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We’ve moved!

We appreciate you visiting us on our Tumblr, but now we have a new, even better website. Find us at FSUGatepost.com!

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Remembering The Challenger - 30 years

Designed by Darian O’Donnell

Photos by Melina Bourdeau and Erin Fitzmaurice 

#photos #Remembering The Challenger #Darian O'Donnell #Melina Bourdeau #Erin Fitzmaurice

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Ferr or Foul?  NFL to Los Angeles: A great move

By Mike Ferris

Sports Editor

While the cities of St. Louis and San Diego may not agree, the NFL made a great decision by moving both the Rams and Chargers to Los Angeles.

Let’s face it: St. Louis has its historical arch and it’s a great tourist city but, sports-wise, it’s a baseball city.

The city’s baseball team, the Cardinals, have made the playoffs every year since 2011, have been to the League Championship Series in four of the five years and have won the World Series once in that span.

Cardinals fans love their team, are so enthusiastic about the sport and the Cardinals home field, Busch Stadium, is gorgeous.

The Rams, on the other hand, haven’t made the playoffs since 2004 and, while their stadium is nice, it’s nothing compared to the proposed stadium that would be built in Inglewood, CA.

San Diego runs into similar problems as St. Louis, except while St. Louis has its Cardinals, San Diego isn’t really enthusiastic about any sport.  

Its baseball team, the Padres is getting better, but they don’t fill their stadium, and despite making huge roster moves in recent years, the team just doesn’t win.

The Chargers have the same problem: they just don’t win consistently.

It’s hard when you’re in a secondary market to begin with - but it’s even harder when the team isn’t winning - people just can’t get behind it.

While Los Angeles is in a primary market, one thing needs to happen for this move to be a boom  is for one of the teams to become a winner fairly quickly.

Los Angeles loves its sports and Hollywood loves its sports and both bring in huge sums of money, but that’s only when the team is a winner.

If one thing is clear, it’s that L.A. is pretty fair-weather when it comes to sports.

The major sports teams in Los Angeles have historically been the Dodgers and Lakers, but that’s because those teams have put good products out and win games.  

Even as of late, the Clippers are beginning to replace the Lakers in terms of popularity because they win.  

The money isn’t a problem early on, as Magic Johnson has already put a deposit down on Rams tickets, but that’s just because the organization is new.

One of these teams needs to become a winner fairly quickly to draw the Los Angeles fans, draw interest and draw the celebrities from Hollywood. Whichever one is able to do so will have no problem becoming one of the most popular and expensive franchises in the league.  

The NFL doesn’t care either way. They’re already profiting from the television deals they’ll now have in the Southern California region.

This decision was a good one for both the organizations and the NFL, so long as the organizations can put a winning product out on the football field.

#sports #NFL #Ferr or Foul #NFL to Los Angeles #Mike Ferris #Framingham State University

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Men’s basketball drops back-to-back MASCAC games

By Mike Ferris

Sports Editor

Framingham State traveled to Worcester on Jan. 23 to take on the Lancers.

The Rams were led by Tim McCarthy, who had 15 points, but saw two others players reach double figures.

Tim Mangano and Daniel Gould contributed 13 and 10, respectively.

Despite McCarthy, Mangano and Gould combining for 38 of the team’s 58, Framingham fell to the Lancers 70-58. The Rams just didn’t have an answer for Worcester State big man Paul Brooks.

Brooks, who stands at 6-foot-9, contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 73 percent from the field.

Brooks was accompanied by Bilal Shakir, who scored a game-high 20 points.

The Rams shot an abysmal 33 percent from the field, while the Lancers shot 42.

Aside from the difference in field goal percentage, Worcester State dominated at the free-throw line, getting to the stripe 24 times and converting 21.

Framingham, on the other hand, only got to the line 11 times, making nine.

All percentages aside, the Lancers really found their edge off the bench. Worcester State got 30 bench points, a punch Framingham just couldn’t take.

By Mike Ferris

Sports Editor

On Wednesday, the Rams were on the road again, this time in Fitchburg.

Despite getting to the free-throw line 27 times, Framingham fell 77-60 to the Falcons.

Joe McCabe, Mangano and Gould were in double-digits for the Rams.

McCabe scored 12, Mangano 11 and Gould 10. The three of them got to the line 12 times and converted 11 attempts.

Framingham’s defense struggled again, except instead of allowing bench points this time, the Rams saw all five Falcon starters in double figures.

The Fitchburg starting lineup scored 68 of the team’s 77.

The Rams struggled from the field again, shooting 33 percent, while Fitchburg didn’t.

The Falcons shot 57 percent and out-rebounded the Rams 34-28.

The loss knocked Framingham down to 1-4 in the MASCAC and 4-13 overall, while the Falcons improved to 10-8 overall and 3-2 in the conference.

#sports #Men's Basketball #worcester state university #Fitchburg State

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Ice hockey falls to Westfield State 6-1

By Amelia Foley

Asst. Sports Editor

Keith Barnaby, Jake McKinnon, and Tyler Colacchio have all reached double digits in points at this point in the season.

The Rams faced a tough loss at home on Jan. 23 against Westfield State.

The Owls came out strong and scored only three minutes into the first period.

The Rams were unable to score for the duration of the period, while the Owls tacked on two more insurance goals.

Westfield came out strong again in the second period when Aaron Clancy scored his second goal of the game only two minutes in.  

Adam Calabrese made 17 saves in 21 minutes before he was relieved by Alessio Muggli.

Westfield scored once more before Tyler Colacchio scored the first point for Framingham at the end of the second period. Colacchio’s goal would prove to be the only one for the Rams.

Westfield scored once more halfway through the period before the end of the game.

Muggli made 23 saves, but neither team was able to convert on any power plays.

With the 6-1 loss, the Rams drop to 3-12-1 on the season.

Photo by Brad Leuchte 

#sports #ice hockey #Westfield State #Framingham State University

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Women’s basketball wins in three consecutive blowouts

By Matt Ferris

Asst. Sports Editor

Framingham State went on the road to take on Lasell College on Jan. 21 in a non-conference game.

The game was a blow out from the start. The Rams jumped out to a 19-7 lead after the first quarter, before grabbing a 17-point lead going into the half.

The second half was all Rams. Framingham outscored the Lasers by four in the third quarter and dominated the fourth, outscoring Lasell 24-3.

Raegan Mulherin shined, scoring a game-high 27 points, while adding eight rebounds and three assists.

Monta Connolly and Alycia Rackliffe each had a double double. Connolly had 12 points with a game-high 14 rebounds, while Rackliffe had 11 points with 10 rebounds.

Quinn O’Connell rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points, while also contributing five rebounds.

The Rams shot 37 percent from the field in their 84-42 win, while grabbing 58 rebounds as a team, and forcing 25 turnovers.

