MAY 13, 2021 VOL. 28 NO. 15
PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
University Updates Commencement Plans Class of 2020 celebration event scheduled for fall Following recent changes to Massachusetts’ COVID-related restrictions, Boston College has updated its plans for the 2021 Commencement Exercises, and also set a fall date for a celebration for the Class of 2020. The University announced last week that undergraduates will be able to invite two guests to the Baccalaureate Mass on May 23, the main Commencement ceremony on May 24 in Alumni Stadium, and the school diploma ceremonies taking place that day across campus. Graduate students can invite one guest to the Baccalaureate Mass and their schoolspecific ceremony on May 23, and to the main ceremony on May 24. Boston College Law School will hold its Commencement Exercises on May 28 in Conte Forum; information and updates are available at bc.edu/law. At the time of the April 13 Commencement announcement, the state’s
INSIDE 2 Around Campus
BC stage production honored by Kennedy Center; Alumni Association, Career Center start job and internship campaign.
4-5 Seniors to Remember
Class of 2021 grads-to-be look back on their years at the Heights.
6 World of Talk
Undergraduates take the lead in University’s new Global Conversations initiative.
COVID-19 regulations limited attendance for events in stadiums to 12 percent of capacity. To meet this directive, the University said only graduates, trustees, senior administrators, honorary degree recipients, and faculty marshals would be able to attend the ceremony. The University submitted a revised plan for Commencement after Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced on April 27 that the state would raise the capacity allowed at stadiums to 25 percent. The plan was approved on May 5 by the Boston Public Health Commission and the Boston Licensing Board. In accordance with state and local regulations, all attendees must wear face coverings at indoor and outdoor events, and adhere to physical distancing requirements. All guests will be required to register and complete a health attestation via the BC Check App, which they will receive
Continued on page 3
Members of the Golden Eagles Dance Team were aloft during their performance at the Boston College Arts Festival, which took place April 29-May 1 with both in-person and virtual events and activities. photo by lee pellegrini
Speaking and Listening BC’s Courageous Conversations program promotes civil dialogues on racial justice BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
For almost two years, small groups of Boston College students, faculty, administrators, and staff have regularly held conversations about issues of racial justice. Lasting usually about 90 minutes apiece, the conversations are civil, generally friendly, participants say, though not without awkwardness or tension given the subject matter. Nobody argues that his or her view is the correct one, or that someone else’s is the wrong one. Nobody tries to insist he or she has a perfect solution to the problems under discussion. And one of the most important objectives of the conversations is that those involved truly listen—
and listen to understand rather than just to respond—even though it may be uncomfortable to hear what’s being said. Both speaking and listening takes a certain amount of fortitude, participants say, hence the name of this ongoing dialogue: Courageous Conversations Toward Racial Justice. The BC program—a partnership between the Office of the Provost, Office for Institutional Diversity, Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America, and Environmental Studies Program—is based on a protocol for interracial dialogue developed by author, consultant, and strategist Glenn E. Singleton and used as a model in various settings, from educational institutions to businesses to community groups.
With a concise format and set of guidelines to follow, each “CC@BC” meeting—whether in person or, as has been the case during the pandemic, over Zoom—is constructed as a thoughtful exploration of a specific topic or theme: racial justice and COVID-19, the sensationalism of Black pain, the 2020 election, mass incarceration and racial inequality, and artistic achievements of BIPOC, among others. “Courageous Conversations has taught me the importance of patience and listening,” said Gia Mitcham ’23, a communication major and marketing minor from Floral Park, NY. “I know that for myself and other students of color, it can be mentally taxing to consistently hear and talk about
Continued on page 8
I’m pleased that the University has been able to increase its Yellow Ribbon funding for these two programs. It further underscores Boston College’s commitment to enhancing its status as a veteran-friendly institution and recognizes the contributions of those who have served our nation so courageously. – executive vice president michael lochhead, page 3