Book bannings across the U.S. have been at a record high this past year according to the American Library Association. In all of 2020, there were only 156 banned book requests; in the fall of 2021 alone, there were 330. 

On Friday, March 25, two experts hired by UMass Boston employee unions delivered a Zoom presentation to the campus community reporting the results of their November and December 2021 investigation of the air quality in Wheatley. The experts, Mike Sireci and Rafael Moure-Eraso, recommended up…

The Politics of Truth and Justice in South Asia symposium was held in Ballroom B of the Campus Center on Tuesday afternoon, April 5. Students, faculty and visiting attendees milled around talking and began to take their seats in the deep rows of chairs once a figure appeared at the podium.

Joyous applause filled the Campus Center first floor terrace on Thursday, March 31, after MG Xiong took the stage to welcome roughly one hundred students, staff and faculty to the university’s first Transgender Day of Visibility.

Mar. 31, 2022 will mark the International Transgender Day of Visibility. Third year philosophy and public policy major MG Xiong has organized “The Energetic Trans: Transgender Day of Visibility 2022,” to take place on that day from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the Campus Center First Floor Terrace…

On March 3, UMass Boston students and faculty gathered outside of University Hall in order to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine amidst its invasion by Russia. Around 20 to 25 students were in attendance, as well as two professors and the dean of the School for Global Inclusion a…

As the days since Vladimir Putin’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine become weeks, sources in the region show that the situation has no signs of abating. Over 13,000 people have been arrested during anti-war protests within Russia, and when the U.S. government offered to evacuate Volodymyr Zelensk…

Boston has lifted its mask mandate for indoor spaces like stores, gyms, restaurants and more. Customers are no longer required to show their vaccine proof in order to dine-in at restaurants or any other indoor locations.

On Feb. 10, Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Joseph Berger sent an email to the campus community condemning the “racially charged treatment” of Dr. Tyson King-Meadows by the Faculty Council. The FC disputes this claim of racism; some facul…

Mass.gov states that “Paid Family and Medical Leave is a program designed to help people in Massachusetts take paid leave for family or medical reasons.” The law came into effect in January 2021, and under this, one is obliged to get 20 weeks of paid leave per year for an employee’s own seri…

On Friday, Feb. 18, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the city would be lifting its proof of vaccination policy, effective immediately. The mayor cited Boston’s steadily improving COVID-19 statistics as cause for the change, tweeting on Feb. 18 that “as of today, our public health data…

UMass Boston student Ema Almon recently won the prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Along with winning a $500 scholarship, Almon is now set to represent UMass Boston at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. The Mass Media sat down with her for an interview. 

Research has shown that increased anxiety and depression are some of the negative mental health outcomes of online learning among students. The reliance on digital technology and an online form of learning has exacerbated the situation. Data from the U.S. National Library of Medicine states …

This spring, the UMass Boston campus is abuzz with Hollywood fever. The university has embarked on a journey to create a new school commercial and an advertising campaign that will feature actual UMass Boston students and faculty. The Mass Media conducted an interview via email with Ashley S…

Taking inspiration from a Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies course, four current and former UMass Boston students—Sydney Yskollari, Sydney Perkins, Kaylee Bruce and Shanara Goldson—collaborated on an activist project to create safe school environments. This project was inspired by a mo…

On Monday, Feb. 14, Healey Library hosted a “Book Love” event to launch their brand new Beacon Book Swap Spot, located in the catwalk just outside of the library’s entrance. The event also prominently featured this year’s Black History Month book recommendation collection, curated by Roxann …

As we settle into the spring semester, we reflect on the work of the Undergraduate Student Government. The new slate was filled by Macie Jones and Hadley Zibel as the president and vice president respectively, alongside Jake Bates as the UMass Boston student trustee. 

UMass Boston’s Graduate Employee Organization remains deadlocked in a drawn-out and intense bargaining process with the university for improved compensation, job security and more general support for GEO members. Since last speaking with The Mass Media in December, a representative from the …

As the new semester rolls in, Healey Library has announced some important updates to its services. Healey Library will no longer charge overdue fines on books that are returned late, and they have also created an Instagram account to highlight the library’s services and staff. 

With another semester starting comes reacquaintance with UMass Boston’s COVID-19 protocols. Here is everything you need to know about starting in person this spring semester in a once-in-a-century pandemic.

When testing campus safety upon the university community’s return to campus earlier this year, members of the anthropology department discovered elevated levels of CO2 in Wheatley Hall. The Mass Media spoke to Elizabeth Sweet, a professor in the anthropology department, regarding the departm…

Every year, Human Rights Day is observed on Dec. 10—the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

UMass Boston’s Graduate Employee Organization is currently in contentious, collective bargaining with a team from the university’s Human Resources department. The Human Resources team represents the university and the Board of Trustees. As of now, the GEO is working under a contract that has…

The University of Massachusetts Boston holds a partnership with local high schools to allow students with intellectual disabilities and autism to become involved in a complete college experience. The program is called the Mass Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative, and it is held throug…

On the evening of Thursday, Nov. 18, the McCormack Graduate School’s Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs held a panel on Zoom with UMass Boston MPA students who are masters of public administration practitioners. The panel focused its discussion on how the COVID-19 pandemic impact…