In times of chaos, people are faced with a difficult decision. Do we stick to the course, business as normal, or do we try taking drastic actions? Historically, in these great debates, we see thinkers and voices emerge that come to epitomize this dilemma. Incendiary works of literature and outspoken authors can find themselves setting the tone for the great ordeals of their times. No author serves as a better voice for the English response to the Irish Potato Famine than T. R. Malthus. His literature said just what members of Parliament wanted to hear to justify their unconcerned approach to Famine relief.

The objective of free mass-participation events hosted by Salem State University (SSU), i.e. the 2016 Wellness U Multisport Festival and the 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020 Generation Games, was to involve SSU students studying sport and recreation management in the development and implementation of new sporting event solutions targeting these social concerns. The goal for the 2020 Generation Games was again to get many generations together for a day of fun and games. The Salem 2020 edition offered clinics as well as many other activities and sports. This presentation shares SSU’s experience in implementing the projects, while discussing implications for the community and the university as a whole. Surveys of event participants were collected, yielding suggestions for future endeavors to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of attracting and retaining more participants in free mass-participation events.

Due to the cataclysmic effects of the Irish famine 1845-'52, marriage began to reflect the increasing desire to preserve the central resource of land; matrimony among the Irish diminished as land availability dwindled. The blight created a new understanding amongst the Irish people that the events of the famine must never again occur. The effects of the Famine were so detrimental to the psyche of the Irish people that they began to change the very basis of their societal composition to ensure ongoing socioeconomic security through strategic land ownership.

Since the 2000s, LGBTQ characters have become more common in mainstream media such as film and television. However, some representations of LGBTQ characters may have been included to target non-LGBTQ viewers, who perceived LGBTQ characters as quirky secondary characters, rather than LGBTQ viewers, who sought accurate representations of their identities and experiences. Television representations of queer women have also become more common and diverse in the 2010s than the 2000s. This essay analyzes the representations of LGBTQ characters from both decades in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The L Word, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Orange Is the New Black through a feminist perspective with a focus on how queer women are represented in their respective series.