Campus Currents

October 19, 2026

Poster with a picture of Edgar Kunz and the event description, which is included in the copy below the poster image

Alan Feldman Week of Poetry: A Reading with Edgar Kunz

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 4:30 p.m.
Hybrid: Heineman Ecumenical Center or

Edgar Kunz, a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow and Framingham native, is the author of Tap Out and Fixer, a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Focused on both literal and figurative forms of fixing, Kunz’s identity-based poetry explores working-class life and expressions of blue-collar masculinity. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Poetry.

State of the University Address

Monday, Oct. 19, 1:30 p.m.
Hybrid: McCarthy Center Forum and

President Niemi will deliver her State of the University address.

See Yourself in the Green Workforce

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
McCarthy Center Forum

Turn your passion into your future profession, no matter your major! Students meet with employers in clean energy, sustainability, and environmental stewardship to:

Explore job opportunities in energy efficiency, clean energy, transportation, waste management, sustainable practices for communities and businesses, environmental policy, and more!
Share their educational and career interests.
Network with professionals to learn about STEM and non-STEM roles these industries offer.

ESBS Alumni Panel and Fall Social

Panel - Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2 to 3:30 p.m., Alumni Room, McCarthy Center

Meet ��ϲ�� Alumni and other professionals working in Education, Psychology, Policial Science, Sociology and Criminology. This event is part of ESBS Week, October 20-23. Promoting and celebrating the College of ESBS.

Fall Social - Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Center for Inclusive Excellence, O'Connor Hall

Join other students and faculty in Education, Psychology, Policial Science, Sociology and Criminology for the Fall Social with cider and donuts. This event is part of ESBS Week, October 20-23. Promoting and celebrating the College of ESBS.

Roman Space Telescope Special Planetarium Event

Friday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m.
��ϲ�� Planetarium, McAuliffe Center

Described as NASA’s new flagship telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully launched on August 30, 2026. Join us for a live show exploring Roman’s capabilities and the science it will do in its first year in space. Afterwards we will show the film, Phantom of the Universe, which discusses dark matter and dark energy in our cosmos.

This is a public event and .

This event is during Massachusetts STEM Week.

Fall Undergraduate Open House #1

Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Join us in welcoming prospective undergraduate parents and families to ��ϲ��!

Book Bans Unwelcome in Massachusetts

By Sarah Daponde

The Freedom to Read Act, recently signed into law, sparked discussion at ��ϲ�� about banned books and academic freedom.

The Act, which aims to keep book bans out of Massachusetts schools and libraries, establishes a clear process for reviewing library materials and strengthens protections for teachers and librarians.

For this event, the Henry Whittemore Library and the Education Department co-hosted a panel of professors and students, as well as Massachusetts Secretary of Education Stephen Zrike Jr. and Massachusetts State Representative Sean Garballey to speak at the event.

Zrike said the Freedom to Read Act gives young people the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and challenge assumptions.

The decision over which books should be on library shelves should belong to librarians and educators, Zrike said.

David Halbert, the director of External Affairs, called the discussion “important” and “timely,” in the midst of Banned Books Week, an annual awareness campaign.

President Nancy Niemi said, “It is always, always important to acknowledge that the freedom to be able to read, to think, to question, and discuss the ideas you encounter is fundamental to our existence as a democracy.”

The panelists included Louis J. Lauer, a Whittemore Library curriculum librarian; Olivia Santoro, the ACLU’s deputy field director for civic education and mobilization; James Cressey, professor of education, and Stefan Papaioannou, professor of history.

Two students were also included on the panel: Caroline White, an early education major, and Oak Blum, a family studies major.

Books have the ability to save lives, Santoro said. “The ability to see yourself in the curriculum and in the books that you have in school is really important to your understanding of who you are and how you fit into the world.”

White said she believes, “books are the window to new opportunities and new perspectives.”

Several tables of banned books were featured at the event, highlighting children and young adult fiction. A chart named the most challenged books of 2025, which included “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.

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