Boston College Chronicle

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The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs october 27, 2016 VOL. 24 no. 5

BC Mission and Ministry Division Is Reorganized

INSIDE competition a 2 •Forbes successful collaboration

Lee Pellegrini

•A homecoming for Luke Kuechly

The Division of University Mission and Ministry has announced a reorganization to support its work with students, faculty and other administrative offices, Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, SJ, announced last week. Under the reorganization, Fr. Tony Penna will become associate vice president for University Mission and Ministry and be responsible for Campus Ministry, the Montserrat Coalition and the Volunteer and Service Learning Center. Assistant Director Kate Daly will become associate director of the Volunteer and Service Learning Center. In addition, Michael Sacco will become executive director of the Center for Student Formation and the Office of First Year Experience, and Casey Beaumier, SJ, director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit

•Photos: Hispanic Heritage Month closing

3 •Research casts doubt on universality of facial expressions

•Office of University Communications created

4 •Career Ctr., Residential

Life team up for ‘Launch’

5 •Office of Institutional Diversity programs promote conversation

•International Education Week starts Nov. 7

6 •Q&A: Burns Scholar Louis de Paor

•Obituaries: Paul Messer, SJ; JoJo David

7 •’Welcome Additions’;

BC in the Media; Expert Opinion; Jobs •Fr. Padberg honored

8 •Lisa Kessler’s “Seeing Pink” exhibit

ALMOST OVER

It’s been widely described as one of the most divisive and unpleasant presidential campaigns in recent memory. So what happens next? Four faculty experts share their thoughts on how America moves on from Election 2016.

Tiziana Dearing (School of Social Work)

While there is a range of obvious public policy issues we need to tackle (including climate change, middle class income stability, expanding the earned income tax credit, stability in the Middle East, etc.), I think the other serious priority starting Nov. 9 is reconstructing public dialogue and faith in our democracy. Both have suffered devastating blows in this campaign, and we’ll need leadership by example in Congress, public leadership among our remaining trusted intellectuals, and bi-partisan dialogue across the states to begin to rebuild the fundamentals of working together.

Fr. Tony Penna, new associate vice president for Mission and Ministry.

Studies, will serve as a senior advisor to Fr. Butler, focusing on the Office of First Year Experience. Burt Howell will become executive director of Intersections and will assume responsibility for the Center for Ignatian Spirituality. Continued on page 3

Dennis Hale (Political Science)

As I write this, it seems likely that Hillary Clinton will become the next President of the United States; that the election will not be close, either in the popular vote or in the Electoral College; and that Mrs. Clinton may even take office with a pliant majority in the United States Senate. She will have achieved this victory, not on the basis of her own merits as a candidate, but because the Republican Party, having failed utterly to read the temper of its own voters, allowed its nomination to be seized by a man who could do only one thing well: channel the anger of millions of Americans who believe their country is dying in front of their eyes. Had Donald Trump possessed any other virtues — and just one or two might have sufficed — the election might well have gone the other way. But Trump has no other virtues, so he will lose, deservedly. The Guardians of the Good in the media, the academy and the pulpit will breathe a collective sigh of relief and proclaim his defeat a great victory. But it will be no such thing, because the anger and folly that fueled both the Trump and Sanders insurgencies will not go away, and neither will the people behind them. Nor will the problems that caused the anguish in the first place: tepid economic recovery; turmoil in health care; worsened race relations; the loss of American leadership in the world; chaos and terror spreading from the Middle East to Europe and beyond; corruption on a scale not seen in this country in the lifetime of anyone now alive. Many have quoted during this terrible season the cryptic words of Benjamin Franklin, when asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had devised: “A republic, if you can keep it.” I’m afraid we are about to find out exactly what Franklin meant. Faculty photos by Lee Pellegrini Trump, Clinton photos from Wikimedia

Continued on page 5

NOTICE:

Connell School of Nursing alumna Rachael Glassman examines a Guatemalan woman during the Timmy Global Health medical service trip.

Students Get a First-hand Look at Global Health Issues By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

Next month, the Boston College chapter of Timmy Global Health, a national nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to health care and empowering students and medical volunteers to tackle today’s most pressing global health challenges, will host a week of events to mark Malnutrition Awareness Week. This student group, however, goes beyond ad-

vocacy and education, taking their dedication to global health on the road with an annual medical service trip to Guatemala. Guatemala, which is still recovering from a civil war that lasted most of the latter part of the 20th century, has many health issues, including one of the highest incidence of chronic malnutrition in the world. “Being part of Timmy has really helped me become aware of Continued on page 4

Members of the Boston College community are invited to share, confidentially, questions and perspectives on the University Strategic Planning Initiative at the BC Voices website [http://www.bc.edu/uspivoices] from now until Thanksgiving. Read the recent Chronicle story on the USPI at http://bit.ly/2eu5j8k.


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle october 27, 2016

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A ROUND

C AMPUS

PROMISING START The $1 million 2016 Forbes Under-30 Global Change the World Venture Competition had a successful debut in Boston last week, thanks in part to the involvement of the Carroll School of Management’s Shea Center for Entrepreneurship and Boston College School of Social Work’s Center for Social Innovation, both of which were involved in the judging. The event was part of the Forbes magazine Under 30 Summit, which attracted entrepreneurs from around the world, including headliners like Ashton Kutcher, Michael Phelps, Jessica Alba, Deepak Chopra, Chrissy Teigen, Bobby Flay, and Maria Sharapova. The competition had two components, one involving early stage for-profit entrepreneurs with potentially world-changing ideas, the other for social entrepreneurs whose goal is to advance solutions that address education challenges. The Shea Center set up the applications for the competition, then screened, assessed and whittled down the for-profit field to 20 semifinalists, while the Center for Social Innovation did the same for the non-profit competition. “Boston College did an amazing job,” says Forbes Editor Randall Lane, principal organizer of the summit, who cites BC’s network and presence in the city as a critical reason for teaming up. “BC checked every box in terms of having the muscle, the skill set and the know-how that we were looking for in a partner for this big competition.” “It was an honor and a privilege, and I think we did a really good job,” says Shea Center Executive Director Jere Doyle, who credits Assistant Director Kelsey Kinton for her role. “It was really great for the Boston College community, for the students and for Forbes.” Adds Center for Social Innovation Assistant Director Olivia Mathews: “The competition gave students a chance to be inspired by new ideas, showing them that it is really possible to think of novel ways to address social challenges that can change the world.” The winners in the for-profit division were Opus 12, which developed a device that recycles CO2 into cost-competitive chemicals and fuels, and Boston’s Pillar Technologies, which uses sensors and predic-

