January 18, 2018

The Huntington News Vol. XI No. 7

The independent student newspaper of the Northeastern community

January 18, 2018

THE RAINBOW DISCONNECT HOW THE LGBTQA+ COMMUNITY FAILS TO SUPPORT ALL MEMBERS

Photo by Riley Robinson and illustration by Michelle Lee Northeastern students share their experiences in the LGBTQA+ community. From left to right: Sara Atlas, Eva Hughes Maldonado, Somaiya Rowland, Sofia Benitez and Cameron Bates.

By Kaitlyn Budion | Staff Writer

L

ast year, there was a running joke in Northeastern’s theater department centered on then-freshman theatre major and pansexual woman Somaiya Rowland. In her first year at a liberal college in Boston, she felt confident enough to be open about her sexuality. That choice seemed to backfire quickly. A taunt picked up by her classmates implied she wasn’t actually pansexual — she was just faking it, doing it for attention.

“As a freshman, I shouldn’t have had to deal with this in what I thought was a safe space,” Rowland said.

But the source of the taunting wasn’t a homophobic, straight man. The so-called joke was started by one of her gay classmates.

There is a hidden divide within the LGBTQA+ community. People who identify as something other than gay and lesbian have different experiences than the rest of the LGBTQA+ community. These people, IDENTITY, on Page 6

Roxbury undergoes urban upheaval

By Samuel Kim Deputy Lifestyle Editor

Jordana Soliel-Montiero stood on Columbus Avenue in Roxbury and photographed a dynamic, changing neighborhood.

She captured old buildings being torn down as the steel frames of others rose. She captured workers passing by in their bright neon vests, standing out against drab dirt mounds. She captured tall buildings that loomed over the neighbor-

hood.

Soliel-Montiero’s pictures were not just of busy construction scenes and gleaming new buildings. They were of a neighborhood — her neighborhood — fading away. Once a vibrant community filled with black residents, including civil rights activist Malcolm X, Roxbury has become a commercial hub: Urban planners and developers are redefining the neighborhood as a hotspot CHANGE, on Page 10

Photo by Albert Tamura Athletic Director Jeff Konya spoke at a press conference announcing his appointment Jan. 10.

New athletic director appointed

By John Hagerty Deputy Sports Editor

Northeastern University’s new athletic director Jeff Konya has lived a nomadic lifestyle over

the course of his career.

Konya, who will begin his tenure as NU’s athletic director Feb. 1, has worked in university athletic departments

from Michigan to South Dakota, California and Texas.

Some might see his frequent career movements HUSKIES, on Page 12

OPINION

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The Huntington News Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor

Paxtyn Merten Hannah Bernstein

Campus Editor Opinion Editor City Editor Lifestyle Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Design Editor

Morgan Lloyd Ysabelle Kempe Katie McCreedy Kiana Jones Calli Remillard Riley Robinson Michelle Lee

Deputy Campus Editor Deputy City Editor Deputy Lifestyle Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Photo Editor Assistant Photo Editor

Patrick Burgard Charlie Wolfson Samuel Kim John Hagerty Alex Melagrano Albert Tamura

Business Manager Social Media Manager Multimedia Manager Outreach Coordinator

Shaina Richards Olivia Arnold Glenn Billman Julia Preszler

Opinions expressed in The Huntington News by letters to the editor, cartoonists and columnists are not necessarily those of The News staff or of the Northeastern administration. Northeastern University undergraduate students conduct all operations involved in the production of this publication.

Staff Writers

Ava Sasani, Caroline Ingram, Irvin Zhang, Janette Ebbers, Jill Sojourner & Kaitlyn Budion Staff Photographers

Brian Bae & Lauren Scornavacca Copy Editors

Anson Huang, Jade Okanlawon, Jenna Ciccotelli, Lily Rupert, Lindsay Lowery, Mario Lovato & Mohit Puvvala

Editorial: Success doesn’t come from major

W

hen you were 4 years old and you were asked what you wanted to be when you grew up, you might have said you wanted to become a fairy princess.

No one would follow up by asking what the prospective job market would look like 10 years from now or how you planned to make money. A child’s dream job is simply that — a dream.

At age 18, the questions asked and the standards for the answers change. The problem with this conversation is the incongruence between what we were encouraged to do as children, which was to follow our dreams and passions, and the judgments that society places on young adults as they pursue those passions through higher education.

It has become normal to judge people based on their major. More concerning is the influence that our salary-obsessed society has on where money is allocated within universities.

There is an increasing

pressure put on students to go into STEM. The sciences are where schools often funnel their funds: Northeastern recently spent $225 million on the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex.

Some government officials are recommending more money be given to public institutions with more STEM majors.

The divide in funding sends a message that STEM programs and students are more valued than other majors. Many children are also pressured by well-intended parents to go into STEM over the humanities.

STEM majors make about $15,500 more annually than non-STEM majors, according to Business Insider, and STEM job growth over the last decade has been about five times larger than non-STEM job growth, according to the United States Economics and Statistics Administration. Incoming workers who are digitally competent

are fundamental.

Those who major in the humanities are taught to write and think clearly and concisely. The unemployment rate for humanities majors is only 9 percent, which is actually about the same as the unemployment rate for computer science and math majors, which is 9.1 percent. So, why do we tell our youths that the only useful degree is one in STEM? Why do our schools so often prioritize funding for sciences over funding for humanities?

By encouraging students’ passions, regardless of what they are, universities, parents and peers can build a more innovative and successful workforce of the future.

A student who is passionate about the field they are studying is more likely to make meaningful contributions to that field.

We, as a community, need to understand the value of passion for what a person is studying, and encourage it.

Column: Experience overrules doctorates

I

News illustration by Oriana Timsit

January 18, 2018

Jasmine Heyward

took Elementary German 1 during Spring 2017 and it was easily the best language course I’ve ever taken. My professor grew up in Germany and has stayed connected with the culture. When I visited Germany the following summer, I was able to order at restaurants and hold basic conversations after four months of instruction, which surprised me.

That semester was Diana Erinna’s last at Northeastern. The World Language Department upgraded the German pro-

fessor position to full-time, and they decided to hire someone else instead of promoting Erinna.

It seems like a lot of teachers, parents and guidance counselors tell high school students that it’s best to be taught by professors with a doctorate. In an effort to appeal to prospective students and rise in rankings, schools like Northeastern are hiring more professors with doctorates.

They don’t seem to consider that a Ph.D. doesn’t necessarily make for a better professor. The best professors I’ve had are the ones who are still consistently engaged in their field.

Northeastern encourages students to engage in their fields now — it’s at the heart of “experiential learning.”

Our administration says they believe in the value of each student having real-life industry experience in their field. So why don’t we demand that of our pro-

fessors? Is it too radical to say that professors shouldn’t be teaching if they haven’t done projects outside of academia recently?

Even in STEM, there’s something to be said for the value of a teaching professor who decides to focus solely on educating students rather than doing research to earn tenure.

While writing this piece, I reached out to a friend studying linguistics and math. He told me he came into school wanting to learn from “real professors, not grad students,” but over time he’s developed an incredible respect for teaching professors. In some cases, he told me, they were better prepared to teach.

Northeastern claims to prepare students to be successful and “robot-proof ” regardless of their field. A good place to start would be to hire professors who have proven themselves to have the same qualities.

