The Heights
Thursday, April 4, 2013
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Bruins fail to gain Iglina, but look to Jagr’s future By Brenna Cass For The Heights In the early morning of Mar. 28, both fans and members of the Boston Bruins were shocked when the captain of the Calgary Flames, Jarome Iginla, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins instead of the anticipated Bruins. The Bruins will have to complete what has so far been a lackluster season without the help of the future hall of famer. On Tuesday, the team did acquire former member of the Dallas Stars Jaromir Jagr, a strong trade which they hope will help to revive the team for the rest of the season. Iginla, decided to break his no-tradeclause for a limited number of teams, two of them being the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Bruins. The Bruins’ general manager Peter Chiarelli had made an agreement to send two current players and a first round draft pick to the Penguins in exchange for Iginla. The veteran forward and future hall of famer decided at the last minute to go to the Penguins instead of the Bruins, allegedly because he wanted the chance to play with Sidney Crosby. The Penguins are also currently in first place in the Eastern conference. The Bruins recovered quickly from the snub, however, and acquired veteran Jagr from the Stars on Tuesday afternoon. The trade took place just before the trade dead-
line of Wednesday, April 3. Jagr, originally from the Czech Republic, will likely become the team’s leading goal scorer. He will likely make his TD Garden debut on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. Fans hope that he will add a muchneeded boost to the Bruins’ offense, which has scored only 16 points total in the eight games leading up to Tuesday’s win against Ottawa. They also hope that Jagr will augment the Bruins power play, which the team has also struggled with this season. Boston is currently 14 for 92 in power play goals, giving them a 15.2 percentage of goals scored. Jagr will be a strong force in terms of the team’s power play, and had scored six power-play goals already with the Stars. The Bruins are currently in second place in the Northeast division of the NHL Eastern Conference behind the Montreal Canadians, their division rival. The Bruins stand at number four in the eastern conference standings, putting them in a good position going into the playoffs. Throughout the shortened season due to the NHL lockout, the Bruins have had trouble maintaining consistency. They had a strong start to the season, winning most of their games in February, but fell behind throughout the month of March, with a number of games being lost due to a lack of starting momentum. The most notable loss came Mar. 27, when the Bruins lost by one point to their rivals, the Montreal Canadi-
Mind Yo’ Business
Examining the nonconformity
Marc Francis
Photos Courtesy of Google Images
In a surprise trade, Flames Captain Jarome Iglina went to the Penguins instead of the Bruins. ans after a comeback late in the game. The Bruins will also play the Penguins at the end of April in a highly anticipated game, especially with the recent snub from Iginla. Jagr should strengthen the Bruins offense and scoring potential, and will hopefully give the team the momentum they need to be successful in the fast-approaching playoffs. Each team has less than 15 games left in the regular season. The Bruins still have a chance for the
Stanley Cup, especially with a strong place in current NHL standings. Winning the Stanley Cup in 2013 would be the seventh cup for the Bruins. The Penguins currently stand as the Eastern favorite, however—even more so with the addition of Iginla. It still remains to be seen how Iginla will mesh with the rest of the team. Bruins fans remain hopeful that the team will continue to deliver through the end of the regular season. n
Political hopefuls set sights on open mayorship Candidates emerge after Menino’s decision By Maggie Maretz For The Heights After Boston’s current mayor, Thomas M. Menino, declined to run for his sixth term in the upcoming mayoral election, the race was opened up to a series of non-incumbents who will vie for the position until votes are cast in November. Menino, who will still be acting mayor for nine months, served the city for 20 years, and his contributions to the city have received praise from distinguished individuals such as President Barack Obama and Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust—whoever becomes his successor will therefore face the high precedent set by Menino. The first of the candidates who have announced their campaigns is John R. Connolly, an at-large Boston City Councilor, current resident of West Roxbury, and graduate of Harvard University and BC Law in 2001. Connolly currently holds the chair position of several committees in Boston: the Education Committee, the Environment and Health Committee, and the Special Committee on a Livable Boston. He hopes that his time as chair of the Education Committee in particular will aid him in his goal of repairing the
school system in Boston and offering each child a world-class education, which will be a central focus of his campaign. On his website he explains, “We all need our Boston Public Schools to work because great schools lead to safe and healthy neighborhoods.” Next is Charles Clemons, a Dorchesterraised entrepreneur responsible for founding the radio station Touch 106.1, a nonprofit operation that was created in an effort to provide a family-oriented, profanity-free source of good music, an outlet for listeners to voice their concerns and grievances, and an organization that puts on events in order to bring together the community. Clemons, who also has served for 10 years as a correctional officer and a Boston police officer, says he plans to focus on issues like education, jobs, and public safety, and is overall dedicated to creating a better Boston. Another candidate is Will Dorcena, BC ’95, who was also raised in Dorchester and obtained his MBA from Babson College. Dorcena, the son of Haitian immigrants, cofounded a newspaper entitled The Boston Haitian Reporter, a monthly paper that focuses on the happenings in the Haitian community within Boston, as well as the
