March 6, 2015

The

G atepost

Journalist Douglas Starr reveals hard truth about false confessions Page 8

Framingham State University’s independent student newspaper since 1932 volume

83 • number 18

By Joe Kourieh Associate Editor

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a r c h

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Spilka, local officials praise McAuliffe Center after tour, planetarium show

Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland), along with an entourage of local officials, visited the Christa McAuliffe Center on Monday as part of a day-long “listening tour” of the MetroWest area.

The tour was organized in order for the Legislature to check in on several educational sites, including MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory and

Newton High School, to discuss various state-wide issues. Also present were Senate President Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst) and Framingham Town Manager Bob Halpin, among many others.

Upon arriving at the McAuliffe Center, the group was welcomed

by President F. Javier Cevallos and Center Director Irene Porro and given a guided tour through the Center’s “Voyage to Mars” simulator

room. Finally, the guests gathered in the planetarium and viewed a presentation highlighting the capabilities of the Center’s 30-foot dome and projection system.

Porro called Spilka’s visit an “opportunity to showcase what we are doing here.

“We benefited a lot,” Porro said, and called for more opportunities for legislators to experience firsthand the undergraduate role in

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STEM work on campus.

Spilka said that Massachusetts needs more students going into the STEM fields, and the McAuliffe Center is “a great resource for the state” to achieve this goal.

“It helps the university be more in tune with the state’s initiatives in this area,” she said.

When giving a speech following the planetarium show, Spilka

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FSU doubles bandwidth, adds access points

By Alexandra Gomes News Editor

Brad Leuchte/The Gatepost

Country artist Jana Kramer performed her newest single, “I Got the Boy” for a packed audience in Dwight Performing Arts Center on Thursday night.

Although the echoes of “R.I.P. Larned Beach” may have only just faded from the minds of students who have been around since before 2014, it’s never too early to look toward the future of what will ultimately come out of the frustration of the major construction project that has consumed the portion of campus between the library and Crocker Grove.

With 16 new laboratories currently being installed into the more than $70 million Hemenway project, faculty members and students reflected on the significance of the expansion here at FSU. Weighing in at four floors and 42,000

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SGA funds student

Students, faculty anticipate new science labs

By Joe Kourieh Associate Editor

FSU doubled the Internet bandwidth for Wi-Fi during the winter break, and is installing several new Internet access points in the buildings, according to Vice President Dale Hamel.

The Internet bandwidth was increased from 500mb to 1gb, said Hamel. Internet access points on campus will be increasing from 300 points to 900 points by the end of the project.

According to Corey Hobbs, Network and Telecommunications manager, the project will be officially completed by 2017.

Additional Internet access points have already been installed in North Hall, May Hall, Whittemore Library, Hemenway Hall, Pierce Hall,

square feet, this massive addition proves unambiguously Framingham State’s intention to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs, which have been set as a priority by President Barack Obama and his administration.

According to the Department of Education’s website, Obama has called for American universities to help graduate more STEM students through excellent education practices, allocating funding to this cause. FSU is on the receiving end of this arrangement, with more than $54 million of the project coming from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with no increase in tuition or fees.

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organizations for FY2016

By Tanya Ström Staff Writer

Student Government Association senators approved the budgets for Fiscal Year 2016 for their own organization, SUAB, Hilltop, The Gatepost and WDJM at the annual budget meeting on Friday, Feb. 27.

SUAB’s budget request of $167,453 was cut by $4,100. Events that had budget cuts were Homecoming, the NYC Bus Trip, the “Large Performer,” the Semi-Formal Dance and Welcome Week.

The Welcome Week budget was cut by $1,500. This amount rolled over from what was left over in SUAB’s current budget.

It is “disappointing they made some

cuts. But we will make do with the amount given,” said Riley Fallon, president of SUAB. “It won’t impede how we plan in the future.”

Of the amount SUAB requested, $41,578 is dedicated to the annual “Large Performer.” Money to rent walkie-talkies and stanchions were cut out of the budget because SGA has taken funds out of its own budget to buy them.

Fallon said the co-chairs of the concert committee, Danae Pieroni and Madison Alper, choose the performer. The performer will be selected mid-April, said Pieroni.

Pieroni and Alper reach out to students through Facebook, student email and surveys to determine what genre of

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Inside ‘Boy Kings of Texas’ author speaks about life in the barrio 10

FSU’s new softball coach ready to play hardball 13

‘Dear White People’ forum discusses race after viewing 11

Ferr or Foul?

March Madness ensues 13

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Editorial Board 2014-2015 Editor-in-Chief Kaila Braley

Associate Editors Joe Kourieh

Michael B. Murphy

James M. Sheridan Jr. News Editor

Alexandra Gomes Assistant Editors Julia Sarcinelli Mark Strom

Arts & Features Editors Avarie Cook

Sara Silvestro Assistant Editors Scott Calzolaio Kristen Pinto

Interim Assistant Editor Cesareo Contreras

Sports Editor Mike Ferris

Opinions Editor Mark Wadland

Photos Editors Melina Bourdeau

Danielle Vecchione Interim Photos Editors Brad Leuchte Jeff Poole

Web Editor Jill Chenevert

Design Editor Brittany Cormier

Staff Writers Danielle Butler Corin Cook

Amelia Foley

Cameron Grieves Robert Jones

Phil McMullin

Jennifer Ostojski

Morgan Zabinski Tanya Ström

Staff Photographers Jennifer Wang Advisor

Dr. Desmond McCarthy Assistant Advisor Elizabeth Banks Kelly Wolfe

English Professor

By Alexandra Gomes News Editor

Do you have any hobbies?

I have a bachelor’s in education. I was a high school teacher. I taught English as a second language. I decided my real love in life was journalism, so I returned to school and got a master’s in journalism from Northeastern. I’ve been in the newspaper business for more than 30 years. I started as a reporter, then I edited a couple small newspapers. I was an executive editor for a group of weekly newspapers that was sold to a larger company, and that company also owned the MetroWest Daily News. I started at MetroWest as a regional editor, then as a bureau chief, and then as a managing editor.

Where else have you traveled?

Can you briefly describe your resume and educational background?

I like to read. I like to knit. I love to travel. I was in Italy in October, which was a wonderful experience.

I’m kind of mentally planning my next trip. I’ve been all over Europe. I’ve been to Alaska. I’d say my favorite place is Italy. I keep planning my next trip to go back.

Can you tell me about one of your biggest accomplishments?

I have two daughters who are grown up and successful, so although that’s their accomplishment, I’m very proud of them.

In the newspaper business, I started as a reporter working for a newspaper owned by the San Francisco Chronicle.

It was in the early days of the AIDs epidemic, and a reporter at the Chronicle named Randy Schilts, who went on to write the book “And The Band Played On,” formed a team of reporters covering the AIDs epidemic. I was one of those reporters on the east coast, and I heard some amazing stories and met some pretty amazing people. Back then an AIDs diagnosis was a death sentence, so I was talking to people who knew they didn’t have long to live. I think we got a lot of good information out about AIDs, and we cleared up some misinformation, got accurate information out there. As I said, I really did meet some amazing people. Our group won some awards for our reporting, which was gratifying. But it was also tough, emotionally. I did this for maybe two years and I found - I think we all found - that we had to stop. It was emotionally draining.

Also, I’m proud of the work I’ve done at Framingham State. I’ve taught the Feature Writing class. I’ve taken many students as interns over the years. I watched them really grow and become successful. We hired - the MetroWest Daily News hired - a good number of those students, so that was very gratifying, to see them progress as journalists.

Many of them are still in the business.

I was a classmate of Bill Clinton’s. He was a good friend. There was a group of us that would hangout.

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

Elizabeth Banks

Gatepost Interview

What would students be surprised to know about you?

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March 6, 2015

What class do you think every student should take before they graduate?

I’d encourage students to take some chances. I’d encourage students to take a course that really catches their imagination. Not to worry so much if this class will help me get a job, but to take it to see if it interests them. I have a sense that one course that really catches your imagination could change your life. And to pursue that interest – if it doesn’t work, try something else – but not to be afraid to take that chance.

Study abroad if you have the chance because that opens a lot of doors. A student can be exposed to a lifestyle or a culture that takes them in another direction.

What advice would you give to students?

Danielle Vecchione/The Gatepost

What was your best undergraduate experience?

I went to school in New York, and back then you could get tickets very inexpensive for theater. We saw a lot of Broadway shows, concerts, and the opera. So I think probably the best experience was being in New York City itself. Also the year I spent studying abroad in England was probably the best experience, just experiencing different cultures. The university system in England is very different from the United States. The pace was much slower. The system was that students would attend lectures in the morning, and meet with a tutor in the afternoon.

That’s when your subject of concentration, you would discuss in depth, you would do your research, the tutor would answer your questions, read your papers. People would then, if they played a sport, do that later in the day. It was just a more leisurely way of learning, although not necessarily easier. In the lectures there wasn’t the give and take that we have in American classrooms. A professor just stood up and lectured. Nobody asked questions, nobody spoke. It’s a different way of learning. It took some adjusting.

What was your favorite course in college and why?

Literature courses. I love literature.

Writing courses. I’d still say that’s my favorite, reading and writing, because that’s clearly what I’ve done for a living. In England I took a lot of British

Follow what you really love. I started as a high school teacher, and I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the students. I probably could have continued doing that but I went to Manhatten for a conference with a friend, and we got snowed in. We were sitting in the hotel, and the hotel was right across the street from Madison Square Garden. All these people were there for the NCAA basketball tournament. Because it was snowing, everybody came into the hotel, and into the restaurant. Because there was so many young people, basketball players and their families, for whatever reason we started talking about what we always wanted to do. I said I always wanted to go into journalism. That in high school I wrote for the paper, and in college, and I always wanted to do that. My friend said, “Why didn’t you?” and my answer was when I was in college women usually went into teaching or nursing. Those were considered women’s professions. Times, of course, had changed, and she kind of dared me to look into journalism. So I called Northeastern and I talked to a professor there and he really encouraged me to apply, and I did, and I got in. … I would say the thrill about being in journalism wasn’t the actual writing, it was working with people who think the way I do. We would bounce ideas off, and we’d see a story from the same viewpoints.

I think we worry too much about earning a good salary, not that you don’t have to be practical, you do, but you also have to want to go to work in the morning.

Police Logs

Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 00:36 – Granite Street – Narcotics Investigation. Turned over to FPD. 11:14 – Parking Clerk – Stolen Property. Report taken.

Monday, Mar. 2, 2015 17:50 – Ecumenical Center – Hazard. Report of icy conditions. Report taken.

@TheGatepost

history classes, and British literature classes. I took them, particularly British history classes, to take it in a country where it happened. We got a different perspective than you’d get in the United States.

Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2015 09:29 – Hemenway Hall – Medical. Student passed out in class. Patient refusal.

