The Heights April 4, 2016

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THE BOP! AWAKENS

FITZY FRENZY

FEATURES

ARTS & REVIEW

SPORTS

Conference comes at crossroads of healthcare and humanities, A10

Robsham saw the return of the bOp! this last Friday night, B8

The brothers Fitzgerald are right at the heart of BC’s National Championship chase, B1

BEATING HEARTS

www.bcheights.com

HE

established

The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Monday, April 4, 2016

Vol. XCVII, No. 17

UGBC Elections <<<

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JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Russell Simons and Meredith McCaffrey won the election with 1,137 votes, 442 more than the second place campaign team.

9P K8PCFI JK% ><ID8@E 8jjk% E\nj <[`kfi The Elections Committee announced Friday evening that Russell Simons, MCAS ’17, and Meredith McCaffrey, MCAS ’17, will be the 2016-17 Undergraduate Government of Boston College president and executive vice president. Simons and McCaffrey received 1137 votes, 442 votes above Matthew Ulrich, MCAS ’17, and John Miotti’s, MCAS ’17, team. Nikita Patel, CSOM ’17, and Joseph Arquillo’s, LSOE ’17, team came in third place with 668 total votes. Patel and Arquillo’s team was docked 70 votes because of unsolicited Facebook messages concerning the election, Adam Rosenbloom, co-chair of the Elections Committee and MCAS ’16, said. “I think the students got a good opportunity to hear a bunch of different ideas and really good ideas from very different teams,” Simons said. Both Simons and McCaffrey have been a part of UGBC in the past. Simons currently serves as vice president of student organizations in UGBC, while McCaffrey is a member of the Senate. Simons and McCaffrey, whose cam-

paign slogan was “Strength in Unity,” focused their campaign on three goals: quality, inclusivity, and accessibility. Simons and McCaffrey hope to focus on day-to-day improvements for BC student life, while also continuing their support for diversity and inclusion programs on campus. The duo also hopes to increase the transparency of UGBC in the coming year. “Going forward, we hope to engage the other candidates in greater conversation about how to accomplish our respective goals for next year, since we hope this will allow students to be more informed in their voting,” Simons said in an email. “We believe in our mission of ‘Strength in Unity,’ and are excited to continue sharing our ideas with the entire student body.” Ulrich and Miotti’s campaign would have worked to increase school spirit through different programming events, and they also wanted to increase conversation about mental health on campus. Patel and Arquillo’s team wanted to focus on financial aid reform, support for diversity programs, and create a campus

See UGBC, A3

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AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

9P C<@>? :?8EE<CC ?\`^_kj <[`kfi The Undergraduate Government of Boston College passed a resolution to encourage the administration to become more sex-positive, in part by allowing student groups to use funds to distribute sexual education materials or contraceptives. The Student Assembly (SA) debated the issue in its Sunday night meeting. The revised proposal that passed in the SA has two parts: first, the University ought to more publicly disseminate materials regarding sexual assault, and second, student groups should be able to use their own funds to provide contraceptives or materials on sexual education. While its proposal provided no concrete changes for the future of UGBC, Collin Pratt, class of 2017 senator, director of policy for the GLBTQ Leadership Council, and MCAS ’17, said the SA hopes to set a formal state for the institution that provides direction and stance for the future of the advocacy body. The debate opened with a statement from Pratt explaining the mission of the resolution and introducing its operative text. In his formal written proposal,

Pratt stressed that “a large community, if not a majority of the student body” is sexually active and therefore in need of sexual resources, ranging from educational resources, safe spaces for dialogue, and contraception. Following Pratt’s initial presentation of its mission, the proposal’s co-sponsors delivered a statement on the proposal. Both co-sponsors, Meredith McCaffrey, MCAS ’17, and Connor Kratz, MCAS ’18, stressed that this motion did not conflict with the University’s Jesuit ideals. “This is not a debate about whether students should or should not have premarital sex,” Kratz said. “It’s an acknowledgement that it is happening at BC, and that we need to care about those student’s safety.” McCaffrey, the executive vice president-elect, echoed his sentiment, stating that a large part of the Jesuit identity is caring for the whole person. “For a lot of people, that includes sexuality and being able to talk about sexual health,” McCaffrey said. In the me eting , senator Hagop Toghramadijan, MCAS ’17, proposed an amendment to the original resolu-

See Sexual Health, A3

Since April 1, students looking to study on weekend nights have a whole library at their disposal. The Office of Student Affairs and O’Neill Library have begun a pilot program that allows for O’Neill to remain open all night on Fridays and Saturdays. In conjunction with UGBC leadership, this initiative will allow students to study on the first floor of O’Neill over the next three weekends, until the library begins its end-of-semester exam hours. The 24-hour, seven-days-a-week initiative will differ operationally from regular hours. Jim Kreinbring, director

9P 9I@>@; B<CCP =fi k_\ ?\`^_kj Free expression, weight loss, and education for African immigrants were all highlighted at this semester’s BC Talks. Modeled after TED Talks, the event was held Sunday night and featured eight Boston College students who were each given 20 minutes and an open platform to discuss issues that were important to them. Monica Coscia, MCAS ’17, started her talk, “The Deafening Silence: Repression of Free Expression at Universities,” with an introductory quote that set the tone for her speech. “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” Coscia said, quoting Evelyn Beatrice Hall. Coscia discussed the presence of free speech on BC’s campus. She referred to the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines, and highlighted the constitutional rights of

of administrative services in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, said that because only the first floor of O’Neill will be accessible during the pilot weekends, students must enter through the Maloney Hall side of the library in order to gain access. According to Kreinbring , while printers will be available and operational on the library’s first floor, other library services—such as course reserves and headphones—will not. Also, to placate concerns for the safety of students, the study area will be staffed by a security officer between the hours of 10 p.m. and 9 a.m. “The goal is to provide more latenight study space for students on weekend nights—a suggestion that came from UGBC,” Kreinbring said. Caroline Monnes, Senator on the Campus Improvements Committee and MCAS ’19, noted that UGBC began working on this initiative after reading a column published in November in The

Heights, “A Call for Increased Weekend Study Hours and Locations at BC.” The author of the column, Magdalen Sullivan, argues that exams and papers are a weekly occurrence, and so students should have the option to study rather than be forced to deal with noisy dorms. “Right now, the library hours represent a surrender of the University to the social life on campus—an acceptance of bad student habits as opposed to striving to fix it,” Sullivan wrote. “It’s not about active campaigning against drinking on the weekend—it’s about simply giving students the opportunity to opt-out.” Much like Kreinbring, Monnes’ goals with the pilot program focus on keeping students’ best interests in mind. Monnes said that this pilot will give students a quiet space on the weekends away from the noise of dorm rooms

students in public schools to free speech. “Free speech is seen the same as violence, to suppress and fear it,” Coscia said. She challenged the audience to break the silence on issues at BC like the Demonstration Policy and Posting Policy, and to look at the movements UGBC is pushing to change these issues. “There is a certain mode in society that you have to fit in,” Toluwase Oladapo, MCAS ’16, said to start her talk, “The Outer Body Experience: A Talk on Embracing Your Right NOW.” Then, Oladapo spoke about her journey to lose 70 pounds the summer before coming to BC and her mindset and reasoning while losing the weight. She gave three reasons that she originally tried to lose the weight: to be desirable, to stop being bullied, and to satisfy others. Once she came back to BC she gained back more than what she lost. Oladapo realized that her reasoning for losing the weight was

superficial. She kept referring to her “destination happiness.” Now, Oladapo focuses on ignoring society’s mold for women. “If you don’t start in the now, you can never hate yourself to love yourself,” she said. Shalin Mehta, CSOM ’16, began his talk, “Your Network is your Net Worth: Cultivating Relationships and Discerning Your Passion,” by focusing on how everything revolves around relationships. He outlined four major takeaways that he has discovered in developing networks. First, your network is your net worth. Money, grades, and status come and go while relationships are constant. Second, it is never too early to begin making connections, and it will take time. Third, people should ask for help when it comes to relationships. By breaking down the walls of being too proud or too shy, one can develop their strongest self through

See Library, A3

See BC Talks, A10

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THE HEIGHTS

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things to do on campus this week

On Monday, film director Hubert Sauper will be showing his new documentary, We Come as Friends, about colonialism, war, and business in Africa today, in Devlin Hall 101 at 5:30 p.m. A discussion and questionand-answer session will follow.

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Monday, April 4, 2016

Kristin Heyer will talk about contributions that scripture and the Catholic social tradition offer the immigration dialogue on Tuesday. The event, which is sponsored by the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public LIfe, will be held on Tuesday at 12 p.m. on 24 Quincy Rd., Boisi Center.

