3-2-2017

NEWS Dean of Students Office plans to hold discussions on making bathroom signs in the George Sherman Union gender-neutral. p. 3

IMPACT The Edge Dance Company hosts “Breaking Bounds 2017,” a benefit show in honor of the Dizzy Feet Foundation. p. 5

31°/59° PARTLY CLOUDY

SPORTS Cedric Hankerson talks about his long road back from two knee injuries and how he has become a changed player this season. p. 12

DAILYFREEPRESS.COM @DAILYFREEPRESS

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THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY YEAR XLVI. VOLUME XCII. ISSUE VII.

Jackson opposes biolab on Medical Campus

BY TILL KAESLIN AND ALANA LEVENE DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson called for a ban on all Biosafety Level 4 research in Boston during a press conference Wednesday morning. Jackson then brought the issue up later that afternoon at a City Council meeting, where he introduced preventative legislation.

Jackson’s push follows the Centers for Disease Control’s clearing of the Boston University Medical Campus’ National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories to operate a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory in December. The lab would test virulent organisms like Ebola and smallpox, according to a press release from Jackson’s office.

Jackson, who is running for mayor of Boston, denounced the BUMC’s plans and said it would be dangerous to the area.

“This is reckless,” Jackson said at the press conference. “Environmentally, it has a direct impact on communities of color in the city of Boston and it should not be moved forward.”

Jackson criticized the biolab’s location, as it was built in a lower-income area with a high concentration of minority residents.

“It’s taking advantage of people in the neighborhood who should be taken up and not torn down,” Jackson said in an interview with The Daily Free Press.

Jackson said he is skeptical of the CDC’s ability to safely contain virulent matter.

“The CDC has had many problems in recent years,” Jackson said. “It bothers me, scares me and raises the alarms that the organization that should be regulating had to close down their own labs because they weren’t following their own procedures.”

In place of the experiments, Jackson said the BUMC should redirect its focus

Boston’s warmest February day leads to mixed opinion on climate change

BY NATALIE CARROLL DAILY FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTOR

said. “So I don’t understand this need to do it here, other than ego tripping instead of understanding that it was not approved by the community.”

King said the decision to establish the biolab within Boston did not take into account residents’ concerns.

“They’ve tried to skirt every aspect of what would be decent and respectful of the people in the community that is going to be affected,” King said. “The factor of the matter is that it was handled with no respect for the people in the community.”

BU spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email that Jackson’s decision to challenge the biolab in City Council is not a new or surprising development.

“This issue has been raised before and it was soundly defeated the last time it came before the Council,” Riley wrote.

Bostonians observed on Friday that the city’s temperature reached a new record high temperature of 73 degrees, making it the hottest days in February since records began in 1872, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

Temperatures have been above average in southern New England, and Boston is on track to have its fifth warmest winter ever, the U.S. National Weather Service reported.

WBUR meteorologist David Epstein said three days of unseasonable weather cannot be directly attributed to global warming, but the odds of this abnormal weather are increasing.

“From my standpoint, high pressure off the coast is pumping in abnormally warm humid air into New England,” Epstein said. “We’ve seen record high temperatures three days in a row all due to abnormally strong southwest flow of mild west air.”

The sudden changes in weather can create problems with plants, bring ticks out early and cause other disruptions, Epstein said.

The weather is a daily observation, but climate is what occurs over decades, Epstein said.

“If we had a warm February for decades, then that would become a warm winter for us, and would become more of a concern,” Epstein said.

Epstein emphasized that the state of the climate overall is the big picture idea to focus on, not just specific observable weather conditions.

Mike Prokosch, a board member and

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PHOTO BY ALEXANDER NOVAKOVIC/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson hosts a press conference to introduce “Ordinance Regarding the Prohibition of Research Designated as Biosafety Level 4 (BSL 4) in the City of Boston” Wednesday.

toward tackling health issues more relevant to Boston residents.

“We need to deal with health care disparity, we need to deal with the fact that diabetes kills people in our community, that there is a 33-year difference in life expectancy between Back Bay and Roxbury,” Jackson said. “We need to deal with issues that are imminently killing people in our neighborhoods and community.”

Mel King, a professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was one of the first active opposers of the biolab. King told The Daily Free Press the lab should be moved out of Boston and away from a large population.

“What I’ve been trying to get understood by the mayor is that technology that exists allows us to link up with other places that are doing it and they can do the research with them by electronics,” King

Activists, faculty union, Divest BU march to Brown’s office

BY NOOR ADATIA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Approximately 100 Boston University students and faculty gathered in front of Marsh Chapel Wednesday afternoon, protesting the corporatization of higher education.

The rally, co-hosted by several organizations, including Divest BU, Massachusetts Interfaith Worker Justice, Make Boston University a Sanctuary School and Student Labor Action Project at BU, aimed to push forward several agendas.

Some of these goals including asking BU to become a sanctuary campus, divest from fossil fuels, negotiate with faculty unions and stand up to Islamophobia, according to the rally’s Facebook event page.

“We are part of the movement resisting the Trump corporate agenda,” the event page stated. “Together, we are putting a

stop to his anti-student, anti-immigrant, anti-climate, and anti-worker policies and actions.”

Masha Vernik, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of Divest BU who helped organize the rally, spoke before the march.

“Now is not the time for complacency,” Vernik said. “Now is a time to stand up and resist [President Donald] Trump’s destructive plans to further corporatize higher education and that is what we and dozens of universities are doing here today.”

Vernik also spoke against BU President Robert Brown, who has refused to have a face-to-face meeting with Divest BU members.

“I am not a profit margin, President Brown,” Vernik said. “I am a community member whose voice must be heard if we want this university to make the right deci-

PHOTO BY LEXI PLINE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Protesters gather at Marsh Plaza Wednesday afternoon to fight recent domestic and foreign actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration.

2 NEWS

PHENOM, students lobby for affordable tuition

CAMPUS CRIME LOGS

BY JORDAN KIMMEL DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Hundreds of people congregated at the Massachusetts State House Wednesday morning for Public Higher Education Advocacy Day, where student activists lobbied their legislators for a debt-free public higher education system.

The Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, an organization of educational professionals and student activists that advocates for public higher education, sponsored Advocacy Day. Zac Bears, the executive director of PHENOM, told The Daily Free Press that private colleges remain out of reach for most Americans today.

“Public higher education is essential to our society and democracy,” Bears said. “Public education was created over 150 years ago to ensure that people from working families could afford to go to school.”

Bears said 75 percent of all college students in America attend a public college or university, and cumulative average student debt has increased 55 percent since 2001.

“Public higher education is the only way most people can keep going to school after they graduate from high school, which is more important than ever when it comes to getting a good-paying job and being able to support yourself and your family,” Bears said.

Bears said Advocacy Day participants have been trained on what to expect during a legislative meeting and how to share their experiences in the public higher education system with legislators.

“The only way we will make change … is by sharing our stories with legislators and presenting them with the tools to help us fix the problems facing students and working families in our public higher education system,” Bears said.

During Advocacy Day, several local leaders and lobbyists in the fight for affordable education spoke about their personal experiences in the education system and encouraged participants to join their efforts.

Erika Civitarese, a senior at University of Massachusetts Amherst and student coordinator at the college’s Center for Education Policy and Advocacy, stressed the importance of public higher education in her own life.

“It’s been a really bumpy road getting here,” Civitarese said. “Growing up working-class with parents who never attended college, I had

BY LANEY RUCKSTUHL DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs from Feb. 23-26.

Woman injured by hockey puck at Agganis Arena A non-affiliated woman was struck by a hockey puck at 5:37 p.m. Friday at 925 Commonwealth Ave. The woman was bleeding from the head and was transported to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

PHOTO BY KECHENG LIU/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts hosts a series of events at the Massachusetts State House Wednesday to push for a statewide public higher education system that is free of debt for students and families.

really no educational support besides my teachers. I wouldn’t be where I am today without public education.”

Civitarese said she still has $38,000 in student loans, and now her family faces the challenge of sending her 15-year-old sister through the public higher education system, too.

“The time is now for Massachusetts to become a leading force for free higher education,” Civitarese said. “[Students] have the power to create the change that we know that we need.”

Joseph Ramsey, a PHENOM organizer at the University of Massachusetts Boston, said the six-figure student debt he acquired from his private education still affects his finances today.

“We have tremendous wealth in this Commonwealth,” Ramsey said. “We have more millionaires and billionaires than ever, and yet we are told there is not enough money for something as basic as public higher education.”

Barbara Madeloni, the president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos does not believe in public education, and her actions will lead to the privatization of public education if Americans do not stop her.

“We know this is right and we know that the people are behind us,” Madeloni said. “[Affordable public higher education] is something to demand. We need to demand economic justice that makes public college education affordable for every single student in Massachusetts.”

Matthew Patton, the executive director of Fair Shot for All, an organization that lobbies

to decrease the income gap, said the millions of dollars students are currently putting toward their student loans could positively impact the economy.

“I need you, and Massachusetts needs you, because you are the future of Massachusetts,” Patton told students in the crowd. “We can make college affordable, but we can only make college affordable if we demand it.”

Several Massachusetts students who attended the event said they came to voice their concerns regarding the high cost of public higher education.

Stephen White, 21, of Fall River, said free college tuition will advance society by allowing more of the population to be educated.

“I have yet to see an argument to the other side that shows that the status quo that we have currently is more effective,” White said.

“I believe that it should be a given right for anybody to have access to a higher education, and access to a free higher education.”

Phil Demenezes, 27, of Hyannis, said he attended the event to familiarize himself with the procedure of making change.

