Boston College Chronicle

OCTOBER 1, 2020 VOL. 28 NO. 3

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

2,408

number of bc first-year students

53.7% female

1397 average

SAT score

229

first-generation students

34% AHANA

An Accomplished Class

They’ve started college life under some very challenging circumstances, but BC’s first-year students share many positive characteristics with their predecessors

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

The Class of 2024 began its association with Boston College in the shadow of COVID-19. But the pandemic should not be the lens through which to view this year’s group of first-year students, according to University administrators, who say the class demonstrates the academic strength as well as geographical and ethnic diversity that have become hallmarks of BC undergraduate enrollment.

“While this past year has been unprec-

edented in many ways,” said Director of Undergraduate Admission Grant Gosselin, “we have been able to recruit another outstanding class of students who want the unique educational experience Boston College offers.”

The 2,408 members of the Class of 2024 were selected from 29,382 applicants, an acceptance rate of 26 percent that is in line with classes of recent years, including 2023 (27 percent) and 2022 (28 percent).

The average SAT score for the class, 1397, is the second-highest in University his-

Continued on page 3

BC Pell Grant Grad Rate Third in the U.S.

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Boston College has the third-best graduation rate in the country for Pell Grant recipients, a significant benchmark for the University’s efforts to enroll first-generation, low-income students who have been historically under-represented in higher education.

The 96 percent Pell Grant graduation rate BC achieved this past academic year ranks only behind Cal Tech and Princeton, according to data in the recent U.S. News & World Report survey of colleges and universities.

Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduates who display extreme financial need, as demonstrated in the difference between the cost of attending a specific college or university (COA) and the expected family contribution (EFC). Pell recipients represent approximately 14 percent of the

Whither the ‘Gig’ Economy?

It seemed like a new world of work. What happened? A BC sociologist and her team provide answers in new book.

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

A student’s prayer ribbon adorned a fence in front of Gasson Hall during the recent “Espresso Your Faith Week.” photo by lee pellegrini

A reimagining of work took hold in the United States in the wake of the Great Recession of 2008, based on the idea of using digital technology to match supply with demand on a person-to-person platform that would yield economic, social, and environmental benefits. So was born the sharing economy—popularly referred to as the “gig” economy.

But this contemporary idea of work that would provide inexpensive, valued services for consumers and good wages, flexibility, and autonomy for earners got derailed, according to Professor of Sociology Juliet Schor, primarily due to commercialization

and the exploitation of workers.

Supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Schor and a team of doctoral students studied the sharing economy for seven years, starting with nonprofit players. As for-profit companies gained a foothold in the sharing economy, the researchers expanded their study to include organizations such as Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb.

Their research, presented in 13 case studies, is the basis of a new book by Schor, After the Gig: How the Sharing Economy Got Hijacked and How to Win It Back.

Schor said the sharing economy promised attractive features such as extra income, accessibility, social ties generated

Boston College student population, according to the University’s Office of Enrollment Management.

Vice Provost for Enrollment Management John L. Mahoney said the graduation rate for Pell recipients at BC typically has been high, especially in recent years: 91 percent last year and 90 percent in 2018.

For context, Mahoney pointed to the University’s overall six-year graduation rate—a reporting standard among all American colleges and universities—of 94 percent; BC ranks 21st among national universities in overall retention and graduation.

“This achievement represents Boston College at its best,” said Mahoney. “It’s the result of collaborations between various offices, organizations, and individuals across and beyond the campus, all of which support the hard work of our Pell Grantreceiving students to realize their dream of a high-quality college education.”

Continued on page 6

INSIDE 2 Forum on Racial Justice

University-wide initiative will kick off with five events this month, beginning with a Service of Hope and Reconciliation.

4 Finnegan Award

Lynch School 2020 grad receives Commencement honor.

8 BC Global

A research project examines the long-term impact of migration on an American town—for natives and immigrants alike.

Continued on page 4

There’s a force behind this that’s meant for good, and we just want to keep it going as best we can.

– alison crowther, on the welles crowther red bandanna 5k, page 2

Chronicle

2

October 1, 2020

Around Campus

Different Look, But Same Mission for Welles Crowther Red Bandanna 5k This year, the finish line of the Welles Crowther Red Bandanna 5k, a hallowed Boston College tradition, will look a little different.

Instead of joining a sea of red and white bandannas streaming down Linden Lane, runners will complete the race anywhere they choose—from neighborhood trails to basement treadmills—as part of a new virtual format to keep everyone safe from COVID-19.

And that’s not the only change in 2020: To make the 5k as accessible as possible, runners can complete the race anytime between October 17-30.

“People can run or walk it all at once or break it up over the days,” explained Kate Daly, associate director of the Volunteer and Service Learning Center. “We want them to be able to participate from wherever they are.”

Now in its 16th year, the Red Bandanna 5k honors the memory of Welles Remy Crowther ’99, a former BC lacrosse player whose heroic rescue efforts on 9/11 saved as many as 18 lives and became the subject of The Red Bandanna by ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi and an award-winning documentary [see www.maninredbandana.com]. Held annually on the Boston College campus, the race has become a favorite of BC students, staff, and alumni.

“People have traveled a long distance to come participate in this,” said Alison Crowther, Welles’s mother. “The spirit on campus is amazing—people of all ages come together to run.”

Crowther is hopeful that this year’s virtual format will encourage even wider participation from individuals and organizations not local to Boston. Already, she’s spoken to administrators of schools and youth programs across the country which plan to form teams with their students, she said.

“These are people who never became involved before, but it’s a way for them to engage their students in an outdoor activity that shares Welles’s story,” she said. “I think it’s going to translate really well.”

Junior John Athanasian, a member of the BC lacrosse team, is looking forward to the race in its new format. Some of his favorite memories at BC have come during past runs, he said.

“You feel as if you’re taking part in something much larger than yourself, and that’s an incredible feeling,” he said. “The lacrosse team understands the importance of upholding Welles’s legacy, and it’s something we take pride in.”

As always, proceeds from the event will benefit the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust, which supports organizations

Alison Crowther and Baldwin.

photo by peter julian

committed to assisting young people in becoming exemplary adults through education, health, recreation, and character development. Every year, the Welles Remy Crowther Award is presented to a Boston College senior, with the funds going to a nonprofit of their choice.

