Ukraine protest, Kasteel Well students on Ukraine

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Thursday, March 3, 2022 • Volume 75, Issue 22

Eulogy of a Chelsea fan— club owner, friend of Putin’s, to sell club

Kasteel Well community feels mixed emotions on Russian invasion

Birk Buchen

Beacon Correspondent

For the first time in nearly two Exterior of the Kasteel Well Castle. / Beacon Archives decades, Chelsea Football Club will be up for sale, as a result of its ownMariyam Quaisar er’s connections to Russian President Beacon Staff Vladimir Putin.

The saga started four days ago when Roman Abramovich announced A mere 1,200 miles away from the fighting in Ukraine, stuhe would give the trustees of his Predents and faculty at Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus are anxiously Bostonians march in solidairty with Ukraine. / Sydney Ciardi Beacon Staff mier League soccer club “the stewwatching history unfold as Europe is brought to the brink of war. ardship and care of Chelsea FC”—a Last week’s Russian invasion spurred condemnation from day following Russia’s invasion of member states of the European Union, including the Netherlands.

Ukraine.

At the castle, students and professors are having tough discussions The Russian oligarch has long been about the war. And while the college has yet to have a formal consuspected of being a close friend of versation about it outside of the classroom, many students feel Putin’s. Abramovich, for his part, has there should be. denied these claims, and was even “I wish there were spaces that were made available to have asked by Ukraine to negotiate peace discussions about this,” said Tyler Kavanaugh-Lynch, a junior vitalks between the countries. sual and media arts major studying in the Netherlands. “[I want to There are only two things that know] what other people at the Castle are thinking. I would love a Zhou Huang, Gabel Strickland, Adri Pray, & Shannon Garrido would have caused the longtime owner stronger sense of community.”

Beacon Correspondents & Staff to lose ownership of the club: British Kavanaugh-Lynch said the only communication from the colretaliation or Russian interference. lege regarding the conflict was an email from Executive Director Despite his alleged ties to Putin, of Kasteel Well Rob Duckers on Mar. 1—five days after the conAbramovich couldn’t have anticipated Blue and yellow speckled the Boston Public Garden Sunday afternoon as proflict began—that reassured students that there is no current threat Putin’s manic goal to invade a neightestors held Ukrainian flags and signs high, showing their denunciation of Russia’s to the castle or the Netherlands. boring country. When the news hit invasion in Ukraine.

“For now, there seems to be no direct cause for worry,” the that Russia invaded Ukraine, and the Supporters held posters that read “We stand with Ukraine,” “Stop the war,” and email read. “The conflict is over 1,200 miles away and though the British parliament enacted sanctions other anti-war sentiments. Reverberating drumbeats punctuated their chants: “NATO European Union has presented a united front against the actions of on Russia, the question quickly beclose the skies,” “No war in Ukraine,” and “Ukraine will be free!”

Russia and has condemned these, there is no state of war [between came not whether Russian oligarchs in The protest provided Boston’s Ukrainian community, 75,000 strong, a chance to the EU and Russia].”

Britain would be sanctioned, but how stand with their home country and condemn Russia’s actions. Other allies, especially “We realize that the current unrest can cause stress and anxiety many of them would be. those from other Eastern European countries, also turned out in solidarity with the amongst our student body. That is understandable,” the email conLabour Party leader Keir Starmer people affected by the conflict. tinued. “I hope that this message helps to put things somewhat in addressed Parliament last Wednesday, Protestors marched from the Boston Public Garden’s 9/11 Memorial to the steps of perspective and hopefully set your minds at ease.” asking why the Chelsea owner wasn’t the Massachusetts State House, where the demonstration reached its climax.

Seth Bledsoe, a professor at the Castle who also facing sanctions from the U.K.

Ukraine Protest, Pg. 3

Kasteel on Ukraine, Pg. 2 “Last week, the prime minister said that Abramovich was facing sancINSIDE THIS EDITION tions,” Starmer said. ” He later corrected the record to say that he isn’t.

Invasion of Ukraine exWell, why on Earth isn’t he?” plained Pg. 2 Prime Minister Boris Johnson responded, saying a published list of Students react to Ukraine Camilo Fonseca those associated with Putin and his Beacon Staff Pg. 3 regime would come at an unspecified time—adding that a “significant Opinion: Ukraine crisis is proportion” of those on the list would not a punchline Pg. 4 face economic sanctions.

Before his election, he was a nobody. A celebSo will Abramovich be on that list? rity, sure, but not a politician, and certainly not a Opinion: Appreciation v.

It seems he already knows the anserious presidential candidate. He was a complete appropriation of Black conswer—or he’s smart enough to predict outsider with no political experience. Nobody tent Pg. 5 the future and respect for Chelsea’s could have predicted his rise—least of all those name by stepping away on his own. close to him.

Bright Lights review of PrinThe embattled owner released a And his name, thankfully, is not Donald Trump. cess Diana biopic Pg. 6 statement addressing the speculation There is actually precious little that Ukrainian in the media surrounding his ownerleader Volodymyr Zelenskyy shares with the forAlum wins creative writing ship. mer president of the United States. Both are forfellowship Pg. 7 “In the current situation, I have mer television personalities, initially dismissed therefore taken the decision to sell the by the ruling class as harmless rabble-rousers.

Men’s Basketball possible Club, as I believe this is in the best Ukrainian media suggested his candidacy was tournament play Pg. 8 interest of the Club, the fans, the em“a big joke,” and simply “trolling for the election ployees, as well as the Club’s sponsors cycle”—and for someone who got famous on a and partners,” read the statement. television sitcom where he played the acciden*** tal president of Ukraine, why wouldn’t it be? It’s Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. / Courtesy When I saw the news on my phone comparable to Julia Louis-Dreyfus running for the Ukrainian Presidential Palace and read the words that my club was presidency with the same platform as her characbeing sold, I couldn’t think about ter from Veep. cemented his place in the historical pantheon of what the club would do next. I don’t If Zelenskyy was laughed at in Ukraine, he was freedom fighters, from Charles de Gaulle to Judas positive COVID-19 tests think anyone did. Abramovich helped all but unacknowledged in the West. An article in Maccabeus—the latter being an especially fitting bring Chelsea to a new level, and he Newsweek, one of a few centering on his election, comparison to Ukraine’s first Jewish president. wasn’t just any other businessman. dismissively connected him to Trump.

All of these comparisons, though accurate in He was there, at games, during the “Zelensky [sic] makes a virtue of his political their own particular ways, are not so dramatic nor celebrations, hugging and thanking the inexperience and courts anti-establishment votso complete as that of the British Bulldog himplayers. ers,” read the article. “Critics have accused him self—Winston Churchill. positivity rate Hearing that he was to leave, all of exploiting people’s anger.”

Churchill, as every middle schooler recalls, led I could think about was the joy of Yet in the last week—almost literally overBritain through the darkest hours of the Second watching the team celebrating together night—Zelenskyy has gained a platform not just in World War, where the nation’s survival—let alone after the many trophies we won. I the West, but across the world. His defiant resisits eventual victory—seemed all but impossible. recalled the image of captain and tance to the Russian invasion of his country has His country was completely alone against the Nazi defender, Cesar Azpilicueta, hugging stunned even his most ardent detractors. Grainy war machine, with few allies and little else than tests completed Abramovich after lifting the Champivideos of him touring the frontlines, drinking cofmoral support from the rest of the world. ons League trophy in 2021. Cherishing fee with soldiers, and walking through the bombedEight decades after Britain’s darkest hour, *Accumulated from Spring 2022 Semester those memories was important, regardout streets of Kyiv have captivated millions.

Ukraine is facing its own—and Zelenskyy, despite less of the legacy’s quick end. The one-time television comedian has become all his foibles and inexperience, seems more than Abramovich, Pg. 8 an icon. In a few short days, he has seemingly

Zelenskyy, Pg. 4

‘The world is watching’: Boston community stands in solidarity with Ukraine

Ukraine’s president could have been another Trump. Instead he became a Churchill.

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Everything you need to know about Ukraine Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff In the week since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, its forces have surrounded key cities and launched deadly attacks while facing strong Ukrainian opposition. The root of the war is long and complicated, as Emerson political science professor Ian McManus attests—though he told The Beacon that it could be boiled down to one root cause.

“The shortest possible answer: the reason for this conflict, in two words, is Vladimir Putin,” said McManus.

When did the conflict between Russia and Ukraine begin?

Ukraine was a member of the Soviet Union until 1991, when it declared its independence during the USSR’s collapse.

For almost a decade, Ukraine existed independently from Russia until late 2004 and early 2005 when the “Orange Revolution” occurred.

Following the election of Viktor Yanukovych—the fourth president of Ukraine and Putin’s supported candidate, there emerged allegations of electoral fraud and voter intimidation, as well as the revelation that his opponent had been poisoned and almost killed while on the campaign trail.