The win improves the Rams’ record to 11-5 on the season.

By Matt Ferris

Asst. Sports Editor

The Rams traveled to Worcester on Jan. 23 to take on the Lancers in a MASCAC game.

Framingham came out of the gates ready to play, outscoring Worcester 24-10 in the first quarter.

They continued to roll in the second quarter and went into the half with a 44-18 lead.

The lead would eventually grow to 39 in the third quarter before Worcester went on a little run, but it was too little too late.  

Rackliffe led the way for the Rams, pitching in a team-high in points and rebounds with 20 points and 10 rebounds for another double double.

Mulherin was not far behind with 19 points, also grabbing four rebounds and contributing a team-high six steals.

Lauren Donahue had a team-high six assists.

O’Connell came off the bench to score 13 points, while Connolly had eight points with nine rebounds.

The Rams shot 48 percent in a 78-51 win over the Lancers. The win puts the Rams at 12-5 on the year and 4-1 in the MASCAC.

By Matt Ferris

Asst. Sports Editor

The Rams took on winless Fitchburg State in a MASCAC matchup on Jan. 27 in a road game.

Right from the start, Fitchburg was no competition for the Rams. Framingham jumped out to a 21-point lead after the first quarter, giving up only three points to the Falcons.

The Rams kept increasing this lead throughout, before eventually winning the game 88-44.

The 44-point margin of victory marked the biggest of the season for the Rams.

Mulherin led the way for the Rams with 21 points, while also chipping in five rebounds, five steals and a team-high six assists.

Connolly and Rackliffe tied for a team-high eight rebounds, while Connolly also had 17 points and Rackliffe had a team-high six blocks.

Sarah Palace had 13 points with seven rebounds and three assists, while Donahue contributed eight points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

In the win, the Rams shot 43 percent from the field, and forced 32 turnovers from the Falcons.

The Rams improve to 13-5 on the season and remain tied for first in the MASCAC at 5-1.

Photo by Allie Gath

#sports #Women's Basketball #Lasell #Worcester #Fitchburg State

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Inspect the Tech: Three apps every college student needs to survive the semester

By Cesareo Contreras Asst. Arts & Features Editor

As The Gatepost’s resident tech head, I have curated three of the best productivity apps to help ensure your success this year.

myHomework Student Planner: iOS, Android, Web, Amazon, Windows, Mac

Unlike most reminder and scheduling apps, myHomework Student Planner puts students first. This feature-rich app makes managing class schedules and assignments simple. This app serves as a digital school planner and allows users to put in their class schedules and update homework assignments as they are given. The app is free but an annual payment of $4.99 rids the users of ads and unlocks additional features.

Pocket: iOS, Mac, Android, Amazon, Web  

Pocket, formerly known as Read it Later, serves as a central hub for articles and videos you want saved for offline viewing on your phone, tablet, or computer. A notable feature is its tagging system that allows students to categorize a large group of articles and videos into specific tagged sections while doing research. The app is free, but a premium version is available.

OneNote: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Amazon, Web

Microsoft’s OneNote is an extremely powerful app, when used correctly. Think of it as your class notebook in the cloud. It’s available on almost every major platform today and is free. The user can set up each class as a section tab within a central notebook. Within those tabs, specific pages for each lesson in that class can be made. By having all your notes on OneNote they become searchable within the application.  

Photo By Brad Leuchte & Courtesy of Creative Commons

#artfeatures #A&F #Inspect #Tech #Best #Apps #College #Free #Cesareo Contreras #Framingham state #Gatepost #productivity

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Annual Juried Student Exhibition

By Scott Calzolaio Arts & Features Editor

First place winner Sergio Lopez’s “Self-Portrait”

Juror-selected student work is currently on display at the Mazmanian Art Gallery. This is the first exhibit of the spring semester.

A variety of mediums and methods are displayed in this year’s competition. There are portraits and drawings on paper, and paintings on cardboard and wood.

Mediums include ink, graphite, marker, charcoal and acrylic paint. Also on display were ceramic and plaster pieces as well as wire sculptures and framed photography.

The gallery showcases selected student work chosen by Mary Tinti, curator of the Fitchburg Art Museum. The winners of the juried show were also chosen by Tinti.

“It was an honor to spend a few hours getting to know the talented Framingham State students through the lens of their artwork,” she said in her curator’s statement.

“The submissions for this particular student exhibition at Framingham State impressed me for a sheer variety of materials these young artists used and the gusto with which they tackled their projects,” Tinti said.

First place winner Sergio Lopez’s three oil paintings were inspired by family photographs, he said. The center of the back wall in the gallery is home to Lopez’s portrait, “Voice.” The subject of this piece is Lopez’s own mother folding laundry. Lopez’s use of broad brushstrokes and thick paint lines are prominent stylistic traits of his oil paintings.

His most notable piece on display, in the middle of the gallery’s right wall, is his self-portrait. Lopez decided to use a picture from his adolescence. The background of this portrait is complicated by a series of layered patterns over graffiti.

Allison Jane’s “Orange Blossom Teapot, Cup and Saucer” won second place, and was one of the only ceramic submissions.  

“I took ingredients from my favorite tea, an orange blossom green tea. You can see the lemon myrtle, the jasmine, the lemon grass and the green tea leaves.”

The lemon myrtle is represented by dozens of small white balls that surround the teapot and coinciding cup form. The spout of the teapot has a gradient that turns from white to green closer to the tip. On top of each piece sits a crown of ceramic green tea leaves, overlapping one another.

“I’m very flattered,” said Jane. “This was only my second sculpture class, I’m very happy.”  

The third place winner, Megan Walker, chose to use watercolor for a medium for her piece, “Breathe In.”

“I chose watercolor because it’s my favorite medium and I thought it would work well for the overall color palette and feeling of the piece.”

The self-portrait juxtaposes images of grass and a dirt road in the foreground, with smoke stacks and grey skies in the background. These images are symbolically separated by a wide river.

“I think it’s very important for the world as a whole to take a good look at the current state of our planet and make the changes necessary to ensure that our future generations have a hospitable place to live,” she said.

The subject, Walker, stands in the middle of the foreground clutching her jacket shut and wearing a dust mask. Her eyes are painted to not look directly at the viewer but rather slightly past them.

“I feel very honored to have won,” she said. “There was so much amazing work that was selected for the show, so I was very surprised and flattered that my piece would be selected.”

Always amazed at how the passions and interests of students in class translate to the canvas, art history professor Erika Schneider said, “I think it’s always rewarding to see what students have accomplished from the early stages. Some of them I’ve seen since they were freshmen. When you see what they submit, it’s sort of amazing to see so much pride in them when their work is in the gallery.”