13:58 – O’Connor Hall – Alarm (Fire/Smoke). Alarm sounding/FFD on scene. Checks OK. 15:51 – Adams Road Parking Lot – Slip and Fall. Report taken.

Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2015 11:54 – Athletic Field Lot 1 – Motor Vehicle Accident. Report taken.

Thursday, Mar. 5, 2015 11:38 – Linsley Hall Parking Lot – Trespass tow. Vehicle removed from campus.

March 6, 2015

McAuliffe Center

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emphasized the Center’s ability to engage future STEM students from early on and “get our kids ready for the 21st century.

“This is something where our kids are learning STEM in a really fun way,” she said. “Kids of all ages can enjoy being here. … I can honestly say I know a few kids who went into the STEM fields and can trace being here as the originating thought.

“Who doesn’t enjoy a planetarium,” she added.

Spilka acknowledged her fellow senators and local officials present at the event and their role in supporting the funding to keep STEM initiatives going strong.

“It’s a good sign that they wanted to come here,” Porro said of the Legislature, noting the large number of senators who were able to attend.

She said that STEM in Massachusetts is in an “interesting” and “critical” phase.

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Linda Vaden-Goad said that Spilka is a “powerful advocate” for progress in Massachusetts.

“We are so lucky she is here,” she added.

Cevallos said that STEM fields are “essential for the economy of the state.

“Visiting the McAuliffe Center was a way to show their support for education in those fields,” Cevallos said of the senators, whose visit “highlighted the importance higher education has for Massachusetts.”

He said that the McAuliffe cen-

Melina Bourdeau/The Gatepost

Framingham State’s Christa McAuliffe Center was one of several stops on a “listening tour” the MetroWest area led by Sen. Karen Spilka (pictured above) on Monday, March 2. ter is “a wonderful resource for the Commonwealth, as it brings thousands of middle school students every year to campus to have a handson experience with the way science works.”

The MetroWest tour was only

one episode in the Commonwealth Conversations event series, aimed at “bringing Beacon Hill to you,” as described on the Massachusetts Legislature’s Web site.

The tour brought legislators around the North and South Shores

in late February, and then throughout the Boston Metro area on Wednesday. Topics discussed at the various stops included STEM initiatives as well as improvements in public transportation, community development and job growth.

officially added into the budget for fiscal year of 2016.

The purpose of the event is to build Ram pride and increase FSU spirit, Fallon said. The event includes a performer, novelty items and catering. Fallon said that SUAB’s goal is “to have as much campus outreach as possible.”

The Hilltop Players requested a budget of $17,500 for fiscal year 2016. The budget includes money for the five shows it puts on during the fall and spring semesters, musicians as well as any other yearly expenses.

“We asked for $3,000 more than last year. It is appropriate for what we need,” said Geoffrey Ducharme, president of Hilltop.

Hilltop performs two shows each semester - a minor show and a headliner.

There is more student involvement in the spring because most freshmen are hesitant to join in the fall, said Ducharme.

“We usually have somewhere around 150 to 200 attendees at our performances,” he added.

Included in the increased budget are more elaborate costumes and an advance for the accompanists. Hilltop tries to get musicians around and on campus if possible, said Ducharme.

“But in some cases, we have to hire out to fill voids of some instruments,” he added.

Hilltop Players added one new event to their budget, a co-sponsorship with the new FSU theater department. They will work collaboratively to put on one show a year.

“We hope it is long-standing,” said Ducharme.

Although being a participant in the event will count toward class credit, any FSU student is allowed to be involved, said Ducharme.

SGA Senators expressed concern about the possible conflict between Hilltop and the new theater department.

Ducharme said a conflict between the two is extremely unlikely because they share Communication Arts Professor Sarah Cole as an advisor.

The Gatepost requested $36,695 for fiscal year 2016. A total of $23,208 was allocated for printing costs over the next year, yet SGA was able to provide an additional $1,160.40 to the printing budget, allotting a total of $24,368.40.

Gatepost Editor-in-Chief Kaila Braley said she is glad SGA is supportive.

“We are here to inform and communicate with the student body. Printing is the most important part of our budget,” she said.

SGA Senator Sarah Cowdell pushed for more emphasis of the digital copy of the newspaper to reduce printing costs.

Braley refuted the suggestion, saying, “We stay relevant because we can stay in print.

“We get more feedback from the paper than online,” she said. The physical copy is hung on campus bulletin boards, highlighting articles and photos that correspond with departments, Braley added.

The Gatepost requested $7,140 that will be dedicated to a new administrative assistant.

Student Involvement and Leadership Development has helped the upper management of The Gatepost to find a new administrative assistant, the selected administrative assistant.

She will work a few hours, multiple times a week, said Braley. “A lot of the work is correspondence, general office management and archiving.”

The Gatepost requested $600 for puzzle membership. SGA senators suggested that the Gatepost utilize Puzzle Club instead of getting puzzles from outside sources, subsequently saving money.

“It is hard to ignore the convenience of something that is there,” said Braley.

However, people in the club may have other commitments and because The

Gatepost is deadline every Thursday it would be an opportunity for problems to arise, she added.

“We are always excited to start new ideas. For example, working with WDJM and SGA to create a live broadcast of articles,” said Braley.

She added that the Puzzle Club is fairly new and The Gatepost is not sure if Puzzle Club members will want to make The Gatepost puzzles or even have the time to do so.

The Gatepost also requested $300 for web fees and an additional $280 for Earthlink, the website that currently houses old archives. The plan is to rebuild the Gatepost website by retrieving the archives from Earthlink and safely moving them to the new domain.

“Once we have secured old archives, we will cancel Earthlink,” said Braley.

WDJM requested $10,427 for fiscal year 2016. The budget will be dedicated to bringing more attention to the radio station, and funding events, promotional items, licensing and fees mandatory to operate the radio station.

The radio engineer’s payroll was $3,162 of the requested budget, a three percent increase from last year. He hadn’t received a raise in 20 years, said WDJM General Manager Nick Quaglia.

“Nobody told us we had the power to give him a raise,” he added.

The remaining funds are allocated for the Monster Mash Halloween dance and WDJM Hoedown. Both event budgets were increased since last year. More money will go to prizes and candy for the Monster Mash Halloween dance. Q u a glia said this year, “We want the good stuff.”

The fairly new event, WDJM Hoedown, which was first hosted last year, will be expanded come April 22, 2015.

WDJM Secretary Brianna Araya said the station plans to have country music, a mechanical bull, a photo booth and

Budget meeting - Continued from page 1

music students are most interested in, said Fallon.

Last year SUAB sold 230 tickets for the We The Kings concert. This year, the group has sold only 200 tickets to the Jana Kramer concert. However, SUAB hoped to sell more the following week.

To help sell tickets, SGA senators suggested increasing promotion to raise students’ awareness of the event.

SUAB was allocated $3,000 for it’s Night of Hope event, a fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund including T-shirts, catering and decorations for the event. According to Fallon, “The event last year only raised $1,000.”

The amount of money SUAB spends on T-shirts alone is over $6,000 compared to the $1,500 that other organizations such as Hilltop Players, The Gatepost and WDJM spend on promotion and marketing items.

Allison Carroll, treasurer of SUAB, said that T-shirts are a way to “drive attendance.”

Student Trustee Brandon Martinez proposed that SUAB create a T-shirt with all events on the back to cut budget costs.

In response to Martinez, Carroll said, “It would be too busy.”

Semi was the most debated event of the night concerning SUAB. SGA was split when it came to cutting the budget.

SGA senators argued that using WDJM would be free and therefore more cost-effective than a DJ. “The scale of the event requires a more professional DJ,” said Fallon. “A student DJ will diminish the atmosphere.”

SGA senator Cameron Zamagni said it would be “unfair not to explore student DJs.” SGA eventually cut the budget by $1,000.

SUAB proposed a new event, Sam the Ram’s Birthday, costing $6,000. The event was held once before, but is now

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March 6, 2015

SGA Allocates Over $17,000 for the Fashion Show

By Julia Sarcinelli Assistant News Editor

The fashion club received $17,590 from SGA for its sixth annual Radiance Fashion Show on April 24.

The cost for stage and lighting is $12,540. The remainder of the money will go towards chairs, t-shirts, music provided by DJ Skooby, a photographer, and a videographer.

The Fashion Club is also hosting the Avant Garde show that has previously been hosted by the Natick Mall. Framingham State students can submit their art, such as garments, art pieces, or photography, to be put on display and voted on by the audience members.

Wi Fi

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and Horace Mann Hall. Larned Hall will be updated during the spring or summer, Linsley Hall will be updated during the next school year, and Towers Hall will be completed the following summer.

“The biggest issue seems to have been the residence halls, as opposed to the academic facilities,” said Hamel. “I think it’s because of the type of traffic we’re seeing there.

We’re seeing a lot more uploading movies, and things like that, in the residence halls than in the academic buildings.”

The number of devices students have also affects Wi-Fi, according

The class of 2015 was allocated $5,238.75 for buses to Senior Week activities from Tuesday May 12 to Friday May 15. Tuesday’s trip to Providence, Rhode Island will cost $1,854 for two buses, Wednesday’s trip to Boston will cost $1,080 for one bus, Thursday’s trip to Mohegan Sun will cost $1,648 for two buses and Friday’s trip to Kimball’s Farm will cost $746.75 for two buses.

The Dance Team, in collaboration with The Hilltop Players, was allocated $3,000 for 500 T-shirts for the Week of the Arts. This will be the first Week of the Arts at FSU and will be “an appreciation for all the clubs and organizations involving any type of art on campus,” said

The Dance Team’s President Erin Ostromecky.

The Equestrian Club was allocated $1,725 for a trip to Bobby’s Ranch for trail rides. The trail ride costs $1,200 or 30 people, the bus will cost approximately $300 and lunches total $250.

Treasurer Michelle Kontoff said the trip, “is beginner friendly” and their last trip in November 2014 sold out.

In other news: • Fernando Rodriguez was sworn in as a senator for the Class of 2015.

• Riley Fallon was sworn in as the Beneficiary Chair.

• In the open forum Jorna McSwiggan expressed concern for

having a “Recharge Room” for commuter students to relax. SGA President, Kendall Valente, said they are in the process of updating the current student lounge in the McCarthy Center with “different wall paint and bigger sofas.” SGA Student Trustee Brandon Martinez said finding a new space might be possible.

• SGA’s Blood Drive will be April 24 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

• Senator of the Month was Senator Laura Cranshaw.

• E-Board member of the month was Class and Club Treasurer Kaylan Gibbons.

to Hamel. “If you’ve got additional cellular devices, and people are using that off of our Wi-Fi network, that puts demands on the system as well.”

Hobbs said that each access point has a capacity limit, and only so many devices can connect to it at the same time.

“When it was originally designed, students were coming with a laptop.

Now they’re coming with a laptop, a tablet, possibly a printer, possibly a phone. … The capacity is definitely an issue, and that’s one of the issues we’re trying to address here.”

