4-23-2014

The Daily Free Press

Year xliv. Volume lxxxvi. Issue XLIX

DIPLOMAS FOR ALL Study finds number of college graduates increasing, page 3.

[

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

HAUS OF CAT

Allston cat center houses cats indefinitely, no euthenasia, page 5.

]

www.dailyfreepress.com

SIX SICK WINS

Softball winning streak continues with triumph over URI, page 8.

WEATHER

Today: AM showers/High 56 Tonight: Cloudy/Low 38 Tomorrow: 58/38 Data Courtesy of weather.com

Companies apply to trademark Boston Strong slogan Women’s basketball coach resigns after bullying allegations

By Kelsey Newell Daily Free Press Staff

In the wake of the Boston Marathon, three companies are vying to trademark Boston Strong, a citywide motto born out of last year’s marathon.

Two companies have applied for the rights to use the term on specific products. New England Coffee and Tea Company, based in Malden, wants to reserve Boston Strong for all coffee, tea and coffee-based beverages. Cathedral Art Metal Company, Inc., based in Providence, R.I., is trying to use the slogan on any bracelets and other jewelry items.

Boston Strong Bostonstrong.com LLC is also battling to call the brand their own, but they are requesting a much wider range of products and services on which they want to use the Boston Strong mark. They are looking to use the Boston Strong motto to reach out to disaster relief organizations, fundraising campaigns and other global causes, their application stated. “[The mark will be used for] customized printing of company name and logos for promotional and advertising purposes on the goods of others. Custom design of wearable apparel, paper goods, based on personal selections made by the customer; imprinting messages on wearing apparel, accessories and mugs; advertising through all public communications means; and printed paper labels, decals,” the application stated.

Roberta Clarke, associate professor of marketing at Boston University, said the brand of Boston Strong might be more successful when

By Jacklyn Bamberger Daily Free Press Staff

dential election because he was concerned with his spiritual well being.

“He has policy advisors and political supporters, but I didn’t see anyone thinking about his soul,” DuBois said. “Something in my spirit was telling me that this was one of those moments when you should do something that you’re not qualified to do.”

DuBois said he has used his position in the White House to oversee ways the federal government could support secular aspects of religious organizations intended to alleviate poverty in local communities. He ascribed the continuing problem of poverty to an “empathy gap” in racial and socioeconomic lines.

“We’re not spending a whole lot of time with folks who are struggling,” he said. “We have a lot of debates about poverty without actually hearing from and receiving leader-

Following multiple allegations of bullying from former players, Boston University women’s basketball and head coach Kelly Greenberg have parted ways, according to several reports.

In an article on ESPN.com published Tuesday evening, Greenberg spoke regarding her status with the team.

“I have determined that it is in the best interest of the university, the women’s basketball program and myself for me to resign my position as head women’s basketball coach,” Greenberg told ESPN through a spokesperson. “I do not agree with some of the findings of the review panel regarding my coaching style, which was intended to produce well-rounded athletes and a winning team. However, given all that has transpired, I do not believe it will be possible for me to continue as an effective coach at Boston University.”

Kate Fagan of ESPN originally reported that Greenberg had been fired. However, her article was edited to say that the school and Greenberg had parted ways, and it was later updated with the comments from Greenberg. Fagan’s original tweet saying that Greenberg was fired was deleted. Scott McLaughlin of WEEI.com said that Greenberg has resigned, and Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe reported that Greenberg and BU have gone separate ways.

The Daily Free Press could reach neither BU Athletics nor Greenberg for comment before press time.

Greenberg had finished her 10th season as coach of the women’s basketball team and led the Terriers to a 186-127 record under her tenure.

On March 8, the Boston Globe reported that four players — senior guard Melissa Gallo, sophomore forward Dionna Joynes and sophomore guards Dana Theobald and Katie Poppe — would be leaving the team due to what they described as “emotional bullying.”

In an interview last month with The Daily Free Press, some of the players detailed the nature of the abusive behavior they claimed was exhibited by Greenberg.

“It was October 15, 2013, when I went to my coach’s office to explain that I was requesting a leave of absence,” Theobald said. “I explained yet again that I was really struggling with an eating disorder and depression and anxiety and that it was only being triggered through this program.

DuBois, see page 2

Greenberg, see page 2

FALON MORAN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected multiple applications from businesses to trademark the phrase “Boston Strong.”

it is not trademarked because the motto is supposed to be about the optimistic message, rather than the profits.

“If a single company tried to own and use it, I don’t think that would be wise,” she said.

“It might be resisted by the public who views Boston Strong as community and [how it] signifies Boston standing up for deeper reasons. For example, if Coca Cola came out and said they’re

Boston Strong, I don’t think people would react to that well.”

The United States Patent and Trademark Office previously denied the Boston Beer Company’s application to trademark Boston Strong in the summer of 2013. The rejection letter stated Boston Strong was intended for the survivors of

Boston Strong, see page 2

CAS alum shares experience of politics, religion with students

By Adrian Baker Daily Free Press Staff

Boston University alumnus and former White House official Joshua DuBois spoke to more than 60 members of the BU community at the Metcalf Trustee Ballroom Tuesday about the role of religious faith in politics and poverty as well as its impact on college students’ daily lives.

DuBois, who graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2003, served as Special Assistant to U.S. President Barack Obama and Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

“I hope that by listening to my own story students take away that it’s important to be bold, even when you’re not qualified,” DuBois said. “Dream big dreams and then leap out there.”

DuBois engaged in conversation with

Keith Magee, a theologian and visiting social justice scholar at BU’s School of Theology, before fielding questions from the audience.

He also read excerpts from and signed copies of his book, titled The President’s Devotional.

The Howard Thurman Center, Dean of Students Office, School of Theology, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Sigma Chapter and Kappa Alpha Psi’s Chi Chapter cohosted DuBois’ lecture and conversation. “[Students are] seeing that their lives are influenced by BU, and once [DuBois] left, he felt brave enough to step outside of his comfort zone and take those risks,” said director of BU’s Howard Thurman Center Katherine Kennedy. “I’m hoping that they heard that loudly and that gives them inspiration.”

During his time in the White House, DuBois wrote a religious devotional and emailed it to the President every morning. He said he reached out to Obama during the 2008 presi-

Community members share concerns over new MBTA fare hike proposal

By Felicia Gans Daily Free Press Staff

In response to a 5 percent fare increase proposed by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in March, approximately 75 members of the community met at the State Transportation Building Tuesday to share their concerns with MBTA and Massachusetts Department of Transportation employees.

The fare proposal, which will take effect July 1 if passed, will raise CharlieCard fares across the board. The rapid transit fee for students, currently at $1.00, will be raised to $1.05, and the local bus fee for students will be raised from $0.75 to $0.80. Adult rapid transit fees will be raised from $2.00 to $2.10 and adult local bus fees from $1.50 to $1.60.

The attendees at the public hearing were given the opportunity to speak to several employees, including MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott, MBTA Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Davis and Andrew Whittle, a member of the MassDOT Board of Directors. Forty-four attendees signed up to speak.

Throughout the evening, community mem-

bers highlighted problems they have had with MBTA service, on routes and in stations.

Speakers requested that MBTA employees find other ways to fix these problems rather than charging passengers more for the same quality of service.

Scott said they want to take everyone’s concerns into consideration when proposing changes to MBTA service, but many of these alterations are only possible with fare hikes.

“We’d love to make those changes,” she said. “But you can’t build bricks with hay.”