In recent years, the trust has partnered with the Fetzer Institute to create and launch the Red Bandanna Project [www. redbandannaproject.org], a set of curricula focused on character development and

BC’s Forum for Racial Justice in America Kicks Off This Month The Forum on Racial Justice in America, a University-wide initiative to address structural racism in our nation and explore how Boston College can work to build an anti-racist community, will begin with five events this month, starting with a Service of Hope and Reconciliation on October 7 at 4 p.m.

Led by inaugural director Vincent Rougeau, the dean of Boston College Law School and a national expert on Catholic social teaching and the role of moral and religious values in law making and public policy, the forum will sponsor speakers, panels, and seminars to address key issues regarding race, and will encourage scholarly exploration of conditions that result in racism and racist behavior, while suggesting appropriate responses and solutions.

In a recent essay published in America magazine, Rougeau said he was honored to accept the invitation from University President William P. Leahy, S.J., to lead the forum, and energized by the support it has ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

generated among faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

“As a Jesuit university, Boston College has access to rich theological and intellectual understandings of justice. My hope is that the forum will draw heavily upon that knowledge. Taking an aggressive stance against racism and racial injustice is a natural outgrowth of serious engagement with Catholic social teaching and the values of a Jesuit education. Harnessing the resources of the Boston College community to fight for racial justice and create an anti-racist future will build solidarity with people of good will across American society who share this commitment.”

The October 7 Service of Hope and Reconciliation will take place in Gasson 100; limited seating by reservation will be available, and the event will be livestreamed on the BC YouTube channel [youtube. com/bostoncollege].

On October 15 at 4:30 p.m., Rougeau will moderate “BLM at BC: Formation

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

and Racial Justice in Higher Education,” featuring Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures Régine JeanCharles, Professor of History Martin Summers, and African and African Diaspora Studies Program Director Shawn McGuffey.

On October 20 at 5:30 p.m., the forum will feature “Tools for Becoming a Racial Justice Warrior: A Conversation with Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones,” sponsored by the Connell School of Nursing.

The forum will collaborate with Courageous Conversations to present “Racial Justice and Democratic Citizenship: A Pre-Election Conversation” on October 22 at 7 p.m. via Zoom conferencing. Also this month will be a vigil for racial justice, sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, on a date to be announced.

Details for these and other events will be posted on the Forum for Racial Justice website [bc.edu/forum] when available.

—University Communications

Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan

Chronicle

PHOTOGRAPHERS

www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu

Patricia Delaney EDITOR

Sean Smith

Lee Pellegrini Peter Julian

social and emotional learning inspired by Welles’s spirit. Developed by a team of current and former educators, the lesson plans have been adopted by schools and youth programs across the country.

Seeing the impact of her son’s legacy has been immensely gratifying for Crowther, who has traveled internationally to speak about the Red Bandanna Project. Without the Red Bandanna Run, none of it would be possible, she said.

“There’s a force behind this that’s meant for good, and we just want to keep it going as best we can,” she said. “To the Volunteer and Service Learning Center, all the runners and donors who participate, and our major sponsors The McLaughlin Family, Aqueduct Technologies, and Rapid 7—we are so grateful. Thank you.”

Runners who pre-register will receive a red bandanna-themed buff, inspired by Crowther’s trademark handkerchief, as well as an official race bib that they can print at home. To document the event, participants are encouraged to share photos and videos of their run on social media using #BCRedBandannaRun. Content emailed to bcsocial360@gmail.com will be considered for the official race video.

—Alix Hackett is a senior digital content writer for the Office of University Communications

Our Lady of the Way Chapel Masses Last week, Boston College began holding daily Masses in Our Lady of the Way Chapel, located in the John J. Burns Library. The chapel can be accessed by the Burns Library’s main entrance. Masses take place 8 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. All are welcome. The chapel will follow the COVID-19 safety guidelines specified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Archdiocese of Boston, including a self-health/temperature check.

CORRECTION In the story about Boston College’s reopening that appeared in the September 3 Chronicle, the name of Patrick Halm ’21 was misspelled. Chronicle regrets the error.

The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)552-3350.

Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus.

Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135.

A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail.

Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.

Chronicle

October 1, 2020

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Boston College’s COVID-19 cases continue to decrease from the spike that occurred the week of September 7, with 41 positive cases (40 of them undergraduates) reported during the week of September 21-27 out of 8,359 tests, for a weekly positivity rate of 0.49 percent.

The Massachusetts state average was 0.90 percent.

A total of 73 cases had been reported between September 7-13, which raised concerns throughout the BC community.

Consistent with its strategy of utilizing asymptomatic surveillance testing to aggressively target close contacts of positive cases, the University has increased its weekly testing capacity since September 14, focusing on individuals identified through contact tracing and in areas on and off campus where positive cases were detected. Through September 29, more than 130 of the cumulative positive cases have been identified through the University’s contact tracing efforts.

Since testing began on August 16, the University has conducted 39,289 tests of BC community members, including 26,115 tests of undergraduates, with a total of 170 positive cases, 167 of them undergrads.

As of September 29, there were 43 BC undergraduates in isolation—17

in University isolation housing and 26 recovering at home. A total of 124 undergraduates have recovered and returned to normal activities.

“We are pleased that the numbers have declined since the spike we experienced during the fourth week of testing,” said Director of University Health Services Dr. Douglas Comeau. “We will continue to quickly identify and test individuals who are deemed to be close contacts of anyone testing positive, and follow our quarantine and isolation protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Comeau said that Boston College continues to work closely in its contact tracing with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Contact Tracing Collaborative and the departments of health in Boston, Newton, and Brookline.

In addition to daily symptomatic testing conducted through University Health Services and The Broad Institute, asymptomatic testing is offered Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays throughout the semester in the MAC Courts in the Margot Connell Recreation Center. Testing results are posted upon receipt from The Broad Institute Tuesdays through Fridays on the Reopening BC website [bc.edu/reopen].

—University Communications

Smith Is Choice for the Nelson Chair

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Brian K. Smith, former senior associate dean of academic affairs at Drexel University’s College of Computing & Informatics, has been named holder of the Honorable David S. Nelson Professional Chair and associate dean for research at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, announced Stanton E. F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School.

Smith, a professor of information science and education whose research interests include the design of computer-based learning environments, human-computer interaction, design sciences, out-of-school learning, creativity and innovation, and computer

tory after last year’s (1412), said Gosselin, while the average ACT score, 32, equals that for the Class of 2023. On average, members of the Class of 2024 achieved an unweighted GPA of A/A-, and roughly 80 percent were in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

The current first-year students, 53.7 percent of whom are female and 34 percent AHANA, represent 1,283 high schools: 49 percent are from public schools, 26 percent Catholic/Jesuit, and 25 percent private/ independent schools. Two hundred and 29 members of the Class of 2024 are the first in their family to attend college; 296 are Pell Grant recipients with demonstrated high financial need.

