Alexis Schlesinger Editorial Staff Mark my words, SARIKA is someone you will adore. Sarika Rao, a Boston-based pop star, embarked on her first tour - “The United States of SARIKA Northeast Tour” - from March 31 through April 4. The tour hit four cities, two of which I had the absolute pleasure of attending. This tour celebrated the release of her six-track EP “The United States of SARIKA,” released on Nov. 4. Throughout the tour, her setlist consisted of the full EP, a f

By Avery Slavin Asst. News Editor The Framingham State University Police Department (FSUPD) announced a new Autism Awareness patch campaign for the month of April. This is a new campaign the police department has introduced, alongside their Breast Cancer Awareness “Pink Patch Project” and their Childhood Cancer Awareness Month campaign. Sergeant Harry Singh said that FSUPD was inspired to begin the project after attending the Law Enforcement and Autism Co-Response Collabor

Courtesy of Maureen Dutile By Antonio Machado Multimedia Editor What is your academic and professional background? I earned a Bachelor of Arts at Assumption College, now called Assumption University. My professional background that is most relevant to my position now is in auditing. I was an auditor at U.S. Trust, which is not around anymore. … I was a teaching assistant at an elementary school - not that that really prepares me for higher education - but it did teach me to

By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor Following the withdrawal of Nelson Peña de Jesús, president of Nestlé USA’s Global Culinary Kitchen, as the 2026 commencement speaker, University officials have selected Sheena Collier, CEO of Boston While Black, as the new speaker. President Nancy Niemi announced Collier as the new speaker in an email to the University community on April 14. Founded by Collier, Boston While Black is a “network of professionals, creatives, community and

By Cole Johnson Copy Editor Video game movies feel a lot like compilation albums. They offer a condensed experience of something we love dearly, but ultimately, it’s stripped of the passion and care that made it valuable, and I try to avoid them whenever possible. That said, they’re not going anywhere. The success of the “Sonic” movies kickstarted a trend that’s still going strong, and with “The Legend of Zelda” and “Street Fighter” on the horizon, “The Super Mario Galaxy M

By Sophia Oppedisano Editor-in-Chief President Nancy Niemi notified the University community of the passing of former University President Paul Weller in an email April 3. Weller was the president of then Framingham State College from 1985 to 1996. He led the College through its 150th anniversary in 1989, oversaw the creation of the Christa McAuliffe Center in 1986 following the Challenger disaster, and implemented the first Arts & Humanities series, according to Niemi’s em

Courtesy of Logan Winsor By Avery Slavin Asst. News Editor Friends and family of Mason Albano joined the FSU community on April 2 for the Pause 4 Paws event held in honor of his life. Mason, a first-generation business management student, passed away on March 21. He was 20 years old. To honor his interest in canine rescue, a comfort dog event with K-9 Ramsey and friends was held in the McCarthy Forum. From Upton to Greenfield, police departments from across Massachusetts b

By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor Nelson Peña de Jesús, president of Nestlé USA’s Global Culinary Kitchen, has withdrawn as the 2026 Undergraduate Commencement keynote speaker, according to President Nancy Niemi. In an email sent to the University community, Niemi said Peña de Jesús withdrew after expressing “concern that the attention surrounding his participation could distract from what should be a joyful and celebratory moment for the Class of 2026.” She added, “Our

Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST By Bella Grimaldi News Editor SGA held their second Administrators’ Forum of the academic year, providing club representatives, among other students, with the opportunity to voice their campus concerns on April 7. This year, the forum was structured differently, as there was time allotted for administrators to ask questions to students. This new segment was in addition to the portion of the meeting at which Luke Yubeta, SGA student trustee, pose

Courtesy of Emilce Cordeiro By Bella Grimaldi News Editor What is your academic and professional background? My master’s degree is from Argentina, and it was in Argentinian literature - specifically about the authors who disappeared in my country during the dictatorship. The dictatorship was from 1976 until 1983. So then I moved to this country in 1998 and I ended up in the Philadelphia area. And I applied to Temple University and UPenn in Philadelphia. I was accepted into b