Rosalyn Johnson, 54, of Dorchester, is a single parent of four children and is living on a low income. She said she buys a combination MBTA bus pass every month for her family, and she cannot afford the fare increase.

“I cannot accept this. I cannot afford this,” she said. “I hope that you consider this proposal because it is a shame that people are starving here that can’t get any extra help, and they rely on the bus and the train and the commuter rail.

I hope you all think about what you’re doing

MBTA, see page 2

KYRA LOUIE/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The MBTA held a public hearing Tuesday evening in regards to the proposed fare hike for the 2015 Fiscal Year.

2

Wednesday, april 23, 2014

Former players call out coach DuBois: College gives time to explore faith GreenberG: From Page 1

All she had to say was, ‘you look horrible out there, absolutely horrible.’”

Theobald also told The Daily Free Press that although she was receiving treatment from Student Health Services for her eating disorder, Greenberg repeatedly gave no support, telling her “It’s not my problem.”

Gallo, who was a significant contributor on this year’s BU squad that went 13-20 and reached the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament, documented similar treatment.

“My coach would say, ‘you need to grow up, you’re the most selfish person on the team,’ all this negativity that had nothing to do with basketball,” Gallo told the Daily Free Press. “… I told her I was speaking to someone in Student Health [Services] …

She told me I was high maintenance for having depression. … She abused her powers.”

The Boston Globe reported similar accusations against Greenberg in 2008

from that then-freshman guard Jacy Schulz and then-sophomore forward Brianne Ozimok. Both players transferred from the program.

After the initial report in 2008, in an internal review, BU Athletic Director Mike Lynch said in a statement that the complaints “helped Coach Greenberg appreciate that her style has been difficult, and that she has also made substantive mistakes that she deeply regrets.”

When the most recent allegations were reported, the University established a three-person administrative team to investigate the claims.

Todd Klipp, Boston University senior vice president, senior counsel and Board of Trustees secretary authored a statement on Boston University’s website last month regarding the claims.

“We take these allegations very seriously, and we will look into them promptly, thoroughly, and in an unbiased manner.”

Dubois: From Page 1

ship from people who are in poverty.”

DuBois also spoke about the importance of getting exposure to different religious perspectives.

“College is obviously a time to learn, to have fun, to meet new friends, but it’s also a time to understand who you are,” DuBois said.

“Students should take time to explore their religious background, to

explore their relationship with God and to become serious about their personal faith at some point in their college career.”

Issa Kenyatta, a College of Communication sophomore, said DuBois reflected attributes he saw in himself.

“As an African-American male, it’s great to see someone out there who came from the same type of beginning as I have, being through BU, and making it to the White

I honestly believe that a certificate from Boston University holds great weight, because the standards are much higher. The attorneys who taught our classes were extremely knowledgeable about their specific areas of law. I made some connections among the faculty, broadened my understanding of law, and gained a better footing in my field.”

— SHANNON HOGAN, BU certificate awarded 2011

Program in

Letter: ‘Boston Strong’ intent good bosTon sTronG: From Page 1

the bombings.

“The slogan represented ‘the victims of the bombing, now rebuilding their lives; the law enforcement efforts during the manhunt; the decision, by athletes and organizers, to

PARALEGAL STUDIES

run the Marathon in 2014,’” the letter stated. “It ‘began in the immediate aftermath of the marathon bombing havoc as nothing but good intention to unify the city and the relief effort.’”

Mina Corpuz contributed to the reporting of this story.

Residents livid over fare hikes MbTA: From Page 1

because it’s hurting communities.”

Mark Paré, 28, of Dorchester, spoke about halfway through the hearing, and he said the current system is not being framed with the entire community in mind, and the MBTA is often not held accountable to the decisions they make.

“Affordable, accessible public transportation is a human right,” he said. “The system of public transportation in this city, this state and this country is an embarrassment compared to other industrialized nations in the world.”

Several attendees said they went to the hearing to learn more about the implications about the fare hike and share their other concerns about the quality of MBTA service.

Dick Bourbeau, 69, of the South End, said the fare increases made in the past have hammered senior citizens, making it harder for Boston’s older residents to use their MBTA on

their fixed budgets.

“Who decided arbitrarily that the senior fare has to be half of the full fare?” he said. “No one will answer that question. Right now, once they determine what the relationship of senior fares should be to the full fare, then we should play equitably, until someone decides [to have] no more increases for the seniors, time to cap them.”

John Bennett, 48, of South Boston, said he does not agree with the fare hike because he thinks the MBTA is putting money toward unnecessary technological enhancements, rather than fixing the problems with routes and service.

“I don’t agree with any more expenditures of money for these glass and chrome and granite palaces that they’re building that they’re calling stations,” he said. “My analogy is ... if your junker [car] needs a brake job and you have $450, do you go and get a brake job or do you go buy tinted windows and a new stereo?”

House,” he said.

Kenyatta said he was most struck

by DuBois’ message to pursue goals that seem unreachable, as he did when contacting the President.

“A lot of times in life we doubt our own potential and power, and we’re greater than we think we are sometimes,” Kenyatta said. “If we don’t go out and tackle those things, then we decrease the amount of opportunities we get to succeed.”

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Solution is on Page 4

Campus & City Column

Thid Time’s the Charm

On Boston

By Sofiya Mahdi

On April 17, a man named Balal was taking steps toward a noose that hung before him, about to be publicly hung for killing 18-year-old Abdollah Hosseinzadeh with a knife in a street brawl. In the Islamic republic of Iran, there exists the concept of qisas, which in this case meant that Hosseinzadeh’s family would be the ones to push the chair Balal would stand on moments before his death.

Public executions are not a rarity in the country, but what ensued was.

The victim’s mother came toward Balal, slapped him across the face, and said that she forgave him. The victim’s father loosened the rope around Balal’s neck and he stepped down, alive and breathing. Balal’s mother embraced the victim’s mother woman; one of them crying because she got to see her son live, the other crying because she would never see her son again.

As I strolled around Boston on Monday, I thought of that slap. I worried that the spirit of the Marathon would morph into one of aggression, one of suspicion and one that was not reminiscent of the human triumphs Boston had witnessed for years and years. I hoped that as a city, the slogan “Boston Strong” would not embody a war cry, but rather a determined murmur that permeated every step of those 26.2 miles.

I did not go to the finish line that day at the height of the afternoon, when streets were heaving with supporters from all over the world. Instead, a small group of us ventured through to the Boston Public Garden.

We watched news tents flutter in the breeze, and prayer message unfurled in rows on the grass under the unobstructed sun. We walked part of the Freedom Trail until we could see the blue waters dancing before us.

When we returned to the main event, it was almost 7 p.m. and the daylight was waning. A marathon runner asked to borrow a phone to call her husband to tell him she had finished. We congratulated her as she inhaled deeply under her silver poncho. Almost like jellyfish gliding through the ocean, hundreds of runners flocked around us in the same silver garb, medals swaying as if happily dancing from side to side.

By this time, we could walk up to the finish line with the remaining volunteers. As the over seven-hour event commenced, the elderly and the tired were coming to finish their marathon.

We all felt tears welling up in our eyes when an elder man, being held by relatives on either side, crossed the finish line and immediately held his face in his wrinkled hand as he began to sob. As the street cleaning vehicles hummed down the street, and the crowds had dissipated, another man jogged to the finish line with his young daughter clutching his hand, barely taller than his calves. He had run the Boston Marathon 45 times.

