NEWS Kappa Sigma faces consequences from administration for offensive party promotional material. pg. 3
MUSE Wednesday’s Redstones film festival showcased a motley mix of student cinema, folding in diverse entries from a wide variety of students. pg. 5
12º / 19º SNOW
SPORTS The Roller Kid: Senior assistant captain Cason Hohmann has come a long way from his roots in roller hockey. pg. 12
DAILYFREEPRESS.COM @DAILYFREEPRESS
(FORECAST.IO)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY YEAR XLIV. VOLUME LXXXVIII. ISSUE VI.
Complaints filed against SG slate BY MINA CORPUZ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
PHOTO BY BRIAN SONG/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced a panel Friday that will review the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s core functions.
MBTA panel launched to evaluate service BY MONIQUE AVILA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has ordered an in-depth review of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, to be conducted by a panel of six transportation, economic and urban planning experts, according to a Friday press release. The panel will conduct a diagnosis of the MBTA’s management and system governance and deliver recommendations from their findings to Baker by the end of March, the release stated. “Public transportation plays a major role in supporting and driving the region’s economy, and in order to fix the problems with the MBTA, they first must be diagnosed,” Baker said in the release. “It’s clear that following past procedures will only yield the same unacceptable results.” The release outlined the panel’s objectives to synthesize previous findings from recent MBTA reports, including its current State of Good Repair backlog, and assess how well previous report recommendations were handled. The panel will also evaluate the MBTA’s current “state of operations,” focusing on funds allocation, maintenance, operations, communications, decision-making and governance. The panel will then
compare the information gathered to similar transit system operations. Paul Barrett, former director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, will serve as the panel’s chairman. The panel consists of Jane Garvey, a former Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Works; Robert Gittens, the vice president of public affairs at Northeastern University; Jose Gomez-Ibanez, the Derek C. Bok Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at Harvard University; Katherine Lapp, former executive director and CEO of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority; Brian McMorrow, CFO for the Aviation Division with the Massachusetts Port Authority; and Braintree Mayor Joe Sullivan. The Governor’s Secretary of Transportation, Stephanie Pollack, will also be an active participant in the panel’s discussions and meetings, Amanda Richard, deputy press secretary of MassDOT, said in an email. “This group of national leaders in transportation and public administration will provide us with a framework we can build on,” Baker said in the release. The MBTA review comes in the weeks following harsh winter storms that dropped nearly 100 inches of snow on the region and left many without access to public transportation. With the MBTA under scrutiny from
the Massachusetts government and its residents, MBTA General Manager and CEO Beverly Scott announced her resignation on Feb. 11 — citing a want to spend more time with family as her reason — and Baker has promised to meet with MBTA officials to play a role in fixing the transportation system. As a member of the panel, Gittens said the city of Boston needs to have a well-functioning, reliable, high-quality transportation system. With the winter storms seeming to have calmed, Gittens said the city can now assess why public transportation difficulties occurred. “The governor wants us to understand the circumstances that the T is operating under and to take a look at what’s happened over time with an analysis of the T’s challenges and see if we can get an analysis of where things stand,” he said. The panel has no authority, Gittens said, and is simply serving an advisory role to the governor. “It allows for us to have a different perspective,” he said. “We have folks that have had a lot of experience in the world of transportation and in that realm locally.” MBTA and MassDOT officials will be closely monitoring the panel’s findings, Richard said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
School-wide Title IX policy updated to better address sexual assault BY J.D. CAPELOUTO AND SAMANTHA GROSS DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
In an effort to better addresses reports of sexual misconduct on campus, Boston University officials adopted a new schoolwide Title IX policy, BU President Robert Brown announced in a Monday email to the BU community. Title IX protects people from exclusion, denial of benefits and discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity that receives federal financial aid, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s website. “BU is committed to increasing awareness of sexual misconduct, eliminating its occurrence on campus, providing support for survivors, diligently investigating all reports of sexual misconduct and dealing
fairly and firmly with offenders,” Brown wrote in the email. Effective immediately, there are separate investigation and disciplinary processes for complaints against students than those filed against faculty, staff, affiliates and non-affiliates, the email stated. The new policy includes information regarding disciplinary procedures that outline how BU will work to resolve sexual misconduct complaints. Brown said in the email that during the development process, the goals were to provide clear definitions of prohibited conduct, collect information about the university’s resources, describe reporting obligations of various positions and align with federal mandates. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL GUAN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Boston University President Robert Brown announced a new Title IX policy, which addresses sexual assault on campus, in an email to the BU community Monday.
Following their announcement of intention to run for Boston University Student Government executive board positions, members of the Team BU slate face complaints for violating campaign codes established by the Student Election Commission. Five complaints were filed on Feb. 12 against slate members Austin Kruger, Gabi Medeiros, Matt Sgrignari and Tim Geraghty regarding their Feb. 9 announcement, their use of social media for promotion and their willingness to speak to The Daily Free Press following their campaign announcement. The offenses in question come in direct violation of the SEC’s code to not utilize “physical and/or electronic media” until the campaign period, the complaint stated. “Our main function is to provide [an] environment for fun and fair elections to take place, as well as to get as many students as possible to vote. We do this in two ways. We host a variety of events for campaigns and students alike to try and increase awareness of elections as well [as] rule on violations that may occur at [any] point during the election cycle,” SEC Chair Spencer Hilton, a junior in the School of Management, wrote in an email. Campaigning of any sort is restricted to the designated campaigning period, according to SEC election code. Discussion “done in an official capacity,” promotion through social media and media coverage violate the campaign code. On Feb. 9, Team BU spoke to a crowd of approximately 50 students in the Eilberg Lounge in West Campus about goals for making SG more open and establishing a sense of community, The Daily Free Press reported. Kruger, a senator for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, plans to run for Executive Board President and said the rules for campaigning were not clearly communicated. “If we were better aware of the rules, we would have definitely followed all of them,” said Kruger, a junior in SMG. “SEC doesn’t know where its jurisdiction can end. I’m not so sure it’s a great idea for the SEC to have censorship power over private Facebook groups and articles printed by media outlets about the election. We believe that students’ rights to speech is essential and must prevail against rules that would suppress it.” Kruger said when Senate members voted to elect Hilton, Kruger asked whether posting on a personal Facebook account would still be a code violation under the SEC’s social media policy. “We got to ask questions to those running, and I asked Spencer Hilton before he ran if social media and posting on your personal Facebook would change and he said yes,” he said. “This was a week before we announced [our campaign].” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
2
NEWS
Non-tenure faculty on the increase, study shows BY MOLLY MINNITI DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Postsecondary institutions are increasingly hiring more non-tenure, part-time faculty and fewer tenure and tenure-track faculty, according to a Friday study commissioned by the University of Southern California in partnership with the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The study found that more than two-thirds of faculty in non-profit postsecondary education is now comprised of non-tenure and adjunct faculty, which may impact students’ learning environment and lead to faculty inequality. The study is part of a greater initiative called The Delphi Project on Changing Faculty and Student Success through USC. “This trend has broken those responsibilities apart, with faculty members increasingly finding themselves focusing primarily on either teaching or research and having tenuous connections to the academic community on their own campuses and to other scholars in their disciplines more broadly,” the report stated. Dan Hunter, an English lecturer in Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences, said he sees this nationwide trend as a negative one. “It [the trend] is a crisis in higher education, and we need to take a look at what it means to be a professor and outline what those responsibilities are,” he said. In the fall 2014 semester, 36 percent of the faculty at BU’s Charles River Campus taught part-time, Lisa Celmer, the administrative coordinator for the Office of the Provost, wrote in an email. Part-time faculty
taught 21 percent of the courses. BU spokesman Colin Riley said the part-time professors serve as an asset for the school. “The composition of BU’s faculty, particularly in the undergraduate courses, provide the university with great flexibility,” he said. “[BU is] still meeting the vast majority of student need through full-time faculty.” In CAS, part-time faculty taught 9 percent of the undergraduate courses, while full-time faculty covered the remaining 91 percent of the courses, Celmer said. Overall, part-time faculty teach 40 percent of graduate students, but in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, fewer than 6 percent of the graduate student courses are taught by part-time faculty. The recent vote for adjunct professors at BU to unionize, a decision made on Feb. 4, is one way to close the gap between part-time and full-time faculty members as more adjunct professors join the faculty, Hunter said. The union, which passed by a 2-to-1 margin, will negotiate issues such as job security, payroll health benefits and office space for adjunct faculty members, The Daily Free Press reported on Feb. 5. “One of the reasons why I worked with unionizing for BU is that we want to bring the emphasis back to the classroom, back to teaching,” Hunter said. “That is what you go to college for. You go to the university to be exposed to and to have good teaching.” Several students said parttime faculty members offer just as high quality an educational environment as full-time and tenured faculty. Tim Cheung, a first-year graduate student in the Sargent College of Health and Reha-
CRIME LOGS J.D. CAPELOUTO DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department from Feb. 19 to Feb. 25. Suspicious package investigated, deemed not a threat BUPD closed the area around the Life Science and Engineering Building at 24 Cummington Mall for two to three hours on Feb. 19, beginning at approximately 9 a.m. An employee reported receiving a suspicious package from a previously terminated employee. BUPD and Boston Police Department checked the package, which turned out to be a note and some chocolates. Unauthorized purchase found on bank account
GRAPHIC BY SAMANTHA GROSS/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
bilitation Sciences, said he has noticed a decrease in tenured positions for faculty members and the ways that affects the teaching styles of professors. “Lots of people are swaying away from research and teaching … [with the] lack of tenure, we are losing a lot of good potential,” he said. “Some adjuncts are really working hard for the tenure, so they are pretty much A-game all the time while some know that is it just a part-time job, so they are only teaching to make an extra buck. You can tell the difference.” Melissa Holihan, a freshman in CAS, said she can see why universities are hiring more part-time faculty. “There is a benefit to having tenure professors, but having younger and more excited professors who connect well to students is also really important,” she said. “It is smart to find a balance between the two.” Grace Jeffrey, a sophomore
in CAS, said she did not know one of her writing professors was an adjunct professor until he mentioned it in class. “I felt like our class was laid out differently than a lot of others,” she said. “[He] offered regular office hours, but during the semester, the professor was on a deadline for a book he was publishing, so our papers got turned back late.” Jeffrey said although the situation may not be ideal, having a large number of adjunct professors can influence students’ education in a positive way. “It is a double-edged sword,” she said. “Tenure professors can get lazy as time goes on. There is no competition for them because they have a spot, but at the same time, adjunct may not get paid as much, and there’s less job security. Adjuncts and part-time faculty might be more concerned with what they are teaching because it matters.”
