The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs march 13, 2014 VOL. 22 no. 12
INSIDE •Behind the scenes of ‘Boston College Happy,’ page 2
•‘We Are BC’ Week later this month, page 2 •CSOM’s Ransbotham earns NSF CAREER award, page 3 •Laetare Sunday, page 3 •PoliSci’s Laurence gets rare look inside Algeria, page 4 •Spring break ‘Storyified,’ page 4 •BC donates $10K for typhoon relief in Philippines, page 5 •Q&A: BC Law’s Rougeau, page 5 •Law forum examines wrongful conviction, page 5 •Dialogue on ‘diaspora,’ page 6 •BC Idol, page 6 •International PhD in social welfare program progressing, page 7 •GOP candidate speaks at GSSW event, page 7 •A talk with Burns Scholar Terence Brown, page 8 •BC Irish Dance preps for annual show, page 8 •Connell School visit to Dominican Republic, page 9
•CSOM students qualify for competition, page 10 •BC Police Dept. earns accreditation, page 10 •History of Religion conference; Ross talk, page 11 •‘For Colored Girls’ comes to Robsham, page 12
A&S Dean Quigley Named Provost By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, has named David Quigley, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences since 2009, as provost and dean of faculties for Boston College. Quigley, a respected administrator and distinguished historian, teacher and scholar, will assume the role on June 1. He succeeds Joseph Quinn, who has served as interim provost for the past year. Quigley has held a series of academic leadership positions since arriving at Boston College in 1998 as an assistant professor of history, including associate dean for firstyear students, founding director of the Institute for the Liberal Arts,
and interim dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. During his five years as dean, Quigley was credited with attracting and hiring an outstanding cohort of young faculty, strengthening academic opportunities for undergraduate students, and developing new interdisciplinary majors in Islamic civilization and societies and environmental studies. He also played a significant role in the conceptualization and design of Stokes Hall, the $78 million center of the humanities at Boston College, and in leading the ongoing effort to renew the core curriculum for undergraduate David Quigley, who has served as students. dean of the College and Graduate He also won praise for his inSchool of Arts and Sciences since terdisciplinary and cross-school 2009, will assume the post of provost and dean of faculties on June 1. collaboration, which included his (Photo by Gary Gilbert) participation in the Teachers for a
New Era initiative with the Lynch School of Education, assistance with the design of the Portico program for first-year students in the Carroll School of Management and the successful implementation of Fulbright summer institute programs on constitutional democracy with colleagues at the Law School. “David Quigley is well suited to be the next provost of Boston College,” said Fr. Leahy. “He has excelled as a teacher and scholar in the History Department, understands the demands and possibilities of academic leadership from his years as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and both understands and supports BC’s mission, especially its Jesuit, Catholic dimensions. I look forward to working with him to advance Boston College in the years Continued on page 3
22 Faculty Members Promoted University President William P. Leahy, SJ, has announced the promotions of 22 members of the Boston College faculty. Promoted to full professor were: Amy Boesky and Min Song (English), Seth Jacobs and Deborah Levenson (History), Vidya Madhavan (Physics), Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes (Graduate School of Social Work), Renee Jones (Law School), G. Michael Barnett and Susan Bruce (Lynch School of Education); Welkin Johnson (Biology) was promoted to full professor with tenure. Faculty members promoted to associate professor with tenure were: Dana Sajdi (History), Julia E. Grigsby (Mathematics), Ralf Gawlick (Music), Sarah Byers and Daniel McKaughan (Philosophy), Franck Salemeh (Slavic and Eastern Languages and Literatures), David Lyons (Law School), V. Paul Poteat and Pratyusha Tummala-Narra (Lynch Alex Carpenter ’16 returned to campus from the Winter Olympics in Sochi – where she earned a silver medal as a member of the US women’s hockey School of Education), and Jonathan Reuter, Sam Ransbotham and Metin Sengul (Carroll School of Management). team – just before spring break. (Photo by John Quackenbos) –Office of News & Public Affairs
Home from the Olympic Arena Environmental Studies Will
While most of her Boston College classmates were leading typical college student lives in Chestnut Hill, Alexandra “Alex” Carpenter ’16 spent her fall semester focused on winning an Olympic medal. As a member of the Team USA women’s ice hockey squad, Carpenter and two other former Eagle puck stars, 2011 BC graduates Molly Schaus and Kelli Stack, dedicated the past six months preparing to play in the Olympic
Games in Sochi, Russia. Carpenter was one of the squad’s top guns, scoring four goals and an assist in five games as Team USA captured a silver medal in the two-week competition – narrowly missing the top prize when the US suffered a painful 3-2 overtime loss to tournament winner Canada in the gold medal game. Carpenter, who at 19 was one of the youngest members of Team USA, has a long and illustrious Continued on page 10
QUOTE:
Debut As a Major This Fall By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
Beginning in September, Boston College will offer a new interdisciplinary major in environmental studies, a bachelor of arts degree developed around faculty strengths in several departments and growing student interest in a range of environmental issues tied to some of the planet’s most pressing problems.
Freshmen are eligible to apply in May for admission to the first group of 15 Environmental Studies majors, said Earth and Environmental Sciences Associate Professor Noah Snyder, director of the Environmental Studies Program, which previously offered only a minor. Snyder said the time is right for the University to add the new major. Continued on page 9
“This is a very appropriate activity for BC, as a Jesuit, Catholic university: engagement and inquiry through different perspectives on important human questions – and obviously, migration in its many forms is one of these.” –Prof. Kevin Kenny (History), organizer of seminar on diaspora and migration, page 6
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A ROUND It’s not fanciful to say that Boston College’s take on Pharrell Williams’ infectious hit song “Happy” has been an Internet phenomenon since the video was posted on YouTube Feb. 27 [http://www.youtube.com/BostonCollege]. Conceived and created by Office of News & Public Affairs Video Producer Sean Casey ’12, “Boston College Happy” – featuring 140 students, faculty, staff and alumni dancing, clapping or lipsynching to the song in 32 campus locations – had 124,000 views during its first week on YouTube. It has been shared thousands of times over on social media by students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, as well as numerous other universities, organizations and social media watchers across the country and abroad – the list includes NBC News correspondent Luke Russert ’08, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, WBZ News Anchor Paula Ebben ’84, WHDH, the US Consulate in Melbourne, CNN National News Editor Marlena Baldacci, National Jesuit News and TV and movie star Chris O’Donnell ’92. As Casey explains, the inspiration for doing “Happy” was borne of something like desperation: “Being a native Californian, I found that I had been relying on ‘Happy’ to keep my spirits up during a particularly brutal Boston winter. After watching the original music video, I couldn’t help but think that we could definitely make this video with a BC angle. And the timing couldn’t have been more perfect with a cold snap and midterms in full swing.” The actual filming for “Boston College Happy” took place over six days, in a variety of weather situations (including a snowstorm) and places, among them the Gasson Hall Irish Room, Higgins Stairs, the Flynn Recreation Complex, the Quad, O’Neill Library and Conte Forum – with a hockey game in progress. Although he needed a big cast, Casey found it relatively easy to recruit people. In some cases, representatives of student groups, such as Boston College Irish Dance, Sexual Chocolate and My Mother’s Fleabag, agreed to join in the
C AMPUS
A VERY ‘HAPPY’ STORY
Scenes from “Boston College Happy.” See the video at http://bit.ly/BCHappy.
fun. And it wasn’t just students: Other cameo appearances include Vice President and Special Assistant to the President William B. Neenan, SJ, University Chancellor J. Donald Monan, SJ, Fr. Michael Davidson and a robed Assistant Professor of History Jeremy Clarke, SJ. “Even the participation was viral: Once one person was in it, they told their friends to come participate,” says Casey, “who then told their friends, and so on and so on.” Besides some technical aspects, the biggest challenge for Casey was to enable the participants to stay on the beat and mouth the lyrics in synch with the song. Fortunately, mobile technology provided a solution. “We arranged to play the song on an iPhone that sat in the participant’s pocket, so they were able to rock away to the beat without any difficulty,” Casey explains. “We also had broken down the lyrics of the song in pre-production so that we could be sure that our dancers would say the exact line word for word while they danced.” Some locations also were tricky, he adds: “The most difficult were definitely Bapst Library and O’Neill Library: We didn’t want to disturb anyone while filming since it was midterm season but the locations are too beautiful to ignore. So we just added headphones to the
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
phone instead of playing the song disruptively – and in O’Neill, we were able to ‘hide’ in the stacks so as not to bother anyone.” Although “Boston College Happy” is first and foremost meant in good fun, Casey says the video also serves a useful purpose: depicting Boston College as a vibrant, diverse community. “It was imperative that we include every
different facet of what it means to be a part of the Boston College family. This included Jesuits, faculty, staff members, alumni and future Eagles as well as students. Honestly, we just saw the tip of the iceberg when it came to all of the varied groups that are available for students to participate in. “Each and every person in this video showed a unique and con-
tagious personality that connected the viewer to the spirit of Boston College. This was incredibly important to the success of the video. We also wanted to make sure to show off our beautiful campus so that any viewer could get an immediate sense of what it is like to be walking around BC.” The overwhelmingly positive response to the video, both within and without BC, confirms that it was a worthwhile project, says Casey, expressing gratitude to everyone involved in the production (as well as to Pharrell Williams himself). “It was a chance to experience something very human and unique to Boston College that has resonated with viewers,” he says. “I’ve always said it’s not hard to make videos at Boston College, because in addition to having such a gorgeous campus that looks great even in the doldrums of winter, the people that make up this place are special. They passionately embraced the opportunity to show just how happy they are to be here at this university.” –Sean Smith
WELCOMING CLASS of ’18 INTO THE FOLD After months of waiting, hoping and praying, decision time for the next freshman class is here. At Boston College, admission decisions still arrive to anxious students the way it has for generations, via mail. The celebration, however, has become an increasingly social affair. As a way to celebrate along with the Class of 2018, the Office of Undergraduate Admission and the Office of News & Public Affairs will be hosting #WeAreBC Week. To participate, follow the official Boston College social media channels on Facebook [facebook. com/bostoncollege], Twitter [twitter.com/bostoncollege], Instagram [instagram.com/bostoncollege] and YouTube [www.youtube.com/bostoncollege]. When the decision letters are mailed later this month, the Class of 2018 will be prompted to change their profile photos to the
The Boston College
Chronicle
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Graphic by Michael Moloney
#WeAreBC graphic. Students will be asked to share their “Admitted Eagle Moment” – a tweet, photo or video – using the hashtags #BC2018 and/or #WeAreBC. Participants can also email their contributions to social@bc.edu. All entries will be compiled and published online. Once decision letters are mailed, current students, alumni, faculty and staff will then be encouraged to use a similar #WeAreBC-themed graphic to show solidarity with the incoming class.