Maybe it was not glamorous, but standing on the finish line as the sun set on the last marathon I would ever see as an undergraduate, amidst the last of the runners, after a 20-mile walk to remind us why Boston will remain in our hearts for the rest of our lives, was the perfect way to slap the horror and fear of one year ago square in the face.

Sofiya Mahdi is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and a former managing editor at The Daily Free Press. She can be reached at sofiya218@gmail.com

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

More people completing college, study claims Courts test out new electronic filing program

3

By Taryn Ottaunick and Alicia Winton Daily Free Press Staff

As students at Boston University strive to earn four-year degrees, a new report published Tuesday reveals a slow increase in the national rate of college degree completion.

The report, which was conducted by the Lumina Foundation, sought to gauge the rate of degree completion among American college and university students. Nationally, college attainment has increased 0.7 percent from 38.7 in 2012 to 39.4 percent in 2013, according to the data.

“This is the largest year-overyear increase in degree attainment since Lumina began these reports,” the study stated. “Last year, the rate was 0.4 of a percentage point higher than the prior year; the two years before that, it increased by only 0.2 of a percentage point per year. Clearly, the rate at which degree attainment is increasing is accelerating.”

Although the rate of increase is slow, it demonstrates progress in the Lumina Foundation’s “2025 Plan” to raise college attainment to 60 percent ove the next 11 years.

“It’s certainly too soon to declare that we are on track to meet the goal, but the data do show that the nation is quickening its pace in the effort to increase college attainment, and that is encouraging news,” the study stated.

The national increase in degree

By Mina Corpuz Daily Free Press Staff

GRAPHIC BY MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Lumina Foundation released its fifth annual progress report on the national college completion agenda Tuesday, which shows a slight decrease from last year in the percentage of Massachusetts working age adults with a college degree.

attainment shows a sharp contrast to the BU graduation rate, which is 84 percent, said BU spokesman Colin Riley.

“There is a national discussion

on college affordability, and students and their parents are more focused on their higher education investment than ever before, so it is not surpris-

Degrees, see page 4

Entrepreneurship adds jobs to Boston economy

By Kelsey Newell Daily Free Press Staff

Many entrepreneurial businesses in Boston have seen an increase in profit, revenue, jobs and access to capital in the past six months, predicting further improvement in the next six months, according to a survey by the Boston Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a global business network comprised of 10,000 businesses in 42 countries around the world, represents approximately 2.2 million employees and $565 in revenue. The EO surveyed these businesses and analyzed the entrepreneurial market both globally and regionally. In Boston, businesses witnessed an improvement in their own companies and predict further growth.

“Things are getting healthier and more jobs are going to be coming available, which is great news for

all of us,” said Adrienne Cornelson, EO spokeswoman. “Entrepreneurs, in their optimistic nature and in their way of finding opportunity, are going to be the first ones to take risk and make those hiring decisions … so it’s a frontline indicator of [the economy] getting better.”

EO Global Entrepreneur Indicator for the month of March reports that 62.71 percent of startups in Boston saw an increase in full-time employees in the last six months. Additionally, 77.59 percent predict even more full-time job opportunities to surface in the next six months.

According to the report, 58.62 percent of businesses saw an increase in their net profit and 82.46 percent foresee future increases in profit.

Also, 68.97 percent saw an increase in their revenue in the past six months and 84.21 said they believe they will see even more of an increase in the coming six months.

Cornelson said small-to-midsized businesses are much more vital to growth in the job market and economy than corporations because smaller businesses and startups are the companies producing new jobs, whereas corporations simply hire people at the same rate as they let people go.

“If we’re going to try and strengthen the economy, supporting these small businesses becomes critical,” she said. “Small business owners, as a general rule, are going to find ways to press forward regardless, but the business community needs to realize the importance of supporting small businesses and how they really are going to be critical in rebuilding our economy.”

Ian Mashiter, strategy and innovation professor at Boston University’s School of Management and expert at BU’s Entrepreneurship Club, said many factors make Boston a good en-

Entrepreneurs, see page 4

In order to modernize court functions and integrate technology into the organization of court documents, the Massachusetts Court System signed a contract on Monday to participate in an electronic filing pilot program.

Lawyers and court officials will be able to access documents through a web portal through the use of Tyler Technology Inc.’s Odyssey File & Serve software. The pilot program will include six Massachusetts courts.

Two will be in the Supreme Judicial Court, one in the Appeals Court and three in trial courts.

“Technology, including e-filing, will ultimately lead to rapid and dramatic improvement in court operations and the efficiency with which we serve our judicial community and residents,” said Massachusetts Trial Court administrator Harry Spence in a Monday release. “Digital storage will save the courts, attorneys, and the public significant amounts of money, and e-filing is an important step in that direction.”

Bruce Graham, president of Tyler’s Courts & Justice Division, said the software will help Massachusetts courts make the court system more time and cost effective.

“Nationally, electronic filing and the move to digitized court documents have allowed courts to improve service to their constituents while also increasing efficiency,” he said in the release.

Daniel Medwed, a professor of law at Northeastern University, said a digital format could assist the courts in being more organized with its documents.

“I’m a fan of e-filing systems because it is both efficient and effective in many respects,” he said in an e-mail Tuesday. “Specifically, it enhances efficiency because it saves the time and potential expense of hand delivery and filing, and potentially alleviates some of the physical storage burdens for courts.”

The court e-filing program can help ease any complications that come from standard paper filing, Medwed said.

“It is effective because it makes it easier to resolve disputes regarding

Courts, see page 2

College costs top financial burden for young adults, study suggests

By Drew Schwartz Daily Free Press Staff

While a recent report suggests paying for college is the biggest financial concern amongst young people, Boston University students echoed the sentiment that the costs of tuition creates a major challenge for college goers.

The Gallup poll, released Monday, found 21 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds feel paying for college or paying off student loans is their primary financial problem.

According to the White House’s College Scorecard for BU, a typical BU student borrows $287.70 per month to pay for college, though only 2.5 percent of borrowers default on their federal student loans within three years of entering repayment.

Sajada Domino, a College of General Studies freshman, said the grants he receives alleviate some of the pressure to pay for college, though he is still worried by the loans he took out to attend BU.

“It’s definitely a concern, but it’s also a bit of an incentive for me so that hopefully I can become successful faster and pay them off by myself,” he said.

Domino said although it is unfortunate that students must bear the financial burden of paying off large loans, that pressure can motivate students to perform well in school.

“When you have it in the back of your head, that $64,000 you’re paying a year, it brings you back when you start to slack off in school,” he said. “It makes you want to tie things in, bring yourself home, study a little bit more, make sure your grades are good. It also makes you a lot more driven because you don’t have much time to pay it off.”

If students are not careful to pay their loans off as soon as possible, the stress they cause often escalates, Domino said.

“I’ve heard so many horror stories about people that compound their loans,” he said. “I just want them off

GRAPHIC BY MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

A new Gallup poll suggests that paying for college and student loans is the top financial problem for adults who are 18-29 years old.

my back as soon as possible, and I feel like that’s why I’m here, to get a job from which I can pay that [debt].”

“The average monthly payment is high, but when you look at that average monthly payment with the

default rate you can see that students are able to make it,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley. “What you can interpret it to mean is that students who

Financial, see page 4

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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Spokesman: BU actively works to ensure grads Prof.: US economy relies on Degrees: From Page 3

ing to see increasing numbers of students completing their degrees,” Riley said. “Even though it is slow, it is on the right vector. That is good news and consistent with our experience at Boston University, where the graduation rate has increased to nearly 84 percent.”

