Women's history month, masks optional

Emerson College’s student newspaper since 1947 • berkeleybeacon.com

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Thursday, March 24, 2022 • Volume 75, Issue 24

Mask optional policy creates uncertainty Bailey Allen Beacon Staff

Illustration Lucia Thorne

For some Emerson professors, Women’s History Month showcases oppression, not accomplishment Vivi Smilgius Beacon Staff Women’s History Month seeks to acknowledge female accomplishment and success, but some activists believe it points to a larger systemic problem: the continued oppression of women in America and beyond.

For Tulasi Srinivas, an anthropology professor at Emerson College, Women’s History Month highlights the structures that stand between women and success, particularly in the U.S. “The fact that we need a history month shows how marginalized people who are central to the culture and economy of the United States are,” Srinivas said.

First recognized in New York by the Socialist Party of America, the United States’ first International Women’s Day happened on March 8, 1908, following a series of protests by New York female garment workers demanding equal pay. Former President Jimmy Carter deemed March to be Women’s History Month in 1980, dedicating the month to commemo-

rating the role of women in American history and society.

While the U.S. is one of the only countries to dedicate a month to Women’s History, Srinivas said the nation’s lack of women in power negates its attempts at recognition.

Srinivas pointed to America’s government bodies, noting that women make up roughly half of the U.S. population but hold just over a quarter of seats in the nation’s Congress. Women of color, she added, are even more severely underrepresented.

For Srinivas, Women’s History Month points not to a history of success, but to a centuries-long struggle.

“These cultural structures are embedded in our society,” she said. “The fact that we don’t think about them is not unusual—it’s not meant to be thought about because it is naturalized as a way things are done.”

Srinivas said these “naturalized systems” of oppression are at the root of American politics Women’s History Month, Pg. 3

As announced in the Feb. 18 campus-wide email correspondence, the college eased its indoor mask policy everywhere except classrooms, the Center for Health and Wellness, and Counseling and Psychological Services, on Monday, to which students have expressed mixed feelings.

Some students are reluctant to remove their masks, while others have taken the opportunity to roam campus mask-free.

Heidi Garmise, a first-year visual and media arts major, does not plan on taking her mask off due to COVID fears. Garmise admitted to worrying that a lack of masking will result in a more rampant spread of the virus.

“Besides when I’m eating, I usually always keep my mask on,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m the biggest fan of [the mandate] being lifted right now. I’m in [Emerson Dance Company] and we were talking about trying to keep masks on because we don’t want anything to happen before the dance concert.”

The mask optional policy applies to all campus spaces except classrooms, which will likely keep them in place until at least the end of the academic year—something that first-year writing, literature and publishing major Megan Marshall believes is unproductive.

“I don’t really see the point,” Marshall said. “It would have been beneficial just to keep masks [everywhere] for the rest of the school year and then start fresh without them next year.”

Masks optional, Pg. 2

Masked students walking down Boylston Street. / Beacon Archives

Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ is not the ‘progressive’ remake ae hoped for Emerson men’s volleyball team at Saturday’s tournament. / Katie Redefer Beacon Staff

Men’s volleyball splits record in annual Pride-themed games Vivi Smilgius Beacon Staff The Emerson men’s volleyball team left Saturday’s “You Can Play” games with a split record, sweeping Colby-Sawyer College and losing to Regis College in a hard-fought five-set match.

Played annually in the college’s Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym, the “You Can Play” games are part of a nationwide initiative honoring LGBTQ athletes and coaches. The project attempts to make sports safer and more inclusive for members of the LGBTQ community.

Emerson head coach Ben Read said the “You Can Play” games are important for recognizing queer people in sports, especially at schools with high LGBTQ populations like Emerson, which ranked first on the Princeton Review’s ranking of LGBTQ-friendly colleges.

“It doesn’t matter your gender, your race, your sexual orientation, or anything else—if you can play, you can play,” he said. “It’s nice to see in athletics at a school like Emerson, where we continually have one of, if not the top LGBTQ-friendly

schools in the country.”

Sophomore middle blocker Neiko Pittman said the “You Can Play” games are consistently some of the Lions’ best matches, because LGBTQ pride means so much to the team and Emerson’s culture as a college.

“Athletics, in the past, have not been a supportive place for queer people,” Pittman said. “Emerson has a large queer community and we have queer people on our team, so it’s just something we do to support each other.”

Pittman recorded a team-high 31 kills between the two matches, exceeding his average 3.37 kills per set.

The Lions’ day began at 10 a.m. against the Regis College Pride. Emerson entered the game 2-13 on the season and 0-6 in conference matchups, while Regis came in at 9-10 with a 5-4 conference record.

The first set began with an Emerson service error, followed by kills from sophomore outside hitter Luke Roehm and first-year setter Bayden Slavik. The Lions exchanged points with the Pride but repeated missed serves kept them in a two- or

Men’s volleyball, Pg. 8

Christina Horacio Beacon Correspondent With the release of this year’s Oscar nominations, Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of West Side Story has returned to the spotlight. The remake received seven nominations, including Best Picture. However, the lack of significant criticism surrounding the film troubles me, as it has once again failed to cast a Puerto Rican Maria. Taking the racist history of the film into consideration, it is disheartening that Spielberg––another white director––would make the same mistake decades later.

As a young Puerto Rican kid living in the Bronx, my father gleefully memorized much of the choreography of the original 1961 film adaptation of the broadway musical, West Side Story. He did so mostly because he saw himself reflected in the storyline, which follows two New York City-based gangs divided by race; “the Jets” being the white gang, and “the Sharks” being the Puerto Ricans.

There is a long-held feud between the two that escalates after Tony, a former Jet, starts seeing Maria, the younger sister of the designated leader of the Sharks, Bernardo.

Tony and Maria struggle to continue their romantic relationship in the midst of the violence between the aforementioned gangs.

When my father shared the movie with me in his adulthood, he told me how much he wished the Sharks actually consisted of real Puerto Ricans. Since race is positioned at the forefront of the film, it is quite shocking to learn that the 1961 film adaptation almost exclusively cast white actors for the roles of the Sharks, effectively putting them in brown face. Rita Moreno, who played the role of Anita, West Side Story, Pg. 5

INSIDE THIS EDITION Book Campaign Pg. 2 COVID Update Pg. 3 Housing, course registration stress Pg. 3 Editorial: Tuition increase unsustainable for students Pg. 4 Opinion: Fashion is not synonymous with gender or sexuality Pg. 4 Student to hold sustainable clothing swap Pg. 6 ‘Freestyle Love Supreme’ review Pg. 7 Former volleyball player remembered Pg. 8

611

positive COVID-19 tests

1.34% positivity rate

45,000+ tests completed

*Accumulated from Spring 2022 Semester

News

The Berkeley Beacon

March 24, 2022

2

Emerson students’ Emerson Contemporary awarded grant to improve campus art galleries book campaign seeks to build a new library

Emerson’s Media Art Gallery. / Courtesy Maddie Khaw

Maeve Lawler and Maddie Khaw Beacon Correspondents

Emerson received a $114,000 grant from a Massachusetts-based foundation last year, intended to help improve the art galleries of Emerson Contemporary.

The grant, approved by the George I. Alden Trust in Dec. 2021, will fund renovations to Emerson’s Media Art Gallery, located on Avery Street, as well as improvements to the Huret and Spector Gallery in the Tufte Performance and Production Center.

The Alden Trust is a foundation that focuses primarily on funding capital equipment and capital renovations, as opposed to scholarship endowments or operations. When trustee Jim Collins reviewed Emerson Contemporary’s application, he said there were two aspects that stood out to the trustees.

“We certainly thought the gallery would be important to Emerson, not only to its faculty, staff, and students but also for the immediate neighborhood and for the city itself,” Collins said. “That’s always a plus for us. We look for colleges that are interested in their communities and, as well as doing a great job educationally, also work to advance the neighborhoods in which they live and work.”

Bradbury said most of the funding from the grant will go towards the Media Art Gallery, which she said has a greater need for improvement than the Huret and Spector Gallery, which has undergone more renovation since it was first established 16 years ago.

“The main impetus was twofold,” Bradbury said. “We wanted to expand exhibition space and exhibit opportunity and wanted to improve the quality of this space that we already have.”

Changes to the Media Art Gallery will focus on improving accessibility—specifically installing handicap-accessible doors with “push-to-open” buttons at the gallery’s entrance and bathrooms, and resurfacing the floors.

“The floor is very wobbly and there’s divots and it’s leaning, so it’s not the most mobility-friendly space,” Bradbury said.

With the funding from the Alden Trust, the floors will be stripped and re-poured, creating a smoother, more even base for the gallery.

Improving accessibility is an important goal of Bradbury’s.

“Having that added accessibility with the doors and the floor will mean that we’ll be fully accessible, without any ‘buts,’” she said.

Electrical expansions will also be funded in both galleries, with aims to improve the lighting and install more outlets. Such improvements are essential to the quality of the Media Art Gallery, according to Bradbury, since it focuses on moving images, electronic, and digital art.

“Most things here are projected or are on monitors or require some type of electricity, and we were partially limited in terms of where we can put things because there are only outlets in certain parts of the galleries,” she said.

Senior business of creative enterprises major Carolina Alcantara

serves as a social media marketing fellow and gallery assistant for Emerson Contemporary.

“It’s important [to receive funding towards improvements] because although the gallery is open to both the Emerson community and the public, the Media Art Gallery represents Emerson,” she said.

The renovation plans would “really benefit the gallery,” Alcantara said, noting the importance of it being “accessible to all and [having] the funding to reach its full potential.”

