The Massachusetts State College Association (MSCA) held a rally on May 1 to peacefully protest the surge of arrests by ICE, cuts to education funding, and attacks on academic freedom.
Students, staff, faculty, and administrators gathered in the McCarthy Center to hear speeches from the Framingham State community. The group then marched to the pedestrian bridge over Route 9.
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Kristen Porter-Utley said she was happy to be at the rally “because this moment matters and because you matter. The faculty and staff at this University are the heart of this institution, and today, on International Workers’ Day, it feels right to stand together.”
Porter-Utley said the University should be a place where students, faculty, and staff alike should be able to show up fully.
“We must, where others aren’t, continue to promote peace and model productive dialogue.”
English Professor Rachel Trousdale thanked everyone present at the rally. “Short or tall, big or small, whoever you are, whatever shape you are, wherever your ancestors are from, wherever you’re from, you belong here, and we’re glad you’re here,” she said. “It has been a heck of a year and three months, people, where we have been seeing abuse after abuse, outrage after outrage. We’ve seen major attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
By Antonio Machado Multimedia Editor
[ Editor’s Note: This is a first-person account of participating in the Framingham State Fashion Show. ] Dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style. So, when one of your best friends asks you to fulfill a life-long dream of yours by modeling her collection, you refuse to “squabble” the opportunity.
You do, however, begin to freak out, because this is more than a “kiki” with a close friend - this is the Framingham State Fashion Club’s annual Spring Fashion show in front of hundreds of your peers, mentors, and their families.
Luckily, you aren’t alone because alongside you are dozens of those same peers. All just as naked. All just as afraid. All just as ready to serve charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. From the outside, the runway may seem like glitz and glamour. Models glide through the spotlight like a knife in butter, their heels sharpened by the flashing cameras.
But from the inside? The threads designers had spent the past year weaving are slowly coming apart as they get ready to face the scorching hot lights of the runway.
Antonio Machado / THE GATEPOST
A protestor on the bridge over Route 9 holding a sign at the May Day MSCA Teacher’s Union protest on May 1.
(Right) Aili Schiavoni presenting her True Colors collection with models (left) Black-Eyed Susan, Emily Crossin, and Sage Sampson at the Spring Fashion Show on May 1.
E ditorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Sophia Oppedisano
Associate Editors
Adrien Gobin
Dylan Pichnarcik
Multimedia Editor
Antonio Machado
Copy Editor
Cole Johnson
News Editor
Bella Grimaldi
Asst. News Editor
Avery Slavin
Opinions Editor
Izayah Morgan
Sports Editor
Izabela Gage
Asst. Sports Editor
Taylor Kimmell
Arts & Features Editor
Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez
Sarah Daponde
Photos & Design Editor
Alexis Schlesinger
Asst. Photos & Design Editors
Christy Howland
Onyx Lovely
Illustrations Editor
Marcus Falcão
Staff Illustrators
Rileigh Kelley
Tobias Cotton-Selman
Staff Writers
Zaynab Ahmed
Desiree Ambila
Jesse Burchill
Kristel Erguiza
Julien Fernandez
Paul Harrington
Dan Lima
Anita Loughlin
Amoy Murphy
Kate Norrish
Wenchell Pierre
Nathan Piette
Staff Photographers
Meg Dame
Advisor
Desmond McCarthy
Asst. Advisor
Elizabeth Banks
Graduate Advising Asst.
Emma Lyons
Gatepost Interview
Sophia Oppedisano & Adrien Gobin
Outgoing Managers of The Gatepost
By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor
[ Editor’s Note: Sophia Oppedisano is the Editor-in-Chief, and Adrien Gobin is an Associate Editor for The Gatepost. Both will graduate later this month. ]
What has your experience at Framingham State been like?
Oppedisano: I transferred to Framingham State when I was a freshman in 2022 for the spring semester. I was a psychology major. After that semester, I decided to change paths and enrolled in the Communication Arts program. During that time, I was a resident assistant in West Hall and worked to build connections with RAs, SDAs, and students on campus. And then I took a break from being an RA, and I joined The Gatepost in the sports section. Because of my experience there, I made another pivot to the English department with a journalism concentration, and I kept minors in both my psychology background and my communications background. During that spring on The Gatepost, I worked my way up from Staff Writer to Assistant Sports Editor to Sports Editor, and I was so happy I had found my passion. I loved working with the athletes, working with the Athletics Department, and I loved everyone I met at The Gatepost. Those were my two lives at Framingham State. I was an RA while I was Sports Editor for a year, and then this year, I’ve focused on being the Editor-in-Chief.
Gobin: I am originally from Florida, but I came here in 2022 as a freshman to study communication arts. My mom’s an alumna from here. She graduated in 1992. She was very involved on campus. That’s part of the reason why I got very involved. I joined The Gatepost in September of my freshman year at the first meeting of the year. I was never a Staff Writer, but I started as a Staff Photographer. Then, shortly after, I think in October, I was Assistant Photos & Design Editor, and then, in 2023, I was Photos & Design Editor, which I did for two years. I’ve also interned with the Worcester Railers, which was a wonderful experience, and it’s in my field. I’m also an athletics intern and Rams Engagement Ambassador for the Dean of Students.
What has your experience with The Gatepost meant to you?
Oppedisano: When I gave my speech before I was elected Editor-in-Chief, I said that The Gatepost gave me a direction, it gave me a passion, and it gave me a career path. But what I didn’t really mention in that speech was the friendships that The Gatepost afforded me. My first editor, Adam Levine, I still talk to him. Riley Crowell and I are still good friends. Sophia Harris and I will always be in contact. I’ve had the privilege of working with Leighah Beausoleil this semester at the Community Advocate. The
network truly does run so deep. And at this point, of course, I’m so grateful for the experience that being on The Gatepost gave me, and what I gained from being Editor-in-Chief. I never expected to be in this position. Most importantly, I would say, The Gatepost gave me my friendships with Adrien and Dylan. I couldn’t be more grateful for them. We’ve had a really hard year, and I’m grateful I’ll be able to look back and remember all the good times we had.
Gobin: The Gatepost gave me direction. When I started here, I had no idea what I wanted to do. All I knew was I wanted to work in something communications-related. Photojournalism was never a thought for me. I did newspaper and yearbook in high school, but I never thought it would extend beyond high school. I never thought I could make a career out of this. When I started here, I didn’t have much experience with sports photography. It turns out it’s my passion, and sports have become my life. I also gained so many amazing mentors and relationships from The Gatepost. Maddison Behringer was my former editor, and I am so thankful to have been trusted with her spot. It has given me such a social place, and it has given me some of my best friends. I am forever grateful for every opportunity The Gatepost has given me and the people who have made it the best experience possible.
If you could go back and complete college again, would you do anything differently?
Oppedisano: I would stop myself from being so scared. Scared of joining in. Scared of being perceived by others. Scared of doing
what really makes me happy. I could’ve been on The Gatepost sooner, or I could’ve joined the English major earlier and had time to sink deeper into my studies. There are so many would’ve, could’ve, should’ve’s, and I want to sit here and tell you how I would start over, but in reality, I know if I had to do it again with no fear or apprehension - it wouldn’t turn out like this. I met my best friends here, the love of my life, and mentors I will have in my corner forever. I learned how to be bolder, stronger, independent, and, most importantly, I learned what makes me happy. I owe all of that to Framingham State. So, while I would start over again just to stay here longer, Framingham State has already given me everything I need.
Gobin: I don’t think I would do anything differently. I think my experience needed to happen the way it did. My first semester, I wanted to transfer, and honestly, one of the things that kept me going was The Gatepost and the people here. Framingham State has been the best experience of my life. It has given me the most amazing memories, best friends who are like family to me, and mentors who I will cherish for life. It has shaped me into the person I needed to be, and if I never ended up here, I have no idea where I would be or who I would be. If I could do it all again, I would in a heartbeat 10 times over.
Courtesy of Sophia Oppedisano
Board of Trustees reflects on Anthony Hubbard’s tenure
By Sophia Oppedisano Editor-in-Chief
By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor
The Board of Trustees concluded its yearly business with a final meeting on May 6 and reflected on the tenure of Trustee Chair Anthony Hubbard, whose term expires at the end of FY2026.
Trustee Claire Ramsbottom, who currently serves as Vice Chair, will take on the role next year.
Hubbard, a local to Framingham, has served on the Board for two full terms, starting in 2016. He was vice chair from 2022 to 2024 and chair for the last two years. He also served on the Finance Committee throughout his time on the Board.
He participated as a member of the Governance, Compliance Audit and Risk, Executive, and Presidential Review Committees over the course of his tenure.
Ramsbottom said Hubbard has attended many commencement ceremonies, “countless” presidential galas, and recalled a time when she attended a Brother 2 Brother event with Hubbard and saw what it meant to him, “seeing those students and connecting [with them].
“You’ve been thoughtful, thorough, and you’ve always suggested introspection when we come to challenging points. You’ve served with distinction and are a model of what a trustee should be - and we thank you. We’ll miss you, but we know that you’re just a phone call away,” Ramsbottom said.
Before he became a Board member, Hubbard used to “drive by the University all the time, but I had no connection to it,” he said. “I’m just really amazed at the life-changing things that go on, and everyone here makes it happen. So it’s been a pleasure, and I know you’re in good hands.”
The Board voted on its item of new business - the annual delegation of authority to President Nancy Niemi for the summer. Hubbard clarified this resolution does not include authority to act on the FY2027 budget. The motion passed unanimous-
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
(Center) Vice President for University Advancement Eric Gustafson speaking at the Board of Trustees meeting May 6.
ly.
During his report, Vice President of Finance, Technology, and Administration, Robert Totino, presented the most upto-date version of the FY2027 budget.
Totino and the Finance Committee are currently looking at a $2.6 million deficit.
The budget is still subject to final approval by the Finance Committee in the coming months. Totino and Trustee Mariel Freve said they scheduled a two-hour meeting May 19 for the Board to ask questions about the budget before its final approval.
The Board passed a motion to delegate the final approval to the Finance Committee after the May 19 meeting.
Ramsbottom raised the issue about the Board’s bylaws limiting its authority to when classes are in session. “I think we should rethink the timing of our meetings, because I feel like the most important role we have is fiscal responsibility, and we’re at our last meeting, and we’re nowhere near ready for the final budget,” she said.
Police Logs Weather
Saturday, May 9
A chance of rain with a high near 60.
Sunday, May 10
Partly sunny with a high near 70
Monday, May 4 4:11 Psychiatric Emergency, Whittemore Library
Monday, May 4 4:39
Suspicious Package, McCarthy Center
The Trustees agreed future conversations should be had about what the bylaws dictate regarding the timing of the final meeting.
During his final report as Student Trustee, Luke Yubeta, a graduating senior, announced to the Board the next leaders of Student Government, including junior Jamie Kuenzel, who will serve as Student Trustee next year.
Kuenzel is a rising senior pursuing a double major in Spanish and Political Science.
“I’m super excited to work with everyone on the board and to learn more about the process and make change,” Kuenzel said.
As is tradition at the Trustee’s meetings, during Niemi’s report, she recognized a Student-in -the-spotlight. The final student in the spotlight for the year was graduating senior Bianca Furtado.
Furtado was introduced by Psychology Professor Jen Lin, who said Furtado has served as President of the Psychology Club, an officer of Psi Chi, the national honor society for psy-
Monday, May 11
Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and a high near 60.
Tuesday, May 12
Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
chology majors, a research assistant for Michael Greenstein, professor of psychology, and an intern with Call2Talk, a local mental health support organization.
Furtado said she encourages everyone to “Say yes. Take that chance. You might be a bit scared - fear is good. It means you’re pushing yourself to be better. Another thing: push the people around you to say yes, too. Sometimes, just a little bit of confidence from someone can be enough to make them take that chance. Be the person who helps your peers grow alongside you. The more we succeed as a community, the better we become as people.”
CONNECT WITH SOPHIA OPPEDISANO soppedisano@student.framingham.edu
CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarcik@student.framingham.edu
Wednesday, May 13
Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
Thursday, May 7 5:02 Motor Vehicle Accident, Ecumenical Center
Thursday, May 14
Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
Thursday, May 7 6:31
Suspicious Activity, Whittemore Library
SGA passes end-of-year resolution
By Julien Fernandez Staff Writer
President César Matos introduced an end-of-year commitment letter in a meeting on May 5. The letter was a resolution SGA passed as a public sentiment for what the student government is doing.
Matos said he was a recipient of the Kathleen Comitsky Roberts award, which provided him with extra scholarship money. When looking more into her life story, he was inspired by her dedication to her community.
He said Roberts was an educator in the state of Massachusetts and was very much devoted to the act of caring for the community and the act of service for the people in the Framingham State community.
Matos said this letter was him looking back at his time in SGA and feeling like “SGA provided me that exact feeling.
“I’m going to be able to impact the community in a way that is going to be positive, and I’m going to be really prominent in being that person that incentivizes other people to be better,” he added.
Matos began the letter with the quote, “I believe you should give back to your community. It enriches your life as well as others.”
He wrote that the student government’s core values reflect the values of Roberts, and SGA “holds dear to act on giving back to our community and choosing to invest our time, energy, and care not only into each other, but also unto something larger than ourselves. Thus, we believe it of great importance to recognize that such a crucial responsibility does not rest solely upon the members of SGA, but rather upon all of us.
“Every student who vot-
ed, joined a club, attended an event, or simply showed up to this community has contributed to making this University stronger, and in doing so, you have proven that giving back does not take away from your experience, but rather enriches the experience of everyone,” he said.
Matos added, “As the year draws to an end, we are reaffirming our commitment to you, to ensure this community remains whole, resilient, and a home you can call your own. We strive to achieve this through representation with integrity, acting with transparency, and building a student government reflective of the needs of the
The resolution passed 14-0.
All current SGA members signed the end-of-year commitment letter.
Publicist Taylor Royal announced a new tradition for SGA called the Senior Segment to honor the legacies of graduating students by presenting each of them with an award.
Royal said, “Student government is built on commitment, passion, and the willingness to make a difference. Our graduating seniors have embodied those values throughout their time at Framingham State University, helping shape initiatives, strengthen our campus community, and leave a lasting impact that will continue be-
prepared a speech for tonight. I did not, but as unprepared as I am for this speech, it has felt exactly like that throughout the entirety of the SGA this year, I have to say. And even then, it ended up successful somehow.”
During the open forum, Valand said he is working on finalizing the space for the Serenity Center.
He added next semester, he plans for students to be able to rent hammocks at Larned Beach.
Valand said SGA is going to implement a means for clubs to submit funding requests over the summer.
Valand said the SCC has been changed to the SARC “finally -
“ We believe it of great importance to recognize that such a crucial responsibility does not rest solely upon the members of SGA, but rather upon all of us.”
- Cesár Matos SGA President
students.
“This letter means a whole lot to me. I know that I worked alongside the SARC [Student Affairs Review Committee] to have it passed, and I really do believe in everything we’ve done,” Matos said.
A motion was made by Senator Nathan Piette “to approve the beautiful letter that was drafted by César Matos to be officially adopted by the Student Government Association.”
yond their graduation.”
The graduating seniors presented with their awards were Matos, Royal, Events Coordinator Alix Ayoub, Luke Yubeta, Jamie Kuenzel, and Yisel Bedoya. Each senior was presented with their regalia by a member of SGA who will be their successor.
Junior Shubham Valand was then sworn in as the new President of SGA by Matos.
Before swearing him in, Matos said, “I wish I could say I had
we are shocked.”
During his report, Piette said, “The campus is a little bit safer and more secure. The police may have had a little to do with that, but we did a good job,” referencing his work on the Safety and Security Committee.
Matos said, “One of my biggest points of pride was actually Nathan, and seeing him create the Volunteers of FSU, and getting to join that one event. It really warmed my heart. … I hope it grows, because it deserves to grow.”
Senator Merlin Clive said, L.U.N.A. is currently looking for new eBoard members, and any students interested in serving should contact them. “I believe we are looking for a treasurer, an events coordinator, and a vice president.”
Senator Cameron Rokes announced Volunteers of FSU are looking for new members to join. “We always will appreciate more people helping out.”
Kuenzel announced a parliamentary senior workshop will be held next year.
All nine members who were voted in for next year’s SGA were sworn in by Valand.
Grant Alleyne was reappointed Parliamentarian for next year’s SGA by Valand.
Four senators were sworn into SGA - Cameron Higbie, Kennedy Thompson, Anna Maxwell, and Al Capone Pujolls.
Ayoub announced eBoard member and senator of the week. “It’s actually going to be ‘of-the-year,’ because I decided that and it’s fine.”
The senator of the year was awarded to Piette and the eBoard member of the year was awarded to Royal.
Framingham State hosts first tour led entirely in Spanish
By Bella Grimaldi News Editor
By Avery Slavin Asst. News Editor
The first campus tours conducted only in Spanish were led by two students from the World Languages department on April 28.
Twenty-eight students from Framingham High School participated in these tours, led by juniors Daryanys Manche and Mariela López. Each of them led a group of 14 high schoolers.
