The Daily Free Press
Year xli. Volume lxxxii. Issue lxxxix.
EASY AS PI?
Comp sci classes grow in popularity, page 3
[
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
MIND & BODY
How to get a more complete workout, page 5
]
www.dailyfreepress.com
SUNK BY STONY BROOK:
Softball drops 2 of 3 to Seawolves, page 8
WEATHER
Today: Sunny, High 57 Tonight: Cloudy, Low 40 Tomorrow: 62/38 Data Courtesy of weather.com
To our readers, from the Board of Directors Union ‘disappointed’
We cannot apologize sincerely enough to all those who were offended by the inexcusable editorial judgment exercised in Monday’s annual print-only April Fools’ Day issue of The Daily Free Press. The Free Press has worked tirelessly for nearly 42 years to be an outlet for fair, intelligent student journalism. It is our aim as an independent, nonprofit organization to be a voice for the student body, and Monday’s issue was a black mark on our reputation as such. In making the ultimate decision to run many of the articles, however well-intentioned, fictional or joking they may have been, Editor-in-Chief Chelsea Diana in no way perpetuated our values as an organiza-
tion. In light of this, we have asked that Chelsea Diana resign as editor-in-chief of The Daily Free Press and president of the Board of Directors of Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. and she has accepted. Campus news editor Steph Solis, who was selected to be Fall 2012 editor-in-chief, will be stepping in to fill both positions effective immediately. Considering the events of this semester and the increasingly vocal, constructive climate of conversation about sexual assault and many other important issues on campus, much of the content of Monday’s issue was incredibly harmful, tasteless and out of line. We have long taken pride in our aggressive and thoughtful treatment of these topics;
while the integrity of that coverage is certainly compromised, we hope that together we can move forward and return to the high standards we most often seek to uphold. Sincerely,
Annie Ropeik Board of Directors Chairwoman Spring 2010 Editor-in-Chief board@dailyfreepress.com Co-signed: Board of Directors of Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. For more information about the Board of Directors, visit dailyfreepress.com/board-of-directors/.
Student Union slates announced for spring 2012 elections By Emily Overholt Daily Free Press Staff
The Boston University Student Elections Commission released candidates Saturday for Student Union elections, according to the website. SEC announced BeUnleashed’s candidacy for the spring 2012 election, according the organization’s website. BeUnleashed was set to run unopposed, until another slate, Be United, announced its candidacy as a write-in slate. BeUnleashed includes College of Fine Arts sophomore Dexter McCoy as president, School of Management sophomore Aditya Rudra as executive vice president, College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Sophia Wodya as vice president of internal affairs and SMG freshman D.A. Whatley as vice president of financial affairs. BeUnleashed is running on a platform of community building and activism, Wodya said in an email interview. “We have experienced the organization’s potential to become a community of inspiration, mentorship and of family,” she said. “Our goal is to further establish Union as a central location for the student voice and to increase its visibility as a valuable resource for students, administration, faculty, staff and alumni alike.” Wodya said BeUnleashed hopes to pass gender-neutral housing, create 24-hour study spaces and include student input in the allocation of tuition. College of Engineering sophomore Greg Jones, campaign manager for Be United, announced the candidates for the slate in an email. Be United includes College of Communication junior Rosemary Corleon as president, CAS junior Tony Zela-West as vice president, College of General Studies sophomore JR Newport as treasurer and CAS sophomore Kevon Fingesten as secretary.
SCREEN SHOT
The members of the BeUnleashed slate discuss their goals for Union and the Boston University community.
“Be United wants to create a better sense of community, focusing less on the issues of Boston University students and more on the issues that affect the Boston community as a whole,” Jones stated. Amanda Peterson, head of SEC, confirmed Be United is not running as a registered slate. Unregistered slates, however, have appeared in previous elections. If Be United won the election, Peterson said the slate would face election code violations for running without registering with the SEC. Jones said Corleon is an advocate for women’s rights and is well known within her community as a leader. The winning slate would serve in office
through December as part of the proposed change to the election timeline that passed in late February. The timeline change sets elections for the end of the fall semester so yearlong terms can take begin in January. The Union campaign period is expected to begin Monday and run through April 16. Voting, which is done electronically, will begin on that day and continue through April 24. The results should be announced shortly after. SEC organizes the Union elections, as well as the college government elections. Any undergraduate student in good academic and judicial standing can run for office in Student Union.
