12-7-2017

MEDICAL AID-IN-DYING, 3

BRAIN GAME, 7

FINAL WORD, 9

WINNING STREAK, 11

A prominent physican society changes its stance on physician-assisted suicide.

MGH researchers develop brain tech to treat depression and PTSD.

Our editor-in-chief bids adieu to the paper that taught her everything.

Women’s basketball looks to avenge their loss to Marist College this weekend.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Walsh says Boston stands behind immigrants

BY ERIN EDWARDS

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Faneuil Hall Marketplace for the Boston National Day of Action for Immigrant Rights Wednesday afternoon as part of a movement to protect immigrants whose residency statuses have come into question under the Trump administration.

Rally-goers demanded Congress renew protections offered to DACA recipients and defend certain Haitian and Nicaraguan residents seeking safe haven in the United States whose Temporary Protected Statuses were rescinded last month.

More than 12,000 residents in the Commonwealth still benefit from TPS, according to the Facebook event page.

“We are partnering with our immigrant neighbors, our immigrant brothers and sisters to make sure that they have the protections that they need to continue to live their lives here,” Rachael Dubinsky, the director of development and communications strategy for the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, said prior to the rally.

The Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action was one of many community organizations and labor unions that shared personal stories with rally-goers and emphasized the importance of programs like DACA and TPS that encourage immigration.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh spoke at the rally about his immigrant parents’ journey to the United States.

“When I think of this country, I think about the people,” Walsh said to the crowd. “Like my parents that came from another country to this country to raise their family and make sure that their children had the opportunities to go to college, had food at their table and had the opportunities to run for public office and maybe

YEAR XLVI. VOLUME XCIII. ISSUE XIII

BU-Wheelock merger: What comes next?

BY HALEY LERNER

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

PHOTO BY VIGUNTHAAN THARMARAJAH/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Mayor Martin Walsh speaks about being the son of immigrants Wednesday afternoon during the Boston National Day of Action at Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

even become the mayor of the City of Boston someday.”

Walsh said he did not want people to remain as complacent on this issue as they were for the most recent tax bill.

“I stand here tonight because I’m the mayor of the City of Boston and I support the young people and the people in our community that are immigrants, both documented and undocumented,” Walsh said. “The City of Boston is behind you ... [and] before it’s over, the United States of America will be behind you.”

Doris Landaverde, a representative of the 32BJ SEIU Union, said she came from El Salvador in 2001 in search of a better life for her family. As a TPS recipient, Landaverde said she fears being separated from her U.S.-born children now.

“No one will take care of my kids how I take care of them,” Landaverde said. “We are all together to deliver [a clean DACA act] to the Congress … and save TPS for families like me.”

Mariama White-Hammond, an associate minister for Ecological Justice at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, delivered a prayer comparing young immigrants seeking refuge in the United States to Jesus Christ.

“Even as a baby, he had to f lee to Eg y pt,” White-Hammond said. “I assume he didn’t have all his paperwork in order and yet his parents made that dangerous journey to save the life of their baby.”

The rally attracted many different people and organizations from the Boston area who said they support immigrant rights.

John Harris, 65, of Chelsea, said he came to represent the Boston May Day Coalition because he supports the issues of immigrant and worker rights.

“This drives down the rights and standards of all working people, all working-class people in this country. It also serves as a basis for instituting greater police repression against the organi-

zations of working-class people when they’re constantly rounding up, jailing and deporting migrants in this country,” Harris said.

Laura Londoño, 22, of Brighton, said she came to the rally to voice her struggles as a DACA recipient. Londoño expects to graduate from Emerson College in May but fears for her future post-graduation.

“My future is at stake,” Londoño said during the rally. “At the end of the day, I might not be able to use my degree. My parents worked so hard … but I may have to be a janitor.”

MaryGrace Menner, 23, of Dorchester, said her position at the Metrowest Worker Center, an immigrant worker-led organization defending workers rights, has led her to an interest in immigration law.

“Immigration is the key issue that will def ine this time,” Menner said at the rally.

“Immigration is a human right and it can’t wait any longer.”

Faculty and staff from Boston University and Wheelock College have been working together in recent months to prepare for the formation of the new Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, putting together a system to help integrate Wheelock students into the BU community.

BU President Robert Brown wrote in an email that there will be approximately 650 students transferring from Wheelock as a result of the merger and that information on the academic curriculum of the merged college will be announced soon.

“After a great deal of work, we are close to proposing the academic pathways for current Wheelock College students to transfer into Boston University programs or for the creation of new degree programs at Boston University,” Brown wrote. “This information will be announced in the coming weeks.”

There will be a transition day program for Wheelock students and families on Jan. 27, according to BU’s Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore.

“We can answer questions for them and by then, they should have given us enough information that we can start to choose who will be advising them about what could be their paths while they are here and a little more specific information,” Elmore said. “And for the students that do join us, we will of course have them participate in one of our transfer student orientation sessions.”

Elmore said that even though the schools will be merging, current Wheelock students are not obligated to become BU students. The majority of them will, but others may opt for other paths.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

BU club challenges Asian stereotypes

BY LAUREN FRIAS

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Following the early 2017 controversy of “whitewashing” the film adaption of Japanese manga “Ghost in the Shell,” there have been strides in attempting to address the issue of Asian and Asian-American representation in media.

Shows like “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Master of None” have brought about a renaissance of diversity in the entertainment industry, showing that Asians have more to offer than the color of their skin.

Boston University’s Asian Student Union hosted their firstever lecture series “Breaking Boundaries” Saturday night to discuss just that. The speaker panel consisted of TEDx presenter

Canwen Xu, rapper and actress Nora Lum, health and fitness influencer Cassey Ho, and activist and YouTube sensation Kevin Wu. “We wanted to create this platform so we could bring these inspirations to our audience and make them want to do something about Asian representation,” Ivanna Lin, president of ASU and senior in the College of Fine Arts, said.

The presentation reiterated ASU’s mission of raising “awareness about Asian and Asian-American issues both within Boston University and the wider community,” according to the group’s website. Although the talk was hosted at the George Sherman Union on BU’s campus, it drew attendees from all around Boston.

“Half of the audience were from BU and the other half were students from other campuses, so that was one thing that we’re really happy about, because we’re not just reaching out campus grounds, but also Boston as a whole,” Lin said.

The panel, made up of influencers with large social media followings, specifically targeted Asian and Asian-American representation in the media.

After Lin’s opening remarks, Xu, a sophomore at Columbia University, shared her sentiments on Asian and Asian-American representation in the context of her own experiences living in predominantly white neighborhoods and often being the only Asian in situations.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

PHOTO BY LAUREN FRIAS/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston University’s Asian Student Union holds speaker event “Breaking Boundaries” to bring awareness to Asian stereotypes and attract attendees from all over Boston. Social media stars Kevjumba, Blogilates and Awkwafina sit on a panel at the Metcalf Hall in the George Sherman Union about Asian and Asian-American representation in the media on Dec. 2.

2 NEWS

How does the tax plan compare between the two chambers?

The Senate version

The House version

Tax exemptions for tuition waivers would remain in place

Taxes graduate student tuition waivers

Adds a 1.4 percent excise tax to endowments above $250,000 per student

Adds a 1.4 percent excise tax to endowments above $250,000 per student

Does not affect tuition benefits for students SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES

Eliminates tuition benefits for college employees’ families

GRAPHIC BY SHAUN ROBINSON/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Republican tax plan unsettles university students

BY ANU SAWHNEY DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The U.S. Senate passed a bill for tax reform early Saturday morning aimed at inciting economic growth over the next decade. Although the Senate’s bill and the House of Representatives’ bill varied in some of their provisions, both versions are likely to adversely affect higher education, with major implications for educational institutions like Boston University.

The two bills can now be ironed out through either a conference committee, or the House could vote to accept the Senate’s version of the bill. This process is critical to the future of students in higher education, as the differences between the proposed legislatures are significant, BU President Robert Brown said.

“The Senate version of the tax bill, although still very unfriendly to private higher education, has taken out some of the more onerous clauses that are in the House version,” Brown said.

One of these key differences between the bills involves the student loan interest deduction clause, Brown said. The House

bill proposes to eliminate entirely, while the Senate bill makes no mention of it.

Such legislation, if passed, would make higher education less attractive to students, according to William Keylor, a professor of history and international relations in the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies.

Groups of angry graduate students from schools across the country have even been taking their concerns to Capitol Hill and protesting outside Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s office, Inside Higher Ed reported. “[The new tax code] will make it much more expensive to pursue graduate education,” Keylor wrote in an email. “Students will no longer be able to deduct the costs of servicing their debts and many universities will have to pay taxes on their portion of their endowments, which will lead to an increase in tuition.”

