34 minute read
Tau Sigma President Abby Monique handed out bags with positive messages and more in the Game Room March
from March 5, 2021
by The Gatepost
NEWS FSU coat exchange
By Haley Hadge
Staff Writer
A Coat Share Drive, organized by Student Services, is located in the McCarthy Center Lobby at the transportation desk, and will be operating through the end of March.
According to Kay Kastner, coordinator of student support initiatives, the purpose of the Coat Share Drive is to “provide a source of coats to students, faculty, staff, and the community at large who may be in need to help comba he diffic ies of in er.
Centrally located, but slightly c ed a ay i h o raffic - he ocation of the Coat Share is intended to limit possible unease or embarrassment one might feel when in need of a coat, said Kastner. e find ha his o ers he barrier a little bit,” she said.
Those not in need of a coat who may be beginning their spring cleaning and decluttering early can leave a coat for a fRAMily member in need - whether they are living on or off-campus. Anyone is eligible to donate, said Kastner.
In addition to donations from within the fRAMily, the Coat Share Drive is also sponsored by Circle of Hope, said Kastner, an organization that provides a regular supply of coats throughout the season.
“It is always nice to be able to have that kind of support from organizations,” said Kastner.
Providing service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging since about 70% of the community is working remotely, said Kastner. However, the Coat Share has been “highly utilized.”
Although the exact number of coats accessed by community members through the drive is near impossible to a y, d e o he fl c a in in a e and outtake - it is estimated that “50 coats at least have gone out to people so far this year,” said Kastner, and it will continue to run as long as there is a need shown within the FSU community.
The Coat Share Drive concludes at the end of March. However, coats will continue to be available in the Rams Resource Center at the food pantry, said Kastner.
Additionally, this Coat Share Drive runs every semester - therefore, providing a consistent resource for the FSU community, she said.
This is a small way to “complement” the other initiatives that Student Services organizes, such as a food pantry, an emergency meal bank through the Rams Resource Center, and interview attire available through Career Services Center, said Kastner.
Therefore, the purpose of these initiatives is to ensure multiple ways to “help support Framingham State’s core mission of making higher education accessible to people of a variety of different backgrounds,” said Kastner.
She said, “If a student’s answer to the question, ‘Are you struggling?’ is es, hen co e o y office and e can have a conversation. … You don’t have to be alone.”
By working very closely with the Counseling Center, the Health Center, CASA, Student Accounts, Financial Aid, as well as outside organizations that have youth programs, she added, she can serve as a liaison for students and help them get access to the type of assistance they need.
“This [Coat Share Drive] is one program that helps to serve the University’s mission of having accessible educa ion for e erybody, b i a so fi s into that broader mission,” said Kastner.
“Connecting them [students] with the resources to deal with those external stressors,” so they can reach their highest academic and professional potential while maintaining a healthy mind and body is something that Student Services is equipped to provide students with, said Kastner.
“I can help them to tease out all of the different areas in which they are struggling,” she said.
“There are different layers of strug in , fro en a hea h o financia issues. These types of “external stressors” can be addressed and assessed, Kastner said.
Kay Kastner can be reached by phone at 508-626-4596 and by email at kkastner@framingham.edu.
FSU Coat Share Drive coats located in the McCarthy Center. Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST
CONNECT WITH HALEY HADGE hhadge@student.framingham.edu
Gatepost Interview
continued from page 2
i e i e spor s a o - o e fishin . e a o of s ff fro fishin . y hobby is like the stock market. I love reading about stock market trends and a lot of that stuff informs my work as well. So I would say that you know I love pop-country music. … I have a black
Weather
Sunday night March 7
Mostly clear. Low near 20. NW winds around 5 mph.
Monday March 8
Sunny. High near 40. NW winds around 5 mph.
belt in Taekwondo.
What is your number one piece of advice to students?
