The Daily Free Press
Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XI
WINTER WOES Unemployment rises after holidays, page 3.
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
‘RAINE PAIN
What might be causing your migraine, page 5.
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www.dailyfreepress.com
SPILL THE BEAN
Poor power play costs men’s hockey the Beanpot, page 8.
WEATHER
Today: AM snow showers/High 29 Tonight: Snow showers late/Low 25 Tomorrow: 39/17 Data Courtesy of weather.com
Terriers fall to NU in Beanpot first round More students fail
to pay college loans, new study suggests
By Tim Healey Daily Free Press Staff
The No. 11/13 Boston University men’s hockey team made history Monday night, but in a way the Terriers (13–11–1, 10–7–1 Hockey East) least desired. BU fell, 3–2, to Northeastern University at TD Garden in the semifinals of the 61st Annual Beanpot, making the Terriers’ seniors the first class since 1965 to go their entire BU career without winning the fourteam tournament. “It’s pretty devastating,” said senior captain Wade Megan, tears welling up in his eyes. “I just wanted this so bad, for my teammates, my classmates, the school and the BU community.” The Class of 2013’s Beanpot experience was certainly a rough one. After falling in the championship game to Boston College as freshmen in 2010, they got topped by the Eagles in overtime in the semifinals the next year. They then lost a heartbreaker — again to BC, and again in overtime — in the championship of their junior year. This time, the Huskies (8–13–3, 4–11–3 Hockey East) and freshman forward Kevin Roy did them in. Roy netted a goal per period for a hat trick in his Beanpot debut, giving him a team-high 15 on the season. The Terriers, although flashy at times, did not do themselves any favors. Marred by an inconsistent effort throughout the 60 minutes, just as they have been for most of their games since Christmas, they couldn’t
By Margaret Waterman Daily Free Press Staff
MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS
Senior captain Wade Megan hangs his head on the bench after Northeastern University scores its third goal in the first game of the Beanpot at TD Garden Monday night.
take advantage of the young Northeastern defensive corps, and let the Husky freshman sensation beat them too many times. “I feel badly for … my seniors but especially my captain here, Wade, who’s given us an unbelievable career and won’t get a Beanpot,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “A real disappointing loss for us. We’re in a bad frame of mind here, a bad stage of the season for us … We weren’t unfortunate
tonight. Northeastern was the better team.” Northeastern got the scoring started at 2:09 in the first when, after Megan turned the puck over in the neutral zone, Roy drove to the crease and stuffed it through freshman goaltender Matt O’Connor’s pad. The Terriers did not take long to strike back, with Needham native and freshman
Beanpot, see page 7
Investigation continues in bus crash that injured 32 By Kyle Plantz Daily Free Press Staff
Massachusetts State Police are continuing to investigate the scene where a bus crashed into an overpass, injuring several passengers, on Soldiers Field Road Saturday night. The MSP said they will reconstruct the collision to determine the cause of the accident before issuing any charges or citations. The reconstruction process will be finished in two-to-six weeks, according to a press release Monday. On Saturday, the Boston Fire Department received a call at 7:34 p.m. that a Calvary Coach bus, which was full of students and chaperones on their way back to Pennsylvania after visiting Harvard University, crashed into the Western Avenue overpass on Soldiers Field Road, said Steve MacDonald, BFD spokesman. “It [the overpass] shattered the whole
roof off leaving many people trapped,” MacDonald said. “Approximately 36 people were on board. Thirty-two went to the hospital and three were in critical condition.” The bus exceeded the 10-foot limit that prohibits large vehicles on the road, he said. Michael Verseckes, Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokesman, said the DOT was notified at about 8:10 p.m. that the bus struck, and by 9:42 p.m., officials closed the road. A technical rescue response was needed to remove the victims trapped inside the bus. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life and backboards to remove the passengers from the top of the bus, MacDonald said. By about 3 a.m., the bus was loaded on a flat bed truck and was towed away, he said. Verseckes said the road reopened Sunday at 7:27 a.m.
Massachusetts State Police said in a press release Monday the investigation is still ongoing. “Troopers from the Brighton Barracks, along with members of our Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and our Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, continue to review and analyze evidence,” according to the press release. The MSP said the trove of evidence they collected is large. “That evidence includes physical evidence, witness and victim statements, information pertaining to the bus’ route of travel prior to the crash and posted signage along that route, results from our examination of the bus and preliminary results of the collision reconstruction,” to the press release stated. One victim, a 17-year-old male, remains in critical condition, and others sustained
Crash, see page 2
In light of a new study finding college students more likely than ever to default on their student loans, students must be aware of various repayment options and strategies to avoid default, Boston University officials said. The average size of student loan debt has increased 58 percent since 2005, while the average credit card loan balance and average balance on car loans have decreased, according to a study released by FICO Labs Wednesday. “You can always default on your loan, obviously, but my understanding is if you make money below the poverty line, you basically don’t have to repay things anyway, it can change your loan terms,” said Johannes Schmieder, a BU economics professor. In 2005, the average student loan debt was $17,233, whereas in 2012 the average was $27,253, according to the study. Students were more likely to default on their student loans in 2012 than in 2005 due to significant growth in the amount of debt new graduates carry, the study stated. Frederic Hyunh, FICO’s senior principal scientist, said he was not surprised by the results of the study as student loan default rates have been increasing. “We’ve been hearing for quite some time regarding some of the dangers in the student loan sector,” he said. “We have come across previous studies that indicated student loan debt is increasing — defaults are increasing.” Consumer interest regarding the student loan and the student loan sector has increased, which prompted FICO’s research, Hyunh said. “We basically wanted to corroborate this to better understand what we’re seeing in terms of the growth of outstanding debt — being able to qualify that as well as measuring how well the consumers with student loan debt are repaying those sort various obligations,” Hyunh said. For federally subsidized loans, Schmieder said students have the option of entering the Income-Based Repayment Plan, which allows borrowers to pay back their loans based on their current income in rela-
Debt, see page 2
14 months after encampment, Occupy Boston begins legal action By Jasper Craven Daily Free Press Staff
Five Occupy Boston defendants appeared in Boston Municipal Court Monday, contending that the arrest and removal of Occupy protesters last October by the Boston Police Department infringed on their constitutional rights of assembly and free speech. “Arresting them and charging them with criminal conduct for exercising those rights was plainly unlawful and in violation of their constitutional rights to assembly and free speech under the First Amendment,” stated a Friday press release from the National Lawyers Guild, the association from which attorneys have volunteered to represent the protesters. The court appearance Monday brought the assignment of a new judge to the case, said Urszula Masny-Latos, executive director of the NLG. The planned agenda for Monday — ruling on a motion to dismiss the trail altogether — will now take place
Feb. 11, she said. “If he [the judge] grants our notion, then there will be no trial. However, if he denies our motion to dismiss, we will go straight to trial. Everything will be decided on Monday,” Masny-Latos said. The five Occupy Boston defendants, Andrea Hill, Ashley Brewer, Brianne Milder, Tammi Arford and Kerry McDonald were among 140 protesters charged with trespassing and unlawful assembly in October 2011, when the Occupy Boston encampment in Dewey Square was shut down, according to a Saturday press release from the NLG. “In our opinion, Occupy Boston was a peaceful, political movement,” MasnyLatos said. “As it’s form of expression, it used occupation of public land set aside for this purpose.” Masny-Latos said Dewey Square was a public space intended for the people. “Conservancy documents say it was de-
Occupt, see page 2
KENSHIN OKUBO/DAILY FREE PRESS FILE
Five Occupy Boston protesters are contesting that they were illegally removed from Dewey Square in October 2011.
