The Heights 04/03/2014

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Baseball beat UMass, earning consecutive victories, A8

The Boston Society of Architects strives to improve city’s design, B8

The seniors of My Mother’s Fleabag reflect on four years of improv at the O’Connell House, B1

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Vol. XCV, No. 19

Historic Chinese pagodas hosted in O’Neill Library

BY SAMANTHA COSTANZO Heights Editor One hundred years ago, the three intricately carved pagodas currently standing in O’Neill Library were in the Tou Se We orphanage in Shanghai, where orphans carved them to represent China’s art in the San Francisco World’s Fair. After the fair, the pagodas were transferred to the Chicago Field Museum. Three remain there today, but up until this December, the other 83 pagodas in the collection appeared to have vanished.

Boston College students in the Chinese history class From Sun Yat-sen to the Beijing Olympics, offered by Rev. Jeremy Clarke, S.J., tested the limits of technology in a research project that ultimately led to the pagodas’ discovery in a Somerville, Mass. warehouse.

“In some ways, this is an event that is far

Task force restructures BC programs

beyond class research,” Clarke said. “This has become an event.”

Now, after weeks of negotiating with the anonymous owner of the newly located pagodas, three of the most culturally significant ones will be on display in O’Neill Library until the end of Arts Fest in April.

The small exhibit officially opened on Wednesday night in a ceremony featuring a talk by Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister of Australia and a Chinese history scholar currently teaching at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Rudd’s talk, entitled “Imagining the China of 2023,” a year that would mark over 100 years of communism in China and 10 years since the discovery of the pagodas, dealt less with the pagodas themselves than with major

New organization with SPO oversight to run programming

BY CONNOR FARLEY News Editor

about future college applicants. “We want students to be able to put together a comprehensive profile of their accomplishments, experiences, and skills. If you’re a concert cellist, you should be able to put a video in your application.”

Applicants aren’t the only ones who will benefit from Nxt4—college counselors will as well. According to Nxt4’s presentation, there are, on average, 471 students for every college counselor in the U.S. By creating a sort of enterprise management system for counselors, Nxt4 is seeking to streamline the massive amounts of data that counselors have to go to.

Admissions officers, too, are proposed beneficiaries of Nxt4. “It currently costs BC, on average, $2,500 to recruit each freshman student,” Nicholson said. “That’s around $5 million per incoming freshman class. Our goal is to cut that down.”

Nxt4 wasn’t the only business plan that is seeking to make a major impact.

In a BCVC main event first, Molly Miller and YouSit tied for second place, each receiving half of the $12,500 prize money.

YouSit, a real-time digital market place, aims to change the way people “get rid of their stuff.” “It doesn’t matter if it’s a book, a chair, or a piece of pizza,

Since December, a task force designed to restructure the current system of programming and campus activities at Boston College has been working toward the finalization of a new programming organization.

After UGBC split from two of its programming branches—BC2Boston and Campus Entertainment—a committee was formed to overhaul the existing methods of event planning and other forms of on-campus programming that were previously the responsibility of UGBC and Nights on the Heights (NOTH).

The task force is comprised of two advisors from the Student Programs Office (SPO), Director Gus Burkett and Associate Director Mark Miceli; two student co-chairs, Kendall Stemper, A&S ’15, and Alex Orfao, CSOM ’16; and a combination of nine undergraduate representatives from BC2Boston, NOTH, and Campus Entertainment.

“It’s about trying to start from ground zero as much as possible,” Stemper said.

Tasked with overhauling the existing methods of programming on campus, the committee aims to launch a new organization that will combine the previous programming efforts of UGBC, NOTH, and Campus Entertainment, and combine them under one newly rebranded entity.

“It’s about figuring out the best structure that is going to enable the best programs for BC programming on campus and off campus,” Orfao said.

Although a definitive structure has yet to be finalized by the task force, the new programming body will likely feature a tiered system of leadership that focuses on providing innovative and improved activities both on and off campus.

Currently, the task force has not established titles or positions within the board, but, according to Stemper and Orfao, it will do so within the next two weeks.

“We’re hoping to have the structure last for years to come,” Stemper said.

While it is still yet to be voted on, the internal structure of the new programming board will likely consist of an executive leadership council, the determination of which has yet to

See BCVC, A3

See Programming, A3

ROBIN KIM / HEIGHTS STAFF

See Pagodas, A3

Former prime minister of Australia Kevin Rudd (right) opened the pagoda reception ceremony.

Investors, students gather for final round of BCVC Nxt4 takes the final round of the annual venture competition

BY SCOTT BAILEY For The Heights

EMILY SADEGHIAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

On Tuesday, prospective start-ups competed for the $20,000 first-place prize at BCVC.

Investors from venture capital firms like Highland Capital and .406 Ventures are about to change the way high school students will apply to college. Disruption is the name of the game, and Nxt4 is looking to flip the college application process on its head.

“The world has a lot of problems to be solved,” said Monica Chandra, co-founder and president of TurnRight Advice Solutions, Inc. and BC ’87. Nxt4 is looking to solve the issue that faces too many college applicants, advisors, and admissions officers—an abundance of depersonalized and decentralized data.

For applicants, Nxt4 will serve as a running resume that will aggregate experiences ranging from freshman year all the way through graduation.

In its 15-minute pitch, features like an integrated calendar, application restrictions, and a live data feed were all presented to the panel of judges and the audience.

“Students are more adept at building an online presence than ever before,” said Christian Nicholson, CSOM ’15,

Junior Matthew Evans awarded Goldwater scholarship for bio research

BY CAROLYN FREEMAN Heights Staff Matthew Evans, A&S ’15, was recently awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, one of the most prestigious scholarships in the country given to an undergraduate student studying science and mathematics. The scholarship is named after Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater and is intended to encourage students to pursue graduate work and research in these areas.

A faculty member from the biology department nominated Evans for the federally funded award. He then submitted his research proposal to Mary Roberts, the faculty coordinator for the award, who chooses two sophomores and two juniors for review by the national committee. To earn this scholarship, one must have participated in research, or have a definite plan for future research. This summer, Evans is traveling to Cambridge, England to study a different technique of neuron imaging that he hopes to use in his

thesis.

“He was special because he showed a level of independence that I didn’t see in other candidates,” Roberts said.

“If you get a Goldwater it basically says, ‘we think you’re pretty special.’

What Goldwater is often looking for is someone who is going to do something a little out of the ordinary. They want to support people who are going into science.”

Evans spends about 30 hours a week working in Laura Lowery’s developmental neuroscience research lab.

His work is on axon guidance, and his independent research project has been a structure and function analysis of one of the regulating genes.

Although Evans, who earns class credit for his work, started working on his project in the fall, the lab became official this semester. Two graduate students, three technicians and nine other undergraduates work in the lab. Lowery was one of the primary advocates for Evans’ nomination for the scholarship, she said.

“He displays an intellectual intensity and excitement for research that I have rarely seen in an undergrad,” she said.

“I’ve been very impressed with him from the moment he walked into my office.”

After he graduates, Evans plans to eventually attend a six-year M.D.-Ph.D. program. The Goldwater Scholarship will help him get into one of these competitive programs, Roberts said.

“It’s a recognition that it’s not just your school that thinks you’re great, that it’s a larger body of people,” she said.

Evans hopes to do a combination of patient care and research. He wants to conduct research on a disease like tuberculosis or malaria—he hopes to grow the disease in culture in the lab, test out potential drugs, and then see how people in different parts of the world react to the treatment, he said.

“The future of medicine is tailoring through this kind of research treatments for these diseases to specific

See Evans, A3

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Goldwater scholarship is awarded to undergraduates studying math and science.

The Heights

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things to do on campus this week

My Mother’s Fleabag, America’s oldest collegiate improv comedy group, will perform its annual Spring Big Show in the O’Connell House this weekend. Shows will begin at 7 and 10 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday night, and admission is free.

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick will present on their Showtime series and book, The Untold History of the United States, on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Robsham Theater. They will focus on terrorism during the Bush and Obama administrations.

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A dozen Boston College dance groups, including one of last year’s winning crews, Phaymus, will compete Saturday night in Conte Forum in the Annual Showdown, hosted by UGBC. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m, and tickets are available through the Robsham box office.

Words not Newsom urges revolutionized gender debate required

By Carolyn Freeman Heights Staff

Alex Gaynor Hamlet once remarked about the incessancy of “words, words, words,” and how communication and language is, at times, bewildering. In an ever-globalizing world, non-verbal and technological communication has become the norm, making antiquated ways of communicating obsolete in many situations. In the spirit of a silent retreat I recently took part in, I have been noticing the prevalence of non-verbal communication in our generation, as well as questioning the nature of communication itself and the ability to communicate without always utilizing speech.

If I thought that technological forms of communication were popular in the U.S., I was clearly not thinking about the Philippines.

Known as the “Facebook and texting capital of the world” (a legitimate title), this place is addicted to nonverbal communication. Facebook, Twitter, texting, anything that isn’t a direct interaction seems to be popular among the younger generations.

Some dramatic curmudgeon may see this as the apocalypse of human interaction as we know it, but perhaps it is merely an adaptation to the changing nature of the times. While I’d personally take a one-on-one conversation over a cup of tea over a Facebook message any day, it is valid that perhaps technological communication domination is symbolic of the growing nature of globalization, a necessary adaptive tool in order to communicate to people of all walks of life in all kinds of locations.

Living in the Philippines has presented many challenges, but none seem as apparent on a day-to-day basis as language. I am unfortunately not a fluent Tagalog speaker—in fact, I can hardly even form a simple sentence. Working in communities where English is rarely spoken, I’ve had to adapt. How I would normally talk to an eightyear-old at home in English must be changed when talking to a similar eight-year-old Tagalog speaker who looks at me like I’m crazy when I try and speak English to her. So what is an English-speaker to do? St. Francis of Assisi once said that a good Catholic should try to preach the gospel, and if necessary, use actual words. While I am writing from a purely secular perspective, I believe that a similar idea applies here.

When one is forced to convey his or her thoughts without language, actions and symbolic gestures are key. When language fails to convey a powerful message or idea, actions are the necessary next step.

In both scenarios, adaptation is constant. Communication does not have to exist solely in the realm of language, and it can be spread out through many mediums.

Speaking eloquently may not always contain expressive and advanced vocabulary, but it could be as basic as a hand squeeze to a friend in need of support. Despite the thousands languages being spoken all at once or the constant buzz of technology waiting to be utilized for the same purposes, non-verbal communication has the power to unite people that previously would have no reason to co-exist together otherwise. While Shakespeare may have a love-hate relationship with “words, words, words,” I see them as some of life’s greatest gifts, and also ones that we can learn to use in new, adaptable, and inventive ways.

Alex Gaynor is a senior staff columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at news@bcheights.com.

When Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s daughter, Montana, was born, she received pink gifts and compliments on her appearance. When her second daughter, Brooklyn, was born, she, too, received pink gifts.

But when her son Hunter was born, he not only received blue gifts but also letters from the president and vice president and bibs and onesies with the White House insignia on it.

He was also given a blue t-shirt with the words “Future President” on it, Newsom said. She wondered why her daughters did not receive gifts that suggested their limitless future options, she said.

When Newsom asked the audience how many people were unsurprised by this story, a majority of people raised their hands.

“For those of you who raised your hand, perhaps it’s because you understand the historical symbolism of the presidency as the embodiment of national manhood—the whole symbolic architecture of masculine dominating culture,” she said.

Newsom spoke on April 1 in a talk titled “Recasting Women: Challenging Media Distortions That Curb Women’s Power and Influence.”

She discussed media influences that limit leadership positions to women and how everyone needs to have more conversations about this issue.

Newsom is the writer, producer, and director of Miss Representation, a documentary that explores the media’s portrayal of women as it relates to women in leadership.

A lot of sexist marketing is directed toward young people, whose brains are still not fully developed.

She noted that it’s troubling that these young people, who are being fed violence, sex, and gender stereotypes, absorb the media’s message so readily.

“In other words, they don’t truly comprehend that Kim Kardashian’s reality show is not reality, and that just because she’s on TV does not make her a healthy role model,” Newsom said.

These marketing companies are more interested in the bottom line than they are in the common good, she said—their priority is profits.

This country should have a moral imperative to set higher standards for our culture because so much of it goes overseas, she said. Things are changing in other countries: for example, excessive Photoshop is regulated in advertisements in the United Kingdom, but not in the

U.S. As one of the most diverse and innovative countries in the world, the U.S. should be a better cultural ambassador, she said.

“Simply put, it’s because we have so few brave leaders of consciousness at the helms of media and merchandise companies,” she said. “In fact, we have leadership that has disconnected their hearts from their heads, that has bifurcated their professional lives and making money from their personal lives of communal responsibility and contribution to making the world a better place.”

Women are vastly underrepresented in these leadership roles. Just five percent of the main decision -makers in the media are women, she said.

“Ninety-five percent of what you watch, read, and hear comes from a limited masculine perspective,” she said.

Newsom went on to say that she does not blame men: she recognizes that men in this society are often taught that their gender is superior, and that they must repress their emotions and devalue their relationships. She showed a trailer for her new documentary, The Mask You Live In, which focuses on how men face an idea of masculinity that downplays emotions and emphasizes

power and strength, which results in many boys acting out aggressively because they cannot express their emotions.

“To be a man is to be independent, stoic, and in control,” she said. “Leadership to many of them becomes a zero-sum game, and those who challenge the status quo are ridiculed and threatened into silence.”

Newsom discussed young women who convinced editors of major youth magazines to decrease Photoshopping, a public school teacher who helped his student start a social media campaign against sexist advertising, like Carl Jr.’s, and a father who brought Miss Representation into his finance firm’s HR office when he noticed that everyone who was being let go was a mother.

“Let’s demand a culture and society that uplifts us all; that revolutionizes the gender debate and ensures equal opportunity; that inspires my daughter, and all of you women, to be CEOs and presidents of organizations and inspires my son, and all of you men, to be empathic, nurturing partners,” she said. “Imagine what the world could look like if we had more courageous men and women actively working to leave the world a better place than we found it.” n

Advocates for the poor spread pope’s message

By Cameron Harding For The Heights The Lumen Christi Award recognizes the dedication of Catholics who have displayed exemplary advocacy for the poor while proving to be “true agents of change.”

On Monday, March 31, the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (STM) hosted an event featuring four recipients of the award in Robsham Theater.

“The Transformative Power of Faith: Responding to Pope Francis’ Call” featured Director of Migrant Ministry Jose Lopez; Lopez’s wife and Director of Hispanic Ministry Digna Lopez; President of the St. Francis Mission Rev. John Hatcher S.J.; and Mary Susanne Dziedzic, C.S.S.F. Each panelist had worked for decades in some of the most impoverished areas in the U.S. The panelists’ work and discussions aimed to reflect the message of Pope Francis, who behests Catholics to get out into the streets and work with those in need, not recline in the familiarity and security of their local church.

Rev. Mark Massa, S.J., dean of STM, mediated the four panelists as three younger guests (who had all been mentored or inspired by these leaders) sat beside him. Before the panelists told their stories, a brief film was shown that provided some basic context for the event.

Jose and Digna Lopez served the predominately Latino communities of Stockton, Calif., providing support for thousands of at-risk youths and vulnerable migrant workers.

Hatcher led the St. Francis Mission

POLICE BLOTTER

on the Rosebud Reservation in North Dakota.

The St. Francis Mission addresses prevalent issues of poverty, substance abuse, and suicide afflicting the Reservation. Dziedzic is a member of the Felician Sisters, a Catholic group rooted in Kingstree, S.C., a destitute area of the rural South plagued with prejudice.

Massa prompted the panelists to discuss the challenges they confronted in their particular diocese.

Jose and Digna Lopez indicated that while there are many who favored and practiced Catholicism in Stockton, 50 percent of whom are Latino, the city is rated one of the most dangerous metropolitan areas in the U.S. Over the span of 20 years there has been a constant struggle to acquire sufficient resources to fund the programs that assist the community.

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Four panelists discussed spreading Pope Francis’ message in impoverished dioceses throughout the U.S.

3/28/14-3/30/14 legal age in Vanderslice Hall.

9:38 a.m. - A report was filed regarding vandalism in 90 St. Thomas More Road Hall.

1:03 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an underage intoxicated BC student in Keyes North Hall.

3:15 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student in Fulton Hall.

2:09 a.m. - A report was filed regarding dispersing a loud party in the Mods.

4:37 p.m. - A report was filed regarding an actual fire in Merkert Chemistry Center.

Sunday, March 30

12:43 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an intoxicated BC student of

Despite the challenges embedded in these areas, Massa asked the three guests, all of whom were members of the communities in which the Lumen Christi honorees worked, how they thought their communities would be different if weren’t for the efforts of the four panelists. Lily, who immigrated from Mexico at the age of 12, found that the Jose and Digna Lopez greatly helped bring out the talents of the community’s youth.

Jennifer, a volunteer at St. Francis Mission, stated she was honored to have worked with Hatcher, and insisted he had brought hope to her community that was bereft of spirituality. Kevin, a Kingstree resident who grew up around the Catholic Center, described the sisters as “an extension of our family in our community,” and said he couldn’t imagine where he would be without them. n

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Friday, March 28

Saturday, March 29

Hatcher, who has spent 39 years aiding the Rosebud Reservation, emphasized the importance of recognizing the troubled history the Lakota people have had with both the Church and the federal government.

In addition to meeting challenges of alcohol abuse, poor healthcare, and waning spiritualism, a balance between preserving the Lakota people’s native traditions and spreading the hope of the Gospel is constantly kept in consideration.

Dzeidzic laughed that her biggest problem was that “there are only seven days in a week.” Alongside destitution and crime, however, the Felician Sisters have been obstructed in the past by small population of Catholics within the area—although the Felician Sisters now work with 11 other denominations, less than five percent of the region is Catholic.

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1:00 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious person in McGuinn Hall.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

Who is your favorite BC Dining employee?

“Ana from Eagles.”

—Eduardo Rovira, A&S ’17

“Dana, easy.”

—Joey McCarthy, CSOM ’17

“Dick Po forever.”

