December 11, 2020

Volume 89 • Issue 12

FSUgatepost.com

December 11, 2020

One more meal with friends before winter break

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST

(From left) Freshmen Brenda Kungu, Samantha Boval, Mercedes Jimenez, Janelle Doherty, Camille Christie, and Haidee Guity enjoy a meal in the Dining Commons Dec. 10.

FSU total undergraduate enrollment declines 10%

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor Total undergraduate enrollment for the fall 2020 semester is 3,467, down 10.3% since Fall 2019, when 3,864 students were enrolled, according to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

Of Framingham State’s sister institutions, only Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts lost a larger percentage of enrolled students. Its total undergraduate enrollment has declined by approximately 20%, according to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

FSU Fall 2020 first-time freshman

enrollment has declined by 20.9% from the fall 2019 semester. While 776 first-time freshman students matriculated at FSU for the fall 2019 semester, only 614 students enrolled for the fall 2020 semester, according to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

The decline in this semester’s enrollment is largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Jeremy Spencer, dean of enrollment management.

“We had specific strategies that we were employing to be able to get us to where we wanted to go, and everything was on target,” Spencer said.

A set of targets and assumptions

Opinions

See ENROLLMENT page 4 NOT A BREAK FROM COVID pg. 14

FSU and local organizations hold charity events

By Maia Almeida Staff Writer

By Caroline Lanni Staff Writer Although a number of traditional FSU charity holiday events have been canceled this fall due to the pandemic, there are still opportunities for members of the campus community to give back.

There are still a number of significant holiday initiatives occurring this holiday season such as food drives, clothing donations and toy drive programs to which members of the Framingham community can

contribute.

There are many local organizations in Framingham holding holiday charity events and drives to support the community now more than ever during COVID-19.

These local organizations include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass/MetroWest, A Place to Turn Food Pantry, The United Way Tri-County, Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), Salvation Army, Knights of Columbus, Mayflower Council of the Boy Scouts of America, MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, and Family Promise.

FSU’s Christian Fellowship, Sodexo Dining Services, Henry Whit-

News

are calculated concerning the enrollment of first-time freshman and TESTING SITE pg. 3 transfer students for the benefit of the Budget Planning Committee each RESOURCES pg. 13 semester, according to Lorretta Holloway, vice president for enrollment and student development.

Predictions are calculated for the number of applications the University will receive, how many will be accepted, the number of students who will submit deposits, and the number of students who will actually be enrolled for that semester, according to Holloway.

temore Library, and the FSU Police Department are holding toy drives and other holiday charity events on campus this semester.

Some annual holiday drives that offices have held in the past have been canceled for this semester due to COVID-19, including charity events sponsored by Student Involvement and Leadership Development (SILD), the Dean of Students, and the Fashion Club.

FSU Charity Drives Senior Gabrielle Laurenzano, president of Christian Fellowship (CF), said, “The operation Christmas

See CHARITY page 10

TRUMPIAN FLAG pg. 14

Sports HOCKEY pg. 16

Arts & Features

ROBBIE’S COMIC CORNER pg. 17 ‘MANK’ REVIEW pg. 18

INSIDE: OP/ED 14 • SPORTS 16 • ARTS & FEATURES 17

NEWS

2 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

Editorial Board

Gatepost Interview

Editor-in-Chief Ashley Wall

Susan Dargan

Associate Editors Donald Halsing Cara McCarthy News Editor Leighah Beausoleil Asst. News Editors Dan Fuentes Ashlyn Kelly Arts & Features Editors Brennan Atkins Jared Graf Robert Johnson Jr. Opinions Editor McKenzie Ward Asst. Opinions Editor Emily Rosenberg Design Editor Kathleen Moore Photos Editor Caroline Gordon Sports Editor Danielle Achin Staff Writers Maia Almeida Taylor Anderson James Barraford Patrick Brady Steven Bonini Sean Cabot Haley Hadge Branden LaCroix Caroline Lanni Johan Perez Abigail Petrucci Lydia Staber Advisor Dr. Desmond McCarthy Asst. Advisor Elizabeth Banks

Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences

By Haley Hadge Staff Writer What is your educational and professional background?

I got my bachelor’s degree at Simmons University in Boston in Sociology and Government. Then, I went on a year or so later to Boston University where I got my master’s and Ph.D. in Sociology, with a focus on Race and Ethnic Relations. I started teaching at Framingham State in 1987, part-time; then, I became full-time temporary. Eventually, I was hired tenure track, and became a department chair, a faculty fellow, and then an academic dean. I was the founding dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, which is now the College of Education and Social and Behavioral Sciences. I have also done a stint as interim dean of Business here at Framingham.

Why did you choose to teach at FSU? ell, first of all, it was the students.

I really connected with them from the first day that taught on campus. tudents are just wonderful, in many different ways. First, it was the students, and then it was also my colleagues - the faculty were really supportive. They tend to be very down to earth and not elitist. I really liked the fact that it’s a state university, and it’s a public institution. My father went to Fitchburg State University, and my aunt graduated from Framingham State University. They were the first in their family to go to college and I knew what the system meant to them in their lives, so I was really happy to be offered a tenure-track position at Framingham State.

What do you like most about working with students?

In my capacity as an instructor, it’s seeing them grow and transform during their time at Framingham State.

Some come thinking they’re not sure what they’re going to do, they’re not sure that they want to be in college, but then over time, you see them find themselves, and really grow and thrive.

Sometimes, I’m able to help them as a dean through some difficult times, especially when I handle academic standing cases in my college - so, students who get suspended, students who leave and get re-admitted. They’re struggling sometimes and I love being able to offer some encouragement and support, and then often see results where they come

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around and maybe they take a year off, maybe they are able to address some of the other issues in their lives going on. hen, they actually do better and finish, so that’s very satisfying as well.

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

Oh boy, surprised to learn about me?

Well, they often know a lot about me.

They know that I’m a huge Red Sox fan, but maybe they’re surprised by that. I love baseball, and sometimes, they’re surprised that I know a lot about baseball, things like that. That’s one that I can think of off the top of my head.

How has COVID-19 impacted your role as dean? t s definitely made my ob much more challenging. I’ve never worked harder in dealing with constant shifts in the environment of higher education in general, and at Framingham State specifically. ... m on oom all the time in meetings, which is exhausting. ... I miss the connection with my colleagues, whether that’s just bumping into each other at work, or talking in each other’s offices, or as ing a uic uestion. ou run down the hall and you ask somebody - you can’t do that anymore. I really miss that. I think working remotely has its advantages for sure, but it also has a set of challenges that really make it difficult. e ve learned that we can do some things remotely, which is good, but there’s so much missed when you don’t have that daily interaction with your colleagues. oom meetings are exhausting. It’s hard to read cues from people to know when it’s OK to talk, so it’s a challenge. I miss the students - just seeing them. ... Just the nature of the experience for students impacts all of us administrators, because we know that it’s not ideal. It’s not an ideal time to be in college. We do have a vaccine coming, so thank goodness.

What advice do you have for students?

My advice is to be as engaged as possible in your education, and that means in your classes but also outside of classes. Find something that you’re passionate about, and join a club. Some people come to campus already with a passion for sports or something, so they immediately have a network of people. Some people need to develop that network and the way you do it is by joining organizations, maybe sometimes through work as well. A major recommendation

Courtesy of Framingham State I have is to get out, travel, and see the world as much as you can. Take advantage of those opportunities that we have at Framingham State. Study tours, study abroad, things like that - that can be life changing for students. We can’t do that right now, but I think next year, we’ll be able to do it again, so I strongly encourage people to do that. In my college, we have courses that are taught at correctional facilities in Massachusetts, through the Inside-Out program.

I strongly encourage students to do that. In those courses, you have approximately 10 Framingham State students taking classes with approximately 10 inmates at a correctional facility. These are four-credit courses, and they’re really transformational experiences for students. So, I would encourage that kind of thing, as well as just getting out there and volunteering and doing internships.

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Each year, my family attends Black Nativity, which is produced by the National Center for Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) in Boston. This year was going to be the 50th anniversary of the performance. adly, this will be the first time in over 20 years that we won’t be there “live.” The NCAAA is holding a virtual 50-year anniversary gala instead, and we will be attending that.

CONNECT WITH HALEY HADGE hhadge@student.framingham.edu

Police Logs Sunday, Dec. 6 15:39 Motor Vehicle Accident Maynard Road Report Taken

Wednesday, Dec. 9 10:02 Community Policing McCarthy Center Checks OK

Wednesday, Dec. 9 20:26 Well Being Check Horace Mann Hall Checks OK/ Turned Over to Res. Life

Wednesday, Dec. 9 22:16 Suspicious Activity McCarthy Center Checks OK

NEWS

DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 3

City of Framingham to use Franklin Lot for COVID testing

By Ashlyn Kelly Asst. News Editor FSU has agreed to let the City of Framingham use the Franklin Street Lot for COVID-19 testing starting on Dec. 7, according to an email sent to faculty and sta .

The free testing site is an express drive-thru accessible by appointment only. It will be open through the spring in partnership with the City of Framingham and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts contracts with a social benefit organi ation called ro ect Beacon, according to Sarah Santiago, coordinator of campus events.

According to ro ect Beacon’s website, the program was launched by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, F-Prime Capital, and GV. It was created to help increase the number of tests available to the general public for an a ordable price.

Santiago said, “[Samuel Wong,

director of public health for the City of Framingham,] reached out to our president - Cevallos - and he sent it to my o ce. e handle any kind of rental to outside groups on campus in addition to all the internal stu [that students know about].”

“We are working with the City, who was the requester,” said Santiago. “The state had asked the City to find a host site. The ity is familiar with our property and I think had identified the lot as not being utilized this semester with kind of the movement of parking to campus.

And then the resident don’t want to speak on his behalf - but he tries to make sure that we’re good community partners and so it was his decision he gets to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to provide a lot she added.

Ilene Hofrenning, director of health services, said “The Franklin Street testing site is part of the state’s ‘ top the pread’ campaign as the TJX and SMOC sites were -

they are closing as of Dec. 11.” ro ect Beacon is not the company providing testing on campus at the University, according to Hofrenning.

According to antiago ro ect Beacon has “a couple other sites.

There’s one right now in Revere and then they’re opening one ne t week in New Bedford and one is coming in Lynn.”

Santiago said, “Other than providing the lot and kind of assisting with the logistics of getting it up and running, we are not involved in the coordination of the testing and sta ng or anything like that.

“The city is providing some help as well. Their public works is assisting with plowing, and moving cones and barriers and signage but ro ect Beacon runs the testing.”

Patricia Whitney, assistant vice president of facilities and capital planning, said the “University Police are helping ro ect Beacon .

Santiago said, “Within the lot,

there are two detail o cers during testing times and then one security o cer in the evenings. ro ect Beacon will be running the testing site in Franklin Street Lot for around six months, according to Santiago.

Hofrenning said there would still be testing on campus over break for sta and students most likely continuing once a week.”

Santiago said the testing site in the lot is for “anyone who lives in Massachusetts. You have to be a resident of the state because the state is the one covering the costs.” hitney said would ust say that I think we feel fortunate that we’re able to provide this space.

Under di erent circumstances that lot is widely used but it’s nice to be able to put it to good use and for us to be a good neighbor.”

CONNECT WITH ASHLYN KELLY akelly8@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of Google Maps

Weather

Sunday night Dec. 13 Mostly cloudy. Low near 30. W winds around 5 mph.

Monday night Dec. 14 Mostly clear. Low near 25. NW winds around 5 mph.

Monday Dec. 14 Mostly sunny. High near 40. W winds around 10 mph.

Tuesday Dec. 15 Sunny. High near 35.

NW winds around 5 mph.

Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov Tuesday night Dec. 15 Wednesday night Dec. 16 Partly cloudy. Low near 50% chance of snow.

20. N winds around 5 Mostly cloudy. Low near mph.

25. NE winds around 10 mph.

Wednesday Dec. 16 40% chance of snow.

Mostly cloudy. High near 35. E winds around 5 mph.

Thursday Dec. 17 40% chance of snow.

Partly sunny. High near 35. NW wind around 10 mph.

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NEWS

4 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

Enrollment continued from page 1 The pre-COVID-19 Fall 2020 assumptions and targets for first-time freshmen were 4,444 acceptances, 889 deposits, and an end enrollment of 800 students. Assumptions and targets for transfer students were 630 acceptances, 441 deposits, and an end enrollment of 334, according to Spencer.

After accounting for everything that was known about COVID-19 in March 2020, new targets were established for the fall 2020 semester enrollment, according to Spencer.

