The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs october 17, 2013 VOL. 22 no. 4
BRA Approves Residence Hall for 2150 Comm. Ave.
INSIDE •NOURISH looks to stir health awareness, page 2
By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs
•New Office of Institutional Diversity series, page 2 •CRO Program affirms BCPD ties with community, page 2 •Wang and colleagues on artificial photosynthesis, page 3
•BC Law places in “Top 50” survey, page 3 •Burns Scholar McAleese to give talk, page 3 •Misperceptions a burden for some professions, page 4 •Q&A with historian Robin Fleming, page 5
A fireworks display was part of the festivities at the Oct. 4 and 5 Homecoming event. More photos on page 8. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)
Energy in Focus at Oct. 25 Event sustainable, Naughton said. “It seemed appropriate, as we celebrate BC’s 150th year, to look US Senator Edward J. Markey back at human history and to look (D-Mass.) ’68, JD ’72 and former forward, because we can potentially state and federal energy official Susan harm ourselves by failing to look Tierney will be the keynote speak- in both directions,” said Naughton. ers at an Oct. 25 Sesquicentennial “We have been using the Earth parsymposium on the ticularly intensively science of energy Celebrating for just about 150 generation and the years. We should THE politics and policies Sesquicentennial learn from what we of energy use. have done in order Markey and to ensure we’ll be Tierney, a one-time assistant secre- here in another 150 years, with water tary for policy at the US Department to drink, air to breath and future of Energy, are part of an agenda that generations.” includes two panels drawing on facThe symposium will examine ulty experts from the University and questions related to discovering other institutions, said Ferris Profes- new forms of energy, finding efsor of Physics Michael Naughton, an ficient routes to energy conversion, organizer of the event that is being and developing national and global held in the Heights Room of Corco- agreements on energy management, ran Commons as part of BC’s 150th Naughton said. anniversary celebration. Markey, who served 18 terms in The symposium, “Energy: From the House of Representatives, has the Last to the Next 150 Years,” will been a congressional leader on enfocus on both an historical perspec- ergy and climate change. He was tive on energy use and the impor- chairman of the Select Committee tance of plotting a future course that on Energy Independence and Globis economically and environmentally Continued on page 6
The Boston Redevelopment Authority has unanimously approved an extension and amendment of Boston College’s Institutional Master Plan (IMP) that will enable the University to construct a 490-bed residence hall at 2150 Commonwealth Avenue. The approved 245,000 squarefoot facility, which will be built on the site of the former More Hall at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Thomas More Drive, is expected to open in 2016. It will include a mix of four- and six-bedroom apartments and space for University Health Services. The approval of the residence hall represents a pivotal step for the University’s 10-year IMP, as the BRA had designated it as a
preliminary requirement for BC’s future building projects within the City of Boston. The BRA issued its approval last week after the Allston-Brighton Community Task Force, a community group appointed by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, voted 9-1 to endorse BC’s extensive community benefits package over the course of the next six-and-a-half years. The benefits include a Neighborhood Improvement Flexible Fund to be used for community improvements and additional scholarships for residents of Allston-Brighton and the City of Boston. “We are pleased that the City of Boston has approved the 2150 Commonwealth Avenue residence hall project which will enable us to house more BC students on campus and to move forward with Continued on page 3
By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
•Connell School programs get $1.8m boost, page 5 •Sociologists study grandparents’ role, page 6 •Burns acquires ancient Irish book, page 6 •Retired SOE professor dies, page 7 •War in words and pictures at BC Law, page 8
QUOTE:
Asst. Prof. Rocio Calvo is overseeing the Graduate School of Social Work Latino Leadership Initiative. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)
New Tools for Social Workers GSSW Latino initiative prepares students to work in an increasingly diverse population By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Before she came to Boston College last fall, School of Theology and Ministry student Erin Ramsey spent more than two years working at a residential children’s home in Honduras. But while the experience was invaluable, Ramsey felt she needed to build on it as she pursued her goal of becoming a social worker.
Then she heard about the Graduate School of Social Work’s newly launched Latino Leadership Initiative, which includes a set of foundation and method courses, such as Diversity and Cross-Cultural Issues, that are available in Spanish as well as in English. It was, thought Ramsey — a joint degree candidate in ministry and social work — just what she was looking for. Continued on page 4
“Most students have never had to think about material culture before taking my class; they’ve never had to look at a brooch, and then write a paper describing what that says about a viking settlement in the north of Britain. They find it challenging and fun.” —Professor of History and MacArthur Fellowship winner Robin Fleming, page 5
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle october 17, 2013
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A ROUND
C AMPUS NOURISH THE THOUGHT
Members of the Boston College Jesuit Community joined students on Stokes Lawn earlier this month for a vigorous round of Ultimate Frisbee. A video of this event will be available on the BC YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/BostonCollege.
Photos by Christopher Huang
NEW NAME, FOCUS FOR ‘ADOPT-A-COP’ In 2006, the Boston College Police Department teamed up with the Office of Residential Life, recognizing the importance of fostering a positive relationship between BC police officers and the student population residing on campus. And thus, the “Adopta-Cop” program was born and has been building and strengthening ties within the University community ever since. Last year, the program began expanding its outreach to academic and administrative areas as well as additional community and student organizations, and reached another milestone this fall. Renamed the Community Resource Officer (CRO) Program, the initiative brings a wider focus to its mission and utilizes many officers in an effort to serve each member of the BC community. The main goal of the program, according to Sergeant Jeffrey Postell, is to ensure that BCPD members have an opportunity to communicate and work with faculty and staff, regardless of what their roles may be. These partnerships can create trusting and personal connections with officers around campus, he said, and help to construct a more secure working and living environment. “Overall, it has been a very successful program and resource for our department,” said Postell.
