4-3-2013

The Daily Free Press

Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XXXIX

SEQUEST THIS BU addresses sequestration with speakers, page 3.

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Wednesday, April 3, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

POTTER’S PALS

Student group puts a magical twist on good causes, page 5.

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SHARED SUCCESS

W. hockey players put up big numbers in season, page 8.

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Students memorialize Howard Zinn with readings College students

GRACE WILSON/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

William Clapp recites “The Canton, Ohio Speech” by Eugene Debs at the BU Anti-War Coalition’s Tribute to Howard Zinn Tuesday night at the Tsai Performance Center.

By Calvin Zhao Daily Free Press Staff

To honor former activist and Boston University professor Howard Zinn, students read notable speeches by the likes of Eugene Debs and Malcolm X as part of an organized tribute Tuesday.

The BU Anti-War Coalition hosted an audience of more than 100 people for “BU Speaks 2013: A Tribute to Howard Zinn” in the Tsai Performance Center Tuesday night.

“Howard Zinn was a professor here, but

in addition, he was a huge activist and a huge inspiration to many of the students,” said AWC Director Kristen Martin. “He inspired them to protest against the South African apartheid … to really just not be a cog in the machine, to really stand up and resist. And many of us who’ve read his books and read about his presence here on campus also want to push forward that spirit of resistance that he embodied.”

Martin, a College of Arts and Science senior, said Tuesday marked the second year

such a tribute to Zinn was hosted at BU. Zinn taught political science at BU from 1964 until his retirement in 1988. He also authored several major works, including A People’s History of the United States, and was a widely known activist. Zinn died of a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 87.

Martin said Zinn hosted similar symposiums in years past, where activists could come and have their voices heard. The style was later adapted to feature students.

“Basically, he had a bunch of famous actors and actress come and read these monologues,” she said. “What we’re doing is putting a kind of student activist twist on it, and we’re having a lot of student activists and people in the community read these monologues and bring them to life.”

Lauren Zitsch, AWC assistant director and CAS senior, said Zinn not only inspired many people but also gave a voice to oppressed social groups, often through literature.

“Though primarily considered an activist, Zinn produced many incredible literary works during his lifetime,” Zitsch said. “…

In writing these books, Howard Zinn honored the voices of those ignored, exploited and forgotten by history. He showed us our country could be as a unit African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants and laborers.”

Martin said AWC officials attempted to make this year’s Zinn tribute more impres-

Zinn, see page 2

New delayed-start loan repayment plan may help grads.

By Alice Bazerghi Daily Free Press Staff

Financial service provider Sallie Mae is introducing a student loan repayment plan that allows students of good standing at colleges such as Boston University to push back their loans an additional year following the normal six-month grace period after graduation, officials said.

Randall Ellis, a BU economics professor, said while loan flexibility already exists for students, the new plan could be beneficial for those looking to explore new options.

“For some students, increased flexibility in repayment is helpful and can be beneficial,” he said. “Right now, students who are in repayment are advised to communicate with their lenders. Borrowers are able to request deferrals when they are having difficulty.”

The new policy, referred to as the Grad-

uated Repayment Period, was announced in a Thursday Sallie Mae press release.

A Sallie Mae spokeswoman said the new option, which became available Monday for undergraduate and graduate students attending degree-granting institutions, will allow students greater flexibility without forcing them to repay over a significantly longer period of time.

“We’ve been working on it for some time,” she said. “Our research showed that consumers and schools wanted this extra year of budget flexibility … At the same time, we found most consumers want to pay off their loans in a decade and prefer to limit the amount of interest they will accrue. The Graduated Repayment Period was designed to keep the total cost low without extending the length of the loan.”

The new plan is designed to keep the total cost of loans low so that students have a year to make more money, the spokes-

woman said.

“College students have a promising future ahead of them, but, as new graduates, they also face uncertainty and change as many of them take on a job search, create a budget and establish financial independence,” she said. “The Graduated Repayment Period will serve our customers who need more time after graduation to make payments on loan principle.”

Financial aid expert and FinAid.org publisher Mark Kantrowitz said the new policy will provide borrowers with more affordable options.

“This is good for a borrower who doesn’t get his or her ideal job immediately after graduation, but expects to get a better job or a big raise after a year,” Kantrowitz said.

Kantrowitz said borrowers should be aware that the plan will let students delay

Sallie Mae, see page 2

leave Boston after school, study says

By Gina Choi Daily Free Press Staff

Graduates from Boston-area colleges and universities are more likely to leave the city to find jobs after graduation, according to a study released Friday.

Michael Lake, executive director of the World Class Cities Partnership at Northeastern University, the group that released the study, said the present job market draws graduates out of the city.

“Recent graduates leave for one reason — where they find employment,” he said. “If Massachusetts can provide meaningful employment to young people, then we can keep more of them here.”

Lake said the Commonwealth is losing a valuable portion of a highly educated workforce that spends years studying in the city.

“We have some of the finest academic institutions that are teaching brilliant minds in the world,” he said. “When we lose part of that population, we do Massachusetts a disservice because our talent pool is the number-one magnet for new business, whether that be for a business to locate or relocate a here, or for a small business to start here because of our talents.”

The cost of living in Boston is a major reason graduates choose to leave the city, Lake said.

“We’ve found that the cost of housing and living and lack of transportation are the complaints of the people who stay rather than the reasons of the people who left,” he said. “We need to be addressing the reason why people are leaving, and this reason is for access to a meaningful job.”

Daniel Spiess, research director at WCCP, said there aren’t many graduating students who have a higher priority than starting their career after graduation.

Spiess said based on the partnership’s findings, 50 percent of graduates leave the Commonwealth.

“Certain universities that are more local have higher retention rates. If you’re from Mass., you’re likely to stay in Mass.,” Speiss said.

Speiss said Boston has a lot to offer that new graduates may not be immediately aware of.

“Boston has a tremendous amount of job

Student Retention, see page 2

Mass. Dept. of Health drafts details on medicinal marijuana use, availability

By Kyle Plantz Daily Free Press Staff

Amid fierce debate over the distribution of medical marijuana, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released the first round of medical regulations Friday and opened up a public comment period to allow community input on how the drug will be used medicinally.

Patients who are qualified for the drug would be allowed a 60-day supply of up to 10 ounces of marijuana at a time and a licensed physician would determine a patient’s need for the drug, according to the regulations.

“DPH solicited an unprecedented level of input in drafting these regulations to create a medical marijuana system that is right for Massachusetts,” said Lauren Smith, interim commissioner for the DPH, in a press release Friday. “In this proposal, we have sought to achieve a balanced approach that will provide appropriate access for patients, while maintaining a secure system that keeps our communities safe.”

The medical marijuana statute passed in

November with 63 percent of voters in favor.

Out of the 351 Massachusetts communities, 349 experienced a majority vote in favor of the bill. The statute was enacted Jan. 1.

There can be up to 35 dispensaries in the Commonwealth with a maximum of five per county. The law allows people who have a legitimate medical condition, such as cancer, glaucoma, Crohn’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, access to the drug, according to the statute.

Matt Simon, legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, said people should use the comment period to address concerns they have with the regulations.

“They [DPH officials] released a public comment [period] on any issues people can raise and final rules to be adopted before the department can move forward with licensing opening dispensaries,” he said.

Simon said the Massachusetts legislature did not want to deal with the issue of medical

Marijuana, see page 4

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Massachusetts announced the first round of regulations for medical marijuana.

