News Briefs

Students and police in conflict

: A new open container law in Somerville has lead student and Somerville police relations down the gutter.

Two on-campus confrontations with law enforcement officers were discussed were discussed in depth at Monday's Senate meeting.

Senator Randy Newsom said he witnessed Somerville officers "harassing and embarrassing" a student with an open beer can.

The incident was part of a larger campus crackdown. "Last semester, as long as containers outdoors didn't say 'liquor' on the side, students weren't disturbed," Senator Harish Perkari said. Students are now being stopped for any suspicious beverages.

The new police policy may have lead to heightened enforcement of all laws.

Senator Norris Chavarria said a gathering at La Casa, the Latino house, last Saturday was broken up by the police for being too loud. Chavarria was written up for being a drunken nuisance, a description which was contradicted his recollection of the evening.

"I'm discussing this incident with the school as a bias incident," he said.

The new policy will likely have an impact on campus nightlife and parties. Not all students, however, see increased enforcement as a problem.

"I think drinking on the street is bad," freshman Eli Hackel said. "If you're walking around bringing alcohol to the streets, that's where stuff can go bad. But cops took too aggressive a stance last semester."



Two large NIH grants announced

It has been a good week for grants, as three-quarters of a million dollars has been allotted to two causes at the University.

Vet Professor Lisa Freedman received $100,000 a year for five years to attract students into biomedical research. Freedman and 13 other faculty members will develop programs teach students about research careers and allow them to participate in more research.

The University was allotted $250,000 from a one-year grant to develop controls to protect human subjects in research. In collaboration with four regional hospitals that are affiliated with the university the grant will allow new education initiative and software programs. School officials also hope the grant will allow the use of human studies at studies at the Boston Health Sciences Campus.

Tufts received a smaller grant last year with the same program



Compiled by Daniel Lutz and Jon Schubin with additional information from "On the Record."