Both bills have negative implications, though the House version is worse for universities and their students, BU economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff said. This kind of tax reform could be seen

not only as harmful to private universities, but also as an “attack on public education,” the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences professor said. “[One threat] to higher education is taxing endowment,” Kotlikoff said. “Another is … taxing tuition remission for faculty and staff and for their kids …

Making interest on student loans deductible is another [issue], and a fourth thing is taxing tuition.”

The new tax plan will likely shift the responsibility of public education further away from state governments, Kotlikoff said, presenting a scenario that could potentially become problematic.

There are certain provisions within both the House and Senate bills that would eliminate the deductibility of state income taxes, Kotlikoff said. A portion of the revenue generated from these kinds of taxes is used to fund education within the states, including elementary, middle and high schools, community colleges and state universities.

Kotlikoff said he anticipates that once the government decides to make these state taxes non-de-

CAMPUS CRIME LOGS

CRIME LOGS

BY ISABEL OWENS

BY KAYLIE FELSBERG DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs from Dec. 1-4.

Facilities personnel at Alcorn Street and Ashford Street said they heard an explosive sound from a car parked on the street and saw the vehicle emitting smoke at 4:35 p.m. Friday. The Boston Fire Department was on scene and determined the car overheated.

Law, said the tax bill would mean that if graduate students who receive a stipend also have their tuition waived, the waived tuition will count as taxable income, meaning they will be taxed on income they will not actually receive.

Luo added that although the new tax law will not affect law students at BU, it will affect other graduate students at the university, sending a clear message about the government’s priorities.

“I’m not a fan of this tax bill,” Luo said. “I think it sends a clear signal that we don’t value or we are giving a negative consequence, almost, to those who pursue PhDs or higher education, which sends a bad message, in my mind.”

Cesar Diaz, a sophomore in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said he has concerns over the newly passed bills.

“I know a lot of people for whom receiving financial aid is very important,” Diaz said.

“If they want to pursue a higher education … there’s a financial constraint holding them back, [and] that just shouldn’t be the case.”

CITY

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Car overheats, starts fire in West Campus

ductible, many people who can’t afford to pay the full amount simply will not, reducing the amount of government funding that schools and colleges receive.

“The inclination of voters to want to pay state income taxes when it’s not deductible and when the government’s not sharing the burden will go down,” Kotlikoff said. “This could spell the demise of public education as we know it.”

Several students said they’re concerned about what the new tax code could mean for the future of higher education in the United States.

Moyra Richards, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she is skeptical of this bill and the effort behind it because she thinks it is likely to undermine higher education.

“I do know a fair amount of graduate students depend on those kinds of things — waivers, et cetera — and graduate school is really expensive,” Richards said. “I wouldn’t look too favorably on it as someone who is trying to go to grad school.”

Christina Luo, a second-year graduate student in the School of

Physical altercation breaks nose BUPD was notified that a person with a possible broken nose had been transported to Boston Medical Center at 3:08 a.m. Sunday. The person reported being involved in a physical altercation with a group in front of 300 Babcock St. one hour prior.

‘Unwanted’ person removed from GSU An “unwanted” person was removed from the food court at 775 Commonwealth Ave. at 8:05 a.m. Friday. The person left the food court, moved on to the Mugar Memorial Library and began using a computer. Security was notified.

The following crime reports were taken from the Boston Police Department crime logs from Dec. 4.

Vandalism reported on Braintree Street There was a report for vandalism at 119 Braintree St. in Allston Monday at 6:15 p.m. The victim had her Jeep parked and returned to see the front, and when they went to look, the entire driver’s side and the rear driver’s side of her car was keyed.

Burglary reported on Kelton Street Two people reported a burglary at 159 Kelton St. in Allston Monday at 11:58 a.m. The first person returned home at 10:00 p.m. and noticed some items out of place but didn’t see anything missing. The second person went home at 10:30 p.m. and saw their Apple MacBook Air was missing.

To read this week’s full campus and city crime logs, visit us online at dailyfreepress.com.

NEWS 3

Massachusetts Medical Society ends opposition to ‘medical aid-in-dying’

BY MICHAEL GOMEZ

DAILY FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTOR

The Massachusetts Medical Society voted to change its longstanding oppositional position to “medical aid-in-dying,” the group’s preferred term for physician-assisted suicide, to a “neutral” stance at its interim meeting over the weekend.

The new stance will allow the organization, a statewide association for physicians and medical students, to act as a scientific resource for legislation aiming to legalizing the practice, the association wrote in a press release Saturday.

In September, the proposed bill for medical aid-in-dying was heard by the Joint Committee on Public Health, The Daily Free Press reported. The deadline for the committee to act on the bill is Feb. 7.

The change in stance follows the release of an anonymous survey sent out by the society to its member physicians polling their opinion on medical aid-in-dying Friday, one day prior to the group’s House of Delegates’ final vote on the matter. The survey results reflected support within the group for current medical aidin-dying legislation by a 2-1 margin, according to a press release from the organization.

Anne Fox, the president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, said if legislation for medical aid-indying was passed, it would drastically alter the way in which doctors interact with terminally ill patients and also change how patients discuss medical care with doctors.

“If something is illegal, most people don’t consider it,” Fox said.

“If it’s legal, they think it’s right, and of course, legal and right are two separate things.”

Fox said she is concerned less money will be placed into the health care of terminally ill patients because end-of-life treatment would be prioritized over long-term health care.

blah bl

PHOTO BY HUMAN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Legislators at the Massachusetts State House hears a bill on medical aid-in-dying on Sept. 26.

Currently, medical aid-in-dying is illegal in Massachusetts, but the society reversing its stance may cause a change in action at the State House, Fox said.

“The fact that they took a neutral position, I believe that they are saying, well it’s not up to us to tell people what to do,” Fox said.

“That still leads it up to the legislature, and it leads to one fewer organization lobbying against doctor prescribed suicide.”

Marie Manis, the Massachusetts campaign director for Compassion and Choices, an organization that works on care and options for people at the end of their life, said she thinks the society’s decision is great for the

residents of Massachusetts.

Manis said she is optimistic about the impact of the announcement on the legislature and said voters in the state want medical aid-in-dying as a viable option.

Several Boston residents said they support the ability for people to opt for medical aid-in-dying.

Samantha Rawlins, 29, of the South End, said the decision to have this procedure done should remain in the patient’s hands, and if that is not a viable option, then the patient’s closest relatives should be allowed to make the call.

“The decision shouldn’t be anyone else’s,” Rawlins said. “I think it’s important to protect the patient’s ability to choose and

PHOTO BY CAROLYN KOMATSOULIS/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

for the patient’s doctor to be able to help them move forward with whatever they decide.”

Pete Carolan, 44, of Beacon Hill, said although he doesn’t have a strong opinion on medical aid-indying, patients should be the ones to decide what happens to them, not the government.

“If someone is living with a great deal of discomfort, they shouldn’t have to keep living through that if they have the choice not to,” Carolan said.

“Doctors are there to help their patients recover, so I get why they’d try to do everything to keep them alive and not pull the plug, but if there really is nothing they can do to save them and they’ll just

be living in that uncomfortable state, the doctor could be helping them through assisted-suicide.”

Jordan Collins, 53, of Allston, said through watching his cousin suffer through a fight against cancer and eventually die from it, having the choice to pick medical aid-in-dying is important.

“I just remember thinking — because you think a lot about these kinds of things when you’ve got a loved one who’s sick — that if it was me, I don’t think I could handle living in that much pain like he did,” Collins said. “If I had the choice, I’d want to end it. Not everyone’s as strong as my cousin — I know I probably couldn’t handle what he went through.”

BU, Wheelock administrators create plan for upcoming merger MERGER, FROM PAGE 1 Elmore also confirmed that Wheelock’s campus will be incorporated into the BU Bus’ route.

Cynthia Forrest, interim vice president for student life at Wheelock College, said the transition program will help current Wheelock students understand how to access information and resources at BU. Starting June 1, students will receive BU IDs and will be able to select their housing.

Forrest said the transition process has been a successful collaborative effort between Wheelock and BU staff.

“People from President Brown on down, everyone has really been interested in how people are doing and working together to provide as much information that we have as we move forward,” Forrest said.

“I think the spirit is really excellent, the cooperation, looking for opportunities to collaborate, those have been the hallmarks of everybody’s conversations.”

Wheelock President David Chard said the transition process is currently focusing on program mapping for the new college.

“The first order of business has really been to try and identify pre-program mapping, so that the students of Wheelock know what their options are when they become BU students after the merger,” Chard said. “That involves a lot of people and a lot of details of checking and making sure the alignment between courses is accurate, like the same student learning outcomes are being achieved, that type of thing.”