“We’re excited to welcome the admitted Class of 2018 and celebrate the larger Boston College experience with our global community,” said News & Public Affairs University Social Media Manager Melissa Beecher. “Our BC community is remarkably engaged online and we want to share this time of anticipation, excitement and celebration through our social networks,” said Beecher. More than 700 students are already a part of the Admission Admitted Class of 2018 Facebook group, actively participating with one another in that community. (Students who have been admitted can apply to join the closed group at http://bit.ly/wearebc2018) To read updates on #WeAreBC Week, see www.bc.edu/content/bc/ offices/pubaf/bcsocial/wearebcweek. html –Office of News & Public Affairs
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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Quigley Named Provost
CAREER Award for Ransbotham By Sean Hennessey Staff Writer
Stopping cyber attacks and terrorists has long been a focus – and frustration – of law enforcement professionals, who use surveillance, informants and phone taps, among other means, to thwart unlawful activities. Now data analysis may be a valuable new tool in this fight, according to Associate Professor of Information Systems Sam Ransbotham. “If some vulnerability in software is found, it’s not magically and suddenly adopted by every bad guy across the planet at the same time,” says Ransbotham. “They go through processes as well: They pick one vulnerability versus another, and they figure out how to use some faster than others. “The solution is to manipulate information and incentives so we make our countermeasures as fast as possible, while making their exploitation as slow as possible.” Ransbotham’s work in this area has earned him the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award, which recognizes a junior faculty member “who exemplifies the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.” The fiveyear $402,000 award will fund his project “Using Analytics on Security Data to Understand Negative Innovations.” “I’m pretty excited about it,” says Ransbotham, who joined the Carroll School of Management faculty in 2008. “There’s a signal from this award that this research is the kind of investigation we need to support.” Ransbotham says one of his projects will involve using detailed logs from intrusion detection systems like computer firewalls and virus protection. “What I’m doing in these projects is taking that data and trying to understand how the bad guys are thinking and working,” says Ransbotham. “Think about it: How do we learn about what the good guys do? Well, we ask them questions, we interview them, we have them take a survey. We just can’t do that sort of thing with bad guys. We have to use the data that they’re leaving to try and better understand their behavior.” Recent years have seen a proliferation of detailed data available, he notes, what with the popularity of mobile devices, the growing number of appliances with computers in
Associate Professor of Information Systems Sam Ransbotham studies data analysis as a weapon against cyber attacks. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
them, and the increase in users. “We are putting computers into everything: cars, refrigerators, toaster ovens, LEGO toys – I mean, everything has a computer in it,” says Ransbotham. “We have an increased need to secure those as best we can. This becomes particularly important when you consider the number of devices that need to be corrected when there is a problem – and problems are inevitable. How do we respond? “There are wonderful programs that try to get computing into more and more hands by offering lowcost devices and computers. But seldom do I see people think about what we’re going to do if we have all these people coding and using computers – rarely do people think about the associated security and privacy implications. “No one ever adopts a product because they think, ‘Man, it has awesome security’; they think, ‘Man, it has awesome features.’ That’s perfectly rational, but this attitude often leads to security as an afterthought in the market.” With security concerns taking a back seat, he says, the vast treasure trove of data serves as both friend and foe. “How do we increase the ‘friend-
ness’ and decrease the ‘foe-ness’ of it? That is what’s really important for society right now,” says Ransbotham. “When we talk about driverless cars or drones delivering packages, these things are feature-driven rather than security-driven. We know there’s going to be a day that someone does something bad with the code that operates a driverless car. It’s inevitable. The question is, how do we get as much of the good from an innovation like that while minimizing the bad?” As a possible answer, Ransbotham points to the diffusion of innovation – understanding how knowledge spreads. “How can we disclose vulnerabilities and weaknesses in such a way that accelerates the diffusion of countermeasures,” asks Ransbotham, “but restricts the ability of the bad guys to take advantage of it? Should we tell when we know something bad? Should scientists who develop a new way of creating a new strain of bird flu or a new virus publish those results? “The tension is, if you tell people, then bad guys learn. If you don’t tell people, then the good guys can’t protect themselves.” Contact Sean Hennessey at sean.hennessey@bc.edu
Educational Leader Fr. Martinez to Speak at Laetare Sunday Alumnus Antonio “TJ” Martinez, SJ ’92, founding president of Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School in Houston, will be the featured speaker at Boston College’s 63rd annual Laetare Sunday celebration in Conte Forum on March 30. The event, which marks the traditional mid-point of the Lenten season, will begin with a 9:30 a.m. Mass presided by University President William P. Leahy, SJ. A brunch will follow where Fr. Martinez – who holds a master of divinity degree and a master of theology degree from BC – will be presented with the University’s Alumni Ignatian Award in recognition of his service to others. In 2009, Fr. Martinez launched Cristo Rey in Houston, part of the national Cristo Rey network of schools that combine a rigorous college prep program with a work-study program, exclusively serving children living at or below the poverty line. Last June, Cristo Rey in Houston graduated its first class, all of whom were accepted into college. In 2012, Houston’s PaperCity magazine named him one of four “new influencers” in the city. In addition to his degrees from BC, Fr. Martinez has a law degree from the University of Texas and a graduate degree from Harvard University. Tickets for the Laetare Sunday event are available through the Boston College Alumni Association at www.bc.edu/laetare or 617552-4700. –Kathleen Sullivan
Continued from page 1 “We believe in transformative ahead.” Executive Vice President Patrick undergraduate education in the Keating and Theology Department Jesuit tradition, and I think that Chair Catherine Cornille, who led there are steps we can take and the search process, praised Quigley investments we can make over the as an ideal choice to lead Boston next few years that can reaffirm College as its chief academic officer. and deepen our commitment to “In directing the largest college excellence in liberal arts education, within the University for the past including making more sustained five years, David has succeeded in investments in the natural sciences, attracting and mentoring excellent and strengthening the core curyoung faculty, developing new pro- riculum to improve the educational grams in support of the University’s experience for all of our understrategic goals, and in working with graduate students.” A graduate of Amherst College, fellow deans to enhance Boston Quigley received both his MA and College’s academic profile,” said PhD from New York UniversiKeating. “I believe that he has the ty, where his scholarly focus was knowledge, experience and comon 19th-century mitment to adAmerican history vance Boston College among the na- “It is key that we build, with an emphasis on urban and tion’s preeminent retain and develop the political history universities.” during the Civil Added Cor- very best faculty in all War and Reconnille, “During his schools, faculty who are struction. The tenure as dean of author of three the College of Arts wonderful teachers and and Sciences, Da- cutting-edge researchers books, an e-book and multiple arvid Quigley has ticles and book demonstrated an committed to BC’s dischapters, Quigley exceptional comtinctive mission.” is currently workmitment to liberal –David Quigley ing on a new book arts education in exploring the inthe Jesuit tradition. ternational lives He knows Boston of the American Civil War, and College from the inside and he has two edited volumes: a collection the vision, the experience and the of scholarly essays on urban hisdedication to carry the University tory, and a documentary history of forward on its trajectory of excelBoston during the tumultuous era lence.” Quigley said that he looks for- of busing. He is the recipient of several ward to beginning his new role and to building on the excellence and academic fellowships, including the momentum that exists at Boston Charlotte Newcomb Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, the GilderCollege. “It is an enormous honor to Lehrman Fellowship in American assume the role of provost,” said History and the Boston College Quigley. “When Fr. Leahy asked Faculty Fellowship, and multiple me to take on this responsibility, I academic honors, including the thought of all the talented faculty University-wide Distinguished and administrators with whom I Teaching Award from Boston Colhave worked during the past 16 lege in 2007, and the Choice Outyears and all that they have ac- standing Academic Title Award for complished. It’s an awesome re- his book Jim Crow New York, in sponsibility to sustain and advance 2004. Quigley said he is grateful to what they have achieved here, but Fr. Leahy for giving him this opit is also incredibly exciting to think portunity, and to Quinn for the of our opportunities, of the ways work he did this past year and for in which we can strengthen our undergraduate and graduate pro- his commitment to collaborative grams and develop an extraordinary leadership. “One of the reasons I ended cohort of young faculty to position Boston College even more firmly up in an administrative career was among the world’s great universi- because I saw the enormous good that Joe Quinn did during his eight ties.” Quigley said he is eager to learn years as dean of the College of Arts more about the excellence that and Sciences,” said Quigley. “I look exists in the professional schools forward to working with faculty, across campus and to work with the deans and senior administrators deans to further develop strengths to build upon his leadership, and in cross-school collaboration. “It the many competitive advantages is key that we build, retain and that Boston College’s distinctive develop the very best faculty in all mission provides us within the schools, faculty who are wonderful landscape of contemporary higher teachers and cutting-edge research- education.” Contact Jack Dunn at ers committed to BC’s distinctive jack.dunn@bc.edu mission,” said Quigley.
