3-26-2014

The Daily Free Press [

Year xliv. Volume lxxxvi. Issue XXXIV

SAFETY FIRST

Panel talks importance of investing in cybersecurity, page 3.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

STELLAR JOB

Former pre-med student inspired by stars, page 5.

]

HOOPED

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Season recap of men’s basketball team, page 8.

WEATHER

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Gubernatorial candidates share views at LGBTQ forum Boston sees security funding increase from federal gov’t

By Felicia Gans Daily Free Press Staff

In the days following the Massachusetts Republican Party’s endorsement of gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker, the eight other declared candidates for governor met at a forum at Boston Public Library Tuesday to speak about the issues currently facing the Commonwealth’s LGBTQ community.

“As goes Massachusetts, so goes the nation and hopefully the world,” said Kara Coredini, executive director of MassEquality. “For the past 7 years, we had an incredible LGBT champion in the corner office. Some have heralded him as the most pro-LGBTQ governor in the history of our country. He will be very hard to replace.”

Co-sponsored by MassEquality and WGBH, the forum featured Democrats Joe Avellone, Don Berwick, Massachusetts Attorney Gen. Martha Coakley, Massachusetts Treasurer Steven Grossman and Juliette Kayyem; United Independent Party candidate Evan Falchuk; and Independent candidates Scott Lively and Jeff McCormick.

Moderating the event, Peter Kadzis, WGBH News senior editor, asked the candidates eight questions over the course of the 90-minute event. Each candidate was directed to keep his or her answer at a one minute maximum.

After the candidates briefly introduced themselves, Kadzis asked how they plan to use their role as governor to make Massachusetts

By Sebastian Alamo Daily Free Press Staff

LAURA VERKYK/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates presented their positions on issues concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities at the Forum on Equality Tuesday evening at Boston Public Library.

the best place possible for the LGBTQ community. Focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of current Massachusetts legislation, the candidates spoke about their plans for improving equality in the Commonwealth should they be elected.

“We have very strong laws, constitutional and otherwise, in Massachusetts that say we don’t discriminate against people,” Coakley said. “We believe that in Massachusetts … we

do more than not discriminate. We try to be welcoming. We try to be inclusive.”

Lively took a different approach to the question, bringing an opinion to the table that was not easily digested by the audience members.

Despite Kadzis’ request for audience members to abstain from cheering, clapping or yelling during the forum, many members shouted responses to Lively’s responses.

Equality, see page 2

BU Community Service Center Director says goodbye

By Brogan Calkins Daily Free Press Staff

On Friday, Lindsey Kotowicz left her office at Boston University Community Service Center for the last time. The CSC director worked with countless students and programs during her eight years at BU. “It was a very, very difficult decision, one that I still go back and forth on even today,” she said. “My students can tell you there were many tears shed. And in many ways I didn’t want to leave. It’s just a difficult job.”

Kotowicz said the small number of coordinators at the CSC left her occupied with 60 to 100 hour workweeks.

“That is very difficult to deal with, with two young children,” she said. “That’s ultimately the decision it came down to, working late, late hours, not sleeping a lot and wanting to spend

as much time at work as I do with my family. I wanted to find a bit of a better balance.”

The CSC’s assistant director, Orpheo Speer, joined Kotowicz in 2009. At that point, Kotowicz stepped into her role as the CSC’s director.

“We really enjoyed her time here in the CSC,” Speer said. “She was greatly appreciated by all and was one of the best mentors anyone could ever ask for. Her impact will be felt for many generations to come.”

Kotowicz said her responsibilities as director of the CSC change from year to year.

“I tend to be the kind of person that puts 110 percent in,” she said. “I wish I had some interesting story or some crazy reason why I left. I loved it, I still love it, I very much think of it as my second home. And it’s still very emotional for me to even not be there.”

College of Arts and Sciences senior Deana

Gordon, program manager of the CSC’s Student Studio, said Kotowicz would be deeply missed.

“Lindsey had a great eight years here, and we appreciate all that she has done for the CSC,” she said.

Kotowicz said the CSC’s achievements were largely rooted in the students who working and volunteer at the center.

“The CSC functions as well as it does because of all of them,” she said. “It really is the students that are the heart of the Center, and they inspire me. They’re the reason I’ve stayed for as many years as I have and they are also the reason why it was so difficult to leave. I strongly believe in what they do.”

Kotowicz said though she wants to concentrate on spending time with her family, she may

CSC, see page 2

In order to support continual homeland security initiatives and ensure that the Boston area reaches its national preparedness goals, Boston will be receiving $18 million to continue to fund the Urban Area Security Initiative program.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $18 million in funding to Boston, representing an increase of 2.47 percent from last year. Many of the investments will be made noticeable at the 118th Boston Marathon, with the addition of police equipment, bombdetecting K-9s and command vehicles.

Steve MacDonald, spokesman for the Boston Fire Department, said the increase in funding is a result of the City’s commitment to security, nearing the one-year anniversary of the tragedy on April 15, 2013.

“As evidenced by our response last year in the Marathon, where we had many agencies coming together in response to the Marathon bombings,” he said. “The federal government recognizes that basically Boston has its act together and they train well, they work well with each other and [this] is a good use of the federal dollars to enhance the training we do.”

The funds will be channeled through the Urban Area Security Initiative grant program.

These efforts will be coordinated and administered by the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, according to the Friday press release.

“The City of Boston has maintained a strong relationship with Homeland Security, and has historically used these vital grant funds to ensure that the people of Boston are safe, which is, in large part, why our coordinated response in the wake of last year’s Marathon was so professional and effective,” Walsh said in the release.

Boston was among the high-threat, highdensity urban areas eligible for funding under the UASI program.

The security funding is designed for the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region, comprised of Boston and eight surrounding jurisdictions, which include Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville. A committee will decide how the

Security, see page 2

Flatbook helps prospective subletters find home for summer with free program

By Olivia Deng Daily Free Press Staff

As students scramble to find a sublet in the months leading up to the summer, a new company, called Flatbook, is easing this stressful process by providing people with a free service that covers their rent while they are away, as well as managing the entire subletting process for them.

The Canadian company launched in Boston on Jan. 27 and recently accepted seven Boston apartments, said Lucas Pellan, cofounder and Chief Operating Officer of Flatbook. Him and his partner, cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Francis Davidson, decided to found Flatbook last year based on his renting experience.

Although Flatbook is used by anyone seeking to sublet, it is most popular among students, said Pellan.

“In terms of people who are giving us their apartments, college students are the number one clients that we have,” he said. “Last year, we started to advertise our program to students because we realized there’s so many people leaving in the summertime and it’s tough for people to sublet their place.”

William Zhan, a Boston University School

of Management sophomore who serves as the regional manager of Flatbook in Boston, said most students would love to find someone to sublet their apartment, but need of someone to make sure the entire process is legal and ensures their rights.

“That’s where we come in,” he said. “Flatbook will sign contracts with all students who want to sublet, which make sure how much we pay students and we have insurance package. If there is anything damaged or lost during summer, Flatbook will pay up to $10,000.”

Clarissa Molina, a real estate marketing and leasing specialist at Boston Realty Net, said Flatbook would effectively streamline the subletting process and would provide great utility to the many students in Boston.

“We get a lot of calls for short term apartments, but if companies like these are in the works, it would help because there is a very limited availability of short term apartments in Boston,” she said. “They are going to have to find a way to work around the challenges of subletting and finding apartments, but it’s a good idea. It’s something Boston really needs, a company to go to.”

Though Flatbook has been met with posi-

MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Montreal-based company Flatbook specializes in making the subletting process smooth for leaseholders and travelers looking for summer housing.

tive response, some remain skeptical about innovation in subletting.

“The demand’s there, the market’s there, the obstacle is getting collaboration with land-

lords,” said Jason Gell of the Greater Boston Association of Realtors and president of Boston Luxury Properties.

Flatbook, see page 2

2

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Forum addresses trans* inequality Residents: Security funds should go elsewhere Equality: From Page 1

“As Governor, I would ban LGBT propaganda to children,” he said.

“There remains no objective proof that homosexuality is unchangeable, which means it is an acquired position. We must assume that that’s true. If that assumption is true, it is extraordinarily irresponsible to be treating our children as guinea pigs in a massive social experiment.”

Throughout the program, the candidates spoke about the weaknesses in protection for the Commonwealth’s transgender community in particular. Grossman, in one of his answers, targeted Baker, who was absent from the forum, for his decision to oppose the state’s transgender bill.

“The best way to combat those who oppose this position is to point to the other 16 states that have these provisions already in their laws, to see how well they work,” he said.

“Or if they want to point to people closer to home, they can take a look at what we’ve done in Boston or in Cambridge. These laws are beginning to be implemented on a municipal basis, and they’re working very effectively.”

Several attendees said the forum gave them a valuable opportunity to

hear from the candidates personally about the pressing issues in the LGBTQ community.

Mike Dunham, 57, of Holliston, said many of the candidates held the same opinions and said very similar things, but it was a worthwhile and informative event for everyone in attendance.

“I just love watching the political events in Boston, and I thought it would be great to see the candidates,” he said. “It was very informative. There was a lot of stuff I didn’t know about. It’s great to come out and hear the candidates talk about the different issues.”

Chris Alburger, 26, of Somerville, said he is serving as student body president at Harvard Divinity School and has recently organized many events on transgender rights, awareness and issues. He said hearing Lively describe the transgender community as “dysfunctional” highlighted the issues that are at stake.

“That’s religious abuse,” he said.

“So many people have suffered from being beaten over the head with a bible, wrongly so, and the core message of the Christian tradition, of the Jewish tradition, of so many world religions is love and compassion and loving your neighbor as thyself.”

Security: From Page 1

additional funding will be spent, said Christine Maryland, director of communication at the OEM. “The MBHSR is governed by a Jurisdictional Points of Contact committee, with one representative from each of the nine member communities,” she said. “These representatives participate in collectively making funding decisions based on recommendations from investment sub-committees.”

Public health and public safety agencies around the MBHSR are working together with the OEM to apply to receive part of this funding.

“All the public safety agencies in the city will be meeting on this and we have initiatives that we are proposing and we hope to see some of the funds [come to us],” MacDonald said.

Past funding has supported security initiatives such as Urban Shield:

Boston, a continuous 24-hour exercise during which first responders are deployed to strategically and tactically respond to a real world scenario, the largest first responder exercise conducted in New England.

“They are worthwhile training exercises that involve many different agencies, not just from Boston but from other cities and towns, and it is a chance to work side by side with police, with BMS, and agencies like that,” McDonald said.

Several residents said the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings was an abnormality and funds should go toward issues like homelessness, but overall were happy to see an increase in security throughout the Boston area in case similar events transpire again.

Brian Szeto, 24, of Brighton, said the money could have been better used elsewhere. “[This is] probably because of last year and what happened with the

Marathon bombings,” he said. “But that incident last year was an anomaly ... I would rather see it go toward education or with helping with unemployment or with healthcare, like cancer research.”

Paulinha Fonseca, 21, of Boston, said security in Boston is not equal throughout the area, so increasing the quality of security in some places could certainly be beneficial.

“Depending on the location because some of the locations are really violent some are not,” she said. “This way, people would be safer throughout the city.”

Luis Viana, 51, of Boston, said last year’s bombings are further proof that funding like this is valuable.

“Last year’s marathon was an event that nobody would’ve foreseen,” he said. “People would be wrong though to think that just because those kinds of things are rare, that they don’t need to have good security all the time, they do.”

Kotowicz thankful for continued benevolence CSC: From Page 1

eventually pursue another career.

“I want to find something for that next chapter of my life that will be just as great, maybe in a different way,” she said. “Ideally, in a perfect world, it would be part-time … I have a three-year-old and a one-yearold so they certainly occupy a lot of the time. And it’s a wonderful time, but I think it’s nice to have that other

outlet as well.”

CAS senior Michelle AbouRaad, program manager of the Empowerment League, said he and his fellow program managers would miss Kotowicz.

“She has now taken a different direction,” he said. “We wish her all the best and support her wholeheartedly in her new endeavors.”

Kotowicz advised her students to continue to serve the Boston com-

munity and the world at large.

“I miss everyone and thank [them] for the many years of impressing me with all the wonderful things a BU student can do,” she said. “You guys are a really particular, awesome type of student that you don’t find everywhere and I think that’s really special. Places like the Community Service Center really allow that type of student to shine.”

Global renting company accessible internationally Flatbook: From Page 1

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“It’s most of the leasing offices that brokers don’t want to be involved with and more importantly, there’s a relationship for a third party to get involved in,” he said. “You have to remember, the landlord has a lot of control in this process of subletting.

Ultimately, it’s the tenant that signs the lease with the landlord that’s going to pay the price if the third party causes a problem. So I can foresee a lot of potential issues.”

Pellan said Flatbook currently offers services in Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Boston, New York City, Miami, Brussels and Edinburgh.

Several residents said the service would benefit the community, which is predominantly students at the many universities that reside in Boston.

Erin Wizon, 22, of Allston, said she is currently subletting and has encountered minimal problems and does not see a value in the program.

“Maybe in the future [I will use it,] but not now,” she said. “I am just looking to sign leases and not trying to sublet anymore.”

Katia Ferraz, 24, of Brighton, said she knows people who would find utility in Flatbook.

“It’s a nice idea, but it also depends on the price,” she said. “I can do those things for myself, so the price is everything to me, but for someone who is busy, price doesn’t matter.”

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Campus & City City Crime Logs March 19 to March 25

By Mina Corpuz Daily Free Press Staff

The following crime reports were taken from the AllstonBrighton D-14 crime logs from March 19 to March 25.

Suspect breaks in through front door On Wednesday at 6:40 p.m., officers received a call to 270 North Beacon St. for a breaking and entering. The victim stated that an unknown person entered her apartment through the front door while she was at work. An iPad, Macbook Pro and sunglasses were taken.

Victims attacked by group Officers arrived at the intersection of Faneuil Street and Washington Street at 12:20 a.m. on Thursday for a reported assault.

The victims said they were walking on Washington Street when three males approached them. The two groups exchanged brief interactions before the situation became violent. One of the victims was struck and kicked by one of the suspects while the other suspects attacked the second victim.

All three suspects fled the area.

Both victims were transported to St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center for treatment.

Suspect damages window to gain entry On Thursday at about 11:17 a.m., officers were called to 85 Strathmore Rd. for a breaking and entering. The maintenance supervisor found the first floor window open. Upon further inspection, the supervisor discovered the front door unlocked and the apartment in shambles. The apartment was monitored until the tenants came home. The victims believe the suspect tampered with the window and exited through the front door. Jewelry, money, a wallet and personal papers were reported missing.

Victim encounters suspect in apartment Police arrived at 51 Gardner St. on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. for a breaking and entering. Upon hearing the front door close, the victim went to the kitchen, expecting to see her roommate, but instead, she encountered the suspect. The victim stated that they “made eye contact” before the suspect left through the back door. Officers recorded a description of the suspect and searched the area for him. A wallet, money and personal papers were stolen.

Pizza delivery man assaulted and chased by suspects On Saturday at 2:33 a.m., a victim approached officers on patrol about an assault. The victim had been delivering a pizza to 80 Linden St. when five males attacked him. One suspect approached the victim and said, “give me all your money.” The suspect punched the victim in the face when he refused. As the victim ran, the group chased him to Brighton Avenue and Linden Street. The victim had several cuts and a bloody lip but declined to go to the hospital.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Law firm holds panel on cybersecurity US education

programs subpar, study suggests

By Sarah Capungan Daily Free Press Staff

In order to educate companies on the importance of cybersecurity and the different measures that can be taken to mitigate cyber threats, Boston law firm Mintz Levin held expert panel Tuesday night for Boston businesses seeking information on how to better protect themselves in the cyber world.

Christopher Liu, American International Groups’s lead CyberEdge specialist for the United States and Canada, led the panel, consisting of Mintz Levin members Jonathan Cain, Chris Harvie and Adam Veness.

The panel dove into the new cybersecurity framework of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the ongoing measures the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission is taking, as well as the importance of cybersecurity for companies.

Veness said he participated in the event to help educate his company’s clients.

“It’s important for public companies to really think about their cybersecurity disclosure,” he said. “The SEC has been focusing on it a little more and so this is our way to edu-

By Taryn Ottaunick Daily Free Press Staff

ALEXANDRA WIMLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Christopher Harvie, member of legal company Mintz Levin, discusses the best ways for companies to improve security practices at a cybersecurity panel Tuesday evening at One Financial Center.

cate our clients … what their obligations might be as public companies.”

Cain began the discussion with an explanation of NIST’s new cybersecurity framework, which the company released on Feb 12. The framework consists of a series of core standards that companies should look at when assessing their level of cyber security. The framework was designed as a way to measure how far the companies still have to go and what they have to do to improve their cyber security profile.

Cain promoted the new frame-

work and said he found it was helpful in analyzing the success of a company’s cybersecurity.

“It’s fair to say this is a standardized way to approach analyzing cybersecurity,” he said. “It certainly adopts well-recognized industry standards that have been part of the cyber security environment or ecosystem.”

The panelists used the recent security breaches of Target and Neiman Marcus to illustrate the importance of identifying cybersecurity risks

Cybersecurity, see page 4

BUSM, BMC researchers to investigate Parkinson’s

By Sebastian Alamo Daily Free Press Staff

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center joined a larger program sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation Friday to study Parkinson’s disease.

The new addition to the Parkinson’s Progressive Markers Initiative at BU will focus on evaluating people who are at risk of getting Parkinson’s, in addition to those in early stages of the disease already being studied, said Samuel Frank, a principal investigator at BUSM and BMC. “We are just moving the clock back by looking at people that are at risk, so that we can potentially find better ways of better diagnosis that leads to shorter, faster and, of course, cheaper trials for pharmaceutical companies,” Frank said.

“Ultimately, the goal is to find better ways to treat the disease and slow the progression.”

PPMI is a $60 million observational study sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, an organiza-

3

tion whose mission is to find new therapies, said Director of Clinical Trial Recruitment Strategies at the Michael J. Fox Foundation Claire Meunier.

“PPMI is … aimed at validating biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease,” Meunier said. “A biomarker is a characteristic, substance or process in the body associated with risk, onset or progression of a particular disease. An example of a biomarker would be cholesterol in heart disease. If you have increased cholesterol, you are at an increased risk of developing heart disease.”

Although there are 32 sites around the world conducting this study, BU’s facilities are unique in that they held the capabilities to conduct special procedures, Meunier said. “[BU is] obviously a critical player in contributing to a truly global effort,” she said. “Scientifically, they had to have the capability to do all the tests and assessments included in the study protocol. There is one imaging procedure in particular included in the study that, when we first launched,

was brand new to the market and very few sites were able to do that test. BU was one site that had the machine and capability to do that.”

Meunier said the discovery of a biomarker would effectively change the way the disease is treated.

“Finding a biomarker would really open the floodgates for drug development,” she said. “Such a tool would enable researchers to diagnose the disease earlier, identify new targets for therapeutics and test disease-modifying therapies much faster.”

Although Parkinson’s disease is not inherited, Frank said researching genetic mutations on people who could potentially be at risk for the disease may reveal what traits render a person at a higher risk.

“Parkinson’s Disease in general is not a genetic disease,” Frank said. “However, there are a couple of genetic mutations that put people at a higher risk for developing Parkinson’s Disease, and we are going to follow two of those genetic mutations with people who do not have Parkinson’s disease but who we

Parkinson’s, see page 4

With students at schools such as Boston University looking to maximize their workforce appeal, a report released Monday reveals that their American pre-college educations may pale in comparison to international schools in preparing students for their future careers.

“The American employability gap is related to the fact that we get what we give,” said Evangeline Harris Stefanakis, a professor at BU’s School of Education. “… [American students] aren’t learning how to work in teams, how to implement real-life problem solving and they don’t have the experiences that are broader and more work-related.”

The report, which was issued by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, sought to analyze the current issues in Massachusetts education in comparison to those of competitive international schools, said Linda Noonan, the executive director of the MBAE. “[Massachusetts is at the] top of the nation in terms of achievement on standardized tests and we do well internationally on standardized tests, but perhaps not as well as we think we do,” Noonan said. “We have some gaps that we don’t hear about very much, like the top talent gap, where our top students aren’t doing as well as their peers around the world, and also that our progress has slowed.”

Stefanakis said American education falls behind international in terms of using math, science and technology and applying them to real-life experiences.

“Internationally, we fall behind in general in the math and science areas,” she said. “You take both European countries and China and Japan and their kids are doing long division and multiplication at the end of second grade. We’re actually in fourth grade before we introduce those concepts when it’s been proven that children are capable of them far earlier. They take a more hands-on approach.”

Of employers surveyed in the report, 69 percent of Massachusetts employers said they were having difficulty hiring qualified people within the state.

Education, see page 4

Study: Mass. alcohol policies relaxed in comparison to other states

By Drew Schwartz Daily Free Press Staff

In response to a column published in the Boston Globe Saturday criticizing Massachusetts’ prohibition of happy hour, Boston Medical Center Research Coordinator Jason Blanchette pointed to a recent BMC study, which found Massachusetts’ alcohol policies to be lenient relative to the rest of the country.

“Nationwide, alcohol is one of the leading contributors to death and injuries and disease,” Blanchette said.

“In Massachusetts, it’s no different. If anything, we’re doing worse.”

In the study, Blanchette and his team aggregated several alcoholrelated policies of all 50 states into a single score, enabling them to characterize the strength of each state’s effectiveness in reducing excess drinking and driving under the influence.

The scores were based on 29 policies — each rated on their efficacy by a

panel of nationally recognized alcohol policy experts.

“Massachusetts tends to consistently rank in the bottom 10 states,” said principal investigator Tim Naimi, a physician and alcohol policy researcher at the BMC. “People think of Massachusetts as a high state in terms of regulation and taxation, but when it comes to alcohol, it’s been a bit of a blind spot for our state from a public health perspective.”

Naimi said Massachusetts’ tax on alcoholic beverages — about one cent per 12-ounce beer — majorly contributed to the states low ranking on the study’s scale.

“Essentially what we’re doing is subsidizing the production and consumption of alcohol,” Naimi said.

“Other than clothes and food in Massachusetts, we’re taxing alcohol much less compared to all other consumer items. Essentially, it amounts to a subsidy whereby we are actually

EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

In a research project conducted at Boston Medical Center and the Boston University School of Public Health, Massachusetts ranked low on effective alcohol policies that reduce excessive drinking.

incentivizing people to drink more alcohol.”

Naimi said low tax rates contribute to high rates of fatal motor vehicle accidents, sexual assaults and liver

disease, among other public health concerns.

“Everyone is affected by excessive drinking, and, quite frankly, al-

Alcohol, see page 4

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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Cyber Specialist compares web security to insurance Researchers aim to delay onset, symptoms of Parkinson’s disease Cybersecurity: From Page 3

and finding ways to combat them.

They emphasized cyber insurance as one of the ways to combat security breeches.

Liu illustrated the importance of cybersecurity by comparing an insured company to an insured building.

“When you buy property insurance for your building, your warehouse, you install fire protections and then you buy fire insurance,” he said.

The event’s attendees had an

overall positive impression of the panel, and many said it was incredibly educational.

Kathy Henry, 41, the deputy general counsel at Plymouth Rock Assurance Corp. from West Roxbury, said education on cybersecurity issues is important to protect the personal data customers entrust to her company.

“We have a lot of personal data, so protecting the consumer data that our customers entrust to us is of the utmost importance to us as an enterprise,” she said. “Protecting that information from cyber theft is criti-

cally important. My job as a lawyer for the company is to become more educated on these issues so we’re at the cutting edge of protecting data.”

Brad Stock, 46, project lead in the TJX security department from Framingham, also said companies have a responsibility to protect their clients’ data.

“Basically it’s your data that’s out there,” he said. “People are using it, sometimes you know that sometimes you don’t. We have a responsibility to take care of it. When we don’t, it affects you.”

Doctor: Alcohol taxes ‘pathetically low’ in Mass.

Alcohol: From Page 3

cohol taxes are a great source of revenue,” Naimi said. “Our notoriously high income and property taxes in the state are not matched by our really pathetically low alcohol taxes. Maybe alcohol taxes being higher could off-

set some of our other high tax rates.”

Massachusetts’ Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, which employs 15 investigators, aims to control the sale, consumption and manufacturing of alcoholic beverages.

“We have a very low number of

enforcement agents in our Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, given the number of licensed establishments that they have to keep track of,” Blanchette said.

Blanchette said a strong ABCC was rated highly effective in preventing excessive drinking.

Parkinson’s: From Page 3

think that maybe are at risk for it.”

Despite being a highly researched disease, the process of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease has been stalled since its identification, therefore a study looking to alter its diagnosis is essential, Frank said.

“This is really an important study,” he said. “The way we diagnose Parkinson’s disease today is based on the symptoms that people tell us and our physical exam findings. There really is no test. We have not moved forward in terms of diagnosing and tracking Par-

kinson’s disease compared to 200 years ago when James Parkinson originally described the disease.”

Frank said the efforts of the PPMI have the potential to make great strides in treating and even delaying the effects of Parkinson’s disease.

“If we can slow the progression in people who already have the disease, if we find people who are at higher risk and intervene, we could potentially even delay the disease,” he said. “That is where this is going in the big picture, longer term in the development of treatment for Parkinson’s disease.”

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Student: Curriculum in American schools less strict Education: From Page 3

“There’s a mismatch between skills students are required to learn in school and the skills that jobs actually demand,” Noonan said. “We’re measuring the wrong things in schools.

Students need critical thinking ...

Those are not always the things we’re valuing. We need to address this not just for employment, but because citizenship requires these skills.”

Stefanakis said she would suggest an agenda of teaching focused career

skills in school as well as encouraging students to take on apprenticeships at younger ages as international schools do.

“We have to think in more sophisticated ways of what we teach, how we teach it and how they are related to workplace skills,” she said. “The workplaces calls for problem solving, using technology to gather new information and figuring out how to find where problems exist ... Internationally, many students start working on that from 12 years old in other coun-

tries where vocational experiences are added to educational experiences.”

Graciela Marino, a CAS junior, said the curriculum at her school in Venezuela was more restrictive than that of American schools.

“Here in the United States, education seems more complete and gives you more freedom to choose the path that you want,” Marino said. “In other countries, it is more standardized and they choose what classes you should take … It’s more to create a solid base of knowledge.”

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B

Spotlight Staff

oston University is home to many researchers who specialize in subjects ranging from planet formation, such as Dr. Catherine Espaillat, to curing Alzheimer’s disease, such as Max Wallack, junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. These are just two people out of many who research their specialties through BU. This is not surprising seeing how the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education categorizes BU as a RU/VH Research University, meaning it has high research activity. After jumping from 51 to 41 in the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking of colleges and universities this past fall, BU is making a name for itself as one of the top research universities by engaging professors and students alike in and outside of the university.

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ax Wallack, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is on his way to discovering a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but he got an early start.

The Natick native was six when his great-grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and moved in with him and his family.

“I was one of her primary caregivers until her death, when I was 10,” Wallack said. “I saw the toll on people suffering from Alzheimer’s and on the families of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease researcher. I really wanted to make a difference.”

Seven years later, Wallack is an author, an inventor, a neuroscience major and an Alzheimer’s disease researcher, and he has yet to celebrate his 18th birthday.

Wallack realized he wanted to focus his life on Alzheimer’s disease while attending BU Academy and started working in his lab as soon as it was legal for him to do so at the age of 15.

Wallack began working at the Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry in Aging at BU’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

The laboratory is focused on biomarkers, which can provide an early identification of Alzheimer’s disease.

“One of the major problems with Alzheimer’s disease is we have some drugs that can be useful, but most people get diagnosed too late,” Wallack said. “If we can diagnose people earlier and give them the drug, it can help them. That’s why we are looking at biomarkers.”

For the past two years Wallack and his lab team, which consists of Dr. Wendy Qui and two other scientists, have been concerned with a hormone in people that can be used to identify Alzheimer’s disease.

Wallack also investigates a diabetes drug that can potentially help Alzheimer’s patients.

“If we catch Alzheimer’s early enough,

we can use the drug as treatment,” Wallack said. “We have done it as a test on both mice and humans and it has gone very well. It seems to be very beneficial.”

The drug that Wallack wants to give people is already FDA approved, so Wallack and his team are just waiting for the ability to have a clinical trial.

Wallack recalls that the time with his great-grandmother was difficult, but it was important in the way that it impacted him.

The experience with his great-grandmother also inspired his idea to form the nonprofit organization called Puzzles to Remember back in 2008.

“When I would visit my great-grandmother in nursing homes and hospitals, I would see her and other patients doing jigsaw puzzles,” Wallack said. “After she passed away, I started researching the benefits of puzzles on neuron activity.”

Wallack later partnered with Springbok Puzzles in St. Louis, Mo., collaborating with the company to create specialized puzzles for Alzheimer’s patients. These puzzles come with bigger puzzle pieces and memory provoking pictures and themes.

Wallack has also co-written a children’s book called Why Did Grandma Put Her Underwear in the refrigerator, which explains Alzheimer’s disease to children and is in the process of being translated into 11 different languages.

In the close future Wallack plans to apply to medical schools. He wants to become a geriatric psychiatrist in order to work directly with Alzheimer’s patients, their caregivers and their families. Wallack will also continue his search for the cure.

“I still want to continue doing research because it is very interesting and important to me,” Wallack said. “I think that the research I’m doing has the ability to help people, and I’m very fortunate for being able to do it.”

STACY SCHOONOVER/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Max Wallack works with hormones to learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease in his mission to find a cure.

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rowing up in New York, Assistant Professor Catherine Espaillat was doubtful of the PBS specials on stars and planets she watched on TV. Even a telescope that she saved up for did not have the power to look past the thick, light-polluted New York City night sky. Soon she began studying the formation of planets stemmed from childhood skepticism of what really happened in space.

“I remember I saved up and bought a telescope in the sixth grade,” Espaillat said. “I got this fancy telescope and I pointed to a blob in the sky, and then in the telescope I just saw a bigger blob in the sky. And I was like, ‘this sucks! This is so not impressive.’”

Espaillat’s disbelief in what she watched on TV and what she saw through her telescope made her want to investigate the stars and planets. Her inspiration for getting involved in astronomy was, “the idea that all this could be out there, but we just don’t see it.”

Although an interest in space always quipped in Espaillat, she did not come across her research right away. Espaillat attended Columbia University as a pre-med major, but changed to astronomy halfway through her undergraduate program. Espaillat later attended the University of Michigan for graduate school. During this time she found her niche in astronomy research.

“When I started at the University of Michigan I was working on active galactic nuclei, which are galaxies with really big black holes in the center,” Espaillat said. “It wasn’t what held my interest, but then there was someone in the department who worked on planet formation, and that’s what I wanted to study.”

Espaillat started her research in 2007 while attending grad school and has been expanding her work ever since. Espaillat is interested in solving one of the big questions in astronomy: how do planets form? In order to solve this question she has to study young stars in other solar systems that are just forming.

“We know that there are lots of planets

out there,” Espaillat said. “But where did they come from? We know they’re there, but how did they form? I study stars that are a million years old. Compared to our sun that is very, very young. The objects I look at are what our sun looked like when it was a baby.”

Espaillat researches these questions because she wants to know how our own solar system and planet formed. More specifically, she studies “transition disks” that are composed of gas and dust surrounding a forming star. In the disks, small dust grains float around and stick to one another. As these objects, that are 140 parsecs (456.628 light years) away, grow bigger and bigger they form rocks, boulders and even cores of planets.

“What we think happens is that the planet, as it’s going through the disk and going around the star, sucks up the material around itself because it’s trying to get bigger and it’s going to leave out a gap,” Espaillat explains.

“So it’s kind of like Saturn’s rings and you see that there’s little gaps in between the rings. If you look closely in each of those rings there’s a little room, so as the smaller objects revolve the bigger object, there’s this disk.”

Espaillat hopes that the near future will bring better technology that can capture these baby stars and their formation process.

“I’m hoping that a decade or so from now we can get telescopes that allow us to do this,” Espaillat said. “In the future we’ll be able to start taking pictures of them, but right now we can’t do that. It’s very tempting, though.

We have these baby planets out there, we see the signatures they leave, but we don’t see the planets themselves.”

As of now, Espaillat teaches a graduate level course, and next September she will be teaching Astronomy 101. Espaillat said it’s great to work at BU because she is able to interact with students and teach other people.

“It’s kind of like training people to be junior scientists and apprentices,” Espaillat said. “I can invest time in people so that they can go off and have their great ideas and do their wonderful research.”

STACY SCHOONOVER/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Catherine Espaillat reasearches transition disks in order to find out how planets form.

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Opinion

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The Daily Free Press

The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

Youth culture in China

44th year F Volume 86 F Issue 34

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

A Semester in Shanghai

Tate Gieselmann

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 © 2014 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Controlling birth control?

A divided Supreme Court argued Tuesday whether the religious beliefs of business owners could exempt them from providing their employees insurance coverage for all types of contraceptives under a requirement in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Simply put, the question at hand was to what extent could a corporation exercise their religious beliefs over not only social morals, but the law as well. What is this, Arizona?

Two companies, Conestoga Wood Specialties and Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., have appealed this mandate on the grounds that they have a right and desire to act with their own personal beliefs, even in the market place.

According to a Tuesday CNN article, the key issue on the bench is the interpretation of the 1993 federal law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This law requires the government to seek the “least burdensome” way for a law to impede on religious convictions. Well, denying employees the right to insurancecovered contraceptives is putting a pretty big burden on them — a burden they are legally bound to for 18 years, to be exact.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, who may be the decisive vote by late June, said those in opposition to the government mandate believe employers should be able to restrict the rights of their employees under this healthcare plan.

Kennedy asked Paul Clement, representative of the owners of Conestoga Wood Specialties and Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., “The employee may not agree with these religious beliefs of the employer. Do the religious beliefs just trump? Is that the way it works?”

The government needs to value individual human beings over the thoughts of one corporation, and therefore corporations should not have the privilege of exerting their “religious freedom” in a workplace if it will hinder their employees’ mandated rights.

Large corporations are run by one person or a small group of people, but take hundreds to function. Allowing the higher powers in companies to decide whether or not their employees can receive coverage for the contraceptives would perpetuate a classist distinction in the work place.

Religious freedom is warranted, but not when it infringes the rights of others. The mandated healthcare coverage legally belongs to the employees.

At the same time, many employees may not even want to use the insurance coverage due to their own religious beliefs — especially those with Hobby Lobby. But just because an employee may not want to take advantage of the insurance coverage, that does not mean he or she should be denied the option.

If someone dresses up as a Native American for Halloween, it’s “cute.” If a non-Indian dresses in a sari for prom, it’s “trendy.” If a white person wears blackface, well, that’s just flat-out racist. But if Nick Cannon, a black TV host, dresses in “white face,” it’s considered what people on the Internet are deeming as “reverse racism.”

Now, Internet users, what does “reverse racism” even mean? Technically, wouldn’t it constitute total equality and tolerance for all types of people? Apparently not. To promote his new album titled “White People Party Music,” Cannon wanted to represent the “classic white people” who would be listening to it. He shared an Instagram photo earlier this week donning the alias “Connor Smallnut,” with his skin painted white, while wearing a blond wig a flannel and a beanie.

The photo itself sparked immediate controversy on the Internet, as well as its hashtags, #CreamCheeseEating, #BeerPong, #Farmers-

Markets and #FistPumping.

Users then responded with comments saying that Cannon’s post was racist.

“This is so [expletive] offensive. What if Britney Spears made herself black and put a pic up that says ‘it’s official… IM BLACK,’” one user wrote.

Another user was less harsh and more blunt when he or she wrote, “Don’t get me wrong I think it’s hilarious but it’s just a double standard.” It seems this was Cannon’s goal. Mocking white people with whiteface is so different than mocking black people with blackface because the origin of the connotation is different.

Blackface originated in the 1800s as a mockery to black aesthetics. Cannon’s white face is a satire of the archaic racist image.

It is not hard to realize that it wasn’t Cannon’s hashtags that caused the controversy.

Is it a white v. black thing?

To read the rest of this editorial, please visit dailyfreepress.com

Once again, I step onto a crowded subway train.

The subway door beeps twice as a man hurries on during the last second. The doors close as the man squeezes in, creating a chain reaction that jostles everyone in a five-foot radius. I hold tightly onto the metal bar in an attempt to remain unmoved, but gravity emerges victorious and I inadvertently bump into the young woman on my right.

Though the weather outside is miserably cold and rainy, the subway car is made almost intolerable by the human heat emanating from every corner and crevice. I adjust my weight as the train begins to speed off, taking our 200-plus person caravan to our mornings at work. I check the progress of the train, detailed in an LED display above my head; a television positioned on the opposite side of the train plays a combination of news updates and video of cute animals.

Even with this constant stimulation, my fellow passengers remain mostly engrossed in their cell phones. Most people are watching content on their iPhones or tablets, usually TV shows of either Korean or American origin. I notice an episode of “House of Cards” to my left and a teenager watching the new “Thor” movie in front of me.

It seems that the only people not paying attention to their phones are the very old and the very young. The elderly seem lost in their thoughts, while the toddlers seem mostly interested in the world around them. I smile at the apparent symbolism and then push my way off the train as my stop comes into view.

In the stop a new throng of people surround me, this time pushing in the direction of the line I’m attempting to transfer to. Although the bright orange corridor is a little wider, I feel nearly as confined as I did in the subway car. Since I am a bit taller than the rest of the crowd, I duck and move between pedestrians in order to maximize the speed of my gait.

One thing I constantly notice in China is the number of young couples. Whether it is high school-aged flings or married couples with babies in strollers, I notice young Chinese people holding hands all over the place.

According to the fountain of knowledge that is my Chinese professor, the singlechild policy that started in the ‘Reform and Opening-Up’ period of China’s development created a number of social phenom-

ena — I’m kind of convinced this is one of them, though the direct influence is still a little unclear to me. I could just be imagining it, so I shake off the thought and continue on my way.

As I step onto the escalator down to the next connecting train line, I begin to notice all the fashion being sported around me.

Fashion in China is incredibly interesting, especially amongst teenagers and young adults. China’s recent economic development has brought in a wave of foreign brands, so more traditional Chinese styles often juxtapose with brands like Gucci, Prada and even “streetwear” brands like Bape and Supreme.

A particularly poignant example of the influence of American culture in China appears right in front of me on the escalator: a Chinese woman who appears to be about my age sports a T-shirt with three words printed in large, English block letters: “NOISE. PARTY. LIVE.” This is a rather tame example of an style that seems to take me by surprise each time I notice it ­— clothing sporting words in English that make almost no sense to a native speaker.

I’m sure my attempts to order pork buns off of a cart in Chinese are laughable to the “master” making the buns, so I allow myself a smile at the apparent language gap.

Of course, the foreign language education system in China puts our mandatory Spanish lessons in America to shame, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the object of my humor speaks the English language better than I do.

I encounter these interesting styles and occurrences every time I hop on the subway to work.

Spending nearly two hours every day in transit, I’ve made it a hobby to take notice of trends and cultures that seem foreign to me. Although at first I felt alienated in a country where I have a hard time communicating with the majority of the population, the longer I observe, the more I understand and the more I feel at home. I, too, spend time on my electronic device watching TV (though “Seinfeld” makes the rounds more than “House of Cards”) and I have begun to understand some of the motivation behind the recent fashion trends that I find in Shanghai.

Slowly but surely, I’m beginning to find a home in this city.

Tate Gieselmann is a College of Arts and Sciences junior studying abroad in China.

He can be reached at tateag@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.

Terrier Talk Reflections

According to a recent study by the University of Chicago, nearly half of Americans mistrust standard medical advice and do not want to give their children certain vaccinations. The Daily Free Press wanted to know if students think people should be exempt from these vaccinations based on religious and philosophical beliefs.

Here’s what some of them said.

INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS

BY ALEXANDRA WIMLEY & KATHRYN NEUHARDT

ASHLEY GUILLAUME

DANIELLE FITZPATRICK

“Absolutely not. I don’t understand why you would want to put yourself and others in danger.”

-CAS freshman

“I feel like they should not [allow exemptions] because vaccines protect the entire society, and that would be hindering it.”

- SAR freshman

SHEINA GODOVICH

“Although there’s risk that vaccinations may bring harm to children’s health, there’s also benefits to vaccinations as well.”

- CAS senior

URS WEBER

“There’s a common duty to vaccinate your kids ... if you don’t vaccinate your kids, you’re putting other people’s kids at risk too.”

-CAS senior

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

7

McKay: NCAA Tournament could use change in seeding system McKay: From Page 8

Sixteen showdown with No. 2 seed University of Michigan.

The most incredible thing about the NCAA tournament is the constant existence of a Cinderella team, which captures the nation’s attention and helps put a smaller school on the college basketball map. But the upsets call into question the current seeding system. If a team is truly deserving of a top seed, shouldn’t they be able to handle a much lower seed?

In baseball, a lower team might have the ball bounce its way and the team might have a little more heart and desire than the other team and could end up winning. In football, someone could get hurt or a coach could come up with

some harebrained scheme that works to perfection for one wonderful afternoon. But basketball is a sport where the most talented team wins out more often than not, because of both the physical nature of the game and the skill required to play it well. Now, there are exceptions to this rule. The 2011 Dallas Mavericks were in no way, shape or form more talented than the Miami Heat. But Dirk Nowitzki turned into a human fireball during the NBA Finals and LeBron James’ brain told him to forget everything about basketball for six games, so the Mavericks won. This is definitely the exception rather than the rule.

But lately, it seems as though the seeding in the NCAA Tournament doesn’t matter. In the NBA, playoff seedings definitely matter; teams

with the higher seed have home-court advantage. But NCAA Tournament games are played in front of neutral-site crowds.

Even more importantly, teams only play one game. It’s not a series that the more talented team will win 99 times out of 100. It’s a single game. A star player can have a cold shooting night. A reserve can come out of nowhere, score 28 points off the bench, and lead a low seed to victory. Someone could get hurt. The momentum factor also plays a role: crowds love an underdog. Let’s say there’s seven minutes left in a game in which the higher seed leads the lower seed by two points. A statistician would tell you that based on the seeding difference, the top seed has a better chance of winning. But then something happens to fire up the crowd.

Maybe a player on the lower team throws down a dunk on someone’s head. The crowd immediately starts cheering for the underdog, and the lower seed thinks, “Hey, why can’t we win this game? Why not us?” From then on, it’s anyone’s game.

I’m not advocating a total removal of the seeding system from the NCAA Tournament. I don’t have a perfect alternative. But the NCAA powers should look into tweaking it. I’m having a hard time believing that Mercer is a better team than Duke, and I’m having a really hard time believing that Dayton is better than Ohio State, let alone Syracuse. I know everyone loves an upset, but there’s a limit where the amount of upsets gets a little ridiculous.

3 Terriers earn PL weekly accolades Women’s Lacrosse: From Page 8

goals-against average.

“Meegan is much more confident and commanding on the field,” Robertshaw said. “She has gained more experience since the beginning of the season and is seeing the ball better on free position shots. I’m excited to see what else she can do.”

The goalie was honored with a Patriot League Rookie of the Week award for her performance last week, along with senior defender Christie Hart, who received Defensive Player of the Week, and sophomore midfielder Jill Horka who won Midfield Player of the Week.

“These players really stood out this past week,” Roberstshaw said. “Hart is a defensive leader, Horka worked hard on turnovers and hustled, and the conference definitely noticed.”

Offensively, Horka and senior attack Re-

becca Church are in the midst of five game scoring streaks for the Terriers. Redshirt sophomore Mallory Collins leads the team in scoring with 11 goals, while junior Lindsay Weiner is tops in points with four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.

On the other end, senior Jen Devito leads the Bulldogs with 26 points from 18 assists and eight goals. Daniggelis has tallied 18 goals so far this season, a team-leading number.

In goal Yale will likely look to senior Erin McMullan who has started every game in net so far in 2014. She owns a .456 save percentage and an impressive 8.00 goals-against average.

“It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow,” Robertshaw said. “It’s going to be very windy and snowy and we’re playing against a tough team. We need the defense to bring the confidence and step up as they did last week in order to get more shots on the cage.”

Morris, Irving lead BU in final seasons Men’s Basketball: From Page 8

assists, a feat he also accomplished as a rookie in the America East.

In addition to his assists, Watson led the Terriers in points with 13.3 per game and steals with 2.1 per game.

Morris was another essential part of BU’s success during his final year. He finished fourth in the league in rebounding with 6.1 per game, and seventh in field goal percentage with .526, leading the team in both categories.

A fellow captain and senior, guard D.J. Irving, also made large contributions throughout the season. Although Irving did not play up to the high expectations surrounding him after being voted Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year, he demonstrated his strong shooting abilities when it mattered most.

Against the Black Knights (15-16, 10-8 Patriot League) in the conference semifinals, Irving finished with 20 points. The Chester, Pa., native then scored 17 points in the NIT matchup with the Fighting Illini. Moreover, the guard was named as a member of the Second-Team All-Patriot League.

“I think our senior class did an amazing job of being leaders,” Jones said. “I think they were

great teammates, they really cared about winning. I thought that they were a great model for our young guys to follow in terms of the way they carried themselves.

“They weren’t perfect by any stretch, but they were terrific for our young guys to watch and learn from.”

Part of the younger contingent that was successful this year was freshman guard Cedric Hankerson. He was another Terrier awarded at the end of the season, getting named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.

Even though the Terriers fell short of the NCAA Tournament and fell in its one postseason game, Jones was pleased with how the season went.

“I thought it was very successful season, we hit a lot of our goals that we had,” Jones said.

“We were able to beat a lot of the major teams that were on our schedule. We wanted to have a successful first season in the Patriot League, we wanted to win the regular season, we were able to do that.

“We came up short in the last goal, and that was to win the conference tournament and go on to the NCAA Tournament. We were one game away from doing that, so I’d say it was a very successful season.”

Softball offense continues to thrive Softball: From Page 8

In addition to the two seniors, two freshmen have also shown their offensive prowess.

Infielder Brittany Younan and her classmate, outfielder Moriah Connolly, have proven to be forces to be reckoned with in the lineup.

Younan has a .392 batting average with 31 hits and 17 RBI to go along with a .532 slugging percentage, good for second on the team in all three categories.

Connolly has shown her quickness on the base paths, leading BU with four triples. She is also a perfect 12-for-12 on stolen base attempts.

“The freshmen have just come in ready to play and ready to go in whatever role we gave them,” Gleason said. “I was a little concerned coming in with only five seniors and a big freshmen class but the seniors have done a great job of showing them the ways of BU softball.”

Younan received her second Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors on Monday, while Connolly won Patriot League Player of the Week on Feb. 25.

BU will need to continue this quality of-

fense when it takes on Bryant. The Bulldog offense has been strong this year as well and has hit has 17 home runs already this year, 10 more than the Terriers.

The bats are led by Maple and sophomore Elle Madsen. Both have averages over .330 and Madsen leads the team with six home runs.

Maple has also contributed with three long balls of her own.

“Bryant is a very aggressive team on the bases, at the plate and they’re very solid defensively,” Gleason said. “[Bryant coach] Shayne, our alum, Lotito, has done a great job taking down over that program.”

The Terriers may hold the advantage over the Bulldogs, however, due to the Bryant’s team ERA of 4.09.

After taking on Bryant, the Terriers will take on Providence (0-15) in their first home game of the season. BU has already beaten the Friars this year, defeating them by a score of 10-2.

To read the rest of this article, please visit dailyfreepress.com

MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Sophomore midfielder Jill Horka has registered eight goals in 2014 for the Terriers.

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“

“

Quotable

I thought it was very successful season, we hit a lot of our goals that we had.

-BU coach Joe Jones on the performance of his team in 2013-14

page 8

Foul Shots Seeding failures

Patrick McKay

Earning a top seed in the NCAA Tournament is an honor. It means that a team has played well enough all season, and probably won its conference tournament. It means that your team is thought of to be one of the best four in the country. But the seeding of the NCAA Tournament, much like the Top 25 rankings we see all year, doesn’t mean anything at all.

The seeding is largely hypothetical; a selection committee thinks that these teams are the best, and they rank accordingly.

2014 has been a great year for this theory. The top overall seed in the tournament (previously undefeated Wichita State University) was upended in the round of 32 by eighth-seeded University of Kentucky. That’s legitimately the only upset I predicted correctly. That’s how bad my bracket is. Two second-seeded teams (Villanova University and the University of Kansas) are gone, knocked out in the round of 32 by the University of Connecticut and Stanford University, respectively. Duke University, a longtime college basketball power, fell in the second round to unheardof Mercer University. Mercer? Are you kidding me? Well, Duke did lose to No. 15 seed Lehigh University a of couple years ago, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised about the Blue Devils choking anymore.

One of the semifinals in the South Region involves two double-digit seeded teams. No. 11 seed University of Dayton has enjoyed an impressive run, defeating Ohio State University in the second round and Syracuse University in the round of 32. Tenthseeded Stanford topped the University of New Mexico in the second round, and then pulled off a massive upset by beating Kansas in the round of 32. Either way, a double-digit seed will play in the Elite Eight matchup against the winner of the University of Florida-University of CaliforniaLos Angeles game. At least one or two lower-seeded teams seem to make the Elite Eight nearly year.

Dayton isn’t even the only No.11 seed left; the University of Tennessee in the Midwest Region beat the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Mercer by an average of 19.5 points per game to set up a Sweet

Mckay, see page 7

Sports [ www.dailyfreepress.com ]

W. Lacrosse vs. Yale, 4 p.m.

Softball @ Bryant, 4 p.m.

The BU softball team will play its first home game of 2014 this Thursday when the team takes on Providence College, P.7.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

BU finishes with strong 1st season in PL Softball gears

for 1st home game of 2014

By Alex Rozier Daily Free Press Staff

After the Boston University men’s basketball team was defeated by the University of Illinois in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament and saw its season come to a close, the mood in the ensuing press conference was dismal.

During that press conference, however, BU coach Joe Jones echoed a piece of wisdom spoken by one of the team’s leaders.

“I think [senior forward] Dom Morris said it best,” Jones said, “He said, ‘We have nothing to hang our heads about.’”

Certainly, there was nothing shameful about the 2013-14 campaign for the Terriers (24-11, 15-3 Patriot League).

BU claimed the Patriot League regular season title in just its first year in the conference, and clinched home-court advantage for the entire Patriot League Tournament.

At the start of the regular season, the Terriers gained national attention with an 83-77 out-of-conference road win against the University of Maryland on Dec. 21.

“Obviously the Maryland win was a huge win for the program,” Jones said. “I love the fact that we didn’t rest on that, that we kept fighting.”

The Terriers then made a strong first impression on the conference, beginning its Patriot League schedule with a six-game winning streak.

Two days later though, the Terriers met their match in Washington D.C., where the Eagles (20-13, 13-5 Patriot League) crushed BU by 30 points.

BU rallied back from the loss and ended the regular season by going 9-2 in its remaining games, including a 71-62 win over American in the two teams’ rematch. BU finally clinched a No. 1 seed for the conference tournament with a 68-64 win over College of the Holy Cross on March 1.

The team made an initial splash in the Patriot League Tournament, crushing Lafayette College and the U.S. Military Academy in the first two rounds by a combined score of

By Michael Joscelyn Daily Free Press Staff

JUNHEE CHUNG/DAILY FREE PRESS FILE PHOTO

Senior guard D.J. Irving finished his final season at BU claiming Second-Team All-Patriot League Honors

182-124.

Yet, as was the story in the regular season, the Eagles were there to spoil the Terriers’ run. With a disciplined defense and efficient shooting, American defeated BU in the championship game, 55-36.

Although the Terriers failed to make the NCAA Tournament, they were chosen to participate in the NIT, with its first game against the Fighting Illini (20-15) on March 19. Despite leading for most of the game, the Terriers fell out of the postseason when guard Rayvonte Rice reenergized his team in the second half and

carried Illinois into the second round of the tournament.

For the year, BU’s most notable leader was sophomore guard Maurice Watson Jr. The guard improved his all-around game this year, and stacked up even more accolades since being selected to the America East Conference All-Rookie Team as a freshman.

The Philadelphia native was named to the 2013-14 First Team AllPatriot League and finished third in the nation with 7.1 assists per game.

The guard also led the conference in

Men’S baSketball, see page 7

Starting its first non-tournament regular season games, the Boston University softball team will face Bryant University Wednesday and then play its first home game Thursday when the Terriers host Providence College.

“I think with this group of people it doesn’t really matter where we play,” said BU coach Kathryn Gleason. “We’re just so concerned with playing the game that wherever we play it’s going to be comfortable.”

The Terriers (14-11) are coming out of the Yale Invitational where they went 3-1 in four games, including splitting two games with the Bulldogs (10-11).

BU was victorious in the first meeting between the teams Saturday, scoring eight runs, three of them driven in by senior catcher Amy Ekart.

A day later, the Terriers were not as fortunate, as the Bulldogs scored two runs in the top of the sixth to secure a 7-5 victory. Bryant shortstop Aubrey Maple had a game-high four RBI. “It’s always going to be a challenge playing a team three different times,” Gleason said. “It’s good for us though going into the Patriot League schedule where we’re going to play teams three times.”

As displayed in the last tournament, the strength of this BU team can be found in its offense. Heading into the game this week, the team is sporting a .324 batting average and has 43 doubles, 11 triples, 227 hits to go with 140 runs, which are all the best in the Patriot League.

Senior outfielder Jayme Mask leads the Terriers with a .452 batting average and has 38 hits and 13 stolen bases.

Leading the team in RBI is senior shortstop Brittany Clendenny, who has 25 thus far. She is also fourth on the team with a .318 batting average.

SoFtball, see page 7

Women’s lacrosse looking for 1st non-conference win of year

By Gabbie Chartier Daily Free Press Staff

Coming off a 9-8 win over the U.S. Naval Academy this past Saturday, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team will take on Yale University in a non-conference home game at Nickerson Field Wednesday afternoon.

Although BU (3-5, 3-0 Patriot League) had a shaky beginning to the season, losing its first four games, the team remains undefeated in the Patriot League and has won three out of its last four contests. The Terriers have edged Navy (9-1, 3-1 Patriot League), American University by a 12-11 score and beat the College of the Holy Cross in an 8-6 contest.

The team’s five losses have come from four nationally ranked squads — No. 1 University of North Caro-

lina, No. 2/3 University of Maryland, No. 10/11 University of Massachusetts-Amherst and No. 14 Johns Hopkins University. Road games have not been kind to BU this year, as all of the Terriers’ losses have come away from Nickerson Field.

Yale (5-2) has been a bit more successful this season, winning its first five games of the year, but dropping its last two. The team will be looking for its first win since March 7, where they defeated Quinnipiac University 15-8. Within the Ivy League in 2014, the Bulldogs have posted a 1-2 record.

The two teams met last season, and the Terriers defeated the Bulldogs in a close 16-15 affair. The game began in BU’s favor, with the Terriers holding a 14-6 lead. However, Yale came back to almost win

the game after five goals each from then-freshman Nicole Deangillis and then-senior Devon Rhodes.

Overall, BU is 6-11 all-time games against Yale. However, in the last six years, the Terriers have been able to walk away victorious five times against the Bulldogs, including three consecutive wins.

“We need to play a really great game tomorrow,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “This Yale team is very veteran-heavy and very confident.

They’re having one of their best years right now, we need to make sure we bring strong defense and try to limit their shooting.”

Part of the reason for the Terriers’ success in the past four games has been because of stout defensive play.

BU’s defense was strong during last week’s contests against Holy Cross

(5-6, 3-1 Patriot League) and Navy, holding the Crusaders scoreless for over 32 minutes, while fighting off Navy for the last eight minutes of play.

“Our defense last week was instrumental, they were awesome,” Robertshaw said. “They held down some of the nations leading scorers, which was clutch and gave us opportunities on attack. It brought confidence that the entire team fed off of.”

To lead the defense, freshman goalkeeper Caroline Meegan stepped up tremendously to help get BU into the win column. Meegan has started the last seven games, making 10 saves in the contest versus the Midshipmen. In her first year, she holds a .415 save percentage and an 11.02

Friday, March 28

Saturday, March 29

Sunday, March 30

The Bottom Line

Wednesday, March 26

HOME SWEET HOME

The Daily Free Press

Thursday, March 27 Softball vs. Providence, 4 p.m.

Track @ Raleigh Relays, All Day Track @ Central Florida Relays, All Day

Softball @ Army, 12 p.m., 2 p.m.

W. Lacrosse @ Lafayette, 1 p.m.

M. Lacrosse vs. Navy, 1 p.m.

Track @ Raleigh Relays

WoMen’S lacroSSe, see page 7

Softball @ Army, 1 p.m.