2-19-2013

The Daily Free Press

Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XVIII

GREAT OUTDOORS Boston officials seek to beautify Hub’s outdoor areas, page 3.

[

Tuesday, February 19, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

HEALTHY TWEETS Study researches potential of Twitter predicting health trends, page 5.

]

www.dailyfreepress.com

W. hockey defeats UVM twice over weekend, page 8.

Today: Showers/High 47 Tonight: Snow shoewers/Low 32 Tomorrow: 36/22

DOUBLING UP

WEATHER

Data Courtesy of weather.com

Scott Brown’s Fox News job gets mixed reviews BU officials deny

By Sophia Goldberg Daily Free Press Contributor

After deciding he would not run in the special election to fill Secretary of State John Kerry’s vacant Senate seat, former Mass. Sen. Scott Brown announced Wednesday that he would become a contributor for Fox News to the station’s daytime and prime-time television shows.

“Senator Brown’s dedication to out-ofthe box thinking on key issues makes him an important voice in the country and we are looking forward to his contributions across all Fox News platforms,” said Bill Shine, executive vice president of programming for Fox News, in a press release Wednesday.

Brown defeated Mass. Attorney Gen. Martha Coakley in the special election in 2010 to fill the late Edward Kennedy’s open seat. He announced Feb. 1 that he would not run in the special election June 25 for Kerry’s seat. Brown did not rule out a possible run for the governor position when it becomes available in 2014.

“I am looking forward to commenting on the issues of the day and challenging our elected officials to put our country’s needs first instead of their own partisan interests,” Brown said in the release.

Brown made his television debut on “Hannity” at about 9 p.m. Wednesday. He said on the show that running in another election for the Senate within three years would be a burden.

student claims of rodents in GSU

By Leah Park Daily Free Press Contributor

Duncan also said the Free Applications for Federal Student Aid would also be affected and would in turn affect millions of students during the college application process as they decide where to attend school.

“A cut to Student Aid Administration could affect the processing of the [FAFSA], which millions of students and families use,” he said in his speech. “This could mean that many students would not receive financial aid determinations and awards in time to make enrollment decisions.”

Officials for U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, Duncan said, believe a sequestration of this magnitude would be extremely harmful for all U.S. citizens in addition to students.

“This should not come as a surprise, because sequestration, by design, is bad policy,” he said in his speech. “The resulting deep cuts carry the very real threat of

While some Boston University students said they have seen mice run through the George Sherman Union, BU officials denied the allegation that the GSU has a rodent problem.

“When mice or other rodents are noticed, we are quick to respond,” said Senior Vice President for Operations Gary Nicksa.

“I’m not aware of any current problem, but it would not surprise me if we do have mice on campus since it [Boston] is a city.”

Nicksa said Facilities Management and Planning officials are prepared for and aware of any potential problems or rodent infestations if they arise.

“We do have a preventative program — we constantly monitor and intrigue rodents, but it comes with living in the city,” he said. “Nothing has come to my attention.”

However, Emma Leighton, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said she saw a mouse Sunday night while eating dinner at the GSU. “While mice are a natural thing to have around food places like restaurants, it’s gross to have them inside,” Leighton said.

“I’ve never felt otherwise uncomfortable or grossed out by the food I’m eating at BU Dining Services, though.”

Emily Chau, a CAS senior, said she has seen mice under booth tables near the City Convenience located within the GSU. “My friend and I were studying for our midterm in one of the booths next to City Convenience, and she felt something scurry across her foot,” she said in an email. “I looked under the table to see, and saw what I’m assuming was the tail whip around once and disappear.”

Michelle Kwon, a School of Hospitality Administration sophomore, said she saw a mouse near the Academy Room in the GSU while she was with a friend.

“With the mouse running around the tables, there is no guarantee that there are no mice in the kitchens of GSU,” she said in an email. “It makes me feel uncomfortable because the mice may be in the kitchen where they make the food that the other students and I eat.”

Kwon said BU Dining Services and

Sequestration, see page 2

Mice, see page 2

MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS FILE

Former Mass. Sen. Scott Brown, pictured on election night at the Park Plaza Hotel, signed with Fox News as a correspondent.

“It’s the people’s seat as you remember, and to do five races in six years and raise another $30 million to $50 million and then go and participate in a Congress that’s dysfunctional and extremely partisan,” he said. “But you know, I’m going to continue to work and be part of the election process back home and other elections throughout the country.”

John Carroll, professor of mass commu-

nication at Boston University, said Brown’s independent point of view is different than Fox’s image of a far-right Republican news broadcast.

“They let go Sarah Palin and Dick Morse, who were controversial, and then they bring in Scott Brown, who has positioned himself as an independent voice and who is more moderate,” Carroll said. “So

Brown, see page 2

Ed. Secretary warns against sequestration’s cuts to aid, work study

By Margaret Waterman Daily Free Press Staff

After the deadline for sweeping spending cuts as part of the “fiscal cliff” was pushed from Jan. 1 to March 1, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the 10-percent, across-the-board cuts will cause dramatic harm to institutes of higher learning.

The automatic spending cuts, referred to as sequestration, are considered major issues at Boston University, as they might affect financial aid and work-study programs, BU officials said.

“It’s really troubling to us,” said Jennifer Grodsky, vice president for BU Federal Relations in D.C. “No matter what happens, we have a tremendous financial aid office that thinks a lot about how to communicate with students and parents on what is their best option.”

After months of deliberation, Congress

partially avoided the fiscal cliff by passing The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 on the Jan. 1 deadline, but the sequestration deadline remains and was pushed to March 1.

Education officials advocated for avoiding the sequestration cuts in late 2012, as the cuts pose a significant threat to research funding.

Duncan, who delivered a speech Thursday in front of a Senate committee devoted to the topic on Capitol Hill, said sequestration would cut $49 million from the federal work-study program and cut Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants by $37 million.

If the government does not avoid the March 1 cuts, the federal work-study program will need to eliminate about 33,000 students, Duncan said in his speech. With the cuts made to FSEOGs, approximately 71,000 students will be affected.

BU professor arrested on charges of domestic assault, suspended from teaching

By Brian Latimer Daily Free Press Staff

A Boston University professor is no longer teaching and is not being paid after he was arrested on allegations of domestic assault, BU officials said.

Pedro Lasarte, a 65-year-old Spanish professor in the Department of Romance Studies, was arrested Feb. 10 and faces charges of battery and domestic assault after allegedly intimidating a woman with brass knuckles, according to news outlets.

“This is an allegation of domestic assault and as far as the university is concerned, he is not currently teaching and he is has been on a ‘no-pay’ status since Wednesday,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley.

Arlington Police Department officials declined to comment as the case is now in the hands of the Suffolk County District Attorney.

A spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney could not be reached for

comment by press time.

Arlington Police Department officers arrested Lasarte Feb. 10 at 3:30 p.m. after responding to a distress call at his home on Moulton Road, according to news outlets.

He allegedly scraped the woman with the tips of his keys then “thumped” her in the ribs with brass knuckles, which are illegal in Massachusetts.

The woman accused Lasarte of scraping her upper arm with his keys. Police on the scene reportedly said there were visible scratches on her arm that appeared to be key abrasions.

The woman told police Lasarte said he knew where to strike her with the brass knuckles so no mark would be left, then thumped the left side of her rib cage, according to news outlets. She called the police soon afterward.

Police on the scene reportedly said Lasarte was belligerent and did not cooperate with them. He denied all allegations of do-

mestic abuse and ever touching the woman.

Lasarte was arrested on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a dangerous weapon, news outlets reported. He reportedly did not know brass knuckles were illegal in Massachusetts and said he brought them to the U.S. when he moved here from Peru 30 years ago.

The woman said Lasarte threatened her over a dispute about the time of day she decided to wash the dishes, according to news outlets. She said he enjoys doing the dishes at night and was angered when she was doing them in the afternoon.

Lasarte, however, reportedly told police he became angry about several purchases she made to his credit card. Just before his arrest, Lasarte told officers she spent about $3,000 dollars on his credit card.