Photo by Brad Leuchte

#artsfeatures #A&F #Student #art #Scott Calzolaio #Sergio Lopez #exhibition

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The Legacy Lives On Christa McAuliffe honored at “Inspiring the Future: 30 Years Since Challenger”

By Kristen Pinto Arts & Features Editor

NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and flight controller Tess Caswell discuss Christa McAuliffe’s impact on space exploration.

Mary Liscombe, a former classmate of Christa Corrigan McAuliffe, recalled a memory of her friend who attended a science conference in New York City their freshman year of college and returned with a dream.

During her trip, McAuliffe met two astronauts and, as Liscombe remembered, “She came back from that conference … and she said, “I’m going to do that someday. I’m going to go into space.”

McAuliffe did just that. She was chosen as the first Teacher in Space and boarded NASA’s Challenger in 1986 to begin her journey before the shuttle tragically exploded 73 seconds after takeoff.

Today, 30 years after the explosion, McAuliffe’s legacy, along with that of the other six crew members aboard, lives on to inspire future generations to pursue science as a career.

On Thursday night, The Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center hosted an event to celebrate the memorable anniversary, “Inspiring the Future: 30 Years Since Challenger.”

“We are here tonight to celebrate the astronauts’ lives – their dreams, the aspirations that they had for all of us and their legacy,” said Dr. Irene Porro, current director of the Christa McAuliffe Center at FSU. Liscombe served as the center’s previous director.

In celebration of the pursuit of science, NASA astronaut Catherine “Cady” Coleman, along with flight controller Tess Caswell, shared their experiences navigating through space.

While Coleman spent 159 days orbiting the earth on a mission at the International Space Station, Caswell worked from the ground ensuring that operations among the ISS ran smoothly and safely.

Aboard the ISS, Coleman worked on many experiments that she said are simply not possible on Earth. While each day was a challenge in its own way, her duty as an astronaut was to make a change scientifically on the future.

For Caswell, her specific job as a flight controller is to ensure that the air on the ISS is clean, breathable and always at a comfortable temperature.

Being a part of the NASA organization, both women reflected on the impact that McAuliffe had on NASA and space exploration.

For Coleman, she said McAuliffe, “made just a huge difference to me. We are regular people who just never, ever dreamed, especially me as an Air Force chemist that I would be sitting in a T-38, one of those tiny little jets and learning how to fly and then eventually going to space - you just don’t think it’s going to happen to a real person.”

For Caswell, it was essentially McAuliffe who drove her career from the start.

Growing up in a small town in Alaska, she always knew she wanted to be a part of something bigger and space was the perfect outlet. As a child, she met two astronauts at the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska, which she said set her course to space exploration.

This is the kind of inspiration that McAuliffe hoped to instill in children, and the 40-plus Challenger Centers for Science Education across the country offer students the opportunity to become engaged with science in a unique way.

“We need to change things,” said Coleman. “We have a lot of work to do. It is work like this done here at The Challenger center … like we do in space that inspires students to be part of something they know is bigger than themselves.”

Jim Peyser, Massachusetts Secretary of Education, spoke about the importance of STEM in today’s education and the falling rates of students graduating with computer science and other science-related degrees. Yet he remarked on the important impact that McAuliffe’s legacy has on today’s children.

“As we remember Christa McAuliffe today, it is right that we honor her commitment to teaching and inspiring young people about their potential for learning and discovering,” said Peyser.

As Liscombe said, “Out of tragedy, hope was born.”

Today, McAuliffe’s legacy lives through the thousands of children who visit the McAuliffe Center at FSU and the numerous other Challenger exploration centers around the country each day.

“On a day like today, I think it’s really good to think of family, think of the NASA family that [Caswell] and I are a part of, and to think of our comrades that have gone before us who I think would be very pleased that we continue forward,” said Coleman.

“In a world where we all find ourselves looking down at our electronic devices, I encourage each of you to go out into the night and look up and pick a star,” said Liscombe. “Reach for that star, and remember that young history teacher who dared to fly.

“Create your own dream and do what it takes to make that dream happen. Participate fully in your life. Reach for the stars. For only then may you touch the future.”

Photo by Erin Fitzmaurice

#artsfeatures #A&F #Christ McAuliffe #30 year #Anniversary #Challenger #inspiration #kristen pinto

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Administrators discuss maximum weekly work hours for students at Board of Trustees meeting

By Julia Sarcinelli News Editor

The Board of Trustees met Jan. 26,2016 and heard reports from administrators.

Some students are “not happy” about a new limit to the number of hours for on-campus jobs, according to student Trustee Fernando Rodriguez, who spoke at the Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, Jan. 26.

He added students will not be allowed to work more than 20 hours a week, which has prompted some students’ to not apply for jobs such as resident assistant.

Rodriguez said, “I would not have had the leadership opportunities that I’ve had” if the limit was in effect during his previous years at FSU. He added this limit would also hinder students who need more money and financial aid to attend college.

Dean of Students Melinda Stoops said the 20-hour limit will put the University in compliance with the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). She said if students are working on-campus jobs at a full-time rate, they are required to be paid full-time benefits.

Vice President of Enrollment and Student Development Lorretta Holloway said according to FICA rules, the University was encouraged to limit students work hours’ to 20 because after a certain number of hours, the department is required to pay into FICA. She added a major reason why the limit is going into place is because right now, there is “no mechanism for checking who is doing the jobs.

“If we were audited, we would have nothing to say since we’re not keeping track,” said Holloway.

Of 660 jobs available to students on campus, 140 students work multiple jobs, and 45 students work more than 35 hours each week, according to Holloway.

She said a pilot program will go into effect in the fall of 2016 and the limit will officially start fall of 2017. She said the pilot will help the administrators set exceptions for certain jobs that focus on academics, such as note-takers, and to set up guidelines. The limit will not apply to summer employees.

Holloway said, “Many students, when they get a professional job on campus, it’s their first job, and they don’t know their rights,” and a concern is how working many hours affects a student’s classwork.

Trustee Brian Herr expressed his concern about the policy. “You have all these hardworking students who have to work” in order to afford college, he said.

Holloway said she recognizes many FSU students need to work, and she is more focused on keeping track of how much students work. She said she looked at FSU’s sister institutions, which have set maximum hours that students can work.

Chief of Staff and General Counsel Rita Colucci said the policy would not lead to FSU hiring fewer students, but instead would result in spreading hours among more students.

Also at the Trustees’ meeting President F. Javier Cevallos said there will be a “#blacklivesmatter teach in” from Feb. 22-26 during which select classes will focus on content regarding the African American experience. According to Cevallos, there are 75 faculty members in 20 disciplines and 127 courses involved. On March 2, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., a town hall meeting will be held to discuss the teach ins.

According to Cevallos, the finalists for the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Development have been selected and a decision will be made by the end of February. The new Vice President for Enrollment and Student Development will take office July 1.

Cevallos also said the University’s focus on the 3 Rs - recruitment, responsiveness and retention - have been going well. For recruitment going forward, the University hopes to hire three interns who speak either Portuguese or Spanish or both.

