12-5-2019

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With a new daycare center comes a tuition increase for BU parents.

See who has the best festive winter drinks this holiday season.

Our editor-in-chief looks back on a rewarding tenure at The Daily Free Press.

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THURSDAY, DEC. 5, 2019

N E W

E N G L A N D

C O L L E G E

N E W S P A P E R

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T H E

Y E A R

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

YEAR XLIX. VOLUME XCVII. ISSUE X.

State, city pot rules decrease equity in the industry

BY ANGELA YANG DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

While Massachusetts’ first legal recreational marijuana businesses opened more than a year ago, many smaller cannabis entrepreneurs are still struggling to enter the market.

Most municipalities have restrictive regulations that require businesses to secure a location for their business while also limiting the areas in which stores can operate.

In order to obtain a license to sell recreational cannabis, entrepreneurs must first receive permission from the municipality where they hope to operate, called a host community agreement. Many municipalities, however, require that potential business owners lock down a retail space before they sign that contract.

This property requirement is a problem as a majority of these cities also have have special zoning codes for pot businesses, meaning they set specific boundaries within which stores must operate. In municipalities with strict zoning rules, dozens of aspiring store owners compete for a handful of locations.

This sets the stage for an environment in which all but the most wellfunded companies are pushed out.

David Rabinovitz, a cannabis entrepreneur who has been active in the marijuana industry for almost a decade, said he has witnessed the trend of landlords demanding large deposits and rental payments until the highest bidder claims the lot.

He said he remembers an instance where one community forced a marijuana businesses to open in one of

BU policies encourage employees to ride the MBTA

BY MIA KHATIB DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

A cannabis plant growing in a greenhouse.

two locations: a shopping plaza and an industrial park.

“Anybody who’s really going to want to have a good retail presence is going to want to be in that shopping plaza, so that one landlord now controls anybody who wants to open up a conventional retail store,” Rabinovitz said. “And there’s no negotiation: if you want to be in there, you do whatever the landlord tells you to do, because that’s the only landlord in town.”

In such cases, this means landlords — not the municipality or the state — dictate who ultimately obtains a license to operate.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission recognizes the issue. In a document providing guid-

ance to municipalities on maintaining equitable marijuana policies, the CCC recommends cities not impose overly stringent buffer zones and separation requirements.

While state law mandates a 500foot buffer around K-12 schools, additional zoning is not compulsory and is left up to individual communities. The City of Boston, for example, requires that all new marijuana businesses open no closer than a half mile away from any existing pot stores.

Jennifer Gaskin is among those trying to secure real estate for her cannabis cultivation business, Empress And Bandit Greenery, which she co-founded with her son. She said she began the process about nine months

VIVIAN MYRON/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

ago in Worcester.

Gaskin said the first property she planned to purchase was rejected by the city, which told her it was not zoned properly. She then found a second location, a warehouse that she planned to lease.

“Initially, when I spoke with [the landlord], he seemed like he was above board, willing to work with us,” Gaskin said. “He wanted me to put down a deposit so that he could take it off of Craigslist and stop speaking with other potential people to come into the space.”

After an initial $5,000 payment, Gaskin and the warehouse owner began lease negotiations. She paid an CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Public transit is the most common commuting method for Boston University employees, BU officials said.

Of BU’s more than 10,000 employees, 42 percent take mass transit to work, Billy Hajjar, the director of Parking and Transportation Services, wrote in an email. Driving alone is the second most common method at 29 percent, followed by walking at 21 percent and carpooling at 8 percent.

“Fewer employees driving alone to BU means safer, less congested streets,” Hajjar wrote, “and less of our valuable land devoted to storing cars.”

The recent Boston Globe Spotlight piece “Seeing Red” brought attention to Boston’s stif ling traffic problem. One factor of the city’s congestion comes from the incentives employers give their workers to choose one transportation mode over another.

BU employees and students have access to the BU shuttle, free bike helmets, personalized commuting assistance and discounted Bluebikes memberships, Hajjar wrote. Permanent BU employees receive subsidies CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Globe holds forum on traffic crisis BU reviews proposals

VANESSA KJELDSEN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

A panel of Boston Globe Spotlight journalists and city officials at Faneuil Hall Tuesday for a forum discussing a three-part series on the city’s traffic, “Seeing Red.”

BY VANESSA KJELDSEN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Every day, residents of Greater Boston go through the same routine — wake up early, get in the car and wait in some of the worst traffic in the country.

The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team, the newspaper’s award winning team of investigative journalists, joined a panel of transportation advocates and city officials Tuesday to talk about why the city’s residents

and commuters are forced into hours of congestion every day.

The forum was a follow-up to the Spotlight team’s three-part series, “Seeing Red,” that explored the reasons behind and consequences of the city’s daily congestion. The investigation covered how politicians, employers and the modern ride-share technology all have a role in worsening traffic.

Panelists spoke on a wide array of topics including ways the city

can reduce congestion and and how traffic can have an unequal effect on minority socio-economic groups.

Adam Vaccaro, transportation reporter for The Globe and a panelist at the forum, said to The Daily Free Press the first step to reducing congestion is a shared responsibility to use public transportation.

“When we were working on this project, we had this cartoon we looked at a lot,” Vaccaro said. “It was a bunch of people sitting in their cars behind each other in a big traffic jam and they all have a thought bubble coming out of their head that said, ‘if everybody else would just get on the bus, I wouldn’t be stuck in this traffic.’”

The forum worked to answer how to make public transportation more attractive and accessible to the public.

One proposed solution was inspired

by London and Stockholm, Sweden’s use of “congestion pricing” which encourages commuters to utilize public transportation by charging drivers a fee if they use the road during peak traffic hours.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

for old HTC space

BY MELISSA ELLIN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The future of the current Howard Thurman Center space is up in the air as the HTC Space Repurposing Committee analyzes 11 proposals regarding how to use the space once the HTC officially moves to 808 Commonwealth Ave. The HTC is set to vacate its space in the basement of the George Sherman Union to its newly renovated space in January, BU spokesperson Colin Riley said.

Hilary Caron, associate director of Residence Life and chair of the HTC Repurposing Committee, said there is no deadline for making a decision on who will replace the HTC in the GSU. “I would hope that we are able to make a final recommendation to [Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore] by the end of the semester,” Caron said, “if not by January.”

The Dean of Students Office sent a request to students in May 2019 for reimaginings of the space’s use.

Katherine Cornetta, the assistant to the dean of students, said 11 student groups or individuals submitted proposals prior to the October submission deadline.

The HTC Repurposing Committee consists of members from groups such as Residence Life and the Provost Office, Cornetta said.

The committee can choose either one proposal or fuse multiple proposals.

“The committee could be looking at [the submissions] and say, ‘Oh there’s a couple of ideas that could be put together in one idea,’” Cornetta said. “Or they could come to Dean Elmore and say, ‘This idea seems to be the best idea.’”

After the committee makes their decision, Cornetta said the next step would be to submit a proposal to Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore who can take it to the final review with the space allocation division of BU. Caron said preliminary discussion with Elmore has started, but the committee has not made a

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

2 NEWS

Warren leads in Mass., followed by Biden, Sanders

BY ALYSSA FIGUEROA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

As the year comes to a close and Massachusetts’ presidential primary election approaches, several candidates have emerged as frontrunners for the Bay State’s pick for the Democratic presidential nominee.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is currently projected to lead the race with 33 percent of the vote, while former vice president Joe Biden follows with 18 percent of the vote and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is predicted to take 13 percent of the vote, according to a recent poll by MassINC Polling Group.

The primary elections for Massachusetts and nine other states are scheduled for March 3, 2020, a date dubbed “Super Tuesday.” The state’s 91 delegates will be distributed based on results from congressional districts across the Commonwealth.

Three candidates have dropped out of the race this week — former top-tier candidate California Sen. Kamala Harris, Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock. There are now only 15 remaining Democratic candidates vying for the party nomination in 2020.

While the MassINC poll took place before their announcements and does not reflect their exits, though they all polled 3 percent or below among Massachusetts voters.

David Hopkins, an associate professor of political science at Boston College, said it makes sense that Warren is likely the front-runner for Massachusetts, but there are some possible challengers.

“The favorite for the

Massachusetts primary, presumably, is Elizabeth Warren, because she’s a home-state senator and is one of the leading national candidates for the nomination,” Hopkins said. “We obviously also have Deval Patrick in the race at the moment, who is a former governor and if his campaign were to somehow take off he’d be in good shape to compete here in Massachusetts as well.”

Hopkins said although Warren will likely win the Massachusetts primary election, candidates who are strong second and third-place finishers in the Massachusetts primary can still benefit.

“It would be quite a shock for another candidate to actually beat Warren unless her campaign is already in a serious decline nationally by the time we get to vote in March,” Hopkins said. “But it’s important to note who comes in second and third as well, because any candidate who gets at least 15 percent of the vote will get a share of the delegates from the state.”

Biden is likely to be one of these strong second- or third-place finishers, Hopkins said.

“He’s very well-known nationally, and he is the favorite of many of the more moderate Democrats who might see Warren as a little too far to the left,” Hopkins said. “So it wouldn’t be surprising if Biden gets some delegates from Massachusetts as well.”

John Laadt, the Massachusetts state director for Biden’s campaign, said in an emailed statement emailed that the campaign is expanding its presence in Massachusetts as elections near.

“Our campaign is excited to

BY MARY LULLOFF The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs between Nov. 27 and Dec. 2.

Loose dog outside Agganis Arena A caller reported a dog running loose near the Agganis Arena parking garage Monday around 2 p.m. Officers searched the area but could not find the dog.

Secret photographs at Warren Towers OLIVIA FALCIGNO/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, shown speaking on the night of the 2018 Midterm Elections, currently leads the field of presidential candidates in Massachusetts.

be expanding our footprint in Massachusetts,” Laadt said in the statement. “As we get closer to Election Day, we will be focused on communicating why the Vice President is the best candidate to restore the soul of our nation, rebuild the middle class, and unify the country.”

Following the fourth Democratic primary debate on Oct. 15, Biden received endorsements from 51 current and former Massachusetts officials, according to a press release in October from the Biden campaign.

Laadt also wrote that many key supporters are among these 51, with names such as U.S. Rep. Steven Lynch of Massachusetts’ eighth district heading the list.

“With Bay Staters such as Rep. Stephen Lynch and dozens of state and local elected officials on Team Joe,” Laadt said, “we are looking forward to continuing to build a broad and diverse coalition to win on March 3.”

