The Daily Free Press
Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XLV
STRENGTH BU students impacted by typhoon in the Philippines, page 3.
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Wednesday, November 20, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
LAST QUESTION Past BU professor monitored closely by FBI, page 5.
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JUST SHORT
Women’s basketball team loses to Yale, page 8.
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Coakley defends buffer zone law against abortion protesters City leaders to work protect patients going into reproductive healthcare facilities by creating a 35-foot buffer zone with Scholars for around clinic entrances and driveways that petitioners cannot cross, but petitioners claim the buffer zone law violates First Amendment BU cities initiative rights.
PHOTO BY EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
A protester who prefers to remain anonymous stands outside the 35-foot buffer zone in front of Planned Parenthood in Boston. Mass. Attorney General Martha Coakley recently filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court defending the buffer zone by which protesters must abide outside abortion clinics in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. By Kelsey Newell Daily Free Press Staff
Petitioners are opposing a law on how close protestors can be to the entrance of abortion clinics, Mass. Attorney Gen. Martha Coakley defended the constitutionality of the buffer zone law Friday because it protects public safety and patient access to reproductive healthcare. Philip Moran, a Salem lawyer who is representing the petitioners in the case, said the buffer
zone law violates freedom of speech and free access to public sidewalks. “This new law makes it impossible to have a quiet conversation with a person, to speak to people who are in a difficult situation, in a difficult time of their life,” he said. “They need the opportunity to hear the opposite side of the story and [be offered] help, that’s basically what the plaintiffs have been doing.” The buffer zone law, passed in 2007, aims to
Coakley is now defending the law’s constitutionality for the fifth time. “Massachusetts’ buffer zone statute strikes the right balance between ensuring safe access to medical facilities and preserving freedom of expression,” Coakley said in a Friday release. “This law has enhanced public safety in a fair and constitutional manner.” The law, which was signed by Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick and took effect on Nov. 13, 2007, is in effect only during the clinic’s business hours and only if the buffer zone is clearly marked and posted. Those in favor of the law see the past four court hearings concerning the law as proof of its constitutionality. “We certainly value free speech and the right to privacy in Massachusetts,” said Tricia Wajda, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood. “The thing about the 2007 buffer zone law is that it ensures that both rights are protected. We firmly believe, and we’ve seen in practice, that this 2007 law has been the only thing that works that effectively strikes that balance between patient safety, staff safety and the protesters’ rights to free speech.” This law has been challenged and upheld
Gregor said he struggles with hiring qualified employees for Velir and sees this challenge continuing over the next 12 months. “One of our biggest challenges right now is sourcing, identifying and recruiting a new staff,” he said. “We’re really hungry on this front. We’re looking for a large number of people, and the type of people that we’re hiring are either highly technical or they’re significantly in demand in the space, either here or across the nation.” Amy Staley, operations manager for Small Army, an advertising agency and Small Business of the Year Award honoree, said despite concerns from small business owners to find quality employees, she takes pride in the high quality of her employees. “We work very closely together,” she said. “Everyone is committed and understands the focus and the strategy and where we’re trying to go as a company. They’re devoted to doing
A program in Boston University’s political science department set to launch in the spring semester will allow city leaders from around the globe to analyze the factors that contribute to success in cities, officials said. The Initiative on Cities, which will be codirected by BU Political Science Department Chairman Graham Wilson and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, will focus on improving city development in areas such as education, environment, healthcare and technology, Wilson said. “The overall object is to contribute to both academic and practical policy discussions on how cities can be centers of dynamism, innovation and economic leadership for their regions and the country,” Wilson said. Menino announced at a Thursday press conference he would be joining BU faculty to codirect the initiative, which will begin on Feb. 1. He has a five-year contract with BU. The initiative will encourage city politicians to examine urban development growth with scholars and academic professionals, Wilson said. Similar to a think tank, the initiative will encourage collaboration with experts at other universities to share city development determine solutions to common urban problems. Areas of focus for the initiative will include building city infrastructures in order to attract industry, families and opportunities that generate a city’s economic growth. “In terms of cities being attractive to people and to business, environmental factors are important,” Wilson said. “We wouldn’t have people moving back into Boston if the Charles River was still a sewer.” Another major objective of the initiative is evaluating how to improve cities’ educational systems, which are crucial factor in a city’s growth, Wilson said. “One of the big issues for Boston is achieving this sort of success in our educational system that provides an image of dynamic economic growth,” Wilson said. “It also encourages families to remain here or move into the city as opposed to having them leave. Lucy Hutyra, a CAS professor in the department of Earth and environment specializing in urban ecology, said investing in the growth of a city’s infrastructure makes a lasting impression on the city’s future.
