The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of University Communications march 30, 2017 VOL. 24 no. 14
BC Summer Session Expands Its Offerings
INSIDE women’s hockey: 2 •BC disappointed, not down
By Patricia Delaney Deputy Director of University Communications
•EagleMUNC turns five •See/Hear/Do to co-direct 3 •Bailey Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program
talks about Alumni 4 •Moore Global Days of Service
Boston College student dance groups – including MASTI, above – were in the spotlight at the annual ALC Showdown, held last Saturday in Conte Forum. More photos on page 8. (Photo by Yiting Chen)
Offering a Gateway First-generation college students find support, camaraderie through Boston College program By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
•BC representatives meet Pope Francis award-winning 5 •Historian’s book finds modern lessons in medieval disaster
•BC to host conference on university ethics •Excellence in Teaching Day is May 8 all-female duo to 6 •First lead UGBC •Photos: Connell School Pinnacle Lecture
7 •Photo: Laetare Sunday •Obituary: Thomas “Tucker” Walsh •BC in the Media; BC Briefings; job listings Burns Visiting 8 •Q&A: Scholar Kevin Barry
An innovative Boston College program designed to support firstgeneration college students majoring in the life sciences is now in its fifth year and has expanded to include students who are considered underrepresented minorities. The Gateway Scholars Program is a two-year instructional program for a select group of 30 to 35 life science majors (biology, biochemistry, chemistry). The cohort takes the same courses required of all BC freshman and sophomore science majors, but are typically enrolled in smaller
classes and have a for-credit weekly discussion section. The smaller class size allows for better interaction with the instructor and gives students more opportunities to ask questions and seek help if needed. Associate Professor of Biology Kathy Dunn, who created the Gateway Scholars Program and was its advisor for three years, said the program was designed to combat national trends showing that first-generation college students leave the sciences faster and in larger percentages than other students. A key component of the proContinued on page 3
This summer, students can examine the world of financial fraud through forensic accounting; attend a coding boot camp; learn digital design; navigate the interplay between politics and media; encounter Boston’s history by exploring its neighborhoods, or take advantage of any of the many opportunities for academic credit or enrichment available through the newly expanded Boston College Summer Session. And some of them can do it from home. In addition to increasing its array of classroom-based courses, Boston College Summer Session now offers a number of hybrid courses (blending traditional and online learning), as well as – for the first time – six fully online, for-credit undergraduate courses, for the convenience of students, staff, or alumni who need or want to take a course while they are away from campus. In addition, new, two-week “study away” domestic programs will provide an alternative travel experience for students unable to take a semester abroad. BC Summer Session programs include options for undergraduate, graduate, and – through Boston Col-
lege Experience – high school students, all of which take place during the period that director Dee Masiello refers to as the University’s “third term.” Courses are available in subject areas from accounting to theology, including some unique, fun courses exclusively offered in summer, she said. The varying methods of course delivery are designed to accommodate students’ changing needs. “The online courses meet the same standards for academic rigor, objectives, and outcomes as any other BC course,” said Masiello. And, she said, they also “create amazing opportunities for students to interact with faculty and with one another.” Faculty for the online courses include recipients of BC’s Dean of Summer Session Teaching Fellowships, which are open to fifth-year doctoral students in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, and offered in conjunction with the Office of the Provost and MCA&S. These fellowships are awarded to students nominated by their departments and chosen by an academic selection committee. Among other activities, the recipients attend a series of seminars on teaching excellence and pedagogy, receive grounding in online instruction, and participate in an intensive dissertation writing Continued on page 3
J. DONALD MONAN, SJ: 1924-2017
University Community Says Farewell to a Leader By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
He was, according to one eulogist, a Renaissance man: a man of faith; an academic of high intellect; a leader who gathered talent and resources to achieve ambitious goals; and an intense competitor and inveterate sports fan who liked to lace up his skates for a turn on the Conte Forum ice. But J. Donald Monan, SJ – Boston College’s longest-serving president – also was known for paying attention to the small
things that made a difference in people’s lives, like a promise made to a young boy at a hockey game. Family members, colleagues and friends packed St. Ignatius Church for a Mass of Christian Burial on March 22 to remember the life and legacy of Fr. Monan, who died on March 18 at the age of 92. Fr. Monan, who was president from 1972-96 and then served as BC’s first chancellor, was credited with saving the University Joseph O’Keefe, SJ, Robert Keane, SJ, John Hanwell, SJ, and Univerfrom fiscal crisis and guiding it (L-R) sity President William P. Leahy, SJ, concelebrated the March 22 funeral Continued on page 6 Mass for J. Donald Monan, SJ. (Photo by Gary Gilbert)
QUOTE:
“Service is in the fabric of what students encounter during their days at the Heights. This is one of the many threads that alumni carry with them as they spread across the globe and they have a strong desire to continue to serve the communities in which they live and work.” –Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Joy Haywood Moore, page 4
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle march 30, 2017
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A ROUND
C AMPUS
A MODEL PROGRAM EagleMUNC, a Boston College organization dedicated to providing one of the most innovative experiences on the Model United Nations circuit, recently celebrated its fifth anniversary with a weekend-long conference held at the Westin Copley Place in Boston. Each year, BC undergraduates plan and run the event – which was named “Most Innovative” by a website ranking MUN teams across the country – for hundreds of high school students from around the country. This year, schools from Canada and Greece sent representatives, lending the conference an international perspective. EagleMUNC Under Secretary General of External Affairs Amelie Trieu ’18 says EagleMUNC is
at EagleMUNC was the Lobby Corps committee, to provide delegates an opportunity to sway policy-making in other committees by using their own personal budgets, often with the intent of creating a Utopian society. In addition, EagleMUNC this year experimented with virtual reality in the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and a 40hour simulation exercise in which delegates received 3 a.m. e-mails and had to resolve crises between pre-scheduled committee sessions. A new smartphone app helped to enhance the advisor and delegate experience throughout the conference. Trieu said these and other changes EagleMUNC has made over the years reflect the various suggestions
Participants taking a vote at the recent EagleMUNC.
