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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE NORTHEASTERN COMMUNITY www.HuntNewsNU.com For the students, by the students since 1926 February 26, 2015

Theatre Men take second in Beanpot final honors victims

By Liam Hoffmeister News Correspondent

The Northeastern Theatre Department addresses social issues with its upcoming play of “columbinus,” a production focusing on the infamous 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

The show aims to tell the story passionately with both truth and justice for victims. “columbinus” premiered Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the newly renovated Curry Student Center’s Studio Theatre. The play focuses on issues of isolation, hostility and social pressures found in high school via a highly collaborative design effort and focused storytelling.

“These issues have not gone away. They are frighteningly open,” Matthew Gray, director and sound designer of the play said. “Rationally, there is no simple solution to this problem. But I want students to leave with better questions.” ​The first act entirely focuses on characters who embody the stereotypes of high school: Prep, Jock, AP, Perfect, Rebel, Freak, Faith and Loner. They have no names, only titles that illustrate their place in the high school hierarchy. Not until the second act does the audience learn the names of these characters, allowing them to see the humanity of each individual victim.

Columbine, Page 7

Photo by Brian Bae

For the 13th time in the history of the Beanpot, the Northeastern Huskies came in second place. After a hard-fought game against Boston University, Northeastern fell 4-3 in overtime. The Huskies and Terriers will face off again on Friday and Saturday at Matthews Arena.

By Gordon Weigers News Correspondent

The Northeastern men’s hockey team was defeated by Boston University (BU) in overtime of the Beanpot final by a score of 4-3. NU erased a 3-1 deficit in the third period, but it wasn’t enough, as BU scored less than one minute into

overtime.

The Huskies came in second place for the 13th time in the Beanpot’s 63-year history. The last time NU won the Boston bragging rights was 1988.

Before playing BU, a two-game weekend series with the University of Maine was on the books. On Friday night, NU put four goals past

junior goalie Matt Morris in the first period. Junior defenseman Colton Saucerman, sophomore forward Brendan Collier, freshman forward Dylan Sikura and sophomore forward Zach Aston-Reese all scored goals to make it 4-0 Huskies after the first. Sophomore forward Mike Szmatula scored the fifth goal, and Sikura scored the sixth goal in NU’s

6-4 win over Maine.

Maine got the upper hand on Saturday night, defeating the Huskies 6-3. Redshirt sophomore goalie Derick Roy got the start in goal but couldn’t keep up his hot streak.

Sikura, junior forward Mike McMurtry and freshman defenseman Garret Cockerill scored for NU, but Hockey, Page 10

Medwed appointed to SJC

By Amanda Hoover News Editor

Photo by Scotty Schenck

The most recent development from father-son duo Alex and Vladimir Grinman tracks the location of the Green Line train in real time.

Greenline app eases riders’ wait

By Rowan Walrath City Editor

A new app that tracks aboveground Green Line trains may ease the frustrations experienced by MBTA customers this winter.

“Just avoid the Green Line as a rule,” freshman computer engineering major Michael Wong said. “If I could know where when the Green Line was coming, that would be a

big improvement.”

Alex Grinman, a 21-year-old senior at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has solved that problem by collaborating with his father, Vladimir Grinman, to develop the app, called “Greenline.”

Alex Grinman worked on front-end development, while his father created the back end.

Train, Page 5

Daniel Medwed, professor of law at Northeastern University, has been appointed to serve on the new Standing Committee on Eyewitness Identification of the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC).

Medwed, along with 11 other local legal and law enforcement experts, will serve as a resource for the SJC, supplying the justices with recommendations regarding eyewitness testimony and the weight of its implications in the courtroom.

The committee will also work to develop educational seminars and trainings to address new eyewitness evidence procedures and protocols, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Court System on Jan. 12.

“I’m optimistic that the committee can actually implement important reforms to improve accuracy of eyewitness procedures,” Medwed, who teaches classes in criminal law and evidence as well as wrongful convictions and post-conviction remedies, said.

Before the committee was selected, the SJC sought the recommendations of the Study Group on Eyewitness Identification. The group formed in 2011 “to consider Court, Page 2

Photo by Arzu Martinez

Law professor Daniel Medwed will serve on the Supreme Judicial Court’s new Standing Committe on Eyewitness Identification in attempts to decrease unlawful convictions of innocent citizens in court.

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T h u r s d ay , F e b r u a ry 26, 2015

news

Professor to advise court

Photo by Arzu Martinez

Daniel Medwed, law professor at Northeastern, has been appointed to the SJC’s Standing Committee on Eyewitness Identification.

Court, from Page 1 mittee for the next year, where he the most effective ways to deter un- will employ his expertise on eyenecessarily suggestive procedures witness identification and wrongful and to determine whether existing convictions.

“Professor Medwed is superbly model jury instructions provide adequate guidance to juries in evaluat- qualified to serve on this very imporing eyewitness testimony,” accord- tant committee,” Jeremey Paul, dean of the Law School at Northeastern, ing to the press release.

In 2013, that study group rec- said in an email to The News. “Eyeommended that the SJC establish witness testimony is far less reliable a committee to assess the current than is generally understood, and state of eyewitness identification safeguards that prevent mistaken and make recommendations to the identification are crucial to ensuring justices. This standing committee courtroom fairness.”

Medwed first became interested consists of not only academic experts like Medwed, but also practic- in the use of eyewitness identificaing lawyers, judges and law enforce- tion as evidence while working as a public defender in New York City. ment officials.

“It represents all of the key stake- He represented criminal defendants holders in the Commonwealth,” in appeals cases and saw that eyeMedwed said. “The idea is you get witness identification had played a people around the table who might large role in their conviction, despite not see eye-to-eye and we all can its unreliability.

Many crimes happen at night learn from one another and make the and are unexpected, and witnesses system better.”

Medwed will serve on the com- are not always prepared to commit

small details to memory, Medwed said. When the witnesses take the stand, they confidently identify who they believe the perpetrators are, and the jury takes their testimony as fact.

This confidence, however, is not always warranted.

“People often have a high degree of confidence about what they see, but in reality we’re not as good at identifying things as we think,” Medwed said. “There’s a disconnect between our ability to identify something and our belief [in our ability.]”

In addition to his experience as a litigator, Medwed is also a founding member of The Innocence Network, a consortium of various innocence projects, which re-examine convictions and seek extra evidence to prove someone’s innocence. The network facilitates the goals of these many organizations to provide pro bono legal and investigative services for convicted individuals wishing to seek appeals.

“The goal is to pull resources, develop best practices, share information and provide support for each other,” Medwed said.

Through this network and the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center in Salt Lake City, Medwed has successfully investigated and litigated claims of innocence.

“He has developed to be one of the most thoughtful and prolific scholars on issues regarding wrongful convictions,” Jacqueline McMurtrie, law professor at Washington University and a member of the board of directors for the Innocence Network, said. “He has assembled a number of symposiums to examine wrongful convictions and has mentored many of his colleagues, including myself, in his scholarly work.”

On the eyewitness committee, Medwed hopes that he can inform the SJC and bring reforms that will prevent future wrongful convictions made with eyewitness testimony as an influential factor.

“The goal is to get it right,” Medwed said. “The goal is to make sure that innocent people aren’t convicted. That’s a primary goal for all the parties.”

Photo by Arzu Martinez

The Hult Prize team, from left: freshman industrial engineering major Emily Mui, freshman international business major Megan Mantaro, freshman international business major Kevin Joseph, undeclared freshman Rick Faletto and freshman international business major Iliana Amador.

Not pictured: freshman communications, media and screen studies major Laura Moya and freshman international business major Megan Manturo.

Entrepreneurs go to regional finals

By Jason Ritchey News Correspondent

A team of Northeastern social entrepreneurs has been selected as a finalist for the 2015 Hult Prize, a prestigious international contest for $1 million in start-up funds for the winner’s new business. Of more than 20,000 applicants, Northeastern is one of 50 teams accepted to attend the regional finals in Boston on March 13.

The team consists of freshmen international business majors Illiana Amador, Megan Mantaro and Kevin Joseph, as well as freshman industrial engineering major Emily Mui, freshman communications, media and screen studies major Laura Moya and undeclared freshman Rick Faletto.

Led by Amador, the team’s business, Counselor Reach, aims to train and place recent college graduates in education, psychology or other relevant fields as counselors in elementary schools. It points out that 21 percent of low-income children have mental health disorders, and 50 percent of students living with mental health disorders older than 13 years old drop out of school.

The program would require mandatory one-on-one counseling sessions and also includes programs in art, nature and sports therapy to foster mental health for students through diverse learning skills.

Counselor Reach was initially a freshman Global Social Entrepreneurship honors seminar taught by C. Sara Minard, executive professor of entrepreneurship and innovation.

“I took some of the curriculum I’d been teaching at Columbia and brought it into this class of excited and scared 17- and 18-year-olds,” Minard said. “It was challenging for them. It was graduate-level work in the first semester of their college career, but they jumped into it.”

Minard knew she had to present students with opportunities outside of the classroom.

“Most who apply [for the Hult Prize] are business school students, but they also have very successful young innovators from around the world,” Minard said. “It was created to tap into students’ impulses to make the world a better place.”

Early in the semester, Minard had her students brainstorm issues they cared about. From there, the class voted on the best ideas and created teams of three to five students for each. Amador chose to work on early childhood education, which happened to be the theme of this year’s Hult Prize.

“I think the only change-theworld idea I had going into the class was from 2011 when I worked at an after-school care program,” Amador said. “A bunch of the kids I worked with had a fair bit of problems and they’d come to me, but I was 14 or 15 and what did I know about life, let alone what to do concerning abuse or social problems at school or their parents getting divorced?”

Amador said the concept has developed significantly since Sep-

tember. She said her initial two teammates, Mui and Moya, were instrumental in refining and developing the idea, as was Minard.

“The original idea for Counselor Reach consisted of only counseling sessions for the children,” Mui said. “We quickly realized that not all children would be able to respond to one-on-one conversations with an adult; they needed a greater variety of ways to express themselves.”

Thus, she said, alternative methods like art therapy were incorporated into the proposal. “[Amador is] drawing from her personal experience, which is good, and building off of other ideas that are proven, which is really important for social entrepreneurship and innovation,” Minard said. “She also had a very serious and professional approach to this. I don’t know where it’s going to end up, but no matter where it does, she’s learned a lot.”

Minard’s course included attending NEXPO, Northeastern Venture Accelerator IDEA’s trade show of ideas.

“Being new to the institution, I didn’t know the rules, so I signed up my class to participate,” Minard said.

The class of 19 attended and presented its projects at NEXPO on Nov. 20.

“There were a lot of impressed people,” Minard said. “You would not have thought they were freshmen. NEXPO was a pivotal moment for the class.”

When Counselor Reach was accepted as a finalist for the Hult Prize, Moya and Faletto found themselves unable to attend to regional finals, so Amador brought on Mantaro and Joseph. They, along with Mui, are the four attending the March 13 competition.

Were the team to win the regional finals, it would participate in a twomonth-long accelerator training summer program by the Hult International Business School in Boston to further refine its proposal along with the winners from the four other regions. The Hult Prize winner is announced in September at the Clinton Global Initiative, and is expected to immediately begin implementing its social enterprise with the $1 million.

Until March 13, the team is working on the image of the project, from redesigning the logo to refining and solidifying the presentation. In addition to taking advantage of the diversity already involved, Amador is reaching out to Northeastern professors and the Center of the Developing Child at Harvard to get additional feedback – all in preparation for the final competition.

