Midterms stress

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

Thursday, October 28, 2021 • Volume 75, Issue 9

@berkeleybeacon // @beaconupdate

‘Getting thrown right back in was a lot’: Students overwhelmed by return of midterm exams Vivi Smilgius & Bailey Allen Beacon Staff

This year, students are facing the first relatively-normal, in-person midterm exam period since the outbreak of the pandemic—a jarring, even stressful change of pace for students and professors alike.

After following a hybrid model for the 2020-2021 academic year, Emerson students are experiencing workloads comparable to those before the pandemic, some for the first time. For many, the adjustment is taking a toll on mental

health. “[Midterms are] more stressful now because my only college experience was [during] COVID,” sophomore visual and media arts major Anthony Paladino said. “It was a weird transition to act like [in-person testing] was normal, when to me, it wasn’t.”

Paladino, like most other sophomores, experienced Emerson midterms online or partially online last year. Yet for firstyear students like visual and media arts major Leah Boisvert, Emerson’s midterms are a stark difference from the relative lack of exams administered during their final year of high school.

“This one was really stressful, especially since I didn’t have midterms last year because of COVID,” Boisvert said.

“Getting thrown right back in was a lot.”

Boisvert’s concerns reflected a broader trend among members of the first-year class.

First-year student Lucile Lyon, who deferred her acceptance last year, said she was adjusting to in-person exams after not having to experience them for an entire year.

“This is the first time I actually took a test on paper [in months],” she said.

Race, Pg. 8

Tyler Foy Beacon Staff Two members of the women’s soccer team were removed from the team for violating COVID-19 protocols in early September, and both now face disciplinary action from the college.

The team members, starting goalkeeper Megan Rose, a team captain, and Margarita Ivanova, a forward, were removed from the team after both defied the terms of their college mandated isolation. (Ivanova currently serves as The Beacon’s assistant living arts editor).

Rose left isolation after returning a positive

COVID-19 test, while Ivanova, who was considered unvaccinated at the time, left a college mandated quarantine for unvaccinated players on the team who were exposed to Rose.

“I almost feel as though I was set out to be made an example of,” Rose said. “I really just think the administration handled this incredibly poorly.”

Athletic Director Patricia Nicol said she could not comment on individual student athletes.

Head coach David Suvak declined to comment.

Players on the team said they were “advised not to discuss [the situation].” Ivanova declined an interview request.

Goalie, Pg. 8

Emerson reports 5 new positive tests on Tuesday; semester total rises to 64 Frankie Rowley & Camilo Fonseca Beacon Staff

Exams, Pg. 2

Head of the Charles returns after remote 2020 race Two women’s soccer players removed from team for violating COVID-19 policy

Maximo Aguilar Lawlor / Beacon Archives

Emerson reported eight positive COVID-19 tests in the seven-day period from Oct. 21 to Oct. 27—including five positives on Tuesday, the highest single-day total the college has seen all semester.

The eight positives come from 4,613 tests administered over the seven-day period, a positivity rate of 0.17 percent. Tuesday’s numbers, however, come out of only 994 administered tests, yielding a positivity rate of 0.5 percent.

Two community members were reported to be in on-campus isolation on Wednesday, and none were reported to be in on-campus quarantine.

Tuesday’s spike marks a departure from weeks of relatively low positive COVID-19 tests, a period, which itself comes on the heels of a monthlong surge in positives at the beginning of the semester. It also comes two weeks after the end of the college’s Family Weekend—a three-day event where 575 families from across the country visited Emerson’s campus. The college did not require proof of vaccination or negative tests from visitors, though it did mandate masking for those on-campus.

“Masking was required in all areas of campus,” said Erik Muurisepp, the college’s “COVID Lead” and associate vice president for campus life. “We strongly encouraged that [only] vaccinated individuals come to campus—and certainly, if anyone felt symptomatic, [that they] not come.”

“We think those measures allowed us to have a successful Family Weekend, just as they allowed us to have a successful orientation and opening,” he added.

Because Emerson has required students, staff, and faculty to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the positive tests racked up thus far are most likely “breakthrough” cases—which have become more common due to the Delta variant.

COVID, Pg. 3

64

positive COVID-19 tests

.14%

positivity rate

44,000+ tests completed

INSIDE THIS EDITION

Alum remembered for lengendary voice coaching Pg. 2 Opinion: The drinking age being 21 makes no sense Pg. 4 Opinion: Megan Fox and MGK are too weird Pg. 5 Tony winning musical arrives in Boston Pg. 6 Thought provoking art installation concludes Pg. 7 Vanderbilt, Calgary excel at Head of the Charles Pg. 8

News

The Berkeley Beacon

October 28, 2021

2

Marla Kirban, Emerson alum and owner of ‘Marla Kirban Voiceover’, dies at 72 Gabriel Borges

Beacon Correspondent Between the 5th and 6th Aves, on the uptown side of 10th street, rests Marla’s Parla, the home of a full-service voiceover school.

There is a house under construction on its left and a half flight down from the sidewalk leading to its doors. A long list of celebrity clients have walked through those doors, masters of the voiceover craft who managed to make it into an exceedingly competitive field that requires years of commitment.

Marla Kirban, an Emerson alum and recognized voice coach who worked with Hollywood royalty, died Oct. 16 after a six-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 72 years old. Kirban is survived by her two children Abby Hartmann and Michael Kirban, as well as six grandchildren Sidney, Max, Emmy, Lucy, Tea and Alex.

Kirban transferred to Emerson from American University at the beginning of her sophomore year, graduating in 1970 with a degree in theatre education and a minor in speech. Entering the field of voice coaching, she spent seven years as a voiceover director at the International Creative Management talent agency before opening her own studio in New York—and brushing shoulders with stage and screen icons in the process “Please spare a thought for my pal, Marla,” wrote actress Jane Lynch on her Twitter account the day of Kirban’s passing. “She passed tonight and we were best friends and each other’s plus-one.

What a firebrand she was and oh, the adventures we had. I will miss laughing that hard.”

Lynch, who met Kirban at ICM, was only one of many stars that the voice coach worked with over the years—a group that, according to her website, also counted Megan Mullaly, Val Kilmer, and Harvey Keitel among its members.

“She gave of herself so much to all of the clients and all of the students,” Jeff Danis, Kirban’s close

friend and former boss at ICM said in an interview. “I saw in her a remarkable selflessness. She loved being behind the scenes, and she loved rooting for everybody.”

Danis said Kirban thrived as a voice-over coach because of her genuine care for the improvement of her students—never competing with them, but helping them become the best versions of themselves as voice-over actors.

“She had an understanding of how to communicate with actors and she did it with force, with kindness, with discipline, and with complete unwavering support,” Danis said. “And this was not anything she even learned as much as it was intuitive in her. It was intuitive in how to get the best performance from these voiceover actors.”

This assessment was shared by many of her students as well, among them Bruce Abels ‘76, who graduated from Emerson with a degree in mass communications just six years after Kirban.

Abels related his experience getting lunch with his coach—and sometimes, breakfast or dinner— after voiceover lessons, every time he visited New York.

