On Campus
Alum reelected sheriff of Boston Sheriff of Boston Andrea J. Cabral, BC '81, defeated her opponent, Boston City Councilor Stephen J. Murphy, in Tuesday's primary election. The lack of a Republican challenger, guarantees Cabral a second term. Many high-profile local politicians support Cabral, including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, and State Senate President Robert E. Travaglini. Cabral is the first black woman to hold a Suffolk County office and the state's first female sheriff. Cabral is credited with returning a sense of credibility to the position after her predecessor Richard J. Rouse resigned in 2002 after Boston Globe reporters secretly followed him and discovered that he was putting in four-hour work days.
Archbishop addresses C21 conference Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley delivered the keynote address for BC's Church in the 21st Century initiative's first conference of the new academic year last Friday at St. John's parish in Wellesley, Mass. The program, titled "Handing On the Faith," consisted of panel discussions between approximately 22 prominent Catholic scholars and leaders to discuss handing down the faith to future generations of Catholics. Speakers explored the impact of contemporary American culture on young Catholics and the best modes of communication to pass on Catholic teachings.
Local
Road race boosts funds for youths The inaugural Brian J. Honan 5K Road Race attracted more than 1,000 runners to Allston-Brighton last Sunday to raise money for youth education and recreation programs. The race started on Brighton Avenue in Allston, turned down Cambridge Street into Brighton Center, looped down Chestnut Hill Avenue, Union Street, and Washington Street, and then headed back into Allston. The annual Allston-Brighton parade was right on the race's heels, which brought Mayor Tom Menino to Allston to start the race before leading the parade. Former BC student Michael Krashes, now a Natick resident, won the race with a winning time of just under 18 minutes.
Residents pushes to save local church
Although officials from the Archdiocese of Boston plan to close St. Bernard's Church in West Newton Oct. 24, parishioners are not yet willing to give up. They've posted lawn signs all over the city, written hundreds of letters to the Boston Archdiocese, and hung a 5', black-and-white banner reading "Save our church" outside their Washington Street parish. Sixty people decided at a meeting last week that they would start a "sit-and-sleep-in" to prevent the church from closing, according to the Newton Tab. St. Bernard's is one of 82 churches being phased out by a financially strapped Archdiocese still recovering from a milestone settlement to church abuse victims.
Universities
MTV show to employ celebs as profs Musicians P. Diddy and Marilyn Manson, presidential candidate John Kerry (D-Mass.), BC Law '76, and Rev. Jesse Jackson have signed on as substitute college professors for "Stand In," a new show on mtvU, MTV's college-driven cable channel. P. Diddy will teach civics and politics and Manson will share his knowledge about music and marketing. A station representative told the Boston Herald that they also tried to contact President Bush. BC is one of 17 Boston-area universities that broadcast the channel. MtvU also recently partnered with Amnesty International to mobilize college students to stop the human rights crisis in the Sudan and is setting up a live-feed satellite chat between American and Middle Eastern students.
UMich business school receives gift
The University of Michigan received a monetary gift totaling $100 million from Stephen M. Ross, chair of the Related Companies, a New York-based real estate corporation. Ross is a Detroit native and a University of Michigan graduate who also helped fund the construction of the $1.7 billion Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. He is also working to bring the Olympics to New York. The gift will be used to build a business school on the UMich campus. Ross stated that he wants an "iconic, modern building" that would represent what he hoped would become the country's "best business school." There has been talk of naming the building after its benefactor. Ross's gift is the largest ever given to a business school. The official announcement of the gift will take place on Sept. 23.
Nation
Electronic voting to go national Electronic voting will go national in time for this year's presidential election, according to the New York Times. With only six weeks left until Election Day, there is no time to address whether or not the machines are ready for the election or if the electorate is ready for them. Nearly one-third of approximately 150 million registered voters will be casting their ballots on the machines, which have not been fully tested for accuracy and security against fraud on a large scale. Experts say that the potential exists for post-election problems due to machine malfunctions. Voting systems that record ballots on a computer have been scrutinized ever since the 2000 presidential election, due to potential vote manipulation and fraud.
Philadelphia Orchestra to go on strike
Representatives for musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra authorized a strike last Saturday due to disatisfaction with respective contracts. According to an interview with John Koen, a cellist and chairman of the players' committee in the New York Times, secret ballots were overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing the strike. "We're waiting to hear from management," said Koen. "There's some behind-the-scenes maneuvering." The vote followed a meeting last Friday night where the players walked out in protest to management's offer on alterations to the pension plan. The contract expired this past Monday. A potential walkout by the Philadelphia Orchestra would cancel opening night at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and would indefinitely postpone the company's performance in Carnegie Hall on Oct. 6. A similar strike happened in 1996 and left subscription losses for the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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