5-2-2012

Page 1

The Daily Free Press

Year xli. Volume lxxxii. Issue xciv.

MO’ MONEY, PROBLEMS Data says ATM users should be wary, page 3

[

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

]

RESURRECTION

www.dailyfreepress.com

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


2

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Daily Free Press Spring 2012 Staff Can you guess who’s who?

1. Ricky WIlson - Photo Editor 2. Audrey Fain - Photo Editor 3. Emily Overholt - Campus Editor 4. Meredith Perri - Sports Editor 5. Tim Healey - Managing Editor 6. Steph Solis - Editor-in-Chief 7. Kira Cole - Features Editor 8. Sofiya Mahdi - Opinion Page Editor 9. Amy Gorel - Staff writer 10. Meghan DeMouth - Associate City Editor 11. Allison DeAngelis - Staff writer 12. Amelia Pak-Harvey - Associate City Editor 13. Chris Lisinski - Staff writer 14. Jennifer Janiak - Staff writer 15. Sydney Shea - City Editor

Final Word A Letter from the Editor

Coming into Boston University and knowing I wanted to go into journalism, I told myself I wasn’t going to jump feet first into the school paper. I just wanted to get my toes wet and take things slow, I thought, so I wouldn’t overload myself first semester freshman year. Oops.

MEREDITH PERRI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Four semesters, tons of bylines and too many lost hours of sleep later, here I am, ready to retire from my in-office Daily Free Press duties. A former editor-inchief called me “a fool and a masochist” when I became managing editor, and at this point I can’t really disagree. But all jokes aside, enough

about me. This semester – as with all semesters, I suppose – life at the FreeP wasn’t about one individual. It wasn’t about one issue or one story, either. This semester was, for better or for worse, about all of us. It was about blowing up each other’s phones when there was breaking news – and we all know there was plenty of excitement in the department the last five months. It was about picking up each other’s slack when needed. It was about critiquing each other as peers, caring about each other as friends and competing with each other as fellow journalists. Oh, and it was about Bertucci’s rolls. As the youngest Free Press editorial board in recent memory – if not ever – we invested thousands of hours into reporting on one of the most hectic semesters we could imagine. And we did a good job. Haters gon’ hate, but

The Daily Free Press Crossword

By Tribune Media Services Across 1 Smart 5 Use a user ID 10 Look at 14 “Rendezvous With __”: Hugo-winning Arthur C. Clarke novel 15 “Brusha, brusha, brusha” toothpaste 16 Morlock fare 17 Gp. dissolved in December 1991 18 Hybrid big cat 19 Half an ice grabber 20 Shrink for a noted Vulcan? 23 Feature of Incan farms 24 What serious players play for 28 Act that gets you a hand 29 Reason for a laundry odor? 33 Dry, as wine 35 Untrained 36 TV production co. whose mascot was Mimsie the Cat 37 Neighborhood garage sales? 42 Point 43 “This American Life” radio host Glass 44 Fin. neighbor 45 Collection for an artist’s garment? 49 “Tiny Toon Adven-

we learned to deal with it. Most of us do want to go into journalism after all – Journalists are never hated, right? Starting from literally Day 1 – Dec. 12 – we covered events that changed forever the lives of those involved. As the semester continued, phrases like “sexual assault,” “rape culture” and “task force“ filled our pages. “Hazing” and “murder” eventually joined them. Some heavy stuff, to say the least. It left us all a bit gobsmacked. But we – operative word – learned a lot about journalism, ourselves and each other while covering it all. Even when the mood in our absolutely spotless office got as heavy as the news, someone was there to lift it. Be it by making a joke or being the center of one, someone always came through for the sake of the group. I know I speak for everyone when I say that for that I am in-

credibly appreciative. But on that same note, it is easy to look past all the positive news. In what seems like years ago, the BU community pulled together after an Allston house fire left several Sigma Alpha Mu members homeless and one in critical condition. Then there was the women’s hockey team making a postseason run – again – as well as plans for New Balance Athletic Field in West Campus, renovations to Myles Standish Hall and rumblings of a StuVi 3. And through it all, our talented reporters were there to cover it all for you, the readers, and to a certain extent ourselves, just to make sure there was indeed good news out there somewhere. Thanks for getting FreePy with us. So long. -Tim Healey The Daily Free Press Managing Editor Spring 2012

CLASSIFIEDS

JOBS -- $$ SPERM DONORS WANTED $$ Earn up to $1,200/month and give the gift of family through California Cryobank’s donor program. Convenient Cambridge location. Apply online: SPERMBANK.com

tures” bunny 52 Mount also known as Horeb 53 Exterminate 56 Some employee benefits, and this puzzle’s title 60 Slung food 63 Initial strategy 64 It precedes di or da, in a Beatles song 65 Sommer of “A Shot in the Dark” 66 Many a surfer 67 Roulette bet 68 Diamond spoiler 69 1954 event coded as “Castle Bravo” 70 Lushes Down 1 Pie maker’s pride 2 Locked, in a way 3 Marathoner’s lament 4 Traffic blocker 5 Bath salt fragrance 6 Speaks one’s mind 7 Infatuated 8 First-year law student 9 Not even one, with “a” 10 Chevy sportsters 11 UN workers’ agcy. 12 Two or more eras, in geologic time 13 Artificial locks 21 Infant who escaped Krypton 22 Jet __ 25 Salinger title girl 26 Green stroke

16. Tyler Lay - Assistant Sports Editor 17. Minh Em T. Nguyen - Staff writer 18. Eddie Donga - Staff writer 19. Alex Falco - Staff writer 20. Rosalie Fransen - Associate Features Editor 21. Mike Tom - Features staff writer 22. Lauren Dezenski - Associate Features Editor 23. Sydney Moyer - MUSE Editor 24. Frankie Barbato - Spotlight Editor 25. Kevin Dillon - Associate Sports Editor 26. Kaylee Hill - Layout Editor 27. Gina Curreri - Associate Campus Editor

PLAY SPORTS! HAVE FUN! SAVE MONEY! Maine camp needs fun loving counselors to teach all land, adventure, and water sports. Great Summer! Call (888)844-8080, apply: campcedar.com

Sudoku

27 Where to study for a Th.D. 30 Orson, e.g., in a ‘70s-’80s sitcom 31 Word with nanny or web 32 Nine-time U.S. skating champ 34 Hairdo 37 Ventura County’s __ Valley 38 “Let’s go!” 39 French wine term

