October 13, 2023

The Huntington News October 13, 2023

The independent student newspaper of the Northeastern community

@HuntNewsNU

NU BOUND STUDENTS REFLECT ON FLAWED BOSTON INTEGRATION

By Jackson Laramee News Correspondent On Sept. 6, Fenway’s MGM Music Hall opened its doors to Northeastern’s 125th class for convocation.

Thousands of first-year students turned the space into a rainbow with

brightly colored shirts and light-up bracelets, listening as President Joseph E. Aoun gave words of wisdom for the following years. However, the class of 2027 was not the only group in attendance.

Scattered among the first-years were students who watched Aoun give a similar speech a year prior — but on a livestream from two different parts of the globe.

They are last year’s NU Bound students, who arrived in Boston for the first time this semester after completing a full year at either Northeastern’s London or Oakland campus.

Their return raises an interesting question: What is

Illustration by Emma Liu

it like to establish yourself at a new campus after spending the past year settling in somewhere else?

NU Bound positions itself as a way for first-year students to immediately take advantage of Northeatern’s global network of campuses and resources.

With 89 Northeastern courses in Oakland and 48 in London, students could complete major and NUpath requirements without worrying about transfer equivalency. Northeastern also provided students with housing in their first year, placing Oakland students into on-campus residence halls and London students into a nearby student apartment building.

TRANSFER, on 6-7

Coaching changes give Northeastern field hockey team a clean slate, culture shift

By Esha Minhas News Correspondent Over the last few seasons, Northeastern’s field hockey team has had a disappointing track record, ending 5-14 in 2022 and 7-12 in 2021. However, this past offseason, the promotion of Pam Spuehler to head coach and the additions of Colin Clarke as associate head coach and Cheri Schulz as assistant coach have already led the Huskies to five wins in 11 games — with six still left in the season.

Spuehler arrived at Northeastern in 2018 as an associate head coach. As a former collegiate player at Boston University, she brought a plethora of experience to the Huskies. Spuehler helped the Terriers win three consecutive conference titles and was the first player to be given first-team America East All-Conference honors for all four years.

As associate head coach, Spuehler helped lead Northeastern’s team to three CAA tournament appearances in 2018, 2019 and 2022. However,

the Huskies haven’t made it to the finals since 2019. Last year, the Huskies fell in a disheartening 6-1 loss against the University of Delaware in the semifinals.

In February, Jim Madigan, Northeastern’s director of athletics and recreation, named Spuehler as the fifth head coach of Husky field hockey.

“It was somewhat surreal, just because it happened pretty quickly,” Spuehler said of her promotion. “But I’m very fortunate to be a part of the program still in a different role, but with the same group of characters, if you will.”

Spuehler described her time as a part of Northeastern field hockey and coaching the talented players as gratifying.

“It has been rewarding in lots of ways, but also just very fun to watch [the players] grow,” she said. “They’re just becoming different people, right before your eyes.”

Spuehler has openly embraced the head coach role and recognized that it is a learning curve.

“I told the girls it was time to leadership, NTU’s men’s squad programs that have already been embrace change. I was going to run reached the British Universities and successful in the past,” Spuehler said. practices differently. I was going Colleges Sport championship for the Clarke has “created a new to create and help navigate new first time in program history. excitement around the sport because standards and expectations for our “One of the best things about we’re all looking at it differently now.” program,” she said. “I don’t want to [Clarke] is that he’s been a part of OFFSEASON, on Page 8 say [it was] a seamless transition, but [the team] just really went with it. And they’ve committed to it.”

In April, Colin Clarke was introduced as associate head coach of the field hockey team. Before his introduction to Northeastern, Clarke worked as the head of field hockey at Nottingham Trent University, or NTU, in England for seven years.

Within his first five years at NTU, Clarke transformed the men’s team from ranking outside of Photos courtesy Jim Pierce the top 20 to first in From left to right: associate head coach Colin Clarke, head coach Pam Spueler and the league. Under his assistant coach Cheri Schulz. The Huskies are 6-6 so far this season.

CITY

CAMPUS

OPINION

Read about how painted cows raise money for cancer.

Read about how university members gathered in solidarity to mourn victims in Israel.

Read about where you can save money when food shopping.

Public art event in Greater Boston

PAGE 3

Are Wollaston’s prices fair for students?

Northeastern students rally for Israel

Photo by Alexa Coultoff

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Photo by Zoe MacDiarmid

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Photo by Jessica Xing

CITY

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October 13, 2023

Linda Wells brings accessibility to wellness

By Gitana Savage News Correspondent Linda Wells, founder of Linda Wellness Warrior, grew up surround-ed by entrepreneurs. Her father has been self-employed for 43 years. Her grandfather owned a bar in Mattapan, a fish market in Dorches-ter and a real estate company. Her great-grandfather was a sharecrop-per and also owned a store, despite it being illegal for sharecroppers to do so.

It is no surprise that the entrepreneurial spirit trickled down to Wells.

Her earliest experiences with entrepreneurship were from childhood.

Living on a main street, Wells would pick flowers from her neighbors’ yards and set up shop to sell them to her neighbors for whatever price they felt like paying. It was this early exposure to entrepreneurship that helped pave the way for the creation of Linda Wellness Warrior.

Linda Wellness Warrior is an allin-one wellness company operating in the Boston area. Wells offers yoga classes, personal coaching and various retreats, all with a wide range of sizes, costs and commitment levels to best suit everyone’s wellness needs. Using an abundance of locations, Wells offers programming all over Massachusetts from “Yoga in Franklin Park,” which is a pay-whatyou-wish yoga class in the park area, to her “Mindfulness Retreat,” which

took place in Hingham, Massachusetts this past August.

Wells started her career as the director of a youth-serving agency.

Working 13-hour days, she would come home exhausted without any energy to cook or take care of her own mental health. Extremely burnt out, Wells decided to leave her job at the agency and dedicate herself to the practice of wellness.

“I spent a year seeking out my joy trying to be playful,” she said. “I would go to playgrounds by myself or with my niece and nephew who were small at the time and I discovered I had a passion for wellness.”

As one of the only yoga teachers of color in Boston at the time, Wells’ road to teaching wellness wasn’t always an easy one.

“When I first started talking about wellness people thought I was looney tunes,” Wells said.

She first started teaching wellness under the guidance of her mentor, Leslie Salmon Jones, who founded the Allston-based yoga studio Afro Flow Yoga. Two years later, in 2013, Wells founded her own wellness company.

Her mission is to teach people how to take back their personal agency and manage their stress through physical movement and wellness, an issue close to Wells.

“One time, I went to the doctor and I was having an anxiety attack and didn’t know what that was at the time, and she just said I was fat,” Wells said.

“So my journey began with me trying to make peace with this language and with people saying your health problems are because you’re fat.”

Wells strives to make her wellness programming — which consists of yoga, personalized wellness mentorship, and various retreats — retreats accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status, race, physical ability and other identities that had been previously restricted from receiving proper wellness care. Her yoga classes are specifically designed for those whose needs aren’t met by traditional yoga like individuals with disabilities, seniors or people with health challenges.

Mary Lenihan, a resident of Jamaica Plain, is a regular at Linda Wellness Warrior’s “Yoga in Franklin Park.” Lenihan began her wellness journey by deciding to take up the practice of yoga after she retired.

“I had retired and was not able to get up and down off the floor,” Lenihan said. “Linda helped me because she was so accepting and helped me get more comfortable with my body.”

Wells is not only a teacher but also an inspiration to many in the wellness community. Roxbury resident Jaqueline Ortega started teaching alongside Wells nine years ago when she signed on to Linda Wellness Warrior as a substitute yoga instructor.

“She’s a pillar of the community, especially for people of color,” Ortega

said. “There’s not a lot of yogis who teach and are people of color, so expanding the world of yoga to our community of people — Black, Brown, Indigenous — and letting us know this space [is] for us too is crucial.”

Wells has made her mark on the Boston community, revolutionizing the area’s wellness industry. As her career progresses, Wells hopes to open a retreat center that creates a space for people to receive the healing that they desire.

From her lived experience, both personal and professional, Wells ultimately wants people to trust their bodies and know the body is communicating with you all the time. Even the parts of your body you dislike or are finding discomfort

with are calling out to you to give it attention, she said.

“It’s like when people talk about ‘oh, my belly this’ ‘this type of fat’ – maybe it wants you to love on it a little bit and pay it some attention,” Wells said.

Self care shouldn’t be a luxury but a necessity, and Wells has made it her mission to ensure that everyone’s wellness needs are met. With classes ranging from yoga to group coaching with both virtual and in-person offerings, Linda Wellness Warrior stays true to its mission.

“I think that I present something that is aspirational,” she said. “I don’t think it’s all perfect but I think that there are some people that are like ‘Wow, that is possible, I can live a different existence.’”

Photo courtesy Linda Wellness Warrior Wells demonstrates a yoga pose. The yoga classes at Linda Wellness Warrior are designed to be accessible for all, especially those whose needs have not been met by traditional yoga.

Sniff of Adventure brings adventure-filled candles from the kitchen to Newbury Street

By Kathryn Naughton News Correspondent The vibrant orange hue and the sweet smell of vanilla greet your senses as you approach the door of Sniff of Adventure, a candle shop on Newbury Street.

Co-owners Adam Shane and Christopher “Chris” Swank started their candle venture in 2020 and are about to hit the one-year mark in their Boston location.

“When everyone was sent home packing during COVID, we looked at each other and said, what does the future hold?” Shane said. Like most

people during the pandemic, the two spent much of their time watching TV. Shane wanted to do more than watch television, so he started making candles.

Candle making felt like a natural progression for the two, as candles played a significant role in their wedding six months before they started experimenting, Shane said.

They loved the personal element of designing and dreaming up the candles for their wedding, so the addition of learning how to make them felt like a natural step. “[The candles] are true adventures, life adventures between the two of us,

a culmination of our life together,” Shane said.

Their adventure-themed candles range from hiking Machu Picchu, beach walks and ziplining in Costa Rica.

“Memory is so triggered through smell, and it just made sense, so we embarked on this candle adventure through our own adventures,” Shane said.

“Our first year was [all done] masked up during COVID; we were selling outside our house in Provincetown, people would walk by, and we would be like, ‘Hey, come sniff around’ as a joke,” Shane said. “From that, we built a website.”

Photos courtesy May Pham Crates of candles for sale sit inside of Sniff of Adventure’s store on Newbury Street. The brand was founded in 2020.

The owners said the most important factor in maintaining Sniff of Adventure is their strong team. “Bringing on amazing talented people to help us, like our amazing general manager in Provincetown … and the awesome designer that we work with,” play a vital role in their business practice, Shane said.

Swank, an alum of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences graduate program at Northeastern, attributes his time in school for his ability to “spread [his] wings and become more social and involved with all kinds of different things I normally wouldn’t have done,” Swank said.

As an LBGTQ+ couple, the two found many positives in building their business in Boston.

“We started in Provincetown, which is such an accepting environment for us, and we built our brand around a community that supports it, and that community then carried over to Boston,” Shane said.

Kelly Corrigan, a friend and patron of Sniff of Adventure, said she would describe the business as “absolutely heartfelt.” Corrigan is sensitive to scents and finds that the candles don’t affect her because of their natural ingredients. Corrigan’s favorite candle is called “A Scent To Remember” because of its sentimental meaning and its sent profile of birch, pine and rosemary.

“The two characters on it are based around my sister and her husband, who has since passed away from early onset Alzheimer’s,” Corrigan said.

Corrigan, Shane and Swank have been working to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s for years.

“They’ve donated 20% of that candle’s profit to the Alzheimer’s association. Talk about having meaning,” Corrigan said.

Shane’s favorite candle in the shop is “The Gingerbread” candle. The candle is “an amazing fall-winter candle. It has essences of cloves, spice and gingerbread, but it is also the first house we sort of built together as a family, so it’s got a lot of great memories to it,” Shane said.

Swank’s go-to candle is the “Croatian Catamaran.”

“A couple of our best friends were celebrating a birthday, and they asked Adam and me just to show up in Dubrovnik,” Swank said.” We had just opened our shop in [Provincetown], like we were fresh. We were open for maybe two months, and we were kind of stressed … we showed up to a catamaran for the week around the islands of Croatia.”

