The Daily Free Press
Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XXIV
STAY IN SCHOOL BPS considers new school zoning plans, page 3.
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Thursday, February 28, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
END HUNGER
MUSE staffer sits down with makers of hunger documentary, page 5.
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Women’s lacrosse begins season with win, page 8.
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SMG adds 3 new deans to develop programs 3 Mass. candidates By Brian Latimer Daily Free Press Staff
To keep up with expanding business in digital technology, health sciences and sustainability, Boston University’ School of Management hired three new deans to oversee programs at the school and around the world. Kristen McCormack, the new assistant dean of sector initiatives, said the primary objective of the new deans is to customize students’ learning to provide more in-depth and applicable experience. “These fields cross every industry whether it’s the use of digital technology in any industry, the impact of climate change on any industry or the impact of healthcare accessibility,” McCormack said. “These are all forces happening across the world that affect the global economy, so our role is to make sure students gain the deep, practical experience and functional excellence.” SMG officials announced the new deans in two Feb. 21 press releases and one Feb. 20 press release. David Nersessian will become assistant dean of global programs and Deborah Marlino, will become associate dean for academic affairs and student programs. McCormack said she was the Faculty Director for Public and Nonprofit Management program prior to being promoted. She has been at BU for 12 years and started her new position two weeks ago. “Providing students with an opportunity to gain tools to solve global problems makes
prepare campaigns for Markey’s seat By Erica Shulman Daily Free Press Contributor
Private lenders offer few options other than graduated repayment, meaning the payments increase as the years pass, which decreases the monthly payment but effectively increases the total interest paid by the borrower, Chopra said. CFPB officials hope to recommend alternatives based on the public’s response to their request. “Unfortunately, while debt burdens for students have increased, wages for new college graduates have not,” Chopra said. “When adjusting for inflation, wages have actually slipped for new college grads according to some data.” CFPB officials are collecting the public’s opinions until April 8, at which point they hope to have enough information to make recommendations for policy changes, possibly on that very same day, Chopra said. “There have been — in other contexts in other consumer financial markets — different types of repayment options, such as temporary offers of interest-only payments or temporary
U.S. Rep. Ed Markey is favored to win the special Massachusetts senate election later this year, according to some recent polls, possibly opening his state congressional seat. In reaction to Markey’s senatorial candidacy, local politicians have announced bids to fill Markey’s current seat. Three local politicians have filed papers with the Federal Election Commission for candidacy in the race for Markey’s seat in the fifth congressional district of Massachusetts. Mass. Sen. William Brownsberger, a Democrat from Belmont, Mass. Sen. Katherine Clark, a Democrat from Melrose and Mass. Rep. Carl Sciortino from Medford are each hoping to make the jump from state to national politics by becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. “It’s a great opportunity to carry the priorities I have been working on up to the national level,” Brownsberger said. Brownsberger represents the Second Suffolk and Middlesex district. He assumed office in January 2012 and was a member of the Mass. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2012, according to Brownsberger’s website. Brownsberger said he feels passionate about issues such as human rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, climate change, education reform and fiscal responsibility. “I will be a candidate who refuses to accept special interest money in the campaign,” he said. “If you look at the quality of work I have been doing — the commitment to dealing in a very honest and independent way with each of the issues that we face.” Clark has been a member of the Massachusetts Senate since 2011. Prior to her senatorial stint, she served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011. Clark is the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary for the current legislative session. She was appointed to this position Jan. 31. Clark announced her run earlier in February in an email to her supporters. “I am running for Congress,” she said in the email. “I want to put my experience to work for the people of the fifth congressional district. Throughout my career, I have stood up for the families of Massachusetts. I will
Loans, see page 2
Markey, see page 2
GRACE WILSON/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The School of Management appointed three new deans in the last week.
me really excited,” she said. “It’s about having a positive social impact, and most of the issues and the crises we are facing on a global scale like the decline of natural resources or fundamental models can be solved by business.” Nersessian said in an email his first day as assistant dean Wednesday was a wonderful experience because he can now give back to BU, his alma mater. “My goal is to spend a great deal of time
listening to my administrative and faculty colleagues and to students to help formulate SMG’s global strategy,” he said. “Our priorities will be anchored within the One BU concept and the globalization endeavors at the university level.” Nersessian said his responsibilities entail broadening efforts to expand global engagement opportunities for undergraduate and
SMG, see page 2
CFPB aims to gather public input on private loans By Katia Rar Daily Free Press Staff
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking to gather input on private student loans from borrowers and lenders, a policy Boston University faculty and students said will bring beneficial reform and lead to fewer student loan defaults. “The data are pretty clear that students are stuck with huge amounts of loans and then they default on it,” Sambuddha Ghosh, an economics professor. “Reform is a good start to helping graduates.” When unable to pay off student loans, the consumer has no choice but to default, Ghosh said. This is problematic for the borrower, who damages his or her credit history, and for the lender, who loses a substantial amount of money. CFPB officials announced a report outlining their plans, titled “Request for Information Regarding an Initiative to Promote Student Loan
Affordability,” to find options that would make private student loans more available and affordable to students Thursday. CFPB officials are attempting to make student loans more affordable by requesting information and suggestions from the public, said Rohit Chopra, the student loan ombudsman for CFPB in a Thursday news conference. “This effort complements existing productive discussions with student lenders and services, many of whom see repayment flexibility as a way to better serve their customers and get fully repaid,” Chopra said. “We hope to hear further input on how to promote affordable repayment options and stem the tide of student loan distress, delinquency, and default.” Of 2,857 total student loan complaints listed in CFPB’s report, 46 percent of students and graduates listed complaints against Sallie Mae. American Education Services, Citibank and Wells Fargo received 12 percent, 8 percent and 7 percent of the complaints respectively.
Online courses may lead to lower grades than traditional courses, study suggests By Hilary Ribons Daily Free Press Staff
As Boston University’s Council on Educational Technology and Learning Innovation looks to increase BU’s education technology options, students taking online courses are more likely to achieve lower grades, according to a new study. Members of the CETLI emailed faculty Tuesday regarding future educational innovations at BU, said Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs Elizabeth Loizeaux. The email stated BU officials will work to improve academic flexibility for BU students, create alternative classroom locations, connect the community and allow BU students studying abroad to participate in online courses. “We’re in a phase of trying to understand what the possibilities are for teaching with educational technology,” Loizeaux, CETLI co-chair, said. “It’s not just online — it’s the full range of educational technology.”
CETLI members aim to create a more flexible learning environment, Loizeaux said. Outside a traditional classroom environment, however, there are new educational challenges and concerns. Researchers at the Columbia University Community College Research Center examined 500,000 courses taken by 40,000 community and technical college students in Washington and found students enrolled in online courses received lower average grades than those enrolled in traditional classes, according to the study, published as a February CCRC working paper. Students who participated in online courses had a mean 2.77 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, whereas students enrolled in face-to-face courses enrolled averaged a 2.98, according to the study. David Whittier, education professor and director of BU’s Educational Media and Technology Program, said challenges often
Online, see page 2
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KIERA BLESSING/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Online courses allow for more people to access education but may make a wider achievement gap, according to a new study.