MBTA Public Meeting Monday

On Monday, there is a public meeting being held regarding the proposal for fare hikes put forth by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The meeting is at the State House (Gardner Auditorium, specifically) on Beacon Hill right in Boston, and students are encouraged to attend and let their voices be heard. The meeting starts at 4:00 PM.

Following this meeting, the Resident Student Association will be working on preparing an opinion on behalf of the resident students at Northeastern. To be involved in this process, you can attend next week's General Council meeting at 7:00 PM in 270 West Campus, Building F.

Another 337 Huntington Update

Since our last update, there's been a few new developments with 337 Huntington Avenue.

• Huntington Avenue is now open to traffic both ways / both sides. Pedestrian access to Opera Place / St. Stephen's Street is also open. Vehicles, however, are still prohibited from accessing St. Stephen's Street. Cars that need to reach North Lot should take Gainsborough St. or Forsyth St. to Hemenway Street and use the back entrance by Stetson Hall East.
• Northeastern has been cited with a violation for operating an unsafe building at 337 Huntington Avenue. When the media inquired, Northeastern declined to comment adding more fuel to the fire regarding poor public relations practices and a lack of forthcoming-ness over the situation.
• All students in 337 Huntington Avenue were relocated to Davenport Commons B this week and will be remaining there the rest of Summer II. They were able to gather all their belongings and move with the support of a moving company.

The Resident Student Association is here for all the students who were displaced and, as always, all on-campus students. We are working to bring programming to the students in Davenport Commons B, and any students having problems can e-mail the Resident Rapid Response Team for help at NortheasternRSA@Northeastern.edu.

337 Huntington Avenue Incident Update

Northeastern University sent the following message out to students just a few minutes ago:

A message from NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
Message sent - 7/14/2009

Following the collapse of the front building cornice at 337 Huntington Avenue, the University is providing the following updates to the Northeastern community:

- There were no injuries related to this incident.

- All residents of 337 Huntington Avenue have been relocated.

- The university is working closely with structural engineers and the City of Boston to determine the cause of the incident and to make sure the building is safe for occupancy.

- It appears that the circumstances surrounding the incident are isolated to this building.

- We routinely evaluate our facilities and perform necessary maintenance. We take great pride and care in our work to maintain a safe Northeastern campus.

- University Student Affairs is working closely with the students who have been relocated to assist them in this transition.

- As a precautionary measure, the University will remove the remaining cornice on the side of the building.

- Members of the community are advised to avoid the area surrounding 337 Huntington Avenue and seek alternative routes. Some street closures will continue as the incident is cleaned up and investigated.

We will continue to provide updates to the Northeastern community as needed.

337 Huntington Avenue

Many of you may already be aware, but this morning around 8:30 AM, the facade of 337 Huntington Avenue came crashing down to the sidewalk/street in what the Boston Police Department called a "construction accident." The building was undergoing roof work by Progressive Roofing, a firm based in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is not yet known if their actions led to the collapse of the facade which was about 200 feet in length and weighed several tons.

While Northeastern spokesperson Samantha Fodrowski said there did not appear to be injuries, media reports indicate that there was one police officer who suffered minor injuries. The officer was in the area working construction detail.

Huntington Avenue was closed down for a portion of the morning due to fears that the building might be structurally unsound. Inspectors have deemed that the building is not at risk of collapse, and the MBTA is now running. Students were evacuated from the building, and Northeastern is working with Boston's inspectional services division to determine if they can return to their residence hall or if they will need to be relocated to a different space by the University.

For more information as updates come in, you can check out the following web sites:

Boston Globe: www.boston.com

WHDH [NBC Boston]: www.whdh.com

The Boston Channel [ABC Boston]: www.thebostonchannel.com

WBZ-TV [CBS Boston: www.cbs4boston.com

The Boston Herald: www.bostonherald.com

Also, on Twitter, you can search for "#Northeastern" or "337 Huntington" to see users who have posted pictures and tweets about the situation.

MBTA Fare Hike Hearings

An MBTA spokesperson has informed us that later this week they should be announcing the details of public hearings on possible fare increases and possible service cuts. The fare increases could raise the cost of taking public transit in the Boston area by as much as 20%, which would have a financial impact on students relying on the T to get to class, co-op, and other activities. We'll update once we have details later in the week.