—Maakeda Sinclair, CSOM ’17

“Pasta toss Matt.”

—Sultana SebanSumner, A&S ’17

The Heights

Thursday, April 3, 2014

A3

New board to run campus programming Programming, from A1

robin kim / heights staff

Recovered Chinese pagodas were installed in an O’Neill Library art exhibit early this week.

Pagodas arrive in O’Neill Pagodas, from A1 challenges that the U.S. and China must face together.

“If we can’t fix climate change, the outlook is bleak for all of created order,” Rudd said.

The U.S. and China, because of their vast industrial and global impacts, are the two principal agents of stopping global warming, he said.

Social and economic inequality is not going to disappear with wishful thinking, either.

“The measure of inequality in the world is going through the roof,” Rudd said.

Tied into fixing that is China’s economy, which is expected to become the largest in the world by 2023, Rudd said.

“It will be the first time since George III sat on the throne that a non-English speaking, non-Western, and non-democratic country will have that,” he said.

In dealing with this larger economy, China will also have to deal with its environmental footprint and figure out how to raise people out of poverty in a sustainable way, Rudd said.

Another major concern is how China will interact with the region and the world and vice versa. Rudd’s current research, which he will present to the governments of China and the U.S., aims to suggest a policy in which two countries with different political structures, interests, and values that sometimes overlap can work toward solving these issues.

“Your generation gets to live it, and live it big time,” Rudd said. “You’ll be engaging in everything just described.”

The exhibit fits seamlessly into the China Watching speaker series that Clarke organized this year.

“It connects to a historical period when China was relatively closed,” Clarke said of the title of the series. “Now, a lot of Chinese are watching the rest of the world and watching themselves … these projects are hopefully all raising questions about ‘What is China?’”

During his talk, Rudd said that the presence of so many Chinese students in U.S. colleges was an unmistakable sign of this shift.

“China sees the world differently,” he said.

“Now the giant is watching itself.”

Chinese oral historian and Arts Fest’s artist-in-residence Sang Ye and photographer Lois Connor, who has been photographing China for 30 years, will give talks at Arts Fest to conclude the China Watching series.

In addition to the pagodas, the exhibit features a small glass case filled with postcards, photos, and cut-paper art from Clarke’s own collection of Chinese cultural objects, and an iPad loaded with his class’ MediaKron website, which it used to organize its data throughout its search last semester.

“The technology and static pagodas are going to be communicating,” Clarke said.

On the website, visitors to the exhibit can read about the project itself, the history of the pagodas, and the locations of the reallife structures on which they were based. The

students in Clarke’s class put the site together, and Meghan Daly, A&S ’14, and recently updated the exhibit.

“It’s a small, boutique exhibit that rewards and showcases the wonderful scholarship of the students,” Clarke said.

The site also includes interviews that the students conducted with Chinese students at BC in both English and Chinese about the cultural significance of the pagodas that Clarke chose for the exhibit.

The Great Pagoda has a small carving on the front of it that depicts a folk story called “Journey to the West,” an old, but very popular legend that tells the story of a playful monkey king who is sworn to protect a Buddhist monk as he travels to India to recover sacred texts.

“Many Chinese just love this story,” Clarke said. “On the MediaKron, one of my students has spent a lot of time interviewing students at BC in English and in Chinese on how important the monkey story is to them. It [has] issues of cross-cultural exchange.”

The smallest pagoda on display, called the Thousand Buddha pagoda, is also the most detailed. Clarke said he chose it both because of its unique lack of paint and because of the opportunity it gives to explain the religion.

“Pagodas are Buddhist in function, and in this one there’s a very clear instance of veneration of Buddha,” Clarke said.

This particular pagoda shows Buddha holding a small pagoda, which Clarke says may have to do with healing.

The largest of the three, the Six Harmonies pagoda, is also full of Buddhist iconography and gives the viewer a sense of how large these carved pagodas were made, Clarke said.

“Visually, it’s a bit different from the other ones,” he said. “The lower part of the pagoda is hand-painted, and it’s very intricately painted.

It would have been painted by the orphans in the art workshop … which has been described as the cradle of modern art in China.”

With the recent closing of Bapst Library’s art exhibit space, it became especially difficult to find a place for the pagodas on campus.

Clarke turned to Thomas Wall, University Librarian, for assistance in putting together the current exhibit, which in itself had to be carefully planned and negotiated.

“He’s all about making the libraries student friendly and accessible,” Clarke said. “We take seriously as part of the Jesuit-Catholic tradition engaging with, forming, and mentoring students. Tom, as part of his mission, would support me as an academic, but also me as an academic focusing on students.”

This project and exhibition represent something of a tipping point for universities worldwide, Clarke said.

“Where I think our challenge is, is to ensure that, or to hope, there are people who share our mission,” he said. “The Catholic University in Peking, which was formed in the same vein as the Tou Se We orphanage, says that universities should not only be forming the mind, they should be castles of the spirit.” n

Evans awarded Goldwater Evans, from A1 populations,” he said. “We’re done with the days of there just being one cure for something.”

Although this kind of research is very different from what he does now, Evans believes that it would be an ideal career. Rather than doing lab research as his career, Evans hopes to eventually work somewhere like the World Health Organization, where he could travel and help people around the world.

He plans to take a gap year before applying to graduate programs and travel.

“I’d like to go somewhere weird and tropical and third world and treat people,” he said.

“I don’t want to settle down and study one protein and one gene for 30 years like some people do. There’s nothing wrong with that, you figure out much more with that, and that’s what leads to new drugs and treatment and stuff like that, but I want to travel.” n

be decided on, that will then conduct a process for selecting positions resembling managers or vice presidents, and the proposed VPs would conduct an appointment process of their own for subcommittee efforts.

“The way programming happens at Boston College right now is completely unique to what’s happening at other universities—most universities do have this own entity for programming that’s not as scattered,” Stemper said. “So what we kind of wanted to do was just to eliminate what we’re doing now and create an entirely new entity.”

While UGBC’s programming functions, along with NOTH, have been mostly ceded to the new programming organization, it will consist of more than just the three previously existing systems of programming and will instead launch entirely new initiatives under a new identity.

“I don’t want to even call it a blending because it’s not even that, it’s that we’re adding completely new ideas that we saw at [universities] like Fordham that we never would have thought of on our own and that aren’t coming from UGBC or Nights on the Heights—it’s just a complete rebranding on all sides,” Stemper said.

Despite seeking to distance itself from older

versions of programming at BC, the new board may retain some of the University’s more successful programs, such as BC2Boston, in an effort to maintain student recognition of the events that work well among undergraduates.

“I’m sure that there will be traditions that are maintained—that’s inevitable … but at the end of the day we’re working for the undergraduate body, and we want to make sure we’re putting on programs that are connecting with our peers,” Stemper said.

The allocation of funds for the new programming board is also yet to be determined, but it will still operate under and be required to submit budgetary requests through SPO. “The budget will be transparent to the student body once we know what that is, but right now we just can’t really speak on that,” Stemper said.

Within SPO, a committee comprised of both students and administrators divides funds from the Student Activities Fee (SAF) on the basis of budget requests. Now that UGBC and NOTH will no longer receive the funding for programming they previously did, those funds will be redistributed among SPO’s programs and services, including the new programming board, though it is yet to be determined how those funds will be allocated.

Burkett noted that there will also be increased efficiencies with the consolidation of

programming entities on campus because it eliminates the need for two separate organizations to vie for the same funds for similar purposes.

When considering possible structures for the new programming board, the task force spent several months consulting other universities’ student activities organizations.

Schools being compared by the committee were broken down into Jesuit or Catholic institutions, Boston-area institutions, Northeastern U.S. institutions, and other universities within the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“We were very lucky that this year the National Association of Campus Activities has their conference in Boston, so we were able to send our students to actually physically meet with other programming boards for other schools around the country,” Burkett said. “It was great to have face-to-face meetings with them.”

Among the list of schools assessed by the task force were Georgetown, College of the Holy Cross, Harvard, Fordham, UNC Charlotte, Tufts, University of Georgia, and MIT, among others.

Applications for undergraduate students to join the new programming board will likely be released through OrgSync within the next week, but are subject to the timeline of the finalized new programming board. n

juseub yoon / heights staff

On Tuesday night, author and NYU professor of creative writing Zadie Smith read from her new short story ‘Miss Adele Amidst the Corsets.’

Zadie Smith speaks at Lowell Series

By Rebecca Moretti For The Heights

“Aside from the nights she worked, Miss Adele tried not to mess much with the East side,” said Zadie Smith as she read the first sentence of her newest short story, Miss Adele Amidst the Corsets. Smith gave a full reading of the story, featured in the fiction section of The Paris Review, on Tuesday evening in Gasson 100, followed by a question-andanswer session.

The reading was part of the Lowell Humanities series, which has brought distinguished artists, writers, and scholars including Robert Frost, T.S. Eliot, and Joyce Carol Oates, to Boston College since its founding in 1957.

Smith is an acclaimed essayist, novelist, and short story writer whose four novels have all received critical praise and received numerous literary awards. These include her novel White Teeth, which was published in 2000 and featured in TIME magazine’s list of 100 best English-language novels from 1993 to 2005. Smith also separates her time between London and New York, where she has been a professor of creative writing at NYU since 2010.

At the age of 38, Smith is considered one of the most acclaimed young writers working today.

There was not an empty seat in the Irish Hall on Tuesday night, and many stood in the back to hear Smith’s reading.

“It’s my first story really set in America entirely,” Smith said before reading. “It is set in New York.”

Smith switched from her British narrating accent to various types of American accents during the reading, portraying the different characters’ voices as they spoke.

The story recounts a day in the life and mind of Miss Adele, an African-American drag queen living in the slums of New York.

The story follows Miss Adele as she goes to buy a new corset, having just broken the one she had been wearing for 10 years.

The story is largely a stream-of-consciousness narrative, delving deeply into the main character’s psyche and thoughts as she experiences the society around her.

Miss Adele wishes that the whole city would be gentrified along with her shabby neighborhood, and seeks an escape from all the drama in her life. She reflects on her own situation as she makes her was across town to the corset store, comparing her own life with those of the more priviledged, though not scorning the rich and successful but subtly admiring them.

“She read the real estate section of the Times with a kind of religious humility: The reality of a $34-million townhouse implied the existence of a mighty being, out there somewhere, yet beyond her imagining,” read Smith from her story.

Despite her eccentric looks, Miss Adele proves to be a person who cherishes old-

fashioned values and justice. She embodies American ideals, in the sense that she demands fair treatment regardless of her occupation or appearance, and she will not accept anything less.

Although she is passing middle-age, Miss Adele has big dreams and aspirations. However, she often feels crushed by the pressure of life in the city.

“Even if you don’t mess with it—even when it’s not seven below—it’s a tough city,” Smith read. “New York just expects so much from a girl—acts like it can’t stand even the idea of a wasted talent or opportunity.”

When asked why it is that her dialogue sounds so natural, Smith revealed that she often mouths dialogue to herself while writing.

Although Smith believes she is primarily a dialogue writer, she has never written plays because she believes they require a different set of skills.

“I get the greatest inspiration from other people’s books,” said Smith, who said her work desk is often covered with open novels from different authors.

“I also get inspiration from real people, but I just need a glimpse,” she said. “If I know the person too well, I can’t write about them. It’s better if I just meet them for a minute.

“Many of my stories are about people meeting at some time of anxiety, and involve some sort of misunderstanding, some miscommunication between people,” Smith said.

“However, that is not always a bad thing.” n

Student startups compete for funding BCVC, from A1 YouSit will help you sell it,” said Luke George, CSOM ’17. “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”

Molly Miller, unlike the other two winners, isn’t an internet-based company, but an eco-friendly women’s apparel company promoting positive body image among its shoppers. Already having raised $4,050 on indiegogo, Molly Miller already has its “prep pullover” available as a gift for a donation to the company.

In addition to producing all their clothes in the U.S., the founders have promised to donate a portion of their earnings to organizations that promote a positive body image.

“Everyone who participated today was very impressive,” said Greg Strakosch, chairman and CEO of TechTarget and BC ’84. “This used to be a business plan competition. Today, these are real companies being started.”

“Most people don’t think of BC as a place for entrepreneurship, but they’re wrong,” said Paul Hillen, CSOM ’15, who’s on the BCVC Executive Leadership Team.

B C startups have been proving Hillen’s point for a few years now. In August of 2008, BC alumni Bill Clerico and Rich Aberman, both BC ’07, launched WePay, an API specifically for platform businesses like e-commerce and crowdfunding sites. To date, they have

raised roughly $35 million dollars and process over half a billion dollars a year in payments.

WePay is not the only success story.

LocalOn, phyre, Jebbit, Wymsee and NBD Nano have all received funding from venture capitalists and angel investors. Over the past six years or so, BC has started to gain momentum in the start-up game.

In her concluding remarks, Bridget Akinc, a guest lecturer at BC, pointed out what she sees as a fundamental attribute of entrepreneurialism. “This growing culture represents a mind-blowing shift from students going to college to be something, to students going to college to solve something,” she said. n

The Heights

A4

Editorials

Thursday, April 3, 2014

QUOTE OF THE DAY

BC should prepare for possibility of unionization

Science is a cooperative enterprise, spanning the generations. It’s the passing of a torch from teacher, to student, to teacher. A community of minds reaching back to antiquity and forward to the stars.

-Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958-), American astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium

In light of the NLRB ruling, the University ought to reassess its understanding of student-athletes In a move that could potentially have a dramatic effect on Boston College athletics, a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Chicago ruled last week that a group of scholarship football players at Northwestern University were employees of the institution, and that they therefore reserve the right to form a union and collectively bargain for rights. The decision is a major hit to the National College Athletic Association’s (NCAA) definition of “student-athletes” and its stance that all players, including those in revenue-generating sports, primarily attend universities as students.

Northwestern officials have said that the school plans to appeal the decision to the national board in Washington D.C., and if the ruling is upheld it will likely then go to a federal appeals court. This could end up being a long process, and it’s doubtful that any collective bargaining will actually occur between Northwestern and its football players in the near future, but the parallels between this case and the reality at BC are striking.

Peter Ohr, the regional director who wrote the 24-page decision, cited four main factors in his reasoning that the Northwestern football players are employees and not “student-athletes.” They included: the control that coaches and scholarships have over players; the time commitment required to maintain their scholarships; the reasons behind their recruitment and the priority placed on their academics; and the revenue generated by their play. All four of those elements apply not only to BC football players, but to men’s basketball and potentially hockey players as well. Eliminating the revenue argument brings almost all BC athletes into the fold.

The 40 to 50 hours per week spent on football-related activities at Northwestern isn’t an anomaly—it’s the norm for athletics at major conferences. Also typical is the control referenced in Ohr’s decision, such as the constraints on when athletes can take classes and how they spend their time off the field.

Although the totals rank among the lower tier of the Atlantic Coast Conference, BC’s teams still bring in a good amount of revenue. The BC football team reportedly generated revenues greater than $22 million during the 2012-13 season, while the men’s basketball team generated more than $5 million, and men’s hockey generated more than $2.5 million.

It is debatable whether unionization is appropriate for any group of BC athletes, but it is important that they, especially those in revenue-generating sports, pay close attention to this case. Kain Colter,

the former Northwestern quarterback leading its union, said the goal isn’t “payfor-play” salaries, but instead better medical protection, especially for concussions; increased scholarships to cover the full cost of attendance; and at least some say in determining control held by their coaches and the administration.

Josh Bordner, a senior on the BC football team, said the case was discussed in his sports law class. “I think with our situation, like, we wouldn’t do anything like [Northwestern is] doing,” he said. “I don’t—I think it might be good for some programs, but I also think there’s a ton of things that could go wrong with it.”

He also said he didn’t think many people on the team were paying attention to the case. Bordner makes a good point that there are potential downsides in attempting to unionize, such as risks to players’ draft stock and distractions during the season. Unionization also risks splintering relationships between teammates, as well as between athletes of different sports, should they be included in the bargaining unit. It’s important to consider the benefits of being able to collectively bargain for rights against the strains such a process could have on the athletes at BC. The College Athletes Players Associations (CAPA), which brought Northwestern’s case to the NLRB, could target schools like Rice or Duke next, according to CBSSports.com, because football players at those institutions are less likely to enter the NFL Draft and damage their stock. That concern is greater at schools like BC, Vanderbilt, and Stanford, which have players drafted more regularly than some of the other private, Division I schools, but that doesn’t mean BC athletes should ignore this option entirely.

Vanderbilt Athletic Director David Williams told CBSSports.com that he has already begun to consult with lawyers about how the Northwestern decision could affect his school, and it would be wise for BC to do the same. Even if the chances of any unionization efforts by the athletes at BC are slim, the University and the athletic department need to be prepared for the possibility, while also making sure not to discourage the athletes from pursuing any options that might benefit them. Most importantly, though, the University could look to its Jesuit ideals and stand at the forefront of this movement by recognizing the legitimate concerns of the athletes at Northwestern—mainly medical care and guaranteed scholarships covering the full cost of attendance—and advocating for those changes to the system, rather than standing by one that is clearly broken.

Adriana Mariella / Heights Illustration

Letter to the Editor WeAreBC Week is a social media success We’d like to thank everyone who helped to make our first “WeAreBC Week” to welcome the incoming freshman class through social media such a resounding success. The goal of the initiative was to celebrate the imminent arrival of new members to our community. From the day the acceptance letters to the Class of 2018 left the Office of Undergraduate Admission on March 21, through the week that followed, WeAreBC Week generated 3.1 million impressions and experienced 7,100 positive interactions by 4,800 users, just on the University’s main Twitter and Facebook channels alone. BC’s Instagram, YouTube, Google Plus, and Pinterest channels were also buzzing, and they helped contribute to more than 600 new members to the Facebook group for the incoming class.

Our thanks to the many departments and divisions across campus, as well as to the alumni, parents, and current students, who supported the

effort on their social channels—and especially to the BC students who took the time to share their genuine enthusiasm for the University in a welcome video that already has been viewed more than 6,000 times. Most of all, we’re grateful to Director of Undergraduate Admission John Mahoney and his team who were wonderful partners in this effort. To view a sampling of the responses to the initiative, visit the #BC2018 Tagboard at http://tgb.io/BC2018/160250 or Storify at https:// storify.com/BostonCollege/welcome-bc2018.

