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Student groups, Ex-College class feature audio Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ is narratives a political statement that see ARTS AND LIVING / PAGE 7 celebrates her heritage Tufts women’s fencing won at the third Northeast SEE ARTS AND LIVING / PAGE 6 Fencing Conference see SPORTS / BACK THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY EST. 1980 THE TUFTS DAILY VOLUME LXXI, NUMBER 13 MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016 tuftsdaily.com MBTA explores possible fare hikes at public Tufts Mock meetings Trial team wins by Sophie Lehrenbaum Deputy Press Secretary Jason Johnson “A decades-long failure to take such second place News Editor told the Daily in an email. actions has enabled serious problems Johnson explained that the MBTA at the MBTA to grow exponentially,” the at tournament, The Massachusetts Bay Transportation has been searching for a viable financial FMCB report said. “That inability to act Authority (MBTA) announced plans to resource, as fare revenues fail to cover all of must end. Last winter exposed a broken look to nationals raise fares on rapid transit to either $2.20 the MBTA’s operating expenses. In its annu- MBTA, revealing not only immediate fail- or $2.25 per trip at its Jan. 4 Fiscal and al FMCB report, released on Sept. 22, the ures of infrastructure and planning, but by Isabel Banta Management Control Board (FMCB) meet- FMCB wrote that increasing non-fare own- deep-seated and fundamental deficiencies Contributing Writer ing. The proposed fare hikes that would source revenues to address the structural across the Authority that have built up over go into effect on July 1 come in response operating budget deficit and other external time, including burdensome debt service The Tufts Mock Trial A and B teams to a long-standing MBTA operating defi- options have to be explored. and unmet maintenance needs.” attended the American Mock Trial cit, which is projected to climb from $170 “The Board fully recognizes that it Ultimately, the MBTA settled on fare Association (AMTA) regional tournament million during the 2016 fiscal year to will also have to… make decisions in the increases as its operating plan, and left the in Central Islip, New York last weekend, mov- around $427 million in fiscal year 2020, months ahead that will be unpopular, FMCB to vote on several options for fare ing the A team one step closer to advancing according to a report by the Massachusetts even painful, [but] hopes this clarity of changes during its Jan. 4 meeting, Johnson to the National Championship. Department of Transportation (massDOT). tough but necessary choices will help all explained. Johnson added that the Board At the AMTA tournament, host- In addition to seeking online feedback stakeholders to recognize the tradeoff narrowed down to the two fare increase ed by the Suffolk Academy of Law, the A from community members about the fare between the MBTA we all want and the options from four original proposals. team took second place out of a pool 26 increases, the MBTA is holding an ongoing system we can afford and properly run,” “The…FMCB received proposals from teams, earning a place in the Opening series of Public Fare Proposal Meetings the FMCB wrote. staff for possible fare increases, and Round Championships, according to the throughout the month of February before The FMCB highlighted in its report options for one or more proposals to pres- AMTA result summary. The Opening Round the FMCD makes a final decision in a series of structural shortcomings that ent to the public. It cited three ways to Championships in Wilmington, Delaware, March. The meeting schedule can be found members hope to address, admitting that increase fare revenue: Increase Ridership; held between Mar. 19 to Mar. 20, is the final on MBTA’s website. budgetary and managerial problems with Increase Fare Collection; Increase Fare tournament before the Mock Trial National “[The purpose of the] public hearings projects such as the Green Line Extension levels,” Johnson said. Championships in mid-April. [is] to invite comments from the com- project reflect a greater need for account- In accordance with the FMCD vote, the Meanwhile at the tournament, the B munity as well as inviting customers ability within the MBTA system. Other options have been reduced to either an team received an honorable mention for to comment via the Internet and via highlighted failures included poor past increase in system-wide average fares by the “Spirit of the AMTA” Award for the telephone. Attendance at meetings has funding plans and last winter’s breakdown team exhibiting the most sportsman- ranged from meeting to meeting,” MBTA of the MBTA. see MBTA , page 2 ship and embodying the ideals of mock trial. Additionally, B team member sopho- more