Boston College Chronicle

The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs november 3, 2011 VOL. 20 no. 5

Pratt Named as O’Connor Family Prof.

INSIDE •LSOE prof aids school garden, page 2

By Patti Delaney Deputy Director of News & Public Affairs

•Controversial BC Law blog, page 3 •BC among best in Fulbrights, page 3 •Student-athlete grad rate, page 3 •Composer is Gasson Prof., page 5

•Q&A with Michael Keith, page 5 •Veterans Day at BC; veterans pursuing MBAs, page 6 •BC soccer loves its home turf, page 8

•Alan Wolfe’s Political Evil; Kent Greenfield’s Myth of Choice, page 9 •Jazzman a hit with BC bOp!, page 10 •ILA forum on science, page 10

A widely recognized expert on the role of identity in organizational dynamics and on qualitative methodology, Michael G. Pratt has been appointed the inaugural holder of the O’Connor The new administration building at 129 Lake Street — which includes a dining room (left) — will improve work flow and enhance services for Boston College employees. (Photos by Lee Pellegrini) Family Professorship in the Carroll School of Management.

The professorship was made possible through the generosity HR, Finance and Auxiliary Services divisions relocating to Brighton Campus of University Trustee David P. Among the highlights of the vide a new and efficient work O’Connor ’86, senior managBy Jack DuNn new facility will be easy access to space for administrators and staff, ing partner, president, and chief Director of News the Accounts Payable, Benefits, without allowing any reduction in investment officer at High Rise & Public Affairs Employment and Procurement services,” said Financial Vice PresLee Pellegrini After two years of extensive departments; new conference ident and Treasurer Peter McKplanning, the Human Resources, rooms; designated office space for enzie. “Some of the departments Finance and Auxiliary Services di- Metropolitan Life, TIAA-CREF will be moved during weekends visions are relocating to the newly and Fidelity Investments repre- to avoid disruptions to the BC renovated administration building sentatives who had previously community.”

Vice President for Human at 129 Lake Street on the Brigh- shared conference space on the third floor of More Hall; and a Resources Leo Sullivan said his ton Campus.

The move, which began Oct. new dining facility called Café staff was excited about the relo28 and ends Nov. 16, involves 129, which will serve the Brighton cation and the modern, efficient some 120 employees currently Campus and extended University space where they and the other working in More and Rubenstein community with a new eatery — administrative departments will halls, and will provide a new, modeled after the popular Faculty now work. “This is a win-win centralized space for administra- Dining Room and Hillsides Café situation for these departments tive personnel while improving — that will serve breakfast and and for the University employees work flow and enhancing existing lunch weekdays between 8 a.m. who interact with them. We look forward to making this transition services for the University’s 3,200 and 4 p.m.

Continued on page 4 “Our overall goal was to proemployees.

Move of Administrative Offices Underway

Building on the Ignatian Vision Program helps BC administrators, faculty deepen understanding of the Jesuit mission

By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

•The 40-Hour Famine, page 12

Stay quiet for seven whole days?

No phone, no e-mail, no conversation? To Associate Professor of Political Science Jennie Purnell, the prospect seemed more than a little intimidating.

But Purnell, who teaches in the

University’s Capstone program, found her weeklong silent retreat two years ago in Gloucester one of the most exhilarating and transforming of her life. “It was an amazing gift. There is so much clutter in our lives, but for a week it was just me and the world. I sat on a rock and watched tides come in and go out. I felt present in a way I never had before.”

Fulfilling as it was, the retreat was just one avenue for Purnell and several other members of the Boston College community to find new meaning in their work through

NOTICE:

the Ignatian Colleagues Program.

The ICP is a national initiative that helps lay administrators, faculty and staff in US Jesuit colleges and universities deepen their understanding of the Ignatian vision and mission.

BC participants — who include faculty and non-academic as well as academic administrators — in the ICP say the program has heightened their appreciation of Jesuit values and practices, and of how students perceive the personal and spiritual formation opportunities that are integral to BC’s mission.

Continued on page 7

Michael G. Pratt

Capital Management LP in New York, and his wife, Maureen Doyle O’Connor.

“Mike is a top scholar in the field of organization studies and his work has been acclaimed by both national and international academicians,” said Carroll School Dean Andy Boynton in announcing the appointment. “His research on organizational and professional identity is extremely well regarded and is both foundational and innovative.”

Continued on page 4

Members of the Boston College community are reminded that, due to the nationally televised football game taking place at 8 p.m. tonight in Alumni Stadium, all University administrative offices will close at 4 p.m. To help with the preparations for this event, and to ease potential traffic and parking congestion, the University asks that all vehicles be removed from campus as close to 4 p.m. as possible.

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle november 3, 2011

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3-for-2 Sale at BC Bookstore Next Week

Students and teachers at the St. Columbkille Partnership School held a farmer’s market recently to sell herbs and vegetables grown in the school’s indoor garden — a project coordinated by Lynch School of Education Associate Professor Mike Barnett.

in physics, chemistry and plant biology, as well as finance and the economics of operating a farm.

This interdisciplinary approach to science education gives students a chance to understand that science is not something that should be limited to a single class. Instead, scientific thinking crosses many subjects and extends well beyond the school walls.

This innovative approach is part of a series of projects Barnett has undertaken to expand options for students to learn more about the so-called STEM disciplines – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – and

get them thinking about potential STEM careers.

Barnett’s work is just one example of the support and technical expertise BC and the Lynch School have provided at St. Columbkille, in partnership with the Archdiocese of Boston. His hydroponics project has been supported by Boston College, Loyola Marymount University of California, GYOstuff, STEM Garden Institute, Urban Ecology Institute, BC’s College Bound program and Hydroponics Organics Indoor Gardens, as well as funding from Irving Backman, a Dedham entrepreneur.

—Ed Hayward

Creating art from ‘Binding Friendship’ More than 60 Boston College student artists took inspiration from an exhibition in the John J. Burns Library to create one of their own, exploring such themes as East-West cultural exchange, history and materiality, and the role of images in the transmission of knowledge.

The multi-media student show, “Binding Friendships & Memory Places,” which ran from Oct. 19-26 in the Bapst Student Art Gallery, featured a variety of artmaking strategies and technical approaches including painting, photography, sculpture, installation and sound-works.

Student artists used the longrunning Burns exhibition “Binding Friendship: Ricci, China and Jesuit Cultural Learnings” as an aesthetic and conceptual springboard to explore, celebrate, and question our understanding of the extraordinary Jesuitana materials from the library’s collection, according to organizers. Curated by Assistant Professor of History Jeremy Clarke, SJ, and organized in honor of the 400th anniversary of

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After working with Lynch School of Education Associate Professor Mike Barnett to cultivate herbs and vegetables in a new indoor garden, students at St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton recently harvested their crops to sell at a school “farmer’s market.”

The market, held Oct. 23, was a sell-out.

Students and teachers set up a table filled with basil, chard, kale and dill for St. Columbkille parishioners and residents looking for fresh food, said Barnett, who has collaborated with schools throughout the city to use indoor gardens to teach science, math and nutrition, along with a little bit of economics and a lot of fun.

“The farmer’s market was an overwhelming success,” Barnett said. “The kids were absolutely fantastic and got everything organized and handled the market perfectly. It was just an outstanding job.”

Proceeds from the sale will fund the next three crops from the classroom garden, where plants grow in a hydroponic system that supplies water, nutrients and light from low-energy grow lamps. The students hope to hold farmer’s markets throughout the fall and winter.

Barnett said the process of starting up the indoor farm requires students to research hydroponics and understand topics

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LSOE’s Barnett helps kids grow a garden

the death of legendary missionary Matteo Ricci, “Binding Friendship” opened in March and was on display through Oct. 31 [read the Chronicle story on the exhibition at http://bit.ly/gK1Hxg].

Participants in the related student project — which resulted from a collaboration between Fr. Clarke and Associate Professor of Fine Arts Sheila Gallagher — were asked to think creatively about crossing fields of knowledge and to explore the relationships between history, words and works of visual art, organizers noted, and students were encouraged to engage in creative research and exchange ideas.

The Art Club held an open studio night in early October, where students had access to drawing materials and the opportunity to collaborate. Associate Professor of Fine Arts Michael Mulhern also led a workshop on mapping.

“I was impressed with the diversity of media chosen and the fact that the students really engaged with this opportunity to be self-reflective,” said Fr. Clarke. “I also thought that the works were

creative and fun, and yet still encompass this history of East-West cultural exchange, and the vital role played by concepts of friendship and mutual respect. This has been a wonderful learning, and teaching, experience, and I’m especially grateful for Professor Sheila Gallagher’s assistance and creativity with the project.”

“Binding Friendships & Memory Places” included an art competition with cash awards for top prize winners. The first prize was awarded to Joon Park ’12 for “jing eryuanzhi,” which the Art Council’s BC Arts Insider blog described as “a collection of ambitious ceramic sculpture that explores the conflicts and cultural exchange between East and West.” Second prize went to Casha Cappuccio ’12 and honorable mentions went to Jia Yi Quan Li ’15, Jordan Mendoza ’12 and Catherine Howard ’12.

Serving as jurors were Fine Arts Adjunct Professor Andy Tavarelli and part-time faculty member Judith Bookbinder, and Associate Professor of History Rebecca Nedostup.

—Rosanne Pellegrini

To kick off the holiday shopping season, the Boston College Bookstore will hold a special “3-for-2 Book Sale” in McElroy Commons lobby from Nov. 7-11. Shoppers may purchase any two select books and get a third book of equal or lesser value at no cost. Faculty and staff discounts are still applicable.