The Class of 2024 comes from 44 states: 31 percent of first-year students are from New England, 31 percent from MidAtlantic states, 12 percent from the West, nine percent from the South/Southwest, and eight percent from the Midwest. The top five feeder states are Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut.

Eight percent of first-year students are international students, representing 42 countries—the top five are China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.

Sixty-six percent of the class is enrolled in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences; 25 percent in the Carroll School of Management; five percent in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and four percent in the

Connell School of Nursing.

Forty percent of first-year students applied via early decision; the 2020-2021 academic year was the first for which BC offered the option, with the choice of submitting by November 1 or January 1.

“We were very happy with the results from early decision,” said Gosselin. “It seemed to set a tone for the energy that this class has displayed; in conversations with colleagues, we’ve remarked on how incredibly engaged the students were, all the way through the process. It was a real benefit for BC to have that foundation to build on.”

The pandemic forced cancellation of inperson events during the spring, Gosselin said, but Admission, in collaboration with other offices and departments, was able to hold more than 70 virtual information sessions for admitted students considering enrollment at BC. “The feedback we received from students and their families was very positive,” he said. “People felt the sessions really shined a light on what BC is all about.

We were able to showcase the creativity among our faculty, the opportunities for undergraduate research, the emphasis on formation to prepare students for living meaningful lives—something that separates BC from the rest.

“When we talk about BC’s high graduation rates, and the success our recent alumni have achieved after graduation, students see that a BC education has longlasting value.”

at Pennsylvania State University as associate professor of information sciences and technology, and the Rhode Island School of Design as dean of continuing education, where he oversaw the development of art and design programs for youth and adults, and was a co-investigator in RISD’s “STEM to STEAM” initiative.

Smith preceded his graduate training developing software at major U.S. research and technology companies such as NCR, TRW, Siemens Nixdorf, and RAND Corporation.

As a keynoter at the February 2019 Lynch School Speaker Series, Smith presented “Theory to Practice: How Research Informs (My) Administrative Decision Making,” which addressed how theories of learning have guided his administrative vi-

“Boston College’s values, strong mission, and commitment to formative education are more important than ever.”

–Brian K. Smith

Class of 2024 Continues Positive Undergrad Trends Continued from page 1

3

science education, also served as program director in the Division of Research on Learning at the National Science Foundation for 12 months during his seven years at Drexel.

“We are thrilled to have Brian Smith join us as the new Nelson Chair and as associate dean for research,” said Wortham. “He has extensive experience as a scholar, innovator, and administrator, as well as excellent connections with funding agencies. He’s an excellent collaborator and generous colleague who is already contributing to our community.”

“Boston College’s values, strong mission, and commitment to formative education are more important than ever,” said Smith, a Los Angeles native. “I’m thrilled to join BC and the Lynch School to encourage our students to be the best they can be so they can go out and help others do the same.”

Smith also co-directs Boston College’s M.A. in Learning Engineering, a new program focused on applying the principles and methods that guide student learning to design engaging and effective learning experiences.

A 1991 graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles in computer science and engineering, Smith earned a Ph.D. in learning sciences from Northwestern University. He began his academic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, followed by appointments

sion and initiatives, including his successes and failures, and the broader mission of trying to develop a tighter connection between research on learning and administrative decision making.

Smith succeeds retired Lynch School Professor Anderson J. Franklin, the Honorable David S. Nelson Professional Chair Emeritus, who was appointed in 2006.

The chair’s namesake, Judge David Sutherland Nelson ’57, J.D.’60, H’79, born in Roxbury to immigrant parents, was the first African American to serve as an assistant attorney general for Massachusetts, and the first appointed to the federal judiciary in that district. He, along with then-Vice President Walter Mondale, spoke to the graduates at the 1979 Commencement Exercises. Nelson served five terms on the BC Board of Trustees, including as chair from 1984-1987. He died in 1998.

In 1995, the University established the Honorable David S. Nelson Professional Chair, initially assumed by a visiting African American professor who reflected the “educational aspirations and human qualities that animated (his) distinguished career.”

Philosophy Professor Lucien Outlaw Jr., was the inaugural holder. In 2002, the Nelson Chair was shifted to the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and permanently installed with a focus on racial and social justice.

Chronicle

4

October 1, 2020

Better Late: 2020 Finnegan Winner Is Recognized

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Sera M. Stotelmyre, a Lynch School of Education and Human Development graduate with a passion for issues related to health and social justice, has been named the 2020 Edward J. Finnegan, S.J., Award recipient.

The honor, which recognizes the graduating senior who best exemplifies the University’s motto, “Ever to Excel,” is normally presented at Commencement Exercises.

The pandemic that forced cancellation of Commencement last May also delayed the selection of this year’s Finnegan Award winner.

But such public acknowledgement is not important to Stotelmyre, according to a Lynch School administrator who described the Oceanside, Calif., native as “devoted to the college and to her fellow global citizens without ever seeking recognition for her tireless work and efforts.”

“It is a truly humbling experience to receive this award,” said Stotelmyre. “I felt an initial inclination to look outwards to my classmates, also worthy of recognition.

I have stood in awe of their passion for learning and their commitment to vocation and citizenship. It has been a privilege to learn alongside a breadth of individuals and be guided by professors who gave me the courage to dare, the integrity to hold my values central, and the sense of self to be selfless.”

Sera M. Stotelmyre

A major in applied psychology and human development, and biology, with a minor in medical humanities, Stotelmyre earned Dean’s List honors, and her academic contribution was characterized as “extraordinary.”

“Sera’s coursework, majors, minor, and co-curricular service always centered on the intersection of health and social justice,” said Julia DeVoy, the Lynch School’s associate dean of undergraduate students and programs. “She is an unselfish, dedicated young woman who wants to do whatever she can to assist her fellow humans and make the world more just. She finds great joy in what she can do to improve the lives of others.”

DeVoy cited two research projects—one

that examined the ethical issues related to the allocation of limited resources, regulations, and economic injustice in the United States health care delivery system; another that studied health in a South Boston public housing community—as examples of Stotelmyre’s effort to have a “maximum positive impact on all populations she’s striving to support.”