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Econ. prof.: Students in debt can choose deferment if struggling Debt: From Page 1
tion to the poverty line. “They basically calculate your disposable income, and that’s only your income above the poverty line. Of that you have to pay a certain percentage,” he said. “In some ways there are some mechanisms that allow people to really limit their loan payments, and I wonder if some people just don’t realize that.” Schmieder said there are also options available for students who struggle to find jobs after college and go to graduate school,
thereby adding to their debt. “It seems if you are unemployed, you can definitely get a deferment,” he said. “Then you don’t have to repay it until you have a job again. For that reason I’m not completely sure I understand why there’s a sudden increase in these defaults unless people really make these kinds of mistakes.” Some students said they are concerned that while college prices have spiked in recent years, entry-level position salaries have not gone up.
“A lot of people don’t consider that the starting wages and the starting positions just aren’t earning that much, so it’s getting progressively harder and that’s a factor,” said Ana Delcid, a College of Communication sophomore. Delcid said it is still difficult for recent college graduates to find a job after graduation. “Job markets aren’t getting any better,” she said. “It’s harder to find a job and there’s just, overall, less security for people to be able to prosper right after college.” Azura Ge, a College of Arts
and Sciences freshman, said the weak job market might be contributing to student loan defaults. “It’s really hard for students who can’t afford that money to go to college. I think colleges should lower their tuition,” she said. “There are a lot of people getting higher education so it must be more competitive to get jobs.” Brandon Siegenfeld, a School of Management sophomore, said college graduates’ salaries have not increased to match the increase in rising college tuition. “We had the recession, so sala-
ries haven’t increased over this amount of time even though the price [of higher education] is going up, so it’s not reflected in the salary increases,” he said. Siegenfeld said the high cost of college has caused unfortunate divisions between schools based on the income of students’ families and their abilities to afford tuition. “It definitely limits the ability for talent to enter college. It makes it more separated by income level, which is not a good thing,” he said.
Mayor Menino: ‘Proud’ of BPD, One victim of crash still in critical condition not allowed down the road, but raise one would we need to raise out-of-towners rely on their them all. It would have to be a served as model during Occupy serious injuries. No name is being many GPS systems, which aren’t al- significant project,” he said. Crash: From Page 1
Occupy: From Page 1
signed to be a space for the people to assemble,” she said. “By removing people from that land, it was a violation of people’s rights.” The Boston Police Department began arresting protesters Oct. 11, 2011 after handing out flyers stating that if the Occupiers did not comply with police orders, they could face arrest. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino released a statement Monday hailing BPD’s successful work during Occupy Boston. “We’re proud of the great work of the Boston Police Department during the Occupy Movement,” Menino said in the statement. “Boston served as a national model, with protestors allowed to exercise their rights to free speech and assembly, and without any resulting violence.” The Greenway was created by the Massachusetts Legislature through Chapter 306 of the Acts of 2008. “The Greenway shall be treated as a public park and a traditional open public forum without limiting free speech,” states the legislation. Four days before Boston Police evicted protesters from
Dewey Square, the Greenway Conservancy released a statement regarding the Occupy Boston movement. “The park closes at 11 p.m. and reopens at 7 a.m.,” according to the statement from October 2011. “Occupy Boston is an extraordinary situation. We are prepared to allow Occupy Boston to maintain the status quo.” In this statement the representatives of the conservancy said Occupy Boston protesters had been cooperative with the police and the conservancy. Protesters, for example, had cooperated with loading operations of a farmers market in Dewey Square on Tuesdays, the conservancy said. Masny-Latos said a deal was offered by the Commonwealth after the shutdown of the encampment wherein all trespassing charges would be turned to civil infractions, and a $50 fee would be issued. The majority of Occupy Boston protesters took this deal, but some rejected it, she said. “Twenty-four people rejected this deal, claiming that their rights were violated and they wanted to go to court and present their case in front of a judge,” Masny-Latos said.
released for the victim, according to the release. Verseckes said the bridge and overpass were tested and no structural damage was found. Many signs on the road are placed noting the height limit in the vicinity of the bridge, he said. “Local people know they are
The Daily Free Press Crossword By Mirroreyes Internet Services Corporation ACROSS 1. Move about 6. Biting critical remark 10. At a distance 14. Sierra _____, African country 15. Jai ____, sport 16. Stadium roof 17. Gone astray 18. Plant with thick sweet roots 19. Colored part of an eye 20. Compounds of carbon 22. Fly that transmits sleeping sickness 24. Swamp bird 25. Ask 26. Mints of fragrant leaves 29. From one end to the other 30. Compound found in urine 31. Scribe or recorder 37. Beef, chicken and pork, for example 39. Help 40. Dull yellowish brown 41. Orbiting devices 44. Position at the front 45. Ireland 46. Sham 48. Joint seals
52. Hair brush 53. “Little Women” author Louisa May ______ 54. Tell a story with sarcasm or irony 58. Churl or lout 59. French for “Summers” 61. Intertwined 62. Entice 63. Disclaim vehemently 64. Make amends 65. Poet ____ St. Vincent Millay 66. Drunkards 67. One of the noble gases (chemistry) DOWN 1. One of the acting Baldwin brothers 2. Body fluids 3. Unit of pressure 4. Intoxicate 5. Phone again 6. Biblical tower 7. Beers 8. Actress ___ Dawn Chong 9. Species of small herons 10. Farewell 11. Strong point 12. Out of place 13. Warm reboot 21. Thin flat round piece 23. Brief witty speech 25. _____ Island, state
ways reliable in these situations,” he said. If the DOT were to make any changes to the overpass or the road, it would hurt the historic aspect of the bridge, Verseckes said. “In Boston, there are many historic structures around, and to
Verseckes also said drivers on the road need to be cautious. “It is supposed to be the driver’s responsibility to be observant,” he said. “We need people to exercise discretion on their part and be safe and careful when traveling.”
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42. Sets of animal young 43. Name for a dog 47. Similar to the catbrier plant 48. Triangular end of a building 49. Verbally 50. Disdain 51. Asian peninsular country
52. Throws 54. Dispatched 55. Symbol 56. Found of Stoicism (3rd century Greek philosopher) 57. Biblical garden 60. Universal way or course Solution is on Page 4
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Campus & City Campus Crime Logs Late Night Trashiness By Robin Ngai Daily Free Press Staff
The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4. On Tuesday, BUPD officers arrested a non-affiliate for assaulting a female BU employee who is allegedly his girlfriend at about 1 a.m. The incident occurred at the corner of Beacon Street and Mountfort Street. The female suffered bruising and was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital. Early bird gets the worm Blue State Coffee employees called BUPD at about 8 a.m. Wednesday after finding the door smashed open at 957 Commonwealth Ave. The door was broken sometime the night before. Well I can’t read! On Thursday, Mugar Memorial Libary staff members reported to police at 8:38 a.m. they noticed a vandalized book left on a desk. The book was reportedly worth about $500 and had pages torn out from it. No suspects have yet been determined. Catch me if you can At 9:31 a.m. Thursday, BUPD arrested a student for an outstanding default warrant in Brighton District Court. Officers found him in room 207A at 1019 Comm. Ave. A huff and a puff… A large pane of glass at 575 Comm. Ave. was shattered by the wind on Thursday at 4:36 a.m., causing damage to the door. Glass pieces were scattered inside and around the building. No injuries were reported. A wild Lady Gaga appears At 5:19 p.m. on Thursday, a suspicious male was reported pacing around 595 Comm. Ave. The man was wearing a black trench coat and stocking mask with paint on his face. By the time BUPD arrived to search the area, he was gone. Who steals a shoe, honestly? Several pairs of adult and children’s shoes were stolen from room 103 at 2 Silber Way Friday. A staff member from the early childhood learning lab reported the theft to BUPD at about 10:15 a.m. Raising thieves A student had her wallet stolen Saturday while at Raising Cane’s located at 949 Comm. Ave. She did not notice that it had been taken until several fraudulent charges were made on her credit card. The student notified BUPD at about 3:30 p.m. If you can dodge a wrench… At about 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, a male was reported walking around 590 Comm. Ave. holding a bloody wrench. BUPD officers arrived immediately, but the male had disappeared from the building. Officers searched the premise and only located a small amount of blood on the floor.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Youth jobs decrease in Jan., study finds CFPB to survey
fin. products on college campuses
By Brian Latimer Daily Free Press Staff
Despite its reported increase in youth unemployment in January, the January 2013 Millennial Jobs report released by Generation Opportunity fails to take seasonal employment fluctuations into account, Boston University officials said. “Employment goes down in January because temporary employees begin to leave jobs. The same happens when students go on summer break and begin looking for jobs,” said Kevin Lang, a BU economics professor. “Whenever we look at an increase or decrease in employment, you have to adjust it seasonally.” The January seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for young people — defined as people between the ages of 18 and 29 — was 13.1 percent, almost two percent higher than December’s rate, according to the report re-
By Brian Latimer & Margaret Waterman Daily Free Press Staff
ELVIN WONG/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for people between the ages of 18 and 29 was almost two percent higher in January than in December.
