Search F News...

The Difference Between Autumn and Fall

By November 22, 2023 News

Illustration by Bei Lin

Fall and Autumn are two different things. They’re synonyms, of course, but the words have a distinct difference.

Fall is the season between summer and winter. It is marked by the passing of time from Sept. 23 to Dec. 21.

Autumn is when fruits and crops become ready to eat. It’s when leaves turn bright colors and cascade from the trees. It’s for apples and pumpkins, cinnamon, and hot drinks. It’s being unreasonably excited for Halloween while dreading Thanksgiving, and trying to remember how to style pants after wearing shorts for three months.

Fall is a season, marked by changing weather patterns and daylight hours resulting from the earth’s position with the sun. Autumn is a crisp time of year filled with traditions and cliches that make one a little bit more excited about life.

Here are seven ways to make your fall season feel a little more like autumn.

Go for a Walk

Effort 🍁

Payoff 🍁🍁🍁🍁

While arguably the most cliche option, walking among fall leaves presents an excellent opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Not only do you get to enjoy the autumn color, but you also are able to enjoy the last of winter coat-less weather. 

In fact, a third bird can be killed if one considers that walking is exercise! Thus, by going for a simple walk, you’re not only being present and enjoying your surroundings, but you’re also getting in some meaningful movement.

Enjoy a Hot Drink

Effort 🍁🍁

Payoff 🍁🍁🍁🍁

I grew up in the Midwest, so to me, the end of summer coincides with the rise of the hot drink. There’s an incredible variety of options; you’re bound to like something! My favorite is hot chocolate, but various coffees and teas are also very popular. Technically even soup counts if you put it in a mug! 

However, the effort put in can vary widely. My hot chocolate is just a packet mix with water, but even coffee can become absurdly complicated if you get involved in the process. In the end, however, you’ll have a beverage you can truly relish—at least until it gets cold.

Garden plans for next spring

Effort 🍁🍁🍁🍁

Payoff 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Do you enjoy plants? Get a head start on next year’s garden by planning for seeds now! Take time to plan placement strategically, and observe your living space’s sunlight patterns for the best yield.

Even if you have a brown thumb, planning can still be fun! If you had the time or skill to maintain a garden, what would it look like? If that doesn’t sound entertaining, you could always go out and buy some autumn flowers. Chrysanthemums are popular and low maintenance, or you could go with Sunflowers and make a statement vase. 

Holiday Shopping

Effort 🍁🍁🍁🍁

Payoff 🍁🍁🍁

While you’re planning things, you should probably get on holiday shopping. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Dongzhi, or even Saturnalia this early winter, presents are always called for. They don’t always have to be big and thoughtful either! Sometimes the gift we need is a 5-cent sticker with a dopey cat on it. Nothing else says ‘I’m thinking of you’ quite as well.

Apple picking

Effort 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Payoff 🍁🍁🍁🍁

A classic American Midwest Tradition. It’s an excellent day trip option, as one farm also often provides halloween pumpkins, sweets, and maybe even a corn maze! Apple-picking season ends in late October, so make sure to get to the trees while they’re still bearing fruit and fun! 

Watch a Scary Movie

Effort 🍁🍁

Payoff 🍁🍁🍁🍁

Fall is the season of Halloween, and that means it’s spooky movie season! Gather ‘round to watch some old classics like Coraline, Death Note, or The Shining. Or maybe indulge in some contemporary horror with Get Out or As Above So Below. Don’t forget popcorn! Happy watching!

Friendsgiving

Effort 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Payoff 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Thanksgiving is a controversial holiday. It celebrates and glorifies colonization of American Indian peoples. While many people currently use the holiday to come close with family and express gratitude, others condemn the holiday altogether because of the erasure of Indigenous history it perpetuates.

I propose an alternative: Friendsgiving. The creation of a new holiday that is based around celebrating relationships and expressing gratitude for those you hold dear. I’m far from the first to have the idea, but it nonetheless remains another option outside of the colonial holiday. 

Gather your friends and make everyone bring a dish, potluck style. Extra points for planning beforehand who brings what, but it isn’t necessary. 

Celebrate the holiday by feeling grateful for the family you’ve chosen, while telling history as it actually happened.

🍁Conclusion 🍁

The difference between autumn and fall is pedantic. It’s utterly superfluous! Yet taking time to be grateful for what we have and the conditions we are surrounded with is a key part of being a fulfilled person. Romanticize your life! Take a minute to enjoy the season, romanticization or not. Enjoy.

Read More →

Anne with an Oh, Snap!

By November 20, 2023 Featured, Literature

Illustration by Aditi Singh.

When the theme song plays, and it slaps every time, I can’t help but get up and dance. I sing it loudly. (I live alone.)

“First thing we’d climb a tree, and maybe then we’d talk,” I sing. “You are ahead by a century, you are ahead by a century!” I belt.