“Her care and concern for improving the human condition is what motivates her to action and advocacy,” said DeVoy. Stotelmyre also participated in numerous campus-related activities that served the greater good, such as the Appalachia Volunteers Program, Marian Manor Nursing Care Center through 4Boston, Health Coach Institute of the BC Office of Health Promotion, and the Boston College Experience. Additionally, she served as a teaching assistant for her Values and Social Services class, a medical humanities course she said she “cherished.”

She gave of her time at many local community-based programs, including the Jackson-Walnut Park Montessori Collaborative and Kids Corner, and internationally at the Pietro Barilla Children’s Hospital in Parma, Italy. She also volunteered for seven years at a Girl Scout camp called “Technology Goddesses” that promoted the pursuit of STEM education and careers.

According to DeVoy, Stotelmyre described these experiences as “profound catalysts for additional reflection, service, and future volunteer pursuits.”

Schor on the Sharing Economy Continued from page 1

through the person-to-person connections, as well as reduced environmental impacts.

But the idealist discourse soon gave way to a reality that included exploited workers, racial discrimination, and rising carbon emissions, among other negative consequences.

Ride-hail and delivery services got hijacked when commercial entities joined the platform, said Schor: “These services started out with quite good wages, but over time commercial entities like Uber recruited so many people to the platform, there was so much excess capacity and it made it easier for them to drive wages down. These companies were getting pressure to grow and make profits from investors. It became truly exploitative and, after accounting for expenses, full-time drivers were making less than minimum wage.

“Airbnb was hijacked by commercial activity,” said Schor. “The users, both hosts and guests, mostly liked it, but those not involved in it were bearing the brunt of the negative impacts like party houses, housing going off the market, rising rents, and ghost hotels.”

After the Gig is a coproduced, collaborative product of the Connected Consumption and Connected Economy Project, a research team consisting of Schor and William Attwood-Charles, Ph.D. ’18; Mehmet Cansoy, Ph.D. ’18; Lindsey “Luka” Carfagna, Ph.D. ’17; Samantha Eddy, Ph.D.

’21; Isak Ladegaard, Ph.D. ’19; Robert Wengronowitz, Ph.D. ’19; and Connor Fitzmaurice ’10.

The team did extensive research, conducting more than 300 interviews and meeting with platform founders. The researchers have written nearly two dozen journal articles and book chapters (published or in press), with several more under review.

It is hardly surprising that Schor, author of the bestseller The Overworked American, would be drawn to study the sharing economy. Her life’s work has been about studying and understanding how Americans work and how our country’s approach to work affects leisure time, societal good, consumer consumption, and the environment.

After the Gig has had a buzzy release: Publishers Weekly named it a Big Indie Book for Fall 2020 and Schor has been interviewed by Marketplace Radio, Bloomberg, and other media outlets.

Schor and her team found it wasn’t only the for-profit players that faced challenges in the sharing economy. Many nonprofits faltered, too. The researchers studied a makerspace, a time bank, and a food swap—the latter failed completely in the midst of the study.

“The nonprofits didn’t take off as whole in the way people hoped that they would,” said Schor. “We found two main reasons: One was what sociologists call practices of

A certified nursing assistant, Stotelmyre complemented her volunteer work with related professional experience, serving as a medical assistant at the Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institute; a respite aide at the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program; and an intern at Palomar Health, a primary and specialty care provider in San Marcos, Calif.

Yet another indication of Stotelmyre’s quiet but deep devotion to her fellow human beings is her current one-year commitment to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC), one of the largest lay, Catholic, full-time volunteer programs in the world, which brought her to L’Arche in Washington, D.C., a community of people with intellectual disabilities where she’s serving as a care assistant.

For her post-JVC plans, Stotelmyre is considering both a physician assistant degree and a master’s of public health degree.

“I hope to work both on the individual and systemic level to sustain more holistic health care delivery policies,” she explained. “I know I want to be in the sphere of public health and making the needed changes in our health care system. My passion is in community health as it relates to families and individuals living in poverty and the development of public policies and programs affecting their health, specifically with Medicare/ Medicaid programs and policy.”

Why haven’t nonprofits done better in the sharing economy?

One reason has to do with “value proposition,” explains Juliet Schor: “They attracted people on the basis of ideology, but there weren’t enough useful services.”

photo by gary wayne gilbert

distinction—or in ordinary terminology, snobbery—that undermined the mission.

The other big piece was that these nonprofits didn’t provide value to large numbers of people; what I call the ‘value proposition.’

They attracted people on the basis of ideology, but there weren’t enough useful services.”

Schor still believes in the underlying merits of the sharing economy and thinks it is salvageable.

“The team and I were interested in these initiatives because we thought they held potential. We ended up finding a lot of problems and challenges. But we thought there was ‘something there’ and we still do.”

For one thing, Schor thinks more regulation is needed to protect workers and limit the negative effects of commer-

cialization. Cities in the U.S. and abroad have made moves to limit the activities of Airbnb and demand Uber classify its drivers as employees.

Schor said another answer might be found in their study of Stocksy United, a photography platform owned by the artists.

“Co-operative platforms owned and controlled by the workers are getting much better outcomes,” said Schor. She noted that without investors, the money flows to the workers/owners of the co-op, and there aren’t draconian employment policies, because it is the workers who set the policies.

“The issue is that the co-ops tend to be small and it’s hard for them to compete with the giants. They are certainly better for workers, but we’ll have to see if they can muster enough market power.”

Chronicle

October 1, 2020

5

Lynch School, Theology Unveil New Grad Programs LSOEHD will offer an online Ed.D. in Higher Education

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Building on historic strengths in the study of both international and domestic higher education, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development will offer a three-year, part-time online Executive Doctor of Education in Higher Education (Ed.D.) program aimed at developing leaders with the skills, mindsets, and technical knowledge necessary to navigate the changing pace of higher education today, Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School, has announced.

Starting next fall, the 48-credit curriculum—featuring three weeklong summer residencies at Boston College and abroad—will focus on data-driven decision making, diversity and equity, design thinking, and strategic planning to resolve complex challenges. Professionals with a minimum of five to 10 years of work experience in mid- to high-level administrative positions in higher education or a related field will benefit from this program, which culminates in a practice-based capstone project addressing current issues in higher

education.

“In an era of increased disruption and rapid change, higher education needs a new kind of leadership,” said Wortham.

“This program will help participants reimagine institutions, execute difficult decisions, discern whether traditional ways of conducting business are still relevant, and attend to issues of justice and purpose.”

Embedded within the program is an optional Catholic higher education concentration that will engage candidates through curricular resources and formative activities, with the goal of articulating, animating and assessing the characteristics of a vibrant, 21st-century Catholic college or university.