40 Many an Asimov character 41 Three-course military supplies 42 Symbol of stubbornness 46 Some kind of nut 47 Tool holder 48 Goes on monotonously 50 Playground mishap 51 Bright, as a porch 54 Dizzying genre

55 Nicholas I and II, e.g. 57 Hawaiian food fish 58 Lump 59 Broccoli relative 60 Mag mogul with a mansion 61 __-American 62 Reggae precursor Solution is on Page 8

Sudoku-Puzzles.net

Difficulty: Medium

Solution is on Page 8


Campus & City

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

3

Bankers urge customers to use caution when swiping cards at ATMs Union members ByAlexis Gordon Daily Free Press Staff

No matter how badly Bostonians need cash, they should still be wary of what types of ATMs they use, according to recent data from the Bank for International Settlements. Debit card fraud has climbed in the past several years, with Suspicious Activity Report filings for debit card fraud rising by about 20 percent between 2008 and 2010, according to the most recent data from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Much of that fraud comes from skimming, attaching machines that read debit cards’ magnetic strips to places where consumers swipe their cards, a recent Bankrate report stated. Outdoor ATMs and gas stations are especially risky places to swipe debit cards, as thieves can easily place skimming devices and PIN-detecting cameras on publicly accessible machines and surveil them from afar, according to Bankrate. Using bank ATMs is much safer than using outdoor ATMs,

said Trevor Gardner, a clerk at the Bank of America attached to the Boston University George Sherman Union. “We have to check our ATMs daily to make sure that there are no skimming devices,” Gardner said. “At other outdoor ATMs, they may check every other day or once a week depending on the company’s ATM maintenance policy.” Debit card users should be wary of ATMs in public places that police do not heavily monitor or any card-swiping devices that look beat up, according to Bankrate. Shopping and banking online with debit cards can also be risky, said Debra Montner, a spokeswoman for the international financial security company IronKey. About 39 percent of all computers are infected with crime ware designed to steal personal and account information, and anti-virus firewalls are not always reliable to protect online bankers. Anti-virus software fails to detect banking threats 75 percent of the time, she said, because it only

protects against known viruses. Since hackers change their crime ware constantly, more secure online banking requires constant anti-virus updates. “Everyone needs to be very alert to their personal security when using online or mobile banking,” Montner said. “Even if your bank reimburses you for losses, it is a hassle to deal with replacing your cards, restoring your directly billed online accounts and cleaning up your credit score.” Despite reviewing bank accounts and being vigilant about debit-card usage, several BU students said they have fallen victim to fraud recently. “[My bank] called me and told me that there were excessive charges on my account, then they deactivated my account and got me a new card,” said Ollie Camplin, a College of Arts and Sciences junior Liseanne Miller, a College of Fine Arts junior, said her friend had a similar story, when her debit card information got stolen abroad. “One of my friends in Italy

note successes, see room for growth By Chris Lisinski Daily Free Press Staff

CASEY NULPH/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

ATMs on campus, such as this one located in the City Convenience in West Campus, may be dangerous to use.

last spring used her debit card at a store and then all these charges came up afterwards,” Miller said. “Someone scanned the information.”

Free fitness classes offered in Hub after finals, during summer By Mitch Harkey Daily Free Press Staff

Students having trouble focusing on their final exams should take a break from the books and get moving, said Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center Fitness Manager Rossella AvitabileMuller. “[Exercising] is especially important during final exams,” she said. “It is a great stress reliever. It allows you to focus better on your exams, and it puts everything into perspective.” She said continuing to exercise after tests are over is important as well, adding, “all of the cardio, weight loss and muscle-mass gains you’ve made start to regress in as little as two weeks of being inactive.” BU students staying in Boston for the summer who took classes fulltime in the spring and will take classes fulltime in the fall can still use FitRec during the summer, regardless of whether or not they are registered for summer courses, said FitRec Marketing and Membership Manager Kris Covarrubias. “We also have a brand-new young alumni plan at a significantly lowered rate for recently graduated

seniors,” she said. But exercising in a gym is not always satisfying, said School of Management sophomore Jake Scull. “I can only really focus on exercising and sweating when I’m outdoors, so gyms don’t really do the job for me,” he said. For students such as Scull, Boston and the surrounding area offers many alternative options for staying in shape. Spring for fitness Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline park accessible via the Orange Line, offers an energizing alternative to the gym. “Trampolining is a fun way to get up on a trampoline and have fun but burn a lot of calories and get in shape while doing it,” said Dan Murray, the general manager of Boston’s Sky Zone location. People pay to jump for an hour, $12, or a half hour, $8, but normally begin to burn calories after 15 to 20 minutes, Murray said. Sky Zone recently built a 3-D dodgeball court, he said, and holds organized and pick-up games.

Students to take naked study break By Alex Falco Daily Free Press Staff

Boston University students will bare almost all as they run one mile around Nickerson Field Thursday in a Nearly Naked Group Charity Run, organizers said. Wiggio marketing coordinator Shannon Lehotsky said the company, which sponsors the run, asked students to donate old clothes. About 20 runners ran in Emerson College’s Nearly Naked Run last week, and students donated 15 garbage bags of clothes, which went to Big Brothers Big Sisters. “If we had solely hosted a charity event it wouldn’t have been as popular,” Lehotsky said. “We had students asking us if we were going to host it again, but this time we brought it to our home turf because we are a Boston-based company.” Apart from bringing clothes to donate, Lehotsky said the run is de-

signed for students to have fun. “If Boston University can beat Emerson that would be excellent,” Lehotsky said. “I’d love to put that challenge up there, but we really just want to have a fun event where students can have fun. That’s the biggest goal.” Amelia Cochin, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman, said while she does not have any extra money to donate, she has plenty of old clothes. “That’s really cool because I’m sure a lot of people have old clothes that they could donate,” Cochin said. “That’s a really good way to get what they need without having to ask for money. Though runners will be partially unclothed, Cochin said those taking part can adjust so they are comfortable. “You obviously don’t have to be

Naked, see page 10

Make waves Students who would rather be outdoors can head down to the Charles River. Rather than running or biking along the Esplanade, however, Bostonians can skim along the river in kayaks or canoes and still get a workout. Charles River Canoe and Kayak offers one-hour and one-day kayak rentals for single, double and group riders starting at $15, and canoe rentals starting at $24, according to its website. “The thing that people say they love [about kayaking] is that your perspective is different from the water,” said Mark Jacobson, the store’s general manager. “Many people have driven down Memorial Drive or biked along the Charles, but the experience of being on the water is a different experience.” Meeting goals Several Boston gyms and athletic clubs such as Boston Athletic Club offer intramural sports teams and leagues for Bostonians interested in playing such sports as basketball, soccer, field hockey and water polo, said BAC Sports and Program Director Neill Caine.

