Category: Spotlight
Spotlight: Treat Cupcake Bar
It’s cupcake heaven at Treat./PHOTO VIA Heather Hamacek
By Heather Hamacek, Staff Writer
@HeatherHamacek
Cupcakes are delicious; there is no denying that. Probably because they’re miniature cakes! Everything tastes better when it is miniature. Treat Cupcake Bar, which recently opened a location in Chestnut Hill, knew exactly how to take a cupcake shop to the next level. The customer becomes part of the experience at Treat’s make-your-own-cupcake bar, where customers are able to mix three toppings of their choice to create a custom frosting, much like Cold Stone Creamery. The custom-made frosting then tops a cupcake of the customer’s choosing.
Not only do the customers get control of the components of the cupcake, they can even do the mixing themselves if they want! Customers then get a naked cupcake, a cup of frosting and their three chosen toppings to mix in and design.
“Treat is focusing on the fact that everyone loves cupcakes. Our initial branding was more kid-oriented,” said Adie Sprague, head baker and general manager. “A lot of cupcake stores target adults with nostalgia, [but] we went right [back] to the beginning. It doesn’t have to have a nostalgic vibe, it [cupcakes] can just be fun.”
Treat mixes a fun activity along with a delicious treat, making it an excellent place to visit after dinner or on a date. The pre-made cupcake flavors are quite ingenious, ranging from Fluffernutter to seasonal treats, like Sprague’s favorite, Blueberry Pancakes.
Treat caters in addition to having a café. It has two locations currently, the new shop at The Street— an outdoor collection of shops and eateries in Chestnut Hill— and the original shop is based in Needham.
Spotlight: Creative Minds Across Campus
By Alexandra Diantgikis, Staff Writer
@adiantgikis
Spotlight: Condom Couture
By Heather Hamacek, Staff Writer
What is one to expect from an event called Condom Couture? Well, condoms for one, and fashion for another. Boston University’s chapter of Face Aids, an organization that helps fight HIV/AIDs in Africa and advocates for safe sex held the university’s first Condom Couture last Thursday night.
The event worked to de-stigmatize condoms and safe sex culture as much as it worked to raise money for Face AIDS.
Dresses, skirts and a jacket made of condoms were strutted down the makeshift runway constructed in the Jacob Sleeper Auditorium while two drag queens, Liza Lott and Ms. Kris Knievil, provided crude-humored commentary and kept the audience involved and laughing.
The judges, including some professors from BU, gave advice to the crowd before the models walked.
“Don’t ever use a condom without lube,” said Sophie Godley, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences.
Alfredo Hernandez, another judge, said, “do not stop having sex, by yourselves or with some else. Don’t stop. Do it safely.”
Jeremy Meltzer, one of the co-founders of BU’s Face Aids chapter said condoms do not even faze him anymore.
“The condoms are fun,” he said as he washed the lubrication off one in his sink. “You can make many condom jokes. 12,000 condoms, I’m always safe. Silly stuff like that.”
Meredith Hoobler, one of the designers and the winner of the fashion show said she has been walking around with condoms falling out of her bag since she got her first allotment of 600 condoms.
“I think it’s a really interesting conversation starter and topic,” said Hoober. “You never know, it tends to come out, something will just fall out of my bag. It tends to make life more interesting I guess during the day because people will be like ‘how’s the condom dress’ and others will do like six double takes. So I think that’s fun.”
Condom Couture is planning to become an annual event. It is definitely one worth going to.
Spotlight: Match Corps tutoring program offers learning experience for teachers and students
By Samantha Wong, Staff Writer
@saaaamwong
Boston University College of Arts and Sciences senior Gaby Diller tutors the Match Public Charter School Mock Trial Team./ PHOTO COURTESY OF Gaby Diller
With one glance, Match Public Charter High School seems to be an everyday high school: teenagers filtering in and out of the school for lunch and later crowding the T when five o’clock rolls around. What is not initially recognized is the hard work that is put into the school from both the students and faculty.
Teaching is often thought of as a thankless job. Teachers do hours of prep work before classes in addition to the typical school hours they work. More often than not, teachers are thinking of the progress and well-being of their students long after they leave the classroom.
The students have just as much impact on the teacher’s learning experience as the teacher influences the students’ work.
Match Education, the organization behind Match Corps and Match Public Charter High School, is responsible not solely for fostering a love of education, but also responsible for the brainchild that is their fellowship-teaching program.
Match Corps is Match Education’s program for aspiring educators who want an alternative experience with teaching. The people within Match Corps get put to work in a rigorous training program that immerses them into the high school as tutors. This way, the people within the program get firsthand experience.
