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The Student Voice of Curry College
December 2010
‘I Want People to Understand...’
Curry student seeks to clear the air over her role in local tragedy
By Andrew Blom
Not everyone on campus knows her, but enough do.
For the past two weeks she’s endured dirty looks and the
spread of rumors about her role in the death of a 16-yearold boy found just miles from Curry College last month.
Even on her best days, she says, she doesn’t hide well
in a crowd of people. But she shouldn’t have to hide, she
says, which is why she wants to tell her side of the story.
“It was surreal; I was just at the wrong place at the
wrong time,” says the female Curry student, and owner
of the now-infamous white Audi, who was the first to
discover the mutilated body of Delvonte Tisdale, a North
Carolina high school student who mysteriously turned up
dead in Milton in mid-November.
That discovery, she says, was the beginning of two
weeks in hell.
“Everyone’s staring at me,” she says. “I want people to
understand I didn’t do it.”
In telling her story, The Currier Times has agreed to
maintain her privacy by not revealing her name. A number
of people on campus already know who she is; others only
know her by the car she drives. But most aren’t aware that
this student, an upperclassman from out-of-state, is the
person involved in a national murder investigation. She
has neither been charged with any crime in connection to
the incident, nor was she even arrested.
Despite the turmoil in her life, there is a calm demeanor
about her. She tells her tale while holding an Amp energy
drink and a copy of the fall semester finals schedule. She
wants to clear the air.
Her troubles started on Nov. 15 when the body of an
unknown black male was found on Brierbrook Street,
located in an upscale neighborhood in Milton. The body
was so mutilated it was hard to identify, and the presumed
murder was widely reported by the news media throughout
Massachusetts and much of the nation.
The connection to a Curry student was made when
neighbors reported seeing a white Audi leave the scene.
Police began a frantic search for the vehicle, which was
eventually picked up in Dorchester after the student
notified police that it was her car they were looking for.
Broadcast TV stations showed police taking away the
Audi, which had blood on the tires and a Curry College
parking sticker on the window.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
How Do You Like
Them Apples?
New Hafer iMac lab to open
in time for spring semester
Sebastian Humbert
By Tim McCarthy
March Madness
Students, faculty and administrators marched on campus Dec. 8 in protest of recent hate speech
incidents in and around residence halls this semester. See story on page 3.
It’s been talked about, debated and planned for the past eight
years, according to Communication Department co-chair Jerry
Gibbs. Finally, a new Mac lab is coming to the Hafer Academic
Building.
Lisa Ijiri, associate dean of academic affairs, said the multimedia
lab will feature 24 new Apple iMacs. The software for the Intel
Core processors will include Apple Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools and
the newest version of Adobe’s Creative Suite software, the industry
standard for digital art production, among other applications.
“The new lab lets us set the stage for the next wave of curricular
innovation” while providing Curry students with “hands on
experience with current technologies that will prepare them for
their fields of study,” she said. The lab is scheduled to be unveiled
Jan. 19.
The total investment for the lab will be approximately $110,000,
according to Ijiri. The facility is expected to integrate and enhance
academic programs within the Communication Department
by uniting “the golden triangle that includes TV, radio and
journalism,” Gibbs said. However, usage of the multimedia lab will
not be exclusive to the Communication Department; classes such as
mathematics will also be held in the room.
The state-of-the-art lab will be located in Hafer 119 and will
have the same hours as the Kennedy Mac lab, located on the third
floor: Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday,
from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday from 2 to 8 p.m. The college
will continually examine whether additional hours of operation are
needed, Ijiri said.
Another of the many benefits of the lab will be enhanced
computer access on the North side of the campus, in addition to
the Levin Library. Said Ijiri, “The faculty and administration are
really excited that this is something that is going to benefit the
students.”
2
THE CURRIER TIMES
DECEMBER 2010
Campus Life
Can You Hear Me Now?
Curry’s Verizon customers calling for help, reception
By Nick Ironside
It’s no secret to any Verizon Wireless customer at
Curry College that service is awful in certain buildings.
Whether you’re in the Academic & Performance
Center, the Student Center or a variety of other facilities
on campus, reception is spotty at best. In fact, it is no
secret to AT&T customers either.
“AT&T has the best coverage on campus,” said
Shawna Welch, a freshman health major. “No matter
where I go, I have service. I’ve heard Verizon’s service
stinks and none of my friends ever get service.”
Denny Hoatson, a freshman management major from
New Jersey, has Verizon as his cell phone carrier and
often finds himself missing calls and texts on campus.
“Verizon is really good back home, and that’s the plan
my family has,” Hoatson said. “Curry’s Verizon service
is terrible. It only seems like it is bad at Curry if you
have Verizon.”
Fortunately for people like Hoatson, Verizon is
aware of the problem and working to find a solution.
Michael Murphy, the New England region public
relations manager for Verizon, said his company has
been in touch with Curry’s administration to figure out
a remedy.
“I checked in with my network team and learned that
the stone buildings (at Curry) are already known areas
of opportunity for potential coverage improvement,”
Murphy said. “Details still need to be worked out
surrounding a potential new antenna, after which local
permits and zoning applications would have to be
drawn up.” Curry’s office of Buildings and Grounds
did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Objects such as stones, trees and even leaves can
block a cellular signal, causing disruptions in service.
“Cellular devices depend on line of sight, meaning
that a device must be able to ‘see’ an antenna to have
good service,” said Murphy. To that end, AT&T
antennas are simply in better positions around Curry
to provide more consistent service.
The iPhone 4 from AT&T and HTC Droid
Incredible from Verizon rank as the top two cell
phones, in terms of quality and performance,
according to product reviews on the technology
Web site cnet.com. Sprint Nextel’s HTC Evo 4G
and Samsung Epic 4G also boast high ratings.
However, the price tag on the two Sprint phones
can run as high as $500 to $600, whereas the
iPhone and Droid typically cost $200 to $300.