The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 400 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 email to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

Jack Dunn University Spokesman Director, Office of News and Public Affairs Patti Delaney Deputy Director, Office of News and Public Affairs Melissa Lesica Social Media Manager, Office of News and Public Affairs

Pagoda project exhibits impressive research efforts

The project is commendable for its international cultural connection, research outside the classroom Yesterday on the third floor of O’Neill Library, two classes’ hard work finally came to fruition. After nearly two semesters of virtually searching the globe, a history class taught by Rev. Jeremy Clarke, S.J. and an art class taught by Sheila Gallagher have brought three formerly lost pagodas, of Shanghai origin, to Boston College.

The classes’ work should serve as an example for other professor-student projects at BC because of its real-world applications. It is commendable that the students were pushed to collaborate with students from another course in order to think outside the classroom and produce lasting results. All of the students involved gained valuable experience in international communication and research skills.

In addition, both classes were required

to work with unfamiliar research technologies, forcing the students to step outside of the norms of a college class. All professors at BC, no matter what department, should be encouraged to assign comparable projects so that more students can be exposed to these types of experiences.

Furthermore, the exhibit will benefit hundreds of other students on campus.

Professors should encourage classes to visit the exhibit, as it provides an insight into a culture that may often be overlooked at BC. The pagodas serve as a much-needed cultural connection between BC and China, and they have already garnered both local and international attention for the University. The exhibit demonstrates BC’s intent to be a global university, proving its importance on an international scale.

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The Heights

Thursday, April 3, 2014

A5

The problems with #BC2018

Victoria Mariconti Croquet - Well, it really warms the cockles of our old heart to see what we saw on Tuesday on the Stokes lawn—young whippersnappers engaged in the great lawn game of croquet. Indeed, it takes us back to our younger years. Back in those days, we would get all gussied up in our spring linen suits to enjoy a causal afternoon on the front lawn. As we were beneath the Mason-Dixon line, we would seek shelter from the excruciating sun underneath the eves of our front porches and, in true Southern fashion, have an interlude replete with mint juleps and gossip.

April Fools’ day - We think that this is a mischievously fun holiday. Although we did not prank anyone at BC, we briefly convinced our parents that we dropped out of college and joined the U.S. Army. Don’t worry, we were able, in the midst of their screams, to convince them that it was a joke before they bought a plane ticket to come up here and “straighten us out.”

On another note, we have to admire the ingenuity in the April Fools’ Day jokes that the fine people over at Google devise. This year, there were two major ones—the Shelfie and a Pokemon hunt on Google Maps.

The Shelfie was the ability to set the theme of one’s Gmail to a modified selfie—not of interest to us, but kind of funny nonetheless. We thought the Pokemon hunt on the mobile version of Google Maps was phenomenal.

All across the world, Pokeballs were strewn, and the challenge was issued to catch ‘em all. The joke was that, if you caught them all, you would get to interview with Google. Lastly, we hope you got a kick out of The Depths—we really enjoyed producing it.

This time, I’m coming for you, Office of News and Public Affairs.

This topic has already been addressed, so for the sake of originality, I have to ask: what remains that is worth saying or repeating? Only that you endorsed underage drinking on this campus for the mere sake of cultivating an attractive social media presence. For those of you just tuning in, this is regarding the “Welcome #BC2018” video that was released to greet the accepted students of the incoming class. It’s nice. It’s cute. It’s happy. And I can’t believe some supervising administrator thought that it was acceptable to release as the first public gesture of contact with future Eagles. What does it elevate as one of BC’s most valuable assets? The Mods. Twice! And I quote: “Get ready for the Mods!” and “You’re always welcome in my Mod!” How many times does anyone say something like, “Welcome to Boston College, ‘a Catholic and Jesuit university [that] is rooted in a world view that encounters God in all creation and through all human activity, especially in the search for truth in every discipline, in the desire to learn, and in the call to live justly together?’” NONE. That’s an excerpt from the official University mission statement. Oh, hey.

The department in charge of projecting a positive image of BC has implicitly promoted illegal drinking. I’m sorry, but there is no way around it! I don’t care if a University official didn’t say it—the student leaders who speak are acting as representatives. As a resident assistant, I have been incessantly reminded since last August that my actions—for better or worse—reflect on the University because I am a representative of University policy and have a legal obligation to uphold it.

Kristy Barnes

The Ignored - We think that it was a travesty that Kevin Hayes was left off the Hobey Baker finalist list. Not only is he an integral part of the best top line in all of college hockey, but he is also an amazing player. While he is often overshadowed by Gaudreau, he contributed just as many goals and only one fewer assist to this last weekend’s play as the better-known Johnny B. Good. Don’t worry, Kevin, you are a phenomenal hockey player in our hearts and minds. For the award, however, you do seem to be S.O.L.

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haven’t committed to go here. They just got the letters and may have a stressful period of decision-making ahead (hopefully not). There are only two conclusions I can draw from the “oversight” of this detail. One, the creators of this video really did mistake admitted Eagles for committed Eagles, or two, the Office of News and Public Affairs is performing a role crucial to any successful business—marketing.

This video snafu is an unfortunately visible example of what happens when the pressure to advertise an attractive environment takes precedence over the values of our institution and the higher purposes of a college education. The BC of that welcome video looks fun and feel-good, all dolled up to attract those students—ahem, potential investors.

If we’re going to be real about this, we have to admit that we are all part of a business that requires serious money.

Because money affords me the luxury to sit in a warm dorm room, contemplate, and write, when most girls my age in this world are laboring to support families.

To quote a professor of mine, “You all won the sperm lottery—you were born in the West and, as far as I can tell, you have no psychological issues” (and do read “West” as “you go to BC,” not as a statement of Western supremacy). The dangers of this reality, though, must move us all to be vigilant about the relationship between the material requirements of our mission, and the academic, spiritual, and social goals of our mission. The office that produced the video has, sadly, already announced its allegiance.

The larger concern here doesn’t amount to underage drinking. The most disheartening thing about that video is it willingly and publicly compromises the values of this institution in the name of promotion and appeal. And there is a very fine line between this kind of advertising and….

Victoria Mariconti is a staff columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

Oft-forgotten learning disabilities

Johnny Gaudreau - It was recently announced that Johnny is one of the three Hobey Baker finalists. This is an incredible honor—a well-deserved one as well. We hope to be able to Thumbs Up his receipt of the award soon.

Wall In O’Neill Plaza - For those of you who didn’t notice, there was a wall erected in the O’Neill Plaza. Stationed next to it were students asking to see our “papers” and our “passports.” It was clear that they were trying to prove a point, but the wooden panels and iron gating were blemishes to an otherwise pristine plaza, and the enquiries were a bit of an annoyance, while we were trying to show off our campus to visitors. Don’t get us wrong, we do believe that immigration policy is an important question in this country and one that should be addressed, but that didn’t make the wall less annoying. Plus, little did they know that we always carry our passports with us.

The students from the video may not have signed a contract like I did, but they were presented as ambassadors and should be held to no less rigorous a standard.

If someone says to an 18-year-old, “get ready for the Mods,” it inevitably means “get ready to drink unsafe amounts of alcohol illegally and expose yourself to the threat of injury, sexual assault, and even death.” What, you thought they had tea parties and Taize prayer services there?

Did everyone forget that the whole point of upping the security during football games and Marathon Monday—when day (binge) drinking is glorified—was for the purpose of keeping the freshmen and other underage students out?! But let’s pretend I’m a freshman girl. The Office of News and Public Affairs just told me I was welcome there. You’re mixing messages like cocktails, BC. Now, there is much that I’m willing to concede here. First of all, I know how difficult it is to strike a balanced message on this campus. When I met with my freshman residents for the first time as a group, I was the one sending confusing signals, whether they noticed it or not.

During the meeting, I minced no words when I laid down my hardline attitude about drinking and how I would approach alcohol situations. On the heels of that, however, I had to cover the help-seeking policy. I fully believe in and value this policy, and there are plenty of statistics to demonstrate the positive impact it has had on campus. But what do students hear? “Oh, it’s fine to do it if you’re safe and make sure you get help.”

I know that the modern, competitive university is a business and it has to keep up with the social media/technology scene. Let’s take a moment to talk about strategy. Interestingly enough, student leaders in the video kept making statements like, “You just made the best decision of your life,” and other lines that described how incredible the experience here will be (and it will). But here’s what’s obviously forgotten—most students haven’t made any decisions yet. Most

“Are you stupid? Do you not understand the difference between ‘bog’ and ‘dog?’ You’ve failed yet another spelling test!”

I was in fourth grade and in front of my entire class when I discovered I had a learning disability (LD). It was almost inevitable, seeing as my father, mother, and sister all have at least one, but that didn’t take away the sting of my teacher’s words.

Fearing I would be kept out of higherlevel classes, my mother decided to keep it quiet, so for eight years, I did my best to hide it from teachers and, more importantly, administrators. Yet, upon arriving at Boston College, I reached the point at which I could no longer succeed at the level I desired without accommodations, so I submitted my paperwork.

Plus, at college, things were supposed to be different—people were going to be more understanding. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that isn’t always the case.

Although colleges in the U.S. claim to accommodate students with LDs, their innate structure makes this impossible.

In a system that focuses on reading comprehension and exams with in-class essays—as well as a culture that belittles those who have the slightest difficulty learning—one can see how students with dyslexia, ADHD, dyspraxia, or other disabilities struggle. Even the exams that determine admission into the system often put those with LDs at a disadvantage. Thus, throughout the entire higher education system, those with LDs are hindered in their attempts to receive a full and fair education.

Most concerning are the biases held, often subconsciously, by professors and students within higher education, created by a hierarchical binary. Binaries, according to structural philosophy, are two opposing concepts embedded in the Western tradition. It is clear the particular binary in question exists in our language, and due to cultural and historical biases, we see it as hierarchically struc-

tured, where one is preferred over the other. In other words, the hierarchical binary cultivates a belief that LD students are inferior to “normal” students. This bias exists even here at BC—I personally have been graded differently because it was thought that I couldn’t meet the regular standards. I have been denied the use of my accommodations because I was in a higher-level class so I “obviously didn’t need them.” Of course, this does not happen with all professors—most are more than supportive and accommodating, but it does happen. In addition, LD students, myself included, are consistently the punch line of jokes among peers. While it is easiest to laugh these jokes off, they are a constant reinforcement of the bias. Again, this is rarely done consciously, but it cultivates the prejudice nonetheless. Even comments that are meant to praise once again affirm that most associate disabilities with inability. For example, a professor once told me how exceptional it is that I am in the A&S Honors Program. While this was meant to be a compliment, he was surprised the program took me.

Furthermore, at many schools, students with LDs are given paperwork outlining their disabilities and accommodations, and they then must deliver the paperwork to each of their professors.

While one would hope such information would not interfere with grading or overall perspective, it can. In fact, studies have proven that students with LDs are “less preferred” and evaluated at a different standard, often resulting in lower grades. Although it may be necessary for the professors to have the paperwork, unfortunately, the information sometimes has unintended consequences—not to mention, to some, the process can be uncomfortable and degrading.

In such an environment, it is easy for LD students to internalize the bias.

Thus, some LD students begin to create internal limits for themselves. This is not only a disservice to the individual, but also to the entire intellectual community.

Imagine if Nelson Rockefeller, Albert Einstein, or Woodrow Wilson had given up because their education systems made them feel incapable of great things due to their LDs? Looking to Europe, however, one sees

hope. At universities there, professors never know which students have LDs. They don’t proctor tests, to ensure that biases are not formed against those with accommodations, and all examinations are graded with anonymity. Furthermore, students with LDs are not marked down for spelling or grammar mistakes. While this system is still imperfect—as it still relies on reading comprehension—there are initiatives to eliminate biases and to deconstruct the hierarchical binary.

According to BC’s Connors Family Learning Center (CFLC), 450 students on campus have an LD, with the vast majority being undergrads. While that number may seem small, statistically speaking, with an average class size of 27 and an assumed 50 students per graduate program, the odds say there is one LD student in each of your classes. Of course, this is not always the case, but the statistics say something powerful. Next time you take a test in your Core history, take a second to think. The girl next to you, who is asked the same questions, could be an LD student who is marked down because her spelling is poor, or maybe the boy three rows down misread the question due to a scrambling of letters and a lack of extra time and thus filled in the wrong multiple choice bubble.

So, how do we create a fair environment? The CFLC does a great job on an individual basis, and BC students are especially blessed in this capacity, but in order to create equality, we must eliminate the bias, and thus we must start with ourselves. We must consciously think about our actions and thoughts, we must act consciously to eliminate the bias. This the only way to start a change, and after all, don’t you think those with LDs have enough to overcome without consistently having to prove their capabilities to others and to themselves?

I myself have poor reading comprehension and spelling equivalent to an eighth grader, and I struggle to concentrate for long periods of time. That does not mean that I, or any other student with an LD, cannot and will not succeed at BC. I just ask for a fair chance.

Kristy Barnes is a staff columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@ bcheights.com.

The opinions and commentaries of the staff columnists and cartoonists appearing on this page represent the views of the author or artist of that particular piece, and not necessarily the views of The Heights. Any of the columnists and artists for the Opinions section of The Heights can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

Tanking in the NBA Stephen Sikora The beginning of April is one of the best times of the year to be a sports fan.

The NCAA Tournament comes to a close with the Final Four, Major League Baseball begins its season, and the NBA and NHL are both finishing their regular seasons and respective playoff races. And for us Boston College fans, the Frozen Four, which we seem to be in nearly every year, is usually held the first week of the month.

Yet, there is one more tradition each April that the NBA adds—teams jockeying for a better draft lottery position by losing.

And losing. And losing some more.

Take this year’s Philadelphia 76ers. They recently tied an NBA record by losing 26 games in a row. This came after the team traded its best player in the off-season and then traded its remaining best player at this year’s trade deadline for a low second round pick—essentially worthless—and a player whom it immediately released. This past Saturday’s game was the first the 76ers have won since Jan. 29.

Through the way the NBA’s set up, however, decisions like these can often make sense in the long run. For a general manager who wants to acquire an all-star, one of the easiest ways to do so is through the draft. In the current draft lottery, the worse record a team finishes with, the better chance it has for a higher draft pick. If the 76ers finish last in the league, they won’t be guaranteed the first pick, but they will get no lower than the third pick. That concept continues on for the second-to-last and so on.

What this has led to is commonly referred to as “tanking,” a strategy in which a team looks to lose games purposely—often with fake injuries or strange coaching decisions. This can happen for one game, like Mark Madsen taking seven 3-pointers in the last game of the 2006 season when he’d previously taken just nine in five years, or over the course of the last two months, like the 2011-12 Warriors going 5-22 to close out the season, which included a late season trade for a player out for the year, when they’d started the year 18-21.

Those are trying issues themselves. But the bigger problem is the fact that teams purposely make their clubs worse for the upcoming year, and often a number of seasons after that, for the chance to draft highly over a stretch of time. That’s exactly what the 76ers did when trading away three of their top four players in less than a year.

In a season like this one—with such a highly rated draft class—there are numerous teams (76ers, Celtics, Lakers, Jazz, Bucks, Magic) that have either purposely made themselves worse off, or have consciously chosen not to improve in order to secure a higher draft pick.

Yet, this process doesn’t always work.

High draft picks can be just 19 years old when they enter the league, and they’re often surrounded by additional inexperienced talent and/or cast-off veterans, acquired to make the team worse. Young players frequently aren’t guided correctly, develop bad habits, and ultimately are unsuccessful or leave the team. The Cavaliers have had the No. 1 and No. 4, No. 4, and No. 1 pick in successive years and are still 15 games under .500 this season. The Bobcats have finished above .500 once in their 10-year existence despite five Top-Five picks since 2004.

The NBA’s current system encourages teams to get worse before they get better, yet there’s no guarantee of their getting better by pursuing that route. To risk multiple years of under .500 records and missing the playoffs for a chance at high drafts picks is a disservice to the common fan who’s paying to see the team in person and on TV during those down years. Bill Simmons recently stated that the NBA has a chance to grab the mantle of America’s second sport from MLB—the NBA has a more exciting game, national TV ratings are trending up, and players are much more marketable. If the league continues down this route, however, it risks alienating the fans of those franchises stuck in the draft cycle.

If my economics classes have taught me anything here, it’s that people respond to incentives. The current NBA system has numerous teams happily gutting their rosters to lose. The NBA should realize that result isn’t in its, or its fans’, best interests, and change the system.

Stephen Sikora is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at opinions@ bcheights.com.

THE HEIGHTS

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

BC drops UMass for second straight win

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The softball team failed to maintain early leads in both games against the Crimson.

Eagles lose two on road STEVE PRINCIPI For The Heights The Boston College softball team fell to .500 on the season when it dropped both games of a doubleheader to Harvard on Tuesday afternoon. The Eagles led at times in both games, but were unable to hold off the Crimson, losing 4-2 in the first and 4-3 in the second game.

BC opened up a quick 1-0 lead in game one with a run in the first inning in what turned out to be a pitchers’ duel for most of the afternoon. The Eagles’ run in the top of the first was the last sign of offense until BC doubled its lead in the seventh. Nicole D’Argento pitched well for the Eagles for almost the entire game, but the Crimson bats came to life in the bottom of the last inning. Adrienne Hume hit a two-run home run just two batters in to tie the game, and Kasey Lange popped a two-run shot of her own just minutes later to give Harvard the walk-off win.

D’Argento pitched well for the Eagles, striking out seven and allowing seven hits, most of which came in the seventh inning. BC struggled offensively, however, mustering only five hits, but it benefited from Harvard’s suspect defense, which committed four errors on the day.

Game two was a similar story for the Eagles, who again were unable to hold a late lead. It was Harvard that jumped ahead with a run in the first

inning this time, but BC answered back with two runs of its own in the third.

