Boston College Chronicle

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

INSIDE 3x Kraft Headline Family Professor

A new director for BC’s Christianxxxxx.

Jewish Learning Center.

x Headline 6-7 Seniors to Remember xxx.

Class of 2022 grads look back on years at the Heights. xtheir Headline xxxxx.

12 BC Scenes

The annual Arts Festival enlivened the campus.

BC Chooses a New Law School Dean

BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Boston College has named Odette Lienau, professor of law and former associate dean for faculty research and intellectual life at Cornell University Law School, as the inaugural Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean at Boston College Law School, effective January 2023.

A distinguished legal and political scholar and internationally renowned expert on sovereign debt issues, with a special focus on developing and transitional countries, Lienau has centered her research and teaching interests on international economic law, debtor-creditor relations, international politics, and political and legal theory. She has served as a consultant and expert for the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the

A New Generation’s Voice As the Catholic Church looks toward the future, a project of BC’s Church in the 21st Century Center seeks to bring forward the ideas, hopes, and opinions of young Catholics

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

The Student Voices Project, an initiative of Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center, is collecting young people’s ideas, hopes, and opinions about their faith and the future of the Catholic Church, and will share the information with Pope Francis and other Church leaders.

In preparation for the 2023 Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis has called for Catholics around the world to share their ideas to help shape the future Church.

C21’s Student Voices Project is supporting Pope Francis’ call by offering a simple way for high school, college, and graduate students from throughout the United States and beyond to share their opinions.

Young people are invited to fill out an

MAY 12, 2022 VOL. 29 NO. 16

anonymous online survey designed by the Student Voices Project/For a Synodal Church; they also have an opportunity to engage more deeply through participation in Zoom focus groups. Their experiences and ideas will be collected and collated into a report that will be sent to the Vatican this summer.

“Young people are the future of the Church,” said C21 Director Karen Kiefer.

“Their voices matter and the Church needs their ideas. We’re trying to make it as simple as possible for young people to lend their voices and as simple as possible for Catholic high schools and colleges to find a way to engage their young people in the process.”

The outreach began in March and responses will be collected through June 15.

C21 will submit a report to the Vatican by Continued on page 9

Odette Lienau

World Bank, and offered congressional testimony on the international debt ar-

chitecture before the United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security.

Lienau’s scholarship seeks to understand the broad international market rules that affect expectations about appropriate behavior for businesses, governments, and other actors. She is the author of Rethinking Sovereign Debt: Politics, Reputation, and Legitimacy in Modern Finance, which won an American Society of International Law Book Award in 2016, and which challenges the conventional wisdom that all states—including those emerging from a major regime change—must repay debt or suffer reputational consequences in a functioning international capital market.

Her current research considers different approaches to sovereign debt collection as a lens for understanding distinctions between public and private wealth, and her

Continued on page 10

LSOEHD Study Shows Rise in Adolescent Handgun Carrying

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Handgun carrying increased significantly among rural, white, and higher-income adolescents from 2002 to 2019, ominously escalating the risk of firearm-related death or injury for both the youths and others in their social sphere, researchers from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development report in the latest edition of the journal Pediatrics.

The Lynch School team found a 41 percent increase in rates of handgun carriage among youth overall, with white and higher-income youths now most likely to report carriage, according to the report, based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use & Health, a cross-sectional, countrywide survey of adolescents ages 1217 conducted annually from 2002-2019.

Carriage rates among Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, and lower-income adolescents decreased over the same

timeframe, according to co-authors Naoka E. Carey, a Ph.D. candidate in applied developmental and educational psychology, and Rebekah Levine Coley, a professor in the Lynch School’s Department of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Federal estimates based on the survey indicate that in 2019-2020 there were an additional 200,000 adolescents reporting they have carried a firearm compared to 2002-2003.

“While earlier handgun carriage research primarily focused on individual level risk factors, more recent inquiries on bearing and exposure to firearm violence have drawn attention to the importance of socio-demographic differences in carriage patterns, particularly those linked to differences in neighborhood or historical contexts, and place-based norms around bearing firearms,” reported Carey and Coley.

“For example, United States Southern and Continued on page 11

It was beneficial to see the commonalities shared, and the challenges faced, by many people and to be able to talk about these issues in a safe place. These kinds of conversations made us feel comfortable, and that we truly belonged to the BC community.

– aquino scholarship winner serena meyers ’23, page 2

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May 12, 2022

Meyers Is Named Winner of Aquino Scholarship

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences junior Serena Meyers, whose exploration of her ethnic identity has fueled her desire to promote justice and equity through several means, is the winner of the 2022 Boston College Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship.

Awarded to a junior each spring, the scholarship recognizes strong academic record, active engagement in Asian-American issues, and service both on and off campus to the Asian American community.

Meyers was presented with the scholarship by Professor of English Min Hyoung Song, chair of the Aquino Scholarship Committee, at last month’s annual Aquino Scholarship Banquet. Other candidates were Jiu Lee, Ted (Sang Oen) Park, Ishaan Kaushal, and Jessie Cheng. Last year’s winner, Alicia Kang ’22, also spoke.

“I was completely floored, and I felt so grateful to the University community and my friends who have been there for me during my time at BC,” recounted Meyers, a native of the Chicago area majoring in English and International Studies. “I also really appreciate how open and supportive the other scholarship finalists were. It’s easy to live in your own world without knowing about what others are doing, and how their interests can intersect with yours, so I was glad to make these connections.”

Although largely unfamiliar with the Jesuit, Catholic tradition on which the University was founded, Meyers chose to attend Boston College in large part because of its emphasis on values and service, and encouragement of introspection as a staple of everyday life. For someone who loves to write and read, BC’s English program was a natural fit as a major, while International Studies, she said, appealed to her as “an intersection between economics, history, and politics.”

These academic and formational facets of BC proved to be key for Meyers, who in her teenage years found herself dealing with questions about her identity: Born in China, she was adopted and grew up in the United States. While she’d grown up in a diverse community, “I didn’t know about my cultural background, which I felt was an important part of who I was, even though I didn’t live in China very long.

Although I started to do some self-exploration my senior year of high school—I took a class in Chinese, for example—the tension between being American yet of Chinese origin was still difficult for me to ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Patricia Delaney EDITOR

Sean Smith

Serena Meyers ’23: “Having the opportunity to reflect on what racial identity means to us, and how it contributes to our day-to-day life, has been incredibly helpful.” photo by patrick mills

reconcile.”

Meyers points to her English classes as an important source of inspiration and direction, including a class by Assistant Professor of the Practice Lorenzo (Alex) Puente on Asian-American authors and themes of exclusion, immigration, and citizenship. She also was engaged by Professor Laura Tanner’s American Fiction and the Family class.

Outside of the classroom, Meyers found fellowship and support through her participation in BC’s Chinese Student Association and in particular by helping restart ASiAM, a campus literary publication centered on Asian culture, and expanding its scope to include more kinds of artistic expression.

Perhaps the most important avenue for Meyers to build self-awareness, but in a

wider context, has been through the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center’s Bowman Advocates for Inclusive Culture program, in which student leaders are trained to facilitate cross-cultural activities and dialogues with peers in the University community.

“Having the opportunity to reflect on what racial identity means to us, and how it contributes to our day-to-day life, has been incredibly helpful,” said Meyers, who has been a Bowman Advocate for two years.

“It was beneficial to see the commonalities shared, and the challenges faced, by many people and to be able to talk about these issues in a safe place. These kinds of conversations made us feel comfortable, and that we truly belonged to the BC community.”

Working with BC’s Innocence Pro-

gram—and learning about injustice in the carceral system, structural inequalities, and the divisive impact of systematic racism on communities—has further contributed to Meyers’ worldview; she looks forward to broadening her perspective more this summer as an intern at the BC Center for Human Rights and International Justice.

But these epiphanies have not occurred in a vacuum: The widely documented rise in racial incidents against Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic has weighed on Meyers. “Being here on campus, it’s sometimes easy to feel disconnected from what’s going on around us. But I faced a microaggression related to COVID and the stigma that many in the Asian community have experienced, and it really demonstrated how impactful these issues are, and how widely negative stereotypes can spread.”

As she contemplates her upcoming senior year, Meyers—who is on a pre-law track—is sorting through possibilities for her post-BC life. She is certain that it will involve working for social justice in some capacity, whether in a legal, political, or journalistic setting, or some combination of these. But her experience as a high school student canvassing for a state senate candidate showed her how important the local-personal dimension is to bringing change.

“It was terrifying being out there sometimes,” she said. “People could get pretty mad when I knocked on their doors and tried to talk to them—but then, maybe I’d get mad, too, if I was trying to have a relaxing evening and some young person came to my door. And yet, you could also have good conversations, too. You learn how local politics work, and that’s really where everything begins.”

Snapshot

Affiliates Program Ceremony

The Office of Institutional Diversity held its annual closing ceremony on May 3 for the University Affiliates Program, which aims to enable members of underrepresented groups to enrich their professional skills, build connections with colleagues throughout the University, and expand their understanding of critical issues in higher education. Vice President for Information Technology Michael Bourque, left, chatted with OID Associate Director Jabril Robinson prior to the ceremony.

