10-31-2013

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The Daily Free Press

Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XXXIV

8 MILE Zakim eyes District 8 City Council spot, page 3.

[

Thursday, October 31, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

WORK IT

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www.dailyfreepress.com

THE LEAGUE

Women face league games with Vermont, UNH, page 8.

‘Workaholics’ star Adam Devine talks lifestyle, page 5.

WEATHER

Today: PM showers, high 63. Tonight: Showers, low 59. Tomorrow: 67/46. Data Courtesy of weather.com

THE STRENGTH AND THE TRIUMPH: Thousands celebrate Red Sox World Series win in Kenmore, Copley

MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

MIKE DESOCIO/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

ALEXANDRA WIMLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

OLIVIA NADEL/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

LEFT: A crowd gathering beside Fenway Park cheers and chants for the Boston Red Sox. TOP: Michael Langlois and his son Christopher, of Long Island, N.Y., munch on hotdogs outside of Fenway Park on Lansdowne Street Wednesday evening before Game 6 of the 2013 World Series. BOTTOM: Crowds cheer after the Boston Red Sox victory Wednesday night in Kenmore Square. RIGHT: Boston police line up on bicycles Wednesday night outside of Fenway Park.

By Alice Bazerghi, Steven Dufour and Rachel Riley Daily Free Press Staff

Thousands of people took to the streets Wednesday night to celebrate as the Boston Red Sox clinched the 2013 World Series. The Red Sox won Game 6 against the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 6-1. It is the first time the Sox have won the final game of a World Series in front of the home fans at Fenway Park since 1918.

Throngs of people gathered in Kenmore Square as early as 10:30 p.m. while the game was still being played. Boston Police Department officers swept crowds off the streets at various occasions as the groups became rowdy. When the final out was recorded, thousands gathered in Kenmore Square in view of the Prudential Building, which had lights on its face that were arranged to display “Go Sox” in traditional fashion.

The air roared with shouts, cheers and songs as fans — some of them native Bostonians, some converted Boston University students — celebrated the eighth World Series title for the Red Sox. Chants of “Boston Strong,” “Go Papi” and “Let’s go Red Sox” burst out every few minutes in the tightly packed post-game mob as dozens of BPD officers attempted to keep the celebrations controlled. In Kenmore, police corralled residents

onto the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. The crowd was pushy, but no serious violence or rioting broke out. A total of nine people were arrested, according to a tweet from the BPD at 1:39 a.m. After about 20 minutes, much of the crowd saw celebratory fireworks go off in Fenway, and chants swelled in volume immediately afterward.

Red Sox, see page 2

Department of Education to develop college ranking system on affordability By Drew Schwartz Daily Free Press Staff

The U.S. Department of Education is creating a college ratings system that will better inform students and promote improvement among institutions of higher education such as Boston University, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Wednesday in a press conference. “We look forward to our continued efforts to collect guidance about how to design a college ratings system that makes sense, making sure that Americas extraordinary system of higher ed. — the best in the world — continues to thrive, grow and

strengthen our entire nation,” he said. The ratings system, which would take effect in fall 2014, would address students’ ability to afford colleges and universities, Duncan said. “The sad reality is that attending college today has actually never been more expensive,” he said. “That’s why in August, [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama proposed a new college value and affordability plan that would pay for performance, promote innovation and competition, and assure that student debt remains affordable.” In August, Obama unveiled his plan for higher education reforms to lower the cost

of college. Proposed reforms included efforts to cap student loans as well as plans to create a ratings system for colleges based on value and returns on investment. Kevin Lang, an economics professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the increase in college tuition is a major problem for students. “It has become much more expensive to go to a four-year institution, public or private,” Lang said. “At the same time, the labor market … for the last several years has been weak. We’ve seen recent college graduates not doing very well and having significant debt, which puts them in a very

difficult financial situation.” The DOE is accepting feedback on how to best promote college affordability and access, Duncan said during the press conference. Officials will be holding town hall meetings and roundtable discussions with educational institutions across the country. “To develop this college rating system, which again does not exist yet, the department wants to hear the country’s best ideas and most creative thinking to address,” he said. Duncan said he and other senior depart-

Education, see page 4

President Barack Obama visits Boston, defends healthcare.gov website By Alice Bazerghi Daily Free Press Staff

U.S. President Barack Obama bashed critics of the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, saying the old system of healthcare was broken and those defending it should have to explain themselves. Obama spoke to about 800 people at Faneuil Hall, the same place where former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney signed into law a similar health care plan for Massachusetts seven years ago. “It’s because you guys had a proven model that we built the Affordable Care Act on this template of proven bipartisan success,” Obama said. “Your law was the model for the nation’s law, and today the Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to abide by some of the strongest consumer protections this country has every known — a true patient’s bill of rights.” Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick said like the healthcare marketplace that launched on Oct. 1, initiation of the state program seven years ago was not flawless, but in time the glitches were worked out. “We started out with a website that needed work, we had a lot of people with a lot of reasonable questions and not a good enough

MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF FILE

U.S. President Barack Obama descends from Air Force One at Logan International Airport Wednesday morning.

way to get them the answers,” he said. “But people were patient, we had good leadership and that same coalition stuck with it and with us to work through the fixes of tech surge and all … because health reform in Massachusetts, like the Affordable Care Act, is not a website, it’s a values statement.” Protesters who urged Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline proposal interrupted the speech twice. “That is the wrong rally,” Obama said.

ABIGAIL LIN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF FILE

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the Affordable Care Act Wednesday afternoon at Faneuil Hall.

“We had the climate change rally back in the summer, this is the healthcare rally.” In Washington, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday to acknowledge problems with healthcare.gov. She said the problems would be fixed by the end of November. Obama said the website has not worked the way it’s supposed to and as a conse-

quence, people have not been able to see the low prices and quality insurance plan the marketplace offers. He said ultimately, the website will be the best way to shop for insurance because buyers will be able to compare plans to find the best deal. “There’s no denying it right now: the site is too slow, too many people have gotten stuck and I am not happy about it,” he said.

Obama, see page 2


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