Tory Speer drove in both runs with a two-run double to right center, but the Crimson struck right back with a run in the bottom of the inning. Speer gave BC the lead with another double in the fifth inning, but the team was again unable to make a late lead stand up. In the bottom of the fifth, pitcher Jordan Weed found herself in trouble after a leadoff double and a sacrifice bunt put a runner on third with only one out.

Once again, it was Lange who came up big with a double into left that tied the game. Katherine Lantz followed up with a single that scored Lange and put Harvard ahead 4-3. BC got its leadoff batter on base to start the sixth, but she never got past second base, and the Eagles dropped the game 4-3.

The Eagles’ offense struggled noticeably during the double header, mustering 11 hits in the two games combined.

The defense, however, looked almost perfect, making only one error in the two games and helping out when D’Argento and Weed were pitching toward contact.

The two losses mark four in a row for the Eagles and have dropped them to 15-15 on the season after a fast start. They return to action on Thursday when they host cross-town rivals Boston University at BU before playing ACC foe Pittsburgh in a three-game weekend series. 

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Eagles were able to play on Shea Field for the first time this season, as they hosted games against UConn and UMass, winning both.

Baseball from, A8 It would have been understandable for a feeling of “here we go again” to creep into the minds of BC after such a tough start to the season, but it was quickly apparent that would not be the case on Wednesday. From the bottom of the third forward, the game was all BC. “You walk around the dugout, and everybody knew that there was no doubt we were going to come back,” said sophomore right fielder Chris Shaw. “We saw what we can do when we let the results take care of themselves and just play baseball.”

For all of the struggles of BC’s first two pitchers, the rest of the bullpen performed magnificently. The trio of

Nick Poore, Bobby Skogsbergh, and John Nicklas was nearly perfect, allowing just two hits over six shutout innings. Skogsbergh looked particularly impressive, picking up the win while allowing only one base runner over three innings and striking out four.

As for the Eagles’ closer, Skogsbergh remarked, “Johnny Nicklas came in and did what Johnny Nicklas does: got the save throwing fire.” The pitcher came in throwing a fastball above 90 mph, overpowering Massachusetts’ hitters and closing the door quickly on any possibility of a late comeback.

BC’s bats came alive when they had to.

After falling behind by four in the third, BC was able to tie the game up by the fifth inning.

Massachusetts’ pitcher Tim Cassidy, who started off strong, fell apart in the middle innings, leaving the game with four innings pitched, and six runs allowed (five earned).

Shaw, catcher Stephen Sauter, and third baseman Johnny Adams were the stories offensively for BC. Shaw went one for three with two RBIs, a run scored, and a walk.

Sauter contributed two RBIs of his own, while Johnny Adams went 2-3.

Shaw spoke post-game about what this gritty, comeback win could do for the Eagles going forward. “These good, midweek wins are awesome, especially going into a series with UNC— normally a very good ball club,” Shaw said. “We know we’re going to have a tough battle this weekend, but we feel good going into it now.” 

Eagles top UConn in walkoff fashion with hit from Butera

BY CHRIS GRIMALDI Heights Senior Staff On Tuesday afternoon, the Boston College baseball team played its 26th game of the 2014 regular season—and only its first true home contest this year Boston College 2 on Pellagrini Diamond.

UConn 1 Ye t , he ad coach Mike Gambino’s Eagles treated the home crowd to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Connecticut in their final at-bat, besting the Huskies in a quintessential pitcher’s duel.

“We love playing in the Birdcage,” Gambino said. “We love getting back home. It’s hard to put a value on being able to play in your own park.”

Both sides appeared poised to shut each other down from the mound. Despite struggling with pitch control, UConn starting pitcher Andrew Zapata held BC hitless over five innings. Meanwhile, Eagles starter Mike King looked to match Zapata’s effort with effective work of his own. The true freshman struck out a pair of Huskies and only surrendered two walks over five innings of work.

While starting pitching dictated the game early on, anemic offense was just as responsible for the zeroes on the Pellagrini Diamond scoreboard. Both teams struggled to produce with runners on base, leaving valuable scoring opportunities stranded on the bases. In the third frame, the Huskies wasted a golden chance of their own. With the

bases loaded and nobody out, catcher Connor David grounded a comebacker to King, who turned it into a slick double play to extinguish the scoring threat.

“He pitched himself out of some jams,” Gambino said of King. “He showed great presence out there.”

The scoreless deadlock was broken in the sixth inning, as BC reliever Jesse Adams allowed a run to score on a pitch in the dirt after putting runners on second and third.

Although the Eagles’ bullpen escaped the inning without any further damage, the onerun deficit loomed large on a day when their offense was sputtering.

UConn was on the board thanks to Adams’ miscue, but BC also began to chip away by forcing mistakes out of the opposition. After Cronin awakened the Eagles’ offense with a sixth-inning single, Chris Shaw followed with a searing line drive up the middle for a base knock of his own. Senior Tom Bourdon followed with a sacrifice bunt, which reliever Patrick Ruotolo turned into an unearned run by throwing the ball away at first. Cronin crossed the plate, and the Eagles drew even at one.

Despite putting runners on second and third to keep the scoring threat alive, BC couldn’t muster any more offense against Ruotolo. The reliever whiffed six Eagles in his three innings of work, but was brilliantly countered by BC redshirt freshman Luke Fernandes. After taking over for Adams in the sixth, he pitched over three innings of one-hit

baseball to keep the Eagles deadlocked with the Huskies.

“That’s what we’ve grown to expect out of Luke,” Gambino said. “That’s how good he is.”

A relentless battle of the bullpens brought the 1-1 tie into the bottom of the ninth inning, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

Freshman Michael Strem led off with a screaming line drive up the middle against UConn southpaw David Mahoney, and he eventually moved into scoring position on a well-placed bunt from classmate Nick Sciortino. With two outs and the game threatening to head into extra innings, junior Blake Butera stepped up to the plate.

Butera grounded a Mahoney offering toward UConn shortstop Aaron Hill. What seemed like a routine groundball off of the bat quickly turned into chaos, as a wicked bounce sent the ball careening off of Hill and into centerfield. Strem’s slide beat the throw to the plate, sparking a mob of red jerseys in a walkoff celebration and sending the Eagles home with a victory. With the win, BC snapped a five-game losing skid.

To the veteran infielder who sent BC home with a dramatic win, the clutch at-bat was a step in the right direction for a squad battling to achieve consistency.

“We haven’t had that one big hit, but maybe things will finally start coming now that we’ve gotten that one off of our shoulders,” Butera said. “It’s a big weight off of our shoulders." 

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

BC entered the bottom of the ninth inning tied at 1-1 with the Huskies but pulled off the win.

THE HEIGHTS

EDITORS’ EDITORS’PICKS PICKS

Thursday, April 3, 2014 The Week Ahead

Standings

Coming off consecutive victories, baseball takes on North Carolina in a weekend series. Softball will play Pittsburgh in conference play at home, while women’s tennis is set to take on North Carolina State. The Final Four starts on Saturday night, with Kentucky, Florida, Wisconsin, and Connecticut all vying for the title.

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Baseball blew a five-run ninth inning lead against No. 1 FSU and was swept by the ‘Noles. Men’s hockey beat Denver on its path to Philadelphia. Women’s tennis was clobbered 6-1 by Clemson, and the Portland Timbers are still hunting for their first win in MLS this season after being downed 2-1 by FC Dallas.

Baseball

Boston vs. North Carolina College

Guest Editor: Michelle Tomassi Asst. Arts & Review

“Ah uh, honey.”

CONNOR MELLAS

This Week’s Games

Sports Editor

MARLY MORGUS Assoc. Sports Editor

ALEX FAIRCHILD

MICHELLE TOMASSI Asst. Arts & Review Editor

Asst. Sports Editor

Baseball: BC vs. No. 30 UNC

UNC 2-1

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Softball: BC vs. Pittsburgh

Pitt 2-1

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W. Tennis: BC vs. NC State Who will win the Final Four?

Two one-run victories in midweek games against Connecticut and Massachusetts set up Mike Gambino’s baseball team for its three-game set against No. 30 North Carolina. The Tar Heels come to Chestnut Hill struggling. Boston College’s first ACC home opponent of the year lost six consecutive games, before beating UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday. Andrew Chin’s 2-1 record and 1.95 ERA through 37 innings pitched is the squad’s best. Each of the team’s three starters have failed to win a game in ACC play so far though, with John Nicklas as the only pitcher to get a positive decision in the conference.

Friday, 2:30 p.m., Shea Field

BC handles Holy Cross for ninth win

BY TOMMY MELORO Heights Staff

In each of its past three games, the Boston College women’s lacrosse team has gotten off to a slow start. Against Holy Cross, however, Boston College 11 that wasn’t a problem. The Holy Cross 5 Eagles immediately jumped out in front 2-0, then 4-1. BC’s lead was 6-2 by halftime, which it used as a springboard to trounce the Crusaders on Newton Campus, 11-5.

The Eagles were in control of the game almost from the initial horn, as they scored their first goal just over two minutes in and never let the Crusaders tie it up.

“It’s definitely been a part of our goals in the last couple weeks to come out stronger,” said BC head coach Acacia Walker.

By the time 10 minutes had elapsed in the second half, the Eagles had put away four more goals to essentially end the game.

BC’s final goal came with 12:05 remaining.

Although BC had some chances afterward, it was mainly concerned with running out the clock.

The Eagles accomplished this scoring outburst without their leading point-scorer, Covie Stanwick, on the field. With Stanwick out, the Eagles turned to the remaining players in their stable of scorers. Kate Weeks notched a goal and an assist on BC’s first two scores of the second half to make her presence known.

“Kate Weeks brings a lot of power, she’s got a lot of confidence, so it was really good to get her out there,” Walker said. “She’s a threat all over the place, so it was exciting for her.” Weeks didn’t get on the score sheet again, but she was a constant and active threat for the remainder of the game.

Mikaela Rix was once again the crux for the BC offense, leading both teams with four points from three goals and an assist.

In the span of 23 seconds, Rix notched two goals in two completely different ways. Her first goal came when Rix outran the entire Holy Cross team down almost the full length of the field before calmly bouncing a shot past Holy Cross goalie Sarah Weber. The second came when Rix beat her defender going to her left. When she got in close enough to the crease, Rix ripped a left-handed shot into the upper

right corner of the net.

What made the biggest difference for the Eagles in this game, however, was their defensive prowess.

“Holy Cross has a bunch of threats, and we knew they were gonna be good today, and they were gonna bring their best game,” Walker said. “So we asked our girls for a really energized, really consistent defense, staying true to what we do.”

BC’s relentless pressure came from everywhere. No matter where the Crusaders were on the field, they were powerless to escape it. Twice in the game the Eagles were able to create a turnover as Holy Cross was attempting a clear, which the Eagles were able to convert on quickly.

The first came in the first half, as Moira Barry intercepted a pass in BC’s offensive zone and was essentially able to walk in on Weber before putting the ball in the net. In the second half, it was Weeks forcing the turnover. Weeks caused the ground ball, recovered it, and was able to find Brooke Blue streaking down the left side. A quick shot fake got Weber to bit, and Blue slotted it home on the far side of the net.

When unable to create those turnovers, the Eagles were still solid defensively. Their man-to-man defense was unbreakable for the Crusaders’ shooters, and any attempts to drive on net were quickly thwarted and turned aside. The help defense created an impenetrable wall time and again. Where the Eagles were at their best, however, was

their ability to stick-check the Crusaders.

At every opportunity, the Eagles hacked away at Holy Cross sticks, knocking the ball out. They created ground balls—turnover opportunities that the Eagles cashed in on.

The Eagles also continued their trend of playing defense by playing offense, their measured attack continually draining the clock and robbing Holy Cross of more offensive opportunities.

Even as time was winding down, the game already in hand, Walker was audible on the sideline, pushing her team even harder, directing its attack, and squeezing every last bit of pressure out of her defense. Although BC had fixed its case of the early yips, Walker wasn’t satisfied with just starting strong—she wanted her team to take control and keep control for the full game.

“We’re asking our girls for 60 full minutes of BC lacrosse,” Walker said. “I don’t think we’re there yet—we’re climbing this mountain, and we’ll figure it out, and we’ll get there at some point, and I think once we put 60 minutes together, we’ll have stronger wins, and we’ll have more of them.”

Walker’s team won’t have to wait long for its next opportunity to play a complete game—it faces another tough test on Saturday afternoon in Durham against the top-10 ranked Duke Blue Devils. To win, the Eagles will need to start and finish strongly. 

athletes to unionize, more and more players from around the country could move in that direction. With protections achieved, the unions and NCPA could move on to the topic that my last column focused on—payment.

Take to Twitter and you’re likely to see plenty of buzz on the idea. A simple search will find plenty of statements alluding to support of the payment of student-athletes.

If you share this opinion, then this is all well and good. If you’re like me, however, you find this worrisome. If you’re the NCAA, you should be in DEFCON 1.

It may be too late. The NCAA’s rigidity in its regulations and how it deals with student-athletes make it difficult for athletes to lobby for change, and as a result athletes need organizations like the NCPA and unions in order to meet their needs—which, as athletes told CNN, are better medical

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Eagles relentlessly pressured the Crusaders throughout the game, playing strong defense.

coverage, concussion testing, four-year scholarships, and the possibility of being paid. If I were in charge, I would start doing damage control immediately—listen to the wants and needs of athletes under my jurisdiction and learn to be more flexible. I don’t think the NCAA has to go as far as to agree to let athletes give up their amateur status for pay, but it does need to listen to other demands, or even open up to the idea of slightly larger—yet standardized from player to player so as not to initiate pay-related competition between schools—stipends.

It’s not 1980 anymore. College sports are a big business, but that doesn’t mean that sports should evolve into a completely financially motivated game when it comes to the athletes.

Players still love their sports and their schools just like O’C and McClanahan did, and the pride of playing for your school, the free education, and the experience that players gain—not to mention increased prospects for

baseball

scoreboard

Former quarterback transitions to receiver From Football, A8

NCAA brought union woes upon itself From Column, A8

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Bordner aims to help a depth-depleted BC offense by catching rather than throwing the ball.

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professional salaries in the coming years—should be enough. It’s not, though, because of the risk that they take on the field, court, or ice, and their fear that the NCAA won’t take care of them if those risks are realized.

Eventually, USA hockey turned to NHL players to fill its Olympic rosters, leaving behind the amateur status that the 1980 team held. It was a step that USA hockey administrators chose to take, but not one that I would be in favor of if the NCAA chose to do the same thing.

The way things are going, though, and thanks to the organization’s mishandling of its power, the forfeit of amateur status is becoming more and more likely, leaving behind the idea of college sports wherein athletes represent their schools rather than themselves, in favor of a bidding war.

Marly Morgus is the Assoc. Sports Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at sports@bcheights.com

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and now—in an ironic twist of fate—the quarterback BC football had little use for became the receiver the Eagles desperately need.

Operation position change first kicked into gear shortly after the football team’s winter break, when Bordner met with Addazio to discuss his situation and role on the team.

“He kind of brought up the idea, and I had thought about it before but never really thought much about it,” Bordner said. “As soon as he said it I was like, I know it would be perfect for me to be put in a situation like that. It was kind of his idea at first, but I went along with it right away.”

Bordner went to work catching passes and running routes before spring ball started. Playing high school basketball and wide receiver left Bordner with a soft pair of hands, and as a quarterback, he already had a good handle on the routes. But throughout the spring he’s worked on grabbing the ball in traffic, reading coverage, generally adapting to the nuances of playing receiver at the DI level, and of course, stopping hulking defensive ends from crushing his quarterback.

“There’s a lot of technique that I need to learn and obviously be better at, but blocking is—I don’t know, it’s different,” Bordner said. “I enjoy it I guess, in a way, not blocking defensive ends, I’ll have to get used to that.”

The physicality of the role is new— his body is still adapting to the wear and tear of the required conditioning and the physicality of catching across the middle, but as a whole, the experiment is running smoothly. And given the Eagles’ deficiency of receiving depth and established senior leadership, BC needs successful results.

When BC lost wide receiver Alex Amidon and tight ends Mike Naples and Jake Sinkovec to graduation, it lost 101 of last season’s 164 receptions, 1,349 of

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2,012 yards, and nine of 17 receiving touchdowns. C.J. Parsons, a junior tight end who caught nine passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns, is no longer a member of the team, nor is Spiffy Evans, a junior wide receiver responsible for seven receptions, 97 yards, and one touchdown in 2013. It is questionable if senior Bobby Swigert, who hasn’t played since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Nov. 2012, will play return to the field, and sophomore Harrison Jackson, who caught five passes for 46 yards and one touchdown, has struggled with injury as well. Somehow, the player returning to the team with the most catches is sophomore running back Dave Dudeck, who bagged 11 receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown in 2013.

With this deficiency of depth in mind, Bordner could, quite literally, be huge for BC and whichever quarterback is throwing to him this season.

He has size, experience with the playbook, and a demonstrated willingness to put the team ahead of him—traits that will be vital on a very young BC team this fall.

As spring practices wrap up, Bordner’s plan is to keep working and adjusting to his new role, build chemistry with the other receivers and quarterbacks, and become a team leader as a senior receiver.

“I look forward to it,” Bordner said.

“It’s something that I can actually be passionate about now, and knowing that I’m going to be able to make a difference on the team and play a big role is something that I’ve been wanting to do.”

And, harkening back to his linebacking days, he’s looking to vent a little aggression.

“I like hitting, I like getting hit, it’s kind of weird,” Bordner said. “But I enjoy that.”

After all those years of holding a clipboard, it’s hard to blame him. 

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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014

Gaudreau selected for second Hobey Hat Trick

BY AUSTIN TEDESCO Heights Editor One day before he left for the 2013 Frozen Four, Johnny Gaudreau made the somewhat surprising announcement that he would be returning to Boston College for his third season with the men’s hockey team. Gaudreau wasn’t traveling with any teammates to the games in Pittsburgh, though. He was heading to the Hobey Baker Award ceremony solo after his team was knocked out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Union College.

Gaudreau lost out on the Hobey, which is given to the nation’s best player, to St. Cloud State’s Drew LeBlanc–even though Gaudreau totaled one more point on the season than LeBlanc while playing in six fewer games.