I scream at the TV, like someone might watch football. “She wants puffed sleeves, Matthew! Mention the puffed sleeves!”; “The broach is between the couch cushions Marilla, what are you doing!” 

This is the “Anne with an E” experience, the three-season television adaptation by Netflix of the classic YA novel and novel series, “Anne of Green Gables,” by Canadian author L. M. Montgomery. 

Many people reread and rewatch classics around the winter holidays. They’re cozy and wholesome and often reiterate family values. Several have Christmas scenes or otherwise. Well-known and beloved characters ignite the nostalgia within us. These stories can feel as warm as a pair of mittens or a cup of hot tea.

Sure, “Anne with an E” is loosely based on the much more tepid novel set in the late 19th Century and published in the early 20th Century, but Netflix’s adaptation is Hard. Core. 

This is the modern remake of a beloved classic you should binge over your holiday break, however you celebrate. “Anne with an E” is an especially good choice for viewers who want to celebrate found family and family-making this holiday season, or for viewers whose families might not represent a traditional structure. 

Maybe it’s the bookish, embarrassing girl in me, but oh, how I love to watch that clever redhead and her friends run into burning buildings, deliver babies, hop trains, etc. Read enough books and you, too, may have the exact piece of knowledge you need in an unprecedented emergency.

Honestly, “Anne with an E” is basically just the story of a bunch of people who hate an orphan.

Avonlea, the series’ fictional village located on Canadian Prince Edward Island, where Anne moves after she is adopted by the Cuthberts, places value on breeding, manners, and education. 

Anne doesn’t fit the bill. She’s an ugly, skinny, red-haired orphan girl adopted by accident. 

I mean, even her adoptive parents, the elderly Cuthbert siblings who own Green Gables farm, don’t want her at first — it was a mistake. They needed a boy to help Matthew Cuthbert farm. They’re going to have to return her. Savage. 

Of course, Anne wins them over in the end. Avonlea takes a little bit longer.

Anne is so cringe. Finally she finds acceptance.

At school, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert (Amybeth McNulty) is not popular. On her first day, she decorates her hat with wildflowers, and although I thought it was kind of a look, none of the other girls did. Billy Andrews (Christian Martyn) barks at her, muff muff, orphan dog.

Anne is doing the most when she is called upon to read aloud during class, but she can hardly contain her bookish enthusiasm! 

I mean, same girl. She’s not a bad actor, either. She just goes for it with her literary recitations.

In Anne’s defense, she’s this excited about school because she hasn’t attended before; she’s an autodidact — which we learn through Vivid. Orphanage. Flashbacks. Again, hardcore.

Luckily, Anne has one true friend — Diana Barry (Dalila Bela) — a kindred spirit, as Anne might say. Although things do become a bit easier for Anne when she befriends another classmate, Ruby Gillis (Kyla Matthews). 

The lengths to which Anne will go to convince the intolerant people of Avonlea to accept her are wild. She wins over Ruby by literally rescuing her house from a fire. I’m telling you, it’s action-packed. 

Avonlea watching, Anne dashes into Ruby’s burning home. 

“Anne!” screams Diana. 

Anne runs from room to room closing windows so that the lack of oxygen will suffocate the fire. Everyone from town is outside watching or assisting, including Anne’s primary love interest, Gilbert Blythe (Lucas Jade Zumann). 

Anne walks out, soot covering her face. 

She’s a hero. The power of books.

Ruby must stay with the Cuthberts while her family rebuilds their home, but she is distressed that people might think she is Anne’s friend if she is truly to stay at Green Gables. 

Despite the hiccups, the girls end the staycation as friends, and when Anne returns to school shortly after Ruby leaves (she’s been skipping on the downlow until Diana and Ruby bring her books to Green Gables, blowing up her spot by accident) she has two friends.

In another display of intolerance, this time from a grown-up, Mrs. Lynde — Marilla Cuthbert’s gossipy friend and Green Gables’ neighbor — visits to take a look at Anne and absolutely snatches her wig. 

“Well they didn’t pick you for your looks, that’s sure and certain!” Mrs. Lynde exclaims. She continues, “And hair as red as carrots, dear, dear me.” 

Oh, snap!

“I hate you,” Anne spits, “How would you like to be told that you’re fat and clumsy and that you probably haven’t a spark of imagination in you? And I don’t care if I hurt your feelings by saying so. I hope I hurt them. Because you have hurt my feelings worse than they have ever been hurt before and I will never forgive you for this, never, never!” 

Whoa.

Anne runs vaguely into the fields. There is a lot of breathless running from Anne in “Anne with an E,” but I’m honestly super into it, and the cinematography is good. Don’t lose that hat in the wind, girl. 

She takes deep breaths on the cliff, tears flowing, and one of her long red braids comes undone in the breeze. 

Despite its charmingly melodramatic moments, “Anne with an E” is quite a moving show about acceptance.