Sophie Edelman, 25, of Somerville

CHRISTOPHER GOUGH/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Howard Thurman Center in the basement of the George Sherman Union. The space will be repurposed once the HTC is relocated to 808 Commonwealth Ave.

The committee doesn’t search for a specific set of criteria when reviewing submissions, Caron said, but they emphasize some general objectives.

“We’re just trying to make sure that whatever ends up being there is student-focused, student-centered and that it isn’t already happening in some other place,” Caron said.

As Elmore does not have the final vote of approval, it is possible that departments or other groups sent proposals directly to the space allocators, Cornetta said.

“We only accepted submissions from students,” Cornetta said.

“However, there is a larger process

Crime Logs

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

said she is not sure who she will support in the primary but that she has concerns about Biden.

“I think that Joe Biden is really old,” Edelman said, “and that could be a problem.”

Kelley Best, 37, of East Boston said she hopes the candidates focus on issues within the educational system.

“Universal preschool has been something I’ve heard about,” Best said. “Your kid is going to be way behind in school because you can’t afford childcare and you’re working paycheck to paycheck like everybody else” Samantha Snyder, 31, of Brighton said she hopes Sanders wins the primary because of his focus on progressive health care.

“I think it’s gonna be either Warren or Bernie Sanders, but I’m hoping for Bernie Sanders,” Snyder said. “I really want Medicare For All and I am hoping he’ll get that.”

BU community competes to use former HTC space

HTC, FROM PAGE 1 formal proposal yet.

The proposals ranged from ideas concerning the expansion of study spaces to the creation of another space, similar to HTC, for students to connect with each other, Cornetta said. A common theme among submissions was the inclusion of sustainability actions.

“Even if the idea wasn’t about sustainability, many of them addressed how they would keep the space environmentally responsible, which was really cool,” Cornetta said, “to see students address that without even being asked.”

CAMPUS

and we are hopeful that it remains a student space and it is one of these ideas that students presented to us.”

As the space in the GSU was designed with the HTC in mind, students have expressed interest in maintaining HTC objectives for the group that takes over the GSU space, Cornetta said.

Caron said the submissions highlighted ideas about having a communicatory, open space.

“The proposals vary in what they’re looking for,” Caron said, “but overall, I think the big theme in all of them is connections.”

Riley said he suspects many people are looking to use the space in the GSU.

“Since we’re a large university, there’s usually a lot of competition,” Riley said.

The BU Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism submitted one of the 11 proposals.

Faith Puleikis, director of CGSA, said the CGSA office can feel very isolating because it is secluded next to the end of the Terrier Card Office in the basement of the GSU. The organization hopes to acquire the old HTC space so they can host club and alumni events, allowing students to expand their well of resources, Puleikis said.

“We have resources everywhere on campus, so it’s so important for people to be able to find us,” Puleikis said. “And we really hope the university will show its dedication to prioritizing these students.”

Jie Xi, a graduate student in the College of Communication, said he thought another space for studying and general seating would be most useful to him.

“I think it would be better, for me, I think, to have more learning space,” Xi said. “Maybe a larger space for students to have tables and more [wall outlets] for studying.”

Katrina Pierre, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she would prefer to have more study space.

“I personally am waiting for a space on campus open 24 hours, if I’m being honest,” Pierre said. “Just for study spaces outside of the dormitories because sometimes it can be very loud, especially in Warren Towers.”

A caller reported that on Sunday from 9:40 to 10:20 p.m. they found a male party photographing women in the showers at Warren Towers.

The case remains active.

Missing property in South Campus A caller reported Monday around 7:45 p.m. that they returned to their residence from Thanksgiving break to find missing jewelry, even though their room was locked. The case was previously closed and has since reopened.

Fight at FitRec A caller reported that a male was punched in the face on the basketball court at FitRec Sunday around 2:30 p.m. The victim did not want to press charges and declined medical attention but was removed from the building.

Suspicious person on Bay State Road A caller reported Wednesday around 8:15 a.m. that she was asleep but woke up to the sound of a man’s voice outside her window at 153 Bay State Rd. The man fled upon confrontation. Detectives reported footprints leading to a room on the upper floor.

CITY

Crime Logs

BY ANGELA YANG DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following reports were taken from the Boston Police Department crime logs from Dec. 1 to 2.

Threats to do bodily harm in Brighton Officers responded at 3:30 a.m.

Sunday to a report of cyber threats.

The victim allegedly received messages from an individual whom they had not spoken to in about eight years. The suspect threatened to kill the victim.

DUI on Brayton Road and Lake Shore Road Officers detained an intoxicated driver in Brighton Sunday night.

When asked if he was the registered owner of the vehicle, the suspect said, “I’m a registered sex offender.” The suspect refused a breathalyzer and proceeded to fail multiple sobriety tests.

Assault on Fidelis Way Officers responded to a fire alarm pulled by an emotionally disturbed person in Brighton Monday around 2 a.m. The victim, seemingly intoxicated, told police she fell down the stairs after being hit in the head and does not know how she got to Brighton.

NEWS 3

An improved campus daycare center comes with a higher price tag

BY JOHN KIM DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston University employees who send their kids to BU’s daycare program will see a price increase next year as the university opens a new daycare center in Brookline to replace the existing center at 32 Harry Agganis Way. The BU Children’s Center currently charges $1,375 per month for kids between 2 and 5 years old, said Christina Rice, the director of the Graduate Tax Program at the BU School of Law who sends her 3-yearold to BU’s daycare program.

Rice said the price for the current center is quite reasonable.

Compared to other schools in the Boston area, she said she thought the price was attractive.

“The part of the reason we moved her to the BU Children’s Center is that it was essentially $600 less than what we were paying at the local private daycare center,” Rice said. “So it was a great deal.”

Tuition for the daycare center will increase in 2020 to a cost scale ranging from $2,500 per month for infants to $1,775 per month for pre-kindergarten kids, according to the BU Children’s Center website.

Children who are enrolled currently in the center will be grandfathered in, but only for one year.

The new center is anticipated to open its doors to children by Summer 2020, Kristin Gruber-

Grunert, the director of Children’s Center, wrote in an email. However, this estimate could change with construction progress.

The current daycare center opened in 1978 and can take care of up to 33 children at once, according to the Children’s Center website.

The new location at 10 Lenox St. will have room for 96 children.

This increase in capacity will allow the center to care for infants for the first time, BU spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email.

BU doesn’t offer any financial assistance for its faculty members, however, the cost is lower than at other college daycares in Boston, Riley wrote.

“The rates are 10 percent below those at MIT,” Riley wrote, “and 17 percent below Harvard’s.”

Rice said she is expecting her second child this Christmas.

Rice said she was first was excited that the new center would provide service for infants. However, about a month ago, Rice was informed about the new rates for the service and is now concerned about how she is going to take care of her future son.

“They’re not going to charge the new rates for kids that are currently there,” Rice said. “So we get grandfathered in. For my daughter, it’s still really affordable to keep her at the BU center. But for my future son, I think my husband is going to basically be a stay at home dad until

DAPHNE ANG/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The site of the new Boston University Children’s Center, still under construction, located on Lenox Street in Brookline.

kindergarten so that we’re not paying two daycare bills.”

Rice said the new daycare center could possibly keep lower prices by employing student workers from the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development who need practical learning for their careers.

Madeleine Pearce, a freshman in the College of Communication, said she supports building the new daycare center, but thinks that part of the costs for BU faculty should be subsidized.

“I feel like in a way, maybe not the whole thing, but part of the cost

should be included in faculty benefits, just for working on campus,” Pearce said. “Because it’s a demanding job, especially when in this snowy weather, commuting seems like an issue sometimes.”

Dhanik Patel, a freshman in the Questrom School of Business, said while the daycare center itself is a good idea, there should be some financial assistance for the faculty.

“The daycare center for infants for faculty is a good idea but I think they should provide more financial assistance,” Patel said. “$2,500 a month that’s a bit on the pricey side,

so I think they should provide some financial support as like the surrounding colleges do.”

Steven Le, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the need for financial programs should be evaluated after the first year of the new prices.

“They should probably see this year if it works or not,” Le said. “Like in the future, like a couple of years after, if [parents] can’t use the daycare due to financial reasons, then they should seek to offer scholarships or whatever they offer for financial aid to people — like how Harvard and MIT do.”

To avoid Boston traffic, BU offers public transport subsidy TRANSIT, FROM PAGE 1 for 50 percent of the price of monthly MBTA passes.

A lthoug h tra nspor tation benefits var y among institutions, public transit subsidies are the primar y benefit that most employers offer, Hajjar wrote. Local universities MIT and Harvard provide MBTA bus, subway and commuter rail pass subsidies.

MIT has the most generous transit subsidy program of any Boston-area college — giving all employees free subway and bus passes and a 50-60 percent subsidy for the commuter rail, according to The Boston Globe.

In 2016, MIT found that 48 percent of employees took public transit to work, while 25 percent drove alone.

Building permit applicants in Boston are required to commit to certain “Transportation Demand Management” measures before constructing infrastructures that could induce travel demand and add to traffic congestion, Hajjar wrote.

“We regularly consult with industry-leading transportation and mobility experts, attend national conferences, and maintain friendly relationships with counterparts at other institutions,” Hajjar wrote. “Parking & Transportation Ser vices keeps on top of best practices and continues to enhance and tailor our transportation programs accordingly.”

These benefits also help BU recruit the best possible faculty and staff while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions and

LAURYN ALLEN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Two green line trains at the Blandford Street stop on Commonwealth Avenue. Boston University subsidizes half of the costs of monthly MBTA passes for its employees.

helping BU reach its Climate Action Plan goals, Hajjar wrote.

“Our employee transportation benefits — particularly transit subsidies — have played a key role in a dramatic reduction in drive-alone trips to campus,” Hajjar wrote. “[We had] a 32% drop between 2014 and 2018 based upon our sur veys conducted for the Commonwealth’s DEP Rideshare Program.”

Jack Harris, a graduate teaching fellow at BU, said he mostly commutes to campus daily from Brookline Village by riding the T. Harris said graduate teaching fellows receive a discounted semesterly MBTA train and bus pass, but do not get the 50 percent subsidy that full-time employees have.

“Unfortunately they’re not

better than the benefits offered to st udents,” Ha rris sa id.