On Wednesday, Afaa Michael Weaver, a poet and playwright who writes about love and social justice, will talk about his career path at 7 p.m. in Devlin 101. The lecture, which will address Weaver’s childhood poverty, is a part of the Lowell Humanities Series.

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NEWS G9J J\i`\j fe D\ekXc ?\Xck_ :fd\j kf 9: BRIEFS By Sophie Reardon Assoc. News Editor

8cldeX Af`ej 89: E\nj Diane Macedo, BC ’04, will join ABC News as an anchor of World News Now and America This Morning and will be a New York-based correspondent starting today. Macedo previously worked at WCBS in New York, where she covered stories including the death of Eric Garner, the East Village building explosion, the Philadelphia Amtrak derailment, and the WDBJ shooting in Virginia. Prior to working at WCBS, Macedo was a reporter and anchor at the Fox Business Network, as well as an editor for FoxNews.com. Macedo is the daughter of parents who immigrated from Portugal. She has been passionate about news since a young age—she would discuss news of the day at the dinner table and later learned broadcast news at the local program NewTV while studying at BC, according to ABC News.

Gif]% Ni`k\j 8Yflk :c`ekfe Patrick Maney, a history professor, recently published a book titled Bill Clinton: A Gilded Age Presidency. The book traces today’s political divisiveness and polarizing paralysis to the Clinton presidency. “The seeds had been sown in previous decades but didn’t start blooming until the 1990s,â€? Maney said to the OďŹƒce of News and Public Affairs. “This is when Washington politics became a blood sport, with its ‘take no prisoners’ mentality.â€? Maney was drawn to write about Clinton because they are of the same generation. He also wanted to understand why reactions to the Clintons seemed out of proportion to their actions. “Sure, they rubbed a lot of people the wrong way by supporting abortion rights, aďŹƒrmative action, gays in the military, and gender equality,â€? Maney said. “And, of course, stories of the president’s inďŹ delities understandably upset many. Still, most of their views resided safely in the political mainstream.â€? Clinton was one of the most conservative Democrats to occupy the White House due to his economic and fiscal views, Maney said. The former president hailed the end of big government, was more pro-business than pro-labor, presided over deregulation of the telecommunications and banking industries, approved more corporate mergers than Presidents Bush and Reagan combined, embraced his religion, oversaw cuts in welfare, was tough on crime, and had supported the Gulf War before becoming president. Maney believes the Clinton presidency remains relevant today. “Better than most of his contemporaries, Bill Clinton understood that the United States was—and still is—in the throes of a transformative period not seen since the late 19th century, the so-called Gilded Age so memorably christened by Mark Twain and William Dudley Warner,â€? Maney said to News and Public Aairs. Maney believes that Clinton deserves more credit for his foreign policy accomplishments. During his presidency, Clinton helped resolve conicts in Bosnia and Kosovo while diusing others in Haiti, North Korea, and between India and Pakistan. “We don’t think of foreign policy when we think of the Clinton administration,â€? Maney said. “We should.â€?

The Mental Health Channel has given the University Counseling Services (UCS) of Boston College its new documentary series, Stories of the Mind, to show to students prior to its oďŹƒcial release on PBS in 2017. On Tuesday, April 5, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College and UCS will be screening the documentary series, which is about people struggling with mental health issues. The series is composed of four short videos—each about seven to 10 minutes—that touch on a different mental disability, including depression and bipolar disorder. The creator of the show, the Mental Health Channel, reached out to UCS to see if it would be interested in viewing its new show. The company

hoped to gain some feedback from BC students, Downing said. There will be three short films showed in addition to the Stories of the Mind series, which will also be about mental health. “It’s not just a speaker and a panel that can get a little dry,â€? Tom Downing, assistant director of mental health programming in UGBC and CSOM ’18, said. “It’s a dierent way of spreading our message.â€? In addition to gaining feedback, he said, the event will also encourage dialogue on campus surrounding mental health and educate students about the resources available to them on campus. “We’re really just looking for quality of life of students,â€? Connor Marshall, assistant director of mental health programming in UGBC and MCAS ’18, said. “There’s deďŹ nitely a mental health issue on this campus.â€?

This event comes in a series that UGBC has held to expand the dialogue on mental health at BC. The goal, Downing said, is to destigmatize mental health subjects. UGBC hopes that seeking help for a mental illness will be seen as seeking a doctor’s help for a broken arm, he said. Following the viewing, Craig Burns, the interim director of counseling services, will speak to students about mental health on college campuses, answering any questions attendees may have and facilitating discussion. “I think this is part of a broad and long-term effort to educate and to spread information, and so the eect we hope will come from this is broader awareness and acceptance of mental health issues and willingness to engage help both from professionals and from peers,â€? Burns said.

Other events that UGBC has hosted regarding mental health include What I Be, a performance by activist and comedian Kevin Breel, and a onewoman show by Amy Albright. “The response has generally been very positive,� Downing said. “It’s been great seeing that a lot of people do care about advocating for mental health resources.� The wide response to these programs, Downing said, is further evidenced by the fact that the University recently allocated funding for UCS to hire more counselors. These events, Downing said, also aim to provide a space for students to talk about what kinds of support they want and need from BC with regards to mental health. “Students really do care about helping everyone at this University dealing with mental health issues,� Downing said. „

I\cXp IX`j\j (**b# ?fjkj (#,'' G\fgc\ By Connor Murphy Heights Editor The lights were dimmed as people walked around the track at Relay for Life, dropping glowsticks into Luminaria bags to honor and remember friends and family in the ďŹ ght against cancer. It was a powerful moment in the night, a sobering reminder of the purpose of the night. At Boston College’s ninth annual Relay For Life event on Friday night, over 1,500 participants from 126 teams raised about $133,000 for the American Cancer Society. Held in the Flynn Recreation Complex, the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. all-nighter featured emotional testimonials from cancer survivors and loved ones, as well as some entertainment from a hypnotist, singers, and

the Dance Organization of Boston College (DOBC). Since its inception, BC Relay For Life has raised over $1 million, making it one of the top 15 collegiate Relay events in the country. Relay, whose slogan is “Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back,� is the American Cancer Society’s main fundraising tool. The donations period stays open until August, so sponsors can continue to donate until the planning period for next year’s Relay starts. Relay is also DOBC’s designated charity, so depending on how the group does in competition the winnings will be added to the fundraising total. Last year, BC Relay raised about $157,000. Organizers hope this year’s total will eventually reach $150,000. Teams set up stations in the

basketball court area of the Plex, and the track runs around the edge of the courts. Donors sponsor the teams, who raise money throughout the year and commit to having at least one team member at all times walking the track for the 12 hours. Kat Murphy, MCAS ’18, participated in the event last year and said that this year was an improvement, particularly with the comedy group Asinine. “The focus of the event is more on remembrance and celebration rather than sadness and melancholy,� she said in an email. About $5,000 was raised during the event itself, much of it through donations made directly to teams and day-of registration. BC Relay also partnered with about 25 outside sponsors for the event, including the

Boston Red Sox and Chipotle. At BC, the event is run by three event chairs who oversee 10 subcommittees. Altogether, about 70 students help to organize BC Relay. Claire Ritten, one of the three event chairs and LSOE ’16, said that the point of the overnight schedule is to mirror a cancer patient’s journey from diagnosis to recovery—night to day. One of the speakers at the event was Kelley Tuthill, a news reporter for the local TV outlet WCVB. Tuthill was 36 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She received aggressive treatment and entered remission in 2007. “I’m living proof that research is what saves lives,� Tuthill said in the interview. “It’s not some abstract concept.� „

<Zfefd`Zj 8jjfZ% Cffbj kf :_Xe^\ JkXk\ Gfc`Zp By Sophie Reardon Assoc. News Editor On April 14, the Boston College Economics Association will meet with state legislators to present proposals for amendments to current Massachusetts state laws at the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston. Prior to their date at the Statehouse, the members of the Economics Association will hold a rehearsal open to the BC community on Tuesday in Merkert 127. The members of the club will be split into groups of four or ďŹ ve people, with each addressing a dierent issue. “There will be reliance on statistics and t-ďŹ gures because it’s supposed to be less based o of feelings and emotions and more based o of facts and logic,â€? Ian Wyllie, head of the Economics Association and MCAS ’18, said. One such issue, Wyllie said, is underage drinking. Currently, underage drinking causes many injuries and deaths because people

are scared to call for help when they need it. They hope to change the social incentives of underage drinking by making it legal for people to drink with their families on alcoholselling premises. “The idea is to work to reduce the social incentive of having it be swept under the rug because it is so prevalent on college campuses,â€? Wyllie said. Rohit Bachani, a member of the Economics Association and CSOM ’19, is part of a group that has been researching opiate abuse in Massachusetts. The group decided that the most effective means of curbing the problem would be to monitor prescriptions better. It found that extended-relief naltrexone, which is a medication that can be administered once a month, is very eective to prevent drug addiction. Finally, it has some ideas for new inpatient rehabilitation programs. “I thought it was cool to parse through the research on this because I know that the state itself has been

POLICE BLOTTER Wednesday, March 30 9:59 a.m. - A report was ďŹ led regarding the issuance of a trespass warning in the Lower Lots. 2:38 p.m. - A report was ďŹ led regarding a medical transport from Gasson Hall.

