le t n the hal . nother shot ro wh ed y the oal post only a n te a ter He nsen s or nal shot cont n n the o ens ve press re a a nst ol . ol s net was finally ro en when sopho ore orward a r el ad lla p t the first one n ass sted y sopho ore de ender achlan or an. he ne t e ht n tes o play ncl ded two o ls a yellow card and two o s des etween oth tea s. he sloppy play stopped two n tes later when had to de end a fl rry o shots ro the ol o ense. ra n ha tate event ally started a n n ore o ens ve possess ons a ter a o l y ol . rad ate st dent dfielder ryce ard sent two shots on oal ollow n the o l t to no ava l.

W th st over n tes elapsed n the hal the a s added to the r lead o a oal ro n or orward hera ya a. he oal p t ra n ha tate n a co orta le pos t on to end the hal . ltho h ol s ccess lly ot o a ew shots e ore the er so nded they were eas ly re ected y Hartshorn. ter hal t e oth tea s ed ately ot nto act on w th shots e n e chan ed on oth ends o the field. he first n tes o the second hal was scoreless.

Hartshorn was close to a n what wo ld have een a h hly pro a le save t the seal on the a s net was finally ta en down o a oal y ol s orward r an ven.

Hartshorn and the de ense o ht o ol s attac s late n the second hal w th r t and were awarded so e reath n roo when ryce ard p t n a penalty c to o p 3 1. he rest o the atch re a ned nevent l as oth oal es swatted away a ew shots e ore t e o fic ally e p red. ra n ha tate handedly too down ol n vers ty 3 1 n th s non con erence atch p.

Hartshorn elt ood a o t the w n say n t s always a reat eel n ett n ac n the w n col n espec ally a a nst a al ty s de s ch as ol .

He shared h s o tloo or the season. personally don t a e a ha t o loo n too ar ahead n o r sched le. r ost portant a e s the ne t a e. on t e a s dfielder ryce ard also e pressed h s confidence n h s tea ates a ter the a e say n veryone stepped p today. r co pos re was really ood eca se they had o ent and we ept creat n o ense and were a le to et the th rd to seal t.

Hartshorn and ard oth ade t clear they are loo n orward to the r first con erence a e. he en s soccer tea loo s to start the r con erence season stron ept. 1 at Westfield tate.

Leighah Beausoleil /THE GATEPOST Senior quarterback Nicholas Goffredo launches a pass Sept. 10.

FRAMINGHAM STATE ST. JOHN FISHER UNIVERSITY

31 20

CONNECT WITH DANIELLE ACHIN dachin@student.framingham.edu

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Leighah Beausoleil /THE GATEPOST FSU midfielder dribbles up the field vs. Western Conn. Sept. 10.

FRAMINGHAM STATE SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY

3 1 CONNECT WITH TYLER WAHL twahl1@student.framingham.edu

SPORTS

a s thlet cs ac

By Tyler Wahl Sports Editor ra n ha tate thlet cs wasted no t e ret rn n to ll or or the 3 athlet c season. lon w th stellar starts ro the oot all and en s soccer s ads the volley all wo en s soccer and field hoc ey tea s also h t the ro nd r n nn . olley all conv nc n ly too the r first o r non con erence atch ps o the season w tho t tro le. he tea only lost a total o two sets thro h the r first wee o atch es and loo ed po sed to stay nde eat ed nt l Western ew n land too the down 3 ept. 8. he ollow n do le header on ept. 1 ended n a 3 1 w n vs. H sson and a 3 loss a a nst ass art o th.

volley all c rrently holds a record and s prepar n or the r pco n con erence atch a a nst Westfield ept. . a s wo en s soccer also c ed o early t n ort nately have yet to p ll o t a w n eca se o the r to h sched le. he tea s c rrently on a five a e los n strea and s search n or o ent as they start the season. esp te the a s str les the r de ense has lar ely een sol d. wo en s soccer has lost two a es y a one po nt ar n w th the other three all end n w th down only a ew oals. o ens ve prod ct on steps p the season co ld have a co plete t rn aro nd n the r ost portant a e yet. hey ll eet Westfield tate or the r first con erence a e o the year ept. 1 on the r ho e field.

n

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 | 11

ll sw n a s field hoc ey has also had a re ar a ly s ccess l early season as they p t away e s n a do nant ash on ept. . hey proved t wasn t a fl e two n hts later when they lew o t ean olle e 1 n an away a e. he a s field hoc ey tea has yet to play on ho e field th s season and c rrently holds a record on the road. hose two lowo t w ns ve the tea confidence head n nto the r first con erence atch o the season at ho e a a nst ly o th tate ept. 1 . ra n ha tate n vers ty ath let cs loo s po sed or another s c cess l all season n the con erence.