Riley said BU works to promote degree completion by breaking down the barriers that have kept students from attaining a four-year education with ease.

“BU has removed the limits that in the past have prevented students

from transferring or taking courses between schools,” he said. “Now people can take classes across disciplines. There’s been real effort to facilitate that. We try to remove all barriers to completion.”

Students at BU noted that the university makes a strong effort to help students complete what is often a strenuous path to a college degree.

Kristen Cooke, a first-year graduate student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said BU professors and administration make graduation requirements clear and understandable.

“The guidelines have been clear,”

Cooke said. “They definitely help us by sending us reminders of what we’re supposed to be doing, and the professors are really helpful and understanding.”

Katie Hunter, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences freshman, said the benefits of having a degree from BU makes the struggle of attaining it worth it.

“I’ll graduate with a degree from BU, which is reputable,” Hunter said.

“It’s an established university worldwide that people recognize, and to come out with internships and a degree from this institution is impressive.”

E-filing system streamlines antiquated system Courts: From Page 1

whether parties have complied with filing deadlines and so forth,” he said.

“Assuming that the program is welldesigned and secure from hacking, I am optimistic about the pilot.”

Wendy Kaplan, a professor of law at Boston University, said she finds e-filing a helpful feature for the court

system.

“E-filing is a positive [change] and mimics what I believe the federal court in Boston has been doing for some time,” she said. “The ability to e-file motions should make attorneys’ jobs a bit easier and certainly cuts down on the necessity to physically go into a clerk’s office to file a motion.”

At this point it is unclear exactly how the pilot will work, but it should be a positive change, Kaplan said.

“I am not familiar with how the clerk’s office will verify receipt of the e-filed motions,” she said. “Attorneys still have to provide opposing counsel with copies of motions that are filed, although presumably that, too, can be accomplished via e-mail.”

BU students realizing loans take years to pay off Financial: From Page 3

are graduating from Boston University are able to get jobs that enable them to meet their financial obligation of their student loans.”

Though a majority of BU students take out student loans, half of those who graduated last year owed $28,000 or less, Riley said.

Ellison McNutt, a first-year graduate student in BU’s Graduate

School of Arts and Sciences, said she has been able to defer the student loans she accrued as an undergraduate and, with the university’s help, has received financial support to study anthropology.

“It’s been, for me, less of a concern than it is for a lot of other students,” she said. “But it’s one of those things I’ve thinking about, putting away money knowing that I’m going to have to start paying. It’s kind

of looming over me for when this is all done.”

College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Mikhail Yeremeev said he took out a federal loan to help pay for his BU education.

“Paying the loan is an issue,” he said. “You put your future in debt, and we can’t actually be maneuverable when we get to our 30s because we’re still paying off our debt.”

startup innovation to grow Entrepreneurs: From Page 3

vironment for entrepreneurs.

“Innovators in Boston are helping provide startups with program help, mentorship, and structure so they can help validate their business ideas and are able to go out and build successful companies on the market,” he said. “Also, you have increasing lines of venture capital in the city, which invest in these kinds of businesses.

These factors are working together to produce a very healthy and thriving environment for startups.”

Mashiter said entrepreneurial businesses are vital to the economy because they provide fresh roots necessary to an economy.

“There’s no economy in the world that has relied so much on its innovation and its startups to drive the next generation of great companies,” he said.

Today’s crossword

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BATTERIES

Feline frenzy: Ellen Gifford animal shelter is cat’s meow in Allston area Kimberly Rendon

T

he Ellen Gifford Cat Shelter has existed for over 130 years and it is the first no kill, cageless animal shelter in the United States. Its beginnings are rooted in the animal progressive movements after the founder, for whom the shelter is named, donated $25,000 to get the shelter up and running.

Philanthropist Nathan Appleton also contributed by donating the land for the shelter to be built. The shelter originally housed all animals, but they eventually scaled back to cats only around the 1960s.

Located in Brighton, the home exterior and its suburban location are just two things that set Gifford apart from other shelters, according the Development Manger Stacey Price. Price also said one important aspect that sets this shelter apart from others is its no-kill policy.

In the case of Louise, a cat that had lived in the shelter for seven years, a happy ending is finally possible when the feline found a home about three months ago. A cat in a regular shelter would not have been allowed to stay so long.

“She was kind of giving them googly eyes and it was weird because we had never seen her do that before,” Price said. “She let the guy pet her and they heard her story and decided to take her home. Within a week they showed us a picture of the guy lying on the couch with her on his chest. We were just patient and Louise finally picked them.”

Price is responsible for fundraising on behalf of the shelter. Her position had not existed until this past August, but was necessary because of the shelter’s growth. She has had five years of animal sheltering experience, two prior to Gifford, but has always been an animal lover and felt cats needed more advocacy in Massachusetts.

“I had a career in a corporate environment and I wanted to do something more meaningful and give back to the community, so that’s when I made the switch over to nonprofit,” Price said. “I wanted to work somewhere I felt

Spotlight Staff a passion for. I was selective with the organizations that I wanted to work at because I wanted them to be no-kill. So when I was looking for a role and Gifford came along, their mission to advocate for the cats struck me plus I thought the homey environment was great.”

Because Gifford is a cageless environment, it allows cats to follow their natural instincts of perching, hiding, climbing and so on. The “Brick,” as the main adoption building is nicknamed, can house up to 35 cats and is a replica of the building used in the 1800s.

“We tried to make it like home, that’s our sense of things,” said Debbie Schreiber, shelter director of Gifford. “We want people to come in here and feel like they’re meeting a cat and be able to visualize the same behavior in their own home. So that’s why the open shelter really works well for that. It helps people have a better understanding of cat. Cats that are in cages makes it hard to tell who they are. Here they get a better sense of it and how they’ll work with their family.”

Besides the “Brick,” Gifford has other spaces and all together they allow 60 to 70 cats to be housed. One of these places is the feral cat sanctuary that Gifford keeps. Sometimes feral cats are trapped and brought to the shelter, but they are often too old to be tamed.

If there isn’t a colony caretaker available, Gifford will take these cats in, even if they will never be adopted. Right now the shelter has 13 feral cats, but Price said sometimes these cats can become socialized just from being around the humans who take care of them.

“We had two cats that became so social from us just going in and feeding them that we moved over to the main adoption area and they were eventually adopted out, but that took years,” Price said. “But that’s why Gifford is so great, because we don’t put a timeline on a cat’s life.”

Besides the cats housed in the shelter, Gifford also has a foster care program that allows

PHOTO COURTESY OF COREY BITHER

Kittens play in the “Kitten Room” at the Gifford Cat Shelter. Last year, 110 kittens were adopted.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COREY BITHER

Louise, a resident of Ellen Gifford Cat Shelter for seven years, finally found a home this month thanks to Gifford’s no-kill policy.

for the care of about 30 cats. Including the shelter, the foster program leaves Gifford with about 100 cats at a time. The foster network is a voluntary program that allows caregivers to oversee cats at their homes until they can be permanently adopted. Foster care becomes critical especially between April and early fall because of “kitten season.”

“We get bombarded with either pregnant cats or kittens and our facility can only hold so much and we’re no-kill, so we have to find enough outlets somewhere else,” Price said.

“This way we can continue to take them in and that’s were our fosters are critical to the whole process.”