committed to the advancement of a globally conscious society through experiential education, a collaborative community, and forward thought. “The three pillars of our mission include education, community and innovation,” said Trieu. “We believe in experiential learning rooted in the global reality and pledged first and foremost to promote diversity and opportunity in every aspect of the conference. “We strive to foster a broad and collaborative community through which every educator and student takes part in meaningful and honest dialogue on the world and how to best understand it, and we rest on a foundation of forward thought and strive to perpetually innovate to advance our mission.” Echoing this year’s theme “The Interplay of Power and Ethics,” keynote speaker FBI Special Agent Jeff Woods talked about the difficulty in discerning the line between right and wrong, especially when one has the ability to abuse his or her power. Among the changes introduced
and comments received from participants. “We take the feedback very seriously and work hard to create a meaningful experience for all of the students in attendance.” Suzanne Larson and Jennifer Borden, Model UN advisors for Seekonk High School, praised EagleMUNC. “Since its founding, EagleMUNC has grown and evolved into the fully immersive event that it is today. The recent addition of the Ad-Hoc and Lobby Corps committees present a unique challenge to students who are experienced and able to nimbly adapt to a demanding simulation,” said Larson. Added Borden, “Our students look forward to EagleMUNC as a highlight of our competitive year, and my co-advisor and I are so happy that there are challenges to engage every student, from novice to seasoned debater.” To learn more about EagleMUNC and the conference, see EagleMUNC.org –Siobhan Sullivan
associate Vice President of UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of University communications Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith
Contributing Staff Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Siobhan Sullivan Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini
“CAN’T WAIT” Boston College women’s hockey coach Katie Crowley is clearly a glass-half-full type of person. While the Eagles’ 201617 season ended in excruciating fashion, losing in the March 17 national semi-final on a goal with 16 seconds left in regulation – this coming one year after losing both the national championship game and an undefeated record – she remains upbeat about the team’s achievements, and the program’s overall progress. “This was the third time in a row we made it to the Frozen Four, and seventh in the last eight years,” said Crowley, sitting in her office a few days removed from the 1-0 loss to Wisconsin. “That’s where we want to be, year in and year out: in a position to play for the national championship.” But 2016-17 shaped up like a season in which BC would at best fly under the radar, or perhaps not at all. A drop-off from a 40-1-0 record was to be expected, especially with the departure of some key players – including seniors Alex Carpenter, who had won national best player honors in 2015, and Haley Skarupa, the second-highest scoring player in BC hockey history (both men and women). Crowley believed the incoming freshmen, as well as the returning players, would bolster the team. She also looked for 2015-16 co-captain Andie Anastos to take on a greater leadership role as a senior, along with assistant captains Kristyn Capizzano ’17 and Megan Keller ’18. “As co-captain last year, Andie learned a lot of little things that worked to help the team – and others that she could tweak,” said Crowley. “She’s a very grounded person, and she really looked out for the team. Kristyn and Megan also did an outstanding job, too, even if it sometimes meant putting friendships to the side.” As the season unfolded, the
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BC women’s hockey came up a little short in the Frozen Four, but coach Katie Crowley says the program is “where want to be, year in and year out: in a position to play for the national championship.” (Photo by John Quackenbos)
Eagles had to make adjustments common to most teams – weathering injuries, for example – and others that were not: “Our juniors had never lost a game at home, and our sophomores had never lost a regularseason game,” noted Crowley. “So then we lost three games in the fall part of the season, and a home game in February. “But you know, when we got to the end of regular season, we only had five total losses, so you start thinking, ‘Maybe we have something here.’” By the time the NCAA Tournament started, Crowley felt she had a battle-tested team that would be able to handle the pressures of postseason play. Against Wisconsin, the No. 1 ranked team in the country, the Eagles held their own until the very end.
“After the game, I told the team I was proud of them, proud of what they accomplished,” said Crowley. “There’s not much you can say: The game was practically in overtime, and if it had gone there, who knows what might’ve happened? At that level, you’re going up against the very best, and there’s just no margin for error. “They were disappointed, of course, and I felt bad for them, but they also see the bigger picture, which is that – except for three seniors – we expect everyone back next year. So there’s no reason to think we can’t make it to the Frozen Four again.” “Next year” begins sooner than one might think, what with winter ending. “We start practicing in mid-September,” said Crowley, adding with a laugh. “Can’t wait.” –Sean Smith
Two faculty members are sharing some of their “extracurricular activity” – photography – at an exhibit now on display at the Carney Gallery (second floor of Carney Hall). “See What I See,” which runs until April 7, showcases work by Prof. Daniel Kirschner (Biology) and Center for Centers Director Peter Marino. Kirschner’s subject matter ranges from urban and rural landscapes to themed topics including architecture, seascapes, abstract geometries and more. Marino describes his photography interest as a “focus on dilapidated beauty” – including “old buildings, old towns, old bits of architectural salvage, even a rotting door.” Student instrumental and vocal jazz ensemble BC bOp! is dedicating its April 1 show “bOp! Noir” in Robsham Theater to Campus Minister JoJo David, who died in 2016. David was the ensemble’s vocal coach and was regarded as a friend and mentor by many members. As part of the show, BC bOp! alumni will perform one of David’s songs. Go to www.bc.edu/tickets. The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)5523350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135.