Leighah Beausoleil /THE GATEPOST

CONNECT WITH TYLER WAHL twahl1@student.framingham.edu

Saturday Soccer

Leighah Beausoleil /THE GATEPOST

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12 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

ARTS & FEATURES

ARTS & FEATURES

English Department hosts open mic night

By Ryan O’Connell Arts & Features Editor The FSU English department hosted its annual poetry open mic night as a part of this year’s Black & Gold Beginnings events in Sandella’s Flatbread Café Sept. 8.

Several staff members of The Onyx - Framingham State’s literary and art magazine - welcomed students to the event alongside English faculty.

Freshman Scott Cousland was the first reader o the n ht shar n he Inaugural Poem for The Dim Cats Club.” Cousland said he had been writing creative pieces all his life, but only recently began to record them in greater detail.

“I went out on Labor Day, … I was walking down that trail, thinking about the reception of the English Department, and thinking about one of my favorite movies, which is the ‘Dead Poets Society,’ “‘Dim Cats’ is actually an acronym, which … stands for ‘divergence, incandescent yst cs and sfits who are creative, assertive, and transformative troublemakers in society,’” he said.

Cousland’s poem expressed his gratitude toward nature and community. “And thank you my friend for helping me live, and thanks once again for the kindness you give.” He added he had never read at an open mic night before, but was interested in sharing again.

opho ore ofia W lson s ssions editor for The Onyx, read a poem titled “Awake,” expressing a feeling of embrace with the night.

Wilson’s poem was also included in the Spring 2022 edition of The Onyx.

“Oh, to be loved by this night, to sleep in its domain, is to be awake. Wholly, peace lly finally awa e.

Freshman Kate Norrish read next, sharing a poem that shares her experiences with autism, and acts as “a bit of an ode” to the 1922 movie “Nosferatu.”

Norrish read, “The only thing I like about summer is swimming, except what I like best about it is apparently not called swimming, but it perfectly describes the word … bouncing and flapp n star n ntensely at people and plants and movements and - I am behaving like a monster.

“I saw the ’70s version of Nosferat and tho ht t was fine. hen saw the ’20s version. Saw a bit of my soul become a living thing. Looking a o t and eel n w th lon fin ers touching, stepping, learning, and - am I supposed to be scared of this?”

Not all students opted to read their own work, however, like freshman Faith Wangui who read “Brown Eyes,” a poem by Nadia McGhee about someone jealous of a woman’s blue eyes.

Wangui also gave a live rendition of “Tyrone” by Erykah Badu, and said she sings as a hobby in her spare time.

Sophomore Emily Monaco, art editor for The Onyx, read an untitled

Ryan O’Connell / THE GATEPOST Freshman Scott Cousland reading at the open mic night in Sandella’s Sept 8. poem she said was very personal, and had written years prior. She later read a more recent poem, “The True Victim,” a poem about being wronged by a loved one and the consequences they face.

Senior Alphonse Smith read a piece titled “My Father Can See Ghosts,” which had also been published in the Spring 2022 edition of The Onyx, involving his gender identity and the response of his father.

“My father continues to sob against the steering wheel, reciting my obituary as I take mental notes. I try to speak, I tell him ‘I’m still here! I didn’t go anywhere.’ His child hasn’t passed.

He doesn’t need to mourn,” he said.

Smith read, “My father can see phantoms, wraiths, spooks, souls, apparitions. He can see them all, but

he refuses to see his living, breathing son sitting beside him.”

Freshman Raena Doty then read a short original poem titled “From Shame, Progress” before Scott Cousland read another piece of his recent work, ending the open mic portion of the event.

Lisa Eck, chair of the English Department, thanked all the attendants, as well as The Onyx members as the event was ending. She encouraged writers and artists to submit their work to the magazine and to become published.

[Editor’s Note: Raena Doty is a staff writer for The Gatepost. ]

CONNECT WITH RYAN O’CONNELL

roconnell1@student.framingham.edu

Christian Fellowship dances away the stress of a new semester

By Emily Rosenberg Associate Editor Christian Fellowship hosted a Just Dance night on Miles Bibb Lawn on Wednesday Sept. 14 as a way to welcome students to the organization.

