Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

Four teams from Bentley University competed in the American Collegiate Moot Court Association Eastern Regional Tournament this past weekend in Fitchburg, MA.

Forty teams competed in total, representing Holy Cross, Princeton, Syracuse, the College of New Jersey, SUNY Cortland and SUNY Albany, Merrimack, Patrick Henry, Bridgewater State and Fitchburg State. Even though half of the team was new to competition, all four of Bentley’s teams advanced to the second round.

Only the top 10 teams in the eastern region receive automatic bids to nationals. This is the second Bentley team in the past four years to make this extremely tight cut.

Seniors Puja Shah and Shaun Boedicker advanced to the semi finals, automatically qualifying the team to compete in the national Moot Court Tournament in New Orleans this January.

Shah is a Management major and a Law minor, well known for her past role as president of SGA. She looks forward to participating in Teach for America in California after graduation.

Shaun is a Math major who also serves as an Admission Fellow for UGA and is an Academic Services tutor. He has been accepted to Duke so far and is looking forward to choosing and attending law school this September.

Also important to note, Bentley junior William Markow was awarded and recognized as being one of the top 10 orators out of the 80 competitors at regionals.

Markow placed seventh and received a plaque and a criminal law text as an award.

Markow and his teammate, senior Monil Kothari, also participated in a moot court demonstration at the Annual Meeting of the Northeast Political Science Association at the Parker House Hotel in Boston.

The other members of the Bentley team who competed in regionals and advanced to the second round were seniors Julia Brodowski and Christina Harstad, junior Sindhu Palaniappan and sophomore Alexis Lawlor.

All four teams began training over the summer, when the case at bar and 20 or so precedent cases were released to coaches.

Professor Franklyn Salimbene, well known for his law courses and his work as the director of Service-Learning here at Bentley, coaches the Moot Court team, and none of this would have been possible without him.

“There is no other coach like Professor Salimbene,” commented Kothari, who has competed for two years now.

“This course has been one of those rare courses you take that actually helps you prepare for the real world. No other course at Bentley provides the same level of analysis, presentation and public speaking skills,” he added.

The case at bar that was argued by the four Bentley teams dealt with Congressional power under the Commerce Clause, and the regulation of marriage – in particular same-sex marriage – by individual states.

Each issue was hotly contested and reinforced with hefty evidence supporting both sides. Contestants were given 20 or so cases to brief and commit to memory for their 10-minute arguments and rebuttals.

“In terms of my favorite part of the competition, I would say it was seeing all of the different arguments and ideas teams had for each of the cases,” said Boedicker.

“And in terms of moving onto nationals, I was definitely surprised. There are so many good teams that compete at regionals, so the difference between winning and losing is minute. It’s hard to think your own team is the one that will move on over another team.”

Shah agreed with every other student on the team, saying, “The moot court competition is honestly one of the greatest academic experiences. The thrill of arguing and presenting a case I’ve worked on for months is the greatest feeling, and winning the round only makes it better!”

She went on to talk about how exciting it is to see the team grow and welcome new members, this year doubling in size. “I wish I had counted the number of hours I dedicated to preparing for the competition, because every single one was worth it,” she said.

Editor’s Note: Sindhu Palaniappan currently serves a member of Bentley’s Moot Court Team.

Written By: Sindhu Palaniappan

After being rechartered to become the Bentley Speech and Debate Society (formerly the Bentley Debate Society) decided to host the Democratic Republican Debate last Wednesday, November 10, at 7 p.m. in the Back Bay.

This debate is an annual event which was stopped in the past because of the passion and rowdiness of its opposing Democratic and Republican crowds. Previously, crowds used to get angry and shout at each other across the invisible divider. Students would even yell at the debaters themselves, and the debates weren’t properly moderated.

This year, Bentley’s Speech and Debate Society revamped the event, making it more organized and civil. Both the Republican and Democratic teams were asked to present debaters, and the moderators from BSDS came up with topics to discuss. The questions spanned from job loss and ideas to create new jobs in the United States, to whether public healthcare was a viable option.

Debaters were also asked to discuss the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell military policy, and the military operations in Afghanistan in regards to U.S. withdrawal of troops. Another hot topic that was debated was decreasing the federal deficit in order to get national spending under control.

“The dialogue stayed very civil this year, but questions from the audience were pretty entertaining,” said John Karakelle, president of BSDS. The democratic side was on the left side of the room and the Republicans were on the right side. After fighting for the microphone, both sides launched pointed questions at the debaters.

Karakelle said that normally, audience members are expected to ask general questions for each side to respond to, but this year the crowd asked keen questions to the opposing side in order to cut them down a little.

The debate consisted of five questions in total, and was run in a formal debate format, which allowed both sides to express their positions on the issue and encourage competition between the two sides, not that there wasn’t enough already. For this reason, groups were given three minutes to respond to the actual question, and then five minutes for cross examination, with the debate consisting mostly of back-and-forth discussion.

BSDS already has a staple annual event called How to Ace Your 301 Presentation. When the Debate Society became the Speech and Debate Society, they did so with the intention of helping Bentley students out with their spoken skills, communications and other speech-related areas. This led them to help out with 301 presentations, since every Bachelor of Science student from the Class of 2012 and previous classes at Bentley is required to take GB 301.

BSDS draws professors from marketing, operations management and finance to speak to students about what they’re looking for specifically in these presentations. This allows students to see a more diversified view and approach to presenting their 301 projects. In the future, BSDS is looking to have a more interactive student body and hold more events to advance rhetorical skills on campus.

BSDS is getting more involved on campus with their new rechartering. On the topic of the debate, Karakelle said, “It was a good example of organizations coming together to have a constructive dialogue on contentious issues. And it was civil.”

New nonprofit related courses to be added throughout curriculum in addition to existing electives

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

Pending official approval by the faculty Curriculum Committee here at Bentley University is the new Nonprofit Organizations Minor. Ten percent of organizations in the United States are located in the Nonprofit sector, and this percentage is rising as nonprofits are becoming a more popular career choice.

It’s definitely a popular choice here at Bentley, as many professors have stepped up to teach proposed courses for the new minor, and many students share the same desire to learn more about nonprofit organizations.

Some new courses will be offered here at Bentley to accompany the minor, given that it is passed officially by the Curriculum Board. Courses can be major intensive for three of Bentley’s popular majors. For Accountancy majors, classes include AC 331: Government and Not-for-Profit Reporting, while Management majors may take, MG 340E: Theory and Management of Nonprofit Organizations, and Marketing for Nonprofits exists for Marketing majors.

There will also be other elective choices that will now contribute to the minor, courses such as EC 341: Urban and Regional Economics, GLS114: Cross Cultural Understanding, Principles of Media and Culture and PH 351: Perspectives on Poverty.

Some of the courses are already established courses here at Bentley, but a few, such as Marketing for Nonprofits and Theory and Management of Nonprofit Organizations, are brand-new courses.

As Professor Salimbene noted in his proposal for the minor, “Bentley has promoted ethics, service and social responsibility as central to its strategic mission… As a leading school of business and as a school that has made service central to its mission, it is only appropriate for Bentley to offer to its students a program of study in the nonprofit sector.”

Jacqueline Yen, a sophomore and prominent student in the Service Learning Department and behind the Nonprofit Organizations minor, noted that it “was rather odd that Bentley didn’t have any courses or studies in nonprofit business… Six out of the top-10 business colleges, ranked by BusinessWeek, have some sort of nonprofit business program available for their undergraduate students.” She brought these concerns to Salimbene last April, and together, they began planning for the new proposed minor.

Since so many students participate in the Service Learning Program here at Bentley, it is apparent that interest in service and nonprofit organizations is high here. What students are lacking is formal education about the nonprofit sector, which would provide “more opportunities for Bentley students in the job market and also promote Bentley’s strategic mission relating to ethics, service and social responsibility,” as Professor Salimbene said.

For all of those students out there who have a developing interest in one of the fastest growing sectors of the job market or an interest in service and giving back to the community, this new proposed minor is right up your alley, and it will hopefully be available by Fall 2011!

Written By Sindhu Palaniappan

Culture Fest 2010 is right around the corner, with the kick off during our 2:10 p.m. activity period this Monday, November 8! Stop by the MCC lounge on the top floor of the Student Center to see what’s going on. Each year Bentley celebrates Culture Fest, a week-long festival that celebrates diversity and various cultures of the students at Bentley. While there are cultural events throughout the year that are celebrated at Bentley, for example Diwali, Kwanza, LCL and Laraza, this week is specifically devoted to celebrating various cultures.

