The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919
THE HEIGHTS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010
Vol. XCI, No. 41
www.bcheights.com
Getting a taste of academia Few assault cases taken to hearings
Splash program’s inaugural event draws hundreds
Board heard one sexual assault case last year
BY TAYLOUR KUMPF DANIEL TONKOVICH / HEIGHTS STAFF
Some local Jewish residents have compalined about the behavior of students off campus.
LOCAL NEWS
BC parties present problems on Shabbat Noise problematic for Jews on sabbath BY DANIEL TONKOVICH For The Heights
For Rabbi Theodore Schneider, a leader at Temple B’nai Moshe near Cleveland Circle, Friday evenings are time to spend in prayer and with family. For Boston College students residing off-campus, however, they are are a time to head to parties. The neighborhoods surrounding BC are home to many of the Jewish faith. According to a 2006 study by the Mandell L. Berman Institute of Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life at the University of Connecticut, the Jewish community of the Boston area in 2005 included 208,500 persons in 105,500 Jewish households, accounting for 7.2 percent of the area’s total population. Approximately half of the Jewish population in the Boston area resides in the cities and neighborhoods surrounding BC’s main campus, such as Newton, Brookline, and Brighton. With the high Jewish population in neighborhoods where many BC students also reside, a problem can result when off-campus student parties interfere with neighbors of the Jewish faith observing their Shabbat traditions on Friday evenings through Saturday, as placing a phone call to local authorities is seen as violating restrictions on work imposed by the faith on Shabbat.
Asst. News Editor
Assoc. News Editor
Editor’s Note: The following is the third and final part in a three-part series on the issue of sexual assault on campus.
See Splash, A4
CECILIA PROVVEDINI / HEIGHTS STAFF
BC Splash, a program that brings high school students to BC to take classes taught by undergraduates, seeks to become a BC tradition.
Resolution promotes STI testing Initiative to highlight campus resources
See Shabbat, A4
INSIDE SPORTS
Captain Thomas Claiborne sets example for the Eagles, C1
THE SCENE
From Watson to Leahy- Six Degrees of Separation, D1
BY PATRICK GALLAGHER
This past Saturday, Boston College hosted more than 170 high school students for the University’s inaugural Splash event. BC Splash, which gives local high school students the opportunity to take classes taught by college undergraduates, is modeled off similar programs at MIT, Stanford, and the University of Chicago. “It’s a short list, but they’re all prestigious schools, and it’s great that BC is now a part of this list,” said Hanyin Cheng, a Splash organizer and A&S ’12. MIT was helpful in the launching of BC’s Splash program, organizers said. “The MIT Splash program allowed us to use their listserv of 20,000 high school students,” said Lisa Piccirillo, a Splash organizer and A&S ’13. “They are happy to see the pro-
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Nick Domino, UGBC Senator and A&S ’12 (above), introduced the STI testing initiative.
BY REBECCA KAILUS Heights Staff
Last night, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of a campaign that aims to spread awareness regarding sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and testing on campus. According to the resolution, the UGBC Senate will promote, “the health of the student body through a three-day campaign to encourage students to utilize the STI testing services available at University Health Services.” The resolution can be broken down into three main goals, said Nick Domino, A&S ’12. “STI testing is a taboo subject. This campaign would make it more acceptable, make students more responsible to their community, and continues the spirit of Love Your Body Week,” he said. The resolution attempts to foster acceptance and encourage the use of STI testing by breaking down the stigma that surrounds testing at BC. “This is a campaign that will be a catalyst to promote a culture of STI testing,” said Caitlin Hanley, co-sponsor of the resolution and A&S ’11. Lizzie Jekanowski, A&S ’13, who also co-sponsored the resolution, agreed to its importance as a means of changing the negative connotations associated with STI testing. “There is very little testing on campus,” she said. “Students don’t know about STI testing. We support a campus-wide campaign that would raise awareness and make it [STI testing] more acceptable.” The resolution appeals to students to take responsibility for their health. According to the legislation, “It is the responsible action of students as members of a community and in relation-
ships to be aware of the details of his or her health, specifically in terms of the underutilized opportunity to get tested for STIs, and the responsibility of the community to make its members aware of and provide access to these opportunities.” In part, this resolution was passed in order to promote the values and issues connected to Love Your Body Week, sponsored annually by the Women’s Resource Center, members of the UGBC Senate said. “This campaign would promote a positive body image, and is a nice continuation of Love Your Body Week,” Hanley said.
In the 2009-10 academic year, just one sexual assault case was brought before a Boston College conduct hearing, despite the fact that there were at least nine reported sexual assaults last year. For students who are victims of sexual assaults and who are seeking retributive action against their assailant, the University conduct system, called the Administrative Hearing Board, is an alternative to pressing charges and seeing the case through to court. Despite the availability of a campus disciplinary body, Sheila Horton, dean for student development, said that sexual assault victims rarely choose that route, despite the informal nature of the proceedings relative to legal cases. Thus far, no sexual assault cases have been brought before the board. “Very few students choose to actually adjudicate the cases,” Horton said. “We encourage students to move forward within their comfort level.” As of this year, each board is composed of three administrators, one faculty member, and one student, who are all selected from a general pool. In previous years, each board was only composed of three administrators, but following a 2009 review of the University’s conduct process by a committee of faculty and students, the board was expanded. “The committee also looked at conduct systems at other universities,” Horton said, adding that the conclusion was that additional voices would strengthen the board. “This year we’re trying it out.” The Administrative Hearing Board typically handles the more serious disputes between students, including sexual assaults and “those cases that rise to the level of severity where a student might be suspended or higher,” Horton said, whereas the Student Conduct Board handles lower-level cases. The role of the board in such cases is to allow both students involved in a dispute to tell their sides of the story, after which the
See Resolution, A5
See Hearing Board, A5
A DIFFERENT KIND OF BINGO
KYLIE MONTERO / HEIGHTS STAFF
BC Students for Sexual Health hosted Sex Toy Bingo at Roggie’s Tuesday – an event that sought an alternative way to educate students about sexual health. For more, see Pg. A3
BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Schor speaks on ecological decline BY ELISE TAYLOR For The Heights The men’s and women’s basketball season kicks off, B1 Classifieds, C4 Crossword, C4 Editorials, A6 In the News, C8 Police Blotter, A2 Videos on the Verge, D2 Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down, A7 Forecast on Washington, C6 Weather, A2 Editors’ Pick, C2
ELISE TAYLOR / HEIGHTS STAFF
Juliet Schor, a professor in the sociology department, recently released her new book on ecology and consumer society.
Last Thursday, Juliet Schor gave a presentation on her book, Plentitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, as part of the Winston Center lecture series. Plenitude, a book that deals with economics and ecological decline, is the latest of many books written by Schor, a professor in the sociology department. As a sociologist who has spent most of her career studying consumer society, Schor said she has more recently been combining
her prior research with the issue of environmental sustainability and how it affects the lives of the daily American. “I’ve been doing the research for Plentitude for quite a few years,” Schor said. “It also relates to issues I’ve been working on for my whole career.” Schor began her presentation by explaining the current state of both the environment and economy today. Schor said that, together, these factors hint toward a predictable downward spiral in our economy. Showing graphs as well as other data, she said that despite the acknowledgement
of climate change decades earlier, natural resource extraction has significantly increased. “Dematerialization is not materializing,” Schor said. “We must address ecological deprivation, and we can.” This, Schor said, would cause the economy to eventually become less successful, as over-extraction as well as a host of other factors would raise the costs of production. Furthermore, Schor said the most recent economic collapse in 2007
See Schor, A5