My number one advice to students is to ask for help. Obviously, when … something’s going wrong, ask for help, but also, when it comes to a career path and you want career advice or talk to someone that knows - make those relationships with people. I think you would be surprised how many people want to help you and are willing to help you if you reach out and take the time. But I have found that some opportunities I’ve gotten, some of the best advice and quick solutions, have come from asking someone and not being afraid that they’re not wanting to talk to me or they won’t want to help me out. I think that you’d be surprised that if you’re a hard worker and you’re honest and sincere, a lot of people do want to help.
CONNECT WITH ASHLYN KELLY akelly8@student.framingham.edu
Monday night March 8
Tuesday March 9
Mostly sunny. High near 55. W winds around 5 mph.
Forecast provided by the National Weather Service
www.weather.gov
Tuesday night March 9
Partly cloudy. Low near 30. W winds around 5 mph.
Wednesday night March 10
Wednesday March 10
Mostly sunny. High near 60. S winds around 5 mph.
Thursday March 11
Testing updates
continued from page 1
p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
According to the data provided by the University’s website, FSU administered 12,410 tests between the dates of Aug. 21 and Dec. 23 with a total of 53 positives.
During the winter break, from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22, FSU administered 609 tests with a total of 8 positives, according to the website.
So far this semester, from Jan. 24 to March 3, FSU administered 4,590 tests with a total of 10 positives, according to the website.
Ilene Hofrenning, director of health services, said an increase in testing for resident students was recommended by the Board of Higher Education.
Hofrenning said the University decided to follow their guidance and increase resident testing as well as commuter testing.
She added the University recommends that Facilities and Sodexo employees as well as faculty and staff who are on campus more than once a week be tested weekly, too.
“As far as employees go, we can’t mandate that any employee be tested because of the unions,” she said.
Hofrenning said approximately 150 faculty and staff get tested every week on a voluntary basis.
She added the tests purchased from the Broad Institute are still $25 each.
In an email, Dale Hamel, executive vice president, said the University has “been covering costs [for tests] with local funds with the expectation that the federal stimulus funds - that are “reimbursements for COVID-related costs” - will be used for this purpose.”
During testing, community members are now asked to blow their nose twice and check to make sure the Q-tip is clean of mucus and blood before placing it in the testing tube - instructions that were not given in the previous semester.
Hofrenning said tests results can come back as negative, positive, or invalid, “which means that there’s no DNA on the Q-tip.”
She explained when the test takes place, the system checks for viral DNA and human DNA. If there is viral DNA present, it is considered valid.
Hofrenning said if there is no viral DNA detected, the system checks for human DNA, and if it is not present, then the result of the test is considered “invalid” and another test needs to take place.
Another result of the test could be “test not processed” (TNP), which could be caused by a number of factors, according to Hofrenning.
One of the reasons is when a Q-tip has too much mucus, so the test cannot take place, she said. Another reason is if the label of the test is blurred.
Hofrenning added at the start of the semester, the Health Center saw an increase in TNPs, and after speaking with the Broad Institute, learned it was due to the winter and people having more mucus.
With variants of COVID-19 now spreading globally, Hofrenning said the Broad Institute is not testing every sample for the variants, but instead, is doing “surveillance testing for the state.”
She added the Broad Institute tests a percentage of the samples for the variants based on this surveillance.
According to Hofrenning, if someone has tested positive for COVID-19, they should not get tested again until 90 days later for multiple reasons.
The first reason she said is someone who has had COVID-19 will most likely possess the antibodies that will guard them from contracting it again for at least 90 days.
She added the other reason is that the Broad Institute tests are “really sensitive,” and will pick up on pieces of the dead virus giving the person a false positive.
Hofrenning said some professors were asking for reassurance that their students were being tested, so the Health Center now provides the dates - not the results - of when a student last tested for the student to show if needed.
She added for those students who would not be receiving tests, they will have a message to show that states not that they were positive, but that they are exempt from testing.
According to Hofrenning, those who have received the vaccine should still get tested.
