WOOF ISSUE 29

WOOF ISSUE 29 // SPRING 2020

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SECTION TITLE

WOOF MAGAZINE PRESIDENT

Jasmine Chan

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cayley Ross

CREATIVE DIRECTORS

Cheyenne Tang & Meredith Fisher

SOCIAL MEDIA & WEB EDITOR Mica Tonge

SECTION EDITORS

Sofia Ciprian, Kaline Langley, Aashka Pandya

HEAD COPY EDITOR Samantha Rose

COPY EDITORS

Sharon Yan, Christina Philippides, Hayleigh Evans

WRITERS

Tori Markin, Sophie Harris, Sofia Noorouzi, Hayleigh Evans, Myria Scott, Cameron Glynn, Aashka Pandya, Lauren DeSousa, Melissa Wells, Sofia Ciprian

DESIGNERS

Ellie Johnson, Tanya Kler, Jesse Futerman, Brooke Elmore, Cheyenne Tang, Meredith Fisher, Cayley Ross

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Justine Newman Cover Photography by Justine Newman

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Hi Reader, Putting together this issue has been ... interesting, to say the least. For one, it was finished in the middle of a pandemic. I don’t even know when you’ll get to read it in a physical magazine format.

It’s also my fifth and final issue as Editor-in-Chief, as I’m graduating this semester. I’ve been part of Woof since I was a freshman, starting out as a writer/designer, progressing to a section editor, and then to EIC. It’s been a wild ride and I’m so grateful for everything I’ve learned during my time with Woof. Huge shoutout to Sam, Jasmine, and Meredith, who have been here since I started, too — thanks for sticking with Woof for so long!

But I guess what I really want to say is, even though America (the world?) is in a crisis and we’re all finishing up the semester online (heck, Sam and I are GRADUATING online), even though everyone in our generation is probably more existentially stressed out than they’ve ever been, we pulled this together.

And it’s awesome. That is a huge testament to the talents and dedication of the people I work with — they are really my inspiration. I hope I have the good fortune to work with a team of people half as amazing as them wherever I end up next.

And for you, reader, I hope this issue brings you some comfort, or at least some distraction, during this very weird time.

Bye for now — your Editor-in-Chief, Cayley Ross

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CONTENTS FRONT

MEDIA & CULTURE

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Volunteering in Boston — But Make It Accessible

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That’s So Fetch! “Mean Girls” Revisited in 2020

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Veganism vs. Plant-Based Diets

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Tired of the Meme Collective? Obscure NEU Facebook Groups to Freshen Up Your Feed

Rationalizing Murder: Aaron Hernandez Docuseries Shifts Focus from Victims

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The Housing Lottery: N.U.in Students Forced to Live with Upperclassmen

Honoring an Icon: Kobe Bryant’s Legacy Off the Court [Cover Story]

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NEU Student Deported from Boston Following Travel Ban

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Ayanna Pressley’s Alopecia Revelation Resonates with Her Cultural and Political Audience

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Tyler, the Creator — Not Just the Rapper

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FRONT

Volunteering in Boston — But Make It Accessible WRITTEN BY TORI MARKIN

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FRONT

As a college student, it is easy to be whisked away by the hustle of classes, extracurriculars, and work. It is also easy to forget about the communities that exist right outside of the Northeastern bubble. Northeastern has a unique campus that resides in four different Boston neighborhoods. It is important to acknowledge that Northeastern has had a direct, and often negative, impact on the surrounding communities.

local organization, such as Hyde Square Task Force, American Red Cross, and Cradles 2 Crayons. There are a variety of organizations and time frames for volunteering, and they are a great way to meet other students interested in service.

If you are looking for a more flexible way to volunteer, there are a variety of shift-based volunteering programs.

Organizations like Community Servings, St. Francis House, and Rosie’s Place all have online portals for signups, which makes volunteering easy and adjustable to any schedule. Another factor is that these are all very accessible by walking or public transport. Similarly, for a variety of volunteer opportunities all over Boston, you can sign up for Volunteermatch and include your interests and skills, and the organization will send you emails as opportunities arise.

This presents a difficult question: what does it mean to be part of the Boston community?

One valuable way to get more involved in the Boston community is through service. This presents a way to become more engaged, learn, and provide assistance to our neighbors. While this may seem difficult with a busy college schedule, there are a multitude of accessible service opportunities in Boston.

When looking for service opportunities in Boston, there are several important things to remember.

When trying to identify service opportunities, there is significant value in continuous and regular involvement.