Arts Festival Sounds the Call The Boston College Arts Festival Committee has issued its annual “Call for Artists” to participate in the University’s Arts Festival, which will take place for the 14th year from April 26-28, 2012. All applications must be submitted by the end of the day on Nov. 11. Application forms are available for download on the Arts Festival website at www.bc.edu/callforartists. For more information, e-mail the Arts Festival Office at arts@ bc.edu or call ext.2-4935.

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle ON Be sure to check out the Boston College Chronicle YouTube channel [www.youtube.com/bcchronicle] for video features on Boston College people, programs and events. New and upcoming videos include: •“The Golden Age of Legal Publishing in Massachusetts”—This exhibition will be on display through the spring of 2012 in the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room at the BC Law Library. Legal Information Librarian Laurel Davis explains the exhibit and the importance of maintaining the rare book collection. More information at http://bit.ly/sIU4Ci •Campus School Fun Run Walk & Roll—Boston College volunteers join Campus School students, families and teachers for a 5K run or walk around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, to help raise awareness of and funds for the program that provides quality education for students with severemultiple special needs.

AJCU: Support Student Aid

The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) is encouraging college administrators, faculty, staff and students to sign a national petition in support of federal student aid, as the US Congress Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction prepares plans to cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion by Nov. 23.

In a letter to presidents of AJCU member institutions, AJCU President Greg Lucey, SJ, says recent legislation has already resulted in cuts to student aid of more than $30 billion.

“We simply cannot have Congress balancing the budget on the backs of students,” Fr. Lucey writes. “It is time to push back and show that the investment of Pell grants and other campusbased aid programs is critical if the US is to remain globally competitive.”

The Student Aid Alliance [www.studentaidalliance.org], the higher education coalition of AJCU and 61 other higher education associations, has created a petition in support of federal student aid that will be sent to Capitol Hill. The petition can be found at http://action.studentaidalliance.org/5371/savestudent-aid-statement.

The Boston College

Chronicle

Director of NEWS & Public Affairs

Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS

Patricia Delaney Editor

Sean Smith Contributing Staff

Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Reid Oslin Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers

Gary Gilbert 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 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.

Contact Chronicle via e-mail: chronicle@bc.edu.Electronic editions of the Boston College Chronicle are available via the World Wide Web at http://www. bc.edu/chronicle.

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle november 3, 2011

3

Law student Anusia Hirsch finds her blog raising controversy

Lee Pellegrini

Social Media and the Law: A Gray Area “We’re testing new waters, which, in the legal profession, can be risky business, but we all agreed that it was a project worth taking on.”

By Melissa Beecher Staff Writer

Boston College law student Anusia Hirsch admits that she was never much of a writer. Nor had she ever spoken in front of a camera or had any extensive dealings with social media. So the Marblehead, Mass., native seemed an unlikely candidate to make an impact in the legal community by becoming the first law student to blog about actual cases and current clients.

Hirsch worked with BC Legal Assistance Bureau Director Alexis Anderson, BC Law Director of Marketing and Communications Nate Kenyon and other administrators to put her first-hand experience on the web. Her groundbreaking blog [http://bclabstudent.wordpress.com] chronicles her work at LAB, specifically a case where she helped to secure Social Security benefits for a disabled client with the pseudonym “Sarah.” Entries were edited and approved by “Sarah,” lawyers working directly with Hirsch, and

—Anusia Hirsch

the BC administration.

Hirsch’s work became the subject of debate in the larger legal community, including BC Law alumnus Robert Ambrogi’s blog and the American Bar Association Journal. The blog Simple Justice warned that Hirsch’s blogging “shifted the responsibility from lawyers/law student to client to determine whether privilege should be waived. Technically, it should suffice, as the privilege belongs to the client, and the client is entitled to waive privilege.

Technically...Even if this is handled with the utmost discretion and circumspection at BCLAB,

will the next law student who decides to reveal all be similarly cautious, or will this become the new, cool trend for law students to reveal client confidences?”

Hirsch acknowledges the entries test the limits of attorney-client privilege and raise legal ethical questions, all of which she seeks to address.

“We’re testing new waters, which, in the legal profession, can be risky business, but we all agreed that it was a project worth taking on,” said Hirsch, a graduate of Tabor Academy and Tulane University. “First and foremost, it was imperative to protect client con-

BC Among National Fulbright Leaders Boston College is the eighth- and Eastern Languages Professor leading producer of Fulbright win- Margaret Thomas, who stepped ners among research universities down as director of BC’s Fulbright in the United States, according to program this past summer after statistics released recently by the 15 years. program.

“BC students continuously Twenty-one BC students out of amaze me with their verve, imagi73 who applied for Fulbrights last nation, cultural openness, willingfall were awarded the prestigious ness to take risks, and dedication to awards, which support a year’s achieving their goals,” said Thompost-baccalaureate study abroad. as. “I think the whole faculty take That was the eighth highest total pride in their accomplishments.” among comparative institutions: This year’s crop of BC Fulthe University of bright scholars are Michigan at Ann studying in such “It really begins with bright Arbor had the most countries as Arand committed students, with 29, followed by gentina, Austria, Northwestern (27), and all the faculty that work Brazil, Bulgaria, Yale (26), Stanford Germany, Korea, so hard to prepare them and University of Nepal, Spain and Chicago (25 each), Vietnam. The academically to apply for University of WashUniversity’s Fulgrants like this.” ington (24) and Cobright winners lumbia (23). Round—Paul Christensen are teaching Enging out the top 10 lish, examining were Harvard with Poland’s efforts 20 and Arizona State with 18. to halt human trafficking, explorThe news was welcomed by the ing Spain’s arts communities, and University Fellowship Committee, learning about perceptions of imwhich assists BC students in com- migration and ethnic heritage in peting for Fulbrights and other Argentina, among other projects. notable undergraduate and graduThomas’ successor as Fulbright ate fellowships and scholarships, director, Adjunct Associate Profesand was a fitting coda for Slavic sor of Political Science Paul Chris-

tensen, credited BC’s success in producing Fulbright winners as the result several factors.

“It really begins with bright and committed students, and all the faculty that work so hard to prepare them academically to apply for grants like this. We also have great advisors in Eileen Sweeney, Elizabeth Chadwick, Michael Resler and Jim Weiss, who work one on one with the students in developing their applications, and an equally wonderful group of faculty members that help us with the campus interviews.

“This is truly a collective effort, and one that the entire BC community can be proud of,” he said.

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs Donald Hafner noted that the individual tallies for research institutions combines both undergraduate and graduate Fulbrights. “Because BC has smaller graduate programs than those other institutions, and has very few graduate applicants, in effect BC is competing with undergrads alone against the universities who have both graduate and undergrad applicants.”

—Sean Smith

fidentiality. We were particularly sensitive to the perception that we were infringing in any way on the attorney-client relationship. We didn’t want to offend people.”

Hirsch said she was willing to take on the challenge because she realized the need for a space where first-year students – and even seasoned attorneys – could turn to see the challenges and triumphs of a student becoming a lawyer.

“Throughout my first year, I had wished that I could get a look at others’ experiences so I knew better what to expect,” said Hirsch. “I wanted to give that — a formative experience — to other law students.

“One of the things lawyers say all the time is ‘don’t reinvent the wheel.’ We don’t do it in case law, or briefs or documentation, so I don’t know why, with clients, we do it all the time,” said Hirsch.

“I really believe that we can teach one another a great deal through shared experiences.”

Hirsch said she considered and understood “what a beast” the Internet could be, but in writing and recording videos she was always more concerned about the professional ramifications, rather than the personal ones.

“My father likes to say that he was born without the embarrassment gene. I think I may have inherited that from him. We’re cut from the same cloth,” said Hirsch.

Hirsch said she is still considering what area of law she will pursue. She secured a summer associate position at Reimer & Braunstein and is eager to participate in the rotation program at that firm.

Hirsch also hopes to continue engaging in social media and inspire others to share their law school experiences.

“My hope is that people continue to open their minds to connect and learn in different ways, not to shut things out simply because it hasn’t been done before,” said Hirsch. “It is possible to embrace this form of technology and do it in a way that is respectful to everyone involved.”

Contact Melissa Beecher at melissa.beecher@bc.edu

Student-Athlete Graduation Rate Ties for 2nd Boston College tied with Duke University for second in the nation for overall Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in all sports among FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) schools, according to data released by the NCAA this week. The 97 percent that both schools registered was second only to Notre Dame’s 99 percent.

Twenty-one BC sports teams received a perfect GSR score of 100, the most teams with a perfect score of any FBS athletics program in the country. This marked the third consecutive year the Eagles recorded the most perfect scores among their FBS counterparts. In addition, the football team’s score of 93 was one of only six FBS programs in the country to receive a score of 90 or better.

“We are very proud that our program is among the top three in the nation in terms of graduating our student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Gene DeFilippo. “Congratulations to our student-athletes for a job well done.”

The 21 Boston College teams that recorded a perfect GSR score of 100 included men’s baseball, fencing, golf, skiing, sailing, swimming and tennis along with women’s basketball, cross country/track, rowing, fencing, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, sailing, skiing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

The five FBS institutions that received scores of 90 or better in football were Notre Dame (97), Northwestern (94), Duke (93), Rice (93), BC (93) and Navy (91).

The NCAA developed the Graduation Success Rate as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The rate holds institutions accountable for transfer students unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport.

The most recent Division I Graduation Success Rates are based on the four entering classes from 2001-2002 through 2004-05. The NCAA began collecting GSR data with the entering freshman class of 1995. The latest entering class for which data are available is 2004.

More information about the GSR report may be found at the NCAA’s website, www.ncaa.org.

—Boston College Athletics

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle november 3, 2011

Move to 129 Lake Street Begins Continued from page 1 as seamless as possible, and to enjoying the benefits of new office space for many years to come.”