She said this is because even though the vaccines are “90-95% effective,” there is still “at least a 5%” chance of contracting COVID-19.
She added another reason for this is because of the COVID-19 variants.
“That recommendation might change once we have more information about the vaccine,” Hofrenning said.
Another change this semester is to the time duration of quarantine and isolation in Linsley Hall for students exposed to the virus.
“I think people who were in isolation or quarantined in Linsley - I think that was difficult,” she said. “I mean, for anybody it would be tough. So, this semester we have some plans in place for trying to make it easier.”
Hofrenning said, “Isolation refers to people who test positive for COVID. Quarantine refers to someone who has been exposed, but has not tested positive - yet.”
She added, “So, someone who tested positive has to be in isolation for 10 days either from the day they first developed symptoms, or if they are asymptomatic, the day they were tested.
“If someone is exposed, but tests negative, they have to be in quarantine up to 14 days,” she said. “If they have any symptoms, they have to be in quarantine the full 14 days.”
Hofrenning said, “If they test positive after day five, they can get out of quarantine on day eight, and monitor their symptoms through day 14. Or they can get out of quarantine on day 11 without a test and monitor their symptoms through day 14.”
One of the problems the Health Center has been having with testing is community members who go to the gym testing site who are already experiencing symptoms, according to Hofrenning.
She said often when there is a positive case of COVID-19, the person had completed the symptom checker before getting tested, but answered “no” to all the symptoms despite experiencing some of them.
“I don’t think people are necessarily consciously lying, but I think in everybody’s mind they’re thinking, ‘Well, this is just a cold. It’s not COVID, so I’m just going to say no,’” she added. “And a lot of COVID symptoms can be mild, can be just like a cold - like a stuffy nose or a sore throat or a headache or something like that.”
Hofrenning said anyone who is experiencing symptoms should go to the Health Center immediately to get tested.
Pam Lehmberg, manager of public health initiatives for COVID-19, said another issue the testing site had was with the Broad Institute software.
During one of the testing days, the software had crashed, and registering people, which usually only takes a couple seconds, began taking “a minute and a minute and a half, so the whole process was really slowed down,” Lehmberg said.
The Health Center has enacted express lanes at the testing site where students can complete their test without observation.
Hofrenning said the University was approved by the Broad Institute to conduct “unobserved testing.”
Lehmberg said many community members are tested on a weekly basis, “so there’s a whole population of people who are very, very good at swabbing.”
According to Lehmberg, the Health Center is looking into the possibility of playing music at the testing site, and has received approval from Athletics to do so.
She said, “The testing site has a really nice feel to it, and a lot of that has to do with the students that come in and how patient and pleasant they are.”
Some students said they feel last semester’s testing went well, and shared their thoughts on increased testing this semester.
Tyler McKeen, a freshman psychology major and resident, said last semester’s testing “went OK,” and it was “well organized,” but wished there had been more testing overall.
McKeen said the increased testing this semester is going to “help cases decrease and it keeps better tabs on everything.”
Tanisha Jean, a junior child and family studies major and resident, said last semester, the University handled negative cases “very well.”
Regarding increased testing this semester, Jean said as a student worker, she gets tested every week anyway.
“I find it better, so that way, I’m not too anxious not knowing whether I have been exposed or not,” she said. “Same thing with residents - it’s better knowing every week than waiting every other week to find out.”
Alexandra Hebert, a sophomore psychology major and resident, said last semester’s testing went “all right,” but more testing “would’ve been better.”
Hebert said, “I definitely think that it was a good decision to increase testing - especially for resident students - as it allows the University to be aware of cases, and decreases the number of people exposed.”
Jack Brodette, a sophomore information technology and business major and resident, said the University had a few cases of COVID-19 last semester, and they were handled “pretty well.”
Judea Blake, a freshman psychology major and resident, said testing last semester “went great.”
Blake said, “It was very well organized and quick. The only thing I don’t like is the hand sanitizer, but that’s not that big of a deal.”