The new targets for first-time freshmen were 731 deposits and 643 enrolled, and 318 deposits and 248 enrolled transfer students, according to Spencer.

According to the data Holloway presented at the Nov. 18 Board of Trustees meeting, the first-time freshman enrollment target was missed - 614 students were enrolled.

The transfer student enrollment was exceeded - 276 students were enrolled.

The University received 5,708 applications for first-time freshmen, down approximately 4.4%, or 252 applications, compared to the fall 2019 semester, according to Holloway’s data.

The percentage of first-time freshmen accepted increased to 80.19% from the Fall 2019 percentage of 74.24%, according to the data provided by Holloway.

Of the 767 first-time freshmen who submitted deposits, only 614 enrolled for the fall 2020 semester.

This means the percentage of students who submitted deposits, but did not end up attending, almost doubled, with this semester’s “melt” being 19.95% compared to the Fall 2019 “melt” of 11.29%, according to Holloway’s data.

According to Spencer, melt is the “differential between those people who said that they’re going to come with a deposit, and those who actually ended up showing up on the first day of class.”

The University received 723 transfer student applications, down approximately 30%, or 219 applications, compared to the fall 2019 semester, according to the data provided by Holloway.

The percentage of transfer students accepted increased to 68.46% from the Fall 2019 percentage of 66.67%, according to Holloway’s data.

Of the 350 transfer students who submitted deposits, only 276 enrolled for the fall 2020 semester. This means there was a “melt” of 21.14% - up almost 5 percentage points from the fall 2019 semester “melt” of 16.3%, according to the data provided by Holloway.

Holloway said when she presents enrollment data, she includes the models from 2008 to the present year to demonstrate why the model has had to change throughout the years. She highlighted the data from 2008 when the University accepted

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approximately 56% of its applicants and received 723 deposits, and in 2020, even with an approximately 80% acceptance rate, the University only received 767 deposits.

In an interview, Spencer said although “the number of applications was down compared to last year, accepts were actually up.

“It’s really important to highlight the profile of those accepts for being relatively the same,” he added.

“It wasn’t a drop in profile. It was because we did a better job at completing those [acceptances]. So, everything was looking good on the accepts.”

He said when COVID-19 hit, the number of deposits declined as well as the number of students who actually enrolled.

“We were on track, and then everything went off the rails,” Spencer added.

Holloway agreed with Spencer that COVID-19 is the main reason enrollment numbers are down.

“It’s COVID, and the uncertainty that COVID is,” she said.

Holloway added particularly in the Northeast, the number of high school students going to college this year has declined.

She said another reason for the enrollment decline is because some of the community colleges are struggling this year, which cuts down on the number of possible transfer students.

Holloway said the University is now in competition with colleges that are struggling to find students that it hadn’t been in competition with in previous years, such as the UMass system.

Spencer said the UMass schools are “doctoral institutions” that tend to recruit internationally and out-ofstate.

With the pandemic, recruiting these types of students became more difficult, “so therefore, what they did is they went to the students in their backyards, those who traditionally enrolled at the state universities,” he said.

“Those particular in-state students who traditionally would enroll in a state university, but now given the option to go to UMass, may in fact choose UMass over the state university,” Spencer added.

Holloway said another reason enrollment numbers are down is because “we have an increase in the number of students who have more financial need, who are interested in going to college.”

She added the difficulty of that is there is a limited amount of financial aid that the University can provide and “more people need or have more need.”

During the Nov. 18 Board of Trustees meeting, Holloway said one of the reasons FSU’s enrollment is lower than that of its sister institutions is because of issues related to P code and income.

She said MetroWest is one of the highest income and highest educat-

ed areas surrounding Framingham.

She added her office will look into the new census data to see how these factors may be affecting recruitment.

Holloway said two highly educated parents will most likely want their child to go to a “perceived” higher-ranked or private university.

“So, we are not just competing against our sister institutions for that, but also competing against private institutions,” Holloway added.

She said this is not an excuse, and asked if that is the case, how does the University market itself toward that particular population?

Holloway said once her staff receives the National Student Clearinghouse data, they will be able to see what other schools the accepted students had applied to, which school they chose, whether that school was public or private, and if there is a school in particular the University is losing students to. n a ec. 8 email, llen immerman said, “Over the previous four years, first-time first-year retention rates ranged from 70% - 76%, with an average of 73.5%. So, we would have liked it to be at 74% or higher. However, this year, it was 69%.” immerman added, e attribute a significant part of this decline to the impact of COVID-19.”

In a Nov. 4 interview, Holloway said another issue impacting overall enrollment is retention.

People are “thinking about coming back or not thinking about coming back because their situations have changed,” she said. “They don’t have the money they thought they had.

“We’re still really struggling trying to help students,” Holloway said.

As an example, she said through the Cares Act, the federal government has provided money that the Financial Aid Office has been struggling to give to students because they are having trouble getting the students to respond and fill out the form.

Holloway added calls to the office of Kay Kastner, coordinator of student support initiatives, have gone down this semester.

She said she still has laptops available in her loaner laptop program.

According to Holloway, she started with 70 laptops at the beginning of the semester. As of Dec. 8, seven semi-new and 18 refurbished laptops remain as well as five Apple MacBooks, but only for specific courses.

“We should not have as many left by this time of the semester,” Holloway said. “I have more money in my student support fund than I should have.

“I know students are struggling or having emergencies, and we’re just not hearing from them,” she added.

“I chair the [Student Programs and Support] continuity team,” she said.

“And that’s something we’ve been struggling the most with - we know that there are students out there that need help.

“How do we get to them when their screen is off, their video’s off, and

they’re not responding?” Holloway asked. “And they may have very good luck. I’m not judging anybody - people have a lot going on - but it is this internal struggle. We want to help them to be able to stay in school.”

In a Dec. 8 email, Glenn Cochran, associate dean of students and student life, said, “Our official opening fall occupancy was 726, or about 37% of our capacity, and we currently are at 707.”

He said during regular academic years, it is common for occupancy to decrease throughout the course of the semester.

Cochran added, “As of early October, colleagues at Massachusetts state institutions were reporting occupancy ranging from 9% to 60% of capacity.

“It is important to remember that occupancy is a snapshot in time - so we note an opening occupancy, but it is a number that changes from day to day,” he said. “In addition, some institutions opened late or went to remote classes at differing points in time.”

Holloway said she believes FSU ranked lower in residence hall occupancy than some of its sister institutions partially because some universities re uire all students who are taking in-person classes to live on campus.

She said another reason is the University let students out of their housing agreements later than some sister institutions.

She added this was because the University did not want to put the financial burden on its students when there were still some unknowns such as how many classes were in person, whether fall sports would take place, and whether the University was going to be able to open depending on what the state and the city were doing.

Holloway said FSU’s low occupancy rate was caused by a “myriad” of reasons and she “hesitates” attributing it to just one.

For the spring semester enrollment, the focus will be on the students who chose to defer their acceptance from the fall 2020 semester to either the spring 2021 semester or the fall 2021 semester, according to Spencer.

Deanna Girard, a Fall 2020 accepted student, said she chose to defer her acceptance until the fall 2021 semester.

“I was nervous about being on campus with COVID and everything because I just didn’t want to bring it home to my family if I went home on weekends,” Girard said.

She said she originally planned to only defer to the spring 2021 semester, but decided to wait until fall so she could work full time and save up money.

Spencer said in previous years, the University found it difficult to recruit for the spring semesters, and usually focused on the fall.

“However, last year, the National

See ENROLLMENT page 4

NEWS

DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 5

Enrollment continued from page 4 Association for College Admissions Counseling, which is the ethical professional organization that oversees college admissions, made the decision that colleges and universities could do two things: they could recruit beyond the May 1 deadline and they could continue to recruit after students enroll,” he said.

Spencer added as in the case at other universities, Framingham State has started an initiative to reach out to students who were accepted, but chose to attend elsewhere.

He said through the initiative, they send their “well wishes” and let the students know the University is “transfer-friendly.”

Spencer said in terms of the fall, “We become very aggressive in what’s called the ‘students search arena.’

“Historically, we would purchase about 20,000 SAT names and communicate to them their senior year,” Spencer added.

“Now, we are communicating to about 66,000 high school seniors, in addition to 33,000 high school juniors in a multi-tiered strategy where we’re hitting them with postcards and emails and digital advertisements - all of which to be able to get them engaged,” he said.

These engagements will then encourage the potential students to attend the University’s various virtual events such as informational sessions and virtual tours, as well as some limited in-person tours of the campus, according to Spencer.

He said the University is partnered with an outside vendor, EAB, that can predict whether high school students are “most likely,” “likely,” or “less likely” to apply to FSU or are “neutral.”

Spencer said the strategy is to send physical mail to those who are most likely and likely to apply as well as those in the University’s customer relationship management system (CRM).

The CRM system, Slate, is comprised of prospective students who have interacted with the University through contacting or opening an email, he said.

All high school students receive emails regardless of their likelihood to apply to FSU, he added.

Spencer added the goal is to get those prospective students engaged with the University throughout the fall.

“Each and every one of the admissions counselors is able to pull this from their academic territories, and then from those territories, what they are able to do is have really targeted outreach,” he said.

Holloway said the problem is other universities are using these same strategies, and those universities may have more robust resources while FSU is “on a budget” and has fewer Admissions employees.

Spencer said the traditional ways of meeting with prospective students - college fairs, group informational sessions, and tours - have become

“obsolete.”

To combat this, more ways of getting students engaged digitally and virtually have been put into place.

The Admissions website was redesigned and the virtual tour was enhanced with more tour stops and interactive hotspots, including videos and 360-degree images, according to Spencer.

Holloway said the difficulty in this “virtual reality” is that a majority of prospective students are oomed out.

“They’re tired of looking at screens,” she added. “If I have been looking at a screen all day, do I want to go to something in the evening where I’m looking at a screen again?

And I don’t even know these people, so why do I want to talk to them?”

Shayna Eddy, associate dean of admissions and director of undergraduate admissions, said her staff is conducting more outreach with their counselors.

“We do have staff rotating in the Welcome Center,” Eddy said. “We do have some very limited engagement for prospective students to come to campus.”

She said, “We’re usually out on the road and recruiting. Unfortunately, that has come to a halt.”

Eddy added the admissions staff is still connecting with high schools and their students virtually.

She said a lot of the unknowns around why enrollment is down will be answered once her office receives the National Student Clearinghouse data.

Averil Capers, director of marketing, said, “Basically, our marketing strategy is to build brand awareness, and we’re using a multi-channel approach for that.

“We’re also working closely with Admissions, so the timing of the marketing that we do to build brand awareness works in conjunction with what they’re doing from the recruitment end - sending out printed materials or emails,” Capers added. “So, we match our plans together.”

She said not only are they targeting high school students, but their families as well.

“We’re targeting both because we realize that parents are involved - or families are involved - with the decision-making process as well,” she added. “So, we want them to know that Framingham State is here, and what we’re about, and what we have to offer.”

Capers said in terms of COVID-19, she is “lucky” a lot of her marketing work is already done digitally whereas, in Admissions, in-person interactions make up the majority of their recruitment work.

She said one of the new marketing strategies her office is undertaking is putting together the campus virtual tour to have it “closely mirror an experience that a student would have if they came on campus.”

She added this will still be a valuable tool following the pandemic for any prospective students who can’t

Courtesy of Lorretta Holloway make it to campus.

Another addition to the Framingham State website is “specialized landing pages,” she said. Instead of searching through the website for the information they need, prospective students will be taken to easy-to-navigate pages with all the information they need.

The website’s COVID-19 alerts will also keep prospective students up to date about how the University is handling the pandemic, according to Capers.

Another marketing strategy performed through the website is the featured student photos and testimonials for prospective students to hear current students’ stories, she said.

“We are doing streaming audio this year instead of terrestrial radio,” Capers said.

She added there is less travel this year such as going back and forth to school, so advertising on the radio is less likely to reach its target audience. Instead, advertising will be on streaming applications - Spotify, for the students, and Pandora, for the parents.

Capers said the University is also no longer advertising through cinema ads, at events such as sports games, and posters targeting community college students.

She said one of the new social media platforms the University will be advertising on is TikTok. “I’m excited about that because that’s a little different,” she added.

Capers said one of the benefits of advertising on TikTok is the ability to target a larger audience such as Massachusetts as a whole.

Other media platforms the University advertises on are Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Google Display, YouTube, and broadcast and cable television, according to Capers.