It was announced yesterday that Gaudreau is getting a second chance at the award, and he won’t be alone this time. The nation’s leading scorer, with 1.97 points per game, will be joined by St. Lawrence’s Greg Carey and St. Cloud State’s Nic Dowd at the ceremony in Philadelphia next week, but he’ll also have his team with him.

Gaudreau is the only finalist whose team

NCAA has doomed itself with unions

is still alive. The Eagles are getting another shot at Union, this time in the Frozen Four, and a do-over for that game played a much bigger role in Gaudreau’s decision to return than proving his Hobey snub wrong.

“The last [reason to return] was the way we ended the year, it was pretty upsetting we didn’t get to go back to the Frozen Four,” Gaudreau said last spring. “I really wanted to get another chance to do that.”

The winner will be announced on April 11, the day between the semifinals and championship games. If Gaudreau wins, he’ll be the third BC player to receive the award and the first since Mike Mottau earned it in 2000.

Frozen Four Tickets The BC athletics department will offer 100 discounted student ticket packages to the 2014 Frozen Four priced at $150, according to Associate Athletics Director Jamie DiLoreto.

BC hockey will join a field comprised of Union College, the University of Minnesota, and the University of North Dakota next Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center, and Gold Pass holders are eligible for tickets set at a $55 discount. The ticket package gives access to both semifinal games as well as

MARLY MORGUS

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

For the second straight year, Gaudreau is a finalist for college hockey’s top individual honor. the championship on Saturday night. The upper level seats being offered have a face value of $205.

While the NCAA has offered discounted student tickets for post-season basketball and football games to schools, including BC, in the past, that is not the case with this year’s Frozen Four. BC has been allotted 600 total tickets,

with 100 being set aside for students.

Students had until Tuesday at 5 p.m. to respond to an email that was sent by the athletics department and request a ticket package. If demand exceeds the 100 student ticket packages, total Gold Pass points will be used to determine which students will receive tickets. 

HOME SWEET HOME

BY JOHNNY CAREY

THE EAGLES HELD THEIR HOME OPENER THIS WEEK, TOPPING THE UCONN HUSKIES IN A WALK-OFF THEN PULLING OFF A WEDNESDAY WIN OVER UMASS

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Following a 2-1 win over Connecticut, the Boston College baseball team took on the University of Massachusetts Minutemen on Wednesday, searching for back-to-back wins in the team’s first games at Shea Field this season.

Massachusetts came into the game at 3-16, but Boston College 7 didn’t make it easy for BC by any means. After UMass 6 falling behind in a four-run hole, BC was able to complete the comeback and win the game by a final score of 7-6.

Freshman Justin Dunn took the mound in his first career start for BC. It was immediately clear even in warm-ups, however, that his control was not on point. Dunn was extremely wild early on, walking two and uncorking a wild pitch in the first. Fortunately for BC, he was able to escape the inning with no

runs allowed. In the second, Dunn’s luck ran out. Dunn walked two more batters and was pulled after only completing one and one-third innings of work, while allowing one unearned run.

BC’s pitching staff continued to struggle as Eric Stevens entered the game.

Stevens only went one and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and five runs (one earned). With two out in the third inning, Stevens appeared to be out of a jam as he forced a chopper up the middle. Shortstop Joe Cronin bobbled the ball, however, and allowed a run to score. The very next pitch was sent over the left field wall for a three-run home run by Adam Picard, and all of a sudden Massachusetts held a 6-2 lead.

See Baseball, A6

Sidelines to front lines: Bordner assumes new role

BY CONNOR MELLAS Sports Editor In 2009, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound wide receiver turned quarterback and linebacker from Maryland was recruited to play under center at Boston College.

Scouts noted his arm wasn’t the strongest in the world, but it was accurate—2,082 yards and 18 touchdowns his senior year—and besides, the kid was physically strong and could run—he moved his feet for 10 scores that season. The offer was made, and the hard-hitting quarterback from Maryland shipped up to Chestnut Hill as a member of the 2010 BC football recruiting class.

Over four years later, Josh Bordner needed a change. The kid from Maryland had ended up redshirting his freshman

year, playing in five games the 2011 season and then appearing in four games over the course of two seasons as BC’s primary backup for Chase Rettig. Then, with the 2014 season on the horizon and Rettig gone, BC brought in senior Florida quarterback Tyler Murphy as a transfer and dual-threat freshman Darius Wade as an early enrollee freshman. The writing on the wall was clear—Bordner would not be the guy taking snaps for BC. Therefore, when BC head coach Steve Addazio offered the now 6-foot4, 226-pound senior a chance to get on the field as a hybrid receiver, he jumped at the opportunity and threw himself into the role. Bordner worked all spring transitioning to his new old position,

See Football, A7

I NSIDE SPORTS THIS ISSUE

GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

Senior Josh Bordner is utilizing his size and knowledge of the playbook as a receiver.

Lacrosse: Eagles top Holy Cross for ninth win

The Eagles hosted Holy Cross on Newton Campus yesterday and beat the Crusaders by a final score of 11-5......................................................A7

Earlier this year, when the news first broke that some of Northwestern’s football players were taking steps toward unionizing, I wrote a column explaining why I thought that unionizing was a dangerous step for student-athletes to take. I wrote about a desire for the purity of the sport of college football—where athletes play for the love of the game and their schools, not for themselves or their salaries.

A couple of months later, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled in favor of the student-athletes, allowing them to form a union, thus classifying the students as employees of the university.

Toward the beginning of one of the greatest sports movies of all time, Miracle—which, if you’re not familiar with it (shame on you), tells the story of the 1980 Olympic men’s hockey team and its unlikely journey to the gold medal—the newly formed team goes to a bar. The team is made entirely of current or recently graduated college students from all over the country, but with significant representation from the University of Minnesota and Boston University.

Soon, the conversation between rivals heats up, and Jack O’Callahan, a BU player, still heated over the idea of having to play with Rob McClanahan of Minnesota, springs into a dialogue with Ralph Cox of UNH. “Why’d you want to play college hockey?” O’C asks.

At first, Cox laughs it off, saying that he plays for the girls, but then he admits thinking that playing college hockey would help him get to the NHL. O’C has a different answer, though.

“Well, I wanted to win a National Championship,” he says, and he goes on to tell the story of a national championship game between the rival programs that culminates when McClanahan “steals the ring right off [O’C’s] fingah.”

It’s a Disney movie. The dialogue is fabricated, and a mid-practice fight between O’C and McClanahan never happened. Instead, those elements were added in order to illustrate what was the state of the rivalry at the time that was bigger than individuals and sprung from the schools’ long history of getting in each others’ way along the road to a national championship.

With the recent unionization of student-athletes, what we now have is the potential for that spirit to be lost in a greater game—a financial one. Did O’C, Cox, and McClanahan deserve certain rights, such as ones that would protect them—their scholarships and their liability for medical expenses—in the event of career-ending injuries? Of course, and in the immediate future, that seems to be one of the union’s and the National College Players Association’s (NCPA) most important goals— to protect student-athletes.

The NCPA and the union should not be the ones worrying about it, though. If the intent of these unionizing measures is solely to protect the student-athletes, the NCAA should be held responsible for making sure that athletes are treated well, not organizations outside of it. As the governing body of collegiate athletics, it should come down to the NCAA to assure that its players feel safe, or at least that they will be protected in the event that something happens to them.

The NCAA has failed to do so, however, and now groups have been formed that will put pressure on the organization for protection and will undoubtedly push further issues. When it comes down to it, the NCAA has created an enormous problem for itself.

The immediate goals of the union and the NCPA are admirable, but with the precedent set for a group of

See Column, A7

Scoreboard............................................................................................................A7 Editors’ Picks.....................................................................................................A7

column

UGBC’s Concert Legacy

Why Students should distrust the programming takeover, Page B2 Column

‘Rowling’ in the Spin-offs

Famous authors are capitalizing their franchises to death, Page B3

sCENE sTYLE

Edible Books Festival

BC LibrARIANS PUT TOGETHER A DELICIOUS EXHIBIT IN o’nEILL, B3

THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014

THE

John Wiley | Arts & Review Editor, Ariana Igneri | Assoc. Arts & Review Editor Michelle Tomassi | Asst. Arts & Review Editor Eighty freshmen auditioned for the improv comedy group My Mother’s Fleabag last semester—15 were called back, and only three were admitted to the troupe, which caps its size at 12 members.

The auditioning process itself has long been held secret, with the only guidance offered to freshmen being that they shouldn’t come in prepared.

For this year’s graduating class of Fleabaggers—Lou Wilson, Ceara O’Sullivan, and Don Orr, all A&S ’14—there’s no imagining how they could have prepared for the last four years. The three, who describe each other as their closest friends at BC, will effectively end their careers with Fleabag this weekend in the O’Connell House. Saturday’s 10 p.m. performance will be their last “Big Show” together.

“Fleabag means family,” O’Sullivan said simply.

Although she was one of the lucky few to make the cut her freshman year, O’Sullivan said that after rounds of auditions and callbacks and after days of trying to be clever, witty, and funny, she was 100 percent positive that she hadn’t made it into the group four

years ago. Orr, too, said that he had low expectations of getting into the troupe, but that he was glad he had given it the old college try.

Now on the other end of the audition process, Wilson, O’Sullivan, and Orr still aren’t so quick to give away the specifics of the process, but they will share the equation: chemistry.

“In our group of 12, no two of us are the same, and I don’t think any of our personalities match up—which is exactly what we want,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s like ‘blue doesn’t show up on blue.’”

Entering the group, and handling the pressure of creating characters on the spot, Wilson—who plans to pursue a professional career in comedy after graduation—quickly discovered that improv comedy had very unique expectations of performers.

“No matter what I do, no matter how I do it, no matter how big I go, I know the people I’m on stage with will support me and help me build a world in which the choices I’ve made are very real,” Wilson said.

See Fleabag, B2

jordan pentaleri / heights photo illustration

THE HEIGHTS

B2

THE GRADUATING C SS:

WILEY’S FOLLIES

A defense of UGBC’s failed concert legacy

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Before stepping onto the O’Connell stage for their last ‘Big Show’ this weekend, the three senior Fleabaggers reflect on the past four years with the improv group.

JOHN WILEY After officials from the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) shut down the presses—stating no contract had been signed with rapper Hoodie Allen for Modstock—the undergraduate community was left in a strange place. After Allen himself had personally responded to students’ tweets last Thursday, confirming he would headline Modstock, it felt odd for UGBC to issue a statement that nothing had been confirmed.

Admittedly, UGBC has never tried particularly hard to appear as a source of information. When last semester’s Fall Concert Fact Finding Committee issued a final report applauding the work of the organizers of an O.A.R. concert that had lost BC undergraduates $112,000—a report that excluded any real data on the concert’s losses—it was almost expected.

So when later that semester it was announced that UGBC would break off the larger part of its programming branch, there was virtually no protest. This spring’s Modstock is the last major concert at BC ever to be planned by UGBC, and still weeks away, it already stinks of the kind of backroom politicking that is much of the reason students have been so complacent with the changes to programming.

I’m sure most of us have heard these criticisms before, and at some point, it seems more useful to shy away from these more obvious complaints surrounding UGBC. Upon this ending of its maligned legacy of concert planning, it’s worth appreciating the fact that for so many years, the students of this University have managed to keep relative control of these events, despite strong opposition from the BC administration.

In the case of failed concerts, students have long been afforded the opportunity to elect new representatives. Of course, this system is flawed—instrumental in its failing was the fact that UGBC’s leadership would graduate before being held accountable.

Next semester, the responsibility of having these concerts will move away entirely from elected representatives, becoming the work of a programming board to be formed under the Student Programming Office (SPO).

The decision to section off these concertplanning activities seems reasonable enough, at least looking through a lens narrowly limited last semester’s failures. But those quick to point to the failure of the O.A.R. concert as reason to shift this responsibility away from UGBC have likely forgotten the moratorium placed on concerts in 2011 by the very same office they just willingly allowed to take total control over them. It was this moratorium that effectively ended BC’s spring concert tradition, and has been used as leverage to get the University more involved in the planning—and respective limitation—of UGBC’s last few concerts.

Disgusted with UGBC, we have effectively handed over the total planning of our concerts to SPO, which has demonstrably proven, that when given a choice, it wouldn’t have these concerts happen at all.

It comes as no surprise to me that the organizational planning of this new programming board is already running far behind—that students have heard remarkably little about how the allocation of the vast majority of their student activities fee will work next year. Nor is it surprising that the constitutional amendment which allowed UGBC to break off near the entirety of its programming branch without bringing it to a vote with the student body only required it to receive the approval of SPO. The truth is, however much UGBC has been guilty of pulling the wool over the eyes of the student body when it comes to these concerts, it at least has consistently exhibited the will to have them continue, in spite of strong opposition from BC administrators.

When thinking back to the night of last fall’s O.A.R. concert—the financial failure almost exclusively responsible for schism within UGBC—I remember the concert quite differently than most. I was a reporter at the event, sitting in the press box with a dozen or so members of UGBC. When an aggressive member of Team Ops confronted me, insisting that the press had to leave after three of the band’s songs, Tim Koch, one of the events coordinators, stood up to the man. When arguing failed, Koch placed an event staff lanyard around my neck, allowing me to stay at the event on a technicality.

Next year, if put in the same situation, I don’t imagine anyone will be there to stand up for me, nor am I convinced the fall concert will happen at all. It was a sobering experience, the first time I realized that if given the choice, the powers that be at this University would run roughshod over the authority of students when it comes to these concerts—they would be no more. It’s a dark reality of the UGBC split that soon, we might just find ourselves left to accept.

John Wiley is the Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

CeaOr’Saullivan

h it h a n Ir isritw , h s li g n w M a jo r : E inor and creative m s ie Stud ntration ork, ing conce n: upstate New Y Hometowger Lakes region perin the Fin at BC: She has The Activities Jack and Jill and Vaformed in, as well as in Thected 39 Steps ologues. She dire s h e gina Mon d B ody la s t fa ll , was T h e G oo im lessons and she taught sw at The Plex, and a lifeguardrientation Leader. was an O the Mods uth, Lives in: a b r o a d : in M e n S t u d ie d Ireland

LouWilson Major: Communication Hometown: Altadena, Calif. (just outside LA) Activities at BC: Wilson used to be a tour guide for the Student Admissions Program. He taught classes for BC Splash such as “Dave Chappelle and Racism” and a class on improv. He is a member of an intramural basketball team that has never won a game known as “four-year losing streak” and he is a lover of tchoukball.

Lives in: the Mods Studied abroad: in Parma, Italy

Don

Orr

Major: H Philosop istor y and Hometowhy n: Ocean lif.

Side, CaActivitie Philosop s at BC: Orr is in at BC. Hehy Honor s Progr the at WZBC has also been a am c o - h o s t s for three years a DJ son. Orr a s h o w w it h Wnd chair of is currently the v il Health. Students for Sex ice ual Lives in: E S t u d ie d dmond’s h a g e n , D a b r o a d : in C o p has famil e n m a rk , w h e r e e n y he

MY MOTHER’S FLEABAG From Fleabag, B1 Wilson’s concept of trust in improv performance became especially relevant at one performance several years ago when, moving about the stage quickly, Wilson split the O’Connell stage into three parts. The stage quickly became the Grand Canyon, as well as a host of other improv devices, and was incorporated into the performance. Playing off each other, the Fleabaggers worked the unlikely occurrence into the remainder of their routine.

“It’s like ‘make yourself look good by making your scene partner look better,” Wilson said. “So if everyone is doing that for everyone else—how can we fail?”

Each week, Fleabag meets for hours, practicing routines with characters and scenarios unlikely to ever be repeated in actual shows.

The shows themselves are cast five minutes before the actual performance.

“People think we plan it out a lot more than we do,” Orr said.

“That’s not something we tell audiences, so I don’t think that’s something people know about us,” O’Sullivan said. “But I think that’s a huge part of what makes the shows so dynamic.”

The seniors also spend a considerable amount of time together outside of Fleabag rehearsals. Wilson and O’Sullivan are both members of ImprovBoston, a comedy troupe in Cambridge, and have a two-person improv show called Corkmagotton! In other words, they’re doing improv six nights a week—a decision Wilson describes as “the best kind of ignorance.”

Wilson has also claimed the title of “permanent guest” on Orr’s radio show at WZBC,

cohosting a show called The MIT Fishermen Variety Show inspired by their freshman year auditions for Fleabag. Wilson and Orr performed in a scene together in which they decided to be fishermen instead of “geniuses” at MIT, and they were told that this scene is what helped the two of them get into Fleabag from the start.

While the three members work together and feed off each other’s energy, one thing’s for sure: they love to one-up each other.

Wilson: “I also work for BCPD.” O’Sullivan: “I also work for a financial firm in Wellesley.”

Orr: “I work in a factory.”

O’Sullivan: “Yeah you work in a factory.

That’s cool—I forgot about that.”

Wilson: “Yeah, Don, tell them more about factory life.”

O’Sullivan jumps in: “I do triathlons!”

Orr: “I screwed up my pinky, actually, because I dropped a titanium bar on my knuckles, and now I can’t get it any closer.”

O’Sullivan: “But he’ll be alright.”

The Fleabaggers will take any word, phrase, or question—and run with it. The random asides and spontaneous arguments allowed scenes to unfold, even off the stage.

“Guys, can we all uncross our legs?”

Wilson asked seemingly out of nowhere, when The Scene was speaking with the three seniors. “I feel the need to join you all—like, oh you have your legs crossed? If six people in a room of seven people are crossing their legs, it’s a little weird.”

“This is what happens when you get in a room with people who do improv—we’ll just start up a fun conversation between the three of us and just dominate the room,”

Orr added. “If you give us an open-ended question, we are just programmed to keep talking.”

As O’Sullivan noted, however, there are times for joking around and laughing, and there are times to get serious.

“I think sometimes people think that because it’s comedy, it’s all fun and games,” she said.

The Fleabag experience and its quirky traditions are something that has been passed down through generations, giving each incoming class the chance to see just how much this group matters.