The administration hopes to increase the number of male and minority students in the honors program.

In another initiative, Cevallos said about 15 students from Ecuador will come to FSU to take classes in music video production.

He added he hopes to improve retention with a new Retention Coordinator and to “reinvent” First Year Experiences.

He also said the University will be implementing a new software called Starfish. According to Cevallos, Starfish will be “the Facebook version of retention,” allowing faculty, staff and administrators to communicate directly with students.

Provost and Vice President Linda Vaden-Goad said Starfish will allow students to speak easily with their advisors, see tutoring sessions’ waiting lists in CASA and to share data.

Cevallos said an anonymous gift of $5,000 helped students in need buy books and borrow laptops and graphing calculators through the University.

A partnership between MassBay Community College and FSU will allow students with a liberal studies or business major to complete a two-year associate degree at MassBay and a four-year bachelor’s degree from Framingham State for $28,000 over a four-year period. Cevallos said students can transfer from MassBay to FSU if they would like. Additionally, some faculty members will teach classes at MassBay.

Executive Vice President Dale Hamel said the Compliance, Audit, and Risk (CAR) Committee conducted a risk assessment exercise and found 126 potential risks at FSU. The committee will categorize these risks and various departments at FSU will suggest solutions to the committee. CAR will then recommend the best course of action to minimize each risk.

Hamel also announced to the trustees that a new residential parking lot will be constructed at the intersection of Franklin Street and Mt. Wayte Avenue.

According to Vaden-Goad, the University has accomplished about three quarters of the goals in its Strategic Plan.

Trustee Fernando Quezada said the Office of Institutional Effectiveness is requesting that the 5 Year Strategic Plan be expanded to address changing goals.

Holloway said the overall goal of collaborating among offices has been successful. She added new projects, such as conducting a UMass Boston survey to decide what specifically will be helpful to students struggling with homelessness and food security, will take place.

Executive Director of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations Eric Gustafson said thanks to donors, there is now an emergency grant fund for students who are at “a crisis point,” such as at risk of not being able to stay at FSU.

Deborah Altsher, the director of financial aid, said 42 percent of students who attend FSU and filed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) qualified for the Pell Grant provided by the federal government for low-income families. Altsher said this number is “really high” and she predicted students are “only going to get needier.”

Gustafson said the alumni campaign has resulted in $3 million for student scholarships. He added some of the money is being put into a permanent endowment, and some will be immediately available to students.

According to Altsher, 87 percent of FAFSA filers received financial aid, 13 percent denied loans and 83 percent qualified for some need-base aid. She added 80 percent of FSU students filed the FASFA, which she said was a good number.

The Financial Aid Office will hold FAFSA days, according to Altsher, during which students can go to the financial aid office from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to receive help filing their FAFSA forms, and they can bring their parents.

Altsher said the Financial Aid Office has been sending out financial aid packages to prospective students as early as March, and has sent out 50 percent more awards by April than three years ago.

Chief of Staff and General Counsel Colucci said with the help of the new marketing director, Averil Capers, the University has started new branding and marketing strategies. She added administrators will also look into other means of advertising, such as television commercials.

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Sean Huddleston said he wants to engage the community, especially the minority population, as part of the Center for Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan. He said the Martin Luther King Jr. conference, held Saturday Jan. 15 for first through twelfth graders, was designed to prepare them for college readiness.

Huddleston praised the Framingham State students who attended in order to talk with elementary and secondary education students. FSU will sponsor the conference for 2017.

The Diversity Fellows Program was recently renamed the Mary Miles Bibb Fellowship in honor of the first African-American woman to graduate from Framingham State, according to Huddleston.

He added the Brother to Brother (B2B) program is another initiative to increase retention.

Colleen Coffey, director of the MetroWest College Planning Center, said the organization is working closely with its targeted communities of Framingham, Marlborough and Milford.

“The need is great. The numbers that we’ve been able to serve in just over a year, just for low intensity going out into the community and talking to people about education and possibility of education - we’ve just reached over 3,000,” said Coffey. She added the center’s workers have done over 16 hours of training for FAFSA and will be completing 30 more hours of training. She said it is “much more than just filling out a form - it’s about an investment.”

Sophomore Deron Hines works at the center and said he when he decided to go to college, there “wasn’t as many people in my corner.” He came to Framingham State and said when he met Coffey, she “opened my eyes immensely.” Working at the center has allowed him to help kids who remind him of himself.

Iracely Sanchez, a sophomore, also works at the center and said she wants to make an impact and help open the eyes of high schoolers to provide them with options and information about MassBay and Framingham State. “College is the way you get to know who you are as a person. You get to meet people whom you’ve never met before. It’s a great way to learn more about you. So I believe that this job and where we stand is a great way to help the community and advance into a better tomorrow.”

Some students are “not happy” about a new limit to the number of hours for on-campus jobs, according to student Trustee Fernando Rodriguez, who spoke at the Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, Jan. 26.

He added students will not be allowed to work more than 20 hours a week, which has prompted some students’ to not apply for jobs such as resident assistant.

Rodriguez said, “I would not have had the leadership opportunities that I’ve had” if the limit was in effect during his previous years at FSU. He added this limit would also hinder students who need more money and financial aid to attend college.

Dean of Students Melinda Stoops said the 20-hour limit will put the University in compliance with the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). She said if students are working on-campus jobs at a full-time rate, they are required to be paid full-time benefits.

Vice President of Enrollment and Student Development Lorretta Holloway said according to FICA rules, the University was encouraged to limit students work hours’ to 20 because after a certain number of hours, the department is required to pay into FICA. She added a major reason why the limit is going into place is because right now, there is “no mechanism for checking who is doing the jobs.

“If we were audited, we would have nothing to say since we’re not keeping track,” said Holloway.

Of 660 jobs available to students on campus, 140 students work multiple jobs, and 45 students work more than 35 hours each week, according to Holloway.

She said a pilot program will go into effect in the fall of 2016 and the limit will officially start fall of 2017. She said the pilot will help the administrators set exceptions for certain jobs that focus on academics, such as note-takers, and to set up guidelines. The limit will not apply to summer employees.

Holloway said, “Many students, when they get a professional job on campus, it’s their first job, and they don’t know their rights,” and a concern is how working many hours affects a student’s classwork.

Trustee Brian Herr expressed his concern about the policy. “You have all these hardworking students who have to work” in order to afford college, he said.

Holloway said she recognizes many FSU students need to work, and she is more focused on keeping track of how much students work. She said she looked at FSU’s sister institutions, which have set maximum hours that students can work.

Chief of Staff and General Counsel Rita Colucci said the policy would not lead to FSU hiring fewer students, but instead would result in spreading hours among more students.