“We always look at the campaigns that we’re running and see how they’re doing, and where people are clicking on them, and then making adjustments as we go along,” she said.

oe yan illiams, a freshman political science major, said, “I chose FSU because I liked the small community and campus - also, the racial diversity of the campus.

“I really value diversity within a community and the feeling of belonging,” Williams said. “I went to a diverse high school, and I wanted to continue that experience in college.”

Hannah Polansky, a junior English major, said, “I chose to go to FSU because they offered me the most financial aid, and it was located close to the city without the city traffic.”

Ryan Mikelis, a freshman history major and commuter student, said he chose FSU for multiple reasons.

“One reason is because it has a really good teaching program, and teaching is a career that I believe I want to pursue after college,” he said.

“I also chose FSU because I love everything about the campus, and it’s not too far from my home.”

Chelsea Getchell, a junior English and secondary education major, said, “FSU was the most affordable option and gave me the most scholarship opportunities.

“It also had the secondary education major, which I didn’t find in a lot of other schools I was interested in,” Getchell added. “I wanted to be a part of the Honors Program as well as the field hockey team, and FSU allowed me to do all of these things.”

According to Spencer, part of the enrollment management strategic plan is to “increase the transparency of enrollment.”

A future function will be added to the MyFramingham portal for the campus to have access to enrollment management reports, he said.

“We have a tremendous group of committed individuals, while small, but committed that are really looking at this, and really pushing hard to make enrollment transparent across the University,” Spencer added.

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

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NEWS

6 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

COVID-19 by the numbers December 10, 2020

By Donald Halsing Associate Editor

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

By Kathleen Moore Design Editor Over 660,000 active COVID-19 cases were reported globally based on data from various sources taken Dec. 10.

Almost 220,000 cases - about a third of all active cases worldwide - were reported in the United States.

Framingham State University administered 649 tests within the past week, and 3,861 tests within the past 30 days, according to the COVID-19 data page on the FSU website.

Eight positive tests were returned within the past week, according to the page. The 7-day negative test rate was 98.76%.

Eight individuals were isolated on campus, and four were isolated off campus. wo people were uarantined on campus, and three were uarantined off campus.

A total of 3,798 negative, and 21 positive results, were returned in the past 30 days. The 30-day negative test rate was 99.45%.

Cumulatively, 3,965 Framingham residents, 5.8%, tested positive for COVID-19. The City of Framingham reported 855 active cases.

There were 450 new infections, 153 new recoveries, and two new deaths reported since Dec. 3. The number of people infected increased by 295, or 8.4%, over the past week.

Approximately 56% of those who contracted the virus remain infected.

Of those who were infected, just under 42% have recovered and approximately 2.3% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in Framingham is just over 0.2%.

Cumulatively, 259,324 of Massachusetts residents, 3.8%, tested positive for COVID-19. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates there are 63,362 active cases.

Framingham

There were 33,537 new infections, 14,336 new recoveries and 334 new deaths since Dec. 3. The number of people infected increased by 18,867, or 8.4%, over the past week.

Just under 59% of those who contracted the virus remain infected. Of those who were infected, over 38% have recovered, and approximately 2.5% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in Massachusetts is 0.16%.

Cumulatively, 15,413,913 United States residents, 4.7%, tested positive for COVID-19. According to The New York Times, there are 218,679 active cases.

There were 1,513,536 new infections, 665,304 new recoveries, and 16,800 new deaths since Dec. 3. The number of people infected grew by 831,459, or 6.0%, over the past week.

Just over 71% of those who contracted the virus remain infected. Of those who were infected, approximately 27% have recovered, and 1.3% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in the United States is 0.09%.

Cumulatively, 69,139,809 people globally, 0.9%, tested positive for COVID-19. According to The New York Times, there are 664,637 active cases.

There were 4,778,994 new infections, 3,274,506 new recoveries, and 84,478 new deaths since Dec. 3. The number of people infected grew by 1,420,010, or 2.2%, over the past week.

Approximately 60% remain infected. Just under 38% have recovered and 1.4% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 globally is 0.02%.

Data sources: Framingham State University City of Framingham Mass. population: U.S. Census Bureau – QuickFacts Massachusetts U.S. and World population: U.S. Census Bureau – U.S. and World Population Clock Mass. data: WCVB Channel 5 Boston, Mass. Dept. of Public Health U.S. data: CDC, New York Times Recovery data: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center World data: WHO, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center *Calculations for new infections, recoveries, deaths, and infected population size change are made using both data from this week and last week’s data published in The Gatepost.

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST

Massachusetts

United States

World

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST CONNECT WITH DONALD HALSING dhalsing@student.framingham.edu

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CONNECT WITH KATHLEEN MOORE kmoore8@student.framingham.edu

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DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 7

Resident students face restrictions because of

By Robert Johnson Jr. Editorial Staff Over the past few months, resident students at Framingham State University had to ad ust to a new normal” - one that came with new restrictions on socialization and obtaining food, as well as required mandatory, biweekly COVID-19 tests.

Many students who were on campus last semester decided to move back home for the 2020-21 academic year. This switch has led to a significant decrease in the University’s residential population, from 1,250 to 707.

Examples of some of these restrictions include time limits in the Dining Commons. Each student has 25-30 minutes to eat their food. To even gain entry to the Dining Commons, students have to place a reservation.

A similar guideline was enforced by the Ram’s Den Grille. n ctober, another advisory statement asked students not to move chairs around the Grille’s seating area to form clusters of patrons.

As of Nov. 6, in accordance with Gov. harlie Baker’s tay at ome Advisory andella’s and the Ram’s Den Grille have been open for all or-

Above all, the biggest restriction students sta and faculty face is that everyone on campus has to wear a mask or a face covering in public spaces. Everyone is asked to social distance from 6-or-more feet apart.

Residential students however had to comply with a revised guest policy in all residential buildings on campus, stating that no residential students are allowed to sign students from other buildings into their own, in order to control the spread of the virus.

Additionally no o campus individuals - such as siblings and other relatives - are allowed to enter the residence halls, unless they are there to assist a student moving in or out of a building.

This also extends to certain types of housing such as suites.

U’s COVID-19 updates and resources website states, “The maximum number of persons allowed to be present in any residence hall bedroom will be limited to the number of occupants plus 1 person. Suites will be limited to the number of occupants plus 2 additional persons.”

Finally, bathrooms are restricted to residents on a specific oor as in residents of the si th oor of Larned Hall can only use the bath-

protecting our community,” she added.

Ben McGhee, a senior, thinks the guest policy “can be annoying sometimes,” but he said it was “put in there for a good reason.”

Krista Hoegen, a senior who works as a Security Desk Attendant (SDA) in Horace Mann Hall, said she does not en oy being here in these conditions.”

“It makes it more risky for me to go home because I have infant nephews that I like to go [home and visit but can’t because don’t know who ’ve come in contact with oegen said. t definitely makes living here a lot lonelier because it secludes me from my family for a few days until can figure out if it is safe for me to visit.”

Brendan Smith, a sophomore who is also an SDA in Horace Mann all shares oegen’s concerns.

“It [the virus] does seclude me from my family, because I have grandparents that I like to visit sometimes mith said. That’s not really an option because don’t want to come in contact with them.”

Emily Atherton, a sophomore and a Resident Assistant RA in Horace Mann Hall, found certain things to be “weird” compared to her freshman year.

D

been super accommodating, along with the SDAs and the faculty doing their best ob to keep it as normal as possible.”

A common concern raised by students was a decline in their mental health. As residents can’t be as social as they used to be, the “social butter ies on campus have had to ad ust to new ways of keeping up with those they cherish. aley Grealish a unior said that the “only thing she really noticed that sucks” is not being able to have her friends visit. ust wish that my friends could come by and say ‘ ello ’ and ust be able to chill in a room instead of having to meet somewhere in the [McCarthy enter’s student lounge Grealish said.

Her friend, Bailey Brennan, a freshman, noted how it was “kind of di erent because of this being the only e perience of college she’s ever known.”

She said, “I still think it is weird, comparatively to what ’ve heard and what ’ve seen with my aunts going to college. t ust seems like there’s less people around and it seems a little more restricted than it should be.”

Many students said despite the campus’ D restrictions

“I can’t say that learning online has been great, but professors have been super accommodating, along with the SDAs and the faculty doing their best job to keep it as normal as possible.”

-Casey McAuliffe, Sophomore

ders until 9:30 p.m. However, from 9:30 p.m. until closing time at 11:30 p.m., all orders have to be made through a mobile ordering app.

Chairs are also stored away until the Grille opens again the next day.

Another example can be tied to the Library. Prior to November, community members were allowed to enter the Henry Whittemore Library at any time, provided it was open.

Now, the Library limits access to faculty sta and students who must tap their ID cards onto a sensor to gain access.

Across campus, self-serving water fountain spouts have been covered with red duct tape and users must refill their water bottles at hands-free water fountains.

Some water fountains, such as the ones in May all’s first oor have since been replaced with hands-free alternatives.

rooms on their respective oor.

U’s D page reads “Community bathroom use will be restricted to a designated number of users at any given time and use will be limited to oor members.

In some areas, schedules will be created to help provide predictable shower access given lower occupancy limits.”

Despite these restrictions, some students who live on campus, including senior Eryca Carrier, said it was not hard to ad ust to these regulations.

“I think it was because I accepted the reality of things quickly in March,” said Carrier. “I knew that things wouldn’t be the same in the fall, so I had months to prepare myself.

“I also agree with the restrictive precautions so don’t have any issues following them because I know that they’re valuable and they’re

Now that ’m actually working they would still return for the spring the ob being an RA it’s nothing 2021 semester. like it was supposed to be when I Smith said, “One of the main applied,” Atherton said. things I stay on campus for is that She added, “That whole added-on focus that ’m able to obtain so responsibility was ust a weird ad- yeah, I would come back. Also, for ustment since it’s not the ‘typical’ work, too.”

RA e perience you would e pect.

Atherton said, “Probably, beAtherton’s friend Ale ebert cause if don’t can’t be an RA a sophomore who is an SDA in anymore.”

Horace Mann Hall, agreed with her.

Carrier said, “Yes, I will be ret was definitely a strange ad- turning.” ustment to get used to when there Other students were less receparen’t a lot of people on campus tive to the idea of returning. said Hebert.

Hoegen said, laughing, “No.” Despite the pandemic, Casey McGhee said ’m not sure if ’m McAuli e a sophomore and a returning next semester, [but if I guard for the women’s basketball do,] it will most likely be for work.” team still managed to find time to As of publication time, these regshoot some hoops with friends in ulations will continue to be in place the New Gym on Wednesday. during the spring semester.

“This semester on campus has definitely been di erent she said. can’t say that learning online CONNECT WITH ROBERT JOHNSON JR. has been great, but professors have rjohnson10@student.framingham.edu

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8 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

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Commuter enrollment increases due to COVID-19 University updates commuter students on their resources

By Caroline Lanni Staff Writer The commuter population has increased at FSU due to the decline in residency because of COVID-19.

At the Nov. 18 Board of Trustees’ meeting, Lorretta Holloway, vice president for enrollment and student development, said the total number of enrolled commuters is 2,659.

In a Dec. 7 email, Holloway said, “My last report to the Board of Trustees’ meeting stated we have 836 active commuter students. These are students who have one or more courses that have an in-person component.”

Holloway added this number keeps changing as more classes move online as the semester continues.

She said the 1,823 students who are not actively coming to campus and are only taking classes at home are still counted as “commuters.”

Holloway said there are 3,384 undergraduate students this semester.

The total commuter enrollment last spring was 1,339 commuters, and the total number of undergraduate students last spring was 2,962, said Holloway.

The number of resident students this semester is 725, according to Holloway. Last spring, the number of residents was 1,623, said Holloway.

Brad Medeiros, chief of the FSU Police Department, said though many are registered as commuters, the parking numbers and parking passes are down this semester since most classes are being held virtually.

The rise of enrolled commuter students this semester is re uiring faculty members to provide extra information regarding parking updates, COVID-19 testing, dining, academic accommodations, and other resources to students who are actively commuting to campus.

Academic Accommodations llen immerman, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, said she sent an email at the beginning of the semester to inform commuter students about available spaces on campus to study or to take an online class. n an email, immerman said, “We have worked with Facilities to identify spaces to be open on campus for commuters to go sit and do their online class and to have more accommodations for them while on campus.”

She added, “I know some of you have been asking for places to study while you are on campus, or to take a class remotely, if you are a commuter and don’t have time to get back home for the class.”