“Again, because of the allegations and he is not receiving pay,” Riley said. “This is a very unfortunate circumstance.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF BU

Pedro Lasarte, a Boston University Spanish professsor, was arrested Feb. 10 on charges of battery and domestic assault.

2

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Some viewers surprised by former Sen. Brown’s move to Fox Brown: From Page 1

Fox might be trying to present a more moderate face to the public.”

Carroll said Fox might be trying to turn Brown into a more outspoken commentator by putting him on programs such as “Hannity.”

“The demands of cable television news are for black and white hot talk that gets the blood moving, and Scott Brown was talking very much the language of the

campaign trail when he was on Hannity, and that’s not normally what a cable news outlet like Fox wants,” he said.

Carroll said he wondered if working for Fox would influence Brown’s rhetoric.

“It will be interesting to see how far Fox can sort of tug him towards a more assertive style,” he said.

Elizabeth Mehren, a professor of journalism at Boston University, said Brown’s exposure on Fox News could hurt him.

“Working as a Fox commentator certainly guarantees increased exposure for former Senator Brown,” she said. “However, the shrill, far-right-wing bent of Fox News may not wear well among the traditionally moderate, even sensible Republicans of Massachusetts.”

Some people said Brown’s move to Fox is unexpected, but his appearance will increase viewership.

“My curiosity is peaked,” said Kim Johanson, 46, resident of

Waltham and nurse at Lahey Clinic Hospital. “It will bring in a new segment of viewership because of the curiosity factor.”

Johanson said she is a Republican and voted for Brown in the 2012 election, but with his move to Fox News, she is curious to see if he is going to be more conservative.

“I’m going to say he’s going to do worse in Boston politically, but maybe he’s seeking vice-presidency or Secretary of State,” she said.

Edward Perriello, 54, resident of Wilmington and electrician for Comcast, said he is an Independent and seea Brown’s new job at Fox News as a good thing for this reputation. “[Brown’s new job] is a good move,” he said. “He’s non-partisan and I don’t think it will hurt him.

“Fox is probably wanting to have him on their side, so that he will tout their views, but I think it will be a good place for him to get his points across.”

Sequestration could damage educated work force, Sec. of Ed. says Sequestration: From Page 1

significant harm to the ongoing economic recovery and our current and future competitiveness in the global economy.”

Duncan also said the long-term impact of sequestration would have a devastating effect on the future workforce.

“The long-term impact of sequestration could be even more damaging, as it would jeopardize our nation’s ability to develop and support an educated, skilled

workforce that can compete in the global economy,” he said.

Duncan also said due to cuts in the contracts to organizations that service federal student loans, state departments might struggle collecting student debt and providing service to student borrowers after graduation in the future.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said the sequestration would create significant problems for students and schools alike.

“It would be a major issue for those individuals who would be

negatively affected,” Riley said.

“Of course the institution, because it may have a negative impact on the ability of certain students to enroll, it would affect affordability and when you affect affordability you affect accessibility.”

Riley said the most drastic effects the budget cuts could have on BU would be the decrease of funding for research, which would negatively affect students and the school as a whole.

“I don’t know what that means in the short term, but hopefully if

it does go through and it takes effect they [Capitol Hill] are able to address it in short order, and Congress and the President can work together to solve this particular situation,” Riley said.

Grodsky said while the impending sequestration poses financial issues for BU, it is comforting that Federal Pell Grants are exempt from the cuts.

“Duncan talked about the fact that Pell Grants … are protected under the sequestration,” she said.

“That’s really important to us.

We have a lot of students at BU, I think it’s around 14 percent, who utilize Pell Grant funding.”

Riley said BU is making an effort to advocate against spending cuts as a member of the higher education community.

“The university is concerned and, through the associations that it’s a member of, has made its position known,” Riley said. “[They] have reached out to representatives in Congress, so yes, we’re concerned and we’re waiting on that.”

BU has pest control contractor Mice: From Page 1

Facilities should make removing mice a priority in the coming weeks.

“That [the mouse problem] affects every single one of the students and other guests who come to eat at the GSU,” she said. “I want BU to not just be known to have good food, but to also be known as a sanitary school that ensures top quality in foods not just with taste, but also with cleanliness.”

BU Spokesperson Colin Riley said BU has a system in place in case situations with rodents arise.

“The university has a pest control contractor that responds quickly to calls and does regular checks around campus facilities,

including residences and dining halls,” he said in an email. “I checked with our contractor and can assure you there is no infestation.”

In order to help prevent a rodent infestation, Riley said BU students should close trash receptacles and ensure trash and food waste are properly deposited in appropriate receptacles.

After seeing a mouse, Leighton said she would take extra precaution when eating around campus in the future.

“It’s not as if I’m uncomfortable eating in the GSU anytime soon,” she said. “But I’ll definitely double check where I’m sitting and what I’m eating.”

Margaret Waterman contributed to the reporting of this article.

Voice your opinions! Write to the Editor! letters@dailyfreepress. com

The Daily Free Press Crossword

By Mirroreyes Internet Services Corporation ACROSS 1. Fragrance 6. Police officers 10. Gorillas or chimpanzees 14. Asian island nation 15. On top of 16. Contest 17. Proxy or delegate 18. Actress ____ Rogers 19. Satellite 20. Mitigates 22. Black compound of sulfur 24. Provide interior planking (for a ship) 25. More late 26. Young cod fishes 29. ____ Cola 30. Booty 31. Tremor or tremblor 37. Winged 39. By way of 40. Large Asian country 41. Easily spoiled 44. Friends 45. Male offspring 46. Short-legged burrowing rodent 48. Most destitute 52. Leaning Tower 53. Thrown upward 54. City in Finland 58. Permits

59. Great Lake 61. Son of Abraham (Bible) 62. Prepare (abbrev.)

63. Sent to the bottom 64. River in France 65. Saturdays (abbrev.)

66. Collections 67. Remains inactive

DOWN 1. Partly open 2. Anger 3. German car manufacturer 4. Pasta dish 5. Made initial wager 6. Desert beast of burden 7. Safety elevator inventor 8. British immigrant (derisive Australian slang) 9. Dark green herb 10. With weapons 11. 18th century Corsican leader Pasquale _____ 12. French for “School” 13. Spanish for “Mister” 21. Clamp 23. Modern-day Mesopotamia 25. Sum 26. Smack 27. Singer Nat “King” ____ 28. Lion sound

CLASSIFIEDS JOBS -- $$ SPERM DONORS WANTED $$ Earn up to $1,200/month and give the gift of family through California Cryobank’s donor program. Convenient Cambridge location. Apply online: SPERMBANK.com

Sudoku 2 3 6

9 1 5

1 8 5

3 9

4 5

4 7 9 29. Baby beds 32. _____-garde = at the forefront 33. Not commended 34. Biblical first man 35. 1,000 36. Where the sun rises 38. Donkeys 42. One who receives guests 43. 1928 Best Actor

Oscar winner ____ Jannings 47. St. Francis of ______ 48. Fleshy parts of fruit 49. Classical music theatre 50. Group of 8 51. Coarse files 52. Look furtively 54. Clue

55. Wood fastener 56. US Arctic explorer Elisha ____ 57. Freezes 60. Regret

Solution is on Page 4

3

8

7

2 6

6 2 Sudoku-Puzzles.net

Difficulty: Medium

1 4 Solution is on Page 4

Campus & City

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Bill to require Beautify Boston funds 36 city projects Latino students face aid issues, colleges to list report suggests grads.’ salaries

By Trisha Thadani Daily Free Press Contributor

By Brian Latimer Daily Free Press Staff

Bipartisan legislation requiring states to report data on the average salaries of college graduates will be reintroduced in Congress this week and might be unnecessary, members of the Boston University community said.

Cristal Wang, a School of Management freshman, said the proposal is redundant and a waste of money, as a majority of the data is available on the Internet.

“It isn’t necessary because most of that information is already online,” Wang said. “There isn’t a reason to spend more money on gathering information we already have.”

