34.11

The Milton Paper JANUARY 13, 2017

VOL. 34, NO. 011

MILTON’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Green Out

Sustainable Development: Our Last Hope

Women's March

By MICHELLE ERDENESANAA For the past couple of months, the lingering despair over Trump’s election has been coupled with the gravity of his cabinet and advisor nominations. His picks, littered with conflicts of interest, present the largest threat to environmental health since the Koch Brothers. Perry, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Energy, owns over $100,000 in stock of fossil fuel companies and sits on the board of two petroleum companies, Sunoco and Energy Transfer Partners (the company building the Dakota Access Pipeline). He also vowed in 2011 to eliminate the very department he is now nominated to run.

Similarly, Scott Pruitt, the nominee for EPA Administrator, has not only received hundreds of thousands in donations throughout his career from oil and natural gas titans and PACs, but has also tried to sue the EPA (again, the agency that he is nominated to lead) multiple times. Both nominees are flagrant climate change deniers and are joined by at least five other deniers on Trump’s list of nominees.

Perhaps the best way to grasp the team’s threat to global and ecological health is to simply read their spewings on climate change; they have said that those who believe in climate science should be “prosecuted for fraud” (Pruitt), that “when [climate] stop[s] changing, we’re dead” (Ben Carson, nominee for Housing and Urban Development), and that carbon dioxide is “not a pollutant,” it’s simply “plant food” (Jeff Sessions, nominee for Attorney General). Besides being scientifically inaccurate and sensationalist, their statements project ignorance that the world can no longer afford.

What these fossil fuel industry pawns refuse to recognize is that environmental regulation does not protect only the environment. Sustainable development and ecological protection are also necessary for the health and safety of our industries, livelihood, and communities.

One effect of global warming that we

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By CHLOE KIM AND HENRY WESTERMAN On November 9th, 2016, our campus, along with much of the rest of nation, reeled after a shocking election night. On January 21st, 2017, The Women’s March on Washington, a mass mobilization of activists and protesters, will descend on the capital, the day after we inaugurate into office a man who many believe ran the most brazenly misogynistic presidential campaign in recent history, and whose victory has emboldened a Republican-led Congress to wage an epic war on women’s rights.

According to organizers of the movement, it is likely that the march will be “the largest mass mobilization that any new

administration has seen on its first day,” according to an article posted in Vogue. The movement was started via a Facebook page created by retired attorney Teresa Shook the night of the election; today, more than 200,000 people have indicated their intention to attend, though estimates for attendees have been placed as high as 400,000 by law enforcement. In addition to the Washington march, plans for other events have popped up in cities around the country, including Boston, where as many as 30,000 people plan to attend. The organization’s website estimates as many as 600,000 people attending over 270 ‘sister marches’ around the country. These marches aren’t aimed at

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The Corrupt FAFSA

By MOLLY WILSON The American Dream is built on the belief that anyone who is hardworking can get an education and succeed. Yet, the financial aid system intended to allow all qualified students to attend college is deeply flawed, failing to help those who need it most at a time where the need for financial aid is greater than ever.

Federal Student Aid, an office of the US department of education, is the largest provider of financial aid in the US. In order to apply for federal financial aid, students must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): a repetitive, convoluted form. The FAFSA consists of 105 questions that, according to University of Michigan economist Susan Dynarski, can take the average applicant up to ten hours to gather the necessary documents and complete. For parents who do not speak English well, completing this form can seem nearly impossible. Due to the complexity of the FAFSA, the federal financial aid system

is skewed towards students with educated parents who can help them fill out the myriad of forms. But many smart, low-income students don’t have this kind of help, so many of the students who would benefit most from aid don’t get it. Additionally, the FAFSA has to be completed every year, meaning that many students entering college do not know what their financial aid will be the next year. This constant uncertainty makes it challenging for

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Inside This Issue MR. CHUNG

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FRESHMAN EXAMS

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WHITE NATIONALISM

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CELTICS DRAFT PICKS

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The Milton Paper The 34th Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor Editor at Large Opinion Manager News Managers Senior Editors A&E Editor Rachel Handler Opinion Editor Gabrielle Fernandopulle

Malcolm McCann and Eli Burnes Letitia Chan Cheyenne Porcher Mateen Tabatabaei Marshall Sloane and Henry Westerman

Chloe Kim and Henry Burnes Sports Editor Peter Digiovanni

Layout Editor Jack Daley Photo Editor Caroline Massey

Faculty Sponsor Lisa Baker

Cartoonist Lilly Le

Associate Editors Navpreet Sekhon Jonah Garnick Nihal Raman Website Manager Alex Iansiti

News

Opinion

Abby Walker Alexandra Millard Allison Reed Elina Thadhani Ellie Lachenauer Evita Thadhani Lyndsey Mugford Jack Sloane Juliana Viola Sarah Alkhafaji Will Torous Jimmy Delano

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Editorial

Restructure Exams Milton’s notorious, two-hour long sit-down exams plague us with stress, anxiety, (relatively) high stakes, and the task of consolidating and internalizing considerable quantities of information. However, exposure to these emotions and challenges breeds in us a resilience, work ethic, and major test-taking experience that no other assessment grants us. For all that students may complain about exams and categorize them as yet another flawed example of the elusive “accurate evaluation of knowledge,” exams provide many benefits we simply cannot ignore. Yes, the stress they produce and amounts of work they require may not be pleasant, but then, when over the course of our lives are excessive stress and work pleasant phenomena? Exams at least give us a chance to adapt to such testing situations (excuse us). Thus, this board stands firmly by their continued existence—but there are still things that could be changed.

For one thing, The Paper cautions against the increasing move towards projects in lieu of exams, particularly for freshmen. Though freshman year exams are often a sore topic for many Milton students, we hypothesize that many students’ lackluster performance as freshmen serves as a pivotal experience and wake-up call. After all, freshman year is a year of adjustment, and how would students adapt to the rigors of Milton without a healthy dose of stress, anxiety, and humility? By this same logic, the entirety of high school serves as preparation for college where, for better or worse, Milton’s model of the multi-hour sit down exam is the norm. The softening of freshman exams and exams in general thus marks a worrisome decline in this so-called vaccine’s efficacy.

Of course, there is value too in projects as a method for evaluating knowledge and skill, and in some disciplines like art, programming, or architecture, a project seems the obvious best choice. Still, there is time throughout the school year for projects, and in core subjects like science, math, history, language and English, projects simply fail to draw upon a student’s total experiences as much as preparing for and taking a cumulative exam does.