One thing I appreciate about “Anne with an E” is the television series’ extension of the novel series’ author’s original intentions. “Anne with an E” expands themes of acceptance in “Anne of Green Gables” to appeal to modern audiences.

I love uber-modernized film and television adaptations of period pieces, but they receive a lot of flack from literary fandoms. I’m thinking of the poor reception of Netflix’s “Persuasion” in some Jane Austen fan spaces, but let me play devil’s advocate to the lit girls out there who don’t want adaptations of their favorite books to stray from dated source material. I’m sure Anne would agree with me.

“Anne of Green Gables” was written in the early 20th Century, when queer themes had to be tucked away in literature, but some folks still read “Anne of Green Gables” as containing hidden LGBTQIA+ themes. There is long-established scholarly research on the topic. In a modern context, why not explore these themes more obviously?

Across the internet, there are Anne and Diana ships. One Reddit user describes Anne as “maybe just Diana-sexual.” While fanfiction content like this is common, there is evidence of an intent by the author to code characters as queer in the original “Anne of Green Gables.” 

Certainly so, in Netflix’s “Anne with an E,” which adds openly queer characters to its cast and even coming out moments. Whether you think it’s fanfiction or canon, there are lots of fun moments for the Danne ships in “Anne with an E.”

Mrs. Barry bans their friendship — Anne begs Diana never to forget her! 

“I’ll never have another bosom friend,” Diana says (see: sobs), “I don’t want to. I could never love anyone as I love you, Anne. Thou.”

“Wait, do you love me?”

“Of course I do. Why don’t you know that?”

“I thought you liked me of course, but I never hoped you loved me.”

“I love you devotedly, Anne.”

“And I will always love thee, Diana,” Anne says as they trade locks of hair in a really straight way.

Regardless of your take on the whole Gilbert vs. Diana shipping conundrum (although the argument could be made for bisexuality or that queer desire is displaced in the form of forbidden love onto a new object — Gilbert — since everyone knows Ruby has liked Gilbert for years, Anne), kinship structures are tweaked or, “queered.” 

Neither of the Cuthbert siblings are married, and their adoption of Anne late in life is a demonstration of family-making. They come to cherish and love Anne as their own, so really the show is broadly about acceptance and a cringey, embarrassing, redheaded people-pleaser. 

I vastly enjoyed Netflix’s action-packed take on the literary series, and over my holiday break, I’m going to binge it for the third time. When I belt out that theme song, my upstairs neighbor is going to groan, “that cringey, embarrassing girl is watching ‘Anne with an E’ again,” and unfortunately for 2N, he will be right.

“You are ahead by a century! You are ahead by a century!”

Read More →

Senior Year Part 3 – Are You Going Home?

By November 20, 2023 Comics, Featured, Featured Comics

Transcript

Panel 1: The title, “Senior Year Part 3: Are You Going Home?” floats in a forested landscape.

Panel 2: Ellie sits on their porch in the rain with their headphones on and a single tear running down their cheek. An arrow saying, “Me crying listening to Willie Nelson” points at their face and the caption reads, “I always get homesick around the fall. It really started sophomore year when I moved off campus.

Panel 3:  A map of Washington State with a star just southwest of Seattle labeled “My hometown” The caption reads, “I’m from Washington State”

Panel 4: Ellie standing, pointing a thumb toward the Chicago skyline behind them and saying, “How the fuck are cities this BIG?” The caption reads, “So Chicago is very different.”

Panel 5:  Ellie standing on a cliff overlooking the Puget Sound. Their frame is small in comparison to the landscape. The caption reads, “I miss the rain, the trees, the ocean. I miss the air.”

Panel 6:  Ellie talking to a nondescript person. The person asks, “Do you think you’ll wind up moving home someday?” and Ellie responds, “Oh um… Maybe one day… I don’t know.” The caption reads, “But as I’ve gotten older, I don’t really know where home is anymore.”

Panel 7: A tree-lined road running down a hill with a street sign in the foreground that reads, “Welcome to Covington Tree City USA.” The caption says, “Is it the place and the community that made me?”

Panel 8:  Ellie sitting with two of their friends in a park with the city in the distance. A plane is flying overhead. The caption says, “Or is it the place and the community where I got to make myself?”

 

 

See More →

Thor’s Wedding

By November 20, 2023 Comics, Featured, Featured Comics

Transcript

Frame 1
Thor, a buff man adorned in long braided hair and beard, stands in a wedding dress outside of
the dressing room, talking to Loki who is out of frame.

Thor says, “Are you sure this will work Loki?”

Frame 2
Loki, with equally long braided hair and fantasy-esc clothes, sits on a couch with his phone out,
snapping a picture of Thor and snickering.

Loki says, “Oh yah, it’ll work all right. Wait ‘till they get a load of you.”
Thor turns away from Loki towards a mirror off-frame.

Frame 3
Thor stares at his reflection in the mirror, adjusting the dress around his chest.

Thor says, “Because I need my hammer—”
Loki says, “Just put on the veil, you’ll be fine.”