In regards to this semester, she said, “I like that there’s multiple days and that it’s not by last name anymore. That makes things smoother and gives students alternative options if they don’t have time to get tested on that one day.”
Camille Carvalho, a freshman sociology and Spanish major and a resident, said last semester “was very efficient.”
Carvalho added, “They managed to keep the cases very low, but I also know that there were many students who did not even get tested once last semester at the FSU testing site.”
Reflecting on last semester, Lehmberg said, “I’m very happy with the way it went … and the way it’s going this semester.”
She added, “It’s pretty remarkable that we can run our testing site with so many volunteers, and a lot of our volunteers - I think - are the busiest people on campus. Yet, they’ve made time to prioritize keeping the campus safe in any way they can.
“I think it’s incredible,” Lehmberg said. “It’s made me sort of fall in love with FSU even more.”
CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL
lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu
CIE and the community
continued from page 1
major lesson from the pandemic: ways she can expand the opportunities, programs, and events for other people to be able to access it.
Birch said virtual meetings have cultivated challenges for human engagement.
She said, “I love being in person, engaging, and having conversations. One of the most difficult things is, I can’t read the room in a virtual setting.
“Then, there’s not that opportunity for the speaker to come up to you and say, ‘Hey, tell me more’ because we’re in this Zoom environment,” Birch added.
Because Zoom is so accessible, Birch said she’s found that more people are attending meetings now than they have before.
“When we go back to in person, one of the things I’d like to do is figure out how I can still be broadcasting the meeting,” she said.
There has been a lot of collaboration with other organizations and departments on campus, as well as with the City of Framingham, Birch said.
“I’ve collaborated with Arts and Ideas [series], Henry Whittemore Library, the Counseling Center, and we did a program with Athletics in the fall,” said Birch.
Although the CIE hosts events independently, Birch said she is always in touch with organization leaders to find ways to support their programs.
The CIE will be collaborating this month with iGNITE, a political group for students, for Women’s History Month.
Rachel Spivey, president of iGNITE, said, “The CIE has offered to help sponsor our events as they have in the past, which we are looking forward to hopefully planning this semester.
“The CIE helps us by inspiring women to become involved in politics, something that has not always been generally accepted in society as an affinity group. By creating ambition in college-aged women to run for public office, we can hopefully change that narrative so that politics is not ‘just a man’s game’ anymore, because it really isn’t,” Spivey added.
Spivey said that iGNITE has been holding their meetings virtually every two weeks because of “Zoom fatigue.” The group also has been holding events online, such as a tie-dye T-shirt event, a documentary screening, and a trivia night with prizes.
Ewnie Fedna, co-president of Motivation. Intersectionality. Sisterhood. Solidarity. (M.I.S.S.), said the CIE was their “home” before COVID. M.I.S.S. has always met in the CIE, “even back when the CIE was in the library,” she added.
“We spent a lot of time there as an eBoard and as students of color, because it was a safe environment,” Fedna said. “The community that used the space created it that way,” she said.
“Even in the pandemic, we meet with Patty to chat and stay on the same page about what our organization is up to. Patty has been there to
give advice on how to run events that we want during the social distancing era. Having people support us like that helps us stay on the radar and be successful,” Fedna added.
Mia Ihegie, president of Justice, Unity, Inclusion, Community, and
Equity (J.U.I.C.E), said “The CIE was a huge help when it came to the start and organization of J.U.I.C.E. They make sure that we are aware of any club events that could possibly benefit our club.
“They are constantly spreading the word about our club on social media, which helps with the increase of membership in our club,” she added.
Ihegie said, “The CIE is a great resource and safe place for FSU students. Shoutout to Patricia Birch and Dr. Constanza Cabello for giving us a clear meaning of what it means to be an affinity group.”
Ariel Dean, vice president of
Brother-2-Brother (B2B), said “the physical space of the CIE, in addition to the staff who run the CIE, has provided the members of B2B with a home away from home - a safe space for the members of our club to socialize and support one another.”