Selling candles isn’t all they do at Sniff of Adventure. They offer sip-and-sniff classes, where you can make two candles of your own adventures right inside the shop, three to four times a week. Find Sniff of Adventure in Boston at 254 Newbury St., or online.

CITY

October 13, 2023

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The Cow Parade ‘moo-ves’ out of Boston after a successful summer benefitting the Jimmy Fund

By Juliette Piovoso News Staff The Cow Parade, a national public art event featuring over 75 life-size, vibrantly decorated cow sculptures, officially concluded Sept. 27 after returning to Boston for the first time since 2006.

A project that recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, the Jimmy Fund’s Cow Parade has been striving to make progress in the cancer community, raising more than $30 million for various charitable organizations since 1999.

For months, the exuberant form of artistic expression has quietly grazed its way into the Greater Boston area, leaving both art enthusiasts and everyday passersby with a newfound admiration for one particular animal — cows.

With all proceeds going to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s efforts to fight cancer, hundreds of local artists joined the campaign, transforming the city’s urban landscapes into a harmonious blend of creativity and community engagement.

Howie Green, a Boston artist specializing in pop art portraits and public art projects, has designed numerous cows for Cow Parade New England. Green said he believes there is no better way to support both local artists and a good cause than the Cow Parade.

“It’s just a really fun way for the general public to see art you might not normally see. In just this year, the response from the public was kind of overwhelming,” Green said. “I have had well over 200 emails and text messages from

people sending me pictures of my cows when they see them around.”

With extensive experience painting public murals, Green was first inclined to participate in the Cow Parade because it was unlike any event he had ever commissioned.

“I just loved the whole idea.

I thought it was ridiculous and hilarious and wonderful. The project’s sense of humor got to me right away, and I decided I had to do this,” Green said. “I love any kind of art that intersects with peoples’ lives in a way they don’t expect it to. When you’re walking down Newbury Street, and you see a cow … it kind of stops you in your tracks. Once you see a cow, you won’t forget it.”

After Green submitted over 20 sketches, three of them were ultimately chosen. From there, a long process of designing cows that would encapsulate his ideas commenced.

“We [the artists] assembled and painted our cows in a warehouse barn in Somerville,” Green said.

“It was almost like a cow barn.

Everyone had their own stall, and artists would come in and paint their cows.”

While the Cow Parade may seem like a random and spontaneous endeavor, the experience of having his own artwork on display in Boston is especially meaningful to Green.

“The notion that I, as an artist, can have my art out in public where people can see it and interact with it rather than in a museum or a gallery where a limited number of people will see it is what I love about this event,” Green said.

Dawn Evans Scaltreto, a local Boston artist specializing in public art and illustrations, also heavily contributed to the parade, churning out five total cows.

When beginning the process of designing her cows, Scaltreto’s inspiration was derived from something near and dear to the hearts of many Bostonians: sports.

“I really wanted to do a New England Patriots cow, and the idea of doing a Bill Belichick-inspired cow came to me,” Scaltreto said.

“I painted it to wear a ‘property of New England Patriots’ jersey, like Bill Belichick’s hoodie. The cow’s got the microphone and the visor.

He’s got a red penalty flag in his sock. I called it Bill Belicow.”

While donors from all over the country can bid on the parade’s cows, Scaltreto was happy to find that her artwork was sold to Boston’s very own Ace Ticket, a popular sports and concert ticket provider.

“Bill Belicow will always be in the city of Boston now, revered by sports fans, hopefully forever more,” Scaltreto said.

For Scaltreto, witnessing the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s commitment to advancing cancer research and treatment was especially personal.

“My sister had cancer and was treated in a Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,” Scaltreto said. “I just know how much it meant to her to have a place focusing on her type of cancer and taking such good care of her. It means a lot to me that all the money goes to a place working on cancer cures.”

Of all the memorable experiences she has had participating

an array of clients. The Boston branch was established in 1924 and continues to serve the Greater Boston area nearly a century later.

The Massachusetts government has been overwhelmed by incoming immigrants. In August, Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency as Massachusetts was unable to provide resources for the significant number of immigrant coming to the state. While the government may

struggle to adequately aid all immigrants and refugees in the area, IINE works to fill the gaps.

“The vision or goal is making sure that refugees and immigrants have the support and knowledge and skills that are needed so that they can really be successful in New England and contribute to our culture and society and economy,” said Danielle Gauthier, marketing director of IINE. IINE offers four core areas of support, including resettlement assistance, education, career advancement and citizenship services.

These services include job skills training in preparation for employment, English classes for those who do not speak the language and legal representation while seeking citizenship.

The organization focuses on integrating the immigrant and refugee population into the Greater Boston community.

“Boston has a long history of immigration, and immigrants are core to the culture in the city and to our economy,” Gauthier said. “Providing those stabilization services and support so [immigrants] can go on to really integrate into our communities

in the Cow Parade, her favorite is undoubtedly seeing the public’s reactions to the cows, Scaltreto said.

With over 75 cows throughout Boston, Scaltreto says she enjoys seeing people discover the “Easter eggs” she slips into her cow designs.

“People will come to me, especially with the Fenway cow, and tell me all about the things they’ve found I secretly have hidden in my artwork,” Scaltreto said. “It’s just little things like a tiny ‘Where’s Waldo’ image, but it’s always so fun.”

The recipient and buyer of Scaltreto’s Bill Belicow, Ace Ticket, could not be happier that it gets to bring home such a meaningful piece of artwork and display it for all of Boston to see, April Martin, a senior account executive at the Ace Ticket office, said.

In addition to the lively exuberance the cows bring to the city’s landscape, the “social-media-es-

que” features the parade offers are also beneficial for business, Martin said.

“I can’t tell you how many people come here and are trying to find all the cows throughout the city,” Martin said. “It is a great bonding experience for our people, and it’s a good thing for the tourists as well.”

While many people may view the cow standing tall outside of the Ace Ticket office as a festive prop, for others, Ace’s purchase and contribution to the fund represent something more.

“We’ve had multiple people just come here to thank us,” Martin said.

“Whether it’s the fact that they had cancer or they have a loved one affected by it, they are so thankful we donated to the Jimmy Fund. Just having people go out of their way to come in off the street to say ‘hey, thanks for doing this, thanks for donating’ is really, really special.”

Photo by Alexa Coultoff “Udder Transformation” is a vibrantly painted cow created by Nancy-Lee Mauger. Mauger’s cow was sponsored by Jordan’s Furniture.

New England organization assists integration of immigrants, refugees in Boston community

By Alexis Algazy Deputy City Editor With a substantial immigrant population, Boston is the destination for many who come to this country.

The International Institute of New England, or IINE, is a nonprofit that supports immigrants and refugees upon arrival to New England.

With three branches across the region, the organization assists

Photo courtesy International Institute of New England IINE volunteers at the Boston branch sort through donated backpacks for refugee and immigrant youths. The IINE was founded to support immigrants and refugees upon their arrival in New England.

and enrich our culture.”

IINE is a public-private organization, partially funded by both public and private sources. The organization relies on additional funding streams, including contributions by Boston citizens.

Alexandrea Weber, chief advancement officer and senior vice president of IINE, is involved in funding oversight.

“When I think of the institute’s work, I think of it as Boston’s history,” Weber said. “And [it] really being a city that was attracting new immigrants but also one that was integrating them.”

Weber said the Boston community benefits from immigrants and refugees’ contributions, and inversely, IINE depends on fundraising from Boston citizens.

Maryna Vernyhora fled Ukraine for the United States in July 2022. In her search for safety for herself and her daughter, she came across IINE. After utilizing IINE’s services upon her arrival to the country, Vernyhora joined the IINE staff to help immigrants in the position she was once in.

Vernyhora said she finds her work with Ukrainians to be impactful.

“I’m helping a lot [of] Ukrainians

because I was in the same situation as them,” she said.

Since the federal government does not fully fund resettlement programs or integration services, the majority of support falls on organizations like IINE. As immigration rates increase, it is difficult for IINE to comprehensively serve the Greater Boston population in need of support.

“How can we keep up with the amount of people who need services and support?” Weber said. “This is what happens when there’s this level of displacement; there isn’t enough of anything.”

IINE strives to educate the community on integration, in hopes that Boston citizens can take part in supporting immigrants and refugees as the immigration rates rise.

With Massachusetts unable to assist all incoming immigrants, the federal government has gotten involved and is supporting the state.

Organizations like IINE are vital in a system struggling to keep up with the increasing immigrant and refugee population.

“We’ve never done our work alone, but we couldn’t even begin to conceive of doing it alone in this century,” Weber said.

LIFESTYLE

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Calendar compiled by Kristina DaPonte & Laura Emde Graphics by Marta Hill

Now - Nov. 15 All Down the Line: The Rolling Stones in Boston Visit the Panopticon Gallery and view photos of legendary rock band The Rolling Stones.

24 hours, Hotel Commonwealth.

502c Commonwealth Avenue, Free.

Friday, Oct. 13 Fall Festival on the Greenway Tour various food trucks, play mini golf, enter a Halloween costume contest and more.

5 p.m. - 10 p.m., Rose Kennedy Greenway, Free.

Saturday, Oct. 14 Boston Book Festival Celebrate literature in all forms through keynote speeches, workshops and live readings.

10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Copley Square, Free.

Tuesday, Oct. 17 Coolidge Corner Theater’s “Flick R Treats” Head over to Coolidge Corner Theater for a viewing of the classic film “Coraline.”

7 p.m., 290 Harvard St, Brookline, $12.50 student tickets.

Oct. 20 - 22 Head of the Charles Regatta Stop along the Charles River to watch one of the largest rowing regattas in the world.

7:45 a.m., Charles River, Free.

October 13, 2023

Unique features, shipping concerns compel locals to snag new iPhone

By Jake Guldin Lifestyle Editor Dedicated Bostonians swarmed the Apple Store on Boylston Street Sept. 22, forming a lengthy line that wrapped around the building’s pristine exterior in the hopes of securing the latest iPhone on the day of its release.

Unveiled Sept. 12, Apple’s 2023 phone lineup — consisting of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max — sports a plethora of unique features, though the most impressive ones, such as a titanium finish and an action button, are only available on the higher-end models. One trait possessed by every variant, however, is an enticing one: USB-C connectivity.

“I like the consistency with having USB-C,” said Joe Maple, a second-year business administration and communication studies combined major at Northeastern University. “Right now, I have a Mac and an iPad, which also take USB-C, so having one charger that can be universal will be nice.”

This reality, one celebrated by average consumers and tech nerds alike, was not always guaranteed, however. Had it not been for the European Union’s mandate that all devices sold in the region be USB-C

compatible by 2024’s end, the inferior Apple-created Lightning cable may have been included in the box of every new iPhone worldwide.

USB-C, however, is not the only innovation turning heads. The improved camera systems — featuring better low-light capabilities, next-generation portrait photography, superior video quality and (on the iPhone 15 Pro Max) five-times optical zoom, amongst other features — further enticed people to upgrade.

“I really like the camera on [the iPhone 15 Pro Max],” Maple said.

“The cinematic mode for video is something I’m really interested in. I do social media for one of my clubs, and having a high-quality device to do that with will be great.”

Beyond the new capabilities of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and its brethren, unruly shipping times practically forced some shoppers to purchase a device in person rather than online.

Matheus Santos, a 28-year-old native of South America, endured the chilly morning weather with his girlfriend for this very reason.

“We tried to get one on the website, but my girlfriend couldn’t buy the model because it was estimated to be delivered in October,” Santos said. “We are leaving for Brazil at the end of September, so we are trying to get one for her.”

Stuck in a similar predicament was Anicia Radhakrishnan, a Boston University first-year studying cell biology, molecular biology and genetics specialization. Radhakrishnan arrived bright and early at the Apple Store, getting situated in line nearly 90 minutes before the shop was set to open at 8 a.m. — all because of an absurdly late delivery date.

“I tried preordering it, actually, but it said I would receive it in mid-November, and that’s way too late,” Radhakrishnan said. “So, I’m just like, ‘I’ll come here and try my luck.’”

In addition to delayed delivery dates, multiple consumers expressed discomfort in shipping such a pricey product, fearing that it may be lost or stolen. Maple, for instance, expressed discomfort at the prospect of shipping such an expensive device through Northeastern’s Residential Mail Services.