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Wednesday, april 3, 2013

WCCP Research Dir.: Boston’s global connection good for future grads Student Retention: From Page 1

opportunities and career opportunities. It’s not just one job or two jobs, it’s your whole life career. I think a pivotal point is connecting students with employment opportunities,” he said.

Some companies have attended career fairs to encourage graduate students to work for

them.

Courtney Scrib, a human resources representative from the Fairmont Copley Plaza, said the job expos are a good way to generate graduate interest.

“We attend various career fairs,” Scrib said. “We really do value the relationship we have with BU. We think that the students there

are fantastic. We try to be creative in getting to know the students at BU. To do this, we give tours and have students meet with our managers as well.”

Spiess said he expects future employment of graduates to change in the next few years.

“Employment will get better because Boston is much more globally connected now than

AWC Dir. inspired by Zinn to teach Zinn: From Page 1

sive and tried to include a greater variety of student groups.

“We tried to make it bigger, and really reach out to a bunch of other groups,” she said. “We’re in the Tsai Auditorium, and we’re also getting co-sponsorships from the Center of Gender Sexuality and Activism, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and also Students for Justice in Palestine.”

Martin said Zinn and his work motivated her her host the tribute in his honor.

“I personally have been incredibly inspired by Howard Zinn throughout my four years here [at BU],” she said. “I saw him speak freshman year and was inspired to go purchase his books, and he actually has really influenced me to become a high school teacher. I personally was very inspired and had this idea last year, and a big group of people was really responsive and helped to

before,” he said. “I’m optimistic.”

Shannon Hynes, a sophomore in the College of Communication, said she would like to stay in Boston for her first job after graduation.

“I want to get a job in Boston somewhere, hopefully working through a company doing PR or for a PR agency. It depends on what’s available,” she said.

Think Summer, Think Fordham

put this event together.”

Myla Kabat-Zinn, Howard Zinn’s daughter, said she thought the show was beautiful.

“I’ve seen voice performances by famous actors and there are so many performances in this that were really just up there,” she said. “Really powerful, beautifully done and everything they did was so thoughtful — even the lighting, the colors, just added to what they’re doing. They [AWC] did an amazing job.”

She said it was touching to see students continue to recognize her father’s work and influence at BU. “He’s a wonderful teacher, he was always entertaining and had great lectures,” she said. “He had a big influence at BU, and it’s so touching to see students continuing to honor him of what he contributed… [It was] wonderful to see that the students still care about the issues.”

Summer Session 2013

Finaid.org publisher: Payment delay comes at cost Sallie Mae: From Page 1

paying their loans, but will come at a slight cost.

“Since the repayment term on the Sallie Mae Graduated Repayment Plan will not increase, this means that the monthly payment after the initial one-year interest-only payments will be somewhat higher than it would have been in a standard repayment plan,” he said.

Alicia Leone, a School of Management junior, said she believes for students who are struggling to find a niche in the job market, the new plan will allow them to secure employment before starting to paying off their loans.

“Our generation is highly motivated,” Leone said. “This allows kids to spend the time they need finding a job that is best suited to what they went to school for, and in turn will allow them to be both happier and more successful.”

Several other students said they were

more skeptical about the new Sallie Mae program.

Adrien Gates, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said he believes the program may help students in wake of recent tuition hikes, but will only help those motivated to pay off their loans.

“Students definitely need some wiggle room considering the constant rise of tuition,” Gates said. “But college students tend to procrastinate and it would be hard to identify good [repayment plan] candidates.”

Andrew Caplan, a College of Communication sophomore, said allowing students to take time off before paying back their loans may not actually bring them benefits.

“When I hear ‘delay’ I think ‘lazy,’” Caplan said. “I’d like to believe that all graduates will stow their funds for an entire year to help pay off college, but I know better. I foresee more problems coming from waiting a year than benefits.”

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Campus & City City Crime Logs

BU addresses sequester in research open house BU contrasts

keep you friends close

By Regine Sarah Capungan Daily Free Press Staff

The following crime reports were taken from the AllstonBrighton District D-14 crime logs from March 26 to April 2

At about 12:30 a.m. Friday, police received a call about a fight occurring in an Oak Square apartment, located at 40 Atkins St. The victim stated that her friend was visiting her apartment, but then proceeded to assault her by punching her several times in the face. When the suspect went out to the front porch, the victim locked the door on her. The suspect then began to bang on the door while yelling, “You stole my suboxone [a prescription drug] and I’m going to kill your daughter and it’s bye bye.”

Later, the suspect returned to the apartment when the police arrived at the scene. She told the officers that the victim had stolen her drugs. The officers advised her to go home, but the suspect returned five minutes later to look for her keys and stolen drugs. The police then placed the suspect under arrest for disorderly conduct, and the victim’s daughter was sent to a neighbor’s house for the night.

When the police were booking the suspect, they found two warrants of her failure to attend jury duty.

Dial B for Blackmail A woman reported a series of threats directed toward her at about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday from her apartment at 331 Faneuil Street. She stated that 30 minutes earlier she had received a phone call from an unknown person, who demanded that she give him $2000 or else he would kill her brother. The caller wanted the woman to wire him the money at the nearest Stop and Shop convenience store or Western Union.

The caller stated that he was holding a gun to her brother’s head.

The woman gave the phone to her boyfriend and used another phone to call her father who was living with her brother in New York.

Her father stated that her brother was currently at home and that the threats were false.

Put a ring on it A fight occurred at Brighton Beer Garden, a bar located at the intersection of Market Street and Henshaw Street, at about 8:00 p.m. Friday. The victim was engaged in a conversation with the suspect when she went outside the bar to smoke. The suspect told the victim that her engagement ring, a seven-carat white-gold ring worth around $70,000, was beautiful.

When the victim took the ring off to show the suspect, she dropped the ring and could not find it. She believed that the suspect had picked it up, even though she did not see her, and the two women began to fight.

The suspect then fled from the scene and the victim approached the police and informed them of the incident. She became hysterical and yelled at the officers to get her “ring back and lock up that homeless crack [explitive].”

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

KIERA BLESSING/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Erica Froyd, a Lewis-Burke Associate representative, speaks at the Research Town Hall Meeting Tuesday at 72 E. Concord St. on Boston University Medical Campus.

By Steven Dufour Daily Free Press Staff

As federal cuts to research and education funding begin to take effect as part of the sequester, Boston University officials hosted two days of meetings Monday and Tuesday in conjunction with representatives from an outside consulting firm to inform faculty of the possible effects on research at BU. BU Vice President and Associate Provost for Research Andrei Ruckenstein said during the event that BU’s total research grants over the next two to three years will likely remain

the same as this year at about $356 million. However, he said he is concerned about funding down the road.

“The next two years, I don’t see much of a problem,” he said. “It’s after that that could be a problem.

Nothing’s certain, and we just don’t know what we could afford to do.”

Three representatives from the firm Lewis-Burke Associates LLC outlined the funding cuts or increases for various organizations that tend to award research grants to BU to about 20 attendees on BU’s Medical Campus Tuesday afternoon.

While several grant-giving orga-

nizations will lose federal funding — which will result in decreased funding for research at universities — the numbers provided by Lewis-Burke’s representatives predict a balanced budget for universities over the next few years.

Erica Froyd, a Lewis-Burke consultant specializing in the National Institutes of Health, said the only problem with the current numbers is that they could not accurately account for the longer-term effects of sequestration.

