Tag: news

Chief Greeley of Public Safety to Resign

BY MATTHEW WEDDLETON // APRIL 4, 2016 //

Brian Greeley has dedicated over 38 years of his life to serving and protecting citizens, and after 11 ½ years as Curry College’s Chief of Public Safety, Greeley has decided to resign.

The Dean of Student Affairs, Maryellen Kiley, sent out an email to students last Friday notifying students that Chief Greeley would be resigning at the end of May.

Greeley came to Curry back in 2004, after serving as a Station Commander for the Massachusetts State Police for 27 years. As a graduate of the Massachusetts State Police 60th Recruit Training Troop (RTT) in 1978, Greeley worked his way up in the force, retiring as a lieutenant out of the Milton Barracks.

Chief of Public Safety Brian Greeley has served to protect the Curry community for over 11 years // PHOTO CREDIT CURRY COLLEGE //
Chief of Public Safety Brian Greeley has served to protect the Curry community for over 11 years // PHOTO CREDIT CURRY COLLEGE //

After retiring from the Massachusetts State Police, Greeley said he knew that campus policing would be a good fit for him.

“I felt that Campus Policing was a good fit to initiate Community Policing to a campus setting,” Greeley said.

Greeley also said that as a Milton resident, and a retired trooper out of the Milton Barracks, he knew the area really well and felt that coming to Curry College would be the best fit for him.

During his time at Curry, Greeley was a “student advocate” according to Dean Kiley, as he assisted dozens of students in their path to becoming law enforcement officers. He even hired some Curry alumni over the years to be part of the Public Safety staff. Nonetheless, Greeley feels good about the staff he has put together moving forward.

“I wish them well, they are all fine men and woman and I am proud of them,” Greeley said. “Many of them wish to remain and have a long career in campus policing and many as well wish to at some time move on either a larger campus or state and local police jobs.”

According to Dean Kiley, the college has been very fortunate to have Greeley on campus. His expertise and knowledge of law enforcement has ensured the safety of thousands of faculty, staff, and students during his tenure at Curry.

While serving for the Massachusetts State Police, Greeley was appointed the Deputy Director of Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He developed and put together plans in order to make communities, facilities, infrastructures, and soft targets safe.

Interestingly enough, he has recently been approached by colleges throughout the area to conduct, “Best Practices Analysis” as well as creating Emergency Planning Procedures. Greeley said he plans to start his first assignment in July.

There’s no word on who will be Curry’s new chief of Public Safety. However, the goal is to have someone in place by the start of the fall semester.

Chief Greeley had the following message for faculty, staff, and students:

“I guess what I enjoyed most was the interactions I had with members of the community.  Our Friday morning runs (Zero Dark Thirty), being a guest speaker in the classrooms.  Getting involved in the student’s lives, counseling them on career opportunities.  Hearing their stories of how successful they have become when I see them at football games or Alumni weekends.

“Shout out to all the Athletic coaches I have had great friendships with, all the faculty who are now friends of mine and mostly all my family within Student Affairs, especially Maryellen, Rachael, Lisa, Allison, Michelle, Jeanne, Mark, Jen, Dan, Stephanie, Nancy, Sarah, Monique, Terry, Chip and my buddies in the Health Clinic, Erin and Carol and to our great counselors, Alison, Christina and Idonia. A special thanks to my Public Safety Officers (be safe) and most of all Jayne.”

Spotlight Editor Speaks to Curry Community

BY DAHLIA DEHAAN // APRIL 28, 2016 // 

The 2015 film “Spotlight” portrays how Boston Globe journalists uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the Boston Archdiocese.

On Monday, April 25, the former editor of the Spotlight team at the Boston Globe, Walter Robinson, visited Curry College to speak following a showing of the movie in the Keith Auditorium. “Spotlight” won the 2016 Academy Award for Best Picture, in which Robinson is played by actor Michael Keaton.

The panel discussion, organized by Professor Jeff Lemberg of the Communication Department and Professor Jen Balboni of the Criminal Justice Department, was opened up to the audience, which included Curry students and faculty.