Chard explained that the biggest challenge in the merger process has been communication.

“When there’s a lack of information, people begin to make up stories about what they think is happening … and suddenly those become people’s reality,” Chard said. “So we spent a lot of time trying to manage communication around what is real versus what is just assumptions.”

Mary McCormack, the dean of student success at Wheelock, said the transition process with BU has been supportive and successful.

“I have found the different people in the offices department at BU to be incredibly open, thoughtful, sensitive and wanting to really be supportive of Wheelock students in particular, but also faculty and staff,” McCormack said. “We’re really having very rich and great professional conversations with each other.”

Several students from Wheelock College and BU’s School of Education shared their thoughts and concerns on the merger.

Nina Marcelo, a SED graduate student, said she’s concerned about how the merger will affect the curriculum for both current SED and incoming Wheelock students.

“I don’t know how the courses are going to change and what that would mean for their required or prerequisite courses, whether they have to take more classes,” Marcelo said. “And at the same

time, what’s going to happen to the Wheelock students coming in here, and how’s that going to affect their education, like how long will it take them to graduate?”

Brianna Worden, a junior studying human development at Wheelock, explained that she thinks the merger is a great opportunity for Wheelock students, even though some students might feel overwhelmed by the transition.

“Many of my peers feel the merger will bring new opportunities for Wheelock students, but they do feel overwhelmed,” Worden wrote in a Facebook message. “Most students attend Wheelock due to the small community, but I believe that this is a great opportunity for both schools. BU is a fantastic university, their education is better acclaimed. Wheelock gets to continue its legacy of education and human development.”

Clay McDermott, a freshman in SED said he thinks the merger will be beneficial for BU, but expressed

concern that Wheelock students might not be happy at BU. “My main concern is with the Wheelock students,” McDermott said. “They are definitely getting the short end of this. They did not want to attend a school like BU, and now many of them have to. I hope we can make them feel welcome enough.”

Sierra White, a sophomore at Wheelock, explained that although many Wheelock students are excited about the possibilities that come with attending BU, she doesn’t think Wheelock students have received enough information about the transition.

“I feel as if Wheelock students do not have enough information about the specifics of the merger and it is unsettling because there are a lot of unknowns,” White wrote in a text message. “Regarding the BU administration I would like to compliment them for keeping Wheelock students’ tuition rate the same as well as honoring our degree pathways.”

4 NEWS

$15 minimum wage, paid leave petitions qualify for 2018 ballot

PHOTO BY FRANCHESCA VIAUD/ DFP FILE PHOTO

Raise Up Massachusetts hosts a march for the Fight for $15 on the Boston Common on March 4.

BY VIVIAN SITU

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Raise Up Massachusetts — a coalition composed of labor, community and religious organizations — submitted two initiative petitions on Tuesday to the state legislature, calling for paid family and medical leave and a $15 minimum wage increase, to be put on the 2018 ballot.

In order for a question to qualify for next year’s ballot, approximately 65,000 signatures have to collected for the proposed law, Andrew Farnitano, a spokesperson for Raise Up Massachusetts, said. Between the two issues the group is advocating for, over 274,000 names were gathered — far surpassing the state’s requirement, according to an email from the group.

Over the next several months, the State legislature has the ability to vote on these initiatives before the ballot is sent out. If the petition does not make it to the floor, or the outcome is unsatisfactory to the organizers, Raise Up Massachusetts will then have the option to organize a smaller round of signature collections to

officially place the initiative on the 2018 ballot, according to an email from the group.

Farnitano said Raise Up Massachusetts is currently managing campaigns for three main issues, including the push for a $15 minimum wage, advocay for paid family and medical leave, and the institution of a millionaires tax that would provide funds for investments in public education and trasnportation.

Farnitano said one of organization’s main focuses — paid family and medical leave — includes everything from parents taking time off work following the birth of a child to dealing with a serious medical condition like cancer.

“If they are making just enough money to get by when things are going normal, if an emergency hits them and their family, then they are at risk of not being able to pay the bills,” Farnitano said. “We hear from … women [who] have given birth and have to go back to work the next week because they can’t afford to go that long without their wages.”

The Fight for $15 campaign is

part of Raise Up Massachusetts’ primary goal to build an economy suitable for all, which is a considerable challenge at present, Farnitano said.

“Too many people work a full-time job, work two or three jobs … and they still can’t make enough to pay the bills, put food on the table and much less get ahead and pay for college, invest in themselves,” Farnitano said.

Together, the two policies are vital to pass, Farnitano said, as they enable everyday citizens to support their families, while dually working to improve the local economy.

Vanessa Snow, council organizer for the Greater Boston Labor Council, said, like Raise Up Massachusetts, the organization is in favor of a $15 minimum wage, in addition to advocating for paid family leave, as a result of the benefits both policies offer to residents.

“One way to fight income inequality is by paying low wage [workers] something closer to a living wage, so that they can afford to live in the city,” Snow said. “Paid family leave … is

really important, especially for women or other parents that are primary care providers. That is oftentimes seen as a barrier to employment.”

Based on the success of similar campaigns to increase benefits for workers in a number of states during the 2016 presidential election, including several successful measures to raise minimum wage, Snow said she is confident the proposed laws will pass in Massachusetts.

Several Boston residents said they were in support of both measures, and expressed hope that an increase in minimum wage and paid family and medical leave are passed by voters.

Rashaun Martin, 39, of East Boston, said he has been a proponent of Raise Up Massachusetts’ work for a while now, adding that their current endeavors are commendable.

“It’s productive because you have to have people at a certain minimum wage in order to obviously afford to live in the city,” Martin said. “Boston is committed [to] providing affordable housing … [but] people still have

to make enough money in order to afford the housing. You can’t have one without the other.”

Kerry Mulvaney, 49, of the North End, said she is fully behind any initiative that serves to assist local families.

“It’s so important that we raise the minimum wage,” Mulvaney said. “There are so many people in Boston that are struggling to provide for their families on such a low salary, not to mention, how high the housing costs are here.”

Serena Entezar y, 24 , of Brighton, said she is infuriated by the number of people struggling to get by in the Boston, and questioned why more isn’t being done to help them.

“It is ridiculous to me that people are debating this because there are so many countries that are doing this any ways,” Entezary said. “We are just so far behind and it bothers me immensely that we are in this place where people … are struggling to just do things that make us people.”

Hannah Schoenbaum contributed to the reporting of this article.

Campus Calendar: activities on campus this week Want your student group event featured here? Email editor@dailyfreepress.com with details.

THURSDAY, DEC. 7

FRIDAY, DEC. 8

SATURDAY, DEC. 9

SUNDAY, DEC. 10

MONDAY, DEC. 11

Battle of the Sexes

Cookie Decorating

Chords Lite

Soul Painting

Cookies & Condoms

Center for the Humanities

The Towers

Law Auditorium

Questrom

GSU

2 - 4:45 p.m.

7 - 8 p.m.

7:30 - 9:30 p.m..

2 - 5 p.m.

11 a.m.

Hosted by Center for the Humanities

Hosted by Brownstone RHA

Hosted by Chordially Yours

Hosted by The Social Cups

Hosted by SURJ

FEATURES 5

IMPACT

Students meet to discuss, combat slave trade of Libyan refugees

BY JENNY JASMIN ROLLINS DAILY FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTOR

In October, a CNN team went to Libya and filmed a dozen men being auctioned off for as little as $400. On Nov. 13, they published an interview with 21-yearold Victory from Edo State in Nigeria. This was the video that began the meeting.

After seeing news of refugees being sold as slaves before they could reach Europe to start a new life, many students were appalled to the point of disbelief.

On Tuesday evening, a community of Boston University students gathered together with one purpose in mind — to respond to the recent news of refugees being sold as slaves in Libya.

The meeting was called by the BU African Student Organization to create a space for people to express their outrage about the Libyan slave trade and to develop a local action plan. They plan on calling their official group “Liberation for Libya.”

“When I first saw the pictures and videos on Twitter almost two weeks ago, I immediately closed it because I was like, ‘This is fake.

This is clickbait,’” said Sernah Essien, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and president of Umoja BU — a club that engages students with black culture. “I didn’t think twice about it until I saw the actual CNN video report.”

Lola Adeosun, co-president of BU African Student Organization and CAS senior, said she was hor-

rified. Although she was aware that human trafficking is still present in the United States and other parts of the world, she said seeing “an auction block, to see people bid on and bought for $400, I was appalled.”

The first reaction of these students was to take to social media and alert their friends, families and classmates of the situation that was not getting a lot of coverage by American news.

