The Heights will return on April 12, 2012. Enjoy your Easter Break! Marathon prep
Robsham rises ‘Up’ Frozen four preview
features
ARTS & rEVIEW
sports
Runners and spectators alike prepare for all that Patriot’s Day has to offer, C8
Boston College dancers unite for a dazzling showcase of agility and skill, C1
The men’s hockey team prepares for its first round match up with Minnesota, B1
Monday, April 2, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 19
BCAAUP writes to Leahy, BOT asking for investigation By David Cote News Editor
In response to growing national and international interest in the Belfast Project legal case, the Boston College chapter of the American Association for University Professors (BCAAUP) has sent a letter to the Board of Trustees and the president, as well as started a petition to create a third party committee to investigate the research that occurred during the Belfast Project. In the letter, BCAAUP suggested that the committee include “a representative of the American Historical Association; an expert on archival management or oral history; a journalist who is acquainted with questions of journalistic ethics or methods of historical research; and the chair of the History Department.”
The letter, endorsed by a vote of the membership of BCAAUP on Feb. 27 and dated Mar. 3, was released to the public after BCAAUP received no response from the president’s office or the Board of Trustees. “Father Leahy has asked David Quigley [Dean of Arts and Sciences] to respond to the members of the executive committee of BCAAUP who sent the petition,” said University Spokesman Jack Dunn. Quigley’s response to the BCAAUP is forthcoming. “In light of recent press reports about the Belfast Oral History Project, we write to you out of a concern for the reputation of Boston College. Recent reports have raised serious questions about the research procedures of the Belfast Oral History
See BCAAUP, A4
joseph castlen / heights editor
More than 650 high school students came to campus this weekend for student-taught classes as part of the fourth BC Splash program.
57% feel that morale has been declining
making a splash High schoolers flood BC for a variety of student-taught classes By Andrew Skaras Heights Staff
Boston College was inundated with over 650 high school students this Sunday for the fourth installation of BC Splash. Running from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., the program brought together high school students with BC undergrads for a day of unorthodox classes. With a large diversity of topics, the classes explored academic interests that do not always come up in traditional classes and gave
BC undergrads an opportunity to teach others about their passions. Started at BC by Hanyin Chang, A&S ’12, in the fall of 2010, BC Splash is modeled on MIT Splash. Although the first semester had only 250 students, the program has grown substantially every semester since its inception. More important to Chang than the numbers, however, is the environment and the mission: “Education for Students by Students.” “When I was in high school, I par-
ticipated in MIT Splash and had a blast,” Chang said. “When you are in high school, you don’t have a lot of choices of what you can take. I enjoyed the close interactions with college students on topics that they were passionate about. When I enrolled at BC, I wanted to create the same sort of platform here at BC.” When he was a sophomore, Chang began the planning that saw its first fruits in the fall of his junior year. This
See Splash, A4
By Darren Ranck Heights Senior Staff
Rui Soares, A&S ’13, received the Archbishop Oscar A. Romero scholarship on Saturday evening in the Yawkey Athletics Center for his outstanding efforts in leadership and academia, as well as his contributions to the Latino community. The scholarship, which is awarded to the student who best follows the example set by Romero, celebrated a landmark 20th birthday, and the ceremony honored the legacy of both the students who created it and its namesake. Marina McCoy, a member of the schol-
arship committee, introduced Soares as a lasting example of Romero’s preaching. “Rui embodies the ideal of what Archbishop Romero once preached: ‘Aspire not to have more but to be more,’” McCoy said. Soares, a pre-med student, tutored in the 4Boston program and currently serves as the program director and resident assistant for the Multicultural Leadership Experience. He plans to apply for medical school and fulfill his dream of becoming a physician. “I want to especially help the Latino community because this is where I come from and want to help through medicine,” Soares wrote in his application. Receiving the award coincided with Soares’ 21st birthday, and he took the time to thank his parents for giving him life and support. “Being a first-generation American and college student is hard work, but not once
See Romero Scholarship, A4
Faculty responds to survey Heights Editor
photo courtesy of sang lee, mts
Rui Soares, A&S ’13, received the Archbishop Oscar A. Romero scholarship this weekend.
63% said they were dissatisfied with their role in decision making woogeon kim / heights graphic
By Molly LaPoint
Rui receives Romero award Junior pre-medicine student receives prestigious scholarship
85% support an elevated committee of faculty
This fall, the Boston College chapter of the American Association of University Professors (BCAAUP) conducted its second faculty survey to discern what the concerns of the faculty are with regard to their involvement in University affairs. Members of the BCAAUP began discussing the results at their meeting, on Feb. 27. The AAUP is a national advocacy organization whose “purpose is to advance academic freedom and shared governance, to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education, and to ensure higher education’s contribution to the common good,” according to its website. The BC chapter began in January of 2010, and currently has over 120 members. Among its chief concerns are the lack of a faculty senate and the fact that the faculty handbook is not overseen or written by faculty members, which Susan
Michalczyk, BCAAUP president, said is rare at similar colleges and universities. “It came about in response to the recognition of faculty that we need a voice,” she said. The survey, which received 285 responses, yielded some interesting information, Michalczyk said. “What our faculty survey demonstrates overall is that there is a lack of respect for what faculty think,” she said. “Some are parts of committees and some do speak, but it’s a very small number.” “I have seen the BCAAUP faculty survey, and was pleased that 285 faculty took the time to participate in it,” said Patricia DeLeeuw, vice provost for faculties, in an interview. “I was struck by a number of its findings, especially the desire among those who responded for more opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.” At the school level, 53 percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their role in decision making, and at the
See Faculty Survey, A4
GLC hosts Candyland-themed annual gala Stowell, McDargh speak on issues of GLBTQ rights By Joseph Pasquinelli Heights Staff
joseph pasquinelli / heights staff
GLC hosted their gala Saturday night at the Back Bay Event Center with the theme “Candyland.”
Saturday evening, the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) hosted its fourth annual Gala at the Back Bay Event Center. The theme of this year’s gala was initially “Katy Perry Candyland” but was later changed to only “Candyland” so students would not think the pop star would be present. Approximately 250 students were in attendance. Fewer students attended Saturday night than last year when tickets for the gala sold out. However, the room did not seem empty because the space was much more intimate than Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts where the event was held in years past. Carolyn McCrosson, GLC president and
A&S ’12, said they changed venues mostly because of budgeting issues. “We decided to change the venue to save money and be more fiscally responsible,” McCrosson said. “The Cyclorama had been a great location in years past but we wanted a location that included more than just the venue in its booking price. We are allocated very little and it makes it very difficult to put on a great event. We definitely have visions of a bigger and better gala in the future. We have learned to work around most of these budgeting limitations. We get creative in terms of decorations, and we try to negotiate prices down with catering and the venue.” As a branch of the UGBC, the GLC “is committed to bettering the quality of life for all students at Boston College especially those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning.” Their webpage goes on to say that they act as a resource for all organizations that wish to help members of the GLBTQ community gain “equality, acceptance, and understand-
ing” at BC and in the world. The evening began with students sampling hors d’oeuvres before forming a semi-circle on the dance floor to listen to an address from the evening’s keynote speaker Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of Boston’s Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth (BAGLY). Stowell, who is transgendered, spoke on the mission and history of BAGLY, including their quest for social justice and equality. She concluded her speech by calling on those in attendance to “work together to make it better.” John McDargh, associate professor of theology, then took the microphone and captivated the audience with his views on the intersection of religion and sexuality. McDargh, who was raised Catholic but has since become an Episcopalian, said that he was not pleased with the message and work of his church. “The Christian Church was a place that was not serving the people,”
See Gala, A4
TopTHREE
The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
things to do on campus this week
..
1
Andrew Ross Sorkin Lecture Tuesday Time: 4 p.m. Location: Robsham Theater Arts Center
The Clough Colloquim, which hosts speakers who have made important ethical contributions to their fields, will feature Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times’s chief mergers and acquisitions reporter and author of the bestselling book Too Big to Fail.
Senses and Values of Oneness
2
Today Time: 5 p.m. Location: Devlin 101
Professor Philip J. Ivanhoe from the City University of Hong Kong will present a lecture about the many ways that people claim to be “one” with the world.
BCTalks Undergraduate Lectures
3
Tuesday Time: 4:45-9 p.m. Location: Heights Room BCTalks will feature 11 short undergraduate lectures about academic interests. A diverse group of majors will be represented.
the
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Judge rules that VT did enough to warn students in 2007 shooting
On Campus Two BC graduates earn military honors for service in Afghanistan Two Boston College graduates, Marine Capt. David Van Dam, BC ’04, and Army Lt. Col. Daniel Arkins, BC ’81, received Bronze Star medals for their service in Afghanistan. Van Dam was a Marine Reconnaissance company commander who led his men through battle in some of Afghanistan’s most dangerous terrain. Arkins earned his bronze star for his work as a brigade intelligence officer in Kabul. Van Dam has been on three combat tours in the Middle East since his graduation from BC, where he was in the political science honors program and played club rugby. Arkins graduated from BC with a degree in history and then joined the Massachusetts Army National Guard to help pay for his college costs. He served in the Guard for 26 years before transferring to the Army three years ago to pursue a position in the intellgence community. Arkins’ tour of Afghanistan last May was the second military tour for which he earned a Bronze Star. He previously won the same medal for service in Iraq in 2003-2004. He has recently been promoted to full Colonel and will take over an Army Reserve command position in October.
Judge Ernest C. Canellos, an administrative judge for the U.S. Department of Education, recently issued a decision that overturned a 2010 Department of Education decision that Virginia Tech violated the federal campus-crime-reporting law called the Clery Act by not sending an earlier and clearer warning to its students about the first fatal shootings in the infamous 2007 massacre at the university. He also repealed the $55,000 fine that went along with the original ruling. Canellos opined that a campus-wide e-mail sent the morning of the shootings was a sufficient warning to students.
Local News MBTA announces 23 percent average rate hikes and service cuts The Massachusetts Department of Transportation could ratify a proposal drafted by the MBTA as early as this week that would raise rates on average by 23 percent and cut service. Subway fares would be raised to $2 from $1.70, and bus fares would be raised from $1.25 to $1.50 if the proposal were accepted. The proposal also calls for the removal of four bus routes, including the 500 bus, which travels from downtown Boston to Newton. The MBTA will also lessen the schedules of 14 other buses if the proposal is ratified.
Cumings explores evolution of U.S.-North Korea relations By Daniel Lee Heights Editor
Daniel lee / Heights editor
Bruce Cumings, a history professor at the University of Chicago, lectured about North Korean leaders on Thursday. should not mix being a scholar and working for the CIA. “My father was a Germanic professor and was asked to join the CIA as an analyst,” Cumings said. “Next thing he knew, he was taken to a safe house where Hitler’s agents were being interrogated.” At the lecture, Cumings emphasized how Kim Jong-Un, the current leader of DPRK,
and Kim Il-Sung, grandfather of Kim Jong-Un and the founder of DPRK, are strategically alike— from their haircuts to their public appearance—because political legitimacy matters in North Korea. Cumings also made a differentiation in the succession of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-Un. The new regime is less stable with the inexperienced 28-year-old leader sur-
rounded by military generals, who are from the Korean War generation. The professor explained the diplomacy change from the Clinton Administration to the Bush Administration. The introduction of the Bush Doctrine, Cumings implied, seems to have only aggravated the peninsula situation. The Bush Doctrine enhanced the
alliance among North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran. “The Iranian long-distance missiles are the exact same models as the North’s Rhodong missile,” Cumings said. During the Clinton Administration, according to the professor, there were some positive talks with North Koreans that no one seems to remember today. Finally, by making successful deals and talks with North Korea, he said that the Obama Administration can say, “Hey, Iran. Let’s make a deal.” Cumings quoted from William Perry in 1999. “‘We might have to accept North Korea as it is rather than as we would like it to be.’ [The statement] was a watershed, quickly forgotten after the Bush Administration came in, that lead to North Korean general Cho MyungRok visiting the Oval Office in 2000.” Answering a question about the new impact of the 2012 presidential elections around the world, including the U.S. and South Korean elections, Cumings said, “Kim Jong-Un will lay low until the results come out, and we will have to wait until April 15, which is the century anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-Sung.” n
Police Blotter
Voices from the Dustbowl
3/27/12-3/30/12
“What would you do if you won the $656 million Megamillions lottery prize?”
Tuesday, March 27 9:35 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding difficulties encountered by a gate attendant with a visiting contractor. 1:49 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding harassment reported by a Boston College employee at 2121 Commonwealth Avenue.
Wednesday, March 28 7:05 p.m. - Officers responded to a fire alarm at Edmond’s Hall. The Boston Fire Department also responded. The cause of the alarm was due to a burnt plastic cooking colander. There was no actual fire. 8:25 p.m. - A BC student reported she has been receiving harassing text messages from her ex-boyfriend. ODSD has been notified. 11:05 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student who was transported to a medical facility by cruiser at Fitzpatrick Hall.
Thursday, March 29 1:02 a.m. - While on patrol an officer observed a hole in the Stokes Hall construction site. Officers made a check of the site and reported all appears to be in order. 1:03 a.m. - An officer filed a report on a taxi fare evasion off campus.
10:20 a.m. - An officer filed a report on a lost parking permit at the Commonwealth Garage.
“Build a ball pit in my house and save the rest.” —Annelise Eaton, LSOE ’13
11:45 a.m. - Officers responded to a fire alarm at Voute Hall. The Newton Fire Department also responded. The cause was determined to be bad cooking. There was no actual fire. 3:40 p.m. - An officer filed a report on a suspicious circumstance at BCPD Headquarters. 6:11 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student at Campion Hall who was escorted to a medical facility. 10:19 p.m. - An officer filed a report on a motor vehicle that was towed at the Hillside Parking Area.
“Go on a really big shopping spree at the Mall of America and buy my parents a house.” —Chloe Sigillito, LSOE ’13
Friday, March 30
12:33 a.m. - An officer filed a report on a taxi fare evasion at Williams Hall.
—Source: The Boston College Police Department
“Open my own school.” —Bridget Thomas
LSOE ’13
48° Showers 32°
Friday
57° Partly Cloudy 40°
Saturday
58° Partly Cloudy 38° 53° Partly Cloudy 33°
Source: National Weather Service
A Guide to Your Newspaper The Heights Boston College – McElroy 113 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467 Editor-in-Chief (617) 552-2223 Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 Metro Desk (617) 552-3548 Features Desk (617) 552-3548 Arts Desk (617) 552-0515 Photo (617) 552-1022 Fax (617) 552-4823 Business and Operations General Manager (617) 552-0169 Advertising (617) 552-2220 Business and Circulation (617) 552-0547 Classifieds and Collections (617) 552-0364 Fax (617) 552-1753 EDITORIAL RESOURCES News Tips Have a news tip or a good idea for a story? Call David Cote, News Editor, at (617) 552-0172, or e-mail news@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the News Desk. Sports Scores Want to report the results of a game? Call Greg Joyce, Sports Editor, at (617) 552-0189, or e-mail sports@bcheights.com. Arts Events The Heights covers a multitude of events both on and off campus – including concerts, movies, theatrical performances, and more. Call Brennan Carley, Arts and Review Editor, at (617) 552-0515, or e-mail arts@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the Arts Desk. Clarifications / Corrections The Heights strives to provide its readers with complete, accurate, and balanced information. If you believe we have made a reporting error, have information that requires a clarification or correction, or questions about The Heights standards and practices, you may contact Taylour Kumpf, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@ bcheights.com. CUSTOMER SERVICE Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Dan Ottaunick, General Manager at (617) 552-0547. Advertising The Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the BC community. To submit a classified, display, or online advertisement, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.
The Heights is produced by BC undergraduates and is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by The Heights, Inc. (c) 2012. All rights reserved. “Pay off tuition, buy a house, a Porsche Cayenne, and a lifetime supply of Coca-Cola.” —Esther Park, LSOE ’13
12:20 a.m. - An officer filed a report on a noise complaint at the Mods.
12:51 a.m. - An officer filed a report on a moped that was leaking gasoline in the Beacon Garage. The officer reported it appears the moped had been abandoned. BC Environmental Health and Safety was notified.
Today
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Since Kim Jong-Il, the supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), died on Dec. 17, 2012, numerous scholars, including Bruce Cumings , have argued about the stability of the regime. On Mar. 29, the Asian Studies and Asian American Studies departments co-sponsored a lecture by Cumings, a history professor at the University of Chicago. The lecture, titled “The Kims’ Three Bodies: How Dynastic Succession Works in North Korea,” discussed the time around the death of Kim JongIl and the diplomatic history between North Korea and the United States. Before the lecture, Cumings had a small discussion session with a few students and Boston College professors. In the session, he shared his experience getting into the area of Asian Studies, although the field is not the most popular. “I did have to chart my own way,” he said. Cumings admitted he could have worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). None thele ss , he said one
Four Day Weather Forecast
CORRECTIONS Please send corrections to editor@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.
The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
A3
Things are Republicans, Democrats work together with No Labels getting far too hazy By Devon Sanford Heights Editor
Joseph Pasquinelli In the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Janet Reitman explores the hazing culture of fraternities at Dartmouth in her compelling piece “Confessions of an Ivy League Frat Boy: Inside Dartmouth’s Hazing Abuses.” It tells the story of Andrew Lohse, a whistle blower who may have been motivated by more than a moral desire to change the culture of Greek street. This piece begs us to look at our own hazing culture at BC and breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, some organizations turn new members into walking billboards for an upcoming event or show up at a rookie’s door in the middle of the night to chug a bottle of Andre, but it’s not nearly as demanding and degrading as swimming in filth and downing Solo cup after Solo cup of cheap beer. There’s some sort of wonder at what these frats do to promote unity amongst members, and many leaders of organizations here at BC have a desire to replicate this. And who can blame them? The loyalty and community of the frat house is truly aweinspiring. It comes, though, at far too great a cost. At BC, we pride ourselves on care of the whole person, and being men and women for others. It would be impossible for us to make these claims about ourselves as individuals or as a University if we partook in or even knew about the type of hazing that occurs in fraternity basements. There has got to be a better way to build community than puking on each other after ripping too many shots of Rubinoff. As the president of Swing Kids, I have found it difficult to promote a sense of community amongst my members. I think forcing them to use a urine slip and slide could help, but that is simply not what we do, and no organization affiliated with BC should either. The best way I have found to make people feel as if they are members of an exclusive subculture is to have them overcome challenges together. The frat boys have gross initiation rites and the Swing Kids prepare for ArtsFest. One is certainly not as intense as the other, but they will still have an unforgettable and life-altering experience without developing post-traumatic stress disorder. When leaders of our student organizations try to replicate some of the rituals of the frat house, they are doing a disservice to their organization and to the University. BC does not have frats for a reason, and an attempt by a student organization to be one is being disingenuous to our University culture. It is important that the Friday night rituals of most BC students not be exaggerated and become mandatory for participation in student groups. I know some of our clubs do have initiation rites—I’m not suggesting that they get rid of them. They do, however, need to make sure that they do not get out of hand and remain something fun rather than an absolute necessity for full membership in a group. We should not be fraternity wannabes. We should be BC students who work together to overcome challenges and become an even tighter knit community. No matter how close we become as members of student organizations, residence halls, or the University, we must never let our closeness work for the exclusion of others. We are BC, and everyone should feel welcome and safe at all levels of our communities.
Joesph Pasquinelli is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at news@ bcheights.com.
This week, No Labels, the Boston College chapter of a national organization dedicated to creating change in the American government, co-sponsored Rock the Vote week. No Labels was seen on campus publicizing their group, informing students about the organization, and handing out free pins, stickers, and t-shirts as a part of the Rock the Vote campaign. The BC No Labels chapter was established as a recognized club on campus this October. The group is a part of the national No Labels political organization comprised of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents whose stated mission is to address the politics of problem solving in the United States government. Cole Rabinowitz, president of the BC No Labels chapter and A&S ’14, created the club his freshman year. “No Labels is a movement of Americans,” Rabinowitz said. “It’s a movement of Democrats, Re-
publicans, and Independents who stand for change. They’re against the hyper-polarization and hyperpartisanship in Congress. They want to fix the system that they see as broken.” No Labels was launched as a national organization in December 2010. The group was co-founded by 37 men and women, including John Avlon, a senior columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast; Lisa Borders, former president of the Atlantic City Council of Atlanta, Georgia; and Robert. S. Kaplan, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and co-chairman of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation. No Labels was founded and is now run by both Democrats and Republicans. Since its launch, the organization has gained over 500,000 backers. Its first grassroots campaign, known as “Make Congress Work,” was released Dec. 13, 2011. The campaign is comprised of a 12point plan that aims to break congressional gridlock by imple-
menting reforms to the legislative process. The plan includes automatic pay docking for Congress if the federal budget is not passed on time, an up-or-down vote on all presidential appointments within 90 days of their nomination, and anonymous discharge petitions. “A lot of the reforms are common sense things,” Rabinowitz said. “It’s paying people to do their job. It’s the correct incentive for congressmen to avoid future debt crises.” Rabinowitz first heard about the national organization during the first semester of his freshman year. “I saw a flyer and called the national organization,” Rabinowitz said. “One of the big backers is the CEO of Panera Bread. He came to Harvard, and about 15 of my friends and I heard him talk. It was a great speech about the state of affairs in D.C. After we saw him talk, the plan pretty much launched from there.” In February 2011, Rabinowitz registered No Labels under the BC
Student Clubs and Organizations, and the group now has 30 active members and over 100 students on their listserv. It is one of three chapters in the nation, along with Tufts and Florida State. “This has been our first semester being active on campus,” Rabinowitz said. “We have really been working to expand our membership on campus. Our goal is getting people educated about No Labels. A lot of [BC students] are frustrated. There are a lot of moderates on this campus, and they identify with No Labels. We want to pass reforms in Congress and support the national movement through letter writing campaigns and calling on people to take action.” As one of the first chapters in the nation, Boston College No Labels has received funding from the national organization to publicize and educate students about the group. By next year, Rabinowitz plans to bring No Labels speakers to campus. “What’s great about [No Labels] being a national organization is it
has affiliations with a lot of representative officials,” Rabinowitz said. “… Next year we plan on putting on a lot of events.” With only two years since its official launch, No Labels continues to gain publicity across the country. Rabinowitz and the No Labels BC chapter hope to continue educating BC students about the newly formed organization. “Rock the Vote isn’t a thirdparty movement,” Rabinowitz said. “It’s about Republicans, Democrats,and Independents cooperating with each other. Democrats can keep their democratic ideals, Republicans can keep their republican ideals, and Independents can stay independent, but it’s about being receptive to compromise and not shutting out other’s ideas just because they’re from the other side of the aisle. What’s important is getting things done. And most people would really agree with that, but it’s amazing that’s not what’s happening in Congress right now. We need to change that.” n
Class creates campaign for Honda By Paul Witko For The Heights
Students in professor Maria Sannella’s Marketing Principles class are gearing up for the final stages of their 2012 Honda Civic Coupe Marketing Campaign. Honda and EdVenture created the competition in hopes of giving students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in the marketing industry. At the beginning of this semester, Sannella’s students created a working marketing group called the Heights Marketing Group, to design and implement a marketing campaign for the 2012 Honda Civic Coupe. Heights Marketing Group will represent Boston College as one of 20 schools that were selected to participate in the competition. Groups will compete to create the best marketing campaign for the 2012 Honda Civic Coupe, with three finalists traveling to meet with executives at Honda headquarters
Adriana Mariella /Heights Editor
Bikes are becoming an increasingly commong sight on BC’s campus.