Finding their Voice
Students tutor their peers in the art
of rhetoric at the Speaking Center
In the practice room of the Speaking
Center, a student is midway through
delivering an oral presentation. She sits
facing both a video camera and one of
the eight speech associates currently
employed.
The student’s primary focus for this
practice session is the overall flow of her
speech, which she delivers in a cautionary,
yet comfortable manner, casting occasional
glances at the red recording light of the
camera. The speech associate quietly
observes.
Clank!
Slightly rattled, the student soldiers on
with her speech.
Clank!
Each time the student articulates the
word “like” or “umm” in an unnecessary
or pointless manner, the associate drops a
marble into a metal bucket, creating a loud
and jarring noise that disrupts the speech but
leaves an impact. It’s but one of the various
methods utilized to help Curry students
improve their public speaking abilities.
Although it’s widely used, not everyone
on campus is familiar with the service or
its origins.
One of only about 50 such centers in
the entire United States, Curry’s Speaking
Center—located on the top floor of the
Academic & Performance Center, in rooms
207 and 209—is operated almost entirely
by students. Known as speech associates,
the student workers must apply and
interview for their positions under director
Vicki Nelson, a communication professor
who is also interim director
of student advising for the
college. Nelson established
the Center eight years ago.
She says it was created
because there wasn’t really
any other place on campus
for students to get help with
oral presentations.
All
associates
are
required to complete a
semester-long 3000-level
course, “Peer Coaching
in
Communication,”
before getting to work in
the Center. The course is
usually comprised of only Speaking Center associate Mike Griffin works with sophomore Elaine Guerrero on an oral presentation project.
two or three students, who Student associates are paid for their efforts and gain valuable skills in teaching and communication.
are required to diligently
Werner, juniors Danielle Hausner, Josh
All students, regardless of their major,
improve their own presenting abilities,
Nyer and Molly Vance, and sophomore can schedule a half-hour appointment
learn about the history of oral presentation,
Chelsea Souza.
concerning a presentation of any sort and
and, most importantly, cultivate the ability
“As soon as someone walks in, I start for any class.
to teach and critique the art of rhetoric.
trying to establish a connection with them
Speech
associates
will
work
Student associates are paid an hourly
by being friendly, making small talk and with students on all aspects of their
wage of $8 per hour, with a one dollar
relating to them, which makes them feel at presentation, usually starting with the
increase each year. Students can work
ease,” says Griffin. “The formal, slightly student’s research, organization, thesis
in the Speaking Center as early as their
awkward tension that might be there with a and assorted points. Students will
sophomore years.
professor is gone.”
ultimately deliver their speech for a video
The fact that speech associates are
Affirmative methods of critique allow recording, which enables them to see
students themselves may be one of the
for criticism to be constructive, amiable areas in need of improvement.
reasons the Center has been so successful.
and easily accepted. The most important
“The useful hints about organization
“Students tend to be a lot more comfortable
part of working as a speech associate is are really helpful,” says Colby Hoyle, 19,
working with a peer than a professor,” says
maintaining an optimistic attitude, Griffin a management major who uses the Center
junior Mike Griffin, a speech associate
adds. “Everyone is their own worst critic…. about once a month. “But getting myself
who’s also a communication major with a
Mentioning the positive points and aspects video-taped and being able to see my own
concentration in public relations. The other
of someone’s presentation first allows them mistakes is definitely the part that helps
speech associates this year are seniors
to gain confidence and prevent them from me the most when I’m preparing for a
Donna Schlieper, Sofia Coon and Alicia
judging themselves too harshly,” he says.
presentation.”
Alexandra McGinnis
By Alexandra McGinnis
DECEMBER 2010
THE CURRIER TIMES
3
Taking Back the Campus
Curry community responds to hate speech incidents
The hate crimes that took place in residence halls this
semester shocked the campus community. People were
baffled, scared and angry over the two incidents, which
were discovered in late October and early November.
But they have not remained silent.
Since the incidents were made public, Curry students,
faculty and administrators have worked to make them
a learning experience for everyone on campus. Several
days after the second incident took place, the Student
Government Association came together and hung a
banner in the Student Center that had been signed by
hundreds of students, professors and faculty, reading:
“We stand together against hate.”
On Dec. 7, students in Professor Brecken Chinn
Swartz’s “Fundamentals of Communication” course put
together an open-mic night of their own performance
art to “explore the origins, uses, and effects of a wide
range of epithets used to label and constrain social
identity,” Swartz explained in an e-mail. About 30
students took part, along with two other professors and
the Multicultural Student Union. By the time the event
began all 60 seats were taken, and people who showed
up late were forced to stand.
In addition, the First-Year Inquiry Group organized a
march across campus Dec. 8 under the slogan “March
with us to take back our campus: fight racism, sexism,
homophobia and anti-Semitism.” The event ended in
the Student Center gymnasium, with poems written
and read by students. Other students shared personal
experiences about hate. President Kenneth Quigley was
in attendance during the march and spoke briefly in the
Student Center.
“It’s wonderful that it is naturally happening,
especially if it is coming from students,” said
Maryellen Kiley, dean of student affairs.
Efforts will continue into next year. Quigley
created a task force to suggest new policies
and procedures to “overcome intolerance
and to strengthen our College community,”
he explained in an e-mail to the students and
faculty of the school. The task force, which was
officially charged by the president on Dec. 6,
consists of 19 members, from deans and student
group advisers, to student club members and
resident assistants. The task force has three
months to produce its first report, according to
Kiley, who’s a member of the group.
From the task force, “I hope that, as a
community, we can come together and move
forward from these various incidents,” she
said, adding that the group won’t necessarily
do all of the work. Instead, “it will prioritize
what needs to be done.”