SG hopes to promote transparency with SEC, Cheng says SEC, FROM PAGE 1
Though the complaints state that SEC will not rule on the violation until campaigning begins, Kruger said he communicated with SEC over email and reached an agreement. “An agreement was reached whereby we only receive a warning instead of a violation due to these communication errors, and being so far ahead of their election timeline,” he said. “For us, it’s not as big of a deal as it seems.” John Battaglino, assistant dean of students and director of student activities, said he serves as an advisor to SEC and makes sure that the commission stays on task. “I always try to caution the Student Elections Commission about rules because you have to enforce [them],” he said. “What you want to try to do is trying to make sure that students’ voices are heard, and to be too punitive in their role would undermine what they’re trying to do. It’s a student group, so they deter-
mine what their rules are.” Priscilla Cheng, a College of Arts and Sciences senator, is a member of SG’s Election Oversight Committee. The committee’s purpose is to promote transparency between SG and SEC. “We just want to inform people of what is going on behind the doors,” said Cheng, a freshman in CAS. “We do respect that they have their secrecy policy, but we do not want them to keep everything away from us. We want them to at least connect with us so we know what’s happening. The student government has a say in the elections because we’re overseeing it. It shouldn’t be right that they get all the say in it.” In regard to the complaints filed against Team BU, Cheng said SEC should have recognized the difference between promotion and campaigning. “There’s this issue of promotion versus campaigning that came up, and we had to redefine that because what he was doing
CAMPUS
A 24-year-old female at 1079 Commonwealth Ave. reported on Feb. 19 that there were unauthorized transactions on her bank account. The victim said other fraudulent purchases using her account also occurred on Jan. 16. BUPD will investigate the incident. Student cited for possession of marijuana A 19-year-old male student was found in possession of a small amount of marijuana Friday at approximately 11:09 p.m. at Rich Hall at 277 Babcock St. The student was issued a citation for the possession. Males videotape female without consent, summoned to court BUPD received a complaint Friday at approximately 11:13 p.m. that two male students had attempted to videotape a female student without her permission. The incident was reported at Claflin Hall at 273 Babcock St. BUPD identified both male students, who will be summoned to Boston Municipal Court, Brighton Division. Body of BU graduate student found on Charles River BUPD received notification Friday by Massachusetts State Police at approximately 11:40 p.m. that a body had been found on the Charles River on the ice under the BU Bridge. The body was later identified as that of a BU graduate student. The incident is currently under investigation by State Police. Five non-affiliates fight outside BU residence BUPD responded to a fight outside 1019 Commonwealth Ave. on Sunday at approximately 3:16 a.m. Officers found two males engaged in a fight with two other males and a female. All five people were not affiliated with the university. BUPD placed two of the males under arrest for assault and battery
PHOTO BY WILLA RUSOWICZ-ORAZEM/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Austin Kruger (SMG ’16) announced on Feb. 8 that he will run for Boston University Student Government Executive President, violating the Student Elections Committee code.
was not really campaigning,” she said. “It was more of a promotion among friends. It was basically talking to friends. It was not an official event. He was more like, ‘Here is what I think I should do. What do you guys think?’” Kruger said he hopes SEC will make more of an effort to clarify the campaign process
and rules to encourage more participation. “There are senators I know who are interested in running,” he said. “People aren’t going to know how to go about running. As a senator who’s running, I would like to have more competition because that means that more people are getting involved.”
Woman drives car off edge of Agganis Arena parking garage A 41-year-old female not affiliated with the university drove her vehicle off the edge of the first floor parking garage underneath Agganis Arena at 925 Commonwealth Ave. on Saturday at approximately 9:40 p.m. There was a two-foot drop from the edge, and the vehicle needed to be towed out by a tow-truck. The extent of the damage is unclear at this point in time.
NEWS
3
BU suspends Kappa Sigma fraternity for party promotion BY MIRIAM LELAH DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Boston University officials suspended the Kappa Sigma fraternity on Feb. 6 after receiving information about a “blackout party” that possessed questionable promotion materials and lacked university approval, said Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore. The fraternity, which partnered with Blackout University for the party, was suspended for planning to host a function that used BU’s name without approval and for the concerning nature of the party that promoted excessive drinking and taking advantage of women, Elmore said. “I am hopeful they will understand how objectionable this was,” he said. “I hope beyond any anger they may feel at us removing our connections from them that they do something to figure out [how] a group of them, we’re talking about a sizable number of them, could think something like this could be okay.” The promotional materials for the party, which was scheduled for December 10, 2014, included shirtless or nearly unclothed women, with some being forced to drink alcohol. A video included on the promotional webpage stated, “No sluts were harmed in the making of this video.” The website to purchase tickets has since been taken down. Nicholas Supple, president of Kappa Sigma, said the fraternity views this suspension as a chance to have an open dialogue with the school and the Interfraternity Council about its role on campus. “While being suspended from campus is never a good thing, we’re confident that we will be able to find common ground with the school,
and we welcome this opportunity to strengthen our chapter internally and our working relationship with the community,” Supple, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, wrote in an email. A representative from IFC did not respond to request for comment. Katherine Hasenauer Cornetta, the assistant to the Dean of Students, said although Kappa Sigma did not create the materials, they were still held responsible. “The fraternity’s partnership with BlackoutU and their willingness to distribute and promote their material was the key to the decision making process,” she wrote in an email. “That the fraternity put their name on and disseminated that material made them responsible for the material.” Cornetta said although the party was scheduled to happen in December 2014, the suspension was delayed because administrators went through an investigation process and winter break occurred. Elmore said there are broader, more serious implications other than the content of the materials and the fraternity’s use of the BU name on the promotion materials. “To me, this is about taking advantage of women, so it’s particularly troubling that we’ve spent a lot of time over the course of the last semester talking about sexual assault, talking about the larger scale issues in terms of peoples’ humanity and how we treat people, and that we still get a group of people who want to do this,” Elmore said. Elmore said the university hopes to obtain a plan from Kappa Sigma’s national organization demonstrating how the BU chapter will prevent these types of situations when it regains its recognition.
Panel to review MBTA functions MBTA, FROM PAGE 1
“The administration in coordination with the MBTA and MassDOT Board of Directors will be closely reviewing the framework and recommendations set out by the assembled panel for ways to improve upon public transit in the Commonwealth,” she said. A representative from the MBTA declined to comment. Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in an email statement that he is in favor of Baker’s plan to take a comprehensive look at MBTA practices. “In order to create a modern, 21st century transportation system that serves all of our residents and all of our neighborhoods, the MBTA needs adequate infrastructure funding to modernize an aging system,” he said in the statement. “I applaud Governor Baker for his selection of a diverse and informed panel to examine MBTA operations, and I am hopeful the panel will quickly deliver recommendations that will guide how to improve the system.” Several residents said they understand how the transportation issues have occurred, especially in the severity of the winter storms, but the city has a responsibility to make sure their residents can travel.
Eduardo Schettino, 22, of Back Bay, said the level at which the MBTA is functioning is unacceptable. “It’s understandable because it’s not something you can fix right away, but it’s also unacceptable,” he said. “We had so many days off, people weren’t getting paid, schools were canceled, and so many people are even paying for school. This whole service and goods exchange, it’s not happening. Everyone is just sitting at home watching TV.” Grace Johnson, 68, of Roxbury, said the severity of the storms calls for certain adjustments. “That is the nature of the snow, but everybody should be responsible for us people who need to go to work and go to doctor appointments,” she said. “It’s [the review is] a very good thing because it makes the governor, the mayor and the residents realize what’s going on, and I hope they’ll fix it and it’ll be better next year.” Alex Chao, 23, of Allston, said he is interested to see what kind of plans the MBTA has to get around necessary weather-related service shutdowns and a lack of funds. “Funding is the number one issue for the T,” he said. “If they could somehow persuade the state to increase funding, I’d be interested.”
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH SILBIGER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Kappa Sigma Fraternity was suspended Feb. 6 for promoting a party with questionable advertising materials without Boston University’s approval.
Officials from the Kappa Sigma national organization were not available for comment. Kappa Sigma is the second fraternity suspended by BU this semester, following Delta Tau Delta, which had its recognition withdrawn on Jan. 23 for reports of underage drinking, The Daily Free Press reported on Feb. 12. Several students shared mixed views about the harmful nature of the party Kappa Sigma wanted to host. Simisola Olaiya, a freshman in the CAS, said the university made the right decision to suspend the fraternity and should implement more regulations on this type of behavior. “They [the fraternity] should get suspended and probably apologize,”
she said. “People could get hurt, and if it’s demeaning towards women and other people, I don’t think that’s right. Fraternities and sororities should have stricter rules and regulations for activities. A policy should be set in place to ensure safety.” Eddy Luo, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said people should be the ones to decide whether a party is too risky to attend. “If it was only a few who complained, then it’s an overreaction,” he said. “If people go to a party, they should know their own risks. Frats should be able to throw parties, and people should get to decide for themselves if they want to go to or not. The school shouldn’t get involved.” Kelsey Koger, a junior in CAS, said although the potential party had
bad implications, she has seen worse. “I heard about a frat at another school who hung up a banner inside their party that said ‘no means yes,’” she said. “When it comes to frats and ‘rape-y’ situations they’ve gotten off in the past with just a slap on the wrist.” Koger said she is glad BU decided to intervene and suspend the fraternity. “Being suspended over a poster is a lot better then if somebody raped someone. It’s preventative,” she said. “For me, as a woman, I’m just thinking about my safety. I don’t care about your fun. If your fun can hurt a woman, then that’s a problem. If a male dean can recognize it, then they should recognize it too.” Mina Corpuz contributed to the reporting of this article.