“We have designed the courses in this program to function as living laboratories for students to critically analyze contemporary issues in American and international higher education,” said Angela Boatman, associate professor of educational leadership and higher education. “Graduates of this program will be exceptionally well prepared to lead change and innovation in a dynamic, rapidly changing higher education landscape.”

More information on the Executive Doctor of Education in Higher Education program is available at the Lynch School website, www.bc.edu/education.

Betancourt Is Honored for RPCA Psychosocial Interventions Boston College School of Social Work Salem Professor in Global Practice Theresa Betancourt, who designs programs to improve the cognitive development and mental health of some of the most vulnerable children in the world, was recently honored by the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice.

Betancourt received the 2020 Blanche F. Ittleson Award for developing psychosocial interventions for children and parents in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and the United States who have been displaced from their homes, traumatized by war, and affected

by HIV. Originally founded in 1923 as the American Orthopsychiatric Association, the Global Alliance is an interdisciplinary membership organization of individuals committed to addressing some of society’s most challenging issues through research, policy development, and practice. The Global Alliance has applied principles of social justice to a wide range of issues affecting children, adolescents, adults, families, schools, community mental health, and life span development.

Betancourt said she was honored to receive the award, which is named after a philanthropist who pioneered treatment and vocational training for children with developmental disabilities.

“It’s a tremendous honor,” she said.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to receive the Blanche F. Ittleson Award and really relish the opportunity to spread our approaches and thinking about making a sustainable

Theresa Betancourt

photo by chris soldt

impact at scale in global mental health and child and adolescent development. I am joining a wonderful group of fellow honorees and really looking forward to sharing a little bit about our work.

“We’re grateful for the opportunities Boston College has provided us and thrilled by the partnerships we’ve been able to establish and amplify over years, from our work with resettled refugees in the United States to the long-lasting partnerships in Rwanda and Sierra Leone. We hope we can do our little part to contribute because there are big problems out there yet to be tackled.”

Betancourt directs BCSSW’s Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA), which works with children and families to design targeted psychosocial

Theological Ethics Ph.D. features a Catholic Health Care track

A new Catholic Health Care track, designed to train students for work as ethicists, mission directors, and other related positions in Catholic health care settings, is now being offered in the Ph.D. in Theological Ethics program, Theology Department Director of Graduate Studies Professor Kristin Heyer has announced.

“The Catholic Health Care track integrates the comprehensive theological education that characterizes the Ph.D. program in Theological Ethics with two internships in Catholic health care settings, one of which will be at an acute care hospital and the other at a long-term care facility,” said Heyer.

Walsh Professor of Bioethics Andrea Vicini, S.J., will oversee the internships, through which students will gain familiarity and expertise with the organizational and functional dynamics of each health care setting, including the roles of the ethics committee and responsibilities of the hospital’s mission officer, as well as case manager, legal team, social worker, and chaplain.

The program at Boston College is distinctive in its approach compared to clinical ethics programs offered elsewhere at the master’s and doctoral levels, according to Fr. Vicini, because of its strong theological component. “We seek to educate theologians on the richness of the Catholic tradition, Catholic social teaching, virtues, and theological bioethics that, along with a focused immersion in health care, will give them the competence and expertise to protect the identity and promote the mission of Catholic health care institutions.

“To flourish and survive in today’s world, many Catholic health care institutions need to merge with major networks.

The role of a mission director, for example, is to protect the identity and mission of the Catholic health care organization by continuing its commitment to serving the poor, undocumented, and unemployed, and adhering to ethical directives proposed by the Catholic hierarchy in terms of beginning of life and end of life issues.”

One doctoral student currently in the

Ph.D. program has expressed interest in pursuing the Catholic Health Care track and the program is now accepting applications from prospective students.

The internship placements are being facilitated by M.C. Sullivan, who serves as the chief health care ethicist in the Archdiocese of Boston and director of the Initiative for Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning. The initial acute care hospital internship will take place at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, with additional Catholic hospitals and long-term care facilities in the Greater Boston area to be added as the program expands to more students. At each location, a staff member will serve as a mentor to the BC doctoral students. Dr. Kaarkuzhali Krishnamurthy, an epilepsy and seizure specialist and chair of the ethics committee at St. Elizabeth’s, will serve as the program’s first internship mentor.

“We are grateful to M.C. Sullivan and the archdiocese for this collaboration,” said Fr. Vicini.

The Catholic Health Care track was developed as a result of discussions between BC Theology Department Chair Richard Gaillardetz, who is the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology, and leadership in the Catholic Health Association (CHA), the largest group of nonprofit health care providers in the nation representing more than 600 hospitals and 1,600 long-term care and other health facilities.

Several CHA leaders encouraged the Theology Department to develop such a program. They did so to ensure that a future generation of ethicists working in Catholic health care systems be well-educated in the Catholic theological tradition and gain an understanding of the structure, organization, and issues of Catholic health care institutions.

The sequencing of the internships, acute care followed by long-term care, is an intentional move, according to organizers.

“Many of the ethical dilemmas that can occur in the post-acute care setting develop from unresolved ethical issues at the acute care hospital,” noted Heyer. “By starting with the acute care experience, the student will better understand the dilemmas faced, particularly in the ICU setting, and the student will have a more complete understanding of how initial ethical decisions can impact longer term outcomes.”

interventions that support positive life outcomes that can be effectively delivered at scale in settings with few resources. These include a Youth Readiness Intervention in Sierra Leone, created to improve the mental health of children affected by war, and a home-visiting intervention in Rwanda to promote early childhood development and prevent violence in youths affected by extreme poverty.

Another RPCA intervention initiative is aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of families in the Bhutanese refugee community in New England, involving collaborations in Springfield, Mass., and Lewiston, Me.

Betancourt said the ultimate goal of the RPCA is “to put ourselves out of business in a way. We want to bring up the next generation to diversify the workforce and the scientific leadership so in the future we’re seeing people from affected communities in leadership roles, conceptualizing the research questions, and leading the research. I think these community-based participatory research partnerships are a huge part of that.”

–This is an edited version of a story by BCSSW Senior Editor/Writer Jason Kornwitz. For the full version, including a Q&A with Theresa Betancourt, go to http://bit.ly/ betancourt-ittleson-award.