U.S. and Haiti. He also managed the Summer of Opportunity, a program that offers the young students of Boston opportunities to participate in paid internships through the cooperation of the ManuLife Insurance Company and the Boston Police Department. As mayor, he promises to listen to the concerns of Bostonians, advocate for responsible spending of tax dollars, and make Boston a better city. Martin “Marty” Walsh, a Democrat from Boston who has held the position of State Representative since 1997, announced Tuesday in an interview with The Boston Herald that he will run for mayor, and has already raised $175,000 toward his campaign efforts. Walsh holds many titles, including chairman of the Committee on Ethics, co-chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Labor Party Caucus, and co-chair for the Special Commission on Public Construction Reform. He also is active in local organizations in Boston, and holds the position of a board member for groups such as the Dorchester Boys and Girls Club and the Neighborhood House Charter School. The primary focuses of his campaign lie in organized labor, addiction recovery services, and youth and elderly advocacy. The next candidate, Felix Arroyo, was born and raised in the South End and currently lives in Jamaica Plain. Arroyo was
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elected to the Boston City Council in 2009 and before that worked as a community organizer and also coached a youth sports team for eight years. Because of this, he has a vested interest in the youth of Boston, and hopes to provide better opportunities for them. He also is dedicated to improving public health and promoting economic growth in Boston, and has developed legislation known as “Invest in Boston,” which encourages Boston to invest its money in banks that will reinvest in Boston, which he believes will in turn create jobs, promote economic growth, and reduce housing foreclosures. The final candidate who has announced his intent to fill the shoes of Menino is Daniel Conley, who has held the position of District Attorney for Suffolk County since being elected in November of 2002. His office deals with roughly 50,000 criminal cases annually, and has worked closely with the Boston Police Department in order to maximize the efficiency with which police officers gather and prosecutors use eyewitness evidence. For now, these men represent the candidates that will compete for the open mayoral position, although many speculate that others, such as Councilor Robert Consalvo, may announce their candidacy in the days to come. n
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6 Photos Courtesy of Google Images
Mayoral candidates eager to fill Menino’s role include John Connolly (1), Charles Clemons (2), Will Dorcena (3), Martin Walsh (4), Felix Arroyo (5), and Daniel Conley (6).
Fashion icon Iris Apfel coined a phrase I wish to share with the Boston College community: “When you don’t dress like everybody else, you don’t have to think like everybody else.” I was born and raised in New York City—the land of individuality. My friends and I grew up in an environment where some of the most positively recognized people were those who wore the most unique outfits from the most obscure clothing shops. Individuality breeds creativity and free thought, and I firmly believe that clothing is reflective of much more than aesthetical tendencies. Whether on the street, in the office, or on a college campus, your clothing transmits information regarding self-esteem, personality, and socioeconomic status. The BC administration is currently under much scrutiny from its students for its alleged “close-mindedness” when it comes to issues that conflict with Catholic teaching. A majority of the student body is pleading with the University for change and a breakage of tradition. It seems quite contradictory that a campus filled with students who adhere to the same fashion choices, hobbies, and habits are asking their University to stop following practices that have been in place since the school’s founding. If students are hesitant to stray from the norm, how can they expect the University to abandon traditions that are at the core of its identity? I am under the impression that BC is a victim of groupthink and a lack of courage. Normative social influence has trapped students in a web of conformity. J. Crew, Longchamp, Uggs, and North Face are fashion brands that litter the BC campus. I am not writing to voice my like or dislike for these brands, but rather to focus on their detrimental effects on the University’s population. Initially, it may seem silly to attribute such weighty characteristics to mere items of clothing. A person’s clothing, however, is what we first notice—our senses receive signals before the person utters a word. Here lies my main point—BC students unintentionally tell the world that they are a homogeneous population, when in reality we are an institution with abundant personality and free thought. Unfortunately, the potential for growth and change will only be realized as students recognize that peer acceptance does not necessitate imitation, but personalization. President of Wesleyan University Michael Roth recently authored an article in the Huffington Post titled “Conformity Is the Enemy: From Groupthink to Diversity.” Roth references the prominent effects of groupthink throughout the United States’ war with Iraq as he discusses the role of conformity as an “enemy of democracy.” I genuinely resonated with Roth’s dissection of conformity in America, especially as he stated that “You can see the vicious circle: the more cohesion, the more pressure toward ‘rationalized conformity.’ The more conformity, the more cohesion. Outsiders, and ideas from the outside, are not welcome. Everybody hears the same one-note chorus.” BC students have rationalized that conformity will lead to peer approval, which translates into future success. However, it is usually those who choose not to conform but engage in an experimentation of ideas who reach a fruitful end. If we are all traveling on identical paths, only a small percentage of us will attain success. The homogeneity present on campus not only creates unpleasant stereotypes, but also an illusion of invulnerability that will serve against the student population in the professional world. Most students that experience inner turmoil at BC are direct victims of the cycle of conformity— they are in such a state of intimidation that the natural process of self-discovery has been halted. For many, college is the last opportunity to grow comfortable with themselves before they begin their careers. Upon graduation, students are expected to know who they are and have clear cut goals. As a proud member of this campus, I sincerely hope that students recognize that before major administrative changes take place, they must have the courage to express themselves freely.
Marc Francis is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@ bcheights.com.