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

photo by justin knight

Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan

Chronicle

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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

Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini

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

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Chronicle

May 12, 2022

Director Named for Christian-Jewish Learning Ctr. Rev. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski sees the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning as drawing upon the “deep commitment” of the Roman Catholic Church to repair Christian-Jewish relations.

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Rev. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, the Duncalf-Villavaso Professor of Church History and Dean of Community Life at the Seminary of the Southwest, has been named the Boston College Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., has announced.

Fr. Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, who earned his Ph.D. in theology from BC in 2005, is a recognized scholar in Christian-Jewish relations and comparative theology. In addition, he has taught and written widely on the history of Christianity and the Anglican tradition.

“I am delighted that Dan is returning to Boston College to serve as the Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning,” said Fr. Kalscheur. “He is a leading scholar in the area of Jewish-Christian comparative theology, and, along with his strengths as a scholar, he brings experience as an academic leader and institution builder and a dynamic vision for the important role that the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning can play locally, nationally, and globally.”

An Episcopal priest, Fr. Joslyn-Siemiatkoski has been a faculty member at the Austin, Texas-based seminary since 2014 and was named the seminary’s dean of community life in 2020. His previous faculty posts include the Church Divinity

School of the Pacific and the Graduate Theological Union.

“I am grateful and honored to have come full circle back to Boston College and to lead the center for ChristianJewish Learning which helped to form my own identity as a scholar,” Fr. JoslynSiemiatkoski said.

“The center is the premier hub for Christian-Jewish relations—not only studying it, but promoting it—in North America,” he added. “It has an extensive network of other centers of ChristianJewish relations to collaborate with and partnerships with institutions like the Holocaust Museum in Washington and Yad Vashem in Israel. It draws upon the

deep commitment of the Roman Catholic Church to repair the relationship between Christianity and Judaism that the Second Vatican Council called upon the Church to do. I see the center as a manifestation of BC’s commitment to that work as shown by its strong institutional support of the center and how it has nurtured a whole cadre of donors to support it, particularly the Corcoran and the Kraft families.”

With a founding gift of $5 million from John M. Corcoran ’48, BC established the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning in 2001 to promote new and mutually enriching relationships between Christians and Jews. Professor of Theology Rabbi Ruth Langer has served as the center’s interim director since the 2020 retirement of former director James Bernauer, S.J., who also held the Kraft Family Professorship, established through a gift of Trustee Associate Robert Kraft and the late

Myra Kraft.

Fr. Joslyn-Siemiatkoski said the work of the center and others like it has taken on greater significance amid rising reports in recent years of antisemitic incidents in the United States and other countries.

“We are at a moment where we need to be aware that progress is never a given, and relationships that foster a common good always need tending,” Fr. JoslynSiemiatkoski said. “Part of the work of the center going forward is to look back on the many positive outcomes we have developed and look ahead to where we still need to be vigilant and engage in the work of education for the sake of our current and future generations.”

Fr. Joslyn-Siemiatkoski is the author of The More Torah, The More Life: A Christian Commentary on Mishnah Avot and Christian Memories of the Maccabean Martyrs and Christian Memories of the Maccabean Martyrs.

His interest in how Christians and Jews interact grew out of his experiences with the two faiths as a child and friendships in high school.

“Jewish-Christian relations were never an abstract question for me,” he said. “It was real and immediate to care about this. For me, there has been a moral quality to these questions of Jewish-Christian relations. The Christian church has responsibility for its past for how it treated Jews. Once I sensed that, I feel I became accountable for it. It propelled me to find ways to resolve those issues.”

Biologist Johnson to Receive Bellarmine Award

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

Professor and Biology Department Chairman Welkin Johnson, who has established himself as a dedicated and respected teacher, researcher, mentor, and colleague since he joined the faculty 11 years ago, will be honored with the 2022 Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., Award.

The award, presented by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., at Commencement, honors a distinguished faculty member whose significant contributions have consistently and purposefully advanced the mission of Boston College. It is named for Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., an Italian cardinal and one of the leading figures in the Counter-Reformation.

“Welkin Johnson has played an indispensable role in helping lead Boston College through the pandemic over the past five semesters,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “Across his 11 years at the University, he has worked tirelessly to advance the Biology Department and to engage with colleagues from across campus in service of our distinctive mission. His scholarship, teaching, and service all continue to open new frontiers for mission-aligned collaboration.”

Johnson—whose research involves the study of how viruses adapt to their hosts

through the lens of genetics—helped lead the implementation of BC’s COVID-19 safety strategy, and was responsible for establishing a certified SARS-CoV-2 testing laboratory at the University.

“I’m very grateful for this honor, and I’m humbled when I consider the achievements and lasting contributions to the University of the previous recipients,” said Johnson. “By comparison, the impact of my own contributions is likely to be transitory, and these are obviously the product of the unusual situation imposed upon all of us by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I would like my students and colleagues to know that I considered it a privilege to use my training and expertise to give something back to the University.

I’m grateful to be part of a community that upheld its commitment to its students by working together, taking risks, and investing so much in time and resources to preserve, as much as possible, an authentic college experience in the face of this unexpected and unpredictable global crisis,” he added.

Johnson’s research interests include retroviruses, primate lentiviruses (HIV and SIV), and co-evolution of viruses and their hosts. His lab comprises approximately 15 scientists at all levels of experience, including junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, research technicians,

Welkin Johnson has chaired the Biology Department for seven years. photo by lee pellegrini

and undergraduates. Their work combines traditional, molecular virology with evolutionary genetics, to study how viruses adapt to their hosts and better understand how virus evolution is influenced by genetic variation both within host populations (polymorphism) and between host species

(divergence).

Johnson teaches both formally in the classroom and informally in the lab. “Both are equally important to me,” he said. “In my lab, I train graduate students in our Ph.D. program and mentor undergraduate students seeking authentic research experience. In the classroom, I’ve taught courses in virology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and I co-created and co-taught a pair of Enduring Questions courses with my friend and colleague from the English Department, [Professor] Dayton Haskin.”

Johnson, who has been Biology chair since 2015, has 25 years of experience researching retroviruses, including HIV, SIV, and the other AIDS-causing lentiviruses.

He also is a veteran reviewer of grants and contracts for the National Institutes of Health, as well as for the University of California AIDS Research Program and a variety of other foundations. He has organized multiple international meetings, serves on the editorial review boards of several journals, chairs the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses retrovirus section, and is an academic editor for the journal PLOS One. Previous recipients of the Bellarmine Award are Thomas F. Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane and Professor of Philosophy Patrick Byrne.

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Chronicle

May 12, 2022

Grant to Support BCSSW-BPS Collaboration Boston Children’s Hospital-funded project aims to provide mental health services, support for Black and Latinx schoolchildren

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

A two-year, $500,000 grant from Boston Children’s Hospital will fund a partnership between the Boston College School of Social Work and Boston Public Schools to provide mental health services and support to Black and Latinx children.

The grant supports the creation of an Integrated Supervision Initiative (ISI) at BPS in which experienced Black and Latinx social workers are matched with recently graduated Black and Latinx social workers. The latter group will receive one-on-one supervision and coaching to strengthen their professional skills to better serve Black and Latinx children and families. Both cohorts also will receive supervision training at BCSSW. A joint effort between BCSSW’s awardwinning Latinx Leadership Initiative (LLI) and the school’s recently launched Black Leadership Initiative (BLI), the BPS project addresses disparities in mental health care for Latinx and Black children and families—an inequality that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, according to ISI co-investigators Rocío Calvo and Tyrone M. Parchment.

“Black and Latinx children have experienced more death, disease, and economic disruption than other children, which has worsened their mental health and further limited their access to care,” said Calvo, an associate professor and founding director of the LLI, which in 2020 was recognized

by Excelencia! in Education for accelerating the educational success of Latinx students.

“Black and Latinx children are three times more likely to access mental health services in schools than in clinical set-

Boston College School of Social Work colleagues (L-R) Rocío Calvo, Ximena Soto, Tyrone Parchment, and Lujuana Milton will run the Integrated Supervision Initiative. photo by caitlin cunningham

tings. School-based social workers identify needs, provide direct services, and provide links to external resources that promote child mental health and family well-being.

High-quality supervision is essential for the professional development of social work professionals, and to improve children’s mental health outcomes. However, it is rarely approached as a distinct professional competence that requires intentional training.”

The Latinx Leadership Initiative model, Calvo noted, utilizes LLI alumni as field supervisors of current LLI students as they follow a training model of ethnic, culture, and language concordance; under the direction of LLI Assistant Director Ximena Soto, BCSSW trains the LLI alumni in supervising students. This ongoing con-

nection with alumni gave the LLI leadership insight into the mental health crisis among Latinx children exacerbated by COVID-19, she said, and pointed up the need for ethnically and linguistically concordant supervision.

Knowing that the situation was similar for Black children in BPS, LLI invited their colleagues from the Black Leadership Initiative to join them in devising a project that would answer community health advocates’ call for proposals to tackle the mental health crisis for underserved children and families.

Part-time faculty member and BLI program coordinator Lujuana Milton ’06, M.S.W. ’07—who is president of the BCSSW Alumni Board—will join Soto in running the training program.

