The Daily Free Press
Year xliii. Volume lxxxv. Issue I
NEW TURF New Balance Field brings AstroTurf to BU, page 3.
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
HOLIDAY SEASON
Allston Christmas festivities offset by rain, page 3.
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AN-A GOAL
WEATHER
Cuffia goal leads women’s soccer to victory, page 8.
Today: Sunny, High 81 Tonight: Mostly clear, Low 61 Tomorrow: Cloudy, High 70 via weather.com
Data Courtesy of weather.com
Gender-neutral housing available for first time Third comrade of Marathon suspect charged By Paola Salazar Daily Free Press Staff
After Boston University officials announced in August that gender-neutral housing will now be available, students across campus expressed excitement for the BU community but also voiced concern that freshmen will not immediately see benefits. “I was glad to hear that the administration was making students’ well-being and safety a priority,” said Ileana Tauscher, a School of Management senior and Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism public relations coordinator. BU Student Government presented the original proposal for gender-neutral housing to the administration during the spring 2012 semester, but BU officials abruptly halted the initiative in December. The administration’s decision sparked concern amongst some students. As a result, student activist group Gender Neutral BU was formed. In May, the Student Life Committee considered a new gender-neutral housing proposal. It was brought to BU President Robert Brown’s office after a student protest took place in the same location. On August 13, the administration announced Brown’s approval of the University Council recommendation for gender-neutral housing. While some students may feel more comfortable living with a student of the opposite sex or an individual outside the gender binary, many students might benefit from having gender-neutral housing as an option, Tauscher said. “There is no specific type of student that GNH is meant to serve,” she said.
By Kyle Plantz Daily Free Press Staff
semester to listen to and to talk to students, said SG Executive Vice President Richa Kaul. “People don’t see us as a true voice for them,” Kaul, a CAS sophomore, said. “We really want to change that.” This year, members of SG will be a part of student clubs and organizations across campus to serve as representatives from SG, Kaul said. These representatives will act as liaisons in an effort to ensure student voices are heard. “Going to the student groups … and asking questions about what they want to see as individuals on this campus, as well as [what they want to see] a student group, allows Student Government to see and hear what they need to
A third friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged on Thursday for two counts of lying to investigators during a terrorism probe, even though his lawyers tried to resolve the case before he received any charges. Robel Phillipos, a 19-year-old resident of Cambridge, allegedly lied to investigators about going to Tsarnaev’s dorm room and removing a backpack full of fireworks and a laptop with two other friends on April 18, according to the indictment document. “Robel Kidane Phillipos, defendant herein ... did knowingly and willfully make a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement and representation, which Phillipos then knew to be false,” the indictment stated. The two other friends, Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, both exchange students from Kazakhstan who met Tsarnaev and Phillipos at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in the fall 2011 semester, have been indicted on obstruction of justice and conspiracy of obstructing justice. They plead not guilty to the charges on Aug. 13. Tsarnaev, 20, is accused of the April 15 bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured more than 260. Law enforcement officials released surveillance photos of Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, on April 18, which led to a police chase into Watertown that night. The brothers allegedly killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Department officer Sean Collier as they tried to escape. Tamerlan was killed after a shootout with law enforcement officials and Dzhokhar was captured later that day. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him on July 10. The friends visited Tsarnaev’s dorm room on April 18 before authorities posted photos of the bombing suspects after receiving texts from Tsarnaev instructing them to go to his room and to take whatever they want. They then went to Tsarnaev’s room, removed the items and returned to Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov’s apartment in New Bedford where they tossed the items in a trash bin and watched a garbage
SG Preview, see page 4
Indictment, see page 4
SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Students advocate for gender equality during protests for gender-neutral housing last December. Students activism sparked consideration, and in August, BU officials announced gender-neutral housing is available beginning in the fall 2013 semester.
Gender-neutral housing will not be available for students in large dormitory-style residence halls with communal bathrooms, such as West Campus, The Towers, Myles Annex and Warren Towers. While students were not able to select gender-neutral rooms during this housing cycle, Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said in May that students will be able to directly swap rooms regardless of their gender identities during the fall 2013 semester. College of Arts and Sciences sophomore
Melanie Kirsch said she is concerned freshman will not have the option of choosing gender-neutral housing. “The first year is the most important component in establishing that feeling of home,” Kirsch, who also serves as Assistant Center Manager of the CGSA, said. “If freshman need GNH but are not able to [choose it], what else is their option?” Despite these concerns, Kirsch said she is
GNH, see page 4
SG hopes to forge stronger bonds with student body By Sarah Platt Daily Free Press Staff
Student Government officials hope to increase student engagement and form better relationships with university administrators over the course of the 2013-14 academic year. “Students really now see what their Student Government can do for them with the passing of Gender Neutral Housing,” said SG President and College of Communication senior Dexter McCoy. “Student Government is here to bring about action on campus and to create a better community and we are going to do that by listening to the concerns of the student body.” SG will also focus on serving as a link between students and the administration, said SG spokesman Saurabh Mahajan. “We [SG] are supposed to be so active in
our community and so aware of what’s going on that we can adequately relay that student voice to the administration and help inform the administration with what the students want and what the students care about,” Mahajan, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said. He said SG hopes to act as a communal voice by strengthening relationships with other clubs and student organizations through its members. “What we are going to do this year is formalize that network that we have and bring up a couple new initiatives for how Student Government can be more [present] in the community,” he said. A Student Government official will be at the George Sherman Union Link every day of the
2 BUPD officers struck, injured by car in Comm. Avenue accident By Rachel Riley Daily Free Press Staff
Two Boston University policemen on motorcycles were struck by a vehicle Sunday afternoon near West Campus on Commonwealth Avenue as hundreds of students poured into the area for move-in weekend, BU Police Department officials confirmed. “Two Boston University motorcycle units were struck by a motor vehicle on Commonwealth Ave at Harry Agannis Way,” said BUPD Sergeant Michelle Fotev. She said the two officers were transported to a local hospital and they were released with minor injuries later that afternoon. Fotev said Boston Police Department officials are currently investigating the crash, which occurred around 2 p.m. and caused major traffic delays. Chris Harris, a livery driver for Lifestyle Transportation, was parked on Commonwealth Avenue near Agganis Arena when the vehicles collided. He said was waiting outside for a family he had driven to Agganis Arena earlier when
he saw the crash. “Two police officers were back to back at a red light on Agganis Way,” Harris, 30, said. “It turned green. There was a Camry that continued to make a U-turn after their light had turned red.” Harris described the vehicle as a black Toyota Camry driven by an elderly man with a woman in the passenger seat. The vehicle paused midway through the U-turn from the side of Commonwealth Avenue toward downtown Boston to the side of Commonwealth Avenue toward Brookline. “The police had the right of way, and the car continued to keep going and ended up hitting the front police officer,” Harris said. “I’m unsure if the second police officer drove into the car or was hit as well, but I still know that he was hurt pretty badly.” Harris said while he sympathizes with those involved,the driver of the Camry was at fault. “It definitely wasn’t the police officers’ fault,” he said. “... The police had the right of way.”
SARAH SIEGEL/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Two BUPD officers were hit by a car doing a U-turn Sunday at 2 p.m. near West Campus.