“We’ll be networking and working with a large and influential group of people because, in the end, network is what it’ll come down to,” Amador said. “I don’t think any other freshman at any other school would have had the opportunity and structured ability for a professor to tell a freshman ‘Here’s this project where you’ll compete against grad students.’ Northeastern really pushes real-world experience.”

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news Students help to

crime log

clear excess snow

Compiled by Stephanie Eisemann, news staff

ENTRY OF THE WEEK

NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Friday, Feb. 20 @ 2:09 p.m.

An Residence Director (RD) submitted an incident report regarding two students in East Village.

The report was made to Residential Life and forwarded to the Northeastern University Police Department (NUPD). One male reported that on Feb. 18, he and his roommate got into a verbal argument and his roommate began aggressively yelling, “Do you want to fight?” The male who reported the incident expressed that he does not feel safe in his room and requested a room change. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Monday, Feb. 16 @ 10:29 p.m.

A Resident Assistant (RA) on duty in 10 Coventry Street reported finding damaged emergency exit signs throughout the building. An NUPD officer reported the second and third floor were in complete darkness, and there was exposed wiring where the exit signs had been located. A work order was placed, and a report was filed.

Tuesday, Feb. 17 @ 9:42 a.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division A student reported to NUPD that her MacBook Pro laptop was stolen from Snell Library on Monday at approximately 1:30 p.m. while left unattended. A report was filed.

Photo by Brian Bae

Wednesday, Feb. 18 @ 11:22 a.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division An associate director of Student Account Services reported being verbally threatened by a student. NUPD responded to her office in Richards Hall and both parties agreed to contact NUPD to be present for any further discussions. A report was filed.

Wednesday, Feb. 18 @ 12:27 p.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division A project manager notified NUPD that three laptops were stolen overnight from a room in West Village H. A report was filed.

Thursday, Feb. 19 @ 10:02 a.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division NUPD found a smoke detector covered with a shirt in a room in the West Village A high rise while on a scheduled detail. The RD was notified, and a report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Thursday, Feb. 19 @ 1:46 p.m.

A student reported that while living in Douglass Park he returned from winter break to find items missing. A report was filed over the phone, as the student is currently in New Jersey.

Thursday, Feb. 19 @ 5:49 p.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division The Boston Police Department (BPD) was involved in a car chase on campus. The subject’s vehicle, with Massachusetts registration, turned off of Ruggles Street onto Tavern Road and then drove onto the brick path in front of Behrakis Hall before getting stuck on the snow bank on Leon Street. NUPD officers assisted BPD in arresting the driver, who was initially being pursued for outstanding warrants. BPD also confiscated the vehicle. The driver was not affiliated with Northeastern.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Friday, Feb. 20 @ 2:02 a.m.

A proctor in the Speare Hall West lobby reported a resident who appeared to be intoxicated. Officers responded and spoke with the student, who was conscious but not alert. Officers requested EMS, who arrived at 2:26 a.m. and transported the underage student to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The RD was notified.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Saturday, Feb. 21 @ 8:56 a.m.

An NUPD officer reported receiving a call from a person in Burstein Hall who said there was a verbal argument that sounded like it might escalate to a fight. The conflict was between two of the caller’s employees. NUPD responded and reported two parties had a physical altercation prior to arrival. One sustained a minor injury to his eye and signed a medical waiver. Both were checked for warrants, and one was found to have a warrant on file. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Saturday, Feb. 21 @ 4:05 p.m.

A student reported that his iPhone was stolen from the YMCA between noon and 2:30 p.m.

NUPD responded to West Village A for the report.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Sunday, Feb. 22 @ 5:51 p.m.

An RA in Willis Hall reported that at approximately 1:30 a.m. someone had burned a door tag on two rooms in the building. Officers responded and reported that a name placard had melted around on the edges. The incident is under investigation.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Sunday, Feb. 22 @ 10:32 p.m.

An RA reported finding a broken mirror in the second floor men’s restroom of Stetson East.

NUPD responded and reported that an object had been thrown at the mirror. Cleaning services were contacted to clean the glass, a work order was placed to replace the mirror and a report was filed.

Jacob Milden, a sophomore chemical engineering major, and Bethany Bowen, a freshmen environmental science major, shovel out a fire hydrant. any way I could,” Calvin PomerBy Stephanie Eisemann antz, a third-year computer science News Staff and math major, told The News in an Donning bulky snow pants and email. “The snow has prevented me wielding shovels, Northeastern from getting to work several times. students have taken on the task of It has also caused me to slip and fall clearing streets and sidewalks in a a few times on my way to work. I new community service outreach can only imagine the problems it program called #NUShovelsBoston. must cause for older or disabled Becca Berkey, associate direc- members of our community.” tor and service learning coordinator Even with the city’s snow removfor the Center of Community Ser- al efforts at full force, the unprecvice (CSC), said that the project is edented amount of snow this winter a collaborative effort of the City & has called for some additional assisCommunity Affairs Office, Center tance. of Community Service, Facilities, “Snow crews have been workthe NUin Program and Off-Campus ing so tirelessly for the past couple Student Services. weeks to clear the roads and side#NUShovelsBoston has roots in walks, only to wake up the next former disaster relief work. day and see two more feet of snow “Gary Vogel, an NUin staff mem- on the ground. With unprecedented ber, lived in New Zealand years ago snowfall comes the need for extra after a natural disaster and students help,” Ashley said. “As students at came together to do relief work,” Northeastern, we are just as much Berkey said. “As he heard the calls a part of the community as those from the mayor and governor about around us. Helping to shovel out shoveling, he reached out to see if walkways and hydrants is just one we [at CSC] could get a collabora- way we can be good neighbors to the tion going to provide students with rest of the community. We’re all in the opportunity to help out in Bos- this together. Not to mention it was a ton with the unprecedented amount great workout.” of snow we have received in a short Danielle Curry, sophomore socitime.” ology major and co-op at the CSC, Liza Ashley, a third-year human said that she enjoyed the atmosphere, services major and co-op at the meeting new people, being outdoors CSC, was happy to participate for and playing music while working. the third time this Saturday.

She also sees the shoveling effort as “About 40 people came out a way for Northeastern to improve for #NUShovelsBoston,” Ashley community relations. said. “It is so great to see the event “In helping with the cleanup, NU growing. We tackled a particularly has a really valuable opportunity to snowed-in area on Melnea Cass let our surrounding communities Boulevard. We were able to clear a know that rather than simply taking path that had previously been com- up space in between them, we want pletely un-walkable. A family with to support and be a part of them,” four small children had to walk out she said. into traffic just to make it across the With the dedicated manpower of intersection because there was no willing students, #NUShovelsBospath through a huge snow bank. The ton has been able to assist in clearcommunity truly needs this.” ing areas that Facilities and City & #NUShovelsBoston was hosted Community Affairs, along with city on Thursday, Feb. 12, Saturday, Feb. officials, have identified as high pri14 and Saturday, Feb. 21 with ap- ority safety hazards. Areas of focus proximately 50 students shoveling were those around the Fenway and each day. When the event on Friday, the Museum of Fine Arts, with speFeb. 13 was cancelled due to freez- cial attention to fire hydrants in the ing temperatures, some brave stu- area. dents decided to put spade to snow After a month of trying to dig out without the rest of the group. the city, Mayor Martin J. Walsh was “The last event was cancelled due happy to have the help of students to cold, but a group of us in the CSC and gave Northeastern a shout-out met up with Northeastern Facili- on social media. ties and decided to shovel anyway,” “Thank you Northeastern students Ashley said. “I braved the cold by who are helping to shovel Boston layering on sweatpants and sweat- neighborhoods. When we all stand shirts, and was kept motivated by together, it makes a difference. the enthusiasm of my co-workers. #BOSnow,” Walsh’s Facebook staThe snow can’t stop us.” tus said on Feb. 12.

For those who prefer to watch With 95 inches of snow on Bosthe wind blow from indoors instead ton’s streets, according to #NUShof enduring its minus-25-degree ovelsBoston isn’t likely to run out of wrath, students’ enthusiasm may be work anytime soon. confusing. Those who have partici“We will keep hosting shovelpated, however, are motivated by the ing events as we are able to support chance to help the community. them. The shift is two hours, and “I participated because I saw all the more the merrier,” Berkey said. the problems that were being caused “And there is plenty of need in the by the snow and I wanted to help in neighborhoods surrounding NU.”

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The Huntington News 295 Huntington Ave., Suite 208 Boston, MA 02115

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Inside Editor Sports Editor City Editor Photo Editor Deputy Inside Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Photo Editor

Mary Whitfill Sara Tucker Amanda Hoover Rowena Lindsay Jessica Geller Rowan Walrath Scotty Schenck Alana Dore Bailey Putnam Brian Bae

Staff Directory Staff Writers: Stephanie Eisemann, Tim Foley, Matthew MacCormack, Alexandra Malloy, Jodie Ng, Ethan Schroeder, Madelyn Stone Staff Photographers: Kariman Abuljadayel, William Bryan, Ethan Kaley, Arzu Martinez Staff Copy Editors: Miharu Sugie, Brandon Lewis Columnists: Ross Beroff, Daniel McLoone, Angelica Recierdo, Michael Samaha, Kenny Sokan, Rebecca Sirull Opinions expressed in The Huntington News by editorial writers, All Hail writers, cartoonists and columnists are not necessarily those of The News staff or of the Northeastern administration. Northeastern University undergraduate students conduct all operations involved in the production of this publication.

THE NEWS WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR & COMMENTARIES

Opinion pieces must include the writer’s full name, year, major and position at the university. Letters should be sent in the body of an email, not as attachments. Letters may not run and may be edited due to space constraints. Poems and anonymous letters are not printed. Please keep entries under 500 words. Email letters to Comments@HuntNewsNU.com.

Vol. VIII No. 6

Column: SJP hides true intentions Next week, our campus will be hosting Israel Apartheid Week (IAW), a series of events hosted by Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters across the country.

It is time that this event and this group are Ross Beroff exposed for what they truly are. SJP does not stand for justice, instead they are a hate group and a more fitting definition of the acronym would be, “Students for Jewish Persecution.”

Let’s start with the naming of IAW. The use of the word “apartheid” in conjunction with Israel is not only false, but an insult to those who actually experienced true apartheid in South Africa. Most simply stated, there is no country in the Middle East that gives Arabs or other minorities more freedom than Israel does. Arabs can own land, vote, practice their chosen religion and speak their minds.

SJP uses IAW as an attempt to delegitimize Israel as a Jewish State. They promote what they refer to as “the Palestinian narrative,” which is nothing more than an attempt to rewrite history, where true historical facts are rendered irrelevant. All I can say to that is that narratives are what you want history to be. History is what actually happened. The close to 1 million Jews who were thrown out of the neighboring Arab countries at the time of Israel’s founding that are ignored in the “Palestinian narrative.”

In their campaign of terror, instead of advising civilians to take shelter, Hamas requires Palestinian civilians to stand on rooftops to increase their casualty counts. At the same time, Hamas leaders line their pockets with funds from international aid, while redirecting other resources to the construction of ter-

ror. Yet, when Israel fights back and defends itself, SJP shares gruesome pictures from other countries such as Syria, ignoring the flagrant violations of human rights. This is done to demonize Israel.