A typical season lasts about eight to ten weeks and includes a team-oriented dynamic that a typical trip to the gym would not necessarily include, he said. “It’s fun, exciting and there is a social aspect as well,” Caine said. “It’s great to get out there and meet people while staying active playing a sport you enjoy.” Finding Zen For a more inward-looking session of free alignment, yoga and running gear store Lululemon will host complimentary yoga sessions on Sunday mornings throughout the summer. “We like to give our guests in the community things,” said Whitney Williams, a key leader for Lululemon who works at the store’s Prudential Center location. “This program is a great way for our guests to meet us while breaking a sweat.” Even Bostonians who leave for vacation during the summer can participate in the weekly class, she said, noting that the yoga class “is a program that we do across the nation.”

Student Union members said they are pleased with their accomplishments in the 2011-12 term. “I’m very proud,” said School of Management sophomore Caitlin Seele, senator for SMG. “I think a lot of changes happened this year, I think we had a passionate group of senators and an executive board that really promoted a lot of individuals to take charge on initiatives.” College of Fine Arts sophomore Dexter McCoy, judicial commissioner and president-elect of Union, said he was happy with Union’s accomplishments this year. McCoy said some of Union’s greatest accomplishments include their proposal presented to administration for gender-neutral housing and the initiation of a smoking courtesy campaign. “Also, there was a great job done this year of Union pushing for different initiatives and advocating for things like cage-free eggs and supporting the Take Back the Night rally and really taking a position on that,” he said. Union Vice President Alex Staikos said he was pleased with the way Union responded to events outside of their control, such as writing statements after incidents of sexual assault and hazing and hosting discussion during the Occupy movement. “I believe we had the appropriate discussions and in the end, responded well,” Staikos said in an email to The Daily Free Press. Union successfully created a proposal for gender-neutral housing and presented it to administration in the spring. “I feel it was a huge step for Union to actually survey students, complete a proposal, re-survey students and present something to administration,” Seele said. Seele, chair of the gender-neutral housing subcommittee, said she intends to work with administration further over the summer on genderneutral housing. “I feel like there are not a lot of things happening this summer, so it’ll be an easier time when both sides have more time to sit down and have some conversations about it,” she said. “I’d like to see a ton of headway made over the summer so

SEE FULL STORY ONLINE

OH, THE PHOTOS YOU’LL TAKE

MOSAIC/RICKY WILSON

A mosaic of Marsh Chapel includes photos that have been published in The Daily Free Press throughout Spring 2012. Special thanks to all of the photographers who contributed this semester.


4

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Teach. Grow. Master. Mentor. Whether you want to teach math and science, help special education students, lead in educational settings, provide guidance and counseling, or obtain dual certification in a number of specializations, Hofstra offers graduate programs and Advanced Certificates in more than 40 areas, including: • • • • • • •

Family and Consumer Science Literacy Studies Mentoring and Coaching Special Education STEM-Elementary Education TESOL & Bilingual Education Physical Education, Health Education and Adventure Education • and more including 4 doctoral programs Programs offered entirely online include: Educational Technology Gifted Education Higher Education Administration Convenient evening classes, intensive summer sessions, and scholarships available.

v Find out about these and other graduate programs Graduate Open House Tuesday, June 5 hofstra.edu/gradteach Ad GradTeachJuneGOH_MJS_Boston.indd 1

4/26/12 4:52 PM


NEED CREDITS? THINK SUMMER!

STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY

SUMMERSESSIONS 2012 SESSION I: May 29 to July 6 • SESSION II: July 9 to August 16

Stay on track for graduation. • Easy enrollment for visiting Summer students

• Convenient on-campus housing available

• Choose from more than 500 courses, including those that meet core requirements

• Study-abroad opportunities

Call (631) 632-6175 or visit stonybrook.edu/summer Stony Brook University/SUNY is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. 12021001

College Students 20% OFF

All full-price EMS® brand items

15% OFF

All full-price national brand items Must show valid college ID. Exclusions may apply; visit store for details.

Eastern Mountain Sports EMS BOSTON

It all starts here. Boston

1041 Commonwealth Ave.

8901 AD 4.87X8 BU_Boston.indd 1

ems.com 4/16/12 8:27 AM


6W

ednesday,

May 2, 2012

Fiedler: Alerts sent when ‘absolutely Molloy advises students to take cab, public trans. at night ways to reduce the risk of becoming a “But I’ve heard cases where such as taking a cab or public iPhones have been stolen, and just by justified’ to avoid becoming spam but they have not made her stop talk- victim, transportation on the way home. displaying the phone, people try to Cell: From Page 1

BU alert: From Page 1

in Danielsen Hall] that it happened, and I feel that is the BUPD’s responsibility.” Riley said notifications reach students more quickly when they are sent to a smaller group. Fiedler said students who are not Warren residents, but visit the dining hall or study lounges would likely hear about the incident from those who are. “If you’re sitting at a table, there’s probably a high likelihood that there’s a bunch of Warren residents who are sitting down with them,” he said. “If you’re a resident of 700 [Commonwealth Ave.] and I’m not, and you get the text message, you’re going to talk to me about it.” BUPD Chief Thomas Robbins said sending notifications to a selective group of students, rather than sending about 40,000 messages about an incident such as the one reported Sunday “defeats the purpose” of the system’s technological capacity. Robbins noted the possibility of false leads in incidents that may not affect the entire campus. Officers could risk getting calls from someone farther away about a person who fits the suspect description. “The best thing to do is localize, notify people who might be affected in that area and in a short amount of time, get out that message quickly,” he said. The alert system was created following the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007, Fiedler said. BU President Robert Brown convened a

task force to examine how students could be protected against such an incident. BU implemented the system by Fall 2007, Fiedler said. In its current state, the system sends emergency notifications to BU affiliates via text message, voicemail, email and television. The alert is tested annually in October, as required by the Clery Act. “It really is the most efficient and effective way of contacting a large group of people quickly,” Fiedler said. Fiedler said the system that should send alerts when “absolutely justified,” otherwise the system could have the effect of spam. Erica Trimboli, a School of Education sophomore, said she does not reside in Warren and did not hear about the incident. She said she feels she was not too affected by not hearing about the incident. “I feel like if you notify everyone about every incident that happens in every building, there’s going to be a lot of emergency alerts,” she said. College of Arts and Sciences freshman Jeehoon Jun said he received a notification about the death of Kanagala Seshadri Rao, a BU graduate student, but not about the incident in Warren Towers. While he is not a resident, he said he would like to have been notified. “It’s effective to let students know what happened after the incident,” he said. “I think they should send alerts to everyone on campus. A girl living in Danielsen might be facing dangers in Warren.”

ing on the phone while walking by College of Communication freshherself. man Megan Song said it is surprising GSE 5.875x6_Layout 3/26/12 ButADMolloy said there1 are other8:47 PM Page 1 phone theft occurs so often.

steal it,” she said. “So I guess it’s like a trend that people are trying to steal phones, smartphones particularly.”

