The Daily Free Press
Year xli. Volume lxxxii. Issue xciv.
MO’ MONEY, PROBLEMS Data says ATM users should be wary, page 3
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
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RESURRECTION
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DOOR CLOSED Griffin, teammates reflects on leader’s career, page 12
Do-it-yourself culture makes a rise in Boston, page 7
WEATHER
Today: Cloudy, High 57 Tonight: Cloudy, Low 47 Tomorrow: 60/52 Data Courtesy of weather.com
Marchers protest for workers’ rights, honor May Day Students weigh in By Sonia Su Daily Free Press Staff
Wind and rain did not stop about 80 protesters from marching against capitalism on Tuesday, shouting, “One, two, three, four! Let’s call a class war!” as part of the annual worldwide May Day celebration. The march began at Copley Square and ended at City Hall Plaza with a rally sponsored by the Boston May Day Committee, the International Socialist Organization and other groups. Occupy Boston called for the 99 percent to “strike, skip work, walk out of school and refrain from shopping, banking and business for a day without the 99 percent,” according to its website. About 25 Boston University students and faculty participated in the march. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumna Molly Geidel said when they were marching, cab drivers and people stood on the side of the road while honking their horns with fists in the air. “It shows that even though it’s raining and the Occupy movement has started to wane a little, there’s still this real desire to fight for workers’ rights and the rights of people in debt and the unemployed,” Geidel said. Geidel said one of the protesters at the march, third-year GRS student Ian Chinich, has been responsible for re-energizing BU.
Chinich said the rally was commemorating martyrs who died for the eight-hour workday in 1886. “We’re here to show solidarity and . . . have an anti-capitalist message, especially now that the system seems to be proving that capitalism and exploitation of the rich against the poor is increasing inequality and making millions of unemployed people,” he said. The day included a block party in the financial district earlier in the morning and a funeral procession for the death of capitalism in the evening. College of Arts and Sciences freshman Julien Jacquelin said May Day demonstrations happen annually and globally, so the fact that the Occupy movement is joining just helps boost its numbers. “I’m an anarchist, so this whole event lines very much with my ideals,” Jacquelin said. “I don’t believe in capitalism at all.” Patricia Stuelke, a BU professor of American studies, said she and about seven of her students attended the morning protest. “[We] came down to protest this morning for our final day of class to see the Occupy movement in action since we studied it in class,” she said, “and to just participate in protests against [the] neoliberal culture that we’ve been studying.” Stuelke said it was nice to see move-
on selective BU emergency alerts By Steph Solis Daily Free Press Staff
SONIA SU/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Occupy Boston marches through the rain in downtown Boston on Tuesday, joining the annual worldwide May Day Celebration, which advocates workers’ rights.
ment culture emerging again in the United States and to talk to different people about it. “We want to be in solidarity with . . . the vast majority of people whose jobs
Occupy, see page 8
Theft high among cell-phone bearing pedestrians, police say By Amelia Pak-Harvey Daily Free Press Staff
Despite a string of recent cell phone robberies in Brookline, Boston University students said they will still use their phones when walking alone at night. Since March 28, four women talking on their iPhones in the evening have had their phones stolen, according to the Brookline Police Department’s blog. The suspect’s description was similar in all accounts. Lt. Phil Harrington of the BPD said these instances are new and the police are attributing them to the fact that smartphones are more expensive than other models of phones. “We’re just asking people to be aware of their surroundings,” he said. “Try not to be walking down the street and just chatting up on the phone without paying attention to what’s going on around you.” Police reported that on Thursday at 11:46 p.m. a man pushed a victim talking on her phone while she was walking on Longwood Avenue in Brookline and took her phone, according to the
blog. A similar incident occurred on April 21 on Browne Street in Brookline at 9:54 p.m., when a suspect pushed a woman walking down the street and took her phone. “It’s kind of frightening that this person is being so violent toward people just to steal a phone,” Harrington said. This type of robbery hinges more on the fact that the phone is in plain view, whether it is in use or in the person’s hand, Harrington said. “I would say secure all your valuables, put as many as you can inside your pockets,” he said. “Don’t be just . . . displaying your valuables, don’t be talking with the phone in your hand. Put it inside your pocket.” Similar incidents have occurred at BU, although not in a while, said BU Police Department Captain Robert Molloy. “I will say that in this last semester and even in the fall semester, we haven’t had many of those cell phone robberies like that,” he said. But in the past, there have been two incidents on Bay State Road and one on Commonwealth Avenue in which students talking or