Tana Ruegamer from the Center for International Students and Scholars notes that while this week is really important, students should not forget all of the other year-round events as well. Since this event spans across the length of a week, it has been a challenge to organize, especially with everyone’s time constraints and busy schedules. There were three different committees organized to plan the events, ranging from students to faculty and staff. But nonetheless, this year’s Culture Fest line-up is looking better than ever.

Red for Africa kicks off this week and is sprinkled with different luncheons and dinners which represent different cultures. On the 10th there is a World Dance and Band Competition, not to mention Bentley’s Amazing Race on the 13th. Also on that day is the UN trip which is always popular among students.

Mark your calendars because November 15 is Food Fest, which features foods from many different cultures for students to sample, as well as dance lessons and live music from Los Sugar Kings. Be ready to embrace different cultures all year round, but especially this upcoming week!

Blaney leads talented Lady Falcons to playoffs in first season as head coach

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

Women’s Rugby had an impressive 5-0 winning streak this season, and it is one of the few Rugby teams to go into the playoffs undefeated thus far.

Women’s Rugby is a club sport here at Bentley, but in general it is a sport that’s really starting to take off around the country. Rugby originated in the United Kingdom and was only popular outside of the United States until the recent decade. Now, more colleges and even high schools are beginning to offer Rugby as an extracurricular.

New to coaching the team this year is Sharon Blaney, who played in the Women’s Rugby World Cup on the U.S. team this past summer, placing fifth overall. Blaney has been playing Rugby for 10 years, starting locally with Beantown Rugby and moving on to play with the national team, with whom she traveled to England for the World Cup. She said it was overall “a really good tournament, but we’re aiming for within the top four next year.”

Blaney started coaching here at Bentley last spring. “It’s a little different taking the teaching approach as opposed to the playing approach and being on the sidelines,” she said. Assistant Coach Yancy Graf is a former USA Eagle and a Rugby player, as well.

Normal Rugby games are 15 on 15, but Rugby sevens is a shortened version of the game, seven players on seven. Rugby sevens is to be featured in the next Olympic Games, showing how prominent Rugby is becoming in the United States. Bentley’s team is really taking off this year, with an undefeated season and a 64-0 victory against rival Babson.
While it was tough starting out with a new coach and new freshmen replacing the large amount of seniors that graduated, the team still did exceptionally well. Blaney points out that it’s tough getting new girls a week before the first game of the season and teaching them about the game, but she pointed out that the girls did “a crazy good job with recruiting this season,” again exemplified by how well the team did overall.

Bentley’s Women’s Rugby team placed first in their Conference and second in the overall division this year. Blaney feels that the team is really ready for the challenge, and Captains Shannon Duncan and Jenna Tortorici echo her thoughts. With a fairly new team and two new coaches, “people really had to step it up this season,” said the girls. “But they made us proud.”

The season was initially up in the air what with all of the new factors, but it worked out better than they had imagined. Some of the new girls commented on the “great atmosphere” of the team, mentioning that the girls “were both cool and welcoming, and the captains were inspiring.”

Written By: Sindhu Palaniappan

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” – John Quincy Adams, as cited in the introduction to Bentley’s Leadership Conference held this past Saturday in the Executive Dining Room. Bentley’s Service Learning Department put the conference together for high school students in the local area in order to expose them to collegiate-level academics and the importance of giving back to the community.

The Leadership Conference was directed at sophomores and juniors who attend high schools in the area. Present were thirty students from Dracut, Waltham, Woburn and Framingham who were selected by high school guidance counselors.

The room was abuzz before the conference began; students were filled with questions for each other and for Bentley students about the college process and Service Learning.

Junior Greggory Grenier spearheaded the conference, working closely with a team of Bentley Service Learning project managers to allow the day to run smoothly. It was a student-run event, where Service Learning managers served the function of facilitators, running the workshops and guiding the students with impressive professionalism and order.

There were three different workshops held throughout the day, put on at three separate times so the students could break off into groups and get some individual time with facilitators. One workshop was about time management and goal setting, regarding collegiate-level academics. Another was about college preparation and the steps needed to figure out where a student would want to go and how to go about the application process. They held mock interviews for students and facilitators spoke of their experiences with the college process and with building resumés. The third workshop was one on leadership skills and the value of giving back to the community.

Along with being able to spend time with student facilitators, the high school students were allowed to sit in on a number of presentations put on by faculty.

Undergraduate Admissions spoke about the college process in depth from their perspective in order to show the students what was expected of them.

They also spoke about how high school students could make the most of their time now in order to help them when they apply to college, if they choose to do so.

Financial Aid put on an informational presentation about different types of aid and scholarships. Academic Advising also put on a presentation about specific majors and how to choose the one that’s right for you.

Advising also covered what classes to take and how to manage time in college, since schedules change drastically between high school and college. Students were provided breakfast and lunch, and time to reflect and talk about their own ideas when it came to giving back to the community.

Facilitators kept the mood light and engaged the students, connecting to them on a personal level and helping them feel comfortable with opening up. Although Bentley’s Service Learning has been involved in this field in the past, this is the first time the department has put on something quite like this, and they hope to continue to do so.

If this becomes an annual event, it would have plenty of room to grow and expand and include more high school students. Grenier commented about getting feedback and following up with the students who were able to attend the first conference, and how he looks forward to helping the department organize another conference next year.

Written By Sindhu Palaniappan

What did you do last summer? Started my own business, no big deal.

For sophomore Benjamin Fowler, a Finance and Global Perspectives double major here at Bentley, this was actually true. Ben started his own surf instruction school – Sacred Surf School – down in Cape Cod, and said that he had been in for a rude awakening when he realized how hard it was to actually undertake something so huge.

The school is a stand-alone organization that has already turned a profit within its first summer, something Ben hopes to expand for summers to follow. After working as a surf instructor for two summers and being responsible for another school’s bookings and reservations, the school Ben worked for went under, and instead of letting it go, he used the opportunity to start a school of his own.

Starting last December, he looked into the paperwork, accounting, and legalities of starting your own business, jokingly adding that he used to take business calls at parties and his friends ripped on him.

After sorting through paperwork, he started advertising by distributing brochures from Falmouth to Provincetown, talking to local surf shops and trying to work out a deal where he would promote their gear and they would promote his lessons. Two shops really pulled through, and Fowler helped them as much as they turned business over to his school, sometimes offering free lessons on behalf of the shop owners in order to help them promote their good name.
“Professionalism and gregariousness are key,” Fowler said, smiling and allowing that to segway into what it was like to be a 19 year old looking to start his own business. Instead of being anxious or afraid that he would look immature in the eyes of older businessmen, Fowler said, “Whether you’re 18 or 50, you’re still an adult,” and that’s how he carried himself.

“The best comparison [of having your own school] is like having a child, because you are so emotionally invested in it,” said Fowler. The first two weeks of business were like a “slap in the face,” when there was little business. “I overextended, then pulled back to be realistic, and once things got running, I overextended again,” he said. His face lit up as he spoke about plans to  improve next summer.

After paying back a loan he took to get the business running, Fowler ended up turning a profit within the first summer, expanding the business to include American Apparel shirts and hats. He found that when you give some of those things out for free, you can not only win over the customer, but you can also find a way to advertise.

In regards to advertising and his surf school’s website – sacredsurfschool.com – Fowler said, “It was all about creating a business and having a credible looking site. As long as the product is there, it’s all about how you market it.” Spoken like a true Bentley student.

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

The Vanguard took a moment to sit down with President Mike Repsch and Music Director Nic Smits of Bentley’s WBTY radio station and found out a few interesting things.

What is WBTY?
The campus radio station, for those of you who don’t know, is 105.3 FM, even though you can’t really get it outside of the Student Center. Kidding aside, it’s usually the background music in the Student Center and it is streamed online, so it is accessible basically anywhere.

What kind of music do you play?
We play all types of music from classical to hip-hop to hard rock and metal. We do have talk shows and variety shows, as well. WBTY is looking to expand, so DJ hopefuls – WBTY extends an invite to you. The DJs are allowed to play anything at their own discretion, so there is vast variety on this station. If you’d like to request a song, feel free to hit up 781.891.3488 and speak to a DJ.

What was the big “collapse” of WBTY earlier this semester?
The collapse, which is a fairly dramatic way to put it, was pretty much a lot of equipment malfunctions, the antenna breaking, as well as the website going down and us losing the code so we couldn’t stream music over the Internet.
Along with this, we lost its domain name, which was pretty well known among labels and other companies that provide the station with promotional items and CDs.