The country erupted into protests which lasted for 17 days and brought the country into further turmoil.

According to McManus, the uprising caused conflict and “allowed another corrupt Russian backed puppet regime to come into power,” leading to the upheaval of 2014.

“In 2014, you see Ukrainian people coming together and rising up and overthrowing this government as well,” McManus said. “So you have Ukrainian independence and a series of revolutions.

You have people saying ‘we want independence, we want transparency, we want democracy, we want prosperity.’”

The “Revolution of Dignity,” also known as Euromaidan, began in November 2013 following Yanukovych’s refusal to sign a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union.

The protests lasted for months and turned violent in February 2014, after a conflict between protesters and riot police resulted in 130 deaths.

“The catalyst for the revolution at that point was that, overwhelmingly, Ukrainians had wanted closer ties with the European Union,” he said. “There was an agreement that was going to be put in place to create stronger economic ties and

political ties to the EU.” “The government at the time, bowing to public pressure said, ‘We’ll accept, we’ll sign this agreement,’ and at the last minute, the 11th hour, they decided not to,” he continued. “It was clear that there was pressure from Russia—this wasn’t something that they wanted.”

In the wake of the revolution, Russia began its annexation of Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula home primarily to Russian-speakers. Three days following the demonstrations, Russian troops— nicknamed “little green men” due to their lack of identifying insignias on their uniforms—took over the region’s administration and captured the peninsula within two weeks, with minimal Ukrainian resistance.

In a referendum on Mar. 16, Crimea voted to join the Russian Federation—despite allegations of election fraud.

A similar situation transpired in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (or “oblasts”) of eastern Ukraine, which were also home to a predominantly Russian-speaking population. The two regions declared their independence from Ukraine, kicking off a “low-level conflict” between pro-Russian and Ukrainian government forces which persisted from 2014—until last week.

What is Putin’s goal in this war and what does the EU have to do with it?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been pressuring Ukraine to align with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, rather than the democratic countries of the European Union like Poland.

“Poland was another country that gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union,” McManus said. “It’s right across the border from Ukraine, and [the Ukrainian people] see Poland as developed economically and politically in ways that are really positive.”

Russia, on the other hand, “isn’t able to offer those kinds of incentives,” he said— which is why Putin has resorted to bringing Ukraine in by force. McManus argues Putin’s recent displays of force have only strengthened Ukrainian nationality and sovereignty.

“If anything, it’s highlighting and strengthening the resolve of people that say, ‘Ukraine has a right to exist, it is an independent country, and it wants closer connections to the west,’” he said.

Ukraine formalized its application to the European Union on Monday, and the European Parliament voted on Thursday to grant the country EU candidate status— an important message encouraging prosperity and democracy among European nations, according to McManus.

So how will Putin respond if he loses

Ukraine to the EU? McManus said Putin’s actions have isolated him and Russia by using military force against innocent civilians and will ultimately inflame further tensions between Russia and the West.

Why capture Chernobyl first?

Russian troops captured the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone—the site of a serious nuclear disaster in 1986 which remains the most dangerously irradiated place on the planet—on the first day of their invasion.

In addition to its proximity to Belarus and Kyiv, Chernobyl is a “convenient launching point for further strikes,” McManus said.

“There’s obviously a symbolism to Chernobyl, but I think in a more practical reality, it was a strategic military kind of base,” he said.

How will sanctions affect Russia?

As defined by McManus, a sanction is an economic restriction that seeks to harm a country. One of the most immediate effects of sanctions is a drop in the value of currency, which Russia is currently experiencing. The value of the ruble against US Dollars has fallen over 30 percent in the past week.

Russian banks were also removed from the SWIFT international banking system, financially isolating Russia from the rest of the world.

McManus said the real cost of the war will be the hit to Putin’s credibility, pointing out the mass demonstrations and thousands of resulting arrests across Russia.

Paired with strict economic sanctions, he suggests that this internal conflict will put even more stress on the Russian leader.

Does Putin Care?

“It’s clear that sanctions weren’t enough to deter [Putin] from taking military action,” said McManus.

However, he believes Putin made “a serious miscalculation.”

“In the case of Crimea, Russia went in and took over a part of another country,” said McManus. “In the wake of Crimea, Russia said, ‘We took over this territory, we got what we wanted, and the costs weren’t that great to us. The West didn’t really respond.’”

What Putin didn’t anticipate, however, was the “resolve and resistance of the Ukrainian people,” McManus continued.

“You see villagers in towns unarmed, swarming tanks to stop them from moving forward,” he said. “You see this kind of unification and bravery of Ukrainian people. The conflict has been far more of a quagmire and a mess than I think [the Russians]expected.”

Where do you see this conflict going?

McManus said he doesn’t see troops

being sent to Russia in the future, but noted a “strengthening of sort of Western alliances” as a result.

In particular, he said the conflict has proved the West’s need for NATO—a treaty organization thought to be “irrelevant” by former president Donald Trump.

Regardless of NATO’s strength, though, McManus said Russia is a powerful opponent capable of mass destruction.

“The sad reality is that Russia still has a tremendous amount of military force.

Ukrainians have been holding out and now they’re being given military aid and humanitarian aid.”

While Ukraine continues to receive support across the globe, McManus said it was an open question whether the country would be able to hold out against the fast-moving Russian invasion. “[Russia is] going to find themselves trying to hold on to a country with a population deeply resentful of their presence, and that is willing to resist,” said McManus. “It’s going to be a prolonged, protracted conflict and you’re going to see continued resistance.”

Why should college students in the U.S. care about what’s happening in Ukraine?

As of Mar. 1, 227 civilians have been killed and 525 have been injured since the invasion started on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations. But McManus said the conflict extends beyond Ukraine and Russia.

“This conflict is about Vladimir Putin, his resistance and disregard and disdain for many of the ideals espoused by the West,” McManus said. “These ideals include things like political freedom, democracy, economic freedom, social justice, and social rights. A lot of the values that that people aspire to, the values that we hold dear, are under attack right now.”

McManus emphasized the importance of countries’ continued support for Ukraine, noting the significance of historically neutral countries’ decisions to take a stand against Russia.

He also highlighted that it is more important to remember the “human aspect to this conflict.”

“You have millions of people who are saying, ‘we want democracy, we want freedom, we want prosperity and peace,’” he said. “These are peaceful people that were attacked without provocation. Showing continued support for them any way we can—the short, medium and long term—is really critical.”

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Russo-Ukrainian conflict sparks worry at Kasteel Well Cont. from Pg. 1 teaches at Radboud University in nearby Nijmegen, said the administration at Radboud held a lecture the day the invasion started regarding the crisis in Ukraine as part of a routine lecture series the university holds to discuss current events.

“I had just found out that the actual invasion had started that morning, and then I saw a sign saying that [Radboud] was going to have a lecture about it,” he said.

“I hope they do another one. We have structures in place [at Radboud] and a really great team that are experienced organizers, and are really good at [feeling] the pulse on big issues.”

Professor Bianca Janssen Groesbeek, who has taught a variety of ethics classes and an honors seminar at Kasteel Well since 2003, said she was uncertain as to how the war between Russia and Ukraine will unfold.

“I am stepping back a bit and not jumping to conclusions,” she said. “We have all been surprised about the development that there is now a full-on war in Ukraine, and I’m worried.”

However, she added that the war should not become a dominant topic of conversation in class unless necessary.

“When it’s on your minds, [students]

can talk to me about anything [one-onone],” she said. “But if it’s in the classroom setting and relevant, then yes–I wouldn’t [bring it up otherwise]. It would be a bit strange to enter a political discussion when the topic of the course is completely different.”

Bledsoe uses his sociology class to allow students a chance to talk out the conflict in a formal way. “[Today] is the first time we have come together since [the start of the war],” he said. “I thought afterward I should’ve addressed something in class, but I didn’t bring it up at all because I hadn’t even checked the news that day; I knew it had happened [only] through conversation.

It’s helpful to have a chance to sit and talk.”

Ralph Trost, who has taught history courses at Kasteel since 2006, said he was approaching the conflict as a historian, from an academic standpoint.

“If I hear something in the news, I discuss it, or sometimes a student will ask me what I think about something,” he said. “When we talk about the Second World War, I say, ‘How can you compare this with what happened before? How can you compare what happened in Russian history or Soviet history with the situation of today?’”

Trost said this approach—examining the situation contextually—helped ease the concerns of students. He added that viewing the war as a passing, historical incident allows students to understand it in continuity with other landmark events.

“I was teaching here the day [former U.S. President Donald] Trump was elected and I told my students, ‘I don’t think that it will happen,’ and then it happened,” he said. “The next morning I had two classes full of crying students, and I told them, ‘It will be over one day. If we get panicked, it won’t help us. Let’s make the best out of it,’ and they made it [through his presidency].”

“Now Trump is over, and the same will be with the war,” he added.

Despite positive reactions from students discussing the invasion in classrooms, Groesbeek said that the dynamic at Kasteel Well has not noticeably changed since the invasion.