The improvements are aimed to be completed between May 15 and Aug. 15 when student attendance isn’t at its peak. Bradbury hopes that, thanks to the grant, the galleries will be “fully transformed” by the fall semester.

“We were super thrilled that we were able to receive it,” Bradbury said.

The Media Art Gallery previously received a grant from the Alden Trust in 2016, which helped make its founding possible, Bradbury said. Based in Worcester, the foundation has the general purpose of maintaining “charitable or philanthropic enterprises with specific interest in the promotion of education in schools, colleges, or other educational institutions,” according to its website.

“We look primarily for projects where we can be helpful in advancing a school’s mission,” Collins said.

Bradbury said she feels that Emerson Contemporary fits with the mission of the Alden Trust, as it “is focused on student learning, and enhancing and expanding student opportunities.”

Having visited Emerson for the initial grant, meeting former Emerson President M. Lee Pelton, Collins said he understood the work being done at the college.

“We continue to have a lot of confidence in Emerson and the good work that the school does,” Collins said. “[We are] glad that we could help in a small way.”

contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Hanna Qiu

Beacon Correspondent Several Emerson students are working to fill a library for Brighton school children through a used book campaign organized by the Communication Studies department.

The campaign will run between March 25 and April 1 with the goal of 800 books. The book equity program, known as “On the Same Page,” was established by Cathryn Edelstein, the college’s senior executive-in-residence, in 2019. Each semester, Edelstein and her Nonprofit Fundraising Campaign class organize a drive for donations in money or used books, in collaboration with one Boston-area public school—this year, the 650-student Thomas A. Edison K-8 School.

“More than 40 percent of Boston public schools don’t have a library,” said Edelstein at the program’s kickoff on Tuesday.

“I want to change this.”

Edison is one of those schools; what few books it does own, said 5th grade teacher Olivia Samuel, are older and dusty.

“I always thought, ‘Why don’t we have a library?’” she said. “Nobody was talking about it. I assume it’s funding— unfortunately, libraries are probably at the bottom of the list.”

“On The Same Page,” though, gave Samuel some hope. Throughout the class, Emerson students in communications take responsibility for all aspects of the campaign—from marketing and social media posts to content creation and data analytics. They learn how to get followers informed, keep engagement up and gain donations.

Senior public relations major Emily King is on the class’s collateral team, which makes sure all social posts are “correct and presentable” before publishing.

“For the whole class, it’s a huge collaboration between all different people with different skills,” she said. “Being together to create a cohesive campaign is interesting.”

King said that working on the campaign has only illustrated just how crucial libraries are crucial to the development of children. “[The fact that] 40 percent of public schools don’t have a library is a jarring statistic,” she said. “I want to do everything we can to help lower the [number].”

“This class makes me think how much

Courtesy Thomas A. Edison K-8 School [work] should be put into running a campaign,” said senior science communications major Regina Trevethan. She is responsible, along with two other students, for updating the campaign’s Facebook page four times a week.

Samuel and her colleague also created Thomas A. Edison K-8 School social media accounts to reach families, parents, and community.

“All the things that On the Same Page are doing, it’s not just helping my school, it’s not just helping our community, it’s helping the community as a whole,” Samual said.

On the Same Page collaborated with Tatte Bakery & Cafe, the Oak Square YMCA and Cafe Mirror to place book donation boxes all over Boston.

This semester provides the first opportunity for On the Same Page to garner gently used books. Previously, they’ve asked for monetary donations to purchase new books.

“It’s the season of giving and spring cleaning,” Trevethan said. “It’s a great way to reduce carbon footprint, and reduce the waste people create by donating books.”

Edelstein said she has donated several books from her daughters’ shelf.

“People who have raised children… don’t know what to do about those books and have saved them in boxes,” Edelstein said. “Here’s a chance to put them to good use for kids who need them.”

yunhan_qiu@emerson.edu

‘Masks are going to be raincoats’: students report mixed feelings about new COVID policy Cont. from

Addison Wallace, also a first-year writing, literature and publishing major, said she will be keeping her mask on, but will not judge others for taking theirs off.

“There’s a new variant coming out, so I don’t know exactly how I feel,” Wallace said, in reference to the new BA.2. “Stealth Omicron” variant that has emerged in recent weeks. “I’m comfortable with [the decision to unmask]. If someone were to walk by me without one, I’d be okay, but I think I’m going to be keeping mine on.”

Students like first-year communication studies major Ciel Antoine prefer to keep their masks on, but understand the reasons that people may want to remove theirs.

“I personally like to keep my mask on just because I talk to myself,” Antoine said. “People don’t need to know that I do that.”

Antoine added that, because she has become accustomed to wearing

Masked student walking by Emerson’s campus. / Beacon Archives

it, it has been strange suddenly seeing her neighbors’ faces without theirs.

“Today I put on makeup and I was like, ‘Do I go out and show my face because I look so good right now?’” she said. “I get nervous.”

According to Wallace, some students are extremely uncomfortable about the mask mandate being lifted and have made changes to their daily routine in order to avoid infection.

“I’m glad they’re still enforcing it in class, so everyone’s comfortable because I know there are some people who are choosing not to go out anymore because of the mandate being lifted,” Wallace said.

Maddy Monroe, a first-year creative writing major, said it is nice to not have to wear a mask down the hall to the bathroom or at the fitness center—though she acknowledged feel-

ing worried about the abrupt change.

“I worked out in the gym for the first time without it and my workout was way easier,” Monroe said. “We just came back from spring break, so part of me feels like it’s both good and bad. I like that it’s still in academic spaces, but I feel like maybe we could keep it around in a couple other spaces.”

First-year theater and performance major Jackson Query said a student’s choice to mask “depends on context.”

He said he is glad that the mandate is not completely gone because back in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia, the mask mandate is gone, and citizens are less conscientious than those in Boston.

“I tend to keep mine on in most circumstances, because I have asthma and I’m immunocompromised—but I don’t feel unsafe,” Query continued.

“Back home, if I wasn’t wearing a mask, I’d feel unsafe.”

Query said he understands that wearing a mask can be annoying and uncomfortable, but there are certain

times people need to be safe. As long as students don’t judge others for their mask-wearing choices, he said he won’t complain.

“I don’t want people to pressure other people to take off their masks,” he said. “I’m not going to have a problem with people not wearing one, because sometimes I don’t wear one either. It really depends on the context.”

“In terms of whether people should wear a mask or not, I feel very nonchalant about it,” Antoine said. “It’s their choice.”

Eitan Ehrlich, a first-year visual and media arts major, discussed his view on the policy and related masking to wearing a raincoat.

“Masks are going to be raincoats and we’re gonna wear them when we need to and take them off when we don’t need them,” he said. “I’m figuring out when I should have it on when I shouldn’t.”

Adri Pray contributed to reporting. bailey_allen@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

March 24, 2022

3

‘It feels like a race’: Students face Emerson professors housing and registration confusion on Women’s History Adri Pray

Beacon Staff As the 2022-23 housing and course registration processes commence, some students report being stressed by both.

Emerson’s Housing and Residential Education Department opened housing applications on March 14 and closed them March 23, giving students just over a week to choose their rooming situations for the upcoming school year. On April 1, students will receive status updates, and room selection then occurs between April 5 and April 14.

First-year visual and media arts major Eitan Ehrlich said he experienced confusing communication from the HRE regarding the upcoming housing deadline.

“Their emails were unclear, and it seemed like multiple people were sending different emails at different times.

That created some confusion among [my] friend group about how we would register and how we would get our things figured out,” he said.

Some of Ehrlich’s potential roommates changed their minds about living together and dropped their suite without notice, he said. Having such a short period of time to create a housing plan was challenging and expressed concern that it might happen to other people “That might create problems for people trying to find housing on campus, especially when they’re roped into having to have housing on campus as well,” he said.

Junior acting major Allison Earl echoed Ehrlich’s feelings about housing. Citing “disorganization,” Earl said housing feels like a competition that becomes easier as students get older.

“It feels like a race—whoever types fastest gets the room they want. I know that’s how it is, but it doesn’t make any sense. It’s so much more stressful than it has to be,” she said.

HRE Director Christie Anglade said HRE does its best to make the housing

process as easy as possible for students.

“We work to accommodate every student with a housing guarantee in a space on campus,” she wrote in a statement to The Beacon. “The most active part of housing selection does not begin until after course registration closes.”

“The housing application opens early to give students some time to fill out the information and form roommate groups before the actual selection period begins,” she continued. “The goal is to have students complete housing selection before the last couple weeks of the semester.”

The college’s registration process faced similar critiques as its housing process.

Anne Doyle is an assistant vice president for academic affairs who oversees the student registration process. Though she’s involved with registration, she says departments are responsible for accommodating students in their programs.

“Each department monitors how many students they have, what majors they’re in and then they plan the schedules accordingly,” she said. “The schedule is never really done until the end of the first week of classes.”

Doyle and the other registrars check class sizes while students are registering and creating their schedules. They cancel unpopular classes, adjust rooms to accommodate class size and monitor students with declared minors to maintain each students’ schedule.

“I wish there was a perfect formula, but to be quite honest, we plan based on what we see on the degree audits, but students don’t always do what we think they’re going to do,” she said.

Doyle said registration dates are determined by spring break dates, as the schedule is able to go live during break or when students get back so they have “two weeks of advising,” and then registration.

“It takes time for the departments to build the schedules and make sure they have faculty to teach the courses before we can all open registration for students. I think that’s probably why this all happens

at the same time in the spring,” Doyle said.