Manche and López were selected by Inés Vañó García, professor of Spanish & Linguistics.
Vañó García said she picked them from her class this semester. This class is focused on students perfecting their conversation skills in formal and informal settings.
Vañó García added she values experience-based learning for students and has been looking for ways to connect to the community.
She said the collaboration with Framingham High School started with Manche and López and another student, Valentina Gaviria, giving presentations on April 14 about their experiences and the importance of studying Spanish in academia.
Through a Civic Engagement mini-grant by the University, they were able to invite the high schoolers onto campus, said Vañó García.
She said the Office of Admissions was “really helpful” preparing Manche and López for the tour.
Vañó García said they provided resources, such as a link to information from when the office could not run campus tours during COVID-19. “They came to one of our classes. They gave us a lot of information. They were able to also provide some of the material for the students.”
Manche said since she transferred to FSU a year ago and is a commuter, she went on a campus tour on April 27 to prepare.
She said she used that experience to decide what aspects of campus to focus on and how to broaden her tour to include the interests of the group.
While the tour was not run by the Admissions Office, they are “incredibly happy this tour took
place,” according to Assistant Director of Admissions Kirsten Hoey.
She said she “sees it as a meaningful step in exploring how we can make our campus visit experience more accessible and welcoming to all populations. With so many Spanish-speaking students attending and considering FSU, it’s so important that we create opportunities for students and their families to fully experience our campus and community.”
Vañó García said she would like to continue having campus tours in languages other than English, which Hoey agreed is something Admissions is interested in doing.
Vañó García said she wants to develop an internship opportunity for World Languages students to fill the position of a tour guide.
“There is some money through the Mancuso Centerthe Humanities Center - where we as faculty have been able to apply for some funding to rethink and redesign some of the internship opportunities that we have in our programs,” said Vañó García.
She said this would be an avenue for students who are commuters or need a job.
Hoey said over the past few years, she has worked with ASL
professor Angela Herbert and held information sessions and tours with her senior ASL interpreting students.
“These students have had the opportunity to practice their interpreting while out on tour, and our visiting students and families have loved getting to see our students in action,” she said.
López said the opportunity to lead the tour meant a lot to her, because on one of her visits to FSU, she brought her dad, who “just speaks Spanish. So, he didn’t have the opportunity to connect with the school, which was a little bit sad.
“I know there was so much information that I wanted him to know about the school, but I couldn’t give it to him,” she said. “Knowing that we could do that for the students - that was a great experience.”
Vañó García said, “Not all the parents or family members speak English or feel confident speaking English in front of people. So making these tours or information more accessible to that type of population, I think is really important.”
Hoey said, “We know how important campus visits are in the college search process, and want to ensure all family members are getting the information they need to make the most in-
formed decision on whether FSU is the right choice for them.”
Vañó García said the FSU student body is changing, especially with the rise of the Hispanic student population. While most of these students speak English, having tours and resources available in Spanish would make Framingham State more accessible for them.
López said Margalida Massanet-Andre, the Framingham High School teacher who collaborated with Vañó García, invited her and Manche back to shadow a class next year.
Massanet-Andre said, “It was an amazing experience for our students to see the academic opportunities they have in their own community and get to know and spend time with FSU students. Truly worth it - they were thrilled.”
One of the high school students on the tour said, “I liked the campus, the organization of the event, and the overall experience.”
Two students said they wished they had more time at the University, and they would have liked to have seen more of the campus buildings.
One high schooler said, “I really liked the food they gave us and seeing the gym!”
Another student said, “I liked the Dunkin’ and the restaurants that they explained to us.”
Two students said they loved their experience, and the tour of Framingham State’s campus felt like walking through a city.
Another high schooler said, “The teachers and the girls on the tour were super kind to us.”
One student said, “What I liked the most about the field trip was the tour they gave us around the University. We had seen many places and experienced a little bit of what life at FSU is like.”
Hoey said she is “excited to continue working with Professor Vañó García to see how we can make Spanish tours a more consistent thing.”
Courtesy of Inés Vañó García
Courtesy of Inés Vañó García
A world of cuisine at Framingham Centre
By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor
Across Route 9, multiple plazas are home to restaurants, cafes, and quick-service eateries that represent a world of cuisine in the historic Framingham Centre Common.
Walking across the footbridge across Route 9 connects High Street to Worcester Road West and the accompanying businesses. The footbridge also provides access to businesses on and around Edgell Road, including Trolley Square.
To get to Trolley Square from campus by car, turn right onto High Street and then turn left at the intersection of Edgell Road. Continue straight into Framingham Centre and then turn left at Auburn Street. This leads to the back parking lot of Trolley Square and the businesses inside. According to Apple Maps, this is a 0.9-mile drive that can be completed in 5 minutes.
Trolley Square, located at 855 Worcester Road, is home to multiple restaurants, including Kugels New York Style Deli.
Opened in September 2005 by Dave Livis, Kugels offers all-day breakfast and lunch offerings seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and on Sundays from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Originally, Livis opened Kugels with two friends who no longer own or operate the business. A real estate agent by trade, Livis served as the restaurant’s financial backing. He now operates the deli with his wife, Sandra.
Kugels is a diner-style restaurant with a walk-up counter and indoor seating.
Livis said popular items on the Kugels’ menu for breakfast are pancakes and eggs benedict. For lunch, he recommends a reuben or a chicken sandwich.
Livis’ personal favorite is the Montreal smoked meat sandwich.
When patrons come to Kugels, they “get a good meal at a fair price,” Livis said.
He said Kugels is visited by college students, but most of his customers have been eating at Kugels for the last 20 years.
“It’s very satisfying. I have a very good relationship with a lot of people, and you know, we’ve lost a lot of people because this is more of an older-style establishment. So a lot of our clients
have passed on, but hopefully, we get the new ones,” Livis said.
Livis added that he believes most students tend to go to IHOP, which is in the neighboring plaza, because of its extended hours. However, “the students are more than welcome.”
Kugels offers mobile ordering through DoorDash, GrubHub, and Uber Eats.
According to a Kugel’s menu brochure, Trolley Square served as a car depot for the Boston and Worcester Street Railway Company. Now it is home to not only Kugel’s New York Style Deli but also several other restaurants, including Rasoi Indian Cuisine.
Opened in 2023 by Jaspreet Singh, who is originally from Punjab, Rasoi’s menu features primarily North Indian cuisine.
He said when opening Rasoi, he traveled around Massachusetts while selling rice and spices to determine which dishes were popular. He then consulted with his brothers - who are both chefs - to determine what the best menu for Rasoi would be.
Ultimately, they decided to focus on one type of cuisinesomething that other Indian restaurants in the area do not offer, Singh said.
Singh said most of the business generated from FSU students comes from their delivery service.
Online ordering is available through Rasoi’s website. Indoor seating with complementary chai is available seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
He said popular items featured on the menu include dahi kebab, beetroot kebab. “Afghani chicken is the number one favorite here. It’s served with a flatbread called rumali roti.”
Singh came to Massachusetts in 2012 and has lived in the Boston area since then.
He said the Framingham community is “very open-hearted. Very, very nice people here. They are educated people, I feel like this [is] home, and I enjoy growing more here.”
Singh highlighted the quality of the ingredients used at Rasoi. He said the restaurant only uses fresh produce, even at high costs.
“I’m losing money, but I’m gaining more customers. I want to give you the best food,” Singh added.
In addition to serving food at
Rasoi, a few doors down from the restaurant is Indian Food & Spices, a grocery store also owned and operated by Singh. He purchased the grocery store from the previous owners, who operated it for 20 years.
The grocery store was the first location he purchased in 2022. It sells imported Indian foods and offers prepared food cooked by Singh’s mother in what he refers to as “Granny’s Kitchen” in the back of the store.
“In the back, there is a homemade kitchen where my mom makes unique food like butternut methis, aloo baingan,” Singh said.
Both Rasoi Indian Cuisine and Indian Food & Spices are located in the front of Trolley Square with parking lot access from Worcester Road.
On the backside of Trolley Square, a new restaurant - which has only been open for less than a month - offers southeast asian cuisine.
A SouthEast Kitchen, owned and operated by Asek Ritrai and his parents Wiroj and Suwannee, offers Thai cuisine with plans to offer Vietnamese and southeast asian dishes.
“Food has just always been part of my life,” Ritrai said. “I think it’s a big part of everyone’s life that they don’t really look at, because you always need to eat. That’s why I find it important to share.”
He added his goal for the restaurant is to keep quality at the forefront of his business. “I don’t want to water down anything where I don’t have to. I’d rather increase prices than try to water down and cut costs. I try to keep all ingredients fresh and the highest freshness as I can.”
Ritrai said popular menu items include pad Thai, curries, and massaman curry for those who don’t like spicy food.
A SouthEast Kitchen is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Online ordering is available on GrubHub and DoorDash.
Ritrai said he has plans to open a cafe in the restaurant and sell some of the products he uses to prepare meals at the restaurant.
Just a short drive from Trolley Square and from campus, another plaza serves food that
many Framingham State students regularly enjoy.
University Pizza, located at 961 Worcester Rd., serves up pizza, appetizer, and sub offerings, which are available for student organizations to purchase via a purchase order from the Office of Student Experience.
Owner Augusto Romeiro said the location had been a Pizza parlor since before the 1990s, and has been operated as University Pizza since 2013.
Romeiro said he took ownership of the restaurant in 2018.
“The students make up a good part of our business, especially with all the clubs that order from us every week for meetings,” he said.
Romeiro said of the many items on University Pizza’s menu, “Nothing can compete with the numbers of cheese and pepperoni pizzas that we sell daily.”
He added, “The subs, like steak and cheese or chicken parms, are not that far behind!”
Romeiro said the Framingham community has been supportive of the restaurant, which has a loyal following of daily and weekly returning customers.
“We are very grateful for each one of them. It’s been great to see how much Framingham is growing and we look forward to seeing what the future holds. We are a small family-owned business trying to do our best and serve good food,” he said.
As a special offer to readers of The Gatepost, Romeiro said University Pizza is offering a 10% discount on carry-out orders from May 8 to May 15 with a valid student ID from FSU upon payment.
University Pizza is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Ordering from University Pizza can be done using their phone number (508) 879-1234.
To get to University Pizza from State Street, turn left onto High Street, then make another left turn onto Edgell Road. Finally, turn left at the intersection of Edgell and Worcester Roads.
CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarcik@student.framingham.edu
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST
Indian Food & Spices, located in Trolley Square.
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST
University Pizza, located on Worcester Road.
May Day
We’ve seen a war in Iran provoked for no discernible reason,” Trousdale added.
Trousdale said the U.S. is currently averaging one death in ICE detention every six days, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “That is an outrage. It is human rights abuse, and it is happening right now, and it is happening here in Framingham.”
Chair of the English Department Lisa Eck said it’s hugely important for the University to support a rally such as this one because the issues being discussed directly affect students and faculty.
Senior and student speaker Izayah Morgan said, “Everyone, regardless of immigration status, deserves a right to be here, and we need to stop mass deportations and illegal kidnapping of people.”
Trousdale said the reason the University was hosting a rally on campus as opposed to organizing a trip to Boston is that one of the Trump administration’s biggest targets is higher education.
She said, “We are seeing huge rollbacks on academic freedom. Nationwide, state legislators and red states have been passing legislation, limiting what it is legal to say in a classroom. This does not happen in a free civil society.”
She added the Trump administration is targeting higher education because they are afraid of educated people questioning their methodology.
“What we do is a shared enterprise - faculty, staff, and students ask hard questions. When someone stands up and says, ‘Vaccines are dangerous.’ We’re going to say, ‘Show me the studies.’ We’re going to say, ‘Is that peer reviewed?’” Trousdale said.
Criminology and Sociology Professor Forrest Rodgers said universities need to be leaders and a safe haven for times of unease and advocacy for the rights of a community.
“FSU is a multicultural, diverse University with people from a variety of backgrounds. … As a result, it’s imperative the University set an example on how to lead and how to rally for the things that matter most,” he said.
Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page said higher education is one of the greatest aspects of the U.S.
“It’s so important that you’re showing up to stand up for your University at this moment for its access, affordability, or its quality. … If you have a thinking, knowledgeable citizenry, they will go after authoritarians who want to take away their rights,” Page added.
Page said it’s important for students to get educated so they can spread their knowledge.
Porter-Utley said, “The moment a university begins telling scholars what conclusions are acceptable, and what can and can’t be taught in the classroom, it stops being a university.
“We will defend academic freedom, because the alternative is not just bad for teacher-scholars and our students. It is bad for everyone who depends upon the truth, and at Framingham - we live to the truth,” she added.
Porter-Utley said the University will continue to provide resources to all campus members and to assemble local and state legislators to the best of its abilities to make sure the people in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts feel safer.
She added President Nancy Niemi has been an advocate for the voices of the FSU communi-
ty.
“Like all of us, [Niemi] is very concerned that when funding to public higher education is reduced, we are making a decision about who gets to learn, who gets to rise, and who gets left behind,” Porter-Utley said.
Morgan said teachers and professors should be paid more.
“It just saddens me that, all the time, teachers have to pay out of pocket for things that they want for their students. And I’ve seen teachers and professors who go above and beyond for their students,” he said.
Page said prior to coming to the rally, he was in Attleboro supporting teachers who were fighting to “earn the radical notion of a living wage, which might be around $50,000 a year. They’re nowhere near that.”
He said the fight for fair taxation will strengthen public institutions.
Page said he credits years of activism for the passage of the Fair Share Amendment, a tax on multimillionaires designed to fund infrastructure and public education.
“This is a form of economic and racial justice, and we should be proud of that. We took money - a little bit of money - from the very, very rich, and brought it down to regular people,” he added.
The rallying FSU community met with the Framingham chapter of the Visibility Brigade on the pedestrian bridge over Route 9.
According to their website, The Visibility Brigade focuses on rush hour resistance by spreading “non-violent, democratic messages” in any physical capacity. They were “born out of a frustration due to the lack of physical messaging in the real world about the existential crisis that we face as a nation.”
Cheryl Elkins, a member of the Framingham Visibility Brigade, said it is important for the Framingham community to be present and rallying together, and people feel too complacent.
“People feel comfortable that they don’t need to do anything because Massachusetts is a good state. But no, we have to pay attention. … The ICE issue is a big issue here,” she said.
Trousdale said, “If you don’t stand in public, people who are impacted, people who are
vulnerable, are going to think they’re alone, and they’re going to think that there’s no help available.”
She added she appreciates the support the administration offers to the community.
“Vice President Porter-Utley spoke. President Niemi wasn’t able to make it but sent her support, and that seems essential for making the University trustworthy for the students that we are here to support,” she said.
Eck said, “When we’re in a place like a university, that should be about empowerment and access and solidarity. Because of all the good things the University stands for, we have even more responsibility to act.
“The whole point of college is to find your voice, and if we’re not opening up the spaces for that and making sure students can come in, then that would be a loss,” Eck added.
Rodgers said, “I feel your voice, especially in a college setting, is so important, and if you feel so encouraged to do so, using that voice for good is always welcome, and we can help push forward for change not only on our campus, but in the broader community of Framingham and the world.”
Morgan said he thinks the FSU community rallying together is beautiful. “I think it’s wonderful to see moments like that where students and teachers come together to fight for one another.”
He added he thinks history repeats itself. “My ancestors, when they came here, they were brought unwillingly. Then they got their freedom, but were segregated. And now, I feel our country is trying to go back to that.”
Junior Iz Shields said they felt supported seeing the community stand together at the rally.
“When you’re in a diverse community, you get to hear more about people’s experiences dealing with the major events going on in the world, and it allows you to be able to lend a hand better,” they added.
[ Editor’s Note: Izayah Morgan is the Opinions Editor for The Gatepost. ]
Antonio Machado / THE GATEPOST
Faculty and students walking on State Street at the May Day protest on May 1.
Antonio Machado / THE GATEPOST
Faculty on State Street with homemade protest signs at the May Day protest May 1.
STC installs e-paper displays at campus parking lots
By Julien Fernandez Staff Writer
Framingham State has installed new solar-powered Papercast displays at each of the campus parking lots in an effort to make requesting a bus ride easier for students, said Director of Transportation Kim Galvani.
Galvani said she is working closely with the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) on this project, which was afforded to FSU through a grant from the University’s campus sustainability initiative.
Galvani said the cost of the installation was $40,735.24.
These displays were installed at Maple Athletic, Maple Commuter, Union, Bement and Salem End lots.
She said the displays were purchased from Papercast and installed by Sunshine Signs.
“I was looking for a more efficient way to communicate with the students. Now, we get a lot of phone calls,” she said. “We have been short-staffed for quite a few years, so with having fewer students working, I don’t always have somebody to answer the phone at the dispatch desk.”
These signs will eliminate the
FSUGo app,” Galvani added.
She said the MWRTA would also have an e-paper display at their stop on-campus in front of the McCarthy Center, “which anyone can use for free right now.”