Evidently, for a multitude of cus-

Photo by Patrick O’Neal Customers wait outside the Apple Store on Boylston Street..

Many customers arrived hours before the 8 a.m. tomers, a vast array of new attributes and abysmal shipping times were the driving force behind the decision to race to the Apple Store for a new phone. This is especially true for college students who often rely on campus mail services. For others, though, these factors played a much smaller role as it was simply time for a change.

“Honestly, I’ve been using this phone for the past six years — it’s an iPhone 7,” Radhakrishnan said. “So, I’ve just been trying to upgrade and I guess that [the iPhone 15 Pro Max] was the best model.”

Column: Hollywood unions show who the real heroes are

By Joseph Brant News Correspondent Unions have been in the news a lot lately, and it’s not just because some of Hollywood’s most famous stars have traded “learning lines” for “picket lines.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the United States has seen the highest labor mobilization rates in the last 50 years. President Biden’s recent historic appearance at a United Auto Workers strike in Michigan marks a transitional moment for organized labor and public perception of unions and their members.

But as strikes dominate news cycles and public discourse, what is revealed about America’s darling Hollywood and the dynamics of power at play in the entertainment industry?

After the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, joined the Writers Guild of America, or WGA, in their strike against studios and streaming services in July, Hollywood came to a screeching halt. Eleven-thousand writers stopped working on new material, 116,000 actors could not film or promote TV shows or movies and studios tried to fill empty seats at the writers’ table with scabs — writers willing to cross the picket line.

Talk shows and any live TV shows requiring writers were postponed indefinitely as well. Many films, like the highly-anticipated sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” were pushed back to 2024 due to their inability to complete and promote the projects, reshaping both the economic pros-

pects of the industry and the awards circuit landscape.

Writers and actors rightfully feared the worst, especially after a studio executive reportedly told Deadline that the studios’ plan was “to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”

During the strike, studios leaned into their long history of union busting by trimming trees that shielded striking actors and writers from extreme heat.

Now, with a new deal on the table, writers likely returning to work and SAG-AFTRA preparing for another round of negotiations, the culture and market built around film, TV and talk shows have a chance to reckon with the issues (both economic and social) that the months-long strike has brought into the spotlight.

The deal offered by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, addresses the job insecurity and low pay that drove the unions to the picket lines, securing increased royalty payments and regulations imposing minimum staffing in production. The union also won protections against the use of artificial intelligence, which has been one of the most significant existential threats to the profession in recent years.

Fascinatingly, studios will now also be required to provide viewership data to writers, as the contract establishes a success-based residual for employees of streaming services. This change not only forces studios to be more honest with the pay they offer writers, but also leaves them vulnerable to embarrassment if a project they

invested significant money into does poorly. This shift in the relationship between audience, artist and studio will undoubtedly impact where and when studios, especially streaming giants like Netflix and Max, decide to spend their money.

SAG-AFTRA has yet to reach an agreement with AMPTP. Although WGA has officially ended its strike, the union encouraged writers to join actors on the picket lines until a deal is reached, as the shows and movies writers create can’t start rolling cameras until SAG-AFTRA also concludes its strike.

Union organizers believe the WGA negotiations, and the contract that emerged from them, can serve as a “blueprint” for the finalization of SAG-AFTRA’s deal. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict exactly when the studios will make concessions to actors’ demands, meaning that until further notice, movie and television production and promotion will remain on hold.

Although celebrities weren’t officially working as actors or writers during the strike, they were far from out of the public eye. The star-studded picket line received wide public support from fans online, with celebrities creating a public auction to raise money for striking cast and crew members struggling to make ends meet.

The reception of celebrities during the strike wasn’t all so sweet, though.

After resuming production of her talk show amid negotiations, Drew Barrymore received an onslaught of criticism online, especially as tales of Conan O’Brien’s loyalty and gen-

erosity in his 2007-2008 support of striking writers recirculated online.

Barrymore later issued a tear-filled apology video and placed the production of her show back on pause.

If she had waited another week, Barrymore could’ve avoided plenty of discourse and her alleged “fall from grace,” but the industry wouldn’t have seen so clearly that the public could force producers, studios and streaming services to reckon with their mistreatment of the unions.

The strong response to Barrymore’s scabbing reflects the growing support for labor unions among the American people. For unions, the challenge now is to transfer that passion, intensity and commitment to industries that feel less personally relevant or threaten wider economic blowback.

It’s easy to get excited about a celebrity holding up a catchy sign referencing their most popular role, but the public needs to have the same enthusiasm for professions like pipefitters, auto workers and airline employees.

The strike on Hollywood challenged American patterns of celebrity and consumption, revealing a new layer of the entertainment industry’s corruption. In an industry centered around levity, beauty and glamour, it’s easy to overlook the ugly, unjust side of film and television production. But because of the commitment and sacrifice of writers and actors, the world has watched a group of workers reclaim their power and win their demands in the face of corporate greed and cruelty.

Maybe someone will make a movie about it someday.

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A glimpse into Survivor: Northeastern

By Zoe MacDiarmid News Staff Can you trust your friends? Do you really know your allies? Do you know how to survive?

These are the questions that contestants have to answer for themselves in the game of “Survivor.”

On a chilly moonlit night in late September, players and production staff of Survivor: Northeastern gathered on Centennial Common for the second challenge of the club’s 13th season. The excitement and anticipation was palpable as teams warmed up for their challenge: knocking down other tribes’ lanterns in the dark using bean bags.

Survivor: Northeastern, a club reproducing the format of hit CBS show “Survivor,” began its fall season on a rainy Sunday, Sept. 24, in the Back Bay Fens. This season, which is themed “The Wild, Wild West Village,” is now in full swing, with fifth-year mechanical engineering major JohnMichael “JM” Manzi serving as club president and host, who first played in season eight.

A season of Survivor: Northeastern lasts one semester, and two

seasons are held a year. Tribals and challenges are hosted once to twice a week in lecture halls and on various quads around campus. Most tribals take half an hour, while challenges can last for hours, Manzi said.

The season winner takes home a $250 cash prize, though it’s customary for the winner to use the money to take everyone out for dinner, said head of logistics and third-year computer science major Liz McDowell, who played in season 10.

The club began in the spring of 2017. Northeastern alum Casey Abel, at the time a third-year marine biology major, was inspired to start the club after finding University of Maryland’s version on an online “Survivor” forum.

Abel has been a fan of “Survivor” since she was 10 years old, is an active member of online forums about the game and played mini challenges with friends in the past, but never on a larger scale until she founded Survivor: Northeastern.

For season one, Abel recruited friends and posted on Northeastern Facebook groups and sub-Reddits.

The first season had 16 contestants, the minimum amount with which

Photo by Ali Caudle Members of the Aardvark tribe anxiously await the results of the first elimination. JohnMichael “JM” Manzi, the host and president for season 13, counted the votes after each member had voted.

the game can be played.

“A lot of the challenges [in season one] were done with paper plates and plastic cups and just stuff that was really easy to work with,” Abel said. “The first season was kind of like a trial run.” Тhe first season generated increased interest for the club, and members started making flyers and tabling events, hoping to encourage more growth. Six players came back to help revamp the second season. The structure of the club developed from there, and in recent years has had 16-20 players, who are overseen by a production staff that coordinates filming, game planning, finances and video editing.

The game, boiled down to its simplest components, consists of challenges and “tribals.” Challenges are the games that the production staff plan before the season begins.

There are classic challenges like blindfolded games, puzzles and food, but most are unique to every season, Manzi said.

Tribals happen before every challenge; the tribe that lost the previous challenge meets in a room away from the other tribes for an opportunity to answer the host’s questions.

This is a time for the tribe to reflect, talk to each other and, most importantly, vote someone out.

As votes are cast for who to eliminate, all the lights are turned off and battery-powered candles are turned on, surrounding the fateful box where votes are put in, and players of that tribe are invited in one-byone. It is not uncommon for players to apologize as they hold up the slip of paper with the name of the person they’re voting to eliminate to the camera. Some take this time to confess to betraying their alliances; some laugh it off.

“Being in tribal honestly is a really scary experience sometimes,” said production staff Charles Roeger, a second-year computer science and political science combined major who played in season 12. “Especially the first few where you have no idea what’s happening to you, you don’t trust anyone, and you’re just praying to whatever force you believe in that the ‘Survivor’ gods will work for you.”

While players are casting their vote, the rest of their tribe waits outside in the hallway where they are monitored, ensuring no one is trying to sway their vote, according to third-year behavioral neuroscience major Emilia Smith, a production staff member who played in season nine.

Once the votes are in, the host calls the tribe back into the room together to sit down as the votes are read aloud.

“If you know that you’re safe, you’re probably not,” McDowell said. “I always say that if you’re not part of a blindside then you’re being blindsided. I’d be taking academic tests and be like, ‘At least I’m not at tribal council.’”

As there is only one winner, elimination for most is inevitable.

There are, however, tactics to delay or prevent being eliminated. True to the show, there are “idols” which are hidden around campus that guarantee immunity for a round. Players work to find clues around campus to find the location of idols.

Another popular method to avoid elimination is forming alliances.

Some members of a tribe that know they will be going to tribal may decide to team up and vote off one person. But it is not uncommon for people to change their vote at the last minute.

Once the show progresses to the point of the final few members, eliminated players act as the jury and pick the winners. This is why it is important not to burn bridges, as eliminated players are the ones deciding the winner, McDowell said.

The club, to many students, is all-consuming. McDowell has talked about the club in three job interviews and still routinely brings it up to friends, she said. Third-year marketing major and head of filming Nicole Rios said for the semester she played, if anyone were to ask her friends what she was doing, they would most likely answer “Survivor.”

It’s this sense of passion that drives the club forward, as many members of the club are fans of the show itself, McDowell said. The production staff is keen on incorporating as many elements from the real show as possible. Seasons are planned in an hours-long production meeting before the first challenge, said head of game design Jack Burke, a third-year international business major.

Many people who played in a season will come back to help with production, Manzi said. “Everyone just wants the players and the other members of the club to have a good time and have the same good experience that they did. I think the social aspect of the club is what keeps people involved.”

But despite the nature of the competition, Abel said the community the club forms is one-of-a-kind.

“I think there’s something about going through an experience where your back might be up against the wall with another person,” she said.

“That really bonds you in a different way, as opposed to just kind of sitting in class with someone and commiserating over a professor or something.”

Northeastern celebrates 125th birthday

By Lily Webber News Staff The energy was high and campus buzzed with excitement as Krentzman Quad, adorned with red, white and black decorations, filled with students and blaring music. Tuesday, Oct. 3 marked the 125th anniversary of the founding of Northeastern University, and the student body celebrated accordingly.

The daylong birthday celebration, hosted by the university, included a speech from President Joseph E. Aoun, a collaborative musical performance from student arts groups and activities around campus.

Global Northeastern campuses including Oakland, California and London also held celebrations to commemorate the monumental day.

The international celebration intended to inform and inspire students, according to an open letter shared with the Northeastern community earlier this semester.

“As we celebrate throughout this year and across the world, the power of experience will continue to connect us and drive us forward,” the statement attributed to Aoun said.

“It will continue to encourage us to learn from each other. And it will continue to inspire us to build a better world now and into the future.”

The landmark year recognizes over a century of growth for the university. Northeastern was established in the Back Bay area in 1898, relocating to its current location on Huntington Avenue in 1913. Three years later, it was integrated into and established as Northeastern College and gained university status in 1922.

The university remained a commuter school until it was rebranded following the completion of the West Village residence halls in 2006, according to a timeline chronicling the history of the Boston campus.

In the years since, Northeastern has introduced global initiatives, establishing more than a dozen satellite campuses across the world.

The celebration kicked off on Krentzman Quad as Aoun welcomed students and faculty.

“We are here because we want to thank everyone who preceded us, who built this magnificent university and we are here to pledge that we will continue to build a great university that is going to have an enormous impact and change the world,” Aoun said.

Following his speech, students were invited to join together in singing happy birthday to the university. Northeastern performing groups also collaborated to prepare a celebratory musical showcase as

campus a capella and dance groups, as well as the cheer team, joined together for a Northeastern-themed rendition of both Deniece Williams’ “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” and Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday to You”.

