The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs may 8, 2014 VOL. 22 no. 17
INSIDE
HEATING IT UP
Caitlin Cunningham
•Remembering ‘The Match,’ page 2
Lee Pellegrini
Church response and outreach seen as key to serve growing population
•DC alums give wounded warriors a good time, page 2 •Commencement online aids get upgrade, page 2
By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
•Tsung, Weerapana explore “smart” drug delivery to battle cancer, page 3
Fuego del Corazon performed during a showcase of student dance groups at the annual Boston College Arts Festival. More photos on page 8.
Lives in Focus
•eTeaching Day will take look at Canvas, page 3 •Prestigious fellowships for History faculty, page 3 •Seniors to Remember, pages 4 and 5
•Catholic initiative on nuclear disarmament includes BC role, page 6
When senior Emily Mervosh had to stop playing music, she made a film about a budding musician – and found a story she felt she just had to tell By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
A musician from a young age, senior Emily Mervosh has long believed that music is a positive influence on the lives of children – and an increasingly precious commodity for many, she adds, given how school arts programs tend to be first in line for cutbacks. Now, Mervosh has captured that belief on film, in a documentary she directed and produced about a Boston-area schoolgirl who, through a Boston College program, has been able to discover the joys of playing music. Mervosh’s “Genesis” – supported through BC’s Advanced Study Grant Program and Jacques
Salmanowitz Program for Moral Courage in Film – had its official screening at last month’s BC Arts Festival. The film’s titular subject, 11-year-old Genesis (pronounced “HEN-a-cease”), the daughter of El Salvadoran immigrants, had never played an instrument until she took up clarinet via BC’s Music Outreach Program, in which undergraduates give free music lessons to children in the Gardner Pilot Academy of Allston – where Genesis is a student – and Brighton High School. In the course of the 12-minute film, the effervescent, loquacious Genesis is shown working with Continued on page 8
•Q&A: CSON’s Susan Gennaro, page 6
•Accounting faculty get professional honors, page 7 •BC hosts conference on deported persons’ rights, page 7
BC Study: Hispanics Vital to Future of Catholic Church
Brighton resident Genesis (left) and her mother Nidia are the subjects of a documentary by Emily Mervosh ’14 (right). (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)
QUOTE:
The explosive growth of Hispanic Catholics in America has exceeded the Catholic Church’s ability to adequately serve this population. Without a strategic response, the Church risks alienating an ethnic group crucial to its future, according to a landmark study of Hispanic Catholic parishes by School of Theology and Ministry Assistant Professor Hosffman Ospino. Hispanics comprise 31.2 million of America’s 78 million Catholics and their growing ranks are rapidly transforming parishes in fundamental ways, according to the National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry. “Reflecting on the difficult experiences leading to closures and mergers in many dioceses, some have predicted the death of the parish in America,” said Ospino, the lead author of the report and an authority on pastoral ministry and religious education. “But this is premature. Parish life in several parts of the country is flourishing,
Hosffman Ospino
in many because of Hispanics. If we fail to meet the needs of Hispanic Catholics and the parishes that serve them, then the parish structure in America will likely experience a dramatic decline as it did in Europe.” The burgeoning Hispanic Catholic community is challenging parishes in areas of education, language, geography and ministry, according to Ospino. There are 4,368 Catholic parishes with some form of organized ministry to Hispanics – accounting for nearly one in every four Catholic parishes in the US. But these parishes, led predominantly by non-Hispanic white priests and pastoral leaders nearing retirement age, will see leadership turnover at a Continued on page 6
Morken Named Vanderslice Professor of Chemistry By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
James P. Morken, whose research pursues new methods of chemical synthesis, has been named the Louise and James Vanderslice and Family Professor of Chemistry at Boston College. Morken, who holds a doctorate from BC, has been a faculty member at the University since 2006. The inaugural holder of the chair, Professor Larry Scott, retires at the close of the academic year. Morken said he’s grateful to the Vanderslice family for its support of the endowed professorship and the Chemistry Department.
“This is a tremendous honor not only for me, but for my group of students,” said Morken. “I am grateful to the Vanderslice family for their generosity. These positions are tremendously important and are one of the things that have enabled BC to become one of the leading institutions in the country.” Receiving his doctorate from BC in 1995, Morken was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard and then joined the University of North Carolina faculty. After nine years at UNC, he eagerly returned to BC. Continued on page 3
“The Emerald Isle Classic was a lot of work, but it certainly was a labor of love. I got caught up in the romance of the thing. It was a great experience and a lot of fun. I met a lot of great people on both sides of the Atlantic. It didn’t make me rich, but it enriched my life.” –Jim O’Brien, author of The Match, page 2
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle may 8, 2014
2
A ROUND
C AMPUS ‘MATCH’ FOR THE AGES
SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED Technically, Boston College’s Washington, DC, alumni chapter was a little late in its observance of BC’s annual Day of Service, which took place April 12 – but nobody’s complaining. On April 24, the DC chapter held its second annual Wounded Warrior Cook-Out at Walter Reed Military Hospital, serving some 150 wounded veterans and their families. The chapter collaborated with the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), led by 1969 School of Nursing alumna and former ENA president Susan Sheehy, in organizing the event, which included a free raffle, a performance by a five-piece army band, and children’s entertainment. Brian Cummins ’82, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and one of almost 20 DC alumni who volunteered for the cook-out, said the event was intended to simply provide a little enjoyment during a difficult time. “Walter Reed has temporary housing for families while service members are undergoing reconstructive or rehabilitative therapy,” he explained, noting that veterans’ parents, as well as spouses and chil-
BC alumni volunteers at the Wounded Warrior Cook-Out in Washington, DC.
