SGA prepares for budget release The budget plans for fiscal year 2006 will be presented to the Student Government Association (SGA) Feb. 23, said SGA Vice President for Financial Affairs Ali Barlow. Last year, SGA passed legislation calling for a tuition increase not exceeding 2 percent. Although the eventual increase was 4.5 percent, it was still the lowest tuition hike in a decade. This year, SGA does not plan to pass legislation suggesting a low tuition increase, but Barlow said the organization wrote a letter to the university expressing its concerns regarding the climbing cost of attending Northeastern. “We made our presentation to the Committee on Funding Priorities on what our priorities are, and one of our main priorities is keeping tuition low,” Barlow said.
RSA heads to annual residence hall conference Members of the Resident Student Association (RSA) will be heading to the University of Massachusetts Friday for the New England Subregional Conference for the Northeastern affiliate of College and University Residence Halls. “We will be talking about different issues that affect residence hall communities across the region: programming, community building, relationship with neighbors and campus safety,” said Margaret Horton, RSA president. RSA members hope to bring back new ideas for programming for the Super Bowl and for randomizing student identification numbers, Horton said. RSA will be sending five of its members to the conference this year. “It gives us a chance to see what other schools are doing for programming and how they are dealing with problems,” said Darren Conine, national communication coordinator for RSA. Later in the month members will return for a larger conference involving schools from the entire Northeast.
Filoma still to face charges from Super Bowl 2004 As the Super Bowl nears and thousands of fans across New England prepare to cheer on their team for the second year in a row, Stanley Filoma is still coping with the consequences of last year’s game. The 24-year-old from Mattapan is still facing charges of motor vehicle homicide, operating under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Filoma was arrested after he allegedly plowed his black SUV through a crowd of rioting students during last year’s post-Super Bowl celebration, killing non-student James Grabowski, 21, and severely injuring three others. Filoma is currently out on $35,000 bail, and he and his lawyer, Bruce L. Namenson, plan to file to suppress evidence on Thursday in an attempt to keep the case from going to trial, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Wark added the efforts to get evidence thrown out will probably end up futile. “This case will almost certainly make it to trial, I know there’s not a whole lot of doubt about that,” Wark said. If convicted, Filoma could face up to 20 years in a state prison.
BU biolab gets permits before national review Boston University cleared its final hurdle before going before national review in the planning for its Level 4 biosafety lab last month when the Boston Zoning Commission approved its proposal for BioSquare II. The decision is the latest in a series of steps the Boston University Medical Center has gone through in the proposal of the lab to be built on Albany Street in the South End, including approval from the Massachusetts Office for Environmental Affairs in November and the Boston Redevelopment Authority in December. The lab has been met with much opposition from community members worried about the materials that will be studied in the high-security lab, including anthrax, the plague and the Ebola virus.
CUP puts out the cheese for bands Although no plans have been finalized, the Council for University Programs (CUP) continued to float on ideas at their Monday night Springfest concert planning meeting. Currently, CUP has two bids in for alternative music groups for this year’s Springfest concert. Although the details are still in the works, both bands are “intrigued” by the interest, said Josh Pratt, CUP concert chair. The group is also considering opening the event to students outside of Northeastern and is hoping to have three venues for ticket sales. The fall concert presented the problem of extremely long lines the night of the concert due to security checks, which wrapped around Matthews Arena. In order to prevent the same incident from happening in the spring, CUP discussed handing out clear bags at least an hour before the show and having students put the contents of their pockets into the bags, making it easier for security to check what is being brought inside the arena. For the week of Springfest, April 4 to 9, the group is considering a treasure hunt that can have up to 1,000 students participate. Since Springfest is being held in April, the weather is being taken into consideration and the event may be held indoors.
Student Shield to get new name The program “Operation Student Shield” will soon have a new name due to protest from student leaders at local Boston universities at Monday night’s Super Bowl preparation meeting with Police Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole. Student Shield was first announced by the Boston Police Department (BPD) last month as a plan to enforce harsher punishments and a zero-tolerance policy against college students who break their university’s code of conduct and city laws. Student leaders present at the meeting, including Student Government Association Vice President for Financial Affairs Ali Barlow, said they believed the name “Operation Student Shield” portrays them negatively and isolates them from the city community. O’Toole was receptive to the students’ opinions, and asked that they consider alternative names for the program and assured them that BPD looks for student feedback. “None of this is etched in stone,” she said.
— Compiled by staff writers Elizabeth Dudek, Bobby Hankinson, Sarah Metcalf, Jennifer Nelson, Stephanie Peters and Bianca Strzelczyk.