“I was so excited to be invited to be a part of it. I’ve never done anything like this before so I was excited to try something new,” said first-year public relations major Kristin Merril, a member of the NU Choral Society who performed at the celebration. “The crowd was great, it was good to see so many students come out and support.”

Following the performance, students were encouraged to participate in pop-up activities set up across campus.

Stations included screen printing t-shirts with 125th anniversary designs, Boston-themed trivia, photo opportunities and an interactive university history mural.

The celebration continued throughout the day with student performances on Centennial Common. Student musicians Vi, Madison Bequer and Hongjoi took the stage for an early afternoon concert. Students filled Centennial, listening to the music and relishing in the celebratory atmosphere.

Though the festivities concluded, Northeastern cemented its histor-

ical significance as Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a statewide proclamation officially declaring Oct. 3 as Northeastern University Founders Day. “The university’s investments in entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, civic engagement, public art and sustainability have made an extraordinary contribution to the economic and social fabric of the City of Boston and to the Commonwealth, and are a credit to the 300,000 Northeastern alumni living, working, and making a difference in communities around the globe,” Healey’s proclamation read.

Photo by Darin Zullo A Northeastern husky receives scratches. Various university dogs were present during the celebration.

Photo by Darin Zullo Paws watches as streamers fly around student performers on Krentzman Quadrangle. Before the student performances, President Joseph E. Aoun spoke, celebrating the legacy of Northeastern.

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‘WE ARE NOT GOING ANY FLAG, ‘OUTOBE

By Lily Webber and Yaakov Aldrich | Sunshine and pride filled Centennial Common Oct. 4 as the NU LGBTQA Resource Center hosted a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the start of LGBTQ+ History Month. The event featured speeches from resource center leaders, as well as a poem read by a student artist to a crowd of over 50 people.

The flag was raised as a part of the resource center’s month-long celebration, coined “Outober,” which aims to recognize and commemorate the history and accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community. Upcoming events include workshops, Wednesday Coffee Hours, Queer Prom and a film festival.

The ceremony began with an introduction from Kevin Vetiac, director of Northeastern’s LGBTQA Resource Center.

“October for us is Outober — it is the month where we celebrate LGBTQIA+ history and we raise the pride flag,” Vetiac said. “We’ll be here the whole month.”

Suubi Magoola, a second-year computer science and animation combined major, read a poem titled “Change my Mind.”

“It is about my first experience with queer love and because no identity exists in a void,” Magoola said regarding their work. “It also

speaks on my experience being a Black person and an artist.”

“It really meant a lot to me,” Magoola said about performing their poem. “More than just the relationship that I had dedicated it towards, but also as a representation of my experience as a Black, queer individual.”

Magoola also shared their appreciation for the flag raising event.

“It was fantastic. I was a little concerned about whether or not there’d be a crowd, but people came through and it was awesome, just watching the flag go up was inspiring,” Magoola said. “I feel like there is more than just the aesthetic of seeing the pride flag in Centennial, it’s what it represents.

We are here and we are not going anywhere. We are not hiding, we are not keeping to ourselves, we are in the middle of campus and no one can say otherwise.”

AK Wright, a postdoctoral fellow in Africana studies and women, gender, and sexuality studies, told the crowd what the ceremony and their position meant to them.

“I knew how important it was for me to have had folks I could go to for career advice, life advice or to just simply sit in a corner of their office while eating their candy,” Wright said. “I hope to pay

NU community responds to attacks on Israel

By Zoe MacDiarmid News Staff Hundreds of Northeastern community members gathered Tuesday night on Cabot Quad in solidarity with Israel. Since Hamas’ Saturday assault on Israel, over 1,200 people in Israel and 900 people in Gaza have been killed, with thousands more injured.

The Quad was saturated with the blue-and-white colors of the Israeli flag as students, faculty and other community members gathered to show support for the country. Many wore the flag like a cloak. Most men wore kippot. As Jewish student organization leaders and rabbis spoke, the crowd cheered, embraced one another and cried.

The first day of the attacks was Saturday, Oct. 7 when thousands of Hamas’ rockets rained down on southern and central Israel, while Hamas — an Islamic, Palestinian nationalist militant group based out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip — captured Israeli citizens and took hostages. Hamas said the attacks were in response to worsening conditions for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza strip, Associated Press reported, a region some human rights groups call “the world’s largest open-air prison.”

On Sunday Oct. 8 the Israeli government formally declared war against Hamas after its surprise attack. The government has ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza — a territory occupying 139 square miles with

a population over 2 million, of which 40% are under the age of 15 — and has pledged to cut off food, water and energy to the region. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad — the second-largest militant group in the Gaza Strip — has also carried out attacks of its own against Israel since Saturday.

“My country will never be the same,” Liron Raphael, an Israel fellow at Northeastern, said in her speech at the gathering. “There will be an Israel before Oct. 7 and an Israel after Oct. 7.”

Many students at Northeastern have family and friends caught in the attacks. Three Northeastern students in Israel — two on co-op and one visiting friends and family for Simchat Torah, a holy day for Jewish people — were safely evacuated.

Gili Cohen, a second-year computer science and design combined major, was born and raised near Netanya, Israel. Growing up, Cohen lived through the 2014 Gaza War, but said what is happening now is unlike what she witnessed as a child.

“I’ve lived through those missiles … and they became something that’s sometimes normal to see in the headlines in Israel,” she said. “But very quickly, I think we all realized that this wasn’t the normal situation.”

Cohen said she has been “hooked” on the news since Saturday, constantly refreshing to check for updates.

“The first few nights, I kept setting alarms for the morning, scared that news will come in while I’m sleeping,” Cohen said. “Everyone I love is back there and I could have

easily been in the same situation that they’re all in. But life [in the United States] just keeps on moving.”

Vice President of Northeastern Hillel Elizabeth Zhorov, a fourthyear environmental and sustainability sciences major, said when the attacks made headlines on Saturday, she texted in a group chat with over a hundred kids she oversaw as a camp counselor in Sderot, Israel, as well as friends and family.

“Sderot is a city where kids don’t get to experience a normal childhood due to the constant threat of rockets,” she said. “For 10 days of their summer, a group of counselors from Boston take them to a safer location within Israel and just let them be kids. So hearing the news on Saturday, my first thought was if the kids were okay.”

Many Jewish Northeastern students have come together at Northeastern Hillel, said Gabrielle Bailey, who helped organize the rally and is president of the club’s Tikkun Olam service committee. Hillel has been open every night since the attacks began and “will continue to be open,” she said, to provide a safe space for students to pray, grieve and find support.

“That’s what made this tragedy feel real to me,” said Bailey, a third-year biochemistry and bioengineering combined major. “[At Hillel], students share the names of loved ones affected by terrorism. An uncle who is still missing. A cousin no one has heard from since the attack. A classmate and a sibling hiding in bomb shelters. A

friend who was shot at the rave. Every Jewish student on campus has someone in their heart right now.”

This conflict has divided many members of the Northeastern community. Northeastern published a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 10 addressing the attacks, but many commenters expressed their discontent with the statement not acknowledging Palestinians or the several reported human rights violations committed by the Israeli government against Palestine.

But others in the Northeastern community say this isn’t the time for debate, but instead a time to mourn.

“This issue isn’t political. We can put politics aside for this,” said Vice President of Huskies for Israel Sabrina Chevlin, a third-year psychology and music combined major. “Human

life is the priority here. … Jews are suffering great, great losses, unimaginable things, living nightmares — and there’s antisemitism everywhere.

It feels like shadows of the Holocaust and just a general feeling of fear amongst Jews right now.”

But despite the violence, Cohen said she believes in the people of her country.

“Honestly, I think the one thing that’s been really holding me together through it all is the community, the strength and the resilience of the Israeli people in general,” she said. “I also have so much trust in the Israeli people.”

At the end of the rally, crowd members joined arms and recited “Oseh Shalom,” a Jewish prayer for peace, as several Israeli flags waved high above the crowd.

Photo by Zoe MacDiarmid Students link arms and embrace as the crowd recites “Oseh Shalom,” a Jewish peace prayer. The rally had many emotional moments as a community stood united.

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YWHERE’: RAISING THE PRIDE ER’ AND LGBTQA+ HISTORY

| News Staf f and News Correspondent forward all the support that allowed me to be where I am today.”

Reflecting on the significance of safe and inclusive spaces, Wright called out to the Northeastern community.

“Educational spaces have become battlegrounds for queer and trans students across the country, which makes affirming campuses like this one so important,” Wright said. “It is up to us, whatever identity we hold, to make this world a place where one can joyfully say, or not say, who they are on their own terms. Whether one is out to a few folks, loud and proud on social media or still determining who they are, I hope this is a celebration where all of our spirits are uplifted and nourished.”

Wright spoke to The News about their career journey and the weight of seeing the pride flag rise on Centennial Common. “It was a really incredible experience, primarily because one of the reasons I became a professor was to be able to be a visibly queer and trans professor and to support and mentor students,” Wright said.” Being a part of events like this, where I can affirm that this is an accepting campus, a campus where students can feel safe and supported and wanted — It feels like I’ve been working towards this my whole

career,” Wright said.

Several students paused their commutes across campus to stop by the flag-raising ceremony out of curiosity or support for the queer community.

“We walked out of the build-ing and saw people and heard the speeches, and we were like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’” said Iris Kaucher, a second-year computer science major. “We noticed the progress flag there and were like ‘Oh my God, some cool gay stuff is going on!’”

After several construction delays, Northeastern’s LGBTQA Resource Center has moved from room 328 to room 174 in the Curry Student Center.

“They just moved into a new space and now they are doing these kinds of events,” Wright said.

“I think that it’s all about creating an affirming campus for students and I think with all the events that are coming up, hopefully students are gonna benefit from and feel supported and taken care of on this campus.”

Closing remarks from Vetiac reflected on the opportunity Northeastern has to support the queer community on campus.“It feels like a tremendous gift to be able to offer support to queer and trans students. Support that I

wish I had received when I was in college,” Vetiac said. “I am under no illusions that raising the pride flag will solve all the problems facing the queer and trans community today. Raising the pride flag won’t guarantee access to gender affirming care for all who need it, and raising the pride flag won’t reduce the astonishing rates at which trans women of color are murdered every single year. But we raise the pride flag nevertheless.”

Vetiac concluded the ceremony with a mission for the university community.

“Let it be a sign and a promise that here at Northeastern we will do all that we can to make sure that every queer and trans student feels safe, feels seen, feels included and celebrated. Let the raising of this pride flag today renew in all of us a commitment to create spaces where all of us are included and feel we belong,” Vetiac said. “Let this pride flag remind all of us who are queer how far we have come as a community and how far we still have to go to reach full inclusion and equality.”

Photos by Yaakov Aldrich A crowd gathers to watch the flag-raising ceremony. Many students stopped for the ceremony out of support and curiosity.

First-years discuss global experience TRANSFER, from front However, these campuses function independently from the Boston campus, meaning those who participated were disconnected from Boston until their return. Furthermore, any classes taken during NU Bound appear as transfer credits on student transcripts, and students could not use financial aid while on the program. With little information made available other than what was provided on the NU Bound website, many students didn’t know what they were getting into, and even less of an idea of what their return would look like.

Of the differences between campuses, one of the biggest shocks to NU Bound students came in the form of academics. “London did not prepare me academically whatsoever for Boston,” said Aastha Vyas, a second-year cell and molecular biology major who started in London last year.

As part of their time abroad, students in London had to acclimate to an education system that was unfamiliar to them. Workloads were limited to two or three graded assignments per class. Moderators reviewed anything graded by a professor before scores were released, which could take up to a month in some cases.

The grading scale also differed dramatically. “Passing was a 44% and then an A was a 70%,” said Andrew Mayer, a second-year mechanical engineering major also at the London campus. “But people were fighting for that 44%.”

Issues with classes in London also

stemmed from class organization and grievances with professors. “Classes in London are nothing like the classes here,” Vyas said. “They were unorganized, we barely knew about the assignments and [professors] were so ill-prepared.”

