Wednesday, February 9, 2011 TheIV Daily Free Press Year xli. Volume lxxxi. Issue x . www.dailyfreepress.com [ The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University ] Spotlight Campus & City Sports Be mine...or don’t: Beaned again: Weather Today: Sunny, High 28 BU students get ready for W. ice hockey Tonight: Cloudy, Low 15 V-Day with a mixture of falls at BC Tomorrow: 24/9 apathy, anticipation page 3 page 8 page 5 Data Courtesy of weather.com New Sydney program THE REAL WINDY CITY As Congress gears res. hall built to a up for battle over green standard birth control, BU By Chris Gambon Daily Free Press Staff weighs in If escaping the brutal New England weather By Sydney Shea Daily Free Press Staff isn’t reason enough reason for Boston Universi- ty students to study abroad in Sydney, construc- Members of Congress are debating a law tion on new living quarters for students of the first proposed in the Obama administration’s program was completed in January. 2010 Heath Care Bill that would require The eight-story structure, which houses insurance companies to cover preventive 164 students, was built to be environmentally health services that include birth control. efficient, with windows that allow maximum The proposed law would potentially cut amounts of sunlight to reach every room in the unplanned pregnancies and make contracep- building, according to E-Architect. tives more accessible to women. Construction on the structure began three It would also mean women would not years ago, when BU hired the firms Tony Owen be charged a co-payment for certain fami- Partners and Silvester Fuller to design the resi- RACHEL FRANKLIN / DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF ly-planning contraceptives, but the Obama College of Engineering fresman Habibi Khan and College of Arts and Sciences dence hall, according to Architecture and De- administration is still speculating on which freshman Sarah Donovan struggle to fix a wind-blown umbrella in uesday’sT sign. specific services would be covered. gusty storm. The building features fissures that allow The Department of Health and Human sunlight to reach all rooms of the building Services asked experts from the National throughout the day, as well as natural ventila- Bay State prepares for federal stimulus funding Academy of Health Sciences Institute of tion throughout the structure, according to E- Medicine to give a list of necessary services Architect. cutoff after receiving $7 bil. during recession that should be free for individuals under “The design allows more light and ventila- health insurance policies, according to a tion into each bedroom, provides good views, By Chelsea Diana The money supported highway restora- Feb. 3 New York Times article. and would be a sensible ‘blueprint’ for city Daily Free Press Staff tion and weather-proofing of thousands of Barbara Gottfried, a professor in the planners to consider in their quest for ways to homes, among other things. However, the Women’s Studies Department at Boston increase residential density in the CBD without Massachusetts has received more than bulk of the stimulus was used to for Med- University, said the proposed law “should compromising comfort,” architect Tony Owen $7 billion in federal stimulus money over icaid and education, according to the As- have passed years ago.” said in an interview with Architecture and De- the past two years, state officials said Tues- sociated Press. “I find it deeply offensive that Viagra is sign. day. However the money, which has been Massachusetts received Medicaid re- covered and birth control is not just because Within the indentations of the building, the used to help balance state and municipal imbursements of $3 billion more than the penile dysfunction is a condition whereas windows are rhombus shaped in order to allow budgets and create thousands of temporary usual federal allotment as Medicaid spend- pregnancy prevention isn’t,” Gottfried add- the maximum amount of sunlight into the struc- jobs, is running out. ing continued to grow. ed. ture, according to E-Architect. While the stimulus money helped to re- Medicaid enrollment is expected to in- She added the bill would likely result in a Located at 15-25 Regent St., the new resi- vive the state after the recession, budgets crease 5 percent, with benefits rising to decrease in unintended pregnancies. dence hall is only a short walk for BU students for the 2012 fiscal year will need to be bal- $800 million in the next fiscal year, said “If everyone had access to birth control from classes, and downtown Sydney. anced without extra help from Washington, Widmer. However, Gov. Deval Patrick’s and there was no stigma attached to using it, The residence hall includes three lecture according to the Associated Press. fiscal year budget for 2012 proposes to I think that unwanted pregnancies would go halls, a library, an