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The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Sonel Cutler

Sonel Cutler, Editor-In-Chief

Sonel Cutler is a fourth-year journalism and political science combined major and editor-in-chief of The News. She has previously served as campus and deputy campus editor and is excited to continue bringing thoughtful and thorough coverage of the university to Northeastern students. Sonel most recently reported on issues at colleges nationally for The Chronicle of Higher Education and covered metro Boston news for The Boston Globe. You can follow her on X at @sonel_cutler.

All content by Sonel Cutler
A penthouse located at 1A Joy St. in Boston. Northeastern purchased the property for $5 million in January.

[Photo] Northeastern purchases $5.5 million townhouse next to Marymount Manhattan College

Eli Curwin, news staff
September 10, 2024

A penthouse located at 1A Joy St. in Boston. Northeastern purchased the property for $5 million in January.

President Joseph E. Aoun speaks at the 2022 President's Convocation. Aoun wrote an article on the future of AI in higher education that was published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. File photo by Marta Hill.

Aoun authors essay on bracing for, and embracing, the future of AI

Sonel Cutler, editor-in-chief
July 5, 2024

“AI is our reality now,” according to Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun.  Aoun, a longtime proponent of transforming higher education to prepare for the impacts of artificial intelligence on...

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Letter from the Editor

Letter from the Editor

Sonel Cutler, editor-in-chief
April 28, 2024

Readers, At 6:26 a.m. Saturday, when police began removing items from the "Gaza solidarity encampment" on Centennial Common, The News published a statement from Northeastern Vice President for Communications...

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A protester holds a Palestinian flag in front of Ell Hall during a Huskies for a Free Palestine rally protesting the disciplinary charges against three students Jan. 10. In their responses to student protests, universities have tried to keep valued donors and ensure that students feel safe.

Developing: Northeastern community responds to Israel-Hamas War

Sonel Cutler, Eli Curwin, and Emily Spatz
April 18, 2024

For updates on the pro-Palestine encampment on Centennial Common, check our live feed. On Oct. 7, Hamas — an Islamic, Palestinian nationalist militant group — carried out an unprecedented attack...

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A rendering of the proposed residential hall at 840 Columbus Ave. shows the building facing Tremont Street. The BPDA approved Northeastern's plan to construct the building March 14. Photo courtesy BPDA.

Northeastern receives go-ahead to build 1,370-bed residence hall on Columbus Avenue

Sonel Cutler, news staff
March 19, 2024

Northeastern received approval Thursday from Boston’s development board to construct a 23-story residence hall at 840 Columbus Ave, a critical hurdle that has taken years for the university to clear...

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The Sheraton Boston Hotel stands at 39 Dalton St. The BPDA recently approved plans to convert 426 rooms into student housing.

Boston development board approves 856-bed Sheraton student residence conversion

Sonel Cutler, news staff
January 29, 2024

Boston’s real estate development agency approved earlier this month Northeastern’s proposal to permanently convert 426 rooms in the Sheraton Boston Hotel, also referred to as 39 Dalton St., into student...

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A rendering of the proposed residential building at 840 Columbus Ave. shows an entrance facing Melnea Cass Boulevard. If approved by the BPDA, the 23-story building could be ready for occupancy in fall of 2028. Photo courtesy BPDA.

Northeastern files amended plan for 23-story residential building, increasing beds, cutting academic space

Sonel Cutler, deputy campus editor
December 27, 2023

A new project document submitted Dec. 18 to the Boston Planning and Development Agency, or BPDA, reveals updated details of Northeastern’s plan to construct a 23-story student residential building at...

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Students gather in Cabot Quad Oct. 10 in solidarity with Israel days after Hamas' attack. Authors of an open letter shared with The News Nov. 30 said phrases used at an Oct. 20 pro-Palestinian protest were supportive of violence against Israel's Jewish population.

More than 130 faculty, staff sign open letter condemning alleged antisemitism at pro-Palestinian group’s demonstrations

Sonel Cutler, deputy campus editor
December 23, 2023

Over 130 faculty and staff members, as well as hundreds of students, have signed an open letter to the “Northeastern community” condemning antisemitism and criticizing those who have used controversial...