Apart from having a foster network, Gifford also depends on numerous volunteers to help run the shelter. As of right now, Gifford has a total of 100 volunteers who, according to Price, worked close to 8,000 hours of service in 2013. Volunteers help with socializing the cats — getting the animals used to being around humans, the volunteers promote the cats at community outreach events on weekends and throughout the summer. Volunteers also clean, feed and take general care of the cats. Rhiannon Marie, sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, volunteered last summer during FYSOP and she and her group were responsible for tidying up the shelter.

“The shelter was particularly special because the cats are not enclosed in cages, but instead are free to run around within a fence outside, or have specific homes made for them inside the shelter,” Marie said. “When we volunteered, we did a lot of upkeep for the shelter, and it was really fun to garden there because the cats would come play with you. Also, volunteers get to socialize with kittens which is so much fun because we actually get hands-on experience with them. I got to play with these kittens that arrived while we were on site, and even got to name the kittens, which was really kind of them to let us do.”

Student volunteers are usually put to the task of socializing the cats, which can also be beneficial for the student in getting their “animal fix” because most college stu-

dents’ circumstances do not allow for pets.

According to Price it is important for kittens to be socialized early because it becomes crucial to their chances of finding a home — after six months, the likelihood of socializing goes down.

Schreiber said that is important for volunteers to know the personality of the cats in order to make the adoption process smoother for people.

“We try to spend a significant amount of time talking with people who are adopting the cats to find out what they truly want,” Schreiber said. “If you really continue to talk to them, they have a sense about wanting ‘a cat that I can pick up’ or ‘a cat that sits on my lap.’

If we can help people articulate what they’re looking for, then we’re better able to match people with a cat because we know our cats.

I think that’s what contributed to the success rate of our shelter.”

According to Price, last year Gifford took in 310 cats and found families for 247. The rest are still in the shelter, in foster care or in the feral colony. Price said that the cat shelter is looking to improve its operations to “make them more efficient” to take in more cats.

“We’re trying to spread the word in the community that we actually exist because many people don’t know we’re here even though we’ve been here for over 130 years,” Price said. “Our goal this year is to adopt out close to 400 cats.”

Out of the 310 cats brought to the shelter last year, 110 of them were kittens. Those kittens, roughly half of which were female, were spayed and neutered by the shelter. If they had remained out on the street and not been spayed, that would have resulted in 1,200 kittens in one year.

“Then those kittens, because they can have three litters every year — each litter is usually three to four kittens — have babies and it just explodes your population,” Price said. “That’s why it’s so important to advocate spaying and neutering and trapping cats so that they can get spayed and neutered. And that’s what we’re trying to do here as well as educate the public.”

6

Opinion

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Daily Free Press

The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

Homesickness

44th year F Volume 86 F Issue 49

Sarah Kirkpatrick, Editor-in-Chief Brian Latimer, Managing Editor

Rachel Riley, Campus Editor

Alice Bazerghi, City Editor

Andrew Battifarano, Sports Editor

Trisha Thadani, Opinion Editor

Heather Goldin, Multimedia Editor

Maya Devereaux, Photo Editor

Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Features Editor

Emily Hartwell, Layout Editor

Tate Gieselmann

Shakti Rovner, Office Manager The Daily Free Press (ISSN 1094-7337) is published Monday through Thursday 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 © 2014 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Passive action to change Michigan

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld Proposal 2, a 2006 ballot initiative that bans Michigan’s public universities from using race-conscious policies in its admission processes. In a 6-2 ruling in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, five justices spanned across conflicting views over what role the government should play in ensuring equality among racial and ethnic minorities.

According to a Tuesday New York Times article, Proposal 2 is a policy approved in 2006 by 58 percent of Michigan’s voters to amend the state constitution to prohibit preferential treatment of minorities in public education, government contracting and public employment admission decisions.

Under Tuesday’s ruling to uphold the constitutionality of Proposal 2, Michigan remains with seven other states — California, Florida, Washington, Arizona, Nebraska, Oklahoma and New Hampshire — in its ability to choose whether to implement such affirmative action policies in its decision processes.

“This case is not about how the debate about racial preferences should be resolved,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in his majority opinion. “It is about who may resolve it ... the holding in the instant case is simply that the courts may not disempower the voters from choosing which path to follow.”

Writing for a three-member plurality, Kennedy said the approval of this amendment helps voters undergo “a basic exercise of their democratic power.” Although this ruling specifically focused on the state’s use of race in selecting applicants to public colleges, it also extends the power to voters to end race-conscious decisions in the hiring to state and local employees.

In a strong 58-page dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said upholding this ban puts minorities at a burden not faced by other college applicants, which, as a result, violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause. As a strong proponent for affirmative action policies, she said minority enrollment at Michigan’s public universities

A Semester in shanghai

would decline as a result of this ruling. According to Sotomayor, as enrollment grew by 10 percent between 2006 and 2010 at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, African-American enrollment dropped 33 percent.

She cited Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling as “the last chapter of discrimination,” as it changes “the basic rules of the political process in that state in a manner that uniquely disadvantaged racial minorities.”

Those against affirmative action policies argue that the combination of paperbased qualifications, personality, creativity and promise of success should be the ultimate grounds on which admissions decisions are made. On the other hand, those for affirmative action policies argue that banning race-conscious decisions hinders the conversation around race in America and jeopardizes institutional equality.

A simple solution to this debate would be to give more weight to the socioeconomic status of the applicant during the decision process rather than recognizing race as a factor altogether. But, if admissions officers just go through applications blindly, without regard to race, socioeconomic status, gender or any discriminating factor, they would be overlooking the importance of the value of diversity in a classroom.

According to the United States Census Bureau, around 20 percent of Michigan residents are minorities, and 16 percent in Michigan live below the poverty line. Such factors need to be considered to ensure diversity both the classroom and workforce.

Upholding our country’s promise of equal opportunities for everyone requires the ability to have a fair, and open conversation about race.

In Tuesday’s ruling, the Supreme Court justices had to look at this decision from a legal standpoint, and in the process, cast aside the ideological side to this debate.

Although affirmative action policies may seem like a policy created to give minorities an unfair advantage solely based on their demographics, it is a vital consideration that must be made to ensure equal opportunities in the United States.

Regardless of where I wake up, the first thing I do when I hop out of bed in the morning is look out of my window.

The first view of the world outside gives me an idea of the day’s mood. Beyond merely checking for snowfall outside of my Allston apartment, I can see the world waking up around me in Shanghai.

Before I go to sleep, a quick glance out of the window is as a reminder of my ties to the outside world. This glimpse, depending on the events that transpired throughout the day, serves to either congratulate me on a day of accomplished goals or remind me of work left unfinished. A glance out of my window, it seems, is all it takes to set me on a particular train of thought. As a result, I put serious stock in my daily ritual.

Since arriving in Shanghai, I find myself even more drawn to these kinds of indiscriminate, “time-between-time” moments.

Looking out of the window as I wipe sleep out of my eyes, staring up the sides of buildings, and becoming enveloped in the steam coming off of a mug of coffee at the office of my internship, these moments become something more to me than just lapses in attention.

Maybe my amateur attempts to educate myself in Zen Buddhist principles before coming to China are paying off — I do feel mindful of the world around me, sort of.

However, the longer I remain in China, the more often I find myself thinking of home during these idle moments.

Don’t get me wrong — the experiences I’ve had in the past few months override most of my homesickness.