He added that by increasing the access points on campus, students

will be able to use more devices.

The entire Wi-Fi upgrade was estimated to cost $600,000, but, according to Director of Systems and Networking Michael Zinkus, the project will end up costing less.

“I would estimate the total to be somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000,” said Zinkus.

The money is provided by the annual operating budget, which is a total of $3.1 million for this year, according to Hamel.

Katelyn Hanlon, a senior, said the Wi-Fi is “slow at some points, but I have noticed it getting a little faster.”

Sophmore Natalie Santana said

the Wi-Fi sometimes “just gives out randomly, even if I don’t have a lot of tabs open.”

She added, “I find myself disconnecting and reconnecting a lot.”

Sydney Young, a sophomore, said, “Last year [the Wi-Fi] was a lot worse, but it got better.”

Airi Tsugi, a junior, said “sometimes [the Wi-Fi] works well, but it depends,” on the location.

Junior Rahmat Udhnawala said the Wi-Fi gets weaker “when it’s busier in the day.”

Freshman Sarah Morgan said, “There is one room in Hemenway that’s really bad. My page wouldn’t load.”

Budget Meeting - Continued from page 3

airbrushed novelties, such as towels and draw string bags which will be given away at the event.

WDJM requested $5,200 for the event, but SGA sought to give $6,000 – an $800 increase.

“It is awesome we got more money.

We weren’t happy with what we had for activities,” Araya added.

Promotional items were allocated $1,200, including T-shirts and water bottles which will be given away at WDJM events.

The SGA budget for 2016 is to be determined. The funding will cover expenses for an administrative assistant, administrators’ forum, catering, Club Room II supplies, office furniture, general office supplies, fees, fines, licenses, permits, awards, Sam the Ram cleaning, water, hospitality tables, presidents’ council, promotional items, Sam the Ram, stations and walkie-talkies.

The rest of the budget will cover the All University Banquet, benevolence awards, CollegiateLink, Leadership Weekend, travel and conference, Week of Kindness, diversity and the Ram Handbook.

The largest sum from the budget is $17,000, which will be dedicated to travel and conferences.

Leadership Weekend was another debated event. A total of $6,000 is allocated for the event to pay for a camp deposit, buses, activities, snacks and supplies.

Parliamentarian Nate Stowes made a

motion to cut the budget in half because “going off campus for retreats is an insignificant allocation of the Student Activity Trust Funds, SATF, because it does not involve the entire student body as a whole.”

Although the motion did pass, the notion of publicizing the event to more students than just those in SGA was acknowledged by SGA senators.

The diversity line item was funded $8,000, increasing from last year.

“Co-sponsored events with SGA will have access to this money for diversity events,” said SGA President Kendall Valente. Our goal is to “bring all kinds of students together,” she said.

SGA has added a new event which requires $1,200 of the budget for fiscal year 2016 called Sam the Ram. SGA will use the allocated budget to hire two students to be Sam the Ram at important school events such as Black and Gold Beginnings, Employment and Enjoyment Fair and Homecoming weekend.

The salary will be $12 an hour and funds were allocated for up to 100 hours.

Thirty-eight of the hours will cover unanticipated events such as sports games.

Clubs are still allowed to use Sam the Ram for events, but during those times, the student wearing Sam the Ram costume will not be paid.

“We are trying to find an SGA or event member to escort Sam the Ram around at events,” said Valente.

March 6, 2015

6

The Gatepost Editorial

STEM initiative cultivates FSU’s academic excellence

Imagine if the next great scientist, the next big scientific breakthrough or the next revolutionary tech idea came out of little Framingham State University.

It’s certainly an exciting notion.

And with the state-of-the-art technologies currently being installed in Hemenway Hall scheduled to kick into life by the end of this year, Framingham’s already notable student and faculty scientists will soon be closer to making that fantasy a reality.

Now, that is not to say that 16 shiny new labs, however impressive and useful they may be, are going to launch FSU onto the national scientific stage out of the gates. Additionally, it would be an affront to our alma mater to allow this massive project to overshadow the rich history and equally rich present that Framingham State boasts in literature, education and other liberal arts or soft sciences - what we might think of as the powerful “right brain” of our community.

However, the Hemenway addition, as a physical manifestation of the nationwide initiative in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), in which Massachusetts is a distinguished participant, is a vital stepping-stone in stimulating our “left brain” and enhancing a much-needed region of our academic landscape. This would ultimately allow our university to shine as the dynamic and diverse institution it deserves to be, and which we, as its students, deserve to attend.

What FSU’s participation in the STEM educational initiative means on the ground, in the most basic sense, is that students and faculty will be able to perform the research and day-to-day scientific activities that allow them to excel as scientists and scholars, and craft meaningful and successful careers.

On the grandest scale, learning in a state-of-the-art environment allows for more elaboration on the established knowledge in a given field, which then opens the door for innovation that can lead to technological breakthroughs that can affect our nation, or even our world.

This is the aim of the Obama administration in allocating billions to STEM education - to elevate our country’s place on the world stage as a primary contributor to the technologies that are improving the quality of life in many ways.

For example, in the wake of Obama’s veto of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline (which would have originated in Canada and straddled the length of the U.S., carrying crude oil), the question is more prevalent and more passionately debated than ever: whether we should continue to rely on old, dangerous technologies in cornered markets to support something as fundamental as our energy source, or whether this is the time to invest in and expand new, clean, burgeoning facets of our technological and economic infrastructure.

The current administration in the White House has made its choice clear. And, by excitedly snatching up its share of STEM funding and raising what will be a stunning new science center, it seems FSU has as well.

For prospective science students looking to attend FSU, the Hemenway expansion, brought on by a rigorous dedication to the STEM initiative, will be a primary selling point. The students will, in turn, contribute to the well-being of our institution. Upon leaving with a top-of-the-line education, they will contribute to our national economy and technological prowess, allowing the U.S. to keep up with nations such as India and Germany which seem in ways futuristic to an American perspective in regards to public or private tech.

And so, just as FSU is more than likely to produce the next great writer, teacher or fashion designer, so too can it now add scientist, nurse or mathematician to the list.

Op/Ed

Wilfork now a free agent and will benefit any team

As a long-time fan of the New England Patriots, Vince Wilfork’s parting from my favorite sports team struck me in a peculiar way. He wrote a letter, which he posted on Twitter, about his feelings toward the Patriots organization and his thoughts moving into the next season. Until I read it, I didn’t fully realize how big of an impact he made on the team and on fans.

After 11 years with New England, the Pats opted not to pick up his contract, meaning he will be a free agent at the start of next season, according to a March 5 article by ESPN. As a defensive tackle for the Patriots, Wilfork won a pair of Super Bowls and is a five-time Pro Bowler, according to the article.

Wilfork’s presence affects the Patriots as much as Tom Brady’s. His level of play, as well as his personality, shapes the mindset of the entire organization. Without him, the Patriots’ defense will not be the same. The skills and attitude he brings to the team cannot be replaced, and because of that, we will not be watching the same team next year.

I do not believe anyone else can bring the combination of skill, joy and leadership to the Patriots’ defense which Wilfork supplies. Assuming he does not retire, seeing him wear a different jer-

sey will bring out mixed feelings within me – on the one hand, I will be happy that he’s still in the league, but on the other, it will be sad watching him play for another team.

I am most upset that money, rather than skill or age, caused Wilfork to move to free agency, and I still hope the Patriots will somehow manage to hold on to him.

Barring that improbability, however, he will be in a different uniform next season, and regardless of what that means for the Patriots, he will benefit any team he plays for in the future.

Brad Leuchte/The Gatepost

Mark Wadland Opinions Editor

We need something more than a note on the door

A few weeks ago, I drove to campus for what was supposed to be my only class for the day. As a commuter student, it’s sometimes difficult to find parking, but I managed to arrive early and find a decent parking space. I was in good spirits as I trudged up the sidewalk to reach the library. But my spirits dampened when I arrived at the classroom and saw a notification on the door informing me that class was canceled.

This wasn’t the first time this has happened during my time at Framingham State, and it probably won’t be the last. Nonetheless, it’s frustrating when I discover that I just drove to campus for no reason. While some professors send e-mail notifications when class is canceled, I don’t think “some” is enough - it should be done by all professors.

I’d like to stress that this is not a critique of professorial conduct, but a request for an additional method of notification. I realize that many students do not check their emails regularly, and therefore some professors are wary of using it as a system.

However, there is no reason for students not to be checking their email. Now that nearly everyone has a smart phone, students literally have access to their inbox at their fingertips.

Using email as a notification for class cancellation would not just prevent needless trips to campus, it would also encourage students to check their email more regularly. If an email was sent and students did not read it and ended up walking to class only to discover it was canceled, they would have

nobody to blame but themselves.

Which brings me to another point: this system would shift anger away from professors. I know many of my fellow students blame the professor for the inconvenience when they arrive at a class which isn’t going to be held. But if emails were used, the students would have had ample time to check their e-mail to see whether or not class was cancelled, and thus the professor would not be to blame.

Of course, I realize that this is not a perfect system. Sometimes emails don’t send or the website doesn’t load. But email is usually reliable and checking it often isn’t as much of a hassle as people make it out to be. And really, in this day and age, pieces of paper on a door shouldn’t be the sole method of notification.

Brad Leuchte/The Gatepost

Mark Strom Editorial Staff

The Gatepost welcomes submissions from students, faculty and staff for the Op/Ed page.

Please send submissions under 300 words to gatepost@framingham.edu.

The Gatepost editors reserve the right accept or reject submissions, and to edit spelling and grammar as is deemed necessary.

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

Op/Ed

march 6, 2015

7

Wash you going to do?

When I was a freshman one of the most difficult things I had to deal with was doing my laundry.

Seems like such a simple task, but I was faced with this problem every week. Not only was it a struggle then, but it’s still a struggle now. Some of the weeks, I would have to go without doing laundry in my building because all of the machines were broken, and I actually had to visit other buildings just to get it done.

Another issue with the FSU laundry system was the fact that I had to find a way to get quarters. I used to try local stores and restaurants to see if they could make change for me, but was humiliated and denied each time. Not only can FSU do better with fixing the machines, when they are down faster, but how about giving us a little break

by putting in a change dispenser?

This way, people will not have to go through the disappointment of trying to find how to obtain quarters to do their laundry. Through the years, I have found an easier solution to washing my clothes by just putting money on my RAMS card, instead of having to go through the quest to find quarters. All you need to do is log onto Blackboard. Go to FSU community on the upper right hand tab. Then click on FSU card account so you can then add money as RAMS cash. That way you can just swipe the card at the station in the laundry room and it will automatically be taken out of your account.

This may be an easier solution for how to pay for laundry, but sadly, it doesn’t help if all the washing

machines are broken down in the first place.