“We’re still trying to figure this out,” Froyd said. “We know that NIH has been cut by five percent, and I think it’s been around five percent across most of the [funding] agencies, but we just don’t know what that’s going to mean in terms of research funding.”

During the meeting, Michael Ledford, another consulting representative, said funding from the U.S. Department of Defense as well as smaller, more specialized agencies will not and has not been jeopardized by sequestration.

He also said while the Department of Defense will continue to give grants for health and social science research, the grants will be given with a much more specific purpose.

Carla Jacobs, the third representa-

Sequester, see page 4

Street-cleaning program launches in Boston boroughs

By Bram Peterson Daily Free Press Staff

A street-cleaning program for Dorchester, Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain kicked off Monday, which will concentrate cleaning efforts after trash collections take place throughout the city.

“Keeping Boston’s neighborhoods clean is a top priority of mine, as well as our residents,” said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino in a press release Mar. 26.

“These schedule changes will allow us to clean streets in a way that improves our operations and maximizes the benefits of sweeping.”

The plan marks the start of the second year of a plan proposed by Boston Public Works, which had the initial idea to more carefully align trash collection and street cleaning schedules, said BPW Chief of Staff Matt Maryl.

“The commissioner of Public Works brought this idea to the mayor and supported it,” Maryl said. “[Commissioner Joanne Massaro] is always interested in ways that we can keep our streets

cleaner, and this is just a commonsense way — make sure you’re sweeping after the trash collection, not before it.”

City Councilor Matt O’Malley, of Jamaica Plain, said the plan is a good step for the city toward dealing with trash and litter issues in these areas.

“I think [more effective policy] is something we should push for, and it’s good that changes are taking place,” O’Malley said. “It makes sense to make changes like this, and to use our time and resources as effectively as possible.

It’s a step in the right direction.”

Maryl said last year, similar scheduling revisions were enacted in Charlestown, East Boston, South Boston and the South End. “This has been a two-year project to better align the trash and street sweeping schedules, so last year we did one half of the city and this year we came back and did the other half,” he said. “It went very smoothly last year in the other half of the city.”

The city of Boston is taking many steps to prepare the resi-

dents of these areas as well, ensuring that they are aware of the scheduling changes, according to the release.

“We’ve done a lot to try to make sure we notify residents,” Maryl said. “We did a flyer drop, delivered fliers to the door and we’ll be out putting fliers on cars as well, reminding people that as long as you check the signs, you’re going to be fine.”

About 6,500 new street signs have been added in the three neighborhoods in order to ensure that residents are aware of the new schedule and are informed of their streets’ cleaning times, according to the release.

Although the city is moving toward a more efficient cleaning system, Maryl said the residents and their knowledge of the schedules is still a priority.

“We’re focusing harder this year on getting closer in coordination right behind trash collection and we want to make sure the residents know about that,” he said.

“We don’t want to tow people if we don’t have to.”

BC’s condom program halt

By Erica Shulman Daily Free Press Contributor

Among ongoing controversy at Boston College over administrators shutting down a condom distribution program, Boston University officials said such programs are important educational tools at BU. “I would say we are a different institution and I don’t want to speak about Boston College — they can speak for themselves,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley. “Under the director of Student Health Services, Dr. David McBride, he has a robust wellness program and education program and recognizes those particular services as valuable and beneficial to students who desire to have it, to use it.”

Safe Sites, a program created by the BC Students for Sexual Health group in which students can receive free condoms from dormitory rooms around campus, was asked to cease and desist by BC administrators March 15. The administration and student group are set to meet in April.

Thursday, the Boston Globe reported that officials at other Catholic colleges and universities across the U.S., including Georgetown University, the University of Notre Dame and Providence College, said their schools have similar policies on contraceptives, The March 15 letter sent out to BC students signed by Dean of Students Paul J. Chebator and Director of Residence Life George Arey, detailed the disciplinary issue of distributing condoms.

“While we understand that you may not be intentionally violating university policy, we do need to advise you that should we receive any reports that you are, in fact, distributing condoms on campus, the matter would be referred to the student conduct office for disciplinary action by the university,” the letter stated.

Many students and alumni, as well as Planned Parenthood representatives and the local Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, have voiced their outrage over the Jesuit school’s ban and have made clear their support for the BC Students for Sexual Health.

BU Student Health Services implemented the Condom Fairy service, a program that allows students to sign

See Full Story Online

William Reid overpass to close for six months for structural repairs

By Kyle Plantz and Lee Altman Daily Free Press Staff

CHRISTIANA MECCA/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The William J. Reid Overpass, a bridge on the Cambridge side of the BU Bridge that carries the traffic over a rotary, will close April 7 for six months for construction.

Due to structural deficiencies, the William J. Reid Overpass in Cambridge will close for six months for repairs starting April 7.

The overpass, which brings Memorial Drive over the rotary at the Boston University Bridge in Cambridge, will close to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians in both directions, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Preliminary work for the repair project began Sunday and included the installation of advanced warning signs announcing the closing, according a press release Friday.

Sara Lavoie, press secretary for MassDOT, said authorities discovered structural issues in the bridge during routine inspections.

“We are dealing with aging infrastructure in Massachusetts,” she said in an email. “The transportation finance plan announced earlier this year, if approved by the legislature, would invest $400 million to preserve our highway facilities and $1.175 billion for bridge projects over the next 10 years.”

Mass. Gov. Patrick Deval released this framework, entitled the 21st Century Transportation Plan, on Jan. 13. In it he called for the disbursement of $13.7 billion to various transportations projects throughout the Commonwealth.

“The goal would be to bring all roadway assets up to a state of good repair to avoid the inconvenience that these types of closures cause to the public in the future,” Lavoie said.

Bridge, see page 4

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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

MAPA Pres.: CAS junior/rower: Bridge closing creates difficulties for practices Russell Drew, resident of Camdown is always packed so I walk lier to get to crew practice on time Legislation ‘not bridge and management worker, across the bridge to get there be- when the overpass is closed.

DOT plans to reroute traffic to cause it’s easier,” she said.

“I won’t be able to go to prac- said the project would exacerbate surface roadways and through the Henderson said she would now tice as easily. I would have to walk bad traffic throughout the city. medical program’ BU Bridge and Brookline Street have to come up with alternative over to Longfellow Bridge, which “I’m going to have to go up Bridge: From Page 3

Marijuana: From Page 1

marijuana.

“Unfortunately Massachusetts is a state where the legislature has not been willing to take on these issues, so most decisions were passed by ballot initiatives,” he said. “There are a lot of people who think 2016 would be a good year to pass an initiative to legalize [recreational] marijuana.”

Heidi Heilman, president of the Massachusetts Prevention Alliance, said 10 ounces for a 60-day period is too large of an amount.

“We are working with a very bad law that’s riffed with potential for abuse,” she said. “This law wasn’t written by doctors or patients. It was written by marijuana lobbyist groups.”

Heilman said the public should understand the law before any regulations are put in place.

“The public needs to understand what the industry is and how they operate,” she said. “People were operating on the premise that would give those people in chronic conditions access to marijuana. We were promised the safest, most restrictive regulations in the country, but we are looking at a marijuana business, not a medical program.”

Simon said public involvement is key in moving forward to create guidelines that would benefit the whole community.

“In Massachusetts, draft regulations are defined tightly,” he said. “I would anticipate that there would be an area to discuss rule making. There will be people who call for rules that don’t exclude patients that wouldn’t have been originally excluded under the new language.”

