Study abroad student struck by a car in Cape Town, South Africa

On April 4, Ryan Vermette, a Bentley University student studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa was hit suddenly by an oncoming motor vehicle, sustaining serious injuries to his spinal cord. Due to significant damage and pressing need for extensive rehabilitation, the cost of his safe transportation back to his home in Yarmouthport, Massachusetts poses a substantial financial burden for his loving family.

Vermette is currently a junior in with a major in Global Studies and concentration in ethics and management. Vermette had spent a majority of his summer volunteering in Ghana in coordination with a farming NGO for two months.

“While in South Africa, he volunteered to help students with math and science homework with an organization called SHAWCO,” said classmate and friend Mark DiMaggio.

In an effort to raise the necessary funds for Vermette’s highly anticipated return, Vermette’s friends and family have joined together to create the “Bring Ryan Home Fund”.

“We are asking for donated items to be raffled at a Family BBQ fundraiser to be held,” reads a flyer detailing information of the event.

“I dont think there has been a more influential person in my life,” said DiMaggio. He is the best person that I have ever met.” In addition to his closest friends, Vermette has touched the lives of many.

“For those who may not know Ryan, he is an amazing young adult who has touched so many lives. He always strives to be the best he can be and is always willing to put others first before himself,” reads the Bring Ryan Home Fund flyer. “It is this caring and passionate personality that sent him to South Africa.”

“Even throughout this entire ordeal his compassion and desire to help other people has not wavered. Anytime that I have spoken with him or others have talked about him, his first questions are about others not himself.”

The Family BBQ will be held on Sunday, June 24, 2012 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Dennis Inn in Dennis, MA. Monetary donations can be sent to:

Bring Ryan Home Fund

c/o Cape Cod Five

514 Station Avenue

South Yarmouth, MA 02664

Dear Members of the Bentley Community–

We are sure that many of you read the news in yesterday’s Vanguard regarding our student Ryan Vermette, who was involved in a serious car accident during his semester abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.  Bentley’s Office of International Education, in cooperation with the University of Cape Town’s International Academic Programmes Office, has been assisting Ryan and his family since the accident occurred on April 4th.  Our many colleagues in Cape Town have provided tremendous support, visiting Ryan often and providing frequent support to his family, while we and Gloria have been communicating with Ryan’s parents by phone.  We are happy to report that Ryan is making steady progress and his doctor will likely approve his return flight to the United States next week to continue his recovery.

We want to assure you that all Bentley students, faculty and staff who travel on Bentley sponsored academic programs are enrolled in international insurance plans that provide 24-7 emergency assistance services, worldwide coverage for medical expenses, and medical evacuation transport, among other benefits.    It is important for all of you, especially those who travel abroad, to know that Bentley provides every support possible to its community members anywhere in the world.

However, Ryan’s recovery will continue to take time.  There will be many expenses for a family in a situation like this, so we do hope you will consider making a contribution to support Ryan and his family.  We are very pleased that this year the proceeds from Breakfast by Moonlight will be donated to this worthy cause.

Thank you for keeping Ryan in your thoughts and prayers.

Andrew Shepardson                   Natalie Schlegel

Dean of Students                        Director International Education

The countdown to Spring Day began as soon as we returned from spring break, but few students are realizing what exactly they are counting down to. This year, CAB has made it their mission to provide the best possible experience to the students and to outdo all years previous. “This is shaping up to be the best spring day we’ve had so far,” said traditions co-chair Mitch Hadfield.

“This year, we tried to revamp the whole Spring Day process to get more student input. The past decisions were made taking into account as much student opinion as possible, but we wanted a really formal, concrete way of getting student input and running the statistics on it,” said concert committee co-chair Greg Kokino.

CAB sent out a survey that got a generalized overview of some artists students were interested in as well as the genres students want to see. Naturally, with any open-ended survey, the results produced were diverse and numerous with 1,535 respondents. But the information garnered through that survey showed Bentley students preferred hip-hop/rap and electronic/house genres for the headlining performer. From the results, CAB took budget and availability into account to send out a second survey, to which 1,862 students responded, which asked students to rank artists by preference. After those results, Kokino said, “Whatever artist fit [budget and availability] that ranked the highest was the one chosen.”

The White Panda will be the opening performance to Nelly and although many students may not have heard of the mash up masters, they will definitely know the top billboard songs they remix. The survey results also aided CAB in this decision, as it was very clear students want a rap/hip-hop or electric/house show.

“[The White Panda] is the best fusion of electronic music [and hip-hop] while still keeping in line with the Nelly show,” said Kokino.

So, what is on tap for the rest of the day? Traditions committee co-chairs Mitch Hadfield and Madhu Narayan have bigger and better things planned for students this year. Of course, the inflatables are coming back – but don’t just write them off as same old, same old. In addition to the always-fun obstacle course, CAB has rented out some other fun ones. Tournaments will be held throughout the day, including kickball, a scavenger hunt and Harry’s Hill Climb. You can also win prizes at the different carnival games that will be present.

The BBQ near the Dana Center will be complemented with other fun foods. We can all expect the fried oreos and fried dough, but an ice cream truck will also be there. This year, get excited to have smoothies provided by Maui Wowi.

To keep you entertained all day leading up to the concert, CAB has thoughtfully planned big things. The day will feature three live performances. A live karaoke band will be on lower, giving students the opportunity to show off their singing voices as well as their memorization capacities. You better be brave, because this karaoke offers no lyrics screen. But this frees you up to really put on the performance of your life. Starting around 12:30 p.m., a well-known magician from the area will be blowing people’s minds and the Bentley Beats winner, Tyler Winthrop, will be performing to get the crowd amped as they wait in the long line to get into the concert.

CAB really has outdone themselves even just in terms of preparation. They are really making a move to incorporate student opinion and preferences. “[We] are reaching out to freshmen and sophomores on our committees to find out what they want to see as well as juniors and seniors to find out what they’ve already seen,” explains Kokino. Another thing to anticipate on Saturday: a new sound and light system. “With the sound and lights we put in this year, we think we are creating an experience that is unrivaled. When you walk into the Dana Center you will see something you haven’t seen before – guaranteed,” says Kokino. “It is definitely more of an experience than a concert,” adds concert committee co-chair Taylor Murphy.

So hope for amazing weather, prepare yourself for all of the festivities and brush up on your Nelly because for some of you, this will be your last Spring Day! But for the freshmen – welcome to Bentley!l

Party People

A sergeant responded to Copley North for a report of food poisoning on Monday morning. A number of students became sick after dining at an off-campus establishment. Some may call this a freak accident, but we Bentley students are too smart for this reductive conclusion. Obviously, the food poisoning stemmed from an act of voodoo by the Seasons gods. If the sick students had only gone to an on-campus eatery, they wouldn’t have found themselves in a pickle. The stuff they put in our food ensures that we’re safe from such dangers. Whatever your reasons, eat at Seasons!

Browned Out

One Bentley student decided to take his talents all the way to the Ivy League this weekend. University Police received a call from the one and only Brown University late Saturday night, informing them that the Brown Police Department had taken a Bentley student into protective custody. Apparently, the student was visiting a friend at the pompous place for professional preparation in Providence, and he had a few too many to drink. In fact, when he was found by Brown PD, the male was unresponsive and had to be taken to a local hospital for treatment. There ya go, buddy. Not the best “rep” of the Falcon name, to say the least. But you know what they say: Be smart. If you can’t be smart, be careful. And if you can’t be careful…puke your guts on some arrogant Ivy League kids!