Courtesy Facebook.com

Shelby Wood Editorial Staff

Arts & Features

ARTS & FEATURES

March 6, 2015

7

Building a strong bond with a girl’s best friend The journey of FSU’s first resident guide dog

By Scott Calzolaio Arts & Features Editor Fawn makes her way through the crowded cafeteria back to the table that she and Dianna are sharing. She sticks her tongue out at everyone she walks by, and they all can’t help but smile. When Fawn gets back to her seat, she readily curls into a ball on the floor to take a quick nap, while Dianna eats her lunch.

Senior Dianna Leonard made Framingham State history last month when her guide dog, Fawn, moved into her first-story room in Peirce Hall. She is the first guide dog to live inside an FSU residence hall.

Sitting down with Leonard, it was easy to tell Fawn looked a little uncomfortable.

“She’s a little downtrodden today because it’s so cold out,” Leonard said, noticing Fawn’s gloominess as well. “She’s going to need a lot of playtime and cuddling today.”

Fawn and Leonard have been a team for a little over a month now. Leonard is legally blind and has been since birth.

“I was born prematurely,” she said. “I can see things a lot better up close. I can see colors and shapes and stuff, but anything beyond three feet just looks like a mass of colors and moving objects.”

She said the retina in her right eye is detached, leaving her with no vision in that eye. In her left, she only has limited vision.

Over the summer, Leonard contacted the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind (GDF) and applied for a dog of her own.

Fawn, a purebred yellow Labrador Retriever, started her journey in Smithtown, New York at the GDF where she was bred. When she was only seven weeks old, she was sent to Georgia Southern University, where she participated in a volunteer-based program sponsored by the GDF. In this program, students would teach their dogs basic obedience and housebreak them.

In addition, they were also required to take the dogs everywhere with them while they wore tiny guide-dog-intraining vests.

“They took her everywhere with them in Georgia - to supermarkets, to meet firefighters and other emergency personnel,” said Leonard.

After a full year, the students at Georgia Southern University had to part with the dogs they had gotten to know and love. The dogs were then shipped back to the GDF in New York where the training was kicked up a notch for another six months.

“If she showed any signs of aggression throughout that, she would be released from the program,” said Leonard.

“Even if she growled at someone or showed a lot of fear during a fireworks display or a thunderstorm. They monitored them like crazy when they had the Fourth of July and during storms.”

Meanwhile, back at Framingham State, Leonard had to complete some training of her own. In September, a representative from the GDF met with Leonard on campus to assess what kind of accommodations she would need in order to find a proper match for her. After proving she could navigate the campus safely and easily with a cane, the representative picked up the guide dog harness to simulate being led by one.

“He held onto one end, I held onto the handle and I gave him commands. I had to simulate giving him a correction if he did something wrong,” said Leonard.

Leonard was accepted into the program by the end of September. By November, the week of Thanksgiving, she received a phone call from GDF trainer Olivia Poff, who notified Leonard that a match for her had been found.

“Fawn is very ‘type A,’” said Poff. “She is a snuggly, silly puppy in her downtime, but when she is working, she takes it seriously. She really hates to make a mistake. I told Leonard this before she received her dog, and she exclaimed, ‘I’m the exact same way!’”

When matching guide dogs to their handlers, size and strength of the dog must be considered. Fawn is a mediumsized dog, which is good match for Leonard’s small frame

said Poff.

In January, Leonard went to Long Island to train with Poff for two weeks. The bond between Leonard and Fawn “came natural” after only two short days of being together, said Leonard.

“When I was in training, they were so surprised at how she and I worked as a team. I guess we just clicked really well,” she said.

“They asked me, ‘Are you sure you’ve never had a guide dog?’

And I said,

Photo courtesy of Dianna Leonard

‘No, I’ve never had a guide dog. I’ve never had any dog actually. Why?’ They said, ‘Well, you look like you’ve been a team for two years.’”

In training, Leonard and Fawn were woken up at six in the morning, and had an hour to get themselves ready for the day. After feeding Fawn and taking her outside by 7:00, Leonard stopped briefly for breakfast before going for their two morning walks. By noon, the group was back for lunch, before going on two more walks in different locations than in the morning. At five in the evening, the group was back for dinner.

“The training got more intense as the week went on,” said Leonard. “We went in to busier areas. We went to Queens for a while and did a lot of crowd work and traffic work there.”

Poff said, “The work is often physically demanding. We average walking 10 miles a day.”

Despite “some of the worst weather conditions,” according to Poff, “the team dominated each and every challenging environment from mall settings, heavy crowd work,

escalators, a college campus, subways - you name it, they achieved it.”

Every evening at 6:30, Leonard was required to attend a lecture for an hour. The rest of the night was for playtime, which often incorporated small doses of obedience training for Fawn.

Leonard said, “It was all very exciting,” sneaking glances down at Fawn, who was dozing off on the floor.

“Everything has been so amazing,” said Leonard. “I can’t even describe it. I just have so much more independence, and I just feel so much more confident.”

A guide dog with the training that Fawn has gone through costs about $50,000, but Leonard did not have to pay a penny, not even for her stay in New York.

“This is paid for by the Guide Dog Foundation through grants and donations because they are nonprofit,” said Leonard. “I didn’t have to pay for anything. They covered my airfare, they covered my stay, they paid for her and they covered all my meals.”

Today, Fawn helps Leonard not only with basic navigation, but also with everyday tasks, such as finding a seat to eat during lunch, or finding a vending machine.

“She knows what elevators and escalators are, and she knows how to find crosswalks - that was part of her guide dog training,” said Leonard. “She even found a crosswalk for me in the blizzard, when the streets were covered in snow.”

According to Leonard, even the winter has been “1,000 times better” than it would have been if she did not have Fawn.

“She knows to take me around, or to stop when there are snow banks in the way, and to find an alternative route,” she said. “Any time there’s ice in front of us she will stop, so I’ll reach my foot out and see that there’s ice. Then she’ll walk at the crawl of a snail over the ice.”

Fawn’s cuteness might cause people to run over to pet her, but Leonard asks that such temptations are resisted, because Fawn is likely working, and it could be hazardous if she were to be distracted.

“Essentially, Fawn is performing the same task as a cane,” said Director of Disability Services and Co-Director of CASA Ladonna Bridges. “And no one would ever think of touching the cane of a visually impaired or blind individual.”

Bridges admitted that Fawn “is adorable, especially in her snow booties,” but she emphasized that guide dogs are not pets - they are working animals.

“I would love for students and the campus community as a whole to become familiar with common etiquette recommended for service animals,” said Bridges.

“I believe this will be more common on our campus, and we are happy about that,” she said. “We have another current student who has applied for a guide dog, and I’ve received an inquiry from a prospective student as well.”

The leather harness that Fawn wears helps Leonard get a more accurate feel for where Fawn is heading, opposed to using a leash.

“The harness is what puts her into work mode,” Leonard said. “Once she is in harness, I am the only one who is allowed to touch her.”

When it comes to basic guide dog etiquette, Leonard said, “a lot of people have been really good about it, but some people are like, ‘Oh my God, dog!’”

Leonard said that if someone tries to pet or talk to Fawn, she reacts to it by moving toward them, or just not listening to the commands that Leonard is giving her. In those cases, she has “to give a correction, which is a pop back on the leash and harness. It doesn’t hurt her, it’s just like a ‘Hey, focus.’ ... The main thing is to just ignore her when she has her harness on.”

But when it comes to distractions, just like everything else, “Fawn’s really great about it. ... She’s a superstar worker.”

Leonard said in just one short month, “The bond has been so immediate. ... A real stable bond takes six months to a year, but we already have a really great one. I just really love this dog.”

Q&A

8

By Kaila Braley Editor-in-Chief

Arts & Features

with Douglas Starr

First off, could you describe for us a little bit about your background and what led you to your current position?

That’s a long and complicated path.

Typical of our grad students - you know I run a graduate program. So, as a kid, I read National Geographic, and I wanted to be one of those guys who travels the world and writes about it. That ended up coming true. And I also was good at writing in foreign languages and science, which the educational system has trouble with. So, actually, in college, I majored in French literature so I could write about literature in another language, but I left enough holes in my schedule so I could have the equivalent of a major in zoology. Then after graduating, I got a job in the remote part of the desert in Israel, where I was studying desert life, and then came back, and I was involved in a Ph.D. at Duke in marine biology. And one year into that, I decided that I really was a writer, so I started doing some articles about science for the undergraduate newspaper. And then I left, and then I got a job working for the EPA in Connecticut as a writer, so I was sort of making the transition from the world of science and environmental studies to writing, and then I went to grad school. And then my first job was at the Cincinnati newspaper as an environmental writer. And then I came back to Boston, freelanced. And then took over this project in 1990. So for science writers, it’s often this kind of zig zag-y thing because there’s no real science writing track. And we often go back and forth between scientists and writers to find where we’re meant to be.

Your article “The Interview” [recently published in The New Yorker] doesn’t seem to relate to the hard sciences, but rather psychology. What was your motivation to begin that story?

Another long story. So I wrote this book, about five years ago, called “The Killer of Little Shepherds.” … It’s the story of the people who invented forensic science in the 1890s, and the serial killer who they caught. It’s sort of one of these thrillers, but it’s true. It took place in Europe. So I was really interested in the history of science and medicine, and I got into that story, which was a huge adventure because I had to go back and forth to France to research it. …

So that got me interested in this whole issue of forensic science, because I was in on how it was invented. And then for magazine articles, I started looking into it, and it turns out that a lot of forensic science is tradition and not really science, so there’s a whole series of bad science.

There’s arson, bite mark, hair analysis, fiber analysis. A lot of this stuff is intuitively true but it’s never been proven and a lot of it’s been disproven, especially like arson. So I started doing articles about problems with forensic science. I did a very big one on arson. I did some others.

I did one for Discover magazine about the problem with witness identification.

When you see somebody in a lineup and you think it’s the guy, more often than not, it’s not the guy. Part of the problem is when they show you a photo array of six, they call it a six pack, what you’re really doing is comparison shopping. Rather than pick the right guy, you’re going to

March 6, 2015

Starr discussed need for sciencebased interviewing techniques

pick somebody who’s more like the guy than the others. So psychologists are suggesting a sequential line up. There are all sorts of ways that memory is not reliable.

So I was talking to the scientist about that, and I said there must be something else, and he said, “Look into false confession.” …

I’ve been on this real thing on the past five years about the dysfunctional relationship between science and the law.

A lot of what passes for science in the courtrooms is either outmoded science or it doesn’t hold up. And that’s a problem.

Have you gotten much negative feedback?

I’ve been astonished by the positive feedback I got from this article. I have been astonished how much of it has come from the police. I’ve gotten emails from police, of course defense attorneys, counterintelligence agents, military people and the standard letter was, “This has been bothering me for years.