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, of Oregon, and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida, originally proposed the transparency bill, referred to as the “Know Before You Go Act,” to Congress in February 2012. The senators plan to reintroduce the bill into the current Congress soon, although an exact date has not been specified.

“The Know Before You Go Act would help students access key indicators of college value before they invest precious time and money,” said Wyden’s spokesman Ken Willis in an email. “This would allow students, parents, taxpayers, policymakers and researchers to gain critical information on the value of private and public investments in higher education.”

Willis said the proposed legislation would modernize existing reporting requirements by creating state-based, privacy-protected and individual-level data systems.

These include measures of college value such as retention, completion, earnings and debt.

“Such a system would allow institutions to report many of the existing data collection requirements to their states, rather than report to both their states and the U.S. Department of Education,” Willis said. “This would take advantage of the federal investment in the state longitudinal data systems while ensuring interoperability of the statebased systems.”

Existing data reporting includes limited information regarding parttime, transfer, graduate and professional students, Willis said. This proposal will include statistics about the increasing population of transfer students and growing number of part-time to full-time students.

However, BU political science professor Doug Kriner said the proposed legislation is redundant in its requirements.

“This information is of rather limited utility,” he said in an email.

“A good bit of this information is already available for those interested in finding it.”

Kriner said while lawmakers intend for the bill to provide more school-specific information, data on average salaries by major is already available at the national or regional level.

He said in terms of practical policy, the implications of the bill would be minimal.

“It is a nice opportunity for members of Congress to take a politically popular position criticizing

Transparency, see page 4

In an effort to enhance the city’s landscape, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino awarded $286,000 to the Beautify Boston Grant Program to fund 36 beautification projects, which will be completed by the end of 2013.

Jacquelyn Goddard, marketing, Communications and External Affairs Director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department said each of the projects funded by the grant program must be completed

by Dec. 31.

“We don’t want them applying for money now that won’t help make the City of Boston beautiful this year,” she said.

Goddard said these grants would enrich scenic Boston in a matter of months.

“The mayor just wants Boston to be more beautiful and wants to encourage the public to help the City of Boston to make Boston more beautiful,” she said.

Menino created the Beautify Boston Grant Program in September to support the BPRD by offering grants to nonprofit organizations to enhance the aesthetics of Boston’s community areas and neighborhood open spaces, according to the Beautify Boston website.

“Beautify Boston carries on my administration’s tradition of working in partnership with residents and community groups to bring out the best in our neighborhoods,”

By Heather Hamacek Daily Free Press Contributor

MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

A grant program called Beautify Boston is giving $286,000 to nonprofit groups to fund park beautification projects. One of the recipients is the Friends of Rambler Park, Inc.

Menino said in a Feb. 5 press release. “Our partners help to keep our city livable and beautiful, and we are pleased to help them in these efforts.”

Among the 36 recipients of the grant are the Fenway Civic Association and Friends of the Public Garden. Both organizations will receive $10,000 for landscape restoration, according to the Beautify Boston spreadsheet for grants.

The Sustainability Guild International and the Boston Natural Areas Network received $25,000 — the most amount given to any organization — for Bowdoin Plaza and citywide tree planting respectively, according to the spreadsheet.

The Metropolitan Baptist Church received $750 for planting

trees, the least amount of money granted by the program, according to the grant spreadsheet.

Community groups, civic associations and nonprofits had to fill out applications requesting a certain amount of money for their projects, Goddard said.

She also said the groups were required to submit letters of support from community members to ensure good public standing.

Organizations received grant money based on their request, and most were granted what they asked for. Projects were only denied grant money if their credentials did not meet the criteria for the program, Goddard said.

Some people said they enjoy the

Beautify, see page 4

Transparency within the national financial aid program would help Latino students who, according to a recent study, receive fewer benefits from the current financial aid system than other ethnicities, Boston University students and faculty said.

Kelly Carrion, a College of Communication junior who identifies as Latina, said she and her parents have faced obstacles while communicating with BU Financial Assistance.

“My mom, she understands it [English], but it’s really hard for her to communicate,” Carrion said. “At BU there is not a lot of Latino staff or interpreters ... It’s really hard for my mom to get what she wants — she has to go through me and I have to communicate to them [Financial Assistance].”

The current financial aid system is difficult to navigate for post-traditional students, which leads to Latino students receiving lower financial aid awards, according to the report released Thursday by Excelencia in Education.

Twenty-one percent of Latino adults have received an associate degree or higher as of 2012, whereas 41 percent of all adults did the same in 2012, according to the report.

Latinos, see page 4

Markey, Lynch pledge to keep independent money out of election

By Bram Peterson Daily Free Press Contributor

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch agreed to a “People’s Pledge” Wednesday to keep money spent by independent groups out of the Senate campaign to fill Secretary of State John Kerry’s former seat.

“Because the candidates agree that they do not approve of such independent expenditure advertisements and/or direct mail, and want those advertisexments and/or direct mail to immediately cease and desist for the duration of the 2013 special election cycle,” the pledge states.

Conor Yunits, a spokesman for Lynch, said the agreement only pertains to the Democratic primary.

“If Lynch is the nominee or Markey is the nominee, they are only going to be bound by this if the Republican nominee signs the pledge,” he said. “If the Republican nominee

doesn’t sign, then the pledge is not going to apply to the general election.”

Rep. Dan Winslow, of Norfolk, who is running for the Senate seat, announced Thursday he would not sign the pledge.

“I welcome any outside group to contribute positive bio or issue ads, mailings, social media and the like,” Winslow, a Republican, said in a press release Thursday. “I am running a different kind of campaign.

I am not an entrenched Washington insider who has to sign a pledge in order to run a fair, clean, positive campaign.”

Winslow said in the release the agreement was hypocritical of Markey and Lynch.

“For Congressmen Markey and Lynch to posture about outside money in politics when their coffers are

Super PAC, see page 4

COURTESY OF THE BOSTON GLOBE

For the primary to the special election for Secretary of State John Kerry’s former seat, Stephen Lynch and Edward Markey signed an agreement not to use any money raised by independent groups.

Massachusetts defense companies hit hard by federal budget cuts

By Steven Dufour Daily Free Press Contributor

Several Massachusetts-based defense companies have faced a less fiscally supportive U.S. government due to cutbacks in federal military spending, and with more automatic cuts scheduled to take place at the beginning of March, the bad news might not be over.

In Massachusetts, where economic growth has been slow in the defense contracting industry, these cuts could jeopardize nearly 60,000 jobs, according to a report released

by U.S. Rep. Edward Markey on Friday.

The Department of Defense reduced spending in 2012, and if legislators do not negotiate a different budget deal to reduce the national deficit, about $495 billion in military spending will be cut in the next

nine years, according to Markey’s report.

American Science and Engineering Incorporated, an x-ray technology business based in Billerica, is the latest to be hit by the cuts.

“Global economic uncertainties continue to impact spending in our sector — affecting us and our competitors with lower business volumes for products,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of AS&E, Anthony Fabiano in a press release last Monday. “As we prepare for fiscal 2014, we will be implementing further cost-cutting measures, including a reduction in workforce, focused on right-sizing our organization to address this continuing uncertain demand.”

AS&E reported a nearly 50-percent drop in revenue from fiscal 2011 to 2012. iRobot Corporation, which

builds combat-proven robots, reported a 57-percent drop in the same period.

The Defense and Security branch of the Bedford-based robot producer that aided in the corporation’s $465 million in revenue in 2011 took a hit when the DOD dropped $100 million in bomb-defusing robotics contracts across the nation, according to a press release from Feb. 6.

“As expected, the decline in Defense & Security revenue resulted in lower total company revenue and profit for the [2012 fiscal] year,” said Chairman and CEO of iRobot Colin Angle, in the press release.

“We are a different company than we were a year ago. Our business performance over the next few years will be driven by our rapidly growing home technology business.”

Raytheon Corporation, another Massachusetts-based defense firm,

has not felt as much of an effect as other defense industries in the state.

Raytheon is the Commonwealth’s largest defense contractor, and a report by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute said it generated about $3 billion more than any other contractor in Massachusetts.