“Police officers enjoy having these new, positive interactions with the community, and interestingly enough, so do the community members.” This year, in an effort to make certain that information being exchanged and distributed is consistent and appropriate for specific times of the year, BCPD has developed a CRO “Monthly Theme” list. This list of Crime Prevention Education programs serves as a resource and guide to assist Community Resource Officers in educating members of their assigned area based on timely and appropriate subject topics. Themes for this month are “Crime Preven-
tion Awareness,” “Cyber Security Awareness” and “Halloween Safety”; future themes include “Stalking Awareness” and “Travel/ Tourism Safety and Awareness.” In its eighth year, the CRO Program has surely built a strong foundation throughout campus, said Postell. But the goal is for even more continued growth, and even potentially helping outside of the BC Community. “We’re striving to make this a flagship program that other police departments will want to structure theirs after,” said Postell. To get to know more about the program, or to learn who your Resource Officers are, see the program’s website at www.bc.edu/cro. —Michael Maloney
Boston College Patrol Officer Brian Eng with students at a Community Resource Officer Program event. (Photo courtesy Sgt. Jeffrey Postell, BCPD)
Director of NEWS & Public Affairs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith
Contributing Staff Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Sean Hennessey Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini
The Boston College
Chronicle www.bc.edu/chronicle chronicle@bc.edu
The Boston College Faulty and Staff Health Fair and yearlong healthy eating campaign NOURISH aim to provide accessible, health-related resources for the BC community. NOURISH, organized by the Office of Health Promotion (OHP) and BC Dining, is already in full swing at each dining facility on campus this semester. Members of the Dining Services staff wear buttons reminding customers to ask about food alternatives and have been trained to answer questions on healthy options. “This campaign is all about increasing knowledge of healthy eating and decreasing perceived barriers to a healthy lifestyle,” said OHP Director Elise Tofias Phillips. “We hope that this will serve students to understand how to eat well at college and beyond.” Six key messages – promoted throughout the year – will offer not only advice, but also specific options in the dining halls to boost productivity and lay the foundation for life-long healthy eating habits, said Phillips. “Our first key message is ‘Choose food closest to its natural form,’” said Phillips, who noted that nutrition has been highlighted throughout the “Be
Well” lecture series this semester. Red Sox Nutritionist Tara Mardigan was on campus last week; the schedule of upcoming speakers is available at the OHP website, www.bc.edu/healthpro. Additional health tips can be viewed on the new Twitter account http://twitter.com/ wearebchealth. The BC Faculty and Staff Health Fair, scheduled for Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Murray Room of the Yawkey Center, will provide a number
of resources for BC employees, including flu shots (Register for a flu shot via the Human Resources website at http://bit.ly/healthfair2013). In addition, screenings for blood pressure, flexibility and glaucoma will be available. Chiropractic evaluations, nutrition consultation, yoga and information on numerous safety demonstrations will be part of the event. The fair is sponsored by Health Services, Human Resources, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Dining Services, Campus Recreation, Bookstore, CSON, New England Eye Center, BC Athletics, Friends of Mel and MetLife. —Melissa Beecher
‘LUNCH AND LEARN’ The Office of Institutional Diversity launches its “Lunch and Learn” series next week, providing an opportunity to engage in conversations on various diversity-related topics in an informal setting. Capacity is already full for the first event in the series, which takes place on Oct. 22: “The Challenge of Diversity,” a discussion facilitated by OID Execu-
tive Director Richard Jefferson that will explore the conditions in which diversity can enhance organizational performance, and the obstacles that often stand in the way. For information on the series, contact Edilma Hosein at edilma. hosein@bc.edu or ext.2-2323. The OID website is at www. bc.edu/diversity. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Registration ended yesterday for the annual Welles Crowther Red Bandanna 5K, which takes place this Saturday, Oct. 19. Members and friends of the Boston College community are invited to come and watch the race, which starts at 9 a.m. in front of the Gasson Hall eagle. For more information on see http://www.bc.edu/offices/service/welles5k.html. 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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle october 17, 2013
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Caitlin Cunningham
“This was an important step forward for Boston College and its campus plans within the City of Boston. We are looking forward to beginning construction of the new residence hall in the late spring.” —Thomas Keady
University Receives OK to Build Residence Hall
Assoc. Prof. Dunwei Wang (Chemistry) works with graduate student Chun Du.
Powering Artificial Photosynthesis BC chemists say energy boost critical to novel energy-harvesting applications molecules. Wang said artificial photosynthesis, also known as water-splitting, tries to copy these two reactions using a photoanode to oxidize water and a photocathode to either reduce water for hydrogen production or to reduce carbon dioxide for organic molecules. But in an artificial environment, a gap has persisted in the voltage required on either side of the reaction in order achieve these results, Wang said. In essence, oxidation and reduction require 1.2 to 1.3 volts combined to achieve the charge required to power artificial photosynthesis. Previously, only rare materials allowed researchers to bridge the gap, but those efforts are prohibitively expensive for widespread
The results put Wang and his team within two-tenths of a volt of the necessary photovoltage. The team achieved the gains Associate Professor of Chemby coating hematite, an iron oxistry Dunwei Wang and his reide similar to rust, with nickel search group have achieved a iron oxide, said Wang, whose series of breakthroughs in their research is supported by the Naefforts to develop an economitional Science Foundation and cal means of harnessing artificial an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation photosynthesis. Fellowship. Last week, the team reported in Already, the team has yielded the German journal Angewandte more than 1 volt of power when Chemie that it had narrowed the combined with the photocathvoltage gap — to within twoode they developed earlier this tenths of a volt — between the year, said Wang, whose team two crucial processes of oxidation included post-doctoral researcher and reduction using unique phoXiaogang Yang, graduate stutoanodes and photocathodes the dents Chun Du, Matthew T. team created from novel nanowire Mayer and Jin Xie, undergraducomponents and coatings. ates Henry Hoyt and Gregory By narrowing the gap using Bischoping and Gregory McMaeconomical chemical compohon, a nanolithography nents, the group moves researchers closer to using “Solar panels can harvest energy, but eco- and electron microscopy manager at BC’s Nanothe man-made reaction for nomical storage has remained elusive. We fabrication Clean Room. unique applications such as “Our system, made of solar energy harvesting and are trying to borrow a page from Mother oxygen, silicon and iron storage. Nature whereby photosynthesis produces – three of the four most “Many researchers have abundant elements on been trying to harvest solar energy from the sun and stores it.” earth – can now provide energy and directly store it —Dunwei Wang more than 1 volt of powin chemical bonds,” said er together,” said Wang. Wang, the lead author. “Solar panels can harvest energy, application. Wang and his lab “Now we are just two-tenths of but economical storage has re- have spent the past two years a volt short on the photoanode. mained elusive. We are trying searching for inexpensive alterna- That’s a significant narrowing of the gap.” to borrow a page from Mother tives to bridge the voltage gap. Earlier this year, the lab reHe says closing the gap comNature whereby photosynthesis produces energy from the sun and ported it had developed a new pletely is entirely within reach, cathode preparation technique to particularly since other researchstores it.” But copying Mother Nature improve hydrogen production. ers have used different systems is a tall order and this particular The findings removed most of to do so. He said his lab might quest “requires materials that can the barriers to constructing an partner with other researchers in absorb sunlight broadly, trans- inexpensive, yet highly efficient an effort to close the gap. “With our innovations on the fer the energy to excited charges photocathode, Wang said. The team’s latest research pro- photocathode alone, this twoat high efficiencies and catalyze specific reduction and oxidation duced advances in photoanode tenths of a volt is within reach,” reactions,” the team writes in the development, where their engi- said Wang. “The real excitarticle “Hematite-Based Water neered nanowire structures en- ing part is that we were able to Splitting with Low Turn-on Volt- abled the team to achieve a pho- achieve six-tenths of a volt using tovoltage of 0.6 volts using an rust. That has never been done age.” Natural photosynthesis con- iron oxide material. The voltage before.” sists of two important processes: represents a 50 percent increase Oxidation produces oxygen gas, above the best prior results, Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu while reduction produces organic which were reported last year. By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