Internet lounge, a rooftop ter- The stimulus provided the state with bring Medicaid costs down to $100 mil- down,” she said. race with a timber deck and an adjoining fully money that prevented “catastrophic cuts” lion. Voices For Choice, the BU campus affili- equipped communal kitchen. in state benefits, said Michael Widmer, The state contributed an additional $2 ate of Planned Parenthood, is on a mission The BU Sydney program has seen little president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers billion in stimulus money toward educa- to educate students on their reproductive change in its residence halls since it’s inception Foundation. tion. rights. in 1992 until the recent construction. “The stimulus dollars were very helpful The majority of the money has been Most VOX members said they agree that The structure is drawing much attention in in avoiding deeper cuts over the last three used to prevent teacher layoffs and special the new reproductive health law would ben- Sydney as a modern masterpiece of both design fiscal years, but now the state has to pay education cuts in areas outside of Boston. efit American society. and sustainable technology. the price,” Widmer said in a statement. Worcester, Springfield, Brockton, Low- “I definitely think it’s a good thing,” said “Council planners are looking for the best The state must find a way to balance the ell, Lynn and New Bedford have spent College of Arts and Sciences freshman Ga- solution, and a high design element helps a proj- budget without additional money fast, as more than $10 million in stimulus funds ect gain approval,” Owen said in an interview 88 percent of the $7.1 billion has already with architectureanddevelopment.com. been set aside. STIMULUS, see page 4 CONTRACEPTIVES, see page 2 FullDorm, an online marketplace GOT YOUR TAIL exclusive to students, expands to BU By Alex Nawar said in an email. Daily Free Press Staff FullDorm provides a safe place for stu- dents to sell and trade their belongings ef- ficiently, Newman said. Jeff Weiss, the founder of the website “Think about all the money that is lost FullDorm.com, has been setting up camp every year as students who are moving out in the George Sherman Union and the throw out or leave behind various items,” School of Management atrium trying to he said. “Then others who are moving in get students to notice his expanding online go to local stores and pay full price for vir- marketplace. tually the same items.” Weiss, who founded the site in August While registering for an account to use to service Bentley University, said he is FullDorm, students and faculty must pro- expanding the service to Boston Univer- vide their BU email, creating a market- sity. place comprised solely of BU community FullDorm offers classifieds, real es- members. tate listings, a discussion forum and a ride Rather than use a website such as Craig- share service, where commuting students slist.org which is open to the public, Full- can search for carpools. Dorm interactions can only be between lo- Noam Newman, the chair of Student cal students. Union’s Off-Campus Council and a senior “If you are looking to sublet or looking in the School of Management, said Union for a subletor, you may be more comfort- fully supports the website. able with a BU student,” he said. “Well, “We endorse FullDorm because it’s a MICHAEL CUMMO / DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF tool to improve off-campus student living, Boston University mascot Rhett gets bullied by Boston College mascot Baldwin as well as on-campus living,” Newman FULLDORM, see page 5 during an intermission at the Beanpot on Monday. 2 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2011 Daily Free Press Sponsors VOX presses for women’s College Property Management, Exceptional Dorm and Apt. Cleaning reproductive rights, sexual 781-437-2627 For more information on becoming a responsibilty Daily Free Press sponsor, send an email to CONTRACEPTIVES: From Page 1 en’s Resource Center to discuss [email protected] or call us at 617-236-4433 the new reform. Members at the meeting listed brielle Newton, president of VOX the legislative reform’s benefits. and administrative assistant for the “Socioeconomics shouldn’t be Women’s Resource Center. “Why a factor,” said Allegra Barnes, a wouldn’t it be a good thing for a CAS freshman and VOX member. woman who can’t afford birth con- “Women spend 30 years of trol to be able to get it?” their life trying to not get pregnant. She emphasized accessibility is In their lifetime, women spend on important when it comes to sexual average $5,400 to $18,000 on con- responsibility. traception.” “If you keep telling people to BU students varied in their be responsible about preventing opinions about the controversial pregnancy, you also need to take topic. the right steps to make it afford- “I’m all about free choice, but able,” Newton said.