1-30-2014

Page 1

The Daily Free Press

Year xliv. Volume lxxxvi. Issue IX

REWORKED CITY Boston Mayor Martin Walsh introduces new cabinets, page 3.

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Thursday, January 30, 2014 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

GRAMM-YES

Grammys voter speaks on nomination process, page 5.

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www.dailyfreepress.com

DOG FIGHT

Women’s hockey looks for win against UConn, page 8.

WEATHER

Today: Sunny/High 30 Tonight: Cloudy/Low 22 Tomorrow: 39/20

Data Courtesy of weather.com

SMG sees jump in national, international rankings 3 shootings in 1 week bring 2014 Boston homicide total to 7

By Olivia Deng Daily Free Press Staff

Boston University School of Management jumped both nationally and internationally in the Financial Times’ Global Masters of Business Administration graduate program ranking, according to a Monday press release from SMG. SMG’s MBA program, which has a 31 percent acceptance rate, ranked 39th among United States MBA programs and 75th internationally in the Financial Times’ 2014 rankings, putting SMG in a position of esteem, said SMG Assistant Dean Steven Davidson. The program jumped five spots internationally and 20 places nationally. “This ranking is highly viewed in Europe and across the globe, so it’s one of the more global rankings, and to have BU elevate into the top 40 in the United States is exciting,” Davidson said. “It reflects positively on the university and builds off the international strength of BU.” To be ranked in the top 100 MBA programs is an impressive feat, said Della Bradshaw, business education editor for the Financial Times. “There are about 12,000 business schools in the world, so to be ranked in the top 100 means that this is certainly an elite group, the 1 percent of the business school population,” she said. The methodology for the ranking relies on three key components, Bradshaw said. “They [the rankings] are a snapshot in

By Felicia Gans Daily Free Press Staff

EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

In a listing released by the Financial Times, Boston University School of Management’s MBA program ranked 39th among U.S. schools and 75th internationally. The international rank jumped five spots.

time of the way business schools and their alumni are performing based on three criteria, which are the career development of the alumni, the international perspective of the business school, and the business schools that are producing the best new ideas,” she said. “So basically, which of the business schools are producing the global managers of the 21st century.”

With career success factoring largely into the rankings, SMG restructured the curriculum to better prepare students for the job market, said SMG professor of finance Donald Smith. “With our MBA program, in the last few years, we got to emphasize … the health sector, digital technology, social enterprise and

SMG, see page 2

Law students satisfied with school experience, study suggests By Mina Corpuz Daily Free Press Staff

Students at institutions such as the Boston University School of Law still find value in pursing legal education, according to a recent survey. The report, administered by the Law School Survey of Student Engagement at Indiana University, states that law students are increasingly satisfied with their law education. “LSSSE gathers information from law students to help law schools identify what is going well and what would benefit from more attention,” said Aaron Taylor, director of LSSSE. “This year’s report explores four themes … [including] student satisfaction with advising services and overall experience was a primary theme of the report.” Of the students surveyed, 65 percent said their school provided them with the resources they needed to succeed academically. However, 55 percent of students surveyed said they are unsatisfied with their schools career counseling

and job search programs. LAW Associate Dean of Student Affairs Christine Marx said the high quality faculty contributes to students’ overall happiness with their law education. “Princeton Review surveys law students on a number of factors, and their latest law guide to law school based on student input ranked BU LAW school as number one for best professors and number five for best class room experience,” she said. Marx said although the job market is not faring well, LAW has many initiatives to prepare students for the job market and look for jobs, such as the One Out Career Path program. “Every first year student attends a two-day career conference where they learn about different practice areas and how to prepare for those jobs, how to get their resumes read, and networking opportunities,” she said. “We also do individual counseling with students about their goals.”

LAW professor Jack Beermann said law students are more satisfied with their studies than their undergraduate counterparts are because they have a clearer picture of their education. “One of the things you should realize is that law students are in a different stage of their life,” he said. “These are people who decided after four years of undergrad or maybe after working that they want to go on to law school. It’s much more clear why they’re there and what their goals are.” LAW has a substantial financial aid budget and is able to award scholarships to help many students attend, Beermann said. “[There is] a very high financial aid budget because there are fewer people applying to law school these days than there were five years ago, so competition for good services is higher,” he said.

Law, see page 2

In the wake of U.S. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, in which he vowed to decrease gun violence, Boston saw three shooting deaths this week, bringing the January death toll to seven, the Boston Police Department reported Tuesday. According to the BPD report, which compares crime numbers from Jan. 1 to Jan. 26 of this year to those of Jan. 1 to Jan. 26 of 2013, there had only been two homicides at this time last year. “While there is no single solution, improving public safety is among my highest priorities,” Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement Monday. “This kind of violence cannot become commonplace; we should be shocked every time we hear of another shooting, of another death in our community.” Walsh said four of the gun-related deaths are connected, due to gang violence or retaliation. Neuropsychologist Douglas Watt said there are a variety of factors that have led to this year’s high violence numbers, such as neglect, poverty, substance abuse and easy access to firearms. Violence can result from any combination of these factors. “Any variable in any society is like that,” he said. “Single factor theories don’t work in any biological domain because there’s nothing in biology and therefore nothing in psychology that emerges from a single factor. It emerges from a sense of family of factors that amplify one another and violence is no different.” Although people who commit violent crimes can be incarcerated, harsh punishment will not be the solution to increased violence in Boston, he said. “The big picture in this country is that we’re creating fard more future violence by virtue of the way we run this society,” he said. “The biggest problem is the societal fantasy that harsh punishments deter or prevent crime. They don’t, and the research shows that they don’t. People who are trying to commit violent crimes don’t think about the likelihood of a harsh sentence. We have to change the emphasis from sentencing to prevention.” Ladd Everitt, director of communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said

Gun Violence, see page 2

MBTA ranks 3rd in national survey of best cities for public transportation By Sarah Capungan Daily Free Press Staff

ALEXANDRA WIMLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

In a ranking released Tuesday by Walk Score, a company that provides walkability services, Boston placed third on list of the best U.S. cities for public transit.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was ranked number three in Walkscore’s “Best U.S. Cities for Public Transportation” report, released Tuesday. Transit scores were given on a 100-point scale and determined by the average resident’s ability to access public transportation. Boston received a transit score of 75, placing it behind New York City and San Francisco, nationally. It received the number two spot in the Northeast. MBTA Spokesman Joe Pesaturo said he is proud of the MBTA’s ranking and said it reflects the continuing improvement of city’s public transportation system. “Our unwavering commitment to provide customers with accessible and affordable services in a safe and reliable manner [makes the MBTA the third best in the country],” he said. “The MBTA is proud of its storied history as America’s first subway, but we’re even more pleased to be a national leader in the use of technological advancements to improve cus-

tomer service.” According to the company’s website, Walk Score’s mission is to “promote walkable neighborhoods” in an effort to improve the environment, health and economy. Aleisha Jacobson, the office manager at Walk Score, said she is not surprised to see Boston at the top of the rankings. “Boston is justifiably known as the Walking City and is consistently near the top of our Walk Score rankings,” she said. “Having built the first subway system in North America, it’s not surprising to see Boston rate highly on our Transit Score ranking as well.” A 2013 survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors showed that property values increased by 42 percent when located near public transportation. Between 2006 and 2011, residential properties with access to the public transit system had property values 129 percent greater than those of residential properties that had little to no access. Walter Molony, spokesperson for the NAR,

MBTA, see page 2


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