The available study spaces are May Hall 112A, Hemenway Annex 327, Hemenway Annex 338, Library LM07, Library Reference Area, Dwight Hall 315, and McCarthy Center Forum, said immerman.

She added those spaces are available for commuter students to use if

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they don’t want to be in the dining areas the whole time and if they want to be in a building near their in-person classes.

Anna Christiansen, a senior child and family studies major and commuter student, said, “Make space for everyone. Do what needs to be done for the students and teachers at FSU.” She added, “I didn’t know that there were studying places for commuters. That would’ve been good to know. And I would definitely have used those spaces if I knew.”

Alissa Graves, a senior nutrition major and commuter student, said, “An option would be to have an area designated that was spread out with plastic, easy-to-clean chairs, and offer wipes to wipe down the chairs before and after use and then have it be cleaned fre uently.

Gabrielle Laurenzano, a senior marketing major and commuter student, said due to COVID-19 limiting spaces for commuters to go, the school should “try to open more classrooms where students can have their remote classes from.”

Hannah Mace, a sophomore child and family studies major and commuter student, said she knew about the academic spaces for commuters.

Mace said, “This saves commuters from an extra trip home or to their vehicles between classes.”

Corrin Deleon, a senior commuter, said, “I know that there are specific study spaces for commuters.”

Rachel Spivey, a junior political science major and commuter student, said she was aware of the study spaces available on campus.

“When I heard that these spaces were available, I told my Peer Mentor students immediately. It is very thoughtful and worth it for those students who do not have a uiet place to go/unstable internet/noisy residence hall experiences,” said Spivey.

“However, I went to use one of the many spaces a few Sundays ago and none of the buildings were open, so it was disappointing to know that these spaces are not available to students on the weekends as well,” she added. “I find myself having more time to work on the weekends and with the library not opening until 4 p.m. on Sundays, being able to use those spaces is the next best option for me [to get] some work done on campus.”

Alisha Schofield, a senior communication arts major and commuter student, said, “I wasn’t aware there are study spaces. I also wasn’t aware I was registered as a commuter, either, but that makes sense given the situation.”

She said, “I was recently looking into going to the library during finals week so I’m glad I am registered as a commuter because I’m still able to use school resources.”

COVID-19 Testing Ilene Hofrenning, director of health services, said commuter students have the same access to the health services as they did before

“Living in the residence halls, there are more opportunities for interaction and transmission of the virus, so that’s why we have focused on residential students a little more in general.”

-Ilene Hofrenning, Director of Health Services COVID-19.

“They must follow the rules that everyone on campus is re uired to follow - social distancing and mask wearing and protocols for hand hygiene, ‘’ said Hofrenning. he added commuters are re uired to get tested and they are a part of the University’s weekly random sample.

Each commuter student is not tested on a “regular basis,” she said.

Hofrenning acknowledged, “Commuters do leave campus more and are exposed to people outside the FSU community, which could increase their risk of having the infection.

“However, most commuter students are taking only one in-person class, so their time on campus is limited and regulated. They are in class where mas s are re uired and seats are 6 feet apart, so their risk of exposing someone on campus is less than a residential student,” said Hofrenning.

Hofrenning added residential students are being tested more because they are asked to “maintain that vigilance” 24/7, which can be difficult.

“Living in the residence halls, there are more opportunities for interaction and transmission of the virus, so that’s why we have focused on residential students a little more in general,” said Hofrenning.

If a student comes in contact with someone with COVID-19, the Health Center and Contact Tracing Support Team will reach out to them, according to Hofrenning.

She added the Health Center is also open and doing telehealth visits virtually.

Next semester, testing will increase with guidance from the state Department of Public Health. “We will be testing residential students every week and will increase our testing of commuter students as well,” said Hofrenning.

Child and family studies major Christiansen said, “I am aware of COVID-19 testing at school, but I have not been to campus at all this semester.”

Mariah Yoder, a senior fashion design and merchandising major and

commuter student, said, “I have been tested once on campus, and once outside of campus, but that’s it.”

Child and family studies major Mace said, “I have been tested on campus, and the Health Center I feel is definitely a big help to commuters who need a uic and e pense free COVID-19 test.”

Political science major Spivey said, “I get tested on campus every week for my job as a student admissions representative through the Admissions Office, since I am still giving tours to prospective students up to three times a week.

“I love how easy it is, how it takes five minutes out of my day to do, and the peace of mind that I have in getting my results. It is even better that it is offered at no cost and I do not even have to go off campus somewhere else to get the test administered,” she added.

Spivey said the Health Center has done all they can for commuters and offering the COVID-19 tests for free is a “huge plus.”

Dining Accommodations The Ram’s Den Grille has been open for take-out and for mobile ordering.

All orders must be placed through the mobile ordering app and all orders are packaged to go from 9:30 p.m. to closing time at 11:30 p.m.

There is no dine-in available for the Ram’s Den Grille from 9:30 p.m. to closing time at 11:30 p.m. as well.

Sandella’s is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and take-out is available.

Due to Gov. Charlie Baker’s new executive order, only walk-in orders are available after 9:30 p.m. for R.A.M.S. on the RUN purchases.

All other orders purchased after 9:30 p.m. must be placed through the mobile ordering app and will be packaged to go.

Fashion design and merchandising major Yoder said, “I don’t usually get food on campus, but if I did, I’d go to Dunkin’ or the Snack Bar.” Nutrition major Graves said, “I do not eat on campus. Pre-COVID-19, I

See COMMUTER page 9

Commuters continued from page 8

did not purchase a meal plan or really eat on campus because it seemed that a meal plan never fit what I would need.”

She added it would be helpful to have more common meals and options that would make students want to eat more and choose dining options more as well.

Child and family studies major Mace said, “Thankfully, the Dining Hall still offers dine-in and take-out options for commuters, as well as the Snack Bar and the Grille.”

Political science major Spivey said, “I personally do not have a meal plan through FSU. I cook all my meals at home! I felt as though I would not be on-campus often enough that I

NEWS

would need one, plus with all the new COVID-19 regulations surrounding dining, it did not seem to be worth it.”

Parking Updates Chief Medeiros said commuters can park in Salem End Lot, Maynard Lot, and Maple Street Lot. However, next semester, Maple Street Lot will not be available to commuters, according to a Dec. 10 email from University Police.

“There is an overflow lot available at the Maple Street Athletic Field. However, with parking numbers down this semester, we have not seen much use of the overflow parking area,” said Medeiros.

“This semester, we have approx-

“I have been tested on campus, and the Health Center I feel is definitely a big help to commuters who need a quick and expense-free COVID-19 test.”

-Hannah Mace, Sophomore Child and Families Studies Major

DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 9

imately 18% of classes meeting in person,” Medeiros added. “According to the vendor that handles parking permit processing, 335 commuter students have purchased parking permits.”

Parking this semester is going “smoothly,” and parking violations are down, Medeiros said.

Students had a range of opinions about whether the parking fee should have been reduced this year.

Alec Weeman, a sophomore criminology major and commuter student, said, “I should only be paying onethird of the price if I am there once a week.”

Marketing major Laurenzano said, “I don’t mind paying for parking this year.”

Nutrition major Graves said, “If I was going to school, I would understand paying for parking because I was using the space available on their property.”

Fashion design and merchandising major Yoder said, “I don’t think parking has been an issue.”

Child and family studies major Mace said, “Paying the full price for parking on campus when being there for only half the time than a normal semester of commuting I feel is a little unreasonable, but on the other hand, it can be seen that the parking is open for our convenience every day of the week throughout the 2020-21 school year.”

Yana Trubetskaya, a sophomore criminology and psychology major and commuter student, said she commutes to the University for dance

practice only.

She added, “I only park my car when I come for dance, so I actually just park it in the visitor lot.”

Bridget Conceison, a freshman early childhood education major and commuter student, said she commutes only for dance as well.

She added, “I paid for a commuter student parking pass, but I don’t necessarily pay just for dance. I wanted to be able to go to campus whenever.”

Criminology major Weeman said commuting has been difficult even if it is only on Tuesdays this semester, due to traveling to campus while working and trying to study.

Child and family studies major Mace said, “This is my first year commuting, and I feel it is going very well and the professors on campus have been very flexible and understanding when it comes to any inconveniences such as traffic in my case.”

She added, “The good part of commuting, I would say, is you’re saving money and especially during this time, living at your own home is the safer option.

“As for the bad, I would say commuting does take a lot of time and flexibility trying to work around a class schedule and carving out time for the drive depending on where you live,” said Mace.

Child and families studies major Christiansen said, “Commuters should not be forgotten.”

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE LANNI clanni@student.framingham.edu

l

Ninth Annual Virtua

Campus Professional Development Days JANUARY 7 AND JANUARY 8, 2021

In this time of change

Yards TOGETHER For more information, contact the Office of Human Resources at 508-626-4530 or via e-mail at: humanresources@framingham.edu. This is a virtual event with limited on-campus activity.

Learn about disability accommodations for university events at: www.framingham.edu/accessibility.

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10 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

Charity continued from page 1 child event that we hold in November is always a really exciting event to have. This year, we were able to pack 20 boxes to send to the organization that runs it called Samaritan’s Purse.”

Laurenzano added, “Having this event at FSU provides students with an opportunity to give during the holiday season to children who may not receive Christmas gifts.”

Senior Mariah Yoder, marketing coordinator of CF, said her group helped assist students in packaging shoeboxes filled with toys, supplies, and other “fun items” for children in need.

Yoder said, “Samaritan’s Purse will share the gospel and do outreach in the community when the boxes are distributed.”

She added the members of CF were able to package 20 boxes. The students dropped off their boxes at the Campus Ministry office and then the members delivered the boxes to Samaritan’s Purse.

“We had windows of times people could come and pick-up boxes and supplies to socially distance,” said Yoder.

The members of CF advertised this event through media platforms, an email list, and during their club meetings, she said.

Yoder said, CF could have had more people involved in the event if it were held in person.

“A lot of times, the children receiving these boxes have never gotten a Christmas gift before,” she added.

Rachel Bissonette, marketing coordinator for Sodexo Dining at FSU, said Dining Services undertook three charitable campaigns for the Rams Resource Center during the holiday season.

She said the three charitable campaign opportunities included their annual soup kitchen, Dine and Donate, and a survey response donation.

Bissonette added, “In the month of October, we held the first campaign, which was called, Dine and Donate.

If you bought $50 or more in Ram Cash or in dining during the month of October, we donated one bag of non-perishable foods to the Rams Resource Center.”

“We will be donating 11 bags to the Rams Resource Center this semester,” said Bissonette.

She added during the months of November and December, Sodexo held its virtual survey and for every survey completed, it donated $1 to the Rams Resource Center.

Bissonette said 196 surveys were completed, so Sodexo will be donating $196 to the Rams Resource Center.

She added in November, Dining Services held its annual soup kitchen in a very different way due to COVID-19. Instead of in the Dining Hall, Sodexo limited the soup sales for charity to the Ram’s Den Grille.

Any profits from soup sales in the month of November at the Ram’s Den Grille were donated to the Rams Resource Center. Bissonette said $275

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was raised.

She added the soup kitchen profits “would have been bigger” because profits in the past were three times higher. Although the population on campus is down, “we did OK.” Bissonette said Dining Services sent this information out by email and advertising on social media to the community.

Interim Dean of the Henry Whittemore Library Millie Gonzalez said the library and the FSU Police Department (FSUPD) are working together to partner with the State Police Barracks in Framingham to collect unwrapped toys for the Toys for Tots Drive and deliver those toys to the Barracks.

The State Police are collecting these toys for the Toys for Tots and the organization will be distributing the toys to our local community, according to Gonzalez.

She said the donations for the Toys for Tots Drive can be dropped off at the front entrance of the library in a box labeled “Toys for Tots” from Dec.7 to Dec. 15.

“It is hard to know how many toys we will get. It will be just enough to spread holiday cheer,” said Gonzalez.

She added, “The setup to donate will be contactless.”

She said she sent this information by email to the faculty, staff, and The Gatepost, and it will be posted on social media platforms.

Gonzalez said, “We will do the ‘Stuff the Cruiser’ event with toys.”

The University Police officer assisting Gonzalez for the Toys for Tots Drive, Harpreet Singh, said the University Police will be “collaborating” with the library on this drive to send the toys to the State Police Barracks and to assist in the “Stuff a Cruiser” event.

Singh said, “This year has been a most difficult year for all of us and we’re hoping that the FSU community gets together to donate new unwrapped toys to the donation box located in the Whittemore Library.

“It’s all about the importance of giving back to the community and helping those in need,” Singh added.

