9-18-2014 by The Daily Free Press

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY YEAR XLIV. VOLUME LXXXVII. ISSUE III.

As universities enter third week of “red zone,” BU, Boston crisis centers address sexual assault concerns BY STEPHANIE PAGONES DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

After a night of celebrating with friends, Sarah Brattain, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, knew she had too much to drink and asked a friend to walk her home. She went straight to bed and assumed she was safe, but she woke up to find an unwelcome guest in her room. “I woke up to one of my friends in my bed. I had not seen him that night at all. His hands were in my pants, and he was touching me,” she said. “I was panicking because the last thing I remembered was walking home, making the conscience decision to come home because I knew that I had had too much to drink.” The man in her bed was no stranger to Brattain. The pair had been friends for almost four years. He always got too close, she said, but he seemed harmless. While she always had her guard up, she never expected things to escalate the way they did. “I went to the hospital the next day to get the rape kit done because I didn’t know what had happened,” she said. “He basically shrugged it off and said ‘I don’t know, I was drunk, too.’ He told me that he couldn’t sleep, and I looked really peaceful sleeping and so he just crawled in my bed when I was sleeping.” Brattain’s story is not uncommon. Since she opened up about the incident, she has been contacted by almost 60 people, between the ages of 14 and 62 , who have experienced attempted or completed sexual assault. At the beginning of each academic year, there is an increased risk of sexual assault on college campuses, leading to the first six weeks of school termed the “red zone.” “It [the red zone] is often identified as the first six weeks of the semester. There are several time frames — four weeks, six weeks, two months — that have been looked at to

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attempt to identify when predators are more active and first-year students are more at risk of being sexually assaulted,” said Maureen Mahoney, director of Boston University’s Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center, in an email. “These [time frames] are positive in terms of bringing awareness to campuses. But predatory behavior doesn’t have an expiration date.” Tuesday marked the third week of “BU’s red zone.” All students should be cognizant of this high-risk period as they get settled into college life, Mahoney said. “We think it is important to recognize that most students are assaulted by someone

they know — a partner, a classmate, a friend or acquaintance, a co-worker, someone they’ve met at a party or social function,” she said. SARP, a service established by BU to provide advocacy and assistance to students who have experienced trauma, opened in 2012 after there were several allegations of sexual assault from members of the BU men’s hockey team, which led to the arrest of two of their players. In May, BU was placed on the U.S. Department of Education’s list of 55 colleges and schools under Title IX investigation for the alleged mishandling of a complaint that

was filed October 2013. “Since that time, the DOE has said there are Title IX complaints at additional schools, but also made clear that a complaint [or] investigation is not evidence of a violation,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley in an email. About 1 in 5 women, or 1 in 71 men, reported being sexually assaulted in the United States in 2012, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nineteen percent of female college students have experienced sexual assaults or attempts, and

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Taxicab, rideshare companies debate safe hiring practices BY ADRIAN BAKER DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Uber, a ridesharing service widely used by Boston-area college students, debuted a bring-your-own-device program in August to streamline drivers’ ability to find customers, a move that has prompted taxicab unions and other organizations to raise safety concerns. Uber previously issued devices to its drivers that enabled them to find fares. But as of Aug. 27, drivers with an iPhone 4S or newer model can download an app so they can pick up riders with their personal phones. In early September, the app, which Uber intended to be available only to approved drivers, was leaked on the Internet for download by anyone with the proper device.

Boston Taxi Driver’s Association is one of several critics of Uber’s new program. Easier access to the app could enable unscreened drivers to offer rides, said Donna Blythe-Shaw, BTDA’s spokeswoman. “It makes it less safe for the public because anybody who has their own device can sign up with Uber and then lend that device out to somebody else,” she said. “You don’t even know who’s going to be in your car now.” Blythe-Shaw said registered Uber drivers might lend their phones to unregistered drivers in a mutually beneficial agreement. “Just think about this. You’ve got a smartphone, somebody else can’t afford one or has a reason that they can’t get hired by Uber,” she said. “So you say, ‘OK, I’m going to lease you my phone for the day for 100 bucks. Good deal to you, right?’ And then the guy goes out and makes 200 bucks.

What’s to stop somebody from doing that?” Anti-fraud features built into Uber’s software are the solution to that problem, said Taylor Bennett, Uber spokesman. “These comments are ridiculous and

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Though a Boston area taxi association has raised concerns over Uber’s background check practices, Uber claims it vets its drivers more thoroughly than Boston cab companies do.

NEWS

Mass. voters to weigh in on labor, gas taxes, environment, gambling in Nov. 4 election ballot BY JAIME BENNIS DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

With the general election fast approaching on Nov. 4, Massachusetts residents will vote for a new governor, but they will also have the opportunity to vote on four initiatives that will appear on the ballot and could change or alter existing laws in the Commonwealth. Of the measures that qualified for the ballot, Question 1 could repeal a 2013 law that automatically increases gas taxes according to inflation, Question 2 could expand the Commonwealth’s beverage container recycling law to include all non-alcoholic containers, Question 3 could repeal a 2011 law allowing resort casinos and Question 4 could entitle certain employees to earn and utilize paid sick days. After the Attorney General decides if a proposed petition is a proper question that can be put to referendum, the petitioners must go out and gather signatures from the public, said Brian McNiff, spokesman for Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin’s office. “The number of signatures they have to get changes every four years,” he said. “Last year, they had to get 68,911 signatures, and they also were limited to no more than a quarter [25 percent] from any one county.” McNiff said petitions are usually not initially approved by the Legislature after they review the signatures, so sponsors of the petition need to get more signatures over the summer, which is what happened with the four questions on the 2014 ballot. “This summer, they had to go get 11,485 more signatures,” he said. “Those four petitions came in with the necessary signatures, and now they are on the ballot.” Question 1 If approved by voters, the measure would repeal a 2013 law that ties gas tax increases to inflation, allowing for automatic annual increases in the Commonwealth’s gas tax. Tank the Gas Tax deemed the tax a slippery slope, saying, “If we don’t stop the linkage of this tax to inflation, then the legislature will surely link other taxes to inflation,” according to their website. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick oppos-

es the initiative. In Dec. 4, 2013 article, he told South Coast Today, “I think those that are advocating that the indexing be undone need to answer for why it is they keep showing up for all the ribbon-cuttings every time there’s a new bridge or a new road project done, but don’t seem to want to participate in how to pay for it.” Question 2 Phillip Sego, coordinator of the Bottle Bill campaign for the Massachusetts Sierra club, said people are starting to consume and produce more waste which is why updating the Bottle Bill is essential. “The current coverage of the Bottle Bill is just soda and beer, and when it was passed 30 years ago, people didn’t drink water, or juice, or Gatorade or other sports drinks,” he said. “What’s happened over the last 30 years is that consumer tastes have changed, and the litter rate has increased.” Sego said if the Bottle Bill were updated, recycling rates in Massachusetts would increase for all types of containers. “The beverages that are covered right now are recycled 80 percent of the time, which is phenomenal,” he said. “The ones that are not covered are only retained 23 percent of the time. The rest become either litter or trash. As soon as this passes or goes into effect on Earth Day next year, that same incredibly high recycling rate will be extended to all beverages, whether they are carbonated or not.” Nicole Giambusso, spokeswoman for No On Question 2: Stop Forced Deposits, said updating the Bottle Bill is too costly. “One of our main concerns about Question 2 is that it costs too much and does too little,” she said. “Question 2 will add nearly $60 million a year to the cost of groceries, and it will only increase recycling by oneeighth of a percent. A fraction of a percent is not worth families having to pay more at the checkout counter.” Giambusso said there are other solutions to the recycling problem besides updating the Bottle Bill. “Instead of spending tens of millions in consumer money to add to an outdated, inefficient system, we should build on single stream, curbside recycling programs that work today,” she said. “No On Question 2 wants to see clean-

