The Daily Free Press
WEATHER
Today: Rain/High 40 Tonight: Partly cloudy/Low 32 Tomorrow: High 49/Low 34
Year xlii. Volume lxxxiii. Issue XXXVIII
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Thursday, November 8, 2012 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
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Friends, co-workers stand behind hit-and-run victim Question 2 fails
narrowly, opens door to dialogue
By Brian Latimer Daily Free Press Staff
Allston locals are supporting Brenda Wynne, co-owner of Stingray Body Art, as she recovers from a hit-and-run incident on Halloween that left her in the intensive care unit. Wynne, 45, has been moved to Spaulding Rehabilitation in Boston from the ICU as her friends await her recovery. On Halloween afternoon, Wynne stepped into the street near 1430 Commonwealth Ave. in Allston after the light turned and gave her the right of way, said Scott Matalon, co-owner of Stingray Body Art. Wynne was not jaywalking when she was hit. “It’s unthinkable to me that someone could hit someone so obviously and not stop,” Matalon said. “Her hip was broken in multiple places, and her femur broke clean in half — she is banged up really bad.” Wynne is well known among artists and musicians, and “knows all the hipsters and locals,” Matalon said. “She has been a big part of the community her whole life,” he said. Supporters of Wynne can expect to see benefits held at Brighton Music Hall, likely in January when she can attend, Matalon said. “We’re trying to put together a fantastic show for that to raise some money [to] help her pay her regular day-to-day bills and help her eat while she recovers,” he said. “It’s very difficult to be in that position. Imagine [you’re] in your 40s and you’re an owner of a business and having to ask your family for help.” Wynne has been out of Stingray for two years battling a kidney condition, Matalon said.
By Kyle Plantz Daily Free Press Staff
HEATHER GOLDIN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Stingray Body Art employee Chris Debarge said “[drivers] don’t seem to respect red lights anymore” in reaction to owner Brenda Wynee’s hit-and-run injury on Oct. 31.
Just as she began going back to work, the vehicle struck her, he said. “There are a lot of people very angry about this. A lot of people,” he said. “She was very popular. The most insulting part is that the driver left her there to die.” After more than seven years in the same storefront, Matalon said these things happen all the time. “Right on this corner, a little girl got hit in a hit and run. She was okay,” Matalon said. “Last year, a bicyclist got creamed and there was blood all over the street.” Wynne announced on Facebook Tuesday
that she was moved from the ICU to Spaulding Rehabilitation in Boston. “I planned to go visit her in the next few days now that she has been moved,” said Jennifer Robb, 46, her coworker and longtime friend. “She actually just said that she can expect to be walking before spring.” Robb said she has lived and worked with Wynne for more than seven years. In light of Wynne’s accident, Robb said criminals do not seem to think about consequences.
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SG e-board hopefuls run unopposed in November election By Margaret Waterman Daily Free Press Staff
Only one slate is registered to run in the November Boston University Student Government election after the current executive board won running unopposed in April, Student Election Commission officials said. Kerry Ford, SEC co-chair and School of Education sophomore, said confusion surrounding election timeline changes and whether or not the election was occurring in November might have caused slates to not run. “There was a lot of confusion with the timeline changes and going back and forth, and that might have deterred some people,” she said. BetterBU, the single slate, announced its candidacy at an official press conference Monday. School of Management junior Aditya Rudra, the current executive vice president, is run-
ning as the slate’s presidential candidate. He is joined by Lauren LaVelle, executive vice presidential candidate and SMG junior, Justin Jones, vice president of finance candidate and SMG junior and Jasmine Miller, vice president of internal affairs candidate and a College of Arts and Sciences freshman. SG voted in October to hold a special election in November. The elected executive board will serve a one-semester term and subsequent boards will serve May to May. The current SG executive board was elected in April after running unopposed. Originally, 30 people expressed interest in running, but in the end only one slate registered to campaign, said Tess McNamara, co-chair of the SEC. “They [the slated candidates] seem to have a good hold on things, but obviously we’re impartial,” she said.