Thursday, March 31 5:52 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance at the Haley Carriage House Day Center.

trying to do a lot to reduce opiate abuse,â€? Bachani said. “And I thought it would be an honor to be able to show this to professors and legislators and kind of be able to give our own take on how we’re going to solve these issues as college students.â€? The Economics Association, which Wyllie founded this past fall, meets each week to go over current issues and updates. Each group also meets individually once a week to go over its presentations. Henry Menn, a member of the Association and CSOM ’19, joined, he said, because he thought it would be interesting to ďŹ nd easy ways to make changes to the laws. “I thought the coolest thing about it was finding small things that are easy to change that nobody really thinks about,â€? Menn said. “I just found it to be a really intriguing idea.â€? Wyllie was able to set up the event at the Statehouse, he said, after talking to Jim Cantwell, the Massachusetts state representative for the 4th Plymouth district

and BC ’88, who he knows from previous work experience. The event on campus on Tuesday will allow the groups to give their presentations to audience members. BC professors will provide commentary and students can ask questions to the presenters. “The goal of this presentation is to get a good feel of how thorough our research eorts have been so far and get some feedback on what more can be done to make our message more concrete and how to make our solutions more attractive to legislatures,â€? Bachani said. The Economics Association, Wyllie said, aims to show the BC community the work that they’ve been doing over the past few months. He also hopes that BC students will become more interested in Massachusetts public policy issues. “It’s basically about spreading awareness about our program—about the possibilities for students on BC’s campus to work through us or on their own accord,â€? Wyllie said. „

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

3/30/16 - 4/1/16

8:33 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a medical transport via ambulance from the Newton Roadways.

Friday, April 1 12:27 a.m. - A report was filed regarding vandalism to a residence at Ignacio Hall.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

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THE HEIGHTS

Monday, April 4, 2016

A3

GifgfjXc <eZfliX^\j 8[d`e kf Y\ 8Zk`m\ 8Yflk J\olXc ?\Xck_ Sexual Health, from A1

text, which argued that the University administration should shore up its efforts against sexual assault and release a public statement to outline the resources available to victims. In this text, Toghramadijan also said that no individual should be subjected to sexual activity that he or she is uncomfortable with, and that sex positivity is the right to be open about sexual choices as well as respectful of others’ choices. In explaining his motivation for proposing this amendment, Toghramadijan stressed that the administration should not be forced to adhere to a sexual health policy that did not follow the Jesuit institution of abstinence, even if it was the chosen and preferred stance of the majority of the student body. “At its most basic policy implication, this means we would not call upon the administration to provide funds for contraception,” Toghramadijan said. “It’s not part of their vision of healthy sex.” This amendment did not pass, losing in an 11-to-10 vote. After the rejection of the proposed amendment, the conversation returned to the debate of the original proposal. John Daniell, director of rules in the student assembly, class of 2017 senator and MCAS ’17, led the rebuttal, promoting the University’s right to exclusively

endorse abstinence. “The current policies that are in place, as much as we disagree with them, are in place for the University and by extension the Catholic mission sees them as appropriate,” Daniell said in his first remarks. “You wouldn’t force a vegetarian to eat a hamburger, you wouldn’t make an atheist buy a Bible, and you wouldn’t make a Catholic university fund contraception.” Daniell went on to say that there are resources available for sexual health education within the Women’s Center and Bystander Intervention programs. His final emphasized point was that in coming to a Jesuit, Catholic university, students in some measure buy into traditional Catholic ideals, whether they personally subscribe to the religion or not. Daniell’s remarks were met with vigor—hands flew up as the floor opened to questions and commentary. As the conversation continued, however, both those opposing and promoting the new proposal grew closer to a compromise. McCaffrey asked whether Daniell was in favor of more sexual education and more spaces for dialogue, pamphlets, and education. Daniell agreed to expanding those resources. In the final leg of the debate, Pratt presented his own amended opera-

AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

UGBC Senator Meredith McCaffrey hoped to open up a dialogue concerning sex on campus at the Student Assembly debate. tive text, combining both sides of the debate’s contributions in one final argument. The final proposal stated that sex positivity is defined as the right to be open about one’s own sexual choices and the responsibility to respect other people’s sexual choices. This includes every individual and group being allowed to promote and stand by their own beliefs

and choices about sexuality. Pratt also included part of Toghramadijan’s proposal: the administration should strengthen its efforts against sexual assault and release a public statement outlining the resources available to survivors and the process in place for addressing perpetrators. Notably, the final version of the proposal also encouraged the University to

allow student groups to use their own funds to pay for materials on sexual education. The final amendment, and in turn the proposal, passed unanimously among non-abstaining members of the Senate. “For too long UGBC has remained silent on the topic of sexual health and education and silently consented to the values of the institution,” Pratt said.

J`dfej Xe[ DZ:X]]i\p <Xie Kn`Z\ Xj DXep Mfk\j Xj E\ok K\Xd UGBC, from A1 guide for first-year students. Simons and McCaffrey will address the University’s strategic planning in the first few months of their term. The duo plans to have conversations with the administration about the future of the University, Simons said. Simons and McCaffrey will begin their work in May and continue their plans throughout the summer. Simons and McCaffrey were also the winners of the UGBC debate held March 21. The team received the most popular votes from the audience following its discussion of diversity issues and policy implementation. McCaffrey originally planned to run as the EVP to the current EVP, Olivia Hussey, MCAS ’17. When Hussey dropped out of the race for personal reasons, McCaffrey

recruited Simons to be her running partner. The team joined the ballot when the Elections Committee decided to extend the nomination deadline to create more competition. Prior to the original Jan. 29 deadline, Simons thought about running for UGBC president. He ultimately decided against it due to his busy schedule, he said. When presented with the opportunity to run with McCaffrey, however, he changed his mind, Simons said. Simons believes the extended elections period this year negatively affected the teams because it was difficult for the entire student body to stay attentive for so long. A lot of the campaign’s messages were lost, Simons said. “I think all of us who were campaigning wish it was a little bit shorter,” Simons said.

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Simons and McCaffrey, whose campaign slogan was “Strength in Unity, focused their campaign on quality, inclusivity, and accessibility.

9: C`YiXi`\j Xe[ L>9: <ok\e[ FËE\`cc C`YiXip ?flij kf )+&. Library, from A1

done instead of going out and partying,” Jason Lam, CSOM ’16, said. “For these stu-

place to study on a Friday or Saturday.” If this pilot program is successful and draws enough attendance, and lounges to study then these overnight hours for upcoming midcould continue into the next terms and finals. academic year, Kreinbring BC Libraries and UGBC will said. also gauge stu“My only concern is dents’ demand that there are not many for the extended students that actually study —Jim Kreinbring, director of administrative services in the hours in the first on Friday or Saturday,” Lam Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs weeks of the pilot said. “Even if there are—I program. doubt that they would study “This will late into the night … maybe definitely appeal to closing at 1 or 2 a.m. would students who would rather get their work dents, it must be tough trying to find a quiet be late enough.”

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SAVANNA KIEFER / HEIGHTS EDITOR

O’Neill Library is now open all night on Fridays and Saturdays, beginning on April 1.

