2-1-2018

EQUAL PAY, 4

HOT CHOCOLATE, 6

BLACK PANTHER, 9

BACK TO WINNING, 11

Salary negotiation workshops for women will open across the state.

FreeP finds Boston’s best hot chocolate so you don’t have to.

Upcoming Marvel film finally stars a Black superhero.

Men’s basketball beats Loyola 64-55 at Case Gym.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

BC cancels event with accused CFA professor

BY AMANDA KAUFMAN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

A Boston College concert scheduled for Monday night was canceled, allegedly due to the allegations of sexual harassment against Eric Ruske, a Boston University professor who was slated to perform.

Sponsored by the Boston College Music Department, the performance was titled “Trio: Three Performers, Three Works” and was set to include Irina Muresanu on the violin, Roberto Plano playing the piano and Ruske on the horn.

In a statement provided to The Heights, BC’s student newspaper, the school’s music department wrote that this was a wise choice for the BC community.

“The concert originally scheduled for January 29 has been canceled so that we can reconsider the program and its lineup,” the Music Department wrote. “We feel that this decision is in the best interest of the BC community.”

Ruske, a College of Fine Arts professor, was accused of sexually harassing two of his former students, Erin Shyr and Maria Currie, in an April 2016 lawsuit.

The complaint also accuses BU of failing to protect the students under federal Title IX guidelines, parameters which dictate how universities must respond to allegations of sexual assault.

Both Ruske and BU spokesperson Colin Riley declined to comment.

The operator of the email address “victimsofericruske@ gmail.com,” who requested anonymity, sent an email to Boston College on Jan. 18 outlining the allegations against Ruske and urging the university to “disengage from continued association” with him.

YEAR XLVI. VOLUME XCIV. ISSUE III

Sexual trauma outreach club arrives at SPH

BY ARMAND MANOUKIAN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

PHOTO BY BRIAN SONG/ DFP FILE PHOTO

Erin Shyr and Maria Currie speak about their lawsuit against College of Fine Arts professor Eric Ruske and Boston University at a press conference.

The account operator credited their email as the deciding factor that led BC to cancel the event. In a phone interview with The Daily Free Press, they said they decided to send the email “to build awareness that this guy … shouldn’t be celebrated, he should be out of education.”

They said that they agreed with BC’s cancellation, and think Boston University should not continue to protect Ruske.

“We are in a cultural shift right now, a necessary cultural shift and he is part of the problem,” they said. “And the university’s defense of him institutionally is part of the problem. Boston University has a reckoning in that regard. Institutions are liable for protecting people like him.”

Shyr, a CFA alum, wrote in a Facebook message she was pleased with BC’s decision to cancel

Ruske’s scheduled performance.

“BC’s choice to cancel the event was absolutely correct and stands in stark contrast to BU’s stance on Eric Ruske and the sexual harassment Maria and I experienced,” she wrote. “The action BC took shows how serious the institution is about listening and believing victims.”

Shyr wrote BU handed the former students’ accusations poorly, and that the university should take victims seriously and work with them to make positive institutional and environmental changes concerning sexual harassment and misconduct.

Emily Thunberg, a sophomore in the College of Engineering at Boston University, said she thought BC made the correct ethical judgement.

“I think they made the right decision by cancelling it,”

Thunberg said. “It shows that he didn’t act responsibly in the field that he’s being paid to perform in. It’s bad publicity and it’s also morally bad.”

Currie, who left BU to attend the New England Conservatory, wrote in a Facebook message that she agrees with Boston College’s statement, and that cancelling Ruske’s performance was “in the best interest of the BC Community.”

“Ruske has a history of inappropriate conduct with students, and I question BC’s judgement in initially inviting him to perform,” Currie wrote.

Currie wrote that she is appalled BU is allowing Ruske to continue instructing students.

“BC’s action contrasts with BU’s enthusiastic support of Ruske,” Currie wrote. “Despite CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Sexual Trauma Outreach & Prevention (STOP), a student group created by students at the Boston University School of Medicine, has expanded to include the students in the School of Public Health.

STOP began last year as a student group among first-year medical students who wanted more training in supporting survivors of sexual trauma, according to STOP co-founder Amanda Nelson, a second-year medical student at BUSM. “We saw that there was a place where we could advocate for better training and education,” Nelson wrote in an email.

“Sexual trauma and assault is such a pervasive issue, and one that will certainly come up in almost all of our medical careers.”

First-year SPH student Staige Davis, who brought the group to her campus, said she entered grad school with a passion for sexual assault advocacy, but was left disappointed at the limited options available to her in that field.

“When I got to the School of Public Health, they didn’t really have any organization that had education on sexual assault or advocacy for survivors,” Davis said. “… I happened to bump into these medical students that had started STOP the semester before and I was like, ‘This is awesome! … Can I join this, and how can I expand it?’”

Davis said she thinks sexual assault education is crucial to those in the field of public health.

A public health analyst should CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

BUild Lab set to open Feb. 5, support students’ innovative ideas

BY MIKE REDDY

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Filling the void left behind by the closure of the RadioShack at 730 Commonwealth Ave. is the new Boston University BUild Lab, a center for student innovation and entrepreneurship. Despite the new, unfamiliar facade, students are encouraged to step inside when it opens its doors to all members of the BU community on Feb. 5.

As part of the Innovate@BU initiative that was announced in November, the BUild Lab’s mission is to provide workshops, mentorships and resources to students across all disciplines to pursue projects they are passionate about.

Executive Director of Innovate@ BU Gerald Fine said in a phone interview that he does not want any student to be hesitant about walking

into the BUild Lab and finding out more about it. He said the center serves as a tool for students to turn their ideas into something impactful.

“Think about the untapped creative capability of our student body alone and then multiply it by however many universities there are in this country,” Fine said. “The capability to equip our students to solve problems with innovative solutions would seem to be a core responsibility of educators.”

BU President Robert Brown wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that the university invested in the BUild Lab to provide an outlet for students to create a path to the future through creating new enterprises and solving societal problems.

“The BUild Lab will give our students a set of resources that will build their skills at solving complex

problems and practice their creativity,” Brown wrote. “I am very hopeful that the Lab and all our efforts at Innovate@BU will serve our students’ ambitions.”

The BUild Lab evolved from the extracurricular entrepreneurship education center known as the BUzz Lab, founded and directed by senior lecturer Ian Mashiter.

Mashiter, now director of the BUild Lab, said in a phone interview that the BUzz Lab proved a need for this kind of center on campus.

Mashiter said entrepreneurial skills are important for students to develop regardless of the career field a student pursues after graduation.

“If you look at the jobs our students are going into, employers are expecting our students not to sit in a corner and not show any initiative,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

PHOTO BY JENNA MANTO DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Students work in the Boston University BUild Lab on Wednesday.

2 NEWS

SPH talk sheds light on opioid epidemic implications

BY HALEY LERNER

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

With the number of opioid-related overdose deaths rising exponentially over the last few years, the American opioid epidemic has become a hot topic of conversation throughout the political, medical and educational communities. Boston University’s School of Public Health hosted a talk Wednesday afternoon to review the policy and treatment implications of the opioid epidemic within the context of addiction.

The talk, titled “Opioids and the Masses: Early Lessons from the Epidemic,” was led by featured speaker Sally Satel, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a consulting psychiatrist at the Partners in Drug Abuse Rehabilitation and Counseling Clinic.

SPH Dean Sandro Galea said SPH hosted Satel because she could offer a thought-provoking perspective on the opioid epidemic.

“Opioids are a central health issue of our time,” Galea said.

“Dr. Satel is a provocative and sometimes controversial thinker on opioids, and we wanted to hear her perspective.”

Galea said he thinks the opioid epidemic is important to discuss at BU due to the high number of fatalities it has caused.

“We have more than 600,000 people die a year from opioids,” Galea said. “I think we as a community and we as the School of Public Health need to have serious intellectual engagement with opioids.”

SPH Professor of Community Health Sciences Carol Dolan said she attended the talk to help her ensure that her students stay informed, and learn more about public health issues.

“It’s good to hear different perspectives,” Dolan said. “I was here last week for the Surgeon General who came and it’s good to hear how people are thinking about the problem on a broader

Crime Logs

BY SOPHIA BROWN

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs from Jan. 25-29.

Chemical spill in Biology Research Building A caller reported at 3:51 p.m. on Monday that they spilled some chemicals inside 5 Cummington Mall. The caller refused medical treatment, despite having torn their gloves. Environmental Health and Safety units evaluated the scene.

Overflowing toilet activates smoke alarm at 210 Bay State Road

PHOTO BY LEXI PLINE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Sally Satel speaks about the opioid epidemic at the School of Public Health on Wednesday afternoon.

level. The Surgeon General of course represents the current government. But I also know we have folks locally who are working with a really local problem.”

Satel spoke during the talk about how the recent inf lux of excessive amounts of opioids prescribed to patients is responsible for the epidemic. Between the 1980s and ‘90s, she said, there was a movement to be more responsive to pain that reached its peak in the 2000s, as the American Pain Society had lobbied to establish pain as a fifth vital sign.

Satel said most misused pills in the United States are not actually misused by the patients they are prescribed to, but by other people who get ahold of them.

“Even though prescribing is starting to go down, the vast majority of pills that were abused and still are abused are by people who frankly do get them out of medicine chests and pill mills, which is still around, though fewer in number,” Satel said.

Satel added that the tendency for doctors to try to prescribe fewer pain medications can have a negative effect on people with

chronic pain.

“Everyone’s clearly trying to do the right thing,” Satel said.

“But with all this worry about … ‘we can’t prescribe too much,’ it’s sort of migrated into the chronic pain patients, which is a totally different population.”

Satel said many users start abusing opioids because they want to change their mental state and alter their inner landscape.

“For people who are in distress, there’s nothing better than opioids,” Satel said. “Everyone has their so-called ‘drug of choice,’ but a lot of people think opioids are just phenomenal. I mean, they are, why else would they be named after the god of dreams?”

After the talk, Satel said she thinks it’s important that doctors minimize the amount of opioids in circulation while also properly treating patients with chronic pain.