Pot in Herrre

There were multiple reports of marijuana use on Friday, April 20. This comes as no surprise, as 4/20 is essentially Christmas Day to the weed-smoking community. It also comes as no surprise that there were multiple reports of pot-tery that shaped up outside of Slade and Trees. To be honest, we’re pretty sick of this green initiative happening over and over again every year. It’s time for some new 4/20 traditions. Get into the green spirit next year by going through all of your extra stuff and recycling what you don’t need. Try planting trees instead of smoking them. These are just a couple options, you can hash out your plans however you want. Just be sure to set the bar (and not your mental state) high!

Oh no, CoNo…

University Police received a report of a disturbance in Copley North last Friday night. It must have been getting pretty Hot in there, as the caller informed police of some loud fighting in one particular suite. An interesting Dilemma was presented to the responding officers when they found one student unresponsive. Apparently, the student did not heed the warning of “Here Comes the Boom,” and tried to stand up to his vices with the Heart of a Champion. When the student finally woke up, however, he realized that the night was definitely not Just a Dream. The police officer on duty invited the student to “Ride Wit’ Me.” N Dey Say we aren’t #1 here at Bentley…oh Nelly!

Booked

Last Friday, a student was reportedly disrespecting a member of the Library staff. The Library staff member immediately notified University Police of the student’s behavior. The student will be charged judicially with being uncooperative with a staff member. Lesson learned: you may be able to screw with Sodexo employees, Facilities workers, or the ResLife staff, but NOBODY messes with the librarians. And when we say nobody, we mean the amount of people at Bentley arts events NOBODY. Oh ya? Gonna back-talk about using that study room for personal use? BAM, good luck with no housing credits next year, chump. The book stops here!

A Pair of Pukers

Two freshman females decided to be twins last Saturday night. Both were placed into protective custody and charged with underage alcohol violations. Both vomited in dorms starting with the letter “M” (Miller and Maple). Both were transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital due to their incoherence and inebriation. Police have no tolerance for this (and, from the sounds of it, neither do these two freshman girls…), so these judicial meetings promise to be interesting. You know what would be awesome? If Judge Judy presided over Bentley’s judicial hearings. I can only imagine dozens of people across the country watching college kids being interrogated on not-so-prime-time cable. We’d even take Judge Trudy. Just get us on TV.

Other Assorted Logs

There was some other stuff that simply wouldn’t fit into their own police logs, but we thought you should know about them anyways. Some chick tried to use her roommate’s ID to register her boyfriend’s car on campus. A professor’s Lexus was keyed in a parking lot. Three cars were towed from the Farm Lot.

Freshman Puke Count

You want the honest number? It’s four. But let’s remember: These frosh are in for their very first Spring Day this Saturday! So, these reporters think it’s safe to add a couple zeros to the end of that lonely digit…400 pukers! Now it’s a party!

Director of Sustainability Amanda King sent an email to residential students last week to address concerns about tap water that appears to be cloudy. She assured the community that the tap water at Bentley is both clean and safe to drink. “Cloudy tap water simply means that the water is over-aerated,” read the email.

The website for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), which supplies tap water in Waltham, further explained the situation. “Once water from our reservoir enters the transmission and distribution pipes, the water is pressurized. Water under pressure holds more air,” said the site. “Once the water comes out of your tap, the water is no longer under pressure and the air comes out of solution as bubbles.” If the water is left to sit for 5-10 minutes, the cloudiness will disappear.

These concerns also provided an opportunity for King to discuss the benefits of tap water as opposed to bottled water. “Nestle, Coke and Pepsi, the three biggest bottled water manufacturers in the world, have launched an incredibly effective marketing campaign to make us think that our tap water is contaminated so that we will buy their product,” she said. “In reality Americans have the privilege of having the cleanest tap water in the world.”

“Tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Safe Drinking Water Act and is required to be tested for more than 300 contaminants,” said King. Public drinking water suppliers must also provide a Consumer Confidence Report to residents detailing where their tap water comes from and the results from contaminant testing for the year. If they find any of the contaminants to exceed the limits set by the EPA, they are required to notify residents immediately.

Bottled water, which is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, is not held to the same standards. For example, bottled water companies are not required to conduct the same rigorous testing for contaminants. They also do not need to produce a Consumer Confidence Report.

“There is one person overseeing all regulation of bottled water in the entire country, compare that to hundreds of employees at the EPA plus all of the local water supply employees (in our case the MWRA and the Waltham Water Department),” said King. “So the issue here is: less regulation, fewer people overseeing regulation and no transparency at all in the source or quality of the water.”

King also shed light onto the price of bottled water by using the assumption that someone was to follow the health recommendation to drink 8 glasses (64 ounces) of water per day. On campus, students pay an average of $1.50 for a 16 ounce bottle and would need to buy four bottles a day, multiplied by 365 days in a year for a total of $2,190. Alternatively, buying a 24 pack of water for $5.00 each week would cost $260 per year.

“At best, bottled water is simply tap water bottled and sold to you for a price, which is pretty unethical,” said King to sum up the debate. “At worst, the bottled water isn’t tested for as many contaminants as your tap water and could actually have contaminants in excess of the limits outlined by the EPA.”

King also discussed the many negative externalities in the process of bottling water. Only about one in five plastic bottles is recycled so many of them end up in landfills, most of which are at capacity. Extra costs are then incurred to transport the waste somewhere else. In addition, 17 million barrels of oil are used in the production of water bottles yearly. Drilling for and refining this oil, which could fuel one million cars for a year, also contributes to climate change. Finally, it takes three times the amount of water to produce the bottle as it does to fill it.

“In summary: bottled water is useful and often necessary in emergency situations but I wouldn’t drink it under any other circumstance given the lack of regulation and the costs (real and external) associated with the product,” concluded King.

A group of students on campus is currently working with the Office of Sustainability to educate students, faculty and staff on this information through its “Think Outside the Bottle” campaign. “The goal is to change demand for bottled water by educating people about the benefits of drinking tap water and using a reusable bottle,” explained King.

“Students can learn more about tap water versus bottled water at the Think Outside the Bottle table at the Green Society’s Earth Fest this Sunday (Earth Day) on the Green Space from 1 to 4 p.m. (rain location: Pub),” said King. Those who are interested in joining the effort can email Amanda King at aking@bentley.edu.

2012 marks the hottest Boston Marathon yet

April 17, Patriots Day, marked Boston’s hottest marathon since its inception in 1897. In the unseasonably blistering upper 80 degree heat, Bentley University’s Beta Alpha Psi volunteered at mile 17, helping to hydrate and motivate runners as they continued to the final 26th mile.

During the course of the day, the Washington Post reported approximately 2,100 runners treated for dehydration, heat exhaustion and other ailments brought on by the elevated temperature. Due to the forecasted weather, the Boston Marathon administration and contributors chose to triple the supply of water and Gatorade, thus increasing the workload of volunteers. Furthermore, the race time was extended by one hour to ease the impact of the race on dedicated runners.

“The BAP e-board’s mantra you might say is “Hope for the best, plan for the worst.” We knew Monday was going to be the hottest marathon ever and we prepared as best we could by getting the supplies we needed for the day, primarily sunscreen,” said Joshua Kebabian, president of Beta Alpha Psi. “Members also had to know to dress appropriately. (shorts, t-shirts, sunglasses, hats, etc.),” Kebabian said. “Despite all our preparation, there is no doubt that there were times when we needed breaks, but members were sure to get out of the sun no longer than they needed to so that they could get right back to handing out water and hydrating those determined runners!”

“I definitely saw more people utilizing the hydration stations,” said Ashley King, a junior pledge of Beta Alpha Psi. “Normally the elite runners never take water from the volunteers, but this time they did because they couldn’t wait for the elite stations to get their water. I was thrilled to be a part of that!”

“Hydration station volunteers, like the members of Beta Alpha Psi, mixed 6 gallons of Gatorade at a time, distributing it among three layers of half filled cups to distribute to runners. In preparation for those runners looking to douse themselves with fresh cold water, Poland spring tables were constantly distributing and replenishing their supplies.