Finally somebody wrote about it. We’re so glad this came out.” The only negative feedback came from the president of the company. They weren’t happy. But they didn’t sue me or anything because it was true.

They were so stupid. I interviewed Joe Buckley in Chicago. The main scientist, Saul Kassin, said, “You know, why don’t you just integrate modern psychology and call it the new and improved Reid technique?” And I asked Joe Buckley about that, and he said, “No, we don’t believe in that.” I asked, “Have you ever consulted a psychologist in the history of this company?” and he said, “Nope. Never.” … They got a business plan and they don’t want to mess with it.

What do you consider as one of your greatest accomplishments?

Not being a jerk. I don’t see how I could answer that. That’s not for me to say. I’ve got kids who are reasonably nice guys.

What have been some of the biggest challenges of your career?

Well, I think the two books. And the first book in particular, that was a bitch.

So, that was - I don’t know if you saw my website – it’s called “Blood and the Epic History of Medicine and Commerce.” …

That took seven years, travelling in nine countries, working by myself or with different people in seven languages, and that was a killer.

I got a call from a friend in Denver, who always wants me to go out there and go skiing and climbing with him.

This happens when you’re a journalist, you’ll see. And I’m up for it. And he said, “There’s a company out there working on a formula for artificial blood - wouldn’t that be a cool article?” And I called them and I thought, “That’d be cool,” and then I thought, “What’s the market for this stuff?” And I ended up calling this old guy who had been in the business for a long time. He says, “Oh, blood. Didn’t you know about this secret laboratory, just up the street from you during World War II?” I go, “No.” So, it turns out, there was, because the Americans were dividing blood into plasma and the Germans weren’t, and we had these resources that they didn’t have, and -Continued on page 11

Jeff Poole/The Gatepost

Science journalist Douglas Starr discussed his work investigating police interrogation techniques which have led to false confessions.

By Kaila Braley Editor-in-Chief A parent’s worst nightmare: an infant is rushed to the emergency room because of fatal brain swelling.

An emergency room doctor, who hadn’t slept for 48 hours, told the police officers who arrived at the hospital that an injury like that must have been caused by trauma from the child being beaten.

The police then questioned the infant’s father, Adrian Thomas, for 10 hours, lying to him and dismissing his denials until he finally confessed to hurting his child. He was sentenced to 25 to life.

Thomas never hit his son.

The baby’s brain swelling was caused by an infection, and Thomas’ false confession in 2008 was reported in the documentary “Scenes of a Crime” - a film that journalist Douglas Starr used to examine the interrogation strategy used by some police officers, the Reid technique, which he has investigated and found has elicited many false confessions from suspects.

Starr, a science journalism professor in Boston University’s graduate program who recently published an article titled “The Interview” which detailed this interrogation strategy in The New Yorker, presented his findings at FSU on Tuesday, March 3 in DPAC. Starr went through the process of being trained by the Reid technique, signing up at a professor, and hiding the fact that he is a journalist.

The main facets of the Reid technique are watching body language, dismissing denials, offering the suspect a moral excuse, lying about evidence and producing a confession.

The technique is a mixture of “maximization,” which means ignoring the denial, and “minimization,” which means offering a justification and understanding for the crime, he said.

He added this is a “myth-based technique,”

meaning it’s based on false science such as body language and apparent agitation compared to “science-based techniques,” which are founded on actual proven psychology.

English professor Sam Witt asked at the end of the presentation about the psychology of the police officers, and why they “seem so dug in in this country” and didn’t seem to understand the harm of what they were doing.

Starr said he thinks the police officers “want to do the right thing but are trained badly.”

He added that he expects to see “some progress” in the next 50 years, but not a significant amount.

Starr interviewed a lawyer for the Police Benevolent Association who, Starr said, explained that “our system is so adversarial.

There always has to be a winner and a loser.”

He added that the American police system is more difficult to change on a large scale because unlike the British system, it is not centralized.

In the presentation, Starr also discussed an alternative option used in England which is called PEACE. “It’s based on the understanding that lying is not anxiety-producing, but it is a cognitive load,” Starr said. This means, if people are asked about the details of their stories over and over again, and if they are lying, they will slip up and the buildup of inconsistencies will condemn them.

This system takes British police officers years of training to master. The American police system doesn’t require training for interviewing at all.

Senior Craig Boland said, “It was eyeopening to see the varying techniques of interrogation. Seeing how the U.S. simply wants a confession, whereas the U.K. actually looks for the truth, it probably made a lot of people rethink the justice system in this country.”

Senior Matt Davis said, “It was interesting how flawed the standard practice of interro-Continued on page 11

MARCH 6, 2015

Arts & Features

Students, faculty anticipate new science labs

9

-Continued from page 1 This bureaucratic chain of research, approval, financing, design, and construction ends with the students and their professors, who do the work that the STEM initiative embodies.

Faculty members such as food science Professor Vinay Mannam have felt the effects of the initiative, noticing high enrollment in the sciences.

“With consistent increase in the number of students taking science courses, there’s high demand for lab space,” he said, “so the addition will be a great boost.”

Unfortunately, FSU’s current labs and technology seem to lack the quality to live up to the brio of campus scientists.

“Right now many of our teaching and research spaces are rather depressing in how old and outdated they are,” said biology Professor Aviva Liebert. “What I think will be the main benefit of the expansion is the modern upgrades to the new biology laboratories.”

Not only are the labs outdated, Liebert said, but workspaces in 53-year-old Hemenway Hall often lack basic modern teaching tech, such as LCD projectors, document cameras and even power outlets.

“I am looking forward to teaching in a bright and modern space that better suits the needs of our science courses,” Liebert said.

Mannam said that, “For faculty, I expect we can get more time to prepare for labs. Currently, with labs being used all the time, the time for dedicated and intensive preparation for faculty is very minimal.

“With this extension, I hope to fully utilize our lab space and enhance student lab experience,” he added.

Senior biology major Taylor Tocci said the new rooms in Hemenway will “attract more potential students because of the advances in technology they will have,” and teachers will be able to do “more varied” types of projects. Specifically, Tocci said, the enhanced climate control systems throughout the building will be vital.

“Some experiments need a constant temperature for

them to work,” she said. “Plus, who wants to be on the 5th floor of Hemenway when its 95 degrees?”

Kat Donovan, a senior environmental science major, also discussed this need for increased efficiency in students’ ability to do their necessary work. Donovan is currently working on a thesis project for which she has to conduct her own research and experiments.

Of the new workspace and tech, Donovan said, “It will probably make it easier to get things done on time and more efficiently, which would give better results for me overall as a science student.”

Senior environmental science major Rachel DeFronzo described her frustration at occasionally having to use old or makeshift scientific equipment.

She said that, for future STEM students at FSU, “It’s going to be nice to have new equipment and clean labs.

The labs are fine now, but they’re just old.”

“It’s definitely going to be more attractive to prospective science students,” she added.

Bailey McLernon, a junior chemistry major, said, “Not only will the current students benefit, but these new lab facilities could be a major enticement to students considering Framingham State University in a STEM major. The new addition onto Hemenway Hall will certainly benefit both the science students and the faculty.”

Perhaps the most in need of improved facilities is FSU’s burgeoning nursing department, as described by nursing professor Susan Conrad, who has been involved in the design of the expansion’s nursing wing since 2009.

Currently, FSU’s nursing program - both graduate and undergraduate - operates out of a single classroom in Hemenway and a lab in the basement of Dwight Hall, Conrad said. These two rooms act as their classroom as well as their simulation room, which recreates in detail an actual hospital room for maximum authenticity.

However, upon completion of the Hemenway expansion, the nursing department will preside over an entire

hallway, increasing the working space for nursing education by roughly five times.

“Just space and size-wise, it’s significant,” she said.

“But what’s going in is even more significant.”

The new nursing suite will feature a new classroom, an expanded physical assessment lab, three simulation rooms (including one-way mirrors for supervision), a debriefing room for post-exam discussion, utility rooms and a control room to monitor all aspects of the students’ work.

“The most important thing about these additions is that, in order for nurses to learn, it has to be as close to the real thing as possible,” Conrad said.

Conrad described how this state-of-the-art addition will “essentially double our undergraduate program.

“It’s just amazing,” she said. “Quite wonderful.”

Although Hemenway’s new additions will certainly raise the bar for Framingham State’s involvement in the sciences, FSU alumni, such as 2012 graduate Alex Martin, a food and nutrition major while here, have said that it is not the only facet to a quality science education.

“It’s great to have state-of-the-art equipment, and state universities should have respectable laboratories.

But in my opinion, the quality of education roots more from the faculty than it does from the equipment,” Martin said. “It’s all about having great people in your organization.”

Martin, a registered dietician now pursuing his master’s at Harvard Extension School, said that some chemistry students from his class have described having to adapt in the working world to labs more basic than FSU’s current standard. The quality of instruction, Martin said, is what means the most.

He added, “Expensive eyeglasses don’t necessarily make you a better reader, right?”​

Brad Leuchte/The Gatepost

Labs such as these in the new addition to Hemenway Hall will act as the premier research and experimentation space for student and faculty in the sciences at Framingham State. There will be 16 new labs in total, which will be open for use by the end of the summer.

10

Arts & Features

MARCH 6, 2015

Domingo Martinez, author of the memoirs “The Boy Kings of Texas” and “My Heart is a Drunken Compass” shared segments of his writing and his journey to success with the FSU community.

Martinez described his controverisal life as a Mexican-American author from the barrio.

Danielle Vecchione /The Gatepost

Students examine and discuss Martinez’s work

By Cesareo Contreas Interim Asst. Arts & Features Editor A Diversity Dialogue was held in the Multicultural Center on Thursday, Feb. 19 to discuss the life and works of Mexican-American author Domingo Martinez.

Professor Carlos Martinez, an FSU academic diversity fellow in the English Department, led the event and detailed Domingo Martinez’s early and often difficult childhood.

Domingo Martinez grew up on the Mexican and US border in Brownsville, Texas, according to Carlos Martinez. He explained that Domingo Martinez was a bright student who struggled to find direction in the impoverished community he lived in and seemed like “a fish out of water.” Carlos Martinez said that universities near the Texas-Mexican border lacked proper funding until around the late 1980s.

“So this is a snapshot into a kind of author who really grew up in a impoverished, difficult circumstance on the border and has managed to overcome so many of these obstacles and make it,” Carlos Martinez said Students were handed excerpts from Domingo Martinez’s memoir, “The Boy Kings of Texas.” In the excerpt, Domingo Martinez recounted how his sisters pretended to be blonde, white American girls for a period of their lives. Students followed along in their handouts while they listened to Domingo Martinez read this excerpt out loud in an episode of a “This American Life” podcast. They did so to hear the tone and inflections Domingo Martinez used to speak his written words.

Domingo Martinez’s sisters believed that being white was a defining characteristic of wealth and success in America.