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

Chronicle

6

October 1, 2020

BC Pell Grant Success Reflects Outreach Efforts Continued from page 1

Among the vital partnerships, he explained, are those between Office of Undergraduate Admission staff and various community-based organizations (CBOs) across the country such as Upward Bound, New Jersey SEEDS (Scholars, Educators, Excellence, Dedication, Success), and the Wight Foundation that encourage and support first-generation, low-income high school students of academic promise in pursuing higher education.

“In the communities served by these organizations, schools tend to have high counselor-to-student ratios that make it difficult to offer college guidance to lower-income students and their families,” Mahoney said.

“The CBOs fill that need by encouraging students to take rigorous courses that help prepare them for college-level work. They are invaluable in connecting our Admission staff with students who are a good fit for BC.” Undergraduate Admission and the Office of Financial Aid work together to offer lowincome students the financial assistance they

require to enroll at BC, he continued. “BC is one of just 20 private universities in the country that practice need-blind admission, which means that we evaluate each student’s academic and extracurricular credentials without consideration of a family’s financial circumstance. It’s an extraordinary commitment for an institution to make, and it underscores BC’s belief in the importance of a socioeconomically diverse student body.”

“The financial aid process can be daunting, so we strive to provide the resources and support [Pell students] need to be successful at Boston College.”

–Mary McGranahan Added Director of Financial Aid Mary McGranahan, “We’re especially pleased to see our Pell students flourish. The financial

New Head for Saint Columbkille Jennifer Kowieski was appointed head of school this summer at the Saint Columbkille Partnership School (STCPS), a pre-K-8 Catholic school formed through a collaboration of Boston College, the Saint Columbkille Parish, and the Archdiocese of Boston, the school announced recently.

Kowieski, who brings 20 years of experience in Catholic education to her new post, succeeds William Gartside, who retired this spring after 10 years as head of school at STCPS. She previously worked at St. Josaphat School in Chicago, where she held positions as a middle and elementary school teacher, and most recently as assistant principal.

She also worked for the Alliance for Catholic Education program in St. Petersburg, Fla., and founded a service-teaching program at Loyola University Chicago called LU-CHOICE. Her teaching expertise is in math, science, and religion.

“I am excited to take on this challenge and lead such a talented group of teachers and staff,” she said in a statement released by the school. “I enjoy collaborating with my colleagues to ensure the academic success of our students.”

“We are thrilled to have Jen at the helm of Saint Columbkille Partnership School,” said Peggy Strakosch, co-chair of the STCPS Board of Trustees. “Her passion and dedication to Catholic education, as well as her ability to ignite a desire to teach and learn are unparalleled.”

A native of South Bend, Ind., Kowieski earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in school leadership from the University of Notre Dame, and a master’s degree in education from the University of Portland in conjunction with Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education program. Her research focuses on how to use professional development, observations, and feedback to improve instruc-

Jennifer Kowieski

tional practice.

Founded in 1901, Saint Columbkille was the last Catholic elementary school in Allston-Brighton by the turn of the 21st century and in danger of closing. Since its establishment as a partnership school in 2006, Saint Columbkille’s enrollment has more than doubled, and its students—approximately 50 percent Black, Hispanic, and Asian—have consistently performed well above the national average on all testing measures. The school has reported significant improvements in curriculum and instruction, professional development, extended day programs, and parental and community involvement.

In addition to financial and technical support from BC, STCPS has developed a close working relationship with the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. In 2018, STCPS was formally designated as a laboratory school for the Lynch School, enhancing opportunities for teacher training, educational research, and professional development.

—University Communications

aid process can be daunting, so we strive to provide the resources and support they need to be successful at Boston College.”

The commitment continues throughout the student’s time at BC, Mahoney added, with the involvement of Options Through Education, Learning to Learn, the Montserrat Office, BC F1rst, the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, and other campus resources.

“These programs and offices are a key factor as to why our retention and graduation rates for Pell recipients are so high.

They help students to maximize their experiences at BC, inside and outside of the classroom.”

“The 96 percent graduation rate for the most recent cohort of Pell-eligible students at Boston College is something in which we should all take pride,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “The admirably high number is the result of the hard work and sustained collaboration between various colleagues across Academic Affairs and elsewhere on campus. Support-

ing Pell students is an important way of embodying our distinctive mission, and I look forward to working together to learn from our recent successes as we aim to do even better in the future.”

BC has been recognized for its outreach to low-income students. A recent study by The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked the University among the top 30 private, nonprofit colleges and universities that are the most generous to their financially neediest students. In addition, last year BC was invited to join QuestBridge, a highly respected nonprofit program that helps high-achieving, low-income students gain admission and scholarships to the country’s top-ranked colleges and universities.

“None of this would be possible without across-the-board coordination at BC on enrollment strategies and objectives,” said Mahoney. “When there is commitment to aggressive recruitment, comprehensive yield programming, generous financial aid, and consistent focus on retention, success follows.”

OBITUARY

G. Peter Wilson, 73; Beloved and Innovative Carroll School Prof.

G. Peter Wilson, a distinguished researcher who became a beloved teacher as a member of the Carroll School of Management faculty, died on September 12 at his home in Tampa, Fla. He was 73 and had been battling Parkinson’s disease for some years.

Dr. Wilson came to the Carroll School in 1997 as the second holder of the Joseph L. Sweeney Chair in Accounting after having taught at Stanford, Harvard, and MIT. Having built an impressive record of achievement in accounting scholarship, he cultivated an equally outstanding reputation as a caring and innovative teacher: His many honors included the American Accounting Association Lifetime Service Award and the first Innovation in Financial Accounting Education Award; he also was the namesake of the Carroll School’s flagship series of seminars on excellence in teaching.

“Teaching was Pete’s signature craft,” said John and Linda Powers Family Dean Andy Boynton, “but he also was a superb scholar. He exemplified careful thought and assessment of a wide variety of theoretical and empirical research.”

One popular tradition in his courses was to devote the last class of the semester to reflections. Students would step up to reflect on their priorities in life, along with their experiences of personal, social, and intellectual growth in connection with his courses like Financial Accounting (taken mostly by freshmen and sophomores).

Then, Dr. Wilson would share advice such as “don’t judge yourself too quickly” and “don’t be afraid to fail.”

Dr. Wilson’s indispensable collaborator was his wife, Carolyn, a Carroll School lecturer who had served in senior positions at top accounting firms. Her role in

photo by tony rinaldo

his classes became even more pivotal some years ago as Dr. Wilson began struggling with Parkinson’s.

In addition to Carolyn, Dr. Wilson is survived by his children, Jim and Jennifer, and seven grandchildren.

