The Daily Free Press
Year xliv. Volume lxxxvi. Issue XXVIII
LATE NIGHT Walsh forms task force to keep bars open later, page 3.
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Monday, March 17, 2014 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
LITTLE BIT
Bitcoin system results in mixed opinions, page 5.
]
THE END
www.dailyfreepress.com
Women’s hockey falls to Minnesota to conclude season, page 8.
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BU basketball coach faces bullying allegations from former athletes By Taryn Ottaunick and Jacklyn Bamberger Daily Free Press Staff
Boston University women’s basketball coach Kelly Greenberg is facing accusations of severe bullying, including the dismissal of eating disorders and depression, from former team members. Former BU women’s basketball players Melissa Gallo and Dana Theobald, who prematurely left the team during the 2013-14 season, have reported receiving personal abuse from Greenberg and other members of the BU women’s basketball staff during their tenures as players. Katie Poppe and Dionna Joynes also allege bullying, according to a Boston Globe story published March 8. Theobald, who left the team as a sophomore for emotional health issues such as depression and an eating disorder, said Greenberg’s abuse on and off the basketball court exacerbated her struggles. “It was October 15, 2013, when I went to my coach’s office to explain that I was requesting a leave of absence,” Theobald said. “I explained yet again that I was really struggling with an eating disorder and depression and anxiety and that it was only being triggered through this program. All she had to say was, ‘you look horrible out there, absolutely horrible.’” Although Theobald had confided to Greenberg that she was seeing Student Health Services for her eating disorder, she said Greenberg offered no support and did not see the issue as a coach’s responsibility. “She told me there’s no excuse, no reason
MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS FILE PHOTO
Former Boston University women’s basketball players have come forward and alleged that their coach, Kelly Greenberg, has emotionally abused them.
for me to have this [eating disorder] or be struggling with this,” Theobald said. “My parents had a meeting with her and asked her how she couldn’t care about her players struggling with things off the court, and she said, ‘I have dealt with many players who struggle with eating disorders. Some of them do OK with it. Some of them don’t do OK with it. Either way, it’s not my problem.’”
As a result of Theobald’s and other former players’ accusations of abuse, Greenberg has hired attorney Paul V. Kelly to represent her as she continues to face allegations. “Based on the outpouring of support shown by current and former players, parents, collegiate coaches and members of the Boston University community, it is apparent that Coach Greenberg has been a mentor and role model to
student-athletes throughout her 24-year coaching career,” Kelly said in a statement. “She looks forward to the opportunity to fully address the issues raised in recent media reports as part of the review process initiated by the University.” Several BU women’s basketball alumnae have jumped to Greenberg’s defense after receiving word of the accusations. Kristen Sims, who played on the team from 2009 to 2013, said she did not observe any evidence of bullying from Greenberg during her time on the team. “It is absolutely not true,” Sims said. “From someone who was on the team for four years, I never saw any examples of bullying. Obviously as a coach she’s going to be tough on you and have high expectations for you, but to say she’s a bully — I just find 100 percent false. It’s shocking that people would say these things about someone who has given everything to us.” Sims said Greenberg not only encouraged her to improve as a basketball player, but also fostered her and her teammates’ growth as human beings. “She was a role model,” she said. “… She helped me achieve things that I never thought I would be able to do. Because of her, I got to play for one of the top teams in the country. She helped my team share so many successes with each other and taught me the values of family and friendship.” Despite defenses such as these, Theobald said Greenberg favored players who exhib-
Greenberg, see page 2
Father of deceased student to host benefit concert for Barksdale scholarship fund By Adrian Baker Daily Free Press Staff
The first benefit concert for Boston University’s Tony Barksdale II Memorial Mechanical/Aeronautical Scholarship will be held next month in honor of former BU student Tony Barksdale II, who passed away last March. Barksdale, then a College of Engineering freshman, died on March 2, 2013, after medical personnel transported him from a function at a home in Allston. “What I wanted to do was have a negative thing be a positive,” said Barksdale’s father, Tony Barksdale I, who organized the event. “[The scholarship] is in honor of our son because he was a very outgoing, giving, happy person. I want to make sure that he is not forgotten, that good things in his honor can help someone else, because he always was willing to help someone.” Any high school senior accepted to BU to study engineering is eligible to receive the
award from the TB2 Foundation, which administers the scholarship, said Barksdale’s father. The concert will be held at Souhegan High School in Amherst, N.H., from which Barksdale II graduated two years ago. Barksdale’s father said he aimed to sell out the 457-seat venue, as all proceeds go to the scholarship. Barksdale’s father said he was inspired to begin a scholarship in part because his son’s former high school basketball coach Michael Heaney started the Tony Barksdale Memorial Scholarship for high school seniors on Souhegan’s varsity basketball team. “Everybody who knew him loved him,” Heaney said. “So many kids took after him.” Heaney, who is part of the committee that chooses the recipient of the Mechanical/Aeronautical Scholarship, said the scholarship provides a way to help students with limited opportunities to attend college to do so. “We needed to do something in his name,
in his honor, to help other kids,” Heaney said. Barksdale’s father said that because his son flew planes from the ages of 12 to 16, he hoped to expand the scholarship to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, but that he was focused on the scholarship’s presence at BU for now. R&B group Full Force, local hip-hop artist Ofure and others are slated to perform at the benefit concert. Regina Hall, who manages Full Force, said the R&B group was honored to participate in the show. “Everybody likes to be entertained, but we also want to give back to raise money for the scholarship,” she said. “We’re more than glad to be able to offer that and give something in return in a positive way.” BU spokesman Colin Riley said Barksdale II had a large impact on BU while attending the university. “He was very high-achieving and had a presence about him that brought him to the at-
tention of faculty at the College of Engineering,” Riley said. “To the freshmen, he certainly had a bright future … It makes his loss that much more tragic.” Riley praised those involved in creating the Tony Barksdale II Memorial Mechanical/ Aeronautical Scholarship. “This scholarship that is in his memory and in his name [is] going to afford someone else an opportunity that they otherwise might not have had,” he said. Barksdale’s father said he hoped the concert and scholarship would, in addition to providing opportunities to potential BU students, also promote the importance of resisting peer pressure. “Make sure you’re around the right people that are really right for you, that care about your grades and aren’t making you do something that you’re not used to doing just to fit in,” he said.
Activists hold rally to fight for reduced fare student MBTA passes By Stephanie Pagones Daily Free Press Staff
ALEXANDRA WIMLEYDAILY FREE PRESS FILE PHOTO
Protesters gathered outside the Park Street MBTA station Wednesday to demand a youth T pass that would be free to middle school, high school and college students.
In the wake of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s recent late-night service additions, the Youth Affordabili(T) Coalition is rallying for the creation of youth and university passes that will make riding the bus or subway cheaper for middle school, high school and college students. As part of a movement referred to as Youth Way by the MBTA, 250 youths and adults in the coalition rallied at the Youth Power March at the Park Street T stop Wednesday to present their case and show the need for lower costs and extended hours for students and youth riding the T. John Griese, a Boston University junior who has spearheaded the program calling for the implementation of the University Pass, said the new system would require all Boston universities to purchase MBTA passes for their students at discounted prices, saving college students money and generating enough revenue for the MBTA to afford the new Youth Pass.