The ISI collaboration is the latest venture

for the BLI, which was launched last fall.

During the BLI’s first months, Parchment designed an Afrocentric social work field of practice and accompanying course that acknowledges, appreciates, centers on, and supports the behavioral process of the African diaspora while paying attention to Africanoriented philosophy, beliefs, values, and rituals as the basis of a healthy life. In addition, he and BLI co-director Assistant Professor Samuel L. Bradley Jr. conceived a Black Leadership Certificate program with courses focused on the history of activism in Black communities and Afrocentric organizations.

“It is pivotal to expand the knowledge base and training in culturally grounded practice for and with individuals of the African diaspora to the current and future mental health workforce,” said Parchment. “If we want to improve the provision of mental and social services among Black and Latinx communities, it is pivotal to embed cultural and linguistic responsive treatment, supervision, and training.”

Calvo and Parchment note that the ISI’s value will endure well beyond the immediate crisis. The initiative’s ultimate goal is to develop foundational interventions for improving Black and Latinx children’s mental health in the school setting.

“We are developing a full research agenda with this research question in mind,” said Calvo.

BCSSW Dean Gautam Yadama expressed enthusiasm for the ISI. “Our partnership with BPS, combined with innovative supervision pathways to strengthen the provision of linguistic and culturally competent mental health services to Black and Latinx children and families in the BPS system, is bold and path-breaking.”

Richardson Is Elected to Academy of Arts & Sciences Professor of History Heather Cox Richardson, a leading national commentator on American history and politics, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), joining a class of 261 of the nation’s leading minds committed to advancing the common good by addressing significant challenges.

Founded in 1780, the AAAS honors excellence and convenes leaders to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and advance the public good.

It has been another active year for Richardson, who was also named among USA Today’s “Women of the Year” for 2022.

Her popular Substack daily newsletter “Letters from an American” [heathercoxrichardson.substack.com], where she ties the day’s news to the events of the past, has exploded in popularity, and in February she was invited to the White House to interview President Joe Biden.

Last year, Richardson was selected as one of four recipients for the 2021 Massa-

chusetts Governor’s Awards in the Humanities, which recognize individuals for their public actions, grounded in an appreciation of the humanities, to enhance civic life in the Commonwealth. She also was the winner of the Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award of Excellence in American History.

A faculty member at Boston College since 2011, Richardson is the author of the acclaimed 2020 book How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America.

Two of her previous books, West from Appomattox and To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party were Editor’s Choice selections of the New York Times Book Review. She has shared her expertise with numerous local and national media outlets, including WGBH, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, Bloomberg, CNN.com, BBC, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and HuffPost.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences serves as both an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of

Heather Cox Richardson interviewing President Joe Biden in February.

its members and an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges. Those previously elected to the AAAS include Benja-

min Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Charles Darwin, Margaret Mead, Albert Einstein, Condoleezza Rice, Martin Luther King Jr., Bryan Stevenson, and Joan Baez.

—University Communications

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Chronicle

May 12, 2022

Student Affairs Vice President to Review BAIC Revamp “The insights and advice I

Discussions, focus groups are envisioned as means of assessing ways to enhance Bowman Ctr. programs and services

received have been most helpful. As a result, we will take a pause to strat-

BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Citing a desire to conduct an extensive review on how best to maximize the benefits of the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center for all students, Vice President for Student Affairs Shawna Cooper-Gibson has announced that she will pause plans to revamp the center, and spend the coming months continuing conversations and conducting focus groups on ways to enhance its programs and services for the Boston College community.

Cooper-Gibson said she was grateful for the feedback she has received from students, alumni and, in particular, individuals of color on the Boston College Board of Trustees, who provided sound counsel on how to examine the center’s existing strengths while planning for improvements.

“Since being named vice president for student affairs in 2021, my overarching goal has been to create a more welcoming and inclusive campus environment at Boston College, and to ensure that our programs and services meet the needs of all of our students,” said Cooper-Gibson.

“I have heard from many students and student groups that the BAIC—despite its great work—is not fully welcoming and accessible to all, particularly Latino/a, Asian, and LGBTQ+ students, and that the AHANA acronym does not represent all

egize about how we best move forward.”

—Shawna Cooper-Gibson photo by lee pellegrini

students of color. I have also heard from students, faculty, and alumni that they would like to be part of a wider conversation on how to achieve the goal of enhancing inclusiveness. That is what I intend to do.”

Cooper-Gibson said she was especially grateful to board members Steve Pemberton, Darcel Clark, Lise Leist, Kendall Reid, Kevin Pearson, Kevin Smart, and Juan Concepción, who shared their insights on the historical significance of the AHANA acronym, and their thoughts on how to make the BAIC as strong a resource for students as possible.

“I want to be clear that it was not my intention to disregard the historical significance of AHANA nor to offend those who were instrumental in its naming. Rather,

my intention has always been to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all BC students, including the students who feel that their needs are not being fully served by our existing office structures and programs.

“The insights and advice I received have been most helpful. As a result, we will take a pause to strategize about how we best move forward. Taking the time to reflect will help me to work collaboratively toward our common goal of enhancing the BC student experience. I am grateful to have individuals who are willing to work

with me in helping to address these important issues. I look forward to sharing our findings with the BC community in the months to come.”

A nationally respected student affairs leader with a strong reputation for building successful student engagement and collaborative relationships at a range of universities—including Catholic institutions Seton Hall and Loyola Chicago, and research universities such as Northwestern, University of Chicago, and MIT—Cooper-Gibson has addressed myriad challenges throughout her career in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“Change comes slowly,” said CooperGibson. “But given the number of BC students who go on after graduation to become leaders in the private and public sector, it is important that they embrace interculturality so that they can effect change beyond BC. This is our goal, to incorporate the Magis—the more—for all students by being the most welcoming campus we can be. Working with members of the BC community, I know we can achieve that goal.”

University to Seek New Athletic Director William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Patrick Kraft has accepted an offer to become the vice president for intercollegiate athletics at Pennsylvania State University.

Kraft became director of athletics at Boston College in 2020, and he served as director of intercollegiate athletics at Temple University from 2015-2020.

University President William P. Leahy, S.J., said that a search for a new AD will begin immediately, and that Senior Associate Athletics Director J.M. Caparro will serve as interim director of athletics.

“I thank Pat for his time at BC and wish him and his family the best in his new endeavor,” said Fr. Leahy.

—University Communications

Sustainability Efforts Earn BC a STARS Gold Rating Boston College has received a STARS Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, in recognition of its campuswide sustainability achievements.

STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures sustainability in all aspects of higher education, with a focus on the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership. With more than 900 participants in 40 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is considered the world’s most widely recognized framework for evaluating a college or university’s sustainability performance.

“Boston College earned a Silver rating in 2019, and we are proud of our collective efforts throughout the University to achieve a Gold rating on this year’s submission,” said BC Vice President for Institutional Research and Planning Mara Hermano. “Now that we have two years of ratings data, we will examine in greater detail the areas where we’ve improved and

where we can focus our efforts on continuing to make strides in sustainability throughout the BC community.”

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “Boston College has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Gold rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”

Unlike other rating or ranking systems, STARS is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and publicly accessible. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions.

“One of the directions in our strategic plan calls for expanding support for scholarship and research in keeping with our mission to help address complex societal problems and contribute to the common good,” said Hermano.

“The process of gathering data for the STARS submission has allowed us to iden-

Vice President for Institutional Research and Planning Mara Hermano: Gathering data for STARS has allowed BC “to identify and feature the critical commitment to sustainability in our teaching, learning, research, and operations.” photo by christopher soldt/mts

tify and feature the critical commitment to sustainability in our teaching, learning, research, and operations across our campus, our community, and the world. These efforts will continue to guide our academic programs, research initiatives, service opportunities, and operational practices, demonstrating that we are united with the global community in responding to one of the most complex challenges of our time.”

AASHE [asshe.org] is an association of colleges and universities working to create a sustainable future. AASHE’s mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. It provides resources, professional development, and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research.

For more information about the STARS program, visit stars.aashe.org.

Boston College’s STARS report can be viewed at reports.aashe.org/institutions/ boston-college-ma/report/2022-02-17.

—Jack Dunn

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Chronicle

SENIORS to REMEMBER

May 12, 2022

Members of the Class of 2022 reflect on their BC experiences Read the full profiles at bit.ly/bcseniors-2022

culture shock. Everything was different: the food, the people, the weather. But I’m glad I was able to experience such a new environment with a supportive group of friends and faculty. It really shifted my perspective on life—those new and different things can be a source of great change and progress for oneself and others.

Eugene Woo Hometown: Los Angeles Major: Applied psychology and human development; minors in cyber strategy and design, and computer science Activities: As research assistant for City Connects, conducted cybersecurity risk assessments for K-12 schools for an independent study; member, 2021 ACCALN ImpACCt Design team selected for finals of the international RSA Student Design Awards competition; taught piano to fourth- and fifth-grade students at Brighton’s Thomas A. Edison K-8 School.

Mentors: Julia DeVoy (Lynch School of Education and Human Development); Anjun Biswas (Computer Science); Kevin Powers (Woods College of Advancing Studies).