Dependable service allows these organizations to invest in training, and this means that they can assign you more significant tasks, and you can provide more value.

Consistent volunteering also gives you the opportunity to make meaningful connections and better understand the people and causes that these organizations impact.

The Center of Community Service is always a resource for opportunities and does a great job of making service accessible to students. They provide a weekly email newsletter with upcoming opportunities and events.

The Center of Community Service has also compiled a list of all of the service groups on campus, all of which make getting involved easy and fun.

If you are worried about volunteering alone and want a semester-long opportunity, you can sign up for a Husky Volunteer Team. These teams bring together groups of students for a weekly commitment at a

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FRONT

Veganism vs.

Plant-Based Diets WRITTEN BY SOPHIE HARRIS // ILLUSTRATIONS BY MEREDITH FISHER

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FRONT

Commercials have started to flood our TVs offering new products like plant-based butter and milk, Instagram is advertising meal prep ideas for a plant-based diet, and maybe your friends have started talking about how they are deciding to adopt a plant-based diet. But what does it mean to go plant-based exactly? Is that just another term for being vegan? This article is going to break down the differences for you, and perhaps by the end you will be more inclined to give a plant-based diet a go, and if not, maybe you will just be inclined to grab more veggies the next time you’re grocery shopping (especially considering that almost 90 percent of Americans don’t get their recommended intake of fruits and veggies).

To start, it might help to also clear up what it means to be vegan.

A vegan diet excludes all animal products, no matter what form they come in. This means no meat, dairy,

eggs, and even honey. Vegans also don’t wear animal products such as leather, or use products that are tested on animals. The Vegan Society states, “Veganism is a way of living.” However, veganism is not easy, as there are countless articles online titled “Overwhelmed

by Veganism” and “Challenges with becoming Vegan.” This is why a plant-based diet may be a better fit for some people.

“A plant-based diet is centered around cutting back on animal products, but not entirely.”

A plant-based diet is certainly similar to veganism; After all, plants are in the name. A plant-based diet

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is centered around cutting back on animal products, but not entirely.

A plant-based diet mostly consists of foods derived from plants, so this includes vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fruits with a decreased intake of animal products. One benefit to a plantbased diet that veganism lacks is that it simply encourages one to eat more whole foods and avoid processed choices. These foods can still be vegan — such as vegan ice cream or cookies — but those who follow a plant-based diet have more flexibility in what they consume.

A plant-based diet can still make a huge difference with regards to sustainability and preserving our environment. As concerns about health, food security, and animal welfare increase, sales in more plant-based products and meat substitutes have been on the rise.

VV

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Search

News Feed Messenger Watch

Create Post What’s on your mind?

Tired of the Meme Collective?

Obscure Obscure NEU NEU Facebook Facebook Groups Groups to Freshen Up Your Feed WRITTEN BY SOFIA NOOROUZI

Post

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FRONT

Home Find Friends Create

As a Northeastern University student who craves the instant gratification of a relatable college-themed meme, but who is starting to find the incessant pokes at ISEC 2 and the Green Line trolleys mildly overdone, it appears to be time to expand my horizons in terms of Northeastern social networking content. It doesn’t actually require much effort to find; there are not one but two Northeastern Instagram meme pages with a plethora of original jokes. However, if you desire some more niche content, say, relating to the misadventures of dating, love, and sex during the precipice of your romantic life — look no further.

Suggested Groups

Romantic love is, perhaps, at least relevant to some of us. The Instagram account @northeasternlove is a place for humorous confessions of individual attraction, or for “all the kappa sig boys,” as one post establishes.

Sadly, the account has not been active since May of last year, so the private Facebook group, NU Crushes, is most students’ preferred social media for anonymous, candid declarations of love. Some users choose to post unrestrained ramblings about the state of their current hookup. Others hope that their desired frat boy will stumble upon their post and experience a moment of clarity. As with any social networking site, the best jokes get the most likes; hence a recent post stating, “I am a CATCH so why haven’t I been CAUGHT” yielded over 300 reactions. Other notable moments include disclosures of co-op crushes, and my favorite, “Christian is almost disarmingly attractive,” which is such an eloquently crafted sentence to be sent into the void that is the NU Crushes Facebook group. Ultimately, NU Crushes is mostly a space that values creativity over legitimacy, which can perhaps be said for all Facebook groups targeted to the college student demographic.