“She was hugely influential,” Abels said. “Every time I’m in the booth, behind the mic, Marla is there with me. She’s in my head.”

But she wasn’t just influential—many students and friends described Kirban as someone who was herself rather than what others wanted her to be.

Kirban was the “life of the party” for friends and family members alike, according to Abby Hartmann, who added that her mother was one of the funniest people she had ever known.

“She had a huge 70th birthday party where she had all her friends and family in one place,” Hartmann said. “She was radiant that day and made sure everyone felt welcome and happy. “She would go from person to person asking them if they needed anything. She was in her element when she was

Marla Kirban / Beacon Archives

surrounded by people that she loved and that loved her.”

She also emphasized that one of the things she will miss the most about her mother, besides her knack for being a fantastic friend and a funny human being, is her advice.

“She gave the best advice,” Hartmann said. “When I was in my 20s moving from New York to Los Angeles I was so nervous. And she said, ‘Nothing is final! If it doesn’t work you move back.’ Simple, yet I use this advice all the time.”

Danis said Kirban was his only friend who had the bravery and

willingness to support him in his quest when he decided to adopt his son, who was born in an orphanage in South Vietnam.

“Everybody said to me that I was crazy because I was too old or too busy to have a child,” Danis said. “Marla was the only one who said ‘Let’s go.’ And she packed her bags and she came with me to Vietnam to support my adoption of my son.”

Hartmann added that her children, especially the girls, had just started to develop a relationship with her mother. The kids went everyday to visit her in an assisted

living place. She said the girls are having a hard-time because they would often talk to Kirban, always calling her and asking for advice.

“They miss talking to her and telling her things,” she said in a phone interview.

“If you’re reading this right now, I know it’s hard out there,” he said. “I know that it’s hard to sleep and you want to play music but just wait until, like, 8 a.m., if you don’t mind.”

gabriel_borges@emerson.edu

Spike follows weeks of low positivity rate Cont. from Pg. 1 To date, the college has reported 64 positive tests since testing began on Aug. 26—four higher than the total reported in the entirety of last year’s fall semester. The college’s positivity rate currently sits at 0.14 percent, one While Emerson’s positivity rate declined in mid-October, Massachunumbers. In the week since Oct. 21, the state reported 8,172 new cases, or an average of 1,167 cases each day. In the same period, the death toll rose by 92.

Cases reached an individual day high of 1,343 on Oct. 22, followed by

Outside Emerson’s testing site. Hongyu Liu / Beacon Staff a low of 1,115 on Oct. 26.

The state reports two COVID-19

positivity rates—one with higher education testing and one without. On

Wednesday, the seven-day test positivity rate including higher education

testing sat at 1.7 percent. The rate excluding higher education sat at 2.5 percent when last updated on Oct. 20.

Over the same week-long period, the state also reported 3,175 new hospitalizations, or an average of 453 a day.

Vaccinations have also slowed considerably in Massachusetts, with just over 69 percent of the population fully inoculated against COVID-19— though the state did reach its goal of fully vaccinating 4.1 million residents on June 22. Over the past week, the Department of Public Health reported 147,320 new vaccinations, bringing the state’s total to 4,723,295 fully-vaccinated residents. contact@berkeleybeacon.com

The Berkeley Beacon

October 28, 2021

3

Emerson’s testing center. / Beacon Archives

College shifts to pooled testing model Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

Emerson introduced a pooled testing model for select community members on Monday, a process administrators hope will streamline the college’s testing process.

Under the new testing model, individual samples will be collected in a group of ten to be tested together. The pooled model yields either negative or inconclusive results, and those who receive inconclusive results will be required to test again, individually within 24 hours. The system in place prior to pooled testing saw each sample tested individually, returning a positive, negative, or inconclusive result.

“Pooled testing is a model that K-12 has used for some time,” said Associate Vice President for Campus Life and “COVID Lead” Erik Muurisepp in a September interview. “They’ve been able to get more testing done with less resources, through streamlining the process.”

The model’s accuracy is dependent on how rapidly COVID-19 is spreading in a given area, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency explained that because pooled testing requires the mixing of samples and different sam-

ples contain different amounts of “viral genetic material” or mucus from the nose or throat, pooled tests cannot ensure the diagnostic accuracy of an individual sample and has a higher risk of false-negative results.

“In general, the larger the pool of specimens, the higher the likelihood of generating false-negative results,” the centers wrote.

Muurisepp explained that the new model reduces processing costs, as the college no longer has to pay for each individual test conducted. During the 2020-21 school year, Emerson spent $5 million on testing. were supported by Tufts University President Anthony Monaco.

“Even with the re-testing required after a pool test is positive, the program is less expensive than large-scale individual testing because it requires only a fraction of the analysis,’’ Monaco said last October.

However, a study conducted by the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory found the cost effectiveness of the model decreases as the positivity rate increases.

“As the incidence of COVID-19 increases the cost savings of a pooling strategy decreases because more pooled tests will return positive results and those specimens will need to be re-

tested individually to determine which individual(s) are positive,” it states.

Under the new system, community members will continue weekly testing at the Tufts Medical Center facility on Kneeland Street and Harrison Avenue—but instead of tapping their IDs at one of the three Emerson-designated stations, they will instead report to a “pooled testing area” and place their swabs into a large test tube after administering their test.

The model will be introduced to different elements of the Emerson communities in stages, according to Muurisepp. Currently, faculty, staff, and vendors are being tested under the pooled testing model. Students are still testing individually and the college has not announced when students would make the switch to the new model.

“That will be happening slowly over the next few weeks,” Muurisepp said.

The college initially planned to roll out the new system on Sep. 7, according to a community-wide email sent went, and in a COVID update on Sep. 15, Muurisepp stated that the transition to pooled testing would instead be assessed “in the coming weeks.”

The original date coincided with a spike in COVID-19 cases at the beginning of the fall semester; in the two weeks before Sep. 7, Emerson reported 21 positive COVID-19 tests and a positivity rate of 0.24 percent—the highest recorded in a two week period.

Muurisepp, however, stated that the delay was not brought on by the surge.

“It was delayed because the process was [still] being worked out,” he said.

“Seeing some other institutions roll it out, we needed to make sure we could do it appropriately.”

Muurisepp did not attribute these logistical challenges to either Emerson or The Broad Institute, which is responsible for providing and processing tests for a number of colleges in the Boston area. For its part, the Broad Institute has already overseen the pooled testing of hundreds of Massachusetts schools since February; as of Sept. 14, it had processed approximately 170,000 testing pools, representing over 1.1 million swabs of K-12 students, according to its website.

Material from the State House News Service was used in this report.

frankie_rowley@emerson.edu

Students studying in a classroom. Jiaxin Xu / Beacon Staff

In-person exams a stressful change Cont. from Pg. 1 First-year Jasmine Bonds, on the other hand, welcomed the opportunity to take tests in-person again, adding that her midterm experience went smoother than she’d expected.

“It wasn’t as stressful as I thought it was going to be because it was about things I was interested in,” Bonds said.