WBTY was stuck with a new domain name which wasn’t well known among labels, and this led to those labels being unaware that WBTY still even existed.

With equipment breaking and the supply of free promotional items and CDs cut off, WBTY was put in a compromising financial situation. This led to a ton of arguments with the school due to inadequate funding  to repair everything and a lot of effort to try and get everything back up and running again.

How are you working to “rebuild?”
We’re working on getting the equipment back up and running, along with contacting record companies in order to continue receiving CDs and promotional items again.

We are also tracking the music so people can see what we play and see what shows interest them. Another thing we’re doing is trying to promote the station so people know we’re back and really trying to make an impact and play a large role on campus.

Plans to collaborate with other groups, such as the Bentley Music Society, are coming in the future. WBTY is also looking into hosting a music festival of sorts to further expand the name they have here on campus.
To learn more or to simply tune into the station, visit radiobentley.com!

Written by: Sindhu Palanippan

The 39th annual Falcon Awards this past Thursday night recognized and honored many seniors and faculty while showcasing some of Bentley’s talent. The Skyline Trio was the house band, providing background music and contributing to the red carpet atmosphere, while the Bentley Jazz band took over after the ceremony and provided music during the dinner portion. Three of Bentley’s dance crews, Bhangra, Never Out of Moves, and BizRaas performed, along with some vocal performances from both Christian Holland and Bentley’s A Cappella group.

The Division of Student Affairs takes this yearly opportunity “to celebrate and recognize the many efforts of faculty, staff and most especially students who represent Bentley well.” The night began with a check presentation to President Gloria Larson. From the Up Till Dawn fundraiser, Bentley raised a little over $45,000.

The David A. Fedo Award for Contribution to the Arts and Sciences went to senior Dan Merica. Staff Member of the Year, cited as “a mentor, leader, friend, and a shining example of a staff member who takes that extra step for every student out there” went to Adam Payne. Faculty Member of the Year honors those who excel outside of the classroom in connections, dedication, and support. This year, the award went to George Sousa.

Each year, the school recognizes one male and one female outstanding athlete of the year. This year, Alyssa Sliney took the female title and Jason Westrol took the male title. The Edward J. Powers Scholar Athlete Award combines both athletics and academics, recognizing the senior who succeeds in both fields. This year the award went to Abigail DeMusis.

Those students who provide “distinguished, yet unrecognized, service to improve the quality of student life at Bentley University” are rewarded with the Unsung Heroes Award. These students are very involved in student affairs at Bentley, but may not necessarily be as well known as other students. This year, the Unsung Heroes Award went to four different seniors: Ashish Kumar, Liz Farley, Anne Marie Warner, and Jimmy Buckley. The Diversity Awareness Award is one that is “presented to a student or student organization at Bentley who is dedicated to promoting diversity, awareness and creativity, both on and off campus.” After the successful Day of Silence and everything else that this group has done, the award was given to PRIDE.

The Dean’s Award is another prestigious award that recognizes a student who “stands out in an exceptional way in character, deed, and efforts toward the Bentley community.” This year, the award went to Tyler Williams.
After this, the department found it appropriate to recognize an organization that greatly contributed to the community this past year, the Project Haiti Team, who raised nearly $30,000 in relief efforts to benefit ShelterBox.

Nominated by peers and approved by the department, Martha Perry won Most Involved Student and Shanell Mosley won the Outstanding Contribution to the Bentley Community Award for their hard work and dedication to the community over the past four years.

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

The Vanguard sat down with Bentley Entrepreneurship Society (BES) President Zakary Ewen, an Economics and Finance major and Global Sustainability liberal studies major, in order to learn more about BES.

Tell us about BES
BES was founded relatively recently in 2002, which makes it a fairly young organization. Our goal is to serve as a forum for all Bentley students in entrepreneurship, This entails owning businesses or working for a startup, any entrepreneurial environment.

What kind of events does BES run?
Current entrepreneurs come in to speak to those interested in the field. We just held our Pitch Party event, which continues to be successful. Last year we attended a national conference in Chicago, where we met with other groups similar to ours interested in the entrepreneurial field. Aside from this, we also offer other speaking events and movie screenings; we aren’t limited in what we offer.

Are you affiliated with any other groups on campus?
We do co-host events. For example, last semester we worked closely with the Bentley Marketing Association for Dart Boston. Dart Boston is an event that tours Boston and also does live podcasts, interviewing entrepreneurs in their twenties.

Tell us more about your recent Pitch Party
It was an elevator pitch competition held on April 13th, in the Wilder Pavilion. For an entrepreneur, an elevator pitch is a one to three minute speech where an entrepreneur pitches his or her business idea and plan to potential investors. This is an annual competition held every spring. Competitors usually come to network with the venture capitalists and angel investors, but this time BES provided more incentive. We fundraised for this event, based on our family and friend network, and raised $1,000 to be given away in prizes.

Thirteen students presented in all, representing Bentley and Northeastern. There was also interest amongst Bryant University and Boston University students. As for our five judges, we hosted two venture capitalists from Bain Capital Ventures and Commonwealth Capital Ventures, two BES founding members, and a Bentley University Faculty Chair who has founded multiple biotechnology firms. The contest was based on the quality of the actual pitch and the business itself that was being sold. The students were given a rough outline to follow, but they came up with most of it.

They were given one to three minutes to talk, and then five minutes to answer questions.

First place and a $600 prize went to Raymer Maguire for his Boston Designated Driver service.

Second place and a $300 prize went to Elizabeth Horgan and Richard Pruitt of Northeastern for their ScriptBot Company, one that allows students to share media files easily with college applications.

Third place and a $100 prize went to Michael Gaudion for his idea of ChocoArt USA, a company that produces detailed, 3-D chocolate art.

The event is held every spring and students are encouraged to attend, BES aims to beat their $1,000 fundraising mark next year!

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

Name:
John Richard Tommasi

What field does he teach?
Mainly economics, for freshmen through seniors. He also used to teach GB 101 until the curriculum changed.

Why did he choose teaching?
Because it’s really fun and he genuinely enjoys it. He even tells his students than when he “gets up in the morning, [he] looks forward to going to work. That means it’s not work.” Tommasi started teaching part time in 1981, while working as a full time cop in Salem, NH.
He retired in 2003 and switched to being a full time professor here at Bentley.

Why Bentley?
Tommasi taught at four different colleges, including UNH, his alma mater, but chose to stick with Bentley for a few reasons. The facilities, the other teachers and faculty, and especially the students, he stressed, make Bentley different from the other schools. He really feels like he can have a “one-on-one basis” with students here, something rare at a university.

Something interesting about his past?
The wildest answer received so far: Tommasi used to be an undercover cop who specialized in busting drug deals. He was assigned to the state for two years. He was also a pilot, and he owned a flight school and a charter business. He integrated the two by making his undercover cop persona a pilot. Slightly different than the average university professor.

Where did he do his undergraduate and graduate school work?
Both were done at the University of New Hampshire. Tommasi also worked at UNH for some time before coming to Bentley.

Best part of teaching?
“The interaction with the students and the fact that [he teaches] freshmen through seniors,” he said. He gets to see students up until graduation, something he has never missed during his time here, so expect to see him there this year and for the years to follow!

Worst part of teaching?
The 45-mile commute from New Hampshire, but luckily his classes are around noon time. He does bring an extra set of clothes, though, because of the unpredictable snow. “The couches are really comfortable,” he says, humorously joking about sleeping over at Bentley.

Annual Take Back the Night event fights  back against sexual assault and rape

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

The Women’s Center hosted its annual Take Back the Night event this past Wednesday and this year was co-hosted by Delta Phi Epsilon and Campus Police. The event began at 7 p.m. when all of the attendees gathered in the Women’s Center for the glow stick ritual. Women and men alike told shared stories about rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence. A walk of silence to the Fenway skybox followed the ritual, where a slam poet performed, the Delta Phi Epsilon women read anonymous stories that were submitted, and food was served.

Dr. Susan Clark-Cook Clark-Cook, co-advisor of the Women’s Center, said, “Take Back the Night started across the country.” She then added that it has been a longstanding tradition at Bentley. She explained that the purpose of the event is to raise awareness about “acts of violence against women at night.”

President of the Women’s Center, Edith Kwok, also spoke of the importance of the event. She said that it has “always been a good experience,” and that the Center has a lot of background information from previous years.

Officer Kevin Robertson of Campus Police volunteers to be the police escort for the walk every year. His mother was a survivor of domestic violence, and it is for that reason that he chooses to escort this event year after year.