NU Crushes briefly satiated my desire for more brainstimulating content that the antiquated NU Meme Collective could not deliver. However, as my eyes strained to read my phone screen and my thumb got sore from all the mindless scrolling, I realized that I needed a break. Perhaps my search was futile, and the best remedy for this dilemma is to simply — I know I sound like my mom here — put down the phone. If not for the sake of being a more attentive friend, then do it to access the immediate pleasure that comes with fresh memes.

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NU Meme Collective 21,127 members

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NU Crushes 8,037 members

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Northeastern 35,221 members

+ Join Group

FRONT

The Housing Lottery: N.U.in Students forced to live with Upperclassmen WRITTEN BY HAYLEIGH EVANS // ILLUSTRATIONS BY ELLIE JOHNSON

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FRONT

For many college students, living in a freshman dorm is a rite of passage. First-year housing usually includes tiny double bedrooms, communal bathrooms, and microwave meal diets. However, some freshmen at Northeastern University are bypassing this experience altogether.

The N.U.in program offers first-year students the opportunity to spend their first semester in college abroad. This program is undoubtedly a unique and beneficial experience for students. However, when they arrive on campus in January, they have to adjust to life on campus with a freshman class that has already been in Boston for a few months.

Many N.U.in students are placed in upperclassmen dorms once they move to the Boston campus, due to a lack of space in freshman dormitories. The N.U.in website claims the school tries to place students according to their preferences but cannot always do so with the high number of incoming students.

Some students get to live in West Village apartmentstyle dorms, which seems luxurious in comparison to traditional freshman dorms. Despite this, does living with upperclassmen have an impact on N.U.in student’s transition to the university? Is the university setting these students up for both personal and academic success? We surveyed 18 N.U.in students who lived with upperclassmen in upperclassmen apartments to find out.

Out of the students who responded, 84% said they would not have preferred to live in freshman housing.

They had a lot of positive opinions on their experience.

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One N.U.in respondent really enjoyed her housing assignment, as she said “my suitemates showed me the ropes of Northeastern and gave me a ton of helpful information.” When asked if she felt isolated from other freshmen, she disagreed, saying, “I hang out with my freshman friends throughout the day and then get to have my own space at night in my apartment. It’s a good balance for me.”

However, the experience for these N.U.in students has not been entirely positive. One respondent said they enjoy living with experienced students, but claimed, “I don’t have a chance to experience freshman activities through [my roommates] and meet people through them.”

Another respondent struggled with their assignment, saying “my upperclassman roommates do not interact with me at all. They’ve spoken maybe five words to me.

It’s intimidating.” Many first-year students create lasting friendships with their roommates, but they may not be experiencing this with upperclassmen roommates who are at a different stage in their time at Northeastern.

While many N.U.in students are happy with the allure of bigger bedrooms and full kitchens in apartmentstyle housing, living in upperclassmen buildings is not the most beneficial placement for all. Colleges and universities typically place all freshman students together for a reason: it alleviates the sometimes difficult transition into college. While students gain more freedom and flexibility in their housing assignments once they become upperclassmen, there is no redoing their first year.

MEDIA & CULTURE

THAT’S SO FETCH!

GIRLS IN 2020

WRITTEN BY MYRIA SCOTT // ILLUSTRATIONS BY BROOKE ELMORE The dialogue is mesmerizing, the characters are adored, and the memes are plentiful. The movie “Mean Girls” has become a classic among younger generations, and now the “Plastics” have come back to conquer Broadway almost two decades later. The musical has a similar storyline with the addition of songs and dancing. Based on the small amount of details provided, it seems that the musical will try to expand the plot of the movie by updating its storyline.

The movie was released 16 years ago, and while it remains timeless, there are still a few things that the musical could improve in order to give the movie a fresh new taste.

children, some country boys say “On the third day god created the Remington bolt-action rifle so that man can fight the dinosaurs and the homosexuals.” This terrible line is just the beginning of a movie filled with racial stereotypes such as the famous line “If you’re from Africa, why are you White?” and offensive words like “retarded” that Regina George says three times throughout the movie.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The musical should also integrate social media into the plot. Since 2004, the reliance on social media has increased drastically. Social media now runs a major part of not only high schoolers lives, but everyone’s lives overall. Seeing the nuances social media could add to the power of the Plastics’ popularity could be a fresh new way to drive the plot forward. Implementing the effects of social media in scenes like the infamous three way calls or the Burn Book itself would provide the musical the modernization it needs.