McKenzie noted that 129 Lake Street will have designated 15-minute visitor parking spots for BC employees who need to stop by Human Resources, Cash Services or Accounts Payable.

The building will also be accessible to BC employees via the BC shuttle bus service, which will include two stops on the Brighton Campus every 30 minutes.

Originally constructed in 1955 to serve as Boston College

Law School, St. Thomas More Hall, named after the patron saint of lawyers, is slated to be razed in the fall of 2012 to make way for a new 490-bed residence hall that will be constructed beginning in the spring of 2013.

The new residence hall will be the first major building constructed in the City of Boston under the University’s Institutional Master Plan (IMP), which was approved by the City of Boston in 2009. The IMP calls for new academic, administrative and recreational buildings,

RELOCATION SCHEDULE Friday, nov. 4: Cash Services and Procurement Services Saturday, nov. 5: Accounts Payable Monday, nov. 7: Human Resources Vice President’s Office,

Benefits and Employment

Tuesday, nov. 8: Compensation, Employee Development and

Office for Institutional Diversity

Wednesday, nov. 9 – Friday, nov. 11: Controller’s Offices Wednesday, nov. 16: Human Resources Service Center and Human Resources Information Technology offices and personnel That have already moved to 129 Lake Street: •Financial Vice President’s Office

•Technology Consultants supporting FVP and Human Resources •Treasury and Budget Offices •Auxiliary Services •Dining Services Administration •Transportation and Parking •Financial Management Systems

playing fields on the Brighton Campus, and residence halls to meet 100 percent of undergraduate demand.

The opening of 129 Lake Street will be followed by the opening of 2121 Commonwealth Avenue in March, which will house the University Advancement division after a similar relocation across Commonwealth Avenue. Both facilities were formerly owned by the Archdiocese of Boston, which sold the 65-acre Brighton Campus to Boston College between 2004 and 2007.

McKenzie and Sullivan praised Kathleen Croft, director of administrative services for the Office of the Financial VP and Treasurer, and Jan Lent, assistant to the vice president for Human Resources, for their outstanding work in planning and overseeing the relocation.

“This was a two-year effort that demanded the extraordinary planning and organizational skills of two of our best and most dedicated administrators,” said Sullivan. “They worked really hard and deserve recognition for making this relocation as smooth a process as possible.”

Croft and Lent, in turn, praised the many BC employees who were involved in the relocation, including Project Manager Tom Runyon, who, they said, “always came up with a solution,” and Network Project Engineer Dan Donnellan, who converted the staff’s telecom-

Lee Pellegrini

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The 129 Lake Street administrative building on Brighton Campus will have designated 15-minute visitor parking spots for BC employees who need to stop by Human Resources, Cash Services or Accounts Payable. The building will also be accessible to BC employees via the BC shuttle bus service, which will include two stops on the Brighton Campus every 30 minutes.

munications system from analog to Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VOIP).

“It is an excellent facility that will provide benefits for the HR, Finance and Auxiliary Services staff, as well as all BC employees who utilize these services,”

said Croft and Lent. “We look forward to having the relocation completed by Nov. 16, and to enjoying the amenities of the new facility and the Brighton Campus.”

Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu

Pratt Appointed as Inaugural O’Connor Family Professor in CSOM Continued from page 1 Pratt said, “I am deeply grateful and honored by this appointment. I want to express my gratitude to the O’Connors for their continuing investment in BC, and to the University and the Carroll School of Management for their recognition of my work and their confidence that I will continue to represent BC well.

“I also realize that ‘individual’ accomplishments such as these are never achieved alone,” he said. “I am thankful for my supportive family, dean, and colleagues.”

Pratt, a native of Erie, Pa., who holds master’s and doctoral degrees in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan, joined the Carroll School faculty in 2008. In addition to teaching courses in organizational behavior, leadership, and qualitative research methods in the Organization and Management Department, he is director

of its doctoral program, a fellow at the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics, and holds a courtesy appointment in the Psychology Department of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Pratt’s current research focuses on how people connect with the work that they do, as well as to the organizations, professions, occupations, and other groups in which they find themselves.

A central question, he says, is “How do individuals approach their work? As a vehicle for attaining money, gaining achievement, creating community, serving others, and/or honing a craft?

And what difference does their approach make to their performance?

“Given that job satisfaction has been steadily declining for the past two decades, even during times of economic boom, and that less than a third of workers are actively engaged in

their jobs,” this research area can overt conflict, other issues surprovide valuable insights for both rounding identity plurality reemployees and managers, he said. main, he said. For one, “How Pratt also is fascinated by a do organizations, that are befundamental issue holden to multiple facing all organiza- “[Pratt’s] research on orga- stakeholders not tions: How do leadonly create mulers manage compet- nizational and professional tiple identities in identity is extremely well ing viewpoints, esservice of these pecially when they regarded and is both founda- stakeholders, but involve differences also integrate these tional and innovative.” in identity? His reidentities into a search examines, for —Andy Boynton dynamic whole? In example, what hapother words, how pens when group do leaders manage conflicts evolve from relatively pressures for a company to be simple differences related to ‘many things to many people,’ wants and interests to more com- alongside the need for it to retain plex clashes over identity – such some sense of coherent common as interactions between Demo- purpose – both of which are escrats and Republicans in Con- sential for an organization to be gress, he said, or discord between successful?” physicians and hospital adminis“The impact of Mike’s work trators. “How are such seemingly is significant,” said Boynton, notintractable conflicts resolved?” he ing Pratt’s nearly 1,000 citations asks. in the Web of Science Social Even when there is not such Science Index and “too many

to count” in Google Scholar.

Pratt’s research has appeared in a wide range of leading journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, and the Academy of Management Review, among others, as well as in numerous edited books. He is co-editor of Artifacts and Organizations: Beyond Mere Symbolism.

A member of the International Advisory Board for the Center for the Advancement of Research Methods and Analysis, Pratt was co-recipient of the 2007 Best Paper Award for the Academy of Management Review, is the outgoing inaugural qualitative associate editor for the Academy of Management Journal and recently finished a term as division chair for the Academy of Management.

Contact Patricia Delaney at patricia.delaney@bc.edu

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle november 3, 2011

By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

Christopher Willcock, SJ, an award-winning Australian composer of music for churches and concert halls, has joined the University community as the Thomas I. Gasson, SJ Professor for 2011-12.

Fr. Willcock is a faculty member in the Jesuit Theological College of the Melbourne College of Divinity in Australia, where he teaches liturgy and sacramental theology.

His “chief love,” though, is music. The first Gasson Professor to be based in the Music Department, Fr. Willcock is co-teaching a senior seminar this semester with Adjunct Associate Professor Jeremiah McGrann, and next semester will team teach Music and the Jesuit Tradition with Canisius Professor T. Frank Kennedy, SJ — who is director of the Jesuit Institute — and Music Chairman Professor Michael Noone.

Born in Sydney, Fr. Willcock entered the Society of Jesus in 1969. Ordained a priest in 1977, he earned a doctorate from Institut Catholique and the Sorbonne in Paris.

“It’s a huge privilege, and a great pleasure, for the Music Department to be able to welcome Fr. Christopher Willcock as Gasson Professor,” said Noone. “While Willcock is one of the biggest names in Australian Catholic music, some of his most astonishing creations have been composed for the secular concert hall. Christopher’s collaborations with both students and faculty will emphasize the crucial role played by creativity and the imagination in college

Lee Pellegrini

Australian Composer is Gasson Professor

Christopher Willcock, SJ

life.”

On Nov. 17, Fr. Willcock will present the fall Gasson Lecture, “God Here and Hidden: A Performance of ‘Southern Star’” in Gasson 100 at 8 p.m. Fr. Willcock will talk about the creation of “Southern Star,” a cycle of nine Christmas songs which was honored as Australasian Performing Right Association/Australian Music Centre Classical Musical Award Chorale or Vocal Work of the Year in 2006. Fr. Willcock composed music to religious text written by syndicated cartoonist Michael Leunig to create “Southern Star.”

“God comes through the text,” said Fr. Willcock. “In the end, we have God in our midst, just as he was in the manger.”

After Fr. Willcock’s talk, “Southern Star” will make its northern hemisphere debut, with professional singers and a harpsichordist.

Fr. Willcock has composed orchestral, chamber, choral and solo vocal works. His music has been performed by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Tallis Scholars, Melbourne Chamber

Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus.

While in his post as Gasson Professor, Fr. Willcock hopes to work on a new piece of music, “Friday’s Child,” composed for a string quartet. “It will be about the life and message of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis,” he said.

One of Fr. Willcock’s favorite pieces, he said, is “Akhmatova Requiem,” set to the words of Russian poet Anna Akhmatova who wrote about the extreme sufferings during the Stalin regime. Fr. Willcock received the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award to compose and perform this work.

Fr. Willcock also has been recognized for his liturgical compositions, receiving the inaugural Percy Jones Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Liturgical Music in 1993. Among the titles in his liturgical music collection are Who Did You See?, God Here Among Us, In the Peace of Christ, and two volumes of psalm settings: Psalms for Feasts and Seasons and Psalms for the Journey.

Fr. Willcock directed the music and an international choir for a Mass held in St. Peter’s Square to mark the Jesuit Jubilee in 2006. He created the song “Spirit-Power” specifically for the 2008 World Youth Day papal Mass held in Australia.

Funded by a gift from the Jesuit Community at Boston College, the Gasson Chair is held by a distinguished Jesuit scholar in any discipline and is the oldest endowed professorship at Boston College.

Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu

Q&A

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A FEW MINUTES WITH...