Plans are underway for a celebration of his life at Boston College sometime next year.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting contributions to the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where Dr. Wilson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

—This article was excerpted from an obituary written by Carroll School Director of Content Development William Bole; read the complete version at http://bit.ly/peterwilson-obituary

Chronicle

October 1, 2020

WELCOME ADDITIONS

BC in the Media

An Introduction to New Faculty at Boston College Lindsey Horrell

Assistant Professor Connell School of Nursing DEGREES: Bellarmine University (B.S.); University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (MPH, Ph.D.)

WHAT SHE STUDIES: Adolescent and young adult cancer survivorship; health communication; chronic disease management.

WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Principles of Evidence-based Nursing

Horrell studies adolescents and young adults who have survived cancer. She spoke to Voice magazine about the challenges associated with this particular population.

“Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are often left out of the culture of traditional care, classified as children or adults. [They’re] either on a bed [they] don’t fit on with Mickey Mouse on the wall, or with a lot of really aging patients.

It can be a very isolating time.” She added that AYAs face other challenges too, like losing coverage under their parents’ health insurance plans, starting a new romantic relationship, or heading off to college.

Doris Kelly

Lecturer, Accounting Department Carroll School of Management DEGREES: Bentley University (B.A., M.S.)

WHAT SHE STUDIES: Financial and managerial accounting.

WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Financial Accounting; Managerial Accounting.

You’re a certified public accountant with more than 30 years of corporate experience and a board member for the Institute of Management Accountants. What characterizes your teaching?

“I immerse my classes with my real-world experiences. I developed a project which won a teaching award because it allowed students to connect academic learning to real-world practices. As one student commented, ‘The budgeting project was fantastic. It felt like I was actually applying what I learned to real-life examples.’”

Kevin Lotery

Assistant Professor of Art History Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences DEGREES: Columbia University (B.A.), Harvard University (Ph.D.)

WHAT HE STUDIES: Interactions between art, science,

and technology; exhibition histories; theories of utopia and creativeness; Jewish diaspora in

art, film, literature, and criticism; memory and mourning.

WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Modern Art & the Avant-Garde, 1900-1945; Postwar: Art After 1945; Introduction to Contemporary Art, 1975-the Present; Artists’ Design Exhibitions: Installation Art & Exhibition Making in Modern & Contemporary Art.

Talk about your most recent research, which examines utopian imaginaries within the work and writing of a number of émigré Jewish artists, writers, and filmmakers in Europe and the Americas after World War II.

“I am trying to understand the new types of anti-Semitism and related forms of neofascist thinking in our present moment. For help, I am looking to a cross-disciplinary assortment of Jewish émigré artists, writers, and filmmakers in Europe and the Americas following WWII—Siegfried Kracauer, Primo Levi, Meyer Schapiro, Eva Hesse, Chantal Akerman, and Gregg Bordowitz, among them.

In their texts, objects, and moving image work, these adamantly diasporic figures linked crossdisciplinary experimentation with cross-cultural forms of identity and communication. Refusing the lures of the nation-state and its reliance on the violence of racism, institutional exclusion, and occupation, they instead looked to more fluid, contradictory, even impossible forms of belonging rooted in the future, the imaginary, in obsolete technologies, or in a communion with the dead.”

Christopher SalasWright

Professor Boston College School of Social Work DEGREES: Santa Clara University (B.A.); Boston College (M.A., Ph.D.); University of Washington (M.S.W.) WHAT HE STUDIES: Stress and resilience among immigrants; substance use epidemiology; prevention of adolescent problem behavior

As principal investigator of a research project that deals with substance use and violence prevention among Latin American immigrant youth, what do you see as the project’s key tasks?

“My work focuses on both understanding the experiences that place crisis migrant youth at risk for substance use and mental health problems, and developing programs that can address the challenges experienced by this population. We know that stressful experiences before and after migration play an important role in the lives of crisis migrant youth. For instance, we have seen that experiences like pre-migration hunger and post-migration discrimination increase the risk of behavioral health problems. We are working with crisis migrant youth, parents, and community leaders to develop evidence-based strategies and programs that can support youth at risk and help those who are doing well to continue to thrive.”

–Ed Hayward, Rosanne Pellegrini, Sean Smith, Kathleen Sullivan photos by peter julian and lee pellegrini

Lochhead to Speak at ‘BC 101’ Boston College Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead will discuss his roles and responsibilities, as well as the organizational structure at Boston College, on October 14 at 10 a.m. as part of the Employee Development Program’s “BC

7

101” series. During this virtual event, Lochhead will focus on the University’s Master Plan and upcoming initiatives including new projects and renovations.

Go to events.bc.edu/group/employeedevelopment for more details.

Asst. Prof. Joshua Hartshorne (Psychology and Neuroscience) spoke with The New York Times and CBS Baltimore on research exploring the pandemic’s effect on the language development of children not in school and interacting less with peers.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s voice on the Supreme Court never faded, with every one of her authored court opinions further solidifying her position as a tenacious dissenter and contemplative jurist, wrote first-year Boston College Law School student Jamie Ehrlich, an associate producer for CNN Politics, in a piece for CNN.com.

The largest acquisition in the history of the luxury goods sector—Tiffany’s $16 billion sale to LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton)—is collapsing. As the face-off in court began, Assoc. Prof. Brian Quinn (Law) commented for the London-based international report Business of Fashion.

It will be tempting for schools to direct resources and attention this fall to bolstering the instructional core, but they also must deploy staff and policies to promote students’ social and emotional development, researchers including Assoc. Prof. Heather Rowan-Kenyon (LSOEHD) wrote in an op-ed for Education Week.

Aleksandar Tomic, associate dean for strat-

egy, innovation, and technology in the Woods College of Advancing Studies, suggested three questions to help colleges define a strategy for entering, or scaling their presence in, the online education space, in an essay for The Evolllution.

With the death of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants, Governor Charlie Baker has the chance of an historic remaking of the old-

est continuous sitting appellate court in the Western Hemisphere. Prof. Alan Rogers (History) offered his views on this prospect to The Boston Globe Amid daunting challenges, some K-12 schools are rising to the new challenges of remote learning—and other pandemicrelated issues—through innovation. Assoc.

Prof. Martin Scanlan (LSOEHD), who worked with local school leaders during the summer, gave his perspective to WCVB News.

Long a refuge for travelers and locals alike, Logan Airport’s Our Lady of the Airways is the nation’s oldest airport chapel. University Historian James O’Toole shed light on its origins in an appearance on WBUR’s “Radio Boston.”