tive analytics to prevent damages to construction sites. honorCode, which provides curriculum and training to schools to bring more web development into the general K-12 classroom, won the social entrepreneur competition. “To see Forbes approach us to be an academic partner and help out with the competition really says a lot,” says Tom Herer ’17, a finance and marketing major who helped coordinate the judging teams. “I think this will bode well just to have the word out there that BC played a role in this. This will help bring in more entrepreneurially-minded students in the future and it will continue to grow as the years go on.” BCSSW student Elise Springuel wasn’t sure at first whether she was qualified to help with the judging, but once she began reading proposals she realized her BC education had prepared her for the task. “I do have a very critical lens to look at programs, from what my professors have taught me and what I’ve been able to learn from my field placement. Going through this process actually gave me a lot of confidence in my own skills as member of this industry.” The fact that students like Herer and Springuel did the judging appealed to Forbes, according to Doyle. “It was something that resonated with them: They liked the idea that this was going to help students become start-up ready.” “It really reframed my perspective and helped me think about when I’m in the position of submitting a similar kind of proposal, what I should be communicating, what I should be trying to tell people,” says Springuel, who is hoping to work in program development with small community-based non-profits. Forbes gave 50 free tickets for Boston College students to attend the summit, which also featured seminars and discussions involving some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Given the event’s all-around success, Forbes is interested in making Boston the permanent home of the Forbes Under 30 Summit, says Lane – which, if it happens, is good news for Boston College: “We’d like to come back and if we do, we’d love Boston College to play a major role.” –Sean Hennessey

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 Siobhan Sullivan Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini

Boston College closed out its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with a special event on Oct. 14 that featured performances by VIP (right) and other groups, and plenty of good food – below, Karla Ross ’18, left, chats with Hispanic Heritage Month co-chair Jenny Penafiel ‘17.

Photos by Christopher Huang

LUKE LENDS A HAND On an unseasonably warm late October afternoon, former Boston College football All-American Luke Kuechly returned to campus last week to promote a different kind of team spirit. Kuechly, a three-time All-Pro linebacker with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, was on hand as a representative of the Project Life Movement to help encourage and register volunteers for the national marrow registry. The Charlotte, NC-based nonprofit partnered with the Boston College StudentAthlete Advisory Committee on a three-day campaign to educate the University community about the critical need for marrow and stem cell donors. Standing in a place very familiar to him – the Gasson Quad – Kuechly posed for photos with passersby, and urged them to sign up and perform a cheek swab to become part of the registry. The BC campaign set a goal of registering 1,040 volunteers during the three days – the “40” is a reference to the number Kuechly wore while playing for the Eagles, who retired his jersey during Saturday’s game with Syracuse. Kuechly sounded a continual refrain – “Did you register yet?” – as he accepted greetings from students. Depending on their answers, he responded “Good!” or

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Former BC football star Luke Kuechly (center) enjoyed a visit to campus last Friday to help raise awareness of marrow donation. (Photo by Liam Weir)

“Well, don’t forget. Only takes a minute.” “It’s something so easy, so simple to do, and it can save people’s lives,” said Kuechly, who’s been working with Project Life Movement for the past three years, during a fleetingly free moment. “When you meet people who have survived because they were helped by receiving bone marrow, you can really appreciate what a difference doing something like this makes.” Kuechly said he was “tremendously honored” to be having his jersey retired. “It means a lot because of the impact BC had on me. I met so many good people while I was an undergraduate [from 20092012]. BC really cares about the

students who come here, and that makes an impact on you.” The Associated Press 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2013 AP Defensive Player of the Year, Kuechly is relishing his pro football career. “I love my team,” said Kuechly, who splits his time between Charlotte and his native Cincinnati during the year. “We’ve got a bunch of great guys who make playing football fun. And the best way to be a football player is if it’s fun.” With another line of students having formed, Kuechly went back to the task at hand. “How you doing?” he said to a trio as they arranged themselves next to him for a photo. “Did you register yet?” –Sean Smith

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.

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T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle october 27, 2016

Facing Human Nature

Study finds not all facial expressions have universally accepted meanings “Both common sense and science conducted in North America and Europe came to the conclusion How people around the world that the gasping face is seen by interpret facial expressions may not every human being, whatever their be a matter of universal human na- culture, as fear and submission. So, ture, according to a new study of an our finding is indeed surprising,” isolated Papua New Guinea com- said Russell, whose research centers munity by Professor of Psychology on human emotion. James A. Russell and colleagues. Scientists, including Charles What the team discovered Darwin, have long sought to deamong villagers of the remote termine whether or not all humans Trobriand Islands challenges the experience the same basic emotions. common perception that facial ex- The leading research to date has pressions communicate universal held that facial expressions – and the messages and meanings regardless emotions they represent – are uniof the society or culversally understood. ture, according to a Still, Russell said report published in the observations of the journal of the ethnologists more Proceedings of the than three decades National Academy of prior in different Sciences. small-scale societies Adolescents from offered some similar the Trobriander evidence to the new community were findings. Artifacts shown a set of picdating back to the tures of facial expres19th century show Psychology Professor James sions and asked to Russell and colleagues said the the Trobrianders’ attribute emotions, finding challenges “psycholown material culsocial motives, or ogy’s approach of allegedly ture has portrayed both to the images. pancultural ‘basic emotions.’” the gasping face – When shown the image of a gasp- known in the local dialect as ekapuing face, they matched it to some- nipuni matala migila – as an iconic one displaying anger or an immi- threat display, Russell said. nent threat. As an alternative to the theory Subjects in Spain, when shown that human emotions and their exthe same gasping face image as pression are universal, Russell develpart of the experiment, assigned oped the idea of “minimal univerthe same expression to someone sality” in 1995. While there are a expressing fear or the readiness to fixed number of expressions human submit. facial muscles can make as people In a second approach, the two look, talk, act, and react, cultures study groups were asked to select actively develop diverse interpretathe face that was threatening – pre- tions of these expressions. dictive of an aggressor’s physical The study of remote island vilattack. The Trobrianders chose the lagers who have little contact with gasping face, while the subjects in outsiders may hold broader ramiSpain chose a scowling face catego- fications in a world where facial rized as “anger.” recognition technology plays an The findings from researchers at increasing role in areas such as inBoston College, Universidad Au- telligence testing and security, the tonoma de Madrid, and the Ameri- researchers said. can Museum of Natural History “In a society with a great degree challenge approaches to behavioral of cultural and visual isolation from ecology and psychology. the West — Trobrianders of Papua By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