4
NEWS
Baker announces strategies to combat opioid addiction BY CHRIS FERGUS DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced Feb. 19 the establishment of a 16-member Opioid Addiction Working Group of a variety of opioid experts to “ignite conversation” in the hope of reducing opioid addiction rates in the Commonwealth, according to a Feb. 19 press release from the Governor’s office. “We have brought together a group of individuals from many diverse backgrounds and experiences related to prevention, intervention, treatment, recovery support and law enforcement, who, after holding a listening tour with stakeholders around the Commonwealth, will report back to the administration with specific, targeted and tangible recommendations to increase public awareness about these medications and reduce the rate of addiction,” Baker said in the release. The Working Group will review resources available to addicts, hold four public events to get community input and submit a list of recommendations to Baker’s office by May, the release stated. There were approximately 978 unintentional deaths among Massachusetts residents caused by opioid overdoses in 2013, according to a report by the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health released Feb. 19. This represents a 46 percent increase from 2012. Additionally, there are approximately 10,636 individuals with “Activity of Concern,” in Massachusetts, the report stated. Scott Zoback, interim director of communications at the DPH, said the Working Group will comprehensively examine the problem of opioid addiction. “The Working Group will take a holistic view,” he said. “They’ll take a look at the data and the potential causes of opioid addiction and potential solutions we should take as a Commonwealth to address these problems.” Opioid addiction is an issue that affects “everyone from every walk of life,” Zoback said. “It’s a complex issue, and there is no one cause or solution,” he said. “This is about all of us, insurance companies, physicians, patients, their families, the state, pharmaceutical companies and how do we, as a community, help people. This isn’t one group’s responsibility, but it is all of ours.” Chris Jepson, clinical director of Hope House Boston, a drug addiction treatment center, said as an institution funded by the DPH, the center will follow Baker’s lead to fight opioid addiction going forward.
“The Hope House is a DPH-funded program, so we abide by the rules set forth by the DPH,” he said. “His [Baker’s] agenda as far as opiate or drug addiction will be closely followed and implemented by Hope House.” Prescription opioids, such as Vicodin, Percocet or Oxycodone, decrease the perception of pain by binding receptors in the brain, according to the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This creates a feeling of euphoria and physical dependence, which can sometimes lead to addiction, the CDC website states. Jepson said the way opioids are prescribed enhances their addictive effects. “Often, a doctor will prescribe a fairly large dosage of pain medication to manage an illness,” he said. “Those medications are typically not weaned. They are just stopped, which is a pretty dramatic event for the body and the mind.” Jepson said the governor will take a closer look at the methods in which doctors prescribe opioids going forward. “As far as I know, the Governor is looking at the ways doctors prescribe medications and the way insurance companies are reimbursing for that,” he said. “Hopefully there will be a lot more attention put towards the dispensing of pain
GRAPHIC BY SAMANTHA GROSS/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
medications and the process of weaning somebody off of the medication.” Marylou Sudders, secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, said this information serves as a crucial tool in fighting opioid addiction. “We can use this data to better inform how we distribute resources so we can help individuals and families that are at greatest risk get the help they need,” she said. Several residents said they applaud Baker’s creation of the Working Group and his attention to the growing problem of opioid addiction. Nico Vougas, 21, of Mission Hill, said Baker is making the right move by creating the Working Group. “The fact that there are deaths from opioid overdoses means it is a problem, and it sounds like Charlie Baker is taking a step in the right direc-
tion,” he said. Robert Green, 33, of Back Bay, said enough isn’t being done to fight opioid addiction, but the establishment of the Working Group will hopefully bring an end to the epidemic. “If opioid overdoses cause nearly 1,000 deaths, then enough isn’t being done to end it,” he said. “I don’t really know what else can be done, but that is the job of the working group — to figure out what else can be done.” Abdullah Al Qahtani, 23, of Mission Hill, said something has to be done about the epidemic, and the Working Group is a step in the right direction. “If people are overdosing on opioids or other painkillers, then something should be done to prevent more deaths,” he said. “The creation of this group sounds like a good idea, since they will figure out what needs to be done and make recommendations based on that.”
Policy change seeks to increase awareness about sexual assault TITLE IX, FROM PAGE 1
Kim Randall, BU’s Title IX coordinator, said the changes aim for transparency in describing information and procedure. “We are all revising policies and procedures to ensure that our students have a clear set of guidelines about sexual misconduct, knowledge of the resources available here on campus and also in the local community and an understanding of how to bring complaints or concerns about sexual misconduct to people on campus who can help,” she wrote in an email. At the end of the spring 2014 semester, BU was placed on a list of 55 schools under investigation for inadequately handling sexual violence and harassment complaints under Title IX, The Daily Free Press reported on May 1, 2014. Other schools on the list include Amherst College, Emerson College, Harvard College, Harvard University Law School and University of Massachusetts Amherst. Randall said the updated policies did not come as a result of the federal investigation. “All of the Title IX investigations taking place across the country at many schools and colleges have informed both the Office for Civil Rights (the federal agency conducting the investigations) and the schools themselves
of changes we can make to give our students the best information and support that we can, and to promote a culture of respect,” she said. BU has developed training programs and increased outreach to students and employees, Randall said. In addition, the university will conduct a sexual assault climate survey for students in the spring. “All of these are part of an ongoing effort to educate and support our community,” she said. Maureen Mahoney, director of the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Center at BU, said she is a member of the task force that worked to update the Title IX policies. “What changed is the new safety site pulling everything together to make it easy for students faculty and staff to find everything in one spot,” she said. “The president’s email can help raise awareness. Raising awareness is a really good step in prevention. Publicizing the new safety website and Title IX … can only encourage students to maybe participate more in prevention programming and become aware at what’s available.” Mahoney said SARP works to reach out to students early on in their college careers to educate them about BU’s resources.
“We really hope that students pay attention to this, to look out for each other and to continue the discussion that we started at student orientation,” she said. “One of the things that we really try and do is we talk about this at student incoming orientation … we sponsor events, we have ads on the BU BUS. I think that we continue to do that … Maybe we need to be more assertive.” Several students said they welcome the updated Title IX policies and hope the changes will have a meaningful impact. Divya Hippolyte, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said it is great that BU is looking to make the reporting of sexual misconduct across campus simpler for students. “It’s good to have resources and stuff, but I got the email, and I didn’t even know that it was an actual thing,” she said. “It’s different when it’s available. Will people actually use it? Are people comfortable enough to use it if something happens?” Maia Patrie, a freshman in the College of Engineering, said although she has been at BU for less than a year, from what she has seen, the school is doing what it can to combat sexual assault. “The school is obviously trying some things, but there hasn’t been any big cases here yet, so it’s
hard to say if something actually came up how they’d deal with it,” she said. “BU always gives me a feeling that they’re going to deal with it well.” Cayenne Outerbridge, a freshman in the College of Communication, said the policy changes will be good for BU,
as long as they are enforced and managed. “It’s good that they’re making an effort to make some changes,” she said. “It really shows that they’re listening to the students and caring about making BU a safe environment and a good place for students to live.”
LOAD MONEY. SPEND MONEY. SAVE MONEY. Buy one menu item, get a second menu item free (of equal or lesser value). Not to be combined with any other offer. 1 per customer per day. Allston location only.
Buy one sushi, sashimi, or maki item, get a second for half price (of equal or lesser value). Good for sushi, sashimi, or maki a la carte. Dine-in only.
Large Cheese Pizza, 7 pc wings & garden salad for $19.99 + tax. Additional charges may apply for extra toppings, sauce and dressing. DOWNLOAD & SAVE TODAY
Offers exclusive to looped in users. www.areyoulooped.in
FEATURES
5
MUSE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Redstones audience treated to palette of new voices, movies BY BECCA DEGREGORIO AND SONIA RAO DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Boston University’s Film and Television Department rolled out its red carpet Wednesday night for the 35th annual Redstone Film Festival. The films screened ranged in topic from drunken grandmas to bloody redemption, and the BU students behind them took home a diverse pool of awards to match. “I thought that the variety of films was really nice,” said Madeleine Jacob, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences who attended the film festival. “None of them really covered too similar of topics.” The seven finalist films took the audience to a host of settings, including the wintry woods of rural New Hampshire, the cabs of Tianjin, China and the local landscape of suburban Boston. Three films even included foreign language dialogue. “That’s unusual, but what a lovely surprise that is that people are working in other languages,” said Jan Egleson, an associate professor of film and television in the College of Communication and a faculty coordinator of the festival. “I think it speaks well for the students that they do it, and nobody makes a big deal about it. I’m really glad to see that.” One such film was first-place winner Bryan Sih’s “Winter/Spring.” Performed entirely in Spanish, the film explores the changing relationship between a young couple on the verge of parenthood. While he expressed his gratitude for the award, Sih, a 2014 COM graduate, shared a dissonant opinion of competitions as a whole. “I don’t like competing in an art form,” Sih said. “You would never put a [Jackson] Pollock up against a [Mark] Rothko. You would just exhibit both in a museum. I’m just saying that most art isn’t subject to competition. You go to a music festival and listen to your favorite bands, but no band wins. That would be ridiculous, because we just want to camp out and enjoy the music. So why can’t
film be like that?” While he appreciated the competitive component of the festival, Egleson also said the awards come secondary to the screening portion of the event. The mission of the Redstones, Egleson said, lies in acknowledging the combined efforts of the faculty, staff and students. “We all work collaboratively together. Motion pictures are a collaborative art, and that’s something we teach here,” Egleson said. “The competition is a nice side thing to it, but we all know that in the medium of film, individual achievement is on the broad shoulders of your collaborators.” Additional winners included Jim DanDee for editing and sound design in “The Phoenix,” as well as Cheryn Park for cinematography in “Vows,” a drama following the journey of a young, pregnant woman seeking redemption for domestic violence. “I think it’s [the film is] just [about] the idea that strong women don’t necessarily have to be this dominatrix, tough, stereotypically strong women,” said Park, a 2014 COM graduate. “You can find strength from wherever you are and in whatever kind of situation you’re in.” Following the female empowerment theme introduced in “Vows,” the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Production Grant was awarded to Emily Sheehan, a senior in COM, for her screenplay “Skipping Stones.” Since 2007, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation has supported female filmmakers by awarding them scholarships and grants. “It’s encouraging,” Sheehan said. “I feel incredibly honored to have been awarded the grant in the first place. It makes me sad that the last Academy Award-winning female director was Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 ... That was the first time and the only time. So I hope that changes soon, and I hope that I can be amongst the wave, or even a part of that somehow. I think that women have
PHOTO BY ERIN BILLINGS/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
(From left) Fannar Thor Arnarsson won second place, Bryan Sih won first place and Emily Sheehan won third place at the Redstones film festival at Boston University Wednesday night.