“I asked one student, ‘How’s the mood at the Castle?’” she said. “ Ukraine wasn’t even mentioned.”

Nevertheless, other professors say they have seen students grow increasingly worried about the conflict—especially due to their exposure to the news over social media platforms. “[I’ve received] concerns about it be-

ing a distraction, at least,” Bledsoe said.

“Causing anxiety and stress, in terms of focus. It’s impossible to get out of our minds—on the one hand, we should be attentive, but at the same time you can’t open up TikTok or Twitter or any news without this being there, occupying our mental space.”

For Kavanaugh-Lynch, the countless posts about the conflict have turned social media into something more than a lighthearted way to connect with friends.

“It’s really frustrating to see the immediate wartime propaganda shift into gear on these social media platforms that I generally go to connect with people,” he said. “[There is] a lack of self-reflection or critical thinking. It’s such a hellish purgatory between actual political conversation and a weird fandom space that I don’t want to hear any of what’s happening on Twitter, I don’t want to hear any of what’s happening on TikTok—I have to completely get off.”

Castle officials have not announced any changes to their academic excursions—none of which were previously scheduled to eastern European cities.

Kavanaugh-Lynch said he is not worried about traveling in Europe, but understands if others are because of the demonstrations occurring across countries.

Camilo Fonseca / Beacon Staff

“In terms of visiting major cities like Berlin or Amsterdam where there are currently really big protests, everyone needs to make the call that makes them feel safe,” he said. “But it’s not something I’m very worried about. In what world is Russia going to be like, ‘We have to take out the Emerson College student in Mykonos.’”

Students, both in the Netherlands and across Europe, are actively participating in protests and seeking ways to help.

Trost, who also teaches at different German universities, says his students are not worried about their personal safety.

“We have many movements in Germany [who are demonstrating and trying to help the Ukrainian people], we have many refugees who we’ll have to help, but there are no big concerns for people,” he said. “We don’t get into a panic.”

On the other hand, students in Ukraine and in bordering countries are facing turmoil, as many of them struggle to escape the conflict and its effects—including reports of African students in Ukraine who have been stopped at the border.

“That impacts their safety, it impacts their human rights,” she said. “The countries next to Ukraine are worried because it seems that Putin wants the Soviet Union back. So would that impact students? Yes, but it’s on a larger scale—it’s the safety of people.” mariyam_quaisar@emerson.edu

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Boston protests for Ukraine Cont. from Pg. 1 Northeastern University student Diana Zlotnikova, who is Ukrainian, sent the initial call to organize peacefully. Her initial expectations, she said, envisioned only a few hundred participants.

“Around two to three thousand people [came] to support us,” she wrote in a statement to The Beacon. “When the idea for a peace march was born, I did not expect such a scale at all—attendance was the biggest worry. I tried to leverage all resources available to reach as many communities as possible.”

Marching along with the protest, Zlotnikova said she felt incredible support from the Boston community as people from all different backgrounds—students, immigrants, families—showed up to protest the Russian invasion.

“I observed such a range of emotion among the people who attended—from tears to defiant laughter,” she wrote. “It is invaluable for the Ukrainian community, seeing so many people that weren’t necessarily directly impacted by the war chanting with us, carrying posters, and singing our hymn.”

The strong turnout, Zlotnikova said, was driven by ideals greater than that of a simple conflict between two neighboring nations.

“This war is not only about the territorial sovereignty of our country, but also about a geopolitical shift of power and protecting freedom to live, to vote and to choose democracy over dictatorship,” she said.

In the Garden, supporters marched on sidewalks, stood atop benches and even climbed piles of snow to wave flags and signs. Some tied their countries’ flags around their shoulders, painted the Ukrainian flag onto their cheeks, and others, like Areta Bojko, wore blue and yellow floral headbands and traditional Ukrainian outfits.

Bojko, a doctoral resident at Tufts University, donned an outfit that she used to wear as part of a Ukrainian dance group.

She said she wore her traditional clothing to allow Bostonians to “appreciate the beauty of [Ukrainian] culture.”

While Bojko is safe in Boston, she said her family fled to hide from shooting

and bombing.

“What’s going on there is criminal,” she said. “It’s a tragic atrocity that is completely unjust and unfair.”

Many other demonstrators on Sunday had similar stories to Bojko’s; their family and friends back home were suffering the worst of the conflict, many of them fearing for their lives.

“My family is in the south in Mykolaiv which is not as hazardous as Kyiv or Kharkiv, which are in great danger,” said Stan Isleav, donning blue-gold face paint. “Our families are alive, safe, not harmed but still they are sleeping in the corridors.”

Many demonstrators hailed from other countries in eastern Europe. Sergey Zvonok immigrated to the United States from Belarus in the early 2000s, leaving his homeland due to the dangerous ambitions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We consider Ukrainians our brothers,” Zvonok said. “We have shared history and values, so I feel like I need to be here.”

Valda Grinbergs carried the Latvian flag with her two teenage daughters, wearing a blue and yellow ribbon alongside her Latvian broach.

“Latvia, if not for NATO, might be next,” she said. “We have to keep fighting and make it known that the world is watching and the world does not accept it.”

Grinbergs, who remembers when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union, said her family understands the struggle of living under Russian domination.

The protests also drew some unlikely demonstrators. Angelica Chincaro, a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, attended the protest with her friends—including one from Russia. Because of this, she said she was wary of condemning the Russian people rather than their government.

“I don’t like that they’re going to be judged for who their leader is, [who is] making these horrible decisions,” she said. “I can see some signs saying ‘Russians killers,’ But no, it is a [leader] that makes this happen.”

Zlotnikova said the protest was meant to send a message not only to Russia, but also to the West, in hopes of spurring

Emerson community shares thoughts on Ukraine Frankie Rowley, Bailey Allen, Adri Pray, Zhou Huang, & Gabel Strickland Beacon Staff & Correspondents Sophomore visual and media arts major Yujun Liu gets texts from his friend in Ukraine, who updates him on the war he is experiencing firsthand.

“He told me he was awakened by the bombing at 5:30 a.m. and then couldn’t sleep anymore,” Liu said. “He would send me some pictures he took himself, like the supermarket being empty, or the smoke from the bombing close to him.”

Liu is one of many Emersonians to have a personal connection to the conflict in Ukraine. Even those who don’t, however, still feel anxious about the international crisis—and many find themselves openly sympathizing with the plight of the Ukrainian people.

“At this point, I don’t know how much we can do to stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, other than trying to continue sanctions and continue to help Ukraine,” said first-year stage production major Alex Lewis. “But anyone who believes that they are in danger, we should help [them] escape,” they said.

Emerson houses over 500 international students, many of them with residencies in affected or surrounding countries. Shows of support by the college were expected from many.

“Emerson College supports the people

of Ukraine and their country’s sovereignty,” the Cutler Majestic Theater and Paramount marquees read following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The crisis has also been personal for faculty members like Associate Vice President of Campus Life Erik Muurisepp, whose family hails from Estonia—a NATO member state that shares a border with Russia.

Estonia had been under the Russian regime for over 50 years, Muurisepp said, and had developed a sort of hesitation towards the Russian government, and for good reason. Estonia is located about 700 miles from the fighting, according to Muurisepp, which is about the span of Massachusetts to North Carolina.

“It hits home a little differently with our family and tons of other people,” he said. “We’re not alone in that. [But] there’s a lot of pride—we’ve always been very proud of our heritage—as we saw [our countrymen] really step up.”

Estonia, an eastern European nation aligned with Ukraine, exercised Article IV of the NATO Treaty, calling for emergency consultation with the rest of its allies. For Muurisepp, the country’s response is one with historical significance.

“I was watching some of the news with [my son] and I remember when the Berlin Wall came down, and Estonia got its independence [from Russia],” he said. “It’s crazy to think, ‘Here I am, 30 years later, with my son, watching a

them into action against Putin’s regime.

“We expect more action taken by the most influential companies to [end] their operations in Russia and stop supplying their military or financial services, as well as to stop the spread of Russian propaganda and political lies,” she said.

Julian D’Andre, a speaker at the protest who lived in Ukraine for 19 years, pointed out that there were tangible things that the West could do to support the country against Russia.

“They need to continue to support Ukraine—and not just with words,” said D’Andre. “It’s one thing to light up the Eiffel Tower with blue and yellow, but it’s another to support Ukraine financially and with arms.”

Many protestors demanded that NATO “close the skies”—in other words, impose a “no fly zone” against Russia.

This possibility has been rejected by U.S. officials—due to the danger of provoking a larger war between NATO and Russia—but has still been called for by Ukrainians, who watch as Russian air power targets Ukrainian cities.

“This has been an ask since the beginning of our protests,” said Bojko.

“This would be tremendously helpful to Ukraine, given a lot of the attacks are coming from planes and helicopters.”