Frame 4
Loki looks down at his phone chuckling as he texts a picture of Thor in a dress to a group chat.

Thor (out of frame) says,”It could be more snug, but at least I look strong.”

See More →

Sox

By November 20, 2023 Comics, Featured, Featured Comics

Transcript:

Panel 1: Grawlix is written out, followed by, “Mom! Did you do the laundry recently?” with mismatched socks lying in the hamper.
Panel 2: Main character appears puzzled, with the mom not visible in frame, saying “No Honey”, the main character thinks, “where could they be?”
Panel 3: Zooming in on a frog’s face flashing back to earlier that day.
Panel 4-6: Frog jumps in basket, munches on a sock, jumps out.
Panel 7: A washing machine with a frog sitting next to it, holding a sock in his mouth.
Panel 8: “Behind the laundry machine” showing a frog sitting next to a pile of socks.
Panel 9: SOX. by: Eli Drake

See More →

The Wizards Feline Assistant

By November 20, 2023 Comics, Featured, Featured Comics

Transcript:
Panel 1: A wizard stands in front of his cauldron saying, “Hmm.. Seems that I’m missing some toadstools.” as a grey cat in the background is climbing on shelves.
Panel 2: The wizard pats the cat on the head saying, “I’ll be right back my dear Oracle.”
Panel 3: The mischievous cat knocks over a pink bottle from the shelf.
Panel 4: As a result, the green concoction in the cauldron splashes.
Panel 5: The cat is wide-eyed as he jumps away from the exploding cauldron, now turned pink.

See More →

Homesick Dreaming

By November 20, 2023 Comics, Featured, Featured Comics

“Homesick Dreaming” by Nasa Espinoza

Transcript

Panel 1: Narration reads : “Sometimes i dream of home,
my old morning routines, sweet greetings from my cat”
There are two images accompanying, one depicting a figure sleeping on a bed with a poster
covered wall, the other has a lower view of someone’s legs, having a cat lean against them.
The color palette is a limited pink palette with yellow accents.

Panel 2: Narration reads: “Laughing with my friends, feeling warm and wanted”
The image depicts three people in the background, two girls and a boy sitting between them, all
sharing a laugh. Zoomed in on the right corner of the panel is a person’s face, smiling.

Panel 3: Narration reads: “Dreaming of my quiet neighborhood and talks with my mother”
There is an image behind a figure, depicting a neighborhood with a few trees and homes.
In front of this image is a person upright in bed, with a dazed expression. Around the bed are
two bedside tables, one with a mug and a few items and the other with a lamp.
The color palette is no longer limited, a figure has dark brown hair, tan skin and a white t-shirt
with fruit on it. The bed sheets, pillows, and bedside tables remain with yellow and pink tones.
Narration reads: “until I wake up and realize, i’m still here, 793 mi away from home.”

See More →

Starr Ramone #15

By November 20, 2023 Comics, Featured, Featured Comics

Starr Ramone by Mae Lyne.

Transcript
Panel 1. Starr stands with her arms crossed, as a drunken Dave wearing a lopsided Santa hat tugs on her arm. Dave says, “Starr! Come open presents!” Starr sarcastically quips, “Wow, you’re sober.”
Panel 2. The Starr Ramone Band family stands around a Christmas tree with a single present and a crumpled piece of trash under it. Bebe — wearing a Santa dress — and Karl decorate the tree, mocking the shape of the ornaments. Dave’s pregnant girlfriend Layla stands with Jolene as Jojo smokes (claaassy). Dave walks Starr over to the group. Starr says, “Dave, isn’t your father an alcoholic?” Dave, drunk, says, “I’m super responsible!”
Panel 3. Bebe passes Starr an ornament. Bebe says, “Hey, won’t you put this on the tree?”
Panel 4. Close-up of a Ramones ornament.
Panel 5. Starr holds the ornament by the string, smiling. She says, “Oh, alright. Fine.”

See More →

Bad Parable — Something New

By November 20, 2023 Comics, Featured, Featured Comics

Transcript

Panel One: Yello asks their friend Kat, “So, Kat, are you nervous about life after you graduate?” Kat responds, “Nah, not really…”

Panel Two: Kat shrugs and says, “It’s not like it’ll be that different than the rest of my lived experience up until this point or anything like that.”

The panels shift to a different color scheme, showing us a new part of the comic.

Panel Three: The panel is labeled as “Pre-K.” A young Kat is being lead out of the door. Her parent says, “Okay, time for preschool kiddo.” Kat shouts, “Yay! School!”

Panel Four: The panel is labeled as “Kindergarden.” Kat, wearing a propeller hat and eagerly holding onto her backpack, walks to the door. A parent, off-screen, says, “You sure you can get there okay?” She responds, “Yah! I love school!”

Panel Five: The panel is labeled as “Elementary school.” A slightly older Kat stands at the door, yelling back towards her parents, “Okay I gotta go to school bye!” She’s wearing a Pikachu shirt and silly bands on her arms.