“Some students can’t afford to go to school, and that’s why they don’t go,” Demenezes said.

“If school were free, it would help this country in the long run.”

Austin Bell, 18, of Fall River, stressed the importance of educating America’s upcoming generation of adults.

“I find that education is very important, and the fact that the state wants to cut it is ridiculous,” Bell said. “We, as students, are the future of this country.”

Experts, BU admin disagree on NEIDL’s safety BIOLAB, FROM PAGE 1 Riley wrote that NEIDL is “the most vetted facility in the country,” affirming its safety. “[NEIDL’s] right to operate has been supported by state and federal courts, the Centers for Disease Control, the National

Academy of Sciences, a National Institutes of Health Blue Ribbon panel, and various state and local agencies,” Riley wrote.

Michael Siegel, a professor in the BU School of Public Health, also mentioned the extreme vetting process the lab has undergone. Siegel, who is trained in epidemiology, said he thinks the vetting planned

I

would certainly not want a Level 4 facility in my neighborhood, so

why should we force the residents of Roxbury and the lower South End to have to do so?

for the lab is appropriate to ensure its safety.

However, Siegel wrote he does not think the lab’s safety is the central issue up for debate. Instead, Siegel wrote the lab’s setting raises contentious issues of racial equity and environmental justice.

“I would certainly not want a Level 4 facility in my neighborhood, so why should we force the residents of Roxbury and the lower South End to have to do so?” Siegel wrote in an email. “And why is it that these types of facilities always seem to be cited in poorer neighborhoods and in neighborhoods of color?”

Siegel questioned the ethical implications of situating the lab in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area.

“When we expose people of color disproportionately to high-level risks and preferentially site facilities like this in their neighborhoods, how can we claim that we are showing a regard for racial equity and justice?” Siegel wrote.

Sarah Wu and Carina Imbornone contributed to the reporting of this article.

Trespassing reported at Dean of Students Office An alarm came from the Dean of Students Office at 6:32 p.m. on Friday.

Upon arrival, officers observed a non-affiliated man exiting the office.

He was placed under arrest.

Female student reports harassment by family At 6:14 p.m. on Saturday, a female student wanted to file a report of ongoing harassment from her mother.

The location of the report was not disclosed.

CITY

CRIME LOGS

BY SOPHIA BROWN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following crime reports were taken from the Boston Police Department crime logs from Feb. 26-27.

Burglary reported on Blaine Street Officers responded to a call reporting a burglary at 33 Blaine St. on Sunday at 10:05 p.m. Upon arrival, the caller told officers an unknown male had fled the his bedroom as the he approached. The victim told officers $700 in cash was missing from his home. Officers searched the area but could not find the suspect.

Suspicious person seen on Englewood Avenue A suspicious person was seen inspecting a video camera in the lobby of an apartment building at 116 Englewood Ave. on Monday at 6:38 a.m. When officers were called to the scene, the caller stated the person was using an old dog bone to prop open the entrance door to the building, indicating he did not live in the building. Officers found the same dog bone keeping open an elevator and the rear security camera intentionally disabled.

Officers then evacuated the building, but did not find the suspect.

Medical assistance needed on Beacon Street Officers responded to a call for medical attention at 15 North Beacon St. on Sunday at 9:50 p.m. The caller stated the person in need of medical attention had passed out due to excessive alcohol consumption. During his treatment, the victim awoke and became violent, and was restrained for the safety of those treating him.

The victim was then transported to St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center for further treatment.

NEWS 3

University to discuss adding more gender-neutral restrooms

BY BREANNE KOVATCH DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston University is in the early stages of adding gender-neutral restrooms in the George Sherman Union and subsequently the rest of campus, Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said.

The plan is to change the signs at the GSU to remind students that they can use whichever bathrooms they prefer based on their gender identity. On the second floor of the GSU, the university will add two all-gender bathrooms, Elmore said.

If the BU community responds positively to gender-neutral bathrooms in the GSU, the university administration will

“look at this whole issue around campus with the number of buildings we got and how we might implement something similar to what we’ll probably do here at the George Sherman Union,” he added.

“In the GSU, we are going to try to find a way to make [gender-neutral backrooms] work, immediately,” Elmore said. “Then, we [will] look long-term about what that might mean in terms of creation of new spaces or not, and how best we could go about that in the long-term.”

Elmore said this decision did not come from Trump’s Feb. 22 announcement, which rescinded the federal protection of transgender students in public schools, leaving it up to the state to decide whether individuals can choose to use bathrooms and

PHOTO BY BRIANNA BURNS/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

BU will host university-wide discussions about gender-neutral bathrooms and a proposal to change bathroom signs within the GSU, Dean Kenneth Elmore said.

other facilities that correspond with the gender they identify with. Massachusetts law currently protects individuals in these situations.

The timing is “just coincidence,” as the plans have been in talk for a while, Elmore said. While the plans are not official yet, he said BU will host a couple of university-wide discussions about this topic and the proposal for the bathroom signage in the GSU. As of now, Elmore said the idea behind this plan is to ensure that students who do not identify as cisgender feel safe in the university.

Currently, Massachusetts law protects individuals’ rights to use restrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identities, BU law professor Robert Volk explained.

Volk said the law does not require anything from the facilities themselves, just what individuals are allowed to do with those facilities.

“The law does not require that places have gender-neutral bathrooms, but many places choose to do so,” Volk said. “The law does not prohibit places from having facilities segregated to one gender, although again, an individual can use public accommodations that is consistent with their own gender identity.”

Elmore said he believes some faculty and staff across campus have established gender-neutral bathrooms, and the university wishes to do a survey to “figure it all out and think about how [they] can be a little bit more coordinated and deliberate around campus.”

Meanwhile, students across campus have expressed desires for the university to establish gender-neutral bathrooms. Two students have recently created a petition to change the bathrooms in the Community

Service Center at the GSU to be non-gendered bathrooms. The petition has garnered 368 signatures as of last week, The Daily Free Press reported on Feb. 23.

Several BU students said they think BU’s gender-neutral restroom initiative sets a good example for universities across the nation.

Julia Keith, a senior in the College of Communication, said if BU were to follow through with making this decision, the university can hopefully inspire other institutions to follow suit.

“I already think we’re a liberal school, so I think this would be really good to make that decision and hopefully influence other colleges’ decisions,” Keith said.

She said BU already has a progressive atmosphere, even in classes, so implementing gender-neutral restrooms should not be of concern to students and the administration.

“Based on the classes I’ve taken … I think it would be really good,” Keith said.

“People would be ultimately happy with the decision, in my opinion.”

Tu Timmy Hoang, a junior in the College of Engineering, said BU should make this decision because gender ultimately should not matter when one is trying to use a restroom. “[BU could show] that gender doesn’t matter and that everyone is equal,” Hoang said.

COM sophomore Hayley Levesque said BU should be an example for the rest of the country, where many grapple with similar circumstances.

“With the environment that we have at this school, it would definitely be a statement compared to what [else is] going on in the U.S.,” Levesque said.

Sophia Eppolito contributed to the reporting of this article.

Student organizations demand BU to become sanctuary campus RALLY, FROM PAGE 1 sions to benefit us and the world around us.”

Representing the adjunct faculty union on campus, BU Faculty Forward, Dev Luthra, an adjunct in BU’s Prison Education Program, spoke about BU’s semester-to-semester contract deals with adjuncts and the disparity among course prices.

Luthra also called on students to make their voices heard.

“It is our right and our duty to assert our voice in those areas,” Luthra said.

Michelle Walsh, a BU alumna and lecturer in the School of Theology, addressed the inequity and unfair treatment of faculty across campuses and schools.

“I am approaching this as someone who values human worth and human dignity,” Walsh said. “That is something I see struggle here at BU.” Kimberly Barzola, a senior in CAS who worked on the petition to make BU a sanctuary campus, spoke on behalf of the sanctuary campus movement. She urged fellow people at the rally to stand up for what they believe in.

“Our response has to be more than proactive or reactive,” she said. “It has to be coordinated, disciplined in order to respond to this government.”

BU does not declare itself a sanctuary campus and currently has no policy to protect undocumented students.

After the speakers voiced their organizations’ beliefs, the group marched from Marsh Plaza to Brown’s office, chanting “education not deportation” and “hey BU, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side.”

Other chants included “yes to divest,” “silence violence” and demands for fair contracts.

In front of BU’s administrative office building on Silber Way, protesters continued to rally and explain why they were here today.

Student organizations played a game, comparing Trump’s and Brown’s actions on issues, revealing facts on what Brown and BU Board of Trustee members have done.

Several students and faculty members said the rally was important to express their concerns.

Julia Yoder, a sophomore in CAS and a member of Divest BU, said that she hopes this rally raises awareness.

“I think it’s a great way for student groups to come together, and as a combined force we have more student power,” Yoder said.

Ana Victoria Morales, a communications specialist at Service Employees International Union 509, said she came out to the rally as a community ally. SEIU 509 helps organize adjunct professor unions across Boston. “[Rallies] continue to move forward our platform of solidarity and creating equality for all,” Morales said.

Rachel Eckles, a senior in CAS who is involved with Divest BU and the Student Activist Coalition, said she came to the protest to highlight the concerning trends at BU over the past 10 years.

“Basically, there’s ever-increasing tuition, ignorance to student voices and less transparency to workers’ rights, and all of these things are really concerning,” she said.

ABOVE: A spectator holds a sign and protests recent domestic and foreign actions taken by the Trump administration.

BELOW: A crowd gathers at the center of Marsh Plaza, rallying for students’ and workers’ rights.