They put this idea into practice when they attempted to transform themselves into blonde, white American girls and called themselves “The Mimis.” However, after being sent to California to work as grape pickers to help pay the bills, they stopped referring to themselves as “The Mimis.” The excerpt closed with Domingo Martinez expressing how, in the end, his sisters’ fantasy made his family feel American.

Following the presentation, a discus-

sion was then had concerning the text and a focus was placed on how accents, inflections and race play a role in how people see each other.

Mark Sinons, a freshman, said he appreciated the way in which Martinez spoke and used his voice to convey his sisters’ voices and found the journey of finding themselves interesting.

Carlos Martinez expanded on Sinons’ point and made the observation that when Domingo Martinez quoted his sisters, he made them sound like MexicanAmerican girls rather than young white American women.

Carlos Martinez stated that people are often judged by the manner in which they speak and those with different forms of speech are thought as “different.” He used his own life story as an example.

“So I’m from San Antonio, and when we would meet people from Laredo, you knew immediately when you would meet people from the border. They would say, ‘Realeee? Come on, realeee?’ and that stigmatizing sound created everything anybody needed to know about you in that room. And it was really hard to overcome that sound. The sound of your voice. Making all these people judge you before you had a chance to actually explain yourself,” Carlos Martinez said.

Campbell Marchant, a freshman, made the observation that perhaps Domingo Martinez himself had a fascination with being white. Marchant also said he believed that race shouldn’t determine someone’s outcome and people shouldn’t stereotype themselves due to their race.

“By profiling yourself you are putting yourself at a disadvantage,” he said.

Kathy Martinez, the director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence, observed that race and class are often intertwined and that the author and his sisters may have just been trying to upgrade their social class.

“It seemed like this group wanted to assimilate to a higher class. They wanted Jordache jeans. They wanted labels.

They wanted money. Isn’t that the American dream?” Kathy Martinez said.

“There’s that intersection of class and race that I find interesting too. You don’t want to speak a certain way because people will ascribe you to a lower class and then further, a lower racial category,” she said.

Domingo Martinez speaks about classism, poverty and becoming an author

By Phillip McMullin Staff Writer Domingo Martinez, author of the memoirs “The Boy Kings of Texas” and “My Heart is a Drunken Compass,” spoke about his struggles as a Mexican-American author on Feb. 26 in the Ecumenical Center.

The event was organized by the Arts and Ideas Committee as part of the “And Justice for All Series.” According to FSU’s website, the series is intended to prompt students to “consistently interrogate what we mean by ‘justice.’”

Martinez grew up in Brownsville, Texas, as a member of a MexicanAmerican family in the barrio. He linked anecdotes about his family and personal life with broader themes of racism and classism.

“What my place is here, standing in front of you and in the developing pantheon of black and Latino writers, is mostly to complicate your assumptions,” he said.

Martinez read his short story, “The Mimis.” The story focuses on his two sisters, Marge and Mary, who decided to “completely reinvent themselves” by dying their hair blonde, calling each other “Mimi” and acting like white, wealthy Americans, despite their class and ethnicity.

According to Martinez, the rest of the family “played along” with the sisters until the family trucking company failed and the sisters had to become migrant workers in California vineyards.

When this happened, Marge and Mary dropped the act.

“Sadly,” said Martinez, “I think it was childhood’s end for the Mimis.”

During a Q&A session, one member of the audience asked Martinez, “Do you think the color of your skin has an affect on what you can do in life?”

“I now think it’s all classism,” Martinez said. When he was growing up, however, he would blame unequal treatment on racism. “But then,” he added, “there would always be this influx of incredibly wealthy Mexicans who would come in, and they were treated just as well as everyone else all the white people.”

Despite this, Martinez said he still believes racism is “alive and prevalent, everywhere.”

Martinez described his life as a Mexican-American author.

He said he decided to write his own book after listening to Maya Angelou speak at former President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. She spoke about wanting to read a book about a young black girl in Chicago that reflected her experience. Martinez realized that nobody was writing about his narrative, about “drinking, fighting and screwing on the border of Texas.” Martinez decided that he would be the one to write that narrative.

His journey to become an author was difficult. Martinez never graduated college - a decision he said was a major challenge and setback. He had never taken a writing class and knew nobody in the publishing industry.

However, he used this setback as motivation to work harder.

“I was going to get here somehow,” he said. “I just took the hardest frickin’ path to here that I could possibly create for myself.”

His hard work has paid off. Early in his career, Martinez is already a New York Times best-selling author. Also, his memoir, “The Boy Kings of Texas,” is in the process of being reimagined and converted into an HBO series.

Martinez’s work has also made him a controversial figure, because his memoirs have called attention to some negative aspects of Mexican-American culture. Some have even called him a “self-hating Mexican-American.”

Despite facing criticism for his work, Martinez is resilient.

“I’m a big fan of the phrase ‘selfhatred,’” he said. “I think any healthy personality type actually has a good dose of self-hatred in them. You can call it self-hatred, or you can call it ambition.”

Arts & Features

MARCH 6, 2015

11

“Dear White People” premieres at FSU

By Danielle Butler Staff Writer “Dear White People,” directed by Justin Simien, debuted at FSU last Wednesday, hosted by Kathy Martinez, director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence (formerly known as the Multicultural Center) and communication arts Professor Robert Johnson.

The event was also in collaboration with the Black Student Union, who used their meeting time to join in for the screening.

The crowd of about forty guests seemed to be enthralled by the film. While it was playing, there were many great moments of laughter, shock and “ooo’s” and “ah’s” from the audience.

At the end of the film, Johnson led a discussion beginning by asking the audience for a general reaction.

Sophomore Cassandra Teneus said, “Well, I think it’s very real and very informative because a lot of people think that racism doesn’t happen just because you might not face it directly.”

Teneus confirmed from her own experience when she said, “There’s a lot of racist stuff going on, and some people find it hard

-Continued from page 8

to believe like, ‘Oh my God - this is happening in 2015?’ It is happening, and it is really real.”

The film’s main character Sam White, faced a similar issue. Sam had to go through extreme circumstances for her peers at Winchester University to even claim knowledge of the race issues plaguing their institution.

Another character’s story in the film, Lionel Higgins, a student of Winchester, brings up the discussion of sexuality and what it means to him in the college setting.

Junior Nuzaiba Haider commented, “I think this movie had a great concept of not just talking about race issues but it’s also about sexuality and sexual orientation and just combining that together.”

Senior Julianna Marra said, “I really liked the critique of the media. You [the media] are portraying black couples as the stereotype that are either having sex, or they’re fighting. We have real relationships. We have depth. We have real conversations. Why aren’t you showing that?”

Although some characters display specific stereotypical behavior by Sam White’s

Q&A

they were sort of secret, and he said, ‘Oh, yeah, you got to find out about the Cone (check) Lab, and then I said, ‘Well, now I’ve pushed it back to the 1940s. I wonder how far back this goes?’ And it turns out that, in searching literature, the first real transfusion took place in 1667, in France, and it was this big, controversial thing, and I got the paper, and went, “Well, this is interesting!” And, as I looked at it, I thought, “Woah!”

Of course, this was the height of the AIDS epidemic, and then, during the seventies the market for blood and plasma was huge because they were developing all these markets for plasma. So, they would open up plasma centers in skid rows, and then, when that became a problem, they started opening up plasma centers in Central America to get plasma from the people there. And, I’m thinking “What does this remind me of? A really important liquid, that’s worth a lot of money, that people are getting from all over the world. Oil!” … This isn’t a medical story - this is a natural resource story, and I’ve got this epic on my hands.

So, I wrote a proposal, got the advance and I was off on seven years, and it was hard, because there’s four-hundred years of history.

The World War II stuff was unbelievable, and it was from people in their nineties, who I would interview and then they’d be dead. Not from me - from old age. I was like, “Woah, this was about to be lost to history!” I mean, literally, repeatedly this happens. And then the whole part about how people with hemophilia were getting AIDS. So, I was absorbing all of their grief, and hopelessness, and despair, and anger, and it was just emotional. It was horrible.

Did you feel that getting close to the sources made that happen, or just the number of sources? How did you deal with that?

This is a good lesson for journalists repeated contact is very important. I find that my graduate students, w hen they call people, feel like they pester them, and I don’t know if you guys ever feel

like that on an off day. And that, when you call them back a second time, “You know, you said this in the interview, but I’m not sure if that made sense,” or you feel you don’t want to make that second call. That second call is so important, and it’s the opposite of what you think, because if you called me – if I went home – and you called me saying, “This is Kaila.

You know, we talked about something.

I’m not sure if I got everything.” She’s interested. So, repeated contact is really helpful for us journalists.

So, in terms of the whole situation with AIDS, because I’d been working on this story for years, people were confident in me. At the same time, it’s very important to let them know you’re not one of them.

So, I remember at one point, one of the guys who was a leader went “You know Doug, this is really important to me, because you’re telling our story.” And I could just feel things beginning to get into a place where I thought, “You know what? There’s no way I’m not going to disappoint them.” And I said, “I’m going to have to clear something up here. I’m telling the story that I’m getting - it may not necessarily be your story. If you want to tell your story, OK. I don’t want to set up false expectations that I’m telling your story as you know it.’ Because a lot of their story was kind of paranoid, because they were all victimized and dying. So, it wasn’t quite right. I said, “I need you to know that.”

So, that’s why I tell my students, “Journalism isn’t about love. It’s not important that your sources like you. It’s about respect.”

And years later, because the book also condemns some people - and there were some people in France because the story took place all over the world - who did some pretty negligent things, in retrospect. And I was at a big conference giving a talk, and one of those doctors was there. And afterwards, he came up to me.

And I thought “Oh, man, this is uncomfortable.” He said, “You know, I read your book.” And … he says, “And I didn’t like it. But I respected it.” I said, “OK.” [See full interview online on The Gaetpost’s website.]

definition of an “oofda,” a “one hundred” or a nose job, or even how she is perceived as a “red-bone.” We also get to know these characters. Simien addressed stereotypes, not by excluding the behaviors, but by allowing audiences to see the person behind the actions.

“Sometimes black people add to the stereotype,” said Theresa Weirsgall, a 2006 alumni. “So, if people would just stop adding to how bad their stereotypes could be, and just be like ‘We’re educated. We know it’s important to be educated. Let’s stop making fun of ourselves’.”

Weirsgall said, “I know sometimes they just want to laugh at some of the jokes but why can’t we just all be educated and not make ourselves look worse?”

The room took on a very specific brand of silent intensity after Weirsgall spoke.

Sophomore Paola Florencio, broke the silence, responding to the alumni’s comments. “I’m not sure I get your point,” Florencio began. “So what you’re trying to say is that black people should,” she paused, “That’s white supremacy, that’s not understanding.”

“This could get interesting,” said Kathy Martinez.