New Guinea — adolescents interpreted a gasping face (seen by Western samples as conveying fear and submission) as conveying anger and threat,” the researchers reported. “This finding is important not only in supporting behavioral ecology and the ethological approach to facial behavior, as well as challenging psychology’s approach of allegedly pancultural ‘basic emotions,’ but also in applications such as emotional intelligence tests and border security.” In choosing the Trobrianders, the team selected an indigenous population of a group of islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Their villages are without electricity or running water and villagers subsist by traditional gardening and fishing practices. The study participants reported nearly nonexistent contact with anthropologists, Western tourists, and residents from the Papua New Guinea mainland. The researchers went to considerable lengths to conduct the project in a culturally appropriate manner to reduce the likelihood that even the presence of Westerners could alter the results, Russell said. Sergio Jarillo, a social anthropologist, embedded himself in the islands for 21 months of fieldwork, eschewing the need for translators or guides. He worked closely with Carlos Crivelli, an experimental psychologist, to teach him the Kilivila language, which is the Trobriand vernacular, prior to Crivelli spending seven months doing fieldwork in the islands, Russell said. The study could lead to future studies to determine if there are other facial expressions that defy the assumption that they are interpreted universally, Russell said. Future studies may also probe other aspects of how humans interpret facial expressions and the Western languages used to categorize them, Russell said. Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu

Jack Dunn

Caitlin Cunningham

A boy from a remote Trobriand Islands village studies images of facial expressions as part of a research project that challenges the assumption that all facial expressions are universally understood.

University President William P. Leahy, SJ, has announced a restructuring of Boston College communications and marketing efforts that will bring together the offices of News & Public Affairs (NPA) and Marketing Communications (OMC) in an integrated unit that links the University’s areas of strategic communications. The new office, which will be called the Office of University Communications, will be directed by Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn, who has served as News & Public Affairs director and University spokesman at Boston College for the past 18 years. It will be located at 3 Lake Street on the Brighton Campus, where the staff from OMC has worked since 2007. Ben Birnbaum, executive director of the Office of Marketing Communications, special assistant to the president, and editor of Boston College Magazine, will transition to a part-time role after 38 years of service to the University, becoming senior advisor to the president, effective Nov. 1. Birnbaum will continue to serve as editor of Boston College Magazine and of the University’s annual report. The Office of University Communications will include NPA’s responsibilities of University news and information, media relations, social media, and promotional video, as well as University web redesign, which Dunn and Vice President for Information Technology Michael Bourque have directed since 2015, along with OMC’s functions of marketing communications, graphic design, promotional publications, digital media and photography. “Jack knows Boston College well and appreciates its challenges and opportunities in the areas of media, public affairs, and marketing,” said Fr. Leahy. “I am confident that he will continue to be an articulate and effective advocate for Boston College and a strong leader of University Communications.”

Lee Pellegrini

New Communications Office To Be Created

3

Ben Birnbaum

Dunn said he is pleased to direct the new unit and excited to work collaboratively in promoting Boston College. “I am honored to assume this new role and look forward to harnessing the professional talent of the combined staffs to enhance the University’s overall marketing and communications efforts,” he said. Fr. Leahy thanked Birnbaum for his commitment and years of dedicated service to Boston College. “I have always valued Ben’s insights and advice,” said Fr. Leahy. “I look forward to continuing to work with him in the future in his new role.” Said Birnbaum, “I’m absolutely delighted to continue in this new capacity at Boston College while also enjoying more time in which to cultivate my non-institutional life. And I’m grateful for these opportunities.” —Office of News & Public Affairs

Mission and Ministry Continued from page 1 Among other personnel changes in the division, Tomeu Estelrich has been named director of the Center for Ignatian Spirituality. He will be assisted by Jesuit Fellows who will work to enhance familiarity with Ignatian spirituality among faculty and staff. Joseph Appleyard, SJ, former vice president of University Mission and Ministry, will become the center’s first Jesuit Fellow. In addition, Campus Minister Ryan Heffernan, who leads the

Appalachia Volunteers Service Program, has been promoted to associate director for Campus Ministry. “This reorganization will enhance Boston College’s efforts to foster a culture of formation for students, faculty and staff,” said Fr. Butler. “I am fortunate, and the University is fortunate, to have such gifted and talented people who are taking on these new roles. We look forward to advancing this important effort on behalf of Boston College.” —Office of News & Public Affairs


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Chronicle october 27, 2016

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BC Volunteers Experience the Challenges in Global Health Care Continued from page 1 what’s going on in the world,” ous, taking anywhere from 30 to ing for the doctors, serving as said Alissa Puzo, a junior from 90 minutes one way, often up Spanish translators, dispensing Mahwah, NJ, who served as the mountainous terrain. medications, and playing with 2016 trip leader. During the most recent trip, children whose parents have apAbout 14 to 19 members of the weather closed one of the pointments. During the five days Timmy Global Health at BC roads forcing members of the of clinics, the brigade saw more participate in the medithan 400 patients with cal service trip each year. ailments including diabeBecause of the hands-on tes, hypertension, gastrinature of the trip, particitis, malnutrition, scabies pation has been restricted and upper respiratory into students in the prefections. med program, who must In addition to Dr. apply and write an essay Nary, about a half dozen to be considered. other medical professionTimmy Global Health als have volunteered on requires that medical the trips, including alumprofessionals be a part ni Rachael Glassman ’12, of each medical mission Mursal Hassan ’16 and team (referred to as a briDr. Nary’s son, Dr. Mark gade). University Health Nary ’04. Services Director Thomas “The doctors really enNary, MD, an advisor to gage us students in the Biology major Alissa Puzo ’18 with some friends Timmy Global Health at process. They want to BC, has accompanied the she made during the Timmy Global Health trip to make sure that we’re critiGuatemala. Taking part in the experience, she students on six trips to Gua- says, “really helped me become aware of what’s cally thinking and getting temala. a comprehensive medical going on in the world.” The BC brigade’s base experience,” said Puzo, a is Pop Wuj, a clinic in Quet- brigade to walk the last mile, car- biology major with minors in zaltenango (known colloquially rying 40 to 50 pounds of medical medical humanities and foundaas Xela) two-and-a-half hours supplies and other equipment, tions of education. outside of Guatemala City. The according to Puzo. The other BC students on team treats patients in Xela and At the clinic, the students the 2016 trip were: senior Imari at makeshift clinics throughout rotate through various stations, Wilson; juniors Shriya Anandjee, the surrounding villages and handing different tasks: taking Allison Chowdhury, Ryan Giarcommunities. Travel from Pop medical histories, assisting in tri- raputo, Andrea Grote, Melissa Wuj to the villages can be ardu- age, reading vital signs, scrib- Harper, Vanessa Konzelmann,