BAP has been volunteering at the marathon since 2004. “The marathon contributes to BAP’s values in how we are giving back to the committee in a full day of service,” said Kebabian. “Well over half of our members participate and come together for teamwork and camaraderie. At each table there are opportunities for people to step up and become a leader.

“The enriching experience of community service and the enjoyment of my Beta Alpha Psi friends was worth enduring the scorching heat,” said BAP sophomore pledge, Jillian Weiss. “I’m proud to have been a part of the 2012 marathon!”

Kebabian and other BAP e-board members were incredibly pleased by the performance of the chapter. “Our chapter interacts with thousands of runners throughout the marathon,” said Kebabian. “It’s clear to all of us that the runners appreciate our service greatly. It’s also nice to hear them say “Your station has the coldest water of all of them!”

This past weekend Bentley rolled out the trolleys, inflated the balloons and organized student activities to present the very best version of the university at Accepted Students Day.

Despite the fact there was sadly no chocolate fountain, Bentley students emerged in the form of volunteers – at tables, around campus to give directions and in buildings to give candid advice for potential students.

With roughly 1,800 people registered, the entire tent was full up on the library quad. Giving her ever-exuberant welcome speech was President Gloria Larson. In addition, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Joann McKenna, spoke a few words to the incoming crowd.

Different panels and presentations were offered throughout the day to overwhelm students with the possibilities and opportunities that come with a Bentley education.

In the morning, prospective students invited to join the Honors Program were welcomed with a reception. Later in the afternoon, the Executive Dining Room hosted an academic reception with all of the majors represented by professors and students.

From business majors to modern languages, every aspect of a Bentley education was represented. Prospective students were also enticed with the endless opportunities for study abroad.

Bentley showed its philanthropic side with a service learning table. With tons of programs and the first collegiate partnership with the City Year Americorps program, Bentley has one of the best service learning programs in the country. Of course, no tour of Bentley would be complete without boasting the largest academic trading room in the country or the Center for Marketing Technology (CMT) and the programs both facilities offer.

All of this comes with a hefty price, as current students know, so the Student Financial Services Office was available at a table as well.

The absence of the highly anticipated chocolate fountain was soon forgotten with the huge barbeque by the Dana Center. The beautiful weather had many current students on the green space, showing the prospective students how fun and carefree college can be – that is, of course, when we’re not stressing over GB 320.

With so many tours by passionate students, the families got to refresh their memories of earlier tours in the year (probably in colder weather), while some families got their first look at the campus.

Many of us have noticed a new mobile facet of the Bentley campus: the Sodexo street car. It began operation in March and has added new variety to food available on campus. The Sodexo street car food is called Odexos and is going to be seen on campus year round.

When asked on where the idea for the street car came from, Jason Laprade, the Resident District Manager for Sodexo, answered “It is a current trend that is out there and we felt we needed as a company offer.” Laprade said that the “student board of directors was consulted on the national level” in implementing the street car.

The menu for the street car changes every two weeks and is based on research and feedback from the Boston area. As of now, it does not accept falcon funds nor discretionary due to technology limitations.

“The Food truck is going to about 20 of our campuses around Boston so the times and stops on each campus are determined by events, late night needs and Athletic events that it can support,” said Laprade.

The street car has been “a great change for many campuses” said Laprade adding that “we [Sodexo] feel it brings the students an outside restaurant to campus and gives them the ability to experience more of our offer.

Along with implementing the street car, Sodexo is looking into making changes to the Bostonian Grill.

CAB did it again! After the epicness of Donald Glover last semester, CAB truly outdid themselves with Roastmaster General Jeff Ross. Ross brought to the stage the edgy set you expected, and that is not even mentioning the daring work of Anthony Jeselnik.

Josh Seiden opened up the night with his stand-up routine which has come a long way since his juggling beatbox days. Claiming he was given an explicit list of subjects he cannot touch, Seiden did a pretty good job of hitting nearly every point. The banned list included Asians, date rape, Malaria, and peanut allergies. In addition, he was barred from talking about “masturbating in Sea World…masturbating in Disney Land…[and] masturbating in front of Jeff Ross.” OK, so maybe he was able to steer clear of a good amount, but date rape jokes were running amuck. But most guys can agree – oxygen bars are pretty stupid, especially because you “can’t slip roofies to girls” there.

Second student opener, Ian Rich, paid homage to the countless AEPi brothers in the audience, describing how his father is “pretty Jewish…not the religion, just the insult.” The rest of his set was a combination of Wookie love and herpes jokes.

Jeselnik, some say, was raunchier than Ross with his over-the-top content with smooth and calm delivery. The audience knew they were in for a ride when Jeselnik expressed his strong stance as a comedian. “I think it’s very important to open up with a rape joke,” he explained. And this set the tone for the rest of his half-hour set, which many agree was way too short. He also tailored his comedy to Bentley, poking fun at the student population and its stereotypes. After calling us the “who’s who of who didn’t get into Harvard,” he fed off of audience member Kelsey. Making conversation about majors, once Kelsey revealed she was a marketing major, Jeselnik made the assumption that many Bentley students do, “….so you mean a housewife,” he stereotyped. The general themes of his set were his obsession with death; his nonchalant violence toward children, animals, and women; and sexual abuse, including molestation and date rape. The audience thoroughly enjoyed every word that came from Jeselnik’s mouth. And then, he asked the question that got everyone excited. “So, Anthony [to self], where are the really offensive jokes? Don’t worry. I save them for last.”  The audience gasped in disbelief before breaking out into laughter as his did lightning rounds of jokes on the following: “retarded people,” miscarriage, peanut allergies and his dead brother, and child molestation. He took a break and warned the crowd, “This is when shit gets real.” He finished up talking about stealing from the Holocaust Museum and finally a 9/11 dead baby joke.

The Roastmaster General Jeffrey Ross himself came on stage doing what he does best – insulting the very student who gave him a warm introduction. “This is going to be so much fucking fun,” said Ross while grinning. After a short set which included calling The Vanguard newspaper “Bird Sh!t Weekly” (to be the new title of the April Fool’s issue), Ross took volunteers to be the subject of his quickfire roast. In true Bentley fashion, 11 of the 12 volunteers were men. Ross brought back Jeselnik to tag-team with the insults. The insults flew about from “Good Fellas of Weight Watchers” to “gay hot chili pepper” wearing “size tourniquet pants.” One student was called a red-headed Verizon guy, while Ross stated that one looked like “a doctor poked [him] with a hanger.” And of course, the lone female stood her ground as Ross insulted her and then sexually harassed her.

In the few months while on tour doing Jeff Ross Roasts America, Ross has been slapped about 8 times and kicked twice. Both comedians really enjoyed the fact that literally nothing they said offended the crowd as a whole. Congratulations, Bentley students; we can hang in there with the best of them.

The Boston Sports Blog (BSB), founded by Bentley student Jimmy Tully, is becoming more popular among not only Bentley students but also everybody who is interested in sports. The blog distinguishes itself from other mainstream blogs such as ESPN and Barstool with its unique break down, analysis, and the members’ genuine enthusiasm in responding to feedback from readers. Above all, as Tully says, BSB is “a community for Boston sport fans” and is “written by true Boston sports fan.”

It has been recorded that the blog has received a total of 50,000 views since its establishment. In February, there were almost over 1,000 views on average per day, and the highest point reached 2,896 views. The number of views is increasing rapidly every day, demonstrating the potential expansion of the blog.

BSB provides readers a quick access to updated information and events with depth and comprehensiveness of all the sports of the Boston city (Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and Patriots). Some other big sports news outside Boston area, for example XGames, Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, or Tiger Woods, are also blogged on the site. It also has an open discussion for the fans to express their opinions about anything that is happening in the sports world. The secret that helped BSB become so popular in such a short period of time is its corporation with the Boston Sports Apparel Company (ilovebostonsports.com), which invited Bruin’s star Brad Marchand to cover the event for the blog with full media access.