BCPD plans to focus on bike safety in April By Andrew Millette Assoc. News Editor
Boston College students can expect to receive a large number of citations from the BCPD during the month of April, but for once they will have no reason to be upset about them. The BCPD and BC Bookstore are partnering up to make April Boston College Bike Safety Month and are launching a program to educate the community on bike safety issues, which will include the dissemination of “citation” coupons that offer students 20 percent off on the bookstore’s new line of bike safety equipment. “The ‘Savings for Safety’ program will allow us to serve the community in an innovative way,” said Chadi Kawkabani, general merchandise manager of the BC Bookstore. “We looked at the needs the biking community has, and we are excited to now offer bike helmets, locks, front and tail lights, and BC bike jerseys.” During the month of April, onduty BCPD mountain bike patrol officers will approach BC community members who are riding bicycles, safely or not, and engage them in a conversation about bike safety. “This program intends to educate the community, and to give back a little,” said Jeffery Postell, BCPD sergeant for Community Policing. “We don’t want anyone being injured from unsafe practices or not knowing the laws that surround biking. Our officers are going to write coupon citations for any problems they see, and in this way we are giving back to the community.” No BC community member will leave an encounter with a BCPD bike patrol officer empty-handed. “We will give everyone we talk to a Bicycle Safety Fact Sheet,” Postell said. “We want every student to leave a conversation with a BCPD officer with useful information that they can look back on later to improve their awareness of bicycle safety.” Postell has seen BC community members engaging in a number of unsafe biking behaviors that he hopes Bike Safety Month will correct. “Many members of our community do not realize they are required to have forms of lighting on a bike if they ride at night,” he said. “For instance, they are required to have a front head-
lamp that is at least 500 feet visible to the front, and not many students do. Many students also do not understand that bicyclists have the same rights as cars. On Beacon Street I’ve seen bikers go straight through a red light. That is unsafe and illegal.” Postell hopes that the 100 coupons BCPD officers hand out, as well as the new line of equipment at the store, will encourage students to purchase any safety equipment they are missing. “We realized that money is tight with a lot of college students and the convenience to purchase bike equipment on campus was not there before,” he said. In addition to striking up safety conversations and handing out coupons, the BCPD will hold two bike safety checkpoints during April. The first will be April 11 at McElroy Hall from 10 a.m. to noon, and the second will be at Corcoran Commons on April 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “At these events, we’re going to have bike patrol officers on site talking about bike safety, equipment there for purchase, and a local bike shop on campus free of charge to do a ride safe check of anyone’s bike to make sure that it is safe and does not need any work,” Postell said. Students will also be able to register their bicycles with the BCPD at these events, though a student can register any time. The BCPD strongly recommends that students do this, as it is helpful for officers to have information, such as a serial number, about a bike in the event that it is lost or stolen. “This program is not about sales to the bookstore, it’s about engaging the community,” Kawkabani said. “It’s an opportunity for our police officers to engage students in a friendly way, so that these students can put a name to a face, and the next time they are in a situation where they need a helping officer, they have someone to approach.” Postell believes being an involved part of the community is crucial to BCPD’s job. “When you’re on a bike instead of in a cruiser, people see you as a person, and being seen as a person is very important in law enforcement. We want to build positive relationships with BC community members that will last a student’s four years here, or a staff member’s entire career.” n
in California. Each school is given a $3,000 budget to use on various events, advertising, and product promotion. If Heights Marketing Group wins the competition, BC will be awarded a certain amount of money to be used by the school. Heights Marketing Group is divided into six groups: Research, Finance, Public Relations, Advertising, Campaign Strategy & Implementation, and Reports & Presentations. In addition to these groups, there are two student coordinators who guide the class in the campaign. Each group also has one or two leaders, who meet with each other about once per week to make sure all of the groups are working in sync. “The way the class is split up into the separate groups with a group leader has separated the work and made it easy to stay organized and all on the same page,” said Dru Burns, public relations leader and CSOM ’13.
The project demands work on a daily basis, whether it is contacting a group member, working on a presentation, or writing a press release. At the same time, students agree that the work is rewarding and will have many real-world applications. “Even though this project has been a lot of work, it never felt that way because of how much fun it has been,” Burns said. “The work is very practical and feels more like a job than school work.” The ultimate goal of the Heights Marketing Group’s campaign is to raise awareness and purchase consideration among the Generation Y market for the 2012 Honda Civic Coupe. In order to do so, the Heights Marketing Group will be hosting the all-day event Hondapalooza on April 3 in O’Neill Plaza. This event is a feature of their marketing campaign and will have interactive booths ranging from games to technology. A 2012 Honda Civic Coupe will also be displayed. n
Castro’s daughter speaks at BC By Nina Touraji For The Heights
Dressed head to toe in vibrant red, Alina Fernandez, daughter of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, spoke in Higgins 300 Thursday evening. Sponsored by the Cuban American Student Association, (CASA) Fernandez fluidly interwove her personal story with what she referred to as the “endless revolution” in Cuba for 50 minutes. Growing up on different sides of the island, Castro and Fernandez’s mother had distinctly separate lives before great change affected Cuba. It was after Batista took control of the government that Castro took action and led the underground opposition movement called “The Movement,” which led to his time in jail. It was here that Castro met Fernandez’s mother and subsequently fell in love through a series of letters. After being released from jail, Castro and Fernandez’s mother secretly met and conceived a child, Alina. For many years, Fernandez believed that her mother’s husband, Dr. Orlando Fernandez, was her biological father. She vividly remembers watching
Welcome to BC’s Green Corner, a weekly spot dedicated to providing students with information, tips, and ideas on sustainable living. Here are a few facts about the ways in which various departments at BC are staying green. ITS -ITS and its vendors recycle 100 percent of our computer replacement program systems. -The ITS hardware repair operation picks up and recycles laser toner cartridges. Procurement -All Printing Bid requests ask
cartoons when suddenly the screen switched to people yelling “Viva Cuba Libre,” and eventually to a mesmerizing bearded man giving long speeches on TV. The cartoons never returned to Cuban television.
“A country becomes a dictatorship when the government affects your personal life.” -Alicia Fernandez, Daugher of Cuban dicator Fidel Castro Castro had a record year as a communist leader. He fostered an intense hatred of America within his country and created an atmosphere of fear and tension. Internationally, Castro made connections with countries
for recycled paper and the use of FSC (Forestry Services Certified) print vendors. -After the occupants of More Hall moved out in February, Procurement recycled 23,360 pounds of metal from the building. Dining Services -DS recycles cooking oils, and food and organic waste in all dining facilities is sent to a composting facility. -DS and the BC bookstores are major recyclers of cardboard and use bailers to compact materials for efficient storage. -Furniture from DS and classroom upgrades last fall
like China, Russia, and Venezuela to become strong allies. Fernandez learned, at 10 years old, that Castro, “the man who stepped out of the TV,” was her real father. He would visit at night, and it created a bizarre atmosphere for her as a child. Her mother was in love with him, while her grandmother called him “the devil.” For years, she tried to live a normal life and “escape her circumstance” under the name Fernandez. After marrying, remarrying, and trying a few careers, Fernandez conceived her daughter. In 1989, Fernandez joined the dissident movement, saying, “A country becomes a dictatorship when the government affects personal life and, when you try to change anything, you are sent to jail.” It was after the fall of the Soviet Union when things began to worsen in Cuba. One major impact was that there was no longer an education available for her daughter. On December 19, 1993, disguised as Spanish tourists, Fernandez and her daughter separately fled the country to meet friends in the United States. They reunited on December 31, 1993 to celebrate the New Year together. n
resulted in 29 tons of unneeded furniture, which was sent to El Salvador and Guatemala for reuse. Transportation & Parking - All 12 BC shuttle busses run on 5 percent biodiesel. -BC has been awarded the Massachusetts ECO award by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for our efforts in greenhouse gas reduction in our transportation programs. BC has encouraged its employees to bike, take public transportation, or carpool to work. Check back next week for more information about sustainability at BC!
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Monday, April 2, 2012
Splash students learn a variety of different skills Splash, from A1 year, Megan Shein, A&S ’13, has taken the helm and has attempted to expand both the number of courses offered and the number of students reached. She also shares Chang’s goal of focusing first on the quality, however. This semester, they brought in professors from the Lynch School to hold workshops for the teachers on how to teach. “There is often a disconnect between academic passions and real life,” said Aexis Cox, director of public relations for BC Splash and LSOE ’14. “BC Splash is a reminder of what we are interested in and why–what are the passions that drive our academic interests.” Shein stressed that there was more to the program and the classes than what one might originally see. She described “College Cooking 101” as “a discussion-based class about what college life is really like.” Some of the other popular classes were “Explosive Chemistry” and “How to Avoid Awkwardness,” both of which were filled with students. Shein explained that classes like these are really about “inspiring high school students to think.” Though Cox said that there were a lot of students that come back semester after semester, she focused on some new programs that BC Splash has implemented to reach out to more students. One of these
was a new outreach program that used student ambassadors at the high schools to generate interest in the program. “We have changed our tactic from just getting them to sign up to getting them actually interested,” Cox said. “We have reached out to teachers to offer extra credit. We have increased student contact. We have found that the high-schoolers are excited to meet BC students, so we have asked the student teachers to e-mail their students.” After handing the directorship of the program to Shein, Chang has focused his energies this year on the umbrella organization that runs BC Splash, “Education for Students by Students” (ESS). He formed ESS this year so that Splash could get funding as an RSO from the SOFC. ESS has also started another program this year, BCTalks, which is based on TEDTalks. When Chang realized that there was a lot of interest by BC students in what their peers were teaching in Splash, he got the idea to start BCTalks as way for students to share their passions with their peers. “People put on a mask here,” Chang said. “They don’t like to show they have genuine interest in school and learning. [BC Splash and BCTalks] are ways for them to take off that mask and share what they really care about. There is so much we can learn from one another.” n
Letter calls for analysis BCAAUP, from A1
joseph castlen / heights editor
Some high schoolers participated in an Italian cooking Splash class (above).
Project and whether they may have violated professional standards,” the letter began. Susan Michalczyk, adjunct associate professor in the A&S Honors program and president of BCAAUP, said that the association wrote the letter in the hope of investigating the Belfast research project more closely. “The fundamental purpose [of the letter] was a reaction to the suggestion that what had been done didn’t make [Boston College] look good,” Michalczyk said. “We responded to faculty outside the executive board who brought the issue to our attention and said, ‘Look, there might be a problem here.’” Beyond concern for the University as a whole, Michalczyk said that BCAAUP hopes that an investigation would provide a more stable background for the numerous professionals that have been discussing the Belfast case regularly. “What needs to be done to stop gossip, rumors, and questions?” Michalczyk asked. “What do we need to do to ensure that we remain the institution with the integrity we’ve had in regards to academic research?” Dunn stated that the University has reviewed the project at length. “Boston College’s legal counsel reviewed the issue raised in the petition and concluded that the project, as an oral history project, did not meet the definition of hu-
man subjects research and therefore did not require IRB approval,” Dunn said. “A review of the administrative practices on accepting materials in the Burns Library is currently underway. While the university recognizes that the complexities of this project have caused frustration, and misunderstanding, a futher review is not considered necessary.” Michalczyk said that the topic of the Belfast Project was brought up by a faculty member outside the board of BCAAUP who approached the committee hoping to discuss the issue. After a draft letter was brought to a meeting of the association, the executive board spent much time deliberating over the language to use in the letter to get across the point they were trying to make. “The reason was to maintain the University’s integrity, not devalue or bring scandal. That’s key, because it’s too easy for people to say, ‘Oh, they’re just complaining,’ or ‘They just want to cause trouble,’ but that was not the intention.” Michalcz yk said that the BCAAUP hoped the letter and subsequent petition would be able to bring the University together to discuss the issues at hand. “Fundamentally, our hope would be that the University work more closely together, both administration and faculty—that we can respect one another and work together as professionals,” Michalczyk said. “There’s no hidden agenda here. We are not policymakers, and we’re not taking a side on whether or not they did the right or wrong thing.” n
250 students attend GLC Gala at the Back Bay Event Center Romero scholarship awarded Gala, from A1
McDargh said. He switched parishes and said he felt much more comfortable in his new church. “I knew I was at home not because of what was going on in the sanctuary,” he said, “but because of what was going on in the basement.” He said young people were engaging in intellectual conversations about many topics including religion and sexuality. According to McDargh, these young people were “working to make [the Church] a place where all are accepted.” McDargh then introduced Michael Widmer, BC ’97, who spoke on his experience as a gay student at BC. Widmer was a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Community of BC (LGBC). He said that they attempted to get official recognition, but the University would not
support their organization. Widmer then congratulated the GLC on their work and said, “We’d never have a party as big as this.” This remark was met with a good deal of applause from the audience. He then shared the story of an anonymous hate e-mail that was sent to black, latino, and gay students when he was a student and the overwhelming show of solidarity that the campus made when the e-mail came to light. Although the campus has come a long way toward acceptance since Widmer’s graduation, he acknowledged that “the quest for social justice is not over.” At the conclusion of Widmer’s speech, McCrosson and Joshua Tingley, GLC vice president and A&S ’13, debuted BC’s take on the “It Gets Better” series of videos that have been produced by various celebrities and organizations to give hope to LGBT youth who may be
struggling with bullying or not being accepted by friends and family. One student in the video recounted the difficulty she had in speaking with people before she came out as a lesbian. “When you can’t be fully authentic in your relationships you find yourself censoring yourself all the time,” she said. Those in the video encouraged students to be themselves and to come out when the time is right. Many said that BC is supportive and that coming out will not only improve an individual’s life but the lives of all members of the GLBTQ community. One student said that a student being open about his or her identity should not make a difference to those who are closest to that student. “For your truest friends,” he said, “coming out will never change anything for them.” When the video concluded, the DJs began playing music and stu-
dents danced the rest of the night away. Many students in attendance that evening were there to support their friends and said they had a great time. Meaghann Taylor, LSOE ’12, attended because she enjoys the event and wanted to support her friends who are members of the GLBTQ community. “I have a lot of people I care about here,” Taylor said. William Sutton, CSON ’12, attended the event to show his support for love and to create a change at BC. “Part of this is trying to change the opinion of those who might be higher up,” he said. “We follow all protocol. This event is really about love.” Mark Miceli, associate director of the Student Programs Office, was also in attendance. He believed that the event fit well with the mission of SPO. “The gala is a community building event and GLBTQ students
are members of our community,” Miceli said. McCrosson also believed the evening was a success and helped to promote the GLC’s mission of supporting GLBTQ students and promoting awareness. “The gala is meant to be an event that allows all students on campus to feel comfortable and safe amongst the BC community. We hope that this event can grow in the future,” she said. “We would love for more students to attend the event and show their support for GLBTQ students on this campus. It is a way to erase the dividing lines between GLBTQ students and straight students.” Annie Giglio, CSOM ’12, like many students at the gala, thought the event met the goal of being an opportunity to have fun and promote social justice. “This was so much fun, and I think it’s a great way to celebrate us all being equal.” n
BCAAUP advocates for faculty senate and more faculty input Faculty Survey, from A1 Univeristy-wide level, 63 percent said they were dissatisfied. Currently, faculty committees are generally advisory in nature. “Several faculty noted that faculty participation on University committees is more for appearance sake than providing an authentic influence over policy decisions,” the survey report said. Michalczyk echoed this sentiment. “Advisory committees can only work if advice is ever taken,” she said. Creating a faculty senate would provide a way for a larger number of faculty members to actually be involved in decision-making. “I do believe there’s hope,” Michalczyk said. “Faculty are committed and want to be involved in these aspects of University life and policy.”
In May 2010, the BCAAUP wrote a letter to the provost asking for an election of senate members, but Cutberto Garza, provost and dean of faculties, said that such a body should first be approved by the Board of Trustees. “We made the decision that rather than engaging in talks that could be frustrating on both sides, it made the most sense to build our chapter and work for an effective faculty voice,” Michalczyk said. “Our relationship with the administration is cordial. We want to strengthen, not break down, and work together, not divide.” That fall, the BCAAUP administered its first survey. “According to the Boston College Statutes, the establishment of a faculty senate must be approved by the University’s Board of Trustees,” DeLeeuw said. “We have suggested to the BCAAUP chapter that they write a proposal for a senate that could be pre-
sented at a meeting of the Board of Trustees.” The survey also found that less than half of faculty were familiar with the University By-Laws and Statues, and 85 percent of respondents agreed that a committee of elected faculty should explain and evaluate all changes proposed to the Faculty Handbook. According to the report, “The BCAAUP should advocate that 1) the Faculty Handbook should primarily be written by the faculty–not largely by the Provost’s office, and 2) that there be a majority faculty presence on a committee that reviews/ maintains/updates the Faculty Handbook.” Among respondents, 57 percent said they felt morale has been declining in recent years. Michalczyk said that this has to do with the discrepancies between tenured and non-tenured faculty. “Another big concern is the issue of non-tenured faculty, and
how do non-tenured faculty participate in the University if they live under fear that their contract will be removed,” she said. Michalczyk said that the number of classes part-time faculty can teach was decreased to two, which puts more of a burden on tenured faculty to teach more and larger classes. “Morale is low because there is a climate of fear,” she said. “It’s not about money. It’s that you’re left unsure.” The two groups have different responsibilities, said DeLeeuw. “Tenured/tenure-track faculty and non-tenure-track faculty are all essential members of the University community who have somewhat different responsibilities. Typically, tenured and tenure-track faculty members have as their responsibilities both teaching and research/publication. Nontenure-track faculty are generally not asked to conduct research, but
focus their work on teaching and advising.” Interest in increasing collaboration was another significant finding of the survey. Seventythree percent of those surveyed believe the administration should do more to foster collaboration across disciplinary lines. “BCAAUP should encourage collaboration between departments and schools to break down the academic silos that are rapidly disintegrating in organizations outside academe,” the sur vey said. Michalczyk noted that the BCAAUP has allowed faculty to discuss their concerns and realize that other individuals share their feelings. “We have members from all schools, and it’s been a powerful way to connect and to learn more about each other and further the mission of the University,” she said. n
Romero Scholarship, from A1 do I forget where I come from,” Soares said. Soares sat alongside fellow finalists Jorge Miranda, A&S ’13, and Jonathan Rodriguez, A&S ’13, during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the scholarship. “The scholarship has always been a source of inspiration of carrying Romero’s hope and vision for a just society,” said Nora Frias, master of ceremony for the event and BC ’07. “The finalists throughout the years have taken his ideals and values and made them their life’s purpose.” The scholarship formed in 1992 as an initiative by the Organization of Latin American Affairs (OLAA) to promote and support the Latino community at Boston College. The scholarship developed through the work of undergraduates, along with the advocacy of Rev. John A. Dinneen, S.J., and grew from a $1,000 scholarship to a prize worth $25,000. Marcela Norton, a co-chair of the Romero Committee, paid tribute to the founders of the scholarship, several of whom attended the ceremony. “Without your initiative and passion, we would not be here tonight,” Norton said. During the ceremony, the Romero Committee also honored the work of Vanessa Rodriguez, BC ’95, by awarding her the Rev. John A. Dinneen, S.J., Hispanic Alumni Community Service Award. Rodriguez dedicated her life to bettering public education for marginalized students, including those of Hispanic descent, after a stint teaching in Spanish-speaking classrooms. She addressed her hope for educational equality across marginalized communities. “Thank you for letting me be an advocate for people who don’t have a voice,” Rodriguez said. “Equity is more than equal opportunity. It’s the path to equal successes.” Guest speaker June Carolyn Erlick, the editor-in-chief of Harvard’s Latin American academic journal ReVista, spoke of her personal experiences with Romero. “He was an extraordinary man, but he was also an ordinary man,” Erlick said. “He was us.” She recounted her attendance at Romero’s funeral following his assassination and described her surprise when a man handed her a photo Romero kept of Erlick and him. “It was clear to me,” she said. “Our obligation is to carry on and stop the repression just as he tried to do.” University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., echoed Erlick’s sentiment and urged those in attendance to rededicate themselves to what Romero and the hundreds of others like him strive to do. “There are things we can do, so we need to dedicate ourselves to those values,” Leahy said. n
CLASSIFIEDS
The Heights
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Monday, April 2, 2012
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Community VCR needed. Looking to review old Disney classics. Willing to pay rental fee. Living on Lower campus. Email corderioxz@bc.edu.
Check out the B-Line at theb-line.tumblr.com
Directions: The Sudoku is played over a 9x9 grid. In each row there are 9 slots, some of which are empty and need to be filled. Each row, column and 3x3 box should contain the numbers 1 to 9. You must follow these rules: 路 Number can appear only once in each row 路 Number can appear only once in each column 路 Number can appear only once in each 3x3 box 路 The number should appear only once on row, column or area.
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The Heights
Editorials
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Student effort shines in Rock the Vote
Monday, April 2, 2012
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. -Winston Churchill (1874-1965), English Prime Minister
The week-long campaign shows effort on behalf of the student body to get others involved in politics La st we ek , UGB C , along with Americans for Informed Democracy, the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC), No Labels, BC College Democrats, and College Republicans, sponsored Rock the Vote, a week-long campaign with the goal of increasing interest in politics and voter registration. The campaign featured a political debate, political club fair, and voter registration, both in the Quad and in residence halls via door-todoor dorm walks. The Heights would like to commend all those involved with Rock the Vote. We have often criticized the student body for being apathetic toward politics, and this is a shining example of BC students taking initiative to get themselves and others involved in the political arena. Rock the Vote organizers sponsored
numerous events, publicized with flyers on campus and also via e-mail. Even more commendable is the fact that they reached out to the facet of the student body that would not normally attend these programs by going door-to door to register voters. This overall process took a lot of hard work, effort, and planning, and the organizers of Rock the Vote truly rose to the challenge. We would also like to recognize the efforts of the new RSO, No Labels. One of three college chapters of a national organization, No Labels seeks to end party divisions and partisan politics. Although only in existence since February, the group has already made a name for itself with the student body. We look forward to seeing what this group will and can do in the future.