Heilman said MAPA would continue to interact with the public and educate citizens about the specifics of the law.

“We are working with municipalities to put in regulations into local areas,” she said. “We are working with different leadership to figure out how to make this a more responsible program. Just because people are trying to help the ill, doesn’t mean it will be done right.”

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rotary and back to Memorial Drive, according to the release.

Some residents who use the overpass said the closure would significantly affect their travel plans each day.

LiLi Henderson, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences at BU, said she uses the road to get to her volunteer site.

“I tutor someone in Central Square and the bus that comes

travel plans to get to her destination.

“I don’t know how I’m going to get there anymore,” she said.

“Maybe I’ll just take the T, which will cost more. If not, I guess I’ll have to walk a bit farther and use the bridge on the other side when I try to get to Cambridge.”

Matthew Lenhart, a junior in the College of Arts and sciences, said he would need to leave ear-

would add at least 25 to 30 minutes if I walk everyday,” he said.

Lenhart said the closing would impact the whole community and disrupt the flow of traffic.

“It [the closing] would have a large impact on people in this area,” he said. “I walk across at least twice a day and there’s always cars going across it. I’ve never seen it without a decent amount of traffic on it.”

more toward Central Square and take public transportation,” he said. “It seems like it’s going to negatively impact the people that live around this area. Being closed for six months will just screw everyone over, and that sucks for everyone, because then it’ll make more congestion in other places.”

Clinton Nguyen and Gina Choi contributed to the reporting of this article.

Consulting rep.: Future grants likely to go to applied projects Sequester: From Page 3

tive, said future research grants will not disappear, but will be awarded to applied projects as opposed to basic, less goal-oriented research.

In particular, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will fund projects focusing on one or more of eight categories it outlines, she said.

Jennifer Grodsky, vice president for BU Federal Relations in Washington, D.C., said this could be a crucial area of research funds in the future as psychological and neurological research are important to the BU community.

“There’s definitely a possibility BU could have issues in the future, but the areas that are such a part of what BU does well look to be consistent going into the future,” she said.

This forced focus on specific tasks concerned many of the faculty present at the meeting. Several faculty members said basic or creative research was at the core of what made BU’s researching process as renowned as it is.

While certain organizations would require applied research regardless of funding cuts, a large cause of this applied focus also relates to semantics, Ledford said.

“The people in Washington agree that if we don’t fund basic research, we shouldn’t be funding anything,” he said. “Agencies say ‘if everyone wants to fund it [applied research], they’ll fund it. If they want basic, they’ll fund basic’… It’s largely left to the [recipient] institutes to make these distinctions.”

Ruckenstein said universities often do the research they intend to do regardless of whether they are granted a basic or applied grant because of frustrating trends with how grants are awarded, so the responsibility to correct that lies on the universities.

“We actually need to be the ones

who really come together and explain to the public the value of what we actually do,” he said. “We run after the money… [And] in the end it comes back to bite [us].”

Despite concerns at the federal and university levels, Grodsky said she is confident in BU’s ability to maintain its funding into the future because of its reputation as an important and successful research institution.

“The cutbacks mean there is less money available to apply for — not less quality [at BU,]” she said. “It just means we’ll have to be more competitive, and I think we can hold up.”

Dumbledore’s Army brings magic to BU

F

or many people, the Harry Potter book series was an integral part of growing up. Children longed to attend the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although the owl never came with the coveted letter, students have found other ways to join the magical world.

Bringing the magic to BU The fifth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, featured the creation of the student group, Dumbledore’s Army. Led by Harry Potter himself, this group’s mission was to learn how to defend themselves and parry the evil magic of the Dark Arts.

The Harry Potter Alliance is a community service organization that utilizes the positive messages in the Harry Potter series, including that of the self-defense club, to inspire civic wellness projects at colleges throughout the nation.

College of Arts and Sciences junior, Yi Feng and Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences sophomore, Lulu Xu head the Boston University chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, appropriately called Dumbledore’s Army.

“The mission of the DA was similar to the organization’s personal

Samantha Wong Features Staff mission, to fight the figurative dark arts of our world,” Xu said.

Xu said passion spurred the creation of the DA, following the HPA’s mission to use Harry Potter as a tool for social change worldwide.

“I thought ‘I have so many friends who are so passionate about their own hobbies.’” Xu said. “There are so many themes in Harry Potter that can be applied to our world.”

“We use themes from the Harry Potter books, like equality and love, in order to help out various charities and have fun along the way,” CAS sophomore and member of Dumbledore’s Army, Katie Wurtzel said.

The Harry Potter Alliance The parent organization, The Harry Potter Alliance, is a group that focuses on civic engagement. Based in Somerville, the HPA was co-founded

by Andrew Slack, Paul DeGeorge (of the band, Harry and the Potters) and Seth Soulstein.

Sabrina McMillin, HPA spokeswoman and Tufts Medical school sophomore said, through his work in children’s education, Slack realized that community work could be inspired through J.K. Rowling’s stories. The HPA addresses real-life issues with a community focus similar to the problems faced by Harry

Potter and his friends throughout the seven books.

“Although the Harry Potter Alliance started humbly, it spread through plenty of Internet activism,” McMillin said. “I believe that a general sense of civic engagement was a key initiator.”

The alliance has united 60 chapters around the world thus far. Each chapter, comprised of both students and various members of communities worldwide, stands in a face-off against problems including global poverty, disaster relief and labor rights in cocoa production.

Causes for the Community Dumbledore’s Army forwards the interests of community service within BU by performing various charity works and organizing fundraisers.

The BU DA also performs service through small fundraisers. The organization sells wizarding food featured in Harry Potter such as butter beer and chocolate frogs.

Feng said the DA runs a weekly program with a local elementary school, called Kidditch.

“Every Friday we go to Winship Elementary in Brighton,” Feng said.

“We play with kids from Kindergarten through fourth grade and encourage teamwork and exercise [for

PHOTO COURTESY OF YI FENG

The BU DA sold chocolate frogs as a part of a HPA campaign petetioning Warner Bros. to use fair trade chocolate for their chocolate frogs.

them]. The name is Kidditch because it’s like kids playing the wizard sport, Quidditch.”

Feng said Dumbledore’s Army is planning another group activity, which is inspired by the HPA movement Accio Books. The members of Dumbledore’s Army intend to collect books that they can give back to the community through the national drive.

“As a small group we can’t raise tons of funds, so we look into things that will really make an impact on an individual,” Feng said.

The BU DA also performs service through small fundraisers. The organization also sells wizarding food featured in Harry Potter lore, including butterbeer and chocolate frogs, to raise money. The chocolate frogs sale is also in conjunction with the HPA’s campaign “Not in Harry’s name,” which advocates for the use of fair trade chocolate.

“Basically that campaign is getting Warner Bros. to use fair trade chocolate in their Harry Potter merchandise,” Feng said. “Currently they do not, or at least their reports don’t say that they do. Well, we want guiltfree chocolate frogs. So we ordered fair-trade chocolate to make fairtrade chocolate frogs to sell in order to raise awareness.”

For the more avid Harry Potter fans, the DA also hosts an annual Halloween potluck feast, horcrux hunts (scavenger hunts) and the game ‘Assassins’ with an extremely elaborate Harry Potter-themed plot.

“We’ve also talked about doing something like a Yule Ball,” Xu said.

Members tell their stories Many Dumbledore’s Army members acknowledge the certain nerdy connotation the Harry Potter books hold, but they embrace that nerdyness to give back to the community.