Article About West Campus Architect

This weekend in the Boston Globe there was an article about William Rawn & his architecture firm which was responsible for the design of the award-winning West Campus residence halls at Northeastern. You can read the article here.

Shooting Near Campus

We have reports coming in via social networking / micro-blogging service Twitter that a shooting has taken place near Matthews Arena. Reports indicate that there is one victim who was transported via ambulance and one individual taken into custody by the Boston Police.

Details are not yet known, nor has any confirmation come from Northeastern about the incident. This, along with last week's two stabbings near campus, has raised the question of why students aren't getting NU Alert texts about these situations. One tweeter wrote, "I don't understand why we haven't recieved a single emergency alert from Northeastern..."

Given the question of NU Alerts, we will be looking to the University adminsitration for guidance on when they issue alerts or not, and how students can be kept more aware of what is going on around campus.

Another Stabbing in the Northeastern University Area

Fox News and The Boston Globe reported this morning about a stabbing late last night on Gainsborough Street near Northeastern University. The stabbing marks the second time in less than a week that a non-student was stabbed within just a few blocks of campus.

Boston Police spokesman Joe Zanoli confirmed that the victim was a 26-year-old male who was stabbed sometime after 11 PM on Tuesday night in the upper right part of his chest. The victim, according to Doctors at Brigham & Women's Hospital, is expected to survive the attack.

The suspect, who is wanted by police for this attack, is a clean shaven black male, age 30-35, with close-cropped black hair. The suspect was last seen wearing a white and black zip-up hooded sweatshirt with dice logos on it. The suspect is obviously to be considered armed and dangerous.

If you have any information or sight the possible suspect, please call Boston Police (617.343.4200) or Northeastern University Police (617.373.2121).

Building I & J Might Be Linked to Wilkerson Corruption

The Boston Globe last week raised the concerns that Building I & J may have been involved in the latest alleged corruption and bribery scandal involving Diane Wilkerson. The Globe writes:

What about that big 22-story dormitory Northeastern University is building on the corner of Ruggles and Tremont streets? Why did Wilkerson support that project over many of her constituents' objections that it was far too big and that the school had not provided enough benefits to the community in return for the right to bring more than a thousand students into the neighborhood?

And why did the senator oppose other Northeastern plans to expand farther into her district a year later? Was she acting in the best interests of her constituents, or was she really working to help one of the many developers with whom she had close relationships?

While at this point it is not known for sure if Wilkerson's support for Building I & J against the will of her constituents is in the interest of a developer whom she had a relationship with, this sort of news -- the mere possibility of corruption -- is sure to reflect poorly upon Northeastern as an institution.

Question #2 Passed, But Don't Light Up On-Campus

While ballot question #2 passed in Massachusetts, leading the way for possession of under one ounce of marijuana (also known as cannabis, weed, or hemp) to no longer be a crime and instead be a civil offense with a $100 fine, don't light up yet on campus. The Student Code of Conduct makes "possession or consumption of illegal drugs" a violation, and it also makes it against the rules to knowingly be "in the company of anyone who is using illegal drugs." While marijuana may be decriminalized here in Massachusetts, it's still illegal to possess and possession is still illegal by federal statues. The punishment for having under an ounce is simply being changed so that those with a small amount of marijuana are treated more like people who drive a few miles over the speed limit (which is illegal) and less like violent murders, rapists, and thieves.

Students Caught Trying to Get Liquor

We warned a couple days ago here on the blog about rumors of efforts to catch students drinking underage. Turns out, it's true, and Northeastern University students have been caught. In a Boston Globe story, it was reported that, "Dozens of underage drinkers didn't get the good time they were looking for after a trip to liquor stores over the weekend in Boston," and that the students were reported to their parents and institutions. The report further states that an estimated 400 students were stopped from obtaining alcohol and that "the students attended a number of local institutions, including Newbury College, Lesley University, Boston University, Boston College, Suffolk University, Northeastern University, and Emerson College." The students from Northeastern University who were reported will likely end up before the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, where they could face disciplinary action.

