The DailyMonday, February Free 14, 2011 Press Year xli. Volume lxxxi. Issue xvi. www.dailyfreepress.com [ The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University ] In Business Campus & City Sports My guitar gently weeps: Weather These stats will inspire Today: Cloudy, High 46 Local musicians promote you: Holland lights up Tonight: Windy, Low 19 themselves UAlbany at MSG Tomorrow: 27/14 page 3 page 8 page 5 Data Courtesy of weather.com Colorful, festive celebrations mark Chinese New Year in Boston MOS Planetarium By Hannah Rex Daily Free Press Staff re-opens after Giant flags in neon green, red, black and yellow whipped in the chilly wind as groups marched down the street to cel- year of remodeling ebrate the Chinese New Year in Chinatown By Andrew Wen on Sunday. Daily Free Press Staff Hundreds of Bostonians and students alike gathered around a stage in Phillips After a year of waiting, avid stargazers Square in to listen to the opening speech and space enthusiasts can explore the final of Mayor Thomas Menino, as well as other frontier in breathtaking detail at the newly speeches and performances. revamped Charles Hayden Planetarium at the When the first performance group took Boston Museum of Science. the stage, children settled on their parents’ Closed for a year due to renovations, the shoulders and rushed through the crowd to Charles Hayden Planetarium opened two get a front row seat to watch performances days early on Friday to give its Twitter fol- featuring mock dragons. lowers and Facebook fans a sneak preview of Among the attendees were families newest show, “Undiscovered Worlds.” hosting Chinese exchange students. The show focused on the study of “exo- “The students are homesick and their planets,” or planets that orbit a sun other than English is poor, but you don’t need lan- our own. Through its 30-minute run length, guage for this,” said Jennifer Ramras, a the show brought viewers on a journey that teacher at Needham Public Schools. began with the discovery of exoplanets in The Chinese New Year celebration was 1995, as scientists raced to find a planet simi- the perfect way for exchange students to be lar to Earth. back in the Chinese cultural atmosphere, “Since 1995, the numbers of exoplanets Ramras said, and for her children to learn ERIN THIBEAU / DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF discovered are increasing exponentially. It’s something about Chinese culture. Dragons weave their way through Chinatown on Sunday as Bostonians celebrated just getting faster and faster, and we’re get- A skit containing a rabbit was also per- the Chinese New Year. ting closer and closer to finding an Earth- formed, which depicted the coming of the Prescott also appreciates the cultural expe- After the parade Bracero planned on sized habitable world,” said Dani Leblanc, Year of the Rabbit through miming and rience of the Chinese New Year. trying one of the dim sum restaurants with producer of the planetarium. “It’s already in dancing. “I go with some friends that are Chinese her friends and wandering around and ex- the news, and we felt that it was a natural The performances featured martial arts so they help me understand the culture, ploring the shops in Chinatown. topic to pick.” and athletic groups, who all danced with and it just widens my horizons,” she said. When the performing groups finished Leblanc said she was excited to show off giant dragon heads attached to their bod- After the celebration, Prescott said that their dances or skits, they proceeded to the planetarium’s new upgrades, including a ies. They jumped, snaked around the stage she and her friends were going to lunch at march down the streets of Chinatown, new dome, chairs and a $2 million, 360-de- and stacked performers on shoulders, a dim sum restaurant, which was a popular stopping in front of the doorways of dif- gree projector. which received applause and astonishment choice among people in Chinatown on the ferent restaurants. “We essentially just gutted the entire room from observers. New Year. According to Chinese tradition, it is and started building it back up again from One of the groups of dancers that per- Many Boston area students also trav- good luck for the dragon to present itself in scratch,” she said. formed was the only all-female Lion Dance elled to Chinatown to celebrate the Chi- front of an establishment. Oranges and let- The old theater ran using 72 slide projec- group in the world. nese New Year. tuce was also thrown in the air and crowd, tors, and the resulting images were purely The all-women group showed the “It’s really great, I’ve never seen any- another symbol of good luck. two-dimensional. The