leased Friday. “[December’s] unemployment rate for people between the ages of 18 and 29 was 11.5 percent,” said Terence Grado, the Director of National and State Policy at Generation Opportunity. “Today,
18 to 29 youth unemployment is 13.1 percent.” Grado said the numbers do not account for 1.7 million young adults who are no longer in the labor force, as these people have
Jobs, see page4
COM, CAS to collaborate on film studies major By Nora Philbin Daily Free Press Staff
Boston University students will soon have the opportunity to receive a film studies degree in either the College of Communication or the College of Arts and Sciences, an announcement that some students said they are skeptical about. “BU’s COM school is really good, so I feel like the fact that you can get a [film] degree from either is kind of ripping off the actual film and television students,” said Lyndsay Fong, a COM junior. “I worked really hard to get into COM, so the fact that someone can have their degree
from either COM or CAS is kind of a rip-off to me.” The BU COM film and television department is collaborating with CAS to create a new film studies major that has yet to be named, said Paul Schneider, BU film and television department chair. The existing COM program will remain focused on film production, and the new major will focus on film studies. “The idea is to offer [an option to] students who might be specifically studying [film] studies and ... don’t have an interest in production or screenwriting or cinematography or those kinds of things,” Schnei-
der said. “We’ll try to make some of those courses available to studies majors as electives if they want it.” The joint project will allow students to be a part of the same major but receive a degree from either COM or CAS depending on which school they are already in, Schneider said. “The idea is to join forces a little bit,” Schneider said. “What’s going to be kind of unique about it is you can be a CAS student and take the studies major and get your degree from CAS, and you can be a COM student and be the studies major and
Film, see page4
Gas prices in Mass. shoot up 14 cents a gallon By Kyle Plantz Daily Free Press Staff
Gasoline prices in Massachusetts increased by 14 cents this week due to the recent increase in the price of crude oil, and many drivers said they are not surprised. “AAA’s Feb. 4 survey of prices in the Commonwealth found selfserve, regular, unleaded gasoline averaging $3.599 per gallon, 14 cents higher than a week ago. Prices locally are up 14 cents over the past month, but haven’t increased as quickly as they did this time last year,” stated an American Automobile Association Southern New Eng-
land press release Monday. Daniele Paserman, professor of economics at Boston University, said gas prices depend on the price of crude oil, but the increase is not unusual. “Gas prices at the pump depend mostly on the price of crude oil, which in turn depends on the forces of demand and supply,” Paserman said. “It is not that uncommon to see a weekly swing in gas prices of 14 cents or more. It happens about 10 percent of the time, in either direction.” He said the cold weather also might have pushed prices up.
“It also likely has to do with the relatively cold weather experienced in the last two weeks. This increases the demand for heating and pushes gas prices up,” Paserman said. AAA Southern New England reported that the current price of gasoline is seven cents above the national average, which is $3.52. A year ago, average gasoline prices in Massachusetts were $3.49, according to the AAA press release. Randall Ellis, professor of economics at BU, said the influx in prices is how the normal market works.
Gas, see page4
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched a campaign Thursday to examine the effect financial products marketed through colleges and universities such as Boston University have on students, CFPB officials said. The CFPB will investigate the marketing strategies of financial products such as school-affiliated bank accounts — including those offered by Bank of America and Citizens Bank near the George Sherman Union — that grant access to student loans, scholarships and student identification cards that double as debit cards, according to the release. “One of the things we put in our notice is how financial products are marketed to students through schools,” said Rohid Chopra, the CFPB student loan ombudsman. “There are restrictions when it comes to school marketing agreement in the credit card market.” The aim of the inquiry is to determine whether the arrangements between colleges and banks or other types of financial institutions are in the best interests of students, according to a Friday CFPB press release. “We have seen many colleges establish relationships with financial institutions to offer banking services to their students,” said Richard Cordray, CFPB’s director, in the release. “The Bureau wants to find out whether students using college-endorsed banking products are getting a good deal.” Chopra said the investigation will obtain a full picture of a student’s financial life outside of student loans, such as how he or she opens bank accounts and uses credit cards. “Student debt has topped $1 trillion, which is more than credit cards and auto loans,” Chopra said. “Students borrowing for college are no longer the exception — it’s becoming the norm.” In 2009, the Credit CARD Act restricted financial organizations from using certain advertising tactics on campuses, aimed at college students, according to the
Banks, see page4
Harvard students involved in cheating scandal asked to withdraw By Zoe Roos Daily Free Press Staff
Nearly half of the 125 implicated students in the May Harvard University cheating scandal were asked to temporarily withdraw from the university Friday, following an announcement from the university. The announcement came from Michael Smith, Harvard’s Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, in an email statement after the final individual student cases were concluded at the end of fall 2012. “Somewhat more than half of the Administration Board cases this past fall required a student to withdraw from the college for a period of time,” Smith wrote. “Of the remaining cases, roughly half the students received disciplinary probation, while the balance
ended in no disciplinary action.” The scandal broke after many students were accused of cheating on a take-home final exam given in May in a government course. Nearly half of the exams issued had strikingly similar answers, prompting the investigation. Harvard University officials declined to comment. While Harvard has refused to release the exact title of the course or the name of its professor, multiple news sources have identified the professor as Matthew Platt and the course as “Government 1310: Introduction to Congress.” The class was thought to have a total enrollment of 279. Smith also detailed in his email how students would be refunded after being forced to withdraw mid-semester. Students that
Harvard, see page4
SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Harvard University administration asked students accused of cheating to withdraw from the school.
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Basketball co-captains withdraw from Harvard after cheating Harvard: From Page 3
withdraw mid-semester must still pay $4,697 in tuition, as well as additional per diem room charges, pro-rated board costs and a student service fee, according to the Harvard student handbook. Harvard has chosen to allow the students to withdraw, giving the students the opportunity to petition for reinstatement after at least one full term, according to the student handbook. The University has also received criticism for not better
protecting the identity of the students involved in the scandal. Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, seniors and men’s basketball team co-captains at the university, received widespread media attention, and multiple media outlets covered their decisions to withdraw from the team. A number of other students involved with the scandal could not comment as they are still dealing directly with Harvard administrators. Still, many details about the scandal remain unclear, with lim-
ited information coming from Harvard. In his Bits and Pieces blog, Harry Lewis, Gordon McKay professor of computer science at Harvard, wrote about several other reports relating to the scandal. “Reportedly the professor cancelled his office hours on the last day of the exam, leaving students who were puzzled about the exam’s unfamiliar terminology with no official representative of the course from whom to seek clarification,” he wrote in his blog Sunday. “The exam in-
structions said that except for its open-everything nature, it was to be treated like an in-class exam. But in an in-class exam there is always supposed to be a representative of the course staff available to answer questions. Why did the professor not hold his staff to the same standard about exam protocols to which he was holding his students?” Lewis also wrote about reports that stated the professor had told his students the class would not be difficult. “The professor announced at
the beginning of the course that he didn’t care whether students attended class, and that he intended to give out a lot of A’s as he had in previous years,” Lewis wrote. Smith said in his email Harvard is working to be more direct in the expectations of academic integrity required of all students. “While all the fall cases are complete, our work on academic integrity is far from done,” Smith said.