But Bonds seems to be in the minority. Even professors have taken note of the stress midterms put on their students. Mneesha Gellman, a political communication professor, said she noticed students struggling to balance this semester’s increased workload.

“I do believe that students are re-

ally having a hard time this semester, in the number of requests for extensions,” Gellman said. “I do absolutely see the stressors of the pandemic playing out in the classroom in terms of students’ wellbeing that is seen in a variety of ways.”

The concern for her students’ mental health and wellbeing has caused Gellman, who teaches both Human Rights and Collective Action courses, to omit midterms from her curriculum.

“I don’t think I’ve administered an in part as a response to trying to have as inclusive pedagogy as possible,” she said. “I feel like exams increase student stress levels; also, because of

accommodations, there are divides in terms of students that have accommodations getting more time than students that don’t. I really tried to structure my classes in a way where exams are not part of the assignment structure at all.”

Instead, Gellman said she relies on a “sequence of writing assignments” throughout the semester for students to combine into a short research paper around the time of midterms.

“Students know about it from the moment they start the class in the fall and they really work at their own pace to research a topic of their choosing that is connected to the classroom,” she said. contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Just days before election, Wu tells students to get involved

Michelle Wu speaks to a constituent. Charlie McKenna / Beacon Staff

Vivi Smilgius Beacon Staff

City Councilor at Large Michelle Wu outlined what a Wu mayoralty would look like and urged the younger population to participate in the upcoming Nov. 2 election in a student press conference on Wednesday.

“We are in a moment of generational crisis,” Wu said at a press conference held for students attending universities in Boston.

“The decisions we make in the next three to five years will determine the lives and livelihoods of the next three to five generations.”

Wu, a progressive, and fellow councilor Annissa Essaibi George, viewed as a moderate, are both running for the city’s top job in Tuesday’s elections. The two are the only remaining candidates of the selection that started running earlier this year. Regardless of the election outcome the city will see its first female mayor of color this fall.

Wu’s platform seeks to build a “resilient, healthy and fair Boston,” by bolstering education, expanding food access and increasing jobs, according to her campaign website. On the contrary, Essaibi George seeks to “prioritize building an economy” and make Boston more affordable for all its residents.

Wu said she intends to collaborate with students and young people to facilitate change in Boston, noting that she worked closely with Youth for Wu to create her campaign policy and “drive change across every single department.”

“From day one of this campaign, we have been partnering with, centering and following the lead of young people who … are pushing for the type of transformational change that Boston could really step into,” she said.

The “transformational change” Wu plans to implement includes taking the lead on climate justice.

Climate justice forms a crucial part of Wu’s platform. She has long been a vocal supporter of the Green and Blue New Deals, and has articulated several steps the city can take to decarbonize and transition to renewable energy, which will create jobs and further the push for environmental justice in the city.

“I’m really excited to ensure that Boston is a leader when it comes to climate justice and showing the urgency we need to take action,” she said. “We need to electrify ev-

erything, clean the sources of electricity … and ensure that racial and economic justice are driving our decision making.”

In addition to climate change, Wu also addressed her commitments to reducing food insecurity and combating homelessness, mental illness and drug addiction—issues given particular importance given the recent clearing of the homeless encampment at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.

“We need leadership and accountability here,” said Wu. “We’ve been turning a blind eye to the depth of the humanitarian crisis at Mass. and Cass.”

She said she plans to hire a cabinet-level chief to focus specifically on the area, adding that her administration will seek to connect the people of Mass and Cass with public health workers, mental health resources and low-threshold supportive housing.

In addition to her plans for Mass. and Cass., Wu said her administration will focus on reducing food insecurity for Boston residents and students. While state and federal funds will continue to go towards increasing food access around the city, Wu said her administration will push for systemic change.

“We need to change our underlying systems so that we are connecting food access with jobs and culturally responsive food access points that can actually empower communities to be more economically stable,” she said.

Wu has repeatedly called for eliminating fares on the MBTA, which she argues is public and, like libraries and parks, should be free. Her campaign website outlines the importance of free public transportation, saying it will limit traffic, connect Boston communities and bolster the city’s economy.

Wu emphasized the importance of student involvement in the upcoming election, calling on young people—who she recognized as a “huge voting block”— to show up to polls and mail in their ballots.

She added that this election has potential to affect politics on larger levels, too.

“The city of Boston is in a unique place to really change the conversation on what’s possible across the country,” Wu said. “We need to ensure that we’re setting the tone and leading the way to build momentum for state and federal action as well.” vivi_smilgius@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

October 28, 2021

4

Opinion

Down with the drinking age Shannon Garrido Beacon Staff

As an immigrant, I’ve found a long list of things that don’t make sense in the U.S., but the drinking age being 21 might take the cake.

Since 1984, the legal drinking age in the United States has been 21 years old, yet by 18 citizens are considered adults in the eyes of a law. The laws that tell a teenager they are an adult are the same laws that prohibit and punish those people for drinking a beer.

It’s not as though the drinking age being 21 is actually preventing people under 21 from drinking alcohol, as 68.3 percent of people 18 to 20 years old drink alcohol regardless of legality. However, there is something to be said about how effective the drinking age is in keeping people safe. For college students especially, lowering the drinking age could make the practice safer.

Lowering the drinking age to 18 would allow 18-to-20-year-olds on college campuses to consume alcohol safely in more regulated environments, reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents among underage drinkers, and remove its taboo nature from American culture.

By the early 1970s, approximately 77 percent of adult men and 60 percent of adult women were drinkers, according to Substance Use and Abuse by Kara Roger. Although there is evidence that underage drinking decreased, heavy drinking on college campuses—especially binge drinking—has remained a

medical attention are less likely to seek help because they fear the legal consequences that could come with it. For example, a random sample survey of Cornell undergraduates found that 19 percent of respondents reported thinking about calling for help because they were concerned about someone who was severely intoxicated, and only four percent actually did.

Every college student has seen the situation at least once at a party or any other social setting, where there is one some sort of help due to binge drinking. Yet, too many students ignore the

Illustration Lucia Thorne considerable problem.

Many college students in the U.S. are expected to be able to take out thousands of dollars in loans, work through school, or simply act like “adults,” yet when it comes to one of the most common adult practices, they are shut down. College students resort to heavy drinking in normally unregulated, unsupervised, and unsafe environments, where a number of factors put them in danger. While the drinking age was expected to prevent dangerous behavior, it actually has made young Americans more likely to binge-drink, according to the American Journal of Public Health. Since it is illegal, drinking becomes taboo for college students who instead of drinking socially, drink only to get drunk.

Another factor that inspires underage binge-drinking is the lack of reliability

in obtaining alcohol for college students. Many rely on friends, family, or even strangers to buy it for them.

This means it’s not always available to young drinkers who are now more likely to overindulge whenever they get the chance.

A National Institute of Health study from 2009 found that more than 1,800 college students died in 2005 from alcohol-related causes. In 2019, the number remained above 1,500. Furthermore, one in eight students reported injuries resulting from alcohol use, and 1 in 20 reported injuries severe enough to require medical treatment.

Research also shows that less than three percent of the heaviest drinking students sought help for their excessive drinking.