“Some of you are more upset that your artist didn’t get a Grammy nomination than you’re upset about black migrants being sold for $400 in Libya in 2017,” Lornex Rono, CAS senior, wrote in a Nov. 28 Facebook post.

Rono is a member of the BU Stability, Empowerment and Rights in Africa organization, a student-led group that dedicated to human rights and empowerment in Africa. They also look for ways to engage the BU community with African politics and culture.

To start the meeting, Adeosun presented videos and facts about the slave trade in Libya, possibly extending into other countries.

She also made sure to present information on Libya itself.

“It’s so easy to demonize this country, but it’s more than that,” she said.

After discussing the details and origins of the slave trade, the group moved into how they could make a difference. Their first obstacle was outreach. Several audience members pointed out the lack of sup-

PHOTO BY JENNY JASMIN ROLLINS/ DAILY FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTOR

Boston University’s African Student Organization invites BU students to discuss the Libyan Slave Trade Tuesday night.

port from other students of other races and ethnicities.

“We need to change the narrative from an ‘African’ problem to a ‘global’ problem,” said CAS junior Tiara Cedano.

Although the group was working toward the same goal, with all of these different people coming from different backgrounds, there was a constant stream of debate about each aspect of the proposed action plan.

Attendees were proposing ideas on how to deal with the Libyan slave trade at the local level. Some ideas mentioned were to contact

local organizations and university faculty, hold protests to bring awareness to BU students, write letters, fundraise, distribute finances, get resources to travel to Libya and create a social media campaign.

Essien and Adeosun guided the discussion to implement a plan in which they would create four committees specifically dedicated to awareness. “[The meeting] was very productive,” Cedano said. “The community has to come together to spread awareness and take action.

We all have a social responsibility and just because we’re not

INBUSINESS

directly connected doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care.”

The group will continue to contact people in authority and gather members during the last couple weeks of the semester to garner as much support for the cause as quickly as possible.

“They might be unsure of exactly what the next steps will be or where it will ultimately go, but they have high hopes,” Essien said. “We have too much privilege and too many resources to be able to see some of this, feel heartbroken and have it continue without doing a single thing about it.”

‘Breaking Boundaries’ addresses Asian representation in media

PHOTO BY LAUREN FRIAS/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Canwen Xu, a former TEDx speaker, gives the first presentation.at “Breaking Boundaries.”

ASU, FROM PAGE 1 She said all Asians are compared to a stereotypical model — good at math and science, on track to be a doctor or lawyer, can’t drive.

“I’ve been told I’m pretty for an Asian,” Xu said. “I’ve been told

I’m ugly for an Asian. I’ve been told I’m smart [or] dumb for an Asian. I’ve been called every variation of that.”

Not only is this separation from the community stemmed from her comparison to the stereotypical standard, Xu said that the simple question of “Where are you from?”

works to the same effect.

“When I’m living in some place … and people know that my parents work there and people know that I go to school there or people know I’ve been a long-time resident there, and then they still ask ‘Where are you from?’ the question is no longer where are

you actually from. It’s like ‘Why do you look so different from us?’”

Xu said.

Lum, another panelist under the stage name Awkwafina, spoke about pursuing her passion for rap, despite disapproval from her parents and a lack of Asian participation in the industry.

Ho, a health and fitness entrepreneur, is best known to her fans as Blogilates. Ho said she refused to follow the career paths set before her by her parents — either medicine or law — and find her way down a more creative path.

Now teaching pilates on her YouTube channel and creating her own brand of live classes, POP Pilates, Ho said she went from living on Commonwealth Avenue in her 20s to managing her own business and the No. 1 fitness channel on YouTube.

Closing the night, Wu gave a heartfelt presentation addressing rumors and explaining his sudden disappearance from social media.

Originally stepping back from YouTube, to explore his spirituality, education and activism in Kenya, Wu said he still had his fans at heart but had to prioritize his own aspirations before returning to the limelight.

After suffering a near-fatal car accident, he said he worked hard

to get his life back to normal, both physically and mentally, by recognizing he had a deeper responsibility to those he inspired.

Having been a fan of the speakers in the past, Meilin Chan, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said their impact as Asian-American inf luencers makes great strides in the direction of normalizing Asian participation in the entertainment industry, though there is still work to be done.

“There are so many Asian entertainers having their voice out now, and they’re not afraid to voice their opinions, but I hope to see more Asians in the entertainment industry, like behind the scenes as well, like in writer’s rooms, in producing, directing, in everything — not just on the screen,” Chan said.

Xu said that there is a bigger picture at hand regarding Asian and Asian-American representation, one where race is a non-factor in everyday life.

“I really think the end goal is still a world in which race does not affect how we perceive a person,” Xu said, “that when we see someone and we notice their skin is a different color, it’s just like if we saw someone and saw that their hair was blonde.”

6 FEATURES

FREEP VS. FOOD:

PIZZA

In Boston, pizzerias are no more than a few steps away from each other. Pizzerias are taking advantage of the East Coast’s love for thin crust pizza — from artisan customizable pizzas to a good old-fashioned cheese.

For this edition of FreeP vs. Food, we embarked on a quest to find the best thin crust pizza in the Boston area. Here’s the verdict: Oath Pizza comes in first place, Blaze Pizza is second, T. Anthony’s Pizzeria is third and last is OTTO Portland Pizza.

BY EDITORS | PHOTOS BY CHLOE GRINBERG/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

1. Oath Pizza

A new Oath Pizza location recently popped up in Fenway, and we have decided we have no bad things to say about their pizza.

The crust is soft and flaky. The tomato sauce, which is often bland on other pizzas, is perfectly seasoned. The toppings complement each other well.

The pizza dough is actually from their New Hampshire bakery — first hand-stretched, then grilled and seared in avocado oil. They bill themselves as the “first and only certified humane pizza brand in the country.” While we knew the dough wasn’t made in-house, it tasted surprisingly fresh.

Oath also offers the option to make a “selfie”, which is a design-your-own pizza, similarly to Blaze (extra toppings are free), but their

“highly decorated pizza” and their classics are much more satisfying than Blaze’s, piled high with several gourmet toppings. We ordered three pizzas — the pesto-topped “Walley,” the potato and bacon “Dougie” and a vegan “selfie” with nearly every vegetable offered.

No complaints about any of them.

Plus, the staff was friendly, and the Fenway location has welcoming decor (including a bright yellow #Instaworthy wall). The one downside is the noisy restaurant environment.

Because of the loud music and dim lighting, it’s not the place to go if you’re on a date or catching up with a friend or doing homework.

In fact, we didn’t even want to stay longer than we had to once we finished up our meal.

Regardless, Oath’s pizza is still number one.

3. T. Anthony’s Pizzeria

T.’s was a totally different pizza experience than the other places we sampled. We went at 5 p.m. on a Monday and were the only people in the restaurant. It’s a completely different vibe than going at 1 a.m. on a Friday. It still feels like a cute, local restaurant, despite being established in 1976. The walls are covered with pictures and posters from BU sports teams throughout the years, providing a welcoming, homey vibe. The customer service was fantastic, and everybody working behind the counter seemed to know each other. The family atmosphere set T’s apart from the other, newer pizza places we tried.

Out of the four places we tried, T.’s had the most classic pizza. Though it was not artistic

and probably could not be considered “gourmet,” it was a big hit because there were no extra frills and it was a satisfyingly straightforward experience. We went for a normal cheese pizza and their famous mozzarella stick pizza.

The large mozzarella stick pizza was $22, which is pretty pricey, but we all agreed that it was definitely worth it; it wasn’t too cheesy, surprisingly, and the fried mozzarella stick bits were a nice, crunchy break from the otherwise unexceptional dough and sauce. The crust was pretty good, though it was very doughy, which was interpreted as too chewy by some people.

But if you do like a thick crust, this is the pizza for you. Besides that, the pizza was pretty boring, but some people just like boring pizza.

2. Blaze Pizza

Blaze Pizza, also a nationwide chain, is probably the epitome of the trendy, “artisanal” pizza all us millennials are after. It’s made from healthy ingredients and “madefrom-scratch dough.” It has a vegan cheese option. It’s centered around the ever-popular DIY style of ordering food. And, perfect for our increasingly short attention spans, it only takes three minutes to cook — guaranteed by a “Blaze Pizza Promise”. And best of all, this pizza is simply amazing.

It is a thin crust pizza, and Blaze does thin crust right. Their emphasis is on the toppings, and they lay out a variety of sauces, cheeses, meats, vegetables and seasonings for customers to choose from — garlic pesto, white cream sauce, mozzarella, parmesan,

applewood bacon, kalamata olives, mushrooms, balsamic glaze and the list goes on.