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Making the Most of a Rare Opportunity BC’s Laurence wanted a chance to do research in Algeria – and he got more than he imagined By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
It’s not every day when one of the world’s least studied political systems unexpectedly opens its doors wide. So Associate Professor of Political Science Jonathan Laurence had reason to feel fortunate when Algeria offered him unprecedented political and diplomatic access during his visit there last month. Laurence had applied for a visa to Algeria to do research for a forthcoming book on how religious affairs are governed in Muslim countries, especially in the wake of the Arab Spring. Algeria, he explains, represents a very useful case study, given its history – including its 1990s civil war – and its status as a major player in Northern African and European affairs. “When I consulted with colleagues around the US, I was told that the regime held its cards very close to its chest,” says Laurence. “It can take time to get a visa, and even though Algeria’s relations with the US are good, they have not cultivated a tourism industry – which is a missed opportunity for all.” Laurence was rather surprised, then, to receive a response from the Algerian embassy approving his visa and a phone call expressing pleasure at his interest in Algeria. But while he had the necessary permissions to enter and travel around the country, he had thus far been unable to obtain appointments with any Algerian officials. “Then, two days before I was to leave, I got a call saying the Algerian president’s office was sponsoring my visit,” says Laurence. “This was a case of good timing: I was given full access to key policy-makers and politicians, so I had a rare chance to get a peek at the way government works there, at the very moment things began to open up to greater public contestation and debate over the future.” As it turned out, on his first day Laurence also had an unusual perk for a social scientist: a sevencar convoy of military police to take him to his appointments in the coastal city of Oran. “I always had ministry people with me, but I was able to go to all the sites and offices I wanted,
and could ask questions freely,” he says. During his four days in Algeria, he had meetings with the minister of religious affairs as well as officials of the education ministry and an imam training institute. He also visited two Catholic churches and the modern ruins of a synagogue, and gave research talks at the University of Algiers, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and US Embassy. Laurence says religious governance is a fascinating, and often under-appreciated, aspect of Muslim countries. “Ministries in countries like Algeria and Morocco are dedicated to running mosques, appointing imams and sages, and generally guiding the spiritual life
of their citizens,” he explains. “Because of serious threats posed by radical factions – including Salafist movements and even Al Qaeda – it is important to the governments to frame religious expression in a positive, openminded fashion.” That Algeria would grant an outsider like him such access to their ministry operations, says Laurence, reflects the delicacy of a political system in a transitional moment. Conflict with jihadists and subsequent civil war in the 1990s that killed more than 100,000 people left the government treading a line between openness and repression, and reluctant to enact political reforms. But while relatively quiet during the Arab Spring, Algeria of late is
Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political Science) interviewing the Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs Boabdallah Ghlamallah. Laurence was given unprecedented access to political and diplomatic officials during his visit.
Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political Science) in front of a defunct synagogue with a local imam and children in the Bab el Oued district of Algiers. (Photos courtesy of Jonathan Laurence)
experiencing lively conflict over the prospect of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika – who amended the constitution in 2008 to eliminate the presidency’s twoterm limit – seeking a fourth term. “Granting me access to officials at these ministries was a way to show they have nothing to hide, and that their system will manage the peaceable transfer of power to the next generation,” he says. “While to us the idea of a religious ministry might be unusual, Algeria has been making an attempt to tap into its rich religious heritage and doing its best to keep politics out of it. That’s why they have created over a dozen imam training establishments and continue to build large public prayer spaces. When the winds of change are capable of blowing you off the deck, you have to be very careful of the steps you take. “Getting this insight straight
from the source was remarkable.” Laurence lauds the assistance of Undergraduate Research Fellows Alexander Hayden ’15 and Aikaterina Katsouri ’15 and graduate student assistant Perin Gökçe ’18 in helping him prepare for the trip. In fact, he adds, their work seemed to have a profound effect on his Algerian hosts: Intrigued by the charts and other materials Laurence was using for one of his talks, a government minister precipitated a frank, candid discussion comparing Algeria’s domestic and foreign policies with those of its neighbors. “Academic researchers are accustomed to laboring in obscurity,” he says, “but the notion that my research team could start a conversation like that is very gratifying.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
SCENES OF SPRING BREAK
It may have been spring break last week, but Boston College social media was as busy as ever. Students on service trips such as the Appalachia Volunteers programor other excursions – including the University Chorale’s tour of Spain – posted photos and updates. On campus, meanwhile, members of the Boston College Police Department and the Eagle EMS program took part in the “Tyler’s Troops” convoy to give a birthday surprise to a seven-year-old battling leukemia. These and other BC spring break activities can be viewed on the Office of News & Public Affairs Storify at http://storify.com/BostonCollege.
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Students Aid Filippino Recovery Efforts By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
Four months after Typhoon Haiyan devastated much of the Philippines, recovery is now underway in that nation – an effort supported with a recent donation of more than $10,000 from Boston College students. Within days after the typhoon hit last Nov. 8, BC students had organized a number of fundraising events, including the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Concert, a dance showcase and a regional culture show. In addition, students worked with Dining Services and Volunteer and Service Learning Center Director Dan Ponsetto to hold a point drive that realized $7,000. BC student organizers chose to donate the funds to Catholic Relief Services, an international humanitarian agency that had a strong preexisting presence in the Philippines and was instrumental in providing aid in the immediate aftermath of the storm. According to CRS, the Typhoon Haiyan – the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall – killed more than 6,000 people and damaged or destroyed more than a million homes. The nonprofit is now a leading force in the area’s long-term recovery and rebuilding. “The focus in the Philippines is on rebuilding and resettlement. Many people are still lacking basics,” said UGBC Executive Vice President and Student Assembly President Matthew Alonsozana ‘14. “It’s the local NGOs and nonprofits who are fulfilling the needs of the people there.” Alonsozana, a Presidential Scholar of Philippine heritage, credited his experience in the Philippines during the summer after freshman year for his dedication to BC’s typhoon relief effort. With the aid of a BC Advanced Study Grant and the President Scholars Program, Alonsozana spent the summer of 2011 lecturing at Ateneo de Manila Univer-
sity, a Jesuit university in Manila, and conducting research at the Institute of Philippine Culture. “The students at the university were part of the privileged class, yet right outside the university walls were naked people,” recalled Alonsozana, an economics and philosophy double major. The first-person perspective on the striking gap between the haves and have-nots deeply affected Alonsozana. “It changed my world view. It didn’t just make me see the needs clearly; it made me realize I had to own them.” While in Manila, Alonsozana helped prepare a report on man-
Lim ’16 and Yna Aggabao ’16 of the Philippine Society; AJ Ty ’16, Bianca Romero-Salas ’15, Maiki Del Rosario ’15 and Christine Park ’14 of UGBC; Chella Po ’14 of the International Club of Boston College; AJ Parayano of the Graduate Students Association; Asian Caucus; Asian Christian Fellowship; Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue, District 1; Synergy Dance Crew; The Heights; Southeast Asian Students Association and BC students participating in the Casa Bayanihan program. The BC students say they
Matthew Alonsozana ’14 says his dedication to helping the Philippines stems from his having witnessed firsthand social and economic inequality there: “It didn’t just make me see the needs clearly; it made me realize I had to own them.” Caitlin Cunningham
aging typhoon damage that was presented to high-ranking authorities, including members of the World Bank. Alonsozana is proud that one of the report’s recommendations is being enacted: In a policy change, the government is turning away from the precedent of moving displaced persons to shanty towns outside of Manila and will instead invest in rebuilding the damaged locale and returning people to their home region. In addition to Alonsozana, BC student leaders in the effort to aid the Philippines are Gerome Paradela ’14, president of the Philippine Society of BC, and James Gallo ’14, vice president of the Residence Hall Association. Other partners include: Lemuel
know the road to recovery in the Philippines is a long one and are working to ensure the plight of the country and its people are not forgotten. Fundraising continues this semester with a musical event on March 22 featuring DJ Inferno, who has worked with Madonna and appeared on MTV; the event will take place 9-11 p.m. in the Flynn Recreation Complex. Proceeds will go towards the relief fund. Donations continue to be accepted through the BC Typhoon Haiyan Relief Initiative’s ecommerce site: commerce. cashnet.com/bcSPO. Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu
Wrongfully Convicted Man to Speak at Law Forum A man who spent 19 years in prison after a wrongful conviction, the attorney who prosecuted him and the lawyer who helped to free him will discuss the case at a Law School forum on March 21. Dennis Maher, who was exonerated and released from prison in 2003, attorney J.W. Carney Jr., JD ’78 – the case prosecutor – and Maher’s Innocence Project attorney Aliza Kaplan will
take part in “Thirty Years After Wrongful Conviction,” starting at 12:30 p.m. in East Wing 120 on the Newton Campus. Maher was convicted of rape, attempted rape and assault and remained imprisoned until DNA testing of new evidence discovered by Kaplan conclusively excluded him as the perpetrator of the crimes. Soon after Maher’s exoneration, Carney, now a prominent
defense attorney, apologized for his role in Maher’s wrongful conviction, an apology Maher said helped him move forward with his life. Kaplan, now a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, Maher and Carney will offer their perspectives on the prosecution and subsequent exoneration. For more information about the event, see http://bit. ly/1hQW3Gn. –Ed Hayward
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Conversations with Boston College’s Academic Deans
DIALOGUE VINCENT ROUGEAU LAW SCHOOL