UMASS LOWELL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

BECOME A TEACHER! Enroll in UMass Lowell’s nationally accredited Master of Education degree program to earn your initial license in > Elementary Education > Elementary and Special Education > Middle and High School • • • • • • •

Biology Chemistry English General Science History Mathematics Physics

Apply now at www.uml.edu/grad For information, contact eduoffice@uml.edu

Summer session classes start May 21. Fall classes start Sept. 5; walk-in registration Aug. 22.

@ D A I L Y F R E E P R E S S

OPTOMETRY: A GREAT CAREER STARING YOU IN THEFACE. NECO424.COM

For over a century, New England College of Optometry (NECO) has offered talented, hard-working people like you an exceptional education. Contact us for more information. NECO | 424 Beacon Street | Boston MA 02115 | 617.587.5580


SPOTLIGHT

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

7

PUNK RESURRECTED Do-It-Yourself culture lives on in the Boston community By Thomas Smyth

C

eremony, a California-based hardcore band, played the Democracy Center in Cambridge on April 20. A year ago, such a small venue would have been the ideal spot for the previously independent band. The band had more fans waiting in line to see them play that night than the Democracy Center could hold. Having signed onto Matador Records, a major label, the once indie hardcore band seemed out of place compared to the usual lineup at the Democracy Center.

Features Staff

THE SCENE In the punk world, the DIY scene centers around anti-consumerism and the ability to express oneself off of limited resources. It’s associated with music and activism, among other things. The phenomenon of the Democracy Center is rare. It is, by all accounts, a real venue. It may be small, and there may be no stage or sound booth, but it is legal. Many other DIY shows—held in spaces such as What We Talk About When We Talk About Us and The Secret House of Pancakes, which are two basement venues in Allston—are illegal according to Massachusetts law. At a typical basement show, guests might get a mark on their hands to indicate that they paid to get in. Basement shows typically do not have headliners signed to major labels. “The Democracy Center is legal, which is great. But these other spaces, they’re in warehouses and stuff. The cops can come and shut them down if they want,” said Ali Donohue, a College of Communication senior and the music director at WTBU. “Usually it doesn’t happen, because [the cops] have bigger fish Courtesy/rachel atchenson to fry, but it is an issue.” Curmudgeon at What We Talk About When We Talk About Us in November 2011. Donohue said she has been involved in the DIY scene for a der, Sexuality and Activism at Boston University. She said the grassroots ethos, which is pretty fun,” Pelly said. long time. She originally became a part of it when she was living idea of resisting oppression is incredibly important to her, and Pelly said she works with some of the Boston-based memoutside of New Brunswick, N.J., which she said is legendary for the DIY ethos ties into that. bers of the FMLY collective—a group of artists whose music its basement shows. When Donohue came to BU in 2008, she “As a whole, DIY is resisting different forms of oppression. tends to be much more experimental than that of the average said she was looking a similar experience. That’s what it is to me, at least,” Gupta said. garage punk band. “I didn’t feel socially connected, and I was looking for someDIY means something different to everyone, but almost evIt turns out that Boston, a city long known for its hardcore thing like I did back in New Jersey, which was just go to shows eryone agrees it’s not just about the music. While the music is and punk scenes, has a little bit of everything. A lot of this is due all the time. So, I started hearing about basement shows and goimportant, the activism is just as important. to Boston’s youth population constantly revolving. It means that ing to those,” Donohue said. Donohue was involved in planning the second annual Smash not many bands stay together for more than a few years and most It Dead Fest, which raised money for the Boston Area Rape that are serious about making a career out of it tend to move to COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE Crisis Center. It ran in various spaces around Allston and Cam- New York. bridge. More important than the music, Donohue said, was the “I think that it’s really great that there are so many people Donohue’s experience is not unique. Many people in Bosattention they were able to bring to BARCC and the amount of coming and going because you get to meet new people all the ton—and in other cities across the country—are drawn to DIY money they raised, which was about $4,300. time,” Pelly said. shows for the community, as much as they drawn to the music. Smash it Dead Fest featured mostly punk and hardcore The bands and basements may come and go, but there’s al“Initially it was just the music,” said Rani Gupta, a junior in bands, but punk bands are not the only ones putting on shows in ways going to be something going on. When there’s something COM. “But then you start talking to people and getting to know Boston basements. going on, there’s a community of people behind it. A community them. You start talking about your different views, and then you that allows everybody—whether it’s a scared college freshman realize that you have a lot of the same views on things.” BOOKING IT or a graduate in their mid-20s—to be part of something. Gupta admitted she’s still meeting new people, but for her, The phrase “DIY” is actually quite strange. Truth is, most DIY is something much more than going to shows in nontradiLiz Pelly, a COM grad who write for the Boston Phoenix, people in Boston tend to do it together. The people who live here tional spaces. said she’s been booking shows since 2010. Originally, she all tend to agree, there’s simply something about Boston that “It’s not just music. I think for people who just think that DIY booked them on her own in her living room and at local venue makes it a great place to make music, go to shows, help causes is just a style of music, I think that’s really inaccurate,” Gupta Great Scott, but she has since teamed up with her friends from and be a part of a community. said. “DIY is everything. It’s choosing not to go to big chain Lorem Ipsum Books in Cambridge to form a sort of booking col“There’s a lot of music happening here,” Donohue said. stores. It’s choosing to not use certain oppressive language, lective. A DIT—or Do-it-Together—philosophy, as she calls it. “There’s a lot of cool people making things happen and I’m whether it be transphobic, homophobic [or] racist language.” “There’s also a community of people in Boston who are into just…I’m glad to be in Boston.” Gupta said she works actively as a part of the Center for Genexperimental electronic but who have the same sort of punk,

Courtesy/rachel atchenson

Parasol, a hardcore band, plays at a house venue called Trouble Ahead in March 2012.