Students that engage in underage drinking and later need emergency

that got too drunk because they don’t want to “deal” with the consequences that could come from seeking help.

Although there is the obvious conversation of how students should always be “good samaritans”’ and help those in need, regardless of the potential consequences, that is simply not what happens. If students feel that reporting or seeking help over excessive drinking––whether that involves addiction, over-indulgence, alcohol poisoning, or more––will jeopardise their education, they are less likely to care about being a good samaritan. An education, that mind you, costs most students tens of thousands of dollars annually.

We see this on our own campus. Emerson College implemented its Good Samaritan policy back in 2016 and there has been little to no change in the number of students willing to seek attention. There is a disconnect between what the title implies and what students will wind up experiencing.

While students covered under the poldisciplinary action, they might still be asked to participate in programs meant

to mitigate future substance abuse.

Both an individual seeking help for oneself, or someone else, will be subject to a formal review by OHRL staff, and there is no exemption from a letter sent to guardians or referral to Alcohol and Other Drugs education and/ or Emerson Counseling And Psychological Services. This is hardly enough to convince students to report alcohol incidents.

The gag of it all is that so many college presidents, including M. Lee Pelton during his time at Emerson College, have signed on to The Amethyst Initiative, a group of 136 college and university presidents across the U.S. promoting a public discussion about the unintended consequences of current alcohol policies. These institutions have publicly made it a point to argue that the reason their students don’t know how to drink, and are constantly at risk is because of the federal drinking age.

In a way, it’s understandable that colleges don’t have the most lenient underage drinking policies. Colleges can, and have, been found liable for student injuries related to alcohol.

Coming from a country where the legal drinking age is 18, and there isn’t such a severe criminal outlook on alcohol use, it’s absurd to even think about.

Americans can be shipped off overseas can’t buy drinks at a restaurant, or simply walk into a bar. If we can purchase and have a full time job when seen as a legally adult in the eyes of the law, why not be allowed to drink a beer? shannon_garrido@emerson.edu

One month isn’t enough to recognize the strength of those fighting breast cancer Mariyam Quaisar Beacon Staff

she was forced to give up because her body gave in, even if her conscience wasn’t ready yet. Losing her made me realize that we need more than a month to truly honor those who have lost their battles with breast cancer.

As October comes to end, so does Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a month that honors the lives lost and the lives still battling against a disease that has a mind of its own.

According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world as 2.3 million women were diagnosed with it in 2020 alone. In the United States, there are more than 3.8 million breast cancer be an estimated 280,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer in 2021.

It’s important to remember these numbers as more than shocking statistics. These numbers represent human beings persevering through the worst of odds and these human beings must be commemorated everyday, not just from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31.

Breast cancer tired my aunt out, and despite the harsh procedures and never let it show. Instead, she planned an extravagant wedding for her son, traveled the world with her husband, laughed with her friends, and loved everyone around her more than anyone else. My aunt was so happy that even the people closest to her had no clue that her body was invaded by a ruthless disease.

until 2015 that the cancer came back stronger than ever. She endured treatment after treatment, side effect after side effect to stay alive for her parents, her husband, her sons, her brothers, her

This is a reality for many breast cancer patients. The disease makes them

Courtesy Mariyam Quaisar Hormonal therapy prohibits cancer cells from growing by refusing them hormones. Biological therapy works

as just that. Very few look deeper as to because of their resilience, breast cancer patients deserve more attention. They go through hell for years, and society gives them one month out of 12?

Those diagnosed with breast cancer surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, and radiation therapy. During surgery, doctors can either perform a lumpectomy—cutting out cancer tissues along with some normal tissue—or a mastectomy—removing the entire breast. Chemotherapy uses special medications, administered intravenously and/or as pills, to shrink or kill cancer cells.

Many side effects accompany this treatment, like weakened immune systems, easy bleeding, hair loss, nausea, rashes, mouth sores, and so much more.

the cancer cells, and also control side effects from other treatments. Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill the cancer cells, and you can only imagine the harm that comes from such an intense treatment.

“The disease makes them fighters, so the world perceives them as just that.”

a cherished part of the female body.

Breasts represent one’s sexuality and give people body types they grow to love and nurture.

Not only are they a symbol of womanhood, but they also play a role in being a mother through breastfeeding. Breasts are a woman’s protection for her heart—they allow women to embrace being female.

Those who have never encountered cancer, whether that’s through a loved one or personally, will never understand the pain of watching a body deteriorate against a force that continues to warn us to not reckon with it. It took losing a family member to a bunch of mean cells to realize the importance of commore than 31 days.

To everyone, wearing pink for the warriors around the world does not have to be limited to October.

Donating to breast cancer foundations for research, helping less developed countries, awareness and more can be a year-round gesture.

Breast cancer is not just a nasty monster, but also a powerful one, and those

breast cancer in 2005, and it was stage four right off the bat. She proved to be indestructible from the beginning, until she just couldn’t anymore. After beating

family.

Cancer is embedded in the unknown.

It’s a relentless bully of the human body, and breast cancer especially strips women of their persona by attacking

and support in the world, all the time.

© 2021 The Berkeley Beacon. All rights reserved.

Editor-in-Chief Charlie McKenna

Tyler Foy (Sports) Kaitlyn Fehr (Copy)

Managing Editors Lucia Thorne (Content) Hongyu Liu (Multimedia) Campbell Parrish (Operations)

Advisor Jerry Lanson

Section Editors Camilo Fonseca (News) Mariyam Quaisar (Living Arts) Shannon Garrido (Opinion)

(617) 824–8687 berkeleybeacon.com contact@berkeleybeacon.com

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

mariyam_quaisar@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

October 28, 2021

5

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox— uncomfortably weird Kaitlyn Fehr Beacon Staff

Megan Fox have become the celebrity equivalent of that gross high school couple that would make out under the stairwell in between classes or better yet, the couple that could be seen making out on the “Friends” couch in the Lions’ Den. I became a fan of MGK, real name Colson Baker, after his role in the Motley Crue biopic The Dirt. When Baker uinely excited. I had watched Baker parade through short-lasting relationships with the likes of Sommer Ray, Chantel Jeffries, and possibly Noah Cyrus.

I sincerely hoped that Baker and Fox would last and that she would get him back on the track that he had been quickly derailing from. It was clear to fans that Baker, by his own admission on the Hotel Diablo album, was backsliding into old drug habits and suicidal tendencies. in and out of surely weren’t helping the situation.

Boy did I get what I wished for. If only I had known what I was really asking for back then.

While Baker and Fox’s relationship was only made public in June 2020, fans speculated something more than friendship was going on between the two when Fox starred in Baker’s “Bloody Valentine” music video. Admittedly, I was one of them.

Genuinely, I thought Baker and Fox would last six months at most. Machine Gun Kelly is not known for having long-term romantic partners. Baker’s relationship with Sommer Ray lasted just under three months, and ended with her picking her stuff up from his house on his birthday amid cheating rumors on Baker’s part. they were was a few days after their re-

posted an Instagram story saying he was in love. they are was when they guest-starred on a podcast together a month after their relationship became public. I listened to the podcast, titled “Give Them Lala ... with Randall,” while I was at work, and well... that was that a choice.