Investigation may be a step in right direction Request by BCAAUP should be acknowleged in hopes of maintaining our research reputation In light of the ongoing controversy relating to the Belfast Project, the Boston College chapter of the American Association for University Professors (BCAAUP) has started a petition asking for the formation of a third party committee to investigate the research methods and practices of the Belfast Project. The BCAAUP has stated their concern that the University’s reputation could be harmed as a result of the project’s international legal implications, and their hope is that a third party review of the project’s practices would help bring out more facts related to the case. The Heights believes that this request is, at the very least, worthy of analysis. It is unquestionable that the Belfast Project has put BC’s reputation as a research institution into jeopardy. If BC has a chance to maintain its reputation, it should take any steps necessary to do so. After all, the status of our University affects all of us, regardless of our role or relation to the Belfast Project. If BC was to be perceived as an institution with poor research practices and standards,
researchers throughout the University would be affected. That being said, the question that remains is: is the third party review proposed by BCAAUP necessary? On the one hand, BCAAUP is concerned for the school’s reputation as a research University. On the other hand, the University has stated that their legal counsel has already reviewed practices undertaken by Belfast Project research directors. Though unlikely, it is possible that a further investigation uncovers unflattering details about the school. At the very least, a further investigation will decrease gossip and rumors about the oral history project. The University is one community that is affected as a whole, and it is important that faculty and administrators work together to solve problems that arise on campus. Whether or not the third party committee is appointed to review the practices of the Belfast project, The Heights hopes that the reputation of the University will not be negatively affected as a result of the Belfast Project.
UGBC, choose cabinet members wisely Look for dedicated students willing to take action immediately to effect change on BC’s campus
To the newly elected president and vice president of UGBC, Chris Osnato and Kudzai Taziva, respectively, The Heights asks that you take care and choose representatives wisely when reviewing the UGBC Senior Cabinet Applications. Those
“Too often, qualified individuals are passed up in favor of a more ‘loyal’ candidate.” students selected to fill the various positions within the Cabinet should be dedicated individuals who will not only embody your mission of bringing UGBC to the average student, but will also be prepared to act and make a difference on this
campus. The student body readily responds to tangible efforts on the part of the UGBC, so look for individuals who are energetic, ready to work, and who will really give of their time to advocate for student causes. When making your final decisions, The Heights would also like to remind Osnato and Taziva to not be blinded by “party politics,” and to choose the best students for the positions regardless of their support, or lack thereof, during the campaigning process. Too often, qualified individuals are passed up in favor of a more “loyal” candidate. While we understand that you need to be able to have positive working relationships with the people you select, don’t let trivial gossip-of-thepast muddle your judgment. Ultimately, we place our trust in you to choose the very best students for these positions – free and clear of past politics.
The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Taylour Kumpf, Editor-in-Chief Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager Lindsay Grossman, Managing Editor
Woogeon Kim/ Heights photo Illustration
Letter to the Editor FACES reacts to Trayvon Martin’s death Trayvon Martin, a 17-year- old, 140-pound African-American young man, was pursued and gunned down on virtue of “looking suspicious.” As a young black man, the story of Trayvon Martin hits extremely close to home. I could be murdered while walking through a neighborhood simply because my race identifies me as a threat. As a black man, I must always be cognizant of the way I am perceived by others in order to protect myself from harm. Had Trayvon Martin been white, it is highly unlikely that he would have been pursued and killed. The slothful response by the Sanford Police Department directly illustrated the devaluation of black life in the United States. The entirety of the heinous incident is reflective of the culture that we find ourselves in. When Trayvon Martin, myself, my brother, or any other black man can be killed simply based on suspicion, something has gone horribly awry. Trayvon’s black identity, something he could never control, is responsible for his death. It is easy to dismiss this story as the result of an over-zealous, even psychotic neighborhood watch leader who made a poor assumption. You could even dismiss this story as the result of a bigoted racist who should never have been allowed to own a semi-automatic weapon. But regardless of the rea-
son that George Zimmerman shot this innocent, young, black man, we must acknowledge the harmful effects of racism that for too long have poisoned American minds. In a report released by Jeffrey Fagan of Columbia University, New York City Police justify random searches and frisking on the basis of subjective reasons such as “furtive movements” or being in a “high crime area,” which allows room for racial stereotypes to take over. In NYC, where half the population is people of color, 80 percent of the NYPD stops were of Black and Latino citizens and 85 percent of these citizens were frisked upon being stopped. Compare this to the 8 percent of white citizens who were frisked upon being stopped. This policy of racial profiling by NYPD exemplifies the institutionalized assumptions and stereotypes of blacks and latinos as the deviants and criminals of our society. Society-at-large expects the face of a criminal to be black or brown, and this expectation can get distorted into an assumption that a black or brown face is the face of a criminal. Trayvon Martin was not just the victim of George Zimmerman’s vigilantism. He joins the long legacy of individuals who have lost their lives to racism, alongside Amadou Diallo, an unarmed black Guinean immigrant who was shot
TJ (Terence) Manning, A&S ’13 Colby Campbell, A&S ’14 On Behalf of FACES
Have something to say? Send a letter to the editor. editor@bcheights.com The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 200 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages. The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces submitted
to the newspaper. Submissions must be signed and should include the author’s connection to Boston College, address, and phone number. Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.
Business and Operations
Editorial Eleanor Hildebrandt, Copy Editor David Cote, News Editor Greg Joyce, Sports Editor Therese Tully, Features Editor Brennan Carley, Arts & Review Editor Charlotte Parish, Metro Editor Elise Taylor, Opinions Editor Molly Lapoint, Special Projects Editor Jae Hyung (Daniel) Lee, Photo Editor Maggie Burdge, Layout Editor
at 41 times and hit 19 times in 1999 because police mistook his wallet for a gun. We, as members of FACES, a BC organization dedicated to fighting racial discrimination and racism, implore you to take this story to heart. Take this as an opportunity to educate yourself on the racial discrimination and injustice that is still taking place in this country. Read an article by Tim Wise about racial profiling, watch a YouTube video about housing inequality in America, come to a FACES Halltalk. Take this as an opportunity to defend the rights of Americans. Defend the rights of people of color to be who they are, and not apologize for their race. Question stereotypes and fight for individual rights. How can we honestly expect our own rights to be defended unless we defend the rights of others? Trayvon Martin was only being his seventeen year-old self. He was black. And this was enough for him to look “suspicious” and be shot. He was the victim of racism, an institution which shackles our society from reaching its full potential and keeps people from the freedom to be themselves.
Woogeon Kim, Graphics Editor Katie McClurg, Online Manager Michelle Tomassi, Assoc. Copy Editor Chris Grimaldi, Asst. Copy Editor Andrew Millette, Assoc. News Editor Sam Costanzo, Asst. News Editor Chris Marino, Assoc. Sports Editor Austin Tedesco, Asst. Sports Editor Alexandra Schaeffer, Asst. Features Editor Taylor Cavallo, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor
Dan Siering, Asst. Arts & Review Editor Marc Francis, Asst. Metro Editor Graham Beck, Asst. Photo Editor Mary Rose Fissinger, Asst. Layout Editor Joseph Castlen, Asst. Graphics Editor David Riemer, Asst. Online Manager Devon Sanford, Editorial Assistant Cathryn Woodruff, Executive Assistant
Jamie Ciocon, Business Manager James Gu, Advertising Manager Adriana Mariella, Outreach Coordinator Amy Hachigian, National Sales Manager Daniel Arnold, Local Sales Manager Natasha Ettensberger, Collections Manager DJ Terceiro, Asst. Local Sales Manager Christina Quinn, Project Coordinator
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Monday, April 2, 2012
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Opinions
Reading race
Thumbs Up
Thumbs Down Not being lucky-Yeah, we know you are more likely to be struck by lightning twice, but we kind of thought we had a chance of winning the lottery on Saturday. We were feeling lucky, liked our tickets, and to top it off, we got the first number right. For about one and half seconds, we honestly thought we had done the impossible, but then our hopes and dreams came crashing down. We guess it’s for the best anyways. We knew we didn’t deserve it when our roommate said she would use most of it to start her own cancer foundation and we kind of wanted to spend it on a cupcake vending machine and training a dolphin named Flipsta to be our butler. Cyberworld crash- Apparently, hackers were supposed to shut down the Internet yesterday for some political reason or another. We are writing this before this alleged attack is going to happen, but if it did, ugh. We get it, we know taking down the Internet shows ultimate authority and “sticks it” to the man, but we really need the Internet to see all the photos uploaded from this weekend and to get some information from Wikipedia for our paper. Creepy people app- A new iPhone app called “Girls Around Me” allows users to see the Facebook profiles of all the girls in the surrounding area. Let’s see. Who will be the primary beneficiaries of the app? Nice, churchgoing boys who just want to see if there are any friendly faces in the neighborhood, of course. There’s no way rapists, stalkers, and serial killers will have any use for this app, right?
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Hitting the mark- Last night at 11:23 we got our 500th follower—shoutout to the lovely Joe Chantry. We just wanted to take the time to thank everyone—our roommates who retweet us, our brother who made a Twitter account even though he hates the damn site, our editor-in-chief, who has to edit our inappropriate comments (we still want to publish the word anus, by the way), and everyone who reads our column and follows us. Thanks for thinking we are kind of, sometimes, funny.
Like pretty much everyone else in the world, I saw The Hunger Games a couple of weeks ago. I liked it. I’m a fan of the books, and I thought the movie did a decent—if not safe—job of adapting things to the big screen. The casting was spot on, too. Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, and Jennifer Lawrence all knocked it out of the park. Even most of the minor characters were great: the addition of Wes Bentley’s Seneca Crane was certainly the best move the film made, and new-
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No more lines- After the hell that was the Kid Cudi ticket line, UGBC is finally selling tickets through an online portal. No idea what took them so long (no offense), but thank goodness we can now buy them from the comfort of our own bed. We love Nelly and Third Eye Blind, but 2-hour lines in 40 degree weather would really test our patience.
Tim O’Connor
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Easter break- We love BC, but we are ready to get out of this campus. As in, if Lower has hot subs one more time for dinner, we might stage a rebellion. We need our big bed, we need our mom’s spaghetti, and we need our car so we can finally go places without organizing an elaborate public transportation plan. Wednesday at four cannot come soon enough.
comer Amandla Stenberg did a great job of selling one of the story’s pivotal moments as Rue. Well, not everyone agreed on that last point, actually. On Mar. 26, Jezebel.com posted an article chronicling some Twitter reactions to Stenberg’s performance. @Maggie_mcd11 lamented, “why does rue have to be black not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie.” @Joe_Longley took the sensible approach: “EWW rue is black?? I’m not watching.” At least @ Abimaxwell_ was able to find the silver lining: “I know, rue is too black for what I pictured. But Peeta IS Nomworthy #nom.” Glad she has her priorities straight. One fan, @FrankeeFresh, asked,
“why is Rue a little black girl? #sticktothebookDUDE.” Ms. Fresh does raise an interesting point. Perhaps the outrage is more over Hollywood’s attempt to give the film a broader appeal by casting actors of different background? Studio executives certainly always have such considerations in mind, and maybe these fans just have a profound love for the source material, which describes Rue as a “a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than…” Oh. Here’s the funny thing, though. I read the book, and I had never thought of Rue as black until I first saw the film’s trailer. The same was the case with every one of my friends, not that any of us had a problem when we discovered we were wrong. We had merely committed a basic, fundamental error that social scientist Peggy McIntosh described in 1989. Her essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” discussed many of the subtle, often overlooked benefits of being part of the majority demographic. McIntosh noted that white Americans have the freedom to imagine that fictional characters are white, except in cases where it is explicitly stated otherwise. Unless a character is “black,” or “African American,” most white Americans will assume “white.” That is why I find the notion that we’ve somehow entered into a “postracial society” ludicrous. When you live in a nation that is as multicultural and diverse as America, issues of race aren’t just going to magically disappear by passing the right bill or electing the right president, and that’s something we have to get comfortable with. They run through our history, our politics, and even our very psychology. Unless we can find the willingness to have open, honest conversations, systematic prejudice will simply continue to perpetuate itself. In the coming months, we will have
such conversations over the killing of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old high school student who died after being shot by George Zimmerman on Feb. 26. Zimmerman claims the shooting was carried out in self-defense, and I’m not particularly comfortable putting him on trial through the media. What I am perfectly happy to condemn, however, is the disrespect that some media outlets have shown Martin and his family. Pundits have been eager to point out that Martin was suspended from school three times, once for the possession of drug paraphernalia. Geraldo Rivera claimed that the hoodie Martin was wearing at the time of the murder may have provoked Zimmerman. The subtext of such characterizations is both obvious and disturbing: “Martin deserved it. The black kid walking home in the gated community deserved it. Oh, but not because he was black. Really. It was the drugs or hoodie or whatever.” If there is any solace to be found in the unwarranted killing of a teenage boy, it is that his story demands attention. We cannot ignore what has happened. The disingenuous among us may attempt to excuse it or explain it away, but the rest of us are faced with the basic truth: we have a long way to go. As for Stenberg, her agent noted that the 13-year-old is aware of the reaction to her performance, and released the actress’ statement on the matter: “As a fan of the books, I feel fortunate to be part of The Hunger Games family. It was an amazing experience; I am proud of the film and my performance. I want to thank all of my fans and the entire Hunger Games community for their support and loyalty.” Tim O’Connor is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
Turning tragedy into a circus Janine Hanrahan On Feb. 26, George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin. The police know this—Zimmerman himself told them. Yet Zimmerman has not been charged with a crime. Why? Why is it that the killer of an unarmed teenager is free? Ever since Martin’s killing became a national story, Americans have been struggling to answer this question. However, “struggling” may not be the most accurate word to describe what is going on since its use suggests difficulty, when in reality many people
have no trouble explaining why Zimmerman hasn’t been charged. In fact, their answer is one word—racism. This brigade, led by Jesse Jackson and his ilk, alleges that Martin was the victim of racial profiling and that because he is black, the police are unconcerned with bringing his killer to justice. In this version of events,
Bazoomie Wagon
Zimmerman’s racism drove him to hunt down Martin, the picture of innocence, with the intention of killing him. Initially, the media latched onto this narrative, portraying Martin’s killing as the latest incident in the nation’s sordid racist history. But then it emerged that Zimmerman’s mother is Peruvian and that he identifies as Hispanic. Racism, as it turns out, is a much less compelling and exciting explanation when it does not involve white people. However, it is highly likely that race played a role in this tragedy. When Martin aroused Zimmerman’s suspicion that he was “up to no good,” he was merely walking home from 7-Eleven carrying a bag of Skittles and an iced tea. That hardly sounds threatening, but according to Geraldo Rivera, Zimmerman was right to be suspicious because Martin looked like a “hoodlum.” Apparently the Sanford police shared this view, because in the course of their investigation they only tested Martin for drugs and alcohol, but not Zimmerman. Further, the police failed to uncover Zimmerman’s 2005 conviction for assaulting a police officer. Most damningly, the state’s attorney and the police chief apparently ignored the lead homicide investigator’s affidavit in which he said that he did not trust Zimmerman’s account of events, and that he should be charged with manslaughter. As a result of the Sanford police department’s incompetence, the FBI and the Justice Department announced that they would lead an investigation into the killing. Yet rather than let the investigation unfold, many of those seeking justice for Martin are fanning the flames of controversy. The New Black Panthers are offering a $10,000 bounty for Zimmerman’s “capture,” which has forced him into hiding. Spike Lee inexplicably decided to retweet what he thought was Zimmerman’s address
BY BEN VADNAL
to his 250,000 Twitter followers, making life a living hell for the elderly couple who actually live at the address he sent out. Reverend Al Sharpton called for economic sanctions and an escalation of protests. Congressman Bobby Rush caused a scene when he wore a hoodie on the House floor. Representative Maxine Waters said Martin’s killing may be a “hate crime.” President Obama said that if he had a son, “he’d look like Trayvon.” And on and on. While the ostensible goal of all of these statements and actions is “Justice for Trayvon” (a phrase which may be trademarked if his mother has her way), in reality they have sensationalized and politicized the tragedy. Instead of having a serious discussion about Martin’s death and the racial issues that are undoubtedly involved, the conversation has descended into absurdity. Martin’s e-mail and Twitter accounts have been hacked by those seeking to suggest that he somehow deserved his fate. Virulent debates are occurring over which pictures are chosen to represent Martin and Zimmerman. Each side has dug in and is flinging insults at the other. As a result, the percentage of Americans who think Zimmerman should be arrested has dropped from 73 percent to 48 percent. Fortunately, public opinion is not the arbiter of justice, a fact that all parties involved in this affair would do well to remember. While publicity was necessary to bring this case to the attention of the Justice Department, now that a thorough investigation is underway, the hysteria must stop. A 17-year-old boy is dead and his killer is free. Why? That is a question for sober, honest, and serious minds to answer. Janine Hanrahan is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
Kids and cupcakes
Pooja Shah I remember when I was younger, my parents would always hide all the chocolates and sugary candy to make sure I didn’t get my hands on them. For them, feeding my sweet craving meant harming my teeth or falling into an unhealthy lifestyle later in life. However, I also recollect the times where I was compensated with a cookie or cupcake for behaving or earning a 100 on a test. Similar to other children, I learned early that sweets and desserts were rewards for doing a good job, and lack of them was for my own good. What it really meant, as I later understood, was that my parents were acting a certain way only to influence me to make healthy eating and dietary decisions when I grew up. Apparently, there are many different ways of teaching children lessons about what to eat and not eat. In a recently publicized article in the April issue of Vogue, mother Dara-Lynn Weiss openly reveals her non-covert efforts to make her 7-year-old daughter, Bea, lose weight. According to Weiss, her 4-foot-4 daughter weighs 93 pounds due to her “overeating” habits. Weiss forced her daughter to go on a strict diet, which involved cutting her meal portions, banning all desserts, and forbidding her from eating items such as pizza or cake while at school or with friends. Commentators believe that Weiss is “fat-shaming” Bea and publicly humiliating her so she fills the mold of what Weiss wants a thin girl to be. Moreover, the mother and daughter duo posed in a photo spread featuring the newly thin Bea adorned in a fancy designer dress. The pictures demonstrate the girl’s loss of 16 pounds and her “more desired frame,” according to her mother. So let me get this straight. Weiss wrote an article about her methods in disciplining Bea’s eating habits, in a magazine that reportedly defies eating disorders, just to show how she is a “good mother” because she cares to reduce her daughter’s obesity? To make matters worse, Weiss even scored a book contract with the publisher Random House for her unique tactic in weight discipline. To be honest, this entire article enraged me. Although I obviously don’t know what the most effective parenting methods are, the fact that a mother can deprive her daughter of food and basically urge her to change at such a young age appalls me. Although one can defend Weiss by saying that she is only looking out for the best interest of Bea and helping her tackle weight issues that she may later develop, there should be a certain parenting method, especially because Bea is so young. Developmental psychologists exclaim that children between the ages of 7 and 11 experience a transitional stage that is supposed to strengthen their relationship with their parents. In other words, at this time, parents begin sharing power and decision making with their children as a way of creating mutual trust. However, parents still assume authority through discipline and positively reinforcing or rewarding acceptable behavior, with minimal punishment. In the context of Weiss, I personally don’t think her interaction with Bea qualifies her as an ideal mother. Aren’t children at that age supposed to build their self-esteems with the assistance of their parents? Especially in this day and age, where children are influenced by media outlets that convey how being beautiful is only possible if you’re skinny, parents are supposed to help fight this battle. Why is Bea being punished for being a certain shape by being deprived of the typical things that most children at that age receive? If Bea did have a problem with her weight, there are other ways of privately altering her eating behavior with the assistance of a doctor or even engaging her in sports or physical activities to achieve the same results. “Weight Watcher” mom, as Weiss is referred to, finds herself in a controversial situation. People commend her for trying to tackle this growing obesity problem in America, but at the same time, she is scorned for her public shaming spectacle. Guess the title of Tiger Mom has been passed on to Weight Watcher mom.
Pooja Shah is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
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The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
SPORTS The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
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Monday, April 2, 2012
going for it all
Why Frozen is better than Final Greg Joyce
BC ready to face off vs. Minnesota for a spot in the national title game By Greg Joyce Sports Editor
When Boston College takes the ice on Thursday night in Tampa, it will be lining up against a familiar looking opponent. The Eagles have not played Minnesota this season, but they have been watching tape of the Gophers all week. What they’ve seen is a team that’s reminiscent of their own. “We’ve broken it down pretty well,” said head coach Jerry York. “[Assistant coach] Greg Brown actually showed a lot [on Thursday] of their offensive chances. They create a lot of really good offense. They’re very similar to our team. Not just the colors they wear. They skate well, they make plays, and they try to win games.” BC is now in the final days of preparation for its matchup with Minnesota. Though they’re 42 games into the season, the Eagles aren’t worried about tiring legs or unfocused minds. The practices have been shortened up to a little over an hour, but the concentration on the ice has only gone up. “There’s a certain level of excitement we always have about practicing,” York said. “But when you get to not just another hockey game or another trophy, but for the shiniest of all the trophies and the Frozen Four, it just raises the whole level of intensity. I think we’re preparing very, very well for what we think is an outstanding Minnesota hockey team.” York’s players know that they are lucky enough to be one of four teams in the country still practicing these days, making them even more motivated.
See Frozen Four, B6
graham beck / heights editor
I’ll start off by saying that I realize I am biased (it’s tough not to be when Boston College making it this far has clinched me a ticket down to Tampa on Wednesday). But while the rest of the country is all wrapped up in the hype of the Final Four, a better event will likely go without much notice nationally: the Frozen Four. In terms of general popularity and media frenzy, the Frozen Four is like the little brother of the Final Four. Millions of Americans fill out basketball brackets every March, while a combination of CBS, TruTV, TBS, and TNT go absolutely insane, covering all 67 games of the tournament. Meanwhile, the Frozen Four semifinal games will be played on ESPN2, and the national championship was demoted this year from ESPN to ESPN2. Talk about getting left out in the cold. So besides the national media attention, why is it that everyone and his mother knows about Anthony Davis and his unibrow, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of New England that could tell you the leading scorer on the BC hockey team? Is it because a big dunk is more exciting than a slap shot? Is it because the Final Four is played in major venues like the Superdome this year in New Orleans, while the Frozen Four this year is being held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum? Is it because big-market teams like Kentucky and Kansas are playing in the Final Four, while smaller market teams like BC and Union are playing in the Frozen Four? While I’m not sure that any of those reasons really make the Final Four more popular than the Frozen Four (at least
See Column, B4
Question marks remain for BC offense The offense beat out the defense on Saturday, displaying some big-play potential By Andrew El-Hayek For The Heights
Coming into Saturday’s Jay McGillis Spring Football Game, the focus was undoubtedly on the quarterback situation for Boston College. Since the departure of Matt Ryan following the 2007 season, the Eagles have been unable to find reliable production from the quarterback position. Junior quarterback and incumbent starter Chase Rettig’s sophomore campaign was certainly less than stellar, and left the quarterback position uncertain coming into the spring. Sophomore quarterback Josh Bordner is the closest signal-caller to contending for the starting job against Rettig. Statistically, neither QB appeared to gain an upper hand in the game. Rettig completed 13-of-23 passes for 120 yards and one touchdown, while Bordner connected on 8-of-18 pass attempts for 159 yards and two scores. In this case, numbers do not tell the whole story. The offense continued to look inefficient, as drives were deliberate and choppy. Rettig’s few good throws were overshadowed by two bad interceptions thrown right to the defenders, in addition to several other passes that were blatantly dropped by defensive players. Meanwhile, Bordner was able to connect on a few throws deep down the field, showing a particular chemistry with freshman wide receiver Karim Zoungrana. Though he was slightly less accurate than Rettig, Bordner appeared more comfortable, as he led the second-team offense that seemed to flow smoother with him under center. After the game, head coach Frank Spaziani acknowledged that nothing is final with regard to the quarterback position, but that it was Rettig’s job to lose. “No jersey is tattooed on anybody,” Spaziani said. “Chase has to keep performing, and he’ll be the number one quarterback. He knows that, and we know that.” Finch Shoulders the Load With the uncertainty and inconsistency surrounding the quarterback position over the past few seasons, Spaziani
has relied heavily on the running game in the offensive game plan. This run-heavy scheme was met yesterday with several injuries to the running back position. In February, senior running back Montel Harris, BC’s all-time leading rusher, re-aggravated a left knee injury that had cost him the majority of the
2011 season and was ruled out of spring practice. With junior running back Andre Williams also held out because of an injury, sophomore Tahj Kimble and junior Rolandan “Deuce” Finch were set to take the majority of the carries on Saturday.