Earlier this semester I had the displeasure of sitting through an SJP chapter meeting. During introductions, everyone went around and said their name and preferred gender pronoun. This is ironic since homosexuality is a capital offense in Gaza and much of the Middle East, while Tel Aviv is one of the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the world. Sharing such facts has elicited accusations of “pinkwashing” from NU SJP in the past, the irrational idea that Israel hides human rights violations (that don’t actually exist) by promoting their great record of LGBTQ rights.

SJP tries to hide their naked antiSemitism by partnering with groups with misnomers such as Jewish Voice for Peace. Throughout history, whenever a new group arises to try and destroy the Jews, there have been members of the tribe assisting them. For months, SJP had its Facebook profile picture in support of convicted terrorist Rasmea Odeh.

Other chapters have held fundraisers for her.

Legitimate criticism of Israel is perfectly acceptable.

Israel is the Jewish State and Zionism is the belief in this state and the right to Jewish self-determination. When you are against the right of the only Jewish State to exist and survive and use all methods to delegitimize and demonize Israel, then you are against the Jewish people.

No amount of verbal gymnastics

by SJP can deny this fact. Let me be explicitly clear: anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.

It is here that I must commend Hamas. In their charter, they very clearly call for the destruction of the Jewish people. They do not shy away from what their real goals are.

So I ask, when will SJP take off its mask and admit its true intentions?

News illustration by David London

Jon Stewart kept us sane Through the asinine comments of politicians, embarrassing behavior of the Westboro Baptist Church and the anti-gay protests of basic human rights in the United States— we are still sane. The average news watcher is able to take these instances with a grain of salt and find the humor in the least comical of circumstances thanks to a man who recently announced his retirement from his long-standing gig as host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

At the end of the day and after the crazies had gone to bed for the night, Jon Stewart graced television screens for no other reason than to say “I get it.” Stewart understood what the rest of us wanted to scream from the rooftops, he understood our frustrations and voiced them more creatively than the rest of us.

The most important thing to understand about Stewart’s almost 16year stint behind the “Daily Show” desk is that he did not invent fake news. Weekend Update has been filling our heads with nonsense much longer than Stewart, but while the segment “Saturday Night Live” dared to ironically detach it-

self from the reality of news, Stewart jumped into the ring and boxed with it. More than the hilarious one-liners spewed by Chevy Chase, Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler, Stewart’s approach to the news was one every American could relate to no matter their political leanings.

Stewart was willing to be made angry. More than a comedian or a news caster, Stewart’s goal was to be a well-informed American who refused to close his eyes to the hypocrisies, distortions and insanities that so often accompany the news.

Unlike major news networks which have people to please and quotas to make, “The Daily Show” aimed to be loyal to only a personal sense of right and wrong. In the world of comedy, he has stood as the media’s moral center.

Stewart attacked Obama’s drone diplomacy and failure to provide veterans with appropriate medical care with the same vigor that he went after basically everything George W. Bush did. He stabbed Fox with its own words and CNN with its one-track-mind tendencies. And he did it all between a well-placed curse word and a giant

middle finger to the news industry as a whole.

It was this honest-to-God portrayal of our own anger that kept us from beating extremists with their own protest signs and hitting politicians in the head with their microphones. Stewart kept us sane simply by being the reflection of our own thoughts.

“The Daily Show” won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for 10 straight years and the Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program Emmy Award for seven years.

It is for these reasons, and a multitude of others, that despite talks of who will replace the comedic genius, he will never be truly replaced. It is time that we all thank Stewart for keeping us sane as black men were shot without cause and a tea party movement sprung from the under-watered dirt of the midwest. Yes, someone else will eventually sit in that chair, but the laughs Stewart provided us with night in and night out will never be recreated. The world is going a little crazier already.

As a freshman, I wasn’t expecting much when it came to dorms.

Being at the bottom of the totem pole in most cases means living in lesser-quality housing than the upperclassmen. Needless to say, I was blown away when I walked into International Village this past September. It was almost difficult to grapple with the fact that freshmen live there.

The cool air-conditioning was refreshing as I walked into the modern lobby accented with floorto-ceiling windows and tasteful semi-circle couches. The lobby set the tone for the rest of the building. I was even more surprised to find that there were multiple common rooms per floor and certain floors provided students with pool tables. Also, after a stressful day of classes, residents were able to burn off steam at the gym on the second floor that even had a water fountain to refill water bottles.

Post-workout, students could even take the elevator to the first-floor dining hall. International Village (IV) seemed to be the crème de la crème of dorms.

Unfortunately, IV is a fleeting dream for me as I live across campus at 153 Hemenway. An analogy may help to provide the best comparison of my dorm and the dorms in IV. If IV is a brilliant diamond, Hemenway is a chunk of coal. Actually, no. Hemenway is not coal,

because coal has the potential to evolve into a precious jewel. If IV is a diamond, Hemenway is a chunk of rock salt used to keep the ice off of the sidewalks.

Walking into Hemenway, one does not enter a grandiose hall; one enters a glorified cubicle. Once securely in the building, you are bombarded by heat. See, Hemenway is bereft of a few “luxuries,” one of which is air-conditioning. However, no biggie, air-conditioning isn’t a necessity. What really makes Hemenway rough around the edges is the fact that it doesn’t have an elevator. Living on the fourth floor is a hard feat in a building without airconditioning, and each trek up to my dorm leaves me sweaty and out of breath. Actually, moving in was a struggle. I am 5’2” and I had to carry each individual item up four flights of stairs. What would be a saving grace after that extravaganza would have been a water fountain so us living on the fourth floor could rehydrate after our workout to our rooms. But drinkable water is nowhere to be found unless you have a personal filter.

Once into my dorm, I am greeted by beige walls. My eyes scan the length of the walls only to notice that the walls aren’t actually attached to the wainscoting. Floating walls may sound cool, but the gap between the floor and the wall only serves as a magic door for mice.

Yes, that’s right. Hemenway isn’t just a home for humans. It’s the perfect warm abode for furry friends.

The bathroom doesn’t break the trend either. Actually, the bathroom may propel the building to a whole new level of drabness. For hiding behind the shower curtain, sitting along the edge of the tub, creeping out from behind the paint is … mold. So, if any of the other showers in Hemenway are plagued by the same disgusting dilemma, I suggest the residents make the trip to the gym to shower.

Besides the grievances noted above, living in Hemenway isn’t utterly horrific. I still have a bed, a desk and I don’t have to leave the building to do laundry. What bothers me is that the price to live in Hemenway is relatively similar to the price per semester of IV. I know freshmen are the scum at the bottom of the pond compared to upperclassmen, but I didn’t realize that would actually mean living in the scum. So, I’d like to know why the small difference between the costs of housing per semester accounts for eight elevators, air conditioning, a gym, pool tables, stable walls, a water fountain and other luxuries the people of Hemenway live without?

Letter: NU housing unfair

– Cayla Seder is a freshman political science and economics combined major.

H u n t N e w s NU. c o m

T h u r s d ay , F e b r u a ry 26, 2015

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Page 5

Father-son duo delves into real-time tracking Train, From Page 1

The app launched on Apple’s App Store on Feb. 13. The Grinman duo is working with an Android developer and expects the Android version to be released in the coming weeks.

At the app’s release, it joined dozens of other MBTA tracking apps that have stormed the market since Oct. 23, 2014, when the MBTA made real-time tracking data for railways available to independent developers.

“The GPS was installed starting in the summer of 2014 on all Type 8 (the newer) trains,” Amanda Richard, deputy press secretary at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said in an email to The News. “Type 7 (older) trains are being overhauled and will get GPS as part of that process.”

Since GPS has been implemented, there has been enormously positive feedback from both riders and developers, Richard said. Any complaints received have been about specific trains not showing up, usually due to a lack of GPS on older cars.

However, there is a catch to this tracking system: GPS does not work underground.

“Above ground, tracking is a GPS unit that sends the train’s location back to our central system,” Richard said. “Underground there are the wayside AVI (Automatic Vehicle Identifiers) sensors that let us know when a train has passed a specific point.”

The AVIs were originally set to be installed this winter, with

Photo by Scotty Schenck

The unpredictable Green Line, whose tracks are pictured here at Northeastern University Station, now has real-time tracking information on its aboveground trains made available by GPS.

tracking information made available shortly thereafter. However, the region’s onslaught of storms has delayed the process.

“Unfortunately, the AVI schedule has been pushed back a bit as our signal group was handling more pressing issues,” Richard said. “We’re working hard to start providing information for at least some underground stations as it becomes available this spring.”

Until then, Alex Grinman hopes to implement Twitter crowdsourcing to track un-

derground Green Line trains.

“So far, there is no crowdsourcing of any kind,” Alex Grinman said. “I hope to release this in the next version. The goal of this feature is to search through Twitter posts about the Green Line to figure out as fast as possible where there are delays.”

Alex Grinman explained that while there are already widely used tracking apps available on the App Store, he wasn’t satisfied with their performance.

“There’s another app that’s popular in Boston, and what they do

is show you how many stations a train is away from the station where you’re at, which is kind of bad,” Alex Grinman said. “Because if I tell you that a train is 10 stations away, what does that tell you about when you should leave your house?”

Greenline, on the other hand, incorporates easily accessible information and a simple design, he said. Additionally, the app has a feature that allows users to share their train information with others.

Joshua Meier, a freshman behavioral neuroscience major,

uses a website called “Track the T,” developed by David Newton, to know when his train is coming. However, Meier only uses the Orange Line to get around.

“They have all the buses, but not the Green Line,” Meier explained. He said that if his app could track the Green Line effectively, he might use those trains.

Alex Grinman is an intern at Blade, a company that cofounds a few consumer technology startups each year.

“The Greenline is different from my other apps,” Alex Grinman explained. “I launched it with this company in Boston called Blade, where I work. Blade is ... a startup foundry. They help new tech companies in Boston. I’ve been working there for the past half year. They help me with feedback and testing.”

Greenline isn’t Alex Grinman’s first public transit app. While in high school in Brookline, he developed “Where’s my MBTA Bus?,” an app that tracks buses in real time. Around 15,000 people use it each day. He and his father have also developed “Where’s my MBTA Rail?,” “Where’s my MBTA T?” and “Where’s my MIT Bus?” “Where’s my MBTA Bus?” is his most popular app, as “buses are by far the most common transportation in Boston,” Alex Grinman said.

As a Brookline native, Alex Grinman grew up with Green Line frustrations. He simply hopes that his app can better the system.

“I hope that this will make the world’s most unpredictable transit system more reliable,” he said.

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citypulse

Boston Public Schools suffer from snow days

By Audrey Cooney News Correspondent

Boston Public Schools (BPS) and city officials are taking action to deal with the unusually high number of snow days schools have been forced to take this year.

“Boston has experienced historic snowfall in the last three weeks resulting in an unprecedented number of school cancellations,” Denise Snyder, a spokesperson for (BPS) Superintendent John McDonough, said in an email to The News. “This winter, Boston Public Schools has closed school eight times, seven of which were for snow and one for extreme cold. We recognize that more winter is ahead of us, and we’re actively engaging with the mayor’s office and the heads of unions that make up our district to identify how to best address make-up days.”

Schools have not been closed this many days in one season for at least 12 years, with transportation issues accounting for the most difficulties in keeping schools open, according to Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers Union (BTU).

“Even sometimes if the weather isn’t too bad, the buses can’t maneuver around the corners of different streets, so that is a problem,” Stutman said.