PG-13 CONTENT

“Mean Girls” is known for its racy commentary giving the movie a PG-13 rating, yet the musical is recommended for ages 10 and up. There are some lines from the movie that would be inappropriate for such young viewers. In one of the first scenes when Cady is explaining the stigma against homeschooled

“SEEING THE NUANCES SOCIAL MEDIA COULD ADD TO THE POWER OF THE PLASTICS’ POPULARITY COULD BE A FRESH NEW WAY TO DRIVE THE PLOT FORWARD.” 14

MEDIA & CULTURE

REPRESENTATION IN STEM

As new generations form, the modernization of classics seems essential to establishing younger viewer’s interest. Remakes are as popular as ever, and “Mean Girls the Musical” has come just in time to become a new favorite for the younger generation and a nostalgic memory for the older. No matter how the musical differs from the movie, hopefully it will bring the nostalgia of a classic with a funny, fresh twist and catchy show tunes to sing in the shower. As new generations form, the modernization of classics seems essential to establishing younger viewer’s interest. Remakes are as popular as ever, and “Mean Girls the Musical” has come just in time to become a new favorite for the younger generation and a nostalgic memory for the older. No matter how the musical differs from the movie, hopefully it will bring the nostalgia of a classic with a funny fresh twist and catchy show tunes to sing in the shower.

One of the main problems Cady faced in the movie was the stigma that came with her aptitude for math.

In the early 2000s, it was uncommon to see young females exploring STEM fields. When Cady expresses an interest in math, Dameon exclaims, “Eww why?”

When she wants to join the math team, both he and Regina warn her of the social suicide. To get Aaron Samuels to like her, she thinks she has to be dumb and almost ends up failing math. Now in 2020, girls are being encouraged to pursue STEM. It would be an empowering moment to see Cady embrace her math skills, showcasing a powerful lesson for younger girls in the targeted audience that the limit truly does not exist.

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MEDIA & CULTURE

RATIONALIZING MURDER: Aaron Hernandez Docuseries Shifts Focus from Victims WRITTEN BY CAMERON GLYNN // ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESSE FUTERMAN // PHOTOGRAPHED BY JUSTINE NEWMAN Netflix’s newest hit, “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez,” brings up a tough question: Are we capable of pitying a murderer and rationalizing his behaviors? The docuseries hypothesizes the reasons as to why the former New England Patriots player murdered innocent men in the Boston area.

With so much focus on Hernandez’s psyche, there is a noticeable neglect for the victims and the court cases as a whole. Nevertheless, the documentary tries to take a stab at a myriad of societal issues such as childhood abuse, traumatic brain injuries, sexual repression, and more. Viewers are left questioning Hernandez’s internal motives even more so than before they started watching. The events in Hernandez’s life are outlined as the perfect storm in order to create the psyche of a murderer, yet this approach shifts guilt off of Hernandez at the expense of the victims and their families.

Despite the negative messages perpetuated in the documentary, there are a few positive aspects worth mentioning. The documentarians were effective in using football to juxtapose Hernandez’s flashy NFL lifestyle with the semi-professional football life of one of the victims, Odin Lloyd. One of Lloyd’s teammates, Mike Massey, gave wholesome insight into Lloyd’s life and spoke about how football to them was a sense of family as well as something that kept them away from drugs. Following Lloyd’s death, his team had a commemorative game in his honor. This scene was touching as it brought together Lloyd’s family of

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Cape Verde immigrants and all of the hardworking teammates. The viewer’s heart goes out to the victim’s loved ones, seeing so much heart and so little resources. This is shown amongst television clips of Aaron Hernandez playing in the NFL, which are portrayed as cold, impersonal, and in a money-making lens. Massey emphasizes that in semi-professional, they pay to play, but they are richer than Hernandez because there is so much love.

Another important message that the documentary showcased was raising awareness to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is a brain disease resulting from repeated head injuries. Viewers are reminded that the NFL is a profitable business that does not necessarily care about the long-term health of their employees, because in reality players are just expendable assets. Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, is shown telling mothers to put their sons into football as soon as possible. A former NFL player discusses that he quit his career for brain health reasons, which puts the NFL business in jeopardy. This was a great topic to shed light on.

However, the documentary takes it one step too far in the connections they make between CTE and Aaron Hernandez’s violent actions.

The documentary makes inferences that Aaron Hernandez’s CTE could have played a part in his homicides. It is disrespectful to the victims and their families to start making excuses and rationalizing why a man committed murder. Thousands of athletes

are known to be living with CTE, yet none of them are murderers. It comes across as illogical and simpleminded for the documentary to advance this kind of thinking. This plays into the larger format of the documentary, which took an unconventional approach to shedding light onto Hernandez’s upbringing and professional football career.

hypermasculine environment could have been a factor in him murdering innocent people. This narrative is truly unacceptable and offensive as it puts the LGBT community in a bad light.