Just Dance is a game where a manne n l e fi re dances to a pop song on a screen, while players dance along and match their movements.

The player who gets the most dance moves correct scores the most points.

Tyler Westfall, sophomore health and wellness major, said he was excited to play Just Dance with his friends who were involved in the club because he had a lot of fond memories.

“When I was in third or fourth grade my babysitter came over and had never played before. We showed him the game and he got so into it and we just played Just Dance for like three hours a night every night,” he said.

Emma Jackson, junior criminology major, said her favorite editions of Just Dance were the older ones she played when she was younger. She said although she wasn’t really religious, she was excited to play the

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game and try to make friends.

Michael Capello, senior computer science major, said it was nice to be able to attend the event because it can sometimes be “impossible” to be involved on campus as a commuter.

“If you don’t go to events like this, you never really feel included in the student population, especially as a commuter,” he said.

Rebecca Gerfen, junior management major and social media manager of Christian Fellowship, said the club organized the event because it was popular last year. Gerfen herself joined the club at last year’s Just Dance night after having a lot of fun.

Katie Hansson, junior elementary education major and community outreach coordinator for Christian Fellowship, said her favorite Just Dance was Just Dance 2013 because she remembers having a lot of fun playing with her brothers.

Ben Diehl, senior computer science major and treasurer of Christian Fellowship, said although he never played Just Dance before, he was excited for the outcome of the event.

“It gives us more exposure.”

Carly Paul / THE GATEPOST Two students competing in Just Dance on Miles Bibb Lawn Sept. 14.

Lily Borst, senior business management major and president of Christian Fellowship, said their goal for the semester was to build on the community they have and host more faithbased events.

Hansson said she hopes the club reaches a wider base on campus this academic year. “I want everyone to feel welcome.”

Borst said more events that are in store for the club are Yard Game Olympics, Pumpkin Painting, a yoga night, as well as the beginning of a discussion series about what it means to “live to the truth” - the school’s motto.

CONNECT WITH EMILY ROSENBERG

erosenberg@student.framingham.edu

ARTS & FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 | 13

Kendrick Lamar’s lengthy hiatus ends with a bang

By Jack McLaughlin Staff Writer As Kendrick eloquently puts in the first trac t had een 1 8 days since the release of 2017’s “DAMN.” During that time, fans have been anxiously waiting for the follow up to the Pulitzer Prize winning project.

“Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” is the ambitious answer, a double album released in May which depicts the personal journey that Kendrick took over the last few years.

The album is split in two halves the first n ne trac s are nown as “The Big Steppers” while the last nine are referred to as “Mr. Morale.”

This project has an emphasis on less catchy, more emotional tracks. It is a departure from previous albums o pa tterfly and ood d m.A.A.d city.”

This aspect has steered people away, claiming that it “has no replay value,” but I disagree and think this is h s est pro ect s nce 1 s o p a tterfly.

“United in Grief” is the powerful intro to the project. The opening l ne hope yo find so e peace o mind in this lifetime,” grabs the listener immediately and doesn’t let go as the song continuously grows more intense until a blaring car horn clev-

erly transitions into an energetic beat switch. he dra at c core o the first hal s “We Cry Together,” in which Kendrick and Taylour Paige play out a temperamental argument between a couple accompanied by harsh instrumentals.

The song brings interesting social commentary, featuring a line where a e erates endr c n a fit o ra e saying, “You the reason we overlooked, underpaid, underbooked, under shame.”

This unconventional structure expresses the song’s serious themes with a force that demands to be heard.

“Count Me Out” kicks off the second half. Sharing a similar intro structure as “United in Grief,” it takes its time building up with a choir repeating, “And I’m trippin and fallin” before an evocative and devastating scream gets let out as the song truly begins and serves as a fantastic intro to the new section.

Fellow artist Baby Keem, who is Kendrick’s cousin, is featured in this half of the album in the track “Savior” and its interlude. His inclusion here further strengthens the musical bond they started in Keem’s 2021 project “The Melodic Blue.”