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January 18, 2018

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Chronic illness impacts college experience

Photo courtesy Robert LaFrance Third-year international business major Robert LaFrance skydives in Australia. He has Type 1 diabetes mellitus and has had to learn how to manage chronic illness as a marathon runner and world traveler.

By Jane Marks News Correspondent

Running through the streets of Boston, all Robert LaFrance could think about were the chocolate chip pancakes from IHOP. It’s what got him through the 12 miles as he trained for the Boston Marathon.

But when he dragged his tired legs into his apartment, he didn’t indulge in pancakes. Instead, as he sat down to a healthy meal of vegetables and grilled chicken, LaFrance looked around his room at the flags from Germany, Israel, Taiwan, Thailand, Poland, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Flying around the world, LaFrance had few constants in his life, except for his insulin pump.

“This little string is attached to a needle that is actually in my stomach

Photo courtesy Robert LaFrance LaFrance poses after completing the 2017 Halong Bay Heritage Marathon in Vietnam.

right now,” said LaFrance as he explained how to calculate the amount of insulin he needs. “There’s a little bit of math to it, but it’s okay.”

LaFrance, a third-year Northeastern student majoring in international business, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes mellitus

when he was in ninth grade and has been adjusting to the new lifestyle ever since.

Coming to Northeastern, he wasn’t sure what the school’s insurance would cover, so he didn’t go to any appointments. When he finally got a check-up, his doctor told him his body hadn’t been given enough insulin. If he continued, it could have resulted in blindness, seizures and infections.

LaFrance is not alone.

A 2014 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 66​,000 pediatricians based in Itasca, Illinois, says at least 15 percent of incoming college freshmen report having a chronic health condition or disability.

The true percentage is likely higher than this, as it doesn’t take into account students who have not been diagnosed yet or who do not report having a problem to avoid the stigma associated with it.

To encourage students with chronic illnesses to come forward, there are efforts to raise awareness and eliminate the negative stigma using books, outreach programs and support groups. Colleges are also trying to help through scholarships, disability centers and specialized programs like the Chronic Illness Initiative.

The Initiative was founded in 2003 to offer support and raise awareness for students with chronic illnesses at DePaul University in Chicago. It received positive feedback and had over 200 students in the

program within a few years, but, despite its popularity, the program merged with the university’s Center for Students with Disabilities because of limited funding.

“I think that chronic illness is more of a shape shifter. Especially because it’s so hard to diagnose,” said Laurie Edwards, the author of the 2008 book “Life Disrupted: Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties” and a professor of creative writing for future health care professionals at Northeastern University. “The needs of the rare disease population are so different from the needs of the Type 1 diabetic. There is just such a range.”

Some illnesses, like cancer, are universally understood, which makes them easier to describe. Other diseases such as lupus are lesser-known, making it harder for those students to explain their needs.

“When I first got to Northeastern, I tried to hide it,” LaFrance said. “You always have people that will crack the joke, ‘Oh, here’s a cupcake. Oh, wait you can’t have it.’”

While centers for students with disabilities on campuses have existed in some capacity for the past 50 years, they didn’t have enough accommodations for chronic illnesses.

In the 1970s and 80s, with new legislation in place to further the education of disabled students, colleges rushed to certify professionals who would support these students.

In 1977, The Disabled Students on American Campuses Conference was held at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where 32 people from across the country came to talk about college students with chronic illness. The group would later be called the Association of Higher Education and Disability, a professional organization with over 2,800 global members.

Despite this progress, innovation at universities was focused around making physical modifications to campuses, like handicapped parking and wheelchair accessible buildings.

“Unlike students whose disabilities can be accommodated through a onetime expenditure of funds and administrative activity ... students with chronic illness require accommodations that must continually be negotiated, adapted and arranged,” read a report by Lynn Fuentes, the founder and director of the Chronic Illness Initiative.

It wasn’t until the Chronic Illness Initiative that students with chronic illness received specialized attention outside of other disabilities. They received extended deadlines to offering online class options.

The program even worked with students as they balanced the financial burden of medical expenses and college tuition.

Since the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any institution of higher education that receives federal funding is required to account for students with disabilities.

“We want to work with all types of students with disabilities, so obviously chronic illness falls under that,” said Leora Simon, who has been a disabilities specialist at Northeastern’s Disabilities Resource Center for about a year.

Simon said the resource center at Northeastern has six specialists who are

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trained to provide counsel on different kinds of disabilities. A new specialist was just hired last semester to focus on students with chronic illness. She was unavailable for comment by press time, but Simon said the position will center on helping chronically ill students succeed.

However, Simon said the only way the DRC can help students is if they know who they are.

“In college, the student is responsible for identifying themselves,” Simon said.

Sometimes, however, students with chronic illness do not reach out for help because they do not want to be found by the DRC. Fuentes said she has seen students shy away from a disability diagnosis.

“They often don’t see themselves as disabled and don’t want to classify themselves as disabled,” says Fuentes. “A lot of times, they won’t identify themselves to the disabilities center.”

Some students, though, have decided to come forward, like Lilly Stairs, a Northeastern alumna. In 2011, during her second year at Northeastern, Stairs was diagnosed with both Crohn’s disease, an inflam­ ma­tory con­di­tion of the gas­troin­testinal tract, and pso­ri­atic arthritis, which causes intense joint pain and inflammation. Stairs had open communication with her professors.

“I really tried to explain to them what I was going through,” Stairs said.

To help encourage others with chronic illnesses at Northeastern, Stairs started the 50 Cents for 50 Million Campaign to raise awareness for people with autoimmune diseases like her.

“It is tricky when you have these invisible illnesses for people to understand,” Stairs said. “It’s very hard for people to understand when you ultimately look fine.”

When I first got to Northeastern, I tried to hide it,” LaFrance said. “You always have people that will crack that joke, ‘Oh, here’s a cupcake. Oh, wait you can’t have it.

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January 18, 2018

University fails to provide adequate transfer housing

By Isabelle Hahn News Correspondent

An academic oasis surrounded by Boston’s bustling city life, Northeastern University’s campus gives students the atmosphere of academia and a taste of city tempo. On a perfect fall day, the community comes to life with Frisbee games and study groups on Centennial Common.

That’s exactly what Elena Sandell, a second-year English student, pictured when she decided to transfer to Northeastern from the more secluded and suburban Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

It was only after Sandell put down her deposit for enrollment that Northeastern told her she would not receive on-campus housing and would have to search elsewhere on her own.

“I just wanted the campus experience,” Sandell said. “If I was told I wouldn’t get housing when I applied, I would have had to reevaluate my decision.”

Now, Sandell lives a 30-minute walk from campus. Stepping into the two-bedroom apartment on Mission Hill, it’s obvious the pristine granite countertops and unused appliances do not feel like home to the 19-year-old; they feel industrial and temporary. Sandell is isolated and wants to get out.

There are very limited programs to help transfer students acclimate to Northeastern, a lack of housing being the most egregious problem. Housing for new students is an integral part of the university experience and a vital aspect of establishing a community in a new place.

“On-campus living

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If I was told I wouldn’t get housing when I applied, I would have had to reevaluate my decision,” Sandell said.

Photo by Alex Melagrano The Prudential Tower near Northeastern’s campus is visible from apartment windows at the top of Mission Hill where Elena Sandell’s former apartment was located. After the 30-minute commute became tiring, Sandell moved to Symphony Street when her sorority sister needed a sublet.

allows students to make and maintain friendships,” said fourth-year Residential Assistant Camille Vasquez, who creates programs at International Village to make her residents feel more at home. Vasquez also said she met many of her closest friends in her residence hall during her first year.