Also at the Trustees’ meeting President F. Javier Cevallos said there will be a “#blacklivesmatter teach in” from Feb. 22-26 during which select classes will focus on content regarding the African American experience. According to Cevallos, there are 75 faculty members in 20 disciplines and 127 courses involved. On March 2, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., a town hall meeting will be held to discuss the teach ins.

According to Cevallos, the finalists for the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Development have been selected and a decision will be made by the end of February. The new Vice President for Enrollment and Student Development will take office July 1.

Cevallos also said the University’s focus on the 3 Rs - recruitment, responsiveness and retention - have been going well. For recruitment going forward, the University hopes to hire three interns who speak either Portuguese or Spanish or both.

The administration hopes to increase the number of male and minority students in the honors program.

In another initiative, Cevallos said about 15 students from Ecuador will come to FSU to take classes in music video production.

He added he hopes to improve retention with a new Retention Coordinator and to “reinvent” First Year Experiences.

He also said the University will be implementing a new software called Starfish. According to Cevallos, Starfish will be “the Facebook version of retention,” allowing faculty, staff and administrators to communicate directly with students.

Provost and Vice President Linda Vaden-Goad said Starfish will allow students to speak easily with their advisors, see tutoring sessions’ waiting lists in CASA and to share data.

Cevallos said an anonymous gift of $5,000 helped students in need buy books and borrow laptops and graphing calculators through the University.

A partnership between MassBay Community College and FSU will allow students with a liberal studies or business major to complete a two-year associate degree at MassBay and a four-year bachelor’s degree from Framingham State for $28,000 over a four-year period. Cevallos said students can transfer from MassBay to FSU if they would like. Additionally, some faculty members will teach classes at MassBay.

Executive Vice President Dale Hamel said the Compliance, Audit, and Risk (CAR) Committee conducted a risk assessment exercise and found 126 potential risks at FSU. The committee will categorize these risks and various departments at FSU will suggest solutions to the committee. CAR will then recommend the best course of action to minimize each risk.

Hamel also announced to the trustees that a new residential parking lot will be constructed at the intersection of Franklin Street and Mt. Wayte Avenue.

According to Vaden-Goad, the University has accomplished about three quarters of the goals in its Strategic Plan.

Trustee Fernando Quezada said the Office of Institutional Effectiveness is requesting that the 5 Year Strategic Plan be expanded to address changing goals.

Holloway said the overall goal of collaborating among offices has been successful. She added new projects, such as conducting a UMass Boston survey to decide what specifically will be helpful to students struggling with homelessness and food security, will take place.

Executive Director of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations Eric Gustafson said thanks to donors, there is now an emergency grant fund for students who are at “a crisis point,” such as at risk of not being able to stay at FSU.

Deborah Altsher, the director of financial aid, said 42 percent of students who attend FSU and filed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) qualified for the Pell Grant provided by the federal government for low-income families. Altsher said this number is “really high” and she predicted students are “only going to get needier.”

Gustafson said the alumni campaign has resulted in $3 million for student scholarships. He added some of the money is being put into a permanent endowment, and some will be immediately available to students.

According to Altsher, 87 percent of FAFSA filers received financial aid, 13 percent denied loans and 83 percent qualified for some need-base aid. She added 80 percent of FSU students filed the FASFA, which she said was a good number.

The Financial Aid Office will hold FAFSA days, according to Altsher, during which students can go to the financial aid office from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to receive help filing their FAFSA forms, and they can bring their parents.

Altsher said the Financial Aid Office has been sending out financial aid packages to prospective students as early as March, and has sent out 50 percent more awards by April than three years ago.

Chief of Staff and General Counsel Colucci said with the help of the new marketing director, Averil Capers, the University has started new branding and marketing strategies. She added administrators will also look into other means of advertising, such as television commercials.

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Sean Huddleston said he wants to engage the community, especially the minority population, as part of the Center for Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan. He said the Martin Luther King Jr. conference, held Saturday Jan. 15 for first through twelfth graders, was designed to prepare them for college readiness.

Huddleston praised the Framingham State students who attended in order to talk with elementary and secondary education students. FSU will sponsor the conference for 2017.

The Diversity Fellows Program was recently renamed the Mary Miles Bibb Fellowship in honor of the first African-American woman to graduate from Framingham State, according to Huddleston.

He added the Brother to Brother (B2B) program is another initiative to increase retention.

Colleen Coffey, director of the MetroWest College Planning Center, said the organization is working closely with its targeted communities of Framingham, Marlborough and Milford.

“The need is great. The numbers that we’ve been able to serve in just over a year, just for low intensity going out into the community and talking to people about education and possibility of education - we’ve just reached over 3,000,” said Coffey. She added the center’s workers have done over 16 hours of training for FAFSA and will be completing 30 more hours of training. She said it is “much more than just filling out a form - it’s about an investment.”

Sophomore Deron Hines works at the center and said he when he decided to go to college, there “wasn’t as many people in my corner.” He came to Framingham State and said when he met Coffey, she “opened my eyes immensely.” Working at the center has allowed him to help kids who remind him of himself.

Iracely Sanchez, a sophomore, also works at the center and said she wants to make an impact and help open the eyes of high schoolers to provide them with options and information about MassBay and Framingham State. “College is the way you get to know who you are as a person. You get to meet people whom you’ve never met before. It’s a great way to learn more about you. So I believe that this job and where we stand is a great way to help the community and advance into a better tomorrow.”

Photo by Allie Gath

#News #gatepost #framingham state #board of trustees #maximum #work #hours #students

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Gatepost Interview: Mary Liscombe - Former McAuliffe Center Director & classmate to Christa McAuliffe

By Alexandra Gomes Associate Editor

Can you tell me about your time at the McAuliffe Center? What inspired you to work there?

I was a middle school science teacher and I took a course at Framingham State with Bonnie Lidback - who has passed away now - and I was telling her that I was thinking I might like to do something different. The next week in class, she said, ‘You know that conversation we had last week? There is a job that they’re going to be having here on campus, opening up this center that’s going to have middle school kids come here. I think you’d be good for this job.’ So I looked at the job, immediately sent in my resume, had an interview and got the job.

What are some of your proudest achievements from your time there?

The Challenger Center at the McAuliffe Center is one of a whole network of Challenger learning centers. There are about 40 or 50 of them around the country - actually around the world - and we became one of the best Challenger centers in the nation. We saw between 10 and 12 thousand students through that program. While I was there, I started a program where I worked with the space grant consortium from NASA and I would have between eight and 16 Framingham State pre-service teachers participate in this program teaching middle school kids during the summer about robotics and science, and they would fly a space flight mission. It was really great because it was all paid for by a grant through the Space Grant Consortium, so it was a paid internship for them in the summertime. So, those are two things I’m really proud of - being able to work with the pre-service teachers and all the teachers who came to the Challenger Center and having all those children come to the center.