Galvani said last semester, the MWRTA installed dashboard cameras on all the buses “for safety purposes.”
“I want to always improve our service, right? So, [we’re] adding this Papercast and hoping it’s going to help that. I really want to make sure we get people safely and efficiently to their destinations,” Galvani said.
Galvani said the requirements for working at STC are being a full-time student, having your license for 2 years, being able to pass the Department of Transportation Physical and Drug Test provided by the University, and having a clean driving record.
She added students are then interviewed and eventually employed, undergoing 4 hours of training, working a minimum of 12 hours a week, showing up to safety meetings once a month, and being subject to random drug tests every quarter.
Students will also be expected to work weekly as both bus drivers for a minimum of 8
said.
“Some have been our fault, some have been other drivers’ faults, so it just varies. Knock on wood,” Galvani said.
She said in the event of a crash, the driver will leave the bus where it is and radio the dispatch desk employees, who then reach out to Galvani and campus police to take care of
Asyria Antoine, a junior, said, “All in all, I love the Ram Tram. I love how it helps those who don’t have a car on campus not feel strictly stuck on campus, and they can use it to save money to get to and from work.
“However, I strongly believe the Ram Tram can be more communicative on when and why they can’t run certain
“ I was looking for a more efficient way to communicate with the students. Now, we get a lot of phone calls.”
- Kim Galvani Director of Transportation
need for students seeking a ride to call the transportation desk. Now, students will be able to press a button to request a ride.
“I was looking for a way to improve our service and make it a little easier for students to get the shuttle,” Galvani said.
The e-paper displays are part of a multi-phase rollout of features, Galvani said.
The first phase included the installation of solar panels and the displays showing the campus bus schedule, which has been completed, she said.
Galvani said the second phase is for students to request a bus ride during STC’s dispatch hours, from 6 p.m. to 11:45 p.m., via a button on the display.
She added the request from the display will send a signal to a tablet inside the shuttles assigned to that parking lot, and to the dispatch desk, of when and where the request was made.
The last phase is for the display to audibly announce when the next shuttle will arrive, she said.
“We currently have a tracker for the shuttles. … On the FSUGo app, if you login, you can track where the shuttles are,” and this tracking system would function with the e-paper displays, she said.
“It’s getting there. There are a lot of moving parts to get it to work efficiently and properly, because it’s a new technology for us,” Galvani said.
“All our schedules are on the
hours and at the STC dispatch desk at the entrance of the McCarthy Center for a minimum of 4 hours.
She said working at STC, students gain valuable work experience to add to their resumes, build strong connections with their coworkers, and receive bi-weekly payment for $17 an hour.
Galvani added students can choose their working hours according to their schedules.
If students choose to stay working at STC long enough to become a manager, they can expect to make $19 an hour.
Galvani said due to monthly drug tests and students operating in a safety-sensitive position, she likes to offer students as much as STC’s budget will allow.
Galvani said she’d love to hire more students, but has found scheduling to be the biggest conflict.
“I’m a mom, and employing students brings me a lot of joy. Especially if they start as freshmen and I see them grow from coming into the interview kind of shy. … Watching them figure out how to navigate and make connections at this job has been really fulfilling for me,” Galvani said.
She added employees are most needed on weekends.
“We try to prevent accidents with training, but yes, we have had accidents over the years. We’ve had minor ones to a couple major accidents,” Galvani
the situation.
“Depending on the situation, we exchange information and take it from there, and then if the vehicle needs to be towed, it gets towed, if it’s driveable, it gets driven,” Galvani said.
Galvani added, “There is always follow-up. If it’s [our] driver’s fault, we do some retraining to help them prevent or see, ‘How could we prevent this from happening?’”
“The shuttle can take a lot. … We’ve had somebody not yield the right-of-way and hit our shuttle - very little damage,” she said.
Robert Perruzzi, a junior, said, “Eliminating the need to call the desk will be super convenient for STC. I know one of the managers, and he is frequently answering overdue calls that get transferred to him. As long as STC is properly staffed, they will definitely continue to do great work!”
Faith Blaisdell, a sophomore, said, “I’m a very shy person and struggle especially with making phone calls, which is half of the reason I haven’t tried to take the bus before.”
She added, “I think being able to call from the stop without a phone is super important, as it broadens accessibility to more students, especially in tough scenarios where someone might not be able to make a call at the moment.”
Brian Rmsis, a senior, said, “I definitely think that’ll make it more convenient.”
routes or departures, as I’m not the only one who’s found some frustration when a certain route doesn’t come on time, or at all, and I wasted time waiting for a Ram Tram that never arrived,” she said.
Vincent Gauthier, a sophomore, said, “I think that the Papercast displays could be very useful for helping STC work better. More importantly, I think they need better desk shift coverage.
“I’ve worked at STC before, and without a person at the desk it’s very difficult to be on time to places because I can’t check my phone while I’m driving, so when managers text to inform me that someone called, I never saw those until I parked.”
Quincy Leary, a junior who works for STC, said, “I think it’s a really cool idea. It helps the drivers and students know if someone’s at the bus stop or if a bus is on its way, so they don’t have to keep calling and wondering where the bus is - especially if they update the location tracking on the buses.”
Gatepost Archives
SPORTS
Women’s track and field ends record-breaking season strong
By Izabela Gage Sports Editor
At the MASCAC Championship April 25, women’s track and field placed fifth out of six teams with 72 points before nine athletes competed at NCAA Division III Regionals May 1.
Head Coach Mark Johnson said, “Team expectations going in were just to leave everything on the track and leave everything on the field. Across the board, I think the team did that.”
Junior Kate Buban delivered a standout performance in the 10K at the MASCAC Championship meet, taking first place with a time of 39:12.74. The secondplace runner finished with a time of 43:35.40.
Buban said, “My race strategy was to run my own race and focus on competing against myself. My goal was to run a personal best, and although I ended up finishing 9 seconds off my PR, I was proud of myself for trying my best for that race.”
Junior Jamie Moniz surpassed her previous school record in javelin of 33.48 meters, winning first place with a throw of 35.61 meters. The second-place throw measured 32 meters.
Buban’s and Moniz’s firstplace finish earned them a spot on the MASCAC All-Conference Team.
Moniz also competed in the long jump, placing seventh out of 13 at 4.65 meters. Captain Lydia Marunowski, a senior, placed 11th with a mark of 4.39 meters.
Moniz finished fourth out of 10 in the triple jump at 9.76 meters, followed by Marunowski in sixth at 9.50 meters and freshman Emma Foley in eighth at 9.06 meters.
Johnson said, “One of our freshmen, Emma Foley, came in just blazing, and she’s on the board now in almost a half-dozen places.”
Foley has set records this season for the 100 meter hurdles, long jump, and triple jump, and was a part of the 4x100 meter relay team that broke the previous record, which was set in 2019 at 53.5 seconds, with a time of 51.98 seconds.
Foley said she is looking forward to breaking her personal records. “I’m really happy that I broke four school records, but next season I want to focus more on beating my own records since I wasn’t able to PR this season.”
Freshman Reagan Laprade placed third out of four in the pole vault at 2.29 meters.
Johnson said, “We don’t really have a pole vault set up here, so it was fun working with her, just doing some drills down at our track and trying to get into it.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve added events,” he added. “Now we have a pole vaulter, which is an event that I never thought that I would coach here. We’re becoming a truly full-bodied team.”
He said, “Our team is young, so the future is very bright with this team. With Kate and crew leading the way next year, and freshmen like Emma and Reagan, it’s going to be epic in the next three
to four years.”
Moniz also tied for fourth out of eight in the high jump, clearing 1.4 meters.
Moniz said, “Being in many events at the meet can be stressful. This year, I have been doing three jumping events and javelin, which pretty much entails running around, but it also helps me not overthink or get too nervous for competition.”
In the shotput, junior Cali Leger secured third place out of 15 with a throw of 10.07 meters.
Sophomore Ashley Caputo followed in eighth at 9.07 meters, with sophomore Amy Tansek finishing 11th at 8.60 meters and senior Reese Perry in 12th at 8.52 meters.
In the steeplechase, senior Sarah Campbell led the way with a fourth-place finish out of nine, earning a time of 13:11.95, followed by sophomore Grace Avery, who placed seventh with a time of 13:49.84.
Captain Natalie Grimaldo, a senior, earned a third-place finish out of eight in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:02.37.
Grimaldo also placed third out of six in the 400 meter hurdles in 1:11.50.
Senior Justine Pickard finished eighth out of 16 in the 1500 meter run with a time of 5:25.22, with Captain Meghan Johnston, a senior, close behind in ninth at 5:28.05.
At the regional meet, the Rams had 23 athletes qualify across 16 events.
Moniz placed 12th out of 21 in javelin with a throw of 34.51 meters.
She said heading into the MASCAC Championship, she was seeded first for javelin. “For
reaching regionals, my goal this season, I knew I had to do better. … My goal was to get one decent throw in, and I was able to do just that.”
Buban competed in the 5K and also qualified for the 10K, which she did not participate in. She finished 11th out of 17 in the 5K with a time of 18:25.76, breaking her own school record of 18:39.93 set during the 2025 season.
Buban said, “I chose the 5K because I wanted another opportunity to run a personal best, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to compete against some of the fastest Division III distance athletes in the region.”
Grimaldo placed 17th out of 27 in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:07.48, breaking her previous school record of 1:07.70, which was set in the 2025 season.
Grimaldo said, “Once I broke the record the first time, I knew I could keep improving if I trusted myself and my training. It definitely feels rewarding because it makes me feel like all the work I put in paid off.”
The 4x400 meter relay team of freshman Ellen Child, Laprade, Grimaldo, and senior Cassandra Toth placed 13th out of 19 with a time of 4:17.20, breaking the previous school record of 4:26.03 set in the 2025 season by Grimaldo, Toth, Johnston, and Stella D’Ambrosio, who was a freshman at the time.
Johnson said the relay team breaking the record by 8.5 seconds is like the “Mount Everest of a knock-off time. The girls’ coaches all jumping around after that was just a great way to finish the year.”
The Rams’ 4x800 meter re-
lay team of Avery, Johnston, junior Justinne Quinanola, and Buban finished 14th out of 15 in 11:14.25.
Buban and Grimaldo are competing at the F.I.R.E Meet at Williams College for their last meet of the season May 8 and 9.
Johnson said having 11 records broken this season “speaks wonders of the time, energy, and effort the athletes are all putting in. They come to training every day, usually with a smile, and they put in the work.
“It shows we’re a younger program, because we’ve only had a team since 2019 as an NCAA team, but our records are getting more competitive,” he added.
Buban said, “It says a lot about the strength of our program right now. Everyone puts in the work every day, and it’s exciting to see that pay off. I’m really excited to see what our athletes continue to accomplish moving forward and how this momentum carries into next season.”
Johnson said he loves the team dynamic because of how supportive every athlete is of their teammates. “Regardless of whether it’s someone in their event group, if they’re not warming up for their event, they’re typically out sitting in the middle of the track, cheering on their teammates, or up in the stands, just trying to make as much noise as they can.”
Moniz said, “From the team’s perspective, our goal was to have our best year yet. Each year, our progress has been linear, and I’m excited to see what next year will bring!”
Johnson said he is proud of all three captains, Johnston, Grimaldo, and Marunowski. “They’ve done a great job this year with pushing the team forward.”
He added the graduating seniors are a special group to him because he took over as head coach three years ago. “This group was there with me from day one as head coach here. I appreciate all the energy and effort they put in the last three years under me and four years in general.
“They are the historical foundation of this team, and I’m excited to see where they go in the future,” he added.
Grimaldo said graduating “feels bittersweet. I am really proud to leave the program with performances like these, especially breaking records, but it is also emotional knowing this chapter is coming to an end. I will also miss the girls very much because they are a big part of who I am as a runner.”
Johnson said, “Looking forward to next year, I’m gonna miss the personalities we’re losing, but we have a great team remaining. We have a lot of great kids coming in. We’re super excited to hopefully turn some heads in the next year as we grow the program, and keep, hopefully, breaking records. The sky’s the limit for the team.”
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Front) Natalie Grimaldo running in the 4x400 relay at the Regis Spring Classic on April 10.
Softball falls to Bears in MASCAC Quarterfinals
By Izabela Gage Sports Editor
Despite having a two-run lead in the third inning, the fourthseeded Framingham State Rams were defeated by the fifth-seeded Bridgewater State Bears in an upset quarterfinal win at home May 5.
This loss concludes their season with a conference record of 10-6 and an overall record of 1722.
Bridgewater struck first in the top of the first inning. Angelina Lynch set the tone with a leadoff double to left field, immediately putting pressure on the Rams’ defense.
After a strikeout recorded the first out, Makayla Ansell reached on an error, allowing Lynch to move to third. The pressure continued as their next batter made it to second on a throwing error, while both Lynch and Ansell scored unearned runs.
Though Framingham limited further damage with a groundout and pop-up to end the inning, Bridgewater had claimed a 2-0 lead.
Framingham responded quickly in the bottom half, when sophomore Ellie Etemad-Gilbertson worked a leadoff walk, and sophomore Isabella MacDonald followed by reaching on an error, and Etemad-Gilbertson advanced to third.
Captain Eliza Carignan, a junior, delivered a double to left field to drive in Etemad-Gilbertson and push MacDonald to third.
Sophomore Ava Gray grounded out, but the play allowed MacDonald to score an unearned run while Carignan advanced to third.
Captain Jocelyn Pepe, a sophomore, then reached on another error, bringing Carignan home for another unearned run.
Sophomore Amanda Roche added a single to center, and although the rally stalled with two runners left on base, the Rams had taken a 3-2 advantage.
Bridgewater started the second inning with a double from Victoria Becker and a bunt single by Isabel Bishop, immediately placing runners at the corners.
After Bishop stole second, Sidney Schwartz grounded out to the freshman shortstop Nina Buda, bringing Becker home to
tie the game while Bishop moved to third.
Their next batter flied out to MacDonald for the second out, but Sydney Schaefer followed with an RBI single to right field, scoring Bishop and reclaiming the lead for Bridgewater.
The Bears loaded the bases once again, but the Rams ended the inning with a groundout, limiting Bridgewater to two runs.
Framingham answered again in the bottom of the second. After a flyout, Etemad-Gilbertson and MacDonald drew consecutive walks.
A wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position, setting the stage for Carignan once more. She delivered the biggest swing of the game for Framingham, launching a threerun home run that brought all runners home and put the Rams back in front.
The Bears made a pitching change, and Framingham was retired in order from there, but the Rams were in the lead 6-4.
Bridgewater was held without a hit in the third inning, though an error allowed a runner to reach before a groundout to pitcher Peyton Farris, a junior, ended the frame.
Framingham’s offense went down in order with a flyout and two strikeouts.
In the fourth inning, though, Bridgewater reignited, starting with a hit by pitch on Lynch, who later stole second.
Two singles loaded the bases with only one out. Olyvia Mendonca then delivered a double to left field, driving in two runs to give Bridgewater the lead.
The inning continued as a fielder’s choice, and a single from Becker brought in another run, and an additional fielder’s choice plated one more.
A pop-up hit to freshman Mikayla Yuricheck ended the inning, but the Bears took an 8-6 advantage.
Framingham had an opportunity to respond in the bottom half of the fourth but was unable to generate momentum. A strikeout opened the inning before Etemad-Gilbertson reached on a throwing error.
A pop-up and another strikeout ended the chance to score, unfortunately, leaving the Rams still trailing.
The Bears recorded two hits in
the fifth inning but could not extend their lead, as the Rams’ defense worked to not allow a run, with a groundout to Buda, a flyout to Etemad-Gilbertson, and a lineout to Carignan.
Framingham was unable to answer in the bottom half, drawing a walk but failing to record a hit.
Bridgewater retired in order in the top of the sixth inning, with two groundouts and Ferris striking out their last batter.
In the bottom of the sixth, Buda provided a spark with a leadoff double to left field.
Yuricheck followed with a sacrifice fly that advanced Buda to third. However, Framingham could not bring the run home, as a flyout and a lineout ended the inning, preserving the Bears’ lead.
Yuricheck said, “My approach after not executing on the sacrifice bunt was that I just really needed to put the ball in play to the right side of the field, so the result that I got was not something I was mad about.”
Bridgewater’s offense was again quiet in the seventh, going down with a groundout, a flyout, and a pop-up.
In the bottom half, Carignan struck out to begin the inning, followed by a flyout from Gray.
Pepe kept the game alive with a single to left field, and Roche made solid contact, lining out to center field, but the Bears’ outfield made the catch to end the game.
Buda said the team’s focus going into the game was having a “positive mindset, thinking one play at a time, competing, and having fun.”
Yuricheck said, “I am really proud of the energy and fight that our team showed throughout the game. We never gave up through the adversity that we faced from Bridgewater, and that kept us in the game until the final outs were made.”
Carignan said despite the outcome, “I’m really proud of the way we competed the entire game. We stayed together, kept our energy up, and didn’t give up no matter the situation. That
kind of fight and support for each other says a lot about who we are as a team.”