Taylor Anderson, a senior English major, said, “Times are tough now, and in my opinion, charity is more important than ever.”

Anderson added, “Giving where you can has now become very necessary since there are so many people in need in times like these. Every little bit helps.”

Sarah Assimakopoulos, a sophomore communication arts major, said, “I think toy drives are important for kids - especially during the Christmas season. Some kids cannot afford to have a nice Christmas, so it only seems right that families who do have some money donate a toy to a child in need.”

Alec Weeman, a sophomore criminology major, said, “I think it’s very important for every kid to have the best Christmas possible. How I would like to donate is getting a kid what he/she wants the most - even if it’s very expensive.”

Hannah Mace, a sophomore child

and family studies major, said, “I think charity drives and Toys for Tots are extremely important all year round, especially during the holiday season. I feel it’s this time of year that’s all about giving back to others.”

She added, “You never know what the past year has had in store for other people, and even the smallest acts of kindness can change someone’s life.”

Some FSU Charity Drives Canceled Director of SILD Sara Gallegos said her office is not undertaking any holiday drives this year.

Gallegos said, “It was not something we could take on during this time as the staff are not in the office full time and the population on campus is down.”

Gallegos added the website for The United Way is https://www.uwotc. org/hope. SILD usually partners with United Way during this time of year, so if community members still want to sponsor a child, they can do so through the website.

Samantha Collette, vice president of Fashion Club and class of 2022 president, said her club cannot do its annual clothing swap because of COVID-19 rules and regulations on campus.

“It’s disappointing that we can’t do the clothing swap this year because a lot of people in our department value sustainability, and the clothing swap promotes that,” she said.

“All of the clothing we don’t take gets donated, and I think it’s sad we don’t have the means to do that this year,” Collette added.

Robin Kurkomelis, assistant to the dean of students, said, “It has been hard on many levels to organize annual events such as the Santa Funds and Toys for Tots, with so many people not living or working regularly on campus.

“While FSU may not be able to organize what we have done in the past, I know we will again, and I am impressed that people I know are giving in other ways. For example, I have given in other areas to support members of my community, such as my local food pantry, or even buying a ‘certificate’ at my local Shaw’s to buy a family a holiday dinner,” Kurkomelis added.

Marissa Dias, a senior marketing major, said, “The holidays are the time of giving and right now is the most important time of the year to be giving.

“We have it pretty bad right now because of the pandemic, but someone may always have it worse, so we should be grateful for what we have and give what we can,” she added.

Carly Eiten, a junior fashion major, said, “I think it’s [holiday fundraisers] a great way to give back to members of the community and those in need.

“The holiday season is all about giving and celebrating with loved ones, and not everyone might have the opportunity to do so,” she added.

Caroline MacDonald, a senior

child and family studies major, said, “Charity drives during the holiday season is a wonderful idea because there are lots of families and children who are less fortunate than others.”

Local Charity Events Happening Nicolas Kane, development manager at Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, said his organization provides a variety of mental health counseling and support services for those families in need in Massachusetts.

Kane said donations to Wayside are tax-deductible and can be made at www.waysideyouth.org/donate.

“This time of year, the community’s support is needed more than ever,” Kane said.

He added its residential program in Framingham houses up to 84 adolescents between the ages of 12-18, many in the care of The Department of Children and Families.

“The holidays are an especially hard time for these youth, who are away from their families - far more this year because of COVID-19.

During this time of year, our fundraising supports buying holiday presents for these youth as well as supporting families facing food insecurities and providing other basic needs,” said Kane.

In an email, Katie Roy, the Worcester regional program director of Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS) of central Mass/MetroWest, said, “Throughout the pandemic, BBBS has become a resource to our families by making available small grants to those in need from our COVID-19 relief fund.”

Roy added, “We have helped numerous families cover portions of housing, utilities, and food expenses.

This is an ongoing effort made available to those we serve.

“During the holiday season, we have been fortunate to have a number of donors come forward to sponsor some of our families through our ‘Adopt-A-Family’ program,” she said.

“Donors receive lists for each family with clothing sizes, two to three items that are needed for each child and then two to three wish list items..

“Through the generous efforts of some very special donors, we will be able to help over 40 children to have a brighter holiday season,” she added.

Joanne Barry, executive director of A Place to Turn, said her organization is an emergency food pantry located in Natick serving residents of the MetroWest area and providing food and care items.

Barry said, “During this time of challenge and uncertainty, our focus at A Place to Turn is the same as it has always been - providing nutritious food to our MetroWest neighbors in need. Our method of distribution has changed - primarily to keep staff safe and serving.”

“Social distancing and uncertainty regarding transmission of COVID-19 has disrupted the network of volunteers who keep our programs going each week,” she said.

See CHARITY page 11

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Charity continued from page 10 “Financial donations are helping us make purchases through produce companies - the Greater Boston Food Bank, distributors like Sysco, and local markets and farms,” Barry said.

“A Place to Turn is definitely seeing more people who have never accessed our pantry before.

“In the last two weeks, over 250 families received gift cards and Thanksgiving food for the holiday.

Because of a caring community and committed donors, we are here to assist during the busy month of December,” said Barry.

She added to get to the organization’s website for more information, go to www.aplacetoturn-natick.org.

Major Wendy Kountz, the corps commanding officer at the local Salvation Army, said, “The Salvation Army in Framingham has been serving families throughout the pandemic. Over the past eight months, we have delivered food boxes and personal care items to approximately 120 families per week.”

Kountz added the organization is currently packaging items such as toys and clothing for over 500 children during the holiday season.

She added, “This year due to COVID-19, the Salvation Army in Framingham decided to forgo our iconic outside red kettles and instead do all fundraising virtually.”

Kountz said donors can access the following link salvationarmyma.org/ rescueframingham to donate.

Kountz said anyone can click on the link and join their team. Joining does not cost anything, and people can share on social media to encourage others to donate, too.

John Hegarty, manager at Knights of Columbus in Framingham, said the center is closed due to COVID-19, but council members are still collecting coats for children to give out at the local church during Christmas time.

Hegarty said, “We do this every year, but besides that, the hall is shut down and has been since March.”

Jack Colamaria, senior district executive at the Mayflower Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said, “In these difficult times, the Mayflower Council has continued to provide a safe program with the financial support of the community.”

Colamaria said the council of the Boy Scouts of America has served the MetroWest for over 100 years in the Framingham units.

He added, “This year’s Giving Tuesday has been extended to the end of December, so families and businesses can contribute to support scouting.”

Donations can be mailed to the Mayflower Council, Post Road District, 83 Cedar St. Milford, MA 01757 or can be made online at www.mayflowerbsa.org/donate, he added.

Paul Mina, president and CEO of The United Way of Tri-County and Framingham, said its annual Hope for the Holiday Drive is still occurring.

Mina said this drive is “where we utilize our relationships with area companies and individuals of high

net worth in the workplace and outside the workplace to ask them to adopt families,” during the holiday season.

“We have almost 2,200 individuals and families that are referred to us by our partner agencies and by our own folks that we see in our own food pantries that we serve every day,” he added.

He said the organization has a large list of needy folks that it helps throughout its facilities. The organization holds this drive every fall during the holiday season, starting in October and distributing the gifts to

organization’s website, www.utotc. org and make a donation.

The donations are tax deductible, and the organization is grateful for all it can get. The website allows the donors to select which group they want to support, he added.

The community can also call the United Way’s office at (508) 370-4800 or email Paul Mina at paul.mina@ uwotc.org, he said.

Elizabeth O’Connor, resource development coordinator at SMOC, said, “SMOC holds three signature events each year - two in the fall and one in the winter. All three have had

“The holidays are the time of giving and right now is the most important time of the year to be giving.”

-Marissa Dias, Senior Marketing Major the families and children during the middle of December.

Mina said the organization gives three to four gifts per child, and the gifts are appropriate gifts that the families can sustain. They choose to not wrap the gifts, so the families know what they are giving their children for the holidays.

He added, “That is our primary holiday program, and we feed the hungry every day. For Thanksgiving, we just fed over 2,200 families with turkey and fixings.”

Mina said during COVID-19, the United Way is still “very busy during the holiday seasons,” and its outreach area is for 34 communities.

Due to COVID-19, Mina said that its numbers in the food pantry have doubled and the Hope for the Holidays program re uests are much higher than normal and the distribution is harder due to the organization following the safety rules.

“Normally, we would have thousands of volunteers, but this year, because of COVID-19, our volunteer staff has gone way down due to the threat of exposure, which is understandable,” he said.

Mina has worked for the United Way for 31 years, and the organization has partnered with FSU in previous years, he added.

According to Mina, volunteerism is important. “It teaches you a perspective on what the community is really like. It allows you to see people in their own settings, and to walk a mile in their shoes to show you it is not the same as your life. It allows you to see how blessed you are, and how important it is to give back to your community.”

Mina added people can go to the

to change either to virtual events or have been canceled due to COVID-19 safety concerns.”

She said, “The 9th annual Voices Against Violence (VAV) Purple Passion 5K run/walk was held virtually this year in September, and we’re grateful for the support of the many sponsors and participants who continue to support VAV’s mission to end domestic violence.”

She said the organization’s annual golf tournament was canceled this year due to COVID-19.

“Our annual holiday event, Evening of Giving, is held each winter in Marlborough and benefits Roland’s House, our Marlborough emergency shelter. Evening of Giving has historically been held at a hotel and features numerous Marlborough-area restaurants’ cuisine,” she said.

O’Connor added due to these events bringing critical funding to SMOC’s programs, the organization plans to email appeal letters this month to patrons of its golf tournament and Evening of Giving event.

Gifts can be made at its website www. smoc.org.

Donations can be made to its affiliates - Open Pantry Community Services (OPCS) and Lowell Transitional Living Center (LTLC), said O’Connor.

To give to SMOC, go to www.smoc. org. To give to LTLC, go to www.ltlc. org. To give to OPCS, go to www. openpantry.org, she added.

Jim Giammarinaro, president and CEO of MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, said, “Our chamber raised funds for Veterans Inc. through a joint event with the Worcester and Marlborough chambers supporting the American Heritage Museum in Hudson.

DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 11

“We also raised funds for Veterans Inc. through our annual meeting on Nov. 17,” he added.

Heather Connolly, board of directors’ clerk of Family Promise MetroWest, Natick, said normally, the organization hosts an event called “Keep the Promise.” Food vendors from the area come and provide samples. There is a silent auction and then a presentation and live auction.

Family Promise decided to do a virtual concert instead of Keep the Promise because of COVID-19 guidelines.

“You registered for free, but could give a donation,” Connolly said. The event was held on Dec. 5.

Family Promise also held a virtual auction that started on Nov. 23 and concluded on Dec. 7. All proceeds went to the Family Promise’s charitable drive, she said.

With the virtual auction and concert, the organization has surpassed its goal of $145,000.

Family Promise is always looking for donations to help people in homeless situations at www.familypromisemetrowest.org/donate/.

Sam Wayson, a senior communication arts major, said, “I’ve actually volunteered at a food drive before, and it was really interesting to see how it worked. Everyone there was super nice and cooperative with each other.

“It definitely felt good to know that what you were doing was going to have a positive impact on the less fortunate,” he added.

Cameron Duffy, a junior psychology major, said, “I think they [holiday fundraisers] are great, but they should also be emphasized year round rather than just on holidays.”

He added, “If everyone had the same sense of generosity as they do around Christmas, even more could be done to assist those who need aid.”

Ali Palladino, a senior earth science major, said, “I like food drives - not so much donations of large corporations cause they only do that for a tax write off.”

Brittany Beaudry, a senior psychology major, said, “I think that fundraising during the holiday season is very important, and it’s tragic to think during the pandemic that it’s dwindling down.”

Michaela Cronin, a senior communication arts major, said, “Community is more important now than ever because of the pandemic, and charity drives are a great way to help our neighbors this holiday season.”

Maddy Pimental, a senior communication arts major, said, “I truly believe that more people should donate to local organizations and they definitely don’t get enough credit.

“During these hard times, I think it’s important for communities to come together and help each other out because we’re all humans after all,” she added.

CONNECT WITH MAIA ALMEIDA malmeida1@student.framingham.edu CONNECT WITH CAROLINE LANNI clanni@student.framingham.edu

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12 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

NEWS

Center for Inclusive Excellence helps increase student a nity group engagement

By Ashley Wall Editor-in-chief Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) has continued to work with student affinity groups to ensure a continuation of diversity and inclusion efforts.