PHOTOS BY LEXI PLINE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

4 NEWS

University search committee to select new police chief soon

BY ALLIE MILLER DAILY FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTOR

After several months of searching, a committee at Boston University will select a new chief for BU Police Department next week, members of the search committee said.

Peter Fielder, the vice president of administrative services and the chair of the search committee, said the committee has narrowed their search from the initial 19 candidates down to three, and he expects to make an offer for the position by next week.

Fielder said the committee was looking for a candidate with both a great depth and breadth of experience.

“They had to be accomplished public safety and police department leaders, they had to have some experience with the type of environment which we are in here, which is an urban environment, you know, the city of Boston,” Fielder said. “They had to be the kind of people that are going to work well with our force.”

Fielder and his colleagues used the Police Executive Research Forum to select qualified candidates. The Washington D.C.-based agency sent them the initial 19 candidates based on their qualifications.

Fielder said PERF is not usually used in hiring processes, but was very helpful in filling the role of chief.

“We had a great search process,” Fielder said. “PERF is sort of nationally recognized as being some of the most informed thinkers in terms of modern policing, both within a municipality as well as on college campuses, and we’ve used PERF before when we hired [Robbins,] who left in October, we brought PERF in to help us in this search.”

BUPD Former Chief Tom Robbins stepped down from the position in September, meanwhile, Former Deputy Chief Scott Paré will fill in for Robbins as acting executive director of public safety and chief of police, The Daily Free Press reported on Oct. 19.

Amy Shanler, a professor at the College of Communication and a member of the search committee, said the most important quality to her in a new chief should be someone who makes students feel safer on campus.

“A person who will be an important leader in establishing relationships right from the get-go,” Shanler said. “When students and parents first come here, when they’re here on campus and interacting with the surrounding community, and as they go out into the world beyond, they’ll feel that the police chief has been an important part of their life having established a safe environment for them during their college years.”

Fielder added that although an offer will be made in the next week,

PHOTO BY ANNALYN KUMAR/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston University has been searching for a new chief for the BU Police Department since Tom Robbins stepped down in September.

the new chief might not be hired immediately. However, as soon as a new hire is set in place, BUPD will make a public statement announcing who will fill the role.

Shanler said no matter who the new chief is, they will have a big impact on BU. “Any transition is an opportunity for change,” Shanler said. “I can’t predict the future, but I see it as an opportunity.”

Several students suggested changes to the current operations

of BUPD that could come with the new chief. Some students were confused about the duties of BUPD. Sonali Desai, a junior in the Questrom School of Business, said she wasn’t familiar with BUPD’s role on campus.

“I have no clue what they do,” Desai said. “And I don’t want to have more interaction with them.”

Miosotti Tenecora, a first-year student in the School of Law, said the BU alert system should be an area of focus for the new chief.

“Less alerts, or more concise alerts,” Tenecora said. “Instead of the way they alert — [alerting] with emergencies — sometimes its rapid like that.”

Meng Zheng, a junior in the College of General Studies, said BUPD should communicate more with students. “[BUPD] should maybe be more transparent about what they are doing,” Zheng said. “Because we don’t know what they are doing.”

Abnormal weather could be cause for concern, experts say WEATHER, FROM PAGE 1 volunteer for the Boston Climate Action Network, said although the increase in weather temperature cannot be linked specifically to climate change, this weather is cause for concern because scientists agree there will be more abnormal weather patterns as the Earth heats up.

“This is a massive concern for Boston,” Prokosch said. “We are particularly vulnerable to climate change. We will not only see a sea rise, but also coastal flooding, flooding on the interior of the city and extreme heat during the summer.”

Prokosch expressed other concerns related to the rising temperature, saying the forecasted extreme

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY VANESSA LARRAZABAL/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The National Weather Service declares Feb. 24 the hottest recorded temperature for February in Boston’s history.

heat during the summer will have adverse effects on vulnerable communities.

“It is predicted that we will have 90 days of over 90 degrees of heat,” Prokosch said. “People who are vulnerable — kids, low-income, elderly — people who can’t get anywhere to cool off, will suffer.”

Prokosch said his organization is currently focusing on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and has recently finished a gas leak cutting campaign.

“Our new campaign is to make renewable energy for everybody in Boston, even if you can’t afford a solar panel,” Prokosch said. “We are working with the Green Justice Coalition, [which is] strong groups led by people of color who don’t focus on climate but are profoundly affected by the environment.”

Kevin O’Brien, the outreach coordinator for the Massachusetts Sierra Club, the local chapter of a national environmental protection organization, said the recent warm weather is not a significant problem in terms of the environment.

“Wildlife might get active a little earlier, but it doesn’t cause major concern or a sudden direct effect on the environment,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said the random high temperatures should not be taken as an alarm, but echoed Epstein’s statements that the overall trend of unseasonable weather is more of a concern.

“We live in New England,” O’Brien said. “Snowstorms in April are not new, and warm weather in February is not unusual.”

To address these concerns, the city has started an ongoing initiative in 2016 called “Climate Ready Boston,” to prepare the city for the future impacts of climate change, according to the City of Boston website.

The newest initiative focuses on potential climate projections, vulnerability assessments around different boroughs of the city, and an outline of actions and road maps for residents, according to the site.

Several Boston residents, such as Lela Neal, 63, of Allston, said the

warm weather was not a concern for her. Instead, Neal said she enjoys the weather because it reminds her of her hometown.

“I’m from Denver, Colorado and this is what the weather is like there in February,” Neal said. “I don’t really think of the weather as a concerning thing. When I get warm weather, I usually just enjoy it.”

Several others, such as Sara Clamage, 24, of East Boston, said the recent weather changes were worrisome because past Boston winters have been significantly colder.

“It’s weird but not necessarily uncommon for Boston to have extreme weather changes,” Clamage said. “I do think that it is frightening to some extent, I mean, two years ago we had extreme winters, and now we barely get any snow.”

Tao Liu, 30, of Brighton, said although he is new to Boston, the weather seems unusual.

“It is a little suspicious, because my friends say that it was not like this the last two years,” Liu said.

“It’s … unusually warm for this time in February.”

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

THURSDAY, MARCH 2

FRIDAY, MARCH 3

SATURDAY, MARCH 4

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

MONDAY, MARCH 6

ASBU Weekly Meeting

Coffee and Convo

“A Child of our Time”

Children’s Education

World TB Day Symposium

SED Room 206

Howard Thurman Center

Tsai Performance Center

Thurman Room

Trustees Ballroom

6 - 9 p.m.

3 - 5 p.m.

8 - 10 p.m.

11:50 a.m.

All day

Hosted by Arabic Society of BU

Hosted by HTC

Hosted by New England Philharmonic

Hosted by Marsh Chapel

Hosted by NEIDL

FEATURES 5

IMPACT THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

The Edge hosts benefit dance show to give back to community

BY SABRINA HUANG DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Edge Dance Company, a Boston University jazz/lyrical dance group, hosted a benefit showcase at the BU Tsai Performance Center on Saturday to raise money for the Dizzy Feet Foundation. The group invited several dance groups from the Greater Boston area to perform at “Breaking Bounds 2017.”

The Edge has been planning the show since the beginning of the year, said Riley Durkin, the secretary of the Edge.

“We wanted ‘Breaking Bounds’ to be a showcase of the more contemporary and lyrical styles of dance, so we reached out to local groups and companies that specialize in this style,” said Durkin, a sophomore in BU’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Although “Breaking Bounds” is an annual show to unite the Edge and Dizzy Feet Foundation, this year was different.

“This was very unique because it was the first time our team choreographed small groups for the show,” said Danielle Katsman, a member of the Edge. “In the past we just did dances as a group, but this year people choreograph[ed] and [held] auditions for their small group. ‘The Wolves’ was the small group I choreographed.”

Before the first performance of the night, the Edge previewed a promotional video featuring the Dizzy Feet Foundation. The foundation supports programs that provide dance education and scholarships to communities in need and students who are passionate about dance, according to the video.

The Dizzy Feet Foundation, founded in 2009, has reached 18 states and has helped more than 40,000 students pursue their passion for dance, according to the video. The program helps underprivileged and at-risk youth by providing a means for them to grow creatively.

The backdrop lighting of the show, which

PHOTO BY VIGUNTHAAN THARMARAJAH/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Edge Dance Company hosts “Breaking Bounds 2017,” a dance show benefiting the Dizzy Feet Foundation, an organization that provides dance education to low-income communities.

illuminated a different color spectrum for each performance, fit with the overall mood of the atmosphere.

Many of the dancers in “Breaking Bounds 2017” shared the meaning behind their routine and their reasons for performing at the benefit showcase, Durkin said.

The Edge gives several people an opportunity to choreograph, Durkin said, to share their own stories and emotions.

“When I was choreographing ‘Medicine,’ I tried to portray the message of helping those that are struggling and being there for each other during hard and lonely times,” Durkin said.

Katie Mossburg, another dancer in the Edge, explained that she interpreted the lyrics of “Rivers and Roads” and then translated them to choreograph a dance.

“The story was essentially of people comCONTINUED ON PAGE 6

INBUSINESS THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

Trūbadour startup bridges gap between poetry, technology

BY KATIE CAMERO DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

An emerging poetry startup called Trūbadour is working to change the stereotypes and stigmas surrounding poetry as an archaic and inaccessible art, solving the many problems with poem submission, publication and readership.

“If we had a more globalized, localized platform that would enable communication, it would overall benefit the quality of poetry that we aspire to create and the value of that experience in and of itself,” said Rebecca Roach, the founder of Trūbadour.

Trūbador is a platform that will give contemporary poets a place to publish their work, and it will match readers with poems they want to read, transforming the world of poetry from “submit-and-sell” to “shareand-connect,” according to the company’s website.