“Frankly, I know that other grad schools that employ teaching fellows, like myself, give better [price] breaks.”

Employees like Harris are also given parking permits at discounted rates; however, parking is still pricey, Harris said.

Harris said providing employees with transportation benefits is important because it will encourage faculty and professors to commute via public transportation, reducing their carbon footprint.

“There is a wealth of data showing that the more [employees] utilize transportation benefits, on a smaller scale of carpools and on a larger scale of buses and mass transit, the smaller our carbon footprint will be,” Harris said.

By being reimbursed for transportation, professors and staff would be more available to their students outside of the classroom, Harris said.

“If I know that I have, at no extra cost, the ability to zip over to campus without much issue, that increases my face time with my students and makes me better at my job,” Harris said.

Kawas Aga, a sophomore in the School of Hospitality Administration, said transportation benefits help employees that live outside of Boston commute to work.

“Faculty and professors come from different ends of the state or the New England area and I think it’s important to give them some sort of transport compensation,” Aga said. “[This will] ensure that they are happy with their commute.”

Jon Ollom, a senior in the College of Communication, said having transportation benefits other than transit is important because public transportation is not always reliable.

“Because the public transportation system in Boston is not great,” Ollom said, “I think [transportation benefits] will definitely help people who work in other parts of the city who have a difficult time getting this campus.”

Ollom lives off-campus and commutes to his job as a COM ambassador, but does not have access to extensive employee transportation benefits as a student.

“I’m also a student so it’s not really like I was expecting to [receive transportation benefits],” Ollom said. “Still, my commute isn’t a five minute walk, it’s a 45 minute walk.”

Danae Gaytan, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she has always received employee transportation benefits wherever she worked.

“I worked in an aquarium and we always had transportation benefits,” Gaytan said. “Our parking was always covered and validated, which was really nice because I never had to worry about paying any fees.”

Gaytan said transportation benefits will help employers be on time for work.

“The traffic in Boston is awful,” Gaytan said, “so I could see how that could be a hindrance considering that most people don’t live in Boston and they have to commute a long way.”

4 NEWS

Small marijuana retailers struggling to break into market MARIJUANA, FROM PAGE 1 additional $12,000, representing the total of the first and last month’s rent, before Gaskin asked for the landlord’s cooperation in applying for her HCA. Gaskin said the owner then demanded another $100,000 to fund renovations to the property before moving forward with licensing.

“And essentially, that’s where the conversations broke down,” Gaskin said. “He started being squirrely in terms of returning my phone calls and emails.”

The landlord later told her another individual had called saying he held $2.4 million in the bank and was willing to invest in the property, Gaskin said. Previous negotiations with Gaskin became null.

“So, essentially, we got bought out by the highest bidder,” Gaskin said.

“And at that point we had already invested close to $20,000, which is now gone.”

After acquiring a location, hopeful business owners will be able to begin the licensing application process. However, the next hurdle comes when these cannabis retailers, cultivators and manufacturers must continue to pay rent until their application is approved, despite not yet being able to operate.

“For [applicants] who tend not to have as much resources,” Rabinovitz said, “that can deplete their capital really quick.”

Chauncy Spencer has been waiting a year and a half for his HCA to be

approved. He said he intends to open a dispensary and cultivation facility in Boston’s Mattapan Square.

Spencer is an Economic Empowerment Priority Applicant, a status that ensures his application will receive earlier review than those of non-priority applicants through a special CCC program that aims to promote cannabis entrepreneurship in historically disadvantaged communities.

“It was expected that it would be considered on a municipal level, because the state had recognized we come from areas of disproportionate impact and the war on drugs and they wanted us to be included in this industry,” Spencer said. “But on a municipal level it hasn’t worked that way. My application languished till now.”

Spencer said he was the first applicant in the city to put in an application for an marijuana business. Despite this and his priority status, he said his application has been ignored about a dozen times.

“At least in Boston, business is very political,” Spencer said. “And if you don’t have that political capital, you just don’t get heard in the same way in which you you should, especially if this is a top-down type of power structure where the mayor has an extraordinary amount of control.”

Boston entrepreneurs like Spencer, however, may see an improvement in coming months. The city passed an ordinance on Nov. 27 to transfer licensing jurisdiction from the Mayor’s Office to an independent board.

John Marchefka, a Social Equity applicant working on starting a cannabis business park — a complex that will house multiple marijuana businesses — said it took four months to receive his HCA from the town of Granby.

“We started talking with the town last June about a host community agreement and it took us until October to get one,” Marchefka said, “which is a little bit challenging because we were paying a fair amount of money to hold the property. We’re paying monthly option fees on it.”

Past the HCAs, long wait times persist at the state level as well.

Once the CCC acknowledges a completed application, it restricts itself to a review period of 90 days before it must either issue or deny a license.

The problem is not a failure to maintain this window, Rabinovitz said, but rather that this 90-day countdown doesn’t start until the CCC decides to declare an application “complete.”

“So you can submit a complete application, and you can submit the fee, and then it sits and it sits and it sits,” Rabinovitz said. “That’s one of the big problems in all of this: the fact that the applicant is saying, ‘I did my job, I got all my materials together and it isn’t easy, I put everything in and I paid my fee.’ The clock should start.”

A CCC spokesperson wrote in an email that the commission voted this past year to expedite the review of certain applications after hearing feedback during its regulatory public comment period. Those to have their review process expedited include

Social Equity Applicants as well as certified minority, women or veteran enterprises.

Morgan Fox, media relations director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said he believes the CCC is making an effort to address the issue but has made little headway.

“This process shouldn’t take this long,” Fox said, “and by requiring businesses to actually have a settled location before they can even apply, it shuts out tons of people from the potential market and the people that actually can afford to do that are still losing money when they could be up and operating.”

When real estate space is leased out without being used for months, the city itself also suffers a cost, Rabinovitz said.

“If a store is locked up by a marijuana operator, that store has no employees,” Rabinovitz said. “And those no employees buy zero cups of coffee when they come to work in the morning. They get zero gas, they buy zero lunch and they do zero instrumental shopping. It also generates zero tax revenue.”

Rabinovitz, however, said he managed to turn the system around in one municipality. The NewCann CEO said he convinced the town of Maynard to approve an HCA without having first located a space for his store.

“Every time they said ‘no’ I didn’t hear it, I just stood there like a lunk,” Rabinovitz said. “I was like a five-yearold kid who was being told it’s bedtime.

Every time they said no I explained to them why they should reconsider, why it was good for the community. And I got lucky.”

Under the town’s new system, Rabinovitz was granted six months to secure his property. It was the first ever case in Massachusetts of a municipality issuing an HCA before seeing proof of a location.

Roxbury resident Waiman Se, 23, said while he supports the state’s buffer zone around schools, he would like to see more marijuana businesses in the city.

“I think more stores in the city makes the city more like a city,” Se said. “It makes it easier for millions of people to buy something.”

Allia Langill, 20, of Roxbury said it makes sense that finding real estate is tough for cannabis retailers, especially in Boston, because any land in the city is expensive.

“I guess you just have to find places that are good deals and I honestly don’t really know, but it would be hard,” Langill said. “This is very competitive and it’s unfair, but life’s unfair.”

Marianne Ajemian, 63, of Back Bay said she is concerned about the health effects of recreational marijuana use, but that she supports equity in the cannabis retail industry.

“It takes a lot of financial support to be able to [start a business],” Ajemian said. “You can’t just say, ‘We’ll give priority to those people’ and think that they’ll have the financial resources and the wherewithal to be able to do that.”

Panelists discuss reasons, consequences of traffic congestion TRAFFIC, FROM PAGE 1 Chris Osgood, Boston’s Chief of the Streets, Transportation and Sanitation, said during the event the city is ready for major change and would be open to a congestion charge.

“Now is a moment when we have to be taking bold steps,” Osgood said. “We’re open to anything.”

But Stephanie Pollack, secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said during the panel while congestion pricing might work for Boston, the plan is not a be-all, end-all solution.

“It’s a tool in the toolkit, it’s not a silver bullet,” Pollack said. “There are parts of Massachusetts where pricing doesn’t make any sense.”

Instead, Pollack said another solution would be to implement “managed lanes,” which would lessen congestion by creating dedicated express lanes on highways that drivers would pay a toll to enter.

“Something like managed lanes is a more productive way,” Pollack said.

“It’s not about punishing people who have no choice.”

Throughout the 90-minute panel, one topic that triggered much applause from the audience was the issue of promoting racial and economic equity in public transportation.

Mary Skelton Roberts, co-director of climate at the Barr Foundation — which awards grants for the arts, education and climate protection — said bus riders tend to be older or younger residents who are often of color and low-income.

Pollack agreed with Roberts and said that of the residents who did take the bus, people of color tended to have lengthier commute times.

“Black bus riders have longer commutes than white bus riders,” Pollack said. “Here’s the other fact

COURTESY OF SARAH NICHOLS

The long-form series explores the causes behind the city’s traffic as well as the negative effects it has on commuters and residents.

that nobody includes with that: black [bus] drivers have longer commutes than white bus drivers.”

Why? Boston’s affordable housing shortage, Pollack said, which pushes lower-income racial minorities further away from the city in search of affordable rent.

“The fact is that we don’t build enough housing that people can afford near the jobs that they’re qualified to hold,” Polack said. “That is the fundamental equity issue that shapes our transportation system.”

The forum also featured a question-and-answer segment in which attendees submitted questions online and in-person. The submissions raised concerns ranging from costs to bike and pedestrian safety.

Roberts said cheaper access to the MBTA system should be a priority.

“I do think we do need to make public transit at least free, if not low-cost,” Roberts said. “If you’re a

senior citizen, if you’re young, you should be able to find public transit without paying exorbitant amounts.”

The MBTA system already provides discounts for youth, elderly and disabled riders, Pollack said in response. Regardless, she said the cost of transportation isn’t the biggest concern for riders.

“The number one request is better service, not lower fares,” Pollack said.

State Rep. William Straus, chairperson of the Joint Transportation Committee, said making the MBTA free would not be an effective solution, as operating and upkeep costs should be shared by multiple parties.

“You can’t put a cost of a system on any one part of it,” Straus said.

Even if the MBTA were free, Osgood said such a solution will not fully address the congestion problem, as congestion problems would persist because people use Uber and

Lyft despite public transportation being available.

Pollack said the state has been adding miles of bike lanes to encourage cycling as an alternative to vehicular transportation, with plans for more in the future to encourage cyclists.