Though Milton should continue having mid-year exams, students would benefit greatly from moving exams to before winter break. This is already the norm at many schools, and for good reason. As our system currently stands, using winter break to rejuvenate and not to study leaves one feeling guilty upon returning to school and faced with the task of relearning everything lost in the two-week period. On the other hand, studying over winter break somewhat undermines the point of having this “break” in the first place, especially when the typical last minute push for essays, labs and tests leaves many burnt out and in need of a rest. Winter break would be more enjoyable with exams completed and not looming in the future. Indeed, taking exams before winter break and starting the new year with a clean slate rather than with a fight to recuperate forgotten facts and cram in one more unit seems the logical option.

Milton could then go on to craft a special “J-Term” (January term) curriculum to fill the void left by the altered exam and review schedule.

A two or three week foray into topics, courses, and workshops unrelated to one’s normal academic course load might be the perfect way to kick off second semester and the new year. The model for such a “J-Term” exists at many colleges and secondary schools, but we must look no further than the Freshman Physics end-of-year curriculum for inspiration. This J-Term curriculum could similarly provide entertaining mini-units with teachers one may not otherwise interact with, as well as everything from one-time workshops to student-led seminars to a faculty lecture series. These classes and experiences could be graded on a pass/ fail scale, and without grades or a tarnished transcript hanging in the balance, students could indulge in a lighter but more interesting course load than normal without fear of failure. Rather than launching into the year obsessing over exams and inundated with pressure, students could use January as a time of exploration, curiosity, and of rediscovering the passion for learning that we unfortunately often forget. •

Feature

Time of Our Lives

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As our eyes and brains flit between a real conversation or quiet moment to oneself on one hand and a screen on (or in) the other, we fade, we dilute ourselves in the present moment.

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By TARIM CHUNG About ten years ago Ms. Baker and I led a community service trip to Belize to refurbish a school atop a mountain road. Twice a day our group took over a local restaurant with a single owner and chef, a generous woman named Erva. On plastic chairs in a dining room the size of Withington, we ate fiery homemade food and talked. After a few days, we took such a shine to Erva’s that we, adults and kids, started showing up early to sweep the floors and set the tables, and Erva, enjoying our enjoyment, started cooking more elaborate meals. Our conversations, often with Milton students we initially hardly knew, went into the evenings.

When I consider the opportunity to step away from technology for a while, my mind goes back to those restaurant tables in Belize against the backdrop of a little town with no cell phone reception (and certainly no Wifi). Even as my aging brain loses literary facts, I can still name the students from that trip and tell you whether they could stand habanero salsa, what their politics were, and which classes they loved. Physically drained in a foreign land with new peers, our students on that trip probably would not have resisted finding refuge in social media.

(In fact, I remember several of them saying that it took three days for the gnawing urge to check Facebook to fade.) And while I still don’t use any social media to this day (and, yes, I regret missing a few family birthdays as a result), I, too, would have probably excused myself from Erva’s dinner table to dive into long email sessions if given the chance.

No one likes to be scolded about the lure and losses incurred by social media. When I hear myself gearing up for a lecture to my daughters or my students, I try to stop myself because of the mild self-disgust rising in my gullet. Railing against the rise of the

screen world makes me sound old and bitter, ready to shuffle off on my walker with four tennis balls on its feet.

I came to Milton at the dawn of cell phones and social media. (I remember when students could not use their phones inside school buildings!) Objectively, it’s hard to get too dire and dramatic about the fate of the “screenager”: Students still get their work done (mostly), kick back and enjoy face-to-face conversations, and push their bodies on fields and stages of all kinds.

In fact, today’s Milton kids deserve some commendation: They do nearly all their predecessors did while balancing a social life dependent on hours of daily screen time.

But something is different, something has to be different when hours of a person’s day are devoted to a second virtual life. As our eyes and brains flit between a real conversation or quiet moment to oneself on one hand and a screen on (or in) the other, we fade, we dilute ourselves in the present moment. I, too, have very recently learned to maintain a conversation with my six-year old while I text...at our dining table...as she seeks my attention...to say something that--I know if I listen fully--will make me laugh. I can’t lecture here because I scare myself every day.

In such moments I think of Ann Marlowe’s How to Stop Time, a memoir on addiction: she, a productive journalist, says that drugs did not ruin her life, but her addiction stole time from her. Rather than demonizing the addictive substance, she takes the harder step of locating the real culprit: the gnawing sense of “the mourning for the irrecoverable” inside any addictive behavior. I read these words 15 years ago, and they won’t leave me alone. While you will pardon the strain of this analogy, consider the gift we give ourselves with the totally memorable sweetness of sitting next to friends at a table, having the time of our lives. •

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Our Last Hope CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 are already suffering is extreme weather.

As mean annual surface temperature of the Earth rises, so does the rate of evaporation at the surface, causing massive water vapor buildup and volatile, violent storm patterns. Combine that with extreme heat and drought, and global agriculture industries are crippled. From 2007 to 2010, the worst drought in the history of the Middle East devastated Syria, eradicating stable agriculture and forcing waves of people toward urban areas, a combined effect that the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says contributed to Syria’s political unrest. The EPA’s economic analyses suggest that climate change will stunt tourism and domestic food production by making regional climate incompatible with popular recreation and crop growth. Despite fossil fuel proponents’ claims that dirty energy is necessary for economic stability, climate science proves otherwise.

Much like Syria, countless nations have been destabilized by the effects of global warming and dependence on unsustainable industry. Rising sea levels are creeping up on Bangladesh and are projected to eliminate 17% of the country’s land mass and displace more than 18 million people by 2050. Venezuela’s dependence on oil is now manifesting in staggering inflation and lack of food and medicine, as oil revenue plummets. Similar consequences plague Appalachia, where the mountainous states’ reliance on a failing coal industry has plunged citizens into destitution. China’s deadly air pollution, Oklahoma’s fracking-induced hyper-seismicity, and Kiribati’s nation-wide evacuation from inundated land are just the beginning of a laundry list of global devastation. Although we like to talk about climate change in the future tense, millions of people are already living it. It would be foolish to be surprised when we feel the effects, too.

As much as climate change deniers and fossil fuel advocates like Trump’s nominees like to paint climate regulation as incompatible with industry and development, their reasoning is infantile and superficial.

Sustainable development is not just a cool thing to invest in. It is not simply driven by radical or philosophical or hippie views.