While the school year was originally scheduled to end on June 19, it has now been extended to June 30, the last day on the teachers’ contracts. Officials must make up for lost class time by alternate means, which are still under discussion.

Plans must also allow for the possibility of more snow, which could result in even more lost school days.

According to Snyder, Mayor Martin J. Walsh has stated that school will be held on two county holidays, Evacuation Day on March 17 and Bunker Hill Day on June 17. However, the BTU must still vote on these dates.

Possible solutions all come with

Photo by Arzu Martinez

Josiah Quincy Upper School in Back Bay is one of 128 Boston Public Schools that have had to revise their curricula in the wake of this winter’s unprecedented snowfall.

ued weather emergencies, ESE will reevaluate whether there is a need to grant waivers to individual districts, but the agency does not expect to issue a general, statewide waiver.”

In BPS, elementary school students are required to receive 900 hours of “structured learning time” per year, according to the policies of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Secondary school children must be given 990 hours and kindergarteners 425.

According to Chester’s update, some students have been sent home in advance of snow storms with “blizzard bags” containing assignments meant to help fill the gaps in class time during the storms. However, this cannot entirely compensate for lost days or count toward the required number of classroom hours.

“For this approach to count toward the student learning time requirements, school districts must ensure that such work is structured learning time, is substantial and has appropriate oversight and teacher involvement,” Chester wrote. “To the degree that learning outside of the school setting may rely upon parental involvement or access to technology, districts must also account for the widely varying circumstances in students’ homes.”

Walsh has said that 14 “family centers” remain open even during days with no school in case of emergencies. There, independent childcare providers and literacy educators can try to fill the gaps in the students’ regular curricula.

Reis believes that this year’s unprecedented snowfall and the ensuing complications should push school officials to better prepare for future school years.

“We do hope that this will inform discussions of next year’s school calendar,” Reis said. “For a few years now, the school board has been asking school districts to start the school year before Labor Day and to have a March vacation instead of April.”

their own drawbacks. Teachers and other schools workers may disagree on which days to hold school, which complicates the issue.

“There will be pressure on us to cancel April vacation; there will be pressure on us to go to school six Saturdays,” Stutman said. “[Union] members will not want to do that, families will not want to do that.”

However, missing too many days of school can disrupt both children’s education and teachers’ lesson plans.

“It messes things up because people prepare to do a whole week of work, and instead it might be two days here and three days the next week,” Stutman said.

The broken schedules force teachers to rearrange how they organize their lessons, while the gap in school-time can poten-

tially derail how effectively students learn, according to Stutman.

Jacqueline Reis, information specialist at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, is trying to avoid a negative impact on students.

“We’re hoping that it won’t affect changes in curriculum,” Reis said. “It might change when the lesson’s given, but what we’re hoping in this point in the school year is that days that were missed will be made up, and material meant to get covered will still be covered …

The idea is that these days will be eventually made up, and so hopefully there won’t be a negative impact from that. It is harder in that it interrupts the momentum, but hopefully it will all be made up.”

No mention has been made

of changing the number of days in the 180-day school year. According to the official guidelines of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, that requirement can only be waived if schools are forced to close after March 31 – and only if there have already been at least five make-up days.

In his weekly online update on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website for the week of Feb. 13, Mitchell Chester, commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, wrote: “Although the commissioner has authority to reduce the student learning time requirements in extraordinary circumstances, that has always been a last resort … If the remainder of the winter yields contin-

the time of Lloyd’s death from Enterprise. When he returned it, the driver side mirror had broken off.

When Smyth asked Hernandez what had happened, the former NFL star replied, “I don’t know.”

Hernandez later explained that he had the car parked outside his residence and noticed at some point that the mirror had broken off.

Smyth later found a .45 shell casing, the same caliber ammunition used to murder Lloyd, in the vehicle. The shell casing was stuck on a piece of Bubblicious gum, the same brand purchased

by Hernandez the night of Lloyd’s death. At first, Smyth did not respond to these discoveries. However, she quickly called the police once she heard about the investigation through media outlets.

Forensic scientist Alanna Fredrick also testified in court, stating that the DNA found on the case shelling had been linked to Hernandez. The defense replied with the possibility that the DNA from the shelling could be attributed to the piece of gum found on it. While Fredrick agreed with this theory, she also explained that any other DNA found on the shelling would have been discovered and distinguished from Hernandez’s DNA. On Thursday, the testimony focused on both searches of Hernandez’s house conducted by police.

Between the two searches, police acquired .22 ammunition, four pairs of shoes that could possibly be linked to impressions made at the murder site, a white sweatshirt worn during the timing of Lloyd’s death and a bowl containing marijuana.

The following week’s testi-

monies proved to be victories for the persecution. On Monday, workers who were present at the industrial park where Lloyd’s body was found testified.

“I heard a loud bang, maybe four or five times,” Barbara Chan, a worker who had been on break during the time of Lloyd’s death, said. “It was two slow ones and three fast ones.”

Evidence of a disposed gun near the crime scene showed that the weapon had been connected to Hernandez. However, it was not the weapon used to shoot Lloyd.

Another win came when housekeeper Grazielli Silva testified.

Shayanna Jenkins, Hernandez’s fiancée, stated in court that she had borrowed her sister’s car to get cash to pay the cleaners. However, Silva testified that she was not paid in cash but instead received a check for her work. The check was presented as evidence in the court, raising the question: why did Jenkins borrow the car?

The prosecution accused Jenkins of removing the murder weapon.

Silva has stated that she saw Jenkins remove a large black bag and that she was gone for awhile.

The defense accused Silva, an undocumented worker, of testifying against Hernandez to better her immigration status. Silva disagreed.

“For me, it would have been better had this never happened,” she said.

The trial is set to continue throughout the week at Bristol County Superior Courthouse and will finish within the next month.

Hernandez also faces charges in an double homicide that occurred in Boston over two years ago.

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez had several witnesses testify against him last week, including Keelia Smyth.

Testimony blows holes in Hernandez defense

By Jose Castillo News Correspondent

Key testimonies unfolded during the trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, which resumed on Feb. 13 following several snow cancellations. Hernandez, along with two other suspects, has been accused of murdering Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player and former friend of Hernandez, in a North Attleboro industrial park on June 17, 2013.

On Feb. 13, Judge E. Susan Garsh permitted the use of surveillance video captured in North Attleboro.

The video, which was presented the following Tuesday, showed Hernandez seated in his vehicle at North Attleboro’s police station dismantling his phone and using his lawyer’s phone to contact Ernest Wallace, another suspect in Lloyd’s murder. The remains of the cellular device were eventually submitted to detectives by Hernandez.

In response to the footage, the defense accused detectives of bias-targeting Hernandez. It explained that Hernandez was simply changing his phone’s battery.

The defense also stated that the police had no right to film their search of Hernandez’s residence.

“A search warrant is not a license for police to snoop around a person’s entire house,” defense attorney James Sultan said.

Due to weather, Garsh was forced to dismiss the case early for the day.

The following day, car rental company Enterprise manager Keelia Smyth testified in court. Hernandez had rented the car he drove during

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

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Gateway Gallery pays homage to art of film

By Megan O’Brien News Correspondent A paper mâché bust of Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady” sits next to a portrait of Julia Roberts.

The likenesses of a clay Coraline and ceramic C-3PO enliven a white wall. “The Pink Panther Theme” and other iconic musical moments in film serve as the soundtrack of a visit to Gateway Gallery’s “Homage to Film” exhibit.

Over 30 people contributed filmthemed work including paintings and scupltures. Gateway artists are unique in that they are all adults with disabilities.

“I’ve seen some of these movies, so I love looking at [the artists’] interpretations,” Annette Born, a commercial realtor who attended the gallery’s reception, said.

Works on display are inspired by many facets of cinema, including actors, theaters, film characters, individual movies and the medium itself. Some subjects prove more popular than others and are arranged accordingly.

Three works pay tribute to one particularly favored flick: Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” (1963).

A painting of black crows in various positions against a blue backdrop, a repeated arrangement of the phrase “bird movie” and an avian sculpture occupy one corner of the gallery.

Gateway’s informal setting provides a behind-the-scenes look at the art’s construction. The gallery and studios share space, allowing visitors to easily wander by a wall of finished work to the room where those pieces were produced. The work spaces are filled with tools for sculpture, painting and everything in between.

“Homage to Film” flows through a wide range of two- and three-dimensional mediums, further diversifying the exhibit and emphasizing each artist’s style.

The gallery has exclusively featured the art by people with disabilities since its opening in 1973.

“Many years ago, the many people coming out of the state schools for people who were called ‘retarded’ were coming into the community,” Rae Edelson, director of Gateway Arts, said. “Now, everyone is integrated. They’re out there. This is an opportunity for careers in the arts for people with disabilities.”

A large majority of those who attended the exhibit’s reception, like Born, are local supporters of the gallery.

“I support Gateway. I buy the art and display it in my house,” she said. “I have some favorite artists, some of whom have been with us for years. Whenever there is an event, I try and come.”

Interim professor at Simmons

College Margaret Bush has a similar relationship with the Brookline gallery. The longstanding supporter let out a few laughs as she admired the artwork.

“I love the humor,” she said.

“Especially in this [exhibit].

There’s such great humor.”

The display of cinema-inspired

Columbine, From Page 1 Though the second act greatly features the shooters, Gray focuses on telling the victims’ stories rather than spotlighting the tragedy committed by these two boys.

“How do we make this show something other than a celebration?” Gray said. “We capture the spirit of high school rather than humanizing two people who are already human.”

The show emphasizes the individuals lost rather than dogmatically commanding the audience to change its mindset.

“The production is less about sending a message, and more about telling a story,” Katra Laidlaw, third-year environmental studies major who plays Perfect in the production, said.

Gray worked with his design team to craft a stage and atmosphere reminiscent of Columbine High School, complete with monkey bars and music such as Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time.”

Even more prominent is the tone

of distraction coming from marblelike ramps and darker lighting hues, representing the tragedy and danger that unfolds. With meticulous lighting designs and poignant digital projections throughout the production, the stage transports the audience directly to the high school in 1999.

After select productions, the cast will hold talkback sessions where audience members discuss reactions to the play with the actors.

Gray said that the sessions are invaluable to assure that both the audience and cast can express their emotions around the story and the experience.

With such sensitive subject matter, actors overcame great challenges in preparing for these roles.

“These are 15 students who care so deeply about what they are doing here,” Gray said.

Gray went onto say that after scenes were completed in rehearsal, actors frequently began crying.

“It’s a jarring experience because these characters were real people,”

he said. “There’s a great deal of empathy one develops.”

Emotions do not end at empathy, however. The actors feel great responsibility to do the victims justice.

“When I have a monologue, it is from an interview directly from the [survivors],” Sam Mulcahy, freshman theatre major and chorus member of “columbinus,” said. “I need to get it right word for word, in respect for the victims. The story, as it is, needs to be told.”

Gray said students realized the serious nature of gun violence through the production process.

“At first, when I introduced the guns as props, I was afraid that some actors would have fun with them, rather than understand that they are tools of murder. As the production progressed, no one touched those guns as toys. They understood what they could do,” Gray said.

The show’s opening night was delayed one week due to lost rehearsal time on snow days. Gray said although all the moving parts

work was brought about in conjunction with the ReelAbilities Boston Film Festival. This event, running Feb. 19 to March 2, showcases movies about those living with disabilities.