Continued from page 1 our approved Master Plan proposals,” said Thomas Keady, vice president for governmental and community affairs. “On behalf of the University, I thank the members of the Allston-Brighton Task Force, Mayor Menino, local elected officials and members of the community who supported us throughout this process.” In addition to the new residence hall at 2150 Commonwealth Avenue, the IMP calls for converting 2000 Commonwealth Avenue to University housing, which will enable Boston College to raze Edmonds Hall and build a long-awaited recreation complex in its place. The Flynn
Recreation Complex will eventually become the site of a new student center. The plan also calls for creating playing fields and fine arts facilities on the Brighton Campus and for adding new beds on campus with the goal of meeting 100 percent of undergraduate housing demand. “This was an important step forward for Boston College and its campus plans within the City of Boston,” said Keady. “We are looking forward to beginning construction of the new residence hall in the late spring.” Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu
Legal Pros Rank BC Law 19th Boston College Law School ranked 19th in Business Insider’s recent list of the “50 Best Law Schools in America,” based on a survey of legal professionals. In its introduction to the rankings, the New York City-based business and technology news website noted the high price of education and dim outlook on the legal job market as reasons why “choosing the right law school makes all the difference.” Business Insider surveyed more than 400 American legal professionals to select the 10 law schools that would best serve a legal career. Harvard Law School was first, followed by Yale, Columbia, Stanford and Georgetown. Other law schools and programs in the survey included NYU (8th), Duke (9th), Penn (12th), Virginia (14th), Vanderbilt (18th), Texas-Austin (20th), BU (22nd), Southern California (26th), Fordham (33rd), North Carolina-Chapel Hill (34th), Wake Forest (41st) and Ohio State (47th). The article is available at http://www.businessinsider.com/best-lawschools-in-the-us-2013-9. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Burns Scholar McAleese to Make Two Appearances Former Irish President Mary McAleese, who is the Burns Library Visiting Irish Scholar in Irish Studies at Boston College this fall, will make two campus appearances in the coming weeks. She will present a lecture, “Peacebuilding and Reconciliation: Lessons from an Irish Context,” on Oct. 29 at noon in the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. McAleese will will examine efforts to resolve the centuries-old, seemingly intractable Irish conflict, and how — despite various setbacks and lingering difficulties — peace has been achieved. An RSVP is required to attend the event, which is free, and space is limited. For information, send e-mail to susan.richard@bc.edu, or see the Boisi Center website at www.bc.edu/
boisi. On Nov. 9, the C21 Center and Theology Department will present “Collegiality in Church Leadership,” at which McAleese will be interviewed by Joseph Professor in Catholic Systematic Theology Richard Gaillardetz. The event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Cadigan Alumni Center on Brighton Campus. Send email to church21@bc.edu to register. A North Belfast native, McAleese served as president of Ireland from 1997 to 2011 — the first Northern Irish native to hold the office — and is widely acclaimed as a major player in the Northern Ireland peace process. Her “Building Bridges” platform was regarded as contributing to a period of reconciliation and economic growth in Ireland. —Office of News & Public Affairs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle october 17, 2013
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Study explores the misunderstandings some professionals face
Diversity at Core of GSSW Initiative
Lee Pellegrini
‘What Do You Do?’
By Sean Hennessey Staff Writer
Having a job is a privilege that brings many things: satisfaction, pride, a roof over your head, a way of life. But what happens, asks O’Connor Family Professor of Management and Organization Michael Pratt, when people don’t understand what you do — and it affects how you are perceived, and how much you are paid? A new study co-published by Pratt in the Academy of Management Journal aims to address that very issue. “What Clients Don’t Get about My Profession: A Model of Perceived Role-Based Image Discrepancies” looks at four specific professions that are high in demand but sometimes misunderstood: architects, nurse practitioners, litigation attorneys and certified public accountants. “If people don’t understand what you do, they tend to devalue what you do,” said Pratt. “They don’t understand why you’re making all this money: ‘Why should I pay you all this money?’ is a common question these professionals keep hearing.” While this “image discrepancies” study focused on these four professions, Pratt and his fellow researchers say it applies to many more. “I assumed professionals would actually get over it, that there would be frustration, it would be an interpersonal problem, and that would be the extent of it,” said Pratt. “I didn’t think it would have such a big impact on how they did their job, how it affected their pay and how they performed. I was surprised at the depth of how this affected job performance. Image discrepancy is not simply annoying – it has real impact.” The 85 professionals employed in the four fields who were surveyed for the study said they had to educate prospective clients on job responsibilities, while managing what researchers found were “impaired collaborations” along with “impracticable” and “skeptical” expectations. “Architects are being told, ‘All you do is draw lines, sketches, and pictures all day. What do you actually do?’” said Pratt. “‘You don’t build anything. Why should I pay you all this money? If I am redesigning my house, why should I get an architect at all? Why don’t I go to a general contractor and have him or her just build it? Tell him or her what I want and have them just build it for me.’ “Nurse practitioners can actually examine patients and prescribe medication but you’ll get a patient in there saying, ‘I don’t want to talk to you, I want to talk to a doctor.’ They won’t tell the nurse practitio-
O’Connor Family Prof. of Management and Organization Michael Pratt
ner their problems; they won’t let themselves be examined. “With accountants, clients don’t want to give them information because they think the purpose of that accountant being there is to find something wrong. People don’t understand what they do. “Lawyers’ clients will expect their lawyers to be dishonest, and they expect to go to court immediately and win. Several lawyers had clients who are mad at them, wondering ‘Why aren’t we going to court? Why aren’t we getting a deal offered to us?’ It’s because they watch too many lawyer shows.” All of which has a sobering effect not only on a client’s desire to pay these professionals, said Pratt, but also on their level of satisfaction. “In addition to the emotional costs, architects, for example, talk about fee erosion. They’re not making as much money anymore because they’re competing against contractors, which they don’t think they should be doing because in their mind, they are providing a very different set of skills. Some professionals are being bypassed entirely. Nurse practitioners are being bypassed by people who want a doctor so they’re not being used.“ To counter image discrepancies, professionals find themselves utilizing a three-pronged approach, explained Pratt: educating a client on “what we do and how we do it”; demonstrating the skill; and relationship building, “getting to know personal details about people, your basic rapport-building.” For certain professionals, defining yourself to clients may be just as important as the project itself. “Even in situations in which it appears that clients do understand a profession,” according to the study, “it may be appropriate for a professional to manage clients’ expectations to maintain initial trust, as gaining trust back after it has been lost may be even more difficult than gaining trust in the first place.” Also taking part in this study were Heather C. Vough of McGill University, M. Teresa Carador of the University of Illinois, Jeffrey S. Bednar of Brigham Young University, and Erik Dane of Rice University. Contact Sean Hennessey at sean.hennessey@bc.edu
