Shots fired near YMCA after local high school dance Several shots were fired near the YMCA located at 316 Huntington Ave. late Saturday night, said Associate Director of Public Safety James Ferrier. About midnight, several Northeastern police officers heard shots from outside the YMCA where a local dance for high school students had just let out. The dance was part of the BeSmart, BeSafe Initiative. No one was injured in the shooting, but officers pursued and detained a 16-year-old male, two 17-year-old males and an 18-year-old male and handed them over to Boston police for questioning. Officers also located a recently fired handgun from the area where the males had attempted to flee, Ferrier said. The shooting may be related to a second shooting that evening in Roxbury that injured three students who had also attended the YMCA dance, he said.
Board seeks representative for presidential search The board of trustees is searching for a student representative to serve on the search committee for a president to succeed President Richard Freeland when he resigns in August 2006. The student will be a full voting member of the committee. Interested students should submit a 200-word statement, including thoughts as to why they would like to serve on the committee and what perspectives or contributions they would bring to the process. The time commitment will be at least two hours a week, sometimes more. Members of the committee are obligated to maintain complete confidentiality, and will be required to sign a formal confidentiality agreement. Interested students should submit their statements no later than 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 to Vincent Lembo at [email protected]. Statements should also include students’ major, enrollment status, anticipated year of graduation, co-op schedule, local address, telephone number and e-mail address.
Northeastern centralizes Katrina fundraising efforts Although various groups around campus have been fundraising in response to Hurricane Katrina, the university has now established a Web site to serve as a unified information hub. The site, www.hurricanerelief.neu.edu, was launched by the Student Leadership Office, and includes a calendar of upcoming events that will benefit the hurricane relief fund. It also includes ways to donate online, ways to volunteer and the option to receive weekly e-mail updates on hurricane-related events. “The main reason for the Web site is to basically give people a centralized location. It allows us to coordinate everyone’s good efforts,” said John Silveria, director of student leadership. He said if students unite their efforts, they can make a greater impact than they could with just numerous small contributions.
Student government urges cell phone safety measures The Student Government Association (SGA) announced Wednesday they plan to launch a campaign to encourage students to indicate emergency contacts on their cellular telephones. The program, In Case of Emergency (ICE), is an outreach program which urges students to put the letters ICE in front of the emergency contacts in the Boston area so paramedics know whom to contact. SGA Vice President for Administration and Public Relations Adriana Campos said the program has been popular overseas, and is now spreading to the United States. “It’s not earth shattering, but we’re going to try to raise awareness to protect the student population,” she said. At the same meeting, Vice President for Student Services Rogan O’Handley announced the beginning of a campaign to replace two of the current student eateries on campus with national Tex-Mex chain Taco Bell and the popular Chinese take-out restaurant Panda Express.
Activists discuss Israeli politics on campus Last Friday, three young activists on exchange representing Israel addressed a group of Northeastern students and faculty about political issues facing their home country. The speakers came from varied political backgrounds, and were selected because they are politically active in their home country. About 20 people attended the event, many with close ties to Israel. Michelle Spivak, a junior engineering major, said she has visited Israel within the past year, and said she was interested in the points of view presented. “I learned some new things, some I agreed with, some I didn’t agree with,” she said. The conversation was sometimes heated, as audience members questioned the speakers on the future of Israel as a Jewish state and Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians. The event was organized by Northeastern’s Hillel and Students for Israel at Northeastern, and was part of a tour of New England colleges and universities.
Budget Review Committee allots funds to afterHOURS The Budget Review Committee (BRC) allotted over $15,000 from the Student Activities Fund to various student groups at its meeting Thursday night. The bulk of the money went to afterHOURS, which received $10,000 to bring in a performer. The name of the performer could not be released because a contract has not yet been secured. An allotment of $3,561 went to Sigma Phi Epsilon to bring speaker and author Barrett Seaman to campus. Also, the Music ‘ Entertainment Industry Student Association received $2,500 to bring Sherry Winston, a jazz flautist, to campus. Finally, $250 was given to Utsav, Northeastern’s South Asian Student Organization, to hold a dance competition.
— Compiled by staff writers Hailey Heinz and Jennifer Nelson