“There’s a huge amount of potential,” Pollack said. “But we also need people to feel safe when they walk and bike.”

Jennie Halperin, 31, of Jamaica Plain, attended the forum and said although she thinks biking is the most efficient way to get to work, she still worries about safety.

“Why can we take a right on red in Boston?” Rose said after the event. “It’s a constant menace to bicycles. Even some of the protected bike lanes with buses, buses come in and out of the lanes. It feels dangerous, feels scary.”

Beyond the conversation, tangible

action is important, Roberts said.

“Let’s figure it out,” Roberts said.

“Let’s move on to the next page. We got to stop talking about it.”

Attendee Roy J. Harris Jr, 73, of Hingam said he was disappointed by the complacency of the state’s politicians.

“I thought the most surprising was to find individual success stories and how little Boston had done to look at best practices,” Harris said before the forum. “And that’s an embarrassment to a city like Boston.”

John A. Businger, a former Massachusetts state representative from Brookline and current vice president of the National Corridors Initiative, a transportation advocacy group, attended the forum. He said he was disappointed to hear no mention of the North-South Rail link, a proposal to build a commuter rail tunnel connecting North Station and South Station in Boston.

“They talk about regional solutions, but there was no talk here about the North-South Station rail,” Businger said after the event. “We are the only place in the country where you can’t get from one side of the big city to the other. That’s a big issue. Nobody talks about it.”

Despite remaining concerns, Osgood said after the event that the city has been actively working to improve its traffic infrastructure.

“I think we’re actually very much on the right track,” Osgood said. “I think there’s a lot more that we need to do.”

To make progress, Roberts said the city must shift its view of the transportation system.

“We have a defeatist perspective,” Roberts said. “Change the narrative.

Don’t talk about what’s not working, tell us about what can work. Talk about what the system can deliver and what you want.”

NEWS 5

SCIENCE sustainability@BU app builds environmentally conscious habits

BY SARAH READDEAN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

From line-drying laundry to powering off electronics, making an effort to conserve energy might seem like a hassle. However, an app designed for the BU community aims to make these minor annoyances fun and competitive.

The sustainability@BU app was created in August 2015 for the BU community to log and develop new sustainable habits, Lisa Tornatore, the sustainability director at sustainability@BU, said.

“We can’t expect people to use it all the time and log their habits regularly,” Tornatore said. “It lends itself to being a habit creator.”

When users open the app, they are welcomed by a screen listing dozens of actions to select such as composting and taking the stairs. When an action is “buzzed” in, meaning the user logs the action, they are awarded points and shown the environmental impact of it.

For example, opting for a reusable mug at coffee shops for a year has the same impact as eliminating one bag of garbage, charging 3,093 AA batteries and flushing a toilet 86 times, according to the app.

Collectively, Tornatore said the 9,000 users who have downloaded

CHIKA OKOYE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The sustainability@BU phone app, created to encourage environmentally conscious practices across campus through fun competitions and games.

the app have saved more than 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide, 11 million gallons of water and diverted 375,000 pounds of waste.

“It’s important for the individual to know their impact,” Tornatore said. “It’s really important for us, as a community, to be aware of [the actions] of the organizations that we’re involved with.”

Neha Chinwalla, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a resident sustainability leader in Warren Towers, said the app provides positive reinforcement by giving users an idea of what types of sustainable actions they can imple-

ment into their lives.

“The app is a tool to help students think about what they can do in their daily routine to be more sustainable,” Chinwalla said. “It’s just a reminder that in all the bad news you hear about the climate, there’s something that is positive like this app, where people on it are constantly trying to do their best and make positive change.”

The app also features challenges that track a user’s points in a communal leaderboard. Some challenges from this semester have included the Warren Towers Zero Waste SmackDown, the Net Impact & BU Dining

Reusables Week Challenge and the Study Sustainably With BU Library Challenge, with prizes ranging from pizza parties to BU swag.

Chinwalla said she hopes users will continue to participate in the challenges after seeing some of the prizes teams and individuals can win.

“The point of the challenge is to make some friendly competition,” Chinwalla said, “and just show that it’s not that hard to do, so it’s easy to make those changes.”

Melinda Stackpole, a freshman in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, first learned about the app through its First-Year Student Outreach Project challenge and continued to use it for another challenge at Warren Towers.

Stackpole said she was more active on the app during the challenges, but continued with those habits without always logging it.

“A lot of things that I did during FYSOP to win the competition, I kept doing them anyway,” Stackpole said. “I just haven’t been buzzing them as much, but I still do them.”

Jake Rojas, a junior in CAS and the C Tower winner of the Warren Towers Smack-Down, said he earned 55 points during the challenge and won a set of bamboo utensils.

Continuing to incorporate challenges, Rojas said, would increase

participation within the app.

“Especially I think if you focus more on getting participants in the freshman dorms that will carry out as they become sophomores, juniors and seniors,” Rojas said. “And then they’ll be inclined to participate in competitions later on, especially the whole incentives to it, like having prizes.”

Aliya Zwyer, a freshman in CAS, also learned about the app through FYSOP and said that while it introduces students to sustainable habits, it won’t necessarily make BU more sustainable in the long run.

“I don’t think the app itself, like having it on your phone, is going to allow someone to be more sustainable,” Zwyer said. “I think it’s just that it shows you your options, and then you have the app on your phone.

It doesn’t do that job for us.”

Through her role as sustainability resident leader, Chinwalla said she wants to bring students together in sustainability.

“I want to engage as many people as possible and just empower them to make their own decisions and to think long term about sustainability,” Chinwalla said. “Thinking sustainability is thinking long term.

Because even though it might not be the most convenient thing, it’s best for the planet and for people.”

SCIENCE

Speakers share optimism on eliminating prevalence of AIDS

BY AKSHATA SHUKLA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

To commemorate and acknowledge World AIDS Day, the Boston University School of Public Health hosted a panel Monday titled “Is Eradicating AIDS Feasible?” The panel featured speakers from various backgrounds who presented their views on the progress that has been made in AIDS research and the future for fighting the disease.

Sandro Galea, the dean of SPH, opened the event by remarking on the evolution of AIDS from being an untreatable disease to becoming manageable with new treatment options.

“Today AIDS has been transformed into a chronic disease, a disease that people live full and rich lives with within a normal lifespan,” Galea said in his opening remarks. “Now we are on the cusp of something even more exciting: the possibility of ending AIDS.” Conditions that allow AIDS to persist — stigma, poverty, addiction and the marginalization of LGBT populations — must be addressed in order to eliminate AIDS worldwide, Galea wrote in an email.

“BUSPH has a long history of working on this topic,” Galea wrote. “This event was part of our effort to move the conversation in this direction.”

Robert Horsburgh, a professor of epidemiology at SPH who spoke at the event, said in an interview that it is important to think about ways to help those who don’t seek out help because they are embarrassed of the

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, opened a panel focused on the eradication of AIDS Monday.

disease.

“I think we need to get the message out there,” Horsburgh said.

“Removing the stigma is going to be the most important thing.”

Horsburgh said he moved into public health after caring for patients with AIDS, hoping to help prevent problems in future patients and “get the AIDS epidemic under control.”

“It was very frustrating seeing all the problems that could have been prevented but hadn’t been,” Horsburgh said. “I’m really into the prevention side, what we can do to prevent people and help them protect themselves.”

Inspired by Monday’s panel, Horsburgh said he is optimistic about the future of the fight against AIDS, noting the World Health Organization’s 90-90-90 plan.

“The goal is to get 90 percent of people who have HIV identified and get 90 percent of them into care and 90 percent of them virally suppressed,” Horsburgh said.

Jonathan Mermin, director of the National Center for HIV/ AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention at the CDC, and a rear admiral in the United States Public Health Service, delivered the keynote address at the event, broad-

ening the focus of the discussion to also include HIV. “Focusing only on AIDS, and not HIV, would miss much of the epidemic and part of the need,” Mermin said.

While a complete eradication of HIV is unlikely, Mermin said, it is possible to reduce its impact and occurrence in society to a nearly negligible level. He said he changed the question from “Is eradicating new HIV infections feasible?” to “Is eliminating new HIV infections feasible?”

“If we define elimination as fewer than one new infection per 100,000 persons … the answer is yes,” Mermin

said. “It is an aspirational and achievable goal.”

The obstacles that are preventing a significant reduction of HIV are not purely scientific, Mermin said, but rather the culmination of many different aspects regarding the disease.

“Today, every death from HIV is preventable and each one highlights the failure of our public health, medical care, social and economic structures,” Mermin said. “The number of new HIV infections is greater than the number of people who die with HIV, a sign that we are continually doing better with treatment but a growing challenge for prevention.”

Panelist Helen Ayles, professor of infectious diseases and international health, and research director of the Zambart Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said in an interview that research on getting better treatments and longer-lasting prevention will benefit this public health issue.

“I do think that in the next 20 years we could,” Ayles said, “if we put in the necessary resources and the necessary effort get to a situation where we are seeing significantly fewer people becoming infected.”

Angela Dogani, a junior in the College of Fine Arts, said much of the stigma that surrounds the epidemic is due to ignorance.

“If we just reduce the ignorance around HIV and AIDS,” Dogani said, “then people who are possibly affected will actually start to seek the treatment that they rightfully deserve.”

6 FEATURES

ARTS FreeP vs. Food: Festive Winter Drinks

VICTORIA BOND/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Blue State Coffee’s gingerbread latte.

BY VICTORIA BOND DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Blue State Coffee: Gingerbread latte A gingerbread latte from Blue State Coffee fits right in among the cafe’s minimalist — and, honestly, underwhelming — atmosphere.

Blue State left behind elaborate flavors and toppings this holiday season, instead simply adding gingerbread and peppermint to their repertoire of homemade syrup flavors that can be added to any of their drinks.

While the simple approach could have made for a delicious twist on common favorites, the gingerbread syrup fell far short of the “holiday drink” benchmark.

The gingerbread flavor was — well, there was no gingerbread flavor. The drink was a textbook latte with a bed of creamy foam atop a mixture of steamed milk and bold espresso, but unfortu-

MAYA MABERN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The cinnamon fig latte from Pavement Coffeehouse.

nately, the praise ends there.

Each gulp left more and more disappointment in the quest for the nostalgic taste of gingerbread. Before the drink could prove itself as a holiday staple, my cup was empty.