During the murder trials as well as following the release of the documentary, there has been a noticeable fascination and attraction to Aaron Hernandez. One of the clips in the series shows Patriots fans yelling, “Innocent! Innocent! Innocent! We love you Aaron!” as he is being transported from prison to the courtroom.

Posts about Aaron Hernandez still being extremely attractive, despite being a convicted murderer, have gone viral on Instagram and Twitter.

“WHY IS IT THAT PEOPLE ARE SO BLATANTLY SUPPORTIVE AND WILLING TO RATIONALIZE HERNANDEZ’S BEHAVIORS?”

Why is it that people are so blatantly supportive and willing to rationalize Hernandez’s behaviors? At the end of the day, a viral fascination with serial killers is nothing out of character for American culture. The infamous Ted Bundy fascination has been booming since the trials in the 1970s and still is being made into successful Netflix series. The documentary incites a true fascination with Aaron Hernandez’s psyche, yet does so at the expense of his family and his victims.

Viewers quickly catch on that the series is not afraid to make big assumptions or get deep into Hernandez’s personal life. This is seen as Aaron’s Hernandez’s sexuality is brought up. Instead of mentioning that Hernandez may have been a gay or bisexual man, the documentary ran with it as an assumption and decided to interview a man who claims to have had sexual relations with Hernandez during high school.

Overall, this was done in poor taste for two reasons.

First, it is quite insensitive to talk about someone else’s sexuality, especially when they have passed away and can’t speak for themselves. Hernandez’s daughter and fiancée have to pick up the pieces of all this tabloid-like gossip. Furthermore, the documentary made inferences that Aaron’s repressive sexuality in a

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COVER STORY

Honoring an Icon: Kobe Bryant’s Legacy Off the Court The death of one of this century’s basketball icons left millions in shock. People all around the world came together to mourn the death of Kobe Bryant and the eight others killed — including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna — in a helicopter crash. Bryant left his mark on the court, leaving the game having been a five-time NBA champion, 17-time NBA All-Star, and two-time NBA finals Most Valuable Player.

But that is just to name a few of the many accomplishments he achieved throughout his career. There is much more to Bryant than how he revolutionized the basketball court.

poem was published on the Players’ Tribune where many more of Bryant’s articles and short writing pieces can be accessed. In 2018, Bryant authored a book, “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play” after retiring. The goal of the book was to inspire others and teach them how to excel in the game physically and mentally.

Kobe Bryant the Accused In 2003, Bryant was in the midst of his 20-year NBA career when he was accused of raping one of the hotel staff members at Cordillera Lodge and Spa in Edwards, Colorado. The case was eventually dropped and did little damage to his basketball career. However, it reshaped the way his teammates and the world saw him.

The case was widely overlooked in the broad scheme of things due to his stature on the basketball courts.

Kobe Bryant the “Girl Dad” It was clear through interviews that Bryant took extreme pride in being a “Girl Dad.” He was father to four daughters and did everything in his power to spend time with them. Whenever asked if he wished to have a son to carry on his basketball legacy, Bryant always asserted that his daughter Gianna would carry it on.

According to People, Bryant had “told Jimmy Kimmel in 2018 that his daughter was looking forward to continuing his legacy and indeed had plans to join the WNBA.” Their shared passion for the sport strengthened their bond. He consistently showed that family was a priority.

Soon after his death, the hashtag #girldad went viral as many celebrities and fans celebrated their relationships with their daughters.

Kobe Bryant the Filmmaker The basketball star also dabbled in the art of filmmaking. In 2018, Bryant won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for “Dear Basketball.”

The film was based on his poem and another nod to his incredible sense of passion and love for the sport.

Kobe Bryant’s legacy will portray him as not just a basketball star but also a philanthropist, influencer, and businessman. He was not the perfect person, but he made incredible marks on millions of lives. One thing that can be noted from his lifetime is that he put passion and dedication behind everything that he did.