See Offense, B4
graham beck / heights editor
Blake Butera (left) collected his second walkoff hit of the season on Saturday, clinching the series.
Eagles earn another ACC series win over Maryland By Stephen Sikora Heights Staff
Daniel Lee / heights editor
Chase Rettig threw for one touchdown and two interceptions on Saturday in the Spring Game.
i nside S ports this issue
Lax can’t hang on at UVA
After getting out to an early lead, the lacrosse team lost to Virginia...............B3
After beginning ACC competition with six straight losses, the Boston College baseball team earned its second straight ACC series vic10-5-1 BC tory this weekMaryland 3-4-7 end at Shea Field. The Eagles won two out of three against Maryland, including their third walkoff win in the past week. Because of concerns about the weather, BC planned to play a doubleheader on Friday and finish the series on Saturday. But the second game on Friday was called with the game tied in the ninth inning because of darkness, so the Eagles completed that game before starting the series finale on Saturday. “It makes it a little bit weird when it feels like the first inning but it’s the tenth,” said head coach Mike Gambino. “We play a lot in the fall where we’ll just play a ninth
Improved D’Argento helps BC
As a two-way player, Nicole D’Argento has aided in the resurgence of the softball team..................B2
inning: tie ballgame, ninth inning, and that’s how the scrimmage will start. So it’s something that we’re somewhat used to doing.” Saturday continued a game that was tied at four heading into the bottom of the ninth. Maryland scored the first run of the game off of starter Taylor Lasko in the second, aided by a throwing error by shortstop Anthony Melchionda to begin the inning. The Maryland runner advanced to third on a single, but was thrown out after the Terps attempted a suicide squeeze. Lakso made a great play to get the runner out, fielding the ball and shoveling it from his glove to the catcher just in time for the out. An RBI double later in the inning put Maryland up 1-0, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. In the bottom of the second, the Eagles used singles from Melchionda and Rob Moir and a walk to Spenser Payne
See Baseball, B3
Point/Counterpoint.................B5 The Road to Tampa...................B6
The Heights
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Monday, April 2, 2012
D’Argento uses complete game versatility to regain her form on the mound By Austin Tedesco Asst. Sports Editor
It’s been almost three years since Nicole D’Argento was called “The Shadow.” She was a senior in high school and a softball superstar in the state of Massachusetts heading into her final season at Ashland High School. Her numbers from the previous season don’t seem real. By posting a batting average of .608, hitting seven home runs, recording 37 RBIs, striking out 310 batters in only 169 innings, pitching eight no-hitters (including one in which she struck out all 21 batters she faced), throwing one perfect game, accumulating a 24-0 record, and having an ERA of just 0.26, D’Argento earned not only the Gatorade Player of the Year but also the front page of ESPN Rise Magazine. The headline read “The Shadow,” with a subhead stating “Softball Star Nicole D’Argento Is Untouchable” that covered the bottom half of her poised and intimidatingly confident frame. “It was quite the experience,” D’Argento, now a junior, said as she reflected on the experience with a laugh. “It was cool. That’s basically the only way that I can describe it.” Her team was coming off of a Division 2 state championship, and they would go on to repeat her senior year as D’Argento was even more dominant. It’s the kind of run that would be tough to replicate in a video game, even with the all of the settings set on easy. “It was a really exciting time, and it’s definitely something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life,” said D’Argento. “I was very fortunate to be able to experience that. It was just a lot of fun to do with a group of my closest friends Those glory days of a 62-0 high school career record are behind her, but D’Argento has her dynamic and rare ability to perform both on the mound and at the plate to thank for all of her early success. “Well, it’s funny because I actually started out as a middle infielder growing up playing, and a couple of my friends started getting into pitching, and I wanted to do that too,” D’Argento said about how she got started both pitching and batting. “It just kind of clicked and I fell in love with it, so it’s actually awesome for me that I get the opportunity to do everything that I do.” After dominating the high school game at Ashland, D’Argento decided to stay close to home and play for Boston College. Although there was a lot of hype surrounding her arrival on the Heights, she didn’t come in and take over right away. “It was definitely a transition,” D’Argento said of her first year at BC. “As dominant as
daniel lee/ HEIGHTS EDITOR
D’Argento went through some growing pains on the mound, but has since gained her composure. I was in high school, I still was very familiar with the level of play I was going to be facing because of travel ball. I wasn’t expecting myself to come in and blow people away, so I had to kind of learn how to be a different kind of pitcher. I wasn’t going to blow the ball by people throwing 60 mph. I had to learn how to be a smarter pitcher with my movement and locations, and that’s something that I’m still growing with, and it’s all starting to come together.” It didn’t fully hit her how different the college game would be though until her first road trip down at the University of South Florida, when she gave up her first collegiate home run. “I hung a fat pitch, which is a mistake you can’t make,” she said. “So I was just like, hats off to her for jumping on it.” The home run was a wakeup call to D’Argento that things wouldn’t be as easy as they had been just a year before. “I was kind of like, ‘All right. This is legit.’” BC ended the season with a record of 1531 and a first-round exit in the ACC tournament. D’Argento appeared on the mound in 35 games and started 23, finishing with a record of 5-14 and a 3.55 ERA. She also posted a batting average of .262 to go along with her six RBIs in 61 at-bats. It was by no means a poor season, especially for a first-year player, but it was a dramatic drop-off for D’Argento. It was especially tough for her to try to make
adjustments both on the mound and at the plate when she fell into slumps. “It’s hard in the sense that when you do all of these things, you kind of have to try to be perfect at everything,” she said. “It was kind of hard to focus, to be the best pitcher I can be, but also be the best batter I can be. So you have to find a balance, and that was difficult at first because I obviously wanted to be successful in all aspects of the game, but sometimes you just can’t.” D’Argento came into her sophomore year ready to be an ace for the Eagles on the mound, but the season didn’t begin as planned. After pitching a solid seven innings against Stetson in her first start and giving up only one earned run, she gave up five runs in her next start against Michigan State and was replaced after two innings. In her next appearance, she allowed four runs in 1.1 innings of relief to Tennessee. Her struggles on the mound continued, while freshman Amanda Horowitz began to prove herself as a reliable pitching option. D’Argento would only make five starts that year, significantly fewer than the 23 she had her first season at BC. “I didn’t get as much pitching time as I did my freshman year, which was an adjustment for me. We ran into a situation where we lost both of our middle infielders, so my role changed with that. I was playing a lot more first base for stability in the infield, and then when I did get an opportunity to pitch, I wasn’t performing as well as I hoped. I just
kind of worked at pitching and was hoping it would all come together, but at the same time I couldn’t be disappointed about how I was performing pitching because I had an opportunity to fill a role, a different role, and again I was fortunate enough that I could do that. So it wasn’t a huge struggle.” D’Argento fortunately found solace in the field and at the plate as she dealt with her pitching slump. “I think if I was just a pitcher and I wasn’t contributing at the plate and I wasn’t contributing in the field, it would’ve been tougher,” she said. The Eagles finished with a record of 16-33 that year and ended the season yet again with a first round exit in the ACC tournament. D’Argento knew that heading into the offseason, she wouldn’t be able to focus on just tweaking certain aspects of her game. Instead, everything needed work. “As an athlete, you’re never perfect, so there are always aspects you can get better in,” she said. “Especially pitching-wise, pitching has been my truest passion for a long time. I wanted that back, and I wanted a pitching role, so I just worked as hard as I could. I was throwing four or five times a week to get back in great pitching shape and have better command of my pitches.” Now in her junior season, she is finally starting to put it all together. Having started
at bat in all 31 games this season, her batting average has jumped to .354, good for fourth in the conference, and she’s already brought in 24 RBIs and seven home runs. She’s well on her way to having her best statistical batting season at BC, but more importantly for her, she’s finally thriving on the mound. She is either in or near the top-10 of every statistical pitching category in the ACC. While D’Argento recognizes that her hard work helped spark her inspired play this season, she gives most of the credit to the team’s new head coach, Ashley Obrest, and her coaching staff. “It’s been a really positive change,” D’Argento said. “Obviously, sometimes you can be a little skeptical when you have a new coaching staff. You don’t know what to expect. You know nothing about them, but it has been—I can’t even say enough good things about them. They’re hungry to win, and we feed off that. Everyone is buying into what they’re telling us. They have made all the difference this year in our season and our success.” She isn’t going back to “Untouchable” or “The Shadow” again, but D’Argento has cemented herself as an important star on this BC squad looking to end its NCAA tournament drought. With the return of her success in all aspects of the game, the Eagles will rely on her to be an integral part of accomplishing that goal. n
daniel lee / HEIGHTS EDITOR
D’Argento’s versatility as a pitcher, fielder, and batter has made her a staple in the Eagles’ lineup.
Softball loses home series to Virginia, adding to conference woes
daniel lee / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Amanda Horowitz picked up a win and loss on Saturday’s doubleheader, tossing 6.1 innings. By Kim Schroer For The Heights
SPORTS in SHORT
The Boston College softball team continued its slow start to conference play this weekend, dropping two of three in a home series against ACC foe Virginia at Shea Field. The losses drop the Eagles to 1-5 in ACC play with a 19-12 record overall. After splitting a doubleheader on Saturday, the Eagles struggled to get anything going offensively in a 5-1 loss on Sunday afternoon. The Cavaliers
managed to limit BC to just one run on four hits, as Virginia pitcher Melanie Mitchell collected 10 strikeouts in the victory. The Eagles jumped out to an early lead after a solo home run by senior Brittany Wilkins in the bottom of the second inning. The blast was the 25th of Wilkins’ career, moving her into a tie for fifth place for the most career home runs in BC softball history. After three innings of strong defense by the Eagles, the Cavaliers broke the game open with three runs in the fourth to take a commanding 3-1 lead. Vir-
ACC Baseball Standings Atlantic
Florida State NC State Wake Forest Clemson Boston College Maryland
Coastal
North Carolina Miami Virginia Georgia Tech Duke Virginia Tech
Conference 11-1 8-4 5-7 5-7 4-8 3-9 9-3 8-4 6-6 6-6 5-7 2-10
Overall 24-4 19-7 19-11 14-13 12-15 18-11
22-5 21-7 18-10-1 18-11 12-17 18-12
ginia added two insurance runs after BC made a pitching change, replacing Nicole D’Argento with sophomore Amanda Horowitz. BC failed to make a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, sealing the victory for the Cavs. Virginia was led by junior shortstop Alex Skinkis with three hits and three RBIs. D’Argento took the loss after giving up seven hits and four earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched. The Eagles struggled in the opening game of the series on Saturday, falling 7-4 in the first game of a doubleheader. BC again started the game off strong, jumping ahead to a 4-0 lead behind a two-run home run by shortstop Rene Delagrammaticas. Virginia responded in the sixth, as a three-run homer by sophomore Stephanie Harris tied the game at four heading into the final inning of play. There, the Cavaliers ended the game strongly, putting three runs on the board in the top of the inning to clinch the victory. Despite the two losses, game two on Saturday was a bright spot for the Eagles during an other wise disappointing weekend series, as BC hit a season-high four home runs in a 10-4 victory. The Cavaliers struck first in the second game of the doubleheader, scoring two runs in the second. The Eagles responded in the bottom of the inning, as D’Argento blasted a three-run home run to give BC a 3-2 lead. Senior Ali Lynette-Krech continued the home run spree for the Eagles with a threerun shot in the third to give BC a 6-2
lead. D’Argento stepped to the plate again and hit her second home run in as many at-bats to give the Eagles a five-run lead. Freshman Andrea Filler ended the home run streak with a solo shot in the fourth. The Eagles tacked on two extra runs in the sixth to secure the 10-4 victory. The Eagles hope to gain some momentum as they travel to UMass Amherst on Wednesday before continuing conference play with an away series at NC State next weekend. BC has a strong
overall record, but the Eagles are near the bottom of the ACC conference with just one victory. The team will look to turn it around at NC State, the only team below BC in the ACC standings. If the Eagles can find the offensive spark that brought them a victory in game two of the Virginia series, they can be a very dangerous team as the season heats up. Even so, a victory on Wednesday would be critical to improving team morale after a disappointing weekend in Chestnut Hill. n
daniel lee / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Sophomore CJ Chirichigno scored BC’s lone run in yesterday’s 5-1 loss to Virginia.
Numbers to Know
Quote of the Week
10
The number of innings played between the baseball team and Maryland before Blake Butera hit a walkoff single.
“No jersey is tattooed on anybody. Chase has to keep performing, and he’ll be the number one quarterback. He knows that, and we know that.”
The number of home runs hit by the Eagles in the second game of a Saturday’s doubleheader, a season high.
Frank Spaziani on the current positional battle at quarterback
The margin of victory for the offense in Boston College’s Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Football game.
12
4
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The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
B3
BC uses another Butera walkoff to take second straight ACC series Baseball, from B1 to load the bases with one out. Matt Pare then crushed a grand slam, giving BC a 4-1 lead and raising his RBI total to 17, good for second on the team. Lasko threw three more scoreless frames for the Eagles, finishing with no earned runs in five innings of work. He gave way to Nate Bayuk, Kyle Prohovich, and Matt Alvarez over the next four innings, each of whom gave up one run. Alvarez came in for the ninth to close out the game with BC up 4-3, but he issued walks to the first three batters, and a sacrifice fly by the Terps tied the game. Both teams traded scoreless innings until the bottom of the 12th, helped by three one-hit innings from Eagles pitcher Nick Poore. Pare led off with a walk for BC, and John Hennessy attempted to bunt him over to second, but he struck out after fouling a bunt with two strikes. “That was my call,” Gambino said. “I had faith in him to get the job done even with two strikes. It’s hard to bunt with two strikes. He didn’t get it done, but he’ll get it done next time.” After the strikeout, Tom Bourdon then singled to center, putting runners at first and second for Blake Butera. For the second time this season, the freshman second baseman came through with a walk-off hit for the Eagles, singling to right field to drive in Pare. “I was looking for a good pitch to hit something back through the middle,” Butera said. “I had two strikes on me, so I was looking to go the other way with something.” “He’s a really good hitter anyway, and he does a great job with two strikes,” Gambino said. “That’s his second walkoff hit. It’s not going to be his last. He’s going to have a lot of big hits for us in his career.” Gambino continued to speak highly of Butera, who, as a freshman, bats second
daniel lee / heights editor
Hunter Gordon pitched six and two-thirds innings on Saturday afternoon, but was charged with six earned runs in his second loss of the season. in the lineup and stands third on the team with 27 hits. “Blake is able, at a really young age, to just focus on his job and do what he has to do at the time,” Gambino said. “There can be a lot of crazy stuff going on, and he just focuses in on the task at hand and has great at-bats. I have a lot of confidence in him in any situation, as does the rest of the team.”
In the series’ first game on Friday, the Eagles cruised to a 10-3 win over the Terps. Andrew Lawrence hit a grand slam in the first inning to help BC to a 5-1 lead, and they never looked back. Starting pitcher Eric Stevens earned his team-leading fourth win of the season, allowing two runs over 5.2 innings. Matt McGovern led BC with three hits on the day, including two RBI singles, as the
Eagles offense put up 10 runs on 13 hits. Pitcher John Gorman finished the game with 3.1 innings of one-run ball, and opposing batters are now hitting just .206 against him, good for best on the team. The Eagles dropped the third game of the series on Saturday, however, in a 7-1 drubbing that saw head coach Mike Gambino get ejected for the first time in his coaching career.
BC couldn’t get anything going against Maryland starter David Caroll, who scattered eight hits over eight innings, allowing just one run. The game was scoreless until the fourth, when Maryland scored five runs after having the bases empty with two outs. Starting pitcher Hunter Gordon loaded the bases by way of two walks and a single, and two more hits put Maryland up 3-0. They scored next on a delayed steal and another RBI single. In the top of the seventh, Melchionda made an error on a ball hit by Maryland’s Jordan Hagel to put runners on first and third. Gambino then came out to the mound to talk with the infield, perhaps to discuss the defense for the situation. Gambino then became visibly upset with one of the umpires, and after a couple minutes of arguing, was ejected from the game. “As a general rule, I don’t go out to get thrown out of games,” Gambino said. “It was my first ejection. I went out there and I was just talking to the boys and calming everything down. The umpire made some comment about [Melchionda] making an error. It set me off—don’t talk about our players. Nobody feels worse about that error than [Melchionda], and for [the umpire] to bring that up to me with [Melchionda] right there, I just got mad. I told him I wasn’t happy with the job he was doing at the time.” BC now stands at 12-15, with a 5-3 record at home. After facing Connecticut at Shea Field on Tuesday, the Eagles will play their next five games on the road. Gambino continues to be confident in his squad going forward. “Honestly, I think the same thing about this ballclub that I thought when we were 0-6 in our league,” Gambino said. “I think it’s a really, really good clubhouse with great leadership. I think when we play well and execute, we can play with anybody in the country. I feel the exact same way I felt about them in the middle of our 10-game losing streak.” n
Baseball hitting its stride By Tim Jablonski Heights Staff
graham beck / heights editor
Blake Butera came through in the clutch again on Saturday, helping the Eagles win their second consecutive ACC series after a tough start.
Two weeks ago, the Boston College baseball team limped home from its annual early spring tour of the South after being taken to the woodshed by everyone from the Red Sox to Florida Atlantic. The team’s 10-game losing streak (not including a 6-3 loss to the Sox) left them at the bottom of the ACC standings and pressing to rediscover the solid play that earned the squad a 6-2 record to start the season. After taking two out of three games against Georgia Tech last weekend, the Eagles’ strong showing against Maryland has moved them back into striking distance of the top spots in the Atlantic Division of the ACC. This weekend against Maryland, BC won both games of the longest doubleheader in recent memory (the second game Friday was delayed into Saturday afternoon), giving the team its first three-game winning streak since taking their first three games of the season. More importantly, it put some much needed fun into the season. “We’ve started to put it together over the past few weeks,” said head coach Mike Gambino. “Walkoff wins are always fun, but we’re really just looking to win games, period. It doesn’t matter which way.” One of the best ways to do that is to get contributions from all around. The Eagles got at least one RBI from all but one of their everyday starters during the series. BC was able to score in bunches—Andrew Lawrence and Matt Pare’s grand slams were the main reasons the Eagles were able to take both games—and manufac-
ture runs when needed. This proved to be the case in Saturday’s game in the bottom of the 12th, as Blake Butera’s walk-off single gave BC the win. The Eagles used a walk, a single, and a pinch runner to grab the deciding score. “I mean, any way you can score is a good thing,” Gambino said. “I do think the more players you have hitting well, the more opportunities you’re going to have to put runs on the board.” That’s something BC has been doing in bunches recently. The Eagles are accustomed to playing in less than ideal conditions (and playing against squads that aren’t). Games at Shea Field provide a different kind of advantage for the home squad. After putting up no more than six runs during the aforementioned 10-game losing streak, the Eagles have put up totals of 15, 11, and 10 in three of their past eight games, all of which were in Massachusetts. Although BC failed to put more than one run on the board in the series finale, a 7-1 defeat against Terrapins ace David Carroll, there is little doubt that the team is coming together. The real test now is to keep that consistency going. The wins put the Eagles in a more favorable position as they head into the second half of their season, as well as a long stretch of ACC ball against some of the nation’s most formidable opponents. But as they’ve found out in recent weeks, this team is capable of beating high quality opponents. Georgia Tech was ranked in the top 25 nationally until they fell out. Maryland, although sitting in the cellar of the ACC, boasts an 18-11 overall record. And while BC has had its struggles, this team believes it can play with any team in the league. n
Women’s Lacrosse
Eagles taken down late in game at UVA After getting out to 5-1 lead, BC was unable to hang on as Virginia came back By Steven Principi Heights Staff
The No. 20 Boston College women’s lacrosse team came up just short on Saturday, losing 12-10 to the No. 9 Virginia C av aliers . A 12 Virginia solid effort for Boston College 10 the majority of the game was spoiled by a bad stretch midway through the second half, and the Eagles lost their second consecutive conference game. The Eagles came out strong early on, jumping out to a 5-1 lead to start the game. Kristin Igoe and Brooke Blue scored two goals each to start the run before Virginia fought back to make the game 6-4 at halftime. Head coach Bowen Holden was pleased with the effort her team showed in the first half, but was disappointed with some of what she saw after the break. “I felt we came out strong from the beginning,” Holden said. “We knew going into this game we had to win the draw controls to give ourselves a chance, but we didn’t think that our defense would be inconsistent. We absolutely dominated them on the draws and in time of possession, but we just had some significant inconsistencies defensively. You can’t win games like that against
great teams.” The Eagles jumped ahead 8-6 to start the second half before Virginia took over. The Cavaliers went on a 5-0 run in which they gained their first lead of the game and an 11-8 advantage. The fivegoal run happened early in the second half and covered a 13-minute span. The Eagles managed to get back on the board and made it a one-goal game multiple times, but were never able to overcome the deficit and came up just short, losing 12-10. Holden was not happy with what she saw from her team defensively in the second half, and made clear that improvements are needed going forward. “They got a couple more draw controls in the second half,” Holden said. “They got a couple early in the second half and we knew that we had to keep the ball out of their offensive end. We were defensively just asleep today. You can’t be asleep and expect to win a game. Everything else was in our favor, from draw controls to ground balls to having fewer turnovers to running our offense well. We took a couple bad shots at critical moments, but we can’t have our defense sleeping and expect to win.” Offensively, the Eagles were lead by Igoe and Blue, who each netted three
goals. Mikaela Rix added two goals and Covie Stanwick and Sam Taylor each scored one. Despite the loss, BC managed to win almost every significant statistical category, including shot total, draw controls, and ground balls. Holden was still not satisfied with what she saw on the field, and said that more effort is needed in order to improve upon this result. “It’s got to come from within,” Holden said. “It’s got to come from the kids. There’s only so many ‘X’s’ and ‘O’s’ that we can give them.” The loss dropped BC to 5-6 on the year and just 1-3 in ACC play while Virginia climbed to 8-4 on the year and 2-2 in conference play. The Eagles have not won in conference play since Mar. 10, and have dropped their last three ACC games. The team has fallen below the .500 mark for the first time this season and still has a very difficult schedule remaining. The Eagles will host the Vermont Catamounts on Wednesday before heading out to Duke later in the week. Holden recognized the need for a quick turnaround, and stressed the importance of the upcoming nonconference game. “It’s as important as it gets,” Holden said. “Wednesday is obviously huge.” n
graham beck / heights editor
Brooke Blue picked up a hat trick in Saturday’s loss at Virginia, giving her 20 goals on the year.