Roach and Linus Lee, who is the developer and designer of Trūbadour, co-hosted an event Friday titled “ConVERSE-ing New

Directions: Poetry + Technology.” The team is currently working on making prototypes of the app, and looked to receive feedback on their current accomplishments. The team plans to finalize design goals by June, they said.

The conversation, held at Cambridge Innovation Center, featured a panel of Boston poets discussing current publishing models, and the needs of readers and writers.

Panelist Heather Hughes, who writes for Mass Poetry, said poetry has a large number of subscribers but not many people use apps that provide it.

“We as poets and publishers don’t know what technologies are going to stay around long enough to be worth the very small amount of resources we have,” Hughes said.

However, Trūbadour is working on leveraging technology to create a stable and effective source for poets and readers to communicate. Lee explained the basic features of the app.

The app has three sections: “Read,” “Feed” and “Me,” he explained. The “Read” section allows readers to discover new poems

PHOTO BY COLE SCHONEMAN/ DAILY FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTOR

Panelists Zachary Bos, Heather Hughes and Hannah Larrabee introduce a new poetry startup at the Cambridge Innovation Center Friday night.

and are given suggestions based on their interests. In “Feed,” users can follow specific poets and receive updates on their new mate-

rial. “Me” gives both readers and poets the CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

6 FEATURES

MUSE THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

PHOTO BY ABIGAIL FREEMAN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Bfresh market, an organic supermarket, opens in Davis Square, Somerville, bringing nutritional options to the community.

Davis Square welcomes third bfresh market in Boston area

BY KIRAN KISHOR GALANI DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Bfresh market officially launched its third branch in Davis Square, Somerville on Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and special discounts for customers who came on that day.

The ceremony, which took place at 9 a.m., started with a welcome from Somerville Ward 6 alderman Lance Davis as several people awaited the store’s opening. By 8:50 a.m., a long line had already formed outside the store, and everyone who was waiting in the line received a free bunch of bananas.

Davis addressed the crowd and talked about how the community had been waiting for a grocery store in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. He also said that before bfresh arrived, the building had been a sore spot for everyone’s eyes due to its dilapidated state since a Dunkin’ Donuts had shut down. Finally, he cut the ribbon and the crowd surged into the store.

As the third bfresh market in Boston, the company has made changes to complement the neighborhood. These include a larger assortment of organic products and an empha-

sis on affordability, said Saskia de Jongh, the designer of the store and vice president of marketing, format and store development at Fresh Formats, LLC. Jean Tepaske, 71, of Somerville, said she had been eagerly waiting for the opening of the store.

“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in the grocery store,” Tepaske said. “It’s so airy and happy, and I’m just going back to tell my friends about it now.”

De Jongh said bfresh focuses on providing groceries to people with special food needs, emphasizing the wide range of vegan, gluten-free, organic and health foods available in the store.

“We’ve found that people nowadays are really focused on health, and we really want to be able to provide them with the options they need to be able to meet these dietary needs” she said.

The location of the store was also a very important aspect of its appeal, Davis said.

With no grocery stores in the neighborhood, the residents of the area had a longstanding complaint about how difficult it was to meet their basic grocery needs, which drew bfresh to the new location.

“We’ve been eyeing this place for quite a while,” said de Jongh. “This was one of the first locations that we realized ‘here is our target customer.’ We really want to focus on urban city dwellers, people who live in small apartments and shop multiple times a week, and this was the perfect place for that.”

De Jongh said she designed the layout of the store based on the availability of the different types of fresh products.

“When one first walks into the store, they can see the fresh produce, which is one of our most important focuses, and we have a lot of organic options as well for nearly everything,” she said. “We find that our customers really value the availability of organic produce here.”

Next thing customers see is the Little Kitchen area, she said, which prepares hot, ready-to-eat meals. There is also an elaborate salad bar that offers a wide range of options.

This was followed by a section of readyto-cook foods, including marinated meats and recipe packs as an attempt to ensure easy and affordable shopping, de Jongh said.

“We do a lot of in-store, scratch-made foods,” Ali Demadis, research and development chef of the Little Kitchen, said after the open-

ing. “One of our specialty items is the meal kit.”

Demadis said the store’s signature meal kits are eight different dishes of pre-packaged and pre-measured food, which include protein, vegetables, sides, sauces and more.

Toward the end of the store, there are regular items that customers can find in any grocery store. Bfresh market had also teamed up with several local bakeries to provide a wide range of artisan breads to help promote local businesses, de Jongh said.

Jude Shabry, 43, of Cambridge, said although she technically lives in Cambridge, this bfresh store would still be the closest grocery store to her.

“I live in a nearby neighborhood, so I’m here all the time, and today I saw this shop and I was really happy to see it,” Shabry said.

She emphasized its convenience in the neighborhood.

“I was around on the day that the façade of Dunkin’ Donuts fell down, and we’ve been waiting for something like this to happen ever since,” Shabry said. “This is my first time in here, and I’m very impressed. The prices actually look pretty good, and the vegan selection is great.”

“Breaking Bounds 2017” unites various Boston dance groups DANCE, FROM PAGE 5 ing together and drifting apart along the paths of their lives,” said Mossburg, a freshman in the College of Engineering.

Although MIT Fixation, a contemporary dance group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that performed in “Breaking Bounds 2017,” did not have a particular vision in mind when they started choreographing “No Angels,” it ended up being about frustration.

“We feel dance has strongly influenced our lives and love that this event helps to provide a way for people to get dancing who may otherwise not be able to,” said Katrina Mikofalvy, a member of MIT Fixation.

BU’s Dance Theatre Group, who also participated, performed a more athletic piece.

“The choreographer of this piece was very inspired by the Olympics because she thought of her idea as the Olympics was going on, and she was very inspired by the athleticism of volleyball players,” said Brittany Kubicko, the public relations officer of DTG. The Boston Community Dance Project also performed in “Breaking Bounds 2017,” and often participates in benefit shows. The group does a lot of charity work to bring in the whole community and gives them an opportunity to connect with non-dancers, said Maria Perry, a member of the BCDP. “Especially since this show is for a dancebased charity, it’s close to home for a lot of

us,” Perry said.

Although their performance was choreographed by SKooJ corE-O, not the dancers, “a huge part of BCDP is to take a story and interpret it as your own,” said Alyssa Vernet, a member of BCDP. The chance to choreograph was also a huge learning experience, some dancers said.

Katsman, a sophomore in BU’s College of General Studies, choreographed “The Wolves,” because she has always wanted to perform the song and try choreographing it, she said.

“I like to tell my own story when I dance, regardless of what other people are telling — that is what makes dance personal,” Katsman said.

Growing up a dancer, Katsman said she had always admired the Dizzy Feet

Foundation and its cause.

“I love this showcase, not only for what it supports, but because it gives our friends and family a chance to see us dance while also supporting a great cause,” Katsman said. “My mom and sister flew in from Seattle just to watch us this weekend.”

But, as many dancers expressed, the show was not just a way to give back to the community. It was also a way of giving back to dance itself, an art that has helped many dancers grow.

“The Dizzy Feet Foundation gives people the opportunity to dance who otherwise wouldn’t be able to [and] it brings so much happiness into the world,” Durkin said. “As a kid, I was somewhat shy and self-conscious, but dance taught me to be confident.”

FEATURES 7

CATALYST THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

TRAPPIST-1 discovery holds promise for BU astronomers

BY LAUREN FRIAS DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

“Are we alone?” The resonating question that most space exploration is based on was brought closer to an answer with the recent discovery of four more planets in TRAPPIST-1, a system of now seven Earthlike planets surrounding a small, ultra-cool dwarf star.

According to NASA’s press release, all seven planets have the potential to have liquid water on its surface, but three of the seven planets are said to be in the “habitable zone” of the star, meaning that they have a higher chance of having liquid water, which is key to life as we know it.

In May 2016, the researchers using the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope announced the first three planets in the system using several groundbased telescopes. This scientific breakthrough was made on Feb. 22 with the help of European astronomers at the University of Liège in Belgium and the Spitzer telescope, a space telescope at NASA. Philip Muirhead, professor of astronomy at Boston University, detailed the disadvantages of ground telescopes and advantages of space telescopes.

“The problem with telescopes on the ground is that you get interrupted when you’re observing because the sun is coming up,” Muirhead said. “You can’t operate those during the day because the sky is very bright. With the space telescope, you don’t have to deal with the problem of the sun rising — you can just stare at a star for a very long time without any interruption.

Because of that fact, they were able to stare at that star for 20 days, and they discovered four additional planets.”

Muirhead, with Julie Skinner, a postdoctoral associate in astronomy at BU, leads a group of undergraduate and graduate students who work in the same vein of planetary discovery called the Muirhead Group.

He said the group came close to discovering the new planets in TRAPPIST-1 themselves, having submitted a proposal to study this part of space prior to the discovery being made in Europe.

“After we submitted our proposal, the group in Europe discovered these planets,” Muirhead said. “It’s not to take away from their work at all. They did a lot of work on

PHOTO BY MARIA CASTILLO/ DAILY FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTOR

Philip Muirhead, an astronomy professor at Boston University, speaks about the Muirhead Group, a research team studying properties of stars and planets.

the system. We are just certainly interested in finding systems orbiting small stars like them.”

The group made their own planetary discovery in 2012 similar to TRAPPIST-1 on a smaller physical scale, Muirhead said.

Its discovery still held great weight in determining trends in star and planet locations.

“It’s not seven planets — it’s only three planets, orbiting a small star like this one,” Muirhead said. “None of our planets were habitable, but that discovery and that particular object is called Kepler-42. That was five years ago now, but that discovery showed that stars like these could in fact have multiple small planets orbiting them and orbiting very close to the star.”