That being said, that might be Blaze’s only strength. We ordered a “Green Stripe,” “White Top” and “Red Vine” pizza, Blaze’s signature options, and they were a little disappointing. The “Green Stripe” lacked enough pesto, the “Red Vine” needed more basil and the “White Top” just wasn’t as flavorful as we thought it’d be. The crust itself was more crunchy than soft, and it wouldn’t have hurt to be more generous with the toppings on these signature options.

So here’s our advice: If you’re going to go for this $8.25 pizza, choose the make-yourown option and take advantage of all the wide array of options to make your pizza your own.

4. OTTO Portland Pizza

OTTO, sadly, was our least favorite pizza restaurant. This may come as a surprise to some die-hard West Campus fans, but, while OTTO is a cool hang-out space with board games and long, family-style wood tables, the pizza just did not hold up to the standard of the other three restaurants. We ordered one of their signature white pizzas with mashed potato, bacon and scallions and a vegan margherita pie.

After eating at Oath the night before, we realized that OTTO is very overrated. Even though the pizzas were aesthetically pleasing, the individual slices were soggy and fell apart easily. If you get an individual slice, it will probably be stiffer, but in our case, we were

frustrated by how difficult the pizza was to eat. The white pizza was bland — the mashed potato flavor outweighed everything else on the pizza, including the bacon. The margherita tasted fine, but especially compared to the other pizza places, neither pizza had enough flavor to compete. To top it all off, the small pizzas have an average price of $13.75, which is just not worth it for the quality.

OTTO’s saving grace is its atmosphere.

The welcoming tables and rustic decor welcome customers in and immediately provide a sense of home, and when you go to the back of the store and pick up a game of Jenga to play with your family or friends, you can almost forget about how subpar the food is.

CATALYST

FEATURES 7

Researchers develop new technology to defeat depression

BY SAVANNA TAVAKOLI

DAILY FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTOR

Two teams of researchers and neuroscientists have begun preliminary testing of new brain implants that could potentially return brains with “mood disorders” to a healthy state.

The study, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is a subdivision of the U.S. Military’s research division.

According to an article in Nature — an international weekly journal of science — the implants will use a series of periodical neurological shocks to detect patterns that are associated with various mood disorders, such as depression, biploar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.

“There are those patients who, despite traditional forms of therapy such as medication and talk therapy, do not respond as favorably as hoped,” Shahawna Kim, a doctor of psychology based in Brockton, said. “For those suffering from debilitating mood disorders, controlled brain implants may provide a targeted and viable option that can provide hope and relief.”

Despite the promise of giving patients relief from their mood disorders, many have questioned the ethics of creating a device that would provide researchers with real-time access to a patient’s feelings.

Roya Ostovar, a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Neurodevelopmental Services at McLean Hospital, said she believes there’s more to be done.

“While this treatment seems promising, there is a great deal of work that must be done in order to address the ethical implications of it,” Ostovar said. “Those with severe psychiatric conditions are among the most vulnerable group of the population and must be protected.”

In order to address the ethical concerns surrounding the device, Edward Chang, a neuroscientist at the University of California San Francisco, and Wayne Goodman, a psychiatrist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, are working with neuroethics researchers to develop an ethically-sound neurological tool.

Chang and Goodman’s teams are attempting o create a device that will use deep-brain stimulation, a series of electric pulses that later neurological activity, to retrain and rewire the brain to provide relief to people with debilitating mood disorders, such as chronic depression.

“The idea of stimulating the brain artificially in order to treat mood disorders is not completely a new one. This is seemingly similar to the use of electroconvulsive therapy or shock treatment, which is a very effective conventional treatment for chronic depression, mania, catatonia and schizophrenia,” Ostovar said. “Similar to brain implants, in ECT, a small amount of electrical current is used to stimulate the brain in order to change the neurological activity in the brain.

She added, “This treatment has been very successful for those patients who have not responded to antidepressant medications or other treatments.”

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), another form of treatment, uses magnetic impulses to stimulate part of the brain — the region associated with mood regulation, she said.

“This treatment has been quite helpful in helping those with treatment resistant depression,” Ostovar said. “I am hopeful about the prospects of the implant therapy since it appears to be more targeted and personalized.”

PHOTO BY ELLEN CLOUSE/ DFP FILE PHOTO

University of California San Francisco neuroscientist Edward Chang and researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital aim to treat veterans and soldiers with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Chang said that his team and another group based in Massachusetts General Hospital hope to eventually treat PTSD and depression in veterans and soldiers.

Both teams are working to create a system of electrodes to be implanted into the brain in an effort to track neurological activity within it.

At the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington D.C. in mid-November, the MGH team reported significant performance improvements in people who were given electrical pulses to the decision-making and emotional centers of the brain.

Goodman and Chang’s efforts, however, pose yet another ethical dilemma.

By stimulating the area of the brain that controls mood, Goodman say that there is a chance the device could “overcorrect” the patient’s emotions, thus creating an “extreme happiness that overwhelms all other feelings.”

“At first glance, the concept seems like something from a Black Mirror episode, but I support it,” said Jamie Sheasley, a graduate student at Boston University. “I think it’s important to treat mental disorders with the same gravity as physical disorders.”

If there are similar treatments for Parkinson’s disease, she said, then it’s logical to attempt to create an equivalent treatment for mental disorders — especially if other methods aren’t working.

“Obviously there needs to be a regulation so that we don’t rely on AI to rid us of natural emotions,” Sheasley continued.

“Overall, I support the development of techniques that help individuals get back to their own personal normal.”

Despite the ethical dilemmas, Chang said he has high hopes for the future of neurological implants.

“The exciting thing about these technologies is that for the first time we’re going to have a window on the brain where we know what’s happening in the brain when someone relapses,” he said.

8 OPINION

EDITORIAL t h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r a t b o s t o n u n i v e r s i t y

Lexi Peery, Editor-in-Chief Elise Takahama, Managing Editor

46th year | Volume 93 | Issue 13

Alana Levene, Campus Editor

Ellie French, Editorial Page Editor

Rachel Duncan, Layout Editor

The Daily Free Press (ISSN 1094-7337) is published 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 © 2017 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Till Kaeslin, City Editor

Lauren Frias, Features Editor

Allegra Peelor, Blog Editor

Matthew Martin, Sports Editor

Chloe Grinberg, Photo Editor

Shakti Rovner, Office Manager

TIME’s Person of the Year finally put the spotlight on women On Wednesday, TIME’s annual Person of the Year issue hit newsstands, with not one, but six women on its cover. Some were people just about everyone has heard of, others were people no one has. One woman was completely anonymous, with only her arm in the shot. And all together, they were still just a fraction of the group they were representing. These women, and so many others, all have one shared identity: They are the silence breakers. The people who spoke out against their sexual harassers and abusers, the people who brought about the #MeToo movement. They are the people who shaped 2017.

For months now, powerful men have dominated news cycles. They have not been the heroes of our headlines, but they have been the stars. And this is only logical — when a Harvey Weinstein or an Al Franken or a Kevin Spacey is brought down, of course we should be looking at those men, and the power they have abused.

But this movement isn’t really about men. If it was just about men, there never would have been a movement at all. The women who spoke up are the ones who put this movement into motion. We live in a different world now thanks to these women — one where men are held responsible for their actions. They deserve a little more appreciation for that. The bravery it took these women to come out so publicly about the things they had faced, and the men who put them in those positions is almost unimaginable. It’s about time they were put in the spotlight.

A year ago, Donald Trump’s face plastered TIME’s Person of the Year cover. To be clear, they did not mean he was the best person of the year, just the most inf luen-

tial. They mean the same thing this year.

In each case, they have been right. Though polar opposites, both covers truly featured the people who set the tone of that year, for better or for worse.

And what a different story the two features tell. Last year, TIME’s cover reflected the post-election world we were living in.

The man who had entered the year as a joke ended it as our president elect. Donald Trump brought about a real paradigm shift

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e live in a different world now thanks to these women — one where men are held responsible for all of their actions.

— his election made us realize that the United States was not the country we all thought it was. We all had to take a step back. Last year, our person of the year was not a point of pride for America.

This year, the person of the year — the silence breakers — are absolutely people to be proud of. Despite all of the abuse and harassment and horrible, horrible things that have been exposed this year, what’s important is that they were exposed. These men are facing consequences. An era of much needed change is beginning.

TIME considered recognizing Trump again this year — they even named him a

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who made them were. And it’s critically important that we recognize them as such.

In a TIME survey in late November, 82 percent of respondents reported that they are more likely to speak out about sexual misconduct since the Weinstein story broke. These allegations aren’t just something women read in the news and move on from. They’re something that people are really taking to heart. That’s why these silence breakers are so groundbreaking.