“Raytheon’s solid operating performance in 2012 was a result of our continued focus on improving productivity and program execution, which delivered value to both our customers and shareholders,” said Raytheon’s Chairman and CEO, William Swanson, in a press release from Jan. 24.

Markey has proposed his own plan to make the needed cuts of $1.2 trillion through different means than cutting federal programs. Markey’s proposed fix include closing tax loopholes, scaling back funding

Military, see page 4

4

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

CAS senior friends with Latino students who rejected BU for financial reasons Latinos: From Page 3

Many Latino students are firstgeneration college students, which makes it more difficult for them to navigate the U.S. college system, said Nazli Kibria, a BU sociology professor.

She said the system should be adapted to meet the needs of posttraditional students.

“They [Latinos] are one of the fastest growing groups in the U.S.,” Kibria said. “There is a higher per-

centage of Latino students and there will be in the future, so I think in order to build a college-educated workforce, this would be a critical step.”

Kibria, who served on a minority student advisory group to BU Admissions, said there should be a greater focus on educating Latinos and other students about financial aid before they begin applying to colleges.

“Clearly the pipeline is in schools and high schools,” Kibria said. “That is the critical point where it all comes together — advising for college ad-

missions and career counseling so that they are aware of the transparency or what kind of support Latino families might need, in particular for college admissions.”

Carrion said at age 17, she had to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid herself since her parents could not understand it.

The FAFSA form is part of the Federal Student Aid program, the largest national student financial aid provider which gives aid in the form of federal grants, loans and work-

study, according to its website.

Emily Lee, a College of Arts and Sciences senior, said she knows many Latino students who had to turn down their acceptance to BU for financial reasons.

“BU does a pretty good job of recruiting people of all different backgrounds — it’s just that international students have to pay full tuition,” she said. “At BU though, I know a lot of people who have to turn it [BU] down because they don’t get enough money.”

Jocelyn Toll, a College of General Studies sophomore originally from Costa Rica, said her family did not apply for the FAFSA during her application to college after her brother did not receive any aid.

Toll said she encouraged her parents to apply for aid again, but they believed it was too much trouble.

“You just apply to FAFSA and hope for the best,” she said. “I don’t really understand what it is they are looking for.”

Markey: External financial support ‘has no place’ in Mass. Senate election Super PAC: From Page 3

already filled with money from outside Massachusetts just shows you how inauthentic this pledge really is,” he said in the release.

The “People’s Pledge” is modeled after an agreement by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Mass. Sen. Scott Brown during the 2012 senate race in Massachusetts. If an advertisement from an outside group is placed on one of the protected media that bolsters or attacks a candidate, the pledge requires that the candidate donate 50 percent of the cost of the advertisement to a charity of the

other candidate’s choice, according to the pledge.

Yunits said the ban includes spending on direct mail, which was not included in the pledge in 2012, and led to independent groups using the loophole in the agreement to spend millions on mail campaigns.

“The only thing [the pact] doesn’t cover is phone calls, but it covers advertisements, T.V., radio, newspapers, broadcast and it covers mail and online advertising as well,” he said.

Markey first called for an agreement Jan. 28 in a press release asking all candidates to take the pledge.

“I am challenging all of the can-

didates — Democrats and Republicans — in this special election for the U.S. Senate to join me in committing to the people’s pledge upon entering this race. If all the candidates agree, we can give the voters the kind of debate they deserve,” he said in the release. “I urge all candidates to join me in ensuring that Massachusetts once again will be the leader for the nation on this issue.”

Markey released a statement Wednesday that the all candidates running in the special election should be focused on the issues and not on outside groups attacking the candidates.

“Outside money has no place in the Massachusetts Senate race,” he said in the release. “This election should be focused on issues, not outside-group attack ads.”

Lynch also released a statement Wednesday, saying the race should be determined by the debates, and all political parties should join the pact.

“Outside interest groups have no place in Massachusetts elections,” he said in the release. “This race should be decided in debates and on the stump, not by third-party advertisements or special interest mailers.”

Some people said that the pledge would make the election less hostile,

while still allowing voters to form their opinions and beliefs for the candidates.

“It’s [the ban] a great idea, because it makes you concentrate more on the person rather than pointing out stuff that’s either factual or not even right,” said Jeremy Fraga, 24, a photographer from New Bedford.

Fraga said he would rather view a campaign without mudslinging. “[An election with this agreement] would be a better way of voting, if we would understand more about the person and their views rather than just trying to knock the other person down,” he said.

Hub residents enjoy outdoors Poli. sci. prof: Cuts ‘might hamper econ. growth’ Beautify: From Page 3

open spaces in Boston.

“I like the open space because it gives you a place to hang out and walk,” said Dan Sullivan, 54, a resident of the South End and certified public accountant.

Sullivan said Boston does a great job of adding more green spaces to the city to make it more livable.

“It’s just great to be able to hang out outdoors in the city,” he said.

Qatherine Dana, a 20-year-old student at Northeastern, said she is

used to being around nature.

“I grew up in the woods,” she said. “I live in the city for school, but I really need places around here that I can be with nature.”

Dana said she would like to see more beautification for the winter.

I go to the Esplanade in the summer, but in the winter there’s very few places where I can go,” she said. “I just really love having green spaces, and anything that could encourage people to come and love it too would be great.”

Rachel Riley also contributed to this article.

Military: From Page 3

for nuclear weapons and ending tax loopholes for oil companies.

Katherine Einstein, assistant professor of political science at Boston University, said the issues that might

come with federal spending cuts can be fixed by national legislators.

“It is critically important that lawmakers find a solution,” Einstein said. “Massive, broad-based spending cuts like these might hamper economic growth and limit our post-

recession recovery. Moreover, these massive spending cuts won’t just be an issue because of defense spending. They will also affect important spending in education, research and energy.”

Follow The Daily Free Press on Twitter!

@dailyfreepress

CAS junior: Excited by legislators’ collaboration on education reform Transparency: From Page 3

the rising costs of higher education,” Kriner said.

James Basile, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, said he believes the funds for the proposal should go to other facets of education.

“Not a lot of people have plans for college anymore because not everyone has an opportunity,” Basile said. “It [effort for the bill] would be better spent on adjusting public school education rather than college educations.”

The bill’s bipartisan backing, however, is a step toward increased collaboration in Congress, which might create more opportunities for

education reform, Basile said.

CAS junior Varsha Subramanyam said she is pleased to see legislators collaborating on the bill.

“This really excites me because even though I lean to the left, I would rather see senators work across the aisle, and it’s a great start towards education reform,” she said.

Subramanyam said while the proposal might not change the face of education, it is a step toward congressional agreement.

“Our main priority is to get more people to go to college and make it more accessible to the nation,” she said. “I really hope this bipartisanship continues with other education bills.”

Summer is a great time to catch up, get ahead or try something new.

• Choose from more than 300 courses.

• Immerse yourself in an intensive language or science sequence.

• Get ahead on credits toward your degree.

• Experience all Northwestern and Chicago have to offer in the summer.

Today’s crossword solution brought to you by...

Aluminum 7

5

6

3

1

8

4

9

2

2

4

3

6

7

9

1

5

8

9

1

8

4

5

2

3

6

7

5

3

2

9

6

4

8

7

1

6

8

1

2

3

7

5

4

9

4

7

9

5

8

1

2

3

6

3

2

7

1

4

6

9

8

5

1

6

4

8

9

5

7

2

3

8

9

5

7

2

3

6

1

4

Registration opens April 8. Classes begin June 24. www.northwestern.edu/summer

Twitter: A disease-networking website

E

Jessica Carichner Features Staff

ven people without Twitter accounts are familiar with the little blue bird that flutters around social networking sites, tweeting messages of 140 characters or fewer. Many social networkers have joined in on the trend, tweeting and retweeting about anything from breaking news to the latest photo of Grumpy Cat. However, a recent University of Rochester study suggests that Twitter is no longer just a site for interactions between friends.

