The Heights 04-04011

HITTING THE PLEX

EAGLES SWEPT

features

SPORTS

ARTS AND REVIEW

BC students’ emphasis on fitness and its postive effects, B10

Miami beats the Eagles twice Sunday in baseball’s home opener, B1

BC’s performance of ‘Pillowman’ impresses with depth of acting, A10

PILLOWMAN PERFORMED

Monday, April 4, 2011

Vol. XCII, No. 19

Language dept. responds to Quia issues

By Anna Patrick Heights Staff

Courtesy of quia.com

Romance language professors have recently raised concerns about academic integrity.

Over the past two weeks, romance language professors have raised concerns about students’ academic integrity in regards to the use of the online workbook tool, Quia.

Quia, used in elementary and intermediate French, intermediate Spanish, and elementary Italian classes, allows students to practice grammar and vocabulary exercises and receive instant feedback.

Professors typically set the program to allow students to have three attempts at providing correct answers within each

exercise. Recently, some professors have found that some students have been cheating by leaving their first attempt blank, submitting the form, and then copying and pasting the feedback from the answer key on their second and third attempts.

Though some language classes, like elementary Spanish, do not use Quia, professors using the online workbook in the intermediate classes have chosen to continue its use next year, but have issued a warning to students as a primary step, so no letters will be written to the dean for students caught on a first offense.

“What is happening is that some students are bypassing the first attempt at

writing an answer, and writing nothing, in an effort to see the answer key,” said Catherine Wood Lange, coordinator of intermediate Spanish. “They are then copying the answers from the key, putting it into a window, and pasting the answers from the answer key into some questions.

We have warned students not to do this.

Thus far, students seem apologetic and receptive to this feedback.”

“There are many advantages to Quia. It provides instant feedback,” Wood Lange said. “It can be set so that particular activities will be due at midnight of a certain

See Quia, A4

Notre Dame professor to be BC Law dean

QSLC offers discount for online ‘Times’

Vincent D. Rougeau will take over for interim dean on July 1

By David Cote Heights Editor

act as a resource for all clubs and organizations focused on the GLBTQ community.

The GLC shall encourage and promote these groups in any way possible. The GLC strives to do all of these things and much more in the constant struggle to gain equality, acceptance, and understanding for GLBTQ students politically, academically, and socially at Boston College and in the world.”

Starting this past Monday, March 28, The New York Times has begun charging online users who read more than 20 articles per month for digital access to the newspaper. Because of the on-campus readership system arranged with the Times by the Quality of Student Life Committee (QSLC), Boston College faculty, students and administrators are eligible to receive a 50 percent discount off individual online subscriptions. Individual print subscribers will still have unlimited access to online content.

Arthur Sulzberger Jr., The New York Times publisher, explained the new policy in a letter to online readers.

“The launching of our digital subscription model will help ensure that we can continue to provide you with the high-quality journalism and substantive analysis that you have come to expect from the Times,” the letter read.

In the digital age, print newspaper readership has dropped to an all-time low, forcing many companies to cut back on spending and look for new sources of revenue. While digital advertising is a significant source of income for the Times, Sulzberger said that “the introduction of digital subscriptions is an investment in our future. It will allow us to develop new sources of revenue to strengthen our ability to continue our journalistic mission.”

In September of 2005, the Times began charging $49.95 per year for online

See Gala, A4

See ‘Times,’ A4

By Taylour Kumpf News Editor

The University recently named Notre Dame Law School Professor Vincent D. Rougeau, a national expert on Catholic social teaching and the role of moral and religious values in law-making and public policy, as dean of Boston College Law School, effective July 1.

Rougeau has been a distinguished professor of contracts, real estate law, and Catholic social thought at Notre Dame for the past 12 years. His current academic research focuses on global migration and multicultural citizenship, with a special emphasis on the challenges posed by religious pluralism. His book, Christians in the American Empire: Faith and Citizenship in the New World Order, explores the philosophical and theological underpinnings of Catholic social teaching as they relate to various aspects of American law.

Cutberto Garza, provost and dean of Faculties, who chaired the search committee, praised Rougeau in a recent statement, calling him a leader with the skills and experience that will advance BC Law. “From the outset, the Law School community, the search committee, and I agreed that our shared goal was to find the best dean to lead Boston College Law School,” Garza said in the statement. “I am delighted that Professor Rougeau has been named the next dean and know that his tenure will be marked by many successes. His academic background, scholarship, and experiences make him uniquely suited for the Law School and Boston College.”

In accepting the position, Rougeau said he was eager to assume a leadership role in a Jesuit, Catholic environment that was so important to his own development as a teacher and a scholar, and one that would enable him to continue to be engaged in issues of social and economic justice. “I am thrilled to be joining the Boston College community and I look forward to participating in the mission of this extraordinary University

See Law Dean, A4

Courtesy of the Office of News & public affairs

Vincent D. Rougeau, a law professor at Notre Dame, will soon be BC Law Dean.

Diana Nearhos / heights senior staff

The third annual masquerade-themed GLC Gala marked the first time the event was sold out. Over 250 students were in attendance.

Third annual GLC Gala sells out Gala aims to bring together GLBTQ and straight students

By Rebecca Kailus Heights Staff

And Joseph Pasquinelli Heights Staff

Friday evening, the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) hosted its third annual Gala at the Boston Center for the Arts.

This year, the Gala’s theme, ‘Masquerade,’ drew over 250 students, and marked an important triumph, as it was the first time tickets were sold out.

Local group hosts dialogue on war, peace

The Gala aims at bringing together both GLBTQ and straight students to support the GLBTQ community at Boston College.

This year, dinner and music provided a space for students to celebrate the GLBTQ community at BC. The GLC is an organization that provides a voice for students who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning, while working to better the GLBTQ community. According to its mission statement, “The GLC shall

Final Spring Culture show for ASO, CVSA

ByJacob Bajada For The Heights

Newton Dialogues on Peace and War, a local group which holds meetings for Newton residents and others to promote awareness for topics related to war, peace, and government policy, held an open forum last Tuesday at the Newton Free Library Auditorium to discuss the impact of America’s current budget crisis on “essential human services.”

The organization, formed in 2002, was established as a means of expressing outcry in anticipation of the Iraq War. “We started two months after Sept. 11 because we were concerned about the direction the country might take,” said Peter Metz, one of the founding members of the Dialogues. “We thought that the citizens of Newton ought to be getting themselves informed, [so we] pulled together a bunch of citizens of Newton to discuss what was going on.”

The group, which continues to meet on a regular basis, typically focuses discussions on ongoing global issues including the Iraq

See Dialogues, A4

brandon moye / For the heights

African Student Organization and Cape Verdean Student Association’s final culture show of the year took place Friday in The Rat, featuring student art (above), musicians, and dancers, as well as performances from members of the surrounding community.

”

TopFive

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

things to do on campus

Mathematics Lecture

1

The Straight State Lecture

Tuesday Time: 4 p.m.

Location: Cushing 209

Listen to Peter Sarnak, a professor at Princeton University who will be the 2011 Distinguished Lecturer in Mathematics, and will give a lecture titled “Thin Groups and the Affine Sieve.”

2

Tuesday Time: 4:30 p.m.

Location: Fulton 115

Enjoy a talk by Margot Canaday, a professor at Princeton University, who will speak about her recent book The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth Century America.

Liberal Education Lecture

3

Tuesday Time: 4:30 p.m.

Location: Campion 139

Come listen to W. Robert Connor of the Teagle Foundation speak about the problems of American higher education and the ways that they can be solved.

featured on campus

Jesuits recount personal stories

Feminists Make the Link

4

Tuesday Time: 5 p.m.

Location: Fulton 230

Listen to Cynthia Enloe’s lecture called “Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link,” sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

Safety Day at BC

5

Next Monday Time: 8 a.m.

Location: Edmond’s Lot

Stop by Community Information Safety Day, where various law enforcement agencies will be conducting demonstrations and informational sessions.

IntheNews

As announced by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the test for medical school applicants will be changed. In the preliminary recommendations released by the AAMC, the revisions would include an additional 90 minutes for the already 5 and a half hour Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), as well as changes to multiple sections. If approved, the changes will take effect in 2015. Amjed Saffarini, the executive director of the prehealth programs at the Kaplan Test Prep company, said that the changes to the MCAT are the biggest in 25 years.

Local News

in life as giving him joy in his ministry, from the presence of God’s love he sees on a daily basis to a few specific material pleasures.

“Every night I have an ice cold Pepsi, eat cookies, and read the paper,” Leahy said.

Butler described his time working with the marginalized in society, especially the incarcerated and the elderly, and the courage of such groups in the face of difficulties through faith as formative in his decision to enter the Jesuit Order.

“I fell in love first with a concept – how I saw God working in peoples’ lives,” Butler said.

Originally looking to enter the Augustinian religious order, Butler ended up finding a home with the Jesuits after realizing how deeply his values synched with those of the Society’s.

“Jesuits have a way of meeting people where they are, starting a conversation, and letting God do the rest of the work,” he said, calling the work of a Jesuit a process of “together finding God through one another.”

Zipple, a former Presidential Scholar at the University and documentary filmmaker before starting at the School of Theology and Ministry, told the audience how BC proved to be the perfect place to find his religious calling, beginning with a meeting with Rev. William Neenan, S.J., during his first visit to campus in 1995.

“I thought to myself, this guy is not like any other priest that I’ve ever met before,” Zipple said when remembering the duo’s conversation about economics, the South, and a host of other topics in McElroy that day. “He is still a model for what attracted me to the society.”

The conversation and subsequent dialogue with the audience

Student imprisoned in Syria makes homecoming on Saturday

Heights Staff

A panel of three prominent campus Jesuits, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., Rev. Jack Butler, S.J., vice president for University Mission and Ministry, and Rev. Jeremy Zipple, S.J. and BC ’00, spoke about their paths to the Jesuit order and their experiences as Jesuits in the Heights Room Thursday night.

The discussion, entitled “Three Jesuits: Who Do They Say They Are? Personal Perspectives,” was led by Rev. Michael Boughton, S.J. and put on by the Church in the 21st Century Center among a host of other campus sponsors.

The Jesuit panelists responded to questions that explored their attraction to the Jesuit order, the things that give them joy in their ministry, and their thoughts on current issues shaping the Society of Jesus. The participants then fielded questions from the audience, ranging from strategies to recruit priests to their thoughts on sporting the clerical collar.

When asked what brought each of them to the Society of Jesus, the speakers offered three unique accounts of calls to the priesthood. Leahy described his youth in rural Iowa and his constant wish to become a priest throughout his adolescence and early years at Creighton University. He spoke about his sense of the Jesuit priesthood coming from the strong friendships formed with young Jesuits he met in his first years with the order.

This powerful experience within a community would shape the rest of his life’s vocation.

“Priesthood is about responding to God’s call as best I can and doing so in a community context,” Leahy said.

Leahy tabbed the little things

moved towards the issues facing the Society of Jesus in the 21st Century. The three panelists acknowledged the dwindling number of Jesuits as the key problem facing the Order going forward.

Leahy said he had faith that the Order could rebound in a world in need of their services.

“If we do our reasonable best, I am confident God will take care of the rest,” Leahy said.

Butler emphasized focusing on Christ as a way to push through difficult times.

“If I keep the focus on Jesus, I don’t get overwhelmed,” Butler said. “The gospel tells me, ‘Choose life, and you’ll find God.’ That’s what I want to do.”

Zipple pointed to ideological fractures as a significant issue facing the Society, but saw this as an opportunity for growth at the same time.

“We’re living in a Church full of ideological tensions,” Zipple said. “I see that certainly as a struggle but also a challenge to us.”

The Jesuits fielded questions about the geography of the Order, how women and laity could get more involved in Ignatian spirituality, and cultural shifts that Jesuits need to respond to for continued success.

“We don’t commit as much as a people as we used to,” Butler said, describing a Catholic youth filled with spiritual strivings but less sure of how to fully devote themselves to God in the absence of Church structure in many parts of society.

Leahy stressed taking the Ignatian mission into all parts of society for those not destined to become Jesuits, helping others through their vocations in the mold of St. Ignatius’ call to serve. n

Police Blotter 3/30/11 – 4/1/11 Wednesday, March 30 12:52 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a subject feeling ill in the Walsh Hall lot.

The subject was transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser.

1:17 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a past larceny in Devlin Hall. A detective is investigating.

1:36 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a fire alarm activation. Newton Fire Department arrived on scene and determined the alarm was triggered by faulty wiring.

5:41 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a past larceny in the Mods. A detective is investigating.

10:39 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a motor vehicle accident with injuries.

Boston Police, Fire, and EMS had arrived, controlled the scene and treated the injured subjects.

10:58 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a a subject who was transported to a medical facility by a Boston EMS ambulance.

know each other. The incident is being investigated by the Sexual Assault Unit.

On Campus Brian Turner, acclaimed soldierpoet, to visit BC in mid-April As a part of BC’s University Poetry Days, Brian Turner, an acclaimed soldier-poet, will be appearing at BC in April. The poet, whose book Here, Bullet won numerous awards including a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection in 2005, served seven years in the U.S. Army, including one year in Mosul, Iraq. Previously, he was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1999-2000. He will speak in mid-April as part of the University’s Lowell Humanities Series and as the keynote speaker at the Greater Boston Intercollegiate Undergraduate Poetry Festival which includes 20 area colleges.

National Three-year-old Chicago boy dies after falling out of rollercoaster NORRIDGE, Ill. (AP) — A three-year-old boy died Saturday after falling out of a roller coaster at a suburban Chicago amusement park, police said. The boy was sitting near the front of the Python Pit roller coaster at the Go Bananas amusement park when he got underneath the ride’s safety bar, Norridge Police Chief James Jobe said. He suffered head injuries in what Jobe described as “a tragic accident.”

The boy was on the ride with his twin brother when he fell out of the coaster while it was moving, Jobe said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office said the boy died at the park. Police said a state inspector was at the scene.

Friday, April 1 1:28 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an underage intoxicated subject in Walsh Hall. The subject was transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser.

2:25 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a motor vehicle stop that was conducted at Campanella Way. The operator did not possess a valid license to operate and their motor vehicle was towed.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

Rain 46°

Tuesday

52° Thunder Showers 34°

Wednesday

51° Mostly Sunny 37°

thursday

49° Partly Cloudy 39°

Source: National Weather Service

A Guide to Your Newspaper The Heights Boston College – McElroy 113 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467

Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 Marketplace Desk (617) 552-3548 Features Desk (617) 552-3548 Arts Desk (617) 552-0515 Photo (617) 552-1022 Fax (617) 552-4823 Business and Operations General Manager (617) 552-0169 Advertising (617) 552-2220 Business and Circulation (617) 552-0547 Classifieds and Collections (617) 552-0364 Fax (617) 552-1753 EDITORIAL RESOURCES News Tips Have a news tip or a good idea for a story? Call Taylour Kumpf, News Editor, at (617) 552-0172, or e-mail news@bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the News Desk.

Sports Scores Want to report the results of a game? Call Paul Sulzer, Sports Editor, at (617) 552-0189, or e-mail sports@bcheights.com.

Arts Events The Heights covers a multitude of events both on and off campus – including concerts, movies, theatrical performances, and more. Call Darren Ranck, Arts and Review Editor, at (617) 552-0515, or e-mail arts@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the Arts Desk.

Clarifications / Corrections The Heights strives to provide its readers with complete, accurate, and balanced information. If you believe we have made a reporting error, have information that requires a clarification or correction, or questions about The Heights standards and practices, you may contact Michael Caprio, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@ bcheights.com.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Voices from the Dustbowl “What is your favorite springtime activity?”

“Outdoor basketball.”

—Danielson Depina, CSOM ’14

10:23 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a past physical altercation. A detective is investigating.

Thursday, March 31 2:20 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a a past sexual assault. Victim and suspect

Last month while on a visit to the Old City of Damascus in Syria, Middlebury College junior Pathik “Tik” Root suddenly disappeared, along with an unknown number of people, as political unrest against the authoritarian regime began. Root’s parents called U.S. political officials for help in bringing their son home. Last week, Syrian officials said that Root had been taken into custody in order to determine that he wasn’t a U.S. government operative, and on Saturday Root was able to fly into Logan International Airport in Boston where he met with his parents.

4:04 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a subject who reported a past injury which occurred at an on-campus location in Carney Hall.

4:57 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a a subject who wished to voluntarily surrender a false identification. The subject wished to remain anonymous.

49°

Editor-in-Chief (617) 552-2223

Three Boston College Jesuits participated in a panel in which they discussed their experiences in the Jesuit Order.

By Tanner Edwards

Today

University Major revisions to MCAT to go into effect in 2015 if approved

Daniel Lee / Heights Staff

Four Day Weather Forecast

“Going for walks.”

—Derek Lintala, A&S ’14

“It used to be reading in the Dustbowl.”

—Meg Stapleton Smith,

A&S ’13

Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Dan Ottaunick, General Manager at (617) 552-0547.

Advertising The Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the BC community. To submit a classified, display, or online advertisement, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.

The Heights is produced by BC undergraduates and is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by The Heights, Inc. (c) 2011. All rights reserved.

CORRECTIONS Please send corrections to editor@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

A3

Meeting Team Tobati seeks increased BC student involvement the poet Hart Crane

By Elise Taylor Heights Editor

Matthew DeLuca Over winter break I had the opportunity to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge with a friend, something that everyone who has done it says you have to do, and I second them.

Suspension bridges aren’t now the marvel they were when this one was completed in 1883, and we don’t look at feats of engineering with the same romantic glisten in our eyes as they did when Washington Roebling gave his health and nearly his life for the bridge his father envisioned.

But toward the early part of the 20th century, an American poet ignored by the critical establishment, which hardly matters, as well as by the reading public, which is a shame, took the bridge as subject for an epic poem. This poet was Hart Crane.

As most of you will know, James Franco and Paul Mariani, professor in the English department, have collaborated on a film based on Mariani’s biography of Crane. Before the Franco train rolls into town on April 15, it wouldn’t hurt any student at Boston College to take a couple hours to read some of Crane’s poetry. “Chaplinesque” is a good starting point. Don’t go right to “The Broken Tower.” Don’t skip over “At Melville’s Tomb.”

Crane was an intense and fascinating man, and I’m sure the new film will do nothing but kindnesses to its subject. Biographical works, particularly about writers, are secondary, though. We are drawn to learning more about the life of the writer or poet because we first found something in the poetry that made us wonder who could have written it.

Crane led a life that lends itself to the biographical fascination. His relationship with his parents was never easy. (His first name was actually Harold. Hart was his mother’s maiden name, and Crane adopted it as his first name when his parents divorced. To his mother and mother’s side of the family he was Hart from that moment forth. To his father he was always Harold.). He went to New York as a young man and worked odd jobs, none of which he liked. He led a sexual life of Byronic variety. He went to Mexico on a fellowship and drank himself to ruin. He died after falling off a boat into the nighttime blue of the Caribbean, whether intentionally or not will forever remain debatable.

Crane left an account of himself in his letters, which have been collected into a volume called O My Land, My Friends. Through reading these letters, maybe we can edge a little closer to a vibrant life. Such an impulse is understandable. Tennessee Williams felt it when he asked in his will that his ashes be scattered on the spot where Crane took his final tumble over the guardrail of the S.S. Orizaba.

Williams’ wish was not granted.

The fact that the Brooklyn Bridge remains as powerful in the popular imagination as ever gives us another way to experience Crane’s vision, and I think everyone who can should at least once go start out at the foot of the Bridge, walk to Brooklyn, then turn, not having looked back before, and see all of Manhattan unrolled before them. Only having done that will you be able to fathom the distance between Crane’s vision and one’s own, and that, if for no other reason, is why he is and will remain worth reading.

For a poet like Crane, the words he writes on a page are a record of the meeting of an incontestable will with an unimaginative world. Crane’s poems are an argument overheard; we are invited to listen. This is why even as critical opinion turns in his favor, and it will, his poetry will never belong to classrooms or courses or any pedagogy, anything that would try to own it, but always to those who need it as the poet needed it.

As some have said, the line that should be considered Crane’s epitaph appears in his poem “At Melville’s Tomb”: “This fabulous shadow only the sea keeps.” Crane’s shadow shall be given cinematic shape by Franco in a matter of weeks. I look forward to the release of this film on Hart Crane, and hope that it may bring some new attention to a poet whose work has yet to fully reach its proper place. For those on campus who have not yet encountered Crane, I hope this is a first of many meetings.

Matthew DeLuca is a columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at editor@bcheights.com

Eric Carroll, A&S ’11, will forego the traditional postgraduation job route to work at a school in the impoverished Tobati, Paraguay, an action that he said he hopes will spur a connection between the town and BC. Following in the footsteps of other BC alums Ben Elliot, BC ’08, his brother Jared Carroll, BC ’06, and Christopher Inkpen, BC ’06, Carroll will teach English and serve as the director for the twelve months after he matriculates at the Macchi Institute.

The school is a tuition-free private school that takes promising, yet poor students from the local area and gives them a quality education. Acceptance to this school is rigorous as it is arguably the best school in the Paraguayan state of Cordillera. Potential students must take an entrance exam, complete an interview, and participate in a home visit, and be of an extremely low economic standing. When the students graduate, hopefully to an institution of higher education, they are encouraged to one day return to Tobati to help the town and its people improve socially and economically.

Carroll, and most of the BC alums who have worked in Tobati, first became involved with the Macchi Institute in high school. He took two service trips to Tobati with Spanish teacher Ronald Garcia, whose mother is from Tobati. After hearing about the atrocities facing the community he said that he decided that he wanted to give back. He set up the nonprofit organization Team Tobati, which raised funds both for Tobati and for the Macchi Institute and then began bringing around 100 high school students to the country.

He said these trips ignited in him a passion for service as well as the Latin America region, and has driven him to repeatedly visit and now work in Paraguay.

“I decided to travel and work in Paraguay because of the amazing experiences I had there during my high

school trips,” Carroll said. “Teaching in Paraguay offers me and opportunity to live and work with a people who I love, surrounded by a culture that I love equally.”

Carroll does not want to simply work in Paraguay, but expand the network between BC and Team Tobati, he said. Six BC students have been involved with the project, and Carroll believes that this relationship can easily become stronger. Along with Ben Elliot and Garcia, Carroll said that he is attempting to organize a service trip that would be open to the BC community.

“The Boston College alumni presence in the nonprofit is so strong that it is the hope of the Team to create a permanent and official relationship between the school and the program,” he said. “Ben and I have created a proposal and presented it a few times to Boston College in order to inquire about the appropriate steps needed to start a service trip.”

If enacted, the trip would bring students to Tobati to work on various projects, such as improving medical and educational infrastructures. They would also be involved in extensive interaction with the local people, most of whom live in destitute squalor, he said.

“It’s important to understand just how impoverished the country of Paraguay is. Most of the town of Tobati is employed in brick factories and earns less than a dollar a day,” Carroll said.

Despite this, Carroll said, the people of Paraguay and Tobati still maintain a welcoming culture known for its woodworking and ceramics. “I was amazed by the warmth with which I was received and the vibrance of the culture. They laugh loud, cry hard, and live simply.”

This unique mix of social factors, the extreme poverty mixed with openness and artistic prowess, is what Carroll said makes Tobati such a life changing experience. “Every time I return to the country I feel an overwhelming sense of familiarity and comfort, as if I’m coming home.” n

photos Courtesy of Eric carroll

Eric Carroll, A&S ’11, will work at a school in Paraguay after graduation.

BC alum and educator receives University theater recognition

By Taylour Kumpf News Editor

sang lee / heights staff

SIESTA’s fashion show Friday ended Concerned About Rape Education Week, a series of events that aim to raise sexual assault awareness.

C.A.R.E. week ends with fashion show

By Jake Bajada For the Heights

Last Friday, Sisters Influencing and Empowering Sisters Through Assembly (SIESTA) held its annual fashion show in the Vanderslice Cabaret Room as the closing event to Concerned About Rape Education (C.A.R.E.) week, a sequence of events held on campus that promotes awareness on the topics of rape, sexual assault, and inter-relational violence.

SIESTA aims to bring the Boston College community together by holding discussions that focus on the role of

“The benefit fashion show was a powerful and exciting way to end C.A.R.E. Week.”