After Weirgsall reiterated her point, Johnson said, “There’s a certain amount of authenticity for you to have, based on where you’re from, what you do, where you live, who you hang out with. The more authentic you are, the more ‘black’ you are, the more ‘Italian’ you are, the more ‘French’ you are. Point being, that everybody has these kinds of interest prejudices, the film talks about it.”

In response to Weirgsall, Martinez said, “We are aware of what people are saying about us and we want to put that out in our own space.”

Martinez advised students to bring these topics up in their daily lives, unafraid to make progress.

“You can potentially start that dialogue to learn,” said Johnson. “You have hopefully four years, maybe more depending, to take the time learn as much as you can about people who are different from you because once you get out into the real world you don’t have time for that.”

Starr

-Continued from page 8 gation in the U.S. is - especially the fact that officers can lie to get a confession.”

Senior Brittany Wallace said, “It brought to my attention how misleading the United States justice system is. With the shocking facts of the high false confession rates and seeing actual footage of the interrogation process, it all just made me question how come nothing has been done.”

Senior Aliana Ciampa said, “Starr gave a really informative, and in some ways disheartening, presentation of the reality of

some of the practices employed during interrogation in a time when trust towards the police is at a low.”

Senior James Lindsey said, “I liked the advocation for a reasoning-based approach to getting information rather than an intimidation-based approach. Reasoning people through their own stories is a much more accurate and respectful way to locate fallacies than scaring people into saying what you want to hear will ever be.”

Arts & Features

12

MARCH 6, 2015

Campus Conversations

What is your pr epar ation plan for midterms?

“A lot of studying, and a lot of Youtube.”

- Greg Rainville, senior

By Danielle Butler & Danielle Vecchione

“Listening to music to clear my mind and getting a good workout at the gym, then studying.”

- Jamar Nelson, sophomore

“Depending on the subject, I’ll just go into it.”

“I think I’ll study right after I’m done procrastinating.”

- David Kantor, freshman

- Alyssa Costa, freshman

“A lot of intense studying and a lot of rewards.”

- Sarah Mogran, freshman

“I’m going home this weekend.

Getting away before I get ready to lose all my energy and brainpower.”

- Joselina Fontes, junior

Edited by Timothy E. Parker March 6, 2015 MASS CONFUSION By Tim Burr ACROSS 1 Better than better 5 Lustful looker 10 “Buona ___” (Italian greeting) 14 With the bow, to a violinist 15 “Mine eyes have seen the ___ ...”

16 Ball of yarn 17 .035 ounces 18 Ross of the Supremes 19 Split or tear 20 Hard-to-understand voicemail, e.g.

23 In-flight announcement, for short 24 “First off ...”

25 Have a view 27 Synagogue bigwig 29 Gunfighter’s “Go!” 32 Program interruption?

33 From Qatar or Kuwait 36 Antecedent to margarine 37 William Hurt film of 1980 40 Four-hand piano piece 41 Do a spot check 42 $20 bill dispenser, briefly 43 To the right, on the map 44 Damage beyond repair 48 Jokey stuff

50 52 53 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66

Feathered bigfoot Fool’s gold, e.g.

Some literary flubs Misfortunate Boleyn Contradict, as testimony Elevator pioneer Good at dodging questions Negative terminal Turning counterclockwise “When all ___ fails, read the directions” In perfect order, as a piano Genesis locale

DOWN 1 Grocery store employee 2 Typesetting mistakes 3 Gem of a beetle 4 King Tut’s resting place 5 Utah city 6 Tango movement 7 The good earth?

8 Atlantic bird 9 Some shaggy rugs 10 Machine shop refuse 11 Meeting all the requirements 12 Business incomes 13 Astonish

Last issue’s solutions:

21 France’s longest river 22 Babe’s mom, for one 26 Id’s counterpart 28 Matted cotton sheet 29 Accomplished, Biblical style 30 Make a grating sound 31 You’ll get a hand for it 34 Part of an oratorio 35 Vereen and Franklin 36 Von Bismarck 37 Fall-like 38 Migratory rodents 39 Become troublesome 40 Morse code word 43 Before, back and forth 45 Blew the horn 46 Become a celeb 47 Teaching session 49 Daisy type 50 Practice piece for one instrument 51 Beat, in chess 54 Undeleted expletive 55 Diner’s card 56 Black, as piano keys 57 Doughnut center 58 “Detective” role for Jim Carrey

March 6, 2015

Ferr or Foul?

Sports

13

Let the madness begin

By Mike Ferris Sports Editor

Sunday, the calendar page turned and March was upon us.

Some would say so what? But for college basketball fans this means the NCAA Tournament, the Big Dance, March Madness.

Year after year, millions of people, including President Obama, fill out a bracket in hopes of predicting the winner. Some do it for fun, some for money and some just to make the tournament that much more exciting.

Some conference tournaments are upon us, while some of the major conferences, like the ACC and Big Ten, are less than a week away. This means it’s about that time to start giving some early predictions.

The 2015 tournament has some things that are definite, but unlike years past, many things that are up in the air for debate.

For starters, John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats (30-0) are a shoo-in to get a number one seed. The University of Virginia, who has lost once this year, to Duke, looks like a lock to grab one too.

While the other two number one seeds are still up for debate, I am telling you Villanova and Wisconsin will snag these slots.

For this scenario to happen, Wisconsin will have to jump Duke in rankings, but Virginia is looking more and more like the ACC favorites, which would mean the Blue Devils will fall once more.

Wisconsin will capitalize on Duke’s falter, and led by its seven-foot, Wooden Award Watch center, Frank Kaminsky, the Badgers will finalize their resume with a Big Ten Championship and a number one seed.

For Villanova, the path is much straighter, win out, including the Big East Tournament, and the Wildcats are destined to grab the remaining top seed.

Kansas, Gonzaga and Arizona could also vie for one seeds, but the Jayhawks have too many losses, the Bulldogs are doomed by their loss to BYU and the Wildcats’ resume just requires someone ahead of them to stumble.

While all of these teams are locks, the bubble is heavily occupied this year. Despite what bracketologist Joe Lunardi is saying, UCLA, Texas, BYU and Indiana will be the last four teams to sneak into the dance, while Davidson, Temple, Tulsa and Miami will fall short.

UCLA looks good of late.

The Bruins beat USC last week, captured a bye in the Pac-12 Tournament and looking ahead should have a conference tournament semifinal matchup against Arizona, a win that would surely put them in.

Another debatable team, Texas, should be in if it takes care of business in the last week of the season.

Despite close loss after close loss to resume-building teams, the Longhorns play Kansas State Saturday, a win they must secure to have any shot.

As was mentioned earlier, BYU beat the then-thirdranked Gonzaga Bulldogs, a win that may just be enough to sneak in. With that being said, the Cougars can’t slip up in the WCC Tournament next week- they could have to reach the finals of that tournament to get into March Madness.

Indiana appears to be safe, while Miami has stumbled one too many times.

Davidson, Temple and Tulsa just don’t have the resumes needed to reach the madness. That’s the downside to playing in a weak conference.

Whether those predictions are spot on or way off the mark, one thing is for sure, if the heavily favored Kentucky Wildcats get upset, the 2015 field is wide open and could be one of the best tournaments ever.

Inside the circle

Photo Courtesy of pixabay.com

Coach Miller ready for first season with Lady Rams

By Mike Ferris Sports Editor

After four seasons as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland, Lawrence Miller, commonly referred to as Larry, is set for his first season as the Framingham State University softball coach.

Miller is certainly qualified. In those four years, he has gone to three NCAA Division III Tournaments, taken two trips to the World Series and was on the coaching staff when the team earned National Runner-Up Honors in 2013.

Aside from being named head coach, Miller was also named assistant sports information director.

The Rams finished 21-20 last year, after ultimately being eliminated by Bridgewater State in the MASCAC Tournament.

When asked about his expectations for this season, Miller articulated he wants his team to compete. He went on to say he’s “not an X and O” type of guy but is more interested in building relationships and a connections among his team.

He wants to “create a culture” here at Framingham State and proceeded to use the word “family,” when further discussing this culture he plans to establish.

He further elaborated on his expectations by saying “obviously everyone wants to win,” and he’ll be satisfied if his team competes and ultimately makes the conference tournament.

The Rams have taken a trip to the MASCAC Tournament in back-to-back years, so these expectations are not egregious.

The first-time head coach grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and attended high school in Long Island, where he played baseball.

Miller said he did not play baseball in college because he was more “involved in the administrator side of things in undergrad.”

Miller graduated from SUNY Cortland, where he earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in sports management.

Coaching changes typically mean an entire change of staff, and Miller has already made his mark in this department.

Rae Copan has been brought in as the Rams’ new pitching coach.

Copan, who graduated from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine as an English major in 2014, is from Newton, Massachusetts.

While in college, she achieved Great

Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Academic Team Honors in 2012-2014, GNAC All-Tournament Team Honors in 2011, 2012 and 2014, the GNAC Tournament MVP Award in 2014, All-Conference Third Team Honors in 2013 and All-Conference First Team Honors in 2014.

Richard Casali, the women’s volleyball coach, is also listed on the staff for the upcoming season.

Miller said he’s “fortunate” to step into this position and he looks forward to taking on the job with the help and support of other coaches around the country because he claimed that fast-pitch softball coaches are “a unique group and very close.”

As for most coaches at this level, the major goal is not just winning, but to create character and “provide the greatest experience possible.”

Miller also hopes to create leadership skills among his players. He continued to refer back to “coming together.”

When asked about the lack of discipline in today’s youth, Miller said it’s very important to “communicate as a group and set guidelines and expectations.”

He proceeded to say that he isn’t a fan of “black and white rules,” but more in favor of setting expectations, so that the girls will follow and set expectations of their own.

The Rams hope that Miller can bring some of the success his “professional mentor” at SUNY Cortland, Julie Lenhart has had.

Lenhart was the seventh coach in Division III history to reach 700 wins and has taken seven trips to the World Series. She was also an inductee in 2014 to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Miller said, Lenhart “has helped [Miller] to understand all things that go into coaching.”

When asked to give one word or phrase he hopes will be used to describe him by former players, Miller used the phrase “all-in.”

The Rams are set to begin their season next Sunday, Mar. 15, when they travel to Clermont, Florida, for the annual spring training trip.

The Rams have an extremely inexperienced team to go along with the first-time head coach. Framingham starts the 2015 season with seven freshmen, six sophomores and three juniors. The Rams have no seniors listed on their roster.

Sports

14

March 6, 2015

Two ACC players accused of sexual assault

By Mike Ferris Sports Editor

First, it was the NFL making headlines, now the NCAA. In September of last year, TMZ released a video of then Baltimore Ravens’ running back, Ray Rice, punching his fiancée in an elevator.

Just weeks later, Minnesota Vikings’ star, Adrian Peterson, had some issues of his own. The former MVP was arrested in Texas for allegedly beating his four-year old son with a “switch,” a thin twig or stick.