“We’re the oldest collegiate comedy group in the country, and that’s a big part of who we are—is doing things the way they’ve always been done,” she added.

While the structure of Fleabag’s shows has been altered considerably since then, certain things have remained the same—the group has never changed jerseys and will fight to the end to keep their venue, the O’Connell House. The seniors noted some difficulties with seating and space in the recent past, since the Student Programs Office has made efforts to limit the number of guests allowed into shows, and even suggested a change in venue. Fleabag’s big shows last spring and fall had three sold-out shows, leading them to add on another show, after seeing that these performances are in high demand from the student body.

“We’re putting on this free improv show because we want to make people laugh,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re a clean improv comedy group—that’s the other thing. Our humor’s not even inappropriate. It’s weird to feel like we’re the bad guys.”

Another problem with switching venues

is that improv presents a unique situation, in which the performers are reliant on the audience members to be around the stage in order to foster participation and engage with students. The location is essential to the quality of the show, O’Sullivan explained, so places such as lecture halls are avoided.

“I would have nightmares performing in Robsham,” Orr added.

A fair bit is on the upswing for My Mother’s Fleabag, which has expanded its work to the greater Boston area over the last few years, placing second in the ImprovBoston College Comedy Beanpot tournament in February.

O’Sullivan and Orr, the two directors of this group this season, have also changed the actual form of the group’s comedy.

“These two [O’Sullivan and Orr] have really pushed the group outside its comfort zone, and, in my eyes, they’ve shown them what can be gained by trying new things,” Wilson said. “This semester alone we’ve pushed for longform, which is a style of improv we’ve never done before.”

However much might change for Fleabag—admittedly, it is not the exact same group that, when founded in 1980, performed threehour variety routines with live bands—there’s a sense that Wilson, O’Sullivan, and Orr are part of something bigger than themselves. The more the group develops and grows, the more it inevitably is bound to its past.

“The reason why it’s called My Mother’s Fleabag is because ‘my mother’s fleabag’ is like an old motel that your mother owns and its falling apart at the seams,” O’Sullivan said.

“It’s barely staying together, but you love it because it’s your mother’s and because it’s beloved by you.” 

THIS WEEKEND in arts

BY: ARIANA IGNERI | ASSOCIATE ARTS & REVIEW EDITOR

ALC SHOWDOWN 2014 (SATURDAY 4/5, 7:30 P.M.)

OLIVER STONE LECTURE (SATURDAY 4/5, 1:30 P.M.)

The biggest dance show of the year is coming to Conte Forum this weekend. Groups including Sexual Chocolate, Synergy, UPrising, Masti, Dance Ensemble, Phymus, BC Irish Dance, VIP, Fuego, VSA, PATU, and F.I.S.T.S. will compete to win this year’s contest. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the Robsham box office.

Director of hits including Platoon, JFK, and Wall Street, Oliver Stone will be speaking in Robsham with historian Peter Kuznick about their TV documentary series and book The Untold History of the United States. Tickets are free through Robsham.

PENTATONIX CONCERT (FRIDAY 4/4 TO SATURDAY 4/5, 8 P.M.)

‘CAPTAIN AMERICA 2’ (OPENING FRIDAY)

Chris Evans reprises his role as Captain America in the sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The action flick finds the hero struggling to adapt to contemporary society while at the same time battling a Soviet villain from the past.

‘DANCING AT LUGHNASA’ (THURSDAY 4/3 TO SATURDAY 4/5, 7:30 P.M.)

Sarah Kelley, A&S ’14, is directing Dancing at Lughnasa, an award-winning play about a man who shares his memories of living in Ireland during the early 1900s. Tickets for the Bonn Studio Theater production are $10.

Known for winning the third season of The Sing-Off, the five-part a cappella group Pentatonix is playing a few shows at the House of Blues this weekend. Most tickets are sold out through Live Nation, but resale tickets may be available through their partner sites.

JOHN WILEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

WINE AND CHEESE AND GLASSBLOWING MY MOTHER’S FLEABAG BIG SHOW NIGHT (FRIDAY 4/4 TO SATURDAY 4/5, 7 AND (SATURDAY 4/5, 5:30 P.M.) 10 P.M.) BC2Boston is sponsoring a trip to the Diablo Glass School BC’s improv comedy group My Mother’s Fleabag is presenting its Big Show four times throughout this weekend.

Admission is free, but seating is limited, as the O’Connell House does fill up quickly.

in Boston. The evening will include an assortment of wines, cheeses, and other snacks, as well as a glassblowing demonstration. The event is open to all ages, but identification is required for wine. Tickets are $20 online through Robsham.

THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, April 3, 2014

B3

SCENE Style

OUTSIDE THE LINES

Edible Books Festival showcases literary tastes Losing the

magic of a franchise

MICHELLE TOMASSI

2

1

3 EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

1. ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ red velvet cake with frosting 2. ‘Betty Crocker’s Cooked Book,’ chocolate cake with fondant cover and iced lettering 3. ‘Huckleberry Flan,’ flan with blueberry topping

BY RYAN DOWD Heights Staff The Boston College library staff isn’t quick to give away the fact that they’re, in truth, a very rambunctious bunch—they’re librarians, after all. As they do every year, though, with their Edible Books Festival, turning food and words into art—and clever puns—they remind us that they throw quite the little party.

Set near the stairs of the O’Neill main lobby, the 23 entries to this year’s contest were arrayed on two tables as a crowd shuffled back and forth. Each edible entry is some sly reference to a book or the written word itself. The Edible Books Festival is an exercise in curiosity and patience, and most likely the shortest-lived art exhibit on campus. The staff places the exhibits a little before noon, and then staff and wayward students have a meager 60 minutes to inspect the entries.

When the clock strikes 1 p.m., it’s on to the eating—the time for appreciating art is over, as vultures emerge from all corners of the library at the smell of free food.

There is one hour to appreciate art and about 10 minutes to get a tasty piece of each exhibit. One hour was more than enough time. The festival featured both endearingly simple arrangements and more elaborate

ones. The same could be said of the puns, like Kevin Tringale’s “Animal (Crackers) Farm” based off George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm. Tricia McMahon’s “The Scarlet Letter” was short a pun, but the massive red velvet cake in the shape of an ‘A’ more than made up for it. Some of the other simpler pieces included Sally Wise’s “Bread Alone,” which was simply that—a bowl of bread. Hannah Ha’s “Kindness Among Cakes” from B.J. Novak’s One More Thing usually inspired a chuckle.

The piece featured a collection of generously portioned cupcakes with cheery flags.

Another clever entry was Sherm Homam’s “Betty Crocker’s Cooked Book.” The exhibit was a cake imitation of an old copy of one of Betty Crocker’s cook books, rips and all. It was chocolate on the inside. It made a lot of people happy.

The festival also included some more audacious exhibits.

Este Pope’s “The Dead Seaweed Scrolls” was a nice contrast to the festival’s overwhelming obsession with cakes, though that may be an overarching societal obsession. Pope layered seaweed over sandpaper to create a tattered, aged effect. Cindy Jones’ “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Chutney” offered

college students the chance to have chutney for the first time in a while, and those that did may not think of chutney in the same way again. Jones let her pun do the talking with a simple arrangement of pita chips and bowls of chutney. Esther Griswold’s “Wrinkles in Thyme” was another fine pun as a mini clock covered in ivy-looking thyme. While technically edible, the seasoned clock was more for show than eating.

The festival’s organizer, Scott Britton, contributed four pieces to the collection.

Two shied more toward the axis of art than food. His “The Naked Apple” and “Rikki Tikki Taffy” were two handsome entries but difficult to eat, given

that one was an apple with its skin shaved off and the latter a winding cobra made of taffy. They looked so good that the crowd was hesitant to destroy the exhibit. His other two, however, embraced the edible side of the festival. His “Huckleberry Flan” topped with blueberries lasted 10 minutes at most, and his “Shallot’s Web” lasted longer, only because the good people of BC cut out tiny portions.

What separates this event from all the other interesting art shows throughout the year is that the Edible Books Festival is fun.

Art shows can be moving, deep, or inspiring, but few feed you in the sense of actual food, and sometimes, college crowds are looking for a bit more than pure artistic nourishment. We can enjoy looking at an artistic piece, but some part of us always wants to tear it down. Gingerbread houses aren’t meant to last. At the Edible Books Festival, you can admire an exhibit called “Donut Holes” by the Educational Resource Center, based on the classic Bones. You can admire it, get an approving nod from a library staff member, and begin stuffing your face with donut holes. 

FASHION FORWARD

OshKosh B’gone: embracing a modern take on the overall trend Overalls can be part of a chic, sophisticated ensemble with the addition of scarves, heels, and layers

THERESE TULLY Many a carefree day of my youth was spent in OshKosh B’gosh floral patterned shorts overalls. With a pink t-shirt and a pair of squeaky white Keds, there was no stopping me. I looked good. With all the style of a pair of shorts or pants, but including a handy extra bib front to make going to the bathroom extra difficult and with the added bonus of a flatteringly placed breast pocket, overalls are the ultimate hybrid.

But overalls aren’t just for the toddler set, playground kids, or farmers anymore. Chic ladies are taking on the challenge of getting these buckles strapped on properly. This could perhaps be my new favorite flashback fashion choice.

Back in the day, overalls were worn over your regular clothes to protect them when you were working on the farm and such.

These days, the trend has transitioned from men to women and has been topped off with silk blouses, leather finishes, and high heels. The only thing that needs protecting is my bank account—from the havoc I will wreak while shopping my new favorite trend. It’s a whole new world of denim, and I’m ready to dive in.

Option one is to really take it back.

Nothing says youth quite like a pair of shorts overalls. Though this may seem like too literal of a throwback to the ’90s, think about slipping those on in the heat of June. White denim overalls and a red tank? Sign me up.

Throw on a pair of metallic gladiator sandals

for good measure and some big sunglasses to chic it up. Your backyard BBQ just got a whole lot better. And if you get stuck talking to a stranger, at least your overalls are a good conversation starter.

There is something so appealing also about a pair of classic denim, full-length overalls. One of my personal favorite fashion bloggers, Blair Eadie of the blog Atlantic-Pacific, has been blogging up a storm of overall outfits. With a gray and white baseball tee, a tightly wound scarf, red heels, and an enormous top-knot, Eadie brings “fabulous” and “overalls” into the same sentence for the first time since my OshKosh B’goshes have been retired. Sadly, Eadie’s dark modern pair from Current/Elliott will set you back a cool $348.

Although sites like Asos will have plenty of options—in both long and short, fitted and loose—I have my eye on a short pair for the months ahead.

Celebrity overall fans include: Sarah Jessica Parker, Rihanna, Julianne Hough, Heidi Klum, Kiera Knightley, and Emma Watson, to name a few. Somehow this trend manages to read as both high fashion and all-American. Rugged blue denim and a plain white tee makes me crave summer baseball games and the familiar sound of the ice cream truck. Throw them on over a bathing suit, and you are ready for anywhere your summer day may take you—unless your summer day is taking you to a corporate office … probably don’t wear overalls there. Just a note.

To keep this trend fresh, remember to make them your own. Cuff the bottoms as necessary and for a chic, easy look. Pair with heels to add a touch of sophistication and offset the bagginess of a casual pair.

For short overalls, consider trying a tall knee-high gladiator sandal in a bright white, or even a pair of classic Converse All Stars.

Don’t forget to play with the top. Unlike

a jumpsuit, you have more freedom here.

While classic white is a great choice, think about fabrics. Try a silk blouse, college tee, or floral crop top for those hotter summer months. Lace or a button-down chambray shirt are also nice choices.

Don’t overlook the power of your favorite accessories. Just because you are in overalls doesn’t mean you need to be casual.

Stack on all of our favorite jewelry and a coat of lipstick for good measure—always. Lastly, pairing a blazer with your overalls can be a wonderful option. Try a pop of color, or a crisp white version left open. Light summer scarves, and big summer hats are also great options. Modern styling will help this old school piece transition comfortably into your current wardrobe.

Men, I am sorry, but this trend is really

not for you. Cue to a photo of Jack Black wearing a pair of tightly fitting bib overalls.

Honestly, viewer discretion is advised. To say the least, the pair was fitting weirdly, and Black looks like a weird man-boy. Unless you are literally on a farm milking a cow, there is no reason a grown man should be wearing overalls. Sorry to discriminate so harshly along gender lines, but leave this throwback to the bravest of the brave ladies. And when you see me, walking alone across campus in cropped overalls and an out of place and oversized floppy sun hat, know that I look good, and that laughing and pointing is not encouraged.

Therese Tully is a senior staff columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLANTIC-PACIFIC

Fashion blogger Blair Eadie offers a variety of ways to style and accessorize a pair of overalls.

After seven books, three companion pieces, eight films, and a virtual extension of the literary creation, J.K. Rowling is still not ready to move on. Rowling recently announced that she will be screenwriting a new trilogy from the textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which she published in 2001 as a supplement to the Harry Potter series. Warner Bros. is planning three megamovies, which Rowling has emphasized will be only an extension of the wizarding world, and neither a prequel nor a sequel to the original Potter series. While diehard fans are sure to rejoice for the opportunity to pull out their robes and wands again for opening night, I can’t help but wonder: when will it end?

I’m not a Harry Potter hater by any means. I’ve read all the books, watched the films, read The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and geeked out after visiting Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station. I don’t mean this as a personal attack on Rowling herself—after all, plenty of authors create extensions and spin-offs from their original series, although sometimes to an excessive degree. Stephenie Meyer published The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner to give a glimpse into the life of one of the newborn vampires featured in the third novel of the Twilight series, and she even intended to publish Midnight Sun as a retelling of Twilight from Edward Cullen’s perspective. It’s almost a blessing that the chapters got leaked online, resulting in her abandoning the project altogether. If Midnight Sun had been published, how long before the next three books in the Twilight saga would be rewritten from the eyes of the brooding hero? Although it’s fun to speculate how a story would sound from another’s perspective, I think that’s all it should be—speculation. As an author, you should respect the narrative decisions you make in writing a book and leave at least some aspects to the imagination of your readers.

Once you start giving everything away, it becomes increasingly difficult for readers to have their own personal vision of a character, which is something that shouldn’t be sacrificed for the sake of publicity.

I think the magic (pun intended) of the Harry Potter series is starting to diminish as well with the addition of three more films to the franchise. Three really must be a magic number—similar to the questionable division of The Hobbit into three films, I’m skeptical that the 64-page Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is deserving of three whole movies to get the point across.

Unless the film series ends with a map and personal guide for finding these supposed beasts, I think it’s safe to say that Rowling and Warner Bros. should just do less.

It would be unfair not to give authors such as Meyers and Rowling credit for their philanthropic efforts in publishing companion pieces—for every copy of Bree Tanner sold, one dollar was donated to the American Red Cross, and the sales of Fantastic Beasts benefitted the Comic Relief charity for those living in poverty. I’m all about using books to make the world a better place, as cheesy as that sounds. Beneath these charitable intentions, however, there may exist a reluctance and fear of severing ties with the series that made these authors so acclaimed. In a recent interview, Rowling admitted that Harry really should have married Hermione, and that the Hermione/ Ron relationship was only a form of “wish fulfillment” and had “more to do with [her] clinging to the plot as [she] first imagined it.”

She’s clinging, for sure. After publishing an entire seven-book series, she thinks she got the ending wrong and decided to announce her mistake years later? I have a hard time understanding why Rowling chose to force her story in a certain direction rather than allow the characters to develop as they were meant to be. It seems to be a bit of a cop-out, and by giving away too much information, Rowling shattered the illusion for readers, just as Meyer did with Midnight Sun. The over-commercialization of film adaptations is not even the issue at the crux of the matter—rather, it’s the way in which we have come to expect authors to create branches and build off their original work, as if a series can no longer just be a series as it was originally intended. Whether it’s Star Wars, Twilight, or Harry Potter, readers and viewers are never satisfied with what writers have to offer, and the authors can’t seem to take a stand against the trend to keep expanding a story until there are no secrets left.

My guess is that The Hunger Games will be next to fall victim. I wouldn’t be surprised if Collins wrote a companion piece describing Haymitch’s own Hunger Games, for example. Or maybe she’ll surprise us all and leave the series alone after the final Mockingjay film. Someone has to break the trend, right? Perhaps Collins will volunteer as tribute.

Michelle Tomassi is the Asst. Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

THE HEIGHTS

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

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April Fools’: the Flaming Lips’ Pink Floyd parody

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1 Happy Pharrell Williams 2 All of Me John Legend 3 Dark Horse Katy Perry feat. Juicy J 4 Talk Dirty Jason Derulo feat. 2 Chainz 5 Let It Go Idina Menzel 6 Pompeii Bastille 7 Team Lorde

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In a series of April Fools’ Day pranks, the Flaming Lips released a Pink Floyd parody album that tricked several major news outlets and challenged common notions of what constitutes a prank.

MATT MAZZARI I freaking hate April Fools’ Day. I spent all of last Tuesday bumbling around like Thom Yorke in a state fair funhouse. Generally I’m someone who can recognize humor when it’s aimed directly at me, but when it comes to April 1 pranks, I am utterly lost. I like to think that it’s because I’m too sophisticated for such tomfoolery, but really I’m just missing the “immediate skepticism” gene. It’s not like I believe in UFOs, lizard people, Sasquatch, or that wacky religion that worships Tom Cruise (NOTE: or something). I’m not a sucker—I just don’t understand the point of pranks. When new information is presented to me, my immediate instinct is to believe it.

Because why would jokers lie?

Because they’re dirty liars, that’s why.

So, needless to say, finding reliable music news while I was writing my column two days ago was no easy task. In just half

an hour, I had already scrapped a half-written column about Metallica’s upcoming Kate Bush tribute concert, became really excited about the announcement of an Arctic Monkeys / Tame Impala collaboration, and pre-ordered a copy of Wilco’s newest release, Yankee Doodle Foxtrot. That last one was described as a full album of “deconstructed children’s songs about patriotism,” and the album cover was a pink and yellow rerendering of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot with a child in an Uncle Sam costume poorly Photoshopped into the picture.

In my defense, who wouldn’t want to hear that?