“Doctors do have to prescribe fewer pills at any one time,” Satel said. “But again, they have to balance that with not creating an environment where people are afraid to prescribe opioids, especially to some long-term patients

who really need. I think doctors do probably need some better education on how to prescribe and on these other alternatives.”

Anisha Borthakur, a first-year graduate student in SPH, said she thought Satel seemed passionate and knowledgeable throughout the talk.

“She had an agenda to what she wanted to say,” Borthakur said.

“She had some good things to say, the whole idle hands thing, you’ve got to keep people busy because that’s what leads to relapse and leads to addiction. You’ve also got to consider the chronic pain patients. She sounded well educated on what she wanted to say and seemed like she knew what she was doing.”

Britta Seifert, another firstyear graduate student in SPH, said she felt she learned a lot from the event.

“I really like these events,” Seifert said. “I think it’s a really great opportunity to learn from different people in the field and I really enjoy learning outside of a class when I can sit and enjoy and soak it in without worrying about the exam or anything like that.”

BC allegedly drops Eric Ruske event due to past RUSKE, FROM PAGE 1 what BU knows about his conduct, BU still allows Ruske to teach and have many one-on-one interactions with students through his roles as a private lesson instructor and student advisor.”

The concert’s cancellation comes in the wake of the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements, measures which aim to end the culture of sexual abuse and harassment of women after revelations of inappropriate behavior by powerful men roiled a variety of industries across the country over the past several months.

Eugene Kim, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences at BU, said that while it’s important BC scratched the performance, it’s a bigger issue that Boston University continues to employ Ruske.

“It’s really important that BC cancels that performance, but I think the bigger problem is that

CAMPUS

BU hasn’t done anything,” Kim said. “It’s interesting that BU still condones someone like that working and representing our academia. That’s the bigger issue that should be dealt with.”

Kim said he hopes BC withdrew the performance because of moral motives, not potential publicity problems.

“Hopefully the idea is that that kind of behavior is not okay in general and not just that they don’t want BC’s name to be associated with that, but that this all around shouldn’t be happening,” Kim said.

Katherine Bart, a freshman in BU’s College of General Studies, said she thinks Ruske’s artistic ability is unrelated to allegations of improper behavior, but that BC made the right decision to cancel the performance.

“I understand why they did that,” Bart said. “I think it’s kind of a hard line because his ability

A fire alarm activation in 210 Bay State Road at 12:56 a.m. on Friday was triggered by water from an overflowing second-floor toilet hitting the smoke alarm. Boston Fire Department and BU Facilities were notified, and BU Facilities remained on the scene.

Person sleeping in laundry room at 872 Beacon St. Facilities reported at 7:26 a.m. on Thursday that someone was asleep in the laundry room of the apartments at 872 Beacon St. The party was asked to leave and fled in an unknown direction.

CITY

Crime Logs

BY SOLANGE HACKSHAW DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following reports were taken from the Boston Police Department crime logs from Jan. 26.

Drug transaction on Commonwealth Ave. While conducting a drug investigation in the area, officers apprehended two individuals after observing a marijuana transaction on Commonwealth Avenue Thursday at 3:49 p.m. The suspect got into a black Lexus and proceeded to loop the block until they arrived back on Melvin Avenue. Using their expertise, the officers noted that a possible drug transaction occurred during the drive. Splitting up, the two officers followed the two suspects, who confessed to the deal and were apprehended.

Confrontation between driver and tow truck operator at gas station

PHOTO BY BRIAN SONG/ DFP FILE PHOTO

Erin Shyr looks on during a press conference about the lawsuit against professor Eric Ruske.

to perform doesn’t really cross over with what he did but I think right now that’s the appropriate response.”

Bart said that by cancelling

the performance, BC is sending the message that “they don’t approve and that they will stand up against it, which is a good message to send.”

Officers responded to a radio call for an Assault & Battery in progress at 100 Brighton Ave. Thursday at 4:41 p.m. A driver parked in front of Speedway gas station in order to pick up a delivery order across the street at Spike’s Junkyard Dogs. A tow truck pulled up and began towing the car away.

The driver came back to retrieve their car, attempting to drive the car away while it was on the tow truck hook. The driver shoved the tow truck operator in the chest to prevent the car from being towed.

Both parties had no signs of injury and declined to file a criminal complaint against the other.

NEWS 3

Massachusetts might turn to same-day voter registration

PHOTO BY CHLOE GRINBERG/ DFP FILE PHOTO

William Galvin, the secretary of the Commonwealth, proposed a bill to allow Massachusetts’ voters to do same-day registration.

BY HANNAH EDELMAN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Joint Committee on Election Laws is scheduled to vote on a bill that will allow Massachusetts voters to both register and vote on Election Day. If passed, the legislation will overturn previous laws requiring Massachusetts voters to register at least 20 days prior to an election.

Secretary of State William Galvin proposed the bill for sameday voter registration last week to increase voter turnout and participation. If passed, same-day voter registration would be implemented in the Commonwealth in 2019.

“Allowing voters to register on election day is the next step in our successful effort to expand access to the ballot,” Galvin said in a statement.

The American Civil Liberties Union recently challenged the current voter registration cutoff in court, with the trial court ruling that the current 20-day cutoff violates the Massachusetts Constitution.

The case, Chelsea Collaborative v.

Galvin, has now been appealed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said in a

statement that voting is an important right to everyone.

“Voting is the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest,” Rose said. “Massachusetts should move forward with the best possible plan to help every voter in every city, town and precinct exercise their right to vote … ” Unlike Galvin, the ACLU proposes same-day voter registration be implemented prior to the 2018 midterm elections to “protect and expand the ballot,” Rose said in the statement.

Emily Sinclair, 26, of Roslindale, said that although she was not aware

of this bill until recently, she thinks it should be passed.

“It’s really important to let anybody who wants to register to vote, vote that is able to do so,” Sinclair said. “I think same-day would make it really easy for a lot of people.”

Multiple voting rights organizations will submit amicus briefs in support of the ACLU, including the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and MassVOTE, said LWV executive director Meryl Kessler.

Kessler said these organizations view the current voting law as disproportionately affecting underrepresented groups, such as young people and citizens who move frequently.

She also said she is concerned many residents are unaware that the voter registration cutoff exists.

“The league has for 100 years stood for ensuring that elections are free, fair and accessible,” Kessler said.

“We see election-day registration as the next frontier in terms of making sure that we allow everyone in the state of Massachusetts to have a political voice.”

Kessler said the LWV is also a huge proponent of automatic voter registration in conjunction with election-day registration, which would convert the U.S. voting system from an opt-in structure to one in which citizens can choose to opt out of in the future. She cited reports predicting that the “important comprehensive change” of automatic voter registration could increase the electorate by 700,000 previously unregistered eligible voters.

Javon Gates, 24, of Mattapan, said this vote reform bill could reverse the trend of disenfranchisement affecting people who forget to register on time, and therefore cannot vote due to inconvenience or misunderstanding in registration.

“If I tell you that you can walk into this building and have the impact that you really deserve as a citizen, then I think that makes a lot more sense,” Gates said.

Cheryl Crawford, executive director of MassVOTE, wrote in an email that her organization’s goals align with those of the LWV. “I believe this legislation is the ultimate piece of legislation to break down voting barriers,” Crawford wrote.

MassVOTE also supports the implementation of automatic voter registration, Crawford wrote, and believes election day voter registration is a “step in the right direction.”

“Unfortunately, the wheels of justice grind very slow here in Massachusetts, especially when it comes to election reform,” Crawford wrote.

Some of the hesitancy in passing the bill relates to issues of funding and logistics, especially when it comes to on-site voter identification and registration, Crawford wrote.

Gabe Taylor, 24, of Hyde Park said he does not think this legislation will significantly increase voter turnout.

“There are a lot of people who don’t vote because they just don’t register, which is a really bad reason not to vote,” Taylor said.

Students bring sexual assault outreach and prevention group to SPH STOP, FROM PAGE 1 be able to help someone who was assaulted and determine the outcomes of the crime to be able to help the victim, Davis said.

STOP co-founder Michelle Domini, also a second-year medical student at BUSM, said expansion into the School of Public Health has brought them insight, new perspectives and a firmer grasp on sexual trauma care.

“By using all the resources we have, whether that’s a different school or whatever it may be, it makes us most effective, and we’ve had a really great time working with the students in the School of Public Health,” Domini said. “I think they’re really making STOP into a stronger and better program.”

Heather Sweeney, another STOP co-founder and a second-year medical student at BUSM, said that although its original purpose was just to educate medical students on the topic of sexual trauma, STOP’s mission has since evolved, and it has become an advocacy and support group for those who suffer trauma from sexual assault.

“We function as a group that students have reached out to when they have been feeling like they need a space for support or when they’ve been feeling like they need

someone to talk to,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney added that as aspiring medical practitioners, it only makes sense that these students should be able to listen to stories from survivors and advice from experts in the field on how to treat them.

“I would hope that [medical practitioners] have a pretty good understanding of what is consensual and what is not consensual and are able to provide guidance and support to their patients who experience something that was unwanted,” Sweeney said.

James Lane, a senior in the School of Education, said he thinks groups like STOP are important because they can educate students on how to help survivors of sexual assault trauma.

“They can teach about what has happened and get people information on it so they can figure out what to do,” Lane said.

Sweeney, who served as a sexual assault peer educator during her undergraduate years at Brown University, said one way they practice outreach is by preparing “care kits,” which are collections of comfort items to give to sexual assault victims.

Davis, who worked with The Sexual Assault Resource Agency in Charlottesville, Virginia, said STOP has also become involved in political issues, conducting a phone

PHOTO BY MAISIE MANSFIELD-GREENWALD/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

SPH graduate student Staige Davis helped expand the Sexual Trauma Outreach & Prevention student group.

campaign in response to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos rolling back Obama-era sexual assault protections in September.

Davis said STOP’s f lagship events are its student-run “STOP ‘n Talks” — monthly discussions on topics related to sexual assault.

“It’s important to have things that are student-run,” Davis said, “because I think that invites a different level of conversation when it’s peers speaking to peers.”