Panel Six: The panel is labeled as “Middle school.” Kat is now in her teenage emo phase. With dyed hair and a moody additude, she tells her parents, “ugh. Be back afters school.”

Panel Seven: The panel is labeled as “High school.” Kat wears a jacket covered in pins and is eating toast as she runs out the door. She shouts, “Sorry, gotta rush! GSA meets before first period!”

Panel Eight: The panel is labeled as “College.” Young adult Kat walks out of the door, holding a large art portfolio. She says, “Okay, roomies, see ya after class.” A chorus of voices responds, “Byeeeee!”

Panel Nine: The panel is labeled as “Post-college.” Kat stands at the door, looking at it with a moment of pause.

Panel Ten: Kat opens the door, which swings past the panel border. She steps outside of the comic, saying to herself, “I guess it’s time for something new.”

See More →

Loving the Monster: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Has Its Cupcake and Eats It Too

By and November 17, 2023 Entertainment, Featured, Series

Illustration by Bei Lin.

Who wouldn’t want Chuck E. Cheese mascot characters to become ‘Saw’-style sentient killers with the corpses of murdered children stuffed inside their Frankenstein bodies?

“Five Nights at Freddy’s,” otherwise known as “FNAF,” is an indie-horror-game-darling turned never-ending franchise. Created by Scott Cawthon in 2014, the series, for the most part, has gamers play as a security guard in a run-down parody of a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant trying to survive a week of the night shift while the animatronics hunt you down.

The real monster of “FNAF” is not a haunted animatronic, nor the child-murdering series’ antagonist, William Afton. The real monster is the impossible jigsaw puzzle of a timeline that fans to this day are trying to solve.

In 2014, fan culture around the game exploded thanks to YouTube Let’s Plays, a common style of video playing through a video game, and children, ourselves included, with unchecked access to the internet. YouTube Let’s Player Markiplier is the icon of “FNAF” fan culture, as his videos were the introduction to the “FNAF” universe for a large number of the games’ fans. It was a symbiotic relationship between Cawthon and the fandom: Cawthon got more opportunities to make his games, and many fans got their first taste of fandom, game lore, and online community.

Being a “FNAF” fan from the beginning meant spending nine years running through a neverending labyrinth of lore all leading to the same locked door. As the fandom and games grew, so too did the series’ hidden narrative. There is no better representation of the fan base and its desire for a more explicit narrative than YouTuber MatPat’s channel The Game Theorists, where MatPat uploaded many videos deep-diving into various “FNAF” theories.

Less than a year after the first game’s release, a “FNAF” movie was announced as early as April 7, 2015. 11 video games, 32 (give or take) books, and nine years later, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” the movie premiered in theaters in November 2023, drawing in audiences with promises of answers to their lore-based questions, child corpses, and a meme-able moment or two.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” the movie offers a snapshot into the “FNAF” universe for the average movie-goer while sprinkling in thoughtful Easter eggs for long-time fans. Some of the easter eggs include a cameo from MatPat, a reference to the fan-made character Sparky the Dog, and the inclusion of a popular fan-made song for the credits sequence.

The basic premise of the movie follows Mike Schmidt (played by Josh Hutcherson and not to be confused with Michael from the games) as he gets a nighttime security guard job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria to support himself and his kid sister Abby (Piper Rubio).

But all is not as it seems — Mike is haunted by the memory of his little brother’s disappearance while he is simultaneously being surrounded by literal haunted animatronics.

His sister Abby quickly falls into the creepy-child-who-talks-to-ghosts horror trope. Police officer Vanessa Shelley (Elizabeth Lail) acts almost as a voice of reason before the final reveal, and rounding out the cast is the delightfully unhinged Matthew Lillard who plays Mike’s career-advisor-turned-worst-nightmare.

The movie is, for the fandom, an emblem (or a Freddy’s-certified security badge) of how far this series has come — moving from the indie-game sphere and the world of YouTube to mainstream cinema.

For everyone else? The “FNAF” movie sits next to “Megan” and “Chucky” on the shelf of child-toy horror. It’s somewhat generic without the games holding it up, but the film is still a fun ride for unfamiliar viewers.

The animatronics themselves are the most impressive part of the film. Made by the Jim Henson company, the mascots are part animatronic and part puppet contraptions. These terrifying mascots that are stuffed with rotting corpses somehow manage to come across as cute and childlike at times, reminding you of their tragic origins as characters. What really sells the animatronics as characters is that they are entirely practical effects that are brought to life by puppeteers.

The masterful puppeteering is what the apex of the film hinges on, as the final reveal includes a new animatronic — far more imposing than the others.

The film’s cinematography is oddly compelling for a horror film in this context and speaks to the level of care that went into it. The same could be said for the film’s score, which was fantastic, and set the perfect eerie child-murdering tone. Arcade game-style animation and childlike drawings are littered throughout the film and reinforce the original game series’ style within the movie.