dren, often are guests. “The medical care they get at Walter Reed is world-class, but it’s tough therapy. So, the cook-out and raffle was our way of giving these folks and their families a break – one less dinner to make – and some good fun and music.” Cummins lauded Sheehy and ENA for their help – they baked “literally dozens of desserts,” bought gifts for the families and ran the raffle – and also complimented BC Associate Athletic Director James DiLoreto: “He outdid himself. He sent BC hockey and football jerseys, a cooler, a portable grill shaped
like a football, game tickets and a framed Doug Flutie picture. Alumni at Chestnut Hill also sent items like luggage tags, which were much appreciated.” Several other BC alumni chapters also opted to hold their Day of Service projects after April 12. Philadelphia-area alumni, for example, participated in the BC on the Road Helping Hands project, packing meals for families in Africa on April 26; and this Saturday, the Fairfield County (Conn.) chapter will assist in the donation of items for the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Annual Food Drive. –Sean Smith
COMMENCEMENT INFO AT A TOUCH News and updates for Commencement festivities are as close as your smartphone. For the second year, Boston College will offer a mobile-optimized web site that collects important information on services, schedules, and planning for the University’s Commencement weekend (May 16-19). Information Technology Systems Web Technology Group designed and produced the site, located at www.bc.edu/2014. From parking and diploma ceremony maps to seating for Alumni Stadium and locations of complimentary water stands or where to buy flowers, the Commencement Mobile site is packed with helpful information. New this year, the interactive map displays suggested walking routes and utilizes geolocation to display a pin where users are located, a feature typically not available on web sites. Detailed maps also allow visitors to plan the best route for arrival and parking. “Commencement is a special day not only for the graduates, but also
their families who have invested so much in the education of their student, but may not be as familiar with the campus,” said ITS Web Support Manager Scott Olivieri. “This is a new approach to help visitors navigate the campus.” While the University maintains a traditional web site located at bc.edu/commencement, administrators developed a mobile tool aimed at improving the on-site experience for guests by presenting streamlined information, custom maps and latebreaking information. Any smartphone user can enter the URL in their web browser and the complete web site is downloaded to the phone. Once downloaded, the site can be accessed locally in its entirety – even if a user loses a Wi-Fi connection. The site allows organizers to provide notifications to users. If rain changes the location of a ceremony, for example, users will see a notification icon appear in the upper right corner of the app with updated information. Vice President and University Sec-
Director of NEWS & Public Affairs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith
Contributing Staff Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Sean Hennessey Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini
retary Terry Devino, SJ, said, “It is my hope that our students and their families will take the opportunity to download this mobile site. It will be a great help to all who are looking to find information about Commencement and Commencement Day. There are maps, details about the diploma ceremonies – so many remarkable highlights right in the palm of our hand.” In addition, the site provides information about Senior Week, cap and gown rentals, Commencement speakers, parking, the history of BC’s Commencement and moving information. Commencement Mobile was created in collaboration with the Office of the University Secretary, Parking and Transportation, Student Services and Information Technology Services. The technical team included James O’Neill, Ramiro Oliva, Kul Thapa and Peter Salvitti. In creating the campus maps, ITS utilized support from Lynn Berkeley and Mark Lewis of Facilities Management. Constantin Andronache, who works in Research Services, also provided formatting support. –Melissa Beecher
The Boston College
Chronicle www.bc.edu/chronicle chronicle@bc.edu
Talk to Jim O’Brien ’60 for a while and it becomes clear that he’s a devoted fan of Boston College, Eagles’ football and Ireland. On November 19, 1988, O’Brien managed to link those three passions on a glorious afternoon in Dublin’s Landsdowne Road Stadium when BC played Army in the first major college football game on European soil. The Emerald Isle Classic attracted an estimated 15,000 spectators from the US and introduced fans in sports-crazed Ireland to a distinctly American game played by young men of such size, clad in helmets and pads, that the locals called them “gladiators.” The story of that day is the focus of The Match, a new book authored by O’Brien, the founder and president of the Emerald Isle Classic. “The Emerald Isle Classic was a lot of work, but it certainly was a labor of love,” said O’Brien, a top college lineman during his playing days. “I got caught up in the romance of the thing. It was a great experience and a lot of fun. I met a lot of great people on both sides of the Atlantic. It didn’t make me rich, but it enriched my life.” Like so many ideas, O’Brien’s was hatched over a few pints in a Dublin pub in 1985. An American football game was on the television and his Irish friends were captivated by the sport. The next day, he looked out his hotel window and saw the sprawling Landsdowne Road stadium, home to the Irish Rugby Football Union. It was close, so he took a walk over. “I walked over to the stadium and a gentleman greeted me and showed me around,” O’Brien said. “We started talking sports.” O’Brien met with stadium officials the next day and proposed a college football game be played there. They took him up on his offer and O’Brien set to work. After returning home, he enlisted the support of then-Athletics Director Bill Flynn and then-University President J. Donald Monan, SJ. BC found a worthy opponent in Army. O’Brien formed a company to market the game and coordinate tour packages for BC fans.
For Irish officials, the game was a potential economic boost in a country mired in a recession, with double-digit unemployment. The game was timed to coincide with other celebrations to mark Dublin’s Millennium. The run-up to the game included parades, the bands from BC and Army, glee clubs, cheerleaders and visiting dignitaries. Present were Lord Mayor of Dublin Carmencita Hederman, US Ambassador to Ireland Margaret Heckler, and then-Boston Mayor Ray Flynn. The stands were filled with 42,525 spectators, who watched BC upset Army by a score of 38-24. “It was an outstanding game,” said O’Brien. “I’ve never seen an atmosphere like that. Irish people love sports and the Irish fans really learned a lot about the game that day. They came to enjoy and appreciate it much more.” After the final play, the stands emptied onto the field. “It was like a big party,” said O’Brien. “Everybody stayed on the field for at least an hour. Bands were playing. It was like a concert.” As a motto on the book cover states, “You can only do something for the first time once.” The BC-Army game, a first for college football, Ireland and Europe, also forecast the growing interest in the European market on the part of American sports franchises. O’Brien still cherishes BC, Eagles’ football and the land of his ancestors. “I always think of Ireland as the heart of the universe. When I look at a map of the world, it is always right in the middle,” he said. He speaks proudly of the day he was able to share his passions with thousands of others on the green pitch of Landsdowne Road. “There is only one first and we were the first: BC-Army,” he said. “It is the one all others are measured by. When you are first, you are always special.” The Match is available through O’Connor Studios for $35. See www. oconnorstudio.com for more information. –Ed Hayward
The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle may 8, 2014
Boston College chemists have developed a nano-scale cage of chemical bonds that entraps small molecule drugs and then infiltrates cancer cells, showing promise it can serve as a “smart” drug delivery mechanism to fight cancer and other illnesses. Assistant Professors of Chemistry Frank Tsung and Eranthie Weerapana developed the chemical framework, a so-called “nanosphere” cultivated with a combination of metal and organic materials. Laboratory tests showed the nanospheres effectively penetrated and killed breast cancer cells. “We were very excited to see the results,” said Tsung. “We always want our solutions to work, but to see our organic-based drug delivery system attack and kill cancer cells in our lab tests was extremely gratifying. We know there is much work to be done, but we’re excited about the potential in this advance.” In the quest to improve the work of drugs that fight cancer and other diseases, researchers have looked for ways to exploit the advantages of nanotechnology, in this case a nano-scale metal organic framework (MOF). These frameworks have proven useful in certain functions, but until now demonstrated instability in the body’s watery physiology, Tsung said. So Tsung and Weerapana set out to create a framework that can effectively transport the drug through the body and deliver it to target cells. Efficiency is a crucial issue, as some drugs fail to fully penetrate cell membranes. Some drugs erode before they find their targets, requiring increased dosages, which are expensive and can produce unwanted side effects in patients.
Morken Is Vanderslice Prof.
Continued from page 1 “I always wished I could be back here,” said Morken. “I loved the institution. It’s a fantastic chemistry department and I always had my eye on it from afar. The more time I spent elsewhere, the more I realized what a special place BC is. The whole institution is a spectacular place.” Morken teaches freshman honors chemistry and supervises a research lab that comprises 14 graduate students, two undergraduates and one post-doctoral researcher. His research has been supported by $2.4 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health. Chemistry Department Chairman Amir Hoveyda, who was Morken’s faculty advisor during his time as a graduate student,
“[To] see our organic-based drug delivery system attack and kill cancer cells in our lab tests was extremely gratifying,” says Frank Tsung, with collaborator Eranthie Weerapana. “We know there is much work to be done, but we’re excited about the potential in this advance.”