a unique voice that I’ll do my small part to share.” Allison Ajemian, a sophomore in COM and the producer of “After,” which Sheehan also directed, emphasized the fulfilling feeling of being able to witness the audience’s reaction to the films in person. “Seeing the way people react to things and seeing that this many people actually care about student work is pretty cool,” Ajemian said. Several finalists also gave positive feedback regarding the night’s screenings, noting the importance of the communal nature involved with creating student films. “I thought the Redstones this year were among the best I’ve seen,” said Vijayta Narang, producer of “Vows” and a 2014 COM graduate. “I am fortunate enough to
be friends with a lot of people who work on these, and I definitely appreciate now more than ever the collaborative effort that goes into making all of these films.” And showcasing student work through this annual event is not ending anytime soon. According to an announcement at the event by Film and Television department chair Paul Schneider, the Sumner M. Redstone Foundation recently made a generous donation to the Redstone Fund, allowing for the festival to exist in perpetuity. “I’m heartened by all the work because it’s all very strong,” Egleson said. “I think one thing that really distinguishes what we do here is that we’re very open to the voice of the filmmaker. What we try and do is make sure that every voice is heard.”
SPOTLIGHT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
In immigration action’s wake, panel looks at those left behind BY ANDREA KAUFMAN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
In light of U.S. President Barack Obama’s immigration policy woes, Boston University’s School of Law held a panel on Feb. 19 to explore the history of immigration policy in the United States. On Feb. 17, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Texas placed an injunction on an executive action that could potentially have given amnesty to millions of undocumented people currently living in the United States, halting it from going into effect — the result of a lawsuit filed by 26 states that claim that this program is going to harm them financially. “It’s definitely a blow to the immigration community because it calls into question the legitimacy of the program,” said Sarah Sherman-Stokes, a fellow in the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at BU Law. “It creates an air of uncertainty around the program. That’s a problem because we don’t want people to be afraid to apply. We don’t want young people
to think this isn’t real or this might go away. We want people to apply because this is a good way for people with no other options to get legal status.” Organized by the Immigration Law and Policy Society at BU, the panel, largely attended by club members and law students, was intended to inform students of issues related to immigration law. Sherman-Stokes appeared on the panel, with Shannon Erwin, state policy director at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and Laila Hlass, a BU Law associate professor and also a fellow in the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. They spoke about a range of topics, ranging from Obama’s actions to the future of the lawsuit. “Every president since 1956 has done something about immigration,” Erwin said during the panel. “Ever since 9/11, the United States has had a very Homeland Security-focused immigration policy.” Obama’s action would implement two programs: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.
26 states sue Obama over latest immigration reform
Source: Pew Research Center
States suing Obama GRAPHIC BY KATELYN PILLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
DACA is actually an expansion on a 2012 program of the same name. This updated DACA would give expanded protection to more children by lifting some of the restrictions
from the original program. The latter program, DAPA, offers protection for the undocumented parents of legal CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
6
FEATURES
CATALYST THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Women in STEM fields call for engineering earlier interest BY NAVRAJ NARULA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Two decades ago, it may have been easy for one to guess a person’s major based on gender. Fast forward to the 21st century, and not so; statistics from National Girls Collaborative Project in 2011 show that 50.4 percent of science and engineering bachelor’s degrees were earned by women. After graduation, however, the statistics are less promising. In the same year, the U.S. Department of Commerce found that one in seven engineers is a female. Though there has been progress, the conversation regarding women in STEM continues on in 2015, even in highly progressive and well-educated cities like Boston. David Miller, a graduate student of psychology at Northwestern University, found in his research, published Feb. 17 in “Frontiers in Psychology”, that science and engineering fields no longer leak more women than men in the bachelor’s-to-PhD pipeline. “[The ‘leaky pipeline’ meta-
PHOTO BY MARY SCHLICHTE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
PHOTO BY NICKI GITTER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Samantha Karam is a sophomore studying computer science in Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Pamela Templer is a biology professor in Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
phor] is the idea that women are more likely than men to leave science at multiple points after entering college. Although this idea is commonly used to help understand gender differences in pursuing these fields, there’s been little evidence of gender differences in some of these transitions.” By taking two large samples of college graduates in the United States, Miller said he was able to understand how these transitions took place over time. “Although men were more likely to go on and earn PhDs
in these fields in the 1970s and the 1980s, the gap [in terms of persistence rates] closed in the 1990s. So, this idea of the leaky pipeline is no longer accurate.” Miller said that men still outnumber women by three-toone in what he labels pSTEM fields: physical science, engineering, technology and mathematics. However, he said that this is better explained by differences in college major choices and not persistence after college, since women’s representation in pSTEM fields at the PhD level is higher than it is at the bache-
PHOTO BY OLIVIA NADEL/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF Flor de Maria Blaszczyk is a postdoctoral student in the physics department in Boston University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
lor’s level. Pamela Templer, an associate professor of biology at Boston University, said that she started out as a music major in college, but quickly realized that although she was passionate about the subject, she wanted a career that was different. “I tried to get as much hands-on experience as possible as an undergraduate at the University of California so I could see what different careers are like. I enrolled in a ‘Natural History of California’ semester where we backpacked throughout the state of California to learn about the natural history and management of many different ecosystems,” she said. “I then was a [Research Experience for Undergraduates] student at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies for a summer in New York State where I learned how to conduct research. I also studied in Costa Rica for a semester to learn about tropical biology.” Together, Templer said, all those experiences made her realize just how much she loved to learn about the inner workings of forest ecosystems. At BU, she is teaching a class on the subject of forest ecosystems this spring semester and said that the number of females is higher than the number of males in this class. In regards to gender bias surrounding the topic of women in STEM, Templer said that things are getting better, but noted that there are still more men than women in higher positions. “While there are generally equal numbers of female and male PhD students, there are more male professors at senior level positions. We need to do more to encourage women to get into STEM fields and to stay in them through their careers.” Miller said it is encouraging for him to see the gender persistence gaps closing at the PhD level; however, he said that it is a concern that persistence at the bachelor’s level has been decreasing. A solution, he suggests, would be to place more emphasis on encouraging women to pursue science and engineering fields earlier in their education.
“My alma mater, Harvey Mudd College, encouraged women to join computer science fields…Harvey Mudd’s president, Maria Klawe, led these efforts,” Miller said. “For instance, course revisions emphasized how computation can be used to help solve social problems such as climate change or modeling of infectious diseases.” Samantha Karam, a sophomore computer science major in the College of Arts and Sciences said that her father works with computers and that he has he encouraged her interest in his work. “I have always been drawn to math and logic…also, with computer science, I get to see all of my efforts pay off in the most tangible way. The gratification from making a program run correctly is unbeatable. Computer science [seems] like the perfect fit.” For Flor De Maria Blaszczyk, a post-doctoral research assistant specializing in neutrino physics and proton decay studies for the physics department at BU, she discovered her perfect fit in a quantum mechanics lecture class. “When I was an undergrad [at Paris XI University in France], I had my first quantum mechanics lecture. It was puzzling, but it made me want to understand more. I had a seminar given to me by a female professor and she was very passionate about neutrinos. I don’t know if it is the fact that she was female, or the topic, or both, but it lighted a spark in me. It was such an interesting particle and I had to learn more about it.” As a female physicist, Blaszczyk believes that there has been a slow increase of women in STEM. “From what I discussed with other women, they seem to be intimidated. ‘Why did you choose that? Isn’t that a field where there are only guys?’ I don’t know if it’s something social or something you see on TV; there is some sort of subconscious image that physicist are guys and biologists are girls, but I don’t know where that comes from.” Despite potential gender biases that may hinder women’s progress, Miller said that it is essential for others to become more aware of topics surrounding diversity in science and engineering fields. “Understanding and changing potential gender biases should remain an important goal for educators and policy makers. Gender equality in numbers doesn’t necessarily mean gender equality in opportunities.”
FEATURES
7
INBUSINESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Insulet VP Wielinski on sugar, advice, ensuring safe device BY SONIA RAO DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
How do you succeed in business without really trying? It’s a myth. According to Tracey Wielinski, the key to success in business is finding the perfect balance between work and life. As Insulet Corporation’s Vice President of Global Regulatory/Clinical Affairs and Quality Assurance, she has a lot of valuable experience dealing with the medical device production industry, as well as the regulatory agencies associated with it. Last Friday, The Daily Free Press had a chance to speak with Wielinski and hear what she had to say about her chosen field. The Daily Free Press: At Insulet, you serve as Vice President of Global Regulatory/ Clinical Affairs and Quality Assurance. What does that entail? Tracey Wielinski: I work for a medical device company, and my job has three parts: ensuring that we have the appropriate legal documentation so that we can market out product; making sure that we’ve designed and developed the products so that they are safe and effective, so that we can obtain marketing approval; and then when we’re manufacturing the product, making sure that it has been made according to all of our standards and the global standards.