These issues relate back to the mergers that added the London and Oakland campuses to Northeastern’s expanding list of locations. Northeastern University London — formerly known as New College of the Humanities — has rapidly expanded in the almost five years since merging with Northeastern by moving into a new facility and adding new degree programs that cater to STEM students.

This growth has been the root of the problem for many. “Especially in the design school, they had a lot of new hires,” said Nicole Schubert, a second-year business administration and graphic design combined major who spent last year on the Oakland campus. “A lot of the old professors were actually good, but the new hires weren’t that great.”

Returning to the Boston campus proved to be beneficial for some students following a year of academic hiccups. Students from the London campus found it easier to adjust to the structures and workloads of their classes because Northeastern’s Boston campus uses an academic system more familiar to them, they said. “With how rough [the British] system is and how unforgiving it is…it has made the Boston campus feel a little more relaxed academically,” Mayer said.

NU Bound students have also flourished socially since matriculating to the Boston campus. Studies on transfer students in the past have shown how common feelings of social isolation are after starting classes in a new university, but students already on the Boston campus have been welcoming to the NU Bound transfers, students said. “Finding people in my classes was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be,” Vyas said. “I really do like the community. Everyone here has been so sweet.”

Some returning students have found the larger student population contributed to their social success. Although Northeastern’s Boston campus is home to over 17,000 undergraduates, Northeastern University London and Mills College at Northeastern only had 700 NU Bound students between campuses.

Access to a larger student population has been beneficial for those looking to expand their social circles outside of the NU Bound bubble. “It’s been nice to meet new people on the Boston campus because when you’re on the Oakland campus, you would interact with the same people over and over again,” Schubert said.

Many incoming students had the luxury of keeping their social circles the same as they were during NU Bound.

“All the friends I currently have are because of the NU Bound program,” Mayer said. “I haven’t really felt the need to branch off.”

For the most part, changing campuses has been a relatively smooth

experience, Schubert said. “My biggest concern was dealing with the cold weather,” she said. However, this does not mean the integration has been problem-free.

Complications with the return to Boston started before NU Bound students had left their respective campuses. According to students, this was largely due to a lack of communication between the Boston campus and NU Bound participants.

Students reportedly struggled to contact their Boston academic advisers, and on-campus academic advisers in London and Oakland were not equipped to help select courses that would aid students’ matriculation to Boston. This was especially apparent for Vyas, who faced issues with her pre-med requirements early on. “I couldn’t take any of my essential [premed] courses in London, which I didn’t know until I was in London,” she said.

Communication issues also manifested during the housing selection process. “It was like one general email and then another one later,” Mayer said. “It wasn’t as comprehensive as we thought it would be.” Due to poor lottery numbers, those who did choose to live on campus are mainly split between International Village and the Sheraton Boston Hotel.

Many of last year’s NU Bound students are living off campus in Boston, but information about safe areas to rent or leasing offices to contact was not made available. “I wish they did a better job at giving us some help on how to find off-campus housing because I

would’ve loved that help,” Vyas said.

Northeastern did provide resources to ease the transition, such as informational newsletters prior to move-in day and an orientation specific to NU Bound and other transfer students. NU Bound students were also required to attend this year’s convocation and participate in certain welcome week activities. However, students criticized how effective these activities, specifically orientation, were at familiarizing them with the Boston campus and community.

“I think the orientation we had here was pretty much the exact orientation we had in Oakland,” Schubert said.

Starting this year, the NU Bound program has been replaced by the Global Scholars program, which starts participants in either Boston, London or Oakland and for their first semester before switching them to another campus for their second.

The former NU Bound students believe that better communication could solve the problems they had with their integration and improve it for the Global Scholars students.

“I just wish Boston communicated with us more,” Vyas said. “That’s the only thing I wish was done differently.”

Despite issues with the program, former NU Bound students urge future classes to take advantage of the year abroad and what it has to offer. When asked if he had any advice for this year’s Global Scholars students, Mayer said, “Enjoy it as much as you can, because it is such a cool experience.”

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October 13, 2023

New coaches lead Huskies into 2023-24 OFFSEASON, from front Clarke also brings an international perspective to the team.

Alongside his time at NTU, he has coached players from Ireland and Great Britain, many of whom are now playing professionally.

“The international flair that coach Colin Clarke brings to the table — we’re definitely trying to just really embrace it and just kind of see if that’s the type of play that we will benefit from,” said Caroline Sweeney, a senior midfielder/back and team captain. “Being able to be open-minded and work with Colin, to bring in that kind of new side of play, I think is definitely going to be beneficial for us.”

In addition to Clarke, Spuehler brought on Cheri Shultz from the University of Connecticut. Schulz served as assistant coach for UConn for over two decades, from 20012023, and helped lead the team to three national championships.

Since the new staff additions, the Huskies have noticed a massive difference in the team culture and coaching styles.

“It’s definitely been a big shift for us to share with three new coaches,” said Lauren Rowe, a graduate student midfielder/back and captain. “It’s been a challenge for everyone; it’s pushed us but pushing us in the right direction as a program.”

Sweeney added that Spuehler’s promotion to head coach instilled a fear of the unknown for the team.

“No one knew how that transition would go,” she said. “But so far, it’s been very smooth. She’s really been just kind of taking the role and running with it, which is just really encouraging to see on the field and off the field.”

The last few years for the program were challenging, Rowe said. With COVID-19 and injuries affecting the lineups, the Huskies faced difficult losses. In 2021, before its 5-14 season, Northeastern went 7-12.

When Sweeney joined Northeastern’s squad, it was veteran-heavy, and few rookies got a chance on the field.

“I think that we’re finally, this year, coming to a point where everyone has had experience on the field,” she said. “It’s evident to see just through the style of play.”

Now, the Huskies are starting to find their groove — due in part to their age, but also the new coaching styles.

“We’re just playing a different style of [field] hockey,” Rowe, who sat out last season due to injury, said. “It’s way more aggressive, we’re playing more cohesive [field] hockey … the tools we’ve been provided with the new coaches just made a significant impact.”

After a loss to Louisville, ranked

ninth nationally at the time, in their season opener, the Huskies went on to win four games in a row.

“To get four wins at the beginning of the season was a big confidence boost for us and a nice build up at the beginning of the season,” Rowe said.

As veterans, Rowe and Sweeney have embraced their leadership role as captains and older team members.

Clarke and Spuehler rely on them to reinforce their messages to the team in and out of practice. Fluidity and player leadership were struggles for the team in past seasons, but Sweeney and Rowe have already worked to change that.

“We’ve definitely been challenged a lot more with our hockey IQ and knowledge, individually,” Rowe said.

“Something we’ve really focused on this year is our individual responsibility and how we have to know our roles. And everyone has to know the plan inside out and the tactics.”

After their four-win streak, the Huskies faced tough competition against talented out-of-conference teams and William & Mary, ranked second in the Coastal Athletic Association, or CAA, leading to four losses in a row. The next week, the team came together to bounce back after the losses, beating Towson University 6-1.

“This past week, we really honed in on what we could control,”

Photo by Jim Pierce Northeastern field hockey coaches Pam Spuehler (center), Colin Clarke (right) and Cheri Schultz stand on the sidelines at Dedham Field. The Huskies saw a complete turnover of coaching staff during the 2023 offseason.

Spuehler said. “I think the girls just prepared for [the game] every day this past week, and it really showed [that day].”

With three home games left at Dedham Field this season, all being conference play, the Huskies are anxious to build their momentum up again and finish the 2023 campaign strong, and they’re well on their way.

On Oct. 6, the team had their first win against Delaware since 2012, a huge boost for the final five games left in the season.

The team and its new coaches have one goal this year: to be CAA champions.

“So as a team goal, the big over-

arching goal is CAA champions this year. That’s the pinnacle of the season,” Rowe said. “It’s also very encouraging to see when I’m playing and look over the sideline and see familiar faces or even some unfamiliar faces that are just interested in the game and learning more.”

The team’s senior day is Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. at Dedham Field, and they hope to see as many fans that are able to make it.

This team is “kind of the start of new history here at Northeastern, and I’m super proud of them already,” Spuehler said. “And there’s just so much more to come. So stay tuned.”

Climbing team offers community for growing number of competitive climbers

By Jessica Xing News Staff Combining strength, technique and problem solving, the Northeastern Climbing Team has consistently proven its skill while giving competitive climbers a supportive campus community.

Founded in 2014, the team has since grown to a roster of 24 students — 12 male and 12 female — all of whom practice and compete in both bouldering and lead climbing.

For many team members, the world of competitive climbing is not new. Elana von der Heyden, a fourthyear behavioral neuroscience major and co-captain of the team, has been climbing for 13 years and has competed in youth competitions both in the United States and Germany.

Similarly, TJ Marks, a second-year mechanical engineering major and vice president of the club, has been climbing since he was 4 years old and has also competed in the USA Climbing Youth Series.

Every year, the team competes in a Northeast Division qualifying event sometime between October and March in order to attend divisionals, which take place in March at a predetermined location. At divisionals, climbers are split up by gender and discipline (bouldering or lead climbing), with the top 13 competitors from each discipline being invited to compete in nationals.

Competing in the USA Climbing Collegiate competition, the team has consistently ranked highly in nationals for the past few years. The Northeastern Climbing Team sent seven members to nationals this past

year and eight members the previous year, ranking ninth overall at the most recent competition.

“In past years, we’ve proven definitely to be one of the strongest teams in the Northeast Division,” von der Heyden said.

With practices three times a week, the team splits its time between the Central Rock Gym locations in Cambridge, Stoneham and Watertown.

However, many members decide to practice on their own on off-days.

On Sundays and Mondays, von der Heyden and Chris Kuang, a fourth-year architectural studies and design combined major and the other co-captain of the team, lead the practices. Each practice includes a 30-minute warm-up, a 30-minute hangboarding session to strengthen members’ fingers, a one-hour projecting session in which members focus on climbing and improving technique and a 30-minute weightlifting session to strengthen major muscle groups.

“We focus a little bit more on strength and technique and really trying to climb at our maximum ability on Sunday,” von der Heyden said. “Monday is more geared toward endurance work, which is a little bit more volume but less intensity just so that we can prevent injury.”

Team members are then split up evenly between Wednesday, bouldering day, or Thursday, lead-climbing day, with some member preference allowed in what to focus on. During these days, their coach, Lawrence Osefoh, has members do drills and exercises during the climbing portion of practice.

For many members, one of the

biggest appeals about the team is the community that it provides. Finding this community helped Marks transition from high school to college.

“It was really cool to have a group of people right from the get-go and have a bonding experience and shared goal of climbing,” Marks said.

In addition to having similar interests, school spirit also brings team members closer together.

“I think a lot of climbers just practice by themselves, but it’s kind of a unique opportunity to have a bunch of people all who are interested in competing for climbing and also having the school be supportive of that,” Kuang said. “It’s just a really nice opportunity to be around a lot of people who are super into climbing and also be associated with your school, your university.”

The team recently brought on nine new members, with around 50 students showing up for try-outs. In contrast to years prior to COVID-19, when the team sometimes had trouble filling the roster, there has been a noticeable increasing interest in collegiate competitive climbing.

“Competing on the collegiate series hasn’t always been a priority for high-level climbers coming out of the youth circuit, but recently I think there’s been a shift,” Kuang said. “Not only for our team, but country-wide, more kids are interested in joining the competitive circuit.”

This shift is in part due to the expansion of the USA Climbing Youth series over the past decade; students who have been able to climb in the youth series most of their lives are finally entering college and bringing their enthusiasm for competitive

climbing with them.

“Every year, there’s always people who graduate as well — strong climbers,” von der Heyden said.

“So you always have turnover.

But the really strong climbers are getting younger and younger, so [the upcoming competition season] definitely be a challenge.”

Outside of the gym, the Northeastern Climbing Team participates in various forms of volunteer work. While Northeastern stopped requiring club sports to participate in volunteering efforts in the fall of 2022, the team still plans on seeking out these opportunities. Last April, the team worked with the Boston Urban Wilds program to clean up the area around Nira Rock, then enjoyed some climbs afterwards. In the past, it’s also helped belay for youth classes and competitions at gyms around the area.

“Even though it’s no longer required, we’re definitely interested in giving back to the outdoor community and climbing community,” von der Heyden said.

In the future, the team looks forward to seeing new generations of climbers carry on its traditions and values, while also advancing the team’s performance and sense of community.