<dYiXZ\ N\\b ?fg\j kf 9i`e^ 9: :Xdglj ;`m\ij`kp @jjl\j kf C`^_k By Becky Reilly Heights Staff Boston College has many weeklong events in its calendar dedicated to women’s issues, faith concerns, and celebrations of other cultures. This week features a new addition to bring issues of diversity to light. The FACES Council, along with the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, Black Student Forum, and UGBC’s AHANA Leadership Council and GLBTQ Leadership Council, presents Embrace Week, a new initiative to celebrate BC’s racial diversity. “B C does such good work with weeks—Love Your Body Week, CARE Week, FAST Week—and they’re huge events, and they go so well,” said Grace Kim, FACES Council secretary and LSOE ’16. “So we hope this will add to that,” The inaugural Embrace Week has four governing themes—service, love, faith, and expression—that represent issues that concern members of minority races, and also confront most BC

students. Joon Young Park, the moderator for the Thursday event and MCAS ’18, explained that the need for Embrace Week came from a common sentiment that events dedicated to celebrating AHANA students and exploring the implications of race and racism were only preaching to the choir. Therefore, the group wanted to create a week to expand its reach and also to recognize the importance of diversity by institutionalizing a week on campus to spread awareness and celebrate intersectionality, Park said. The first event, called “The State of Service: Why Race Matters,” is a panel between Rev. Don MacMillan, S.J., from Campus Ministr y, Mar y Troxell, a professor from the PULSE program, and Brinton Lykes, a professor in the Lynch School. Because of the huge prevalence of participation in service among undergraduates, the panel’s organizers wanted to draw on the topic’s wide appeal to discuss issues of race—in particular, the relative lack of students of color in

groups like the Arrupe program and Appalachia Volunteers. “[Service at BC] does have so much to do with race, especially since programs like 4Boston and PULSE are mostly serving communities of color in Boston, and there are a lot of strengths and weaknesses about the service culture at BC,” Abby MacLean, co-director of the FACES Council and MCAS ’16, said. Tuesday, with its theme of love, features a UGBC-inspired event named “The Black Queer Experience,” part of GLC’s efforts to put on an annual event to discuss the intersection of race and sexual identity. The multi-year topic stems from assertions by GLC members that white, gay males are typically discussed more than GLBTQ people of other races or genders. “Loving Thy Neighbor: Race and the Church” will take place on Wednesday, featuring Brother Mickey McGrath, an artist who has researched Sister Thea Bowman extensively. As part of Thea Bowman Legacy

Day, he will address the history of race in the Catholic Church and of women of color specifically. The crowd will then be able to break out into small groups for discussion. “We go to a Catholic Jesuit institution,” Kim said. “We have to take theology. Faith, for a lot of students, is a huge experience. It’s about looking at it with a critical eye, looking at where the church has its shortcomings with regard to race, but also where does it celebrate racial diversity and diversity in general?” Thursday’s event is a familiar one: the fifth annual Speak for Your Change show. The theme of celebration of diversity closes out the week with presentations from dance, spoken word, and other performance groups, many of which are cultural groups. This year ’s show includes performances by Juice, Voices of Imani, Dynamics, Conspiracy Theory, and spoken word artists. “I think it’s a huge celebration of the strength of diversity and just a very

powerful event every year,” MacLean said. “So we wanted to close the week as a whole [with the event], and we wanted that theme of celebration to be present in the entire week.” Finally, between noon and 2:00 p.m. on Friday, various event organizers and mentors will be available for further discussion of the week and its topics in the Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center lobby in Maloney Hall. The event’s organizers hope that the week will be integrated annually into BC’s calendar of events and is interested to see how it will change thematically after the board’s many seniors graduate this spring. In the short-term, they hope to promote discussion of issues of racism and diversity as well as celebration of BC’s own internal diversity. Park expressed his hopes for the week to open dialogue on campus. “[Diversity] is a part of all of our lives, as is being able to accept it and being able to learn from it and grow from it and celebrate it,” MacLean said. “It really is a week for everyone.”

THE HEIGHTS

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Monday, April 4, 2016

=ifd k_\ D`[[c\ <Xjk kf N\jk\ifj1 8 =c`Zb\i`e^ C`^_k `e Jpi`X LAYLA ABOUKHATER Ed. note: In 2014, Layla Aboukhater, like many Syrians, packed up her life and escaped from the violence of her home city, Aleppo, in search of a peaceful existence. This exodus led her to the United States and ultimately to Boston, where she quickly applied and was accepted into the class of 2018 at Boston College.

At 3:15 a.m. I woke up to the most beautiful sound: beeping. That beep beep beep of the washing machine would go on every time the power went back on. I knew there would be at least another 45 minutes of electricity. As opposed to other cities in Syria, in Aleppo no one knew when the power would come on or go out, but it was always at the hour mark. To say that I jumped out of bed would be an exaggeration. Sleeping over two woolen sheets and under four thick blankets, it took me a while to untangle myself from the blanket fortress I usually slept in during the colder months. I rushed to the kitchen, put a pot of water over the electric stove and hurried to look at my electric to-do list for the day. I was hoping to get everything done as fast as possible, to use whatever time that was left before the power went out again to continue Game of Thrones. The day before, the power went out just as I was 10 minutes into a Game of Thrones episode—things were getting intense, and my man Jon Snow was in trouble. I tossed and turned that night, not because of the nearby shelling and ground-shaking missile strikes—you get used to that. What you don’t get used to is how many times dear Jon ends up in near-death situations, so I lay there worrying about him, and about Bordeaux. Bordeaux was where we usually went to party, and we had a party there the next night, and I desperately needed some electricity to prepare myself. So motivated by my need to look on-point that night while also having some extra time before the power went out again to check on Jon, I started plugging in all my electronic devices to charge. Next I printed out eight copies of “50 Shades of Mad-

Libs” for the sleepover after the party, a fail-proof way to pee your pants laughing. I turned on the electric heater and directed it on an upturned chair, on which my damp laundry hung. Next: beautifying. I turned on the flat iron in an attempt to straighten my wild hair for the upcoming party, and attacked my constantly growing unibrow with the tweezers while the iron heated. I usually don’t put myself through the excruciating pains of hair straightening, but that day I had calculated that the party wasn’t going to be a hot, sweaty one. It was December, freezing outside, and whatever electricity the generators were going to muster up was going to be used for the lights, the surround sound system, and making sure that the bar was bright to attract as many customers as possible because the unenforced drinking age was 18. No power would be wasted on heating, which was perfectly fine, because I knew that the masses of YOLOers like me would warm the place with body heat as we danced to the usual mix of Arabic and English music. One moment we’re singing along with Mohamad Iskandar as he exuberantly serenades the woman who reigns his heart, next we join Sia as she screams about being bulletproof. Looking back, I’m glad ISIS didn’t take us too literally. As I straightened my hair, typically, my dad walked in just as Renly is going down on Loras. I burnt myself with the flat iron trying to switch off the show quickly, but I don’t think I was fast enough. After he turned on the water pump, which I always forgot to do, he awkwardly said goodnight and went back to bed. I got to see Arya rescue A Man, aka Jaqen H’ghar. In retrospect, I wish she had left him to burn. But the power went out before I could see the last 10 minutes of the episode, leaving me worrying about Arya’s fate now—another sleepless night. Keeping up with the Starks was taking its toll on me. I accepted my defeat and decided to call it a night. I went to get my clothes hoping they had enough time to dry, only to find that the cat and the dog thought the makeshift drying rack was a nest for them, so I pulled out my now not only damp, but fur-covered clothes from underneath their groggy

KELSEY MCGEE / HEIGHTS EDITOR

butts. The water was ice cold because in my hurry I forgot to turn the stove on, so I decided to skip the shower. Besides, I could shower at my friend’s house—she owed me three showers so far. At this point my hair was half straight, half electrical-shock style, my laundry was soaking wet, covered in fur, and smelled like wet dog, and my dad thought I was into medieval gay porn. Perfect. I dug back into my blanket fortress, hoping to sweat off the straight half of my hair, and fell into a fitful sleep dreaming about Jon Snow straightening his beautiful, messy, black locks that caused The Wall to melt, and The Islamic State of White Walkers charged in and bombed everyone with RPGs and wildfire. But other than the bad dreams, everything went well that Saturday night: we partied—hard—my hair was a mess (but let’s face it, that’s just how I look), and we drank cheap vodka mixed with pineapple juice. As usual, we sang along with Iskandar and Sia, peed our pants with laughter during the sleepover, and Sunday was morning Mass and then cramming for upcoming tests—life just went on as usual.

A few days later, a funeral procession for a fallen soldier went through our street, shooting their kalashnikovs into the air, and a kid got hit with a cold bullet and died. A funeral and two midterms later, the Aleppo University bombings took place at the architectural school down the street from my home. We got off easy, some of our windows and doors burst out of their frames, and my mom and Roxy, our lab, who were in the garden, were able to run inside before the hail of rocks and debris covered where they had been. But the bombings killed at least 82 people, including students and children. For two days people were searching for a Carmelite nun and the kid who ran errands for the local supermarket, both of whom had disappeared around the time of the bombing. People were hoping to find them misplaced in a hospital or to find their remains. But nothing was found of the nun because there nothing was left to be found— she happened to be right at the detonation spot. As for the boy, his remains were found on the roof of a nearby building. This all happened on the first day of final exams. They got pushed back two weeks, but afterward we went to

another party celebrating the end of the delayed exams—life just went on as usual. Back to the present, and it’s three weeks until the season six premiere, three more weeks filled with anxiety about Jon Snow’s fate again. But this time I’m in the States, where the power situation is more reliable, and I’m actually looking forward to being able to watch an entire bloody episode in one sitting. I’m at Boston College now, where most of the action in my life is courtesy of drunk seniors setting Iggy on fire every other week, Netflix, the BC movie Web site and the Fenway Regal theater, where I get my healthy dose of violence, gun shooting, and explosions from movies like The 13th Hour and Deadpool, from the safety of the very comfy reclining chairs. So yes—compared to Syria, it is a bit safer and, therefore, lame, but if you take the danger thrill away, it’s exactly the same—underage drinking and sweaty kids crammed into an overcrowded space with cheap vodka and awesome music.