Tsung and Weerapana’s nanosphere overcomes these significant challenges, the two faculty members reported in a recent edition of the American Chemical Society journal ACSNano. Tsung and researchers in his lab were able to cultivate the nanospheres by creating organic links between tens of thousands of zinc ions, essentially creating a constellation of 800 tiny cage-like structures capable of entrapping small molecules. The overall size of these constellations must be large enough to transport proper dosage, yet small enough to penetrate the target cell membrane. “That size between 50 and 100 nanometers is the magic number,” said Tsung. “If you have too small a framework, it won’t work. If we stay between 50 to 100 nanometers, it can penetrate the cancer cell. Our nanosphere is in the 70 nanometer Lee Pellegrini
By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
Caitlin Cunningham
‘Smart’ Drug Delivery Could Aid Cancer Fight Canvas Is Main Topic for
James Morken
said the professorship is fitting recognition of Morken’s work as a researcher and teacher. “Jim’s appointment as the Louise and James Vanderslice and Family Professor of Chemistry is a most deserved recognition of his significant contributions to teaching and research of chemistry at the highest level,” said Hoveyda. “I cannot think of an individual
range, which we think is ideal.” Next, the researchers had to impart some control on the structure, so that it would release the drug dosage once it entered the cancer cell membrane. The team then utilized a unique property of the framework that would trigger drug release based on a drop in pH levels. While the body’s pH level is 7.4, the extracellular microenvironments of cancer cells generally have lower pH. Upon entering the cancer cell, the lower pH level triggers a chemical reaction that releases the drug, Tsung said. “It is the body’s own mechanisms that trigger the release of the drug, which is a huge advantage,” Tsung said. “When the nanosphere enters the cancer cell, the lower pH level destabilizes the structure, which begins to break apart and releases the drug so it can begin to do its job of attacking and killing cancer cells.” Tsung said their research showed that targeting could be improved by incorporating iron oxide into the structure and using an external magnetic field to direct the drug to the target cells. He said the team’s next step is to functionalize the material with antibodies in order to use the body’s own immune response to draw the nanosphere to the disease cells. Tsung said the organic components in the nanosphere might make it easier to functionalize with an antibody. Tsung said the nanosphere is non-toxic and that the team achieved the unique structure by carefully controlling temperature during fabrication. Furthermore, the structures were cultivated from low-cost, readily available materials that can help control costs. Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
better able to continue the tradition of excellence established by the inaugural holder of this chair, Professor Larry Scott.” Morken said Scott set extremely high standards for research excellence as the Vanderslice Professor. “It’s an honor to take up the example set by Larry,” said Morken. “Those are big shoes to fill.” The endowed professorship will provide support for teaching and research initiatives, Morken said. His major research initiatives, which have led to reports in prestigious scientific journals such as Nature, are focused on developing new catalysts to support the next generation of pharmaceutical discoveries. “The main goal of our research is to develop new and more efficient ways to make human therapeutics,” Morken said.
3
May 14 eTeaching Day Canvas, Boston College’s new learning management system, will be the topic of eTeaching Day on May 14, a daylong event hosted annually by Instructional Design and eTeaching Services (IDeS) on the use of technology in teaching and innovative technological solutions in pedagogy. This year’s program consists of three morning presentations on Canvas, a luncheon with a keynote address by Mizuko Ito, a cultural anthropologist on technology use, and presentation of the Teaching With New Media (TWIN) Awards recognizing outstanding use of technology by BC faculty. Afternoon workshops for new and current users of Canvas will complete the day. Registration for the eTeaching Day luncheon and afternoon workshops ends tomorrow; the morning sessions are open, and no sign-up is required. The University began implementing Canvas – which will replace Blackboard Vista – last September with a small pilot program, followed by another program this semester for a group of early-adopter faculty members. Full implementation is expected by this fall. IDeS describes Canvas as offering “more robust tools that interact in many ways to enhance teaching and student engagement.” The eTeaching Day presentations on Canvas will be “Rethinking the Learning Management System” (9-9:50 a.m., Fulton 511), a Canvas interactive poster session (10-10:50 a.m., Fulton 513) and a panel discussion, “Inspiring Collaboration with Canvas” (11-11:50 a.m., Fulton
511). Ito, the luncheon keynote speaker, teaches at the University of California-Irvine, where she is the MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digitial Media and Learning and research director of the Digital Media and Learning Hub. She examines children’s and youth’s changing relationship to media and communications, and has written on educational software in Engineering Play: A Cultural History of Children’s Software. Funded by a MacArthur Foundation grant, she has led a three-year ethnographic study on gaming, digital media production, Internet use and other youth new-media practices in the US. TWIN Awards will be presented to: Carroll School of Management part-time faculty member Laura Foote; Earth & Environmental Sciences Department Laboratory Manager Kenneth Galli; Graduate School of Social Work Associate Professor Stephanie Berzin; Adjunct Assistant Professor of English Thomas Kaplan-Maxfield, and – representing the Connell School of Nursing – Associate Professor Judith ShindulRothschild, Clinical Instructor Jacqueline Sly and Clinical Assistant Professor Donna Cullinan. “We are very much looking forward to this year’s eTeaching Day,” said IDeS Director Cristina Joy. “Each one is special, but this one is especially exciting because it will be all about BC’s new learning management system Canvas.” To register for eTeaching Day, and to access links to information about Canvas, see www.bc.edu/ eteaching. –Office of News & Public Affairs
Historians Earn Fellowships Four History Department faculty members have received prestigious yearlong research fellowships for 2014-15. Professor Prasannan Parthasarathi will be a fellow at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study, where he will do research for the project “Land and Labor in Nineteenth-Century Tamilnad.” Associate Professor Sarah Ross will spend the year as a fellow at the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (Villa I Tatti) in Florence, Italy, working on a book tentatively titled “Performing Humanism in Counter-Reformation Italy: Letters, Drama and the Family Andreini.” Associate Professor Owen Stanwood’s project, “Dreams of Silk and Wine: Huguenot Refugees and the Promise of New Worlds,” won a fellowship at the School for Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Associate Professor Dana Sajdi will spend the year at the Agha Khan
Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT as part of her book project, “Visualizing Damascus: Arabic Textual Representations from the 12th to the 20th Centuries.” Professor Robin Fleming, the department chair and recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship – the socalled “genius grant” – last fall, congratulated her fellow faculty members. “It is doubtful that any other department in the country the size of BC’s History Department received this number of high-profile fellowships,” she noted. “This is a testament to the growing reputation of our department and its very talented faculty.” –Office of News & Public Affairs The United States Post Office branch located in McElroy Commons will close for the summer on Friday, May 16, and reopen on Monday, Aug. 18. However, BC Mail Services will continue inter-office mail delivery operations during this period.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle may 8, 2014
4
Brooke Loughrin
Hometown: Edmonds, Wash. Major: Political science Notable Activities: Presidential Scholar; US Department of State Youth Observer/Delegate to the United Nations; Undergraduate Research Fellowship with Prof. Ali Banuazizi (Political Science); education intern, Suffolk County House of Corrections; tutor, African Community Economic Development of New England; editor, Al-Noor: The Boston College Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Journal; Empowering the Women of Afghanistan through Education and Islamic Teachings project. Post-graduation Plans: Business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in Boston, followed by graduate studies in international law and diplomacy and/or international business. Overview: Loughrin came to BC with a strong international background: study in India, a summer in Senegal, and a trip to Iran with an educational/ cultural delegation. She has built on that foundation as a BC undergraduate, what with – among other things – a language immersion program in Tajikistan, research projects in Turkey and a yearlong stint as UN youth observer/delegate, for which she received a certificate of appreciation from US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice. At BC or abroad, whether pursuing academic or service opportunities, Loughrin is very much a citizen of the world.
