9-30-2013

Page 1

The Daily Free Press

Year xliii. Volume lxxxxviii. Issue XVI

INSOMNIACS Students, activists protest at Insomnia Cookies, page 3.

[

Monday, September 30, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

SO CHIC

MFA exhibit displays fashion of hippie culture, page 5.

]

www.dailyfreepress.com

WOODWORTHY

Woodworth scores 2 in women’s hockey preseason, page 8.

WEATHER

Today: Partly cloudy, high 65. Tonight: Partly cloudy, low 49. Tomorrow: 74/57. Data Courtesy of weather.com

Immigration advocates protest treatment of inmates BU campuses to see By Steven Dufour Daily Free Press Staff

In a movement that has been ongoing for several years, about 50 people gathered in front of the Suffolk County House of Corrections on Sunday to protest unfair treatment of imprisoned immigrants. “We’re here because of unsanitary conditions [for inmates],” said Peter Lowber, organizer of the event for The Boston New Sanctuary Movement. “The vigils out here have given them strength to do what they’re doing. So being out is important because it does give that strength. It shows that solidarity. It helps them, so it’s very important.” BNSM organized the vigils in response to a letter of complaint sent on Tuesday to corrections officials by nearly 40 inmates who are detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The letter threatened a hunger strike if their demands for better living conditions were not met, but the strike was canceled after a protest on Thursday. Officials for the House of Corrections were not available to comment. Members of several organizations, including BNSM, Black and Pink, Centro Presente and the Boston Workers Alliance, spoke to the crowd about poor food quality, medical care and visitation rights of the ICE inmates. After an introductory prayer, Jose Palma, lead organizer for Centro Presente, an advocacy group in favor of Latin American immigrant rights, said the U.S.’s difficult naturalization process puts people in prison unnecessarily.

increased number of security cameras By Alexandra Mardirossian Daily Free Press Contributor

SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Sarah Richards of Somerville, who graduated from and taught at Boston University, holds a sign as protesters wave at inmates Sunday afternoon, at the Suffolk County House of Corrections, during a protest organized by the Boston New Sanctuary Movement.

“I came here [to the U.S.] in 1998, and since that time, I still don’t have a permanent residence and I still don’t know if I will ever be a citizen,” he said. “We are a light of hope for many people in the shadows, [for] many people who are living in the dark.” Sunni Ali, a representative from BWA, said a petition he is gathering signatures for would make the state government use taxpayer money to create jobs for immigrants rather than for

prison funding. “Why would you want to take our money and build more jails and prisons for people who don’t have jobs, for people that are underemployed, for people that are targeted to be put in prison?” he said. “[We] could employ 10,000 people over a 10-year period at a liveable wage, so why would you ever use that money to build

Incarceration, see page 2

District 8 City Council election takes back seat to mayoral race By Katie Vibbert Daily Free Press Contributor

Competing in the shadow of the Boston mayoral election, City Council hopefuls Josh Zakim and Michael Nichols will go head to head after beating out a field of five candidates on Tuesday, fighting to fill former mayoral candidate Mike Ross’s seat and represent District Eight in the Boston City Council. Zakim, a lawyer at Greater Boston Legal Services, came in first place in the primary, garnering 2,691 votes or approximately 45 percent. He said public education is at the top of his agenda. “Boston should be a place with good quality elementary schools and success from no matter what neighborhood you come from,” he said. “I want to make sure Boston is a place of opportunity ... we need to look at innovative solutions for school systems and make sure folks have constants in government.” Nichols, research director to the entire City