Can you describe Christa as a college student?

We were both commuters, and she lived in Framingham. She went to Framingham Public Schools, and then she went to Marian High School in Framingham. Then she came to Framingham State. We were both in the class of 1970. … We had lunch together because she became friends with my best friend from high school. She was one of those people who was very bubbly, very outgoing. … She was the leader of the Girl Scout troop for her younger sisters. She taught CCD at Saint Jeremiah’s Church in Framingham. She had an after-school job. She worked down at what used to be the Howard Johnson’s restaurant, but it’s now the British Beer Company. She was involved in a lot of different things. She was still going out with her boyfriend from high school, whom she eventually married, Steve McAuliffe. She was a good student, smart girl. Everybody knew Christa because she was just bubbly. She was friendly.

What is your fondest memory of her?

I think just in general how she would get excited about things. She went to a science conference with … her physical science professor during freshman year and she came back and had met two astronauts there. She was all excited about the space program. I just remember her saying, “I’m going to do that someday.”

What do you think her legacy is?

She inspires people to dream and to think and try something you wouldn’t normally try. I’ve been thinking about that question a lot lately, and normally I would say it’s all the educational programs - and it is all that too, the educational programs and the schools that have been named after her, the centers that have been named after her - all of those things are wonderful, but Christa had a couple of sayings that were attributed to her. One of them is, “Reach for the stars.” That kind of sums up who she was. Don’t be satisfied with what you’re doing now. Always think and dream, and work for that dream. The other one was “I touched the future. I teach.” That to me is so important. That inspires teachers to think of these young people in front of them beyond the day-to-day classroom, to think about who they can be someday and how are you going to influence them to be the people that they can be in the future.

What is the one thing everyone should know/remember about her?

She was a regular person. She was a common, everyday person - a mom, a teacher - but she wasn’t afraid to dream big, and she wasn’t afraid to go for her dream and make it happen.

Editor’s Note: Christa McAuliffe was an FSU alumna who was selected to be the first teacher in space. She was one of seven crew members aboard the space shuttle Challenger when it broke apart 73 seconds after launch on Jan. 28, 1986. It was 36 degrees at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and it was 15 degrees colder than any previous launch attempt.

Following her death, schools and Challenger learning centers have been opened in her honor nationwide. FSU is home to one of these centers - the Christa McAuliffe Center. According to its website, christa.org, the center “offers integrated science learning opportunities that help k-16 students develop the skills and knowledge they will need to meet the challenges of work, life and citizenship for the 21st century.”

#News #gatepost #Framingham state #Mary Liscombe #Alexandra Gomes #interview #Christa #mcauliffe #Challenger #Anniversary

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The McAuliffe Center celebrates the legacy of FSU’s most famous alumna‏

By Michael B. Murphy

Editor-In-Chief

As the nation and the world reflect on the 30th anniversary of the Challenger explosion, the legacy of one of the seven passengers killed during the Jan. 28, 1986 tragedy lives on at FSU.

The Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center, located behind O’Connor Hall, was named in memory of FSU’s most renowned alumna.

McAuliffe graduated FSU in 1970 with a Bachelor’s degree in history and education, became a teacher and was “selected out of more than 11,000 applicants” to be the first teacher to travel to space, according to the website christa.org.

Established in 1994, the McAuliffe Center is one of 40 Challenger Centers located around the world, and was designed to keep McAuliffe’s passion alive for sharing STEM education with young students and to assistant science teachers, according to McAuliffe Center Director Irene Porro.

“The Challenger Center network was created right after the accident,” said Porro. “The family members of the astronauts who died in the accident came together to make sure their loved ones were not so much remembered because of the way they died but because of what they did and what their mission and vision was.”

Porro added, “Clearly, that space mission’s goal was to promote education. Christa’s vision was to be a teacher for a global community. So when the family members of the astronauts came together, it was pretty natural to them they needed to create an education initiative.”

Exposing young minds to STEM education is one of the most important missions of the McAuliffe Center, Porro said.

Over the last 21 years, thousands of k-16 students from school systems around the state of Massachusetts and New England have visited the McAuliffe Center to learn about STEM education and experience interactive technology by participating in scientifically accurate simulations of space exploration missions, she said.

She added the McAuliffe Center has helped promote STEM education with FSU students by working alongside the University’s STEM departments.

Associate Professor and Chair of the physics and earth sciences department Vandana Singh said the McAuliffe Center is an “invaluable resource at FSU and a wonderful ally” to her department.

Several classes from the department have watched shows at FSU’s planetarium, which the McAuliffe Center oversees.

The planetarium and the McAuliffe Center, Singh said, helps students’ “understanding of the universe and our place in it.”

By sharing space technology and information that “excites” students, Singh said the McAuliffe Center is helping to further Christa McAuliffe’s legacy.

Porro said she believes the best way to advance the legacy of McAuliffe is not just to present STEM education in an exciting way, but also to highlight the difficult nature of it.

“It’s exhilarating when you can solve a problem,” she added. “I really think it’s a question of how you approach things. Unfortunately, too often as educators, we don’t always do the best job in engaging our audiences - particularly in math and science.”

The administrators at the McAuliffe Center applied for a $1.25 million grant from NASA last November in order to fund ongoing technological renovations, according to Porro.

The NASA grant is awarded to institutions that practice informal education, she said.

The grant is “highly competitive,” Porro said, and many museums, universities and science laboratories have applied for it.

One of the uses of the grant would be to continue renovating the McAuliffe Center and expanding it, she said.

If the McAuliffe Center receives the NASA grant, Porro said, not only would six new interactive exhibits be created for the main lobby of the Center, but some of the grant could possibly fund up to four paid internships for FSU students.

Portions of the NASA grant could possibly fund trips to the center by after school programs in underprivileged areas, she added.

The McAuliffe Center’s main lobby was recently renovated. The remodeling included the installation of a computer and large monitor that displays data downloaded from the International Space Station (ISS). Visitors can use a mouse and click on different parts of the ISS, which generates informational videos and text.

The interactive program also includes a 360 degree virtual tour of the inside of the ISS and includes video of real astronauts - including Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who holds the record for longest duration in space for a female astronaut - describing life aboard the station.

One of the informational videos includes an explanation on how the hatch mechanisms located on the ISS work.

The virtual tour simulator was sent to the McAuliffe Center in December and was donated by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which were selected by NASA as the “sole manager of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory,” according to ISS-CASIS.org.

The mission statement of CASIS, according to the site, is to “maximize use of this unparalleled platform for innovation, which can benefit all humankind and inspire a new generation to look to the stars.”

The technology is so expansive, she said, that she and the staff of the McAuliffe Center are still learning it.

Because the data used in the virtual tour simulation comes directly from the station, Porro said the simulator can be updated regularly as more information is discovered.

