The Huntington News February 25, 2022
The independent student newspaper of the Northeastern community
@HuntNewsNU
DORM UPSIZING CAUSES CONCERN AMONG STUDENTS, RESIDENTS By Sonel Cutler and Grace Comer Campus Editors
Photo by Marta Hill East Village currently contains 723 beds, which, under the proposed plan, would be increased to 930 for the Fall 2022 semester. During the public meeting, attendees expressed dissatisfaction with Northeastern’s plan to address the housing shortage.
At a meeting hosted by the Boston Planning and Development Agency Feb. 16, members of the public were able to ask questions and voice their concerns about Northeastern’s plan to add approximately 900 beds to rooms in the East Village, or EV, and International Village, or IV, residence halls. Northeastern released the plan in October 2021 to address an ongoing housing shortage on campus after an over acceptance of students resulted in a record breaking freshman class of 4,504 students, not including those in the N.U.in and NU Bound programs. Previous classes have not exceeded 3,300 in recent years. “Last year’s admissions yield was unplanned and unexpected, resulting in an additional 1,000 first-year students,” said Viktorija Abolina, the associate
vice president of Campus Planning and Real Estate at Northeastern. “Pent-up demand due to COVID deferrals and withdrawals resulted in what we call a ‘bulge year.’” After the proposal was made public, it was subject to a public comment period, which ended Nov. 4, 2021. Following the Feb. 16 public meeting, Northeastern will seek approval from the Boston Planning and Development Agency, or BPDA, board March 10, and according to the plan, the beds would be added to residence halls over the summer in preparation for the Fall 2022 semester. Many students have raised concerns regarding the feasibility of this plan in regards to physical space, especially as it may impact the mental health of student occupants. “I understand that it is a very tight housing situation, and it’s important to
get students out of the surrounding neighborhoods, but it seems like a very poor choice to have that many students sharing that space,” Luke Saville, a 2020 Northeastern graduate and former resident of IV, said at the meeting. Saville showed meeting attendees photos of a single dorm room in IV. The furniture as well as belongings of one resident filled most of the space, and there was little extra room. “How can you expect students to have an environment that is conducive to their ability to study and maintain their sanity, especially first-year students who aren’t going to have any idea what to expect going into this?” he said. HOUSING, on Page 2
Students react to end of mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing
Photo by Marta Hill Northeastern announced Feb. 18 that effective Feb. 28 community members will not be required to test weekly if they are asymptomatic. The COVID-19 data dashboard will also be retired at the end of the month.
weekly testing and the COVID-19 data dashboard will soon be things of the past. “We will continue to monitor developments and adapt our approach as needed,” read the email. “We want to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and agility that has helped us collectively maintain a successful and thriving teaching and research enterprise.” Effective Feb. 28, weekly testing will be optional for asymptomatic students. Those experiencing symptoms, however, will still be required to test. The email also announced that the university is “evaluating” their mask mandate — at some campuses, including Nahant, Burlington, London, Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area, mandates have already been lifted, but the City of Boston and NU’s Boston campus, have maintained their mandates. Once the email landed in stu-
dent’s inboxes, many students took to social media to express their thoughts — some positive and some negative. Some students support the easing of testing requirements and say that as a fully vaccinated community, the risk to most people is low. For Dillon Lewis, a fifth-year computer science and physics combined major, requiring testing weekly, on top of other precautions feels like overkill. “I feel fine about [no longer having required weekly testing]. It’s still optional. People need to get tested if people are feeling sick or if people know others who have COVID and think they were exposed,” Lewis said. “We’re all vaccinated. So what are the vaccines for if we still have to test weekly?” He said the vaccination and booster requirement feels like the most effective way Northeastern
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By Marta Hill Editor-in-chief The latest step in Northeastern’s plan to treat COVID-19 as an endemic came the morning of Feb.
18. In an email to students, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David Madigan and Chancellor and Senior Vice President for Learning Ken Henderson announced that mandatory
Phinista Café struggles throughout the pandemic
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Dining workers team up with student organizations
Photo by Cathy Ching
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Hot Off the Press: a recap podcast
has adapted to control the effects of COVID-19. For other students who don’t support Northeastern’s most recent rollback of restrictions, it’s more of a matter of “better safe than sorry.” “I would like to see Northeastern prioritize the health of the community over the PR of a success story,” said Jacob Kemp, a third year political science major currently on co-op in Greece. “I think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being safer than sorry because that’s what allowed us to have such a good campus experience over the last year and a half. And I really don’t think that taking 20 minutes to get tested once a week is that heavy of a lift for anybody.” The change in guidance didn’t exactly surprise Brandon Dionne, an associate clinical professor at PANDEMIC, on Page 3
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BPDA hosts public meeting on bedspace plan HOUSING, from front Parents at the meeting also raised similar concerns, given that the reduced living space is not what they expected when their students committed to Northeastern. “Kids all feel that they’re being jammed in. The sense from families really feels like a bit of a bait and switch,” Vanessa Ignacio, a parent of a first-year student living in Hastings Hall, said during the meeting. “I get that dorms are not supposed to be luxury giant accommodations, … but this pushes the bounds of what really should be acceptable. I don’t know how these kids will have enough space to study, enough space to put their things, never mind a modicum of privacy every once in a while.” Northeastern representatives explained that many of the rooms were initially built to accommodate doubles or triples, but have been used as singles or doubles while the student population was lower. “We did send the facilities people who spend the most time working in the residential dorms through these buildings to look at the rooms to figure out which ones actually were sized to be able to become a single to a double,” said Kathy Spiegelman, the vice president and chief of Campus Planning and Development at Northeastern. “Some of them are too small to [add extra beds], which is why this isn’t every single single becoming a double and every double becoming a triple.” Beyond the issues raised about capacity and mental health, students employed as resident assistants, or RAs, are concerned that housing more than 200 additional students in EV and 500 additional students in IV will increase their workload beyond their capacity. University representatives were
quick to confirm that their plan is to hire additional employees to maintain the current ratio of RAs to students. “We do assess the ratios every year just to make sure the students are getting the support and attention the programming needs,” said Chong Kim-Wong, the vice chancellor and dean of students at Northeastern. “We’re not going to be changing that. If we need to add more RAs to make sure that we’re able to support our students, we will do that, and we do assess that yearly.” Many members of the surrounding Boston community, alongside Boston city council members, raised concerns that the increase in students would result in more students living off-campus. “We’re very aware both that Northeastern students are our neighbors and members of our community, and I’m proud to represent many of them in Mission Hill and Fenway, and also that, as we know and has been established over a long time, there’s a direct housing pressure on our neighborhoods,” said Kenzie Bok, the city councilor for District 8. “This is a very important meeting to our office. We’ve been following with concern this unexpected uptick, and are trying to understand how to think about the impacts on the neighborhood for not just the coming year, but the coming set of years, given the swell in this class.” University representatives emphasized that this approach to the housing issue would help mitigate the negative impact on the surrounding neighborhoods. By adding beds to existing buildings, no construction would occur. Community members also expressed hope the extra living space would reduce the number of students leaving university housing
to live in off-campus buildings. “I think we all have to acknowledge that we’re between a rock and a hard place here,” said Richard Giordano, director of policy and community planning at Fenway Community Development Corporation. “I appreciate and hear all of the concerns and issues raised by students in the dorms and by the parents. On the other hand, I think we unfortunately have no good alternatives. ... I understand the issues about safety and dorm capacity, but your alternative is to have overcrowding and craziness in the neighborhoods.” University representatives explained that Northeastern is committed to returning to a normal class size as soon as possible to minimize overcrowding on campus and prevent the migration of more students than usual into surrounding neighborhoods. “For next year, we are targeting 2,500 because we want to respond to what happened this past year and the additional students. This fall, there were about 4,300 freshmen that ended up with us in the fall, and next year, we’re hoping that number is 2,500, and going forward, we’re hoping to go back to 3,500,” Spiegelman said. Northeastern is seeking approval for these additional beds by March 10, and community members and students remain hopeful that they will make sure the final plan addresses the comments and concerns brought up at this public meeting. “This is probably one of the more difficult, but honest, and more helpful meetings that we’ve had,” Giordano said. “Not an easy solution here, but I really do appreciate all the things that have been put out. I hope people address the comments. There have been a lot of good ideas.”
In comparison: How large is an East Village room? Under the proposed plan to add about 900 beds to East Village and International Village, some EV double rooms would house three students while some IV single rooms would house two students. An average EV double room, at about 190 square feet, provides about 95 square feet per student when housing two students and would provide about 63 square feet per student when housing three. The News calculated how the size of various commonplace things compare to the size of an EV room.
An average parking spot is about 7.5 feet by 10 feet, or 75 square feet. About 2.5 parking spots would fit in an undergraduate East Village room, with no space leftover.
A twin XL mattress is about 3.2 feet by 6.6 feet, or 21 square feet. About 9 mattresses would fit in an undergraduate East Village room, with no space leftover.
A Northeastern desk is about 3.5 feet by 2 feet, or 7 square feet. About 27 desks would fit in an undergraduate East Village room, with no space leftover.
Graphic by Avery Bleichfeld
Professor calls for US privacy policy changes By Sanjana Sanghani and Yeva Khranovska News Correspondents When whistleblower Christopher Wylie told the New York Times and the Guardian about a British consulting firm called Cambridge Analytica collecting Facebook users’ personal data without their consent, there was a public uproar. This spurred the online movement #DeleteFacebook on Twitter. Facebook agreed to pay nearly $650,000 in fines to the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office, but no meaningful change to privacy law has since occured at the federal level. For Woodrow Hartzog, a professor at Northeastern’s School of Law and Khoury College of Computer Sciences, this case is the latest in a string of debacles that demonstrate the need for new data privacy rules. In their paper, “The Surprising Virtues of Data Loyalty,” Hartzog and co-author Neil Richards, a professor at Washington University School of Law, discuss the data loyalty responsibilities for companies that process
human information. “My co-author and I actually drew from some of the oldest sets of privacy related rules that we have … when you go to your doctor and you share information, they are bound via duties of confidentiality and loyalty based on bedrock virtues that we value in society,” Hartzog said. “So I began to think with my co-author, what would it look like if we took that general principle that you should be loyal to the people that trust you in ways that make them vulnerable? What would those rules look like at scale?” Recently, Hartzog and Richards’s paper won the 12th annual Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award. The Future of Privacy Forum, or FPF, — a non-profit organization that works to bring together industry, academia and other thought leaders to explore principled data practices — hosted a virtual event that allowed the winning authors to present their work with policymakers around the world Feb. 10. According to Amber Ezzell, a Christopher Wolf Diversity Law Fellow at the FPF, members of the
FPF advisory board act as volunteer judges to review the researchers’ submitted papers in a first-round review. After that, the top 10 to 15 papers are “whittled down” to the top five to seven papers that are received that year. “The Privacy Papers for Policymakers award … is designed to recognize leading privacy scholarship that’s particularly pertinent to policymakers in Congress, at U.S. agencies, at the federal level, as well as international data protection authorities,” Ezzell said. “Each of the winning papers that’s recognized highlights work that analyzes current and emerging privacy issues … and we award those that propose solutions or new means of analysis that lead to real world policy solutions not just in the United States but in Europe, Asia and other regions across the world.” Having previously won this award nine times, Hartzog says he hopes his research has real world implications. Both Hartzog and Richards have worked closely with lawmakers to introduce bills concerning data loyalty, care and confidentiality
at the federal and state level. And yet, Hartzog says that progress has been limited. “Certainly, it’s a struggle … but of course, we knew that would be the case going in because what we’re advocating for is a massive change from the current approach … And so no major change like that comes easy … Even though it is a struggle, it’s one that we’re happy to be contributing to … we know that sometimes major reform like this takes a long time. That’s been the case in the past and I anticipate it will be in the future,” Hartzog said. During the event, keynote speaker Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser spoke of the partisan issues that impact the data privacy field. “The issues of privacy should not be framed in a partisan way. They should not become part of the log jam in Washington,” Weiser said. “The idea of dialogue that we used to have in Washington that the founders envisioned is absent … in an ideal, better world, we would see leadership in Congress engaging in the ideas and the discourse we have [at FPF].”
