The Daily Free Press
Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue LIV
CLIMB FOR CASH BU alumna climbs monument for bombing victims, page 3.
[
Wednesday, May 1, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
]
TREAT YO’ SELF
www.dailyfreepress.com
NO BARRIERS
Oksanen overcomes language and play style barriers, page 8.
Treat adds a new location for DIY cupcakes in, page 5.
WEATHER
Today: Mostly sunny/High 66 Tonight: Clear/Low 45 Tomorrow: 69/45 Data Courtesy of weather.com
Gomez, Markey win respective Senate primaries Associate Provost
PHOTO COURTESY OF GABRIEL GOMEZ AND THE BOSTON GLOBE
Gabriel Gomez (left) and Ed Markey won the Republican and Democratic nominations, respectively, in Tuesday’s special state primary election to fill U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s former senate seat. By Kyle Plantz Daily Free Press Staff
Republican Gabriel Gomez and Democrat Ed Markey won their party primaries Tuesday night, and will face off in the U.S. special election in June to replace U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s former senate seat. Gomez gathered 96,072 votes and 51 percent of the vote to defeat the other Republican candidates, Mike Sullivan, who received 67,756 votes and 36 percent of the vote, and Dan Winslow, who had 13 percent of the vote with 24,547 votes, according to Massachusetts primary statistics.
The Democratic candidates received significantly more votes than their Republican counterparts, with Markey defeating Stephen Lynch. Markey received 57 percent of the vote with 309,487, and Lynch had 43 percent with 229,594 votes, according to the statistics gathered by Boston.com. Gomez, 47, a former Navy SEAL and private equity investor, said he would be willing to reach across party lines to turn the country around and get it back on track. “If you are looking for an independent voice, a completely new kind of Republican, take a look at our campaign,” he said in his
victory speech in Cohasset. “I’d be honored to have your support.” Instead of dwelling on the past, Gomez said, this senate election should focus on plans and ideas for the future. “I’m running because I’m concerned that the dream my parents came here for will not be available to my kids, and your kids,” he said. “And that’s why it’s time that we the people take matters into our own hands.” Markey, 66, a resident of Malden and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 36 years, said in a Tuesday press release that Gomez is a typical Republican seeking to take control of the Senate to enact an extreme agenda. “Republicans were looking for the second coming of Scott Brown,” said the Markey campaign in the release. “Instead, they got Gabriel Gomez, a pro-life Republican who was the spokesman for a Super PAC that attacked President Obama over the killing of Osama bin Laden.” Markey spoke at the Omni Parker House Tuesday and said Gomez should sign the Peoples’ Pledge to discourage third party groups from spending money. “Mark my words, these outside special interests are going to march right into Massachusetts beginning tomorrow morning,” he said. “But as I crisscrossed this state, I heard over and over again that voters want to keep special interests out of this election and from polluting our politics.”
Primary, see page 2
Worcester-Boston commuter rail sees 2 more trains By Sophia Goldberg Daily Free Press Staff
To allow for more convenient travel of commuters going in and out of Boston, two express line trains were added to the Worcester-Boston commuter rail schedule Monday. The trains were purchased by the Commonwealth from CSX Transportation and are placed to run express from Worcester leaving at 6:20 a.m., and stopping only at Framingham, Back Bay and South Station. The line will departat the end of the day at 5:35 p.m., according to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation April 25. “After the state finalized its historic agreement with CSX Transportation, new opportunities are beginning to emerge for commuters and businesses in Worcester and surrounding communities,” said Mass. Lt. Gov. Tim Murray in the release. “With the launch of this special express train, commuters traveling from Central and MetroWest communities to and from Boston during rush hour traffic will have a
more efficient transportation option. I encourage commuters to take advantage of this new service.” Murray and Worcester May Joseph Petty rode the first train to travel along the express line, which departed from Worcester Monday, according to the release. “The announcement of additional express service between Worcester and Boston will not only help to improve the daily commute for so many, but will also demonstrate the great need for improved transportation access throughout the Commonwealth,” said MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey in the release. Tom Fordman, 70, a ticket salesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority who lives in Marshfield, said the express trains make traveling from Worcester to Boston particularly easy, especially considering the $10 ticket cost. “The schedule now is as good as it gets,” he said. “Remember that it costs a lot of money to run a train from Boston all the way to Worcester, so you have to have a pretty good ridership