Even before you arrived as a freshman at BC, you had an impressive record of international study. How did coming to BC enable you to build on that? What I’ve liked about BC is that students are engaged locally – through service and volunteerism – but also encouraged to pursue global-oriented opportunities. In the same vein, I was drawn to the possibility of being able to explore both the Western cultural tradition and Islamic civilizations and societies. There are not too many colleges where you are able to study both the Bible and important Turkish or Persian works. That’s what makes BC such a special place. Also, BC has quite a global reach. It seemed that no matter where I’ve gone – including Tajikistan – I’ve been able to find a BC alumnus, or someone with a BC connection. What have these various opportunities to go abroad done for your world view? Has it made you hopeful? Pessimistic? I’ve always been the impatient, optimistic type; I would say I am optimistic about human potential. That’s why I’m glad to have gone to a college that allows you to think critically. BC challenges students to look below the surface of what’s reported in the media, to assess the role of power and poverty in a country, and what kind of voice, if any, its citizens have. So you’re not just thinking about issues in terms of trade policies or politics, but people’s everyday lives. Among all these experiences you’ve had while at BC, how does your time as UN youth observer/delegate measure up? That was the capstone of what I’d been working on. I’ve had this overarching interest in expanding opportunities for women and young people, and there’s been a tremendous amount of mobilization for that. So I would travel with the State Department for up to two to three weeks at a time throughout the academic year to New York, Washington, DC, and Geneva and speak at UN-related events and consultations on topics ranging from the post-2015 Development Agenda to youth and women’s empowerment. One thing that this experience, as well as others I’ve had, showed me is the need to reconcile the academic and the public policy spheres. I think the work produced in academia may not be as accessible in public policy circles, and vice versa, and there is a lot each has to offer to one another. It bears mentioning that you actually have spent time on campus. What are some of the special experiences you’ve had? I think Al-Noor was my favorite thing at BC; I loved working with students and faculty to publish this journal. More recently, I’ve been part of the Institute for the Liberal Arts’ project on raising awareness about Afghanistan, and I helped set up a “sister-school” partnership between female students at BC and Balkh University in northern Afghanistan. Also, we invited Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, a Nobel Prize candidate, to come speak; I got to spend the day with her, and she’s become a close friend and mentor. This is another thing about BC: We get phenomenal speakers here, and students often get a chance to have informal, small-group or one-on-one conversations with them. It’s a tremendous opportunity for learning. What will you miss about BC? You mean, besides everything? I’ll miss being in such a rare community of scholars with such a range of interests, where you’re constantly challenged. I’ll miss the faculty – especially Dr. Banuazizi – because you can go into their office to ask a question, and three hours later you’re still talking with them. Faculty here care about students as whole people. –Sean Smith
SENIORS TO REMEMBER
Six outstanding members of the Class of 2014 talk about their Boston College experiences people in amazing ways. They really Alexis Carriere stood out to me as role models for Hometown: Manchester, Conn. Major: Nursing Notable Activities: Undergraduate Research Fellow; tutor at Connors Family Learning Center; BC Women’s Rowing Team; Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association 2012 National Scholar-Athlete; ACC Academic Honor Roll; All-ACC Academic Team; Golden Key National Honor Society; Peer Advisor for CSON freshmen; Sigma Theta Tau (nursing honor society); Alpha Sigma Nu (Jesuit honor society); National Student Nurses Association. Post-graduation Plans: Carriere is interviewing at New England area hospitals for a position as a critical care nurse. She plans to eventually become a nurse anesthetist. Overview: With her strong science skills, Carriere knew she wanted to go into the medical field. She chose nursing because of the chance it gave her to treat the patient, rather than treat the disease, and she values making a personal connection with her patients and their families. Carriere worked closely with Connell School of Nursing Dean Susan Gennaro as an Undergraduate Research Fellow on the dean’s preterm birth study. Looking to replicate the camaraderie and competitiveness she enjoyed as a varsity athlete in high school, she joined BC’s Women Rowing team and has been a rower all four years.
How did you balance the demands of a varsity sport with the nursing curriculum and clinicals? It’s particularly hard to be a nurse and to be an athlete. With competitions in the fall and spring, rowing is
Philip McHarris
Hometown: Bronx, NY (long-time New Jersey resident) Major: Sociology Notable Activities: United Front; Dedicated Intellectuals of the People; Honduras Education and Leadership Project; Bystander Intervention; AHANA Leadership Academy; Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship Award; McGillycuddy-Logue Travel Grant; Amanda V. Houston Traveling Fellowship; Ronald E. McNair Scholar; research assistant, Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture; research assistant, Assoc. Prof. C. Shawn McGuffey (Sociology); marshal, Order of the Cross and Crown. Post-graduation Plans: Combined PhD. program in sociology and African American studies at Yale University. Overview: Called a “natural leader” by his mentors, McHarris embarked on an educational journey that has taken him, thus far, from Newark, NJ, to Chestnut Hill, then India and South Africa for research. His experience at BC has led him to a vocation and also a commitment to service. A senior leader for men of color on campus, McHarris is well respected for his work ethic, leadership by example and ability to foster challenging conversations around power, privilege and identity. What advice would you give to students who will arrive at BC in the fall?
a year-round commitment. It takes up to more than 20 hours a week when you factor in travel time and meetings. Having athletics, though, has really sharpened my time management and prioritization skills. I think I get better grades because I’m an athlete. You can’t procrastinate on a paper because you have to get up at five in the morning! And if I’ve had a stressful day at clinical, there’s no better way to clear my head than going out for a row. Who have been the most influential people during your time at BC? Everyone at the Connell School has been outstanding, but the big three are [Associate Dean] Cathy Read, Susan Gennaro, and my clinical preceptor Elizabeth Bedenbaugh, an ICU nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. These women are so knowledgeable and reach out to
how I would like to be. What have been some of your favorite activities at BC? I’ve tutored all the undergraduate nursing classes. It has been an incredible experience, one of my favorite things I do at BC. I had three girls this semester who felt really defeated after doing poorly on their first statistics test. We met every Tuesday and Thursday and all three of them got As on their second test. They want to be nurses and you don’t want to see that dream slip away from somebody. It’s great to be a part of that. I’m also in Stitch, a crafting club. I needlepoint. How has BC made a difference in your life? The nursing school fully embodies the Jesuit ideal of “men and women for others.” That really made an impact on me. That’s why I want to tutor and to help people. The BC nursing experience is about serving your patients. It changed the way I saw nursing and how I’ll practice. What will you miss most about BC? My friends. I know I’ve made lasting relationships here, but I’ll miss the closeness and the accessibility I have to all my friends now. There’s always a chance to have a spontaneous encounter with a friend on campus and that won’t be the same after graduation. –Kathleen Sullivan
the people that I have met, the experiences that I have had, and the lessons that I learned through the activities that I have been involved with have played a major role in shaping my voice and who I am today. Has BC made a difference in your life? In what ways? My past four years at BC has definitely made a profound difference in my life. The friendships that I have made here and the support I have received from mentors, coupled with the rich intellectual environment and Take advantage of all the opportuni- the various institutional resources that ties and resources that BC provides its BC has offered me, have all been students while you’re here; four years incredibly important factors in the may seem like a long time, but it flies development of who I am today. For by. Also, throughout your four years these reasons, I will always remember you will frequently hear that the aim my time at BC as one of constant of BC is to produce “men and wom- growth. en for others.” Figuring out what Who have been some of your that truly means can, and should, most influential professors? be a complicated process. The first While there are many professors who step in that process for me was learn- have been influential to me, my most ing about intersectionality theory. influential professor has been Dr. C. How have your activities influ- Shawn McGuffey. Dr. Kalpana Seenced your four years at BC? shadri has also been an extremely The activities that I have participated influential professor as well as Dr. in over my four years at Boston Col- Stephen Pfohl and Dr. Eve Spangler. lege have been extremely influential. Additionally, Dan Bunch, Rossanna Most notably, being involved in Contreras-Godfrey, Andy Petigny, various activities on and off campus and Karl Bell have all also been imhelped me discover what it is that I portant mentors over the years. want to do in the future. All in all, –Melissa Beecher
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle may 8, 2014
For full interviews, go to www.bc.edu/chronicle See video profiles of the “Seniors to Remember” at www.youtube.com/BostonCollege
Matthew Alonsozana Hometown: Elkridge, Md. Major: Economics, philosophy Notable Activities: Presidential Scholar; UGBC vice president; Student Assembly president; Asian Caucus of Boston College co-president; David L. Boren Scholarship for study in China; Aquino Scholarship; founder, American Enterprise Institute Executive Council at BC; marshal, Order of the Cross and Crown. Post-graduation Plans: Serve as Republican legislative aide at Joint Economic Committee on Capitol Hill, or in congressional election campaign. Expects a career in politics. Overview: With near-perfect SAT Scores (2390/2400) and conversational skills in Spanish, Mandarin and Tagalog, Alonsozana came to BC with plans of following his parents’ footsteps and being a doctor. But his political and social involvement at BC led Alonsozana to realize he wanted to affect the lives of people by giving them a voice. Alonsozana’s entrepreneurial spirit inspired him to start a college counseling company that he ran for three years. While studying in the Philippines he created an initiative to improve health access for 100,000 Manila residents and assisted World Bank policy recommendations on typhoon damage; he also spearheaded a $10,000 campus fundraising effort for typhoon relief.