Fast-forwarding to the current discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system, Mark Veyette, a Ph.D student in the Muirhead Group, said that “it was great news” for NASA’s upcoming missions called Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which is “going to be specifically looking

for Earth-like planets around smaller stars than the sun.”

“This system is good evidence that these Earth-like, small, rocky planets are, indeed, very common around these small stars,” Veyette added.

Aurora Kesseli, another Ph.D student in the Muirhead Group, described how its discovery offered hope for the group’s own endeavors.

“I think this discovery also is good news for our group since we are in the middle of a search for systems just like this using the Kepler Space Telescope,” Kesseli wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press. “If this system exists, it seems likely they will find more.”

But there are challenges that will come alongside this more assured space discovery, Skinner said.

“These stars are the most numerous, but they also have a lot of UV and X-ray emission, more so than stars like our sun,” Skinner said. “So we’re going to have to be really careful about how we characterize

whether or not life can exist on these planets because we need to assess how much UV light and X-ray light might be depleting the atmospheres of these stars.”

Veyette added that the stars are hard to study in general because of its physical characteristics.

“These small stars offer a lot of benefits for finding small planets, but they’re also intrinsically hard to study in-depth because they’re small and because they’re cooler, they have lower surface temperatures,” Veyette said. “They emit most of their light in the infrared, so we need advanced, new technologies to really study these things in-depth.”

Looking to the future, Muirhead said he is hopeful for the discovery of more systems just as monumental as TRAPPIST-1.

“This discovery gives us a lot of confidence that we’re going to find more systems like this,” Muirhead said. “This is probably not the last object with multiple orbiting planets in the habitable zone. There are many, many more out there.”

New poetry app addresses issues of readership, publication POETRY, FROM PAGE 5 ability to create their own profile bio, pin poems or activities to show their work and make a library of favorites.

Another function Trūbadour will provide is the control over who has access to a poet’s work and the choice of accepting feedback from readers and writers.

Today, poetry is found on many platforms such as books, blogs and journals, but social media is becoming a hub for poets, as shown by popular Instagram accounts such as @atticuspoetry and @rupikaur_.

However, panelist Zachar y Bos, founder of the Boston Poetry Union, said apps that publish poetry are “woefully undersubscribed.” He added that there are no success stories where poets have obtained a verified readership based on

their success on social media, which he breaks into three categories: readership, revenue and reputation.

Other platforms such as Poetry Daily, Wattpad and the Poetry Foundation have both a website and app, but Roach said they are out of date because the internet is constantly changing. She added that some publications are “notoriously bad” at treating their writers, often scamming poets with expensive reading fees, a price they have to pay for each poem they submit.

“As a new reader of poetry, I don’t want to spend much time if I know that the investment isn’t worth it,” Roach said.

As a result, finding good poetry is unpredictable, time consuming and costly, Roach said.

Most problems come from the submission process, she continued. Poets are expected to

distinguish themselves professionally by submitting work, but Roach said it’s a subjective system. Even if the work is high-quality, if it doesn’t fit the aesthetic of the publication, the work will have a slim chance of reaching an audience.

The Review Review reported that from 2015-2016, Duotrope, a subscription-based service for writers and artists, had a 0.24 percent acceptance rate, which is creating “waste” in the system, Roach said.

In addition to this competitive process, poets also encounter reading fees for submissions. These range between three to five dollars per submission, Roach explained.

“It’s a number game,” Roach said. “The more chances that you want to succeed as a poet, the more you have to submit to get your work out.”

To counter the issues poets are facing,

Trūbador is working to provide reciprocity, a clean design and support for readers as well as writers to improve as artists, Roach said. Both Roach and Lee said they hope professional poets will switch to Trūbador to publish their work so they can reach more readers and get the recognition they deserve.

Jeff Thomas, a quality assurance engineer at Taxware, attended the event and said poets may have to “piggyback” with other artists, like musicians, to solve the issues they are facing.

While Bos said that poetry organizations don’t have the resources to make such collaborations possible, the “format, technology wise, doesn’t really matter,” Thomas said. “I think what they’re saying is more important, and that message has to get across to people.”

8 OPINION

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

Weihua Li, Editor-in-Chief Candice Lim, Managing Editor

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

46th year | Volume 92 | Issue VII 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 © 2017 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Sophia Eppolito, Campus Editor

Anna Whitelaw, Editorial Page Editor

Gabrielle DiPietro, Layout Editor

Alyssa Meyers, City Editor

Elise Takahama, Features Editor

Kalina Newman, Blog Editor

Jordan Green, Sports Editor

Olivia Falcigno, Photo Editor

Shakti Rovner, Office Manager

LEGO’s “Women of NASA” is step for more women in STEM Brick by brick, LEGO has built the company a set of stairs to the top of the toy industry. LEGO has been listed as the most popular toy ever made, one of the most influential toys of all time and the world’s top toymaker. With seven LEGOLAND parks worldwide, two movies (one with an Academy Award nomination), there is no doubt that LEGO has left its mark on children and families across the globe.

LEGO Ideas is an initiative that allows consumers to pitch their own set for LEGO’s next project. For the pitch to become an actual product, the idea must gather 10,000 supporters and pass review by the LEGO Review Board. Current ideas on the website include a “Hamilton” set, a Ferrari store and a Japanese castle. 10,000 votes seems impossible to reach, yet one science editor and writer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology News Office was able to attain that number. On Tuesday, LEGO announced that “Women of NASA” will officially be created and distributed as a LEGO set, according to an article from The Washington Post.

The complete set will feature women who have made crucial accomplishments to the space program and STEM fields, though the completed designs and availability information are not yet final. Some of

the women included will be Sally Ride, the first American woman to go to space, and Katherine Johnson, a scientist featured in “Hidden Figures” whose computer programming was integral to NASA. LEGO Friends, the company’s first attempt to directly appeal to the female population, was not hugely successful. The toys deviated from LEGO’s original product and created a distinct separation between LEGOs for boys and LEGOs for girls, which set the toy company in the entirely wrong direction.

“Women of NASA,” however, is a step forward because this set of female LEGO characters is their normal product. It’s nice for girls to now have this option, though this set is important more so due to the ideals that it creates for young children.

A toy that celebrates the history of women in science is extremely important. Not only does this new LEGO set give recognition to women who deserve it for their noteworthy accomplishments and contributions to the space program, but this ensures that children know that women can and should become involved in STEM fields. Currently, women make up 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce. Encouraging participation in these fields is extremely important, especially at a young age. This is an effective

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did this, men did that.” Instead, the accomplishments of what men and women have done will be represented equally.

Targeting consumers is a subtle way to start to make these changes and strides for gender equality. It’s important that especially LEGO is doing this because not only are they a leader in the industry, but their company is male-centric. Toys have always been gendered by color, style or topic.

Where will LEGO “Women of NASA” land on that spectrum? It’s safe to say that this will cross borders. Consumers generally react poorly when messages are being forced upon them, but because this toy’s impacts aren’t seen directly on children but rather on how they develop, this message is subtler and thereby more effective.

In the moment, “Women of NASA” seems like a step forward for ending the separation of toys by gender and encouraging girls to like science and math. For the future, LEGO’s success could encourage an entire industry to end the stereotypes associated with male and female careers.

There’s a lot more to be done on this front, and it certainly won’t be solely accomplished by the toy industry. But if LEGO’s progress means anything for the future, it’s that we’re on the right track.

This week’s crossword puzzle is brought to you by Laura Hennemuth

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learning tool for children because it shows history, specifically the history of women, to a predominantly male market. It’s clear that the point of this set is to inspire women to “go to space,” but the whole point of giving dolls a career is to show the possibilities of what women can be and do. This toy also tells children that sending women to space has already happened and can happen again.

It is also important to note that these are real women, rather than just a generic female face in a spacesuit. A true identity makes the toys more natural and gives young children actual female role models with names and historical context.

Toy companies need to understand that children are inf luenced very easily.

Everything they touch and every word they hear, has an impact on their development.

We don’t pay enough attention to how influential the smallest things are in a child’s life.

If the current cultural atmosphere tells us anything, it’s that adults aren’t adapting fast enough for their children. Adults who are slow to jump on the progressive bandwagon are leaving their children behind.

When we know better, we do better. If children grow up with the names of these women in their heads, even through a LEGO set, there won’t be a constant stream of “men

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1. Barbershop emblem 5. Leg bone 10. Gangly 14. Cards with 1 symbol 15. Sarcasm 16. Chocolate cookie 17. Sensible 19. Rapscallions 20. Petrol 21. Antiquated 22. Apartments (British) 23. Empower 25. Suffered 27. Spelling contest 28. Boulders 31. Clocked 34. Building addition 35. A parcel of land 36. Chalcedony

37. Anagram of “Sneer” 38. Forearm bone 39. Frequently, in poetry 40. Hoax 41. Hoar 42. Turnip cabbage 44. A tree fruit 45. Antlered animal 46. Asserted 50. Jargon 52. A sloping mass of loose rocks 54. 61 in Roman numerals 55. Awakened 56. Horseman 58. Cain’s brother 59. Stagger 60. Doing nothing 61. Bloody 62. Wait 63. Wagers

1. Plaster 2. Large body of water 3. Not the most 4. S 5. The concluding part 6. Delete 7. Gangs 8. Uneducated 9. Type of whiskey 10. Commode 11. Apara 12. Past tense of Leap 13. Not a win 18. Chose 22. Plant fiber 24. Wild goat 26. Angers 28. Boredom 29. Defrauds 30. Immediately 31. Swiped

32. Data 33. A teller of fancy tales 34. A ballet position 37. Historical periods 38. Desire 40. Tailless amphibian 41. A boneless steak 43. Lacking companions 44. Sarcous 46. Betel palm 47. Coast 48. Glorify 49. Eats 50. Booty 51. Gray wolf 53. Ringlet 56. A late time of life 57. Thorax protector

OPINION 9

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

One Democrat’s dilemma

BY ANNA STROINSKI COLUMNIST

I am a registered and ideological Democrat, and this has been the case for as long as I can remember. In 2008, I went inside the automated voting booth for the first time with my mom.