Huimin (Katherine) Kuang, Jennifer Mora, Ashleigh Pavlovic, Victoria Perron, Sacha Roberts, and sophomore Ernesto Barbosa. A veteran of medical service trips to places such as Jamaica and Nicaragua, Dr. Nary says he finds the Timmy Global Health trips particularly rewarding because they are organized to maintain a continuity of care for the patients. Every trip, the BC brigade works directly with Guatemalan physicians who can follow up with the patients. “The physicians are welltrained,” said Dr. Nary, who noted that quality of care has been enhanced by a newly established electronic medical record system set up by a volunteer on a previous trip. “I’ve been very impressed with the doctors we’ve worked with. “I have no illusions we are changing the face of Guatemala. But it’s a good program,” added Dr. Nary. “It is interesting and I always learn something new. I like going with the students.” The BC brigade also sets aside time during the trip for reflection and immersion experiences that enrich their understanding of the culture and people of Guatemala. Activities include a lecture by a local anthropologist,

salsa dancing lessons, a visit to a chocolatier and shopping at a collaborative featuring weavings by local women. The reflection time was especially poignant during this most recent trip when a 25-year-old man arrived at the clinic in grave condition and needed immediate transport to a hospital. The brigade had to go on with the clinic for the rest of the day, not knowing his outcome. At the end of the day, Dr. Nary and his son spoke to the students about the man and their reactions to the case. “They let us know that however we were feeling about what we saw, that it was a fine and a valid response. We could feel really sad or vulnerable or matter-of-fact, and it was all fine. They let us know they were available for us to talk to,” said Puzo, who plans to attend medical school after graduation. The group later learned that the man had died. “There was nothing they could do for him at the hospital in Guatemala. It was very heart-wrenching. He was not much older than us.” Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu

For Juniors and Seniors, a Chance to ‘Launch’ Career Explorations “I have failed many times and I’ll fail again,” Emmy Awardwinning television personality Pili Montilla ’00 told the audience of Boston College undergraduates – an unlikely remark, it seemed, for an event held to assist students in considering their career paths. Montilla was the keynote speaker at Launch, a one-day conference held earlier this month at the Thomas More Apartments. Sponsored by the Career Center and the Office of Residence Life, the event invited students to explore their unique skills and values, better understand hiring timelines for their fields of interest, and learn valuable job searching insights and skills from recruiters and young alumni. The creator, producer and host of “VidaLexus presenta: Té Para Tres con Pili Montilla,” Montilla – considered the “go-to” host in the bilingual entertainment world – did not shy away from sharing with students the struggles she faced when she graduated college and entered the real world. Her first post-graduation job, she recalled, was as a coat-checker in New York City: “It was tough, very humbling, and I hated it but I

Pili Montilla ’00 during her talk at the “Launch” conference. (Photo by Gary Gilbert)

knew I had to pay my dues.” Speaking with grace and humility, and often inciting laughter from the students, Montilla imparted what she said was a key lesson for young people about to graduate college. “The uncertainty of not knowing what’s next will never go away; it’s the beauty of life. Make peace with the unknown right now. It’s okay if you don’t know what will happen, embrace the unknown as fuel to drive forward. Thank people for rejection, in your head. Every ‘no’ is closer to a ‘yes,’” she continued. “See your failures as opportunities, love the unknown,

and keep on keeping on.” Conference organizers were pleased with the event, which had full registration, and hope it becomes an annual fixture. Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Career Services Joseph DuPont said programs like Launch help students feel more prepared in exploring their next steps. “Students want and need exposure to career education earlier and more intentionally to ensure they are excited about their career options when they graduate,” said DuPont, who credits faculty and staff in the BC community for see-

ing the value of preparing students to lead “meaningful professional lives.” Added Career Center Assistant Director and Pre-Law Advisor Amy DiGiovine, “We wanted all students who attend Launch to leave empowered with concrete action steps to reach their individual goals whether those relate to internships, post-graduate jobs or graduate school.” Students participating in Launch had the choice of attending break-out sessions with such topics as “Strengths, Skills, and Your Professional Success,” “Powerful Storytelling: How to Stand Out and Get the Position You Want,” and “Keep Calm and Search On: Using Hiring Timelines to Structure Your Job Search,” among others. “The breakout sessions were designed to allow students to fully customize their experience,” said DiGiovine. “We wanted to make sure there were sessions that would meet the needs of students in all stages of their career development.” Attendees also listened to a panel discussion at which young alumni shared their insights on searching for and finding their first job, the skills they gained while

at BC, and the transition into a young professional. Senior Isaacson Michel, who majors in philosophy and minors in medical humanities, found the panel extremely helpful because “it was just a very relatable conversation between BC people.” Michel added that the whole event helped him feel more at ease in contemplating his next steps. “Part of what I wanted to get out of the Career Center was to plan ahead for the future. I gained more insight into what I want to accomplish before the year ends. “The key thing I got out of Launch was the confidence to be okay with not knowing what you want to do and taking the initiative to open yourself up to resources on campus to help you.” Kyla Nwede, a Carroll School of Management junior whose concentration is in marketing, management and leadership, echoed Michel’s comments. Although uncertain as to what she wants to do with her life, Nwede found herself reassured by the conference. “It will take trial and error but that is okay, as long as I am following my heart,” she said. –Siobhan Sullivan


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Chronicle october 27, 2016

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Talking It Out

After Nov. 8...What? Continued from page 1

OID programs emphasize the value of conversation in University community By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

The question was perhaps the most simple, basic one a person can ask: “How are you feeling?” When facilitators posed this question to a small group of Boston College faculty and staff members at an Office for Institutional Diversity-sponsored event on Oct. 11, the hope was that it would spark a conversation participants and organizers believed was sorely needed. The event, “National Tragedies and Their Impact: An Opportunity for Reflection and Dialogue,” gathered faculty and staff to talk about how incidents of violence and other controversies have affected them and their work. “Our job as faculty and staff is to help our students deal with these and other issues, but what do we do for ourselves?” said OID Executive Director Patricia Lowe – a facilitator at the event – in a recent interview. “In an age where we are constantly barraged by information, it’s almost impossible to shut out what happens in the world, and we can be affected in ways we might not even realize. And in our discussions, people talked not only about the impact on themselves but on their colleagues and the community as a whole. “As a Jesuit, Catholic institution built around Ignatian principles – the care of the individual, reflection into action – we should expect to come together, whatever our faiths and beliefs, and help ourselves and one another.” Since the OID was established in 2004, as a successor to the Office of Affirmative Action, it has framed its task of promoting diversity and inclusiveness squarely in the University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission. “National Tragedies and Their Impact” – the first of a three-part “Reflection and Dialogue” series – and an upcoming program, “Living Out the Jesuit Mission,” as well as last summer’s first-ever Diversity and Inclusion Summit, are emblematic of the OID’s “come together” approach. “As an alumnus [Class of 1991], I can say that I experienced first-hand the Ignatian philosophy at BC, and I felt enriched by it,” said Lowe, who is also the University’s Title IX coordinator. “Faculty and staff alike have indicated they want to have a better understanding of Jesuit and Catholic thought, and integrate it into their life and

