As hockey season approaches and attention turns to the annual “Battle of Comm. Ave.” between Boston University and Boston College, another BU battle continues brewing —  a lawsuit filed in Texas.  Baylor University filed a lawsuit on Aug. 8 in the U.S. District Court in Texas against BU, alleging trademark infringement over the University’s use of a similar interlocking “BU” logo.  The dispute is rooted in a decades-old co-existence agreement that once kept the two schools from colliding over branding, according to the complaint. Now, Baylor says BU crossed the line. Both universities have declined to comment beyond the court filings, according to statements from Baylor Spokesperson Lori Fogleman and BU Spokesperson Colin Riley. Alexandra Roberts, a professor at Northeastern University who specializes in trademark law, said she was initially skeptical about the case, given the two schools’ geographic distance and differing colors.  But after reviewing...

Dr. Kyle Gobrogge, a senior lecturer in BU’s undergraduate neuroscience program, died in his early 40s.  His death was announced to students Monday at the beginning of a class he was supposed to teach that day. Details regarding his cause of death have not been announced. Gobrogge taught a number of introductory neuroscience courses and labs, along with his own course: Neurobiology of Sex and Aggression.  There is not yet a plan for the courses Gobrogge was teaching this semester, said John Tullai, a fellow BU senior lecturer in neuroscience and biology. The University has not yet issued a statement regarding his passing. Professors and students hold unique memories of Gobrogge, known by his students and colleagues as G or Dr. G, and they hold one common thread: his strong character and genuine love for his students. Tullai said Gobrogge was always “out there for everyone,” whether it be his students or colleagues. “He was just a genuine person, he really...

In the latest incident in a string of false shooter alarms that have rocked colleges nationwide, an individual carrying a replica firearm at the University of Massachusetts Lowell last week triggered a campus-wide lockdown and prompted heavy police response.  On Sept. 3, the Lowell Police Department received reports of an individual possibly armed with a firearm. The suspect, a juvenile male, was since reported to have been carrying an airsoft replica weapon, which has been recovered. “I would especially like to thank the residents of the affected neighborhood for their cooperation and understanding while this incident unfolded,” Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon said in a Sept. 4 press release. The Pew Research Center reported the FBI found that active shooter incidents increased between 2000 and 2023. According to The Trace, as of Sept. 5, there were over 20 active shooting hoaxes on college campuses across 17 states in the past two weeks alone. Ruth Zakarin,...

Bostonians shared their thoughts on mayoral candidates at polls across the city Tuesday, casting their ballots in the preliminary election based on a range of citywide issues, including housing and immigration.  Incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu won by 40 points, while Josh Kraft — the former chief executive of the Boys and Girls Club of Boston — secured approximately 28% of the vote. These two candidates will progress to the general election on Nov. 4. Among Wu and Kraft were two other candidates: Robert Cappucci, a Navy veteran and former member of the Boston School Committee, and Domingos DaRosa, a small business owner who has run for public office four other times. A handful of voters expressed their support for the incumbent as they shuffled out of the polling center at Boston Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church.  Ryan O’Dea, 28, a research software engineer who lives in Fenway, said Wu has “been doing a great job” as mayor.  O’Dea added that Wu’s stand...

The Trump administration announced the beginning of a second immigration crackdown in Boston last week, rattling advocacy organizations in support of the city’s immigrant communities. Plans for Patriot 2.0, an Immigration Customs Enforcement operation in Massachusetts, were revealed Sept. 6, following a Department of Justice lawsuit challenging Boston’s sanctuary city policies filed Sept. 4.  “ICE has refused to provide any information about their activities in Boston and refuses to issue warrants, while we hear reports of ICE agents taking parents as they are dropping their kids off at school,” wrote Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s press office in a statement to the Daily Free Press. “That does not make our community safer.” Immigrants make up nearly 28% of Boston’s population, according to 2022 United States census data, and approximately 23% are undocumented.  The Boston Trust Act, enacted in 2014 and amended in 2019, outlines the Boston Police Department’s...

Members of the Boston University chapter of the American Association of University Professors applauded the victory of Harvard University in its lawsuit against the Trump administration. A federal judge ruled Sept. 3 that the withholding of federal grant funding violated Harvard’s First Amendment rights, blocking the freeze of $2.2 million in funding to Harvard.  Mary Battenfeld, co-president of the BU AAUP, said the case is a “slam dunk win” on any legal grounds, but she understands the political sway the Trump administration has at the nation’s highest court. “[The feeling] was happiness, of course, tempered with the understanding that the government is going to appeal,” Battenfeld said. “If it goes up, ultimately, to the Supreme Court, we know the Supreme Court is practically in the palm of the Trump administration’s hands and will not necessarily rule by what is actually constitutional.” The Trump administration claimed the freeze came in response...

The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department’s crime logs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6.  Intoxicated party at 198 Bay State Road At 11:50 p.m. on Aug. 31, an intoxicated party was reported at the above location. Tagging at 665 Commonwealth Ave. At 7:25 a.m. on Sept. 2, graffiti was reported at the Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences building. Breaking and entering at 808 Commonwealth Ave. Between 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 2 and 10:20 a.m. on Sept. 3, a daytime breaking and entering and two incidents of theft of over $1,200 were reported at the Peter Fuller Building.  Trespass at 775 Commonwealth Ave. Between 1:15 a.m. and 2:15 a.m. on Sept. 3, trespassing was reported at the George Sherman Union.  Person with weapon at 33 Harry Agganis Way At 9:11 a.m. on Sept. 3, a person carrying a weapon was reported at the Student Village II parking lot. Larceny under $1,200 at 602 Commonwealth Ave. Between 12:20 p.m. and 1:10 p.m....

Boston University senior Mary Haddad, a vocal activist and dedicated supporter of the Quinobequin Student Front For Palestine, was suspended for one year, effective immediately, after the University said Haddad assaulted a police officer during a QSFP sit-in protest on March 5. The University declines to comment on student disciplinary matters, BU Spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press. Documents obtained by the DFP courtesy of Haddad outline a series of email communications between Haddad and University officials that led to her immediate suspension.  “I am just among of the first to receive a harsh sanction without basis for Palestine activism,” Haddad wrote in a press release sent to the DFP. “The University lets you speak until your words become action.”  QSFP, formerly known as Boston University Students for Justice in Palestine, held an “emergency rally” March 5 to protest a lack of action from the University following a Student...