They are opening up the f loodgates for all of these other women to stand up for themselves, and not be so afraid for the consequences.

And the article didn’t just feature celebrities. They wrote about women who work as janitors, women who are Holly wood A-listers and everyone in between — they even featured men who have spoken out about the harassment they’ve faced. TIME was able to tell the story of this whole movement, not just the most sensational parts of it. They really did this story justice, even helping to change the narrative, from one where these women are victims to one where they are also heroes.

This recognition is for the 14-year-old girl who was harassed by a future Senate nominee. It’s for the 18-year-old boy who was abused by a TV star. It’s for all of the people whose stories will never make headlines.

Because TIME chose these women as their Person of the Year, their stories will have a little more permanence. It will help us keep these things in mind. And this movement isn’t something we want men to ever forget. We are seeing a massive cultural shift as far as what kind of behavior men will get called out for — and that shift should be a permanent one.

The feature posed a question — one that we should all be ref lecting on. We know exactly what kind of abuse has been happening among our men in power. As the 2018 election season approaches, what are we going to do about it?

Though TIME’s purpose in featuring a person of the year is to document who is impacting us throughout history, they are also showing us who to look to, who are leaders are. And these men and women set great examples.

Last year, all we could do was point at a problem. But this year, we were able to point at a solution — and that’s progress.

This week’s crossword puzzle is brought to you by Nicole Leonard

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runner-up. He is, after all, still at the center of our society. He may have even been a catalyst for all these allegations that the magazine chose to spotlight instead.

But he absolutely should not have been TIME’s person of the year. This year, women turned their anger over Trump and his administration into action. That’s not a testament to his inf luence, but theirs.

Trump was not the driving force behind this wave of allegations — the women

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ACROSS 1. Floral leaf 6. Snob 10. Lipids 14. Idolize 15. Shoestring 16. Iridescent gem 17. Make fun of 18. Affirm 19. Sexual assault 20. Inherent 22. Tall woody plant 23. Palm starch 24. Amazed 26. Grave 30. Zero 31. Armed conflict 32. Type of sword 33. Desiccated 35. Agrees 39. Slender stemlike structure 41. Knickknack holder 43. Habituate 44. Cummerbund 46. Rabbit

47. American Dental Association 49. Operative 50. Ivory colored dentine 51. Faucet 54. Mountain lion 56. A tart spicy quality 57. Wonderful 63. Rectal 64. Emanation 65. Furze 66. Heredity unit 67. A box or chest 68. Master of ceremonies 69. Toboggan 70. Leg joint 71. Gain knowledge

1. A Maori club 2. Biblical garden 3. Tailless amphibian 4. Backside 5. Lascivious looks 6. Women pleasure-seekers 7. A pasta dish 8. Computer symbol 9. Trinket 10. Plainspoken 11. 3-banded armadillo 12. Cassettes 13. Mixture of rain and snow 21. Hawaiian veranda 25. Madly in love 26. French for “Head” 27. Not closed 28. List of options 29. In deplorable condition

34. Remove surface scum (archaic) 36. Boyfriend 37. Makes a mistake 38. Search 40. Start over 42. Culinary herb 45. Bad-mouth 48. Assault 51. Bucks 52. Discussion group 53. Absurd 55. Cherub 58. Wreckage 59. A hemispherical roof 60. Killer whale 61. End ___ 62. Observed

OPINION 9

COLUMNS

FINAL WORD:

HOT TAKE:

A letter from the editor Empathize in debates

BY LEXI PEERY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I walked into the dingy, yet homey, offices of The Daily Free Press over two years ago knowing I liked to write, but knowing nothing about how to conduct an interview, or how to write a lede, and certainly nothing about how to be an editor. This paper is where I learned firsthand about journalism — and the ever-changing field it is.

In name and in purpose, The Daily Free Press has remained largely unchanged. Starting in 1970, with its first issue following campus-wide riots that led to a shut down, The Daily Free Press — BU’s independent student newspaper — has been giving the students at this university a voice.

This paper has also been informing students of what’s happening on campus and around the city since its inception. And this semester was no different. We covered the largest donation the school has ever seen, some beloved restaurant closings, the sudden stepping down of two deans and sexual harassment charges against a former earth and environment professor — and that was just what happened on campus.

The Daily Free Press has been a beacon of student journalism for almost 50 years, and it’s clear the paper has seen a lot of successes, along with its fair share of failures. And this semester was no different — like when we tried to make some improvements to the website and ended up with a crashed site that now only works sometimes. But I don’t regret it. Even though this has been a problem we’ve struggled with all semester, what I’ve learned in terms of how to stay positive when nothing seems to be going right, and how to handle unhelpful customer service representatives, is priceless.

Journalism has been admired, attacked and everything in between this year, and The Daily Free Press has adapted to the increasingly

polarized and skeptical public. This paper has a tradition of improvement, and we worked to continue that legacy. This semester, we strived to become more agile online and find stories that often goes unnoticed on this campus.

This semester, in our goal to make the paper more accessible to our audience, we introduced Snapchat Publisher Editions. Switching from writing about criminal justice reform and the Wheelock-BU merger to student party tricks and the best meme page posts of the week was exactly what we needed after a long night. But writing was only part of it. The animators and illustrators that stuck around have done incredible work that leave me breathless every week.

Although the Publisher Edition is one of the most widely publicized changes we made, there were countless improvements made this semester. Every editor and writer worked to improve their own sections — by writing more stories in news every day, streamlining communication between features editors and writers, making the opinion pages pop with cartoons and column names, thinking beyond just game recaps and previews in sports, increasing the number of photo galleries we publish, rethinking every design aspect in print, recording professional and fascinating podcasts and sharing the Snapchat Publisher Editions with the BU community. I’m amazed by and grateful for all of the editors this semester who weren’t afraid to not only ask why, but why not.

No matter the difficulties we faced, the sleep we missed or the classes we neglected the journalists this semester continued the legacy of those who came before us — including those late-night Uburger and City Co. runs — while not being afraid to be daring. And no person pushed me or the editorial board further than the hard-working, humble managing editor — your creativity transformed this paper, Elise.

In trying to bring small changes to the paper, it changed me entirely. I thought being a writer meant knowing the words to describe what I’m feeling, but no words can describe how thankful I am for the paper and people who taught me everything I know about journalism.

I’m humbled to have worked for the same organization that so many great people have labored for since 1970, and it feels weird saying goodbye. But, it’s time for change and for new, bright-eyed journalists to continue bettering BU’s independent student newspaper. I’ll be cheering you on.

BY MATTHEW DRULIAS COLUMNIST

We need empathy. I don’t mean to say that we can’t empathize with anyone — it is easy to empathize with those we agree with. But I think we have forgotten how to empathize with those we disagree with. It is necessary that we show empathy to every single human being, not necessarily because they deserve it (they might, but that is a moral argument), but because it is necessary to come to a better understanding of the world.

There are two categories into which everything can be placed, the objective and the subjective. Exactly what the objective consists of is highly contested. I would argue that the only objective things in the universe are things that have a definite answer, like mathematics.

However, there are most certainly things that are not objective, or things that are subjective. This pertains to the obvious, such as human emotion, but also the not so obvious, such as our constitutional rights and morality.

Every person has a different set of morals — that is the basis of all human conflict. Unless you believe in the existence of a higher power there can be no “objectively” correct morals — the better solution is that morals are all relative and the things we agree on are merely things we have chosen to believe and accept as a society.

Saying the universe is a mess of relativity and subjectivity is not an end to discussion as it is so often seen; it is precisely because everything is so subjective that we must have discussion. Subjective does not mean “not real,” everything that is subjective is real to the person experiencing it. The emotions and thoughts people feel are real to them. Here, I acknowledge my own subjective belief (and as one I think is almost universally agreed upon) that we should value life.

To say we’re all human — although factu-

INTERROBANG

ally true — is idiomatic, and most likely carries a connotative meaning that I do not mean to convey. It is surprisingly difficult to understand the true gravity of what such a common phrase means: None of us are any better than another, there are simply those who are confused and those who are less confused (although what confused means is truly a subjective paradox, but more on this later). Everyone is a little bit wrong, but the flip side to this is that everyone — and I mean everyone — is a little bit right.

One of the biggest blunders I see is the failure to understand that acknowledging others’ problems is not a diminishing of one’s own.

The natural reaction against this is to maintain that some problems are more important than others, but that way of thinking exhibits the exact problem I am addressing. Life is not about competing to see whose problems are worse, it’s about working together to build a better future for everyone. Contrary to popular belief, it is quite possible to care about the problems of both men and women in society simultaneously.