Sustainable development is the only practical answer for the future. Especially once Donald Trump and his oil-guzzling cronies assume executive power, social consciousness and widespread grassroots advocacy for environmental protection are our civic duty. It’s time to quit being passive and ignorant. It’s time to wake up. •

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News

Onyx and Community Engagement Co-run Wednesday Assembly

COURTESY OF MILTON ACADEMY

Alumni Osaremen Oloko, Kevin Collins, and Johonna Jones speak at assembly

By LYNDSEY MUGFORD On Wednesday, January 4th, 2017, students and faculty alike gathered in the ACC for the first assembly of the new year: a Q&A session with three Milton Academy alumni involved in the world of service: Jovanna Jones, Osaremen Oloko and Kevin Collins. In the assembly co-ran

by Onyx and the Community Engagement office, the alumni spoke about their work, the intersection of identity and service, and how students can incorporate justice into their lives.

Anything but random, the partnership between the two groups was largely a function of logistics and compatibility.

The idea of collaboration stemmed in part from the challenge of students needing to choose one assembly.

Heather Flewelling, Milton’s director of multiculturalism and community development, highlighted this. “There are always more groups that want time than there are spaces,” she explained, “so one of the real challenges with that is it often makes people choose between interests they have”.

Maria Horbaczewski (I), Community Engagement board member, agreed. “We knew that people would have to split their time between either or,” Horbaczewski said. “We wanted people to see both because they’re both big groups on campus.”

“

While logistics alone provided incentive to collaborate, the compatibility of the two groups ultimately brought about the partnership. “In anything you do in life, you experience the world from who you are,” Andrea Geyling-Moore, head of the Community Engagement office, explained. “So there’s lots of ways that I think identity plays a role in both the motivation that goes in and the learning that comes out [of community engagement].” Jaylen Ortiz (III), Onyx member, added that “that [collaboration] shows that there is a bridge between culture and social justice work with the community”. Ms. Flewelling agreed. “Many people see community engagement as close to activism and community change,” she explained, “so we were kind of like, okay, we have to compete against each other and that seems silly, are there ways that we could think about sharing the space that seemed to be cohesive?”

The designing of this shared space presented itself as the next step, and the idea of having alums return quickly rose to the surface. “We wanted to have alums come back because we felt like people resonate with alums who are on the younger side,” Horbaczewski explained. So, members of both groups began to research, looking through alumni lists from the Community

We wanted people to see that community service isn’t a chore; people do it for a living

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Women's Marches CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 exclusively protesting Trump, but instead to stand in solidarity with those who feel afraid of what may come under Trump’s administration.

At Milton, numerous members of our community, both students and faculty, have expressed their intent to attend a march, either in Boston or in Washington. Of students surveyed, at least a dozen students hoped to go, with twice as many saying they would if they were able. Students expressed varying reasons for wanting to march. “I feel that is important to show support for those who are being marginalized and oppressed in times like this, especially when such a despicable man is about to fill the most honored position of our government,” explained one respondant. “Setting a precedent for opposition to hate early in Trump's presidency could go a long way,” added another.

Those who said they couldn’t attend mostly cited logistical excuses, such as the pressure of exams and other work, athletic commitments, or difficulty arranging transportation or getting permission from their parents. However, many of those who couldn’t or didn’t want to attend expressed their support for the movement as a whole, and a longing to show support for those who are afraid of what the future might bring.

Ever since they’ve become aware of student interest in the March, Milton’s administration has been working to provide transportation to the event both in Boston and Washington. Dean of students, Mr. Ruiz, said: “We will be offering shuttles to the T. We looked into getting buses to the protest, but there were complications with the organizers and closing off parts of the city to traffic. We would also have to register the bus with the organizers, and we weren’t sure about student interest. Also, organizers suggested that protesters to take the T.” Boarders can travel with another family to D.C. if they get a special waiver signed, but they would have to organize transportation on their own.

As Milton Academy students, we live busy lives. We have responsibilities. We have homework to do, sports and clubs to participate in, a social life to maintain—but we at the Milton Paper believe that we also have a responsibility to be socially aware and engaged American citizens. As Solace Mensah-Narh (I), who will be traveling to D.C. for the March, put it: “People pause their lives to help the progression of younger people’s lives, and that’s beautiful to me.

So going to a march like this is like me paying homage to them.” •

News

2017 Freshman Exam Week

By EVITA THADHANI Much to people’s dismay, exam week is approaching quickly. In fact, there are fewer than two weeks before the first exam. Although exams are a burden for many, Milton Academy is one of the few schools in Massachusetts with only one exam week per year- and ours are not even at the end of the year. On Monday January 23rd, students will arrive to school for their first exams of the year, and for freshmen, the start of their first Milton Academy exam week.

Although the freshman exams are consistent with past exams students have been taking for years, there have been major changes in the type and content of this year’s exams. Instead of a sit down test for Geometry, students will be given a problem set before the exam. On the exam they will then decide which of these problems to do. The sole difference to the freshman history exam (Ancient Civilizations and Modern World) is that they will be taken on the computer. The Physics exam is also the same as those in recent years (though significantly shortened from the one current Seniors experienced their freshman year). However, the Class IV English exam has changed drastically; there are no more megablunders in the exam, and there will only be one essay instead of two. In a recent survey, 73% of the freshmen who responded thought that not having megablunders on the test was a good idea. But when asked to choose which class they were most worried about, only 40% responded English as their first choice. The Class IV english exam has a reputation of being extremely hard, and even with these new changes, students are dreading it the most.

Many aspects, especially the logistics, of the freshman exams will remain the

same. Each student will have one or two exams per day, either at 9 am or 1:30pm, that are each two hours long. Exams will be held in various places, including the basketball courts of the ACC, where chairs and tables will be set up. This exam setup is supposed to prepare students for the SATs and other standardized tests, which are taken in a similar manner.

During exam week, day students have the leisure of coming to school at only their exam times, and if there are no snow days during the week, students will have a four day weekend following exam week. After the weekend, all exams will be handed back on Wednesday, February 1st, when then the new semester will begin.

Every student reacts, prepares and plans for exams in their own way. For many freshmen, this is their first exam week; For others, this is only one out of the multiple exam weeks they’ve lived through. But despite the various levels of dedication to academic work and the multiple unique experiences of taking exams in the past, freshmen seem to agree on one thing: exams are stressful. Nearly 30% of the freshmen who responded to the survey used to “stressful” to describe how they felt about the upcoming exams, and many others responded with synonyms, such as “nervous” or “anxious”. Most freshmen also plan to to study for about 10 hours, with only 4% (of the respondents) planning to study for less than 5 hours. Freshmen have already begun studying, and the upcoming long MLK weekend will provide ample time for preparation.

Although taking exams is generally not fun for anyone, there are many things to look forward to during exam week.