She’d just secured American citizenship and was voting for the first time.

Together, we pressed the button for Sen. Barack Obama.

I love the Democratic Party because I love the Democratic Party. Believe it or not, there is untapped energy in there, a strong emotional sentiment, good policy and humanity. I assure you, some of these people care about me, about you and about us. I know this because I’ve seen it in real time. I’m a Massachusetts and Boston University College Democrat, and I am constantly surrounded by some of the most dedicated activists I have ever met.

Because I love my party, I can also recognize when it is not living up to its potential.Unfortunately for the party and for us, it’s not.

Don’t let the Obama victories fool you into thinking that the Democratic Party is viable. First things first, Obama ran on his own terms. He invoked Saul Alinsky’s organizational tactics and kept his successful campaigning organization, Organizing For Action, distinctly separate from the Democratic National Committee.

Secondly, Democrats were decimated in the 2014 midterm elections and have been rapidly losing state and city level inf luence in recent years. More governing happens at the state and local level than it does at the federal level, may I remind you.

So by losing ground there, we lost a significant bulwark of power. Finally — and this one is a bit of a throwback — we’re still the same party that lost to George W. Bush, one of the most unpopular presidents in history. Twice.

If the 2016 election revealed anything, it is that Clinton-era neoliberalism is dead.

Pandering to big businesses, embracing social conservatism and invoking law and order just don’t do the candidate good anymore. However, despite that this is very obviously the case, the Democratic party

refuses to make the schematic changes necessary to shift the party in a more progressive direction.

The DNC chair election was the Democrat’s chance to make it right, to begin courting the Bernie Sanders voters who felt tossed aside or forgotten in all the rough and tumble of things.

Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison (D) was the progressive choice and had the most popular support.

However, Tom Perez, former Labor Secretary and Obama holdover, wound up winning the coveted seat. Sure, Perez is the most progressive chair in the party’s history and moved to make Ellison the deputy chair, but none of that matters. To many people, he represents the “establishment” of the party. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a serious problem.

The rank-and- file Democrats want one thing, and the old horses want another.

What is unfortunate about this is that the old horses are disproportionately in power and almost always do what they want regardless of the practical consequences.

They chose good ole’ Nancy Pelosi as House minority leader and political moderate Chuck Schumer as Senate minority leader. They picked Perez, and they’re not doing enough to curb Trump. Though the Massachusetts State Senate has a democratic supermajority, they sometimes can’t get progressive legislation passed.

Why? Well, I guess you can always blame it on our Republican governor.

I know the effort seems futile, frustrating and sad. The party seems devoid of reason, devoid of goodness and devoid of a heart. But — and I must stress this — there is a little bit of hope in the up-and- coming generation of Democrats. We put Sanders on the scene, we elected Elizabeth Warren, we legalized marijuana in Massachusetts.

We are getting better at organizing, staging rallies, workshops and engaging with our communities. The young Democrats I know are political and social wizards of sorts. They email, they call, they do phone bank, they plan, and in some cases, they write. They run for DNC seats, for their Ward Committees or for their school boards at 18 because they want to be a presence. Sometimes, that’s all you need to get the old horses riled up and uncomfortable.

Belief in a kind of vanguard of youth isn’t a new concept. Randolph Bourne once said that “youth is the leaven that keeps all these questioning, testing attitudes fermenting in the world. If it were not for this troublesome activity of youth, with its hatred of sophisms and glosses, its insistence on things as they are, society would die from sheer decay.”

It appears to me, then, that we ought to encourage and further tap into this fervor before it’s too late.

Role of femininity in theatre

BY MADISON FRILOT COLUMNIST

Boston University’s 2017 production of “The Vagina Monologues,” directed by Ara Butler, took center stage in its annual rendition. Although the show has been running for several years here at BU, it was clear that given the current political climate, this year’s show was more important and relevant than ever before. The stories covered all relevant feminist topics, tackling issues such as inequality in the workplace, sexual assault, racial inequality and overall rage with how women and their vaginas are treated in our society.

“The Vagina Monologues” didn’t hold back whatsoever. It was unafraid to be in your face with stigmatized affairs. It sparked something within me, some kind of audacious belonging and pride. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many men attended as well, making up a significant chunk of the audience and were equally as involved as the women. My heart was warmed by their presence, proud of them even, and ever so excited that they were representing their gender and the positive change taking place in our community.

Finally, an uncensored show that is dedicated solely to feminists, progressive and inclusive — sort of.

The original content, written by playwright Eve Ensler, premiered in 1996 on a limited run at the HERE Arts Center in New York City. It took the theatre world by storm and attracted a massive amount of attention.

Even The New York Times called the play “probably the most important piece of political theater of the last decade.”

Twenty years later, the show is so much more. It is now its own global nonprofit movement, named “V-Day,” that raises money for groups that work to abolish violence against women and girls.

V-Day stated that they had raised more than $100 million to fund educational programs and shelters ser ving sur vivors of violence and rape. What started as just entertainment has become a massive movement, actually imposing change and benefiting real people.

But my question is: two decades from its debut, does the play need an update to keep up with the changing world and equate the improvements made by its partner, V-Day?

Interrobang

Undoubtedly, the fundraising aspect of the show will always have a lasting impact.

But what about the show itself? Its messages were certainly prevalent in 1996, but in 2017, we’re faced with a much different atmosphere where misogyny wears a mask, femininity is neither defined by sexual organs nor constricted by assigned gender, and true feminism is reforming itself to be rightfully intersectional.

While watching “The Vagina Monologues,” amongst the boisterous, audacious feminism that filled the theatre, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. After looking at the original script of “The Vagina Monologues,” it turns out that the script has mainly remained the same throughout its adaptations. According to Butler, copyright issues legally require them to not change any of the content. However, they saw it in their duty to “address the issues with ‘Vagina Monologues’ in the director's note by making an announcement at the start of the show which recognized that while ‘The Vagina Monologues’ is a piece of feminist history, it does not represent all women equally, especially those who face violence in the transgender community and people of color.”

Not only that, but according to Butler, two musical pieces were added to BU’s rendition this year, narrowly escaping legal restrictions.

The first was a piece that Butler wrote, and the second was by the original writer, Ensler.

Ensler wrote a new piece this January entitled “I Call You Body,” which brutally and honestly depicts the modern struggles of female bodies, demanding they say “no to your arrogance / no to your hate … [with] No gloves no mask no protection / From the sun / Or the boss or foreman or / The president.” The piece seems to dive deeper into the current political climate, calling out the monstrosity that has taken office and highlighting the injustices happening in the workplace.

My heart rests easy knowing that BU’s cast did the best they could, given the restrictive circumstances. However, I can’t help but wonder what a more contemporary and accurate take on the outdated “Vagina Monologues” would look like.

In the United States, 2017 has so far seen the unlawful killings of at least seven transgender women. New York City alone reported a staggering 56 hate crimes by Feb. 12, compared to the 31 that had been reported by this time last year. Among those 56, a whopping 28 were specifically anti-Semitic. Here in 2017, we are struggling. Looking at “The Vagina Monologues” from the arts and entertainment point of view, it is excellent and always has been.

However, looking at it as a modern woman, it is lacking the social momentum it is so capable of.

Although many of us struggling are women, many of us are women and transgender, women and Muslim, women and disabled, women and black or women and feminist.

Academic researchers from Cal State and Cambridge have officially confirmed that “YOLO” is good life advice.

We here at the ol’ Free Press want to know — what life advice would BU people give?

Sargent: Take a hike

Questrom: They hate us ‘cuz they ain’t us

CGS: Don’t check the box

Divest BU: Divest, BU

Archeology Department: Dig a little deeper

BU swimming and diving: Just keep swimming

Dean Elmore: Don’t be extra

FreeP: Pick the locks

10 SPORTS

Men’s basketball sets to start playoff run, faces Loyola

BY MICHAEL JOSCELYN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAWK/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Eric Fanning will lead the Terriers in a quest to make the NCAA Tournament in his senior season.

The Boston University men’s basketball team will begin its quest for a Patriot League title and NCAA Tournament invitation on Thursday night when it hosts Loyola University Maryland at Case Gym. The matchup was solidified for the Terriers (17-13, 12-6 Patriot League) after the Greyhounds (15-15, 8-10 Patriot League) downed Lafayette College 67-64 in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament.

Loyola had been down 64-63 when sophomore James Fives put in back-to-back free throws to enable his team to take the lead for good. Lafayette (9-21, 5-13 Patriot League) was unable to convert the rest of the game and had its season terminated.

The Terriers are quite familiar with the Greyhounds, playing them twice throughout this season, with both teams winning on their home courts.

“Loyola is a tough team, a very good team,” said BU head coach Joe Jones. “They have three really talented guys in [Cam] Gregory, [Jarred] Jones, and [Andre] Walker. The last time we played them they played without a pretty big piece of their team in [Andrew] Kostecka, who is one of the better 3-point shooters, so he’ll be back. They had a great win last night so I’m sure they’ll be fired up and ready to go.”