Former editor of the Spotlight team at the Boston Globe, Walter Robinson, visited Curry College to speak following a showing of the movie “Spotlight” in the Keith Auditorium. // PICTURE BY DAHLIA DEHAAN //
Former editor of the Spotlight team at the Boston Globe, Walter Robinson, visited Curry College to speak following a showing of the movie “Spotlight” in the Keith Auditorium.
// PICTURE BY DAHLIA DEHAAN //

Questions led Robinson into an explanation of how the movie “Spotlight” shows how journalism is done. He explained how a journalistic assignment on one sexually abusive priest in Boston turned into the discovery of a sexual abuse and church cover-up phenomenon on a global scale, comparing the scandal to Watergate, in that the institutional cover-up was worse than the crime itself.

When asked how the Spotlight team was able to keep pushing for the story despite huge hurdles to overcome, Robinson replied that the Spotlight team was “motivated by anger” at the scandal.

Freshman Communication major Kelsey Davis, who attended the event, called it “educational and interesting….I think that hearing from someone who experienced it firsthand was fascinating.”

During the panel discussion, Robinson called the film “amazingly accurate” in portraying what happened at the Boston Globe during this investigation, including the evidence of the scandal in the form of documents, which Robinson called “almost verbatim.”

Robinson stated the statistic that 10.75 percent of all priests abused children over a 50-year period. The Spotlight team identified 249 priests just in the city of Boston guilty of sexually abusing children; 75-85 percent of them boys.

Balboni commented that “it was an honor to have Walter “Robby” Robinson, whose character was a central focus in the film,” come and speak to the Curry community. “It is heartening that this outstanding movie has received the national accolades it so deeply deserved, and it was great to share this screening with the Curry community.”

On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 6, 2002, the Spotlight team published the first article describing the scandal. When asked by a student what sort of emotions he was experiencing that morning, Robinson stated: “It was like our world blew up.”

Preparing for Curry College’s Fourth Annual Consent Day

BY DAHLIA DEHAAN // MARCH 31, 2016 //

Curry College’s fourth annual Consent Day is coming up. On Wednesday, April 13 in the Student Center from 5-8 p.m., students will be given the opportunity to participate in events and discussions revolving around what sexual consent actually is.

Consent Day offers sexual education in the college setting. According to co-chair of the Consent Day committee, junior Health and Wellness major Kayla Keany, Consent Day is meant to empower students to overcome fear and to learn how to say no when feeling uncomfortable in sexual predicaments. Consent Day also offers information about safe and consensual sex.

Curry holds an annual Consent Day in an effort to increase awareness about healthy sexuality, sexual assaults and how students can play a role in preventing sexual assaults on campus.

“It is the only event of its kind on our campus that both raises awareness and provides education,” says Keany.

Preparations for Consent Day start months in advance with the formation of the Planning Committee, which involves inviting numerous groups and departments from all over the college — Athletics, FYS, Student Affairs and Student Activities — to help fund, plan and volunteer at the event. This year’s committee is co-chaired by Keany, junior Communication major Caroline Finamore, Fitness Center Director Sarah Simunovich and Counselor Idonia Gaede.

Preparation also includes deciding on a theme, T-shirts logos and which events will be held. The first 250 students to attend this year’s event will be given a free Consent Day T-shirt.

The event is sponsored by student-run clubs such as Student Events and Entertainment (S.E.E.) and Health Image Power Success (HIPS). Some favorite events from past years, like the Blurry Vision and Consent Relay Race, will be back, as well as new features including a photo booth sponsored by S.E.E.

Consent Day is a campus-wide event that everyone in the community is invited to participate in. Discussions will be held on the importance of sexual consent, and the consequences of sexual misconduct.

Costly Curry; Tuition Set to Increase by 2.9%

BY MATTHEW WEDDLETON // MARCH 30, 2016 //

You hear it all the time, “College is so expensive!” Unfortunately for Curry students, tuition is set to increase by 2.9% for the 2016-2017 academic year.

As a private institution, Curry College is listed among top 30 “Most Expensive Colleges in Massachusetts.” For the upcoming academic year, the total cost for residents living on campus will be $51,815. This total does not take into account the PAL Program, as well as indirect costs that could bring students total bill to well over $60,000 per year.

According to David Nerenberg, interim chief financial officer and director of finance at Curry College, “The costs of running an institution of higher education, particularly in New England, grow faster than the rate of inflation.”

Curry College’s website states that 70% of students receive financial aid. However, Nerenberg believes the number of students who receive some form of financial aid has risen to about 94%.

Sophomore business management major Renata Pinto said, “The price of tuition already draws current students away from Curry, and with the raise it will not only draw more current students away, but incoming students as well.”