There was a distinct — yet generic — sweetness to the latte, but that was the only proof any gingerbread syrup had even been added to the drink.

Instead of a tinge of toasty gingerbread wistfulness, this latte left my tongue with the same feeling one gets from pouring simple syrup into their drink. Its aftertaste was similar to if there had been no flavor at all: bitter and dry.

While this is a great choice if you’re looking for a standard latte, you won’t find any seasonal joy in Blue State’s bland rendition of a holiday specialty.

GRADE: C

BY MAYA MABERN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Pavement Coffeehouse: Cinnamon Fig Latte Desperately searching for a perfectly wintery, non-denominational coffee drink?

Few seasonal beverages can hold a candle to Pavement’s Cinnamon Fig Latte, a beacon in a seemingly endless sea of overly sweet, nauseatingly festive drinks.

The latte, a barebones recipe of their homeroasted espresso, milk and flavored syrup, is as minimalist as it is satisfying.

The flavor combination of spice and fruit may sound unpleasant, but Pavement’s syrup gets the cinnamon-to-fig ratio perfectly that it barely tastes like you’re drinking espresso and fruit in the same gulp.

The addition of fig brings a new sophis-

SOFIA KOYAMA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Einstein Bros. Bagels’ spicy mocha.

BY SOFIA KOYAMA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Spicy Mocha Though known for its freshly baked bagels, Einstein Bros. Bagels offers a range of drinks perfect alongside any egg sandwich or all on their own. This holiday season, the beloved bagel chain is offering an aromatic seasonal drink not advertised on its menu: the spicy mocha.

Served in Einstein’s familiar blue to-go cups, popping off the plastic lid reveals a dollop of swirled whipped cream atop a deep coffee, deceptively reminiscent of a straightforward mocha coffee. But take one sip and the spicy kick will instantly set the drink apart from the rest.

The brew sings with sharp notes of cinnamon and nutmeg; its strong, bold flavor hits the throat and leaves the mouth tingling long after being washed down. But the familiar, chocolaty warmth of a typical mocha still simmers right below the surface, mingling with the blend of

tication to the pantheon of seasonal coffee drinks. The subtlety of flavor combined with Pavement’s smooth espresso makes for a perfect winter beverage that smells like potpourri, and tastes like the warmth and comfort of home, with just enough spice to keep you interested.

The cinnamon fig latte is ideal for curling up in bed on a snow day (or for pretending that we had one), Christmas tree shopping, or watching “Gilmore Girls” in lieu of studying for finals.

It provides a false sense of security so common to the end of the semester. No matter how far away winter break seems, Pavement’s cinnamon fig latte reminds us that we’re in the home stretch. Curl up, take a sip and hold out for one more week.

GRADE: A

SOFIA KOYAMA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Irish cream cold brew from Starbucks.

spices for a comforting drink that is as sweet as it is savory. Either slurp up the whipped topping immediately or let it melt away for an even creamier beverage.

While not ideal for someone with a sweet tooth, the spiciness of the mocha keeps the sweetness from being too overpowering.

Instead, the drink is a nice treat, one that carries enough warmth to offset any Boston winter day.

Located in the heart of campus on the basement level of the College of Arts and Sciences, Einstein’s is a popular study spot, with yellow lights hanging above colorfully patterned booths and art deco paintings adorning the walls. While usually packed in the mornings, it’s easy to snag a seat as the school day dies down.

Einstein’s spicy mocha can be enjoyed while studying for upcoming finals, or as a personal hand-warmer to accompany the walk down snowy Commonwealth Avenue.

GRADE: A-

BY ALEX LASALVIA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Starbucks: Irish Cream Cold Brew There’s no better feeling during the holidays than to curl up in a blanket with a soothing drink and watch the snow fall from your window. This is not that drink.

However, the Irish Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks is the drink that can get you through your other December traditions — Christmas shopping marathons and finals season all-nighters — while still keeping you in the holiday spirit.

Sure it’s another Starbucks marketing gimmick, but the Irish Cream offers a flavor that’s totally unique on the coffee giant’s menu.

If you haven’t tried any of Starbucks’s cold foam cold brew drinks you definitely should.

The contrast between the creamy foam and the strong smooth cold brew is great (although it doesn’t last the more time they have to mix).

They actually greatly benefit from the new sippy cup Nitro Lids because you get that cream-coffee combo and get to save the turtles

without dealing with paper straws (which are the absolute worst) (don’t pretend like they’re not).

The whole drink has a really nice subtle chocolate flavor, which is surprising because there is only added chocolate in the cold foam. The flourish of cocoa powder on top of the foam is also a nice touch.

If you’re looking to get drunk off of holiday spirit, this drink will not help you — obviously, Starbucks did not put actual irish whiskey in this drink. But that flavor still comes through in the cold foam nicely.

Overall, the Irish Cream Cold Brew is a delicious drink with flavors that are surprisingly subtle but cold brew that still packs a punch. It’s a great choice if you love a fancy drink but don’t have the sweet tooth for the rest of Starbucks’s menu.

This drink won’t make you feel warm and cozy but it’ll give you the kick you need to power through this crazy month.

GRADE: B+

FEATURES 7

COMMUNITY

A new immersive gaming experience comes to Mission Hill

BY HANNAH SHEARER DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Board game cafes, where patrons can come and play a game of Clue while drinking coffee and eating pastries, should be ready to move out of the way for a new, immersive narrative game bar in Boston.

Tavern of Tales is a new board game bar opening at 1478 Tremont St. Friday offers private rooms where patrons can play narrative board games with the added bonus of sound effects. The tavern will be officially opening in Mission Hill after hosting a soft launch Nov. 22.

When customers come to the restaurant, they can rent a private game room that includes a round table, the game board and all the cards and pieces needed. Waiting in the room is a game master, who is there to talk players through the game’s rules and answer any questions they might have while playing.

Players are able to choose between reserving a private room to play the interactive board games the tavern offers or going to the bar and playing more classic games such as Uno or Apples 2 Apples.

There are six interactive board games in reserved private rooms to choose from: Eight Minute Empire, Forbidden Island, Mysterium, Robots on the Line, The Resistance and Tokaido. Each game comes with its own script and sound effects in order to create six completely different atmospheres for the stories.

COURTESY OF TAVERN OF TALES

Bar seating in Tavern of Tales, a new board game bar officially opening in Boston’s Mission Hill this weekend.

All games are priced by the hour and by the number of people playing, ranging from $10 to $14 for one hour, $10.50 to $7.50 for the second hour and $5 to $7 for the third consecutive hour. Players can choose their game from a prepared menu where the stories are listed alongside drinks and snacks.

Founder and CEO Nicholas Chen, an alumnus of the Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, said he had the idea for Tavern of Tales in his senior thesis where he said he wanted to study whether

adding sound effects to a board game can improve the experience for those playing it.

“Through my work, it seemed that, yes, sound effects to heightened experience,” Chen said. “Then from there I decided I want to expand on that concept and turn it into this kind of board game experience tavern here.”

Chen said when he started his thesis he had no plans to create the tavern but soon realized the idea had more potential.

“It was a group project with the

rest of my classmates in the sound department,” Chen said, “but at a certain point, I actually really think this is a cool idea. I don’t want other people to touch it.”

Chen worked alone for much of the first year of the project, he said, figuring out the details of the tavern and working through the kinks of the project before slowly amassing a staff. Now as CEO, he has a script writer, a graphic designer and game masters working for the tavern.

In order to get the restaurant aspect right, Chen, who has never

worked in the restaurant industry, said he consulted with Christy Henry, who now works at Mamaleh’s Delicatessen, a deli in Cambridge, to help structure the bar and kitchen.

The tavern provides alcohol and food that was chosen to work with the game-playing experience, Chen said. Rather than full entrés, there will be more finger-food style snacks, such as tater tots and flatbread pizza.

JP Cromwell, who just received his master’s degree in writing at Emerson College, was one of the first people brought onto the project and is now the scriptwriter and assistant CEO for Taven of Tales.

Cromwell said he “genuinely can’t believe this is his job,” and wouldn’t trade it for a second.

“I play board games, write and play through a vast number of roles each day I never thought I’d have to coming into this. And I wouldn’t give up a day of it,” Cromwell said. “It’s just pure fun and I’m glad that we’re finally about to have our grand opening. It’s been a long time coming.”

Cromwell said this experience is something he had never really seen before and something that feels “unreal” to be a part of.

“The experience of Tavern of Tales, at least working there, is kind of like a fantasy,” Cromwell said.

“Because your parents would tell you while you’re growing up that life isn’t all fun and games, but with this job, it’s mainly fun and games.”

BUSINESS

Bookstore hosts Holiday Fest to kick off gift-giving season

BY IRENE CHUNG DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Thanksgiving has come and gone and the December holiday season is in full swing.

To welcome in the holiday season, More Than Words, a bookstore that focuses on employing at-risk youth, hosted nearly 20 shops Saturday to transform their South End location into a gift market for their Holiday Fest.

Shoppers perused a wide selection of books and other holiday-themed craft goods to including skincare products, jewelry and various food items such as tacos and cookies. Throughout the event, pop-folk duo Three At Home performed live holiday music to set the mood for shoppers.

Leanne Goff, More Than Words’ site director, said the purpose of Holiday Fest is to gain exposure and increase revenue for the nonprofit.

“For our retail bookstore, it’s [our goal] to drive revenue, obviously, first and foremost, but also to bring members of the community into our space to shop and learn about More Than Words,” Goff said.

Holiday Fest was held on Small Business Saturday, an annual holiday held the Saturday following Thanksgiving, in an effort to

encourage consumers to shop at local stores.

The local shops at Holiday Fest were selected through an application process, Goff said, where More Than Words’ events director evaluated the appropriateness of each shop’s product as well as how they complimented each other and the organization’s mission.

One such shop present at Saturday’s event was Erazan, an online skincare brand whose products are made with food-grade and organic materials, according to their website.

Erazan started in the eponymous village of Erazan in Morocco 100 years ago, according to the brand’s website.

Another brand featured at Holiday Fest was the eco-friendly paper company Red + Wolf. The Boston-based company sells a range of products from greeting cards and watercolor prints to various home goods like wine bags and aprons.

The company’s founding concept was to provide direct aid to wildlife conservation, according to their website. For every Red + Wolf product sold the company gives $1 to the Wildlife Conservation Network.