in order to pay for the gasoline — which is expensive — and the conductors’, engineers’ and cleaners’ time, so it’s a pretty expensive run and it’s a lot of work.” Fordman said the length of the trip could yield a number of circumstances that could result in the train arriving late. “Worcester is quite far away … so you can imagine there’s a lot of things that can go wrong,” he said. “It’s almost always late by two or three minutes coming in, but sometimes it can be quite late. During times of great heat, sometimes the engines don’t work up to par, so there’s delays, and then you hear it from people.” Some commuter riders said the new trains would allow people to avoid other travel delays and get to work on time. “I don’t have a problem waiting, but maybe if they could make the time shorter, it would be better,” said Isaac Carpio, 21, a commuter from Marlborough traveling to Framingham. “I train, see page 2
for Research eyes return to teaching By Margaret Waterman Daily Free Press Staff
In order to go on sabbatical and then return to Boston University the following year as a physics professor, BU Vice President and Associate Provost for Research Andrei Ruckenstein said he has decided to resign from his position. Computer science professor Azer Bestavros said Ruckenstein’s greatest attribute was his ability to plan ahead for the long-term future. “One thing about Andrei, and this is probably what made him so special in that position, is that he thinks big,” Bestavros said. “He is not about incremental research projects, but he likes to think big. In a way, many of the things I talked to him about have that nature — transformative, risky research that brings lots of people together to go after a big challenge.” Ruckenstein has held his current position since 2007 and was the first person to hold the title of associate provost for research, according to an April 23 press release. He will step down at the end of the 2012-13 academic year and will return to teaching physics after his sabbatical leave. University Provost Jean Morrison said in the release that Ruckenstein was crucial to the development of much research and many programs during his time at the Office of the Provost. “The growth and evolution of BU’s national research presence during the six years of Andrei’s leadership ... has advanced from a simple presentation of sponsored science and engineering research projects into a crucial window into the enormous breadth and depth of Boston University’s innovative scholarship and research across all disciplines,” she said. BU President Robert Brown and Morrison asked Ruckenstein to remain a part of the conversations surrounding systems biology research while he is on sabbatical, according to the release. Morrison said in the release that she will consult with officials and she hopes to name a successor by the end of the 2012-13 academic year. “As Boston University continues to advance as a highly competitive research university in an evolving climate that includes uncertainty about the levels of federal support for research, we must all redouble our efforts to ensure the vibrancy and effectiveness of our research enterprise,” she said. “I look forward to working together to ensure the strength of all our re-
Provost, see page 2
Boston, Commonwealth see low voter turnout in Senate primary election By Alice Bazerghi Daily Free Press Staff
SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The Massachusetts Special State Primary to fill U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s former senate seat was held Tuesday. Voter turnout was especially low, especially at Boston University’s on-campus voting location.
Scrambling for last-minute votes, candidates seeking to fill Secretary of State John Kerry’s former senate seat had to deal with low voter turnout during the primary election on Tuesday. The Boston Marathon bombings put campaigning for the primary on hold and gave candidates less time to put out advertisements and get their platforms across to potential voters. The change of pace was likely a reason that a mere 66,009 people voted in Boston, according to Boston city figures. Among the nominees were U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Ed Markey on the Democratic ballot. On the Republican ticket was former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, businessman Gabriel Gomez and Mass. Rep. Daniel Winslow. Markey and Gomez won the primary for their respective parties Wednesday.
Douglas Kriner, a political science professor at Boston University, said the most politically engaged people vote in special elections. “Turnout in special elections is much lower than even in off-year elections, let alone in presidential election years,” Kriner said. “If you looked at the demographics of the electorate in a special elective versus the electorate in a presidential election year, the electorate would probably be more highly educated, wealthier and more white.” Kriner said low voter turnout could be advantageous for certain candidates. “This is one of the factors that significantly helped Scott Brown win the special election even though he then lost solid to Elizabeth Warren two years later,” he said. Some residents came to the Boston Public Library to cast their vote during the pri-
Voters, see page 2