During Black History Month, the CIE collaborated with many student organizations and outside speakers to put on educational events for students and staff.
The CIE has collaborated with the Chris Walsh Center, Henry Whittemore Library, the Framingham Public Library, and American Sign Language Club, as well as Voices of Color speaker Dr. Eddie Moore.
The CIE also holds True Racial Healing Transformation Circles - a peer-led discussion group where there is opportunity to talk about social justice and the ways that individuals are impacted in the world.
“That [True Racial Healing Transformation Circles] is part of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, so we are using their curriculum that they provided to us. I’ve had some students trained in it who are ready to engage with their peers,” Birch said.
Birch said she is “hoping” to have one or two of those sessions before the end of the academic year.
“Another thing I am doing is that we are going to have a book club. I’m trying to figure out where to fit the book club in, but I know it’s going to happen. We are collaborating with some professors who are doing a critical race theory class, and I’m going to teach the students how to facilitate discussions,” she added.
Birch said advertising has been different this year. The CIE has used email, Instagram, and word of mouth.
“Things happen so often I’m always sending out emails and posting things on Instagram so people hear from me.
“Other departments are sending out emails. Students are sharing it [event information] and re-sharing it again with their clubs and other students they’re in contact with. And for some of our bigger programs, we are using Eventbrite to advertise,” Birch said.
Birch added her collaboration across campus has increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The collaboration is another thing that has come out of this that is positive. I am trying to pick out the positive things and reframe what is happening to us to see a more positive year,” she said.
Birch said because of the pandemic, the CIE has started sponsoring events over the summer.
“We kept having different types of programs. I think it’s because of things that were happening within our society. But, also, there were students that were still engaged that I was able to continue having relationships with because some students were still on campus,” Birch said.
She added, “While it wasn’t a formal collaboration, I still feel like it was a collaboration with Residence Life.” Birch said she is trying to cultivate relationships as they go forward through the rest of the academic year.
“If the students have any ideas and want to collaborate with programming about anything going on in the world that they would like to address or have more conversations on, come talk to me,” Birch added.
Courtesy of Framingham State
Patricia Birch, director of inclusive excellence initiatives.
CONNECT WITH MAIA ALMEIDA
malmeida1@student.framingham.edu
NEWS COVID-19 by the numbers
March 5, 2020
By Donald Halsing
Associate Editor
By Leighah Beausoleil
News Editor
By Kathleen Moore
Design Editor
The number of people with COVID-19 worldwide continues to increase by less than 1% weekly based on data from various sources taken March 3.
Just under 275 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered globally.
Framingham State University administered 763 tests within the past week, and 3,747 tests within the past 30 days, according to the COVID-19 data page on the FSU website.
Two positive tests were returned within the past week, according to the page. The 7-day negative test rate was 99.74%.
One individual was isolated on campus and one person was quarantined off campus.
A total of 3,676 negative, and seven positive results, were returned in the past 30 days. The 30-day negative test rate was 99.81%.
Cumulatively, 6,885 Framingham residents, 10.08%, have tested positive for COVID-19.
The City of Framingham reported 1,230 active cases.
There were 163 new infections, 105 new recoveries, and three new deaths reported since Feb. 25. The number of people infected grew by 55, or 0.82%, over the past week.
Approximately 18% of those who have tested positive remain infected. Just under 79% have recovered and approximately 3.3% have died.
The overall death rate from COVID-19 in Framingham is 0.31%.
Cumulatively, 553,220 Massachusetts residents, 8.03%, have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates there are 27,763 active cases.
There were 9,524 new infections, 16,944 new recoveries, and 301 new deaths since Feb. 25. The number of people infected decreased by 7,721, or 1.42%, over the past week.
Approximately 7.7% of those who have tested positive remain infected. Just under 90% have recovered, and approximately 2.9% have died.
The overall death rate from COVID-19 in Massachusetts is 0.23%.