Overgeneralizing in these situations is not only harmful, but simply incorrect. It takes a lot of self-control and self-awareness to acknowledge that addressing others’ (very real) problems does not detract from one’s own.

Having a discussion or debate isn’t about being on a side, it’s about trying to come to a better understanding of the infinite subjectivity that we have all been dropped into, and to emerge as a better member of society. I believe that people are fundamentally good — this doesn’t mean that people can’t do bad things, but that people want to believe that they’re doing the right thing. Even the most hateful deserve empathy because they are trying to do the right thing, and are at a basic level confused about what that is. Most importantly, if you had lived the exact same life as that person, you would believe the same things they do.

We can’t just dismiss people we disagree with — even if they are just simply wrong — as being evil, hateful or whatever other adjective you want to apply to them. What they feel is real to them, and the only way to move forward is to show they are mistaken. We cannot afford to think, “There’s no reasoning with them.”

They can and will say the same about you.

Precisely because it is so hard to empathize with people we disagree with and try to understand why they believe what they do, is the reason we have to try — for if we don’t, they won’t either.

CARTOON BY RACHEL CALLAHAN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

This week, Spotify users were able to see their “Spotify Wrapped” — a breakdown of their most listened to songs and artists from 2017.

We here at the ol’ Free Press want to know — what would BU students’ most listened to song of 2017 be?

ENG: “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls

CGS: “Dazed And Confused” by Led Zeppelin

Freshman roommate: “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye

WTBU: “Burning Down The House” by Talking Heads

BU Bus: “Whoomp (There It Is)” by Tag Team

Dining halls: “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson

Panera in West: “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce

FreeP: “Oxford Comma” by Vampire Weekend

10 “The game is faster, more skill. It all comes down to small details. The margins are much smaller and there are very tight games,” said men’s hockey freshman defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo, who is from Finland.

Thursday, December 7, 2017

“We just have to try to make sure we remain 100 percent disciplined, not 85 [percent] disciplined,” said women’s ice hockey coach Brian Durocher on limiting their penalties in their upcoming games.

Kasper Kotkansalo makes strides in first season

BY LIAM O’BRIEN

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Finland-native Kasper Kotkansalo has carved out a strong niche for himself as a member of one of the Hockey East conference’s most dangerous defensive lines in his first year at Boston University.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound defenseman has seen ice time in 13 of the Terriers’ (7-9-1, 5-5-1 Hockey East) first 17 games, recording his first collegiate goal on Nov. 17 against University of Maine.

“It’s important for us for our freshmen to score because we are dressing eight of them every night,” BU coach David Quinn said following the team’s twogame set against the Black Bears (6-7-1, 4-4-1 Hockey East) last month. “It means alot to them and it means alot to me. It’s good to see those guys get rewarded statistically.”

He has also chipped in three assists on the season to go along with 30 shots and 23 blocked shots, which is the highest among the freshmen on the team, on the defensive side of the ice.

Despite just recently turning 19 on Nov. 16, Kotkansalo has no shortage of competitive playing experience. While he lived in Espoo, Finland, he spent four seasons in the Espoo Blues program, playing in the same organization that has seen the likes of former Terrier defenseman Peter Ahola and 2002-03 NHL All-Rookie Team selectee Tyler Arnason.

In the 2016-17 campaign, Kotkansalo decided to leave Finland to play for the U.S. Hockey League’s Sioux Falls Stampede, where he spent a season playing 47 games, netting a goal and 11 assists.

Kotkansalo said that his time in South Dakota was a learning experience and a significant transition that took some getting used to. He had to learn the tricks of

Sophmore defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo will play for the Finnish World Junior team this December.

playing hockey in North America while also becoming accustomed to U.S. culture, all while fine-tuning his English skills.

“Last year was very hard,” Kotkansalo said. “I [learned] the North American game. The small rink game, the language, the culture. Obviously, the culture is a little bit different from Boston, but I [had] to move away from home and pretty far away from home too. [I was] getting used to all that, speaking English and having American friends. Now, it’s much easier.”

After getting a feel for being playing hockey in Sioux Falls last season, Kotkansalo said he considers himself a U.S. college student,

PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

something he said he enjoys. right away as their friend,” Kot“College has been much easi- kansalo said. “[Freshman forward] er than I thought,” Kotkansalo Brady Tkachuk’s grandparents, I said. “I like our university a lot. go [to their house] every Sunday There is so much happening all to get a home cooked meal. That’s the time. I like the college setup. really nice.”

Even though my dorm is what it After coming to BU, Kotkansais, I still like that. I like the social lo has also been exposed to a new aspect of it. I have met so many style of play compared to what new friends whether they are he had become accustomed to other athletes or other students. playing in Sioux Falls and Finland.

Combining hockey and studies, “Playing in the NCAA, the that is why I came here. I can’t guys are much stronger than in do that back home.” the USHL,” Kotkansalo said.

As the lone European on the “The game is faster, more skill. It team among 21 Americans and all comes down to small details. five Canadians, Kotkansalo said The margins are much smaller and he has relied on his teammates to there are very tight games. Overall, help him adjust to living in Boston. the hockey is much better with “When I came, they took me in better individuals.”

The game is not only different on the ice, but in the stands as well. Kotkansalo said he did not realize how loud the crowds would be at BU. He witnessed a very rowdy environment last Friday when the Terriers traveled to then-No. 9 Boston College to challenge the conference-leading Eagles (9-6-2, 9-2 Hockey East) at Conte Forum.

“In Finland, I never experienced anything like that,” Kotkansalo said. “In Sioux Falls, we had a huge rink, so having big crowds there prepared me a little for these college games.

But it never got as rowdy as it was like this [past] weekend. It was unbelievable.”

7th Inning Stretch: Baseball’s ice-cold hot stove free agents and trade partners.

That being said, the league has been exceptionally silent. The biggest free agent signing thus far has been Doug Fister. Unless you follow baseball religiously or watched the Red Sox’s final month, you’ve probably never heard of Fister. It’s been that slow.

One trend I have noticed over the past few weeks, which undoubtedly has contributed to the inaction across baseball, has been the exceptional power

BY JACOB GURVIS given to just a couple players, namely COLUMNIST Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani.

Things are quiet. Too quiet.

In my opinion, it’s too much.

The 2017 World Series ended over Let’s start with Stanton. The a month ago, and Major League Base- 2017 National League Most Valuable ball has hit a lull. The excitement of the Player has been at the center of trade offseason should kick into action next rumors for years. Despite a monster week at baseball’s annual Winter Meet- 13-year/$325 million contract, which ings, Dec. 10-14 in Orlando, Florida. has a decade remaining, Stanton is But until then, we wait. a hot commodity. His power is rare It makes sense that the baseball — he’s coming off a 59 home run, 132 world has slowed down. Teams are tak- runs batted in season. He’s only 28, ing time to assess their needs, consider and showcases a strong arm and glove options and prepare to make offers to in the outfield. He’s good, no doubt.

But the dynamic that has arisen is quite odd. Because Stanton has a full no-trade clause in his contract, he essentially has the authority to control his destination. As such, the Miami Marlins have agreed to a framework for a deal with both the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, and are basically awaiting Stanton’s decision. There are also reports that Stanton may be eyeing a potential deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I know Stanton is good and all, but why does he have so much power here?

Stanton is an athlete. He signed a contract to play for the Marlins, and he has an agent, general manager, and owner who control his salary, playing time, and ultimately, his livelihood.

I understand the idea behind a notrade clause. But the dynamic of the player dictating where his team trades him is bizarre. It shouldn’t be his decision.

In a similar vein, the sweepstakes

that have ensued surrounding 23-yearold Japanese free agent Shohei Ohtani also perplex me.

Ohtani is a two-way player, meaning he both pitches and hits. In today’s game, that makes him quite valuable and unique. He’s a special talent who will earn a good paycheck. But the clasp he has secured over the league is excessive.

Because of the complex system of signing international free agents, a contract with Ohtani would be paid out of teams’ international signing-bonus pool money, which places limits on teams not willing to pay a fine if they exceed the limit. Ohtani has until Dec. 22 to sign, and given the incredible interest he has generated, he has gained quite a bit of power in the last month.

Like Stanton, Ohtani is letting teams come to him, present their case for why he should sign there, and then making us all wait for a decision. He has reportedly narrowed

down his options to seven remaining teams. The Sox and Yankees are already out.

What has gotten into baseball executives? Sure, Ohtani is an uncommon prospect. But he’s a 23-year-old who has never played a second of professional American baseball. Why are teams giving him so much leeway to manipulate them? I don’t get it. It’s become like a reality show.