The number of seats is determined by the type of course being taught, she said.

Writing courses, for example, have to be smaller because of the number of pages of writing that needs to be graded.

Deans, department chairs, and academic affairs decide the number of seats as well as what sections are offered based on the faculty available. If departments are unable to find faculty to teach a certain section, they may not be able to offer that course.

“In my role as assistant vice president, I have worked with the department chairs on the schedule pretty closely over the years,” Doyle said. “We’re pretty involved, but it comes down to what we have available, what we need for the students that we have and what the classrooms are that we have.”

Department chairs will work with students to gain entry into a course that is unavailable if it impacts the track of their degree. Doyle estimates a “high 90 percent” of students fabricate their registration situation to get a class at a time they want with the faculty member they want.

“We can’t satisfy every student to have every class they want at a particular time with a particular faculty member,” Doyle said. “That’s just unheard of, but we do our best, we really do.”

Both Doyle and Anglade recommended students keep up with their emails in order to get pertinent information regarding the registration and housing processes.

“Understand requirements, make sure to meet with an advisor, look at the full body of the requirements and don’t focus on one or two things,” Doyle said. “Understand and attempt to be flexible.”

Bailey Allen contributed to the reporting.

adrianna_pray@emerson.edu

Emerson reports six COVID-19 cases on Wednesday Adri Pray

Beacon Staff On Wednesday, Emerson reported six COVID-19 cases of the 870 tests administered, setting the daily positivity rate at 0.69 percent.

The college also reported 11 community members in on-campus isolation.

Zero were reported to be in on-campus quarantine.

Those in quarantine may have been exposed to COVID-19 but aren’t experiencing symptoms. Those in isolation are symptomatic, have produced a positive test, or are “reasonably known to be infected,” according to the college.

Off-campus students are not counted in the quarantine and isolation numbers.

For the week of March 14 to March 20, Emerson reported 22 positive cases from the 3,201 tests administered, bringing the weekly positivity rate to 0.69 percent.

As of Jan. 3, Emerson has reported 611 positive cases and administered 45,629 tests. The cumulative positivity rate sits at 1.34 percent.

“I’m happy with where things stand,” said Associate Vice President for Campus Life Erik Muurisepp, who serves as the college’s “COVID Lead.” “Certainly, we have cases, but from an administrative perspective, I think we’re still doing really well, especially after Spring Break.”

Emerson dropped its indoor mask mandate on March 21 following an update to COVID-19 protocol. Students may forgo a mask indoors in any college facility except for classrooms, the Center for Health and Wellness, and Emerson’s Counseling and Psychological Services offices.

Following the updated protocol, Muurisepp sent a community-wide email last week announcing a mask optional policy

in classrooms and other academic spaces starting May 16.

“Our goal was that by May 16, at the end of the summer term, we would be fully mask optional except for the Center for Health and Wellness,” he said. “That would be our last place where we will reduce mask requirements while getting through the next five weeks and then at that point, hopefully, things will be completely removed.”

The decision to transition to a full mask-optional campus after the summer term was a purposeful one, according to Muurisepp, as college officials felt postponing the fully mask-optional policy would better maintain the safety of the Emerson community.

“It’s a measured approach,” he said.

“Just like we have been every few weeks for the whole semester—reducing our on-campus guest [restrictions], [increasing allowance of] visitors, and [altering] where masks are required or not required. We just wanted to keep them in the classroom.”

The updated protocol will see the disbanding of the “OneEmerson” COVID-19 team headed by Muurisepp.

May 16 marks one of the final decisions the team will make before the COVID team works to “operationalize” the departments.

“While I believe we’ve not set the date, at some point over the summer, I think there’ll be less reliance on the local team,” he said, though reminded the community that the COVID team could be reinstated at any time if the pandemic worsens.

Massachusetts reported roughly 996 positive cases for the week of March 16 to March 23, with an average positivity rate of 1.91 percent. The death toll rose by one.

The state updated the guidelines to qualify a COVID-related death Monday.

The new definition decreases the death toll by 3,770 and includes 355 deaths and probable deaths not previously recorded.

All newly reported deaths occurred prior to April 2021.

For the week of March 16 to March 23, Massachusetts reported roughly 225 hospitalizations.

The state of Massachusetts tracks two kinds of COVID-19 positivity rates— one including higher education testing and one excluding it. The seven-day positivity rate without higher education sat at 2.15 percent when last reported on March 16; including higher education, the rate sits at 1.91 percent as of March 22.

Massachusetts reported an average of 4,718 new vaccinations per day—including boosters—from March 16 to March 23. Wednesday’s daily vaccination update reported that 14,063,239 Mass. residents—according to Mass. Department of Health data, approximately 77 percent of the state’s population—are fully vaccinated, meaning that they have received both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The new BA.2 Omicron variant, known commonly as “stealth Omicron,” accounts for 55.4 percent of COVID cases in New England, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The World Health Organization reports the BA.2 variant as “inherently more transmissible” than the Omicron variant.

Muurisepp and other Emerson College officials are not worried about the variant at this time, but will adjust policy as needed.

“We are keeping an eye on that and working with Tufts, but we don’t see any need to change plans at this time,” Muurisepp said. adrianna_pray@emerson.edu

Month

Cont. from Pg. 1 surrounding race, ethnicity, and gender. For Srinivas, America’s celebration of singular womens’ achievements diverts from the larger question of what has prevented others from making similar strides.

Srinivas called on people to consider the barriers women face in their day to day lives, especially in professional environments. She noted that many of the standards for professional life were set by men at a time when women—secretaries, co-workers and wives— took much of life’s burdens off their plates. Now, she said, women are expected to achieve the same things without the help.

aldi, an assistant professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Emerson, March 8th represents labor equality and anti-discrimination in many cultures across the globe.

It’s concrete changes like childcare and maternity leave—not performative ones like inclusion— that actually break barriers faced by women each day. Corinealdi echoed Srinivas’ sentiments, saying that Women’s History Month, and feminism itself, is about more than just recognizing accomplishments or tallying representation.

“Feminism is not just how many women you can count in a group, or have gotten a particular accolade, but to what degree are systems of power shifted,” Corinealdi said. “Feminism at its root is about trying to coneptualize how to shake up the power imbalances that are part of the status quo.”

Corinealdi and Srinivas both noted the importance of opening discussions about the many ways these systems of oppression intersect— especially for women of color and in the LGBTQ community. Both professors encourage those observing Women’s History Month to consider the women who paved the way for those who have succeeded.

Corinealdi asks students to consider the authors of their classroom material. When students interact with material but fail to question who produced it, she said, they miss the opportunity to engage with intersectional approaches.

The same question should be asked about Women’s History Month and feminism. For example, the United States has normalized feminist narratives like those of white, middle class, heterosexual and cisgender women, excluding perspectives of queer women and women of color around the globe.

Corinealdi said seeking different perspectives is the best way to become more understanding and empathetic. Remembering context is essential when celebrating the accomplishments of those before

“The fact that we need a history month shows how marginalized people who are central to the culture and economy of the United “Feminism at its root is States are.” about trying - Tulasi Srinivas to coneptualize how to shake up the power imbalances that are part of the status quo.”

“Until someone asks a man, ‘how do you juggle home and a career?’ I feel we’re falling behind. I’ve been asked that so many times and I don’t know that my male colleagues get asked that on a regular basis the way I do,” Srinivas said. “It implies that I’m in charge of certain things that they are not in charge of… I know that to be true, but I also think it’s remarkably unfair.”

She also noted that many women feel a commitment to home and family that is not compensated, pointing to childbirth, motherhood and the recent pandemic as examples.

Society loses “thought and talent in the public sphere” because women are not provided adequate holiday, maternity leave or access to childcare services—resources that would allow them to take on “equitable shares of life” as many men are able to without consequence or judgment, Srinivas added.

According to Kaysha Corine-

us and the efforts of those alongside us, she said.

“Sometimes we are so immersed in our own day to day realities that if we don’t have an opportunity to think about how people came before us had similar questions and tried to navigate them,” Corinealdi said. “We think it’s all about us in this particular time and place.” vivi_smilgius@emerson.edu

Opinion

The Berkeley Beacon

Editorial: The American higher education model doesn’t work, and Emerson is no exception

Beacon Archives

Editorial Board The Berkeley Beacon editorial staff is back with another edition of, “how many times will we have to say the same thing?”

Emersonians received a community-wide email on Mar. 17 by Interim President William Giligan and Chairman of the Board Eric Alexander announcing another increase in undergraduate tuition and room and board charges for the 2022-23 academic year.

After two sentences acknowledging the difficulties of the past two years of the pandemic on college students and

their families; the Board of Trustees went on to announce that it had graciously gracefully approved another 2.0 percent increase in tuition and another 2.0 percent increase for room and board.

There was a slight glimmer of hope from former President Lee Pelton in his “2019 State of the College address,” when he acknowledged the “growing pressure among parents and students as well as among local and federal governments to rein in college tuition costs.”

That recent hope was fleeting, as our beloved administration and the Board have no intention of lowering tuition.

In his recent letter to the editor, Gilligan vouched to ‘improve financial aid and support students,’ and yet, a month after that letter was published, students were hit with another increase in an already unsustainable price point.

Instead of reiterating the argument that The Beacon has made before on how the cost of attendance at Emerson College is not sustainable for the vast majority of students—an argument that has seemingly been ignored—we should look at the measures that other schools in the United States that have to deal with—and avoid—the inexorable rise in tuition costs throughout the country.