The “FNAF” movie captured the ghosts of our generation’s childhood selves. Theaters were packed with children, teens, and young adults coming together to see the manifestations of their “FNAF” obsessions. The “FNAF” movie creates a whole new generation of “FNAF” fans yet to emerge. Though the fanbase might change, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise will always come back.

Read More →

“The first thing to do is to listen to them”: Verron Fisher

By November 14, 2023 Featured, SAIC

“There are so many ways students can intervene when necessary, which is also referred to as bystander intervention,” says Verron Fisher. Photo by Nitya Mehrotra

Every year the month of October is marked as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Throughout this month, campaigns, events, and initiatives are organized to listen to and uplift survivors directly, raise our shared awareness about domestic violence, and to fight against all kinds of abuse. 

At the School of the Art Institute, the Title IX office is responsible for handling sexual misconduct, discrimination/harassment complaints, and Equal Employment Opportunities concerns ensuring individuals’ educational and employment decisions are based on their abilities, and/or retaliation for participating in any of those processes.

F Newsmagazine sat down for an interview with Verron Fisher, the Title IX Deputy Director and Investigator at SAIC. We spoke about what domestic violence constitutes, and ways in which bystanders can intervene.

Nehir Uslu: Can you elaborate more on the specifics of the Title IX Office at SAIC? 

Verron Fisher: The Title IX office oversees the Sexual Misconduct Under Title IX Policy. We also oversee the policy prohibiting sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, and the policy prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. In addition, my office assists students with accommodations for pregnant and parenting students up to six months after postpartum.

NU: Can you elaborate more on what Domestic Violence comprises? How would you define it? 

VF: Domestic Violence, is a pattern of behavior in a relationship that uses or maintains power control over an intimate partner or a person who lives in the same household. The abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or might wound someone. It can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender and it can manifest in a range of relationships including couples who are married, living together, or dating. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

NU: What are some ways witnesses of violence can take action both in and outside the school? How can we be active bystanders?

VF: There are so many ways students can intervene when necessary, which is also referred to as bystander intervention. There are five approaches that come to my mind when I think of someone intervening. The approaches include ‘Direct’, ‘Delay’, ‘Distract’, ‘Delegate,’ and ‘Document.’ 

‘Direct’ means stepping in and intervening directly. It is important that the people who are intervening do not getting themselves injured in the process. I only suggest being direct when there is a situation that absolutely requires it. 

For ‘Distract,’ as a bystander, there might be an opportunity to distract the person who is demonstrating the abuse. Ways to distract the person would be speaking to them or asking them a question, coming up with an excuse, for example, maybe “Your shoe is untied,” or “You dropped something.” 

The next ‘D’ is to ‘Delegate,’ when necessary. A bystander might have the opportunity to intervene, but they also can contact someone who might be better equipped to handle the situation. Such as calling 911 or Campus Security. Choosing to act can be done in a variety of ways. Distraction can be done with assistance from others. If you are a witness to a situation with another person, you can act together as a team. 

The next one is ‘Delay.’ Intervening can be difficult to perform if the bystander is not sure whether or not to act. This is why all bystanders should carefully figure out what appears to be the situation. If it is hard to find out what is happening, try asking other bystanders what they think is happening. This can be useful if the bystanders themselves are not sure or if help should be given from someone more qualified. Intervening is important, but so is the person’s safety. Safety is the most important step in any intervention action. Safety of the victim and the bystander should be considered at all times and the intervention should not be performed if you feel someone’s safety could be threatened.

The last ‘D’ stands for ‘Document.’ Try to gather as much information as you possibly can about the parties involved. Try to document what they are wearing, and what they look like, if you are outside, try to figure out the exact location where everything is taking place, and what time. These are important things a bystander can do when intervening.

NU: How can we support the survivors/victims of domestic violence?

VF: For anyone who is supporting a victim/survivor of domestic violence, the first thing to do is to listen to them. Find a time and place that is safe and confidential so that the person can share.  Start the conversation by expressing concern. An example of that is “I am worried about your safety,” and allow that person to speak. Most importantly, let them know that you believe what they are telling you. Sometimes victims/survivors may not feel like they will be believed.

The next thing I would recommend is offering support. Let them know that no one deserves to be hurt or abused. Abuse is not the victim’s fault. Assure that what they are feeling is okay and ask how you can best support them. The victim/survivor knows what is best for their situation. It is easy to make suggestions when we are looking at the situation from the outside. It is very important that the victim/survivor’s choices are respected. Do not pressure someone to leave as that might make matters worse for them. There are many reasons people stay in abusive relationships. The most important thing is offering them support and resources, but ultimately know that it is their decision. Let them know that no matter what, you will be there for them with whatever choice that they make.

NU: Can you elaborate more on the help SAIC students can get from Title IX?