In the episode, Fox and Baker discuss their astrological charts, how they met, and Fox’s belief that the two are “twin Look, I believe in astrology as much

“ I knew from that moment on that this relationship was going to be a hell of a ride. ”

as anyone at Emerson College, but the whole concept of twin souls and being fated to be with someone is far-fetched even for me.

I knew from that moment on that this relationship was going to be a hell of a ride.

Things got really weird again in November when Fox said in an interview that “Loving [Baker] is like being in

intensity of merging with him is just overwhelming, and the threat it poses is so powerful but so beautiful that you have no choice [but] to surrender with reverence and with gratitude.”

I am genuinely left speechless every time I read this quote. I have no words to describe the weirdness apart from the fact that this sounds word for word like In Feb. 2021, Baker revealed in an Instagram post that he wears a drop of Fox’s blood around his neck. I genuinely knew weird emo kids in middle school—I say that in the nicest way because I was also a weird emo kid—who wore their boyfriend or girlfriend’s blood around their neck.

However, in this case, it’s not cute, it’s just weird and nasty. Both Baker and Fox are in their 30s, they should not be acting like middle schoolers.

And then of course in May, Fox and Baker attended the Video Music Awards photographers on the red carpet with their public displays of affection. Memes abounded on Twitter about how Baker looked like a victim of one of Fox’s characters Jennifer, a soul-sucking demon, in the movie Jennifer’s Body. black tongue, and the bags beneath his eyes, Fox looked like she was stealing Baker’s soul to look amazing in her that was the case I would be here for it.

Then we get to fall 2021, when Fox high-schooler status. Between the incident at the MTV music awards where Fox referred to Baker as her “future baby-daddy” and the now-infamous “I am weed” quote, I’ve had enough of their relationship to last a lifetime.

The actual full story of the quote is that the two ran into each other at a partold Baker that he smelled like weed, prompting him to respond with the iconic line—“I am weed”. Apparently, the

two don’t remember seeing each other’s faces, and believe it’s because “[they] weren’t supposed to run into each other that night, so [their] souls, [their] spirit guides, were luring [them] away from each other.”

While the “I am weed” quote is hilarious, the entire couple’s interview for GQ magazine is insane.

In the article, the two detail how they and instead just breathed each other’s breath. They also tell the interviewer that their relationship is “ecstasy and agony,” and the “darkest fairy tale.”

All of this sounds like it came straight out of a high school couple’s Instagram bio after announcing their engagement at the ripe age of 18.

One of my favorite things that Fox chose this to absolutely have to face our shadow selves; to face things about ourselves we didn’t want to have to know, that we tried to push away.”

It’s such a wild quote that I don’t even begin to know how to wrap my head around.

Honestly, I think both Megan Fox and Colson Baker have reached the point where they’ve become so cringy that they’ve stopped being the standard for hot. I wish they would stop posting their relationship on social media, so I can stop losing my mind.

The entire relationship reminds me of the iconic “Is this allowed” Vine where someone points at a couple displaying intense PDA in what appears to be a

Illustration Lucia Thorne Panera Bread. I could unironically see Baker and Fox doing this while out in public, because, well, we all have for the entirety of their relationship.

The only reason they haven’t been bullied off the internet is because everyone is in love with Megan Fox, and we feel bad for bullying her in the past.

In the early 2010s, it was common for Fox to be oversexualized by men on the internet, who would make fun of her “toe thumbs.” Bullying in any context isn’t great, but maybe Fox and Baker need to be put in their place just a little bit.

At least for Fox, this relationship makes a bit more sense as she was in a relationship from the time she was 18 to 34.

Baker doesn’t have that excuse because he’s been in and out of relationships for 10 years. He should have learned to not act like a horny 16-year old boy by now. learn to grow up next summer. Famously, people learn to grow up when they’re 32 all the time.

Right now, it seems like they’re enjoying whatever the hell this is, but I wonder how much regret they’re going to have when they inevitably break up and look back on this period of time later.

My prediction is that the couple has another year tops before it ends, but I’m cringe they’re going to get up to before then. kaitlyn_fehr@emerson.edu

Grad students must overcome the barrier of age and program differences to thrive Charlie Brian Ambler Beacon Staff As post-undergraduate programs increase exponentially in enrollment, according to a report from the United States Census Bureau, the social division between undergraduates and graduates persists. This acts as a barrier to opportunity, which inturn affects all students.

Student organizations are one of the greatest opportunities that institutions such as Emerson have to offer. True knowledge and progress is ment in things outside of their direct classroom. This is equally as true for graduate students.

As a graduate student arriving at Emerson this fall, I have come to realize two issues—there is a serious lack of transparency from Emerson towards its graduate students and the numerous opportunities available to them. Furthermore, graduate students like myself have developed a sense of unnecessary hesitancy towards on-campus involvement.

The 1,500 graduate students at Emerson make up a large portion of the institution’s population; yet the feeling of separation from the rest of the school is tangible. This must change. Not solely at Emerson, but at all universities across the country.

According to the United States Census Bureau, from 2011 to 2018, the number of students in graduate and

professional programs has increased from 307,000 to 4 million.

Professional and graduate level education should be more integrated into extracurricular life on-campus.

Opportunities, networking, connections, and knowledge all await gradstep and reach out over this fabricated line of division. If graduate and undergraduate students learned to work together, they would achieve a Emerson has more than 100 student organizations, which means they have over 100 avenues of opportunity for both graduate and undergraduate students. I implore my fellow graduate students to look down these roads and to see the po-

The archway at Boylston Place. The Berkeley Beacon Archives

tential opportunities that await them.

From the very onset of applications, Emerson must shed more light onto the immersive experience that can be attained through any student organizations, regardless of program or level of education. There are numerous multicultural and intercultural student organizations which are fueled by like-minded individuals regardless of their program level.

Organizations in print and publishing are vast and practically endless.

Although institutions such as Emerson have missed the mark in terms of highlighting the organizations available to the graduate community, a lot of the fault lies in the graduate students themselves.

I have encountered numerous graduate students who refuse to see the endless possibilities that come from integrating within clubs and associations. Graduate level students have come to think of it as a step in the wrong direction, which has led to their inaction.

Undergraduate and graduate students have little degrees of separation and should be interconnected.

At the very core of it all, graduates and undergraduates are students trying for a coveted position in their who wish to succeed in some way or another.

The differences that do separate these two degrees and the students that accompany, can help.

Fact, experience, and maturity does separate the two programs,

however, that is where either side can learn and grow from one another.

Over the course of this past semester, embedding my time and work ethic into The Berkeley Beacon and working with many undergraduates has aided me on an unexpected level. I have learned so much from students younger than me, something all graduate students can I implore graduate students at Emerson to look past the stigma surrounding age and their program.

They should reach out and apply themselves towards clubs and societies where they share the same passion. It is without a doubt a daunting task, especially speaking to someone a few years younger than yourself, however it is worth it in every way possible.