The Heights
B4
Monday, April 2, 2012
“Finch is a good back. We’re going to need as many backs as you can. Tahj got hurt in the first or second play and if that happens in the game you got another running back. Deuce’s problem has not been endurance—it’s been holding on to the football, so he did a good job today and we need that.”
-Head Coach Frank Spaziani
Big plays new for offense in Spring Game Column, from B1 More misfortune struck as Kimble suffered an injury early on in the first quarter, leaving Finch and sophomore Paul Maglio, a converted defensive back, to shoulder the load in the running game. Early on, Finch looked good with the ball in his hands, but later had some trouble hanging onto the ball. He mishandled a toss in the backfield (but recovered the ball) on an early drive, and then later lost a fumble after a long run. Nevertheless, the coaching staff continued to feed him the football, and it ultimately paid off. Finch amassed 196 yards rushing on 27 carries, adding four catches for 38 yards.
He showed plenty of explosiveness, decisively hitting the holes his offensive line produced for him and breaking and evading tackles in the open field. “Finch is a good back. We’re going to need as many backs as you can. Tahj got hurt in the first or second play, and if that happens in the game you got another running back,” Spaziani said. “Deuce’s problem has not been endurance—it’s been holding on to the football, so he did a good job today and we need that.” Martin’s Impact Evident In late December, Doug Martin, formerly of Kent State and New Mexico State, was brought in to take over the
offensive coordinator duties. Martin brought with him an up-tempo style that the Eagles hope will translate to a significant increase in offensive production. Martin’s play calling on Saturday was showed a noticeable increase in the number of pass plays called, particularly the play-action. Martin also demonstrated an aggressive game plan that included vertical routes that led to most of the touchdowns scored in the game. Spaziani agreed that Martin’s style was more conducive to big plays. “We’re a little bit more solidified now and Doug’s got a system and we need to get chunks of plays and we need to take some shots” Spaziani said. n
daniel lee / heights editor
Backup kicker Joey Launceford (left) celebrates his interception return for a TD with Brian Mihalik.
Young defense begins filling holes with more experience By Tim Jablonski Heights Staff
daniel lee / heights editor
Deuce Finch (above) was able to find holes often on Saturday, amassing 196 yards on the ground. Spaziani (bottom) took time to evaluate his squad.
Much of the focus on Saturday’s spring game was directed towards a budding quarterback battle between Josh Bordner and Chase Rettig. But a number of teammates those two were competing against put themselves on the map to contend for significant playing time on defense next season. With critical contributors at all levels of defense leaving for the NFL draft—defensive end Max Holloway, linebacker Luke Kuechly, and cornerback Donnie Fletcher—defensive coordinator Bill McGovern will be dealing with a significantly less experienced squad next season. Yesterday’s game provided a chance for virtually every defensive player to get some more playing time against a D-I offense. “It was good to get out and get some real game action in,” said defensive lineman Brian Mihalik. “We obviously have a lot of stuff we have to work on, and we definitely played inconsistently at times out there, but I think we showed some real promise overall.” Mihalik was just one of the infrequently used players from last season who showed flashes of potential on Saturday afternoon. The sophomore defensive lineman played most of the game against the second offense, blowing up several running plays and showing some of the skill one would expect from a player who stands at 6-foot-8. The line will be looking for new faces next season, but one familiar name will definitely be heard time and time again. Junior Kasim Edebali had one of the better days of any player, disrupting plays in the backfield on a consistent basis and showing off his athletic ability by getting into the passing lanes, knocking down a pass and forcing bad throws several other times. Of course, the most disruptive player for any team Boston College has faced for
the past three years was Kuechly, the AllAmerican and soon to be first round NFL draft pick, who will have to be replaced next season. While the team returns three linebackers who all made large contributions last year—Kevin PierreLouis, Steele Divitto, and Sean Duggan all recorded 74, 72, and 39 tackles, respectively—there is still a lot of playing time up for grabs. Senior Nick Clancy announced his candidacy for a starting spot yesterday, racking up a team-high 10 tackles while playing a very confident game that speaks to years of experience on the team. While the linebacker corps were stocked, a variety of injuries kept most of the starting defensive backs out of the scrimmage. Missing CJ Jones, Sean Sylvia, Dominique Williams, and Spencer Rositano, several backups were able to state their cases as potential contributors. Perhaps the most impressive performance on either side of the ball came from cornerback James McCaffrey, who filled up the stat sheet with three tackles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery to boot. “I was just trying to make plays out there,” said the sophomore McCaffrey. “It’s great to get an extended opportunity to show off what I can do.” Backup kicker Joey Launceford showed off what almost nobody thought he could do. Playing cornerback because of the extreme depth issues, the redshirt freshman jumped in front of a Dave Shinskie pass and brought it to the house, where he was mobbed by his ecstatic teammates. While he most likely won’t contend for a spot in the Eagles’ nickel packages next fall, fellow redshirt Ameer Richardson showed that he deserves a look. He complemented his two interceptions on consecutive series with six and a half tackles, impressively making two and a half of them for a loss and showing that he may have the chops to challenge the incumbents in the secondary for a starting spot. n
The case that Frozen is better than Final Column, from B1
alex trautwig / heights senior staff
The Eagles won the Frozen Four in 2010, which can bring more excitement than any Final Four.
they shouldn’t anyways), I can tell you why the championship games played on the ice are truly better than the ones played on the hardwood. First of all, you will see moves on the ice that you thought were only possible by playing NHL 12 on your Xbox. A quick and speedy team, the Eagles are full of guys who can pull off those moves. At any time, anyone from Barry Almeida to Johnny Gaudreau will drop someone’s pants with jaw-dropping dekes that make you look twice to see if it actually just happened. Another reason is that there’s nothing like seeing someone get absolutely decked out on ice. That physicality was on full display last weekend in the regionals, when BC faced MinnesotaDuluth. There was a stretch in the second period of non-stop hits, a lot of which were against the Eagles. But before you knew it, BC was coming back with more physical play, igniting the energy of the crowd at the desolate DCU Center. While
the Eagles are known for their lightning speed, all WCHA teams are better known for their physicality. Minnesota-Duluth fit well into that category, and Minnesota likely will too. The Gophers are fast, but they will no doubt bring a physical game to Tampa after a season in the WCHA. Lastly, this year’s makeup of the Frozen Four is better than any Disney producer could ever imagine. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but the four teams who made it to Tampa have great stories behind them. I know you could probably find good storylines in the combination of Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, and Kansas, but everyone’s already heard them. Plus, where’s the Cinderella team in this year’s Final Four? Apparently she was too busy still looking for her shoe to make an appearance in New Orleans. Meanwhile, there are two Cinderellas, so to speak, in the Frozen Four. While they both enjoyed successful seasons, Ferris State and Union are by no means perennial powerhouses. But that’s an exciting aspect of the Frozen Four. One
of them will end up in the national title game with a chance to upset a historically dominant team in either BC or Minnesota. Not that I’m advocating for this result, but for the purposes of this column, it could always happen. Again, I know I may be slightly biased on this topic. If Steve Donahue and his squad were down in New Orleans playing in the Final Four right now, I might be writing this column the other way around. But they’re not. Anyways, I’d like to think I would still favor the Frozen Four over the Final Four. If for nothing else, I’d like to think so just because everyone else in the country has their eyes glued to the Frozen Four. Millions will watch the national championship game tonight and think the winter college sports season is done. What’s too bad is that they’ll be missing the real show. That starts Thursday night in Tampa.
Greg Joyce is the Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.
The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
Point / Counterpoint:
B5
Who should be the starting quarterback?
Rettig can bring consistency to the offense
Bordner at least deserves a legitimate look
By Chris Grimaldi
By Austin Tedesco
Heights Editor
If patience is a virtue, then the Boston College football team deserves recognition for the most virtuous squad in the ACC. From committedly developing young talent on both sides of the ball despite suffering through a losing season to giving head coach Frank Spaziani another shot at turning the Eagles around, there’s no doubting that the BC Athletic Department believes in second chances. Therefore, it would be unfair—and counterproductive—to prevent incumbent starting quarterback Chase Rettig from having another shot at leading the Eagles under center in 2012. Last year marked Rettig’s first full season as a starter, and was seen by many as the perfect time for the highly touted recruit to fulfill his potential as a young star in college football. After a 4-8 season marked by inconsistency and mediocre execution from BC’s quarterback position, Superfans were desperate for answers and immediately pinned the blame on Rettig for the team’s offensive woes. Add in the impulsive hype that formed around wildcatrunning Josh Bordner, and Rettig found himself and his starting job on the proverbial hot seat. Yet as much as fans believe a change at quarterback will right the ship, they’re wrong. In fact, refusing Rettig another opportunity to start would cripple the team’s development. It’s easy to forget that Rettig was only a sophomore in 2011, and still has the prime of his college career in front of him. Many are quick to point out his poor performances against UCF and FSU, but few remember how he threw for over 350 yards against a formidable Northwestern defense. Has Rettig suffered the erratic play virtually every young quarterback endures? Of course, but that’s no reason to discount the flashes of brilliance he provided as well. Just think back to the Eagles’ final game of the regular season against Miami—arguably Rettig’s most effective contest of 2011. Completing 13 of his 17 passes for two
touchdowns and a QB rating well over 200, the sophomore led his team to a 24-17 victory over an ACC foe. In this matchup, Rettig appeared poised in the pocket and led efficient drives as a result of solid execution. With this admirable performance coming in the Eagles’ last game, it doubtlessly gave both Rettig and the team positive momentum, while showing critics that the rising-junior’s capability can very well translate into victories in 2012. It’s also worth noting that Josh Bordner—Rettig’s apparent competition—fumbled at the goal line in that game, ending one of Rettig’s own well-orchestrated drives. So who’s the more dependable quarterback? That’s for you to decide. If Superfans refuse to buy into a single-game performance, then all they have to do is look back at BC football history. In 1981, a young BC quarterback named Doug Flutie endured a losing season and stark production on the stat sheet. Yet if he didn’t get a second chance, fans wouldn’t still be talking about his Heisman Trophy and the immortal Hail Mary pass that forever changed the culture of BC football. Or remember Matt Ryan? Well, he didn’t start taking the college football world by storm until his junior year. In fact, the stats he accumulated for his first two seasons closely resemble those of Rettig. But if Ryan was shown the door too soon, would everyone be talking about him as a star in the NFL now? Now, there are no guarantees that Rettig will one day garner a Heisman like Flutie or be a high NFL draft selection like Ryan, but the fact that he has the unquestionable potential to be a collegiate star should be enough encouragement for BC to stick with Rettig under center in 2012. Sure, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement that Bordner generates with his mobility in the wildcat formation, but ultimately Superfans will only restore their faith in the Eagles when more tallies are drawn in the win column, and Rettig—the only BC quarterback who’s proven he has the skill set and efficiency to win ball games—is the man to trust. n
Asst. Sports Editor
“No, I wasn’t expecting any running plays [to be called for me],” sophomore quarterback Josh Bordner said Saturday after the Jay McGillis Spring Football Game, already knowing the question was coming. “That’s not how our new offensive coordinator wants us to play, so I’ll take it as it is.” Although he’s proven he can be used as a dualthreat quarterback, Bordner showed Saturday that he might not need the gimmicky wildcat package in order to be successful. He clearly had the best performance of the day, but it is also not a great sign when the best performance was throwing 8-of-18 for 159 yards, one interception, and two touchdowns against the struggling defense he faced. A completion percentage of 44 percent against the second team defense that included a depleted secondary neither guarantees Bordner the starting job nor even warrants talk of serious quarterback controversy, but with Chase Rettig’s inability to cement himself as a reliable option at quarterback, it was at least a reminder that this is still a competition. And while it’s a competition Bordner is inevitably set up to lose, there are definitely some factors working in his favor. Rettig threw 13-of-23 for 120 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. While the stats weren’t impressive, it was the performance, as a whole, that disappointed. Instead of answering well after Bordner made some great plays, including a 66-yard bomb for a touchdown, Rettig consistently shrunk under the pressure and twice followed up solid drives from Bordner by almost throwing picks on the first pass of his offense’s possessions. During his first two years as the starting quarterback, Rettig’s growth has been stunted by conservative play calling. Even during blowouts, he hasn’t had many opportunities to air it out and
show off his arm. This means that Rettig has not been seen at his best yet, and that there is still a lot of potential yet to be unleashed. It also means that although Rettig is far more experienced than Bordner, the experience he has is as a game manager rather than as a carver of defenses with his arm. Even if new offensive coordinator Doug Martin doesn’t plan on using Bordner as a running threat directly through the play-calling, Bordner’s ability to take off and run is a huge advantage given the uncertainty of the offensive line. Rettig proved last season he is an accurate passer outside of the pocket, but once he gets past the line of scrimmage, running is no longer his strength. It remains to be seen how well Bordner throws outside the pocket, but the way he can pick up a few yards as he moves past the hashes makes this less of a concern. Bordner also brings a solid attitude to the team, and having him as the starter could improve the team’s morale and mentality. He’s unassuming, honest, and likeable. He passes credit to his teammates and is ultimately a team player. “It felt good,” Bordner said about his touchdown pass to freshman Karim Zoungrana. “We had a little miscommunication between me and the receiver earlier in the day, and that made up for it, so I was pretty happy about that.” He’s such a good teammate that he knows that a quarterback controversy would be bad for the team, and downplayed his own performance after the game. “I would say I did all right,” Bordner said when asked to evaluate his perforamnce. “I made a few mistakes, had some bad passes, but overall it was a good spring, fun, got out here and got to compete a lot.” Rettig will almost certainly be the starter against Miami on opening day for the Eagles, and he probably should be. But Bordner showed Saturday that he at least has the potential to be an upgrade, and it’s an alternative that might be worth pursuing. n
Daniel Lee/ Heights Editor and Joseph Castlen/ Heights Graphic
Finch, Amidon, and Richardson highlight football’s spring game By Chris Marino
Assoc. Sports Editor In the annual Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Football Game on Saturday, several players stood out for their performances. Rolandan Finch, Alex Amidon—keys to last year’s offense—and redshirt freshman Ameer Richardson all stood out in the contest. With several running backs vying for carries this season, Finch is not guaranteed the job. If his performance on Saturday is any indicator of his workload this season, however, he is the primary back. He finished the day with 27 carries for 196 yards. He also did a good job of receiving out of the backfield, with four receptions for 38 yards. The only real struggle for the junior came on a fumbled pitch, but that’s something he is already working on this offseason. “I thought I started off slow, dropping the toss for the fumble,” he said. “After that, I tried to pick it up, and I thought I had a decent scrimmage after that.” One of the major changes for this year’s team is the addition of Jim Bollman as the offensive line coach and running game coordinator. While it’s been an adjustment, Finch says the team will have time to work with
Bollman and learn his system. “It just takes a little getting used to. Everything’s starting to pick up,” he said. “Fifteen practices is not a lot, only two weeks, but as long as we can keep building on everything through the summer and keep getting everything down pat, we’ll be alright.” Amidon, who finished last season with 20 receptions for 220 yards and one touchdown, reeled in a 31-yard touchdown from quarterback Chase Rettig. On the day, Amidon only had one other catch for 10 yards, but his role in the offense is cemented based on his performance in the last two seasons. He is confident that the team will make strides over the offseason, despite some of the kinks seen on Saturday. “The offense started a little bit slow,” he said. “Obviously, we saw that, but we started to pick it up a little bit. We’ve got a long way to go until Miami, and also we have some injuries. If we get everyone back and put in the work, I think it will be a good year for the receivers and the offense.” With fellow receivers Bobby Swigert and Colin Larmond Jr. sidelined with injuries, Amidon benefited from more attention as a seasoned veteran. These repetitions have given Amidon a chance to work on his speed, which he cited as his area of
focus this spring. “One thing you learn is to play fast,” he said. “You have to play fast at this level, because speed is really an issue. That’s what I’ve been stressing.” After taking a redshirt season, Richardson came into camp prepared to make an impact on the field. It seems that his preparations have paid off. In the game, Richardson had two interceptions to go with six tackles, including one for a loss. He picked off both Rettig and Josh Bordner. “It felt great, especially since I redshirted last year,” Richardson said. “I felt like I really haven’t played football. I did everything that I had to do to help the team, and then coming out in the spring, I did well. I made it to the twos, and was able to get on the field for the spring game. It was just a lot of fun.” Richardson said that being unable to play in real games for a season was a struggle, but this weekend brought him right back into it. “It was a lot more emotional coming out of the tunnel and being in the locker room with the guys,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s all football. [Defensive backs coach Mike Siravo] gave us the tools and told us to use them on the field, and we just used them during the game and did that really well.” n
Daniel Lee/ HEIGHTS EDITOR
Alex Amidon only had two catches in the spring game, but one from Chase Rettig was for 31 yards and touchdown.
The Heights
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Monday, April 2, 2012
BC’s experience key factor in Frozen Four Frozen Four, from B1 “Practices have been going really well,” said senior captain Tommy Cross. “The energy has been great. Practices this time of the year, you’re fortunate to have them. A lot of teams are done for the season. So we have to create energy. We’re looking to work on a couple things before we leave on Tuesday.” One of the things the Eagles will be working on is being able to jump out early and set the pace of the game against the Gophers. Minnesota is also backed by a terrific goaltender in Kent Patterson, and York noted it would be important to get a lot of shots on net. “It’s like playing ourselves,” York said. “We’ve got to play at a terrific pace, and we’ve got to be able to take advantage of any shot opportunities and shoot pucks. I think Patterson is a goaltender that has played very well for them. But we’re looking for shots, rebounds, and goals.” Patterson has recorded seven shutouts on the season, and holds a 2.24 goals against average. “Ken’s been our pillar,” said Minnesota head coach Don Lucia, who noted that Patterson has been instrumental in bringing along a young defense throughout the season. Offensively, Erik Haula, Kyle Rau, and Nick Bjunstad lead the Gophers, combining
for 63 of Minnesota’s 154 goals this year. BC has to look no further than last weekend to see what the Gophers are capable of, scoring seven goals against BU and five against North Dakota. “They’ve got a good squad, and they’re playing well,” Cross said. “They just beat BU and North Dakota, so they’re at the top of their game, and it should be a great matchup.” While his team has been firing on all cylinders of late, Lucia knows that the team his squad will be facing has been just as impressive. “They’re the No. 1 team in the country for a reason,” Lucia said. “Taking care of the puck will be extremely important, because they’re a great transition team and they can really push the pace offensively. The way their goaltender is playing, you’re not going to score much on them. You try to win a tight, low-scoring game, and that’s what we’re going to try to do. “When you look at Boston College right now, they’ve got three very good lines that can score, a big, strong defensive core, and a goaltender that has really stepped up. It’s without question that they have all the ingredients, and that’s why they’re favored to win the thing next week.” Besides BC’s complete game and depth of talent throughout the roster, one major factor in its advantage is that the junior and senior classes have been a part of a
national championship, and were there for the full Frozen Four experience in 2010. Fourteen Eagles were in Detroit to collect the hardware two years ago, and can relate that experience to their younger teammates in preparation. “It helps a lot, just knowing what to expect,” Cross said. “Especially the stuff leading up to the game—Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the game and all the commitments you have. So it’s good. I think it’s a calming factor. You know what to expect, so you can worry about just going out and playing your game.” “I think it really helps,” York said. “Their experience and the level of confidence that they’ve played in these games before and won in these games before. I think that’s a huge factor for us.” Regardless of BC’s previous trip to the Frozen Four, this one will no doubt be a special one. The chance to bring another national championship back to Chestnut Hill begins Thursday at 8 p.m., as the Eagles will look for the same result they earned in 2010. “[Frozen Fours] get better every time,” York said. “I thought the first one was ‘woah.’ And then each time we’ve gone, it’s been a special period of time for our hockey team. We think this is going to be probably just like every other Frozen Four, or a little bit better than the one we played in before.” Even “a little bit better” would bring home the trophy. n
alex trautwig / heights senior staff
The junior class got the full Frozen Four experience in 2010 (above), which will help this week.
joseph castlen / heights Graphic
standing in the way
By Chris Marino
MINNESOTA
FERRIS STATE
UNION
Assoc. Sports Editor The Boston College men’s hockey team will face off against Minnesota (27-13-1) in its first Frozen Four contest. The Gophers topped North Dakota, the No. 1 seed in the West Regional, 5-2. At the beginning of the regular season, BC beat North Dakota handily by a score of 6-2. Erik Haula leads the way for UM with 48 points on 20 goals and 28 assists. Also, Kent Patterson has been a stalwart between the pipes, starting in all 42 contests this season. He enters the Frozen Four with 947 saves and a 2.24 goals against average this season. This is Minnesota’s 20th appearance to the Frozen Four, including back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003.
Ferris State (25-11-5) is making its first appearance in the Frozen Four. It took the Midwest Regional from Cornell with a close 2-1 contest in which the scoring didn’t occur until the third period. Jordie Johnston is the team’s leading scorer with 20 goals and 16 assists. Senior Taylor Nelson has been solid in net, including 22 saves in the game against Cornell. He finished the season with 740 saves in 29 games.