The incidents that spurred such action
involved the painting and then carving of a
swastika on the front door of State Hall, and the Student marchers, joined by President Kenneth Quigley and other
administrators and faculty, decried recent incidents of hate speech.
writing of a racial epitaph on a dorm room door
in late October. A second incident took place at
North Hall and involved the same drawing on a
acts of graffiti are considered a hate crime and are
specific dorm room door and the finding of a note with
illegal in Massachusetts.
the word “Nazi” written on it.
Chanan Hoffman, a sophomore and resident assistant
One male freshman was suspended for one year
at Green House, said he’s skeptical that only one person
for drawing and carving the initial swastika and a
was involved and worries that others remain on campus.
racial epithet in State Hall. To return to campus next
For now, the college is moving forward but giving
semester, he must petition the school for re-admission,
ample attention to the past.
a process that, according to Kiley, he had not yet begun
Said politics and history Professor Larry Hartenian,
at the time of this publication. The Milton Police
“There’s an intentionality about it, and an effort to make
Department was pursuing charges against him. Such
it public.”
Curry’s MSN Program
Graduates First Class
By Andrew Blom
Curry College’s new Master’s of Science in Nursing Program
will graduate its first-ever class this month. The program runs two
and a half years, with graduates earning a MSN and the skills to be
leaders within the healthcare industry.
Since the program’s launch in 2008, the aim has been to educate
established and would-be nurses to improve the quality of patient
care. “Clinical nurse leaders,” according to the program’s director,
Professor Elizabeth Kudzma, are “nurses who are accountable for
patient care at the bedside, but who also use evidence-based practice
to evaluate protocols, make risk analyses, and serve as a catalyst for
system change and quality management of their environment.”
In addition, the program was created to meet the growing needs
of the nursing profession. According to the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing, more graduate programs for nursing are
needed as the need continues to grow for nurses to serve as primarycare providers and specialists.
Susan Benton, a mother of three, is among the class of 17 students
graduating this December. She said her new master’s degree will
likely open professional doors for her. “A lot of people are getting
their degree to match their jobs already,” Benton said. “Some are in
management and some are clinical nurse leaders already. People are
excited about wrapping up.
“There was a lot of juggling with my family and child care, and
time,” she added. “There is a lot of time involved in writing a good
academic paper. There are stressful times, but definitely worth it in
the end.”
With the new healthcare reform law this year, professional
opportunities for nurses will likely only increase. According to
nursingscholarship.us/, a Web site dedicated to providing resources
to would-be nursing students, “Nursing employment is anticipated
to grow 23 percent. It is estimated that there will be more than
587,000 jobs in registered nursing alone.”
Said Curry nursing Professor Elinor Nugent, “These students had
a real sense of purpose as they entered the program, and I believe
they have met their goals,” she said. “They are anxious to either
return to their clinical setting or venture out for new opportunities.”
Sebastian Humbert
By Sebastian Humbert
Policing the Internet
By Molly McCarthy
“Jumping off the gw bridge sorry” was the
status Tyler Clementi’s Facebook friends read on
the evening of Sept. 22 of this year. And it was
no hoax.
Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman at Rutgers
University in New Brunswick, N.J., jumped
to his death after his roommate and a second
student secretly live-streamed over the Internet a
sexual encounter Clementi had with another man
earlier that month.
Online bullying has been on the rise and in the
news, but it was Clementi’s story that prompted
the government to take action. On Nov. 18, a bill
was introduced in Congress that would require
colleges and universities to recognize cyberbullying as a form of harassment and protect
students from it in their anti-harassment policies.
The Tyler Clementi Higher Education AntiHarassment Act defines cyber-bullying as
bullying through the use of electronic devices
such as cell phones, computers, video gaming
systems and the Internet. The amended policies
would apply to students who are using a
computer owned by the college or an e-mail
system provided by the college. The law
would also provide grants to help colleges start
anti-bullying programs on their campuses. In
addition, it would require the college to have a
written description of the procedures that would
be followed when an incident of harassment has
been reported. Colleges would be required to
inform students to report bullying and inform
victims of the counseling services available to
them.
Curry’s Counseling Center is located in the
Smith House at 940 Brush Hill Road and is
available to all Curry students.
Dean of Students Maryellen Kiley said she
believes that Curry’s current harassment policy
already covers bullying via the Internet. Curry
College’s harassment policy reads: “verbal,
written or physical conduct which intimidates,
threatens or endangers the health or safety of
others is prohibited. Intimidation or exploitation
based on race, color, religion, national origin,
gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or
other characterization protected by applicable
law is prohibited.”
If the federal law passes, each college would be
required to have a designated employee or office
that is held responsible for tracking and receiving
harassment cases. “Curry [currently] does not
have a dedicated staff just for this purpose,”
Kiley said. “The college can only respond if they
become aware of it.” Curry staff and residence
life workers have received additional training
to ensure that they are aware of the seriousness
involved in student harassment, she added.
According to the National Crime Prevention
Council, 43 percent of teenagers have reported
that they were victims of cyber-bullying in the
last year. Some colleges have already changed
their harassment policies to better protect
students from cyber-bullying. Columbia College
in Chicago, for example, has an addition to their
harassment policy that allows the college to
take action regardless if an act was committed
on or off campus. Furthermore, computers on
Columbia’s campus are governed by a set of
policies forbidding communication “intended
to defame or harass others.” Students who use
campus computers to bully or harass fall under
this clause and can be expelled, according to the
college.
The two Rutgers students involved in secretly
recording Clementi have been charged with
invasion of privacy.
4
THE CURRIER TIMES
DECEMBER 2010
A Need for Less Speed
By Zachary Weiss
Many people at Curry College have cars. But few
probably know what the campus speed limit is.
The answer is 15 miles per hour, and not a lot of
people abide by it.
“A 15 miles per hour speed limit is too slow,” said
Cody Franks, a senior criminal justice major who
admitted to not knowing the modestly posted limit.