Professor of computer science, Henry Kautz, and postdoctoral researcher, Adam Sadilek, have discovered a new use for the website — one that may have major implications for the field of public health.

The paper, which was presented at the International Conference on Web Searching and Data Mining on Feb. 8, introduced a model that quantified the effects of certain lifestyle factors on health using data from Twitter.

Researchers claim the new model will predict the future health status of an individual with 91 percent accuracy.

The data Researchers studied a sample of public tweets from the New York area, a data set representative of about 8 percent of the area’s pop ulation, according to the study.

Many Twitter users have public accounts, making it a quick and easy source of data, Kautz said. Traditional statistical analysis involves conducting surveys of individuals and medical professionals, which is not always efficient.

“We look at this as a way to augment the traditional work done in public health and epidemiology where you have to gather data from many institutions,” Kautz said.

“This can become a very expensive and time-consuming process.”

To create a subset of the tweets, researchers focused on active users. Kautz described active users as people who posted at least three times a day during a threemonth period.

Researchers were interested in studying certain lifestyle factors, such as social status, exposure to pollution and interpersonal interactions. Kautz said he and Sadilek wanted to connect tweets indicative of these factors to public health. For instance, when someone tweets about being ill, the cause of illness can be linked to his or her behavior and lifestyle.

“There is a lot of interest not only in tracking disease, but in determining which factors are actually influencing or causing disease,” Kautz said.

Because most tweeting is done from mobile devices, a tweet is often embedded with a geographic coordinate. Kautz explained how these geo-tagged tweets provide snapshots of millions of people in real time, indicating what they are doing and where they are doing it. This instantaneous picture may be beneficial, according to Eileen O’Keefe, a clinical associate professor and director of the Program in Health Sciences at Boston University.

“There tends to be a time lag in collecting and analyzing data,” O’Keefe said. “I see this type of data analysis being useful in acute situations, such as emergencies, storms or in disease outbreak.”

The technology Researchers began by classifying tweets as ‘connected’ or ‘not connected’ to illness, based on their content, Kautz said. After manually inferring the health state of a single user, the researchers applied machinelearning techniques to the mined data to classify tweets based on key words.

agreed that younger people and minorities represent the majority of Twitter users. The data does not represent older populations or those who do not use social media.

“To make a decision about public health, the data must be representative of the entire population,” O’Keefe added.

BU professor of epidemiology, Wayne LaMorte, agreed with this limitation and listed others.

LaMorte said “crisp definitions” are vital in conducting studies such as this. Adherence to such limitations was his biggest concern with the study, he said. An individual tweeting that he or she is sick, for example, could be sick with anything from a runny nose to a more serious illness.

LaMorte also said environmental exposures can be easily misclassified.

“Suppose I take a bus that drives past a gym every day and send a tweet as I do this,” LaMorte said. “Is the tweet going to read it as my having entered the gym?”

He said there are much more precise ways of collecting data.

“I can conduct a survey and provide definitions of what a cold is. I can ask if and how often you go to the gym or wash your hands,” LaMorte said. “They are saying I cannot do this as easily, but I can.”

Both LaMorte and O’Keefe agreed, however, that this use of technology will be valuable in the future. LaMorte cited newer technologies that already track illnesses, such as Google Flu Trends.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM SADILEK

A University of Rochester study can predict health using lifestyle information on Twitter.

The model, Kautz said, not only classifies individual words, but also categorizes groups of words. It can predict who is sick based on these key words in tweets.

GermTracker is a phone application that was created by the researchers using the geo-tagged tweets to map out where illnesses are located. An individual can use this application to track the spread of illnesses.

Kwansupa Panyawuthikrai, a graduate student studying innovation and technology in the Metropolitan College, said she would use this application.

“I would be more aware of what’s going on in the area,” said Panyawuthikrai. “I could choose where to go and where not to go. That would be great.”

However, a College of Engineering junior, Nikolaus Roman, said he was skeptical of the application.

“It seems like a good idea at first, but I feel like overall it’s not going to have a huge impact on public health,” Roman said.

The findings Kautz said he used the study’s findings to determine correlations between lifestyle factors and an individual’s likelihood of be-

coming ill.

An individual’s social status, for example, is related to his or her health. Past animal and human studies indicate that those with a higher social status have a better immune system, according to the study.

The theory is that a lower social status, on the other hand, is linked to higher social stress, which impairs immune responses.

Researchers found a positive correlation between health and visits to public parks, Kautz said. They also found a negative correlation between health and the exposure to bars, gyms and public transportation.

Skeptics of the study Although O’Keefe expressed interest in the research, she did not see it as an alternative to traditional methods.

“This research will complement what we’re doing in public health, but it will not replace it,” O’Keefe said.

The sampling, O’Keefe explained, is a limitation because it is not a random sample. An online Pew report calculated that only 13 percent of online adults use Twitter and an even smaller percentage keep their Twitter accounts public.

The paper cited these limitations and

Reactions from the BU community Students exhibited mixed attitudes toward the potential impact of this research.

Suzanne Cimolino, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, said the study seemed to be missing something.

“It seems like it needs something else, because how many people tweet about not feeling well?” Cimolino said. “Most of the people that I follow just tweet about stupid stuff.”

Unlike Cimolino, College of Arts and Science senior, Hasan Alhelo, said these findings could be helpful for the future of public health. He said implementing this type of technology on a large scale could bring researchers one step closer to preventing disease.

“This can provide an adequate estimation of geographical zones of high prevalence and high incidence of disease, making it much easier to locate the source of disease and to intervene,” Alhelo said.

The future Kautz said he is designing a new study that will confirm the validity of these findings.

“We will contact a sample of Twitter users whose tweets are classified as ‘flu-related’ and reimburse them to come into the hospital,” he said. These individuals will be given a blood test to confirm the presence of flu antibodies. Kautz said the research team also plans to expand their studies to encompass other illnesses, such as depression.

“Using this same technique, we can find people who are depressed and discover how depression can be viewed in terms of interactions with a social network,” he said.

The main goal, Kautz said, is to extend these studies to observe connections between global movements of individuals and the spread of disease.

Kautz explained that if researchers are able to observe disease outbreaks in one city and see an individual move from that location to another, they might be able to predict disease outbreaks in other areas.

6T

uesday,

February 19, 2013

Opinion

The Daily Free Press

The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University 43rd year F Volume 84 F Issue 18

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

Anne Whiting, Opinion Editor

Kaylee Hill, Features Editor

Michelle Jay, Photo Editor

Clinton Nguyen, Layout Editor

Cheryl Seah, Advertising Manager

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.

Racial discrimination in the hospital — legal?

A man requested that no African-American nurses care for his newborn at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Mich. There was a note posted on the assignment clipboard stating, “[n]o African-American nurse to take care of baby.”

Tonya Battle, an African-American nurse who felt jilted by the hospital administration’s granting of the request, is suing the hospital, reported The Detroit Free Press Monday. According to The Detroit Free Press, Battle has been an employee of the Hurley Medical Center for 25 years, and is a veteran of the neonatal intensive care unit. She is seeking punitive damages for emotional stress, mental anguish, humiliation and damage to her reputation.

The fact that the hospital granted the request is discouraging. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race. One especially expects to see this carried out in the workplace. Battle expected, reasonably, that the hospital would turn down such a request. Her legal actions are justified, of course. Many are joining her side. A law professor at the University of Detroit Mercy’s School of Law stated, “[t] he patient’s father has the right to select the hospital to treat the child. The father does not have the right to exercise control over the hospital in discrimination of its

employees,” according to The Detroit Free Press.

Still, laws against this particular sort of discrimination are slightly unclear. Are patients, for example, not allowed to request that their caretakers be of a certain gender?

Whatever legislation arises from Battle’s case must determine what is appropriate.

Requests such as that of the newborn’s father need to be made illegal, because at what point does customer service override employee equality and general social morality? The desire to satisfy a patient’s wishes (in order to acquire a patient’s payment) is an illegitimate rationale on which to uphold this patient’s special racist request, and should never get in the way of providing a safe and nondiscriminatory professional work environment. It should be the hospital’s job to uphold equality, not facilitate discrimination. Accommodating hostile attitudes toward different sects and races sends us spiraling backwards, especially when equality and social progress are at the forefront of President Barack Obama’s social agenda.

