Eli Pekelny

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELI PEKELNY
The Daily Free Press •

‘Die before that park is privatized’: Demolition, privatization of White Stadium prompts protest – The Daily Free Press

Civil rights leader Jean McGuire stood in front of Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office while others besides her held signs that read, “Save Franklin Park.”
“It’s our park. We live there,” McGuire said. “It’s not a place that should be monetized or turned into something that isn’t for the people.”
The Franklin Park Defenders assembled Feb. 26 to request Campbell’s support for their lawsuit combating the demolition and privatization of White Stadium, which could limit stadium access for Bost...
SARAH CRUZ/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
The Daily Free Press •

BU Resistance Network holds leftist student town hall in Howard Thurman Center – The Daily Free Press

Boston University students held an independent student organizing town hall at the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground Sunday, where speakers discussed participating in community activism and the fate of the University-wide divestment referendum bill. 
The event was organized by BU Resistance Network in collaboration with member organizations including Young Democratic Socialists of America at BU, BU Prison Outreach Initiative, BU Students for Justice in Palestine and BU Graduate Workers Uni...
ANH HUYNH/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
The Daily Free Press •

Residents temporarily evacuated after electrical fire in HoJo dormitory – The Daily Free Press

An air conditioning unit caught fire at 575 Commonwealth Avenue Saturday morning, causing an emergency evacuation of residents from the building.
At approximately 6:15 a.m. Saturday, a fire alarm was pulled on the first floor of HoJo. Six Boston Fire Department firetrucks arrived at the scene shortly after residents were alerted to evacuate the premises. 
Boston University Spokesperson Colin Riley said there was smoke on the first floor that was cleared by BFD. The BU Police Department also arri...
EMMA CLEMENT/DFP GRAPHIC ARTIST
The Daily Free Press •

REVIEW: Goodness knows I’m holding space for ‘Wicked’ – The Daily Free Press

When I was 15, I listened to the “Wicked” Broadway cast recording front to back for the first time. If I wasn’t a theatre kid before that point, I was christened right there and then — baptized by Schwartz’ transcendental compositions.

Because of this love, I am fiercely protective over ‘Wicked.” My expectations for the film were high, as were my standards. While excited, I was unsure what to expect.

The verdict is in: I absolutely love the movie “Wicked.”
KATE KOTLYAR/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
The Daily Free Press •

Latino students, Bostonians reveal reasons behind their votes – The Daily Free Press

Latino voters had a significant influence on the results of the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday, highlighting the complex impact of identity politics on voter decisions and turnout.  
Votes for President-elect Donald Trump increased by 13% in the Latino community from 2020 to 2024, making it the demographic with the largest increase of Trump voters between elections, according to a report by NBC News. According to a CNN exit poll, 52% of Latinos said they voted for Vice President Kamala Ha...
ANDREW BURKE-STEVENSON/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
The Daily Free Press •

City Council discusses Residential Tax Relief Proposal, Election Worker Appreciation Week – The Daily Free Press

Boston City Council discussed the Residential Tax Relief Proposal presented at the Oct. 10 meeting and passed a resolution recognizing the week of Nov. 3 as Election Worker Appreciation Week during its Wednesday meeting at City Hall Plaza.
Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata presented the Residential Tax Relief Proposal, which was originally sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu and referred to the committee on Oct. 25.
The proposal aims to create an increase in the “tax burden shifted from residential t...
RACHEL FEINSTEIN/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
The Daily Free Press •

Grace period for late student loan payments terminated, BU students, parents in limbo – The Daily Free Press

Boston University families said they feel uncertain about the future of their children’s education, after the termination of a year-long grace period protecting federal student loan borrowers from the impacts of late payments. The grace period provided relief to borrowers who struggled to make federal student loan payments, after it restarted following a three-year hiatus in October 2023. The pandemic-era policy helped families because they were not reported to credit bureaus for their late paym...
SARAH CRUZ/ DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
The Daily Free Press •

BU students are working to beat the odds of internship shortages – The Daily Free Press

An internship shortage is affecting college students across the United States, according to an article published by Inside Higher Ed. About half of the 8.2 million students who wanted a summer internship didn’t end up completing one. And that difficulty is proving to be true at Boston University, according to students like junior Jaden Cheong...
PHOTO COURTESY OF MILES PERRY
The Daily Free Press •

‘Don’t disempower my hair’: ‘Curls & Coils’ exhibit celebrates textured hair – The Daily Free Press

Esteemed against sunflower-yellow walls, portraits of Black women wearing natural hairstyles received a warm welcome alongside their creator, Maya Alia. Such a celebration of Black hair calls for celebration, after all.
“Curls & Coils,” an exhibit displaying the art of Cambridge native Alia, opened on Sept. 12 and held its reception at Harvard Ed Portal’s Crossing Gallery in Allston on Sept. 19. The exhibit will close on Oct. 24.
Alia is a multidisciplinary artist whose digital illustrations fea...
KATE KOTLYAR/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
The Daily Free Press •

New SEO payroll system draws mixed opinions from students, supervisors – The Daily Free Press

Boston University’s Student Employment Office released a new payroll system in June, which has caused various payment issues for some student employees. 
The new system, MyBUworks — also known as SAP — revamped the previous hour-entry portal, which has prompted varied responses from student employees and supervisors. 
The change in the student employment system follows the update to the Student Information System, MyBU Student, which was implemented earlier this year. 
Bob Gaipo, assistant manag...
HOLLY GUSTAVSEN/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
The Daily Free Press •

The frat flick: What are MIT fraternities doing on BU’s campus? – The Daily Free Press

Bay State Road is well known to be beautiful, but wow. Less than 200 ft. from Marciano Dining Hall, one home — or mansion, rather — seems frozen in time. A gleaming marble entryway, skyscraper ceilings, Victorian wallpaper and ornate banisters. This is luxury defined.
Actually, this is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology fraternity house. Phi Delta Theta, to be exact.
Currently, 25 of MIT’s 27 fraternity houses are in Boston — not in Cambridge with the rest of its campus. 12 of the houses ar...
MARIA CORDOVA/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER
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Tickling the ivories: Boaz Sharon is a man with worldwide accolades and anecdotes – The Daily Free Press

Anticipation hummed beneath scattered whispers and shuffling programs, and the concert hall was aglow with excitement. A Steinway grand piano stood center-stage under golden light, alone, waiting with the eager audience for its other half to enter stage left.
Boaz Sharon, a professor of piano in the College of Fine Arts, presented a Piano Faculty Recital in the CFA Concert Hall on Thursday. Musicians and non-musicians alike attended the free event to watch BU’s very own Steinway Artist, a title...
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREL O’KEEFE
The Daily Free Press •

James Whitehead Jr. celebrates 45 years of achievement as food service manager at GSU – The Daily Free Press

For the average Boston University student, a busy schedule packed with back-to-back classes and extracurricular activities leaves little room to breathe, much less eat. Yet, snuggly between East and West campus, pressed between the trek from a 1:25 p.m. lecture to a 2:30 p.m. discussion, the George Sherman Union Food Hall offers solace. 
GSU food service manager James Whitehead Jr. overlooks it all, everyday, with a humble smile on his face. This October, Whitehead celebrated 45 years of service...