As soon as Sandell was accepted last April, she signed up for the on-campus housing waitlist and anxiously anticipated a response. For her and the majority of 2017 transfer students, a response never came.

In the last year, the language for transfer student on-campus housing has shifted from “not guaranteed” to “not guaranteed or required.” This vague policy not only allows the university to shy away from housing students, but also to be unresponsive and unclear about the lack of rooms available.

In 2009, there were 2,833 firsttime freshmen enrolled full-time at Northeastern, out of a total undergraduate

”

population of 15,699. An admissions pamphlet containing only 18 words about transfer students states there are 18,107 full-time undergraduates enrolled.

Northeastern’s acceptance rate remains at around 27 percent, but as the school rises in ranking, more students are enrolling.

The 2017 freshman class was the largest admitted in Northeastern’s history at around 3,100 students, according to admissions.

Between this and Northeastern’s more than 830 annual transfer students, the school lacks enough on-campus housing resources.

In Sandell’s four months at Northeastern, she has moved twice. Her first living arrangement ended in disaster after she settled for a random roommate who ended up involved in a police investigation.

She’s still desperate to get closer to campus. Not only does the commute waste time in her schedule, the distance hinders her social life, so Sandell is packing up for the third time and moving to Symphony Street.

PLAYING CATCH-UP In the fall of 2014, Northeastern had 8,414 beds for its 17,400 undergraduates. If half the undergraduate students wanted to live on campus, there would have been 286 students without anywhere to sleep.

Northeastern’s housing policy states first- and second-years are required to live on campus, unless students can prove living off-campus would be more beneficial. Housing is also guaranteed to all non-transfer undergraduates at Northeastern, according to admissions.

According to the Northeastern housing website, first- and second-year students who live in residence halls build closer relationships with faculty, staff and their peers; become more involved; and are generally more satisfied with their university experience.

With current accommodations for approximately 9,100 students — barely enough to cover the freshman and sophomore student population, let alone guarantee housing for all years of study — the university is stuck playing

catch-up with enrollment.

In 2007, Northeastern’s website claimed the university was capable of housing more than 300 transfer students, when 772 transfers had enrolled the previous year. Last fall, 1,164 transfers enrolled, and the website did not boast room for any of them. According to third-year transfer student Nabeel Sherazi, only a handful of those students received housing.

Over the last two semesters in the admitted transfer students Facebook group he moderates, Sherazi has seen an increase of concerned posts from students about not being able to find housing — most of them reaching out for information on where they should look for apartments.

“We had a student in spring 2017 who showed us their acceptance letter which said, ‘transfer students are not guaranteed housing,’ and I remember mine saying we would have housing,” said Sherazi, who was accepted in 2016.

“That’s the most terrifying thing for students, trying to learn how to navigate Boston housing.”

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January 18, 2018 OFF-CAMPUS STUDENT SERVICES Mallory Pernaa sits behind a shared desk in the small Off Campus Student Services office on the second floor of the Curry Student Center. As assistant director, most of her time is dedicated to reviewing leases, running the off-campus online database and talking to parents and students about housing policy.

She recalled a phone conversation in which she had to tell a parent that their transfer student would not receive on-campus housing, and if that was a deal breaker, they would have to attend elsewhere.

“There has been a huge housing crunch this past year, and it’s been a guessing game for rooms,” Pernaa said. Even with 50 percent of the student population currently living off campus, Pernaa said, there are still not enough rooms.

The only residence hall being built within the next two years will be on Burke Street and will house some 800 students. But students will lease units from a private developer and the rooms will not be part of the housing lottery system.

Northeastern has increasingly relied on leased properties to solve its housing crisis, especially this past April. Many second-year students who were supposedly required to stay on campus did not have a place to live and were told to wait until upperclassmen dropped their housing assignments.

When not enough students did, Housing Services turned to leased properties, some as far away as Allston.

ISOLATION After attending the University of Nottingham for one year, Shanghai native Rini Chen, a second-year economics and mathematics combined major, decided she wanted to transfer to a university in the United States. She chose to move from the United Kingdom to Boston in fall 2017.

She had never visited campus before she got her acceptance, and had to go through a real-estate agent, viewing apartments via FaceTime from China.

Chen now lives in a Westland Avenue apart-

ment and is thankful that her parents are able to afford off-campus accommodations. She was told upon admission that housing was not available to her.

“On the [acceptance letter] it said there was no room,” Chen said. “I think if I lived on campus, I would meet more people. I hardly have any new friends here. It feels very isolating.”

Because Chen came to Northeastern immediately knowing that she had to find other options, she was able to avoid the stress of unknown room placement.

However, like many transfer students, Chen is unhappy with her living situation and feels like an outsider.

MORE STUDENTS, MORE NEED FOR HOUSING Northeastern admissions are projecting more than 60,000 applicants for fall 2018. The closest estimate for those who applied last year was 55,400.

Northeastern developed its housing policy specifically to attract students, but Pernaa said that policy hasn’t always worked out in the university’s favor.

“It is always Northeastern’s goal to house the students that want to live on campus,” Pernaa said.

“However, the demand is just too high.”

The housing crunch has only continued to grow through rising levels of enrollment. As admissions prepares for more than 60,000 applicants, the housing office should prepare to lease more properties.

Some students, including Chen, believe they will not live on campus at any point during their studies.

At this point, the housing policy remains the same for transfer students: They have access to on-campus housing on a space-available basis. But as enrollment increases, the possibility for transfer students to receive housing at Northeastern is slim to none unless Northeastern invests in more properties.

THE NORTHEASTERN DREAM After meeting Northeastern students who were on a Dialogue of Civilizations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Claire Boggs, a

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NUPD CRIME LOG Compiled by Jill Sojourner

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9:01 a.m.

An NU staff member reported a student did not return equipment they signed out from the previous semester. A report was filed.

10:26 p.m.

A resident assistant reported her roommate, an NU student, was using marijuana in her room. NUPD responded and reported speaking to the student, who admitted to smoking marijuana. No drugs were confiscated. A report was filed.

4:19 p.m.

An NU student reported her unattended backpack and coat were stolen from the Dana Research Center. A report was filed.

5:33 a.m.

An NUPD officer reported confiscating two fake IDs from an NU student’s lost wallet. A report was filed.

11:23 p.m.

An RA reported the odor of marijuana coming from a room in Rubenstein Hall. NUPD responded and reported speaking to the resident of the room and her guest, who were both NU students, and confiscating a small amount of marijuana and paraphernalia. A report was filed.

10:17 p.m.

An NUPD officer reported being informed of a man who appeared to be intoxicated near the West Village quad. The man, who was unaffiliated with NU, was found to have a criminal history. NUPD further reported the man declined all medical attention and was conscious and alert. He was banned from all NU property and sent on his way.

2:32 a.m.

The Boston Police Department (BPD) reported two NU students were robbed at 38 Westland Ave. BPD further reported one of the students was hit over the head, and their wallet and keys were taken.

student at the University of Denver, fell in love with Northeastern. When she returned home, she filled out her transfer application.

During transfer orientation, Boggs realized how limited Northeastern’s housing resources were and how low her chances would be to receive on-campus housing.

“The big turning point was that I didn’t have anywhere to live,” Boggs said.