“The upcoming films in places like ReelAbilities, the Jewish film festival, are so important because

they give a voice to new filmmakers, to people with disabilities, to their stories,” Edelson said. “We are so excited about being associated with the fantastic film festival.”

“Homage to Film” is on display through Feb. 28 at Gateway Gallery, at 62 Harvard Street in Brookline.

Photo by Arzu Martinez

Gateway Gallery’s “Homage to Film” exhibit is displayed in conjunction with the ReelAbilities Film Festival.

Theatre Department presents “columbinus” were not brought together until one week before the show opened, he was “pleasantly surprised” to see the production completed.

“The snow may have pushed us back, but it has forced us to work way harder,” Jared Roberts Curtis, sophomore theatre and history major who plays Dylan/Loner, one of the boys who commits the shooting, said. “Everyone is on their game and we value our time in rehearsal greatly … I want the audience to see how human all of these characters are, including mine.”

Curtis’ character suffered from major depressive disorder. Curtis hopes that his portrayal of Dylan/ Loner will move the audience to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness and keep such tragedies from happening again.

“You can catch these things before they happen,” Curtis said. “It’s time to talk about that elephant in the room, and to address it with care,” Curtis said. “columbinus” plays until Sunday, March 1 at the Studio Theatre in Curry Student Center.

Photos courtesy Chris McKenzie

Left: The entire cast of “columbinus” performs on a set created to remind viewers of the Columbine High School in the Curry Student Center’s Studio Theatre. Director Matthew Gray and the cast will participate in talkback sessions on Feb. 27 and March 1. Right: Phil Esposito as Eric/Freak and Jamez-Amour Anderson as Teacher/Counselor in “columbinus.”

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H u n t N e w s NU. c o m

“Workaholics” comedian Adam DeVine visits NU

By Alana Dore Deputy Inside Editor

Northeastern’s Blackman Auditorium sold out last week for a standup performance by Adam DeVine with opener Adam Ray, sponsored by the Council for University Programs (CUP).

DeVine may have been the main event, but Ray stole the show with bits that flowed fluidly from one to the next. Ray’s humor centered around things that other people could connect to and relied heavily on interaction with the audience.

Although not as well-known as DeVine, Ray might be recognized from his role as LeSoire in “The Heat,” starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, or as two-time guest Tony in “Two Broke Girls.”

Ray’s bits included topics such as Las Vegas, his “alcoholic roommate,” his “midget best friend,” long-distance dating and the reasons people get tattoos.

His most popular bit by far was an extended piece about Olive Garden commercials, in which he criticized the excitement of the actors and the lack of racial diversity. Students were doubled over during this “warm-up” performance and by the close of Ray’s segment they were primed for the comedic gravitas of DeVine’s set.

DeVine stars as Adam DeMamp in the Comedy Central original series “Workaholics,” of which he is also a co-creater, writer and executive producer.

For those unfamiliar with his role in “Workaholics,” DeVine has also been a recurring guest on “Modern Family” as Andy, the “manny” for

the Pritchett family, and has played supporting roles in “Pitch Perfect” and the upcoming sequel “Pitch Perfect 2” as the antagonist, Bumper.

DeVine’s show, although lacking a back-up band or a capella group, had the high-energy quality of any great musical performance. He made use of the whole stage by running around, miming props and calling for audience participation.

Despite professing to prefer “Workaholics” to “Pitch Perfect,” DeVine devoted a good amount of his show to the musical hit.

During his set, he revealed that his audition for “Pitch Perfect” was accidental.

“I thought I was auditioning for a baseball movie,” DeVine said. “I get to the audition and I’m looking around and there’s [sic] all these super handsome dudes just like singing up against the walls like no one can see them.”

When asked to sing for his audition, DeVine went with the Big Sean classic “Dance (A$$).” Then, when asked for an alternative, DeVine’s go-to was the ever-popular “Full House” theme song “Everywhere You Look.”

DeVine also found success as Pizza Steve in Cartoon Network’s “Uncle Grandpa,” and later, in 2013, he added another comedy show to his list of achievements as writer, producer and star of Comedy Central series “Adam DeVine’s House Party.”

However, DeVine appeared to have self-doubts throughout his set.

After many jokes, under the cover of the audience’s laughter, DeVine would mutter with a chuckle into his microphone, “That was stupid.”

Despite what he thinks of his own jokes, Northeastern students hooted and hollered throughout the show.

“I’m a huge ‘Workaholics’ fan,” Marcella D’Aston, third-year communications major, said. “Having him here and just making so many references to ‘Workaholics’ made me feel like I was part of that ‘Workaholics’ family that I love so much.”

DeVine’s performance was part of a Boston-area tour that culminated in a comedy show at The Wilbur Theatre on Feb. 22. He also performed at Boston College, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“I love people from Massachusetts. You guys are like a**holes right out of the gate but then immediately you’re sweet,” the Iowa native said of his experience in Beantown.

DeVine showed his improvisational prowess during the questionand-answer segment of the night.

Students were encouraged to tweet questions at DeVine with #AdamDeVineNU before and during the event. The collected tweets were then projected onto the wall behind DeVine.

Some of the nights’ gems included favorite movie of all time (“Striptease” with Demi Moore), favorite color (blue), favorite Taylor Swift song (“Shake It Off”), guacamole or salsa (guacamole) and celebrity crush (Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara).

DeVine finished the night with Ray by inviting the audience to join in on one giant selfie. Happily obliging, the audience jumped at its last chance at participation, many climbing up on their chairs for a chance to be seen.

Adam DeVine entertains the Northeastern audience in Blackman Auditorium with a stand-up routine during a Boston-area tour on Feb. 18.

best and whitest… sorry, I mean brightest.”

The Academy evidently hoped to convey early on that it was laughing too – that it could still acknowledge its own shortcomings. That effort failed when the rest of the night proved beyond a doubt that the Academy still has a race problem.

Harris repeatedly singled out black actors, recruiting Octavia Spencer to assist with a tiresome magic trick, asking David Oyelowo to read aloud a dig at the “Annie” remake and randomly making Oprah Winfrey the butt of a wealth-related joke. Cameras also cut to a black actor somewhere in the crowd whenever “Selma” or Martin Luther King, Jr. were mentioned, even fleetingly.

Harris proved equally tone-deaf in less tricky situations. When “Crisis

Hotline: Veterans Press 1” won Best Documentary Short and the filmmaker moved audience members while discussing her veteran son’s suicide, he made a tasteless joke about the “balls” on her dress. Later, he joked about “American Sniper” subject Chris Kyle’s many kills while overseas, with Kyle’s widow in the audience. The host drew more groans than laughs.

Still, excellent performances and speeches salvaged at least sections of the night. “Birdman” flew high at the ceremony, winning Best Picture as well as Best Director, Cinematography and Original Screenplay. However, Best Picture nominee “Selma” stole the show, with Common and John Legend leading a heart-stopping, emotional performance of the film’s Best Original Song winner “Glory” in front of a recreation of Selma, Ala.’s Edmund Pettus

Bridge.

The pair’s acceptance speeches reaffirmed that the song, and its film, communicate a message both timeless and topical. In the most moving speech of the night, Common said “This bridge was once a landmark of a divided nation, but now is a symbol for change … The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the south side of Chicago, dreaming of a better life, to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression to the people in Hong Kong protesting for democracy.

This bridge was built on hope, welded with compassion, and elevated by love for all human beings.”

The ceremony also surprised, in a positive way, with its approach to gay rights. Harris is the first openly gay married man to host, and he took the opportunity to covet Channing Tatum

Photo by Brian Bae

Opinion: Academy embarasses itself at Oscars

By Isaac Feldberg News Correspondent

“Who gave this son-of-a-b*tch his green card?” Sean Penn snarked as he presented “Birdman” director Alejandro González Iñárritu with the Academy Award for Best Director, ending what was alternately a politically conscious and horrifically tone-deaf Oscar night on a sour note.

Though Penn, who worked with Iñárritu on “21 Grams,” said he was joking, the remark illuminated Hollywood’s utter lack of comfort or class in dealing with diversity, a fault which manifested itself repeatedly during the evening.

First came host Neil Patrick Harris’ opening dig at the blindingly Caucasian nature of this year’s acting nominees: “Tonight we honor Hollywood’s

and perform a song-and-dance number in which he saluted “all the tension between Ben [Affleck] and Matt [Damon]” in “Good Will Hunting.”

Another moment showcasing acceptance came when Graham Moore accepted the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for “The Imitation Game,” a film about gay mathematician Alan Turing. On stage, Moore detailed his struggles with depression, stating, “When I was 16-years-old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I am standing here …

For that kid out there who thinks she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere, yes, you do.”

Such candor is rare to see in speeches more typically used to recite laundry lists of names, but it saved the evening there and elsewhere. Common and Legend pushed for racial justice, and Moore turned the spotlight to depression, while other winners highlighted similarly hot-button issues. Best Actor winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) acknowledged those battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), while Best Actress winner Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) brought up ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”) drew cheers when she called for gendered wage equality.

In those moments, the Oscars seemed to approach, dare I say it, relevance.

But then came Penn. The actor’s closing, off-the-cuff jab marked the ceremony’s definitive nadir. Did it ruin the night? For some, perhaps it did.

After all, with wins for Iñárritu and “Birdman” cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, the Oscars were intended to honor Hispanic filmmakers, not slight them. And none of the British nominees or winners, like Redmayne, were ever questioned about their immigration status.

However self-abasing the Academy may pretend to be, it was downright despicable that, on the organization’s most important night, it became a pulpit from which prominent white actors could callously reduce hard-working minorities to illegitimate aliens swiping awards from Caucasians Moving forward in a politically charged climate, the Oscars will have to work much harder next year – and maybe screen its presenters more carefully.

H u n t N e w s NU. c o m

T h u r s d ay , F e b r u a ry 26, 2015

calendar Entry of the Week

Lion dance parades through Chinatown Sunday, March 1

Although it officially started on Feb. 19, don’t forget to usher in the Year of the Goat with a Lunar New Year celebration of seismic proportions. The Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown will feature lion dances with dancers operating in giant, ornate costumes, drums and fireworks.

The parade, comprised of multiple processions, will start at the Chinatown Gate on Beach Street and continue throughout the streets of Chinatown with each procession taking a different path. Be sure to end your celebration by grabbing dim sum at Boston’s famous China Pearl restaurant at 9 Tyler Street. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.; free.

Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf, Creative Commons

Calendar compiled by Alana Dore, Deputy Inside Editor Thursday, Feb. 26

Little Seer Productions presents “Simon Says” by Mat Schaffer, a theatrical production which explores the scientific links between life and death. Directed

by Myriam Cyr, the play depicts one scientist’s study of a young psychic named James who channels an omniscient being that he fondly refers to as Simon. The three-man show aims to guide viewers into a serious conversation about how science plays into the belief behind mortality, fate and free will. Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theater, 527 Tremont Street; 7:30 - 9 p.m.; $25.

Friday, Feb. 27

The Boston University (BU) Callbacks, a sketch-comedy group formed in 2009, are hosting and competing in a Bostonarea, sketch-comedy showdown for the ages called Funderdome V: Attack on Sky Juice Citadel.

Sketch-comedy is comprised of comedic vignettes exploring a single topic or character.

Participating groups including Tufts University’s Major: Undecided, BU’s Slow Children At Play and Brandeis College’s Boris’ Kitchen, have ten minutes to impress the judging audience.