Film dept. chair: No timeframe CAS freshman: Report neglects seasonal employees you get the opposite story Kholod said. “The report should with 16-to-19-year-old men.” take into account the migration to for integration of major program given up looking for work entire- because Lang said these normal, and from college towns and how Jobs: From Page 3
Film: From Page 3
get your degree from COM.” Schneider said there is no official timeline established for the integration of the major. The idea for the new program originally came from both CAS and COM faculty, but the official decision to create the new major came from the Office of the Provost, he said. “The genesis of this, partly is that we have our full-time studies faculty that is part of the department here, but there is also a number of faculty folks over at CAS in different departments who also teach film cinema classes,” Schneider said. “They are all studies-oriented over there.” Nate Suri, a COM sophomore, said while he is personally more interested in writing and directing, he believes the new version has the potential to be very popular with students looking to study film. “It can definitely be a successful program because there are plenty of kids that do want to go to film school, but just want to learn about film and studies and things like that,” he said. “I’ve taken a couple CAS classes that
have film as a topic and they have been very helpful to me.” Suri said receiving a film degree from either COM or CAS will tailor and specialize the education, which is beneficial for students, depending on individual choice of career path. “A lot of students would rather be seen as a film studies student from a film school [like COM],” Suri said. “Then again, if they are looking to teach in the future, some students may want to have a CAS degree.” Wes Palmer, a COM freshman, said he is also more interested in production, but understands that it might be too narrowly focused to attract all students looking to pursue film. “I’m interested in doing film studies to better my film production skills and to better the content, but I’m much more interested in the production side of things and the actual creation of it, rather than just studying it,” Palmer said. “I am sure that they will incorporate other kinds of media — really tapping into what is going on with the Internet and that kind of distribution to broaden the appeal.” Brian Latimer contributed to the reporting of this article.
Econ prof.: Jump in prices expected Gas: From Page 3
“From month to month it is normal to have fluctuations based on weather, holidays, driving demand, and refined oil deliveries,” Ellis said. “I suspect that it is just these normal forces. Actually as we come out of a recession, and more people get jobs and buy more cars, it is the norm that gasoline consumption will increase and prices will tend to increase. This does not seem like an unusual increase.” Paserman said as the United States comes out of the recession, it is normal for gas prices to increase. “If anything, being out of the recession should raise gas prices,” he said. “More economic activity means more demand for electricity
by firms and consumers.” Paserman said although the local economy is somewhat connected to the jump in oil prices, crude oil availability dictates price. A number of local drivers said they were not surprised by the sudden increase of gas prices. “It’s [the price of gas] up, it’s down, it’s all over the place,” said Matt Bodnar, 41, a resident of Brookline. “I’m not happy the price went up, but I am in no way surprised.” Kaylee Peters, 34, of Allston, said she was expecting the increase in gasoline prices. “Well, prices went down for a while which was nice,” she said, “but I always figured they would just go right back up again.”
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ly because the of the economy’s poor state. “The U.S. Department of Labor only considers people in the labor force that have looked for work in the last four weeks,” Grado said. “When you take that additional 1.7 million, with the 13.1 percent effective, you get an unemployment number at 16.2 percent.” January unemployment for women in the age group was 11.6 percent, unemployment for Hispanics was 13 percent and unemployment for African Americans was 22.1 percent, according to the report. Lang said the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a survey Friday that shows percentages small samples of unemployed people rising and falling every month. “If you look at men 20 to 24 years old, we’re seeing a big jump in the last two months because we’re looking at a smaller and smaller sample,” he said. “You can see it is just a sampling error
monthly fluctuations should not raise alarm, despite the poor job market. He said people between the ages of 18 and 29 compose a small sample when considering the size of the American workforce. “There are times when unemployment demands grow, such as during the holiday season for seasonal jobs” Lang said. “Even if the economy is working consistently at the same level, there is going to be more unemployment in some periods and then less in certain months.” A number of students said they believe there are other stimuli contributing to the increase in unemployment the report does not properly account for. Victor Kholod, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman, said he thinks the report does not look at all the factors contributing to January unemployment. “People have seasonal employees they know they can employ just over the holiday season,”
that alone affects unemployment statistics.” Alejandro Rivera, a fourthyear Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student, said it is necessary to adjust the data for people entering the labor force strictly seasonally for holiday breaks and summer breaks. “Young people do not have benefits like people who have been in the labor force for a lot longer,” Rivera said. “More people are also willing to take jobs with lower wages, so there are plenty of people willing to work now.” Jacopo Bizzotto, a GRS fifthyear student, also said the data should take into account normal fluctuations of unemployment. “People look for jobs when their prospects are better,” Bizzotto said. “Also, people are not laid off before the holiday season out of respect, which is why unemployment grows after the holidays.”
CAS soph.: Credit cards ‘not necessary’ for students Banks: From Page 3
release. The act made agreements between institutions of higher education and credit card issuers available to the public. The CFPB also published a guide for college students and their families to aid with the decision process behind choosing a new credit card or checking account, according to the release. Several BU students said while they do not frequently use credit cards, they are wary of incurring credit card debts. “I have a bank account and debit cards and I can use those online if I need to buy something. But to me a credit card isn’t really necessary because it can’t do anything for me right now,” said Emma Maider, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore. “It would only lead to me spending
money I don’t have.” Maider said she worries about hidden fees that will increase the difficulty of paying back her student loans. She said she wants to avoid financial problems caused by a credit card and is thankful for CFPB’s investigation. “Sometimes I feel as if [banks issuing credit cards to students] set students up for failure,” Maider said. Ian Rollins, a College of General Studies freshman, said he does not often worry about being overcharged by campus-based banks. “I would probably drop the credit card if I was being charged more because I’m a college student,” Rollins said. CGS sophomore Becca Haley said she would only have a problem with paying back credit card
fees if they were hidden. “If the banks are targeting students for no reason other than we are oblivious, then I’m glad there is an inquiry,” Haley said. “Banks cannot target students unfairly and keep them from taking money from an already poor demographic.” Laurence Kotlikoff, an economics professor at BU, said students have a difficult enough time paying back student loans as it is. “The university has a responsibility to make sure kids don’t get in over their heads, and their parents have a prenatal obligation to make sure their kids don’t take on too much,” Kotlikoff said. “It’s true for every university and college because kids are not cognizant of the magnitude of their decisions, and parents are not always looking over their shoulders with their finances.”