Domini said that while she considers STOP to be primarily

geared toward medical and public health students, she thinks other BU colleges could benefit from similar groups that educate students on sexual assault.

“Sexual assault is not something that only affects medical students, or only affects the students in the School of Public Health or only affects women anywhere on the BU campus or in the community,” Domini said.

Linda Ward, a freshman in the College of Communication, said she also sees more relevance in the

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program for medical and public health students, but thinks all BU students should be educated on sexual assault.

“I definitely think that it’s good to spread awareness,” Ward said. “I think it is pretty important that all schools know about it.”

COM senior Phinneas Bauer said he thinks STOP would be beneficial for all BU students. “[STOP] has a place throughout all the colleges,” Bauer said.

“There isn’t a place it doesn’t belong.”

4 NEWS

Salary negotiation workshops for women to start in Mass.

BY JEN RACOOSIN

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Free salary negotiation workshops will be offered to women across Massachusetts in an effort to close the gender wage gap.

The workshops will be sponsored by the Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General of Massachusetts and the American Association of University Women.

Faci l itators f rom the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women will lead the workshops at community colleges across the state under a program called “Just Ask” that CSW secretary Nina Kimball said is designed to give women the tools to negotiate the salaries they deserve.

Abigail Lewis, AAUW vice president of campus leadership programs, said the workshops aim to provide participants with information about the wage gap and strategies to advocate for themselves.

Emily Taylor, 28, of Fenway, said she supports the implementation of salary negotiation workshops because they will mobilize women to close the wage gap by acting, rather than passively observing its existence.

“You can go to work and you can read about the wage gap, but that takes coaching to be able to advocate for yourself sometimes,” Taylor said. “That’s what it comes down to. They’re not just going to give you free money. You have to know how to advocate for yourself and negotiate, and that’s not something a lot of people know how to do.”

Kimball said salary negotia-

tion workshops have been held for many years — nearly 5,000 women have already participated in Boston workshops — but they’ve never been implemented statewide before.

“It’s not a new program, but what is new is that this is going to be the first statewide program to provide salary negotiation workshops in the country,” Kimball said. “That’s new, and taking it on that scale is big.”

Kimball said the program is called “Just Ask” because that is a simple step many women don’t take when negotiating their salary.

“What we have found is that women don’t ask for a raise or for more money,” Kimball said. “One of the reasons that there is a gender wage gap is because women simply don’t ask for more pay. The idea is that if women would ‘Just Ask,’ they will get paid more money.”

Jack Kane, 24, of Fenway, said salary negotiation is a difficult skill, especially for people without access to the resources to advocate for themselves.

“I think [salary negotiation] is intimidating for a lot of people,” Kane said. “I just started working this month and I didn’t know the proper steps to take. I’m a college-educated student, so people with lesser education probably have even fewer resources and even less knowledge to go about negotiating a fair salary.”

Lewis said research shows women are less likely to negotiate a fair salary, largely due to negative gender stereotypes.

“We see negotiation sometimes in a very gendered way, in terms of who’s a negotiator and who’s

Women take part in a salary negotiation workshop last year.

not,” Lewis said. “Women actually negotiate constantly in their lives, but there’s this idea that women are not good at negotiating for their salaries or don’t have negotiating skills.”

Sandra Pires, 39, of Dorchester, said she hopes the workshops help close the wage gap, an important issue to her.

“Women deserve the same great things as men,” Pires said.

“We are hard workers like men.”

Lewis said the U.S. economy loses $840 billion per year because underpaid working women don’t have the opportunity to participate in it on equal grounds with men.

“When women don’t get paid a fair salary, what we’re talking

PHOTO BY VIGUNTHAAN THATMARAJAH/ DFP FILE PHOTO

about is this money that they can’t put toward their student loan debt,” Lewis said. “It’s money they can’t put toward their education in general, childcare, buying a house or all those other incidentals we have to live by … They can’t participate equally in society at all.”

Kimball said men were the primary breadwinners when the Equal Pay Act was first passed in 1963, so it didn’t affect the economy if women’s wages were lower.

However, things have changed, she said.

“That’s not the model we have now,” Kimball said, “So closing that gender wage gap and helping women to be able to get paid better and to be paid and valued for the

work they’re doing is important as an economic issue, as a family issue, and for women.”

Kimball said the wage gap narrowed throughout the 1980s and 1990s, but this progress stagnated in the 2000s, with the average Massachusetts woman working full-time earning about 83 cents for every dollar a man earns.4 Kimball said the workshops will roll out in conjunction with amendments to the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, which aim to close the gender wage gap, notably by prohibiting employers from asking a job candidate’s previous salary.

Sarika Ram and Solange Hackshaw contributed to the reporting of this article.

BUild Lab opens its doors to students BUILD, FROM PAGE 1

PHOTO BY JENNA MANTO/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The BU BUild Lab, a part of the Innovate@BU initiative that was announced last semester, will open its doors to students Feb. 5.

Mashiter said. “They’re looking for employees who want to solve problems, who’ve got a mindset to go out and solve problems, and a mindset about being creative about that.”

Fine said there are many different approaches students may choose to take when developing an innovative project.

“Regardless of whether students want to run startups or create ventures or just be innovative and entrepreneurial in larger companies, we think they need to have these skills before they leave here.” Fine said.

College of Communication junior Hali Letlow said she thinks the BUild Lab is an exciting addition to BU. She said it is important to support innovation on university campuses, especially for students who would not have access to resources and technology otherwise.

“You want to encourage your students to have new ideas and to create things,” Letlow said. “I think that’s a theme that relates to every

student no matter if they’re an engineer, if they’re in COM, innovation is something that’s really exciting for everyone.”

Innovate@BU Director of Research and Curriculum Siobhan O’Mahony said in a phone interview that in her research, she found that most students spend a majority of their time within their schools.

O’Mahony said the BUild Lab is one way the university aims to promote collaboration among disciplines.

“As a scholar of innovation, the one thing we know is that the best ideas come from [the] recombination of existing ideas,” O’Mahony said. “The BUild Lab is neutral face.

It doesn’t belong to any discipline, it belongs to all students at BU.” O’Mahony said that while pursuing a career after college, the costs of failure become much greater.

Because of this, she said she hopes the BUild Lab becomes an environment where students are not afraid to take risks and fail.

“We need to make sure that the

people we graduate are not afraid to tackle big problems,” O’Mahony said.

Several BU students said the BUild Lab seems like a helpful resource for students to benefit from the resources it provides.

College of Engineering senior Thompson Cragwell said the BUild Lab has potential, but not many students know about it.

“I feel like it’s a really good idea, but [it] probably could use more exposure since it kind of came out of nowhere,” Cragwell said. “The fact that it’s there is very useful because there are a lot of things that schools don’t have, and I feel like this is kind of unique to BU.” College of Arts and Sciences freshman Samantha Casey said she could see herself using the BUild Lab to pursue her own initiatives.

“I’m a neuroscience major and I’m interested in doing research,” Casey said. “I feel like it would be helpful to go there to kind of get an idea of what I can do to start on that research.”

CAMPUS CALENDAR THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TIME MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

SPIRITUAL PAINT NIGHT

ASIAN ART EXHIBITION

SUPER BOWL DINNER

BUILD LAB TOURS AND COFFEE

YAWKEY CENTER

MARSH ROOM 7 – 9 P.M.

STH COMMUNITY CENTER

10:10 – 11 A.M.

ALL DINING HALLS 5 – 9 P.M.

9 A.M. – 5 P.M.

Hosted by Center for Student Services

Hosted by Global Ministries Department

Hosted by STH

Hosted by BU Dining

Hosted by Innovate@BU

10 A.M. – 5 P.M.

BUILD LAB

BUSINESS

FEATURES 5

Amazon HQ2 could boost employment but strain infrastructure

BY JACK MORIARITY DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Earlier this month, Amazon revealed a shortlist of cities being considered for the internet giant’s second headquarters. Out of 238 cities that applied, Boston, along with 19 others, made the cut.

The potential benefits of hosting Amazon’s headquarters are significant. In Seattle, more than 40,000 employees work for Amazon and 53,000 jobs were created in the city as a result of Amazon’s investments. Amazon estimates it has added an additional $38 billion to the city’s economy.

For its second headquarters, Amazon expects an investment of 5 billion dollars into construction and the creation of 50,000 new jobs.

Tal Gross, a professor in Boston University’s Questrom School of Business said at this point, it’s difficult to say how accommodating HQ2 could affect Boston.

“On the one hand, there are going to be a lot of jobs,” Gross said. “On the other hand, depending on the concessions the City offers Amazon, there can be downsides too.”

Having a huge corporate headquarters could drive up housing prices. From July 2016 to July 2017, Seattle’s metro area saw single-family home prices go up by 13.5 percent, which is 7.6 percent higher than the national average during the same time frame, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Indices.

The headquarters would mostly

Boston made Amazon’s shortlist for its second headquarters.

employ high-skilled computer science and I.T. workers, which Gross believes is one of Boston biggest selling points for Amazon, since it houses several STEM powerhouses like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

But highly skilled jobs, Gross said, won’t be the only new employment opportunities. “There be some increase in lesser-skilled jobs,” he said.

“Construction would boom at least temporarily and all these computer programmers need to eat lunch.”

Gross said there could be definite downsides to having the headquarters in Boston, with an increase in traffic and whatever negatives might come as a result of Boston’s negotiations with Amazon.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said it was too early to look at incentives because Amazon has not clearly defined its expectations yet, as reported by CNBC. At 26th on Forbes’ Fortune Global 500 list, Amazon is one of the world’s biggest, richest companies. Yet, Gross said, it’s unlikely that the behemoth would overtake

PHOTO BY VIVIAN MYRON/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

or even negatively impact small businesses in Boston.

“This is a corporate headquarters. It’s not as though it’s like a Walmart,” Gross said. “This is very different, so I think small businesses would most benefit.”

Francis Snyder, a shift manager at Economy Hardware in Brookline, does not think the move will affect his store personally.

“I think it probably [won’t be a] huge deal for [Economy Hardware], we’d just have a boost in profits,” he said.

Considering Amazon’s impact

COMMUNITY

on Boston as a whole, Snyder feels differently.