er streets and higher recycling rates, but Question 2 is not the answer.” Question 3 The costs of operating casinos in Massachusetts outweigh the benefits the resort casinos could bring to the area, said Stephen Eisele, spokesman for Repeal the Casino Deal. “The casino gambling bill has a variety of costs and benefits associated with the opening of casinos across the state,” he said. “We believe that the casino industry is overGRAPHIC BY EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF saturated and in a Massachusetts voters will have the opportunity to vote on four period of volatility, ballot questions this November. evidenced by the closing of four casinos in Atlantic City this Question 4 year and revenues down in Connecticut, Debra Fastino, executive director of the Delaware and elsewhere.” Coalition for Social Justice, said the Earned The Coalition to Protect Mass. Jobs claims Paid Sick Time Act would benefit the nearly operating resort casinos will create “10,000 1 million workers in Massachusetts who canhigh-quality, permanent jobs and 6,500 con- not afford to take a paid sick-day off. struction jobs…that offer solid wages and real “Hardworking people shouldn’t have to benefits,” according to their website. choose between the job they need and the Eisele said casino gambling would take children they love,” she said. “They deserve revenue away from the state lottery, resulting to be able to go see a doctor without having in cuts to local aid for several cities and towns. to worry about being fired.” “Additionally, casinos have a number Bill Vernon, director of the National Fedof negative consequences, which explain eration of Independent Business, said the law the need for mitigation agreements for would ultimately harm small businesses. host and surrounding communities,” he “This is going to cost companies money, said. “Rates of crime, drunk driving and and it is going to come out of something,” he domestic violence have all been seen to said. “It’s either going to come out of pay, it’s increase with the introduction of casinos going to come out of vacation time, it’s going to a community.” to come out of health care, it’s going to come The Coalition also claims that ca- out of retirement. I would contend that most sinos are not associated with general in- workers would put all of those four things creases in crime rates, citing several stud- ahead of sick time. Those are more importies from Harvard University and Temple ant to workers than sick time.” University that conclude that crime rates For more information on the questions do not rise with the introduction of a ca- that will appear on the ballot on Nov. 4, sino, according to their site. check the Secretary of State’s website.

Vigilance best defense against sexual assault, SARP finds CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Gayle Jaffe, community engagement manager of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, said there are not only resources on college campuses, but also organizations in the city of Boston to help those who have been assaulted and educate others in order to prevent sexual attacks. “BARCC’s mission is really to support survivors of sexual assault and work to end sexual violence through healing actions and social change,” she said. “We’ve been partnering much more with campuses. The more we get involved with campuses and with student groups, the more that we are able to make people more aware of what kinds of services and resources we have to offer.” Mahoney said it is important for students to be involved in the prevention process. SARP’s primary prevention program, “Step Up. Step In. BU.,” focuses on teaching students how to identify and intervene safely in certain high-risk situations. Students often get carried away when they first come to college, Jaffe said, and are more vulnerable because they are in social

situations they might not have experienced before. “For many students, they are away from home for the first time. They don’t have parental involvement, so they’re out there. They’re on campus. They’re in a really new environment,” she said. “There’s a lot of alcohol that’s generally available, and it’s easier to have access to that alcohol. So many things are so new and students are really transitioning to this different life period.” Irresponsible decisions can lead to students being in less safe situations, Jaffe said, such as walking home alone late at night, walking alone to a party and excessive alcohol consumption, which can lead to perpetrators taking advantage of the situation. “Bystander intervention and just looking at changed attitudes and behaviors are really going to be the most effective ways of preventing sexual assaults from happening,” she said. However, some people, much like Brattain, did follow the rules and avoided risky situations, but were unable to avoid sexual assault. “All of the girls that I know who have been assaulted, they have all followed the

rules,” she said. “[It] seems like it’s our job to protect ourselves, but that’s putting responsibility on us, rather than teaching men to respect boundaries. I don’t think following all the rules prevents rape. The biggest issue is just the culture we have where it’s a woman’s job to protect themselves.” Brattain said her best advice would be to raise awareness about sexual assault and sexual assault prevention because “the more people talk about it, the more people take it seriously.” “In a perfect world, you would have an escort everywhere, but really in a perfect world you wouldn’t have to worry about doing something as simple as walking home from the library at night.” Several students said it is important for everyone to be aware of their surroundings and keep in mind their location in a big city. Diego Davila, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he has not personally witnessed a person being sexually assaulted, but he has heard stories. “To be honest, the whole college culture as a whole has contributed to the rape culture. When students first come to college, they’re learning to adjust to college’s social norms. If

you’re new to being on your own, you’re less likely to know what’s normal and what is okay,” he said. “I don’t think BU does much to handle or even prevent the situation. It doesn’t seem like they do anything to the perpetrator.” Caitlin O’Malley, a junior in CAS, said even though she has to remain vigilant, resources like SARP are comforting facets of BU. “There have definitely been moments when I’m walking home late and I get nervous,” she said. “We’re in a city, on a campus where there are people who don’t necessarily go to our school walking down the street.” Meredith Hauser, a sophomore in the Pardee School of Global Studies, said students’ own awareness is one of the greatest defenses against sexual assault. “I could see how being in a city could make our school more dangerous, but I think Commonwealth Avenue is safer than other places I’ve been to,” she said. “I don’t really feel uncomfortable anymore, but people definitely need to be aware or their surroundings, especially at night or when they’re alone, which is something that I think people forget.”

NEWS

Student launches online clothing marketplace, grows site through BU community outreach BY MINA CORPUZ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

As music pulsed through Boston University’s Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism on Sunday, students eyed the space, full of used clothing, with anticipation. Through racks of shirts, coats and accessories, Alex Shadrow walked to the head of the room, cut the music and shouted, “Go.” With students ripping clothes off the racks and guarding them protectively in their arms, BU’s first clothing swap had just begun. “We didn’t want to make it a money event, but something more around the fun of clothing shopping,” Shadrow, a College of Communication senior, said. “We wanted to do something fun for BU girls to bond over.” Shadrow is the CEO and founder of Unitiques, a free, student-exclusive online marketplace that hosted Sunday’s clothing swap. With over 3,000 college and university students across the country using her website, Shadrow said she is constantly looking to expand her brand, a process spurred on by events at BU. “Unitiques was never an idea that I had. It sort of just came to me,” she said. “I tried to go to secondhand stores carrying these heavy bags, only to be ripped off. I didn’t like that process, [and] I figured there had to be something else out there for college students, which there wasn’t. So I created Unitiques.” Shadrow’s website allows

students to buy and sell new and used clothing and offers a search bar based on college, price range, category, color and size. “Unitiques is great because it feels safer, and it’s good to give our clothes a second chance,” said clothing swap attendee Sara Tse, a first-year graduate student in Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “It’s easy for students to make a few extra bucks.” Since its inception in December 2013, Unitiques has grown from a Facebook group solely with-

on projects that foster collaboration and support in the BU community. In a partnership with Cookin Cafe and Grille — who also catered Sunday’s clothing swap — Shadrow is working with College of Fine Arts students Alexander Golob and Addie Camp to paint a BU and Boston-themed mural in the Allston restaurant. Aslan Zadeh, owner of Cookin Café and Grille, said he has planned to remodel the interior of his restaurant since purchasing it.

“What’s really been special for me is the response from students, and how much they like the website. It’s my motivation to keep on going,” Shadrow said. in BU to an online shop with users in states as far away as California and Alaska. “What’s really been special for me is the response from students and how much they like the website. It’s my motivation to keep on going,” Shadrow said. “Watching the website go up has been a major challenge with multiple hurdles, but it’s really rewarding.” To promote Unitiques and network with other students and young entrepreneurs, Shadrow said she is focusing

“It’s a popular area with a lot of students, and white walls don’t really make sense for a place around here,” Zadeh said. “Originally, I thought I would just paint the wall, but the more Alex and I started talking, we both thought about a large mural.” Work on the mural will begin once the final designs are solidified and will conclude in early October, Zadeh said. Golob, a CFA junior, said a friend recommended him to Shadrow, who then contacted him

Boston University student and founder of Unitiques Alex Shadrow (COM ’15).

about designing and painting the 12-by-16 foot mural. “The nice thing about murals that involve community members is that it becomes not just about the final project, but about the enriching procedure that you went through,” Golob said. “I have confidence that the design we come out with will be enjoyable, a piece of art in itself that will be memorable and promote what Cookin Cafe is going for, which is building a community and a fun space to hang out in.” Working with Shadrow has fostered a strong relationship between Cookin Cafe and Unitiques, Zadeh said. “BU takes care of me really well, bringing these students into the area,” he said. “I would

really like to give back because the more I give, the more I get back…Personally, if I didn’t have Alex, it would take me years to get into the market and reach out to all these students. I think we’ll be working for a long time together.” Shadrow will continue to develop Unitiques, support fellow entrepreneurs and strive to empower women through her site, which she said pushes her to “be the best I can be.” “Before I started the Unitiques site, I had confidence issues, and doing this has proven what I can do for myself,” she said. “My message is to find something that you tell yourself that you’re good at rather than things other people tell you you’re good at. Taking risks is worth it.”

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Unitiques has partnered with Cooking Cafe in Allston, and students in the College of Fine Arts will volunteer to paint a mural in the restaurant.

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NEWS

Menino converses with BU students about city politics

Taxicab union claims rideshare BYOD signup service hazardous CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

GRAPHIC BY EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino responds to a question from Kathryn Devaney (GMS ‘16) during “Pizza and Politics: A Conversation with Mayor Menino” Wednesday afternoon.