Kobe Bryant the Writer In 2015, Bryant published a prose poem titled “Dear Basketball” where he professed his love for the game. It was a sincere homage to the game that had revolutionized his life from the time he was a little boy to when he retired. The

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MEDIA & CULTURE

WRITTEN BY AASHKA PANDYA // PHOTOGRAPHED BY JUSTINE NEWMAN

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FOCUS

NEU STUDENT DEPORTED FROM BOSTON FOLLOWING TRAVEL BAN WRITTEN BY LAUREN DESOUSA // ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHEYENNE TANG On Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein arrived at Boston Logan International Airport. The purpose of his arrival was to return to Northeastern University to continue working towards his Bachelor of Science degree in economics and mathematics. Dehghani was attempting to reenter the United States on his valid F-1 student visa. An F-1 student visa is a non-immigrant student visa that permits international students to pursue an

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education in the United States. Typically, this visa should allow easy access through the various airport checks. However, Dehghani’s lawyer, Kerry Doyle, explained that the Northeastern University student was detained and eventually deported on a flight to France the next day. Prior to his deportation, Judge Allison D. Burroughs ordered that Dehghani’s removal be halted for a minimum of 48 hours. Customs and Border Protection claim that they were unaware

FOCUS of the federal court order at the time of Dehghani’s deportation, hence they did not heed the court order.

Since Dehghani is no longer in the United States, his case is no longer valid, according to the judges in his court case on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

In response to Dehghani’s deportation, Northeastern issued a statement saying, “We believe that a clear explanation is needed, especially because the deportation took place after a 48-hour extension was granted by a federal judge. Only in the most extreme instances should students have their academic pursuits interrupted by government intervention.”

Northeastern is committed to searching for more answers from Customs and Border Protection.

This instance of deportation, while incredibly distressing for Dehghani and his friends and family, is not a unique event. A considerable number of Iranian students, like Dehghani, have recently been barred from entering and reentering the United States for study at higher learning institutions. Moreover, while some of these students are denied entrance and sent home after making the long journey to the United States, others are prevented from even flying to the United States. These occurrences are often in Istanbul, Turkey, and Doha, Qatar airports.

Many activists are pointing specifically to the very airport where Dehghani was deported from, Boston Logan International, as the leader in Iranian student deportations. There is no data that accounts for this number in particular, due in part to the haphazard and unfounded nature of these occurrences. However, one correlation is a significant increase in the prevention of Iranian students from entering the United States following the implementation of President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

Trump’s travel ban was first enacted on Jan. 27, 2017.

It has been colloquially known as the Muslim ban, due to seven Muslim majority nations being on the list of banned countries. Since its first application, there have been numerous amendments. The most recent of these was on Jan. 31, 2017, which expanded the travel ban to include six more countries, primarily from Africa.

The current list of countries under the restrictions of the travel ban is as follows: Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Still, the travel ban is not a valid reason for the uptick in deportations of Iranian students, like Dehghani, as the ban does not restrict the entrance of those with a student visa. If a student from one of the restricted countries is seeking education in the United States on a valid F-1 student visa, then they have no extra

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restrictions or requirements compared to international students from non-restricted countries. This should mean that every student with a valid F-1 student visa should be treated the same, regardless of which country they originate from.

Many activists who oppose the deportation of Iranian students, as well as the travel ban in general, claim that these instances are steeped in racism, xenophobia, and religious discrimination.

While on the campaign circuit, Trump did state that he wanted “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” This statement seems to be in direct contrast with the ideals that the United States was built on, including the First Amendment of the Constitution, which protects religious freedoms.

In addition, Iranian students have reported being asked unprecedented and arbitrary questions while trying to enter the United States legally, such as those about religious affiliations, dating preferences, and future career or education plans. Many have also mentioned that they and their belongings — including their phones, laptops, and hard drives — were searched to a higher degree than usual. Overall, deported Iranian students say that they were treated harshly, and were often removed from the country without a valid, legal reason as to why their visas were being revoked. Obtaining and utilizing an F-1 student visa is a lengthy and difficult process that all international students face, yet Iranian students are often given more hoops to jump through than students from other countries. It certainly seems as though many students are facing discrimination through racial and religious profiling at the hands of Customs and Border Protection agents.

As tensions between Iran and the United States continue to rise, it appears that an increasing number of Iranian students will be prevented from studying in the United States due to wrongful deportation.

FOCUS

Ayanna Pressley’s Alopecia Revelation

WRITTEN BY MELISSA WELLS // ILLUSTRATIONS BY MEREDITH FISHER

Resonates With Her Cultural And Political Audience The political ascent of Rep. Ayanna Pressley captivated the nation’s attention in the 2018 midterm elections. The Dorchester native’s victory unseated a 10-term political fixture of Massachusetts’ 7th congressional District. Her entrance into this new decade, and the milestone of two years in office, began with a personal and physical revelation: Her journey with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. It stripped Pressley of her famous, side-swept Senegalese twists.

Pressley’s historic emergence into Congress extended to being part of one of the most diverse generations of women elected to the House of Representatives.