I am currently a deputy copy editor for The Beacon. I am also a graduate student studying for my Masters in journalism. The consistent a great way to craft my work ethic and enhance my writing, regardless of being a masters student.

The division between graduate and undergraduate students has formed over the course of history, and now with the growing number of students enrolling in post-graduate courses, it is time to end the division and to connect like-minded individuals. brian_ambler@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

October 28, 2021

6

Living Arts

‘The Glassblower’s Daughter’ fairytale aims to reflect modern issues

Mariyam Quaisar & Dionna Santucci

Beacon Staff & Beacon Correspondent Fairytale “The Glassblower’s Daughter,” penned by an Emerson alum, is set in an early North American colony and follows Sandy, a teenage girl who lives in a colony that’s being run by a corrupt governor. The show ran at the Regent Theater from Oct. 22-24.

Zareh Artinian ‘91 wrote the completed script in 2015, but originally penned the story as a short story in 2008. He produced “The Glassblower’s Daughter” through the Lightning House Players, a theatrical production company he founded in 2019.

“I founded Lightning House Players with the idea of creating works that inspire people to do the kinds of things that help make the world a better place,” Artinian said.

The play alludes to various historical, political issues through the main character’s journey, like European settlers stealing Native American land, racism, sexism, and capitalism.

Actress Sonnet Lamb stars as Sandy, the daughter of a glassblower who loved to make bells. When her mother died, her father swore to never make another bell and emotionally shut off.

Sandy’s father, the glassblower, is captured by the Governor and it is up to her to save him. It is through this journey where she discovers her power and purpose. the power to speak up against the corruption that she sees around her and pull the community together so that she’s able to help everybody,” Artinian said in an interview with The Beacon.

“I wanted to offer a sense of hope and inspiration and encouragement that

we can have the power to make things better.”

Artinian graduated with an MFA in creative writing. “The Glassblower’s Daughter” was published in Odyssey Magazine as a short story over a decade ago. When he completed the story in 2015, Artinian turned it into a musical with the help of music composer and lyricist Kelvyn Koning.

2008 and there was a very different political climate at the time,” Artinian said. “Some things that were going on back then unfortunately were still going on in the last four years, [and] a lot of those political controversial issues are still going on today.”

“The Glassblower’s Daughter” was initially set to play live in fall 2020; however, due to the pandemic, the cast and crew held a screened reading instead. The run at the Regent was the play.

All of the play’s music was composed by Koning, a graduate from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, who also wrote most of the play’s songs. The songs were written with purpose—they were simple, yet effective. The music encompassed the viewers as the orchestra played right next to the audience rather than in an orchestra pit.

“I just love the singing,” said an audience member, who declined to provide their name. “The music says so much and they’re so wonderful with what they do. You can really feel it.”

Humor was embedded into the performance through the actors’ mannerisms, cadence and facial expressions, as well as the music. Without the shining actors, there would be no show.

“There are songs that are funny, there are some that are very heartwarming,” Artinian said. “We real-

Courtesy Zareh Artinian ly span the range of emotions. [The actors] have been doing a great job bringing these characters to life, audiences will be moved by their performances.”

Along with the intricate costuming, clever stage design, and expressive lighting, the show comments on various social situations that audience members can relate to. Capitalism and colonialism are addressed as the play references real life issues, like when the Governor wants to build a wall to block Indians and a song, “Manifest of Destiny” alludes to the colonists’ belief that expansion into The play also explores sexism in the 1600s—exposing shocking parallels to modern day oppression.

“The play blatantly shows ways that men put women down or try to limit them, and then shows a woman who has conversations with people and is empowered to, of her own volition, to pursue a path she wants

Tony winning musical ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ hits Boston for three nights Karissa Schaefer Beacon Staff

The Tony Award-winning musical “Million Dollar Quartet,” which chronicles a real-life recording session with rock ‘n’ roll legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, arrives at the Boch Center on Friday as part of a

national tour.

The show follows the four musicians at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee during their historic collaboration, a one-time only event. Not many details are known to the public about the impromptu jam session, and questions still abound about whether or not Cash was actually present.

The “Million Dollar Quartet” moniker comes from Bob Johnson, the

entertainment editor of the Memphis Press-Scimitar, who captured the real recording session alongside a photographer.

The jukebox musical aims to recapture the excitement and sounds of the day that four of the best musicians collaborated. It’s a landmark event for the rock ‘n’ roll genre that evolves 20th century pop-culture in mass media.

to,” Koning said. “There’s still a lot of people who aren’t willing to trust a woman as a leader, or think that women should not be leaders in any capacity. There are still stereotypes about what genders are supposed to be or do.”

The song “Utopia” especially questions inequality with its lyrics, “Why does it need to be a man? Girls are smart, girls can plan. Why does it need to be the way it’s been? If we’re gonna make a change, I don’t think it’d be that strange to notice other people besides men.”

Sandy is forced to not only overcome her father’s grief of losing his wife, but also to get to a place where she can stand on her two feet despite the obstacles suffocating her. She works hard to challenge the corruption and patriarchy around her, something women in mainstream fairytales do not do.

“I wanted to create a story that wasn’t the same retelling of the stoVarious fans have given the show rave reviews, labeling it as “energetic about the story and get into the music genre.

In an interview with The Beacon, Trevor Dorner, who stars as Jerry Lee Lewis, said translating Lewis from a historical person to a stage character has been a unique and interesting experience.

“One of the most interesting parts about this show is that all of us are playing real people that really existed instead of just made of characters,” Dorner said. “The level of research we have available is astronomical.

We have biographies, we have so much concert footage, videos, and things like that. It’s just such an interesting thing to replicate a real person that actually was alive. To look at how did Jerry Lee play the piano?

What weird, crazy stuff did he do?’”

The show aims to portray each real

Performance of Tony Award-winning musical, “Million Dollar Quartet.” / Courtesy Trevor Booth

Dorner said there are limits to what he can do because audience members want to see an accurate portrayal of the rock artists they grew up knowing and loving.

“We have to follow set guidelines because the audience has expectations, the audience has an idea in their head of what Elvis should sound like,” Dorner said.

Mitchell Prescott, the show’s sound designer, said fans expecting to hear their favorite artists perform provides an added layer of pressure.

They come to see and hear a recre-

ry that everybody already knows. I wanted to create something original,” Artinian said. “I also wanted to do something that was socially relevant and that people could relate to.”

Artinian credited Jack Gantos, a on his story writing. Gantos taught Artinian that the young protagonist should be portrayed as one who can overcome obstacles and solve problems on their own, not with the help of an adult.

“I’m hoping that this show will inspire people, that they will leave the theater feeling like if they see injustice in the world, if they see something they know is wrong, that they feel empowered to do something about it, to rise up and take steps to correct any wrongs that they see around them,” Artinian said. “I want people to feel empowered and uplifted.” contact@berkeleybeacon.com ation of their beloved artists’ music, which Prescott describes as a 90-minute rock show.

“There’s just a lot of energy in this cast, there’s a lot of fun music, and the cast is super talented,” he said. “I handle it from a rock show perspective and I make sure everyone can hear those famous vocals and famous lines that everyone knows so well, and make sure that when they’re leaving, they leave with a smile on their face.”