Courtesy/rachel atchenson

Cloud Rat, a hardcore band, performed at the Democracy Center in March 2012.


ednesday,

May 2, 2012

May Day protest inspired by 1886 Haymarket affair Occupy: From Page 1

and livelihoods are not secure,” Geidel said. Labor unions and other organizations showed their support of immigrant, worker and human rights. Joey Hiller, of Dorchester, is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, a union that aims to fight for laborers’ rights. “This is the kind of the thing we can’t not participate in because a lot of the prominent figures in the union fought for Americans to have the eight-hour workday,” Hiller said. Protesters said the Haymarket affair in Chicago inspired their protests. “Particularly as someone who self-identifies as an anarchist, the

five people who died as part of the Haymarket martyrs in the 1886 were all anarchists,” Chinich said, “and most of them hadn’t even attended the demonstration when things got out of hand and a bunch of police were killed.” Even though jobs and technology have changed, the situation of workers throughout the world remains just as bad as it was a long time ago, Hiller said, and people are still dealing with the same issues. “We’re still here for them, and we’ll all be here for each other,” Hiller said, “and this is just a really good day for all working-class people to come together . . . [for] a joint commiseration and finding some kind of new strength and solidarity through that act.”

Today’s crossword

solution brought to you by...FreeP

BEfORE YOU MaKE IT IN NEw YORK YOU HaVE TO MaKE IT TO NEw YORK The best place to live in Manhattan is also the easiest.

1 LOG ON

2 CLICK THRU

3

Baseball

MOVE TO NYC

Y M

A

FIRS T

NY

PA R

TME

T

8W

N

myfirst NYapt.com


Opinion

The Daily Free Press

The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University 42nd year F Volume 82 F Issue 107

Steph Solis, Editor-in-Chief Tim Healey, Managing Editor Emily Overholt, Campus Editor

Sydney L. Shea, City Editor

Meredith Perri, Sports Editor

Sofiya Mahdi, Opinion Page Editor

Kira Cole, Features Editor

Audrey Fain, Ricky Wilson, Photo Editors

Praise Hong, Advertising Manager Kaylee Hill, Layout Editor Valerie Morgan, 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 © 2010 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Waiting to work With summer only a couple of weeks away, thousands of college students will venture home or abroad in pursuit of internships or summer jobs, while some remain on Boston University’s campus to take classes or engage in exciting research projects. With regard to the BU student body, it is safe to assume that a majority of students have spent months toiling over internship applications; all are eager to breathe a sigh of relief when they receive the call that indicates summer will not be four long months of staring blankly at your bedroom walls. However, due to intense competition for job placements once graduation passes, parents and students are more partial to professional openings that will yield professional success in the future. According to an article published by TIME on Tuesday, our generation’s youth employment levels are dwindling. Where you once saw teenagers mowing lawns or working in grocery stores, you now see students who are more inclined to shadow a prestigious employee. Unfortunately, this trend is not necessarily perpetuated solely by students, but

by their parents as well. Hardworking families prioritize sending their children to college without having to get a job. Whether it is morally just or not, employers in a competitive job market find it favorable if a student provides experience in an office environment. The traditional skills of understanding teamwork and working hard in an environment that isn’t necessarily home to a corporation are being lost under layers of competition and desperation to surpass starting out at the very bottom of the career ladder. On the other hand, there are some students who are prepared to cope with a difficult climb to success once they are left to fend for themselves in the real world. This trend is not exclusive to college students either. Increasing numbers of high school students are also turning away from employment in order to cope with schoolwork and productive extracurricular activities, which will ensure future placement at a good college. Unfortunately, this shift in priorities dictated by society ensures that this trend will definitely continue for the foreseeable future.

Organs online We use Facebook to reveal a vast amount of information about ourselves. We all have friends who incessantly post about their fluctuating moods, weights and successes as they go through their daily lives. No longer is social networking solely about instant messaging and sharing pictures of you on exotic travels or at obscure college parties. Instead, with the integration of the new Facebook timeline function, you can now share when and where you moved homes, when you bought a new car - or even a new cat. The latest addition to Facebook information sharing, initiated on Tuesday, is an option where you can signal whether or not you are willing to donate organs. According to an article published in The New York Times on Tuesday, nearly 7,000 people in the United States die due to a lack of organ donors available. The new scheme by the social networking giant is designed to use the new information to draw attention to organ donation; consequently, the intention is that if users see many of their friends on Facebook signing up as organ donors, they will be more

inclined to formally register to donate. More radically, posting your consent on your Facebook profile may one day suffice as legally permissible to authorize an organ donation. Furthermore, this phenomenon wont’ be unique to the United States alone. The United Kingdom’s Facebook users will soon be able to change their status in the same way. The online declaration could also make the process of organ donation much faster. While these objectives are admirable, the overall concept is a bit bizarre. In addition, the sheer volume of Facebook users indicates there will be a divide of opinion on whether organ donation is a good idea or not. As a consequence, as much as advertising your positive stance on donation can be informative, so can users’ negative posts dissuading others from donating. While the premise to raise awareness on organ donation is commendable, bringing the issue to social networks to be contested is a path that one must proceed down with caution.

I

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Peacing out MARIA GELLEPES

remember when I used to read The Daily Free Press in the West Campus dining hall before I had my own column. I always thought that I could manage having a column of my own in the paper. After giving it a go this semester, I have to say that I’m glad I was able to write for readers in my last semester at Boston University. It was interesting trying to find my voice as a columnist. When I started writing, I figured that I would be the type of person that would complain about things that annoyed me around campus. But that changed, and soon I became a Yoda-hippie columnist. I was quick to consider myself wise and hoped to encourage students to think about their everyday actions. However, as the semester got going this also became a place for me to vent. If I was disappointed about my skating, I could come here and write about it and feel better after I got the disappointment out of my system. Or I could share the good things that were happening to me as I prepared for graduation. Whatever my present emotional state was at the time, it was nice to have an audience, because having a readership made me feel pretty special. I often wonder who reads my column. I remember that before I wrote for this paper I would think of things that I would like to say to the columnists, but I would never email them, because I was too shy to voice my thoughts. I wonder if anyone I don’t know reads this column on a weekly basis,

or if anyone has ever wanted to respond to something that I wrote. I want to believe that my words have reached one stranger on campus, and even though I have never talked to them in person, I’ve reached them through this paper. Even though my time here is up I’m still finding my voice, as a writer and in life, but that’s okay. There have been some columns of mine that I have loved and some that I thought were too preachy or too boring. But maybe that’s how I am from time to time preachy and boring. If I had it all figured out now, then there would be no incentive to improve and nothing to look forward to in life. I’m glad that I have things to improve upon - not only in writing, but in life. It has been an adventure writing for The Daily Free Press. It’s nice to have this record of how crazy my life was before I graduated from Boston University. Thanks for reading, and if there’s something I’ve learned from writing this column it’s to just go for the goals or daydreams that you want to achieve in life, and see where they take you. It’s okay if what you do isn’t perfect the first time you do it. As long as you have good intentions, and you give it your best effort, you will have fond memories to treasure for years to come. Maria Gellepes is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. She can be reached at mg887@bu.edu.