A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
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Chronicle march 30, 2017
Gateway Scholars Program Continued from page 1 “Many of us in the program Washington School of Medicine. gram is that beginning freshman year, each Gateway Scholar is as- come from small towns and small After graduation in May, signed a faculty advisor in the Bi- high schools,” said senior Harry Cheung is planning to take a gap ology or Chemistry departments, Cheung, a double biology and year to work while also applying with whom they meet regularly. psychology major whose parents to medical school for entry in the “All this gives Gateway stu- are immigrants from China and fall of 2018. dents early tethering to the de- did not attend college or high Wolfman and Rebecca Dunn’s partment,” explained Dunn. school. “[Gateway’s] small class commitment to, and care for, the “Making these connections early sizes allowed us a sense of com- Gateway Scholars is abundantly is one of the intangibles that fort while taking our first science evident. Earlier this month, they classes. make the program work.” organized a career panel for the “Professor Rebecca Dunn’s students featuring a medical stuThe Gateway Scholars Program operates in connection with Molecules & Cells course was the dent, a nurse practitioner and a the Learning to Learn Office and very first class that I had at BC. I professional in the pharmaceutiis supported by the Office of the can honestly say that the energy cal industry, to highlight different [she] puts into her work inspired career opportunities in the life Provost. “The Gateway Program is a me to stay in the sciences. She sciences. good example of a way depart- was able to convey how fascinatEvery year, Wolfman and his ments can collaborate to help ing science truly is and made me wife host the Gateway Scholars at first-generation coltheir home in Dover lege students,” said for a homemade dinVice Provost for Unner. Rebecca Dunn dergraduate Academoffers a special handsic Affairs Akua Sarr. on program over seAssistant Professor mester break where of the Practice of BiGateway students ology Rebecca Dunn learn lab skills, design and Visiting Assistant experiments and conProfessor of Chemduct data analysis. istry Neil Wolfman The group also takes have been instructors outings to the Musein the program since um of Fine Arts and its inception. They, other Boston spots. Faculty member Neil Wolfman (at center below) and his wife host along with Director Gateway Scholars for dinner every year, among other activities to “I probably try of Biology Laborato- help program participants bond. (Photos courtesy Neil Wolfman) to meet with Prories Douglas Warner, fessor Wolfman at also serve as faculty least once per semesadvisors. ter to talk about my According to Reacademic and career becca Dunn, the cogoals,” said senior hort model and facMelissa Chin, a bioulty support are the chemistry major and keys to the success medical humanities of the Gateway Prominor. “He has been gram. unbelievably gracious “The students in in offering me adthe cohort all know vice, writing me recone another. This ommendations, and removes the intimiserving as a reference dation and they are during my many apfall in love with science.” completely uninhibited.” plication processes. I have been Gateway also offers peer men- unbelievably privileged to have “It’s a community,” added Wolfman, the 2015 Boston Col- toring, where freshmen can get had him as a professor and menlege Phi Beta Kappa Teaching guidance from seniors who have tor.” Award winner. Both Wolfman gone through the program. “Professor Wolfman’s GenThis year, the Gateway Pro- eral Chemistry classes gave me the and Rebecca Dunn noted that the cohort’s cohesiveness extends gram was opened up to include most important skill I have acoutside the classroom to study students who identified as under- quired at BC: the ability to think groups, video game hangouts and represented minorities. Students critically,” said Cheung. “Even who are candidates for the Gate- though many people dread his shopping trips. “They have a close relation- way Program are invited to listen class because of how difficult it is, ship with me and Neil. There’s to a presentation during orienta- I do not think I would have been an extended family feeling,” tion and, if interested, are then en- successful in the sciences without added Rebecca Dunn, who also couraged to apply to the program. him. He taught me that, regardThe first cohort of Gateway less of what you are doing, hard lauds the diversity present in the Scholars graduated in 2016. Run- work and conscientious thinking cohort. Program instructors have dell Douglas ’16, who majored in can help you tackle any situation.” found that Gateway Scholars are biology, is now a graduate student See www.bc.edu/schools/cas/ more likely to come from less in George Washington Univer- gatewayscholars.html for more on well-ranked high schools, and sity’s Milken Institute School of the Gateway Scholars Program. thus have had fewer AP course Public Health. Matthew Blake opportunities or less preparation ’16, also a biology major who Contact Kathleen Sullivan at than their BC peers. The goal of completed a biostatistics summer kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu the Gateway Program is to bridge program at Harvard, is a research technologist at the University of that gap.
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Bailey to Co-direct Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program Kathleen Bailey, associate director of the University’s Islamic Civilization and Societies Program, has been appointed co-director of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, Boston College’s premier undergraduate academic program. Bailey, an associate professor of the practice in the Political Science Department, will share leadership of the program along with Canisius Professor of Theology James Keenan, SJ, who has been director since 2010. The Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program provides an integrated educational experience for BC’s most accomplished students. “I’m pleased to have Kathy Bailey join Jim Keenan in leading the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program beginning this summer,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “Jim has pro-
vided visionary leadership since he took over as director, and I expect Kathy’s term as co-director to advance the program’s commitment to our talented scholars and their formation. Kathy has long provided exceptional service across the University and I very much look forward to working with her in this new leadership role.” “It is a delight and an honor to be named as co-director for a program I’ve worked with for many years,” said Bailey, who began teaching at BC in 1984. “I know the effort and attention that each Presidential Scholar receives, and I’m happy to share the work with Jim. The standards of excellence he has set get higher every year, in particular the increasing global and international dimension of the program.” –University Communications
Summer Session Expands Continued from page 1 weekend. Each fellow will teach two of the summer courses. “The combination of attending an intensive weekend to assist them in timely completion of their dissertation and receiving a credential of competency in both onground and online teaching really gives these fellowship recipients a competitive edge, and allows them to bond across disciplinary lines,” said Masiello, in addition to ensuring effective instruction for the courses. Also new to BC Summer Session are the Study Away Domestic Programs: two-week, eight-hourper-day experiences that provide BC students with three credits toward an elective, with departmental approval. In one, cross-listed in sociology and environmental studies, students will travel to Detroit to explore how the city is regenerating itself through urban agriculture. The other is a literary and artistic experience in New York City, which will pair morning classes with afternoon museum excursions and other cultural activities. The University is rolling out additional options for high school students to live and learn on campus, as well, said Masiello, with two- and three-week Boston College Experience programs joining the traditional six-week BCE Honors sessions, and a new emphasis on STEM-focused courses. In Exploring Forensic Science – a two-week program designed in part by Connell School of Nursing Professor Ann Burgess, a nationally noted expert in forensic nursing – students will be taken to the lab to evaluate evidence from mock crime scenes and through virtual case studies. Participants in the three-week National Disasters and
Catastrophes program will examine natural events from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes to meteorite impacts and pandemic diseases, with field visits to BC’s Weston Observatory. Other two- and three-week programs include the NECIR Journalism Institute, a collaboration with the New England Center for Investigative Reporting at Boston University; the Business and Leadership Institute; an English Language Immersion; and the BCE Summer Challenge in creative writing, psychology, or media and communications. The six-week sessions include BCE Honors, in which a student can participate in two Boston College Summer Session courses for undergraduates; Writers in the Making, which features seminars, workshops, and field experiences run by BC English Department faculty members; and Math Experience, in which students sharpen their problemsolving skills through a curriculum overseen by BC mathematics faculty. All of the Boston College Experience programs prepare students for the transition to college life through coursework, extracurricular activities, reflection, and the opportunity to build relationships with other students from around the country and world, said Masiello. Summer Session courses have start dates in May and June. For details about undergraduate and graduate courses and registration, see www.bc.edu/schools/summer.html. For more information and start dates of BCE programs for high school students, go to www.bc.edu/schools/ summer/bce.html. Contact Patricia Delaney at patricia.delaney@bc.edu
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Chronicle march 30, 2017
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Making a Difference in the World
There are a lot of reasons to like the Alumni Association’s upcoming Global Days of Service, and Joy Haywood Moore is very happy to talk about them vice projects. For more on the 2017 project, see http://tinyurl.com/m5advdh. How has the Boston College Global Days of Service initiative evolved since its launch a dozen years ago, and to what do you attribute its success, in terms of engaging and inspiring our alumni to participate? Global Days of Service invites and unites the Boston College community – its alumni, parents, and friends – to follow the call of St. Ignatius to transform the world through making a difference in the lives of others in the areas we live, work, and play. We are asking our community to serve in a planned project, lead a project, or share the details of an individual project – including the volunteering they do on an ongoing basis. Since its start a dozen years ago, [it] has evolved from roughly five projects in big US cities to more than 40 in cities across the globe. Alumni, parents, families and friends now look forward to this annual opportunity. The 10th-
Pope Francis meeting earlier this month with a delegation that included three members of the University community.