texting while walking had their phones stolen, Molloy said. “Obviously our recommendation is always be aware of your surroundings – don’t be distracted when you’re walking alone,” he said. Those who want to use their cell phones should do so in an inconspicuous manner, especially when walking alone, Molloy said. Despite warnings, BU students said the news would not make them stop using their phones when they are walking alone late at night. School of Management junior Lana Sharuk said it is less frightening to walk alone at night if she is on the phone with someone. “I personally would rather have my phone stolen than something else worse happen to me,” Sharuk said. “When I’m talking to my friends on the phone as I’m walking, at least they know I’m outside – so if I don’t come back by a certain time, they know something’s wrong.” Sharuk said the incidents have made her more conscious of people when she is walking,
Cell, see page 6
Boston University students expressed mixed reviews about who the BU Alert System notifies about isolated incidents. BU officials alert students about incidents that affect them, though only some alerts are broadcast to the entire campus, said said Peter Fiedler, vice president for administrative services. Other alerts only go out to students who live in the area in which the incident occurred, Fiedler said, as was the case after the incident reported in Warren Towers Saturday afternoon. A BU alert notified Warren residents of an incident that occurred at about 6:35 p.m. The alert reported that a female Boston University student was touched inappropriately as she exited an elevator in Fairfield “A” Tower. BU spokesman Colin Riley said no arrest has been made. Police are continuing to investigate. Fiedler said in some cases it is more efficient to target a specific audience and send messages to some students. “We’ve determined that probably the best way to use the system is not only have it available full broadcasts all over the entire campus, but there are times when everybody doesn’t need to know everything that’s going on,” Fiedler said. Officials can choose which residents get notified, based on where they live, and the medium through which they receive it, Fiedler said. Several students who live outside of Warren said they were not aware of the incident or the fact that the perpetrator remains loose. Jaqueline Hotz, a School of Management and College of Arts and Sciences junior who resides in West Campus, said she was not aware of Saturday’s episode. “If someone was violated like that, I feel like everyone should know that something is going on,” she said. Brian Latimer, a College of Communication freshman, said the incident on Saturday should have been broadcast to the entire campus because it pertains to the safety of all students. “People shouldn’t have to find out through the grapevine,” he said. “It does not reach everybody. I had to inform my friend [who lives
BU alert, see page 6
Sustainability better in 2012, still room for improvement, officials say By Gina Curreri Daily Free Press Staff
SARAH ANOLIK/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Trash bins in the George Sherman Union include separate recycle, landfill and compostables slots with visual aids to help students sort their trash.
While Boston University has made improvements in its ecological programs, a lot still needs to be done, Sustainability@BU representatives said. “Our slogan is, ‘It’s what you do,’ but it’s what we all do together,” said Dennis Carlberg, director of Sustainability. “It’s not somebody else’s problem. We all need to work on this together.” Sustainability drafted a 17-part strategic plan based on the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, STARS, to address issues such as climate action, Carlberg said. “Like STARS, our strategic plan actually has 17 different issue areas from curriculum, research, co-curricular activities, all the operational stuff that you’d expect,” Carlberg said. “This is the national standard, and that’s important for us.” However, no proposed goals have been agreed to yet, and Sustainability will be propos-
ing the plan to the Sustainability Steering Committee. “The reason for that is we need to do the hard work of justifying the cost benefit, which is what we’re going to be doing over the next six months,” Carlberg said. “It’s not easy here to get things approved, and I’m saying that in a positive way, because it has to be right.” BU earned a silver ranking through STARS in December 2011, according to the STARS website. A silver ranking signifies room for improvement, said Sustainability intern Michael Orr. To continue its efforts, Sustainability looks to develop a Green Department Certification and improve lab energy efficiency. “We’re also developing the Green Department Certification to address larger issues involving purchasing and department-wide policies for sustainability,” Orr said in an email interview. BU will resubmit to STARS again in a few weeks for a new rating, Carlberg said.
Sustainability, see page 10