Etemad-Gilbertson earned a spot on the MASCAC All-Conference First Team, while Carignan and Pepe were named to the MASCAC All-Conference Second Team May 6.
Carignan tallied two hits, one home run, and four RBIs in the loss. She said, “I went up to each at-bat with confidence and trusted my approach. I know my team relies on me to bring in runs, so I focus on staying in my zone and blocking everything else out.”
She added, “At the same time, success like that comes from the whole team - I couldn’t have driven in those runs without the girls in front of me getting on base.”
With no seniors, the entire team will be returning next season. Buda said, “It’ll be nice to just be able to get into things and already be connected from this season next year. I’m excited to compete with the same group again and see how much more we grow, as we’ll have two years together by the end.”
Yuricheck said, “Throughout the season, we were able to bond a lot as a team, and we gained the experience of playing in a playoff game together, which is an experience that is vital to making an even more successful run next season.
“I love playing with this team every day, and can’t wait to see the success unfold next season after an off-season filled with determination,” she added.
Carignan said she thinks being a young team is “going to make a huge difference. We’re building strong chemistry and trust with each other, and having everyone come back means we can keep growing from where we left off.
“I’m really excited to see how much we improve together and what we can accomplish as a group next season,” she added.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
Nina Buda throwing the ball in split doubleheader against Wentworth on April 21.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
Peyton Farris pitching in split doubleheader against Wentworth on April 21.
Baseball remains hopeful after closing difficult season
By Taylor Kimmell Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State Rams competed in three conference matches against the Fitchburg State Falcons, dropping game one 10-7 May 1 and splitting a doubleheader May 3, winning the first 6-4 and losing the second 4-3.
Framingham hosted Fitchburg for the Rams’ Senior Day match for the first of the three-game series.
The Rams honored three seniors before the opening pitch: Josh Sunderland, Jason Strickland, and Ben Respress.
Sophomore Massimo Mondi said, “The few seniors we had this year had a huge impact on who I am as a person and as a teammate.
“When I got to campus two falls ago they welcomed me with open arms and I am incredibly grateful to them for becoming my friends. I look forward to doing what they did for me to future freshmen,” he added.
Junior Johnny Lynch said, “The three seniors have been awesome to me. I look at those three as my best friends, and I can’t wait to see what they achieve in the real world.”
Fitchburg’s Jason Kelly hit a single up the middle to open the first inning. He only managed to advance to third, as plays by sophomore Rosco Palmer in right field, Lynch at third base, and Respress on the pitcher’s mound quickly cut the Falcons’ momentum.
Mondi led off for the Rams but grounded out to shortstop.
Sophomore Christian Cox stepped to the plate next, hitting a double to deep right field. A single by Lynch on the next play allowed Cox to score the first run of the game.
Sophomore Nicholas Kutcher made contact, but a double play by the Falcons ended the first inning.
Fitchburg put up a run at the top of the second after a walked batter was brought in on an RBI to 2nd base.
At the bottom of the second, the Rams fought back for a 3-1 lead, with a double by junior Scott Paquette bringing in runs from Palmer and sophomore Jakob Lindkvist.
After a scoreless third inning on both sides, Fitchburg made a comeback to bring the score to 4-3.
The Rams rallied at the bottom of the fourth, with Paquette and junior Colin Johnson reaching home on a single by Mondi.
Two Respress strikeouts and a catch by Kutcher in left allowed the Rams to hold the Falcons in the fifth.
Framingham’s sole success atbat during the inning came from Palmer who hit a homer to center.
Innings six, eight, and nine saw a strong string of hits by Fitchburg that allowed six runs to cross the plate.
Mondi scored on a sacrifice fly by Lynch at the bottom of the ninth, but the Rams failed to put up more runs and the match ended 10-7 in favor of the Falcons.
The Rams’ second and third matches against the Falcons took them to Fitchburg on May 3.
Game two started off strong for the Rams with a single by Mondi
hit up the middle. Cox followed with a double to right field.
Lynch grounded out to second base, sacrificing an out so Mondi could score the first run of the game.
Kutcher sent a ball to the same spot and grounded out as well, his hit bringing Cox across the plate to bring the score to 2-0 before the inning concluded.
The Falcons made contact twice in the first, but left three runners on base.
Framingham found success in the batter’s box during the second inning as well. The action kicked off with a walk by Lindkvist and a single by Paquette.
A Falcon’s pitching change did little to stop the Rams’ momentum, with Mondi singling to bring Lindkvist across the plate.
Mondi stole second base during the following play, followed by a sacrifice hit by Cox to score Paquette.
Framingham held Fitchburg in the bottom of the second, keeping two runners on base.
Neither team made contact during inning three. Inning four also yielded no success for the Rams.
The Falcons were able to score two runs at the bottom of the fourth, cutting Framingham’s lead to 4-2.
An uneventful fifth inning gave way to a short Rams’ rally in the top of the sixth, started by walks by freshman Zachary Kern and Paquette.
Johnson hit a ground ball to third, getting thrown out but advancing the runners.
With Kern on third and Paquette on second, Mondi sent a ball to left field, his 100th career hit, to score both runners.
Mondi said getting his 100th hit was ”super special, and to be able to do it as a sophomore was really awesome. All I’m trying to do at the plate is put a good swing on the ball and not try to worry too much about the result because I know that hits will come.”
The Rams held the Falcons for the final two innings, ending the match with a 6-4 victory.
Mondi singled and stole second to kick off game three, crossing the plate on a groundout hit by Lynch.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Falcons scored twice, gaining an early 2-1 lead.
Palmer led off for Framingham at the top of the second, flying out to center field. Kern’s at-bat ended with a play by the Falcons’ shortstop for an out at first base.
Despite success by Lindkvist, who found a gap in Falcons’ right side defense for a single, the inning shortly wrapped up with Paquette’s hit landing in an outfielder’s outstretched glove.
The Falcons broke through the Rams’ defense for another run in the bottom of the second, with a run scored on an RBI double by Fitchburg’s Joseph Abt.
A play by Kern at second base and two strikeouts by freshman pitcher Shaun Marsh ensured the Falcons were held to a 3-1 advantage at the end of the inning.
Framingham’s sole success at the plate during the third came from Mondi, who made it on base for a single.
At the bottom of the inning, Marsh struck out the Falcons’ first batter, Palmer caught the second batter’s pop fly to right field, then Lynch made a throw to Lindkvist at first to snag the third out.
Kutcher made it to second base after hitting a line drive to center, brought in on the next play when Palmer hit an RBI single.
The Falcons tallied three consecutive outs after the Rams scored, but only got through three batters of their own, as two strikeouts by Marsh and a play by Kern quickly brought the game into the fifth inning.
Inning five yielded no runs from either team, but the top of the sixth saw a match-tying run scored by Kutcher on a Palmer single.
Framingham managed to hold Fitchburg at the bottom of the sixth, but ran out of luck at the bottom of the seventh when a Falcons’ runner capitalized on a fielding error to cross the plate, ending the match with a close score of 4-3.
Lynch was awarded a spot on the MASCAC All-Conference First Team, while Cox was named to the MASCAC All-Conference Second Team May 6.
Lynch said it felt good to be recognized by making the conference team, but that he could not have done it without the support of his teammates and coaches.
Following these games, the Rams conclude their season with a conference record of 6-18 and an overall record of 9-28.
Though the Rams’ record did not reflect their ambition, they are hopeful for the upcoming season.
Mondi said, “It was definitely a tough year for us but I’m proud of the guys that played through injuries. A lot of guys were banged up this season, but did everything they could to stay on the field and I’m so proud of them for that.”
Lynch said the underclassmen saw a lot of time on the field this season, “so they’ll be ready to go next year. We just need to put all the pieces together. We had a young team this year.”
Mondi said after this season, he hopes “a lot of guys do some personal reflection this off-season into how they can become a better baseball player and a better teammate.
“We can come back next year with a sense of purpose and a will to win that can carry us to having a better year next year. But top to bottom we all have to get better if we are going to get where we want to go next year,” he added.
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH TAYLOR KIMMELL tkimmell@student.framingham.edu
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
Johnny Lynch swinging at bat in loss to Salem St. on April 25.
Izayah Morgan
SENIOR LETTERS 2026
Thanks to professors and faculty at FSU!
Oh where do I start this letter, these past four years have been a journey through tough and great times. I didn’t think when I first came into college that I would make it through. I remember sitting there in the car with my mother deciding if I wanted to stay or not. I have come a long way but of course I didn’t do it alone. First, I have to thank my first professor Dr. Flanagan who, thankfully, was one of the people who encouraged me (even if she didn’t know it) to stay in college. Dr. Johnson was my first and only Black professor. My advisor Dr. McMakin has been there every step of my journey. Dr. Lin was one of the nicest people I ever met. Dr. Elcoro somehow made learning about rats interesting. Dr. Sachs, somehow I earned an A in his class in my freshman year, that was the hardest class I have taken. He has given me immense mentorship and kindness. Dr. Rossi is an amazing leader and person. Jerome and Emma are some of the best bosses and mentors I could ask for. Emily, Ally, Tanya and LaDonna have given me immense love and guidance at CASA. Desmond and Liz have mentored my writing and showed me as much as anyone. Dr. Eck, of the English department, is an amazing woman. Lastly, I want to give thanks to my first mentor at FSU (even if he didn’t know it) Dr.Healey who was able to get me a job, guidance, and support.
Thank you FSU!
Love, Izayah Morgan
Paul Harrington
I made it this far, and I have no regrets. I am thankful for every moment Framingham State. When I came with my mom for Accepted Students Day, I was unsure of what major I wanted to pick. I’m always the type who hates making choices they regret, so I went in undeclared knowing I had time to pick my major and explore the campus. I knew that I liked writing and that I loved video games. I made sure to evenly balance out classes and fun. But I knew there was more out there for me. I’m the type of person who likes to go beyond the limits and make the unknown become known. I always liked asking what other people were afraid to ask. I made sure to keep this mentality all through college. I’m glad I did because of how much I learned about others around me. I want to thank David Case for being an amazing mentor during my time as an SDA at Horace Mann. I thank you for all the lessons you’ve taught me as an employee, and as a person. I want to thank Desmond McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, and Izayah Morgan for welcoming me into The Gatepost with warm and open arms. You have opened up possibilities I could have never fathomed in my life. If there’s anything I want you to take away from reading this, is that you can do whatever you want in life. The only thing stopping you from doing whatever you want is yourself. Four years can go by in an instant. If it can happen to me, it can definitely happen to you. Make the most of every moment you have in College. Because whether you like it or not, everything comes to an end.
Paul Harrington
Sophia Oppedisano
I can’t believe it’s finally time to say goodbye. I even bought myself more time - I was supposed to graduate with the Class of ’25, but a last-minute major switch to English meant I would be staying here at Framingham State - most importantly, staying here at The Gatepost to serve as Editor-in-Chief. I’ve been thinking a lot about leaving The Gatepost but my time at the paper has only made up about two- and-a-half of my five-year career here. I’ve lived such a vibrant life at Framingham State. I met my best friends, fell in love, found my career path - I truly, without a doubt, did it all. I want to say thank you. Thank you to the best Residence Life staff - Joe, David, Stepha- nie, Chris, Jas, and my very first boss, Sam. Thank you to my Eng- lish mentors - Desmond McCarthy, Liz Banks, Lisa Eck, and Lynn Parker for helping me through the English major at record speed. Thank you to my parents and my little brother for giving me a place to land. Thank you to Gwen, Sara, Adri, Emma, Antonio, Izayah, Adrien, Dylan, Marcus and everyone else who I am so grateful to have in my life. Carsten - where would I be without you? Thank you for pushing me, being proud of me, and loving me unconditionally. You’re the most brilliant person I know. To those who I’m leaving behind at Framingham State, know that I will never be far away. I’ll never be ready to let go - but let’s do this.
I’ll always find my way back home, Sophia Oppedisano
Adrien Gobin Before I started here, I had no idea who I wanted to be. I can say that on most days I still don’t, but what I can say is that I know who I have become and I wouldn’t be half of the person I am today without Framingham State. I also wouldn’t be half the person I am today without the people I love who made these years possible. To my mom, thank you for going to Framingham State and for showing me that this is truly the best four years I’ll ever experience. I’m so grateful and happy to be a second-generation FSU grad. To my dad, grandma, and siblings I know it was hard to watch me leave home and move so far away, but thank you for always supporting me and my dreams. Thank you to random room selection for giving me the bestest friend I could ask for, Katherine, I love you endlessly. And I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished, and the amount of amazing memories FSU has given us. Larned 443 forever. To Dylan and Sophia, two colleagues turned best friends, you both inspire me as a leader and as mentors. We’ve laughed, cried, and spent countless hours in McCarthy 410 together and its hours I will never forget. I love you both. To all the amazing mentors that have believed in me… Rachel Spezia, Larry Miller, Ben Schenck, Maddison Behringer, Desmond McCarthy, Liz Banks, and everyone at The Gatepost past and present. Thank you for taking a chance on me and letting me live out my dreams. And to everyone who has been a part of my time at FSU, thank you. It’s an experience I will never forget.
To my home 1,300 miles away from home.
With love, Adrien Gobin
Marcus Falcão
I would just like to thank the amazing professors I have had. Truly, all of them have been amazing, and I feel so grateful. I would like to personally thank the two wonderful art history professors for all of the amazing things I have learned from them and all. I also want to thank the incredible art professors and faculty for the incredible experiences I have had. I feel really great about the progress I have made over the years, and I could not have done it without their guidance. The other Gen-Ed classes I took were honestly really awesome as well. I also want to thank everyone at The Gatepost and The Onyx for being awesome. And last but not least, I want to thank all of the amazing artists I have connected with. I feel so grateful to have seen all of your work and cannot wait to see more. Thank you so much, everyone, for making my time here wonderful!
Love, Marcus Falcão
Amoy Murphy
Framingham State has unironically become one of the best choices I have ever made. I started my journey here in the fall of 2021. At that time I’d never seen the campus or spo- ken to my roommate. All I knew is that this was a new chapter with endless possibilities. As I sit here writing this, I am grateful for where I ended up. Spending two years as a Biology major and three as Health and Wellness major I have met some of the most encouraging and passionate professors. The staff at CASA offered help and guidance and the health center staff helped me to navigate diabetes as a college student. Working on campus gave me the opportunity to become close to our dining staff and interact with so many people. Without FSU I wouldn’t have so many of my friends, I wouldn’t have had some of my best experiences and grown into the person that I am today. I hope that all of you take every opportunity this campus allows and learn to trust yourselves. You’re doing much better than you think.
Love, Amoy Murphy
OPINIONS
THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL
A 2025-26 Year in Review
On Sept. 26, The Gatepost Editorial Board published “Allow us to reintroduce ourselves,” in which we reasserted our commitment to serving the Framingham State community. We wrote: “[Our] commitment has not changed over the years. Every editorial board that has led The Gatepost has prided itself on its dedication to ethically and objectively informing our community about breaking news, as well as sharing the daily life and events that make our campus a lively and inclusive place to be.”
This Gatepost Editorial Board that has led the publication in The Gatepost’s 94th year is proud to have upheld our commitment to this mission and is incredibly grateful for the support of the community, our readers, and the unwavering dedication of our advisors Desmond McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, and Graduate Advising Assistant Emma Lyons.
Our news section, led by News Editor Bella Grimaldi and incoming News Editor Avery Slavin, has reported on everything from SGA meetings to violations at the McCarthy Dining Commons.
In-depth contributions were made to the news section, including Sports Editor Izabela (Izzy) Gage’s “Women’s ice hockey receives new storage space at Loring Arena,” published Feb. 27, as well as Associate Editor Dylan Pichnarcik’s articles “Updates to digital accessibility coming this spring,” and “Faculty discusses new GenEd model,” published Jan. 30 and April 24, respectively.
Copy Editor Cole Johnson won a Region 1 first-place award from the Society of Professional Journalists in the In-Depth Reporting category for his work on a news series about enrollment and retention. The series includes “Admissions works to slow enrollment decline,” and “Graduation rate continues to fall amidst retention efforts,” published April 24 and Oct. 31, respectively.
Opinions Editor Izayah Morgan worked tirelessly to interview students week in and week out for Campus Conversations and contributed gripping, emotional opinion pieces about politics and the experience of being a Black man on campus.
Izayah is the genius behind our historic Black History Month special edition published Feb. 12. He worked with managers and editors across the paper to make the issue a cohesive celebration of Black history and culture on campus.
He helped us make history.
Izayah has worked with The Gatepost for the last four years and will graduate in just a few weeks at the DCU Center before moving on to get his master’s degree at Boston University. We couldn’t be more grateful for his dedication and passion over the years.
Over this past year, Sports Editor Izzy Gage and incoming Sports Editor Taylor Kimmell have been at the helm, consistently and effectively reporting on our vibrant Athletics Department.