FreeP: What is the role of agencies like the FDA in your field, and how do you work with them? TW: The role of the FDA, in my industry, is to ensure that products are safe and effective for use by the general population. That’s basically how they spend their time, making sure that industry companies like ours are following the rules that need to be followed. Then, how do I work with them? It’s different in different settings. We work with them face-to-face with meetings. We work with them in collaborating to ensure that the requirements that are expected of our products are being met. And then also, we have industry meetings in which we, together with other members of the industry, collaborate on standards and guidelines that the FDA would like to see in place. It’s multiple-pronged, and it’s certainly meant to be a collaborative effort. FreeP: Consumer technology is changing at a very rapid pace, and we are seeing more and more healthcare-related apps available for costumers. How does this impact the regulatory process and the pace of adoption in the healthcare industry? TW: This is something that’s really quite new in our industry. Both the industry and the FDA are trying to understand all of the implications. The industry, of course, is always trying to find innovative ways to get
the product to the market, and the agency is always trying to ensure that products are safe and effective. So that’s where the collaboration comes in—in trying to understand how far industry can push an idea forward, and still work within the FDA’s framework. We spend a lot of time talking with the agency and understanding where their comfort point is, and then looking at it from our company’s perspective and how best to put those products on the market while meeting everybody’s needs. FreeP: As a female in business, what are some things that you have to be aware of? TW: You know, it’s still not quite a level playing field. It seems as though you have to either work harder or smarter than some of the men in the field. I think for women, it’s really important that we network more and better, and make sure that we have as much knowledge at our fingertips as we possibly can. It’s unfortunately still a bit of a male’s world, so the nice thing about regulatory and what I do is that there are a lot of women in the field. And there are even a lot of women in executive positions. So it’s a great field to be in as a woman, and it’s a really great launching pad for if you want to go run your own company or be the CEO of another company. It gives you a lot of great experiences.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACEY WIELINSKI Tracey Wielinski is the vice president of Global Regulatory and Clinical Affairs at Insulet Corporation, which makes insulin pumps.
FreeP: What advice would you give to young women that aspire to work in the business field? TW: I’d say to work really hard, and make sure that you’re making good decisions about what you want to be. When I was in college, my degree wasn’t really what I ended up doing. So I think it’s really important to not limit yourself. Just because your degree says biology or journalism, it doesn’t really mean that you can’t go off and do something totally different. Just always have confidence in yourself, and don’t ever let somebody tell you no. FreeP: What kind of challenges do you face as an entrepreneur? TW: I think just balancing every-
thing. As you get to be older in your life, you’ve got a family and you’ve got a career and you want to have some personal time. Trying to balance all of that and trying to not feel guilty that you’re leaving one piece with, maybe, less attention than another piece is hard. I do some mentoring at a place in Boston and what I tell all of my mentees is to not ever feel guilty about all the decisions you’re making, because it’s only one point in time and all of those experiences are going to help you build onto something else. Everything is happening for a reason, and you just need to keep going and not feel bad about the decisions you’re making. READ FULL INTERVIEW AT DFPR.ES/VPWIELINSKI
Immigration injunction leaves too many in dark, panel says IMMIGRATION, FROM PAGE 5
United States citizens. For both DACA and DAPA, there are certain offenses that can prevent people from receiving protection, such as burglary charges or a driving-under-the-influence charge, and the non-deportation agreement can be revoked at any time. These programs can lead to mixed-status families, where some are here legally and some are not, Sherman-Stokes said, speaking of a 15-year-old boy whose family members range from being undocumented to having a green card. “It just creates problems,” she said. “You have a family that can’t move on with its life. At any point, certain of those family members could be deported and totally disrupt that family. And even if they’re not, the threat of deportation hangs over certain members of the family in a way that creates a lot of fear and uncertainty.” Despite the potential problems some see with the actions, others still see it as a temporary fix. “It’s just trying to fill in the gap to really do something, to help those people come out of the shadows,” said Violeta Haralampieva, president of the ILPS and a second-year BU Law student. “I just feel that it’s necessary, but it’s very, very far from sufficient, and
we really need Congress to come up with a long-term solution.” An immigrant herself, Haralampieva was born in Bulgaria and then moved to the Czech Republic. After her father received a green card, Haralampieva finished her last year of high school in the United States, attended University of Massachusetts Boston as an undergrad and is now studying law at BU. “It’s really a gift that I feel that was very important for my life, to get that opportunity,” she said. However, there are millions of people who haven’t had the experiences Haralampieva had. There are approximately 11.3 million undocumented people currently in the United States as of March 2013, according to a report released in September by Pew Research Center. “It’s incredibly backed up,” Hlass said during the panel. “People are seeing waits of more than three years. The system is buckling under its knees.” While the system tries to deal with the millions of deportable people in the United States, she said, they face difficulties. “It’s important that the kids should be with their families and the parents should stay with their kids,” said Carly Halili, a fresh-
man in the College of Arts and the 11.3 million. While it may be culture that much, other than Sciences. “I’m pretty sure they’re a step forward, it could also leave food and religion,” Halili said. “I not doing any illegal activities, behind many who have built their mean, my friends, a lot of them are so I don’t think it really hurts for homes in the United States, such also children of immigrants, and I them to become citizens.” as Halili’s family. would say compared to them, my Halili’s father emigrated from “My dad doesn’t have an family’s pretty American.” the Philippines when he was eight accent. We don’t really talk about after his father got a new job at a bank in San Francisco. “There were six of them [in his family], so it probably was not easy, but since his dad got a job here, it probably wasn’t as hard as other people,” Halili said. The future of immigration Boston, MA 02215 policy is a tricky one due to the huge amounts of people who are potentially deportable, but lack of resources the government has for them. When the 26 states filed the lawsuit, Sherman-Stokes said, they intentionally filed it with Hanen’s court. “They specifically targeted this judge in Texas because they knew he would be amenable to this kind of a case,” she said. “He has historically written some decisions that were pretty anti-imChoose where you want to go. Apply in one hour. Make migrant.” a difference overseas as a Peace Corps Volunteer That leaves the Obama Monday, March 2 administration to appeal directly to the Fifth Circuit — the most 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. conservative circuit in the country Ellipse (First Floor Lobby) - 100 Bay Street Road — and ultimately go to the U.S. Boston, MA 02215 Supreme Court. If the injunction is lifted, the peacecorps.gov - 855.855.1961 measure will protect around 4.4 of
Peace Corps
Around the World Fair
OPINION
8
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Felicia Gans, Editor-in-Chief Jacklyn Bamberger, Managing Editor
t h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r a t b o s t o n u n i v e r s i t y
44th year | Volume 87 | Issue VI The Free Press (ISSN 1094-7337) is published Thursdays during the academic year except during vacation and exam periods by Back Bay Publishing Co.,Inc., a nonprofit corporation operated by Boston University students. No content can be reproduced without the permission of Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright © 2015 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
Mike DeSocio , Multimedia Editor
Judy Cohen, Sports Editor
Alexandra Wimley, Photo Editor
Mina Corpuz, Campus Editor
Casey Mintz, Editorial Page Editor
Samantha Gross, Layout Editor
Alexandra David, City Editor
Joe Incollingo, Features Editor
Shakti Rovner, Office Manager
Changes to Title IX policy glossed over by BU officials Let us ask you a question: What is Title IX? If you’re like most students, you don’t really know. Maybe you’ve heard about it, but you couldn’t list any details about it or know what it has to do with Boston University. Well, it has a lot to do with BU, and some major changes to our Title IX policy have just been made. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, to quote the excerpt BU’s Equal Opportunity Office uses on its website, means that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Title IX is the reason why a school that has a junior varsity and varsity baseball team must also have a junior varsity and varsity softball team, among many other things. BU’s Title IX policy came under fire in May 2014 when BU was placed on a list of 55 colleges and universities being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for mishandling reports of sexual misconduct, The Daily Free Press reported. The DOE did not release specific information regarding the reasons each school was placed on the list, but BU spokesman Colin Riley released a statement in May saying the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating a single complaint made in October 2013. “While we believe the University provided the student with a prompt and equitable resolution of the complaint in full accordance
with the requirements of Title IX, we are cooperating fully with OCR in its investigation and are always open to improving the manner in which we respond to any incident of sexual misconduct reported to us,” he said. On March 31, 2014, Jean Morrison, University Provost, and Kim Randall, University Title IX coordinator and executive director of equal opportunity, sent an email to all students of BU, intended to brief them on the resources available in cases of sexual misconduct. However, that was the last we as students heard directly from the university administration about Title IX until Monday, when BU President Robert Brown sent an email to the student body, so nonchalant that most students probably deleted it from their inbox. The university has adopted new procedures regarding the resolution of sexual misconduct complaints against students, faculty, staff, affiliates and non-affiliates. The policy apparently came into effect on Jan. 1, but it had a rather unceremonious introduction. So unceremonious, in fact, that The Daily Free Press wrote an editorial on Jan. 29 about BU needing to do more regarding the DOE investigation and be more open with students about the measures they’re taking. This was written four weeks after the policy became effective. Four weeks, and BU students weren’t even aware an updated policy was being created. Figuring out a way to make it more prominent would be nice. The email is an OK start, but think about how many students might not know what Title IX even is. Universities
CROSSWORD 1
2
3
4
5
14
7
18
20
21
23
24
1
27 32
COURTESY OF MIRROREYES.COM / CROSSWORD ANSWERS AVAILABLE ON DFPR.ES/CWFEB26
9
10
13
26
28
29
30
48
49
35 38
37 41
40
42
12
22
34
39
11
19
33
44
43 45
47
46 52
51
F
our weeks, and BU students weren’t even aware an updated policy was being created.
ACROSS
DOWN
16
25
36
50
8
didn’t work. We have to wonder why they’re being so elusive about this whole thing. It seems like it would be a great public relations move and something the school can really be proud of, but instead, BU is acting like it’s something to be ashamed of. Everyone seems to want to steer as far away from the issue as possible, not realizing that not talking about it is just making it worse. BU has instated what seems like a really good, thorough policy for procedures regarding filing sexual assault and misconduct complaints. If someone has a problem regarding sexual misconduct on campus, BU is confident that they can take care of it. It’s not exactly proactive, but it’s an important reactive step that will lead to action. They’re treating it like it’s important … but only online. BU, you’re doing something really wonderful for once — stop hiding.