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WRBB News Episode 3: Rogue Rodents and the Mills Merger

WRBB News Episode 3: Rogue Rodents and the Mills Merger

Sara Sajjad, Sonel Cutler, and Annika Sunkara
December 7, 2023

In the third episode of WRBB News, co-hosts Bela Omoeva and Liza Rosen speak with The News about two recent stories. News correspondent Sara Sajjad dives into a concerning trend of rodent sightings on...

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VIDEO: Students react to newly renovated Snell fourth floor after 10-month closure

VIDEO: Students react to newly renovated Snell fourth floor after 10-month closure

Lawrence Brown and Sonel Cutler
December 3, 2023

After a 10-month closure for renovation, the fourth floor of Snell Library reopened Nov. 13. Campus editor Sonel Cutler asked students for their opinions on the new study environment. To read about...

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 A participant in the chalk-in references the list of  Palestinians killed in Israel's counterattack,  as she writes in chalk on the sidewalk. The list of names was also posted in the window of the Northeastern School of Law.

Northeastern Students for Justice in Palestine holds chalk-in on Centennial Common

Ananya Kulkarni and Sonel Cutler
November 16, 2023

Northeastern Students for Justice in Palestine, along with the university’s law school chapter of the same organization, held a chalk-in Nov. 15 on the paths encircling Centennial Common. Participants...

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An activist addresses students and faculty passing by the die-in via megaphone, inviting them to join the protest. Several passersby stopped to watch or film the event, or to talk with activists.

Demonstrators block Centennial Common during Huskies for a Free Palestine die-in protest

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
November 11, 2023

About 70 students blocked off a walkway through Centennial Common on a dreary, misty and cold afternoon Thursday during a die-in demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.  Huskies for a Free Palestine,...

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A sign displaying how the Snell Library Renovation Project will affect all floors stands on the first floor of the library. The fourth floor, which has been closed for 10 months, will reopen Nov. 13.

Snell fourth floor reopens amid renovations, third-floor closure announced

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
November 10, 2023

The fourth floor of Snell Library, which has been closed since Jan. 3, will reopen to students Monday, and construction will move to the third floor, the library’s dean announced in an email Friday.  Snell...

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WRBB News Episode 1: Israel-Hamas, Crime Log and Climate Justice Jam

WRBB News Episode 1: Israel-Hamas, Crime Log and Climate Justice Jam

In the inaugural episode of WRBB News, our new weekly radio show with WRBB Radio, co-hosts Bela Omoeva and Liza Rosen speak with The News about three recent stories. Editor-in-chief Eli Curwin and campus...

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Two banners read "Mills College Northeastern University." Former Mills College students found the settlement and the university's response insufficient. Photo courtesy Jeta Perjuci.

‘It feels like a payout. It feels like business as usual’: While some remain dissatisfied, Northeastern, Mills agree to settle former students’ $1.25 million class-action lawsuit

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
November 9, 2023

After 10 months of negotiation, a California judge approved a $1.25 million class-action settlement Tuesday for hundreds of former Mills College students who sued the school and Northeastern University...

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Tire marks, vehicle debris, and demolished trees were left on the scene the day after the shuttle accident that shook the Brandeis community. Photo courtesy Jen Crystal/The Justice

Bus driver charged in connection with crash that killed Brandeis student, injured dozens leaving Northeastern hockey game

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
November 4, 2023

The bus driver operating a shuttle that crashed and killed a Brandeis University student in Waltham last year has been charged with motor vehicle homicide, according to a statement Friday from Middlesex...

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Protestors holding signs in support of the DivestNU campaign cross Forsyth Street. DivestNU's demands included complete divestment from fossil fuels, no new investments and transparency throughout that process.

‘They have to stop making the poison’: DivestNU rallies against Northeastern’s investments in fossil fuels

Zoe MacDiarmid and Sonel Cutler
October 25, 2023

On the heels of Family & Friends weekend Sunday, Oct. 15, more than three dozen members and supporters of DivestNU gathered on Centennial Common to pressure Northeastern’s administration to divest...

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An anonymous protestor speaks to the crowd at the rally. The rally was the second gathering organized by Huskies for a Free Palestine in the past week.

Second rally organized by Huskies for a Free Palestine draws hundreds of students, community members

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
October 23, 2023

Hundreds of students rallied in Centennial Common Friday evening in solidarity with Palestinian people as violence continues to rage in Israel and Gaza. It was the second gathering in the past week organized...