BY ADRIAN BAKER DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino spoke to more than 30 Boston University students Wednesday about issues the city of Boston is facing and the importance of student involvement in local politics. Menino, now a College of Arts and Sciences political science professor of the practice, fielded questions from students in the first monthly “Pizza and Politics” session, sponsored by the political science department. CAS Associate Professor of Political Science Douglas Kriner, who organized the session, said having Menino on BU’s faculty is a great opportunity for him to engage with students and educate them about local politics. “Local government — let’s face it — it directly touches our lives much more than state or national government,” Kriner said, listing issues, such as affordable housing, the public school system and the City’s budget that affect students. “These are the types of things that students should be engaging in now, and then they’ll have the opportunity if they stick around in Boston to really be leaders in a lot of these issues.” Menino said voter apathy among the college-aged demographic reflects general attitudes toward public officials. However, he encouraged students to register to vote in Massachusetts and become more involved in politics in and around Boston. Through voting, students have the opportunity to educate themselves about candidates for local office and ballot measures, but they often choose not to, he said. “They don’t think government is an important factor in their lives,” Menino said. “People don’t trust their government today. There has to be a change in people’s ideas about their elected officials.” Menino said to address disenchantment with the political system, public officials must establish a good relationship with their constituents. “An elected official has to be trusted,” he said. “If they trust you as an elected official and trust you in the business world, you can do almost anything...You have to always tell the truth, sometimes even if it hurts, because people want you to be a leader and not a follower.” When asked what he considers the most important issues facing Boston, Menino said inequality is the issue of the 21st century. “The rich get richer, the working class gets poorer and the poor get real poor,” he said. “For a family with two kids or three

kids, it’s very difficult to survive in this world today. You’ll always get there, but it’s hard work.” Menino talked about the ways he addressed economic inequality during his 20 years as mayor, including subsidizing housing in the city and establishing the Office of New Bostonians to provide job training and legal services for foreign residents who might otherwise be hindered by a language barrier. When asked if he would return for another talk, Menino said he would consider it if the next event featured better pizza. Katie Reilly, a CAS sophomore, said it is of great benefit to the city and BU that Menino remains an active member of the community after leaving the mayoral office. “You don’t really get to talk directly to political officials very often, and he’s definitely very active still in the community, even though he isn’t mayor anymore,” she said. “It really helps us when a city government is more involved with us and we get to talk the people representing us.” Reilly said she appreciated Menino’s response to her question regarding issues facing Boston. “I definitely agree with him on the inequality in incomes,” she said. “It’s something that’s visible in the community and something that’s really hard to improve, but I think that they definitely need to start working on improving it.” Matthew Craig, a senior in the School of Education, said more young people would be involved in local politics if elected officials connected with the community as well as Menino has. “It’s very cool to see somebody that was such a major player in Boston and in the state of Massachusetts,” he said. “Accessibility is a huge part of the reason why we’re so disillusioned, because we see these figures as not being human necessarily. When they’re so grounded and connected to the actual people, to their own communities, it’s worthwhile.” Kathryn Devaney, a fourth-year student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said she appreciates the changes Menino made to Boston during the 10 years she has lived in the city. She said his connection to residents, especially after the Boston Marathon bombings, changed her perception of politicians. “He would come by really frequently and talk to people, and had his finger on the pulse of what the people of the city were thinking,” she said. “When I was younger especially, I never really thought of politicians that way. Mayor Menino was the first politician I came in contact with who was very connected with his constituents.

Throughout the testing of this limited availability BYOD [Bring Your Own Device] beta, additional anti-fraud features are continually being built into the program.” Among several safety precautions, Uber customers can see a picture on their phone of the person who should be driving, allowing them to check if the person who picks them up is a certified Uber employee. Uber drivers subcontracting rides would both violate the law and Uber’s terms and conditions, Bennett said. Blythe-Shaw said it is also important to question the rigor of Uber’s background checks on driver applicants. “Uber says that all of their drivers are vetted, but we don’t know if they really are vetted, and by whom are they vetted,” she said. “We have evidence that it’s possible to circumvent that vetting or get around it. If you have a criminal record, you might still be able to get to drive for Uber.” However, Bennett said Uber’s required background checks are more stringent than those taxis require. Ten percent of licensed Boston taxi drivers have failed Uber’s background checks, which include county, federal and multistate checks that go back seven years, he said. Despite criticism of Uber’s safety precautions, several Boston residents said they would continue to use the service in the name of convenience. April Duddy, 34, of Beacon Hill, said she feels as comfortable with Uber’s safety

measures as she does when using a taxi service. “I don’t see that it’s very different. If something’s going to happen, then something’s going to happen, regardless of the different background checking,” Duddy said. “It would worry me just as much as taking a taxi service would. You just sort of anticipate that people have done the best they can as part of their business to look into that.” Jon Bethard, 32, of Kenmore, said the potential of being paired with an unregistered driver is outweighed by the convenience and cost-savings provided by Uber. “It probably wouldn’t concern me until I had a bad experience, where the driver took me somewhere else,” Bethard said. “Things don’t bother people until it affects them.” Bethard said Uber appeals to him as a last resort if he is in desperate need of transportation. “Usually, I’m using it if I’m running late or the bus is late and I’ve got to be somewhere, so it’s a good plan B for getting around,” he said. “Even knowing that there could be a chance to get an unregistered driver, if I’m running late, I’d probably use it.” Ari Darlow, 23, of Kenmore, said the BYOD program is concerning because anyone who steals an approved Uber driver’s phone could then start picking up fares. “I feel like if I heard about multiple instances of phony drivers, I would be afraid to use the service, but right now it’s fine,” he said. “Uber drivers would probably be even more protective of their phones now because of that.”

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Networking options expand for Boston young professionals BY OLIVIA DENG DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

It is not about what you know; it’s about who you know, or so says the old adage. With an increasingly competitive job market, emphasis on networking has grown among college students and recent college graduates. It’s how exactly young professionals go about that networking process that’s seeing some changes. From specialty-focused in-person networking workshops to smart phone apps that connect users with potential employers, ﬁ nding a job in the digital age is a whole new ballgame. In Boston, where 35 percent of the population is between ages 20 to 34, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, independently organized networking events have started to surface. While some cater to certain industries, such as the technology and startup crowds, others are more industry-agnostic. One of the local general networking events is MassConnect, which occurs on a monthly basis at Julep Bar, said event organizer Nate Therrien. “What I found a lot of the events in Boston do is they have a speaker series or a panel or discussion, but there weren’t that many that were straightforward networking,” he said. “I always thought, for the most part, people going to these events…go there for the networking portion of the event. But then as the event

goes on, they bring things down, they go into the panel discussion. And the networking kind of comes to an end. The way I designed the event, it’s just networking to meet as many people as you can.” Therrien said social networking has helped him organize MassConnect. “I had a LinkedIn group. I grew that to 300 people, and when it got to 300 people, that’s when I did my fi rst event,” he said. “And the event has grown ever since.” Therrien charges a $10 attendance fee and usually gets about 75 to 100 people at each event. In part, MassConnect is a byproduct of Therrien’s ambitions for his insurance brokerage business, Insurance and Benefits Services of Massachusetts. “Just for my purposes, I use the event almost like a marketing tool for my business… My primary market is startup companies. So for my own selfish purposes, I want to see that come to the table. I want to bring that to me,” he said. “Doesn’t mean it is not open to anyone and anything, but there is a theme to it.” At Boston University, the BU Finance and Investment Club organizes two specialized networking events throughout the academic year, said Jake Siegel, president of BUFC and a senior in the School of Management. Their fi rst event, called “Your Future in Finance,” takes place on Oct. 25 and features speakers, career development workshops

and open table networking. Siegel said the event usually brings in 50 to 80 alumni and between 150 to 200 students. The second large-scale networking opportunity BUFC provides is a visit to Wall Street in the spring, said Siegel. He said the group is bused into Manhattan to meet with senior alumni still involved in the club and participate in office visits. “We’ve been able to visit alumni at Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Credit Suisse and that’s really a tremendous opportunity,” he said. BUFC, which also runs an investment fund, trains its members for professional success by combining two aspects: hard skills acquired from investment research and soft skills gained from developing interpersonal skills through networking. “They [those skills] go hand-in-hand with each other and especially in fi nancial services,” Siegel said. “There are really two components in the evaluation of a candidate…For example, in SMG, it is very difficult to get exposure to fi nance courses prior to your junior year, but in the Finance Club, you can get that skillset two years in advance compared to your peers…It’s much easier to make a positive impression, much easier to explain your passion for your industry and willingness to learn, when you have been developing your skillset.” One specialized networking event outside of BU’s campus is Venture Café, which

is held at the Cambridge Innovation Center on Thursdays. Attracting about 350 people per session, Venture Café caters to the startup crowd, offering information tables, office hours and workshops, said Kevin Wiant, executive director of the Venture Café Foundation. “We do get a wide swath of the innovation ecosystem,” Wiant said. “We have people from various different sectors and support groups which help early-stage companies, founders and innovation projects at large companies and nonprofits and government.” Wiant said college students visit Venture Café regularly. “They [college students] get to meet with people who had experience starting up companies…so it helps accelerate their learning about the opportunities and challenges about building a startup, as well as the opportunity to share their ideas with experienced folk to get some feedback as well as look for resources that might help them start and grow a company,” he said. Though the attendance numbers at MassChallenge and Venture Café show that in-person networking is still a popular option, Boston-area events such as FutureM, Mass Innovation Nights, Mobile Monday and Network After Work indicate networking is starting to have applications in the digital world. READ MORE AT dfpr.es/ntwrkin