Onyx Lovely / THE GATEPOST By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Editorial Staff The Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) hosted the discussion, “Beyond the Headlines: Making Sense of the Iran War,” on April 1. David Keil, computer science professor, said the FSU Human Rights Group pushed for this discussion to take place. The FSU Human Rights Group is a faculty, staff, and student group that studies and works on “meaningful action in the face of escalating existential gl

By Avery Slavin Asst. News Editor What is your academic and professional background? I have a BA in English literature from Suffolk University. I also have a JD from Suffolk University Law School. I served as a patrol officer at Suffolk University from 1994-2000. In 2000, I was promoted to sergeant at Suffolk University, and I served in that capacity until 2004. In 2004, I was hired as a lieutenant at Wellesley College. I served as a lieutenant from 2004-2020. In 2020, I was

By Bella Grimaldi News Editor The New England News & Press Association (NENPA) awarded The Gatepost six awards, including third place in the “Newspaper of the Year” category, at the 2025 New England Better Newspaper Competition on March 14. NENPA is “the professional trade organization for newspapers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island,” according to the association’s website. The organization seeks to “help newspaper professional

By Sophia Oppedisano  Editor-in-Chief  By Dylan Pichnarcik  Associate Editor  'Nelson Peña de Jesús, president of Nestlé USA’s Global Culinary Kitchen division, has been selected as the 2026 undergraduate commencement speaker.  Nestlé oversees the Toll House cookie brand, made famous by Alumna Ruth Graves Wakefield, Class of 1924, who is credited as the inventor of the chocolate chip cookie.  To make this decision, Dan Magazu, executive director of Marketing & Communications,

By Bella Grimaldi News Editor SGA held their annual Meet the Candidates Night and a Senate Meeting on March 24. At this meeting, students announced their candidacy for all eBoard and senate positions.  The sitting SGA President, César Matos, said elections will be held from March 30 to April 2. Voting will occur online through RamLink. Matos said candidates will be notified on April 3 of the results by the Election Committee. He added candidates are allowed to campaign as lon

By Bella Grimaldi News Editor What is your academic and professional background? So I have come to Framingham State as an adjunct professor. I have a PhD in physiology. I have a physical therapy license - a physical therapy degree. I teach human biology, human physiology here at Framingham State, and I teach at other universities. And so my background fits in very well with the curriculum I teach, because I’m teaching human biology to students and I can approach it from a ph

By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor The Framingham State community is mourning the loss of sophomore Mason Albano, who tragically passed away on March 21. He was 20 years old. Mason, a Milford native, was a first-generation student, a business management major, and a campus resident. He was known to be a quiet, kind presence on campus and his impact will be felt among his friends and across the campus community long after his passing. In an email to the campus community,

By Avery Slavin Asst. News Editor Sarah J. Hooke was announced as the new dean of the Henry Whittemore Library on Feb. 20. Provost Kristen Porter-Utley sent the announcement to faculty, stating Hooke’s role of dean would be effective March 2 and she is “truly thrilled about the expertise and excitement Ms. Hooke will bring to the role.” Hooke said being selected “means a lot to me, professionally and personally. I love the students and faculty, and I love the approach to e

By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor There’s a quiet confidence that comes from restaurants that have been around for decades - the weathered signs and deep cracks in their parking lots serve as a reminder that they’ve proved their excellence through passion, service, and years of feeding the community. If you’re looking for incredible Chinese food at an unbeatable price, skip P.F. Chang’s at the Natick Mall and take a trip down Waverly Street to Star House Chinese Restaura

By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Editorial Staff The Information Technology Services department is well known for helping those with device problems, but they also work on Wi-fi connection and cybersecurity. IT is preparing to upgrade the access points around campus this summer, according to Information Security Officer Corey Hobbs. An access point expands a wireless network’s connection, allowing a large number of users to connect to an organization’s Wi-fi at once. Som