How did your experiences at Boston College influence you to change your future plans from medicine to politics? I came into BC wanting to be a doctor just like my parents. Some of my earliest memories were walking around hospitals with my
mom and dad. One thing that I’ve always wanted to do was help other people, but I don’t think I had the opportunity or the time in high school to really discern what that meant. At BC, I definitely had those opportunities. Getting involved with the Asian Caucus and UGBC changed my perspective. What got me out of bed more and more were not necessarily my lectures but the different events I coordinated, the advocacy activities we pursued, and the Romney and Brown campaigns. The political bug bit me hard. It became more important for me to give people a voice. How do you think your activities influenced your four years at BC? As I got more involved in my activities, I was more and more enthusiastic about applying what I had learned in the classroom
David Cote Hometown: Burlington, Conn. Majors: Chemistry, theology Notable Activities: Finnegan Award finalist; editor-in-chief, The Heights; crew chief, Eagle EMS; teaching assistant, Adj. Prof. Neil Wolfman (Chemistry); research assistant, Asst. Prof. Jeffery Byers (Chemistry); Scholar of the College candidate; van driver, Eagle Escort; resident assistant, Office of Residential Life; student employee, Office of Continuing Education, Connell School of Nursing; volunteer, Newton Wellesley Hospital Emergency Department. Post-graduation Plans: Program coordinator for the Department of Neurosurgery in the Neuroendocrine/Pituitary Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Medical school candidate for 2015 or 2016. Overview: One of Boston College’s most active, talented and appreciative students and a model in effective time management, Cote leaves an indelible impression on nearly all facets of University life. Selflessly devoting up to 60 hours per week for volunteering and work activities outside of the classroom, he served with distinction as a writer, editor, researcher, program administrator, EMT, ambulance and escort van driver, mentor, scholar and campus leader – leaving nothing behind in his quest to fully maximize his collegiate experience. How have your activities influenced your four years at Boston College? My experiences have contributed
to my overall growth as a student and allowed me to develop as a person and a leader. In addition to gaining so many friendships, they will also help me in my work life in the coming years. I am glad that I was able to take advantage of all of the opportunities that were offered to me at Boston College. Which faculty members had the greatest effect on your personal development? Fr. Jim Keenan was my most influential professor. He took a strong interest in me when I took his class HIV/AIDS & Ethics during my junior year. He encouraged me to pursue my interests and helped me to earn an Advanced Study Grant for thesis research that allowed me to go to Kenya last summer. He has
Photos by Lee Pellegrini through what I was doing. I’ve always been someone who’s wanted to create things and someone who’s wanted to leave a legacy. And yet, even though we create and craft unique policies and programs and events, those things only last for a couple of years and maybe they get a mention in The Heights or the Chronicle. However, the most important things for me, especially though my activities, were the people affected, the friends I’ve made, and the mentees I’ve instructed. And through those activities in which I met most of them, we’ve had a dynamic conversation, pulling in a lot of different elements of life. What advice would you give to incoming freshmen? Live a full BC experience. I think every freshman comes in wanting to have a perfect college or university life and I did, too. That didn’t happen at all. Instead, what happened at BC were not just four of the most gratifying years of my life but four of the most challenging. Lots of ups and downs, lots of moments of self-confidence and lots of moments of selfdoubt. But if you’re at the point where I am now and you’re just about to graduate, you want to be able to look back and say, “My time here at BC has been a really full one.” –Sean Hennessey been an unwavering supporter of me and everything I do, as well as a great person, mentor and friend. Professor Jeff Byers also has been a huge supporter. I learned so much in his lab and gained invaluable experience that will help me in my future endeavors. His was one of my favorite and most intellectually challenging classes, and he kindly wrote my recommendation for my medical school application. How has Boston College made a difference in your life? I came to BC as a freshman from a high school environment where I did not always perform to the best of my ability. I found myself at Boston College and developed in so many ways as a person. My classes have made a huge difference in my intellectual capabilities. I had never really asked the big questions before I came to BC, but my classes broadened my perspective so that I am not just interested in chemistry, but in much larger questions in a number of fields. If you told me four years ago that I would be writing my thesis on theological ethics in Kenya in relation to HIV/AIDS, I never would have believed you. I did not intend to be a theology major, for example, but ended up taking 15 classes in the subject. BC has been huge for me intellectually and socially. I am a totally different person, all for the better. –Jack Dunn
Cristian Lopez
5
Hometown: Lynn, Mass. Major: Management, concentration in finance and accounting Notable Activities: President, Organization of Latin American Affairs; assistant director, AHANA Leadership Council; volunteer tutor; threetime BC intramural soccer champion; studied abroad in Madrid; volunteer, PULSE Program/Work Force Youth Program; Freshman Leadership Program; SANKOFA Leadership Program; Yawkey Scholar; La Vida Scholar. Post-graduation Plans: Serve as a preceptor this summer in the Office of AHANA Student Program’s Options Through Education Program, then work for PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP as a management consultant. Overview: Lopez’s family immigrated to the US from El Salvador before he was born. The oldest of five and the first in his family to graduate college, Lopez has fully embraced opportunities for leadership at BC, getting involved in a number of campus activities and taking part in the Arrupe International Immersion Program service trip to Mexico. He also spent this year’s spring break in El Salvador learning about microfinance institutions. As a result, he was chosen to receive the Dr. Donald Brown Award, given for academic achievement and activities within the AHANA community.