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Fifteen girls, two years, and one court. A relatively new team on the Heights, Boston College women’s club basketball is ringing in its second year in considerable style—a trip to nationals for the first time later this month. After going through the process of becoming an official club team last year, the team is well into its second year and putting up consistently strong performances. Comprised of 15 girls, 12 of whom play and travel with the team, it is a tight-knit group on and off of the court. “We have a lot of fun, probably too much fun,” Jenn Cillis, team treasurer and MCAS ’16 said. “We joke around a lot. It’s intense but not too intense.” Speaking to that intensity is the considerably long season in which the team

is competitively active. Beginning with tryouts in October every year, the team practices continuously throughout the winter and into the early spring, ultimately culminating in April’s tournament season. With sights set on the future, the potential for a second round of tryouts early in the second semester is currently under consideration by the team’s executive board. Though the season is long, spanning practically the entire academic year, being one of the newest club teams at BC makes for an active and fresh environment with a young group of players. The potential for growth is huge, and as the team gains momentum toward becoming a well-established club sport, many of the returning players continue to take on essential administrative duties and expand the e-board. Current point guard Martha Veroneau, CSON ’17, started the team alongside

Maria Ferrari, BC ’15, in the spring of 2014. It initially began as an intramural team that went to the club tournament and greatly exceeded expectations, ultimately reaching the championship game. The following semester, fall of 2014, the team was granted club status and has continued to grow in talent ever since. The level of play is in between that of intramural and varsity, and many of the girls involved played competitively at the high school level but have ambitions to continue playing at a collegiate level. Following the founding of the men’s club basketball team the year before, there was immediately an overwhelming interest in expanding club basketball to include a women’s team. The reception was very positive, and the level of talent that the team attracted was appropriately quite high. The competitive tone was set immedi-

PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHERINE VERONEAU

Strong underclassman talent and senior leadership make the women’s club basketball team a formidable force on the court.

ately at its inception as a club sport—35 extremely qualified girls tried out for only 18 spots. This initial competitiveness continues to grow and develop as the team does, and the team boasts a group of extremely active athletes, many of whom participate in intramural teams as well. Among the nuances of being a new club team, open tryouts attracted players from all grades, noted Cillis. Being an upperclassmen and participating in a newer sport with no definitive precedent to work with was, in her words, unexpected. Being a junior leader on a competitive team has been a novel and learning experience. “Not a ton of seniors are on the team,” Cillis said. “And not a lot of people get to do that junior year.” Despite this unique structure of seniority that is indicative of the team’s infancy, the athletes on the younger end of the spectrum show a remarkable amount of promise. It is understood that the key to longevity is underclassman talent, and in this regard the future is bright. “We have a really strong group, especially freshmen,” Veroneau said. “They are all coming off of their senior seasons of high school basketball.” Also crucial to the the team’s hot start and continued success is its leadership on the coaching and administrative side of the ball. At the helm as coach is Margaret Brown, BC ’12, an older sister to team members Martha and Catherine Veroneau known for her intense and highly motivational halftime speeches. Though this position is Brown’s first coaching experience, her basketball resume boasts a plethora of intramural basketball championships during her time at BC. Also on the administrative side of things, the e-board consists of president Amanda Dames, LSOE ’16, vice president Shea North, CSON ’18, treasurer Jenn Cillis, MCAS ’16, and secretary Kara Foley, MCAS ’17, as well as a team of campus representatives.

As is the case with many club teams, however, this structure of administration doesn’t necessarily translate to a hierarchy within the team. When it is out on the hardwood, everyone has an equally important role. “We are there to formally organize stuff,” North said. “It isn’t divided at all.” In addition, tryouts occur annually, and there are no guaranteed spots for returning players, even for former members of the e-board. This competitive atmosphere and rate of turnover creates a fluid and dynamic atmosphere in which everyone is treated equally on the team. As far as competition is concerned, the team competes mostly locally—Boston University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, and similar schools in the Boston area are their primary opponents. This competition takes place within the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) league, a national governing body for club-level intercollegiate athletics. The team’s guaranteed spot in NIRSA Nationals comes after a recent victory over rival BU in the championship game of the NIRSA Regional Tournament at BU this past March. Though this qualification for the national tournament is impressive, it merely follows a precedent set by last year’s debut team. Last year’s team was able to secure a spot in the national tournament, but it did not have the funding to make the trip due to its insufficient budget as a small, first-year club team. This year, however, things are different. Properly funded and determined to make a name for themselves, all sights are firmly set on NIRSA Basketball Championships. The team will travel to Ohio State University from April 22 through 24 to represent BC on the national stage. The goal, in short? “We plan to reel in the hardware, all while finessing,” North said.

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THE HEIGHTS THE HEIGHTS

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THE HEIGHTS THE HEIGHTS

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THE HEIGHTS

Monday, April 4, 2016

A7

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JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

CSOM Professor Ian Appel’s publication has received national acclaim for its comprehensive look at investor behavior. 9P ;A I<:EP =fi K_\ ?\`^_kj Ian Appel, assistant professor of finance at the Carroll School of Management, is

fighting for the little guy. His most recent paper, titled “Passive Investors, not Passive Owners,” challenges the traditional perception of “passive investors” in the financial marketplace and is awaiting publication in

The Journal of Financial Economics. Co-written with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business faculty members Todd Gormley and Donald Keim, the paper and its authors have

been recognized with significant praise by the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCI). The paper pushes back against the traditional notion that people who invest their retirement funds and other forms of monetary wealth in large, passive institutions like The Vanguard Group, which hold trillions of dollars in assets acquired through investors’ money and then invest in other firms, hold little influence when it comes to the corporate governance of the firms that this money finds its way to. “The paper is looking at these passive investors,” Appel said. “There’s a perception among many people that these investors don’t really matter in terms of how companies are run, and so what we’re showing in this paper is that they actually play an important role.” Appel explains that individuals who invest their wealth in massive passive institutions like Vanguard actually hold more influence than traditionally thought, and that this is a part of the reason why this paper has gotten such liberal coverage and positive attention. “A big part of the jobs of me and my colleagues is doing research,” Appel said. “We want to do really good research, and I think it’s good for the school and so I think, not just limited to this paper, that discoveries and research like this are very important

to the University as a whole.” Appel’s work has been nationally recognized by professors at Harvard Law School, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal, among others, and has been presented at many of the best business schools in the nation. There are also broad implications that this new method of thinking could have around the world. “There is a growing trend towards lots and lots of people investing their money with institutions like Vanguard, and we question what effect this has on the companies that Vanguard invests in,” Appel said. “And there’s this thinking that this could be good for companies or this could be bad for companies.” These passive investors were traditionally believed to hold a lot less influence than those who could buy and sell bigger portions of stock in a firm itself, coined “active investors.” Appel explained that institutions’ control of assets worth almost as much as the GDP of the world’s wealthiest nations has a significant impact that must be addressed. “We’re showing that, at the end of the day, there is a significant effect on the corporate governance of how companies are run because institutions like Vanguard are playing an increasingly bigger role,” he said.

Fc[ K`d\j# NXid\i :c`d\j1 8 Fe\$NXp Ki`g ;fne D\dfip CXe\ A8D<J CL:<P To start, a quick PSA: if any college-aged student overhears his or her parents talking about a long-haul drive to Florida for the winter—shut it down. With the graduation of my younger brother last year, I am most certainly hearing these grumblings and, regrettably, I didn’t act fast enough. This past winter, my parents made the retirement-aged pilgrimage to Southern Florida for what I thought was a brief stint of three months. Coming from a place where the long-term Florida resettlement of empty-nesters is as common as Equinox memberships, I was aware of the inherent dangers of this “trial” trip. Countless friends who had experienced the reality of having their parents vacate their childhood home warned me of the long-term implications of this first foray into the Sunshine State. I can even remember the ignorant bliss of helping my friend pack up his childhood when his newly emptynester parents made the definitive decision to permanently vacate his local address and make the migration to warmer climes. For me, deciding whether to keep or discard his childhood artwork was an entertaining afternoon activity, but I realize now that for him it was more of a closing of a chapter in his life.