“We shouldn’t have to have Amazon have this big new headquarters to say improve transit,” he said. “We should just be doing that already as a baseline.”

Snyder said he believes Amazon’s status as a company first and foremost means they won’t prioritize Boston’s needs over their profits.

“I think that [Amazon] might have a positive impact for the wrong reasons, and I don’t think we need Amazon to be able to make that positive impact, I think we should just be able to do it on our own.”

Some BU students are excited by the idea of having the mogul close to campus.

Benjamin Santilli, a sophomore in Questrom, said having the headquarters in Boston would be a huge advantage for students. “They’re hiring 50,000 new people,” Santilli said. “It just oozes opportunity for business students everywhere.”

“BU teaches and instills many of the traits that big companies like Amazon are looking for into their students. Amazon is known to love their team skills and BU students learn from the get-go in SM131 all about working in teams,” Santilli said. “If Amazon can help me out then I’m all for it.”

In coming months, Amazon said, the company will further review proposals from cities on its shortlist. “We expect to make a decision in 2018,” Amazon said in a press release.

Tardigrade Stage tackles climate change with performance art

BY KIRAN GALANI

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The newly founded Tardigrade Stage, an arts collective raising money for organizations fighting climate change, held its first event at the Democracy Center last Saturday. The event, “Arts for Climate: Tardigrade Stage #1,” united artists to create a performance advocating for action against climate change.

Founded by Barbara Lieurance, a classical pianist with a growing concern for the environment, Tardigrade Stage’s artistic events are designed to simultaneously lift people’s spirits and support organizations working for environmental and social justice.

Saturday’s event included a mix of classical music, folk music, personal stories and face painting, according to Lieurance’s website. “[Arts for Climate] is a 100 percent volunteer based event, and 100 percent of any donations that are raised go to whatever organization it’s supporting,” Lieurance said.

The proceeds from this event went to support 350 Massachusetts for a Better Future, a grassroots organization with a statewide network of volunteers working toward bettering the environment.

Lieurance said she became involved in climate activism about

a year ago, after the 2016 presidential election made her reconsider the future of climate activism in the United States.

“After a year of very diligently being involved in lobbying my senators and learning about these very detailed bills and issues and trying to go to where power is and affect the power, I realized that I was getting burned out,” Lieurance said.

Lieurance realized, she said, that many people wanted to help the environment but didn’t know how or didn’t have time to go as deeply into activism as she had.

That realization inspired her to start Tardigrade Stage.

“Tardigrade’s goals are goals that I thought were needing to be met in activism,” Lieurance said. “There are lot of creative people who want to help and are activists, or who aren’t activists, and they want to figure out how to help and how to come together.”

She finds art to include in her events through community submissions.

“The idea is that art itself brings people together, rejuvenates them, gives everybody a bit of a life, and maybe gives everybody space away from screams and scary news,” Lieurance said.

At the event, musical performances were paired with body and

face paint to depict the performers as an endangered species. The concert featured several artists, who performed both original songs and classical pieces.

The artists included violinist Gabby Diaz, pianist Hubert Ho, violinist duo Emily Rome and Annegret Klaua, singer and guitarist Chris D’Agostino and Barkers of the Imminent Conundrum, a duo band who sang classic and original folk music resistance songs.

Tad Hitchcock, the guitarist and vocalist of the Barkers of the Imminent Conundrum, said his group’s name actually references climate change.

“We are all the Barkers of the Imminent Conundrum, the imminent conundrum being climate change and all the concerns that come with it –– that’s why we’re here,” Hitchcock said. “We are all very acutely aware of climate issues, and we just want to speak a little louder about it.”

The violinists were painted by face and body painter Shelby Meyerhoff, acting as her living canvas.

The event also featured a preview of an art installation created by hundreds of young voters across Massachusetts to urge their representatives to work to reduce global warming as part of the “Put a Price on It” campaign. The complete art

PHOTO BY MAGGIE LEONE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

An event to address climate change is held at the Democracy Center on Saturday.

installation will be on display at the State House this week.

“I actually feel very energized by this event,” said Lucy Page, 23, of Winchester. “I just feel more hopeful I suppose.”

Page said the event was great for reminding people there are others who care and that there’s a way forward if everyone makes an effort to counter climate change.

This resilience, Lieurance said, inspired her to name her project

Tardigrade Stage.

Tardigrades, often called water bears, are microscopic water dwelling animals that can survive even the harshest of weather conditions and have survived in the most extreme conditions.

“I find their resilience inspiring,” Lieurance said. “One of the foundational reasons I started this project was to build resilience, in my life and hopefully in other people’s lives, too.”

6 FEATURES

ARTS

FREEP VS. FOOD: HOT CHOCOLATE

BY ALLEGRA LONG, ESTEFANIA RUIZ, SABRINA HUANG AND MAGGIE LEONE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

In this edition of FreeP vs. Food, we sipped (and ranked) some of Beantown’s best hot chocolate.

L.A. Burdick

A

We were excited for our first stop, since we’d heard that L.A. Burdick was named one of the best hot chocolate shops in America. Walking through Boston’s iconic Back Bay neighborhood, we instantly recognized L.A. Burdick’s French shabby-chic exterior standing between Copley Square and Newbury Street. Once we entered, we were immediately transported to the interior of a picturesque European villa-style home, still holding the sophistication that French chocolatiers are known for. As we crowded around the wood-paneled tables, sandwiched between happy, bubbly patrons, it was easy to understand why this is a frequent stop for customers after a day of sight-

seeing or ice skating. It’s the perfect way to end a day of winter New England weather.

While the aesthetics and warm ambiance were all part of the experience, our cup of Burdick Blend Milk Drinking Chocolate, ringing up at $6.00, was obviously the main event. Its frothy, dense texture shocked our senses. Its impressive thickness seemed to match its decadent taste of concentrated cocoa that, upon further investigation, purportedly comes from the exotic islands of Grenada. This might explain the robust, chocolate aftertaste, sensuous with a velvety finish of milk. Although for some it may seem like sensory overload, those who look for memorable gastronomical experiences should make their way to L.A. Burdick’s.

Maggie: A- | Sabrina: A | Allegra: A | Estefania: A+

The Taza Chocolate Bar Amid the hustle and bustle of the Boston Public Market, The Taza Chocolate Bar is a bright, small fixture near the corner closest to Congress Street. Its wood paneled stand is painted a light turquoise color, and could easily be found on the streets of Sayulita, Mexico. They sell churros and empanadas as well as chocolate, produced at their factory in Somerville. Approaching Taza, we noticed a strange but enticing sight at the espresso bar. That day, Taza had introduced their “Cocoa Cuz Yolo” hot chocolate.

Cocoa Cuz Yolo is loaded with local sweet treats such as a Sweet Lydia’s Marsh-

mallow, Q’s sweet roasted nuts, a Red Apple Farm cider donut, a Union Square donut hole and whipped cream. We had to have it. Priced at $8.99, the hot chocolate itself wasn’t very thick, but it was milky sweet, and the grainy texture highlighted the cacao that melted in our mouths. It held a softer sweetness than the other hot chocolates that we tried, and the aftertaste was laced with a nutty, coffee-like flavor. Though Cocoa Cuz Yolo was only available for five hours on that cold January day, we would come back just for the ambiance of the market and its deliciously complex hot chocolate.

Maggie: B+ | Sabrina: A- | Allegra: A- | Estefania: A-

AThe Paris Creperie Situated in Coolidge Corner, The Paris Creperie has a European vibe inside: crowded and vibrant, with people excitedly grabbing a quick bite. We were only there for hot chocolate, but other patrons had delicious-looking crepes and sandwiches. As we approached the counter to order our fourth and final hot chocolate of the journey, we saw that Paris Creperie offered a Nutella Hot Chocolate, which sounded too good to turn down. We purchased a small cup for $3.79 but a large was less than a dollar more, making this the most cost-effective cup of cocoa we sampled.

A-

Nutella made for a light and airy yet perfectly creamy cup of hot chocolate. The liquid was thick but not too rich, making it easily possible to finish a whole mug.

It was classically delicious, but there was a definite twist that came with the added flavor of hazelnut. As expected, there was a sprinkle of cocoa powder on top and a pleasant, nutty aftertaste. Sitting in the tiny, bustling shop, with its wrought iron chairs and framed French posters on the walls, it’s easy to forget that you’re sitting in Boston, not Paris.

Maggie: A | Sabrina: B+ | Allegra: B+ | Estefania: A

Ghirardelli Located near Faneuil Hall, Ghirardelli is a two-story ice cream and chocolate shop.

The famous San Francisco-based chocolate company greeted us with free samples of their Strawberry Bark chocolate square. We walked past the chocolate on display to the back of the shop to order the classic Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa, topped with whipped cream. We found a table on the spacious second floor, designed for customers to sit down and enjoy food and beverages from the cafe. The wallpaper depicted San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square, and after waiting for a few minutes, a waiter served us our

hot chocolate in a plain white mug.

Overall, the classic Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa was really a “classic.” It tasted plain.

However, unlike L.A. Burdick and Taza, we all agreed that we could probably each finish Ghirardelli’s hot chocolate on our own without feeling overwhelmed. The hot chocolate was creamy, giving it a smooth texture, but didn’t have a strong cocoa bean taste compared to the other locations we visited. However, the taste had the perfect balance; it was neither too sweet nor too bitter. At $5.25, it was one of the cheaper options, but ultimately not worth the journey out to Faneuil Hall.

Maggie: A- | Sabrina: A- | Allegra: B | Estefania: B

B+ PHOTOS BY MAGGIE LEONE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

FEATURES 7

SCIENCE

This year’s flu season quickly becoming worst in nearly a decade

BY JULIA MARUCA

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

This year’s f lu season is on a path to becoming the most severe in nearly a decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The severity of the flu outbreak is attributed to the prevalence of a particularly aggressive and vaccine-resistant strain of flu, H3N2.

Estimates say the flu season is currently peaking, and will likely continue for several more weeks.

At Boston University, with a high population of young people living close together, an epidemic of this sort could have a significant impact on student health.

According to Dr. Ali Raja, executive vice chairman of emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, infants and geriatric patients are at the highest risk for infection with H3N2.

