The B-Line Band
2012 NFL draft
Arts fest
features
ARTS & rEVIEW
sports
Two hometown friends bring their passion for music to BC and create a band, the B-Line, D1
Exploring the stories behind the three day creative celebration, C1
Former Eagle, Luke Kuechly, selected by Carolina with the ninth overall pick, B1
Monday, April 30, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 24
Hillside will no longer take mandatory dining funds Three new mini marts will open across campus By Taylour Kumpf Editor-in-Chief
When students return to campus in the fall, the new green space on O’Neill Plaza will not be the only noticeable change. In addition, students will notice three new mini marts located across campus – and perhaps shorter lines in Hillside Cafe. Next fall, Boston College Dining Services will be revamping the mandatory residential dining program in an effort to increase overall revenue and to address the everyday challenges of rising food prices and increasing operating costs. To do so, the current A La Carte system will be modified, adding three new mini marts, but also removing Hillside Cafe from the list of locations that accept mandatory residential plan funds. Helen Wechsler, director of Dining Services, explained the need for the changes, stating that as a self-sustaining service, BC Dining currently uses student funds
Sophomore found dead in Walsh
to cover their operating cost, rent, facility maintenance, food cost, and labor. With this in mind, Wechsler said at the end of the day there is not enough money left over to address rising food costs and have a general fund available for necessary facilities upgrades and a new dining building. Many students question why mandatory money cannot be refunded at the end of the year, but Wechsler said, “At the end of the fiscal year, there is no money left to refund. We have spent it supporting our program.” Additionally, Wechsler said BC Dining did not want to compromise the core of the program when addressing current challenges. The core of the BC Dining program includes broad hours of operation, a liberal “A La Carte” system, and integration of the University’s mission of social justice as demonstrated by paying a living wage to employees and supporting over a dozen service trips a year with meal plan donations. “We want to honor all of these things for customers,” Wechsler said. “We didn’t
See Dining, A4
By David Cote News Editor
woogeon kim / heights graphic
BC Dining will implement a number of changes next fall, including adding mini marts to campus.
Tony Taccone, BC seniors receive awards for contributions to the arts By Devon Sanford Heights Editor
On Friday afternoon, the 14th annual Arts Awards Celebration and Reception was held in O’Neill Plaza. The Arts Council Alumni Award was presented to Tony Taccone, BC ’72, and the Faculty Award to Michael Noone, chair of the music department. The award ceremony opened with a performance by Kristin Drew, A&S ’12. Accompanied by trumpet player George Frideric Handel, A&S ’13, and pianist Sandra Hebert, Drew performed a rendition of “Let the Bright Seraphim” by George Handel. Crystal Tiala, chairperson of the Arts Council, welcomed the students, faculty, and guests to the ceremony. She recognized the progress of the Arts Festival and the continued improvements to the Boston College arts departments. This year, funding sources for the Arts Festival expanded. The Carroll School of Management, Student Affairs, and the Center for Student Formation now benefit the program. Tiala went on to
congratulate the artistic accomplishments of BC students, faculty, and alumni. “Our students are engaged, reflective, proactive, empathetic human beings,” Tiala said. “Through the arts we come to know not how we are different, but how we are all connected.” After Tiala’s welcoming, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. addressed the audience, congratulating the students and faculty for their accomplishments and thanking them for their continued contributions to the arts at BC. “The arts are a part of who we are as a Jesuit institution,” Leahy said. “We want our students to engage their inner spirits here at Boston College. In honoring Tony Taccone, we are honoring someone who has not only had much success in the drama department but someone who has helped so many students get in touch with their inner talents.” Following Leahy’s speech, the Arts and Science faculty presented the student awards. Aileen Bianchi, A&S ’12, was presented with an award for film by John
14th annual arts fest
Hoover and Gautam Chopra. Jennifer Brubaker, A&S ’12, was presented with an award by Sheila Gallagher for studio art. John Delfino, A&S ’12, was presented with an award by Scott Cummings for theater. Kristen Drew, A&S ’12, was presented with an award for studio art by Ralf Gawlick.
More than just hills challenge disabled students Heights Editor
This is the second in a three part series on student disabilities at Boston College.
daniel lee / heights editor
Tony Taccone, BC ’72, received the 2012 Arts Council alumni award on Friday afternoon.