How do you describe the mission of Boston College Law School? Our mission is to educate and form excellent lawyers who understand and care about their role in society, who are empowered to find their own passion within the law, and who contribute toward the greater good in whatever way they feel is most important. Because this requires true leadership skills, we place an emphasis on creative thinking and collaboration. Lawyers wield significant power, and that power must be balanced by a strong sense of responsibility and ethGary Gilbert ics. Our graduates know that they have an obligation to use their education to improve the world in which we live. How does BC Law go about fulfilling that mission? The most important way we fulfill our mission is through the creation of a diverse and dynamic community of scholars and a supportive, studentfocused learning environment. As a Jesuit, Catholic law school, we are concerned with cura personalis, or care for the individual. We teach with the whole person in mind. We give our students real-world skills that they can apply as soon as they graduate, and so we place an emphasis on experiential learning as well as traditional, substantive law courses. We carefully shape each year’s entering class because we want a myriad of experiences and voices to be included in the law school community. Finding the best and brightest faculty in the world and bringing them to the law school is extremely important. We encourage cutting-edge scholarship while bringing innovative classroom and experiential components to the curriculum. Finally, as a top-ranked legal institution, we want to help lead the way in shaping the future of legal education. We ensure that we are responding to the swiftly evolving practice of law around the globe. What are some of the school’s immediate goals? We are launching a new Center for Experiential Learning this fall that will bring our efforts in this area – such as our legal aid clinics, our trial advocacy program, and our externships – under one roof. We are creating a law firm within the law school that will handle topics such as immigration, housing, and juvenile justice. A section of the center will also be dedicated to criminal law, both defense and prosecution. Through the center, the Law School for the first time will be providing legal services out of the Boston College Neighborhood Center on Washington Street in Brighton. Additionally, we have recently launched our Global Practice Program, which includes our London Program, Semester-in-Practice Human Rights Program and a new Sorbonne JD/LLM Program, among others, and we are looking to expand on those in the months ahead. Your article “Four Ways to Fix Law School” was published about a year ago. Has the landscape shifted or changed for new lawyers? How about for law schools? We’re seeing a continued shift in the types of jobs available to new lawyers, with opportunities in international banking, non-profits and corporate areas in particular opening up. Law firms have outsourced some of the more traditional tasks new associates used to perform. They are looking for graduates who are prepared for the global aspect of the law and are more practice-ready from day one. This impacts how law schools must think about teaching. By reorganizing and expanding our experiential learning opportunities and our global practice options, we are responding to the needs of the market, while remaining cognizant of the long-term horizon and what we feel the next few decades will bring. What’s a surprising fact people may not know about BC Law? We consistently place No. 1 in the number of our alumni who are considered “super lawyers” in New England, as well as No. 1 in the number of chairs and managing partners in Massachusetts large firms. I think this is a testament to our reputation in the local community and our focus on training leaders, as well as the strength of our alumni network, which is truly remarkable. Plus, we have had more Olympic medalists enrolled here than any other school at Boston College. –Melissa Beecher
Read the full interview at www.bc.edu/chronicle
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Conversation on Meaning of ‘Diaspora’ Extends Across Campus Ongoing seminar brings together BC faculty from many disciplines By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Words are not always static in their meaning, says Professor of History Kevin Kenny – even a word with as unique and specific a history as “diaspora.” Once solely a reference to the dispersal and exile of the Jews, Kenny notes that in the past several decades “diaspora” has been used to describe similar experiences of other populations – such as Africans, Armenians and Irish Asst. Prof. Arissa Oh (History) chats with author Colum McCann during his talk – and now seems to be a catchall last month at a monthly seminar on diaspora and global migration that is supported through the University’s Institute for the Liberal Arts. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini) synonym for “migration.” “Discerning the difference ethnic politics in Boston. amnesty path to citizenship. between ‘diaspora’ and ‘migra“The seminar is meant to be “I don’t think a single pertion’ isn’t a rhetorical exercise,” a network, offering a chance for son agreed with what I said,” he says. “In the past, ‘diaspora’ faculty and graduate students recalls Skerry, “but it was the conveyed an explicit set of cir- with an interest in issues of di- best discussion I’ve been involved cumstances and actions. But that aspora and global migration to in. Usually, discourse about imis not the case nowadays. The meet in a way they might not migration issues becomes emoword enables certain forms of otherwise,” says Kenny. “It’s al- tional or pre-emptory, but this political and cultural expression, ways enlightening to me to see was a civil, engaged, and engagand can both clarify and obscure the different questions that peo- ing, talk. It’s a credit to the way the nature of human migration.” ple in other disciplines ask, and Kevin has structured the seminar, Kenny is the creator and or- the answers they come up with. and the atmosphere he’s tried to ganizer of a monthly seminar on “And this is a very appropri- create.” diaspora and global migration ate activity for BC, as a Jesuit, Another regular is School of that brings together faculty and Catholic university: engagement Theology and Ministry Assistant graduate students from across the and inquiry through different Professor Hosffman Ospino, University. Supported through perspectives on important hu- who studies the US Hispanic the Institute for the Liberal Arts, man questions – and obviously, Catholic experience – 43 percent the seminar – now in its sec- migration in its many forms is of all Catholics in the US are ond year – invites participants one of these.” Hispanic, millions of them imto consider diasWhile he felt migrants, he notes. pora and migrathat there was “Being part of the seminar “The seminar is meant tion in multiple sufficient inter- allows me to listen to methoddisciplines, such to be a network, offering est for such an ologies to interpret diaspora and as history, law, initiative, Kenny global migration, learn about a chance for faculty and did due diligence other case studies that can shed political science, social work, thebefore establish- light on what I am attempting graduate students with ology and liting the seminar. to do in my research, and share erature, through an interest in issues of di“I sat down some ideas emerging from my conversation as aspora and global migra- with 25 people own work,” says Ospino. well as presenacross the UniPresenters from outside BC tations by both tion to meet in a way they versity to get a have further enhanced the semiBC and non-BC sense of their nar, say participants. In his visit, might not otherwise.” speakers. take on diaspora McCann talked about Trans-Kevin Kenny One recent and migration. atlantic’s account of Frederick seminar, for exI wanted to see Douglass’ trip to Ireland, and the ample, featured what the possi- legendary statesman’s efforts to a talk by award-winning novel- bilities were, what directions a seek ties between African Ameriist Colum McCann, author of seminar like this could go, and cans and the Irish through their Transatlantic, which interpo- what people might get out of it. legacies of migration and other lates diaspora/migration-related Clearly, we hit upon something: hardships. themes. Other presenters this I don’t think we’ve ever left a “To some extent,” Kenny academic year have included lo- session without feeling uplifted.” says, “Douglass identifies with cal independent scholar Len LyThe seminar’s scope and tenor the Irish, but recognizes the ons, on Ethiopian Jews in Israel; has impressed Professor of Politi- struggle is different for African Assistant Professor of Romance cal Science Peter Skerry, whose Americans: ‘I sympathize,’ DouLanguages Regine Jean-Charles, research focuses on social policy, glass says, ‘but there is no dion the Haitian diaspora; Westy racial and ethnic politics and im- rect connection between the two Egmont, on the work of BC’s migration. At one session, he cases.’ There is a commonality of Immigrant Integration Lab, of presented a “split-the-difference” human suffering for both groups, which he is director; and Profes- proposal for immigration reform: yet it’s far from identical. sor of History Marilynn Johnson no deportation for undocument“We also talked with Colum on contemporary immigrant and ed immigrants, but no blanket about how you write about issues
of migration in literature. There are different questions to answer: Historians tend to ask ‘why,’ novelists more often ask ‘how.’” Lyons’ talk on the dilemma over Israel’s admission of Ethiopian Jews rescued from that country’s civil war and famine raised other kinds of questions, Kenny says. “The Ethiopian Jews faced issues common to most any immigrants coming to a land they’d never known, and yet their situation also was unique and complex,” says Kenny. “Israel had to answer the question of identity – ‘Who is a Jew?’ – and determine how it applied to the Ethiopian Jews. Some Ethiopians practiced distinct Judaic rites but still claimed to be Jews, and they were admitted under Israel’s Law of Return for Diaspora Jews. Others, who had converted to Christianity under threat of persecu-
tion but continued to practice Judaism in secret, were allowed to enter – but for humanitarian reasons under the Law of Entry.” If one function of an interdisciplinary seminar is to help inspire action among colleagues, then Ospino feels this one has succeeded: It has strengthened his desire for a research institute or center at BC attuned to the US Latino experience, aiding his exploration of how the Latino diaspora and patterns of migration from Latin America are transforming US Catholicism. Adds Skerry, “I’m sure a lot of things have been prompted and stirred by these conversations. There might be the seed for a book, a conference, a collaboration, or a new way of addressing a topic in the classroom. That is the value in these conversations.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
BC IDOL 2014 The annual “BC Idol” competition took place Feb. 27 at Robsham Theater, featuring Boston College student musicians and singers (including Sara Tung ’15 at right). Seventeen BC performers in all took part; the duo of freshmen Benjamin Stevens and Chris Vu won first place. Also performing were children from the St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton (above); last year’s “BC Idol” winner, Caroline Portu ’15 sang “Brave” with the school choir. The event, sponsored by the Emerging Leader Program (ELP), Student Programs Office and Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, raised $6,530 for the St. Columbkille music program. Student Programs Assistant Director Mer Zovko was recognized for her 25 years as ELP director and her efforts in helping “BC Idol” become a successful fundraiser. The event will change its name next year to “Sing It to the Heights.”