“Auntie Diaries” and “Mother I Sober” are the emotional backbone of the al . he first o these trac s tells the story of Kendrick’s family

Puzzles

ACROSS 1. Old washcloth, perhaps 4. Mediterranean fruits 8. Kylo Ren portrayer Driver 12. Words before “glance” or “loss” 13. How the confident solve crosswords 15. Norwegian inlet 16. Art school submission 18. Is furious 19. *Hoosier NBA player (In this clue’s answer, note letters 6-9) 21. “Still waters run ___” 22. Crossing sign?

23. IV units 26. ID digits 27. *Intimidated someone (letters 3-7) 31. Regular tendency 32. Singer of “Into the Unknown” in “Frozen II” 33. Daring surfer’s cry 36. Dress up like a Jedi, e.g.

39. Assist in crime 40. Civil rights icon Rosa 41. *Sweet bee product (letters 6-10) 45. Pine ___ (batter’s goo)

members who are transgender and the d fic lty they have e n accepted by their family and community.

The latter track focuses on Kendrick coming to terms with traumatic abuse he suffered as a child.

“Mother I Sober” feels like the breakthrough point in the therapy-session setting that is persistent throughout the entire project. The song contains the most raw emotion of his discography - it acknowledges d fic lt events that have happened n Kendrick’s life. he final l nes del vered y h s fiancé Whitney Alford make the ending feel like you just got off an emotional rollercoaster - a breath of fresh air with an overwhelming feeling of relief.

“Mirror” rounds out the project n a reflect on o the o rney ta en y endr c n the last five years. choose me, I’m sorry” being repeated throughout the chorus vocally represents his discovery of how bettering himself was a crucial choice he made to be able to navigate the struggles he faced.

The “Mr. Morale” side to the record has the best tracks overall, though it does not take away from how enjoya le the first hal s.

Both of the sides provide an introspective listening experience that challenges not only Kendrick to dis-

48. Ryu’s rival in “Street Fighter” 49. Faucet drip 50. Hiking trail 51. Dressing brand, or a theme hint 55. Often-yellow gem 58. Digital correspondence scheme 59. Diva’s production 60. One of a star-crossed pair 61. Fair ___ (copyright issue) 62. Sauvignon blanc, e.g.

63. Amphibian whose eye is in a “Macbeth” recipe 64. Size below lge.

DOWN 1. Frothy river parts 2. Makes amends 3. Word after “beer” or “herb” 4. World Cup org.

5. Not excluded from 6. ___ monster (lizard) 7. Brief passage 8. Like a door when it’s not a door, in a riddle 9. Jackshund or puggle 10. Is, pluralized 11. GPs’ degrees 14. Australian “bear” 15. Just out of the oven 17. For great service, it’s often 20% 20. Edit (out) 23. Spreadsheet box 24. Home: Sp. 25. Remain 27. “Welcome” bearer 28. Homer’s father 29. Clamor 30. Gym rat’s count 31. “House Hunters” channel 33. Break into, digitally 34. Competent 35. Sign gas 36. Recycled item 37. Iron or iridium resource in “Stardew Valley”

cuss complicated topics, but the listener as well.

“Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” is a phenomenal effort by Kendrick who has once again proven himself to be one of the all-time greats of this generation.

Rating: A

Worth the 1,855 day wait.

MENU

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jmclaughlin7@student.framingham.edu

38. Where planes fly 40. Game with EVs and Eevees 42. Protagonist of “The Wild Thornberrys” 43. Cherry’s color 44. “SNL” alum Bill 45. Dusting powder 46. “Relax,” to a sarge Puzzle solutions are now 47. Composed rap lyrics, say exclusively online.

50. “Thx” counterpart 51. Tortoise rival 52. Moniker 53. Sight that may be scenic 54. Considerably 55. Stranded motorist’s request 56. Nail polish brand 57. Paper mate?

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14 | SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

By Emily Rosenberg Associate Editor After three years of living through something quite strange ourselves, the Duffer Brothers swung at us with the long awaited fourth season of everyone s avor te etfl r nal series - “Stranger Things.”

The whole gang is back, except this time they’re not just in Hawkins. Mike and Dustin are chilling with super senior, super silly, (sexy?) DM of DnD cl Hellfire dd e wh le W ll and Eleven become the fresh meat for the bullies at their new school in California.

In the midst of this, Joyce goes on a “work convention” to Russia with Maury after getting a cryptic doll in the mail, and Lucas is getting a taste of popularity as a player on the basketball team.