According to Hartzog and Richards, the data loyalty model for which they advocate in their paper can allow for bipartisan support. “Frankly, US privacy sort of lacks an identity. It’s all over the place. It’s a little bit confused. And this [data loyalty model] is one way for us to unite around a common point because things like legitimate interest or data processing … don’t really resonate with people, certainly not the public. But almost everybody can relate to being betrayed,” Hartzog said. Weiser also stressed the importance of lawmakers and practitioners working in tandem with academics, such as those who were honored by the Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award. “We have a lot of work to do ahead of us, those of us who are in the public policy realm. Those of you here from the academy, we need you. We need you helping us reflect on what we’re doing, helping us get better, helping us bring together the right sorts of people and this is going to be an interdisciplinary conversation in the best of all ways,” Weiser said.
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Northeastern embraces endemic approach, closes data dashboard PANDEMIC, from front Northeastern’s School of Pharmacy and clinical pharmacist in infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He said it doesn’t seem like too much of a shift because students still have the option to get tested.
Listen to the most marginalized students here on campus and let them kind of give their point of view and what they think should happen. We want to feel safe on campus. We also want to see the end of COVID, but we don’t think that we’re there yet. — Rosie Delgado Northeastern student “I think if the case count changes, if they see a huge spike in symptomatic cases because of this, they would, I think, re-evaluate the policy,” Dionne said. “I think it’s a reasonable first step to try to get back to more of an endemic phase of the virus.” Afterall, Dionne said, weekly testing is not perfect and some cases will slip through the cracks. Students who spoke with The News who think the testing mandate should stay in place pointed out that testing is an efficient process that can help put a lot of people’s minds at ease and urged Northeastern to keep the most vulnerable and marginalized community members in mind. Though Emerson Toomey, a fourth-year philosophy major, has not felt comfortable with in-person classes during COVID-19 at all due to other medical problems, she said she will feel less comfortable once testing is no longer required. “I’m somebody who has two comorbidities and I’m expected to still show up to classes and behave as if nothing has changed,” Toomey said. “When in reality, things have changed and now I’m at a much higher rate for contracting COVID and getting really sick.”
Rosie Delgado, a fourth-year civil engineering major, agreed and said the lifting of these restrictions is making her feel unsafe on campus. “I previously felt safe on campus when the measures to protect us were there, things like wearing masks, things like regular testing. But with the loosening of these kinds of restrictions and guidelines, I definitely feel less safe,” Delgado said. “As a resident assistant, someone who’s supposed to be a community leader and help enforce these guidelines, I feel like we’re bearing the brunt of these decisions.” The students who spoke with The News were eager to move beyond COVID-19, but did not all agree that now was the right time. “Listen to the most marginalized students here on campus and let them kind of give their point of view and what they think should happen,” Delgado said. “We want to feel safe on campus. We also want to see the end of COVID, but we don’t think that we’re there yet.” Delgado pointed to the economic differences present within the NU community and said it is important to keep in mind that these rules do not only affect students who have the luxury of isolating themselves easily and have access to good health care. “Looking at who will be most impacted by these rollbacks, it’s going to be resident assistants … It’s going to be dining hall workers. It’s going to be people who work on campus,” Delgado said. “It’s going to be basically the working class at Northeastern who will be most impacted by this and of course, all the rich students basically can almost afford to ignore this. It’s not the time to ignore, it’s time to bring back the measures.” Delgado said they stand with organizations like Huskies Organizing With Labor, NU Mutual Aid and the NEU RA co-op, that work to support people on campus. The lifting of testing requirements has the potential to ripple outside the Northeastern community. The Boston campus is situated on the borders of neighborhoods like Roxbury that often do not have the same access to testing and other COVID-19 precautionary measures. “As students who are on campus, we’re in the middle of four different communities of Boston. Most of us are basically like guests in the city,” Toomey said. “Allowing us to stop mandate testing and to get rid of our mask requirement and to do all these things means putting all these people at risk.” Though the mask mandate is still in place, as mandates fall across the country it seems inevitable they will eventually fall in Boston too. Some students are concerned that the elimination of mask mandates would cause a spike, while others don’t always see the benefit of masks on campus. Lewis said he often sees people not wearing masks correctly, despite NU’s mandate. “I don’t feel like that’s doing so
much because everyone in Curry is eating and drinking, nobody wears a mask. You go into the tents, nobody’s wearing the mask,” Lewis said. The Northeastern COVID-19 data dashboard that has been in operation since Sept. 6, 2021, will no longer be updated at the end of this month. Toomey said she thinks the data dashboard is an important part of keeping the community in the loop. “I know that COVID has has sort of become normalized in the last two years, but that doesn’t mean that our right to know how our campus is doing and how the people around us are faring should be taken away,” Toomey said. In an interview with The News last month, Henderson said the dashboard was an important resource to understand community spread. “We think that it’s actually a useful tool to tell the campus community about the prevalence,” Henderson said. “While it’s not the driving force for decision-making it is still one data point which is useful for us.” At the time, he said the university did not plan to remove the dashboard “for the foreseeable future.” While displaying data of optional tests would not be representative of the entire campus community, students expressed that having a glimpse into the state of COVID-19 on campus is beneficial. In the last seven days of published data, Northeastern has recorded 586 positive tests. The News calculated the seven-day positivity rate at 2.58%.
because information about positive numbers can help students make informed decisions. “I think there could potentially be a compromise there where they still continue to report positive numbers at least,” Dionne said. “But I get why they’re shying away from that with the screening tests going away and how that would impact the positivity.” Students seem to be divided on Northeastern’s newest policies. Some students have expressed online that they are excited to return to a more normal life, while others — some of whom have first hand experience with COVID-19 infections — caution that the virus can still have impactful negative effects. Several of the students who talked with The News expressed that weekly testing, which has been the norm on the Boston campus this year, is not too much to ask of students to help keep people safe. “I really feel like it doesn’t hurt anyone,” Toomey said. “At this point it’s become such a streamlined process that it takes maybe five minutes total. A little bit more if there’s a line, but still, it doesn’t take that much out of your day. And if it puts everyone else’s minds at ease, and it’s free, there’s no reason not to do it.” Though Kemp is not on campus right now, he has been on campus throughout the rest of the pandemic and he pointed to Northeastern’s well-recognized successes in controlling COVID-19 up until now, calling the recent rollbacks a “sudden reversal.”
“I would say overall I still feel pretty comfortable because we still have testing available for those who want it,” Dionne said. “For now, at least we still have the mask mandate, but even after we removed the mandate, you can still continue to mask if it makes you feel more comfortable.” Many people calling for an end to restrictions point to the significant mental health toll the pandemic has had on everyone, including college students. Kemp said he has felt these effects too, but said testing doesn’t contribute to those issues in the same way as past measures like capacity limits. “We’re still going to have clubs, we’re still going to have classes, students are still going to be able to be socialize with each other,” Kemp said. “All we’re asking for is to continue testing students, to continue asking students to wear masks inside. So that’s all possible. These are not heavy lifts.” Dionne said the recent changes are in line with Northeastern’s attitude towards COVID-19 this semester. “Their message has been [that the] goal isn’t really necessarily to prevent symptomatic cases anymore, the goal is to prevent hospitalization, but I still think that they would adjust things if they started to see more symptomatic cases,” Dionne said. “I’ve trusted their response throughout and so I think that I trust them in this.” Northeastern is not the only university who recently announced changes to COVID-19 protocols — Emerson College, the University
Photo by Marta Hill Testing will still be available for symptomatic students and those who choose to get tested. The daily wellness check will also no longer be required, except when checking in for a test. “I try to understand why, because they won’t have fully representational data for the university,” Lewis said. “But I’m still kind of mixed on that because, do they still have the archive data somewhere? Or is there any kind of statistic that we can ask about? Because it’s good to know every once in a while.” Dionne said he understands students’ concerns regarding the closure of the data dashboard
“The only way that COVID at Northeastern got to really low levels was because of really stringent access from university. So the only way it’s going to stay at low levels is from continued stringent access from action from the university,” Kemp said. Dionne said the university’s high vaccination rate, the country’s falling case counts, and the symptomatic testing requirement help him feel safe on campus.
of Massachusetts Lowell and Lasell University all announced mask-related changes this week. Despite the change on the air, some students remain unconvinced. “We are lucky to get in and we are lucky to attend but at the end of the day, Northeastern as a university is providing us with the service,” Toomey said. “We’re here to get an education and we should be able to get an education without putting our health at risk.”
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Blick Art store on Mass. Ave. to close in March By Renée Abbott News Staff
ahead, rows of brushes, sculpting materials and other art materials. There is also a level below with a section devoted to kids’ supplies, sketchbooks, easels and storage for art supplies. The Blick company began in 1911 after the founders Dick and Grace Blick began selling Payzant lettering pens. They continued adding products geared towards sign writing and focused on fast shipment. The first Blick store opened in 1974
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Boston-area Blick locations
On March 18, Blick Art Materials store on the corner of Huntington and Massachusetts Avenues will shut down. Situated near Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Northeastern University and Wentworth Institute of Technology, Blick catered to students as well as local artists on a college-filled street in a large college city.