Canisius Professor of Theology James Keenan, SJ, director of the University’s Jesuit Institute, led a contingent of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church members on a trip to Rome, which culminated in a private audience with Pope Francis on St. Patrick’s Day. According to National Catholic Reporter, the pontiff met for nearly an hour with the representatives of CTEWC, a global network of moral theologians, speaking with them on the role their work plays in helping people understand the deeper roots of Catholic teachings. “He really applauded us for our work focusing on [building] nonpolarizing dialogue among over 1,000 members in our network,” Fr. Keenan told NCR [read the full story at http://bit.ly/theologiannetwork]. The group – which included BC Professor of Theology Kristin Heyer, Jesuit Institute Associate Director Toni Ross, and colleagues from Dublin, Berlin, Slovenia and Buenos Aires – also met with leaders from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Alphonsianum Academy of the Lateran University, and Pontifical Urban University – where Fr. Keenan lectured on Moral Discernment in History at a conference. Also on the agenda were meetings with Cardinal Prefects of six Congregations, and Father Arturo Sosa SJ, 31st General of the Society of Jesus. Their goal, according to CTEWC founder Fr. Keenan, was to build bridges with Roman and Vatican institutions in advance of its third international conference in 2018 in Sarajevo. “It was a blessed week,” he said. —University Communications For more on the papal audience, read an interview with attendee and former Jesuit Institute fellow Emilce Cuda of Buenos Aires’s Pontifical Catholic University at http://bit.ly/cuda-interview.
Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Joy Haywood Moore
Lee Pellegrini
In the Jesuit tradition of “men and women for others,” Boston College alumni embrace opportunities to continue to make a difference in the world after their time at the Heights. The Alumni Association’s popular Global Days of Service initiative – which this year runs April 1 through May 31 – gives all Eagles a chance to unite and serve in their communities, whether in the Boston area, around the country or across the globe. An army of dedicated BC volunteers will fan out to make a collective impact, sharing their time, talent and resources to make a difference in the lives of others. Through service projects both big and small, they will reconnect with fellow classmates, make new friends, and share in the Jesuit ideals that are central to the University’s mission. Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Joy Haywood Moore ’81, H’10 discussed with Chronicle the importance of the initiative, which last year drew some 1,300 participants who volunteered more than 1,800 hours for 40 ser-
year anniversary of Global Days of Service coincided with the 150th anniversary of Boston College. For this special milestone, we engaged participants in the highly successful “150 on the Road” meal-packing events in eight cities around the world, including Dublin. This project put BC “on the map” as a serious contributor on the world stage in helping to fight hunger. Is this initiative unique to Boston College, in terms of rallying alumni to volunteer to this extent? Many institutions hold service days as a part of their alumni programming. The scope and size of these projects vary as widely as the institutions that host them. One unique aspect about the Boston College Global Days of Service is that we collaborate with the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and share our service projects with the network of all 28 Jesuit institutions to encourage our alumni community to come together in service for others. How many alumni volunteers are anticipated to take part this year, and in how many different service projects and locations? This year, projects will take place in 40-plus locations and we anticipate participation by over 1,300 alumni, parents, families, and friends. What are some examples of the types of 2017 volunteer efforts – in the Boston area, across the country and around the world? Many of the projects are addressing food insecurity and hunger; as such, there are many projects at food banks and pantries. There are also projects at schools, homeless shelters, safe-houses and environmental clean-ups. In the
Boston area, alumni will serve at the Greater Boston Food Bank, St. Francis House and Rosie’s Place, among others. Alumni often participate with their children and other family members. What feedback have you gotten from them about their experiences? Alumni enjoy bringing their children, families, and friends into the BC community through service, as being “men and women for others” celebrates one of the core values of a Jesuit education. Justin McCarthy ’87, a dedicated volunteer leader in the Los Angeles area, describes it like this: “I feel energized when I volunteer. Helping others takes me outside of my regular routine, makes me grateful for my own life – and I always meet great people! Boston College service projects at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank have exposed me to the hunger and overwhelming needs of people
right in my own community. On BC volunteer days, participants usually include Eagles of a large range of ages, majors – and everyone has a different story. What’s fun is we all share memories and traditions that bring us back to our own special time at Boston College. Volunteering as part of BC’s Global Days of Service connects me to something bigger than what is happening in my own community. The collective efforts of our alumni around the world are awesome!” What do you hope these alumni participants take away from their involvement in Global Days of Service? We hope that those who participate feel a greater connection to their communities, the BC community, and the Jesuit spirit. We want our alumni, parents and friends to know that their University is committed to keeping them engaged in meaningful ways that demonstrate our pride and ongoing endeavors to be “Eagles for Others!” What would you say on behalf of BC to these alumni volunteers about the importance of their participation? And to those considering volunteering for the Global Days of Service? Service is in the fabric of what students encounter during their days at the Heights. This is one of the many threads that alumni carry with them as they spread across the globe and they have a strong desire to continue to serve the communities in which they live and work. To those considering volunteering for Global Days of Service: Join us! You will meet new people, have fun, and give back to your community. –Rosanne Pellegrini
A Global Days of Service event in Los Angeles from 2013. “Alumni enjoy bringing their children, families, and friends into the BC community through service,” according to Moore. (Photo by Scott Wynn)
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Chronicle march 30, 2017
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DEADLY WATERS
Conference to Discuss ‘A Culture of University Ethics’
What can a catastrophic event in medieval China tell us about man and environment? Plenty, says Ling Zhang.