Patricia Birch, director of inclusive excellence initiatives, said the CIE has been “flexible and adaptable in providing programs to students, faculty, and staff” in order to increase their “engagement and opportunity to grow and learn.”

Birch said outreach and advertising for CIE events has been accomplished through Ramlink, individual emails, and the Center’s Instagram page.

She added student affinity groups have been a major component of outreach and advertising.

Rachel Spivey, a junior political science major and IGNITE president, said, “Diversity and inclusion means recognizing that not everyone is the same.

“In IGNITE, we recognize that politics were traditionally a male-dominated field - it can deter female political ambition. So, our goal is to give women the tools that they need to become professionals in the political field,” she said.

Spivey added, “The CIE is not only a welcoming space on campus, but also houses a number of resources for students who are looking to become more engaged with the diverse groups and offerings we have on campus.”

She said IGNITE currently meets virtually every two weeks and has been holding online events, including a tie-dye T-shirt event, a trivia night, and a documentary screening.

“The CIE has offered to help sponsor our events as they have in the past, which we are looking forward to planning for the spring semester!”

Spivey added.

She said students typically assume IGNITE is a “club solely for women and solely about politics because the club is focused on creating a more positive narrative for female ambition in politics.”

However, Spivey said IGNITE has had male members, some of whom served on their eBoard. She added the organization is always accepting new members, and information can be found on Ramlink for prospective members.

Emily Pacheco, senior ASL major and president of the ASL Club, said the CIE fits with their organization’s mission because they “recognize the Deaf culture and community as a marginalized community.”

She said the ASL Club “is committed to bringing Deaf culture and the community to our campus and helping educate and dismantle the ignorance or audism that exists in the world.”

She added the CIE is a space to

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discuss and bring “awareness to the Deaf community and the use of ASL and accessibility.”

Pacheco said student engagement has been more difficult than past semesters and that the ASL Club was on hiatus for the fall 2020 semester.

For the fall semester, ASL Club worked with the CIE to put on three lectures from Deaf members of the community. Pacheco said each oom session had approximately 100 attendees.

She acknowledged the CIE was a factor in the success of the ASL Club this semester.

“They [the CIE] truly supported our ideas and the speakers we wanted to bring to campus, and helped with funding and advertising,” Pacheco said. “Collaborating with them truly

like during the spring semester, but plans to be more active and hopes to host more events.

Laury Constantin, a junior business management major and the artistic director of Motivation. Intersectionality. Solidarity. Sisterhood.

(M.I.S.S.), said the CIE is “a safe haven where my peers and I are able to express ourselves without limitations.”

She said, “The CIE gives us the space to connect on a more personal level, which allows members to get a real feel of how M.I.S.S. works and how we all play a significant role in the group to create something beautiful together.”

Constantin added M.I.S.S.’s engagement has declined significantly since the pandemic, but they have

“There’s a lot of things happening on campus, a lot of ways in which you can tap into resources.

Also using each other, the student affinity groups, in and of themselves - those students have expertise in certain areas as well.”

-Patricia Birch, Director of inclusive excellence initiatives kept us motivated to return to active status in the spring 2021 semester.”

For the spring semester, the ASL Club will return to biweekly meetings, and also plans to continue collaborating with the CIE to host guest presenters as well as their own Deaf History Month event in March.

Lidia Flores, a junior English major and co-president of Latinos Unidos ‘N Acción (LUNA), said the CIE “is a place where everyone can be diverse together, no matter who you are.”

She said, “Everyone is helpful and will make sure that you are covered with anything you need. No matter what background you are, you are welcome!”

Flores said LUNA is currently inactive for the fall semester, but they worked with the CIE during Hispanic Heritage Month.

She said LUNA’s mission is to “spread awareness for the Latinx community, and welcome anyone who desires to learn more. We want to make sure that everyone on campus is taken care of and is doing all right during their academic year.”

Flores said LUNA is still working on what their organization will look

used oom, nstagram, and te t messaging to engage their members.

Ewnie Fedna, a senior finance major and co-president of M.I.S.S., said the CIE is their organization’s “home.”

Fedna said, “Diversity and inclusion for M.I.S.S. is accepting all women from all backgrounds and offering a space where they feel safe.”

She said M.I.S.S. has not yet finalized their spring semester plans, but they have potential ideas that they are excited about.

Ariana Nunez, a junior psychology major and vice-president of Brother to Brother (B2B), said they have had regular biweekly meetings through oom, which is a change from their typical meetings every Thursday.

She said, “The CIE has been supportive when it came to this big transition by checking in with us eBoard members and keeping us in the loop regarding events they hold as well.”

Nunez said student engagement has shifted and as the semester progressed, B2B saw a large decrease in the number of participants.

Looking toward the spring semester, Nunez said, “B2B plans on be-

coming bigger, better, and stronger for the spring semester.”

She added, “B2B welcomes anyone and everyone with open arms, and the CIE is a great resource not just for clubs and organizations, but also for schooling and any other support needed.”

Isaiah Hanks, a junior communication arts major and secretary of B2B, said, “Operating virtually has been a struggle, but we are learning how to cope with the struggles week by week.

“We want to continue to keep our members and the people who are committed to our organization engaged with everything that is going on, and we want to continue to evolve and expand our organization even more.”

He added, “We just can’t wait until we are in-person again so we can show everybody how much we have grown as an organization and finally show how great the CIE is and can be.”

Constanza Cabello, vice president of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, said she is in “awe” of students who are continuing to engage with each other and the community.

“On my Instagram, I’ll log in once a day and scroll through and see the different conversations that are happening, or the ways that students are really showing up and supporting each other, or the ways that they’re doing advocacy,” she said.

“A lot of times, I feel like these student groups labor for the institution - and oftentimes, unpaid labor - and it’s labor that they don’t have to do, but they do because they care about it. I think it just speaks so much to the character of the leaders in these organizations.”

For student organizations looking to improve the diversity and inclusion within their group, Cabello said they should first ask themselves, “Who isn’t a part of your organization? What identities are missing?

How might we inadvertently be creating an environment that doesn’t welcome different people?”

She said student organizations need to look critically at themselves and ask, “Who is not represented here?”

Birch praised student affinity groups for their “fantastic” work during the fall semester.

She added, “There’s a lot of things happening on campus, a lot of ways in which you can tap into resources.

Also using each other, the student affinity groups, in and of themselves those students have expertise in certain areas as well.

“So, please don’t overlook the expertise that exists right among your peers as well,” Birch said.

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NEWS

DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 13

Resources available for students during break

By Ashley Wall Editor-in-chief

During finals week and over winter break, food, housing, and health resources will still be available for students.

Some resources include counseling, COVID-19 testing, laptop loans, and the Rams Resource Center.

FSU President F. Javier Cevallos said, “We [the University] don’t really close during the winter break. We’re here. We have less people typically on campus, and now we’ll have even less people because of COVID-19.

“There will always be somebody around here and we certainly look forward to supporting our students.”

Cevallos added he is glad the University can provide resources for students remaining on campus during the winter break.

He said, “I understand that spending the winter break away from family or staying on campus is a tough decision. It’s a decision that is based on personal reasons and we want to make sure that the students that are on campus during this time have access to all the things that we can provide that they need.”

Student Trustee McKenzie Ward said FSU “has done a really amazing job at providing FSU students with resources this semester.”

Moving toward winter break, Ward advises students leaving campus to “remember that we are still in a pandemic.”

She said, “I also recommend to students that they take the five weeks to rest and recharge because I know how hard this semester has been on every single student, and we deserve to spend those five weeks putting ourselves first.”

Ward added, “If no one has told you this so far this semester, I am proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself, too!”

IGNITE President Rachel Spivey said, “The resources made available to students go beyond my first expectations coming into the new semester. Giving the opportunity to students to get no-cost COVID testing as often as every week, in my personal experience, has helped me gain a better sense of peace of mind in this crazy time.

“Above all, the University seemed to really have sat down, identified the anticipated needs of the student body, and accommodated the resources available this semester to those needs,” Spivey added.

COVID-19 testing The Health Center will be providing free COVID-19 testing for the FSU community Dec. 15 and Dec. 21.

According to Ilene Hofrenning, director of health services, testing typically takes place on Tuesdays.

However, “the Governor has asked all college students to be tested within 72 hours of leaving campus.”

Hofrenning said there is a testing logistics team that is currently working on a testing schedule for winter break.

She said, “We’re trying to figure out how many students are going to be living on campus, how many staff and faculty are going to be on campus, and then decide the testing based on that.

“So, it’s probably going to be weekly. I don’t know if we’ll do it the first week in January, but there will be testing available,” Hofrenning added.

She said testing will also be available in the Health Center for those experiencing symptoms over winter

break.

Hofrenning said, “If someone has symptoms or if somebody has a contact and needs to be tested, we’ll be able to do that.”

For the spring semester, Hofrenning said testing will increase for commuter students and those who were not tested weekly during the fall semester.

She said, “We know that COVID-19 is in the communities that our commuter students live in. So, we want to increase testing. We’re still working on figuring out the logistics for how we do that.”

Hofrenning said although there is no official testing information yet for the spring semester, students can anticipate hearing testing timelines and protocols by the end of the fall semester.

Students can sign up for a testing time slot through Medicat, a patient portal, found on the Health Center’s website.

About the COVID-19 vaccine, Hofrenning said, “We just heard yesterday [Dec. 9] from the Governor about the vaccine plan. Students are going to be in the last phase, but that sounds like it’s going to be in the spring.

“So, we might be having a vaccination program on campus for students.

So, stay tuned for that,” she added.”

Residence Life Residence Halls will be open in a limited capacity for those staying on campus during the winter break in order to host students who applied for full academic year housing.

Miles Bibb Hall and Corinne Hall Towers will be open during break and staffed by resident assistants and security desk attendants. Linsley Hall will also be available should a student need to uarantine.

Due to COVID-19, residence hall protocols in place currently include a no-guest policy, elevator-occupancy limits, face coverings re uired in all public areas, and a reduction in open lounges and common spaces.

According to Stephanie Crane, associate director of residence life, approximately 10-15 students are currently planning to remain on campus during this period.

Crane said the transition for resident students to return back to campus in January will look similar to the fall semester move-in.

“We’re going to set up time slots through our ResLife portal the same way we did in the fall so we can do a socially distanced and spaced move in,” said Crane.

She said Residence Life is reminding students that they don’t have to bring all of their belongings home over break.

Crane added returning students aren’t allowed to bring guests into the dorms to help move in, and should plan on only having a onehour time slot.

She said Residence Life will send out information to resident students about the repopulating process sometime in early January so “folks can start planning and signing up for move-in time slots.”

Crane said a student’s housing contract is “binding,” but there is a petition process for those “who are currently in housing that want to leave housing.”

The petition also serves students who are interested in becoming a resident after the housing application deadline.

The Office of Residence Life and Housing is currently not open for in-person meetings, but those in

need of assistance can contact the office Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at (508) 626-4636 or by emailing residencelife@framingham.edu.

Rams Resource Center Kay Kastner, coordinator of student support initiatives, said the Rams Resource Center will still be accessible by appointment only during winter break.

She said the center currently stocks shelf-stable food items, toiletries, and winter clothing including jackets, scarves, socks, and blankets.

Kastner said she works with students who have food, housing, and/ or financial insecurities. She is also the primary contact for students who need to access emergency sources of funding and financial aid.

She said she runs a housing pilot program for students who are housing insecure. From homeless shelters to soup kitchens, she said there are various off-campus resources which she can connect students with as well.

Kastner added students should contact her “as early as possible” if they need assistance.

Students who are experiencing hardship often cannot focus on their academic work, according to Kastner.

She said her office is “one of the more confidential offices here on this campus” for students seeking assistance. “I exercise an extraordinary amount of discretion,” she said.

“Come have a conversation with me.

“We’re happy to do what we can to help students who are struggling,” she added.

Kastner said she works with the Dean of Students and Lorretta Holloway, vice president for enrollment and student development, to provide students with academic resources, including laptop loaners and WiFi access.

Holloway said she has laptops, headsets, and earbuds available for students.

She said she began the semester with 70 available laptops, but now only has seven semi-new, 18 refurbished, and five Apple Macbooks, which are only available for certain courses due to their specific software.

Holloway said the laptop loaner program loans out on a per semester basis, but there is an option to loan a laptop over winter break depending on a student’s specific need.

She added those interested in the program need to fill out the re uired forms in advance. According to Holloway, students can choose to either pick up their laptops on campus or have them dropped off near their residence.

Kastner said the best way to reach her office is to send her an email at kkastner@framingham.edu. She can also be reached by phone at (508) 626-4767.

