The Daily Free Press
Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XXXIII
KING & QUEEN ENG duo takes title of Mr. and Ms. BU, page 3.
[
Monday, March 25, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE
MUSE staffer sits down with SNL head writer Seth Meyers, page 5.
]
www.dailyfreepress.com
SO CLOSE
Women’s hockey loses to Minnesota in NCAA finals, page 8.
WEATHER
Today: Cloudy/High 42 Tonight: Snow shower/Low 32 Tomorrow: 45/33 Data Courtesy of weather.com
Parker’s career ends with HE Finals defeat LGBT athletes face prejudice, report suggests
KENSHIN OKUBO/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Jack Parker waves to the fans after coaching his last game, the Saturday night loss to UMass Lowell at TD Garden. By Annie Maroon Daily Free Press Staff
Jack Parker sat quietly while his senior captain, Wade Megan, addressed the media after the 1-0 loss to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell in the Hockey East finals that ended the Boston University men’s hockey team’s season. When Megan said the Terriers had no regrets that night, though, Parker nodded, a gesture of gratitude to his team for the complete effort it gave in his final game. For 51 minutes Saturday, BU (21-16-2,
15-10-2 Hockey East) and Lowell (26-10-2, 16-9-2 Hockey East) were locked in a 0-0 tie at TD Garden. Junior Derek Arnold scored the game’s only goal 11:09 into the third period. Lowell’s Connor Hellebuyck and BU freshman goalie Sean Maguire matched each other save for save for over 50 minutes, and Hellebuyck stopped 36 shots in all. Maguire finished with 28 saves. “I couldn’t ask for more of my team. I couldn’t ask for a better weekend for us,” Parker said. “It was unbelievable that it was
a 1-0 game with all the chances going on. I was very, very pleased with our effort from start to finish. I thought it was one of the best games we’ve played all year, a real 60-minute effort.” On the Lowell goal, Megan tripped and lost the puck near the Lowell blue line, springing the River Hawks on a 3-on-2. Senior defenseman Sean Escobedo drove Arnold away from the net on his initial chance, but Arnold came back around the net and flipped the puck over Maguire while he was down to make it 1-0. The Terriers opened the game with energy, outshooting UML 8-6 in the first period and establishing possession in the offensive zone much more consistently than they did the last two times they saw Lowell. Hellebuyck, however, was ready for every shot he saw, and the River Hawks blocked 21 more in the game before they ever reached him. “Everyone was on the same page,” said senior forward Ben Rosen. “Third and fourthline guys were doing their job, dumping the puck in, grinding in there, and first and second-line guys were doing what they had to do on the power play, getting shots through. We outshot [UML] too, but they just collapsed in there, and they were blocking everything.” Through two periods, BU led in shots, 26-21, but the momentum had begun shifting Lowell’s way. The Terriers opened the third on a power play
Parker, see page 7
Dept. of Education recommends competency-based aid By Rachel Riley Daily Free Press Staff
Students enrolled in competency-based programs — as opposed to traditional time-based programs — at colleges such as Boston University might now be eligible for financial aid, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Education issued Tuesday. Heather Jarvis, a student loan expert who spoke about student debt relief at the School of Law in the fall 2012 semester, said credit hours have always been an inefficient way of measuring student learning. “They show how much time a student spends in class but they don’t demonstrate what they’ve learned,” she said. “This decision means that schools can be more innovative in the way they measure their ability to teach, and it links federal financial aid to a student’s competency.” The Department of Education letter defined competency-based programs as programs that
directly assess student learning “in lieu of measuring student learning in credit or clock hours.” An institution wishing to award aid to students in a program using direct assessment must apply, specifying the equivalent number of credit hours for the program in question, according to the letter. The application must also include how the number of hours was determined and that its institutional accrediting agency has also reviewed and approved the proposed program. Jarvis said the Department of Education’s decision demonstrates that the U.S. wants universities to explore alternatives to the credit hour. “This is really going to help schools be more innovative in how they deliver education,” she said. “It has the potential to really provide some lower-cost alternatives to students so that they can be awarded degrees based on what they’ve learned rather than how much time they’ve spent.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the Department’s decision is a step toward more affordable higher education, according to a Tuesday press release. “We know many students and adult learners across the country need the flexibility to fit their education into their lives or work through a class on their own pace, and these competency-based programs offer those features — and they are often accessible to students any time, anywhere,” he said in the release. Mark Kantrowitz, financial aid expert and FinAid.org publisher, said while changes in the system might not have a significant impact on colleges across the board, they will influence online programs. “The traditional universities are still going to do the clock hours, but for online programs where there is not really a clock going, it will be more appropriate for them,” he said. “It allows for more flexible programs.”