Union College (26-7-7) is also playing in its first Frozen Four in program history. The Dutchmen knocked off UMass Lowell, 4-2, in the East Regional. The team has been led by the tough scoring duo of junior Jeremy Welsh and Kelly Zajac. Welsh leads the team with 43 points on 27 goals and 16 assists. Zajac has contributed all season with 34 assists to go along with eight goals.
arts&review
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Monday, April 2, 2012
An Eye on Culture
‘RISING UP’ IN ROBSHAM
A film I can’t refuse
By Ariana Igneri Heights Staff
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Robsham Theater Arts Center, the Boston College Theater Department presented the dance showcase Rising Up, the first ever dance performance produced by the BC Theater Department. It featured routines not only by 65 student dancers, but also by the Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble and BC’s Dance Ensemble. Uniquely, the dances in Rising Up were all choreographed by professional faculty and performed by students. The dancers explored a range of different styles, including jazz, ballet, and even modern dance. The evening began with a fun and upbeat Fosseinspired jazz routine to Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing.” Choreographed by Kirsten McKinney, the song introduced the dancers in little black dresses shuffling, kicking, snapping, and twinkling their fingers. McKinney also directed the first performance after intermission, another jazz number called “It’s Showtime.” To “Express” and “Show Me How To Burlesque,” the girls came out in black leotards in front of the red velvet curtain, waving their hands and tapping their feet. When the curtain was pulled, more dancers, on chairs, were revealed behind. Their performance proved that there truly is nothing like
Taylor Cavallo My children will never own anything that resembles a gun. Water guns might be the exception to that rule, but that’s a big maybe. I hate guns and overly violent video games that young boys are exposed to that demand beating up a prostitute after she gives you a lap dance: things that promote aggression, violence, or misogyny in adolescents, especially my babies-to-be. These aforementioned facts might make me seem like an unlikely candidate for “biggest mafia movie buff on campus,” but let me tell you, if I didn’t win the title, I’d put up a great fight for it. Yes, I can feel your eyebrows raising already—I’m a hypocrite, but who isn’t? When I was a young girl and frequently accompanied my parents to dinner with their married friends on Saturday nights, the conversation always turned, eventually, to Godfather trivia. I out-Godfathered the best of them, and by the best I mean my middle-aged Italian family and friends who worship the ground Michael Corleone walks on. For lack of a better term, I was something of a sideshow circus act: “Young, ballet-dancing girl recites Godfather script from memory!” It could catch on in certain parts of New York and New Jersey. As this has no doubt been quite an odd description of my childhood, I should explain. The first time I saw The Godfather, I was probably eight years old. I halfheartedly watched it with my father in my basement, despite the complaints of my mother (who, like future me-mom, also didn’t want her babies exposed to violence—I guess you do just inevitably turn into your parents…). I don’t even remember what I thought about it. But, throughout my childhood, it was always there, playing in the background while cooking dinner whenever featured on television, and now thanks to AMC and Bravo, on major holidays. It’s my father’s hands-down, all-time favorite movie, and that same sentiment was passed on to me once I sat down and watched the film in its entirety. No matter what else is on television, if we happen to come across The Godfather while scrolling through the channel guide, the deal is sealed. We have no choice. No matter how many times we watch it, it never gets old. This repetition has allowed me to know the script inside and out, including minor overlooked plot details, and feel like a part of the family (no pun intended), all while driving my mother crazy, as she frequently asks, “Can’t we just watch something else?” Answer: “Nope.” Once my taste in movies developed and I also reached the double-digit age group, my love for The Godfather skyrocketed and it became a movie that I would seek out to watch on my own, along with my other childhood favorites: The Nightmare Before Christmas and Gone With the Wind (although I was a child with strange tastes, I was undeniably a creature of habit). My father also used this as the perfect opportunity to introduce me to his other favorites: Goodfellas and A Bronx Tale. From there, he refined me further, to deeper, more artful films such as Raging Bull and The Deer Hunter. As you can see, we’re a household of Robert de Niro and Martin Scorsese enthusiasts. Cultivating my taste to mimic his was perfect: he introduced me to truly fantastic movies, and they became yet another thing he and I could do together, and by this particular “do” I mean sit on my couch after school, eat Tostitos, and watch Casino. Now that I’m older, I have been known to actually argue with people about its position as the best movie of all time, although if we want to get specific, it is technically ranked as the second greatest film of all time by the American Film Institute, behind Citizen Kane. But they’re wrong. Stanley Kubrick and I think it is the best film ever made, case closed. I’m never bothered by the violence present in these movies. Quite frankly, you can’t compare the sporadic, tame violence of The Godfather to the grotesque imagery of something like Saw. It’s well-placed and tasteful. My children may not have access to the future Grand Theft Auto #22, but they will certainly be watching The Godfather.
Taylor Cavallo is the Associate Arts & Review editor of The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
See Rising Up, C2
DANIEL LEE / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Miyazaki’s retirement leaves void
‘Woods’ writers look to shake up the horror genre By Carolina Del Busto Heights Staff
Think you’ve seen every horror movie there is? Think you know the genre inside and out—you know who is going to say what, and from the first minute in, you can predict who will die and who will survive? Think again. As the teaser poster for the new horror film The Cabin in the Woods boasts, “You think you know the story.” The film The Cabin in the Woods is not your typical horror movie—in fact, writers Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse, The Avengers) and Drew Goddard (Cloverfield, Lost) are both so familiar with the genre that they sought to shake it up – perhaps they were
even poking fun at some of the cliches of these movies. As part of the film’s press tour, stars Kristen Connolly (Dana) and Fran Kranz (Marty) stopped by Boston’s historic Liberty Hotel on Monday, Mar. 26, for interviews with the media. The Heights had the opportunity to be a part of a 30-minute question and answer session with the two young actors. The film takes the plot right out of a 1981 horror, The Evil Dead —so much so that director Goddard even had the cast watch the movie in order to prepare. Kranz said that among the movies he watched were The
See ‘Cabin,’ C2
By Hilary Chasse Heights Senior Staff
Courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
AcApirates Storm McGuinn
Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio, has a name derived from the Arabic word for wind, the intention being that the Studio would “blow a new wind through the Japanese animation industry.” And when it was founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, it did just that, introducing a new style of storytelling and a type of photorealistic animation that was a maturation of the typical anime style. Over the next 25 years, it continued this legacy of groundbreaking work with such masterpieces as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away. Yet, since the principal director and co-founder Miyazaki, now 72, has stopped directing features for the studio, the creative voice who would rise to fill his void has remained uncertain. Miyazaki, although not the only director for the studio, is by far the most prolific and acclaimed, with almost all of his features receiving critical praise and box office success.
See Miyazaki, C2
Robyn kim / for the heights
Popular co-ed acapella group Acoustics displayed their impressive vocal talents during their swashbuckling-themed Spring Cafe.
i nside Arts this issue
Courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
Snow White retold in ‘Mirror, Mirror’
The light-hearted remake starring Lily Collins adds a new dimension to the timeless classic, C3
Taking a look at movie ratings
The release of the controversial documentary Bully has given rise to the talks about the MPAA, C2
Bestsellers...............................C3 Box Office Report........................C3
C2
Monday, April 2, 2012
The Heights
‘Cabin’ looks to fright ‘Cabin,’ from C1
Daniel lee / heights editor
Encompassing a variety of themes and styles, the dance collaboration ‘Rising Up’ kept the Robsham audience entertained and engaged.
‘Rising Up’ dazzles with variety ‘Rising Up,’ from C1 a good old-fashioned production number. Rising Up also included incredible ballet pieces, such as “Convergence,” choreographed by Margot Parsons. Complementing Mendelssohn’s “Sinfonia I in C Major” beautifully, the routine demonstrated the grace and elegance of both the male and female dancers. As they leapt and twirled about the stage, the dancers formed patterns and images that were simple and lovely. In the second half of the show there was another ballet piece, “Here and There,” which Parsons also choreographed. Two female dancers in white masks and plain, dark leotards pranced and floated back and forth on their delicate toes. Mirroring the style of the Baroque period, the dance was somber and almost phantom-like, as the pair caressed the stage floor and moved gently to the sound of a single, intense violin, making each small move seem both vital and extraordinary. Though every genre certainly added something important and distinct to the showcase as a whole, the modern dances by Sun Ho Kim were really quite intriguing and provocative. “Plus One” was the closing piece of the first act. It was “based on the idea of ‘adding one more element,’” and it explored “the kinetic response of the human body to time and energy, as well
as the dynamic relationships formed amongst these elements through an ever-changing number of dancers and patterns of movement.” Immediately arresting the audience’s attention, it began with no music and a single dancer moving erratically as the rest stood still, backs turned. In light blue and green baggy clothes, they eventually began to form and fall out of specific arrangements as futuristic rave music started to play. The style was unique, featuring recognizable aspects of both ballet and hip-hop and developing sharp yet fluid moves that utilized space in an all-encompassing way. The highlight of the number was certainly the part that only exhibited the six male dancers literally dancing off of each other, performing amazing, defiant, and bold feats with poise. Kim’s other modern piece was just as idiosyncratic as her first, but it was more symbolic. About love, separation, fear, and war, “Into the Storm” presented the audience with a “complex flood of emotions.” The moves were unadorned and earthen, solemnly aligned to the sound of thunder, rain, and wind. Operatic music later played into the dismal weather sounds, as the three dancers bounded, chased, and clung to each other, forming themselves into knots on the stage floor. “No eres tu mi Cantar” blended many of the already presented styles, such as ballet and
modern, together with flamenco to create an inimitable contemporary routine. Esperanza Garcia Aguilar choreographed moves to “La Saeta” by J.M. Serrat, finding “inspiration in the Holy Week Services in Seville Spain.” Focusing on a large, wooden cross, a shirtless man and several ballerinas with long, black veils tiptoed around it on point. Their performance was dark and serious, but, nevertheless, brilliant. Rev. Robert Ver Eecke, S.J.’s liturgical dance “Knot/Not I” was similarly religious. It portrayed dancers representing the dynamics amongst Judas, Jesus, and Jesus’ followers before his Passion and death. Vibrant, colorful disciples circled around Jesus in a white and flowing robe and the bare-chested Judas in red pants. The struggle and tension between the two was tangible, adding depth to the overall performance. Appropriately, Rising Up ended just as it began: with an exceedingly classy and entertaining jazz number by McKinney. “Playing with rhythm and movement,” “Playtime” flaunted the dancers in bright, multi-colored block dresses tapping around to David Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo a la Turk.” A seductive saxophone, a deep, steady base, and a tinkling drum rhythm accompanied the circle of dancing colors and their fancy feet, closing the show with a bang. n
Descent, Halloween, and, oddly enough, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Goddard wanted Kranz and Connolly to hone in on the warm, touching moments from Sundance Kid for their last scene together. Kranz recalls, “Drew was so in love with that last scene, he didn’t want to move on.” Kranz liked the idea of watching cabin-related movies in order to get into “the mind set” to go out and film and create “a place in the history of horror.” He goes on to say that “Cabin is a horror film unlike any other. I think it’s raising the bar. It’s a hybrid genre that transcends the genre … hopefully it sets a new standard to horror.” What is great about this movie is that it is both like a typical horror movie, and at the same time it is so unlike one. Whedon and Goddard are well experienced in the genre, so they know all the cliche moments. Cabin still has plenty of cliches—somehow that is unavoidable—but you get the feeling that they are mocking the typical conventions. For Goddard, it was all about “playing with the stereotypes … changing the conventions of horror,” Kranz said. The most obvious set of conventions was the personalities of the five main characters. There’s the jock (Chris Hemsworth), the promiscuous girlfriend (Anna Hutchison), the smart, virginal best friend (Connolly), the other athlete friend who is a “nice-guy” (Jesse Williams) and, of course, the pot-head (Kranz). But—here comes a twist—the jock is actually really smart, “on a full academic scholarship,” the skank is also smart and not so promiscuous, the good girl is not-so-good (she had an affair with a professor), the pot-
head is very wise (playing off the Shakespearean fool), and the nice guy is, well, a really nice guy. Both Kranz and Connolly agreed that even though their characters have been seen many times over, they are “more three dimensional that the stock characters.”The characters only begin to change into their cliched alter egos after they arrive at the cabin—because, clearly, this is no ordinary cabin in the woods. Something that most people don’t know about The Cabin in the Woods is that it wrapped filming over three years ago, in June 2009. Connolly and Kranz don’t know much about why a movie that took two days to write, and only a few months of shoot, took years to be released. It was “really frustrating,” Connolly said. “Everyone loved the movie so much, and you can’t talk about it! You just keep thinking, like ‘when is this thing coming out?’” Part of the reason for the extended postproduction phase was because there were talks of turning the movie into 3D. Most of the film is still action or practical effects, so for Connolly it would have seemed “silly” if they had gone in that direction. No matter how long it took to reach theaters, “It was so worth the wait,” Connolly. “We did a great job making it,” Kranz said with excitement. “It’s really sweet now that it’s out,” and overall, in his words, the film is just “awesome.” “I think the movie ended up with the right people [Lionsgate] at the right time … the movie is where it belongs,” said Kranz. The Cabin in the Woods is a tasteful take on an overdone genre—or, like Fran Kranz puts it, “it’s action, it’s science fiction, it’s comedy—it’s everything you could ask for in a fun, crazy entertaining movie, and then some.” n
Courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
Fran Kranz and Chris Connolly star in ‘Cabin in the Woods,’ a fresh twist on an overdone genre.
The retirement of Miyazaki and Takahata will leave a void in anime Miyazaki, from C1 This success has not remained only in the domestic Japanese market but has also broken into the U.S., with the Academy recognition of both Spirited
Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. His last directed feature, however, was the 2008 release of Ponyo. Since then, he has moved into a period of semi-retirement, overseeing the creative output of the studio while taking less of a direct
Courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
With success in domestic and international markets, director Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese icon.
hand in the direction. The most recent U.S.-released Ghibli film was The Secret World of Arriety, based on the novel (and the 1997 British film), and in the opening credits the film ties itself to Miyazaki’s legacy by announcing it was “based on an idea by Hayao Miyazaki.” His official position was both co-screenwriter and production planner, but by all indications these positions were mostly nominal. The prominent display he gets in the title is not only a nod to his place of importance in the studio, but also to capitalize on his worldwide animation credentials. The filmmakers needn’t have bothered tying themselves to Miyazaki: the film speaks for itself, and was received extremely well by U.S. audiences and critics. Several stylistic choices within the film indicate that the young director Hiromasa Yonebayashi felt most comfortable standing in Miyazaki’s shadow, however. Arriety begins in the style made famous by many other Miyazaki films, notably Spirited Away and Totoro: a young child moving to the country. This was one of many noticeable nods to the style of the Ghibli founder, and
it is understandable that Yonebayashi, who worked with Miyazaki as an animator on several of his previous projects, would like to establish himself firmly within style of his predecessor, but the sometimes blatant mirroring does a disservice to the studio. Within a few years, Miyazaki is sure to move into complete retirement, and his co-founder Takahata will likely follow soon afterwards, leaving the studio with none of its original directors. How the new creative heads will forge a new path for themselves is unclear, and their current reluctance to stray from the aura around Miyazaki is not an encouraging sign for their future success. One of the directors who will likely be a part of Ghibli’s future is Goro Miyazaki, Hayao’s son, who debuted with the much-maligned Tales from Earthsea in 2006, and most recently directed From up on Poppy Hill, with the production overseen by his father. Goro’s capability of helming the creative direction of the studio seemed bleak since his disastrous debut but perhaps once he is out from under his father’s shadow, he’ll be more confident about taking
stylistic and thematic risks. The balance of staying true to the style established by their forerunners and finding new creative inspiration that connects with audiences is difficult to maintain, but in order to attempt this, the new directors at Ghibli must stray from the well-worn track at least somewhat. A recent retrospective of Ghibli at the MFA, previously shown at the IFC Center in New York, also throws into sharp relief the incredible legacy that Ghibli has created in just the last 30 years, building arguably the most well respected and critically acclaimed animation studio (Pixar vs. Ghibli could be a very interesting argument for another time). The program, Castles in the Sky: Miyazaki, Takahata, and Ghibli, was focused on some of the early works by these two directors, some of which are difficult to come by in the U.S. While viewing the works, it’s staggering to see how far the studio has come graphically while consistently delivering in storytelling and style. If the future heads of Ghibli can follow this pattern, the future of the studio will continue to be a bright spot in the world of animation. n
Decisions about ‘Bully’ rating sparks criticisms of MPAA Joe Allen Back in the fall of 2006, I saw The Marine four times. Put more clearly, I bought tickets to see The Marine four times. I have no idea, to this day, what the film is about. The poster seems to promise a thriller starring a poor man’s Matt Damon. So, what did I actually see? Some of my favorite movies of the past 10 years, including The Departed and Borat. Since these films were rated R, my friend and I had to sneak into the theater by buying tickets to some run-of-the-mill PG-13 flick, such as The Marine. My friends and I snuck into Superbad multiple times since its humor and honest portrayal of the high school experience made it our favorite film of 2007. Put bluntly, we had little respect for the MPAA system. With such easy access to R-rated content via the Internet, television, video stores, and even the actual theaters, why should we? Regardless of the many ways in which one can bypass a film’s rating before turning 17, MPAA ratings still cause fights to break out between film studios, various censorship boards, and the general public. Just last week, debates sprung up online
over whether The Hunger Games was too dark and bloody for the average 13-yearold. The film’s producers have already promised to cut up the material of the series’ remaining two books in such a way as to guarantee a PG-13 instead of an R. As mainstream films become bloodier and more sex and curse-filled, arguments with the MPAA have become almost inevitable because their one-size-fits-all ratings often fail to reflect the actual content of the film. The most recent argument over a film’s rating has involved a long struggle between the Weinstein Company, multiple parent groups, and the MPAA over the R-rating of Bully. The documentary shows high school bullying, showing its worst consequences while also describing ways to prevent it. For many censorship groups, including the practical Common Sense Media, this MPAA decision was a mistake, as it took a film out of the hands of the age group who most needed to see it. Truthfully, the MPAA’s own rules prevented it from treating Bully more leniently. Any film that uses sexual expletives more than once is guaranteed an R-rating, and Bully features this type of language fairly often. More than anything,
however, this rigid rule highlights how wrong-headed the MPAA has become. Its system condemns certain inappropriate material while ignoring others, and, as in the case of Bully, proves useless when dealing with morally grey areas. Most filmmakers know the MPAA’s simplistic rules so well that they can navigate around them via loopholes. Quentin Tarantino avoided an NC-17 stamp for his Kill Bill by filming the movie’s goriest scenes, which contained the touchiest subject matter, in cartoon format. The Austin Powers series used the increasingly obvious innuendos instead of the F-word to maintain a PG-13. The rules created remain so black-and-white that they were made to be broken. Back in the early 1980s, the release of violent PG movies, most notable Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins, prompted the MPAA to create a PG-13 rating to lessen the divide between PG and R-rated movies. The idea was certainly well intentioned and helped parents decide what their children could and couldn’t see. Before then, a substantial number of PG movies contained nudity, for instance. Thirty years later, the MPAA is in need
of another step up in film censorship if it wants to continue being taken seriously. Bully is now being released as an unrated film, allowing AMC theaters to bypass the system’s ruling on Bully by letting in teenagers who bring a signed parent per-
mission slip with them. This act shows a theater company completely undermining the system due to the diminishing respect it receives. Until the MPAA complicates its ratings system, instances such as this will only become more frequent. n
Courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
Tensions between production companies and the MPAA have increased with the release of ‘Bully.’
