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Wednesday, March 2, 2011 TheXXV Daily Free Press Year xli. Volume lxxxi. Issue . www.dailyfreepress.com [ The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University ] Campus & City Sports Opinion Lacrosse the universe: Weather MBTA gets in tandem with MAHDI: It’s good to be the Today: Windy, High 46 Terriers net first win of cyclists, makes public king, but it’s better to be Tonight: Clear, Low 9 season against Brown Tomorrow: 24/15 transportation safer page 6 a poet page 3 page 8 Data Courtesy of weather.com Boston Common Students protest Israel with ‘apartheid wall’ to undergo $1.5 million facelift By Chelsea Diana Daily Free Press Staff The Boston Common will get a facelift this summer after efforts to revamp the park into a “Parisian piazza” started this month. The $1.5 million renovation will focus on restoring the plaza surrounding the newly refurbished Brewer Fountain near Tremont Street and the Liberty Mall, the grassy ex- panse leading toward the State House. “It’s going to have a profound impact on the area,” said Elizabeth Vizza, executive director of Friends of the Public Garden, the JUSTINA WONG / DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF non-profit organization that oversees the park Members of Boston University’s Students for Justice in Palestine hold up an “apartheid wall” and banners outside the College and is in charge of organizing the renovations. of Arts and Sciences on Tuesday. “It’s a major cross through that thousands of commuters, tourists and state workers walk By Alex Nawar email. said in their response. past every day,” she said. Daily Free Press Staff “This will only inflame emotions and in- CAS junior and BUSI President Rach- The privately funded project plans will cite hatred. Ultimately, the mock up will be elle Rubin acknowledged SJP’s right to add about 10 percent more greenery to the Students for Justice in Palestine protest- counterproductive to promoting objective voice their beliefs but said that Israel can- area surrounding the fountains, including the ed the construction of a wall built on Pal- and intellectual analysis of the realities of not be considered an apartheid state. addition of sod and trees looking toward the estinian land in the West Bank by creating the region and of the histories of both Arabs “It’s the farthest thing from the truth to State House, as well as installing a sprinkler their own representation of an “apartheid and Jews.” say that Israel is engaging in systematic system to keep the scenery healthy, Vizza wall” outside of the College and Arts and SJP responded by stating that the email, killing of Palestinian individuals,” said said. Sciences on Monday afternoon. along with BUSI complaints to the Student CAS junior Meggie Wyschogrod, vice pres- The piazza will have free Wi-Fi, a food SJP member and first-year CAS gradu- Activity Office, led them to stage the dem- ident of the BU Hillel House. cart, an eating area with tables, chairs and ate student Ian Chinich said that a few onstration. Rubin stressed that the BUSI’s Israel umbrellas as well as checkerboards to rent members of SJP chose to hold up Styro- “We understand that you are embar- Peace Week was designed to demonstrate out. foam boards painted to look like concrete rassed about the wall because the wall is Israel’s efforts toward peace. The option to eat a gourmet lunch while walls to represent the disputed wall. an embarrassment,” SJP replied in an email “We really tried to promote a positive listening to a musician play on an outdoor “We started at 3 [p.m.], went for three to BUSI. sentiment on campus,” Rubin said. piano would draw in people to a space that hours, and we got a lot of good reception,” “Rather than sending people to complain “We very much feel for anybody who’s has gone unused for many years, Vizza said. Chinich said in a phone interview. to SAO about it, you should be condemn- hurt in the conflict. That’s why we were One of the more unique additions planned More than 500 pamphlets were handed ing the Israeli government for its extensive raising money for Save a Child’s Heart,” an for the piazza is a reading room. A corner of out to disperse information against the confiscation of land, the expanse of check- Israeli organization that provides cardiac the piazza will be transformed into a reading wall, he said. points, the illegal settlements and system of surgery for both Israeli and Arab children. room with tables and umbrellas, about 400 Chinich said that SJP originally had no closures involved in imprisoning the Pales- “All we’re looking for is to engage with books and a periodical stand to let people re- plan to include the demonstration