It’s hard to blame him. On the half-mile drive on Blue
Jay Way, from the entrance to campus to the Alumni
House, the only speed limit signs are a few 5 mph
postings near pedestrian crosswalks, starting around the
Science Building. Going the opposite direction, there is
just one actual speed limit sign, a 15 mph marker near
55 Atherton St. immediately after the four-way stop.
There are many yellow speed bumps around campus,
but they don’t seem to slow down most drivers.
Bob MacNeil, co-chair of the Communication
Department, walks from his office in AAPC to the
Kennedy building and back every day. He said he
sees too many drivers ignoring stop signs and driving
distracted.
“All people have a tendency to drive too fast,” he
said. “Even I have a tendency to drive fast.”
MacNeil said Public Safety should create a “greater
awareness” of the problem, though. “Maybe try a speed
gun and ask students to slow down,” he said.
According to Public Safety, speeding
on campus can earn someone a $100 fine.
However, it’s quite rare for someone to get
pulled over and ticketed; the college does
not release statistics related to auto-related
moving violations. Students see more
tickets for reckless driving, including fish
tailing in a parking lot or driving off road on
campus, said Chief Brian Greeley. The fine
for reckless driving is listed on public safety
citations as $200.
“We want to follow the same rules on
campus as we do outside of campus,” said
Greeley.
When the roads get more icy and
dangerous, Public Safety officers will
increasingly monitor stop sign areas to
ensure that cars come to a complete stop so
its safe for walkers to cross, Greeley said,
adding that pedestrians need to be more alert,
too. Last spring, Public Safety conducted a
safety check at the four-way stop near 55
Atherton. Greeley said students were talking Speed limit signs are hard to find at Curry, as so few exist. Some students
and faculty say more needs to be done to slow down speeding on campus.
on their phones and not looking both ways
when crossing the street.
erratic driving, Greeley said. People should call the
“It’s important to educate people walking and people department’s anonymous “hot tip line,” at (617) 333driving,” he said.
2159, with the license plate number of any car that is
It’s also important to notify Public Safety if you see driving dangerously.
Curry Wins Grant
for Faculty Center
Sebastian Humbert
By Erin Powers
Breathing Life Into Death
Theater students, from left, Tyler Richards, Sarah Naughton and Michael Spieler,
among others, shined in the production of “Death of a Salesman,” Dec. 4-7 in the
Keith Auditorium. The play was directed by Professor John Barrett.
Santa treated Curry well this year with a gift that is sure to keep
on giving. Actually, it wasn’t Santa at all. The nearly $200,000 grant
was received from the Davis Educational Foundation and will be
put toward a new faculty center on campus.
According to Dean of Faculty Cassandra Horii, the mission of the
new Faculty Center for Professional Development and Curriculum
Innovation will be to help Curry’s faculty advance their skills in
a broad range of practices focused on student learning, including
learning outcomes assessment and technology usage in the
classroom. Curriculum development, implementation, evaluation
and revision are other elements of the Center’s mission, Horii said.
The Center will be located at 65A Atherton St.
Curry submitted its proposal to the foundation in September,
and an on-campus site visit occurred on Oct. 28. The proposal was
developed in consultation with faculty committees—particularly
the Excellence in Teaching and Educational Technology groups—
departments, focus groups and individuals, Horii said.
“Preparing and submitting a proposal of this magnitude is a
tremendous undertaking, demanding contributions from many
people,” said David Potash, chief academic officer, in an e-mail
to the faculty on Dec. 1. “The strengths of our college, the clarity
of our goals, and the commitment of President [Kenneth] Quigley
and the college, particularly through a guarantee of significant
institutional investment in the project, were very much appreciated
by the foundation.”
Stanton and Elisabeth Davis established the foundation in
1985 following Mr. Davis’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s
Supermarkets Inc. Since then, the foundation has provided more
than $79.6 million in grants to more than 145 institutions.
According to Horii, the award is a recognition of the faculty’s
dedication to student learning. “When I joined the Curry College
community in 2009, I immediately appreciated the passion
and dedication of the faculty to their ongoing professional
development, especially through the Excellence in Teaching
Committee,” said Horii, who was responsible for drafting the
original proposal.
The grant will provide Curry with $190,331 over a threeyear period, with the college investing additional money. Further
planning for the Faculty Center will begin in the spring of 2011,
Horii said, with the goal of having it up and running during the
2011-12 academic year.
Nick Ironside
Campus speed limit signs are few and far between
DECEMBER 2010
THE CURRIER TIMES
5
Twenty-five foot smoking
prohibition widely ignored
By Brendan Lonek
We’ve all walked through a cloud of smoke, rushing
past the stink of cigarettes in search of sanctuary within
an academic building or dorm. Smokers, it seems, are
everywhere on campus and there’s little chance of
escape.
Curry implemented a policy in 2006 that prohibits
smoking within 25 feet of all buildings and residence
halls. However, this policy has largely been ignored,
evidenced by the many cigarette butts littering the
outside of virtually every facility on campus.
Despite postings on some buildings’s facades, such
as AAPC’s, many students don’t even know the policy
exists. “I’ve seen so many people smoking right outside
my dorm that I thought it was allowed,” said James
Oliver, a freshman criminal justice major.
Enforcement of the 25-foot rule doesn’t fall to public
safety, according to Chief Brian Greeley. Instead, it’s the
duty of residence directors, residence assistants, faculty
and staff to remind people of the rule, he said.
Erik Muurisepp, director of residence life and housing,
said if a student is smoking too close to a residence hall,
an RA or RD is supposed to tell the student to move
away from the building. “We are working on putting
benches outside of State House to encourage smokers to
smoke away from the dorm and toward the bench, which
is around 25 feet away,”
Muurisepp said. Smoking
is also prohibited inside
all residence halls and
academic buildings.
It’s the 25-feet rule that is
routine ignored, however.