Short of returning to live in Shanghai, I doubt I will ever encounter another city so filled with such lights and activity that simultaneously displays the constant juxtaposition of new and old culture. The full immersion into life in Shanghai has improved my Chinese speaking skills beyond what I expected before arriving in Shanghai — I even catch myself thinking in Mandarin on occasion.

But despite a wealth of exposure and a never-ending stream of new ideas, my thoughts always seem to turn toward America.

A love for family and friends is a quality most of us share. I’ve experienced pain, as most have, but the thought of those who care for you is enough to make any struggle worth emerging from.

Although I’ve established a great network of old and new friends within a

stone’s throw of my dorm in Shanghai, the absence of the friends who motivate my daily life leaves me prone to moments of nostalgia.

The concept I grapple with most of all is time. As much as I wish to relive some of my best moments (and of course, hope to forget my worst), I actively try and dissuade myself from focusing on the impossible. Similarly, though I can’t wait to see my family and friends when I head back to Boston this June, I try to focus more on the beauty of experience right in front of me.

As a new day breaks, wind rustles through curtains while the soft tones of birdcalls and rainfall bring me back from a dream-filled sleep. I stretch, yawn and head toward my window. The view from my room is much different than what I remember waking up to six months ago; instead of an Allston parking lot, I hear an occasional conversation in the local dialect reach up from the sea of trees that sway below me.

I brew myself a cup of instant coffee, silently lamenting China’s lack of quality roast. As I anticipate the energizing effects of caffeine hitting my bloodstream I continue to ponder the world beyond my window. I see high school students getting in a game of basketball before class, street food vendors posted on the corner whipping together breakfast burritos for passersby and students hustling to class, heads down.

Again, I reflect on my friends in Boston and my family in San Francisco and beyond. I came to China with the goal of improving my Chinese and trying something new — I recognize the need to branch out beyond my lovely yet limited lives in Boston and the Bay Area.

Reflecting on the past two months, I’ve accomplished much of what I came to China to do: I’ve made Chinese friends and spoken until I was nearly sick of the language, and, not to mention, the leap I took out of my comfort zone was a metaphoric skydive.

The feelings of nostalgia and homesickness, I like to think, are natural. It’s impossible to travel so far and totally leave behind all baggage. With that being said, I eagerly anticipate coming home. Until then, the Chinese experience will be more than enough to keep me occupied.

Tate Gieselmann is a College of Arts and Sciences junior studying abroad in China. He can be reached at tateag@bu.edu.

The opinions and ideas expressed by columnists and cartoonists are their own and are not necessarily representative of the opinions of The Daily Free Press.

Terrier Talk Reflections

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s 100th day in office occured last week on April 15, exactly one year after the Boston Marathon bombings. As Walsh passes JON this milestone, The Daily Free Press POU wanted to know what fundamental “I honestly haven’t nochanges students have noticed in the ticed many changes in the city since our new mayor took the office, and what they hope to see in the future. city. It would be nice to see the crosswalk sign function properly.”

Here’s what some of them said.

INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS

BY FALON MORAN

- CAS freshman

BROOKE SINGMAN

“I think there have been fundamental changes but I don’t think they are necessarily because of the change in mayors. I interviewed Mayor Menino and he thinks Walsh is doing a great job in office.”

-COM senior

MONICA BARRY

“I think he [Walsh] needs to be more engaged with youth politics in the city. One-third of Boston is college students and he should work with us more.”

—CGS freshman

KEVIN LIU

“I haven’t really seen many changes, but honestly there isn’t much I hope to see either.”

-SMG sophomore

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

7

McKay: College athletes need to have traditional offseason routine McKay: From Page 8

Injuries can happen if the body isn’t given time to rest. I couldn’t find a specific instance of someone tearing an ACL or suffering a concussion during a spring game, but it definitely has happened. I myself tore ligaments and tendons in my right elbow in high school because of the lack of an offseason from baseball. And that happened while playing a sport where there aren’t gigantic, angry guys wearing body armor trying to physically destroy each other. Football is dangerous enough to play for a single season, let alone to play it essentially year-round.

And that’s not to mention the academic aspect of the “no-offseason” mentality. According

to Business Insider, only about 1.7 percent of NCAA student athletes will make the NFL after leaving college. That leaves 98.3 percent of students who will, as the commercial says, go pro in something other than sports. The life of a college athlete at a Division I school is hectic, especially for football players who must attend not only practices but also meetings and countless workout sessions. This puts a tremendous strain on their academic lives, which for 98.3 percent of them are far more important than their amateur, unpaid (in theory) football careers.

After leaving college, the overwhelming majority of big-time college athletes need to find a profession in which they can work to sup-

port themselves. If they don’t learn what they need to in college, they’re just not set up for the rest of their lives. No big deal, right?

If the vast majority of NCAA football players will never sniff the NFL, why have them prepare as if they will? Look, I get it: anything is possible. If Jeremy Lin can make it from an undrafted Harvard University graduate to being the toast of New York City and Madison Square Garden, anyone can make the pros if they “work hard enough.” But this hard work shouldn’t just be on the field; it should be in the classroom, too.

College athletes are students first, and athletes second. This applies to every single college athlete, except for the super-talented Jabari

Parkers and Jadeveon Clowneys of the world.

They don’t need to study as much, because they’re going to be multi-millionaires in professional sports. But everyone else is disadvantaged physically and academically by the lack of an offseason.

I see absolutely no benefit in college athletes playing their sport year-round. The idea of full-year competition removes the emphasis from the “student” part of “student-athlete” and places it on the latter word.

That isn’t what college sports, which hold on to their amateur status like a drowning man with a piece of driftwood, are supposed to be about. The offseason is necessary.

Terrier offense comes through early Softball: From Page 8

“Today was a lot different from how we usually play,” Clendenny said. “We’re a team that usually scores in the late innings and we came out right on top of it and scored four in the first and two in the second so it was good to be different.”

BU continued its recent streak of strong pitching, as freshman pitcher Makinna Akers pitched six innings, allowing only seven hits and three runs on the afternoon.

Akers faced trouble in the top of the fifth inning when the Rams (11-29) scored a run on three hits with two outs, threating to score more before Akers coaxed a groundout from catcher Stacey Fox to limit the damage.

The Terriers answered though, as Hynes sent junior second baseman Emily Felbaum home on an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth After the Terriers built a six-run lead, senior catcher Amy Ekart and freshman center fielder Moriah Connolly were replaced, something Gleason said she wanted to do to give them some needed rest.

“Just trying to get them a couple innings off, Gleason said of the move. “Amy’s been catching all season and just getting her a couple innings off, but just giving other people opportunities too.”

Akers’ strong effort was cut short in the sixth inning after allowing back-to-back doubles that made the score 7-2. The freshman ended up being replaced by Hynes.

“I think [Akers] was trying to guide the ball a little bit and wasn’t as confident,” Gleason said. “It’s the same thing with the hitters at the plate, they try to think too much instead of just going up there and swinging the bat. It happens with the pitchers too.”

Hynes allowed a single that scored a run, and an error by Felbaum allowed a run to reach home before Hynes closed the game on a groundout.

The Terriers pitching staff has only allowed 10 runs during their six-game win streak after allowing 18 during their fourgame losing streak.

With eight of their last nine regular season games at home, Clendenny and the Terriers are excited to get the chance to close out the season on a high note.

“It was a great day to play, beautiful weather and being on our home field too,” Clendenny said. “We have tons of home games coming up so I think its going to be good for the freshmen to play on our home field and be able to have our parents and friends come down since the school year is winding down it’ll be good for us.”

SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS FILE PHOTO

Senior Brittany Clendenny hit her first home run of the season in Tuesday afternoon’s win.

Return of pitchers aids winning streak Terriers prevent Lehigh comeback efforts Pitching: From Page 8

all by herself. Aided by the powerful BU bats, Hynes flourished in that stretch, picking up five wins and amassing a 3.12 ERA over nine games.

BU coach Kathryn Gleason said she was happy with Hynes’ performance in such a difficult situation.

“Lauren has given us a chance,” Gleason said. “She’s given us a chance and that’s all we’ve been asking of her.”

An April 12 matchup against Holy Cross (9-19, 5-7 Patriot League) was the first in nearly a month that featured someone in the circle not named Lauren Hynes, as Akers returned in a relief role, allowing only one run off two hits and one walk in her three innings of work.

Sophomore pitcher Melanie Russell returned in the following game after nearly eight weeks on the bench and pitched well, allowing no hits, posting a strikeout and giving up just one walk in her 1.3 innings in the circle.

With both Akers and Russell healthy, a spark has been put into this rotation. Since the meeting with the Crusaders, the team is 6-2 while allowing only 17 runs for a cumulative staff ERA of 2.51.

During the eight-game span, Russell showed that she was ready to retake the circle. In her 22.1 innings, she has gone 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA, including two completegame victories over Lowell (9-29) and Colgate (9-24, 2-10 Patriot League).

Russell has also had the strikeout pitch working for her as well, and since her return, she has struck out 28 of the 85 batters she’s faced, nearly 30 percent of hitters.

The stretch includes an outing against Holy Cross where she struck out five of the six batters she faced.

Gleason said she is excited to see her pitching staff back to full health. “[The key has been] I think just getting them back into the rotation,” Gleason said.

“And just getting them innings and experience because they were out for a little bit.

Makinna [was out] two weeks and Mel almost six weeks. [We’ve tried] to get them innings and get them more confident on the mound.”

Akers’ win against the Rams Tuesday was her second since coming back, bringing her to an overall 6-2 record. Her sixinning, three-run performance against URI has brought the freshman’s ERA to a minuscule 2.34, trailing only two others in Patriot League rankings.

Following a four-game losing streak, the return of the two pitchers was excellent news, and with them pitching well and the offense firing on all cylinders, things are looking bright during the final run of the season. Both the team and the pitchers themselves are glad to be pitching again.

“It feels good to come back,” Akers said. “It’s great to be out with the team, and especially my freshman year, it’s fun to come out to actually start a game” Despite succumbing to fatigue in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game, Akers expressed faith in herself and the rest of the team to finish the season out strong.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” Akers said.

“We’re going to start seeing harder teams [coming up] so we got to step it up a little more… Fatigue is always a factor this late in the season, and on top of it all the injury doesn’t help anything, but we all have to work through it.”

Women’s Lacrosse: From Page 8

swered to put the Terriers back up by five with 12:41 remaining.

Yenco tried to rally the Mountain Hawks, and she responded again with another goal of her own. Attack Krista Dampman added another goal just moments later and Lehigh netted two more quick goals to trim BU’s lead to three. Horka added her fifth goal of the game, a career-high number,to answer the Lehigh run.

Freshman attack Taylor Hardison added another

goal for the Terriers just nine seconds later to put BU in clear control of the game.

Lehigh picked up the pressure over the last eight minutes, but to no avail, and the Terriers came away with a 14-9 win to advance to the Patriot League semifinals.

“We’re excited to keep moving forward,” Robertshaw said. “It’s our first time [in this tournament] but we’re still very confident. I think if we keep playing the way we did today, maybe clean a few things up, we can keep winning.”

Sheridan wins 3rd game of season Sheridan: From Page 8

Field.

Sheridan faced 19 shots, saving four of them in the 11-9 victory. With less than nine minutes to go, Sheridan completely locked down the Bison (4-12, 2-6 Patriot League) attack, holding them scoreless for the duration of the game.

Her save with 42 seconds remaining clinched the finale for BU in front of the home crowd.

With this start and win under her belt, Sheridan went into Tuesday’s Patriot League Tournament matchup against the Mountain Hawks (7-9, 4-4 Patriot League) with confidence. Once again, she played the full 60 minutes, notching her third win of the season.

Going up against some of the top scoring talent in the conference in junior Carli Sukonik and freshman Allison LaBeau, Sheridan proved to be up to the challenge. Sukonik, a two-goal per game scorer, was held to just one goal on four shots, including a missed free-position chance. Meanwhile LaBeau, Lehigh’s leading scorer with 38 points, was also corralled by Sheridan for just one goal.

The Maryland native finished up a herculean effort with seven saves on 23 shots, while only allowing nine goals. However, the key for

Sheridan throughout the contest was her ability to limit the Mountain Hawks’ free-position opportunities, as she stonewalled them five times en route to a 38 percent conversion rate.

“We felt comfortable with her presence in cage today,” Robertshaw said. “She really played a lockdown style of defense against a tough offense. Her clearing is key for us, because she can clear the ball nearly 30 or 40 yards.”

With the win over the Mountain Hawks, the Terriers advance to the Patriot League Tournament semifinal to face off with the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland. One of the Midshipmen’s (14-2, 6-2 Patriot League) two losses this season came at the hands of the Terriers on March 22, in a 9-8 nail-biter.

When asked who would be playing in net for BU, Robertshaw declined to comment, emphasizing that she and her fellow coaches would make the decision closer to game time.

But regardless of which Terrier starts in goal, she will have to prepare herself for a potent Navy attack.

“They’re a fast team and they’re aggressive on the cage,” Robertshaw said. “We just need to keep our game plan in mind and stick to it.”

“

“

Quotable

I think if we keep playing the way we did today, maybe clean a few things up, we can keep winning.

-BU coach Liz robertshaw on advancing in the Patriot League Tournament

paGe 8

Foul Shots

Sports

MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS FILE PHOTO

Sophomore Jill Horka scored a career-best five times during BU’s playoff win Tuesday.

By Emmanuel Gomez Daily Free Press Staff

Playing in its first postseason contest as a member of the Patriot League, the No. 3 seed Boston University women’s lacrosse team took on sixth-seeded Lehigh University in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament at Nickerson Field Tuesday evening.

The Terriers (8-9, 5-3 Patriot League) and Mountain Hawks (7-9, 4-4 Patriot League) battled 60 minutes for the right to advance to the semifinals, and BU came away with a 14-9 win.

“We were definitely excited,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw about the

contest. “We just wanted to come out here and do our thing. We weren’t really nervous but there were some nerves. I think we were just happy to get out there.”

BU won the draw to start the contest and capitalized just minutes later when sophomore midfielder Jill Horka scored a free-position shot to put the Terriers up 1-0. BU continued to dominate, and Horka found the back of the net again at the 20:44 mark to stretch the lead to 2-0.

The Mountain Hawks would respond just a minute later, as midfielder Kelsey Yenco scored her first goal on the season.

Horka answered back with her third goal of the game, scoring anoth-

No Events Scheduled A squirrel ran onto the field at this weekend’s Indians game to the delight of Cleveland, as it gave people a reason to watch them.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

er free-position shot at the 16:37 mark in the first half, pushing the Terriers’ advantage to 3-1.

“It was great,” Robertshaw said about Horka’s play. “She’s been outstanding. She really has been. The kid is always running around, up and down the field.”

Lehigh did not go away and quickly scored two goals, tying the game at three apiece with 11:01 left in the first half.