Three groups will move on to the second round from which one winner will emerge. Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Ave.; 8 - 11 p.m.; $5.

Saturday, Feb. 28

The Guardian calls George Brant’s 2013 fictional play “Grounded” “a must-see,” naming it a Top 10 Play of 2013. This one-woman show starring Celeste Olivia is about how a fighter pilot is kept from the air once her pregnancy is discovered which causes her to question her patriotism.

Stick around following the show for a discussion about women in the military with Air Force Veteran Natalee Webb. Presented by the Nora Theatre Company, “Grounded” might be just the thing to put your school stresses into perspective. Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; 8 - 10:30 p.m.; $15.

Monday, March 2

Escape the Room, a thrilling and immersive new attraction that literally has you locked inside a room trying to puzzle your way out, has joined USA Network to bring a special experience to the Boston community. For one week only, Escape the Room will offer an themed version of its interactive, team-oriented game to promote USA’s new television show, “Dig.” The event will feature clues, characters and scenarios that give participants a sneak peak at the television show. This event is recommended for anyone who likes puzzles, but not recommended for those with claustrophobia.

33 West Street; times vary; free.

Tuesday, March 3

Stand-up comedian Demetri Martin, best known for his work as a regular performer on “The Daily Show,” is coming to Boston. It’s been a while, but Martin is finally returning to touring. One may remember Martin from his short-lived 2009 show on Comedy Central, “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” or from his more recent Comedy Central special “Standup Comedian,” released in 2012. Martin is best known for his eclectic comedic style, which involves the use of musical instruments, one-liners and drawings on oversized pads of paper. The Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.; $37.

Wednesday, March 4

Pascale Lord’s new exhibition A Table ! will open Wednesday at the French Cultural Center to a free reception complete with complimentary French wine. The paintings were inspired by Lord’s childhood and the topics and love shared around the dinner table with her family. These dinner table scenes are commentary on the nature of communication and all are distorted in some way, mirroring the ways in which communication can be disturbed. Stop by the opening to add a little class and culture to your week and leave with insight to bring back to your own dinner table. 53 Marlborough Street; 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.; free.

Page 9

Steps to improve your writing

Whether you are an English major trying to expand your portfolio or a closet writer with a desire to be heard, navigating the world of literary magazines and journals can be daunting. Here is a timeline and some tips to submitting and getting published.

1. Write and write some more Start journaling or keeping track of pieces you’ve written for school or for fun. The more work you have, the better the chance of something you have being worthy of submission.

2. Workshop and edit Have people whose opinions you value and trust read your work. Go to writing centers and attend workshops where professionals in the industry can lend you advice on how to revise a piece. Make sure you are confident about and proud of what you are submitting.

3. Research and sift Now that you have a substantial piece, go to online databases to look up magazines and journals that fit your interests and qualifications. A medical piece would not belong in a nature journal, and a novice writer would probably not be submitting to Glimmer Train (which has an acceptance rate lower than Harvard University). Sites like NewPages and Poets & Writers have reliable search engines that can help you narrow down your options.

4. Follow in the paths of similar writers Did someone in your class or writing group get published? Ask them about it, and it’s likely that being of similar ability/interest, you would be a good fit for that place, too. Networking as a writer is important to getting behind-thescenes tips on what publications are looking for and there’s nothing more valuable than a fellow writer who has been there, too.

5. Follow in the path of better writers Think about the writers you admire and whose work inspires you to put your voice on paper. Take a look at where their first publications were and work up to that quality. ChoosAngelica Recierdo The Annotated Muse ing lit mags is very much like choosing colleges – you have to have several safety ones, some matches and one or two reaches. Having a goal, like getting published in The Huffington Post or The New Yorker, directs your practice as a writer and motivates you to be better every day.

6. Adhere to guidelines and instructions Many magazines and journals have very specific guidelines on what they are looking for in submissions, that may be in formatting, fees, word count, genre and anything else you can think of. Since writing is subjective, one person may love your style and the next may not care for it. Nevertheless, keep submitting. Keep in mind Pablo Picasso’s wise words: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

7. Always write for yourself Don’t ever get caught up in the woes of the slush pile. A rejection doesn’t define you as a writer, and you have nothing to prove to anyone. Always remember why you picked up the craft: for your love of storytelling or way with words. Writing in and of itself is a solitary act, so join a group, share your work online and in print and put the self in self-expression.

-Angelica Recierdo can be reached at Inside@HuntNewsNU.com

Folk artist plays Boston gig

By Rowena Lindsay Inside Editor

Halifax, Canada-based folk musician Ben Caplan is stopping in Boston on his first American tour to play a show at T.T. the Bear’s Place on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Caplan’s raspy vocals dominate but complement the smooth instrumentals of his backing band, The Casual Smokers. With Caplan on guitar and piano alternatively, and his rotating cast of bandmates playing everything from upright bass to horns, drums and eastern-Europeaninspired strings, his sound is full and rugged.

“The US has sort of long intimidated me,” Caplan said. “It is a big country, and there is so much going on musically, so I figured that I would go to Europe first, and I ended up building a really loyal fan base there. Now, I figured that it was time to get over my fear and see what the US is all about, and I am really excited about it.”

Like many musicians, Caplan,

now 28, started out in a garage rock band in high school. Folk music was always a part of his life, however, from the time he got his first record player and acoustic guitar when he was 13 years old.

“I remember getting my first Bob Dylan LP, as cliché as that is, and having my mind totally blown,” Caplan said. “[Folk music] was always a big part of my identity. In fact, at the same time as my high school garage band, I had a folk duo.”

Later, he began writing songs. In 2011, he put out his first album, “In The Time Of Great Remembering.”

As he put it, Caplan has “been pretending to be a professional musician ever since.”

As a musician, Caplan focuses mainly on playing live shows, both with his band and solo. Most of his tours have been in Europe, particularly the Netherlands, but also Germany, Ireland, Norway, Poland and the U.K. He has been on the road almost constantly since the release of his first album, because he sees it as his

best chance to make it as a musician in this day and age.

“Recording is kind of terrifying for me, and I love it and I am learning so much by doing it, but getting up on stage feels intuitive and exciting and getting into the studio is like entering into someone else’s realm,” Caplan said. “They are both an integral part of what I do, but I just love getting up on stage, and even though it is hard to be on tour for so much of the year, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

While he frequently does solo tours, when Caplan writes songs he always thinks about how they will sound with the whole band.

“Usually, with most of my songs, the words and music end up coming at around the same time and then they end up informing each other,” he said of his songwriting process.

“As for my recording process, [it] is also relatively hard to nail down because I am still a relatively new artist. I wouldn’t say I have like a dialed-in technique that I like to use.”

However, Caplan’s newest re-

Photo courtesy Leigh Greaney

Ben Caplan will play a Boston show on Feb. 28 during his first American tour.

cord, “Birds with Broken Wings,” which has yet to be released, has served as a lesson in working in the studio. He has been working with several arrangers, including Fred Wesley, who did arrangements for James Brown, and over twenty musicians, including string and horn players and Moldovan and Roma folk musicians.

The whole production has involved a lot more studio time than his first record did.

“We aren’t going for a radio sound, that is for sure,” Caplan said.

“But the first album … was almost like a live-off-the-floor kind of approach, and with the second album,

we definitely played with the space of what [an album] can be as a studio project. We were not so worried about what the live arrangement was going to be.”

Caplan’s main focus for the next few months is going to be getting “Birds with Broken Wings” released and touring to promote it, but his ever-creative mind is already dreaming of the next project.

“I am already starting to write some new songs for album No. 3,” Caplan said. “It is probably a little too early to tell what the shape, vibe and aesthetic of the third album will be, but it will unfold as we go, I am sure.”

Page 10

H u n t N e w s NU. c o m

T h u r s d ay , F e b r u a ry 26, 2015

sports

Northeastern baseball swept by South Carolina

By Ethan Schroeder News Staff

The Northeastern baseball team dropped to a 2-4 record after three straight losses to the University of South Carolina this weekend.

The Huskies arrived in Columbia, S.C. full of momentum after taking two of three games against the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio during their first series of the season. With the Gamecocks ranked 12th among the top 30 teams in the country by the National Colle-

giate Athletic Association (NCAA), NU had its work cut out for it.

Play between the two teams opened on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader after Friday’s game was pushed back due to cold weather. In the first matchup, South Carolina backed up its impressive ranking with a 10-1 victory. Senior pitcher Nick Berger took the mound for the Huskies. Facing 20 batters, Berger struggled early on and gave up two earned runs in the first frame and left in the fifth after he allowed five runs on eight hits.

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

Sophomore outfielder Pat Madigan, 32, went a perfect five-for-five from the plate against No. 12 South Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 22.

NU was able to strike in the top of the sixth with an RBI-single from sophomore catcher Gabe Levanti, keeping the game at 5-1. South Carolina countered with two runs of its own in the seventh, however, the game was effectively put out of reach. NU managed only three hits.

“There was two outs [in the seventh] with two runners on for South Carolina [sic], but they got a little bloop hit that sort of just fell in, putting the game at 7-1,” Head Coach Mike Glavine said.

“We were in it for a while, but the game got out of hand later on.”

In the second game of the day, the Huskies’ hitting woes continued, resulting in a 6-0 win for the Gamecocks. Facing four different South Carolina pitchers, NU recorded six hits, stranding runners in six innings. Sophomore pitcher Dustin Hunt lost his first start of the season, lasting five and two-thirds innings. On top of its 12 hits, South Carolina was able to take advantage of four fielding errors by the Huskies, cheered on by a home attendance of roughly 7,220 people.

“When we first got to South Carolina, I guess you could say we were kind of overwhelmed,” sophomore outfielder Pat Madigan said. “We weren’t used to playing in front of that many people and so we were a little tight.”

Madigan and redshirt junior catcher Josh Treff led NU offensively with two hits apiece. Junior shortstop Marcus Mooney’s three hits paced the Gamecocks’.

Looking to salvage the series, NU was finally able to get its bats going in Sunday’s game but still fell by two runs with a score of 6-4. With 15 hits over the course of the game, the Huskies were able to maintain a 2-1 lead heading into the fifth inning. South Carolina broke out for five runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a three-run home run from freshman outfielder Alex Destino. NU fought back with runs in the sixth and ninth innings, but its rally proved to be too

The Northeastern University baseball team warms up in South Carolina before losing three games to the No. 12 ranked team. little, too late. Madigan went 5-5 for we can improve on, and I think the Huskies batting in the cleanup we played well as the weekend spot, continuing his impressive start went on,” Glavine said. “There are to the season after a freshman year things to build on, but I think we in which he saw little playing time. walked off that field on Sunday “Going into the offseason after last feeling good about our effort and year, I had it in my head that I want- how good this team can really be.”

Taking positives from the series, ed to make an impact this season and help the team out, so I worked really NU heads to Florida this weekend hard at that,” he said. “I hit the weight to take part in the Snowbird Baseroom and batting cages and, so far, ball Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. I’ve been able to do pretty well.” The classic kicks off with a game Junior pitcher James Mulry took against the University of Kansas the loss for NU, allowing four runs on Saturday morning. Madigan beover the course of four and two- lieves that the team’s performance thirds innings. South Carolina fresh- at the end of the South Carolina man pitcher Clarke Schmidt earned series has the players confident his second win of the season, com- in their ability moving forward.