work at BC. Given the importance of diversity and inclusion in our world, it is critical for us as a community to examine them through an Ignatian lens.” At the “National Tragedies and Their Impact” event, after an introduction by Faculty and Staff Assistance Program Director Patricia Touzin, audience members split into small groups for discussions led by Lowe, Touzin, University Counseling Senior Staff Psychologist Yvonne Jenkins and Walter Conlan, SJ, staff and alumni minister for University Mission and Ministry. “People want to talk, but don’t know how to start a conversation,” said Lowe. “Starting off with something simple – ‘How are you feeling?’ – helped to break the ice. People just took a moment to think, and said what was on their minds.” As it turned out, there was plenty on participants’ minds: the divisive election campaign,

by current and recent events. “Some people had come with concerns, like ‘I want to ask or say this, but I don’t want to offend anyone.’ They were able to do that,” said Lowe. “And at the end, when we came back together, the message was that this is just a start. We are all in this together, and if you need to reach out to others for more conversation – even just over a cup of coffee – this is a community where that can happen.” The “Living Out the Jesuit Mission: Diverse Perspectives Series” focuses on how employees of various backgrounds – race, ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual orientation – and faith traditions incorporate the Jesuit tradition within their work at BC and into their personal lives. “Ignatian tradition sets the climate and culture at BC,” said Lowe. “Jesuits have a longstanding commitment to and appreciation of diversity and inclu-

“As a Jesuit, Catholic institution built around Ignatian principles – the care of the individual, reflection into action – we should expect to come together, whatever our faiths and beliefs, and help ourselves and one another.” –Patricia Lowe

Frank Curran

mass killings such as those in Orlando and San Bernardino, and national discord over policeinvolved shootings. They also cited incidents on campus they found troubling, including a case involving a sign vandalized with a homophobic message. The breakout sessions were not simply open-ended catharsis, however: Lowe and her fellow facilitators sought to guide the discussions, to give all participants a chance to speak as honestly and candidly as possible, and offer them ideas for further consideration. The second part of “Reflection and Dialogue” will focus on reflection and learning how to move “to a place of healing,” said Lowe, and the third will help participants integrate the Jesuit, Catholic mission for social justice in addressing issues represented

sion, and our hope is that this and other programs will bring that wonderful legacy – and its connection to BC – to light for faculty and staff.” On Nov 3, from 4-6 p.m. in Gasson 100, the OID and Campus Ministry will hold the event “Celebrating the Global Jesuit Community,” where attendees can learn about the global reach of the Society of Jesus, and have an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation with the international Jesuit community at Boston College. For more on the Office for Institutional Diversity and its programs, go to www.bc.edu/ diversity. Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu

David Hopkins (Political Science)

It’s easy to blame politicians for the divisiveness we see in our politics today, but they respond to the incentives that the voters give them. Americans who yearn for a more elevated style of electoral competition and a more functional party system need to support like-minded candidates in party primaries as well as general elections. Polarization and rancor cannot be reduced without the dedicated participation of citizens working within the two parties themselves to achieve this goal. Faculty photos by Lee Pellegrini

Patrick Maney (History)

The country needs to move on but not before confronting the deep divisions brought to light by this election. It isn’t a task we can foist off on our political leaders. Dismissing people on the other side as bigots or sexists or elitists or whatever epitaph you want to apply won’t do. The New Yorker’s George Packer gets it right: “If nearly half of your compatriots feel deeply at odds with the drift of things,” he writes, “it’s a matter of self-interest to try to understand why.” We in academia have a special obligation to engage in this national soul-searching, and to bridge the gap between the educational haves and have-nots – a gap higher education inadvertently may have widened. Bridging it will be our most serious post-election challenge.

Interviews by Sean Hennessey

George Mitchell Kicks Off International Education Week Former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, a key architect of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and a past envoy to the Middle East, will speak at the opening event for Boston College’s celebration of International Education Week (IEW) from Nov. 7-18. Mitchell’s talk – sponsored by the Global Leadership Institute – will take place Nov. 7 at 4:30 p.m. in McGuinn Auditorium. IEW, created in 2000 by the US departments of State and Education, emphasizes the importance of increasing knowledge and awareness of the world’s cultures, peoples and languages, and affirms the critical role international education plays at Boston College and elsewhere. The theme for BC’s IEW is “Beyond Borders: Identities and Perceptions in Today’s World.” Since retiring from the US Senate in 1995, Mitchell has been active on numerous fronts in politics and business. He was the main investigator in two so-called “Mitchell reports,” one on the Arab-Israeli conflict and another on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. Among his many activities, Mitchell is honorary cochair for the World Justice Project. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Liberty

Medal, and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, for his efforts in the Northern Irish peace process. Other highlights of BC’s IEW include: •Open house with Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, Nov. 9, 4-6 p.m., Gasson 100. •Panel discussion with nontraditional international students, Nov. 9, 6-7 p.m., Fulton 250. •A “Career Chat” on searching for internships and jobs internationally, Nov. 10, 4-5 p.m., Stokes S201. •International Jesuits talk about their lives and experiences, Nov. 11, noon-1 p.m., O’Neill 253. •Summer Study Abroad Fair, Nov. 11, 4-6 p.m., Corcoran Commons (second floor). •Panel discussion on research and study in the Islamic world, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m., Hovey House Library. •Harvard sociologist Mary Waters presents “The War on Crime and the War on Immigrants,” Nov. 17, noon-1:30 p.m., Barat House, Newton Campus. •Professor of Political Science Robert Ross lectures on China, Nov. 17, 4:30 p.m., Stokes S295. For more events and other information on International Education Week at Boston College, go to http://bit.ly/2eeheJe. –Office of News & Public Affairs


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle october 27, 2016

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Q&A: Louis de Paor

Louis de Paor, the Burns Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies for the fall semester, is chair of Irish Studies at National University of Ireland at Galway. He has published numerous works on poetry and prose, including an anthology of 20th-century Irish poetry he coedited with Sean Ó Tuama, and is an accomplished poet himself. At Boston College, de Paor will be continuing his research on novelist Flann O’Brien [Brian O’Nolan], whose post-modern, bizarrely humorous writing made him a major figure in 20th-century Irish literature. He’s also teaching a course on O’Brien and the Irish comic tradition. De Paor – who will present the Burns Visiting Scholar Lecture on Nov. 9 in Burns Library – spoke recently with Sean Smith of the Chronicle. This interview was edited for space; read the full Q&A at http://bit.ly/2e4KNtz. Chronicle: This isn’t your first visit to BC, correct? What interested you in taking the Burns Scholar appointment? I came to BC a few times during the 1990s and was fortunate enough to meet [Irish Studies Program cofounder] Adele Dalsimer, one of the great champions of Irish Studies worldwide. On one visit, I encountered the Flann O’Brien archive in the Burns and I realized as I read the catalogue that I would need to visit the archive again – there were all kinds of wonderful things related to his work on and in the Irish language that would require further investigation. Anyone who works in the field of Irish Studies knows BC’s contribution to its development has been huge: in particular, the interdisciplinary approach of history, literature and the arts pioneered by BC. Being able