“Thirty percent of students have said that they’ve missed class because they couldn’t afford a fare,” he said. “MBTA just does not have the funds for [the Youth Pass] but the University Pass would generate internal service revenue … and increase enough revenue for the Youth Pass program.” The youth-led power march followed a meeting between Boston’s youth leaders and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors, where young people delivered testimonies about their experiences with the current MBTA student passes, said YAC representative Dave Jenkins. “We need the T to follow through on their commitment,” he said. “Student pass is the only pass that has restrictions on it. It does not allow high school students to ride for free on weekends. One very inexpensive fix would be to simply lift that restriction.” Jenkins said the YAC’s long-term goal is to create a public transportation system that will
MBTA, see page 4
2
monday, marCh 17, 2014
Former player accuses coach of attack upon physical appearance
Summer 1: May 20–June 27 Summer 2: June 30–August 8
Summer Term 2014 at BU
game. At the time of her departure on March 1, Gallo had put up 6.2 points ited exemplary playing performances per game, posting a .335 field goal during games and practices. percentage and a .319 3-point field “There was definitely a division in goal percentage. the team between who received her In response to these allegations, harsh treatment and who didn’t re- BU has assembled a team of officials ceive it,” Theobald said. “If you were responsible for investigating the BU not her top player who contributed women’s basketball program under to theat team on the court, you would Greenberg, mer Term 755 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 105: which consists of Athletic definitely deal with her treatment. Training Director of Programs Sara ur course for a free course Shecatalog • would criticizeEnter you andthe put raffle you Brown, Associate Provost Elizabeth through her harsh treatment outside Loizeaux and Associate of General of basketball … If you didn’t con- Council Larry Elswit. tribute to the team on the court, you Greenberg faced similar accusaweren’t a part of the team.” tions of bullying from former players Sims, who graduated in 2013, Jacy Schulz and Brianne Ozimok in started all 30 games for the Terriers 2008, prompting BU to conduct an as a senior, playing and average 26.8 internal review of the program. minutes per contest. The 5-foot-10 “[BU Athletic Director] Mike guard averaged 7.4 points per contest Lynch was supposed to take care of to go along with 3.7 rebounds. Theo- this and protect future players when bald appeared in eight games, with this happened in 2008,” Gallo said. one point, one block and one assist “… Instead of protecting our team, combined in those appearances. he hides and protects our coach… I Melissa Gallo, who played on know when Dana [Theobald] quit the team from 2010 until 2014, said and he interviewed her and her parGreenberg attacked her for her physi- ents, Mike Lynch told them, ‘I never cal appearance as well as her emo- heard of a bad experience from any tional issues throughout her four graduated person from this team.’ years as a player. That’s a complete lie, because in “My coach would say, ‘you need 2008, the same accusations were to grow up, you’re the most selfish brought to light.” person on the team,’ all this negativMike Lynch and BU Athletics ity that had nothing to do with bas- could not be reached for comment. ketball,” Gallo said. “… I told her I Gallo said overall, Greenberg had was speaking to someone in Student a negative impact on her college exHealth [Services] … She told me perience. I was high maintenance for hav“She ruined my whole four years ing depression. She attacked me on of college when it was supposed to be a personal level, saying things like, the time of my life,” Gallo said. “It’s ‘definitely change your hair, I hate supposed to be the good memories, that low bun,’ or, ‘you look sick and and instead I’m walking away with should put on some makeup’… She a lot of really bad memories, a lot of abused her powers.” upsetting times, feeling worthless. It’s In her senior campaign, Gallo unacceptable, and this needs to stop.” appeared in 25 games, making nine starts and averaging 18.7 minutes per GreenBerG: From Page 1
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Campus & City Column The Last One
On Survival
Out of all the experiences I’ve had in my life, being introduced to Sylvester Stallone was not one I anticipated. Rocky has been transformed into a musical in Broadway, and Friday night was the first time the production graced the stage. While the nature of competitive sport has changed with advancements in training, body language analysis and technique, much of the SOFIYA story of Rocky MAHDI Balboa’s ascent into his big chance is not unfamiliar to our generation. It is, after all, a story of survival, and for the foreseeable future the pursuit of survival will be paramount to almost all of us. When reflecting upon this idea of survival at all costs, two real-world cases come to mind. The first is the mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which inexplicably vanished a few days ago. Conspiracy theories have run rampant over the last several days, as people search for answers as to where the passengers could be. Some offer the explanation that the flight is lost at sea, while others believe it could have landed at a remote location with all on board alive and well. Perhaps the most outlandish theory presented to me was from a friend who decided that the flight could have been sucked into a time vacuum, which might spit the flight out years into the future. Regardless of what you believe, according to CNN, the current evidence points to an unanticipated turn (literally) by one of the pilots to take the flight off of its course. As the investigation brings in more and more countries into the fray, only time will tell whether the truth will come out, but for the families of those on board, survival is the only hope they can cling to at this time. The second is a story of the survival of interests and sovereignty. Just before the case of the disappearing plane captured the world’s attention, there was the case of Crimea. As the referendum is underway for its inhabitants to decide whether their allegiances lie with Russia or Ukraine, the United States has already expressed its disregard for the process, predicting that the pro-Russian population will vote in favor of joining Russia. According to CNN, some polling stations are guarded by alleged Russian soldiers, with music from their home country greeting those who are casting their votes in the punishing weather. Accusations over votes being cast twice, insufficient verification of identities and boycotts of the referendum from minority Turkish and Ukrainian groups ensure that this democratic process is not a straightforward one. The United States and the European Union would naturally want to display acts of their political might in the face of this change, but resource dependency on Russia in Europe, as well as the expense of shoring up Ukraine with billions of dollars in aid puts both parties in compromising positions. Even with all these factors at play, these issues just scratch the surface of ethnic, economic, political and social tensions that plague the situation at present. The tricky reality about survival is, like so many other mea-
Mahdi, see page 6
Monday, March 17, 2014
Walsh takes next step to improving nightlife Week of Spirit to foster school pride at BU
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By Olivia Deng Daily Free Press Staff
With the fast-approaching launch date of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s late-night hours, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced a plan to revamp the Boston nightlife scene by extending operating hours for some bars and restaurants until 3:30 a.m. The plan, which was addressed at the Boston Municipal Research Bureau’s annual meeting on March 7, will be executed through a task force of 10 to 20 individuals, though these numbers are subject to change, said Daniel Koh, Walsh’s chief of staff. “Working with the state on legal barriers, and listening to voices from all over the city, we can create the kind of nightlife that visitors expect in a world-class city,” Walsh said at the meeting. “Those international students who flock to our colleges, we want them to stay here, start their businesses, and tell their friends back home that Boston is the place to be.” Once a tentative program is created, it will be tested in the
By Jaime Bennis Daily Free Press Staff
EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced Friday he is forming a task force to consider whether bars and restaurants should stay open until 3:30 a.m.
Seaport District because of its low neighborhood density, Koh said. “The Seaport District is an area where there’s been a lot of recent developments,” he said. “Although there are neighborhoods out there, it’s not as dense a neighborhood as other places. We are very, very cautious of the fact. We want to make sure this is not an environment where people feel like this is going to be very disruptive.” Koh said the program will
be beneficial for workers with unconventional work schedules, as well as Boston’s thousands of college students. “If someone gets out [of work] at 2:00 a.m., we want to cultivate an environment where the person can go out and get food, get a glass of wine and be able to feel like the city is still running for them,” he said.