“There’s a lot of young climb-ers who are really psyched on our team,” Kuang said. “I’m excited to see them develop and continue building the team. I think we have a good framework, but I think there is a lot of room for improvement.”

With the season just starting, the Northeastern Climbing Team will no doubt be putting its all into preparing for divisionals and nationals.

“Get stronger and have more fun: that’s really what climbing’s all about,” Marks said.

Photo courtesy Northeastern Climbing Team Elana von der Heyden competes in lead climbing during the 2023 Collegiate National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Each year, the top 13 competitors at divisionals have been invited to compete at nationals.

SPORTS

October 13, 2023

Page 9

Huskies shut out Skyhawks in home opener, securing first win of the season

By Sarah Popeck News Staff After the loss of major players like Devon Levi and Aidan McDonough, the Northeastern men’s hockey team faced the heavy burden of composing a team ready to knock its opponents off their feet this season.

And lon opening night, they did just that. The new squad debuted in the Huskies’ home opener against the Stonehill Skyhawks Oct. 7, starting the season off with a 7-0 win. The stands were packed with fans, ready for both new and old player appearances on the ice.

They were not disappointed — every Husky contributed to the team’s success. Their clean passing and teamwork put Northeastern on the right foot to start the season.

The Skyhawks were penalized for slashing just four minutes in, losing graduate student center Matthew Allen to the sin bin and giving Northeastern an opening to score its first goal of the season.

Jack Williams picked up the puck from a Stonehill defender and tried to send it off to graduate student Pito Walton, a defensive transfer from Princeton, but it bounced off a Stonehill skate before it reached Walton. Unfazed,

Walton quickly found the loose puck and potted it for his first goal as a Husky.

Less than two minutes after the power play victory, sophomore defender Jackson Dorrington slammed another puck into the net — the second of three firstcareer goals of the evening — to put the Huskies at an early 2-0 lead.

Sophomore defenseman Vinny Borgesi and graduate student forward Alex Campbell were credited with the assists.

Soon after, the Huskies received a team penalty for too many players on the ice. Stonehill had two minutes to their advantage, but they couldn’t make the play, even when a slashing penalty against Borgesi gave them a second chance just a few minutes after their first chance expired.

But the period wasn’t over yet for Northeastern; the Huskies snuck a third goal past Skyhawks sophomore goaltender Dylan Meilun before the clock ran down on the first frame. This time, senior forwards Gunnarwolfe Fontaine and Matt Demelis smoothly maintained possession of the puck as they crawled up the ice, eventually passing it to Cam Lund, a sophomore right-wing, who made the final shot to stick it in.

With high spirits from a threegoal lead, the Huskies came out even fiercer for the second period.

Two minutes and 30 seconds in, graduate student forward Liam Walsh scored the fourth goal for the Huskies, using a rebound shot to his advantage at a seemingly difficult angle.

With the momentum on their side and the student section’s ferocious energy, nothing could stop the Huskies.

Northeastern junior forward Matt Choupani landed in the box for cross-checking seven minutes and four seconds into the period, which left the Huskies at a disadvantage, but when they returned to even strength, Fontaine slid the puck to Borgesi in the scoring zone, setting him up for the perfect shot for Northeastern’s fifth goal of the game.

The Skyhawks struggled against the Huskies’ pressure. Four nearly back-to-back penalties were proof they were scrambling to catch up.

Entering the third, it only took nine seconds for Choupani and junior forward and captain Justin Hryckowian to set the puck up for senior forward Alex Campbell, who jabbed it into the net with one second left in a power play for his first career goal and a 6-0 Husky lead.

Photo by Izzy Harris Graduate student foward Brett Edwards pushes the puck through Stonehill defenders and up the ice. Edwards joined the Northeastern squad after four seasons at the the University of Denver.

Cam Gaudette, a junior defenseman who transferred from Northeastern to Stonehill after the 2022-23 season, tripped one of the Huskies, giving Northeastern another two minutes. Even though they couldn’t score a goal during their advantage, the Huskies were still up six goals with nothing to fear.

Another power play moments later gave Campbell a chance to score again, assisted by Lund and Hryckowian who set him up.

Meilun held up for the last seven minutes of the contest but

closed the game having given up seven goals.

Northeastern’s 52 shots on goal were a blowout compared to the Skyhawks’ 13. Husky Cameron Whitehead, a freshman goalie from Ontario, held strong through all of the shots fired at him and shut out Stonehill in his first collegiate start.

The Huskies faced off in an exhibition match against Quinnipiac, last year’s national champions, on Sunday, winning 3-2 in an overtime shootout.

They will return to Matthews Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m. to face Bentley.

Huskies break past Terriers in last-minute push

By Amelia Ballingall Deputy Sports Editor Friday night, two long-standing rivals — Northeastern women’s hockey team (5-1-0, 2-0-0 Hockey East) and Boston University (0-2-0, 0-2-0 Hockey East) — ushered in their new eras in the first Hockey East showdown of the season. In recent years, the Huskies have been the dominant team, but debuting BU first-year head coach Tara Watchorn, the Terriers gave Northeastern a run for its money.

Although the Terriers kept the Huskies at bay for the first half of the game, once Northeastern settled onto the ice, they picked up enough momentum to run away with the conference opener 4-1.

“It’s definitely a huge confidence booster,” said graduate student defender and captain Megan Carter.

“The awesome thing about Hockey East is that every game is a competitive one, and anyone can come out with a win, so it speaks a lot to just our work ethic and team culture that we can stay in a close game and then pull out a 4-1 win.”

Consistency is key, and the Huskies fell on the short end of that battle when they stepped into Walter Brown Arena with yet another mix of lines.

BU came out of the gate in control. Boasting a veteran-heavy team, the Terriers quickly found a rhythm with their offensive pressure, creating high-danger shot opportunities after just a minute of play. Although BU struggled to connect on centering feeds, they recovered quickly

every time, leaving the Huskies scrambling in their own zone.

While BU was chock full of returners in every section of the ice, Northeastern had experience in its blue line, and especially in fifth-year goaltender Gwyneth Philips. BU outshot the Huskies in the first two periods, leading 19-13 in attempts after those frames, but Philips swatted away the Terriers’ shots, snatched stray bullets and smothered loose pucks in the crease to keep Northeastern alive.

Despite their difficulties to unite on the front line, the Huskies scored first.

With seven minutes left in the opening frame, senior defender Abbey Marohn carried the puck up to the center line and found freshman forward Allie Lalonde cross-ice. With graduate student forward Peyton Anderson behind her for support, Lalonde danced alone through the Terriers’ defense. Lalonde fired point-blank from the left flank, and the puck slipped through a gap between the legs of BU freshman netminder Mari Pietersen.

“It’s been awesome to see Allie kind of find her own game right from the get-go,” said assistant coach Lindsay Berman. “You never know how a new player is going to acclimate to the college game, but she’s just been playing her game, which is a finesse game. She likes to control the puck, but she’s a play-maker too.”

Twelve seconds later, BU gained an advantage. Carter headed to the box on a penalty, putting the

Huskies down one of their top defenders and leaders.

The Terriers’ power play ultimately fizzled out, but before Northeastern could get its fifth skater back in rotation, BU tied the game. From behind Philips’ cage, senior forward Catherine Foulem took the puck up to the right faceoff circle. She turned and shot, sneaking the puck through shortside to put BU on the board 1-1.

Although it wasn’t technically a power play goal, the penalty highlights yet another difference in the 2023-24 Huskies: time in the box.

Last season, the Huskies averaged 2.8 penalties a game, and this year’s increase to 4.4 has already cut down their opportunities to adjust to new lines and has put an advantage in the hands of their opponents.

“We’re talking about it, and I think our players are trying to stay out of the box, but we need to just be more disciplined with our sticks,” Berman said. “We need to move our feet a little bit better and keep our hands down. I have no doubt that we’ll fix that.”

With one goal each, both teams were fired up. Right after BU tied the score, Terriers and Huskies alike picked up speed, each fighting hard to pull ahead in the tight matchup.

When the puck dropped to start the second period, Northeastern seemed more determined but still uncomfortable. They struggled to get in the dirty areas, and Pietersen saw all their shots coming from a mile away.

BU continued to outplay the Huskies, and a penalty

on sophomore defender Jules Constantinople halfway through the frame set the visitors back even further. The Huskies staved off the Terriers’ shot attempts through the two-minute player disadvantage, but it took them a while to escape BU’s power play set-up.

With just over a minute left in the middle frame, the tides began to change. BU took its first penalty of the night, losing graduate student defender and captain Nadia Mattivi to a holding call.

Up a player, Northeastern gained its momentum back with the help of junior forward Taze Thompson. Off the draw, Thompson grabbed the puck in front of BU’s blue line. She flicked it back and forth and snuck a shot under Pietersen’s legs to put Northeastern back in the lead.

With about 30 seconds left in the second period, Northeastern sophomore forward Mia Langlois and BU captain and senior forward Madison Cardaci headed to the box, setting 4-on-4 play in motion.

Although the Huskies were down a player when the final period started, they had the comfort and momentum of being up a goal on their side — and it showed.

Northeastern was finally able to send players to the crease, and although the centering feeds couldn’t quite reach Anderson, they put pressure on the home team, sending the Terriers to defense.

“I think as soon as the offense kind of gets going, the defense can be more comfortable with our role and things just really started to click for us in the third period,” Carter said.

A penalty on BU freshman forward Alex Law kept Northeastern on the attack, but not long after their advantage ended, the Terriers rallied back with a breakaway. BU sophomore forward Clara Yuhn found herself alone with the puck, but Philips was a star in net, stifling Yuhn’s advance and keeping Northeastern up one.

With time ticking down in regulation, the Terriers started to look frantic. They struggled to get the Huskies out of their zone, and when there was just a minute left, BU finally pulled Pietersen in favor of the extra attacker.

However, the empty net didn’t work in their favor. In the Huskies’ zone, fifth-year forward Katy Knoll kicked the puck up-ice past a fallen Terrier.

Anderson found a breakaway, scooping up the puck with Yuhn hot on her heels and crashing into the goal to secure the empty-netter.

But the Huskies hadn’t had their final word yet. With four seconds left, Constantinople rocketed the puck towards the net, and sophomore forward Lily Shannon was ready by the crease to tip it in. Off Shannon’s stick, the puck popped up past Pietersen to seal the game 4-1.

“We knew we were going to see a really fast and gritty BU team,” Berman said. “They came out a lot faster than we did, so we’re proud of the way that we finished.”

The Huskies went on to defeat BU 2-0 the next night, this time on home ice at Matthews Arena. On a fourgame win streak, Northeastern looks to carry its momentum into an away match against Merrimack Oct. 13.

OPINION

Page 10 The Huntington News EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief

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Managing Editor

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Op-ed: How Northeastern’s cost of attendance is playing you

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NEWS STAFF Benjamin Churney, Christina McCabe, Emily Chung, Erin Fine, Juliette Piosovo, Kate Deskey, Lauren Salemo, Lily Webber, Sarah Popeck, Zoe MacDiarmid

Photo by Jessica Xing College tuition prices drastically increase yearly, and Northeastern University is no exception. In 2013, the school’s tuition was estimated to be a little over $40,000 for two semesters of classes. In 2023, the tuition is estimated to be around $60,000 a year, and that number jumps to $80,000 factoring in additional costs. The $20,000 increase in 10 years can surely be explained, right? The answer, for myself and hundreds of Northeastern Reddit users, is no.

No amount of resources, amenities, benefits or course materials could ever sum up to the overwhelming amount of $80,000 a year. Although Northeastern can and most likely will provide formative learning experiences for a student’s career, “at 90K (including room and board), they better teach you how to spin straw into gold and brew the elixir of life,” an anonymous Reddit user wrote.

Most jobs require a college degree,

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and a degree from a “prestigious one” couldn’t hurt; however, this doesn’t excuse the egregious amount of money the school demands.

I looked into why most college prices are at all-time highs to understand better. According to the New York Times “Your Money” columnist Ron Leiber, various factors drive the list price, or the price listed on brochures or Google. First, there are growing demands from students and families, such as accommodations for inclusion and equality. These accommodations require people and buildings to maintain certain branches, such as mental health services like Find@Northeastern, which is available to full-time, degree-seeking students. Although this is a reasonable and much-needed expense, resources are only a minute fraction of the cost increase.