Tully, the creator of the blog, is currently a Bentley senior majoring in Information Design and Corporate Communications. He first created this blog November for fun but was surprised by the growth of the blog.  He soon was supported by many of his friends, and together they developed the blog as it is today. Now, the BSB writing crew has seven members, each of them is responsible for a specific field: Tully is the blog’s Editor and General Writer, Chris Anderson (Merrimack College) – College Sports, Nolan Kartholl (Bentley Alum) – Business and General Writer, Dave Couture (Dracut, MA) – Patriots/ Football, Dan Tobin (Bentley) – Red Sox/ Baseball, Andrew Mazze (Bentley) – Bruins/ Hockey, and Matt Leibowitz (Bentley) – Celtics/ Basketball. So far, they have posted over 400 posts to the blog.

In the future, the BSB will be continuing posting blogs regularly, and waiting for their opportunity to advertise the blog on Google AdSense. But until then, the most important goal that BSB is striving for is keeping the heat for their fans and having fun chatting with other Boston sport fans on the site.

One last note at the end: the BSB members are planning on a free raffle for a Brad Marchand autographed puck in next week. If you are interested in, you can submit via the blog site, and for more information about the blog and the raffle please visit www.bostonsportsblog.net. Besides sports, if you are also interested in music, you can take a look for the tab on the site named Relaxing the Masses to link to another blog site of music.

City Year, an AmeriCorps program which claimed Bentley University as its founding partner in 2008, has recently acquired its 50th higher education institution in its Partnership program. City Year credits Bentley’s partnership as a major contributor to the shape and development of its program throughout the United States.

City Year, founded in 1988, “was founded with the conviction that young people in service could be a powerful resource for addressing America’s most pressing issues,” said Michele Deluties, Director of External Affairs. The program recruits students between the ages of 17 and 24 to take a year off from their education and dedicate it to tutoring young children across the country. In return, the student is rewarded with a grant towards their tuition.

“City Year was built with the premise that one person can make a difference and has promoted the vision of service as a common expectation for citizens around the world,” said Deluties. “Today, City Year has a laser-focus on fighting then national drop out crisis.”

Bentley’s partnership with City Year “set the stage for an incredible program,” said Deluties. “Through give a year partnerships, colleges and universities highlight their commitment to service by providing financial scholarships and recognition to students who give a year or more of service to their communities through City Year.”

Furthermore, the formal partnership established what Deluties referred to as a “turning point” for the organization. “[It shaped] how we support our alumni across the country and recognizing the values and transferability of the skills gained through City Year through further education in disciplines from business, social work, public health, and education, to name a few.”

“City Year and Bentley have begun exploring other ways to collaborate, over and beyond the give a year scholarship program,” said Edward Zlotkowski, Director of the Service Learning Center. “For example, this year Professor Linda McJannet taught a section of Expos 101 that made use of City Year resources to explore educational inequality and the urban dropout crisis. The Bentley Service-learning Center and City Year are currently discussing other course-based collaborations for the coming academic year.”

Bentley University students have found the City Year experience indescribably rewarding. “I served with City Year because I witnessed first-hand what a drama afterschool program did for the students at a local elementary school in Waltham,” said Kiernan Patenaude, a student currently enrolled in the fifth year program at the university. “It was a challenging year, but a rewarding one. I learned how to operate on a diverse team and how to work with students struggling to make it to grade level.”

“We currently have over 2000 corps members serving on teams in 23 locations across the United States,” said Deluties. “We continue to grow nearly every year in response to the need in schools and cities across the country, and are excited to continue recruiting and selecting idealistic young leaders who are ready work on a team, be a leader, develop leadership skills and be ready to commit ten months to full-time service.”

Cent-Impede

On March 28, a Collins Hall resident reported that an insect invasion was bugging him. In just a few ticks, facilities responded to the room, where they told all occupants to flea. Seeing that removing the dormiscuous bugs wasn’t nearly as easy as ant-icipated, the exterminators had to result to using hor-nets to catch them. Usually, such antics are left for extermination of brothels, where worms can do a lot of damage. Luckily, however, all of the pests fell for the trick, and the dorm room is now clean again. The residents are safe, and the apartment is able to bee as fly as ever. Well, at least for another moth…

Broken and Entered

Last week, University Police were asked to assist Waltham Police in the investigation of a rather unfortunate event that occurred off- campus: A Bentley student reported that their car had been forcibly broken-into. The vehicle was parked in Waltham when it was penetrated, and several personal items, including a Bentley-issued laptop computer, were stolen. The newly web-enabled criminal appeared to have gained access to the interior of the vehicle by throwing a rock through the passenger-side window. Our condolences go out to the victimized student, but the question remains: what the heck were you doing parking your car in Waltham? There are only a few things in the good ole ‘tham that are worth leaving campus for, and none of them involve stepping foot out of your car. For future reference, the “park” mechanism in your car is only useful in one situation ‘round these parts, and that’s when you’re sitting in rush- hour traffic on Main Street. Other than that, keep those wheels a-turnin’!

Traffic Troubles

A staff member reported being involved in an off-campus motor vehicle accident last week. When the law-abiding member of the Bentley community stopped for a red light, the driver of the trailing vehicle was not as quick to the brake pedal. After smacking the rear end (not in that way…get your mind out of the gutter!), the party at fault was pretty piston felt that our fellow Falcon stopped abruptly. Obviously this dude wanted to make a car-cass out of the venerable Bentley employee, but his words didn’t mirror the wheel story. If you ask these reporters, this dangerous driver deserves a good ol’fashioned gas-kicking.

Toilet Turmoil

Dispatch received a call this week from a Bentley student who reported that his toilet was clogged and “backing up into his room”. The dispatch officer, for some strange reason, only notified facilities of the matter. What was he thinking?! Doesn’t he realize that we have a walking toilet on our hands? I mean look what the kid said: the toilet was literally backing up into his room. Like, it already destroyed the bathroom and now was turning its wrath to the rest of the room. What’s next? The rest of the building? The Green Space? God forbid…MEIN BOWL? Who knows where this toilet will stop its treacherous path of destruction! Someone call the Seals!

Faulty Fakey

Last Sunday evening, an officer was administering an inventory of a Bentley student’s wallet when he discovered what appeared to be a fake, out-of-state identification. The officer seized the questionable ID and performed an investigation into its validity. It was determined that the ID was indeed falsified; the real identification number actually belonged to a female party in the state where the ID was issued. Textbook fakey mistake. Always make sure that your new ID digits from ID chief aren’t ALREADY IN USE. Those guys must be running low, huh? Just repeating identification numbers, hoping no one notices. Getting so lazy. Pretty soon Skellig is gonna get wind of this…GREAT. What are we going to do on Thursdays now? At least you don’t need an ID for nug night…

This is in Bold

Last week featured multiple arrests surrounding the issue of alcohol. There were people under 21 consuming it. There were people consuming it in public. There were belligerent drunk people fighting with the police that arrested them. Heck, there were even belligerent drunk people under 21 consuming alcohol in public and them fighting with the police! Why not go for the trifecta, right? These reporters don’t quite understand this – as college students, we should be much more creative. Is nice weather the one reason to drink during the day? Think about it…you can look online and find out that every day is a holiday. By no means are we promoting day drinking, we’re just saying that nice weather isn’t the only reason to celebrate. A few other events that are cause for celebration: finishing your GB 320 project, acing your GB 212 exam and taking your last ever midterm. These are all up-and-coming joyous moments, and we encourage you to celebrate them responsibly.