“If we can play like we did in ing in for relief in the fifth inning.

Despite the sweep, Glavine the last game against South Carowas optimistic about the team’s lina and pitch and hit like we potential moving forward. know like we can, I think that “We weren’t able to win the se- we can play against any team in ries, but you take a step back and the country,” Madigan said. “We look at what we did well and what should have a successful trip.”

period. Sophomore forward Robbie Baillargeon scored early to put BU up 2-1. Nine minutes later, BU junior defenseman captain Matt Grzelcyk unleashed a slapshot from the high slot that got by Witt and found the top corner, extending the lead to 3-1.

The Huskies struggled to mount a comeback until halfway through the third period. Junior forward Kevin Roy went coast-to-coast before firing a shot past O’Connor to cut BU’s lead to 3-2. Under two minutes later, junior defense-

man Dustin Darou capitalized on a scramble in front of O’Connor and banged home a rebound to tie the game at 3-3. Darou scored the winning goal against Boston College in round one of the Beanpot and continued his clutch goal scoring with the equalizer in the finals.

“I thought we showed a lot of character in the third period coming back to tie that game,” senior defenseman Dax Lauwers said. “It was unfortunate the way that it ended.”

Sophomore defenseman Matt

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

Third-period comeback not enough to win Hockey, From Page 1

they were overshadowed by a hat trick from freshman forward Nolan Vesey of Maine. After a flight back to Boston, the Huskies shifted their focus to the Beanpot.

The stage was set for a Beanpot final showdown between two of the hottest teams in the nation.

BU got on the board early in the first period on a breakaway goal by junior forward Mike Moran.

Only 28 seconds later, sophomore

forward John Stevens rifled a shot over the glove of junior goalie Matt O’Connor to tie the score at 1-1.

In the final minute of the first period, freshman forward Jack Eichel found senior forward Evan Rodrigues wide open in the slot. Rodrigues fired the puck on goal, but Witt reached out with his glove and made a stop to keep the score tied.

Witt’s amazing glove save was honored with the No. 2 spot on ESPN’s top 10 plays of Monday night.

BU came out flying in the second

Benning was sent to the penalty box nine seconds into overtime for a controversial hooking call. Under a minute later, Grzelcyk fired home his second goal of the game to clinch the Beanpot for BU. Head Coach Jim Madigan was visibly upset by the way the game ended.

“We can’t criticize officials,” Madigan said. “The referee made a call; we didn’t agree with it. BU won the game on the power play.”

It was the final Beanpot game for NU seniors Lauwers, forward Adam Reid and redshirt forward Torin Snydeman.

“It’s a tough loss, but we have a game Friday night that we have to get ready for,” Snydeman said. “We’re on to Friday.”

NU will end the regular season with two more games against BU on Friday and Saturday at Matthews Arena before the first round of the Hockey East playoffs.

For more photos, visit huntnewsnu.com MEN’S HOCKEY EAST Hockey East

Overall

1

Boston University

2

Boston College

11-6-3 19-10-3

3

UMass Lowell

10-7-3 17-10-5

Notre Dame

9-6-5

6

13-4-3

20-6-5

14-15-5

Providence

11-8-1 19-11-2

Northeastern

10-8-2 15-13-4

Vermont

10-8-2 18-11-3

8

Maine

8-10-2 13-18-3 8-11-1 13-17-2

9

New Hampshire

10

Connecticut

11

Merrimack

5-12-3 14-14-4

12

UMass Amherst

5-15-1 10-20-2

6-11-4

9-17-7

H u n t N e w s NU. c o m

T h u r s d ay , F e b r u a ry 26, 2015

sports

P a g e 11

NU basketball“just choked” March Madness beyond 64 teams

By Owen Pence News Correspondent

The Northeastern women’s basketball team (5-20) returned to Boston this week for a two game homestand dropping a pair of thrillers against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rivals Elon University (15-10) and College of Charleston (4-22).

Thursday’s matchup saw NU lose 74-73 to the Elon Phoenix on a last-second buzzer beater.

The trend of final-minute demoralization continued for the Huskies on Sunday, as a pair of late Charleston free throws gave NU its 10th straight CAA loss, 56-54.

Despite playing one of their most complete games of the season against the Phoenix, the Huskies couldn’t get the final defensive stop they needed to snap their losing streak, allowing Elon senior guard Sam Coffer to connect on a jumper with one second remaining.

NU’s last ditch efforts fell short, vaulting Elon into a tie for fourth place in the CAA standings while pushing the Huskies further down in last place.

The Huskies only found themselves down one point, 41-40, entering intermission, despite allowing Elon to shoot 72 percent from the field in the first half.

While Head Coach Kelly Cole wasn’t pleased with her team’s lackluster beginning to the contest, joking “I think we forgot the game started at 7 tonight,” she was happy with its overall effort.

“I am extremely proud of the way the kids played tonight,” Cole said.

“This team shot well over their average and I don’t think it was because we gave it to them. I think tonight, they just shot out of their heads.”

Picking up the slack for NU in the first half were sophomore center

Francesca Sally and senior guards Tanisha Hopewell and A’lece Mark, who all reached double-figure point totals by the time intermission rolled around. Sally and Hopewell both finished the game with career highs in points, scoring 24 and 12, respectively, on the night.

Sally and junior forward Samantha DeFreese, who came on in the second half after struggling with turnover problems in the opening frame, combined to form a dominant interior offensive tandem, one that has been integral to the Huskies scheme all season. “[Sally and DeFreese have] been a key to us and our prowess throughout the year,” Cole said. “They are a big presence inside, physically, points-wise and rebounding-wise.”

After a back-and-forth second half, back-to-back 3-pointers from Mark and senior guard Amencie Mercier gave the Huskies a 71-67 lead with less than four minutes remaining.

However, strong play from Phoenix guards Essence Baucom (sophomore) and Josepha Mbouma (junior) got Elon to within one with just under 10 seconds left, setting up Coffer’s heroic game-winning bucket.

“We’ve continued to talk about progress and it’s showing up,” Cole said. “It’s not showing up in [wins] yet, but it is showing up in every other aspect of the game.

We are getting better and better.”

For a while on Sunday against Charleston, it appeared as if Cole’s squad would get that much-desired win, carrying a 33-16 lead into halftime.

The Huskies shot 56 percent from the field and behind the arc in the first half, paced by Mark’s inspired play off the bench. Mark scored nine of her 11 points in the first half on a trio of 3-pointers, two of them coming on back-to-back possessions.

Overall, Cole was pleased

with her team’s effort against the Cougars 2-3 zone defense.

“We did exactly what we wanted to do,” Cole said. “We moved the ball, we spread them out and we got anything we wanted. I’d say our overall performance was fantastic.”

While Charleston upped it’s defensive intensity to begin the second half, NU was able to hold its double-digit lead up through the final media timeout, a 10-point advantage (53-43) with 3:53 remaining.

NU would not score another field goal, struggling mightily with Charleston’s stifling full-court press which helped cause 24 Husky turnovers on the afternoon. A sudden offensive onslaught from the Cougars forced the game into a 54-54 tie with 1:41 left to play.

That score would hold until a Sally miss led to a fast-break opportunity for Cougar sophomore forward Breanna Bolden. Bolden missed the shot attempt but was able to draw a foul with just over six seconds remaining, leading to her pair of game-winning free throws.

The Huskies, left without any timeouts and unable to get the ball across half-court, lost their tenth straight game, 56-54.

“I don’t know what I can tell you,” Cole said. “We just choked. That’s the nicest thing I can say right now.”

Cole is left with more questions than answers as her team prepares for its final road trip of the season to Virginia on Friday at James Madison University and Sunday at the College of William & Mary.

“Unfortunately, at this point in the season, I don’t have a lot of words of wisdom,” Cole said.

“I’ve been at this for a long time and I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life. I can’t give them confidence. It’s something we’re going to have to look in the mirror and find an answer for.”

We are just a few days away from the month of March, and you know what that means: March Madness. This is the most exciting time in the college basketball season. I’m not even talking about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, but I’m referencing everything that leads to it. With every team in the country feeling the pressure that the end of the regular season schedule brings, every game is naturally more intense – probably because there seems to be more riding on each and every game.

To start, there are plenty of schools on the bubble for NCAA tournament selection. All of those teams are trying to win against quality opponents to build their tourney résumé and trying not to lose to inferior opponents as to not gain any more bad losses. Every night, there is at least one bubble team fighting for its tournament lives. Not many teams are definite locks to be selected to play in the tournament, and even the teams who are locks are still fighting for the best seeding possible.

Also, with the end of the regular season schedule, the regular season conference championships are up for grabs. The conference standings determine conference tournament seeding and the winner of each conference is also guaranteed a spot in some kind of postseason play. In the Ivy League, the regular season champ earns the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

NU basketball is deadlocked in its own fight at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Michael Samaha Mike’s Hard Takes standings with the College of William & Mary, University of North Carolina-Wilmington (UNCW) and James Madison University (JMU). The last time the Huskies won the regular season championship was the 2012-13 season, in which they lost in the conference title game to JMU in Richmond.

As a mid-major, winning the conference tournament and earning that automatic bid to the NCAA tournament is the ultimate goal, so winning the conference’s regular season championship doesn’t really do anything but give a slightly easier path to getting to a conference title game. The CAA this season is as wide open as it has been in years.

Five schools have a legitimate shot at the CAA title game, held in Baltimore. NU may be the most balanced team offensively, and the best rebounding team out of the five, but lacks bench depth, which can hurt the Huskies if they run into any foul trouble or a sudden injury. William & Mary is the most efficient and best-shooting offense but is weak in the frontcourt, where NU would have a real advantage. UNCW is the surprise team of the CAA season – it swept the season against NU and plays really well as a team, but its inexperience and youth could hinder it when it comes to tournament play. JMU is led by junior guard Ron Curry, who at any time could take over a game and cause a major upset and shakeup in Baltimore. Lastly, Hofstra can get really hot from the perimeter. Its two Niagara University transfer students can outscore their opponents in any game, but the team defense isn’t the strongest; if they aren’t shooting well, they almost can’t win. Don’t be surprised if the University of Delaware, Towson University or College of Charleston win a game and end the championship hopes of one of the conference contenders in the quarterfinals.

Every conference tournament is exciting because any team in the country can get hot for a couple days and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. In most of the tournaments, the teams have to play day after day with no breaks. That just adds more pressure to every game. For all of you out there who love making brackets but realize you don’t know that much about every team, I’d suggest watching the conference tournaments. You’ll see how each team is playing right before the NCAA tourney, and you’ll know which teams are hot coming into it. The people who watched the University of Connecticut in its conference tournaments the past two championship seasons already knew that those teams would make deep runs that lead to play in April.

-Michael Samaha can be reached at Sports@HuntNewsNU.com.

Photo courtesy Northeastern University Athletics

Senior guard Tanisha Hopewell, 21, scored a career-high 12 points against Elon University on Feb. 19.

For live tweets during home games, follow @HuntNewsSports

Diving team scores 39 at CAA Championships

By Bailey Putnam Deputy Sports Editor

The Northeastern diving team racked up 39 overall points at the 2015 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Diving Championships this weekend and sent one competitor to the final round of the 3-meter dive, as well as three girls to the consolation rounds in both the 1- and 3-meter events. The Huskies placed fourth of eight overall, behind James Madison University (100 points), Towson University (95) and University of Delaware (61).