Aandrii Ivanchuk said the conflict had already led to further consequences— the rise of energy prices, a global market drop and a European refugee crisis, among others.

“That the world could be crushed at any second,” he said. “This one here it’s not [just] about Ukraine. It’s about the world.”

Tony Vuskaitis said the protest was helping bring awareness to the issue.

“I’m hoping that people here will see this, and this won’t go out of people’s attention,” he said. “[I hope] it doesn’t fade, because it could be going on for a while. I want to keep that in the forefront—we’re still here, we’re supporting Ukraine. I want to make sure that the people in Ukraine see we’re all here trying to do our best even though we’re not on the ground with them. We are in there in spirit.”

Elaina Bolanos Beacon Staff

Marcus Cocova Beacon Staff

Marcus Cocova Beacon Staff

contact@berkeleybeacon.com similar situation.”

The college remains in contact with students directly impacted by the conflict, according to an email correspondence to The Beacon Vice President and Dean for Campus Life Jim Hoppe sent.

“Students will likely have varying needs for support, and as in all situations, we will try to work with each individual to the best of our ability,” Hoppe wrote. “We’ll continue with outreach, but also encourage any student impacted by this (or other traumatic situations) to reach out to a campus resource.”

They also believe the sanctions and other impositions on Russia have been effective thus far, but more preparation is necessary going forward.

“At this point, I think the best thing that America and the U.N. can do, because Ukrainians are so admirably determined not to leave and to continue defending, is send aid in whatever way possible,” Lewis said.

Andy Ambrose, a first-year communication studies major, recalled the bravery of Russian citizens in St. Petersburg who protested the war on Feb. 26 and were subsequently arrested.

“I definitely think Putin is in the wrong, and I don’t think any blame should be put on the Russian citizens because I know there was a rally held in St. Petersburg, and a lot of them were arrested,” they said. “I definitely think it could be called Putin’s war rather than Russia-Ukraine.”

“I think prior to this, I was hesitant on Zelensky as to what his response would be because he’s not a career politician, this is his first real spot in political power, but I definitely think that he really stepped up as a leader,” she continued. “He’s doing well by his country by fighting for it and not letting it back down.” contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Marcus Cocova Beacon Staff

Marcus Cocova Beacon Staff

Elaina Bolanos Beacon Staff

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March 3, 2022

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Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Let’s Not Delegitimize the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Niklas Walker

Beacon Correspondent Monday afternoon, my roommate came back from class and told me that one of his classmates asked the professor what would be the appropriate way to joke about Ukraine.

Thankfully, the professor replied with “you shouldn’t,” but the entire interaction had me scratching my head.

Over the last week, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a different world than some other students – students who can laugh and joke about the war crimes happening 5,000 miles away. It got me thinking: do student activists stop working as activists when issues are happening outside of the United States?

Do we think of crises less when they aren’t happening in our own backyard? With the seemingly endless distance between the United States and Eastern Europe, and the constant humor surrounding it on places like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, have we subconsciously devalued the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Some context: I’m a Lithuanian American journalism student. My mother was born in Šilutė, on the western coast of Lithuania. Born 30 years into the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, she lived under the Iron Curtain of the Soviet Union until she moved to Germany at the age of 18. Her family lived under the same Iron Curtain until Lithuania finally declared its own independence in 1990, and became the first Soviet-occupied state to do so. This led to three years of Russian violence, with two separate massacres of peaceful Lithuanian protestors, until the final remains of the Soviet Army left the country in August of 1993.

So, you could say I’ve had beef with Russia since birth.

So far, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been eerily similar to the violence the Soviet Union inflicted on Lithuania. As of two hours before sitting down to write this piece, Russian military bombed the Ukrainian TV Tower, killing five and injuring more – a move practically identical to the events of Jan. 13, 1991, where Soviet forces

occupied the Lithuanian TV Tower and slaughtered 14 Lithuanian civilians in cold blood. The parallels are horrifying, and they paint a much scarier picture than one that many Americans are currently aware of.

The Russian War Machine has not evolved. In the 30 years since the January events in Lithuania, it has not diminished or become any more diplomatic. These are imperialistic movements by a government with a lust for power. Lithuanians today are calling Vladimir Putin “Putler” – combining the Russian President’s name with Hitler’s – in case you needed the Lithuanian stance on this invasion to be made any clearer.

Since the announcement of Russia’s “special military operation” last Thursday, I’ve seen minimal activism for an event that threatens global security in the way this one does. I feel as though Emerson students – and honestly, Americans in general – may not realize how this event really affects them, when truthfully, it has the potential to affect the entire planet in ways we haven’t seen since World War II. For one, economic sanctions on Russia will squeeze the global economy. Major countries like the U.S., the U.K., Japan, and even the historically neutral Switzerland have enacted economic sanctions on Russia. This will lead to heightened oil and gas prices, a disruption in supply chains for major industries like farming, travel restrictions due to Russia and Ukrainian airspace becoming no-fly zones, and even a more volatile stock market. Those are only the things that will affect American life right away. In the long term, this conflict will greatly affect American imports and exports, and the trickle-down nature of these industries could mean a deep impact on every American’s wallet.

More importantly, however, the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens the basis of our global security.

For those who don’t know, a huge reason for the Russian invasion was Ukraine’s interest in becoming a NATO ally. NATO is a military alliance between 28 European and two North American countries that agree to mutual defense in case of

attack by an external party.

Ukraine – which shares a border with Russia – is labeled as an aspiring member, much to the displeasure of Vladimir Putin. For Russia, a country with no NATO allegiance, having NATO bases a border away in a country that they had been at odds with for nearly six years was not ideal. As a matter of fact, last December Russia urged NATO not to include Ukraine in their alliance, something that NATO quickly refused.

Countries that are a part of NATO Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia; all of which have an extended history with Russian invasion. For many residing in the Baltic states, the fear is that the fall of Ukraine could escalate into a Russian “revenge tour” on NATO territory. This act would be considered a declaration of war on 30 countries, the U.S. included, and could lead to what would effectively be a third World War. The line has been drawn in the sand, and it’s up to Russia to cross it.

With all this context, the question stands. Have we devalued the invasion? Why are students in classes asking how to crack jokes about a war that has already led to hundreds of casualties – women and children included – in less than a week? I’ve sat in classes where the invasion is reduced to “they won’t be drafting me” jokes, or “World War III am I right?” types of comments. Are people truly ignorant of the situation, or do they simply not care?

The presence of social media activism surrounding the invasion is lacking as well. One of the only posts I’ve seen regarding Ukraine was one Emerson crypto-fan’s flex on how much Bitcoin had been donated to the country. While it’s great that large amounts of money are being used to fund the heroism of the Ukrainian people, it was the student’s only public acknowledgement of the invasion, or at least the only one I saw before I blocked them.

They also did not post crypto-wallet info, or a link to the tweet asking for donations. It was simply a desperate cry for crypto validation using the topical nature of the invasion, and that is sick. If you’re going to use the death of civilians and the invasion of a sovereign nation

Niklas Walker and his mother Lina Walker in Germany in 2001, Courtesy Niklas Walker as a vessel to promote the scam that is cryptocurrency, kindly go outside and touch some grass.

I also rarely see the shallow infographic-based activism that has become so popular in the last two years. Perhaps this is a good thing, and internet activists have finally realized that hitting “share to story” is not real activism, but it does worry me that there could be a lack of actual awareness as well.

So many people around me ask “why is this happening?” or “how does this affect us,” which is the biggest reason I felt moved to write this. Hopefully some of the context above helps people understand how this affects the entire world, not just Eastern Europe.

Let’s be sure to take this seriously.

There’s a time for jokes and there’s a time for action. Now is the time for action.

If you find yourself inspired after this but have no idea how to help because of the distance, I implore you to donate directly to charities, or directly to the Ukrainian military. Don’t “buy from Ukrainian brands” like the infographics might tell you. Instead, use your dollars towards organizations like the Lithuanian charity Blue/Yellow, who have committed thousands of dollars to Ukraine since the first outbreak of Russian violence in 2016. Support the Ukrainian Armed Forces, whose donation links can be found on the official Ukrainian

Twitter page. Finally, you can donate to the Kyiv Independent, an English publication for Ukrainian news, and an invaluable resource for minute-to-minute updates on the situation in Ukraine at large.

Can’t donate money? Spread awareness, but not hollow, pretty infographics made by freshmen MassArt graphic design kids. Post links to promote direct help from others who can directly assist. I would even cosign the posting of pictures and videos of Russian atrocities and war crimes. This situation isn’t pretty, and it shouldn’t be made out to be. Sometimes we need a reality check to light a fire under us and make things click.

Hopefully you have a much better idea of what has the world glued to the news. Remember not to devalue these global crises, not only with Ukraine, but with Yemen, Syria, Libya, and other countries that may not get the screen time Ukraine does, but also suffer under the radar of the rich, white “Insta-activists” that can be found at Emerson.