An article by The Hechinger Report highlights the overarching increase in higher education during this pandemic. The elements of the pandemic— decline in enrollment and COVID-19 restrictions—led to an initial halt in tuition increases. While the COVID cases are slowly but surely declining, the pause in outrageously high tuition increases was sadly short-lived.

Due to the effects of inflation, many universities have already announced an increase in tuition. The University of Virginia announced a raise in undergraduate tuition and fees by 4.7 percent for next year and University of North Carolina Wilmington voted to increase tuition by 3 percent. Institutions like the University of Illinois, where tuition had been flat for all but one year since 2015, are raising housing rates

by 2 percent and tuition by just under 2 percent.

The Boston College Board of Trustees recently voted to raise undergraduate tuition to $62,950 for the 2022–23 academic year, bringing the total cost of attendance (including the price of room and board fees) to $80,296. BC is not the only school in the Boston area that is hiking up their prices to the 80K range.Wellesley College for the next academic year is now set to be $81,000, and Boston University saw a 3.0 percent increase compared to academic year 2020-2021, bringing the annual cost of attendance for on campus students to $79,606.

Students everywhere are facing the same issue as many Emerson students: currently enrolled students are being forced to pay bigger bills than they had anticipated when they initially enrolled.

As previously stated, the conditions in which institutions have to mitigate the costs are complex, and to make the assumption that these increases are random or unnecessary would be false. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the business model of the common American University/ College is unsustainable. This issue is not isolated to Emerson College, yet as one of the most expensive schools in the country, where about 60 percent of students apply for financial aid, the administration should actively look for a solution.

No solution to this hike is one size fits all, but there has been some effort to help students across the board.

Some governors, such as Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster proposed a freeze in the current increase, and

March 24, 2022

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the University of South Carolina has already announced that it will not increase tuition in the fall.

Other representatives like California Gov. Gavin Newsom have pledged 5 percent budget increases in each of the next five years for that state’s public institutions if they propose lowering the cost of attendance. Because of this, the California State University system has promised that it won’t raise its tuition next year.

Other universities have changed their business models, like The University of Massachusetts which centralized its purchasing system for each campus in 2020. Already the change has saved them over $34 million by the middle of the year. For private universities and nonprofits like Emerson College that don’t see government regulation or funding, lowering tuition is still an option. Research suggests that tuition reductions lead to higher enrollment rates raising the overall net revenue.

The promise of a tuition reduction, as we have seen, is far from the horizon, but it’s a promise we should continue to advocate for. Students are drowning in debt, while a low-percentage of Emerson students receive the full needbased financial aid they need. Most of us are reaching a breaking point where the price tag is too high to ever meet, aid or no aid.

We urge Emerson administrators to compromise and present transparency to their student body. We need to understand how these decisions are made, where our money is being spent, and why. More importantly, we want to see some effort to reduce, or at the very least freeze, these exorbitant costs. contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Aesthetic in a Vacuum: Euphoria and Latina Sexuality Allison Armijo

Beacon Correspondent HBO’s Euphoria caught the attention of fans and critics alike, attracting an audience of 6.6 million for the finale of Season 2 alone. From a post-football practice locker room sequence of 30 — originally supposed to be 80 — penises, to “Lolita-esqe” sex between 50-year-old men and underage girls, Euphoria has never been afraid to use sexuality as a means of exploration and examination.

Director Sam Levinson uses sexuality to guide the audience through the lives of each character. Some argue that to achieve this, Levinson often oversexualizes the characters, by making their roles in the show partially–if not entirely–reliant on their mobility as sexual agents.

While sexualizing teenagers isn’t new, Levinson aestheticizes it, using sexuality as a stylistic point of reference in the show. For example, take the character Cassie (played by Sydney Sweeney) who, according to Rohitha Naraharisetty from The Swaddle, takes on the role of, “an undeniable sex goddess shown bouncing, gyrating, and thrusting her way through Nate’s fever dreams with abandon.”

Levinson uses aesthetics to portray each character’s sexuality in ways that aren’t explicitly revealed through dialogue.

Take, for instance, the dimly lit, sterile ice rink where Cassie imagines herself to be while she gets an abortion. Although nothing is said, the audience can gauge how she is feeling based on the music and tone of the scene, not to mention her movement on the ice.

While the goal of the scene is not to sexualize her, that is just the point: she is in a desolate, barren ice rink, somewhere she spent her childhood. This sentiment is juxtaposed by the fact that she is in the process of aborting a child. While the scene is not meant to shine a negative light on abortion, it does highlight Cassie’s loneliness – both sexually and corporeally – in this moment.

While that situation deals specifically with Cassie’s relationship with her body,

a similar situation occurs in season two, with a relationship montage for Rue and Jules. The two characters are portrayed as various famous couples–Jack and Rose from Titanic, Yoko Ono and John Lennon, and Jack and Ennis from Brokeback Mountain, to name a few—as a way to communicate the current strife of their relationship.

One of the couples they represent in this “lover’s montage” is Frida Kahlo (Jules) and Diego Rivera (Rue). This scene is followed by an intimate close-up of Jules as Kahlo in “Self Portrait as a Tehuana” (1943), with a drawing of Rue on her forehead where Diego Rivera sits in the original.

While some fans see this montage as an attempt to subvert gender stereotypes–– using queerness as a way to re-define celebrated artwork––it made me wonder how aesthetics can really be separate from the identity behind the work, specifically for artists of color. The artist cannot be separated from their work. So why does Levinson think it’s okay to use the work of artists of color to aestheticize queer experiences and sexualities, especially for queer individuals who are white?

As someone who is both queer and Hispanic, I felt more disconnected from this montage than anything else I’ve seen in Euphoria. Levinson isolates the aesthetic of Latinx culture, drawing specifically from artists of color and tropes of Latinx sexuality, to define characters who are not only in the Latinx community, but also those who are white.

In an interview with Artnet News, Director of Photography for Euphoria Marcell Rév,talked about how he and Levinson took inspiration from early 20th-century Mexican murals to film the scene of Cassie in season two where she is framed as a virgin or saint. Sweeney is surrounded by pink roses to complement her eyes, nose, and lips, all of which carry the same rose-colored tint.

Levinson takes a lot of his inspiration from artists of color, but where is the line between celebration and appropriation?

While I don’t think it’s inherently wrong for Levinson to take inspiration from art-

Illustration Lucia Thorne ists of color, he never pays homage to, or reconciles with, the fact that the art in question is used to further the development of white characters. In doing so, Levinson allows the scenes, and the artwork which inspired them, to exist in a vacuum, separating the aesthetic from the creator of the work and the culture that surrounds it.

But what about the characters who aren’t white? What about the characters, specifically the women, who are Latinx?

Latinx women have long been hypersexualized and stereotyped in the media as loud, obnoxious, overtly sexual, and aggressive. With hypersexualization also comes the virginal status, a dichotomy represented by the Madonna-Whore complex. Levinson exploits these sexual stereotypes as strategies to portray Latinx characters in Euphoria, while not furthering any character development.

He sequesters them to an identity that is recognized and reproduced solely for its aestheticism.

The three dominant sexual tropes available to Latinx women are that of the whore, the mother, and the virgin.

Levinson hides behind a boundary-pushing aesthetic, only to reinforce these three sexual tropes with the Latinx female characters in the show, providing mediocre representation if you can even call it representation at all. (*cough* *cough* You don’t need to play Selena in the background to indicate the character is

Latina...)

Maddy Perez, played by Alexa Demie, embodies each of these three tropes at different times throughout the show. From the “whore” who is shunned by Nate’s family for dressing provocatively at the carnival, to the “mother,” when she gets a job as a babysitter in season 2. Maddy embodies each dominant trope of Latina sexuality.

She lies about being a virgin when she first has sex with Nate, though it is revealed later on that she probably lost her virginity when she was fourteen years old to a forty-year-old man. The specific scene in which Maddy first has sex with Nate is important to this idea also because she’s not only explicitly described as a virgin, but presented as such, as she stares up at Nate while stroking the cross around her neck, calling attention to a religious, and possibly conservative, perspective of sex in Latinx culture.

The same can be said for Kat Hernandez, played by Barbie Ferreira. Kat achieves her sexual awakening online while writing queer fanfiction and later through camming. Both Kat and Maddy are hypersexualized and undersexualized, as they both are introduced in the show as virgins and embark on journeys of sexual promiscuity that are reliant on age-old tropes of Latinx sexuality.

Levinson applies the same tropes to more minor Latinx characters, such as Barbara “BB” Brookes, played by So-

phia Rose Wilson. BB is celebrated by fans for her curt one-liners, such as the iconic, “Maddy, beat her ass! She fucked your boyfriend!” During season one, she becomes pregnant, which falls further into Latinx sexual stereotypes as the pregnancy isn’t even used as a central plot point, but as a factor to complement BB’s character.

With that being said, there is something admirable about the way Levinson embraces sexuality as a way to navigate life and relationships. He doesn’t shy away from the intimacy and vulnerability that sex and sexuality can bring. This provocative presentation can be empowering, especially when uses aesthetics to call attention to the theatricality of sex, destigmatizing an intimate, seemingly inaccessible act.

However, there is a difference between celebrating sexuality in a generalized sense, and employing an aesthetic built on racialized sexual tropes that harm Latinx women. Euphoria maintains its status as a boundary-pushing show in large part because of how it tackles the subject of sexuality. But it also isolates that conversation from race constantly, and the stereotypes which inform how Latinx characters are portrayed on screen. Aesthetics should not exist in a vacuum, and neither should the conversations we have about the characters such aesthetics embody. allison_armijo@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

March 24, 2022

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Linking clothing and queerness might ‘boost visibility,’ but it also encourages stereotypes Vivi Smilgius Beacon Staff

Last Wednesday afternoon, the New York Post tweeted a link to an article titled “‘Dressing like a lesbian’ is the sexy and ‘powerful’ new fashion trend.”