-KeunYoung Bae, Member of the SIESTA executive board and A&S ’13 diversity on campus, organizers said.

“SIESTA seeks to empower and unite women of color together through discussion,” said KeunYoung Bae, a member of the SIESTA executive board and A&S ’13.

Je ssic a D unston, b o ard member and A&S ’12, echoed this in the event’s opening statements.

“We basically create a safe space of sisterhood for women through the Women’s Resource Center,” she said.

The SIESTA Benefit Fashion Show, as the event is officially known, featured 18 different SIESTA and AHANA affiliates who modeled outfits that had been collected from various sources.

“SIESTA members held donation drives for gently worn clothing around the BC campus last semester,” Bae said. “We also had the help of students in the theatre department, who created eight original looks for the fashion show. Participants

in the show either modeled the outfits created by the theater department, or chose items from the donations we received and created their own outfits.”

Models walked up and down a 30-foot runway outlined by bright neon tape, posed for the photographer at both ends of the walk, and then smiled for the 50-person crowd before exiting the stage.

In order to represent the amount of sexual assaults that go unrecognized, each model wore a mask throughout the fashion show.

“The use of the masks in the show symbolized the anonymity associated with sexual assault, which was also addressed in some of the monologues that were delivered,” Bae said. “According to BARCC, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, fewer than 5 percent of completed and attempted rapes are reported to law enforcement officials. This makes sexual assault the most underreported crime in the United States.”

In between four modeling periods, SIESTA members performed different poetry readings that pertained to sexual assault and the female identity.

“I shake when I see him, only my homegirls seem to notice,” one performer said, reading from Ekere Tallie’s poem, “Forced Entry.”

In addition to raising awareness, all of the clothes featured during the show were auctioned off to raise money for the cause.

“The outfits and donations were then put up for a silent auction after the show. All of the proceeds from the bids, as well as the extra donations we received, will be donated to the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK), a shelter for domestic violence survivors in Boston,” Bae explained.

Bae emphasized the importance of events such as the fashion show.

“The benefit fashion show was a powerful and exciting way to end C.A.R.E. week,” she said. “[It] tied in the themes of education, awareness, and especially empowerment.” n

Theatre educator, stage director, and arts leader Paul Daigneault, BC ’87, has been named the University’s Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J. Professor in Theatre Arts for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Daigneault is the founder and producing artistic director of SpeakEasy Stage Company in Boston, a mid-sized resident regional theater currently celebrating its twentieth season. On April 4, Daigneault will be honored, with Broadway playwright Terrence McNally, at the SpeakEasy’s anniversary gala.

Under his leadership, SpeakEasy is one of the most successful and respected professional theaters in New England, with a strong reputation for producing regional premieres of contemporary musicals and plays. He has directed more than half of SpeakEasy’s roughly 100 productions over the past 20 years, including Annie Baker’s Body Awareness and the musical Nine in the current 2010-2011 season.

Daigneault is the first Boston College alumnus to hold the Monan Professorship in Theatre Arts.

During his year-long residency, he will direct a production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s critically acclaimed musical Into the Woods, as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of BC’s Robsham Theater Arts Center. He will also teach an advanced class in musical theater performance, serve as a mentor to student directors, and as a guest lecturer in other courses.

“I look forward to returning to BC to work with students over the course of an entire school year,” Daigneault said in a recent state-

ment. “I’m curious to see how things have changed since I was a student a generation ago.”

Daigneault has remained involved with his alma mater. For the theatre department, he directed Craig Lucas’s Blue Window in 2002 and the musical Urinetown in 2008. In 2007, in recognition of his professional success with SpeakEasy, he received the Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement from BC’s Arts Council, and was a special guest during the University’s annual Arts Festival, during which the award was presented.

“Paul will be a great inspiration to our students,” said Scott T. Cummings, chair of BC’s theatre department, in the statement.

“Anybody can start a theatre company. It takes a rare combination of talents to keep it alive, growing, and prospering to the point where twenty years on it is a major regional arts organization. That is a tremendous achievement.”

After graduating from BC, Daigneault pursued a theater career in New York City before returning to Boston in 1992 to start SpeakEasy with help from some BC friends. In its early days, the fledgling operation worked out of South Boston’s St. Augustine’s School, where Daigneault taught sixth and seventh grade.

In 2007, SpeakEasy was named the Pavilion Resident Theater for the Boston Center for the Arts, where it performs in the Nancy and Ed Roberts Studio Theater for more than half the year.

In 2008, the company received Stage Source’s Theater Hero Award, given annually to “an exceptional member of the Greater Boston theatre community who has demonstrated a history of service and commitment to thecommunity through leadership,

courtesy office of news and public affairs

Paul Daigneault, BC ’87, was named the Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J. Professor in Theater Arts next year. support, inspiration, innovation, and promotion of the art of theatre throughout the region,” according to the statement.

SpeakEasy employs 120 actors, designers, and production staff annually, making it a mainstay for many of Boston’s most talented theater professionals.

SpeakEasy productions have won numerous awards, including five Elliot Norton Awards in 2010.

Named for University Chancellor and former Boston College president, the professorship enables the theatre department to bring nationally and internationally recognized professional theater artists to work with, and teach, undergraduate students at the University.

Daigneault will be the fifth Monan visiting artist, following Karen MacDonald (2010-11), director Carmel O’Reilly (spring 2010), actor Remo Airaldi (fall 2009), and Broadway music director Mary- Mitchell Campbell (2008-09). n

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Gala draws crowd of 250 students Quia use expands, despite cheating Gala, from A1 world.”

“This event sold out and we were scrambling to get more tickets, which I never expected at BC,” said Kelsey Gasseling, GLC president and A&S ’11.

A variety of reasons brought students to attend the Gala. Okello Carter, A&S ’12, said his experience at the Gala last year and his desire to show support for the GLBTQ community at BC was the main factor bringing him to the Gala.

“I really enjoyed the event last year and wanted to show my support by coming back this year,” Carter said.

Annie Orlowski, LSOE ’12, also attended to show her support for the GLBTQ community at BC. “I attended the Gala because I wanted to support my gay friends and acknowledge that they should be treated like full members of our community,” Orlowski said.

Jessica Trainor, A&S ’12, said she believes that the Gala is an important event for all students, not just those who identify as GLBTQ. “I’m a strong supporter of the GLBTQ and GLC at BC. Even though I identify as straight, I feel this is a great event for everyone to take part in to celebrate our differences and our similarities as human beings in an intertwined existence,” Trainor said.

During dinner, Gasseling expressed gratitude in her opening

remarks to attendees. “Thank you, thank you, thank you so much,” Gasseling said. “The Council has changed dramatically since my four years here. The GLC has turned into a living, breathing, gay entity, and I am very proud.”

Following Gasseling’s remarks, Josh Tingley, GLC vice presidentelect and A&S ’13, spoke on his vision for the future of the GLC. “Our goal is to grow GLC, make it fabulous, and make it gay.”

Carolyn McCrosson, GLC president-elect and A&S ’12, was not able to attend Saturday’s event because she is currently studying abroad, but Tingley said she sends her best wishes and many thanks to attendees for their support.

Erika Hernandez, president of the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) and A&S ’11, commented on ALC support for the GLC and a hope to further their mission of unity in the future. “I hope the GLC will grow as large as the ALC,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez said the Gala is one of her favorite events because it has allowed her to be herself.

“The two events I look forward to are the ALC Ball and the GLC Gala,” Hernandez said. “ [I look forward to] the ALC Ball because it brings together people with different backgrounds and cultures.

The GLC, because I can be more of myself. I know I can be whoever I want and act however I want. I am allowed to be myself without judgment.”

Micaela Mabida, UGBC president and CSOM ’11, congratulated the GLC on a sold-out event and said it was a demonstration of strong community and support. “[Tickets selling out] shows what a strong community we have, and I am hopeful for what a strong community we may have in the future,” she said.

The keynote speaker of the night, Pam Garramone, of the Greater Boston Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) spoke of the profound effect the Gala has on her.

“I honestly would give anything and everything I have, which isn’t much, to go back to college and be openly gay,” Garramone said.

“When I was in college you just couldn’t do it.”

Garramone also said that she believes BC to be an accepting community for entering GLBTQ freshman. “Two days ago, a mom from Michigan called my office and said her son choose BC and was gay,” she said. “She asked me if BC would be safe for her son. I told her that on Friday night I was going to a Gala where over 200 gay and straight allies were attending to support the gay community.”

However, Garramone said the most important thing students can do is stand up and show their support for the GLBTQ community at BC. “Always step up if you are gay, and if you are an ally, step up for your friends,” Garramone said. n

Human rights discussed locally Dialogues, from A1 War, human rights, and most recently, military spending.

“We have become quite concerned with the way that the military expenditures [have been] robbing civil programs of necessary funding,” Metz said. “There are pretty good concerns among us that the military is way too far extended. They [the expenditures] could be cut back substantially without impairment.”

Tuesday’s meeting was geared towards talking about these matters.

Metz said that this discussion concentrated on educating those that attended on the financial setbacks that military involvement has cost the United States.

“The military budget has grown over the past eight years, nearly

doubled on paper and it now totals $700 billion,” he said. “The defense department accounts for a huge portion of the budget but you have to look elsewhere. You have the whole nuclear warfare program run under the energy department. There’s a whole department of veteran affairs, homeland security, military expenditure. Add in the portion of the death service cost, attributable to military expenditures in the past and [it comes out to] well over a trillion dollars a year. That’s roughly a third of the total government expenditures.”

In addition to discussion-based meetings, Newton Dialogues sponsors a weekly, one-hour vigil in Newton Center to raise awareness about military spending and other similar issues. This typically consists

of members and others holding signs at the corner of Boylston and Centre Street that promote antiwar initiatives. These demonstrations are meant to “alert voters and passerby.”

Other political involvement includes an affiliation with the United for Justice with Peace, an umbrella organization that organizes various demonstrations, typically around Boston Commons and the John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building. “[What we’re doing] is getting people informed so they can speak up when they have the change to talk to senators,” Metz said. “We’re not trying to invent any wheels. Rather than creating more organizations, we are trying to support already existing organizations and work locally." n

Quia, from A1 weeknight – this forces students to not wait until the last minute to do the work and forces student to be prepared for class. It’s convenient.

You can do it anywhere there is an Internet connection, as opposed to carrying the book everywhere. It’s cheaper than the print manual.”

Despite the potential for cheating, Quia use has expanded. Elementary Italian classes began using Quia for the first time this year. “I had heard positive comments from other coordinators who have used it in the past,” said Brian O’Connor, coordinator of elementar y and intermediate Italian. “The students get instant feedback on the more mechanical exercises rather than having to wait until the work is corrected to have their errors pointed out to them. I also thought it would be easier for instructors to keep track of students’ work and that using Quia would make for a more flexible correction process.”

For professors, having Quia exercises outside of class allows in-class lecture time to be devoted to practicing verbal and audio exercises.

“Our philosophy in the department of romance languages and literatures is that class time should be used as much as possible for oral communication,” O’Connor said.

By using the online workbook to practice and learn the basics of a language, students are able to log extra hours of practicing the fundamentals outside of class.

This combination of outside and in-class work functions to allow students to not only be more

prepared for lectures and exams in class, but also to help them become more fluent after extra hours of practice that they can not receive through instruction alone.

“In order to be fluent, you need about 780 hours of study. At Boston College we get about 78 hours a year,” Debbie Rusche, a Spanish professor said. “For a student to get to fluency, you have to first get the basics and then go abroad.”

By combining in-class practice time and extra work online outside of class, students have a greater chance of learning a language fully, professors said. However, some students have responded to the outside work by finding ways to cheat on the Quia system.

“The sad truth is that learning a foreign language in an academic setting requires a great deal of rote memory, repetition, practice, and review of the basic building blocks of the language outside of class,” O’Connor said. “Even under ideal circumstances: small class size, greatly extended contact hours, exposure to authentic linguistic and cultural stimuli outside class. A certain amount of grunt work is required. This, in general, is students’ least favorite part of a language course, but it is an absolute necessity. If students have not integrated the basics of vocabulary and structures, what are they supposed to produce during discussions in class?”

The overall goal of the intermediate classes that use Quia is to provide a foundation for the language that can lead to fluency.

Andrea Javel, who teaches elementary and intermediate French, said that at the intermediate level

students should be able to narrate and describe with relative accuracy in present tense as well as more complex tenses.

“If students end with intermediate, I want them to take something away from it,” Javel said.

Though many students end at the Intermediate level to fulfill core requirements, the oral proficiency levels typically meet four to five times a week and give students looking to pursue the language further a chance to reach a higher level of fluency.

“I want students to have enjoyed studying Italian, have conversations in Italian,” O’Connor said. “At the least I’m trying to give a base. I want them to feel that they’ve accomplished something, and enjoyed the language and culture.”

Next year elementary Italian classes will no longer use Quia, but professors said that it is not because of the question of academic integrity, but rather that the technological format can make corrections more difficult.

Elementary and intermediate French classes as well as intermediate Spanish classes plan to go ahead with using Quia next year, because professors continue to urge students to allow themselves to make mistakes so that they can use the instant grading to selfcorrect. The ability to make selfcorrections sets Quia apart as a more efficient study tool, helping students to not only become better at the language but also retain it as a skill that they can take with them past graduation.

“If someone speaks another language,” Rusche said, “It opens up the world.” n

New BC Law dean begins in July Law Dean, from A1 and law school,” Rougeau said in the statement. “I have long admired the Boston College Law School faculty and feel very honored by the opportunity to serve as their dean.”

While at Notre Dame, Rougeau also served as dean for academic affairs for three years, and as a member of the law school’s appointments committee, including three terms as committee chair. “In this role, I was thoroughly familiar with the strategies that must be employed to recruit and retain the best possible faculty,” Rougeau said in the statement. “I am also personally aware of the challenges and opportunities a meaningful commitment to diversity presents to a law faculty.”

Rougeau also has a longstanding

interest in bank regulation, particularly as it relates to the protection of consumers. Much of his early teaching and writing focused on ways in which the law might check predatory behavior in the marketplace, as well as government regulation and intervention in financial markets.

A graduate of Brown University where he majored in international relations, Rougeau received his law degree from Harvard Law School.

He worked as an assistant and then associate professor of law at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, before joining the faculty at Notre Dame Law School. He has also served as a fellow at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame, and as a senior fellow at the Contextual Theology Centre at the Royal Foundation of

St. Catherine in London. The author of a book and several book chapters, his latest work, titled Cosmopolitan Democracy, Religious Citizens, and Global Multiculturalism, is part of an ongoing project called Contending Modernities, which will likely result in a conference next year.

Rougeau and his wife Robin Kornegay Rougeau have three sons.

“Any successful search outcome is the result of the efforts of many,” Garza said in the statement. “I would like to thank the members of the search committee and all who assisted in the process. I am also thankful to Interim Dean George Brown and the Law School faculty, students, staff and alumni, whose commitment and dedication to their school and university have been evident throughout this process.” n

creative commons

‘Times’ offers reduced subscriptions ‘Times,’ from A1 subscriptions to columns and archives, leaving some website content free of charge. Two years later, in September of 2007, the company began offering totally free content, a policy that has remained in place until this past Monday.

The new policy offers three subscription plans to potential customers. To access the website

and the smartphone application, users will have to pay $15 every four weeks. For access to the website and the tablet application, users will have to pay $20 every four weeks. The final plan permits unlimited access to all digital forms of the Times, and costs $35 every four weeks. Currently, all three plans are being offered for only 99 cents for the first four weeks. There is no digital subscription option for access to

the website only.

Without subscriptions, online visitors will still be able to read up to 20 articles per month, as well as access the NYtimes.com front page and section fronts.

In light of the new changes, Sulzberger ended his letter to online readers by reiterating the mission of The New York Times to bring high-quality news to all of its readers, in whatever form they may choose. n

CLASSIFIEDS

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The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

Community Help wanted RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS Females who are currently bulimic, age 18-45, not taking medications (with the exception of oral contraceptives) are sought for a study of behavioral ratings and blood hormone levels. Eligible participants will receive $100 for two outpatient visits at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Study funded by the National Institutes of Health MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT Sandy Hannon-Engel , Ph.D.(c) RN, CS at 508-274-0671 or CCK@bc.edu.

HELP WANTED Have you thought about adoption? Loving and devoted married couple hoping to adopt. We hope you will consider us in your options.

To learn more, please call us tollfree at 1-877-841-3748, or visit our website www.roseanneandtim.com.

Please be assured all conversations are held in strict confidence.

With gratitude, Roseanne and Tim. TUTOR WANTED for basic programming class. Must know JavaScript and ActionScript. Call (617) 655 - 8196 for more details.

Help Wanted JOB OPENING RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT CUSTOMER SERVICE REP NEEDED TO WORK FOR OUR COMPANY. MUST HAVE GOOD COMPUTER SKILLS, SPEAK ENGLISH OR FRENCH FLUENTLY, AND MUST BE ACCURATE. NO JOB EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED AS ANY JOB EXPERIENCE MAY APPLY. You will earn $2,950 monthly.

E-mail davidj85@live.com if interested.

“The squawking is particularly loud tonight.”

Directions: The Sudoku is played over a 9x9 grid. In each row there are 9 slots, some of which are empty and need to be filled.

Each row, column and 3x3 box should contain the numbers 1 to 9. You must follow these rules: · Number can appear only once in each row · Number can appear only once in each column · Number can appear only once in each 3x3 box · The number should appear only once on row, column or area.

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Monday, April 4, 2011

Editorials

Response to Quia dilemma: cheating is not the answer Students cheating on homework is not a solution for their dissatisfaction with learning tools In the editorial “Higher standards should apply not only to students” in the Mar. 28 issue, we said that the faculty members of the romance languages and literatures department should reconsider their use of Quia, the online workbook that provides grammatical exercises with instant feedback to students. The editorial used ambiguous language and included two unsubstantiated claims: that the use of Quia may be a way to mask “flaws” in

The Heights does not condone cheating by students on homework assignments and we, in fact, value exercises for their potential to strengthen skills outside the classroom ... However, we feel that the department should be aware of the fact that Quia can sometimes lend itself to easily to cheating. the romance language department and that that Quia itself may be an ineffective learning tool. We, the editorial board of The Heights, would like to clarify our position on the use of Quia by the romance language department.

The Heights used student testimony concerning perceived “flaws,” namely, the number of teaching fellows in the romance languages and literatures department. While the department is only second to the English department in its use of teaching fellows, there is no information to back the claim that this is necessarily a “flaw.” We will, however, continue to speak with and report on the department in response to these student concerns that were directed toward us.

In the article titled “Laguage dept. re-

sponds to Quia” in today’s issue, information from romance language professors suggests that several students in language classes have misused Quia by submitting answers taken directly from the provided answer key on the assignments. These actions breach the University’s Academic Integrity Policy, which prohibits “the use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in examinations or other academic exercises submitted for evaluation.”

Unfortunately for the department (and for students willing to practice the language properly), the Quia program too easily lends itself to cheating. The monitoring of the program also seems as if it would be too time-consuming for professors, who should not have to to worry about constantly enforcing BC’s academic conduct rules.

Quia also does not provide feedback based on subject matter, but rather on assignment completion, indicated by a numerical grade. Therefore, it can be difficult for students looking to target their grammatical strengths and isolate their specific weaknesses through the program.

For these reasons of student misconduct and numerical feedback, the department should asses its use of Quia as it is incorporated into introductory and intermediate level language courses.

The Heights does not condone cheating by students on homework assignments and we, in fact, value exercises for their potential to strengthen skills outside the classroom. This allows professors to devote more class time to conversation.

However, we feel that the department should be aware of the fact that Quia can sometimes lend itself too easily to cheating. Perhaps more workbook-like assignments would be beneficial.

Perhaps not. Either way, The Heights is happy to see that the romance languages and literatures department has responded to concerns about cheating and that professors are addressing the issue in their respective classes. We support them in this endeavor.

At BC, luckily knowledge is still free The QSLC plans to aid students in covering NYTimes.com’s new pay wall fee and continuing to carry print edition In a move preceded by falling newspaper sales and a general decline in print advertising revenue, The New York Times has begun charging users for access to its website. Citing their hope to continue to provide high quality journalism to its readers, The

The Heights believes that the new pay wall feature should not be looked upon as an inconvenience, but rather as an opportunity. Students at Boston College have free access to print forms of the paper every day, and have much expose to the high quality coverage provided by The New York Times.

Times has deemed it necessary to find new revenue streams with which to support their infrastructure and writers.

In an age where information is becoming increasingly digitized, the

quality of journalism and reporting has been jeopardized as newspapers lose money and print readership. The Heights feels that by installing this pay wall, the world’s leading news publication can ensure high quality coverage and continue a trend toward more interactive and multimedia digital content.

Readers of the paper cannot take the quality reporting delivered by The Times for granted. If readers want coverage of international and domestic events in business, politics, sports, and every other possible topic, they should be willing to pay a small fee for it. There are numerous costs associated with obtaining such indepth information, and it would be unreasonable to believe The Times can sustain itself without support from its readers.

The Heights believes that the new pay wall feature should not be looked upon as an inconvenience, but rather as an opportunity. Students at Boston College have free access to print forms of the paper every day, and have much exposure to the high quality coverage provided by The Times. The pay wall is an opportunity for loyal readers to show their support in response to a changing world of journalism.

The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Michael Caprio, Editor-in-Chief Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager Hilary Chasse, Managing Editor

Editorial

Clara Kim, Copy Editor Taylour Kumpf, News Editor Paul Sulzer, Sports Editor Kristopher Robinson, Features Editor Darren Ranck, Arts & Review Editor David Cote, Marketplace Editor Ana Lopez, Opinions Editor Dan Tonkovich, Special Projects Editor Alex Trautwig, Photo Editor Lindsay Grossman, Layout Editor Mollie Kolosky, Graphics Editor

Matt Laud / Heights Illustration

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Practice makes perfect ... and isn’t always easy

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice, practice, practice. How do you get to the Final Four at the NCAA? Practice, practice, practice.

And how you do learn a language?

You guessed it.

A ball player cannot learn to play by reading the playbook and then play in a game. A musician cannot simply read the music and then play a concert. An athlete must lift weights, run, and go to a practice led by a coach culminating in a scrimmage. A musician plays scales, practices a few measures over and over again, and then goes to a rehearsal run by a director that eventually ends with playing a complete number.

Skills are honed, what was difficult at first becomes second nature, instincts are developed, and technique is acquired as one gets a feel for the game or the music. Finally the athletes play a game and the musicians give a concert. The best athletes and musicians have spent hours gettingready. No pain, no gain.

Language students practice vocabulary and conjugations, they

do activities where they fill in blanks with the correct form of a word or the correct tense of a verb. They answer endless questions. In class, the teacher creates activities from structured to open-ended practice, allowing students to use what they have practiced to communicate ideas culminating in a conversation with a partner in class, a role play, a debate, etc. Skills are honed, what was difficult at first becomes second nature, instincts are developed, and language is acquired as one gets a feel for the language. Students eventually travel to a country where the language is spoken or use it on the job.

The Quia workbooks are nothing more and nothing less than the online version of the print workbooks. One of the benefits of Quia is that an instructor can compel students to do homework on time, to best be prepared for each class. This may sound draconian, but it helps to maximize the benefits of class time for all students since a language class by nature is participatory.

Boston College students have

approximately 78 hours of instruction per year and compete well with students of other universities that meet for many more hours per year.

Syllabi are common to allow students to move from one level to another and from one section to another with ease. The common syllabi also are useful for those transferring to BC or from BC for placement purposes.

Instructors have freedom, within reason, to conduct the class as they see fit, using textbook activities or creating their own. Please note that instructors of these courses are consistently rated highly by the students.

If anyone would like to speak about language acquisition and best practices as recognized by the profession today, please do not hesitate to contact any of the coordinators of of language courses at Boston College as we are well versed on the topic.

Andrea Javel Lecturer, Romance Languages Department

Letting the love light shine The Messina Ignatian Leadership Society is hosting a “Love in Action” campaign with the hopes of igniting a spark within the Boston College community to recognize the love that exists in the everyday actions that are all around us. Throughout the week of April 4-8th there will be a series of events that illustrate how love “shows itself more in deeds than in words,” according to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. This week will be a great opportunity for the students of Boston College to come to a better understanding of what it means to attend a Jesuit institution.