Assistant Director of the Center Bruce Mattson said the CASIS donation provides visitors with an “introduction to the work they do on board the ISS.”

The virtual tour simulator, which features a handicap accessible ramp, will hopefully bring more FSU student visitors to the McAuliffe Center, Porro said.

Adorning the walls surrounding the virtual tour simulator are newly purchased panels, which are meant to mimic the appearance of the walls aboard the ISS.

The paneling was designed by a local contractor and was constructed by a local company, said Porro.

Beyond renovations in the McAuliffe Center, Porro said she hopes to raise awareness of the Center by holding several events on campus. Raising the profile of the McAuliffe Center, she said, will help more FSU students to “learn about our own planet.”

On April 6, she said, the McAuliffe Center will hold a “major event” in which several astronauts will participate in a panel discussion where they will discuss how their views on the world and humankind have changed since they returned to Earth.

On August 7-11, the McAuliffe Center will host a conference that will be attended by representatives of all Challenger Centers, including ones based in South Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom, she said.

“One thing I would like people to know is how we are much more than a center for kids.  We are a center for learners of all ages,” Porro said.

Photo by Erin Fitzmaurice

#news #Christa McAuliffe #Challenger #30 Years Later #framingham state university #Michael Murphy

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Letter to the Editor

By Carl Hakansson Geography Department Sustainable Policies Coordinator

Over the past seven years, Framingham State University has made great strides in addressing its carbon footprint and incorporating sustainable policies into its day to day practices.

The University converted its outdated power plant, thus reducing its carbon footprint by over 30 percent, increased its power use created by renewables by close to 20 percent, converted dining services to a totally compostable kitchen while also saving significant amounts of water, reduced paper use by over 25 percent, extended class scheduling allowing for more flexible scheduling of classes and reduced commuting trips, and created a LEED Gold residence hall among other accomplishments.

Where we have fallen short of expectations is encouraging the student body to be fully committed to addressing climate change and sustainable policies at the University. I encourage each student to read our Climate Action Plan which is located on the FSU website, to become familiar with what you can do as a student (i.e. recycle, turn off lights in empty rooms, join the Green Team) and to demand that the University live up to its designation as a Green Campus.

FSU has been designated by Princeton Review as one the most affordable green universities in the country for the past 4 years. That designation is not renewed automatically. It takes commitment and vigilance at every level and is dependant on student involvement.

Please become aware of what is going on environmentally at the campus level and please help to make FSU a leader and a model for sustainable practices in higher education.

#OpEd #gatepost #framingham state #sustainability #green #Princeton Review #university

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A legacy of courage (Opinion)

By Phil McMullin Opinions Editor

Attempting to break through the atmosphere requires immense bravery. Extra bravery was required of Christa McAuliffe, who hoped to be the first teacher in space.

Thirty years later, her story continues to inspire children and adults alike to follow their dreams, challenge accepted norms and act courageously in the face of oppression. Challenger learning centers around the country educate a new class of students each year, sparking an interest in science and space exploration in many young minds.

Frighteningly, there are still many people in our society attempting to suppress scientific teachings in and outside of the classroom. They don’t believe basic scientific facts, such as evolution or man-made climate change. They distrust the scientific community and would like to raise the next generation of Americans with that same distrust.

There is not enough room in this entire publication to reiterate the wealth of evidence that supports man-made climate change and evolution. However, climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus provides some resources to help anyone understand man-made climate change, and sites such as evolution.berkely.edu offer an overview of the science behind evolution. I encourage any skeptics to view these sources.

Throughout history, science has been attacked by politicians and civilians alike. People often don’t like to hear that their lifestyle is hurting the Earth, or that coal and oil, which create so many jobs and provide power for our day to day lives, might be destroying our atmosphere.

Even more so, people are loathed to hear that their holy books, which have provided comfort and guidance to so many people for so many centuries, might be deeply flawed and inaccurate.

When Galileo discovered that the Earth revolved around the sun and not the other way around, he was arrested for heresy. Now, centuries later, creationists are advocating that their interpretation of the Bible be taught in science classrooms as a possible alternative to evolution, despite the massive amount of evidence to the contrary.

This resistance to new information is understandable and common to all human beings, which is why it takes so long for new ideas to take hold in society. Although resistance to change is natural, it is also dangerous - especially when it affects the education of children.

Our society needs to be able to move forward constantly. We need to continue to discover new information about the world around us and use that information to innovate and improve life for all human beings. Each generation needs to build off the ideas of the last, and never regress backward due to religious dogma or fear.

Christa McAuliffe knew the importance of progress. In her honor, and in the honor of all great pioneers of science and equality, we should actively attempt to challenge our beliefs and dogmas and be willing to accept new information. Sure, change is scary, but if McAuliffe taught us anything, it is that we can be brave.

#OpEd #Gatepost #Framingham State #Christa #McAuliffe #Phil McMullin #Evolution #Education

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The McAuliffe Center celebrates the legacy of FSU’s most famous alumna

By Michael B. Murphy

Editor-In-Chief

As the nation and the world reflect on the 30th anniversary of the Challenger explosion, the legacy of one of the seven passengers killed during the Jan. 28, 1986 tragedy lives on at FSU.

The Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center, located behind O’Connor Hall, was named in memory of FSU’s most renowned alumna.

McAuliffe graduated FSU in 1970 with a Bachelor’s degree in history and education, became a teacher and was “selected out of more than 11,000 applicants” to be the first teacher to travel to space, according to the website christa.org.

Established in 1994, the McAuliffe Center is one of 40 Challenger Centers located around the world, and was designed to keep McAuliffe’s passion alive for sharing STEM education with young students and to assistant science teachers, according to McAuliffe Center Director Irene Porro.

“The Challenger Center network was created right after the accident,” said Porro. “The family members of the astronauts who died in the accident came together to make sure their loved ones were not so much remembered because of the way they died but because of what they did and what their mission and vision was.”

Porro added, “Clearly, that space mission’s goal was to promote education. Christa’s vision was to be a teacher for a global community. So when the family members of the astronauts came together, it was pretty natural to them they needed to create an education initiative.”

Exposing young minds to STEM education is one of the most important missions of the McAuliffe Center, Porro said.

Over the last 21 years, thousands of k-16 students from school systems around the state of Massachusetts and New England have visited the McAuliffe Center to learn about STEM education and experience interactive technology by participating in scientifically accurate simulations of space exploration missions, she said.

She added the McAuliffe Center has helped promote STEM education with FSU students by working alongside the University’s STEM departments.

Associate Professor and Chair of the physics and earth sciences department Vandana Singh said the McAuliffe Center is an “invaluable resource at FSU and a wonderful ally” to her department.

Several classes from the department have watched shows at FSU’s planetarium, which the McAuliffe Center oversees.

The planetarium and the McAuliffe Center, Singh said, helps students’ “understanding of the universe and our place in it.”