“I know there are some who say that it’s silly to base something around Harry Potter. They will say that it’s just a kid’s book; that it’s nerdy and stupid,” Wurtzel said. “But to me, being a nerd is about embracing the things that you love and being

proud of it. And I’m really proud of all that the DA has become and all that we will continue to be.”

Dumbledore’s Army is a place for people who are passionate about community service and Harry Potter to meet and bond.

“The DA is using Harry Potter as a link and a motivator for getting people involved in making the world a better place, just like [J.K. Rowling] did with the poignant themes in her novels about the young wizard,” said Emily Powell, a junior in the School of Hospitality and Administration.

“It may also be a way for those of us not ready to accept that Harry Potter is ‘over’ to hold on and stay in love the series we grew up with, because we get to meet up and reminisce once a week with videos and games and general conversation.”

Emily Quinn, a junior in CAS, joined the DA when at its launch and has witnessed the group’s growth in members and ability to help people.

“In the last year and a half, the DA has expanded both how they raise money, and who they donate it to,” Quinn said. “But the DA doesn’t just raise money, the members donate their time to children in the Boston area. And on top of all that, the E-board members keep the meetings fun and Harry Potter-centric.”

For those who do not command the power of magic, the so-called “muggles” have proved that magic can be integrated into peoples’ lives without a Hogwarts education. The people within BU’s Dumbledore’s Army show that they can bring a different kind of magic to those who are less fortunate and bring change to the community.

As a freshman in CAS, Olivia DeFrances said being a member of Dumbledore’s Army made her first year of college a better experience.

“A lot of people are pleasantly surprised that BU DA exists,” DeFrances said. “I would highly recommend it to anyone interested. Being part of the DA has made my freshman year much less stressful and more fun.”

6W

ednesday,

April 3, 2013

Opinion

The Daily Free Press

The Holy Church of Baseball

The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University 43rd year F Volume 85 F Issue 39

Emily Overholt, Editor-in-Chief T. G. Lay, Managing Editor Melissa Adan, Online Editor

Chris Lisinski, Campus Editor

Jasper Craven, City Editor

Gregory Davis, Sports Editor

Brian Latimer, Opinion Editor

Kaylee Hill, Features Editor

Michelle Jay, Photo Editor

Clinton Nguyen, Layout Editor

Cheryl Seah, Advertising Manager

Sandor Mark

Shakti Rovner, Office 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 © 2013 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Contraception mandates for the rest of you

The federal government does not have the ability to censor a newspaper or the speech of any American citizen. The First amendment also protects religious freedoms and guarantees religious organizations do not have to abide by legislation against the congregation’s beliefs.

Dozens of private organizations and companies have filed lawsuits against a 2012 contraception mandate set forth by the Obama administration which obligates employers in a non-religious group to provide contraception benefits with no extra cost to employees.

Because of the First Amendment, the federal government cannot force churches or religious groups to provide such benefits. So far, according to The Washington Post, 13 attorneys general are pushing the Obama administration to widen the exemptions to private businesses that object to contraception. They claim the mandate tramples the organizations’ religious freedoms and they should be allowed to deny contraception to employees. However, contraception is largely a matter of birth control, and birth control has been proven to help treat uterine diseases such endometriosis, according to studies by the University of Illinois-Chicago and Indiana University. By denying employees free access to birth control, one effectively denies them proper health benefits.

In present society, contraception has progressed to a matter of health rather than ideology, so even if a CEO does not believe in using contraception, he or she is not the spokesperson for the beliefs of each of his or her employees.

The boss or a board of trustees cannot impose religious beliefs on their employees if the organization is not foundationally religious. The ideology of a few, in a non-religious business, cannot dictate pious policy if others in the workplace do not share the same views.

If you start to open the door for organizations that claim to disagree with the mandate, businesses throughout the country might claim they object to the mandate as well. The reasoning could in truth be financial, but if the CEO makes the case, it is possible to cover that up with religious rationale. Employees will begin to lose these health benefits that many already cannot afford.

It is inappropriate to assume each individual in a company or organization — other than churches and ideology-based groups, presumably — thinks similarly in regards to contraception. If an individual does not support the use of birth control, he or she can easily opt out. This should not take away the access of others to these healthcare needs.

Teachers as security personnel

The endless, ubiquitous gun debate still powers through the airwaves and the Internet.

New legislation seems to be proposed daily and editorials circulate about the importance of Americans being able to carry guns, whether certain firearms should be banned and whether they should be removed from the country altogether. The debate has now shifted because a group associated with and funded by the NRA is drafting an initiative that employs an armed security guard in every school in the U.S., according to CBS News. As announced by Ark. Rep. Asa Hutchinson, the NRA National School Shield Initiative also proposes arming teachers. The discourse has now moved to whether schools should allow employees, either security guards or teachers, to carry a firearm in the hallways. Does this make the school safer or does the increased prevalence of guns increase the stress of students?

To those who have been affected by gun violence or any sort of intruder, the threat of a seemingly impending invader sits in the back of their mind. Seeing armed security guards in the school may soothe their worries, but it also heightens their awareness that the armed guard, or gaurds, are walking their hallways because

Fat boy in a skinny world

there is a constant threat of danger.

This does not protect the entire school from all threats, though. Increased protection in the hallways might ward off some assailants, but there will always be the possibility of one, or multiple, entering the school. Nothing will completely stem off shootings except for a police state or if guns were abolished from the country altogether. This initiative does, however, show viable solutions to some dangers.

The well-being of faculty and students is important, but those weapons should not land in the hands of teachers. Even after an intensive background check, a 40-to-60 hour training workshop and certification, should teachers be responsible to protect their students with a firearm? The knowledge that a teacher has a firearm — whether it is concealed or in plain view— changes the dynamic between the teacher and student. For younger children, this might instill fear-fueled respect instead of a hierarchical respect. Because guns have been so widely vilified along with the mass murderers, younger, less mature students could irrationally fear their teachers. Students should feel as comfortable as possible in the learning environment, and should not be given such a potential cause for distress.

When I was young, my dad and I had a routine for every Yankee game we went to: Buy a program in the lobby, a hot dog in the 3rd inning and a bag of peanuts in the bottom of the 7th. We kept score faithfully, so long as the Yanks were winning, that is. There was a religious aspect to this ritual. The program was our prayer book; the hot dog and peanuts were how we took communion. The sharp cracks of lacquered pine, ash and oak, connecting perfectly with a hanging slider were wordless hymns to the baseball gods — and everybody said, “Amen.”

There are many reasons why I love both watching and playing baseball. Yes, one of the reasons is because baseball is a game fat guys can play. Besides football, baseball is the only sport where guys like C.C. Sabathia and Prince Fielder can be called athletes. The rest of the world requires their athletes to be able to run more than five minutes. No wonder we have an epidemic of childhood obesity, our two most beloved sports allow fat guys to play them.

I can tell you, when I did play baseball, being hefty was an advantage. I could throw harder and hit farther. But surprisingly this is not the main reason I love baseball. My love of the game comes from a reverence I have for tradition, legends, mysticism and folk-tales. In the world of baseball you have all of these things.