Activism doesn’t stop on American soil. True activists will fight for human rights around the globe.

If you take anything from this, just remember that activism is possible, whether you’re five miles away or 5,500 miles away. The truth is, you never have to sit back and watch things happen. niklas_walker@emerson.edu

President Zelenskyy has gained a platform across the world Cont. from Pg. 1 up to the challenge.

This writer is far from the first to point out the similarities—in fact, it almost seems trite to bring it up at this point. But given the challenge which Zelenskyy faces—standing firm against an onslaught of superior numbers and technology—I don’t think it’s unwarranted.

“The way [Zelenskyy] talks directly to the people, the way he doesn’t underestimate the dangers and the perils, the way he is in the capital, ready to fight and die,” said historian Andrew Roberts, a biographer of Churchill, to the Daily Mail on Wednesday. “It’s all pure Winston.”

The comparison with Churchill, of course, is not without its bag-

gage. For all the respect history has accorded Churchill, he was not a perfect man. In terms of social policy, he was decidedly conservative—something borne out of his rabid anti-communism.

He was also a diehard colonialist, and led an impassioned defense of British empire for nearly all his life.

In the same way, we must be careful our admiration of Zelenskyy does not turn into hagiography. It might be argued, though somewhat cynically, that Ukraine would not be in this situation had there been someone more politically-adept at the helm. Perhaps, they might have been less eager to entreat the West for integration with Putin on their front doorstep.

Yet even the late Christopher Hitchens—a central figure in the dismantling of the “Churchill

legend”—acknowledged that the man’s greatness surpassed his guilt. Churchill was “not a figure in history” so much as he was “a figure of history.”

This is the figure that Zelenskyy is becoming. Someone who seemed completely unsuited for the colossal task at hand. Someone who defied all expectations and became the figure that his citizens pinned their hopes to.

It took the famed Dunkirk

speech to immortalize Churchill, where he proclaimed that Britain, ready to fight the Nazis on the beaches, the hills, and the streets, would “never surrender.”

Besieged in his capital from all sides and pressed by allies to evacuate, Zelenskyy could have turned tail and fled. He could have taken a page from his American counterpart and hidden in the bunker of the presidential palace—and certainly, he had good reason to.

© 2022 The Berkeley Beacon. All rights reserved.

Editor-in-Chief Lucia Thorne

The Beacon is published weekly.

Anything submitted to the Beacon becomes the sole property of the newspaper. No part of the publication may be reproduced by any means without the express written permission of the editor.

Managing Editors Shannon Garrido (Content) Camilo Fonseca (Content) Marcus Cocova (Multimedia) Campbell Parish (Operations) Section Editors Frankie Rowley (News) Hadera McKay (Opinion)

Yet he managed to immortalize himself too, in fewer words than Churchill: “I don’t need a ride, I need more ammunition.” Separated by language, culture, and decades of history, he captured the same Bulldog spirit that helped England persevere—and if history tells us anything from that, his country needs him. camilo_fonseca@emerson.edu Karissa Schaefer (Living Arts) Tyler Foy (Sports) Kaitlyn Fehr (Copy) Advisor David Dahl (617) 824–8687 berkeleybeacon.com contact@berkeleybeacon.com

The Berkeley Beacon

March 3, 2022

5

Appreciation without appropriation: the internal conflict of consuming Black media as a white person Vivi Smilgius Beacon Staff

One of my most vivid memories from late-middle and early high school is riding the bus, headphones in, listening to Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city” and thinking, “God, this is good.”

Allow me to reiterate: one of my most vivid memories from my early teenage years is riding the bus to my predominantly white school in northwest Indiana, listening to Kendrick Lamar rap about murders he witnessed at my age growing up in Compton.

Did I lose you? It’s OK if I did.

I’m a white person of Lithuanian descent, and prior to turning 13, will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas was the extent of my interaction with hip-hop. My father introduced me to some of the ‘70s and ‘80s most popular Black artists and groups like Earth, Wind, and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, and The Fugees. But my dad didn’t listen to much rap or hip-hop beyond those decades, so by transitive property, neither did I. Rap was simply never a genre I explored, until one day, I did.

I have no idea what initially drew me to Lamar’s music. At the time I first listened to “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” I had barely developed my own taste— and what little I had developed wasn’t very good. (To be fair, 2012-2015 was a questionable time for music.)

But I fell in love with Lamar’s work and began exploring rap and hip-hop as genres.

Part of my fascination with

“good kid, m.A.A.d city” was Lamar’s ability to create something so beautiful, cohesive, and artistic out of events that were far from beauty, cohesion, or art. I remember listening to the album over and over again, following the storyline and its seamless flow from track to track.

While the themes of peer pressure and a conflicted adolescence woven throughout the album are presented in scenarios different from those I encountered, I recognized a shared experience. The line between love and lust that Lamar walks throughout his 2017 album “DAMN.” is one I, too, have walked— in a different way.

The political commentary on his 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly” resonated with me, too. For me, listening to Black joy and Black pain through music is different and harder-hitting than reading about it in the news.

Lamar’s solo projects were just the beginning. Throughout the rest of middle and high school, I explored everyone featured on his albums. I delved into Top Dawg Entertainment’s projects— including the masterpiece that is SZA’s Ctrl— and I saw Black Panther in theaters three times. Black Panther and its soundtrack, another Kendrick Lamar masterpiece featuring other Black artists like SZA, Anderson .Paak, and Swae Lee, rose quickly in my ranks to all-time-favorite status for both music and movies.

With a 90 percent Black cast, Black Panther was the first time I saw Black beauty presented on screen in such depth. It made me aware of the fact that most of the

movies I’d seen— and most of the visual media I consumed— were filled with white characters portraying white struggles. I realized I was missing out on a world of different experiences (albeit, some of them fictional) and perspectives by limiting my media consumption to experiences that solely reflected my own.

I grew to identify with Black media, despite the many differences between the Black experience and my own. It became a way for me to interact with a culture that wasn’t mine and sympathize with a life I’ll never know.

With this exciting opportunity for exploration came questions and conflict. How could I appreciate a world so different from my own without internalizing— or worse, appropriating— it?

I saw TikToks condemning white people’s use of African American Vernacular English when singing along to Black music and realized I often used it when singing along to City Girls and Nicki Minaj. I thought of the way I rapped along to J. Cole and Tyler, the Creator, and realized that, in singing along, I’d adopted a voice that wasn’t mine. I questioned the ways I danced to Black music, wondered about the origin of beauty trends I liked, and analyzed the way I spoke around my Black friends versus my white friends.

For the first time, I noticed not only the impact of Black media and the influence of Black on my life, but the outcome of those influences and impacts— a person confused about the difference between celebration and appropriation. I had the internal conversa-

College burnout pulls the rug from under your feet

Illustration Lucia Thorne

Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

Another night I find myself curled into a ball of self-pity, my tailbone aching from the wooden chair I have been glued to for God knows how long. Tears well in my eyes like clockwork, only a few will fall but their escape will be overshadowed by a fit of sobs.

This cycle occurs at least once a month, when my body can no longer hold in and keep up with the motions of college life. Recently, however, these outbursts get trumped by the feeling that I am on the precipice of failure, of falling down the rabbit hole burnout places before me and not finding my way out.

Burnout, an often overlooked part of the college experience, ripped the

rug from under me this year—catapulting me into a cycle of missed classes, assignments, and existential dread. Classes became just another motion of the day—a change of scenery to zone out in—and assignments became nothing more than Canvas notifications to be ignored until they became unavoidable.

Headaches and eye strains from typing out assignments were replaced by staring at blank screens, watching the cursor blink at me in rage, waiting for a word, a letter, anything to be typed.

This isn’t a singular experience, it’s a combination of anxieties, and everyone experiences it differently.

For me, burnout is numb and bitter and manifests itself in a nagging headache that no Advil could ever dissipate, but that’s not the case for everyone. For many college stu-

dents, burnout can sometimes be catastrophic.

According to an article written by Larry Alton for Inc. Magazine, there are seven warning signs of burnout: physical and mental exhaustion, workplace dread, loss of hair, irritability, trouble sleeping, decrease in performance, and anxiety.

These warning signs are often placed as just another part of college life, however, they shouldn’t be. The more we ignore the warning signs, the more power we give our burnout.

So how do we combat it? I found solace in acceptance. When you accept burnout, you can control it.

I wish I could pinpoint when this feeling began, but burnout is the uninvited guest that enters your brain after stress has had its way and needs a friend to finish the job.

Kendrick Lamar. / Courtesy Creative Commons tion plenty of white people have or need to have: “I’m not racist…

Right?”

I like to think I’m appreciating Black art for what it is, but I also question why I recognize it as Black. Would it be erasive to call it art, to drop the Black altogether, to quit specifying? To me, it’s important to recognize Black art as Black art, because it’s gone unrecognized for so long. But, I can also see how recognizing Black art, Asian art, and the art of other historically marginalized groups as the art of the marginalized could peg white art as the default.