The Heights
C3
Monday, April 2, 2012
Snow White remake ‘Mirror’ provides laughs for all ages By Carolina Del Busto Heights Staff
Since Hollywood seems to lack good ideas lately, the industry has turned to the classics for inspiration. Because remakes are becoming passe, adaptations are all the rage now, especially the page to screen fairy tale transformation. Mirror mirror: In the newest verTarsem Singh sion of the Relativity Media B r o t h e r s ’ Grimm Snow White tale, Lily Collins steals the show as the fair princess. At times, her character did seem flat, but Collins quickly picked it up and delivered an overall impressive performance. Collins’ interpretation of Snow White starts off with the girl acting like an innocent princess, trapped in the castle for a decade. Very reserved and quiet, she never challenges anything the Queen says—very traditional. Yet, as the story progresses, Snow gets tougher and tougher, until she decides that she doesn’t want protection from any prince or dwarf because she can take care of herself. She tells
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the handsome prince that she’s read lots of stories and she knows that he is supposed to save her, but the filmmakers decide to flip that convention on its head. Many conventions were abandoned in Mirror Mirror. The film took some artistic liberties when piecing together the beloved story of Snow White and the seven dwarves. The differences are what make the movie stand on its own. In fact, one doesn’t even need to be familiar with the story in order to like Mirror, Mirror. The movie begins with a short retelling of the classic tale, narrated by the Evil Queen. She states how this story is all about her, not Snow White, and in order for her to remain fair and beautiful, Snow “has to do what snow does best: snow must fall.” Although you first get the feeling that it will be a wildly inventive retelling from the Queen’s perspective, a touching and funny film filled with fantasy—like the musical Wicked is to The Wizard of Oz—it is not. The seven dwarves in the film are stiltwearing thieves instead of honest coalminers. Their names, too, are changed to less silly ones—the Walt Disney version of Doc, Sleepy, Bashful, Grumpy, Dopey, Sneezy, and Happy were changed to Grimm (a pun on the origi-
nal writers of the tale, the Brothers Grimm), Napoleon, Half Pint, Grub, Wolf, Butcher, and Chuckles. These dwarves were wiser and more aggressive, yet tender and sweet. Among the other modifications made to the original story was turning Snow into a fighter, and the Evil Queen into a funny Evil Queen. Julia Roberts adds a dash of whimsy to the character, making her both more beloved and yet still loathed. Oddly (and funny) enough, Roberts’ Queen not only tries to kill Snow, but also tries to marry the prince. As difficult as it was to share the screen with such a legend as Roberts, Collins and her handsome Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) prove themselves to be part of the perfect love triangle. The film’s costumes are beyond imaginative. The colors, styles, designs—everything the Queen and her royal subjects wore—are so over the top and embellished that they mesh perfectly with Roberts’ character and the movie as a whole. At the end of the film, a little credit-rolling entertainment is provided by Collins, who sings a rendition of the 1970s Indian song “I Believe in Love.” The song might have seemed out of place, but director
Lazy ‘Wrath’ fails on every account
Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com
Rising star Collins and acting vet Roberts team up to star in the pleasing fairytale remake. Tarsem Singh was quite daring to end with the tune. Collins looked comical while she was singing and dancing. Waving her hands delicately through the air and walking like an Egyptian, she looked ridiculous while the rest of the cast stood on the sidelines choosing to watch rather than participate. Overall, Mirror Mirror provides laughs
and a good time. It delivers a sweet retelling of an old tale, and it is beautifully executed. If one thinks he has outgrown fairy tales, think again. No matter what one’s age is, Mirror, Mirror will leave everyone reminiscing on their childhoods when they walk out of the theater. The film may not be for everyone, but those who love a good happy ending will certainly enjoy it. n
Box Office Report title
weekend gross
weeks in release
1 photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
1. The hunger Games
61.1
2
2. wrath of the titans
34.2
1
19
1
3. mirror mirror
Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com
‘Wrath’ proves to be devoid of any true understanding of Greek mythology and exhibits bland acting along with a lack of decent dialogue. By Joe Allen Heights Staff
Don’t know much about Greek mythology and worried about being lost during Wrath of the Titans? No need to worry, since the writers and director of the movie know just as little about Greek storytelling, and the wrath of the titans: film turned out just fine … for anyone Jonathan Liebesman who enjoyed Legendary the first one. As for everyone else, Wrath is just as poorly conceived as 2010’s Clash of the Titans, with a plot so chaotic and light on character moments that one finds it hard to remember what happened in the previous scene. In fact, the movie’s most notable feature might be the intentionally cheesy performances of Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. The movie opens with a quick recap of the major events of the first film, as if to say, “Yes, the plot is that simple once the special effects are stripped away.” Perseus (Sam Worthington), son of Zeus, lives as a mortal with his 10-year-old son. Unfortunately for him and the rest of humanity, Hades (Fiennes) still has hard feelings for being defeated in the previous film and decides to drain Zeus of his life to release a fiery, skyscraper-sized monster known as Kronos onto the people of ancient Greece. Upon hearing of this, Perseus must travel the land with space-filling companions Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike),
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Poseidon’s son Agenor (Toby Kebbell), and Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) in an effort to reach the underworld and stop Hades. There’s also the god Ares (Edgar Ramirez), who spends most of the film assumedly angry over being the most poorly written character in a movie full of bad writing. The obvious draw for this film and its predecessor is its wall-to-wall action. Little time (maybe five minutes) is wasted before filling Perseus on his quest. From then on, the movie screeches from one fight-filled set piece to another, despite the fact that director Jonathan Liebesman has no idea of how to construct an action scene. While the shaky cam was used to great effect to illustrate the chaos of the Bourne trilogy, it has set a dangerous pattern for future action movies such as Wrath of the Titans. With the camera jerking around wildly during each potentially exciting sequence, it becomes near impossible to know what’s happening during any battle scene. For a film about Greek myth, this filmmaking style seems particularly unnatural, as half the fun lies in seeing the monsters that the hero will have to fight. Occasionally, an entire fight will go by before the audience gets a good look at the monster that Perseus has battled. One poorly edited scene raised the question, “Is Perseus fighting a minotaur or throwing himself into a wall repeatedly?” It’s that hard to tell. Bad or not, the nonstop chaos does serve a purpose: it distracts from the awful dialogues spoken by largely wooden
actors. Worthington doesn’t play Perseus in an aggressively bad manner, but his neutral facial expressions make his character forgettable, a quality that a protagonist should not have. But Worthington’s bland performance doesn’t hold a candle to Pike’s job as Andromeda, a character so vaguely drawn that she usually just blends into the background (or green-screen). Toby Kebbell, as the film’s comic relief, might be funny if his dialogue didn’t sound like it was written by a 15-year-old. For the most part, the actors in this film just run around, fighting and spewing groan-worthy exposition, since writers Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson seemingly can’t write an actual character-driven conversation. If Wrath has one redeeming factor, it is the mere presence of Neeson and Fiennes in the most ridiculous wigs imaginable. While their dialogue is no better than anyone else’s, both veteran actors seem to relish performing through this fantasy trash and collecting an easy paycheck once again. Any child who feared Fiennes as Voldemort should sleep a bit easier after seeing his particularly clownish performance as Hades. The laziness on display in Wrath of the Titans is enough to make even one with little knowledge of Greek mythology shake his head. As an action movie, it fails miserably. For those looking for a comedy, however, Wrath has enough unintentional laughs to warrant a casual viewing with friends once it is released on DVD. n
4
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4. 21 jump street
15
3
5. the lorax
8
5
6. john carter
2
4
1.3
4
8. act of valor
1
6
9. A thousand words
.9
4
10. journey 2
.8
8
7. salmon fishing in the yemen
bestsellers of hardcover fiction 1. stay close Harlan Coben 2. lone wolf: A novel Jodi Picoult 3. force of nature C.J. Box 4. kill shot Vince Flynn 5. The Thief Clive Cussler & Justin Scott
6. private games James Patterson 7. Phantom Ted Bell 8. Defending Jacob William Landay 9. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi Troy Denning SOURCE: Publisher’s Weekly
Classic romantic play ‘Sea’ proves to be poignant and refreshing By Sean Keeley Heights Staff
Perhaps due to Hollywood’s current obsession with remakes, sequels, and re-boots, there is a tendency to disparage films based on existing sources as being “unoriginal” and thus somehow less worthy than films with original scripts. However, there is something to b e said The Deep Blue sea: for the art Terence Davies of adaptation: it is no Camberwell easy task to make an adaptation that honors its source while simultaneously taking enough risks to justify its new incarnation as a film. Thankfully, writer-director Terence Davies strikes just the right balance with his new movie The Deep Blue Sea, based on a 1952 play by British playwright Terence Rattigan. While the source material may be obscure, the film is not the dated and stuffy example of filmed theatre one might expect. Rather, under the direction of Davies and thanks to a gifted cast led by Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea is fully comfortable in its cinematic skin: a moody and moving period piece about
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forbidden love. The movie begins mysteriously, ominously, and almost silently: a woman standing in her London apartment (in a time period “around 1950,” as a title card vaguely informs us) draws the shades, turns on the gas, takes some pills and calmly tries to kill herself. The attempt fails, and as her landlady nurses her back to health, the film gradually tells this woman’s story with a series of flashbacks. She is Hester Collyer (Weisz), a young woman who recently left her rich and much older husband Sir William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale) for an affair with Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), a brash but charming RAF pilot. Over the course of the day to come, the events in Hester’s life come to a boil, as she must finally decide between the stability and kindness offered by her husband and the less certain but more thrilling life offered by Page. On paper, The Deep Blue Sea sounds like a compendium of cliches. On film, it is anything but. The film draws us in first with its style: the photography provides some rich colors but has a dim and hazy quality, suggesting the style of old, faded photographs. The sets and costume design give the impression of
a musty, dingy London still recovering from damage during the war. In fact, The Deep Blue Sea is as much about a city trying to get back on its feet as it is about a love triangle. The sense of location and community Davies conjures throughout the film is quite vivid: from the crowded pub where former soldiers sing to their sweethearts to the underground subway station where Londoners huddle together for safety during the Blitz. Davies renders that flashback by means of an extraordinary tracking shot packed with detail, and it is only one example of how carefully composed and evocative his shots are. Such cinematic flourishes make The Deep Blue Sea breathe comfortably as a film and transcend its theatrical origins, but the movie would flounder without a capable cast to act out the human drama at its center. Weisz serves as the movie’s emotional anchor, and her performance is quiet and restrained but always affecting. Even when the character of Hester acts inscrutably, Weisz makes it believable. The same is true of Beale and Hiddleston: their performances are accomplished enough to let the audience overlook the more problematic aspects of the script, which include
some awkward dialogue and unlikely interactions. Aside from the three leads, the movie is graced with the presence of a host of reliable British character actors, who provide essential support and contribute to the period authenticity so carefully crafted by Davies. The Deep Blue Sea may initially sound like a recipe for stodgy and an-
tiquated melodrama, and to be sure, its melancholy tone and languid pace will not please everyone. But those willing to take the plunge will discover a remarkable feat of adaptation: the transformation of a long-forgotten play into a rich movie exploring the perils of passion, set against a vivid historical backdrop. n
Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com
‘Sea’ distinguishes itself as more than a cliched romance through striking cinematography.
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The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
Humor
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Throwbacks for Spring Concert Johanna Golden For The Heights
Woogeon Kim/Heights Illustration
What a real ‘Eagle Date’ looks like about.
Joseph Pasquinelli
Heights: What was it like when you first saw each other?
Heights: How did your night begin? John: Well, it began really typical with me and my bros pounding some brews in our eight-man in Walsh. I actually managed to shotgun a beer in two seconds, breaking the room record. That told me that it was going to be a good night. Jane: My night began like all my Friday nights. I was getting dressed and putting my makeup on when my roommate’s boyfriend showed up with Smirnoff vodka. The high quality of the drinks told me that love would be in the air that night. Heights: What had you done to prepare yourself for the evening? John: I guess my preparation was all the hard work I had done during the week. I had two midterms and a paper due, so I was pretty stressed Monday through Thursday. I thought I would reward myself by blowing some steam off that Friday night. Jane: I had a lot to do that week. On top of my school work, I had to go out Thursday night because it was my roommate’s 20th birthday. It turned out really disappointingly because the bouncer actually confiscated two of our IDs. Heights: Were you nervous at the beginning of the night? John: Nervous? I was a little too gone to be nervous. Jane: Why would I have been nervous? Heights: Where do you normally go to find a hook-up? John: Wherever. I’m easy. Jane: I usually don’t go out looking for a hook-up, but it almost always happens in the Gate. Heights: Where were you headed that evening? John: Nowhere in particular. We were just gonna go Mod-hopping around 11 until we found a place that wasn’t gonna run out of beer too fast. Jane: My roommate’s boyfriend invited us to a registered party in Edmond’s, but my direct and I decided we were going to a different party in the Mods that she had heard
John: I saw her first. She was texting with one eye closed. She was definitely a 10. She looked really good even though her hair was a little messy. Jane: I saw him across the Mod. He had just gotten done dancing with a girl. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Not overly aggressive with her, which is what I thought was most attractive about him. Heights: Who approached whom? John: We actually just kind of bumped into each other on the way to the fridge. Jane: I approached him. I made it look like a coincidence, but I definitely wanted to get his attention, so I cut him off as he approached the fridge. His beer would have spilled on him if the can wasn’t already empty. He was such a gentleman for taking the can to the recycling bin. Heights: What did you guys talk about? John: We just said, “Hi,” and she smiled at me, so I knew I had a chance with her. Jane: I told him my name. Then he asked me to dance. I wouldn’t say we really talked.
With the controversial cancellation of the Fall Concert, students have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of the spring performer. On Mar. 28, UGBC officially released the featured artists—Nelly and Third Eye Blind—as the two co-headlining acts for the April 20 concert. It appears as though a large majority of the student body is reacting positively to the announcement of the artists. Kevin Borah, LSOE ’14, expressed his support for Nelly, saying, “I would love to hear Nelly perform at the Spring Concert. Nelly used to be very popular for our generation, and I want to be able to go to a concert and know the words.” Some students prefer a more recent hip-hop artist. Dariel Disla, A&S ’15, expressed a different sentiment, saying, “I feel like Nelly is past his prime. I would rather see a hip-hop artist who is out right now and is more relevant.” In the course of the last three years, spring performers have included J. Cole and Wale (2011), The Fray (2010), and Ben Folds and Lupe Fiasco with Tyga as the opening act (2009). Many of these artists fall into the rap or hip-hop genre, with the alternative bands attracting lower numbers. The benefit of a co-headlined performance is that students of varying music preferences are more likely to be satisfied. “I have always wanted to go to a Third Eye Blind concert. I do like rap, but I think it will be cool to see a different type of artist as well. During my time here, we have had a lot of rap artists,” said Lucy Shafer, A&S ’12, who voiced her preference for Third Eye Blind. UGBC has been hesitant to bring in a more alternative performer since the disappointing turnout at the Fray concert. By pairing two artists of the hip-hop and alternative genres, they hope to attract a large number of the student population. Michael Cavoto, executive manager of Campus Entertainment for UGBC and A&S ’13, said that due to the temporary moratorium placed on concerts, there was less time to secure an artist this year. “It was really difficult this year because of
change in time—the doors will open at 4:30 and close at 6 p.m. Chebator hopes that the earlier start, as well as an effort to more clearly communicate expectations, will help to reduce the amount of drinking-related difficulties. Cavoto stressed that UGBC does not want to tell students how to behave, but that for the sake of future concerts, students should try to exercise moderation. “I just want to continue to be able to put on sick concerts that can compete with schools like BU, Northeastern, and UMass. Boston College has great academics, athletics, and people. UGBC and Campus Entertainment are dedicated to making sure it has great entertainment as well,” Cavoto said. Regarding logistics, the doors will open at 4:30 p.m. and will close at 6 p.m. Cavoto encourages students who want the floor seats to arrive early, because they tend to fill up quickly. There will be metal detectors outside, no bags will be allowed in, and police and TeamOps staff will be stationed inside Conte Forum. Students will be able to purchase two tickets per student ID. Tickets will be available Tuesday, April 3 at 8 a.m., and will be sold through online ticketing (bc. edu/robsham). n
John: I invited her back to my room, but my roommate was already passed out, so we just made out some more on my couch. Jane: We kissed a little at the party, but then I went back to my room once the RAs broke up the party. Heights: So what does the future have in store for the two of you? John: I’d definitely Facebook friend her, but I didn’t get her last name. I’d even send her a text next weekend when I’m drunk, but I lost the piece of paper she wrote her number on. Jane: I typed the wrong number into his phone. We’ll definitely awkwardly look away in the Quad for the next two years. Joseph Pasquinelli is a staff writer for The Heights. He welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.
Photo Courtesy of Lehighvalleylive.com
Students are anticipating Third Eye Blind, and the subsequent return of the ’90s, at BC for UGBC’s Spring Concert on April 20 at 4:30 p.m. PHOTOGRAPHER
Mysterious on-campus payphone The scene seems to appear in every dramatic movie. Anxious, desperate, and at wit’s end, the feeble actor drags himself to the nearest pay phone to make that fateful phone call—you know, the one that will decide everything. Securing the crumpled sheet of paper with the scribbled number on it from his pocket, he dials—the camera now focused solely and closely on the meticulous peck of his fingers. Will he save his daughter from the nefarious kidnappers? Will he stop the murder just in time? Payphones, a rather rare sighting nowadays, are almost completely pointless. I have only come into contact with payphones in these dramatic movies. Now, of course, this could be because I own a cell phone and would never have any use for a payphone. But it seems that today, not only are cell phones extremely abundant, but also communication in general is omnipresent. Payphones just don’t seem to have any place in this modern day and age. Frankly, I would feel comfortable walking into a McDonald’s or a gas station and asking
all the red tape we had to cut through to actually be able to have the concert, but all in all I think Boston College is going to love this show. Campus Entertainment and UGBC did everything possible to make sure the Spring Concert would be good enough to make up for the loss of the Fall Concert.” Although the Spring Concert is confirmed for this year, the continuation of the event in future years depends wholly on the behavior of the students. According to Paul Chebator, interim dean of Student Development, the reason for the concert suspension was due to the high number of medical transports. Between 35 and 40 students were reportedly admitted for medical treatment at the fall concert, filling up the entirety of Saint Elizabeth’s emergency room. Chebator said that in order for concerts to continue, the administration would like to see a safer and healthier environment at the Spring Concert. “We want students to take a little bit more responsibility for themselves as well as each other’s behaviors,” Chebator said. In order to curb the excessive amount of drinking before concerts, the administration is partnering with UGBC to make a two-fold effort. The first of these is the
Heights: How did your night end?
On-campus quirks
Cathryn Woodruff
courtesy of dosomething.org
Pairing Nelly and Third Eye Blind is an attempt to attract a wider audience to the concert.
to use their landline if I had an emergency. At Boston College, it is even more effortless to find a phone. Friendly faces in each academic building would be happy to allow you to use their phones. Students, if not in a rush, would also be sure to let you borrow their devices, and there’s no question as to whether or not they’ll have a phone within easy access. Smartphones are present at every turn on campus—students bustling to class, faces consumed in text messages, and mobile Twitter feeds. Thus the obvious question is, why a payphone? But the even more pertinent question is: why in Robsham? When you enter Robsham Theatre, a sign directs you with arrows toward “Restrooms and Telephone.” If you head left, a stainless steal square rests randomly against the wall, sporting a black telephone. Besides the fact that pay phones have been rapidly removed from public places in recent years, the mere placement of this payphone in Robsham Theatre at BC is utterly incomprehensible. Of all BC’s facilites, Robsham seems an odd choice for the sole payphone on campus. Perhaps it has been there forever, some sort of treasured
artifact the school wants to hold on to? Or maybe it has gone completely unnoticed. Maybe people even use it on a regular basis, and I am the ignorant one here, questioning the importance of a payphone. But it is quite bizarre that out of all places on campus to put a payphone, it exists tucked in the back corner of the theatre. Perhaps I am just biased in my perception of payphones from seeing them as the go-to spots for so many sketchy characters in movies. I’m just not very comfortable or familiar with them. I imagine a cloaked figure entering Robsham late one night in the rain, dripping on the carpet as he makes his way to the wall where his fate lies perched.
Cathryn Woodruff is an editor for The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.
The Heights
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editor’s column
Trending:You Only Live Once, so make it count
Therese Tully It’s always the classic dilemma: how to prioritize everything you need and want to do. This is a predicament that is especially relevant for college kids. The world only gives us four years on this gorgeous college campus, and there is so much to do. I want to go to all my classes and go to cool lectures on campus, just for the sake of being cultured, and I want to take long naps and watch lots of TV with my roommates, and I also want to go to the gym every day, and take runs around the reservoir. I want to go shopping on Newbury Street, and explore new restaurants in the North End. I want to spend hours in the bookstore in Coolidge Corner, and I want to eat lots of crepes, and Fin’s, and Chill. I want to go to the Spring Concert, and I want to celebrate Marathon Monday. I want to go out with my roommates on a Friday night after a long week. There are literally millions of things we all want to do day-to-day. With all of these things overwhelming us, from the Facebook event invites to the banners in the Quad, college requires a lot of prioritizing. And there is always that fear in the back of one’s mind that you are going to miss out on something, or regret a decision to not attend an event, and that makes me nervous. But leave it to college kids to latch on to the perfect solution. Enter what is trending everywhere on campus, YOLO. Other than Carley Rae Jepsen’s completely ridiculous, completely wonderful feel-good hit, “Call Me Maybe,” Drake’s “The Motto” is what has been blaring on speakers all across campus. Though it is often said that rappers aren’t the most astute, intellectual minds, Drake really seems to have struck a cord with his fan base and beyond. We all need a motto to live by, and Drake has helped us find one that is perfectly tailored to our collegiate lives. YOLO, or You Only Live Once, is not only a motto—it’s a way of life. YOLO has proven to be a goto assistant in decision-making. After a long day at the library, with Saturday evening looming ahead of me, I was faced with a decision. Should I do what I really want to and go relax with my friends, or should I continue to do more homework? As I lay in bed struggling with this decision, while watching a little Modern Family on my laptop and eating some dinner, it came to me—you only live once. Why not enjoy the time that we have, right? College is the best four years of your life, they say, and I think it has the potential to be so. But it is all about keeping some perspective. Weirdly enough, Drake has come in to help with this. Though he is hardly spouting a new philosophy, and reminders that life is short are common, it seems that through the medium of his popular tracks he has reached us all. It is a way of life that is a good one. YOLO is about being there for your roommates when they are stressed, and it is about being there for yourself, too. Hopefully, the gorgeous weather will descend again upon Chestnut Hill and we will all have the opportunity to remember that life is short, and we only live once, and we have to remember to enjoy it. Maybe that class reading can wait another day, maybe today we need to go sit in the sunshine, spend some time with our friends, take a nap, or just do something good for ourselves. I never thought that I would sit here and dedicate a whole column to the philosophy behind a rapper’s words, but I guess Drake deserves it. So for the rest of the year, just remember YOLO. It will help you get the most out of this wonderful spring semester.
Therese Tully is the Features editor for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Real World
After the fact, Blackout and C.A.R.E. Week coincidence explored AJ Ferrera Barstool Blackout or Take Back the Night? It had to be one or the other—to propose co-existence was blasphemy. But what was so outrageous about going to both events on the same night? Why couldn’t I support the victims of sexual abuse, whose courage I commend, while still wanting to dance at the House of Blues? I’m not going to comment on whether or not I went to one, both, or neither of the events last Wednesday, but I don’t see the issue with supporting both Take Back the Night and Barstool Blackout. In fact, I think anyone who says you need to choose one side of the debate, in either direction, is out of touch with reality. Last week was C.A.R.E. Week, a time to raise awareness about rape education. As with most Boston College events, there is a spectrum of student interest, ranging from total disinterest to complete involvement. Over the past two and a half years, I know I’ve poked fun at some of the more farfetched school sponsored programs, but C.A.R.E. Week is the exception. Even students who are indifferent to events such as Take Back the Night understand the gravity of the event and the courage it takes to get up in front of your peers and share some of the most serious parts of your life. Indifference does not equate with being unconcerned. I have never come across anyone who has said, “I don’t support C.A.R.E Week because I support rape.” A lack of support never condoned sexual assault, or even turned a blind eye to pretend it doesn’t happen on college campuses, especially BC. It was about apathy. It was about not understand-
ing how severe of an emotional scar sexual assault leaves behind. Criticizing students for overlooking rape by supporting an event like Blackout is as illogical as believing sexual assault happens everywhere but BC. I am a strong advocate for Take Back the Night and C.A.R.E. Week in general. I even participated in the Masculinity Panel put on by the Women’s Resource Center, the Center for Student Formation, and the Office of First Year Experience. When I told an administrator I was considering going to Barstool, not only was he appalled, but he preceded to question my character. Questioning my priorities and the root of what I stood for was shocking to hear, especially from a respected member of BC’s faculty. I admire the work of all offices on campus, even helping out with C.A.R.E. week programs, so being blasted for even the thought of supporting Barstool made me reconsider what I believed in. I occasionally read Barstool Sports and definitely don’t agree with the majority of smut peddled by El Pres, but to say Barstool tolerates rape is ridiculous. This isn’t a plug backing the website. In fact, I don’t agree with the general integrity of the site itself. It is unfair, however, to say that Barstool promotes rape and sexual assault. The Blackout Tour is not a title suggesting drinking to the point of no return or preying on people unable to make their own decisions. The lure in the Blackout Tour is a college party, with music, hook-ups, and drinking for those of age—not an opportunity to take advantage of drunk freshman girls. I know the strong advocates for Take Back the Night point to the fact that whether or not the
Blackout Tour promotes sexual assault, it fosters an atmosphere for such tragic events to happen. I completely agree that as “men and women for others,” the best way to end sexual assault is to stop environments that promote it. The fact that Blackout and Take Back the Night were on the same night was an unfortunate occurrence. I understand the connotation behind having such polarized events on the same night, but to truly stop sexual assault, we need to look beyond Barstool Blackout. It isn’t my place to tell students how to conduct themselves. But if students are serious about C.A.R.E, Barstool should not be the center of their contention. BC administration is as much to blame. It’s time BC students and administration stop preaching social justice only Monday through Thursday while pretending that morality can be put on hold Friday and Saturday. The thing to blame is the drinking culture. Every college has a drinking culture, shaped by university code and restrictions. You can’t stop college drinking, just like you can’t stop speeding on the highway. The tighter the restrictions, the more the law will be broken. The severe restrictions on alcohol consumption on and around campus have led to binge drinking, which never ends well. BC needs to swallow its pride and choose the lesser of two evils—help promote safe levels of drinking or continue trying to reconcile the inevitable poor decisions made over the weekend at Sunday mass.
AJ Ferrera is a contributor to The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com.