With the increase of tuition for the upcoming year, Pinto said she is questioning whether or not to return to Curry in the fall.

“Although Curry is a great school academically, I have already thought about transferring many times, and with the raise scheduled for next school year it brings up a concern about continuing my education here,” she said.

In the 2015-2016 academic year, the average cost of tuition for private colleges across the country was said to be at $32,405 according to College Board. Nonetheless, students at Curry will be expected to pay $35,740 for tuition alone, which is above this past year’s national average.

If the inflation rate of tuition went up 2.9% every year for the next 15 years, Curry students would be expected to pay slightly over $50,000 for tuition alone.

“There are many external environmental factors that can vary significantly each year, such as health insurance and energy costs, which preclude predicting tuition changes years in advance,” said Nerenberg.

A report by the Boston Business Journal said that the total operating revenue at Curry declined by about $1 million to $86.6 million in fiscal 2015. According to Nerenberg, 89% of Curry’s operating revenue comes from student tuition, room & board, and other fees.

Nerenberg said that Curry is continuing to take significant steps to contain its expenses, as well as provide increased institutional financial aid to students.

Forever Young

BY NICK IRONSIDE // MAY 4, 2012 // 

One takes sandwich orders at the register. Another picks up the yellow Post-it note/order slip and starts putting turkey, provolone cheese and tomato on white bread. The third is wiping down tables.

Although they’re usually on their feet, preparing and organizing food or cleaning the seating area, there’s an ever-present smile on each of the three ladies who run the Hafer Café. They love their jobs and enjoy talking with students.

The trio will ask about classes, the weather and if a customer’s day is going well. Being around people is why Irene Whooten, 65, enjoys working at Curry. Joan Bukuras, 81, feels younger when around students. And Barbara Burke, 72, who opens the Café at 7:30 each morning, says she’s fascinated by many of the people she serves. None of the women attended college themselves.

The ladies of the Hafer Cafe—from left, Irene Whooten, Joan Bukuras and Barbara Burke—make it their job to greet all customers with a smile, because it’s those customers who bring a smile to their faces.  // PHOTO BY NICK IRONSIDE

“I like it here,” says Burke. “You get to meet different students.”

Each lady hails from Boston. Bukuras grew up in Boston’s South End, while Burke lived in Dorchester during her childhood and Whooten spent the beginning of her life in Hyde Park. They all currently live in the area and say they work at Curry—they’re employed by the college’s food services provider Sodexo—because the commute is “convenient.”

Yet, clearly it’s more than that. Behind the trademark smile of Burke, the efficiency of Whooten and the soft-spoken nature of Bukuras is a sincere kindness. They don’t just serve customers. Rather, they joke with students. They truly know the faculty. They respect the often-unheralded staffers.

On a personal level, Whooten and Burke also share a love of animals. “I would have a hundred cats if I could,” Whooten says with a laugh. She owns three Maine Coon cats—Whiskers, Tara and Clohe— while Burke loves dogs. “I have a chocolate lab named Chloe,” she says beaming.

In this regard, Bukuras stands apart. “I’ve always been afraid of them,” she says of cats and dogs. “I think it’s how I was brought up.”

Bukuras says she has stayed close to her Lebanese father’s roots, cooking Mediterranean food in her free time. She has also traveled throughout Europe, enjoying trips to Greece, Italy, Turkey, England and France.

Whooten and Bukuras, both widows, joined Sodexo within the last eight years and are great-grandmothers. Burke, who celebrates her 50th wedding anniversary on May 5, has been working at Curry for 30 years.

“It was just that room back then,” says Burke, motioning toward the small room that houses the F’Real milkshake machine, kitchen and cash register. “They didn’t have this (seating area) when I started working here.”

Burke came to Curry after spending some time as a secretary at the John Hancock insurance company, but found the work “boring.” Before joining Sodexo, Whooten mainly worked in Milton, although her food services experience can be traced back to her first job out of high school: at a McDonald’s in Hyde Park. During the summer, Whooten usually works for Sodexo in the Student Center. Burke does, too, while Bukuras will sometimes take the summers off.

Whooten says she has always liked working around food because it creates more opportunities to interact with people. “I’m a very sociable person,” she says.

It’s almost a requirement for the job, whether serving students or sharing small working quarters with one other.

Says Burke, “I couldn’t ask for better co-workers.”