The main event of this week-long

campaign is a panel discussion with some of Boston College’s most prominent professors including Mark O’Connor of the Arts and Science Honors Program, John Cawthorne of the Lynch School of Education, Betty Bagnani of the Carroll School of Management, and Colleen Simonelli of the Connell School of Nursing. They will be discussing how their work at BC has been a work dedicated to the flourishing of others and how that in itself is a remarkable act of love. Students will also have the opportunity to learn about the resources that Ignatian prayer has to motivate hearts towards love in action.

This week has been a collaborative effort between Messina Ignatian Leadership Society and a variety of other groups on campus including CURA, the Ignatian Society, and Kairos. We hope to inspire students to take the time to think about the love in their lives, how they express love towards others, and how prayer is a tool for integration. Look for us on Facebook to learn more about the events of the week..

Laura Mintel Messina Ignatian Leadership Society

Israel under attack at Boston College ... again Once again this year, in what is quickly becoming an ugly tradition, Boston College is being besieged by anti-Israel propaganda. Maybe most alarmingly, placards decrying Israel litter our campus, as in previous years.

This bespeaks a problem not only at BC, of course, but throughout the West. It is well-known that Israel has always been threatened—by its neighbors and now by pseudo-non-state actors like Hamas and Hezbollah—but the threat seems to have grown in recent years.

Today, putative “liberals” on college campuses—even our own—malign the tiny State of Israel with no sense of irony.

Those who claim to champion minority inclusion and minority rights find themselves in the absurd and untenable position of condemning the world’s only Jewish-majority state.

Indeed, everything liberals claim to cherish—in politics and culture alike—is found in abundance in Israel. Democracy flourishes there, not just for Jews, as is sometimes mendaciously said, but for all citizens of voting age, just like in the United States or any other consolidated democracy. Similarly, and also contrary to the common lies,

religious freedom is an established fact of life in Israel. Christian churches and Muslim mosques proliferate there—as do, of course, Christians and Muslims themselves, attesting Israel’s unending devotion to religious pluralism.

Other established facts of Israeli life include gender equality and, maybe more revealingly, gay equality. It is simply incontestable that Israel is the most hospitable, tolerant state in the entirety of the Middle East for gay men and women. Tel Aviv, in particular, has become a celebrated bastion of gay culture, renowned not just among Israelis, but throughout the world. Last year, Tzipi Livni, a major political figure in Israel and likely a future prime minister, told a crowd at the annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade that “the protection of” gays and lesbians “is a matter of human beings respecting each other.” And the previous year, the current prime minster, Benyamin Netanyahu, stood before the United Nations and chastised the Iranian leadership’s mistreatment of its gay population.

Ask yourself: If you were gay, would you prefer to live in Iran or Israel? Jordan or Israel? Egypt or Israel?

Readers Note: The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 200 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages.

The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces submitted

But none of this matters to the antiIsrael activists, whose ferocity seems to be matched only by their unwillingness to observe the relevant facts. Instead of celebrating Israel, they work feverishly to malign it—all in the name, they say, of “justice.” This is an Orwellian use of the word indeed. To be sure, those who would have the United States turn its back on Israel, or who would ask us to boycott Israeli goods, do not advocate “justice.” Quite on the contrary, they advocate no less than the abandonment of one of the world’s great liberal democracies—and certainly the one facing the gravest threat, not only from its neighbors, but from the supposedly liberal West, too.

It should go without saying that Israel has been threatened existentially for its whole life. Let us not encourage this threat. Instead, let us support the principles that we cherish in our own country—and on our own campus—by standing up for a free, prosperous, and secure Israel.

Isaiah Zachary Sterrettel GA&S ‘10

to the newspaper.

Submissions must be signed and should include the author’s connection to Boston College, address, and phone number. Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

Business and Operations Dara Fang, Online Manager Therese Tully, Assoc. Copy Editor Chris Marino, Asst. Copy Editor Adriana Mariella, Assoc. News Editor Molly LaPoint, Asst. News Editor DJ Adams, Assoc. Sports Editor Greg Joyce, Asst. Sports Editor Brooke Schneider, Asst. Features Editor Brennan Carley, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor Charlotte Parish, Asst. Arts & Review Editor Matt Palazzolo, Asst. Marketplace Editor

Kevin Hou, Asst. Photo Editor Woogeon Kim, Asst. Layout Editor Alex Manta, Asst. Graphics Editor David Riemer, Asst. Online Manager Elise Taylor, Editorial Assistant Katherine McClurg, Executive Assistant

Margaret Tseng, Business Manager Christina Quinn, Advertising Manager Zachary Halpern, Outreach Coordinator Cecilia Provvedini, Systems Manager James Gu, Local Sales Manager Jamie Ciocon, Collections Manager Amy Hachigian, Asst. Ads Manager Seth Fichtelberg, Business Assistant

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

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Opinions

What am I doing here?

Thumbs Up Big Ideas – Last year after the former Dustbowl, best space on campus for acitivism and advertising, became the gaping hole in the middle of campus, The Heights editorialized that student groups should utilize the new fence to satisfy their old aims. The most creative groups are finally making good on that suggestion and TU / TD would like to give major kudos to the C.A.R.E. Week clothesline project and the other groups that are beginning to think outside the box ... or rather, the bowl.

Cracking Codes – You saw Spy Games. You loved it. Heck, even Spy Kids II made you want to join the CIA the very next day, until you realized the application process takes upwards of a decade. Well now’s your chance to make good on your sleuth skills—the FBI is opening up the cracking of a code linked to a 12-year-old murder to the general public as their best cryptanalysts haven’t been able to crack the mysterious code and are betting that a fresh set of eyes will be the key.

Thumbs Down Gravity – The globe’s lowest flying satellite is producing photos that illustrate the world’s gravitational distribution and prove that gravity pulls harder on the area around France than it does the United States. Americans are notorious for criticizing the French for their pomp and pretention, their ingestion of snails on a regular basis, and propensity to consider odd little moustaches fashionable.

However, in light of this new discovery, maybe we should take it easier on our eclairloving frinemies: the man upstairs is already bringing them down.

Die-Hard Fans – To make a cool 10 grand on the West Coast, look no farther than your corner sports bar. The city is offering this amount for the capture of two Dodgers fans that, completely unprovoked, beat a Giants fan to the point of putting him in a coma after the season-opener last weekend. You’d think major fans of a sport so intrinsically linked to Americana—to a land founded on freedom of speech and expression—would be able to make it home after a nice day at the ballpark without suffering a rage blackout.

Fans these days.

The Great Flood – Partying in the basements of the rickety student-leased homes spanning from Lake St. to Cleveland Circle is a beloved BC tradition. Dealing with the pipes that make the “ceilings” of these spaces like labyrinths of potential scalding spells or cause for concussion for the taller amongst us, however, is not. And dealing with the aftermath of the bursting of one of these pipes after an underclassman hangs on it like a monkey, making your basement viable to be the setting for a History Channel special on Noah’s Ark, is most definitely not.

Dylan Hewkin Depending on who you ask, college can be either the busiest, most eventful time in life, or a bastion of boredom.

Whether you work hard, play hard, or do a little bit of both, I think most would agree that one of the most difficult tasks of being away at school is time management. When I have no work, or I’m just looking for sources of procrastination, I’ve been known to burn time with an abnormally broad spectrum of activities.

From growing accustomed to the taste of those watereddown drinks Keith Stone calls beer, to checking our brackets in class, knowing we’ve had no teams since the Elite Eight, to getting that second prestige in COD or talking trash in FIFA to some European kid, or if you’re feeling reckless, to beating Donkey Kong 64 and Zelda in far too short a time. Whichever is your go-to, we college kids can waste time with the best of them.

The problem, however, is that college students, so busy with class, exams, and enjoying the weekend, have become more ignorant to the world around them than Mel Kiper Jr. to the fact that no one respects him. While many of us used to pride ourselves on keeping up with current events, it’s tough to get your TV out of the 30s and 40s, and up into the 60s (for those who didn’t know, where you’ll find the news stations). Who had to hear about Egypt, Libya, or the tsunami in

Japan from someone else? While this certainly doesn’t apply to everyone, it’s hard to ignore the isolating effect a college campus can have.

As always, cynics would blame this on college kids being apathetic and spoiled. Though there will always be some truth in that, I believe the real cause lies within the philosophy we apply towards our education. Remember when you read a book of your own choosing, simply because you found it interesting? Think about that core class in a subject completely unrelated to your major, that pleasantly surprised, and intrigued you.

Too often, we fall into the “career training” trap. A liberal arts education is meant to produce enlightened and

enthusiastic critical thinkers ready to tackle the world’s problems, not robots with impressive resume’s. My advice to anyone struggling to choose a major would be to put aside the fear that your decision will lock you into a singular path in life. Study something you’re passionate about. During the summers, I caddy for a stockbroker who has a column in The New York Times and as strange as it sounds, his undergraduate major was Russian Literature. The summer before my freshman year, however, he said it was the best decision he had ever made, simply because studying what he actually enjoyed, made him make the most of his four years.

Personally, I’m a history major, but

as often as I get the question, I do not plan on becoming a historian. Whether I pursue a career in law, business, or anything else, my degree will not have been the most direct route. I like to think, however, that I will be well wellrounded and well learned, ready to take on the real world.

Getting back to my point, I think we would all do well to examine our approach in getting a degree. Study what interests you, be it financial accounting, biochemistry, or Russian literature and don’t waste the “along the way.”

When your major is almost finished and you have opportunities to take random classes, don’t just scour PEPS for easy As; take something that would broaden your education. If you are a history major like me, take advantage of the classes open to you in CSOM. More importantly, don’t forget about the world around you. Go to some of those talks on politics or current events you get 30 e-mails a day for.

Take classes that will improve your understanding of today’s world and its problems.

Curious about the United States’ place in the world? Take America’s War in Vietnam with Seth Jacobs, even if you’ve already finished your history core. I can guarantee that you’ll gain some perspective.

Instead of positing some corny “…and the moral of the story is,” I’ll just say this: Don’t forget that above all else, we’re here to become informed, capable, and generally intelligent people. So next time you go to pop in Black Ops, turn on Netflix instead and watch a documentary. When you get back $20 for that textbook you read thoroughly, go to Borders and pick out a book that you would like to read just because, and enjoy it.

Dylan Hewkin is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

Residents at the center of the universe

Benjamin Key The room is big, and probably emptier than it should be considering who he is. The crowd is mixed. A dozen or so students taking notes in the back (they’re required to be there), a smattering of professors, and visitors from off campus, many of whom racially correspond to the speaker. And there’s the voice – his, a foreign voice – telling the story of Sept, 11.

The story, not a story. There are no new details, nothing particularly insightful, just a rehashing of the horrific series of events that by now, rings with a familiarity of a secondary and morbid national anthem. But then again, this is not the voice you expect to narrate the moments of the towers’ death. The narrator’s accent is not what you’d expect to describe this exodus of a people from an architectural collapse, like ants from a flooded colony, ants with shoulders covered in white ash.

But he says, “Us” – “As scared as the rest of us.”

But this is his point: he is of our tribe.

He was there when two planes flew into our hearts and he is among those included when we Americans, say, “Us”: None of us expected anything like this to happen.

All of us were angry, and scared.

Party Time

BY BEN VADNAL

And the ash was all over all of us.

His voice does not belong to an Irish cop, or an Italian grocer, or a Jewish teacher. He is not part of the mythologized cultural panoply that makes up New York City’s Caucasian populace. Mehta is an Indian-born writer from Bombay.

And although the fall of the World Trade Centers made him realize that he loved New York, a city he has spent more years in than any other, it was another tower that made him lust for it.

“I’ll buy you the Empire State Building,” he told his grandfather, still in the city he insists is called Bombay. “Still haven’t managed that,” he jokes, but the pages he reads from his book in the works, is his tribute to the city that never sleeps. It is a biography of New York City, a massive undertaking that attempts to portray the cultural idiosyncrasies of each of the burrows. This book follows 2004’s Maximum City, part memoir, part travelwriting, part cultural analysis of his home city, Bombay – a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

In his reading, he stresses the identities of those within the American pot, which perhaps no longer melts as efficiently as it once did. The book seems to be a combination of extensive interviews and a healthy affection for demographic statistics, which he sends forth like cheers. “47 percent of New Yorkers are foreign-born,” he told the audience, suggesting with his tone that they should have known this, but he forgives us for not being aware, but isn’t it amazing? With his statistics, he introduces the audience to the Sri Lankans and the Mexicans, the Dominicans and

the Afro-Caribbeans. They’re here, even if we don’t know them yet.

He pays particular attention to what seems to be a new phenomenon: As the developed world settles into a stage of urbanization, cultural groups burrow deep into homogeneous warrens in which occupants eat their own food and speak their own languages. But, Mehta concedes, there is crossover as communities that would be at war in their homeland move into adjacent apartment buildings.

Soon cultures begin to bleed into each other. This Gotham dichotomy – the pods of specific cultures in the overall expanse of a city’s melting pot – is his main interest.

Mehta closes with a final moment, another epoch in which the Big Apple was crippled, but one measurably more whimsical than the story he wielded to own. He remembers the 2003 blackout warmly, just two years after the Sept. 11, New Yorkers took to moonlit streets, talking to neighbors on stoops and watching children play among the excitement of an infrastructural breakdown. In moments like those, Mehta implies, is the beauty of the city. It is when the lights and facades of the center of the universe have failed that the people define themselves. They are, simply, New Yorkers. Black, white, brown, incarcerated, rich, poor, and altogether in-between, they are the occupants of the city that Mehta loves, and they all fall within this writer’s scope.

Ben Key is a staff columnist for The Heights.

He welcomes comments at opinions@ bcheights.com.

Carelessly commencing

Jocelyn Rousey Congratulations, Rutgers University, for providing this week’s facepalm-worthy sign of the times.

This past Thursday, Rutgers’ student association dished out $32,000 to have Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Pilozzi speak on campus. The pint-sized reality TV personality gave a few hair styling tips and imparted a few valuable life lessons. “Study hard, but party harder,” she told the 1,000 or so undergraduates in attendance.

But whether the Rutgers students received enough pearls of wisdom to justify Snooki’s ridiculous speaking fee isn’t the news. Rather, the most stunning part of this story is that Rutgers has booked Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison as this year’s commencement speaker for just $30,000.

That’s right, a speaking engagement with this Nobel laureate costs $2,000 less than an appearance by MTV’s prized party girl.

Cue indignant outbursts from English majors across the country.

As the Associated Press explains it, “The poof is mightier than the pen.”

Personally, I’m not sure if I should take the price discrepancy as an indication that perhaps the American dream is alive and well. At 23, Snooki has made quite a lucrative career for herself. However, my academic side would argue that this is instead an occasion to melodramatically mourn the loss of my faith in humanity.

To help us decide which is the more appropriate response, let’s do a quick side-by-side analysis of Snooki and Morrison’s respective achievements, shall we?

Awards: Morrison received the Pulitzer Prize at age 57 and the Nobel Prize for Literature at age 62. Granted, Snooki is only in her early 20s, but I think we can all agree that her literary debut, A Shore Thing, probably isn’t the strongest start to a writing career.

Degrees: Morrison has a Masters in English from Cornell University and an honorary Doctorate from Oxford. Snooki graduated high school and was studying to be a veterinary technician before her rise to reality TV fame. Now she is well on her way to earning a degree in GTL (gym, tan, laundry).

Cultural Significance: Morrison is a highly influential figure in the field of African American literature. Snooki is a highly influential figure in the field of beachside partying. As much as it pains me to admit it, I’d be willing to bet more Americans know who Snooki is than they do Morrison.

Hair style: At one point in time, Morrison did sport an Afro. Currently, though, Snooki does take the prize for hair poofiness. Sorry, Toni.

So, obviously, a campus visit from Snooki doesn’t carry the same prestige as someone with a bit more real world experience. Given that, it is ridiculous that she was paid more than a Nobel laureate. But before we decry the sad cultural ramifications of the invention of reality TV, consider this: On your graduation day, you’re a bundle of nerves and excitement.

You might remember who spoke at your commencement ceremony, but chances are you won’t remember what they said.

The speaker will probably crack a joke or two and leave you with some vague, parting message about just how darn important you and your generation are to the continued existence and cultural flourishing of humanity.

I’m sure plenty of Rutgers students were less than thrilled to see their mandatory student activities fee going toward a Q&A with Snooki and, consequently, were happy that someone chose the commencement speaker from higher up the academic food chain. But here’s the thing; I guarantee you that the students who went to see Snooki will remember what she said better than what Toni Morrison will say at graduation.

Ultimately, what the whole situation reveals is that who the commencement speaker is matters more to university officials, alumni donors, and parents than it does to the students actually graduating.

The annual, nation-wide jostling to book prestigious public figures is more about bragging rights than creating memories.

And with that in mind, I do have one suggestion. As a senior at Boston College, I am of course interested in who will be paid to speak at Commencement next month. Given that I would like someone both original and memorable….

Charlie Sheen for BC Commencement 2011?

Jocelyn Rousey is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

The Heights

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Monday, April 4, 2011

‘Source Code’ uneasily mixes science fiction and action

By Joe Allen Heights Staff

Eight minutes isn’t much. The long walk from a Mod party to the luxurious College Road takes more than eight minutes. A steak and cheese sub craving takes more than eight minutes to satisfy. Even a one-song study break can take more Source Code: than eight minutes if it’s Duncan Jones “Free Bird.” To Summit create an enEntertainment tire movie that revolves around an eight-minute time span is ambitious, to say the least. Director Duncan Jones and star Jake Gyllenhaal’s new sci-fi action film, Source Code, dares to be that ambitious and succeeds if one doesn’t think over its logic too much.

The film begins with an eight-minute adrenaline rush. Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a Chicago train in a school teacher’s body. He appears to be with a flirtatious woman named Christina (Michelle Monaghan) who soon becomes unnerved by his disoriented panic attack. After eight minutes of freaking out, the train explodes. Stevens then wakes up in a

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windowless capsule and is told by a mysterious government woman on a monitor, Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), that he must keep repeating the last eight minutes of a stranger’s life on a train until he finds who planted a bomb on the train.

“Well, how can Goodwin relive the last eight minutes of anyone’s life over and over again?”

After a few cool eight-minute trips back to the death train, Source Code answers this question.

Unfortunately, the detailed exposition that seeks to justify the film’s internal logic momentarily transforms the film from a mind-bending thriller into the most confusing science class ever.

The logic behind Source Code may make more sense if explained extensively by writer Ben Ripley, but its wordy reveal in a five-minute long dialogue scene in the film will cause headaches. Audience members struggle to keep up as a government scientist (Jeffrey Wright) explains the “source code” to Captain Stevens.

Desperately grasping at random words and phrases in the scientist’s speech (“source code … short term memory bank … your capsule isn’t real … prevent later attacks”) to understand the logic is like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle with someone throwing the pieces in one’s face. Duncan Jones’ last film, Moon, was able to justify its confusing sci-fi elements because

it explained things slowly throughout the film.

The justification of Source Code feels more like being shaken as someone screams, “Believe it!”

Unlike Moon, however, Source Code’s logic doesn’t need to be understood to enjoy it.

Watching Captain Stevens continually revisit the same eight minutes of an ill-fated train ride allows for Jones to take one scene in several different directions. In one train trip, Stevens may threaten a passenger with a gun, and in another, he may just shamelessly flirt with Christina. At its best, Source Code feels like an awesome videogame come to life. Also, credit must be given to Gyllenhaal and Monaghan, who have to repeat an eight-minute scene several times while still crafting interesting characters that the audience cares about.

The general rules in this movie are “train scenes are great” and “strange government station scenes are not great.” Fortunately, the train scenes come often and prove to be endlessly inventive. This fact consistently makes up for the explanatory science portions of the film.

But then comes the ending. Once the film’s logic (or lack thereof) was explained, a great ending was out of the question. Even so, the end of Source Code is a particular disappointment that manages to confound its audience even more.

Familiar storylines still entertain in ‘Hop’

Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com

Gyllenhaal and Monaghan bring humor, flirtation, and intrigue to an overly complicated sci-fi element.

Regardless of the bad ending and bewildering details, there is fun to be had in Source Code.

Gyllenhaal and Monaghan often make the film funny and act as a humanizing force in this sci-fi story. As the frequent train visits prove, Jones knows how to create a suspenseful action scene. The less one thinks about how the sci-fi elements work, the more it will be enjoyed. In

fact, covering one’s ears for five minutes once the scientist says “OK, this is how the source code works,” would benefit audience members tremendously. The film would cease to be a sci-fi headache and would become an action-packed Groundhog Day. Without trying to explain itself, Source Code would thus become the non-stop source of fun that it had the potential to be. n

Box Office Report title

weekend gross

weeks in release

3 photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com

1. hop

38.1

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2. source Code

15.0

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3. Insidious

13.4

1

Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com

James Marsden gives the best performance of ‘Hop’ with usual boyish charm and convincing interaction with computer animated E.B.

By Katie Lee Heights Staff

The animation/live action film, Hop, made by the production team that created Despicable Me and director Tim Hill of Alvin and the Chipmunks, was released in theaters this past Friday. The film arrived hop: just in time for the EasTim Hill Universal Pictures ter s e a s on and is an ideal seasonal film for children. Hop tells the comic tale of E.B., a teenage bunny, voiced by Hollywood bad boy and British comic Russell Brand, who is next in line to become the beloved Easter Bunny.

On the eve of taking over the family business, flannel-wearing E.B. leaves for Hollywood in order to pursue his dream of becoming a drummer in a band and traveling the world. After falling down the rabbit hole and landing in L.A., he encounters Fred, a lovable and unemployed young man unsatisfied with the mediocrity of his life. When Fred accidently hits the jellybean pooping rabbit with his car, their two lives intersect. Faking injury, E.B. convinces Fred to provide him with shelter and proves to be a horrible houseguest and a constant annoyance. The plot lies in the conflict between E.B.’s pursuit of

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his dreams and his father’s need for him to carry on the family business.

The appeal of the movie is largely due to the cast of James Marsden as Fred and Russell Brand’s unforgettable voicing of the young and fluffy bunny. The combination of the two makes almost every interaction between them comedic. It

The film is reminiscent of previous movies that used the same technique such as Space Jam or Who Framed Roger Rabbit? can’t be easy acting opposite a computer-animated talking rabbit, but James Marsden seems to do it with ease. Marsden makes himself lovable throughout the entirety of the film by drawing on his boyish affability and charm. Furthermore, the verbal banter between Brand’s portrayal of an adorable, sassy bunny and Marsden’s Fred is funny enough to be appreciated by adults and children alike. The mixture of animation and live action film is almost entirely unnoticeable because it is done so well. The film is reminiscent of previous movies such as Space Jam and Who Framed Roger

Rabbit? that used similar techniques.

However, the negative aspects of the animated film lie in its predictable nature. The quest to save a beloved holiday just in time before its arrival is not a particularly creative nor unique idea. In fact, many of the film’s elements seem to be directly lifted from Christmas movies like The Santa Clause and The Polar Express. Yes, the comedic elements and outstanding animation make it somewhat distinct, but one can’t help but notice the overall generic plotline and predictability of the film. For example, the film opens with a long scene on Easter Island and depicts a detailed, candy-filled, and mouth-watering version of a North Pole workshop or Willy Wonka’s factory. Furthermore, the plot is centered on obvious children’s movie conflicts such as familial problems and teenage angst. By the end, it seems as though the filmmakers rushed to tie up all the lose ends of the film in a matter of ten minutes. The film starts out well and has comedic potential, but by the 90minute mark, any viewer over the age of ten is probably ready to leave the theater.