The scenario is a familiar one: Floodwaters ravage communities, causing widespread death and destruction. Questions are raised about authorities’ land management and responses to the disaster. Consequences, for the land and its people, are far-reaching and in some cases permanent. Hurricane Katrina, the great Mississippi flood of 1927 and similar events in modern history – including the recent crisis at the Oroville Dam in California – often serve as case studies for the complex relationship between man and environment. But Associate Professor of History Ling Zhang finds equally compelling lessons from a disaster in medieval China, and her book on the subject has been recognized by the premier organization in the emerging, interdisciplinary field of environmental history. Zhang’s The River, the Plain, and the State: An Environmental Drama in Northern Song China, 1048-1128 has been selected for the American Society for Environmental History’s 2017 George Perkins Marsh Prize as the best book on environmental history. She is the second BC History faculty member to earn the Marsh Prize, along with 2003 recipient Conevery Bolton Valencius. The book centers on an event in the northeast of China in 1048, when the Yellow River breached its banks. The river drastically changed its course and turned the Hebei Plain into a delta, altering – and in many cases destroying – the lives of millions in Hebei. Award winners are often known to call an honor “unexpected,” but the sentiment seems entirely appropriate for Zhang, who had considered herself somewhat of an outlier in the environmental history field. In any event, she is gratified by her selection for the Marsh Prize. “I feel as if I’m accepted by my peers, and that’s something I truly appreciate,” says Zhang, who joined the BC faculty in 2012. “When I started out, I was an economic historian. I never knew there was a field for environmental history, never trained to become part of it, and didn’t have a sense of the fundamental questions or the methodology that characterize the discipline.” At the outset, environmental history research tended to focus on American issues and events in the “early modern” and “modern” eras (especially from the 18th century on), she says. In recent years, the field has increasingly adopted a more global perspective, although still mainly Western-oriented. While medieval China represents a point of departure in en-
vironmental history scholarship, Zhang says it offers some advantages. Chinese historical records, even from that era, are meticulous and extensive, and thus help offer a detailed picture of Chinese society over many centuries. Born and raised in China, speaking Chinese as her native language, Zhang is proud that Chinese history and historians offer valuable knowledge about our long-term environmental past, from which scholars of the West and modern eras see meaningful comparisons. Zhang, who had first learned of the Hebei disaster while working on an economic history of the area, drew on elements of geography, hydraulic engineering and political science, as well as scientific data, to write the book. But she also concep-
Gary Gilbert
By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
tualized it as something more than an historical event – a drama with three major actors. “One is the river: What were its hydrological characteristics, and how were these affected by other environmental factors, like climate change, sunspots and earthquakes? Another is the land and its residents: What were the environmental features of Hebei, and how did they change over time? How did the local population interact with the land, and what was the impact?” The crucial third player in this drama, Zhang explains, is the state – the imperial government of China and its local political and military authorities – which regulated the Yellow River-Hebei complex and had to deal with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis after the flood. “Everything the authorities did to tame the river not only failed, but actually made things worse,” she says. “The state became trapped deeper in the crisis, and ultimately had to decide which part of the population would bear the burden
from river disasters – who would win, who would lose.” The state faced a credibility problem quite different from those of latter-day authorities, Zhang notes. “The state’s mandate, its political legitimacy, was supposed to come from a benevolent Heaven, which judged the government’s conducts and delivered reward or punishment. So if the Heaven sent down calamity, that normally means the government did not do a good job. In that case, if the government couldn’t control the river, couldn’t help the refugees, how would it explain that? This became a real existential crisis for the state.” Over the next 60 years, the local population was reduced by half, through death or migration. Regional agriculture was ruined, and
“The state couldn’t see beyond its own perceptions and desires, and wouldn’t accept the fundamental constraints of the environmental world,” says Zhang. “As China, the US and other nations confront environmental problems on an even greater scale, how willing and able are we to learn the painful lessons from history?”
famine raged, says Zhang: “It’s not uncommon to read about people selling their children for food.” The impact of the flood was felt elsewhere, as silt from the redirected river affected arable land in other areas, and the government expanded its deforestation operations – used to provide materials for water-control projects – to regions beyond Hebei. In 1128, the Yellow River once again shifted, this time completely away from Hebei. The drama, as such, had ended, but Zhang says the questions it raises still resonate. “The state couldn’t see beyond its own perceptions and desires, and wouldn’t accept the fundamental constraints of the environmental world,” she says. “As China, the US and other nations confront environmental problems on an even greater scale, how willing and able are we to learn the painful lessons from history?” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
Ethical issues that arise on college campuses will be the focus of scholars and educational leaders participating in a national conference being organized and hosted by Boston College April 5-7. Researchers and veteran higher education administrators will assess the role of university culture and discuss new ways to improve policies and practices that affect students, faculty, staff and leadership, according to Canisius Professor of Theology James F. Keenan, SJ, organizer of the conference, titled “Toward a Culture of University Ethics.” Nearly 200 attendees, representing more than 30 colleges and universities, are expected at the conference. The event is designed to “kick off a national conversation on the topic of university ethics,” said Fr. Keenan, author of the book University Ethics: How Colleges Can Build and Benefit from a Culture of Ethics. On the first day of the conference, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch will present “Know Thyself: Socrates and Sports at the Corporate University” at 7 p.m. in the Yawkey Center Murray Function Room. Branch, renowned for his landmark trilogy of the Civil Rights era, America in the King Years, also wrote “The Shame of College Sports,” an influential cover story for the October 2011 Atlantic. He is a recipient of the National Humanities Medal. The April 6 keynote address will be given by Ruth Simmons,
the former president of Brown University and Smith College. Her talk, “Race, Gender and Ethics at the University,” begins at 9 a.m. in the Conte Forum Shea Room. “We have an extraordinary group of national leaders, and the structure of the conference is to have the experts talk about the topics,” said Fr. Keenan, who also directs the Jesuit Institute. The rest of the conference involves panel discussions on various topics. Scheduled participants include: Tim Balliett, university ethics officer, Pennsylvania State University; Matthew Carnes, SJ, associate professor of government and member of the Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation, Georgetown University; Scott Jaschik, editor and co-founder of Inside Higher Ed; Chronicle of Higher Education Senior Editor Goldie Blumenstyk; former Wheelock College president Jackie Jenkins-Scott; Margaret McKenna, former president of Lesley University and Suffolk University, and Loyola University Maryland President Brian Linnane, SJ, among others. Lynch School of Education Augustus Long Professor Janet Helms will participate on a panel addressing diversity. The conference is co-sponsored by the Jesuit Institute, Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Institute for the Liberal Arts and Lowell Humanities Series. For the full conference agenda, see http://bit.ly/university-ethicsconference. –University Communications
Annual Excellence in Teaching Day Will Take Place on May 8 The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) will hold its annual Excellence in Teaching Day on May 8, featuring keynote remarks from University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Professor Shaun R. Harper at 10:30 a.m. in Devlin Hall. The theme for this year’s series of speakers and breakout sessions is “Difference, Justice, and the Common Good.” Harper is the founder and executive director of Penn’s Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education and serves as president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. He is also an elected member of the American Educational Research Association Executive Council and serves on editorial boards for the Journal of Higher Education and the American Educational Research Journal. The author of more than 100 journal articles and 12 books, Harper researches race and gender in education and social contexts, equity trends and racial climates on college campuses, black and Latino male student success in high school and higher education, and college student engagement. In advance of Harper’s speech, the CTE has organized informal faculty conversions centered on selections from Harper’s research. The third and final discussion group takes place on April 6 from 10-11 a.m. in CTE’s Innovation Lab (O’Neill 250). For more information about Excellence in Teaching Day programs, see http://bit.ly/teaching-day-2017. –University Communications
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“Don Monan was truly alive, and he showered this taste for life on those lucky enough to be around him. He was living proof that the humanities can indeed humanize.” –Joseph O’Keefe, SJ
Former President Fr. Monan Dies at 92 Continued from page 1
Akosua Opokua-Achampong (left) and Tt King are the president and executive vice president-elect, respectively, of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
New UGBC Leadership Team Makes History Akosua Opokua-Achampong and Tt King recently became the first female duo to be elected UGBC president and executive vice president. Both Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences juniors, King and Opokua-Achampong – who last month was awarded the University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship – met as freshmen, when they were paired as roommates. “I just want BC to be the best version of itself,” OpokuaAchampong told The Heights in a recent interview. “I will speak up for something so long as it is the truth and I feel that it is right.” The team’s five platform points include student experience, health and wellness, intersectional community, transparency and campus improvements, and sustainability. “I feel really honored that we had the student body back-
National Library of Medicine Director Patricia Flatley Brennan spoke to some 100 Connell School of Nursing alumni, faculty, students, staff, preceptors and invited guests at CSON’s Pinnacle Lecture on March 27. Brennan (shown with CSON Dean Susan Gennaro at right) is the first woman and first nurse to serve as director of the National Library of Medicine, the largest biomedical library in the world.