Freshman Christine Wolff
said RA’s and RD’s aren’t
doing a good enough job
of keeping smokers away
from the dorms. “Because
they keep coming back,”
she said.
Wolff and Oliver said
students who break this
rule should be written up. “I don’t understand
why they aren’t being written up if people
are getting written up for talking loud in their
rooms after quiet hours when they are causing
just as much disturbance,” said Wolff. Some
colleges see the battle over butts as virtually
unwinnable, and have moved to eliminate
smoking from their campuses altogether. The
University of Oregon recently announced that
it would ban smoking campus-wide starting
A smoking restriction sign hangs in AAPC, but few other such signs exist.
in 2012. The rule is already facing backlash,
Outside of Hafer, butts are discarded about 15-feet from the door.
as many students, including the Student body
September, citing public health considerations for the
president, are against this new rule. Closer
to home, Salem State University said this fall that it move. Approximately 260 colleges and universities in
too would ban smoking on campus beginning next the U.S. are currently smoke free.
‘I Want People to Understand...’
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
That’s when the rumors began to fly.
“I was driving with one friend after I had a rough day.
When I have those days I just drive down roads,” she
says. “People assume a Curry College student driving the
back roads at night must have something to do with drugs.
But there were no drugs involved. I was out venting with
my friend. The last thing I needed was drugs.”
What happened next, she says, was nothing more than
being in the wrong place at
the wrong time, followed
by a slew of questionable
decisions. Upon discovering
the body, and not fully
knowing what to make of
it, she says she contacted
a friend on campus who
arrived with four others packed into a black sedan. The
owner of the Audi says she has a history of anxiety
attacks, and has previously taken prescription medication
for them. She was no longer on her medication, however,
and she began freaking out. So, she left with one of the
friends.
“I didn’t know what it was. It looked like a scarecrow
with a pumpkin head, like a Halloween decoration,” she
says. “Last thing I thought was an actual person.
“I drove by it once and didn’t know if it was real or fake.
Then I saw the bottom of the feet and I started freaking
out,” she continues. “There was no one else down that
road and I didn’t know if this was gang related. There
might have been someone in the bushes or something,
so I called my friends. I couldn’t handle it and I drove
away and left.
“I left because I wasn’t involved,” she says, adding that
she had been ticketed in Boston days earlier for driving
with an expired car registration. On the night of her
discovery, she also wasn’t carrying her driver’s license.
“I didn’t realize that I was leaving a crime scene.”
She says she returned to campus to the comfort of
friends that evening. She stayed at Curry overnight,
even though she lives in an off-campus apartment,
because she says she couldn’t imagine sleeping alone
that evening.
“When my Audi was on the news I said, ‘O.K, this is a
story.’ And then the police were looking for me the next
day,” she says. “I didn’t want them looking for the wrong
person. So I got a lawyer and turned myself in.”
She says she hired an attorney on the advice of her
mother and older brother. The attorney contacted Milton
police and said the driver would come in and talk, but
that she wanted to wait one more day. “‘Just let me be,’ I
thought,” she says. “I didn’t want to be stressed for one
night. Then I will be OK.”
Her car was immediately impounded and the rumors
quickly spread that the driver of a white Audi with a
Curry College parking
sticker killed someone.
Some even suggested that
she repeatedly drove over the
body. On a college campus,
rumors have a tendency to
become a defining narrative.
“No, no, no!” she says,
her eyes wide with exasperation. “I only drove past it.
But it was so mutilated that blood was all over the road
and some got on my tires. It would have been obvious
had I ran the body over. There was no dent and I have a
low-risen car.
“I wouldn’t be here at Curry right now if I hit it,” she
adds.
Police have been silent about the ongoing investigation.
One theory law enforcement officials were exploring
was whether Tisdale stowed away in the wheel-well of
an airplane from Charlotte to Boston—he reportedly ran
away from home before, according to media reports—
and died either in the well or by falling when the plane’s
landing gear opened upon descent. On Dec. 8, WCVBTV in Boston reported that a law enforcement official said
investigators were “nearly certain” that is how Tisdale
died. Police haven’t yet publicly commented, however.
Milton Deputy Chief Charles Paris did tell the news
media in late November that the owner of the Audi was
not a suspect but rather a witness. Milton police has
since declined to comment on the investigation. The
Audi, however, remains impounded, a source of major
frustration for its owner.
“Something like this doesn’t even cross your mind;
it has to be anything but this. But maybe in my mind I
knew it was real,” she says of the discovery. “My mind
freaked out so much I actually can’t remember it. The
horrible parts are blocked out. The road was so dark. All
“I just needed someone to say,
‘I know you didn’t do it.’ My
friends are the most helpful.”
I wanted was to see another car come down to help me.
It felt like a dream. Like a dream, I don’t remember a lot
of it. I try to forget.”
She says the string of poor decisions relating to leaving
the scene, not coming forward quicker, and the delay in
turning herself in gave police good reason to be skeptical.
She says she was interrogated for three hours when she
first met with police, and hadn’t been questioned by any
law enforcement officials since.
“I broke down [crying] a couple of times” during the
questioning, she says, frequently citing TV shows like
“Law & Order” and “CSI” as the basis of her knowledge
of investigative protocol. “The police need to break you
down when they try and get the truth out of you.”
Once she returned to school, many of the problems
of the outside world remained on campus. Students
and faculty began asking her why she’s being arrested
for murder and how did she know the boy from North
Carolina. “It’s funny when it’s not true,” she says. “But
people didn’t even want me in their rooms. Everyone
was staring at me, and already I don’t hide well in a
crowd.”
She says she holds absolutely no animosity toward
the police, who were and continue to simply do their
jobs. She also says that Curry administrators have
treated her and her friends well. Her professors also
have understood, she says, given that she wasn’t able to
concentrate much on classwork, which was the “furthest
thing from my mind” during the weeks following her
discovery.