The image accompanying the tweet featured several photos of female celebrities wearing suits and other menswear-inspired outfits on the street and red carpet. And— horrifyingly— the first sentence of the article reads, “Lesbi-honest, queer fashion is totally in!”

This article underscores a variety of misconceptions about clothes and their relationship with gender and sexuality, most of which are rooted in binary, patriarchal gender roles. The idea that lesbians dress in a masculine way feeds into gendered stereotypes about sexuality itself, including the notion that each relationship should have male and female counterparts (i.e. one of the women in a lesbian relationship should “wear the pants” while the other should be more feminine). It also plays into the stereotype that lesbian women are inherently masculine and gay men are inherently feminine.

Whether conscious or subconscious, these patriarchal beliefs are the reason the Post’s article refers to wearing suits, or adopting a masculine style, as “dressing like a lesbian” instead of “wearing traditional menswear.” But what does menswear mean, anyway?

In the past decade, brands began warm-

ing up to the idea of androgynous clothing lines and retailers started phasing out gendered components of shopping.

Today’s fashion world retains terms like menswear and womenswear, but some brands have adopted the terms to refer to fit and style rather than target market.

Kirrin Finch, for example, “challenges fashion industry norms” through menswear-inspired and size-inclusive androgynous clothing, according to its website.

Society’s newfound appreciation for androgyny in clothes is what Harper’s Bazaar author Jill Gutowitz calls fashion’s sapphic makeover. In an article titled “Sapphic Style Is Going Mainstream,” Gutowitz credits this shift to a “boost in queer visibility,” citing Kristen Stewart’s Spencer press tour and a variety of celebrity outfits including Zendaya’s infamous hot-pink suit.

Gutowitz says the increase in the popularity of “lesbian fashion” has made her more comfortable wearing stereotypically-lesbian clothes without facing backlash or criticism. She also adds that she feels a bit resentful of queer women today who are able to wear such clothes and be deemed “trendy” instead of shameful.

“There’s also a safety in knowing I won’t be called a dike for wearing something I’ve always wanted to wear but was rightfully fearful to do so,” she writes. “Unfortunately, queer people often have to learn to love ourselves after enduring a lifetime of messaging that tells us not to… It feels good to be

widely accepted, finally, after decades of feeling the opposite.”

But does labeling certain fashion as “lesbian” mean lesbianism or queerness itself also comes in and out of style?

While real-life queer visibility and representation in the media are important in pushing inclusivity in today’s society, deeming certain trends to be queer crosses the line from celebratory to stereotyping. It can reinforce the harmful gender narratives perpetuated for decades.

The Post’s tweet was met with hundreds of snarky replies, many of which included photos of the “power dressing” trend popularized in the 1970s and 80s, which involved similar menswear elements like blazers, trousers, and boxy silhouettes. Journalist Angella d’Avignon wrote an article for The Atlantic in 2017 looking back on the “Power Suit” and its place in 1980s business.

She deemed it an attempt by women to both emulate the authority of men in power and escape the sexualization that follows women in nearly every environment, specifically professional ones.

“Defying the male gaze in the workplace and public life took serious negotiating,” wrote d’Avignon. “That negotiation began, in part, with power suits.”

Women used— and continue to use— power suits to gain respect and establish a level of dominance that is otherwise unattainable in male-dominated workplaces. So, the suit as an item of clothing is connected not to sexuality, but to power— a power created and perpetuated by the patriarchy. To decide

Illustration Hailey Akau that women become powerful when they dress the way men are expected to dress is just as inaccurate as deeming a woman sexy when only when she dresses the way lesbians are expected to.

The problem with linking lesbianism to a certain level of high-fashion— not just beanies and flannels, but suits and menswear, too— is that people will inevitably mistake the connection as an invitation to stereotype.

Clothing should accentuate a person’s confidence and convey their personal style. It is not an indicator of gender or sexual preference and need not be praised just because it is unconventional.

Just because Harry Styles wears a dress, for example, does not mean he is

pioneering unexplored frontiers of sexuality and self-expression, but rather that Gucci decided to make its archival closet his Love On Tour wardrobe.

That being said, it’s important to recognize that clothing is used as a universal means of expression, especially among the LGBTQ+ community. Clothing is one of the simplest ways for LGBTQ+ members to escape “gender dysphoria,” the feeling of conflict between one’s identified gender and one’s sex assigned at birth. And, in an even simpler way, everyone likes feeling confident in their own skin— or clothes. vivi_smilgius@emerson.edu

Representation falls short in Oscar contender Cont. from Pg. 1 The film relied on many other racist stereotypes, illustrating Latina women in one of two ways: ‘pure’ and ‘virginal,’ or oversexualized and outspoken. Latino men were characterized as violent and territorial. This was incredibly discouraging to many Puerto Ricans, as the 1961 adaptation is recorded as the first major film to recognize Puerto Ricans living in America, especially after Puerto Ricans officially became U.S. citizens in 1917.

As my father danced about the living room, he yelled “They shoulda casted me!” We laughed, but I couldn’t help feeling angry that this was the only representation he had as a kid in the 60s. I earnestly hoped that one day we would watch a reboot in which we could both see ourselves on the big screen.

Last December, that much-anticipated reboot materialized, as Spielberg released his remake. Even though my dad and I were eager to see the updated version, with the story’s previous ties to racism, it is sensible why others would be divided on how to react when news broke that Spielberg, a white man, would be leading the remake.

Amarís Rios ’24, a Puerto Rican musical theater major at Emerson, reflected on this. She said, “I saw the original motion picture of West Side Story and, respectfully, that’s all I really had to see after that. The plot is unoriginal and overrated. Poor minority girl meets a charming white savior and they never live happily ever after…Not to mention why are we still, 50 years later, making updated versions of a movie that is fundamentally flawed? It cannot be fixed. It started racist and it will forever be racist.”

However, when it was revealed that all of the actors in the reboot are of Latinx heritage, there was excitement amongst Latinx viewers. There was this hope that perhaps this story, which is deeply flawed as Rios suggested, could actually be fixed. And with the frontrunner, Maria, finally being played by a Latina actress named Rachel Zegler, there was

El Capitan marquee featuring “West Side Story.” / Courtesy Creative Commons all the more enthusiasm.

Zegler has spoken extensively on the opportunity to be the first Latina to play Maria, who was previously played by white actress, Natalie Wood. “Being the first Latina to play her on screen, that was a huge moment. My Latin heritage does inform me in a very real way — I walked through the world differently than Natalie Wood did,” Zegler said, in an interview with NBC News.

Zegler makes a valid point in saying that she is able to better portray the role because of the experiences she lived that are exclusive to Latina women.

However, it should be emphasized that Zegler is not actually a Puerto Rican woman, but rather of Colombian and Polish descent, which gravely disappointed me, my dad, and surely many others. And although she is a Latina, this is still an issue of which Zegler and Spielberg have yet to address.

Spielberg, as a white man deciding to remake a historically racist story, had

the responsibility to get it right. I struggle to even defend Spielberg choosing to direct this, as Latinx people should have the agency to tell their own stories—especially as a mere 4.2 percent of directors working on the top-grossed films, from 2007 to 2019, were of Latinx descent. He had all the resources to cast every single actor authentically, and still chose not to. His failure to do this plays into the dangerous narrative that all Latinx people are the same. It promotes the misconception that regardless of the clear difference in culture, all Latinx people have the same experience.

I have been asked by many non-Latinx people if I am from another Latinx country, with most assuming Mexico.

When I corrected them, I was routinely hit with the response; “Aren’t they all the same?” Because of that, it feels like a stinging slap in the face to have Spielberg adhere to the ideology that we are indistinguishable from one another, in regards to casting. It also sends the mes-

sage that we should be grateful that we are even getting a Latina Maria, rather than a white woman in brownface. But as a Puerto Rican woman, I refuse to accept the lowest-hanging fruit.

I have never, at least knowingly, seen a Puerto Rican woman who resembled me on screen. In that way, it felt like a sour betrayal from Zegler as well, to take a role that was not fundamentally hers—not on the basis of talent, as Zegler is undoubtedly so, but identity.

Hearing her speak about the importance of accurate representation, knowing she is not Puerto Rican, was actually quite heartbreaking.

Rios also spoke more specifically on the decision to cast Zegler as Maria. “[Zegler is] Latina, we can’t take that away from her. She did a phenomenal job, but at this point, I’m wondering… does Hollywood have a vendetta against Puerto Rican women? They had options, is all I’m saying. The Broadway community is more diverse than we

give it credit, we just need people to open the doors. Why settle when you can just do it right?” Rios said.

‘Doing it right’ would’ve been taking the time to find a Puerto Rican actress with just as much, if not more, talent.

And while it is true that many minorities were employed, misrepresenting Maria still has major consequences. As Rios said, there needs to be an emphasis on opening doors for all Puerto Rican actors to actually succeed—not just within Hollywood, but in smaller communities like Emerson College as well.

Similarly to the industry, Emerson College is a predominantly white institution, which can make it quite difficult for minorities to be seen, heard, and genuinely appreciated. Rios reflected on this struggle, relaying one of her first experiences within Emerson’s theater program. She said, “The first week I got to Emerson, one of my instructors told me “Don’t get your hopes up about summer stock auditions; a lot of playhouses are opting out of doing In the Heights.”