In a piece for The Boston Globe “Ideas” section, Assoc. Prof. Régine Jean-Charles (Romance Languages and Literatures), a faculty member in the African and African Diaspora Studies program, reflected on adjusting her teaching for a semester in which the nation grapples with the challenges of both COVID-19 and systemic racism.

Six months after Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in response to the pandemic, Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court heard a case challenging his authority to close businesses. Asst. Prof. of the Practice Jeffrey Cohen (Law) discussed the case on Bloomberg Baystate Business.

Rural counties in Pennsylvania voted for Donald Trump in a landslide in 2016. Will this time be different? Assoc. Prof. David Hopkins (Political Science) shared his thoughts with The New York Times.

Jobs The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs.

Program Nurse Director, Research & Program Development Director, Finance & Operations, Lynch Leadership Academy

Business Manager Research Associate, Center for Retirement Research Temporary Office Pool, School of Theology and Ministry Research Specialist, Measurement and Data Analysis Classroom Technology Specialist Temporary Custodial Workers

Research Scientist, RPCA

Program Manager, RPCA

Administrative Assistant, Career Center

Research Associate, RPCA

Assistant Director, Bowman Center

Research Technician, Biology

Assistant Director, Career Education

Temporary Office Pool, Campus School

Associate Director, Instructional Media

Research Associate, Part-Time

Director of Development, Morrissey College, Schiller Institute

Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Chemistry

Assistant Dean, Graduate Enrollment Management

Temporary Dining Services Positions

Assistant Director, Financial Aid

Chronicle

8

October 1, 2020

BC Global

More to the Story Lynch School Dean Stanton Wortham and his fellow researchers wanted to study a Mexican migrant community’s impact on an American town.

What they found defies often simplified narratives around immigration.

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

A new book by Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean, traces diverse, dynamic interactions within a changing community as it explores a Mexican migrant community’s two decades of growth in an American town and the complex relationships among the new arrivals and existing residents.

The result of 11 years of field research, Migration Narratives: Diverging Stories in Schools, Churches and Civic Institutions presents the voices and views of three groups of residents—Irish and Italian American, African American, and Mexican immigrant—through a broad range of personal stories about how migrants are perceived, the actions and reactions among diverse residents, and the weight of stereotypes and past experiences, said Wortham, the book’s lead author.

Migration Narratives shows how Mexicans’ experiences were shaped by stories about the town’s earlier cycles of migration.

Many residents of Irish, Italian, and African descent narrated an idealized but partly accurate history in which their ancestors came as migrants and worked hard to succeed, finding jobs, establishing families, and moving “up and out” of the less desirable downtown neighborhoods.

“We trace how these stories were often inaccurate, but nonetheless influenced the realities of migrant life,” said Wortham.

“We all have ways of discussing the complexities in our lives, and we usually oversimplify. What we do is document the complexities that migrants and hosts actually experience in towns like this. We think that is the best place to start if we hope to respond intelligently to the politically-motivated stories that oversimplify migration

BC Scenes

Spiritual devotion

Members of the Boston College community prayed the rosary in front of the statue of St. Mary at Bapst Lawn as part of “Espresso Your Faith Week” 2020 activities sponsored by the C21 Center and Campus Ministry.

PHOTOS BY LEE PELLEGRINI

across the contemporary world.”

Migration Narratives offers a compelling study of a community adapting to changing demographics and culture during an election year, when immigration and im-

Wortham, and co-authors Briana Nichols, Katherine Clonan-Roy, and Catherine Rhodes, explore how the descendants of earlier migrants interacted with Mexican newcomers, describing how experiences “People often break immigration down into simple explanations: It’s people working hard and hoping their kids succeed and building America, as in the classic immigrant story,” says Wortham. “Or it’s about immigrants moving in and taking all the jobs. Or it’s about racial injustice and how immigrants are discriminated against.

What the book tries to do is show that actually all of those things are true, but not one of them describes everything.”

photo by lee pellegrini

migrant communities are among the contested topics discussed by politicians at all levels of government, Wortham said.

A linguistic anthropologist and educational ethnographer with a particular expertise in social identification and human interaction, Wortham led a team of researchers who spent years speaking to residents in the northeast American town, which became home to thousands of Mexican migrants between 1995-2016, such that the Mexican population grew by more than 1,000 percent and ended up comprising almost a third of the town.

“We spent many years in this community, and we wrote this book to document the complexities that migrants and hosts experience and to suggest ways in which policy-makers, researchers, educators, and communities can respond intelligently to politically motivated stories that oversimplify migration across the contemporary world,” Wortham said.

of and stories about migration unfolded across institutional spaces—residential neighborhoods, politics, businesses, public spaces, churches, schools, and community organizations.

The marriage of a local tradesman to a Mexican woman led to the first immigrants from western Mexico in the 1970s, said Wortham. By 1990, that initial cluster had grown to about 100 people, according to the U.S. Census. Between 1995 and 2016, the Mexican population—now drawing immigrants from central Mexico—would grow to make up one-third of the city’s population, he added.

Among the consequences of this change: After an initial reluctance, Mexican parishioners were welcomed into a Catholic Church congregation, helping to revive the shrinking parish. Wortham said the opening of several Mexican restaurants in the city’s downtown helped to overcome existing, inaccurate assumptions that the area

was unsafe. The arrival of Mexican immigrants sometimes led to tensions with the Black community, at a time when Black residents had become a substantial part of the population and held many government and community leadership roles.

The researchers observed ongoing changes in prior migrant communities, and the interactions these groups had with Mexicans, showing how interethnic relations played a central role in the pathways newcomers traveled upon arrival, said Wortham, who throughout his career has conducted research spanning education, anthropology, linguistics, psychology, sociology, and philosophy.

The book richly represents the voices of Irish, Italian, African American and Mexican residents, who collectively tell a story of American immigration and resettlement that allows readers to see beyond the oversimplified claims made about immigration—on both the left and the right—that emerge during political debate.

Central to the study are the accounts of Black, white and Mexican residents that tell divergent stories about migration, and how these stories help shape the migrants’ experiences in this American town and similar ones throughout the country and around the world, said Wortham.

“People often break immigration down into simple explanations: It’s people working hard and hoping their kids succeed and building America, as in the classic immigrant story,” Wortham said. “Or it’s about immigrants moving in and taking all the jobs. Or it’s about racial injustice and how immigrants are discriminated against.

What the book tries to do is show that actually all of those things are true, but not one of them describes everything. As in many towns, there is a complex, layered history of immigration and interethnic relations.”