Michael Keith

After years of writing more than 20 academic and professional-related articles and books on electronic media, Adjunct Associate Professor of Communication Michael Keith has turned to fiction, earning nominations for the PEN/O. Henry Award and Pushcart Prize. Keith spoke with Sean Smith of the Chronicle about this new, and successful, direction in his career. To read the full interview, see online Chronicle at www.bc.edu/ chronicle Let’s put your fiction writing in some context: In addition to publishing books about, for instance, counter-culture radio in the 1960s, the use of broadcast media by Native-Americans, gays and lesbians, and the right wing, you also wrote the most widely adopted text on radio in the country and globally, The Radio Station. Had you ever envisioned yourself as a fiction writer?

I always wanted to write fiction but necessity and practicality dictated I do otherwise.

For over 30 years, my writing has concentrated on nonfiction, scholarly topics, and that has certainly offered its own rewards, but I think I was sublimating my urge to write fiction. In many cases, when I look back at my academic monographs I see I was really storytelling, albeit employing traditional research methods and conceits. All of my nonLee Pellegrini fiction titles stem from a curiosity about a given topic, and in that respect its origin is similar to fiction. An idea strikes you, whether fanciful or pragmatic, and you pursue it within the prescribed framework. In the end, all writing has a creative component.

It’s also important to mention your 2003 memoir, The Next Better Place, about your cross-country travels as a child with your father.

Did writing that book point you in the direction of fiction?

I think my memoir helped whet my appetite for creative writing. Although a memoir is fact-based, it is a combination of memory and imagination, so you have more latitude with it than you do with pure scholarship. With the latter you have to abide by established rules and conform to conventional criteria. Not so with a personal account. One form of writing requires objectivity while the other relies on subjectivity. Of course, biography and autobiography share a lot in common with scholarly writing.

So, at some point, did you just say to yourself, “I’m going to try writing fiction”?

Surprisingly, just three years ago. I woke up thinking of my recently deceased mother, and from it came my first short story, “The Everlasting Sorrow of Silence.” That story seemed to open the floodgates. Eighty stories later, I feel like I’m just getting started.

Have you been able to use any of your fictional writing as part of your teaching?

Hoag’s Object, my second story collection, contains around a dozen tales that explore the often pejorative relationship between individuals and media, so I use it as a secondary text in a couple of my courses. Students seem to like the diversion that speculative fiction provides in the study of a subject. It offers another way of seeing things and often enhances understand and meaning.

On Oct. 14, the Boston College Jesuit community celebrated the feast of St. John Ogilvie, martyr of Scotland, by honoring its jubilarians. As Jesuits: William J. Richardson, 70 years; Raymond G. Helmick, Robert D. Farrell and Michael A. Fahey, 60 years. In the priesthood: Francis A. Sullivan, 60 years; William B. Neenan and James A. Woods, 50 years, and Joseph M. O’Keefe, 25 years. (Photo by Harvey Egan, SJ)

[For more information about Michael Keith’s non-fiction and fiction writing, see http://michaelckeith.com]

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle november 3, 2011

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Army Intelligence Director to Speak on Veterans Day

Veterans and active duty servicemen (L-R) Matt Horne, Stephen Hart and Kevin Cuomo are enrolled in the Carroll School of Management graduate program. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

From Military to MBA

Carroll School is active in programs that help veterans pursue grad degrees able to veterans who want to pursue graduate education, and BC is an active partner in the programs.

“The Carroll School strives to identify, recruit, and enroll members of the military,” said Shelley Burt, director of graduate enrollment. “They are competitive candidates and a strong fit with our program and community given their confidence, demonstrated leadership experience, strategic thinking and professionalism.”

Horne, who received his undergraduate degree in economics from Holy Cross, said he considered both law school and business school before deciding to pursue a MBA and a MS in finance at the Carroll School.

“I thought the MBA was the best way to go for me as far as tran-

said Hart, who received his undergraduate degree from the US Coast Guard Academy. “But our class Lt. Stephen Hart came to the discussions are just as important.

Carroll School of Management’s To hear from people who have MBA program through a US worked in HR, marketing or IT Coast Guard program that’s trainand learn from their experiences is ing officers to be the service’s next a real benefit. They approach probgeneration of leaders. lems differently, so it has expanded US Marine Corps Second Lt. my way of thinking.”

Kevin Cuomo received a fellowCuomo went straight from Anship to pursue an MBA following napolis to BC as one of a select his graduation from the US Naval group of academically talented Academy in 2010. graduates awarded a McMullen Matt Horne, who served six Fellowship for graduate business years in the US Navy and is now study. in the Naval Reserve, is pursuing “A liberal arts university is a an MBA as he transitions into a much different environment than private-sector career in corporate a military academy,” said Cuomo. finance.

“But everyone has been great. It’s a All three men reflect the grownew way of looking at the resources ing appeal of the MBA and other you have, your team and making graduate business degrees to the most of what you have. It’s veterans and active duty mili“In the military you gain experience in great training for any leader in tary personnel. These men any career.” leadership, operations and time manageand women account for ap- ment. But while you manage money, you Following graduation next proximately three percent of May, Cuomo will head to The lack the business background you would enrollments in the nation’s top Basic School in Quantico, Va., get at a private corporation. This is a MBA programs, according to where he will be trained to lead great way to build that knowledge base.” the blog Military to Business.

Marines in combat. “This has Associate Dean for Gradu—Matt Horne been one of the best experiencate Programs Jeff Ringuest said es in my life,” he said. “I’ve had men and women with military sitioning into a new career,” said a chance to meet great people and backgrounds add to the experien- Horne, who traveled the world as a learn from them. My classmates tial diversity of the typical Carroll submarine officer. “In the military and professors have made this an School full-time MBA class of 100 you gain experience in leadership, even greater experience.” students. operations and time management.

Hart said having fellow military “The students with a military But while you manage money, you men in the program has been a background bring a natural leader- lack the business background you benefit. ship and discipline to the class,” would get at a private corporation.

“With the three of us here at the said Ringuest. “They’re used to This is a great way to build that same time, it’s definitely helpful,” hard work and ambiguous prob- knowledge base.” he said. It’s easy to relate to Matt lems. The fast pace of the first During his five years in the and Kevin. If I bring up a problem year of the program doesn’t throw Coast Guard, Hart has been sta- I’ve encountered in my service, them.” tioned on a pair of vessels, under- they can affirm that and we discuss A revamped GI Bill, the fed- taken Homeland Security missions, how we approached it. We all try eral Yellow Ribbon Program, and fisheries enforcement and drug and to help make the military lingo we the MBA Veterans Network and immigration interdiction. Hart is throw around a bit more underOperation MBA, sponsored by the pursuing an MS in accounting in standable to everyone.”

Graduate Management Admis- addition to the MBA. sions Council, have served to im“I am here to improve on hard Contact Ed Hayward at prove funding and resources avail- skills like finance and accounting,”

By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

ed.hayward@bc.edu

US Army Col. David J. Clark ’81, director of the Army’s Foreign Intelligence Office and director of the Department of Defense’s 60th Anniversary Korean War Commemoration Committee, will be the featured speaker at the University’s 11th annual Veterans Remembrance Mass and Ceremony on Nov. 11.

The day’s events will begin with a Memorial Mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church, followed by a remembrance ceremony and symbolic roll call at the University’s Veterans’ Memorial on the Burns Library lawn at 11 a.m.

Clark will address the importance of remembering the nation’s veterans and their contributions, and recount his own Army experiences, including his duties as one of the Army’s top intelligence officers and his work as head of the Korean War Commemoration Committee.

After graduation from Boston College with degrees in mathematics and English, Clark attended Army Officer Candidate School and joined the service’s Military Intelligence branch.

He has served in assignments around the globe, including tours as the Mideast strategic intelligence analyst for the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; chief of intelligence requirements

US Army Col. David J. Clark ’81

for the US Special Operations Command; and commander of a military intelligence battalion in Korea. He is currently stationed at the Pentagon.

Clark, a native of Lynn, Mass., holds three masters degrees in administration, strategic intelligence and strategic studies.

He and his wife Darlene are the parents of five children.

A reception for all attendees will be held in Gasson 100 following the Burns lawn ceremony.

The University’s Veterans Day events are co-sponsored by the Boston College Alumni Association, Human Resources and the Boston College Army ROTC unit.

—Reid Oslin

Massachusetts Reserve Center to Be Named for Major Connolly ’94 An Armed Forces Reserve Center in Ayer, Mass., will be named in honor of Major David S. Connolly, a 1994 Boston College graduate who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005. The dedication of the facility will take place on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. at the center at 111 Barnum Road in Ayer.

Major Connolly, a graduate of the University’s Army ROTC program, was the first Boston College alumnus to lose his life in hostile action since the Vietnam War. After graduation from BC, the Newton native served on active duty with the Army’s elite Ranger special operations units before returning to civilian life to enroll at Suffolk Law School.

He was an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County and a member of the Army Reserve when he was killed in a helicopter crash 80 miles from Kabul, Afghanistan on April 6, 2005.

Major Connolly was 37 at the time of his death.

Major Connolly’s mother, sister and three brothers are Boston College graduates.

In addition to having his name inscribed on the Veterans’ Memorial Wall near the main entrance to the University, Major Connolly is remembered on an inscribed granite bench that is located on the south lawn of Bapst Library.

The bench memorial, which was donated to the University by his family, is inscribed with the young soldier’s favorite saying: “Can you do more, can you do better, can you make a difference?”

—Reid Oslin

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle november 3, 2011

Lee Pellegrini

Ignatian Colleagues Program

7

Continued from page 1 Developing this insight will be crucial at a time when the laity is seen as a key source of leadership in Jesuit education, according to BC administrators.