FRESHMAN PUKE COUNT

Two. That’s it. Two. It’s depressing, really. These kids are so inconsistent. But who knows, maybe they will eat too many Cadbury Eggs this Easter weekend and start a little puke streak… Hey, can’t we dream?

On February 22, 2012, President Gloria Larson made a written appearance on Boston.com, featuring a post   “A Step In the Wrong Direction,” written in collaboration with Treasurer of Massachusetts Steven Grossman. The article is essentially a response to the Boston Club 2010 census which revealed that only 11.3 percent of board seats for the largest 100 public corporations in Massachusetts are occupied by women.

President Larson and Treasurer Grossman whose friendship dates back before his term and to Larson’s years as a practicing lawyer, concentrate greatly on the benefit of increasing the amount of women serving on boards for major corporations.  “I know that he’s been very influential when it comes to hiring women and people of color and when he became the state treasurer held a major meeting at Bentley last fall,” said Larson of Grossman.  At the time, Larson voiced her support for the treasurer’s agenda, highlighting his inclination “to invest in companies that have a good track record when it comes to things like this.”  That meeting led to Larson and Grossman co-authoring this article.

According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review cited by Larson, “…if a group includes more women, its collective intelligence rises.” Larson attributes this statement to the intrinsic benefits of diversity.  “What we mean by that is that you have a group of people that brings a broader perspective to the conversation, when you have a group of directors for a publicly traded company, you make better decisions.  You need a group of people that reflects that broader market place…national and global companies’ customers and clients want the folks at the top to look like they do.”

Larson explains that this broader perspective, including women and people of color, contributes to a “a more diverse set of views that when it comes to dealing with all the problems that the corporate world faces.” Larson affirms the advantage of a diverse board stating “companies that have a diverse board of directors…do better financially and perform better in a whole host of other ways too.”

In reference to the future for women in high corporate leadership roles, Larson admits the process will be slower than advocates would like. “The number should be much higher but unfortunately it will take a long time to get there,” said Larson. However, the trend seems to indicate that the more women who earn leadership roles, “the more you attract other smart women and other smart people generally to your company,” said Larson. This creates a “positive forward looking place to work,” said Larson, who continued to emphasize the overall contribution to the bottom line that women make as well.

Larson also spoke to the history of this long-standing reality of the business world. “This has been an issue for a very, very long time…since I was in college and law school myself. We’ve all wanted to speed this process up….for women and people of color when it comes to success in the corporate world. I do think that there’s been significant change…despite the fact that the numbers [show otherwise].”

Larson does not contribute the problem to “overt discrimination”. Instead, she feels that “the corporate world needs to figure out a way to be friendlier to families and add more leadership training opportunities for women.”

Currently, Bentley’s Center for Women and Business is working to “offer those opportunities to you [students] while you are still at Bentley….and we are working with companies you will work for as well…to help them develop and retain talented women in their companies.” Larson continued to state, “How proud I am that treasurer Grossman asked Bentley to do this because I think our center is going to be such an influential player in changing some of the ‘rules of the corporate road’.”

Larson would like to encourage everyone who is interested to attend the official launch of the Center for Women and Business on April 27.

On Friday, March 16, the Bentley community suffered an immense loss with the death of 23 year old graduate student Qinpei (Vivian) Lin.

“This is such a tragic loss for our community. My heart hurts for this beautiful, bright young woman with her whole life ahead of her; and for her dear family,” said Amanda King, director of sustainability, on Lin’s Facebook memorial page. “Qinpei, we will miss you but I am certain you are bringing joy and light to millions from above. All of our love here at Bentley goes out to you and your family.”

Lin was crossing Beaver Street when she was hit by an oncoming truck. Waltham Police responded to the accident at 3:20 pm to find that the student had suffered serious injuries. According to the Waltham police report, the operator of the truck was a 41 year old male from Waltham, MA. The accident is still under investigation.

“Our hearts go out to Vivian’s family, friends, and colleagues,” President Gloria Larson said. “This is such a tragedy for all those who knew and loved this young woman.” President Larson released a formal statement saying Lin was a “bright, passionate and vibrant young woman.”

Lin was a student from Chengdu, Sichuan, China pursing her master’s degree in accounting in the Bentley MSA program and had accepted a full time position with PWC in China. She had completed her undergraduate studies at Beijing Technology and Business University with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Economics and Trade.

The Assistant Dean of the McCallum Graduate School, George Thompson, first addressed the Bentley community on Friday evening shortly after the accident revealing the impressive accomplishments she achieved throughout her life.

“During her undergraduate experience, she worked at China Merchants Securities and Kalyuan Group,” said Thompson. “Her extracurricular activities included working as the department head of the Accounting Association, vice president of Finance Association, and section leader of the College Chorus.”

There will be a service for Lin on Friday March 23 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Executive Dining Room of the LaCava Center. In honor of Lin’s religious and cultural beliefs, the Bentley community would like to remind attendees of Chinese and Buddhist customs. The color white is prevalent at funerals, and flowers are sent as a gesture of condolences and support. The Bentley community is committed to honor these traditions in order ensure that the Qinpei’s family feels welcome and comfortable.

Facilities has graciously provided a weeping cherry tree in honor of Qinpei, along with an assortment of flowers, near the Graduate School sign.

“I know many are still struggling to comprehend the sudden loss of such a promising young life. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to her family,” said Larson, “I know many who were close to Vivian and shared classes and friendship with her are also experiencing significant grief and sadness. Our thoughts and prayers are with each one of them as well.”

“It is customary for the color white to be prevalent at funerals, whereas red is traditionally for weddings,” said the Spiritual Life Team and The McCallum Graduate School. “For appropriate dress at the memorial, red should be avoided and dark colors preferred. In lieu of gifts, flowers can be used as a gesture of expressing your condolences and support.”

The administration would like to remind students of the availability of resources to reach out to those who are struggling to deal with this sudden death and tragic loss. The Student Counseling Center, the Spiritual Life Center, the Center for Health and Wellness and the Graduate School offices are all available for grief counseling and help.

Bentley students spend spring break working with Habitat for Humanity

Last week, 24 students travelled to Boynton Beach, Florida to participate in Bentley’s Alternative Spring Break trip. There, they worked with Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County to help build their 99th and 100th houses for those in need.

“We worked Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,” said Julia Osborn, a sophomore. “We were able to almost entirely put the plywood on the roof of one house and put up all the trusses on the 100th house.”

Students learned skills from Habitat for Humanity’s full time volunteers, some of whom have experience with contracting and some who have simply gained expertise through their many years of service.

The group also spent most of their time together after working. Every night, they reflected on their experiences, which “brought the group closer,” said Lynne Johanson, Service-Learning Administrative Assistant.

Seniors Sean Smith and Jette Welch served as the student leaders for the trip, making this their second Alternative Spring Break experience. “They were the glue for the group and kept everyone involved in a positive way,” said Johanson. They also served as liaisons between the students and staff.

A group of students who went on the trip, including seniors Leslie Dias and Casey Zmudzinski, sophomores Gregg Diamant, Marcie Dineen and Joe Leonard and freshman David Segill, agreed that it was a beneficial and enjoyable experience. “I can’t pinpoint one specific thing that made it a great trip,” said Diamant. “It’s about the whole experience.”

They all appreciated having the chance to meet like-minded Bentley students whom they may have never encountered if not for the trip. “I didn’t know anyone going into the trip,” said Leonard. “Now, I’ve been able to meet 23 new people who I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

“You’re not only learning skills about the logistics of building houses, but also the socioeconomic factors that go into buying and owning a house,” said Dineen. “I feel like I grew personally and also learned about working as a team with other people.”

Segill agreed, “It was a really rewarding experience. I learned about myself and about other people.”

“The trip was the best experience I’ve had since I’ve been at Bentley,” said Osborn.  “It was incredible to be able to help a family achieve their dream of owning a house. It really put things in perspective in my life.”