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Lightning’s striking effect on migraines
I
Kiera Blessing Features Staff
t’s easy to ignore a grandparent who says a storm is coming because their knees are “acting up.” It’s even more ridiculous to think that Karen from “Mean Girls” knows when it will rain, thanks to her cleavage. But a new study suggests that people who suffer from migraines may actually be able to tell when lightning has been striking nearby. What researchers found Fourth-year medical student, Geoffrey Martin, and his father, Doctor Vincent Martin, a professor of Internal Medicine, conducted a study at the University of Cincinnati that revealed that chronic migraine sufferers have a 31 percent higher risk of headache and a 28 percent higher risk of migraine on days lightning has struck within 25 miles of their home. “So basically, on days with lightning, compared to days without lightning, there was actually 31 percent more people that had a headache on those days with lightning compared to not having lightning,” Geoffrey said. The father-son duo said they analyzed several issues when evaluating the results, such as how lightning directly affects headaches and migraines. However, the Martins also considered other weather factors often associated with lightning, such as barometric pressure, temperature, precipitation, humidity and wind. This, Geoffrey said, allowed them to validate that lightning was truly causing the increase in headache frequency. The study, published in the journal Cephalalgia on Jan. 24, showed that even when other weather factors were accounted for in mathematical models, there was still a 19 percent increased risk of headache on lightning-striking days. “It was still statistically significant in our population,” Geoffrey said. “Lightning still had an effect on headaches beyond the meteorological factors that are often associated with lightning, such as high winds during a storm or rain, or high temperatures or high humidity.” The researchers were also concerned about the long lifespans of headaches and migraines. Geoffrey said the life span of migraines often last more than one day. The research also considered participants who may have suffered a headache prior to lightning, suggesting their headaches were not a direct result of the weather. To account for this discrepancy, Geoffrey said he added a control variable to the model — he and his father accounted for the presence of headaches lasting up to two days prior to lightning storms. This variable reduced participants’ increased risk of headache from 31 to 24 percent and migraine from 28 percent to 23 percent. “It’s like a weird Snapple fact,” said Boston University College of Communica-
ants like ozone and can cause release of fungal spores that might lead to migraine.” “I know that in laboratory studies that various electromagnetic fields can induce EEG [Electroencephalograms] changes,” Geoffrey added to his father’s statement.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KIERA BLESSING
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say lightning striking nearby makes chronic migraine sufferers 31 percent more likely to have a headache, and 28 percent more likely to have a migraine.
tion sophomore Hannah Landers. Like Landers, Jinzhu Wu, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the new information was surprising. “Usually the storm will scare people, but the lightning will only give us some tension that there will be some pretty terrifying noise,” she said. Wu said this study might further people’s fear of lightning. How they did it For their study, the Martins researched detailed headache journals from 100 chronic migraine sufferers from previous studies at the University of Cincinnati and the University of St. Louis, Geoffrey said. These journals recorded activity during three-tosix-month periods. “They were recruited in our study from other studies, actually, in which they recorded in a diary or journal their headache activity; whether they had a headache that day or not, their pain scale on that day, and whether they had nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light or noise,” Geoffrey said. Participants in the study exhibiting such symptoms were labeled as chronic sufferers, or someone who suffers from at least one migraine a month. Geoffrey said a doctor diagnosed this condition using the International Headache Society Criteria.
Participants from Cincinnati recorded their journals between 1998 and 2001 while participants from St. Louis recorded theirs from 2008 to 2010, Geoffrey said. Geoffrey said he and his father compared this information to weather data recorded during the same time periods. This helped them determine whether or not patients had increased headache activity on specific weather days. The participants used were 91 percent female with an average age of 44. Geoffrey said that migraine patients are predominantly female, with women making up between 70 and 80 percent of sufferers. He also said that migraines are generally worse before women reach menopause, resulting in a generally younger population of sufferers. “We did throw in both age and gender into our models as covariates,” Geoffrey said. “Those did not affect our results in any way.” Why it happens In a recent press release, Vincent said there were two possible causes for this strange occurrence. “Electromagnetic waves emitted from lightning could trigger headaches,” Vincent said in the release Jan. 24. “In addition, lightning produces increases in air pollut-
What it means The answer, according to Geoffrey, is not a whole lot yet. The weather cannot be controlled, so migraine sufferers will have to deal with Mother Nature’s wrath for now. To prevent migraines, Geoffrey said people should move to areas that are less prone to lightning. Unfortunately this is not a quick fix. However, Geoffrey suggested other headache prevention methods. “You can’t really control the weather on a day-to-day basis, but you can do individual measures, such as things that are important in preventing offensive migraines,” he said. He recommended getting adequate rest and staying hydrated, as well as keeping pain relievers on hand. He also suggested that chronic sufferers with more serious conditions seek professional help and prescription medications. “The problem is no one really knows when they’re going to have an attack so obviously if someone’s [attacks are] frequent enough, they’re just on the medication every day,” Geoffrey said. “But otherwise it’s very hard to determine when they should be taking these kinds of preventative migraine medications.” Heeding the Martins’ study, sufferers might check weather forecasts and take medications in preparation for upcoming storms. Even people without prescription medications can prepare by taking pain relievers at the first sign of a headache, rather than ignoring a slight discomfort and allowing it to develop into a full-blown migraine. Student Responses Simone Rauch, a CAS sophomore, said she did not have many ideas when asked what the findings could be used for. “I mean, nothing really,” Rauch said. “You can’t just tell the lightning not to be near headache sufferers, right?” However Melissa Yee, a CAS junior, said she has hope for the new study. “I get migraines constantly,” Yee said. “I don’t know if lightning would necessarily correlate with that, but I hope it does. Then maybe I could prevent some of my major headaches.” Geoffrey said he will continue to study the weather-headache paradigm in an attempt to develop better methods of migraine control. “We’re going to start looking at more complex weather patterns,” he said, “such that we’re going to be looking at intricate relationships between some of the individual weather variables.”
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Opinion
The Daily Free Press
The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University 43rd year F Volume 84 F Issue 11
Emily Overholt, Editor-in-Chief T. G. Lay, Managing Editor Melissa Adan Online Editor Jasper Craven, City Editor Chris Lisinski, Campus Editor Gregory Davis, Sports Editor
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The Daily Free Press (ISSN 1094-7337) is published Monday through Thursday 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 © 2010 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
New York Gov. proposes undeveloped coastline as solution to future hurricane dangers In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has maintained that New York needs to reconsider the way it develops its coastlines. He has proposed that instead of rebuilding a number of neighborhoods along the sea, New York should spend $400 million to purchase homes wrecked by the hurricane and have them demolished, according to The New York Times Sunday. The state will then preserve the flood-prone land as undeveloped coastline. Under the purchase program, which federal officials have yet to approve, those with homes significantly damaged by the storm and floods would be offered the pre-storm value of their houses for the purpose of relocation assistance. Residents of more vulnerable areas would be offered a bonus to sell their homes. Additionally, communities in highly flood-prone areas will be offered a double-bonus if an entire block of homeowners agrees to leave, all according to the Times. As for the land, Cuomo would have that it would never be built on again. The Times reported that some areas would be converted into dunes, wetlands or other natural buffers that would help protect coastal communities from ferocious storms. Other land could be used for public parkland. The idea, according to The Times, is the result of debate between lawmakers, disaster experts and New York residents over what steps should be taken to prepare and strengthen the state for and against extreme weather. There is little doubt surrounding the argument that storms like Hurricane Sandy will continue to visit the coastlines of New York and its sur-
rounding states. Aftermath of such storms is expected to be as bad if not worse as what occurred in October. It seems sensible, safe and financially sound to get homes off of coastlines. But is the plan plausible — are de-population and relocation efforts the answer to the continuing threats of climate change? The proposal, which the Times stated is the most ambitious ever undertaken by the state of N ew York — not only in scale but in how Cuomo would be using the money to begin reshaping coastal land use — will not be easy to implement. For one, it is difficult to relocate an entire town, especially in a state like New York, the coastal areas of which are relatively highly populated. And it will be more difficult if New York’s seaside communities are not on board. Those who reside in flood-prone areas will likely be torn over the decision to stay or go. Many towns by the sea are historically and culturally beach towns — relocation means losing a collective identity and a heritage of seaside life. People like living near or on the beach; doing so can signify status, leisure or tradition. On the other hand, moving means forgoing the possibility of future devastation. Perhaps the Cuomo administration should instead channel the $400 million budget into rebuilding seaside homes to make them more damage-proof. Storms like Hurricane Sandy still occur infrequently. Displacing communities might be less feasible than simply rebuilding homes to better protect residents from storms. And the seaside culture would live on. New Orleans continues to thrive. There is no reason New York’s beach towns cannot adapt to do the same.