Photos by Justin Knight
ing us, and also a great sense of responsibility to reflect the voices of students who both did and did not vote for us,” King said. “Above all, I think I’m just really excited to build on the foundations set by the administrations before us, while also hitting on our policy points.” King looks forward to “the opportunity to meet with administrators and to mediate between what students want to see from their home at BC and what the university will hold space for. I’m honestly just itching to get to work to support students, especially those most marginalized.” The aspiring social worker, current community organizer and member of the LGBTQ+ community added: “To have the chance to represent the entire community very humbling and exciting.” –University Communications
into a period of then unparal- liam P. Leahy, SJ, and John Fr. Monan’s grandnephew, leled financial and academic suc- Hanwell, SJ, assistant to the pro- Anthony Bellia Jr., offered some cess. He also was an important vincial for the Northeast Prov- insights on “Uncle Don’s” devofigure outside of the University, ince of the Society of Jesus. tion to family members: performthrough his activity on a number In his eulogy, Trustee Associ- ing their marriages, welcoming of educational and social issues as ate and longtime BC benefactor their children, and offering them well as his involvement in various Geoffrey Boisi ’69 underscored prayer and comfort in times of local and state initiatives. Fr. Monan’s attention to others. loss and sadness. “Eagles fly far, far away, but He recalled how Fr. Monan had “He moved us to be better many are here with us now,” said escorted a nine-year-old hockey people, better servants to God,” BC Jesuit Community Rector fan to the BC men’s hockey team said Bellia, adding that he and Robert L. Keane, SJ, principal dressing room after BC had lost his younger relatives “loved the celebrant of the Mass, welcoming the 2006 National Champion- gentle spirit of this man, even the many alumni as well as for- ship game, telling him that some- before we knew he was a priest.” mer faculty, administrators and day he could play as a member of In his final days, his grandunstaff to St. Ignatius – and those the Eagles. When the boy asked cle continued to give advice and watching a livestream of the fu- if he was being offered a scholar- counsel “as sound, measured and neral. “While we hate to say ship, Fr. Monan told him that if spot-on as any he’d ever given goodbye, this is a day to rejoice, he worked and studied hard, “I’ll me,” said Bellia. because Fr. Monan is where he be there for you.” Fr. Monan, Bellia said, had hoped to be, entering the kingdom of God as the faithful servant he always was.” In his homily, former Lynch School of Education Dean Joseph O’Keefe, SJ – now rector for the Ciszek Hall Jesuit Community of New York City – said the grief felt in the University community over the loss of Fr. Monan and his “exemplary leadership” would give way to gratitude “for having known him [and] for his scholarship, graciousness, Mourners in St. Ignatius Church last week for Fr. Monan’s funeral Mass. (Photo by Gary Gilbert) wisdom, dedication to public service and faithfulness.” That boy, Boisi said, is now shown the same dedication to Fr. O’Keefe praised Fr. Mo- BC hockey’s star forward, Colin his “spiritual family,” the Jesuits, nan as a “skilled, masterful teach- White ’19, who just signed a and “the family God gave him er” who, while an accomplished contract with the NHL’s Ottawa at BC” – a legacy of words and scholar in ancient philosophy Senators. deeds he said will live on through – among his publications was Along with the dedication he the University and anyone whose Moral Knowledge and its Meth- showed to Boston College, Fr. life had been touched in some odology in Aristotle – also took an Monan “brought the best of the way by his granduncle. interest in more recent perspec- priesthood to the public forum,” “As long as there is us, all of tives, such as those of Gabriel Fr. O’Keefe said, “crossing seem- us,” said Bellia, “there will always Marcel. Along with his intellect, ingly unbridgeable differences”: be Fr. Monan.” added Fr. O’Keefe, Fr. Monan chairing a committee to improve Fr. Leahy thanked the Monan possessed qualities of caring and the Massachusetts judiciary, for family “for sharing him with us compassion shared not only with example, or helping muster sup- all these years.” To those who had students but administrators, fac- port for the construction of the paid their respects to Fr. Monan, ulty, staff, alumni and especially Fleet Center (now TD Garden) “your presence and your prayers his fellow Jesuits. and to keep the New England have been consoling” to the Uni“Don Monan was truly alive, Patriots in Foxborough. One of versity community, including Fr. and he showered this taste for his finest moments, Fr. O’Keefe Monan’s fellow Jesuits. Fr. Leahy life on those lucky enough to be noted, was his call for justice for also expressed gratitude to those around him. He was living proof the victims – including six Jesu- at all levels of the University who, that the humanities can indeed its – of the 1989 massacre at El over the years, had endeavored to humanize,” said Fr O’Keefe. “No Salvador’s University of Central make Fr. Monan’s vision for BC matter where you stood in life, America. a reality. from the highest halls of power “Fr. Monan’s parting words “Thank you,” he said, “for all to humblest state in life, Don for us,” he said, “were to ask us the ways you assisted Fr. Mowould treat you with warmth to preach the Gospel for which nan.” and respect.” he pledged his life, and to urge Also officiating at the funeral each of us to fight the good fight, Contact Sean Smith at were University President Wil- finish the race, keep the faith.” sean.smith@bc.edu
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Frank Curran
BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE MEDIA At a recent conference featured by Crux.com, Prof. M. Shawn Copeland (Theology) cited the role of women in the Christian faith as one of the key issues concerning theology on the African continent, and discussed what has, and should, be done to improve the role of women in the Church.