Freshmen are looking forward to visiting the petting zoo, enjoying more free time, having no classes, and hopefully resting during the four day weekend.•

The science behind "power poses" has been debunked.

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Wednesday Assembly CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Engagement office. “We started to think about, because it was an Onyx assembly partnership, are there some African American or black identified alums who are engaged in [Community Engagement] work?” Flewelling said. The groups eventually finalized the panel to include three alums: Jovonna Jones (‘11), a doctoral student in AAAS and youth consultant for VISIONS Inc.; Kevin Collins (‘10), an aspiring lawyer and member of Teach for America; and Osaremen Okolo (‘13), senior at Harvard College and co-founder of the Harvard University Institute of Politics program, “The Politics of Race and Ethnicity”.

When asked what they hoped students would take away from the assembly, those involved gave a variety of answers. “We wanted people to see that community service isn’t a chore; people do it for a living,” said Horbaczewski. Geyling-Moore had a similar response. “There’s a lot to learn beyond Milton,” she replied. “You can make a difference and it’s important to want to make a difference in some way.” Others hoped that students would realize the importance of identity in their work. Ortiz wanted them to “really figure out who they are and what they want to do with their community.” Flewelling agreed. “The hope was that students could begin to hear that how we see ourselves if often connected to what we do,” she explained.

Student responses to the assembly have been largely positive, with many praising the collaboration as well as the presentation of the alums’ work. “I liked the way they were answering questions,” said Jocelain Sabin (III). “[Jovonna Jones] seemed really smart and was a really good speaker… The bit about how if equity and justice aren’t a part of your work then you’re doing something wrong, I thought that was really interesting.” Andrew Willwerth (IV) agreed.

“It was cool. It was inspirational to see all of these alums that have done good things for the community,” he said. “The need to fight through injustice was something that I took away from it.”

The positive response is a welcome one, especially considering that we may be seeing more joint assemblies in the future. Flewelling revealed that she wanted to bring this idea of collaboration to other groups on campus. “I actually wish that as a community that we would think about some common themes we have across a lot of different groups,” she admitted. “There's no reason why clubs can’t see the overlap at times without feeling like they’re giving up a sense of opportunity to talk about things that are important to them … and I think that there is a great opportunity in the assembly space.” •

Opinion

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Dems and Libs Fail on Science

Milton Social Hierarchy

By WILLA DUBOIS

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Vancouver March Against Monsanto, the Worlds Largest Seller of Seeds

By JONAH GARNICK Democrats (and liberals in general) often pride themselves on being the party of science, and in many respects that’s true. On belief in climate change and evolution, democrats are miles ahead of republicans. Consider a recent Gallup poll which had republican belief and concern in climate change at 40%, whereas democratic concern proved 44 points higher. Or consider how abysmal republican lawmakers’ belief in climate is: 41% of House republicans and 30% of Senate republicans. But, while belief in climate change and in need for environmental regulations is robust among democrats and weak among republicans, democrats shouldn't get too cocky. Democrats and liberals have their own issues with science, albeit ones less dangerous.

Take, for instance, the GMO debate.

We’ve been genetically modifying food for thousands of years (i.e. artificial selection), so the issue isn't with the fact that we’re modifying organisms as much as it is with how we are doing it. But, there is a scientific consensus on the safety of GMOs. The studies are in agreement, and so are the meta-studies (studies on GMO studies themselves, Critical Reviews in Biotechnology). And yet, while republicans remain divided 50-50 on the issue, it is democrats who, by a 26% margin, deem the foods “unsafe” (ABC News).

GMOs may be vital in increasing crop efficiency and in fighting climate change, yet many democrats remain in irrational opposition to them.

Now, consider how democrats treat the relation between food and climate change on the whole. Eating locally grown, organic foods, while sounding nice, can actually prove a wasteful obstruction to fighting climate change. According to research done at the University of Oregon, organic food production actually produces more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional farming (Quartz). Similarly, an emphasis on locally-grown foods (reducing food miles as much as possible) creates a harmful oversimplification of climate science. Food

transportation accounts for a fraction of the overall environmental impacts of food production, with some estimates at a mere 23 percent (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research). Broadly speaking, to reduce environmental harm, food should be grown where efficiency is greatest, but this is not a view held by many on the left.

Finally, look at the opposition to forest thinning in California. As its record-breaking drought perseveres, many are looking towards potential remedies for the situation, as well as preemptive measures. Researchers from the University of California (and the Environmental Defense Fund) have found that forest thinning could help prevent forest fires, and their severity, by permitting greater water runoff. Deliberate, calculated forest thinning could even help overall forest health. Interestingly enough, though, “some of the strongest opposition to thinning forests… comes from a few of [california’s] most prominent environmental groups,” according to the University of California’s agriculture school. Their opposition, in this case, is unsupported by scientific research.

These are just a few examples. And while they aren't nearly as dangerous as republican disbelief in climate change, they are dangerous in that they signal an unwillingness to accept scientific consensuses, an unwillingness to accept fact. The need for a party that listens to scientific findings cannot be understated.

Republicans, clearly, can’t be that party, with their widespread disbelief in climate change, evolution, and the integrity of our election system (despite overwhelming evidence that voter fraud doesn't happen). Trust in science and scientific institutions is vital for a working democracy. Feelings, emotions, and religious beliefs are grossly insufficient for making a working government. If democrats (and liberals on the whole), want to maintain that they have a monopoly on science, they must actually listen to what scientists actually say. If we are going to successfully fend off climate change and overpopulation, we are going to need science. But what use is science if we don't listen to it. •

As a freshman, I hear a lot of complaints about the freshman cave, as well as other so-called inequities. Meanwhile, seniors recline in squishy chairs and cut lunch lines in Forbes. I understand why my fellow freshmen see this as an unjust system, but that is a narrow view failing to consider the greater Milton experience. The hierarchical system that currently exists is ripe with past tradition, teaches new students respect for their fellow Miltonians and the institution at large, and makes their final days here as seniors so much sweeter.

High school hierarchies exist across the nation, and have since the beginning of high schools. Particularly in highly-regarded, aged institutions like Milton, where tradition grows like ivy up brick walls, a hierarchical system usually exists. While some traditions, like hazing, are harmful, the Milton student hierarchy causes no more harm to those suffering from its existence than waiting an extra minute for lunch or completing math problems by the light of fluorescent bulbs instead of the glow of the sun.

These issues are not harmful, and disturbing the aged traditions of an institution could cause uprise, leading to much more harm: older students, who have suffered for their current benefits, will be outraged, and may blame the new freshmen for this disruption.