Along with in-depth game coverage, Izzy has written incredible features about Framingham State athletes and was awarded an honorable mention in the College Sports Story category from the New England Newspaper & Press Association for “A night in the rain shows women’s soccer’s resilience,” published April 18.
Taylor was awarded a first-place award in the College Sports Game category from the New England Newspaper & Press Association for her co-written article with Editor-in-Chief Sophia Oppedisano, “Men’s basketball wins first playoff game in 15 years in spectacular fashion,” published March 7, 2025.
Izzy and Taylor were also excited to cover the first NCAA game hosted by the Framingham State football team in program history.
They continue to be so grateful for the trust of the athletes and the support of the Athletics Department, especially Director of Athletics Thomas Kelley and Deputy Director of Athletics Carey Eggan.
Sarah Daponde and Omar Fernandez Rodriguez have led our Arts & Features section with style, talent, and a deep commitment to their work.
In the fall, we also had the movie-savant and review-enthusiast Owen Glancy on our team. Owen has moved on from Framingham State, but he will always be a part of our community.
With everything from in-depth event coverage to profiles to video game reviews, the Arts & Features section has shone this year.
Students were profiled from every corner of our community, and the voices of incredible speakers such as the first Massachusetts Poet Laureate, Reggie Gibson, and NASA astronaut Bob Hines sang in our event coverage.
Frequent contributors to A&F included Staff Writers Kate Norrish, Jesse Burchill, Dan Lima, and Paul Harrington.
Paul is graduating at the DCU Center in a few weeks and will be moving on to Boston College.
Sophia Oppedisano earned a finalist prize in the Feature Story
category from the Society of Professional Journalists for her student profile, “Daniel Moore’s labor of love: ‘Iconoclast’ stuns at 2025 Spring Fashion Show,” published May 9.
This year, our photography, design, and illustrations have been unmatched.
Multiple faculty members and administrators have complimented our staff on the quality of our photos and layout this year, and we thank them for their support, as this is our first full year working with a broadsheet layout.
Our editors and designers have done a masterful job implementing the new layout, especially Photos & Design Editor Alexis Schlesinger, incoming Photos & Design Editor Onyx Lovely, and Assistant Photos & Design Editor Christy Howland.
Onyx and Christy have turned in superb feature photography and created innovative photo spreads, while Alexis, who will be transitioning to the role of Opinions Editor next year, has contributed vibrant photography work and has written across the paper’s sections.
Our Illustrations Editor, Marcus Falcão, worked as the sole illustrator during the spring semester and did a beautiful job illustrating for reviews, opinions, and features. Since then, he has been joined by Tobias (Toby) Cotton-Selman and Rileigh Kelley, who have made fabulous contributions.
In the fall, we had the incomparable David Abe, Liv Dunleavy, and Ronnie Chiu-Lin on our illustrations team. Their smiles, laughter, and endless creativity have been dearly missed in our office, and we are so proud of them for graduating in December.
Marcus will also be graduating in a few weeks, and his senior capstone was presented in the Mazmanian Gallery at one of their recent installations.
Our Multimedia Editor, Antonio Machado, has contributed to our social media pages and written for every section this year, including his column “Pop into Culture,” countless reviews, news stories, features, and event coverage.
His efforts have earned him the position of Associate Editor next year alongside Omar. Both of them are integral members of this paper and our office.
Our Associate Editors, Adrien Gobin and Dylan Pichnarcik, have exemplified what it means to be a managing editor on The Gatepost and have dedicated so much time, energy, and work to make this paper successful.
Adrien, a designer and photographer, has spent the last four years with The Gatepost and fell in love with sports photography. As our sole sports photographer this year, she has been at almost every game and still made time to design photo spreads, help with layout, train new photographers and designers, and above all, serve as a calming and persistent presence who cultivated a welcoming environment for everyone at The Gatepost.
Adrien is second-to-none and has won a finalist award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association in the Photo Series category.
She has worked as an intern with the Athletics Department and the Worcester Railers this year, and she served as the Senior Rams Engagement Ambassador with the Dean of Students Office.
Adrien is graduating on May 23 and is hoping to move on to a career in sports photography.
Dylan, a news-writing expert and photographer, has spent this year honing his craft with us here at The Gatepost and with Essex Media Group as a reporter. He’s known for covering campus breaking news and in-depth stories, but this year, he’s started writing engaging features and columns about campus life and the lively individuals who make Framingham State not only a home for him, but for all students.
His efforts have earned him the role of Editor-in-Chief for The Gatepost’s 95th year. Dylan’s hard work, sense of humor, and compassion are among the driving forces behind the paper’s success, and he will be an incredible leader next year.
Our outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Sophia Oppedisano, who got her start as a sports writer, quickly moved up the ranks of our staff and has proven not only to herself - but to the entire campus community - that quiet authority, a calming presence, and kindness are phenomenal traits for a judicious, effective leader. Sophia is a shining example of how a co-curricular education benefits students.
She has truly made her mark during her time at FSU, earning two minors in the departments of Communication Arts and Psychology. Sophia is graduating in a few short weeks with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a concentration in journalism.
The management team has brought three unique, important skill sets to the office, and their synchronicity and passion have allowed The Gatepost to continue the tradition
The Gatepost Staff won finalist prizes from both the New England Newspaper & Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists for College Newspaper of the Year and the Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper, respectively.
And with that, the 94th year of The Gatepost comes to an end - until we see you again in Fall ‘26.
Letter from the outgoing Editor-in-Chief
To The Gatepost Staff and Framingham State Community, I write to you with an abundance of hope and gratitude as you read this 24th and final issue of The Gatepost’s 94th year.
This year has proved difficult for our small but mighty staff as we navigated the loss of so many talented and brilliant graduating Gatepost staffers and editors last year. For myself, the position of Editor-inChief was one I never expected to hold, and as I found my footing in this new role, I learned so much about myself, my peers, and the great wide world of student journalism.
As a shy staff writer back in 2024, I never thought I’d stick around. I never thought I was quite good enough. I felt like I didn’t fit in with the group, and everyone else was far more dedicated than I.
Every Monday and Thursday for the last two-and-a-half years, I have shown up at McCarthy 410 with the promise of pizza, line-by-line copy edits, a problematic Adobe Suite, and late nights. Slowly, as the weeks passed and the issues hit the stands with my name in the staff box, McCarthy 410 became my happy place - somewhere I could be myself and come together with friends over something we are passionate about.
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of covering everything from regular-season basketball games to Fashion Club icons to the general education model. I’ve written 22 editorials
on various campus issues confronting our students.
When I was in the thick of the reporting, always striving toward that Thursday deadline, it didn’t hit me how this work is what starts conversations.
Journalism is a bridge bringing us all together, and that bridge is more important than ever.
Journalists and citizens are looking at an information system that is breaking down with each passing day. As we at The Gatepost were working this year, PBS and NPR were defunded. The Associated Press was barred from the White House. President Donald Trump called female reporters degrading names. The Washington Post and other major outlets were forced to make massive layoffs.
I’m proud to say, the students in our newsroom didn’t so much as break a sweat as the news got worse with each passing day - even when press freedoms began to be stripped away at other universities.
We want to do this work for you, the University, and every student, faculty, and staff member, as well as our alumni, family members, and friends who read us from afar. Your support means the world to us.
Student journalists will not be stopped. We will keep fighting while we are here at Framingham State, and even after we leave, we will work to serve our communities.
I am immensely proud of the work we do here.
To my staff: it breaks my heart to leave you. We have been through it all, and I am proud of the work and dedication of each of you.
A few words of advice as you transition into the 95th year: leave your ego at the door.
Listen to each other. Be open and willing to learn something new from your fellow writers and photographers. Forgive each other. And, most importantly, take a step back every once in a while and recognize that the work you are doing is second to none.
I have always been grateful you’re here, and I want you to feel the same.
I’ll always keep reading you.
We wouldn’t be here or have made it through another successful year without the unwavering dedication of our advisors, Desmond McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, and our fabulous graduate advising assistant, Emma Lyons. I couldn’t have done it without the three of you. Thank you for everything.
Dylan and Adrien. My associate editors. My best friends and my other two brain cells. Thank you for being my sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, and I’ve had the most fun with you. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Dylan, there’s no one better to take over this paper, and I know without a doubt you will take The Gatepost to incredible places. I couldn’t be prouder of you, and I’m always here if you need me.
Letter from the incoming Editor-in-Chief
Dear Campus Community, It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I introduce myself as the next Editor-inChief of The Gatepost.
Over my time at Framingham State, The Gatepost has been a prominent part of my life, and I am thrilled to lead a dedicated staff of writers, photographers, graphic designers, and illustrators next academic year.
I am also tremendously excited to lead the paper during its 95th year.
What started as a class project in 1932 has now grown into one of the most successful student organizations on Framingham State’s campus - an organization with a rich network of talented alumni who serve in major roles at journalism outlets across Massachusetts and beyond.
Through The Gatepost’s strong partnership with the English department, particularly with Professors Desmond McCarthy and Elizabeth “Liz” Banks, The Gatepost has remained true to its founding ideals that education goes hand-in-hand with extracurricular activities. This partnership has enriched the lives of hundreds of journalism concentrators and minors over the years.
Without the brilliant mind of student Miriam Jagodnik Feldman, The Gatepost’s founder, our campus would not have its weekly fix of news, and the creative minds who make up The Gatepost’s lively staff would not have an outlet to master their craft and gain valuable real-world experience that can be brought to any entry-level job in journalism or
other fields.
During The Gatepost’s 95th year, my goal is to celebrate and maintain the standard of excellence instilled in me by my predecessors. Under my leadership, The Gatepost will remain true to its ideals put forth in our governing documents, and while at the top of the masthead, I will work to ensure the campus community remains informed ethically, fully, and objectively.
I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to thank some of my colleagues and friends.
To our outgoing managers, Editor-in-Chief Sophia Oppedisano, and my fellow Associate Editor Adrien Gobin, words cannot describe how thankful I am to have assisted in the management of The Gatepost this year.
Both Sophia and Adrien have taught me a great deal about leadership, friendship, and overall, how to be a good, levelheaded person. Their calmness under pressure is inspiring, and their commitment to their craft is admirable. We have truly made our mark together - I am fortunate to continue leading the paper with the knowledge they have shared with me.
I’m beyond grateful to call both of them my best friends.
I’m also tremendously honored to have served alongside one of the finest men I have ever known. Izayah “Zay” Morgan, The Gatepost’s opinions editor, has not only been a dear colleague of mine, but also, one of my closest friends.
Zay has taught me how to
Here’s to 94 years and the perseverance, dedication, and bravery for 94 more.
Signing off,
Sophia R. Oppedisano Editor-in-Chief
think deeply about the world around me, be a compassionate ally to my peers, and above all, how to show others that you care about them. He is one of the finest individuals I have ever met, and I am constantly amazed by his talent, respect, and integrity.
I’ll use the wisdom Zay has imparted on me for many years to come.
When thinking about individuals who have become synonymous with the success of The Gatepost, one individual - above all - comes to mind: Sophia Harris, Class of ’25.
Sophia served as Editor-inChief of The Gatepost during the second half of her junior year at Framingham State and her senior year.
During that time, Sophia led a staff of over 40 students and steered The Gatepost into a new era as the paper transitioned into a broadsheet format. I had the privilege of working under Sophia at The Gatepost for my first two years on the paper. I share her passion for journalism, and belief that good, ethical reporting should be an essential element of every story.
Sophia, a former English major, is a prime example of how a co-curricular education fosters excellence and a deep mastery of craft at a very young age. Sophia now serves as the Editorial Director of Essex Media Group’s publications, including The Daily Item of Lynn. I am proud to work for Sophia as a reporter, and I am beyond grateful to be continually mentored by her in and out of this role.
I’d also like to recognize and thank the Student Government Association. Since the paper’s inception, SGA has graciously funded The Gatepost. Particularly, I’d like to highlight outgoing President César Matos, who has always been kind, fair, and supportive of The Gatepost. His passion and commitment to Framingham State are beyond reproach.
I’d also like to congratulate the incoming President of SGA, junior Shubham Valand. I look forward to continuing to foster a strong relationship between SGA and The Gatepost over the next academic year.
I also look forward to continuing to foster relationships with the many dedicated individuals who make Framingham State a terrific place to live, work, and study. It is my sincere hope that the campus community reads The Gatepost weekly, engages with our writers, and celebrates with us as we mark another major milestone in the history of The Gatepost.
As we close the 94th year of The Gatepost with this final issue, I wish you my sincere best wishes during the last weeks of the semester, a restful summer, and encourage everyone to “Live to the Truth.”
Warmly, Dylan J. Pichnarcik Editor-in-Chief
Courtesy of Sophia Oppedisano
The Manospear: Built on fear and loneliness
By Izayah Morgan Opinions Editor
Love is often defined as an emotion, and I personally think that’s a bit misguided. Looking at it from a psychological perspective, it is a state of being in which we feel the need to serve someone other than ourselves.
It sees us take on every single emotion - happiness, sadness, and even fear - but also psychological and physical symptoms such as anxiety, pain, and depression.
In every aspect of our lives we attempt to look at things logically, whether we’re a student, blue- or white-collar worker, we always are taught (in grade school and uni) to follow the data and repeated history to find the proper conclusion.
Somehow, love skips the framework of logical thinking.
For a lot of us, even if our childhood homes were not traumatic, we still saw versions of love that impacted us to this day. Whether we endured parental divorce, constant arguments, or just plain incompatibility between partners - it doesn’t matter. Our first interpretations on what love is gets shaped by our parents or guardians - so if that gets affected, our whole perception of love is thrown off its foundation.
For a while, love for me was shaped by constant arguments and assumptions that people will leave. In truth, it has caused me to have an avoidant personality out of fear that if I don’t get attached it won’t matter if people leave. For
‘For
others, they become anxious that people may leave, so they try to become involved in every aspect of that person’s life. It can be dudes in manospear content shouting that women are not loyal and they deserve less. Or, a woman who claims that all men are bad for reasons that don’t always make sense. But in reality, both these populations are scared. So
“protects” them from getting too attached to the population they “hate,” avoiding the risk.
But what’s love without risk? The answer is that it’s impossible. No successful marriage, relationship (friend, family, or lover) comes without risk. If you didn’t share the parts of yourself that might turn someone away, is it even love
scared that the populations they are attracted to will leave and won’t want to accept their authentic selves. So, they put up an avoidant personality that
anymore?
Oftentimes the people who preach romantic relationships are hopeless - or I’ll put it in dude-bro terms “woman ain’t
the Green and White I Adore’
By Adrien Gobin Associate Editor
Entering my senior year, I faced a challenging question: “What am I going to do after I graduate?”
After months of job applications and over what feels like hundreds of rejections it made me think about if I were to take a couple months off and continue this dream of traveling the world.
Part of me worries about how many career opportunities I would be missing out on. The other part thinks about how many things I am missing out on by not discovering the world.
Before this past summer, I was certain I would pursue a career in my field and was okay with that. And then I interned and lived abroad, and it was one of the best things I’ll probably ever get to experience. It changed my life.
No one truly prepares you for what studying abroad is going to be like and how much it changes and moves you as a person. I always had this dream of going abroad, and when I came to college, it never seemed achievable to me. Between all my classes and extracurriculars, it was never the “right time.” I thought I needed to be in the right period in my life.
The truth is, I was never “ready,” but I was brave enough to try.
When I first arrived at
my apartment in Galway, Ireland, I was sitting with an overwhelming fear of being alone, not getting along with anyone in my program, and worrying about hating my experience.
All that fear was far from true. I met amazing people in the most amazing country. We did everything together. When we weren’t working, we were with each other. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better group to spend two months with. It is truly what made the experience so worthwhile for me.
Ireland has this homey, cozy feel to it that never goes awayit always lingers.
Prior to my internship, I had been to Galway for just two days on a family vacation, and ever since that time, I knew I had to go back - it was calling me. Part of me was still left there. It will forever and always be such a special place to me. Traveling teaches you things about yourself you could never fully learn about in your daily life. It teaches you about people, culture, resilience, and how to be independent in a world that exists outside of the one you know. It’s so fascinating.
Experiencing those feelings and new cultures truly changes perspective and shows just how big the world is, how much there is to see, and how many people
shit, bro.” They also believe heavily in family values. This I believe has the potential for us to bridge that gap with these populations. There’s one thing family can offer that is very hard to find in the real world - unconditional love. A love that exists beyond the social conditions of what someone would love you for - money, social status, fame, economic success, etc. Because at the end of the day, everyone’s an individual - no matter how rich or famous. Everyone fears someone leaving them because they share a vulnerable part of themselves.
The manosphere and other spaces like it are built on fear. Fear is a valid emotion that was a basis for our ancestors when it came to hunting something that has the potential to kill. Not that 5 foot 3 inch woman who you see in the Dunkin line every day, but yet you can’t manage to talk to her.
Talk about yourself, know yourself, and share yourselfyour whole self.