All in the all, Hop has done pretty well at the box office this past weekend. It isn’t a game changer or even p a r t i c u l a rl y m e m o r ab l e , b u t th e film has ability to win family audiences over with its goof y charm. n

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4. Diary of A wimpy kid: rodrick Rules

10.2

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5. Limitless

9.4

3

6. the Lincoln lawyer

7.0

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7. Sucker Punch

6.0

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8. Rango

4.5

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9. Paul

4.3

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10. Battle: Los Angeles

3.5

4

bestsellers of hardcover fiction 1. Toys James Patterson & Dennis McMahon 2. Sing you Home Jodi Picoult 3. The jungle: A novel of the oregon files Clive Cussler 4. the wise man’s fear Patrick Rothfuss

5. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest Stieg Larsson 6. the tiger’s wife Tea Obreht 7. A discovery of witches Deborah Harkness 8. The Paris Wife Paula McLain SOURCE: Publisher’s Weekly

‘Super’ dives beyond comedy into mayhem with superhero spinoff

By Dan Siering Heights Staff

Add about 10 years to the characters of Kick-Ass, throw in a pipe wrench, a frantically spontaneous Ellen Page, and sprinkle on some Kevin Bacon and you have Super, the out-of-control superhero comedy from the crazed mind of director James Gunn. The film, which stars Rainn Super: Wilson and James Gunn Page, adds This Is That another Productions g o r y, y e t comical chapter to the Hollywood superhero saga.

Super begins with main character Frank D’Arbo’s (Wilson) realization that he has lived a life that is drenched in bad luck. In fact, according to D’Arbo, he has only had two satisfactory moments in his life: 1) When he married his wife Sarah, played by Liv Tyler, and 2) when he aided a cop in the capture of a petty thief. It’s a natural reaction, then, for D’Arbo to freak out once his wife leaves for a bad boy drug smuggler named Jacques (Bacon). After a couple crazed attempts to reclaim his wife and few hilariously emotional pleas to

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God, D’Arbo’s prayers are answered in the form a freaky divine encounter in which God calls on him to rid the world of crime.

D’Arbo wastes no time in fulfilling his vocation. After getting superhero advice from ADD-ridden comic book store employee Libby (Page), D’Arbo dons a red suit and a pipe wrench and heads to streets to fight crime as the “Crimson Bolt.” As the “Bolt,” D’Arbo takes no prisoners, punishing everyone from line cutters to drug dealers while proclaiming his clever catch phrase “Shut up, Crime!” Once his antics hit the news, Libby pegs D’Arbo as the masked vigilante, and she comes on board as D’Arbo’s unwanted, but trustful sidekick “Boltie.”

With his new partner, D’Arbo goes after Jacques and his goons to rescue his wife from the clutches of what he believes to be pure evil. D’Arbo finds this no easy tasks, as he must battle relentless thugs and outlandish sexual advances from the much younger Libby.

The plot teeters on the edge of chaos until it finally falls into a bloody abyss of senselessness. Having vulgarity and gore as the butt of the joke is a tool that can be easily abused, and here it seems that

Gunn goes a little over the top. But there are still scores of laughs to be found, and the film ends with a grandiose finale that almost makes up for the madness that the audience had to endure.

The real comic genius in Super seems to stem from the film’s two stars, Wilson and Page. Wilson turns his initially frail and emotionally unstable character into an unrelenting crime fighter with a mission. Sure he might have a skewed sense of justice, but D’Arbo’s intentions are generally pointed in the right direction.

The audience gets a good amount of enjoyment watching Wilson’s perfectly executed comic missteps, but by the end of the movie D’Arbo becomes the type of person you don’t want as an enemy.

Having that type of authentic character development is rarely seen in a comedy such as this.

In the end, it’s Page who steals the spotlight. This is not the eccentric and loveable teenage Page of her Juno years.

Here, Page plays a role that is all grown up and ready to face the plight of the real world head on. Even more so than Wilson’s D’Arbo, Page’s character, Libby, endures a comically drastic transformation. While seen as a harmless comic book nerd when she first steps on-

screen, by the end of the movie there is no doubt that Libby is clinically insane.

But within the context of film’s plot, Libby’s homicidal madness is something of a comic focal point.

While Super has its laugh-out-loud moments, the film’s progressive plunge

into utter mayhem ultimately outweighs the moments of comical genius from the strong lead characters. In the end, it seems that Wilson and Page’s dynamic yet senseless performance is the only thing keeping Super from being engulfed in its own foolishness. n

Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com

Rainn Wilson fights crime in order to break the string of bad luck that plagues his life.

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

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ASO & CVSA shine through culture Culture, from A10 Olufowote. However, Olufowote laughed it off, speaking eloquently about his youth in Africa – in which he grew up in many different countries, mostly in West Africa – and the positive memories he has of it, filled with music, dance, laughter, and food.

Urging the crowd to celebrate, enjoy, and learn about Africa during the night, Olufowote ended with the prediction, “Africa will figure more prominently in your future than you will realize.”

RumbAfrica took the stage several times, and a guest signer joined them on the first song to bring African drumming to life and lead the crowd in a song, that RumbAfrica had never done before. In a casual, fun atmosphere, RumbAfrica got the whole audience swaying with their beat line and even convinced a couple members of PATU to come back on stage for an improv dance.

Vocally, Moeazy and Tania brought African culture to life in song and rap.

Visitors to BC, Moeazy rapped about deep topics, like the state of the world and grow-

ing up as an African male, in between more lighthearted spin-offs of Soulja Boy tunes with their own rhymes and lyrics.

The talented dancers kept the night rolling with energy as well, with performances

by CVSA Dancers, WACASA Dancers,

“Bridgez praised the night for bringing together all kinds of people, ‘dark choclate, mocha, light mocha, and white,’ to ... appreciate African culture.”

Ethiopian Dance, and Vanessa Gomez.

In a beautiful and impressive display, Vanessa Gomez, A&S ’13, clad in a mint green wrap with golden adornments, belly danced alone on stage, keeping everyone’s attention throughout with her precision and liveliness. For those who wanted to emulate her, MC Titciana said, Vanessa will be giving belly-dancing lessons later in the semester. CVSA Dancers – a group

put together specifically for this show – danced in the traditional batuko style, synchronized and weaving together and apart flawlessly, dressed in all black with a waist wrap that was a burst of color.

But, amid all the musical representations of African culture, London Bridgez took the night with her spoken word performance. Bridgez praised the night for bringing together all kinds of people, “dark chocolate, mocha, light mocha, and white,” to experience and appreciate African culture Encouraging everyone to get into the song with call and response, Bridgez brought a quiet dominance to the stage, lyrically speak-singing her poetry on a number of topics. The most popular of her performances was about the empowerment of women, which she dedicated to “the girls labeled trouble for being themselves … us quirky girls who kick rocks.”

With the intent of spreading appreciate and knowledge of African culture, the African Student Organization and CVSA put on a wonderfully entertaining, captivating, and informative show. n

brandon moye / for the heights

ASO incorporated traditional costumes and ribbons as props in its dance performance.

Award-winning revival of ’70s show ‘Hair’ plays at Colonial Theater ‘Hair,’ from A10

kevin hou / Heights editor

With a cast of four, ‘The Pillowman’ highlighted the skills of some of BC’s best talents.

like writers Gerome Ragni and James Rado conducted interviews with love children and set it to music.

While the story succeeds to varying degrees, Diane Paulus’ genius direction takes this production to a higher place. The audience enters the Colonial Theater as a spectator and leaves as a tribe member. Paulus chooses to break the fourth wall completely and encourages her actors to rush into the audience frequently, giving them free reign to seduce onlookers in their seats. The cast never neglects to keep the audience right in the action, providing a near-perfect connection between the show and the audience. To their credit, the audience members buy into it completely. They allow the tribespeople to run their hands through their hair, kiss them on the cheek, and shake their hips directly in front of their amused faces. The environment Paulus creates feels energetic, dreamy, and, yes, loving, and it makes the show enjoyable.

The second half of the formula involves the eccentric cast of characters. This group of actors completely immerses themselves in the spirit of the tribe. It’s hard to imagine that they’re acting at all. Each one contributes to the production, but there are a handful of standouts that shine. Phyre Hawkins, as Dionne, brings a powerful vocal performance to the song’s opening number, “Aquarius,” and sets the scene perfectly with her earthy vocals. Remillard similarly brings excellent vocal ability to the show’s protagonist and also perfectly captures the moral dilemma that Claude finds himself in. He’s full of affability and naivete that makes him a fitting vessel for the audience’s understanding.

On the other side of the spectrum, Burkhardt brings a devilish charm to his rowdy Berger. His opening, ad-libbed monologue is one of the highlights of the show.

Kacie Sheik also stands out as pregnant and spiritual Jeanie. Her unrequited love for Claude is one of the sweeter elements of the show and allows her to bring a warm, selfdeprecating humor to the show.

The cast best succeeds, though, when they perform as a group and play off of one another. Full of catchy, ’70s-era tunes, the cast brings exuberance to every ensemble number, particularly the title song, which handily steals the show. Karole Armitage’s choreography is at once breezy and impressive, coupling the free spirit with acrobatics.

The production also captured the era through its production values, with a fun, funky design by Scott Pask. In a fun touch, Paulus placed the orchestra in the bed of a truck in the back, along with a set of mobile stairs that allowed for the action to move all around the theater. Michael McDonald’s costume design added the perfect flair to each of the characters, incorporating period touches, such as a dash of Sgt. Pepper wear, to great effect.

While not the best production to come to Boston, Hair is very enjoyable and makes a believer in love of everyone. What could be more groovy? Hair is playing through April 10 at the Colonial Theater. n

‘Pillowman’ slays crowds LCD Soundsystem bids msuic farewell with a show full of hits, special guests ‘Pillowman,’ from A10

interrogation room against his will. The audience and Katurian soon learn that a string of brutal child killings mimic some of the extremely downbeat endings to Katurian’s twisted stories. “Why are his stories twisted?” one might interrupt. Well, Katurian had sick-minded parents who would torture Katurian’s hidden brother to stimulate Katurian’s creativity … see the problem? Trying to describe how such morbid material could also produce uproariously funny dialogue is an uphill battle. In the end, one will give up on his explanation and say, “Just see it.” A fantastic production of The Pillowman will speak for itself. If the Contemporary Theatre was performing The Pillowman every weekend this year (bliss!), I would point to their production to win over those premise skeptics.

Four student-actors use their extraordinary talent to make this play’s three-hour runtime feel all too fleeting. Jonathan Rodriguez, A&S ’11, and Nate Richman, A&S ’11, may both be acting for the first time, but no one in the audience would know that unless being told. As the cold “good cop” Tupolski, Rodriguez mesmerizes, making lines of dialogue come across as funny and menacing simultaneously. Richman uses his size to full effect throughout the play as violent, emotional Ariel, becoming a source of constant suspense before Ariel’s better nature is revealed. Greg Losco, A&S ’14, was

given a difficult role as Michal, Katurian’s tortured, “slow-to-get-things,” innocentlooking brother. Luckily, Losco brought skill and care into his crafting of Michal, becoming a character that could inspire sympathy and revulsion from the audience at the same time. And as the warped protagonist, Evan Murphy, A&S ’12, showed off some serious acting chops. McDonagh’s play demands the lead actor to read several of Katurian’s short stories, a task that Murphy performed captivatingly. Murphy’s performance could have the audience laughing one moment and crying the next.

The entire production came together gloriously under director Evan Cole, who was quite obviously inspired by McDonagh’s story and who had the audacity and talent to retell it. While all the lighting, set, and costume designers did a tremendous job as well, fight director Kyle Brown deserves a special mention for his handling of the play’s outbursts of violence, which felt frighteningly real.

Within the first 10 minutes of The Pillowman, I had forgotten that I was currently on a college campus and that I had been skeptically walking into Bonn Studio moments earlier.

The play transported me to a place outside of reality for 180 minutes without letting up for a second. Rarely had I felt this level of absorption in a play, even one performed on Broadway. Searching for great works of art is often frustrating, but when one finds something of beauty, as I did on Saturday night, the pay-off is worth it. n

LCD Soundsytem, from A10 feelings as the night progressed throughout five distinct sets. For most of the night, Murphy gleamed with pride, clearly pleased with his musical handiwork. It was clear that this band was his pride and joy, a post-disco pet project that turned into something more.

These moments made the concert a communally jubilant experience. On “I Can Change” off the recent This Is Happening, Murphy happily skipped around the stage like a kid in a candy store. The crowd fed off this energy on the following “Get Innocuous,” a song coolly dominated by Murphy’s righthand woman, Nancy Whang. The pint -ized keyboard player spent much of the night with tears glistening in her eyes, a sure combination of both the sheer massiveness of the audience and also the reality of the situation at hand.

As promised, the show featured some delightfully placed special guest appearances, but never quite fulfilled the widely-spread rumor of a Daft Punk cameo. Comedian Reggie Watts briefly joined the band on the epic, largely wordless “45:33,” a song in six parts that only shared the second act with “Sound of Silver” and “Freakout/Starry Eyes.”

“So a few years ago, we went on tour with this band,” Murphy said as several music-minded concert-goers shrieked “Arcade Fire!” Indeed, three members of the Canadian Grammy-winning band joined Murphy on the delightful “North American Scum,” a too cool for school number that finds its roots in the

“The show featured special appearances, but never quite fulfilled the widely spread rumor of a Daft Punk cameo.”

Talking Heads and early Rolling Stones.

The audience went wild for it, although that seemingly endless insanity never abated.

LCD tightly packed its first encore with three of its best songs, all of which translated perfectly to the sold out arena. On “Someone Great,” arguably the band’s most exciting and original song, the throbbing of the synthesizer enveloped the already exhausted audience, revitalizing the masses into a blurry frenzy of dance. Likewise, “Losing My Edge” and “Home” roused the crowd’s

spirits. With the latter, the audience reached an almost collective realization as they caught glimpses of Murphy’s face rapidly sinking on stage – it was almost time for the last song.

Neither of the first two songs of the final encore, “All I Want” and “Jump Into the Fire,” did their job in detracting from the melancholy that was settling among the audience. When Murphy announced that there was one song left, the audience booed out of adulation. As the band broke quietly into “New York I Love You,” a chill swept over everyone in the venue. Murphy’s voice emotionally cracked as he glanced out at the captive, swaying fans with lighters waving in the air.

It was a moment that perfe ctly summed up LCD’s career. For more than 10 years, the band has been delighting audiences with its relentlessly and inherently likable songs that, for many, were both cool and significant. Murphy is one of the only artists to properly address the trials and “Tribulations” of growing older and less relevant as time goes on, all the while proving his increasing musical relevance. Today, music fans all over the world mourn the loss of a groundbreaking band. Today, as LCD puts it so succinctly, “Someone great is gone.” n

New Warner Bros. executive prepares for cinematic battles Dan Siering A large shift in power is currently in the works, and no, I’m not talking about another Middle-Eastern political revolution. This forceful passing of the torch is happening in America – Hollywood to be exact. What I’m talking is the change that is happening at Warner Bros., as Jeff Robinov was given the position of top film executive after Alan Horn, who held the position for 12 years, was forced to retire. Looking for more youthful management, 52-yearold Robinov will replace the 68-year-old Horn and inherit the coveted “green light” in which he will have the final say on the studio’s film productions.

In anticipation of the switch, the L.A. Times produced a insightful expose about Robinov that gives a peak into the life of Hollywood’s newest executive, while at the same time hinting at the plans Robinov has for the future. The article sheds light on the differences between Horn, a charismatic and re-

spected Hollywood figure, and Robinov, a more reclusive and stern operator.

Contrary to Horn’s more congenial associations, Robinov is pure business when working with filmmakers and often comes off as insensitive and awkward. When Horn skipped out of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows premiere, Robinov was forced to give an introduction that was reportedly a grueling 10 minutes of utter discomfort.

Despite his glowing difference from Horn, many in Warner Bros. are eager to see the relative industry youngster step into the drivers seat.

Raised in Maine, Robinov worked in everything from advertising to talent agencies until he began to work up the ranks of Warner Bros. Having been head of marketing and distributing for four years, Robinov already has an controversial track record. Back in 2008, Robinov notoriously passed on Slumdog Millionaire, the highly successful best picture winner. Also, the long-standing rumor around Hollywood is that Robinov refuses to work with David

Fincher after the two disagreed over artistic changes to Fincher’s films The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Zodiac.

With or without controversy, Robinov plans to push toward the future with high expectations. The biggest task that the new exec faces is finding something to replace the billion-dollar cash cow that is the Harry Potter franchise.

Becoming a subtle platform for Warner Bros’ forthcoming years, the L.A. Times article states that Robinov intends to establish a Justice League movie franchise to fill the Potter void.

Seen as a means to compete with Marvel’s upcoming Avengers movie, the announcement sparks the conversation that Warner Bros will most likely expand their profits and produce movies that revolve around single superhero characters, such as the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, before they bring them all together in a Justice League production.

But how attainable is Robinov’s goal?

Christian Bale has made it well known

that The Dark Knight Rises, set to be released in 2012, will be the last time he plays Batman, a centerpiece in the Justice League. Always forward thinking, Robinov address this situation and stated that he would reboot the cape crusader franchise if need be. It’s not like a rapid reboot on Batman has not been done before (a la Val Kilmer to Clooney in the ’90s), but how easy will it be to replace Nolan’s overwhelming well received take on Batman?

The next obstacle comes in the form of the Superman franchise. Some critics already feel that the upcoming reboot is doomed to fail after its director, Zack Snyder, recently released the chick-action flick Sucker Punch, the third straight disappointing effort since Snyder’s smash hit 300. To add fuel to the already raging fire of determents, when asked where his Superman franchise would fit into a possible Justice League movie, Snyder simple stated that, “It doesn’t.”

It sounds like Robinov has some tough decisions ahead. With neither

the current Superman nor Batman on board, a Justice League movie would have to cast two new actors to embody the cherished American heroes. Whatever ends up happening, it looks like the next few years will be filled with enough high-flying comic book action to overwhelm the Simpson’s Comic Book guy.

The amount of superhero films that Hollywood is pumping out has reached the realm of ridiculousness. It seems like the only I’ve been writing about.

But can you really blame Robinov and the other studio heads? Reaping in millions of dollars of profits, masked vigilantes are something that appeals to the masses, and it sounds like Robinov will do whatever it takes to get his payday. To Robinov, his agenda sounds like a recipe for success. To me, it sounds like a signal of many creative battles to come.

Dan Siering is a columnist for The Heights.

He welcomes comments at arts@bcheights. com.

arts&review

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Monday, April 4, 2011

Wicked Cultured

Agent J is back in black

gritty reality invades ‘pillowman’ Contemporary Theater’s risky ‘Pillowman’ pays off

By Joe Allen Heights Staff

For a contemporary art lover, a great work can be frustratingly hard to find. After watching Pulp Fiction, an avid filmgoer may find himself disappointed with the string of ill-conceived sequels and remakes currently parading through theaters. A music lover might wait endlessly for another great album from his favorite band that will never come. For every artistic masterpiece out there, 100 other works exist that range from mind-numbingly terrible to “good, not great.” When an art fanatic does find a great work of art, however, he or she may enter an indescribable state of bliss. Leaving the Contemporary Theater of Boston College’s production of The Pillowman, a 2003 award-winning play by Irish playwright Mark McDonagh, I became a grinning, skipping fool, as if I had entered full-on bliss mode. BC’s student-run production of McDonagh’s play was quite simply amazing in every regard.

The Pillowman, a complex play of morality that can shift from intensely dark humor to tear-inducing heartbreak on a moment’s notice, would be a challenge for any theater group, student-run or otherwise, to produce well. The three-hour play essentially consists of three long scenes and only four key characters. With so few characters, The Pillowman could be killed by one weak actor. If the director cannot work through the layers of humor and sadness in McDonagh’s play, the audience will become confused and detached when watching it. Fortunately, the entire production staff and cast of Pillowman knew how to handle the play’s touchy subject matter and dark comedic inclinations. Watching a group of young students effortlessly navigate such a heavy, sarcastic play was a joy to behold.

But what makes The Pillowman so heavy and sarcastic?

What is it about, anyway? As with TV’s popular Breaking Bad and films like 127 Hours, one may find it difficult to describe the awesomeness of McDonagh’s play without completely turning his listener off. The Pillowman takes place in a totalitarian state, where a short-story writer, Katurian, has been taken to a police

Charlotte Parish Squandering time on blogs as I do so very often, I recently came across the unexpected, thrilling, but also somewhat confusing news that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones will be teaming up for another Men In Black to be released in 2012.

“What? It’s been 10 years since the first!” My reaction was exactly the same. But the premise of this third installment is that Smith travels back in time to 1969, encountering a younger version of Jones’ character (played by Josh Brolin) as well as pop figures like Yoko Ono. While many critics panned MIB II, I am a huge fan of the series – it must be a side effect of my inner nerd. So in theory, I am stoked that there will be another.

Agent J is one of my favorite Will Smith characters (second only to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) despite all of the truly moving roles he has had, like Chris Garner in The Pursuit of Happyness. So, although I never thought that MIB would return after all these years, I am 100 percent behind the idea.

But, when I started clicking around some more – as if I didn’t have other things to do than stalk a new movie – I came to the bewildering part of this situation. Sony Pictures is shooting the movie without a script.

That’s not entirely true. There is a partial script in use. But when shooting started in November of 2010, there was a significant portion of the script left undone, including the ending. This presents a baffling situation for screenwriters, including Boston’s own Etan Cohen (not to be confused with Ethan Coen), who is best known for his work on Tropic Thunder and Madagascar 2. Although the decision was made for monetary reasons – Sony feared that a New York tax incentives law would not pass again and therefore wanted to get the movie started while the law would still apply to them – I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad one.

Doing part of the shooting in the winter, then taking a hiatus that had been extended until March 31, Cohen and the other writers were able to watch their script play out before they had to decide on an ending. I think that this perspective on how the actors play off each other, as well as the extended time to work on the script, could actually make it a better film.

This film will be more complicated in terms of plot than the other MIB installments, and although this franchise lends itself easily to the idea of time travel without too much suspicion of disbelief, it is still crucial to create a plot where the temporal aspect does not go too far into the absurd. If the script were completely done prior to shooting, Cohen would have fewer chances to rework parts that did not fit because shooting is rarely done in the order of the film. In this case, it is almost certain that the very beginning and very end would have been shot congruently because the older versions of Agent K and Agent Oh are played by the same actors, while they have doppelgangers for the intermediate parts.

But, since the ending was not written during the first part of shooting, Cohen and the directors have time to make sure that they create a time jump worthy of the special affects now possible, rather than the cheesy, albeit classic, style of Back To The Future.

Not everyone agrees with me.

However, many companies say that they would not make the same decision as Sony regardless of any tax break. The biggest irony in this situation? In the end, Sony did not need to start filming early because the New York law was passed again. I still think it was a risk worth taking, but I’ll have to wait another year to find out if MIB III will live up to its predecessors or be another in the long line of sequel flops.

Charlotte Parish is the Assistant Arts & Review editor of The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com

See ‘Pillowman’, A9

Kevin Hou/ Heights editor

With a plot that frequently and quickly switches between comedy and tear-inducing drama, ‘The Pillowman’ nonetheless managed to captivate and entrance audiences with a fine display of acting.

‘Hair’ opens arms, lets sunshine and audience in

By Darren Ranck

Arts & Review Editor Some historians argue that 1968 was the most important year in American history.

James E. Ray slayed Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy was assassinated only months later. The Vietnam War surged on, and peace protests led by the Yippies brought chaos to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Hidden in the cracks of this national change, though, lived a new generation of lovers, peacemakers, and thinkers. The nation knew them as “hippies,” but they were so

much more than that. The touring production of the Broadway revival of Hair shines a light on this subculture with transformative energy and spirit, inviting the theatergoers of Boston to let the sun shine in.

Billed as “the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” the plot of Hair reads rather thin, and while the book does not live up to the brilliance of the cast and the music, the sparse plot does allow the show to breathe more easily. The loose story focuses on tribe member Claude (Paris Remillard), whose quest for peace is interfered by the arrival of his draft notice. Along with his best tribesman Berger (Steel Burkhardt) and

his love interest Sheila (Caren Lyn Tackett), Claude must discover whether his dedication to peace and his friends outweighs his social responsibility.