“As the numbers of Jesuits decrease, the survival of Jesuit education depends on being able to run a Jesuit school with non-Jesuit colleagues,” said Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, SJ. “The ICP is a chance for those colleagues to get a sense of the formative experiences “With the impetus through Ignatian Colleagues, I was able we Jesuits have, and how these to bring a new, invigorating perspective to my spirituality.” guide us in our everyday life.

—R. Michael Cassidy “This is important when you consider what Jesuits believe about education, that you must help stu- in regard to faith and spirituality.

“BC is not the only school dents engage the world in a full For example, I could go to people struggling with the question of way, with heart, soul and imagina- from Mission and Ministry and how to make its mission live,” tion. A program that brings this ask questions about the readings or says Cassidy. “Fortunately, with across to a non-Jesuit layperson is other experiences. the networking opportunities ICP “I also appreciated that it was provides, you can extend the circle a critical resource for Jesuit colleges not just academics who took part of people with whom you can and universities.”

The ICP, which began in early in ICP — there were administra- talk about these issues. You pick 2009, consists of five integrated tors from areas like human resourc- up the phone, or send an e-mail, components: a three-day orienta- es or finance. It’s very interesting and share thoughts and ideas. It’s a tion that introduces elements of to hear how someone managing an wonderful asset.” the Society of Jesus, Ignatian spiri- endowment, for instance, thinks College of Arts and Sciences tuality and Jesuit-Catholic educa- about Ignatian values in his or her Dean David Quigley feels BC has tion; a series of online workshops professional life.” had an impressive track record on In contrast to other participants efforts to integrate Ignatian values, on Jesuit and Ignatian-related topics; an introduction to the Igna- who engaged in a weeklong retreat, thanks to longstanding resources tian Spiritual Exercises, through Law School Professor R. Michael such as the Jesuit Institute, the silent retreat or guided experiences; Cassidy opted for a daily retreat of Center for Ignatian Spirituality an immersion trip to Nicaragua two hours apiece over Lent, under and the Intersections program. But or El Salvador; and a capstone the spiritual direction of School of he says the ICP, especially through Theology and Minis- its interchange with other Jesuit session that, among try student Timothy colleges and universities, offers furother goals, helps Kochems. Though ther benefits. participants to think already ensconced how they might fos“You have the opportunity to in his Catholic faith, take full stock of the personal, ter Jesuit and Ignatian Cassidy says the expe- intellectual and spiritual formation values on their own rience was unlike any in Jesuit education, and of the rich campuses. other.

Connell School tradition BC represents,” Quigley “It was the best explains. “The program also enof Nursing Dean SuLent I’d ever had; I courages you to think how you can san Gennaro was still felt spiritually pre- build on that tradition. This is a relatively new to BC when she took part “I appreciated that it was pared for Easter. very timely and important subject Tim did a great job, to contemplate, as BC approaches in ICP. Although not just academics who patterning the daily its sesquicentennial in 2012-13 — as a graduate of Le Moyne College took part in the program retreats after the an event that will invite reflection she was not unfa- — there were administra- Ignatian Spiritual on our mission as a Jesuit, Catholic Exercises, with ques- institution.” miliar with Jesuit education, Gennaro tors from areas like human tions and readings I Other BC participants in the would undertake. In Ignatian Colleagues Program: Asviewed the program resources or finance.” a busy professional sociate Vice President for Instias an opportunity to —Susan Gennaro life, your prayer life tutional Research, Planning and “understand how bePhoto by Gary Wayne Gilbert — no matter how Assessment Kelli Armstrong; Bening a dean here at BC was different than at another important is to you — can easily efits Office Director John Burke; school.” She got exactly what she be subsumed. But with the impe- Biology Professor and Chairman was looking for, through conversa- tus through Ignatian Colleagues, I Thomas Chiles; Office of News & tion with her peers at other Jesuit was able to bring a new, invigorat- Public Affairs Director Jack Dunn; institutions, and in particular the ing perspective to my spirituality.” Intersections Program Director Cassidy also was intrigued by Burt Howell; School of Theology intensive online readings and video his immersion trip to Nicaragua, and Ministry Assistant Dean and conferences.

“It wasn’t easy to go back to and the questions it raised about Director of Admissions Sean Porbeing a student, but it was fun,” how BC and other colleges can ter; Center for Student Formation she says. “One thing I’ve come to help students derive substantive Director Michael Sacco; and Asvalue at BC is how attentive, loving lessons from participating in ser- sociate Treasurer and Director of and respectful people are, especially vice activities.

Investments John Zona.

Jesuit Institute Welcomes Two Fellows for 2011-12

By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

With a growing international interest in the Jesuit Institute and its visiting fellowship program — and an increase in fellowship applications from outside the US, notes institute director Canisius Professor T. Frank Kennedy, SJ — it’s no surprise that both 2011-12 visiting fellows are French nationals, one of whom now lives in Mexico.

drawn to the Jesuit Institute fellowship because it would enable him to “work with a good team of moral theologians at Boston College. I have met a lot of people interested in the same questions as I. It is a great intellectual community.”

Duceux’s research areas are Renaissance and Jesuit philosophy, Chinese philosophy and the adaptation of Renaissance philosophy into Chinese thought via Jesuit missionaries in the early

Alain Thomasset, SJ, and Isabelle Duceux (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

The fellows are Alain Thomasset, SJ, a Jesuit priest and a professor of moral theology at Centre Sèvres-Facultés Jésuites de Paris, and Isabelle Duceux, most recently a research fellow at the Ricci Institute for ChineseWestern Cultural History at the University of San Francisco.

Fr. Thomasset’s work involves the link between the Bible and the virtues of hospitality, hope and compassion. He also is studying the role of The Bible in shaping how Christians envision moral life. Fr. Thomasset is author of a manual of fundamental moral theology and co-author of the forthcoming book Quand la foi est sociale. Analyse de témoignages de chrétiens engagés (When Faith Is Social: Analysis of the Story of Christians Engaged in Social, Political or Economic Fields).

Fr. Thomasset said he was

modern age. At BC, she will conduct research on Niccolò Longobardo, SJ, the successor to Matteo Ricci, SJ, the leader of the Jesuit mission to China.

The Jesuit Institute fellowship represents a “great opportunity” said Duceux, who lives in Mexico. “Boston College has a wonderful library and wonderful faculty in the Philosophy and Theology departments.

“The Jesuit identity of Boston College and Jesuit influence in philosophy and theology are important. There is more of an emphasis on Renaissance and medieval philosophy here than there is in Europe. This makes the Jesuit Institute the place where I have to be at this point in my career.”

Both Fr. Thomasset and Duceux will give public presentations on their research during the spring semester.

BC to Observe International Education Week Nov. 14-18 Boston College will participate in the annual United States salute to international education and exchange Nov. 14-18, with more than 30 academic, cultural and social events on campus.

Among the International Education Week events and activities at BC will be international dining opportunities, lectures and discussions, music and dance performances, an international fair, and an exhibit in the O’Neill Library first-floor gallery of photos submitted by members of the University community that relate to international experiences. The schedule and descriptions of IEW events and activities is available at http://www.bc.edu/iew.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle november 3, 2011

8

“Our players love playing on their home turf. Its surface is one of a kind and different than all other schools in the ACC. That is a huge advantage.”

—Women’s Coach Alison Foley Fans and players enjoyed a recent BC women’s soccer game on Newton Campus.

Photos by Caitlin Cunningham

In Amongst the Trees, a Field of Dreams on Newton Campus For the Boston College men’s and women’s soccer teams, there really is no place like home

By Reid Oslin Staff Writer

Snuggled in among groves of maple, birch and pine trees along the western boundary of the Newton Campus, the Boston College soccer/lacrosse facility is an architectural and environmental gem — as well as the home lair of some of the Eagles’ most successful sports teams.

The visual excellence of the facility reflects the level of play of its two fall occupants, BC’s men’s and women’s soccer teams.

At press time, Coach Ed Kelly’s men’s squad boasted a 10-4 overall record and was ranked 18th nationally; women’s Coach Alison Foley’s club was 9-3-2 and held the No. 13 spot in the latest Soccer World rankings.

“Our players love playing on their home turf,” says Foley, who

has coached the BC women’s team for 16 seasons. “Its surface is one of a kind and different than all other schools in the ACC. That is a huge advantage.”

There’s another plus for the Newton facility, according to the coach: “This is the most beautiful time of the year out there as all the trees around the field are changing color,” she says, noting the field’s sylvan setting.

The pristine stadium was upgraded in 2008 with the installation of an environmentally friendly artificial surface and last summer was again improved with the addition of enhanced external landscaping and stonework.

Originally opened as a natural grass pitch in 1999, the facility was named “College Soccer Field of the Year” by the Soccer Managers’ Association. Six light

towers were added in 2003 – specially aimed and shielded so that the arcs would not disturb local residents in the adjacent Rochester Road neighborhood.

By agreement with abutters, no more than 10 night games per year are played at the facility.

A 2008 refurbishment of the facility included the installation of a Polytan artificial surface, a German-manufactured system that is used on soccer pitches at the World Cup stadium in Stuttgart and the Olympic Stadium in Munich. BC’s Polytan field was the first major field of its type to be installed in the United States.

An inch-thick e-layer of artificial rubber underneath the field provides longevity and safety, says Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities Joseph Shirley, and the surface is filled in with

BionPro, new-generation environmentally friendly polymers that keep the field cool as well as maintaining a proper playing surface.

“We met with the neighborhood association [in Newton] throughout the project,” Shirley says. “Officials from the company met with neighbors to discuss and answer questions about all of the products that were to be included in the new turf system.

I think that it helped make them feel that they were a part of the project.”

