THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF BENTLEY UNIVERSITY SINCE 1963
THE VANGUARD VOLUME LVI ISSUE VIII
BENTLEYVANGUARD.COM
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013
SASA’s Diwali captivates audience Annual show shares culture, dance and food with community VANGUARD STAFF WRITER
On Saturday, November 9, Bentley celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The South Asian Student Association (SASA) performed Jumanji: The Game of Diwali, a stunning expression of Indian culture in which students displayed their true talents of song, dance and acting. The festival of lights is marked by five days of celebration, each of with has a tale, legend or myth to tell. This year the holiday of Diwali took place on November 3, 2013. SASA has held its annual Diwali celebration for more than six years as a way to share their culture with the Bentley community. Diwali began with flags representing of countries from all across the globe being presented in a magnificent showcase. The event consisted of ten separate dances tied together by an overarching skit by the eight MCs. The story
was that a bantering family has car trouble on their way to a wedding. The family is then picked up by two locals, one of whom (played by Jeff Breault) falls in love with the daughter of the family (played by Trisha Pal) and is regularly tripping over in
hopes of catching her affection. The dances of the night were incorporated as the family and the two locals make their way to the wedding, which at some points they couldn’t quite locate, making many stops along the way.
Brendan Gerety/THE VANGUARD
BY Brendan Gerety
The first dance was Ishwar Vandana, a classical dance that invites a divine presence which was led in song by Madhumita Narayan. Next up was the aptly titled Bentley H.U.N.K.S., in which guys took a more modern approach to Eastern culture. Trick-or-Treat, the freshman skit employed Bentley humor to arouse more than a few laughs. Fusion, was a combination of Bollywood, salsa, hip-hop and bhangra dance moves and didn’t fail to impress. The freshmen girls took the stage in Dhamaal which employed Ainyavi Ainyavi, Subha Hone Na De, Jahoom Barabar and Salaam e Ishq. Following a brief intermission, seniors lit up the stage for their last Diwali with the energy or new and old favorites, in Senior Showcase. Bentley BizRaas was based on Garba, an Indian form of dance originating from the state of Gujarat. This dance encased the circular movements and spiral
For the remainder of the presentation, Merica spoke about the current state of journalism, entertaining questions from the audience and providing wisdom to those wishing to pursue a career in the field. The fu-
NEWS EDITOR
SEE MERICA, PAGE 6
SEE SATURDAY, PAGE 6
Merica is a 2010 graduate of Bentley University.
Courtesy of CNN
This past Monday, Bentley students and faculty had the privilege of sitting in on the unique presentation, “From Business School to Journalism,” by Bentley alumnus Dan Merica. Merica, a current associate producer for CNN politics, talked to a full audience about his journey throughout college, and his decision to enter the journalism field. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, a six-year-old Merica could not stop asking his mother the question, “Why?” His thirst for knowledge and insight led to his interest in journalism at a young age. During high school he began touring colleges in the Boston area, and immediately fell in love with Bentley. Originally contemplating a management major, Merica pursued his passions through the school newspaper. By the end of his freshman year he was the
news editor for The Vanguard. It wasn’t until his sophomore year while studying abroad that he realized he wanted to turn this passion into a career. Two years later, Merica graduated from Bentley with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies. After graduation, he went on to American University, earning a Master’s degree in Journalism and Public Affairs. Throughout college, Merica held several internship positions, using them as stepping stones to his current career. After sophomore year, he worked for a news channel in Las Vegas. As an intern, he ended up covering the smaller stories, but understood that the experience was necessary for any sort of future. “Nothing is beneath you,” said Merica, “use your first internship as a stepping stone.” Using these experiences, and strong networking skills to create contacts, Merica landed an internship at CNN after graduate school. Since then, Merica has worked his way up to associate producer.
BY LACEY NEMERGUT
ture of journalism is constantly changing. Merica supports the use of social media to get in touch with sources and share information, but acknowledges
SEE DIWALI, PAGE 6
Diwali featured several dances, including garba.
Alumnus discusses transition from business school to journalism VANGUARD STAFF WRITER
Mandatory make up session for spring 2014 Monday classes During the spring semester of 2014, students who have scheduled Monday classes will find themselves in a mandatory make up session on the first Saturday after winter break, January 25. The spring semester has a relatively high number of Monday holidays including Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day and Patriots Day. The idea to utilize a Saturday has generated a negative buzz around campus from both students and faculty, disgruntled by the Saturday obligation. “It wasn’t really an option of happy or not happy,” said Patricia Rogers, University Registrar. “They hated the make-ups last year and this was the best solution. We are required to meet our accreditation standards so it’s what needs to be done.” The Department of Education has guidelines for the NEASC, the accrediting body which oversees universities to determine if they are meeting the minimum standards for the credit which they award to students. According to current regulation, a credit for a course corresponds to one hour of class time and two additional hours of outside class time for around 15 weeks. “Currently we’re on the low side of what is expected for a 3 credit course,” said Rogers. “If we are short by two classes for Monday classes this could cause problems when we are up for accreditation again. We need to make sure that we can show that we are following the federal guidelines.” In addition to fed-
CNN’s Dan Merica returns to Bentley BY Michaela Stephenson
Bentley to welcome students back with Saturday class
CAB Comedy
GrooveBoston
Men’s Basketball
James Adomian and Hannibal Buress bring comedy acts to campus.
GrooveBoston founder and CEO discusses the business logistics of the company.
Team proves strength at annual TipOff Classic.
CAMPUS LIFE 7
BUSINESS 10
SPORTS 14