And for the sake of everyone, don’t assume that you being alone is the same as you being emotionally safe.
there are to meet. With only 15 days left until graduation, I still haven’t figured out what I am going to do yet after graduation but I do know that not a day goes by where I am not
thinking about my days exploring Ireland and what I wouldn’t give to go back and do it all again.
I will spend every day trying to get back to ‘the green and white I adore.’
Courtesy of Adrien Gobin
Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST
Global economy within the fashion industry
By Anita Loughlin Staff Writer
Graduating from college is the day every student looks forward to with hopes and dreams of stepping into the beginning of an official career - yet for many students, these steps are feeling a bit more uncertain than expected.
Eilish Heffernan, Class of ‘25, a fashion merchandising graduate, said, “I was so scared. Besides the job market, on a personal level, I had an identity crisis because I was always just a student, and now, I’m not a student anymore. That was always an identity for me.”
Geanny Infante, Class of ‘23, a fashion design and merchandising graduate, said she just recently got a job as an associate assistant sales manager for Real Magical Stuff, a toy manufacturing company, after “struggling for almost three years trying to find a corporate job.”
Infante said, “Sometimes you see people who get a job no problem, but for me it’s been countless rejections. When I got hired, I couldn’t believe it.”
Yessenia Gamez, Class of ‘24, a fashion merchandising graduate, is now a merchandise assistant at Potpourri Group.
Gamez said, “I applied to this company three times before I got in, and it took me a full year to get a job.”
Along with the abrupt shift between being a student to suddenly entering life as a working professional, rising costs and the current state of the global economy are also creating problems within the fashion industry.
Laura Kane, associate professor in the Fashion Design and Retailing Department, said, “We’re in a really rough time right now in terms of the scale of impact on the global supply chain. A lot of the current administration’s policies are throwing a lot of things into chaos.”
Kane also described the current issue with rising tariffs on the apparel industry. “From the fiber importation and material weaving to bringing in materials like notions and trends from other places into one location, to then be sewn up into new garments to then be exported out to other countries. It can get kind of difficult.
“Every single one of those things is being hit with tariffs and then it’s causing ripple effects. Companies can no longer afford to create pieces because they can’t offset that cost.” Kane added.
Gamez said, “We’re constantly raising the prices on the same items that we’ve had out. Right now, we’ll raise it on apparel, like five or ten dollars each season. We do five seasons a year, and we’ll just keep raising it.
“And also with how silver is so expensive, we’re starting to not buy silver anymore, and our previous silver items are switching to other metals that are less expensive and we’re selling them for the same price,” Gamez added.
Virginia Noon, associate professor in the Fashion Design and Retailing department, said, “When we talk about fashion, it’s all about our disposable income - What we have left over to spend. Fashion usually comes
from that pocket of money.”
Noon added that depending on the individual, fashion may not be a priority when it comes to what to spend disposable income on.
“We’re in the middle of a very difficult period with our government, with the current president, and the uncertainty that has resulted from this implementation of global tariffs and this current war that we’re in,” Noon said.
Noon said, “The challenge with having production in the United States is that the cost of labor is so high right to produce garments, so that ends up with the cost of goods comparatively higher. My concern is that consumers are used to buying inexpensive clothing - so to pay significantly more, I don’t know if the industry will come back, but I think we’ll see a shift.”
While many are expressing their concerns about the fashion industry’s instability, fashion design students are remaining adaptable and willing to take on any opportunity that arrives as long as they can still engage with their creativity.
Aili Schiavoni, senior fashion design major, said, “I feel like I’m going to throw up,” after being asked about how she’s feeling during the weeks leading up to graduation. However, when asked about
wonderful experience. Some of my favorite times spent has been helping other students figure things out. I’ve always loved to teach, and I’ve realized this is what I want to do with my life,” she added.
Alumni emphasize their advice on continuing to apply to jobs and to be open minded when it comes to different avenues of opportunities.
Infante said, “My general advice in finding jobs is if you’re truly interested, reach out. Find a company, find out if they have a recruitment agency, and reach out directly to somebody that works for the recruitment agency.”
She said, “Communication is number one, and also having the team mindset is also very important, I emphasize this a lot,” when it comes to connecting with people about jobs.
“If you understand who you’re talking to and how to talk to that person, especially within the fashion industry, you’ll be successful. It takes a lot of knowledge, personable and human skills to be able to interact with another human,” Infante added.
Kane emphasized the importance of ambition when it comes to studying fashion, “If you’re going to be like, ‘I want to go to New York, I want to be
the next steps post graduation, with the biggest smile on her face, Schianovi said, “Personally I’m looking for creative education - I’m looking to go to grad school. I ultimately want to become a professor.
“I teach fashion design myself, and it has been such a
to come to class. You need to show that you can manage your time, that you can keep yourself organized, you can keep yourself healthy and if that is what you want to do, make it your whole life. You have to love it,” Kane said.
“The majority of the people in the fashion industry are not those big designers. It’s the people behind the scenes. Your career doesn’t need to be celebrity dressing, making millions of dollars, etc. It’s very difficult to get to that point. You should absolutely try. You should strive for it, but always have something to fall back on. Always work on another skill or find your strength and go with that,” Kane added.
Kane also added to not be afraid to work a job that is not 100% ideal, “Especially right out of school, you’re not going to get your top job within a year of graduating.You might have to work for people that you don’t like. You might have to work long hours. You might have to work for a little bit less pay than you want. But all of that stuff is going to prepare you to be resilient. It’s going to prepare you to be flexible.”
“The fashion industry is one that is really really tough, and I just want my students to be realistic about it and not come into this with big starry eyes and think that just because you dress well, someone’s going to let you design their collections for you,” said Kane.
Gamez said, “Try to get as many internships as you can while you’re still in school, because that will definitely help. Right now there’s like, a lot of competition especially when we first graduate.
“I would also get involved with extracurricular activities related to fashion. That really helps too,” Gamez added.
Noon said, “If you take advantage of every opportunity, you’re going to get more results. If you can make personal connections with people who might be able to just get you an introduction, I think that will go a long way.
“Your professors were here to help you. There’s an expert right around every office in this campus who are just sitting here. We want to help you. The Career Center is there for you as a student, even after you graduate. So I think just do the work and you’ll have success,” she said.
Schiavoni said, “Don’t be afraid to try. Don’t be afraid to go bold. I will say that the faculty here is willing to support you. Whatever you think you can do, they can help you get to that point.”
Kane said, “I hope people know that Framingham State is a unique school for fashion because of our approach to it. Often a lot of fashion schools have a pretty high barrier to entry, and a lot of that is because of the cost of the school and the locations of the school.
in a luxury brand. I want to be a designer that has their own label and have a whole team working for me - you have to work your ass off.”
“You cannot come into this and think it’s going to fall into your lap, because it won’t. If that is what you want, you need
“We might not have as many great places to shop, or places to send students for internships and stuff, but we’re getting better at that,” said Kane.
Pursuing my true self
By Paul Harrington Staff Writer
When I started to write this, I was hesitant. I was scared.
I told myself it was because I feared my personal information being out in public.
My true fear wasn’t opening up and making myself vulnerable to others around me.
My true fear was accepting that I could not go back in time, and that I had to keep moving no matter what.
During my freshman and sophomore year of high school I was at an all-time low.
I was finding any excuse to skip class and my hygiene was deteriorating.
There were days I would think about how easy it would be if I ended it right now.
I craved a feeling of escapism that shielded me from the truth of life and allowed me to live happily behind a lie.
When I was at rock bottom and underwent hospitalization after hospitalization for suicidal ideation and depression, I had no idea what the future would bring.
At the time, I had no intention of making a future for myself. I thought it was funny when people would ask me what my plans for the next few years were - when I had no intention of staying alive.
When I made the decision to transfer schools and start fresh, I held out hope that things would improve.
Now in an ideal world, I would not be transferring schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, but you get what you get, and you do not get upset.
When the transition to in-
person classes took place during my junior year of high school, I maximized all the benefits that came with being in a smaller school.
At first, I hated the structure of not having electronics during the day due to the stupid phone pouches, or the bathrooms being locked by teachers because of students of all ages smoking during passing periods.
However, I started to fall in love with the smaller classes that allowed me to receive more attention for my specific learning needs.
I started to attend my classes daily and began to work while in school.
Even if I was just a dingy cashier at Raising Canes, I was still doing something with myself.
I started to unpack the boredom I felt with learning.
Although I would easily get bored of sitting in 90-minute classes, I knew that there had to be something I enjoyed.
As my time in high school ended, I found myself a changed person.
I started to take joy in the privilege of being alive. I fostered connections with people who I thought I would never see any benefit in befriending.
I opened up to my peers when I felt like something was wrong, and I felt safe doing so.
As college acceptances began to roll in, I was bamboozled by the concept of a college wanting someone like me.
As I begin to finish my academic journey and transition into the real world, I am grateful for the opportunities all the people around me have blessed me with.
Sometimes, all a person needs to move forward is a second chance.
If there is one thing I would go back to tell myself, it is that when you have a chance to make a choice, make one you will not regret.
Campus Conversations
What’s your plan for summer break?
By Izayah Morgan, Opinions Editor
“Probably just get out and have fun. It’s my first summer being in college, so I want to make the most of it since it’s longer now compared to high school. Just make good memories.”
- Jeffrey Bonsu, freshman
“It’s mostly just going to be working.”
- Ryley Guidry, junior
“Try to get a part-time job at a comic shop. Spend time with friends from back home since I’ve been way too busy with six classes, and spend time with Geneva.”
- Alexander Guy, freshman
“Working
and taking summer courses.”
- Abena Asare, sophomore
“Spend time with Alex, spend time with friends at home, and take summer classes.”
- Geneva Carter, freshman
“I’m going to be working a lot and my siblings and I are going to take a trip to Vietnam.”
- Angelina Anderson, junior
Courtesy of Paul Harrington
ARTS & FEATURES
Mazmanian Gallery hosts multiple senior capstones
By Antonio Machado Multimedia Editor
During the majority of the school year, the Mazmamanian gallery is home to local artists, visionaries and creators, but during these past few weeks, it was proudly home to artwork by FSU’s own.
The Mazmaninan Gallery hosted three receptions for its senior capstone art exhibitions to celebrate graduating art students.
The first senior capstone exhibition featured art from illustration students Charlotte Jupiter, Autumn Ray, and Ziyuan Zhang on April 14.
Jupiter said their pieces in their show work together to create an overarching story.
They added their experiences over the past year and the semester they spent in Ireland helped them create the main character of their exhibition.
Jupiter added they really enjoyed the experience of making their show. “I wasn’t too worried about being perfect. I was just worried about if I liked it. … It’s not very often, at least in art school, that you get to make what you want.”
Ray said her show is about pouring herself into her art and ignoring the other way people would perceive it.
“It took so long to even make my first piece I felt happy with. It felt like me, like I had put myself into something for the first time. Yet, it was considered gruesome and ugly,” she said in her artist statement.
Ray said, “I feel limiting myself to other people’s expectations of what I make will just ruin art for me.”
She said the process of creating her capstone pieces was amazing. “I had such a blast. I wish I could do it over and over again and just keep creating.”
Zhang said her show is a book she created based on ancient Asian mythology.
“Through character design, worldbuilding, and visual narrative, I created a fictional world shaped by the conflict between the phoenix and the golden crow families,” she said in her artist’s statement.
She said her art pieces came to life after a journey of self-exploration, drawing upon different parts of her identity to create her art.
The second senior capstone exhibition featured art from graphic design students Marcus Falcão, Kyle Gould, Leah Hall, Gabriela Silveira, and Alyssa Domrose on April 28.
Falcão said his show aimed to reimagine a deck of cards through the relationship between cartomancy, game history, fashion illustration, and astrology.
He said he’s grown as an artist since his first year at FSU and would not have been able to complete his exhibit without the experience he gained while here.
Falcão said, “It’s very challenging to essentially be given no demands and have someone say, ‘It’s your time to make your show. You set the limits. You set the scope of it and exactly what you want.
“The hardest part was narrowing down the scope because I had an explosion of ideas, but I needed to really narrow down exactly what I wanted to show. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be,” he added.
Gould said he is interested in how graphic design shapes everyday experiences.
He added, “I try to create work that looks good, but also has a purpose - whether that’s encouraging people to take action or creating a brand that feels clear and consistent.
“This project was inspired by my time abroad in Europe, where I was impressed, but also frustrated by how clean public spaces were compared to my own environment.”
Hall said her show was inspired by her love for books.
She added she has an affinity for gore and horror movies, and her art reflects that.
She said she wanted to make a book cover for a series she enjoyed and was familiar with, so she chose the “Red Queen” series.
Hall said her time at Framingham State altered her creative process. “The way we do them here is very much like the clinical take of it. You do your preliminary sketches, then studies, then you do the main work, and then the final piece.
That was never how I did art growing up,” she said.
Silveira said her work is driven by a want to make connections between people and brands.
“My work is driven by an interest in solving visual problems and building meaningful connections between people and brands, and I hope to continue pursuing this direction in the future,” she said in her artist’s statement.
Domrose said her work focuses on depicting experiences that are difficult to explain with words.
“I’m especially interested in how design can take something complex, personal, or internal, and transform it into visuals that people can understand and connect with.
She said her show was cen-
tered around making invisible experiences tangible.
“These experiences are hard to communicate because they aren’t seen from the outside, which can make them feel isolating,” she said.
The third and final senior capstone exhibition featured art from studio art students Zen Crosby, Eliza Gaston, Eda Kristina Lindstrom, Jen Koeller, and Alyssia Pham on May 6.
Crosby said their show was inspired by their journey through grief over the past 16 years since losing their mother.
They said, “I knew this day would come where I’ve had half of a life with her and then half a life without her, and now, I’m moving forward. I’m like, ‘What’s next?’ So I did this project as a way to capture who I was.”
Crosby said they create their art intuitively. “I treated it like a spiritual practice where I would show up to the studio as if I was a cloistered nun. I would try not to be on my phone. I would try not to consume any media, except for music.
“I was trying my best to just be in the studio creating and getting the vision that’s inside of my brain out of me,” they said.
Lindstrom said her show represented the experience of her medical diagnosis and all the emotions attached to it.
She said her pieces are chaotic but incredibly detailed.
She added that she made a special art piece after completing the individual works of her show called “Reflection.”
“I just feel like that piece is really trying to just find stillness where the other work is really chaotic,” she added.
Lindstrom said, “ I couldn’t really put this together until the Install day, so seeing my idea come together really felt like a huge accomplishment. You really have to be in the moment to see how it looks because they’re really coming at you.”
Koeller said her show is an exploration of clay bodies and techniques.
“I’ve always loved the squish
of wet earth between my fingers and toes,” she said.
She said she loves the evanescence of the world.
Koeller said, “A thing may last generations, yet one day it returns to the earth, the way we all do.
“The sandcastle’s inevitable demise as the tide comes in does not negate the creation. In fact, it is loved more for the short time it lives by those who created it for that very reason,” she added.
Pham said her show is inspired by BDSM and what it means to people’s relationships.
“I was always into BDSM, and not because I do that stuff. I love talking about stuff like that. I love hearing about people’s experiences, their thoughts on it, and their perspectives,” she said.
She added her piece is a direct copy of her body and that it was a way to tackle her body image.
She said she loves seeing the discussions around her show.
“It’s a little scary, but kind of thrilling. I kind of like being exposed like that and having people put out their opinion and hearing their thoughts, she said.
Pham added, “I had a lot of body dysmorphia. I was feeling so many different feelings about how my body is shaped and how it looks. I’ve been seeing a lot of positivity about it and I’ve been hearing a lot of questions, and I’m just really happy about it.”
Ellie Krakow, director of the Mazmanian Gallery started the final reception of the senior capstones by announcing the former director of the Mazmanian Gallery, Tim McDonald, is retiring.
Krakow also announced she is stepping down as director of the gallery and will be replaced by Laura Ostreweis.
Ostreweis said, “I’m going to have some very, very big shoes to fill.”
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
Attendees viewing student artwork at the Mazmanian Art Gallery on May 5.
Fashion Show
Continued from Page 1
Decorated with anxiety, stress, a little bit of body glitter, and absolutely no eyeliner, because “Both my f**king eyeliner pens are running out of ink, and I’m losing it” as delicately said by model Sage Sampson, the inside of the fashion show is just as intricate as the garments showcased, and there’s no way for the audience to see either - so, let me help you take a look.
We had all spent the weeks leading up to the show in cahoots. Fittings to make sure the garments fit appropriately alongside multiple training sessions for models to practice their walks had created a closeknit community.
However, this was also the amalgamation of a semester (or more) worth of these designers’ time, creativity, heart, and souls - so the pressure was on.
Models and designers were put on a very strict timelinewe were expected at the secondary gym at 3:30 p.m. for a 4 p.m. dress rehearsal, which would end at 5:30 p.m.. Following a 45-minute dinner break after rehearsal, doors would open at 6:30 p.m. for the two-hour showcase.
After spending a brief period of time anxiously walking in heels about McCarthy, I made my way over to the second gym, where the few of us who had arrived by 3:15 were shortly herded to the main gym.