Pressley is one of the coined freshman congresswomen of “The Squad,” along with Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-NY), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). They hit Capitol Hill with newlyminted political power, an unyielding desire to create change, and the task of pursuing what they view as best for American communities. As one of only a few congresswomen brave enough to combat the scrutiny of wearing their natural hair or protective styles, Pressley’s hair soon became synonymous with her political persona and affirmed her position as a proponent of hair positivity.

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In early December of 2019, she collaborated with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) to tackle loopholes in existing federal legislation that allows hair discrimination to persist. Her involvement with the C.R.O.W.N. Act, or the “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair” Act, would ban discrimination based on hairstyles and textures commonly associated with a specific race or nationality. Specifically, it clarifies at a federal level that “discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles associated with people of African descent … is a prohibited form of racial or national origin discrimination.”

Their commissioned study is referenced to inform about the astounding statistics that illustrate the need for the proposed legislation. The 2019 Dove C.R.O.W.N. study evaluated 2,000 women of Black and White descent across the United States, ranging from ages 25 to 64.

More than half of Black women surveyed were more likely to be sent home from their workplace because of their hair. An additional 30 percent of Black women believed they needed to change their natural hair to fit more Eurocentric standards at work.

FOCUS Unveiled at the beginning of December last year, the press release included Pressley’s reasoning for why this bill is necessary: It fulfills her desire to encourage everyone, especially the Black community, to “stand in their truth” wherever they are — throughout educational environments, the workplace, and as she does with her braids in Congress.

“Pressley revealed an emotional hair loss journey.”

Then, in a seven-minute, instantaneously viral video published on The Root, Pressley revealed an emotional hair loss journey. As Pressley said in the Jan. 26 video, she did not expect the “the acceptance, and the community, and the affirmation” borne from the trademark her hair became. Rather, she donned a wig as she told viewers of how the empowerment she gained from the support and praise for boldly and publicly wearing her twists took a blow.

Pressley’s visibility as a political figure allowed Black women to feel more accurately represented, making the inevitable result that she would lose all of her hair even more so devastating. Upon removing the wig as she reached that climax of her story, Pressley vowed to continue that trend for another sector of people — those who suffer against the stigma this common illness evokes.

Alopecia areata is the medical definition for baldness, affecting approximately 6.8 million Americans. Currently incurable, the autoimmune disorder causes the body to attack its hair follicles, drastically weakening healthy production to the point of stunting hair growth entirely.

Scientific research aimed at evaluating the racial disparities among those diagnosed with alopecia is limited. However, of important studies that exist — such as the Boston University survey from 2016 and a more recent study by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in July of 2019 — there is a consensus that African Americans experience alopecia at a higher rate than other racial identities. It is the number one cause of hair loss in Black American women.

By Dec. 17, 2019, the night before the House of Representatives was due to vote on the Articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump, a private, pivotal moment occurred: The last of Pressley’s hair fell out. When she spoke on the House floor in

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support of the historic impeachment of President Trump, Pressley opened up to viewers about the struggle of hiding her inner turmoil. The demands of her heavy workload as a member of Congress forced Pressley to invent creative ways to conceal her secret, and initially, her shame.

On the morning of the vote, Pressley was unable to immediately mourn a loss that transformed her. But on Jan. 30, two weeks after her courageous announcement, Pressley emerged on the House floor with her new bald look — a testament to her authenticity and resilience in the face of an individual struggle she intentionally made public.

Pressley’s revelation furthers a rarely discussed conversation concerning the complexity of a Black woman’s hair journey. Rather than merely publishing a statement or not mentioning it entirely, Pressley’s choice to film this moment allowed her to reach even more Black women who see their experiences represented in her, as well as those who now share the alopecia journey.

Alopecia is a new chapter in Pressley’s hair story, but it remains part of the larger story she hopes to tell in destigmatizing the personal and political aspects of Black women’s hair.

For Pressley, her tenure as a congresswoman will always be marked by the inspiration she is to women across the country. As she captioned this video in her Instagram post, “However you show up in the world, you are beautiful and you are enough.”

FOCUS

Tyler, The Creator -

NOT JUST THE RAPPER “And the Grammy goes to … LA stand up! IGOR, Tyler, the Creator!”

Tyler Okonma, creator of albums “Flower Boy” and “IGOR,” stands up, in absolute shock. He is immediately surrounded by an outpouring of cheers, claps, and tears as he walks up to receive his Grammy at the Los Angeles Staples Center. Though a monumental milestone to be celebrated, he recognized the deeper meaning and implications of his Grammy award for the Best Rap Album.