Blick currently has three locations in Boston: Cambridge, Fenway and this particular store across from the Symphony neighborhood. The Massachusetts Avenue Blick store is located right next to the Symphony MBTA station and under Caffė Bene. When customers enter the store, they can find by tables of retail items and an employee welcoming them. To the right, they will find rows filled with paint and other various tools and
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Map by Avery Bleichfeld
and two generations later, the Blick family has over 60 stores across the country. In 2013, Blick bought Utrecht, a rival art supply chain and added their 45 stores to Blick’s growing enterprise. Blick is a certified “Great Place to Work,” an award that recognizes companies that scored positively on an employee wide survey regarding workplace culture, and fosters a work environment based on respect and trust. Employee and local artist Dante Miller has worked at the Massachusetts Avenue Blick location for four years and will transfer to the Fenway location once the store shuts down. “We had our choice between which store we wanted to go to. I think most of us chose that one just because it’s closer to where most of us live,” Miller said. “It’s the most convenient to get to, even though it is still out of the way.” Miller, who does traditional paintings, as well as digital art and comics, said Blick has helped him connect with other art lovers. “[The customer base is] definitely students and local artists, myself being one of them, and then ones that I have met throughout my years of selling art and doing small art shoes around the city,” Miller said. “I’ve seen quite a few friends come in here and have met even more people since working here.” Between sketchbooks, paints, brushes, sculpting tools and more, artists and students in the area rely on art supply stores to produce their craft. Besides traditional art majors, architecture majors require mate-
rials from Blick as well. Northeastern first-year architecture student Ashanti Tejada, who typically goes to Blick every two weeks, will miss the convenience of the Massachusetts Avenue Blick location. “I would have to go much farther just to get my supplies. Obviously I have to buy chip board or foam board and it’s already really big, so then you have to walk farther with that,” Tejada said. “I’ll probably be on the bus with a huge bag lugging it around.” However, MassArt student Laura Buscemi said she will not be largely impacted as she prefers the Fenway location. She visited the Massachusetts Avenue Blick location to take advantage of the closing sales. “I didn’t actually go to this one a lot, I preferred to go to the one [in Fenway] just because I felt like they alway had more of what I wanted and I like the stock there better so I never used to come here as frequently as that one,” Buscemi said. Employee Miller Penaflor blames the closing on issues with the landlord. “From my understanding, they didn’t want to renew the lease,” Penaflor said. “We haven’t been able to contact them since we closed for COVID.” Penaflor also pointed to the poor shape of the store due to “years of neglect from the landlords.” The Blick store representatives declined to comment on the Massachusetts Avenue store shutting down. “Nobody has any idea what they have planned [for the store], that’s a good question,” Miller said.
School leaders vie for mask mandates standards By Olivia Becraft News Correspondent Mask mandates face conflicting enforcement in Boston public and Catholic schools after Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration declared masks will no longer be mandated in public schools in Massachusetts, according to a news conference held by the Baker administration and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education earlier this month. On Feb. 9, Baker announced the statewide mask mandate for K-12 schools will be lifted Feb. 28. Local school districts must individually decide if they want to continue mask mandates in their schools depending on factors like vaccination rates and feedback from families. However, the Baker administration disclosed that masks will still be required for specific situations. For instance, if a student tests positive for COVID-19, they must quarantine at home for five days and wear a mask the following five days they attend school. Students must also continue to wear masks on school buses because public transportation is under the jurisdiction of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite Baker announcing his decision to lift mask mandates in schools, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced that masks will still be required for Boston Public Schools beyond Feb. 28. The decision to lift the school mask mandates, Wu said, will be based on daily hospitalization
trends, intensive care unit capacities and community positivity rates. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Casselius addressed the issue Feb. 15 during a school committee meeting. Casselius reminded the school district that mask mandates are being taken seriously, saying that “masking has been one of the most important aspects of our health and safety in schools.” The Boston Public School Committee presented a unified front with Wu’s administration on K-12 school mask mandates both right now and in the future. “We will monitor data and trends and communicate any changes to our masking policy in consultation with the Boston Public Health Commission, our families and staff,” Casselius said. Wu’s decision to extend the mask mandate for Boston public schools not only affects the students, but the educators as well. Wu came to an agreement with the Boston Teachers Union, or BTU, Feb. 10 that she will ease the vaccination mandate for teachers and other workers within the education field. Changes to the vaccination mandate allow unvaccinated teachers to work during periods of low virus transmission. During this time, they must also get tested for COVID-19 twice a week. However, when Boston is experiencing high virus transmission periods, unvaccinated teachers will have to take unpaid leave. The BTU released a statement in regards to the continuous mask
mandate, writing, “while the decision to uphold the mask mandate is ultimately up to the district, we continue to encourage mask wearing in schools until the vaccination rate for students is significantly higher.” Boston does have one of the highest vaccination rates in children ages 5-11, in comparison to other Vaccine Equity Initiative cities in Massachusetts. In the three months since Pfizer’s vaccine was approved for that age range, Massachusetts lawmakers have run an outreach campaign aimed at 20 cities and towns that were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The most recent statistics show that about 38% of children ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated in Boston. Alongside students, the majority of educators in Boston are vaccinated — BTU reports that 99% of all teachers are vaccinated or have received an exemption. “The union and the mayor are in agreement that masks be worn in school,” said Michael Maguire, a co-editor for BTU, as well as a Boston Union teacher. Maguire is not a spokesperson for BTU. Although BTU agreed with Wu on the continuation of mask mandates, there still seems to be some division between Boston teachers. “From what I observe, there is little resistance to the mask mandates,” Maguire said. Even though there might be conflict within Boston Public Schools, students and school faculty, “will likely wear masks until the end of the
school year,” Maguire said. While Boston Public Schools will continue their mask mandates, Boston Catholic schools announced Feb. 9 they will remove their mask mandates later this month. “The Archdiocese of Boston is eliminating all school masking mandates on behalf of all Archdiocesan Parochial schools and Archdiocesan-related Catholic schools,” said Thomas Caroll, Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools superintendent in a statement to the school community. These changes will go into place Feb. 28 alongside Baker’s mask requirement lift. In addition to lifting mask requirements in Catholic schools, patrons attending public masses at Roman Catholic churches in Boston will follow the same policies.
37.5% of Boston children 5-11 are fully vaccinated according to Boston Public Health Commission data from Feb. 24.
Other Catholic churches in the city can address their mask policies at their discretion. “We will support the Archdiocese decision on these topics,” said Joanne Gallagher, communications director for the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston. “I’m mindful that the Archdiocese wants to keep everyone safe and will make decisions that will benefit everyone going forward.” Gallagher said all parties involved in the decision are trying their best to play their part and stay safe. “I can’t speak for the schools, but I wouldn’t even begin to speculate that they’d make a poor decision,” Gallagher said. “They really care about the students and the faculty. It’s up to the schools to decide, they’ve been very vigilant.” Boston Public Schools is not the only district that is continuing the mask mandate beyond Feb. 28. Chelsea, Cambridge, Somerville, Springfield, Shrewsbury, North Hampton districts, as well as Mohawk Trail Regional High School have announced their intent to maintain a mask mandate. While a few are sticking with Boston, the majority of school districts throughout the state have publicly announced that they will follow Baker’s lead in lifting the mask mandates, including Worcester, Quincy, Danvers, Hudson and Woburn. Wu has not announced a possible future date for when Boston Public Schools will be lifting its mask mandate.
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Local productions champion racial justice By Alleyna Pitaso News Correspondent Non-profit arts organization Celebrity Series of Boston is getting ready to host three performances centering Black culture and social justice in The Movement Series, starting Feb. 26 and running through May 1. Afro-Colombian dance group Sankofa Danzafro’s Feb. 26 and 27 dance performance “Accommodating Lie” explore the stereotypes and politics of the Black body through movement. Poet, playwright and dancer Marc Bamuthi Joseph utilizes multimedia formats such as spoken word, song and dance to create commentary on how America’s legal system and over-policing have affected Black fatherhood in “The Just and the Blind,” which will play April 1 and 2. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform a mixture of new and classic works in the group’s return to Boston, including a signature piece “Revelation” from April 28 to May 1. These performances mark a return to in-person entertainment. Nicola Williams, president of the event planning firm The Williams Agency, helped bring these groups to Boston to promote the intersection of performing arts and social justice. “The Celebrity Series chose these three presentations in particular because they’re centered around dance [and] they all have a connecting thread of social justice through them,” Williams said. She said she believes these shows will amplify activist-oriented messages and help connect different audiences to a variety of artistic topics through education and entertainment. The diversity of the performers and shows allow Boston residents to relate to the stories told, Williams said.
“This is a great way to let the community know that the Celebrity Series is going on a journey of not only offering more diverse and inclusive programming but also growing internally and externally,” Williams said. From its beginning in 1938, Celebrity Series has been partnering with acclaimed talent from all over the country to provide entertainment. According to its website, Celebrity Series brings over 65 performances in eight to 10 venues and over 150 community events annually. The “Arts for All!” — a community engagement program under the Celebrity Series of Boston — consists of free concerts at local neighborhood venues, classes with mainstage artists and participatory performance projects. The organization’s main event since its beginning in 1938 is the Subscription Series. Celebrity Series brings in talent from all over the world to create a diverse lineup of performances like The Movement Series. Sankofa Danzafro partnered with the Celebrity Series in 2018 for “The City of Others,” a performance about wealth, sexual orientation and race issues among marginalized communities in Colombia. In 2020, the dance crew put together “Black Voices of Boston,” a virtual compilation of dance-based stories from seven Boston residents. The group’s upcoming shows will bridge the gap between African and Latinx history. “Boston has a large Afro-Latino community. This is a great way to connect that community to this kind of African culture because it’s not as represented as others, especially in art. This being performed during Black History Month makes it even more special,” Williams said. Meanwhile, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has been working with the Celebrity Series for over 50 years. New and returning spec-
tators can expect to see new and classic performances. As a historically Black organization, its local performances have become a tradition for some Boston residents like Aisha Zamani. “I grew up going to Alvin Ailey’s performances here. I loved being able to watch people that looked like me dance on stage. My dream career growing up was actually to become a dancer because of them. That didn’t pan out, but their performances still mean a lot to me,” Zamani said. In 2008, the United States Congress deemed Alvin Ailey to be an essential cultural ambassador to the world due to its international success and influence. According to Congress’ website, the company has performed for almost 25 million people in 48 states and 71 countries, leaving behind a lasting impact. As a Roxbury native, Zamani said she is excited to see all three performances highlighted instead of just Alvin Ailey’s. Growing up she had heard from family members visiting the area that Boston seemed to lack diversity, which was surprising to her because she’d grown up around other people of color from all backgrounds. “There’s so many people of color in this city. It has so much history and culture. These performances are going to be a great way to showcase what Boston has to offer with Black culture specifically. I hope my community really comes out and shows them love,” Zamani said. Joseph has worked with composer Daniel Roumain and director Yoram Savion to produce “The Just and the Blind,” a multimedia show that immerses audience members in a powerful experience. Grammy-nominated singer Debo Ray, a Berklee College of Music alumna, will be featured. This performance will be its Boston debut despite its national acclaim. Using film, song, music and dance,
their authentic Vietnamese coffee. In the early days of the pandemic, they supplied coffee to local healthcare workers in support of their contributions to society. Almost two years into the pandemic, the couple had to adjust operations. When they recognized the hardships that came their way — lack of staff members, supply prices doubling and increased, reasonable salaries for their workers — they decided to raise their prices. “It brings up the conversation that with all of these changes, can you really handle being able to market, bring people in as a small business and still maintain all of that without your stress going crazy?” Pham said. In response to the increased prices on the menu, customers have left reviews online, stating they were unhappy with
the increased prices. To help customers understand their decision in raising prices, Pham and Bach decided to explain their reasoning on their website to maintain transparency between them and their customers. “It’s a little bit frustrating,” Bach said. “For small businesses, people [rely] on [reviews] to come to them.” Pham said he finds it necessary to take a step back when running the cafe becomes too stressful, especially when he works almost 100 hours a week at times. “[It] affected [my] mental health a lot,” Pham said. “I had last week off so I could revitalize and get myself into a good mindset.” Although starting a cafe was always a dream of Pham’s, he did not envision it to take place during a pandemic. There were many challenges that Pham and Bach had to overcome when COVID-19 affected their business. “There are so many mandates,” Pham said. “I learned that [the COVID-19 vaccine policy] was dropped from Instagram. We don’t really get clear communication from the government, so we do our best to stay on top of things.” Aside from communication between the owners and the government, Pham and Bach also had to learn how to communicate as business partners. To make things easier, Pham runs Phinista Café and Bach runs Bánh Mì Ơi, their Vietnamese restaurant in West
Photo courtesy Elsie Management Members of Afro-Colombian dance group Sankofa Danzafro performing “Accommodating Lie,” following a narrative that explores the stereotypes and politics of the Black body through movement. performers will explore ideas of racial profiling and biased sentencing in the legal system and the effect this has on Black children. The show will serve as a way to humanize marginalized communities and what they go through as a result of systemic oppression. “The uniqueness of this show is unlike anything the audience will have seen before. The way it switches between media and dance will be sure to captivate anybody watching. And the fact that those attending this show will be the first ones to ever see it performed in Boston makes it even more exciting,” Williams said. Spreading messages of social justice through performing arts is not new, but it has become more prevalent in recent years. Emerson University’s Co-Chair of Performing Arts Amelia Broome believes that the industry’s attitude towards racial injustice is shifting more. “People are fed up with the way things have been run in the past. Theatre has had tones of patriarchy and white supremacy for a long time, but performers and producers are saying enough is enough,” Broome said. There is also an attitude shift towards
the treatment of performers in the industry. While theatre has been considered to be competitive and exhausting on dancers, producers lately have been taking their well-being into consideration more when making decisions. “We’ve been asking our performing arts students one thing we can do for them. Just one thing that can alleviate their stress or anxiety. While there were many different answers, the consensus was ‘have mercy on us’. Life is already complicated and preparing to perform for live audiences again has everyone a little on edge,” Broome said. Within the industry, more conversations regarding casting and portrayal in productions have taken place. There is more focus on inclusivity and featuring Black characters as the lead, not a secondary character. “I think that these kinds of performances remind us of our shared humanity. It helps dissolve this perceived barrier between groups of people,” Broome said. “These issues are always going to be in the conversation. We have to approach it from every angle, including performing arts.”