Part of me also feels ridiculous for even having this conversation.

As a white person who gets to decide how I interact with Black me-

dia and Black culture, who am I to feel weighed down by my morality? Who am I to complain about not understanding how to interact with Black media when Black people themselves face much more serious challenges?

I no longer ask these questions out of fear. Instead, I ask them out of curiosity. If, as a writer, I’m telling stories that aren’t mine, I want to know. If, as a viewer or listener, I’m consuming media in an exploitative way, I want to know. I’ve learned that acknowledging a problem— especially a systemic one— is the only way to fix it, and living in fear of being corrected is no way to live at all.

According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA), reported by The Hechinger Report, 87 percent of those surveyed said their education was a major source of their stress.

This stress carves the path for burnout to cross, which is described by the APA, as “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.”

But burnout doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. According to an Ohio State University study reported by The Hechinger Report, Hispanic students showed the highest levels of anxiety and depression, Black students showed the second-highest—a few degrees higher than white students. Asian and Pacific Isander students reported the lowest levels.

Regardless, burnout affects so much more than academics: it affects your social life, your mental health, essentially every part of you it can get its greedy hands on. It’s an invisible beast that can’t be ignored.

When it began, I brushed it off as a series of bad days and a sign that I needed to relax.

The bad days persisted and the need for relaxation was replaced by a lack of motivation, and a meticulous record of absences to make sure I didn’t use up my three excuses in a week. The absence cap made me go to class, but what’s the point of class when the material isn’t sticking?

Burnout infiltrates every section of life before you can realize how much you’re impacted by it.

This junior year was when things kicked into high gear. Burnout flirted with me last year but my eagerness for college life curbed it. It was waiting for me, waiting for its moment to pounce and I gave it the perfect hunting ground. Currently, I am in four full-credit classes—all writing-intensive—a member of two student orgs, and an intern at L’Officiel USA. All whilst trying to man-

age a social life and publish a book.

I don’t list these things to gloat, this is incredibly difficult. Can I manage all of these things? Absolutely not. Did I think I could? I absolutely did. But now I’m stuck in a hell of my own creation.

In these trenches, burnout uses all of my ticks, triggers, and temptations to overcome me. Using my own vices against me, pushing me further and further into purgatory.

I had some willpower remaining, though.

I began to force myself to do the work I was dreading, even if it took a painstakingly long time. I tried to pay more attention in class as a means to distract me from the void, which eventually led to me just paying attention to the content of class.

I accepted that it was hard and that being an exemplary student was the last thing I wanted to do, but I wasn’t going to let an invisible thing waste the quarter of a million dollars being put into my education.

With acceptance also came the allowance for concession. Some days, burnout will simply debilitate you, and rather than force myself to be miserable and make it worse from stress, I let it be what it wanted to be: a pest.

Some cures for burnout as recommended by the University of the People are: reserving time for amusing activities, exercising, getting time outside, socializing, creating and maintaining positive relationships with professors, setting achievable goals, avoid procrastinating, improving time management, removing yourself from negative situations, and maintaining a positive work-life balance.

There’s no magical cure for burnout, but prioritizing yourself and what you need is the only way I’ve figured out to get rid of it. It’s grueling and hard, but ultimately it’ll subside once you begin to let it be what it will be.

vivi_smilgius@emerson.edu

frankie_rowley@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

March 3, 2022

6

Living Arts

BCE senior capstone students work to provide Boston Music Project a new PR plan Karissa Schaefer Beacon Staff

As part of the business of creative enterprises senior residency capstone class, four seniors are partnering with Boston Music Project nonprofit to promote their local school music programs.

The 501(c)(3) organization strives to provide kids of all ages with a safe space to grow, both musically, socially, and emotionally. BMP builds a community with the art of creative expression through music, allowing kids to bond and communicate with their peers by having similar interests.

Founded in 2011 by Graciela Briceno and Boston Public School principal Simon Ho, the project offers before, during, and after school programs to make orchestras easily accessible for

Courtesy: Boston Music Project website

Courtesy: Boston Music Project website

students. BMP participates in eight schools across Boston and the Greater Boston area: Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Josiah Quincy Upper School, Oliver Hazard Perry School,

Roger Clap School, McKinley Middle School, McKinley South End Academy, McKinley Preparatory School, Margarita Muniz Academy.

The group of Emerson students

working with BMP includes Jarred Houston, Sara Hanellin, Sean Leahy, and Nikala Cunningham. Taught by professor Bob Lyons, the capstone course, which divides the 12 students into three groups, began their work last semester by pitching for three Boston companies: BMP, Double Elvis, and MK3 Creative.

“Our final for the end of that first semester was presenting to all three of those companies, our professor was in communication with those companies, and they picked what group they wanted to work with,” Houston said. “BMP is the one that stuck for us.”

All four students said they were lucky enough to get BMP, being the most attractive company to them. The music program spoke to them, leading the group to put in more effort and prioritize their BMP presentation.

“Everyone in our group kind of wanted to work with BMP the most because all four of us have some background in music and also wanted to work with a nonprofit and with kids,” Cunningham said. “That was the one we were hoping

Bright Lights features ‘Spencer,’ a fascinating portrayal of icon Princess Diana Abigail Lee

Beacon Staff Spencer, shown Feb. 24 as part of the Bright Lights Film Series, decidedly shirks the characteristics of the biopic genre. Instead of acting as a realistic record of Princess Diana’s life, director Pablo Larraín’s approach is an exercise in iconography— “a fable from a true story,” as the opening title card states.

Bright Lights featured a moderated Zoom discussion after the screening with Annie Berman, whose documentary The Faithful will be screened Thursday, Mar. 3 at 7 p.m. The Faithful follows fanhood and devotion to three iconic figures: Pope John Paul II, Elvis Pressley, and Princess Diana. The two works were a wise pairing, as Spencer is as much about Diana’s image as it is her life story, and therefore, concerned with audience perception.

The film takes place over Christmas weekend in 1991 at Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham Estate. At this point in her life, Diana—played by Kristen Stewart, who received an Oscar nomination for the role—is experiencing the intense pressures of being in the royal family that would eventually lead to her divorce. Haunted by me-

Kristen Stewart at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. /Courtesy Georges Biard

for.”

This semester, the group is creating a PR plan to promote BMP’s work and successful businesses and news outlets in the Boston area during the pandemic. For the second half of the year, the capstone class is more focused on workshopping with their selected groups, utilizing class time for updates, and getting helpful feedback from Lyons.

“Essentially, we’re just trying to get them PR on a grand scale or small scale, either way just to set them up and hopefully when we finish this semester, they can take what we started building the groundwork for and use it going forward,” Leahy said. “Right now, we’re still on those neighborhood papers.

We’re sending out emails that are catered to what’s going on at that school specifically.”

The group has reached out to some contacts including The Jamaica Plain News and The Dorchester Reporter.

They also plan to expand into The Boston Globe and secure a TV news spot to highlight BMP’s accomplishments over

dia scrutiny and the knowledge of her husband’s affair, she is insecure, angry, and showing signs of feverish instability. Diana faces numerous institutional traditions that are both absurd and demeaning, such as having to be weighed upon entry to, and later exiting, the estate.

Larraín’s previous 2016 film Jackie depicts Jackie Kennedy in the aftermath of her husband’s death, similarly leaning on a visual aesthetic of ceremony and excess to narrativize a woman who had to practice restraint.

Here, the luxurious dinners and beautiful dresses become claustrophobic for Diana. She regurgitates those dinners, with her white tulle gown fanned out on the floor of the bathroom.

In fact, screenwriter Steven Knight’s decision to limit the story to one weekend serves the evocation of Diana’s image. The representation of Diana’s bulimia is one of the many cultural references that the film depends on to portray Diana. The narrative of Diana as “the people’s princess” is demonstrated through her love of fast food and The Phantom of the Opera. The character of Diana is pieced together through a collection of familiar facts. The film, while seemingly restricted, is synecdochal and tries to capture the essence of Diana’s entire public status.

That image is what Diana finds most difficult. “There has to be two of you,” says Prince Charles, played by Jack Farthing. “There’s the real one, and the one they take pictures of.” Di-

the past few years. They want to build and utilize local resources, particularly where BMP schools are located. One school the group is particularly interested in spotlighting is Jamaica Plain’s Margarita Muniz Academy, where students created a completely self-composed album.

In the fall, they were able to sit in on a weekday before the school’s morning program. This opportunity really showed students what BMP is about, further highlighting their mission to transform the learning environment for Boston’s youth.

“To be able to see firsthand for ourselves and all the work they do, we are all really happy we’re able to be lucky enough to get selected by BMP,” Houston said.

Though BMP typically starts with orchestra, other instruments are also available to learn, as well as digital music.

Their program is offered in both Boston public and private schools.