By sharing space technology and information that “excites” students, Singh said the McAuliffe Center is helping to further Christa McAuliffe’s legacy.

Porro said she believes the best way to advance the legacy of McAuliffe is not just to present STEM education in an exciting way, but also to highlight the difficult nature of it.

“It’s exhilarating when you can solve a problem,” she added. “I really think it’s a question of how you approach things. Unfortunately, too often as educators, we don’t always do the best job in engaging our audiences - particularly in math and science.”

The administrators at the McAuliffe Center applied for a $1.25 million grant from NASA last November in order to fund ongoing technological renovations, according to Porro.

The NASA grant is awarded to institutions that practice informal education, she said.

The grant is “highly competitive,” Porro said, and many museums, universities and science laboratories have applied for it.

One of the uses of the grant would be to continue renovating the McAuliffe Center and expanding it, she said.

If the McAuliffe Center receives the NASA grant, Porro said, not only would six new interactive exhibits be created for the main lobby of the Center, but some of the grant could possibly fund up to four paid internships for FSU students.

Portions of the NASA grant could possibly fund trips to the center by after school programs in underprivileged areas, she added.

The McAuliffe Center’s main lobby was recently renovated. The remodeling included the installation of a computer and large monitor that displays data downloaded from the International Space Station (ISS). Visitors can use a mouse and click on different parts of the ISS, which generates informational videos and text.

The interactive program also includes a 360 degree virtual tour of the inside of the ISS and includes video of real astronauts - including Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who holds the record for longest duration in space for a female astronaut - describing life aboard the station.

One of the informational videos includes an explanation on how the hatch mechanisms located on the ISS work.

The virtual tour simulator was sent to the McAuliffe Center in December and was donated by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which were selected by NASA as the “sole manager of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory,” according to ISS-CASIS.org.

The mission statement of CASIS, according to the site, is to “maximize use of this unparalleled platform for innovation, which can benefit all humankind and inspire a new generation to look to the stars.”

The technology is so expansive, she said, that she and the staff of the McAuliffe Center are still learning it.

Because the data used in the virtual tour simulation comes directly from the station, Porro said the simulator can be updated regularly as more information is discovered.

Assistant Director of the Center Bruce Mattson said the CASIS donation provides visitors with an “introduction to the work they do on board the ISS.”

The virtual tour simulator, which features a handicap accessible ramp, will hopefully bring more FSU student visitors to the McAuliffe Center, Porro said.

Adorning the walls surrounding the virtual tour simulator are newly purchased panels, which are meant to mimic the appearance of the walls aboard the ISS.

The paneling was designed by a local contractor and was constructed by a local company, said Porro.

Beyond renovations in the McAuliffe Center, Porro said she hopes to raise awareness of the Center by holding several events on campus. Raising the profile of the McAuliffe Center, she said, will help more FSU students to “learn about our own planet.”

On April 6, she said, the McAuliffe Center will hold a “major event” in which several astronauts will participate in a panel discussion where they will discuss how their views on the world and humankind have changed since they returned to Earth.

On August 7-11, the McAuliffe Center will host a conference that will be attended by representatives of all Challenger Centers, including ones based in South Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom, she said.

“One thing I would like people to know is how we are much more than a center for kids.  We are a center for learners of all ages,” Porro said.

Photo by Erin Fitzmaurice

#news #christa mcauliffe #challenger #Framingham State University #McAuliffe Center #Michael B. Murphy

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Photos by Allie Card Designed by Allie Card

#photos #hilltop players #bits and pieces #framingham state university #allie card #Gatepost

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A winter journey through “Almost, Maine”‏

By Maria Hornbaker

Staff Writer

The Hilltop Players performed their fourth show of the semester, “Almost, Maine,” written by playwright John Cariani and directed by FSU professor Sarah Cole. The play consisted of eight unconnected scenes filled with heartbreak, unresolved love and a little bit of both.

The small cast consisted of Connor Bowen, Tyler Demoura, Joseph Duda, Emma Fitzpatrick, Anthony Gabrielle, Bobby Murphy, Hannah Nielsen, Jessa Pereira, Tiffany Santiago and Mike Terra.

Sitting on a bench on a moonlit winter’s night, Pete, played by Bowen, and Ginette, played by Pereira, shared an awkward romantic exchange, one displaying her love more brightly and the other not knowing how to. He explained that, due to the Earth’s circular shape, to be “close” to someone is actually to get as far away from them as possible. Confused and hurt, Ginette left.

In the next scene, Glory, played by Fitzpatrick, wandered into the yard of East, played by Duda. The two shared a conversation about a literal broken heart. After being left by her husband, Glory had to get an artificial heart to replace the one that had been broken. Her husband had died in an accident after being rejected by her new heart.

Glory was in pain and East fixed her broken heart.  

As the show progressed the scenes become deeper and a bit more literal.

One memorable scene involved Pereira and Terra. Pereira’s character wanted her love back because she feared the relationship would not go any further. She delivered eight bags of love that Terra’s character had given her over a long period of time.

Terra’s character obliged and gave her back a small bag that he claimed was all the love she had given him over the years. Shocked by this, she argued more and, sadden by the situation, he left.

The twist is that he had converted all her love into an engagement ring and was met with awws from the audience.  

This play left room for speculation because most of the scenes had ambiguous endings.  It raised the question, “Did they or didn’t they?”

After intermission, the first scene to open was two lovers sitting on the bench under the moon. This time he was sitting by himself looking at where she had walked away.

Another scene that had literal meaning involved Bobby Murphy and Anthony Gabrielle. These two guy friends talked about their failed relationships.

Murphy’s character brought up the point that he felt more comfortable around Gabrielle than with girls. He felt like more than a friend to him.

Gabrielle’s responded with angry that his friend would ruin their platonic relationship. Murphy’s character started falling, claiming he can’t help but fall in love with him.

Gabrielle’s character started falling also indicating that he felt the same way.

The saddest scene in “Almost Maine,” involved an unnamed man, played by Bowen in his second role in the play, and Hope played by Hannah Nielsen. The story was about a girl who came back to town to reclaim the love she never accepted or denied, but simply left hanging.

As she was telling a stranger her woes, she realized in the end the stranger was her past love who had found someone else.

The last scene involved Bowen and Pereira, again sitting on the bench. Bowen’s character was still looking at the direction in which she left.

She appeared on the other side of the stage and finally reunited with him.

The play was well received by the audience.  

Student Gina Iacoviello said, “I really enjoyed it, I’ve seen it before I just love how it’s so cute and all the scenes are so great.”

Another student, James Buonopane said, “It was great. It was hilarious.” He added,

“Some of the scenes were fantastic to watch”

Photo by Brad Leuchte 

#artsfeatures #Hilltop Players #Almost Maine #Maria Hornbaker #framingham state university #Gatepost