How did being the president of the Organization of Latin American Affairs affect your experience here? It allowed me to meet a lot of great people and join a family at BC. Additionally, it pushed me to be a good role model for the Latino/a community on campus: doing well academically, making sure that I was always on top of my work, grabbing lunch with freshmen, making sure I was a good mentor, and always setting good examples. It kept me focused and allowed me to be a big brother on campus, too, not just at home. Who has had the most profound influence during your time at Boston College? Without a doubt, my roommates. They’re the same guys that I’ve been living with since freshman year and a few of whom I will live with after graduation. Our circle of friends is very diverse, from the color of our skin to our ideologies and interests. We come from all kinds of different backgrounds and we’re able to come together because we found common interests. We can debate topics and stand on complete opposite ends, but we can also have a friendly conversation in a respectable manner, and those things I think helped me learn a lot about myself. We were able to share with each other and by doing so, teach each other and learn from each other as well. How has Boston College made a difference in your life? I think the biggest thing was learning the Jesuit ideology. Before coming to Boston College I had never even heard of the Jesuits and now, I feel the ideology is a big part of my life. It’s about being conscious of and looking after those who are not as fortunate, living with those who are marginalized in society, and living a simple life. Even studying business in a setting of a Jesuit campus has been a very profound experience. How do you think your activities influenced your four years at BC? Coming out of high school, I had this passion to leave my mark on the world in a positive manner, but it consisted of a lot of passion with little direction. Boston College has allowed me to channel and focus specifically that passion to find a way that I can make a difference. When I came to BC, I didn’t even know if I wanted to study business, but meeting professors has enabled me to think differently and creatively to make a difference in the world using business to do good. My activities at BC have definitely taken raw passion and turned it into something really powerful with direction. Let’s build on that – in what ways do you want to make a difference in the world? Through my trips this year to El Salvador and Puebla, Mexico, I’ve been able to learn a lot about microfinance and economic development, and to see the fruits of labor from small businesses in these countries where capital is nowhere near where it is in the United States. I was given the opportunity to come to Boston College through a lot of grants and scholarships and I feel it’s my responsibility to return to Latin America and create some meaningful change with the business skills that I’ve learned. Being fluent in Spanish and English, and having grown up as a Salvadoran American, I bring a different perspective, and hopefully I can think creatively and find solutions that otherwise would not have been thought of. –Sean Hennessey
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle may 8, 2014
6
Study Examines Hispanics’ Church Role Continued from page 1 higher rate than the wider Church, Catholic group in the US as a nonOspino said. The survey points to negotiable priority or risk alienata need for programs to prepare ing them, Ospino said. Hispanic and non-Hispanic priests “The secularization of Hispanand church leaders for Hispanic ics is perhaps the biggest threat to ministry. the future of the Catholic Church “A new generation of Hispanic in America,” said Ospino. “Only leaders in the Church is emerg- 3 percent of Hispanic Catholic ing,” said Ospino. children attend “The question is: Is Catholic schools the Catholic Church “The secularization of and fewer and fewer ready to recognize Hispanics is perhaps Hispanics under 30 them and support attend church. We them? Will current the biggest threat to the run the risk of losstructures of the future of the Catholic ing a whole generaAmerican Catholic tion of Catholics.” Church allow them Church in America.” Yet pastoral to succeed? As it leaders serving His-Hosffman Ospino stands now, we still panic Catholics have a long way to continue to oversee go.” their ministry with few resources. The study found the demand Parishes with Hispanic ministry for services at parishes with His- as well as dioceses need to assign panic ministry exceeds available the highest priority to the developresources. By comparison, Ospino ment of sound strategies to invest noted, the 20 million Hispanic in the evangelization of Hispanic immigrants currently living in the Catholics, Ospino noted. United States is already four times The changes are shifting the the total number of Irish immi- geographic balance of influence for grants to the US from 1840 to the Church in America, accord1960. The Church needs to shift ing to the study, conducted in gears and serve this predominantly collaboration with the Center for
Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. While 61 percent of all Catholic parishes are currently located in the Midwest and Northeast, the fast-growing Hispanic population is taking hold in the South and West, where 61 percent of parishes with Hispanic ministry are now located. The Midwest and Northeast are home to just 39 percent of churches with Hispanic ministry. The findings point to a need for Church leadership in America to recognize the distinct needs of parishes with Hispanic ministry and to shift personnel and resources accordingly. “About one in five pastoral leaders serving Hispanic Catholics in major ministerial positions in parishes and dioceses are unpaid,” said Ospino. “While clergy and vowed religious count on established support networks, a significant number of these unpaid leaders are lay women and men. Parishes and dioceses need to urgently attend to questions of fair compensation and parity with non-Hispanic ministries.” Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
A BC Presence in Catholic Forum on Nuclear Weapons A five-person group of Boston College faculty members and students attended a colloquium last month held as part of a new effort to encourage a Catholic perspective on nuclear disarmament issues. Held on April 24 and 25 at Stanford University, the Colloquium on Revitalizing Catholic Engagement on Nuclear Disarmament brought together 40 bishops, policy specialists, Catholic scholars, and young professionals and students to explore policy and moral challenges involved in moving toward a world without nuclear weapons. The event was hosted by former US Secretary of State George Shultz and former Secretary of Defense William Perry, and convened by University of Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins and US Bishops Committee on International Peace and Justice chair Bishop Richard Pates. Associate Professor of Theology Kenneth Himes, OFM, was one of the featured speakers at the colloquium, as was – among others – Perry, former US Senator Sam Nunn, and Fr. Bryan Hehir, a faculty member at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and health care and social services secretary for the Archdiocese of Boston. Other BC representatives at the colloquium were Associate Professor of Political Science Timothy Craw-
L-R: Assoc. Prof. Kenneth Himes, OFM (Theology) with former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Secretary of Defense William Perry and Georgetown University Professor Drew Christiansen, SJ, at the recent Colloquium on Revitalizing Catholic Engagement on Nuclear Disarmament.
ford, theology doctoral students James O’Sullivan and Aaron Taylor, and sophomore Tate Krasner, a Presidential Scholar in the International Studies Program. Organizers said the colloquium was the kick-off of a larger project to empower a new generation of Catholic bishops, scholars, professionals and students to address the ethical and policy challenges of reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons. BC is a co-sponsor of the project, along with the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Office of International Justice and Peace, and the Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Fr. Himes said last week that since the landmark 1983 pastoral letter, “The Challenge of Peace,” the
issue of nuclear weapons has largely faded from the agenda of the bishops’ conference. “With the demise of the Cold War, many people have stopped thinking about nuclear weapons,” he said. “Yet the reality is that there are still far too many nuclear weapons in the arsenals of nations – and there are other nations who seek to create these weapons. The risk of nuclear terrorism has also increased over the years. The efforts of former policymakers like Secretaries Shultz, Perry and Kissinger, along with former Senator Nunn, to move to a world of nuclear disarmament provides a signal moment for the Catholic Church to once again take up a goal it has had for decades: to abolish nuclear weapons. This colloquy was a first step along that road.” –Office of News & Public Affairs
Q&A