Children’s Museum to offer discounted rates to low-income families
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is confronting the fact that some families cannot afford to enrich their children, and responding in a positive and inclusive way. A new electronics benefits transfer discount program at Boston Children’s Museum is allowing families on government subsidies to show their EBT cards and pay just $2 for museum admission, according to The Boston Globe Monday. This is the first time such a program has been approved by a Massachusetts cultural institution, which means the state is not only recognizing the beneficial role that museums play in child development, but also taking steps to ensure that the benefits will be shared. The plan came about when museum officials met with residents in low-income areas and found that the residents expressed deep interest in visiting the museum, but that the demographic of Boston residents who receive government subsidies to supplement their household incomes largely stayed away from museums like the Children’s Museum, which charges $14 for admission, according to the Globe. Realizing that these discounts, which included half-price days for library cardholders, were failing to attract the lower-income demographic, museum officials decided the EBT system was the best way to attempt to attract more visitors and make the benefits of their museum more widespread regardless of
income. So far the experiment has been successful: Since the program was implemented five months ago, over 1,160 visitors have used the EBT discount, and many of these visitors say they would not have otherwise come to the museum, according to the Globe. This is a strong step in the right direction towards bridging a number of social gaps apparent in the state of Massachusetts. First, the plan of action ensures that all members of the Boston community are able to enjoy cultural institutions like the Children’s Museum, which offers a stimulating environment of learning for its young visitors and a haven for parents wanting their kids to be educated and involved. Second, it allows children from lower-income families — who tend to grow up in lower-income areas and often go to school at under-served schools — to have the opportunity for cultural enrichment in the same ways as their more affluent counterparts. Museums provide a crucial venue of education to cities and their suburbs. If museum officials want their institutions to have real meaning to the communities they serve, they need to make sure all members of the communities can take part. Hopefully other museum institutions will join in the EBT efforts. For general social progress and advancement, it is extremely important to make access to cultural, historical and educational enrichment affordable to all.
GIRL, 20
Gentlemen prefer blondes SYDNEY L. SHEA
At seven years old, I desired nothing more than a Marilyn Monroe doll. It was a scaled-down Monroe in the evening gown she wore for Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, which was made from shocking pink satin with rhinestones adorning her plastic, wanton figure. Every asset of this figurine enamored me, and I just knew that when I grew up, I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to dress like she did, date men like she did, and smoke cigarettes like she did. But guess what? So did Anna Nicole Smith, and that didn’t work out too well for her. That year, I asked my grandmother if I could have the coveted Marilyn Monroe doll for my birthday. “Sorry Syd, I just don’t want you having a doll of someone like her.” My doll was being denied to me because of her ethically questionable character, perhaps in some last attempt at making me into a wholesome young lady. Or something. Her shtick was based not only on her hair, but also her capricious, unserious, ditsy nature, creating a stereotype for many blondes after her illustrious career. Refusal to grant my request might have stemmed from Polish Catholic morals — or perhaps a bit of envy — but my grandmother would have bought me a parade of show ponies, a Ferris wheel, a bubblegum factory and a lifetime supply of Benson & Hedges instead of this symbol of, though yet unbeknownst to me, scandal and promiscuity. I could sense that my grandma knew something I didn’t know. After all, I did own a number (okay, a small country) of Barbies, and Barbie wasn’t exactly modest, either. Her shiny synthetic body was rarely covered up with anything more than a square inch, give or take, of suggestive, sparkly cloth. But then again, Barbie didn’t sleep with a Kennedy while he was in office. Or pose naked in Playboy. Or screw her way through Hollywood. So for me, at least for a few more years, Marilyn Monroe would be forbidden fruit. Some gentlemen, although I can’t say that I can call all the ones in my experience “gentlemen,” do prefer blondes. I suspect this attraction is based off of some primal instinct comparable to flies being attracted to a light. Example: one of my best friends — also blonde — and I were at a party where we were by no means the prettiest attendees, but were almost automatically courted by a group of chaps who kindly escorted us to the private section of their house to further the conversation there.
Surely they were enthralled by my extensive knowledge of ancient Greek philology. Wrong: blonde was just the easiest color to see in dim lighting. And there’s that age-old aphorism, first spoken by Plato’s Socrates (or maybe someone else?), that blondes have more fun. This theory is attributed to the notion that hair pigmentation correlates with intelligence, and that fun comes from a state of ignorance. As a light blonde, I have just enough neurons to open a carton of milk, breathe and decline Latin nouns. I have always loved being the token blonde person in most of my friend circles, though it comes with some undesirable qualities, namely being called “Blondie,” “Tweedle Dumb” and “Snow White” for the pallid, sickly shade of my pale, freckled skin that often accompanies such a light hair color and blue eyes. Many people I’ve encountered have said I appear aloof, “out of it,” or generally dull, as growing up I constantly got “are you okay”s and “are you with me here”s from teachers. These people might be disappointed in me to know that I give off this vibe because I’m in fact daydreaming of floating on a pink cotton-candy cloud or maybe doing something as ambitious as being a mermaid on a rock somewhere on Martha’s Vineyard. What were we talking about? Kidding. These misperceptions could be no farther from the truth. When I seem so absentminded, it is because I find the person attempting to engage me in conversation boring and uninteresting. Otherwise, although on a daily basis I fail to see the obvious and have many, many moments of archetypal blonde ditsy-ness, at random moments what might be a minor realization to you ends up being a life-changing, revelatory epiphany to me. See, being blonde really is more fun. It isn’t that bad. Still, when asked in an interview in 1962 if she felt happy in life, Marilyn Monroe said she came the closest to being happy only in short moments, but that in general she was miserable. Two years later, she died alone of a sleeping pill overdose, which analysts decided was a probable suicide. Maybe there was a good reason as to why I wasn’t allowed to have her as a role model. Sydney Shea is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at slshea@bu.edu.
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Men’s hockey fails to convert on chances, falls short in Beanpot semis Beanpot: From Page 1
forward Danny O’Regan doing the honors. The second line of O’Regan, Megan and sophomore left wing Evan Rodrigues connected on a series of crisp passes before Megan centered to O’Regan, who onetimed it by Husky goalie Chris Rawlings. For part of the second frame, BU looked poised to take control of the game. It did a much better job of possessing the puck in Northeastern’s zone, and O’Connor came up with a big pad save on a Roy shot from point-blank range. It was all for naught, though, as another BU defensive miscue led to another NU goal. O’Connor went to play the puck behind his net and passed to senior forward Ben Rosen along the red line. Rosen sent the puck flying through the crease, and Roy was there to tap it into an empty net. In the second half of the final period,
BU again looked positioned to tie things up. The Terriers had a number of chances and were outshooting the Huskies by a healthy margin, yet had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. A series of lengthy possessions in BU’s offensive end highlighted the frame. However, as soon as Northeastern got a chance to take it the other way, BU paid for it. Roy made it 3–1 at 15:22 in the third when he collected a bouncer by the red line in BU’s zone. He swatted at it with barely enough of an angle to sneak it between O’Connor and the far post to extend Northeastern’s lead. “Obviously Kevin Roy is a heck of a player,” Parker said. “He gets a hat trick against us — picks one out of midair.” With O’Connor pulled, BU fought to within a goal when junior forward Sahir Gill collected freshman defenseman Matt Grzelcyk’s rebound. Grzelcyk had carried
the puck through the Husky defense before NU goalie Chris Rawlings stopped his shot. “I’ve seen us in bigger games than this get two goals in the last minute of the game, so I was hoping we were going to be able to do it again,” Parker said, referencing the 2009 national championship. “You always think you have a chance.” But BU couldn’t find another tally and was forced to put O’Connor back in net for the final 14.1 seconds after a Terrier high stick brought the faceoff back to their zone. O’Connor wrapped up with 23 saves, outdone by his counterpart Rawlings’ 32. A perfect 3-for-3 BU penalty kill was overshadowed by a weak showing on the other side of special teams, a miserable 0-for-6 on the power play including a blown 5-on-3 opportunity for 1:57. At the final buzzer, as the victorious Huskies mobbed Rawlings, the Terriers milled about aimlessly.