Walsh, see page 4
Programs launched to fund immigrant groups By Andrew Keuler Daily Free Press Staff
To better serve Boston’s growing immigrant population, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh is launching the Capacity Building Initiative to sustain struggling organizations that help immigrants in the city. The Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians announced Wednesday the implementation phase of CBI in partnership with the Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation. The initiative, which expands the resources of nine nonprofit organizations in Boston, receives funding from a private-public partnership. “These organizations are really the first tool for most new immigrants in the Boston community,” said Pierre-André Noel, director of the Haiti Fund. “It’s of utmost importance that these organizations are able to sustain themselves and for us to see how we can support them. By strengthening immigrant organizations…[we] are making the whole city stronger.” The nine participating organizations are A Better Tomorrow Services Inc., Brazilian Women’s Group, Cape Verdean Community Unido, Greater Boston Nazarene
Compassionate Center, La Alianza Hispana, Somali Development Center, South Shore Haitians United for Progress, Vietnamese American Civic Association and Youth and Family Enrichment Services Inc. Walsh said it is important for the initiative to provide services for the growing immigrant population in Boston, which is at almost 16,000, according to the Wednesday release. “As footholds in the communities they serve, [these organizations] work across cultural groups to ensure that all immigrants are able to fully participate in the civic and economic life of their neighborhood,” he said in the release. Alejandra St. Guillen, director of the Office of New Bostonians, said these organizations are united by their service to new immigrants in Boston. “What they all have in common is that they work within the immigrant community and are facing a challenge in their sustainability,” she said. “So their funding has either dropped significantly over the past few years or they haven’t been growing at a rate that would
meet the demand of the people they serve.” CBI focuses on maximizing the use of resources and building skills within these organizations, rather than simply allocating more resources. The main challenges to sustainability that the initiative hopes to ameliorate are funding and leadership development, St. Guillen said. “What we’re hoping is that within a year, we’ll see these organizations with significantly stronger boards, more diversified funding and confidence,” she said. “Two very important things came up across the board. One is access to funding … everything from diversifying funding, to [building] a strong portfolio so you’re not dependent on one or two foundations. The other component is [building] a strong and effective board.” Emmanuel Exilhomme, the founder and executive director of A Better Tomorrow Services, explained how organizations such as his assist immigrants. To read the rest of this story, please visit dailyfreepress.com.
A campus-wide Boston University Week of Spirit will be held March 24 through March 24 in an effort to unify the student body and create a greater sense of school spirit. College of General Studies Student Government President Austin Kruger, a sophomore in CGS, and School of Management senior Jeremy Lowe collaborated with the BU Student Government, the Dean of Students Office and other student activity groups to organize the spirit week. “We don’t have a football team, we don’t have homecoming, we don’t have things like that,” Lowe said. “Hopefully we can create a tradition. The first year is going to be a trial.” Spirit Week begins Monday, March 24 with a kickoff for SG election season and ends the evening of Friday, March 28 when Mr. and Ms. BU will be announced. The week will also feature a housing carnival hosted by the Residence Hall Association, a pep rally and a street art exhibition. “Our goal is to highlight the many aspects of our community in a unique and fun way,” Kruger said. “It’s time for us to have more pride for our school, more pride for what BU stands for and more pride for being a Terrier.” Assistant to the Dean of Students Katherine Cornetta said Spirit Week would benefit the BU community. “This week of spirit is a very good collaboration between a number of different of student groups, which the Dean of Students really likes to see,” she said. Kruger said while Spirit Week is essentially an expansion of the Mr. and Ms. BU ceremony, he hoped the event would strengthen both the program and school spirit as a whole. “It has always been my goal, not just as President of CGS Student Government but as a student, to help foster community around campus in an innovative way which would really interest students,” he said. “[Spirit Week] helps create a stronger, more unified community at BU.”
Spirit Week, see page 4
Recommendations made to achieve green goals in Boston By Adrian Baker Daily Free Press Staff
In hopes of encouraging Boston to improve its green economy and recycling rates to levels of zero waste, a group of environmental advocates and experts have teamed up to provide city officials a set of recommendations to meet certain environmental goals. The group, called the Zero Waste Task Force, released the recommendations in a City Hall meeting on Tuesday. The plan calls for Boston to reach a 90 percent recycling rate by 2040 by engaging the community in a planning process involving diverting more organic waste from landfills and supporting development for recycling and zero waste businesses. “Within the first year, we’re looking at really getting the planning process going, getting the stakeholders to the table and com-
mitting some funds to the process,” said Tolle Graham, labor and environment coordinator at the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational and Safety Health. The task force analyzed environmental policies from across the country, particularly cities similar to Boston. They found that cities such as Austin, Texas, Seattle and San Francisco exceed Boston’s recycling rates. Graham said she believes the reason these numbers so drastically exceed Boston’s recycling rates, which are less than 20 percent residentially and about 30 percent commercially, is that these other cities have more of a commitment to making it happen. The initial actions will include improving trash collection and recycling, and also improving conditions for the people that actually do the sorting and getting them in
compliance with the city’s Living Wage Ordinance, which would raise workers’ salaries to $13.76 an hour as opposed to the $8 or $9 hourly wages that most employees in the field receive, Graham said. “We feel pretty good about the communication we’ve had this far with the Walsh administration,” she said. “We’re hoping that in the next few weeks, when we meet with them around this document and they finalize their own transition team that we’ll see a lot of similarities.” Brian Swett, chief of the Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space, said the department is evaluating all of the task force’s recommendations and its transition team will be issuing its own report on the issue. He said the details of the recommendations would be discussed at a later date, and there should be an announcement shortly on some
near-term courses of action. “Recycling is a priority of Mayor Walsh’s and we are an active part of the conversation with members of the community about how important it is to them,” Swett said. Some Boston environmental groups expressed their support of the task force’s recommendations. Edward Hsieh, executive director of MassRecycle, stressed the importance of getting all stakeholders involved, including “the actual boots on the ground people who do the recycling work on a regular basis.” Boston’s low recycling rate can be partially attributed to its unique layout including tight streets and transportation blockage, Hsieh said. “It’s a challenging city since there are so many different neighborhoods and different types of challenges,” he said.
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Monday, March 17, 2014
Spokesman: Discounted T fares already available Spirit Week planned for 5 months MBTA: From Page 1
be accessible for everyone, without barriers. “The future of the city depends on public transit,” he said. “The Youth Pass combined with the University Pass creates the framework of the transit generation.” Youth Way has requested that the MBTA take two concrete steps toward affordability, including a broader use of the student pass on weekends and an implementation of a Youth Pass pilot program, neither of which should have large economic implications on the MBTA, according to a Tuesday press release. Joe Pesaturo, the MBTA spokesman, said the MBTA has always had an active dialogue with the YAC
and other activist groups about fare changes and opportunities for student passes. “The MBTA already offers discounted fares as well as a discounted student [passes] for Junior High [and] High School students for only $28 per month, less than half the cost of a regular monthly Link Pass,” he said in an email. “As part of our conversation, the MBTA in the past year changed the terms of the student pass to include use on weekends and through the end of service.” Jason Lowenthal, 35, of Randolph, is a former Boston University student and YAC activist who attended Wednesday’s rally. He said the changes recommended by the YAC would have a significant impact on the lives of Boston’s youth.
“At ever increasing rates, students in middle school and high school are being expected to help cover living expenses, their own expenses, and in many instances, even some of their family’s expenses,” he said in an email. “As Boston Public Schools cut bus service, a $10 Youth Pass may be a necessity for some students to continue to attend school.” Lowenthal said the improved youth passes would also allow the MBTA to efficiently serve the needs of the public. “Youth Passes are as important to students’ wellbeing as expanded, late-night hours are for late shift employees … to safely return home,” he said. “A youth pass will show the MBTA’s commitment to helping students learn and grow.”