Robertson also teaches RAD classes here at Bentley for the same reason, to raise awareness and promote female self-confidence and safety.

Delta Phi Epsilon member Jackie Le said that the event was “surprisingly powerful, and good for both men and women. It opens our eyes to how prevalent these issues are.”

Each glow stick represented a story, and within a small room of about 30 people, the entire clothesline was filled. The unreasonably high amount of glow sticks, or stories told, was moving to say the least. The reality of it was shocking.

Lani Verges-Radack, the slam poet that concluded the event, performs every year at this event. She began by telling the audience that she started when she was young, but now that she is  a mother, the issues presented are even more important to her and her daughter. Her poems were moving and raw, just like the stories presented. It was a powerful night overall and everyone left with a newfound awareness.


Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

While some students may think diversity at Bentley is rare, this wasn’t the case at the Festival of Colors Kick-Off last Sunday night. The International Students’ Association hosted and coordinated the event, which featured many different acts as diverse as the opening flag ceremony. According to the actual host of the show, Joacim Borg, a freshman here at Bentley from Sweden, “The night was bloody fantastic!”

And where else could you find a duo that sings in Chinese and then follows it up with Death Cab for Cutie? The night was filled with acts representing different cultures as well as our culture right here in the United States. Joacim played the role of David Beckham, and with his wife Victoria, they traveled the world, making a pit stop for each act.

The first act was a Caribbean dance, followed by a Middle Eastern fashion show. A duet followed, singing in Chinese and then singing Death Cab for Cutie’s I Will Follow You Into the Dark.

Bentley Bhangra followed with a lively dance, getting the crowd going. The dance was followed by gypsy fashion and then African fashion, which included funny skits and dances. The event was closely tied with Project Haiti, and after a few words about the effort at Bentley were put forth, the crowd was able to regroup during an intermission.

After live music from one of Bentley’s own bands, the Beckhams continued their travels. Belly dancing started off the second half of the acts, in which audience members were pulled on stage to learn how to belly dance in front of hundreds of eyes. Korean dance came after the surprise belly dance mini lesson, which got the crowd going again. A little bit of American culture with an international twist followed.

Two girls from Turkey and Pakistan performed an acoustic “smash-up,” which included popular songs like Oasis’ Wonder Wall, The Script’s Break Even, and Eagle Eye Cherry’s Save Tonight with flawless transitions. Another taste of India came after with the Bollywood Dance, and then dancers from the back of the auditorium rushed the stage for the African dance. Latin dance and step closed the evening filled with various cultures and styles. International Students’ Association E-Board member Ayomide Mapaderun said, the Festival of Colors was awesome. All the acts were great. I wish the show could be repeated again. It was so much fun. I am counting down till next year.”

Many of the E-Board members felt the same way, which was evident at the end of the show when dancers and audience members rushed the stage to dance and then regrouped in LaCava’s EDR for a taste of different international foods.

Jewel Cash, a performer in this year’s festival, summarized the night: “We had a great representation of all the different cultures and I think it was a fun educational experience. I have been a part of FOC each year, and this year has definitely made its mark.”

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

Seminar in Micro Lending, a new course first offered here at Bentley last year, paved the way to create a brand new organization here on campus. Spear headed by some determined and business minded individuals teamed with Professor Roy Wiggins, the group has become an established name on campus and in the surrounding community.

The student-run, non-profit organization gives students a chance to actually deal with microfinance loans, lending loans from anywhere between 1,500  dollars and 6,000 dollars. These loans go out to real local entrepreneurs below the poverty level who need the money to kick start their companies. That’s right; it’s real experience and real money, funded by alumni and parents, on its way up to becoming a total loan portfolio of 300,000 dollars.

Finance professor and group advisor Roy Wiggins says that it provides “hands-on, real-world banking experience while also furthering the Bentley mission to send future business leaders into the world who are socially responsible.”

In regards to using actual money, the group found that this type of thing would be viable and realistic for Bentley students. Along with providing these startup companies with the micro loans that they need, these students can offer what they have learned from the academics here at Bentley, and they can benefit from this application, as well.

Microfinance in and of itself is a pretty new concept, having been around for only the last four decades. The common misconception is that those who lack collateral are not worthy of credit, but most of these startups simply need the money to get going in order to pay it back. The group here on campus serves primarily below the poverty line in the local area. Recent microfinance activity around the world shows that those below the poverty line might in fact be the most creditworthy of all, based on the reliability of their payments.

Bentley’s Microfinance Group recently held a global summit in the LaCava Executive Dining Room. Students and adults alike from all different schools and areas attended and were able to hear firsthand accounts from professionals regarding their experience in the professional world of microfinance as well as their commitment to giving back to the community. Students were allowed to ask questions and hold a panel discussion with the professionals, as well as speak with them privately at the event’s conclusion.

This year’s theme was “Investing in India’s Underprivileged,” where microfinancing habits have recently been thriving. Michael Page, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Dean of Business, along with Roy Wiggins, the Director of the Bentley Microfinance Initiative, helped put the event together. Diane Kellogg, the Program Director of the Mmofra Trom Project, introduced speakers and moderated the panel discussion during the event.

The event included notable speakers who shared their insight and experience from working with micro loans at non-profit companies. Venkat Srinivasa, the CEO of Rage Frameworks, spoke and entertained questions about working at a top-level company focused on Business Process Automation solutions.

Cynthia Kinnan, a doctoral candidate in economics at MIT, also spoke and answered questions. Venkatesh Raghavendra, the Chief Philanthropic Officer of the American India Foundation, discussed the conditions and solutions to be presented in India for the poor and provided great insight from the ethics and social responsibility side of business. And finally, Ana Hammock, the Program Director at ACCION USA, talked about her experience thus far working for a microfinance firm and with those below the poverty level who receive the loans.

“The summit was a signature event and unprecedented in Bentley’s history,” said E-Board member Jonathon Walton.

“It marks a concrete and asserted effort toward the real implementation of microfinancing in the Bentley Community.” In conclusion, he said, “The event was an enormous success and embodies Bentley’s desire to expand students’ responsibilities in real- world scenarios.”

The group and audience members agreed that this is unlike anything Bentley has ever done before, and the group is looking to further expand its already new and broad horizons. Shweta Katyal, another E-Board member and the organizer of the event, said that she “felt like the event was able to accomplish everything it was meant to do – to educate Bentley students, staff, faculty, as well as members of the Boston community from schools, such as Northeastern and Harvard, about what microfinance is and what is being done about it now.”

The event not only showcased Bentley’s Microfinance Group and its efforts in the local area, but also informed people of the efforts being implemented in other areas of the world, especially since this year’s summit focused on India’s underprivileged. For more information about this organization or the recent summit, visit bentleymicrofinance.org

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

This past Saturday night, the South Asian Student’s Association went over the top with hosting their spring show, Bollywood Blowout. The event was held in the candlelit EDR complete with a lit stage, hand-made decorations, catered ethnic food, and of course a cash bar.

Since it was a charity ball, audience members were encouraged to don semi-formal attire, which went well with the accompanying red carpet. The event was comprised of two main segments: a dance portion for the first half and a date auction for the second.

Overall, the event managed to raise $4,020 for the Haiti relief effort. Treasurer of SASA Monil Kothari said, “SASA was very excited to have thrown a successful event that provided a night of entertainment but also raised over four thousand dollars for the Haiti initiative.”

The first half of the ball consisted of three dance acts choreographed and performed by both Bentley and non Bentley students alike. Pavan Patidar, a junior here at Bentley and captain of the competitive BizRaas Garba team, performed first and got the crowd going. They were followed by Bentley’s own Supreme Bhangra Unit, spearheaded and co-captained by senior Abhi Sehli and junior Apoorva Goel. The third act was a Bollywood dance and skit performed by all Bentley students and choreographed by Akhil Chimnani, who was all smiles during and after the performance. “It was super exciting,” he said, “and a lot of hard work but a lot of fun.”

After the dances and a brief intermission where audience members were encouraged to enjoy food, dance, and socialize, the auction began. Sixteen different groups and individuals were auctioned off, including the president of SASA himself to yours truly.

The dates weren’t your average dinner and a movie, though. A few groups sold their cooking talents and promised to make dinner instead of just going out. Others promised a night at the hookah bar and good company. One group advertised a game night, filled with taboo and twister. The captains of the various dance teams offered private lessons to those willing to buy them.

The president of SASA, Ashish Kumar, summed up the night neatly, saying, “I think it was an all around success. We managed to put on some very professional performances while keeping the atmosphere lively and dynamic, having incorporated a cash bar, a full dinner, and entertainment.”