The instructor was non-Latinx, and referenced the show In the Heights, as its plot is focused on the Latinx community of New York. It’s hard to refute the fact that this was a racially-motivated comment, given Rios’ identity— which brings up another important part of the discussion.

Latinx actors should not be pigeon-holed or limited in such a way.

There must be a balance. Yes, Latinx roles should only be offered to the appropriate Latinx actors, as in the case of West Side Story. But it is also important not to restrict Latinx people to these roles only, especially when there is a surplus of roles that are not race-specific. In my eyes, that is the solution. Not remaking a fundamentally flawed story again to include an authentic Puerto Rican Maria. What we are asking for is to not only be included, but to be accurately celebrated in a space in which we have historically not been. christina_horacio@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

March 24, 2022

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Living Arts

First-year creates TikTok for food allergy education

First-year and TikToker Mia Silverman. / Courtesy Mia Silverman

Hannah Nguyen Beacon Staff

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, first-year Mia Silverman did what any bored teenager would do— go on TikTok. After posting a TikTok sharing her 50-plus food allergies, she woke up the next day to a million views.

Silverman decided to start posting more allergy-related content on her TikTok in 2021 after her allergist told her she was stuck with them for the rest of her life.

“I had a phone call with my allergist and he was like, ‘listen, Mia, you’re not going to outgrow your allergies. You’re stuck with it for the rest of your life. I’m sorry, but that’s just the truth,’” Silverman, a visual media arts major, said. “And I was like, ‘you know what, I can’t change. I can’t feel sorry for myself. I have to try to make the most out of this and try to use my allergies for good.’”

After her post blew up, her parents encouraged her to keep posting, and she continued gaining more views and followers. As of right now, she has 53K followers and four million likes.

“I feel like that has shown me that I’m not alone,” Silverman said.

“There’s a whole community of people that are just like me, which kind of helped me accept that this is my life.

People are going through the exact same problems as me.”

Silverman has had food allergies since she was born. Her earliest memory of an allergic reaction was when she ate a cookie with nuts in it, causing her to go into anaphylactic shock, where her throat closed up and her whole body turned red and was covered in hives. She then went to the emergency room.

“Doctors ran lots of tests, bloodwork and skin tests, and they were like, ‘Okay, you’re allergic to this crazy long list. Have fun, figure it out,’” Silverman said. “That’s kind of how it all started.”

While most people eventually outgrow their allergies, she gained more over time, whether it was every couple of years or every couple of weeks.

There are eight common allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. Silverman is allergic to six of the eight: milk,

eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, and peanuts. She is also allergic to other random preservatives, fruits, and vegetables. Most of her reactions are a result of consumption, while her peanut butter allergy is airborne.

“On average, I have at least one reaction per week,” Silverman said.

Silverman believes her allergies may be related to her dad’s family health history. While her brother outgrew his allergies, the rest of her dad’s family has many health issues, including a history of autoimmune diseases like lupus. Her dad has atopic dermatitis (eczema) and some shellfish allergies. She also has mast cell activation syndrome, which causes her to react to her food allergies at any time.

She has seen at least five or six different allergists throughout her lifetime and is constantly being referred to different doctors because they see her as a “medically complex patient.”

“I tried all kinds of shots and treatments,” Silverman said. “I tried food challenges where they basically feed me foods I’m allergic to in hopes that I can outgrow it, and it just never worked. My doctors had told me that out of the 35 million people that have severe food allergies, I’m in the 1 percent of the population. I have a very rare case, which is very discouraging if I’m being honest because there’s no cure for someone like me.”

All throughout elementary school to high school, Silverman said she was bullied for her allergies. Some would put nuts in her food to “see [her] die.”

She recently transferred from her previous college after one semester because they did not accommodate her allergies.

“I had to rely on Chipotle as my source of food every single day for a whole semester and Chipotle is not cheap. It’s expensive and my bank account was crying for help pretty much,” Silverman said. “I needed to make a change when it came to my dietary restrictions and I found Emerson because Emerson has the Oasis section in the dining hall, which avoids the eight common allergens, and I have not gotten sick once eating there.”

It’s often a stressful process to find safe food options for her to eat. Silverman usually has to rely on her “safe foods,” which are allergy-friendly foods she brings around in case she’s somewhere where there are no ac-

commodations for her. If she plans on going to a restaurant, she would have to make phone calls ahead of time to see if there are options available to her.

Sometimes, restaurants would turn her away.

Grocery shopping can also be difficult. She always has to read the ingredient lists for anything she wants to buy every single time because ingredients can sometimes change and companies will not always disclose that information.

“The majority of the things at the grocery store I cannot have because all of these packaged foods like Doritos or Goldfish have preservatives that I can’t eat,” Silverman said. “I constantly feel like I’m being left out, and I’m missing out on all the fun snacks because while I can have fruits and veggies, it’s boring. I don’t want to be eating fruits and veggies as my snack. I want to have chips, I want to have junk food, but I literally can’t.”

While she has supportive friends and family members who ensure she’s in a safe, allergy-friendly environment, she said it can still sometimes be lonely and take a toll on her mental health.

“When it comes to social events, I usually don’t want to go because I’m so anxious,” Silverman said. “I feel like I’m just left out in general. I can’t have what everyone else is having. I’m just not part of that.”

Silverman attended a food allergy conference years ago. Despite being surrounded by others who share similar experiences, she still felt alone. Everyone went around in a circle listing their allergies, as well as the ones they outgrew.

“Then it was my turn, and I had to go on for five minutes listing all my allergies and saying that I didn’t outgrow any,” Silverman said. “I swear I heard crickets. It was just dead silence.

That’s when I knew I was different and that I’m not the typical allergy patient.”

Because there’s a mental aspect to her severe allergies, she sees a food allergy psychologist every two months, in addition to her regular check-ins with her allergist every two to three months.

Recently, she has gotten brand partnerships like Fig, which helps those with all kinds of dietary restrictions find food they can eat. She was also featured in the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) nonprofit organization’s Instagram page. The organization aims to do research and find a cure for different allergies.

“After being posted on FARE, I received hundreds of DMS, all these different people around the world thanking me for posting and sharing my story,” Silverman said. “People said, ‘I was so scared and because I saw your post, I feel like I’m ready to share my story.’ Comments and messages like that, I thought, were very encouraging and very motivating for me. I finally found my purpose and I’m using this challenge for good and helping other people.”

While she still goes through her fair share of struggles, Silverman said using her TikTok to talk about her allergies has given her confidence and allows her to connect with others who are just like her.

“I felt alone my whole life, and now I don’t anymore, and that’s what matters,” Silverman said. “I feel like I am loved.” hannah_nguyen@emerson.edu

Last year’s sustainable clothing swap. / Courtesy Maya Seri

Sustainable clothing swap event to be held April 2 Hannah Nguyen Beacon Staff

To kick off Earth Month, a sustainable clothing swap event will be held Tuesday, April 2 from 3-6 p.m. at Emmanuel Church.

Sustainable Swaps is a non-Emerson affiliated organization led by sophomore marketing and communications major Mireya Zellner. Their mission is to build a community focused on reusing clothing and lowering people’s environmental impact. “[The clothing swap] is a good way of giving [clothes] a second life before it goes to Goodwill because it may get a third life with Goodwill, but there’s a chance that it may not and then it gets

something big, and I thought it was just going to be me and my friends doing a little swap of clothing,” Zellner said. “It’s turned into something that’s really cool.”

The clothing swap will have nine official vendors. Attendees are encouraged to bring in clothing or jewelry to sell or trade and have their own bed sheet or blanket to place the items on, but it is not required. The event is first come first serve, so Zellner encourages those who want a larger space to arrive earlier. Each vendor will have the option to trade or sell their items. Prices are determined by the individual vendor. Clothes left over after the event can either be donated or taken home by the vendor.

As many Emersonians, as well as people from surrounding colleges, have

Flyer for Sustainable Swaps event. / Courtesy Rebecca Calvar thrown away,” Zellner said. “All of this textile waste is just going to the landfills.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, textile waste accounts for 5.8 percent of landfill waste. Only 14.7 percent of that gets donated or recycled, while the remaining 85.3 percent goes to landfills.

This will be the second event organized by Zellner thus far. The first was held in October 2021 in the Boston Common in which 15 people showed up.

“When I originally thought of this idea, I didn’t think that it would turn into

unique styles, Zellner said the event is a great opportunity for students to find new clothes sustainably and to potentially make money.

“Someone might hate the clothing that they have, but someone else might love it,” Zellner said.

For updates on the event, check out Sustainable Swaps socials: Instagram: @sustainableswapss TikTok: @sustainableswapss hannah_nguyen@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

March 24, 2022

7

‘Freestyle Love Supreme’ brings waves of laughter to the Colonial Theatre Karissa Schaefer Beacon Staff

Left with no set or costumes for their Boston opening night on Mar. 18, it was up to the cast of “Freestyle Love Supreme” to make the show go on without a hitch using their humor and creative musical talent—and that they did.

The delayed arrival of their set pieces didn’t hinder the performance one bit as the group feeds off of spontaneity.

Following their Broadway run, Emerson’s Colonial Theatre is the show’s third stop on their national tour. Playing until Apr. 2, students can purchase rush tickets for $20 in person at the Box Office two hours prior to the curtain call.