Shirley says the installation of artificial turf in the facility has nearly tripled the availability of the field for both studentathletes and student recreation.

Club sports and intramural competition share the facility with the BC soccer and lacrosse teams.

“In the past, if we had games late in the season, we would have had to re-sod the areas in the goal mouth and the field would have been badly chewed up. Now all we have to do is groom the field and it’s ready to go.”

In addition to the artificial surface, the 2008 renovation included a grass-covered berm on the south end zone of the field that is ideal for families or student groups to picnic or relax while watching a game.

The stadium area includes bench seating for 1,000 fans on maroon and gold bleachers and spacious concrete patios on either end of the field for the fans who like to watch their soccer from the “standing room” section – as is the custom at many European soccer venues.

Contact Reid Oslin at reid.oslin@bc.edu

Copeland Latest BC Theologian to Earn Seton Medal

University Chancellor J. Donald Monan, SJ, congratulates Robsham Theater Arts Center Director Howard Enoch at an Oct. 27 reception celebrating the 30th anniversary of the theater. Fr. Monan was president when the theater opened in 1981. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)

Associate Professor of Systematic Theology M. Shawn Copeland has been awarded the St. Elizabeth Seton Medal, which honors women theologians whose careers are distinguished by excellence in teaching and/or making a major contribution to scholarship within the field.

The medal, presented to Copeland at an Oct. 12 event at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, where Copeland delivered an address titled “To Be the Body of Christ,” was established in 1966 by the college to recognize distinguished women in theology. It is named in honor of the founder of the Sisters of Charity, the congregation that established the College

of Mount St. Joseph in 1920 and continues to sponsor it today.

Seton Medal recipients work in such areas as scripture, systematics, spirituality, ministry, and historical theology, and must possess a doctorate in a related field. BC Theology Professor Pheme Perkins and J. Donald Monan, SJ, Professor of Theology Lisa Sowle Cahill were honored with the Seton Medal in 1997 and 2001, respectively.

“I am very appreciative of this recognition,” said Copeland. “I also am humbled to be included in the company of such outstanding women scholars and theologians who previously have received this award, including my colleagues Pheme Perkins and Lisa Sowle Ca-

hill.”

Copeland is known for her research and teaching on theological anthropology and political theology as well as African and Africanderived religious and cultural experience.

She was the first African-American to serve as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and is a past convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium. In 2010, Copeland received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the Aquinas Institute of Theology, a graduate school of theology and seminary founded and sponsored by the Dominican Order in St. Louis.

—Kathleen Sullivan

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle november 3, 2011

9

FACULTY AUTHORS

Why don’t we confront political evil? We have to recognize what it is first, says Alan Wolfe

By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

Political evil is back.

Or, more accurately, it never really went away, says Professor of Political Science Alan Wolfe, director of Boston College’s Center for Religion and American Public Life.

But two decades after postCold War optimism spurred talk about the end of ideology, and the ascendancy of secularism and liberal democracy, Wolfe says, it is all too apparent — from 9/11 to Rwanda to Darfur — that the world is beset by what he defines as political evil: “the willful, malevolent, and gratuitous death, destruction, and suffering inflicted upon innocent people by the leaders of movements and states in their strategic efforts to achieve realizable objectives.”

The nature of political evil, manifested through terrorism, ethnic cleansing, genocide and counter-evil — “the determination to inflict uncalled-for suffering on those presumed or known to have inflicted the same upon

There may be more limits to our choices than we think, says Law’s Kent Greenfield

By Melissa Beecher Staff Writer

Growing up in a small town in Kentucky as the son of a Southern Baptist minister, Law Professor Kent Greenfield remembers being confounded by the issue of “choice” from a very early age.

“Baptists believe that to be saved, we have to get there through our own choice, by accepting Jesus. I remember thinking that there was this conflict – how was this truly is a matter of choice? God already knows. He knows if you are going to accept him or reject him. So does free will really exist? It befuddled me, as a kid,” Greenfield remembers.

Years later, Greenfield faced the issue of choice again, this time before the US Supreme Court. Greenfield, founder and head of Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR), led a lawsuit on behalf of a dozen law schools against the federal

you” — is the subject of Wolfe’s newest book, Political Evil: What It Is and How to Combat It. As Wolfe notes, political evil is not an unfamiliar, or particularly recent, entity: Thinkers like Hannah Arendt, Reinhold Niebuhr and George Orwell wrote about it, and millions fought against it in World War II. But over time, he says, an unfortunate mix of trends — domestic political gridlock, ideological splintering, breakdown in social civility, misreading historical lessons — have seemingly sapped the collective will or ability to effectively confront political evil.

Now, says Wolfe, it is time to “get serious” about understanding and combating the use of evil to achieve political ends.

“We were left with an impressive language and a great vocabulary from the era of totalitarianism [1930s and 40s] with which to talk about political evil,” says Wolfe. “The problem is too often we apply it incorrectly or inappropriately, such as comparing Obama or Bush to Hitler.

“But it goes beyond that: However monstrous their acts, Osama bin Laden or Slobodan Milosevic should not be given the ‘Hitler’ tag, either, nor should the civil war in Darfur — terrible as the events there may be — be government, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in particular.

The suit questioned the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which requires universities to assist military recruiters or risk losing federal grant funding. Schools should not allow recruiters on campus, FAIR argued, because the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy conflicted with non-discrimination policies. Greenfield and his colleagues felt they had given an effective representation of the dilemma facing the schools — or so they thought.

“Chief Justice Roberts asked our attorney, ‘Why don’t you just choose not to take the money?’” recounts Greenfield. “And we lost. Unanimously.”

In his latest book, The Myth of Choice: Personal Responsibility in a World of Limits, Greenfield raises questions about the dynamics of choice: What if our choices are more constrained and limited than we like to think?

And if we have less free will than we realize, what are the implications for us as individuals and for our society?

Greenfield says that to be

Lee Pellegrini

Political Evil and the Myth of Choice

“If we don’t scrutinize political evil, then we don’t understand it, and if we don’t understand it, we can’t combat it.” described as an act of genocide.

These may seem overly analytical distinctions, but you have to look carefully at the relationship between the perpetrators and the victims of political evil, and the unique characteristics of each act of political evil – the strategy, the methods, the purpose it served.

“If we don’t scrutinize political evil, then we don’t understand it, and if we don’t understand it, we can’t combat it.”

Darfur, the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Nazi Germany,

“It is a mistake to give people 100 choices, whether that be running shoes or mutual funds for a 401k. It can paralyze people not to act, even if acting is in their best interest.” better decision makers, people need to be aware of market and economic manipulations and to understand that choice is limited — and that sometimes, he adds, limiting or removing choice is a good thing.

“People can be easily overwhelmed by choice. My wife wanted to buy a pair of running shoes. She came home without

ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, 9/11, and controversy over Israel’s security measures are among the events and situations Wolfe — drawing upon writings of Saint Augustine, Mani, Madison and Machiavelli, among others — assesses in explaining the nuances and dilemmas political evil can present.

Wolfe also explains how misinterpretations or mischaracterizations of politically evil acts can result in responses that are ineffectual, serve to worsen the situation, or create a new set of problems.

He analyzes humanitarian organizations’ views on Darfur, for instance, the furor over Israel’s 2008 Gaza offensive, and the Bush Administration’s use of torture and rendition of terror suspects in the post-9/11 “War on Terror.”

In humanity’s attempt to grapple with political evil, Wolfe says, the pendulum swung too far from isolationism and pacifism to an “uncritical acceptance” of militarism. “Once we may have neglected evil, but now we became obsessed by it. We lacked the thing we needed most in dealing with political evil — perspective.

It’s time to get the balance right.”

One recent development, which occurred after the book’s publication, suggests a means for dealing with political evil, says

Wolfe: the ouster of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Gaddafi’s four decades of despotism included a personal tragedy for Wolfe, whose cousin was killed in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing widely believed to have been ordered by Gaddafi. But even here, Wolfe says, perspective is necessary.

“There is no question in my mind that Gaddafi was an evil man. But to denounce him as the epitome of evil, or put him in the category of a Hitler or Stalin?

No. I think Obama handled the situation very well. Although his criticism of Gaddafi was clear and unmistakable, he avoided blackand-white, demagogic language.

He let the Libyans take the lead in the struggle, and while there are certainly questions surrounding the death of Gaddafi and whether he should’ve been brought to justice, this was a case where political evil was eradicated.

“Again, however, what worked in Libya — at least thus far — may not work elsewhere. We have to have a full understanding of the events in Libya, and why they unfolded as they did, to derive useful lessons from the experience.”

a pair, saying that she couldn’t decide because there were simply too many options,” said Greenfield. “It is a mistake to give people 100 choices, whether that be running shoes or mutual funds for a 401k. It can paralyze people not to act, even if acting is in their best interest.

“I think that this is a kind of book that people find obviously correct or obviously wrong,” said Greenfield. “Because one insight is that people respond to the world around them based on preconceived notions.

“One of the things about being a law professor is that you learn you really cannot understand the law without understanding a lot of other things – philosophy, psychology, politics, economics. Choice can be found in each of those disciplines,” said Greenfield. “The core concept of economics is choice: People can buy or sell. The so-called free market works because people are free to make choices.”

But the free market may not be so free, Greenfield says. Given that one in seven Americans is under the poverty level, he argues, “too often, the rhetoric of personal responsibility is a way

for those who ought to admit to shared responsibility to point the finger at someone else.”

Knowing what influences people’s decision-making can have far-reaching implications, says Greenfield. For example, those interested in passing a public referendum should know to form the ballot question to have a negative answer (“No on Question 2”) because it has been proven voters have a “no” bias.