My personal qualms aside, the baseball hot stove should finally heat up next week at the Winter Meetings.

It’s where baseball’s biggest trades and signings go down –– last year, the Red Sox pulled off a trade for ace Chris Sale. There never seems to be a shortage of excitement when all of baseball’s agents and executives cram into one hotel all together.

In the meantime, we’ll just have to wait, while billionaire owners let two players, one with a scary contract and one with no experience, push them around. Baseball is a weird sport.

SPORTS 11

Women’s hockey to take on Yale, No. 8 Providence this week

BY NICOLE HAVENS DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Over the weekend against the Boston University women’s hockey team’s crosstown foe, No. 2 Boston College, the Terriers (6-83, 3-6-3 Hockey East) scored four goals. Senior forward and captain Rebecca Leslie found the back of the net for three of those while senior forward Nina Rodgers tallied a goal as well.

While BU scored twice on the power play over the weekend, BC’s (13-1-3, 7-0-3 Hockey East) penalty kill limited the squad on its nine other opportunities and the Terriers took home one Hockey East conference point.

The power play is just one of many things the team will need to improve on as they face Yale University and No. 8 Providence College before a three week break. BU head coach Brian Durocher said the biggest challenge will be injuries that occurred against the Eagles.

Durocher said that there’s a “reasonable chance” freshman goaltender Corinne Schroeder will be back for the upcoming two games, but Rodgers, sophomore forward Deziray De Sousa and junior defenseman Connor Galway will not play.

“We’re going to be down to what I think appears to be 15 skaters so you’re talking three skaters under the limit and that will cause some challenges, but people will have to play maybe extended roles, more minutes so that will be thrown into the blender of the ulti-

mate outcome,” Durocher said.

The Terriers will travel to play Yale (3-7-4) on Thursday evening and will not play at their home rink of Walter Brown Arena until their series against the University of Maine on Jan. 6 and 7. BU is currently 2-2-2 in away games, leaving the results of these contests to go any way.

The Terriers will be led by senior forward and assistant captain Victoria Bach. Bach currently leads the team in points and goals with 33 and 17 respectively.

During the 2015-16 season, and the last time the Terriers saw the Bulldogs, Leslie notched two goals — including a short-handed one, in the 7-1 sweep.

This season, Yale has only seen three wins and most recently lost 3-1 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Despite these results, freshman forward Greta Skarzynski has collected 12 points, consisting of six goals and six assists.

Defensemen senior Mallor y Souliotis and junior Julia Yetman are right behind her with nine and eight points respectively.

The Bulldogs’ sophomore goaltender Tera Hofmann has played a majority of the team’s minutes in net over freshman goaltender Gianna Meloni. While Hofmann sports a 2-4-3 record, she currently sports a .909 goal save percentage and 2.56 goals against average.

Durocher said the most important thing for his team against Yale will be playing a “sound game” on the road.

“That means you’re not going

Just how good has Victoria Bach been this season?

Points: 33

3rd in Women’s Hockey East 3rd in NCAA

Goals: 17

3rd in Women’s Hockey East 3rd in NCAA

Assists: 16

5th in Women’s Hockey East 7th in NCAA

SH Goals: 2

2nd in Women’s Hockey East 3rd in NCAA

Bach is currently riding an eight-game point streak

Bach was named the National Player of the Month for November PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

She’s also the first NCAA player this season, male or female, to record multiple hat-tricks

GRAPHIC BY SHAUN ROBINSON/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

offsides, you’re ready on every face off, you’re not taking any bad penalties,” Durocher said. “You know getting off a bus for two and a half hours that complicates things a little bit so we’ve got to make sure we’re playing a disciplined, smart game on the road.”

On Saturday, BU will continue Hockey East play in its matchup against Providence (10-5-4, 7-1-2 Hockey East). The Friars are currently No. 2 in Hockey East standings with 16 points while the Terriers are No. 6 with nine points.

Providence’s lone conference loss came on Nov. 3 against BC who sits No. 1 in the league with 17 points. This loss for the Friars also marked the end of its longest undefeated streak of the season at five games.

Most recently, Providence

took three of four points in its home-and-home series against the University of Connecticut. Senior forwards Maureen Murphy and Blair Parent both chipped in a pair of goals each in Saturday’s 4-1 win.

Murphy currently leads the Friars in goals with 12 while forwards Christina Putigna and Cassidy MacPherson are tied for the team lead in points with 17 each.

Durocher said Providence’s current sophomore defensemen changed the complexity of the Friars’ team for the better.

“Last year they started to build with their defensemen and they had three freshmen defensemen, for my money, who could all really shoot a puck well,” Durocher said.

“They had some offensive action and that really helped them generate offense from the blue line and

on their breakouts.”

BU is averaging 4.5 penalties per game, and Providence has seen little success on its power play and has a .203 percent conversion rate.

In comparison, the Friars are drawing 4.4 penalties per game — but have scored seven short-handed goals this season — with three coming from Murphy.

This will pose a threat to the women’s hockey team during the matchup, as BU is killing 77.5 percent of its penalties.

“We just have to try to make sure we remain 100 percent disciplined, not 85 disciplined,” Durocher said. “I thought in each game we had a penalty that maybe we could have kept ourselves in better control and avoided. We still have to keep working hard killing penalties.”

Women’s basketball to take on Marist on Alumni Day

PHOTO BY JENNA MANTO/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Sophomore Nia Irving and the Terriers will look to stretch their winning streak to four games.

BY NICHOLAS MIATA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston University women’s basketball team is in the midst of a three-game winning

streak and will look to continue their winning ways Saturday, when the Terriers (5-2) return to Case Gym to take on Marist College on Alumni Day.

The Red Foxes (2-7) have gotten off to a slow start this season, and entered their Wednesday matchup against the University of Rhode Island having lost six in a row, however they managed to pick up their first win since the team’s Nov. 14 game.

The Red Foxes’ 60-51 loss to Dartmouth College last Saturday marked the third time this season in which Marist has given up the lead and lost in the final 10 minutes. Prior to Wednesday, the Red Foxes had been outscored by their opponents in the final frame by 4.6 points.

BU seems to be heading in the opposite direction, as the team has been building more and more momentum as it approaches conference play.

“Marist is a terrific threepoint shooting team, and they are very well coached in a read-andreact style offense — very high IQ players,” BU head coach Katy Steding said regarding her team’s upcoming opponent. “We need a really strong effort contesting their shooters, and we need to get off to a good start in transition.”

The women’s basketball team’s last matchup came last Saturday, in which they handed a 57-41 loss to the University of Vermont.

Sophomore forward Nia Irving posted a double-double, with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman guard Katie Nelson followed close behind with 12 points of her own, along with six assists.

The double-double was the fourth of Irving’s career, and her second so far this season. She is second on the team in scoring with 10.3 ppg, while Nelson leads with 13.7.

The Terriers will have to watch out for sophomore guard Rebekah Hand, who was last year’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.

She leads the team with 15.9 ppg and 44 rebounds.

Hand missed Marist’s game against Dartmouth (6-1) after injuring her leg in the team’s loss to Seton Hall University on Nov. 30. Her appearance in future games will be questionable heading into this week.

In last year’s matchup against BU, Hand led the Red Foxes to a 76-57 win, scoring 17 points.

Steding said she hopes to shut down her offense early on and limit her scoring chances.

“We will have some wrinkles to throw at their team, regarding Hand,” Steding said about the Marist College team. “She’s a great player who shoots the heck out of it. We just have to know where she is. And when we get switched in transition, everyone must know their personnel and tendencies.”

Hand’s sister, and fellow sophomore guard Hannah Hand, has also missed some games due to an ankle injury she suffered early in the season. She returned in the victory against University of

Rhode Island (2-6), and picked up 10 points.

Redshirt sophomore forward Alana Gilmer is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points a game. In the loss to Dartmouth, she went 8-18 from the field during her 20-point game. She picked up nine points over Rhode Island.

BU has struggled in recent years against the Red Foxes, having lost in each of their last four meetings. However, Steding said she is confident in her team’s ability to change things around on Saturday.

Co-captains senior guard Corrine Williams and senior center Sophie Beaudr y have played well on the court thus far.

Williams and Beaudry contributed to the win against Vermont with seven and nine points, respectively. Their teammates will look to them to lead the team to a fourth straight win Saturday, Steding said.

The win would tie the team’s longest winning streak during head coach Katy Steding’s tenure.

“Sophie and Corrine have done an amazing job of offering steady and consistent leadership and communication,” Steding said of the seniors. “I feel like the team has really bought into them as leaders because they are so mature and even. They bring balance and toughness and we’ve rallied behind that for a year and a half now.”

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