Post-Graduation Plans: Will work as an associate information security analyst at ServiceNow, a Santa Clara-based software company that develops a cloud computing platform to assist companies in managing digital workflows for enterprise operations.

Woo traveled 3,000 miles for college and discovered—and embraced—all of the geographical, climate, and academic differences and challenges that Boston College posed.

Unafraid to take a new path, he returns to the Golden State changed, and better.

How has Boston College made a difference in your life?

When I first came to BC, I had a bit of a

Your involvement in the ACC-ALN ImpACCt Design team, which involves the application of design thinking and innovation to help solve complex, real-world problems, introduced you to transportation injustice. What was the problem, and how did your team address it?

Those with physical disabilities encounter many transportation issues in cities, such as stairs, uphill slopes, etc., which makes public transit extremely inefficient. One of the most glaring problems was wheelchair navigation in high density, urban areas. Our project “Wheelable” offered a solution by providing a “Google Maps” for more proficient wheelchair navigation, and more user-tailored options, by combining topological, transit, and crowdsourced obstacle data to provide the most efficient route. This was my first time on a business-related case study, and I truly enjoyed the whole process of developing our framework. Plus, our team had very diverse academic backgrounds—from engineering to psychology—and I appreciated how all of these fields contributed to our project.

What will you miss most about BC? The weather! I really enjoy the four seasons, especially the snow and misty rain. It is nice to come home and eat a hot meal when it’s cold outside. The cold weather also makes you more appreciative of nice, sunny days.

PHIL GLOUDEMANS

McCormick arrived at the Heights two years after a swimming pool accident left him paralyzed from the waist down, unsure of how his disability would impact his college experience.

Originally hoping to become a doctor, he discovered a passion for advocacy that, combined with his theology and philosophy classes, led him to the law.

Conor McCormick Hometown: West Springfield, Mass.

Majors: Honors theology and philosophy; minor in biology.

Notable Activities/Achievements: Boston College Strong Scholarship winner; Undergraduate Government of Boston College chief of staff; co-founder, Mystērion: Undergraduate Theology Journal; copy editor, Dianoia Philosophy Journal; Student Admissions Program tour guide and panelist; member and former chair of the Council for Students with Disabilities.

Mentor: John Mahoney (Enrollment Management) Post-Graduation Plans: Law school

What was your first year at BC like?

As a freshman, I was really self-conscious and worried that I wouldn’t be accepted.

The only caregivers I ever had were my parents, and suddenly I had to put all my trust into the hands of students who were strangers and also the same age as me. It was scary, but the kindness and consistently welcoming attitude of students, faculty, and the administration just gave me a lot of confidence. In four years, I’ve grown to have a lot more faith in people.

How has BC made a difference in your life?

I don’t think I would be so connected and interested in connecting with other people if I hadn’t gone to BC, because it’s almost

Bozhena Kulchyckyj Hometown: Annapolis, Md. Majors: Information systems and marketing and studio art Notable Activities/Achievements: Co-president of Start@Shea (student-run board of the Carroll School of Management Shea Center for Entrepreneurship); National Venture Capital fellow of EVCA; Venture Fellow at GenZScouts; winner, Capgemini RISE Case Competition and at Carroll School’s Klein Ethics Case Competition; recipient, 2020 Montserrat Frontier Fellowship.

Mentors: Amy LaCombe, Ethan Sullivan, Erica Graf, and Amy Donegan (Carroll School of Management deans); Kevin Lotery and Greer Muldowney (Art, Art History, and Film).

Post-Graduation Plans: Work for a non-governmental agency in Poland, providing support to refugees from her family’s native Ukraine.

Kulchyckyj has had a deep interest in entrepreneurship and venture capital. At the same time, she has pursued her passion as an artist through her studio art major. She has worked in operations roles at architectural firm Perkins Eastman and fashion startup Aurate New York, and for the past two years has served as a design lead at the technology startup Fisherman.

Her experiences also include a stint as a True Ventures Entrepreneur Corps fellow at Pepperlane and an independent study project that involved research into UI/UX (User Interface/ User Experience) at the MIT Brain Lab.

an expectation for students here to know other people and to be engaged with the campus community. I think that’s something that’s going to carry over after graduation: that desire to be involved with my hometown or wherever I’m living, outside of just my job.

What experience had the most significant impact on you?

My freshman year, my friends and I saw that Alumni Stadium was still open and the lights were on, so we wandered onto the field and just sat down. My friends are good singers so they started singing, and then we started praying under the lights. A staff member came over to find out what we were doing, and when we told him he said, “Oh, that’s great, I need to turn off the lights but you can stay here as long as you want, just shut the door on your way out.” The whole experience really encompassed the idea of Ignatian spirituality, and finding God in all things, and it showed that the spiritual focus at BC isn’t limited to campus ministry, or theology classes. I loved that.

ALIX HACKETT

As a daughter of a Ukrainian immigrant with family members still living in Ukraine, how has the Russian invasion affected your life these past few months?

My entire life has done a full 360 with everything that is happening. My mindset and my perspective on everything have changed. The first few weeks were pretty difficult. It was difficult to sit through my classes and try to be as engaged as I usually am. It was scary to pick up the phone to either call my parents, or my grandparents who are still in Ukraine, or reach out to my cousins and then hear where my aunts and uncles are. In the beginning I felt bad and I felt like I could not do anything.

Then after a couple of days my family said, “We need to do something to help people.”

We began working to support charities like the Ukrainian Catholic University, the group Razom, Children’s Hospital of Kyiv, and United Ukrainian Relief Committee, which one of my grandmothers founded in New Jersey.

Since then, we have raised more than $37,000.

I have turned down job offers and plan to go to Poland this summer to work for an organization that is helping refugees from the war.

So, a lot has changed for me very quickly.

How has BC made a difference in your life?

Something I did not expect to have such a deep influence on me was Kairos. I went on Kairos retreat sophomore year and I learned to appreciate and value a focus on reflection and spirituality, which was something new for me. It meant so much to me that I’ve stayed involved and led a retreat last year. I came out of Kairos hoping that every single person I’ve met would get to have that kind of experience in some way. It is how BC lives its motto of forming “men and women for others,” and has made me think how I want to be there and show support for everyone else around me.

That reflective atmosphere and those opportunities for retreat have shaped my perspective on life.

Beyond the friends that you have made, what will you miss most about BC? Everyone here supports you and genuinely wants you to succeed—that makes BC different than a lot of other schools. People here want to help. I’ve seen that over four years. That is not the case with every person you meet, but it is the case with almost everyone here. That is something I think I will carry with me moving forward is always wanting to help anyone else because everyone here has always helped me.

What advice would you give to a new student?

Say “yes” to anything. Because you don’t know what you will enjoy until you try it. Say “yes” to getting lunch with someone you don’t know. Say “yes” to office hours with a professor. Say “yes” to the small things in addition to the clubs you are part of. College is about new experiences and you will regret it if you don’t try new things. Also, stay grounded. In the chaos of your schedule, understand how you got here and why you got here and understand where you are in context of the rest of the world and not just this small campus.

ED HAYWARD

on the Heights, where he served as Undergraduate Government of Boston College president this past year.

Jack Bracher Hometown: Newton, Mass.

Major: Political science and Perspectives; minor in ancient civilizations Notable Activities/Achievements: President, UGBC; executive board member, Ignatian Society; leader, Kairos retreat; volunteer, Jamaica Magis Service Immersion Trip; Bowman Advocate for Inclusive Culture; participant, Freshman League; member, Senior Legacy Committee; teaching assistant, Courage to Know.

Mentors: Jack Dunn (University Communications); Fr. Michael Davidson (Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center); Thomas Wesner (Business Law and Society); Angela Lowell (Business Law and Society); Matthew Razek (Student Involvement); Shawna Cooper-Gibson (Student Affairs); Tom Mogan (Student Affairs); Yvonne McBarnett (Montserrat); Kendra Eshleman (Classics); Kerry Cronin (Philosophy); Jamie DiLoreto (Athletics); Pat Kraft (Athletics); William Evans (Police); Ryan Heffernan (Campus Ministry); Chris Darcy (Campus Ministry); John Mahoney (Enrollment Management); Elizabeth Bracher (Courage to Know).

Post-Graduation Plans: Currently interviewing for positions in government; plans on attending law school in two years.

A Boston College High graduate and selfdescribed “Boston kid at heart,” Bracher grew up spending time on campus with his mother, Courage to Know Director Elizabeth Bracher ’91, and envisioned himself attending Boston College. After initially being wait-listed, his eventual admittance fueled his drive to make the most out of his time

How has BC made a difference in your life?

I think it’s having the courage and willingness to put myself out there in front of people. One of my favorite things about BC has been being able to develop great relationships with people who have encouraged me to put myself out in front of the community. I’ve been able to learn about so many people’s life stories through these relationships and friendships and to be around people who are willing to challenge me to be a better person and a better student.

What experience had the most significant impact on you?

I think student body president has been a role that’s pushed me to understand the community in a more thorough way than I would’ve before the role. There are so many things to praise about BC, but there are also many areas for improvement, and it’s been a privilege to be a part of teams and groups that have looked for ways to improve BC. I think we have done that over the past year. It’s been a privilege to be able to work with both administrators and students with the goal of improving BC, but doing so out of a love for the University and for the community.