The main plotline feels secondary to the sheer exuberance of the characters, though. Vignettes pepper the musical, giving us insight to the politics of the era and the personalities of the other tribemates, ranging from nearly crazed to forlorn. These moments feel the most organic and well done,

See ‘Hair’, A9

Africa displayed through arts

By Charlotte Parish

Asst. Arts & Review Editor In a night of energy and vibrancy, the African Student Organization and Cape Verdean Student Association (CVSA) came together to present a taste of the rich culture of Africa in their final culture show of the academic year. Although the night began later than intended with a very delayed start, the wait was worthwhile to see the array of talented individuals – students, staff, and guest performers – who brought their skills to the lively audience in the Rat on Friday night.

Before the show even started, there was a collection of booths on the edges of the dining hall-turned-performance space. Once again demonstrating the depth of culture, there were spaces displaying traditional African jewelry by Jessica Dunston, A&S ’12, as well

Courtesy of African Student organization and CVSA

Vanessa Gomez, A&S ’13 showed off dancing skills.

i nside Arts this issue

as pieces of student artwork depicting the different faces of African women in colorful mediums, as well as black and white, employing realism and Van-Gogh like styles

by Sade Garvey, A&S ’12. Not only were the students of Boston College represented, but also local businesses like Kyia Watkins, owner of At Peace Arts. The most interesting booth, however, housed artifacts on loan for the show, featuring beautiful works of art like a three foot long, beaded elephant mask – a Bamileke mask – from Cameroon, an ornate, bronze Coptic cross from Ethiopia, and a wooden, carved Luba stool from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Once the show began, PATU (Presenting Africa To You) started off the night with a power packed dance routine by Tianna Ransom, A&S ’12, Marsha Jean-Louis, A&S ’13, Sandy Simeon A&S ’12, and Tiera Brown A&S ’14. Lying down on the stage, the group rose with the first strains of music, clad in one-shoulder dresses with layers of bright yellow, red, and blue fabric. They first danced to strains of traditional music, all twirling arms and flying feet, each woman’s dance unique but combining into a beautiful collaboration. After pausing only for an instant to loud cheers by the crowd, they launched into a synchronized dance with blue streamers, accompanied by a pop tune. To round off their non-stop performance, PATU went into Shakira’s “Waka Waka” and ended in a rap/hip hop tune with French lyrics, pounding their bare feet and throwing their arms with incredible precision.

Emcees Stephano Burros, A&S ’11, and Titciana Burros, A&S ’11, then introduced the night’s speaker, James Olufowote, a professor in the communication department, with the slightly awkward introduction in which Burros wasn’t sure how to pronounce

See Culture, A9

Warner Brothers shifts its powers

With studio head Alen Horn forced into an early retirement, can new boss Jeff Robinov succeed? A9

Courtesy of creativecommons.org

James Murphy electrified Madison Square Garden during LCD Soundsystem’s “last concert ever”

LCD Soundsystem offers a thrilling, fond farewell in NYC

By Brennan Carley

Assoc. Arts & Review Editor A sea of black and white outfitted hipsters descended upon Madison Square Garden to pay their last respects to LCD Soundsystem, one of the greatest and most influential New York bands to emerge in years. It was a funeral like no other, stretched out over a dance-frenzied, four-hour period chock full of special guests, giant white balloons, and even a miniature space ship. The crowd never abated, taking only momentary breaks between LCD’s five sets, eager to return to the sweet sound of music. While almost certainly not the last time the world will be graced with the band’s presence, the show was billed as its last, bringing on a certain somber attitude to all. Nonetheless, the dedicated musicians on stage powered through both greatest hits (“Daft Punk is Playing at My House” and “All My Friends,” to name a few) and rarities

Gyllenhaal drives suspence in ‘Code’

Failing in its overly complicated, scientific justification, ‘Source Code’ still entertains through action, A8

(a cover of Alan Vega’s “Bye Bye Bayou”) in a fitting farewell to its biggest and most enthusiastic fans.

Popular ’80s band Liquid Liquid took on the daunting task of opening the show with mixed results. What little of the crowd that had arrived by that time was not entirely receptive of the somewhat reclusive band, who nevertheless plowed through a tight set, paving the way for the headlining band to promptly take the stage at 9 p.m.

As the initial synthesized beats in “Dance Yrself Clean” emanated through the Garden, it was obvious that LCD was prepared to sing until he had nothing left in this blisteringly long, yet all too short show. The crowd responded with glee as the man of the hour, James Murphy, took the stage, completing the funeral motif in a white collared shirt and black blazer. It was hard to place the man’s

See LCD, A9

‘Super’.....................................A8 Box Office Report........................A8

SPORTS The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

Section

B

Monday, April 4, 2011

Quarterbacks ’Canes sweep up BC impress in scrimmage Baseball

Miami escapes second game of series with narrow win

By Robert T. Balint Heights Staff

Paul Sulzer Resolving Boston College’s inconsistent quarterback play is priority No. 1 for new offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers this spring. After Saturday’s scrimmage, the first of the season, the Eagles’ signalcallers are way ahead of where they were at this time last year. Rising sophomore Chase Rettig was impressive with a depleted first unit, while rising junior Dave Shinskie overcame some early mistakes to finish strong with the backups.

Traditionally, the defense is further along than the offense in the spring, but that’s not the case so far. The Eagles tossed five touchdown passes Saturday, which is two more than they had in last year’s two scrimmages and the Spring Game combined.

Leading the way was Rettig, who went 11-of-16 passing for 171 yards and two touchdowns. The first-team offense was without several potential targets, including Montel Harris, Colin Larmond, Jr., and Chris Pantale. Rettig was unfazed, though, marching the offense 60-plus yards on the first drive of the spring before it sputtered out in the red zone.

Rettig connected with Ifeanyi Momah on both touchdown passes, inlcuding a 35-yard strike that the young quarterback lofted over the defense to his 6-foot-6 target. The other score came on a 20-yard slant that Rettig drilled to Momah just outside the end zone.

More important than the statistics Rettig put up were the skills he demonstrated in doing so. Rogers challenged him to throw on the run outside the pocket, and Rettig was up to the task.

On one pass to Alex Amidon, he hit the wideout on a difficult cross 25 yards down the field. Rettig’s deep accuracy is markedly improved. Coupled with better decision-making, he could make the proverbial jump in his second season.

The only bad pass he threw was dropped

by Kevin Pierre-Louis.

It’s important, however, to view Rettig’s day in the proper context. Plays were whistled dead once the quarterback was touched, so he didn’t have to recover from getting his bell rung like he would in a real game. He also could stand more comfortably in the pocket because he didn’t have to worry about getting hit.

Whether he’ll be so poised in the pocket when facing Clemson or Virginia Tech’s pass rush on the road next year remains to be seen. He hasn’t had to play an elite defense in a hostile environment yet.

That said, Rettig appears to be a good fit for the offense Rogers is implementing. He took all his snaps under center instead of standing in shotgun forma-

See Encouraging Results, B4

The baseball team came off on the wrong side of a truncated home stand against Miami 7 Miami this weekend, Boston College 6 losing two games of what should have been a three-game series.

Originally, the teams were scheduled to play one game on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Friday and Saturday games were postponed due to unfavorable conditions at Shea Field, brought on

by Friday’s snow flurries.

Instead, the Eagles hosted a doubleheader on Sunday, losing the first game 19-4 and the second 7-6.

Game two of the doubleheader was restricted due to an ACC rule preventing new innings from starting after 4:45 p.m.,

and, as a consequence, lasted only five frames. Eagles’ starter John Leonard got into an early jam, giving up five runs in the first inning on two walks, two singles, and a double by the Hurricanes. “[Leonard] didn’t have his stuff early,” Gambino said. “We came out and had a tough first inning. [Miami]’s a pretty offensive club, and when you leave fastballs up they’re going to make you pay for it.”

The right-hander settled in after the rocky start, giving up just two more runs over the next four innings and retiring the side in the third, which allowed the Eagles’ lineup to get to work on a comeback.

Led by a leadoff double off the bat of Garret Smith, the Eagles scraped three runs together in the third inning. Tom Bourdon’s one-out single scored Smith. alex trautwig / heights editor

See Baseball, B3

Nate Bayuk got the hook after giving up six runs on eight hits in just 2.1 innings in game one.

Williams sets sights on larger role in the offense

CHARGING STRAIGHT AHEAD

Editor’s note: This is the first in a four-part series highlighting football players to watch heading into Boston College’s Spring Game on April 16.

By Chris Marino Heights Editor

Late into the 2010 Boston College football season, the unthinkable happened. Star running back Montel Harris injured his knee against ACC opponent Virginia. The season looked over in the eyes of most Superfans; however one player stepped up to lead the running attack, and solidified himself as a future stalwart of the Eagles offense.

Freshman Andre Williams arrived with the mentality of all freshmen: Come in, learn the program, practice hard and prepare yourself to be called into a game.

“It was really just a continuation of what we’ve been working on in practice,” Williams said of his late-season performance. “We were practicing hard out there and you’ve always got to practice like you’re going to have the chance to be put in the game. And when that actually happens you have to be ready. Every week, I didn’t know whether I was going to get in or not but I just made sure that I was putting forth the practice that I was satisfied with, and over time it paid off, because when I did get the opportunity to go on the field I was definitely prepared. “ This preparation was definitely noted by coaches, players, fans and opponents, as Williams had a 59-yard run against Virginia after Harris was taken out of the game. Williams finished with 108 yards on just 12 carries.

He set the school record for carries in a game with 42 rushes for 185 yards and a touchdown alex trautwig / heights editor

Rising sophomore Andre Williams has shown the power between the tackles to handle a greater share of the carries than he had last year.

Eagles sweep doubleheader

Eagles pick up marquee win

By Steven Principi

BC beats Virginia for the first time since joining ACC

For The Heights

Behind clutch hitting, solid defense, and two spectacular pitching performances, the Boston Boston College 2 College softball 0 NC State team managed to take both games of a double header against conference foe NC State.

The first was an epic 14-inning affair that saw the Eagles take home a 4-2 victory, the second a 2-0 win in a game shortened due to time constraints.

Senior Allison Gage recorded the win in both games, pitching the last 7.2 innings in the opener and all five in the second.

In over 12 innings of work, Gage allowed only four hits and did not concede a run.

Head coach Jennifer Finley took note of her team’s outstanding pitching.

“They did great today,” she said. “Last week they struggled and that’s one area we really need to get tougher, but today I couldn’t have asked for any more. Gage basically pitched two games today so that was really impressive.”

Game one saw freshman Amanda Horowitz starting for the Eagles. An error and a two-run double gave the Eagles

By DJ Adams

Assoc. Sports Editor

alex trautwig / heights editor

Nicole D’Argento went 2-for-3 and drove in the winning run in game two against NC State. the lead heading into the seventh, but the Wolfpack tied it up with a three-run home run by Bethaney Wells with one out.

Despite this late mistake, Finley took the time to mention how impressed she was with Horowitz.

“With Amanda coming out in our first home game, she did phenomenal,” she

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said. “She made one bad pitch but other than that she was lights out.”

With the game tied after seven, the teams went into extra innings. Gage came in to relieve Horowitz and shut down the Wolfpack, but NC State pitcher Kayla Cox,

Point-counterpoint

See Softball, B5

Should Montel Harris and Andre Williams split carries this year?.....................B4

After a stretch of tough losses that rendered the No. 17 Boston College women’s lacrosse Boston College 12 team winless in 6 Virginia the conference 11 games into the season, the Eagles finally got what they needed on Saturday against No. 7 Virginia to boost their year’s resume: a victory against a marquee ACC program.

By utilizing a stout defensive approach and contributing a steady flow of goals throughout, BC (8-4, 1-3 ACC) defeated the Cavaliers (6-5, 0-4) by a score of 12-6, marking the first time the Eagles beat UVA since joining the ACC in 2005.

“It obviously feels incredible,” head coach Bowen Holden said of the win.

“After what we have been through for the last couple of weeks, we’ve had a hard go, for the team to come back and take down not only a great Virginia team that is highly ranked, but they are an incredible

Why Jackson would be wise to return

UConn guard Kemba Walker demonstrated what a star can do with a young supporting cast.........B2

See Williams, B4 program. And this is what it’s about. It’s about building a program. To take down a program like them says an enormous amount about our team.”

The Eagles jumped out to an early lead behind steady possession on the offensive end that was largely due to consistently winning draws and taking their time developing looks rather than forcing any bad passes.

“Draws have been something that is a big part of our game all season long,” Holden said. “I think today it was a true team effort, we threw some different things in there that we just felt we needed to change. And it worked. There is no question, every team knows that the draws are the most important thing. If you can’t get possession, you aren’t going to win a game.

We certainly were able to get possession, and several, early on. It absolutely made a huge difference in the game.”

Sam Taylor and Hannah Alley started off the scoring for BC with goals in the opening minutes, but for a while the game remained at a close 2-1 standstill, making both teams’ defensive play absolutely necessary.

While Brooke Blue got hot for BC, earning a hat trick in the first half alone, Virginia struggled with the imposing Eagles defense, only mustering five shots in the frame and finding itself down 6-1 at halftime.

What made the shutdown surprising,

See BC-UVA, B5

Numbers to Know....................B2 Quote of the Week.....................B2

The Heights

B2

Monday, April 4, 2011

Why not to panic about Reggie Jackson could shine if he stays Tim Jablonski Last week’s news that Reggie Jackson will be testing the oh-so-tempting waters of the NBA draft had the Boston College campus buzzing like the Fray were coming to town (wait, wrong metaphor). Fans and the local media alike played the “sky is falling” card, predicting that the departure of the All-ACC guard will ruin the team’s second year under head coach Steve Donahue.

But here at The Heights, we try to look on the bright side of things. So here are nine reasons why everyone shouldn’t panic about Jackson leaving. Why nine—why not?

1. First off, even if Jackson stays, how good will the Eagles be next year? The team is graduating four starters- Biko Paris, Joe Trapani, Josh Southern, and Corey Raji- as well as reserve Cortney Dunn and walk-ons Chris Kowalski and Nick Mosakowski (with John Cahill still mulling over his future plans). Looking at the crystal ball now, it appears that next season will be more about building a solid foundation for the future than anything.

2. Speaking of the future, the team is welcoming six new recruits next year. Those are six new players that need to learn a completely new system, with few upperclassmen to help them along, while also acclimating to college life thousands of miles from home. It’s going to take a while.

But getting these freshmen into games early in their college careers will pay off in the long run.

Jackson’s departure would open up space for point guard recruit Jordan Daniels and others to log more minutes. While they might seem inconsequential now, those minutes could prove invaluable in two or three years.

3. A new crop of walk-ons! Nothing gets a BC crowd going like a 3-pointer to cut the deficit from 22 to 19 with 45 seconds remaining from a non-scholarship player. Although that’s more of a reflection of Conte fans and BC basketball in general. Regardless, get ready for several Plex legends to get the call up to the big time.

4. The team should be able to compete in a watered-down ACC. Between graduating seniors and expected early entrants, most of the players who made up this season’s All-ACC teams will be leaving. While Duke and UNC will still rack up the cream of the crop, other programs losing star players like Maryland (Jordan Williams) and Virginia Tech (Malcolm Delaney) should drop off, potentially leaving some room for the Eagles near the top of standings.

5. Ryan Anderson. Look at some of his YouTube videos. The kid can play.

6. For all those people complaining, remember that in a few months you could potentially have the opportunity to purchase a Jackson NBA jersey. If he’s drafted by a team with particularly nice uni’s (I’m looking at you, 76ers and Magic), the Jackson jersey will quickly become the go-to look for any BC jersey party. No downside to that.

7. Don’t forget about the team’s other guards.

Danny Rubin and Gabe Moton showed promise in limited minutes this season. With a full season under their belt, they both could move up in the rotation and begin making big-time contributions to the team.

8. The California kids. Recruits Anderson, Lonnie Jackson, Kyle Caudill, and Jordan Daniels all reside in the Sunshine State. While watching them grow into solid D-I players will be enjoyable, watching the fans and media try to come up with a catchy nickname for them will be almost as fun. The preseason front-runners include the California Crew, the Men of Malibu, and the Why-the-hell-did-we-decide-to-play-in-freezingcold-Boston-for-four-years All Stars.

9. Picture two different scenarios. In one, Jackson is required to put the team on his back more than Greg Jennings just to give the team a chance to earn a respectable spot in the ACC standings. In the other, an extremely young team slowly comes together over the course of a season, playing in a system that encourages high-pressure defense and threes by the boatload.

Which sounds more fun to follow? Exactly.

Tim Jablonski is a staff columnist for The Heights.

He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.

Chris Marino Not too often can one player take control of a game.

Sure, athletes like Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant, both at the top of their class, can secure wins for their teams and be game changers, but for the majority of the time games can only be won through solid teamwork.

In this year’s NCAA men’s basketball season, one player has stepped forward as a game changer. He brings fear into the eyes of his opponents. Coaches make game plans for him, and him alone, but still can’t stop him. I am of course talking about the University of Connecticut’s Kemba Walker.

The junior guard, despite a young supporting cast, has become the focal point of the championship-caliber Huskies. Walker has led his team all season, despite being an unknown during preseason. In fact, none of the five players named to this season’s AP preseason All-American team are playing in tonight’s NCAA men’s basketball championship. You know who is playing in tonight’s championship? You guessed it, Kemba.

It’s a rare occurrence when a person’s play can lead to the world knowing you on a first-name basis, not to mention as a college student. He is arguably one of the most clutch basketball players in NCAA history. His presence in this year’s tournament, most notably in the Huskies victory over San Diego State in which he

Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor

If Jackson were to stay at BC for his senior year, he could potentially carry the team on his back to the postseason.

scored 22 of his team’s 36 second-half points, has even earned him the nickname “Crunch Time Kemba.”

While this is Kemba’s year, and he has clearly earned it, there’s another player who has that “it” factor in college basketball. This player has emerged as not only a prolific scorer but as an athletic defender and most importantly a game changer. The player I am referring to is Reggie Jackson. Sure, you might point to his team’s crushing loss to Clemson in the ACC tournament or its inability to go far in the NIT despite being a No. 1 seed. However, if you look at these two players side by side, you would see more similarities than differences, and ultimately Reggie might have even more potential for success.

Both guards played on rosters loaded with role players. Kemba has sharp-shooting Shabazz Napier, while Reggie has long-range threats Joe Trapani and Biko Paris. Players like these are important, but they can’t consistently take over a game like their team leaders. Kemba and Reggie instill fear in their opponents in the paint and from the arc.

The two have impressive stat sheets, showing both their strengths and similarities. Kemba and Reggie have some similarities with 23.7 and 18.2 points per game, respectively. Reggie has the edge behind the arc, shooting 42 percent from three-point range, compared to Kemba’s 33.6 percentage. Both players are also able to change games besides scoring by efficiently passing, rebounding, and creating turnovers.

While Kemba and Reggie both have had similar individual success, Kemba is the one in the Big Dance tonight, but that doesn’t mean Reggie doesn’t have a chance. Kemba has broken the previous precedent that a player cannot carry a team down the stretch.

No one looked at UConn this preseason and thought national championship, just as no one thought that No. 15 would be a player of the year candidate. Kemba’s broken the mold for players like Reggie, who don’t necessarily have a cast of superstars. While Kemba has opened this door, Reggie has the chance to blow it away next season.

Although there is a chance he could head to the NBA, having declared for the draft last week, Reggie has the chance to emerge as one of the top performers in college basketball next season if he decides to return. Just looking at his progression in head coach Steve Donahue’s new system this season alone, it is easy to tell that Reggie’s potential is not even close to being met. He has more size, athleticism, and skill than Kemba, and has the potential to lead a young cast of role players far into post-season play next season.

Also, Kemba benefited from playing in head coach Jim Calhoun’s system. Calhoun, already the winner of two national championships, has surely helped Kemba’s progression this season. Imagine if Reggie stayed for one more year with Donahue, and had one more opportunity to take control of the ACC. Kemba has proven that players like Reggie and teams like BC can succeed. All they’ll need is one more year of stars like Reggie.

Maybe this time next year we’ll be calling him “Crunch Time Reggie.”

Chris Marino is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.

Weekend roundup

Rettig looks sharp in spring scrimmage

By Ryan Kiracofe Heights Staff

Rising sophomore and incumbent starter Chase Rettig threw for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Saturday’s scrimmage. Rettig seems to be adapting well to new offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers’ pro-style offensive scheme, completing 11-of-16 passes. Backup QB Dave Shinskie was eight-for-10 with three touchdowns against the secondteam defense, despite having fumbled his first snap under center. Wideout Alex Amidon caught four passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, and receiver Ifeanyi Momah recorded two touchdowns of his own. Linebacker Luke Kuechly looked sharp in his first scrimmage after being named a consensus All-American in 2010. He had eight tackles to lead the defense, and Kevin Pierre-Louis had seven of his own. Another intrasquad scrimmage will be held next Saturday at Alumni Stadium in preparation for the annual Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Game, which will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 16.

SPORTS in SHORT

Breagy, McKenna Win At Tufts Senior Siobhan Breagy and sophomore Erin McKenna won their re-

spective races to lead the Eagles on Saturday at Tufts. Breagy finished first of 31 runners in the 800 meters, running the half-mile in 2:12.68. Junior Anna Ciofreddi was sixth, finishing in 2:23.92. McKenna’s personal-best time of 4:35.49 in her 1500 meter victory was just one of six personal bests for Boston College female runners. BC’s 4x100-meter squad took second, as Rory Cellucci, Casey Hsiung, Claire Bingham, and Margaret O’Dea made it a lap in 52.20 seconds. Hsiung returned to take second in the 100 meters, in 13.10 seconds, and Bingham took third in the 100-meter hurdles. High-jumpers Taylor Aizenstadt and Georgie Asfoura were both able to equal the meet-winning height of 1.55 meters, but were eliminated having taken more attempts to do so. Last week’s ACC Runner of the Week, star senior Caroline King had the weekend off after posting the nation’s best time in the 1500 meters last weekend at Stanford.

Bogosian Takes Second In High Jump Senior John Bogosian leaped into BC’s all-time top 10 in the high jump, as his 1.99-meter jump (6’6.25”) placed him second at the Princeton meet and eighth on the BC record board. Friday’s

ACC Baseball Standings Atlantic

Florida State NC State Boston College Clemson Wake Forest Maryland

Coastal

Georgia Tech Virginia North Carolina Miami Duke Virginia Tech

Conference 8-4 5-7 4-5 4-8 4-8 2-10 11-1 9-1 10-2 8-3 3-9 1-9

Overall 21-7 17-12 10-11 14-12 10-17 13-15 23-6 28-2 26-4 17-11 16-14 14-16

action saw sophomore Louis Serafini run a 3:54.37 1500-meter race, leading a pack of four BC runners with an 11th place finish. Sophomore Jordan Hamm finished in 3:57.16, and senior Michael Keebler was just behind in a personalbest time of 3:58.35. Freshman Anthony Bellitti debuted in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 9:54.67. On Saturday, freshman Kellen MacDonald was sixth in the 400-meter hurdles, and first-year runner Joseph Stuart finished the 200m in a personal-best time of 22.40 seconds. Junior Matt Adetula was seventh in the long jump with a jump of 6.36 meters (20’10.25”).

Eagles Dropped At No. 12 Clemson The BC women’s tennis team dropped four straight singles matches down the stretch and fell to the Tigers on Saturday in Clemson. The Eagles got close singles victories from junior Katarina Gajic (3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4)) and senior Katharine Attwell (6-4, 4-6, 7-6(2)). The two would pair up to record a win in doubles play.

Sophomores Alex Kelleher and Olga Khmylev also won their doubles match, 8-3. BC’s top doubles duo, Veronica Corning and Erina Kikuchi lost 8-2 to the country’s No. 1 team, Josipa Bek and Keri Wong. n

Numbers to Know

26

Runs let up by the baseball team in Sunday’s doubleheader against Miami.

The Eagles dropped both games.

14

Number of innings played by the softball team in the first half of their doubleheader Sunday against N.C. State. BC won 5-3.

5

Alex Trautwig / Heights editor

Chase Rettig’s performance stood out in the first intraquad scrimmage, throwing for two TDs.

Touchdowns thrown by BC quarterbacks in the first spring intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday afternoon.

Quote of the Week

“The one positive today was that our bats finally started to come alive and started to look like what we think this lineup should be, not what it’s been recently.”

— Mike Gambino

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

B3

Lawrence adjusts to new role as Friday night starting pitcher

By Adam Rose For The Heights

In his time at Boston College, junior outfielder Andrew Lawrence has played many different roles for the baseball team.