For Megan, Rosen, forward Ryan Santana and defenseman Sean Escobedo — the final four members of their original freshman class — it was another Beanpot letdown, another night leaving them wondering what could have been. What if a pair of turnovers had not led to goals? What if the Terriers had converted on just one of a number of scoring chances? What would happen, if BU had pulled through, one week later against Boston College in front of a packed house at the Garden? That, they will never know. What they do know, though, is that it is another disappointment that brings them dangerously close to not winning a single trophy as Terriers. “We’ve got a lot of the season left. We need to not feel sorry for ourselves,” a glassy-eyed Megan said. “Just turn the page.”
Season sweep has no bearing on Beanpot Women’s hockey: From Page 8
MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Terrier junior goaltender Kerrin Sperry won America East Defensive Player of the Week honors for her 23-save performance in a 4–2 victory against Northeastern University.
According to Durocher, while BU swept the season series from Northeastern, Northeastern could use that as an advantage during the Tournament. “The advantage we have is that we have a certain level of confidence that we’ve been able to get some wins against Northeastern this year,” Durocher said. “I think a distinctive disadvantage is the law of averages, or something going right for them. “The game starts at zero-zero, so we don’t have any type of lead just because we’ve come up with victories against them this year.” In order for the Terriers to find success, they will need to limit the offensive production of some of Northeastern’s top forwards, including Coyne, Pickett and Brittany Esposito. During BU’s win on Saturday, Coyne had one of Northeastern’s two goals and Esposito picked up an assist. “They’re a team that plays on their quickness,” Durocher said. “They’re not as big as some teams you play, but they play just as hard.”
BU will also rely on junior netminder Kerrin Sperry, who took home a Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week honor for her 23-save performance against the Huskies on Saturday. Sperry ranks third in the conference with her goals against average of 2.33. “I know she’ll be anxious to get out there,” Durocher said of the North Reading, native. “But she, just like the rest of our team, needs to make sure she keeps her composure and controls the excitement.” A win over Northeastern would bring the Terriers one step closer to earning a Beanpot title that has eluded them since they became a varsity program — and since they won it as a club team in 1981. “Some of [the emotions] are similar to what they’d be in any game,” Durocher said of the team potentially earning its first Beanpot trophy. “Trying to be ready, trying to have a controlled emotion, I think it’s important and certainly trying to be a first can be a real advantage because you’re hungry for something. But in the same sense, you can try too hard. “We’ve got to temper our emotions and be sure that we’re keeping our focus.”
Morris: Fair-weather fans can’t brag Husky penalty kill tied for 5th in HE Morris: From Page 8
bearably upset. But that’s when a girl who I had known to be a Giants fan came into my room to brag. But I think even she realized her mistake right away. I just tried to avoid her, but she could tell my depression was more than she could understand. She couldn’t comprehend how upset I could get from a sporting event. She just didn’t get it. That’s because we were on different levels of fandom. She couldn’t name a single person on the Giants defense. I could name you the backup offensive linemen from 2003. Even though her team had won, she didn’t have bragging rights over me. There are rules to being a sports fan. You only have bragging rights if (a) your team wins, and (b) you are a better fan than the
other person. I don’t deserve bragging rights over the BC fan because I am a fair-weather BU hockey fan. But I also don’t deserve to be made fun of by a Giants fan who can’t name another player outside of Eli Manning. Everyone needs to adhere to these rules. Sure, you are allowed to be excited when your team wins, no matter what. Teams wouldn’t survive without all types of fans; from die-hard fanatics to fair-weather followers. I am allowed to be excited when any BU team wins, even if I can’t name a single player on the team. But I do not have bragging rights over the hard-core fans of the losing team. That’s just how it works. The truly serious fans have earned that right.
Terriers to take on struggling Maine team Men’s basketball: From Page 8
Even with the contrasting styles of play, BU (.445) and Maine (.437) rank first and second respectively in America East in field goal percentage. Since defeating BU on Jan. 2 as part of a four-game winning streak, Maine is struggling to find its feet in America East play. In their last seven games, the Black Bears have gone 1–6, defeating only the University of Vermont Jan. 22. Aside from its loss to Stony Brook University, however, Maine did not lose any of those games by double digits.
Additionally, Maine is 2–11 in away contests and has yet to earn a conference victory on the road. Coming off a shaky victory against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and the loss at Hartford, Jones has highlighted his team’s absence of energy and the need for a higher level of intensity from the BU players. “We’ve had two very good practices and our guys have really responded well,” Jones said. “They have focus right now, but we have to go out there and compete and get the job done.”
Men’s hockey: From Page 8
they dumped it into the zone, but couldn’t get past Northeastern’s defensemen at the blue line when they tried to carry it. When they did set up in the zone, they either shot into waiting Husky blockers or hesitated a second too long when a lane opened up. The Terrier offense in general struggled Monday. After a perfectly executed passing play to set up their first goal, they didn’t score again until freshman defenseman Matt Grzelcyk carried the puck from the neutral zone himself and handed it to Gill to tap in on the doorstep with 1:11 left in the game. Last time out against Northeastern, BU scored three of its five goals on the power play, and the Huskies entered Monday’s game with
the eighth-best penalty kill in Hockey East. On Monday, they moved into a tie for fifth. “Unfortunately, last time we played BU, they were 3-for-6 on us,” said Northeastern coach Jim Madigan. “They’re highly skilled. But there was a calmness and a composure on the bench, and guys were reassuring — we’d killed off some before that 5-on-3.” Despite the fact that it spent almost half of the second period on the power play, BU had just nine shots in the entire frame, as Northeastern’s success on the kill appeared to energize them for their even-strength stretches. “It’s something we need to figure out — get the puck in the zone and get pucks to the net and start scoring power-play goals. And if we can’t do that we’re in for a long season,” Megan said.
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We’ve got a lot of the season left.
“
“
Quotable
-BU captain Wade Megan on the Beanpot semifinals loss.