VF: Students working with the Title IX office receive many supportive measures, including changes in involved parties’ academic class schedules or other academic adjustments. The Title IX office will work with Residence Life and will help if students need changes regarding their housing. The Title IX office will connect students with an officer within Campus Security if they need help. Lastly, the Title IX office can assist students with mutual No Contact Orders, which is a directive that limits communication between individuals.

Read More →

The Sky Talks: Scorpio Season and the End of Eclipse Season

By November 13, 2023 Entertainment, Featured, Series

Illustration by Bei Lin.

In this Scorpio season from October 23 to November 22, we gain determination, internal strength, and the ability to survive extreme situations. It is a month of spiritual transformation. An opportunity to disconnect from what no longer serves us and create a new beginning. It is a time for you to be a new you.

Scorpio season is for structure, confidence, and strength. Plan your day well and execute your ability to achieve because your abilities will be very strong.

Under Scorpio Energy, we realize our identity as creators of our own lives and how responsible we are for that. There is a combination of concentrated production and concrete results. Were you stuck with deadlines? Now we can organize them and prioritize them so that everything fits into our time and attention.

We carry out heavy tasks and feel the effort they would normally require. Focus and energy management are strong. Establish your goals, and you will reach them. Be autonomous, take the lead, and deepen your roots. During this season, choose your battles in affection and at work, and have total dedication to them.

Horoscope for November 2023

When reading your November horoscope, consider your sun sign and your rising sign.

Aries

The month of November brings profound transformations in your sense of power and in the secrets you keep.

Mars, your ruler, is strong. But Uranus is conflicting. There is a sense of grace and personal empowerment. Your ruler brings a lot of strength, but you may face things you don’t want to face. If any secrets come to light, it could be a surprise for everyone. But use this to your advantage.

The money you need will come. On November 24, Mars, your ruler, enters Sagittarius and brings more fun and joy into your life. You will be more open to adventures.

The Full Moon (November 27) can bring some conflicts with siblings. Some conclusion in the lives of your brothers, or some neighbor leaving. Pay attention to documents and review the way you learn.

Taurus

The New Moon (November 13) will oppose your sign, and it will bring a lot of drama and surprises, especially in terms of relationships. Mars and Uranus are having an argument, and they bring new types of interactions with people that might come out of nowhere. The Full Moon (November 27) will bring the culmination of your experience with money and your possessions. There may be a bonus at your work, a career boost that strengthens your self-esteem. Or a promotion opportunity. But it can come with a lot of work, which can cause you some irritation. There may be a conclusion and closure on some expense that is exceeding your budget, it is a good time to identify it and cut it.

This can also translate into an increase in your self-esteem. In love, new people may appear, perhaps a friend you were never interested in, so this is the month to rediscover that person. Just don’t go to the pot too thirsty, be patient. It’s a new perspective on love. You can completely reframe what a relationship is.

Gemini

Saturn going direct can move your career forward.

The New Moon (November 13) will bring a new beginning in your service provision and how you relate to your co-workers. Your routine and sense of usefulness will also be influenced, and you may be affected by sudden changes in your daily habits.

Uranus in opposition to the New Moon can bring sudden changes with your co-workers, but they will all end up falling into place and adjusting to the new dynamics.

The Full Moon (November 27) in your sign brings emotional intensity and a lot of adrenaline, as Mars is on the opposite side. Ask for patience so you don’t act impulsively. Your legacy may be tested, there may be tension with someone due to a power struggle. The Full Moon will illuminate your wills, your conduct, and your identity. And by understanding and absorbing your wishes, you will make the right decisions. Be true to yourself, your clarity lies in the truth of your emotions.

Cancer

This month’s New Moon (November 13) will reactivate all matters of the heart, how you have fun and enjoy your relationships. The new Moon can also bring news in the area of raising your children if you are a father or mother. Your fertility can bring you surprises.

Uranus is opposing the New Moon. A brilliant idea can come out of nowhere, and you can implement it in a creative way. New opportunities for an awakened heart can make you happier

The Full Moon (November 27) can bring a desire to rest. Contrary to the peak energy of the Moon, you may want to be more collected, study, and have deep insights. Perhaps there will be an end to the cycle, to start again stronger. Maybe the stressful life you’ve been living will call for a break.

Leo

The New Moon (November 13) brings news and new perspectives to your foundation, in your family, with your parents, and in your home.

There is a rushed feeling, but we have a lot of assistance. Even if there is a lot of sudden movement, things end up falling into place in the best way possible.

There may be electrical or technology problems in your home.

There may be new opportunities in relation to the house, and your family. You may want to be with your parents. There is an energy of self-care and contact with your ancestors.

Mars will enter the fire sign (November 24), which works very well for you, as it will open your heart, and bring a lot of fire and adventure to your relationships. Lots of flirting. Be careful with betting and games.

The Full Moon (November 27) will illuminate your sense of community and social events. There will be opportunities for grandiose projects that can touch a wide audience.