SPOTLIGHT SAO launches improvements in light of student feedback BY HEATHER GOLDIN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Following student leaders’ concerns about the Student Activities Office in spring 2014, SAO launched improvements for event planning via e-mail on Aug. 25, said Coordinator of Programs Taylor Sevigny. “In an effort to eliminate that BU bounce, we wanted to create an experience that was more customer-centric for students,” Sevigny said. The “BU bounce” refers to the issue of student organization leaders getting bounced back and forth as they try to plan events, only to land back at square one. Sevigny said SAO has tried to alleviate most of these problems with a “one-stop shop” for student group event planning. “We’re not going to tell you what you need, and say, ‘Okay, go do it.’ We’re going to do it with you on the spot,” Sevigny said. Gone are the days of dealing with caterers, classroom technology services, facilities and student production services on your own. Now, SAO will work with students to complete these necessary tasks and follow up with these groups on his or her behalf. With SAO’s updated planning services, students in need of help at any stage of the event planning process can walk into the redesigned office at 1 University Rd. with nothing more than an idea. An employee is there to greet students as soon as they walk in.

As soon as a consultant is available — wait time varies depending on how busy the office is — students are directed to a table to work out event logistics. Before, office employees were expected to juggle office logistics as well as student consulting. However, a refigured office structure has separated those tasks, leaving some employees to handle the front office and others to focus solely on helping out student leaders. Though event planning is walk-in only right now, Sevigny said SAO is working to set up an appointment system. SAO has also tried to make the process easier for students by providing online packages for common events, such as fi lm screenings, concerts, lectures and off -campus trips. They also created a list of approved vendors who offer special BU rates and are offering free digital signage in George Sherman Union and on computers across campus. One of the biggest headaches for student organizations in the past has been getting access to classroom technology. SAO now makes sure students have access to basic technology such as projectors, as long as they have the room reserved. Instructions for using classroom technology is also available on the SAO website. Since enacting these changes, Sevigny said not everything has been as smooth as SAO would like it to be. “We’re still working out a lot of kinks with this process in general,” she said. “This is new for everyone, and we’re doing our best to accommodate students when there is a kink.”

PHOTO BY HEATHER GOLDIN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Student Activities Consultant Madison Dinndorf (SMG ‘16) works with Charlotte Miller (SMG ‘16) and Gwen Jahnke (SED ‘16) to plan their event.

The disjointed process of reserving classrooms on campus for student group use is one issue that has come up several times this year already. Because SAO just oversees programs such the reservations oﬃce, communication problems still arise. “In general, it’s not very fun dealing with SAO,” said College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Kyle Mann. While he was trying to reserve a room in Metcalf Science Center for an upcoming club meeting with Global App Initiative, Mann said SAO neglected to mention there would be a custodial fee for using the room on a weekend until after he had already booked the room.

Despite these issues, there has been positive feedback regarding the consultants and their focus on students’ needs. “In person, SAO is extremely helpful,” said Ryan Lader, a sophomore in the College of Engineering planning Greek fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha’s annual philanthropy event. “If I don’t know how to ﬁ ll out a certain form, I can just come in and have them walk me through it.” The goal, Sevigny said, is to have students meet with SAO only once and to have all needs met in that one visit. “We don’t expect you to know everything,” she said. “We’re the experts here.”

FEATURES

MUSE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

LIMOO PHOTO BY ANNA NOVIKOVA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Limoo, a newcomer to Boston University’s West Campus, is a bubble tea café by day and a bar by night.

New bubble tea café and bar stirs up sense of community BY ANNA NOVIKOVA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

A new year on campus brings not only new faces, but also new storefronts and eateries on and around Boston University. On Aug. 12, as Boston was preparing for the coming onslaught of students, Limoo Tea Bar, at 1032 Commonwealth Ave., was opening its doors for the ﬁ rst time. Situated near BU’s West Campus, next to the Babcock Street T Station, Limoo is a bubble tea house, as well as a bar, serving up several specialty drinks — including bubble tea of the

alcoholic variety. Bubble tea is specialty-ﬂavored tea ﬁlled with “boba,” a kind of cooked tapioca, or other toppings. The daytime-café-turned-nighttime-bar also features a menu with a mix of American, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. But owner Joe Deng insisted that Limoo is much more than its food and drinks. “We don’t just sell alcoholic bubble tea here,” he said. “We sell an environment, a feeling.” He said the idea for Limoo was born out of a great, shared meal and conversation between his business partners, which sparked the “stroke of genius” of creating a food setting based around

community. Tea is served with miniature cups for sharing — “not just ‘you get your drink, and I get mine,’” Deng said. In addition to its platter foods, Limoo is continuing to expand its menu to include more ﬁ nger foods and “further encourage more sharing and more togetherness.” Limoo is not a newcomer to the world of bubble tea. Deng already has two traditional bubble tea cafes in western Massachusetts, both called LimeRed Teahouse. But he wanted to take the idea a step further and bring it to Boston. “Alcoholic bubble tea came about because I wanted something more than vodka

cranberry,” he said with a laugh. “When it was time to go out, I would use my bubble tea and mix it with my alcohol, and it was just so delicious…I want to put the taste back into drinking.” Deng applies this idea of fusion to the food at Limoo as well, oﬀering options such as shwarma “pockets” and a mon-tao burger. “Our food and drink is very unconventional, and you can’t label that — much like people can’t be labeled,” he said. “That’s why I call it new-age American.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

FEATURES

SCIENCE TUESDAY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

GRAPHIC BY CLINTON NGUYEN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Researchers have identified a common deletion in the gene sequencing across the wings of different kinds of butterflies, opening the door to greater genetic predictability.

BU, MSU researchers zero in on genetic roots in butterflies BY REBECCA DEGREGORIO DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

All roads lead to Rome. Such a confident statement serves as the basis for the age-old biological theory commonly known as the “many roads” theory. Supporters of this theory, including the famed scientist Ernst Mayr, believe that many random paths connect different animals with similar traits. But in a study published Sept. 8 in science journal Nature Communications, researchers from Boston University and Michigan State University decided to challenge this vague evolutionary theory. “A classic example of that [the “many roads” theory] is the wing of a bat, the wing of a bird and the wing of a butterfly. They’re all wings, they all function in flying and they all sort of resemble each other to some degree,” said Dr. Jason Gallant, lead author of the paper and an assistant professor of zoology at MSU. “What we mean by ‘Rome’ is of course getting to the point where you get a wing and the roads to Rome mean all the different ways that you might evolve that particular function.” Following this winged-theme, the re-

searchers decided to investigate the evolutionary concept on butterfl ies. Not just chosen for their beauty and charismatic nature, butterfl ies represent a diverse family. There are approximately 17,600 species of butterfl ies on this planet with distinctive and identifiable wing patters, said Dr. Sean Mullen, the senior corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor of biology at BU. “Butterfly wings are a great developmental model because they’re actually only a single cell layer thick,” Mullen said. “So it’s essentially like looking at the development of a piece of paper…They’re not three-dimensional, so it can be easier to interpret the [genetic] pattern that way.” The methods of the 10-year-long study evolved from the swipe of a butterfly net to the genomic technology of this day and age. Initially, BU researchers gathered North American butterfl ies known as “White Admirals” as well as their bluewinged relatives “Red-spotted Purples.” In northern areas of the United States, Red-spotted Purples coexist with a poisonous species known as “Pipevine Swallow-

