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SPORTS, 12 Don’t miss the best BU winter athletes competing this winter break. J O U R NA LI S M
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First case of Omicron variant in Massachusetts detected Dongfang Zhou Contributing Writer
ILLUSTRATION BY CONOR KELLEY | PHOTO EDITOR
Carlos Apostle pictured in a 2019 article from El Mundo Boston. Apostle “took on a role” in a Boston University Metropolitan College criminal law class during the 2018-2019 school year and allegedly sexually harassed, assaulted and battered a 21-year-old female undergraduate in the class.
BU named defendant in case of sexual assault, battery
Samuele Petruccelli City Associate The following article contains mentions of sexual misconduct and violence. Just seconds after Carlos Apostle entered a Boston University classroom, she thought he was unfit for an academic setting. In a criminal law course one year after becoming a licensed lawyer in Massachusetts, Apostle began one of the first classes teaching how to avoid tickets from police and boasting about his work as a defense attorney, according to a civil complaint filed November 2020. Eight months later, Apostle allegedly sexually harassed, assaulted and battered a 21-year-old female undergraduate. After graduating, the student filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court against Trustees of Boston University on counts of breach of contract, negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention, and failure to fulfill Massachusetts General Law on the right to freedom from sexual harassment. BU filed to dismiss all claims against them, but the latter two motions were struck down by a judge. The student also filed suit against Apostle on counts of negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery and assault. A BU Title IX investigation concluded in November 2019 favoring her and was forwarded to the dean of Metropolitan College, where the course was taught. To the student’s knowledge and according to the complaint, the school never took disciplinary action against anyone. Apostle denied nearly all of the plaintiff’s claims and BU denied they never disciplined him, though they did admit to not prohibiting contact between them. Apostle’s current relationship with BU remains unclear. The student said she heard her professor for the course, Mark Miliotis, refer to Apostle as his “assistant.” BU disputed this title, calling him a “volunteer.” The litigation is currently in discovery, a stage where all parties exchange evidence surrounding the events. The student, who filed under the pseudonym Jane Doe, alleges two semester’s worth of sexual misconduct by Apostle both inside and outside the classroom. As far as
she knows, Miliotis was informed of the behavior but did not report it, according to the complaint. In court documents, BU lawyers issued a defense arguing the student’s “own conduct caused or contributed to the accident, injuries, and damages alleged.” They also argued her negligence was greater than BU’s alleged negligence, contributing to her damages. Until late last month, Miliotis was listed online as part-time faculty of MET College. He did not respond to multiple email requests for comment. BU spokesperson Colin Riley declined to comment on pending litigation and related topics. MET College Dean Tanya Zlateva declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Apostle and his attorney Robert Sheketoff both did not respond to multiple email and phone call requests for comment. On the condition of anonymity, the student agreed to an interview with The Daily Free Press. Apostle’s Behavior The plaintiff knew this would be unlike any other experience she’d had at BU after Apostle allegedly addressed the class alone. “He just walked in, put his stuff down and just immediately he was very cocky,” the plaintiff said. “Mostly he talked about himself more than he talked about actually teaching us anything.” Later that Spring, the plaintiff said she discovered Apostle was arrested and charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, impersonating a police officer and assault and battery on a senior, arrest records show. Local news covered him posing as law enforcement to enter the elderly woman’s home. During that class, Apostle frequently asked the plaintiff questions and appeared to look at her chest rather than her face, according to court documents. At one point, he allegedly sat on her desk. Struck by his behavior, she said in an interview that she called a friend after class and said, “‘Oh my God, one of my professors wants to sleep with me.’” The plaintiff said she remembers instances in which Apostle brought papers Miliotis had forgotten. Another time, she said he introduced a guest lecturer during a class Miliotis
was not present for. “It was clear that there was some sort of professional relationship between them outside of the school world,” the plaintiff said. “It seemed that Mr. Miliotis was kind of a mentor, almost, to Carlos, and Carlos was his assistant.” At a “mandatory networking event” for part two of the course the following Spring, the plaintiff attended with two other students, according to court documents. The complaint alleges Apostle met them there and stared at their chests as he talked. According to the complaint, when she went to the restroom he followed her and said, “There’s a private after party; just you and me.” When the event finished, she and her two friends left the restroom. Apostle was waiting for them and insisted on spending the evening with them, according to the complaint. While walking to a bar, he allegedly grabbed her rear. At the bar, he allegedly hugged the plaintiff, attempted to massage her shoulders, boasted that he dealt drugs and encouraged her to take a shot of alcohol with him, to which she refused, according to the complaint. The plaintiff alleged Apostle wanted to