The Daily Free Press
Year xliv. Volume lxxxvi. Issue XV
FERTILITY School of Public Health tracks fertility problems, page 3.
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Wednesday, February 12, 2014 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
STIRSDAY
Residents participate in couch-bicycle race, page 5.
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RACE TO FIRST
Men’s basketball looks for key win vs. Colgate, page 8.
WEATHER
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Boston company keeps US athletes safe in Sochi Walsh tentatively proposes program to buy back guns By Andrew Keuler Daily Free Press Contributor
Global Rescue, a firm from Boston, is at the Winter Olympic Games over the next few weeks providing medical and security protection for American Olympic skiers and snowboarders. The company, which has partnered with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association in order to achieve their goal of protecting the athletes, provides evacuations for all medical, security or other critical needs to its clients, said Global Rescue spokeswoman Ann Shannon. “We provide crisis response services and that includes medical and security in the event that they are necessary,” she said. “If someone is injured and needs evacuation, we are responsible for the logistics of that.” Michael Corgan, professor of international relations at Boston University, said there have been threats in Sochi because the games are an attractive target for anyone wanting to make a political statement using terrorism. “Anybody who’s got an axe to grind, this is the place to do it,” he said. “Any terrorist organization from some of these regions [of southern Russia] that want to be independent like Dagestan and Chechnya will want to make an appearance ... there’s a phrase about terrorists: They don’t want a lot of people dead, they want a lot of peo-
By Matthew Cronin Daily Free Press Contributor
PHOTO COURTESY OF PAT DEENAN
Boston-based security firm, Global Rescue, has been hired to protect the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
ple watching.” Global Rescue served in the same capacity for the USSA during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Although Global Rescue has worked with a variety of corporations and government agencies, including NASA, these Olympics provide a new challenge given recent terrorist threats, said Shannon. Tom Kelly, vice president of communi-
cations for the USSA, said the firm works closely with the United States Olympic Committee and other agencies. Kelly said he is not allowed to publically discuss security issues, reflecting the heightened security concerns of the Sochi Olympics. Shannon said Global Rescue would most likely have to act in medical emergencies, but would also assist the athletes in security situations.
Olympics, see page 2
Barros appointed as Chief of Economic Development By Felicia Gans Daily Free Press Staff
Following Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s announcement for the need to reconstruct the Boston Redevelopment Authority in January, Walsh appointed John Barros as chief of his Economic Development Cabinet. As Economic Development Chief, Barros will oversee the BRA and will aid Walsh in supporting small businesses, promoting job growth and marketing Boston to the global economy. Walsh hopes to unite the Boston community through improved opportunities. “John shares my belief that we have to do more than better organize our efforts — we have to ensure those efforts lead to more opportunities for all of Boston’s residents and business owners,” Walsh said in a Monday release. “Boston’s economy is in a good position, but we can do better. With John, our job creators, and our communities all working together,
we will create more economic opportunities throughout our city and take Boston to the next level.” In Walsh’s inauguration speech on Jan. 6, he announced the creation of the Boston Economic Development Authority, a new agency that consolidates a variety of economic development agencies in Boston, including BRA. BEDA will bring together all parts of city government that deal with economic development and job creation. Barros will oversee BEDA, creating an efficient way for agencies to work together in Boston’s redevelopment efforts. Barros, a mayoral candidate in the Nov. 2013 election, endorsed Walsh in the final weeks before the election, forging a strong relationship between the two leaders. “Excited to join Mayor @marty_walsh as the City’s new chief of economic development working to ensure everyone shares in Boston’s progress!” Barros tweeted Monday.
In 1991, at 17 years old, Barros was elected to the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative Board of Directors, becoming the first teenager to serve on the board. He later served as the Vice President of DSNI and of Dudley Neighbors, Inc. At Dartmouth College, Barros studied economics and African/African-American studies. He interned at Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, where he continued to work fulltime after graduation. In 2000, he became the interim Executive Director of DSNI, and after three months, he was appointed to the post permanently. Over the past decade, Barros has received numerous awards from the Boston community, including the Action for Boston Community Development Roxbury Community Award in 2000, the Robert Leo Ruffin Award from the
Barros, see page 2
In the wake of January’s eight gun-related homicides and state legislators’ efforts to strengthen state gun laws, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced he is contemplating enacting a buyback program with the Boston Police Department as part of a comprehensive effort to tackle gun violence in Boston. The tentative buyback program would allow private gun owners to sell their guns to the city in return for money. In a stepped-up effort to take illegal firearms off the streets, BPD has seized five handguns over the past week. Two handguns were seized Monday, bringing the total number of seized firearms this year to 58, according to the BPD website. “The Mayor and the Boston Police Department have been discussing a number of strategies to address the violence in our city, including the possibility of a gun buyback program,” Walsh said in a Saturday statement. “The Mayor and Commissioner agree that the City needs to take a comprehensive approach to getting guns off of our streets.” Walsh’s announcement followed the death of 9-year-old Jan Marcos Peña, a Mattapan boy shot by his 14-year-old brother on Friday. The 14-year-old boy, whose name has not been released, was arraigned Monday morning on charges of involuntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm. Juvenile Court Judge Leslie Harris set $50,000 cash bail for the youth, who is to appear in court again on March 3, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. “Investigators believe the boy was handling the firearm recklessly when it discharged, striking his younger brother,” said the District Attorney’s Office in a Friday release. “The evidence at this stage does not suggest that any other person in the juvenile’s home knew he possessed the firearm.” John Rosenthal, the founder and chairman of Stop Handgun Violence, said a gun buyback program is worth trying, but not sufficient enough to combat handgun violence. “Unfortunately, it’s questionable whether gun buyback programs get the right guns off the street,” he said. “Anything short of trading a gang-member gun for a sustainable job is not going to do what is needed.”
Buyback, see page 2
Plans announced for SMG brand makeover By Drew Schwartz Daily Free Press Staff
BELEN CUSIA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Interbrand, a global brand consultancy company, announced Thursday the launch of the re-energized image for the School of Management.
Boston University’s School of Management has partnered with brand consultancy firm Interbrand to revamp the college’s image. SMG’s revitalized brand will emphasizes bold, ethical decision-making and taking responsible risks, SMG Marketing and Communications Director Midge Wilcke said. “The goal for the brand was to have key stakeholders in the building participating in conversation that, coupled with research, would help us really understand where we fit in today’s world as a business school,” she said. SMG’s decision to revamp their brand coincided with the school’s 100-year anniversary, Wilcke said. Interbrand announced the SMG initiative in a Thursday press release. “Our goal was to create a compelling brand experience that would uniquely engage and inspire each of these different audiences and propel BU SMG on a path to excel in today’s — and tomorrow’s increasingly com-
petitive market,” said Interbrand Toronto Managing Director Alfred DuPuy in the release. Wilcke said ethical business leadership is integral to SMG’s curriculum and the values it attempts to instill in SMG students, Wilcke said. “If you’re not doing this with the best possible intentions, with ethics, with values, then what’s the point?” she said. “We feel that’s one thing that distinguishes us from certain of our competitors, that the human element is very critical for us.” Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Adriane Dean, who worked closely with Interbrand, said SMG’s brand was largely rooted in authenticity. “It was extremely important that we weren’t just defining a story or a brand for SMG that was what we assumed,” she said. “We did an extensive research process.” SMG faculty and staff partnered with Interbrand to interview current and prospective
SMG, see page 2