What sparked your interest in public service?

My grandfather was very civically engaged and he was my role model growing up. All I wanted to do was be like my grandfather and I think that’s why I gravitated towards public service because I just saw someone who was so passionate about it. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and after his time in the military, engaged often in civic discourse. Public service takes many forms, and I see so many of those different forms embodied in my grandfather.

CHRISTINE BALQUIST seminar that is required of all CSON students and as a member of CSON’s Educational Policy Committee. The classroom and placement experiences she has had in the University’s PULSE program over the last four years have had a transformational effect on her. She realized a nursing degree would allow her to help people in a way she had never thought about.

Elisa Ganzon Hometown: Seneca Falls, NY Major: Nursing Notable Achievements/Activities: Undergraduate Research Fellow; undergraduate representative, Connell School of Nursing’s Educational Policy Committee; PULSE volunteer (Bird Street After School Program, Greater Boston Food Bank, Boston Health Care for the Homeless); leader, First-Year Nursing Seminar; PULSE teaching assistant; dancer/choreographer, Boston College Full Swing dance team.

Mentors: David Manzo (PULSE); Melissa Pérez Capotosto (CSON); Anya Villatoro (CSON); Brandon Huggon (CSON).

Post-Graduation Plans: Nurse resident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Burn Center in Nashville.

Ganzon has emerged as a leader at the Connell School of Nursing (where every faculty member, she says, “has been amazing”), serving as a mentor in the First-Year Nursing

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What experience at BC had the most significant impact on you?

There has been nothing better at BC than PULSE. I’m so grateful for the experience. In class I learned about philosophers and theologians I had never studied. I had deep conversations with the people at my placement about the lived experiences of the kids [at Bird Street Community Center]. I still wanted to be a nurse after my first year in PULSE, but the kind of nursing I wanted to do changed.

My volunteer experience at the foot clinic [at Boston Health Care for the Homeless] has been a great experience and opened my eyes to the kind of nursing I can do. I’m really not interested in working in an office. I want to work in the community and with those who are at risk. Here at BC, it’s easy to keep your blinders on, and I’ve been really grateful for the chance to take them off. The PULSE experience reminds me of my privilege, reminds me to be incredibly grateful, and shows me how much work there is to be done.

Talk about your role as an Undergraduate Research Fellow for CSON Professor Ann

Lou Montgomery, LaVerne Mosley, and Doxie McCoy Unity Award, given to BC studentathletes who work to be change-makers and create inclusive and just environments.

Jewel Strawberry Hometown: Tallahassee, Fla. Major: Psychology Notable Achievements/Activities: Captain, BC women’s volleyball; member, BC Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC); president, Eagles for Equality; mentor and tutor for Boston-area elementary school student; Soles4Soul volunteer, New Orleans and other Louisiana communities; winner, 2021 Lou Montgomery, LaVerne Mosley, and Doxie McCoy Unity Award; April 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference Six for Service award winner; summer intern for attorney and civil rights advocate Ben Crump.

Mentors: Jade Morris and Caitlin Barros (Student-Athlete Development); Kristina Moore (Psychology); Elizabeth Bracher (Cornerstone/Courage to Know).

Post-Graduation Plans: Work for Teach for America while pursuing master’s degree, then attend law school.

Coming from a family with a strong athletic legacy—her father is former baseball star Darryl Strawberry, and her mother and three siblings all played Division 1 athletics—Strawberry began playing volleyball at an early age and blossomed into one of Florida’s top high school players. She made the transition to collegiate volleyball but an injury in 2020 forced her to re-evaluate her role in the game, and her identity as a student-athlete. However, Strawberry explored other aspects of herself through leadership opportunities and a growing interest in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Her commitment to such issues earned her the

Burgess.

I worked on an interdisciplinary team with people from BC Law, the School of Social Work, and the Connell School on compassionate release petitions for prisoners in Massachusetts who are very old or have a terminal illness. It’s a beautiful project that helps people have a lot more graceful end of their life. My role has been to translate the medical language in a prisoner’s chart to tell the team what’s going on with the person. I also suggest other prisoner assessments the legal team can do to get more data. I’ve done home visits with the social workers.

Ann has been so great encouraging me to share my thoughts with the team.

What’s been the BC difference for you?

One of the best things about BC is how the Jesuit ideals flow into your everyday life. I went on Kairos in the fall. The fact that I—as a non-Catholic person—went on an extremely religious retreat, and that that is normalized, is one of best parts about BC. Agape Latte is my church. These aspects of the BC culture create such a lovely, warm, gooey feeling inside of you. I didn’t expect it. I’m in love with the idea of being a “woman for others” and the Jesuit values. BC is honestly one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and not because of the buildings—which are arguably amazing—but because of the people here. I don’t think I’d be the person I am today if it weren’t for my peers and the faculty here. They better me every day.

KATHLEEN SULLIVAN

What kind of expectations did you have for your BC experience, and how did they change?

Looking back, I don’t think I expected to get what I got from BC. I just grew and learned a lot more about myself and the larger world.

I started out wanting to be a business major, but then I took the [Cornerstone Program seminar] Courage to Know and the director, Elizabeth Bracher, after getting to know me all semester, guided me to explore other options that seemed to fit me as a person. So I took some classes in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and ultimately decided on psych as my major in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.

How has your athletic career influenced your life, before and during your time at BC? Being an athlete has definitely been part of my identity, because it’s in my family roots. There’s my dad, of course, and my mom played volleyball and basketball; my older sister played volleyball at UConn. I always felt I had an opportunity to be a leader when I was on the court; but then, because of an injury, I had to learn to be a team player. I dislocated my shoulder during sophomore year, and wound up sitting out most of the following season. Then I had to pivot and figure out how I could continue to contribute.

That meant thinking about who I was, not only as an athlete but a person. But in the end, I was able to play my whole senior year.

You asked yourself an important question— “Who am I?”—but it seems you were trying to answer that question even before the injury.

I’d been moving in this direction for a while.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned to do at BC, it’s how to reflect—to look inside yourself and think honestly about what you’ve learned and experienced. The Courage to Know program definitely helped put me on that path. Family, School, and Society, a class I took in the Lynch School, also was important: It opened my eyes to a lot of things I hadn’t thought about deeply, like the impact of racism.

I had leadership opportunities in high school, but I found different, and challenging, ones at BC. I joined SAAC in 2019, but at first, overall, I was doing baseline things. Then, as time went on—and especially during 2020—I found myself speaking up more and more about what was going on around us. Jade and Caitlin, from Student-Athlete Development in Athletics, said there was a need for somebody to help bring awareness to the issues surrounding racism, and asked me to run Eagles for Equality, the diversity-equity-inclusion sub-committee of SAAC. It felt like something I could do, and quickly became something I wanted to do.

I think athletes face a double standard: People tend not to take us seriously, and feel we’re not capable of using our voices or excelling in the classroom. It’s a perception of who we are. At the same time, we’re supposed to be role models, especially for kids. But when we do speak up or become active, there’s often a backlash, and people just want us to stick to playing sports.

SEAN SMITH

photos by caitlin cunningham

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New Phase for Lynch School Science Education Initiative

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development’s OpenSciEd Equitable Science Instruction (OEI) Initiative hosted a kick-off event on April 29 in Gasson Hall to welcome its second cohort of 150 teachers from 36 Massachusetts schools and 19 districts to the program, whose aim is to resolve inequalities in science education.

OEI was launched last fall with a fiveyear, $5.3-million grant from the One8 Foundation to support the adoption of the OpenSciEd curriculum, a set of high-quality, rigorous, research-based instructional materials that are freely available and promote student “sense-making.”

The One8 education team’s MassSTEM Hub program identifies, supports, and scales high-impact education programs and approaches; this project is a collaboration with the OEI team to support teachers across the state.

The first cohort of 170 teachers from 40 schools and 23 districts was selected and funded in June 2021 for a three-year term, representing a $1-million investment. The second cohort is funded at approximately the same level.

“The initiative’s goal is to achieve more equitable learning opportunities for all students by supporting teachers through instruction that begins with the interests and curiosities of their students,” said Katherine L. McNeill, Lynch School professor of teaching, curriculum, and society, who co-directs

the program along with Senior Research Associate Renee Affolter. “Historically, many youths, particularly young women, students of color, and those whose second language is English, have not identified with science, or had meaningful opportunities in their science classrooms. This program upends those inequities.”

The course uses “phenomenon-based instruction,” a learner-centered, multidisciplinary instructional approach based on student inquiry and problem solving that is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework. Students investigate a sciencerelated event or incident by asking their own questions, researching facts, and delivering an answer or solution, while teachers guide them through the process, scaffolding the steps and assisting them through the complexity.

To participate, schools must reside in districts with at least 15 percent of the students designated as economically disadvantaged.

An extensive application that clearly outlines their implementation plan, including a team interview, is part of the school selection process.

Schools develop a three-year implementation plan that ensures full OpenSciEd curriculum adoption (all 18 units across grades 6-8), whole school participation, robust teacher professional development, and the identification of district and “teacher leader champions” to help spearhead the work, explained Affolter.