Photos by J.D. Levine
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Innovative GSSW PhD program seen as making progress in second year By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Boston College’s innovative international doctoral program in social welfare, built around a partnership arrangement with Jesuit universities in Mexico and South America, is comfortably in stride mid-way through its second year of operation. The first two students to enroll in the program – both from Mexican universities – are on the BC campus this academic year, with a second cohort slated to arrive in the fall and a third to be admitted shortly. “We are very pleased with the progress thus far,” said the program’s director, Louise McMahon Ahearn Professor James Lubben of the Graduate School
Lee Pellegrini
International Social Welfare Program Aims to Promote ‘Brain Exchange’
Pablo Gaitán Rossi and Ana María Vázquez, students in the Graduate School of Social Work’s international doctoral program in social welfare, talk with Alexandria Burke, the program’s director of student services.
of Social Work, which houses the program. “Interest in the program at our current partner universities is very high, and several more Jesuit institutions in Latin America and Spain will be joining the partnership, or have expressed interest in doing so. “This new program in social
welfare has created a tremendous excitement in part because it fosters what could be called ‘brain exchange’ rather than the all-tootypical pattern of ‘brain drain.’ That is, the program promotes partnerships that assist in the building of intellectual capital in both countries focused on social
Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Charles B. Baker Jr. speaking at the Feb. 24 forum organized by the Graduate School of Social Work and held in the Corcoran Commons Heights Room. (Photo by Frank Curran)
Candidate Baker Touts Social Work at GSSW Forum A Graduate School of Social Work forum held Feb. 24 to examine potential roles and challenges for social workers in the Affordable Care Act era featured a keynote address by Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Charles D. Baker Jr., who endorsed the social work profession as a key player in health care reform. “When I think of social workers, I think of problem-solvers,” said Baker, lauding social workers’ ability to “stitch clinical and social service issues together with real-life implications. “They deal with the complexity of problems that don’t fit neatly into categories.” An audience of nearly 300, most of them social work professionals and academics, filled the Corcoran Commons Heights Room for “Health Care Reform: From Policy to Practice,” which also featured a panel discussion
moderated by National Association of Social Workers CEO Angelo McClain PhD ’01, former commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. GSSW Dean Alberto Godenzi and forum organizer Associate Professor of Macro Practice Marylou Sudders – a former Massachusetts commissioner of mental health – gave welcoming remarks. Baker, former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, offered his views on the ACA’s impact on social work and social workers, particularly in the areas of care management and therapy. He identified the expansion of coverage, the creation of health exchanges and cuts in Medicare as the “three big pieces” of ACA that would offer challenges and opportunities for social workers. Social workers, he said, would be a vital part of a health care system built around team-based,
cross-disciplinary approaches to health care issues. He urged social workers to consider new, unconventional solutions for longstanding problems, and to seek viewpoints from outside their field – “people who don’t see the elephant the same way you do.” In his introduction to the panel discussion – which Sudders said would present a “boots on the ground” view of social work in the ACA era – McClain echoed Baker’s call for social workers to assert themselves into health care reform. The panelists – social workers Carol Kress, Mary Neagle, Rebecca Osario and J. Scott Turton – are involved in innovative pilot programs and initiatives that use the integrated physical-behavioral health model to address physical and mental health-related issues such as addiction. Read the full story on this event at http://bit.ly/1dvwNog. –Sean Smith
welfare – as opposed to luring intellectual talent to the US at the expense of the sending country.” Established in the summer of 2011, the international doctoral program in social welfare – funded through an agreement with Santander Universities, the philanthropic arm of Spain-based Banco Santander – enables BC to form partnerships and exchanges with Jesuit, Catholic universities worldwide to advance and professionalize the field of social welfare. The program offers research-driven knowledge, experience-based insight, and field-tested skills to address the unique issues faced by students’ respective countries or communities. During the first year, participants study at the partner university and take two online courses from BC. The second year is spent entirely at BC, while the third and fourth are split between BC and the partner university. During this period, students make the transition from taking formal courses to producing scholarly material, with focus on writing a publishable paper. The fifth year (and if necessary, sixth year) is spent completing a final dissertation that deals with a social problem in his or her home country. The program’s first enrollees, Ana María Vázquez from ITESO in Guadalajara and Pablo Gaitán Rossi from Universidad Iberoamericana, said they have benefited from their experiences thus far, especially the opportunity to study at BC and to learn about social welfare in the US. “If I have to pick among the many things I’ve learned about social welfare in the US, I would say the research-driven social policies,” said Rossi, who has degrees in psychology and sociology and teaches in the social sciences. “I admire how policy is argued with research facts and then evaluated with rigorous techniques. The research culture and the way it is guided towards its policy implications is something I would definitely want to take back home.” Vázquez, an international relations teacher whose scholarly interests include theories of international relations, peace studies, human rights and conflict resolution, said, “I’ve learned a lot more about how policy and social issues related to welfare and well-being are studied, designed and debated in this country. This has contributed to my understanding of the field in general. “It’s useful to look at my own
country from here, and re-frame questions that I had about how we conceptualize social work issues, welfare concerns, and the alternatives to improve people’s well-being.” Lubben said the students’ comments underscore a key facet of the program: introducing an area of scholarship still relatively new to Latin America, a region undergoing a significant political transition. “Scientific approaches to social welfare are inherent in democratic forms of government, whereas totalitarian governments view social welfare as largely an arena for patronage appointments and power brokerage,” he explained. “BC can play an important part in this exciting moment in the histories of these emerging democracies.” Lubben adds that, however much Vázquez and Rossi may gain from their sojourn at GSSW, the school also benefits from their presence. “They have already had a great impact on the traditional GSSW doctoral students. Both sets of doctoral students have had their visions of social work and social welfare expanded by the cross-national exchanges fostered through the program. “Furthermore, the program is constructing a foundation that should enable the current and future graduates to continue their cross-national ties well beyond the time that they are students at BC. Indeed, they will be part of a new community of social welfare scholars bridging the countries of the Americas.” Meanwhile, Oscar Martínez Martínez, a visiting professor from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, is at BC for 2013-14 to inaugurate the partnership’s faculty-exchange component. Martínez said he feels fortunate to be able to learn about innovative aspects of social policy and social welfare through research being undertaken at GSSW. “The academic level and impact of the research conducted in Boston College are recognized globally,” he said. “I was impressed by the access to various academic resources, such as journals and an extensive library collection, and the great academic infrastructure. I’m sure I will learn a range of skills that will aid my research as well as the content of the subjects I teach.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
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Q&A: Terence Brown
Burns Scholar Finds BC a Warm Place in a Harsh Winter Terence Brown, the Burns Library Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies for the spring semester, has cultivated an accomplished career as a teacher, researcher and writer on Irish poetry, literature and culture. The Belfast native joined the Trinity College Dublin faculty in 1968, served as its dean of arts and humanities, and is currently a fellow emeritus. His published works include the widely acclaimed 1981 book Ireland: A Social and Cultural History, 1922-79, which has since been released in two updated editions, the last in 2004. [More biographical details on Brown are available at http://bit.ly/1eB4elB] What interested you in accepting the Burns Scholar position? Did you have any prior connection to, or impression of, Boston College? I had taught students from Boston College who were studying at Trinity, and I found them to be very well-trained and scholarly. So my image of BC was that of a very impressive institution. When the invitation to be the Burns Scholar came, I felt a sense of honor and privilege to teach and do research at such a well-known American university. What are your main activities as Burns Scholar? I am using the Burns Irish Book and Manuscript Collection to write an essay on William Butler Yeats’ drama – there are some very good resources there. And I am leading a seminar on the poetry of Yeats, Louis MacNeice and Seamus Heaney; we are looking at how their views of the Irish poets evolved over the years, and how different aesthetics affected their own poetry.