Most people hire tutors in high school, but at Match, tutors come as a paired set with a high school education. Hand in hand, tutor and student find a mutually beneficial partnership. The tutor gets experience while learning how to better connect with the student being tutored. The student gets one-on-one help with their studies outside normal school hours
Match Education creates a better environment for students and teachers alike. That students are able to have access to tutoring services is great but the fact that these tutors are dedicated to their craft is more than admirable.
Spotlight: BU Harry Potter Alliance Chapter: Dumbledore’s Army
By Samantha Wong, Staff Writer
@saaaamwong
BU’s Harry Potter Alliance chapter, ‘Dumbledore’s Army.’/PHOTO COURTESY OF Yi Feng
Most muggles do not have magic on the brain. ‘Muggle’ is the term J.K. Rowling uses to describe non-magical folk within the Harry Potter series. Of course, according to Rowling, most muggles don’t think about magic because they have already refused to accept that it even exists.
However, the Harry Potter Alliance and Boston University’s chapter, Dumbledore’s Army, prove that magic doesn’t have to be spells or curses to be practiced. Within the community, average muggles like you and I, can practice a less literal magic that wows. In this case, magic can be the simple thought of giving back to the community. Most people are amazed by the effects giving back can have.
Giving back can be something as small as donating books to others or selling free trade chocolate in the shape of chocolate frogs. Even getting together a group of people with a common interest in a character can be life changing for others.
What I never considered was that Harry Potter, other than being a great wizard for vanquishing the dark lord Voldemort, could be more than a character. It had not occurred to me that a book, which became a series loved by millions, could be something other than a book. Harry Potter’s name now stands as a symbol for hope. Harry Potter inspires change for the better.
As J.K. Rowling remarks on the Harry Potter Alliance website, “I am honoured and humbled that Harry’s name has been given to such an extraordinary campaign, which really does exemplify the values for which Dumbledore’s Army fought in the books.”
New food trucks hit the Boston streets
By Heather Hamacek
@HeatherHamacek
New food trucks have recently opened in Boston/ PHOTO BY Elysha Bemis
Eight new food trucks will be debuting on the streets of Boston this spring with the new season’s circuit. Mother Juice, Fugu Truck, Taco Party Truck and Sweet Tomatoes have all gone mobile. Boston University students have never had to many options for lunch or a quick snack in-between a busy class schedule.
Food trucks are revolutionizing fast food for an on-the-go city. Healthier options have never been so readily available and many of the trucks express interest and intent to work with local producers.
Mother Juice hopes to bring a local juice culture to Boston, while utilizing locally grown produce. Fugu Truck plans on introducing Bostonians to their local producers through authentic Asian street food. Taco Party Truck is exhibiting quality vegetarian tacos, while trying to stay environmentally friendly. Meanwhile, Sweet Tomatoes Pizza is mobilizing their already popular restaurant.
With so many new dining options dotting the Boston streets, there is hardly a reason to go inside on nice spring days.
With trucks like Mother Juice, a liquidized farmer’s market is suddenly accessible, without the pain of figuring out how your expensive juicer works.
Fugu Truck takes you on that culinary vacation to try the succulent delicacies of Asia sold on the streets without leaving the brownstone lined streets of Bean Town.
Taco Party Truck lures you in with the promise of quality vegetarian tacos and then makes you feel even better about yourself because you know it’s all environmentally friendly.
And Sweet Tomatoes Pizza is providing the gourmet slice of pizza you have been fantasizing about all day.
Four other trucks will debut as well, Pasta Pot, Biryani Park, Jimmy’s Ice Cream, and Area Four. Taco Party Truck is scheduled to be in BU West every Monday for lunch and Sweet Tomatoes will at BU East for Saturday lunch as of April 1.
Spotlight: Alternative spring break trips
By Deborah Wong, Staff Writer
@deb_wong_
Volunteers at the Iniciavita Comunitaria in Puerto Rico / Photo Courtesy of Alex Valdovinos (CAS ’13)
For spring break, climbing into your bed back at home sounds pretty great and sun-tanning on the beach sounds even more relaxing. But over 400 Boston University students decided to do something productive during their one week of freedom from schoolwork and stress. They participated in an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program and possibly made a significant change in someone else’s life.
These students spent a week doing community service that focuses on a specific issue such as public health, the environment, abandoned animals, etc. Usually they assisted a non-profit organization and did a range of activities each day. The students came back with a smile, knowing they’ve done something altruistic in their college life.
ASB not only offers students to make a difference in someone else’s life, but also offers them the chance to meet other volunteers who shared a common interest. When you’re working, cleaning, eating and living together with a group of 11-12 students for a whole week you’ll definitely make strong bonds, hopefully that will last for a long time. For some, ASB also allowed them to explore a new state, a new culture and a new environment. The volunteers had the opportunity to explore the city and had a taste of what the locals do, eat and see.