“The grants cover durable equipment and

Massachusetts teachers gathered at the OpenSciEd Equitable Science Instruction Initiative photo by caitlin cunningham kick-off in Gasson 100 last month.

professional development costs for all participating teachers and additional professional development funds for program champions,” said Affolter. “Grants are calculated based on school size, with an average award of $20,000-$35,000 per school in the cohort.

Schools are required to pay for disposable materials, any printed materials desired, and professional development beyond what the grant funds support. Requiring the schools to cover these costs helps to ensure that they budget for the ongoing costs of the curriculum after the conclusion of the three-year grant program.”

As part of the evaluation process, grant recipients attend quarterly meetings, complete student and teacher surveys, and submit grant reporting documentation at the end of each year, she added.

Enthusiasm for the program among the grant recipients is widespread.

“Southbridge High School was drawn to the OpenSciEd program because we wanted to implement a hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum for our middle school students,”

said Donna Zannelli, director of K-12 science at Southbridge. “The program provides an opportunity to give our staff access to a high-quality, rigorous course, professional development, and engaging and interactive experiences for our students.”

Sean P. Baldwin, an eighth-grade science teacher at Marshfield’s Furnace Brook Middle School was equally passionate.

“We have to remind ourselves that we are here for our students, not the other way around, and we have to meet them where they are ready to engage with the material we are asked to study.”

Said Michelle Olivari, STEM curriculum coordinator at the Leominster Public Schools, “Students’ science experiences should develop collaboration skills and innovation, and help them become creative thinkers, ensuring they are informed citizens who hold an appreciation and wonder for science, can demonstrate evidence-based reasoning and discourse, and are college- and career-ready.”

Researchers Track Opioid Use Through Wastewater Testing A multi-disciplinary research team including Professor of Physics Ken Burch and Associate Professor of Biology Tim van Opijnen has developed a penny-sized, multiplexed bio-sensor that’s the first to detect opioid byproducts in wastewater.

Enabled by the unique properties of the atom-thick sheet of carbon, known as graphene, the novel device is the first to use graphene-based field effect transistors to detect four different synthetic and natural opioids at once while shielding them from wastewater’s harsh elements, the researchers reported recently in the journal ACS Nano.

Working with colleagues from Newtonbased Giner Labs and Boston University, the team developed molecular probes on the graphene capable of detecting specific opioid metabolites upon contact, Burch and van Opijnen reported with their co-authors. Attaching to the probe, the molecule changes the electrical charge on the graphene and sends signals that are easily read electronically for each probe attached to the device.

“This new sensor we’ve developed is able to rapidly, cheaply, and easily measure opioids in wastewater,” said Burch, a lead author of the report. “Its sensitivity and portability would allow for wastewater-based epidemiology at the local scale—as specific as blockby-block or dorm-by-dorm—while ensuring privacy.”

The device responds to a primary challenge of the opioid epidemic: determining the amount and kind of drugs being used in a community. Privacy concerns and limited resources are barriers to testing large populations. An alternative approach is wastewaterbased epidemiology, similar to testing wastewater to measure community levels of coronavirus infection during the pandemic.

“Wastewater testing is an emerging strategy that can defeat limitations and stigma associated with individual drug testing, and it provides a more objective measure of drug use at neighborhood level,” Burch said Giner Labs Vice President for Advanced Materials Avni Argun, a co-leader of the project. “While wastewater testing has been widely conducted in Europe, only a few studies exist in the United States.

The rapid and portable nature of the team’s device would allow widescale population testing at low cost and high geographical resolution.”

The work of Argun’s team at van Opijnen Giner Labs is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is working with researchers to develop smart city tools that would assist public health surveillance pro-

grams addressing drug use and abuse. Additional funding for the project came from the NIH, National Science Foundation, and Office of Naval Research.

The team’s prototype could provide a cheaper and faster tool for use by public health officials trying to determine the level of opioid usage and the impact of community-wide treatment interventions.

While graphene has been used before for sensing biological samples, the team’s work is the first demonstration that the material could be used with wastewater, Burch said.

In addition, it is the first demonstration of using graphene-based field effect transistors, electronic devices to read the amount of charge, to detect multiple targets at the same time, according to the report.

Prior sampling tools faced limitations because they required the costly shipping of samples and testing in a laboratory setting. Reducing cost barriers, the graphene device can provide nearly real-time monitoring in multiple locations, which could also help distribute resources such as first responders or specific intervention strategies, Burch said.

The success of the project resulted from a

long-term collaboration, led by Burch, that brought together the DNA expertise of van Opijnen, graphene cultivation by BU chemist Xi Ling, and the biosensor assay development expertise of Argun and scientists from Giner Labs.

Additional researchers on the project included Boston College graduate student Michael Geiwitz, research scientist Narendra Kumar, former undergraduate researcher Matthew Catalan ’20, and post-doctoral researcher Juan C. Ortiz-Marquez. Geiwitz discussed the findings at the American Physical Society’s annual March Meeting in Chicago.

Burch said the team was surprised at how well the device withstood the harsh wastewater environment. He said his lab is collaborating with Giner Labs under NIDA small business innovation research funding to develop the devices for eventual commercial use.

“We are also working to see what else the platform can be used for, such as rapid at-home testing of viral infections and/or the presence of pathogens in wastewater,” Burch said.

—Ed Hayward photos by gary wayne gilbert and lee pellegrini

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C21 Student Voices Project Seen Aiding Church Continued from page 1

the end of June, the deadline for this phase of the synod process. As of late April, more than 400 students representing 26 colleges and high schools had participated—with the expectation that numbers will grow significantly in the coming weeks. Participating schools include the University of Notre Dame, Creighton University, Fordham University, University of Toronto, Cambridge Matignon High (Massachusetts), Bishop Blanchet High School (Seattle), Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart (Houston), Saranac Lake High School (New York), and Helias Catholic High School (Jefferson City, Mo.).

Kiefer noted that this project is looking to enhance, not distract from, synod activities taking place at parishes throughout the country. “Young people might find it challenging to get to a ‘listening session’ in their parish, so we want to make certain their voices are heard.

“When in the life of the Church has a pope ever asked you directly for your opinion? It’s an extraordinary time.”

She added that smaller parishes without the resources to do their own synodal process can also benefit from engaging in the Student Voices Project. Not only will the Vatican receive a comprehensive report of all responses, but each individual school or parish participating in the survey can get a report summarizing, anonymously, the responses from their students or parishioners.

The report could be shared with bishops, pastors, and school superintendents.

The Church will benefit from learning why young people are, or are not, in the pews, said Kiefer. “I think that this project can enlighten and inform not only the schools, colleges, and parishes that participate—giving them a glimpse into the

(L-R) Angeles Cruz ’23, Dennis Wieboldt III ’22, Thomas Pauloz ’24, and Megan Stevens ’23 met recently to discuss the C21 Student Voices Project. “We’re all about student formation and helping students see God working in their lives,” says C21 Director Karen Kiefer. photo by caitlin cunningham

“So for us to be able to learn what thousands of young people are thinking about their faith journey, about the Catholic Church, about what their hopes are, what their ideas are, that will be so beneficial as we think about, ‘What are some more resources that we need to get out there?’”

According to Kiefer, senior Dennis Wieboldt III, a theology and history major who serves on the C21 Advisory Committee, has taken a lead role in the Student Voices Project. He has been instrumental in the survey’s design and data

“What I found most interesting was that BC’s distinctive academic programs and the way that the University integrates faith into really all aspects of the experience helps students feel more comfortable as they progress through BC.” —Dennis Wieboldt III ’22

minds and hearts of young people—but I also think it can really help the Church when they look at this data.”

This effort is “in support of the Church and Pope Francis’ hope for this synod.

It’s as pure as that, and it’s as powerful as that,” said Kiefer, who added that the C21 Center is working in partnership with the BC Alumni Association to use the Student Voices model to create a portal for BC alumni to participate in this synodal process as well.

“The whole mission of the Church in the 21st Century Center is to be a catalyst for the renewal of the Church,” said Kiefer.

collection and analysis.

This synodal church survey is the second phase of the Student Voices Project, which was launched by C21 in 2019. The first phase, Student Voices Project/The Future Church, engaged students at BC in conversation about their faith and the Church.

“The big topic of conversation is always how do we revitalize our Church? We know we need to do a better job learning and understanding what young people want in the future Church,” said Kiefer.

“Boston College has a campus filled with young people, so we thought, ‘Why not

start here?’”

C21 hoped to begin a conversation that would offer insights into the faith journeys of Boston College students and what things at BC had an impact on students’ faith formation.

The project focused on such questions as: What have been your best experiences in the Church? What have been your worst experiences in the Church? What are your hopes for the Church? What challenges do you see for the Church today and tomorrow? If you could tell Pope Francis one thing, what would you tell him?

Four different models of data collection have been used, including online surveys, focus groups, and surveys via tabling during Espresso Your Faith Week and outside Gasson Hall. BC Athletics provided merchandise to help incentivize student participation. In all, more than 540 students shared information on their faith, experience at Boston College, and how their faith has evolved during their college years.