Students also discussed the trip in relation to their other spring break experiences. “It was nice to get to know a different group of people and bond over this experience,” said Dias. Zmudzinski said he did not want to do the same thing for spring break as last year and he liked that “each day was filled with something different.”

“It was much more rewarding and beneficial than a traditional spring break trip, but just as fun,” agreed Welch. When Johanson asked them if they would want to go back, all said yes.

Bentley’s Alternative Spring Break program has brought students to work with Habitat for Humanity in South Palm Beach for the past 10 years. Through this program, “Students not only get the benefit of helping others, but they also learn about the world around them,” said Johanson. “Not everyone is as fortunate as they are. Students get a firsthand look at what people have to do to make it through life.”

Throughout their time in Florida, students were able to see the impact they were making. “People in the community were so grateful for what we were doing,” said Osborn. “One night, a retired Habitat worker commended us on our work, giving up our spring break to help others, and told us that people like us give him faith in the future of America. It was a really powerful moment for everyone and it made me realize that what we are doing matters not only to the future homeowners, but also people of the community.”

In order to top last semester’s performances by Donald Glover with opener Harrison Greenbaum, CAB had to plan and execute an even better show filled with amazing talent and something a little more outrageous and unorthodox. This Sunday, Bentley students are looking forward to the comedic stylings of Roastmaster General, Jeff Ross, with opener Anthony Jeselnik.

“As an overarching CAB goal,” explains comedy committee co-chair Matthew Schick, “we want to create the best experience for students as possible.” Things are going to be done a little differently this semester. “We want people talking about this for years… it is a radical departure [from previous shows] that I think people will enjoy,” reveals co-chair Patrick Maguire. Jeff Ross, the Roastmaster General of Comedy Central and crowned “Meanest Man in Comedy,” is shifting his focus away from celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Donald Trump, and Charlie Sheen to a place so near and dear to our hearts: Bentley University.

As part of a series of appearances named “Jeff Ross Roasts America,” it is pretty cool that this comedian is making a stop at this modestly sized business school and, as he puts it, “ripping [us] a new one.” Maguire hints that, “Ross has been well-informed about Bentley… its quirks and lovable [aspects].” So don’t plan on watching just generic roasts of a fill-in-the-blank college campus. Probably what most students will look forward to is when Ross pulls students up on stage and roasts them on the spot. And as fans of Ross know – no one is safe.

Opener Anthony Jeselnik himself is no newbie to roasts, participating in both the Sheen and Trump specials on Comedy Central. He is an up-and-coming comedian that help students forget that the next day is a Monday.

This semester, CAB opened the slots for student openers up for submissions. They received mostly YouTube videos upon which the committee voted. With pretty significant margins, the committee came to a convincing consensus on the two students. For the third time in a row, Josh Seiden will be making AEPi proud with his witty repartee. From his first performance to his second, he really shaped his set and came into his own comedic voice, so look forward to see what he has in store for us this semester! The other student, Ian Rich, is no stranger to CAB Comedy Shows, helping with advertisements and branding.

With only around 480 seats in Koumantzelis Auditorium, make sure you arrive on time. In fact, waiting in line early is not a bad idea, especially since people began congregating at 5 p.m. last semester. Doors open at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 25, and the student openers are set to perform at 7:20 p.m. Jesenik will grace the stage at 7:30 followed by Ross and his one hour of what may prove to be a brutal roast of Bentley and its students.

The 18th annual Festival of Colors is here! President, Iris Leung, and Secretary, Sai Navani, of the International Students Association (ISA) reveal what we can expect at this semester’s exciting performance coming up on March 31 at 5:30 p.m. in Koumantzelis.

Actively involved with ISA and the Festival of Colors (FOC) since their first year on campus, Leung and Navani proudly spoke about this long-running tradition that entertains, educates and, most importantly, showcases the multitalented Bentley University student body, and this year the theme is the apocalypse of 2012. FOC was started 18 years ago by Barbara Kluesner who previously held the position of ISA adviser and is currently working at the Center for International Students and Scholars (CISS). Iris explains that the festival actually “started in [Barbara’s] basement…and it had a very homey feel to it and every year it just got bigger and bigger,” and more extravagant as well. Navani interestingly noted that the event itself is probably older than some of the students performing in it, which places an interesting perspective on this long-standing tradition. Around thirty students are participating in this year’s show including the executive board members, the FOC committee, and the performers themselves resulting in fourteen different performances. One of the biggest obstacles in the execution of any major performance is the organization process, and in order to combat this ISA begins their brainstorming process months prior to the actual performance’s show date and actually begins painting the Koumantzelis backdrop in early January. Between this time and March, the FOC committee begins to run through the performers’ applications and arranges the performances to their liking.

Like previous years, the event begins with an opening ceremony that consists of the ever-popular Parade of Flags, displaying the incredibly diverse and dynamic countries that are represented both in the festival and on Bentley campus. The show alternates between talent show and fashion show until all fourteen performances have been run through. While chatting with a performer in the show, Bessa Nicoletta, a student from Indonesia, excitedly described the dance she and her friends are debuting at the festival. Without giving too much away, if you follow the K-pop scene at all, you definitely do not want to miss this fun segment. Some popular and highly anticipated shows that thankfully return to the stage every year include SASA’s Bollywood dance, LCL’s Latin dance, and the African and Asian fashion shows, and these are only a fraction of the performances that will be showcased that night.

After the show, you can find the buffet featuring an array of international foods that ISA is kindly providing the audience with, in the EDR. Bring $10 if you’re coming with a guest and the proceeds will go to charity. With the indefinite goal of always improving and expanding, this year’s Festival of Colors is surely not one to miss!

Chegg, through their “Chegg’s are you the ONE” initiative, is searching for qualified and dedicated candidates for their once in a lifetime internship in Africa and Bentley Sophomore Sarah Collette might be that ONE. Collette was announced as one of the 50 semifinalists declared on March 7 who have the opportunity to spend part of their summers in Zambia and South Africa.

“I heard about the ONE organization through Bentley Campus originally, then this opportunity was mentioned to me by another member for the Mmofra Trom Bead Project,” said Collette. Bentley’s support for the Mmofra Trom Bead Project, an initiative supporting an education center in Somanya, Ganya, was recently recognized as the winner of a worldwide challenge among international student-run nonprofit social enterprises.

Collette’s original 500 word submission which distinguished her as a semifinalist in the competition focused on the Mmofra Trom Bead Project which she is currently involved in on campus.

Collette’s original interest in Africa was sparked by an early childhood occurance. “My brother’s childhood friend was misdiagnosed when I was in fifth grade with a torn cartilage which turned out to be a very serious cancer,” said Collette. “It was then that I took an interest in health care and my passion spiraled into health care in Africa specifically, where I felt helping people would have the most impact/those where people who needed us the most and that I could learn the most from.”

Collette, currently majoring in Management with a Liberal Studies Major concentration in Heath and Industry accompanied by a minor in non-profit organizations, says her faculty-led abroad trip in January 2011 to Ghana with Professor Tony Kisewski, “really satisfied and re-defined” her passion. The class analyzed the health challenges facing the area, including not only specific diseases but also “lack of access to health care, trash and pollution problems, lack of access to clean water, and no running water at all,” said Collette who hopes to use her degree to “fulfill my aspirations to work abroad with health care in Africa and developing nations.”

Now, Sarah needs the Bentley community’s help. In order to become one of the 20 finalists, Collette must receive more votes than the other semifinalists. The online voting process is done through facebook and closes on March 21.

“It’s important for us to be transparent,” said senior and president of AIA, Ryan DeChance. “It’s the student’s money, and when they elect us, they expect us to do the right thing with their money.”