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Members of the UNITE HERE Local 26 hold signs reading "Save Sheraton Jobs." The union reversed its inital stance against the conversion of the Sheraton's south tower into a residence hall. Photo courtesy UNITE HERE

Local 26 union reverses position on Sheraton dorm transformation, files letter of support

Sonel Cutler, news staff
October 15, 2023

In a significant change of course, the union representing hotel employees at the Sheraton Boston Hotel now supports Northeastern’s transformation of 428 hotel rooms into dorms, reversing its initial...

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A 3D model map shows Northeastern's Boston campus. Growth was identified as a major desire for the university, with space limitations identified as an issue.

Students weigh in on future transformation of Northeastern’s Boston campus

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
September 29, 2023

More accessible green spaces, more physical spaces for marginalized groups and more campus recreational spaces were among many of the suggestions for changes to Northeastern’s Boston campus students...

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Kellee Tsai, the new dean of Northeastern University’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities. The university announced Tsai's appointment Tuesday. Photo courtesy Northeastern media relations

Northeastern taps political science scholar Kellee Tsai as new dean of CSSH

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
September 27, 2023

Kellee Tsai, a political science professor and expert on China’s political economy, will lead Northeastern’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities, or CSSH, the university announced Tuesday in...

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A rendering of the front of the 39 Dalton St residence included in the project fact sheet submitted to the BPDA Aug. 17 from the building's owners. The updated residence hall includes a dedicated student entrance. Photo courtesy BPDA.

New documents reveal further plans for undergraduate housing in rented Sheraton Boston hotel

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
August 26, 2023

Northeastern’s plan to permanently transform 428 rooms in the Sheraton Boston hotel into undergraduate housing for an estimated 854 students is continuing to take shape.  Dubbed the “Belvidere...

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The gated entrance to White Hall stands at 21 Forsyth St. The residence hall has been shut down indefinitely after structural engineers found water damage to the building's interior and exterior brick.

BREAKING: Discovery of ‘significant water damage’ forces shutdown of White Hall; first-year students reassigned housing

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
August 21, 2023

After a structural assessment of White Hall found significant internal and external damage, university officials announced Monday the century-old residence hall will be shut down indefinitely and the building’s...

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Students and community members gather for a rally on Centennial Common in July organized by GENU-UAW  following the announcement of the union election. The NLRB issued its decision July 14 allowing the union to hold an election after an eight-year effort from labor organizers.  Photo courtesy GENU-UAW.

Graduate workers to hold September union election after years-long effort

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
August 10, 2023

After an multi-year effort to unionize while facing sustained university opposition, Northeastern graduate student workers received authorization from the National Labor Relations Board July 14 to hold...

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The Supreme Court rejected affirmative action in college admissions in a ruling handed down Thursday, June 29. Photo by Claire Anderson via Unsplash.

Northeastern community responds to SCOTUS decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions

Emily Spatz and Sonel Cutler
June 29, 2023

After the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that race-based admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are unconstitutional, President Joseph E. Aoun assured...

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A message advertising the graduate student union protest on the ISEC bridge. Messages like this one appeared all over campus in the days prior to April 14 to advertise the protest.

‘Reprehensible and disgusting’: Graduate student union fires back at university for alleging protest coincided with memorial ceremony

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
May 3, 2023

Following a recent protest calling on Northeastern officials to allow graduate students to unionize, the university admonished organizers for failing to plan the demonstration around a campus ceremony...

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A virtual rendering of the proposed renovations to Snell Library was shared at the Oct. 19 faculty senate meeting. These renovations are slated to take place over the course of the next few years. Photo courtesy of David Madigan.

Snell dean says fourth floor will reopen in fall, updates students on two-year library renovation

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
April 19, 2023

The Snell Library Renovation Project, an ongoing makeover of Northeastern’s sole undergraduate library scheduled to take place over the course of two years, is expected to complete renovations on the...

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The owners of the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Copley Square will soon file detailed plans to permanently convert the the 428-room south tower into a dormitory with room for about 854 students.

Northeastern to become permanent tenant at Sheraton Boston Hotel, converting 428 rooms into dorms

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
April 11, 2023

Northeastern is expected to permanently convert a section of the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Copley Square into undergraduate housing for about 854 students, according to a Universal Hub story Tuesday. Often...

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The Boston Police Department headquarters right off Tremont Street. Boston Police responded to a call Saturday evening reporting a Northeastern student had fallen from the second-floor window of a Mission Hill home.