Continued from page 1 “I believed that the program traits,” she said. “Culture does be a concern no matter who the would enable me to maintain not define, but it may influence. client is, but what needs to be the language skills I had devel- So, it’s important to see how understood is how very meanoped during my time in Central these traits can influence interac- ingful ‘personalismo’ is among America,” she said. “Addition- tion with social service providers. Latinos.” ally, though, I hoped that the La- Along with that, it’s necessary to Ramsey praises the Latino tino Leadership Initiative would explore the political, social and Leadership Initiative for broadhelp me to understand better the economic aspects of Latinos in ening her professional, as well lived reality of Hispanics and the US, and to understand the as personal, perspective and Latinos in the United States, and impact of culturalization and as- strengthening her passion for would help me grow into a better similation. working in Latino communities. social worker.” “What we are doing is pro- The “tool belt” to which Calvo “I want to branch out, not viding students with a tool belt. refers served Ramsey well in her be culturally homogenized,” said They may not use all the tools placement last year at Cristo Rey another participant, GSSW stu- all the time, but having them High School in Dorchester. dent Claire Madden. “What’s at hand — and the discernment “I had the opportunity to great about the Latino Leader- to know which ones to use and work with several Latino and ship Initiative is that we’re not when — will help them to be- Latina students in the context of just learning about diversity — come better social workers.” my role as a counseling intern,” we’re practicing it.” she said. “While my time GSSW administrators in Honduras helped give and faculty say the groundsome context to these stubreaking Latino Initiative dents’ experiences, I knew bolsters students’ linguistic that my experience there and cultural competenmight not be germane to cies to work with Latino what life in the US is like communities in the US for them — which is where and abroad. The initiative the Latino Leadership Inireflects the school’s comtiative came in. My class mitment to a global view with Rocio helped ‘give of practice and policy in language’ to my experisocial work and preparing ences working with these students to serve an instudents, and provided me creasingly diverse clientele: with specific strategies that As administrators and facwould enable me to work ulty note, projections indimore competently and cate that in a few decades sensitively with them. so-called “minorities” will “I feel confident that comprise the majority of the program will not only the US population — and help me to be a better Latinos are expected to be social worker, but will also the predominant group. increase my marketabil“Universities have an ity as I look for jobs after opportunity and a respon- “What we are doing is providing students graduation. Being able to sibility to respond to the with a tool belt. They may not use all speak Spanish is an increddramatic demographic ible asset in our field, and change of the US popula- the tools all the time, but having them at the additional set of skills tion,” said GSSW Dean hand — and the discernment to know that the Latino Leadership Alberto Godenzi. “The Initiative aims to provide GSSW’s Latino Leader- which ones to use and when — will help seems to really be someship Initiative is an innothem to become better social workers.” thing that social service vative approach to ensure agencies are looking for as —Rocio Calvo that our students are in a they go about hiring new Photo by Caitlin Cunningham position to embrace this clinicians.” historic transformation. BC’s For example, says Calvo, reCalvo said the initiative also heritage and mission inspired search shows that Latinos tend has a research component and, she us to launch an initiative that to be particularly deferential to added, could serve as a catalyst for builds on our relationships with those in a position of authority, interdisciplinary collaborations Latino stakeholders and honors including social service profes- across Boston College. the University’s commitment to sionals. “Perhaps the Latino cli“It would be wonderful to a faith that does justice.” ent may not ask questions or work with other schools and deBut the ability to speak Span- challenge the provider, and so he partments, because there are issues ish is only a part — albeit an or she may leave an appointment that would be of interest to many important one — of the skill without a clear understanding of faculty and students,” she said. set the Latino Leadership Ini- what’s going on.” “The core of this initiative speaks tiative promotes, according to Another key aspect of work- to what BC is all about: educating Assistant Professor Rocio Calvo, ing in a Latino community, she men and women for others.” who is overseeing the initiative, added, is understanding the imThe Latino Leadership Initiative in which some 30 students are portance of “personalismo”: “Be- is highlighted in the Academic Spottaking part. cause time is so often at a pre- light GSSW Series on the Boston “First, we have to understand mium in health care and social College YouTube channel [http:// that ‘Latino’ is very diverse — service, providers don’t always www.youtube.com/BostonCollege] economically, socially and ra- make the effort to cultivate a Contact Sean Smith at cially — and within this com- more personal rapport with the sean.smith@bc.edu plex diversity are certain cultural persons they serve. That should
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle october 17, 2013
Funding Will Support CSON Strategic Priorities
Lee Pellegrini
‘Everybody Deserves a History’
Earlier this month, Professor and Chair of History Robin Fleming — the recently announced winner of a MacArthur Fellowship, or “Genius Grant” — sat down with the Chronicle’s Sean Smith to talk about her work and how she became an avid researcher of early medieval history. To read the full version of this Q&A, go to www.bc.edu/chronicle. Q: As a discipline, history has moved away from the old perception of being all about dates and other milestones — who won that war, which king ruled when, etc. — to more of a focus on everyday life. What kinds of challenges and opportunities does this trend present for your research? History made that transition quite a while ago. American historians and even late-medieval historians have been doing that for a long time, because they have a lot of texts to work with. People like me who work long ago and far away don’t have many texts, however, so it’s been difficult to make that move. That’s where archeology has been valuable. I’ve had a sustained interest in archeology, although I never really studied it. But when I first sat down to write Britain After Rome, I came face-to-face with the fact that there was no written evidence at all for the late-Roman period in Britain, so I had to work hard to figure out what was happening in that world by looking at material evidence. Q: How do you use this evidence? One of the things I’ve done is to write very brief biographies of people who lived in the fifth, sixth or seventh century based only on their bones, their grave goods and where they were buried. We don’t know their names, but we can know an awful lot about the lives they led based on what’s left of them. For instance, I wrote about two women of different social and economic statuses who were buried in the same grave. The one buried at the bottom of the grave looks like the star of the burial; the one at the top looks like she was buried alive, as a punishment for the dead woman below her. You can see that she was thrown into the grave and was trying to get out. Then somebody throws a grindstone at her, breaking her pelvis, and she falls back into the grave. So we don’t know that much about her, but this terrible episode opens up a window, and we can