However, young adults are particularly susceptible as well.

College dormitories and libraries, where people live and work in close proximity, increase flu contraction, Raja said. College environments are often populated by students under a high level of stress, which can also lead to increased susceptibility to disease, according to a study done at Carnegie Mellon University.

BU is taking steps to prepare students and faculty for the especially dangerous flu season.

“Since it’s been a very active

BU is offering additional clinics to combat this year’s particularly bad flu season.

flu season, we want to make sure people are protected,” said Steve Morash, director of emergency management at BU. “We have been doing our due diligence and taking the precautions that we always do, but paying particular attention this year because it’s a very strong flu.”

BU Student Health Services holds an inoculation clinic at the beginning of each semester for students who may need to update their vaccinations. This year, SHS made the decision to add an addi-

tional clinic exclusively for the flu.

In the past, f lu clinics were only offered during the first semester, but because of concerns over the epidemic, Emergency Services made them available to students later in the year.

Despite the f lu vaccine being less effective this year, Raja said, it is still important to be vaccinated.

“The flu shot is only about 30 to 40 percent effective this year.

People hear that and think ‘why bother?’ and then we end up get-

PHOTO BY KANKANIT WIRIYASAJJA/ DFP FILE PHOTO

ting more sick patients, because they haven’t gotten the flu shot,” Raja said. “It’s important to realize that 30 to 40 percent is a lot better than zero percent.”

Raja said MGH has had almost three times as many flu patients in the emergency department as they did at this time last year.

“For us, that increase in volume means we have to focus on placing more patients in isolation and admitting more patients to the hospital,” he said For students, Raja said, one

of the most important things to remember during flu season is to avoid passing on the illness if you get it.

“The more you try to work and fight through it, the longer it will take to get better,” Raja said.

“If you show up to a class because you think you absolutely have to be there, even though you have symptoms of the f lu, it’s a problem for both you and the people who will be exposed.”

Students appear to be taking advantage of the precautions, with many showing up to the clinic because of concerns over the severity of the epidemic. Last week at the clinic, lines of students stretched through FitRec. “In the past, I haven’t regularly gotten a flu shot, and I have actually gotten the f lu before,” said Ashray Mohan, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“But in the past it hasn’t been as severe, and there haven’t been stories about people dying on the news. But now there are, so this year I decided to go in.”

While this season is especially severe, most recommended precautions are typical.

“The flu is a serious [disease], but the usual stuff is important, too — not coughing on people, washing their hands, getting enough sleep,” Morash said.

“Students should continue to do what they always do to keep healthy.”

BU hosts world’s largest female, femme nonbinary hackathon

BY SAMANTHA DRYSDALE DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Last weekend, Boston University’s Metcalf Ballroom bustled with young women hailing from around the globe, energy soaring as they created, innovated and shared their love for technology.

Organized by Boston students, SheHacks Boston was the largest all-female and femme non-binary hackathon in the world, with over 1,000 participants. Sponsors included leaders of the tech industry such as Google, IBM and Two Sigma.

“Being a woman in tech, sometimes you feel a little bit alone.

You don’t feel like there are other people like you who share the same passions,” said Sreeya Sai, the head of sponsorship at SheHacks. “But seeing a lot of people in a room that are really passionate about the same things is really exciting.”

The participants had 36 hours to create a website, app or other piece of technology to solve an issue they were given, which included disaster, saving the planet, gender equality, political polarization and health and wellness.

Participants were innovative in their real-world solutions to real-world problems.

Ibtihal Aboussad, a freshman studying computer science at Harvard University, and her

team addressed the often-overlooked refugee crisis occurring internationally.

“Our theme is disaster,” Aboussad said. “We’re making a website for refugees that stores their medical records and medical data so that they can have access to it all across the world.”

Paula Espitia, also a freshman studying computer science at Harvard, added, “We have a friend who knows a person who volunteered in hospitals in Syria.

We heard about how all their records were lost.”

Grace Chen, a freshman studying electrical engineering at Princeton University, and her team created an app to match students with a licensed mental health professional if their school services failed to provide the help they need.

“We think it’s a very prominent issue on a lot of college campuses … A lot of students don’t have easy accessibility to psychological ser vices,” Chen said. “So basically, what our app is supposed to do is match you up with a licensed professional or an employee in psychological services offered by the university.”

In addition to hacking, one of the goals of the event was to allow for networking with Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits that sponsored SheHacks.

“Just being able to talk to someone in person versus over

the phone or email, saying ‘I’m interested in your company, talk to me about what I can do,’ and having that one-on-one interaction is a great opportunity,” said Eleanor Schiltz, the design lead at She Hacks and a freshman in Boston University’s College of Communication.

In addition to networking with established companies, hackathons encourage interaction with peers interested in the same field. A teammate might become a business partner or connection in the future.

“Everyone is really excited about their own projects but they also really love hearing about other people’s,” said Haley Hauptfeld, a freshman studying computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. “There’s always something new to learn.”

For participants, seeing so many hackers like themselves was inspirational, especially in how they see themselves in their future careers. The tech industry is disproportionately male-dominated, according to a study by the Level Playing Field Institute.

“I’ve only been in one [computer science] class so far … I was one of five girls in a class of 30,” said Kiersten Campbell, a freshman studying computer science at Williams College.

“It’s hard to picture yourself in an industry [that] looks so different from you. I think getting female role models in this

PHOTO BY CAROLYN HOFFMAN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

She Hacks, a hackathon for women, was held at Boston University last weekend.

industry would be a major step forward.”

In addition to events like SheHacks, many universities have clubs and organizations specific to students with the same goals.

Aboussad spoke about her experience with the Harvard organization Women in Computer Science.

“I think it’s really important.

Seeing that there are other females on campus who are doing the same thing as you. You can support each other,” Aboussad said.

SheHacks awarded prizes to winners of each of the five categories. Additionally, prizes were given to winners of independent challenges hosted by the sponsors.

Prizes ranged from a donation to a charity of the winner’s choosing to an IBM internship.

“The girls are able to talk and interact with each other and have an introduction to computer science and the technology industry in a very relaxed, non-competitive way,” Schiltz said. “It’s just a good, fun energy.”

8 OPINION

EDITORIAL

Democratic response to SOTU sets right tone for the party’s future Around 40 million Americans tuned into Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night to hear what our leader had to say about the country at this stage in his presidency.

Trump’s speech did not disappoint his supporters. They ate up his glowing words and positivity, cheering and applauding any time he mentioned measures of economic progress made possible by his administration. He casually glossed over his anti-immigration agenda and even manipulated aspects of his health care policies. At one point during the 80-minute speech, he said “There has never been a better time to start living the American Dream.” One year later and Trump is still making use of his “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. This time, he thinks America is great, but only as a result of his actions.

For those on the other side of the aisle, the night also held significance. It was a moment for Democrats to step up, speak out and stand in solidarity with those who have been hurt by Trump’s policies. They held their breath for what the leader of the free world had to say. Recent political activity has embittered many Democratic leaders, especially while they look at hammering out details on Trump’s proposed DACA deal, which would grant Dreamers immunity but provide funding for the construction of a wall on the country’s southern border. This deal would also add restrictions for immigrants trying to enter this country.

Following the SOTU address, many Democratic leaders poured their faith into Joe Kennedy, who was appointed to deliver

the Democratic response to the president’s Moreover, Kennedy inspired and conaddress. And deliver he did. Many elements nected with people from all walks of life, using in Kennedy response speech — held here in examples of coal miners and single moms. He Massachusetts at a vocational high school in pointed out that Trump has put people who Fall River — were strategic and purposeful. aren’t white or privileged in jeopardy. More Kennedy’s rhetoric and targeted mes- specifically, these individuals aren’t being sages worked together to address concerns valued or even acknowledged right now. with Trump’s attitude as well as establish These remarks, as well as others, diluted inithe mindset of the Democratic Party. He was tial concerns about Kennedy’s own bubble of able to accomplish this, all while avoiding privilege. The Brookline millionaire was still using an overly hateful, bashful tone towards able to successfully place emphasis and vali-

M

oreover, Kennedy inspired and connected with people from all walks of life, using examples of coal miners and single moms. He pointed out that Trump has put people who aren’t white or privileged in jeopardy.

Trump. In fact, he never used Trump’s name date the struggles of our fellow Americans’ once, only referring to the other side as lives. In many ways, these anecdotes served the “administration.” After all, while it is as a reality check to Trump’s message of tempting to blame a singular man for all of America being a great place to live. The our country’s problems, in reality, Congress media has been broadcasting Trump’s ecois also responsible for the implementation nomic successes, specifically in the job marof Trump’s policies. Thus, refraining from ket and the stock market. Unemployment using Trump’s name avoided finger pointing, rates have been the lowest the country has while also deterring Republican and GOP seen in a while. But it’s important not to take leaders to come after the Democratic Party what Trump says at face value, and to instead for constantly using Trump’s name in a neg- realize he’s intentional with the information ative light. he chooses to share on Twitter. The media

CROSSWORD

seems to be ignoring the fact that this does not pardon his other anti-American, and arguably unconstitutional, measures.

Democrats should continue embracing an attitude not of contempt, but of unity and inspiration. Kennedy held the administration responsible, while also enunciating the platform of the Democratic Party. He summed up his party’s values, espousing on its principles of inclusion, equality and equity. The democratic legislators present at the SOTU address also embraced this tone in their own gestures of solidarity during Trump’s speech.

Addressing her fellow Democratic legislators, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi warned House and Senate members to not interrupt Trump’s speech. This was a message for those opposed to Trump to be mindful about their actions during his address. The party would have the opportunity to address Trump’s remarks in the response speech and in their jobs as lawmakers. Democrats were respectful and made meaningful decisions, with many members wearing black in solidarity of the #MeToo movement and inviting Dreamers as their guests. Others, though, abstained from making any sort of statement.

A more concerted and unified effort from the Democrats could have been a more useful strategy in garnering voter empathy for the upcoming midterm elections. Going forward, Democrats should continue to make it clear they represent the interests of those who stand for American values — equality and justice, and most importantly, that everyone has the opportunity to live the American dream.