But again, I was pretty fearless at the time—my parents had it too good back home, and the dog, who had more of a say in this matter than my brother and me combined, would definitely never approve. So it came to pass, and between semesters my brother and I found ourselves thoughtlessly packing a winter’s worth of clothing and gear into the family car for a nearly 1,300mile journey south. As we affixed the bike rack and picked up the dog’s Xanax prescription from the pharmacy (no, actually), I can confidently say that the thought of our days in Connecticut beginning to be numbered never occurred to us. As the mile markers and exits on I-95 became less familiar and the air around us slowly became warmer, I started to think back to the uninhabited house that had long since departed from our rearview mirror. For the next three months, the only activity within those walls in which I grew into myself would be the product of timers on lamps and the heat set on a low hum. Almost like a life-support system for a house, the heat would be just warm enough to prevent the pipes from freezing. The twice-a-day flick of the lights and the low purr of the boiler were finally starting to hit me. The thought that this year those walls would miss out on birthday cakes from our favorite bakery and brightly colored Easter pants began to haunt me. It occurred to me that our mail forwarding would mean that even the mailbox would spend three months without human touch. The same mailbox in which I received my first

report card, or my first paycheck, or even my acceptance letter to my dream school would remain cold and empty for the first time in my 20 years of existence. At that moment, the big envelope from BC that arrived three years ago, the envelope that began the slow twoperson exodus from the house, began to seem more like a death sentence. This train of thought was interrupted by a fit of rhythmic highway sleep, and, looking back, the same fit of sleep kept it off my mind for the duration of my short stay in Florida with my family. The warm sun and wide spectrum

of bright colors that Connecticut lacked at the time kept me woefully unaware of the life I was leaving behind, and the rhythmic waves of the ocean lulled me into a trance. I flew out of the small local airport and watched paradise shrink below me, and with that ascension I woke from this trance and remembered my life, past and future, just a few degrees of latitude north. Though now, my mind a little more tanned and a little more salt-washed, had never felt farther away. For the time being, my childhood house is in the clear. The Florida experiment was merely a rental, and,

like my brother and I, my parents with their bike rack and my dog with her Xanax made the trek back to those empty walls. For one more spring and summer, there will be lights and cakes and flip-flops. I suppose that all of these things exist where family is, but still, the sentimentalist in me cannot help but wonder—whose report cards and paychecks and acceptance letters will inhabit that mailbox this time next year?

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KELSEY MCGEE / HEIGHTS EDITOR

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Abrahamic religious texts—The Bible, The Quran, and The Torah—are often incorrectly cited to justify any controversial action and give these actions a spot in the realm of “political correctness.” Some behaviors, because of common misconceptions rooted in the improper citation and interpretation of the Abrahamic religious texts, have developed a negative stigma. Certain groups of people have been mistreated and discriminated against over interpretations of content within the Abrahamic religious texts. Michael Davidson, a Jesuit involved in Boston College Campus Ministry, examines the relationship between his fellow Jesuits and the greater BC student body. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Davidson was introduced to Catholicism by attending church with other members of his community, though his own family was not religious. We had a short conversation about

his job and his role campus ministry. I cut the conversation off to progress to an issue that has been close to my heart for some time. I asked him about his views on the LGBTQ community here on campus. After countless encounters with people who identify as LGBTQ, I have listened to a plethora of heartwrenching stories, stories of hatred and deprecation. The LGBTQ community and the Catholic community have historically been at odds with each other, but Davidson believes it is his role as a Jesuit in the 21st century to serve as a mediator between the two parties. “ Well, I think , like ever y other student, they are students of Boston College, and I don’t see them as any different,” Davidson said. “I mean, I don’t care about people’s sexual preference. I’m here to serve all people.” This, to me, seemed like the proper answer, the right answer. But it seemed rehearsed. It was too politically correct. The dialogue of LGBTQ acceptance has been perpetuated for many

years, requiring tireless efforts and even government intervention. Even at acclaimed schools such as BC, many refuse to respect the preferences of others, using the content in religious texts as their justification to degrade. I wanted to know what Davidson really thought about the LGBTQ community here on campus. “Our belief is founded in the Gospel,” Davidson said. “Ignatius asked us to find God in all things. And of course there are some Jesuits who are liberal and some who are conservative, but the main fact is that all Jesuits are companions of Jesus.” Davidson went on to explain that this companionship with Jesus should act as a bridge or facilitator for other human relationships. Rather than alienate people, this relationship with Jesus is meant to unify—to lay a foundation for fundamentally meaningful connections. “When you’re a companion of Jesus, you build a relationship, and that relationship helps you build other relation-

ships out of love,” he said. “It can’t be built out of fear. It can’t be built out of hate. It can’t be built on distrust. It can’t be built on suspicion or judgement.” Davidson, as well as other Jesuits, set the example for the campus philosophy as a whole. Davidson emphasizes that Jesuits should not be confined to the closed-minded stereotype to which they often fall victim, just as he hopes that other demographics are understood to be a diverse group of individuals. For those who currently struggle with their sexual orientation and feel negative external pressures, Davidson has a message. “I think that they have not come to love themselves and to value themselves,” he said. “Like I said to you, you cannot change other people—and if you continue to let the people around you not allow you to love yourself, then you will live a very unhappy life. And God didn’t call us to be unhappy. He created us, and he wants us to be happy.” Davidson used an analogy to sum up how he believes the world should act in

light of disagreement or controversy, effectively summarizing what Jesuits and BC stand for and explaining why love is a power. “For example, [let’s say you don’t like your boss],” Davidson said. “You’re not going to sit there and say [‘I hate my boss’]. You are going to say to yourself, ‘All right, I can change me. I can’t change him.’” To Davidson, a healthy discourse within oneself is crucial to building and maintaining genuine and caring external relationships with the people we surround ourselves with. To be loving in thought is just as important as it is to be loving in action, and the two are, undoubtedly, directly correlated. “Making noise is feeding into that particular [aggressive] type of behavior,” Davidson said. “If he’s mean to me, I’m not going to be mean to him.” Davidson encourages people to acknowledge when they are faced with antagonism. “I want to show him kindness. Love begets love.”

THE HEIGHTS

A8

EDITORIALS

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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In 1989, columnist Maria Sevilla advocated for better sexual health education in a column in The Heights. In the 27 years since then, the issue of sexual health education in relation to Jesuit Catholic ideals has been consistently discussed on campus. Citing Jesuit values, the University does not distribute contraceptives on campus, nor does it allow student groups to distribute them. This policy has come under fire in recent years, especially in the spring of 2013, when the University’s policies became an issue of national concern. The New York Times reported on Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH), an unofficial student group that has been working to distribute contraceptives on campus since 2009. After this report was released, University administrators wrote a letter to participating students urging them to desist and threatening disciplinary action. Since then, BCSSH has not become a registered group, and progress for sexual health education has largely stagnated on campus. On Sunday night, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College passed a proposal to encourage the Boston College administration to promote sexual positivity on campus, in part by allowing student groups to use their own funds to discuss sexuality and distribute contraception. The proposal was passed with 22 members voting in support of it and three abstentions. Funds given to student clubs are controlled by the Student Organization Funding Committee, a student-run body that is separate from UGBC. Funds disseminated by this group come from the student activities fee collected each year. The proposal asks the administration to ease restrictions on how that money—from the students—is spent. So, the proposal does not ask the administration to directly use University funding, but

Monday, April 4, 2016

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” -Edgar Allen Poe, Eleonora

rather money directly from students. In addition to easing control on student funds, the proposal asks the administration to release a public statement outlining the resources available to survivors of sexual assault and to create a place for addressing perpetrators. The Women’s Center and programs such as Bystander have already made efforts to address sexual assault, and in recent years the sexual assault policy has been thoroughly—and successfully—revised. But the University ought to issue a statement clearly outlining its resources. If UGBC, a representative body, believes that the University has not been clear with its sexual assault policies, BC needs to consider issuing information on its resources publicly, perhaps on a regular basis. The original version of this proposal lost in the Student Assembly and was then revised to become more conservative and, therefore, more likely to find administrative approval. As advocates for the student body, UGBC is saying that students want to talk about this issue. Unlike other UGBC proposals that could be said to only affect a portion of the student body, sexual health affects virtually everyone. This is a conversation students want to have. And UGBC’s proposal makes it possible for the administration to encourage a conversation on health without using its own money to compromise its Jesuit values. UGBC’s proposal is not asking the administration to condone students who are sexually active, but rather saying that the University should recognize that a discussion on sexual health is necessary on college campuses. After years of struggling to bring these issues to light, the proposal is a positive step for the future of UGBC’s executive council.