By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
“I hope that 500 years from now, when people write about America, they write about people like us. I want to write about people like us, too – real people. I think one of the important things historians do is to give voice to people’s past experience; they liked their lives just as much as we like ours.” get a sense of the way people lived their lives. Q: What is it about the early medieval period that draws you? We don’t know anything about it because we don’t have anything written, but we do know the broad outlines, what Britain looked like in the 50 or 60 years before Rome fell in Britain. It was a pretty prosperous place. What happens is, the economy collapses there, pretty badly, and then the state withdraws. By looking at what evidence there is in the 100 years or so after this, we can see how people responded. That’s what interests me, not the darkness of the period or the benightedness of the people. They were living in really tough times, but they didn’t take to their beds. They got on with it and they built a new world. Q: And you see some lessons in there for the contemporary world? We live in a complex society where we consume a lot of stuff that we don’t make. So did people living in the late-Roman period of Britain, and the system collapsed, and there they were. It’s interesting to see what happens to people in a complex society when the economy collapses. But as an historian, of course, my interest in history isn’t just about the present, it’s about the past. I think everybody deserves a history. I hope that 500 years from now, when people write about America, they write about people like us. I want to write about people like us, too – real people. I think one of the important things historians do is to give voice to people’s past experience; they liked their lives just as much as we like ours. Q: Do you think you were born to be a medieval historian? When did your love of history
—Robin Fleming start? When I was a junior in high school, I spent a year as an exchange student in South Africa, going to an Afrikaans school under apartheid, where I took European history. And it was this topsy-turvy world where everything was upside down: I learned things like “Bismarck was the savior of Western civilization.” So every day I’d think, “That can’t be right!” And it really got me interested in history, because I could see that the context in which it was taught really shaped what people said about the past. That’s when I got really hooked, and I went to college knowing I wanted to study history. Q: When you first talked with Chronicle about the MacArthur Fellowship, you spoke a lot about how important it was to encourage collaboration between different disciplines and departments. Talk about that some more. I think many people in my department are interested in working across disciplines. It’s something a lot of research-active people are interested in, and they can see how unsatisfactory the lines between disciplines are — and how, if we move the lines, it helps us to see things differently. There are a lot of us out there who believe this. I know from the classes I teach that my students get most interested in things that require them to think from different disciplinary perspectives. Most students have never had to think about material culture before taking my class; they’ve never had to look at a brooch, and then write a paper describing what that says about a viking settlement in the north of Britain. They find it challenging and fun. It’s new, and it’s engaging. Read more at www.bc.edu/chronicle
The Connell School of Nursing has received some $1.8 million in external funding to support and enhance strategic priorities such as global education, reducing health care disparities and producing advanced practice nurse leaders. •The Elizabeth and Kevin Weiss Fund for Global Service has been established through a gift of $250,000 from BC parents Elizabeth and Kevin Weiss P’07, ’11, ’13 to support the cost of international service and learning experiences for nursing students. The fund will cover expenses such as travel, meals, lodging, and medical or educational equipment and materials. “The Connell School of Nursing’s initiatives in global health offer students authentic exposure to the barriers and disparities endured by the poor of developing nations as well as diverse health care contexts, languages and cultures worldwide,” said CSON Dean and Professor Susan Gennaro. “International experience impacts our students as they become confident caregivers, moving beyond the classroom and into the world.” The Connell School offers educational opportunities for its students in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Haiti, Nicaragua and Switzerland. “This gift will provide support for our current international programs and, as the fund grows, it will allow additional students to take advantage of such transformational learning opportunities,” added Gennaro. The Weisses commented on their gift: “We are blessed to continue our family’s commitment to health care, education, and compassion for people around the world. We are honored to partner with Boston College and Dean Gennaro in support of CSON’s commitment to training nurses to be leaders in global health and international service. We look forward to learning how BC nursing students and graduates are lighting the world ‘for the greater glory of God.’” •The Connell School has also received a gift of $960,000 from the Helene Fuld Health Trust to fund financial aid for students in its Accelerated Master’s Entry into Nursing (MSE) program. Half of that amount will create an endowment for financial aid; the other half has been designated as financial aid for 20 current master’s entry students. Since its launch in 1998, MSE — a two-year program where students holding non-nursing baccalaureate degrees can pursue careers as advanced practice nurses — has become one of the Connell School’s most popular offerings, with ap-
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proximately 300 students applying annually for just over 40 slots. The Helene Fuld Health Trust in New York is the nation’s largest private funder devoted exclusively to nursing students and nursing education. Its mission is to support and promote the health, welfare, and education of student nurses. •Funding from Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation will support the Connell School’s efforts to help create a more representative nursing workforce. A RWJ grant of $80,000 grant will fund eight New Careers in Nursing fellowships for underrepresented nurses in the MSE program. This ongoing support from RWJ brings the total number of NCIN fellowships awarded to BC students to 37. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted solely to public health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is dedicated to improving health and health care in America. “With the tremendous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the forward thinking vision of the NCIN program, this year 33 percent of MSE students were from underrepresented backgrounds, up from 26 percent in 2008, and 13 percent in 2005,” said Gennaro. “Our ongoing work to recruit and retain excellent scholars from these backgrounds as part of NCIN has reinvigorated the school’s overall commitment to reducing health care disparities.” •CSON’s goal of reducing health care inequality also received a large boost from a $540,000 multiyear grant from the Price Family Foundation in support of its KILN (Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing) program, which assists nursing students in maximizing their leadership potential and preparing for the challenges of providing nursing care in an increasingly multicultural society. Funding from the Price Family Foundation opened the KILN program to graduate nursing students for the first time. Overall, the Price Family Foundation is helping to fund 43 undergraduates and 10 graduate students in the KILN program. “This grant represents the intersection of the foundation’s interests in education, medicine, and health care,” said Price Family Foundation Executive Director Joanne Duhl. “Thanks to the generosity of the Price Family Foundation, we are able to offer our nursing students practical experience, networking and programmatic opportunities that cultivate their leadership potential,” said CSON Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Catherine Read, who has directed the KILN program since its inception in 2009. Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu
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By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
The first printed edition of Vision of Tundal.