Greenfield says he incorporates the themes of his book in his classroom discussion. “I teach constitutional law, and that incorporates First Amendment speech. In fact, just today we had a discussion about the end of racial segregation and I asked the question, ‘Do we give people the choice or do we mandate people to behave differently?’ It’s a hard question. We simply cannot turn a switch and have a change take hold.”

An interview with Kent Greenfield on The Myth of Choice, conducted by Associate Law Librarian Mary Ann Nearly, can be viewed at http://bit.ly/tf3Ixq.

Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu

Contact Melissa Beecher at melissa.beecher@bc.edu

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Jazzman Strikes a Chord with Students Grammy winner John Clayton tells undergrad musicians to make ‘big sound’

By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer

Conte Forum’s Shea Room was swinging last week as jazz giant John Clayton, a Grammyaward winning bassist, composer and conductor who is dedicated to music education, visited campus to work with members of BC bOp!, the University’s instrumental and vocal jazz ensemble.

“Music,” Clayton told the group, “is in the person, not in the instrument.” He showed an easy rapport with the students, listening to them perform pieces from their repertoire, providing ideas and instruction, and sharing his life stories — including his experiences playing with the legendary William “Count” Basie’s orchestra.

Clayton encouraged the musicians to produce “big sound, not loud sound,” frequently stopping them in mid-number to offer compliments and suggestions: “This is so awesome, you guys are so good. So what [elements] can we add to this?”

Clayton earned a 2008 Grammy in the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists category for Queen Lati-

fah’s song “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die,” and he has worked with Diana Krall, DeeDee Bridgewater (including her Grammy-winning CD “Dear Ella”), Natalie Cole, Milt Jackson, Nancy Wilson, Quincy Jones, George Benson, Dr. John, Gladys Knight, Regina Carter and others. He co-leads the Grammy-nominated Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Clayton Brothers Quintet, both nominated for Grammy awards.

His Oct. 26 appearance at Conte was spurred by BC bOp!’s appearance in the annual Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival of which he is artistic director, and where BC bOp! has won numerous awards and recognition. BC was one of only 10 schools in the country Clayton invited to participate in workshops he is offering prior to the 2012 festival in February.

“This is very exciting for us,” said Director of BC Bands Sebastian Bonaiuto, who directs BC bOp!. “Having an accomplished and acclaimed jazz artist like John Clayton visit the Boston College campus is unprecedented and we are honored.”

Clayton chose to work with

BC bOp! not only for the awards and recognition it has earned at the festival, said Bonaiuto, but for its distinctiveness as an ensemble from a liberal arts institution instead of a music school, and its incorporation of jazz vocals into an ensemble structure.

“The BC bOp! student musicians have customarily been committed, hard working members who have taken musical performance seriously. To have an additional opportunity to learn about this uniquely American musical art form that is jazz from John Clayton will enhance and amplify the good work that our students already do,” Bonaiuto said.

Jennifer Yoo ’12, a soprano vocalist and BC bOp! executive board coordinator, said, “Clayton’s philosophy about music as a form of expression was extremely helpful. He defined music as a way of expressing something in the core of our beings, in our hearts. His holistic philosophy of music is definitely something I will keep in mind in the future.”

Yoo said a comment of Clayton’s “connected with me as a musician on such a profound level: ‘Music is about honesty

infanticide, child abuse, assassinations, pogroms, gruesome punishments, deadly quarrels, and genocide were ordinary features of life. But today, all these forms of violence have dwindled and are widely condemned. How has this happened?...The key is to understand our intrinsic motives — the inner demons that incline us toward violence and the better angels that steer us away — and how changing circumstances have allowed our better angels to prevail.

—Steven Pinker

tific way of thought. But more than that, science is a dramatic and on-going story of adventure and discovery that has engaged some of the greatest minds our species has produced. In this presentation, join Professor Greene as he takes us on a whirlwind exploration of one such story -- the quest to unravel some of the biggest mysteries of space and time -- and come away with a visceral understanding of why science matters.

—Brian Greene

Like never before, full participation in the global conversation requires fluency in the languages of science and technology and an appreciation for the scien-

For the past 20 years, the United States has been experiencing a significant cultural, social, and political shift of which we are only now taking account.

The very presence of powerful

John Clayton held a workshop last week with members of BC bOp!, the University’s instrumental and vocal jazz ensemble. One student applauded his “holistic philosophy of music.” (Photos by Lee Pellegrini)

and clarity...We rehearse dynamics, articulations, intonation and rhythms to make ourselves more clear to the audience. Otherwise, they have to pick through all our struggles in order to get to the parts we want to show — our souls.’” *** Tomorrow night, BC bOp! presents “Jazz in the Irish Room,” at 8 p.m. in Gasson 100. The ensemble will perform traditional and contemporary jazz literature from its repertoire of over 50 selections, which includes music from the 1940s to the present.

Admission is free and open to the public. Contact the Boston College Bands office at bands@ bc.edu or call ext.2-3018 for more information.

In Their Words: Science and the Liberal Arts The following are excerpts from abstracts by the speakers who appeared in Saturday’s Institute for the Liberal Arts symposium, “Science in the Liberal Arts University: Why It Matters to Us All.” See the complete texts at online Chronicle [www.bc.edu/chronicle].

Increasingly we live in a world made – or remade – by humans.

For this reason, geologists are seriously considering whether we’ve embarked a new epoch: the Anthropocene. As we change the world, the questions we ask also change. For a start: what does it mean to be human in an age when mankind is determining the fate of the planet?

—Elizabeth Kolbert Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet just the opposite is true: Violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our specie’s existence.

For most of history, war, slavery,

Speakers at Saturday’s Institute for the Liberal Arts symposium included Brian Greene (above left) and Siva Vaidhyanathan. (Photos by Caitlin Cunningham)

personal computers, loaded with easy-to-use editing and production software, connected to millions of others at high speed at all times of the day has changed the cultural and political environment radically and irreversibly...Clearly, Americans have experienced a radical change in expectations when it comes to culture and information. I call this change the rise of technocultural imagination. We are on the cusp of a truly democratic cultural moment.

But all is not open and free.

Nor should we celebrate this technologically enabled, radical cultural democracy for its own sake. It’s messy and troublesome.

It’s risky and disruptive. But it’s also exciting and fascinating. The oddest phenomenon of this age is the fact that while Americans exhibit stronger faith in the transformative power of technology, they exhibit less and less trust in empirical and scientific work.

—Siva Vaidhyanathan

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The Provost’s Office has announced the appointment of two directors for offices that provide important academic advising and support to undergraduates.

Akua Sarr has been named as director of the Academic Advising Center, which works with students, especially freshmen, and academic departments to enhance academic advising for undergraduates. Sarr had been serving as interim director since July of last year.

Since 2006, Sarr has served as an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, a position she will continue to hold.

A former Fulbright Scholar who spent a year in Senegal studying women’s movements and the emergence of feminist literature, Sarr has published The Histories, Languages and Cultures of West Africa: Interdisciplinary Essays and Black Women Writers’ Contributions to Contemporary Feminist Discourse.

She teaches in the Cornerstone, Capstone and African and African Diaspora Studies programs and co-chairs Boston College’s Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association.

Dard Miller has been appointed as director of the Learning Resources for Student Athletes office, which provides academic support for the University’s 750 varsity student-athletes. Before being named the interim director of LRSA in September of 2010, Miller had served as the office’s associate director, and designed and implemented the office’s developmental instruction program — widely regarded as a highly successful academic support model.

Miller, who holds a doctorate in education from BC, has taught students at all educational levels, from elementary school to graduate programs, and has served as a consultant to the Boston Public Schools.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

National Educator Honor Goes to Class of 2000’s Derek Vandegrift Boston College alumnus Derek Vandegrift, a teacher at Waltham High School, was presented with the 2011 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, making him one of only 15 recipients in the country and the only teacher in Massachusetts to receive the prestigious teaching honor.

Vandegrift, who teaches history to high school sophomores and juniors, graduated from BC in 2000 with a bachelor of arts degree in history. He went on to earn a master’s of education degree from BC the next year.

Launched by education reform leader Lowell Milken, the Milken Educator Awards are the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program, having honored more than 2,500 K-12 teachers, principals and specialists across the country over the past 25 years. The program supports classroom teachers of quality, which award organizers say is the most important school-based factor in determining student achievement. The Milken Educator Award comes with a $25,000 cash prize.

Interviewed by WBZ Radio, Vandegrift said he hopes “that I inspire them [my students] and that they go on to do what they want to do and be the best at what they want to do. And if I’ve done that then I feel pretty good.”

The award was presented to Vandegrift in a surprise school assembly on Oct. 18 by Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley and the commissioner of Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education, Mitchell Chester.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

NOTA BENE Amanda Rothschild ’11 was recognized by President of Ireland Mary McAleese at an Undergraduate Awards program ceremony Oct. 28 at Dublin Castle. Rothschild, who earned a degree in political science this past May and is now a doctoral student in International Relations and Security Studies at MIT, was named a “highly commended” entrant to the Undergraduate Awards, a program open to undergraduate students in Ireland and recently expanded to include seven leading universities in the United States.

Rothschild was honored in the Human Rights category for her essay titled “The Crime of Crimes and Lemkin’s Forewarning.”

Newsmakers Murray and Monti Professor of Economics Peter Ireland was among a group of experts who appeared on Bloomberg Radio to discuss the possibility of a third period of quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve on “The Hays Advantage” program.

Asst. Prof. Allyssa Harris (CSON) outlined her research on the influences of urban literature on AfricanAmerican adolescents in a piece for the Huffington Post.

