12-4-2013

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The Daily Free Press

Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XLIX

SMOKEY BEAR Boston may ban smoking in public parks, page 3.

[

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

ART HOBBIES

Students discuss artistic endeavors outside majors, page 5.

]

www.dailyfreepress.com

LE-FORTE

Lefort leads team to win over NEU with hat trick, page 8.

WEATHER

Today: Sunny, high 48. Tonight: Showers, low 36. Tomorrow: 52/51.

Data Courtesy of weather.com

MBTA to offer late night subway, bus service in 2014 BU Admissions sees

EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The MBTA subway trains and 15 bus routes will run until about 3 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday nights starting in spring 2014. By Kelsey Newell Daily Free Press Staff

After years of demand from individuals and businesses, Boston’s public transit will run until about 3 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday in a pilot program beginning in 2014, Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick announced on Tuesday night. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has partnered with several private company sponsors in order to fund the

extended hours, which will be tested in a one-year pilot program. The official start date is to be determined, and is intended not only to service the numerous workers with late shifts, but to also boost the region’s economy as a whole, according to a Wednesday press release. “A vibrant economy demands a public transit system that caters to the residents, students and tourists it serves,” Patrick said in the release. “Extending service

on weekends and evenings will allow the public to enjoy the many attractions and restaurants the region has to offer, and give workers a more cost-effective option for getting home late at night.” Customers of the MBTA and many businesses have been asking for this program for several years, but until now it has not been possible, said Kelly Smith, spokeswoman for the MBTA. “The MBTA is state-run and separate from the city budget, so this is going to be subsidized by sponsorships,” she said. “That’s where we were able to come up with a plan and a new idea. It is part of a bigger public-private partnership that we’re exploring in other areas as well. This is another great example of that, having the private sector step up and that will be the majority of the financial sponsorships.” The Boston Globe is the first “Platinum Sponsor,” contributing $500,000 to the program. There will also be several other businesses funding the program, which is expected to cost about $20 million a year, according to the release. Smith said other similar attempts to hold late night service were unsuccessful, but this one will provide a larger system of travel options than ever before. “We had the night owl service [in 2001], but that was just a bus service that

Activists for law reform in Massachusetts have collected enough votes for seven ballot questions to be filed at the office of Mass. Secretary of State William Galvin Wednesday with the hope that their questions will make it on the 2014 ballot and be voted on by Massachusetts residents. Brian McNiff, spokesman for Galvin’s office, said each petition needs a signature count of 68,911 before turning the certified signatures in to the Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday. “They’ve overcome their biggest hurdle, which is getting the 68,000 signatures,” he said. “But now what happens is the Legislature takes it up or not, sometimes they work out some legislation and the petitioners don’t pursue their initiative.” McNiff said after the House Clerk receives the petitions at the beginning of 2014, the Legislature has until May to take

action, but if no action is taken, the petitioners must collect 11,485 additional certified signatures in order for the question to be on the ballot in November. John Ribeiro, chairman of the Repeal the Casino Deal Coalition, said he has exceeded the amount of signatures needed to get his question to ban casinos in Massachusetts on the ballot. Ribeiro said the coalition needed to file an injunction in order to begin collecting signatures after Mass. Attorney Gen. Martha Coakley rejected the petition in September. After filing signatures on Wednesday, the group can move forward with their court case against Coakley. “That court case should be heard from the time of late January to late February, and then if we are successful, we will be in the same situation as every other ballot question,” he said. “We have to collect signatures during May and July, and if we’re successful with that, we’ll be on the ballot

By Rachel Riley Daily Free Press Staff

in November.” In addition to the repeal casino initiative, other petitions for proposed ballot questions include a repeal of the gas tax, a raise in minimum wage, sales tax reforms, updates for the bottle deposit law, reforms in patient safety, required sick time, limits in hospital operating margins and constitutional amendments. Not all initiatives have received the number of signatures yet before the Wednesday deadline. Tank the Gas Tax Hike has collected 87,000 certified signatures for its petition to repeal the legislation passed in July 2013 that indexes the gas tax to inflation, said Holly Robichaud, spokeswoman for the group. “The gas tax will automatically go up without a vote every year and we believe that if they want to raise our gas tax, they should have to vote on it,” she said. “So

Boston University saw a spike of more than 15 percent in early decision applications in 2013 compared to 2012, according to data released Tuesday. BU Admissions received 1,742 early decision applications for the 2014-15 academic year, a 16.4 percent increase from the 2013-14 academic year’s total of 1,496 early decision applications, said BU spokesman Colin Riley. “It [the increase] reflects on the work of the admissions office and all the work they do throughout the year as they travel the country and speak to students, prospective students, counselors, teachers and administrators at school systems throughout the country and the world,” Riley said. While the 16.4 percent jump is worth noting, admissions officials saw an even larger jump in early decision applicants during the previous application cycle between 2011 and 2012 at 40 percent, according to a Dec. 2012 Daily Free Press story. “It’s unusual to see big movement,” Riley said. “That [the 40 percent jump] was unusual and probably reflected more on the individual cohort of students looking and talking to their counselors and faculty about whether they were interested in applying early decision or regular decision. So that was a big jump last year, and this is still a very significant increase.” The choice to apply early decision reflects positively on prospective students, Riley said. “It speaks to the individual applicant that the person has looked closely at the program that interests her or him and that, by applying early, they are making it known to the university that this is commitment they want to make,” he said. In October, BU officials extended the early decision deadline from Nov. 1 to Nov. 15 due to technical issues with the online Common Application. Philadelphia resident Sydnie Weeks, who applied early decision to BU’s School of Management, said she experienced some of the technical glitches. “It [the Common App] kept making ty-

Ballot, see page 2

Early Decision, see page 2

MBTA, see page 2

Advocates gather last-minute signatures before ballot deadline By Hannah Clark Daily Free Press Staff

over 15 percent rise in early decision apps

Students apt to blame universities over U.S. gov’t. for loan debt, study suggests By Trisha Thadani and Mina Corpuz Daily Free Press Staff

Many college-aged American students are blaming their institutions for their rising student debt, according to a recent study released to the Huffington Post by The Institute of Politics at Harvard University. Forty-two percent of young Americans blame their colleges and universities for their rising student debt, according to the study. Experts in the Huffington Post article cited ongoing construction and expensive amenities at universities as reasons behind students’ blame. 30 percent of surveyed students, however, blame the federal government for their debt. Some Boston University students said new projects add to the overall debt its student body faces. Meghan Eppinette, a Sargent College of Rehabilitation and Health Sciences sophomore, said new and planned amenities and construction projects, such as Stu-

dent Village III and Marciano Commons at 100 Bay State Road, are not necessary as the facilities around campus are already suitable for students. “It’s not worth it,” Eppinette said. “It’s more about how the students are. Sure, how nice BU is [matters], especially Marciano Commons, but that’s not the main thing that attracts people here. It’s more like an added bonus.” According to BU’s 2013 to 2023 Institutional Master Plan, the University plans to build a Student Village III, which will house an additional 523 students on campus upon completion. The School of Law building is currently undergoing renovation and the Sumner M. Redstone building is being constructed. There are also plans to renovate Myles Standish Hall and Myles Annex in the near future. BU economics professor Bart Lipman said student debt has been on the rise all over the United States in recent years. The

Loans, see page 2

MIKE DESOCIO/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston University students mentioned the Marciano Commons at 100 Bay State Road as a nice but unnecessary addition to BU’s campus.


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12-4-2013 by The Daily Free Press - Issuu