Andrew Nassar placed first in the cat- egory of “Outstanding Witness,” according to the results page. During the competition, the A team took on opponents from Brandeis University, Fordham University at Lincoln Center, Boston College and The King’s College, according to the results page. The B team faced teams from St. John’s University, Boston University, Brown University and Fordham University at Rose Hill. These results follow the teams’ earlier suc- cess in the season, according to Tufts Mock Trial (TMT) co-president Katie Grosch. During the weekend of Jan. 23 to 25, the TMT A Team finished in fifth place in the Downtown Collegiate Tournament, present- ed by Empire Mock Trial in partnership with New York University (NYU), at the Brooklyn Courthouse in the Eastern District of New York, according to the tournament website. Amid snowstorm Jonas, sixteen teams competed in the invite-only tourna- ment. TMT competitors faced opponents from Princeton University, Yale University, Northwestern University and the tourna- ment’s first-place winners, the University of California at Berkeley. RAY BERNOFF / THE TUFTS DAILY MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola lays out potential fare increase plans in the conference room in the Massachusetts Department of Transportation building for a fare proposal. see MOCK TRIAL, page 2 For breaking news, our content archive and Contact Us NEWS............................................1 Please P.O. Box 53018, OPINION ....................................8 recycle this exclusive content, visit newspaper Medford, MA 02155 FEATURES ................................5 tuftsdaily.com COMICS ....................................10 617 627 3090 ARTS & LIVING ......................6 Partly Sunny FAX 617 627 3910 /thetuftsdaily @tuftsdaily tuftsdaily tuftsdaily SPORTS ........................... BACK 29 / 7 [email protected] WEEKENDER...........................7 2 THE TUFTS DAILY | NEWS | Thursday, February 11, 2016 tuftsdaily.com NEWS NEWS THE TUFTS DAILY MBTA plans to raise fares to tackle operating deficit SARAH ZHENG Editor-in-Chief MBTA fairs to the nearest $0.25, setting one price higher than services restricted to the more continued from page 1 for all discounted passes — seniors, T.A.P. urban parts of the city. EDITORIAL 6.71 percent (Option 1) or 9.77 percent and student– and eliminating the 10-ride First-year Ethan Whitman echoed some Nicholas Golden (Option 2), which are projected to increase Commuter Rail paper ticket. of the frustrations mentioned in the FMCB Mengqi Sun Managing Editors revenue, by 5.5 percent and 8.2 percent Whereas other pundits in report. Whitman, a Boston-native, says the Nicholas Pfosi Associate Editor respectively compared to the Fiscal Year Massachusetts politics have called for MBTA has struggled to improve for as long Arin Kerstein Executive News Editor 2015, according to MBTA reports. In its higher revenues as part of the solution, as he can remember. Isha Fahad News Editors overview of the fare proposal, the MBTA including former Secretary of massDOT “In general I would say the MBTA is Abby Feldman Melissa Kain explains that the final plan could involve Jim Aloisi, who writes about the MBTA in functional but definitely not outstanding,” Sophie Lehrenbaum a combination of Options 1 and 2 or may the Commonwealth Magazine, the Baker Whitman said. “It’s really outdated and the Emma Steiner Ariel Barbieri-Aghib Assistant News Editors reflect other alternatives posed during the administration has emphasized operating infrastructure needs to be replaced.” Kyle Blacklock public process, either through the meetings and efficiency improvements as the pri- Whitman also said the proposed price Gil Jacobson Robert Katz held this month or electronic or mailed mary means to fix the T. hikes for fares are a cause for concern with- Liam Knox feedback, which the MBTA plans to accept A massDOT MBTA Fare Policy in the community, and are more indicative Catherine Perloff Vibhav Prakasam through Feb. 12, according to the Public memo signed by Governor Charlie Baker of a regression rather than an improvement Hannah Uebele Meeting schedule. and massDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie of the system. John “Joe” Walsh Option 1 would raise a single fare, rapid Pollack from December reiterates that cur- “I would oppose them on the grounds Kendall Todd Executive Features Editor Nicole Brooks Features Editors transit — a CharlieCard trip on the T — from rent law caps any fare increases to no more that a lot of people rely on the T to get to Nina Joung its current price of $2.10 to $2.20, while the than 10 percent every two years. It also work and might be struggling to make ends Jake Taber Diane Alexander Assistant Features Editors Option 2 proposes to increase the fare to highlights the fact that fares can vary