First, former coach Mik Aoki asked him to redshirt his freshman year. While at first this disappointed the Richmond, Va., native, he said the year to get acclimated to an ACC program ended up paying dividends.

“Honestly, that year was a blessing in disguise,” Lawrence says. “I was kind of upset when it first happened but it pushed me to work really hard and get to where

I am now.”

During his redshirt-freshman and sophomore years, Lawrence started 33 games and 23 games, respectively, and succeeded at the plate and in the outfield. He hit .317 in 2009. Although he was holding his own at the ACC level of competition, Lawrence says the anxiety of checking the lineup card every day to see if he would start sometimes kept him from getting in a real comfort zone.

“I learned to take advantage of my opportunities because I didn’t know when my starts would come. I had to be ready,” he says.

Throughout his first two years playing,

heights file photo

With a .378 slugging percentage, Lawrence is third on the team among players with over 20 at-bats.

Lawrence continued to get stronger in the weight room and played his role, hoping to one day become an everyday starter.

With the loss of seniors and drafteligible players coming into the 2011 season, Lawrence finally got his opportunity to play every day. As one of the starting outfielders and an important cog in the lineup, Lawrence feels relaxed and ready to lead by example.

“He’s got a great attitude and he can hit anywhere from two through six in our lineup” head coach Mike Gamino says.

Under the new style of offense implemented by the rookie head coach this year, Lawrence has begun to show flashes of power and Gambino thinks the more open philosophy at the plate has translated into the junior outfielder getting more swings and allowing him to build a rhythm.

Although happy with his role as an everyday outfielder, Lawrence has once again adopted a new role on the team as its Friday night starter. After Mike Dennhardt went down with an injury, the already arm-depleted Eagles needed someone to throw their weekend series.

Gambino recalls the day in the bubble at Alumni Stadium when he first asked Lawrence to throw a bullpen.

“We knew he pitched a little bit in high school and asked him to throw a session for us,” he says. “After I saw him throw two of those changeups, I knew we could make it work and now he’s starting two games a week for us.”

Though his fastball won’t blow anyone away, Lawrence uses his changeup as his primary pitch and actually changes speeds with the fastball on occasion. Gambino calls this method throwing backwards.

As one of the veteran guys on the team, Lawrence has enjoyed his new role and hopes to continue having success on the mound, in the field, and at the plate.

“We have a lot of young guys and I’m not really the most vocal out on the field, but I try to lead by example,” he says. “If

alex trautwig / heights editor

Andrew Lawrence fills many roles for Boston College, including outfielder, pitcher, and leader. that means my team needs me to go out and pitch a few times a week, I’ll do it.”

Even though Lawrence still has another year of eligibility, this season marks most of his classmates’ swan song. He takes that to heart each time he steps on the field.

“I want to win for them because they’ve done so much for this program,” he says.

It takes a special kind of player to hit at a college level and also start on the mound multiple times a week. Lawrence currently leads the team in home runs and also ranks among the top half in ERA. “Statistically, it’s not going as I’d hoped but it’s been a fun season and I think it’s

gone well,” he says. “I’d rather have 40 wins and bat .100 if that’s what takes for our team to win games. It’s about the win column for us.”

The Eagles currently rank in the middle of the pack in their division and have their eyes on a spot in the ACC championship series. Though his role on the team continues to change, Lawrence remains focused on the team.

“He’s got a great attitude and is a really valuable guy for us,” Gambino says.

For a guy who used to wonder if he would get to play on any given day, Andrew Lawrence now does a little bit of everything for the Eagles. n

Baseball notebook

Sunday curfew prevents BC, Miami from completing full game

By Greg Joyce

“We have a little bit of an idea of the order, we know who we want throwing at the end of the games and close games,” he said. “We know who we want facing the top of the order, we know who we want facing the bottom of the order. So basically, the way we sort of do it is we always have two guys moving around, getting loose, and then as we get to them, we sort of make our decision with one of those two guys, depending on how the inning before that goes and how the game goes.

“There’s a lot of times when guys are moving around, then something happens and we go to the next guy, and then two other guys are moving around. So it’s pretty crazy, and the boys are doing a good job handling it. I think they’re buying into it.”

Asst. Sports Editor Just when Boston College was getting momentum back on its side against Miami in the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader, ACC rules shut down any hope of a complete comeback attempt. Down 7-3 going into the fifth inning, the Eagles started to get a rally going, cutting the lead to 7-6 before the inning ended. But since it was past 4:45 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon, ACC rules state that no inning can begin after that time, so the game was ruled over.

The final result was a 7-6 Hurricanes win, through just five innings.

“That was disappointing,” head coach Mike Gambino said of the curfew ending the game early. “Obviously we knew we were probably going to get, maybe a six-inning ballgame going in, so you kind of have that in your mind. They battled. It would have been nice to have one more inning.”

The first pitch of the doubleheader came at 11:02 a.m., but the game lasted three hours and 45 minutes, delaying the start of game two until 3:16 p.m,. This forced the nightcap to last just one hour and 37 minutes.

BC scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth before the rally and game came to an end on a Marc Perdios strikeout.

“I thought the boys did a good job battling back and gave us a chance to win that ballgame at the end,” Gambino said.

“It was unfortunate we ran into that time situation.”

Pitching staff struggles Heading into the doubleheader, Gambino was planning on using Nate Bayuk to pitch the first six innings of the game before handing the ball over to the bullpen.

The game plan didn’t pan out the way the

alex trautwig / heights editor

As the shadows on Shea Field grew longer, BC mounted a furious rally against Miami. The Eagles ran out of time, though, losing 7-6 in five innings.

Eagles had hoped.

Bayuk lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing six runs, eight hits (including two home runs), and walked two.

Seven different relievers completed the final 6.2 innings of the game and were unable to stop the bleeding. Eric Stevens, Dave Laufer, Matt Alvarez, Dane Clemens, Andrew Lawrence, Geoff Oxley, and Steve Green combined to finish the game, letting up 13 runs, 18 hits, and seven walks. Lawrence was the only BC pitcher not to allow any runs in the game.

“We were hoping he’d get us six and then go to the bullpen,” Gambino said. “Once they started getting a bunch [of runs], we started to kind of run through a bunch of guys and try to get guys in and out. That’s kind of been the motto of the bullpen all year is to get us to the next guy, and we tried to do that. But nobody could really figure them out this morning.”

Though they weren’t planning on using that much of the bullpen, the Eagles are used to going through games pitching seven to eight short relievers. Since the staff is

short on healthy starters, the bullpen has been counted on various times this season to combine on nine innings.

“Today was a bad day for our pitching staff, but you look at the last five, six games, they’ve been doing their jobs,” Gambino said. “They’ve been keeping [opponents] under four runs or less pretty much every game. It’s giving us a chance to win the ballgame.”

As for the decision of which reliever pitches when, Gambino has it nailed down to a science.

Offensive woes While the pitching staff has been able to survive for the most part without a deep bullpen to rely on, the offense has been going through a rough patch of its own.

Before the bats finally got going towards the end of yesterday’s second game, the BC hitters had been held relatively quiet over the past few games. Not including the 7-6 loss, in the last five games, BC has only been able to push eight runs across the plate.

“Right now, we gotta get the bats going,” Gambino said. “We’re a lineup that doesn’t have a lot of thump, which is fine. We knew that coming in. There are guys that can swing a little bit. But if you don’t have a lot of thump and you don’t have a lot of speed, you can’t strike out a lot.

“We don’t have a ton of speed. We have a couple guys that can steal bases. And we don’t have a ton of thump, but we can hit some doubles. But we gotta cut down on the strikeouts. And when we do, like in [the second] game, [we’re] a pretty good offensive club.” n

Miami outscores BC 26-10 on its way to a truncated Sunday sweep Baseball, from B1

alex trautwig / heights editor

The Eagles finally snapped out of their offensive slump, but the pitching couldn’t stop Miami.

Anthony Melchondia, who went 2-for3 in the second game, hit a single that brought in Bourdon and Brad Zapenas, who had gotten on base with a walk.

Miami put up a run in the third inning off of a two-out single by Harold Martinez. Rody Rodriguez hit a home run in the top of the fifth to give the Hurricanes a 7-3 going into the bottom half of the inning, which, due to time constraints, was slated to be the final three outs.

Hamlet and Bourdon led off with back-to-back singles, and McGovern hit a sacrifice fly that scored Hamlet.

With two outs, Melchionda stepped up and stroked a double that scored Bourdon, pulling the Eagles within two. Up next, pinch hitter Kyle Prohovich hit a bouncing shot that glanced off shortstop Martinez’s glove, good for a single and an RBI as Melchionda crossed the plate.

The two-out rally was cut short when Marc Perdios struck out on a 2-2 count to end the game 7-6 in the Hurricanes’ favor. With the loss, Leonard drops to 3-3 on the season.

“The boys did a good job of battling

back,” Gambino said. “The one positive today, in game two, in those last two innings, was that our bats finally came alive.

“It started to look like what we think this lineup should be, not what it’s been recently.”

Game two of the doubleheader was restricted due to the 4:45 p.m. curfew Through the second inning of the first game of the doubleheader, with the score tied 2-2, the game seemed to be just another close ACC match-up. Sure, Miami Zeke DeVoss had cracked a leadoff home run to left field off of starting pitcher Nate Bayuk to begin the game, but freshman Matt McGovern fired back in the bottom half of the first inning with his first career homer.

An inning later, the Eagles manufactured another run when Tom Bourdon singled to score Smith, who had doubled

and advanced to third on Matt Hamlet’s single.

After the second frame, however, the Hurricane offense began to put more and more distance between the two scores. Miami’s Chantz Mack homered in the third inning, bringing in Rody Rodriguez and Brad Fieger and giving the Hurricanes a 6-2 lead. From then on, the Eagles never had a real chance at a comeback.

“We could never really slow them down,” head coach Mike Gambino said.

“We could never really stop that offense.

Nobody could really figure them out.”

The Hurricanes would go on to score a run in every inning with the exception of the second, and as the ninth inning mercifully drew to a close, the Hurricanes had scored 19 runs off 26 hits, both season highs for both the ball club and the ACC. Brad Fieger, Miami’s third baseman, led the charge, going 4-7 with four RBI. Bayuk drops to 3-3 with the loss, giving up six earned runs and eight hits.

The team falls to 10-15, 4-7 ACC on the season, while Miami improves to 17-11, 6-3. n

The Heights

B4

Monday, April 4, 2011

Point / Counterpoint: Should Harris and Williams split the load?

Sharing carries makes both backs better

By Andrew Klokiw For The Heights

Montel Harris has carried the football team’s offense through four quarterback changes, the graduation of top receiver Rich Gunnell in 2010, and the loss of the most talented Eagle receiver last summer, when Colin Larmond, Jr. tore his ACL. So it stood to reason that when the ACC’s leading rusher went down against Virginia, the offense would struggle mightily to move the football.

However, freshman Andre Williams, virtually unknown to most around the Heights, admirably stepped up, registering 108 yards on merely 12 carries to push the Eagles past the Cavaliers. The following week he was even more impressive in his first career start, putting up 185 yards on 42 carries to go along with a touchdown against Syracuse.

The Eagles’ ground game has been the crutch upon which their offense has leaned through all its struggles since Harris arrived on the Heights, but the concerns of the star running back possibly being overworked seemed validated when he picked up the knee injury.

Sure, Harris is a special player, the kind who can make something out of a play when seemingly given nothing, the kind who made departed offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill look better than his “dive left” and “dive right” play-calling should have allowed.

Part of what made BC’s offense sputter was its predictability, as opponents knew exactly what play to expect in every situation, and that most of the time the ball was going to be in the hands of No. 2.

Williams adds a new element to a stagnant offensive unit that appeared to be sorely lacking weapons at times last year. As he proved against Virginia and then Syracuse, he can create the big play (a 59-yard run against Virginia) and carry the load if needed.

Additionally, history provides a precedent for timesharing in the backfield. In 2003, the Auburn Tigers endured a season of mediocrity, finishing 8-5 (as BC did in 2009 and one game off its 2010 mark) with a team that was undoubtedly more talented than its record.

That team was led by junior running back Cadillac Williams, who registered 1,388 yards and only stood 5-foot-10, much like Harris. He was followed by fel-

low junior Ronnie Brown who stood 6-feet tall and rushed for 479 yards, much like Andre Williams this past campaign for BC. The following season, Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville split carries much more evenly between the pair (Williams 239, Brown 153), which led to Williams rushing for almost 1,300 yards and Brown nearly breaking the 1,000-yard mark. That 2004 season, Williams and Brown carried the Tigers to an undefeated 13-0 record, finishing the year as the second-ranked team in the nation.

The similarities between that backfield pair and BC’s combination are striking, and that historic Auburn season provides a blueprint for how a team can have success splitting carries.

That is not to say that a split would elevate the 2011 Eagles into the BCS national championship game, but spreading the ball more evenly between Harris and Williams would go a long way towards diversifying the offense, providing the beaten up Harris with a backfield mate capable off taking some of the immense pressure and expectations of his shoulders, and maybe even take the Eagles to a postseason destination other than San Francisco. n

Dependable Harris deserves more touches

By Steven Principi For The Heights

Montel Harris should be the one and only feature back for Boston College. Period. And it really isn’t that tough of a decision.

Nothing against the freshman Andre Williams, but the offense needs to be built around Harris in order to be successful. On an offense that can be described as a little less than consistent, Harris has been the one sure thing since he stepped on campus in the fall of 2008.

Andre Williams has started two games. In his first, he couldn’t be stopped. In his second, he couldn’t get going.

Harris has a career average of just under five yards per carry. He could very well be the best running back in BC history. Every time he is on the field, we know what to expect from him.

He makes the offense run. Sometimes, he is the offense. In games last season when he carried the ball less than 20 times, the team was 1-3, with the lone win coming against Weber State. When he ran the ball 20 times or

alex trautwig / heights editor

more, they were 5-2. (They went 1-1 in the two games he missed at the end of the year.)

The stats don’t lie: When Montel Harris sees more of the ball, the Eagles are simply a much better team.

The main benefit of a two-back system is that it can keep a defense honest and on its toes.

Typically, one of the backs runs the ball hard through the middle while the other back relies on outside running and breakaway speed.

This is not the case with Harris and Williams. They have far too similar running styles to be an effective tandem. They both run hard up the middle and rely on strength and agility since they lack incredible speed. So really, splitting carries wouldn’t make a huge impact on the game, since the defense wouldn’t have much to adjust to.

All it would really be doing would be taking the ball out of the hands of our best offensive weapon, which is never a good idea. The offense is already thin to say the least. Taking out Harris would hurt more than it would help.

With an offense that is so young and that was so inconsistent last year, the idea of splitting carries is a bit absurd. Montel Harris won a few games last season almost by himself, and has been doing so for the last three years.

Harris is arguably the best running back in BC history and is well on his way to shattering the program’s all-time rushing record. He needs just 126 yards to pass Derrick Knight for first place on the career rushing yards list.

He is not only their most consistent player, but also their most explosive, leading the team in gains of over 20 yards last season. He can run by people or he can run over them. He is a dangerous receiving option out of the backfield and a steady and reliable blocker as well.

There is no doubt that Andre Williams has the ability to contribute to the team in a big way, but not this year. For now, let’s enjoy one more year of the Montel Harris show. He makes the Eagles a much better football team when he is on the field, and should be getting the bulk of the carries this year. n

Quarterbacks look better in scrimmage Encouraging Results, from B1

alex trautwig / heights editor

Andre Williams proved last year that he can shoulder an increased role in the offense while Montel Harris was out, rushing for 185 yards against Syracuse and 70 against Nevada.

Williams gives BC a complement to Harris at RB Williams, from B1 in his first career start against Syracuse a week later. These solid performances brought enough confidence to the coaching staff to make Williams their main rusher in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, despite Harris’ availability. He finished the night with 70 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Heading into this season, Harris is returning, but Williams believes he will continue to make an impact on the offense.

“They told me last season that I’ve definitely proven myself as a back that brings a specific skill set to the table that can do things for the team,” he said of the coaching staff’s plans for the backfield. “We each have our own certain abilities and it will definitely be good for the offense to have both of us back there next year, so we’re definitely going to be splitting more carries this year.”

This dual-back offense can help the progression of a young offense looking

to establish success in the difficult ACC. While some may see this competition between Williams and Harris as a negative heading into the season, Williams feels that having both players will bring out the best in both.

“Montel is definitely just an all-around great guy,” he said. “We didn’t have any problems when I came into the offense.

He was always open to give me insight from his experience and how certain plays should develop and where to hit the holes or what the defense is looking like.

He always was there with a helping hand.

It’s definitely helped that, even though it’s a competition between me and him, it’s a friendly competition. It definitely helps us perform better and at a higher level, going to practice knowing that there’s someone out there competing with you because if you’re not better, then he is.”

This relationship will definitely be helpful in overcoming the struggles of last season – establishing a consistent offensive

attack. With a freshman quarterback, several first-year wide receivers and himself, Williams believes that there was a learning curve. However, he also knows that last season’s experience will benefit their young class next season and in seasons to come.

“Last year, we were definitely a young offense,” he said. “It was hard for the younger players to establish in games, but now that we’ve had some time together, we’re more comfortable and I think the offense is definitely going to be able to gel a lot better than it did last season, despite losing some key players.”

The experience that Williams brings to the table will alleviate some of the passing woes that the team dealt with last season.

He also gives new offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers options at the running game.

Rogers, the former quarterbacks coach of the Minnesota Vikings, will surely try to incorporate a stronger passing game than last season, however the ability to turn to strong runners like Williams and Harris

will serve as good security.

To this point in the spring, Williams believes that Rogers has made a positive impact on the offense and has created a more detail-oriented atmosphere.

“I think that having a coach that has had so much pro experience has really helped us,” Williams said of Rogers. “We feel like we have to step it up at practice and he adds a sense of pace to practice.

We practice faster and that shows against the defense, since we are able to move the ball more. There’s more craftsmanship in what we’re doing. The offense is a bit more complicated but once we get it down, it has a lot have a lot more depth that we’ll be able to show against our opponents.”

The experience of Harris and now Williams will be leaned on as in years past to carry the offense. With last year’s unexpected star’s late-season experience and the influence of his senior mentor, Williams is looking forward to continuing right where he left off last season. n

tion, which the Eagles used as a crutch at times last year to help their quarterbacks read the field more easily. The downside to the shotgun is that it can make play action less effective because it more directly telegraph’s the offense’s intent to pass.

The transition to a pro-style attack will better disguise BC’s play calls. This will make the Eagles’ already potent ground game even more deadly because teams can’t cheat forward to stuff the line. They have to respect the possibility of Rettig pulling off a convincing play fake and beating them up top.

Rettig is the incumbent and the clear favorite to win the starting job, but the coaching staff hasn’t officially announced who will be the quarterback in the fall.

The door is open for someone like Shinskie or Mike Marscovetra to push Rettig, at the very least.

Shinskie made a pretty compelling case for himself even though he didn’t get on the field until after Marscovetra had run a series with the second team.

He went 8-of-10 for 97 yards and three scores. He did fumble his first snap, but he recovered to have a nice day.

On his first touchdown pass, Shinskie threw a perfect ball into tight coverage from five yards out. Donte Elliott ran a quick out, and Shinskie found him just inbounds in the one spot the defender couldn’t get to the pass.

Shinskie threw a 35-yard bomb to Amidon on the next drive that the wideout hauled in for a touchdown. The ball was underthrown, but Amidon did well to adjust his route and bring it in for the score.

His third touchdown was to a wideopen Lars Anderson in the end zone.

Although Shinskie played against the second unit, his resiliency after a slow start and ability to fit the ball into tight spaces are positive signs that he’s developing. Even if he doesn’t beat out Rettig for the starter’s spot, having an improved Shinskie around for insurance could be a luxury the Eagles didn’t anticipate.

Now is the time for Superfans to be optimistic. The Eagles have only played one scrimmage, but they’ve made arguably as much progress offensively as they did all spring last year. And the first real game is still five months away.

With an entire summer to work out the kinks, BC could finally find the solution to the quarterback controversy that the program has dealt with since Matt Ryan graduated.

Paul Sulzer is the Sports Editor of The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

B5 Softball

BU mounts incredible comeback to defeat BC

By Alex Manta Heights Editor

Alex Trautwig / heights editor

Sharp defense from infielders such as D’Argento kept the second game close until the first basemen herself smacked an RBI single to give BC a lead.

Home-field heroics against Wolfpack yield second-ever ACC series sweep Softball, from B1 who threw a complete game in the opener, was just as unyielding. After Brittany Wilkins hit a one-out single in the bottom of the 14th, senior Gemma Ypparila came to bat with two outs. She drove the first pitch high over the fence in left center, a home run that gave the Eagles their first win of the day by a score of 4-2. The team poured out of the dugout onto the field to mob their hero’s clutch hitting.

“We’ve had some clutch hitting this year, but not at the right times,” Finley said. We were patient at the plate all day and we battled hard when we were behind.

It was really nice to see Gemma come

through like that and get it done.”

The second game saw Gage back on the mound against a hard-throwing Morgan Peeler for the Wolfpack. Neither team could muster any offense through the first four, but the Eagles’ bats came to life in the bottom of the fifth, as they strung together some well-placed hits to load the bases.

With one out and the bases full, sophomore Nicole D’Argento laced a ball into left field, dropping just out of the reach of the fielder and scoring the game’s first run. Shortly afterwards, a bad throw by the NC State catcher allowed another run to come home, making the score 2-0.

The game was called almost immedi-

ately afterwards due to time constraints and the Eagles had their sweep. The two wins improve the team to 9-19 (5-3 in ACC) and give the coaching staff a lot to be proud of.

“Looking ahead, these wins are very important,” Finley said, “We’ve had a couple of bumps in the road so far, so to come out and win two ACC games today is a great feeling. Especially with the injuries we’ve had, it’s great to see people getting used to playing other positions.”

This was the second ever ACC sweep for the Eagles, who now embark on a four-game road trip. They travel to Connecticut for one match-up before heading to Maryland for a three-game series. n

In a high-scoring game, the Boston College softball team came up 10 one run short Boston Univ. in a 10-9 loss Boston College 9 against Boston University on Thursday afternoon at BU. The game started off slowly with each team only scoring one run in the first three innings, but then in the fourth, the BC bats caught fire.

The Eagles put up seven runs in the top of the fourth, and BU followed with three of their own in the bottom of the inning. BU would continue to chip away at the Eagles’ lead, though, scoring six additional runs in the next two innings to squeeze out the narrow victory.

“All year we’ve been doing the same things, hitting well offensively and hitting from all parts of the lineup,” head coach Jennifer Finley said.

“We had a couple different people pick it up for some people that were struggling a little bit.”

Despite taking the loss, six of the nine players for BC recorded a hit in the game and seven players scored a run. Left fielder Tory Speer went 3for-4 and scored a run, while Nicole D’Argento hit a three-run home run in BC’s productive fourth inning.

Alison Kooistra also smacked a solo home run of her own, which was BC’s 35th home run of the year.

Despite the offensive production, the defense and pitching for BC wasn’t

“We need to continue to be aggressive and challenge the other team” enough to hold off the Terriers.

“We have to play better defense,” Finley said. “We’ve been trying to have other people fill in [for some injured players] to try to get a solid defense, but we haven’t been playing up to par.”

The Eagles committed three errors

in the game, which led to five unearned runs for BU. Errors have been an Achilles’ heel for BC all season, as mistakes have led to 34 unearned runs for Eagles’ opponents.

Not only did the Eagles struggle in the field, but the pitching staff also had a hard time getting batters out. The three BC pitchers who saw action gave up a combined 13 hits in the game and four walks.

“Pitching-wise, we are not hitting our spots crisp enough and we’re allowing them to get solid contact,” said Finley. “We need a lot more from our [pitching] staff, we need them to get a lot tougher.”

BU had their share of defensive problems, as well. Of BC’s nine runs in the game, only two were earned.

The rest were largely a result of the three errors that BU made, as BC capitalized upon the mistakes with timely hitting. “[BU] made errors, but we were being aggressive,” said Finley. “We should’ve gotten maybe one run on one their errors, but we got two or three or four runs on them.”