Baseball transcends mere recreation. No other game contains things like the Curse of the Billy Goat or the Curse of the Bambino. We retell stories about Ruth, Buckner and Mantle like they’re prophets. There’s magic found in the walls of America’s ballparks, if you listen closely you can here the echoes of history reverberating from the bleachers to the mezzanine. Places like Fenway and Wrigley are temples where we prostrate to mythic figures like Ted Williams. These yeoman-like figures remind us of a time when players were rugged knights of the common man — they looked like blue-collar steel workers rather than overpaid kids. Reverence for America’s pastime is vanishing. Our generation is cursed with a disillusionment that has made us critical about many things in American culture. Baseball is one of them and I feel the need to defend my beloved sport.

When I hear people criticize baseball, it’s usually the same complaint: “Baseball is boring,” which I think is an unfair assessment. I don’t hear anyone criticizing football for being boring or slow paced, even though an average football game

only has about 10 minutes of actual playing time. The rest of the time is taken up by instant replay, huddling and commercial breaks. Football is really an extended promotion for Doritos and Budweiser with occasional physical exertion. But it’s successful, which means that baseball has felt the pressure to change in order to keep our attention.

Baseball has attempted to compete with the NFL on its own terms. The constant instant replays and the strike zone watcher have been instituted on broadcasts as ways to compete with football’s official review and flashy animation. The NFL and the MLB are basically irritating grown ups jingling keys in a baby’s face — “look, look, shiny.” All they’re trying to do is capture our attention in the most patronizing way.

Baseball in its purest form isn’t about pandering to the lowest common denominator. The game is about ritual, tradition, and most of all, patience. There is a zenlike stoicism that comes with properly enjoying and playing the game, but this kind of attitude has been replaced with the need to have constant sensory stimulation. This is the real reason that baseball is beginning to lose favor in America — a perceived lack of stimulation in watching baseball.

But this is an incorrect judgment, we’ve just forgotten how to listen and pay attention. If you shut out the roar of the outside world you’ll know what I’m talking about.

At the ballpark there is a plethora of tactile, auditory and visual sensations that call for a sophisticated mind to appreciate the subtle beauty of the game. They can be found in the sound the ball makes as it skids in the dirt and then pops into a first baseman’s glove when he makes a successful scoop, in boiled Sabrett hot dogs, in shivering bodies on October nights. Best of all, is that moment when a batter makes contact with a ball — real solid contact. A silence drowns out the world as fifty thousand people hold their breath; the silence swells and swells as everyone wills the ball to keep traveling. And then when the silence reaches its peak, it erupts, crashing over metal and dirt and grass and human bodies like an electric sea pounding on rocks. Baseball season is here. Get ready to worship.

Sandor Mark is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, and a weekly columnist for the Daily Free Press. He can be reached at smark@bu.edu.

Letters@dailyfreepress Letters@dailyfreepress Letters@dailyfreepress

Terrier Talk Reflections

Now that medical marijuana dispensaries are slated to open throughout Massachusetts, the FreeP wanted to hear what students think is next for marijuana reform.

Here’s what some of them said.

INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS

BY HEATHER GOLDIN

SIYU ZHANG

“I think in medicine it is helpful but as a drug it is not good.”

- COM freshman

REGINA SERAEIAO

DANIEL HERBICK

“I think it’s going to be completely legalized soon.”

- CGS freshman

“I would prefer for it to become fully legalized like it is in California.”

- COM sophomore

ANTHONY LIVINGSTON

“Obviously the next step is going to be to open up dispensaries under the DEA regulations.”

- CGS freshman

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

7

Abbott: Wrestling program should be commended, not erased Abbott: From Page 8

Here are the facts. BU has a competitive wrestling team, led for 32 years by one of the nation’s most respected coaches, Carl Adams.

Although not in the national Top 20, BU has produced winning wrestling teams and has qualified numerous athletes for the NCAA Championships all during Adams’ era. BU had two conference champions and three NCAA qualifiers this year alone. Coach Adams has more than 300 career victories in college wrestling, number four among active coaches.

It would be fair to say that additional investment would improve BU’s success nationally, but this is by no means a program that is not performing.

In regards to facilities, it is also fair to say BU does not have an adequate training facility.

The Terrier wrestlers are still working out in a small space in the athletic building under Rich Hall, the same room I trained in more than 30 years ago. However, this is not the fault of the BU wrestlers.

Two years ago, I attended the BU alumni wrestling match where BU beat national power Iowa State University in Case Gym. There were BU development people there to give us a tour of the wonderful new athletic facilities, and it was impressive. BU has chosen not to upgrade its wrestling facility while doing all of this construction. The wrestlers made do with what they had and continued to be successful. Never once did they say they might not continue wrestling because BU didn’t create a new wrestling room during all of that construction.

This issue is not about who is the coach, but the way Coach Adams has been treated is deplorable. He is a popular coach on campus, a leader in the industry and an African-American role model that BU should be proud of. He has spent most of his professional life building great students, athletes and leaders through the wrestling program. BU wrestling has performed well in the classroom, in its public service and within the campus community. This is the kind of coach and kind of program BU should take pride in, not eliminate.

This doesn’t even account for all of the revenue BU wrestling has brought in to the university through the Carl Adams Wrestling Academy, the successful summer camp held on campus each summer. I have been proud that BU Athletics was a leader in providing a

varsity wrestling team. Wrestling is an active sport on the high school level in New England, and BU was a center of excellence for the sport in the region.

For the juniors on the BU wrestling team, the athletic department had the courtesy to allow the team one more year. I have a great idea. Why not spend that year working with the BU wrestling alumni, going over all of the reasons they want to drop the program, and coming up with a solution that allows this program to continue? Other major universities, including nearby Brown, had the courage to reverse a decision to drop wrestling when it worked through the issues.

I will readily admit that this announcement is very personal to me, not only because of my

Read Full Story Online

Communication key to victory for BU Softball: From Page 8

three combined wins.

Senior Kim Silva has been the spark plug of the Huskies’ offense all season, leading her team with a .364 batting average and scoring the second most runs on the team with 12.

Silva also leads the Huskies with a .402 OBP and a .571 slugging percentage.

Classmate Melissa Guches leads the team with 16 RBIs. Thursday, the Terriers will remain at home to take on local foe Boston College (9-17) in the first matchup of the season between the two. The Eagles are coming off a three-game series against conference opponent University of Virginia, which they dropped 2-1.

“Just being back home and playing teams from the Northeast, or in our conference, there’s just a level of excitement,” Gleason said.

The Eagles’ offense has been led by outfielder Tory Speer, whose .390 batting

average and 20 RBIs make her a standout offensive producer. She also leads BC with a massive .831 slugging percentage and a .520 OBP. Shutting Speer down will be the key to a Terrier victory Thursday.

Although she has recorded seven of the Eagles’ nine wins, pitcher Chelsie Dimon’s ERA is 5.79, a team best on a squad with a combined 6.37 ERA. In comparison, BC’s opposing pitchers have maintained a 3.88 ERA. “We always talk about playing the game,” Gleason said. “So we’re going to play our game, whether it’s UConn, or BC, or Hartford [University] this weekend.”

For Gleason, the key to BU victories is communication and turning small offensive successes into runs.

“Being together, and working on the dirt with the sun and the wind, … really working on our communication, and that’s been a big part of what we’ve been talking about in the past couple weeks,” she said.

Protests rising against wrestling decision Wrestling: From Page 8

program. I feel terrible for the sport of wrestling,” Adams continued. “I don’t know what prompted this decision. The administrators, they’ve been good to the program. I love working at BU. That makes it all that much more shocking. The program is moving in a good direction, and then it feels like you got hit in the back of the head by a 2-by-4.”

Adams said the team was informed about two hours later, after the news began circulating online.