Head Carpenter Aurelia Lyman said the show’s music is important to recapture because of how well it stands the test of time.

“I never get sick of the music because it’s all fantastic music written by amazing musicians,” Lyman said.

“It’s rarely a dull day. Even [with] other Tony winners, there’s a song that gets stuck in your head that really annoys you, but I’m never upset when this music gets stuck in my head for a day.”

Prescott listens to the room’s sound system to get a sense of what each seat in the house sounds like. Later on, they do a sound check with the band.

“No matter where someone is sitting in the theater, [it’s important] that everyone gets to hear the same show,” he said.

Dorner described his fellow castmates as a second family, and said they’ve grown extremely close after spending three weeks on a cramped bus.

“We’re all super excited to get back to playing music together,” Dorner said. karissa_schaefer@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

October 28, 2021

7

Comedy troupe, The Girlie Project, performing their show, “Alaina.” / Courtesy Miranda Nicusanti

The Girlie Project comedy troupe performs ‘Alania,’ hilarious rendition of ‘Annie’ Karissa Schaefer Beacon Staff

Most people are familiar with the classic story of “Annie”—an orphan girl who is selected to live with rich man Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks who eventually of little orphan Annie, it’s big star Alaina Reyes, a sophomore visual media arts student, of Emerson’s comedy troupe, The Girlie Project.

All eyes were on Reyes on Oct. 21 at the troupe’s semester debut, as her Student Performance Center’s Blackbox time performing ever, and what a performance it was.

“It was an idea that we had on a whim—someone proposed that we do a performance of ‘Annie,’ and we already had the theater reserved for an extra show date besides our sketch show so Isabella, our president, said we should use the extra date to do ‘Annie,’” Reyes said. “We pulled the whole thing together within the span of a week pretty much.”

Quite literally standing next to Reyes, emphasizing their height difference, stood fellow VMA sophomore Mason Grammer. Grammer received a cheering applause upon entering as Daddy

crowded as everyone pushed to the doors. Eager students rushed to the front in. The show was delayed by 10 minutes and anticipation continued to mount.

In the meantime, there were playbills to look through, which inspired a few chuckles from the audience before the show even started. The cover graced us with Alaina’s photoshopped face onto Annie’s body, the inside was printed upside down, and the cast members were displayed by their baby photos.

The show began with “Hard Knock Life,” which featured a full dance routine. The effort the troupe put in could be seen throughout the show, from choreog“We all loved the idea of doing some sort of musical because we like to incorporate music into our sketches,” Girlie member Lily McCormick, a sophomore VMA student, said. “We needed something with a lot of characters and eventually someone suggested we do Annie but call it “Alaina” and we all thought it was a great idea.”

McCormick portrayed three characand President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

She wore a pink nightgown throughout the entire show for the orphan role, and spiced it up with a brown blazer to play the host and FDR. A noteworthy part of the show were the voices each performer had for different characters. McCormick shifted from an exaggerated little girl voice, to a fast

the show, crawling across the stage and captivating the audience.

Macy Martinez played Mr. Boardbucks’ secretary Grace Farrell satirically well. Her character used a smooth, yet dramatic voice. Each member played off of each other well but especially Martinez with Reyes. Interactions between tinez’s voice and Reyes’ facial expressions, like when Martinez gestured to Reyes and said, “What about this child over there?” in an intriguing way.

Junior design tech major Dom Letterli, who played Lily St. Regis, was comical with every word spoken from their mouth. In fact, even their scenes with no dialogue spoke volumes.

The random, dramatic kiss between them and Ana Jukic was a knee slapper, and the crowd could barely contain their laughter when Letterli yelled, “Oh my god, transition!” after the stage went dark at the end of a scene.

And don’t forget the end of “Hard Knock Life” when everyone was throwing blankets over Reyes who was in an Emerson move-in cart, and Letterli said, “I’m trying to help you Alaina!”

As they wheeled her into the wings of the stage the bin hit the wall, causing an accidental comedic effect.

chair-ridden old man who perfected the voice of a grandpa.

Katie Kendrick, a sophomore theater and performance major, who played Alaina’s dog Sandy, may not have spoken any actual words, but she did blow the audience away with the hilarious dog-sounding noises she made. Besides being an orphan in the beginning, Kendrick played Sandy for the remainder of

the group performed. “NYC” and “Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile” were high energy moments featuring most, if not all, of the members. Behind the singing voices of Daddy Boardbucks, Reyes, and Grace Farrell in “NYC,” the other cast members repeatedly ran across the stage, emulating the chaos and business of New York City. Somebody even fell and crawled off the stage at one point.

At the end, Reyes fell asleep on Daddy Boardbucks’ shoulder with Grammer patting her head and singing the song in an exaggerated, deep voice.

However, the softer renditions of “Maybe” and “Tomorrow” were equally

“What Do We Have in Common?” art installation. Sophia Pargas / Beacon Staff

a success because of its ability to prompt introspection.

“From the artist’s perspective, she was looking to create a provocative, beautiful work which explores questions about things such as who owns common resources,” Sunderland said. “The idea was to invite all people to talk about commonalities and public ownership in the Boston Common, which is the nation’s oldest public park.”

The placement of the installation on Boston Common was a strategic choice, as it was the perfect place to pose big ideas in a casual setting, according to Sunderland. Passersby unknowingly wandered onto the exhibit not expecting

an Emerson production. Reyes and Grammer are Girlie’s newest additions to the troupe, though they both seemed like seasoned professionals on stage.

“I’ve never felt that kind of rush before,” Reyes said. “I was honestly so nervous beforehand because I was worried about messing up or not being entertaining enough, but once I got out there, all of that completely went away and the adrenaline kicked in. It was the best feeling in the world.”

The student performance center was

End of Boston Common Art Installation leaves behind new ideas on ownership Sophia Pargas Beacon Staff

The public art installation “What Do We Have in Common?” concluded its run on Boston Common Sunday after a month of prompting passersby with questions about ownership.

The installation, a large cabinet with

drawers of questions for audiences to open over the course of 32 days, was placed on the Common on Sept. 22 by NOW+THERE to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Friends of the Public Garden. The project’s curator, Erin Sunderland, said that while the striking appearance of the installation drew much attention, she considered it

conventional societal ideas such as who owns the laws, education, or the moon.

“I remember seeing it in the common and being curious about what it was, because it wasn’t clear that it was an art installation,” junior theater education student Amanda Di Benedetto said. “It was just a big box in the common, and it became more apparent as you got closer that it was an art piece.”

Once at the installation, questions were written on plaques around the ground and in a large cabinet at the center of the exhibit. One of the most impressive factors of the art piece was that it was designed for people of all backgrounds to partake in.

“There were a number of questions

as enthralling. The songs were both sung mission. Overall, there’s no surprise the show received a standing ovation at the end. As multiple characters even said, “That’s our Annie—I mean Alaina.”

Girlie President Isabella Bertram, who portrayed Miss Hannigan, entertained the audience with her stage presence each time her character entered a scene. Nobody else could pull off Miss the character. utilized music for Girlie shows, accord-

was alluring to her.