In the first meeting that took place on the Greyhounds’ turf, BU had one of its worst

shooting performances of the season, going 1-for-18, 5.6 percent, from the 3-point range in a 77-69 loss. Senior guard Eric Fanning was practically the only player making positive plays as he put up his second of three double-doubles of the year with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

On the opposite end of the court, Loyola converted on 52.9 percent of its 3-pointers enroute to establishing an insurmountable 12-point halftime lead.

The script was flipped the next time the two teams met, with BU in control throughout the game following a back-and-forth start.

With 8:31 remaining in the first half, BU was down 16-19, however, a 20-8 run by the Terriers gave them a commanding 36-27 lead that they never relinquished.

In this upcoming matchup, BU will be looking to exploit the Greyhounds’ propensity for turnovers by pressuring them on defense.

Loyola has the third most turnovers in the Patriot League and a combined 40 in the two matchups versus BU. They also have a Patriot League worst 42.4 percent overall from the field, which would seem to fit perfectly for the Terriers, who sport the best field goal percentage defense in the league, allowing opponents to shoot just 42.7 percent on the season.

“It’s funny, going into the season that’s probably the last thing you would’ve thought was going to happen,” Jones said of his team leading the conference in defensive field goal percentage. “Offensively, I thought we’d be a lot higher in terms of our shooting percentage and so we’ve changed as the seasons gone on.

The zone and our press really had an impact and our guys really bought into it.”

While striving for defensive perfection will be the goal, BU will rely on its three award-winning players to shoulder the load.

Fanning was named to his second consecutive First Team All-Patriot League honor, while senior forward Justin Alston got his first AllLeague nod, being named to the Second-Team All-Patriot League and freshman forward Tyler Scanlon earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team.

Jones attributed the honors to the hard work of each player and the team environment that allowed them to thrive.

“As those guys had individual attention put upon them, they had much more to do with the team’s success,” Jones said. “If we don’t finish second place we don’t get two guys, one on the First Team, one on the Second and an All-Rookie guy.”

For the Terriers, they hope this game is the first of many this postseason, and will need Fanning, Alston and Scanlon to play at a high level if they hope to move on. In order for that to happen, the Terriers need every man on their roster to contribute.

“I told the guys this yesterday — I think the awards they got were all benefitted from great teammates,” Jones said. “As good of a season as those guys had individually, our guys did a great job of getting them the ball and there were some guys who really sacrificed a lot for those guys to have opportunities to play and display their talents. That’s why I love our team time and time again.”

Women’s basketball caps regular season with win at Army

BY LIAM O’BRIEN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Generally, when teams turn the ball more than 26 times and make one pair of 3-pointers, a loss is almost guaranteed.

However, for the Boston University women’s basketball team, in a campaign full of unsuspected victories, going against the grain is a common practice. The Terriers (13-16, 11-7 Patriot League) managed to overcome their struggles with offensive efficiency to knock off the United States Military Academy by a margin of 66-62.

“That was a huge win for us,” said BU head coach Katy Steding. “To get it on Army’s court [brings] momentum for us. This year [has included] many first victories and milestones.

My hats go off to [the players]. They enjoy the process.”

Led by 12 points apiece from junior forward Kara Sheftic and freshman forward Nia Irving, in addition to an 11-point, seven-rebound and four-steal performance by senior guard Sarah Hope, the Terriers clinched their first triumph at Army since 1982. BU shook off the demons of Feb. 22, where they fell to the Black Knights (21-8, 12-6 Patriot League) 64-52 at Case Gym. The Terriers dominated on the glass with a 37-27 rebounding advantage while managing to shoot 49 percent from the field and 14-of-15 from the free-throw line, a monumental harbinger overshadowing their turnover issues. BU matched the physicality of the Black Knights with a measurable amount of intensity, countering Army with fiery play throughout.

Irving was a major factor in the Terriers controlling the rebounding edge, coming down with seven boards of her own. “[Irving] brought the toughness on the boards,” said Steding. “She is not afraid. She will take a hit and she keeps on coming back from it.

That has been a real spark for us. She does not always look orthodox, but you have to respect her as a player. She is just relentless.”

The squad overcame 15 points from the

Patriot League’s leading scorer forward Madison Hovren, and guard Janae McNeal’s 12 points, six rebounds and six steals to record the win.

With Hovren watching from the bench as Army celebrated senior night, the Terriers started out the game on an 11-0 roll. Hope was critical in the early surge, knocking down a running jump shot, canning a wing 3-pointer, driving baseline for a layup, and assisting on a jump shot by senior forward Meghan Green.

Realizing the ineffectiveness of their halfcourt defense, the Black Knights decided to exploit the absence of one of BU’s primary ball handlers, senior guard Courtney Latham.

They opted to apply full-court pressure on the Terriers, and it worked to perfection. Army forced eight turnovers over the course of first quarter, riding a 12-2 surge to knot the game at 17-17 heading into the second quarter.

Sheftic provided the Terriers with a boost off the bench, piping in four consecutive points to give the team a 23-17 lead. Sheftic’s eight points piloted BU to a 33-28 halftime lead, an advantage buoyed by a plethora of fast break opportunities. Despite hitting just one 3-pointer, the Terriers remained afloat on the heels of a 19-13 rebounding advantage.

BU’s turnover woes returned at the outset of the third quarter, as they turned it over on seven occasions in the third quarter. With the combination of an and-one finish by Army center Lena’ Hicks, a layup by Janae McNeal, and a floater by Hovren, the Black Knights garnered their first lead of the night with just under four minutes remaining in the stanza.

The game remained a seesaw affair throughout the first few minutes of the fourth quarter until a quick 5-0 run by the Black Knights provided them with a 56-52 lead with six minutes remaining. However, consecutive buckets by Sheftic and Irving erased the Army surge.

The squads traded buckets for a few minutes before junior center Sophie Beaudry began to assert her will. Teetering on the brink of fouling out, she knocked down a 15-foot jumper from the high elbow to tie the game at 60 before finding Irving on a cut for an and-one finish to

PHOTO BY BRITTANY CHANG/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Junior forward Kara Sheftic led the Terriers with 12 points off the bench in BU’s final regular season contest.

give BU a 63-60 lead with just over 90 seconds remaining.

A steal-and-score by McNeal with a minute left cut the lead to just one. Hovren was unable to get her layup to fall on the ensuing Army possession and despite an offensive rebound by junior guard Destinee Morris, junior Corrine Williams proceeded to intercept a pass and flip the ball to Hope. The tried-and-trusted senior

knocked down both foul shots with 10 seconds left, giving the Terriers a 65-62 lead.

Irving then canned a foul shot to ice the contest, handing the Terriers the emotional victory.

“These guys are sometimes more composed than I am,” said Steding. “They kept it together real well. We just tried to talk them through every possession.”

SPORTS 11

Women’s lacrosse outplayed in blowout loss to Dartmouth

BY JOEY WOODWARD DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

On a grim Wednesday afternoon at Nickerson Field, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team dropped a 19-7 game to Dartmouth College.

The Terriers (1-2) put themselves in an early hole, with a 10-4 deficit before the half against a rolling 4-0 Dartmouth squad. That six-goal deficit in the first half was also the largest deficit of the season up to that point for the Terriers. Once the Big Green gained their lead, they never looked back, as they built on that lead and doubled it to 12 by game’s end.

BU head coach Liz Robertshaw gave credit to the opponent for dominating from start to finish.

“They came at us hard,” Robertshaw said.

“The Dartmouth-BU rivalry is something that’s been here a good amount of years so we knew that was going to be a challenge.

We saw a team that came at us hard today.”

While BU and Dartmouth play each year, it hasn’t been much of a rivalry as of late. The Big Green have now won five of the past six contests.

With this defeat now behind them, the Terriers must now prepare for a West Coast trip to Southern California.

Robertshaw hopes her team will take this game to heart before embarking on the road trip.

“I hope they take this seriously, sometimes with things like [a road trip] you can get carried away, especially as a student-athlete,” Robertshaw said.

Dartmouth’s high flying offense that scores over 11 goals per game was the story of this game.

Four separate players recorded hat tricks for the Big Green. Midfielders Taryn Deck and Elizabeth Mastrio lit up the stat sheet, scoring four and five goals, respectively, and each player finished with six points.

It was clear things were going awry for BU when Robertshaw pulled Preseason All-

Patriot League senior goalkeeper Caroline Meegan in favor of junior Christine Laible.

Meegan is second in the nation in saves per game, but even she could not slow down the swarming Big Green. Neither goalie could stop the bleeding, as BU allowed a season-high 19 goals.

Robertshaw was blunt when talking about the decision to pull her star goalie.

“It was her performance — I didn’t think she was seeing the ball,” said Robertshaw.

“And when Meegan started to let in a few goals I went to my other goalie.”

Robertshaw seemed frustrated with her offense, harping on her team’s poor shooting percentage, an issue that she has raised throughout the outset of the season.

The Terriers have struggled to get their shots on goal, as they currently have a 30.9 shooting percentage, a figure Robertshaw says she wants to see increase by at least 10 percentage points.

“We have to address what is causing the poor shooting,” she said.

Robertshaw didn’t hold back when talking about her midfielders either.

Dartmouth midfielders, such as freshman standout Ellie Carson, had their way against BU. “If I take a step back and recognize what our midfield is, it’s young,” Robertshaw said.

“But our midfield today was soft. There’s no other way about it. We let them win the transition balls. We let them win the 50/50 balls.

A lot of the goals against us were against our midfielders.”

A lone bright spot for the Terriers was senior attacker Elisabeth Jayne, who recorded a hat trick and now has a team-best eight goals for the season.