GABE PASTEL / HEIGHTS STAFF

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Stories of the Mind, a new documentary series from PBS, will be screened April 5 by University Counseling Services (UCS) prior to its release. This program is meant to show students the difficulties of mental illness and work to decrease the stigma surrounding it, something that the Undergraduate Government of Boston College has been advocating for this past year. UCS and other mental health initiatives at Boston College have received considerable attention recently as appointments with counseling services increase and students advocate for increased mental health resources. Screening this series is an effective program that provides a necessary platform for increased awareness of mental health. The screening comes soon after the announcement that UCS will be adding two more full-time staff members: a staff psychologist and a clinical postdoctoral fellow. There has been a considerable call for these new positions, which were made possible through both University funding and an anonymous donation. This increase in counseling staff is much needed, as demand for counseling services has increased by 25 percent over the past three years. The waiting period for an appointment with UCS can be up to two weeks during busy times of the year—without increased staffing, this shows no sign of changing. As use of these services consistently increases, it has been abundantly clear that more staff members are a necessity if UCS is to keep up with demand. The addition of two new full-time staff members is a good step toward this, but there is still more that should be done. Thomas McGuiness, associate vice

provost and previous director of UCS, has said, “You could double the staff and they’d still be busy,” in reference to UCS. In the future, available funds should be allocated to this service, as demand shows no signs of decreasing. BC is just now entering a new master plan cycle, as a committee investigates University needs and determines fund-raising goals. Part of this new investigation is the University Student Planning Initiative (USPI), a group meant to determine which parts of student life require increased funding.

The views expressed in the above editorials represent the official position of The Heights, as discussed and written by the Editorial Board. A list

of the members of the Editorial Board can be found at bcheights.com/opinions.

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HEIGHTS

THE

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

Letters and columns can be submitted online at ww bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElro Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

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THE HEIGHTS

Monday, April 4, 2016

A9

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D> N@CJFE MIKE LUPICA - Sometimes you’re just sitting at your desk, thinking about things to write for your thumbs up/ thumbs down column, when bestselling sportswriter and BC alumnus Mike Lupica walks in and shakes your hand. Seriously. He wrote for this paper years ago and randomly stopped by this week. I don’t even care about maintaining the secondperson voice thing for this. It was one of the most unexpected moments I’ve ever experienced. STROLLING - Walking is for your average chump. Pacing is for the neurotic consumed with thoughts and responsibilities. Promenading is for an overweight man in a flowing robe. But strolling is something entirely different. The casual stroll is for the profound and awe-inspiring. When you’re really getting your stroll on, everyone will know it. They’ll say, “Now that’s a go-getter if I’ve ever seen one, someone who knows what life’s all about, you know what I’m saying, Veronica?” Yes, Veronica knows exactly what you’re saying. READ RECEIPTS - These prove that you’re an honest and trustworthy human being. Letting your many acquaintances, companions, and school chums know that you’ve read and carefully considered their message of text is the best step to establishing trust. It can also be used to blatantly dismiss and insult people. Yes, I did read your message and frankly, it didn’t impress me enough to warrant a response. Come back when you have something important to say. Snort.

I don’t like to look at the sidewalk after rainstorms because of the dying worms. If I see them on the ground, wriggling helplessly, I feel obligated to move them. And the second I kneel to reach one worm, I spot another in a similar predicament. It once took me 10 extra minutes to get to the Plex because I continued to discover worms in distress. I do this even though I know that inevitably, we all die—worms far more quickly than humans. A worm that I move at noon could easily be dead by 12:03 from any number of causes. It seems like a futile attempt, and I struggle with that decision every time it rains. Partially, my feelings are founded in compassion. I was a vegetarian for nearly five years. I based that lifestyle on the belief that if I could avoid causing harm to other organisms and still live a well-balanced life, I should do so. I’m not a vegetarian anymore, but that philosophy hasn’t changed. It’s illogical and possibly immoral for me to prevent the natural course of life and death, but to some extent, I also realize that life should be appreciated. And if moving one worm from the sidewalk to the grass nearby means that I’ve reduced the possibility of an unnecessary death, I think that’s an action worth taking. And, I want to maintain my identity. I’d rather be ridiculous and compassionate than risk becoming practical and callous. It’s important that I consider myself a good person and an individual. I’ve been taught to believe that the leaders of tremendous social change, the great writers and revolutionaries, are the oddballs who embrace their oddities. I like to think there’s something great in my saving the worms, in particular because the task seems so worthless. But to some extent, I have to decide the healthy limits of my beneficence. I can stop and move one worm from the sidewalk, or maybe two, or maybe three—but if I’ve stopped 10 times to move worms from the sidewalk and I’m missing class as a result, I’ve begun to act against myself. And if I’m

focusing so much on the worms around me, might I run the risk of neglecting a greater issue? Staring at the ground means I’m not looking at the world around me. If I run to one extreme in service, however well-intentioned, I run the risk of later swinging to the other extreme. Some days I spend a few minutes helping out the worms—and other days I don’t bother to think about them. The struggle here isn’t about lack of interest or empathy, but rather about sustaining the two. It’s a problem that, at least at first glance, doesn’t seem to concern BC students, considering our tendency to serve. Most of us are involved in some form of service, if not several: Arrupe, Camp Kesem Chestnut Hill, St. Joseph Project, Jamaica Magis, 4Boston, APPA, BC Bigs, Campus School, and PULSE, to name a few. Competition is often fierce for these opportunities because so many BC students genuinely desire to serve. And graduating from BC doesn’t necessarily mean that we graduate from these commitments—many BC students join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Peace Corps, or Teach for America. As far as service is concerned, we millennials appear to be cresting the wave. But there’s another side to this, as well. I’ve seen one service organization at BC peak at 40-50 active members on a single day—and now, a year later, maybe half a dozen show up. With all of the service-oriented organizations I’ve joined on campus, I’ve noticed a tendency in the student body to be intimately involved at times and notably absent at others. In opening ourselves up to new perspectives, personalities and connections, we make ourselves vulnerable to pain and joy alike. That’s to be expected. What we don’t expect is the numbness of boredom. And irritating fellow volunteers. And distractions. And personal problems that make working at the soup kitchen seem unimportant. The honeymoon period fades, and we struggle with our relative weakness in the face of a hugely complicated world. As we become more accustomed to service, whether it be charity or justice, we see with less idealism and more practicality: the social situation is a snarled mess of knots, hardened by rain and time. A real relationship requires effort and perseverance. It has sustenance, and because of that sustenance, it doesn’t always have an exciting or even enjoyable taste. In fact, it

might not have a taste at all. At that point, when the service has lost its stimulation, we’re forced to consider whether our motivations are strong enough. How much do we care about kids whose parents have cancer? How willing are we to field the seemingly endless calls at a suicide center? Like in any relationship, the spark of service can be revitalized and even made stronger by committing ourselves to those being served. Regardless of how we feel, the priority of service generally remains the same: the individuals being served, not those serving. It’s great that I may feel better about myself for giving someone a sandwich, but that act isn’t about making me feel better—it’s literally about feeding the other person. If my actual intention is to improve my mood or opinion of myself, then my relationship with service will most likely prove an ill-fated one. Our relationships with service are essentially relationships with the people being served. I might not be able to consistently connect with the issue of homelessness, but I can strengthen my connection with Alex at his corner outside the Boston Public Library. Volunteering at the same place consistently, making personal connections, and attempting to understand people through varying perspectives is what reminds us of the worth of service. The worms wriggling on the sidewalk bother me for many reasons, but what upsets me most is the knowledge that I can become used to them—they can easily become sliding lines, lifeless as the rain. When I came to Boston for the first time, I would worry about every person I saw sleeping on the street. Now I find my eyes sliding past them. I used to care too much, and then I cared too little, and now I simply forget to consider them. We can’t account for every creature, so maybe it’s best that we forget the worms. But humans—shall I state the obvious?—are not worms. We’re the most conscientious species, the only one that can boast of being more than animals. In forming relationships and honoring them, we assert this humanity: both in ourselves and in those we serve.

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K_`j :fclde `j I\Zfdd\e[\[ ]fi Pfl BACK SWEAT - Lugging around a backpack during a humid day often leads to a thick layer of moisture stretching from in between your shoulder blades to your entire back. It’s gross, and you can’t escape it. Even when you stop sweating, its cold, clammy touch constantly reminds you of its presence. You are forced to live out the rest of the day as a disgusting, sweaty mess, ashamed of your many failures. FORGETTING THE ‘WORKS CITED’ PAGE - When you turned in that 10-page paper on the pre-colonial development of post-revolutionary trigonometry, you were sure you’d just secured yourself a big, fat A. Now you’re just sitting in your room eating bags upon bags of generic poofy chips and watching election coverage. But then you realize something horrible. You grab your laptop and open the file. No works cited page. Nothing. Not a single source documented. You fool. The points are already lost, child. You’ve failed everyone. FORGETTING THINGS - There’s nothing more frustrating than crossing campus, backpack over your shoulders and Clint Eastwood-esque expression on your face, prepared to deal with some bidness. But then you arrive at your destination, reach into your backpack, and realize that you’ve forgotten the most important thing of all: the mayonnaise. Now you’re going to have to walk all the way back to your room because there’s no way to take care of bidness if you don’t have the mayonnaise.