Cape Cod-based chocolatier Chequessett Chocolate was featured as well. Katherine Reed, the CEO and co-founder

COURTESY OF MORE THAN WORDS

One of the vendors at the Holiday Festival hosted by bookstore More Than Words over the weekend.

of Chequessett Chocolate, said Saturday’s event was her first time attending an event hosted by More Than Words.

Chequessett Chocolate sells a wide variety of craft chocolate bars and Reed said

Chequessett Chocolate is committed to crafting products that are both high-quality and environmentally-friendly.

“We import all organic cacao beans from origin, and then we make it all in our facility,” Reed

said. “We’re small enough that instead of being fair trade, we’re actually direct trade. So we travel down to the farms have direct trade relationships with the cow producers that we buy our beans for.”

At the event, Chequessett Chocolate offered two bars, both of which are finalists for the chocolate category of the 2020 Good Food Awards. Winners will be announced in January.

One of the bars is white chocolate with lemon and thyme and one, called the Costa Esmeraldas chocolate bar, features notes of honey and pineapple, according to their website. Reed said chocolate sales during Thanksgiving are especially high due to the dropping temperature and impending holiday season.

“It’s difficult for us to market in the summertime because of melting,” Reed said. “We get really excited when the temperature drops so that we can go into outdoor events.”

To celebrate Thanksgiving and give back to the community, Chequessett Chocolate offered an exclusive discount for shoppers at Saturday’s event where one could purchase three bars for $20.

“We don’t normally offer that discount,” Reed said. “That way people can try our line and share them with their loved ones.”

8 OPINION

EDITORIAL

Renovating GSU helps, but we’d like better housing first The Boston Universit y Student Government discussed plans to renovate the George Sherman Union at their meeting Monday night, detailing a project that would open up space in the food court and update ordering systems to include tablets, among other improvements.

But, this is an extremely misguided use of the thousands of dollars likely f lowing into the project.

Complaints about BU financial management are starting to get old, but so is the careless spending of our money on projects that don’t address students’ needs.

The university deserves some credit for this change, as it is much more student-oriented than other renovations the administration has invested in. Our point is that if they are going to take the time to address student issues, there are other more pressing situations that should take priority.

Some dorms are, quite literally, falling apart, especially those whose residents aren’t paying hefty prices for nicer setups, which is apparently the price you have to pay for a well-kept living space.

By continuously pouring money into cosmetic projects that coincidentally fall on the BU Admissions Tour path, meanwhile the ceilings of some residences are crumbling, administration is sending the same message to students it has been for years: we don’t care.

Attracting new students and making BU enticing to prospective Terriers is clearly more important than actually improving the conditions current students live in. The university has scrambled to

find new ways to get more applicants and drive our acceptance rate down, which has for the most part been successful.

But it is time to reconsider priorities when the interest of prospective students takes more of BU’s money and effort than improving and maintaining the well-being of those students once they actually arrive.

Mugar Library, which is literally connected to the GSU, is one of the buildings on campus most in need of an update. The drab tables and cubicles among dusty rows of bookshelves, all washed over by dim lighting, grow more and more unbearable with every passing exam season.

Instead, BU is choosing to spend its money making the GSU more “open” and convenient for students to spend even more of their money.

It is a very inefficient system as is, with long and winding lines to order and check out during peak meal times and limited seating at pretty much any time of day.

So, these renovations could improve the experience in the GSU greatly. But as mentioned before, an update to the student union before more important renovations such as in housing units is unfortunate.

The GSU is only truly available to students that are able to afford blowing through their dining points or spending their own money at the food court. Most students have dining plans, but not all that do can rely on points, which are notorious for depleting quickly, more than swipes.

BU’s argument that opening up the space would increase efficiency may be legitimate and one day useful for some

CROSSWORD

ADRIANA DIAZ / DFP FILE

of the student body, according to a presentation given by the Director of Dining Services Joseph LaChance at the SG meeting Monday. But it should not be overlooked that the renovations would likely also increase the school’s business.

These opinions apply to just about any costly project BU has embarked on in recent years. Whether its a facelift for the College of Fine Arts building or new Data Sciences Center, a current work in progress, BU has spent plenty of time and money on making the campus more attractive, not more functional. Many of the spaces in these buildings are unavailable to students depending on their major or college.

Instead, these funds should be poured

into programs that would help students, both present and future, in more ways than a shiny new building would.

There are plenty of other improvements BU can make that have nothing to do with renovating buildings that would still greatly benefit the student body.

Student Health Services could always use extra funding and staff to support students, among other important services.

Student Government might have had discussions on these renovations, but they have little say in what projects are or are not initiated by the university. Until administration starts listening to what students need improved first and foremost, their well-intentioned efforts in the GSU are not enough.

This week’s crossword puzzle is brought to you by Hilary Junk COURTESY OF MIRROREYES.COM / CROSSWORD ANSWERS AVAILABLE ON https://dfpress.co/2r6jwTi

ACROSS 1. Lasso 5. Type of poplar tree 10. Wanes 14. Murres 15. “Odyssey” sorceress 16. Pace 17. Handrail 19. Behold, in old Rome 20. French for “Summer” 21. Devoutness 22. Out of kilter 23. Conference 25. Religious splinter groups 27. Female chicken 28. Signalman 31. Risk 34. A type of virus 35. Actress Lupino 36. Bound 37. Amount of hair

DOWN 38. Jittery 39. Shade tree 40. Young hog 41. Runs away 42. Substance for staining 44. East Indian tree 45. Somewhat 46. An aromatic herb 50. Held on tightly 52. Road or bridge fees 54. Historic period 55. Allies’ foe 56. Strictly obeying the law 58. Connects two points 59. Eagle’s nest 60. Ow! 61. Fog 62. Small songbirds 63. Petty quarrel

1. Yokels 2. Give a speech 3. Heaps 4. French for “Water” 5. Fight 6. Femme fatale 7. Buttocks 8. Exotic dancer 9. Born as 10. Excrements 11. Lapse 12. A pale blue pigment 13. Goulash 18. Patter 22. Skin disease 24. Transport commercially 26. Hens make them 28. Bundle 29. Border 30. Beams 31. Implored

Haley Lerner, Editor-in-Chief

Audrey Martin, Managing Editor

Alex LaSalvia, Campus Editor Joel Lau, City Editor Nathan Lederman, Features Editor

Shubhankar Arun, Sports Editor Victoria Bond, Editorial Page Editor Sofia Koyama, Photo Editor

32. Evasive 33. Small fireproof dishes 34. Make an unreasonable profit 37. As a result 38. Large N. Amer. deer (plural) 40. Male deer 41. The language of Persia 43. Sundown 44. Rapids 46. Unadorned 47. Abatement 48. Genus of heath 49. Luxury boat 50. Serene 51. 62 in Roman numerals 53. Monster 56. Legislation 57. Mayday

t h e i nd e p e nd e nt st ude n t n ewspap e r at bo sto n un i v ersity 49th year | Volume 96 | Issue 10 The Daily Free Press (ISSN 1094-7337) is printed Thursdays 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 © 2019 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights

Maya Mabern, Layout Editor Olivia Ritter, Blog Editor Kami Rieck, Multimedia Editor

OPINION 9

FINAL WORD: A letter from the editor

BY HALEY LERNER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

After watching “Gilmore Girls” one too many times, and watching Rory Gilmore rise to the top of her student newspaper, I came into college with a plan: I was going to be editor-in-chief of The Daily Free Press.

I know, it was a lofty goal. But I had a four-year plan — one that was quickly derailed.

After being a news writer for the FreeP my freshman year, I applied to be an associate news editor. I was rejected. I couldn’t watch an episode of “Gilmore Girls” for weeks.

You can imagine my disappointment.

How was I supposed to one day run the paper when I couldn’t even secure an entry-level editorial position?

My ego was definitely bruised, but I kept at it. I stayed as a staff writer in the spring, took every story I was offered (even if it meant stressed-out phone calls to my mom) and finally became an associate editor.

And here I am now, ending my term as editor-in-chief. It’s all kind of weird.

My entire college experience has been shaped by The Daily Free Press. So, it’s really strange to think it’s mostly over now.

The thing is, I’ve really loved every step it has taken to get me to where I am now.

From going out onto the streets of Kenmore Square late at night to interview residents to working closely with writers and associates as city editor, being a part of the FreeP made me feel special.

It made me feel like I was doing something that mattered.

That’s how I want everyone involved at the FreeP to feel — writers, editors, photographers, layout designers, podcasters and videographers alike.

The FreeP is special. When it feels like our hours spent in the basement below Insomnia Cookies are depriving us of sleep, a regular diet and a social life, it’s important to remember that we are, frankly, really incredible.

This semester, we gained national attention for our coverage of Ben Shapiro’s appearance on campus and the protests

words on a computer screen. I knew the title sounded impressive.

But, I don’t think I truly knew how rewarding it would feel to see every piece of content in our newspaper come to fruition.

Every time a writer got a great scoop or a photographer took an amazing shot, it made me so happy to see new students getting the same incredible experience I got during my more than two years at this newspaper.

To my editorial board: you have all worked tirelessly to make this paper insanely good.

Thank you for doing so much, even though I would never let us dim the lights in the office late at night (it’s not my fault I have sensitive eyes!).

Joel, Alex, Victoria, Nathan, Olivia, Maya, Shubi, Kami and Sofia, you guys are my second favorite group of people (One Direction is the first).

And of course, Audrey. We decided to do this thing together in a sort of blood pact. Me editor-in-chief, you managing editor. I really couldn’t have done this without you, even though you’re a vegan.

I love the FreeP. Like, so much. All I wanted as editor-in-chief was to make this paper the very best it could be.

We are Boston University’s only independent student newspaper and it’s our responsibility to serve our community. I think we’ve done that.

So, if you find yourself with soaring goals and ambitions to rule the college newspaper — go for it. I even got to make myself a throne made of newspaper stacks — and no one stopped me. Well, my dear managing editor tried, but she failed.

SOFIA KOYAMA / DFP STAFF But really, go for it. Write your first Cory Booker, closely covered Boston City story even if it means crying at a cafe regarding it.

Council elections and followed the statein Beacon Hill (wait, was that just me?).

We broke the news confirming his wide ban on the sale of vaping products.

Apply for an editor position and if you campus visit and followed the topic with Writers in the features section covdon’t get it, apply again. accuracy and care. ered a plethora of concerts from famous It’s not a big deal to fail.