Otherwise, she is asking for very little assistance in
her efforts to return to normalcy. “I’m not the type that
asks for help,” she says. “When I got back I jumped
right back in. My friends are there for me. They went
through all this with me....I just needed someone to say,
‘We know you didn’t do it.’ My friends are the most
helpful.”
She says one of the great ironies is that she lives to
help people. She wants to work with people, and perhaps
join the Peace Corps following graduation. She says she
chalks up the experience of this semester as another of a
“series of strange events in my life” and that “suffering is
a part of life that makes you stronger.
“It all happens for a reason,” she adds. “I try to be
optimistic about it, trying to find the bright side. It’s
almost over.”
Nick Ironside
Up in Smoke
6
THE CURRIER TIMES
DECEMBER 2010
Vantage Points
Challenges of College Access
CLAIRE SENITA
You may have seen me zippin’ around campus, but
I haven’t always been in a wheelchair.
In 2006, I broke my neck in a gymnastics accident
that left me paralyzed. I’m from the Pittsburgh
area, but I chose Curry because it’s close to a rehab
center that I attend. I also liked Curry because of the
smallness of the school and how friendly the people
were. When I toured the school last summer, I knew
there was a huge hill in the middle of campus, but
I didn’t predict the other major problems that have
occurred in my first year here.
Upon arriving, I was assigned a room on the second
floor of NCRH. I’ve been told that when Curry built
the residence hall, it did so with no wheelchairaccessible bathrooms on the first floor. I know, that
makes no sense to me either.
Since I live on the second floor, I obviously have to
take the elevator to my room. That elevator broke two
weekends in a row during the first month of school.
It took hours to fix in one case; in the other, it was
almost an entire day. So, I was stuck. Fortunately, my
new friends were willing to carry me up the stairs.
Amazingly, the only building on this entire campus
that has an automatic door button is the library, the
oldest building on campus. And even that sometimes
doesn’t work. The Student Center is almost brand
new, yet for some reason Curry decided against
putting in a button to open the doors for those who
might have a hard time doing so manually.
Most of the buildings on campus are pretty old.
I understand that it would be hard and expensive to
renovate every building, but I think a crucial facility
that needs fixing is the Health Center. There are
steps inside, so if I want to get to the other side of
the building, I need to go outside and reenter through
a different door. The situation is the same with the
library. If I want to get to the top floor of the library,
I need to go outside, reenter through AAPC, and take
the elevator to the second floor.
And if I want to go off campus like any other student,
the accessibility of the shuttles poses a problem. For
me to take a shuttle, I have to first inform student
activities well in advance and ask them to request an
accessible vehicle. Even this doesn’t guarantee that
the shuttle will be equipped for my needs, though.
Luckily for me, most of the students at Curry
are incredibly nice and have always lent a helping
hand if they see I need one. And while you’re not
wheelchair bound, and these issues may not effect
you now, everyone is a simple broken ankle away
from enduring maneuvering challenges somewhat
like mine.
It shouldn’t be so hard to live and learn on
campus.
Claire Senita is a freshman management major.
Start Thinking About Summer Plans
MAUREEN ASHBURN
With winter vacation just around the corner, few
students are thinking about their summer breaks. But
those who want to do a summer internship should
begin the planning process.
An internship helps you narrow down career
decisions, solidify career goals, learn more about a
specific company where you might want to work,
and/or gain insight about a specific industry or career
field. An internship is also a way to “get your foot
in the door” of an industry or a specific company.
It provides you with the opportunity to make an
impression that might lead to a full-time job offer,
job referrals, mentors and professional contacts.
Finally, an internship can clearly enhance your
marketability upon graduation. It develops and builds
on your professional skills. Having done an internship
demonstrates your familiarity with an industry, its
environment and its expectations, and it reinforces
your interest in the field. Moreover, you can receive
college credits for the successful completion of the
internship.
So, what steps do you need to take to register for a
summer internship?
Step 1: Submit the online Internship Application
found on the My Curry Portal under the Career
Services Tab > Internship Program. This application
only indicates your interest in doing an internship.
Step 2: Make an appointment with Career Services.
You can fill out the “Online Appointment Request
Form” on the My Curry Portal > Career Services
main page, visit the office in the King Academic
Administration Building at 55 Atherton St., or call
the front desk at (617) 333-2195.
Step 3: Check your Curry e-mail DAILY!
Important information about your internship
registration, faculty supervisor information and more
will be communicated to you via e-mail.
As you begin the summer internship search process,
keep in mind a few important things:
The earlier you get started looking for an internship,
the better.
Make sure your resume is reviewed by the Career
Services office.
Make the most out of your experience. This is your
opportunity to learn and to grow professionally!
Maureen Ashburn is the new director of Career
Services at Curry College.
THE CURRIER TIMES
Reporters
Andrew Blom, Craig Dudley,
Sebastian Humbert, Nick Ironside,
Brendan Lonek, Alexandra
McGinnis, Erin Powers,
Zack Weiss and Sam Zapora
Photo Editor
Craig Dudley
Contributing Writers
Molly McCarthy,
Tim McCarthy and
Danielle Roy
Faculty Advisor
Professor Jeff Lemberg
The Currier Times is a student-written
and produced print publication
that publishes monthly throughout the
academic year. Reporters are registered
students of the News/Multimedia
Journalism Practicum course, with
other students contributing to the Times.
The Currier Times is printed by
MassWeb Printing Co. in Auburn,
Mass. To contact the Times, e-mail:
[email protected].
LETTERS TO THE
CURRIER TIMES
Oppose Hate
In light of the recent hate speech committed
on the Curry College campus, the Curry College
Student Government Association would like to take
this opportunity to publicly express our dismay and
condolences to all community members affected by
these acts.