Laura Kane, professor of Fashion Design and Retailing, came out and explained the way the rehearsal would work alongside its purpose and how the models should treat the runway.
“Look at all of these other people we have here today. We have Campus Events here helping with setup. We also have the television studio production class led by Professor Paul Booley,” she said
“It is 3:54. At 4:15, we are starting this dress rehearsal. Everybody will need to be dressed with shoes on, and then we are going to start,” Kane added.
And suddenly, it was crunch time.
I was sweating. My Doja Cat Scarlet Tour Meme T-shirt came off and was immediately used to dry off. Accompanying me was Chase Forehand, also known as Kandy Khane, who had been tasked with putting me in drag for the runway.
He said, “When I saw the collection in the sewing labs, I was so heavily impressed. When she asked me to help out for the fashion show, my inner child screamed. Drag queens’ intentions are always twisted in the media, but at the end of the day, we represent art and joy through performance, and this collection brought that idea to life.”
As an avalanche of models and designers flooded the second gym, which is exponentially smaller than the main gymnasium, the scale of the show quickly became tangible, and everyone suddenly felt the nerves for the runway-tocome.
Heels click-clacking about. Fine. Fresh. Feminine. People styled to 11. Gentlemen sweating. Bodies like WOW. People clamoring for sewing needles, makeup, makeup wipes, eye-
liner, heels, hair, their mothers - it was a cacophony of glamour.
“I feel stressed ‘cause everything is really last minute,” said model Cece Gonzalez. “Other than that, I feel great. … I’m just scared for the yelling … because in school, they love screaming for you and it’s more nerve-wracking.”
Model Anita Loughlin said, “That’s what always gets me, too. When I’m walking and everyone starts screaming and shouting. Like, it just messes me up, dude.”
Model Natalie Moreta cut in and said,“But when they start yelling, just feel like you’re that b***h. Just be like, ‘You’re eating it out there!’”
Wrestling is usually done with minimal clothing, but today? Wrestling was done with the clothing itself. Throughout the gym, last minute additions, repairs, and removals to each and every garment were heard.
People were scattered everywhere.
Designers were coordinating their final exits with their models or trying to get everyone dressed and prepared.
Models were practicing their walks - some of which were wearing their garments for the first time. Others were socializing and taking the moment to appreciate the wonderful community.
Everyone was looking gorgeous.
At this point, My Doja Cat Scarlet Tour Meme T-shirt had become drenched.
People were rehearsing in waves, and as people came back from their rehearsal, the gym became a whirlwind of frantic adjustment.
“I can’t breathe while I’m doing this,” said Emily Crossin, a model and the Fashion Club social media Chair, as she was putting on her gorgeously rhinestoned corset. “I’m skinny as f**k. I’m stressed as f**k, but I’m excited as f**k because this is so fun.
“I thrive in environments of complete chaos, so I’m having a great time right now. … We have such an incredibly diverse group of designs this year, which is one of my favorite things. … It’s just really cool to see everyone’s creative processes come together because you don’t see it until the day of,” Emily added.
I asked my dear friend and designer whose collection I
was wearing, Fashion Club President Aili Schiavoni, to immediately put me in my incredibly heavy garment so she would be free to do her duties as president without worrying about me.
“I am nervous,” said Aili as she came to check up on her models. “I’m always nervous before a performance, but at the same time, it’s not the same kind of nervous energy I thought I would have because I know the point of this collection is to be fun.”
Aili, alongside many of the other designers in the show, had countless sleepless nights in the Fashion Labs working to guarantee her collection would live and breathe as she intended.
“I think that because I was working on everything so separately, to see it all finally sit together is truly a new experience,” she said. “I was really nervous it was not going to look cohesive, but seeing you all together made me realize … we’re just a bunch of girly pops having fun.”
Schiavoni’s collection was the last in the entire show, but our moment in rehearsal was finally here, and we made our way over to the gym.
In previous years, models were kept backstage during the show, which seeing that it’s dim and compact, is completely insane.
Behind the curtains, stray gym equipment decorated the corners and flurries of models patiently walked up the steepest ramp known to man to make their way to the runway.
While there, we were met with terrible news. The mechanism of Emily’s “wing” had malfunctioned. A screw had both metaphorically and literally come loose.
As Aili panicked, I dried off my sweat on just about any surface I could find and sat with Emily trying to navigate the storm, knowing there was no eye in sight and we were in for a hurricane.
Sage, Emily, and I all began up the ramp to the stage. Aili had decided to run the rehearsal as planned and fix the wing during the break - but rehearsal had far breached into the time of our break.
By now, it was 6 p.m, about half an hour past when we were supposed to have finished, and we were only now going to end the dress rehearsal - and my
makeup hadn’t even started.
Once the curtain opened for me, I was immediately met with shock. The runway seemed so much shorter standing on it. I had forgotten to do half the poses I’d rehearsed, and the next thing I knew, it was time to go back to the second gym and put my face on.
One of the inner pieces of my skirt broke, but Aili said, “If I’m not worried about it, you don’t need to worry about it,” so I went back to the gym with nary a worry in sight.
Chase sat me down and we immediately got started.
For the next hour, my eyes were closed. I simply became a canvas through which Aili’s vision would come to life.
Cheers, screams, and a few tears all echoed throughout the wonderful acoustics of the second gym, but the fear that I’d make a fool of myself was the only thing echoing inside my head.
Fierce. Ugly. Glamazon. Chud.
My anxiety and excitement were in an endless waltz, and their dance only stopped because our run time was approaching with a speed hitherto undreamt of, and I had no more time to think about myself. What felt like 15 minutes was an hour and a half, and suddenly, we were called to the main gym.
I grabbed my Doja Cat Scarlet Tour Meme T-shirt, placed it under my armpit, and scurried over alongside Chase.
We stood there. All our nerves hand-in-hand. We watched the collections before us, and then we began to line up.
Emotions were at their fever pitch, and as Aili’s eyes began to water, we all shared a group hug, and in that moment, our hearts all beat at the same pace.
Sage was herded on stage, and I knew it was my time.
I threw caution, otherwise known as my Doja Cat Scarlet Tour Meme T-shirt, to the wind, and stepped into the spotlight.
Now?
Sissy that walk.
[ Editor’s Note: Anita Loughlin is a Staff Writer for The Gatepost. ]
CONNECT WITH ANTONIO MACHADO amachado4@student.framingham.edu
Courtesy of Aili Schiavoni
The Lexicon: every other week
By Alexis Schlesinger Editorial Staff
While it would be impossible to write about every single show I’ve seen in a column that runs every other week of the academic year, I wanted to highlight a few shows that had a lasting impact on me over the past year and a half.
There is one show in particular I think about on a nearly weekly basis, knowing it will never happen again.
July 16, I attended the Somerville stop of Kinship’s summer tour. The bill that night included Kinship, Tiberius, Sweet Petunia, and Ladybeetle.
This show was a particular light in the dark for me, and reflecting on it, I may have cried through a good portion of every set.
Not only are all four bands incredible performers with beautiful music, but the love in that room was palpable. You could have held it in your hands.
I couldn’t tell you exactly which moment it was that it hit me, but that night confirmed to me that I had to be around music, every day, forever.
Going backwards chronologically, I can’t go without mentioning my first DIY show.
I sort of attended on a whim, alone, having intended to “get involved in my local scene” for some time.
For those who have given me the chance to ramble on about music and community, you’ve heard this one before, but this show completely changed the trajectory of my life.
By Antonio Machado Multimedia Editor
On the first Monday of every May, the biggest fashion brands in the world gather together to host a fundraising gala held for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s [MET] Costume Institute in New York City.
Each year has a specific dress code tied to the museum’s spring exhibition. Designers spend millions of dollars in labor, fabric, and time to design garments that align with the vision for the year.
This year’s theme, “Fashion Is Art,” remained vague and left so much room for disappointment and excellenceand like every other MET gala, it’s usually the former.
This year, however, we had some rather exceptional standouts.
Hunter Schafer
Wearing custom Prada, Schafer’s gown referenced one of the greatest works by Gustav Klimt, “Mäda Primavesi,” a painting which is featured in the museum’s permanent collection featuring a young girl wearing a white lin-
Not only did I get to see three amazing bands - Wulfer, Main Era, and Bloodsportsbut I also met some incredible friends who I am very close with to this day.
Today, I am still meeting, bonding with, and loving new people who connect back to that first show.
The community I have found myself in because I attended that show is something I hope every person is lucky enough to be a part of.
On Aug. 24, I went to my first Slow Burning Daydream show.
I had met two of the members about a year prior while visiting my childhood best friend in Philadelphia.
We had become friends when I had first met them, but after spending a few hours together after the show, they ended up inviting me to come on tour with them.
These days there is an aching in my heart that sits somewhere I can only get to following a six-hour drive.
Nov. 22 was another show at my first, and now favorite, house venue, with Puppy Problems, Tall Travis, and Arlo Matthews.
This was the first time I had brought along any friends from school to a show like this. I couldn’t have been more excited to share my community with other people I love so much.
I’d like to think it was the magic and hope that seeped out of the Tall Travis set that convinced the two of them to continue attending shows.
The three of us have made a habit of attending that same
en dress set against a colorful, floral background. Schafer wore a similar white dress with a line of roses just underneath the bust, but with tears and rips throughout that evoke the florals of the backdrop. She easily earned her spot as one of the most talked about attendees, and it’s not just because she’s the people’s princess.
Cardi B
Serving “The Substance,”
Cardi B came dressed in a custom Marc Jacobs gown. The garment was a direct reference to Hans Bellmer’s “The Doll,” a surrealist sculpture that explored the idea of a human body being dismembered and reassembled in strange ways. The sheer black gown snaked across her body, undercut by splashes of lavender, pink, and orange throughout her body to evoke the bruising on “The Doll.” An incredibly creative interpretation of the artwork - and easily the best person to
venue together.
I previously wrote about only one set I saw on Feb. 14, but there was a lot of music that day that was very special to me.
The first show I went to that day was composed of three performing couples - JennYvette, Neverwife, and Merry Merry.
Really, the only thing I could think to myself following the show was this - love is real, and it always finds everyone.
The light I saw in Connor and Bonnie’s eyes as they sang Dreams by The Cranberries to each other during their set as Neverwife is something I intend to experience and create art about some day.
You may have noticed, at this point, that none of the shows I’ve highlighted stuck with me only because of the music.
It is always so much more
wear it.
Sabrina Carpenter
As she’s risen to fame, Sabrina has demonstrated she knows exactly how to do a reference. Her custom Dior tulle getup serves as a reference to one of the greatest icons in fashion history, Audrey Hepburn. The bodice, composed of actual celluloid film strips from Hepburn’s film “Sabrina” (1954), was accompanied by a beautifully rhinestoned tulle skirt. Adorned by a gemstone headpiece which called back to the movie, Sabrina stood out on the carpet with her creative interpretation of the theme. Designed by Jonathan Anderson, the gown is a masterclass in using unconventional materials - and making them look good.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie keeps reminding everyone that the Kardashian’s may not have talent, but this Jenner does. Very few people could pull off the nuance of this Daniel Roseberry Schiaparelli gown, which slides off her body and turns Jenner into a living, walking sculpture. The 11,000 hours that took to make this dress made the nude bustier decorated with a nipple-barring and belly button feel all the more impressive. It is such a simple yet compelling garment. The tension between a dress coming undone with the rigidity of the corset created one of the best looks in Jenner’s career. And extra props for the bleached brows.
Emma Chamberlain Influencer turned model
than that. Live music is about community, support, love, care, hope, art.
I’ve been to shows alone, I’ve been to shows with one friend, I’ve been with a group of friends, and no matter how I go in, I always leave better than I came.
Perhaps this goes without saying, but living in today’s world begs us to find each other. It doesn’t have to be live music for you, but I urge you to find your community too, if you haven’t already. You are always welcome in mine.
CONNECT WITH ALEXIS SCHLESINGER aschlesinger@student.framingham.edu
turned journalist turned model again, Emma Chamberlain has never disappointed on the carpet, often outshining a lot of the A-List names who walk the carpet, and this year was no exception. In fact, it might be the best instance.
As the only one wearing Mugler on the carpet, Chamberlain stood out in her Miguel Castro Freitas gown. The gown was hand-painted by Anna Deller-Yee in impressionist brushtrokes of vibrant yellows that descended into deep blues and settled into her custom-dyed navy satin heels - reminiscing of a certain “Starry Night.”
Turning the body into a canvas was easily the best way to adapt the theme, and Chamberlain rightfully earned the title of best dressed.
Courtesy of Alexis Schlesinger
Tobias Cotton-Selman / THE GATEPOST
The Best of the 2026 MET Gala
Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST
‘Wishbone Deluxe’ - Conan Gray’s manuscript for moving on
By Taylor Kimmell Editorial Staff
By Avery Slavin Editorial Staff
Pop singer and lyrical storyteller Conan Gray released the deluxe version of his fourth studio album, Wishbone, on April 24.
Wishbone was originally released on August 15, with songs like “Caramel”, “This Song”, and fan-favorite hit “Vodka Cranberry.”
At the opening show of the Wishbone World Tour on Feb. 19, fans crowding the stands of the Target Center in Minneapolis were ecstatic to be the first listeners of Gray’s new single, “The Best,” sharing their obvious enthusiasm with deafening cheers flooding the venue as Gray sang the final lines.
The song’s successful live debut greatly contributed to the Coneheads’ already palpable excitement, and on March 27, the day of the single’s release, Gray announced that Wishbone Deluxe would be released on all streaming platforms on April 24.
In an Instagram post on April 15, Gray released the five new track titles that would be added, including “The Best”.
The following day, he posted a six-minute video titled “A Wishbone Deluxe Conversation.” In this interview, Gray explained that while the original album tracks detailed tales of heartbreak and betrayal, the new songs explained his healing journey and process of moving on.
Track 13, titled “Do I Dare,”
kicks off the extended album with a tone of dreamy elegance. The backing track’s orchestral instrumentation and waltz time signature stand as reasonable evidence that the song is a reference to one of the album’s earlier tracks titled “Actor,” the chorus of which states: “The church bells won’t stop ringing for an undead wedding day.” Fans have also pointed out the track sounds slightly similar melodically to the song before it, “Care.”
The tone of the following track, “House That Always Rains,” contrasts starkly with the song’s title and message, providing listeners with upbeat drums that give the nostalgic feeling of a 2000s romcom.
However, the bridge offers some metaphorical punches to the gut (in typical Conan Gray fashion), one line states, “While I was scared of being left / you were scared of being seen.” The track focuses on the impact of a difficult upbringing on one’s self-worth and ability to form future relationships.
Gray slows things down significantly with “Door,” with raw and deeply emotional vocals depicting the singer’s internal battle with himself about needing to walk away, with one lyric saying, “You were never even good to me / falling for the person you could be / but he doesn’t exist.” Gray answers his own question, “Who do I keep it open for?” with an almost haunting response when he sings “Only you, my love”.
Gray’s clever lyricism is evident yet again, beginning
his next track, “Moths” by referencing the prior song with the line “The door is closed / but the window’s open.” The song is about having enough courage to leave an unhealthy situation but still caring enough for the other person to be there if they call.
With lyrics like, “I’ll meet you in the middle / I’ll always be your friend,” and “I’ll keep your secrets / and I’ll watch them / follow you home,” there is a touch of hope in his voice that makes this song one of the most memorable tracks on Wishbone Deluxe. The overlapping lyrics in the bridge also make for a new sound not yet seen on this particular album.
Saving “The Best” for last, the song wraps up the album with a message of letting go. Gray’s lyrics are about reflecting on the good and bad times in a relationship and coming to terms with the breakup.
The lyrics of the chorus express the desire to see that person one more time, with the hope that it would bring closure and dismantle the feelings of resentment built up since things ended, and finally being able to find the strength to wish someone well even if things didn’t go as planned.
“The Best” debuted with over 1.6 million Spotify streams, making it Gray’s biggest debut to date.
The Wishbone World Tour began its leg in Europe and Australia on May 5, where Gray played “Moths” live for the first time in Dublin, Ireland.
One thing is for sure, Wishbone Deluxe marks a brilliant new chapter in the already expansive story of Conan Gray’s discography - yet another beautiful tragedy for heartbroken fans to get attached to as they deal with their own cacophony of breakups and betrayals.
Rating: A+ Conan, get out of our heads!
CONNECT WITH TAYLOR KIMMELL tkimmell@student.framingham.edu
CONNECT WITH AVERY SLAVIN aslavin1@student.framingham.edu
Crossing state lines and outrunning shadows
Noah Kahan’s “The Great Divide”
By Sophia Oppedisano Editor-in-Chief
The first time I heard Noah Kahan’s single, “The Great Divide,” I was packed into Fenway Park for his first career show at his hometown ballpark with 30,000 other screaming New Englanders.
Halfway through the show, Kahan stepped up to the mic and played the unreleased track. He warbled on about a long-gone boyhood friendship, assuring him, “You know I think about you all the time and my deep misunderstanding of your life.”