“I am so glad that it turned out to be such a huge success,” said Sucheta Desai, the event coordinator for SASA. “We were able to raise an incredible amount of money, all for a good cause. Hopefully this is something we can turn into an annually recurring event.”

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

We see the flyers everywhere, but what exactly is the “Give a Year” program? It’s a unique partnership between City Year and Bentley University, the only university that has such a partnership with this non-profit organization.

Owen Bacewicz, a fifth year MBA student, is coordinating the marketing campaign for the program. “It gives young people an opportunity to work in the classroom (elementary through high school) as tutors and work with teachers, and the opportunity to be a part of that community for a year,” says Bacewicz, emphasizing the impact that it will have on not only the student’s life, but also on the community they partake in as well.

Bentley offers up to ten $20,000 scholarships per year to use towards tuition costs for the final year of study (either senior year or graduate study). Although it may be intimidating to devote one full year in between classes to work with City Year, the mutual rewards and the scholarship seem to outweigh that intimidation.

This is the first year that students from Bentley have been traveling to some of the 19 different locations that the program works with. Tara Meehan is in Miami this year, and chose to be a part of the program because she wanted “to help children realize that possibilities are endless.” She works with third graders and is a coordinator for an afterschool program. She has had an amazing experience with both the children and her peers in City Year.

Joe Dzerkacz is in Los Angeles this year, and chose to take part in the program because he wanted to do something different from his corporate America peers after he finished his undergraduate studies. He works with underprivileged kids; he wants to be that role model. Joe saw this as an opportunity to not only better a community of young children who need guidance, but also to better himself.

Kiernan Patenaude is a senior this year, and she plans on giving a year in Seattle between her last year of undergraduate and her first year of graduate studies.

When asked about the intimidation factor of giving one year for service, she replied that for her, “it wasn’t intimidating. I want to travel somewhere I’ve never been and do something I’ve never done.”

The scholarship will go towards graduate school when she comes back. Kiernan worked with young children throughout her four years here at Bentley  at the Salvation Army, and the local Fitzgerald Elementary School. She wants to continue to dedicate time to young children who need it.

For more information about this program and the benefits for Bentley students, go to bentley.edu/service-learning/give-a-year.cfm and take advantage of this unique opportunity.

Written by: Sindu Palaniappan

It’s that time of year again! The Women’s Center is hosting their annual presentation of The Vagina Monologues. 
Christine Malloy, a sophomore who is on the E-Board for the Women’s Center, is running the show this year and agreed to be interviewed about the performance.

The show is based off of real stories that came up across the nation and around the world. Eve Ensler is the original playwright, an activist who interviewed women around the world, in order to raise awareness regarding feminine issues.

The monologues are based on both positive and negative stories about women and their experiences regarding sex, rape, orientation, and other taboo topics.

As Malloy puts it, some stories are funny, some are in your face, and some are sad. It “shocks you, and then pulls you back. You won’t leave too overwhelmed,” she promises.

What you will leave with, however, is knowledge about a subject that usually isn’t presented in a manner such as this.
The audience in past years has always been about half and half, that is half male and half female, Malloy points out.

The feedback from the male half is that they always learn a lot, usually in a pleasantly surprising way.

The stories themselves are incredibly powerful, some are shocking, and if you are easily offended by strong language, you might want to be a little careful. Some argue the acting and the way the stories are presented is a reason in itself to go. Each of the girls presenting their story does an outstanding job.

Marla Pascucci, the faculty member who is helping out with The Vagina Monologues, says that it is “a story that needs to be told.” As a faculty member, she told me that she wanted to take an unbiased standpoint in the play, but firmly believes that it is a topic that needs to be less taboo.

Ariel Yoffe, a freshman here at Bentley, says that, “It’s for a really good cause, and it’s not talked about enough.”
Sonia Sedova, a senior here, points out that “It’s important to discuss taboo subjects regarding sex, and raise these types of female issues.” Lily Montemayor, another senior, stresses that it simply “has to be said.”

The overwhelming consensus of the cast is that although it may be a difficult thing to talk about, it must be talked about more because these issues are very prevalent, both in the country we live in and around the world.

The play is on February 17 at 8:00 p.m. in the Koumantzelis auditorium. It is $1.00 for an organized floor program (tell your resident assistants to contact Christine Malloy) and $2.00 for students with a Bentley ID.

Based off of the cast rehearsal, it’s a safe assumption to say it might be the best $2.00 you spend here at Bentley. Not only are The Vagina Monologues funny and entertaining, but they are also shockingly informative as well.
For any extra information, please contact Christine Malloy at malloy_chri@bentley.edu.

Written by: Sindu Palaniappan

We took a moment to sit down with co-founders Amy Mullen and Courtney McShane of Bentley’s BEAR: Outdoor Activities Club to find out what one of Bentley’s biggest new clubs is all about.

Does BEAR stand for anything?
With a little laugh Amy said that originally it was an acronym, but that they lost it, and now it just goes by the subtitle of an outdoors club.

What does the club do?
BEAR is an outdoors club in which members explore the New England area. It’s a great opportunity for kids who are from other states, and especially for those from other countries, to come and see what New England terrain is like. Courtney said that one of her main reasons for coming to Bentley was because she wanted to be in the Northeast. Amy said that the club aims to expose students to the outdoors, since there aren’t too many opportunities to go camping or hiking.

How big is the group?
The distribution list is over three hundred people, but different amounts of people go to certain events based on their interests. The recent camping trip was about thirty students.

When was BEAR established?
The group was established at the end of last year, so in comparison to other groups here on campus, it’s still very young. Some of the students who are a part of the club went on organized camping trips before the group was established, so it has been important to them for a while now. Amy mentioned how BEAR was rejected by the ABA the first time they tried to gain recognition, and after a second attempt paired with over 60 testimonials written by students, faculty, and other outdoors clubs, BEAR was accepted as a Bentley organization.

What recent events have you held?
The most recent event held by the club was a tie-dye event, and coming up this Saturday, the group is going ice skating and snowtubing. So if you’re reading this right now and those things sound interesting to you, e-mail GA_bear@bentley.edu and get involved!

What are you looking to hold in the future?
As the weather gets warmer, Amy and Courtney point out that the club will be hosting more events. More camping trips are on the way, especially since the last few went so well. More hiking trips are being planned as well, even a trip to hike Mt. Washington, for all you hiking enthusiasts. They are also looking to hold more rock climbing events, and in the spring they are planning on hosting a barbeque, cleverly named “BEAR grills.” There’s nothing better than a little humor paired with good food.

How do you deal with transportation for these?
“We drive ourselves,” they said simply. Using student cars, the group coordinates within itself. Talk about teamwork.

Give us a few fun stories.
Both Courtney and Amy laughed when I asked this, showing that they both have had some good times with the group. Courtney shared a story about camping at one of the E-Board member’s houses in New Hampshire. She said that after getting the state’s permission, they held an enormous bonfire, using things like “mattresses and pieces of the house” to fuel the flames, which “was really cool.”

Amy talked about one of the camping trips she went on when it was pouring rain. She said everyone got soaked but their attitudes were still fantastic, probably because of “the no complaints rule.” She said it really showed how the group itself was up for adventure.

She threw in another story about a rock climbing event they had hosted on “ladies’ night.” If you were a girl, you got in for a dollar, or if you were the next best thing, a boy in drag, you also got in for a dollar. She said it was pretty nice to see boys in dresses and wigs rock climbing.
To be a part of this club, email GA_Bear@bentley.edu!

Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan

As I walked into his office on Thursday morning, Professor David Carhart was having a discussion with two students about Bentley being changed from a college to a university.

One student stayed for math help, and I had the pleasure of witnessing Carhart’s eyes light up when the student experienced a moment of clarity regarding a graphing problem. Needless to say, he’s quite the educator.

Why teaching?

“I really enjoy the learning process – learning for learning’s sake,” Carhart said with a smile. When he became a teaching assistant, he discovered his love for the profession, and paired with the good feedback he received, his calling seemed clear. He also took a moment to gush about how flexible his hours are. He has to put in a certain amount of work, but he loves that he can choose when to do it. This always allowed him to “be home in time for the school bus,” as he quaintly put it. “Why leave?” I love being a student all my life,” he concluded. Otherwise, he would have been an actuary. Wise decision.

Why Bentley?

As an undergraduate student of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a graduate student of George Washington University, Carhart is used to big cities. He initially flew to Massachusetts to explore opportunities of teaching at Suffolk, but hesitated when he saw its big city location. A friend suggested that he try Bentley, to which he responded, “What’s that? An accounting school?”

