WOOF MAGAZINE
Northeastern University’s Lifestyle Magazine
Photo by Fernanda Hurtado Ortiz
Fernanda’s Declassified Plant Survival Guide
#Plantgoals is a popularly sought after aesthetic when it comes to interior design, as it can make any home insta-worthy — even our very own Stetson dorms. Beyond visual decorations, owning indoor plants can also have physical and mental benefits.
According to HGTV.com, the official Home and Garden TV blog, owning plants can help reduce stress, create a feeling of well-being, improve air quality, absorb background noise, and help you focus better. If that is not enough to sway you, plants can also create a much-needed escape when the weather is particularly unpleasant.
I get it — not everyone has a green thumb or the time to take care of a plant. Surprisingly, there are many factors that need to be taken into account before choosing to buy a plant, such as the amount of available light and how much maintenance it requires. Luckily for you, I’ve thought of these things so you don’t have to.
Photo by Justine Newman
Active Minds: changing the mental health dialogue
With college’s balancing act between good grades, making friends, staying healthy, and having time for yourself, mental health can easily be left behind. An estimated 26 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — or about one in four adults — live with a diagnosable mental health disorder, according to Active Minds, a non-profit organization striving to reduce the stigmas associated with mental health disorders and foster dialogue among students about mental health. The National Alliance on Mental Illness shows that stigma prevents people from seeking the help they need.
Active Minds was founded in 2003 by University of Pennsylvania student Alison Malmon after her brother, who had been dealing with mental health issues, died by suicide. The organization has now spread to over 500 college campuses including a Northeastern chapter that was founded five years ago. It works with clubs like Student Government Association, Behind the SMILE, and Northeastern’s many A cappella groups to create events aimed toward advocacy and awareness in order to normalize the conversation about mental health.
On Feb. 21, Active Minds at NU took over Afterhours for their annual Break the Silence event, primarily planned by college liaison Nicole Dill, a fourth-year criminal justice and psychology major. With Starbucks closed down for the night, the usual coffee lounge was transformed into an intimate setting for students who have personal experience with mental illness to share their story on stage.
Photo by Fernanda Hurtado Ortiz
Trading in the t
There is no doubt that public transportation in Boston is not the best — let’s not get started on the Green Line’s delays or winter weather issues. Boston’s transportation isn’t cheap either, especially after the increase of fares in 2016 which raised the CharlieTicket price from $2.10 to $2.75, a steep price for our tight student budgets. However, what you may not know is, although slightly harder to navigate, the MBTA bus is cheaper, and operates routes with more precise stops, fewer line switches, and fewer delays than the T.
With 177 lines, the bus accommodates more precise stops and efficient routes than the T. For example, in order to get to Kendall Square on the T, you must take the Orange Line from Ruggles, get off at Downtown Crossing, and then take the Red Line to the Kendall/MIT stop, which takes about 30 minutes total. Yet, for the same amount of time, one bus line from Massachusetts Ave takes you directly to MIT stop. For those of you who live near Parker Street on the Hill, the 66 bus line can take you directly to Harvard Square rather than having to take the dreadful Green Line, only to then switch to the Red Line. When the weather is really horrible or the walk back from a Target run is too exhausting, the 47 bus line from Ruggles stop is only an 11-minute ride, with a stop directly on Boylston Street in Fenway.
I don’t presume to know all 177 lines the bus operates and have yet to understand the map fully myself, even after living in Boston for the past four years. So, my go-to transportation app is City Mapper. Using City Mapper, I can log my destination and it will give me the bus schedule and route, with live estimations of arrivals and departures, as well as notifications of when to get off.
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