C E LE B RATIN G
FRIDAY, OCT. 20, 2023
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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
YEAR LIV. VOLUME B. ISSUE IV.
BU prepares for first deadline post-affirmative action ruling
ISABELLE MEGOSH | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
Boston University’s Admissions Reception Center. According to BU’s admissions office, the University will remain committed to enrolling a diverse student body.
BY SYDNEY TOPF AND LINDSAY SHACHNOW Campus News Editors
Boston University remains committed to attracting and enrolling a diverse student body as its first early decision deadline approaches, following the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions, according to BU’s admissions office. In June, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action — a policy that allowed colleges and universities across the country to consider race as one factor in the college admissions
process. The Supreme Court voted along ideological lines, with conservative justices having the majority vote of 6-3. “BU Admissions will, to the extent permitted by law, continue to practice holistic admissions to identify students whose varied life experiences, academic interests and talents will contribute to the dynamic educational environment of the University,” BU Dean of Admissions Kelly Walters wrote following the decision. BU Director of Undergraduate Admissions John McEachern said he is “disappointed” with the ruling, but he does not anticipate
that it will change the way they recruit prospective students. “We have the freedom to do what we’ve done now for many years, which is to recruit a pipeline of students who we very much want to apply and enroll at BU,” he said. “My understanding is that the ruling hasn’t impacted that.” BU spokesperson Colin Riley echoed this sentiment and said BU is “going to comply with the law.” The ruling will effectively prevent BU and other colleges and universities from considering prospective applicants’ race
and will impact class diversity, according to college admissions experts. Three out of every five American universities already did not consider race in their application process prior to the ruling, and some have prohibited race-based decisions outright, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. This year, BU added a new question to its Common App application, allowing prospective students to choose between one of two questions for the BU specific application. Students now have the option to choose between: “Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?” and “What about being a student at BU most excites you? How do you hope to contribute to our campus community?” BU wanted to give students a choice in what they want to write about, McEachern said. “We thought giving students choice simply just made sense,” he said. “Students still have the opportunity to respond to the essay question about the fit with BU, but also to think critically about communities that are important to them.” McEachern said BU added question one to learn more about students personally. “We thought critically about what’s missing, what might students be able to share that were not able to get through other elements of an application,” he said. Other universities including Northwestern University also
changed their supplemental essay from asking students to express why they want to attend the institution to a question about students’ identities. Jonathan Feingold, an associate professor at Boston University School of Law and expert on affirmative action, said there are legal ways for universities to consider race in applications. “The Supreme Court did not overturn, at least not explicitly, existing precedent that stands for the proposition that a university may, under certain circumstances, employ race-conscious admissions to further the goal of producing a racially diverse student body,” Feingold said. Feingold said universities, like BU, will begin to focus on students’ essays. “What we are seeing at a minimum is almost every college or university that I’m aware of that previously considered the racial identity of individual applicants during admissions, they’re no longer doing that,” he said. “What I think we will see a turn to is consideration of race that is more directly tied to the individual experience of individual applicants.” In Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion overturning affirmative action, he wrote that college admissions officers can consider race by looking at how it affected an applicant’s life “through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.” Monica Nickolai — a college admissions specialist at Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, a public high school in St. Louis, Missouri — said colleges will begin to Continued on page 2
Open Newbury ends after expanded run of weekends BY SAMANTHA GENZER Contributing Writer
Open Newbury Street, an initiative by the City of Boston to transform Newbury Street into a pedestrian-friendly zone on certain Sundays throughout the summer, ended this weekend after 16 consecutive Sundays of the event. Last year, Open Newbury was held for six Sundays in the summer, but was expanded to 16 this summer, an “ambitious expansion” that was well received by Boston residents and business owners, said Jacob Wessel, the City’s public realm director. Wessel said the Boston Transportation Department collaborated with Isenberg Projects to manage marketing efforts, outdoor structuring plans and regulations to ensure a harmonious blend of music and urban life. One of the recurring performers this year was Cjaiilon Rodriques Medina-Andra, popularly known as Snap Boogie, a breakdancer and former America’s Got Talent contestant. “I love Open Newbury streets,” Medina-Andra said. “I think they should do it more often than not.” For Medina-Andra and many other performers, Open Newbury became a platform to connect with the community and gain recognition. “I wanted to make sure I was
[at Open Newbury] for as many Sundays as possible because it really does wonders for me,” he said. “I feel like it [allowed] me to connect with people on a deeper level.” The event also became a valuable practice ground for young artists. Bradley Rittmann and Ryan Peter Murphy, both Berklee College of Music students, found Open Newbury to be a “learning experience” to grow their platform and skills. “It’s a better way to gauge how the average listener perceives us,” Rittmann said. “It’s a good way for us to get out of the Berklee bubble, honestly, and get reactions from people who aren’t musicians.” Pop musician Evan Cole, a recent Berklee graduate, said being able to uplift the Boston community was the most rewarding part of performing at Open Newbury. “Seeing everyone’s reactions and how it affects the people that are in the audience or passing by,” Cole said. “I worked so hard to put out this music, and it’s great when people are touched by it.” Cole also noted that performing at Open Newbury is inspiring for other growing artists. “The more people that [busk], the more it inspires people to do it themselves because there are so many talented artists in Boston,” Cole said. However, many performers
faced challenges dealing with unpredictable weather and complaints from residents. Medina-Andre said some residents were not as “welcoming of the street performers as they were last year,” noting that some disliked the loud music during his performance. Despite these challenges, Cole said many residents enjoyed the live music and atmosphere of Newbury Street. “There’s nothing they can really do because the power of music is great and it’s bringing people together,” Cole said. “I think music really brings people together, and I think it makes the city better.” Street team members, alongside staff from the Boston Police Department, Public Works Department and Transportation Department, worked every Sunday from July 2 to Oct. 15. Newbury Street is one of the city’s most famous shopping and dining destinations, and the events drew tens of thousands of visitors, Wessel said. Passersby Kayla Dennis and Emily Umanzor expressed that Open Newbury has become a cherished tradition enjoyed by many. “I love walking around here seeing everybody and what they have to offer,” Dennis said. “I feel like there is something new every week to see.” Local businesses also
HOLLY GUSTAVSEN | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
People walk through Open Newbury Street. The initiative ended this weekend after 16 consecutive Sundays.
flourished during Open Newbury. Rebecca Kalaitzidis, owner of Achelous Salon and Apothecary, appreciated the opportunity to showcase her business in a booth on the street as her store is located on the second floor of a unit on Newbury Street. “Especially during the summer, you die up on the second floor,” Kalaitzidis said. “It’s like a brick oven pizza … It’s nice to get out in the fresh air.” Brianna Fornoff, who works at Rothy’s, grew up in Arizona where traditions like Open Newbury did not exist. “I love seeing everyone out here,” Fornoff said. “It’s a great
way to socialize with new people … I feel like there’s a lot of new things that they get to see on the street.” Wessel said planning has already begun for the next steps in planning for future events, but added that Open Newbury does draw “mixed opinions” from some businesses. “We do acknowledge that Open Newbury does not work perfectly for all businesses,” Wessel said. “We want to really do some due diligence on how businesses feel about it and what the economic impact of Open Newbury is before making decisions for future years.”