This could lead to a greater divide between the two grades than currently exists.

While freshmen are, for the most part, somewhat intelligent individuals, we lack the training or experience of the senior class. Respect for experience is a crucial life skill, and it is well-taught by the student hierarchy. Additionally, seniors have worked hard for the additional knowledge they now have, and are deserving of the respect and comfortable chairs they were given for that. New students may not yet understand the level of work that has been put in, and the hierarchy forces freshmen to give the respect they might not otherwise. Once the initial unjustified rage has passed, we can appreciate that they have not yet earned the right to enjoy the beam of fresh UV rays that comes with seating out of the cave.

Freshman grouse about the cruel injustices of the hierarchical system, but fail to realize that it is more fair than many systems. Barring emergent situations such as death or failure, we will eventually reach the top, and will spend as much time there as we did in the bottom. Disconsolate freshmen are not appreciating the larger picture,

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Opinion

Corrupt FAFSA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 families to plan and budget.

The FAFSA calculates the amount of financial aid a student will receive using a formula that takes into account a family’s assets, income, and more. However, this formula does not consider a family’s expenses, the cost of saving for retirement, or the need to save for other kids’ education. In many cases, families and students are unable to cover the gap between college costs, including tuition, books, transportation, and supplies, and the amount of financial aid they receive. Often, students are forced to work outside jobs and are therefore unable to devote the same amount of time and energy to their studies as their financially privileged peers. These students are more likely to fall asleep in class and be branded as lazy or unmotivated, when the exact opposite is actually true.

Furthermore, with many highly-selective colleges filling a large percentage of their freshman class with early-decision applicants, the federal financial aid system puts students needing aid at a disadvantage for admission to elite schools. Early-decision applicants are required to commit to attending a college before they receive their financial aid offer, making it challenging for students needing aid to apply early decision without knowing if they will be able to afford to go if they get in.

In addition to the flawed application system of financial aid, the gap between the supply of and the demand for financial aid in our nation is large, and will continue to grow. Currently, less than 30 percent of qualified, low-income students complete college, while 75 percent of wealthy, qualified students earn college degrees. If this deeply flawed system is not repaired, the education gap will continue to grow, while our economy, which is dependent on an educated workforce, will continue to suffer.

While there is no easy way to fix the financial aid system, there are many places to start. By making the FAFSA shorter and more straightforward, financial aid will be more available for all students. By requiring the FAFSA to be filled out only once and keeping financial aid consistent for each student, families and students will be able to plan and budget better. By changing the timeline of the FAFSA application process so that students know the amount of financial aid they will receive before early-decision applications are due, all students, regardless of financial aid, will have the same opportunities. Additionally, by making college tuition entirely tax deductible and not charging interest on college loans, the government can mitigate the financial burden of education of families and students. While these aren’t the drastic changes that are needed to level the playing field, it’s a start. •

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Don’t Normalize White Nationalism

Jeff Sessions

By MARSHALL SLOANE Watching Senator Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing presented an odd set of challenges. On the one hand, I wanted to look at Senator Sessions with fresh eyes, for I believed that preconceived notions about his record or beliefs would prevent me from forming a balanced judgement of America’s next attorney general. As I watched Senator Feinstein discuss Senator Sessions’ voting record, I could not help but think about how his established history of racist remarks and ultra conservative rhetoric made it virtually impossible for me to both agree with Senator Sessions nomination and maintain my core values. Despite the difficult balance, I still tried to find excuses to accept his nomination and find a positive spin on the situation. Positivity and an open minded outlook may have its merits; however, liberals cannot normalize the Trump administration.

The Trump cabinet selections indicate that he intends to follow through on much of his campaign promises. Senator Sessions, as attorney general, could revive the tough on crime policies associated with the war on drugs, encourage tougher immigration laws, and overlook illegal actions by the Trump administration. Rex Tillerson, as Secretary of State, could diminish America’s ability to counter Russian power worldwide by reducing sanctions. Ben Carson, as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, could shrink the size of affordable housing programs and cut back efforts to counter racist practices in the housing market. Scott Pruitt, as Secretary of the EPA, could reduce funding for climate change research, avoid enforcement of climate change regulations, and dissect the Clean Power Plan. None of these cabinet selections should be accepted as good choices.

Liberals’ accepting these selections without a

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challenge means that they have given up on efforts to challenge Trump’s ideology. Unfortunately, the conservative congress makes it virtually impossible to block the confirmation of these nominees, so stopping the flawed policies that will inevitably emerge from the Trump administration must become the next objective.

Much of the opposition to the Trump Administration will fail. The conservative majority on the state and national level combined with changes to congressional procedure make the Democrats virtually powerless in blocking most policy. Failure cannot be accepted as an excuse to stop the resistance.

At the very least, sustaining the opposition to the Trump administration will help the Democrats prepare for midterm elections by growing the passion and grassroots support associated with the Democrats. Liberals’ opposing Donald Trump could be the needed unifying factor for the increasingly apathetic Democratic base.

Meanwhile, opposition should not be perceived as an excuse to alienate the Trump voters. Democrats defeated themselves in the 2016 election. The same Americans that casted their ballot for Trump in the Rust Belt often voted for Barack Obama or came from a long line of Democratic activism founded in pro labor policies. Thus, Democrats must win back the same voters that fled this cycle, so an effective opposition cannot lose sight of the difference between opposing Trump’s policies and values versus opposing those that voted for Trump.

The next four years will be a rude awakening for many younger liberals that grew up in the Obama years and do not remember the Bush presidency. Still, we cannot write off the problems as unsolvable or the new normal, for normalizing Trump should never be an acceptable option. •

Arts & Enterainment

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Comeback SZN: The Return of Planet Earth

Star Wars Club Reviews Rogue One: A Star Wars Story SPOILER ALERT!

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(Warned, have you been.)

A Snow Leopard in the "Mountains" episode of Planet Earth II

By NAVPREET SEKHON AND MALCOLM MCCANN

aggressive waves that surround the island, making it dangerous for penguins to get in and out of the ocean alive. The crew showed Ever since the season finale of Planet many male penguins emerging from the Earth in 2006, the world has waited ten years waves bloody, broken, and almost dead—all for the highly acclaimed documentary series of which needed to return home to feed their to release another season. In the fall of 2016, starving chicks.