tails.” As a response to the toxicity of the Swallowtails, birds have learned to avoid all blue butterfl ies. Over 65 million years ago Red-spotted Purples adopted this darker façade for survival purposes. This ability to adapt to the environment was what made the species ideal for the study. In order to figure out where the White Admirals and the Red-spotted Purples meet, the team searched for the exact gene that made the two butterfl ies different from one another. “It’s actually the ancestral pattern that the great, great grand-butterfly [of the Red-Spotted Purples] is actually a White Admiral,” Gallant said. “So basically, it’s the same species but it has two completely different colored wings.” Hundreds of these collected butterfl ies were then lined up and the appearance of their wings was recorded. From there, a long and tedious search for the origin of this wing discrepancy began. “The whole genome is about 500 million letters long, so there’s a lot of potential and each one of those [500 million letters] could have been the cause,” said Gallant. “So it’s re-

ally like finding a needle in a hayfield. That’s the metaphor that I use. So we really needed to reduce the hayfield to a haystack.” This was where BU researchers came in. By scanning the DNA of the Red-spotted Purples and White Admirals for differing patterns of letters, Mullen and Gallant’s team were able to narrow down the search to about 200,000 potential causal base pairs. Through a similar genetic sequencing process, Gallant honed in on three genes. One of them, a gene formally known as WntA, was discovered to have a retrotransposon, which is essentially a DNA virus. In simple terms, he cracked the code. “DNA has to be copied from generation-to-generation or from cell-to-cell in order to make more butterfl ies. And periodically, there are accidents in that copying process where little bits are deleted or added,” Gallant said. He went on to describe how this deletion occurred in the exact same position as the retrotransposon in both butterfly lineages. READ MORE ON DFPR.ES/BUTAFLY

New bubble tea café and bar stirs up sense of community CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Limoo caters to students as “a multi-use space: more of a bar toward the weekend and more of a lounge or café during the weekdays,” Deng said. He loves the West Campus spot because he wants Limoo to be a large hangout spot for students. “I love the student market. I ﬁ nd them to be very open to new ideas,” he said. “They care about the things I care about.” Deng believes Limoo’s proximity to campus makes it a “very good and viable alternative to the library,” and led him to install outlets about every two feet around the café. The establishment is divided into two levels so customers can choose their preferred atmosphere. The bottom level is open and casual with wide windows, while the top level is more intimate. “We want to create a really chill space, like

the Central Perk [café] for ‘Friends,’” he said. Despite Limoo’s unique approach to food and drink, there are quite a few places to get bubble tea in the BU area — specialized spots in Allston like Kung Fu Tea or Infusions Tea Spa, as well as Asian restaurants on campus like Beijing Cafe. Yet Deng feels his business will stand out among the others because Limoo offers customers a “different brand” of tea. “Bubble tea has been around for decades,” he said. “But the problem is that people don’t care about quality standards, and that’s what separates us [at Limoo].” Deng added that Limoo hones in on inclusiveness, because people not only need to be exposed to quality bubble tea, but also to the right kind of environment as well. “Everybody is welcomed here. We support huge diversity within our staff and the foods that we create,” he said. “That’s how we differentiate ourselves – that’s the different brand.”

The food and drinks at Limoo are homemade. The teas are brewed in-house multiple times a day and made with fresh, high-grade fruits. “If you try our food, I guarantee you’ll taste the diﬀerence,” Deng said. This is why he believes that, for the price of Limoo’s foods and drinks, “you’re getting a lot more than you think, because I put quality above all else.” Nevertheless, Deng said he and his chef try to accommodate prices for as many people as possible without sacriﬁcing the attention to detail. “We’ve been trying to push our $7 drinks, like the Limoo Sangria, the Rosewater Margarita, the Whiskey Green Tea. All those drinks are made in-house…We have dive bar prices in a nondive bar atmosphere, which we think is a pretty big deal.” With its premier month under its belt, Limoo is planning to implement changes based on customer feedback. It’s changing its food

menu to make it more understandable, creating a take-out menu and is planning to rotate items pretty frequently. Limoo will also install iPads outside of the café showcasing its food, because “too many people are walking by and look interested but don’t know what’s on the menu,” Deng said. Although he agreed that many companies will try to “ride the wave” with bubble tea, Deng is conﬁdent that Limoo — with its emphasis on community and interactions — will stand out and become a central place for BU students for hang out and study. At times, when the order counter is empty, Deng and his co-workers can be seen mingling and chatting with the patrons. “What you can’t copy is the devotion I have to the student body and the welcome-ness we have, the way we train our employees to remember your name,” Deng said. “You’re not just a number here.”

OPINION

T H E I N D E P E N D E N T S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R A T B O S T O N U N I V E R S I T Y

44th year | Volume 87 | Issue 3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Miss America: the Price of Beauty She speaks three languages: English and Russian, which she learned at home, and Spanish, which she learned in school. She’s a graduate of Hofstra University Honors College, having received a diploma in her triple majors of Political Science, Global Studies and Geography, and she is looking to attend law school. She’s a spokeswoman for an anti-domestic violence campaign and a victim of domestic violence herself. Plus, she sings. Here she comes — she’s the newly crowned Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev. Americans have been watching the Miss America pageant and others like it on television since the ﬁ rst televised beauty pageant in 1959. Featuring beautiful, slightly robotic women traipsing around in swimsuits and tiaras, the beauty competition world seemed distant to the average viewer. More recently, reality TV shows such as TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras” have given people a glimpse into this strange world of fake teeth and spray tans, although overall opinions are largely negative. Whether you associate them with robots or screaming 6-year-olds, the world of beauty pageants is largely misunderstood and constantly critiqued. The Miss America Pageant was founded in 1921 in Atlan-

tic City, New Jersey. Originally dubbed the “Inter-City Beauty” Contest, the eight contestants were judged on appearance and personality, and they were expected to be the embodiment of the ideal American woman. Today, the contest is a scholarship program, and winners receive money for their educations, often in large sums. Contestants are judged 15 percent on Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit, 20 percent on Evening Wear, 35 percent on talent, 25 percent on Private Interview and 5 percent on their response to an on-stage question.

“W

hy is it still

necessary for them to strut around in swimsuits and evening gowns to gain these benefits?

”

“Miss America is a role model to young and old alike, and a spokesperson, using her title to educate millions of Americans on an issue of importance

to herself and society at large,” the Miss America Organization website states. The fact that the incentive to win this competition is based in scholarship is admirable. Women cannot compete in these competitions without having educational goals, and many of the contestants are far more impressive than that. Additionally, they have to promote and do service for a cause they believe in. When successful in pageants, these women not only improve their own reputations, but also increase awareness for important charities. “The Miss America Organization and others like it are promoting educated women who are standing up for problems they believe in,” said Katherine Rushlau, a senior at Emerson College and Miss Maine’s National Sweetheart 2014. “These organizations are providing an outlet for them to express themselves. It’s not just a swimsuit competition anymore. These competitions are giving women opportunities to advance their careers and their educations while promoting great causes.” The advantages that come from competing in pageants are signiﬁcant. The women are accomplished, educated and through the publicity of these pageants, on the way to achieving their goals. The question is, why is it still necessary

Kyle Plantz, Editor-in-Chief

Felicia Gans, Managing Editor

Clinton Nguyen, Multimedia Editor

Taryn Ottaunick, Opinion Editor

Drew Schwartz, News Editor

Hannah Landers, Features Editor

Conor Ryan, Sports Editor

Emily Zaboski, Photo Editor

Shakti Rovner, Office Manager

f o rThe Free Press (ISSN 1094-7337) is published Thursdays during the academic year except during vacation and exam periods by Back Bay Publishing Co.,Inc., a nonproﬁt corporation operated by Boston University students. No content can be reproduced without the permission of Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright © 2014 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

them to strut around in swimsuits and evening gowns to gain these beneﬁts? In 1968, 400 feminists of the New York Radical Women protested the Miss America Pageant in a legendary women’s liberation demonstration. Citing the pageant as a source of oppression, they sought to call awareness to the sexism of the pageant, which was then judged largely on physical attributes. “Men are all too happy to see us competing with each other over who’s the sexiest,” said Carol Hanisch, leader of the 1968 Miss America protest, in a 2003 interview with Fran Luck for the Joy of Resistance radio show. “[Pageants] help keep women in their place…I think it’s true that all of us have to play the game to some degree to even survive in the world…but to take the trappings of our oppression and try to redeﬁ ne them as liberating I think is really reactionary.” Besides the superficiality of judging women on appearance, there are some other issues with the Miss America pageants. With the costs of evening gowns, swimsuits, hair and makeup

alone easily surmounting thousands of dollars, most women must be somewhat privileged to compete. Sure, they win money for their education, but the costs of participating are probably about equal to what they win. Furthermore, people who can afford to participate are probably not as wanting for scholarship money as others. While Miss America has taken steps to modernize with the inclusion of charitable platforms and promotion of scholarship, the organization has existed for years on the tradition of rewarding women for being beautiful. Because the organization is so old and well known, it is understandable they would want to maintain the integrity of their competition, but holding onto the antiquated dream of perfect beauty renders the pageant a modern-day dinosaur. It is undeniable that the Miss America competition has the potential to empower women, but if that empowerment requires being judged on facial features, hair and let’s face it, chest size, perhaps the competition could use some reforming.