Where did your interest in poetry originate? Did you ever have a desire to write poetry yourself? I think my inspiration came from attending Trinity and listening to Brendan Kennelly [who served as Burns Scholar in the fall of 2007] talk about poetry. Like most people, I suppose, I’ve had a try at writing
Talk about what led you to write Ireland: A Social and Cultural History. You could call it an act of exploration. The book was an effort to understand, as someone from Northern Ireland, the country in which I’d made my life. I wanted to look at how Ireland became Ireland in the years following the 1922 treaty, taking into consideration the impact of nationalism, industrialism, religion, language revival and censorship, as well as literary and artistic aspects. You’ve since published two editions of the book. What went into the process of updating and revising the original? The 2004 edition covers the 1990s, which is a very important decade for Ireland. Obviously there was the economy – the beginnings of the so-called “Celtic Tiger” – and the Good Friday Agreement, but there were also the Catholic Church scandals. There was a real shaking of the foundations in many ways, so I did a fair bit of work on that. When you look at the current generation of young Irish poets, do you see any who might have a similar impact as a Heaney or a MacNeice? There are certainly good poets, like Sinead Morrissey, for example, but with the end of the conflict in Northern Ireland, the whole culture of Ireland has changed. The influence that the conflict had on people’s lives, and on the way they expressed themselves, is gone. The context is just different now, and to imagine someone like a Seamus Heaney emerging from it is difficult. Now that you’ve been here for several weeks, what other impressions of Boston College have you formed? I appreciate the lovely architecture of the campus; it’s a very well-built place. People have been very welcoming and helpful to me, especially [Associate Professor] Jim Smith and [Adjunct Associate Professor] Joe Nugent in the English Department. I had the opportunity to read a book put out by BC’s Cen-
“There are certainly good poets, like Sinead Morrissey, for example, but with the end of the conflict in Northern Ireland, the whole culture of Ireland has changed. The influence that the conflict had on people’s lives, and on the way they expressed themselves, is gone. The context is just different now, and to imagine someone like a Seamus Heaney emerging from it is difficult.” –Terence Brown
ter for Ignatian Spirituality that emphasizes the University’s humanist/religious character, and I was very impressed. In Ireland, most third-level universities are associated with entrepreneurship or corporatism, with the mission to “serve the economy.” So it was refreshing to see a university produce a publication that extols the idea of creating educated, humane citizens.
What about Boston itself? Have you had the opportunity to explore the city? Unfortunately, I have been restricted by all this appalling weather. I’m not unfamiliar with New England in the winter, because some years ago I was a visiting professor at the University of Vermont. But it did not feel as bad as this. And I was younger then.
Still, if winter comes, can spring be far behind? Terence Brown will present the lecture “Amazing Grace: Evangelicalism & Ulster Literature” on April 3 at 4:30 p.m. in the Burns Library Thompson Room. The event, sponsored by the Center for Irish Programs and Burns Library, is free and open to the public. –Sean Smith
BC Irish Dance Robsham Show Is March 21 Boston College Irish Dance will present its annual campus performance on March 21 at 8 p.m. in Robsham Theater. This year’s show, titled “Treble,” will feature dances from Irish tradition as well as contemporary pieces choreographed by the 30-member student group. “Since we’ve been able to return our annual showcase to the St. Patrick’s Day season, we wanted to come up with a name that represented the ‘Irish nature’ of Irish dancing,” explains Megan McLaughlin ’14, the BC ID co-president. “A ‘treble’ is not only a component of music, but also the building-block move that makes up all of Irish heavy-shoe dances.” Making a guest appearance at “Treble” will be another student dance ensemble, Synergy, which draws on hip-hop influences for its high-energy performances. In addition, BC ID has invited several elementary schoolage members of the Boston-based O’SheaChaplin Academy of Irish Dance to take part in the show; founded in 1954 in Ireland and established in Boston during the 1960s, the O’Shea-Chaplin Academy is regarded as one of the most accomplished Irish dance schools in the US. Admission to the show is $10 (plus service fee); other information is available at www.bc.edu/ robsham. For more on Boston College Irish Dance, see www.bcirishdance.com. –Sean Smith
Sean Smith
How well did you know Heaney? I still feel a sense of loss and grief over his death. He was constantly a presence as a friend and encourager. He added a great enrichment to my life.
Lee Pellegrini
poetry. But I realized early on I just didn’t have the talent of others who were successful at it. I thought prose was what I should write.
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Trip Promotes Healing and Learning A group of students and faculty from the Connell School of Nursing traveled to the Dominican Republic for the first time in January for a new international nursing educational opportunity added to the school’s portfolio of existing programs in Haiti, Nicaragua, Ecuador, France and Switzerland. Through home visits, the CSON group assessed the health care issues for people in the bateyes, small villages surrounding the sugar cane fields outside San Pedro de Macorís in the Dominican Republic. The communities – typically very poor, with no running water in the homes – were built for workers to harvest the sugar, but are now occupied year-round. “There is great need there,” said CSON Clinical Instructor Rosemary Byrne, who led the weeklong trip. “But the people were very receptive, very engaged. They had a real thirst for knowledge and the whole experience was very encouraging.” Since it was the school’s inaugural trip to the DR, a lot of time was spent on relationship building, said Byrne, a certified family nurse practitioner who has provided nursing care to underserved populations in Guatemala, Ecuador and Nicaragua, as well as in Boston. The BC students brought coloring books and crayons, bubbles and other toys and games to engage the children. “Play is a universal language,” said Byrne, who holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BC. “They opened up their homes to us and we learned their stories, their music, how they cook and how they live,” she added. “As is the case with most international immersion trips, we learn more than we bring.” When asked what health issues they wanted to learn more about, the villagers chose asthma and hypertension, both prevalent problems among children and adults, respectively. The nursing students gave interactive presentations on these topics with visual aids. While awareness of health issues is high among the population, physical and financial barriers make prevention and treatment difficult. Environmental factors, such as dust and the smoke from the sugar cane factory, exacerbate asthma symptoms. The nearest health care clinic is four miles away, which includes a half-mile walk to the main road to catch a bus. The cost of transportation and medicine are impediments to getting
Connell School of Nursing faculty and students – including Clinical Instructor Terri Lacoursiere Zucchero (above) and Kerry O’Rourke ‘14 (right) – visited the Dominican Republic, where they performed health care assessments in several communities, and made a few friends in the process. Said CSON Clinical Instructor Rosemary Byrne: “They opened up their homes to us and we learned their stories, their music, how they cook and how they live.” (Photos by Sarah Bender ’14)
proper treatment. “Regardless of their hardships, the people living in the bateyes are some of the happiest, most spirited people I have ever had the pleasure of interacting with. They embody a strong sense of community and an unbreakable bond between families and neighbors,” said CSON senior Sarah Bender. “The two communities we visited were only a mile apart, but were organized differently and faced different issues. It is important for nurses to be good listeners and good observers.” Bender and the other undergraduates on the trip earned credit toward their community health clinical requirement. Since their return, the students have been working in Jamaica Plain, which has a large Dominican population. One of the trip highlights for Byrne was the farewell to the villagers. Byrne and Clinical Instructor Terri LaCoursiere Zucchero set out on a mission to give members of the community fruit. They found a vendor at an outdoor marketplace and bought a thousand tangerines
to distribute to every villager. “It sounds so little,” said Byrne, “but it meant so much.” Byrne, who teaches a summer Global Health Perspectives course in Ecuador through the Office of International Programs, says the opportunities for nursing students to gain international experience is something that sets the Connell School of Nursing apart from other nursing schools. Plans are underway for a return trip the DR next academic year. Other students on the CSON trip were seniors Alexandra Contino, Megan Hopper, Andrea Lopez, Clare Maguire and Kerry O’Rourke and graduate student Rosalinda Barrientos. View Bender’s video slideshow of the Dominican Republic trip at http://bit.ly/CSONtrip2014. –Kathleen Sullivan
Environmental Studies Major Continued from page 1 “First, we have the expertise across the University to build a strong program,” said Snyder. “Second, students have told us they are very interested in a social science-based, interdisciplinary environmental studies major.” The move fits into broader, national trends as well. US News & World Report has called environmental studies one of nine “new college majors with a future.” Building on the strengths of faculty in multiple departments, the major will expand collaborations among faculty and students throughout the College of Arts and Sciences, he said. In addition to Snyder, the working group that developed the major included faculty from the Political Science, Sociology, Biology, History and Philosophy departments and BC Law School. The major will consist of a minimum of 43 credits, or 14 full-semester classes, including four introductory environmental systems courses, two courses in environmental studies and a year-long senior seminar. Each environmental studies major will need to complete a sixcourse concentration in one of two theme-based tracks – Food and Water Sustainability or Climate Change and Societal Adaptation – or in the discipline of History, Political Science or Sociology. The major adds another option for students interested in the environment, joining the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department’s bachelor of science degree in environmental geoscience and BS in Geological Sciences, as well as the ES minor. Combined, the current programs serve 160 students. A sampling of courses includes the Economics Department’s Environmental Economics, History’s People and Nature, Sociology’s Society and Environmental Transformations, Philosophy’s Environ-
Assoc. Prof. Noah Snyder (Earth and Environmental Sciences), director of the Environmental Studies Program. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
mental Ethics and the University course Environmental Law and Policy. After an extensive academic review, the Office of the Provost and College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean David Quigley approved the new major in January. It is the first new interdisciplinary degree since the creation of the Islamic Civilization and Societies major. The University also offers interdisciplinary majors in Biochemistry, Film Studies and International Studies. Quigley said these programs have succeeded in connecting faculty from different specialties who share intersecting interests. “Our undergraduates have benefited from interdisciplinary majors like International Studies and Islamic Civilization and Societies over the last decade, and these programs have helped develop faculty collaborations in important areas,” said Quigley. “I’m pleased to welcome Environmental Studies as our newest interdisciplinary major in Arts and Sciences, and I look forward to strengthening teaching and research on the environment.” For more information about the new environmental studies major, see http://bit.ly/1e9IFsY. Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
Juniors Nanci Fiore-Chettiar and Chris Marchese were elected as president and vice-president, respectively, of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College for the 2014-15 academic year. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
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Carpenter Reflects on ‘Her Unbelievable Experience’ at Olympics