Small Businesses, see page 2
Initiative, see page 2
Coakley, see page 2
Small business owners wary of upcoming year, report suggests By Felicia Gans Daily Free Press Staff
Boston’s small business owners are less optimistic about the coming year than their counterparts around the country, according to Bank of America’s Fall 2013 Small Business Owner Report released Friday. The report analyzes small businesses that have between two and 99 employees and under $500 million in annual revenue, said Don Vecchiarello, small business communications manager at Bank of America. “We interview [small business owners] to get their takes on perceptions about the small business environment, about their outlook on 2014, or a variety of different issues that impact small business owners throughout the country,” he said. The report, a national study performed semi-annually based on the perspectives on small businesses, was conducted through a national representative sample of 1,000 small business owners around the United States. Ad-
ditionally, 300 small business owners in nine target cities were surveyed. The report asked small business owners about their plans for hiring in 2014, their expectations for revenue, and their trust in their local and national economies. Only 30 percent of small business owners in Boston plan to hire in the next 12 months, compared to 45 percent nationally. Also, 45 percent of businesses in Boston are concerned about finding qualified employees. Mark Gregor, CEO of Velir, a digital technology agency in Boston that was awarded 2013 Small Business of the Year by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, said these numbers do not reflect Velir’s plans for the coming year. “That’s actually really surprising and that’s a sad number, if that’s true,” he said. “We hired 29 people this year, and we’re planning on similar growth in 2014, so growth absolutely continues to be our story.”
By Pariza Lovos Daily Free Press Staff
Logan outfits new runway technology to improve flight safety, efficiency By Emily Hartwell Daily Free Press Staff
Xsight Systems, a developer of runway sensor technologies, announced Friday the launch of an automated foreign object debris detector called FODetect that will provide further safety measures and increased efficiency at Logan International Airport. Arik Fux, vice president of U.S. Operations for Xsight Systems, said the technology would help the airport determine when action should be taken to remove an object from the runway. “For any item that is detected, it will alert the airport user and will give them enough visual information to decide whether they need to respond immediately or not,” he said. “If the airport decides that the object is deemed to be responded to immediately, you want to remove it before something happens on the runway.” Boston is the first city in the United States to use an automated detection system from the Israel-based company to find FOD, or foreign object debris. Officially turned on in September, the system was installed on one of the busiest
runways at the airport to cut down time between flight operations. The FODetect technology combines remote sensors with runway edge lights to increase safety and efficiency. FODetect also allows for full video coverage from the runway, according to a Friday release. Richard Walsh, a spokesperson for Massport Authority, said the system will not replace the previous method of manually scanning for debris on the runway, but it will enhance the process by providing the addition of automated scans. “We have six runways on the airport, and this technology is on one of the runways, Runway 927,” he said. “This really hasn’t changed protocols that are in place or requirements by the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration]. This is an enhancement over and above what is required.” The airport has been working with the FAA and production companies for several years in
Logan, see page 2
PHOTO COURTESY OF XSIGHT SYSTEMS
Xsight Systems installed an automated foreign debris detection system at Boston Logan International Airport over the summer, making it one of the first airports in the United States to have this type of technology.