Page 8
Driving The Lane
Sports The Daily Free Press
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Seeking
vengeance
The BU women’s hockey team will take on Northeastern in the Beanpot semi-finals one day after NU defeated BU men’s hockey in the Beanpot semifinals. P.7.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Power-play woes doom Terriers in Beanpot
Bragging Rights
BU prepared to face NU in Beanpot Semis By Meredith Perri Daily Free Press Staff
John Morris
I do not profess to be the greatest BU hockey fan. In fact, I still don’t understand all the basic rules of the sport of hockey. I don’t know exactly when it’s icing and when it isn’t. I’m more of a football, basketball and baseball guy. But I still love watching BU win; it’s in our blood. I think back to a men’s hockey game my freshman year. It was one of my first BU-BC games, and safe to say I was pretty stoked. After a hard-fought win over the rival Eagles, I was ready to celebrate. I remember seeing a guy walking out of the arena in an Eagles jersey, obviously looking depressed. I wanted to make a celebratory scene with my friends, showing him that I was a BU fan and therefore proving my supremacy over him. But then I stopped and thought. Why should I have bragging rights over this BC fan? Sure my team had beaten his, but is that enough? I couldn’t tell you every player on the BU roster. I couldn’t even tell you the positions that most of them play. Maybe this guy had been a die-hard BC fan his whole life. Maybe he could name the entire BC starting lineup from 1995. Heck, is it even called a lineup in hockey? I’m not sure. So why should I have the rights to make this BC fan feel bad when he could be a much more dedicated fan than me? This same issue came about this time last year. I do claim to be the greatest New England Patriots fan that I know. I honestly do not think that anyone else feels the joy of victory or the pain of defeat more than I do when it comes to the Patriots. My life will not be complete until I witness Tom Brady get his fourth Super Bowl title and stake his claim as the undisputed greatest quarterback of all time. So safe to say, I was pretty distraught after the Patriots lost the big game to the New York Giants for the second time in five years. Unfortunately, I know a number of Giants fans here at BU. After the game, I went back in to my room to immerse myself into the world of Skyrim in an effort to forget the real world. I was un-
Morris, see page 7
Tuesday, Feb. 5
MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Terrier freshman Danny O’Regan scored a goal in BU’s 3–2 loss to Northeastern University in the semifinals of the Beanpot tournament. By Annie Maroon Daily Free Press Staff
Short of having a full two minutes on the 5-on-3 instead of just 1:56, it would be hard to imagine the Boston University men’s hockey team having a better chance to score than it did in the second period of Monday’s Beanpot semifinal loss. Northeastern University defensemen Colton Saucerman and Dax Lauwers went to the box within four seconds of each other, just short of 17 minutes into the second period. BU (13–11–1, 10–7–1 Hockey East) was already 0-for-3 with the man advantage that night, but down 2–1 more than halfway through the game, it had no shortage of motivation to cash in on the 5-on-3. Instead, sophomore defenseman Alexx Privitera opened the power play by shooting directly into the shins of former Terrier and current Husky (8–13–3, 4–11–3 Hockey East) captain Vinny Saponari, and his teammates followed suit. When Northeastern’s penalty
ing a physical game? The Terriers’ response to that hit involved just one shot on the ensuing power play. In six total man advantages — a total of 8:30 on the power play — they got four pucks through to Rawlings. BU coach Jack Parker said after the game there was “a lot of pressure” on BU on the power play, and that it paralyzed players who otherwise would be regular contributors. “I think this team has lost its confidence a little bit,” Parker said. “They’re trying to do too much individually. I think that’s why the power play is terrible. Everybody thinks they have to get something done.” Despite being tied for the thirdhighest scoring offense in Hockey East, BU has the seventh-best power-play percentage, firing at just 14.4 percent. On Monday, the reasons for that low mark were numerous. The Terriers lost races to the puck when
Men’s hockey, see page 7
Women’s hockey, see page 7
Men’s basketball seeking revenge in game against University of Maine By Michael Bagarella Daily Free Press Staff
The Boston University men’s basketball team will play the University of Maine for the second time this season and the 100th time in the history of the teams on Tuesday night at Case Gym. “They are a very good team,” said BU (11–11, 5–4 America East) coach Joe Jones. “They are a very talented group that plays with a lot of confidence. They present a problem because they have a lot of good inside and out players.” In their first meeting on Jan. 2, Maine (8–14, 3–6 America East), thanks to a late comeback, defeated BU 63–58. The teams came out of the locker room at halftime with the game tied at 26, and BU dominated in the early part of the
The Bottom Line
M. Basketball v. Maine, 7 p.m. W. Hockey Beanpot @ Northeastern, 8 p.m.
killers collapsed around senior goalie Chris Rawlings, BU stayed on the perimeter, apparently hoping the Huskies would break their formation and open up a shooting lane. They did not, and just two BU shots made it to the net on that 5-on-3, although the Terriers had possession for most of that 1:56. “It was a huge letdown,” said senior captain Wade Megan. “You’re not going to win any games if you get opportunities like that and you’re not able to cash in and at least get some good chances. You’ve got to make teams pay for taking penalties like that, and we weren’t able to do that.” After those two Husky defensemen left the box, their teammate Josh Manson went in for boarding 10 seconds later. Manson’s penalty came after he sent BU junior wing Sahir Gill flying into the end boards, and it posed a challenge to BU’s power play — if they couldn’t threaten with the man advantage, why should Northeastern stop play-
Last season, as the minutes ticked away in overtime, the Boston University women’s hockey team sent a burst of shots toward the net in an attempt to win one of the few titles it has yet to earn as a varsity program — the Beanpot. After Northeastern University goaltender Florence Schelling set each shot aside, however, then-forward Casey Pickett put the Terriers’ hopes to an end. Along with Kendall Coyne, who was a freshman at the time, Pickett skated down the ice on a 2-on-1 and scored, giving the Huskies their 15th Beanpot title. Tuesday the No. 3/4 Terriers (18–3–3, 13–2–1 Hockey East) will face off with Northeastern (14–10–2, 8–7–1 Hockey East) in the Beanpot. This time, however, the contest will occur in the first round of the tournament and come just three days after the teams last met. “I’m sure everybody that’s playing in the game remembers that result,” said BU coach Brian Durocher of last year’s Beanpot finale. “Northeastern kids will probably gravitate toward some confidence because of that, and BU kids will maybe have a whisker more emotion to try to get themselves a victory. “But it’s not because of Northeastern beating us last year, it’s because we want to get to the finals and have a chance to play for a championship, and I think that is still the fuel that stokes the fire.” When the teams last met up on Saturday, the Terriers extended their 13-game unbeaten streak as they defeated Northeastern 4–2 in a matchup that saw four different BU players score.
Wednesday, Feb. 6 W. Basketball v. Stony Brook, 7 p.m.
second half. However, the Terriers were not able to hold onto their six-point lead with five minutes left and eventually dropped the match. Junior guard D.J. Irving’s field goal with 3:59 left in the game would be the last for BU until the game was out of reach. “I thought in that game we didn’t finish well,” Jones said. “We did control most of the game, but every game is different.” The game was an even match and, aside from being outrebounded, the Terriers gave the Black Bears all they had. In their first few America East games, as seen in both their first loss against University of Hartford and their loss against Maine, the Terriers did not play well late in the second half. Irving led the Terriers with 15
points in the loss to Maine while junior forward Dom Morris pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. Forward Alasdair Fraser led the Black Bears with 17 points and dominated the Terriers in the paint. The Scotland native is second (13.8) behind guard Justin Edwards (17.0) in points per game for the Black Bears. Fraser also leads a strong rebounding Maine team with 8.7 rebounds per game. The Terriers are the worst offensive rebounding team in America East with just 8.1 offensive rebounds per game, while the Black Bears lead the category with 11.8 per contest. The height advantage also helps Maine in the blocked shots category. So far this season, Maine has 88 blocked shots while BU has a conference-low 38.
Even more significantly, BU is coming off a game against Hartford (12–10, 5–4 America East) in which Hartford center Mark Nwakamma registered a doubledouble with 22 points and 12 rebounds, further evincing BU’s height woes. “Nwakamma made some really good individual plays against us and we didn’t do a good job defending him,” Jones said. “We have to be able to go in and stop Fraser definitely, but they are different post players … Fraser’s more of a post-up guy that can make a jumper or two.” On the other hand, the Terriers have the highest 3-point field goal percentage (.378) in America East, while Maine has the lowest (.284).
Thursday, Feb. 7
Friday, Feb. 8
Saturday, Feb. 9
No Events Scheduled Critics called Beyoncé’s halftime perfomance at the Super Bowl “lights out”— literally.
M. Hockey v. Merrimack, 7 p.m. Track Valentine Invite @ TTC, 1 p.m.
Men’s basketball, see page 7
Track Valentine Invite @ TTC, 9 a.m. W. Basketball @ Binghamton, 2:30 p.m. W. Hockey v. UNH, 3 p.m. M. Basketball @ Binghamton, 7 p.m.