The tie was short lived though, and BU embarked on a 3-0 run, capped off by a laser of a free-position shot from senior midfielder Sydney Godett at the 5:34 mark.

Following the goal, Lehigh took a timeout as it looked as like BU was pulling away. The Mountain Hawks came out of the break charging, as midfielder Allison LaBeau laced one to the back of the net, cutting BU’s lead back to just two.

The Terriers scored just 15 seconds later though, as junior attack Lindsay Weiner extended the BU lead back to three.

Lehigh dominated for the remaining five minutes of the first half, continuing to fire shot after shot.

Midfielder Julianne D’Orazio finally capitalized with just 27 seconds left in the first frame and the BU lead was cut to 7-5 heading into the second.

BU won the draw to start the second half and went on another 3-0 run spanning over nine minutes. The run was highlighted by a goal and an assist from junior attack Lindsay Weiner, as the Terriers pushed their lead to 10-5, their biggest of the game.

“We realized it wasn’t the strongest facet of our game,” Robertshaw said about the team’s usual performance in the second half. “We really cleaned it up today though, we played much better. I thought we controlled the second half, and it made me really happy.”

Lehigh would not give in and Yenco scored her second goal of the game with 14:05 left in the second half.

But BU was relentless and seemed to always have an answer for the Mountain Hawks. This time, sophomore attack Jenny Thompson an-

WoMen’s lAcrosse, see page 7

strong Lehigh attack in victory

By Justin Pallenik Daily Free Press Staff

The Boston University women’s lacrosse team extended its season Tuesday with a 14-9 win over Lehigh University in the Patriot League quarterfinal round thanks in large part to the play of senior goalkeeper Christina Sheridan.

For most of this season, the Terriers (8-9, 5-3 Patriot League) have worked with a rotation between Sheridan and freshman goalie Caroline Meegan. Both have been solid and eager to prove themselves to BU coach Liz Robertshaw.

“They’re battling each and every day for the starting spot,” Robertshaw said. “They both go into practice with a lot of determination and make some impressive saves. This competition is making the attack better and it’s making the defense better.

“We make our decisions based upon how they perform in practice Them pushing each other has led to the best two-player goaltending we’ve had here in a long time.”

Meegan has started 12 of the Terriers’ 17 games this season, notching five wins in her rookie campaign.

The Timonium, Md., native maintains a .418 save percentage, good for sixth in the Patriot League.

One of the strongest points of Meegan’s game, however, is her ability to make tough saves, especially off of free-position chances. She ranks third in the Patriot League in saves per game with a 6.71 average, contributing to BU’s modest opponent free-position conversion rate of 41 percent.

Prior to last Saturday’s home contest versus Bucknell University, Meegan had played the majority of game minutes in the Terriers’ previous two tilts. But on Senior Day, Sheridan was not going to be denied the start in what could have possibly been her final game at the Nickerson

sheriDAn, see page 7

Softball wins 6th straight game Pitching controls URI offense

By Michael Joscelyn Daily Free Press Staff

Seeking its sixth consecutive victory, the Boston University softball team soundly defeated the University of Rhode Island by a score of 7-4 Tuesday afternoon.

The Terriers (25-18, 9-4 Patriot League) wasted no time getting on the board, scoring six runs in the game’s first two innings.

“We started out great with four runs right off the bat,” said BU coach Kathryn Gleason. “Around the fourth and fifth inning we put it in cruise control instead of putting it away and that’s a little disappointing.”

In the first inning, senior shortstop Brittany Clendenny hit her first home run of the year, a tworun blast over the right field wall,

getting the offense going for the Terriers. BU would tack on two more in the inning courtesy of a two-run single by sophomore designated hitter and pitcher Lauren Hynes.

“I was happy to finally get a hit because the weekend before there literally could have been one player on the field and I would have hit it to them,” Clendenny said. “It was finally good to get a hit where nobody could catch it.”

Clendenny delivered again in the second inning with an RBI single, though she was thrown out trying to extend the hit into a double. Senior first baseman Chelsea Kehr also had an RBI single in the inning.

soFTbAll, see page 7

The Bottom Line

Wednesday, April 23

THIS

Women’s lacrosse advances to PL semifinal Sheridan stops

Patrick McKay

McKAy, see page 7

TOUCH

The red-hot BU softball team won its sixth game in a row Tuesday afternoon over URI, P.8.

[ www.dailyfreepress.com ]

No offseason

Motivational sports videos, complete with hip-hop soundtracks and gritty camera shots of athletes doing squats with a spotter behind them will tell you this message: There is no offseason. Hard work doesn’t rest.

Coaches commonly use this mantra to get their players to work out in the so-called “offseason,” the period in which the regular season and playoffs are over.

But these videos are wrong. There is an offseason, especially at the college (and high school, for that matter) level. There has to be one. The offseason is a time to give the body a brief reprieve from the rigors of athletic competition at an elite level.

I’m not saying that NCAA athletes should just vegetate for four months and not work out at all, that’s stupid.

But the body needs time to recover and recuperate.

The biggest indication of this “no offseason” philosophy has to be the existence of spring games in college football.

These intrasquad games, which count for absolutely nothing in regular-season and Bowl Championship Series standings (just kidding, that system is gone now), are nonetheless televised and scrutinized by fans, players and college football pundits alike. They’re also a proving ground for young players who are hoping to make an impact in their first couple years on the team.

It cannot be overstated how much stress and strain playing competitive football puts on the human body.

There’s a reason that Boston University researchers have been studying brains of deceased football players to investigate the traumatic impact of the game on the human brain. In recent years, numerous former NFL players, like Junior Seau, have committed suicide after suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that is caused by trauma to the head.

Players need a rest from football after playing an intense four- to fivemonth season. You could say that the months of January-March or April, when spring games occur, are the “offseason.” But players participate in so-called “voluntary” workouts and push their bodies to the limit, instead of taking the time off that their bodies absolutely need.

CAN’T

The Daily Free Press

Thursday, April 24 Softball vs. Harvard, 4 p.m.

W. Lacrosse @ Navy, 7:30 p.m.

Track @ Penn Relays, All Day

Friday, April 25 Track @ Penn Relays, All Day

By Joe Calabrese Daily Free Press Staff

The Boston University softball team’s 7-4 victory Tuesday afternoon against the University of Rhode Island marked its 25th on the season.

Following wins at University of Massachusetts–Lowell, College of the Holy Cross and a weekend sweep of Colgate University, the Terriers (25-18, 8-4 Patriot League) began their sixgame home stand with their sixth consecutive win, and the pitching has certainly been one of the keys to victory over the last few weeks.

So far this season, a lot of the focus has been put on the Terriers’ commanding offense. Not

Saturday, April 26

Softball @ Lafayette, 12 p.m., 2 p.m.

W Lacrosse vs. TBD, TBA Track @ Penn Relays, All Day

including Tuesday’s victory versus URI (11-29), the Terriers led the Patriot League in 10 offensive categories including batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits and total bases.

The Terriers’ pitching, however, has made tremendous strides in overcoming the injury problems that plagued this staff in the middle of the season, and now it looks as if they are firing on all cylinders again.

After freshman pitcher Makinna Akers was taken out of the game against the U.S. Military Academy on March 29, sophomore pitcher Lauren Hynes was left as the only healthy pitcher remaining on staff, and was forced to tough out the next 58.1 innings

piTchinG, see page 7

Sunday, April 27 Softball @ Lafayette, 12 p.m.