Spirit Week: From Page 3
All nine colleges within BU are involved in the Spirit Week, as well as several student governments, organizations and athletic associations. Kruger and Lowe said event organizers have been planning spirit week for over five months. Those who organized the Week of Spirit said they hoped it would become
an annual event. Organizers said in the future, they aim for next year’s Spirit Week to take place in the fall and coincide with the first hockey game of the season. “There are a lot of people who go to a lot of events,” Lowe said. “Our goal is to create events that will get people who are not as involved get involved on a greater level at the university.”
Resident: Later bar hours could increase crime Walsh: From Page 3
Malia Lazu, executive director of Future Boston Alliance, said the later hours would change the culture of Boston nightlife. “One of the hardest things in Boston’s nightlife is this idea that everyone has to leave by 2:00 [and] everyone has to be out of the bar by 2:20,” she said. “By giving people the ability to have longer times to enjoy themselves and more spread-out times to leave, I think it will make the community more enjoyable while experiencing late night activities.” Lazu said Future Boston Alliance was formed with the intention of enhancing Boston’s nightlife, and they plan to support all programs that
will help them reach their goal. “We are very proud of our progress,” she said. “Future Boston was founded around this idea that our current approach to nightlife which was not necessarily positive or encouraging a healthy nightlife … We really thought we needed to push for more vibrant nightlife, and we are excited to see that this new administration sees the benefit as well.” Several residents said the later hours for bars and restaurants would have a significant improvement on Boston nightlife. Jesse Wetherell, 27, of Allston, said if people want to stay out all night, they will, and keeping bars open later will not create more crime in the city, as some people
may expect. “It’ll help us catch up with the other cities,” he said. “People are going to stay out no matter what, and putting an artificial curfew on it isn’t going to do much other than cut down on the amount of money that the city makes and the amount of money that the businesses especially make.” Owen Macdonald, 23, of Charlestown, said the changes could lead to more crime, but this can be expected in any place that serves alcohol. “Any time you have lots of people with alcohol, it can cause problems, though I’ve always been a little disappointed with the Boston nightlife,” he said. “A little later wouldn’t be a problem with me.”
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in Bitcoin: Bubble or Brilliant? Professionals split on future of digital currency
F
ive years ago, an enigmatic digital currency was introduced to global markets. Since its inception, it has been met with controversy, but it continues to cultivate a loyal following and grow in both popularity and visibility. What currency is it? Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a digital currency that operates on an open source peer-to-peer payment system created by an individual or a group of individuals using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Though there are 163 traded virtual currencies today, Bitcoin is by far the most popular, with a market capitalization of nearly $7.9 billion, according to Coin Market Cap. “We really shouldn’t be surprised that money would become digital at all. It happened to mail, it happened to photography, it happened to DVD, music and books,” said Nicolas Cary, CEO of Blockchain.info, a Bitcoin wallet service that also provides Bitcoin information and statistics. Though Bitcoin is widely regarded as a virtual currency, not all agree with its classification. Mark Williams, master lecturer of finance at Boston University’s School of Management, said that Bitcoin does not meet the criteria to be considered a viable currency. Rather, it displays characteristics of a commodity. “Virtual currencies have great price fluctuations. They are not behaving like currencies at all; they are behaving like virtual commodities,” Williams said. “There’s four aspects for currencies to pass the test. They have to have stable price. They have to have stored value. They have to have trust. And it also has to be liquid — it can be quickly converted. If it can’t be used as a transactional currency, meaning folks can’t use it to buy or sell things, then it’s restricted.” Anders Brownworth, organizer of the Cambridge Bitcoin Meetup Group, said he does not consider Bitcoin a commodity or a currency.
Olivia Deng inBusiness Staff
“I don’t think it’s a currency, but I don’t think it’s a commodity,” he said. “It’s not quite a currency yet, it’s way too young to be considered an outright currency. The reason some people make that argument is that there are definitions of currency, created by a nation state or backed by some central bank, that means it will never be. Right now, not many merchants accept it, a small proportion of people have Bitcoin. It’s a very small percentage at this point. It can go one way or another, it’s not mature enough.” In an effort to foster Bitcoin usage, Boston area businesses have started accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment. Veggie Galaxy, a restaurant in Cambridge that opened in September 2011, started accepting Bitcoin in May, said Kathy Tanner, outreach coordinator at Veggie Galaxy. “My husband Adam Penn, who started Veggie Galaxy, was visited by two men who were what we call Bitcoin enthusiasts, very gung-ho members of the Bitcoin community in this area,” Tanner said. “They just reached out to him and asked if he had a few minutes to chat and he was interested in hearing new ideas so they came in and they chatted with him about Bitcoin and about how they would love to see Veggie Galaxy accept Bitcoin in payment and how it would bring business to the restaurant.” Though Tanner said she was initially skeptical, she was convinced after knowing that using an intermediary called Bitpay will shield their business from Bitcoin’s fluctuations. “Hearing the other business owner talk about how he was doing it in such a way that he was protected, he was not exposed to any of the volatility of the fluctuations in Bitcoin because he used a processor, an intermediary called Bitpay that immediately, at the point of a customer transaction, converts the Bitcoin the customer pays with to U.S. dollars and
MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Bitcoin ATMs are opening up around the Boston area, including the Liberty Teller in South Station.
GRAPHIC BY MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The price of bitcoin has drastically fluxuated since its inception in 2009. Regardless, many experts see this fluxuation as a price to pay for a new era in the world of global economics.