Letter to the Editor: On Iran To Whom It May Concern: It is essential for American and for global security at large to continue to sanction Iran’s nuclear regime. While renewed international talks to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear capability have furthered this objective, our national security is best bolstered by fully enforcing the sanctions authorized by Congress. Our government began this endeavor long before Iran was nearly this close to obtaining a deployable weapon, and today Iran is closer than ever before to that frightful point. While a policy strictly of diplomacy is ideal, sanctions must remain a constant. President Barack Obama must share the logical and strategic reasons with the international community and encourage other nations to re-think continuing trade relations with Iran to develop their own respective courses of action to further our vital cause. The key for these connections between nations is communication and continuity of the sanctions, which have already proven to be effective. Our

leaders must clarify and express the urgency of this issue and share what has been identified as a serious threat to us and to our global allies. Simply speaking out against Iran is not enough to attain the world’s attention and support. We must continue to put ac-

tions with our words. Our government, its leaders and advisors must continue sanctioning Iran to convey to the international community our authenticity and the seriousness of our convictions. Furthermore, our legislators have provided corporations that trade with Iran enough time to adapt and substitute their business partners in order to protect the domestic economy. Restricting trade has also put pressure on Iran to terminate their nuclear program and as a result has attracted other nations to observe America’s actions and join in these important sanctions. America has expressed its urgency, has acted, is acting and must continue to pursue measures to prevent the worst-case scenario of a nuclear Iran. Britain, Canada and other allies have also imposed sanctions and, together, we must continue to rally global support. Through an international coalition, the world can collectively prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear program. Becoming aware of the grave reality of current events of the Middle East is only the beginning. The international community must pressure Iran financially and socially for the sake of international geopolitical security. -David Danesh CGS 2015

www.dailyfreepress.com

Want to share your amazing summer experiences with us next semester? Send us a letter to the editor at:

Good luck on finals!

Don’t forget to include your name, school and class year.

Don’t forget to check out our website over the summer:

9

letters@dailyfreepress.com


10

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Sustainability focuses on recycling, reusable bags Run seen as respite from finals take your mind off of stuff, just rather than meat consumption, student leader says in underwear, you could be in shorts just have a good time with your friends.” Naked: From Page 3

Sustainability: From Page 1

In addition, the initiatives in the 2011-12 academic year included promoting Green Office Certification, installing electric vehicle charging stations in the BU Medical Campus and constructing two buildings certified through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. Both LEED-certified buildings, the East Campus Student Center and BUMC residence, are set to open this fall, Carlberg said. The residence is the first on the BUMC campus where gray – previously used – water reclamation has been implemented. “There’s a dorm project on the Medical Campus that is using captured drain water, storing it and using it for irrigation,” Carlberg said. “We’re interested in doing this where it’s appropriate.” The BUMC residence is expected to receive LEED silver, and the East Campus Student Center is tracking at LEED gold. “That’s been our focus for this past year, getting buildings going on LEED,” Carlberg said. “We’re really looking forward and making sure we’re doing things right now so that the new building stock is energy efficient, water efficient and [provides] a healthy place to live and work.”

LEED ratings were also used in the Green Office Certification project this year, Carlberg said. Orr said the Green Office Certification project has taken great strides this semester, and only two schools remain to be certified. “We’re hoping to have at least a few participants from each college or school on campus by early this summer,” he said. Sustainability has certified 115 offices since February and 415 offices in total, Orr said. “The next few things we are working on is improving the Green Office Certification by determining if those who have already been [certified] are continuing to improve sustainability in their workplace,” he said. Other initiatives this year included the addition of 36 BigBelly waste and recycling collection systems to campus and piloting a trash buddy program at the School of Education and the George Sherman Union. Two and a half tons of paper per year per restroom were saved by implementing hand dryers in the GSU in place of paper towels, said Sustainability intern Meredith Withelder. Trash buddies, small trash cans to place waste in that hang off recycling bins, will be piloted in two additional buildings, including in Facilities, by the end of the summer, Carlberg said.

Rachel Atcheson, next year’s Vegetarian Society president, said though many of Sustainability’s initiatives are “wonderful,” they take part in greenwashing, a public relations tactic. “You’ll get a green initiative organization, such as sustainability@ BU, and they will push really hard to make everyone feel like they’re actually doing all these progressive things,” Atcheson, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, said. “Sustainability is not doing as much as they could be.” Atcheson said Sustainability falls short in that it fails to address meat consumption, a major contribution to green house gases. “The fact that they’re just not addressing the meat consumption is disappointing,” Atcheson said. “They divert attention from individuals’ meat consumption to their recycling or reusable bags initiatives.” Jaime Silverstein, director of Environmental Affairs within Student Union and a School of Management senior, said the environmental group on campus made an initiative to come together this year. She said, “We need more students on board and participating so that we have more of an environmental impact on campus.”

Check out The Daily Free Press blog! freepblog.wordpress.com

and a sports bra,” Cochin said. “I think it’s all about if you’re comfortable with it it’s fine, and if you’re not comfortable don’t go.” College of Communication freshman Paul Remy said he might take part in the run to take a break from studying. “It just looks like a fun thing to do,” Remy said. “Everyone is really stressed out right now, [it’s good to]

Remy said it is important to keep students involved and productive. However, COM freshman Jun Tsuboike said he would not have the time to run at this busy time of the semester despite wanting to. “It’s a great cause and I would love to join in,” Tsuboike said. “It’s just that my schedule is packed, and it’s the end of the semester, but if I had the time I would totally join in on this.”

The Daily Free Press celebrates

25 years

with Turley Publications Thank you, Keith, Kevin, Rhonda, Jackie, Dave and everyone else, for all your help and generosity!

Special Thanks to our Office Manager Thank you, Val, for all of the hard work and dedication with The Daily Free Press. You will always be a part of The FreeP family!