Former US Ambassador to NATO and Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns ’78, H’02, was the featured speaker at the University’s Laetare Sunday celebration on March 26 in Conte Forum. Now a faculty member at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, Burns received the Ignatian Award, which recognizes individuals who “live out the Ignatian mission of ‘men and women for others.’”
obituary
Thomas F. Walsh, a beloved custodian who made the Boston College community his extended family during his 40 years of service, died on March 10. A funeral Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 20 in Wellesley, the town where Mr. Tucker – known as “Tucker” to family members and many friends and co-workers – had lived all his life before moving to Scituate to stay with his sister, Inez Moore, and her husband Thomas. Born with special needs, Mr. Walsh came to BC in 1965 at the behest of his family, who thought that working in a supportive environment for a few weeks would help him develop occupational and social skills, and thus be a positive life experience. But what was expected to be a brief stint turned out to be far longer, and more rewarding, than they could have envisioned. “Tommy loved to interact with people, and BC was the perfect atmosphere,” said Custodial Services Director Gerard Boyle. “He lived to come to BC, not just to work but for the hockey and football games and other events.” Mr. Walsh’s employment at the Heights deepened the ties between the University and the Walsh family, several of whose members had graduated from BC. Mr. Walsh spent most of his BC career working in McElroy Commons, earning the unofficial title of “the Mayor of McElroy,” according to colleagues. He was known to strike up conversations with passersby, whether he knew them or not, while tending to his duties. Some of his BC relationships extended beyond the workplace. One longtime friend and coworker, lead custodian David Walsh, recalled their excursions to movies like “The Blues Brothers” or to Friday lunches of Chinese
Photo courtesy Gerard Boyle
Thomas F. ‘Tucker’ Walsh
Mr. Walsh at a BC football game in Alumni Stadium last fall.
food in Brookline or pizza in Cleveland Circle – a perfect opportunity, he said, for them to sing along to the car radio. “He was a legend around here, and a pleasure to be with,” said Walsh. His devotion to BC and its people was reciprocated in many ways. While an undergraduate, Mr. Walsh’s nephew Timothy Walsh ’99 nominated his uncle for membership in the Golden Key National Honor Society, and Mr. Walsh was accepted. At his combination retirement-birthday party, attended by some 400 people, Mr. Walsh was given a rocking chair from the BC Bookstore and a BC hockey “National Champions” cap signed by Eagles hockey coach Jerry York. Mr. Walsh continued to stay connected with the University, especially through sports. In 2015, he was named BC Football Season Ticket Holder of the Year. “I saw him at a football game last fall,” said Boyle. “He loved to see BC play, but also to run into people he knew – his eyes would just light up. BC was always in his heart.” –Sean Smith Read the full obituary at http:// bit.ly/tucker-walsh.
Assoc. Prof. Devin Pendas (History) spoke with Radio Live-New Zealand on the war in Afghanistan and the alleged deaths of civilians in Tirgiran Valley in August 2010.
A service project organized by Boston College students in the Appalachia Volunteers program for spring break received coverage on WNCT-TV in Greenville, NC.
Under a program begun more than two decades ago, law schools have the opportunity to argue at the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Efforts by Boston College Law School students, under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Kari Hong (Law), that helped an immigrant win a second chance to try to stay in the US were among those highlighted in a feature on the program by the Associated Press.
sion Network for Catholic Schools, created by the Lynch School’s Roche Center for Catholic Education, was the focus of “Schools with SuperPowers,” the cover story of the March US Catholic magazine. The piece featured comments by Roche Center Executive Director Patricia Weitzel-O’Neill, and cites the 2016 BC study on outreach to an increasingly Hispanic church, which she conducted with Assoc. Prof. Hosffman Ospino (STM).
BC’s Appalachia Volunteers at work for others during spring break were featured on WNCTTV News (Greenville, NC), WSOC-TV (Charlotte, NC), SCNow (Florence, SC) and the Herald-Dispatch (Huntington, WV).
Center for Retirement Research Director Alicia Munnell assessed the Republican health care bill and its effect on the elderly in her column for Dow Jones MarketWatch. Munnell also was interviewed for a Money magazine article on a CRR report showing that more than half of working-age Americans are at risk
The successful Two-Way Immer-
BC BRIEFING Prof. Andrew Sofer (English) gave the 2017 IPTD Distinguished Lecture for the Interdisciplinary Program in Theatre and Drama at Northwestern University. The title of his talk was “How To Undo Things With Words: Theatre and the Deperformative.” Assoc. Prof. Andrea Vicini, SJ (STM), published “L’astrobiologia e noi: Le implicazioni sociali e politiche di una scienza ‘nuova’ (Astrobiology and us: The social and political implications of a ‘new’ science)” in La Civiltà Cattolica. Lee Pellegrini
of seeing their standard of living drop in retirement – but that many don’t know it. An Associated Press feature running internationally showed the work of students in a course taught by Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Joe Nugent (English), who are creating a virtual reality gamefication of James Joyce’s Ulysses. The story ran in, among others, the New York Times, US News & World Report, ABCNews. com, Washington Post, Daily Mail (UK), Taiwan News, The Times of London and Irish Sun. Assoc. Prof. Andrea Vicini, SJ (STM), discussed his NASA-funded research on astrobiology, and its social and political implications, with the Huffington Post.
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: Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications, Residential Life Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Emerging Technology Analyst, Information Technology Program Director, Master of Healthcare Administration, Academic Affairs/Provost Staff Psychiatrist, Student Affairs/ Residential Life Manager, Data Center Operations, Information Technology Prospect Management Analyst, University Advancement Research Economist, Academic Affairs/Provost Gift Management and Reporting Assistant, University Advancement Senior/Web Developer, University Advancement
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, spoke with Donna Shalala, chair of a team of educators that visited campus March 15-17 as part of the University’s reaccreditation process. The delegation met with various groups, including students, faculty and senior administrators.