Roxbury. The couple often disagrees on how their businesses should be run, but regardless, Pham and Bach make the final decision for each of their restaurants respectively. “In the end, we respect each other and what we want to do [for our restaurants],” Bach said. Despite the hardships that Pham and Bach had to face throughout the pandemic, there are still customers who are committed to drinking Phinista Café’s staple Vietnamese coffee regularly. One of these customers is Neil Tran, a laboratory manager at Harvard Medical School. “My family owned a coffee farm just 30 miles away from Saigon,” Tran said. “I don’t remember much of it because they sold the farm when I turned 10 or 11 but I remember helping out, learning all the stuff about preparing the coffee beans and how it worked.” Traditional Vietnamese coffee is brewed differently than American coffee and uses different coffee beans. Tran is not sure if the coffee beans he prepared in Vietnam are the same as the ones that are used in Phinista Café. However, he is sure that the preparation of Vietnamese coffee, as well as the cafe’s environment, remind him of his childhood in his home country. “It feels very homey,” Tran said. “This is one of the high-grade authentic coffee shops.” When he isn’t working, Tran said he likes to enjoy a cup of Vietnamese coffee
with his friend Andrew Del Bene, a paralegal at a law firm in Boston. “We enjoy sitting [by] the store window,” Del Bene said. “It’s always very lively — a lot of young people around.” The comfortable environment of the cafe is largely attributed to Pham and Bach’s consideration of incorporating the coziness they felt from Neighborhood’s Café, a French coffee shop and crepe place that was previously in the same building the cafe is in now. In fact, the current white and blue floral wallpaper was inspired by the Neighborhood’s Café’s floral wallpaper. Pham and Bach wanted to respect the legacy the owner of Neighborhood’s Café left behind, Bach said. Even though Tran and Del Bene are fans of the cafe, Pham was faced with skeptics long before the pandemic began: his parents. “I think that a lot of people — immigrant families [and] kids that grew up in immigrant families — have a lot of pressure to fulfill these shoes that have been [made] for them already,” Pham said. Pham rerouted his life plan of becoming a pharmacist, but he has accomplished much more in the long run: opened up a cafe, learned to face business-related hardships and provided a place for many Vietnamese residents in Boston that reminds them of home. “It’s really up to [you] to believe in yourself and believe in, ‘You will fail, but can you stand up from that failure?’” Pham said.
Phinista’s resilience prevails during pandemic By Cathy Ching News Staff When Phi Pham graduated from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire, with a degree in biochemistry, he had three goals on his bucket list: open up a cafe, a wedding venue and an orphanage. He started with the cafe. And Pham had support along the way. After he and his wife, Yeanie Bach, got engaged in June 2019, they wanted to start a small business together. In January 2020, they launched a delivery service, selling Vietnamese coffee. In August 2020, Pham and Bach opened Phinista Café in Fenway, selling a variety of Vietnamese-French tea and pastries, but their main priority was sticking with
Photo by Cathy Ching Phinista Café is run by a couple that aims to fight the hardships that come with running a small business during COVID-19, such as paying workers – like Marnie Walsh, pictured above – a reasonable salary.
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Northeastern dining workers join with student organizations to advocate for better pay, working conditions By Sonel Cutler Deputy Campus Editor Inequitable pay and fraught working conditions have stressed Northeastern’s dining staff to its breaking point. “Northeastern is burning the candle from both ends,” said Oliver Green, a second-year data science major and a lead organizer for Northeastern Young Democratic Socialists of America, or YDSA. “They’re underpaying and overworking their workers, as well as overcharging and under-serving their students.” Dining workers anonymously shared stories with The News expressing their frustration with the university. One food service worker told The News that she spent one afternoon in January in the hospital, getting treated for first degree burns after a coworker tripped in the congested dining hall at Levine Marketplace and spilled a cup of boiling water on her back. One 26-year-old prep cook said he dreams of one day opening his own restaurant, but said has lost the passion for his work that used to get him out of bed every morning. Another said he worries about sending two of his five children to college soon on a salary of just $35,000 a year. Although they successfully unionized in 2012, workers said they are still feeling unsupported by the university. And as they did 10 years ago, they now have turned to student organizations for help. Northeastern food service workers and representatives from
Boston’s UNITE HERE Local 26 Union recently began meeting with a coalition of student organizations, reviving a student-labor collaboration in hopes of achieving better working conditions and pay for the dining staff in their upcoming contract negotiations, as well as advocating for lower meal plan prices for Northeastern students. According to the Education Data Initiative, an average campus meal plan costs $563 per month. Northeastern’s 17-swipe meal plan, comparatively, totals around $930 per month. “What really resonated with me was that simultaneously, students at Northeastern are paying exorbitant amounts for meal plans, and some of them are going hungry … because of how expensive it is,” said first-year political science and history combined major Jesse Fusco, another lead organizer for YDSA. “While at the same time, dining hall workers are told that they can’t get raises because the university can’t afford to pay them more than $35,000 a year because the students are the main priority.” Dining workers’ contract with Chartwells, the company contracted by Northeastern for food services, is up for renegotiation and will expire on Aug. 31, according to a person involved in the union. Union organizers are beginning to survey workers to ask what changes they would like to see in an updated contract. The last contract renegotiation in October 2017 ended tensely after dining staff reached an agreement with Chartwells and narrowly avoided a strike that the workers and and members of Local 26 had voted to authorize just days prior.
If contract demands are not met before Aug. 31, a labor strike is a very real possibility, according to a union representative for Local 26. Under their current contract, Northeastern’s dining workers make $35,000 per year with builtin raises, according to the Local 26 Union. Many workers say this salary is not a sustainable living wage to support their families, especially in Boston, where rent prices are at an all time high. “Everything is … higher now,” said a dining worker, who spoke anonymously for fear of professional retaliation. “Even with the pandemic. It’s not enough money. … Sometimes I need to apply for food stamps, and they decided to deny it to me, so it’s hard. I have three kids. And it’s not enough money for me. Even if I work overtime, it’s not enough.” A workweek for Northeastern dining workers is capped at 37.5 hours, as opposed to the 40-hour workweek that workers are paid for at neighboring schools, including Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to a member of the union. Additionally, Northeastern prep cooks have a minimum hourly rate of $20.25, six dollars less per hour than workers at the aforementioned colleges, despite all being contracted by Chartwells, according to a member of the union. After YDSA’s second general meeting of the spring semester, during which they reviewed their ongoing campaign to reduce Northeastern’s meal plan prices, a representative from Local 26 introduced himself to club leadership and proposed that they coordinate
a student effort to support dining workers in their contract negotiations with Northeastern. “If we were to just run our campaign on our own, and we were
“By working with the union, we can both help reduce food insecurity on campus and help alleviate the issues that are facing dining hall workers.” — Joshua Sisman Chair of YDSA to successfully get a cheaper meal plan, that means … increasing the demand of the workers,” said Joshua Sisman, chair of YDSA and a thirdyear political science and economics combined major. “By working with the union, we can both help reduce food insecurity on campus and help alleviate the issues that are facing dining hall workers.” On Feb. 2, YDSA held a steering committee meeting jointly with
NU Mutual Aid, during which two dining workers expressed to students their plights with the university. On Feb. 10, another club, Progressive Student Alliance, or PSA, hosted a similar meeting. Claire Wang, president of PSA and third-year computer science and math combined major, said she knew having a forum where dining workers could interact with students would be helpful. “Hearing people’s stories about how their working conditions are affecting them personally is very moving,” Wang said. “You can tell that … they like their job. They want to make sure that students are being well fed.” The coalition of student organizations is reviving a defunct student group called Huskies Organized With Labor, or HOWL, which had a membership of over 50 student organizations at its peak in 2017 and helped dining workers unionize 10 years ago. “We have an awareness campaign where we’re flyering, we’re canvassing, we’re getting students aware of the issue that we are facing,” Sisman said. “We’re going to be gathering petition signatures throughout this process, and then we’ll deliver the petition to Northeastern. If they say no [to our demands], we’ll just intensify our awareness campaign.” YDSA leaders also hope the joint campaign will help build students’ relationships with the dining hall staff. “For the most part, they’re two very separate groups that don’t really interact very much,” said Green, lead organizer for YDSA. “Most service workers and working-class people in
College Dining Services NORTHEASTERN
VS.