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

11

Griffins attitude remained positive despite role change to bench player Griffin: From page 8

sylvania’s Palaestra became Griffin family outings, and the atmosphere opened Matt’s eyes to the heated rivalry among Philly schools. Having been exposed to Philadelphia college basketball at an early age due to his dad’s coaching, Griffin learned the majority of the game from his older brother, John. They played on the same basketball hoop in their backyard since they were five years old and knew the different nooks and crannies of the backboard, which allowed them to score in a variety of ways. For quite some time, John held the edge over his diminutive brother. “I was always physically bigger than Matt,” John said. “I’d let him hang around for a little bit and then I’d squash him.” Inner-city Philadelphia groomed the Griffin brothers into the competitors that they are, teaching them to be hard-nosed and play with an edge to their game. On those Philadelphia courts, players had to have a “win-or-go-home attitude” if they wanted to see any minutes. John has played 20-plus years of basketball in his life, which included a solid four-year career at Bucknell University where he averaged 8.6 points, 2.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds. Even as he grew older, though, Matt merely played for the love of the game. “I was always pretty good growing up, but I was also very small,” Griffin said. “College basketball never crossed my mind until junior

year of high school. I was always playing just to get better and always playing for the fun of it. I enjoyed practicing and working hard. But I don’t think I ever had the goal in mind of having to be a college basketball player. “I was playing for the enjoyment of it and the challenge of getting better. That’s it.” That mindset changed when Griffin hit his junior year, by which point he had significantly improved. He believed he could make it to the college basketball ranks, so he continued working hard in the offseason and trained himself to a level where he thought he was good enough to play. Griffin’s motivation was simple. “My goal became ‘I need to play Division I,’” he said. Saint Peter’s College recruited Griffin, but he chose to go to Rider because it was closer to home. *** BU’s 2009-10 campaign was a trying year for Griffin, as he had to sit out the season due to NCAA transfer regulations. But it also posed a unique challenge for him and fellow transfers Darryl Partin and Patrick Hazel. Through practicing and sitting on the bench during games, Griffin learned to acclimate his skill set to Chambers’ up-tempo style. The lessons he picked up from experienced players on that squad, such as Tyler Morris, Carlos Strong and Corey Lowe, also molded him into the blue-collar player that hustles for every loose ball and walks with a swagger on the court.

“I learned from all those guys, especially Tyler, about the absolute toughness and work ethic,” Griffin said. “Those dudes battled and overcame so much adversity. Those guys were mentors to me, especially Tyler, on how to be a leader, on how to play with confidence, on how to play with some swag. They had it all. They taught me how to be physical and tough. “Playing against those guys improved my game every day. They were the best players in our league, and I figured if I could play against those guys, then I could play against anyone, so it gave me great confidence.” A season after BU fell short in the America East championship game, Chambers named then-junior forward Jake O’Brien, Hazel and Griffin as the team’s tri-captains. Griffin hadn’t suited up in a game for the Terriers yet, but his leadership qualities had drawn his coach’s attention. Griffin embraced the leadership role and mentored the incoming freshmen from the get-go. “I try to set the example by leading by example,” Griffin said. “I don’t want to just be out there being a guy that’s a cheerleader. I want to make sure that I’m doing things so that younger guys can follow my lead, first and foremost.” Hazel said Griffin is the epitome of a natural-born leader. “He’s always fired up and trying to make everyone around him better,” Hazel said. “He’s always so vocal and making sure that if a guy isn’t doing the right thing to help out the team, he’s trying to

bring everyone up. That’s probably the best part about him because he’s a talented kid himself. But he makes sure to put guys on his back. There’s no question about his leadership.” *** A conference crown and an NCAA Tournament appearance in March 2011 humbled the 22-yearold Griffin, who was adjusting to his third coach in four years after Chambers left for Penn State University in June. “I definitely took a different approach this [past] year because I knew that, coming off a successful year in winning the America East, we’d have a target on our backs,” Griffin said. “I had to take more of a role of pushing guys because we didn’t want to feel complacent. So it was more of my job to be more vocal than normal, just push guys as hard as possible, more than I did the year before.” New coach Joe Jones moved Griffin from the starting guard spot alongside sophomore D.J. Irving after the third game of the season, a move that didn’t faze him at all. He felt more comfortable being the Terriers’ sixth man and providing a spark off the bench. His attitude remained positive, and he never strayed away from the team concept. “I’ve been coaching college basketball now for 17 years, and there’s no one that has a deeper passion and love for the game and for his teammates than Matt Griffin,” Jones said. “He’s the consummate team player. Great effort every day. He always wants to know what he

can do a better job of, always striving to be better.” As his collegiate career at BU nears it conclusion, Griffin won’t be remembered for the 407 points he scored or the 116 assists he dished out or his 3-point shooting percentage dipping from 45.8 percent in 2010-11 to 31.6 percent this year. He’ll be best remembered as being the heart and soul of the Terriers, as a player whose infectious energy inspired all those around him to work that much harder. “I’ll remember him for all his dives,” Hazel said. “He loves to dive on the floor. He kind of reminds me of a kid on a Slip ‘n Slide. He’s always all over the place. He’s like a freaking bundle of energy. His energy, the intensity and the passion that he brought every single day in practice, the games, whatever it was, that’s what me and the guys will remember him most by.” Senior center Jeff Pelage put Griffin’s value to the BU community into perspective. “Everyone knows about Griff’s work ethic,” Pelage said. “Everyone knows Griff works really hard. Griff is my guy. He’s my teammate. He’s my locker mate. He’s one of my best friends. Just having him as a team captain, and just even forget about the role of a captain, just having him in my life has been such a pick-up. “He’s been a good guy to me and a good friend, and I can’t complain. He’s the best and everyone knows that. He’s a little guy with a big heart. That’s the man right there.”


I was playing for the enjoyment of it and the challenge of getting better. -Men’s basketball senior Matt Griffin

Page 12

The Gospel

Sports

By René Reyes Daily Free Press Staff

JUNHEE CHUNG/DAILY FREE PRESS FILE PHOTO

Senior Matt Griffin became a well-known leader on the men’s basketball team after transferring to BU from Rider.