Lost in Translation: Why It Took Me Several Days to Do My Laundry

BY CHRIS LISINSKI COLUMNIST

As the topaz lights of Paris retreat into a nocturnal summer, the sun also rises over the brick landscape stretching from behind my balcony. And on that balcony hangs a flag: the grey flag of resignation. The flag is not actually a flag in the same sense that the Stars and Stripes compose the American flag or that the tricolor stands for France. They are, in fact, a pair of gray skinny jeans, wrinkled and disheveled, clinging to the 10th-story balcony for a shred of life after defeat. I’m attempting to air-dry my pants — along with about 70 percent of my wardrobe — because I

have struggled an immense amount with the laundry process here. As I write, every non-bed surface in my room bears a shirt or a pair of pants spread out, limited to the whims of evaporation. You see, on my very fi rst day, my host mom went through her apartment and explained all the basic logistical items to me: which shelf space was designated for me, which dishes to use and so on. Naturally, most of it sounded like someone mashing random letters into a keyboard. I came to understand almost all of the ground rules in time. Over the following few weeks, synapses started to fi re in my brain, French words automatically translated and concepts began to form, but the laundry machine and its set of commandments stood ineffable, mocking me every time I passed it. The fi rst time I tried to do laundry, my host mom stopped me in the hallway before I could even get it done. I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was being pleasant, but nothing stuck. I tried again the next day. This time, I was permitted to put

my clothes into the machine, and then I spent about four minutes trying to ﬁgure out how to turn the damn thing on. The Celsius scale made another cameo appearance as I tried to set it to wash on “cold,” and I guessed that a friendly-looking word would not destroy my clothes. Half an hour later, Madame knocked on my door to inform me that she stopped the machine halfway so that the noise wouldn’t disrupt her sleep. I asked her when would be a good time for me to wash my clothes in the future so as not to disturb her, and she said Monday evening. “Lundi soir”! That’s Monday evening! I understand! I was wrong. When I woke up, my clothes had teleported over to the dryer, which, it turns out, roars like an infernal battle tank piloted by the Minotaur when it gets up to full speed. So that’s why Madame doesn’t want the machine running too late at night. Fast-forward a week. I’m out of clean underwear (and yes, my ﬁ rst mistake was not packing more than one week’s worth of under-

wear). Laundry time again, and again, I fail. I had put the clothes in the beast Monday evening like I thought was correct, but when I came home from class Tuesday, Madame was waiting. Immediately, in a stern voice, she requests my attention. “A remark,” she starts. And it all goes to hell after that. I’ve violated one of the several rules for using the machine, but I don’t know what I did wrong because I can’t understand what the rules are and because when I ask for a simpler explanation, I can’t understand that. I take my clothes out of the dryer and put them in my room, but they’re damp, and she notices they’re damp, and then she says… something else. I don’t know what it is about laundry-related vocabulary, but I’m convinced by this point that she’s speaking an oral version of Wingdings. Laundrygate will be my undoing, I say. But then something happens, and hold on, dear readers, for here comes the cheesy revelation at the end that I learned something through all of this: I surrender. I

wave my gray pants-ﬂag. I confess to Madame over dinner that frankly, I have no idea what the rules for the laundry machine are, that I’ve been desperately trying to understand, that French continues to elude my grasp.

“Laundrygate will be my undoing.” And you know what? She laughed a hearty laugh, one with warmth in her eyes and then broke down the laundry decrees into four-word sentences: Machine make much noise. No use at night. Laundry in Monday night. No turn on. I turn on Tuesday morning. You put dryer. All done Tuesday afternoon. So you see, Madame was actually reasonable the entire time. Like most lessons I’ve learned over here so far, the key to overcoming the laundry machine was simply to admit my failures and to communicate my needs. In short: it’s okay to ask for help. That, or beat the thing into little scraps of metal with a baseball bat. That’s still on the table.

OPINION

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Commitment to community and culture

Sleep is for the weak (and successful)

BY TRISHA THADANI

BY REBECCA REYNOLDS

COLUMNIST

It took me about seven years to realize that I was pretty awful at Indian dancing, and anything involving a sense of coordination, for that matter. In the eight years that have passed since I last graced any stage with my flailing limbs and faulty footwork, I’ve conceded to appreciating the art of “Bollywood” dancing from the audience. And as a sideline observer, I can say there is definitely much to be appreciated of the nuances of Bollywood, India’s notso-humble version of Hollywood. Bollywood dancing is often flashy and very cheesy but quite captivating and endearing at the same time. While watching the Boston University Jalwa — a co-ed fusion Indian dance team — tryouts this week, I found myself smiling the entire time, not just at the inherent energy that spills from the boisterous movements, but also at the thought of me attempting to move my body in such a way ever again. BU Jalwa is another one of those hidden gems that exists within our student body. For 10 years, the team has committed itself to celebrating Indian culture through dance, as well as providing students an outlet to escape from the stress and monotony of their daily routines. “I spend more time practicing with this team than I do in class,” said Ritesh Singh, a College of Engineering junior. “I’m less afraid of being late to class than I am of being late to practice…I’m actually petrified of showing up late to practice.” BU Jalwa is entirely student-run, kept afloat by funds from the Student Activities Office and various sponsors. For most members, being on the Jalwa team is simply a hobby, and the physically exhausting hours spent away from their homework are justified simply by their love of the dance. “We do it just because we want to be here...Personally, none of us [on the Executive Board] are trying to make it to Bollywood,” said Nalini Balakrishnan, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, smirking at the far-out thought of actually making it to Bollywood. On average, the BU Jalwa team spends around 10 hours in practice on a non-performance week. But, for a team that performs multiple times a semester, such an “off ” week is hard to come by. When asked

how long they spend in practice during performance weeks, the E-Board members paused to count up the hours in their heads. “I don’t even want to know,” said Ramya Ramadurai, a CAS junior. Despite the high level of commitment involved, the team still received more than 60 students at their tryouts this weekend. The Jalwa hopefuls, ranging in skill levels, grades and ethnicities, gathered on Saturday and Monday to learn a minute’s worth of challenging choreography. As the captains and E-Board members stood in front of the crowd to teach the routine, they eased some nerves by simplifying the intricate movements into mundane, every-day activities. “This one is like pulling the lawn mover,” Singh said as he fi rmly planted his legs and put his whole body into gesturing his bent arm back. “This one is like a complicated way of almost punching yourself in your face,” Ramadurai said, as she demonstrated almost punching herself in the face, in a complicated way. As the music started, the room of hopefuls followed the captains and threw their bodies into animated moves, “pulling the lawn mover” and “punching themselves in the face” at the appropriate cues in the music. Of the 60-ish people who originally auditioned late last week and this week, 40 were called back on Tuesday to the George Sherman Union Alley. At the beginning of the callbacks, Singh first thanked the group for the 8 hours they had already spent with them during tryouts — a true insight to how much commitment being on this team actually takes. “We’ve been so impressed by you guys so far,” he said, as the room full of contenders stared back at him. Acknowledging that only a handful of people will actually make the team, Singh encouraged everyone to keep dancing no matter the outcome of the tryouts. While watching the stress ridden callbacks, I couldn’t shake the concept that these were just students learning from and seeking the approval of other students. Based on how seriously people were taking these callbacks, you would think they were auditioning in front of award winning directors for the next big-hit Bollywood movie, not just their fellow peers. After each group of Jalwa hopefuls fi nished their routines in front of the judges and gathered their belongings, panting and sweating from just a few seconds of dancing, Singh would always leave them with some fi nal words before they left the room. “Hope you had fun!”