How To:
Create the perfect Marathon Monday playlist this year Taylor Cavallo Ah, Marathon Monday. The only Monday that feels like a Saturday night. The morally reprehensible day when drinking at 9 a.m. is acceptable beyond the realm of alcoholism and everyone pretends to care about marathon running. The day when crashing before 7 p.m. is not only expected, but also embraced, and Commonwealth Ave. is shut down seemingly for the sole purpose of the drunken enjoyment of Boston College students. Oh, and those runners. All harsh generalizations aside, Marathon Monday is undeniably one of the biggest party days of the year for Boston College students. It makes St. Patrick’s day look like child’s play, which, as you know if you are at all acquainted with the population of our lovely, predominantly Irish campus, is no easy feat. Synonymous for many with the coming of spring to BC, it is an exclusively BC campus phenomena, but let’s be real, can we really imagine Marathon Monday at any other school? As many things as there are to complain about on Marathon Monday, it does add a certain unique tradition to our campus that is anticipated all year long. It’s a tradition that BC not only supports, but truly fosters. It’s a party that stretches down Comm. Ave., and what’s a party without music? Answer: nothing. There are two types of people on Marathon Monday: the people who have been training for months to run, and the hoi polloi—namely, everybody else. Both groups of people (however small the former may seem) should prepare for this monumental day that
graham beck / heights editor
The playlist for every big event should be well thought out, especially on Marathon Monday. only comes around once a year with the appropriate playlists. Whether you’re mentally and physically readying yourself to run the rigorous 26.2 miles or drink yourself silly, music will help you appropriately prepare to reach both ends, whether that end is the finish line or your bed at 5:30 p.m. Music is key to set the tone for the whole day, and therefore preparing for it should be taken seriously. On occasions like this when everyone feels somewhat of an obligation to party, it is easy to get lost in terms of music selection. People tend to fall into the pit of overdone favorites: the “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Chicken Fried” black holes that are difficult to come out of, as they seem to be everyone’s favorite
song at moments such as these. While it is entirely unrealistic to assume that Zac Brown Band won’t be played at a Marathon Monday backyard Mod BBQ in the warm mid-April weather, or that the new and absurdly popular “Call Me Maybe” won’t be heard a million times while pre-gaming, throwing in some unexpected and appropriately placed songs along with these BC party staples is a refreshing option, making your pre-Marathon Monday gathering one to remember, or not remember for that matter. While this is more of a time than any to rage, it is crucial to keep in mind that this is still a day gathering. Dancing is (or should be) a priority on days like this, so songs that meet this
demand must be included. If Marathon Monday is the only Monday that feels like a Saturday night, go all out. Play your go-to Saturday night playlist, in all its hip hop and electro glory. Don’t hold back. With recent Young Money hits and Afrojack remixes scattered with some throwback favorites such as “I Know You See It” by Young Joc and Chingy’s “Right Thurr,” you can’t go wrong. Yet, these clearly necessary jams are still expected. You want to be different. But relaxed, fun day jams are also crucial. “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners is a classic, perhaps not heard on a weekend night, but is perfectly fit for a spring day of partying. Anything Tom Petty, Blink 182 or, now even more appropriately, Third Eye Blind, will get people ready for an early morning of partying. Depending on your group’s appreciation of older music, “Young Man Blues” by The Who would also be an unpredicted addition to your playlist, but might fall flat among people unacquainted with the group. In that case, revert back to the sure-to-please genre of rap, but spice it up a bit. After you’re done playing the required “Headlines” and “Dance (A$$),” Biggie, select Tupac, and old school rappers like ’90s Dr. Dre, N.W.A, Eazy E, and Ice Cube have a surprisingly good success rate at pre-games. See the attached playlist for more alternative ideas. Marathon Monday comes once a year. Don’t risk the biggest party day of the BC calendar with the same, cliched songs. Don’t let everyone’s favorite day of the year be ruined by your terrible playlist.
Taylor Cavallo is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.
he said, she said So I personally think the Mods are kind of disgusting and cramped, but a lot of my friends really want to live there when we’re seniors. I can’t really understand why, and I feel like it’s more of a “guy thing” to do, but I feel like I’m going to get roped in to at least trying to get one. Thoughts?
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hey smell, they’re old, they’re broken, they’re cramped, and I couldn’t be happier that I live in one. Personally, I used to feel the exact same way you do, right up until the moment we got a pick time that meant we might be able to get one. Then, I decided I needed one, and it’s been great. I Alex Trautwig don’t want to sit here and romanticize them, because there are downfalls. Perhaps the five or six work orders we’ve put in for the plumbing alone might deter you, or the given pressure to have parties (all registered and 21-plus, of course), and that would be understandable. But these are pretty small things to deal with when you look at where you get to live and the environment. I’ve spent lots of time in most of the buildings on campus— Vandy is a hotel compared to my Mod—but when the weather’s nice and people are out grilling and hanging out, it’s a pretty unique experience. All this being said, you don’t have to live in one to reap the benefits. Just knowing people in the Mods is a pretty good deal when you’re a senior. We usually have people around that don’t live in a Mod, but having friends with Mods is pretty great as well. You get to go to them, enjoy, party, etc. and then when it’s time to clean up the beer cans you get to leave. Not a bad deal. If you can get one, do it. If you can’t, don’t let it ruin your mood because you’ll still get to spend plenty of time there.
Alex Trautwig is senior staff for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com.
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understand why you’re worried, but stop it! As a Mod resident, I think they are a great place to live. I’m not going to lie, some of my roommates were a little hesitant when they found out we got a Mod, but boy did they change their minds quickly. They were concerned that the Mods would be too Madeline demoulas loud and cramped with constant pressure to throw parties. I can honestly say we haven’t had to worry about any of these things. The Mods have more space than you think. The common room is spacious and perfect for hosting people, whether it is for dinner, hanging out, or a party. The atmosphere of the Mods is definitely something you have to experience at Boston College. Tailgating in the fall is so much fun, and being able to grill for all of your friends in your backyard is something you can’t do anywhere else on campus. Take a minute to think of what you want to be doing your senior spring. Do you want to be stuck in an enclosed dorm room? I bet you would rather lie in a nice beach chair as you soak up the sun on your back patio while watching your neighbors play corn hole in the quad. Your Mod is only disgusting if you allow it to be disgusting. Just take a little time every weekend to spruce up the place. Now, the bedrooms are a little small, but it’s not anything you can’t work with. The Mods allow you to socialize with so many people in your grade, and I can’t think of a better place to live during your last year of college.
Madeline Demoulas is senior staff for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.
The Heights
Monday, April 2, 2012
T-shirts foster community
Eagle Dates
MEET THE DATERS:
See T-shirts, C8 group or posts, it doesn’t come up on your newsfeed as often,” Larik explains, which can be an issue. Facebook usually serves as the main way that students hear about different things happening on campus, as e-mails prove to be largely ineffective. But with these changes, even Facebook is making publicizing difficult. The two rely on Facebook, as well as the word of mouth of their friends to help sell their shirts for every event. Also, this year the two have started using WePay, which calls for people to pay for their shirts and shades when they order them, as opposed to just posting what size shirt they wanted on a Facebook group, and paying when they picked it up. This system has served to streamline the process. Though Larik said he knew this would initally hurt orders a bit, since it was more of a commitment to purchasing than simply putting your name on a Facebook post, he said that the system has been hugely beneficial to them. This way Calo and Larik can get a more accurate order for their shirts, since they have to order them in advance. But the question remains, what keeps these two coming back for more? What drives this spirit in them to create and
“What I love the best about doing the t-shirts is not the money. What is cool is going to the Plex or walking around campus and seeing somebody wearing our shirt after the event.” -Mark Larik CSOM ‘13
NAME: Gabrielle McKenzie YEAR: 2012 MAJOR: English and Economics FAVORITE HILLSIDE SANDWICH: Eagles’s Nest is better FAVORITE MOVIE: ‘Dirty Dancing’
NAME: Will Rasky YEAR: 2012 MAJOR: History FAVORITE HILLSIDE SANDWICH: Boston Beef FAVORITE MOVIE: ‘The Big Lebowski’
A last minute date proves to be a networking opportunity and more? HEIGHTS: How did your date begin?
Heights: How did your date begin?
GABRIELLE: I got there a few minutes before him, we went to Bill’s Pizza in Newton Centre, and we shook hands.
Will: It was great, she had been funny in the e-mail and told me what she would be wearing, so it was easy to spot her. I was immediately taken aback because she’s very pretty and I thought there was the chance for something more.
HEIGHTS: How did you prepare for this date? GABRIELLE: I took a shower and got ready. I found out about it really last minute. I was wondering if I would know him or not. HEIGHTS: What did you guys talk about? GABRIELLE: It was good. We talked about his interest in government and politics, how he used to sing, and he’s interested in Northern Ireland, and I studied abroad in Ireland last year. He’s Jewish so we talked about Bar Mitzvahs, and our thoughts about having gone to BC now that we’re seniors.
GABRIELLE: No, the conversation flowed pretty well. HEIGHTS: Did you have anything surprising in common? What was the most interesting thing you learned about your date? GABRIELLE: He’s interested in working in the field my dad’s in, so he jokingly said the date would be more lucrative for him if he could work a job offer out of it. HEIGHTS: How did you two end the evening? GABRIELLE: We went to Starbucks. Then he drove me back to campus and walked me to my building and we hugged goodbye. HEIGHTS: What would you have done differently? GABRIELLE: I might have gone to a different restaurant. HEIGHTS: What does the future hold for you two? GABRIELLE: We found out that we have a lot of mutual friends, so I can see us crossing paths quite frequently after this.
Want to go on your own Eagle Date? Contact Features@bcheights.com
heights: How did you prepare for the date? Will: I prepared with a quick meditation session, as I only found out I was going on the date just a few hours before. I had lost my phone that day so I was really stressed out. We coordinated everything by e-mail. I’ve never been on a blind date before, and I don’t know of anyone who has had successful blind dates. I went in with an open mind and I knew that at the very least I’d meet someone new in the senior class. Heights: How did the conversation go? Will: We jumped immediately into conversation and hit it off. We talked about how I lost my phone, and basically went through my hectic Friday night. She told me about her night, and it kind of went from there—we talked about big stuff and small stuff. Heights: What was the most surprising thing you learned? Will: I learned a ton of interesting things about her. One of her roommates is dating one of my closest friends since freshman year. Her dad might be able to hook me up with a job, too. Heights: How did you end the date? Will: We went to Starbucks and spent another 45 minutes there and drove back. I walked her back to her dorm room, and she said she’d be happy to give me her number when I get my phone. HEIGHTS: What does the future hold for you two? Will: She’ll be my first call once I get my phone back.
RATE YOUR DATES
NAME: Gabrielle McKenzie
RATE THE DATE ON A SCALE OF 1-5 (5 BEING BEST)
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NAME: Will Rasky
RATE THE DATE ON A SCALE OF 1-5 (5 BEING BEST)
5
campus chronicles
Nelly and Third Eye Blind are the perfect combination Jenn Lavoie Sitting in my 2:00 p.m. Spanish class in Carney last week, I attempted to inch my phone closer to the window at the hopes of gaining a single bar of service. Just a few minutes later I feel my phone vibrate and look down to see the answer to the anxious text I had sent my friends just before arriving to class: “Nelly and Third Eye Blind.” Solid. Awaiting the announcement for this year’s 2012 Spring Concert seemed to be an event in itself. The weeks leading up to this past Wednesday were filled with rumors and hype, but overall, excitement. Hearing talk of Avicii, Lil Wayne, and other current artists had the Boston College campus buzzing. It had just been too long since we packed ourselves into Conte Forum for a night of pure music. After this past fall concert’s mishap, where students were left disappointed and lacking the famous beginning-of-the-year event, many of us held our breath as we waited to see if there would in fact be a Spring Concert. Finding out there would be instantly sparked the concern that, well, this year’s concert needed to be a hit. Following the 2010 fall concert of Kid Cudi and LMFAO and the 2011 Spring Concert of Wale and J. Cole, it seemed that many were hoping for a change-up. After lines backed up to the Mods, drownedout speakers, a drop in ticket sales and an infamous number of arrests, the pressure
Anticipating Patriot’s Day at BC Marathon Monday, from C8
HEIGHTS: Were there any awkward moments? reach out to their BC peers? Especially with increasing competition, many people would give up this project, but not Bo$$ton Inc. In addition to what is required of them during their college careers, this is definitely a large and time consuming project—one that only two passionate people could stand to undertake. If they didn’t love what they did, Calo and Larik would surely have given it up by now, and would be preparing for Marathon Monday like everyone else. “What I love the best about doing the t-shirts is not the money. What is cool is going to the Plex or walking around campus and seeing somebody wearing our shirt after the event,” Larik said. So with the big day coming up, there is still time to purchase a tank and some shades. By supporting your fellow students’ endeavor, and sporting a Marathon Monday t-shirt, you are furthering the bonds of community here on campus. Marathon Monday is a highly celebrated day at BC, and students get creatvie. So grab a t-shirt and show your support on the big day. n
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was on UGBC to provide an unreal Spring Concert. When you hit a bump in the road, there really is no better option than to revert to the classics. I am confident in saying there is no one on the BC campus who doesn’t enjoy the timelessness of some quality ’90s jams. The ‘90s were the years of champions. They were the days of coming home from school at 3:00 p.m., kicking off the sneakers, enjoying a Go-Gurt or Lunchable if you will, and heading upstairs to pop the new NOW 2 into the CD player. I love dubstep and a superb “Levels” mashup just as much as the next person, but in the end, it simply can’t and will never compare to any form of ’90s music. The days of simple lyrics that you memorized unconsciously, music videos all day everyday on MTV, and outfits that put Northfaces and UGGs to shame. Hearing that the pick of the draw was none other than Nelly and Third Eye Blind truly made me proud to be apart of this fine Jesuit institution. In my mind, it is the perfect mix. Not only will we get to experience the undeniably witty rap lyrics of Nelly, which were a middle school dance favorite, but we’ll be able to scream the lyrics to “Semi-Charmed Life” as we remember the good old days. The combination of the two artists is truly incomparable. Whether or not Nelly’s famous band-aid will be making an appearance is still up in the air, but our hopes nonetheless remain high. Although both Nelly and Third Eye
Photo Courtesy of triangle artsandentertainment.org
Many students excitedly anticipate that Third Eye Blind will perform with Nelly at the Spring Concert. Blind are often coined as ’90s artists, both have had new music releases within the past few years. Nelly dropped his album 5.0 in 2010 with a number of notable collaborations, and plans to release a new album within the year. Third Eye Blind, on the other hand, released Ursa Major, which a number of fans agreed was just as good as their old stuff, in the spring of 2009. Seeing them perform at House of Blues the spring of my senior year of high school, I can 100 percent agree with this. Ultimately, both have lost neither their touch nor their acclaimed fan base. Now that the lineup has been announced, it is only a matter of weeks until the concert commences. Tickets go on
sale April 3 at 8 a.m. and are $30 either at Robsham or online, and on April 20, students will flock to Conte for what is expected to be one of the best concerts we’ve seen on the Heights thus far. Depending on the turnout for the concert, this could also be one of the best crowds both artists have seen in a while. Even though there has been a change-up in the game with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and closing at 6:00 p.m., students will be sure to not let the time change ruin the nostalgia for the glory days. Jenn Lavoie is a contributor to The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.
port for people they know who are brave enough to actually run the marathon by making shirts to support them, typically decorated with ridiculous phrases or inside jokes. Some of the runners even get in on the ostentatious outfit competition. In past years, runners have taken the typical sweat-proof Under Armour or Lululemon attire and challenged it with more eye-catching displays for the spectators on the sides, like head-totoe Halloween costumes. One valiant soul last year ran the entire race in a chicken suit. Few students have their act together by this morning hour, yet watching the first batch of runners pass by around 10 or 11 a.m. is a highlight of the day. Though almost impossible to believe, these gifted sprinters turn this 26.2-mile exhibition into a full-out race. They glide down Commonwealth Ave. as though on their first mile—fast-paced, yet calm, cool, and collected. Watching these chiseled racers tool on the marathon may fill you with a momentary craving to hit the Plex, but it’s definitely worth watching. As the morning continues, the campus-wide chaos slowly ensues. On-duty Resident Assistants start making their rounds at the aggressive hour of 9 a.m. to make sure things stay under control in the dorms. Smart students get out of there early and make their way to other party pit stops. Unfortunately for the majority of campus, the Mods are closed down to 21 plus. BCPD patrols the area like hungry hawks, so credit is due to those who dare to hop the fence and successfully make it into paradise. The rest of the minors are locked out of the fun zone and forced to peer in jealously on the endless amounts of grilling, corn-holeplaying, and partying. Getting to the off-campus area is quite the challenge. Obviously, the glorious BC Shuttle Bus does not run on Marathon Monday, so spectators are forced to wander through the sea of people on Comm. Ave. all on their own. This can be crowded and dangerous. Crossing the street is probably the most impossible part of the day, due to the possibility of being trampled by runners or being nabbed by the police patrolling the course. All in all, making the trek off campus to frolic from house to house in a celebratory bliss is totally worth the struggle. BC isn’t the only part of Boston that goes all out for Marathon Monday. Every year, the Red Sox play a home game during the race. This year, the Sox will take on the Tampa Bay Rays beginning at 11:05 a.m. As if the city isn’t packed enough with people, the Sox game draws in an extra crowd that makes Boston that much more rowdy and impossible to get around. When the game ends, the mob of fans swarms the 25th mile at Kenmore Square, spurring on the runners during their final stretch. Though the army of BC students who watch the race far outnumbers those who run the race, it is a big day for the victorious competitors nonetheless. Most athletes train months and months in advance to gear up for the marathon. Some do this in a group, like those who run for the Campus School, while others prepare alone. Caroline Scannell, A&S ’14, began her training schedule Jan. 1 (talk about a New Year’s Resolution, right?). This is her first full marathon, and though she admits to being anxious about the draining 26.2-mile course, her excitement outweighs her nerves. She explained, “The thing I’m most excited for is crossing the finish line and finally being able to say I’ve completed a marathon.” Who could blame her? Giving up one of the most epic days at BC to participate in the event is far beyond admirable. The accomplishment of completing the marathon is incredible and will probably be a much more memorable and moving experience than the majority of the student body will have on that day. By the end of the day, the livelier mid-morning version of campus transitions into what looks more like a deserted tumbleweed town. Sluggish spectators retreat to their beds by late afternoon, feeling just as dehydrated as the runners. Whether it is for the night or just a rally nap, nothing’s better than crawling into your twin XL after the long day of festivities. Clearly, Boston rings in Patriot’s Day better than anywhere else in the country with this day of euphoric madness surrounding the marathon. Whether you’re racing from mile to mile or from case to case, big things are sure to come from this year’s Marathon Monday. Students wait all year for this day off from classes to come, and revel in the springtime joy it brings with it. n
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Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday, April 2, 2012
The final sprint to Marathon Monday By Bridget Norris For The Heights
Everyone dreads Mondays. They signal the end of the weekend and the start of the weekday grind. Every April at Boston College, however, there comes a Monday that breaks all the rules. Patriot’s Day, known as just another underappreciated holiday at other universities, is celebrated here like New Year’s Eve. Better known as Marathon Monday, this is a holiday unique to the schools of Comm. Ave. Students in the Boston area come together to cheer on the runners in the annual Boston Marathon, who train hard all year to finish this seemingly impossible race. As New England’s most watched sporting event of the year, it instills a sense of school and city pride that is otherwise hard to come by. The course itself stretches across Massachusetts for 26.2 miles, starting out in Hopkinton, a suburb southwest of the city, and ending in the heart of Boston at Copley Square. Undoubtedly, the best part of the course is Mile 21. This marker is located right outside the Bea House before Upper Campus and Bapst Library. It not only signifies the end of Heartbreak Hill, the infamously challenging upward terrain of the run, but it marks the beginning of the BC madness. Spectators and runners spend the night before this glorious day in quite a similar way. Hydrating and an early bedtime are keys to surviving the festivities. But by seven in the morning, practically the entire campus is up and at ’em, hardly able to sleep for all of the excitment. The dining halls are crawling with students scarfing down massive amounts of pancakes, egg sandwiches, cereal, and waffles to give them enough energy to last all day. As students return to their dorms with their batteries fully charged, they’re left with one final task before the fun commences: the perfect outfit. For whatever reason, the norms of fashion go out the window for Marathon Monday, and they are replaced with an unspoken competition for who can wear the most outrageous things. The day is a celebration of bright and bold attire for runners and spectators alike. While some choose to invest in one of the v ar ie ty of studentmade t-shirts, others scrounge their closets for the brightest, tightest , and loudest things they own. Like any BC event, it is largely about the outfit. Friends show their sup-
See Marathon, C7 Woogeon Kim/Heights photo Illustration
Woogeon Kim/Heights photo Illustration
Students foster an entrepreneurial spirit on Marathon Monday By Therese Tully Features Editor
College is a time for following one’s dreams and taking risks. It is at this time in life that one is young, enthusiastic, and has the time and the ambition to take on a great project. Despite the hectic life of classes, work, extracurriculars,
and other activities, some students find the time to start their own entrepreneurial start-ups on top of all of the other commitments and projects vying for their attention. Two such students, Michael Calo and Mark Larik, both CSOM ’13, were inspired to take on a project during their undergraduate years outside the realm
Photo Courtesy of Bo$$ton Inc.
A mock up of the design for this year’s Marathon Monday tanks, which are still on sale.
i nside FE ATURES this issue
of their regular responsibilities. The two are responsible for designing and selling a host of different t-shirts and sunglasses to Boston College students under the title Bo$$ton Inc. The two met freshman year as randomly paired roommates, and have been friends and business partners ever since. The two discovered that they worked well together, and as a team ,could combine forces for the greatest success. Larik claims to be the organized one, while Calo is the creative mind behind the designs, “I have had an entrepreneurial spirit, and Mike likes to create new things,” Larik said. The two perfectly complement each other, and have found great success in their partnership. The process of running a business, which the pair does online and off campus, is not an easy one. The entire production, from concept design to distribution of the product, is one that requires creativity and a lot of coordination. The two began their endeavor freshman year and have continued ever since. “Second semester freshman year, we sold four different t-shirts. They were Boston College-themed, and they were not for any event. It was a lot of t-shirts, and it was confusing with all the different colors and sizes and everything,” Larik said. After this initial success, the two learned from their experiences and changed their business model slightly. They went on to sell t-shirts and sunglasses for the Notre Dame game and Marathon Monday in the spring, choosing to make shirts for event-specific dates. By doing this, the two were forced to use a strict deadline that helped them get their work done. “The reason why we did t-shirts
Photo Courtesy of Bo$$ton Inc.
Calo and Larik also design and sell glasses to enhance the Marathon Monday experience. initially was that we wanted to make money. Then we saw how cool it was that people liked our t-shirts. Seeing people wearing them around, I think it adds community to the school, people all wearing the same t-shirt,” Larik said. This year, the pair will be selling tanks and sunglasses for Marathon Monday. “We are the only people that I have seen who are doing sunglasses in addition to tanks, so that’s pretty cool.” The CSOM duo was inspired by their own lives in creating their products. “I always look at things, and I look for what areas need to be improved or where there is a niche,” Larik said. After searching the bookstore for new options, aside from the classic BC t-shirts and sweatshirts, the pair wanted alternative apparel options. “After you have a shirt and sweatshirt and maybe pants that say
A Retrospective Look at the Barstool Blackout Tour
Students look back at the evening and all that happened during the highly anticipated Barstool Blackout Tour this past week..............................................................................C6
‘Boston College’ in big letters, you want something a little different, and that’s how it started. I think any great idea starts when you really notice a problem in your personal life,” Larik said. The process is pretty standard, with Calo coming up with the designs, and then the pair outsources their production. The two collect orders and advertise, mainly over Facebook, and with the help of word of mouth. They always over-order, leaving room for last-minute orders. In highlighting the Jesuit ideals they are so immersed in here at BC, any leftover t-shirts from their events get donated to charity. With the structuring of Facebook, advertising online has become increasingly difficult. “When someone joins our
See T-shirts, C7
Eagle Date.......................................C7 Campus Quirks................................C5