“It was shock. It was like, ‘Why? Why us?’”

Adams said. “Kids were crying, some of them.

That’s a really tough situation for college athletes who put their heart and soul into the sport that they loved — to lose it all of a sudden.”

The exact reasoning for the decision is unclear. BU Athletics representatives did not respond to calls Tuesday afternoon seeking comment, but a Monday release said “an immense infusion of resources, including major facility enhancements and additional staffing, would be required” to bring the team to a championship-caliber level.

The first paragraph of Adams’ biography on goterriers.com, BU’s official athletics website, reads, “Carl Adams and the Terriers are in the midst of an upswing on the national level.”

A question-and-answer document distributed by the athletic department to BU wrestlers, families and alumni explaining the decision called it “a strategic decision” that is the right move for the long-term direction of BU Athletics.

The Q&A also says the decision is neither solely money nor Title IX based. The school will not reinstate the program, even if funds are raised.

But that does not mean the BU wrestling community is not trying.

News spread quickly, and by Tuesday evening there was a “Save BU Wrestling” fan page with more than 2,000 likes and an open group by the same name with almost 2,200 members.

Brad Castronovo, a 2012 BU graduate who was on the wrestling team, is helping spearhead

the Save BU Wrestling movement. He thought it was an April Fools’ Day joke at first, but when he realized otherwise he “sprung to action and went after it.”

“The administration wants to take it away,” Castronovo said. “But we’re going to fight like hell to get it back.”

He said the school’s decision is a shame, as the wrestling team is among the most successful overall in terms of academics, community involvement and on-the-mat performance. The team has a 100-percent graduation rate, participates in most if not all of the community outreach projects organized by BU Athletics and, most recently, sent three wrestlers — junior Nestor Taffur, junior Kevin Innis and freshman Dane Harlowe — to the NCAA championships March 21-22.

The athletics department also has not done a great job promoting the team over the years, according to Castronovo.

“But we’re still succeeding, we’re not complaining, and we love what we’ve got,” he said.

Castronovo said the group will circulate petitions in the coming days so people — those that are a part of the BU community, the wrestling community or both — can demonstrate their support.

Another one of Castronovo’s concerns is Adams, who has been involved in the sport for more than half a century. Adams has collected 301 wins in his time at BU. “It’s an absolute shame that this is how he is going out,” Castronovo said.

But Adams has been here before. In 1981, after his second season as head coach of the University of Rhode Island team, he was named New England Coach of the Year.

Then URI eliminated its varsity wrestling program.

“This is like a replay,” Adams said of BU’s decision. “But 32 years is a lot longer than two years. And I’m a lot older now, so it stings.

“Wrestling defines me. I’ll always be involved in wrestling. To what extent, who knows? But I’ll be teaching kids, I’ll be designing wrestling equipment. I’ll always be involved in wrestling till the day I die.”

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Terrier junior third baseman Megan Volpano recorded 2 of BU’s 4 hits off Binghamton’s starter.

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Sperry led Terriers through postseason run Women’s hockey: From Page 8

home game Feb. 23 against the University of Connecticut, the Terriers had a chance to take the Hockey East regular season championship, as Boston College lost earlier in the day. But this possibility was put in jeopardy when BU found itself down 5-1 to the Huskies (3-29-3, 1-19-1 Hockey East) 2:52 into the second period.

But six straight goals, including two from freshman forward Sarah Lefort, earned BU the win and clinch at least a share of the Hockey East regular season title. The next day, a 4-2 victory at Connecticut gave BU the outright title.

The Terriers headed into the Hockey East Tournament looking to repeat as conference champions, handily defeating Connecticut, Providence College and Northeastern en route to the Hockey East Championship.

“Winning the Hockey East championship catapulted us all the way up to the ... number-two seed or three seed,” Durocher said. “And that was great. Had we even lost there in the Hockey East Championship we were safely in the top-five teams, top-six teams and would’ve been in the tournament.”

Sperry’s surge in the postseason was much of the reason for BU’s success, as she averaged 29.3 saves and 2.00 goals allowed per game in the postseason.

In the NCAA quarterfinal, BU played on its home ice against Clarkson University.

With a two-goal performance from Lefort, the Terriers upended Clarkson (28-10-0) by a score of 5-3 and advanced to the Frozen Four in Minneapolis.

BU met Mercyhurst University in the semifinal bout, and four different Terriers scored to propel BU to the national championship game against the undefeated No. 1 University of Minnesota.

But the Terriers had the same luck against Minnesota (41-0-0) as the Gophers’ opponents had all year, and they fell 6-3.

“The championship game we really have to tip our cap to the A-game [Minnesota] played and salute our kids that they played a B+ game,” Durocher said. “But it was the wrong team to not play an A-game against on that Sunday, and they came out the better [team]. But nobody ever had fear, nobody had angst, nobody was nervous out there.”

Minnesota won its second consecutive national title, its fourth in program history, and completed an undefeated season. A non-WHCA team has yet to win a national championship.

“We’re banging on the door,” Durocher said. “In the past the Harvard was banging on the door, and it will get knocked in someday.”

“

“

Quotable

It’s an absolute shame that this is how he is going out.

- Brad Castronovo on the impact of BU varsity wrestling’s termination on coach Carl Adams.

page 8

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After its initial home opener was postponed, the BU softball team will finally play its home opener Wednesday. P. 8.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Ghosts of Depth key to women’s hockey’s success BU wrestling Editors Past community BU alum’s view reacts to loss

By Sarah Kirkpatrick Daily Free Press Staff

why BU should keep wrestling

By Gary Abbott

Gary Abbott (COM ’82) is the Director of Communications for USA Wrestling, a four-year letterman for BU Wrestling and the Fall 1981 Editorial Page Editor for The Daily Free Press.

Monday was April Fools Day, and I thought somebody was pulling my leg when I got an email with a press release that BU was dropping its varsity wrestling program. After a quick visit to the BU Athletics website, I realized this was not a joke.

As a BU wrestling alumni, Class of 1982, this was shocking, unexpected and painful news. After graduating BU with a journalism degree, I built a career combining communications and wrestling. I have served 25 years as Director of Communications at USA Wrestling, which manages our sport nationally. Just like anybody who has been involved with BU wrestling in the past, I can’t understand why BU would make such a poor decision; one that is not in the best interest of the athletics department or the university.

Why should you as BU students care about this? I would suggest that if you care about what Boston University is all about and what it should stand for, this is an issue you should get involved with.

Here is what I know at this point.

According to the BU press release, the university “thoroughly reviewed and evaluated Department priorities” in making this decision. This process must have been done behind closed doors. Neither BU wrestling coach Carl Adams nor the alumni from the wrestling program were ever informed that the sport was being reviewed or was in any jeopardy. In fact, Coach Adams was not informed until Monday afternoon, at about the same time the announcement was made. Wrestling had no input in the process at all.

BU alumni get all kinds of letters and fancy brochures bragging about the level of excellence BU has established, as well as the tremendous upgrades it has made on campus with its facilities. I understand this is all about fundraising, but I also believed BU was dedicated to this principle.

Among the lame excuses in the press announcement about cutting wrestling was that “to bring the wrestling program to a championship-caliber level, an immense infusion of resources, including major facility enhancements and additional staffing, would be required.” This does not sound like the university dedicated to excellence that I am told about as an alumnus.

aBBott, see page 7

The Boston University women’s hockey team entered the 2012-13 season having lost its top scorer, forward Jenn Wakefield. But rather than lament the loss of a single consistent superstar, the Terriers (28-6-3, 18-2-1 Hockey East) relied on multiple parts to propel them to the NCAA Championship Final for the second time in three seasons.