Our Skits Made National Public Radio

This summer at orientation, the Resident Student Association was involved in the "Husky Hello" skits that were shown to all incoming freshmen. Members of the Association took part in the skits, one of which featured what can happen to people who drink a little too much. The skit was mentioned in a story by Monica Brady-Myerov on National Public Radio that aired this morning focusing on how Northeastern University has been changing its approach to educating students about drinking and disciplining students who break the rule. The story and features clips of audio from the skits (including the voice of an RSA member in the skit) as well as audio clips from Valerie Randall-Lee of the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, Amaura Kemmerer of the Office of Prevention & Education, and Captain Albert Sweeny of the Northeastern University Police Department. The story also mentions how seven area College and University Presidents signed onto the Amethyst Initiative to start a dialogue on the drinking age and a clip from a parent who was happy that they explained the rules well. You can hear the story here through Real Player.

Freshmen: Get Involved

Today's incoming Freshmen are able to access a wealth of information about the campus they will arrive at in September due to the wide availability of the internet. Blogs written by students about campus issues, such as this one are a great way for students to find out about issues on-campus and learn. Thus, it did not surprise me one bit to meet an incoming freshmen last night at orientation who was a reader of the Housing Services Blog.

That said, I want to encourage all incoming freshmen readers to follow the advice given by Northeastern's Associate Dean and Director of Residential Life, Robert Jose in a Boston Herald Article by Rochelle Stewart: Make the most out of your four years of college and get involved. At Northeastern, you may very well have the chance to make the most out of five or six years of college, so do it. Join student groups, take on leadership, and be involved. The Resident Student Association and the Housing Services Committee is a great way to get involved and have an impact on campus, and we will welcome anyone who is interested.

The Housing Crunch On-Campus

It's a well-known fact that each year at Northeastern University more students apply for housing than there are beds. The same is the case elsewhere, and this year the crunch is even worse due to economic conditions. High fuel costs have led students who once planned to commute to school to want to live on-campus, and the fixed cost of residence hall living is becoming more appealing as utility prices rise. Additionally, dining halls have become a more reasonable option for students to eat at because of the rising costs of food.

This year's trend is notable and has been covered by a lot of media. The Boston Globe today featured an article by Peter Schworm about the cruch in Massachusetts. In Mississippi, LaRaye Brown of the Clarion-Ledger writes about the situation at the University of Southern Mississippi. Also, today the Florida Sun-Sentinel writes about the squeeze for space at Florida Atlantic University. Finally, Brittany Anas of the Boulder Daily Camera wrote Saturday about how the University of Colorado is booking hotel rooms to house students temporarily due to the crunch.

Heightened Security Urged for Massachusetts Colleges

A report presented to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education yesterday calls for colleges in the state to heighten the security. The report points to many colleges that, unlike Northeastern, lack security cameras or a gun-carrying police force, and 1/3rd of colleges that lack agreements with local law enforcement on emergency response. A big focus of the report is a lack of training for recognizing students who may be "at risk," and looking at student writings for possible signs of violence. You can read more in this Boston Globe article.

At Northeastern, we are lucky to have one of three campus police agencies in the state that carries an accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. To get the accreditation, NUPD had to meet over 340 criteria, have written policy directives and manuals, and have an on-site evaluation take place.

However, Northeastern's training of staff to recognize at-risk students is something that we're less certain about. The Housing Services committee will be looking into what goes on in this area in the near future. If you ever have any ideas, questions, or concerns realted to resident safety or NUPD, feel free to post comments or e-mail us.

The GrandMarc

Phoenix Property Company recently filed plans with the City of Boston to put a 24-story tower on the land now occupied by part of the Huntington Avenue YMCA. The tower will feature space that can be rented by bedspace instead of by apartment, and is geared towards students.

Several issues exist with the GrandMarc. In the Resident Student Association, strong opposition exists to the building. Additionally, there have been many problems reported in Phoenix Property Co.'s other facilities in the country. There are also concerns over building this tower at the same time as Northeastern's 22 story building where Cullinane Hall is located.

On Thursday, June 19th there is a public meeting to address questions and concerns by community members. The meeting is being held at the YMCA library meeting room at 6:00 PM. Myself, along with members of the Housing Services Committee and the Student Government Association will be attending. I encourage any interested students to come.