The Carolina Panthers had some domestic violence issues of its own involving Greg Hardy.

At that time, sports fans and even non-sports fans, were calling for NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, to resign from his position.

Eventually, things settled down.

Rice’s case ended when he and prosecutors agreed to a diversion program. Peterson’s case ended when he was sentenced to probation. Hardy was the most recent of the three to have his incident conclude, when his conviction of two counts of domestic violence was dismissed on Feb. 9.

Just as the sports world had seemed to simmer, two NCAA

By Tanya Ström

players made headlines.

Chris Jones, of Louisville, and Rasheed Sulaimon, of Duke, were both dismissed from their respective teams within a month of each other.

Sulaimon’s dismissal came first, on Jan. 29.

In an ESPN article, Blue Devils’ coach, Mike Krzyzewski said, “Rasheed has been unable to consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of our program.”

The coach, who won his 1,000 game just days before, went on to say, “It is a privilege to represent Duke University and with that privilege comes the responsibility to conduct oneself in a certain manner.

After Rasheed repeatedly struggled to meet the necessary obligations, it became apparent that it was time to dismiss him from the program.”

Further information as to the dismissal was not made public at that time.

It wasn’t until a little less than a month later that Duke’s co-ACC member, Louisville, had some problems of its own.

On Feb. 22, less than a week after suspending and reinstating Jones, Louisville announced its official decision that the guard, who led the conference in steals, had been dismissed.

Jones was suspended for the team’s Feb. 18 trip to Syracuse, reinstated for its Feb. 21 matchup with Miami and ultimately let go the following day.

Within the past couple of weeks, more information surrounding the two players has been made public.

Whether or not the leaked information is the sole reason for both dismissals is unclear, but it is clear that the allegations made against both Sulaimon and Jones had some hand in the events that unfolded in late January and mid-February.

The information that came out regarding Sulaimon was made public

by Duke’s student newspaper, the Duke Chronicle.

In the release, it was reported that Sulaimon had been accused of sexually assaulting two female students at the university last year.

In his tenure at Duke, which spans more than thirty years, the Hall of Famer had never dismissed a player.

A Yahoo Sports article stated that neither of Sulaimon’s accusers had “formally reported” the assaults to police, but that the allegations were made at an off-campus retreat.

Jones has been alleged to have performed similar heinous acts.

After his reinstatement for failing to comply with team rules, Jones

reportedly was warned by his head coach, Rick Pitino, that any further incidents would result in his dismissal.

The point guard played in the team’s game that following Saturday against Miami, scored 17, and helped the Cardinals secure a 55-53 win.

The following day, Jones was dismissed and it was reported that he was accused of rape and sodomy that night following the win.

Jones has since pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him.

As for the Sulaimon incident, the issue is still being investigated and is much less cut and dry than that of Jones.

Both teams have been affected differently.

Since the loss of Jones, Louisville has lost an important piece to its puzzle. The guard led the team in assists and steals and was third on the team in minutes and points. The former guard has reportedly stopped taking classes at the university.

Sulaimon, on the other hand, played a significantly less important role for the Blue Devils. Since his dismissal, Duke is 10-0 and only lost a 7.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG contributor in Sulaimon.

Racking up the wins

Ronda Rousey the definitive face of women’s UFC

Staff Writer

Ronda Rousey, known to fans as “Rowdy” and “The Arm Collector” is currently in first place of the UFC women’s bantamweight championship.

Her record of 11-0 speaks for itself.

Two out of the 11 were knockouts, the ultimate feat, the be-all end-all in any UFC fight. The KO occurs when a fighter is knocked down and unable to defend him or herself.

These haymaker victories are usually the most memorable whether from a punch or a kick, the KO is an accomplishment that some fighters never achieve while others like Mike Tyson build reputations on it.

However, Rousey has made her own reputation. With the nickname “The Arm collector,” it is no surprise that Rousey has won nine out of 11 fights by armbar submissions.

This is when a fighter straightens the opponents’ arm out between her thighs before bending and hyperextending the arm at the elbow, resulting in a tap out or verbal submission.

Submissions require a high level of skill, control and strategy.

Her last victory against Cat Zingano broke the record for fastest win in a UFC title fight, as well as being the fastest recorded submission win in UFC history. She broke the previous

Photo Courtesy of Hans Gutknecht - rondarousey.net

record by two seconds. Marcus Aurelio set that record in 2008, with his defeat of Ryan Roberts.

Ten out of the 11 victories have occurred within the first round, eight of which have occurred within the opening minute.

Judo is in Rousey’s blood.

Her mother, AnnaMaria De Mars, had an adorned Judo career. She was the first American to win the World

Judo Championship in 1984. De Mars went on to win the US Senior Nationals, US Collegiate Nationals and the US Open.

Rousey began training with her mother at the age of 11. She is experienced in armbars because as a kid, that’s how her mother would wake her up.

At 17, she was the youngest judoka to qualify for the 2004 Olympic games

in Athens. In 2006, Rousey became the first female US judoka in 10 years to win an A-Level tournament. Later that year, she was the first US athlete to win two Junior World medals.

Rousey made her debut in the octagon in 2010 as an amateur in mixed martial arts. Her competitors fell with ease. By 2011, she announced her -Continued from page 15

Sports

March 6, 2015

Rousey

-Continued from page 14

plans to turn pro.

In 2012, Rousey had become the first female fighter to sign with the UFC. Matching up the world’s top ranked fighters, the UFC hosts fights in the United States as well as many countries all over the world.

According to a Yahoo Sports article, Dana White said, he “never saw a Ronda Rousey coming.” Before she arose on the MMA scene, White would

not accept women into the UFC. “Then I met Ronda,” White said.

Rousey is an expert in American MMA and judoka. At five-foot-seven and 135 pounds, she is the number one pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world and ranks seventh in pound-for-pound MMA fighter overall.

When in the octagon, Rousey is a fierce opponent (and not in the Tyra

NCAA Men’s AP Top 25 1. Kentucky (65) 2. Virginia 3. Duke 4. Villanova 5. Arizona 6. Wisconsin 7. Gonzaga 8. Wichita State 9. Kansas 10. Maryland 11. Northern Iowa 12. Notre Dame 13. Utah

29-0 27-1 26-3 27-2 26-3 26-3 29-2 27-3 23-6 24-5 27-3 24-5 22-6

NBA Standings Eastern Conference GB 1. Atlanta 48-12 -2. Chicago 39-23 10 3. Toronto 38-23 10.5 4. Cleveland 39-24 10.5 5. Washington 34-27 14.5 6. Milwaukee 32-29 16.5 7. Miami 27-32 21 8. Charlotte 26-33 21.5 9. Indiana 26-34 22 10. Brooklyn 25-34 22.5 11. Boston 24-35 23.5 12. Detroit 23-37 25 13. Orlando 19-43 30 14. Philadelphia 13-48 35.5 15. New York 12-48 36 Western Conference GB 1. Golden State 47-12 -2. Memphis 43-17 4.5 3. Portland 41-19 6.5 4. Houston 41-20 7 5. LA Clippers 40-22 8.5 6. Dallas 40-23 9 7. San Antonio 37-23 10.5 8. Oklahoma City 34-28 14.5 9. New Orleans 33-28 15 10. Phoenix 32-30 16.5 11. Utah 24-36 23.5 12. Denver 22-39 26 13. Sacramento 21-38 26 14. LA Lakers 16-44 31.5 15. Minnesota 13-47 34.5

14. Baylor 15. Oklahoma 16. Louisville 17. Iowa State 18. Arkansas 19. North Carolina 20. West Virginia 21. Butler 22. SMU 23. Ohio State 24. Providence 25. Murray State

15

Banks kind of way). Her gaze alone is chilling. Eyebrows furrowed, mouth clenched, guard raised, Rousey doesn’t show any sign of weakness.

After a match is over, she is completely transformed. Popping up off the mat, Rousey is like a child beaming with joy. As the serious and intimidating figure transforms, she is animated, flashing a smile to the crowd.

In 2013, she was invited to the re-

nounced Big Bear high altitude conditioning training camp for boxers and MMA fighters, a facility exclusively for men.

She was the first woman to win a Judo Championship. She was the first woman to be signed into the UFC. She was the first woman to be invited to Big Bear training camp.

Rousey has changed the world of MMA for women.

NCAA Women’s AP Top 25 22-7 20-8 23-6 20-8 23-6 20-9 22-7 21-8 23-6 21-8 20-9 26-4

1. Connecticut (35) 28-1 2. Notre Dame 28-2 3. South Carolina 27-2 4. Maryland 27-2 5. Tennessee 25-4 6. Baylor 26-3 7. Florida State 27-3 8. Oregon State 26-3 9. Arizona State 26-4 10. Louisville 24-5 11. Mississippi State 26-5 12. Kentucky 21-8 13. Princeton 27-0

NHL Standings

East-Atlantic Montreal 41-18-6 Tampa Bay 40-20-6 Detroit 36-15-11 Boston 31-22-10 Florida 28-23-14 Ottawa 28-23-11 Toronto 26-34-5 Buffalo 19-40-5 East-Metropolitan NY Islanders 42-21-3 87 NY Rangers 39-17-7 Pittsburgh 36-18-9

Washington 35-21-10 Philadelphia 28-25-12 New Jersey 27-27-10 Columbus 26-33-4

Carolina 24-31-7 West-Central Nashville 41-18-7 St. Louis 40-19-5 Chicago 38-21-5 Minnesota 35-22-7 Winnipeg 32-21-12 Dallas 29-26-10 Colorado 28-25-11 West-Pacific Anaheim 42-17-7

Vancouver 36-24-4 Calgary 35-25-4

Los Angeles 31-21-12 San Jose 32-25-8

Arizona 21-7-7

Edmonton 18-36-10

Pts. 88 86 83 72 70 67 57 43 85 81 80 68 64 56 55 89 85 81 77 76 68 67 91 76 74 74 72 49 46

14. Iowa 15. North Carolina 16. Duke 17. Chattanooga 18. Texas A&M 19. Stanford 20. FGCU 21. GWU 22. Syracuse 23. Rutgers 24. Northwestern 25. Seton Hall

23-6 23-7 20-9 26-3 22-8 21-9 27-2 26-3 21-8 21-8 22-7 26-4

16

March 6, 2015

SUAB hosted country artist Jana Kramer on Thursday evening in DPAC for an energetic audience.

Brad Leuchte/The Gatepost

Jenny Wang/The Gatepost

“I Got The Boy” Kramer performed many of her more popular tracks, along with her newest single, “I Got the Boy.”

Jenny Wang/The Gatepost

Brad Leuchte/The Gatepost

Brad Leuchte/The Gatepost

Jenny Wang/The Gatepost

She covered some well-known songs by country and non-country artists alike, such as Hozier, Echosmith and Def Leppard.

Brad Leuchte/The Gatepost