BBC UK released six episodes of Planet Mountains: The BBC producers followed Earth II, each with a focus on a different up on the spectacular premier by lifting terrain: islands, mountains, jungles, deserts, viewers to the heights of the Himalayas. grasslands, and cities. Narrated again by Afghan snow leopards live in their own Sir David Attenborough, the new season secret world, a life entirely mysterious to attracted over nine million viewers—many the average person–until now. Viewers get of whom were millennials—on the first to witness the lives of the solitary leopards; night, becoming the “most watched natural specifically, a mother and daughter leopard history show in fifteen years,” according to as they traversed the barren mountains. Also The Guardian. notable in the episode was the intense fight Islands: With widely circulated highlights between two golden eagles over a carcass, a including a swimming sloth, a showdown scene which the cameraman had to wait for between a marine 72 hours to film. The iguana and racer producers showed a snakes, an isolated playful side of Planet penguin island, and Earth when playing many more, this “Jungle Book” music opening episode as we watched grizexceeded the high zly bears scratching expectations set by their backs against season one. The rough trees in order opening scene of “Isto shed their winter lands” shows a male coats, and also when sloth calling out for showing flamingos -Wernher von Braun a mate, hearing a performing a giant response, and SWIMMING towards the call “ballet” for their mating process. only to discover the female had a baby. This Jungles: Next, the Planet Earth team hilarious and heart-wrenching scene was ventured into dense jungles, a climate that fast, yet memorable. Later in the episode, we provides home to half of all living plants see another aspect of Planet Earth: predation. and animals. We watch closely as the trees On an island run by marine iguanas and rac- transform into a playground for numerous er snakes, iguanas fresh out their eggs face species of monkeys. This episode displays hundreds of snakes attempting to eat them. the team’s ability not only to capture life in After watching iguana after iguana get stran- a beautiful manner, but also to learn more gled and eaten by snakes, one iguana escapes about the natural world. The producers used being strangled by racer snakes and books drones to discover and film of a new species it to safety (clips of the scene are available of river dolphin isolated in the Araguaian online and definitely worth watching). The river. The episode continues with a dramathardo producers travelled to Zavodovski Is- ic mating presentation by a vivid species land—1,300 miles off the Falklands—where among the birds of paradise–a signature of over a million chinstrap penguins live. This island is practically unexplored due to the CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

“

Nature does not know extinction.

It only knows transformation.

„

By HENRY WESTERMAN I’d like to preface this review with the disclaimer that, in case you can’t already tell, I’m a diehard Star Wars fan. I love every Star Wars movie, though I still cringe at some of the worst moments like any living human being would (“I don’t like sand, it’s coarse, and it gets everywhere”).

But my review of the saga’s latest installment, Rogue One, is no doubt a bit biased by my love of basically anything that has ever lept out of George Lucas’s imagination.

So, after acknowledging my prejudice, I’d like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue One, all three times that I watched it. I came in with unclear expectations for the film: still, I knew what the eventual plot would be, and had seen a number of trailers and other press releases which gave me information on the main characters. Overall, the tone of the movie and, really, its plot were largely different from what I expected.

From the first moment of the movie, Rogue One was different than what we’ve seen from Star Wars in the past. Intentionally, the action starts right from the beginning, in the place of the iconic title crawl of actual Star Wars Episodes, with the title Rogue One displayed immediately after an opening scene. Director Gareth Edwards made other small stylistic changes which gave Rogue One its own distinct feel: for example, the movie eliminated the previous unspoken ‘three planet rule’ in Star Wars films, by including half a dozen locales, each introduced by name with a tag upon our first visiting them (in the style of other contemporary sci-fi films), and some of which were only featured for a few minutes in a single scene. Overall, the film was more intense than previously seen in the Star Wars saga, a surprising departure given Disney’s control over the franchise.

For someone who loves action-packed

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Arts & Enterainment Planet Earth

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Meryl Streep’s Golden Globe Speech

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 Planet Earth.

Deserts: Planet Earth has two major themes: mating and eating. “Deserts” featured an abundance of both with some of its best filmography yet. Though BBC did an episode on this climate before, the animals explored now are so evasive and secluded that capturing these extremely intense scenes is a feat that excuses the ten-year wait for the series to debut. Filmed in Nevada, the film Attenborough narrates shows the clash between a black stallion and a white stallion— the colors alone making the scene even more beautiful. A giraffe fighting off a pack of lionesses, a butcher bird displaying its kill on cactus spikes, and a beetle drinking condensed fog were also eventful scenes in this episode.

Grasslands: A biome often forgotten in this world is the unassuming grasslands. The simple environment surprisingly can offer an impressive spectacle. Whether it is a field mouse traveling through an intricate network of tunnels or a wolf chasing a baby caribou, the grassland climate is not as underwhelming as it might sound. The episode also captured an indifferent water buffalo as she shrugs off a pride of lions and the proliferation of a locust swarm tearing through the land.

Cities: Yes, the world has changed immensely in the past ten years, but Planet Earth is about exploring nature, not urban life. We love learning about unexplored dolphins, shedding grizzly bears, and even locust migrations. The episode featured a koi fish eating a pigeon, a total role-reversal in the food chain and something that we would never see in other terrains. A scenic highlight of this episode was a bird, who lived on a golf course, attempting to show off to a potential mate by presenting it his most valuable item, a plush red heart. While “Cities” still had great filmography and new exposure to animal lives, the concept of focusing on the urban world when Planet Earth really is about appreciating nature was a sad finale. Even so, we must recognize how rapidly the city environment is expanding and how it has become a thriving ecosystem for many animals who are able to adapt to this unprecedented development. Though BBC gave us another mind-blowing series, the next ten years will be a tough wait.

There is certainly a lot to learn about our world. Planet Earth II reminded us of key lessons about nature. Life contains a simple poetic cycle: animals strive to attain a constant source of food, while avoiding becoming food themselves, with the ultimate meaning of reproduction. In nature, we can discover a non-utilitarian delight: a game of intricate enchantment and deception. Planet Earth reminds us of our intrinsic intimacy with nature. Our world as we know it is on the road to decay, and while this may be depressing, what’s even worse is to wake up one day and realize rainforests ever-barren and the glaciers ever-melted. Allow Planet Earth to be a motivator, so go off into the wild and see it for yourself. •

Meryl Streep Recieves Golden Globe

By ADITYA GANDHI

At the recent 74th annual Golden Globe Awards, Meryl Streep received the Cecil B. Demille Award for her life achievements.

Instead of acknowledging family members, colleagues, and mentors in a typical acceptance speech, Streep chose to use the platform to speak out against the morality of President-elect Donald Trump, namely his earlier mocking of the mannerisms of a New York Times reporter, Serge F. Kovaleski. Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, a condition that prevents one’s joints from functioning properly.