McNamara said that at this point candidates can run as write-in slates, but cannot attend official SEC activities. It is possible for students to campaign without going through the SEC. McNamara said the SEC worked hard to make sure nobody was deterred from running for SG due to the timeline changes. “I have to say that I am so proud of the Student Elections Commission because even with the whole timeline changes and the time crunches we have come out with our events the same way that we planned them from the start,” McNamara said. Rudra said a major obstacle for prospective candidates is that the 2012–13 academic year election cycle is in the middle of the year. “It’s hard to drop your obligations, your other leadership positions and say, ‘I’m going to run for SG,’” he said.
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Physician-assisted suicide failed to pass on the Massachusetts ballot by a narrow margin that was too close to call in the early morning hours on Wednesday. Question 2, known as the Massachusetts Death with Dignity Act, was voted down Tuesday by a margin of 2 percent — 51 percent against the measure and 49 percent in support. “To us, it was a validation that people heard and understood our message that this is [an] extremely flawed and confusing ballot initiative,” said Andy Hoglund, spokesman for the Committee Against Physician-Assisted Suicide. Under the proposed act, a patient qualified for physician-assisted suicide would have the mental capability of making health care decisions, have an incurable disease that will cause death within six months and would voluntarily express a wish to die. A physician would have to speak to the patient twice, 15 days apart, to allow him or her to rescind the request and would have the patient sign a form with two witnesses present. The proposed act states the patient would ingest the medicine to cause death in a humane and dignified manner. The patient’s death certificate would list the underlying terminal disease as the cause of death, and physician-assisted suicide would be a voluntary service to which healthcare providers would not have to commit. Hoglund said his organization wants more time to debate the issue and come up with the best solution. “It’s always been our plan that Massachusetts needs a longer conversation about endof-life issues,” he said. “Yesterday’s vote was a great starting point to having that dialogue.” Stephen Crawford, communications director for the Yes on Dignity campaign, said many citizens are disappointed with the results. “I am disappointed that there are people suffering in Massachusetts who were counting on the law being passed,” he said. “Some people called my office today concerned, and we don’t have answers for them.” Crawford said he was impressed with his campaign’s efforts in regard to human rights. “It was very close and people are disappointed by the outcome,” he said. “People are certainly energized that a small grassroots organization made up of people who have a per-
Question 2, see page 2
Voter participation among people under 30 increases in 2012 elections, data shows By Jasper Craven Daily Free Press Staff
AUDREY FAIN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Boston University students Molly Saito and Siranush Khachatryan, and recent Boston College graduate Henry Khachatryan await election results at Faneuil Hall Tuesday night.
Recent data suggests that more youth voters turned up at voting booths on Tuesday than in 2008, despite the challenges younger voters face of learning state-specific voting requirements. Nineteen percent of voters younger than 30 cast their ballots in the 2012 election, representing a 1-percent increase from 2008, according to a press release from the Fair Elections Legal Network. “What’s kind of remarkable is that how everybody talked about this enthusiasm gap from 2008 — that youth weren’t as engaged in this election,” said Josh Spaulding, policy manager at the Fair Elections Legal Network. “And the numbers are showing that the youth turned out in record numbers.” Initial returns suggest that between 31 and 32 million people under the age of 30 turned out on Tuesday, Spaulding said.
Several college campuses had record student turnouts on Election Day, according to the press release. The Fair Election Legal Network campaigned in the months leading up to the election, reaching out to universities to educate students about registration deadlines, polling places, early voting policies and absentee ballot information, Spaulding said. The campaign included voter registration drives and social media and public service announcements in college newspapers, he said. Spaulding said youth in certain states faced barriers of regulation that made it difficult to stay on top of registration requirements. “They need the information, and we have a lot more avenues to get young people, particularly students, the information they need to register in the communities and turn out and vote,” Spaulding said.
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