Anyway, the point is that I got burned pretty bad. By the end of my search, I had more egg on my face than Thom Yorke after losing a state fair spoon-and-egg race. I could, however, at least take comfort in the fact that I wasn’t the only one who had struggled.

This became particularly evident upon discovering the massivescale prank orchestrated by the

Flaming Lips in partnership with the comedy website Funny or Die. If you were looking forward to the new Flaming Lips album, then you are not alone: between Pitchfork, The New York Times, The Guardian, Spin, and countless others, practically no one picked up on the fact that the band’s “immersive companion album” to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon was part of an elaborate spoof. The LP, titled called The Flaming Side of the Moon (which, retrospectively, one would have thought would be a tip-off to more people), was announced a few days ago and is available currently to stream online. In an impressive show of commitment, the album actually was engineered to sync up with Dark Side, and there’s a 43-minute long video of them recording it to prove that it wasn’t just manufactured.

To be fair, it blurs the definition of a “prank” if you actually create and release the ridiculous product you promised.

But the group’s commitment to this wretched holiday didn’t

stop there. See, the whole matter actually started about a week ago when lead singer Wayne Coyne staged an interview with New York magazine in which he openly claimed to be “all in” to “sell out.”

Then Funny or Die released a video of the band announcing that Flaming Lips had agreed to a Michael Bay-directed movie based on their most famous album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, for which they filmed a phony trailer. The band also claimed to be releasing its own line of products, including cereal, lip balm, and electronic cigarettes in a Funny or Die video called “The Flaming Lips Sell Out.” There’s also a pretty funny sketch starring Fred Armisen wherein the actor tries to get the band to branch out from their typical sound into other genres, i.e. krautrock, twotone ska, and whatever the heck Coldplay counts as.

Part of the reason so many people fell for this is because of the band has a reputation for ridiculousness anyway. The

Oklahoma rockers have also demonstrated a passion for Dark Side in the past (the Flaming Lips did a track-for-track remake in 2010), and they’ve experimented with the idea of “companion albums” several times before: Their 1997 album Zarieeka consists of two CDs that must be played simultaneously for full effect. On a more critical note, it’s also not really surprising to see the Flaming Lips “sell out” because, after all, Coyne has been in several Virgin Mobile commercials lately … but that’s a complaint for a different column.

Next year, though, I’m not going to be fooled. I’m going to be determined: as determined as Thom Yorke throwing a beanbag at a state fair dunktank. And you know who is sitting in the dunk tank?

Thom Yorke.

Matt Mazzari is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

‘Salad Days’ is difficult to digest, but also far from bland

BY JOHN WILEY Arts & Review Editor There’s little more than a glint of seriousness in the look of Mac DeMarco, the 23-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter who starting turning heads with 2, his 2012 debut LP. Decidedly an eccentric, the gaptooth, flannel-donning prankster has been recorded stripping naked at his concerts, capitalizing on his fame with less-than-savory spectacles and lewd antics. Generally regarding his success as unfounded, DeMarco has grown increasingly playful during his foray into public life. His music, however, is a different story.

Salad Days, DeMarco’s second full-length album, speaks much more to his identity as an artist than a performer. Although not quite airtight, the record is remarkably well put together, especially considering DeMarco’s chaotic public persona.

Often characterized as “slackerrock,” the music itself borders on psychedelic. A multi-instrumental musician, DeMarco was involved in nearly all levels of the album’s productions, with talents in guitar, drums, the keys, and bass. His extreme involvement in the music is, in part, what makes Salad Days so easy to get lost in.

Admittedly, the record’s instrumentals are far from being dense and concentrated—often held together in a trance-like state. Salad

Days’ spacey, arrhythmic drums and ungrounded guitar parts could hold the Beatles’ stint with substance-inspired songwriting to shame, even during the band’s druggiest phase.

As far as modern “singer-songwriters” go, DeMarco is lacking in coffee-shop appeal—his music belongs in smoke-filled lounge or crowded basement venue. It makes no pass at the mainstream.

Moving beyond appearances, however, and the commercially undesirable sound of Salad Days, there’s a lot to be admired in the 23-year-old’s tact. Lyrically, Salad Days is a sophisticated, thematically dense work that leaves listeners with a lot to think about. “Salad Days,” the record’s title track, has the coolness of Greenwich Village Bob Dylan—it’s a stylish, nasally track, unbound to its era.

For such a juvenile public figure, DeMarco introduces the theme of aging quite early on in the record (“Oh mama, actin’ like my life’s already over / Oh dear, act your age and try another year”). His lyrics get at a certain wistfulness and remorse hardly hinted at in his laid-back vocals and lackadaisical instrumental work (“Always feeling tired, smiling when required / Write another year off and kindly resign”). Salad Days is far more intense and far more purposeful than it sounds upon first listen.

“Passing Out Pieces,” the lead

SALAD DAYS MAC DEMARCO PRODUCED BY CAPTURED TRACKS RELEASED APR. 1, 2014 OUR RATING

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPTURED TRACKS

Mac DeMarco’s ‘Salad Days’ shows off a mature side of the eccentric Canadian performer that can go unnoticed live. single off the album and arguably its strongest cut off, shows DeMarco off again as a surprisingly complicated thinker (“Can’t claim to care, never been reluctant to share / Passing out pieces of me, don’t you know nothing comes free?”). The actual color to DeMarco’s voice changes throughout the album, at parts Dylan-esque in its appeal (i.e. “Salad Days”), but elsewhere showing an attractive rawness best likened to a young Mick Jagger.

By the album’s end, the listener is left to reconcile the young, carefree DeMarco with the dark, lyrical work he has created. The wild

stage persona ostensibly seems like an extraneous dimension to an intelligent, capable artist, and yet, perhaps it’s a necessary mask.

The actual content of Salad Days is difficult to pair with any crowd.

Stripped of its carefree stoner aesthetics, Salad Days would be a record nearly impossible for anyone to digest.

DeMarco will cite that his unconventional performance methods (i.e. stripping down naked on stage) are meant to make the crowd more comfortable and open to the music.

He has a manner of thinking about these things contrary to how most

view performance—it’s widely considered that such spectacle is meant to distract from the music. And yet, DeMarco tells us something different, with his performances and his music. To see someone naked, intoxicated, and altogether making a fool of himself brings down our defenses, and allows us to forget the performer and begin finding a place in the music. Hearing a serious, old man sing about growing old and about loss, seems natural and expected, but when a seemingly carefree, insensible 23-year-old begins to talk serious, people will inevitably listen. 

1 Frozen Soundtrack Various Artists 2 My Krazy Life YG 3 Supermodel Foster The People 4 Recess Skrillex 5 Going To Hell The Pretty Reckless Source: Billboard.com

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK

BY MELISSA ABI JAOUDE

“EMPIRE” SHAKIRA Shakira is the girl on fire—literally. In her new music video “Empire,” she is outlined with a burning flame for the majority of the clip. This new video, which was released on March 25, already has over 13 million views.

This new music video has a wedding theme, beginning with Shakira in a wedding dress sitting in a ballerina-type style on the floor. From there, the viewer goes with her to the church, where she then turns around and runs out into the beautiful field with scenic mountains in the background.

Other than that, there is only one other major scene to speak of—as the music changes near the end, the setting changes and the viewer sees Shakira in a sexy, flowing black dress rocking out and flipping her hair in the church that she had earlier abandoned.

In some ways, the overall feel of the video—especially the beginning church scenes—is similar to that of a Ralph Lauren spread in Vogue, with lovely scenery and neutral colors.

Yet why is there even a wedding theme? The words of the song don’t really require it, and at least externally, the wedding theme doesn’t seem to add much to the song. Is Shakira shaking up the idea that you have to be married to be bound to someone? Is this an outcry against social norms? What does run through this video (and similarly, is featured in the lyric video to the song) is the emphasis on nature.

The lyric video showed various images of the night sky, and this new video focuses on the evening light on the beautiful rustic countryside.

Well, lets not get carried away.

This theme of runaway bride and rebellious reaction is actually nothing new for Shakira, who has played with these ideas before.

Nonetheless, this video is both entertaining and keeps true to Shakira’s style of dramatics in her visual work. 

SINGLE REVIEWS BY ARIANA IGNERI ICONA POP FEAT. TY DOLLA $IGN “It’s My Party” Icona Pop and Ty Dolla $ign are throwing a party that doesn’t sound like it’s worth going to with their remake of Leslie Gore’s ’60s classic. Their M.I.A.-esque version of “It’s My Party” is less innocent than its original counterpart, with its explicit lyrics, and it’s also less catchy than the Swedish pop duo’s other hits, “I Love It” and “All Night.”

THE KOOKS “Down”

LP “Night Like This” Things are looking up for British indie-rockers The Kooks with the release of their new single “Down”—a groovy, R&B-influenced track that seems to demonstrate growth from the band’s former pop-punk style. The song is supposedly meant to be a preview to The Kooks’ new record, expected later this year. It’ll be their first album in about three years.

Best known for her song “Into the Wild,” which was featured in a Citibank commercial a few years ago, singer-songwriter LP released “Night Like This,” the first track off her upcoming summer album. The song’s dynamic vocals, anthemic indie-folk hooks, and poetic lyrics promise to make the single another hit for the American pop-rock artist.

CLASSIFIEDS Thursday, January 17, 2014 Thursday, April 3, 2014

Community Help wanted $$ SPERM DONORS WANTED $$ Earn up to $1,200/month and give the gift of family through California Cryobank’s donor program. Convenient Cambridge location. Apply online: SPERMBANK.com.

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The Heights The Heights

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Rape Crisis Center strives to raise awareness about assaults BARCC, from B8 of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The center exists as a resource to those who experience incidents of sexual assault in any capacity. “The services are designed to help someone, whether they were sexually assaulted this week or 30 years ago,” said Gina Scaramella, executive director of BARCC. The center works with families and their survivors, and it offers its services whether one comes to it seeking help for oneself or for someone else.

Depending on each unique case, individuals require help in different capacities. In order to prepare for every possible necessity, BARCC offers a range of services, including legal, medical advocacy, counseling, groups, a hotline,

case management, community services, and professional training.

Aside from offering these services, BARCC strives to effect change in the community, in both the institutions and the legislation that survivors interact with. Several years ago, the center led the effort to expand the restraining order legislation, 258E, which stated that a victim of sexual assault must have been in a significant dating relationship with his or her assailant at the time of the violence in order to obtain a restraining order against that person. Many survivors were not in that position, Scaramella explained. Many were just acquaintances. Now, victims can obtain a criminally enforceable restraining order with considerably fewer restrictions.

The BARCC’s main focus is to prevent sexual assault and then respond in ways that promote social change and healing. “I think as a rape crisis center, we are rooted in many social rights movements,” Scaramella said. “It’s important to think of sexual violence as a community issue.”

As it is now, Scaramella explained, many people are of the mind that people should report sexual crimes and rapists should be put in jail. This is not a misguided thought, she said, but it represents only one avenue for dealing with the complicated issue of sexual assault. BARCC hopes to provide support for those people who would like to report violence to law officials, but recognizes that they need to be able to provide assistance in case victims are

not comfortable doing so.

“There is not a ‘one size fits all’ for these things,” Scaramella said. “We want to make sure there are many options that are viable for everyone.”

In order to determine a better sense of the presence of sexual assault on college campuses, BARCC is starting its own survey as well as a hashtag, #TellthePrez, in order to encourage college students to voice their opinions about the prevalence of sexual violence and the degree to which they feel they have the resources they need to deal with it. BARCC hopes to use the results of the survey to tell the community and campuses what they can be doing better.

This, Scaramella said, is a good example of what a rape crisis center does—look at what survivors are doing and saying to

make sure their voices are being heard.

Later this month, on April 13, BARCC will host its annual Walk for Change in DCR’s Artesani Park in Brighton. The event serves as an invitation for the community to support survivors, and although the center is already expecting 200,000 walkers this year, it can always do with more. Those who are interested in signing up can visit BARCC’s website, barcc.org, or visit the BARC Facebook and Twitter pages.

BARCC will also host its annual Clothesline Project in South Station—a visual project featuring a series of pieces of clothing upon which survivors of sexual violence have written their stories in order to aid their own healing process as well as educate the public and call for social change. n

Boston Society of Architects proposes design plan for mayor BSA, from B8 to White many of the districts in Boston don’t have access to the subway system because of when it was built, and, as a result, they do not have a proper means of public transportation to the workplace or other locations. One issue faced by the city is how to make the T more available in those types of situations. “We want to look at it in a holistic way and develop a plan that puts it all together,” White said.

The latest issue of ArchitectureBoston, which was titled “Blueprint for a New Mayor,” addresses the issues facing Boston’s first new mayor in 20 years, including “housing, transportation, public space, and regionalization,” according to a BSA press release. According to Luis, good design can have a huge impact on individuals’ lives, including where they live, how they travel, and how they enjoy their time in public spaces. “The idea for Boston going forward is to create places where people actually want to be,” Luis said.

At its downtown office, the BSA has a transportation exhibit displaying many different urban systems from around the world that are used in cities of high congestion. “We have brought in a series of speakers from around the world that have models of urban transportation and mobility systems that we could learn from,” White said. The idea is to try to find a system, or combination of systems, that

could be adapted for Boston’s lagging infrastructure development. “For example, the innovation district has grown very fast, but the subsequent infrastructure hasn’t responded to that,” White said.

White also touched on one of the other more pressing issues the BSA and the city government are collaborating to fix. The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) is an urban planning committee responsible for much of the revising of the proposals for new buildings. Unfortunately, the process for having a proposal approved by the BRA is quite complicated, according to White.

He likened the process to Charlie Brown and Lucy playing football in the famous comic strip Peanuts, in which Lucy repeatedly pulls the football away before Charlie Brown has a chance to kick it. “A developer might think they’ve gotten their plans approved, but they then get a call saying that the BRA needs to review it, and they just think, ‘But I’ve already done that,’” White said. As a result, the BSA hopes to assist in simplifying the process, and the latest issue of ArchitectureBoston features a two-sided debate addressing BRA issues.

The BSA is seeking ways to improve the city’s design further and make Boston more connected and equal for everyone.

“Good design has the answer to a lot of these questions,” Luis said. “[Figuring out] whether it is intelligent zoning, and then using two connectors that help solve our transit problems.” n

Photo Courtesy of the Boston Society of Architects

Eric White, the executive director of the Boston Society of Architects, leads the organization in its efforts to promote local architecture.

THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, April 3, 2014

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Anthology recounts marathon solidarity Montiel, from B8 understand what happened that day—shellshocked and brokenhearted like the rest of the nation. Stories about the Marathon tragedy repeatedly flashed on the news. A story about how Celeste Corcoran, a double amputee as a result of the attack, was saved by a “perfect stranger” caught Montiel’s attention.

“We knew we couldn’t focus on the tragedy, but the kindness that happened after,” said Montiel, who titled her joint publication with the phrase Corcoran used to explain her Marathon story. “Still six to nine months after we left Boston I think we were just trying, as many others were, to sort out what had happened.”

It was then that the pair began to collect the narratives that would make up their book.

Over the next few months Montiel and Alexander contacted runners, spectators, responders, doctors, police, and the injured to discuss the fearful moments after the explosions occurred. A common theme of the positive impact that surrounding strangers made ran throughout the stories they heard, whether they were trained professionals or inebriated college students. “There were things that happened that day that were tragic but also things that were absolutely joyful, about people helping others,” Montiel said. “As we talked to people we realized that it was still very raw, that though these were functional people who continued to live their lives, that day had a profound impact in many ways.”

Montiel and Alexander interviewed each contributor to the publication, and turned them into two- or three-page stories. After writing the story in the format of the anthology, they sent the edited version back to the contributor in order to assure accuracy. “I think they trusted us to tell their stories both because they were such a huge part of the process but also because we were there,” she

said. “We saw all of these big and little wonderful acts of joy they described that day.”

Montiel and Alexander retell more than 40 stories in their book, including that of Jeff Pflanz, A&S ‘15, who was just a mile short of the finish line when the bombs went off, and his “perfect stranger,” Sue O’Brien Lynch. Pflanz’s story provided Montiel with one of her favorite quotes from If Not for the Perfect Stranger, which was from O’Brien Lynch: “The police were spending so much time and manpower looking for who did this, looking so hard to find the evil; but you didn’t have to look for goodness because it was everywhere.”

Beyond the perspectives of those close to the finish line, If Not for the Perfect Stranger also includes the stories of others who were impacted by the bombing. Tedy Bruschi, for example, who played for the New England Patriots, composed a forward and Jack Fultz, the winner of the 1976 Boston Marathon, penned an introduction. In addition, Montiel said that, because the stories are very human responses, they include a degree of humor as well.

“This is such a passion project,” Montiel said. “I have to ask myself if I even care if it does well.” Despite this, If Not for the Perfect Stranger has sold well and is the topic of many Marathon-related discussions. It is now being sold at Barnes & Noble stores in the greater Boston area, Trident Booksellers and Cafe on Newbury St., and online on both the book’s website and Amazon.

“It was a scary day for many people, and, especially in the coming anniversary, I think it is important to process it again,” Montiel said. “This book is history. We have so many perspectives, it is like an archive told beautifully without sensationalizing anything.

Unfortunately that day will always be talked about—the whole world was watching—but this book highlights the beautiful stories that happened in the aftermath.” 

T FOR TWO

Finding the right shirt PHOTO COURTESY OF HUBWAY

Boston’s bike sharing system Hubway made its return on April 2 with 10 new stations.

After a long winter, bike sharing returns Hubway, from B8 bikes frequently. The companies chosen as operators for the bikes, such as Alta Bicycle Share, work closely with program managers to improve the bicycles and the system continually. Hubway users are also required to wear helmets when riding the Hubway bicycles. Hubway offers helmets for purchase, and at Helmet Hub stations throughout the city Hubway riders can rent and return helmets.

To actually use the bikes, interested patrons must open an annual or monthly membership, or purchase a 24- or 72-hour access pass. Depending on the membership, members then receive either a Hubway key or the Access Pass, and they can take a bike out anywhere in the network.

