The Daily Free Press [
Year xlii. Volume lxxxiii. Issue XXXXXII
ALCO-HOLIDAY:
Officials take extra precautions during holiday season, page 5
Thursday, December 6, 2012 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
FROM HUB TO HOLLYWOOD:
Ben Affleck’s films analyze human condition, page 5
]
www.dailyfreepress.com
TAKING THE DIVE:
Men’s hockey coach Jack Parker calls out rival teams, page 8
WEATHER
Today: Sunny, High 40 Tonight: Clear, Low 29 Tomorrow: 48/41
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MBTA driver connected to Boylston T crash fired following investigation By Nicole Leonard Daily Free Press Staff
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority fired a trolley operator Wednesday after investigators found the employee’s “inattentiveness” and “insufficient rest” to blame for the Green Line collision at Boylston Street Station, officials said. The MBTA full-time employee was operating his first run of a Green Line trolley on the morning of Nov. 29 when his trolley collided into the rear of a stopped trolley at Boylston at 11:48 a.m., said MBTA Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis. “This individual failed to follow MBTA rules and policies regarding fitness for duty, and because of his failure he caused a collision that resulted in injuries to multiple
customers, employees and damage to MBTA property of more than $500,000,” Davis said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Davis said the employee, who was not identified by the MBTA, notified investigators that he had worked at a second job that day from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. before reporting for work at the MBTA at 11 a.m. Following the crash, the MBTA announced Friday that if inattentiveness played a part in the collision, the employee would not operate an MBTA vehicle again, Davis said. Although no passengers were seriously injured, 30 people reported mild neck or back pain and Boston EMS transported several passengers, officials told The Daily Free Press.
Because of the employee’s disregard for customer and employee safety, he was determined to be solely responsible for the accident and was fired, Davis said. “They [operators] obviously are aware that they need to be fit for duty when they come in,” Davis said. Any crime-related charges are being investigated and handled by the Boston Police Department, MBTA officials confirmed at the press conference. Davis said he could not confirm that the crash resulted specifically from the employee falling asleep while operating the T. “There is some self-responsibility from all of our employees to make sure they are fit to perform their duties that they’re assigned,” Davis said.
The MBTA provides an aggressive fatigue awareness program, and the operator had gone through the program twice this year, he added. He also said the employee was aware he needed to be fit to perform his duties to operate the trolley that morning, but violated that policy. Davis said the employee had never shared any information about a second job prior to the accident, although an MBTA employee is neither prohibited to hold a second job nor required to notify the MBTA about such a position. Jessie Ragnil, a 25-year-old Children’s Hospital employee taking an outbound train
MBTA, see page 2
MBTA employees face Gov. Patrick’s cuts challenge for Commonwealth, officials say Green Line difficulties Reacting to slow economic growth, the By Jasper Craven Daily Free Press Staff
By Nicole Leonard Daily Free Press Staff
While Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials face public scrutiny after accidents such as the Boylston station collision, T operators and Transit Police have had to face adversity in a recent string of assaults on MBTA trolleys. On Sunday, a white male in his 50s allegedly assaulted a T trolley operator. The trolley was stopped at Fenway Station and the man assailed the female operator with racial slurs and a punch to the arm before fleeing toward the Landmark Center, according to an MBTA Transit Police report. The report stated the suspect was wearing a black coat and pushing a carriage full of computer parts when the incident occurred on the outbound side of the station at about 3:10 p.m. on Sunday. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in an email that assaults on operators are not common, but unfortunately occur from time to time. “The Transit Police take such incidents very seriously, and work diligently to identify anyone accused of assaulting an MBTA employee,” he said. Pesaturo also said the MBTA has a method of responding to employee distress and dissatisfaction. “If, for any reason, an employee requests counseling or other assistance, the MBTA provides it,” he said. Boston University sociology professor Peter Yeager said in an email that while most people treat drivers with respect, or at least do not bother them, it is unsurprising that a small proportion of riders would cause trouble for drivers and
Fenway, see page 4
dangers of the fiscal cliff and unexpectedly low tax revenue collections, Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick outlined a plan on Tuesday to slash $540 million from the fiscal year 2013 budget to close a large gap. “The uncertainty of the fiscal cliff and the resulting slow down in growth, is the direct cause of our budget challenges,” Patrick said in a press release on Tuesday. The governor’s plan, which would not seek increases in state taxes, is being justified through Section 9C of Chapter 26 of Massachusetts General Law, which requires Patrick to balance the budget when projected revenue is less than projected spending. To reach this magic number, Patrick proposed a $225 million cut in executive agencies, which he can cut unilaterally. He also advocated withdrawing $200 million from the rainy day fund, as well as other cuts to programs, which he must get legislative approval for. “This is a process and we will work with the legislature and our legislative partners to try and work out a budget that is most fiscally responsible for the commonwealth,” said Alex Zaroulis, spokesman for the executive office of administration and finance, in an interview. Zaroulis said the governor is aiming for balanced cuts and said no program or method to cut is off the table for the future. “Going into fiscal year ‘14 this is continuing to be a challenging budget,” Zaroulis said. “The cuts that were made yesterday by the governor are very difficult cuts to make and were done in a very deliberative and thoughtful way.” Some other smaller cuts by Patrick may affect education, but Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray promised continued support of education.