Rather than having a single dynamic scorer this season, the offense was spread among the first two lines. Led by senior forward Jenelle Kohanchuk’s 25 goals and junior co-captain Marie-Philip Poulin’s 55 points, six members of the BU squad contributed double-digit goals in the same campaign for the first time in program history.

“It was nice to be able to deal with the loss of a super player like Jenn Wakefield, but have so many more people [opponents] had to keep an eye on,” said BU coach Brian Durocher.

BU came out of the gates strong, avoiding a loss in any of its first six games, with five wins and a tie in that span.

The first tough test for BU came against then-No. 2 Cornell University — the team that upended the Terriers in a tripleovertime NCAA quarterfinal game in 2012 — in a two-game set on Oct. 20 and 21.

In the first game of the series at Agganis Arena, in front of a record 1,891 fans, BU fell to the Big Red (27-6-1), 5-2, despite 29 saves from junior goaltender Kerrin Sperry. Back at familiar Walter Brown Arena the following day, senior forward Isabel Menard had four points en route to the 5-1 victory. It was the highestranked opponent the Terriers ever beat in the regular season.

After falling to the University

W. Lacrosse vs. Albany, 4 p.m.

Softball vs. Connecticut, 4 p.m.

MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Terrier redshirt senior forward Jenelle Kohanchuk led BU in goals.

of New Hampshire Nov. 9, the Terriers embarked on a 14-game stretch in which they did not drop a single contest, including a pair of ties against perennial powerhouse, five-time national champion University of MinnesotaDuluth.

With this streak, BU entered the annual Beanpot contest poised to bring home its first Beanpot title and the program’s 150th win.

But Northeastern University had other plans.

Behind four points from eventual Second Team All-American forward Kendall Coyne and a stunning 38-save game from goaltender Chloe Desjardins, BU fell to the then-unranked Huskies (23-11-2, 13-7-1 Hockey East) by a score of 4-1.

The next week, BU faced Harvard University in a consolation game, but the Crimson (24-7-3) blanked the Terriers, 3-0.

“I think it was most discouraging ... probably to the senior class because they’re a very decorated class with all these champion-

ships and successes,” Durocher said. “They wanted to win that thing and have that bragging right, but they didn’t, and it was amazing how it snowballed into, again, some of the top players ... for the next two, three or four games.”

The Terriers had to wait until the next weekend against the University of Vermont to get back on track. With a 2-1 victory, thanks to Poulin’s game-winning goal with 1:30 remaining, BU earned its 150th program win, in addition to Durocher’s 150th career win.

“It didn’t generate too many emotions for me,” Durocher said of the milestone. “It’s just another number. To me, it’s just another game and I don’t think I really knew it was happening until well after, when somebody handed me the puck.”

The milestone kicked off another winning streak that remained untouched until the final game of the season.

In the final regular season

WoMen’S hockey, see page 7

Carl Adams had a busy day Monday. He got a call from a top New York high school wrestler, who, after weeks of contemplation, decided to commit to Boston University for the fall. Then the 32-year BU wrestling coach hosted another recruit and his father, who came up from West Virginia, to have lunch and give them a tour of the campus.

But by the end of the day, Adams was brought to tears. BU administration announced its decision to kill the varsity wrestling program at the end of the 2013-14 season.

“I’m no fool. I’ve seen other programs get dropped over the years,” Adams said. “But I had a recruit on campus. [The recruit and his father] asked a very pointed question yesterday. They said, ‘How stable is the program?’ And I raved about how supportive the administration had been and the fact that we’ve come a long way.

“Within the next hour I had to call them back and say, ‘How ironic’ and apologize for telling them what I told them about the support that we had.”

For Adams, who has won 10 conference championships and coached four All-Americans in his three-plus decades at BU, the news came as a complete shock. He was not involved in any prior discussions and did not find out about the decision until he met with athletic director Mike Lynch 3 p.m. Monday — about the same time BU announced it publicly.

“I’m insulted,” Adams said.

“When you put your heart and soul into something, you don’t expect to get blindsided.

“I feel terrible for the kids in the

WReStling, see page 7

Softball looks forward to home opener vs. UConn, Boston College

By Sam Simmons Daily Free Press Staff

Once the New England weather finally began to cooperate, the Boston University softball team was able to start regular season play this past weekend. With games against Providence College and Binghamton University behind them, the Terriers will finally play their home opener as they take on the University of Connecticut and local rival Boston College Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

“We’re just excited to be in our field and our own dugout and play in front of our family and friends,” said BU coach Kathryn Gleason.

The Terriers (9-16-1, 1-2) were finally able to get some practice in on their home field in anticipation for Wednesday and Thursday’s games.

“It’s cold and windy but it’s

The Bottom Line

Wednesday, April 3

By Tim Healey Daily Free Press Staff

Thursday, April 4 Softball vs. Boston College, 4 p.m.

still nice to be on our field so those are the conditions we’re going to play in [Wednesday] so we’ll be ready,” Gleason said.

After a win and a tie against Providence (10-17-1) last Thursday, the Terriers dropped their conference-opening series against Binghamton (11-10, 2-1) 1-2 this past weekend. After splitting the Saturday doubleheader with two one-run games, BU dropped the final game of the series, 8-0, Sunday afternoon.

Sunday’s game marked another chapter in the Terriers’ continuing issues with inconsistent offensive play. Binghamton’s starter allowed only four hits, two of which were recorded by junior third baseman Megan Volpano.

This offensive success brought Volpano’s batting average up to .304, making she and junior right fielder Jayme Mask (.333) the Terriers’ only players with aver-

ages above .300. Mask continues to lead the Terriers offensively, with a .418 on-base percentage and 16 stolen bases. “[Jayme’s] success is what gets our team going,” Gleason said. “She’s a spark plug. She’s the one that leads us off, takes some pitches so that we can see the pitcher.”

After leading the team with 12 RBIs during tournament play, junior catcher Amy Ekart failed to knock a single run in for the Terriers in the last five games.

“We’ve been leaving way too many runners on base so we’re just looking to bring those runners in,” Gleason said.

Despite allowing five runs in the 8-0 loss to Binghamton, senior pitcher Whitney Tuthill remains the pitching staff’s anchor, leading the team with a 7-9 record and a 2.50 ERA. Her fellow pitchers, senior Erin Schuppert and fresh-

man Lauren Hynes, still have yet to pick up more than one victory.

“We’ve been putting in some great pitching performances, but we need to play good defense, communicate and come through at the plate,” Gleason said.

The Terriers will finally play their first home game Wednesday afternoon against Connecticut (13-13). After winning their first game against Rutgers University Saturday, the Huskies dropped two to their conferences rivals as their offense failed to produce.

The Huskies’ pitching staff is led by senior Kiki Saveriano, whose stellar 1.71 ERA and 10-4 record are team highs. She has been the go-to pitcher for Connecticut all season, pitching 98.1 innings so far. The rest of the pitching has not been as dominant as Saveriano, picking up only

Friday, April 5

Saturday, April 6

Sunday, April 7

Track @ Florida Relays, All Day

Softball @ Hartford, 1 p.m./3 p.m.

Track @ Florida Relays and George Davis Invitational, All Day

SoFtBall, see page 7

Softball @ Hartford, 12 p.m.