“They have 17 or 18 teaching artists that are super successful talented musicians who just teach the kids to basically give them something to look forward to each week,” Hanellin said.

As an El Sistema nonprofit, BMP thinks of effective ways to achieve development in music education. The program’s significance was notable when the group first visited, seeing the 50 to 100 kids that were there, with an overall 40 percent of the school’s population that participated in BMP. “One of the main reasons we wanted to work with them is because they care so much about Boston youth and giving kids that might not be comfortable in a social setting a place to go,” Hanellin said.

At such a stressful time on a global scale, Hanellin emphasized how important this educational experience is in different aspects.

“They’re not just teaching them music, they’re teaching them life skills which is super important, especially since the kids have to go through a whole pandemic,” Hanellin said.

“They’ve been through a lot, so this is a huge thing for kids in Boston.” karissa_schaefer@emerson.edu

ana’s grapple with her identity is symbolized through an overindulgence into the iconography that would shape her legacy. Stewart, donning Diana’s recognizable outfits, mimics the princess’s walk and tendency to tuck her chin into her shoulder.

The decision to use symbols of Diana’s image to tell a story about her struggle with said image can be seen as reductive. Some audience members may find that this loose interpretation of her story, which turns her life into something near-mythical through hallucinative sequences, is disrespectful.

But the film is more about Diana’s negotiation with her celebrity image than accurately capturing the real person.

Stewart’s performance as Diana is incredible and keeps the film’s ambitious, melodramatic nature grounded.

The cinematography by Claire Mathon is breathtaking—the film should be lauded for its visual accomplishments alone. Jonny Greenwood’s jazz-inflected score adds a layer of necessary panic to the scenes.

There is a non-linear montage toward the end of the film that shows Diana as a series of iconic images, dancing or running, like a photograph brought to life. The scene encapsulates what makes the film so interesting by conveying Diana’s inevitable reckoning with her image. It is a celebration of the person behind the image, but more significantly, an acknowledgement of the gap in between the two. abigail_lee@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

March 3, 2022

7

Author alum wins 2022 NEA Creative Writing Fellowship Karissa Schaefer Beacon Staff

Two-time published author and Emerson alum LaTanya McQueen ‘06, who received her MFA in creative writing, has been named a 2022 creative writing fellow for the National Endowment for the Arts.

The fellowship, offered every two years for prose, grants $25,000 to winners for their writing career development. Selected fellows are chosen solely based on the sample they provide for the application.

McQueen was one of 35 writers chosen from more than 2,000 applicants.

McQueen started her undergraduate career in journalism and later switched into writing, literature and publishing; she had a longtime passion for writing, both fiction and nonfiction. While maintaining her profession as an author, she simultaneously teaches English-Creative Writing at Coe College in Iowa. She transforms lessons she learned from her teachers at Em-

why we go into an MFA, because it’s really the only other time to have that time to dream about what it could be like to live your life as a writer.”

The 2022 fellowship isn’t the first time McQueen has participated, previously having done so in both fiction and nonfiction.

Her award-winning fiction sample comes from the first chapter of her 2021 novel When the Reckoning Comes. The southern gothic literary horror follows the main character Mira and her return to her North Carolina hometown to attend her friend’s wedding, which is held on an old slave plantation that has been renovated to provide visitors an antebellum-era reennactment experience.

“There’s a big rumor in the town that this plantation is haunted by the slave ghosts that are seeking revenge on the descendants of those that once owned them,” McQueen said. “Over the course of the wedding, there’s a lot of reckonings that happen for the protagonists.

You have to have a certain amount of publications, so you have to

Black women in North Carolina, that is integrated in the plot.”

Regardless of having an idea, once she begins to write, it doesn’t always go as planned. But with this story, she wants to do it differently.

“It’s so hard to talk about things that are in its early stages of writing, especially because I tend to be a little defiant in some ways, so I’ll talk about something and then I’m like, maybe I don’t want to do this actually,” McQueen said. “So I’m trying to not be that and change gears of what I’m writing.”

McQueen is honored to be one among many endearing writers.

She is filled with respect for those she has known and followed for years, and can now stand with them and consider them her peers, further enhancing the dream she had while studying at Emerson.

“They had us all sort of meet each other through Zoom,” McQueen said. “We were trying to introduce ourselves to one another and I was trying not to cry and have a breakdown, and I didn’t succeed.

The idea that I could be among a cohort of so many talented people,

LaTanya McQueen. / Courtesy Maryam Thompson of Maryam Thompson Photography erson into her own, while emphasizing how useful an MFA is for a student’s experience to grow into their future potential.

She credits her peers during her time in Boston for inspiring her to be just as passionate about her work as they are about theirs. Even though everyone was navigating different backgrounds, everyone was driven to do what they were at Emerson for. In an environment alongside others who knew what they wanted to do, especially other devoted writers, it solidified McQueen’s own commitment to her craft.

“All of them have been really influential to me, and I think a lot about who they were for me as teachers, as well as mentors, now that I’m a teacher as well,” McQueen said. “I got to live in the city where there were readings all the time and big-name authors, debut authors. That’s in some ways

explain where you fit in with the criteria.”

With a current lower teaching load, McQueen plans to dedicate the prize money to her writing career in a few different ways.

Though COVID is restricting her from traveling safely at the moment, McQueen hopes to do so during the summer months, along with writing some essays on the side. She is also working on a new book.

“It is a book that is also touching on similar themes of the past in terms of trauma,” McQueen said.

“For this one, also memory loss, the ways in which you can know and not know someone else.”

Though much of the plot details are still unknown, McQueen gave some information on the book’s setting.

“I’m trying to finish it by the summer,” McQueen said. “It is loosely about the sterilizations of

it’s really humbling.”

McQueen gets immense joy from writing, devoting her time to it for various reasons. With a knack for curiosity and an early love for reading, she was able to understand the world by means of escape to a fictional one. As a writer, she wants to be an influence for people just as the authors she read were for her.

“Trying to make sense of the world, as well as trying to connect with other people and hoping that the thing you do will connect with somebody else,” McQueen said.

“For me, over the course of my life, whenever I had really dark periods, it was always other writers that saved me. Part of why I write is doing it in the hope that I could be for somebody else what all these other writers have been for me.” karissa_schaefer@emerson.edu

Creators of podcast “Cocktails & Content Creation.” / Courtesy Kate Andrews and Jessie Wyman

Alum and her friend create podcast to help content creators Hannah Nguyen Beacon Staff

The world of content creation can be difficult to break into, especially when you’re on your own.

The Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast offers advice on how to improve your brand. The podcast launched at the end of October 2020.

Kate Andrews ‘11 transferred from Pace University to Emerson during her junior year as a journalism major, then going on to earn her Master’s for broadcast journalism. Andrews met her friend and now co-anchor Jessie Wyman through her husband, who worked at MassDOT with Wyman, when they were dating at the time.

Andrews and her husband commuted to school and work together. One day, she called him while he was at work after she finished her class, and he invited her to go to Sweetwater Tavern with him and his coworkers.

“I did and Jessie happened to be one of the people that were there that evening,” Andrews said.

Since then, the two kept in touch, but after leaving their corporate jobs, they eventually reconnected and went on to freelance. After college, Andrews became a broadcast journalist and eventually went into public relations, working in an engineering firm. She then began freelancing and writing for her blog Fashionably Kate & Co. Wyman started her photography business, as well as a photography course.

“I had actually hired Kate to do some content creation for my business,” Wyman said. “She helped write some of the blogs that I needed done and that role has since expanded.”

Eventually, in August 2020, Wyman asked Andrews if she wanted to start a podcast as another creative outlet, and thus created the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast. They decided to focus on content creation based on their experiences as freelancers.

“There’s a lot that entrepreneurs have to learn and navigate when they’re creating content, and we felt that that would be a good journey to share with our audiences—how to create it, how to make it easy, bring in experts on different methodologies, and best practices in the industry of mainly female entrepreneurship,” Wyman said.

Wyman said the main focus of the podcast is to help listeners create content with confidence.

“Ultimately, by the end of each episode, they’re supposed to be able to walk away with either actionable tips or a mindset shift in creating content for their busi-

ness brand, blog, or whatever it is they’re working on,” Wyman said.

The co-hosts either interview each other to share personal experiences and tips, or talk to outside guests, mostly women. Oftentimes, they find themselves learning alongside their audience.

“Every show, we’ve learned something new, and I really enjoy that,” Andrews said. “But sometimes I like those episodes where I have no idea what to expect, and I learn so much along the way.”

The co-anchors credit the podcast’s success to Andrews’ background in production from her experience as a broadcast journalist and previously starting her own podcast, as well as Wyman’s history in business and marketing through photography.

“There’s a lot of little details that I would have never known, but are really important to have planned out and Kate was very instrumental in that,” Wyman said.

“Once we had a few shows that we knew [what topics we] wanted to have, we kind of backed it up from there [and was like,] ‘okay, we need our music, we need a license, some music for our intro, we need our mics.’ Kate was able to research what website we [were going to have] and we got a website domain.”