“I didn’t know Boston well

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enough to make an informed decision on where to live by myself..”

Not only does Northeastern’s housing problem alienate attending students, it prevents students who want to attend from accepting enrollment. On top of that, financial aid does not cover off-campus housing expenses, making Northeastern too far out of reach for students who can’t afford the expensive Boston housing market out

of pocket.

After transfer orientation, Boggs returned to the University of Denver, where she will graduate in 2019.

As a third-year, it is now too late for her to consider reapplying in the future.

“At the end of the day, if you are coming from out of state, providing real estate agents doesn’t do much,” Boggs said. “I think the university thinks that they do more than they actually do for students.”

There has been a huge housing crunch this past year, and it’s been a guessing game for rooms,” Pernaa said.

“There is an increase of transfer students … more and more upperclassmen want to stay on campus. There isn’t enough housing for everyone.

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January 18, 2018

LGBTQA+ spaces still divided IDENTITY, from front

who identify as pansexual, asexual and bisexual, suffer specific types of discrimination unlike their gay and lesbian counterparts.

Now a second-year, Rowland said she no longer participates in online groups like the private Facebook group for Northeastern’s LGBTQA+ students. She sees the same people who taunted her about her identity online and she can’t help but be turned off.

“It’s frustrating,” Rowland said. “To [see them] preach acceptance when they have attacked me.”

These divides have real effects on individuals, said Julie Woulfe, an attending psychologist in the outpatient department at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Woulfe has done research on how discrimination and misconceptions about bisexuality affect the health of bisexual people.

“It is just now that people are starting to ask about pansexual and asexual as something different,” Woulfe said. “I think that’s a huge area for growth, is to understand subgroups.”

After conducting an online survey of bisexual adults, those who said they were attracted to more than one gender, Woulfe found that many of these individuals felt unsupported by both the queer and straight

communities.

“The term people used is double discrimination,” Woulfe said. “They feel they can’t get support from the heterosexual community and they aren’t getting support from the LGBTQA+ community. Experiencing all this discrimination and you don’t have the same buffers, the same support within the queer community, which leaves people vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes.”

She called it a “minority stressor,” or the specific pushback that people face as a result of their sexuality.

Rowland’s classmates invalidating her identity and discriminating against her sexual orientation is an example of a minority stressor

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reflected in Woulfe’s findings applies in all situations.

However, LGBTQA+ spaces on college campuses can be incredibly important to young people as a support network while they figure out how they identify and come out to friends and family.

There is a large variance in how friendly a university may be to LGBTQA+ students. Campus Pride Index is a website that ranks — on a scale from one to five — a school’s overall support for LGBTQA+ students, then breaks down further rankings within the university for various aspects of student life. The index also reports if a university has various procedures and support structures in place.

tional commitment. On the other side, Northeastern received only a two out of five for recruitment and retention efforts, as well as a 1.5 for campus safety.

Even when their community doesn’t seem ready to accept them, LGBTQA+ students do their best to carry on. Rowland says she tries to find community in her friends with similar experiences, even as she watches them adjust their identity to fit the climate.

“A lot of my pansexual friends say they are bi,” Rowland said. “I use [pansexual] anyways because I am willing to explain. They got too frustrated. It’s a term more comfortable for me.”

I think the biggest thing is respecting boundaries, but not shutting down all conversation,” Rowland said. “It’s a hard balance. There is a culture in queerness and we are losing that.

in her life.

“Bisexual-specific minority stress was associated with poor physical health of adults with bisexual orientation above and beyond sexual minority stress,” read the study, which Woulfe provided to The News in an email. “Addressing this distinct type of prejudice is necessary to improve the health and well-being of individuals with bisexual orientation.”

The lack of community

The Northeastern University profile was completed by the director of its LGBTQA+ resource center, Lee West, and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion.

Northeastern has an overall ranking of three stars out of five. In further breakdown, Northeastern rarely scores above a three.

The only two exceptions are when the school received a 3.5 for student life and a 4.5 for support and institu-

Campus Pride Index rates Northeastern on LGBTQA+ inclusivity Campus Safety Recruitment & Retention Efforts Counseling & Health Housing & Residential Life Academics Policy Inclusion Student Life Support & Institutional Commitment Graphic by Ashley Wong; Source: CampusPrideIndex.org Campus Pride Index is an organization that rates universities on eight categories of LGBTQA+ suitability.

Northeastern excelled at academics with their gender studies program and at institutional commitment through the designated Center and the creation of inclusive policies. The school received low marks in providing training to campus police, residential community inclusion and specialized counseling or health spaces. Northeastern received an overall rating of three out of five, achieving both low and high scores.

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A Long History of Erasure

Explaining more complex sexualities can be hard, especially when LGBTQA+ history is often not taught until college, said Bonnie Morris, a lecturer for the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

“A peculiar problem is that anything that is sexual is banned from schools.

They don’t want to bring attention to what they see as a private sex life,” Morris said. “You don’t get the knowledge of how gay people were living or contributing to any country at any time.”

Morris also pointed out that waiting until college to teach LGBTQA+ history makes it far more exclusive.

Many people don’t go to college and never get access to information about the LGBTQA+ community, she said. In addition, only the most radical information is given attention in the media.

“Saving gay history until college is a gross disservice.

Then it’s a private club,” Morris said. “Or what is now on TV is whatever makes a controversial soundbite.”

Another struggle for those who identify outside gay and lesbian is that, historically, they are often absorbed into the gay movements.

“Doing a history of women who were bisexual is difficult because the assumption was if you’re with a man you’re not really part of the lesbian community per se, you have privilege,” Morris said. “If you’re with a woman you’re participating in lesbian culture.”

However, many organizations with more specific focuses are working to spread the history of forgotten identities. One such organization is BiNet USA, which advocates for bisexual people.

Faith Cheltenham lives near San Francisco and is the vice president of the national organization. She said although today it may seem like bisexuality is new, it has been around for far longer than people think.

“We have bi people throughout history,” she said. “They just disappear off the books. It’s a big part of our history to show that bi people go back that long.”

Cheltenham said despite the fact that bisexual people are often erased, terms like bisexual and pansexual were created back in the 1800s, and there was a large bisexual movement in the 1960s. But today, it seems like bisexuals are supposed to exist in the gaps between straight and gay communities.

“Gay people take care of this part and straight people take care of the rest and bi people fall in the gaping hole in the middle,” Cheltenham said.

Erasure of history affects more than just bisexual people; it also affects asexuals, said Anthony Bogaert, a professor of health sciences and psychology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. Asexual people do not experience sexual attraction, only romantic.

Bogaert also said that some misconceptions about asexuality are because of a lack

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of visibility.

“It’s clearly the case that people have misconceptions about asexuality,” he said.

“Partly because it’s under the radar, socially speaking.”

Real People, Real Effects Across Northeastern, LGBTQA+ students feel the effects of being kept out of their community.

Eva Hughes Maldonado, a bisexual fourth-year journalism major, said she had some uncomfortable experiences when coming out to her significant others. One time, she came out to her then-boyfriend, who said he thought it was “hot.” She felt like he was fetishizing her sexuality.

“The bi erasure sucks and is real,” Maldonado said.

“It’s unfortunate that bi people feel they can’t be a part of the community. It’s a weird gray area.”