Gary Gilbert

Burns Scholar Equally Intrigued, Invigorated by Poetry and Prose

to spend a semester here is a unique and wonderful opportunity. Chronicle: Some have put Flann O’Brien up there with Joyce and Beckett as among the best Irish writers of all time. What does your research project on O’Brien entail? O’Brien’s original appeal was as a comic writer – his At Swim-TwoBirds is probably my favorite book of all time – and that may have compromised his reputation as a “serious” writer. Then again, the comic element is also central to the works of Joyce and Beckett. But perhaps the main criticism of O’Brien is for an alleged “lack of focus and unity.” [Author] Patrick Kavanaugh once said of him that he had failed to find a myth to support the diversity of his work. My project is to discern whether underneath the anarchy, the diversity, the ventriloquism in his writing there is in fact an underlying pattern. O’Brien was interested in chaos, but also in paradox – which, for a satirist fond of making scathing parodies, is the best of all possible worlds. His writing also perhaps offers clues to an

unresolved ambivalence in himself. Chronicle: Give us a preview of your upcoming Burns Lecture, “Lethal in Two Languages” – you’ll be talking not only about O’Brien but another writer of note, Máirtín Ó Cadhain? Máirtín Ó Cadhain [1906-70] is one of Ireland’s most brilliant, but neglected writers and contrarians – he bragged that he was “lethal” in Irish and English, the two official languages of the Irish State, hence the title for my lecture. The recent Yale University Press translation of his works has provoked a great deal of interest in his works, and he’s arguably more famous now then he ever was. He and O’Brien are in many respects a study in contrasts: Ó Cadhain was a radical republican socialist, a member of the IRA Army Council, who came from an economically impoverished background. O’Brien was far more conservative, especially in his religious values, and from a comfortably well-off family. They were contemporaries, and they almost certainly would’ve passed each other in the street, but there’s no indication the two had any kind of friendship. As different as they were, I’m interested in their points of intersection and how they influenced not only Irish literature but world literature. Chronicle: You’ve taken poetry into the musical performance domain, such as in your collaboration with popular folk/traditional Irish singer John Spillane as the Gaelic Hit Factory. Talk about that a little. I actually started experimenting with poetry and performance when I was in Australia during the late 1980s and 1990s, and collaborated with Greek, Aboriginal, and Australian musicians and dancers there. I’ve been constantly exploring how to find a new dialogue between music and poetry – can poetry be itself in a musical context, even more than on the

o b i t u a r ies

Paul Messer, SJ; JoJo David

A funeral Mass was celebrated last Friday at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Campion Center in Weston for Professor of English Emeritus Paul A. Messer, SJ, who died on Oct. 18. He was 80. A Dorchester native and one of seven children, Fr. Messer graduated from Boston College High School in 1953 and began a long, if occasionally interrupted, relationship with Boston College. After his freshman year, he entered the Society of Jesus through the novitiate of the New England Province at Shadowbrook in western Massachusetts. Fr. Messer returned to BC a decade later while pursuing theological studies at Weston College, earning a master’s degree in English in 1966. Following his ordination as a priest in 1967, Fr. Messer spent the next eight years in various locations – teaching assignments in Massachusetts and Maine, doctoral studies at the University of Utah and a tertian-

ship in Wales – until he was assigned to BC. For the next six years, he taught theology and English, served as assistant chair of theology and pursued graduate studies in English before returning to Utah to finish his doctorate. In 1985, after a stint at Salve Regina College in Newport, RI, Fr. Messer – desiring to live in a Jesuit community – returned yet again to BC, teaching theology and English and twice serving as interim associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. From 1989 to 2009, he taught full-time in the English Department and Evening College. Fr. Messer is survived by his brothers Edward, Richard, Robert, John and Charles, and his sister Barbara Hugo. He was buried at Campion Center Cemetery in Weston. –Office of News & Public Affairs A remembrance of Fr. Messer appears on the Jesuit USA Northeast Province website, at http://bit.ly/2erHugg.

Campus Minister JoJo David, whose indefatigable spirit in battling cancer matched his passion for music and his faith, died on Oct. 18 at the age of 50. A vigil service for Mr. David will be held today at St. Ignatius Church, with gathering and music from 6-7 p.m. followed by a prayer service from 7-8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 1321 Centre Street in Newton. For many in the Boston College community, Mr. David was an integral part of Campus Ministry, which he joined in 2003 after arriving at BC several years earlier as vocal coach for the BC bOp! student jazz group. He

printed page? I’ve been with working with a Brooklyn musician, Dana Lyn, on a couple of projects: one about a day in the life of an Irish village, the other an adaptation of the story of Diarmuid and Grainne, an Irish version of the Tristan and Isolde story. The problem is, we’re used to poetry being locked away in books, libraries, places that people may not always want to go to. My feeling is, take poetry out to wherever people are comfortable. Why not read poems at the grocery checkout – after all, people are going to be just waiting there anyway, and if you get even two percent to listen, that’s a lot more than you’re likely to persuade to at-

tend a traditional poetry reading in a church or a library or a university lecture theatre. There’s a lingering belief that poetry has limited appeal. And yet people have no problem listening to a Bob Dylan record or reading complex novels by, say, Kevin Barry or Mike McCormack, two of my favorite contemporary writers of fiction. I don’t think poetry is beyond anyone. The Nov. 9 Burns Scholar Lecture is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is requested at http://bit. ly/2e91uJz. For more about de Paor and the Burns Scholar program, see http://libguides.bc.edu/Burns/visitingscholar.