PHOTO BY ABIGAIL LINIDAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Gov. Deval Patrick, photographed here on Oct. 10 at the Muddy River Restoration Project groundbreaking ceremony, proposes a $540 million plan to balance Mass. budget.
“This plan is a sensible way to deal with the impact on state revenues while maintaining the critical investments that are necessary for long-term economic growth,” Murray said in the press release. “We are still investing the highest level of K-12 education funding in state history.” Education cuts include diverting $20 million from sales tax revenue meant to assist the Massachusetts School Building Authority and reducing funding by $9 million for unrestricted local aid. This aid helps towns and cities pay for services like schools, libraries and fire departments said Laura Barrett, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Teachers Association. “We are understanding why it’s happening, but nonetheless it’s going to be challenging,” Barrett said in an interview. “These cuts are going to be very difficult for districts to deal with, especially since they are coming
mid-year.” Barrett cited the special education circuit breaker, wherein the state reimburses towns with high special education costs at schools, as one that would probably be hurt by these cuts. Since it is mandated that schools accommodate students with special needs, costs can rise quickly, with a single student sometimes costing a school upwards of $100,000, Barrett said. “It just means that they are still going to get the services but the district will cut somewhere else,” she said. Barrett said cuts to schools could see the loss of arts specialists, reading specialists and elective classes, among other things. Jay Gonzalez, secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance report
Budget, see page 2
BUSM researchers connect contact sports to brain disease in first major CTE study By Amy Gorel Daily Free Press Staff
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANN MCKEE/BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Researchers found links between repetitive brain trauma and the brain degenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Researchers at the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy published the largest case study to date describing 68 cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in deceased athletes and military veterans with repetitive brain trauma. Christine Baugh, a co-author of the study and research coordinator at CSTE, said in a phone interview that the study is important to the undergraduates at BU, since there is a large population of athletes. “It’s important for students to think, ‘This is something that can affect me or us,’ it’s not just Alzheimer’s disease which affects someone far down the line,” Baugh said. The study, published Monday in the December issue of the medical journal, “Brain,” is the largest case series of CTE, doubling the
number of CTE cases published internationally. “This is the largest case study that has been published to date in regards to CTE,” Baugh said. “This paper is the first of its kind, not only does it discuss the disease, but also the different stages of the disease--from the most mild form to the most afflicted stage.” The research focused on the association of repetitive brain trauma with CTE, a slowly progressive degenerative brain disease, Baugh said. Brain trauma includes concussions and sub-concussive exposures, especially those in military combat and contact sports, such as football and hockey. “This study extends our knowledge concerning the spectrum of the clinical and pathological abnormalities associated with CTE,” said Dr. Ann McKee, a professor at BU School of Medicine and director of the
Neuropathology Service for VA New England Healthcare System and co-director of the CSTE, in the press release. McKee led the study conducted by the BU CSTE with the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, in collaboration with the Sports Legacy Institute. The researchers examined 68 cases of CTE in deceased men between the ages of 17 and 98, half of which were former professional football players, according to the release. All but four of the cases were athletes. A number of the cases were veterans, some with an athletic background. The study also included one individual who had a history of damaging head-banging habits. This individual led the researchers to believe repetitive brain trauma is significant
BMC, see page 2