Conceived by Anthony Veneziale— with co-creators Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail—who also happens to play MC Two Touch in the show, “Freestyle Love Supreme” offers a unique viewing experience for every audience member. Improv hip-hop rappers utilize the audience’s suggestions on words and personal stories to create a whole live show on the spot. From an audience made up of all ages, practically nothing was off-limits, making for hilarious, memorable moments.

“FLS” is basically an Emerson

comedy troupe show elevated 10 times with the addition of rapping. There’s a level of intimacy between the cast and the theater’s audience engagement that isn’t often reached with an everyday Broadway show. There’s no wonder why the show received a Special Tony Award in 2021.

The show was previously the subject of a Hulu documentary, We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, which filmed behind-the-scenes moments like rehearsals, as well as on-stage performances during their 2019 reunion tour.

The comedy musical group was started back in 2004, initially playing at various international festivals before going to Broadway.

Alongside Veneziale, Friday’s show starred Aneesa Folds as Young Nees, Jay C. Ellis as Jellis J, Andrew Bancroft as Jelly Donut, Chris Sullivan as beatboxer Shockwave, and keyboard players Richard Baskin Jr. and James Rushin. Everyone’s talents shined through each of their individual personalities and their collaborative efforts really came together, stunning the audience with amazement for their improvisation skills.

Going in without knowing what to expect was confusing at first. The cast started offstage doing a mic check from the wings, entering with a fun group rap

(L to R) Chris Sullivan, Wayne Brady, Anthony Veneziale, Aneesa Folds, and Kurt Crowley (on keyboard) in Freestyle Love Supreme at the Booth Theatre. Courtesy Joan Marcus.

and dance. The first thing MC Veneziale mentioned was the missing set, to which he then thanked the set designers for pulling it together on a whim, mainly by using heavy stage lighting.

Honestly, having a set versus not having one didn’t make any difference, as it doesn’t take away from the incredible flair of each performer. All eyes focused on them more than anything.

Things were more clear after Veneziale explained how the show is curated based on cooperation from the audience. The first word had to be a verb.

Sitting nearby, an elderly lady whispered that her first thought was to say “Fuck.” Now the girls that get it, get it. This was followed up with someone from the balcony yelling “Running,”— boring, which Veneziale agreed. The chosen word ended up being “Shiver.”

Both keyboard players were going ham creating music to supplement the freestyling. Also in the background was Shockwave the beatboxer, who is actually insane at his craft, being that that’s all he did for the entire show.

All three had solo sections to introduce themselves, and while the rappers did too, the instrumentalists really blew the crowd away, composing beats that seemed impossible to make—especially for the beatboxing, making people applaud.

The last rapper to go during the first song was Folds, and that’s when everything about the show clicked. Although the entire cast is overwhelmingly talented, in the nicest way possible, Folds is almost too good for the show. Never hearing about her before, her name and performance will now forever be seared into the brain of everyone who attends. A notable line of hers from the “shiver” rap—“One night with me is how it is to chew 5 Gum.” Going off those lines is surely great timing for Veneziale to follow up the song with “We say a lot of crazy shit at this show, don’t record.” Of course, after following theater etiquette throughout the show, there was a photo and recording opportunity at the end for anyone who wanted to savor the special performance. Veneziale joked about sharing them on social media and mak-

ing people feel bad about themselves for not being there—very relatable to say the least.

The show is genuinely hilarious and in the best way, will remind people of their favorite acapella-filled movie Pitch Perfect. When Bancroft as Jelly Donut was introduced, with every added task to rap, he was spitting bars quicker than someone can think, so intense that he was quite literally spitting. Plus, whenever he was given the chance, Ellis’ Jellis J would start breaking down dancing to his castmates’ beats, making it feel too real.

Veneziale once again pulled ideas from the audience, asking them to give him their funniest life story in the form of a headline. Someone brought up something about a music theory class, which is such an Emerson thing to do. Then Veneziale joined in with the bashing of the Boston transportation system when someone yelled, “We need a T line that runs on time.”

Finally, after getting some good laughs in from someone saying “I told my dad he looked like Yoda,” the cast settled on someone’s story about putting a penny in a power socket.

They had the guest come up to the stage to recite her experience and ask her questions to fill in gaps. It was amazing how quick the rappers were to reenact the story with their own creative flair, with characters, freestyling, and all. When they seemed to have reached the end, they surprised everyone with a rewind and do-over, which then made the question “What would you have done differently?” make sense. So with the answer being “I would use a quarter instead,” they did a 360 and incorporated that story, changing the outcome. It was like something never seen before.

Following that was a more personal moment, as the cast brought their spread-out stools closer to the edge of the stage and the lights dimmed to a soft purple. Using the word “graduation” as a jumping-off point and a mellowed keyboard playing music in the background, the four told visceral true stories in a freestyle format. After each person’s turn going down the line, Folds sang a chorus beautifully, showcasing her range, with the thought “Ugh she’s so good” coming to mind repeatedly. This segment really emphasized the “love” part of the show’s title.

The show ended off on a strong note, showing how it progressively gets better with each new song. The last

audience request was for someone to share what they had done for the day and come to the stage to give a play-byplay. Admiration goes towards anyone in the crowd willing to stand and speak in front of a packed house, which is a normal part of “FLS.” Veneziale decided on an eager fifth-grade teacher.

The teacher was grilled about her day, recalling it hilariously in detail as Veneziale sat on the edge of the other side of the stage, feet dangling and all.

It was as if the two were besties gossiping after a long day of working with kids. The crowd was tuned in with all ears, listening to the young woman who made her life seem like anyone else’s, but more exciting. She is too real for complaining about her job, as well as talking about her roommate and all the wine they drank before and during the show.

Doing another full song and dance performance like the power socket story, Sullivan mimicked the teacher while Folds followed him around from behind, taking the lead in rapping about her day. It started off with an alarm clock bit, considering how the teacher mentioned how many times she pressed snooze that morning. Veneziale even mimicked the bottle of rosé she had.

To no one’s surprise, Folds once again had some unforgettable lines.

Knowing the teacher’s mascot is a griffin, she joked about it saying “If you call me a lion one more fucking time,” erupting a laugh from any Emerson student. With the normalcy of swearing in the show, it was jarring when she censored herself saying “Are you freaking kidding me I hate this.” But then the other rappers’ role as the children in the class was a reminder of why “freaking” was the choice of word. Which got completely thrown out the window anyway when she said “What’s that sound? It’s the mother fuckin’ ringing of the bell.”

For a final almost encore performance before bows, they ran through the first entrance song again, bringing the show full circle.

So go see “Freestyle Love Supreme” while conveniently located— see it once, twice, three times, or more!

Every show is bound to offer a different bundle of laughter each time, one as enjoyable as the last. karissa_schaefer@emerson.edu

‘Long Story Short’ program launches third edition of exposure for up and coming filmmakers Karissa Schaefer Beacon Staff

Drawing success from its short film category that’s seen more than 7,000 shorts, Kickstarter’s third annual monthlong celebration Long Story Short brings creative stories to fruition and helps artists financially support their projects.

The film company previously had 159 projects each year, garnering $1.8 million pledges in 2021 and $1.2 million in 2020.

According to Senior Director of Film Elise McCave, March is an ideal month for film promotion due to the following spring weather being the best possible time for filming. Noticing what time of year typically accumulates attention on the site, this also allows for college students to submit any final thesis projects they may have.

Coming from a background of documentary and film, McCave uses her experiences to focus on curating a community of filmmakers at Kickstarter and working with them day to day. The crowdfunding site is always thinking of innovative ways to promote fundraising campaigns.

Kickstarter’s main goal is to facilitate connections between filmmakers and their projects.

“I’m a primary interface between the film community and the platform,” McCave said. “We’ll help folks think about fundraising strategy: Where does crowdfunding fit into that? Where does the rest of the budget come from? Who might we be able to connect you with? That’s to help you to reach the rest of your budget needs for film productions.”

Kickstarter’s Long Story Short film promotion campaign. / Courtesy Kickstarter Kickstarter has 15 broad categories for all creative works such as music, publishing, games, design, technology, and more. McCave works with filmmakers by heading in all types of different directions, whether it’s a short, feature, a VR piece, or restoring a local theater. All creators collaborating with the platform have an original idea they are seeking support for.

“The basic principle is that we’re bringing people to the platform to pledge in exchange for some kind of incentive for some kind of reward,” McCave said.

“That could be a link to see the film, the opportunity to walk on set, [or] some kind of gadget. What our creators offer in exchange for those pledges are really varied.”

The brand is committed to showcasing a wide array of diverse, upcoming artist voices. Filmmakers are from all over the globe, many met when traveling to vari-

ous film festivals, which became easier to be present for online due to the pandemic.

Other methods of contact include going through other film organizations, partners, and referrals.

“It’s important to us that we feel that the films that are on Kickstarter, especially the films we are actively promoting, really represent the breath of society and community, in the U.S. and beyond,” McCave said. “Hearing stories, getting a window into stories I might not have heard before or someone else might not have heard before, and that we’re supporting folks who maybe have not had the opportunity to tell their story before.”

Long Story Short grew from a love of short film, no matter what stage of production, distribution, or viewing. Compared to feature-length, shorts are an easier way for filmmakers to gain entry into the entertainment world, as well as allowing them

to branch out with fresh ideas, forms, and genres. Shorts is the brand’s most notable subcategory from the site, accumulating the most money and having the largest amount of successful projects.

“It’s an area where people come into film at the early stage of their career, but it’s also a really nice opportunity for more experienced filmmakers to experiment, innovate, and try new things,” McCave said. “It always makes sense to put in extra energy for something that’s working very well because we just realized we can get people excited and bring lots more shorts projects to the site. We just wanted to give folks an extra lift to help them hit the launch button and get their projects live.”