To say that the Burns Library Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies program – currently marking its 25th anniversary year – has hosted a diverse collection of distinguished visitors, with prodigious talents and achievements, is putting it mildly. A collaboration between the Boston College Center for Irish Programs and University Libraries, the Burns Scholar program brings outstanding academics, writers, journalists, librarians and other notable figures to the University to teach courses, offer public lectures, and work with the resources of the Burns Library in their ongoing research, writing, and creative endeavors. The ranks of Burns Scholars include a former Irish president (Mary McAleese); eminent historians (Diarmaid Ferriter, Paul Bew and Alvin Jackson, among others); an accomplished musician-scholar (Mick Moloney); a celebrated poet (Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill); past National Library of Ireland directors (Alf MacLochlainn and Patricia Donlon); a publisher of poetry and drama (Peter Fallon), and a Benedictine monk (Colmán Ó Clabaigh, OSB). James Murphy, CM, who is serving as interim director of the BC Center for Irish Programs, also held the Burns Scholar post. Another former Burns Scholar is Margaret Kelleher, chair of Anglo-Irish literature and drama at University College of Dublin, who earned a doctorate in English from BC and last fall presented the inaugural Adele Dalsimer Memorial Lecture, named for a co-founder of the University’s Irish Studies Program. Poet Louis de Paor, chair of Irish Studies at the National University of Ireland, is the fall 2016 Burns Scholar [see separate story]. Last week, he joined with fellow poets Ní Dhomhnaill, Deirdre Brennan and Liam Ó Muirthile in Devlin Hall for readings and discussion of a new anthology of Irish-language poetry Leabhar na hAthghabhála: Poems of Repossession, which he edited. For more on the Burns Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies program, including a link to profiles of past scholars, see http://bit.ly/2eeasBZ. –Office of News & Public Affairs was a warming presence in the Liturgy Arts Group (LAG), an ensemble that provides music for Sunday liturgies and special University events. In addition to his music and his faith, Mr. David’s life at BC, and beyond, was enriched by his marriage: Anne Marie, who originally worked in Campus Ministry – she is now a music director for the School of Theology and Ministry – was his musical partner as well as his wife. The two had met at Berklee College of Music, where both sang in the concert choir. But in 1998, the couple’s life changed dramatically when Mr. David suddenly lost his singing voice. He was found to have a mediastinal mass in his chest, and diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He underwent nine bouts of chemotherapy and 28 radiation treatments, and eventually a bone marrow transplant. Mr. David continued his duties with BC bOp! while he underwent initial treatment, even though he couldn’t raise his voice or use it to demonstrate musical phrases. A specialist told him

that he might not ever regain it. By 2004, Mr. David had recovered enough of his voice to record a jazz ballad album, and was able to resume working at BC and his other jobs, and later on supported cancer research organizations such as the Jimmy Fund through his performances at the Pan Mass Challenge. In 2007, he sang the national anthem at Fenway Park prior to a Red Sox game. But Mr. David’s health declined over the past several years. In a blog post from August of 2015, he reported that he had recently been hospitalized due to pneumonia and other health issues related to progressing heart complications. In mid-September this year, he wrote that he had been approved and listed for a heart transplant, and in the meantime would need surgery to implant a heart pump. In addition to Anne Marie and their daughter Madeline, Mr. David is survived by his mother and two brothers. –Sean Smith Read the full obituary at http://bit.ly/2dGg3h8


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Chronicle october 27, 2016

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BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE MEDIA An introduction to new faculty members at Boston College

Leonard Evenchik

Assistant Professor of the Practice, Information Systems Carroll School of Management DEGREES: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, MSEE); MIT Sloan School of Management (BS) WHAT HE STUDIES: Digital innovation and transformation within higher education and health care. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Information Technology Management, Cybersecurity (MBA) Give us an overview of your current research. “My primary research interests are digital innovation and transformation within higher education and health care. This involves understanding not only the technical issues, but also the organizational and cultural factors involved in successfully moving innovations from the lab into the real world. I’m currently studying strategic applications for the nascent Internet of Things (IoT) within specific markets, such as higher education, health care, and assistive technology.”

Timothy Mangin

Assistant Professor of Music Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences DEGREES: Bowdoin College (BS); Columbia University (PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Intersection of popular music, race, ethnicity, religion, and cosmopolitanism in West Africa and the African Diaspora. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: History of Popular Music You’re working on a book that explores a type of dance music from Senegal called mbalax. Give us an idea what this music is like, and why it interests you. “Mbalax is a funky, percussive, afro-pop groove drawing on American urban dance musics. Mbalax features both griots (heredity musicians, dancers and praise singers) and non-griots musicians experienced in jazz, African salsa, and afro-pop. My first experience with it was when I saw Youssou N’Dour perform in New York City. I was struck by how interactive the band and the audience were with each other. Throughout the night, Senegalese sang along with N’Dour and abandoned the usual sit-and-listen approach to concerts. Audience members jumped on stage and showered the musicians in money and engaged in dancer-drummer dialogues. Moments such as this inspired me to research the deeper meanings of these events. Years later when I conducted research in Senegal I frequented many clubs, sat in on gigs, and also danced. I came to realize how much Senegalese knew about other places, about American and African diaspora cultures, and how little Americans knew about Senegal. This discrepancy led me to research the similarities and differences between African and African diaspora musics and cultures.”

Boston College faculty continued to lend their expertise on Election 2016: •Interviewed by the Boston Globe, Prof. James Bretzke, SJ (STM), commented on the complexities facing voters in this presidential election. •In the wake of Donald Trump’s refusal to pledge to accept the result of the US presidential election, and Hillary Clinton’s boost in the polls, Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political Science) assessed the presidential campaign for Agence France Presse. •Prof. Patrick Maney (History), author of the Bill Clinton biography A New Gilded Age, comments to CNN.com on the role of the former president in the current campaign. Carroll School of Management Drucker Professor Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research, wrote a piece for the Washington Post on ways to address the deficit faced by Social Security, including the cost burden associated with its “legacy debt.”

It’s easy to focus on the metrics, but analytics’ bigger picture benefits managers more, Assoc. Prof. Sam Ransbotham (CSOM) wrote in Sloan Management Review. Are young girls “more severely punished” than boys? Juvenile justice experts, including Assoc. Clinical Prof. Fran Sherman (Law), lead author of a report on

Jeremy Wilkins

Associate Professor of Theology Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences DEGREES: Washington University in St. Louis (BA); Regis College/University of Toronto (MDiv.); Regis College (STB); St. Mary’s Seminary and University (STL); Boston College (PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Bernard Lonergan; Thomas Aquinas; Christology WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Perspectives on Western Culture; Christology

–Sean Hennessey, Kathleen Sullivan, Sean Smith Photos by Lee Pellegerini

Bloomberg News reported on a study co-authored by Prof. Claudia Olivetti (Economics) that found that the later a woman divorces, the more likely she is to be working full time late in life.

EXPERT OPINION Research Professor of Psychology Peter Gray, interviewed by New York Times Magazine for a piece on “anti-helicopter parents”: “All mammals engage in dangerous play. Dangerous play is how kids learn how to titrate fear. Not everyone has to learn quadratic equations, but at some point in our lives, we will all be in stressful situations and we need to be able to keep our cool. Sometimes there are accidents – kid goats fall off cliffs while playing, or whatever – but they’re rare. If the instinct wasn’t of evolutionary benefit, the behavior would have been rooted out.”