as part tinian people.” them, to have dialogue,” Wyschogrod add- lax and read while they eat. of Israel Apartheid Week until receiving an While BUSI proposed a “side-by-side” ed. “Right now it’s mainly a place people email on Sunday from the Boston Univer- demonstration to promote discussion be- “We try to promote peaceful actions, but pass through, but we’re trying to get people sity Students for Israel that requested SJP tween the opposing parties, SJP rejected we’re also realistic.” to spend time and relax in the Boston Com- “refrain from constructing such a structure the offer. A normalized discussion between the mon,” Vizza said. and from sensationalizing the Arab-Israeli “We refuse to take part in whitewashing two groups would not come easily, Chinich The idea for the project was sparked af- conflict.” Israel’s public image, and therefore reject said. ter the Brewer Fountain, a gift to the city “It is our concern that such a demonstra- any Israeli-Palestinian meetings that do not “The only setting we’re willing to have tion will only serve to sensationalize and recognize Palestinian inalienable rights and an event with [BUSI] is a debate,” he said. simplify a most complex, nuanced and pro- do not explicitly aim to resist Israel’s oc- “We’re not going to tamper down our mes- COMMON, see page 5 foundly serious situation,” BUSI said in the cupation, colonization and apartheid,” SJP sage just so we can hang out with them.” BU figure skaters look to bring pep to men’s hockey games this a permanent occurrence at the games.” a great idea since we do not have any, and Padreza said she got the idea from other would be a lot of fun,” Padreza said. universities that have on-ice cheerleading Members of the BU FST began practicing squads. on-ice cheer and dance routines last semes- “I read an article in skating magazine ter, with the hope of performing at hockey about the University of Minnesota’s hockey games, Padreza said. cheerleaders,” Padreza said. “They are a “The team has been practicing on ice and group of figure skaters who are able to do off ice at least twice a week since last semes- figure skating moves and cheer at the same ter,” Padreza said. “ They are such a hard time.” working group of girls, I couldn’t possibly College of Arts and Science freshman have done this without all their support and Valerie Aw, who performed with Padreza on effort.” Saturday, said the routine was completely CAS freshman Emily Theurer said that prepared by the students. performing in front of the crowd at Agganis While training for their cheerleading Arena was unlike any skating performance performance at the hockey game, the figure she had previously taken part in. U-JIN LEE / DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF skaters worked without a coach, but Padreza “I have skated in competitions and differ- Members of the Boston University Figure Skating Team perform at the men’s ice hockey game on Saturday night against the University of Vermont. filled this role in certain capacities, said CAS ent ice shows, but I have never done anything freshman Livana Koznessoff. like this before,” Theurer said. “It was a new By Chris Gambon at men’s hockey games at Agganis Arena. “We did do this without an official coach and great experience.” Daily Free Press Staff Sargent College of Health and Rehabili- but Michelle really took the place of one and Aw said it that seeing the team’s perfor- tation Sciences junior Michelle Padreza, a did a great job at it, we would not have been mance come together on Saturday night was While the Boston University men’s ice member of the BU FST, performed with sev- able to do it with out her,” Koznessoff said. satisfying. hockey may be the most celebrated athletic eral other members of the team during the Padreza said that she hopes to continue “We did this completely on our own, com- club at the university, it lacks one thing that first intermission of the men’s hockey game to perform cheerleading routines during in- ing up with the routine, the outfits, and the several other BU sports clubs have: cheer- against University of Vermont on Saturday. termissions of hockey games, and eventually music as one group without any coaching,” leaders. “I always wanted to form a sort of dance get the group officially approved by the uni- Aw said. “It makes what we did more about Several members of the BU Figure Skat- team on ice, since the hockey games do not versity. us and the girls in the group.” ing Team are looking to fill this void, per- have cheerleading or dance performances at “I think having hockey cheerleaders is forming for hockey fans during intermissions them,” Padreza said.

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