Holloway can be reached at lholloway@framingham.edu and by phone at (508) 626-4926.

Dining Services During finals week, Dining Services locations will continue operating during normal fall semester hours.

Each dining location will continue to follow COVID-19 protocol. Online reservations will still be re uired for eating in the Dining Commons.

Students can also place easy pickup orders through the Transact Mobile Ordering App. According to Aretha Phillips, general manager of Dining Services, the Dining Commons will host a variety of special treats such as a hot choc-

olate bar, popcorn bar, and hot pretzels during finals week.

Phillips said her department is “just trying to add some fun at the end of the semester so that students can feel more comfortable and confident and get a stress reliever during their studying time.”

Current hours of operation for the Dining Commons can be found at https://framingham.sodexomyway. com/dining-near-me/hours.

All Dining Services locations will be closed over winter break.

For resident students remaining on campus during the break period, Phillips said Dining Services is currently working with Residence Life to provide meal options, but at the time of publication, there is no finalized plan.

Health and Counseling Center Over winter break, the Counseling Center will remain open for Teletherapy appointments.

According to Andrew Lipsky, director of the Counseling Center, the Center will be operating with a reduced staff over winter break, but there will still be a “definitive presence.”

He said, “We [the Counseling Center] can be accessed by ongoing students who are currently using our services, as well as students who haven’t used our services before and are looking to access our services for the first time.”

Lipsky said he expects the Counseling Center to see higher numbers over winter break than in previous years because they have moved to Teletherapy.

He said, “They [students] can access us without having to be on campus. They can access our services for the first time over winter break. We encourage them to get the support that they need.”

The Counseling Center’s office hours are Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Teletherapy appointments can be made by calling (508) 626-4640 or by emailing counselingcenter@framingham.edu.

Counseling Center services are free to all FSU students.

For more information on counseling services, visit https://www. framingham.edu/student-life/counseling-center/ The Health Center will also operate as usual over the winter break period.

Hofrenning said the Center will always be staffed with a nurse practitioner during break.

She said, “Services will still be available. So, even if students are at home and if they need something, they can contact us and we can help them.”

According to the Health Center’s website, some services include unlimited visits for health concerns/illnesses, referrals, prescriptions, and nutrition consultations.

Due to COVID-19, the Health Center is not accepting walk-in visits.

Instead, they are offering telehealth and phone consultations during normal business hours.

Students can access the Center’s patient portal, Medicat, through the following website https://framingham.medicatconnect.com.

The Health Center is open remotely Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at (508) 626-4900.

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OP/ED

14 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

The Trumpian Flag

OP/ ED

By Emily Rosenberg Assistant Opinions Editor

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OP/ED

DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 15

WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOU! Are you a leader at FSU or in your community? $1,500 Undergraduate Scholarship*

Alumni Association Leadership Scholarship Learn More and Apply email: alumni@framingham.edu on the web:

*Must have completed 2 semesters

https://forms.gle/21H5aVeE1oYtDAiEA

Deadline: Feb 8, 2020

Campus Conversations What are your plans to stay safe during winter break?

By Donald Halsing, Associate Editor

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Kianna Bauer, sophomore

Nicole Scughrue, freshman

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Issac Knight, junior Alex Surro, senior

Laela Pepin, junior

Op/Ed submissions reflect the opinions of their authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of The Gatepost or its staff.

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16 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

SPORTS

SPORTS Men’s hockey hopes to get back on the ice

By Caroline Gordon Editorial Staff When Soren Colstrup, Ryan Paul, and Ryan Lambert began playing hockey before entering kindergarten, they had no idea their season would come to a halt because of a pandemic - for the second time.

All three men have had to cope with the sudden loss of competing in a sport they’ve played their entire life.

Senior Soren Colstrup began his hockey career at age 2 in Albert Lea, Minnesota where his grandmother owned an ice rink.

He played youth hockey growing up saying it was a “commonplace thing to do” as it was the most affordable sport in Minnesota. After youth hockey, he continued playing through high school and after graduating, was drafted to a Washington junior hockey team.

Colstrup played junior hockey for three years before coming to Framingham State.

He enjoyed his time playing junior hockey because he said it gave him the opportunity to be an adult.

“When you’re between the ages of 19 and 21, you are very malleable as a person and you are still developing your sense of right and wrong. I think becoming an adult was a big experience for me, as I had to live on my own.”

At Framingham State, Colstrup is a forward averaging 4 goals per season.

He said his favorite aspect of playing at FSU is the bond among players.

Colstrup added, “I think since our school is a commuter school it gives us a different perspective. The hockey players are generally older, so they kind of stand out on campus so it’s nice to be close with them.”

He discussed the team’s relationship with their coach Mike Bailey.

Colstrup said Bailey treats everyone with the same level of respect.

“I think that bleeds into how the players treat each other,” he said.

Colstrup explained how the team prepared for the season pre COVID-19.

He said they start training the second week of September with captain’s practices for five wee s, followed by tryouts, then team scrimmages.

This year, COVID-19 canceled their season. “It wasn’t as big of a shock to me as I work at an ice rink in Wellesley. I was given a lot of information about how the rinks would be closed down. I was not surprised. I felt like it was unfortunate how the players were left in the dark,” he said.

“But, I know the school had a lot of tough decisions to make,” Colstrup added.

As of right now, due to COVID-19, the team is not holding any practices or activities, he said.

Colstrup said there is one positive that resulted from his season being canceled this year.

“It allowed me to focus more on academics. I think as a senior, my classes have been more difficult as have progressed in college. It’s a little bit of a blessing to be able to focus more on school this time around,” he said.

“It’s really easy to let things go by and focus on getting through [practices and games] and letting your obligations fall behind. I have become more organized as an adult,” Colstrup added.

Although the time off has been beneficial for his academics, he said he misses being competitive.

“I am very competitive. I enjoy any sort of game whether it be video games or beating my brother at checkers. I miss that the most. Also, I miss being with all the guys. It’s tough right now because of the restrictions for group settings,” said Colstrup.

He recalled two men on the team who inspired him to be a better player.

Colstrup said, “There are a lot of people that come to mind. I would say the people who inspire me the most would be a dead tie between Trevor Lewendowski and Brian Koszek. They are very good leaders on and off the ice. They are great people. They only have one side to themselves, which is serious, but every once in a while you can

Soren Colstrup | courtesy of fsurams

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get a smile out of them.

He added, “I think how they treat other people and how they hold themselves on the ice is reflective of how they interact in their personal lives. I can’t say enough good things about them. They make me want to be a more honest athlete and student.”

Colstrup recalled a memorable moment during his time playing for FSU. “Last year we beat Worcester State which is kind of ironic because my freshman year we also did. We haven’t won all semester then the first game bac from winter break we beat them. There was a snowstorm and we ended up having to take two buses. It was a great memory,” said Colstrup.

He offered advice to FSU athletes.

“For those who aren’t seniors, enjoy it.

Count your blessings. Soak up all the time with your friends. It goes by within a blink of an eye,” said Colstrup.

He added he is thankful to attend Framingham State.

Captain Ryan Paul, a senior, began playing hockey at age 4 in his hometown of Morgan, Vermont. He said his dad also grew up playing the sport.

“I lived on the Canadian border. It was something fun to do to also pass time,” said Paul.

He played on countless teams in Canada and it was different being the only English speaking kid on a team.

When he started playing junior hockey, Paul said he played for the Junior Bruins first, then he New ngland tars.

Paul is a center and averages 8-or-9 goals per season on the team.

He said he chose to play hockey at FSU because he already knew a few kids on the team and he connected well with the coach.

Paul recalled his favorite aspects about the team.

“I like that throughout my years I have consistently seen the team grow tighter. I like that the core group of guys all have the same morals and expectations,” he said.

Ryan Paul | courtesy of fsurams

“I am basically the bridge between my coaches and the team. I am the leader of the team, as I have been a captain since junior year,” Paul added. “I let my actions speak for my words.”

Like Colstrup, Paul was saddened by this season being canceled.

He said, “It was kind of a let down. We put a lot on the line to be here and we delayed our lives by playing junior [hockey].

It was a big disappointment and I think some guys are having trouble coping with it.”

As Paul has more free time on his hands, he said he is spending more time with his family in Vermont and applying for internships.

“I am getting ready for the real world after I graduate next semester,” he said.

Paul also shared who on the FSU team inspires him the most.

“Matt Cucinata. Every time I look at him he’s battling his heart out whether it’s in a warm up drill or practice,” he said.

Paul offered advice to FSU athletes.

“At this point, hang in there. The end is almost in sight with the scientists making strides towards a vaccination. I think the spring athletes should definitely have their heads up,” he said.

Ryan Lambert, a sophomore forward, said he started playing hockey at the age of 4.

He said his favorite part of playing for FSU is being with his teammates.

“The team has a family-like mentality.

We try to be together as a team whenever we can to try and develop a good chemistry with everyone,” said Lambert.

Like Colstrup and Paul, Lambert felt disappointed by this season being canceled.

“When we found out our season was canceled, we were all heartbroken.”

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE GORDON cgordon4@student.framingham.edu

Ryan Lambert | courtesy of fsurams

ARTS & FEATURES

DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 17

ARTS & FEATURES Robbie’s Comic Corner

‘Black Canary’ is a punk rock symphony of awesomeness

‘Robbie finally leaves the Corner!’

By Robert Johnson Jr.

By Robert Johnson Jr. Arts & Features Editor

far from typical is the number of encounters the band is faced with. At almost every venue they play, Dinah and the band manage to attract trouble, be it in the form of assassins, soldiers, or whatever might want them dead at that particular moment.

This in mind, Dinah has to use her powers to not only keep her fans out of harm’s way, but also her band.

This becomes especially true of the character of Ditto, who, later on in the series, becomes a major target to capture from the enemy side of the conflict, as she has immeasurable power that Dinah’s foes can take advantage of.

Speaking of foes, one of my favorite characters in the series is this woman named Bo Maeve. She’s the former lead singer of Alias Insane, the band that is now Black Canary, and she is the perfect counter to Dinah in terms of ferocity and power.

The two women trade blows with one another in beautiful, two-page spreads often, and they really show the amount of detail that Wu puts into her art. Every action feels like it has weight behind it - from the banshee screams to the Krav Maga techniques, everything just hits hard.

In fact, that statement can extend to all of the action scenes. With Fletcher’s brilliant ability to pace a story and give it impact, as well as Wu’s aforementioned talent to bring those words to life, “Black Canary” is a gripping read that will have you reaching for the next page or issue.

Of course, with all this in mind, a shout out is definitely in order for the colorist, Lee Loughridge, who makes sure that every page is as vibrant, as chaotic, and as intense as Wu’s penciling. The fashion is also top notch, I should add.

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush in comic form, you need to check out “Black Canary” any way you can. It’s the gold standard of what a raucous rock-’n-roll romp should be in the medium of comics and graphic novels.

OK, full disclosure - this was supposed to be a write-up on “Death: The Time of Your Life,” as the title itself is a good description of the college experience - a time in your life.

However, I do not have the issues for that miniseries yet, so that had to get ruled out.

Alternatively, I could have done it on “Death: The High Cost of Living,” which is also accurate to the financial side of the college experience, title-wise, and is something I actually have all the issues for, so make of that as you will.

But, despite that, I decided to put Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu’s 2015-2016 run of “Black Canary” on showcase today, which, as it turns out, is the last one I’m allowed to put in this newspaper!

So, you may be wondering one of two things, or both, even - “Why is Robbie spending all this time on exposition?” and/or “Why is Robbie writing about a five year old comic series?”

Well, dear reader, both of those are good questions. … That will be answered later.

The fourth volume of DC Comics’ “Black Canary,” back when I read it in my senior year of high school, served as one of my biggest inspirations for making comics.

With witty writing from Fletcher and gorgeous, chaotic art from Wu, I was enamored right from the jump, and, as such, I wanted to emulate what made it so great in my own writing, because I sure as hell can’t draw like Annie Wu does.

The story of “Black Canary” is one that follows Dinah Lance, a punk rock singer for a band called … Black Canary. Yeah. That’s the band’s name - I swear I’m not making this up.

Anywho, Dinah is on a cross-country tour with her bandmates - Ditto, ord yron, and Paloma errific as they perform from venue to venue, building their fanbase and social media presence.

Y’know, typical band stuff.

CONNECT WITH ROBERT JOHNSON JR. However, what makes this band rjohnson10@student.framingham.edu

Arts & Features Editor

Well, everybody, we have made it to the end.