Maldonado points out that bisexual people do have different experiences than gay and lesbian people. She said bisexual people don’t always have to come out the same way gay and lesbian people do: They could date the opposite gender and let people make assumptions.

“For the bi coming out process, it’s different,” she said. “It’s nothing I’m ashamed of, but I don’t bring it up. You can choose to hide under that mask.”

Sometimes the stereotypes of bisexual and pansexual people have negative effects when people do come out, said Sara Atlas, a fifth-year psychology major and pansexual woman. Like Maldonado, Atlas said she has had boyfriends who

“

Photo by Riley Robinson Northeastern’s LGBTQA+ Resource Center, located in room 328 Curry Student Center, was established in 2011 to create safe spaces and campus programming for Northeastern students. The Center supports student organizations and provides educational and safety resources to students.

ship less seriously after she told them she was pansexual. She also said she felt like there was often a competition for her to be “gay enough” in order to be allowed in the community.

When she was dating a man, Atlas felt like she didn’t really have the option to go to LGBTQA+ events, because people would assume that she was straight and not want her in that space because of it.

“I never wanted to go to Pride, it just felt unwelcome,” Atlas said. “I felt like I’m not gay enough for this.”

The feeling of not being gay enough is a common theme among students.

They feel that they must be more aggressive in their pursuit of the same sex or else their entire identity will be questioned.

In other situations, people say it seems like there just isn’t a space for them, even in more explicitly bisexual online spaces. Sofia Benitez,

to LGBTQA+ people in these spaces, Benitez said she is shut out just for being bisexual. She told the story of a lesbian woman she was talking to online who stopped responding to her messages after Benitez told the woman she was bisexual. And when she goes out, Benitez said, it seems like the assumption is always that she is straight.

“Queer places should be better known,” she said. “It’s often a one-night thing.

There still needs to be more work done in and out of the community. Remove the idea of the token queer friend.”

Benitez also pointed out that even when there are LGBTQA+ spaces, they often become tourist spots for straight people to come and gawk. So when LGBTQA+ people do go out, such as to a gay bar, there is no real guarantee that the people in that space are not straight.

This pushback doesn’t go unnoticed by those who are

The bi erasure sucks and is real,” Maldonado said.

“It’s unfortunate that bi people feel they can’t be a part of the community. It’s a weird gray area.

think her sexuality is hot.

“You know the stereotype, you just want it all,” she said. “People don’t say it to your face, it’s more covert.

Just like fetishizing the fact that I like girls.”

Atlas said often times it seemed like people would take any possible relation-

a fourth-year bisexual electrical engineering major, said she sees straight people in LGBTQA+ spaces.

“You see ‘I’m just bi-curious’ or ‘we are looking for a threesome,’” Benitez said.

“It’s like [they] are taking up space that isn’t [theirs].”

Sometimes when talking

”

not directly affected by it.

Amanda Barbour, a thirdyear bioengineering major, said she identifies as queer or lesbian, but her girlfriend is bisexual, and Barbour has seen the pushback that she has experienced.

“One thing my current girlfriend has said, she’s met

a lot of lesbians who don’t trust her. They say ‘you’re just experimenting,’” Barbour said. “I’m one of the few lesbian people she’s met who didn’t do that.”

Barbour said as she looks further she sees the same debate mirrored with other sexualities.

With asexual people, she said she has seen a lot of gatekeeping and people suggesting that asexual people are not “queer enough” to be in the LGBTQA+ community. And when people are more open about their sexuality it can result in more immediate negativity.

“I think it can be a mixed bag,” she said. “If you’re pretty open about your identity it’s easier to exclude you right off the bat, but you don’t waste your time.”

Finding Spaces It is clear that going forward, the LGBTQA+ community has a lot of work to do. With little research and knowledge on stigma and sexuality, it is unclear what will be the best way to fix the problem.

However, Cheltenham, from BiNet USA, said it is crucial to remember that progress has been made.

“It’s important to know that it’s changed a lot, it’s gotten a lot better,” Chelten-

ham said. “[We are] celebrating bi characters on TV. At the same time, we don’t have that representation within the LGBT community.”

Bogaert, the psychology professor at Brock, said the study of asexuality is a growing research field.

“I think it is more studied than it once was,” Bogaert said. “It is probably still understudied. It is certainly the case that all areas of research are influenced by interest. Asexuality is, in a strange way, more sexy than it once was.”

Tanekwah Hinds is the women’s health plan coordinator at Fenway Health in Boston, and has run multiple workshops for queer women’s empowerment.

She said the most important thing for the LGBTQA+ community is to keep an open mind and listen.

“We know gender and sex attraction is fluid,” Hinds said. “There needs to be an acceptance of gender identity and sexual orientation.”

Back at Northeastern, Rowland said she doesn’t have a perfect solution, but something has to be done.

Otherwise, the LGBTQA+ community will lose what it is really about.

“I think the biggest thing is respecting boundaries, but not shutting down all conversation,” she said. “It’s a hard balance. There is a culture in queerness and we are losing that.”

LIFESTYLE

Page 8

MoviePass begins to evolve film industry

By Audrey Wang News Correspondent

As he scrolls through movies on his phone, Josh Alter’s eyes light up and he talks about all of the blockbusters he has seen recently.

They range from “It” to “Blade Runner” to the second “Kingsman.”

“I actually saw Ladybird for the second time in theatres yesterday,” the second-year computer science major said in mid-December, smirking as he described seeing film after film in theatres for close to nothing.

Alter saw these films using MoviePass, a subscription-based movie ticketing service founded in 2011 that allows members to watch unlimited movies in theatres for $10 each month. This startup, along with similar membership services like Sinemia and

the AMC Stubs reward system, are business ventures meant to bring crowds back to the theatre.

When a user signs up for MoviePass, they are sent a debit card in the mail. At the movie theatre, they use the MoviePass app to select which movie they want to see, and use the ticket kiosk normally — but they pay with their MoviePass debit card. The company then pays the full ticket price to the theatre directly.

“I definitely didn’t like to waste my money on bad movies before,” said Jake McConnell, a second-year media and screen studies student at Northeastern.

“But now that I’ve subscribed to MoviePass, I love that I can watch so many movies without worrying about the cost.”

The percentage of Americans who go to movie

theatres has declined steadily since 1948. Summer 2017 was a historically bad season at the box office, falling behind recent years in total revenue. 2017 also included the industry’s worst weekend since 2001, according to data published

by IMDB’s website BoxOfficeMojo. These dismal

January 18, 2018 numbers have driven the movie industry to creative strategies to get people to return to the big screen.

The silver screen has enticed and entranced Americans for a little more than 100 years, but it now battles streaming services like Netflix, which allow Americans to watch nearly unlimited movies and TV shows in their homes for $8 to $14 a month. For consumers, $8 can either mean unlimited movies and TV monthly or a single movie in theatres.

This shift in media consumption has put Holly-

wood into a scramble to find a solution that will draw crowds back to the box office as profits continue to decrease. New startups like MoviePass and Sinemia are slowly receiving more recognition as they gain subscribers.

“I got MoviePass as soon as they dropped the price to $10 a month a few months ago,” Alter said. MoviePass’s drastic drop in price from $50 in some markets to $9.95 nationally shocked the film distribution industry, considering the monthly fee is cheaper than a

Photo by Riley Robinson AMC Loews Boston Common 19 is a local movie theatre that accepts MoviePass debit card purchases.