In January 1981, Carhart turned down five other offers and began his career here because he was genuinely “impressed with the people, facilities, and overall lifestyle.”

Almost thirty years later, he looks back and laughs in agreement with his choice. “You’ll notice one thing,” he said. “The Bentley faculty members are all getting older because they all love it here, and want to stay,” he finished.

Tell us about your family.

Carhart is married with one daughter, Jennifer. She was a chemistry major at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is now married. He told me about her as he buzzed around his office grabbing various photos of her, both past and present.

Back to teaching; worst part?

“Being evaluative, instead of developmental,” said Carhart. With firm resolution, he expanded upon this, saying that he would like to be purely developmental by encouraging students as opposed to labeling them with grades and scores.

Best part of teaching?

“The interaction with the students and the faculty alike,” Carhart said. He makes it clear that being a professor is like no other career in the world because the day-to-day interaction with the students and the faculty is incomparable.

Finally, will you ever tire of teaching?

“No, the motor runs on fourth gear!” Carhart responded enthusiastically. He never expects to stop because “teaching is too much fun.” He makes it clear that “Bentley really is a good place,” and that he never wants to leave.

When I left his office, the clock read 11:15 a.m., the end of his office hours. As I walked out, two students walked in with textbooks, and Carhart welcomed them into his office, not phased by the time and ready for a few more lessons.
TV shows go over well with Bentley, and I expect it to be pretty full,” said Penley.

The 40-year-old Friedlander has been pursuing standup for 18-years, and according to Punchline Magazine, he “effectively works the crowd with his laugh-out-loud-worthy retorts.”

According to his biography, Friedlander is “a great athlete, gets tons of chicks & is a role model to children. And he’s better than you at everything.”

CAB will also be promoting this comedy show under the guidelines of the new Green Initiative that the organization is taking up.

“We won’t actually be using professional posters for this event,” said Penley. “We will be using Facebook, Twitter and also A-Frame boards around campus,“ he finished.

Aside from his work in front of the camera, Friedlander is recognized by his witty, homemade trucker hats. He makes up all the sayings on the hats, which are sold on his website and include phrases like, “Champion of the World,” “World Runner-Up,” and “Regional Semifinalist.”

In addition to hats on his website, Friedlander sells a spaceship for $10,000,000 that will, “make you cool and popular,” as well as a Judah-Bot, “a full life-size robot of Judah… Great for lying around the house and doing nothing” for $1,000,000. Friedlander also sells a nude picture of himself for $500; however, the website states, “SOLD OUT! Sorry ladies.”

During the interview, Penley spent some time looking around Judah’s website and laughed-out-loud when he saw some of the goods he was selling.

“I would imagine that anything he does in his life has some humor in it,” said Penley.

Friedlander is the second NBC comedy writer to come to Bentley in the last three comedy shows.

Past shows have included Patton Oswalt in the fall of 2009, B.J. Novak, a writer for NBC’s The Office, in the spring of 2009,  and Stephen Lynch in the fall of 2008.

The show will be held in Koumantzelis Auditorium on Thursday, February 18. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show will start at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is free with a Bentley ID and five dollars without a Bentley ID.

Written by: Leslie Dias

Last weekend was highly anticipated as the third annual hip hop showcase, Rhythmic Graffiti was brought to campus by both CRAZE and CAB. The event brought twice the audience it grabbed last year, proving that the campus was excited for its arrival.

The event showcased nine different dance groups this year. The three teams from Bentley were CRAZE, the Dance Team, and the FIRE Step Squad. The other schools represented included Brandeis, Suffolk University, Boston University, Boston College, and Wellesley College each having their own dance teams to represent them in the show.

In regards to CAB’s involvement with the event, Yashika Mody, the chair for the Arts and Culture committee, talked about CAB’s participation.

“While CRAZE did an amazing job organizing all the dances and college teams, CAB’s contribution to this event was both financial and logistical,” said Mody. “CAB members helped set up the stage and backdrop the day before the show, as well as coordinated the line-up of dances the day of the show…CAB also promoted the show through our advertising mediums and outreach.”

Maria Raspa, vice president of CRAZE, commented about the high hopes of Rhythmic Graffiti after holding the event for three years, stating, “Every year we wish to accomplish higher attendance than the year before and a fun, vibrant, entertaining atmosphere where the audience engages in the performances and where there is contagious energy being spread from the dancers and to the audience.”

“It’s important for us that all of our performers and everyone in the audience has fun,” continued Raspa.

As the host dance team, CRAZE performed three times during the show, at the beginning of the first act, the beginning of the second act, and the finale of the show. The audience felt the vivacity of CRAZE’s performances, each time giving them a hearty applause.

Ethan Harrington, a freshman at Bentley, thoroughly enjoyed the show, saying, “It was really cool show; CRAZE did amazing and it’s great to see different dances from the schools around Boston. With the help of the emcees, the crowd got really into it and made it a fun night. I can’t wait until next year’s [show].”

Another act, the professional group Phunk Phenomenon was featured which presented the crowd with a burst of energy like no other. Phunk Phenomenon performs throughout the Boston area and is actually the counterpart of the group of young dancers, Lil Phunk, who perform at the Celtics’ home games. Dancing to a montage of Jay-Z songs, Phunk Phenomenon set the stage for the second act after intermission.

Sophomore, Mark Savage also observed the skill of not only the Phunk Phenomenon, but also the rest of the college dance teams saying, “There was great dancing from all across the board. They put a lot of time in and had some serious talent. I will definitely go next year.” Then, expressing his appreciation for their talents, he concludes, “I wish I could do what they do!”

After hearing the cheers roar through Koumantzelis for all the acts, Raspa noted the accomplishment that CRAZE felt after such a large showing.

“The E-board starts planning Rhythmic at the end of the spring semester – so much time and work goes into organizing this event,” said Raspa. “From developing theme, contacting teams from the Greater Boston area and building our set, to perfecting our dances, organizing lighting, DJ, etc….that being said, there is no greater feeling that to look up from the stage and you see people standing in the back of the auditorium cheering, because all of the seats are filled.”

The event let students see, as Mody commented, “[a] very diverse and culturally enriching [show], from stepping to hip hop to urban dance,” but also gave them the chance to reenergize before the big finals push during these last weeks of the semester.

Written by: Leslie Dias

As class registration begins this coming week, several students will be picking in a class code ahead with the enormous number of credits that students are attending Bentley with. One method for obtaining these credits is the untraditional college level examination program.

Commonly known as CLEP, this program offers a more instantaneous way of getting credit for a full semester college course. Students taking CLEP exams can take up to 12 transferrable college credits. CLEP takes Advanced Placement credits one step further with no course to couple the material covered in the exam.

These CLEP examinations cost $72 each and are comprised of a sole examination on the subject at hand. The advantages of CLEP are stated on the College Board website and include benefits such as skipping introductory classes, saving money, and graduating early.

Jane Ellis, the Associate Dean of Academic Services, has been dealing with the CLEP program since she’s been at Bentley.

“Very few students take advantage of CLEP exams—they are difficult standardized exams,” says Ellis, “We usually recommend them if a student has taken a strong AP course in high school or a college course that didn’t transfer in.”

As an equivalent to taking a semester long course, are these exams adequate substitutes? “I think of the exams as comparable to an AP exam: that is, they are a good measure of knowledge that can be tested in a multiple-choice, short-answer format,” says Ellis, “I don’t consider that an indicator of how well a student would do in a Bentley course because it doesn’t measure writing or communication skills, class participation (discussion is such an important part of most classes).”

According to the College Board website, there are over 34 examinations ranging from economics to psychology to chemistry. “The most common exam taken by Bentley students is American Government,” says Ellis.

Professor George Seeley, an American Government professor on campus, has similar reserves to CLEP. “Missing most of all [from the CLEP exam] is the give and take of the classroom discussion, presentation of issues as two sided and writing assignments to test how well a student is able to articulate a point of view.”

As an important aspect of Bentley’s academic atmosphere, analysis and discussion are missing from these college-level exams and take away one of the most valuable assets that Bentley has to offer.

It is obvious that these programs are designed for students to reiterate information and pass the exam. Seeley says, “All review services propose to advise for the test rather than pursue a course of study here.

Therefore, students miss out on the learning experience that is married with taking actual college courses.

Another point that Seeley addresses is the guarantee made by these substitute college course programs and tests, “Some even guarantee passing or your money back!?! That’s not a guarantee I would be prepared to make with students in my course.”