Even though Streep was choking on tears during her speech, her words towards Trump were neither soft nor pitiful. Streep placed her rant in context by describing Trump’s ridiculing of Kovaleski as a “performance,” saying: “It sank its hooks in my heart. Not because it was good. There was nothing good about it. But it was effective, and it did its job. It made its intended audience laugh and show their teeth.” Streep certainly phrased her attack on Trump with delicacy; she never mentioned Trump’s name, and she refrained from being outright offensive towards Trump supporters.

Nevertheless, spectators did not need to read her words closely to understand their intended meaning.

The reactions to Streep’s unexpected political activist moment were just as polarized as have been opinions on Trump’s election. While Streep had been moved by her moral views to preach at the Golden Globes, so too were many public figures provoked by Streep’s speech to share their thoughts on its unorthodoxy. Most of these opinions took flight in the form of Twitter outbursts. From the anti-Streep side, Tomi Lahren tweeted that Streep and others like her were “out of touch, whiny, overpaid SNOWFLAKES.” Trump himself had this to say about the matter: “Meryl Streep, one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood … is a Hillary flunky who lost big. … Just more very dishonest media!” Those who feel as Lahren and Trump do were angered by Streep’s speech mainly because they think that Trump was not really mocking Kovaleski’s condition and that her

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speech did not belong at an event such as the Golden Globes.

Yet there were just as many people who lauded Streep for delivering her speech, and many used her words in their expressions of support. “There has never been anyone like Meryl Streep. I love her,” exclaimed Ellen Degeneres—via Twitter, of course.

By far the most surprising response to Streep’s speech takes problem, not with the more frequently quoted parts of Streep’s speech, but with the parts that seem to have become background. This outlying group criticizes Streep’s speech for brimming with privilege and not showcasing the empathy which she so ardently preached.

These alleged flaws stem from moments such as when Streep said that Hollywood was among the most vilified levels of American society, which many criticized as being a blatantly elitist remark, and when she supposedly disrespected Trump just as he had disrespected the Times reporter.

The latter charge—that Streep was not empathetic towards Trump—is ill-founded.

Streep did not trash Trump’s whole campaign, but simply his mocking of a disabled reporter. Furthermore, she did not imply that all Trump supporters were evil or that the “intended audience” she mentioned in her speech encompassed all Trump supporters.

On the other hand, the accusation that Streep made a few elitist remarks has some logic to it. She should not have acted as if Hollywood is made up of only foreigners and lower-class individuals and nothing else. The less well-off members of Hollywood are not so much the vilified members of society as are those who have not found their way to L.A. So while Streep’s speech got its point across that Trump needs to reevaluate his morals, it also exposed another problem: ignorance. Celebrities should not forget their roots, but they should keep in mind that they are near the top of American society.

They may and should use their positions to speak out on important issues, but only if they do not act as if it is they who are the primary victims in cases such as Trump’s election. •

Sports

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Rogue One CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 adventure films like myself, this was a welcome change.

My favorite parts of the film weren’t those that differed from Star Wars tradition, but those that ran right with it, even if the moments bordered on cheesiness. For example, my favorite scene featured blind monk Chirrut Îmwe using the Force to walk across a perilous battlefield, avoiding all crossfire in the progress and sacrificing himself to pull the ‘master switch,’ which enabled the Rebels to broadcast the Death Star plans. Though there were no Jedi in the film (the only lightsaber battle featured being Darth Vader's epic massacre as the Rebels escaped with the plans), Chirrut and other characters returned to the magic and fantasy at the heart of the original Star Wars trilogy, in a way the Force was not portrayed in the prequel films. In Rogue One, we saw ordinary people calling on the Force and believing it could guide them, as opposed to the “hokey religions and ancient weapons” approach taken by Han Solo and others. To me, it was this and other callbacks to the other Star Wars films, such as the numerous easter eggs which have been spotted by fans, the featuring of familiar and beloved minor characters, and even the Death Star ignition process being exactly the same as in A New Hope, that made me smile the most.

That being said, I have noticed a lot more criticism for this film than for the saga’s previous release, The Force Awakens, and I agree that some of it is justified. Many critics berate the fact that the leads weren’t able to be built up much as characters, due to the entire crew being killed off by the end of the movie. Others point out plot holes, such as the seemingly random mind-consuming tentacle monster in Saw’s castle, or how K2 and Bodhi somehow steal an Imperial shuttle in a matter of minutes without killing anyone.

Another frequently repeated criticism berates the movie’s employment of uncannily realistic CGI reproductions of several famous actors, in order to feature characters who appear the same as they did in A New Hope, whose real actors have grown old or died. I must admit, some of these recreated characters did shock me with their accuracy, especially when entire scenes revolved around an actor who died over 20 years ago.

Overall, I’d say that, despite some well founded criticisms, I loved Rogue One, and can’t wait for the next installments in the Star Wars Story series!

Verdict: Up there with Return of the Jedi: 5/8 •

The Next Step: How the Celtics Should Use their 2017 Draft Pick

Celtics 2015 Draft Picks

By CHRIS MATHEWS Back at the end of the 2013 season, the Celtics blew up the team of the “Big 3” era by sending Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a number of salary balancing and 4 future unprotected first round picks.

Though many fans - including myself were somewhat disappointed by GM Danny Ainge’s decision to prioritize the future success of the franchise over its loyalty to long-time Celtics Garnett and Pierce, the fact remained that the team’s fortunes were trending downwards and it was time to change course.

With a young, collegiate coach and with little established talent, many expected the Celtics to flounder in the wake of the blockbuster trade. And even though the team finished with a 25-57 record the year after the draft, according to Basketball Reference, Brad Stevens’s ability to continually develop NBA journeyman into All-league caliber mainstays in Beantown has resulted in the team’s win tally nearly doubling over the span of the last 3 seasons. Now with a revitalized “Big 3” of Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and the recently signed Al Horford, Brad Steven’s new-look Celtics are 3rd in the East and look poised to make a run deep into the playoffs.

But while the Celtics have continued to get better, the Nets have continued to get worse. In a high stakes, high reward trade, the Nets banked on the idea that Pierce and Garnett would be able to come in and turn a 20 win team into a championship caliber team within a single season. And although the Nets win total jumped to 49 in the year following the trade, a litany of roster and coaching changes in the coming years resulted in that number dropping down to 21 in just 4 short seasons. This year, the

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Nets currently hold the worst record in the NBA, according to ESPN - and if that trend continues, then the Celtics have a legitimate chance of acquiring a top 3 pick in the 2017 Draft because of trade that happened in 2013.