This was the final game before spring break where the Terriers will face San Diego State University and No. 5 University of Southern California.

“USC is obviously a very confident team,” Robertshaw said. “They are a team that is going to go hard at you. For us, I think we need to tighten up our offense. I think after this game we have a lot to get better on.”

PHOTO BY ABIGAIL FREEMAN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Terriers will have to regroup after being dominated by Dartmouth in all aspects before they head west to play over spring break.

Burns’ season could be best by defenseman since Orr BURNS, FROM PAGE 12 Regardless of the outcome, it was an impressive season for the Sharks. Beating the Los Angeles Kings in five games in the first round of the playoffs catapulted the team to beat the Nashville Predators in seven games and the St. Louis Blues in six.

San Jose did not end last season how it would’ve liked, but it has come a long way in its 26-year existence.

The Sharks have really revamped their

style in the past five years, and Brent Burns joining the forces has a lot to do with it.

Burns is in good company in San Jose next to veteran Joe Thornton and top center Joe Pavelski. While Thornton and Pavelski have been with the Sharks for more than 10 years, Burns has created a strong dynamic between the three of them.

Burns, Thornton and Pavelski are powerhouses on the ice. The three of them are a huge reason why the Sharks fan base has grown so much.

Not only is Burns an elite defenseman, but he is also one of most fun players to watch for hockey fans. He is a very deliberate player. Every move and action is a conscious decision.

Burns could also be in consideration for the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is given to the MVP each year, but the last defenseman to win was Blues’ Chris Pronger after the 1999-2000 season.

That is not to say Burns does not deserve the honor, but the likelihood of

the award going to a forward is quite high.

However, Burns is making a historical run for one of the best all-around seasons by a defenseman ever.

Burns is a unique player with skills that other players simply cannot match. He is a player other teams hate to face because he is so powerful on the ice. And at the young age of 31, he’s not slowing down anytime soon. His dominant play on the ice should continue to give hockey fans joy for years to come.

Hankerson has embraced new role in return from injury HANKERSON, FROM PAGE 12 career-high 34 points against national powerhouse Syracuse University on Dec. 10.

Whatever negative physical and mental effects the knee injuries had on Hankerson, he said he has ;grown from them.

“It definitely helped me build character,” Hankerson said. “It definitely made me stronger as a person. I honestly wouldn’t change anything.”

This development of Hankerson’s character and maturity is reflected in his attitude

and approach to his circumstances.

All athletes have an ego, but despite his change from a star to a role player, Hankerson is willingly making the sacrifices necessary to help BU succeed this season.

“It’s just putting winning over any individual thing,” Hankerson said.

Throughout the season, Hankerson’s physical game began to reflect this mentality.

“Prior to his injury, he was more than just a shooter, and when he first got back, that was his way of working his way back,” Jones said. “But I was reiterating to him to impact

the game in different ways because that’s who he is as a player.”

Now, Hankerson has established himself as BU’s premier defender.

“The last month, he’s been sensational,” Jones said. “He’s been amazing at our press [defense]. He’s had games when he scored six points, and there was no way we could’ve won that game without him on the floor.

He’s a one-man wrecking crew.”

Entering his final season next year, Hankerson will have to embrace his influence on his teammates and adjust to his new

responsibility as the definitive leader for BU. “He’s a guy that slowly has become a leader without saying as much,” Jones said.

“Now, we’re going to be looking for him to be more vocal. This is a great step for him as the leader in our program.”

With the injuries now behind him, Hankerson is in a position to succeed. The injuries that once destroyed him became a tool through which he grew stronger and better as a player and person.

“You can see glimpses of it,” Jones said.

“It’s coming all together.”

Quotable “Our midfield today was soft. There’s no other way about it”- BU women’s lacrosse coach Liz Robertshaw on her team’s loss to Dartmouth. p. 11

Dropping The Gloves

Brent Burns is NHL’s preeminent defenseman

BY JESSICA CITRONBERG COLUMNIST

His face is recognizable across any sport. The beard, the missing teeth and the hair, are all unique to one man. He’s one of the greatest defensemen of all time, and he has potential to win the Art Ross Trophy this year.

Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks is a 6-foot-5 monster on the ice. It is hard to believe that anyone would want him hurling toward you on skates.

Burns was traded to the Sharks in 2011 from the Minnesota Wild. Both San Jose and Minnesota are known for their aggressive playing style. Burns plays beyond the blue line, but he’s much more than a defenseman.

He could potentially win the Art Ross Trophy this year, which goes to the player with the most points. This offensive dominance is not exactly typical for a defenseman.

Bruins legend Bobby Orr is the only defenseman to ever win the 70-year-old trophy (he won it twice). Burns and Orr met during All-Star weekend.

Burns is tied for third in scoring in the NHL this season with the Bruins’ Brad Marchand, behind young Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, the two-time Stanley Cup Champion of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the season isn’t over yet.

Regardless of whether or not Burns actually receives the Art Ross Trophy, he is still having a remarkable season and is further proving that he is one of the best defensemen in the league.

Burns has already scored 27 goals this season, which is the same number he had at the end of the last regular season. Last season, Burns was one of the best players on a Sharks team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the first trip in the team’s history.

Unfortunately for San Jose, the Penguins claimed the trophy in six games.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Sports

Ending on a High Note The women’s basketball team topped Army in its final regular season game before the Patriot League tournament begins. p. 10

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Past and Future: Cedric Hankerson’s humble return

BY JONATHAN CHANG DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston University men’s basketball team is exitting Case Gym to the locker room after a long practice. Only junior guard Cedric Hankerson remains.

He was asked by assistant coach Walt Corbean to stay.

“Walt workout,” Hankerson later remarked. It’s an infamous combination of rigorous drills that Corbean puts together spontaneously as the drill goes on.

Hankerson, a known workaholic, accepts the challenge.

The first part of the drill is Hankerson’s specialty: the catch-and-shoot. He can do this in his sleep, and he finishes it effortlessly. The impromptu drills swiftly advance until the last one, a set of different dribble moves followed by a pull-up jump shot.

He’s missing most of them. Two misses follow every made shot, but he’s not allowed to leave until he meets expectations.

Corbean stops the drill. After a short lecture to push Hankerson’s limits, he asks where Hankerson would place himself among the elite players in the Patriot League.

“I’m the best, coach,” Hankerson answers. “I’m the best.”

During the 2014-15 campaign, Hankerson, then a sophomore, emerged as the best player for the Terriers. Averaging a team-high 15.9 points and 1.8 steals, he was gaining a reputation as a two-way star who dominated both ends of the floor.

Those numbers were good enough to rank him second steals and fourth in points in the Patriot League. The statistical achievement was accompanied by a spot on the Patriot League All-Conference Second Team.

However, after the 2016-2017 season is over, Hankerson will still have one more season with BU. “It happened the last pickup session of the spring of my sophomore year after the season,” Hankerson said. “I came down wrong, and someone kind of pushed me off balance, and then I tore everything.”

In April 2015, Hankerson tore his ACL in his right knee, an injury that usually requires over half a year to recover from.

“It was devastating for everyone involved,” said BU head coach Joe Jones.

“But we were very optimistic of his return.

He worked so hard.”

After the surgery, Hankerson tirelessly pushed himself through rehabilitation.

“I would come in in the morning close to 8, and he’d have already been in [the gym],” Jones said. “He would be flying in terms of his energy level.”

“When he finally got cleared, the look on his face — he was always telling me he feels great,” Jones said. “I think he thought he was ready way before they cleared him the first time.”

PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAWK/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Cedric Hankerson has transformed his game to become a more complete all-around player in his return from injury.

On Dec. 2, 2015, Hankerson finally returned against University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 12 minutes off the bench, Hankerson recorded 10 points However, the promise of his return was cut short instantaneously.

“The practice right after UMass, someone fell onto my knee, and I tore my meniscus and MCL,” Hankerson said.

Unfortunately, it was the same knee.

Hankerson would soon be ruled out for the remainder of the season and was forced to use a medical redshirt to maintain his eligibility for two more years.

“That kind of rollercoaster ride, it was not just physically straining, but it was just mentally [exhausting],” Hankerson said. “I put in all that work just to take two more steps back.”

The psychological effect of the injury has brought visible changes to Hankerson’s game this season. Compared to his sophomore year, Hankerson has been more reluctant to drive to the lane, resulting in a massive drop in his free throw attempts, from 7.5 to 2.1.

He is also taking an unusual number of shots from the 3-point range. In fact, 82.6 percent of his field-goal attempts so far this season have come from behind the arc.

As a product of more shots from long distance, Hankerson’s have been inconsistent offensively.

Hankerson has shot less than 40 percent from the field in 14 out of his 29 appearances this season. On the other hand, he broke the school record with 10 3-pointers and scored a CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

BOTTOM LI NE THURSDAY, MARCH 2

FRIDAY, MARCH 3

SATURDAY, MARCH 4

Women’s tennis vs.

Holy Cross, 4:30 p.m.

Men’s tennis vs. Dartmouth, 4 p.m.

Men’s lacrosse vs. Air Force, 12 p.m.

Men’s basketball vs. Loyola Maryland in Patriot League quarterfinals, 7 p.m.

Softball vs. San Jose State in San Diego, 5 p.m.

Softball @ San Diego State, 10 p.m.

Women’s hockey vs. Northeastern in Hockey East semifinals, 4 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

MONDAY, MARCH 6

Women’s Hockey East

Women’s basketball @ American

Championship Game, 1:30 p.m.

in Patriot League quarterfinals

.

Men’s Basketball Patriot League

Swimming and diving @ NCAA

Semifinals 12 p.m. / 2 p.m.

Zone Diving Championships