The New York Times reported that cumulatively, 1,868,847 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Massachusetts. According to the Times, 19% of the population has received at least one dose, and 8.4% has received two doses.
Cumulatively, 28,780,950 United States residents, 8.72%, have tested positive for COVID-19.
The New York Times reported 66,714 active cases.
There were 452,954 new infections, 255,331 new recoveries, and 14,220 new deaths since Feb. 25. The number of people infected grew by 183,403, or 0.65%, over the past week.
Approximately 61% of those who have tested positive remain infected. Approximately 38% of the population has recovered, and 1.8% have died.
The overall death rate from COVID-19 in the United States is 0.16%.
The New York Times reported that cumulatively, 80,540,474 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. According to the Times, 16% of the population has received at least one dose, and 8.4% has received two doses.
Cumulatively, 115,126,085 people globally, 1.49%, have tested positive for COVID-19.
The New York Times reported 419,698 active cases.
There were 2,619,971 new infections, 1,626,364 new recoveries, and 64,238 new deaths since Feb. 25. The number of people infected grew by 929,369, or 0.83%, over the past week.
Just over 41% of the world’s population that has tested positive remain infected. Approximately 57% of the population has recovered and 2.2% has died.
The overall death rate from COVID-19 globally is 0.03%.
The New York Times reported that cumulatively, 274,186,339 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered globally. Data sources:
Framingham State University
City of Framingham
Mass. population: U.S. Census Bureau – QuickFacts Massachusetts
U.S. and World population: U.S. Census Bureau – U.S. and World Population Clock
Mass. data: WCVB Channel 5 Boston, Mass. Dept. of Public Health
U.S. data: CDC, New York Times
World data: WHO, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
Recovery data: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
Active Cases: New York Times
Vaccination Data: New York Times *Calculations for new infections, recoveries, deaths, and infected population size change are made using both data from this week and last week’s data published in The Gatepost. New data collected Wednesday before publication.
Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST
Framingham
Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST
United States
World
Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST
Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST
Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST
OP/ED
THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL Now is not the time to reopen
Last week, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the state would re-enter Phase 3 Step 2 of his administration’s COVID-19 reopening plan.
Details of the entire plan are available to read on Mass.gov, and the next phase of Baker’s plan is quite alarming.
Moving to Phase 3 Step 2 of the plan means restaurants are allowed to open at 100% capacity. However, some restrictions will remain in place: a maximum of six people per table, sixfeet social distancing, and a 90-minute occupancy limit.
Additionally, this phase allows large venues such as theaters, concert halls, and indoor recreation centers to open at half capacity, but capped at 500 guests. According to NBC Boston, this number does not include employees of these venues.
According to administration’s plan, stadiums, arenas, and ballparks will be allowed to open at 12% capacity after submitting a plan to the Department of Public Health (DPH)
WCVB reported the state’s largest sporting venues plan to open soon, although details have not yet been released from venue officials. A 12% capacity would allow 2,300 people in the TD Garden, 4,500 people in Fenway Park, and a whopping 7,900 people in Gillette Stadium. Local sports teams have games scheduled for March and April.
These capacities are too high to be safe at the current moment.
Baker announced his plan to ease restrictions at a press conference Feb. 25 at a restaurant in Salem.
Boston.com reported Baker said at the press conference, “We’ve been watching how these venues perform in other states and believe with the right safety measures in place, they can operate responsibly and safely here in the commonwealth.”
It doesn’t matter how many people Connecticut or New Hampshire officials say can safely occupy a sporting arena. Baker needs to focus on the people in his own state.
There are still over 25,000 active cases of COVID-19 in the state. Today alone, DPH reported over 1,400 new cases.
A deadly, contagious, and airborne virus continues to spread, and Baker believes now is the time to allow restaurants - places where people sit unmasked - to open completely. He also believes now is the time to open large event venues where thousands of people will occupy the same space.
Not only does the reopening of event venues add to the risk of Massachusetts suffering from yet another COVID-19 spike, but it will also pose a problem for the mass vaccination sites.
Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park are currently mass vaccination sites, and account for the majority of vaccinations in the state. These venues will now have to juggle hosting events as well as distributing the vaccine.
Reopening these sites for other events is an alarming proposition. Midway through February, Baker announced vaccine distribution would be directed toward mass vaccination sites and away from individual towns and cities. Reopening these sites limits their availability to provide time slots to administer doses.
In fact, WBZ reported Fenway Park will close as a mass vaccination site March 27, with operations moving to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston - which is about half the size of the ballpark.
Now is not the time for Massachusetts to enter Phase 3 Step 2. We are not prepared.
What if there are further problems with vaccine distribution? What if the effectiveness of the vaccine is short-lived? These are all questions we cannot answer because the COVID-19 pandemic does not come with an instruction manual for leaders.
Baker is not playing it safe with his reopening strategy. While the vaccine may promote a promising future, slowing - and stopping - the spread of COVID-19 will be impossible without continuing adequate social distancing practices for the next few months.
Our state is not ready for increased capacities, even with the guidelines Baker proposes.
Perhaps when the summer rolls around - when closer to 50% of the Massachusetts population is projected to have at least one dose - lifting these restrictions would make more sense.
We can afford to wait a few more months. It could mean the difference between an easy transition to the “new normal” and a devastating spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Have an opinion? Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu Opinions should be about 750 words. Anyone can submit. On optimism
By Emily Rosenberg
Assistant Opinions Editor
As an 11 year old, when I couldn’t sleep at night, I would think of how I would write my college application essay as an open letter to world leaders.
“Dear Leaders of the world: I’m begging you - please cooperate with each other.”
I imagined admissions officers reading my essay and being stricken with hope. They’d help the word get out to the president, who’d call an emergency U.N. General Assembly meeting.
I’m not sure why I was thinking of college essays that young. I wasn’t Harvard bound. Heck, not too long after I was writing letters, as a 7th and 8th grader, my grades plummeted and I labelled myself an unfortunate outcast. In all of my classes, the athletic kids made fun of me for being shy by making up names for my “invisible friends.” My parents were on the verge of divorce. My only friend constantly made sure I knew that her problems were bigger than mine.
My environment felt like it was crumbling, and still, I found a way to admire my small place in the world - how my path was different from that of others. It was amazing to me how the two British YouTubers I rushed home to watch every day live on the same earth as the Pope.
This admiration wasn’t the naive innocence I had when I imagined a peace letter, but it was a raw passion.
“The world is a kitchen sink and we are dirty dishes,” I wrote in my diary from Justice.
We’ve all seen a sink that’s gone too many days without the dishes being cleaned. The cups, the pans, and the forks all stacked on one another in a big mountain of mess. They support each other; they rely on each other to hold them up. Take one dish from the middle and the harmony comes crashing down.
I witnessed the pain and corruption the world had to offer in my life and on the news. Still, I knew, one day it would be better if we got past the surface stains.
People thought I was unrealistic, but it is what made sense.
It feels clichéd to be writing another worldly Op/Ed, but this is something that has been clawing at my insides and degrading my mental health.
I am losing optimism.
Every day, I read editorials about how America is a failed country. I hear reports about Congressmen from different parties failing to cooperate simply because they are of different parties. I scroll through tired complaints about our president failing to pursue his promises, and see daily updates of a soaring death count from a virus whose existence people still don’t agree on.
When I read that paragraph over, the version of myself that wrote letters to world leaders wants to say that even if Americans have different points of view, if we take a moment to sit down, stop stereotyping, and understand why we have our values, then we will be successful in healing the broken system.
Except, in these editorials, I too often see that it’s too late for America. “It’s too late for Republicans to say sorry,” claimed CNN after the Capitol insurrection.
On the other side of the media spectrum, Fox News called Democrats out on their “breathtaking hypocrisy.”