One big takeaway, noted Kiefer, was how pivotal a student’s involvement in an academic theology program was during the first year. Kiefer and Wieboldt said if a first-year student takes Perspectives, PULSE, Cornerstone Seminars, Courage to Know, or a theology or philosophy core class, there’s a better chance for them to take a theology course down the road as an elective or to possibly major or minor in theology.

“We encountered students who came into BC with no interest in philosophy or theology. They took that first-year course, and then wound up either adding theology as a major or taking philosophy and theology classes out of pure interest,” said Wieboldt, who added a theology major after his freshman year.

“Those early classes have the potential to

change the trajectory of students’ academic and faith journey at Boston College,” added Kiefer.

The survey and focus groups also revealed that something held students back from fuller participation in the Mass and in other faith programming: They felt they sometimes didn’t understand what was going on and were intimidated.

“That is why programs like Agape Latte and retreats are so important. Students felt invited to those things because they didn’t feel like there was a high level of catechetical knowledge required to really participate,” said Wieboldt.

Another finding was that students are interested in building community around the Mass. “Students are saying that inviting a friend to Mass can be very awkward, but if they invited a friend to something that surrounded a Mass, it was a little less awkward,” said Kiefer, citing for example an ice cream social after Mass. “And it was an invitation that they felt like they could make that was gentle and, at the same time, invited them into something.”

“What I found most interesting was that BC’s distinctive academic programs and the way that the University integrates faith into really all aspects of the experience helps students feel more comfortable as they progress through BC,” said Wieboldt.

“We’re all about student formation and helping students see God working in their lives,” said Kiefer. “That’s the mission of our Jesuit, Catholic university. So we have to always be attentive to learning and finding new ways to meet the students where they’re at and to help them find God.” For more information on C21’s Student Voices Project, see www.bc.edu/content/ bc-web/centers/church21/programs/C21_student_voices_project.html

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Lienau Will Be New Law School Dean Continued from page 1

articles and chapter contributions have appeared in the Harvard International Law Journal, the Yale Journal of International Law, the Virginia Journal of International Law, the Hastings Law Journal, the Yale Law Journal Forum, and Oxford University Press, among other publications.

She is a life member of the Council of Foreign Relations and a member of the American Society of International Law, American Political Science Association, and Law & Society Association.

In announcing the appointment, Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley praised Lienau as a person with the breadth of knowledge, global perspective, and vision to lead Boston College Law School into the future.

“The search committee was pleased to see that our deanship generated strong interest from an impressive cohort of legal educators from leading law schools across the country,” said Quigley. “Odette Lienau stood out as an accomplished scholar and educator who offered up a compelling vision for the future of Boston College Law School. I am excited to welcome her to campus next academic year and to work together to educate the kinds of lawyers our society needs.”

BC Law School Founders Professor Mary Sarah Bilder, who served on the search committee, called Lienau “an extraordinary scholar, inspirational leader, and imaginative problem solver with an abiding faith that global and local communities can be improved through thoughtful and respectful intellectual engagement. I am thrilled to be able to be at BC Law as this next amazing chapter unfolds.”

“Odette Lienau is an absolutely outstanding choice for our next dean,” added BC Law Professor and search committee member Vlad Perju, who cited her scholarly reputation, administrative experience, and vision for the school. “With erudition

Snapshot

and skill, she has shown how law can be used in the area of international finance and beyond as an instrument of emancipation and justice rather than a tool for oppression and domination. We simply could not have hoped for a better dean.”

Lienau said she was grateful to be named dean of BC Law, given the school’s values, heritage, and distinctive mission.

“I am thrilled and honored to join the Boston College Law School community, as I have long admired its fantastic and engaged faculty, student body, and alumni,” said Lienau. “I also believe that this is a very significant moment in legal education—a moment in which BC’s mission and heritage speak to me so deeply.

finding meaning in their work, and who are committed to the equal dignity of all and to serving others in their lives. I so look forward to working with everyone at the law school and at the University to further strengthen this mission and to amplify its impact in the world.”

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she received a B.A. in social studies and served as president of the Harvard Society of International Students, Lienau graduated cum laude from New York University School of Law, winning the Jerome Lipper Graduation Prize for outstanding work in international law and the John Bruce Moore Award for excellence in law and philosophy. She then

Odette Lienau speaking at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund in 2019.

photo by a. gilpern via twitter

“These last several years have seen such upheaval for individuals, the nation, and the world—in struggling with racial justice, the meaning of democratic rule, and the management of a global pandemic and its fallout. It is an incredibly important time to educate lawyers who are dedicated to developing their talents to the fullest and

photo by frank curran

Veterans Reception

Daniel Cummins '58, Thomas Sullivan '68, Katherine Vacca, and Patrick Vacca '57 engaged in conversation at the University’s annual Veterans Reception, held April 27 in the Cadigan Alumni Center after a two-year hiatus.

completed a Ph.D. in government/political science at Harvard, where she earned the Charles Sumner Prize for best dissertation on international issues.

Upon completion of her studies, Lienau served as an associate at the New York law firm Shearman & Sterling, L.L.P., working in its Financial Restructuring & Insolvency Group. She joined the faculty at Cornell Law School in 2010 and taught courses in International Economic Law; Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law; International Law & International Relations; Markets, Democracy, and the Rules of Law; and Sovereign Debt. She also served on the law school’s faculty appointments and building and design committees and chaired the upper-level curriculum and transition committee in 2020 to help facilitate the shift to online and hybrid pedagogy.

A dedicated and highly respected teacher who is credited with bringing an interdisciplinary and historically informed perspective to the classroom, she is also a faculty member in Cornell’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, serving as a committee member and external reviewer for doctoral theses in the fields of government and peace studies.

In addition, she held appointments as the Martin R. Flug Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School and the Nomura Visiting Professor of International Financial Systems at Harvard Law School.

As Cornell’s inaugural associate dean for faculty research and intellectual life, Lienau worked collaboratively with faculty, administrators, and students to promote community collegiality—particularly by recognizing faculty achievement, supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, addressing COVID-19 challenges, and responding to a range of educational issues from evolving ranking methodologies to global exchanges. She also facilitated faculty- and staff-wide presentations regarding national conversations on racial justice, including on histories of policing and competing constitutional narratives.

Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia— the birthplace of her mother—with visits to her father’s hometown of Sheboygan, Wisc., Lienau is conversant in Indonesian and French. Her interests include travel, reading, dance, and hiking. She is married to fellow Cornell professor Aziz Rana, the Richard and Lois Cole Professor of Law, who will also join the Boston College faculty as the Provost’s Distinguished Fellow in 2023­­-2024, and then as the J. Donald Monan, S.J., Chair in Law and Government beginning in 2024. An acclaimed legal scholar, Rana is an expert in constitutional law, race, and citizenship, and national security law who looks forward to engaging with the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America and the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy.

Lienau said she is excited to join the BC Law School community and to reintroduce her two children, ages five and nine, to the Boston area.

“Aziz and I are delighted to return to Greater Boston, where we spent many years as students and where we have family ties,” said Lienau. “We plan to revisit some old favorite spots and, as a family, we are excited to discover more of the vibrant neighborhoods and beautiful natural areas in this dynamic region.”

The Marianne D. Short, Esq., Law School Deanship was established in 2021 through a $10 million gift from Boston College Trustee Marianne Short, executive vice president, chief legal officer, and member of the Office of the Chief Executive at UnitedHealth Group. A 1973 graduate of the Newton College of the Sacred Heart and a 1976 graduate of BC Law, Short made the gift in recognition of the “guiding force” that Boston College Law School has been throughout her life and illustrious 45-year legal career.

Professor of Law and Dr. Thomas F. Carney Distinguished Scholar Diane Ring will remain as interim dean of the Law School through the fall semester, where she has provided steady leadership since her appointment in June.

“Diane Ring has been a wonderful partner this academic year and I am grateful that she will serve one additional semester as interim dean,” said Quigley. “Her commitment to the Law School community is extraordinary.”

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BC in the Media Prof. Kent Greenfield (Law) offered comments to Bloomberg News, CBS Boston, Crux.com, and The Boston Globe on possible motives for and potential impacts of the Supreme Court opinion draft leak.

Recent weeks have brought detailed readouts on the economy yet little clarity on what they all meant. Part-time faculty member Brian Bethune (Economics) was among experts weighing in for Marketplace Radio and The Boston Globe.

Rebekah Levine Coley, left, and study co-author Naoka E. Carey. photo by lee pellegrini (coley)

Lynch School Researchers See Dangerous Trend in Adolescent Gun Carriage Continued from page 1

Midwestern demographic groups tend to embrace more positive norms around gun carriage, and firearm bearing by adolescents is linked to peer and family customs around carriage.”

The study, “Prevalence of Adolescent Handgun Carriage: 2002-2019,” points to socio-demographic variables such as gender, education, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and household income, as well as geographical location and related norms and customs as likely influencers.

Firearm injuries are the second leading cause of death among children and adolescents, and the rates of adolescent firearmrelated injuries or deaths have been on the rise, noted the authors. Furthermore, exposure to firearm injuries has long-term developmental implications for youth, and has been attributed to increased future injury rates and the likelihood of engagement in firearm crime. Handguns, in contrast to other firearms, are more likely to be employed in homicides, and handgun ownership is associated with an elevated suicide risk.