According to Leiber, there are two prices we are dealing with when we talk about college tuition. Firstly, the net price, or what students actually end up paying with financial aid and scholarships, has mostly stayed the same while the list price has increased. This is because prestigious colleges that receive vast amounts of applicants “can charge more or less whatever they please because a lot of people are going to be willing to pay for it.” Thus, the list price makes students believe they should be paying $80,000, and if they are paying any less, they consider themselves lucky.

In reality, no one should be expected to pay such.

With that said, Northeastern charges students as much as it wants to because they know students will pay for it. Fancy projects like the new EXP building convince people that Northeastern is a utopia of a university, overshadowing the overpriced dining plans — paying $14 to $16 per meal — that student associations like Young Democratic Socialists of America at Northeastern have rightfully fought against.

Northeastern takes advantage of how much people are willing to sacrifice to be at a “top school.” One of the many examples of this is Northeastern’s housing problem. Choosing on-campus housing can be financially exhausting because your time slot will determine your available housing.

Often, students with a later time slot are left with housing that isn’t affordable, holding them financially hostage. But this is only one of the many housing horror stories. People live in overpriced hotels for extended periods, often waiting six months to select housing.

Northeastern prides itself on “its generous need-based financial aid program and merit scholarships to select students,” according to Student Finances. Reddit users and current students agree that financial aid is relatively good at Northeastern, considering the vast amount of money the private school has to give. However, financial aid services can become problematic when your family doesn’t classify under their needs definition.

Lower middle-class students rarely

receive any aid, and, even worse, students who pay for their school get no consideration if they are technically financially dependent on their parents.

However, the purpose of this article isn’t to review the financial aid services. It is to point out that no one should be paying $80,000 a year to attend school regardless of financial aid.

Tuition becomes unbearable when living in one of the most expensive cities in the United States. To name a few extra charges, Boston’s housing is more than twice the amount than the national average and Massachusetts healthcare expenses are one of the highest in the country. And this is only the cost of necessities. One must pay a fee to enjoy most social activities around campus and Boston.

Even if it’s free, you will pay a fee, like transportation fares.

Northeastern has provided me with opportunities I don’t believe I would have been provided elsewhere, namely the opportunity to meet people, both students and professors, who have impacted my life in and outside my career. This doesn’t take away from the fact that Northeastern remains overpriced. Northeastern being a great school and not worth its current tuition are not mutually exclusive. It is true that this school provides you with unique opportunities, and it is true that this school overly monetizes that truth.

dictated by the CSO every year.

However, the handbook also states that “it should be a goal of every Club to function financially independent of Northeastern University,” suggesting that the school is not endowing much money to support club teams. It’s expected that teams fund themselves primarily through member dues, fundraising and donations which may not be enough to guarantee their financial success.

One of the teams currently facing financial stress is the club sailing team. The team is struggling to keep up with the rising cost to use the MIT Sailing Pavilion, where they have practiced since 1940 due to Northeastern’s lack of its own boathouse. Using the pavilion as a practice space has allowed the team to achieve great success in recent years, with the women’s division of the team qualifying for the national championship in both 2022 and 2023. This is a major feat considering the team’s conference, the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association, or NEISA, is one of the most competitive and second-largest in the Intercollegiate Sailing Association. Despite this success, the team is still wary of losing the practice space they have used to develop and strengthen their skills for the last 83 years since funding from the school is not meeting their basic needs.

The club sailing team is not the only club team that has seen success on a national level this year.

This past May, the club roundnet team, more commonly known as the club Spikeball team, had an excellent show of skill at the 2023 Spikeball Roundnet National College Championships, placing fourth in the Division 1 category and first in the Division 2 category. In April, the club gymnastics team placed seventh at the national championship for the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs.

For many years, club taekwondo has regularly placed first, second and third in their conference and in an array of tournaments.

National competitions like these require club teams to coordinate travel to locations across the United States, which is not cheap.

Based on guidelines outlined in the Club Sports Handbook, club teams can apply for additional funding if they are attending a national championship, yet the handbook is vague on how much money the club sports executives are willing to contribute to teams’ travel and boarding expenses.

Club teams traveling to national tournaments provide good publicity to Northeastern by showing off their successful athletes and strong camaraderie between their students, and exemplary behavior like this

deserves to be rewarded through funding that further supports the success of the team.

Asking teams to be financially independent is a major responsibility for the university to place solely on students. I don’t deny that financial literacy is an important skill for students to learn in these formative years before adulthood, but this isn’t the context to teach it in. Requiring students to take on the role of running the business behind a club team detracts from the characteristics of a club team that are important to student wellness.

Joining a club sport is a way for students to direct the stress of academics and their personal lives into something completely different, while still striving for success. Club sports are about the bonds formed between teammates, having a hobby and practicing healthy habits, all of which allow Northeastern’s club athletes to excel in the way that they do. Increasing the amount of money allocated to supporting club sports would enable students to continue demonstrating their merit on and off the field and I think it is owed to the athletes for their positive contribution to Northeastern’s reputation.

Galiah Abbud is a second-year journalism major. She can be reached at abbud.g@northeastern.edu.

Op-ed: Club sports should get more funding considering their successes

Erin Fine, Ethan Wayne, Julia Tushla, Kira Eske, Lauren Salemo, Emily Chung, Lin Luo, Lucy Shepherd, Matt Yan, Sydney Schulz, Heidi Ho, Zoe MacDiarmid

Aiden Stein, Ethan Valery, Izzy Harris, Margot Murphy, Mars Poper, Patrick O’Neal, Quillan Anderson, Sofia Sawchuk, Yaakov Aldrich

October 13, 2023

Photo by Darin Zullo Northeastern University prides itself on its well-known and successful athletic teams, and the school’s club sports are no exception. Northeastern offers 64 club sports for students to explore and participate in, however many of these clubs are currently struggling for financial support from the university.

Club sports are overseen by the Club Sports Office, or CSO, in addition to the Northeastern University Department of Athletics and Campus Recreation. Since club sports have their own executives, advisors and are student-organized, the clubs are governed by their own set of regulations, including funding and financial operations. According to the Club Sports Handbook, club sports receive an allocation of funds

Kara Orsini is a third-year health science major on the pre-med track.

She can be reached at orsini.k@northeastern.edu.

OPINION

October 13, 2023

Page 11

Op-ed: Northeastern’s lack of healthcare resources puts students’ health last

Photo by Darin Zullo

Healthcare is an essential issue in the United States, but adults and senior citizens aren’t the only groups who have experienced problems with receiving good medical care.

At Northeastern the healthcare resources and services are not reliable or useful even though the university is a highly financed and prestigious institution. Complaints include the operating hours of University Health and Counseling Services, or UHCS, the lack of doctors capable of prescribing medication and not enough facilities for prescription refills or connecting students to mental health counselors.

In my first year, one of my former roommates got sick with a cold and went to UHCS, but they gave her no advice on how to take care of her cold nor did they give her any medicine to help. The staff sent her away without giving her any diagnosis. Hearing this information deterred me from mak-

ing an appointment for UHCS when I got sick with a nasty cold myself.

I had also gotten COVID-19 in my first year about two weeks into the semester. The guidelines for self-isolation seemed useless as they explained on the website to tell your roommates and professors but don’t go to class and stay in your dorm room. I didn’t see the point of having your roommate still be in your dorm room while you’re sick because they could get contaminated or spread the virus to more people when they leave.

New COVID-19 guidelines are more informative now, as the university has provided a PDF guide with instructions, but the guide states that students should avoid interactions with others. Students can’t properly isolate themselves if they are in a suite with a shared bathroom, or in a room that has multiple students forced to live in smaller spaces.

In addition, students are encouraged to seek out mental health help if they feel they need it. However, the hours of operation for mental health walk-ins are inconvenient for students. The mental health walk-in hours are Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. During this time, students are usually in classes, eating lunch or dinner or doing work. There should be mental health walk-in hours during the weekend to accommodate students’ schedules because these services are

for the students.

According to the UHCS website, there are a total of 39 workers listed on the staff page, but five of the names don’t even have a bio or picture. Students aren’t going to feel comfortable seeking help for their health if they can’t search the credentials of staff members or have no information about the people they need to go to for their health issues.

A team of 39 employees in the UHCS department falls short of providing adequate support for the estimated 16,302 undergraduate students.

A July 2023 article by Northeastern Global News claims that “Northeastern has expanded mental-health and wellness resources, including staffing and services, to keep up with the growing demand around the clock.” Although Northeastern is acknowledging the growing mental health crisis among college students, there are still plenty of student complaints on the Northeastern Reddit page or on Google reviews.

Some Google reviews describe the UHCS staff as, “incompetent, uncaring, and most importantly, rude and condescending.” One Google review stated that “staff are very unresponsive/ unhelpful; I did not receive callbacks/ email responses for stretches of weeks and experienced a substantial gap in health insurance coverage as a result.

Bureaucracy appears to take priority over student health in this office.”

Northeastern does provide two wellness days for students, however,

two days off of classes out of the four-month semester isn’t going to help someone’s mental health.

During these two days, students are still responsible for completing any work and assignments that are due.

How are students supposed to focus on their mental health during their wellness days if they still have to scramble to complete work? The purpose of wellness days is completely taken away because the student will still be working on assignments and studying. If Northeastern genuinely prioritized students’ mental health, it would either offer an effective alternative to wellness days or actively address the underlying causes of a student’s need for such a day, providing support to alleviate their anxiety.

With college students’ growing mental health issues, mental health resources should be easy to access, the response times should be quick and the resources should be genuinely useful to the student.

Another Northeastern mental health resource is We Care. Although they collaborate with different administrative offices, university faculty and staff, the contact list on the We Care website shows that there are only five people on staff. I can’t imagine five people would be enough staff to handle the number of students at Northeastern and their prevalent mental health issues. Northeastern, being a financially robust institution, should allocate more of its resources

towards expanding its mental health staff and healthcare services.

Northeastern has failed its students’ well-being. When multiple people are placed in close proximity to each other, people are bound to get sick. With COVID-19 rates rising and flu season coming up, Northeastern needs more healthcare resources and those services should help treat each student. As I sit in class each day, I notice an increasing number of students becoming sick but still showing up to class. This is sending the wrong message to young adults. These students are just learning how to take care of themselves without their parents or guardians to help them.

When UHCS doesn’t help a student, it deters them from getting help and sends the message that they should put classes and assignments before their mental or physical health.

I, as a student, didn’t feel supported or helped by my university when I got sick. No student should “tough it out” and be violently coughing in class or calling their mom to see what cold medicine is best to buy at Wollaston’s while wishing they could be at home with someone to take care of them. It should be Northeastern’s healthcare resources to take care of and support them at that time.

Alyssa Enright is a second-year journalism and criminal justice combined major. She can be reached at enright.a@northeastern.edu.

Op-ed: Wollaston’s high prices rarely justify ‘convenience’ compared to other stores

Photo by Darin Zullo Are Wollaston’s Market prices fair?

While staring down a $7.99 pint of Ben & Jerry’s before movie night, or a $7.99 pack of string cheese after a spin class at Marino Recreation Center, this is a question that frequently nags Northeastern students and other shoppers. University staff, locals, commuters and students frequently make a pit stop at one of the two Wollaston’s locations — Marino Center and West Village. But for a quick snack or forgotten grocery item, these prices can seem absurd. When comparing the prices at Stop & Shop and Whole Foods to Wollaston’s, the same item costs almost $1 more at Wollaston’s.

Crunching milk and egg numbers is the last thing people want to do with their free time, so I did it for you. I visited Stop & Shop at Brigham Circle, Whole Foods on Westland Avenue and both Wollaston’s — more times than I care to admit — to find the

disparities between grocery stores.

During my search for the lowest price, I noticed a wide variety of brands which can be attributed to the different target demographics between stores — an important factor when considering the price of the products.

Stop & Shop typically markets to a suburban demographic while Whole Foods caters to holistic, above-average income people. Wollaston’s caters to students.

Brands I quickly spotted at both Wollaston’s and Stop & Shop were nowhere to be found in Whole Foods.