LIFESTYLE

January 18, 2018 single movie ticket in many cities. These subscription models are sending shockwaves through Hollywood and upsetting the traditional distribution tactics in a way that just might save it.

“Trying to attract a bigger audience to the movie theatres is no new phenomenon,” said Nathan Blake, a media and screen studies professor at Northeastern University. “Ever since the very beginning, theatres have always been trying to get people to come in.”

The film industry in the United States introduced 5-cent theatres in 1905. The popularity of theatres made way for a cultural boom starting in Los Angeles, precipitating the rise of 1920s Hollywood.

A sharp decline in theatre attendance in the 1960s occurred as TVs were popularized in homes. As a result, Hollywood started targeting a specific demographic: youth. The industry launched unconventional plot lines and idealized movie stars.

Throughout Hollywood’s past, it embraced a tactic of accepting and using the innovations that had worked against them to their advantage.

Enter Netflix: The latest competition for the theatre industry, it was founded in 1997 as a home video sales company. Two years later they introduced a monthly subscription concept: unlimited rentals with no extra costs. As DVD use began to fall, the company started offering streaming on-demand through the internet in 2007.

At the time, Netflix had 7.34 million subscribers, according to Business Insider.

Just eight years later, it hit 60 million.

Though Netflix originally only offered third-party content to its viewers, the company now produces its own. This content is never shown on movie screens or on TV, yet is often considered for major industry awards. Original content from streaming services have been recognized by the Golden Globe Awards in recent years, and is just now breaking into the Academy Awards.

MoviePass has recently been adjusting to target a bigger audience. The company’s goal is to win

audiences back by charging them the same amount they would pay for streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, which are otherwise gaining the upper-hand in the media consumption race.

In the week when MoviePass dropped its price from $40 to $10, some theatres saw their attendance of MoviePass members grow by 1,200 people, according to data Deadline acquired from Helios and Matheson.

However, MoviePass is not the only revolutionary thinker out there. Sinemia, a “movie-experience service,” as founder Rıfat Oğuz called it, also offers a subscription-like service where customers can buy a package deal for two or three movies a month at a discounted price.

Sinemia is based in Los Angeles but is more popular in Europe, Oğuz said.

It has also grown quickly in the United States — more than 95 percent per month — and has users in all 50 states. Sinemia keeps the number of customers it has confidential, while companies like MoviePass proudly boast their estimated 600,000 subscribers and projected 3 million subscribers for August.

Sinemia, while comparable to MoviePass as a new technique for getting audiences back to the theatre industry, is actually very different. Sinemia only allows two or three per month.

Sinemia also has packages for people attending movies in pairs, and it partners with apps like Uber and restaurants near theatres to provide discounts.

“We are focusing on the social experience of movie-going, from the ride there, to the dinner before and to the movie itself,” Oğuz said. “MoviePass only offers discounted tickets; we offer social interactions.”

However, a problem with the price of MoviePass is that they are operating at a loss. According to an interview with Wired, Helios and Matheson CEO Ted Farnsworth said they pay the exhibitors the full price of the ticket, essentially losing money with every use, which makes the business unsustainable. Sinemia, though more expensive, is currently sustainable because of their partnerships

with other companies.

In the same interview, Farnsworth said he hopes movie studios might buy their customer information to do targeted marketing.

He imagines that once MoviePass has a lot of subscribers, they could use that consumer information to fill theatres back up again.

Like many big exhibitioners, AMC is hoping to boost its own rewards system, Stubs, and not have all of their attendees be MoviePass members. Still,

Page 9 MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe said because of the decreased ticket price, attendees would spend more on concessions, which has been a savior for exhibitioners when prices fall.

The biggest concern for these exhibitioners, however, is the fact that with this reduction in ticket prices exhibitioners could be forced to lower their own prices, decreasing their already declining revenue.

They are afraid that once moviegoers think an $8

ticket is a “rip-off ” they will stop going altogether.

Business Wire reports that AMC has retaliated by banning users in Denver and Boston from buying e-tickets. However, like Sinemia, MoviePass is an independent company that provides members with a debit card to pay for tickets, which AMC cannot decline.

“It’s kind of messy,” Alter said, reflecting on the drama between AMC and MoviePass, “but I really hope [MoviePass] lasts.”

EVENT CALENDAR Calendar compiled by News Staff

Thursday, Jan. 18

Whether you’re vegan or voraciously hungry for some tasty morsels, look no further than Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge, where vegan restaurant Littleburg will pop up Saturday. There will be plenty of treats at one of Boston’s best microbreweries, like veggie burgers, vegan desserts and bubbly brews. 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.; Cambridge; Prices vary.

Photo courtesy Creative Commons

Friday, Jan. 19

Get your groove on Friday night with five Northeastern a cappella groups: The Unisons, Distilled Harmony, The Downbeats, The Nor’easters and Treble on Huntington. So grab some friends or go solo and enjoy a night of great music by your peers. Tickets are free on the myNortheastern portal. 8 p.m.; Blackman Auditorium; Free.

File photo by Lauren Scornavacca

Saturday, Jan. 20

The Cambridge Winter Farmer’s Market is back for the season every Saturday until April. Whether you want to munch on an apple or taste the finest jams, head down to the Cambridge Community Center for locally sourced food, live music and events for the whole family. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Cambridge; Free.

Photo courtesy Creative Commons

Sunday, Jan. 21

Northeastern’s Chinese Student Association presents their third annual cultural showcase, featuring KevJumba and a variety of other performers. Don’t be scared by the dragon, it’s only the dragon dancers in costume. The performance will portray Andrew, a high school student, as he leaves his comfort zone to find something he loves. 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Fenway Center; Free.

Photo courtesy Creative Commons

Monday, Jan. 22 Want to dance? Grab your dancing shoes and leap over to the Riff Academy for jazz lessons! The academy is geared toward helping dancers develop fast-paced routines focused around vintage jazz dancing. They’ve kicked off a six-week intro program to solo jazz and performance. 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Ruggles Baptist Church; Free.

Photo courtesy Creative Commons

Tuesday, Jan. 23

Feeling blue? Beat Brasserie is having a comedy show at their club in Harvard Square. Enjoy some craft beer, cocktails, artisanal wine, delicious casual fare by James Lynons, all while enjoying comedy that will keep you laughing the entire night. 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Beat Brasserie, $5.

Photo courtesy Creative Commons

Wednesday, Jan. 24

The Beacon Gallery’s “Lives in Limbo: Refugees at the Gates of Europe” aims to shed light on the plight of refugees. The show features text and photographs from acclaimed photographers, including students at Northeastern’s School of Journalism. The exhibit ends Jan. 28. 10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Beacon Gallery; Free.

Photo courtesy Creative Commons

CITY

Page 10

January 18, 2018

University neighbors face gentrification

Photo by Samuel Kim Northeastern’s new 22-story dormitory is under construction on Burke Street. City Councilor Tito Jackson spoke out against the change from the original eight-story plan.

CHANGE, from front

for urban renewal. Soliel-Montiero is determined to document how Roxbury is becoming a “dream deferred,” — the phrase Langston Hughes used to describe Harlem in his poem named for the city.

Roxbury, like Harlem, is fading away.

A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD

The historical significance that made Roxbury so uniquely Roxbury is becoming irrelevant.

Residents used to be proud of Roxbury’s past — though tumultuous, it was interconnected with cultural significance. From its settlement in 1630 by English Puritans to housing Malcolm X for seven years, residents fondly remember its history as they gaze upon the streets.