Sleep is for the Weak (and Successful) Sleep is for the weak. That was my mantra for most of my life when people questioned why I stayed up so late and functioned on very little sleep. My sleep deprivation problem was part time-management, part behavioral and part something else. Yes, I have the dangerous combination of being perpetually on the go and a chronic procrastinator. But even when I had nothing to do for the rest of the night (and knew I had places to be the next day), I would still stay up late. Often, I didn’t even give my body a fair chance at falling asleep. I’d stay up late in front of a computer screen or sitting in a fully lit common room surrounded by people. I knew I needed to go to bed, but I just didn’t feel tired. Well, as it turns out, humans have a circadian rhythm, which regulates important biological cycles, such as sleep, and it can be thrown off by external factors like daylight. Or what your body perceives as daylight. And once you stay up late often enough, it becomes habit, and it’s harder to go to bed earlier. Despite these two factors, even if I went to bed in a dark place at a reasonable hour, I would fi nd myself tossing and turning and unable to sleep. After trying to solve my sleepless conundrum, I had a strange thought. Maybe, my sleep problem was psychological. When I was a kid, I would constantly argue with my parents about my bedtime. As a result of these fi ghts, I internalized bedtime and sleep as a power struggle, and every time I went to bed “early” it was a lost battle. Even as an adult. Once I realized this, it became easier to change my thinking about sleep. Also, getting a full-time summer job that started at 8:30 a.m. helped a little too. Instead of feeling like I lost a battle every time I confessed my grandmother status and went to bed before 10 p.m., I thought about it as winning the war. I am winning the war for my body because when I get more sleep, I am more productive the next day. Instead of stumbling from one place to another in zom-

Interrobang

bie mode, I am more alert and focused. I can be an active participant in my life instead of groggily f loating along because my brain is making up for its lack of rest from the night before. Sleep does more for you than make you feel well rested and alert the next morning. Sleeping keeps you healthier. Studies have found links between getting eight hours of sleep and boosting immunity and fending off serious health problems. While sleeping, the brain consolidates memories so they are more accurate and not forgotten. A good night’s sleep can help regulate emotions and control weight. I’m sure though that most people who don’t get enough sleep aren’t doing it to avoid the benefits. In order to get enough of sleep, you need to identify the factors that are preventing you from sleeping. Things that prevent you from sleeping can include an inadequate sleep space and routine, time management problems, bad habits and sleep disorders. If you think you are suffering from an actual sleep disorder (insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, etc.), you should seek help from a professional. Otherwise, there are actions you can take on your own to get more sleep. If you fi nd that you can’t seem to get to sleep because of homework, studying, social activities or other events getting in the way of your sleep time, then start making a schedule. Keep to-do lists. Prioritize sleep time and make sure you stick to it. Remember that you are better off getting eight hours of sleep and getting a few things done well, rather than getting three hours of sleep and completing everything at 50 percent or less. If you have time for sleep but can’t fall asleep, then it’s best to create a sleep routine that promotes relaxation. Stop using anything with a backlight while getting ready for bed. Turn the lights off (or get an eye mask), and make sure you have a comfortable noise level to fall asleep with. Make sure all you do in your bed is sleep and have sex. That way, your brain starts associating your bed with sleep. Write down everything you need to do the next day or are worried about so that you aren’t thinking about it while trying to fall asleep. Basically, make sure that falling asleep and waking up is as natural as possible. Sleep is crucial to healthy living, even though it is often pushed aside in favor of studying, socializing and partying. But remember, if you get enough sleep you can study, socialize and party harder the next day!

New Mexico State Police tracked down a truck driver who had run away after causing a one-car rollover accident on Saturday. The truck driver, who admitted he had been drunk, woke up seven hours after the accident in a ﬁeld of donkeys. We here at the ol’ Free Press were wondering where Boston University people would wake up after a night of debauchery.

ENG: They didn’t wake up because they never fell asleep.

CFA: In a terrible rendition of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.”

SHA: In the Ritz with a plate of muffins on their bedside table.

CGS: In an inflatable bouncy house.

SMG: In a bank vault.

President Brown: In the morning feeling like P. Diddy. FreeP: In the FreeP office which happens often.

SPORTS

Women’s soccer readies for conference schedule BY ALEX ROZIER DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

After enduring a roller-coaster start to the season, the Terriers are preparing to enter Patriot League action, starting with a home matchup against the United States Naval Academy Saturday. In the 2013-14 season, BU had similar success after its non-conference stretch of the schedule, carrying a 5-2-1 record. “[The Patriot League teams are] all going to be tough,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “It’s a great league. That’s what we learned last year. There’s no day you can take off when you play a Patriot League team.” Navy may present a challenge to the Terriers, as the Midshipmen (3-2-3) were the only Patriot League team to defeat BU in their 2013-14 season. Another conference foe that BU struggled with last year was American University, which forced the eventually victorious Terriers into overtime on Oct. 27, 2013. Overall, BU fi nished 8-1 in Patriot League play in their 2013-14 season, consisting of fi ve games on the road and four at home. Fortunately for this year’s Terriers, its conference schedule will have the reverse format, with fi ve home games and four away. “[The Patriot League opponents are] organized. They’re hardworking,” Feldman said. “We’re all playing for the same thing,

and every team in the conference is good enough to win the championship.” Terriers looking to move past 3-game winless skid After nearly two years of avoiding a loss at home, the Boston University women’s soccer team has now gone three straight games at Nickerson Field without a win. On Sept. 14, 2012, BU (4-3-1) fell on its home turf to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst 1-0. The loss proved to be significant, as it was the last defeat BU suffered at home until the University of San Francisco bested the Terriers at Nickerson on Sept. 7, 2014. What seemed to be a fluke, given BU’s modest non-conference schedule and excellent track record at home, became the start of a three-game skid. On Sept. 12, the Terriers lost an early lead to the University of Akron and could not regain the advantage before the fi nal whistle sealed a double-overtime 1-1 draw. Just two days later, BU returned to Nickerson only to feel a similar disappointment, letting in an 85th minute strike against Northeastern University that handed the Terriers its second loss in three games. “We set a goal at the beginning of every season that we’re going to win our games at Nickerson Field,” Feldman said. “We feel comfortable here. We feel like we

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PHOTO BY FALON MORAN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Senior forward Ana Cuffia and the Boston University women’s soccer team have not won a game since Sept. 4.

have an advantage here. It’s disappointing when we lose any game, and it’s disappointing when we don’t protect our home field.” While the Terriers’ woes at home have been in part due to an inefficient offense, their defense has also grown fragile since last season. In fi ve home games so far in the 2014-15 season, BU has allowed fi ve goals. In 11 games at Nickerson last season, including one NCAA Tournament match, BU gave up just one goal. Stretch of close games continues For a team sitting just above .500, the Terriers have unsurprisingly played in only close contests this season. In each of BU’s games in its 2014-15 campaign, the outcome has been decided by one goal or less. Additionally, the Terriers have already played two double-overtime contests, compared to the three they played in the entire 2013-14 season. Also suggesting a competitive balance in its games, BU has outshot its opponents by a narrow 73-61 total for

the season. Feldman said the style of the Terriers’ play could be a possible factor for the close games the team has had so far. “Our style of play is that we take care of our defending,” she said. “Our goal is to not give our opponents any uncontested shots, so we are deﬁ nitely focused on our defending. That is a team philosophy and a coach’s philosophy in mind. We do a good job of not allowing good chances for the other team. “As far as attacking goes, the way we play is a little bit more precision-based and more methodical than maybe some other teams. It may be because that’s the focus, and we’re not pushing the ball up the ﬁeld and taking shots as fast as we can.” However, BU’s close contests could just be a factor of not having played in its Patriot League games yet — all of the Terriers’ double-overtime games in the 2013-14 season came against non-conference opponents.

Benedykciuk: Watch out for BU CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

vious during the latter half of the season. Grzelcyk’s injury was demoralizing, as the team trudged to a 3-11-2 record to close out the season. After a victory against No. 17 University of Vermont on Jan. 24, the Terriers remained winless until the last weekend of the regular season when they defeated Northeastern twice in two nights. There are few successes when looking back on last season. One defi nite bright spot, though, was Baillargeon’s rapid development. He led the team — as a freshman with 27 points. Another high point included the categorical annihilation of the University of Wisconsin, then-ranked second in the nation, on Oct. 19, 2013. In front of a faithful crowd at Agganis Arena, the Terriers put on an offensive clinic, defeating the Badgers 7-3 with ease. Why will this year be any different for BU hockey? The Terriers of last year were inexperienced, injured and outplayed. The roster this year is fi lled with younger, better, faster and stronger players, with much more upside than most of last year’s roster. Though the Terriers may not win Hockey East, they will threaten Boston College and Providence College much more than last year. Furthermore, I predict the 2014-15 Ter-

riers, like the 2012-13 and 2013-14 Terriers, will be led in scoring by a freshman. Jack Eichel is ready to take the Hockey East by storm (much like Boston College’s Johnny Gaudreau did during his time at Chestnut Hill). Eichel is a ferocious skater with astounding agility, strong strides and pinpoint accuracy. Watching a player of his caliber develop even more here at BU will be extremely exciting. Despite BU’s awful season last year, I am very excited for the 2014-15 campaign. Last year was a minor setback for the welloiled machine known as Terrier Hockey. Replacing an icon of Parker’s stature will take time, perhaps much more than we’d like, but I have faith in Coach Quinn’s ability to lead a capable young team with a budding star. Eichel alone cannot win BU a championship, but his presence will be felt immediately. The pieces already in place at BU, in addition to other skilled freshmen, will lead this team to great success. Though the Terriers may not reestablish their dominance as an elite D-I program by this season’s end, they are certainly headed in the right direction.