We hope that Battle’s legal case will strengthen the laws that hold racism as unacceptable. There needs to be a countrywide decision that this sort of request is wrong and will not be upheld.

On Feb. 12, an opinion piece entitled, “Retired Pope, Brighter Future” addressed the resignation of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI and the future of the Catholic Church. As a practicing Catholic student at the University, I wish to respond and offer different conclusions about the recent developments. While the editors identified some misconceptions, they managed to create many more in the process.

Despite misrepresenting Benedict XVI’s pontificate, the editors correctly assert that “the Catholic Church … [is] increasingly at odds with the largely secular moral framework” of today. As Timothy Cardinal Dolan said, we Catholics stand with the ‘uns’: “the un-employed, the un-insured, the un-wanted, the un-wed mother and her fragile un-born baby in her womb, the un-documented, the unhoused, the un-healthy, the un-fed, the undereducated.” The Church strives to transform the culture of devaluation and utility. No political or cultural pressure compromises her service.

Moving forward, the Church continues to promote a radically different framework rooted in charity and love. In this way, Benedict XVI challenges us to offer Christ to the world as the true moral framework.

With this in mind, Benedict XVI asked young Catholics, “Is it still reasonable today to be a believer?” Despite the challenges of modernity, Benedict XVI proposed that we can live a Christian life. He responded to difficult crises and re-affirmed teachings on contraception, gay marriage and the ordination of women. He strengthened interreligious dialogue and united many Christians under the Holy

See. Although the editors distorted the Pope’s ministry, we should direct our focus on the future as Catholics.

As a theologian, Benedict XVI teaches a greater understanding of identity as God’s creation. Identity troubles the editors as they struggle to reconcile being “liberal” and Catholic. As a lifelong Democrat, I promise that you can be both! They are not incompatible! We are not segregated to the GOP because of faith! Catholics need not consider partisan affiliation, but rather identity as God’s children in public life.

The most notable problem with last week’s Op-Ed lies in the plea for God and the Church to “meet [them] halfway.” While we all may struggle with aspects of our faith, we are created by and for God. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). As the late Terrence Cardinal Cooke said, “The Catholic Church is not a ‘salad bar’ from which Catholics may choose to accept or reject moral values or other obligations.” The world needs a Pope committed to authentic faith in Jesus Christ, because we are not “doing fine on our own” the way the editors suggest. As students on our campus suffer from sexual assault, cruelty, theft and other crimes, we must ask ourselves if following Jesus Christ in His Church could strengthen our human family and offer a new joy in Him. The next Holy Father must propose the Christian life to the world in this way.

Tim McGuirk

CGS ‘13 COM ‘15 mcguirkt@bu.edu

Letter to the Editor: Response to commentary on Pope’s resignation

Mac or PC? ZACK ROBINSON

I’d like to take a stab at the old Mac versus PC argument. It’s dangerous territory, I know. But I have the advantage of limited bias. My house boasts Macs and PCs, and I sport a MacBook but intentionally lack and iPhone. I’ve been to both Apple and Microsoft stores, and had customer service experiences with each. Both computers have their merit, so it comes down to what you need to use it for. I’m going to delve a level deeper, into their customer care.

About everyone with a Mac (and many without) knows the Apple Store experience. An open space dotted with devices to sample and employees wandering ready to sell you their products. The new Microsoft stores mirror this model nearly exactly. But having an employee talk about products is easy — what happens when you present them with a malfunction?

Here are my experiences with each company. At the Apple store, a disk was stuck in my sister’s laptop, and at the Microsoft store I couldn’t install Windows 7. Starting at Apple, we went in with my sister’s old MacBook. We explained our problem and they were eager to help. At Microsoft, I walked in explaining that I had purchased Windows 7 as an online download, but my computer was asking me for an original disk, so I needed them to help me work through the installation process. Again, they were eager to help.

That’s when the processes started to stray. My sister’s computer was out of warranty, making most problems — even manufacturer’s problems — impossible to fix.

And at Microsoft, because I was installing Windows 7 on my Mac, I knew they might not be able to help much. So our Apple representative explained he would remove the stuck disk, and see what the trouble was.

My Microsoft representative informed me that because Windows 8 had just released, they didn’t have previous operating systems in stock. Hold up … does that mean any Microsoft customer without Windows 8 is left stranded and helpless? “No,” said the rep, “they will have the option of purchasing Windows 8.” One point to Apple.

The Apple rep returned with the MacBook saying the bottom case had been warped, likely from years of sitting between books in a backpack. Unfortunately, that’s not a manufacturer’s problem, that’s a usage problem. One point to Microsoft? Not quite. Apple had realized this was a common problem because of the thin plastic casing of the old MacBook, and they were able to fix the problem for free, disregarding that the three-year warranty had expired. Two points Apple. My Mi-

crosoft rep, in contrast, turned me toward his manager with my Windows 7 problem.

Good news! They had a few leftover copies of Windows 7 in the back. But because it wouldn’t be the same serial number as the one purchased online, it would cost me a humbling $200. Three points Apple.

Luckily he eventually caved into installing Windows 7 in the back for free. One point Microsoft.

At Apple, the rep typed in the serial number of the MacBook and they whisked the computer away for a few days of fixing. Back at Microsoft, the first rep I spoke to began the transaction. Unfortunately, the computer froze, almost comically. Four computers, two laptops and a Microsoft Surface tablet later, the rep, who accidentally let me know “how annoyingly slow” these computers can be, finally was able to stop running “error” messages. Four points Apple. They then whisked away my computer.

And the moment of truth: pick-up. At Apple, we received an email that our computer was ready for pick-up. We walked in with nothing but that email and picked up our computer quickly and conveniently.

Microsoft failed to contact me, so I went to the store myself well after the decided pick-up time. They were having some trouble with installation and would need at least half an hour to finish. So I waited, politely asking about their new Surface, and over and over they compared it to the iPad. I won’t give Apple a point for that, although I should.

Finally, my computer came out, luckily unscathed, and I just a frustrated customer.

As I reached for my laptop, I found out that I would have to pay for Windows 7.

What? I paid for it online and they had my account pulled up to prove it, thankfully on a working computer. The same manager I had talked to previously came back out, explained what went wrong, and waived the fee. That’s five points to Apple. I thanked them and left.

Now, of course my made-up 5-to-1 score is arbitrary. But there is no doubt that Microsoft was a customer-service nightmare, one that I am not eager to repeat. So here’s my two cents — customer care matters immensely, and in that aspect there is a very clear winner: Apple.

Zack Robinson is a freshman in the School of Management, and a guest columnist for the Daily Free Press. He can be reached at rzack@bu.edu.

Asteroid hit should be taken as warning

Is a meteor attack a sign that space program initiatives need to be taken more seriously?

On Friday, the largest meteor in 100 years hit Moscow.

People saw a flash of blinding light before an explosion of flying glass when a meteor streaked across the sky and blew up, injuring 1,100 people, according to USA Today.

NASA estimated the meteor was only about the size of a bus and weighed an estimated 7,000 tons, USA Today reported.

The explosion carried the force of twenty atomic bombs (although the atmosphere absorbed most of that energy).

The hit has some wondering if it’s time to monitor space more thoroughly. USA Today remarked how asteroids wiped out the dinosaurs — if humans fail to work on their space program, they could suffer the same fate.

This is a drastic statement, but one that maintains some validity: an advanced

space program allows us to spot meteors in time to change their trajectories or evacuate the impact zone, explains USA Today.

Moving or avoiding asteroids is necessary for basic human safety, which should be enough of an argument to increase the funding for space programs (which as of late has fallen onto the backburner, or into the hands and whims of private investors).

If indeed NASA’s funding is going to continue to be cut, programs that monitor and manipulate asteroids should not suffer, first for the aforementioned reasons regarding safety, and second for the other benefits that accompany asteroid research, such as mining them for valuable resources.