deposits it in the restaurant account,” Tanner said. “So hearing we could do it that way and that he’s been doing it that way really convinced me, so we decided to go ahead with it.” Five to 10 Veggie Galaxy customers pay in Bitcoin per week, Tanner said. Bitcoin’s price has been incredibly volatile since it came into market view. In early December prices soared well over $1,000 per coin, and have dropped as low as $630 on Saturday. But changes in exchange rates are a common risk. What’s more concerning for retailers is the speed of the volatility. On Saturday at 6:16 p.m. one Bitcoin was worth $634.69. Just eight minutes later at 6:24 p.m. one Bitcoin was equal to $633.88. For a business looking to accept Bitcoin, this means a sandwich can earn them $7 one minute and only $6.50 the next. Another business aimed at increasing opportunities for Bitcoin usage is Liberty Teller, which operates a Bitcoin ATM at South Station. Chris Yim, co-founder of Liberty Teller, said that his idea for Liberty Teller stemmed from his inefficient Bitcoin purchase experience. “I got interested in Bitcoin about a year ago,” Yim said. “I bought my first Bitcoin shortly after and it was just an incredibly frustrating process. I bought it on a site called Local Bitcoin, it’s similar to Craigslist where essentially you find a time and place to meet, I bring cash, the other person brings the Bitcoin. I was excited, so I was willing to take these risks. But for this to ever become mainstream, you have to find a way so that people feel safe and secure, that they are not going to get ripped off. An ATM is something everybody is familiar with, so we decided to offer Bitcoin ATMs. At the end of the day, it allows you to purchase Bitcoin in 30 seconds.” As businesses such as Veggie Galaxy and Liberty Teller increase opportunities for individuals to use Bitcoin, a question that arises is whether Bitcoin should be trusted. Williams suggests Bitcoin is currently in a bubble, expanding in price with little reason, and predicts that bubble will burst causing Bitcoin’s value to plummet to $10 by mid2014. “At the beginning of 2013, Bitcoin was trading for $13 … and like what we saw on MtGox this morning, we had one seller and one buyer that agreed to sell for $94,” Williams said. “That’s an indication that the value can fluctuate wildly. Only last week, it was
trading at $800.” Williams also noted that Bitcoin was the virtual currency of choice for Silk Road, an online market that was shut down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for illegal transactions. Brownworth said that controversies such as Silk Road and MtGox, once a major Bitcoin trading platform that has made headlines with transaction-harming technical glitches and recently filed for bankruptcy after shuttering its virtual trading in the United States, actually yield long term benefits for the Bitcoin community because it cleanses the system of illicit behavior. “My views on, for example MtGox, are it is pretty good for the market … That was pretty damaging, but that was an isolated thing … In the long run, if the bad actors left the system, it is all good in the end,” Brownworth said. “While it may deter people in the short term, in the long term, once the garbage has been taken out, it will allow the system to be more trustworthy.” Others maintain that despite the controversies and value fluctuation, a major benefit of Bitcoin is that it streamlines the payment process. “It is a major innovation in payment processing,” Cary, the Blockchain.info executive, said. “For the first time in the world, anyone can accept a payment for no fee. Goldman Sachs released an interesting report [Tuesday] saying total savings for retailers in ecommerce would be in $210 billion in they accepted Bitcoin because credit card companies take fees for every transaction whereas Bitcoin, they don’t exist.” Bitcoin, Brownworth said, is a form of financial innovation that is more than just a mere currency; it is a network, a protocol that seeks to restructure how individuals conduct and interact with business. “The thing that Bitcoin stands to disrupt is not a currency; it stands to disrupt the way business is done,” Brownworth said. “For example, if you use Western Union, the equivalent of $100 from one side of the world to another, that may cost you 20 percent. With Bitcoin, you can do that for 5 percent or less, much cheaper, radically cheaper … That’s the theory of disruption and how that might play out. I think that’s the kind of thing that makes Bitcoin so exciting for so many of us: the ability for it to disrupt the way a lot of things are done for a radically cheaper price.”
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Opinion
Monday, March 17, 2014
The Daily Free Press
The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
THE URBAN PARK RANGER
Taming the wild
44th year F Volume 86 F Issue 28
Sarah Kirkpatrick, Editor-in-Chief Brian Latimer, Managing Editor
Rachel Riley, Campus Editor
Alice Bazerghi, City Editor
Andrew Battifarano, Sports Editor
Trisha Thadani, Opinion Editor
Heather Goldin, Multimedia Editor
Maya Devereaux, Photo Editor
Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Features Editor
Emily Hartwell, Layout Editor
Shakti Rovner, 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 © 2013 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
Why are we over-speculating 370?
In the 10 long days that Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has been missing, we’re only certain about one thing — no one actually knows where the heck that plane went. The most concrete news that has developed since this plane went missing last week is that “an official news source who preferred to remain anonymous but is still closely connected to the issue” confirmed that this mystery is “likely” due to some sort of human intervention, and not just a mechanical failure. Well, “official news source who preferred to remain anonymous but is still closely connected to the issue,” you don’t say? People have been mulling over the plausible and possible theories, separating them from the implausible and the impossible — but also being sure not to rule anything in the process. It is not hard to realize that a lot of pieces of this story just don’t match up. If the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean, then where is the debris? If it landed on the Andaman Islands, how did it sneak through a highly militarized landing strip? Where was the distress signal? And what about the two people with stolen passports who were on board? Boeing 777 planes don’t just “disappear,” and we would be in denial to think that there isn’t critical information being withheld from us. In an age where we can track a missing iPhone from an app, it is incomprehensible that more than a 100 ships and aircrafts from 13 different countries cannot find a commercial jet airliner with a 200-foot wingspan. With our highly globalized and connected society, we like to believe that our modern technology has eliminated any chance for mysteries like this one. However, the fact that a real-life version of “Lost” is possibly in the making, people are once again reminded of how fleeting and fragile our lives actually are. In the past 10 days, various news sources, CNN in particular, have brought in dozens of analysts and experts to try and make sense of this travesty — “try” being the operative word. Over the weekend, CNN had past Malaysian Airline pilots, aviation experts and historians talk about their theories. And to keep viewers interested, they brought in a psychologist to explain why everyone is so interested, and also someone currently in prison for forging passports to show how
easy it is to in fact forge a passport. And, of course, all of this analyzing and theorizing was topped off with the compulsory, painful pictures of families yearning for their loved ones. Not to discount the magnitude of this issue, but this missing airline has taken up more airtime than justified. In the past week, Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare was reported 3 million sign-ups short of its target and Crimea voted to join Russia. And, while we’re at it, a Harlem building exploded and a 6.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Chile. The reason why these stories have been understated in the past week is because they have an answer, an outcome and an explanation. This issue, on the other hand, has none of that, any of which that we are aware, at least. Flight 370 is a hard situation to believe, but easy news to digest. This missing airline is the “perfect storm” of news coverage. It’s not too “fluffy” where people won’t take it seriously, it has enough uncertainly to keep us tuning in, and most importantly, it has the perfect touch of “Hollywood” to draw in those normally disconnected from the news. Developing news is fun to follow. The uncertainty is unsettling, but at the same time, it is also compelling. News sources know this, and that it is why they have given it so much attention. This is the kind of news piece that will make people feel more informed than they actually are. Anyone can speculate the “plausible” and “implausible” over a cup of coffee, and since this situation itself is so absurd, it would be hard to discount anyone’s theory. Because, as the news reports keep reiterating, anything is possible in this situation. Since the average American is somewhat disconnected from this issue and isn’t experiencing the same pain or loss that the other 239 families are, it is easy for us to constantly talk about this in a normal conversation. Yes, lives were probably lost and that is tragic. But devoting so much attention to this story when there are no real developments just perpetuates and instills paranoia in the viewers. If anything, this coverage will make people even more nervous when traveling. So, rather than speculating and theorizing and hypothesizing, how about we just leave officials to focus on finding the plane before making assumption that passengers, pilots or aliens took it away in thin air?