A FEW MINUTES WITH... SUSAN GENNARO CONNELL SCHOOL OF NURSING What are some examples of the research being conducted by CSON faculty? And how are nursing undergraduates and graduate students contributing to this research? Nursing faculty are conducting research on many different areas of health and illness. There are areas of research designed to decrease health disparities – like Allyssa Harris’ work on using alternate media forms to provide positive health messages to adolescent women, or Kathy Hutchinson’s research on preventing sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents, or my own work on factors that influence preterm birth in minority women. There are groups of researchers working on better ways to care for the elderly, like Ellen Mahoney’s work on dementia and care-giving, or Pat Tabloski’s work on pain in the elderly, or Stewart Gary Gilbert Bond’s work on palliative care and oncology patients. In fact, the research being conducted in the Connell School spans prevention to treatment and the youngest of the young (neonates born to soon) to the very old. Faculty research examines significant health deviations, like Lichuan Ye’s research on sleep apnea, while fostering health, like Holly Fontenot’s research on increasing vaccination for HPV, a virus that leads to cancer. How is the Connell School of Nursing responding to the national shortage of nursing faculty? We have worked diligently to ensure that our nursing faculty have the resources they need to stay in nursing academia and to thrive. We have expanded support for research: summer funding for researchers, start-up funds for nurse researchers new to the BC community, research support pre- and post-grant funding. We also have developed innovative practice models such as the Haley Nurse Scholar program. This specific program is funded by a generous donor to a local medical health care center and specifies that BC faculty have research and practice privileges at that site and resources in which to conduct research. These academic research/practice partnerships facilitate nursing faculty to partner with local health care institutions to use research skills to help solve health concerns. For example, Lichuan Ye, a noted sleep researcher, is working with ICU nurses to identify ways in which ICU patients can have better sleep while in the ICU. We don’t have a hospital here at BC so it is vital that we develop models that work to span the practice/education/research interface. Faculty and students traveled to the Dominican Republic earlier this year in the first CSON trip to that country. Why are such international experiences so vital to today’s nursing student? One of our strategic aims in the Connell School is to educate nurse leaders who practice with a global perspective. This is vitally important to ensure that in the US we are using best practices from around the world. It is also essential to understand that disease is not a local phenomenon and the health of any part of the world has implications for us all. One very clear way in which this is true is that nurses care for people from all over and it is important that we understand how cultural beliefs shape health practices. The more we understand the social and global determinants of health the more we can develop health care strategies that work. What news can you share with us about the upcoming leadership transition in the undergraduate program? After eight years of fabulous leadership, Associate Dean Catherine Read is transitioning back to the faculty. As of July 1, we are very fortunate to have Dr. Sean Clarke join us as the associate dean for undergraduate programs. Dr. Clarke is a very well known educator who has served on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Toronto and McGill University. In the latter two appointments he also held joint appointments with the health care system. What is something about the Connell School of Nursing that people might not know? Every group of students, our faculty and our staff have increased in diversity over the past six years. We have had many strategies over this time period to ensure that each member of our community, whether faculty, staff, or student, has the skills to welcome diversity and to thrive in a diverse community. Perhaps because of our diversity we have also been instrumental in identifying strategies to improve the health of BC. We have partnered with the HEALTHY YOU program for faculty and staff and with health promotion in Student Affairs to improve the health of all of the BC community. –Kathleen Sullivan
Read the full interview at www.bc.edu/chronicle
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle may 8, 2014
Three from Carroll School Earn Accounting Honors The Carroll School of Management’s Accounting Department is getting high marks from the American Accounting Association (AAA), which recently gave two awards to Accounting faculty. Associate Professor Susan Shu won the prestigious Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature Award for her co-authored paper “Do Managers Withhold Bad News?” that was published in the Journal of Accounting Research in 2009. The three-year project refutes the conventional wisdom that managers disclose bad news in a timely manner because they don’t want to get sued. Shu and her colleagues found managers hide bad news because of career concerns, such as promotion, compensation and fear of job loss. “Often times they gamble that things would turn around,” said Shu. “They hope that if they bury the bad news and things turn around, they’ll be OK. But when the bad news accumulates up to some threshold, they cannot withhold it anymore, and they release it. And often, we’ll see stock price crashes because bad news has been withheld and accumulated for a while.” Shu, whose award is her first recognition by AAA, said being at the Carroll School has benefited her because of its “strong research culture that encourages high-impact research.”
She added, “I am glad that our work is making an impact on the literature and has generated widespread interest from the profession. I hope it will continue to influence people’s thinking.” Sweeney Professor of Accounting Peter Wilson and his wife Carolyn, a lecturer, won the Innovation in Accounting Education Award, which honors persons whose work spurs interest in the study of accounting, improves the effectiveness of accounting education, demonstrates educational value and innovation, and can be adopted by other educational institutions. The Wilsons were part of a committee of 11 faculty and professional accountants that designed a new model for teaching accounting. “The model is catching on and gaining a lot of traction,” said Peter Wilson, who earned the AAA Outstanding Educator Award in 2005 and – while on the Stanford University faculty – the Competitive Manuscript Award in 1986. “It’s really a unifying model for integrating all areas of accounting under one framework, plus it actually unifies teaching, research, and practice.” “It’s an honor and an unexpected, pleasant surprise,” said Carolyn Wilson of the award. With Shu and the Wilsons, seven Carroll School faculty members have now been recognized by the AAA. –Sean Hennessey
BC Conference Gathers International Experts on Rights of the Deported Legal scholars, activists, NGO representatives and former government officials gathered at a Boston College-sponsored conference last weekend to discuss a new draft convention on the rights of people who are deported or forcibly expelled. The conference, held at BC’s Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center, was hosted by the BC Center for Human Rights and International Justice Post-Deportation Human Rights Project (PDHRP) with support from the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy. The draft was developed BC Law Professor Daniel Kanstroom – associate director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice – and PDHRP supervising attorney Jessica Chicco to define basic procedural and substantive rights for deported persons, many of whom have no legal recourse and face the prospect of severe human rights violations. Conference participants – who included faculty from BC, Harvard, Oxford, King’s College London, Northwestern and other institutions, as well as representatives from
such as organizations as Human Rights Watch, the National Immigration Center, and the Center for Migration Studies – offered assessments and recommendations for the draft convention, and discusses moral, political and legal bases for deported or expelled persons to claim enforceable rights. “The most basic purpose of this draft convention is analogous to the creation of the idea of a ‘refugee’ in the 20th century,” said Kanstroom after the conference. “Our contention — based on years of representing people facing deportation and after they have been deported — is that we are living in the midst of a massive, harsh, global social experiment with deportation that is unprecedented in its scope and its severity. “The deported should be seen as a cognizable legal class of people with specific, enforceable rights claims.” Organizers said that, in addition to further iterations of the draft convention, planned follow-ups to the convention include model bi-lateral treaties, a Wikipedia site, and a book project. –Boston College Law School
7
Newsmakers Boston College faculty offered their views on the canonizations of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II to various media outlets: Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard Gaillardetz spoke with WCVB-TV News; Prof. James Bretzke, SJ (STM), was interviewed by Voice of Russia, WCVB-TV News, Examiner. com, WWL-Louisiana “Tommy Tucker First News,” New England Cable News, and, with Prof. Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM (Theology), the Boston Globe; Assoc. Prof. Rev. James Weiss (Theology) also was a guest on WWL-Louisiana “Tommy Tucker First News”; | Prof. Richard Spinello (CSOM), author of several books on John Paul II, discussed his legacy with WCVB-TV News and Our Sunday Visitor. Adj. Assoc. Prof. Warren Zola (CSOM) discussed with NBC News, CBC News of Canada, HuffPost Live and KPCC Radio the viability of a “forced sale” of the Los Angeles Clippers, in the wake of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s decision to banish owner Donald Sterling. Boston-area cultural institutions are courting a broad swath of younger people in hopes of filling their halls and locking down loyalty along the way. By casting such a wide net, however, they could be leaving money from the tech community on the table, said Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Director Prof. Paul Schervish (Sociology) in an interview with the Boston Globe. Television streaming company Aereo went up against the nation’s largest broadcasters recently as the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether its service is legal, in a case that could have consequences for the future of TV and Internet service. Assoc. Prof. Daniel Lyons (Law) discussed the proceedings with WRKO Finan-
Nike Inc. President and CEO Mark Parker addressed the latest gathering of BC’s Chief Executives’ Club of Boston on May 1. (Photo by Justin Knight)
cial Exchange and TheBlazeTV. Working in the second half of the 19th century, a time of disorientingly rapid industrialization and urbanization, inspiring landscape architect, journalist, conservationist, and public servant Frederick Law Olmsted did more than anyone else to make cities livable, humane, and inspiring, wrote Director of American Studies Prof. Carlo Rotella (English) in a piece for the Boston Globe.