Some parts of Roxbury’s past are not remembered as fondly. According to the Roxbury Historical Society, Roxbury’s demographic became increasingly African-American during the 1960s and 1970s. City planners and developers viewed the area as rundown and dangerous.

Urban renewal efforts, like the planned construction of the Southwest Express-

way, a 12-lane highway that would have cut right through residential Roxbury, troubled residents, said Chuck Turner, former Boston city councillor representing Roxbury’s District 7. The Boston Planning and Development Agency, or BPDA, dramatically changed Roxbury with two initiatives: the Washington Park Urban Renewal Program and the Campus High Urban Renewal Program.

Many homes, businesses, schools and churches were torn down and hundreds of residents were displaced as a result.

Roxbury continued changing drastically in the 1980s and 1990s. The Boston Redevelopment Agency focused on redeveloping damaged areas of the neighborhood left behind by civil rights riots of the late 1960s.

Elise Sutherland, a longtime Roxbury resident, saw Roxbury shift from a worn out, dirty, overpopulated area to a cleaner neighborhood with new shopping and entertainment centers, gleaming municipal buildings and high-rise condo apartments. Empty lots, overgrown with weeds and littered with beer bottles, were transformed into schools, art studios and cafés. Crime rates dropped.

From the outside, it seemed

Roxbury was finally changing for the better after a long history of strife and turmoil.

The harsh reality, though, was that this urban renewal was not entirely beneficial to the area’s historical and cultural significance.

Sutherland said the change was not driven by residents.

Rather, it was external development that changed the face of the neighborhood and hurt residents.

Although there were finally enough places to shop for groceries in the neighborhood, residents found that the prices were too high. This and rising property values costs were among many new struggles the changes brought to residents. Sutherland and Soliel-Montiero’s families were two of them.

Soliel-Montiero calls herself a “Roxbury kid,” as she grew up in Roxbury and has been living in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. Her best friend used to live across the street from her, and her classmates and other friends lived close by as well. However, one by one they left the neighborhood.

As the transformation continues in Roxbury, Soliel-Montiero feels it is her duty as a photographer to document it.

Sutherland, too, watched her neighborhood drastically change, and had to watch all her childhood friends move away.

“When I was a kid, I could walk down the street and say hi to everyone, because I knew everyone,” Sutherland said. “We were all proud to live in the same community together. Now, I hardly know anyone. They were all pushed out.”

On Tremont Street, old buildings rest, dusty with age and faded “closed” signs hanging in the windows. A block over, on Columbus Avenue, construction workers balance on steel beams maneuvering tools, sending showers of sparks five floors below. Countless college students hurry along the street every day, trying not to be late to class or returning to the comfort of their dorms, several of which line the street.The Roxbury Soliel-Montiero has known for her whole life is almost unrecognizable, she says, and soon the transformation might be complete.

FACING GENTRIFICATION

The Imagine Boston 2030 Report — a plan for the future of Boston — reflects this change in data. The report says housing prices

in Roxbury rose nearly 70 percent between 2010 and 2015, while housing prices in Boston as a whole only increased by 36 percent.

Data from Zillow said from May to October 2017, the median list housing prices for Boston went up $30,000, a 4.3 percent increase, while the average rent prices for Roxbury went up $104,000, a 34.2 percent increase.

Roxbury is not the only neighborhood in the United States experiencing this detrimental sort of gentrification. A 2014 Mic article placed Boston at the top of the list of gentrifying U.S. cities, while Seattle, New York City and San Francisco came in second, third and fourth respectively.

The discourse and rhetoric surrounding gentrification has left citizens and public officials divided. Many urban developers and planners, like those at the BPDA, have expressed that urban renewal is beneficial to older neighborhoods.

“The redevelopment of older and less renovated neighborhoods like Roxbury creates both affordable housing spaces and makes the neighborhoods look more welcoming,” said Courtney Sharpe, a BPDA board member.

Similarly, Gerald Autler,

CITY

January 18, 2018 the BPDA senior project manager and planner, said although Roxbury residents may have to relocate to new housing situations, he and the BPDA anticipate that projects should provide ample affordable housing for those who may need it. This includes Tremont Crossing, a building project slated to have nearly 2 million square feet of office, retail and residential

both hotspots for college students, who represent a rising demographic in the neighborhood. Residents are bidding farewell to the Roxbury they have known since they were born.

“I’m no longer comfortable in my own neighborhood,” Sutherland said.

“The friendly faces I always said hello to are long gone.

Now, I just go about my business, and so does ev-

of many Roxbury residents who are constantly told that they should move out.

Planners and developers like Sharpe and Autler do have a plan for residents who are requested to move out of their homes. Autler said developers set aside a certain number of housing units in new complexes for families who are displaced.

These are sold or rented under market value. None-

Roxbury vs. Boston Median List Prices (May-Oct. 2017)

Boston

Roxbury

Graphic by Michelle Lee; Source: Zillow According to Zillow, Boston’s 2017 housing prices soared above Roxbury’s, with at least a $300,000 difference.

spaces.

Many Roxbury residents disagree with developers like Sharp and Autler, who frame redevelopment as a positive for Roxbury. Urban affairs scholar Thomas Vicino, chair of the political science department at Northeastern University, would say as much.

Vicino noted that the identities of neighborhoods change drastically when they encounter persistent urban renewal efforts. Vicino also said as the rent and property values of a neighborhood go up, local and state taxes also increase.

“If you take Roxbury for example, a lot of young white folks like college students are moving in,” he said. “They’re not going to want to go to an old diner, they’ll want a trendy vegan café. And existing businesses will either have to adapt to that, or close and let someone else do the job.”

To Soliel-Montiero, Roxbury was Roxbury because of that certain diner that was so much like her mother’s homemade soul food, or that one jazz club she went to with her friends on weekends.

Now, they’re replaced by a vegan restaurant and a bar,

eryone else. Roxbury is not a community anymore.”

PUSHED OUT

Armani White, a longtime resident of Roxbury and a community organizer for Reclaim Roxbury, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower Roxbury residents, said he has felt pressured over the last five years to move out of his home. He said his parents bought their house, which he currently lives in, for less than $30,000 in the 1970s.

“I get offers almost every month that are close to a million dollars,” White said.

“I tell them the same thing every time, that I’m not interested, and that I don’t intend to sell it anytime soon.

But their persistence and simplicity in thinking that the sheer amount of money they’re offering is going to entice and convince me has really begun angering me.”

White said the incessant communication has begun to make him feel unwelcome in his neighborhood.

“It’s like I’m being incentivized to get out of my home,” White said. “Am I not even safe and comfortable in my own home?”

White says he is just one

theless, the discount often is nowhere near enough.

Unlike White, some families cannot afford to reject constant offers for their property. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income for Roxbury is $34,374, while the median household income for Boston is $54,485. Additional-

“

Page 11 He’s seen workers convert beautiful Victorian or carriage-style homes into multiple condos that can net well over $3,000 monthly.

To residents, it is perhaps the most heart-wrenching way to bid farewell to their neighborhood. White said they are “forced to be part of a system of developers and planners who are changing Roxbury, perhaps permanently.”

ROXBURY RESPONDS

Several organizations are rallying resistance efforts, including Reclaim Roxbury, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, City Life Vida Urbana and Right to the City. All of these organizations seek to educate residents on measures they can take to voice their concerns. Activists urge community members to attend public meetings.