BC was in a great position to win the game as it entered the bottom of the fourth inning with an 8-1 lead.

BU was able to fight its way back, though, by also taking advantage of its opponent’s defensive mishaps.

“We need to continue to be aggressive and challenge the other team,” Finley said. “Not sit back and think we have the game in the bag but actually go out there and continue to work hard every single inning.”

Finley described this as not letting the team become complacent, but instead keeping up an aggressive attitude throughout.

“Offensively, we weren’t being as aggressive of hitters as we were in the beginning of the game, and defensively we were a little bit caught on our heels,” Finley said.

The softball team plays its hometown rivals once more on May 5 to finish off the regular season. Improvement in the areas they had problems with in the first match-up will be necessary for the Eagles if they hope to even the series. n

Women’s lacrosse earns first win over Virginia since joining ACC BC-UVA, from B1 however, was that BC used a defense against Virginia they had scarcely practiced.

“The defense was unbelievable,” Holden said. “It’s kind of ironic, actually, because we were playing a defense that we haven’t used in a couple of games. But I just felt really strongly that we would come out from the start, and they did.

“They just trusted in the game plan, and they trusted in each other. And they came out there and did really well.”

After a disappointing loss to Albany in which BC had a lead late in the game but collapsed right at the end, the Eagles looked motivated on Saturday to prevent a similar lapse.

The second half started right where BC left off, as Kristin Igoe scored two goals to increase her team-leading total to 32 on the year, and Wilton and Barry each added one of their own to extend the score to 11-2.

Despite being down by nine goals, the Cavaliers were not without their chances, and BC goalie Sheila Serafino’s awareness between the pipes saved several potential comeback bids from coming to fruition. The senior denied six shots in the half, and seven over the game’s entirety.

Virginia scored four goals in the last two minutes of the game, but with a 10-point deficit after 58 minutes of play, they played a small role in the match-up’s outcome other than adjusting the final score to 12-6.

The Eagles have just one ACC game remaining in their regular season slate, a home contest against Duke Saturday at 1. n

Alex Trautwig / heights editor

Brooke Blue (right) and the Eagles had plenty to celebrate on Saturday, downing the Cavaliers for their first ACC win.

B6

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

alex trautwig / heights editor; Alex manta / heights photo illustration; and mollie kolosky / heights photo illustration

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

B7

Professor Profiles

Tanner believes in power of literature Mariani extends passions to new realms

By Alexandra Schaeffer Heights Staff

Only last week, high school seniors, overridden with anxiety, anticipated the arrival of their college admissions decisions. Laura Tanner, a professor in the English department, is experiencing this for the first time as a mother, as her eldest son pushes his way through the rigorous admissions process.

Reminiscing about her own college selection process, Tanner says, “It came down to Colgate and Middlebury. When I visited Middlebury it was a really cold day, but the kids were still outside in shorts. It was ridiculous. I also visited Colgate on a cold day, but there was a girl sitting in the library reading with the fire on.” Attributing her own college selection choice to this “irrational moment of bliss,” Tanner graduated from Colgate with a double major in philosophy and English with the highest honors. She followed her undergraduate years with a brief stint in Manhattan.

Living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan for a non-profit organization called The Rockefeller Foundation, in a position which she referred to as a “glorified secretary,” Tanner looks upon this time as not only enjoyable, but also eye-opening. “I did a lot of the fun New York things,” she says. “I went to poetry readings and art galleries, but a couple months in, I realized that I wanted to go back to school.”

Tanner then went onto Philadelphia, where she received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania.

It was there that Tanner got her first experience in the classroom, working as a TA. Fairly certain that she wanted to be a professor, Tanner had a momentary time of doubt. “I remember giving my first lecture as a TA in a hall of 300 students,” she says. “It scared me to death, and afterwards I went home and slept for hours.” She persevered though, and

upon graduating landed her first choice job as a professor at Emory University in Atlanta. However, her husband-to-be was working at the University of New Hampshire, and soon enough she felt the need to apply to positions in New England.

Twenty years later, Tanner is still among the English department faculty. She has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses and specializes in modern and contemporary American literature.

This allows her to find new, up-andcoming works, and approach the material she’s teaching with a fresh set of eyes. “I find the new material invigorating, and I think that my excitement for the works makes the students more excited about them.”

Even if she’s not teaching a specifically contemporary literature class, Tanner makes a point to add at least

Her humble demeanor lends no indication of the more than 20 publications she has written and the numerous conferences at which she has presented. one new work each time she teaches within the existing curriculum.

Among her work outside the classroom, are two books, Intimate Violence: Reading Rape and Torture in Twentieth Century Fiction, and Lost Bodies: Inhabiting the Borders of Life and Death. When asked about the obvious focus on issues of violence and loss in these two books, Tanner says, “I think people write about what they are most troubled by. After completing

a dissertation on violence in graduate school, the issue really bothered me. I just couldn’t understand how one person can look into another’s eyes and deliberately inflict pain on that person.”

Writing these pieces served as a way for Tanner to come to terms with her own fears. Following her belief that “literature has the power to shape one’s attitude and assumptions,” the focus of Tanner’s writing has often been violence, illness, grief, terrorism, and the human body.

It’s not all violence and loss for Tanner, though; she also has a lighter side. “I really appreciate beauty, in all forms,” she says. It is for this reason that she enjoys going to art museums, attending ballets, and listening to music. One of her favorite spots to observe natural beauty is at the tip of Cape Cod, at a place called Race Point. She often goes there to watch the sunset in warmer months. “It’s almost like going to church,” she says. “There are all these people who gather to watch the sunset, and it’s always different in terms of coloring. It’s a really sublime experience.”

It is only after looking at Tanner’s resume that one would realize just how accomplished she is.

Her humble demeanor lends no indication of the more than 20 publications she has written and the numerous conferences at which she has presented. Easily one of the most accessible professors on campus, Tanner admires the students just as much as they do her.

“BC has pretty amazing students,” she says. “There is just such a high level of excitement, dedication, and intelligence here. I’ve been able to see this in comparison with the schools I’ve visited recently with my son.”

As far as her son’s college selection process is going, he’s already been accepted to BC, and Tanner thinks he’ll probably be joining her here next year. n

By Juliette San Fillipo For The Heights

As a University professor of English at Boston College, Paul Mariani is an extensive writer and poet who often channels his talent toward composing literary biographies.

However, for a professor that has devoted much of his time to chronicling the lives of others, Mariani’s own story certainly warrants a closer look, too.

Working with everyone from freshmen to Ph.D. candidates in the English department, Mariani spends much of his time writing, teaching poetry, and, for the past two years, collaborating with actor James Franco.

In 1999, Mariani published a biography about the 20th century American poet Hart Crane, entitled The Broken Tower: A Life of Hart Crane. The book fell under the eyes of Franco two years ago, and after reading it, the actor approached Mariani about turning it into a film – a proposal that Mariani accepted. “[James and I] have been in constant consultation over the past two years, and I’ve also been in constant contact with his associates,” he says.

“I am a biographer, and this is my first time having one of my books be made into a movie. This is also [James’] first directorial debut, and he is also starring in the film. The film will also be [shown] in the Cannes Film Festival in late May.” Franco wrote the screenplay for the film, which has been titled The Broken Tower, and Mariani worked closely with the actor by Franco’s request. The two collaborated in order to produce a faithful, inspiring adaptation of the life and essence of Hart Crane, a troubled yet talented Depression-era poet from New York, who committed suicide at age 32.

“I’ve been walking [ James] through Brooklyn and Manhattan,” he says. “We toured locations because he wanted to know, for example, ‘What was the bar scene

like in America in the 1920s? Or a cafe in Paris in the 1920s? Or what was it like being in Mexico in 1932?’

It’s been fun.”

Mariani says that filming began in October of last year and Franco finished by February of 2011. Franco shot The Broken Tower, which is in black and white, wherever he could get the feeling of the 1920s, with locations ranging from Pennsylvania to Paris.

A screening of the film will take place on the BC campus April 15 in Robsham Theater, followed by a question-and-answer session with Mariani, who will be accompanied

by Franco.

The lucky few from BC that will watch The Broken Tower this month may even be surprised to see a familiar faculty face in the film. “[James] asked if I would play a small part in the film, and I said I would, and so in December I dressed up as the photographer Alfred Stieglitz and played a role opposite Franco in the movie,” Mariani says.

When he is not working on his film project, Mariani plays the role of a passionate, dedicated, and accomplished English professor. At BC, he teaches creative writing courses with a focus on poetry and creative nonfiction, mainly memoir and biography. He is an expert in American poetry and poetics of the 20th century and also teaches seminars on acclaimed poets such as Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, and T.S Eliot. Mariani also instructs students in Irish and British poetry, and he is offering a new course called God and the Imagination.

“I love teaching poetry and its intersection with the religious imagination,” he says. “My role in the classroom is to make difficult work more accessible to our students, and to help them understand why literature and art should make such a profound difference in the quality of their lives, as something they will return to again and again over their lifetimes.”

He has also written 16 books,

including six books of poetry and five biographies, four of which were about American poets. His latest biography was about a Jesuit poet named Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Mariani’s passion for literature and learning flourished in his undergraduate days at Manhattan College in New York City. The eldest of seven children, he was the first collegebound member of his family. He admits that it was his mentors, not his fraternity, that constitute his favorite college memories. “The truth is, what excited me most were the professors and the knowledge they could give me – it was free, and it was a way of getting out [into the life I wanted],” he says. “Those professors gave me the knowledge that they accumulated all their lives and it’s what made me want to be a professor myself.”

Mariani’s first job was at UMassAmherst, where he worked for 32 years, before coming to BC. With his wife Eileen of 48 years, he has three sons, each of whom now teaches, which is a testament to how inspiring Mariani truly is. When he is not working, Mariani enjoys gardening, playing with his five grandchildren, and traveling the world. He plans to visit Spain this summer with his wife and “follow in the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Loyola.”

When he is on the Heights, Mariani can be found at St. Mary’s Chapel, his favorite spot on campus. “It’s the place I get my greatest consolation,” he says. “My other favorite place on campus is anywhere I can find my students.”

For a man that has achieved such great success in his life, Mariani is still learning: “One of the things I learned about Franco was just how focused he is,” he says. “He doesn’t waste his time with the same things as younger kids. He knows what he wants and he makes it a reality. Some of my best students are focused, and they have a dream, and they will make it reality.

You know, it really is work hard, play hard.” Certainly, for Mariani, all the hard work has truly paid off. n

Unexpectedly encountering religion in a foreign place Iulia Padeanu I had many expectations for my semester in the south of France. I expected to eat a lot of pastries, which I did. I expected to fall in love, which of course never happens when you expect it. I also expected to struggle with the language, which I did at first. But I never expected to begin to question my faith and spirituality, or lack there of, while eating goat cheese and gorging on pain au chocolat. But I did. I could not say when and where I started thinking about God, about religion, and how it all fits in my life, but I do remember sitting in a small, pretty little church in Odense, Denmark, contemplating my role in this world. What is the point of it all? Is there a point? I laughed a little, thinking about all the people before me and all the people after me that have and will continue to contemplate the so-called “meaning of life.” Nevertheless, here I was, alone, far away from anything and everything I knew, contemplating the meaning of my own life.

During a train ride to Marseille, I picked up a copy of The New Testament, a small, pocket-sized version my friend had with her for homework. My friend Sofia, an ardent Catholic, had always been the person I had asked questions to: why is it that we have built these churches to honor God, when he asks us to pray in private? Why do you believe that sex before marriage is bad? How is it that Christian sinners who repent go to heaven, but honest, good Jews or Muslims are condemned to hell simply for living their lives a different way? Those and a million more questions began rushing through my head as I started reading Matthew.

Sofia, while strong in her faith, naturally didn’t have all the answers I was looking for. I doubt anyone will, but I realized I needed to keep asking. Soon, I started marking passages I needed to discuss; I marked passages I liked, passages I disagreed with, and passages that were obscure and I needed more explanation to understand.

Back in Montpellier, where my home is for the semester, I spoke to a friend, a boy who had lived most of his life in Togo, Africa, and was raised by missionary parents. I ended up in McDonald’s, the only place open on Sundays in France, sitting at a table with Brian and another girl, discussing faith, God and what it meant to us. I started by asking what faith meant for each of them, and explained that I was at best Agnostic. It would be unfair and incorrect for me to call myself a Christian. I was baptized, I have gone to church, and I know that deep down I do believe in a divinity, but to me,

Christianity is not something you can only do half way. If I was, as Brian said many times, to receive Jesus Christ as my savior, and become a true Christian, there are many things I would need to change about myself and my life, things I do not consider wrong, things I would never want to change.

The afternoon went very smoothly.

I asked my questions, which they were more than happy and willing to answer. They were gracious and excited to speak about their faith.

However, Brian’s last words troubled me. I had made it clear that I was there to ask questions, to do nothing more than question, and I was not ready to commit. At the end I was as far as I had ever been to accepting Christianity fully. The journey ahead of me was long, and I am not sure I ever will be able to accept Jesus as my savior. But Brian made it clear, that while a life of questioning can be almost meaningful, ultimately, he warned me, the only people that are able to attain ultimate salvation are those who accept Jesus. I thanked them both for their time and went back home. I opened up my journal, that had previous entries mostly centered on food, boys, and travel, and began writing about God. At one point in our discussion I asked Brian how his life would change if we were able to prove that there was no God, there was no ultimate salvation, and there was no Heaven. He seemed troubled even by the idea that there might not be a God, and said for him, life would not be worth living if there was no ultimate salvation. He would stop living his life the way he does, for there would be not benefit for him in the after life. Here is where I drastically disagree. I have consistently tried to live a life for others. I never really realized that is what I was trying to do, not even while at Boston College. It was only a few months ago, when I seriously begun considering what it is I wanted to do with my life that I realized I need to do something that would help others. I want to go to law school, because I find law interesting. But I want to become a lawyer so I can ultimately help those that cannot defend themselves. Yes, I want to save the world. I know I can’t, but I wish I could. I know my life may not be meaningful enough to make all the world issues disappear – I doubt anyone’s life is that powerful. But I truly believe that I can, in the smallest way, make this world better.

I am interested in Israel because its mixed identity and complex history is fascinating. I want to continue working on issues in Israel because I genuinely want to help. Every day I try to do good, to be good. I try to help, I try to be kind. I try not to get angry. I do not

do those things because ultimately, in the grand scheme it is these little actions that will get me into heaven. I do those things because I would like the same to be done to me, because I am certain that if everyone was a little kinder, a little more thoughtful and giving, the word would be a better place.

That may sound naive, but not more so than working to achieve eternal glory, I think.

At the end of the day whether or not there is a God, the world as we know it today will go on. We will not know, not yet anyway, if there is a God, if there is salvation, if there is a promised Heaven. But what I do know is that the world as I see it has raw beauty and terrible pain. I will try my best to take every day as a gift. And how can I not? I am a 21-year-old, healthy, young woman. I have a strong, beautiful family that has constantly supported me. I have wonderful friends. I have known love, and I have gotten over pain. I have experienced more in my 20 short years than others will have in a lifetime. I live in what is, in my opinion, the greatest country in the world. With all its many flaws, the United States is to me the best place to grow up, to live, and make a home. I have had the chance to be brought up among some of the most kind, giving, and friendly people, during my time in Ireland. I am studying abroad in France. I have traveled the world. I have everything I could possibly want and more. Why would I not wake up every morning and thank God, my parents, and whoever else made this possible? How can I not look at my life and be a thousand times grateful?

And yet at the same time billions of people lack so much of what I have been given. How can I worry about buying clothes, when most people lack food? I appreciate what I have, and am also grateful and humbled but what I have been given. Whether there is a God or not, the fact is that people suffer, people will continue suffering, and if this life is all that we have been given, even if I had concrete proof that God did not exist, I would not change the way I live my life. I would work more ardently perhaps to ease the pain of at least one person, to make our experience on this earth even a fraction better, for if there is no greater purpose to our life, I would like to think I made the most of what I was given. And so unlike Brian, I would like to think that God sees that as my ultimate goal, that he understands that my work is not against him, but rather I have found my own way to get closer to him, to serve him.

I have been in churches throughout Europe. I have seen the Vatican, looked up to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

I have knelt down in Sacre Coeur, and have pondered the meaning of life in churches from Spain to Prague. I have felt every now and again the presence of something bigger, but most of the time I have been disillusioned. I could never understand the purpose of all that luxury, of all that excess and what almost felt like greed. While people die in Africa, we build golden domes to get closer to God. Why? As for myself, I feel closer to God wearing my pajamas, sitting in my room, my eyes closed, and my heart open. It is in those moments I try to open my heart and my mind to God, to the possibility of God, that is within me and outside of me, the possibility of this divinity that ties us

all together. I may never become a true Christian, I may never truly believe in God, or Jesus, or the idea of the divinity – not in the way Brian does. But I will not cease to try to do good, to help, to live my life for others because I am not certain of salvation. At the end of the day I hope God looks down and sees my life, my work, and my essence, and decides whether my soul is worth salvation based on works and my deeds, rather than my acceptance of a certain religion.

Iulia Padeanu is a Guest Columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com

Mollie Kolosky \ Heights Photo Illustration

The Heights

B8

the real world

Taking responsibility Dan Friedman The economist Milton Friedman was once asked if he considered himself a conservative. Instead of taking the word to mean someone who aligned themselves with the political right (which, for the most part, he did), he responded to the question by using the actual, dictionary definition of the word.

Conservatives, he said, were people who wanted to conserve things, or keep them the same. According to Friedman, “The people who call themselves liberals today, the New Dealers, they are the true conservatives because they want to keep going on the same path we’re going on.” He called himself a liberal, in the true sense of liberal, in the sense in which it means of and pertaining to freedom.

When Friedman spoke of “the same path we’re going on,” he was referring to the vast expansion of government powers. With regard to whose ideology seems to have won the day, it’s pretty clear that the liberals – Friedman’s “conservatives” – have succeeded in that fight.

How unfortunate for this country.

I love America. At times it seems like an irrational love, a starstruck love, the type I would equate to feeling toward one’s biggest role model. My friends often tease me, pointing out that I wasn’t born in America, and as a measly resident alien, I can’t even vote.

But perhaps that’s the point. There is an appreciation for this country that comes from having lived in other countries. My father’s eyes glaze over to this day, when he speaks of the wonders of this country, and my experiences growing up, versus his experiences in South Africa.

One might also think of Ayn Rand, and her steadfast devotion to a country that allowed her in and was courageous enough to allow the proliferation of her views, unlike communist Russia.

I say unfortunate for this country because I believe passionately that freedom pertains to the individual. And yet, for the last 50 years, we have seen government expanding and reaching into nearly every facet of our lives. This movement culminated with the recent passage of Obamacare, which includes a tax on indoor tanning, and for a time was going to force companies to file 1099 reports for any expense over $600.

I picked these two measures because they are representative of the two main issues I have with our government. First, the indoor tanning tax. As a moral issue, this closely relates to that of making all drugs illegal – which is to say the government should not have the right to legislate against personal choice in engaging in risky behavior.

Yes, unlike drugs, people still have the right to go indoor tanning, but one can’t help but feel our representatives on the hill decided indoor tanning was dangerous, and chose to tax it as a disincentive. Thanks, federal government, but I think Americans can assess risks just fine on their own, and maybe if you weren’t in a perpetual state of expansion, you wouldn’t need to tax random industries to fund your programs.

The second measure, which is actually being repealed with bipartisan support, shows what happens when massive legislation is rammed through congress on a slim majority. Such an affront on businesses, hidden in a healthcare bill, is stifling to innovation – the key reason America has traditionally been so strong.

These are nitty-gritty specifics, however, and not ultimately my main point.

The real problem this country faces is a sad lack of politicians ready to take real responsibility. Too many, on both sides of the political spectrum, allow reelection to take priority over an actual solution to our problems. We have a few, like Governor Chris Christie, and even Representative Barney Frank, whose policies I don’t agree with, but who is at least willing to stick by his guns over a reelection bid.

This is a big, resilient country, which, as I have already acknowledged, I love dearly. And for every argument, there are a million intelligent counter-arguments that one could make. But I still cannot help but feel Friedman so accurately and succinctly summed up what makes this country great, and what it continues to need. It needs liberals – not Rahm Emanuel or Nancy Pelosi or Rachel Maddow – but accountable politicians, concerned with freedom of the individual, ready to scale back the size of government.

Unfortunately, with the likes of Obama and Trump as presidential candidates, I won’t be holding my breath.

Dan Friedman is a Staff Columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com

Monday, April 4, 2011

humor

The three types of people you’d hate to meet in class Dear Dean Garza, If the way to a man’s stomach is through his heart, then the way to the dean of an NCAA Division I school’s heart must be through football.

As you know, this coming fall, referZak Jason ees will begin not only penalizing excessive end zone celebrations, they will revoke entire touchdowns for gloating. (Gone are the days when a man could dry hump an upright in peace.

A travesty, I know.) In light of this development, the University should amend its policies to keep “academic dry humpers” in line through equally sharp consequences.

Reform should include penalizing the following types of students: 1. The guy who asks an onslaught of questions each class for the sake of appearing intelligent or smarmy, but in reality stalls discussion and provokes the rest of the class to fantasize about publicly castrating him in O’Neill Plaza. Every class has at least one person from this mutant breed of student. The kid who will ask, “Can we really trust Kant here? Can we trust anyone who’s never slept with a woman?” The student who will ask a professor’s opinion on Libyan politics in the midst of a neuroscience class.

Proposed policy: If any student asks

a deliberately ego-driven question, the professor can ask embarrassing questions about the student’s personal life in front of the class. Honesty and forthrightness will be graded.

2. The student who wastes 15 minutes of class inquiring about the “format” of the midterm. Will there be four or five options on the multiple choice portion of the test, because that, like, makes a big difference?

I didn’t even have time to finish the last exam, and that makes me hyperventilate and vomit on my roommate’s pajamas until I get the grade back, so could you make sure we all get to finish it this time?

How do you see the balance between inclass material and outside reading on the exam? (Translation: My parents bought me $345 worth of books for this class, but I haven’t opened any. Can you just tell me that the exam will only cover lecture slides posted online so I can (a) drain more of my parents’ money by printing each individual slide and more importantly (b) brag to my friends that I aced the midterm without even skimming a single page of the book because my professor is a complete joke and therefore I’m on my way to raking in some sweet, sweet dough at that investment banking firm while all of my friends who want to “challenge” themselves with classes that actually demand reading will end up working on commission at Oliver Peoples, which is where I’ll buy my sunglasses each season?) Will the jumbo pencil I bought at the Taylor Hicks wax museum read on a Scantron because it’s become

somewhat of a good luck charm (a.k.a. I had it in my pocket while I was making out with that girl who makes pizzas in Addie’s) and I only think I can do well on this exam with it? We all hear variations of these questions one class prior to a major exam.

And they’re all silly because (a) the syllabus answers most of these questions and (b) if you’ve studied, the fact that some multiple choice questions may include an “all of the above” option will not completely warp your grade.

Proposed policy: Should anyone badger a professor with inane “format” questions, the student should have to complete the exam with a 17th century fountain pen, and

be graded on penmanship.

3. Students who use class time to stalk people they like on Facebook.

Proposed policy: The professor will project the profiles of the stalked people on Facebook and fellow classmates will have the opportunity to publicly weigh in on the chances the student has with these men or women.

Best, Zak Jason

Zak Jason is a Senior Staff Columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com

courtesy of www.paper.li.com

he said, she said I think my roommate’s boyfriend is emotionally abusive. He’ll start fights with her and call her terrible things, and then the next day he apologizes and wants to take her out to dinner. It’s been going on for months now and it’s been really hard for the whole room to see her go through these ups and downs. It’s not like I think she’s in physical danger, but this needs to stop. What can I do?