new video projector power of women and the role they play in thing like this, so I’m really excited to be As the crowd began to disperse, some uses animation systems similar to those used the Chinese culture, said Lynne Prescott, here and see it,” said Kristina Bracero, a a resident of a suburb outside of Boston. Wellesley College freshman. NEW YEAR, see page 4 PLANETARIUM, see page 2 Union,VOX help students wrap it up for V Day LET ME OUT By Sydney Shea attitude about sex. Daily Free Press Staff “I’m mostly excited for people to cel- ebrate Valentine’s Day safely and to be con- Condoms, candy and roses will serve as scious of ways that they can prevent sexually reminders to students to have safe sex this transmitted infections and pregnancy,” said Valentine’s Day, thanks to two Boston Uni- Sasha Goodfriend, a CAS freshman and the versity student groups. VOX activism coordinator. VOX, the BU affiliate of Planned Parent- “Both men and women can make the de- hood, will be handing out goody bags as part cision to use condoms, and condoms are the of “Candy and Condoms,” and Student Union only way to prevent both STDs and pregnan- will be handing out roses and condoms in the cy,” she said. George Sherman Union. Union is spreading the love on this Valen- While the days of decorating heart-shaped tine’s Day by giving out roses and assorted doilies with red and pink glitter are long condoms in shades of pink and red. gone, students will be able to enjoy these “The Women’s Resource Center gave groups’ handouts. us 300 Proper Attire condoms, and Student VOX is giving away condoms to encour- Health Services gave us 100 Trojan con- age the prevention of unintended pregnancy doms,” said Vincent Squillace, a Union and sexually transmitted diseases. spokesman and CAS senior. VOX is also handing out “Birth Control “I hope that the roses and condoms will be Matters” fliers, Sweet Tarts and candy neck- given to someone else, whether it’s a lover or laces, said VOX president Gabrielle Newton, a joke to a friend. If you are going to engage a freshman in the College of Arts and Sci- in this behavior, you should be safe about it,” ences. Squillace said. Each goody bag will be equipped with Squillace said the free condoms would be condom-application instructions for those helpful to sexually active students who do who thought that condoms belong on the not want to pay for protection. ears. “We’re just trying to help people who “This is the first time that VOX is do- don’t have enough money because they have ing this for Valentine’s Day,” Newton said. to pay for BU. Our mission is to amplify the “We’re advocating safe sex, which is the only love,” Squillace said. “The event is kind of way to go.” funny since giving someone condoms and Newton said the instruction manuals roses is kind of a straightforward way to in- would come in handy for many students. sinuate you want to have sex.” “You’d be surprised how many people Students said the free condoms are an ef- don’t know how to put a condom on prop- fective way to encourage safe sex, even if the LAURA HENNEMUTH / DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF erly,” Newton said. Boston University students participate in Dance Marathon’s “Taped on the Wall” Newton added that she thinks some stu- fundraiser, which helped raise money for pediatric HIV/AIDS outside BU Central. dents will be startled by the group’s forward CONDOMS, see page 2 2 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011 Planetarium upgrades include new dome, theater VOX, Union hand out ‘goody bags’ LANETARIUM From Page 1 whizzed by over the seamless ceil- of many shows that the planetarium P : CONDOMS: From Page 1 of getting laid. You can’t just start ing. “It was really cool. I thought is planning. The planetarium also off a date with a condom,” said in big movie production houses, the visuals were impressive, and has access to a database of astro- College of Communication junior condoms are not the most romantic Leblanc said, creating a more real- it went really smooth. Definitely nomical objects, which it can navi- Josh Ullman. gift. istic depiction of the stars. Projec- learned something new,” said gate through in real time. “They’re misconstruing the “It’s a good idea to encourage tions are so detailed that audience Adam Pardes, a Tufts University “A presenter can be talking on purpose of this Hallmark holiday. having safe sex. I don’t think it’s members could bring binoculars to sophomore. the console, showing the audience I don’t think it should be about about being romantic. It’s saying get a closer look. While some Boston residents different things, like, ‘Anyone want getting laid.