BC BRIEFING Appearing on American Public Media’s “Marketplace,” Prof. Ray Madoff (Law) talked about the advent of donor-advised funds as an increasingly popular, and controversial, form of charity.
Publications Assoc. Prof. Andrea Vicini, SJ (STM), published “Le Neuroscienze e la Bioetica (Neurosciences and Bioethics)” in the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica. Founders Professor in Theology James F. Keenan, SJ, published the following: “Pope Francis and the Local Church: A Hope-filled Future for Moral Theology,” Unto the Margins: Pope Francis and His Challenges; “Coming Home: Eth-
ics and the American University,” Theological Studies; “The Gallant Rule: A Feminist Proposal,” Feminist Catholic Theological Ethics: Conversations in the World Church.
Time and a Half Assoc. Prof. Min Hyoung Song (English) gave the keynote address, “Korean Americans and the Visual Field of Asian American Graphic Narratives,” at the symposium “Marvels and Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in US Comics, 1942-1986” held at Stony Brook University.
JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr: Associate Director, Externships, Law School Post-doctoral research fellow, NRCPDS, Graduate School of Social Work Assistant Director for Program Management, First Year Experience Student Conduct Manager, Dean of Students Office Bakery Manager, Dining Services Senior Associate Athletic Director for Marketing Technology Manager, Residential Life Financial Systems Manager Associate Director, Annual Giving Classes, Development Grant Writer, Office of Sponsored Programs Drill Designer, Marching Band, Boston College Bands Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Campus School, Lynch School of Education
Cardinal Walter Kasper spoke with audience members after presenting “The Message of Mercy and Its Importance Today” on May 1 in Corcoran Commons. The School of Theology and Ministry and the Church in the 21st Century Center sponsored the talk by Cardinal Kasper, who is president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Associate Director for LivingLearning Programs, Residential Life Research Assistant, Connell School of Nursing
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle may 8, 2014
8
A Lens on Music and Life Continued from page 1 her BC music tutor, sophomore Josie Bearden, practicing clarinet at home, and making her performance debut at the Music Outreach recital. In other scenes, she talks about her enjoyment of music, and its place in her life: “I feel like I’m in my own little world,” she says at one point. Those vignettes give the film a complex emotional quality, especially with the insights provided by Genesis’ mother, Nidia. Even as she expresses her happiness and hope for Genesis, Nidia talks of the challenges posed by their difficult socioeconomic status and family situation. In the end, even with Genesis’ triumphant moment at the recital, it’s hard not to wonder whether her zeal and infectious spirit can surmount the obstacles. A film can be as much about the filmmaker as the subject, and “Genesis” represents a special feat for Mervosh, who had to overcome her own setbacks. When a repetitive stress injury forced her to stop playing music early on at BC, she channeled her expression into the unfamiliar medium of film, only to see her first project fizzle. Now, preparing to leave BC, Mervosh – who’s quick to note the assistance and support of numerous people, from Genesis and Nidia to her cinematographer Maram Taibah and editor Jennifer Bagley to her family, among others – has a unique keepsake of four very eventful years at the Heights. “I’m grateful to so many people,” says Mervosh, a communication major with a minor in philosophy from Westbury, NY.
“The resources, the mentoring, the encouragement I’ve received have been incredible. One of the most important things I’ve found here is that BC wants you to go beyond the familiar – even if you don’t succeed at first – and seek different ways to use what you have. “Music has always been a part of me, but when I lost the ability to play, I realized I had to find another outlet to share this part of myself. I was excited to delve into a new type of art.” Mervosh had never taken a film class – much less tried making a film – before BC, but inspired by a documentary about an orchestra of both Israeli and Palestinian musicians, she decided to produce one herself about a similar initiative in Northern Ireland that seeks to build understanding between Catholic and Protestant youths. Supported by funding from BC and a Kickstarter campaign, Mervosh hired a film crew, traveled to Northern Ireland in August of 2012, and began doing interviews. But Mervosh realized the project was simply not working out: She couldn’t quite get the story into focus as she had hoped, and didn’t have enough supplementary footage to go along with the interviews. Her anxiety grew; the low point, she recalls, was talking to her aunt – a film producer herself – by phone on a rainy Dublin street and asking whether she should continue or give up. “She said she couldn’t make the decision for me,” says Mervosh, “and that was the best advice she could’ve given me.”
“They’re both so upbeat, with such life-affirming energy, and have a wonderful relationship,” says Mervosh of Genesis and her mother Nidia. The two attended the premiere of Mervosh’s film at the BC Arts Festival.
Photo by Caitlin Cunningham
The experience, although disappointing, did not deter Mervosh from her goal. On the contrary, she learned some valuable lessons: For one, she had a better idea of how to create and plan out a project – “Look for something more local, and focus on one, smaller story.” Where things came apart in her Northern Ireland project, they now started falling into place for Mervosh. Working for BC’s Arts and Social Responsibility Project, she learned about Music Outreach, and after speaking with program director and Music faculty member Barbara Gawlick, felt she might have found the story she wanted to tell. During a visit to the Gardner School to interview potential subjects, she happened upon Bearden and Genesis at the tail end of their lesson. “Genesis came right up, shook my hand, asked about my project and whether she could be in it,” recalls Mervosh. “I just had a gut feeling, an intuition about her: ‘If this works out, she’s my person.’” As the project unfolded, and Mervosh got to know Genesis and Nidia better, she saw there was a
BC SCENES
larger story emerging. “The film became more about Nidia’s journey to seek a better life, and trying to provide for her daughter. They’re both so upbeat, with such life-affirming energy, and have a wonderful relationship. Genesis has dreams to be a musician, and the talent is definitely there: She progressed very quickly in a short time, working with Josie. “And Genesis was easy and open, as if the camera wasn’t even there. She was very thoughtful and articulate, and just came out with some amazing things – there’s one part where she talks about how the notes on the clarinet ‘sound like little bubbles.’” For Mervosh, the project’s epiphany is the recital scene: With her parents in attendance, Genesis stands before the audience and plays “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”; when she finishes, the audience applauds, and Genesis raises her arms and smiles in palpable joy. “I never saw anyone react that way in a concert – never,” says Mervosh. “She just exploded with happiness, and it touched me very
deeply. Seeing her strengthened my belief in the power that music has to make a difference in our lives. You know it does for Genesis.” Contemplating the simultaneous completion of the project and her BC years is bittersweet, says Mervosh, who will return to New York after graduation. Alongside the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment is the loss of closeness with Genesis and Nidia after so much time spent together. However, mother and daughter were both present for the film screening in Devlin 008, and Genesis joined Mervosh – with characteristic enthusiasm – for a brief Q&A afterwards. “I was a little nervous about what they would think of the film, but they seemed to like it,” says Mervosh. “I really learned a lot from them over the past year, and I feel fortunate to share their experiences and insights. They’ve come to mean so much to me; I’ll keep in touch with them, but the goodbyes are always hard.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
Christopher Huang
Caitlin Cunningham
Caitlin Cunningham
THE HEIGHT(S) OF ARTS
Snapshots from the 16th annual BC Arts Festival, held April 24-26: (clockwise from lower left) John Finney conducted the University Chorale; Masti was among the student groups performing at the Dance Showcase, as was Synergy; Anne Garefino ’81, an award-winning TV and stage producer, received the Arts Council Alumni Award for Distinguished Artistic Achievement; the Middle East Ensemble made its public debut.
Lee Pellegrini
Lee Pellegrini