“Adolescent handgun carriage is increasing among particular adolescent subgroups, indicating a remarkable change over the past 17 years,” said Coley. “Understanding such variations is critical to an understanding of fluctuating violence patterns, includ-

ing rising rates of adolescent and rural suicide, and identifying which adolescents are at an increased risk of injury. Lastly, lessons learned regarding adolescent behavior from the 1990s or early 2000s may be less relevant to a more socio-demographically diverse youth population today.”

The report calls for the development of intervention programs and policy solutions specific to the different adolescent subgroups, and which address the underlying structural and sociocultural—as well as the family and individual—factors of firearm bearing.

“Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. and it is absolutely critical that we address it,” said Carey, a member of the Massachusetts Juvenile Justice and Policy Board and the former executive director of Massachusetts-based Citizens for Juvenile Justice.

“To do that, policy needs to be informed by what teenagers are reporting they do today, not what they were doing 20 years ago or class- or race-based assumptions about which kids carry. We hope that our study can help inform future research, and help policymakers better address the root causes of violence and childhood injury, which may look different for different communities.”

Understanding variations in handgun carriage, says Coley, “is critical to an understanding of fluctuating violence patterns, including rising rates of adolescent and rural suicide, and identifying which adolescents are at an increased risk of

In a Q&A with The Signal, Assoc.

Prof. David Hopkins (Political Science) discussed President Biden’s political troubles—and the limits on his ability to resolve them anytime soon.

WBZ Newsradio reported on a new podcasting studio in Stokes Hall that allows students in a course with Assoc. Prof.

Dana Sajdi (History) to tell stories in history with researched context.

The influence of the vast network of American right-wing comedy needs to be taken seriously, said Assoc. Prof. Matt Sienkiewicz (Communication), co-author of the new book That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them, in an interview with The Guardian (U.K.).

Elon Musk’s “free speech” takeover is part of a new corporate activism wave, according to a Washington Post column, which included insights from Assoc. Prof. Brian Quinn (Law).

Prof. Robin Fleming (History) offered comments to a New York Times story on a study that found, contrary to popular belief, the ruling classes in medieval times gorged on meat only on rare occasions.

Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (English/Slavic Languages) offered paschal reflections on war, hope, and deliverance in Ukraine in a Passover week essay for the Jewish Journal.

Irish Times columnist Frank McNally wrote on the concurrence of the Sixth International Conference of the Flann O’Brien Society, held at Boston College and hosted

by Burns Library and Prof. of the Practice of English Joe Nugent (English), and the Fifth International Edgar Allan Poe Conference, held in Boston and co-organized

by Prof. Paul Lewis (English).

They can be attached to almost anything and located using a paired iPhone. But Apple AirTags also can be used for more nefarious intentions, noted Kevin R. Powers, director of the Woods College M.S. in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance program, in a story appearing on Boston. com. Power also discussed the legalities of “hacking back” in a JDSupra Cyberside Chat podcast.

A report in the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics by Prof. Tayfun Sönmez (Economics) and colleagues analyzed Taiwan’s unique high school assignment mechanism and illustrates the limitations of such systems in real-world situations.

Connell School of Nursing Dean Katherine Gregory spoke with Boston 25 News about the current nursing shortage, and various barriers to addressing it.

Assoc. Prof. Nadia Abuelezam (CSON) weighed in for The Boston Globe on a new report that analyzes vaccination data in the state.

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

Patrol Officer Costume Shop Supervisor Campus Minister

Help Desk Specialist

Assistant Director, Professional Development

Technology Consultant

Assistant Director, Compliance

Assistant Director, Office of Sponsored Programs

Associate Director, Software Engineering

Business Systems Analyst

Administrative Assistant to the Dean

Alumni Relations Assistant

injury.” Carey adds, “We hope that our study can help inform

Teacher Assistant

future research, and help policymakers better address the root

Creative Video Producer

causes of violence and childhood injury.”

Pollutants are being spread across Ukraine, with scores of contaminated sites identified, reported The Wall Street Journal, which spoke with Boston College Global Public Health Program Director Philip Landrigan, M.D. Landrigan also discussed Moderna’s move to be first with COVID vaccines for children under six with the Associated Press.

Administrative Assistant, Rappaport Center Instruction & Public Services Librarian

Construction Project Manager Lead Teacher, Pine Manor College Nurse Practitioner Development Associate Post-doctoral Research Fellow (multiple positions)

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May 12, 2022

BC Research

Thinking Globally, and Theologically Theology’s Fr. Mendoza-Álvarez brings a world view to his scholarship that includes climate change, migration, and other compelling issues

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

Professor of Theology Carlos MendozaÁlvarez, finishing up his first academic year at Boston College, brings an international sensibility to his work as a theologian examining issues of oppression, violence, and resistance.

A Dominican priest who was born in Mexico and earned a doctorate from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, Fr. Mendoza-Álvarez was a visiting scholar at BC last spring. Prior to coming to BC, he was a research professor at the Iberoamericana University of Mexico City, a Jesuit university, from 2001 to 2021. He also has been a lecturer and visiting professor at other universities in the United States, as well as Switzerland, Brazil, Germany, Colombia, Korea, and South Africa. He serves on the board of directors of Concilium: International Journal for Theology, a journal of theological thinking featuring the work of theologians from five continents published in six languages.

“An openness and commitment to contemporary issues and social justice is here at Boston College, but an international global perspective is important,” said Fr. Mendoza-Álvarez. “My goal is to build some bridges between Latin American theology and North American theology and also from Africa, Asia, and Europe.

I think Boston College could be a good partner in this conversation and play an important role for that here in the Boston area and in the U.S.” The Theology Department’s international reputation (“one of the best in the world”) was a compelling reason to come to BC, said Fr. Mendoza-Álvarez, whose expertise is in fundamental theology. He

BC Scenes Arts All Around

PHOTOS BY CAITLIN CUNNINGHAM

leads a research project called the Beyond Global Violence Initiative, studying what is called decolonial theology, which involves listening carefully to how different groups are facing violence, such as climate change, migration, patriarchy, or human rights violations.

“So those kind of issues are global, and theologically we need to think about that and have something to say to and with those communities,” he said.

He hopes to organize a conference for 2023-2024 that would focus on the question of naming violence and how communities create a new narrative, a new way of resisting this kind of violence.

This semester, he organized a series of webinars on narratives of resistance, offered in English and Spanish, that focused on naming and facing systemic violence in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil, and the U.S. An international slate of experts spoke on topics such as the hate rhetoric and Afro-Brazilian resistance; resistance from immigrant-activist communities in the U.S.; and the forced disappearances of people in Mexico.

Fr. Mendoza-Álvarez recently published a book, La resurrección como insurrección messiánica. Duelo, memoria y esperanza desde los sobrevivientes (The Resurrection as Messianic Insurrection. Mourning, Memory and Hope from the Survivors), in which resurrection is a narrative of empowerment for communities which have been traumatized by any kind of violence.

He envisions La resurrección como insurrección as the first of a trilogy. Future texts will look at how those communities represent their struggle for life, what kind of narratives or rituals empower them to continue resisting, searching for justice, and building peace.

“Resurrection is not only about the future, the afterlife, but the now for those communities and people who are struggling for life.”

—Carlos Mendoza-Álvarez photo by lee pellegrini

“Resurrection is not only about the future, the afterlife, but the now for those communities and people who are struggling for life,” he said.

With his 20 years of experience teaching at a Jesuit university, Fr. MendozaÁlvarez feels very much at home at BC. “I know well the Jesuit way of thinking,” he said. “Both Dominicans and Jesuit orders are very committed to education, social justice, human rights, and the arts. We are probably the two main orders trying to make a conversation with modern societies.”

Fr. Mendoza-Álvarez teaches both undergraduates and graduate students.

His graduate courses have drawn students from the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Africa, and have resulted in very engaging and interesting conversations, he said.

He also teaches God, Self, and Society, a course that can fulfill the theology core requirement for undergraduates. The students he’s encountered in that class have been diverse in terms of their religious

traditions and backgrounds. While many students are Catholic or from another Christian faith tradition, a significant portion are non-believers or non-practitioners.

“It’s a new generation of students, and many of them are more interested in spirituality, not religion,” he said, noting a strong interest in ecological issues and climate change among undergraduates.

“They’re immediately excited to talk about ecology, climate change, and what the religions can do to avoid a catastrophe. I try to offer a kind of eco-theology, a theological reflection on ecology, and to talk about the theologians in Latin America, particularly feminist theologians, whose work is on ecology.

“I promote a kind of reflection with the undergrads about how their major, their field, their professional life will be connected to the ecological issues and then the spiritual issues. So that’s the path I founded here to meet them, to have a good conversation with them on intelligent terms.”

The annual Boston College Arts Festival was back in force, with performances by student music and dance ensembles like BC bOp! (middle) and Synergy (near left). There also were opportunities to enjoy more sedate forms of art (far left). Below, Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement winner Jeff Augustin ’08 spoke during the festival.