Written by: Leslie Dias

As several major public accounting firms adopt the 150 hours of accounting credit requirement, those students in hopes of joining the popular field must also make the shift to meet the demands of the industry.
The 150 credit hour requirement refers to the minimum education requirement that a student must meet in order to be eligible to take the CPA exam. Although this has been part of the Massachusetts statute for requirements for years, it has now become more significant in the job search process for those students at Bentley as a requirement for hiring in general.

This requirement has been given special attention at Bentley due to their long standing association with the Big Four public accounting firms. As stated by the recruiters, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG have all made the transition as far as requiring that all potential employees have the 150 hour requirement to earn a position at any of the firms.

In the past, there has always been a particular standard for getting internships and job opportunities from these prestigious firms.

First, those who are interested in any of these firms attend one of the leadership programs located in various cities across the country in order to attend leadership workshops and gain experience with the firm. In turn, the program gives participants the experience that the firms look for in potential interns and could ultimately lead to an internship at one of the firms for the following summer.

Lastly, after receiving the 120 hours of undergraduate education and 30 hours of graduate education, a candidate is eligible to take the CPA exam, and is qualified to attain a job with one of these distinguished firms.

If this process has not changed, then what does this transition mean for Bentley undergraduate students looking to intern for one of these firms? The transition calls for students to defer their enrollment into leadership programs until the summer going into senior year rather than junior year, and then engage in their pivotal internship during their senior year.

In prior years, many students were able to receive job offerings from the Big Four accounting firms after their undergraduate graduation and before their graduate school matriculation. With the 150 hour credit requirement, these firms are postponing their job offers until candidates fulfill the requirement.

Therefore, several options have been implemented in order to help students plan and adjust accordingly.
Options such as students graduating a semester early will allow them to enter the job market when they would have if the 120 hour credit requirement was still in effect.

Although this is a viable option, many of the recruiters urge students to stay diligent with their studies and not let graduating early deter them from attaining good grades.

To assist in this transition, Bentley’s Career Services Office has arranged several advising sessions to meet with students and develop a plan of action. More information can be gathered about these advising sessions on the Career Services tab of Bentley’s main webpage.

In addition to the advising sessions, the Bentley Link tool has been modified to help find the appropriate programs, internships, and jobs for each student’s plan of action.

In the end, this transition should not be considered a setback to those students who want to enter the job market in the area of audit, tax, or accounting. Rather, these prestigious firms have granted students more time to focus on their educational requirements before starting their careers in the business world.

Written by: Leslie Dias

As Bentley continues to encourage sustainability both externally and internally on campus, a complementary focus on individual wellness and health has also been brought to the forefront for administrators and students.

Bentley has made strides to recognize the wellness needs of students through a new fitness class, fitness facility, wellness website and wellness housing option.

For the last few years, Slade Hall housed the first Global Living Center on campus which was open to freshmen who were looking to broaden their cultural horizons through their housing assignment. But, due to the success of the program, the Global Living Center has since been expanded and relocated to both Miller Hall and the Orchard North Apartment Complex.

With the first floor of Slade Hall being vacant, and a strong interest in substance-free and wellness housing from the incoming freshman, Slade is once again transforming, but this time into a new wellness housing floor.
Some students, having a general misconception about wellness housing, may only focus on the fact that wellness housing means substance-free living areas. However, assistant director of Wellness, Jessica Greher, confirms that there is much more to wellness housing than just being substance-free.

Greher commented, “Students often think that being healthy means not being sick. But wellness is actually a broad concept, and it includes things like interpersonal and social wellness as well as physical wellness and even spiritual wellness. Wellness housing allows students to be healthy in many ways.”

Excited about the start of the program in Slade Hall, Greher says that the strong interest from freshmen for wellness housing was gathered from the data supplied by the Alcohol Education course that the freshmen took over the summer. “Many of the freshmen expressed an interest in this type of housing for various reasons; some wanting a quieter living space and others wanting to focus on a healthier life style.”

Since many incoming students expressed a desire to focus on healthy eating and fitness, the Division of Student Affairs strategically planned to refurbish the facilities in Slade Hall’s basement to incorporate a fitness area. The area will be utilized for the various events for the new wellness floor as well as the popular fitness classes that run throughout both semesters.

With attention to the new fitness facility in Slade Hall, the Center for Health and Wellness will continue to run fitness classes throughout the semester due to the popular demand and the initiative to have a healthier campus. In addition to the three classes taught last semester including Zumba, Kickboxing, and Pilates, a new class, Spinning, has been requested and is being introduced to the repertoire.

With a new wellness housing floor, a new fitness facility, and a new fitness class, the Center for Health and Wellness has also renovated their website. The site includes information on the wellness initiatives being taken on campus as well as external links for those who want to further extend their wellness activities to those in the Greater Boston area.

(To access the new Center for Health and Wellness site, go to www.bentley.edu/health and click on the Wellness tab.)

In an environment like a college campus, where there is so much distracting students from properly taking care of themselves, it has never been more important to maintain good health. Whether it is choosing to live in a designated wellness area or simply taking an hour out of a busy day to attend a fitness class, students are recognizing the importance of managing a healthy life style.

Written by: Leslie Dias

The Jeanne and Dan Valente Center for Arts and Sciences has hosted over the last several years a small recognition party for those faculty members who published or edited a book during the current academic year. The casual event took place in LaCava where those faculty members gathered and discussed amongst each other their experiences and their books.

Among the various professors who published books this year was Dr. Angma Jhala. Dr. Jhala spent her undergraduate years at Harvard University and went on to get her Ph.D in History in graduate school. Jhala’s book, Courtly Indian Women in Late Imperial India, originated from the development of her senior thesis at Harvard.

Dr. Jhala describes her inspiration for the book, saying, “I interviewed a number of courtly women who had lived in the zenana (the women’s quarters of the palace) in India from the 1920s to the 1990s. I broadened the scope of [my] original research to examine the underlying politics of the Zenana in the 19th and 20th centuries both during and after British colonial rule in India.”

Dr. Jhala felt that it was imperative to write the narratives of these women and considered it a matter of urgency.

Also commenting on the trials of writing a book, Dr. Jhala mentions the great amount of time that has to be taken to sort out thoughts and make them come alive on the pages. Despite the countless hours of revisions, Jhala said, “In the end it is very fruitful as it forces you to hone into the essentials of what you are trying to say.”

Another professor recognized for her accomplishment was Dr. Ruth Nemzoff. Dr. Nemzoff is an adjunct professor at Bentley who teaches subjects primarily related to gender studies. Her book titled, Don’t Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with your Adult Children, is the first book that she has published.

Dr. Nemzoff, with four children and six grandchildren of her own, has taken the book around the country to speak about this essential topic to those parents who don’t feel equipped to adapt their relationship with their children.

Dr. Nemzoff expresses the rewards gained from the writing and publishing process saying, “It has given me real marketing experience. That combined with my political experience and the fact that I have been the wife of a CEO, has given me lots of real life experience which students find interesting and useful.”

Besides the various hard cover books that were published during this academic year, Mark Frydenberg became the first professor at Bentley to publish a strictly online book titled, Creating Popfly Mashups. Having this new edition to Bentley’s faculty publication collection shows the innovation that continues to permeate throughout the Bentley campus.

Several other professors and faculty members were congratulated and recognized at the event for their impressive accomplishments. Jeff Arnesty, Helen Meldrum, Leeann Simmons, Bonnie Field, Robert Galliers, Nadejda Marques, Ruth Spack, Paul Berger, Anne Warfield Rawls, Ivan Marquez, Beverley Earle, Rajendra Sisodia, Irv Englander, and Cynthia Clark Williams were among the various professors who published books this year.

The Valente Center for Arts and Sciences strives to encourage all professors here at Bentley to research and engage in their own interests in the hopes of sharing the same accomplishment that these professors have achieved.

Through faculty publications, Bentley students are exposed to the dedication of their own professors and are inspired by their professors’ hard work that is evident through this kind of accomplishment. As well as inspiring students, these professors also inspire the fields in which they research and enrich the community as a whole.

Written by: Leslie Dias

Jordan Belfort started off his presentation “Wolf of Wall Street” by stating, “I’m going to make you laugh at the insanity of my life.” Taken aback, the audience listened intently to Belfort’s hilarious rendition of his own life.

Belfort’s home life modeled that of a peaceful environment with both of his parents being public accountants and himself being a studious pupil. However, as Belfort grew up and soon realized the challenges of earning money and paying for college, he began to bend the rules.

Working in an average summer job, Belfort sold ice cream on the beach. The interesting part:  he made $400 a week and almost $25,000 that summer! He was actually vending the ice cream without a license.