Wh le each ro p fi hts the r own battles this season, we get a close up of each character as we dive into Eleven’s background, Will and Robin’s sexualities, Lucas’s identity, and see Steve beginning to forgive himself while Nancy is crafting her future.

Full of twists, psychological terror, and fresh romance, “Stranger Things 4” will not only have you running away from grandfather clocks but also running up that hill (away from Vecna).

CONNECT WITH EMILY ROSENBERG

erosenberg@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of IMDb

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ARTS & FEATURES

Best of

By Jack McLaughlin Staff Writer

Courtesy of IMDb

By Ryan O’Connell Arts & Features Editor he th rd fil d rected y ordan Peele to hit the big screen, “Nope,” s a sc ence fict on horror w th the western enre help n nfl ence ts setting and themes.

Released July 22, the movie follows OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) at a crossroads - while OJ tries to hold up the family business after their father’s death, Emerald is ready to leave it all behind and carve her own path in Hollywood.

These differences are put aside, however, when the siblings discover an otherworldly, territorial, unident fied fly n o ect near the r ranch threatening their horses and presenting a golden opportunity to Emerald.

The master plan to catch the alien on phys cal fil and capt re so ething never before seen involves meticulous planning, a network of cameras, and a daring performance as bait, which OJ has only one shot at.

“Nope” is a shockingly tense, act on or ented fl c w th a hand l of disturbing and visceral scenes, which have the viewer feel exposed and vulnerable - followed by a hectic, extreme collapse in the plan that clia es n tes e ore the fil ends.

While the extreme stakes - and even the more graphic scenes - contribute to the quality of Peele’s modern adaptation of the American Western, the characters, naturalistic - and funny - dialogue, and bizarre premise make “Nope” a great watch.

CONNECT WITH RYAN O’CONNELL

roconnell1@student.framingham.edu

Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” released its third season throughout June and it continues to be the obscene masterpiece it’s been since season one.

With popular media being dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe s fil s and shows he oys s focused on what would happen if the heroes people looked up to were corrupt, power-hungry villains. h s dea s person fied n the antagonist Homelander, played by Antony Starr. His presence dominates each scene he’s in, being the intimidating “all powerful” force whose unpredictability keeps everyone in fear of him.

This season focuses on Butcher and Hughie, played by Karl Urban and Jack Quaid, looking for a missing supe from the ’80s who would be powerful enough to eliminate Homelander.

After growing more tired of superhero fil s and that have co e out in the last year, this show was a breath of fresh air in a genre that desperately needs it.

CONNECT WITH JACK MCLAUGHLIN

jmclaughlin7@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of IMDb

By Emma Lyons Arts & Features Editor Alternative music artist Beatrice Laus - better known as “beabadoobee” - released her second studio album “Beatopia” in July 2022, letting her ans a alon or the first t e since 2020.

“Beatopia” opens with “Beatopia Cultsong” which introduces listeners to the album with the question: “Is it me, or recently time is moving slowly?” - which is repeated continuously with instrumentals that bring the listeners into the setting of the record.

The album includes 14 tracks with a slightly techno and stronger rock feel than that of Laus’ previous albums. Tracks like “Talk” and “Don’t get the deal” utilize electric guitars and heavy drumming to lean toward the pop rock aspects of the alternative genre.

Laus still shows her original sound that long-time fans have become familiar with through songs like “Ripples” and “broken cd” - which highlight Laus’ soft vocal quality, supported by simple string and piano instrumentals backing her throughout the songs.

“Beatopia” has a song for every mood and each song has the ability to stand alone as a hit.

This album will be a fan favorite for summers to come, as fans are able to find a top a w th n the elod es of the tracks.

CONNECT WITH EMMA LYONS

elyons3@student.framingham.edu

ARTS & FEATURES

By Raena Doty Staff Writer he and an a etfl or nal TV series based off a Neil Gaiman comic by the same name, is an absolutely magical tale.

It follows the titular Sandman usually called Dream or Morpheus - through the events that lead to his imprisonment and what happens after. The epic fantasy is unlike anything else, but it has familiar characters taken from the Bible and mythology, which adds depth to the structure of the world.

Despite the grandiose adventure that the story tells, the characters are the lifeblood of everything - they’re loveable, they’re frustrating, they’re utterly and completely human (even the ones who are otherworldly).

The tone of the story is intermittently humorous, dark, heartfelt, and optimistic - all in the right places.