Yeah, I know - I didn’t expect for this column to make it this far, either.

After all, it did start out as an extension of my work with FSU’s Comic Book Club, providing recommendations for comic books and graphic novels in slideshow presentations that club members liked, for some reason.

Almost three years ago, on Feb. 24, 2018, I introduced the student body to “Slam!” a comic series about the newage sport of roller derby.

Today, I got to gush about one of my favorite comic book runs of all time, 2015’s “Black Canary.”

Of course, in the 1,021 days since the opening of this here Comic Corner, we have seen a lot together.

Not so long after “Slam!” I took a gander at Hazel Newlevant’s “Sugar Town,” a 2017 autobiographical comic that featured themes about sex work and LGBTQ+ relationships, in honor of Pride month.

Of course, Pride month was three months away from when I wrote that particular entry, so I guess you could say that I was overly prepared. Nevertheless, that’s when the barrel started rolling down the steel girders in the metaphorical, comic book-themed game of “Donkey Kong” I had going.

In doing this column, I’ve had the opportunity to introduce people to comics, webcomics, and graphic novels that, had I not covered them, probably would have never been found - or discussed - out in the wilds of our campus.

I’m not saying this to be braggadocious - that’s the last thing I ever want to be seen as - but I legitimately thought that would be the case!

“Angel City,” “Kiss Number 8,” “Band Vs. Band,” “Cosmoknights,” “An Embarrassment of Witches,” and so many more titles have been put under examination, and all of them passed the vibe check required for me to even write a Comic Corner about them to begin with.

My mission with “RCC” was simple - recommend (web)comics and graphic novels that I legitimately enjoy and love, to the student body whom I love and enjoy.

On top of that, my other mission was to give attention to marginalized creators and topics that superhero comics - or “cape comics,” as they are occasionally referred - rarely get to talk about, if ever. Most of my work with this column, to me, was an act of defiance against superhero comics, because I personally thought they were “too tiresome” to discuss.

Let me tell you - having many people go on-and-on about the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe gets grating after a while, so much so that it inspired the never-written-before-now rule of “no mainstream superhero comics” that this column held.

Which, hilariously enough, was broken today.

Of course, I’m not here to “yuck” anybody’s “yum,” but if you needed an explanation as to why you rarely saw the many-th “Batman” reboot being discussed, there’s your answer.

I just wanted to talk about what I liked reading - which is usually in the realm of independently-released stuff and not what was popular then. Or now, even.

Though, when I did “yuck” the “yum’s” of people, it was usually done on the topic of “Riverdale,” which I think deserves it, always, and people who willingly wear Deadpool shirts that ask if they “offended you” or not.

To me, “RCC” was a chance for me to finally ma e a name for myself at Framingham State.

I saw columns such as the “Couch Boys,” “Ferr or Foul,” and “Musical Musings” being the talk of the town or “copyedit,” I should say - so I wanted to take a shot at providing a “service” for the community, so to speak.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected this column to serve as partial inspiration for an English course on campus, nor did I expect people to say in my vicinity, “I think I saw this [graphic novel or comic] in ‘Robbie’s Comic Corner’!”

This column was never about getting awards - though the recognition is always nice.

It was also not about “getting recognized,” either.

If anything, this column was a celebration of the medium that I learned to love again in my senior year of high school. That being said, I have to thank Mr. David Barry’s Monomyth class for throwing me back into the web swing of things.

And, of course, I have to thank you all for reading these. You have no idea how much it warms my heart to know that people out there actually read my thoughts on comics and graphic novels!

Now, with all that out of the way - it is time for me to vacate my corner and make comics of my own. Consider this a “goodbye for now,” and not a “goodbye, forever.”

CONNECT WITH ROBERT JOHNSON JR. rjohnson10@student.framingham.edu

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18 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

ARTS & FEATURES

YUNGBLUD embraces his ‘weird’ side with his new album

By Cara McCarthy Associate Editor Dominic Harrison, better known as YUNGBLUD, released his second studio album, “weird!” Dec. 4 and he did not disappoint.

The England native produced yet another incredible coming of age album targeted toward his fans. he flamboyant and uir y musician has been known in the past to write deep and meaningful lyrics while simultaneously bringing a fun and upbeat tune to accompany his otherwise depressing and heart-breaking tracks.

YUNGBLUD is also no stranger to writing about the experiences his fans tell him while he is on tour or through fan letters and this album is no different.

One of the most powerful songs lyrically comes early on the album in the song “mars.” The song, as YUNGBLUD has told several media outlets, was inspired by a transgendered fan he met on The Vans Warped Tour a few years ago. He said the fan’s parents were unaccepting of their daughter and that affected her greatly.

“Every morning she would wake up with another plan / Yeah, her Mom and Dad, they couldn’t understand / Why she couldn’t turn it off, become a better man,” YUNGBLUD sings in the sec-

ond verse.

The album also brought back the dynamic trio with YUNGBLUD, Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), and Travis Barker. The artists have been featured together in several songs and records over the past two years and have produced absolute bangers. Their song, “acting like that,” is no different.

YUNGBLUD said the song was written when he and MGK got together after Juice Wrld passed away in December 2019. He said life is short and they ended up writing a song about living every day as if it was your last.

The album also has its fair share of upbeat party-like tracks with less depressing lyrics. Songs like “superdeadfriends,” and “strawberry lipstick,” consist of heavy beats and head-bopping lyrics. Both tracks include heavy bass and drum beats along with strong vocals.

The singer slows down the record while sharing his perceptions of love despite growing up in an abusive household and how his ex-girlfriend, Halsey, changed his preconceived notions.

The slow acoustic guitar followed

by YUNGBLUD coming down to earth with simple and intimate vocals makes “love song,” one of the best tracks on the album.

“All I learned growing up was that

love chewed me up / Spit me out on the pavement next to the cuts / And the blood that my mom and dad would / Always take out on each other,” starts off the song before the chorus brings in light drums.

“Sweetheart, you are / changing my mind,” the pre-chorus signals towards Halsey’s affect on him before the chorus goes, “Nobody taught me how to love myself / So how can I love somebody else? / There ain’t no excuses / I sw ar that m doing my best.

The album concludes with the heaviest track on the record, “the freak show,” which perfectly displays that YUNGBLUD has not only progressed as a person but as a vocalist while keeping with his wild and unconventional personality.

“I refuse to be taken the typical way / So welcome to the freak show / hope that you find yourself today, he sings, refusing to be what society would view as “normal” and he wants everyone who listens to his music to be the same.

YUNGBLUD has always been an advocate for people being true to themselves, even if it means alienation.

That message comes across in tracks like, “cotton candy,” and “charity.”

“Cotton candy,” while it is a relatively upbeat track, hints toward the singer and his recent discovery that he

is both pansexual and polyamorous.

YUNGBLUD came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community this past month.

“Tallulah knows that she’s not the only one I’m holding close / On the low, I get vertigo from body overdose / So tell me your name, and tell me your problems / I got the same,” YUNGBLUD sings in the intro.

“Weird!” is the perfect album to get anyone through the chaotic rollercoaster ride 2020 has taken us on.

Grade: A+ Who said weird had to be a bad thing?

CONNECT WITH CARA MCCARTHY cmccarthy8@student.framingham.edu

‘Mank’ shows the life of one of America’s most beloved screenwriters ... in a bland way

By Brennan Atkins

Arts & Features Editor an is a Netfli original film directed by avid incher and stars Gary Oldman as Herman Mankiewicz, Lily Collins as Rita, Tuppence Middleton as Sara, and Tom Burke as Orson Welles. he film focuses on the life of Mankiewicz, or “Mank,” as the title suggests - one of the greatest screenwriters in American history. He, along with Welles, is the brains behind one of the most revered pieces of cinema of all time - “Citizen Kane.” he film s principal narrative is Mank trying to complete a screenplay for Welles within 90 days - an incredibly short amount of time for a writer of any level. Mank himself feels as if his days are behind him - in 1938, he was hired as one of the 10 screenwriters to work on “The Wizard of Oz.” Undoubtedly a hard performance to follow up on.

But Mank is not your typical shutin, no sleep screenwriter with a strong work ethic. In fact, his secretary, Rita, is seemingly appalled at his habits.

In order to write, Mank feels as if he

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needs to be in a state where he is about to fall asleep.

Alcohol is his nightcap, and it allows him to truly write from his heart - what he believes the truth to be.

In terms of cinematography, the film is somewhat meta as it is presenting itself in an editing style that would be reminiscent of “talkies” shown throughout the mid-to-late ’20s, into the ’30s.

At the end of each scene, the set lights are cut off, once again making it feel as if it s a legitimate classic film.

While the man Oldman is portraying at the time is almost 30 years younger than he is, he fully encapsulates the role of a man leading a simple life, but in reality, has so much information to divulge if people were to actually speak with him.

This leads to fantastic scenes between Mank and Marion Davis, played

by Amanda Seyfried, where two characters are able to speak freely in such a politicized community, that being Hollywood.

The performances in general were certainly something to applaud, especially from the female portion of the cast. While they were on screen

hat being said, the film can cerfor considerably less time, Middleton and Davis are typically in both tainly be enjoyed for all lovers of histhe best-written, as well as best-shot tory, and even people interested in film. Citi en ane, does not need to scenes throughout the film.

However, towards the end of the be watched in order to en oy this film, first act, there are so many things hap- and the references to the actual film pening not just to Mank, but to the really only pic up in the final moHollywood industry and America as a ments of the movie. whole, that it seems to lack focus on any particular message.

Mank is just as much about the Great Depression and fake news as it ADMIT ONE is about film and the process of writing. For some, this could be seen as a stylistic, interesting way of showing how people operated during the Depression.

And conceptually, it’s a fantastic addition to the script as there are so many parallels to today between how we view workers, process news, and go about debating politics amongst ourselves.

It’s unfortunate that it really doesn’t ADMIT ONE feel as if this can all be contained within a runtime of two hours 11 minutes.

While it’s interesting to be presented history via a film, it s also incredibly easy for it to become stale - especially when you include more interesting an- CONNECT WITH BRENNAN ATKINS batkins@student.framingham.edu ecdotes within the story.

Grade: B-

Like a bland book with a great cover

ARTS & FEATURES

DECEMBER 11, 2020 | 19

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ACROSS 1. Bean type in succotash 5. Walk proudly 10. Derriere 14. Lebanese, perhaps 15. Indoor football format 16. On the subject of 17. Really fun group, it’s said 20. Gas hidden in “Marine One” 21. Aunt, in Acapulco 22. Green ___ (elite soldier) 23. Some brews 25. Pouches 27. Porridge thief in a fairy tale 31. Word between “talk” and “talk” 34. “___ on a Grecian Urn” (Keats poem) 35. Genre for Aretha Franklin 36. Cooks, as artichokes 39. Tourist attraction 41. Hanoi holiday 43. 4:3, for instance 44. Most massive 46. Verdi opera set in Egypt

48. Ernie known as “The Big Easy” 49. ISP designed for Windows 50. Uruguay’s capital 53. ___ apparent 55. Alternatives to Wranglers 56. Earlier 59. Boxer Laila 61. Part of “SNL” 64. Protective setups suggested by the final few letters of 17-, 27- and 50-Across 68. Places to be pampered 69. Spanish direction opposite sur 70. Business communication 71. Answering machine beep 72. Peppery salad green 73. Big band and Prohibition DOWN 1. Most popular dog breed in the U.S. 2. Country once called Persia 3. Mule’s mother 4. Visiting Europe, say 5. Nickname that drops “vatore” 6. Brings forth for display 7. New loan arrangement, briefly 8. Reveal 9. Chinese “way” 10. Has an afternoon meal 11. Person who creates a password 12. Eye sore 13. Be the emcee 18. Signs up for the Army 19. “Days of Our Lives” channel 24. “Evil Woman” band, for short 26. Mule’s father 27. “Gee willikers!”

28. Loathing 29. Hosiery brand 30. Freshly washed 32. Had no love for 33. Novelist Zola 37. Commits a court offense?

38. Neither amazing nor awful

40. Where to hear clucking 42. Champions 45. Texter’s “I didn’t need to know that!”

47. Actress Aisha or Sandra 51. One on the stump 52. “Am I to blame?”

54. “To ___ is human” 56. Secretive attention-getter 57. Seized auto 58. Confident declaration Puzzle solutions are now 60. Harp’s ancient relative exclusively online.

62. Suddenly change direction 63. “Late Night” star Thompson 65. Forbes competitor 66. No alternative?

67. Call for help

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20 | DECEMBER 11, 2020

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