HARVARD
Average meal plan cost $7,910
Average meal plan cost $6,755
Average salaray $35,000
Average salary $40,168
Hours capped at 37.5
Flexible hours
400 workers/15,156 students (Fall 2020)
650 workers/8,527 students (Fall 2020)
Graphic by Anne Zhu
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Photo by Sonel Cutler A dining staff member serves food to students during dinner at Levine Marketplace. Dining halls like the one at Stetson East have experienced crowding during peak meal hours, forcing understaffed dining workers to take on multiple jobs and responsibilities. Boston keep the city running. Versus the college transplant elites that we all are. Another issue is how dehumanized the dining hall workers end up being. They’re little robots that serve you your food, and you just say ‘hi’ and ‘thank you.’
“My company has let me down by putting me through what they’re putting us through. It’s not about one of us, it’s about the whole unit. And to experience support — I’m not asking for it. I’m almost begging for it.” — Anonymous Lead Cook
I don’t imagine that’s good for your mental health, having those same interactions all day, every single day.” Though they interact everyday, there is no significant relationship between those that staff the dining halls and those that eat there. “With this present campaign that we’re running, there’s a bigger possibility for dining hall workers and students to connect more, given that there’s a general feeling of both students and dining hall workers being screwed over,” said YDSA lead organizer and second-year business administration and economics combined major Jay Patel. “Students are paying more for workers to earn less … so that Northeastern admin and Chartwells can increase their profits.” The influx of students on campus this year, exacerbated by a record breaking freshman class, has added to the pressures that dining workers continue to face, such as the reopening of dining halls like Stetson West as well as expanded hours of Churchill’s, which Northeastern announced in a Jan. 26 email. “The common theme is that there’s a lot of students — a lot more than before,” said a person involved in Local 26. “There’s a lot more people to feed. … There are times when the cafeteria is so crowded that there’s no place to sit for the workers and the students.” As a result of layoffs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the dining staff is spread thin, according to Local 26 Union representatives. Workers say they assume more responsibilities than they are
equipped to handle and feel underappreciated by the university. “My company has let me down by putting me through what they’re putting us through,” said a lead cook who wished to remain anonymous for fear of profesional consequences. “It’s not about one of us, it’s about the whole unit. And to experience support — I’m not asking for it. I’m almost begging for it.” In an email statement to The News, Northeastern emphasized that Chartwells is responsible for negotiating contract conditions with the union. “Northeastern does not em-
ploy any unionized dining staff. The dining hall workers … are employees of Chartwells, our food service vendor,” wrote Northeastern spokesperson Shannon Nargi. “Their staffing levels and shifts are subject to the contract negotiated by their union … and Chartwells several years ago. Any changes would be for Chartwells and the union to determine consistent with their contract.” As of Thursday, Feb. 24, Chartwells has not responded to multiple requests for comment. YDSA club leadership expressed
hope that the university would be open to the requests of the union, but said they are prepared to demonstrate that students won’t tolerate the mistreatment of dining workers. “We are going to struggle together, we are going to fight together, we’re going to bond together, and we’re going to win together,” Sisman said. “That’s the idea.” Editor’s note: Claire Wang, president of PSA, is a former copy chief on the editorial board The News.
Photo by Marta Hill Northeastern’s unionized dining workers are seeking student support in their upcoming contract renegotiations. A coalition of student clubs are reviving HOWL in order to campaign for better conditions for workers.
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NFTs offer unique digitized artforms, create virtual communites By Anne Zhu News Staff Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have taken the world by storm. Experts explain that they are akin to digital authenticators. NFTs are commonly associated with graphics of rainbow kittens and images that could be used as profile pictures, like the bored apes collection on Twitter, but many contend that they play a greater role than mere digital works of art. Whether it be music, videos or most commonly, digital art, NFTs are valuable because they represent a unique, one-of-a-kind existence with a digital certificate. NFTs are traded on cryptocurrency platforms, such as Crypto.com, Coinbase and Binance, to name a few, each boasting millions of users who are able to purchase NFTs using their debit or credit cards. Despite their worldwide popularity, opinions on NFTs vary. For some, they add a crucial advancement to the digital exchange world, but for others, they seem like a waste of time and money. “It’s really hard to put [NFTs] all into one bucket. You have the art side where you have artists that are able to leverage their digital work and prove ownership, and there’s the endless different types of content that can be assigned to NFTs,” said Ryan Heffes, a fourth-year business administration major who has been involved in the NFT community since August 2021. “At the base of
NFTs is community building. And for me, NFTs are a way to mobilize communities around the art that’s being created.” As the pandemic continues to foster social isolation, some have turned to NFTs to gain a feeling of belonging through this emerging virtual community. But whether NFTs are just a convenient trend or a long-lasting addition to the cryptocurrency world is still up for debate. NFTs were first created in 2014, but they didn’t cement themselves into popular culture until 2021. Now, talk of NFTs flood social media platforms, with the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection that consists of over 10,000 NFTs selling out on the OpenSea marketplace in a single day. First-year engineering major and hobby investor Samuel Lee said he can’t envision a world without these digital certificates. “Judging from how volatile the market is right now and the sheer volume and value at which NFTs are being traded, I honestly think there’s no way they’re exiting the market anytime soon,” Lee said. Community-building and technology are core aspects of the NFT market, so it’s no wonder they are growing in popularity among young people. NFTs have consumed the digital currency conversation, and Northeastern students are no exception. The token’s value as both an art form and piece of technology has spurred debate
about what truly classifies as art. “If you think about buying Banksy, or any real art piece, for example, you receive the piece physically, you hang that up in your wall, on your house, and it just ends there. With NFTs … you’re now ingrained in this community with fellow art owners who share tastes and passions. Whether the NFT is part of a psrofile picture collection or a one-on-one art piece, you’re ingrained in this community and it allows people to leverage that and spark conversations about the art that’s being exchanged,” Heffes said. It’s common to see NFTs listed for thousands, or even millions of dollars, and waitlists and preorders fill up in moments. Lee explained how public interest plays a huge role in determining how high of a price an NFT can earn. “It’s all about the project and the attention it garners. If the project itself isn’t alluring, then that whole stream is essentially worthless, but there are projects in the NFT world that aren’t dying out anytime soon. They’re going to maintain that high demand, and with it, high value, for at least another five years or so,” Lee said. The NFT community itself is a major determining factor in the value of an NFT. Allowing the value of NFTs to rely on the whims of the general public can be risky, with popular collections becoming even more popular based on how many people own NFTs from a collection. The more popular a collection is, the
more people want a piece of it for themselves, jacking up the price exponentially as projects receive more and more hype. In other words, trends are often fleeting, and first-year business administration and data science combined major Cecilia Chepkoech said she is skeptical that NFTs are a wise long-term financial investment. “I definitely think it’s just a fad, it’s not something that can continue to be of substance in the long run,” Chepkoech said. “It’s basically allowing people to take something seemingly random and be able to sell it for whatever insane monetary value they want. At the end of the day people are going to realize that this is just a waste of money.” Whether they’re truly worth their monetary value, or are nearing the end of their 15 minutes of fame, NFTs represent more than what meets the eye. It’s not only a software system used for making money, it’s a complex web of interactions that connect people from around the world. “People are making bank off of NFTs and I think it’s a cool way for art to be published, especially in the digital sphere. Everything’s getting digitized now. There’s so many different factors that go into NFTs, I just think that’s so interesting,” Lee said. “And I do think it is risky, but if you know your stuff, and you play the markets well, you’ll make tons of money.” Besides the get-rich-quick gamble
Illustration by Ashley Mandel NFTs are unique, digital authenticators. They can range from art to music to GIFs, and their diversity and value have rallied online communities. NFTs offer, many buyers stick around for the unexpectedly closeknit community. “The coolest thing is just how broad of a user base this is and how it can be used moving forward. I’ve had conversations with people in NFT-centric discord channels from Japan, the Philippines, Nigeria, South America, everywhere across the U.S.,” Heffes said. “It’s the easiest way to meet people across the world, and not only that, but have amazing discussions.” In a world that’s becoming increasingly interconnected through the internet, NFTs offer a unique way to join cross-border communities. “In terms of trying to learn about the world in a fun way that also helps you make money, there’s nothing out there right now that’s even close to this,” Heffes said.
‘Mr. Parent’ celebrates educators, condemns systemic inequality By Brenna Thornton News Correspondent A one-man show that recently made its world premiere at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston is challenging audiences to re-examine the Massachusetts education system. “Mr. Parent” tells the true story of teacher-by-day, actor-by-night Maurice Emmanuel Parent. Playing himself, Parent spends the 90-minute solo show recounting the highs and lows of his five years as a Boston Public School teacher. Written by Melinda Lopez, a Northeastern theatre professor of the practice, in conjunction with Parent and directed by Megan SandbergZakian, who has taught classes in the
Northeastern Department of Theatre, the concept for the show was born in 2018. At the time, Sandberg-Zakian and Parent were working together on a production of “Skeleton Crew,” a Dominique Morriseau play about the people of a small Detroit auto plant, at The Huntington Theatre Company. Parent had recently resigned from his teaching career, but he continued to entertain colleagues with stories about his students. “During the rehearsal process, every time we had a break he was just talking about the kids,” Sandberg-Zakian said. “The stories that he was telling were so funny and heartbreaking and amazing that I started writing them down.”
Photo courtesy Mark S. Howard “Mr. Parent” is a one-man show highlighting fundamental issues in the Boston Public School system.
The pair brought the idea to Lopez, who immediately agreed to turn the anecdotes into a play. Bringing “Mr. Parent” to life was a highly collaborative process, with all three artists working as a team to develop the script, staging and performance. “There’s no one person that makes a piece of theatre, ever,” Lopez said. “It’s only going to be better when you have more collaborators.” Sandberg-Zakian explained that a major goal of the show is to validate the experiences of Boston educators. “I hope the general audiences take away how much we are asking of teachers in the Boston Public Schools specifically,” she said. “For audience members who know that experience first-hand, I hope that they come out of it feeling seen and heard and not alone.” The team wanted to ensure that their portrayal of the education system was as truthful as possible. They invited Neema Avashia, who has been a Boston Public Schools civics teacher for 16 years, to serve as the team’s public education consultant. Avashia provided the team with historical context and data on Massachusetts public schools. “This play really speaks to the humanity of educators and how often they
feel like the system they’re working in doesn’t support them,” Avashia said. “It was painful to watch that truth get named.” Throughout “Mr. Parent,” the titular character struggles to find a balance between his two lives as a teacher and actor. Ultimately, Parent is forced to leave his teaching career to pursue his artistic passions. Avashia said she hopes that this conflict illuminates how the current educational structure asks too much of its teachers. “We have a school system that’s predicated on people being superheroes. The way that schools are structured doesn’t really center the humanity of any of us,” she said. “Can we create a system where it’s possible for people to be whole and human in everything they do?” Sandberg-Zakian said she believes that the first step toward this new system is changing the perception of Massachusetts public schools, which was ranked first in the U.S. by Forbes for safety, quality and reading and math test scores. “I would like to see residents of Massachusetts release this story of being good, being perfect, being number one,” she said. “It’s about gently prying that narrative away from people and offering them an
alternative narrative about constantly striving towards something better. If we can do that we’ve done our job.” Avashia and Lopez agree that teachers are not the only ones negatively affected by public education. The current method of funding public schools creates inequities between wealthy, white suburban areas and impoverished, urban communities with increased numbers of marginalized demographics. Students in different towns don’t have access to the same resources or quality of education. “We cannot continue to utilize a school funding mechanism where property taxes are the driving factor,” Neema said. “Our state is deeply segregated.” Lopez suggested one concrete tactic to combat disparity could be a reevaluation of this system. “Changing the way schools are funded from local to statewide is one very practical thing to look at,” she said. “Mr. Parent” and the team behind the production hope to be a part of this change. “This play was crafted for the here and now. It was made for Massachusetts and certainly Boston,” Sandberg-Zakian said. “We made a play that we, as people, felt was really vital.”