- Dangerously in love One of the toughest things to do in regards to this is identify a truly emotionally abusive relationship, because, believe it or not, they are more common than you would think. You might often find yourself justifying it by saying something along the lines of, “That’s just the way they are” when you see them fighting. In reality however, Alex Trautwig this can often signify an unhealthy relationship. That of course, is not to say that any relationship with fighting is unhealthy, it’s quite normal, but there is a difference and I’d venture that many people would be able to identify the difference. I definitely have known a few couples with this problem and I think many people on campus could say the same thing. Often characterized by bouts of very serious fighting followed by times of extreme romanticism, these relationships not only hurt both people involved, but also their friends and family who have to be there constantly to comfort the people in the relationship. I’d like to think that a healthy relationship is more like a river; there are smooth parts, rough parts with rapids, and often forks with diverging paths. An emotionally abusive relationship however, is more like a roller coaster with high speeds, steep elevation changes, and loops. The best thing you can do as a friend, once you’ve decided that this is a bad relationship to be in, is to confront your friend about it and explain what you’ve noticed, why you think it’s wrong, and how you can help them to move on.

Being a good friend is a 24/7 job, and although it might take some effort on your part to help them get over this relationship and move on, in the end it will benefit everyone. Additionally, at first your friend might be frustrated or annoyed that you’ve brought this up to them, but it’s your job to point out specific examples to help demonstrate your reasoning and hopefully make them understand where you’re coming from. Also, there’s nothing wrong with bringing in a friend or two to help with the process. It sounds like an intervention, and I suppose in a way you could see it that way, but regardless, the goal is the same: to help a friend.

Alex Trautwig is an Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com

Let me start with this: If you feel that your roommate is ever in any physical danger, don’t hesitate to contact BCPD immediately. That being said, I have to say how important this question is. As a community, we don’t address these issues of emotional and physical abuse enough. C.A.R.E. Week did a great job of bringing many of these issues to light, but we shouldn’t ever lose Julia Wilson sight of how common these issues of abuse unfortunately are at Boston College. Physical violence shouldn’t be the only issue that gets our attention; you’re right to be concerned about your friend in this situation. The idea that this is an issue that only affects your roommate and her boyfriend is wrong. It’s in the best interest of all involved to end this abusive relationship as soon as possible. The best thing that you can do for your friend right now is to continue to listen to her. Ending this destructive relationship may be somewhat easier if she knows that she has supportive roommates who will help her through the breakup. Now it’s time for some serious honesty. Even though it may at first feel awkward to point out her boyfriend’s abusive tendencies, tough love is what she needs. Sometimes your friends are able to see things for what they truly are. It could be that she realizes that the relationship is unhealthy but just doesn’t know how to end it. Whether or not she gets mad at you in the short-term is irrelevant. As long as you get involved with the good intention of helping your friend, you’re in the right. In the meantime, get acquainted with all the resources that are available at BC for your friend aside from the support that you and your roommates have to offer. The Women’s Resource Center is a great place to start. You might also want to encourage her to take advantage of the free and confidential counseling services available to all students. This is going to be a tough process; it’s going to take your roommate a while to fully get over this relationship. Even though it’s going to be hard, there’s strength in numbers.

It’s time for you and your roommates to actively confront this issue and band together in support of your friend.

Julia Wilson is a Senior Staff Writer for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com

how-to

(Not) properly crash a typical upperclassman party Brendan Kneeland I didn’t have much experience crashing parties as a freshman and sophomore.

Naturally, I was always invited. (It is truly a blessing and a curse to be as popular around campus as I am.) As a rising senior, however, I think I’ve seen my fair share of shenanigans in my day. Hosting parties and being on the receiving end of sometimes shocking, sometimes surprisingly clever, strategies for getting in, I figured I would share a few “do’s” and “don’ts” with the classes of ’13 and ’14.

Note: Most of this advice is based on either my experience or the experience of a reliable source/good friend. I totally made up the rest of it. And a lot of this touches on personal pet peeves I have, but I think everyone can relate to at least a few of these.

Don’t act like you own the place.

Confidence is obviously key, but don’t walk into a room and start making these demands: “Hey, where’s the alc at?” “Yo bro, where the chicks?” “Hey, chief, is this room empty? Me and my girl need a little privacy….” You might end up taking that long walk back to Upper Campus, and you’d totally deserve it. And don’t call me bro, bro. Just last night, I was stampeded by a horde of freshman Ugg boots, and

an unnamed girl just started sucking faces with an unnamed guy in the middle of our party. Cool. We’re happy to have you.

Don’t poop in my bathroom. This is directed mostly at guys. Mostly. I’ve heard stories, ladies – you know who you are. I am disappointed and spiritually disturbed that I have to explain this to a group of people that seem to put so much time and effort into their appearance, but I guess I do. Are you serious?

Have some dignity. Have some self-respect. Have someone tell you where the public restroom is. I’ve never met you before. The starting point is me assuming I will kick you out, and you have to prove to me that it would be better if you stayed. So start by keeping it clean, folks.

Act natural. It’s the simplest, most cliched piece of advice ever given in the history of forever, yet whenever people – especially underclassmen – try to enter a place they know they shouldn’t be, it turns into a Black Ops mission in Vietnam. They either go into complete stealth mode, steal some alcohol, and leave, or stand awkwardly next to a wall and pretend to enjoy themselves. Because nothing says, “I totally know everyone and really enjoy your company,” like standing next to a beige wall and saying nothing for two hours. I did that once as

a freshman, and I will say it is the longest, most painful two hours of your life. I would rather listen to Rebecca Black on a loop for that amount of time than endure that crushing awkwardness again.

If you’re a girl, don’t assume you can just waltz right in and act like the queen has arrived. If there’s one thing that bothers me more than anything else, it’s a girl who shows up to my place and acts like she’s doing me a favor by being there.

You are not automatically the center of the universe once you come through the door. Sure, more likely than not I would love to get to know you. And obviously the dreaded “sausage-fest” is a fate worse than death at this point in my college career. But don’t act like this is some sort of weird reverse-charity type of deal where I let you in and you act annoyed that people are talking to you. In short, ladies, to quote Charlie Sheen, “Park your nonsense.” But I digress.

Be creative. It doesn’t take much, just say you know “Mike” or “Jess,” and they’ll know you know … well, someone. One of the best strategies I’ve heard so far was from a friend of mine. He changed his friend’s name in his phone to “Jess” (they got the name from the outside door), had that friend text him and “invite” him to a party at whatever Mod they were trying to visit, and bam. Instant invite. Welcome

aboard! More and less complicated things have worked, but if you’re creative, you’ll definitely have a great story of either epic success or horrendous (yet memorable) failure.

Gauge the situation. Improvise. If a party looks and feels like an impenetrable fortress of awesome that you simply can’t be a part of, cut your losses and move on.

If you have your heart set on one particular Mod or one particular party and then don’t get in, you’ll be heartbroken beyond repair. If, however, you have an open mind and let the night take you where it will, you might end up somewhere else, but you’ll definitely have a better time.

Better to walk right into a house party than stalk the outer walls of a Mod for four hours like you’re Jack Bauer trying to extract a hostage.

Of course, I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy, and I would personally prefer that anyone who came to any of my parties were invited. But such is life. To remove any confusion in the future, though, let’s just say that if I have a party, and if any of you somehow find my secret hideout on campus, everyone’s invited.

Brendan Kneeland is a Staff Columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com

The Heights

Monday, April 4, 2011

B9

Club Spotlight

Award-winning Jemez provides opportunities for passionate students

By Lauren Gray For The Heights

The Jemez Pueblo Service and Immersion Program was recognized for the first time this year by Boston College for outstanding contribution to the University by an organization with the Ever to Excel Student Leadership Award. For 10 years, the program has been sending BC students to the Jemez Pueblo over spring or winter break. This initial relationship paved the way for the current relation of reciprocity BC has with the Pueblo.

In the past four years, the program has expanded to incorporate the Jemez-toBC immersion experience, which allows students from the Jemez Pueblo to spend a week at BC. The goal of this program is to show these students that college is accessible to them and attending a school like BC is a very viable opinion. The director of education on the Pueblo works in conjunction with the Jemez program and

encourages the students to overcome obstacles they encounter when leaving their tight knit community. The goal is to gain both an education and a cultural experience that can be brought back to and better the Pueblo.

Kevin Schuster, A&S ’11, and Olivia Roome, A&S ’13, were co-coordinators of the Jemez-to-BC program this year and worked with faculty advisor Thomas Kaplan-Maxfield, a professor in the English department, and Dan Ponsetto, director of the Volunteer and Service Learning Center, to make the program possible. While their collaboration was key, Jemez differs from many student groups on campus because it is very much student directed. Though it is Schuster’s second year leading the program and Roome’s first, both became interested in obtaining a leadership position in the program after both hosting Jemez students and taking a trip to the Jemez Pueblo. The connection each developed with their host student allowed them to see that the pro-

gram had great potential. Roome says, “I felt so welcomed by BC my freshman year that I really wanted to extend that feeling of welcome to others.”

While here, the Jemez students journeyed through Boston, walking the Freedom Trail, visiting Fenway Park, and purchasing plenty of souvenirs for their family and friends at home. For most, it was their first time on the east coast while for others the trip to BC was their first time leaving New Mexico. For the rest of the week, they attended classes with their hosts, met with various campus groups, learned about the resources available to them, and ended their stay with a performance of traditional Native American dances. In addition, the students had to opportunity to tour other campuses in the Boston area.

Schuster says, “It was impressive to see how passionate they became about seeing other schools and exploring numerous options and the resources available to them even though some were initially apprehen-

sive about the whole experience.” During the time the students were at BC, they would come together with the BC hosts and reflect periodically. Toward the end of the week, many opened up to the group explaining they could see themselves at a place like BC and had gained the confidence to pursue the goal of going to college.

Roome shared the program’s excitement that, for the first time, some of the students who came from the Pueblo ended up applying to BC. She explained her experience with the program, “It made me realize how fortunate I am. Last year my relationship to Jemez was through the student I hosted but leading it this year gave me a broader perspective and the importance of the reciprocity and community-building aspects became apparent.”

Schuster also felt the program’s great impact, “I’ve made tremendous relationships [through the program] with people from both Jemez and BC. I’ve had many educational opportunities and I feel that

a program like this levels the playing ground in regards to educational inequality.” He was impressed that east coast college students and students from a Native American pueblo in the southwest United States would be able to meet on a common ground despite their very different cultural upbringings.

Both Schuster and Roome say they were thrilled and honored that the entire Jemez Pueblo Service and Immersion Program was recognized by the University and given the Ever to Excel Award. Although the Jemez-to-BC program is new and innovative they credit the original BC-to-Jemez program with allowing the BC-Jemez relationship to thrive. Schuster pointed to Megan Quick, A&S ’11, and Greg Epps, A&S ’11, who led the trip to Jemez this year, as integral members of the Jemez family, because, as Schuster likes to put it, “It is due to the students who go out there [to Jemez] that minds and doors have been open between the two communities.” n

The desire to stay fit has its positives and negatives for students Plex, from B10 that concern.”

It is no surprise that body image ranks high in the minds of BC students. At any time throughout the day, the Plex will be teeming with people and sweat. A rumor has also been circulating claiming that the Plex has limitations on the number of visits a person can make within a day.

This is also not true. John Pagliarulo, associate athletics director from Campus Recreation, says that there is no reason to turn someone away, “Not if they have a membership or if they have a BC ID. Or they can pay the daily guest fee. There is unlimited access,” Pagliarulo says. He says that the check-in person would have to deliberately look up someone by name to see if they had visited the Plex that day already. And with people using

the Plex for workouts, group sports, and employment, there are plenty of reasons for someone to check into the Plex multiple times a day.

Although, there are causes for worry on particular occasions, and Plex–aholics should be aware of the dangers they face.

“While including exercise on most days is important to health, too much exercise can be unhealthy if the individual finds that any of these situations occur: failing to properly fuel themselves, consistently missing out on socializing/other life activities and commitments in order to fit in exercise, feeling irritable/guilty/anxious when exercise is skipped. It is easy to hide excessive exercise habits because of the social acceptability of being very active,” Tucker said in an e-mail.

From the Plex’s point of view, there is a great deal of benefits to be received

from regular activity, which is unsurprising. “Obviously, particularly for the younger population, one of the benefits of exercise is they tend to do better in school because they are more focused and they are confident. Most people want to think they look well, I don’t think that manifests itself in a bad way.

It doesn’t seem to be the case,” Pagliarulo says. Also, the students’ commitment to exercise can be looked at as an exemplary quality for a school. “The student body is well-rounded and active. They excel in school, extracurricular activities, and want to take care of their health. That is a huge positive part of the culture we see here,” Pagliarulo says. “We are exposing students at such a young age to so many different forms of exercise,” says Lauren Scheinfeldt, assistant director of Fitness and Wellness for the Plex. She also

praised BC’s facilities. “The programs are all so great,” Scheinfeldt says. “I have worked at very high-end gyms all over the country and we have the same exact stuff.”

Exercise also provides a great way for students to socialize and gain confidence. “I think it’s very positive. It’s a good social outlet. It’s how people meet each other,” Scheinfeldt says. “People love working out here. They come to the classes. They are learning a lot about themselves and how to take care of themselves better.”

To address the negative effects of the fitness culture that exists here at BC, the faculty has an institutional plan to educate, prevent, and assist. “BC has made an increased institutional commitment to health and wellness with the development of the new Office of

Health Promotion, which will function as a clearinghouse and marketplace for all the wellness efforts on campus that are targeted to the student population,” Tucker said in an e-mail. Additionally, Scheinfeldt says, “We have a wellness seminar free of charge open to everybody, every month.” These seminars are aimed at educating the student body about a different issue every month, from skin cancer, to the effects of getting too little sleep, and heart health. These seminars feature a guest speaker and seem to be a big success.

As long as BC continues its mission to educate the student body and to make sure people are properly taking care of themselves, we can help dispel these negative myths that pin BC as a school filled with exercise-crazed and self absorbed students. n

Working with World Water Relief is special for Seidl and Douglas Water Relief, from B10 impacted by his education in the classroom, because he certainly was. While an undergraduate at BC, Douglas participated in the PULSE program, volunteering alongside Seidl at a rehabilitation center for HIV positive adults. “We talked to the patients, became their friends, and learned a lot about what life is all about,” he says.

Life at BC absolutely put Douglas on the path toward his work at World Water Relief, through personal connections, service experiences, and international immersion.

Douglas says that current students can make a difference in the world and contribute to the World Water Relief ’s cause even while they are on campus. “In America, people hear negative press about Haiti, and, after one year, people think that nothing there has changed,” he says.

Douglas says that the most important thing students can do is learn about what is really going on, and inform themselves and others. “We need to see things with the longterm picture in mind, and hold out hope for Haiti,” he says. “There are a lot of good things being done there.”

World Water Relief is very much involved with the good being done in Haiti, and though it is a small organization, it is impacting the lives of many. While they have thought of expanding to other countries, World Water Relief wants to ensure that they can continue to sustain the communities they are currently assisting. “We have employees who we’re developing relationships with, and we’re not quite at the expansion stage yet,” Douglas

says. He adds that these local employees are the key to World Water Relief ’s success. “We couldn’t do much without those guys down there,” Douglas says.

Haiti, in particular, faces unique challenges, as the organization went from doing long-term work to emergency relief, and then back to long-term work. “It’s hard to find your stride, and [it] really comes down to those Haitian employees. We’re so proud of how hard they work,” Douglas says.

With their positions at World Water Relief, Seidl and Douglas are both able to find balance by doing meaningful work that changes lives. After learning about the Jesuit ideal of men and women for others, they embraced St. Ignatius’ message and chose a field in which they are constantly assisting the less fortunate. They do not see this as a sacrifice, however, and Douglas speaks about his work at World Water Relief with passion and excitement.

The organization itself mirrors this balance attained by Seidl and Douglas as individuals. As a young company characteristic of the current generation, it has a constantly updated Facebook page and Twitter account.

Witty posts, such as “Water: the main ingredient of the Karate Kid,” are alongside links to informative articles and bits of thought-provoking information, like the fact that “more people in today’s world have cell phones than toilets.”

World Water Relief and the individuals working for it are dedicated to a serious, challenging cause, yet, through a passion for the work and a genuine enthusiasm, they make this work a source of hope and joy, rather than a burden. n

Photo courtesy of World Water Relief

The members of the World Water Relief team work to provide aid to those in Haiti affected by a number of hardships

Campus Chronicles

Sometimes, sharing isn’t caring and definitely not fun Alexandra Schaeffer Freshman year is full of bonding experiences.

Everyone lives in traditional style housing, which means that we all live in long halls in singles, doubles, triples, or quads on either Upper or Newton campus. This living arrangement is most conducive to forming friendships. With doors wide open, especially at the beginning of the year, and people constantly walking around the floor, everybody gets an opportunity to meet their neighbors, get to know them, and possibly even become great friends. All of this bonding stems from the one overlying concept of sharing. Freshman year requires sharing everything. Everyone brushes their teeth in the same bathroom, studies in the same basement lounge, crowds onto the same tiny bed to watch Glee, drinks from the same cups, and eats at the same tables. All of these experiences are great for forming lasting relationships. However, there is a very pervasive downside to it all. On top of everything else, everyone is sharing germs.

About the third week of September, one person on the hall came down with a slight cold somehow, and before anyone had even unpacked

their tissues, we all seemed to have the same ailment. For most people, it never really becomes that debilitating. It was just the same persistent sniffling throughout the fall semester. There came a point where everyone felt a little bit better, and hopes were falsely raised into thinking that the worst had passed. Yet soon thereafter some girl’s boyfriend from out of town stopped by with “a slight cold” and everybody was back in the trenches, giving up hope of every waking up in the morning with the ability to breathe through our noses.

At home for winter break in the safety of my own house, I rediscovered that, miraculously, it was possible to live life without a tissue box tied to my waist. I even fell into the dangerous territory of thinking that I had somehow worked through my sickness quota for the year, and looked forward to returning to BC. However, second semester of freshman year proved to play out in almost parallel fashion to first semester. As if on schedule, three weeks in, I woke up with that threatening tickle in my throat that served as an all-too-familiar omen for what was to come. It seemed that everyone on my floor was experiencing this. Just as I casually dropped this information to the girls in the

bathroom that morning while brushing my teeth, several others admitted to experiencing “cold-like symptoms.” In most situations this would not be the cause for terror that it is in a freshman residence hall, but with the constant sharing of literally everything, once one person gets sick everyone does. It just keeps circling around and around until we all leave campus for an extended period of time.

Unfortunately, in situations like this, going to the infirmary doesn’t really help. After much pressure from my mother who was concerned because every time I talked to her on the phone I sounded “terrible,” I relented to getting checked out at University Health Services.

However, because this persistent cold is not a serious ailment that requires antibiotics, there isn’t much that they can do to help the situation. It’s more effort than it’s worth, considering that you have to call the day ahead to make the appointment. Once you finally do get there all they can really give you is some salt packets for gargling, pain relievers, and head cold medicine.

It is at this point that I had to call my mom and tell her that she better get used to hearing me sound “terrible” on the phone because this cold isn’t going anywhere.

Despite this physical struggle freshman year has put me through, it’s definitely worth it. Some of my best friends are the people that initially shared their germs with me at the beginning of the year. I will be living in an eight-man suite next year, and though I’m definitely excited for the new living situation, a piece of me will miss the communal aspect of traditional style living.

I won’t have ten girls to talk to in the bathroom while someone plays music on her laptop for the girls who are showering, 15 of us won’t all crowd into someone’s tiny double and pretend to watch the Super Bowl while really just gossiping, and there will no longer be the excitement and fear of blindly attending some RA-sponsored event with all the girls on my hall. It’s strange to think that next year I won’t run into the same faces that I’ve grown used to seeing walk around my building, dining hall, and floor. I’m really glad that I got to meet the people I did in all these communal situations this year, even if my health suffered because of it.

Alexandra Schaeffer is a Staff Columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights. com

B4

features The Heights

Monday, February 7, 2011

B10

Monday, April 4, 2011

Time to hit up the Plex

By Therese Tully Heights Editor

Health, fitness, and wellness, are all things of particular i Health, fitness, and wellness are all things of particular interest to the Boston College community. With the existence of the stereotype that BC students are extremely fit, even to unhealthy levels, prompting the coining of “Plex-aholics,” it’s important to investigate the real facts, such as the truth that there is no data that links BC with a higher rate of eating disorders. Whether in the form of rumors or valid facts, the fitness and health culture at BC is widely spoken about, praised, and criticized.

Sheila Tucker, executive dietitian at Auxiliary Services, and part-time

faculty in the Connell School of Nursing (CSON), offers factual support to disprove the rumors that BC has an abnormally high percentage of people battling eating disorders or workout addictions. “We have no data that tells us that BC has a larger population of students diagnosed with eating disorders than other colleges or universities,” Tucker says, in an e-mail. “That is an unfounded rumor with a life of its own that has been circulating for years like the one that the salad bar is sprayed with something to boost the calorie intake of those who eat salad all the time. Imagine! We do know from a student survey that students consider issues of body image to be a concern on this campus, but we have no data to compare ourselves with other universities regarding

See Plex, B99

mollie kolosky \ heights photo illustration

BC alumni channel Jesuit spirit through work with World Water Relief

By Marye Moran

For The Heights

When thinking of limited resources, oil, gas, and certain metals, plastics, or other substances thrown in the recycling bin come to mind. But water? Aside from the high costs of a bottle of SmartWater from the dining hall, it seems to be one of the most accessible substances. Without thinking twice, water flows to the surface with the push of a button or the twist of a nozzle.

World Water Relief, an Atlanta-based organization focusing on water purification and hygiene education, however, recognizes that the United States is the exception, not the rule. Founded in 2008, the group brings water purification systems to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Beginning with just a few board members traveling with small, portable, solar-powered water purification systems, the group first worked exclusively in the Dominican Republic, and later expanded to Haiti, The program grew from there, and partnered with USAID and the mayor of Mirebalais, a rural town, to initiate a clean water program for the area, utilizing both the filters themselves and education.

Since their focus is on sustainability, the equipment to distribute clean water is supplemented with education campaigns that highlight the importance of washing hands, understanding the signs and causes of cholera, and determining whether water is safe to drink. Two recent Boston College graduates, Tim Douglas and Ben Seidl, both BC ’08, currently work for World Water Relief, and are using what they learned at BC to do their work.

After graduating with a major in political science and a minor in faith, peace, and justice, Douglas did not take the conventional route of finding a suit-and-tie job in New York or Boston.

Instead, he chose to work at a bilingual school in Honduras. After studying abroad his junior year in Ecuador as part of a program combining coursework with community service, he realized his passion for international service. “In college, studying abroad was a great experience, and after graduation I knew I wanted to continue to travel,

learn languages, and give back at the same time,” Douglas says.

Seidl, who has been Douglas’ friend since they met while living on Newton Campus during their freshman year, was working at World Water Relief in 2009, when he invited Douglas to join the cause. Douglas volunteered on a trip to Haiti that year, and joined the organization’s full time staff in 2010 as the education coordinator for their Haiti project.

Installing the actual purification systems turns out to be the easy part of the job for World Water Relief, and Douglas’ main duties involve teaching people how to use the system and how to improve general hygiene.

“Most schools never had soap and water, so people just don’t think to wash their hands,” Douglas says. “It takes time to change a behavior.”

In an effort to change such behaviors, Douglas develops the curriculum for a Saturday health and hygiene club in coordination with three local schools, where students are invited to learn about personal hygiene. Alongside this instruction, free English classes are offered to the students. “The English lessons are what gets them to come,” Douglas says.

Though water supply is the immediate issue addressed by World Water Relief, the interconnectedness of problems in developing nations like Haiti enables the group to branch out toward other areas of need. A chain effect follows as multiple facets of peoples’ lives are affected by their efforts. “Once these Haitians are educated in English, they have better access to jobs and can be real leaders in their community, real role models for the kids there,” Douglas says.

Though he did not originally set out to be a teacher, because of all his work in Haiti, Douglas now sees an education degree in his future. “I’ve seen how education is key in improving areas around the world,” he says. “I probably learned more in my experiences abroad, both in Ecuador and in the past few years, than I did through my classes.”

That is not to say, however, that he was not See Water Relief, B9

i nside FEATUR ES this issue

Jemez Pueblo Service and Immersion Program

Mostly student-run program is honored with award for its outstanding contribution to Boston College. B9

Courtesy of World Water Relief

Humor Column.................................B8 Campus Chronicles.........................B9