Winter Adventures in and Around Boston

BY ZACHARY MULLER // FEBRUARY 17, 2019 //

The benefit of being so close to Boston is that if you’re looking for a fun night out, the city provides many options. Here are some events/things to do that might spark an interest:

Ice Skating – The Boston Common Frog Pond
This is the perfect way to spend a cold afternoon. It’s a magical spot to train bae to be an Instagram boyfriend or girlfriend. And not to mention, easy on a college student’s bank account. Only $6 for admission and $12 for skate rentals. Open 7 days a week!

PHOTO BY BENOIT PRIEUR, Wikimedia Commons

Bruins and Celtics Games
The sports environment is always electrifying, whether you’re a dedicated fan or not. The T brings you right to The Garden, and don’t forget about the Curry shuttle that will bring you to the station 6 days a week.

Some games are more expensive than others, but AceTicket.com seemed to have the best prices. And if you go often enough, you can look into their Loyalty Point Program to help yourself save a little dough!

Concerts for All Music Tastes
People don’t realize how close we are to so many amazing music venues. The TD Garden. The House of Blues. Paradise Rock Club. Rockland Trust (formerly Blue Hills) Bank Pavilion. Brighton Music Hall. The Spotify app even has a feature that will give you personalized concert recommendations based on your location and the artists you listen to most frequently.

The New England Aquarium
A great rainy or snowy day activity, the aquarium is home to 20,000 animals. They offer a student discount for admission to the Aquarium and its IMAX Theatre. Animal encounters are not eligible for a discount, but who wouldn’t pay a little extra money to snuggling up next to a harbor seal?

Even just walking around the city on a sunny day is something to experience. There are endless stores and cozy coffee shops to hang out in. Take advantage of what our campus location has to offer!

Disabled Student Urges College to Remove Carpeting in Residence Halls

BY KELLY LEWICKI // FEBRUARY 15, 2019 //

You may have noticed the addition of some four-legged friends to our campus community.

Isabella Scott, a freshman Biology major, is legally blind. She was born with a juvenile form of macular degeneration. “It’s genetic, and started showing when I was around 8 years old. It affects my central vision, as well as some of my peripheral vision.” According to Scott, it can be explained as if someone were to put a thin layer of Vaseline over your eyes, preventing you from seeing clearly.

For the last year, her guide dog, O’Hara, has been by her side, giving her the independence she’s always wanted.

“I put all of my trust into her four paws.”

Scott takes pride in having always taken care of O’Hara entirely on her own. But since moving onto campus, she has discovered a challenge to taking care of a dog in a college dorm room: dogs sometimes have accidents.

While service dogs are extremely well-trained, house training included, accidents do happen. And when that does happen, Scott is left to try to clean it up. And each time she can’t, she faces up to a $50 cleaning fee.

“Although I have some vision, I will still explain it this way: Imagine putting a blindfold on and then being asked to clean throw up off of a rug,” she said.

The color and material of Scott’s carpeted floors make it even more difficult for her to see what she is doing. Ultimately, Scott would like Curry College to move away from carpeting in its residence halls altogether, saying they’re generally unsanitary to begin with.

Jen Maitino, the director of Residence Life & Housing on campus, said while she is in favor of the move away from carpet flooring, it would be costly. “Certainly, it would not be cost-effective to go in and rip everything out all at once, especially in areas where it was recently replaced,” said Maitino. “However, it would be worth exploring how we approach alternative flooring as spaces come up for carpet replacement.”

The basement levels of a number of residence halls on campus — Mayflower, State House, Main House, and others — are already not carpeted, but some student leaders on campus feel it would be unfair to relegate disabled students to those undesirable rooms. Basement rooms are usually not carpeted due to moisture issues, which can cause mold and other allergens. 

“Students with disabilities should always be prioritized in regards to housing and accessibility within our campus,” said Student Body President Rachel O’Donnell. 

Although Scott has created an online petition to raise awareness of the issue — she is about halfway to her goal of 200 signatures — there doesn’t seem to be much progress being made on-campus in starting discussions about how to make the changes she seeks.

When asked about her knowledge of the campaign, O’Donnell revealed, “Unfortunately, until you are asking right now, there hasn’t been any mention of the petition or campaign to remove carpet from floors in [residence] halls during our student forum. Every Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. we meet in the Large Meeting Room and discuss various student concerns and topics, and this should most certainly be one of them.”

For more information about Scott’s petition, go to change.org. 

Meat It or Beat It

BY ALEXANDRA LANDRY // FEBRUARY 14, 2019 //

I have been a vegetarian for three years now. How I came to this lifestyle is a weird story, and I’ll spare you the details. Just know that I can’t eat any meat or I will get really sick. And I mean really sick.

At Curry College, my biggest concern is cross contamination in the preparation and serving of foods in the dining hall. If I eat a veggie burger at the Flame station, I worry about it being cooked on the same grill as the burgers, chicken and “Stu dogs.” If I get pasta at the Firzeni station, I’m worried that the spoons in the marinara and meat sauces may have been switched by accident, or that some of the meat sauce splashed into the marinara.

If I get a wrap at the Deli, I’m acutely aware of the fact that every sandwich is cut with the same knife. If I get an omelet, I’m worried about mine being cooked in the same pan as someone who ordered ham or bacon in theirs.

The food at Curry, as is the case at most colleges, will never compare to a homemade meal. But I’ve found it extremely difficult to eat in the Student Center dining hall the last three years. 

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I could stick to the salad bar, but sometimes the salads have bacon mixed in. I once accidentally got corn chowder without reading the ingredients, thinking it was a safe option. Turns out there was uncured bacon in it.

It got to the point where I wasn’t using my meal swipes at all because I was so afraid to take the risk of getting sick. I wasn’t eating, yet I was spending money on a meal plan that I wasn’t even using.

I met with Residence Life in December to cancel my meal plan for the spring. I explained how critical it was for my health that I not eat meat, and was told to reach out to a dean as they have more “power” when it comes to making these decisions.

I didn’t hear back for more than a month — even after three emails.

Finally, I was told this decision would have to go to Disability Services since it was a health issue. Keep in mind, we had already moved back in for the semester. After providing a doctor’s note and explaining how this has been an issue I’ve been dealing with for three years, I was finally granted the cancelation of my meal plan.

In the past three years, the workers in the dining hall have tried to be accommodating, which I greatly appreciate. But Curry needs to take into greater consideration the needs of their students. Not only those who are vegetarian, but those who are kosher, vegan, gluten free, or who have with any other dietary restrictions.

The student should always come first. Always.

Voice Science Week at Curry College

PHOTOS BY LAURA TRAINOR AND MICHAEL DAVIS // FEBRUARY 12, 2019 //

This past week, Curry students had a unique learning opportunity.

With the guidance of guest clinicians Laurel Irene and Dr. David Harris of VoiceScienceWorks, students experienced a full week of master classes, workshops, class visits, and performances for students, faculty, and staff focused on the science, health, and art of the human voice.

Discussion topics ranged from vocal preservation and vocal technique to changing pitches, tones, and frequencies based on your emotion in a performance.

Didn’t have the chance to attend a session? Check out their website to find out about exactly what your voice can do.