The volunteers said they would definitely join ASB again next year, two of them even said they would like to become a chaperon or a coordinator next year. Until I interviewed these students I did not know much about ASB or really considered looking into it. But after seeing them enthusiastically describe their trips and experience, I want to put ASB on my college bucket list. I now think it’s an experience everyone should try at least once.
Spotlight: Find ways to split cab fare with new app
By Alex Diantgikis
@adiantgikis
Tired of waiting for a cab, or paying too much money for a ride to the Logan Airport? Try the new Split My Taxi App when heading to the airport this weekend. / PHOTO BY David Danesh
We’ve all been there: It’s the Friday evening before break begins. You’ve got your plane ticket, backpack, and two suitcases pulled to the curb outside of your dorm. You can’t bring all of that on the T. It’s a hassle, not to mention the space you’d take up because you’ve tried to pack away your entire closet along with you for the trip.
Begrudgingly, you waved down a taxi and crash into the backseat with all of your belongings. You don’t want to pay the ridiculously overpriced fare. Plus, you can tell the driver is intentionally taking the long route to Logan to run up the meter, but what else can you do? It’s the only option to make your flight, when you don’t have a car in Boston.
The new mobile application Split My Taxi connects college students to others in the area who are heading to the same location so they can split the cab fare. It matches students by the area of their departure, time of departure and destination. The app allows students to share taxis and save money.
With spring break coming up, many students will flock to Logan Airport to head home or off to a vacation spot for a weeklong break. Cabs will line Comm Ave in anticipation, just waiting to spot a student with a suitcase. It seems that Split My Taxi may become a useful tool for students who want to save a few bucks or to save the environment from one more cab rolling to the airport.
Whatever the reason might be, it will be interesting to see how students embrace the app. We do so much through applications: text, send pictures, social network, play games, why not use it to split a taxi?
Getting to know the Deans
By Taylor Burke
@tburke93
Dean Battaglino/ PHOTO BY Kenshin Okubo for the Daily Free Press
They may seem intimidating, but Dean Elmore and Assistant Dean Battaglino are much more than busy figureheads on campus. Rather, they are approachable, easygoing people who genuinely love their jobs and getting to know their students. Most people don’t know much about either of the deans’ lives outside of their jobs.
Assistant Dean Battaglino jokingly hesitates to reveal his most embarrassing moments. Instead, he says “I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me,” and laughs. He advises students to walk carefully across the BU Bridge in the winter, given his flop on the bridge’s slick, iced-over metal pieces . He said that was pretty embarrassing, which we can all imagine.
Something else you probably didn’t know about Dean Battaglino: he loves The Little Mermaid.
The reason? He claims that it’s both entertainment and a love story. Many of us can relate to these reasons.
When he isn’t watching Disney flicks, Assistant Dean Battaglino may be found listening to Norah Jones, watching the old version of Brian’s Song, or reading Breakfast with Buddha.
Dean Elmore/ PHOTO BY Grace Wilson for the Daily Free Press
Dean Elmore, on the other hand, would rather be listening to John Coletrane or Nina Simone, and reading Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man. His favorite films are Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull or Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing.
Dean Elmore also calls himself a germaphobe, though he is never hesitant to shake someone’s hand.
He used to host a television show called Reality Check on PBS that focused on profiles of New England artists and other interesting people. He jokes that that gig was back when he had hair.
Dean Elmore’s on Twitter, too. Feel free to Tweet at him, but he says that he tends to accidently post publicly on Twitter when he thinks that he is direct messaging someone. After spending some time with the Deans, its easy to see that they’re not so different from all of us students as we may have imagined.
Going Greek
By Zara Kavarana, Staff Writer
Is this the kind of “Greek” you imagined before coming to college?/ PHOTO VIA images.buddytv.com
Coming into college is a blank slate.
We find ourselves submerged knee-deep in opportunities – some that stand out academically and some that stand out socially. So many of us want to belong, find our place, meet new people. Greek life is one of the more obvious places to start.
Although college may be new to us, the idea of Greek life isn’t. We’ve seen it on TV, in movies, read about it in books and magazines. These portrayals show being a part of a sorority or fraternity as the ideal college experience, so it wouldn’t be inaccurate to suggest the big impact it may have on someone who is considering joining. It’s almost a sort of encouragement, saying that if you join, you’ll get movie-worthy stories.
Undoubtedly, joining a Greek organization will lend itself to an unforgettable college experience, but are TV shows and movies the main reason why some students choose to join?
After becoming so familiar with sororities and fraternities from multimedia sources, it feels as if participating in Greek life is imperative in order to get the full college experience. Of course, there are many of us who join simply because we want to learn, or to give back, or to meet new people.
On another note, many of the depictions aren’t even real. Like most Hollywood productions, TV portrayals of Greek life are often sensationalized. Which leaves the question: before we even get to college, is our perception of college life influenced by the way TV and movies portray the Greek community?