As an organization, we are greatly disturbed these
acts are being committed at our institution. We would
like to reiterate the fact that such behavior is not a true
representation of our community, and the Curry College
student body. On this note, the Student Government
Association is currently collaborating with faculty and
administration to promote awareness on campus. We
are also working on engaging students in conversation
about the recent events on campus.
We believe that Curry College is a place where
students of all backgrounds should feel safe and included
within the community. As leaders on campus, we strive
to set a positive example for our peers. Therefore, we
are doing everything in our power to stand against this
hate speech, and show our support for all of our fellow
students who have been affected by these tragic events.
On campus, we are encouraging students to take
responsibility for what is happening in their own
residence halls. Therefore, we are asking those who
know anything about the recent events to please come
forward with any information to your residence hall
directors and resident assistants.
Lorraine Dougherty, president
Colleen McGillicuddy, executive vice president
Justin Selig, secretary
Benjamin Jacobson, treasurer
Send Us Your Thoughts
Letters to The Currier Times can be sent by e-mail to
[email protected]. Letters for publication
must include the author’s name. The CT reserves the right
to edit letters down for space reasons.
WA N T E D
Student advertising
rep or ad manager
wanted for
The Currier Times.
Credits are available,
but the experience
will be invaluable.
For more information,
contact Professor
Jeff Lemberg at
[email protected]
or (617) 391-5215.
DECEMBER 2010
THE CURRIER TIMES
7
Holy Mystery
By Sam Zapora
If you were to take a walk behind the
Alumni House, down the overgrowth-laden
path, you’d be met by a heavenly sight. In
a small clearing stands a curious statue of
an angel holding a small child, gazing into
what appears to be a granite pool.
Or, at least it used to stand.
At some point in late November, the
statue was toppled over, shattering into
several pieces. Public Safety was made
aware as a result of the reporting of this
story. “It is unknown whether or not the
incident was the result of vandalism or an
act of nature,” said Public Safety Chief
Brian Greeley. “It could have easily fallen
by a strong wind or falling tree.
“The platform it was on was not concrete
into the ground, and the statue itself is very
top-heavy,” he added.
The statue won’t likely be fixed by the
Christmas holidays, according to Public
Safety, and perhaps it won’t at all. But
what’s an angle statue even doing on the
outskirts of a non-secular college campus?
The previous occupants of the Alumni
House were a chapter of Opus Dei, a
religious organization affiliated with the
Catholic Church and made pop-culture
famous as a result of Dan Brown’s novel
The Da Vinci Code. The statue and its
surrounding area were possibly used as
a sacellum, an area for an individual or
group to pray.
Curry purchased the Alumni House on
Dec. 31, 2004, and it currently houses
the Offices of Institutional Advancement,
which is responsible for governmental,
corporate, parental and alumni relations,
as well as marketing for the college. Prior
to Curry’s ownership, the land was fenced
off and secluded from the campus.
“The building was renovated from
approximately September 2006 through
May 2007 and was placed in service in
May 2007,” said Fran Jackson, director
of public relations for the college, and
whose office is in Alumni House. The
building was officially purchased from
the Trimount Foundation, a Massachusetts
nonprofit affiliated with various Opus Dei
chapters in the state. According to Jackson,
Curry has no specific affiliation with Opus
Dei, the Catholic Church, or any religious
organization.
“Investigation into the actual cause of
the statue’s toppling is ongoing,” she added.
Craig Dudley
Alumni House angel statue stands no more
A statue of an angel holding a small child lies broken behind the Alumni House. The
statue is a remnant from the house’s previous owner, the Catholic group Opus Dei.
Homeless and Hungry on Campus
Social justice students get
a taste of social injustice
You may have noticed the fliers around campus
regarding homelessness in Massachusetts and the United
States. What few students seem to know, however, is the
purpose behind the paper.
This fall, students in a first-year seminar course titled
“Discover: Community Action” decided to do a class
project around homelessness, poverty and inequality in
the United States. They researched their subjects—about
2 million Americans, half of which are children, are
currently homeless, they found—and later spent a day
volunteering at The Greater Boston Food Bank, the largest
hunger-relief organization in New England. But it was part
three of the project that was the toughest: an on-campus
overnight sleep-out.
“This wasn’t about pretending to be homeless. It’s more
about deeply reflecting on what you have, what if it’s
taken away from you for a little bit, what you don’t have,
and what it feels like,” said Professor Karen Lischinsky,
who led the overnight learning experience with Professor
Carrie Cokely. “It was really about what it would be like
to be disempowered, and the students didn’t realize how
disempowered they would be.”
The sleep-out began on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. and
continued until 11 the following morning. Students were
allowed to bring the clothes on their bodies, a sleeping
bag, and nothing else. As it turned out, Nov. 16 was a rainy
day…and night.
After spending hours in the rain, students became
hungry and were told that they could go to a makeshift soup
kitchen in the AAPC, where they would be given some
bread with turkey and bologna, potato chips and apples
to eat, but nothing to drink. Once the students began to
get comfortable and warm, Lischinsky told them that the
“kitchen” was closing and they had to leave. Frustrated,
they returned to the rain with the bitter taste of injustice.
Some students were quickly losing their patience.
“You can leave,” Lischinsky told them. “But if you do
leave, you’ve acted on your class privilege.” Everyone
stuck it out. They found cover to get some sleep, and to pass
the time, some students started to sing, Lischinsky said.
Courtesy Photo
By Danielle Roy
Students, from left, Maryellen Brickey, Melissa Manning and Andrew Waldrip (in shorts) settle in for a little rest during their
sleep-out last month as part of their first-year seminar class.
“I did sprints back and forth on the ledge in front of
Hafer, and pushups because it was so cold,” said Dan
Ockene, who was part of the sleep-out.
To bolster the reality and learning, Lischinsky gave
some students snacks, or pieces of candy, while others
received nothing. She later asked the students who didn’t
receive anything how it made them feel, and encouraged
them to try to remember that feeling the next time they
saw someone homeless on the street.
