The Daily Free Press
Year XLIV. Volume LXXXVI. Issue XIV
REPUTABLE? Prestige of colleges not reflected in education quality, page 3.
[
Tuesday, February 11, 2014 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
CONCUSSIONS
New football helmet design reduces concussions, page 5.
]
www.dailyfreepress.com
RACE FOR THIRD BU women to face Harvard in Beanpot consolation, page 8.
WEATHER
Today: Mostly sunny/High 25 Tonight: Mostly clear/Low 4 Tomorrow: 26/22 Data Courtesy of weather.com
Recent ENG graduate Eric Munsell reported missing Prosecutors set to By Drew Schwartz Daily Free Press Staff
Boston University alumnus Eric Munsell, who graduated from BU’s College of Engineering in 2012, was reported missing Sunday, prompting an investigation by the Boston Police Department. Munsell is a white male, is 6-foot-1, weighs about 180 pounds and has a scar on his left cheek. He was last seen wearing a blue-checkered shirt and blue jeans when he went missing Saturday night at 11:30 p.m., police said. He was last seen celebrating his birthday at Market Lounge, a bar in the Financial District located at 21 Broad St., with co-workers and fellow alumni, said Munsell’s co-worker Jeffrey Prescott. “Sunday morning we figured that he was just either out, finding his way home or that he would show up sometime,” Prescott, who organized the “Missing Person — Eric Munsell” Facebook page, said. “But when it got to Sunday night around dinnertime we started to get seriously concerned.” Prescott said he did not think Munsell disappeared intentionally. Members of Munsell’s family arrived
in Boston last night and this morning to help BU alumni and co-workers search for Munsell, Prescott said. Those close to the missing alum are searching for him on foot and passing out posters near where he disappeared. The search party is also working with BPD detectives and officers, who are reviewing security footage to determine which direction Munsell might have taken after leaving Market Lounge, Prescott said. He said the BPD has no information on where Munsell may have gone, but has located his jacket, which he left at Market Lounge. “This is completely unlike him,” Prescott said. “He’s a very responsible and very likable and honest guy.” Munsell lives in the North End, about 10 minutes from where he was last seen, Prescott said. “We’ve checked all paths to get from point A to point B, and we’re trying to exhaust all possibilities,” he said. A bouncer removed Munsell from Market Lounge after he tripped and fell on his way to the bathroom, Prescott said.
MunseLL, see page 2
meet in court for Tsarnaev trial By Kelsey Newell Daily Free Press Staff
COURTESY OF BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
2012 College of Engineering graduate Eric Munsell has been reported missing since Saturday night when he was last seen in the downtown area of Boston.
Walsh uses Facebook to reach out to Boston residents By Felicia Gans Daily Free Press Staff
In contrast to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who never had a computer in his office, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh hosted his second interactive social media question-and-answer session Wednesday, answering questions from Massachusetts residents through the City of Boston’s Facebook page. Walsh held his first Q&A on Twitter in January, entertaining any questions about his goals for the city. In Wednesday’s Facebook Q&A, Walsh chose to focus on education and innovation. “Social media is an opportunity to directly connect with constituents in real time, and engage on a personal level,” Walsh told The Daily Free Press during the Q&A. “These conversations are a fan-
tastic way for me to hear what is on your mind, and I use this information to inform what we focus on in the City. Where I can, I always want to hear directly from constituents.” Several Facebook users posted concerns about budget cuts in Boston Public Schools and Walsh’s commitment to quality education in Boston. “We are actually investing an additional $36 million in our schools next year,” Walsh said to Facebook user Carrie Dunning Dyball. “There’s always more to do, as we are [facing] significant challenges from state and federal sources continue to decline. The City is stepping in with additional resources where we can.” Walsh also responded to questions regarding the growing number of condominium developments in and around the
Tangled in Ivy
City of Boston. He said green space would continue to be a priority for the Innovation District. As the Innovation District builds out, we want to make sure that it remains a place that people want to live, work and play,” he said to Facebook user Keith Gross-Hill. “There will be new green space emerging there in the coming months.” Caryl Rivers, a Boston University professor who specializes in political communication, said social mdeia has had a huge political impact, one that was seen largely for U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2008 election. “It is a more direct way to connect with their constituents than having a news conference,” she said. “If someone doesn’t see it on the evening news or read it the
WaLsH, see page 2
MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
tsarnaeV, see page 2
Sen. Murray not to run for re-election By Felicia Gans Daily Free Press Staff
Boston University goaltender Anthony Moccia stares up at the scoreboard from center ice at the end of the consolation game of the 2014 Beanpot Tournament at T.D. Garden. BU lost to Harvard 6-2. For more on the loss, see page 8.
The lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the alleged Boston Marathon bombers, and federal prosecutors are to meet in court on Wednesday for a status conference for the first time since U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tsarnaev would be tried for the death penalty. During this status conference, the officials involved will discuss the future of the trial. According to Quin Denvir, former federal criminal defense lawyer, these conferences often include talking about what motions will be filed against the accused and when the trial date may be. “They have status conferences every so often just to kind of figure out what’s coming on ahead,” he said. “They’ll continue it probably in another status conference in 30 or 60 days.” To ensure a fair trial, officials are debating whether the trial will actually be held in Boston, citing that the jury may be too biased if it is held here. “There’s a good argument that they ought to change the venue because it’s the Boston Marathon,” Denvir said. “Wherever you go, people will be aware of the crime, but I think that the coverage [in Boston] is much heavier than other places. And I think it has much more of an emotional aspect, it’s in your town where it happened, where these people were hurt or killed.” Denvir said the long process that will precede any sort of decision made by the court. He estimates that the trials will not actually begin for over a year. “The government just decided recently that they would seek the death penalty,” he said. “At some point there will be a lot of motions filed, and quite a ways down I would think, there will be a jury trial where they will first try him on the question of whether he is innocent or guilty. Then if
Massachusetts Sen. Therese Murray, the first woman to serve as the chamber’s president, announced she will not run for reelection to the state Senate this November. Several Massachusetts senators said they have worked closely with Murray throughout her time in the Senate and admire her for the change she sparked in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, the Senate’s minority leader, plans to run for Murray’s seat in the upcoming election. He said he has worked closely with Murray, professionally and personally. “We worked very closely together to try to ensure that same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples when it comes to marriage and family issues,” he said. “The Senate President and I have been colleagues in the Senate for nearly two decades and we have traveled extensively in Russia, helping with humanitarian work over there, so we’ve gotten to know each other very well.” With a focus on helping children and improving healthcare, she has helped pass
several pieces of landmark legislation, such as the Healthcare Reform Act of 2006, which expanded healthcare to children and provided increased subsidies for families living in poverty. Murray also served as the chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee for four years prior to becoming president. While Rosenberg would not comment on his candidacy, he said Murray was an effective leader and her term as Senate president was successful. “It’s too early to talk about [upcoming election],” he said. “We’re focused on helping the Senate President successfully complete the Senate agenda.” Sen. Jennifer Flanagan served as the vice chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee under Murray’s leadership. She said Murray has been a mentor for her in terms of welfare reform and female leadership roles. “She is someone who certainly thinks that women belong in power, in policy positions and influential positions, not only in politics but in business,” she said. “She goes above and beyond to make sure we do
Murray, see page 2