Matt Griffin mulled over the options in front of him. It was 2009, one season after being named a team captain as just a sophomore, and he had decided to transfer from Rider University and explore other possibilities for his basketball future. He considered going to community college. He looked at several Division I and II schools. He even thought about taking a year off to hone his skills, namely his dribbling, free-throw shooting and trademark 3-point shot. Griffin needed a change of scenery. Rider had posted a 34-24 record in his two years at the Lawrenceville, N.J., school, but his name had fallen well below where he wanted it to be on the Broncs’ depth chart. He no longer fit into coach Tommy Dempsey’s offensive system at Rider. “My game was more tailored toward running an offense and being a pass-first [point guard],” Griffin said. “Their system was more of scoring one-on-one. In order for me to play, I had to score more. It just wasn’t my style. I didn’t feel comfortable. So I knew in order for me to reach my potential, I’d have to try a different system in a different place.” Griffin then touched base with

By Tyler Lay Daily Free Press Staff

After taking a couple of wins from the University of Maine in Orono early in April, the Boston University softball team was forced to return home because of inclement weather before the teams could complete the conference series. On Tuesday, the Terriers returned to Maine and completed the extended sweep by virtue of a 5-3 victory. BU coach Shawn Rychcik said his team had to overcome much adversity regarding school scheduling in order to attain the win. “It’s a tough time of the year to reschedule,” Rychcik said. “We had to move exams. . . . We were supposed to play at 2:30 p.m., and then it rained today so we weren’t able to start until almost 4:30 p.m. . . .

Lots of sacrifices on the teachers’ parts and on the kids’ parts.” After the teams overcame the various delays, the Black Bears (15-27-1, 6-8-1 America East) jumped into the lead first. In the second inning, sophomore pitcher Holli Floetker struggled to find her groove, walking two and giving up a two-run home run before ending the inning with a strikeout. Junior Whitney Tuthill entered the game in relief for Floetker after two outs in the third inning. BU (34-13, 12-3 America East) battled to even the score with Maine, gaining one run in each the third and sixth innings. Sophomore shortstop Brittany Clendenny, who was named last week’s America

Read full story online

By Shep Hayes Daily Free Press Staff

The Boston University lacrosse team will open the America East Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Nickerson Field when they host the University at Albany. The Terriers (11-6, 5-0 America East) enter the postseason with a perfect record against conference opponents and wins in 10 of their last 11 games. BU completed the perfect regular conference season on Saturday at Binghamton, where the Terriers emerged with an 18-16 victory. Despite the win, however, BU coach Liz Robertshaw wasn’t entirely impressed with her team’s defense. “We gave Binghamton way too many scoring opportunities, and I

2011-12 Quotables

Those game jerseys cost a lot more than those T-shirts.

“ “

Men’s hockey coach Jack Parker on BU’s fan presence at Conte Forum

It would be nice to have all the horses in the barn, but we don’t right now.

Women’s hockey coach Brian Durocher on his team’s injuries

The Bottom Line

Wednesday, May 2 Softball @ UMass-Amherst, 5 p.m.

first-year Boston University men’s basketball coach Patrick Chambers, whom he had met at a tournament while playing for St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia. Chambers was one of Villanova University’s assistant coaches at the time, and was on the recruiting trail looking at a skilled power forward named Dalton Pepper. While in the stands of that Classics Tournament, Griffin met Chambers, who would later reach out to him after he was granted his official release from Rider. Griffin took a leap of faith, as he likes to call it, and it brought him to BU. *** A native of Narberth, Pa., “Griff” hated Villanova with a passion. That’s what he was raised to do since his father, John, was an assistant coach at St. Joseph’s University from 1988-90 and then became the Hawks’ head coach in 1990, holding the position for the next five years. Born in 1989, Griffin grew up watching his dad patrol the sidelines while attending Hawks’ home games at the Michael J. Hagen Arena. Wherever he turned, Griffin was surrounded by the passion the state of Pennsylvania has for college basketball. Trips to the University of Penn-

Griffin, see page 7

Softball to face UMass, Plourde BU preps for conference tournament

“ 2 “ 5

Thursday, May 3 Lacrosse vs. Albany, 1 p.m.

Boy, it’s a sad world.

“ “

“ 1 “ 4

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Transfer Griffin makes name for self as team leader

Andrew McCarthy

McCarthy, see page 7

BU lacrosse will attempt to maintain it’s perfect conference record when it heads into the America East Tournament on Thursday, p. 8.

[ www.dailyfreepress.com ]

The column I didn’t want, but grew to love

Full disclosure: When I first applied for a writing gig with the FreeP, I didn’t want to write about sports. In fact, given the opportunity, I probably would have taken any other assignment presented to me. But sports was where the sole opportunity to write was, and the necessity to build my at-the-time thin portfolio overcame any initial apprehensiveness regarding the subject. So, despite my misgivings, I somewhat abruptly found myself as a sports columnist for this fair paper. Now, this is not to say that I don’t love sports, because I do. It’s also not because I don’t know what I’m talking about, because, well, I do. In actuality, the aforementioned desire to distance myself from the sports section had nothing at all to do with my own personal feelings towards sports as a whole. It was part of a calculated (and in hindsight, ill-conceived) effort to re-prioritize my life. For as long as I can remember, my existence has orbited around sports in one way or another. Like most moderately athletic young boys, the majority of my childhood was spent either at a game or practice – or en route to one. Countless hours of my youth were spent in a never-ending rotation of hockey tournaments, lacrosse games and baseball practices. In addition to the sports I actually enjoyed, I also put in the requisite five agonizing years of youth soccer. And, due to my older sister’s own personal success as a competitive swimmer, I also spent far more time on swim teams than I would have otherwise

Flawless

The Daily Free Press

Men’s hockey coach Jack Parker on Wade Megan becoming a world-wide trending topic on Twitter

I’d call it a gorilla off my back. It wasn’t so much a monkey at this point.

Men’s hockey senior captain Chris Connolly on his first goal of the season

Friday, May 4

No Games Scheduled Amare Stoudamire was just trying to put out the fire the Heat started...

“ 3 “ 6

think we let their big goal scorers have good days, which is something that we can’t afford to do going into Albany on Thursday,” Robertshaw said. “We have to play better defensively and limit the amount of shots that they take in order for us to find success.” In practice so far this week, Robertshaw said the team has focused on putting the defense in as many game-like scenarios as possible, hoping to make defending the goal almost reflexive when Albany (10-5, 3-3 America East) comes to town. “We’ve just put the defense into a lot more situations where they need to play or they need to react to whatever attackers are doing,” Robertshaw said.

Read full story online

He thinks there’s two great defensemen and he’s both of them.

“ “

Quotable

Men’s hockey coach Jack Parker on Garrett Noonan’s confidence

We got handed a pretty good piece of humble pie this weekend.

Saturday, May 5 Softball @ UMBC, 1 p.m. Lacrosse @ America East Championship, 1 p.m.

Softball coach Shawn Rychcik

Sunday, May 6

Softball @ UMBC, 12 p.m. Track @ America East Championships, All Day


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.