In recent history, the Celtics have evidently not had the best judgement when it comes to drafting players. Even though the verdict is still out on Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown, Ainge’s decision to draft Fab Melo in the first round was sacrilegious at best and other first round picks James Young and Kelly Olynyk have not yet performed at the level expected of them. Using these picks as guidance, it would thus stand to reason that the Celtics should instead trade their 2017 first round pick for an established player on a team looking to go into rebuilding mode; for example, recent reports from MassLive have linked the Celtics with players like Sacramento's Demarcus “Boogie” Cousins and Chicago’s Jimmy Butler. And while adding either of these players would really put the Celtics into the next tier, the fact remains that any superstar talent would require a kind of money the Celtics simply can’t afford to pay. According to Basketball Reference, the Celtics are only around $2,000,000 under the salary cap this season, and if Thomas and Bradley both want restructured deals this summer then the franchise will have little financial wiggle room to play with if they want to keep their backcourt duo.

Having looked at their financial situation and having ruled out a blockbuster trade, we thus, are forced to turn back to the draft pool. And by all means, that is something Celtics fans should be happy Danny Ainge will be required to do. The 2017 Draft Class is one of the deepest and most

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Sports

Mustangs of the Week: Tara O’Malley ‘20 and The Hooligans

By SOPHIA LI

By LIAM KENNEDY

New year, new Mustang of the Week. But first, let me ask you a question: how fast can you run a 5K? My best time is three days (not including bathroom and snack breaks). But, for Tara O’Malley, Class of 2020, 3.1 miles takes only 21 minutes and 24 seconds.

A form of punishment for most sports teams is a passionate pastime for O’Malley. Running on the girls’ cross country team is not only an opportunity to continue her odd obsession, but also a chance to meet runners of various levels and grades. O’Malley loves the camaraderie of girls’ cross country, especially when the team does secret psyche and give each other notes and gifts. Although running may seem like an individualized sport, O’Malley says that the support she received from her teammates was the “highlight of the season.”

A few key runners injured themselves before ISLs, but regardless, O’Malley and the six other girls on varsity managed to finish with great times. Racing at the varsity level was stressful for O’Malley, but racing with a team that feels like family largely reduced the stress. With the help of Coach Scott and Coach Carbs, O’Malley says, “I had an amazing time with all of the seXC girls this fall and I can’t wait for next year.”

Us plebeians often wonder how runners develop such sculpted calves. O’Malley credits three years of running to her iron muscles. She hopes that her physique will encourage other girls in the freshman grade to also join cross country, saying, “I hope we can get some more people in [my] grade to join next season!” If calves aren’t enough to convince one to join cross country, the team spirit and pride definitely will. O’Malley says, “I got to know a lot of girls who I wouldn’t have met otherwise.” Due to the archaic way the Student Center segregates grades, many freshmen do not interact with other grades. But running on cross country has allowed O’Malley to meet other sophomores and upperclassmen.

Together, they run. And what’s better than individual torture? Group torture – except when your definition of torture is fun. •

It was a crisp Friday afternoon. The quad was silent; the Stu was empty; the ACC was packed.

The colors--Red, White and Blue--were visible as far as the eye could see. “Why?” you may ask. The Centre Street Hooligans, of course. The Hooligans created an electric atmosphere filled with sportsmanship and respect. The Core Hooligans, consisting of Jack O’Brien (Class I), Isaac Fossas (Class I), Jay Sidhu (Class I), and Charlie Mathews (Class I) lead this group of classy young men into the girls hockey game where Milton took on Southfield.

The night was filled with ups and downs, but overall the Hooligans managed to out-cheer the opposing fan section and take a victory on the night. Individual standouts from the night include Jack Czarniak (Class II), who was furious, but managed to show his love for MAGVH from the stands. Dylan Volman (Class II) cheered on every single one of his friends as they defeated Southfield 3-1. John Okafor (Class III) showed up with an umbrella and began to incoherently shout, boosting morale late in the game. Spencer Graham (Class II) was constantly asking about the ages of the players to ensure a level playing field. Jay Sidhu (Class I) said, “I really admired the defense,” and he cheered them on with gentlemanly class throughout the night. Jack Pacheco (Class II) used his HEAD to LIGHT the team up with clever, yet respectful cheers. However, the Hooligans truly shined was when Caroline Guden (Class IV) went bar. The Hooligans went into a frenzy. Confetti was shot, tears shed, and according to Core Hooligan member, Jack O’Brien, “it was the best Celly of the year.” Celly is a noun, short for a celebratory action or activity. This celebration concluded with a “Guden” chant, sealing the victory for the Hooligans.

The Hooligans’ next outing is to be determined. With a plethora of games in the coming weeks, the Hooligans will be making many appearances to all different types of sports and, as always, the Hooligans – an equal opportunity fan section – will show up and make sports games fun again. •

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2017 Draft Pick CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 talented in recent memory, and if the Celtics are able to get any pick in the top 5 pick then we will no doubt be getting an incredibly talented player with bundles of potential. Positionally speaking, the Celtics one weakness appears to be the 4 spot. Even though Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko are solid hustle player, they simply don’t add much value to the team aside from his ability to scrap. As such, I believe that the Celtics should draft either Kansas SF Josh Jackson or FSU’s PF Johnathan Isaac with their lottery pick in the 2017 Draft. Jackson is an undersized, incredibly athletic, 2-way wing who is already playing heavy minutes for the Jayhawks this season.

If Stevens moved Crowder to the 4, it is easy to see how Jackson would fit in with the Celtics fast, small ball style of play. Jackson, on the other hand, is a skilled, relatively unknown stretch 4, and is a player who, much like Jackson, appears to be a natural fit for Steven’s system. But regardless of what name Silver calls when the Celtics are on the clock the season, there is no denying that the future is bright in Beantown. •

Social Hierarchy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 in which we too sink into a purple upholstered chair. We must earn this privilege by passing the Megablunder exam and surviving physics.

And, without a doubt, the chair feels that much softer when you have earned the right to sit there.

Cutting lines, sunshine, and spread out seating are all fine, but as a part of the Milton hierarchy, they serve as a manifestation of reward for the work it took to attain them, and that is something worth keeping.

The hierarchical system may be distressing and unenjoyable when at the bottom, but I am speaking to all of my fellow freshmen when saying that it is not worth complaining about. The discomforts are far less than they are made out to be, and it is a fully just system in that we will also experience all of the possible benefits when we deserve them. Seniors have worked hard to earn their place, and they deserve to enjoy that, as the current freshmen will in four years. •

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