Ultimately, however, the surprise Friday reminds us that the occurences of outer space, although seemingly far away, can pose significant threats to planet Earth.

Advanced space programs afford us a level of preparedness that the dinosaurs unfortunately lacked.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

7

Morris: Lack of star players going into this year’s March Madness Morris: From Page 8

many faults, any game is watchable because every team has a star that is exciting to watch (okay, well maybe not the Bobcats). I’ll watch a Wizards/Hornets game just to see John Wall and Anthony Davis. This is what I feel is missing in college basketball this year: Stars.

There’s no Durant. There’s no Stephen Curry. There’s no Kemba

Walker. Doug McDermott is a great young player for Creighton University, but he doesn’t have the scoring flare of Jimmer Fredette.

Erick Green of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University leads the nation is scoring at 25.3 points a game. That is the lowest total for a scoring leader in over ten years.

College basketball needs superstars to add intrigue to the

sport. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there aren’t very good players in college basketball. But no one has really grabbed the headlines in a way that we’ve seen in past years.

But the season isn’t over yet, and maybe it’ll take the pressure of the March Madness tournament to really bring out a superstar. Maybe it’ll take a first-round upset to bring our attention to small-school stars such as Taylor

Coppenrath back in 2005 when his University of Vermont Catamounts upset Syracuse University. Okay, you probably haven’t heard of Coppenrath, but I had to give a shout out to him because I once saw him in person in a small general store in his hometown of West Barnet, Vt. But we all remember Davidson College’s improbable run in the 2008 tournament, led by the epic shooting of Curry. Writing

this column has actually prompted me to watch YouTube videos of Curry’s ridiculous run. This is something that I recommend everyone do because I currently have goose bumps watching him draining three after three.

Well, I certainly do hope that the tournament brings out a star like this, because if not, the tournament will likely fall flat in terms of excitement.

Watson Jr. provides help across stat sheet Men’s basketball: From Page 8

MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Maurice Watson Jr. had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Watson sunk a 3-pointer with 39 seconds remaining. Pelcher hit a pair of free throws to bring the score to 68–56, but it was too late to get back into the contest, as BU came away with the victory.

Watson Jr. recorded a doubledouble with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Morris chipped in 13 points while Thomas and Irving each scored 10 points to buoy BU to its seventh win in eight games.

The six-foot Irving, who only shot the ball nine times, corralled nine rebounds against a lengthy New Hampshire squad.

BU holds on for 3–2 victory Women’s hockey: From Page 8

BU on the penalty kill after being caught with too many players on the ice, forward Brittany Zuback cut the score to 3–2 off of passes from defenseman Dayna Colang and Repaci.

“That’s not what we want to do,” Durocher said. “That’s not what we’re trying to do. Give credit to [the Catamounts] that they went down three goals, they stayed on course ... They made it a fight right to the end.”

But the three goals from the

productive line of Warren-MenardTutino proved to be enough, and the Terriers held on for the 3–2 victory.

“It felt good,” Menard said.

“Some good plays in the offensive zone. We’ve been out of luck lately, scoring some goals, but it’s nice to get a few past the goalie and just get the team together and get a win.

“It’s a great booster,” she added.

“Obviously it was a little bit of a rough patch, but we’re coming together as a team and we know that everything here on out is important.

Hopefully we can keep on ... playing hard.”

There has been plenty of room in the Terriers’ backcourt for both Irving and Watson Jr. to coexist and display their unique skill sets without interfering in the other’s game.

“I was hesitant to come here because I didn’t how I was going to play with a guy who plays my same position,” Watson Jr. said.

“Am I going to get minutes? [Irving] was pushing for me to come here so hard and he was just putting it out there that we can be the fastest backcourt. We can just change the game here. We can put our school back on the map.”

Even for a team that was pre-

sented with a substantial obstacle to making the NCAA Tournament since it was announced in July that BU would not be participating in postseason conference play, Watson said that the Terriers have not lost sight of their in-season goals.

“You have to play with the hand that you’re dealt,” Watson said. “Coming in from day one, the best thing to keep everybody working was to be the toughest competitors that we can be. We all play hard. We all play tough. We still want to be able to make noise ... You’re always going out there to play for something.”

‘Like’ The Daily Free Press sports section

Follow us on

On Facebook

Twitter:

Durocher’s role crucial in building successful program

@DFPsports @BOShockeyblog @dfphoops

150th win: From Page 8

at first that it was his 150th win.

During the past eight seasons, various players have come through the BU program, establishing their presence in the hockey community and creating the reputation that BU now has as one of the top teams in the Hockey East conference and in the nation.

A big part of that success, however, comes from the man standing behind the Terriers’ bench during games, as Durocher has recruited top-tier players and led his team to national and conference tournaments.

“He’s a great guy, down to earth, very nice, and I think we feed off that,” said senior forward Isabel Menard. “I’m just really glad to play for a guy like that.”

Menard, who scored two goals during BU’s 151st win Sunday, transferred to BU after playing

two seasons with Syracuse University. In her two seasons with the Terriers, she has come up big as one of the team’s offensive leaders.

But Menard is only one of many key players that Durocher has brought onto the squad. Durocher has managed to bring in members of the Canadian National Team, like Poulin and former Terrier Jenn Wakefield.

All of his work on and off the ice has helped Durocher amass a 151–92–37 record in his eight seasons as head coach of the Terriers. In that span of time he has also watched the team win two Hockey East Championships and earn three NCAA Tournament appearances — including one in the national championship in 2011.

If the past eight seasons are any indication, the Terriers will continue to add to their record book in the coming years, if not in the

next few games. BU reached the 100-win mark just two seasons ago — a game that also featured them defeating the Catamounts — and if it manages to win the rest of the games this season, could break its record for single-season wins within the Hockey East Conference.

Despite all of that, however, Durocher said he is not the reason for the success the Terriers have found since the team became a varsity program in the 2005–06 season. Instead, he focuses on the players that helped to build the program and the work they have done for the team.

“I told [the team] after the game ... I still haven’t scored a goal, made a save, killed a penalty,” Durocher said. “It’s all on their hats and they’ve all done a great job here, and I’m proud of all the accomplishments they’ve had so far.”

“

Quotable

“

I still haven’t scored a goal, made a save, killed a penalty. It’s all on their hats.

-BU coach Brian Durocher on his 150th win as coach of the women’s hockey team

Page 8

Driving The Lane

Sports

By Sarah Kirkpatrick Daily Free Press Staff

A couple weeks ago, I went to get some food with my roommates at Late Nite Kitchen. On one of the TVs, there was a basketball game between the University of Texas and West Virginia University. Being a huge Longhorns fan (I’m not really sure why), I naturally started watching. For a good five-minute stretch in the game, I’m pretty sure neither team scored. To be honest, the game was pretty disgusting. Neither team could find the bottom of the net.

This made me think back to the good old days of Texas basketball. This was a time when the current second-greatest basketball player in the world was just starting to gain recognition. Kevin Durant, on his way to becoming the second pick in the 2007 NBA Draft (sorry Trail Blazer fans), was tearing up the college basketball landscape.

I remember a game that year against rival Texas A&M University and its star guard Acie Law. Unfortunately, Law’s NBA career has yet to amount to much, other than two decent years coming off the bench for the Hawks from 2007–09. But at the time, he was an absolute stud for the Aggies.

I can safely say that this was the greatest college basketball game I ever watched. Law hit a gametying 3-pointer over Durant’s outstretched 7-foot-5 wingspan with just a second left in regulation.

Luckily for me, the ‘Horns ended up outlasting the Aggies 98–96 in double overtime.

What made this game so great was the star power on both sides.

It was Law versus Durant: Two great players trying to lead their respective schools to victory. Law led all scorers with 33 points. Durant added 30 of his own, along with a ridiculous 16 boards. It was so much fun watching these two young stars trying to one-up each other.

This is what was missing from the game I watched a couple weeks ago: Star power. Neither team had a Durant or a Law, and the game just didn’t have the same excitement.