JENNIFER RUTH I remember the first time I went to SeaWorld — August 2012 in San Antonio. I couldn’t believe that it took me 19 years to get to this typical youth destination, but alas, my childhood curiosity finally took a hold of me. The minute my aunt and I set foot into the park, we began sprinting to catch the afternoon showing at the Shamu Stadium. Seeing an orca was such an incredible experience. Their sheer size was breathtaking — especially when in close reach of their trainer. I was mesmerized and continuously clicked my camera in hopes of getting the perfect shot of a killer whale jumping majestically out of the water. And that’s when it hit me. When Free Willy came out in 1993, people were all about the liberty of killer whales — how they deserve an unperturbed life, frolicking in the seas. Now, I’m sitting here, watching these regal beings for live entertainment? The documentary Blackfish came out three months after my visit to SeaWorld and I was reluctant to watch it because I assumed it was all just propaganda. I’ve never seen the film, but in light of California’s potential bill that could ban the orca shows at SeaWorld in San Diego, I finally decided to watch it for myself. Blackfish sure has the power to control your mood. And when I turned off the movie, I was utterly infuriated. As someone who has purchased a stuffed Shamu, I felt deceived. I don’t like playing devil’s advocate, but after working at an aquarium and taking courses in marine science, I felt the need to defend the need to have animals in captivity. Many naysayers would claim that the best to way study the behaviors of these charismatic megafauna is to study them up close in a controlled environment. This would probably be a good idea if the animal wasn’t 30 feet long and had to go around its sad, lonely tank 1400 times to equate to the distance a wild orca travels in one day. If you’re going to study an animal that hasn’t had a change in scenery in years, you might as well conduct a study on humans in solitary confinement and deem that as representative behavior of the human race. It doesn’t go both ways. The movie Blackfish focuses on the orca Tilikum, who currently resides in captivity in SeaWorld Orlando. Tilikum has been connected to the deaths of Keltie Byrne in 1991, Daniel Dukes in 1991 and Dawn Brancheau in 2010. While the movie heavily focuses on the most recent death of Brancheau, all three deaths are utterly tragic and appalling. That being said, Tilikum is not a monster. His actions are a result of his freedom being robbed from him as well as being forced to swim around in circles daily and do tricks. Upon reviewing my pictures from the Shamu Stadium, I couldn’t help but notice that the whales in the show had sagging dorsal fins or the more official term — dorsal fin collapse. This occurs in 100 percent of the captive orcas in SeaWorld due to the shallow pools and the force of gravity acting upon their fins. This only happens to 1 percent of orcas in the wild. Upon tweeting about #Blackfish, I received
a lot of positive feedback. For someone that gets an occasional ‘favorite’, I was astounded when several people replied giving me statistics and a gratuitous amount of information. I was contacted by Jim Smith, the founder and director of SeaWorldPledge.org, a website devoted to informing people about the detriment of marine mammals in captivity and helping them to make an informed decision to take the pledge to not go to a whale or dolphin show. Smith’s passion toward spreading awareness and education about Cetaceans in captivity is infectious and inspiring. Smith explained that, “the reach to younger audiences, which are and will be the target market for SeaWorld,” was the impetus behind the success of Blackfish. If the California bill is successful, the 10 orcas at SeaWorld San Diego would undergo a rehabilitation/ release program or a, “retirement to attended sea pens for those not eligible for release.” “If you place an Orca in an environment where other free ranging, wild orca are present, he will begin to vocalize and try to find a relative in the area,” Smith described. “At some point the innate nature of any living things instincts kick in and an Orca will again become an Orca.” On his website, Smith is not only adamant about the freedom of orcas, but dolphins as well. Why? Because it is our duty to stick up for animals that can’t speak up for themselves. Keeping animals in captivity statistically leads to a shorter life span. According to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, 92 percent of SeaWorld’s orcas do not survive past the age of 25. The average life span for an orca in the wild is 50 for females and 30 for males, and some have been known to live 80 to 90 years. Not only that, but imagine yourself in a 9.5 meter by 5.7 meter by 2.1 meter and you have a human equivalent of an orca’s pool. Anyone who was subjected to a lifetime in that box after being able to roam free in the wild would surely go mad. The words from the beginning of the film echoed in my head even after the movie ended. In the orca’s eyes is a broken soul, a wild spirit that is slowly dying. “When you look into their eyes, you know somebody is home,” said John Jett, former SeaWorld Trainer. While the California bill sets out steps for rehabilitation for just orca in captivity, this bill (if passed) will revolutionize how we view not only animals in SeaWorld, but in aquariums too. I took the SeaWorld Pledge because SeaWorld’s callous approach to the detriment of their animals is a travesty and their obsession with taming the wild is something that is simply unprecedented. Although the success of the Blackfish Bill is in the air, finally giving an authoritative voice to these powerful, majestic creatures is a step in the right direction. Jennifer Ruth is a College of Arts and Sciences junior. She can be reached at jenruth@ bu.edu.
Mahdi: In Rocky films, victories, losses in boxing do not constitute full storyline Mahdi: From Page 3
sures of success that we have, it is hard to evaluate its outcome. You can physically survive a war, but how do you assess the wounds in your heart and mind? You can be in a position of political power and come out of a tense diplomatic conflict with your agenda intact, but if voters see it differently, whose definition of survival is more important? All of a sudden the musical rendition of Rocky, the story of a boxer
making it big, is all the more appealing in its simplicity amidst the chaos we find around us. Yet, in the Rocky movies, his triumphs and failures in the ring were not the entire story. His journey falling in love and having someone to support him also took precedence. Sadly, one of the most iconic images of romance, the sailor kissing a nurse in the heart of Times Square after World War II, lost its protagonist. Navy veteran Glenn McDuffie passed away at the age of
86, and he only claimed his rightful title as the famous sailor for a few years. According to USA Today, he explained that once he heard the Japanese had surrendered, he embraced a woman in the heart of New York City. To survive you often have to endure. You endure uncertainty, you endure change and you endure conflict. You sometimes have to accept life as it comes to you. McDuffie’s life may have ended, but his story endures. Wherever Flight 370 may
be, the world prays that those on that plane can endure. Whatever the outcome in Crimea, a solution can endure. While it is unfortunate that we are sometimes faced with such harsh circumstances, it is through navigating them we begin to know our true strength. Sofiya Mahdi is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and a former managing editor at The Daily Free Press. She can be reached at sofiya21@bu.edu.
The opinions and ideas expressed by columnists and cartoonists are their own and are not necessarily representative of the opinions of The Daily Free Press.
Monday, March 17, 2014
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Minnesota rallies for 3 goals in final period to best Terriers Women’s Hockey: From Page 8
Defenseman Rachel Ramsey tallied a goal for the Gophers at the 8:01 mark to regain the lead for Minnesota and Terry then put the game away for the Gophers with two goals in third period after a few spectacular moves to avoid the BU defense. “[Terry’s] an extremely fast skater and tonight she twice made big-time plays going wide,” Durocher said. “Big time players are on both sides, Sarah Lefort and Louise Warren on our side and her and many others on their side
and she put on a great performance.” The area where the Terriers struggled the most was taking penalties, which ultimately resulted in a 5-on-3 chance that led to the goahead goal. Senior defenseman Kaleigh Fratkin took three penalties just a period-and-a-half into the game, giving Minnesota ample opportunities. Durocher said aggressive defense rather than sloppy hockey led to Fratkin’s three penalties. “[Fratkin’s] a real strong kid and a big part of our team,” Durocher said. “I think when she’s taking those penalties, that are one’s that she should be in control of, the stick up high
or cross checks and screens, I might get down on her. But today, I don’t think the penalties were bad penalties. She was playing strong like she does and unfortunately [Minnesota] went down, but her stick was down, her positioning was good and the way the referees saw it, some of those could have gone the other way and not been called.” While the loss was disappointing following last week’s upset victory in the Hockey East title game, Durocher said he was proud of his team’s accomplishments this season due to the amount of adversity the team faced throughout the year with the plethora of injuries, the ab-
sence of Marie-Philip Poulin and struggles at the start of 2014. “Certainly after the game, the first thing you think about is the seniors who will put the uniform on for the last time, and we tried to reflect back briefly to all that they contributed to this program and what they’ve done,” Durocher said. “We’ve got to take the fact that we had a fantastic year...They answered the bell with the Hockey East Championship and 24 wins. If you’re going to go down, it’s probably not the worst thing in the world to lose to a team that has lost once in the last two years.”