Tomsen reflects on current U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East Heights Staff
daniel lee / heights editor
See Arts Awards, A4
By Samantha Costanzo
By Andrew Skaras
The Theatre Department’s production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (above) was part of the 14th Annual BC Arts Festival held last week. See page C1 for more on the festival.
Brenna Kelley, A&S ’12, was presented with an award by John Finney for music. Christie Mealo, A&S ’12, was presented with an award by Andrew Tavarelli for studio art. Eileen Won, A&S ’12, was awarded by Jef-
Michael Gannon, a sophomore in the Carroll School of Management (CSOM) from Lake Forest, Ill., was found dead in his Walsh Hall dorm room on Saturday, April 28. The cause of death has not yet been determined, but police have ruled out foul play. Gannon was a member of the Boston College swim team. In an e-mail to students yesterday, Patrick Rombalski, vice president for Student Affairs, informed the student body of Gannon’s passing. “It is with sadness that I inform you of the passing of one of our students today on campus,” Rombalski wrote. Gannon’s sister, Michelle Gannon, is a senior in CSOM. Rombalski also informed the community of the availability of counseling to any who may require them. “I want you to know that counseling services are available to students this evening and throughout the weekend,” Rombalski wrote. “We encourage you to avail yourself of these resources if needed, and to look out for one another as we as a community deal with this untimely death.” Staff from the Office of Residential Life, University counselors, and Campus Ministers are available to all students at any time. n
“How things turn out in Afghanistan will have an effect on the multi-decade process of transformation that is going on throughout the Muslim world,” U.S. Ambassador Peter Tomsen said. “The course of the competition will be decided by the many millions of Muslims in their own countries influenced by their own cultures, histories, and aspirations. America and the West should lend support to the majority moderates, but it is, in the end, a struggle in which only they can prevail.” A former Foreign Service Officer, Tomsen served as the Special Envoy to Afghanistan between 1989 and 1992, in a time when there was no embassy in Kabul. Invited by the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Students Association and the Islamic Civilizations and Societies, he came to Boston College Thursday evening to speak about the wars in Afghanistan and the way forward for the U.S. Based on his 2011 book, The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers, Tomsen’s lecture focused on history of the U.S.-Afghan conflict, the current situation in Afghanistan, and the way forward for the U.S. and Afghanistan. In addition, he addressed what he saw as the many mistakes that America has made in dealing with Afghanistan in the last two decades. In looking at the present situation in Afghanistan, Tomsen emphasized the
importance of the role of Pakistan, both in understanding the current and historical problems faced by Afghanistan and in developing a plan for the way forward. “The Abbottabad raid on Osama bin Laden’s protected sanctuary in Pakistan last May has drawn in questions on Pakistan’s claim that it is an ally in the struggle against terrorism,” Tomsen said. “What they are doing is a threat to our national interests
See Tomsen, A4
matt lieber / for the heights
Ambassador Peter Tomsen (above) reflected on problems for the U.S. in the Middle East.
Anyone familiar with the maze of staircases and hills that makes up Boston College’s campus would understand why a student with a physical disability might find it daunting. But this does not mean that students who have limited mobility, hearing, or vision do not attend classes and excel at BC. For Paulette Durrett, assistant dean for students with disabilities in the Office of the Dean for Student Development (ODSD), helping each student maintain independence is a major part of his or her individual plan. “I always encourage students to selfadvocate,” Durrett said. “That’s part of this process. I’m not in the classroom with them, so I don’t own this process. I can’t just call up a professor and say ‘You should do such and such in your class.’” Lily Clifton, A&S ’13, a legally blind student at BC, also believes in such independence. “Really, I think part of the misconception is that there are no bounds,” she said in regard to what students with disabilities can and cannot do. To this end, Durrett focuses on creating a plan for each student registered in her office and providing them with the accommodations they need to do well at BC. “The work starts now to make sure that whenever we start classes, I’m prepared to go into the class just like any other student,” Clifton said. “Sometimes it doesn’t happen, sometimes it ends up I’m a little behind, but it’s never anything monumental.” Clifton, like many other disabled students, registers for classes in advance so that she can begin discussing her accommodations with her professors before classes start. These accommodations include getting extra time on exams and taking them in Durrett’s office, having books transformed into audio or PDF formats, getting a note taker, and using a
See Disabilities, A4