John J. Burns Library Acquires Rare 15th-Century Irish Book As visions of the after-life go, it’s pretty vivid stuff: souls melted and passed through sheets of iron again and again; thieves thrown against burning and freezing mountains; beasts torturing and mutilating those who led wasteful or avaricious lives. Such was the vision of Tnugdalus, or Tundal, a wealthy, errant 12th-century Irish knight, as described in Vision of Tundal — believed to be the first printed book by an Irish author, a Benedictine monk named Marcus. Now, the first printed edition of the book, published in Cologne c.1472, resides in the John J. Burns Library, through an acquisition made possible by the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians — whose papers are archived at Burns — and former LAOH President Dorothy Weldon. Tundal, notes Burns Librarian Robert O’Neill, was perhaps the most influential medieval visionary journey through Purgatory, Hell and Paradise before Dante wrote his Divine Comedy some 150 years later. Tundal was said to have experienced the vision in 1148, while he was unconscious over a period of three days. In the vision, Tundal’s soul first travels through Hell, witnessing — and sometimes enduring — the torments of the damned. Later, he is transported to Paradise, seeing
martyrs, saints, angels and the Holy Trinity, until he finally meets St. Patrick and four Irish bishops. The vision compels Tundal to repent and lead a pious life. Brother Marcus, who claimed to have heard the story — which recalls a traditional Irish immrama, in which a hero visits the underworld — from Tundal himself, wrote his account in 1149. The Latin version of “Vision of Tundal” survived in more than 150 manuscripts, said O’Neill, and the text was translated into 15 vernacular languages. All printed versions are extremely rare, he notes: The first edition is represented in the US by only two other copies, archived at Yale and the J. Pierpont Morgan Library; only six copies of any other editions are in the US. “As we’ve said before, Burns Library has the largest, most comprehensive collection of Irish research materials west of Dublin — and the addition of the Vision of Tundal greatly enhances that collection,” said O’Neill. “Apart from its historical significance to the religiousbased literary tradition, the book — in its contents, form and origin — is a fascinating story in and of itself.” The book was acquired from Paul Dowling of Liber Antiquus, who gave Burns Library first right of refusal, said O’Neill. —Sean Smith
Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Speaks at BC Tonight
The Islamic Civilization and Societies Program Distinguished Lecture Series will sponsor a lecture tonight at 6 p.m. by Ford M. Fraker, the United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2007 through 2009. A cum laude Harvard University alum, Fraker has been a banker in the Middle East for more than 30 years beginning with the Chemical Bank and the Saudi International Bank then co-founding, Trinity Group Limited, a private investment banking firm. Fraker’s talk, which is open to the public, will take place at the Cadigan Alumni Center on Brighton Campus. For more information, contact Kathleen Bailey at baileyk@bc.edu or ext.2-4170. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Caitlin Cunningham
Lee Pellegrini
Study Boosts Grandparent-Grandchild Ties A new study by Sociology Assistant Professor Sara Moorman and doctoral candidate in sociology Jeffrey Stokes shows that a close, emotional relationship between grandparents and adult grandchildren can have a measurable effect on the psychological well-being of both grandparents and grandchildren. “We found that an emotionally close grandparent-adult grandchild relationship was associated with fewer symptoms of depression for both generations,” said Moorman, who is also affiliated with the University’s Institute on Aging. “Grandparents and adult grandchildren can be real resources to each other.” The study, “Does Solidarity in the Grandparent/Grandchild Relationship Protect Against Depressive Symptoms?,” highlights a “new dimension” of the family dynamic, according to Moorman: “Grandparents are living longer and living long enough to have relationships with adult grandchildren.” For the study, Moorman and Stokes used data from the Longitudinal Study of Generations, a survey of three- and four-generation American families that includes waves of data collected between 1985 and 2004. The sample group had 376 grandparents and 340 grandchildren. The researchers looked at two kinds of connections between grandparents and adult grandchildren: affectual solidarity or emotional closeness, and functional solidarity or tangible support, such as performing chores, giving advice or financial help, or providing transportation. “The greater emotional support grandparents and adult grandchil-
Asst. Prof. Sara Moorman (Sociology) with sociology PhD student Jeffrey Stokes: “The greater emotional support grandparents and adult grandchildren received from one another, the better their psychological health.”
dren received from one another, the better their psychological health,” said Moorman. The study also revealed that giving tangible support to, or receiving it from, their grandchildren affected the psychological well-being of grandparents. Those grandparents who gave, or gave and received, tangible support had fewer depressive symptoms, said Moorman. “Encouraging more grandparents and adult grandchildren to engage in this type of exchange may be a fruitful way to reduce depression in older adults. In other words, let granddad write you a check on your birthday, even if he’s on Social Security and you’ve held a real job for years now.” Grandparents who only received tangible support, but did not or could not give it, had the most depressive symptoms. “If a grandparent gets help, but can’t give it, he or she feels bad. Grandparents expect to be able to help their grandchildren, even when their grandchildren are grown, and it’s frustrating and depressing for them to instead be dependent on
their grandchildren,” said Moorman. Researchers were surprised to find that there was no connection between giving or receiving tangible support and depressive symptoms in the adult grandchildren. The study, which was presented in August at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, has garnered attention from the New York Times, US News & World Report and CBS News, among other media outlets. Moorman said she thinks the study resonated with people because of its positive message. “It’s a good story about family relationships,” she said. “Grandparents and adult grandchildren contribute to each other significantly. That grandparents still continue to be a resource and affect the well-being of their grandchildren into adulthood is meaningful. “The study also tells us that in addition to spouses and children, adult grandchildren can be a real resource when it comes to the care of an older adult.” Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu
Sesquicentennial Event Looks at Energy Continued from page 1 al Warming, Ranking Democratic Member of the Natural Resources Committee, and the second-ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He worked successfully to pass comprehensive climate legislation in the House, increase fuel economy standards and hold BP accountable after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion. Tierney is a former Massachusetts secretary of environmental affairs and state public utilities commissioner. She is now managing principal at Analysis Group, where she consults on energy policy and economics. She is a member of the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board and serves as an ambassador for the US Clean Energy Education & Empowerment program. In addition to remarks from Markey and Tierney, two panels will be held to focus on current energy
science and on politics and public policy. Naughton said the founding of the University in 1863 coincided with the rise of the industrial age, an era of growth and development that has left an indelible mark on the environment and forced an erosion of the earth’s climate. The widely viewed “hockey stick” graphic, which portrays a spike in global temperature data, begins its dramatic upward rise at the mid-century mark of the 1800s, Naughton noted. Today, the Boston College research portfolio includes professors and labs dedicated to projects focused on solar energy, thermoelectric innovations, harvesting hydrogen from water and learning more about materials with novel electronic properties that could help advance new energy applications. In addition to Naughton, whose research has focused on developing new solar power technologies,
Boston College faculty speakers will include Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Noah Snyder, a co-organizer of the event, Associate Professor of Physics Cyril Opeil, SJ, and Associate Professor of Chemistry Dunwei Wang. Snyder said the symposium highlights the need to bring together experts from the fields of scientific research and public policy in order to develop cogent strategies for energy use and curbing global climate change. “The linked problems of meeting growing energy demands and halting the rate of climate change are two of the greatest challenges of the 21st century,” said Snyder. “We’ll be looking at what the next 150 years may look like in terms of energy science and solutions to the energy-climate policy puzzle.” To register for “Energy: From the Last to the Next 150 Years” and for information on other Sesquicentennial events, see www.bc.edu/150.