While this show may not be for the a nt o heart the el o the fire that keeps “The Sandman’’ burning is hope. This is exactly what the viewer is left with at the end, and in the state of this world, everyone could use a bit of hope.

Whether a thinker or a feeler, a watcher or a listener, an angel or a demon, this show has something for everyone. If you’re looking for a highbrow story to pick apart symbol by symbol and metaphor by metaphor, or if you just want a way to occupy a Thursday night, you cannot go wrong with “The Sandman.”

CONNECT WITH RAENA DOTY

rdoty@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of IMDb

Summer

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 | 15

By Ryan Schreiber Staff Writer

Courtesy of IMDb

By Emma Lyons Arts & Features Editor ans floc ed to ov e theaters on July 1 to see the highly anticipated fi th nstall ent to the esp ca le Me” franchise - “Minions: Rise of Gru.” With the groovy backdrop of 1970’s San Francisco, this movie acts as a sequel to “Minions,” released in 1 and doc ents 1 year old Gru’s path to becoming a supervillain after acquiring the following of the Minions. r has to fi ht to e ta en ser o sly as he attempts to join the “Vicious 6” - a famous team of supervillains.

He is criminally underestimated by the group and takes it upon himself to steal a precious jewel from them to prove himself.

“Minions: Rise of Gru” is an action-packed comedy that has something for everyone. It allows for new “Despicable Me” fans to become acquainted with the well-known characters without being lost, while also throwing in cameos of past characters and callbacks to previous jokes.

CONNECT WITH EMMA LYONS

elyons3@student.framingham.edu

“Orphan: First Kill” came out Aug. 19 being uploaded exclusively on Paramount+. This movie is such a ood pre el to an already reat fil .

This is the second installment in the rphan ranch se. he first ovie was released in 2009. It stars Isabelle Fuhrman, who plays Leena, a deranged psychopath from Estonia who suffers from hypopituitarism, a disorder that impedes growth.

Essentially, Leena is a 30-year-old woman trapped in a little girl’s body. n the first ov e eena personates a l ttle rl na ed sther who we find o t n the second fil s a ss n child.

One major reason why I love this movie is because of the kills. Within the first 1 n tes we watch two people get bludgeoned to death and a man who gets his head repeatedly bashed against a wall. The deaths were creative and bloody, which are two boxes that were immediately checked off for me.

Another thing I loved about this movie was the twists. A family learns that this little girl is not so little and then tries to plot her demise.

“Orphan: First Kill” wastes no time in becoming one of my favorite movies.

CONNECT WITH RYAN SCHREIBER

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By Owen Glancy Staff Writer “Bullet Train” is a thrilling and refreshing break from the action movie norm of modern Hollywood.

The action scenes offer a breath of fresh air in their creativity, despite the largely limited setting of one train and its stops.

Lots of this variety comes from the colorful and quirky cast of characters.

Brad Pitt shines as Ladybug, an aloof and chill protagonist in a very violent and chaot c fil . H s anter w th the rest of the crazy killers and yakuza are w tho t a do t the fil s h hl hts.

The acting and characterization are just as well done as Brad Pitt’s Ladybug, with Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) being standouts with their twin dynamic. o e parts o the fil do all short of the fun action and interesting characters. The villains are built p so ch thro ho t the fil as a massive unstoppable threat, only for their eventual reveals and actions to be somewhat underwhelming.

Some potentially interesting minor villains also reek of wasted potential, Hornet (Zazie Beetz) and Wolf (Bad nny fit th s envelope. n ort nately, the main villain is perhaps the most disappointing of all.

White Death, played by Michael Shannon, is well acted but feels very underwhelming and tame compared to the all-out insanity of the rest of the fil .

Despite the subpar villains and occasional pacing issues, Bullet Train’s bombastic action and likable main cast a e the fil well worth a watch.

CONNECT WITH OWEN GLANCY

oglancy@student.framingham.edu

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PHOTOS

16 | SEPT. 16, 2022

Photos and spread by Maddison Behringer, Design Editor [Editor’s Note: Carly Paul is a Gatepost staff member]

U T

D E N T S Organization Fair

On Friday, Sept. 9, Black and Gold Beginnings and SILD hosted this year’s Student Organization Fair on Larned Beach. Thirty-five student organizations set up tables for new and returning students to visit. An ice cream truck was provided free ice cream to everyone attending the fair!

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