Council, came in second in the primary with 1,619 votes, or approximately 27 percent, and said his top priorities are affordable housing in Boston’s neighborhoods and late-night transportation. “[A priority is] making sure that people at every income level or none at all can afford to live in Boston,” he said. “[Another] one is late-night transportation, not only for the student population but those who work third-shift jobs, whether it be a hotel or a hospital, bar or restaurant — those folks don’t have reliable transportation.” Although this election will affect only residents of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Kenmore, Mission Hill and parts of the West End, voter turnout was low, with only 7,013 votes or about 21 percent of the number of registered people voting in the D8 city council primary election. Katherine Einstein, a political science professor at Boston University, said voters are al-

ready too overwhelmed with the mayoral race to pay attention to the city council race. “Mayors in Boston are more high salience and have more power than individual city councilors,” she said. “When you have this crowded mayoral field, that is already pretty complicated and hard to follow, you’re going to have interested voters focused on that election and not so much on the city council election,” she said. She said because Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has been in office for decades and voters had to choose between 12 candidates, many did not have the time or energy to invest into voting for city council as well. Nichols said light voter interest is not surprising and that he understands voters are tired and consumed with the mayoral race. “It’s definitely the mayoral race … so that has demanded a lot of attention,” he said. “There were a lot of candidates to consider

City Council, see page 2

In response to a string of crime near campus during the 2012-13 academic year, Boston University President Robert Brown has called for an increased concentration of security cameras across BU’s Charles River Campus and Medical Campus, said BUPD Deputy Director of Public Safety Scott Paré. Paré said the new cameras will be pan-tilt rather than stationary, and thus will be capable of remote directional and zoom control from BUPD’s headquarters. The cameras’ views will span 180 degrees so dispatchers can monitor a large area at one time. “These cameras are going to be used to enhance the safety and the security of this community,” Paré said. “They are only in public areas where, quite often, police are visible anyways. This just gives us an opportunity to look at a greater area and if something happens we have the ability to go back and look … It’s not to attack anybody’s privacy.” Installation of the cameras is an ongoing process that should be completed in the next few months, he said. Paré said BU has had cameras in place around campus for much time. They were particularly useful in assisting policemen find the suspects responsible for a string of armed robberies and a stabbing on or near campus in the 2012-13 academic year. “Though cameras have long been in place on BU’s campus, the success in solving the [stabbing] incident prompted BU President Robert Brown to call for increased security across the Charles River and Medical Campuses,” Paré said. Despite the concerns of some students, new cameras are not intended to look for students taking part in their everyday or nighttime activities, said BUPD Dispatcher Rich Churchill. He said since bike thefts have been a regular occurrence on campus, the increased security should come as a great relief to BU’s large biker community. Paré said the security cameras are multipurpose as they can help BUPD officials assess traffic during major campus events, and help dispatchers monitor the location of a traffic incident before officers arrive to the scene. Churchill said other common theft-targeted

Cameras, see page 2

Pres. Robert Brown receives $1.3 million total compensation for 2011-12 By Rachel Riley Daily Free Press Staff

Boston University President Robert Brown’s compensation increased by almost $350,000 between the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years, according to 990 tax forms filed by BU officials. Brown received $1,141,330 in compensation for the 2010-11 year and $1,381,264 for the 2011-12 year, BU spokesman Colin Riley confirmed. The increase is partially attributed to Brown’s success in following his strategic plan for the university. “By all indicators, the university performance — certainly the financial performance of the university — is stronger than it’s ever been under his leadership and his strategic vision of the campus,” Riley said “… We’re very fortunate to have his outstanding leadership.” The Executive Compensation Committee of the Board of Trustees decides Brown’s annual salary through negotiation, Riley said. The university president’s compensation comes from revenue stream that funds all major university

operations. “It’s from the same revenue stream that provides the operating revenue stream for the university,” Riley said. “Salaries and benefits are the single largest component of expenses at the university. The single largest revenue stream is tuition.” Brown’s compensation for the 2011-12 year exceeds the compensation of presidents at other major Boston area schools, according to the each university’s official Form 990. Harvard University President Drew Faust made $899,734 and Emerson College President Lee Pelton made $421,520. Other local universities 990 forms for the 2012-12 year have not yet been posted online. Brown’s compensation also saw a major increase between the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years, when the International Revenue Service began requiring colleges to include the value of perks, such as housing, in official compensation packages declared on tax forms,

Brown, see page 2

GRAPHIC BY SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston University President Robert Brown’s salary has steadily increased during his time as president.


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.