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Big Night Live unites through music By Alexa Grayson News Correspondent The energy is electric at Big Night Live, a music hall in Boston’s North End that caters songs to its audiences, making music come alive on the dance floor as attendees sing along to their favorite songs. Big Night Live hosts unique theme nights personalized for specific audiences, like Fangirl Fantasy events that play fan-favorite songs, ABBA-themed “Gimme Gimme Disco,” electronic dance music, or EDM, nights, along with traditional DJs and concerts. At this modern, intimate venue, there’s never a dull moment. The venue opened its doors Oct. 31, 2019, hosting duo act Gorgon City and Camelphat as its first event. The music hall holds around 1,500 guests who are greeted by a red, dazzling chandelier, a large central bar and two dance floors surrounded by 24 elevated VIP pods. “The venue and the dance floor are super nice,” said Darcy Zhang, a fifth-year business administration and mathematics combined major. “While you’re standing in the front row, you’re really close to the speakers, you can feel the beat … you just start to dance.” The music hall features a range of acts and events including Fangirl Fantasy — “the ultimate fangirl experience” — where fans gather to listen to songs by their favorite artists in an energetic environment. Past Fangirl Fantasy themes have included “Taylor Swift vs. Olivia Rodrigo” and “Taylor Swift vs. Harry Styles.” Other events have featured live performances from artists like Steve Aoki, Zedd, Snoop Dogg, Kane Brown and Peach Pit. “It’s [themed-nights], such a simple concept that draws such a passionate group of followers to come to the venue,” said Joe Mazzei, director of marketing at Big Night Live. “It’s really remarkable.” Fans lined up Nov. 12, 2021, in red attire as they awaited the sold-out
“Fangirl Fantasy: Taylor Swift vs. Olivia Rodrigo” event. The night featured music from chart-topping pop icons Swift and Rodrigo. An array of Northeastern students joined together to reminisce and shout the words to songs that they knew by heart. Mara Caplan, a first-year international affairs and economics combined major, couldn’t help but bask in the liveliness of the room at the Nov. 12 Fangirl Fantasy event. “It was a really fun environment. It was really exciting,” Caplan said. “There was a lot of energy in the room … And it was a really supportive experience. All the girls in line were hyping each other up and everyone felt really safe.”
Mazzei said the venue serves to connect people through the power of music. “We target people that love music, and whatever that music is, we try to bring [it] to them. Our focus is on what’s exciting, what’s new,” Mazzei said. “We are in the hospitality business, and we have a good gauge of what our guests like and love from the food they want to the music they want to experience.” While some of Big Night Live’s events are restricted to those over 21, others are open to those over 18. This gives younger college students the opportunity to enjoy the perks of the venue while also maintaining the exclusivity of a traditional club.
Photo by Harriet Rovniak Tinashe performs at Big Night Live Sept. 29, 2021. The venue offers unique theme nights such as “Fangirl Fantasy” events. Caplan purchased her tickets a day before the event, which happened to be the same day that Taylor Swift re-released her album “Red.” The re-release featured a 10-minute version of Swift’s 2012 song “All Too Well.” Caplan recalls how fans at Big Night Live were able to sing their hearts out to the song just a day after it came out. “It was super impressive that we learned all of the lyrics within the 12 hours that the album had been released,” Caplan said. “There was a lot of enthusiasm.”
Beyond fostering community through weekly music events, Big Night Live also served locals by using its space to help the Boston community during the height of COVID-19. Mazzei explained that there was a grave shortage of blood supply during the early stages of the pandemic, so Big Night Live hosted dozens of blood drives in partnership with the Red Cross. Big Night Live takes precautions in its events to ensure safety amid the pandemic. Mazzei said the venue requires proof of vaccination and mask-wearing.
“We kind of just follow the rules, follow the guidelines, follow the science, and made sure that the number one priority is always making sure our guests have the most pleasurable, safe experience that they can,” Mazzei said. Big Night Live’s welcoming atmosphere invites newcomers to the live music scene while still appealing to more experienced attendees. Peter Janosky, a second-year computer science major, said Big Night Live was one of his first experiences enjoying Boston’s nightlife. He took a leap of faith when his favorite artist, Taylor Swift, was featured in the “Fangirl Fantasy: Taylor Swift vs. Harry Styles” event. “I don’t go out that much. So this was a little bit of a special occasion for me,” Janosky said. “Taylor Swift is one of my favorite artists. And so I figured it would be a lot of fun. And it was — I loved how everyone there was just there to have a good time.” Janosky said he was enchanted by his experience singing his heart out to Taylor Swift and Harry Styles songs, prompting him to attend more events in the future. One includes the upcoming March 3 event for those 18 and older, “Fangirl Fantasy: Taylor Swift vs. Olivia Rodrigo.” “Everyone there just had a passion for music and it created this really cool environment,” Janosky said. “Everyone there was pretty much a Taylor Swift fan. There is always something to bond over, and I managed to meet five new people just waiting in line outside.” At Big Night Live, students and Boston residents come together to celebrate the riveting power of music. All upcoming events are featured on Big Night Live’s calendar and tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. The ABBA-themed “Gimme Gimme Disco” will take place Friday, March 11 at 8 p.m. for those 18 and older. For the 21 plus age group, upcoming events include DJ Nicky Romero Saturday, Feb. 19 at 10:30 p.m.
Diners say Ramsay’s Kitchen offers sophisticated dining, long wait time By Crescent Huang News Correspondent Ramsay’s Kitchen, a restaurant serving international dishes by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, officially opened Jan. 24 inside the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Back Bay. Customers came to Ramsay’s Kitchen wanting to try Ramsay’s esteemed signature dish, the beef Wellington. While some customers complained about slow service and difficulties booking reservations, others said their experience at Ramsay’s Kitchen was worth their time and money. Kay Zhang, a graduate student studying finance at Northeastern, went to the restaurant three days after its opening. Zhang ordered the seafood tower, lobster roll and the beef Wellington, a dish recommended by her restaurant server. Beef Wellington is difficult to prepare, but still, Zhang thinks that she had to wait too long to be served. “By the time we [were] seated and then by the time when the waitress actually came over and got the order for us, it was long, less than 20 minutes,
but it’s still relatively long as compared to other restaurants,” Zhang said. Despite the wait, Zhang’s favorite part about Ramsay’s Kitchen was the modern and well-lit environment. She said not only the decoration, but also the atmosphere worked together to fit the mood of each part of the restaurant. “It was pretty bright on [one] side,” Zhang said. “But then if you’re going to the bar area it is darker and it creates a dark blue scene.” Although she liked the interior decor, Zhang said the restaurant as a whole lacked any outstanding qualities. “I think the environment was pretty nice and clean. It didn’t feel like something really stood out to me too much,” she said. Valky Ju, a student pursuing a doctorate degree in electrical engineering and computer science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also visited the Ramsay’s Kitchen soon after it opened. Ju has already dined at Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas and had a positive experience. So when she noticed Ramsay’s Kitchen on Boylston Street on her way to brunch at an-
other restaurant with her friend, they immediately changed their original plans and went to Ramsay’s Kitchen instead. They enjoyed their dining experience so much that they decided to go back again for a dinnertime meal just two days later. When Ju and her friend were at Ramsay’s Kitchen for the second time, they ordered the jumbo lump crab cake, tamarind glazed chicken wings, Boston Larger steamed lobster and the beef Wellington. “I think the food there is good,” Ju said. “The beef Wellington here has more flavors — it tasted better than the Vegas one.” The only negative part of Ju’s Ramsay’s Kitchen experience was how long it took to order and receive food. Already knowing she would have a formal, time-consuming dinner, she anticipated it to take about two hours. However, the dinner took longer than expected, resulting in a parking fine for Ju. “The meter I paid [had] already expired so I got a ticket. We didn’t expect dinner to be that long,” she said. “They are kind of slow.”
Back in April 2021, Ricky Gao, 32, and a principal software engineer at Sonos, caught wind of a rumor that Ramsay was going to open a restaurant in Boston. Ever since, Gao has been looking forward to its opening. He said he was only successful in making a reservation because someone canceled theirs within short notice. “It’s really hard to make the reservation. I think right now it was [booked until] March time,” Gao said. Gao ordered tamarind-glazed chicken wings, braised lamb shank and the beef Wellington. He said the beef Wellington is the best he’s had in Boston. Although some customers contend that the Ramsay’s Kitchen experience is confounded by long wait times and reservation inaccessibility, others insist that the restaurant offers dishes that leave customers wanting more. “Of all the fine dining places in the Boston area, this is definitely a top five,” Gao said. “The filler [of the beef Wellington] is so tender … you will be like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’”
Calendar compiled by Karissa Korman & Alyssa Fell Graphics by Kayla Shiao
Feb. 10 - May 8 Immersive Frida Kahlo exhibit Become familiar with Frida Kahlo and her art at the Immersive Frida Kahlo exhibit. Ongoing, Lighthouse Artspace at the Castle, 130 Columbus Ave. $40 to $70 based on date and time
Feb. 17 - May 15 The Art of Banksy Visit The Art of Banksy exhibit to view over 100 works ranging from prints to sculptures and more. Ongoing, Harvard Square, 12 Palmer St. Cambridge, $40 to $55 based on date and time
Feb. 23 - Feb. 27 Disney on Ice Get into the winter spirit when Disney on Ice comes to TD Garden for a show titled “Let’s Celebrate.” 7 p.m., TD Garden, $15 - $25
Feb. 24 - April 23 NFT Art Show Pellas Gallery’s “New Horizons” is Boston’s first NFT art show. The exhibition will showcase a wide range of NFT works from digital artists with diverse styles. 6:30 p.m., Pellas Gallery, Free
Monday, Feb. 28 BPL Virtual Book Talk Tune in for the Boston Public Library’s discussion with Linda Hirshman, author of “The Color of Abolition: How a Printer, a Prophet, and a Contessa Moved a Nation.” RSVP for this event via BPL’s website. 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., online, Free
OPINION
Page 10 The Huntington News EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief
Marta Hill
Managing Editor
Avery Bleichfeld Clara McCourt
Op-ed: Your online words have real life consequences
Editor-at-Large
Kelly Chan Campus
Grace Comer Sonel Cutler Jess Silverman City
Jennifer Suryadjaja Kathryn Manning Breaking News
Gwen Egan Sports
Annah Chaya Alex Sumas Lifestyle
Katie Mogg Alyssa Fell Karissa Korman Opinion
Alyssa Endres Ethan Wayne Projects
Cathy Ching Photo
Harriet Rovniak Quillan Anderson Design
Kayla Shiao Jessica Xing Multimedia
Hannah Rosman Anne Zhu Web Manager
Annetta Stogniew Social Media
Antonia Sousa Angie Slater Copy Chief
Alexis Santoro
BUSINESS
Business Manager
Eva Arad
Development and Outreach Coordinator
Matt Yan
Advertising Manager
Ashley Mandel
NEWS STAFF Ananya Kulkarni, Brenna Thornton, Christie Ya-Chi Lee, Eli Curwin, Erin Fine, Julia Yohe, Julie Sung, Lauren Thomas, Leah Cussen, Lily Elwood, Nicholas Tesoriero, Srishti Gummaraju, Thomas de Carbonnieres
COPY EDITORS Alexis Zacharakos, Anne Sedar, Dayna Archer, Erin Fine, Jenna Chin, Lauren Thomas, Liza Sheehy, Rachel Lee, Rachel Mann
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bill Mitchell, Carlene Hempel, Dan Zedek, Gal Tziperman Lotan, Laurel Leff, Lincoln McKie, Mark Gooley, Meredith O’Brien, Rachel Zarrell, Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Opinions expressed in The Huntington News through letters to the editor, cartoons and columns are not necessarily those of The News staff or the Board of Directors. Northeastern University students conduct all operations involved in the production of this publication. For inquiries about the Board of Directors, email outreach@huntnewsnu.com. For general inquiries, email managing@huntnewsnu.com.