In a time when the ethics of college artists, spoke with musicians, interviewed If the FreeP has taught me one thing, journalism are being put to question, we Ben Platt and Julia Schlaepfer of Netf lix’s it’s to keep going, keep calling, keep writstood strong in our reporting — and peo“The Politician” and even spoke to the masing, keep rewriting, keep your eyes open ple noticed. Renowned journalists, BU termind behind BU’s new Rhett bench. despite how little sleep you got and do alumni, students and even The Boston I knew being editor-in-chief meant everything you can to make something Globe and NPR. Our city news section inter viewed there would be a lot of responsibility that matters.

Trust me, you will. I did. presidential candidates Andrew Yang and and time spent with my eyes glazing over

INTERROBANG

Spotify released its annual “Wrapped” playlists Wednesday giving users a look back at their most streamed music of 2019. We here at the ol’ Free Press want to know — What would be BU student groups’ most played songs for 2019?

BUS: “Closed On Sundays”

West Campus construction: ”Never Really Over”

SHA: ”Nice To Meet Ya”

Questrom: ”Bad Guy”

CGS: ”London Boy”

BU Frats: ”Dancing With A Stranger”

Comm Ave: ”Old Town Road”

COM: ”Talk”

FreeP: ”How Do You Sleep?”

10 SPORTS

7th Inning Stretch: The to-do list for the Red Sox at this winter meeting

BY JACOB GURVIS

for the local nine. forward. The Sox have a history The arms race of finding underutilized relievers Boston’s no-closer experiment and getting respectable returns This week, hundreds of executives, agents and journalists will last season was a failure. The team out of them, from Marcus Walden convene at a hotel in San Diego had a league-worst 31 blown saves, and Ryan Brazier to Colton Brewer. to conduct what often amounts and the starters weren’t much better. Even Hector Velasquez had a decent to the most exciting five days of With the exception of Eduardo stretch as a spot starter, and he baseball business of the year. From Rodriguez and his breakout year could be a candidate for the opener Dec. 8-12, all eyes will be on the ––19-6 with 213 strikeouts and a 3.81 role moving forward. Ultimately, earned-run average –– the Sox pitch- whether Bostons pursue a high-proWinter Meetings.

In years past, some of the big- ing staff underperformed, to say file closer like Dellin Betances gest trades and signings of the the least. With Rick Porcello now or a lesser known specialist, the offseasons have occurred at the a free agent, the Red Sox will need pitching staff needs some love. A Winter Meetings, from the Chris to add a fifth starter at a cheaper 4.70 team earned-run average won’t Sale trade to the Boston Red Sox price, and should be looking for cut it in 2020. in 2016 to a blockbuster three-team bullpen depth as well.

Trade Someone... trade in 2009 between the Arizona Red Sox ownership has notably Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers and given Bloom the directive, but not New York Yankees. mandate, to shed payroll. The Sox With big-name free agents such have paid luxury taxes for years as Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon now, and with a 2019 payroll of a nd Stephen Stra sbu rg on the roughly $240 million, the team market, and trade rumors swirling will have to downsize by around around superstars Mookie Betts $30 million if it has any chance to and Francisco Lindor, this year’s clock in below the 2020 luxury tax Winter Meetings are sure to be threshold of $208 million. In other full of drama and intrigue. words, Boston will be looking to For the Red Sox, the winter wish stay competitive at a lower price. list is long. After a disappointing Which brings me to David Price, 2019 season, the Sox need to undergo who has $96 million remaining on some serious strategic re-evaluation. his contract over the next three They have their work cut out for years and should be on the block. them. And with new chief baseball While Price has been a valuable officer Chaim Bloom at the helm, and mostly reliable starter since nothing is off the table. Even if 2016, he’ll be 34 in 2020. His best no major moves are executed, the days are behind him, and the Sox meetings often serve as a launchpad B l o o m ’s Ta m p a B a y R a y s could easily find a viable replacefor future deals. Expect the Sox to invented the idea of the opener ment for significantly cheaper. The be in on countless players and to be – – a reliever starting a game and same could be said about Nathan the subject of endless trade rumors. pitching only a few innings –– and Eovaldi, who is owed $51 million So with the Winter Meetings it would not be a surprise if the Sox over the next three years, despite upon us, here are three priorities employ the strategy more going making only 12 starts in 2019. Bloom COLUMNIST

After a disappointing 2019 season, the Sox have a lot of work to do. And with new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom at the helm, nothing is off the table.

has a track record of crafting elite pitching staffs at a low cost and he should have the chance to do so in Boston. Don’t be surprised if the Red Sox rotation looks markedly different come April. ...but don’t trade Mookie I understand the need to shed payroll, and keeping Betts will surely be quite ex pensive. But at the end of the day, Betts is a once-in-a-generation talent. Having a five-tool player with perennial MVP talent, a marketable smile and the love of all fans is rare. Sure, he’ll cost $300 million, but in a sport where signing superstars to decade-long contracts has become a prerequisite to sustained playoff contention, the Red Sox should find any way possible to retain Betts. You really couldn’t ask for more in a star.

It’s very hard to believe that a ny tea m wou ld offer a ret urn worth Betts’ value, even for just

one season. He’s one of the best players in the game and a perfect centerpiece for the next decade of Red Sox baseball. Lock him down before it’s too late. Or at the very least, be prepared with an offer he can’t refuse once he does hit free agency. The Sox should not repeat the same mistake they made with Jon Lester years ago.

There is every chance that the Winter Meetings will come and go with no major moves from the Red Sox. Not every year will bring a blockbuster trade or expensive signing. But for Bloom and his staff, there is a lot of work to be done before the Sox should be considered serious title contenders again. He needs to artfully add by subtraction and find cheap talent to complement the team’s strong core. The clock is ticking.

The 2019 Winter Meetings begin this Sunday. Can you hear the Hot Stove sizzling yet?

New person, same mistakes: This Arsenal squad is a managerial nightmare

BY RYAN JHAVERI COLUMNIST

W hen the A rsena l Footba l l tion favorite Southampton Football Club hosted Eintracht Frankfurt in Club bought Emery another chance. the Europa League last Thursday This time around, as the minutes night, the Emirates Stadium in on the clock ticked by, it felt like a London was far from filled to its countdown for Emery’s job, as well. capacity of 60,000. Swathes of One cannot fault the passion seats were empty as Arsenal fans that Emery had on the touchline displayed their growing frustration and even with seconds left on the with the manager and the direction clock, he was gesticulating to his the club was heading in. players with vigour. Yet, his face At t h is poi nt, A rsen a l wa s told a different story. It had the without a win six games in and look of a man who knew his time the pressure was mounting on was done and the cacophony of manager Unai Emery. Despite a ‘boos’ that echoed a rou nd the promising start, Arsenal found Emirates made it hard for even themselves losing again due to a the most ardent Emery supporters quickfire nine-minute brace by to believe he would be in charge Frankfurt striker Daichi Kamada. at Carrow Road Stadium over the You could cut the tension with a weekend. knife. Every misplaced pass, every Emer y was sacked the nex t poorly-timed tack le a nd ever y morning and Freddie Ljungberg scuffed shot was treated with a wa s appoi nted a s t he i nter i m cry of disdain. manager. In a bid to improve the Alexandre Lacazette’s last min- extremely sour mood around the ute goal to equalise against relega- camp, temporarily appointing a

club legend as manager along with former captain Per Mertersacker as assistant coach seemed like the right move.

But despite a much better performance, Arsenal are still left craving a win. At Carrow Road, they were not hopelessly outshot nor were they repeatedly sliced open on the counter, as was the case in ma ny of their previous games.

They were still bested by what appears to be their Achilles heel — these mistakes cannot be rectified by different managers. For the first goal, the two center backs Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz left Teemu Pukki with an abun-

Implementing a clear philosophy will be laborious given the squad’s imbalance and sheer lack of quality in certain areas. dance of space. Instead of just maintaining the offside line with Mustafi, Luiz decided to match Pukki’s running (except without the pace).

This meant that when Pukki received the ball, Luiz was actually diagonal to his center back partner.

Pukki received the ball, turned and drove towards goal. Luiz put no pressure on him as he shaped to shoot and Mustafi, meanwhile, was busy raising his hand to indicate something extremely obscure.

This half-hearted defending led to a def lection.

The acres of space offered to Pukki was due to the massive gaps between the midfield and defence, a widely prominent feature this season. Ever since the swashbuckling days of Patrick Viera and Cesc Fabregas, finding a balanced midfield has been an insurmountable task for the Gunners.

W hen L u c a s Tor r ei r a w a s signed, it seemed that the need for a ball winning midfield destroyer had finally been fulfilled. Yet, on Sunday, the sight of Torriera being brought on as a No. 10 behind on the striker while Mesut Ozil was on the left winger was bemusing.

And that is where the imbala nce comes in, wh ich is going to be a problem for a ny newly appointed manager. Arsenal are very attack-heavy with their best players occupying the same position. There is a reason Arsenal have not started a single game with an attacking force of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe, Ozil and Lacazette. They simply do not have two holding midfielders disciplined and pragmatic enough to balance out that attacking force.

The only reason that a manager will decide to bench Ozil would be because of his defensive inabilities. He is a luxury player whose

body language represents an apathy toward more mundane duties.

Similarly, having Aubameyang on the wings leaves the club’s best finisher peripheral to the attack due to the propensity of wingers needing to track back and help out in defence.

Finally, there is the curious case of $87 million signing of Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira ComM, known affectionately as Pepe, who has found it extremely hard to adapt to his surroundings, having not yet scored a single goal from open play. Just like his predecessor, Ljungburg seemed to prefer teenager Bukayo Saka over Arsenal’s record signing, which might suggest that the Pepe might not be fully applying himself in training to even warrant an appearance off the bench.

With high profile names such as Mauricio Pochettino, Massimiliano Allegri and Brendan Rodgers floating around, fans must keep in mind how daunting a task it will be for any of these candidates to bring Arsenal back to their best days.

Implementing a clear philosophy will be laborious given the squad’s imbalance and sheer lack of quality in certain areas.

For now, t he losi n g st rea k seems to represent a storm brewing over the Emirates, getting worse with every unwanted result.

Brighton Hove & Albion Football Club at home on Wednesday could be the perfect fixture to get some positivity around the club again.