Though community organizers and residents work to ensure fairness, sometimes things do fall through the cracks. For example, Northeastern, which borders Roxbury on Columbus Avenue, is currently building a 22-story dorm on Burke Street. It is a few blocks from another 22-story dorm, International Village. When they announced plans for the dorm to the community, contractors said it would be an eight-story building.

Tito Jackson, former city

community.”

Residents may try to voice their struggles, but it seems developers get to do what they want regardless of community input.

Northeastern is just one developer among many that are drastically changing Roxbury. More tall buildings will cast their shadows over the neighborhood soon.

Yet there is still beauty found in what remains, still hope for Roxbury. Residents say that there are still things people can do to save the historic buildings.

Residents encourage students who live in Roxbury and other neighborhoods off campus to appreciate and respect the community around them. Sutherland suggested students focus on community building efforts, which could range from just saying “hi” when they see their neighbors to tutoring elementary school children. Sutherland also urged students to come to community meetings about building projects, as they are literally Roxbury residents too. Other residents like White encouraged students to learn about and appreciate Roxbury’s unique and rich history.

“Don’t stay hung up on the stereotypes about Roxbury you always hear, because I can tell you that the Roxbury I have always known is just as beautiful and special as any other neighborhood in Boston,” White

I tell them the same thing every time, that I’m not interested, and that I don’t intend to sell it anytime soon,” White said. “But their persistence and simplicity in thinking that the sheer amount of money they’re offering is going to entice and convince me has really begun angering me.

ly, the unemployment rate for Roxbury is 10.7 percent compared to 6.8 percent for Boston. As property prices in Roxbury grow, so do real estate taxes and rent prices.

Even residents who already own homes are not immune to this change.

Many residents are unable to keep up and have to resort to alternative housing.

Jeff Rogers, a longtime Roxbury resident, has seen many of his neighbors leave. Over the years, he has noticed that as soon as residents move out, construction workers come in, knock down walls and build many housing units.

councilor (D-7) and 2017 mayoral candidate, was surprised at Northeastern and the contractor for reneging on their agreement.

“Northeastern spent a year and a half with us doing an Institutional Master Plan, and they turned around and betrayed the community after that,” Jackson said in an interview with The News in September 2016. “I have an issue with President Aoun and the administration at Northeastern [for] showing a complete and utter disregard and disrespect for the agreement they spent a year and a half crafting with the

”

said. “Learn to acknowledge and appreciate that beauty.”

Soliel-Montiero, as she held her camera and snapped away at bundled-up pedestrians and quaint buildings, was doing just that: trying to preserve what remains of the Roxbury she had known for more than 25 years.

“I want everyone to see what Roxbury really is like, and I know that if I take the right pictures, it will help in inspiring people to make Roxbury what it once was again,” she said. “There’s still hope for Roxbury, my Roxbury.”

SPORTS

Page 12

January 18, 2018

Photo by Albert Tamura Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun hands new Athletic Director Jeff Konya a Northeastern Huskies jersey at a press conference Jan. 10. Konya begins work Feb. 1.

Jeff Konya to begin tenure Feb. 1 HUSKIES, from front

as a red flag, but Konya is confident that his past experiences are among his biggest strengths.

“Some people look at that type of a track record and say ‘oh my god, well what is that about?’” he said. “What I see is, I’ve experienced so many great mentors and leaders and so many universities and how they run things. Now I can compare and contrast.”

After spending his early years in Rochester, New York, and attending Princeton University, Konya decided to go to law school at the University of Iowa. He thought he might become a sports agent.

Seeing an ad for a graduate assistant position in Iowa’s athletic department was a random occurrence, but it altered the direction of his professional life.

“I saw it and went for it, but it was really random,” Konya said. “I didn’t go to Iowa law school thinking ‘man I can’t wait to work for the Hawkeyes’ — I went to law school, I saw an ad, got the job. And then everything changed.”

Konya never ended up becoming a sports agent, nor did he take the bar exam after graduating from law school in 1995. He had found his passion — intercollegiate athletics.

He singles out his role as a graduate assistant, or GA,

at the University of Iowa as the most impactful moment in his career.

“I got involved on the ground floor back in the mid ‘90s with Iowa and at that time it was still kind of a mom and pop shop,” he said. “I had a lot of responsibilities for being a GA and from that point forward I really liked athletic administration and thought that would be my niche.”

Konya has certainly found his calling in athletics.

“

student body to decide the color and design of their new basketball court. They were the first school in the country to choose a court’s design via Twitter poll. That created a buzz around Oakland’s campus.

“There were a lot of students talking about it, excited about it, wanting to know which one won,” Konya said. “The core of it is more about connecting with student organizations and building traditions.

through the facility,” Konya said. “I would love to create different student-athlete experiences, and allow them to feel first class in a lot of ways.”

Konya met with coaches and athletic staff this week to assess strengths and weaknesses of the department as it currently stands and brainstorm for the future. His zeal for improving the athletic department has already made an impression on women’s basketball head

I would love to be able to enhance the game day through the facility,” Konya said. “I would love to create different student-athlete experiences, and allow them to feel first class in a lot of ways.

Throughout his career and especially during his threeyear run at Oakland, he has been a marketing and fundraising maven.

During his tenure with Oakland, he increased external financial support for athletics by 60 percent, set records for ticket sales and attendance and was selected as an Under Armour’s Athletic Directors of the Year for 2016-17 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Konya has been an iconoclast his entire career, unafraid to think outside the box and find new ways to engage and collaborate with school communities to build excitement for athletic programs. In 2015, Konya called on Oakland’s

And asking the students what they want out of their game-day experience. I think so many folks just don’t have that conversation.”

Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun said he noticed Konya’s penchant for forward-thinking right away during the university’s search process.

“I was immediately struck by his energy, his entrepreneurial spirit and the innovation that has defined his career,” Aoun said in a Jan. 10 statement.

At Northeastern, Konya hopes to upgrade the student athlete experience through facility improvements.

“I would love to be able to enhance the game day

”

coach Kelly Cole.

“It’s an exciting time for Northeastern and the athletic department and we’re excited to have a fresh look,” Cole said. “He’s bringing some energy and some great experience.”

Konya confirmed an NU athletics rebrand is imminent.

“The ‘N’ logo, I don’t know how distinctive it is in the national marketplace, but I think it certainly has some penetration in the regional markets and on campus,” he said. “There needs to be a more sophisticated way where we can capture the essence of Northeastern athletics around the branding principles. Around hashtags, a different look, a different feel, I think there’s

a lot of opportunity.”

As Konya tinkers with how the athletic department operates, brands itself and builds a following on campus and on social media, he will rely heavily on his varied experiences from his lengthy career in collegiate athletics.

“I have a wealth of information and experiences in different environments,” he said. “I have the flexibility to rely on my experiences and use them in real time. I see it as a huge advantage, I really do.”

Konya credits his predecessor, Peter Roby, for creating a strong internal infrastructure to build on. “[Roby] has done a fabulous job of building that foundation based off of what you would want in an athletics platform, with academics and student development and leadership,” he said. “That’s already ingrained. Other places don’t have that kind of a foundation.”

Konya is ready to get on campus and start implementing his plans.

“I’m really excited about Northeastern and what we can do there,” he said.

“You feel the energy when you’re on campus. And now if athletics can be part of the puzzle, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”