The bikes, as Stapleton described them, are meant for relatively short, quick distances around the city and must be docked into another station within 30 minutes to avoid incurring additional fees.

Boston is not the only city to boast a bike-sharing system like Hubway. Minneapolis, in particular, has a similar bike sharing system, and it also shut down for the

winter months. Although some other cities have year-round bike systems, the harsher and snowier weather in Boston kept most of the stations closed from Thanksgiving to the beginning of spring.

The partial exception to the shutdown this year was Cambridge, where the Hubway system remained open through the winter months of late 2013 and early 2014 as a pilot program, in order to see how often the bikes would be used. In the case of extreme weather, Hubway notified its users through public announcements and social media. Otherwise, the bike stations remained open during snow and even had Hubway technicians and station cleaners to keep the stations and bikes from accumulating too much snow or ice. Hubway’s goal is to be able to keep the system open year-round in the future.

With the official system-wide opening tomorrow comes a few changes. Ten new stations have been added to the system—four in Boston and six in Cambridge.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, WCAS ’09, has been supportive of Hubway and will be participating in the reopening of the system by docking the first bike. 

Appreciating the changes to city’s public transit

BENNET JOHNSON Before I moved to Boston, I rarely took advantage of public transportation. Living in the suburbs of Minnesota mostly meant driving around in Jeeps through mountains of snow to and from school. Perhaps the only form of public transportation I ever really used before coming to Boston was a big yellow school bus.

This year I’ve actually come to enjoy public transportation. Ever since orientation, freshmen have been told by upperclassmen time and time again to venture into the city of Boston. We’ve had the notion drilled into our heads since day one.

Boston is just miles away, with countless opportunities to offer, but how often do freshmen truly venture into the city?

The answer: not enough.

I personally did not take advan-

tage of our wonderful city during my first semester of college—this semester, however, I’ve been able to explore the city that is right in our backyard. One thing that I’ve noticed is that Boston’s MBTA system is probably one of the easiest transportation systems to navigate in the country.

Recently, however, there have been many changes to our beloved T system in Boston. Most importantly, what should we make of these changes? Do they threaten our trips into the city? Will we have to resort to paying $40 for an Uber car?

First and foremost, you do not need to worry. The newly imposed changes to the MBTA just made a great system even better.

Last week the MBTA began extending all subway lines and 15 popular buses until 3 a.m. Mayor Martin J. Walsh, WCAS ‘09, made this change in hopes of enhancing Boston’s nightlife—something that has lacked late-night hours for many years. According to a report by the MBTA, the extension was very successful in its first trial days, seeing an uptick in riders. This change will not only encour-

age businesses to stay open later, but will also encourage Boston’s young population to peruse the city’s nightlife.

On April 1, 2013, the MBTA system announced the Green Line extension into Cambridge and Somerville. With the move, the MBTA is currently looking for fresh faces on the walls of its cars. Back in December, Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey announced that the T will solicit new art for its subways and buses, with a budget of $225,000.

Now, the MBTA is starting to implement pieces of art into its vehicles, adding a modern, creative touch to our aging trains.

Not all of the changes to the T are positive, however. Soon, T riders may have to dig deeper into their pockets to get where they’re going. Fares for the subway and bus rides may increase by 10 cents starting July 1 under a proposal by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation finance committee.

But will the 10-cent fare increase really make much of a difference? The T is already by far the least expensive option for public transportation into Boston. Instead of dropping $40 on a

taxi or an Uber car, the $2.10 charge seems inconsequential. MBTA officials also confirmed that the new revenue will allow MBTA to hire 284 employees who will operate new services, including the new late-night shift.

Last weekend, I ventured into Chinatown with BC’s Upper T Club by means of the Green Line. Clinging to a ceiling bar for a half hour in a dimly lit, D-line car with a loud group of freshmen is not necessarily a glamorous experience.

So, if you’re thinking about how slow, inconvenient, and annoying the T is on a daily basis, just remember that we are fortunate to have such an accessible public transportation system in our backyard.

As for the upcoming changes to the MBTA, do not be afraid. One rider described her first 2:30 a.m. experience on the Green Line as, “just pumping,” according to The Boston Globe, as people chanted in unison “M-B-T-A.” Now that is quintessential Boston.

Bennet Johnson is the Asst. Metro Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@bcheights.com

BOSTON FOODIE Ristorante Olivio born from years of labor Chef DiGirolamo discusses the lessons learned through years in the food business

BY KELLY COLEMAN

in Arlington—just across the street from Boston’s Capitol Theater—Ristorante Olivio offers classic Italian dinners and a A lifetime of experience in the food luxurious wine menu beginning at 5 p.m. service industry has culminated in Chef each night of the week.

Angelo Bernardo DiGirolamo’s masAt the age of nine, DiGirolamo started terpiece of an Italian eatery, Ristorante his lifelong love of bringing people Olivio. Located at 201 Massachusetts Ave. together by making coffee, and serving pastries and gelato to customers at Cafe Roma, located in Marsala, Sicily.

“I remember I wanted to work,” DiGirolamo said. “We didn’t have much back then … everyone had to help.”

A few years later, in LOCATION: 1958, he moved to 201 Massachusetts Ave. America.

Soon after arCUISINE: riving in America, Italian DiGirolamo worked as a busboy at Stella SAMPLE DISH: Restaurant in BosChicken Bonna Bocca ton for several years, and his superiors there

Heights Staff

eventually asked the young man to work by setting up the kitchen making the bread, serving desserts, and assisting in other tasks. After watching the chefs busy at work in the kitchen day after day, DiGirolamo fell in love with the art of cooking. By 16 DiGirolamo had “learned by watching,” and Chef Anthony “Smokey” Cognata took him under his wing. The two became close friends. DiGirolamo, speaking to the strength of their relationship, cited how Cognata stopped by and checked on him periodically when DiGirolamo finally opened his first restaurant, Bernanrdo’s Ristorante, in 1979, after his 16-year career with Stella’s and a two-year gig at Armida’s of Boston.

“Working for different places … you learn different systems,” DiGirolamo said of his varied experiences. “Everyone does things a little differently.” When he opened his first restaurant, he explained, he took lessons he had learned from his other jobs and applied them to his new endeavor.

Bernardo’s Ristorante ran successfully for 19 years. After DiGirolamo closed Bernardo’s, he worked at Chianti’s in Beverly and Davide’s in Boston, before open-

ing his current establishment, Ristorante Olivio, in 2002.

“I believe in freshness,” DiGirolamo said. “I believe in buying local and giving customers a good value. I’ve been here for 12 years and that I think that’s why we’ve been here so long. There are customers that have been coming here since we opened. That says something.”

Ristorante Olivio offers authentic Italian meals. “We sell more Bolognese than anyone I know,” DiGirolamo says proudly. The chef encourages all to try other signature dishes such as the chicken bonna bocca—boneless chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto in Marsala wine sauce and served with arancini—and their delicious rice balls. DiGirolamo also recommends trying their homemade butternut squash raviolis.

As a chef, DiGirolamo said that he loves the “chance to create new dishes, write [his] own menu, and just work with the freshest food possible.” He attributes his success to how deeply he cares about the customer experience: “In order to be in this business, you have to care,” he said. 

SARAH MOORE If you Google image search “Marathon Monday Shirts,” the first picture you will see is a group of 12 neon-orange-baseball-hat clad girls posing in a Mod, with a red solo cup positioned ever so obviously on their standard pine Boston College table. Their shirts read in turquoise Impact font, “Let’s Get Ready To Stumble.”

I first learned about Marathon Monday as my father, myself, and a dozen or so other wide-eyed families were cheerfully escorted past Gasson Hall during the late August before my senior year in high school. As she backwards-walked Linden Lane, my Sperry-wearing tour guide gave an overwhelming but mystifying 10minute debriefing on the legend of Marathon Monday—what she termed the biggest drinking day on campus.

The 6 a.m. wake up call to a campus-wide snap of opening Rubinoff handles was enough to get pre-college Sarah excited—my father understandably less so—so when the reality of experiencing my first Marathon Monday materialized in the form of tank top-related Facebook groups, I couldn’t have been happier.

Of course my roommates and I scavenged social media for the best shirt—overwhelmed by sleeveless, American flag, and cheesy sloganplastered options, considering for a brief moment to make our own and then quickly deciding that was too much effort.

I ended up buying two—I know, so eager—and am not entirely sure of what they look like, but I am fairly positive that they amount to some customized compilation of footprints and alcohol-related innuendos.

Although I have yet to wake up for one of those fated Mondays, just by looking through the “Marathon 2014 Tank” groups on Facebook it is clear that BC students may have lost sight of why we line Comm. Ave. to begin with. Yes, it is probably fun to drunkenly stumble around campus and it is definitely nice that we don’t have any classes, but shouldn’t Marathon Monday be about the Marathon?

We wake up not to cram a few extra Natty Lights in our Mile 21 fanny packs but to cheer on the people who actually made it up and over Heartbreak Hill—people who have been training for months to run a distance that finds significance rooted in a legend that asserts the feat cannot be done. Even before the tragedy that occurred last year, Marathon Monday has always had a special place in the hearts of the Boston community that our BC tradition—however fun— seems distant from.

I’m no better than the Google image girls, really. I ordered my Marathon tanks, and I am still looking forward to the madness that surrounds that Monday. The designers at Good Question Ink, however, have seemed to find a way to reconcile my hypocritical reasoning.

A fairly small online t-shirt company, Good Question Ink has created a better shirt to sport on Marathon Monday. Free of any alcohol-related suggestions, not only does their shirt highlight the strength of the city after last year’s Marathon bombings with its text reading “Does your city have sole?” but more than half of the proceeds go to a Marathon-related charity of the buyer’s choice.

I don’t think that BC students should refrain from our drunken tradition on that morning, but I do think that we could better consider why we are celebrating in the first place and the small statement that a donation can make seems to quell my concerns with our motives.

To my satisfaction, it seems as if some BC students have already taken this into consideration, as a portion of the sales from multiple tanks are going to organizations including GlobeMed and the Wellesley Education Foundation. In the end, as long as we line Comm. Ave. with pride, I’m not really sure it matters what tank top we wear, but wearing one that supports last year’s Marathon victims seems more encouraging than “Let’s Get Ready to Stumble.”

Sarah Moore is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.

METRO

B8

EDGE OF TOWN

A labor of paper love RYAN TOWEY Take the square piece of paper, fold it so that one side touches the other, make sure the crease is sharp.

Those were the instructions my elementary school teacher delivered to me as we strove to make paper cranes. Mine turned out looking like a mangled seagull, but I learned the lesson—constructing a paper crane is a small labor of love.

An MIT group, which started an initiative called Cranes for Collier, strives to direct this act of love in the memory of MIT police office Sean Collier, who was 27 when he was shot and killed by the alleged perpetrators of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Anyone can contribute his or her own paper cranes, and organizers of the initiative hope that the collection of cranes will serve as a large installation in Collier’s memory.

It is difficult for me to think of paper cranes without thinking of Sadako Sasaki, who was 2 years old when the atomic bomb fell upon Hiroshima—radioactive exposure from the bombing caused her to develop a fatal case of leukemia, from which she died in 1955.

But not before leaving behind her legacy. With the help of friends and other patients in the hospital, Sasaki folded over 1,000 paper cranes, wishing for herself to grow healthy as she folded.

Paper cranes—even 1,000 of them— could not keep Sasaki physically alive, but there is a meditative quality to origami that should not be lost on anyone. Sasaki’s victory was not her wish to survive, but it was her insistence upon doing a little, humble, human thing for as long as she could.

Folding was a reminder of what human fingers can do, and the final product was a reminder of human imagination—both the ability to invent a folding pattern to create a paper crane and the ability to picture a creation in flight, though it looks so different from its living namesake.

“What are paper cranes to the dead?” one might ask. Regardless of whether one believes in an afterlife, my answer is the same—paper cranes are not for the dead, but for the living. Continuing to create despite tragedy is our victory over death—it is our reclamation of Sean Collier.

“What honor is there in a paper crane?” one might ask. They are flimsy, small, and the material from which they are made cannot endure forever. But the same is true for people.

Our bones can break, our physical bodies are nothing in comparison to the vastness of the universe, and the flesh that makes up our bodies will one day give way.

A paper crane is an acknowledgment—even a proud announcement—of those inconvenient truths, and there is great strength in that ownership. It is the most fitting of tributes to a man like Sean Collier, as it is a reminder that we are human, but an even firmer reminder that we can create.

In my elementary school classroom, after everyone was done folding his or her paper cranes, I was the only weirdo who decided to unfold mine. To me, the intersecting lines on the small square of paper looked like the crossing paths of flying birds or the interactions of human destinies.

My appreciation of the lines, however, was not my initial reason for unfolding the crane. Instead, I wanted to feel that what was done could be undone, that you could bring something back. This was a comfort to me at the time, but I recognized that this same comfort could not be extended to human life.

When life gives way to death and a human being finally unfolds, there is no way of putting that person back together.

There are no instructions for such a thing, because, despite all of our greatest innovations, we have not yet invented a way to craft a soul.

We cannot bring Sean Collier back.

But, in making paper cranes, we can pay homage to his human soul.

Ryan Towey is the Metro Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@ bcheights.com

GROUP PROMOTES LOCAL ARCHITECTURE

THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014

BY GUS MERRELL Heights Staff Boston has some of the most interesting architecture of any city in the U.S., and its historical allure can rival some of the greatest cities in the world. Much of the architecture in the Back Bay, for example, was based on buildings is in Paris—and the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) strives to figure out ways for the public to understand and appreciate such design and architecture. Because of the BSA’s efforts, the public now has access to over 300 podcasts giving historical descriptions of buildings around the city.

Eric White, executive director of the BSA, said that the organization focuses on three things—empowering architects to perform their jobs well, building a better Boston, and engaging the public in appreciating what design does in their daily lives.

The BSA tries to foster discussion among the public about different design issues facing the city through its

quarterly publication ArchitectureBoston. Fiona Luis, deputy editor of ArchitectureBoston, said that the idea of creating social equity through improved design is vital to the work of the BSA. “It’s so expensive to live in the city, how do we make things more affordable for the 99 percent?” she said. “Boston is a world-class city, but in terms of transportation—everyone has an opinion about it, but essentially we are growing, the numbers are spiking.

We like to complain about traffic, but how do we solve our congestion problems?”

With the transition from former mayor Thomas M. Menino to Mayor Martin J. Walsh, WCAS ’09, White said the idea of equity through design has not been lost. “Looking ahead, I think Mayor Walsh is really interested in equity and fairness,” he said. This idea of equity and fairness addresses issues such as affordability of housing as well as transportation. According

See BSA, B6

Bicycle sharing reopens

Rape Crisis Center lends support Center takes lead in Sexual Assault Awareness Month

BY ADRIANA OLAYA Heights Staff

ting as a spectator at the finish line at the time of the attacks. “We were at the Boston Marathon, the holy grail of Marathons, and that day we were sitting in the first row of the grand stands when the explosions occurred,” Montiel said, recounting the tragic events of that day. “One thing I remember as they were getting us out of the stands, I realized that there were people running into it. Running in to help, as we were running away.”

Upon returning to Chicago, Montiel and If Not for the Perfect Stranger co-publisher Steve Alexander continued to struggle to

With the start of spring comes the longawaited reopening of the Hubway bike system, which reopened April 2.

The Hubway system began in 2011 and was located exclusively in the Metro Boston area. By 2012, Hubway had garnered tremendous usage and success and subsequently expanded to include Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville, as well as doubled the original 61 stations and 610 bikes.

According to Emily Stapleton, general manager at Alta Bicycle Share Inc., an operator for the Hubway system, the Hubway concept has a few main goals.

“The Boston area is an incredibly congested region with very narrow streets that are not on a grid system,” she said.

“Hubway, with a bike sharing network, sought to alleviate some of the congestion and provide an alternative way to get around the city.”

The issue of public health was another concern. “Hubway hopes to make a significant shift from vehicles to methods of transportation that improve air quality,” Stapleton said. “The organization is focused on limiting the city’s emissions.” Hubway’s commitment to the environment extends not only to the use of bicycles itself, but also to the use of solar-powers bike stations.

Hubway is also focused on the safety of its riders. The city of Boston invests in the Hubway stations and bikes, and operators are hired to make sure the bikes are safe and operational—they monitor the status of the

See Montiel, B7

See Hubway, B7

BY MAGGIE MARETZ Heights Staff Originally founded in 1973 to serve as a hotline center to field calls from rape survivors, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) is now one of the largest independent sexual assault crisis centers in Massachusetts.

April 1 marked the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) first implemented in 2001. In a month devoted to promoting awareness and prevention of sexual assault, the BARCC plays a prominent role in encouraging people to pay greater attention to issues regarding sexual violence.

It was not until the late ’70s, however, that the world saw its first organized protests against sexual violence.

Groups of women colluded to begin a series of protests known as “Take Back the Night.”

As the years passed and awareness of violence against women grew, men joined the movement, and the collective desire for the advocacy of these issues was palpable. By the early ’80s, time in October was allotted to raise awareness and support for victims of domestic violence, but some still sought a separate time to focus on specific issues of sexual assault, which led to the establishment

See BARCC, B6

I NSIDE METRO THIS ISSUE

AP PHOTO / KEN MCGAGH

First responder Jimmy Plourde carried one of the many victims of the Marathon bombings.

Publication notes acts of kindness after tragedy ‘If Not for the Kindness of Strangers’ tells stories of solidarity from the finish line

BY SARAH MOORE Heights Editor

As Diane Montiel was being herded out of the grandstands away from the finish line after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, she noticed a few people running the opposite way.

It was those people—those who ran into the chaos and commotion at the finish line after the explosions—who inspired the creation of the recently published book If Not for the Perfect Stranger: Heartwarming and Healing Stories of Kindness from the 2013 Boston Marathon.

Montiel, a Chicago native, attends the Boston Marathon each year and was sit-

Boston Foodie

The Metro section looks at Ristorante Olivio, led by Italian immigrant Chef Angelo Bernardo DiGirolamo .........................................................B7

Column: Bennet’s Banter..............................................................................B7 Column: T for Two......................................................................................B7