This week’s crossword puzzle is brought to you by Peter Harjes COURTESY OF MIRROREYES.COM / CROSSWORD ANSWERS AVAILABLE ON http://dfpress.co/2nxoNNM

ACROSS 1. Make do 5. Religious fathers 10. Anagram of “Cabs” 14. Corridor 15. Body 16. Buckeye State 17. Muscle-building exercises 19. Zero 20. Morning moisture 21. Cooktop 22. Not outer 23. Gist 25. Nuzzled 27. Startled cry 28. Matrimonial cheating 31. Quietens 34. Not those 35. 52 in Roman numerals 36. Roentgen ray 37. Not back 38. Dud

DOWN 39. Vigor 40. Hurdle 41. Mountain crest 42. Locked in by ice 44. Genus of macaws 45. Unable to see 46. Type of hat 50. Thin piece of wood or metal 52. A tart fruit 54. Fuss 55. Greenish blue 56. Prophecy 58. Desiccated 59. Come together 60. Monster 61. A large amount 62. Leers 63. Long ago

1. Scold 2. Fertile areas 3. A type of farm tool 4. Shade tree 5. Assault 6. Carried 7. Naval jail 8. Tending upward 9. Mayday 10. Shakespearean verse 11. A steep climb (flying) 12. Adjutant 13. Wild hog 18. Anagram of “Sneer” 22. Small island 24. Evasive 26. Dethrone 28. A grasp of something 29. Violent disturbance 30. Cry of pain

31. 66 in Roman numerals 32. Relating to urine 33. Doofus 34. Moving heavily 37. Roman deity 38. Male undergrad social club 40. Voice Over Internet Protocol 41. Stadium 43. Screens 44. Makes amends 46. Strike 47. Type of antelope 48. Smells 49. A nine-piece musical group 50. Leave in a hurry 51. Apprentice 53. Wicked 56. Twosome 57. Not bottom

Ellie French, Editor-in-Chief

Rachel Duncan, Managing Editor

46th year | Volume 93 | Issue 3

Andres Picon, Campus Editor

Noor Adatia, Editorial Page Editor

Caitlin Fisher, Blog Editor

The 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 © 2018 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Breanne Kovatch, City Editor

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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

Nicole Havens, Sports Editor

OPINION 9

NO SUGAR, NO CREAM:

COLUMNS

WORLDVIEW:

Representation in ‘Black Panther’ China’s long railway to success

F

BY NASHID FULCHER COLUMNIST

or the past two Halloweens, I’ve dressed as Batman. And I’m not talking about the tiny, ugly, horrifyingly constructed “Batgirl” costume Party City markets toward women in a way that suggests that it isn’t seven degrees outside every Halloween.

(Apparently being warm outside is a privilege that only boys should enjoy.) I wore a boy’s Batman costume, complete with a cape and muscles, and embodied the character of Bruce Wayne.

He’s been my favorite “superhero” since I was lucky enough to view Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy, even though his greatest power is his ability to get away with destroying Gotham without any real repercussions — a likely side effect of his white privilege. Should he be in therapy unpacking how he deals with his childhood trauma (taking to the streets and creating havoc in a bat costume)? Oh, absolutely.

Should the police force be reformed since it hasn’t worked in years? Absolutely. But he doesn’t go to therapy, and no one can make him. The police won’t be abolished because people believe in it, even when the entire system continually fails its people, and there’s nothing more relatable than that to me.

But this year, I’ve preemptively changed my favorite superhero to Black Panther.

There are many reasons for this. The most obvious reason for me doing so is that Black Panther is Black, but I actually have other reasons for liking him. Michael B. Jordan is gorgeous, and a remarkably versatile actor. I would love anything he’s in simply because he’s in it. I make a point to stand

for villains, and he plays Erik Killmonger in this movie. Chad Boseman is also gorgeous and a remarkably versatile actor. He’s played several Black figures in history — Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and now Black Panther. Black Panther is arguably the most historically important of all the people he’s played. I hope in a special place in my heart that if I achieve enough in my lifetime, Chad Boseman may one day play me in a movie.

Even though “Black Panther” hasn’t been released for the general public yet, I already know how I’ll feel about it. Thus, I preemptively decided to write a review for it before I see it: “Black Panther” was an action-packed and phenomenal film — easily the best movie of 2018. It will likely go down in time as the best Marvel movie to ever be made. Michael B. Jordan is brilliant as Killmonger. At one point, I actually began to believe that was his actual character, and he’s been fooling us with the idea that he’s a regular human from earth. I’ve already planned my summer trip to Wakanda, which will probably be a crowded tourist destination after this film. Chad Boseman gives a radiant performance, shaming all other Marvel superheroes before even saying his first line. No one should ever produce any more movies. This is the peak of the film industry.

In all seriousness, this movie could not be more important to all the young Black kids who didn’t otherwise have a big-budget superhero to hold onto and love. It’s a privilege that should really be a regular occurence. This movie already has a place in my heart for the cast alone. There are not many more ways for me to express that Black representation is important.

This Halloween, I’ll be embracing the duality of man by being both happy and sad. Sad that I won’t be able to hand out candy to all the Black Panthers and parents of Black Panthers that drive to my neighborhood to trick-or-treat. But I’ll also be happy that so many more children will have the opportunity to love and dress like a hero that looks like them. For far too long, superheroes have lacked diversity. It’s time for them to more accurately represent the people who are watching them. And I’ll be even more happy if no one sees me burst into tears while handing out candy.

C

BY DAVID DAMIANO COLUMNIST

hinese investment and involvement in Africa has been a subject of great concern for Western nations, especially the United States, for most of the 21st century. While the fear of socialism spreading to the developing African nations has long since dissipated, the new consternation of the West is that China’s rising economic and political influence in the continent may eventually lead to the end of U.S. hegemony. While there is much debate of the legitimacy of these fears, it is undeniable that China’s influence in Africa continues to grow everyday.

The most recent indicator of China’s influence is the construction of two electric-powered, standard gauge railways in East Africa — the 300-mile long Mombasa-Nairobi line and the 450-mile long Addis Ababa-Djibouti line. These projects are the largest infrastructure projects in Africa’s post-colonial period history. While the Chinese claim that the decision to invest so heavily in East Africa is purely altruistic, that explanation isn’t convincing anyone.

Both of the projects present their respective nations with immense opportunities for growth and prosperity, and China’s involvement in any future successes is unlikely to be forgotten. In Ethiopia, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti line, which opened at the start of this year, will become the nexus of the Ethiopian National Railway Network. The line, which connects the landlocked Ethiopia to the sea through the port of Djibouti, is expected to greatly benefit the local economies. When the railway becomes fully operational in October, it will cut travel times from Addis Ababa to Djibouti to 12 hours. Tan Jian, the Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia, stated the railway “… is regarded by many as a

lifeline project for both countries, for Ethiopia and for Djibouti. And we see this as a railway of development; as a railway of cooperation; and as a railway of friendship.”

The Nairobi-Mombasa line in Kenya has a similar story. Prior to the opening of the railway, the previous railway between Nairobi and Mombasa had a journey time of 12 hours. The new railway, named the Madaraka Express in honor of the country’s independence day, shortens the journey to just four-and-a-half hours.

These projects are results of Africa’s improved relationship with China, and are indicative of the comparative decay in relations with the West. Mekonnen Getachew, a project manager at the Ethiopian Railways Corporation, said that “China doesn’t give simple aid. They do give loans. You work, and you return back...” Furthermore, American aid, which Getachew quips as being useless, is likely to be reduced in the coming years as President Trump advocates his “America first” agenda.

Consequently, it’s not surprising that China is on the ascent in Africa, while the United States, whose president referred to the nations of Africa as “shitholes,” is on the decline.

Besides lacking the condescending and ignorant mentality that Trump holds, China is seen in Africa as a superior ally than the West for several reasons. First, China is a shining example of what post-colonial development could and should look like. China’s shared legacy with Africa as being the victim of western imperial ambitions certainly helps make relations with Africa and China amicable.

Furthermore, as Getachew eluded to, dealings with the Chinese are simply more efficient and productive than dealings with the West.

Aubrey Hruby, investment advisor to projects in Africa, noted that while Chinese companies have paid bribes in the past, they’re more interested in conducting business effectively. They look for other ways to solve the problem.

Regardless of the reasons, China has undeniably gained irreversible traction in a continent with perhaps the most untapped potential in the world. While the West greatly fears this sort of development, African nations that feel neglected by their former colonizers welcome these projects. While we may not see the benefits this relationship holds for Africa just yet, deepening ties with the rising superpower for now has the potential to bring great prosperity in the future. So hop aboard the proverbial electric-rail, standard gauge train, and see what Africa can become with China’s help.

CARTOON BY KYLE PATTERSON/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

INTERROBANG

Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner. We here at the ol’ Free Press want to know — what would BU students’ mascot be?

CGS: The fidget spinners

Allston: The rats

Freshmen: The Warren omelette lady

BU Bridge: The wet metal strips

BU Bus: The snails

President Brown: The Monopoly man

West Campus: That traffic cone

BU Academy: The tadpoles

FreeP: -

10

SPORTS

20 questions with women’s basketball forward Nia Irving

BY JOSH ROTHSTEIN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Sophomore forward Nia Irving has become one of the key offensive cogs for the Boston Universit y women’s basketba l l tea m over the 2017-18 season. The Fairfield, Maine native currently leads the Terriers (8-12, 3-7 Patriot League) in scoring with 11.5 points per game.

The Daily Free Press was able to catch up with Irving, and talk about all things basketball and life at Boston University.

How would you describe the changes in your game from this season to last season?

DAILY FREE PRESS:

DFP: Who is your closest friend on the team?

DFP: Who is the funniest player on the team?

NI: [Junior

NI: Probably [senior forward] Erin Bayram.

guard] Lauren Spearman.

Where is your favorite place to eat on campus?

NI:

DFP: Where is your preferred spot to study on campus?

Blaze Pizza [in West Campus].

NI:

How were you introduced to basketball?

NI: Both my sisters have always played basketball, and my mom and my dad were big on basketball, so I had a basketball court built in a barn for me. So from three years old, I have been playing since then.