Caitlin Cunningham

See more BC faculty opinion at www.bc.edu/bcnews

JOBS Gary Gilbert

Sheila Tucker

Clinical Instructor Connell School of Nursing DEGREES: Framingham State University (BS, MA) WHAT SHE STUDIES: The role of the nurse in providing nutrition care as part of medical nutrition therapy and across the lifespan; sports nutrition. WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Pharmacology and Nutrition Therapies; Nutrition for Life Prior to becoming a full-time faculty member, you were the executive dietitian and nutritionist for Dining Services and the Office of Health Promotion, and performance nutritionist for Athletics. What are some of the biggest nutrition challenges or misconceptions you’ve encountered in your clinical practice? “A huge challenge is the easy availability of not-so-accurate nutrition information on both the web and through social media. Where else in the field of health can you find so many selfdescribed experts? Not many people pretend to know a lot about being a pharmacist, nurse or physician without the necessary education and training, but somehow nutrition is different. Bloggers, top 10 superfood lists, and ‘Dr. Google’ searches offer jazzy, quick-fix ideas on nutrition that often are not evidence-based from folks with little to no formal nutrition education. The challenge in clinical practice and in the classroom is to teach students how to improve their health literacy when filtering through this information and to spot the evidence-based recommendations. It’s important that we stop chasing nutrition headlines, stop putting all foods and nutrients under a microscope and labeling them ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or ‘clean,’ and instead pull back the lens and look at overall dietary patterns that promote health or fuel a sport or treat a medical condition.”

gender injustice, weighed in for a story published by The Crime Report, a website maintained by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

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: Assistant Construction Project Manager, Facilities/Trades Assistant Director, Marketing and Programming, President’s Office Senior Human Resources Officer, Human Resources Director of Program Innovation, Academic Affairs/Provost

Internationally recognized scholar and author John W. Padberg, SJ, was presented with the George E. Ganss, SJ, Award, which recognizes significant scholarly contributions to the field of Jesuit Studies, in conjunction with his presentation of the Feore Family Lecture on Jesuit Studies on campus Oct. 4. Fr. Padberg was presented with the award by Casey Beaumier, SJ, director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College. The award is named in honor of the founder of the Institute of Jesuit Sources, a publishing house — now known as Jesuit

Sources — that specializes in preserving, translating, and making available to scholars around the world important texts in Jesuit history, spirituality, and pedagogy. Since 2015, Jesuit Sources has Jesuit Sources has since 2015 been housed at the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, which recognizes its historical significance by presenting the Ganss Award to speakers in its Feore Family Lecture Series. Fr. Padberg had served as editor and director of the Institute of Jesuit Sources from 1986 until 2014. Read more at http://bit.ly/2dDVpyo.

Executive Director, Advancement Communications and Marketing Compensation Specialist, Human Resources Interactive Media Producer, Athletics Assistant Dean, Connell School, Academic Affairs/Provost Technology Consultant, Information Techonology Web Interface Designer, Information Technology Student Services Associate, Academic Affairs/Provost Collection Development Librarian, Academic Affairs/Provost Web Design, Communications and Events Specialist, Academic Affairs/Provost


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle october 27, 2016

8

University Wind Ensemble of Boston College “Other Worlds”

Sunday, Oct. 30, 3:30 p.m., Gasson 100

Pink Is Not Just a Color; It ‘Holds a Mirror to Our Culture’ “I was not a fan of the color pink. But I like conflict, I like meaning, and I wanted to work on a project that might make people smile.” Kessler’s feeling “that we are all pink inside” – and the notion that she “could broaden my vision by narrowing my focus on this one hue” – launched a

Pink is a pigment loaded with connotation. The website Color Psychology calls it “very contradictory” and says: “Its meaning can depend greatly on the culture and context in which it is presented.” This contentious color is the focus of “Seeing Pink,” an exhibition of photographs by Lisa Kessler, a part-time faculty member in the Art, Art History and Film Studies Department. The display is on view through Dec. 31 in the O’Neill Library Level Three Gallery. The selection of 15 images is part of a larger body of some 80 works that explore the color pink in America. These documentary photographs “play with the myriad connotations we attach to pink, a color charged with meaning,” according to Kessler. Why pink? “It’s a sensational color,” Kessler says. “Pink stands out, it draws our eye and affects our senses. It is jam-packed with all kinds of meanings, many of them conflicting. It is a gender marker, symbolizing everything that is female – from delicate pink baby clothes to the ubiquitous shocking pink, to the many shades of breast cancer awareness.

with some idea about the color pink.” In the latter, she has “been fortunate to come upon some wonderful pink gems that I never could have imagined,” like “Cornfield.” “Photographing in the real world you don’t know what will happen, what you’ll discover, what marks you will

an artist. I enjoy the exchange of ideas with my colleagues in the department and at the McMullen Museum,” added Kessler, who teaches Photography 1, a black-and-white darkroom class. Beyond BC, “Seeing Pink” has been displayed at the Danforth Museum as well as other venues and described in a Boston

color rather than the color itself.” Asked if the color pink has grown on her during its near-decade at the center of this project, she said: “The color doesn’t have a hold over me anymore, I’m not afraid of feeling diminished by it, and I now enjoy the spectacle the color can create.” “Seeing Pink,” Kessler ex-

Globe review as “zesty and playful without being at all unserious.” Kessler is at work on a book based on the project and named for the exhibit. “The work is accessible but also conceptual. People expect documentary work to be done in one community or to be about one particular subject. ‘Seeing Pink’ is more conceptual, more about the ideas we bring to the

plains, “revels in the sensations of pink, both fettered and unfettered by our ideas. Pink is simply a color, but it is also a signifier, one that confines and liberates, and ultimately holds a mirror to our culture.” For information on the exhibit, sponsored by the Boston College Libraries, see http://bit.ly/2dv01H0.

Lisa Kessler’s “Seeing Pink” exhibit at O’Neill Library includes “Cornfield” (right). “I’m interested in the different ways people use the color pink either to convey their ideas about gender or simply because they like the way it looks.”

Lee Pellegrini

By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer

journey in 2007 that has sent her across the US looking for the color pink, including a return over the summer to Pink Hill, NC. The works represent a range of subject matter based on her extensive research: “Some I go to and others I come upon,” she explains. In the former approach, she arranges access to places where she thinks she “can create photographs that resonate

BC SCENES

find that people have made. I’m interested in the different ways people use the color pink either to convey their ideas about gender or simply because they like the way it looks.” Of the BC display, Kessler said she is happy for her students and colleagues to see the work. The Art, Art History and Film Studies Department “is a very friendly and supportive place for

Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu

GOOD DAY FOR A RUN

A crowd of some 1,800 strong gathered on Middle Campus on Oct. 15 for the annual Welles Remy Crowther 5K, which celebrates the memory of the 1999 BC graduate who lost his life on 9/11 while rescuing people in the World Trade Center where he worked. Crowther’s parents, Jefferson and Allison (above), were on hand to welcome runners and volunteers alike to the event, which is now in its 11th year.

Photos by John Quackenbos and Christopher Huang


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