show his place of work, which “excited” her friend. There, he reached under the plaintiff’s skirt to massage her rear, according to the complaint. The complaint states they left after 2 a.m., and had little option but to accept a ride home from him. Apostle dropped off her friend first, who was “heavily intoxicated” in the backseat. He repeatedly reached for the plaintiff’s legs on the drive to her apartment, though she sat as far away as possible, according to the complaint. When they arrived, Apostle allegedly told her he had wanted to “f—” her since the first day of class, the complaint stated. He referred to her body and chest and said, “he just had to know.” The plaintiff alleges Apostle repeatedly begged her to have sex. He tried to grab her body and asked to see her breasts, the complaint states. He grabbed her face and tried to kiss her, until she pushed him away and reminded him her boyfriend was waiting for her. Apostle allegedly continued to beg for sex. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
The first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in Massachusetts on Saturday. The individual is a fully vaccinated female in her 20s and a resident of Middlesex County who traveled out-of-state, according to a Saturday press release from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She experienced only mild disease and did not require hospitalization. Many characteristics of Omicron are still unclear, as scientists continue to analyze it and compare it to the Delta variant. Paul Beninger, associate professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University, said there are 50 or so mutations of Omicron, raising three types of concerns. “One concern has to do with the speed at which it can replicate, get into cells, replicate and then break out of cells,” Beninger said, “So that’s what the Delta did. It was faster than all the other variants, and so it really just basically took over.” The second concern is regarding the severity of the disease that can come from the variant, he said. But the severity of Omicron is unknown so far, including whether Omicron will cause different symptoms compared to earlier variants. “In theory, it may be at risk of causing more serious disease, but there’s no real evidence yet of whether that’s happening,” he said. Assistant professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University Laura Corlin, echoed Beninger, saying not much is known about the transmissibility or severity of the Omicron variant. “There’s not a lot of evidence yet,” she said. “The researchers and public health officials and folks in South Africa and other places have been really great at the surveillance and they’ve been getting as much data as they possibly can as quickly as possible.” Beninger said the third concern is the effectiveness of current vaccines toward Omicron. “We have, really, no data at all with regards to how it’s affected by the vaccines that are out there,” he said. “So we’re very much in the discovery phase, the very beginning in discovering what the potential is of this particular variant.” Even if there are many unknowns about the Omicron variant, it is recommended people get vaccinated as soon as possible, Beninger said. People should still get boosters to protect themselves as well, he said. “Any booster we give is going to enhance the natural immune system of the person and is going to help the person to be even more protected than before,” he said. The effectiveness of vaccines toward the new variant remains to be tested, Corlin said, but it is likely still helpful to be vaccinated. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
YEAR LI. VOLUME C. ISSUE XV
WEATHER H: 39° L: 27° 30% chance of snow
Gov. Charlie Baker announces he will not run for reelection in 2022 Bella Ramirez Contributing Writer Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced Dec. 1 he will not run for re-election for a third term in the November 2022 gubernatorial election. “It was, in fact, a very complicated and difficult decision for a number of reasons,” Baker said at a Dec. 1 press conference. Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Jim Lyons said Baker’s announcement is likely influenced by former President Donald Trump endorsing gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl in October, according to a Dec. 1 press release from the MassGOP. “Our party remains committed to the America-First agenda advocated by President Donald J. Trump, and it’s clear to me that Charlie Baker was shaken by President Trump’s endorsement of another Republican candidate in Geoff Diehl,” Lyons was quoted saying in the release. The Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford was quoted saying Democrats are “ready to take back the corner office in 2022” in a Dec. 1 press release. “Charlie Baker was pushed out of office by his own Party which has completely adopted the tactics and policies of Donald Trump,” Bickford was quoted saying in the release. “Geoff Diehl and the Massachusetts Republican Party are offering chaos, division and policies that will drag our state back in time. We believe voters will choose progress in 2022.” No additional candidates have announced a campaign since Baker’s address. Currently, the race consists of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics Director Danielle Allen, State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz and former State Sen. Ben Downing for the Mass. Democratic Party. MassGOP offers Diehl. Kimberly Duffy, Darius Mitchell, Luis Perez, Dianna Ploss, Scott Khourie and Orlando Silvo have each filed to run for office as well. Current candidates see Baker stepping down as signaling a change of times. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
“I am leaving this paper with love in my heart and gratitude for what it gave me — a renewed love for student journalism.” -Letter from the Editor, page 11