SPORTS 13. What’s your team? “Arsenal. I’m a big Arsenal fan.” 14. Who is your favorite player?

BY JOE CALABRESE DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

As the Boston University men’s soccer team advances through its 2014 season, the Terriers will be looking to add a more potent offensive attack to couple with a defense that has only allowed three goals over their fi rst six games. One of the leaders of that offense is senior forward Dominique Badji. With one goal and two assists over six matches this season, the Dakar, Senegal native has been a catalyst for the BU front line, constantly creating chances on net for the Terriers and problems for opposing defenses. But there’s a lot more to this man than the aggression he leaves on the field. 1. How’s your semester going so far? “Doing well, not bad-.” 2. What’s your major? “International Relations.” 3. How is it balancing soccer and classes? “At this point, it’s pretty easy be-

cause I’ve been through it. I’m a senior now. Freshman year, it takes time getting used to it, but the systems are built that if we need help in any aspect of life, they can help us out.” 4. Do you have any favorite classes this semester? “I’m actually taking a Wolof class. It’s a language class, since I’ve tested out of my French requirement. It’s actually the language we speak back where I’m from in Senegal. I didn’t know BU offered it. I can speak it fluently, but I can’t write it, so I decided to take it.” 5. Do you have any pregame routines? “Yeah, I listen to a lot of hip-hop. We have the stereo in [the locker room] that we play. We have like a pregame playlist that we listen to. I think that helps us as a team.” 6. Are you superstitious on the field? “Yes, I always enter the field with my right foot. That’s about it.” 7. What are some of your goals for your senior season?

“I’m a big fan of Thierry Henry. He’s playing with the [New York] Red Bulls right now.” “I just want to have a good season. I want to lift silverware. I want to lift something. Because my past three years have been pretty disappointing — almost getting there, but not quite getting there. I just ﬁ nally want to get my hands on something.” 8. Any personal goals? “Score. I need to score a lot more goals. Just help the team win though, whatever they need me to do — assist goals, work hard, work on defense, anything.”

15. What’s your favorite BU soccer memory? “I had a game-winner my sophomore year against Stony Brook [University]. This was the year that we were leaving the America East [conference]. It was a game-winner, I think it might have been in overtime, and it was just an unbelievable feeling.”

“I looked up to a lot of the Senegalese players. I remember speciﬁcally the 2002 World Cup when we got to the quarterﬁ nals, the likes of El Hadji Diouf, Henri Camara. Those guys are idols. They’re like legends in Senegal, and every kid wants to really be them.” 18. Did anyone stand out in particular? “As a kid? El Hadji Diouf. He’s a bad boy. He had a bad boy reputation, but everyone wanted to be him.” 19. What are some of your hobbies outside of soccer? “I play a lot of video games. I’m a big basketball fan. I used to play

9. You came to the United States in high school. What was that transition like? “It was crazy. Coming to the United States was crazy because the culture is so diﬀerent over here. Getting used to school — and on top of that it was a boarding school that was very strict — that kind of threw me back, but I got the hang of it. I think that prepared me really well for college. With time management my freshman year, I did well, because boarding school was so precise.” 10. Was it a big jump coming to BU or to Boston? “Yes, my high school was a closed campus, everyone boarded on campus and it was a small campus, much smaller. Coming to Boston where everything is open-ended, that kind of set me back.“ 11. How is the soccer culture diﬀerent here in the United States than it is in Senegal?

Senior forward Dominique Badji has registered 31 shots in six games this season.

“In Senegal, everybody loves soccer. Everybody breathes soccer. Everywhere you go, there’s a pickup game going on, whereas here you don’t see that as much. People don’t come out to watch soccer games as frequently as people do in Senegal. It’s really life in Senegal, because you don’t need much to play soccer. You make makeshift goals, and you can make a ball out of pretty much anything really.”

16. What’s your favorite part of Boston that’s not on campus? “I’m frequently around Newbury, but it’s not necessarily my favorite part. I think the North End. Not necessarily going to the restaurants, but just seeing everything, like the way the buildings are, the architecture, it’s just so nice. It’s nice to get out in the city.”

12. Do you follow professional soccer? “I do.”

PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAWK/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

17. Going back to the pros, did you have any players growing up that you looked up to or that you tried to emulate?

basketball back in high school, so I play a lot of 2K and NBA Live. I’m big [on] fishing, not around here, but back in Virginia. I love fishing. It’s so relaxing.” 20. What’s your best fishing story? “It was one of the fi rst times I was fishing, out in North Carolina. I had a pretty big fish. So I caught it and got it out of the water, and before we were able to take a picture, it jumped back in — right back in. The hook must’ve gone right through its mouth and it went right back in.”

BOTTOM LI NE THURSDAY, SEPT. 18

FRIDAY, SEPT. 19

W. SOCCER VS. NAVY, 12 P.M.

NO EVENTS SCHEDULED

Detroit Lions running back Joique

SOFTBALL VS.

FIELD HOCKEY @

BOSTON COLLEGE, 4 P.M.

LAFAYETTE, 12 P.M.

Bell said, “I let my city down,” following a 24-7 loss to the Panthers.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 20

SUNDAY, SEPT. 21

MONDAY, SEPT. 22

SOFTBALL VS. MERRIMACK, 1 P.M.

NO EVENTS SCHEDULED

FIELD HOCKEY VS. YALE, 4 P.M.

M. SOCCER VS. PRINCETON, 4 P.M. W. TENNIS @ BROWN INVITATIONAL, ALL DAY

W. TENNIS @ BROWN INVITATIONAL, ALL DAY

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick: convicted of racketeering and extortion charges; agreed

W. TENNIS @ BROWN INVITATIONAL, ALL DAY

with Bell’s statement.

20 QUESTIONS “My brothers would kill for this job”” — BU women’s soccer coach Nancy Feldman on the opportunity to coach the Terriers.

The Blue Line A new season

Men’s soccer senior forward Dominique Badji talks season goals, video games, and ﬁ shing with Joe Calabrese , p. 11

Feldman brings winning tradition to Boston University women’s soccer

BY MIKE BENEDYKCIUK DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Before the 2013-14 NCAA men’s ice hockey season began, USCHO.com ranked Boston University 19th in the nation. The Terriers, under fi rst-year head coach David Quinn, failed to meet those expectations, fi nishing last season with a dismal record of 10-21-4, winning just one road game all season – the last contest of the year at Northeastern University. Opponents outshot the Terriers 1271927 and outscored BU 113-81 on the season. If not for BU’s solid goaltending from then-sophomores Sean Maguire and Matt O’Connor, the team’s dreadful record probably would have been worse. Despite the underwhelming results of last year, and despite the departure of senior co-captains Garrett Noonan and Patrick MacGregor, I predict the Terriers will be much better this upcoming season. Quinn now has the experience he previously lacked and has his three leading scorers from last season — sophomore forward Robbie Baillargeon, junior defenseman Ahti Oksanen and junior forward Danny O’Regan — all returning. Additionally, the arrival of a robust recruiting class, including freshman forward Jack Eichel, projected to be a top-two pick in the 2015 National Hockey League Draft, provides countless new possibilities for the Terriers offense. When Quinn took the job as Boston University’s head coach, he knew he had incredibly large shoes to fi ll. His predecessor, Jack Parker, compiled 897 wins –- the third-highest total amongst Division I coaches — during his tenure on Commonwealth Avenue. We cannot blame Quinn for not matching the level of excellence set by Parker. In fact, Quinn did a very impressive job with the team he was presented. Forward Matt Nieto, who was slated to play on the team last year, signed a contract with the San Jose Sharks. Moreover, other NHL players in Charlie Coyle (Minnesota Wild) and Adam Clendening (Chicago Blackhawks) would have been seniors last year. As a result of all the personnel shifts, several new, younger players had to be added. The Terriers’ opening day roster last season consisted of 17 freshmen and sophomores, far more than the team had anticipated. The struggles began rather early on and persisted for the duration of the season. Junior defenseman Matt Grzelcyk suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in January, ultimately dooming BU’s chances of success. BU’s struggles last season are most ob-