“An average meeting usually consists of all of us sharing sketches and pitching sketch ideas to each other, and our shows consist of us performing those very sketches,” McCormick said. “It’s so all been working on for a while and have an audience think it’s just as funny as we do.”

Although she’s only been a part of the troupe for a month, Reyes already feels the bond between the close-knit group.

“It’s pretty much just like an established friend group that hangs out and writes jokes together,” Reyes said. “If

Some cast members of “Alaina.” / Courtesy Miranda Nicusanti

ing to Reyes.

“Isabella has said that music is always incorporated into Girlie shows somehow—her exact words were ‘I don’t remember the last time I did a show where there wasn’t a musical number,’” said Reyes. “This show was very on brand for the troupe.”

McCormick, who has been a part of Girlie for two semesters, hopes to keep the tradition of doing a musical themed show going. The ability to perform on stage, something she has always loved,

you came to see ‘Alaina,’ the vibes are exactly the same.”

The Girlie Project has another sketch show on Dec. 9, and plans to record video sketches for their YouTube in the meantime.

“We also can be spontaneous sometimes so who knows?” McCormick said. “Maybe we’ll do another musical as well! Anything can happen for us Girlies.”

in other languages as well,” Sunderland said. “Actually, 32 of the 200 questions were in Spanish, Hatian Creole, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Cape Verdean Creole. The idea behind that was to make the questions more accessible for everyone in and around Boston, because those are the other major languages spoken in the city.”

Before conversations on ownership even began, the inclusive art piece made an impact on audiences by making them more aware of the diversity in the city.

“Around the common, they would have a question in English, and then have the same question in Spanish or Mandarin,” Di Benedetto said. “In addition to this, all of the people working there are bilingual. It helped me realize and understand that there is more than just my point of view. There’s bigger things than just me; there are other people and other cultures.”

At the exhibit, “guides” were responsible for facilitating conversations and ensuring that audiences got the most out of the exhibit. Their job was to take very

on it, but others said nobody should own the moon at all.”

“She made me realize that it’s about the things that we own together, or how we can get to owning those things or nobody owning things,” she continued. “ It was eye opening.”

Sunderland said that without the guides, the success of the installation would not have been possible.

“They were really engaging to everyone on the common and started some really interesting and engaging conversations,” she said. “From my perspective, that was one of the best things about it.

Based on the press response and social

make them a little easier to comprehend, Sunderland said.

“First, the guide asked me who owns thought, I don’t know, does anyone own the moon? It’s just the moon. The guide told me that people told her that America

karissa_schaefer@emerson.edu

the installation was successful in generating conversation.”

Di Benedetto urged others to consider the message of the installation regardless of if they attended or not.

“We should start to think about things that we own together or things that nobody owns, or things that some people do own but maybe everyone should own,’” Di Benedetto said. “The point of it was to walk away knowing, ‘I think this, and you think that, but together we are both talking about the same thing and can come to an agreement on what we believe. We need to be more accepting, more willing, and more open to change.” sophia_pargas@emerson.edu

Sports

The Berkeley Beacon

October 28, 2021

8

Rowers return to Charles River for Head of the Charles Regatta Cont. from Pg. 1

Tyler Foy

Beacon Staff

nology won the men’s collegiate eights University took the women’s collegiate

The 56th annual Head of the Chalres Regatta made a triumphant return to the Charles River between Oct. 22 and 24, with legions of rowers competing in the annual race after it was held remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The Head of the Charles is an annual rowing competition hosted over two days at the end of October. 2020 was just the second time in its history–since its founding in 1965–that it was cancelled. weather conditions.

Although the competition features over 60 different events, there are four events in the collegiate division––men and women’s eights and four person.

These events are typically held to a higher standard.

The Massachusetts Institute of Tech-

Despite the differences in people, the fours have similar times. Vanderbilt Unisity of Calgary took home the women’s This competition has up to 40 teams facing off against each other. It starts at Boston University’s Boathouse and The Head of the Charles is the second landmark athletic event to return to Massachusetts in recent weeks after the Boston Marathon made its triumphant return on Oct. 11. tyler_foy@emerson.edu

The Head of the Charles Regatta. Hongyu Liu / Beacon Staff

Goalie, forward left isolation Cont. from Pg. 1 On Sept. 8, the team was set to square off against Tufts University, but the game was postponed after Rose tested positive for COVID-19 two days before the game was set to be played.

Thecollege’sCOVID-19protocolsmandatethat players on each team are to get tested before each game.

At the time of the positive test, Rose had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, meaning she had to isolate for 10 days following the positive test result. Rose said she was shocked that the test came back positive.

“This didn’t really make a lot of sense to me,” Rose said. “Not only was I asymptomatic, but also nobody else had tested positive. I’m around those girls every day. Those are the people I hang out with.”

The confusion led Rose to leave her off-campus apartment during her isolation, which Emerson strictly prohibits, to take two rapid tests that both came back negative. Rose contacted the college about these tests while also completing

another PCR test.

None of the tests Rose took were administeredbythecollege.WhenRoseaskedtogettested through the college, their stance was a firm no.

“I was in contact with Tufts and administration about trying to get them to let me take the test and they were very strict about not allowing that to happen,” she said.

When another PCR test came back negative, Rose believed she had gathered enough evidence to show she could be released from isolation and was not infected with the virus. As a result, she contacted the team’s athletic trainer.

“After that test came back obviously I was excited,”shesaid.“Icalledmycoach,andhewas like, ‘That’s great, go ahead and call the athletic trainer.’ I called the athletic trainer and there was a lot of concern revolving around how I left my isolation.” “[Instructions] were made pretty clear,” Rose continued. “I was contacted by Tufts nursing the day I tested positive and [they] told me I needed to isolate for 10 days.”

Rose said she violated the terms of her isola-

tion knowingly.

“Obviously I understood I was supposed to isolate,” she said. “When I left this isolation, I was very cautious about how I was presenting myself outside and in public.”

The college then held a hearing to determine discipline for Rose violating the terms of her isolation. Rose’s punishment was handed down three days later—she was not to participate in any extracurricular activities or allowed to use any Emerson facilities such as the Rose is also barred from campus, unless she is attending a class. Rose appealed the punishments, but was denied.

She said she doesn’t have bad relationships with players on the team, but David Suvak. When going through the appeal process, Rose asked Suvak to write a letter on her behalf but the coach declined.

Former Emerson Lions goalie Megan Rose. / The Berkeley Beacon Archives

“When I heard that there was an appeal process, I had asked my coach to write a letter on my behalf and he said no,” she said. “That was very telling and it almost made the process a little bit easier because I’m not gonna play for Rose had a long tenure with the women’s soccer team and ended her time with the team with many accolades. She was a three-time captain and

her second year.

Rose said she is now convinced the initial test was a false positive.

“I just feel as though there’s a lack of humanity within the whole thing,” Rose said. “I don’t think that there was consideration that I tested negative a number of times and at this moment I’m completely convinced it was a false positive.” tyler_foy@emerson.edu