DEVELOPING STORY: Northeastern student seriously injured after falling from Mission Hill window

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
April 2, 2023

A Northeastern student was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after falling from the second-floor window of a Mission Hill home Saturday night, according to Boston police. Boston police responded...

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YDSA protestors gather outside Aoun's office Feb. 25 with posters and a megaphone. The protestors called for the administration to take steps to make meal plans more accessible as part of the club's No Hungry Huskies campaign. photo courtesy of Northeastern YDSA.

YDSA rallies students for cross-campus march, protests for affordable meal plan

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
March 2, 2023

Several members of the No Hungry Husky campaign were escorted out of 716 Columbus Ave. by Northeastern police Saturday afternoon after protesting outside of President Joseph E. Aoun’s office for the...

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Students at Northeastern are assigned a mailbox in August. Some students ordered their mail-in ballots months before the midterm election in November, but did not receive them in time to vote.

Issues with ResMail and mail delays prevent students from voting in 2022 midterm election

Sonel Cutler, campus editor
December 13, 2022

The 2022 midterms were seen as a long-anticipated “referendum on the party in power” — a bellwether in which Republicans could gauge support for the looming 2024 presidential race and potentially...

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A Northeastern dining hall worker speaks at a HOWL rally in April 2022.
Rosario said the student-labor alliance provided dining workers
confidence in negotiations with Chartwells.

Northeastern dining workers agree to historic new contract with Chartwells

Sonel Cutler, deputy campus editor
September 28, 2022

Tuesday, Sept. 6 was an unusual night for Emajhonel Rosario, a 27-year-old grill cook at the United Table at International Village, and many of his colleagues. As the clock ticked past midnight, 30 dining...

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Although mandatory COVID-19 testing and masking are now policies of the past, Northeastern announced Sept. 26 that they would still be offering vaccine clinics and at-home rapid antigen tests to students free of charge.

Northeastern to host eight free COVID-19 vaccine clinics on Boston campus

Sonel Cutler, Grace Comer, and Andy He
September 26, 2022

Northeastern will offer eight opportunities over the next two months for students on the Boston campus to get COVID-19 vaccinations, according to an email from Daniel Solworth, the vice chancellor of wellness...

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At the April 4 full body senate meeting, members of the executive board including current president Casey Buttke, addressed this year's tumultuous election cycle.

SGA officers express regret at meeting following tumultuous contested election

Sonel Cutler and Grace Comer
April 15, 2022

In speeches to the Student Government Association, or SGA, at an April 4 full body senate meeting, leadership addressed the tumultuous election cycle for the Spring 2022 election. The election, which...

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The ‘spray paint rock,’ outside of Ryder Hall, was covered with pop-up tents on Wednesday morning to protect the Ukrainian flag painted on it.

Rock in Centennial Common painted in support of Ukraine covered with symbol believed to be synonymous with support for Russia

Sonel Cutler and Grace Comer
April 6, 2022

On Tuesday, a rock in Centennial Common that had been spray painted blue and yellow in support of Ukraine was defaced with a symbol that members of the Ukrainian Culture Club believed to be a ‘Z’ that...

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Inequitable pay and fraught working conditions have stressed Northeastern’s dining staff to the breaking point.

Northeastern dining workers join with student organizations to advocate for better pay, working conditions

Sonel Cutler, deputy campus editor
February 25, 2022

Inequitable pay and fraught working conditions have stressed Northeastern’s dining staff to the breaking point. “Northeastern is burning the candle from both ends,” said Oliver Green, a second-year...

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East Village currently contains 723 beds, which, under the proposed plan, would be increased to 930 for the Fall 2022 semester. During the public meeting, attendees expressed dissatisfaction with Northeastern’s plan to address the housing shortage.

Students, residents voice concerns over Northeastern’s dorm upsizing

Sonel Cutler and Grace Comer
February 24, 2022

At a meeting hosted by the Boston Planning and Development Agency Feb. 16, members of the public were able to ask questions and voice their concerns about Northeastern’s plan to add approximately 900...

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Wesley Lowery spoke to Northeastern community members Oct. 18.

Wesley Lowery visits Northeastern, discusses journalists’ role in racial justice movements

Sonel Cutler, news correspondent
October 22, 2021

Wesley Lowery, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, spoke to students and faculty in Northeastern's Raytheon Amphitheater Monday, Oct. 18 about his career and experiences covering police shootings and...

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