This week’s crossword puzzle is brought to you by Amy G
15
17
31
6
need to not sweep this sort of thing under the rug. None of this is going to get better by sending an email that most students aren’t going to read. The email includes a hyperlink to BU’s safety procedures website, where sexual misconduct gets its own headline. And the actual policy itself actually seems very respectable. There are no real problems with it. In fact, it’s very extensive, covering all the bases. But there’s a problem with the way it was presented. In uploading the new policy to their website, BU didn’t keep the old policy available for easy access. For students who weren’t aware of the Title IX changes, how are they supposed to educate themselves, and understand what changed between the old and new policies, without seeing what the policy used to be? You can’t make real change by abolishing the past. We need to see what’s new to understand why the old
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
1. Absent Without Leave 5. Seaweed 10. A Freudian stage 14. Opera star 15. Equipment 16. Soft drink 17. Matchless 19. Two-toed sloth 20. Many millennia 21. Compacted 22. Refereed 23. Futile 25. Cite 27. Big wine holder 28. Scientific agriculture 31. Caps 34. Assumed name 35. Enemy 36. Decorative case 37. Throats (archaic) 38. Falafel bread
39. Indian bread 40. Cars 41. Not earlier 42. Large venomous ray 44. Bird call 45. French for “Sister” 46. Masculine 50. A Musketeer 52. Australian “bear” 54. Born as 55. Marsh plant 56. Likeness 58. Nobleman 59. Take by force 60. By mouth 61. Backside 62 .Fr u it y - smel l i n g compound 63. Writing implements
1. French farewell 2. Drunkards 3. Sheeplike 4. Flee 5. Certify 6. Advances (money) 7. Lots 8. Anagram of “Galleries” 9. East southeast 10. Insight 11. Not commercially motivated 12. Wings 13. Praise 18. Notions 22. Flying saucers 24. 57 in Roman numerals 26. Historical periods 28. A mixture of metals 29. Bit of dust 30. 365 days 31. Knows
32. French for “State” 33. They inflict penalties 34. Policies of national self-sufficiency 37. Mentor 38. Chess piece 40. How old we are 41. Hawaiian veranda 43. Noggin 44. Some who phones 46. Corn 47. Accustom 48. 4-door car 49. Scoundrels 50. District 51. Rip 53. Leave out 56. South southeast 57. Not bottom
OPINION
9
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Social changes revealed at Oscars #AskHerMore pervades red carpet
BY MARIEL CARIKER COLUMNIST
Don’t get me wrong — I love the Oscars as much as the next person. Every year, I station myself in front of my TV and immerse myself in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, hoping that my favorite films of the year will win everything. However, this was the first year that the Oscar facade lifted its pretty veil to reveal some of the more ugly aspects behind it. Maybe it’s just because I’m paying more attention, or maybe this year was a little more off than usual, but there are definitely some problematic features that are swept under the rug. Neil Patrick Harris starting out the show with “tonight, we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest. Sorry, brightest.” was a joking way to jab at the Academy, but honestly, the A cademy’s bias is pretty offensive. Their clear lack of nominations for black actors and actresses in most categories this year wasn’t subtle, and it wasn’t OK. The “Selma” snub is a whole issue in itself. No best director nomination for Ava DuVernay, the director of “Selma,” or for David Oyelowo for best actor in his role as Martin Luther King Jr., both of which were clearly deserved. John Legend and Common’s performance of “Glory” from Selma, which was up for Best Original Song, was one of the most moving moments of the night. They did win the Oscar, and their acceptance speech hit the nail on the head. Legend made the point that “‘Selma’ is now,” and stated that more black men are incarcerated currently than were under slavery in 1850. The speech was moving and so important, especially because it was said at the Oscars, so it will get the attention from the public that it should. Casual racist comments made appearances throughout the show, some specifically toward actress Zendaya, who debuted her dreadlocks at the event. Giuliana Rancic, a co-host of E! Network’s Fashion Police, said Zendaya’s dreadlocks looked “like they smell like patchouli oil and weed.” It was clearly meant to be a joke, but wow, it was not even remotely funny. It’s comments like this that are especially troublesome, because they’re said so off-hand-
edly, and most people just laugh them off. Zendaya didn’t think it was funny whatsoever, and went off on Rancic on Twitter, causing Rancic to give her the apology she deserved. It seemed like a lot of people were just looking for laughs or to be recognized for their “witty” comments, without realizing the implications of what they were saying. Sean Penn’s joke about “Birdman” director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s immigration status right before announcing his film as the winner of best picture of the year caused many to cringe. The intentions were light-hearted, and Iñárritu even said it was funny, but the comment seemed insensitive and out of place. It seems like people will associate the win with the joke, which takes away from the honor of his win. There were many parts of the show that showed progress or a want for progress and placed attention on important issues through the media outlet. Patricia Arquette’s call for wage equality and equal rights for women in her acceptance speech for best supporting actress had me absolutely cheering (if you did watch the Oscars, I looked very similar to Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez in that moment). The Oscars are unnecessarily complex for women in the red carpet portion, where they are picked apart and judged for what they wear while the men just slide by in their suit and ties. The Oscars seemed to be aimed for the success of men, but this year, many of the actresses had enough of only being asked about what they were wearing, and the hashtag #AskHerMore started up on Twitter. The movement was meant to encourage media interviewers to stop asking female actresses about just their dresses and ask them questions that they would ask men, such as about their films. It was meant to kill the double standard, and it did a pretty good job. It was a very feminist Oscars, which projects a positive message for young women and shows advancement in the Hollywood and media spotlight. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done. We can’t let the entertaining parts of award shows blind us from the more understated issues that make an appearance every year. Millions of people tune in and are influenced by what is said by people in the entertainment industry that they admire. Using fame as an outlet to project encouraging messages calling for change is great, and many people do take advantage of it. However, it’s important for those who do the opposite to watch what they say and think about how much of an impact their racist, sexist, xenophobic comments have on those who admire them. Everyone should watch award shows more critically and not simply take everything that is said at face value.
BY ROBIN NGAI COLUMNIST
Awards season is something I look forward to every year. I love seeing who will win, the performances and the famous people crying on stage. I’m pretty sure on more than one occasion, I’ve spent hours just watching acceptance speeches on YouTube because they make me feel some sort of weird happiness bubbling inside. While waiting for these award shows to happen, or even if I miss it and look up the highlights later on, I can’t help but notice how much we pay attention to the red carpet. Sometimes, even more so than the award show itself. In case you’re confused about what goes on at the red carpet, here’s a short summary: celebrities stroll down it with their glamorous outfits, and in a way, it’s the show before the show. It’s become such a normal thing that I don’t even think twice about it. I automatically start to judge dresses, and my curiosity grows about who is wearing what. Year after year, we see women being criticized for their outfit, hair, makeup, bag and shoes. The list goes on. There are articles with dozens of photos and videos discussing every dress and comparing body types and hairstyles. It is, of course, not only women who are scrutinized, but men as well, just on a much smaller scale. Men only tend to come up in regard to fashion when they’ve worn something outof-the-ordinary on the red carpet (i.e. Pharrell Williams’ infamous hat). Other than that, when men step onto the red carpet, I mostly see that they’re asked casually about what they wear and then move onto other questions regarding their work or how they feel about being nominated. Somehow, society believes that this is appropriate to judge harshly on looks because these women (and men) have signed up for it. It comes with the fame is what we can claim. What a truly ridiculous society we live in. I know that over the years, I too have played into this hype, but it stops now. This award season more than ever, things began to change when it came to red
Interrobang
carpet behavior. Women on the red carpet, such as Amy Poehler, are deciding to stand up against this behavior. She started a conversation through her Smart Girls campaign. Others used the hashtag #AskHerMore to encourage red carpet reporters to ask better questions. People are deciding to make statements bigger than just the designer they’re choosing to wear. Award shows have always been more than just celebrating achievements. Celebrities have taken time to promote causes they believe in or stand up against injustice. Now it seems that they are bringing this approach to the red carpet. Of course, this isn’t to knock fashion. Fashion is indeed an important art and should be appreciated. The red carpet is an appropriate time for that, but the red carpet is also more than that. Critics of these changing times point out that stars earn something out of the criticism they endure. Many who perform well on the red carpet (pick the right flattering outfits) will go on to land deals with brand name companies. But at what price? By allowing this destructive trend of judgment on the red carpet to continue, we set a bad example to children everywhere. We show them that the world we live in is based on looks. You matter because of what you wear, not because of who you are. Little girls and boys across the world will put self worth into their shiny new shoes and pretty petticoats instead of channeling compliments about one another’s good deeds or achievements. I don’t know about you, but that’s not a sort of message that I can condone any longer. I, as much as any other person, appreciate a good outfit. I enjoy seeing what’s in style and the many types of beauty portrayed on the red carpet. However, I also want to know more about the person in the outfit. I care about the work that they’ve done, how talented they are and how they’ll use their fame in a positive way. I want to know more about the roles they’ve played and how their work will impact our future. So yes, celebrities are made to be in the spotlight. We, as the public, get to choose what sort of spotlight we shine on them. Right now, it seems like we’re shining a spotlight of cruelty. It almost feels like the “fashion police” from every network are in a competition of who can be the meanest, making snarky comments. As this award season has come to a close, I hope people decide to reflect on the changes that have been brought up concerning behavior on the red carpet. I look forward to hearing more about a woman’s work than what a woman chooses to wear.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is reportedly introducing the “Scoff-ee Cup,” an edible coffee cup that smells like grass and sunscreen … and tastes like chocolate. It’s supposed to “evoke the positive memories we associate with warm weather, sunshine and summer holidays.” OK. We here at the ol’ Free Press were wondering what inanimate object BU people would try to make edible?
CFA: Their diplomas.
BU Facilties: The snow.
COM: They WOULD make edible coffee cups.
BU Dining: The food on Make a Difference Monday.
CGS: Glue.
President Brown: Your parents’ money.
SMG: The other schools’ budgets.
FreeP: Anything — as long as it delivers.