As a 20-something addicted to the honesty and charm of his third album, “Stick Season,” and EP, “Cape Elizabeth,” I clicked with the remorse, the yearning, and the unabashed apology for youthful misunderstanding.
And then, he did not include the track on “Live From Fenway Park,” forcing me to wait with bated breath, and maybe even some aggressive impatience, for this song and this album.
The studio version of “The Great Divide” rang true to the live version I heard almost a year prior, and the album itself is a patchwork of soul-searching, epiphanies, and grating self-deprication.
Kahan is an outlier in the folk-pop multiverse of stars such as Zach Bryan, Sam Fender, and Mumford & Sons, borrowing some of their influence
but stripping it down to the studs of raw storytelling and lyricism.
The musicality is there on tracks like the stomp-and-holler “Doors,” “Deny Deny Deny,” the riffing
Over the 96 minutes of the deluxe edition, “The Great Divide: The Last of the Bugs,” the songs do, at times, begin to blur with some sonic redundancy, but in a testament to the times,
“American Cars,” and the fiddle-swept “Haircut,” where Kahan sings from the perspective of the guy who made it out of his hometown and found success, but can’t curb his selfdoubt.
“At least I got soul still / even if I’m in a bad place,” Kahan sings on “Haircut,” the perfect antithesis to “Dashboard” - a track told from the perspective of someone the successful rockstar left behind - “Tryna run away / change your zipcode / turns out that you’re still an asshole.”
listeners are being asked to put down their phones, pay attention, and sink into the lyrical layers of the album.
The standout track from the four additions on “Last of the Bugs” is undoubtedly “Staying Still.”
Kahan described “Staying Still” as a “silly” track about not wanting someone’s plane to take off - “And I never ask for much / but I hope that Logan crumbles and gets hit by a tornado,” he sings.
In truth, though, silly as it
may be, Kahan speaks to the heart of long-distance relationships and the specific longing and all-consuming loneliness that comes with them - “Oh, I can’t keep on starting over / sleeping in a bed half empty daydreaming … Honey, tell me / are you good at staying still?”
Kahan gets to the heart of the matter of distance - metaphorical and physical - quite effectively on this record with tracks like “All Them Horses,” “Willing and Able,” and “Downfall.”
The record as a whole stays true to Kahan’s signature style, and while he explores the quintessential themes of fame and regret like any artist who has seen overnight success, he does so with an introspection and a frankness that his fans have learned to not just love, but need.
The New Englander, 20-something, eldest daughter, long-distance girlfriend in me sees the loneliness, growth, and soul-searching in you, Noah.
Rating: AI don’t have to keep trying to start this one over.
CONNECT WITH SOPHIA OPPEDISANO soppedisano@student.framingham.edu
Tobias Cotton-Selman / THE GATEPOST
Tobias Cotton-Selman / THE GATEPOST
Mouse P.I for Hire is cheesy and fresh
By Izayah Morgan Editorial Staff
Mouse P.I for Hire was my most anticipated game of the year - yes, that’s with the presumption that GTA VI comes out this year. To me, I missed that old rubberhouse animation and was itching for a Doom-like shooter to fill my time.
To me it could not launch at a better time as nothing else came out around its April 16 release. It being developed by a small indie studio made me even more excited.
Mouse P.I sees you take on the role of a mouse who is a private detective named Jack Pepper (Troy Baker), who absolutely killed this role. I let you see if you can get the pun.
Mouse P.I has you take on levels to collect evidence for your active cases. Each level is filled with secret coins, newspapers and baseball cards which are used for a very fun Mini Game.
Each level is fully packed with things to do and when you return to your base of operations after each level you can spend your acquired resources adequately.
Another big highlight for the game was the music by game composer and adaptive music designer Patryk Scelina. He brought a theme of the old school noir and succeeds on every level.
Not one miss.
A benefit I was surprised to see was the amount of customization and accessibility available in the in game settings.
Especially being on console (PS5) I was surprised to see the numerous options on how my game looks and plays.
I was most excited for the voice acting on display and wasn’t disappointed. It was obvious to me that Troy Baker as Jack Pepper was going to be a performance worthy of multiple Game Awards - and I was right. However other standouts were Carmyn Grimes as Tammy Tumbler, who was very Gen Z coded, and Frank Todaro as Cornelius Stilton.
The comedy was also another standout point for me. Knowing when to be light hearted but also serious when it needs to be. The cheese puns were also great but I am known for my corny humor.
To me the most surprising
part was the game’s larger political themes.
I won’t get into spoilers, but the game deals with government corruption, racism, and police brutality in clever and overtly clear ways.
The game does a lot right and with the way things look they are taking criticism very seriously and that’s a great thing to see. One thing I would like expansion on is the weapon upgrades, for what’s there they are great, but limited - I want more of them.
I also would like to see a feature implemented that allows for easier replaying of levels and a system to see what you missed in each level.
Lastly, I would like to see improvements to the way you drive your car around the city
of Mouseburg. It feels slow and I think some upgrades to the car or even just an optional boost would be great. Overall Mouse P.I for Hire was a fun ride and full of stand out moments. I wish it could have lasted even an hour longer.
Rating: A“Too gouda to be true”
CONNECT WITH IZAYAH MORGAN imorgan@student.framingham.edu
50 Cent “concert” review - Ghosted In Da Club
By Cole Johnson Copy Editor
This past March, my friend and coworker Aidan invited me to a concert for 50 Cent, which he planned to attend with several of his friends from Philadelphia. I didn’t consider myself a fan, but I wasn’t going to turn down a free ticket.
The event’s location at Encore Boston Harbor was an immediate red flag. The hordes of middle-age addicts pouring their savings into slot machines didn’t exactly get me in a partying mood.
On our way into the Mémoire Nightclub, a bouncer stopped us. Aidan wore an Eagles jersey, and his brother, Brian, wore a Celtics jersey.
The bouncer said the jerseys weren’t allowed. We were in disbelief - middle schools don’t have dress codes that strict. It’s a nightclub, sure, but I’d hardly expect fans of any rapper to
come to a show in business casual.
We tried again, with Aidan now in an Eagles quarter-zip and Brian in a Celtics sweatshirt. A second bouncer informed us that Brian couldn’t wear sweatpants, and I couldn’t wear shorts.
They eventually caved when we told them they didn’t mention it the first time and it’d be a 90-minute drive for us to get another change of clothes. To say the least, we entered miffed. My bad - next time I go to a rap concert, I’ll make sure to dress like a frat boy.
I worried we’d miss the starting time of 10 p.m., but Brian assured me there was no way the main act would start on time. His prediction would prove comically accurate.
Had I known how long we would be waiting, I wouldn’t have stuck around. If your idea of a good time is hours of standing shoulder-to-shoulder in place while awkwardly bobbing your head to generic DJ music, great - I hope we never meet.
The selection of music included 2000s radio songs that I’d successfully repressed until then, artlessly backed with cookie-cutter club beats and bass levels bordering on assault.
This was interspersed every 15 minutes or so with conga lines of club workers, holding up champagne and tailored signs for VIP service. The female employees, some sitting on the shoulders of their male counterparts and all in the same revealing leotards,
looked universally miserable.
Ninety minutes in, I started wondering if I was being gaslit. Feel free to fact check me, but I don’t believe 50 Cent is renowned for being a DJ. Not once had anyone so much as mentioned his name, and at this point I half-expected to go the whole night with no appearance.
After two hours, I cracked and bought a drink from the bar. For a place whose water tastes like it came out of a McDonald’s drink machine, it’s probably safe to assume the vodka and soda I got was nowhere near worth $20, even ignoring the fact its volume was probably three-quarters ice.
50 Cent got on at 12:38 a.m. There wasn’t even an opener. The backing music he rapped to was poorly mixed with his vocals, and the smoke machines aggressively blasting every few minutes would drown out the song completely.
After about 15 minutes of blaring bass that would’ve rendered any performer irrelevant, the rapper left the stage. I threw up my hands and went out.
I emerged from the venue a new man - a 50 Cent hater. I didn’t expect him to crush the performance, but I did expect a performance. What we got was so utterly worthless, it borders on a scam. Dude couldn’t even be bothered to finish “In Da Club.”
If anything, it’s impressive how accurately this “concert” managed to recreate the patented casino feeling of spending obscene amounts of time
and money for a profoundly vapid experience.
On the escalator back down to the casino, I heard a couple saying they didn’t even know 50 Cent would be playing that night. When I told them the advertised show time, their jaws dropped.
We got back in the car at 1:30 a.m. As we pulled out of the parking garage, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones started playing on the aux.
“I didn’t plan this, but I thought, ‘f**k it, it’s the vibe,’” Aidan said. No one could argue, and shortly after, the whole car was singing along.
My ticket was paid for, so I’m relieved to say 50 Cent can’t get a dollar out of me. Knowing that, Aidan still apologized for wasting my time. The poor guy spent almost a grand on tickets, but I guess it wasn’t enough to get 50 Cent in return.
Rating: F Gambling genuinely would’ve been better CONNECT WITH COLE JOHNSON cjohnson20@student.framingham.edu
Cole Johnson / THE GATEPOST
Tobias Cotton-Selman / THE GATEPOST
‘Hokum’ - a countryside creep show
By Jesse Burchill Staff Writer
Released on May 1, “Hokum” is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Damian McCarthy and starring Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, and Will O’Connell.
The film focuses on au thor Ohm Bauman (Scott) as he checks into a remote ho tel in rural Ireland where his deceased parents had honey mooned, and which is rumored to have a witch imprisoned in side.
Bauman’s planning to spread his parents’ ashes in the area and is working on the ep ilogue to his latest book. However, when the hotel’s bartender Fiona (Ordesh) goes missing, Bauman investigates the lockedoff honeymoon suite for answers and ends up locked inside. From there, he must contend with not only the presence of the hotel’s witch, but also human evil and his own past.
Scott is best known for the mockumentary sitcom “Parks and Recreation” and the sci-fi thriller series “Severance,” but “Hokum” is his first foray in full-on horror. He gives an excellent and subtle performance throughout as Bauman confronts his inner demons, and perfectly sells how Bauman gradually changes as a person over the film.
overcome the grief and regret he’s felt for most of his life, and Scott makes it very believable. The film’s bookends between him and Alby the bellhop and aspiring writer were a nice way of showing how Bauman’s changed.
Furthermore, every other member of the cast fulfills
ie is very much a slow burn, but in a good way. The pacing allows for an interesting analysis of Bauman and the other characters, and the more frightening scenes are drawn out enough to instill a great sense of dread without dragging the film down.
There are also several jumpscares accompanied by sudden loud noises or music, and while they’re mostly “boo, scary face” scares, they’re placed so well within their respective scenes that
character because everyone did so well in their performances.
Bauman begins the film as cold and bitter, but his experiences in the hotel help him
At its core, “Hokum” is a very human-focused drama about Bauman’s inner struggle with guilt and grief, with the supernatural elements serving to underscore and highlight how he changes over the course of the film.
In terms of pacing, this mov-
they’re still effectively
The witch within the hotel has very little screentime in the grand scheme of the movie, but the creep factor is turned up to 11 every time she appears.
Almost nothing is known about her aside from the foreshadowing of a folk tale early in the film, but that arguably makes her even scarier. She’s effectively the boogeyman in a way, and how her face is obscured in most of her scenes certainly helps.
Damian McCarthy’s previous films “Caveat” and “Oddity” were also set in remote locations, and it’s clear that he’s used his previous experience to craft another effective close-quarters nightmare. The movie is largely confined to the hotel, its honeymoon suite, and its basement - and it works.
The concept of the middle of nowhere as a setting is fairly common in horror, but McCarthy’s use of this trope is executed very well. There’s a unique sense of claustrophobia in the film, aided by the fact that Bauman has literally no way to leave for most of the film and has to confront the horrors head-on.
In the end, everything comes together perfectly to make “Hokum” a wonderfully unsettling experience with an excellent analysis of grief and growth.
Rating: A
CONNECT WITH JESSE BURCHILL jcelardo@student.framingham.edu
FSU E-Sports Lounge is your next side-quest
By Paul Harrington Staff Writer
During my time at Framingham State, I would always walk past Larned Hall and notice a mysterious room - a room with “E-Sports Lounge” on the window with a dozen gaming PCs that I assumed were for student use.
Every time I passed by this mysterious room, my curiosity to explore rapidly grew.
Now jump to Spring 2026. I recruited my buddy Dylan Santos to explore this space with me.
I’m glad that we went because I can confidently say it was the most fun I’ve had in a while!
After we used our student IDs to scan in, we had full access to the space.
Dylan and I used his personal account to log in so we would have fast access to our games.
After logging in, I was a little hesitant to download anything because I wouldn’t want to be the person who installs a virus on a school computer.
I enjoyed the amount of space the room had to provide and found that the computers were stable with running games.
I was in love with the PCs they had to offer due to how user-friendly the login process was.
After a few hours of gaming, we noticed that nobody had been coming in or out.
Now, I thought to myself that it might have been the timing of the day.
But it felt weird because
you’d think somewhere like an E-Sports Lounge would have people constantly coming in and out.
This leads to my main critique of the E-Sports Loungethe place feels hidden from the rest of the campus.
This isn’t to say that the location needs to be changed, but that students who don’t pay attention to their surroundings might not notice the existence of the lounge.
My second critique is that the space feels barren and
could use some decorations to spruce up the environment.
Assuming the room is full, there’s no space for other people to watch if there’s an event like an E-Sports tournament taking place.
To be fair though, if only a handful of students are using the room, then it makes no sense to put furniture in it.
My last critique is that in terms of temperature, the lounge feels like a sauna.
After a few hours of gaming, I felt like I was sitting outside
on a sweltering summer day. But, in reality, it was a rainy April day.
People aren’t going to want to park themselves in a third space if there’s no control over the temperature. Nobody wants to work up a nasty sweat because they can’t change the temperature.
I wish I had found out about the E-Sports Lounge earlier in my time at Framingham State. Having access to free amenities step away from your dorm is a blessing that more students should make use of. With a little bit of decoration and social media posting from the right people, this space has potential to be a banger of a hangout spot for students and clubs.
If any gamers need a campus side quest to experience, then consider going AFK at the E-Sports Lounge.
MarcusFalcão/
Paul Harrington / THE GATEPOST
The interior of the E-Sports Lounge in Larned Hall.
Spread by Associate Editor Adrien Gobin
Photos by Asst. Photos & Design Editor Oynx Lovely and Associate Editor Adrien Gobin
ThE Fashion Design & Retailing Department held their annual Fashion Show on May 1.
ACROSS
1. Ceramic material
5. Tea, in Mandarin
8. Bro and sis
12. Play ___ tag (miss each other’s calls)
13. Exclamation of relief
14. Bloke
15. Brenda Meeks portrayer in “Scary Movie” (In this clue’s answer, unscramble letters 1-9 into a phrase starting with “a”)
17. “Egg-andspoon” or “three-legged” event
18. “Midsommar” director Aster
19. Slinky’s shape
20. Mayhem
21. Overcon- trolling supervision style (... letters 2-9 into a word starting with “m”)
25. The “loneliest number,” per a Three Dog Night song
26. Prefix with “gender”
27. Black gunk
28. Musical sign of silence
30. Entryway
32. F#, e.g.
33. “SOUR” singer (... letters 2-8 into a word starting with “r”)
36. Dub
37. Type of exam
38. Love, in Latin
39. YouTube segments you might skip
40. Destroy, to a gamer
41. Barbecue bit
42. Phil Collins hit with a renowned drum solo (... letters 6-13 into a word starting with “r”)
49. Hollywood legend Sophia
50. Squad
51. Reddit Q&A
52. Cake level
53. Chilled side dish, and a theme hint
56. “Gotcha”
57. Joy
58. Bizet piece
59. Garfield and Odie, to Jon
60. Key near Ctrl
61. Second to none
DOWN
1. “SNL” alum Oteri
2. Valid reasoning
3. “Wheel of Fortune” buy that completes D_V_S_B_L_TY
4. Currency in Hokkaido
5. Type of necklace with connected links
6. Super awesome 7. Leather- worker’s implement 8. “Shoo!”
9. “Gotta run!”
10. Wendy’s sandwich that lacks vegetables
11. Titular org. in a 2015
James Bond film
12. British baby buggy
13. “Easy there!”
16. Tippy-top
20. “___ dead, Jim”
22. Comedian Jones
23. Currently airing
24. “___ your loins!”
28. Sound of traffic
29. Horror film locale
30. “Everything is frustrating!”
31. “... yes ___ no?”
32. Dark clouds
34. Corn Belt state
35. Drops from the sky
36. Digital attachment?
40. Pig’s digs
41. Kind of tomato used for making marinara
43. “___ the thing ...”
44. Put back to zero
45. British museum
46. High winds
47. Nationwide Asian supermarket
48. “Voila!”
53. Tiger Woods’ org.
54. Cry loudly
55. Mimic
Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.
Spread by Assistant Photo and Design Editor Onyx Lovely