We are constantly butting heads, focusing on our differences, prioritizing clapbacks over cooperation, and never finding real solutions to the issues that consume us all.
This only fuels our hate. It encourages a divisive, hopeless dialogue. We look at the “mess” of the opposing side and presume they’re too far gone to cooperate, forgetting that they live on the same earth as us.
Change has never come from hate. Those responsible for the Civil Rights Movement didn’t achieve their desired outcome from expecting the least of their opponents.
During the Civil Rights Movement, they were able to change minds because while opponents felt they did not have a lot in common, they actually had everything in common.
Being human. Knowing love.
This is always what will save our earth - as long as we have faith.
Not a fad diet
By Ashley Wall Editor In-Chief
Two years ago, I found myself falling asleep after every meal.
Regardless of what I ate, my mind would become so clouded that I couldn’t focus on my academics or frankly, anything.
My muscles would ache and I would constantly feel exhausted, even if I had just woken up. If I wasn’t sleeping, I would experience excruciating migraines.
I was miserable.
I knew something was wrong and yet, no one would take my concerns seriously.
“It’s all in your head.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you.”
Those are the words I would hear repeated after every meal by well-meaning family and friends.
And I started to believe them, too.
It wasn’t until my mother tossed around the idea that I might have food allergies - just as she does - that I realized I wasn’t crazy and those feelings weren’t just in my head.
At the discretion of my doctor, I went on an elimination diet.
According to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), elimination diets involve a temporary elimination of specific foods in order to help diagnose food allergies and disorders that affect the gut.
My personalized diet was severely restricted, which meant no gluten, dairy, eggs, caffeine, fats, soy, or high-sugar foods.
Miraculously, after three long months of detoxing, all of my symptoms were gone.
Through allergy testing and a gradual reintroduction phase that resulted in my symptoms returning, I learned I was allergic to eggs, dairy, and gluten.
Although I was relieved to finally have an answer to why I felt so sick all the time, those around me, aside from my immediate family, still did not understand.
Once I cut these foods out, I began to lose weight. My skin was glowing. I had energy. My migraines were gone and my body became less inflamed.
I felt good.
Those who knew of the benefits I experienced wanted to try the diet as well to achieve the same results.
But, what people don’t understand is that an elimination diet is not a miracle cure for those who don’t have food allergies or food intolerances. Cutting out foods such as gluten or dairy for an extended period of time without consulting a doctor comes with health risks.
Elimination diets are intended to be short-term.
While there are proven benefits to eliminating certain food groups, an elimination diet should be used for diagnostic purposes only, and those wanting to permanently cut foods from their diets should consult a doctor or nutritionist first.
According to FARE, elimination diets should only be conducted under the supervision of a medical professional.
The core of the diet - elimination - is the exact reason why it is so dangerous.
The Institute for Functional Medicine says eating the same foods repeatedly without reintroducing foods that had been eliminated denies the body of necessary nutrients. Those with allergies and intolerances should have a large diversity of foods in their diet to support digestive health. In order to support those with allergies and intolerances, one should have a wide diversity of foods in their diet to support digestive health.
Those who only see the glamour of a diet don’t see my struggles.
No one knows that I take seven supplements twice a day just to maintain the nutrient and vitamin levels I need to keep my body functioning properly.
They don’t know that I am afraid to eat because when I experience cross contamination, all of my previous symptoms come back with a vengeance and I have to experience an agonizing detox for two weeks.
They don’t know that in the beginning of my elimination period, I had cravings so bad that I’d binge on the very foods I was allergic to, thus making my symptoms worse.
It’s been two years since my initial diagnosis and I still have my moments of envy when I see a stranger walk by with a slice of pizza or watch as my family enjoys their gluten- and dairy-filled meals.
It’s been two years and I still struggle every single day with my new diet.
It’s been two long, rewarding years that have resulted in more self-love, more positivity, and a healthier, stronger me.
The benefits of permanently eliminating the offending foods and thus feeling symptom-free and healthy far outweigh that slice of pizza.