This is what makes the NBA so great. Despite the league’s

Morris, see page 7

In a weekend series against the University of Vermont, the No. 4/5 Boston University women’s hockey team got back on track after a recent skid, coming away with a 2–1 victory Saturday and a 3–2 victory Sunday.

The Terriers (20–5–3, 15–2–1 Hockey East) entered the weekend coming off two losses in the Beanpot tournament to eventual tournament champion Northeastern University in the semifinal, and Harvard University in the consolation game. These games were the first back-to-back losses all season for BU. “We’re still a little bit tight right now,” Durocher said. “You’re go-

No Events Scheduled It was Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday over the weekend, in case you missed it. After all, the media barely mentioned it.

ing to have a little bit of slumps as you go along.”

Saturday, BU got off to a shaky start, with senior goalie Alissa Fromkin conceding a goal to UVM forward Amanda Pelkey just 2:08 into the game.

Vermont (8–19–3, 6–10–3 Hockey East) held a 1–0 lead until midway through the second period, when junior co-captain Marie-Philip Poulin secured a pass from senior forward Jenelle Kohanchuk and put it in the back of the net to knot up the score at one goal apiece.

It looked as if BU would walk away with a tie until Poulin struck again with 1:30 remaining in the game. On a pass from senior defenseman Kathryn Miller, Poulin sent the puck past the left side of diving goalie Kelci Lanthier to push BU ahead 2–1.

“The second one came late in the game on an unbelievable individual play,” Durocher said. “I was glad to see [Poulin] get a big-time play.”

Vermont was unable to make a

MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Terrier co-captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored her second goal of the game with 1:30 remaining in BU’s 2–1 win over the University of Vermont.

up steam

The BU men’s basketball team is playing better with each game down the final stretch of the regular season.

P.7.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

comeback in the final 90 seconds and BU left with the victory. The win was the 150th of Durocher’s career, and also the 150th in program history.

Having finally captured a victory, which had eluded them for two weeks, the Terriers entered Sunday’s contest with a bit more confidence.

BU was the first to score in this game, as junior defensemen Kaleigh Fratkin dropped off the puck to sophomore forward Kayla Tutino. Tutino left it right in front of the net for junior forward Louise Warren, who tapped it in for her 11th goal of the season at the 18:03 mark of the first period.

Tutino continued her stellar passing into the second period, as she found senior forward Isabel Menard centered in front of the net.

Menard scored at 7:33 of the second period to extend BU’s lead to 2–0.

“Right on the spot,” Menard said of Tutino’s pass. “She did pretty much everything for me. ... I was in the right spot and got the goal.”

At 14:08 of the middle frame, Tutino and Menard teamed up again while BU was on a power play after defenseman Gina Repaci was sent to the box for slashing. Menard received the puck in a similar spot as her first goal, and sent it past UVM goalie Roxanne Douville to give BU a 3–0 cushion.

“She played great,” Durocher said of Tutino’s three-assist day.

“She’s a tenacious kid.”

The game grew much closer, as BU gave up consecutive powerplay goals to Vermont to cut its lead to just one.

With 20 seconds left in the second period and Tutino in the penalty box for boarding, Pelkey shot the puck past junior goalie Kerrin Sperry to put Vermont on the board, 3–1.

Late in the third period, with

In the waning minutes of Saturday’s game against the University of Vermont, the No. 4/5 Boston University women’s hockey team seemed destined for overtime. After two consecutive losses, both in the Beanpot Tournament, the Terriers (20–5–3, 15–2–1 Hockey East) fell behind early on in the contest with the Catamounts (8– 19–3, 6–10–3 Hockey East), and managed to comeback to tie it about halfway through the game.

Nonetheless, some 40 shots later, BU had yet to put itself ahead in a game that the team needed to win to get back on track for the final weekend of the regular season.

With just over a minute left in the contest, however, junior captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored BU’s lone goal of the game, picked up a pass from senior defenseman Kathryn Miller at center ice. Poulin skated toward the Vermont goal and backhanded a shot into the net.

The goal and subsequent win snapped the Terriers’ two-game losing streak, their longest of the season, but also gave them a different stat to add to their record books. With the victory, the women’s hockey program and BU coach Brian Durocher picked up their 150th victory — a feat that took just eight seasons to accomplish.

“It’s great, and I’m most proud of the young ladies,” Durocher said, admitting he did not realize

Women’s hockey, see page 7

150th win, see page 7

150th win ends longest losing streak of season

By Meredith Perri Daily Free Press Staff

BU continues excellent play with victory over University of New Hampshire

By René Reyes Daily Free Press Staff

After the Boston University men’s basketball team defeated the University of New Hampshire Sunday 68–56, UNH coach Bill Herrion could not have been more accurate in his assessment of BU’s (15–11, 9–4 America East) mentality as the America East Conference slate nears its conclusion.

“I don’t know this, but I know [BU coach] Joe [Jones] well and it seems like they’re playing like, ‘Okay, you know what? We can’t be in the tournament. Let’s just try to beat everybody on the way out,’” Herrion said. “I don’t know if that’s what their attitude is ...

They’re playing great. They really are.”

Herrion said no team is playing as well as the Terriers are at this juncture of the season, while the Wildcats (7–17, 3–9 Amer-

The Bottom Line

Tuesday, Feb. 19

[ www.dailyfreepress.com ]

Picking

Terriers win 150th contest in program history

No Star Power Poulin’s timely goal helps BU get 2–1 victory

John Morris

The Daily Free Press

Wednesday, Feb. 20 W. Hockey v. UNH, 7 p.m.

M. Basketball v. Albany, 7 p.m.

ica East) failed to build off last Wednesday’s overtime victory against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. “[The Terriers are] dangerous,” Herrion said. “They’ve won seven out of eight, nine out of 11. They’re hot. I told our guys that coming in that they’re playing better or as well as anybody in this league right now. They’re good.”

Junior guard D.J. Irving helped junior forward Dom Morris establish himself in the paint right from the get-go, feeding BU’s tri-captain for a pair of nifty reverse layups to open the scoring for BU. The score was knotted at 4–4 just three minutes into the game, but a 15–2 burst from the Terriers over the next three and a half minutes expanded their lead to 19–6.

They missed only one field goal

attempt during the run.

UNH came within a score of 21–12, but a jumper and a three from sophomore forward Malik Thomas and another 3-pointer from freshman forward Nathan Dieudonne late in the first half pushed the Terriers’ edge to 29– 12.

With the seconds dwindling down in the first half, Jones clamored for a defensive stop on New Hampshire’s final offensive possession. He got exactly what he wanted, as junior forward Travis Robinson swatted guard Chris Orozco’s shot seconds before the buzzer expired, sending BU into the intermission with a 34–17 advantage.

Coming out of the locker room, Morris found Irving on a backdoor cut for an uncontested layup for BU’s first bucket of the second half.

Shortly thereafter, freshman guard Maurice Watson, Jr., who had six assists on the afternoon, found freshman guard John Papale for a spot-up three that extended BU’s cushion to 20 points in the final session.

Robinson provided the signature highlight late in the contest, taking a bounce pass from Watson Jr. and soaring in for the onehanded dunk that stretched the Terriers’ edge to 55–36.

New Hampshire center Chris Pelcher poured in all of his teamhigh 15 points in the second half.

He bolstered a Wildcats squad that more than doubled its offensive production in the final 20 minutes of regulation and managed to trim the deficit to 11 points with 1:14 to play.

However, BU cut off any attempt at a UNH comeback as

Thursday, Feb. 21

Friday, Feb. 22

Saturday, Feb. 23

W. Basketball @ Albany, 7 p.m.

M. Hockey v. UMass Lowell, 7:30 p.m.

Softball @ Citrus Classic, 12:15 p.m.

Track New England Championships @ TTC, All Day

Mens’ basketball, see page 7

M. Hockey @ UMass Lowell, 7 p.m.

Softball @ Citrus Classic, 12:15 p.m.

W. Hockey v. Connecticut, 3 p.m.

M. Basketball @ UMBC, 7 p.m.