Be careful not to create misunderstandings with friends. Some triggers may awaken in you, the question is, how will you react to your impulses? The tip here is not to be impulsive. You need to think strategically. Because many doors can open for the future.

Virgo

The month of November brings you new learning opportunities and new synapses in the information you encounter. You may have to move around a lot this month. There must be a lot of stimulation from people close to you, your siblings perhaps. It is time to give up your excess control over these people and situations.

The Full Moon (November 27) will illuminate your career and the meaning of life for you. Some project in your career will reach their peak.

Libra

The New Moon (November 13) will bring new perspectives and create new money-making opportunities for you. There may be a lot of energy and drive for financial gains, perhaps a sense of urgency. On the other hand, there may be opposing forces that can give a feeling of instability. But don’t worry, the planet Neptune represents a frictionless adjustment in resolving these impasses. There is faith and magic involved, you will be able to transform the situation in your favor.

The Full Moon (November 27) will illuminate your place in the world. It will bring clarity but also a reality check to show you what your truth is. Some legal, religious, or political issues may be highlighted. You will learn to consider the feedback you receive with great patience.

Venus entered your sign on November 8, so, feel very good. There will be many blessings. You are a magnet for love. Follow everything that brings you sensory pleasure, and your journey will become sweeter and more loving. Tap into the potential of this strength and connect with the most genuine and graceful version of yourself.

Scorpio

November will be very powerful for you as the New Moon (November 13) in your sign requires attention to your identity. Your two rulers Mars and Pluto are super active, both at the beginning and end of the month, so you’ll feel adrenaline and a sense of urgency to love the person you’re becoming.

Your priorities may be tested, and how you deal with other people may be tested. There is an erratic energy that comes from your exchanges with others. These tests with others will help you hone your personality.

The Full Moon (November 27) will consolidate the transformations triggered at the New Moon. You may be provoked, however. Saturn is involved in this configuration and calls for calm and strategy, perhaps a sacrifice. Financial issues may arise, and you may need financial help from someone else. You will touch on issues of vulnerability which will strengthen your intimacy with your loved ones. You must feel deeply connected to this person, if you don’t, the connection won’t be worth it.

Sagittarius

The New Moon (November 13) this month takes place in the sign of Scorpio and brings closure. When you connect with your safe place, in your silence, you will know what to do.

New beginnings here depend on closing karmic cycles, which can bring a feeling of loneliness.

Mercury entered your sign (November 11) and goes into retrograde motion at the end of the month. At the beginning of January, Mercury returns to direct movement in your sign, and you will be able to reassess your decisions made at the end of November, to do better. Take note.

Mars enters your sign (November 24) and brings determination and desire for change that may come with some irritation, but your stamina will be strong. Through consolidated strategies, you must implement changes.

The Full Moon (November 27) takes place in your opposite sign and will illuminate a truth in your relationships. Probably your partners or societies will illuminate your frustrations.

Capricorn

The month of November brings a lot of news for you in the areas of social projects and friendships. You can accomplish great things, which will affect a lot of people. Even opportunities, such as realizing a dream project, can arise unexpectedly.

There is a dilemma here between antagonistic forces. A friend can be provocative and can awaken a reactive response in you. The best way to deal with the situation is with non-violent communication. There will be a positive transformation of the situation if you apply spiritual precepts.

The Full Moon (November 27) will illuminate your service provision. And how useful you feel in your everyday life. Saturn is in the game and asks for well-thought-out strategies to deal with mishaps in your work environment.

The Full Moon (November 13) will also show you how much you are taking care of your health.

For those who are single, there may be a new crush in the area, a surprise, or a relationship with friends can also change the status of the relationship between you.

Aquarius

The month of November brings freshness to your professional development. Perhaps something new shakes your structures and provokes a quick reaction that can bring more ambition into your life.

The New Moon (November 13) in the sign of Scorpio brings a new meaning to life for you and can bring the promise of financial gain. There may be some delay in receiving money. Be patient, because you will receive what you deserve, at the right time.

The Full Moon (November 27) will illuminate and exalt all forms of happiness in your life. Where do you actually feel happy and creative? For those who have children, it is a great time to enjoy and have leisure time with them. Ask yourself, are you trying to please your friends too much?

Pisces

The month of November brings new paths in the areas of travel and spiritual wisdom, or even in the academic world. There may be a new development in legal matters.

The New Moon (November 13) in the sign of Scorpio brings with it Mars opposing Uranus, which brings a feeling of irritability and sudden surprises. If you are studying, or work at an educational institution, there may be last-minute changes. If you are depending on a legal process, strategies may change. Another option is international trips with last-minute changes. Your intuition will help you make the right decision, listen to your heart, and pay attention to the signs around you. Your belief system may be challenged.

The Full Moon (November 27) will illuminate your relationship with your roots, your safe place, your home, and your family. Some issues in your life related to these matters must be addressed, and you will be responsible and accept things as they are realistically.

Read More →