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February 25, 2022
Photo by Quillian Anderson If you’ve ever been ignored through text, cyberbullied or received a rude text, chances are you’ve felt a sinking feeling in your stomach that makes the world momentarily seem miserable. The way we interact with people online is vastly different from face-to-face communication. Especially during the pandemic, online communication has become a convenient way to cherish our relationships, but it has its caveats. College students face various online communication issues that could threaten their relationships more than they realize. Recognizing the harmful potential of online interactions needs to be more of a common practice as technology is increasingly embraced in our daily lives. According to Forbes, some people prefer texting to in-person communication because it “puts some extra space between us and our recipients.” However, some people are too comfortable with that extra distance, and as Forbes contributor Alice G. Walton states, “say [things] in texts that they would never say in person.” To combat this situation, Bustle provides multiple tips. Bustle is an online women’s magazine that covers topics such as fashion, entertainment, politics, news and life. Despite the moderate utilization of emotional language, it’s generally trustworthy for apolitical issues such as how best to address someone online. Bustle’s suggestions include the extensive use of emojis, keeping texts short, sending pictures, not sending too many texts at once, trying not to discuss heavy issues through text (i.e. a breakup), being prompt in your text conversations, not saying “haha” a lot and not overthinking your texts. Most important of all, in my opinion, Bustle urges you to pay attention to your tone. To emphasize the last suggestion; which text would you rather receive? “Remember to submit our group project tonight.” Or… “Remember to submit our group project tonight!” Small deviations in punctuation can make an outstanding difference in the reception of an online message. Sounding rude over text is not the only hazard of online communication. Cyberbullying has become more prevalent across the nation. According to a study done in the Cyberbullying Research Center, in the United States, 95% of teenagers have access to the internet, which can explain why approximately 37% of individuals between 12 and 17 have been cyberbullied,
with 30% having been cyberbullied more than once. Studies published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research have also determined that victims of cyberbullying have a higher risk of engaging in selfharm and suicidal behaviors. Additionally, sexting, a phenomenon in which individuals send suggestive images via texts, has become prevalent. According to a research study in 2021 published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, nearly 40% of young people in a sample of 6,000 individuals across 11 countries have engaged in the activity. Sexting increases the chance for individuals to be harmed, especially if sexual materials shared between partners are spread elsewhere without consent. This behavior can hurt the reputation of individuals whose suggestive images are shared without their knowledge, as well as raise the risk of dating violence. Thus, to reduce the harm that sexting has on individuals, sexual content sent between two partners should only be seen by the partners’ eyes. Sharing the content with others without permission is dishonest and irresponsible. A relationship is built on faith and a mutual acknowledgment to treat each other with respect. Don’t ruin the intimacy you have with your partner by abusing the sexts you possess. Furthermore, don’t pressure your partner to send you sexts in the first place if they feel uncomfortable. No one should feel obliged to reveal confidential parts of their body if they feel uncomfortable. While sexts are an overt way to make someone feel uncomfortable, subtle phenomena such as ghosting, in which texts are ignored purposely or not, also strain our relationships. Psychology Today suggests that people ghost for two reasons. One is that “we have a false sense of our networks,” causing us to likely value the number of friends we have over their quality, so we may end up not paying as much attention to our
companions as we should. Another is that we just “want to be wanted” and may use ghosting to attract more attention and have others “chase us.” However, ghosting deteriorates the
The way we interact with people online is vastly different from face-toface communication. Especially during the pandemic, online communication has become a convenient way to cherish our relationships, but it has its caveats — Jethro Ronald Lee Northeastern student stability of a relationship and causes it to be more shallow and one-sided. In ghosting, while one person is arduously panicking about whether something they did pushed their friend to ignore them, the other is probably doing just fine. I understand that, especially as college students, we seem to be busy 24/7. Sometimes we may glance at a text, promise ourselves to respond,
but get so engulfed in the chaos of our life that we forget to fulfill our vow. Other times, we may have someone spamming us about a dire issue at an inconvenient hour. Sometimes we don’t even respond to someone in person if we cannot hear or are too focused on a text to speak with them. How often do you ignore people in person compared to online? I am an avid texter, but I now try to be more respectful when communicating with my friends online. It takes a lot of practice and patience, but for the sake of maintaining my long-distance friendships (especially with my high school peers), I try to display respect through my texts as much as possible, whether through emojis or random memes. It can be tempting to rant about your peers and professors online when platforms such as Reddit make anonymity convenient. But always remember one thing: behind every screen is an actual person. Despite our busy college lives in which the time we can dedicate to our social relationships appears to keep waning, making an effort to be more respectful online is another way of ensuring that our companions stay loyal to us. Technology plays a bigger role than ever in communication, and that trend is not likely to stop anytime soon. College is going to present us with more challenges but, as many of us have already experienced, a lot of times the best way to reach our closest allies at a given moment is through a text. Unlike high school, the time we have to see our friends in person is more scarce and precious, whether you are on co-op, or drowning in five hours of data science homework like I am. Be careful with how you communicate online — the act plays a larger role in our relationships than we realize. Jethro Ronald Lee is a first-year data science and psychology combined major with a minor in music. He can be reached at lee.jet@northeastern.edu.
Illustration by Kayla Shiao Technology plays a large role in communication, even through symbols like emojis. A person is behind every screen, so respect in online interactions is essential.
OPINION
February 25, 2022
Page 11
Op-ed: The Olympic games are a place for competition not politics
Photo by Harriet Rovniak The 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, officially came to an end Feb. 20. Although the Games went smoothly, the appropriateness of Beijing as the host city was controversial among Western countries due to accusations regarding the Chinese government’s “atrocities against the Uyghur Muslim population in the northwest province of Xinjiang,” according to the BBC. The United States, joined by nine other countries including the United Kingdom and Canada, declared a
diplomatic boycott in which only the country’s athletes — no government officials or ministers — attended the Games. While this diplomatic boycott aimed to make a statement against the human rights violations of the Chinese government, it only put American athletes under public pressure and intensified the strained relationship between the United States and China. The goal of the boycott was to exert public pressure on the Chinese government, in order to help with the human rights abuse situation in the Xinjiang region of China. It started from humanitarian social activists, holding a “fundamental commitment to promoting human rights,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Since 2017, a large population of Uyghurs were detained and forced to provide free labor in “reeducation camps” in Xinjiang. Voices from Western countries have been consistently urging, and even using sanctions, on the Chinese government to stop its imprisonment of Uyghurs for practicing their religion. The sports themselves should be separated from the current political
climate. U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said she was excited to receive support from the U.S. government. “Competing on behalf of the United States is an honor and a privilege, and Team USA is excited and ready to make the nation proud,” Hirshland said. However, it is still difficult to create a respectful environment of sportsmanship when the athletes are the target of domestic critics who are outwardly supportive of the boycott. Some U.S. Olympians openly criticized the host country for its misconduct, while others chose to dodge sensitive questions on politics as a self-preservation strategy from China’s strict censorship. Those who avoided the controversy faced fierce criticism from U.S. activists. Mary Gallagher, a professor of political science at the University of Michigan, said those who neglect Beijing’s forceful intervention in Xinjiang are deaf to international condemnation of China’s policies. Regardless of whether the athletes were outspoken about the issue, their freedom of speech should not
be at risk as they are already facing pressure from the game itself. On a broader scale, the diplomatic boycott has also led to a heightened tension between the United States and China, which adds to a long history of tension that has not yet been resolved. For example, when former President Donald Trump signed legislation to sanction Chinese officials who took part in suppressing protests in Hong Kong, a large amount of criticism of the protestors was raised in China. This time on the Uyghurs’ issue, The New York Times revealed the propaganda of the Chinese government by recording locals’ pronouncement of their prosperous life as “born and raised” Xinjiang Uyghurs. These recordings not only uphold the Chinese government’s welfare policy, but also strongly criticize “libel and slander” from the West. This is not the first time the United States has declared a boycott on the Olympics. In 1980, the United States and other countries attempted to boycott the Olympics in Moscow over tension between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the Soviets
from invading Afghanistan, and it kept athletes from participating in the Olympics. That boycott, thus, negatively affected the athletes’ experience in the Games, similarly to how this year’s boycott drew the attention away from athletes’ performance. As Northeastern students living in a democratic society, we should focus on human rights liberation and spread the value of humanitarianism. However, we should not blindly accuse athletes of holding certain political views by participating in the Games. Even in our own Northeastern community, we had eight people attend the Olympics in Beijing — all of whom have been proudly supported by the university. Their diversity in nationality was also embraced, which has created a harmonious atmosphere within the campus community. This is ultimately what the Olympic Games were meant to bring, but the boycott has only pushed us further away from achieving this goal. Tim Zhao is a first-year journalism and political science combined major. He can be reached at zhao.shengh@ northeastern.edu.