The initiative has previously been the home of three Academy Award winners: Hair Love (2020), Period. End of Sentence (2019), and Inocente (2013). Kick-

starter has been working on spreading the word about Long Story Short for the few months leading up to March, the month filled with promotion. Between social media and their website, they are hoping to attract fellow filmmakers and lovers of film to engage with their content with the prospect of future collaborations.

“We’ve got a number of different newsletters that are specifically showcasing these short films,” McCave said.

“We have a bunch of resources which are specifically directed towards shorts filmmakers to get them ready for it. It’s all about promoting the project as heavily as we can and trying to drive as much traffic to those projects, and get people excited about them as well.”

McCave has a running list of exciting short films that are featured this year. With plenty of different genres and stories to choose from all around the world, there’s something for everyone to keep their eyes peeled for. Some noteworthy mentions include: Christopher Kim’s comedic narrative fiction Missile, Dhillon Shukla’s narrative fiction Run Outs, a USC thesis project The Fairchild, and a UK semi-animated documentary Trust Me?!.

“A big age range and a lot of differences in terms of people’s origins and where they’re from,” McCave said. “It’s a really exciting dynamic format for people to try out with. It can be something you’ll think about for years and sometimes all you need is that extra nudge.”

Steps to get involved can be found on their website. karissa_schaefer@emerson.edu

Sports

The Berkeley Beacon

March 24, 2022

8

Remembering former Lions volleyball player Kat Westbrook

The Emerson men’s volleyball team prepares to receive a serve. / Katie Redefer Beacon Staff

Men’s volleyball loses, wins Cont. from Pg. 1 three-point hole for most of the game.

Down 23-19, Emerson began a comeback with kills from Pittman and first-year middle blocker Ramsis De Los Santos, but another service error made it 24-21 Regis. A kill and a hitting error later, the Pride took the first set 25-22.

After a three-minute break, both teams returned to the court to continue their battle. Regis opened the set with a kill and went on to capitalize on a series of Emerson errors, going up 12-3. Read called a timeout in an effort to stop the bleeding, but the Pride continued to rally against the Lions, increasing the lead to 21-8. The Lions made a brief run but the deficit was ultimately too big to close, and Regis took the second set 25-22.

The Lions entered the third set with a tweaked lineup, switching senior Josh Elliot from setter to passer and using Slavik as a front- and back-row setter.

The shift resulted in better defense, allowing the Lions to get in an offensive rhythm.

“Statistically, [Josh] has been the best passer on the team,” Read said in a postgame interview. “One setter, a little better serve receive and better passing with Josh made sense.”

Slavik, who totaled 34 sets by the end of the game against Regis, said the 5-1 offense allowed him to focus on playing one position instead of dividing his attention between attacking and setting.

“I’m a natural setter—that’s what I really do,” he said. “I feel a lot more comfortable with the 5-1.”

The third set got off to a rocky start on both sides, with Regis and Emerson committing errors on offense and defense. A couple of kills from firstyear right-side hitter Jack Miessner got the ball rolling for the Lions, bringing much-needed energy to the gym and the bench.

Senior pin hitter Rory Dobbins tallied two kills and a stuff block—consecutively—and bumped the Lions to the largest lead of the set at 19-14. Regis called a timeout in hopes of minimizing the run, and came within two points of the Lions after a couple of kills and an ace.

Elliot responded with an ace of his own, followed by a kill from Pittman in the back row. Pittman scored Emerson’s 25th point with a kill from the outside, sending the game to its fourth set.

The Lions came out hot in the fourth

set, quickly amassing a five-point lead against the Pride. A series of attacking errors tied the score at 10, and a communication error sent Regis ahead for the first time since early in the third set.

The teams exchanged points, staying within two until a kill from Miessner put Emerson ahead 20-17. The Lions maintained the lead for the rest of the set, finishing 25-22 with another kill from Miessner.

Regis and Emerson both appeared to reach peak form in the fifth set, exchanging kills and blocks in a high-intensity offensive duel. Neither team accumulated more than a one-point lead, sending the set to extra points at 15-15.

A block set Regis up 16-15 but the Pride gave up the ball on a defensive error, settling the score at 16. A pair of service errors evened the playing field once again at 17, but a missed serve from Emerson put the Lions down 1819. Regis put down a tip, defeating the Lions 19-17 after a riveting fifth set.

Read credited some of the team’s errors to conference-play nerves, adding that the team’s energy “wasn’t where it needed to be.” For him, the loss was just fuel for the afternoon game.

“This is a team we could have beat,” he said. “We should be fired up and use that fire to get ready for the next game.”

After a three-hour break, the Lions returned to the court to face the Colby-Sawyer Chargers. The Chargers entered at 4-11 on the season, having won just one of six conference matchups.

The Lions retained the 5-1 offense for the game against Colby-Sawyer, racking up kills from Roehm, Dobbins, and Pittman to start the set. A series of Emerson errors swung the lead to the Chargers, who made a few errors of their own to even the score at 14-14. A couple of high-energy kills from Slavik and Pittman started an 11-2 run that would end with Emerson clinching the first set 25-16.

The Chargers came back fighting for set two, but Emerson kept it close through a series of hard-fought points.

Both teams held their share of leads, but a stuff block from Miessner and Pittman brought the serve to Emerson’s side of the court at 16-15 and kept it there for a five-point Emerson run.

After a series of Colby-Sawyer errors, De Los Santos tallied a kill and an ace, sending Emerson to the service line on match point. The Chargers strung together two points but a missed serve ended their run, yielding the set to

Emerson 25-18.

The Lions entered the third set hungry for a sweep, especially after falling in the close-fought match to Regis earlier Saturday morning. Dobbins opened the match with a kill from the middle, which Elliot followed with an ace from the service line. Emerson errors evened the score at 2-2, but Pittman helped the Lions on a four-point run.

Colby-Sawyer responded with a handful of kills and an ace while Emerson battled defensively, keeping within two points of the Chargers before pulling ahead 18-17. A pair of service errors and a couple of kills set the Lions ahead 22-18, and Chargers head coach Scott Fitzgerald called a timeout.

The Chargers returned from the timeout with a newfound sense of determination, logging four kills and a stuff block in a five-point run and pulling ahead 23-22. Emerson fought back with a kill from Miessner and a block from Dobbins but tied things at 24 with a hitting error. A powerful double block from Dobbins and Slavik followed by consecutive attacking errors from the Chargers propelled the Lions through the final points of the matchup. The 27-25 victory contributed to the Lions’ sweep, concluding the 2022 “You Can Play” games.

Slavik finished the day with a teamhigh 52 assists. He attributed the sweep to an improvement in energy—something Read called for after the Lions’ initial loss to Regis.

“That was the thing we were missing— we didn’t have any fun,” Slavik said of the game against Regis. “When we have fun, we win.”

Pittman echoed Slavik’s statement, saying the boost in morale helped significantly in the win. He added that the team hopes to keep its energy up and continue improving for the remainder of the season.

With eight games left to play, Pittman said he’s focused on playing for the team’s seniors and helping to make the end of their careers memorable.

“I want to play my best for them— give them the best record they can have and make sure we’re having the most fun out there,” he said. “We’re looking to improve, we’re looking to get 2 percent better at practice every day and to go out and play the best we possibly can.”

vivi_smilgius@emerson.edu

Kat Westbrook. Courtesy / Emerson College

Vivi Smilgius Beacon Staff

A key contributor to Emerson’s women’s volleyball team, Katherine Westbrook ‘16 died of a fall on March 8, at the age of 28 years old.

“She was a very vibrant young woman. She had a lot of talents, a lot of gifts,” said her mother, Liesel Hughs Westbrook. “She was our light.”

Born and raised in South Carolina, Westbrook became a twotime volleyball state champion in high school. She was also involved in theater and church, but her love for volleyball and passion for writing led her to Emerson in 2012.

At Emerson, Westbrook studied creative writing and became a published poet. She played on the volleyball team as part of current head coach Ben Read’s first recruiting class at the college; Read would later remember Westbrook’s positive attitude, saying she was “always smiling, always happy.”

As a first-year player, Westbrook was part of Read’s Great Northeast Athletic Conference-winning team and competed in the NCAA tournament. She accumulated 151 kills and 58 digs in the Lions’ historic 2012 season.

Throughout her time on the volleyball team, she played at various positions and was dedicated to doing what she could for the team’s success, Read said.

“We asked a lot of that fresh-

men group because so many people graduated from the year before,” he said. “She was always willing to do whatever she could to help her team and get on the court.”

Westbrook’s mother said her daughter’s positive attitude and willingness to help were qualities she carried through all walks of life and in all circles of people.

“Katherine was a giver,” Hughs Westbrook said. “She would always take care of whoever was in her life in whatever way she could—she’d always be there to lend them an ear. She was very empathetic to people’s feelings and whatever they were going through.”

Read said his team had discussed wanting to do something to remember Westbrook on and off the court. While none of his current players knew her personally, Westbrook’s death impacted the Emerson volleyball community significantly, he said.

“It’s definitely hit a lot of us hard,” Read said. “It was really nice to hear our current team say they would like to do something to help out and honor her.”

This impact is one felt by many, including Westbrook’s family and friends.

“I’ve heard so many stories about her since she passed, from people that I don’t even know,” her mother said. “She was leaving her mark, she was making her life.

And it just got cut very short.”

vivi_smilgius@emerson.edu