The Huskies leapt out to a strong start on the first day of competition. All four NU divers placed in the top 16 of the 3-meter event on Saturday, a feat that was only matched by one of the other teams.

Freshman Alyssa Seales paved the way for the Huskies with her eighthplace finish in the final round. Seales notched a score of 266.8 and secured over 10 points for the Huskies’ score.

Fellow freshmen Jacquelyn Gov-

er and Caroline Gonsalves followed suit with 11th- and 12th-place finishes, respectively, while junior Megan Rutter placed just a step behind at 14th. The girls dove for 257.70, 254.85 and 236.65 scores, respectively, in the consolation round.

The following day, the climb up to the diving platform was not so arduous as the women competed in the 1-meter event.

This time, it was Gover who stole the show for NU. The freshman diver achieved a ninth-place score of 273.20, over 15 points higher than her preliminary mark. Gover led her four teammates with 15 total points towards the Huskies’ overall score.

“She just wants to learn,” Coach Lauren Colby said at the culmination of Gover’s first season. “I’ll tell her something and she tries really hard, and if she doesn’t get it the first time, she’ll just keep trying and trying.”

Seales followed up her impressive first-day effort with a 231.25-point dive that landed her in 15th place in the consolation round. Gonsalves

finished just before her in 14th place with 233.10 points. Rutter’s 17thplace overall finish was just 5.05 points away from allowing her to advance to the consolation round.

For Gover and her teammates, the season has been marked by an upward trend of progression.

“At the beginning we did well, but towards the end we got more consistent with our dives,” Gover said. “At the [University of Vermont] meet [on Jan. 17], I was so ecstatic that I got first on both events. I was hitting my dives spot on and I think that continued for the rest of season.”

The 39 points that the divers secured rolls over into this weekend as the swim team competes in Richmond, Va. for the CAA swimming championships. The swimming portion of the competition takes place over four days, ending on Saturday.

The Huskies, who finished sixth overall in the 2014 championships, will use the strong finishes by their diving teammates to try to move up in the ranks among their competition.

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

Freshman diver Alyssa Seales earned eighth place with a final score of 266.80 at the 2015 CAA Diving Championships.

Page 12

sports

T h u r s d ay , F e b r u a ry 26, 2015

H u n t N e w s NU. c o m

NU men’s basketball in four-way conference tie

By Matthew MacCormack News Staff

With the 2014-15 regular season nearing its close, the Northeastern men’s basketball team claimed two momentous victories over conference opponents this week.

NU (19-10) conquered a pair of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rivals which had defeated the Huskies earlier in the season.

Last Wednesday, NU rode a lightsout shooting performance to an easy 75-64 home victory over the College of William & Mary (1710). The Huskies then defeated the Drexel University Dragons 83-73 in an overtime clash on Saturday afternoon. Saturday also marked Senior Day for the team and senior forwards Scott Eatherton and Reggie Spencer played their final games at Matthews Arena.

Despite the senior recognition, it was junior guard David Walker who sparked the Husky success. Walker averaged 23 points and 5.5 assists in the two-game series. The pair of wins put NU in a four-way tie at the top of the CAA with two games remaining.

William & Mary is one of the quartet vying for the No. 1 seed.

The Tribe rolled into Matthews on Wednesday without starting sophomore guard Daniel Dixon, who was out with a hamstring injury. Still, the duo of senior guard Marcus Thornton and junior forward Terry Tarpey, who combined for 34 points and eight assists, was enough to keep William & Mary competitive.

A Husky victory, however, was never in doubt.

“We played a very crisp game of basketball,” Head Coach Bill Coen said.

The Black and Red shot 64 percent in the first half and 59 percent in the game.

NU hit five 3-pointers, including two each by Walker and redshirt junior forward Quincy Ford, in the first six minutes of the game. The Huskies established a 19-6 lead in that time and got 15 of the game’s first 16 rebounds.

Northeastern maintained a double-digit lead throughout the half, before a late run by the Tribe put the half-time score at 37-28.

William & Mary’s Thornton hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to seven early in the second half. NU re-

sponded with a 23-11 run, punctuated by Walker’s fourth triple of the evening. The run gave NU its biggest lead of the evening, 63-44, with seven minutes to play. Solid freethrow shooting down the stretch led the Huskies to their 75-64 victory.

Walker was electric against the Tribe with 21 points, seven assists and two steals on six-of-nine shooting. Coen was impressed by Walker’s overall effort, specifically his distribution of the basketball.

Alongside sophomore point guard T.J. Williams, Walker was an effective floor general.

“We need to rely on playmaking to be a good basketball team,” Coen said. “When you have two guys out there that can both score the ball and distribute, it makes your offense that much more dynamic.”

Next, the Dragons of Drexel stopped by Matthews for a Saturday matinée that proved to be arguably the most exciting game of the NU season.

Drexel junior guard Damion Lee, a candidate for CAA Player of the Year, dropped 30 points and collected five rebounds for the Dragons Saturday. Lee’s heroic performance wasn’t enough, however, as Walker poured in a career-high 25 points and five assists to lead NU to an overtime victory.

The matchup between the two scorers was impressive. Walker was tasked with defending Lee, who needed to hoist a season-high 28 shots to get his 30 points.

“First of all, he’s a great player and going into the game you know he’s gonna take a bunch of shots and he’s gonna make tough ones,” Walker said. “You just gotta stay down, chase him, just play with a lot of energy and challenge all his shots and hope that he misses them.”

Seniors Spencer and Eatherton led the way in the first half of the Senior Day battle, combining for 15 points in the first 20 minutes to give NU a 33-26 lead at the half.

The half ended on a high-note for the Huskies. With just seconds remaining, junior forward Zach Stahl (eight points, four rebounds) threw a full-court baseball pass to Walker, who caught the ball and converted a buzzer-beating jumper.

Momentum stayed with NU for most of the second half. Walker had two dunks which built a 61-50 lead with 3:14 to play.

The Dragons didn’t go down easily. Sophomore guard Tavon Allen scored eight points in a quick 10-1 run that put Drexel one point behind with 1:06 to play.

Eatherton (10 points, six rebounds) was fouled on the ensuing Husky position. The senior hit one of two free throws, leaving the door open for Drexel with 31 seconds to play.

On Drexel’s final possession, Lee drove to the basket. His layup attempt missed, but sophomore forward Mohamed Bah grabbed the rebound. Bah converted a layup and was fouled, giving Drexel a chance to win with 0.7 seconds remaining, but he missed the free throw. The teams headed to overtime, locked at 62.

Coen called two timeouts in an attempt to freeze Bah before the potential game-clincher.

“It was really the only thing we had left; a timeout to make him think about it a little bit,” Coen said. “We got on the right side of that.”

With luck on their side, the Huskies dominated the overtime. Ford (15 points, seven rebounds, three assists) hit two 3-pointers, and Walker connected on all nine of his free throw attempts in the extra frame.

NU won 83-73.

“I thought we had the game in hand coming down the stretch in regulation and almost let it slip away, but it’s a tribute to these guys here that they believe in themselves and they believe in their teammates,” Coen said. “It made for a special ending.”

The ending was doubly special as it helped Eatherton, Spencer and senior Manager Danny Young end their Matthews Arena careers in victory.

Eatherton and Spencer, both cocaptains, said they weren’t caught up in the moment.

“I don’t think it’s really kicked in yet,” Eatherton said. “Matthews is a special place for us. We really like playing here.”

Spencer agreed, saying, “It’s bittersweet. I’ve been here four years, and had a lot of good wins here being with these guys, but I don’t think it’ll really kick in until the season’s actually over.”

In the press conference after the game, Coen thanked his seniors but didn’t offer any parting words.

“There’s a lot of basketball left to

five seniors on Senior Day and came away with a 3-1 victory.

These wins, along with Maine’s loss to the University of Connecticut, helped the Huskies secure the No. 3 spot and home ice for the Hockey East quarterfinals playoff series. UNH, the sixth seed, will come to Matthews Arena for the best of three series.

Senior assistant captain Chloe Desjardins started in net for NU on Saturday and sophomore goaltender Ashley Wilkes started for UNH. Midway through the first period, freshman defenseman Julia Fedeski was called for tripping and NU went on the power play. Freshman forward McKenna Brand started the scoring. Junior forward cap-

Photo by Brian Bae

Junior guard David Walker, 4, averaged 23 points against the College of William & Mary and Drexel University. be played, so I’m not gonna say my “Guys have to step up and make goodbyes now,” Coen said. “But on plays and make shots, and that’s senior day, I just want to say ‘thank the excitement of March Madness,” you’ to these guys.”

Coen said. “Today we got the trailer The Husky seniors’ last home version of what’s coming down the game was almost a loss in the final road.” seconds. According to Coen, one should only expect more wild finFor more photos, ishes as the CAA tournament apvisit huntnewsnu.com proaches.

Women’s hockey earns home ice against UNH

By Emily Pagliaroli News Correspondent

Northeastern University’s women’s hockey team had a weekend sweep against the University of New Hampshire (UNH). On Saturday, the two teams battled at UNH for a 5-1 Husky win. At home on Sunday, the Huskies honored the

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

Freshman forward McKenna Brand, 7, scored a power-play goal on Saturday, Feb. 21 at UNH.

tain Kendall Coyne fed the puck to Brand and she was able to find the back of the net to put NU in the lead.

With less than 20 seconds left in the period, freshman forward Denisa Krizova put NU ahead 2-0. Desjardins didn’t let any goals past her in the first period to keep UNH off the board.

Krizova struck again early in the second period to bang home another goal. With an assist from Coyne, NU was up 3-0.

Desjardins and the defense were doing everything they could to keep UNH off the board, but late in the second period sophomore forward Cassandra Vilgrain snuck one past Desjardins’ glove and into the back of the net. The score was 3-1 NU going into the third period.

The Huskies came back ready to finish what they started. Early in the period, freshman defenseman Lauren Kelly gave the Huskies back the three-point lead – the third freshman to put one past Wilkes. The assist came from Coyne for her third point of the game.

To end the night, sophomore forward Hayley Masters sent one flying to senior forward Chelsiea Goll, who scored her first goal of the season. Time ran out and the Huskies left New Hampshire with a 5-1 win.

NU and UNH battled again on Sunday afternoon, honoring the seniors. Desjardins and Wilkes were once again in net and started off

strong with a scoreless first period.

The Huskies came back for the second period ready to fight. Krizova centered the puck and Coyne tipped the puck into the net. Just 41 seconds later, sophomore forward Melissa Haganey snuck one past Wilkes to put NU ahead 2-0.

Midway through the third period, UNH was able to finally beat Desjardins and get on the board with 11:32 left to play in regulation.

In the final two minutes of play, UNH pulled Wilkes for the extraman advantage on offense. Even though they put up a strong fight, Coyne got a hold of the puck and scored on the empty net. This was NU’s seventh straight win over UNH, with a final score of 3-1. This is the fourth straight year the Huskies have secured a win on Senior Day. “I think it went really well,” Desjardins said. “I mean the girls came out really strong our senior game.

Everyone was doing it for the seniors and I’m really proud of the girls.”

In preparation for the 13th annual Hockey East Tournament, Head Coach Dave Flint knows there is improvement to be made in order to make it past the quarterfinals.

“For us to be successful in the playoffs, here we have to cut the shot total down against and be better in our own end,” he said.

The Huskies face UNH on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, if a tie breaker is necessary.