Associate Director of Capital Projects, Facilities/Trades Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Services, Academic Affairs/Provost
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‘BC Stories from Abroad’
-Students talk about their international experiencesApril 6, 7 p.m., Stuart House Yellow Room, Newton Campus Q&A: Burns Visiting Scholar Kevin Barry
Kevin Barry, the Burns Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies for this semester, is one of Ireland’s more highly regarded fiction writers to emerge this century. The author of two novels, Beatlebone and City of Bohane, and two story collections – There Are Little Kingdoms and Dark Lies the Island – Barry has won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the Goldsmiths Prize, the IMPAC Dublin City Literary Award, the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize and the European Union Prize for Literature, as well as a Lannan Foundation Literary Award. His stories and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, and many other journals. On April 12, Barry will present the Burns Scholar Lecture, “A Writer’s Apprenticeship,” at 4:30 p.m. in the Burns Library Thompson Room. He recently spoke with Sean Smith of the Chronicle. The following Q&A has been edited for space; read the full text at http://bit.ly/barry-QandA. What prompted you to accept the invitation to be the Burns Scholar? Well, it’s always a great and necessary thing for a writer to get out of the house – to hear some new voices, new ways of speaking. I’m not a stranger to Boston College by any means, having visited a few times here over the years, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to stay for a few months. For one thing, you get a proper winter in Boston. In Ireland, all the seasons have sort of morphed into one; it never gets very hot or very cold, it’s just kind of grey and wet and a bit dreary all the time. Not very interesting. Of course, I was impressed by BC on my previous visits, especially the depth and extent of its Irish literature
BC SCENES
scholarship. I remember going to the weekly reading of Finnegans Wake held by [Associate Professor of the Practice of English] Joe Nugent, and I was struck by the diversity of the crowd showing up to puzzle through this great and famously impenetrable work by an old Irish dude. I’ve really enjoyed being able to go to the Burns Library and browsing, for example, the Flann O’Brien collection – to see his original manuscripts, which are sacred texts to me, and even his typewriter. Your new novel – can you give a hint as to how it’s coming along? I can’t, because I have no idea what it’s about yet! [Laughs] I’m in the very early stages where I’m just doggedly making myself go to the desk every morning and writing. Actually, I am not in the habit of talking out a new project. I usually sneak up on it, as if it were a new and delicate life form, and I don’t want to startle it and send it running into the woods. A campus with such great libraries as those here BC is an enormously useful environment for a writer. I love the O’Neill Library: It’s like a living Google machine where you can just follow a trail of reading, a trail of books. There’s a lot of reading that goes on before I write; it sets the stage. Do you follow a certain routine in your writing? I make it a first-thing-in-themorning practice. The great Don DeLillo talked about writing as something you should do when you first wake up, when you’re still “puddled in dream melt,” and you’re in touch with the part of the unconscious that fiction and drama come from. That’s why I’m always telling students in my Fiction Writing Workshop not to go online when they first get up. Get to the page instead. When did it hit you that writ-
Gary Gilbert
‘Patience Is the Ultimate Thing You Need to Become a Writer’
“The fact is, we need stories as part of our lives. They are a fundamental human need, like shelter, food and clothes.” –Kevin Barry ing was something you liked and wanted to do? I can actually date it: I wrote my first short story, at age eight, the morning after Elvis Presley died [Aug. 16, 1977] – it was based somehow on Elvis’ life. I was always a scrawler, I suppose – certainly I wrote quite a bit of teenage poetry, none of which survived, thankfully. When I worked in journalism, I wrote about books, films, art, and so forth, so I was always sneaking up on fiction. And then I began writing short stories, and that form kind of remains my first love. Patience is the ultimate thing you need to become a writer. It takes a long while before emotions and impressions from your life filter into your work. I think what’s rare is to have both a talent for writing and a pragmatic, stubborn sense that makes you go to the desk every day and keep doing it.
Whom, or what, do you consider major influences leading up to when you started writing? I think what interests you in your late teens and early 20s is formative for a writer. At that age, I liked David Lynch, especially “Twin Peaks”; novelists like Saul Bellow and Philip Roth; and the Hernandez Brothers, who created the comic book Love and Rockets. It’s critical to read a lot at that age, and also that’s usually when you have plenty of reading time! It’s also important to make weird ritual vows. I remember a summer day in 1999 when I just said, “Right, get real, start putting in the work.” I still consider that day to be my “writer’s birthday.” You must have been pleased by the reception to your first collection of short stories, There Are Little Kingdoms (2007), which suggested the changes taking place in Ireland’s towns and cities – new technology, new sounds, new kinds of relationships, and so on. It went down well, and I was very fortunate to win the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. The award is named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, so along with the prize you get a Pittsburgh Steelers T-shirt – which, of course, I know I’m not supposed to wear around Boston. What’s it been like for you to teach the workshop here? I’ve done workshops here and there in the past, but never over the period of a full semester. So you get to know the students much better and their various traits and approaches to writing. It’s been very interesting to talk to them, as people in their late teens and early 20s, about narrative. Writers of that generation have a great sense of visual storytelling, and in talking about a narrative they seem to have
a natural sense about how it breaks down into scenes, images, pictures. That’s why I really like Joe Nugent’s Joycestick project [a virtual reality adaptation of James Joyce’s Ulysses], because it uses that visual component. It makes people think about the nature of storytelling. People worry about the future of the novel, and the short story, and so on, but I have no worries about storytelling. The fact is, we need stories as part of our lives. They are a fundamental human need, like shelter, food and clothes. Speaking of stories, you and your wife have quite a unique home back in Ireland: an old police barracks. How did you wind up there? Well, we had been moving around so much, and finally we decided it was time to find someplace where we really wanted to stay. But it was the height of the Celtic Tiger, and houses in cities were just not affordable. And then we found this old barracks, built in the 1840s by the Royal Irish Constabulary, and it hadn’t been used in 30 years. We needed a place for all the books we’d accumulated, so we thought, “This is it.” And we moved in, and bit by bit we cleaned it and fixed it up. Win a literary prize, put in some central heating, that kind of thing. But the overhead’s low, and there’s beautiful country out the windows. My only complaint is there are no ghosts in it. I thought for sure there would some old police sergeant, or maybe an old Fenian, haunting the place. Maybe I just haven’t heard them yet.
The Burns Scholar Lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required. A link is available at www.bc.edu/centers/irish/studies/ calendar.html.
SHOWDOWN SATURDAY Boston College hockey and basketball seasons are over, but there was a competition of a different sort in Conte Forum this past Saturday, as BC student dance groups took part in the annual ALC Showdown. Boston College Irish Dance (left) won the overall dance competition for the second year in a row. Photos by Yiting Chen