Tyler, the Creator has been on a journey of reinventing himself.

Starting from his beginnings as a rapper to his current style of music that is much more complex, he has been praised by the media for redefining what it means to be a black rapper in the 21st century.

The rap community has historically been overwhelmed with messages of hypermasculinity by creating songs that pertain to dominating women, avoiding vulnerability, and exuding strength, most times through violence. Specifically, these messages impact young black men because the lack of inclusive representation that portrays only one image of blackness can limit identities. These stereotypes are

WRITTEN BY SOFIA CIPRIAN // ILLUSTRATIONS BY MEREDITH FISHER

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FOCUS built on a history of patriarchal society and discrimination that puts black culture on a pedestal, but undermine the actions of the actual black figures that are trying to grow an identity that goes beyond just their skin color.

In an effort to push back against these norms, contemporary black rappers have begun to create music that shows the breadth of identities that rappers possess; They can be simultaneously powerful and vulnerable, both masculine and feminine. Tyler, the Creator is one artist who is helping to end this stigma. The movement to rid the rap community of its toxic masculinity is very necessary.

However, something he said after the Grammys has shed light on the ways that he struggles with his identity as a rapper.

Following the Grammys, Tyler was asked how he felt about the award he received, given the controversy surrounding the voting process used by the Grammys. In response he said: “It sucks that whenever … guys that look like me do anything that is genre-bending or that’s anything, they always put it in a rap or ‘urban’ category … and I don’t like that ‘urban’ word, it’s just a politically correct way to say the n-word to me. Half of me feels like the rap nomination was a back-handed compliment.”

While Tyler’s contributions towards redefining stigmas in the rap community are honorable, I think it is more important to look at why he has been placed in this position in the first place. Society’s labeling of Tyler, the Creator as exclusively a rapper can be discriminatory at times given the way his current music has deviated away from traditional rap. However, he is continuously regarded as a rapper because of the stereotypical image of black artists as only rappers.

This stereotyping limits Tyler in his creative endeavors. As his albums become more diverse in their sounds and messages, it is clear how he just wants to be able to create music that goes beyond labels. In his more recent albums, he speaks on the discrimination he faces because of his blackness.

His song “Where This Flower Blooms” mentions how “CNN doubted cause [his] skin is dark,” among other lyrics suggesting that his skin color determines his level of success. Tyler explains that guys who “look like” him in the music industry are immediately stereotyped regardless of the music they produce.

“Half of me feels like the rap nomination was a back-handed compliment.”

His past two albums, “Flower Boy” and “IGOR” have completely branched away from his prior rap sound on albums like “Goblin” and “Wolf.” The more recent albums reveal the coexistence of femininity and masculinity within his identity.

He breaks the mold and shows his supporters that images of black men can embody softness and femininity, while still retaining their full identity. Despite the clear contrast in the music Tyler produces now, he still remains labeled as an “urban” rapper. Tyler’s position as a black artist in the rap community has unintentionally placed part of this burden on him to break down the very stereotypes that restrict his creative expression.

It should not have to be Tyler’s, or any rapper’s, job to break down these stereotypes. Tyler’s speech at the Grammy’s gives a look into his desire to be able to

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create music without the rap label.

Institutions, such as those who pick nominations for these awards could improve the situation by not automatically placing Tyler’s music in the rap category just because he is a black artist.

Beyond that, at its core, perhaps one of the reasons Tyler faces all this pushback for breaking boundaries in the rap world is because he is deemed as unfit within the label of a “pop singer,” a label that traditionally evokes images of white or light-skinned artists. As much as we want to thank Tyler for his efforts to change the rap community, we need to recognize the reality behind why he is somewhat forced to do this. He faces added criticism and skepticism for the music he produces and the clothing he wears because of his label as a black rapper and the traditional traits society associates with male blackness. He deserves to be able to change his sound and be recognized for that regardless of what we perceive to be normal or not. Tyler deserves the space to grow and recreate his music style and be validated for those efforts by giving him nominations that represent his craft.

It says it right in his stage name, Tyler is a CREATOR, not just a rapper.

He has done projects outside of music, like his clothing line, Golf le Fleur, he has done fashion shows, a collaboration with Converse, and so on. He continuously shows that his identity goes far beyond music, it extends to creative outlets in many different ways. I think we owe it to him to stop trying to label him as a leader and changemaker within the rap world because that only perpetuates his placement in that “urban” rap category. We should categorize musicians based on the music they produce, not the labels we think they should fit into.

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