10
SPORTS
Women’s lacrosse struggles to generate offense against UMass BY EVAN YEE DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The Boston University women’s lacrosse team lost its second consecutive game Wednesday, falling to the University of Massachusetts Amherst 7-2 in its home opener at New Balance Field. BU (1-2) struggled offensively against its in-state rival UMass (4-0), only scoring two goals in regulation. UMass struck first with senior Amy Tiernan scoring her fifth goal in four games. However, BU would take the 2-1 lead with goals from senior attacks Jenna Boarman and Lindsay Weiner. With the Terriers looking to head into halftime with the lead, the Minutemen’s leading goal scorer, midfielder Hannah Murphy, took control, scoring two goals in the final four minutes to give UMass a 3-2 halftime advantage. The Terriers’ two lone goals in the first half would be it for the rest of the game as UMass stifled the
home side in the second half. UMass goalkeeper Rachel Vallarelli kept BU’s offense at bay by recording nine saves for the game. BU coach Liz Robertshaw said Vallarelli was a key part of the Minutemens’ victory. “Give credit to their keeper who made big saves. She rose to the occasion, and we didn’t combat that by continuing to press on her,” she said in an email. Robertshaw said she was disappointed in her team’s offensive showing. “Today was an extremely disappointing showing from our team offensively,” she said. “People played tentatively like they were trying to not make a mistake, and in doing that, they took our aggressive attacking mindset out of play.” The Minutemen stepped up their offensive game in the second half, during which they scored four of their seven goals. Sophomore Sarah Crowley scored three of UMass’s four goals while also assisting on a goal by attack Callie Santos. It was the matchup between
BY KARLY FINISON DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The Boston University women’s basketball team traveled to West Point, New York on Wednesday and faced the United States Military Academy in both teams’ penultimate regular season game.
two high scorers, redshirt junior attack Mallory Collins and UMass’s Murphy. Collins, who before the game was the leader in goals per game in the Patriot League, failed to record a goal or point on only one shot. It was the latter who would leave her mark on the game as Murphy scored the final goal of the contest, as well as her third of the game. Robertshaw said she respected Murphy’s stellar showing, but also said the Terriers’ lackluster offense was more influential in the loss. “She goes hard and stays in the play until she comes up with a goal,” she said. “I appreciate that mentality, and I think our players did a good job controlling that. Our issues today were in the fact we couldn’t come up with eight goals in 60 minutes.” The Terrier defense let up a season-low seven goals, and sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Meegan registered a career-high 15 saves. Although 11 of her saves were in the first half, Robertshaw said Meegan had a strong overall showing
BU (5-23, 2-15 Patriot League) fell to Army (21-6, 13-4 Patriot League) 64-50 in the contest. The Black Knights came into the game with just American University above them in Patriot League standings. Both Army and American have already clinched home games in the Patriot League quarterfinals. The last time BU and Army faced, on Jan. 29, BU lost 65-40.
PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA WIMLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Meegan registered a career-high 15 saves in BU’s loss to UMass.
Wednesday. Robertshaw said she has confidence in Meegan, who struggled against Vanderbilt University on Feb. 13, and said she hopes her leadership and play will continue throughout the season. “She looked great all week since
BU went into halftime down 35-33 after gaining a 19-17 lead at the 10:37 mark. The Terriers stayed with the Black Knights until the 5:29 mark of the first half when Army guard Kelsey Minato sunk a 3-pointer. She had 26 points on the night on 9-for-15 shooting. Minato leads the Patriot League in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game. Minato is also second in Patriot League standings for
Vanderbilt,” she said. “She’s taking her role as a leader personally and was well prepared to backup her defensive unit. She did her job today and did it well. How she played today is how I expect her to play for the rest of the year — calm, confident and solid.”
3-point field goals, having collected 66 so far this year. Though Minato carried the majority of scoring responsibility for Army, the Terriers received offensive contributions from multiple players. Senior forward Mollie McKendrick helped stretch the defense and was READ MORE ON DFPR.ES/WBBARMY
Join us for an informational meeting on
The Future of Late-Night Service We invite you to attend an informational meeting to share your comments about the future of late-night service. • This event is accessible to people with disabilities and individuals with limited English proficiency. If you need a reasonable accommodation (such as American Sign Language Interpreters, assistive listening devices, handouts in alternate formats, etc.) and/or language assistance (such as translated documents or an interpreter) to fully participate, please contact MBTA Marketing at (617) 222-5740 or email latenightservice@mbta.com at least 7 days prior to the event. Such services are provided free of charge. • Written comments will also be accepted through Wednesday, March 11, 2015, and should be mailed to: MBTA, 10 Park Plaza, Room 2310, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Late-Night Service Committee, or electronically at the MBTA website mbta. com, by email at latenightservice@mbta. com, or by phone at (617) 222-3200, TTY (617) 222-5146.
MEETING LOCATIONS Monday, March 2 6 p.m.–8 p.m. District Hall Assembly Space 75 Northern Ave. Boston, MA 02210
Wednesday, March 4 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. State Transportation Building Conf. Rooms 1, 2, 3 10 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02116
Monday, March 9
Wednesday, March 11
Tuesday, March 10
Twitter Town Hall
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. Sheraton Commander Hotel Mount Vernon Room 16 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138
3:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. The Inn at Longwood Medical Longwood Hall 342 Longwood Ave. Boston, MA 02115
3 p.m.–5 p.m. State Transportation Building Transportation Library 10 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02116
We also invite you to participate in a Twitter Town Hall on Monday, March 2, from 12:00 p.m. –1:00 p.m. by using the hashtag #latenightservice
Please visit mbta.com for a complete list of informational meetings.
SPORTS
11
Men’s basketball defeats Army, earns first round bye in PL tournament BY MICHAEL JOSCELYN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The Boston University men’s basketball team used a hot-shooting first half Wednesday night to overcome late free throw woes and defeat the United States Military Academy 63-57 at Agganis Arena. With the win, the team clinched a first round bye in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament. Within the first five minutes of the game, sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson had eight of his 12 points of the night on 3-for-3 shooting to give the Terriers (13-15, 9-8 Patriot League) an early 15-2 lead. “The thing we’ve been working hard on is defense,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “If you had to say to me a month ago, ‘Alright, what are your issues?’ it’d be our defense. We’ve gotten a lot better that way. Even on Sunday when we stumbled, we still held them to 46 percent and not 55.” Things evened out from there as the Black Knights (15-13, 6-11 Patriot League) went on a 10-1 run to bring the score within four points before a dunk by junior forward Justin Alston increased the Terrier lead. BU finished the half with a 36-24 advantage, holding the Black Knights to 30.4 percent shooting. Hankerson produced two of BU’s five forced turnovers as he had two steals in the half. Army’s nine turnovers in the first resulted in 14 points for the Terriers. “We don’t play with a prototypical point guard, so there’ll be stretches of possession, quarters and even games where we just don’t look good,” Jones said. “You can say whatever you want. It just is what it is.” The one positive for Army in the half, and for the game, was the play of forward Tanner Plomb. Plomb had 12 points in the
half to lead all scorers in points on 4-for-8 shooting. Hankerson and Plomb both came into the game ranked the top five in the Patriot League in scoring. A 10-2 run to start off the second half put the Terriers’ lead at risk as it was reduced to four points, which it would hover around for the whole half. The teams would then go back and forth for five minutes with many opportunities for both teams to either extend or cut the lead, before the Terriers seized control yet again. “We have a good team, great kids, but we’re going to have some nights where we’ll struggle to get reads, set offenses,” Jones said. “I don’t think we did a good job of generating good looks in a game. They did a good job of defending us.” Six straight Terrier points put the lead back up to seven on the back of Alston. The Washington, D.C. native finished the night with a career-high 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting. “I played very aggressive,” Alston said. “My teammates found me early, and they had the confidence in me. It was all my teammates. They made the passes, and I just finished tonight.” The Black Knights kept with the Terriers though. A 3-pointer by Plomb trimmed the Terrier lead again to three points with 4:02 remaining in the game. From there on, the teams traded barbs as the Terriers’ lead rose as high as seven points and sank as low as two. The key to Army’s comeback was missed free throws by BU. In the last minute-and-a-half, the Terriers missed eight free throws, including missing five pivotal shots that could have put the game away. With 17 seconds left, sophomore guard Eric Fanning missed a free throw, but junior forward Nathan Dieudonne grabbed the re-
PHOTO BY SARAH SILBIGER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Junior forward Justin Alston recorded a career-high 18 points on Wednesday night.
bound from Plomb and sealed the win for the Terriers. “Teams at this time of year have a good idea of what we’re trying to do,” Jones said. “We didn’t do a great job of moving the ball, especially in the second half, and we didn’t do a good job of making free throws. The combination of those two things really made for an interesting game down the stretch. If we made those foul shots, it’s probably a
10-point win, but missing those foul shots really hurt us.” Though the game got close toward the end, Alston said he had no doubt that his team would come out on top. “We’ve been in enough situations where we’re together now,” he said. “At the beginning, we were more apart, but now we’re together, so we’re getting more comfortable in time for the big games.”
Men’s lacrosse unable to stop Providence comeback, loses second straight BY NICK FRAZIER DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Men’s lacrosse unable to stop Providence comeback, lose second straight In its second game of a four-game road trip, the Boston University men’s lacrosse team had no answer for Providence College in the second half of its game Wednesday afternoon in Providence, Rhode Island, losing 7-4. The Terriers (2-2, 0-1 Patriot League) were able to build a 3-1 lead heading into halftime, but the Friars (2-1) took 18 shots in the second half and converted on six of them. The Friars took the lead for good when freshman Nick Preston scored with 12:22 remaining in the final quarter to make the score 5-4. Freshman attacker Jack Wilson led the way offensively for the Terriers, as he had a goal for BU and took seven shots throughout the contest. Freshmen midfielders Hayden Ruiz and Greg Farris, along with sophomore attack Ryan Johnston, also scored for the Terriers. “It was a typical mid-week game. It was a little sloppy,” said BU coach Ryan Polley. “I thought at the end of the day,
Providence made more plays than us. They grinded out the win, and they were tougher on ground balls. They made more plays in the second half. I give them a lot of credit.” The Terriers went into the game after suffering a tough 10-9 loss to No. 20 Lehigh University Saturday, in which BU came back from a four-goal deficit only to give up a goal in the game’s waning minutes. BU started off strong Wednesday, thanks to an unassisted goal by Farris, his third of the year, with 2:23 remaining in the first quarter. Farris’ strike would be the only goal of the quarter, as the Friars put up just four shots in the frame. Things picked up in the second quarter, when Providence was able to tie it up 57 seconds into the quarter on a goal by attack Will Mazzone, assisted by senior Greg FitzMaurice. However, the Terriers were able to respond with just under 11 minutes to go when Ruiz put one past the Friars goalie on an assist from Wilson. Moments later, after a penalty was called on Providence for tripping, Johnston was able to score on the man advantage with 10:12 left in the quarter, assisted by freshman attack Ryan Hilburn. After the third quarter, where Provi-
dence won the quarter 2-0, things fell apart for the Terriers. Mazzone scored again for the Friars 48 seconds into the quarter, giving Providence its first lead of the game. Wilson was able to score for the Terriers with 13:38 left in the game to tie it back up, but Providence scored three more goals in the last 13 minutes to end the game. Polley said the Terriers’ poor shot selection in the final quarter was a key factor in the loss. “I thought our face-off play was excellent and that our goalie had a great game, but offensively, we didn’t make enough plays,” Polley said. “We didn’t shoot very well. There were places where we didn’t want to shoot the ball, but we got the ball and just continued to shoot there. “Our offense has to get better and make better decisions,” he continued. “Twenty-one turnovers certainly didn’t help the cause. We forced a lot of things, and our shot selection wasn’t the greatest. We just have to play a more efficient game offensively.” Polley also said a low-scoring game such as this is uncommon for his squad. “What we’ve been doing up until this game is grinding hard and moving the ball and being unselfish. Today, we saw some
PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA WIMLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Freshman attack Jack Wilson had seven shots, a goal and an assist for BU on Wednesday afternoon.