Boston College Dining Service’s Chocolate Bar was included among the “yummiest” spots at the nation’s colleges and universities by Food and Wine magazine restaurant editor Kate Krader in her blog Eatocracy, hosted

by CNN. The Boston Sunday Globe “World Class” feature profiled College of Arts and Sciences senior Uyen Truong, who chose to study at Rhodes University in South Africa, not only to get out of her comfort zone but also to observe interactions between people in the wake of apartheid.

To live ordained priesthood in the light of the Eucharist, wrote Assoc.

Prof. Rev. Robert Imbelli (Theology) in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, is to discover anew the mystical heart of the priest’s life and ministry.

Publications Founders Professor in Theology James Keenan, SJ, was editor for Catholic Theological Ethics: Past, Present, and Future: The Trento Conference, a collection of 30 plenary presentations from the International Conference of Catholic Theological Ethics held last year in the World Church in Trento, Italy.

BC in the Media In dollar terms, the US economy is actually smaller today than it was in 2007, an indication of how profoundly the last four years’ reliance on consumer spending has failed. It’s time to try another way, Sociology Professor Juliet Schor wrote in Time magazine last week.

While the country’s “consumer binge” in the decade leading up to the financial collapse is well known, Schor said, her estimates show an astronomical increase per year in the sheer volume of commodities bought by the average American: new items of clothing, 41 to 67; furniture purchases, 150 percent; consumer electronics — from coffee makers to laptops to cell phones — between 100 and 1,000 percent. Americans even bought 180 percent more vacuum cleaners a year during the period, Schor said.

Schor doesn’t see a return to this pre-recession pattern anytime soon, which she says is just as well: “It’s economically and environmentally unsustainable.” The alternative to consumer spending is investment — by businesses, Prof. Brian Quinn (Law), has been named to LexisNexis’ Top 25 Business Law Blogs.

Louise and Jim Vanderslice and Family Professor in Chemistry Lawrence T. Scott has been named chair-elect for the American Chemical Society Division of Organic Chemistry.

BC BRIEFING

Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael C. Keith (Communication) published a short story in the fall issue of The Lowestoft Chronicle.

Honors/Appointments For the second consecutive year, M&A Law Prof, the blog of Asst.

Asst. Prof. Charles R. Gallagher, SJ (History), was elected to serve on the Executive Council of the American Catholic Historical Association.

Time and a Half Roche Professor of Economics Arthur Lewbel presented “Children’s Resources in Collective Households: Identification, Estimation and an Application to Child Poverty in Malawi” at the Conference on the Economics of Family held in Paris.

Memorial Mass Is Celebrated for Kristie Topel The Boston College community celebrated a memorial Mass on Oct. 24 in St. Ignatius Church for Kristie Topel, a member of the Class of 2012 who died June 14. She was 20.

University President William P. Leahy, SJ, presided at the Mass for Ms. Topel, a biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences from Deerfield, Ill., who had been active in Campus Ministry’s “4Boston” volunteer service program.

She is survived by her parents, Laura and Kurt, her sisters Hayley and Heather, and her grandmother Margaret Zeszutek.

A funeral Mass was held for Ms. Topel in Deerfield on June 18.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

Gary Wayne Gilbert

Interim Appointments of Sarr, Miller Made Permanent

government, and households, Schor says. Wean the country off fossil fuels, and transform agriculture from the current chemical intensive, factory-farm model to one that is capable of keeping consumers and ecosystems healthy. “We need investment in education, mass transit, and urban infrastructures. We need more research and development, especially for green production methods that minimize the use of natural materials. We need more household saving and more acquisition of useful skills and education.”

Schor’s piece is available at http:// ti.me/pSGWoC. Assoc. Prof. Stefan Hoderlein (Economics) presented “Continuous Treatments” at the seventh IZA Conference on Labor Market Policy Evaluation at Harvard University.

Assoc. Prof. Andrea Vicini, SJ (STM), presented “What Should We Know? Roman Catholic Approaches at the End of Life” at the event “End of Life Issues: Decision, Cost and Ethical Dilemmas,” part of the “Leadership Series on Health” at Regis College.

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/: Dean, Lynch School of Education Assistant Director, Admissions, School of Theology and Ministry Cashier/Line, Dining Services Lower Campus Administrative Assistant, Office of Campus Ministry Assistant Director, Center for Student Formation InterLibrary Loan/Circulation Assistant, O’Neill Library Career Services Assistant, Law School Associate Dean, Academic and Student Services, Graduate School of Social Work Corporate Partnerships Member Relations Specialist, Center for Work & Family

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LOOKING AHEAD

Organizer Hopes 40-Hour Event Brings Longlasting Results in Hunger Battle

By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, a holiday that evokes thoughts of hearth and home, celebration — and often over-indulgence — at the dinner table. But the spotlight next week at Boston College is on hunger and famine, during a two-day event that precedes national Hunger Awareness and Homelessness Week.

O’Neill Plaza will be the site on Nov. 9 and 10 for the 40 Hour Famine, a student organized multimedia project designed to raise famine awareness and to ignite and sustain action aimed at diminishing inequalities in the global food system.

The event will include speakers, a meditation session, a 40-minute silent vigil for those lost to starvation and for the chronically hungry, a presentation on the effects of famine on the human body and a photography exhibition by EcoPledge. Related art activities include mask-making, poster-art projects, performing arts events and a collaborative sculpture project.

“Hunger is preventable,” says organizer Zachary Desmond ’12, who will lead discussions on famine-related topics. But, as he writes in his blog, also titled the 40 Hour Famine [http://40hrfamine.wordpress.com], “people are starving in Boston, in the United States and around the world. Our food-related

actions here have consequences on food access, hunger and famine abroad.”

He hopes “to inform the student body of what famine is, how contemporary famine is a symptom of systemic global food inequalities, and what we can do as individuals, a community and a nation to equalize food access.”

Desmond worked to develop the initiative with Associate Professor of Theatre Crystal Tiala under the auspices of the Arts and Social Responsibility Project, which she chairs and for which he serves on the student board of advisers.

BC community members are encouraged to sign a pledge vowing to fast in solidarity with those around the world who struggle with chronic hunger, and to attend events held by campus organizations related to Hunger Awareness and Homelessness Week (Nov. 1220).

In addition, there will be a number of collaborative art projects and informational presentations designed to generate dialogue.

“Creating art, telling stories and building solidarity are the three things that I feel carry information from the brain to the heart, from thought to action,” Desmond says.

Students and others, he explains, may pledge to fast for all or any number of meals over the 40-hour period, and to contribute what they would have spent on food for those meals to an organization actively

“People are starving in Boston, in the United States and around the world. Our food-related actions here have consequences on food access, hunger and famine abroad.”

—40-Hour Famine organizer Zachary Desmond ’12

combating world hunger.

But Desmond emphasizes the “flexibility of the pledge; 40 hours is a goal to aim for, but pledging to any number of hours of intentional fasting is encouraged. Our first priority is the safety of our participants, and breaking the fast is encouraged if at any point a participant feels he or she is in physical danger.”

As of late October, he had received more than 50 responses from students expressing interest in participating in the fast.

The related collaborative art demonstrations are essential to the project, according to Desmond. “It puts a person behind the information, a face to the hunger and a voice to the unheard. We hope to foster sustained connections and help transfer information into a catalyst for change, to stir thoughts into action, to mold comprehension into compassion. It is a method by which we can create solidarity and a community dialogue, to do something and to do it with others in mind.”

Desmond was inspired to launch this initiative after volunteering for six weeks last summer at an arts empowerment center and orphanage just outside Arusha, Tanzania, a region with a serious food shortage.

“This was the first time I had ever been to a place where access to food wasn’t assured. In fact, I had never needed to even think about the availability of food in my entire life. Of course,” he adds, “I had a theoretical understanding that some people didn’t have the general food security I had taken for granted.”

After he returned to the US, he worried about the friends he had made, the children in the orphan-

age and others in Arusha, knowing the food shortage there would only intensify. In the supermarket in his home city of Seattle, it struck him that “there were shelves, aisles, tons of food and so many options, seemingly pointless variations of the same thing.” He began to study famine and food aid, which led him to conceive of and develop a famine awareness project.

Among other campus groups involved in the project are Campus Ministry, the Women’s Resource Center, EcoPledge and the African Students Organization (ASO).

The ASO will host activities related to hunger in the US and abroad during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

Information on pledging is available at the 40 Hour Famine [http://40hrfamine.wordpress.com].

Pledges also may be signed on campus Nov. 7-10. For details contact Desmond at desmondz@bc.edu.

Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu

Chomsky to Speak at BC on Nov. 11 Noam Chomsky — linguist, philosopher, activist and MIT professor — will speak Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in Devlin 008. Seats are limited for the event, which is being sponsored by the campus chapter of the psychology honors society Psi Chi, and tickets are required. Tickets will be available beginning Nov. 7 at the Robsham Theater box office and distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information about the visit, see http:// tinyurl.com/3qszblk.

BC SCENES A VISIT WITH THE ARCHBISHOP; GETTING THAT HEALTHY ATTITUDE Recent happenings on the Boston College campus included an Oct. 25 visit from Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, OFM, Cap., archbishop of Boston, who in addition to celebrating Mass met with School of Theology and Ministry students and faculty, held discussions with University President William P. Leahy, SJ, Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, SJ, and members of the Church in the 21st Century Steering Committee, and (below) presented a public lecture, “The Eucharist: The Center of Catholic Life,” in Yawkey Center. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

On Oct. 27, the University’s annual employee Health Fair took place in the Shea Room at Conte Forum, offering free flu shots and fitness, skin damage and blood pressure screenings, as well as information about smoking cessation, acupuncture, skin care, nutrition and other topics. The event was sponsored as part of the University’s “HEALTHY YOU” initiative. (Photos

by Caitlin Cunningham)