Continued from page 1 hockey pedigree that helped her become such a valuable member of the American squad. A native of North Reading, Mass., and the daughter of long-time NHL star Bobby Carpenter, Alex became a local hockey legend herself with record-breaking play (427 points in 100 prep games) at Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Mass., where she learned the fine points of the game from Coach “Babe” Ceglarski, son of BC’s celebrated former head hockey coach Len Ceglarski. At age 14, Carpenter was selected to play on Team USA’s Under-18 squad in world competition, earning herself valuable experience in international play and launching her Olympic hockey hopes. Carpenter chose to attend Boston College where she was recruited by former US Olympic gold medal-winner Katie King Crowley, the Eagles’ head hockey coach. In the college ranks, Carpenter continued her scoring assault on opposing goaltenders, notching 109 points in two varsity seasons and leading Hockey East in scoring with 70 points as a sophomore. After the 201213 season, she was selected New England “Player of the Year” and earned a host of additional national and regional honors for her outstanding efforts. On March 1, Carpenter joined Schaus and Stack for a return visit to Kelley Rink, where the trio displayed their new Olympic medallions, signed hundreds of autographs, posed for photos and celebrated their silver medal performance with appreciative Boston College fans. During the visit, Carpenter took a few minutes out of a hectic schedule to speak about her
Alex Carpenter ’16, at right in above photo, joined Olympic teammates and 2011 BC grads Kelly Stack and Molly Schaus March 1 at Kelly Rink to accept congratulations and greet fans. (Photos by John Quackenbos)
Olympic experience with Chronicle correspondent Reid Oslin. What has your schedule been like since the end of last hockey season? I was invited to the Team USA pre-Worlds camp last April and I made that team. The World Championships were in Ottawa and we won. Then, a couple of weeks later, some of us were called and invited
to go to the Team USA camp at Lake Placid in June. I think there were 41 players who took part in a week-long camp. The final roster was cut down to 25 for the national team. We had the summer on our own, and the group got together in Boston at the end of August. We trained together at rinks in Bedford and Woburn for almost six months. We also played in the Four Na-
CSOM Team Heads to Investment Competition Final Asserting Boston College’s claim as home to one of the finest business programs in the country, a team of MBA and MSF students is going global – heading to the finals of the Venture Capital Investment Competition, where they will take on top teams from around the country and the world. The team won the Northeast regionals at Babson College on Feb. 21, and now advances to the global finals on April 10-12 at the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, where they will take on UNC, Columbia, Berkeley, Brigham Young, University of Colorado, Yale and the international regional winners: Copenhagen, Oxford, Nanyang Technological University, and China
Europe International Business School. “We’re really confident; we feel like we can bring it home,” says team member Matthew Trainor, an evening MBA student. “Our level of preparedness is what helped us stand out.” Unlike a business plan competition where a team presents its own idea to venture capitalists, at the VCIC it’s the students who are the investors, and real entrepreneurs pitch to them. Judges critique the team’s interaction with the entrepreneur, the quality of the questions posed, the accuracy of its valuation of the entrepreneur’s business, and the reasonability of the terms between team and entrepreneur.
Trainor, along with teammates Matt Person, Xiakai Cheng, Zhen Wang, and Joe Mooney, credits advisor and Carroll School of Management Lecturer Greg Stoller with introducing them to so many mentors along the way. “We’ve met with real entrepreneurs,” says Trainor. “We met with real venture capitalists and a lawyer. They’ve been so generous with their time and they’ve given us such great insight.” “I’m incredibly proud of these five students,” says Stoller. “Most importantly, and well beyond VCIC, the knowledge they’ve acquired and discipline should be quite beneficial to their business careers.” –Sean Hennessey
tions Cup tournament in November [against teams from Canada, Sweden and Finland] and we had a lot of exhibition games against local guys’ teams at prep schools. We also played eight or nine exhibition games against Team Canada all over the US and Canada. What is it like to wear the “Team USA” sweater and to represent your country in international competition? I played on my first National team when I was about 14. I have always remembered how it was pretty special it was to put on that sweater. We did not march in the Opening Ceremonies at Sochi, as we had a game at noon the next day, so we thought as a team that it would better if we did not participate in that event. Our first game was against Finland and going out there as Team USA was pretty cool. Putting that USA jersey on for the first time [in Olympic competition] was a great feeling. What was Sochi like? It was different because it really was so warm over there. We really enjoyed it a lot. In spite of what some people may have been hearing back here, the accommodations were great and the food was unbelievable. They had food from every country – Russian, Japanese, Italian – and you could pick and choose what you wanted. I stuck with the American food [laughter] – mostly
normal sandwiches and things like that. The accommodations were great. Russia did a great job with providing the athletes with everything that we needed. Were you able to stay connected with Boston College? I kept up with what was going on with the BC team and kept in touch with a lot of the players. Some of them are my greatest friends. I am still a part of Boston College, regardless if I took the year off or not. What are your future plans – at BC and beyond? I’ll be back here next fall. I am studying psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences with a minor in general education. After graduation I will probably stick around Boston, maybe playing for the Boston Blades team in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. I will also hopefully get myself a job and train for the next Olympics. I definitely want to try it again and for as long as USA Hockey wants me in their system. I am going to be willing and able to go to the next Olympics in Pyeongchang [South Korea] in 2018. A final thought on the 2014 Olympics? We did pretty well, but obviously silver [medal] was not what we went over there to get. It was quite an honor, however. It was an unbelievable experience. I wouldn’t change it for the world. –Reid Oslin
BC Police Department Completes Accreditation
The Boston College Police Department has been formally accredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, making BCPD the state’s ninth campus law enforcement department to receive accreditation. To qualify, BCPD demonstrated compliance with more than 280 national standards and “best practices” through its policies and procedures, and was given an on-site review – in areas such as patrol operations, administrative procedures, recruitment, training, victim assistance, discipline and fiscal management – last November by the commission, which recommended accreditation. “The journey to accreditation began over three years ago, and we achieved an earlier milestone of certification in April of 2013,” said Public Safety Director and BC Police Chief John King, who praised BCPD Accreditation Manager Lt. Laurene Spiess for her in-depth knowledge of accreditation requirements and her preparation of the department for the formal assessment. “Nearly every member of the BCPD staff contributed to the achievement of accreditation, either through researching or writing policies or by providing important feedback during policy comment periods. Every member of the department can take great pride in the fact that BCPD has been evaluated against a body of professional standards.” The department will remained accredited for a three-year period and will be required to ensure that all policies and procedures are reviewed on a scheduled basis, and that new policies meet relevant standards. –Office of News & Public Affairs
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Conference on History of Religion Convenes March 28 Boston College’s fifth biennial Conference on the History of Religion later this month will examine how religious institutions, beliefs and practices challenge conceptions of the past, while also recognizing that religion is only one of a number of forces affecting human history. Sponsored by the History Department, “The Problem of Religion: Faith and Agency in History” takes place March 28 and 29 at several venues on campus. A keynote address by Harvard Divinity School Dean David Hempton will highlight the event, which brings together graduate students and established scholars from BC and around the US for discussions on methodology and themes in the work of historians of religion. Panels to be held during the conference include “Democratization and Lay Agency in Early American Religion,” “Faith, Slavery and Emancipation in the 19th century US South,” “History, Nationalism, and Community in Modern Judaism,” “Church, State, and Nation in 20th Century Eastern Europe” and “Faith on the American Frontier.” Gráinne McEvoy, a teaching fellow in the History Department who is co-organizing the conference, said this year’s theme is an attempt to build on the success of the 2012 edition, for which the goal was to focus on scholars who consider religion to be as valuable and legitimate a category of analysis in
history as race, class and gender. “We wanted this year’s theme, on faith and agency in history, to tease out one of the tensions at the heart of this argument that religion can be a fourth lens: figuring out when religion has been a determining force in human history and when it has not. We’re also hoping that the conference will open up a conversation about the role of scholars of religion in what some believe to be a secular age. “Some of our sessions plan to address this question, especially our opening lunchtime panel on teaching led by two graduates of the History Department’s PhD program, Andrew Finstuen and John Beiter, both of whom have been frequent attendees at the conference over the past decade.” McEvoy credited Clough Professor of History James O’Toole – who will serve as moderator and commentator for a panel on American religion and activism in the 1960s – for enabling graduate students to take leadership roles in the event. “Over the years, we’ve developed an effective pattern of passing on our organizing strategy from more senior members of the committee to the next group of upcoming grad students who then take the lead thereafter. We hope this continues for many years to come.” For more details on the conference, see http://bit. ly/1bP9DKT. –Sean Smith
Photographer Richard Ross Speaks at BC Law March 24 Richard Ross, an award-winning photographer whose most recent work explores the treatment of juveniles in the American justice system, will present a talk at the Law School on March 24 at 5:30 p.m. in East Wing 115 on the Newton Campus. The appearance at BC Law by Ross, the author of Juvenile in Justice – also the title of a related traveling exhibition he has displayed in several US cities as well as Vienna and Paris – coincides with the release of two reports on detention reform in Massachusetts by the Citizens For Juvenile Justice, which is sponsoring the event along with the Boston College Center for Human Rights and International Justice, the Boston College Arts and Social Responsibility Project. A Distinguished Professor of Art at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Ross has published a dozen books of his work, and photographed for the Canadian Center for Architecture, Nike, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Examiner and Vogue, among others. His honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the American Library Association Alex Award and the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Award for Best News and Documentary Photography. To register for the event, go to http://bit.ly/1fujQaA. –Office of News & Public Affairs
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Newsmakers Assoc. Prof. Joseph Tecce (Psychology) was among experts asked by NBCNews.com to interpret Russian president Vladimir Putin’s body language during a recent news conference. Assoc. Prof. of Macro Practice Marylou Sudders (GSSW) discussed with Fox News Boston controversial issues related to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Office of Health Promotion nutritionist Sheila Tucker, an adjunct faculty member at the Connell School of Nursing, assessed proposed changes to nutrition labels in an interview with New England Cable News.