During their experience students also learned how
some people react to and act on homelessness. One
person, who remains unknown, brought two large
cartons of hot chocolate for the students. Another, a
professor unaware of the students’ experiment, kicked
and yelled at them for sleeping outside Hafer and called
public safety. “It was amazing in the sense that it does
reflect reality. Hate crimes against the homeless are real,
but we don’t talk about it,” Lischinsky said. “Hate crimes
against poor people doesn’t get recognized, but it’s real
and it happens a lot.”
After the sleep-out, students said it was one of the
worst times they have ever experienced, yet they got a
lot out of it.
“If I was that cold every night, I wouldn’t be able to
survive,” said student Ethan Wajer after his time at the
sleep-out. “It helped us to understand what homeless
people go through, except it’s 1,000 times worse.”
“Through it all, it taught me that someone who really is
in this situation can easily lose their self-confidence and
mentally shut down,” added student participant Chelsie
Young. “Being homeless can be degrading.”
It’s that kind of understanding that made the project an
academic success, said Lischinsky.
“This experience was something that couldn’t be
recreated in a classroom, but the classroom became
the outside world,” she said. “It is a different kind of
teaching, very effective. It takes theory into practice.
“Student activism doesn’t just last from 11:30 to 12:20.”
8
THE CURRIER TIMES
DECEMBER 2010
Sports
Fallen
Angel
page 7
Shooting and Flying High
Cheerleading team
preps for return to
college nationals
The most heated debate when it comes to
cheerleading is whether or not it’s a sport.
For anyone looking to have that debate,
just find Curry cheerleading coach Nicole
Palermo.
“We do consider cheerleading a sport,”
says the second-year coach. “To us, we work
out and practice just as hard. We actually
have a higher commitment level. [We’re]
constantly working out, dancing and doing
gymnastics. We take all sorts of aspects of
different sports into one.”
She does bring up some solid points,
considering that girls are being launched
into the air to perform insane acrobatic
maneuvers in hopes of falling safely into
teammates’ arms. Cheering can also be very
demanding on members’ schedules, as the
squad makes appearances at Curry football
and basketball games, in addition to it own
The Curry cheerleading squad is looking to improve upon last year’s finish at the Division III National Championships, where they earned ninthcompetitions.
place honors. This year’s team, with only five returning athletes, is gunning for a top-five finish in the April competition.
The Curry girls compete both locally and
nationally. Last April, the Colonels placed
Spencer Ingvertsen, Erin Ryan, and Kristin Kurtz, and
design student and newcomer to the squad.
ninth out of the 18 teams invited to the Division III
Palermo also expects Curry to do better this year. sophomore Caitlin Bye—to pave the way for the 15
NCA & NDA Collegiate National Championships in “My goal is to place in the top five,” she says. “I believe freshmen and a transfer student who joined this year.
Daytona Beach, Fla. They’re hoping to do even better that we have the team and the talent.”
“This is my fourth year on this team and I have never
upon their return trip next semester.
Palermo says leadership from her veterans will met a group of girls like this,” says Doll. “They are
“I feel that we’re so much better this year. We’re so contribute to achieving success. The team has five dedicated, hard working and really fun to be around. I
much more involved,” says Tory Hoffman, a graphic returning cheerleaders—senior Allison Doll, juniors have high hopes for nationals this year.”
Little Rest for Winter StudentAthletes During Holiday Break
Alexandra McGinnis
By Nick Ironside
Blurring Speed
Intramural sports like floor hockey are widely popular on
campus. For information about upcoming sports leagues,
contact the Fitness Center at [email protected].
While most students are at home sleeping
in and relaxing during winter break, Curry’s
student-athletes are on campus, working hard on
the court or ice.
None of the winter sports teams actually play
games from Dec. 9 to Dec. 30, but the studentathletes are required to stay on or close to
campus for regular practice during their winter
vacations. According to Ryan Warsofsky, a
senior defender on the hockey team, some of
the athletes even take winter session courses in
between their practices.
Athletes are allowed to live on campus during
winter break, in North Campus Residence Hall or
the Suites on the South side of campus. Amenities
are limited, however, with no shuttle bus service.
Food services still operate—for breakfast, lunch
and dinner—during assigned times. The hockey
and men’s and women’s basketball teams all
dine together, said Director of Athletics Vinnie
Eruzione.
For sure, things can get boring. “We play video
games like Madden and watch ESPN,” said
sophomore Sedale Jones of the men’s basketball
team. “We get a few days off for Christmas, so
we can go home.”
Worsofsky said different members of the
hockey team look to get off campus a bit more
than usual during the break. “A lot of the guys go
to the movies, we play video games, and some
guys go bowling,” he said.
During winter break, the men’s basketball
team will travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pa., to play
in the Wilkes-Barre Challenge. The Colonels,
which opened the season 1-6 as of Dec. 4,
will face Kings College on Jan. 2 and Wilkes
University on Jan. 3. Wilkes University and
Curry are two of five colleges in the country that
have the Colonel as a mascot.
The women’s basketball team, which has
opened the season 8-0 as of Dec. 7, will play
four games during break, three at home. On Jan.
8, they will tip-off at 1 p.m. against Western
New England College at home. On Jan. 11, the
University of New England will come to Milton,
and on Jan. 13, Johnson & Wales University will
play here at 7 p.m. The women’s team will then
travel to Regis College on Jan. 15 for a game
at 1 p.m.
Curry’s hockey team, which stood at 4-2-2 as
of Dec. 4, will play two games in the Cardinal
Classic at Plattsburgh, N.Y., on Dec. 31 and
Jan. 1. Opponents have yet to be determined.
The team will also travel to Oswego, N.Y.,
where they will be taking on Utica College on
Jan. 7 and then State University of New York at
Oswego on Jan. 8.
Courtesy of Curry Athletics/Brian Winchester
By Craig Dudley