Clearly driven by the prospect of money, Belfort enrolled in dental school to quickly learn that the prime of dentistry was long gone, and there wouldn’t be any extraordinary amount of money to make in this kind of profession. He quickly moved to his next job as a meat salesman where he found his true talent.

Belfort describes his talent saying, “I could sell ice to an Eskimo and oil to an Arab.” Unfortunately, the trouble began for Belfort shortly after.

He opened his own meat-packing shop with expenses and finances going through the roof, and no cash to back up any purchase.

The business quickly failed and Belfort says, “Just like that, I was bankrupt. I was 24 years old.”

And then he made his move to New York City. He found Wall Street there and knew that it was the place to make the big dollars. It was on Wall Street that Belfort realized the true nature of the high end money world where deception and lies lurked. After a quick crash in the stock market in 1987, he moved himself to a brokerage firm where he couldn’t escape the illegal activities.

Belfort talked about the effects of continuous exposure to illegal activities and how it becomes dangerous and desensitizes those involved in the schemes. He described his philosophy then on his unethical behavior saying, “When you’re doing things wrong, the key to rationalizing it is keeping people around you that are doing worse than you.”

He began Stratton Securities in 1988 and conned impoverished individuals into buying false penny stocks. He profited greatly from the malpractice making over $50 million a year and hiring over a thousand employees.

The business was soon confiscated, and Belfort ended up in jail, realizing that there is no turning around until you hit the bottom. Belfort ponders his jail time saying, “When you go to jail it’s not just about losing time, it’s your reputation that gets destroyed.”

From these outlandish and unethical experiences, Belfort has done a full turn around and believes he has benefited greatly from his mistakes.

Now, he understands how to go about starting in the business career path saying, “You have to understand that good things take time. You cannot expect instant gratification when you go out into the business world.”

Now, Belfort uses his experiences to speak to audiences about the tragic outcomes of unethical business behavior. He also fully intends to pay back all those investors who innocently lost money from his unethical practices.

Belfort wanted the audience to take away from his recollection two messages. First, in no way was he trying to glamorize all the terrible circumstances he was involved in. Rather, he hoped to inform the audience so that they would not follow down the same path and show everyone what it was like to be on that path.

Second, he encouraged all of the young businesspeople of the audience to do as many great things with money as possible.

With a history of being a successful and prosperous career, businesspeople must be able to step back, evaluate their surroundings, and do well for not only themselves, but others.

Written by: Leslie Dias

As Bentley focuses on strengthening its Liberal Studies program, several non-traditional courses are being introduced to Undergraduate students. Among the many new liberal studies courses is ID 350 Gender in the Professions which concentrates on the variety of gender-based issues that arise in the workplace.

Along with the fact that liberal studies classes encompass interesting domestic and global topics, these courses are also complementary to the required business courses at Bentley. With a more knowledgeable background coming from every perspective, students are able to fully understand how to succeed in the growing business world.

The new liberal arts classes are opening up doors for new elective options and fulfilling electives for minors or liberal studies majors. ID 350 can be used as either a business elective or an unrestricted elective and is extremely beneficial for anyone seeking a gender studies minor. The course falls under the management department and also fulfills the diversity and oral communication intensive requirements.

ID 350 focuses primarily on the relations between men and women in a career setting. The course also focuses on global gender issues and societal norms that affect how people react in the workplace. Students will write current events to gain more insight into gender issues in business and global politics.

In addition to gaining more knowledge about the impact of gender in the workplace, students will also learn a great deal about their behaviors and attitudes and how this reflection will ultimately help them become better managers and professionals.

In order to aid students in learning more about gender relations in the workplace, the course uses a multitude of teaching styles including films, guest speakers, case studies, lectures, videos, in-class exercises and class discussions in both large and small groups.

The class is taught by Professor Ruth Nemzoff. As a resident scholar at Brandeis University’s Women’s Studies Research Center and an adjunct assistant professor at Bentley University, Professor Nemzoff has been done a significant amount of research not only in the study of women but also family dynamics. She has also recently written her first book, Don’t Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with Your Adult Children.

One of the main benefits of the course is the emphasis placed on oral presentations. As a main focus at Bentley, the course has a strong secondary focus of making students more comfortable with oral presentations. Employers are constantly seeking confident public speakers and oral presenters to address any business audience. Although this may seem intimidating to anyone who is afraid of public speaking, the course encourages those who are unsure of their skills to sign up.

One student commends Professor Nemzoff’s teaching style saying, “All of your encouragement, speaking tips, and advice on how to present myself have meant the world to me. I finally have more courage to attempt oral presentations instead of trying to avoid them.” The course will give students the confidence to speak in front of any audience with useful feedback from both the professor and peers.

Overall, the course provides insight into the working world of men and women as well as looking at global gender issues in a professional setting. Along with analyzing the dynamics between men and women in the work world, the course gives students the opportunity to feel comfortable presenting and arguing their case in front of an audience. With the combination of an interesting course subject, useful behavioral tips for the future workplace, and invaluable feedback and critique on how to make the best oral presentation, ID 350 will challenge students to new levels, but will reciprocate the same amount of help as work put forth.

Written by: Leslie Dias

The Festival of Colors was an artful display of the cultures and customs that can be found and represented on campus, with the International Student Association putting on the fifteenth annual production of the show. The event brought the audience around the world through a number of popular international dances, fashions, customs, and trivia. The festive, flag-filled décor of the auditorium caught the audience’s attention and created a welcoming, global atmosphere.

The show began with an opening song with its own spin off of Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey slogan, “the most amazing show on Earth.” The circus focus continued throughout the opening with clowns and a stunning glow stick performance. As chaos erupted on the stage with circus acts, performers paraded through the aisles with flags from countries all over the world.

The ceremony incorporated fashion trends and traditional dance performances from all the international regions recognized throughout campus. The first section of the show included fashion trends from Caribbean, Asian, Romanian, and South Asian cultures.

The Caribbean fashion show performers showed off ruffled, vibrantly colored tops and dresses. The Caribbean fashion had an Afro-Euro influence that mixed Spanish fashion with traditional African styles.  There were also a few exotic, show girl-type costumes adorned in feather and sparkles that concluded the Caribbean fashion part.

The next foreign fashion region that was explored was Asian fashion trends. With an entertaining “girl loves boy” theme for the Asian fashion styles, models entered on the stage as couples, the boys wearing tuxedos and the girls wearing silk robes. In addition to the silk geisha dresses, a comical karate fight scene concluded the Asian fashion portion.

The show continued with a Romanian fashion part which was characterized by peasant gowns and agricultural influence. Then, the next section introduced South Asian Student Association’s fashion performance. The hip-hop based dance routine incorporated robot moves and dark colored, sparkle clothing.

Along with the numerous fashion shows, there were a few unique culture acts as well. Nedret Sahin and Vivek Dadhania performed a musical duet by singing and playing the piano to a Turkish ballad. In the Dominican Republic section, Luis Martinez played the guitar and sang a song that he composed.
There was also a number of special dance routines throughout the show including a performance by the F.I.R.E Step Squad, Boston University’s Unofficial Project dance team, and a belly dance by Rasheedah Bilal.

Another interesting act was the Greek Talent Show. During this portion of the show, the group performed three traditional Greek dances. The first dance was performed with all dancers interlocking their arms and relying mostly on footwork. The next dance again focused on the intertwining of the dancers, but the last dance included acrobatic flips by some of the male performers and high can-can kicks by the rest of the group.

Resembling a performance from a step squad, the African dance performance included a large group on the stage that was fluid expression of traditional African dancing. The dance encompassed body sounds and step-clap combinations in sync with all the dancers.

In the end, there were two performances that truly got the crowd excited. First, there was the performance by the Korean group which consisted of Susie Jong, Trisha Winata, Garam Lee, Ann Kim, and Lilyann Montemayor. The girls sang their rendition of a popular girl Korean pop group’s song, “I Don’t Want Nobody but You”. The song was particularly unique because its chorus was the verse “all I want is you” in English while the rest of the song was sang in Korean. Dressed in shiny black dresses, the group lip synced the song while dancing around the microphones and got the crowd going with their energized performance.

The next crowd-capturing performance was by Wei Ma and Monaia Jackson who danced and lip synced to “Single Ladies,” by Beyonce. With a fast paced and talented dance routine, Ma and Jackson lit up the stage.

Ultimately, the show brought together a variety of acts from all over the world and incorporated every type of entertainment to create a fun and animated cultural production. It was a show that students from any culture could relate to and enjoy as well as participate in to display their cultural traditions.