Instead of Coca-Cola, healthier alternatives like 365 Cola, Poppi and Zevia populated shelves. Whole Foods carries niche brands, plus the mainstream brands the company deems healthy or organic enough.

Because of its expensive reputation, I assumed Whole Foods would blow its competitors out of the water, but in the end I was surprised by the amount of times Whole Foods was the cheapest option.

During my first year at Northeastern, I lived on St. Stephen Street and frequented the Wollaston’s Market in Marino just around the corner.

I moved to West Village A the following year, and my new go-to spot became Wollaston’s in West Village, conveniently located just thirty seconds from my apartment. Now as a fourth-year living off-campus, I visit Wollaston’s significantly less. The campus grocer has price gouged me

plenty over the years, and yet I have not made my last trip.

Why are Wollaston’s prices so expensive, and who is most affected?

A lucrative location comes at a cost.

Northeastern is an expensive school, our tuition is well above the national average. If Wollaston’s rent is anything like student housing costs, they are marking up their products to match.

First year students pay $5,305 for a standard double room, which comes out to $1,326 a month. On Mission Hill you have your own room for a similar rent, or cheaper. If Northeastern subsidized Wollaston’s rent, our campus grocery would most likely lower their prices.

Further defenses are Wollaston’s convenience and small-business ownership, independent from Northeastern. Rather than walking to Whole Foods or riding three stops on the Green Line to Stop & Shop, the campus shopper enjoys the luxury of an in-and-out purchase on their way to class. And, Wollaston’s is the only place on campus that resembles a grocery store.

While upperclassmen do visit Wollaston’s, the most frequent shoppers are likely the first and second-year students still living on campus.

Younger students are not necessarily used to planning out grocery trips and budgeting time to pack food for a day of classes. Home and school goods like protractors, mops, notebooks and pens are also marked at frustratingly

high prices. With limited shelf space, everything on the shelves must be intentional — the floor to ceiling display of Command Strips is quite telling of the store’s target demographic.

Just because Wollaston’s is independently owned does not mean it’s not Northeastern condoned. While on the school meal plan, you can use your Husky Dollars at the Wollaston’s counter, much like students can at local restaurants.

A federal program that provides monthly grocery funds called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, cannot be used at Wollaston’s, excluding Northeastern students benefiting from the program.

Over the years I have heard many complaints from my friends and peers that Northeastern squeezes every penny out of its student body. Wollaston’s, the only on-campus grocer, is another addition to this reputation.

I must be a fair critic. Wollaston’s has some saving graces, like cheap coffee and a decent deli. A reasonably good small coffee will put you out $2.41, and a medium iced coffee is $2.95. There are dairy options on the counter, and almond milk or oat milk if you ask.

The freshly-made deli sandwiches cost between $5.00 and $10.00, including tax, and are generously portioned.

However, the lackluster bacon, egg and cheese is not worth the purchase.

Paying for convenience is also more normalized than ever. Wollaston’s is popular despite the exorbitant prices

because we live in the age of Doordash and Uber Eats, delivery and contact-less pickup and rising costs in an urban, post COVID-19 environment.

There comes a point where we need to draw the line.

Pasted right on their storefront, Wollaston’s slogan is “your neighborhood grocer.” While certainly in the neighborhood, the prices do not align with the warm independently-owned demeanor they hope to convey.

My consensus? Don’t let Wollaston’s take advantage of your busy student schedule. Do not waste your hardearned money there, but don’t beat yourself up when you forget lunch and the deli is your best option.

If not Wollaston’s, where? Plan ahead and hop on the Green Line up to Brigham Circle. Sign up for a Stop & Shop card to rake in the extra discounts, and if you have Amazon Prime there’s an extra 10% off sale items at Whole Foods. If you stick to brands you know and stay away from the pricier, smaller ones — Whole Foods is an incredibly viable option.

You can also scour the online stores of both Whole Foods and Stop & Shop to figure out where the lowest prices are for your staple goods, and when convenient drop in to either store.

Preventing a Wollaston’s habit is definitely the best decision for your wallet.

Carrie Gilmore is a fourth-year English major. She can be reached at gilmore.ca@northeastern.edu.

LIFESTYLE

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October 13, 2023

Hozier bares his roots in ‘Unreal Unearth’ tour

By Marta Hill Editor-at-Large Saturday’s weather was wet and gloomy, but one would never guess that from the energy of the crowd in the Leader Bank Pavillion down

by Boston Harbor. Decked out in raincoats and blankets, thousands of fans filed into their seats for Hozier’s second night in Boston as a part of his ongoing “Unreal Unearth” tour.

The Irish singer-songwriter, born Andrew Hozier-Byrne, has captured the ears of fans for a decade with his music, which draws inspiration from folk, soul and blues.

His third and most recent album, “Unreal Unearth,” was released Aug. 18. The album was born out of the pandemic and walks listeners through Dante’s nine circles of hell and out the other side. Hozier drew inspiration from his pandemic-era reading of Dante’s “Inferno” to create an album full of heartbreak and isolation, but also a light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel.

Madison Cunningham, a Los Angeles singer-songwriter and the tour’s opener, was, in many ways, the perfect warmup for the crowd

— her music had a similar, almost haunting feeling to many of Hozier’s songs. Hozier called her one of the very talented musical minds of his generation.

Cunningham’s music is lesser known than Hozier’s, but the crowd warmed to her style and sound quickly. Her last song, “In From Japan,” showcased her lyrical prowess and wrapped up her set neatly.

What followed was almost two hours of sheer perfection.

Hozier entered on a dark stage, lit from behind by a powerful fragmented light and against a backdrop of pinpricks of light. The first notes of “De Selby (Part 1)” were enough to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Hozier’s ethereal voice welcomed the crowd to his set, mesmerizing everyone in attendance. During the song’s outro, Hozier sings in Irish, a language he learned in school, for the first time on any of his albums.

“De Selby (Part 2)” naturally followed before Hozier played a crowd favorite, “Jackie and Wilson,” from his 2014 self-titled album. The first three songs set the tone for the rest of the evening: an expert balance of tunes with strong beats and more relaxed cuts with lilting melodies.

Photo by Marta Hill Hozier plays the guitar as white light streams behind him. Hozier released his most recent album “Unreal Unearth” Aug. 18.

Photo by Marta Hill Hozier raises his hand to the crowd. For his most recent album, Hozier drew inspiration from Dante’s ‘Inferno’.

His eight-person band was spread out across the stage and each member was worthy of their own spotlight. Watching members interact and have what seemed like a genuinely fun time was a highlight of the concert.

The backdrop of the stage was also impressive and boasted countless graphics, live shots and lighting displays. During “Cherry Wine,” a huge sun-like orb was projected behind Hozier and waxed and waned in its entirety over the course of the song. This imagery appeared at other points in the concert, and every time, it added to the music in a new way.

During “Eat Your Young,” the backdrop was filled with explosions that dropped vegetables on a table.

Though it was a confusing visual, it was an interesting way to engage with the song. The song, according to an interview Hozier did with Genius, is about sacrificing the future of others for the sake of short-term gain, as happens when “children become the ground for culture war for adults.”

The production team didn’t just stick to premade animations for the backdrop — they also expertly wove

in live shots of the performers. One such occasion came during “Nina Cried Power,” a song originally recorded featuring Mavis Staples.

Melissa McMillan stepped into Staples’ shoes and executed the song perfectly. The backdrop featured zoomed-in live shots of both Hozier and McMillan, allowing a great view from virtually anywhere in the venue.

Hozier is widely renowned for his lyrical talent and deeply metaphorical songs, but his guitar skills are not properly evident in recorded songs. His discography is widely varied and, as such, so was his concert. Over the course of the concert, there were at least 10 guitar handoffs between songs, often switching from acoustic to electric to match the upcoming song.

Near the end of the concert, Hozier played the last song on “Unreal Unearth,” called “First Light.” In the dramatic arc of the album, “First Light” represents the end of Dante’s odyssey. In concert, the uplifting song is accompanied by a gorgeous representation of a sunrise.

A Hozier concert wouldn’t be complete without “Take Me to Church,” his most popular song by far, with over two billion streams

Photo by Marta Hill Cunningham gazes into the crowd while singing and playing her guitar. Cunningham was the opener for Hozier’s tour.

Photo by Marta Hill Playing an acoustic guitar, Hozier stands against the white lights of the set. During the concert, Hozier switched between an acoustic and electric guitar. on Spotify. Here, the production crew wove footage from the song’s music video in with live shots of the performance, effectively remixing the visuals so many of his fans have grown to love. What resulted was a beautiful and incredibly engaging visual show. (The flames licking the bottom of the band’s risers were a nice touch, too.)

Plenty of Hozier’s songs elicit goosebumps or other physical reactions in their recorded formats, but that doesn’t compare to the live experience. Every minute of Hozier’s performance went above and beyond expectations, and it was an unforgettable night of music.

Before leaving the stage for good, Hozier said he was looking forward to seeing Boston again, and it certainly seemed like the crowd couldn’t wait for that day either.

Northeastern students respond to the question: What is your ‘Roman Empire’?

By Camryn Cunningham News Correspondent Over the past few weeks, TikTok users have become obsessed with asking men about how often they think about the legendary Roman Empire. The question itself is obscure, but the answers have proved shocking.

What began as an ordinary Instagram post by Roman reenactor Gaius Flavius has grown into a TikTok trend with over 1.6 billion posts. TikTok users (mainly women) have been floored by just how often men claim to think about the time period and city, with answers ranging from “never” to, surprisingly, “multiple times a day.”

Met with stunned silence, the men often explain that the innovations in combat and the political landscape of the time give them much to ponder.

This enchantment with the Roman Empire has given way to a secondary trend. Instead of asking about frequency, the question has evolved into, “What is your Roman Empire?” — or, in other words, “What are you thinking about multiple times a day?” This version

of the trend has gained a similar level of popularity with a wider array of answers.

From pop culture moments to sports, it seems that everyone has some niche obsession, including Northeastern students.

Fourth-year psychology major Lauren Tapia shared that her personal “Roman Empire” is Washington Wizards point guard Jordan Poole. She came to know Poole when he played for the Golden State Warriors, her hometown team. She is fascinated by not only what he has accomplished in his career thus far, but what he will continue to do.

When she is not thinking of the basketball star, Tapia is likely “think[ing] about myself becoming famous and making money without doing anything. That would be really great.” She explained that she likes to envision herself in a successful position whenever her classes lose her attention. As a soon-to-be graduate preparing to enter the workforce, Tapia’s “Roman Empire” is entirely understandable.

Ethan Segerman, a second-year history and political science com-

bined major, said that he does not find himself thinking about one thing consistently; however, football is taking up a lot of his time so far this season. While he might not think about football as often as most men think about the Roman Empire, he did not deny thinking about the game schedule for the Washington Commanders during math class. He is especially focused on a turnaround, as, so far, the team is split with two wins and three losses.“Everyone always says that it’s our year to bounce back, but it never is,” the self-proclaimed realist said. Despite this, Segerman plans to be preoccupied with the

Commanders until, hopefully, the 2024 Super Bowl.

Staying closer to the original concept of the trend, firstyear electrical engineering and music technology combined

Illustration by Angelica Jorio major Nadia Daly shared that she finds herself thinking about one past moment in particular.

“My ‘Roman Empire’ is [the] My Lai [massacre] because of the savage treatment humans showed other humans without seeing a problem in their behavior,” Daly said.

This brutal, overlooked historical event is in line with what Roman

Empire aficionados would consider a productive thought.

The fascination stemmed from conversations with her father whose Roman Empire, she claims, is the Vietnam War. Daly, who took “The World Since 1945” through NUAccelerate over the spring, learned about the barbaric event through an assigned docuseries.

She recalls being horrified when she watched the docuseries and does not think she will ever get over it.

When it comes to Northeastern students’ “Roman Empires,” a common thread seems to be a childhood interest that carried over into adulthood. The lighthearted, comedic trend has evolved into an opportunity for retrospection.

When the day starts to drag on or there is nothing of interest happening, Huskies and social media users alike can be found daydreaming about obscure, yet highly interesting topics.

Though the trend will fade into the background in the coming weeks, Northeastern students will still be thinking about sports, history and the possibilities of tomorrow for the foreseeable future.