Offense propels BU against Lafayette Men’s Lacrosse: From Page 8
close loss. Just a week later during this past Saturday’s game, BU bounced back from the defeat and recorded its first win of the season, defeating Lafayette (1-5, 1-3 Patriot League), 12-7, in Easton, Pa. With freshman attack Pat Myers — the team’s scoring leader — out due to injury, Polley made some changes to the lineup, assigning redshirt freshman attack Sam Tenney to a starter position and moving freshman midfielder Cal Dearth up to the first line as well. Freshman attack Adam Schaal would have to step into a bigger role too, replacing Myers as the team’s primary ball handler throughout the game. The trio accepted the challenge of filling the offensive void Myers left behind, registering a total of 14 points among them. Schaal and Dearth each recorded five points on two goals and three assists, while Tenney tallied four goals on six shots. The game served as
the first time this season that the Terriers were able to get over the 10-goal marker. BU started the game with a five unanswered goals in a run that lasted the entire duration of the first quarter and a couple of minutes into the second until Lafayette netted its lone goal of the half. The Terriers tacked on another score before the second frame expired to re-extend the lead to five. Despite three goals in one minute by the Leopards to open the third, the Terriers held their ground, continuing to produce offensively and keeping Lafayette at bay. With 2:56 left to play in the game, the Leopards pulled within two, but BU was not done. Three goals within the final 2:42 of the tilt put the Terriers back on top by five, and they rode the lead out to the final buzzer. “It means a lot to everybody,” Polley said of the win. “We’ve been very close, and we’ve done a very good job outside of our first game of being very competitive in all of our games and today we just kind of put it all together and made plays when we needed to.”
Johns Hopkins escapes with close win Women’s Lacrosse: From Page 8
half to cut the deficit to just two. American tied the game up at 10 apiece with 14:52 remaining, but Robertshaw’s team remained calm. “[American] came back with a little run against us,” Robertshaw said. “But we did a good job of stopping them, which was good to see. Junior attack Kelsey Marafioti and her classmate attack Jenna Boarman scored consecutive goals to regain BU’s two-goal advantage with less than eight minutes to play. Freshman goalkeeper Caroline Meegan held fast down the stretch, and the Terriers squeaked out the 12-11 conference victory. Following their success in Washington D.C., the Terriers traveled to Baltimore, to face the Blue Jays (9-0). Johns Hopkins is a perennial lacrosse power and has continued to flex its muscle this year, having outscored opponents by an average score of 14-5 en route to an undefeated record to start the season. The Terriers sustained their high level of all-around play, not allowing the Blue Jays to break away in the first half of play. The Blue Jays maintained a slim 4-3 advantage until the three minute mark in the half, when senior attack Elizabeth Morse
netted her fifth goal of the season to tie the game going into halftime. Once again, as the second half commenced, BU kept up its strong play and gave Johns Hopkins all they could handle. Following a goal from senior midfielder Becca Church with 20:43 remaining, the teams were knotted at 6-6. “I thought this was a great defensive effort,” Robertshaw said. “We really took away their leading scorers, which was a real point of emphasis for us coming into the game.” The Terriers could not withstand the Blue Jays’ potent offensive attack forever, however, and eventually succumbed to the Blue Jays as Johns Hopkins went on to score four unanswered goals. “I was really pleased with the way we played overall this past week,” Robertshaw said. “There were just little moments that caught up with us. But against good teams like Hopkins, those kinds of mistakes are bound to happen. “I’m happy with our team, but I think we need to do more to win games like these.” After playing their first six regular season games on the road, the Terriers will return to Nickerson Field for the first time in 2014 when BU takes Patriot League foe College of the Holy Cross this Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Fighting Illini fall to No. 8 Michigan, set to face BU in NIT opening round Men’s Basketball: From Page 8
No. 8 Michigan in the final seconds of the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten tournament, 64-63 Friday in Indianapolis. With the Fighting Illini up by one with less than a minute remaining, the Wolverines (25-7) capitalized on an Illinois turnover, and forward Jordan Morgan drove the ball the length of the court and laid it in to give Michigan the victory. Guards Tracy Abrams and Rayvonte Rice each had 11 points and freshman Kendrick Nunn added 10 of his own in the losing effort. In the regular season, Illinois finished
eighth in the conference, compiling a 7-11 Big Ten record, while BU won the Patriot League regular season title with a conference record of 15-3. At home, BU has a record of 11-5, with nine of those wins coming at Agganis Arena. On the road, the Fighting Illini have not been as sharp, compilimg a a 5-6 record away from home this year. Should BU pull off the win over the Fighting Illini, the team will face the victor of the matchup between No. 3 seed Clemson University and No. 6 seed Georgia Tech University in the second round of the tournament.
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Freshman midfielder Cal Dearth scored two goals in the Terriers’ 12-7 win over Lafayette College this past Saturday.
BU bats thrive in Florida tournaments Softball: From Page 8
tered 18 hits and 10 runs to assist Akers in her first complete game in the 10-2 thrashing of the Friars (0-10). “Lauren and Makinna had to step up the last two weeks and they’ve done that,” Gleason said. “Just like the rest of the team, they’re growing and learning how to pitch and not just throw. They’ve given us a chance, all we ask is for them to give us a ground ball and we’ll pick it up or give us a fly ball and we’ll catch it.” BU finished the Under Armour showcase with back-to-back 9-1 victories over Cleveland State and Quinnipiac University. The wins included a four-RBI performance from Clendenny and a three-RBI game from junior outfielder Mandy Fernandez. The Terriers then moved on to the Michele Smith Spring Break Tournament and began the stretch with a 3-2 loss to Seton Hall University. The BU offense struggled in that contest, mustering just four hits. After that loss, the Terriers reeled off three consecutive victories. One of the wins dur-
ing the win streak was 10-2 victory over the University of Maine where Clendenny and freshman third basemen Brittany Younan each drove in three runs. That streak also included nine scoreless innings from Hynes, which lowered her ERA to 4.72. She also won her team-leading game of the year. Between the two tournaments, BU penciled in multiple different lineups, but Gleason said the order is becoming more set as the season wears on. “I think it depends who’s on the mound,” Gleason said of the lineups. “We moved the infield around a little and the outfield a little, but I think we’re getting into a batting order. I always tell the team not to get married to a spot in the lineup because it can change but we’re becoming more consistent.” The final game of the tournament concluded with a 7-0 loss at the hands of Butler University. To read the rest of this article, please visit dailyfreepress.com
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We’ve got to take the fact that we had a fantastic year.
-BU coach Brian Durocher on his team’s 2013-14 performance.
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The BU men’s lacrosse team earned the program’s first win with a victory over Lafayette College, P.8.
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Monday, March 17, 2014
M. Lacrosse BU falls in NCAA quarterfinal matchup Men’s basketball claims team’s earns bid, No. 1st-ever win 7 seed in NIT By Joon Lee Daily Free Press Staff
By Judy Cohen Daily Free Press Staff
The Boston University men’s lacrosse team showed signs of great improvement over spring break. In two conference games, the team fell in a hard-fought contest to No. 19 Colgate University and earned its first win in program history with a victory on the road at Lafayette College. BU (1-6, 1-2 Patriot League) began the break by playing host to Colgate (6-1, 2-1 Patriot League) at Nickerson Field March 8. The Terriers put up a strong fight throughout, but were eventually bested by the Raiders, falling 7-5. “I thought we played a great game,” said BU coach Ryan Polley. “Colgate’s in the top 20, 2-1 in the conference, and a really good team and our guys competed for four quarters and they did a really good job … Offensively, [Colgate is] a real tough team to score on so we created some good chances overall to be able to get five goals.” All five of the Terrier goals came from freshman attack Ryan Johnston, who converted each of his shots on net. For his efforts, Johnston was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on March 10. “He did a great job last Saturday just kind of getting his hands free and playing within our offense, and he shot it just terrifically,” Polley said of Johnston. “He made some really good tough shots, just high level … and placed the ball right where he wanted it.” Colgate opened the scoring just a minute-and-a-half into the contest as attack Brendon McCann fired home his first of two goals. The Terriers responded about two minutes later when Johnston notched his first of the game with 11:19 to play in first quarter. The Raiders regained the lead a few minutes later, but Johnston pulled his team even again on manup chance. Neither team scored again until the third quarter until Johnston broke the drought with an unassisted shot to give the Terriers their first lead of the day with 9:01 to go in the frame. The advantage did not last all that long, though, as Colgate went on to net three unanswered goals over the remainder of the third and the beginning of the fourth, extending the Raider lead to two. Johnston was able to pull BU within one goal after scoring with 9:57 to play in the game, but the Raiders were quick to respond and potted another pair of goals to stretch the score to 7-4. Johnston scored his fifth and final goal with 2:17 left on the clock, but it was too little, too late, and the Terriers were left with yet another
Men’s lAcrosse, see page 7
For two periods, the Boston University women’s hockey team hung right with the two-time defending national champion University of Minnesota. It was the exact situation that the team was in the weekend before against Boston College in the Hockey East Championship Game, as both times BU entered the third down by the same 2-1 margin. But the No. 1 Gophers (37-1-1) quickly let the Terriers (24-13-1) know that they were not the Eagles (27-7-3). Just three minutes into the final period, Gopher forward Kelly Terry notched her second goal of the day on her way to a hat trick. And just like that, the season was over for the Terriers with Minnesota claiming a 5-1 victory on home ice. Even in the loss, BU coach Brian Durocher said he was happy with the way his team competed against the highly-touted Gophers. “The kids were ready to go and they competed pretty hard,” Durocher said. “We had some of the necessary bounces you need during a game. After they scored, we answered with a big goal to make 1-1 and then we carried the game all the way to 2-1 going into the third period and we had ourselves in good position and obviously their wave of talent took over. “I don’t think we played soft mentally or anything like that. In the end, it was probably more of their skill making that put the game away.” Senior goalie Kerrin Sperry kept the game close through the first two frames, making a couple of spectacular saves along the way. In addition, the BU defense was able to clear a couple of loose pucks in the crease that had chances of going in. Through two periods, the Gophers outshot the Terriers 30-17. “[Sperry] competed like crazy,” Durocher said. “I think the kids were helping her clearing loose pucks
No Events Scheduled Rapper Lil’ B has lashed out at Kevin Durant, releasing a diss track saying that Durant is scared to take him on 1v1.
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Sarah Lefort notched her 32nd goal of the year in BU’s loss to the University of Minnesota.
around the net, but in the end, [the Gophers] made two gorgeous shots to get the fourth and fifth goal and not many goalies are going to stop either one of those opportunities. So she distinguished herself today, as well as throughout her career, and made a tremendous mark on this program and certainly accomplished herself.” One of the bright spots for the Terriers during the game was the
play of sophomore forward Sarah Lefort. The forward notched her NCAA-best 32nd goal of the season in the first period just 21 seconds after Terry hit the twine 12:56 into the first period. Lefort took a slap shot from the left side that befuddled goaltender Amanda Leveille, who mishandled the high shot that ended up into the back of the net.
WoMen’s hockey, see page 7
The Boston University men’s basketball team will host the University of Illinois in the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament, the tournament selection committee announced Sunday night. BU received a No. 7 seed in the field of 32 teams, while Illinois earned a No. 2 spot. Due to the Fighting Illini’s (1914) home court of State Farm Arena going undergoing renovations, the Terriers (24-10) will have the opportunity to hold the game at Agganis Arena. The matchup between the two teams is the only one in the NIT in which the lower seed has home-court advantage. The contest will serve as the first time in program history that BU will host an NIT game and it will also mark the first Big Ten Conference opponent to visit Commonwealth Avenue since the University of Michigan took on the Terriers in 2006, a game that BU lost 51-46. Both the Terriers and the Fighting Illini are coming off of demoralizing conference tournament losses, but for different reasons. Last Wednesday, BU posted its worst offensive output of the season in a 55-36 loss to American University in the Patriot League Championship Game. The Terriers shot just 30.8 percent from the field and a lowly 5.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. A win would have guaranteed the Terriers’ first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2010-11 season. Conversely, Illinois fell to
Men’s BAskeTBAll, see page 7
Mask sets PL stolen-base mark Terriers defeat American on road By Michael Joscelyn Daily Free Press Staff
The Boston University softball team brought its record .500 as the Terriers went a combined 7-5 in the Under Armour Showcase and the Michele Smith Spring Break Tournament. The week and two competitions were full of accomplishments for the Terriers (11-10). Freshman pitcher Makinna Akers tossed her first complete-game victory that included five strikeouts. Senior outfielder Jayme Mask also contributed the solid stretch, breaking the Patriot League single-game record with five stolen bases in a game against Cleveland State University. “We mixed up the lineup defensively and offensively and I think some people stepped up,” said BU coach Kathryn Gleason. “It’s a learning curve, but we’re starting to learn who we’re going to be.”
The Bottom Line
Monday, March 17
By Jacklyn Bamberger Daily Free Press Staff
Tuesday, March 18 No Events Scheduled It appears as if Lil’ B has forgotten that he is 5-foot-6 and Durant stands at 6-foot-9.
BU’s first game of spring break came against the University of Toledo. Sophomore pitcher Lauren Hynes allowed six runs in 4.2 innings in a 6-2 Terrier loss. In the second game of the day against Southern Illinois University, the team rebounded, winning in walk-off fashion, 7-6. Senior shortstop Brittany Clendenny delivered the game-winning single that scored junior outfielder Emily Felbaum. Cleveland State (10-10) and Villanova University proved to be tougher challenges for the Terriers, as both teams defeated BU by the same score of 5-3. Against Cleveland State, Hynes went the distance, striking out seven hitters, but her efforts did not prove enough against the Vikings. During its matchup with Providence College, the BU offense regis-
sofTBAll, see page 7
Wednesday, March 19 W. Lacrosse vs. Holy Cross, 6 p.m. M. Basketball vs. Illinois, 7 p.m.
By Justin Pallenik Daily Free Press Staff
The Boston University women’s lacrosse team split its two games over spring break, earning its first victory of the season over American University and falling to No. 14 Johns Hopkins University. The Terriers (1-5, 1-0 Patriot League) began their 2014 campaign on a four-game losing streak, including two losses against top-five opponents. In its last game before the mid-semester break, BU lost 9-7 to Dartmouth College in a tight defensive matchup. Like the Terriers, American (2-6, 0-2 Patriot League) came into Saturday’s game struggling against non-conference opponents. The Eagles had lost four out of their first five matchups against unranked out-of-confer-
Thursday, March 20 Wrestling @ NCAA Championships, All Day
ence opponents. Looking to avenge its recent scoring drought, BU emerged with a previously unseen offensive intensity, scoring nine firsthalf goals against American. The Terriers scored six unanswered during an eight-minute span in the middle of the first frame, capped off by a goal from senior midfielder Sydney Godett that was assisted by freshman attack Taylor Hardison. With this final goal of the half in hand, BU took a 9-4 lead into the halftime break. “We started off the half strong and got some nice offensive looks,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “We really executed our game plan well in the first half.” The Eagles made a strong push coming out of halftime, scoring the first three goals of the second
WoMen’s lAcrosse, see page 7
Friday, March 21 Wrestling @ NCAA Championships, All Day