DFP: Who is your role model in life?

Jennifer Lawrence.

Who is your favorite musical artist?

DFP:

NI:

Chris Stapleton.

DFP: What part of your game do you think you need to work on?

Definitely my defense.

NI: Probably my on-ball defense and just being able to keep my person in front of me.

DFP: What has been your favorite class you have taken at BU?

DFP: What is your favorite holiday?

The Fourth of July.

NI: Right now my favorite class is my sexism in the 21st century class.

DFP: What has been the most memorable moment of your collegiate basketball experience?

NI: I think probably our highest moment as a team this year was the over ti me w i n we had over Delaware. Also our first game of Patriot League [play] when we beat Army at their place.

DFP: What is it like playing under BU head coach Katy Steding?

NI: She just has so much experience as a basketball player and as a coach.

She is a great person to learn from.

Sometimes she can be hard on you, but she only wants the best for you.

NI: I look up to [senior guard] Corrine Williams a lot. As a captain she is such a good leader.

DFP: Who is the most serious player on the team?

NI:

Corrine [Williams] again.

for the rest of season?

DFP: What is your order at Chipotle?

NI: As a team goa l, we are looking for ward to competing for a Patriot Leag ue Cha mpionship, and individua lly I just want to contribute ever y thing I can to help us get there.

NI:

NI: [Golden State Warriors forward] Draymond Green.

Fourth floor of the library.

DFP:

DFP: Do you have any specific goals

DFP: Who is your favorite professional athlete?

NI:

DFP:

NI: NIA IRVING: I am trying to fill in to more of a forward position and score out of both of our offenses. I’m still trying to figure my out with defense too, not only taking charges, but being in the right place at the right time and just knowing all the ins and outs of what we are supposed to be doing.

DFP: If you were to be cast in a movie, who would you want to play you?

The chicken burrito bowl.

DFP: If you were stuck on a deserted island, what 3 items would you bring?

NI: I would bring a fishing pole, matches and a phone to call for help.

DFP: If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?

NI:

Spain.

Sophomore forward Nia Irving has averaged a team-leading 11.5 points per game for women’s basketball.

PHOTO COURTESY KEVIN MURRAY

Women’s hockey looks to repeat success against Vermont

Freshman goaltender Corrine Schroeder will likely be in net when the Terriers take on the University of Vermont for the third time this season.

BY LILY BETTS

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston University women’s hockey team will be skating into Walter Brown Arena Friday night feeling good about itself after securing two high-scoring wins last week against Merrimack College. The Terriers (10-13-6, 6-10-5 Hockey East) will face off against the University of Vermont in their last game before the annual Beanpot Tournament.

When facing off against Vermont (8-16-4, 5-11-3 Hockey East) earlier in the season, the series ended in a sweep for BU. With only a handful of regular season games remaining, the number of available Hockey East conference

PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DFP FILE PHOTO

points is dwindling fast. The Terriers “They use their team speed and team will close the 2017-18 regular season depth to play both ends of the ice. I with a home-and-home series against think they’re playing some of their the University of New Hampshire best hockey of the year right now following their two Beanpot games. and it’ll be a battle.”

BU sits sixth in the conference One player Durocher highlighted with 17 points, while the Catamounts as a particular threat is Vermont are one place behind in seventh with forward Ève-Audrey Picard.

13 points. Boston College holds a firm In the Catamounts’ recent sweep grasp on first place with 37 points, as of Northeastern University, Picard Providence College remains second racked up six points, including a with 24 points. hat-trick in the second matchup.

Even given the Terriers’ current As a sophomore, Picard leads win streak, both within the confer- Vermont in goals, assists, points, ence and against Vermont, BU head shots on goal and plus-minus. coach Brian Durocher emphasized However, the Terriers have some the compete level of the Catamounts. offensive firepower of their own, “You definitely need to respect with a total of 10 players having their team speed,” Durocher said. point contributions in double digits.

Senior forward and assistant captain Victoria Bach, who currently leads the team with 54 points, broke the women’s hockey program record for career points last Saturday with two goals and an assist, making for a career total of 185 points.

The goals also tie Bach with BU alums Sarah Lefort and Jenn Wakefield with 32 goals in a single season. Bach remains just three goals away from 100 over her career.

Bach’s efforts have her ranked second and third in Hockey East in goals and scoring, respectively.

Fellow senior forward and captain Rebecca Leslie, who follows closely behind Bach with 45 points, is also tied for fourth in conference scoring.

In the previous Vermont series, which took place in mid-November, the Terriers collected a 7-1 win the first night and finished the weekend with another 3-1 victory.

Bach had a five-point night, which included four goals, and Leslie earned a total of four assists and three goals.

When reflecting on BU’s recent success, Durocher noted the the success of special teams. Of the late, the Terriers are converting 22.5 percent of their power play opportunities and killing 80 percent of their penalties.

Freshman forward Nara Elia scored early on the power play in the team’s last victory against Merrimack (9-17-3, 4-13-2 Hockey East), breaking BU’s three-game winless drought, for her eighth of the season.

“I thought it was a great way to get

the game started,” Durocher said. “The kids came right out and capitalized on it. We had momentum and confidence all the way through the game.”

A nother bright spot on the Catamounts’ roster is sophomore goaltender Sydney Scobee. The Minnetrista, Minnesota native is ranked eighth in the conference with a goals against average of 2.75 and seventh in goal save percentage at .920.

Scobee was in net for Vermont in its recent victories over Northeastern (13-12-3, 9-9-2 Hockey East), during which she made a total of 56 saves.

The Terriers will be looking toward their own young goaltender, freshman Corinne Schroeder, to stand tall in net during the matchup.

Schroeder is currently ranked seventh in Hockey East goaltending with a 2.37 goals against average.

In BU’s last series against the the Catamounts, Schroeder knocked aside a total of 60 shots on net, allowing only one goal in each game.

Her impressive play in the series subsequently earned her the title of Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week. “[Schroeder] has had a really solid body of work all year,” Durocher said. “Last game wasn’t very busy for her, but she made some real big saves in the first that stemmed the tide and kept the momentum going in our direction. She has had a really solid body of work all year. I like that her save percentage has been solid .920, and we’ll probably roll with her Friday.”

SPORTS 11

Men’s basketball back to its winning ways, beats Loyola 64-55

Sophomore forward Max Mahoney scored 27 points against Loyola.

BY NICOLE HAVENS DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

In the absence of the Boston University men’s basketball team’s leading scorer senior guard Cedric Hankerson and senior for ward Nick Havener, sophomore forward Max Mahoney stepped up for the Terriers (12-10, 8-3 Patriot League) and tallied a game-high 27 points in their 64-55 win against Loyola

PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

University Maryland Wednesday night at Case Gym. “From the start of the game, we were going to have to grind it out to beat them,” BU head coach Joe Jones said. “We weren’t just going to be able to outscore them and I was just proud, man I was.”

Hankerson has been out for two games with a hamstring injury since the Terriers played the United States

Naval Academy on Jan. 20. Havener, who notched 21 points against Lafayette College last Wednesday, was out with the f lu and did not appear on the bench.

BU has needed the input of its underclassmen, such as sophomore forward Tyler Scanlon and freshman guard Javante McCoy, throughout the season, and especially now with Hankerson injured.

While the team only had nine healthy players, Jones noted the depth of the roster.

“We’re not playing to get ‘this guy’ open, I mean tonight was Max, but we don’t play that way,” Jones said.

“We play a style where if you’re open, you better do what you do best so now when one guy has to step up, he’s ready and I think that really helps our guys.”

Mahoney is second on the team in scoring, but his ability to contribute has often been hindered by foul trouble, as he leads the Terriers with 55 fouls.

“I tried to be not passive, but smarter with the decisions I was making on the court,” Mahoney said.

However, against the Greyhounds (7-15, 5-6 Patriot League), Mahoney exploded with 14 points in the first half and seven rebounds overall while going 12-for-14 from the field and recording four fouls over 20 minutes of playing time.

The 6-foot-8 forward helped BU come out with a 7-0 lead after scoring a layup and a jumper.

Loyola was able to even score at 14 with two three-point field goals from its leading scorer senior guard Andre Walker midway through the first half.

Senior guard Will Goff broke the tie with a three pointer, and currently leads the Terriers in three pointers, shooting 49.4 percent from behind the arc.

The Greyhounds knotted the game twice more in the remainder of the half, although they were unable to take a lead and BU ended the frame up by 33-29.

The Terriers outrebounded Loyola 18-10 in the first half and BU finished with 37 on the night.

Jones commented that he thought

his team made a “concerted effort to rebound the ball.”

“That’s just somebody being physically locked in,” Jones said. “We’re strong enough, we’re tall enough, we’re athletic enough to be a good rebounding team and tonight we showed it.”

Loyola opened the second half with a layup from guard Sam Norton.

Freshman forward Walter Whyte quickly extended the Terriers’ lead with a three pointer, and over the span of six minutes, Mahoney netted nine points.

Jones and Mahoney both noted senior guard Eric Johnson’s playmaking skills during the matchup.

“Eric Johnson did a great job, like two or three balls just putting it right in my hands right in front of the glass,” Mahoney said. “I mean anyone can make that shot and he just did a great job putting the ball there.”

BU gained its largest lead of the game thus far as Whyte notched two free throws midway through the second half. Whyte finished the night with 15 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

However, Norton and guard Andrew Kostecka kept their team in the game, collecting seven and eight points respectively over the 20 minutes. Although the Greyhounds were unable to get their deficit lower than five points for the rest of the matchup.

Despite only playing eight minutes, Mahoney continued to contribute, and scored 13 points during the half.

With 57 seconds remaining, McCoy gave the Terriers their largest lead of the night at 58-48. Guard Chuck Champion and Kostecka contributed three points apiece, but their last minute efforts were not enough and Loyola left BU winless once again.

After Arizona State, college hockey expansion is on the horizon With the almost inevitable NHL expansion to Seattle in the next few years, Washington and Washington powers in western club hockey.

In addition, six other Pac-12 State could ride the hockey wave tea ms have ACH A club tea ms. and turn the state into a thriving The Universit y of Washington, hockey outpost.