DeChance and sophomore Tim Dean have spent a good amount of time each semester creating a pie chart that shows exactly how much money is being allocated to which specific clusters of student organizations on campus. They believe that transparency and well-kept records of allocations are necessary for the group to function efficiently.

“It’s an important tool for us to be able to justify our decisions,” said Dean. “We can show people within organizations the percentages.” There are 108 recognized organizations on campus, and from those active organizations, 600 events are held per academic year. Of course, this requires a very carefully weighed and allocated student budget that is both practical and representative of student wants and needs.

“Our hope in trying to be more transparent is for students to take this in mind and in turn, explain to us what they want to see more of,” said DeChance. AIA is looking for feedback from the student body as to what students would like to see more or less of on campus.

Each year, and more recently, each semester, AIA breaks down what percentage of its budget goes to which cluster, and then compares and contrasts this data to past years and current student desires. These semesterly graphs are created in order to show students and staff alike what the student activity fee is going towards.

The sections on the graph are divided by ABA clusters – “for the sake of continuity, we break this up by the same system,” said Dean. Clusters vary in size, and ABA representatives usually belong to a group within their cluster. While AIA may break down their financials by cluster, they tend to divvy up work among liaisons in a different and more equitable fashion.

Bentley is unique in that its entire student activity fee goes to AIA to be allocated among campus organizations, and campus organizations only. Some other schools in the area allocate a portion to staff and faculty, and a portion to maintenance, while here at Bentley the entire fee goes straight to supporting groups on campus. The breakdown is completely in the discretion of the members of AIA.

As noted on the graph, co-sponsorships are a section of the pie but do not necessarily belong to a cluster. When groups cosponsor events, the budget comes out of this portion instead of out of one group or another. The majority of the portion allocated to CAB contributes to Spring Day, the Halloween dance, comedy shows and so on.

A major portion of Class Cab’s funding goes towards subsidizing the Bahamas trip. DeChance and Dean went further in explaining that the next largest portion, club sports, spent its majority on tournaments, whether it was on transportation, lodging, or entrance fees.

AIA is committed to providing students with what they want and need on campus. As DeChance and Dean point out, even if a student were to only attend Spring Day each year he or she was a student here, that student would still be capitalizing on his or her Student Activity Fee.

The point is that all students have the opportunity to capitalize on the events put on through the student activity fee that each student pays. There is real value to each of these events, where students can take out much more than what they have paid initially or put in.

“AIA will rarely fund something if they don’t feel that students are gaining from it,” said DeChance. He and Dean went on to explain that the committee really appreciates smaller events that grow on campus. Diwali is a good example, pointed out Dean, of a small event that grew exponentially over the years. AIA is looking for more events such as this that will both fulfill a student desire and provide students with an enriching experience.

A student activity fee survey, to be released after Spring Break via e-mail, will allow AIA to see what students would like to see more of on campus. The survey will assess how well the student activity fee is serving students currently, and then it will determine how to allocate this money, according to student desire. The incentive is for students to have their voice heard, and for students to understand how each of their student activity fees is broken down.

“So we’re turning to the student body to see what new ideas we should entertain,” said Dean. The committee is eager to hear new ideas for events on campus. Groove Boston is the perfect example of a new idea that was brought up to AIA last year; some of the extraneous funding from the year before carried over and turned into the funding for Groove Boston this past year. The committee is looking for more projects like this one.

“AIA is very much a support network for organizations on campus,” said DeChance. There are 9 liaison positions that are open to run for this upcoming April. Information will be sent out soon to the general student body. The positions are open to everyone and students are encouraged to both apply and to share their thoughts through the student activity fee survey. Contact Ryan DeChance, Timothy Dean, or the committee at GA_AIA@bentley.edu for more questions or comments.

Wood in Trees

University Police were dispatched to Cedar Hall last Saturday night to respond to reports of a rather intoxicated student. Upon finding the student standing near the third floor Men’s bathroom, the responding officers got quite a show: the student was reportedly “not fully clothed.” The officers, eyes closed tightly we presume, interrogated the nudist student and came to the conclusion that he was, well, sledge-hammered. His rap sheet will include an underage alcohol violation, public intoxication, and protective custody. The student was wrapped in a blanket and promptly transported to the hospital for treatment. Looks like that makes two pigs in blankets seen by the residents of Cedar Hall this night!

Leap Cray

On February 29, a student reported that she hit a motor vehicle at the Orchard Deck. More specifically, her vehicle hit another vehicle. Her fist wouldn’t do much damage, but that’s beside the point. Apparently, this automotive attack occurred after the reporting student backed out of a handicap spot, which she parked in to drop somebody off. Now, it’s great that the driver reported this, but one has to wonder what was going through her head. Just because it’s a Leap Day doesn’t mean that our common standards of legality and decency can be disregarded! Karma works its magic, regardless of how many days are in the calendar year. Handicap spots are blue for a reason, and you’ll be blue if you park in one. Don’t test karma, because she’s a witch.

Keep it in the Family

A female student reported to University Police that a gray suitcase had been stolen from her car. When asked about the contents of the suitcase, the student responded: “Cash.” There are no leads in this case, but we aren’t too worried. Considering the fact that this chick was rolling around with a suitcase filled with straight greenbacks, these reporters fully expect that the thief will show up very soon…most likely in the trunk of a black Cadillac driven by some guy named Sal somewhere in the North End.

Have You Seen My Laptop?

Last Monday morning, University Police took a call regarding a larceny that occurred in the Smith Technology Center. A female reported that her laptop had been stolen from a room in which she had been studying. Apparently, the student briefly left the room and returned to find her laptop missing. When asked to describe the computer, the student informed University Police that it was a HP EliteBook 8440p, colored silver. If you see any computers that look like this, PLEASE LET UNIVERSITY POLICE KNOW IMMENDIATELY!

Snow

On the evening of March 1, a sergeant notified dispatch of inclement weather on campus. Dispatch notified grounds who, upon looking outside, verified the fact that it was snowing. The drivers of the numerous motor vehicles that crashed between Rauch and Collins would presumably agree with this statement.

Famished Frosh

After hearing the sound of glass smashing last Thursday night, a concerned citizen informed University Police of possible foul play in Miller Hall. Officers, upon arriving to the dormitory, found that the first floor candy machine had been broken into and stolen from. A freshman hooligan was seen fleeing the scene of the crime, and University Police were able to track him down. The student not only admitted to breaking and stealing from the machine, but he will also be charged with possession and use of a controlled substance, for his odor was suggestive of a night spent with our old friend Mary Jane. Quite a costly case of the munchies we have here! Just remember: Asia Wok > larceny and a drug violation…9 times out of 10.

Parked Her Car-cas

A female student was placed into protective custody on the evening of Saturday, February 25. Despite enlisting the help of her friend, a female student was experiencing difficulty in exiting a vehicle in front of Collins on the evening of Saturday, February 25. These reporters usually recommend the feet-first method, but this girl decided to put her feat first. Unfortunately, she was unable to successfully disembark from her failboat, and she surprisingly failed an ensuing sobriety test. This co-ed will be charged with public intoxication and an underage alcohol violation. However, she now knows a few ways to not exit a car!

DOCUMENTED FROSH PUKE COUNT

The freshmen continue their moderate pace this week, gagging their way to an additional six pukes. At this midpoint of the semester, the freshmen have accumulated a Spring 2012 total of 45 documented pukes. Let us put that into perspective for you: at the END of last semester, this same group had 57 vomits. Considering that we still have St. Patrick’s Day, Patriot’s Day, and SPRING DAY left to go, these frosh are set to obliterate their fall semester mark. Now, don’t get cocky kids, but you guys just might be on pace for some record-breaking numbers!

In light of a recent deadly shooting in an Ohio high school, it is important to consider Bentley’s own preparedness in the event of a similar emergency situation. “This is a perfect opportunity to share some of the most important elements of our prevention and response programs with our campus community,” said President Gloria Larson.