in Daily Free Press, election commission By Chris Lisinski Daily Free Press Staff
Boston University Student Union members voiced dissatisfaction with The Daily Free Press’s April Fools’ Day publication in a meeting Monday night. Union could not formally vote on any matters, as they were one senator short of quorum, but individual senators voiced their concerns and opinions. The meeting took place late Monday evening before any further apology or action had been issued by The Daily Free Press. Union President Howard Male said student leaders need to be held accountable for their actions and need to uphold values of respect, ethics and integrity as they move forward. “I think the general consensus amongst the representatives involved was shock, dismay and disappointment that we as students are not treating each other with respect or with sensitivity as it relates to individuals who may be impacted or who have had sexual assault or misconduct touch their lives in some way,” said Male, a School of Management and School of Hospitality Administration senior. Male said he was optimistic about the discussion, which gave senators insight into how Union could approach this issue as a representative body in the future. Members said they were upset because they felt that the publication reflected badly upon BU and its students. “Granted, The Daily Free Press is independent of Boston University, but it’s written by Boston University students,” said Advocacy Committee Chair D.A. Whatley, an SMG freshman. Whatley added that he did not want his name associated with The Free Press’s issue since did not reflect his feelings as a BU student. “If you were the parent of a student who has recently been admitted to this university, and this is the time that you come and visit this university, and this is what you see, would you be inclined to send your student to this school?” asked Dexter McCoy, a College of Fine Arts sophomore. During the discussion, Union Vice President Alex Staikos, an SMG sophomore, compiled a list of actions representatives hoped to see executed, including a realization of the publication’s greater implications and in-person meetings between affected parties. Beyond discussion of The Free Press, Union members also addressed issues with the Student Elections Commission. “The general consensus among the representatives in Student Union was the Student
Union, see page2
Newcomers to the workforce make less than in previous years BU FIGHTS BACK By Nicole Leonard Daily Free Press Staff
After graduating from Emerson College in 2010, Nicole Cassaro said she knew she wanted to stay in Boston. Although she earned a degree in writing, literature and publishing, she had to keep herself open to all kinds of different jobs after graduating in hopes that she could find one in the city. Cassaro said she went into Professional Staffing Group looking for a position within the company in 2010. She walked out with a job. “They hired me on the spot as one of their recruiters, and I started the very next day,” she said. The new job came in the midst of wide wage erosion throughout the United States, with entry-level hourly wages declining steeply between 2007 and 2011, according to a recent press release from the Economic Policy Insti-
tute, a self-described non-profit “think tank” that researches and analyzes the American economy. New workers made 23 percent less in 2011 than they made in 1979, according to the release. Despite the shift, recent graduates such as Cassaro who chose to hunt for jobs in Boston rather than in other cities might be in luck. Boston came out on top in a Rent.com ranking of the best American cities for recent college graduates to live in, according to Forbes. The company, which based its findings on Bureau of Labor Statistics data, considered such information as the unemployment rate – 6.8 percent in Boston, as of January – the amount of rental listings, the cost of living and annual mean wages. The Hub’s unemployment rates are low compared to rates in other major metropolitan
areas such as Chicago (9.6), Los Angeles (11.0), and Miami (7.4); but higher than New York (5.5) and Minneapolis (5.9), which ranked just below Boston in the Rent.com list. In addition to its unemployment rate, Boston has a high average entry-level hourly wage of $27.19, according to Forbes, higher than most of the other highly rated cities on the list. Cassaro said when she started her job at Professional Staffing Group, a Boston staffing firm that provides employment services to clients and companies, she did not expect to be paid any particular amount, adding she was happy just to get hired. “I had no pay expectations when I started, so I was happy with the $11 per hour I got when I began,” Cassaro said. Companies based in Boston said while they
Graduates, see page 2
MARISA BENJAMIN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Students gather Friday night for “Take Back the Night,” a rally led by the Feminist Collective, a part of the Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism, to protest sexual assault and rape culture.