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WELCOME ADDITIONS Assistant Professor of Philosophy and International Studies Aspen Brinton researches democratic theory and the intellectual history of civil society and free speech. Her other interests include working toward the development of philosophical and theoretical tools to examine the discourses produced by dissident movements and civic associations. She teaches courses related to these and other topics, and her current book manuscript examines the philosophical legacy of Eastern European dissidents during the Cold War. Prior to Boston College, Brinton was on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, and taught political philosophy, liberal arts and political science courses at the Doha, Qatar campuses of Northwestern and Georgetown universities. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, and both master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University. Tiziana Dearing cultivated a distinguished career in the non-profit, social innovation and social entrepreneurship fields before joining the Graduate School of Social Work as associate professor and co-chair of macro practice. She served as the inaugural CEO for Boston Rising — an award-winning start-up fund focused on breaking the generational cycle of poverty in Boston’s neighborhoods — as president and treasurer for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Boston, and executive director of Harvard University’s Hauser Center, which researches nonprofit organizations and civil society. Dearing has been a frequent media commentator on issues including poverty, non-profits and women’s leadership, via outlets such as BBC, WBUR-FM, The Huffington Post and New England Cable News. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Dearing earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Bradford Hudson joins the Carroll School of Management faculty as a senior lecturer and assistant chair of the Marketing Department after more than a decade teaching at Boston University. His expertise comprises brand heritage, brand management, and marketing in the luxury, services, food and hospitality industries. Hudson earned his doctorate in business history from the University Professors interdisciplinary honors program at BU, and his master’s degree in services marketing from Cornell University. A lieutenant in the United States Navy before a decade-long private sector career that included a variety of consulting and managerial positions, Hudson has published his work in several peer-reviewed publications and been quoted in a variety of national media outlets. He will be teaching an introductory course for all undergraduates and the capstone course for marketing majors during their senior year. Assistant Professor of Philosophy David Johnson has served as a visiting research fellow at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture in Japan, and as a visiting researcher in philosophy at the University of Freiburg. His main research interests include the Kyoto School of Philosophy and 20th–century hermeneutics and phenomenology. Johnson’s current research focuses on the distinctive philosophical accounts of the structure of the self, the nature of intersubjectivity, and the problems of ethical life found in the work of Kyoto School thinkers as well as in figures such as Merleau-Ponty and Gadamer. He is teaching in the Perspectives on Western Culture program and offering courses on ancient philosophy East and West, as well as an introductory course on East Asian philosophy. The author of pieces in the Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology and Lyceum, Johnson received his bachelor’s degree from Emory University and his doctoral degree from Pennsylvania State University. —Rosanne Pellegrini, Sean Hennessey and Sean Smith Photos by Lee Pellegrini and Christopher Soldt BC MTS Services “Welcome Additions,” an occasional feature, profiles new faculty members at Boston College.
Newsmakers Among other Boston College faculty offering comments to the media on the federal government shutdown, Prof. Marc Landy (Political Science) spoke about the impasse’s politics and ramifications in an interview on CBS-Boston’s “Keller@Large,” while his department colleague Asst. Prof. David Hopkins discussed the current negotiations to end the discord on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” and Assoc. Prof Robert Murphy (Economics) weighed in on how the recovering US economy might be affected as a guest on New England Cable News’ “Broadside.” What happens to all that marijuanagrowing equipment that gets confiscated by the DEA and state and local police? In the hands of an innovative professor, it becomes a tool for teaching science. Assoc. Prof. G. Michael Barnett (LSOE) described his hydroponics initiative to introduce urban youth to agriculture and entrepreneurship in a piece for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Often nothing in family history explains where some gifted individuals get their extraordinary talent, explained Prof. Ellen Winner (Psychology) — who has spent much of her career studying prodigies — in an interview with National Public Radio. Even high earners are falling short, in part because workers don’t know they need to save far more than they were originally told in order to maintain their standard of living in retirement, said Drucker Professor Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research, in an interview with
Emily Rose Walsh ’07 (at right), a former Arts Council Award winner, greeted friends before giving a concert in Gasson 100 on Oct. 6. (Photo by Christopher Huang)
NBC’s “Today Show.”
says on Genetics and Identity.
In posts for Education Week, Lynch School of Education faculty members Brennan Professor Andy Hargreaves wrote about constructive ways to use results from the Program for International Student Assessment to improve national education programs, and Prof. Dennis Shirley, who with Hargreaves is author of a book on the quest for education excellence, addressed the effort toward mindful integration of new technologies into teaching.
Matthew Heitzman, a doctoral candidate in English, had his article “‘The Devil’s Code of Honor’: French Invasion and the Return of History in Vanity Fair” accepted for publication in Victorian Literature and Culture.
BC BRIEFING Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Tiziana Dearing (GSSW) authored an oped piece, “Restoring the American Dream,” on WBUR-FM’s “Cognoscenti” blog.
Publications Prof. Amy Boesky (English) published The Story Within: Personal Es-
obituary
SOE Faculty Member Theresa Powell A funeral Mass was celebrated on Sept. 18 for Theresa A. Powell, a faculty member at the School of Education for more than 30 years and an advocate of health education for Boston College students. Ms. Powell, a Wollaston resident and South Boston native, died on Sept. 12. Ms. Powell joined the School of Education in the 1960s as its director of physical education for women. A member of the South Boston Athletic Hall of Fame, a US Army corporal during the Korean War, and an avid fan of BC’s athletic teams and the Boston Red Sox, Ms. Powell — who for a time served as faculty advisor to the BC cheerleading squad — believed all students, male and female, could benefit from a formal program of physical education. But as she told the University subcommittee on Student Well-Being, “Facilities for such a program, at present, are inadequate,” The Heights reported in 1967. She was eventually appointed director of physical education for the University. Her interest in health-related issues went beyond recreation and exercise. At SOE, she taught courses in health-related subjects such as Human Sexuality, The Responsible Use of Drugs and Alcohol, and Alcohol and Drug Awareness. She also sought to help students find assistance in dealing with alcohol-related issues, as a 1984 article in The Heights noted: “‘I’m basically just an initiator,’ stated Powell. ‘Kids come to me about their own drinking problem or one within their family.’” The article added that “Powell refers students with a problem of this nature to a counselor for further help.” Ms. Powell, who retired as an assistant professor in 1998, was known for her love of animals, and her support of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and special education. She is survived by her sisters Rita Murray and Ann O’Connell; she was pre-deceased by her siblings Mary Sullivan, Josephine Connolly, Helen Kepple, Katherine, Michael and John. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Time and a Half Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political Science) was invited by the US Embassy in Brussels to present a keynote address on “Integrating Islam in Plural Societies.” Professor Emeritus Rebecca Valette (Romance Languages) gave a lecture and recital, “French Music and the French Flute School,” at the Newton Free Library. Assoc. Prof. Min Hyoung Song (English) presented “Ruin Porn” at the fifth annual meeting of the Association for the Study of the Arts in the Present in Detroit.
JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr: Provost and Dean of Faculties Associate Director, Procurement Services University Controller Bio-Informatic Software Engineer, Biology Department Technology Manager, Residential Life Health Services Aide, University Health Services Recovery Program Manager, Residential Life Director, Dining Services Research Analyst, Graduate School of Social Work Staff Psychiatrist, University Counseling Communications Specialist, Connell School of Nursing Associate Director of Major Giving, Development Office
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LOOKING AHEAD
Reliving the Iraq War in Words and Pictures, 10 Years Later By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer
A powerful multimedia exhibit the New York Times called “a window into the nature of war” makes its Boston-area debut at the Law School Library later this month. “Invasion: Diaries and Memories of War in Iraq,” which is on display Oct. 28 through the month of November, is built around the compelling war diaries of 2009 Law School graduate Marine Lt. Timothy McLaughlin, who took part in the invasion of Iraq. McLaughlin and his collaborators will be on campus for a panel discussion and reception at the exhibit’s public opening event on Nov. 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Law School East Wing 120. In addition to McLaughlin’s diaries, the exhibit comprises texts by Peter Maass and photographs by Gary Knight, who conceived of and designed the exhibit, presenting three different experiences of the invasion of Iraq from within the same unit. Knight, an award-winning photographer for Newsweek and other publications, and Maass — whose works have been published in The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker, among others — reported on the battles fought by McLaughlin’s battalion as it approached Baghdad. The trio, who met shortly after the invasion began in March 2003, collaborated on and raised funds for the exhibit, which premiered at The Bronx Documentary Center in New York City in March – timed to coincide with the 10th
BC Law grad Timothy McLaughlin’s journals of his experiences in the Iraq War are the basis for an upcoming exhibit at the Law Library.
anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In announcing “Invasion,” they said: “We hope this exhibit brings people back to the invasion and shows them, directly and without the usual filters of the government or the press, what the invasion truly consisted of. After 10 years, we feel it is time for a thoughtful examination of the war before it is forgotten or romanticized.” Heralded for its human view of life on the frontline, the exhibit breaks new ground in documentary storytelling, and displays an innovative grid of 36 pages from McLaughlin’s diaries, each page enlarged to poster-size, along with Knight’s haunting images and Maass’ evocative stories. The grid includes pages with pictures, maps and poems, and operates as a both a text and an artwork about war. The impact of McLaughlin’s handwritten account
is both personal and emotional; his diaries contain blunt descriptions of combat. Prior to the exhibit’s March 2013 premiere, said McLaughlin last week, “I was exceedingly anxious about how the public and media would interpret our project because its subject matter deals with very personal experiences that depict what war is actually like for those who are involved — which is far different from the standard narrative that is usually presented on television, by politicians, in movies. “Ultimately, the response we have received has been overwhelmingly positive, in large part, because Gary, Peter and I worked tirelessly, not to present our point of view to be agreed or disagreed with, but rather to present our experiences to be learned from and understood,” McLaughlin said. Professor of Law Filippa Anza-
lone, associate dean for library and technology services said, “The exhibit is a three-part, nuanced view of the United States invasion of Iraq more than a decade ago. The Boston College Law School community is proud of alum and former Marine Tim McLaughlin, whose startlingly honest diaries are the War Diaries exhibit’s centerpiece. “Peter Maass’ prose and Gary Knight’s photographs fill in the details of the events described from different viewpoints. ‘Invasion’ is a kind of Rashomon-like look back to a very disturbing period in our history.” McLaughlin, who was at the Pentagon during the 9/11 terrorist attack, commanded a tip-of-the-spear tank during the invasion of Iraq, and his American flag was memorably draped on a statue of Saddam Hussein at Firdos Square when Marines entered Baghdad. He writes of the chaos when his flag was placed on the statue in front of a global television audience. That storied flag will be on display on select days during the exhibit. Now an associate at the Boston law firm Holland & Knight — which is sponsoring the BC exhibit and an opening event — McLaughlin is president of Shelter Legal Services, a charitable organization that provides free legal advice to homeless and low-income veterans. Of bringing the exhibit to BC, McLaughlin said: “Back in 2006, I did not know what to expect during my transition from the Marine Corps to Boston College Law School, and it was stressful. What I found, however, was an institution
BC SCENES
— just like my other [undergraduate] alma mater, Holy Cross — that values service to the community in whatever form it takes, and our project is in many ways a continuation of that ethos.” “Invasion” has received national and international acclaim and there have been expressions of interest for its display in locations as varied as Virginia, Texas and overseas. A free War Diaries app for the iPad is an extension of the exhibition. See www. wardiaries.org for more information. Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu
Wind Ensemble Concert Oct. 19 The University Wind Ensemble of Boston College, conducted by Sebastian Bonaiuto, presents its fall concert, “French Impressions,” this Saturday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. in Gasson 100. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will include pieces by Darius Milhaur and Martin Ellerby, among others. The ensemble was introduced in the fall of 2005 to create performance opportunities more reflective of the talent, needs, and desires of the students. University Wind Ensemble members are chosen by competitive audition, and perform the finest musical literature written for winds and percussion. For more information, contact the Boston College Bands office at bands@bc.edu or ext.23018. The BC Bands website is www.bc.edu/offices/bands. —Office of News & Public Affairs
HOMECOMING BACK AT THE HEIGHTS
Christopher Huang
Boston College held its first Homecoming weekend in four decades Oct. 4 and 5, with a slate of events and activities that included a procession, pep rally and fireworks display on Friday night, followed by the family-oriented FanFest prior to Saturday’s game against Army. Christopher Huang
Caitlin Cunningham
Caitlin Cunningham