Bentley’s Student Affairs team, which includes Counseling and Student Development, the Health & Wellness Center, University Police and Residence Life has a variety of programs and initiatives in place to both prepare for and respond to these types of situations.

“It is my desire, and that of our entire staff and faculty at Bentley, to keep our students safe in all circumstances. We work hard to have emergency response systems for a variety of events that we hope we will never have to face, but we need to be ready to handle,” said Larson. “We do have a wide ‘safety net’ series of activities in place on an ongoing basis that focus on prevention, in addition to a comprehensive crisis response plan and team.”

“There have been a few times when we have had to respond to an emergency on our campus. Although the circumstances are always difficult, our team’s response has been swift, thoughtful, and comprehensive – they have a proven track record for successful management of critical situations,” explained Larson. “I feel very confident that our staff is well-trained, experienced and capable. They are committed to making our community a safe one.”

Andrew Shepardson, Dean of Student Affairs, discussed the various initiatives carried out by the Student Affairs team. “A group of campus administrators and staff meet weekly to discuss any student who may be having difficulty, on or off campus,” he said. “Behavioral, academic, social, and other concerns are addressed with a plan for outreach to that individual by a specific staff member.”

In addition, students with a serious history of trouble meet individually with a staff member each semester in order to discuss their concerns and their progress toward a more successful life on campus.

A number of resources are also available on campus to educate the community about these types of issues. Students are likely familiar with the Center for Health & Wellness’ “Spotter” campaign, which provides guidance regarding how and when to report that a friend needs help. The Center for Health & Wellness also collaborates with Residence Life by providing bystander training, which “trains students and student leaders to increase their confidence on becoming active bystanders and not ignore issues,” said Shepardson. “Any student can contact the Center for Health & Wellness for this training.”

“One of the first points of contact for many students is their Resident Assistant or Resident Director,” said Shepardson. “These staff members are well-trained and provide guidance to students in any number of situations.” They aim to build a community and maintain safety and civility throughout the Bentley campus.

The University has a Crisis Planning Committee (CPC) to plan for emergencies both on and off campus. University Police is greatly involved in crisis planning and response as well. It lists a variety of resources on its website to address both prevention and preparedness. It also has the ability to contact any and all members of key offices on campus 24/7.

In the event of a crisis, “University Police and the CPC team would work closely to quickly establish what is happening, collect vital facts, and communicate what the campus community should do, as soon as possible via the Blackboard Connect System which broadcasts emergency messages simultaneously via email, text, cell phone and landlines,” said Ernest Leffler, Chief of University Police.

Leffler therefore emphasized the importance of providing accurate email and cell phone information so students and parents can be notified of emergency situations. Guidance and updates would continue to be provided through these channels. In addition, the Bentley website utilizes an emergency banner to notify both the internal and external community of an emergency situation. Off campus, University Police work closely with the Waltham Police Department as well as Waltham’s emergency planning committee to address crisis situations.

“Although the phrase has become a bit clichéd, it is true and important — if you see something, say something. All community members — faculty, staff and students — should reach out to University Police or members of the Student Affairs team if they have any questions or concerns,” said Dean Shepardson. “Please get familiar with the many links and resources provided here so you can feel prepared should any serious situation arise. “

Vienne Cheung, a recent Bentley alum who graduated in 2008, founded a unique online boutique featuring high end women’s thigh highs, a popular European alternative to pantyhose. Her boutique, VienneMilano, sells products made in Italy for American women “who want to reveal their style and confidence by being elegant, playful, and sexy in every occasion.”

Cheung’s inspiration for the company came from her personal experience in America. “For the longest time, I was not able to find elegant thigh highs in the States. Instead, I found thigh highs that were either poor quality (and not comfortable) or super expensive, yet lacked the selection. That’s when I realized that there was a business opportunity,” said Cheung.

Cheung described the perceived benefits of thigh highs versus the conventional women’s pantyhose frequently sported by females in formal settings. “In the business world, women are often required to wear uncomfortable pantyhose…and frankly, I hate wearing pantyhose. Instead, I prefer thigh highs as they are not made with an uncomfortable waist band,” said Cheung.

The selling point of Cheung’s product is the built in comfort that traditional pantyhose seem to lack. “Thigh highs, in particular VienneMilano’s, are made with a silicone band which won’t squeeze and or pinch any part of you,” said Cheung.

Through extensive personal networking, VienneMilano was able to amass great support for its launch party in November of 2011. “The greatest assets during the startup process is the network of supportive family, friends, former coworkers who were very willing to be there,” said Cheung. “For example, at the VienneMilano launch party that was held at the InterContinental, 250+ attendees showed up due to word of mouth,” said Cheung.

Currently, Cheung’s greatest challenges are American preconceptions of VienneMilano products due to previous experience with lesser quality brands. “First off, a lot of women are affected by their bad experience with inferior thigh highs. Where are a result, there’s a misconception that thigh highs are not comfortable, scandalous and will not stay up around a woman’s thigh,” said Cheung who quickly stated, “And this is NOT true for VienneMilano.”

Cheung’s other challenge arises from the “one-time-use” factor created by Halloween. “I dispute this idea as I believe that good hosiery can be worn for every occasion,” said Cheung. The band positioning for VienneMilano is that it is made for a woman to reveal her style and confidence be being elegant, playful and sexy in every occasion. Therefore, my collection of thigh highs are appropriate for settings like: the office, cold weather, elegant parties, and weddings. I decided to create a brand and collection using exquisite material and a silicone band that won’t make things uncomfortable for consumers.”

Cheung plans to address this issue through extensive marketing. Also in the future is a Spring/Bridal collection. “[It] includes lighter color and material beautiful floral patterns in luxurious material, making it perfect for the modern day bride.”

Cheung detailed her hopes for the Bridal collection based on her perceived need in the target market of young women. “To elaborate, getting married is an event that a lot of girls dream about. Every detail of that special day is carefully planned,” said Cheung. “A woman will want her hair, makeup and dress to be perfect. Why skimp out on hosiery?”

Cheung is offering a coupon for viewers of the article. For 20 percent off, enter BENTLEY as the promotional code.

These days, leadership in the real-world has become a prerequisite for almost any job. The Certified Bentley Leadership Program creates an opportunity for students to develop the necessary skills to become successful before and after graduation. For those who don’t know what the CBL program is, Bentley professor and CBL director Adam Payne explains it as “an action-based leadership development program which puts the onus on the students to meet the requirements in order to officially obtain ‘CBL Status.’”

Payne also gave some insight as to what students can expect going into the program. “This year, the program has mainly consisted of Leadership Seminars, which feature guest speakers,” said Payne. These seminars “provide students with some basic leadership training which they can use in their classroom and co-curricular efforts while at Bentley in order to articulate their preparedness for the coming internship and full-time positions,” Payne said.

To join, there aren’t any special requirements that have to be met, anyone and everyone is encouraged to join. However, Payne mentioned that students must “attend a certain number of CBL and Career Services programs for two semesters.” Once students get their CBL status, “the next phase of the program will consist of mentoring the incoming first-year students who are interested in the program. For newcomers, Payne said in a few words, “the first year focuses on exploration, and fine-tuning one’s definition of leadership.” He then clarified that “subsequent years will focus on mentoring and helping to develop the leadership potential of others.”

After completing the course, “the hope is that students will come out of the CBL program with a strong understanding of their leadership potential in order to be ready for their respective careers and other leadership pursuits,” said Payne. Companies are looking for people that aren’t afraid to make a difference in the world. The Certified Bentley Leadership Program provides all students the perfect way to get an edge by not only helping understand others, but understanding themselves. The CBL slogan says it all, “Leadership = ACTION.” The Certified Bentley Leadership program can prepare you for what’s to come.