things that we haven’t really seen that much of, like guys having to deal with double teams, forcing the crease and having trouble with handling balls,” he said. “It’s a little uncharacteristic of our play, but I told the guys after the game that we’ve got to play more of our best and not revert back to old habits and have a clear mind to make good plays. We got to get better at that.”
BOTTOM LI NE THURSDAY, FEB. 26
FRIDAY, FEB. 27
SATURDAY, FEB. 28
SUNDAY, MARCH 1
MONDAY, MARCH 2
Softball vs Illinois State (Texas A&M
... Making it one of many losses the
Invitational) 11 a.m.
New York Yankees will endure this
Women’s Hockey vs Vermont Softball @ Texas A&M (Texas A&M
3 p.m.
Invitational) 4 p.m. Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada signed with the Boston Red Sox this past week ...
Men’s Basketball vs Holy Women’s Hockey vs Vermont 5 p.m.
Cross 4 p.m. Women’s Hockey vs Vermont 3 p.m.
Men’s Hockey vs Northeastern 7:30 p.m.
Men’s Hockey vs Northeastern 8 p.m.
(if necessary)
upcoming season.
Sports
Quotable “If you had to say to me a month ago ‘alright what are your issues?’ it’d be our defense. We’ve gotten a lot better that way,” said BU coach Joe Jones after a 63-57 win over the United States Military Academy. p. 10
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Hitting Their Stride: In their penultimate game of the season the Terriers defeated the United States Military Academy 63-57. pg. 10
For BU senior Cason Hohmann, losing not an option
PHOTO BY SARAH SILBIGER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Senior assistant captain Cason Hohmann has a unshakeable competitive edge. BY SARAH KIRKPATRICK DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
When Cason Hohmann was about 12 years old, he played in a hockey tournament where his team was the clear underdog. The opposing team was the tournament favorite — ranked first in their age division — and Hohmann’s team was playing without its two best players, who had been suspended. Somehow, Hohmann’s team was able to force the game to overtime, only to be knocked out of the tournament thanks to a game-winner from a young Evan Rodrigues — now Hohmann’s roommate and fellow senior assistant captain for the Boston University men’s hockey team. Hohmann recalls that moment, now from nearly a decade ago, with a look of pain on his face. “[It was] probably the hardest I’ve ever taken a loss in my life,” he says. “I was really emotional after that one.” His roommate laughs at the recollection, admitting that he used to joke about it with Hohmann, but he hesitates, then backtracks. “It’s something we don’t really talk about anymore,” Rodrigues says. — Ask anyone who knows Cason Hohmann well — his best friends, his father, his coaches, his teammates — and they’ll all say the same thing. He hates losing. You can even ask Hohmann himself.
8
“I’m really a big competitor,” Hohmann said after a practice. “I always like to win every battle. I like to go out there and get in front of pucks and block shots for the team. “I just like to think of myself as a winner. I hate losing.” He’s this way in every aspect of his life: in the locker room, on the ice, even playing video games. It’s an inherent character trait, one that defines him. “It’s just a given skill, like being fast or being strong,” said Chris Hohmann, Cason’s father. “He just is very competitive and driven to win. That’s just something that he always cares about. He works really hard, and he expects to do well with all that hard work.” Rodrigues, the only other senior on the Terrier squad, has seen that competitive nature more than anyone in the BU program, both on and off the ice. “He’s competitive about everything he does,” Rodrigues said. “He just has that inner chip that he always wants to win, no matter what it is.” — Cason Hohmann went the traditional Texas route sports-wise early, playing tee-ball, football, basketball and soccer. He was good at all of them. He didn’t start playing hockey in any form until he was 7 years old, when he started playing roller hockey. He practiced roller blading with his friend, Christian Frey, now a goaltender for Ohio State University’s hockey team, at the high school tennis courts near Cason’s home in
pts.
Freshman year (2011-12)
35 games: two goals, six assists
Texas. They got kicked out a lot, Frey admitted. Cason wasn’t good at hockey. In fact, he was terrible, he said. There was no option but to get good at it. He had to be good, he told himself. He started skating every day in his cul-de-sac. Eventually, he became so good at roller hockey that he took on ice hockey just before he turned 9 years old. He was a good goal-scorer in roller hockey, so there wasn’t any reason why he couldn’t score goals in ice hockey, too. “His competitiveness, without a doubt, is his strongest personality trait,” Frey said. “He never quits, and I think that’s one thing that’s got him to where he is now.” Cason ended up unexpectedly trying out for an ice hockey team when he was just starting out ice-skating. There was a tryout being held right after open skate at the local rink, and his dad decided he could stick around for it. Cason tried out for the team in rental skates and his roller-hockey pants — he was referred to as “Roller Kid” — and he made the team. All of it was the result of hard work. Hockey, once his worst sport, became his entire life. “I was just so bad at this sport, and I was good at every other thing I’ve ever tried,” Cason said. “There’s no way I’m gonna be bad at this sport. And then I just worked. I’d never really worked hard at anything before in my life.” — What Cason Hohmann lacks in size, he makes up for in passion and energy. He’s listed at 5-foot-9,
making him the second-shortest member of the Terriers. He says he views size and strength as one of his weaknesses, but that in turn makes up one of the best parts of his game: his stubborn hatred of losing, his dedication to hard work. “Cason, because he’s a tenacious player, because he never stops moving his feet, he works hard. His energy allows him to be the player he is,” said BU associate head coach Steve Greeley. “For Cason to be effective, he has to be tenacious. He has to be relentless.” Cason’s passionate desire to win makes him a positive leader. With three younger siblings and two younger step-siblings, he’s had a lot of practice. He’s long encouraged his younger siblings, expected them to work hard and excel at what they do. That same sentiment translates to the guidance of his younger teammates. His dedication to winning is contagious, his coaches and teammates say. He gets them motivated before games and keeps them motivated throughout the game. It doesn’t matter if BU is up two goals, or down two goals. He wants to win more than anyone out there. “You definitely see that,” said BU head coach David Quinn. “It’s something that gnaws at him.” — For Cason, playing hockey at BU was a perfect fit. The culture fit his mentality perfectly, according to his father. BU was a place where hard work was an expectation, where success was the norm. Once Cason visited the campus and athletic facilities, he didn’t want to go anywhere else. He wanted to play for a winning program. In his four years at BU, Cason has a career total of 84 points on 27 goals and 57 assists. His most successful season to date was his 34-point sophomore campaign. He hit a slump and ran into injury during his junior year, a down year for the entire BU program, which mustered just a 10-21-4 record. Until Monday, Hohmann’s BU teams had yet to win any major trophy. But that isn’t his style. He expects more. “I think last year was not very fun coming to the rink every day,” Cason said. “We haven’t really won very much when I’ve been here. But I’m looking forward to winning a lot of things this season.”
Hohmann through the years
34
pts.
Sophomore year (2012-13) 39 games: 10 goals, 24 assists
19
23
pts.
Junior year (2013-14)
He’s already helped BU win one thing: Its first Beanpot title since 2009, thanks to a goal and two assists from him during the tournament. This year, he’s posted a total of six goals and 17 assists for the turnaround BU team, which has posted a record of 20-6-5 — already double its win total from last year with two regular season games remaining. “He’s done a better job of simplifying his game and not overthinking it,” Quinn said. “Some of the goals he’s been scoring have been at the net front, just simple goals. He’s moving the puck better. He’s a guy that works hard every day, and it’s been paying off for him statistically.” In the waning weeks of his final regular season, Cason has played high-quality hockey. He nearly had a hat trick against the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 13 — he came within inches of a third goal on an empty net — but settled for a pair of goals and an assist instead. Nine of his points this season have come over the span of the past month. Right now, Cason is playing the best hockey of his career, his coaches say. And if there’s a good time to be hot, Greeley said, it’s most certainly right now. — Cason Hohmann, in that tournament as a 12-year-old, estimates he came off the ice three total times during the matchup against Rodrigues’ team. He had played all of overtime — about nine minutes elapsed — before Rodrigues scored. That made it sting that much more. Cason has found himself on a number of shorthanded teams throughout his hockey career. He’s found himself in a number of tough situations at every level of hockey. He’s found himself injured, in scoring slumps, on losing teams. But it doesn’t matter how tough the situation is. Cason doesn’t settle. He wants to be a winner. That’s what he’s always worked to be, and what he expects to be, even if the odds are against him. One time, when he was young, he played on a team with just eight members, against, again, a much better team. Cason played nearly the entire game, his father recalls, and scored nine total goals, including the game-winner with a few seconds remaining. “Just looking at him,” Chris said, “he wanted that game more than anything.”
30 games: nine goals, 10 assists
pts.
Senior year (2014-15)
31 games: six goals, 17 assists* *as of Feb. 25
GRAPHIC BY ERICA MAYBAUM/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF