12-11-2012

The Daily Free Press

Year xlii. Volume lxxxiii. Issue LIV

LINKING UP Fast-growing LinkedIn sees success as tool to network, page 3.

[

Tuesday, December 11, 2012 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

]

www.dailyfreepress.com

SEEING CRIMSON

ARE U HAPPY?

W. basketball wins in overtime vs. Harvard 68–61, page 8.

Humans, apes might share U-shaped mood pattern, page 5.

WEATHER

Today: Partly cloudy/High 47 Tonight: Partly cloudy/Low 28 Tomorrow: 49/39 Data Courtesy of weather.com

Students frustrated by admins halting GNH Boston’s homeless

mostly in shelters, latest report finds

By Margaret Waterman Daily Free Press Staff

Members of Boston University’s Center for Gender, Sexuality & Activism and Student Government, as well as other BU students, expressed frustration with the administration’s decision to halt the gender-neutral housing initiative at a public meeting hosted

by CGSA Monday night.

About 30 students gathered to strategize how to vocalize their opinions to BU officials and further communicate how gender-neutral housing remains an important issue for students.

“This wasn’t really on top of their [the administration] priority list in terms of things they want to get done,” said D.A. Whatley, SG vice president of finance and School of Management sophomore. “Students need to show the administration that this is more of an issue in order for them to go ahead with this.”

In October, SG announced gender-neutral housing was confirmed to be an option at an unspecified future date.

On Sunday, however, SG officials said Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore informed them on Nov. 21 that the administration halted the gender-neutral housing initiative indefinitely to focus on other housing concerns.

Elmore said in an interview Monday with The Daily Free Press that the gender-neutral housing proposal remains under review by the administration and that BU has to address

By Rachel Riley Daily Free Press Staff

PHOTO BY TAYLOR HARTZ/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

College of Arts and Sciences junior Sasha Goodfriend, co-director of the Center for Gender, Sexuality & Activism, facilitates an action planning session regarding the Boston University administration’s decision to halt a proposal to institute gender neutral housing on campus.

a number of more pressing housing issues, including keeping freshmen out of Danielsen Hall, offering more housing options for transfer students and establishing Kilachand Hall.

“I think what we had decided to do is to look at the important aspects about how we assign students here on campus and the room selection process,” Elmore said.

“Part of what we’ve got to do is make a decision whether or not it [gender-neutral

housing] is possible,” he added. “Then we’ve got to have a conversation about whether or not we want to do it. I don’t think we’re even at a point where we’ve had that conversation … we’ve got to make sure we look at feasibility.”

SG officials said they received about 2,000 student responses in support of the ini-

rority, Swift, a School of Management senior, said.

“There has been a lot of excitement associated with bringing a new chapter to campus,” said Swift, and SMG senior, in an email. “Theta has been a very exciting and rewarding process for the Panhellenic Council and the community as a whole. They add a new chapter, new women and new traditions.”

Elizabeth Mundy, an educational leadership consultant at Kappa Alpha Theta who has worked to establish Theta at BU, said Theta’s Grand Council and headquarters aimed to establish a chapter at BU because it was a community with a positive environment, strong support system and admirable values.

“It was very apparent during our fall recruitment process that this [Theta’s] rich history attracted women on campus who had not previously pictured themselves as sorority women,” Mundy said.

Hohenstein, who had not gone through formal recruitment and did not know much about

Greek Life, said she realized what Theta stood for aligned perfectly with her personal values when the organization began actively recruiting in the fall.

“I hope that by joining Theta, other women would recognize that a Greek Life member doesn’t just have one mold and that potential new members similar to myself would feel that it was possible for them to have a place in the Greek community,” she said.

Hohenstein said that as president she is eager to be able to establish an organization and impact the way it develops.

“It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you get to establish something from the start — building its reputation and watching as well as influencing how it grows,” she said.

On Sunday, the officers of the chapter were officially installed, Mundy said.

“From there, the officers will be setting goals and working toward common objectives,” she

GNH, see page 2

Kappa Alpha Theta seeks to add energy to BU Greek Life

By Katherine Lynn Daily Free Press Staff

Kate Hohenstein, president of the newly founded Eta Chi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta at Boston University, said Theta brings together a diverse group of women who will give a revitalized energy to BU Greek Life.

“All of our members are driven women who know how to carry themselves with grace,” Hohenstein, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said in an email. “But we have a complimentary side — a side that’s outgoing and charismatic. I think the combination makes a dynamic spark that will both diversity us against and ignite friendship between the other sororities on campus.”

The Eta Chi Chapter of Theta was officially installed on Dec. 2 after spending the fall 2012 semester in a colonization period, said Linda Swift, Panhellenic Council president in an email.

Theta welcomed a founding class with 116 members, who are now active sisters of the so-

Theta, see page 4

Although Massachusetts experienced a slight increase in homelessness from 2011, Boston has the second-highest proportion of sheltered homeless people in 2012, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports.

The Commonwealth experienced an increase in homelessness from 2.6 percent of the population in 2011 to 2.8 percent in 2012, according to the 2011 and 2012 reports.

But in Boston, 96.8 percent of homeless people are reported as sheltered, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2012 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report released Monday.

Since 2011, national homelessness has decreased by about 0.4 percent, and there have been more pronounced declines in the number of chronic homeless people and homeless veterans, U.S. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a joint press call Monday.

The AHAR reported decreases in veteran homelessness by 7.2 percent and chronic homelessness by 6.8 percent, while the number of homeless families saw a rise of 1.4 percent, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“In a time when families who rent are paying a higher share of their income for housing and the house of rental housing is rising relative to income, it’s a hopeful sign that there’s a slight decline in the overall level of homelessness and more substantial reductions in veteran and chronic homelessness,” Donovan said.

HUD’s annual “point-in-time” report calls upon volunteers at the local level in more than 3,000 cities and counties around the world to count America’s homeless population on a given night, according to the press release.

In late January, local organizations known as “Continuums of Care” conducted counts of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people.

Donovan said the department must work harder to meet the goals of the Obama Administration’s Opening Doors program, which sets a timetable to end chronic, veteran and family homelessness within the next eight years.

“As today’s numbers reveal, we must redouble our efforts to meet the plan’s goals of ending chronic and veterans’ homelessness by 2015 and family homelessness by 2020,” Donovan said.

Homeless, see page4

Protesters call for protection of Social Security programs amid oncoming impact of ‘fiscal cliff’

By John Ambrosio Daily Free Press Staff

PHOTO BY MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston residents protest the disparity of wealth in the fiscal cliff at the Candlelight Campaign Against Cuts in front of U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s office building Monday afternoon.

Calling for “Jobs, not cuts,” dozens of protesters lined up outside U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s Boston office Monday calling for the protection of social programs in the face of the upcoming “fiscal cliff.”

The rally, a joint effort of the Greater Boston Labor Council, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, Moveon.org and Massachusetts Peace Action, followed an earlier protest at Faneuil Hall that also addressed the impacts of the country’s possible future financial troubles.

“We want tax equity in this country, and we don’t want the most vulnerable people — the poor and the seniors — to lose their safety net,” said Rich Rogers, executive secretary-treasurer of the GBLC and one of the rally’s organizers, to the crowd.

Steven Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said he does not mind paying his fair share of taxes, and is even

happy to do so.

“That’s the same way it should be for every category of our wage system, and maybe we need to make some changes, but the changes should be focused on the middle class,” he said. “The middle class has been whacked, hurt and deceived for the last 30 years and we can’t take it, and we shouldn’t take it and we won’t take it.”

A number of the protesters, especially the older members of the crowd, said they had a personal stake in the upcoming fiscal cliff battle.

“I used to be president of a local union and now, like tens of millions of other Americans, I am retired and depend on social security to pay my bills, and Medicare to insure me against illness,” said Jeffery Klein, the former president of the National Association of Government Employees.

Protesters and organizers said social programs need protecting and other actions should be taken to balance the budget.

Fiscal Cliff, see page 2

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Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

PC Pres.: Theta’s Activist: Gov’t must ‘increase efficiency’ to make progress in economy 600,000 voted in favor of the refadmission sign of erendum question.

“There are other things that “We are opposed to any can do to balance the budget grand bargain that’s going to remore Greek Life you besides cuts across the board. You Fiscal Cliff: From Page 1

Theta: From Page 1

said.

The addition of Theta allows Greek Life to continue expanding and adds another philanthropy project, the Court Appointed Special Advocates, Swift said.

“CASA supports abused and neglected children going through the court system,” Mundy said. “Theta will support the local Boston branch of CASA this spring through our signature philanthropy event.”

The addition of Theta is in response to the growing interest in Greek Life at BU, Swift said. In the spring 2012 semester, more than 630 women attended Formal Recruitment, leading to large new member classes in many of the sororities, Swift said.

“It is important because as we have grown dramatically in the past few years and more women have decided to participate in Formal Recruitment, our chapters have grown to very large sizes,” she said. “If numbers are similar this year even with the addition of Theta, we may choose to expand again, adding another chapter to our campus.”

Hohenstein said that despite being a new sorority on campus the other members of BU’s Greek community have welcomed Theta.

“For a lot of women there was a hesitation to how we would be perceived, especially being a new member of the Greek community,” Hohenstein said. “But the Greek men and women as well as BU as a whole have given us nothing less than an open-armed reception.”

can decrease corruption or increase efficiency,” said MoveOn. org representative Liz King to The Daily Free Press. “You can do all sorts of things that don’t lower people’s access to service, but no one is looking into that.”

Many protesters were also involved in a referendum passed in 91 Bay State cities and towns that would ask representatives not to cut social benefits.

Lyn Meza, a 67-year-old Chelsea resident, retired General Electric employee and union leader, told the Free Press that more than

duce the age for Medicare eligibility or change the requirements for social security and we think he [Kerry] should listen to the voters,” she said.

Cole Harrison, a 59-year-old representative of Massachusetts Peace Action from Roslindale, said he feared that a deal to balance the budget would put social programs most at risk.

“Even though some of the Democrats are talking about raising taxes on the rich, they’re willing to make these terrible compromises in exchange for those taxes,” Harrison said.

PHOTO BY MAYA DEVEREAUX/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Protestors at the Candlelight Campaign Against Cuts listen on as speakers send a message to Congress about further tax cuts, Medicare and Medicaid in front of U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s office building Monday afternoon.

SG to create video of student views on GNH decision to show admin GNH: From Page 1

tiative and about 700 student signatures.

Dexter McCoy, SG president and College of Communication junior, said administration officials told SG there were no updates, but then called during Thanksgiving break to say the priorities for the administration had shifted and housing was going to focus on different projects.

“The administration made a particular promise to the student body and is now reneging on that,” McCoy said. “It has been suspended indefinitely.”

Rea Sowan, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore who does not identify with the gender binary, said BU has an obligation to provide gender-neutral housing to

those who require it.

“In our Lifebook … it says that BU has an anti-discrimination policy against people based on their ability, based on their age, their family status, their sexuality, their gender,” Sowan said. “That we don’t have facilities that cater to people who need them goes directly against that.”

Sowan said the issues they face stem from both a cultural problem on campus and from having limited options at BU in terms of housing and bathrooms.

“Going to the female bathroom, on some days it’s not something I want to do and it’s something that would be detrimental to my mental and emotional health and that should be recognized,” Sowan said.

“Going to the male bathroom is something that would be detrimen-

tal to my physical health.”

Sowan said gender-neutral bathrooms should be considered as well as gender-neutral housing.

“We are all here today because we want to fight back against their decision and I think that our fight back against their decision should include also support and a little nudge for the gender-neutral bathroom proposal,” Sowan said.

SG is in the process of developing a video of student testimonials advocating gender-neutral housing to present to administration.

Luke Rebecchi, SG associate director of social affairs and College of Arts and Sciences junior, said a number of SG members put time into the gender-neutral housing initiative with the implicit trust that their effort would be matched by the administration.

“Just receiving a phone call saying that this no longer matters …

That really bothers me personally,” Rebecchi said.

He said having 2,000 student responses in support of genderneutral housing demonstrated BU students care about the initiative, especially considering only 1,300 students voted in the previous SG election.

“When they actually take the time in their class-packed day to fill out a survey, that says something,” he said. “That should be enough.”

On Monday night, a group called Gender Neutral BU created a Facebook event for a demonstration on Dec. 14 where students will hand-deliver the gender-neutral housing proposal to President Robert Brown’s office at 1 Silber Way.

47-year-old homeless man calls burden of homelessness especially tough for families Homeless: From Page 1

The press release largely attributes this year’s decreases in homelessness to the part of the Opening Doors program known as “Housing First.” The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing project and the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program, contributed to the decline.

During the joint press call, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki announced that the department would be investing an unprecedented amount of $300

million in the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families Program, which began in 2009.

“In the year since we’ve initiated SSVF, we’ve learned that these grants are one of our most effective tools,” Shinseki said.

Shinseki said progress has been made toward ending veteran homelessness under the Obama Administration, but there is more to do.

“This downward trend keeps us on track to end veterans’ homelessness in 2015,” he said. “...We must continue simultaneously rescuing veterans that are already on the

streets today and preventing those who are at risk from slipping into that downward spiral.”

Donovan also said HUD has seen an increase in homelessness in rural and suburban areas, though the highest levels of homelessness remain in urban areas and New York, Florida, California, Texas and Georgia. These five states account for almost 50 percent of the U.S. homeless population.

Marvin Smalls, a 59-year-old man who has been homeless off and on since 2002, said he is not surprised by the Boston homelessness statistics.

The Daily Free Press Crossword

By Mirroreyes Internet Services Corporation

ACROSS 1. Unit of food energy 4. Line formed by joining two pieces 8. Jewish month 12. Indicates near 13. Sparks 14. Common Indian weaverbird 15. Sound with resonance 17. Egyptian Sun god 18. Deletes 19. Refer to 21. Any plant of the family Araceae 23. Raise the voice 26. Soviet Union 29. Celerity 31. Golf ball support 32. Demeter 33. Veterans battleground 34. Calculating machines 36. Swiss capital 37. Is present 38. Greek portico 40. Ready money 42. Print errors

46. Dashes 48. Citizens of Israel 50. Paul __, Swiss painter 51. Hard fat around the kidneys 52. An accountant certified by the state 53. Comedian ____ Foxx 54. Accompaniment to something else 55. Cobra DOWN 1. A way to wrap 2. Someone who copies the words or behavior of another 3. __ Hartmann, actress 4. More lucid 5. Deletions 6. Behave in a certain manner 7. Millisecond 8. In a way, diminished 9. Determine time 10. Yes vote 11. Hurried 16. Narrow ridges (Swedish) 20. Egyptian goddess 22. Equines 24. Essential oil from flowers 25. A song of praise to God

“The shelters here are so full, especially this time of year,” said Smalls, who sometimes stands outside of the City Convenience in Boston University’s West Campus.

“Sometimes you can get in and other days you don’t have a chance. Hell, it would be great if we could all have our own place, but I don’t think its going to happen any time soon.”

Mark Landers, a 47-year-old who lost his job in June and has been homeless since October, said this time of year is harder, especially with children.

“You say they are going to fix

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Solution(s)

family homelessness by 2020 — well I don’t have that much time,” he said.

“It’ll be great when they can end it, but I don’t have that much time for my kid.”

But Donovan said the latest numbers prove that the issue is fixable.

“We are proving President Obama right in one of his strongest beliefs — that ending homelessness isn’t just a noble fight, but a problem that we can solve,” Donovan said. “Nobody wants to be homeless. And in America, nobody has to be.”

Zoe Roos contributed to the reporting of this article.

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Campus & C ity LinkedIn useful before grad. for job search Campus Crime Logs Crime and no Punishment

students are able with the advent of online learning, for example, to study pretty much anything, anytime and anywhere,” Toch said. “To measure their progress simply exclusively on the basis of their ability to complete courses in a classroom based instruction seems outdated.”

The Carnegie Unit was created in 1906 to raise academic standards in colleges and universities.

“Though the time-based Carnegie Unit was not intended to measure, inform or improve the quality of teaching or learning, it became and

Credit, see page4

New England, see page 4

On Wednesday at about 12:42 p.m., a faculty member’s wallet was stolen from her purse after she left it unattended in her office in the English Department at 236 Bay State Road.

Popcorn alarm The Boston Fire Department responded to a fire alarm activation Thursday at 580 Commonwealth Ave. at about 5:30 p.m. The alarm sounded when a resident burnt food in her kitchen. No one was harmed in the accident.

Bike signals BUPD have increased the number of bicycle citations since the fatal bicycle accident on Comm. Ave. Thursday. A student bicyclist was cited for disregarding traffic signals between Comm. Ave. and University Road at 5 p.m. on Thursday. On Friday, an unaffiliated bicyclist was cited running through a traffic light at 8:30 p.m.

Dormestic dispute At 2 p.m. on Friday, BUPD responded to a call about three students arguing outside of Warren Towers, located at 700 Comm. Ave. The students were verbally harassing each other when police arrived.

The case has been turned over to the office of Judicial Affairs.

Please don’t stop the music On Saturday at 2 a.m., an unaffiliated disc jockey reported stolen speakers. The man realized the speakers were stolen from the first floor hallway alcove at 24 Buswell St. Saturday after leaving them unattended for three days. They have not yet been recovered.

Blandford beat down On Saturday at 3:22 a.m., three non-affiliated men assaulted a BU student on Blandford Street. The three men threw the student to the ground and kicked him continuously. By the time BUPD arrived, the men fled the area. The victim refused medical treatment.

NE economy to see slow growth over 4 years, report says

Although the New England economy will not hit pre-recession employment levels until 2015, college graduates in 2014 will likely face a decent job market, experts said.

Ross Gittell, vice president and forecast manager at the New England Economic Partnership, said that although Massachusetts is on a path of recovery, the economy remains still weak.

“New England’s economy in the next four years will be stronger than the last four years, but there will continue to be a slow-growing economy,” he said.

The NEEP forecast predicts that Massachusetts is expected to perform better than other northern states, according to the Dec. 5 report.

The NEEP economists cite reasons for the weak New England economy, including the potential implications of the so-called fiscal cliff and the weak European economy, according to a press release from NEEP. Jobs in Massachusetts will hit prerecession numbers by the first half of 2014, according to the Massachusetts economic outlook NEEP released.

The Commonwealth’s economy will experience moderate growth in 2013 before expanding two years thereafter.

The employment level throughout New England will not reach pre-recession levels until 2015, according to the New England regional economic outlook.

“We expect 2013 to continue to be a slow growth year and then we expect growth to pick up in 2014 and 2015,” Gittell said.

Gittell said Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire would have the strongest economies throughout this four-year forecast, with Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island having the weakest economies.

But Gittell said 2014 college graduates can still expect a decent job market.

“The graduates in the spring of 2014 will have a better job market,” he said. “It’s still not a strong market for college graduates, but I think that by 2014, 2015, there will be good jobs available for students in the Boston metropolitan area.”

Some Boston-area college students said they were concerned about the bleak economic forecast.

“Youth unemployment has been really bleak for basically the whole

The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs from Dec. 4 to Dec. 9.

No studying for you On Thursday at 3 p.m., a student reported a stolen laptop. The laptop was stolen from her unlocked dorm room at 92 Bay State Road and has not yet been found.

3

By Megan Kirk Daily Free Press Staff

By Robin Ngai Daily Free Press Staff

Please return to sender The Residence Life staff reported a suspicious man dressed as a UPS employee at 844 Beacon St. Wednesday. The man was walking around South Campus searching through packages left in residences’ vestibules. When BUPD arrived, the suspect had already left the area.

Recently, packages have been disappearing throughout South Campus. Wednesday, a student reported a package stolen sometime during the day from the vestibule at 509 Park Drive. On Saturday, a package was stolen from same residence between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ABIGAIL LIN/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

With the rise of LinkedIn’s financial success, it is becoming obvious to both students and recruiters that the website is a helpful tool for finding a job.

By Taylor Burke Daily Free Press Staff

With LinkedIn’s growing success in the online startup market, the professional networking site is becoming increasinly important for college students who want to turn connections into job opportunities, Boston University career experts said.

The site has exhibited rapid growth in 2012, marked by the launch of a mobile application, a streamlined webpage and the establishment of an endorsement system, LinkedIn senior vice president of product Deep Nishar told Business Insider Sunday.

“LinkedIn has sort of become what human resource people used to dream about, but imagined was impossible — that there would be a mysterious tool at their fingertips that would give them professional background on almost everyone that they could possibly care about with a click,” said Stephen Quigley, a Col-

lege of Communication professor.

LinkedIn, which was launched in 2003, has 187 million registered users in more than 200 countries, according to LinkedIn’s Press Center.

More than 2.6 million companies have LinkedIn company pages.

In the third financial quarter of 2012, LinkedIn reported a revenue of $252 million, 81 percent greater than the third quarter in 2011, according to a Nov. 1 LinkedIn release.

“LinkedIn had a strong third quarter with all of our key operating and financial metrics showing solid growth,” said LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner in the release. “The last few months mark the most significant period of product development in the company’s history.”

Although LinkedIn has fewer registered users than other major social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, Quigley said LinkedIn’s 200 million members is impressive, since they are all profes-

sionals.

“Maybe it’s more boring than Facebook, but when you put your job-seeker hat on, or your recruitment hat on, it’s like Facebook without the junk,” Quigley, who teaches a New Media and Public Relations course, said.

Features of the site include a snapshot, in which other users can view your basic information and past work experience, statuses that allow users to share professional updates, endorsements and a Question & Answer section, where users can display their knowledge of their profession.

“That’s pretty cool to get a third party endorsement on your LinkedIn page, so that now an employer not only sees your resume so to speak, but also painlessly gets to see what other people think of you,” Quigley said.

Though LinkedIn is a site for

LinkedIn, see page4

Credit hours, workloads mismatched, study suggests

By Brian Latimer Daily Free Press Staff

Defining college credit on a timebased system, known as the “credit hour,” might not be as efficient as measuring how much a student learns by the end of a course, experts said.

However, Boston University professors said the credit hour has its merits, especially compared to alternative systems.

“We are going to spend the next year or so studying the past, present and future of the Carnegie Unit, which is a time-based measure of student progress,” said Thomas Toch, senior managing partner of the Carn-

egie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “Our goal is to consider whether it would be prudent to shift the Carnegie unit to a competency-based metric.”

The competency-based metric is described as the amount of knowledge, skills and abilities a student retains throughout the course.

Researchers will use a $460,000 grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to study alternatives to the time-based credit system, according to a Dec. 4 Carnegie Foundation release.

“Because the education landscape has changed dramatically,

Officials seek end to manual tolls

By T. G. Lay Daily Free Press Staff

Plans for implementing an allelectronic tolling system on the Massachusetts Turnpike are in effect, eliminating 80 to 90 percent of toll-takers in the state’s turnpike system, state officials said Monday.

Patrick said he was committed to changing the system, an idea that was originally conceived in 2010, according to a video from State House News Service posted on Masslive.com.

“We’ve taken four or five different agencies and collapsed them into one,” Patrick said. “We shut down the turnpike authority. We’ve achieved hundreds

of millions of dollars of savings throughout transportation.”

The cost of the installation and implementation of all-electronic tolling will be paid for after three years of use of the system, he said.

“If we don’t do it [establish the electronic system] we will probably have to spend almost that much or more in capital improvements in the toll booths, so it’s a good investment,” Patrick said.

Patrick said the impact on toll-takers who would no longer have jobs with the electronic system played a major role in

Tolls, see page4

8 CRAZY NIGHTS

PHOTO BY SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston University students sing songs after lighting the third candle on the menorah in celebration of Hanukkah at Marsh Plaza Monday night.

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Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

Only 1 class carries BU credit for Berklee student ‘worried’ about post-grad. market of Music who aspires to get a job in that I will be able to find a job in the said he worries about finding future,” he said.

Loyola transfer despite paperwork time that I’ve been here,” said Nora music, a job in general.

Reeves said he is not sure he will New England: From Page 1

Credit: From Page 3

still remains the near-universal metric for student attainment across our nation’s secondary and higher education systems,” the release stated.

School of Education Associate Dean Kathleen Vaughan said while the credit hour has its faults, the alternatives are not concrete. Course credit at BU is based on the amount of face-to-face interaction between the student and the instructor, Vaughan said. Multiple instructors teach some courses, which could make changing the credit system difficult. “[Changes to this system] would require a lot of oversight by the college or university to make sure that there is a fair amount of work for everybody with the same amount of credits,” Vaughan said. “How are you going to guarantee the credit hour actually defines the hours of work a student needs to put in both inside and outside of the classroom in order for it to carry a particular credit number?”

Toch said standardizing credit based on competence and the workload could facilitate greater movement between universities.

Transfer student Courtney Goldstein, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said her classes at Loyola University in Maryland were three credits each and did not transfer well to BU. “I had to petition and fill out these forms that gave the exact class at BU that I wanted my classes at Loyola to count for,” Goldstein said. “I took anatomy which was a lab science at Loyola so I had to find the exact BU course number I wanted it to count for.”

Goldstein said despite all the

paperwork, only one of her classes transferred.

Noelle Cormier, a sophomore in SED, said the credit hour seems flawed because she has taken twocredit courses that are more challenging than some four-credit courses.

“Some classes are worth less credit because, technically speaking, they hold less time in the schedule, and the time you spend working in that course does not correspond with the amount of credit we receive,” Cormier said. “I’d prefer a system that would better represent the work you put in the course rather than the time you spend in the class.”

Zoi Zaldivar a sophomore in SED and CAS, said while she has been in multiple courses where credit does not directly correlate to the amount of time she works, changing the weight of each credit would force her to stay another semester.

“My schedule has 22 hours of class for 18 credits, so clearly there is work that I am getting recognized for,” Zaldivar said. “If SED were to increase my two credit classes to four credit classes, I would have to overload every semester or stay an extra semester, which is not something I think most students couldn’t do.”

Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior Marc Luko said although this system does not adequately represent the amount of work he puts into his courses, but standardizing class credit is possible.

“It’s hard to revamp a system that has been in place a really long time,” Luko said. “The best way of looking at it is keeping it to the departments and let them justify [course credit], have the faculty members talk about it then get some student input to find a mutual ground.”

Burke, a senior in Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

“So it’s really disheartening what’s going on in Washington, and I don’t really know what they could do about it except stop inhibiting job creation and economic growth.”

Burke said people her age should be anxious about impending economic troubles.

“It is a concern, and if it’s not a concern to people of our age group, then it should be, because it really doesn’t look good,” Burke said.

Brett Loewenstern, a first semester student at the Berklee College

“I am definitely worried because it’s a hard industry, and it’s not just the job industry, but the music industry’s very hard too,” he said.

But some other students, particularly those majoring in the sciences, said they are not worried about job prospects.

Daniel Reeves, a sophomore at Bunker Hill Community College, said students graduating in 2015 and 2016 would hopefully be graduating to a good economy.

“In the future I want to go into research, and I am fairly optimistic

get the research job he is looking for because of talk of cutting spending, particularly in the sciences, although he will probably still be able to get a job.

CAS freshman Malek Slama said she feels confident she can get a job after school.

“Maybe I have a false sense of stability, but I’m a neuroscience major,” Slam said. “I think there’s always a very high demand for researchers, doctors — any kind of medical specific career.”

LinkedIn best for job search, networking, COM senior says LinkedIn: From Page 3

professionals, Quigley said students should begin familiarizing themselves with the site during sophomore or junior year of college.

“It’s important to use initially as a sort of discovery tool, and then once one begins to narrow down one’s focus, I think you can then start to use it as a sort of exposure tool to create your own little corner of the universe,” he said.

Terry Brown, the assistant director of counseling and programs at the Center for Career Development, said LinkedIn is advantageous for a number of reasons.

“I have heard from many people who have successfully connected with other LinkedIn members who helped them, whether to clarify their goals, learn more about a specific career field or organization, or get a foot in the door either for an informational interview or for an inter-

view for an actual job opportunity,” Brown said in an email.

Brown said he would recommend LinkedIn over other professional social networking sites because of the large number of members, nationally and internationally, and the networking benefits.

Mike DeFilippis, a COM senior, said LinkedIn is the best way for searching professionals to view his experience online.

“Not having one is saying ‘I don’t care’ to a recruiter who may Google me,” DeFilippis said.

Katie Lohec, a COM junior, said although she has neither found a job through LinkedIn nor had a class that encouraged her to use the site, she finds it is a good way to become informed on interesting organizations.

“If you’re interested in interning or working with a certain organization, following their company profile on LinkedIn is a good way to learn

more about the organization and to stay informed on their news,” Lohec said.

Alex Cenedella, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, said she is not too familiar with LinkedIn, but has heard it is an incredibly useful professional tool.

“I don’t know much about it, but it seems like a good tool for networking and jobs,” Cenedella said.

Students can be successful using LinkedIn if they are dedicated and motivated with their job search, Brown said.

“Being proactive means reaching out to people you know — friends, classmates, professors, previous employers, etcetera — to connect with them on LinkedIn and joining groups in your areas of interest,” Brown said. “You can also look up employers of interest and follow them on LinkedIn.”

Davey: MassDOT spends up to $55M yearly in toll collection costs Davey said the project, which will cost about $100 million, the process of creating the plan, would not use federal funding, although the plan is not all just and toll revenue will pay for the about the toll-takers. costs of implementation.

“It’s about having as modern “We can only use toll revenue and efficient a transportation for the toll roads,” he said. “It’s system as possible,” he said. “We not as if we can take toll money will make as dignified and soft and give it to cities and towns for a landing for those people [toll- example ... But it pays for itself takers] as possible.” over time and then, frankly, our Richard Davey, secretary of balance sheet significantly imthe Massachusetts Department of proves.”

Transportation, said in the video Davey said MassDot spends that of the 410 full-time or part- between $45 and $55 million a time toll-takers employed in the year in toll collection costs, but current turnpike system, between acquires more than $300 million 80 and 90 percent might be cut. a year in toll fares.

“The toll-collectors have done While the creation of toll sysnothing wrong,” Davey said. tems for other interstate routes “Technology has caught up with such as I-93 and Route 3 have not them.” been ruled out, Davey said they Patrick said more informa- are not part of the current plan. tion on the timetable and plan “What we’re looking for is to, to remove toll employees will primarily, improve what we have Sudoku Puzzle Maker be made available in about three today,” Davey said. weeks.

Tolls: From Page 3

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Do you have U-shaped happiness?

New study suggests U-shaped happiness curve is apparent in apes as well as humans

By Jessica Carichner

D

Features Staff

arwinian theory suggests that humans are evolutionarily evolved from primates and share many bodily structures and functions with them. A recent study suggests that human emotions may be connected to primates as well.

The study, published in the December edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of the USA, has assessed the well-being of apes and demonstrated that they share a U-shaped happiness curve with humans.

“We are all just large apes in jeans when it comes down to it,” Andrew Oswald from the University of Warwick said in an email interview.

This U-shaped curve, according to the study, illustrates the theory that as children, well-being is at its peak. Happiness falls as humans get older, hitting rock bottom — the familiar mid-life crisis — and then rises again as we reach old age.

This suggests that the stress and unhappiness that people often suffer from is not only normal, but may actually be a biologically based, predictable part of the clockwork of human life.

Although the cause for the Ushape remains uncertain, Oswald and other scientists said that they have their own theories regarding its existence.

U-Shaped Happiness in Humans Multiple studies regarding happiness have been performed on humans in the last two decades, including a key paper that was published in 2007 by Oswald and David Blanchflower.

They obtained data through surveys that asked questions about how participants felt in terms of happiness.

To take into account different ethnic groups, 500,000 Americans and Europeans were studied, which allowed researchers to determine whether the U-shape was present in humans regardless of their different backgrounds.

The U-shape was found, according to the study, in American and European male and female participants, and the results demonstrated that a human reaches minimal happiness in his or her 40s.

U-Shaped Happiness in Apes To test the possible biological connection to happiness, the new study continued Oswald’s well-being research on our close relatives, the apes.

The researchers studied three samples totaling a number of 508 great apes, including two samples of chimpanzees and one sample of orangutans, at a variety of ages, according to the study. The apes considered were chosen from different zoos and sanctuaries in Japan, Canada, Australia and Singapore.

Their well-being was calculated by raters — including zookeepers, volunteers, caretakers and researchers — using a modified questionnaire based on the surveys used in the earlier human-based study. The four-item questionnaire asked the caretakers to evaluate the animal’s happiness based on their current mood, sociability and goals.

Similar to the study on humans, a team of primatologists and psychologists took into account the sex and the type of ape, and found that all three samples exhibited a U-shaped well-being curve.

“We honestly didn’t think we would find a U-shape when we looked at data at apes,” Oswald said. “It was an unforgettable moment when the data came out.”

After this study, it is possible that society affects a human’s happiness up to a point, but our close biology to apes may be the better explanation, Oswald said.

“It seems the U may have a biological cause, Oswald said. “Or perhaps apes and humans have exactly the same social processes in some way that leads to the U.” What Causes the U-Shape?

Although he was unsure about the cause of this pattern,

cannot be because of mortgages, marital breakup, mobile phones or any of the other paraphernalia of modern life.

Apes also have a pronounced mid-life low, and they have none of those.”

The paper on apes stated that the changes in happiness may actually be related to changes in the brain that depend on age or on the theory that the happier live longer.

Boston University associate professor of psychology Catherine Caldwell-Harris said the biological theory is opposite of the dominant explanation for why negative feelings decrease as people grow older.

She said there is a theory that instead focuses on the increased skill and wisdom of older adults.

“According to the socio-emotional selectivity theory,” she said, “older adults are aware that they have a shorter lifespan ahead and choose to use the emotional coping skills they have developed across their life to prioritize feeling good.”

Caldwell-Harris said this ability is adaptive because younger adults learn that they have more to lose by poor decisions and must be harmavoidant.

Reactions from the BU Community Students said they are interested in the study, and made their own guesses as to why the happiness curve exists.

College of Communication junior Katie Lohec said she was interested in the further connection between humans and apes.

“It’s an extremely interesting connection,” she said. “I took an introduction to biological anthropology class and was amazed by the number of connections like this that we share with apes.

It would be interesting to know in what ways our definition of happiness is similar to that of apes.”

College of Arts and Science junior Emily Cardenas said she was skeptical about the existence of the U-shaped happiness curve.

“It honestly depends on the situation you’re coming from,” she said.

She said our environment as children may affect our future happiness.

“Someone could have had the worst childhood, but when they’re older and out on their own, it’s a ABIGAIL LIN/ DAILY FREE PRESS straight line up from there,” she said.

Oswald listed three possible explanations for the curvature “It could also be the opposite, where things start out well, of happiness in his earlier paper. but it’s a straight line down.”

The first theory, according to the paper, is that we adapt Samantha Anders, a CAS freshman, agreed with the outto our strengths and weaknesses with age, and the mid-life come of the study, asserting that the existence of the curve crisis involves the realization that childhood aspirations are is valid. unattainable. The second is that happier people live longer, “It sounds pretty accurate to me,” she said. “When and the U-shape is showing a selection effect. The third is you’re young, you don’t have as much responsibility and that as we see others die throughout our life, we value our when you’re old you’ve already put in all that hard work. blessings and life more.

When you’re middle-aged, you’re still doing a lot.”

The discovery that the U-shaped happiness curve is not There may also be future implications of this study based strictly human implies that the origins of the U-curve might on our further connection to apes, Oswald said. He said he actually lie in our biology. expects researchers to take increased interest in primates.

“We hoped to understand a famous scientific puzzle: “I expect more social scientists to work on primate data why does human happiness follow an approximate U-shape in the next few decades,” he said. through life?” Oswald said. “We ended up showing that it

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December 11, 2012

Opinion

The Daily Free Press

The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University 42nd year F Volume 84 F Issue 54

Steph Solis, Editor-in-Chief Sydney L. Shea, Managing Editor Lauren Dezenski Online Editor

Emily Overholt, Campus Editor

Amelia Pak-Harvey, City Editor

Kevin Dillon, Sports Editor

Meaghan Kilroy, Opinion Page Editor

Divya Shankar, Features Editor

Abigail Lin Photo Editor

Clinton Nguyen, Layout Editor

Cheryl Seah, Advertising Manager

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 © 2010 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Letter to the Editor: Divestiture revisited

To the Editor: A group of Boston University students known as DivestBU recently asked President Robert Brown to divest the institution’s endowment from corporations that sell fossil fuels, the principal source of greenhouse gases that drive climate change.

Brown personally acknowledged the request and promised to have the university give it serious consideration. I hope that the committee will be empowered and encouraged to take a really long and hard look and be guided by what is needed and possible right now more than what conventional wisdom says is doable right now.

The conventional wisdom is that without fossil fuels we will return to the Stone Age, and that the alternatives are not ready for prime time.

Like so many other times in human history, conventional wisdom is wrong. In the course of my teaching and researching energy over the past 30 years, I have learned that alternatives — including energy efficiency — are ready to be scaled up.

Yet, this is “creative destruction.” It disrupts existing patterns of investment and creates winners and losers in the business world. Those who will lose out when the world seriously embarks on the great carbon transition fund a powerful campaign to convince the public that we can’t make that transition. They are just protecting their revenues, which are the largest in the world. But we’ve seen this story before, with DDT, lead in gasoline, CFCs, cigarettes, acid rain and with slavery: that it is impossible to make the changes that we know we need to make. We hope that the establishment of this committee will mark the beginning of the university lifting itself out of the common, shared delusion that we must continue pouring out dangerous emissions, that we have no alternatives.

We hope that the committee will educate itself and continue down the path that the university has started on. Many faculty, staff and students stand ready to help.

The focus on alleged technical feasibility of alternatives sidesteps an important reality: what is technically and economically feasible for the nation is a completely distinct issue from what is financially possibly and ethically appropriate behavior for BU. The transition to a low-carbon energy system cannot happen overnight, but there are a host of low carbon and demandmanagement industries that are financially and technically viable right now. Global investment in low-carbon energy amounted to $257 billion in 2011, and is rising sharply despite the global macroeconomic malaise. Solar and wind energy and energy efficiency lead the way. There are hundreds of stocks and dozens of funds that specialize in energy efficiency and low-carbon energy, and some of these exhibit impressive financial performance. Thus, if the university views energy as an attractive area of investment, it has some clear choices other than the carbon corporations.

The ethical issues surrounding the university’s support for corporations that sell carbon are compelling. Many benefits from fossil fuel use — warmth, mobility, lighting, food, clean water, iPods, trips to Disneyworld — benefit the living. But the brunt of the costs of fossil fuel use will be born by future generations in the form of rising sea level, more frequent tropical storms, reduced air quality, increased drought and, more generally, a world that for many will be less safe, less secure, and less predicable than the one that existed before humans started using

fossil fuels. What ethical responsibility does the current generation have to future generations?

Universities should lead the way in this discussion and lead by example in teaching, research, operations and finance.

Then there is the issue of the behavior of the carbon corporations that the university supports with its investments. Large fossil fuel corporations have actively funded a campaign of lies, fear and misinformation regarding climate change science. For example, organizations such as the George C. Marshall Institute and Frontiers of Freedom launder money from Exxon Mobil and other carbon corporations, passing the cash on to a small cadre of scientists who parrot the carbon industry’s claim that (a) climate change was not “real,” and (b) shifting away from fossil fuels would wreck the economy. Both claims are at odds with the overwhelming scientific consensus and are increasingly seen for exactly what they are: naked examples of corporate greed that place profits and political ideology ahead of broader social welfare. Is the behavior of Exxon Mobil and other carbon corporations — which continues to this day —consistent with the ethical and moral values of BU? In this regard, I view the behavior of the carbon corporation as no different than that of the tobacco companies who for decades funded a campaign of lies and obfuscation that perpetuated the notion that smoking doesn’t kill you. Finally, we must ask the question, to what extent is BU’s financial and operational behavior aligned with its central mission, namely education and research? On the education front, the university confers degrees with names like “Environmental Analysis and Policy,” “Environmental Earth Science,” and “Ecology and Conservation Biology.” Myriad courses that span at least a dozen colleges and schools explore some aspect of the preeminent challenge facing humanity: what does a sustainable human existence on the planet look like?

There is an equally impressive range of faculty research related to energy, climate change and related issues in the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities.

On the operations side, the university has made impressive gains in energy efficiency and has invested in a shift from oil to natural gas, both of which reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The financial side remains an open question.

Does our investment behavior align with what we teach our students, with the results of faculty research and with the campus sustainability program? We do not know. Brown indicates that he is concerned about (a) climate change and (b) the performance of our endowment. He can address both by selling some fossil fuel stocks and investing the proceeds in energy efficiency on our campus! It is entirely plausible that the university can earn a better return on this type of investment than holding Exxon Mobil stock (or its carbon equivalent). We should urge Brown to press the Board of Trustees on this issue.

All members of the BU community should welcome this opportunity to discuss this important issue, and make sure that the tough questions surrounding divesture are openly and thoroughly investigated.

Finally, the divestiture issue reminds me of a slogan from the 1970s: “solar energy would be practical if the oil companies owned the Sun.” Cutler J. Cleveland Professor of Earth and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences and Co-Chair, University Committee on Sustainability

W

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious DAVID FONTANA

ell ladies and gentlemen, if you’re reading this then that means you’ve made it! That’s right, folks. We are now standing in what might appear to be, perhaps the greatest invention since elfster.com, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the reason I was born, the stupendous, the horrendous, that awkward-halfweek-before-final-examinations-and-your-inevitable-death-blurgh. Well, we’ve sort of made it.

Finals are right around the corner, and I’m sure you’re all ready to get off of this planet we call “school work” and head straight into those luscious piles of snow waiting for you back in the “your neighborhood” galaxy on planet “warm bed.” You’re so close! And yet so far. I bet the stress is just eating away at your withering body like an inchworm gnawing on a green leaf, isn’t it? Ladies and gentlemen of Boston metropolis, never fear, for David Fontana is here — and with his new book: David Fontana’s Pocket Guide to Surviving Finals Week (And Also For Use in a Zombie Apocalypse) written for David Fontana,

by David Fontana and with all the David Fontana’s across the world in mind. Your survival comes down to these four easy, breezy, beautiful, steps: Steal:Take out your retainer and put on that ski mask. Put down the pencil and sharpen your pocket knives. Finals week just stopped playing nice and started getting real.

So you’re going to have to pull an all-nighter.

A couple of all-nighters. Maybe a few. Alright, so you won’t actually be sleeping at all during the night. But, on the upside you get to play my favorite game of all time: Thief! It’s very simple. All you have to do is go about your regular business, with only one catch — steal as much sleep as possible. Lecture on political upheavals in Lichtenstein during the 13th century: snuggle up to a warm textbook blanket. Have to get to the School of Management from the Fitrec in five minutes: time to enter snooze control. Eating lunch with friends: pasta pillow it is! Ah yes.

You’re going to be rolling in so much pasta, I mean sleep, that you won’t even know what to do with yourself at night when you’re wide awake. It’s really a win-win-lose situation (my forte): I win. Sleep wins. And my boss and professors, well, they lose. But I guess when I get fired and fail all my finals, I kind of lose too, huh? So maybe it’s more of a win-win-loselose kind of situation (my other forte). Needless to say, Thief is a great game for families and friends too! Especially at those really, really boring parties. Nothing says friendship like drooling together. Also you win the game if you snore so loud that the your entire class (I’m talking a 300 person lecture), stops what they’re doing to “take a little stretch.” Yes, that actually happened. No, I do not regret it. I won Thief, didn’t I? Drink: In order to perform your Maxi-

mus Prime on all your exams you must drink like you’ve never drank before, you should be consuming on average, copious upon copious amounts of, you guessed it, H2O. Water! You thought I was going to say alcohol, didn’t you?

Actually alcohol dehydrates you (I bet you college kids didn’t know that!). But sometimes water gets so boring — my advice: mix it up!

Ever tried water and a 5-hour Energy? Jim-iny Cricket, that there smells like some good ol’ fashion sodee pop to me.

Scrap: No, I don’t want you to groove on your scraper bike — that’s reserved for the months of June and July only. Rather, I need you to “I’m a scrap” that big delicious bowl of horrible foods.

Finals week is the perfect time to indulge in everything your body knows it shouldn’t have: knock-off hostess treats, deep-fried cheese, fat of leg in a nice bloody soup. Hmm hmm good.

The Final Step (also known as: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious): This is, perhaps the most important step of them all — but isn’t it just fun to say? Yes, it may be superfluous, and it’s definitely a Sesquipedalianism (as in relating to the sale or “pedaling” of the small, furry but ferocious, Sesqui, native to Tasmania — I digress). But do you know what it means? Well if you ask dictionary.com they will inform you that it is “used as a nonsense word by children to express approval.” Lame. Children already have enough nonsensical sounds they use to approve of things. Where is all the nonsense for the adults? You know what I’m sayin’? So I went to a more reputable source. Wikipedia showed me that if you break the word down into its roots it actually means “Atoning for educability through delicate beauty.” (This alternate definition was confirmed by urbandictionary.com and memegenerator.net). Simply put, it’s defining me (as seen in the classy new, column photo, eh hem, cough). But since you can’t all be me, you might as well go with Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-B or rather, Final Step #2: Enter the chalk zone. Mary and Bert did it, so why can’t you? It doesn’t matter where you draw it — a sidewalk in England, in your bathroom, on your arch-nemesis’s extra giant and shiny forehead.

Just step-in time, step-in time and jump right in.

A stress-free world awaits you.

So, there you have it folks. Finalz in a nutshell. For all you newcomers, you’re very welcome. For you old pros, I hope you learned something new today. But let me leave you with this one last thought for the semester: Finals period is the best of times, it is the worst of times.

Actually it just sounds like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-time to me.

David Fontana is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and a fall 2012 columnist for The Daily Free Press. He can be reached at fontad5@bu.edu.

On Brown’s pay

Data released by The Chronicle of Higher Education Sunday revealed that Boston University President Robert Brown is the highest paid private college president in Massachusetts during 2010. Brown’s total compensation was listed as $1,141,330.

In comparison, the second highest paid private college president in the state, Northeastern University’s Joseph Aoun, was paid about $70,000 less.

Brown’s base pay, $734,349, was also the highest among Bay State’s private college presidents. Base pay is the flat rate of pay for a job, which excludes extra payments such as overtime or bonuses — Brown’s house, for example. Those additional rewards are included in the total compensation.

It is worth noting that Brown’s compensation numbers are partly higher because his entire house was assessed. In 2010, the Internal Revenue Service began requiring colleges to include presidents’ housing costs in total compensation numbers. Other Boston-area colleges only assessed the private residential portions of their presidents’ homes, according to an article in The Boston Globe on June 13, 2010.

While it is unclear what exactly determines how much a college president makes, and

where other university funds are allotted, it does not make the number any easier to swallow.

His pay is too high, needless to say. Brown’s income ranks high in the list at a time when students have to pay $42,000 for tuition alone, not mention the additional $13,190 for basic room and board that on-campus students cough up.

However, Brown’s hefty compensation package might be easier to justify if he were someone who made himself readily available to students. For most students, their interaction with Brown is limited to the occasional email or an appearance at a university-wide event.

In his earlier years, the president at least reached out to students by meeting with them for lunch and meeting with officials throughout campus. In 2012, he made few appearances other than graduation, matriculation and former President John Silber’s memorial service.

Brown does not have to go as far as greeting every student he sees with a hug such as New York University’s president, John Sexton, does, but it is important that Brown make some larger effort to connect with students. If Brown is going to earn significantly more than other presidents at private universities in Massachusetts, he should be someone who makes it his priority to reach out to students.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

7

Neff: Notre Dame’s Te’o deserved Heisman as best player in nation Neff: From Page 8

and still played well in the team’s win over Michigan State University. His votes for Heisman were the most ever by a purely defensive player.

Charles Woodson’s win in 1997 was all-purpose. Te’o could’ve bucked the trend and been the defensive Heisman. But, it was not in the cards. He’ll have to settle for a glass football when the Irish stop the Roll Tide in the BCS National Championship.

I don’t want to discredit Man-

ziel though. He absolutely deserved the victory. His numbers, especially at that age, are staggering. He has thrown for 3,419 yards and 24 touchdowns and run for 1,181 yards and 19 more scores to become the first freshman, first SEC player and fifth player overall to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 in a season. Incredible.

And any reservations I had about Johnny Football were absolved when I saw his model girlfriend. Add another score to his tally.

My earlier column also contended that the Heisman isn’t as important as it is billed to be. And when I say billed to be, I mean advertised by ESPN. The endless coverage of this thing ranks right up there with their coverage of Tebowmania or Brett Favre’s retirements. Calm down. There’s no need for these one-hour specials. ESPN, in these situations, really defines what it stands for: Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.

And what does entertaining programming do?

It sets high advertising rates for the “worldwide leader in sports” So we see these one-hour, dragged out, feature-driven crappy specials. Just tell me who won already!

I didn’t watch and learned about it from Twitter, on principle.

The Heisman is an overrated trophy. It doesn’t mean you’re going to have an incredible NFL career. It means you had an outstanding college football year.

Winning the Heisman is like winning “most likely to be suc-

cessful” in a high school yearbook. Seems cool and is indicative of your future at the time, but you could end up a college dropout in two years. Or worse, ride the bench for the Jets.

I’ll leave you again with this stat: Of the 76 men — excluding Manziel — selected as the Heisman Trophy winner, just five have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Don’t expect Johnny Manziel to make it there either.

And if he does, I’ll apologize again.

Terriers alter BU preps for short road strategy often trip to take on Harvard in home win Men’s basketball: From Page 8

Adjustments: From Page 8

seven, its largest lead of regulation play. To stop Harvard from coming back, BU had to contend 3-point attempt after 3-point attempt.

However, in overtime, Harvard stuck to the inside shot, and BU had to compact in an effort to keep its lead.

The Terriers spread and compacted. They played zone and man coverage. They did all of it sporadically in response to the Crimson’s strategy, and they did it effectively.

“Our defense has been outstanding, in all honesty,” said BU coach Kelly Greenberg. “We made a lot of changes throughout … and I just credit [their effectiveness] to our players’ focus.”

Intensity of play changed repeatedly, as well. Harvard controlled the game on offense early on. BU found its stride though, grabbing a comfortable lead with just over seven minutes left in the first half.

However, Harvard stole that lead back, extending it to nine points in the early parts of the second half.

BU erased the deficit, but it was only after losing and regaining the lead numerous times.

“I thought the game got hectic for a little while, but we were able to calm down and bounce back,” Greenberg said. “That was definitely one of the biggest keys in the game.”

Not even history stayed the same.

For three straight seasons, BU’s rival across the river has defeated the Terriers in every matchup between the teams. They ended that streak in 45 minutes. The aggregate record between the two teams now sits evenly at 14 wins apiece.

“I’m really happy for our seniors,” Greenberg said. “We were up on them the past couple of years by a lot, and then we lost the games. I know they really wanted this one … they care so much, and it really goes a long way.”

point. The freshman guard out of Golden Valley, Minn., is Harvard’s best player this season.

Chambers is averaging 11.5 points per game, 5.1 assists and is similar to Watson Jr. in many aspects. If given opportunities to score, this small yet quick athlete will capitalize.

“It’s got to be more of just stopping Chambers, like any good player,” When asked about the matchup between Chambers and Watson Jr., Jones said. “It won’t just be Maurice guarding him.”

Something else to keep an eye out for throughout the game is how BU does down low.

For the first time this season, the Terriers will be facing a team similar in size, and possibly even smaller.

When it comes to Harvard’s starting roster, there is not a single player taller than 6-foot-6.

With the Terriers likely starting 6-foot-7 forward Dom Morris,

they will likely have a bit of a size advantage.

“Dom has played well. That’s gonna be one of the things we try to do,” Jones said about getting the ball to Morris. “I don’t think we’re going to do anything special. We always try to get him involved.”

Look for BU to work the ball down low as much as possible to start off the game, and continue to work that strategy until Harvard finds a way to stop it. Those high-percentage shots could help BU build a lead and take pressure off the shooters.

If it is able to execute this strategy, the team will be able to play a more balanced game of basketball, something Jones has been emphasizing since the beginning of the season, and it will also help the team pick up its fourth victory.

“They have done a great job with the program, and it will be a good test for our team,” Jones said.

JACKIE ROBERTSON/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Freshman point guard Maurice Watson Jr. has been among the Terriers’ top performers, scoring 10.1 points per game.

Alford, Callahan lead Terriers past Harvard in overtime Women’s basketball: From Page 8

and senior guard Kristen Sims adding one in as well.

However, due to BU’s lack of consistency and forced shots toward the end of the first half, Harvard got good looks and hit some big shots. The Crimson took a 31–27 lead going into the break.

Although the Terriers were still in the game in the first half, and only down by four, things quickly seemed to get out hand for them. After Harvard forward Victoria Lippert drained a three, Harvard was leading 39–30.

“We could’ve let the game get away from us,” Alford said. “We made big stops on the defensive end and big plays on the offensive end.”

BU seemed to readjust after a timeout, and it hit some clutch shots to propel itself back into the

game.

Senior guard Mo Moran hit a three, followed by Alford hitting one of her own. On the next possession, Moran drove the lane, hit her shot and was fouled in the process, resulting in the Terriers tying the score at 39.

“It’s always nice when shots go in,” Greenberg said. “It was a couple of transition baskets that got us back.”

After BU tied the score at 39, things again seemed to go back and forth, although Harvard still absorbed BU’s punches. Led by Fagbenle, Lippert and Rutzen, the Crimson again took the lead, going up by as much as five with about five minutes remaining in the game.

Sims answered though, and hit a quick three before junior forward Whitney Turner got her shot to go after a friendly bounce and

the game was all tied at 54–54.

After Rutzen put Harvard up again by two, Alford drove the lane, was fouled on the way up and got her shot to fall. The subsequent free throw put BU on top, 57–56, with 45 seconds to go.

Harvard did not go away quietly. It eventually sent Fagbenle to the line after a frantic change of possession by both teams, leading to a BU foul. Fagbenle hit one of two, setting BU up for a chance to win the game with 22 seconds to go.

After BU called a timeout, Moran moved the ball around and passed it to Sims near the foul line. Sims took an off-balance shot that missed the rim, sending the game to overtime.

“I certainly wasn’t crazy about our last shot,” Greenberg said. “I wasn’t crazy about our last shot at Marist, too.”

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The initial part of the overtime saw the Crimson jump up by four after consecutive misses by BU and baskets by Rutzen and Fagbenle.

Down by four, the Terriers regrouped. Led by Callahan and Alford, BU jumped ahead by one.

The BU defense then stepped up. It did not allow a basket for the final 3:45 of overtime. After Harvard missed multiple times, they were forced to intentionally foul and send Danielle Callahan to the line.

In her two trips, she was a perfect four-for-four, all but sealing the BU victory. After one last miss for Harvard, BU closed out another tight contest, giving it its fifth straight win.

“We gutted it out,” Alford said.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game. But we stuck with our game plan and made adjustments.”

“

Quotable

“

They care so much, and it really goes a long way.

-BU coach Kelly Greenberg on her senior class.

Page 8

Tuesday’s Take

Heisman Mistake

Mike Neff

So, I made a mistake.

That’s refreshing to hear from a sports columnist in this town, isn’t it?

It was in the Nov. 13 issue of The Daily Free Press, while assessing the Heisman candidates that I wrote: “Let me tell you, it’s a little bit soon to be calling Johnny Manziel anything other than Johnny Manziel. Not Johnny Football and certainly not Johnny Heisman.

First, and foremost, he’s a freshman. No freshman has ever won it. And he won’t. Period.”

And today, I come humbly to apologize to Johnny Heisman.

Johnny, I’m sorry. Can you ever forgive me?

The Texas A&M QB finished ahead of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein with 2,029 points. Te’o’s 1,706 and Klein’s 894 were not enough to earn them the title of Heisman trophy winner. Manizel was named first, second or third on 92 percent of the ballots.

Talk about an improbable matchup though. A strictly defensive player up against a freshman quarterback: two types of players that have never won. I’m surprised the Heisman voters didn’t reveal themselves to be old and crotchety and vote Klein the winner in an attempt to preserve the unwritten “guidelines” of what it means to be a Heisman trophy winner.

The Heisman pose itself is the stiff arm. An offensive move. So I guess that means that even if you have the best defensive numbers ever, on the No. 1 ranked team, with a compelling personal story, you can’t win.

Te’o got the Heisman stiff arm by the voters.

Te’o recorded more than 100 tackles for the third straight season, and as a linebacker, somehow finished second in the country in interceptions.

The Irish defender’s off-thefield story was equally impressive. He lost his girlfriend and grandmother in the same week,

Neff, see page 7

Sports

M. Basketball @ Harvard, 7 p.m.

Elementary, Watson BU men’s basketball freshman point guard Maurice Watson Jr. will look to lead the Terriers past Harvard University on the road Tuesday. P.8.

[ www.dailyfreepress.com ]

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Women’s basketball tops Harvard in overtime

By Andrew Battifarano Daily Free Press Staff

The Boston University women’s basketball team walked out of Case Gymnasium with another overtime victory Monday, this time over Harvard University by a score of 68–61.

In the early part of the game, it was clear that the two teams would be matching each other blow-for-blow.

Harvard forward Temi Fagbenle got the scoring started with an open layup for the Crimson.

Fagbenle was a thorn in the side all game long for the Terriers, as she recorded a double-double in the effort, scoring 14 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

The Terriers would not give in, however. Senior guard Chantell Alford led the Terriers, helping them keep up with Harvard in the first half.

Although the Terriers would stay close in the game, they did fall behind, 12–9, after Harvard senior Miriam Rutzen hit backto-back layups.

After this quick burst by the Crimson, BU coach Kelly Greenberg subbed in junior guard Danielle Callahan, who has been a sparkplug for the club all season long. After her strong defense led to a Harvard travel, BU went on a quick run, going up 23–16 after hitting four threes in as many possessions, with Callahan hitting two of them, Alford hitting one

Women’s basketball, see page 7

MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Senior guard Chantell Alford led BU past Harvard Monday, scoring 23 points, five of which came in overtime.

Constant adjustments lead to BU victory at Case Gym

By Steven Dufour Daily Free Press Staff

If there was one thing that remained constant Monday for the Boston University women’s basketball team, it was that it was continuously adapting to its opponents in its overtime win over Harvard University at Case Gymnasium.

The 68–61 victory is largely attributed to the versatility of the Terriers (8–3), both on and off the ball. In a game where the lead switched hands 11 times before overtime even started, both teams had to continuously alternate offensive and defensive strategies

just to stay in the contest.

First, it was Harvard (7–3) shutting down BU’s game from beyond the arc. Senior guard Chantell Alford, the Terriers’ highest scorer with 18.9 points per game during the 2012–13 season, scored none of her three opening attempts from distance.

In response, the Terriers went inside. Junior forward Rashidat Agboola scored the team’s first basket in the paint.

Then, Harvard began to stop BU’s inside game with blocks coming primarily from sophomore Temi Fagbenle.

The Terriers countered by going back to the outside. Senior

guard Kristen Sims was the first to score a 3-pointer of her own with over 15 minutes remaining in the first half.

“We just had to keep penetrating and kicking,” Alford said.

“They were pressuring the guards a lot … so it was just penetrating and kicking and finding that open person.”

As the game progressed, the alternation of offensive focus on either distance shooting or inside power game never stopped. All that stayed the same for the players was the knowledge that play styles would change just as they began to feel comfortable. “[The biggest part of the of-

fense] was definitely making big [strategic] adjustments and executing well,” said senior captain Danielle Callahan.

The BU defense saw just as much change, if not more, than its offense.

The Terriers implemented all types of coverage before the final buzzer sounded, ranging from a tentative zone coverage early on when the score did not mean much, to a full-court press in the second half when being down by four points seemed like a guaranteed loss.

Late in the first half, BU led by

Chanticleers came to Boston and were blown out by the Terriers by a score of 74–44.

From there, BU went on the road to take on St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, N.J., where it recorded another quality victory.

Meanwhile, the Crimson (4–4) are coming off of a tough 57–49 road loss against the University of Connecticut. The loss ended their two-game winning streak that was started by impressive wins against Boston College and Fordham University.

“One of the things we have to

do a good job of is in our transition defense and not giving up easy shots,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “We really have to be composed and solid throughout the shot clock and be committed defensively.”

A key matchup to look out for in Tuesday’s game will be the battle between the two freshman point guards.

BU’s Maurice Watson Jr. has quickly progressed this season into one of the team’s best players.

His quick speed and ability to

get the ball in the hoop make him a big threat on the court for BU, especially since he has slasher D.J. Irving at shooting guard and sharpshooter Travis Robinson on the wing, both awaiting his passes.

So far this season, Watson is fourth in scoring with 10.1 points per game for BU, behind Robinson, Irving and junior forward Dom Morris.

Meanwhile, the Crimson have Siyani Chambers running the

Thursday, Dec. 13

Friday, Dec. 14

Saturday, Dec. 15

Adjustments, see page 7

Terriers look to continue hot streak in battle with Crimson

By Christopher Dela Rosa Daily Free Press Staff

Tuesday night, the Boston University men’s basketball team will take the two-mile trip to Allston to take on Harvard University at the Lavietes Pavilion.

The Terriers (3–5, 0–0 America East) are coming in hot after traveling to Conway, S.C., and defeating Coastal Carolina University, 69–63, to increase their win streak to three games.

BU’s streak started against Coastal Carolina (2–5) when the

The Bottom Line

Tuesday, Dec. 11

The Daily Free Press

Wednesday, Dec. 12 No Events Scheduled Novak Djokovic bought the world’s supply of donkey cheese ...

No Events Scheduled It turns out Djokovic is, in fact, an “ass man” ...

No Events Scheduled There has been speculation that Cosmo Kramer was in the bidding for the cheese, as well ...

Men’s basketball, see page 7

No Events Scheduled Rex Ryan was also tempted to buy the donkey cheese, but he reminded himself that his “ass man” days are over.