Op-ed: Newly approved COVID-19 treatments should be less expensive and more accessible
Photo by Quillan Anderson Last year saw the world grapple with some of the most infectious and virulent variants of the COVID-19 pandemic: Delta and Omicron. Although both variants have seen a sharp decline in positive cases, new variants of a virus that has mercilessly spread throughout the global population could be on the horizon. New authorizations of groundbreaking pharmaceuticals by the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, could help combat the emergence of a new, dominant strain. As such, the general population’s access to any newly-approved treatments should be unimpeded and free of cost. For individuals with a lower socioeconomic status, expensive treatments may not only be financially draining and unattainable, but the reduced access may also lessen the broader public health benefits of treatment. The FDA has recently approved several novel modalities for the management of coronavirus. This includes oral antivirals like Pfizer’s Paxlovid, consisting of a combined package of ritonavir and nirmatrelvir tablets, and Merck & Co’s Mulnupiravir. In
addition, the agency approved several intravenous monoclonal antibody therapies, such as Sotrovimab. Monoclonal antibodies are artificially made antibodies that target the surface spike proteins of viruses. All of the aforementioned medications have been approved for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease in patients who have a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. These prescription antivirals and monoclonal antibodies are not intended to be used as prophylactics, a medication aiming to prevent disease, rather, they are intended for patients who are at high risk of complications from a coronavirus infection. The FDA further reaffirmed that these new medications are not substitutions for vaccination and getting vaccinated and boosted is the best course of action for individuals who are considered at high risk for complications. From a governmental standpoint, making Paxlovid and any other novel treatments free of cost for those who test positive for COVID-19 would help alleviate some of the symptoms of the pandemic on our healthcare system by lessening the effects of shortages in medical supplies, hospital staff and bed space. With the introduction of new medications like Paxlovid, Mulnupiravir and Sotrovimab, clinicians will be given a new and effective treatment for the medical management of the coronavirus disease. The new antivirals and monoclonal antibodies are aimed at preventing disease progression from mild or moderate to severe. Such action would further decrease hospitalizations and death rates amongst the infected. By relieving some of the stressors from the pandemic on
healthcare systems, we can hope to maintain normally functioning hospitals and intensive care unit space amid any future surges. Moreover, with a shift of focus away from the pandemic, healthcare institutions can focus resources on areas of health that have been neglected during the pandemic, such as non-communicable, chronic illnesses. For those in low-income areas, the equitable allocation of these life-saving therapies will be pivotal in maintaining the health of the community. If the federal or state government can step in to provide these medications at little or no cost to patients then more individuals who are diagnosed with the coronavirus disease can receive therapies that will keep them out of hospitals and reduce the probability of serious complications. This is cost-effective for both the patients, who will avoid lengthy hospital stays, as well as the hospitals themselves who will not be overburdened by droves of COVID-19 positive patients. Low-income communities have an increased occurrence of non-communicable diseases, or NCDs, such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Unfortunately, the pandemic has caused a significant divergence of resources from the management and prevention of NCDs. Along with vaccination, we now have the tools to help appropriately mitigate the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and correct the deviation of medical resources from diseases that, while non-communicable, are nevertheless threats to public health. In addition to managing the cost of the new therapeutic agents, the supply and distribution of these
new treatments must be improved to increase access. Although these drugs will play a frontline role in patient care, they are unfortunately scarce. This is partly why these drugs are reserved for high-risk patients. Even at a low cost, pharmaceutical companies will need to increase production for these drugs to make a widespread impact on the trajectory of the pandemic.
Making ... novel treatments free of cost for those testing positive for COVID-19 would help alleviate some of the symptoms of the pandemic on our healthcare system. — Gabriel Holder Northeastern student For the naysayers of the proposed ideas for the increased accessibility of drugs like Paxlovid, Mulnupiravir and Sotrovimab, we can point to the precedent set by the COVID-19
vaccines, which were deemed so instrumental in the security of public health that they were made free to the public. In theory, the same principle could be applied to the medicinal treatments of coronavirus. Since the newly-approved medications are paramount in the health of both the patient and the population, their necessity warrants them to be dispensed free of charge. Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, providers are now armed with various means to stave off the virus and prevent serious illness or death. With the FDA’s authorization of new oral antivirals and intravenous monoclonal antibodies, we, as a society, would be remiss to withhold these lifesaving measures from the general population. Naturally, the duty of mitigating the cost and promoting the supply of these therapies falls to the elected officials within the federal and state governments who ought to take responsibility for the health of the communities in which they govern. Northeastern University students have the unique responsibility to ensure that our concerns regarding the availability and affordability of new COVID-19 treatments are met by government officials and lawmakers. Boston has a poverty rate of 21.6%, higher than both the state and national poverty rate. Because of this, the effects of inaccessibility will be prominent and every Northeastern student should seek to raise awareness and reach out to their representatives. Gabriel Holder is a first-year behavioral neuroscience major. He can be reached at holder.g@northeastern.edu.
SPORTS
Page 12
February 25, 2022
NU men’s hockey crushed by BC two weeks after Beanpot semifinals victory By Julia Yohe News Staff Last Friday, No. 15 Northeastern University men’s ice hockey (19-101, 10-7-1 HE) faced a devastating 4-1 defeat by the unranked Boston College (11-15-4, 6-10-3 HE). Just four days after a disheartening Beanpot finals game, the Huskies were looking to make a comeback against Boston College, a team that has struggled throughout this season. In the teams’ first matchup in October of this season, Northeastern’s defense faltered late in the game, after the Huskies’ 3-1 defeat of BC in the Beanpot semifinals, a win Friday seemed likely. Northeastern was stumbling from the start. Caught off guard by the quick rush towards the net, freshman goaltender TJ Semptimphelter failed to stop BC’s first shot of the game when BC sophomore forward Colby Ambrosio fired the puck into the net just 16 seconds into the first period. BC’s second goal was scored by sophomore forward Trevor Kuntar three minutes later. With Northeastern’s star sophomore goalie Devon Levi still in Beijing for the Olympics, Friday’s game was
Semptimphelter’s sixth career start. At the Beanpot semifinals game Feb. 7, Semptimphelter made 41 saves against BC’s aggressive offense, which made 42 shots-on-goal. In Friday’s game, he only saved 24 shots, setting his record 3-3-0 for the season. BC’s startling 2-0 start set Northeastern on edge, forcing the team to ramp up both their offense and defense. Fourteen minutes into the first period, freshman forward Matt Choupani rocketed the puck past BC graduate student goalie Eric Dop into the net, scoring his sixth goal of the season and bringing BC’s lead down to just one goal. Choupani’s goal was assisted by junior defenseman Jeremie Bucheler in a flawless cross-ice pass and was Bucheler’s ninth assist of the season. Although BC’s next 11 attempts at scoring were blocked by Semptimphelter and other Northeastern players, Northeastern’s defense was cracked once again 16 minutes into the first period by senior forward Marc McLaughlin, bringing the score to 3-1. The start of the second period saw the Eagles’ Kuntar receive a two-minute minor for hooking, giving the
Huskies a chance to decrease the point gap. But their advantage was short-lived and unsuccessful, as one minute into NU’s power play, NU senior defenseman Jordan Harris left the ice on a two-minute minor for cross checking. BC was only able to make one shot on goal during this power play; however three minutes later, the team got the chance to try again. After a hooking penalty threw Northeastern sophomore forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine off the ice, BC was determined to turn three goals into four. BC’s junior defenseman Marshall Warren did just that with a coast-tocoast goal with four seconds left in the BC power play. One final Northeastern penalty came in the second period when junior defenseman Tyler Spott was sent to the penalty box for tripping, but the period ended quietly. Northeastern’s offense, which has been slow to the puck all season, was still lacking. With only six shots-ongoal in the second period, the team was left with a desire for more action and a sense of desperation. Northeastern’s third period lineup
was completely different from the first and second periods. In the first five minutes, seven different players fired off 10 shots on BC’s Dop, but their tenacity and grit was matched by the unwavering opposing goaltender. Even with 16 shots-on-goal throughout the period, the Huskies were unable to raise their score. Northeastern’s defensive skill boosted in the third period, only allowing BC to get in three shots-on-goal, with Semptimphelter blocking every one.
The game ended with the 4-1 score from the second period still in place. The Huskies went home defeated and looking for revenge, which they got in a Saturday evening rematch against BC that ended in a satisfying 4-1 Huskies victory. On Feb. 25 at 7 p.m., the Northeastern Huskies will take on University of Connecticut at Matthews Arena for the second time this season, where the team hopes to prove itself after a 5-3 loss last October.
Photo by Kayla Shiao Junior forward Riley Hughes takes the puck in Saturday’s game at Boston College. The Huskies won that game 4-1.
No. 1 NU women’s ice hockey sweeps No. 3 UConn during senior day victory game By Julia Yohe News Staff Northeastern University women’s ice hockey (27-4-2, 21-3-2 HE) had its last regular season game Saturday, finishing the season with a 5-0 win against the University of Connecticut (22-8-4, 16-7-4 HE). On Friday Feb. 18, the two teams faced off in Storrs, Connecticut, ending with a 4-4 tie and a 2-0 shootout victory for Northeastern. Both teams had strong offenses, putting pressure on both Northeastern graduate student goaltender Aerin Frankel and UConn senior goaltender Samantha Carpentier-Yelle. Back on the team’s home turf Saturday, the Northeastern Huskies were ready for another shot at a triumph over UConn. The
game was a perfect send-off for four out of Northeastern’s eight seniors — defenseman Gillian Foote, forward Miceala Sindoris, defenseman Brooke Tucker and forward Emma Jurusik — and eight graduate students — defenseman Lauren MacInnis, forward Katie Cipra, forward Maddie Mills, defenseman Skylar Fontaine, forward Tessa Ward, forward Andrea Renner, defenseman Brooke Hobson and Frankel. Next year, the team will be without the winningest class in program history. UConn began the first period with a faceoff win, but Northeastern quickly took control of the game. In the first two and a half minutes of the game, Northeastern made five shots-on-goal. Cipra scored the team’s first goal less than five minutes into the game. The goal was accompanied by two more goals in the first period — one by Ward and one by junior forward Katy Knoll. UConn quickly replaced Carpentier-Yelle with freshman goaltender Megan Warrener, who protected the net for the rest of the game. The second period brought backto-back penalties for Northeastern. Junior defenseman Megan Carter received a two-minute minor for interference, while Ward obtained a
Photo by Kayla Shiao Graduate student defender Skylar Fontaine was awarded Hockey East’s Best Defenseman for the third year in a row Feb. 24. She holds the Hockey East all-time records for most career goals, assists and points.
two-minute minor for body checking. Despite the four minutes of uneven play and four shots-on-goal, UConn was unable to score on Frankel. UConn received its first penalty of the game 15 minutes into the second period, forcing senior forward Danielle Fox off the ice with a two-minute minor for cross checking. Northeastern senior forward Mia Brown used the advantage to score the Huskies’ fourth goal of the game, ending the Northeastern power play. The period ended with another UConn penalty against junior defenseman Ainsley Svetek that continued into the beginning of the third period. The final 20 minutes of the game brought one penalty for each school and another goal for Northeastern. UConn graduate forward Natalie Snodgrass received a two-minute minor for tripping, and Northeastern’s Ward was put in the penalty box for interference. Both teams had a successful penalty kill. Northeastern’s fifth and final goal was scored by Sindoris with six minutes left in the period. This game marked the 27th win this season for Northeastern women’s ice hockey along with Frankel’s 11th shutout. While UConn had strong offensive attacks at the start of each period, Northeastern quickly overpowered them each time. UConn’s defense was not nearly as strong as their offense. Northeastern, on the other hand, was on the prowl, ready to spring into action to help the goalie whenever UConn approached the net. The Northeastern women’s ice hockey team will play Merrimack College in the Hockey East quarterfinals Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Matthews Arena.