Aid, see page 2
By Kristen Gloss Daily Free Press Staff
While some studies have found the overall atmosphere at colleges such as Boston University to be improving for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students, many have failed to include athletes who identify as LGBTQ in their respondent pools, according to a new report. Nancy Lyons, BU Athletics senior associate director for compliance and student services, said students and student athletes must learn about LGBTQ challenges and become more aware. “Education needs to be provided on these issues before these individuals become part of our community, and on a continuing basis thereafter in order to dispel discriminatory attitudes and end harassment,” she said. Due to changes in college athletics and the continued harassment of LGBTQ athletes, Campus Pride reissued its 2012 LGBTQ National College Athlete Report on March 18, according to a Campus Pride press release. Researchers surveyed 8,481 student athletes from universities around the U.S., according to the release. Nine percent of the student athletes surveyed reported they had experienced harassment that impeded their ability to work or learn on campus. LGBTQ student athletes at universities around the nation experienced a more negative climate than their heterosexual peers, which influenced their athletic identities and reports of academic success, according to the release. Campus Pride will be launching an athletic index to allow colleges and universities to benchmark LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices in college athletics, the release stated. The index, to be released in the fall of 2013, would rank colleges on their acceptance and friendliness toward LGBTQ athletes based on its findings. Although many colleges have reported harassment of LGBTQ athletes, Lyons said she has not heard of any issues arising at BU. “We make a concerted effort to ensure that all our student athletes are treated fairly, with sensitivity and without discrimination,” Lyons said. Coaches do not have to undergo any specific training at BU in order to be able to address any LGBTQ issues, but there are resources available through the NCAA, Lyons said.
LGBTQ, see page 2
Legislation proposed to increase cigarette tax by $1 in Massachusetts By Trisha Thadani Daily Free Press Staff
Massachusetts legislators plan to propose a $1 tax increase on cigarettes and other tobacco products (OTBs) to decrease the number of youth tobacco users and prevent addiction. “At any income level, youth are the most price-sensitive population. Although raising the tax encourages cessation across the board, it has a more dramatic effect on youth,” said Kevin O’ Flaherty, director of advocacy of northeast region for the Campaign for TobaccoFree Kids. When cigarette taxes increase by 10 percent, youth consumption decreases by 6.5 percent, and adult consumption rates by 2 percent, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Youth Tobacco Use in Massachusetts” survey. Since 1995, cigarette smoking among youth has declined from 35.7 percent to 14.0 percent in 2011. In earlier fiscal years, legislators neglected to raise the tax on OTBs as well. Between 2003 and 2009, there was a 14-percent increase in
consumption of OTBs among youth. “We are encouraging the state to create an equal tax on both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco so the state doesn’t create an uneven market condition that encourages kids to use one tobacco product over another,” O’Flaherty said. “… We are not just trying to get youth to stop smoking and using tobacco products, but also help ensure that they never start.” O’Flaherty said the Campaign for TobaccoFree Kids projects this cigarette tax increase will decrease consumption among youth by 11.2 percent. Additionally, this tax increase is projected to raise about $160 million in revenue for the state annually. Marc Hymovitz, state director of government relations and advocacy for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said there is enough evidence from the last 20 years to prove that each time the tax increases, there is a quick reduction in utilization and a significant increase in revenue.
Tobacco, see page 2
HEATHER GOLDING/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
As part of Kick Butt Day, Massachusetts announced a raise in the cigarette tax by $1.