S o l e t ’s l o o k a t n u m b e r s .

Wa sh i n g ton State Un i ver sit y, the Un iversit y of Oregon, the A s s u m i n g U t a h i s t h e m o s t University of Utah, the University l i kel y to not ele v ate t he pr o of California Berkeley and ASU gram to Division I status, ASU, make up the “Pac-8” club hockey Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and USC league.

This, obviously, would be the makes seven teams. Not ideal by ideal scenario in terms of a legiti- any means, but it could work.

A SU a nd t he Un iversit y of mate Pac-12 college hockey league.

Eight teams is also a perfect number Arizona used to have one of the for a conference tournament, but biggest rivalries in club hockey. the minimum number to form a What’s to say that the Wildcats won’t see the same success as the conference is six.

Both the ASU and Penn State Sun Devils and these natural rivals programs got off the ground with can battle it out in the desert four sizable private donations from times a year?

In this theoretical world, the a hockey enthusiast. With the ever-growing popularity of the Pac-12 now has eight teams. Perfect, game in California, I don’t think but what about that other Power it is all that out there to think this Five conference with hockey? Yeah, can happen to USC and UCLA. I’m looking at you, Big Ten. Currently, the Big Ten has seven Those would be the first three.

No w a f t e r t h a t , S t a n f o r d hockey teams, as the University of University, Oregon and Washington Notre Dame joined as a hockey would probably be the next logical affiliate this year after playing in Hockey East for four seasons three.

Oregon and Stanford have more following the demise of the CCHA than enough money for a team on in 2013. But what about actua l their own. I can see it now, Phil Big Ten schools? W hy doesn’t Knight and Nike could roll out new, Northwestern University have a f luorescent green Oregon Ducks team? The University of Illinois a t Ur b a n a C h a m p a i g n ? T h e jerseys every home game.

BURN THE BOATS, FROM 12

University of Iowa? The University of Nebraska-Lincoln?

Nor t hwester n , moneta r i l y would be the most obvious fit. The school has a far larger endowment than the others listed, but probably cares the least about athletics.

T he fact t he Un i versit y of Nebraska, Omaha has a team, but the f lagship state university does not sponsor one has always been a bit puzzling. In terms of recruiting, Iowa would be deadly. The USHL, the top junior league in the United States, is right in their backyard.

And now we get to Illinois, the most probable to land the No. 8 spot in the Big Ten. This past summer, the team participated in an NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) study that looked into the feasibility of starting a hockey program. The study took a look at dynamics such as annual expenses, facilities and other funding issues to name a few components.

At the end of the day, expansion is going to come down to one simple thing: money and who wants to pay for it.

Every school would love to have a high powered college hockey team, but there’s a reason there are only 60 teams in Division I competition, and that’s the expense. Hockey is, if not the most, right up there as the most expensive sport to play.

Period.

In 2010, Terry Pegula donated $88 million to create Penn State’s Varsity Hockey program.

PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

“Sometimes she can be hard on you, but she only wants the best for you.”

– Nia Irving on BU women’s basketball head coach Katy Steding. p. 10

BURN THE BOATS:

Go West, Young Man with college hockey expansion

Sports Thursday, February 1, 2018

“I think they’re playing some of their best hockey of the year right now and it’ll be a battle.” – BU women’s hockey head coach Brian Durocvher on their upcoming opponent. p. 10

A rejuvenated men’s lacrosse team looks destined for success

BY MATT DRESENS COLUMNIST

It’s happening at a snail’s pace right now, but the groundwork is being laid for a potential explosion that will send shockwaves through the college hockey landscape and will dwarf what took place prior to the 2014 season.

T h at, of cou r se, wa s when Pennsylvania State University elevated its hockey program from club to Division I. Oil baron Terry Pegula backed up the Brinks truck and almost single-handedly funded the creation of the Nittany Lions hockey program.

After a year of skating as an independent program, Penn State joined the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota and Ohio State University in the creation of the Big Ten hockey conference, and college hockey changed forever.

The potential for such a disruption does not seem too far down the road, at least in terms of expansion that is.

Just this past week, Arizona State University finally got approval to build an on-campus hockey arena to serve the Sun Devils’ hockey program.

ASU joined the Division I ranks starting in 2016 and it currently plays the majority of its home games at Oceanside Ice “Arena.”

Arena is a loose term, to say the least. The building holds a mere 747 seats, and BU men’s hockey head coach David Quinn was less than thrilled that his Terriers had to play there last weekend in a two-game set against ASU. ASU could now potentially be playing home games in a 5,000 seat venue in Tempe as soon as the 2021 season. This means that program is here to stay.

With success, I don’t think it’s all that unlikely that other Pac-12 schools jump on board with hockey.

Today, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California are perennial CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Senior attack and captain Jack Wilson will be a key player for the BU men’s lacrosse team in the upcoming 2018 season.

BY ELI GRISWOLD

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

After a season that saw the Boston University men’s lacrosse team make the Patriot League tournament for the first time in program history, the Terriers will look to finish what they started in 2017 and capture the Patriot League title.

Under the guidance of BU head coach Ryan Polley, the Terriers were ranked in the top 20 nationwide for a majorit y of the 2017 campaign, a testament to the rapid development of the BU lacrosse program.

“A lot had to do with the senior class,” Polley said. “Having those guys go through the wars of the Patriot League and having the tough schedule that we play, they were battle-tested and ready to have a successful senior year.”

BU a l s o recei ved welcome news when it was announced that Polley will be returning to coach the Terriers long -term. Pol ley received both Patriot League and New England Coach of the Year honors last season for his role in revolutionizing the program.

“It’s a really nice place to work,” Polley said. “The administration, starting with President Brown and [Director of Athletics] Drew Marrochello, you just feel so supported.”

After the 2017 season, Polley looks to be off to a blistering start in joining the ranks of BU’s elite,

THURSDAY, FEB. 1

FRIDAY, FEB. 2

The Boston Bruins will look to bounce

Men’s hockey will hope to extend its current four-game win streak at UMass Amherst, 7 p.m.

back against the St. Louis Blues at TD Garden, 7 p.m.

Women’s hockey will look to beat Vermont for the third time this season at Walter Brown, 7 p.m.

tenured coaches.

The list goes on and on for the Terriers. From women’s soccer head coach Nancy Feldman, who has spent 24 seasons at the helm at BU, guiding the Terriers to a 297-143-44 mark, to men’s soccer head coach Neil Roberts, who has been a catalyst for the Terrier soccer program on the men’s side, boasting a 358-196-88 record over his 33-year career.

“I love working with the great coaches on staff,” Polley said. “You look at [Feldman], [Roberts] … it just shows you what a great place [BU] is. I couldn’t be more pleased to sign on long-term.”

With Polley returning to the sideline, BU will look to fill the voids on the field left by former Terriers. Goalkeeper Christian Carson-Banister and long-stick midfielder Greg Wozniak were recently selected in Major League Lacrosse’s annual supplemental draft early this month.

Carson-Banister was ranked No. 12 in the nation in goals against average, allowing only 8.64 goals per game, and No. 3 nationally in save percentage after blocking 58.6 percent of the shots he faced.

Wozniak was an invaluable member of BU’s defensive unit, finishing second on the team in ground balls with 52 while also helping out the Terriers in transition.

Carson-Banister will join his hometown Dallas Rattlers after

BOTTOM LINE

being selected in the seventh round, while Wozniak was chosen by the Denver Outlaws in the fifth round.

While BU will be facing some adversity in filling the shoes of Carson-Banister and Woznia k, Polley is confident in the ability of sophomore goalkeeper Joe McSorley to hang tough in net, with help from an experienced defensive line. “ The big gest thing for us is playing team defense,” Polley said. “[Carson-Banister] was outstanding last year … but we’re excited for a new group to play defensively and play well in front of [McSorely].”

The Terriers will face another challenge in replacing last season’s leading scorer in attack Cal Dearth.

Dearth led BU’s offense with 38 goals and 19 assists during the 2017 season.

Upon graduating, Dearth became the first Terrier in program history to be drafted, as he was selected No. 31 overall in the 2017 MLL Collegiate Draft by the Charlotte Hounds.

The Ridgefield, Connecticut native was traded to the Boston Cannons late in the 2017 season where he contributed four goals.

For t u nately for Pol ley, the Terrier offense will be in good hands with senior attack Jack Wilson waiting in the wings. Wilson finished second on the team in goals and assists with 29 and 18, respectively during the 2017 campaign, and was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team on Tuesday.

SATURDAY, FEB. 3

SUNDAY, FEB. 4

Men’s basketball will begin its twogame road stretch against Lehigh, 2 p.m.

Women’s tennis will take on Navy in

Women’s basketball will look to end its five-game losing streak against Lehigh at Case Gym, 2 p.m.

Winchester, 9 a.m.

Men’s tennis will matchup against St. Francis Brooklyn at 10 a.m. and Fairfield at 3 p.m.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDER NOVAKOVIC/ DFP FILE PHOTO

“[Wilson] had a huge year for us last year,” Polley said. “We’re really expecting him to continue to progress in his career and have another phenomenal year.”

Joining Wilson on the Terriers’ attacking line will be junior James Burr and senior Ryan Hilburn.

Burr finished the 2017 season with 24 goals and seven assists, while Hilburn chipped in 17 goals and 17 assists.

With the entire starting midfield line returning for the 2018 season to join an already strong defensive unit, Polley expects his team to continue to find success on both sides of the ball.

“There’s a lot to be excited about on the offensive side of the ball,” Polley said. “We’re excited to see the two units come together.”

If all goes according to plan for BU in 2018, the team should be able to not only stay in the conversation for a Patriot League title, but to win the whole thing.

This will begin this Saturday at Nickerson Field as the Terriers take on Providence College, who hold a 4-2 edge over them in alltime meetings and boast 2017 Big East Goalkeeper of the Year junior Tate Boyce “[We’re] looking forward to trying to take that next step,” Polley said. “And that’s cementing ourselves in the top-15 and get that Patriot League title and NCAA berth.”

MONDAY, FEB. 5

Men’s hockey will face off against the reigning Beanpot champion, Harvard, at TD Garden, 8 p.m.