Being friends prior to becoming co-anchors also helped make the podcast run seamlessly.

“We already had this working relationship because of Jessie’s blog and Jessie had taken a lot of my photos,” Andrews said. “Jessie had started taking a lot of pictures for my blog because she had transitioned from wedding and family photography to headshots, branding, and lifestyle photography businesses.”

The pair currently doesn’t have any sponsors and aren’t looking to make a profit from the podcast anytime soon because they are passionate about solely helping their viewers build confidence as content creators and improve their craft.

“We’re not just talking about the basics of how to get your website seen or how to get more clients,” Andrews said. “We are talking about how to add confidence to yourself because sometimes you push publish on something, whether it’s a blog post or an Instagram post, or an offer that you have for your clients, and you’re kind of sitting there thinking to yourself, ‘is this going to be good? Are people going to like this or read this?’”

Listen to the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast here.

hannah_nguyen@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

Sports

March 3, 2022

8

Senior guard Zach Waterhouse passing the ball to senior center Jarred Houston. / Kayla Buck Beacon Staff

Men’s basketball receives at-large-bid and chance at tournament play Tyler Foy

Beacon Staff Emerson’s men’s basketball team lost to Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the NEWMAC finals 70-54 on Feb. 26, but the Lions’ season isn’t over.

After losing to WPI, Emerson was selected to carry on with its season in the NCAA Division III tournament.

Senior center Jarred Houston said after the loss to WPI he felt confident about going to the dance.

“I’m in pretty good spirits,” Houston said. “I think we did enough to be able to get it done…I like our chances.”

The team watched the NCAA live stream to see the bracket filled in real time. After 26 minutes, Emerson was announced in a matchup against the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth at Nazareth College on

Friday, Mar. 4. Head Coach Bill Curley said the tournament opportunity was gratifying after all the extra hours spent practicing.

“We’re very excited to be there,” Curley said. “Our kids have battled, they’ve sacrificed, they paid the price starting in September…It was very rewarding for us to be able to get that at-large bid. They only have 20 at-large bids in the whole country and we were able to get one of those.”

Prior to the draw, the Lions lost to WPI in a second-half catastrophe.

Emerson went 0-2 against WPI in the regular season but beat the Engineers in the 2019 NEWMAC Finals.

Much has changed on both sides of the court, but three starters on the Lions—seniors Trevor McLean, Zach Waterhouse, and Jarred Houston— also started in the Lions’ 2019 victory.

Although the Lions lost to the Engineers twice, they felt confi-

WPI held the Lions to just 50 points in the NEWMAC Finals on Feb. 26. / Kayla Buck Beacon Staff

dent in their ability to edge them out this time. Emerson’s overtime win against Babson College— another team they lost both regular-season matchups to— in the semifinals contributed to this confidence.

“This one is definitely going to propel us,” sophomore guard Trevor Arico said after the win against Babson. “I know coach [Curley] is going to do his thing tomorrow, whether it’s watching a film or going through other stuff to prepare us.”

The Lions were without their two best scorers against WPI. Senior guard Nate Martin scored 24 points in the first encounter on Jan. 15, and junior guard Max Davis scored 22 in the loss on Feb. 2 due to injury. Senior center Jarred Houston said the team’s bench has been one of the Lions’ largest strengths all season.

“One of my biggest compliments of our team this year has been how deep we are from guys that play a lot and guys that don’t play as much,” Houston said. “Seeing them put everything in all the hard work and seeing a payoff kind of did give us I think that extra motivation to get it done.”

The beginning of the game was a sparring match as both teams struggled to score. Two minutes into the game, Waterhouse scored Emerson’s first points on a field goal that WPI returned two minutes later. Houston blocked a shot out of bounds which led to a media timeout, and the Lions’ offense got into motion after the break.

A three from McLean gave the Lions the lead, but it wouldn’t last long as the Engineers made one of their own to tie it. Houston and Water-

Senior guard Zach Waterhouse driving to the basket for a layup. / Kayla Buck Beacon Staff

house combined for two points each pushing the score to 9-5. Emerson’s largest lead of the first half came off a field goal from junior guard James Beckwith after back-and-forth play increasing the Lions’ lead to 14-7.

The Engineers eventually caught up, knotting the game at 24 on a dunk from John Adams. Strong defensive play made it difficult for either team to find a basket, but Adams fouled Houston, sending him to the free-throw line. Houston sank the first and missed the second, which Waterhouse rebounded and dished to McLean for a corner three.

WPI scored a jump shot to come within two. After missed three-pointers from both teams, the first half came to a close with Emerson leading 28-26.

The second half started with a steal

by WPI who got fouled on a drive to the basket. The Engineers tied the game on free throws and when the Lions pushed down the court, McLean was fouled and injured. To this point, McLean was a critical shooter in the game and was second on the team in points.

“It definitely hurt us and especially when you’re already down Max and Nate Martin,” Curley said. “You’re basically losing three starters at that point and you’re just trying to make do and the kids really just everything on the court.

Curley also said he expects to have McLean and Davis back for the match-up against UMass Dartmouth.

After a missed jump shot from Emerson and a transition bucket from WPI, the Engineers found their

Chelsea fan remembers Abramovich era Cont. from Pg. 1 I had the pleasure of watching one of Chelsea’s trophy-winning teams play at its home ground in West London, Stamford Bridge. It was a cold day in February in 2017, wet and loud; the energy former manager Antonio Conte provided on the sidelines made the atmosphere tantalizing. I couldn’t have asked for a better English soccer experience.

The tickets we purchased included an overnight stay and hospitality package at Chelsea’s hotel next door. My family soon discovered the entire hotel and restaurant staff were Russian. Obviously, this

was an observation and not an issue, but it opened my eyes to the control Abramovich and his fellow business partners had on the club.

His command over the club wasn’t necessarily limited to what you heard about players’ wages and transfer fees—it extended into all aspects of making the club bigger, better, and more efficient. It’s safe to say that Abramovich intended his business operations to have one goal: to be the best and foster a winning mentality at the club. And guess what? It worked.

Chelsea won 3-1 that day and Conte went on to lift the Premier League title later that spring— one of the many trophies won by the

club under Abramovich’s ownership. Since purchasing the club for £140 million in 2003, Chelsea has been in what is referred to as the “Abramovich era”—an era in which the Russian billionaire has spent £2 billion, sacked 14 managers, and won 21 trophies.

The arrival of Jose Mourinho as head coach in the summer of 2004 marked a firm shift in direction for the first team. Upon arrival, Mourinho told journalists that no player was safe. With the support of Abramovich and his partners, he sold 10 first team players that summer—going on to sign big names like Petr Cech, Didier Drogba, and Ricardo Carvalho. Mourinho

spent more than £70 million, and Abramovich’s ambition matched his own. This owner-manager partnership led the club to its first league title since 1955, breaking records such as most wins in a season, most away wins, most points, and least goals conceded.

Having won everything there was to offer domestically, Abramovich became hyper-focused on lifting the Champions League. His club would eventually win the prize in 2012, and again in 2021.

So what happens now? After the Russian oligarch put Chelsea up for sale by inviting potential buyers to bid for the club this week,

first lead of the game. A couple of plays later, WPI scored again to make it 32-28. In an attempt to strategize, Curley called a timeout.

DiCenzo scored a layup following the restart of play, but the Engineers scored another nine points to gain the largest lead of the night, 41-30.

WPI continued to pile onto the lead until Waterhouse sank a layup to stop the bleeding.

WPI’s 16-2 run was enough to offput the Lions’ offense for the remainder of the second half. The closest Emerson got to reclaiming the lead was a nine-point deficit. Houston said the defensive prowess of the Engineers was on full display.

“They play really tough,” he said.

“They play really aggressive and they’re really good individual defenders, but they play well together.

We had a couple of turnovers to start the second half and when you get into battles with defensive teams like WPI I think those feel a lot bigger because of how low-scoring the games are.”

Houston produced his 20th double-double of the year with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Between the two playoff games, Houston logged all but one minute of play. He said the scale of the game influenced him to perform.

“You definitely feel it a little bit towards the end of the game,” he said.

“It’s those situations, the biggest game of the year, I would do anything for my guys. If they needed 40 more minutes, I would have played 40 more minutes.” tyler_foy@emerson.edu The Telegraph reported that interested parties are expected to bid around £2 billion for the club.

Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss is working with American billionaire Todd Boehly, minority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, on a bid to buy the soccer club. The reports come after the original plan, an American consortium consisting of three businessmen for a £2.2 billion bid in 2019, was ultimately rejected.

Abramovich will remain in the hearts of Chelsea fans in the songs we sing. However, he will also be respected for leaving the club on a proper accord in the wake of an unnecessary war caused by the Putin regime.

From a Chelsea fan, thank you Roman, and farewell. birk_buchen@emerson.edu