4-4-2013

Page 1

The Daily Free Press

Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XL

DOWN THE LINE Green Line expansions expected in 2019, page 3.

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Thursday, April 4, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

FACE TAT

Muse gets up close and personal with Ryan Gosling, page 5.

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www.dailyfreepress.com

A REAL CATCH

WEATHER

Catcher an offensive bright spot for struggling softball team, page 8.

Today: Sunny/High 55 Tonight: Partly cloudy/Low 37 Tomorrow: 55/35

Data Courtesy of weather.com

Menino demands overview for broken taxi industry With Menino on the out, politicians vie for mayoral seat

SARAH SIEGEL/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino announced Monday a sweeping overview of the corrupt taxi industry after the Globe Spotlight team ran a three-part story giving a behind-the-scenes look at taxi companies. By Kyle Plantz Daily Free Press Staff

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino ordered an extensive review of the city’s taxi industry Monday after The Boston Globe Spotlight Team released a report documenting a failed industry with years of abuse of cab drivers by owners. After a nine-month investigation, the Spotlight team reported Sunday that drivers would sometimes have to pay bribes to get keys to their cabs while cab owners

violated Boston Police Department regulations. Monday, Menino called for an independent review of the entire taxi industry to be conducted by a third party, according to officials at the mayor’s office. The review will include a report with recommendations to focus on unresolved problems between cab drivers and the owners, city growth and demand for taxis, the growth of technology and impacts of the industry and the overall management of the Hackney Division in the police department,

according to mayor’s office officials. The Hackney Division oversees the city’s taxis, and Mark Cohen, civilian director of licensing for the Police Department, has overseen the industry since the 1980s. It is unclear whether Cohen will remain in the position. “The first change [for the industry] needs to be the removal of Mark Cohen because he is one of the fundamental problems of the industry right now,” said Donna Blythe-Shaw, staff representative for the United Steelworkers and Boston Taxi Drivers Association. Blythe-Shaw said she has been asking the mayor and legislature to reform the industry for many years now and wants Menino to establish a better licensing division. “The second [change] is to establish a legitimate licensing division made up of representatives from communities and drivers’ unions who would be responsible for regulation, oversight, auditing and adherence to proper business management,” she said. Blythe-Shaw said Menino should sign an executive order changing the independent contract of cab companies to employee status to allow them to receive work benefits. Mass. State Treasurer Steven Grossman filed legislation to end the program because only a few entities can afford the cost and upkeep of a taxi system.

Taxi, see page 2

Medical marijuana proposal may change BU policy, rules By Rachel Riley Daily Free Press Staff

Boston University’s policies toward the use of medical marijuana have yet to be decided, officials said Wednesday in response to the preliminary regulations for use of the drug released Friday by the Massachusetts Department of Health. BU Police Department Detective Lieutenant Peter DiDomenica said if in compliance with any regulations the BU officials might establish, students’ use of medical marijuana would be treated similarly to the use of any other prescription drug. “If you have a legal right to medication and it’s authorized by law and it’s prescribed to you, you’ll be able to possess it just like any other medication,” he said. Under the new proposed regulations, licensed physicians would decide whether a patient qualifies to use medical marijuana. Qualified patients would then be permit-

ted a 60-day supply, which amounts to ten ounces of marijuana. The set of preliminary guidelines also proposes regulation regarding the distribution of medical marijuana, allowing a maximum of 35 dispensaries in Massachusetts and up to five per county. DiDomenica said although students holding medical marijuana cards may not be cited in a criminal context if they are abiding by the law, the university may create rules restricting the use of medical marijuana. “It’s a possibility that the university could impose some administrative regulations, just like on weapons,” he said. “You could be licensed to carry a firearm, but you can’t bring that to the university. The school is going to have to work out administrative provisions about how this is handled.” He also said students with medical mari-

juana cards will be held responsible using their prescribed marijuana in an inappropriate way. “There shouldn’t be issues, but if people want to misuse it and use it as an opportunity to bring controlled substances and share, it they’re going to have a big problem,” he said. “They’re going to be violating the law.” BU spokesman Colin Riley said while BU officials might adopt the marijuana policy, it is too early to say what adaptations will be made to current rules. “I think it’s premature to know what, if any, changes will be made, but we’ll be guided by Massachusetts state and city officials,” he said. The regulations proposed by the Department of Public Health are restrictive, said Bill Downing, treasurer of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijua-

Marijuana, see page 2

By Sophia Goldberg Daily Free Press Staff

Just days after Boston Mayor Thomas Menino announced he would not seek reelection, a crowd of local politicians have thrown their names into the race. Five candidates have declared their candidacy for the seat, with many others considering a possible run. Dan Conley, Suffolk County District attorney, announced Wednesday that he would run for the mayoral position. “Boston is a great city, and with the right leadership and vision, its best days are still ahead. So today I am officially declaring that I am a candidate for Mayor of Boston,” Conley said in a statement. Conley said he would focus on helping the poor during his campaign. “My entire career has been dedicated to giving voice to the voiceless and hope to the most poor and vulnerable among us,” Conley said. “Boston needs to be a city where longtime residents and those fixed on incomes can feel secure, and where middle-class families aren’t priced out.” Mass. Rep. Martin Walsh announced Tuesday his interest in the Mayoral seat. “I want to be an advocate for the folks who don’t have a voice,” he said. “I’ve done that my entire political career as a state representative for 16 years, and I want to continue to be an advocate for those people and move our city forward.” Katherine Levine Einstein, a professor of political science at Boston University, said the increased interest in the mayoral position is natural after Menino’s occupation of the seat for more than 20 years, a relatively lengthy term. “Essentially, you have an entire generation of local politicians who have not been able to access that particular level of office,” she said. “You have essentially a huge amount of pent up energy and that’s being reflected by a large number of candidates that have announced interest in running for mayor.” City Councilor At-Large John Connolly was the first to announce his candidacy Feb. 26 for the seat, and said he would focus on education during the campaign. Will Dorcena, former City Council candidate, and Charles Clemons, cofounder of

Mayor, see page 2

Experts weigh in on rising tuition costs at student panel assessing higher ed. By Trisha Thadani Daily Free Press Staff

“Is BU worth it?” In response to recent tuition increases at Boston University, student-run activist group !mpact (pronounced “impact”) hosted a panel Wednesday to answer this question. About 30 people attended the panel to listen to experts and engage in a discussion around the rising cost of tuition. !mpact is a student-run activist group that advocates for a collective student effort to set up a campaign with enough support to ultimately freeze tuition hikes at BU, said Nancy Vegas, a College of Arts and Sciences senior and group member. “We are trying to create a group of people that care and will commit to doing something about the rising tuition,” Vegas said. “They [tuition hikes] are not an individual issue, but an issue of the entire university.” In an email to students March 18, BU President Robert Brown announced tuition will rise to $43,970, for the 2013-3014 year,

marking a 3.7 percent increase from the 2012-2013 cost. Vegas said the entire student body must unite and create a broad base of support to take action and show the administration that students support !mpact’s cause. Wayne Langley, an expert in the financial structure of higher education, spoke during the panel about the high costs of tuition at U.S. institutions of higher education. “Higher education has morphed into a for-profit industry, just like the auto industry, where the privileged and rich are able to benefit more than lower income groups,” he said. Students who attended the panel asked questions regarding where their money was going in light of the recent rise in university costs. “Has higher education ever been a tool of social mobility?” asked Luke Rebecchi, a CAS junior.

Worth, see page 4

MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Wayne Langley, an expert on the financial structure of higher education, describes the negative direction higher education is moving to !mpact BU followers Wednesday evening.


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