SPORTS 11

Hungry for a win, Terriers look ahead to series with No. 2 UMass

BY PATRICK DONNELLY DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Coming off a statement 5-2 win over No. 9/12 Harvard University, the Boston University men’s hockey team will look to make it two wins in a row as crosstown foe No. 8/12 Northeastern University comes to Agganis Arena Saturday night.

BU (5-6-5, 3-3-4 HE) knocked off the Crimson for their first win in three games, having been shut out in two games prior at the hands of Sacred Heart University and Cornell University. Northeastern (10-4-2, 6-3-1 HE) enters off of securing a Friendship Four title, defeating New Hampshire and Colgate along the way. Currently, the Huskies sit atop Hockey East on 13 points, while BU is just three points behind in a tie for fourth.

The last time the Terriers and Huskies clashed was the Hockey East Semifinals last season, with Northeastern taking down BU 2-1 in overtime. Overall last season, BU head coach Albie O’Connell’s group went a combined 1-2-1 against Jim Madigan’s Northeastern squad, with the other loss for BU coming by the same score in the Beanpot semifinals.

The Huskies come into the contest as one of the stingiest defensive teams in the nation, allowing the ninth fewest goals against per game

(2.06). As for the Terriers, their 2.94 goals against per game falls well below Northeastern’s mark. The Huskies are just as tight defensively on the penalty kill as they are at even strength, working at a 92.7 percent success rate, which is fourth in Division I. Meanwhile, killing penalties has been an issue for BU with just a 78.5 percent clip.

Both teams are evenly-matched offensively, for the most part, as they are tied for the 22nd most goals per game with three. Looking at the power play, the Terriers have been able to do some damage with the man-advantage, working at a 19 percent clip, compared to a percentage of 17.8 percent for Northeastern.

Individually, the Huskies are led by sophomore forward Tyler Madden, who has picked up right where he left off from a stellar freshman season.

So far, Madden has 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points in 16 games this season. Senior defenseman Ryan Shea has also been a key facilitator of the offense for Northeastern, with 2-13-15 totals in 16 games.

For BU, junior defenseman David Farrance has been other-worldly on the back end with 21 points (10g, 11a) in just 16 games, leading all defensemen in scoring. Senior forward and assistant captain Patrick Harper (6g, 13a) and senior forward and captain

MATTHEW WOOLVERTON/ DFP FILE

Graduate transfer Sam Tucker, shown in a game against Sacred Heart University on Nov. 26, has a 0.912 save percentage for Boston University this season.

Patrick Curry (10g, 6a) are both scoring at a point per game pace, if not better.

In net, graduate transfer Sam Tucker has been solid for BU, posting a 5-4-5 record to go along with a .912 save percentage and a 2.60

goals-against average (GAA). For Northeastern, Craig Pantano, who is also a graduate transfer, has been slightly stronger with a 10-4-2 record and a 1.97 GAA, tied for the 12th best mark in the nation, as well as a .927 save percentage, tied for 13th best.

Puck drop on Saturday is slated for 7 p.m. For coverage throughout the game, make sure to tune in to the Boston Hockey Blog’s live blog, which can be found through hockey.dailyfreepress.com and @ BOShockeyblog on Twitter.

Women’s basketball to take two-game road trip against UC Davis

BY ZOE PANTAZELOS DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston University women’s basketball team will travel to the Golden State to take on the University of California Davis on Thursday.

The Terriers (3-2) start a twogame road trip in California following a week off from competition. This will be BU’s first game in California since 2003. It will also be the Terriers’ first matchup with UC Davis (2-5) in program history.

The Aggies have been inconsistent this season and unable to get a winning streak going. They come into this game against BU fresh off a 70-76 loss against Portland State University. The Terriers are currently undefeated on the road this season.

BU head coach Marisa Moseley attributes her team’s success on the road to its ability to focus in other arenas.

“I think we’ve just been really locked into our game plan on the road,” Moseley said. “I think our kids have just known what we have wanted to do both offensively and defensively and we’ve been able to execute.”

Despite having difficulty winning so far, UC Davis has some weapons, starting with head coach Jennifer Gross, who was named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year in each of the last three seasons. Gross has led the Aggies to 156 wins over the last eight years, with 97 of those wins coming from the last four seasons, according to

UC Davis athletic website.

Aggies redshirt senior guard Katie Toole leads the team with 18.6 points per game, coming in second in the Big West. Toole leads the conference in shooting percentage (.612) and three-point field goal percentage (56.5).

Moseley said the game will be a good test for BU and a chance to contain the Aggies’ offensive threats, as well as execute strong offense on the other end.

“I think, you know, they have come up short some of their competitions thus far, but I think they’re a really well-coached team and I think they have some really nice players,” Moseley said. “ I think a lot of times, you know, we’ve been playing some pretty good defense, but then it’s being able to put points on the board.”

BU’s strongest offensive optionis senior forward Nia Irving, who is leading the team with an average of 15.2 points per game. Irving is also averaging a team-high seven rebounds per game.

BU freshman guard Sydney Johnson has had a stellar start to the season, ranking second behind Irving in points per game (10.8) and leading the team in steals per game (2.4).

Moseley said each year when new players are brought in, there is always an adjustment period where players begin to learn how to play off each other. But, he added that this group has done a good job of finding rhythm with one another.

“I think our kids have done a

CHLOE GRINBERG/ DFP FILE

Senior forward Nia Irving, shown in a February 2018 game against Lehigh University, leads the Boston University women’s basketball team in average points per game this season.

really nice job of melding together, but I think there’s always still going to be room for improvement, and you know, what I just told them today is we have really good people so that goes a long way,”

Moseley said.

Moseley also said it is important to stay present and not think too much into the future.

“I think big picture is just trying to every day to get a little bit bet-

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ter, not looking too far ahead, but knowing that we do have goals to be really good once we get to conference, but being young, we have to really focus on the here and now,” Moseley said.

“I think our kids have just known what we have wanted to do both offensively and defensively and we’ve been able to execute.”

- Coach Mosely on the team’s success away from home

Sports

““I think we’re starting to find our groove a little bit as far as the way we need to play.”

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019

- Coach O’Connell on the direction the team is moving

Terriers take down No. 9/12 Harvard in midweek clash

BY BRADY GARDNER DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston University men’s hockey team got back in the win column on Tuesday night, overcoming No. 9/12 Harvard University 5-2 at Agganis Arena.

“I think tonight was probably the first game in a long time that we put together a complete game,” said junior defenseman Cam Crotty.

The Terriers (5-6-5, 3-3-4 Hockey East) had been shut out for two consecutive games ahead of Tuesday night’s contest, falling 4-0 to Sacred Heart and 2-0 to Cornell. Against Harvard (6-2, 6-0 ECAC), BU’s scoring would return in a big way.

Just 81 seconds in, senior forward Patrick Harper stole the puck on the forecheck and freshman forward Trevor Zegras took control, walking in and roofing BU’s first goal in three games.

“Getting the early goal was helpful from a confidence standpoint,” BU head coach Albie O’Connell said.

Harvard drew level on the penalty kill minutes later, turning defense into offense as freshman defenseman Reilly Walsh deposited a feed from senior forward Nathan Krusko on the rush. “[We were] a little shaky on our power play,” said O’Connell, whose team went scoreless on their five man advantage opportunities.

BU’s lead was restored 7:30 into the game when freshman forward Ethan Phillips dangled into space and let go a shot that caromed off freshman forward Robert Mastrosimone on its way in. Junior defenseman David Farrance provided the initial feed, hitting ten assists on the season.

“I think we went to the net better,” O’Connell said, touching on a JENNA VANSICKLE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF topic he has previously referred to Junior defenseman Cam Crotty got on the scoresheet for Boston University men’s ice hockey in the win over Harvard University Wednesday night. as a potential area of improvement for the Terrier attack. total for the season. made it 4-3 shortly after if not for a 33-25, BU finished with the 5-2 Friendship Four tournament.

Freshman defenseman Dom “I thought tonight we chased sprawling save by graduate goalten- victory, defeating Harvard for the “Northeastern’s going to be Fensore came up limping after the game,” said Harvard head der Sam Tucker to deny sophomore first time in regular-season play a tough foe; they always are,” going hard into his defensive cor- coach Ted Donato. “I think we forward Casey Dornbach. since 2016.

O’Connell said. ner in the first period. He tested gave them goals too easily.” “[Tucker] made a huge save,” “When you beat a top-ten team, As the Terriers turn their attenthe injury for a shift, but could not Junior defenseman Cam Crotty O’Connell said of the chance. “It it’s always big for confidence,” tion to the conference-leading continue. extended the lead five minutes could have been 4-3 very easily.”

Crotty said.

Huskies, O’Connell said he feels “From what I’ve heard, it’s a into the third period on a rocket With 1:13 to play, Patrick Coach O’Connell said part of confident his team is moving in the bruise,” O’Connell said. from range, assisted by Harper Harper completed his three-point BU’s success in the attacking end right direction.

BU struck again with 2:33 left and freshman forward Jamie night with a 130-foot empty-netter resulted from a shuffling of the “I think we’re starting to find in the second period, earning a Armstrong, recording his first to put the game out of Harvard’s forward lines ahead of the game. our groove a little bit as far as delayed penalty and working the assist as a Terrier. reach. The lone helper on the goal “I think each line got a little the way we need to play,” the secpuck around six-on-five until junior “I think we got contributions went to Crotty. more spice on it,” he said. ond-year head coach said. “I think defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo from everyone,” O’Connell said.

As O’Connell said, “the guys BU will now move on to face we’re starting to learn what makes and Farrance combined to set up Harvard got one back through played well, I thought, from the No. 8/12 Northeastern University, us successful.” senior forward Patrick Curry, who a tap-in by sophomore forward start of the game to the end of the who comes in fresh off raising BU and Northeastern will meet slammed it home from the right Jack Drury on the power play in game.” a trophy in Northern Ireland at Agganis Arena on Saturday circle to reach a double-digit goal the final five minutes, and nearly Out-shooting the Crimson as the champions of the annual night at 7 p.m.

BOTTOM LINE THURSDAY, DEC. 5

Boston Bruins take on Chicago Blackhawks at 7PM

FRIDAY, DEC. 6

Boston Celtics take on Denver Nuggets at 8PM

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

SUNDAY, DEC. 8

MONDAY, DEC. 9

Boston Bruins take on Colorado

New England Patriots take on

Boston Celtics take on Cleveland

Avalanche at 7PM

Kansas City Chiefs at 4:25PM

Cavaliers at 7:30PM