The Boston Club Club recently presented a donation to University President William P. Leahy, SJ, to benefit a scholarship fund for Boston’s inner-city students. With Fr. Leahy were (L-R) Boston College Club Executive Committee Vice Chairman Jack Concannon ’87, Executive Committee member Jack MacKinnon ’62, BC Club General Manager Meredith Waites, BC Club Chairman Jack Joyce ’61, MBA ’70, and Executive Committee member Owen Lynch ’56. (Photo by Ed Hayward)
Prof. Patrick Maney (History) discussed with Fox News Boston The National Archives’ release of some 4,000 pages of previously confidential documents related to the Clinton Administration.
Honors/Appointments
The best way to ensure corporations are positive influences in an economy, much less a society, is to construct a framework of financial, workplace, and environmental regulation, wrote Prof. Kent Greenfield (Law) in an op-ed for the Boston Globe. Prof. David Hollenbach, SJ, holder of the University Chair in Human Rights and International Justice, was among experts interviewed by Catholic News Service for a video history
of religious liberty from Constantine to Vatican II.
BC BRIEFING Asst. Prof. Peter Krause (Political Science) discussed the key differences between united and hegemonic power and the internal structure of violent and nonviolent national movements in a podcast for MIT Press Journals.
Publications Prof. Emeritus Harvey Egan, SJ (Theology), published “Hell: The Mystery of Eternal Love and Eternal Obduracy” in Theological Studies. Asst. Prof. Charles Gallagher, SJ (History) published an article on the
NOTA BENE Lynch School of Education Thomas More Brennan Professor Andy Hargreaves received the 2014 Outstanding Book Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Hargreaves and co-author Michael Fullan, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, were recognized for their book Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. The award recognizes exemplary books that make a significant contribution to the field of educator preparation. The AACTE Committee on Research and Dissemination, which reviewed nominations for the award, praised the book for its conceptual richness and its elegant writing. Professional Capital draws on examples from the United States and other countries to offer a vision of a stronger teaching profession, rejecting the current US trend to focus on narrowly defined learning outcomes. The book also has been honored by the University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences and ForeWord magazine. The Dogs of Littlefield, a novel by part-time English Department faculty member Suzanne Berne, has been nominated for the Baileys Prize, the United Kingdom’s most prestigious annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Her first novel, A Crime in the Neighborhood, won the prize in 1999.
Catholic Church and terrorism in Socialist History.
Prof. Dorothy Jones (CSON) has been selected as one of the Top 100 Alumni Legacy Leaders by Indiana University School of Nursing, in honor of Indiana University’s 100th anniversary.
Time and a Half Music Department Chair Prof. Michael Noone presented the invited paper “Performing Spanish Golden Age polyphony in the digital age” at the International University of Andalucia in Baeza, Spain. McIntyre Professor of Mathematics Solomon Friedberg served as Distinguished Ordway Visitor at the University of Minnesota, where he presented a series of lectures on “Descent Integrals and Theta Functions.”
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: Vice President for Human Resources Assistant General Manager, Dining Services Senior Associate Athletic Director for Marketing Resident Director, Residential Life Financial Systems Manager Research Assistant, Connell School of Nursing Associate Director, Annual Giving Classes, Development Web Services Librarian, O’Neill Library Grant Developer, Office of Sponsored Programs Assistant Manager, Dining Services Assistant Coach, Men’s Soccer
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LOOKING AHEAD Nearly 40 and Still Fresh, a Groundbreaking Play Comes to Robsham The cast of the BC production of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” taking place at Robsham Theater next week. (Photo by Daniel Zawodny)
By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer
Nearly four decades after its debut, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” – the groundbreaking play that evokes the power of womanhood – will be interpreted by a new generation of Boston College students in a campus production being staged at Robsham Theater March 19-23. The eight-member cast is garnering first-hand knowledge and insights from the play’s guest artist, Robbie McCauley, a nationally known performance artist who acted in the award-winning 1976 Broadway production of “For Colored Girls.” She is serving this semester as the University’s Monan Professor in Theatre Arts. Directed by Associate Professor of Theatre John Houchin, the production is choreographed by Pam Newton, a dancer who has choreographed many University shows. A dramatic and powerful work first performed in 1975, “For Colored Girls” is a series of 20 poems — called a “choreopoem” by author Ntozake Shange — and embraces the experience of all women of color. These “dark phrases of womanhood,” as Shange describes her poems, tell of the complications and sorrows, as well as the joys and hopes carried by these women. “In her poems, Ntozake Shange told the story of black women who face the struggle to engage their lives as fully realized persons,” said Houchin. “Almost 40 years later,
BC SCENES
this cast of Boston College women is giving their interpretation of how this poet’s voice speaks to them. I am really thrilled to have played a part in making this project happen.” “For Colored Girls” includes music and dance, and presents the audience with an intimate vision of the decisions, loves and prayers that the women take on throughout their lives. Each character faces unique challenges: One finds herself thrown onto a riverboat stage, roiling with drunken white gamblers; another, a dancer who “kept smilin’ and right on steppin’,” deals with an ill-fated partnership; a third young woman’s life is changed when she is attacked by someone she thought was a friend. Issues of race, gender and identity are explored in a passionate, rhythmical voice throughout the
play; each character uses dance and poetry to move past adversity into a full life. Evolving from ancient mythologies of femininity and connected to the experiences of women living now, the play is bound to the poet’s own depth and personality, say the production organizers. Shange mines the mislaid, difficult and misunderstood stories of deities, nannies, artists and others, and celebrates their steps, grimaces, struts and poems in an unforgettable piece of lyric theater. The Broadway production won the Obie Award and was nominated for a Tony Award. A 2010 film adaptation, directed by Tyler Perry, featured an all-star ensemble cast. “The young women who have been cast for the Boston College production show an impressive range of
talent and intelligence in their work on Shange’s now-classic play,” McCauley said. “When I was honored to participate in its Broadway production over three decades ago, I knew we were in a revolutionary cultural moment, but did not imagine how relevant its themes would remain, not only ‘for colored girls,’ but for the society-at-large.” The Boston College student cast includes Raven Tillman ’14, juniors Ashlie Pruitt and Sydney McNeil; Toluwase Oladapo ’16; seniors Monica Wright and Ashley Branch, Medina Geyer ’16 and Kate Henry ’15, an exchange student from the University of Glasgow. Assisting with choreography is Johanna Facada ’14. “BC’s diverse cast,” McCauley
said, “continues to teach and learn with each other, which the play allows for, and to work diligently to enlighten and entertain.” McCauley – who, as guest artist, serves as the production’s dramaturge and acting teacher – began her theater work in the late 1960s with Negro Ensemble Company in New York City. During her career, she has combined writing, directing and performing with teaching, most recently at Emerson College, where she is now a professor emeritus. McCauley is regarded as a pioneer in an innovative mode of theatrical performance that has become commonplace in 21st-century American theater: the use of personal and family narratives to create an extended monologue written and presented by a solo performer. An OBIE Award playwright for her most famous work, “Sally’s Rape,” McCauley is an acclaimed performance artist and director. Her most recent play, “Sugar,” chronicles her lifelong struggle with diabetes while ruminating on the role of slavery in the Caribbean sugar trade. “Sugar,” which she performed at BC in December, received wide critical praise, while McCauley earned an Independent Reviewers of New England Award for its staging at ArtsEmerson in Boston, under the direction of Maureen Shea. For performance times and ticket purchases, see www.bc.edu/robsham or call 617-552-4002. Adult tickets are $15 and $10 for students. Seating is very limited. Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu
MANY DESTINATIONS AHEAD Students in the Appalachia Volunteers program for spring break week filled St. Ignatius Church for the traditional send-off Mass on Feb. 28, the night before their departure. (Below) Celebrant Casey Beaumier, SJ, welcomed the students, who served at 26 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. For more about this year’s spring break activities, see page 4.
Photos by Christopher Huang