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AFJ? 9<?I<EJ Based on your browsing history, this article would be perfect for you! How many times have we seen this phrase flashing across our screen, prompting us to enjoy yet another blurb based on last week’s Internet surfing? Even if it isn’t explicitly stated, our Facebook feed and Google searches are often influenced by our online habits. Sometimes, Facebook gets it right, and we find ourselves on a never-ending binge of Harry Potter-related Buzzfeed quizzes. Other times, we wish the Internet would forget about that one time we accidentally searched for body chocolate, cringing each time it comes across our Amazon “For You” section. For better or for worse, the way we experience the Internet is always influenced by our previous history on it. Facebook’s algorithm shows us posts that we’re more likely to click on, Google will present pages in our searches related to our browsing history, and ads all over the Internet will be reminiscent of our online habits. Our interests cause similarly related items to pop up and thus reinforce what we have already been attracted to, sending us in the same direction we were already headed. In a way, we corner off a little piece of the Internet as ours, and stay safe behind the walls of what’s known to us: columns, pages, videos, and sites related to our previous likes, shares, searches, and clicks. There are certainly issues with advertisers tracking our every online movement and possibly grave consequences of governments harnessing this power, but the ramifications for the everyday college student are relatively benign. Sure, reminding us of that accidental body chocolate search on our family’s Amazon Prime account may result in some awkward dinner conversations, but recommendations on what to read or watch are extremely helpful in the infinitely expanding global network that is the Internet. These

recommendations cut down the information overload into digestible portions and make the Internet a friendly place populated by things we are familiar with. The implications change drastically, however, when the subject changes from embarrassing searches to politics. As has been widely documented, the Internet has severely altered the face of politics in innumerable ways. Many pundits have said it is at fault for many of the quirks of this year’s presidential election, such as the prevalence of outsiders and its fierce discourse. While I believe there are many other factors at stake, like the extreme erosion of the middle class, the violent rhetoric has been encouraged and intensified by how people are digesting their political news. While traditional media still reign supreme, an increasing number of people solely receives political news from the Internet, especially in younger demographics. The traditional narrative has been that this revolution in media has given us access to every little bit of information about politics: every speech, policy proposal, bill, interview, and tweet. Thus, we are able to come to a more informed, nuanced view about the current political issues facing our country. Yet, despite the deluge of information at our disposal, our browsing habits and web sites’ algorithms often pave the way for us to enter an echo chamber of political views, an insulated safe zone in which differing opinions fall to the wayside. This reverberation of agreement strengthens our preconceived worldview and solidifies our entrenchment into what we think we know as truth. Many people on the Internet, and on Facebook especially, are constantly inundated with evidence to support their worldview without recognizing that they are in a curated medium. Since Facebook will promote posts that we will be more likely engaged with, a Bernie bro will find abundant Sanders memes awaiting him aside ads for free-range yoga mats, while a Trump fan will see videos decrying the unfair media coverage of the Donald next to an ad for wall-building materials. Jokes aside, we often find ourselves cordoned off from dissenting opinions online without realizing the absence

of an alternative worldview. Algorithms dictate what we see, ensuring we are complacent in remaining steadfast to our political ways. The very form of online political discourse further exacerbates the cybernetic echo chamber. Rather than encouraging rational analysis about a candidate’s proposed policy, our blistering pace of online consumption paves the way for sound bites and quick jokes that leave no room for nuance. We converse in memes where you are either in on the joke or not. You either “like” something or ignore it. If you “like” it, you’ll see more of the same. If you don’t, that point of view will fade into the depths of your feed. The Internet’s digital skeleton is adopted by our mind’s framework, as our opinions become binary, our worldview turning into an algorithm sifting for supporting information and disregarding the adversarial rest. Of course, the corporate media filtered content and established a political narrative long before the Internet ever existed, and it would be misleading to characterize the Internet as the only entity that moderates its content based on its consumers and advertisers. We want to believe in an unbiased Web, though. Our generation desperately wishes that our incessant Internet usage is a force for good, a way to free our minds from the confines of simple times in media, in which the only source of information lay in a syndicated columnist or radio host. Yet we fall victim to our arrogance and find ourselves within the digital echo chamber, knowingly or otherwise. In order to break free from our online political prisons, we need to challenge ourselves to game the algorithms driving our consumption. Click on something that makes you uncomfortable. Like something you disagree with. Recognize that whatever you do online will come back like a boomerang, so in order to have a diverse feed, you need to have diverse online consumption habits. Break the binary. Crack the algorithm. It’s really not that difficult to … oh, look! I gotta go watch this video of Bernie hitting the quan!

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What’s a Boston College education worth? In the Welcome #BC2020 video, several important numbers for the latest crop of Eagles didn’t make the cut. For the class of 2020, tuition and fees to attend BC will total $51,826 next year, with cost of attendance at $68,294. Assuming tuition-increase rates hold constant, it will cost $79,328 to attend BC by the time the incoming class of freshmen makes it to senior year. Which brings us to the bigger question: how are they going to pay for it? The typical BC student takes on less in direct federal loans than the average Massachusetts graduate, with a median burden totaling $19,000 for those who accepted these loans. But for many seniors sitting down at their exit interviews in coming weeks, this number will come as a bit of a shock. This direct loan total, which is most commonly used to represent total debt, is increasingly at odds with the real borrowing trends of undergraduates. As reported this week in the Wall Street Journal, BC is among a group of colleges that increasingly rely on loans taken on by parents to cover the cost of attendance—even advocating for lenders to create such loans. Parent PLUS loans (which are federal loans taken on by family members) and private loans are increasingly common finance options excluded from student debt statistics reported in the Department of Education’s college scorecard. For many families, particularly those with a good credit history, these alternatives can be an alluring supplement to traditional federal direct loans, as they allow for more borrowing and, in the case of private loans, can come at a lower interest rate. According to Title IV data on loan disbursement by institution, 700 Parent Plus loans were originated for BC families last academic year, at an average value of $24,815. The $17.4 million in Parent Plus loans originated dwarfed the $15.5 million originated in direct loans over the same period—and yet their existence often goes unreported in most federal and University resources on student debt. At BC, where graduates earn well over the national average starting salary for college graduates, there’s a strong argument to be made that taking on such debt is justified, but for prospective members of the class of 2020, the troubled state of student lending is a reality often discarded in the marketing materials. The national delinquency rate on federal loans is now at approximately 17 percent, with nearly 7 million Americans having not made a payment on their loans in over 360 days. Private lenders, which largely fled the student lending business in 2008 as default rates spiked, are re-entering the market. And families are increasingly assuming the debt burden of their children’s educations. The long-term viability of institutions like BC depends on the sustainability of student lending practices. In this time of relative economic growth, families may be able to assume private and federal debt to finance their children’s educations, but we seldom acknowledge the role these methods of funding play in increasing tuition prices—or how it will be impacted should we enter another recession. If universities are coming to expect that parents take on some debt, they should also do all in their power to educate students and parents on this new “normal.” Good information on the total debt taken on by students and their families can protect prospective students from predatory privatelending practices and offer a clearer picture of what their total debt will most likely look like by graduation. Data on private and Parent PLUS lending is equally important to students whose parents do not qualify for such loans, as there’s a chance they will need to take on more personal debt than advertised. The federal government should begin including more than just median direct loan disbursement in its College Scorecard and encourage universities to disclose the same in their financial aid statistics. Statistics that get at the distribution of debt assumed, for all types of federal and private loans, would better prepare families for the financing demands of a college education. It would also keep universities and their stakeholders honest about the economic risks assumed in accepting exponential tuition growth as the default for their institutions. Three thousand six hundred fifty days: the standard term for a federal student loan. Ten thousand nine hundred fifty days: the maximum term for Parent PLUS federal loans. How will the class of 2020 be spending its days paying down the debt on its BC education? Prospective students and their parents deserve the entire picture.

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THE HEIGHTS

A10

Monday, April 4, 2016

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JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

BC Talks, from A1 networks with others. Additionally, Mehta gave the example of The Law of 33 Percent—how 1/3 of every person’s time needs to be spent with mentors, peers, and mentees. “Find those who enable you, and be someone to enable others,” Mehta said, leaving the audience with these final thoughts. Rob Mudge, CSOM ’16, started his talk, “A Reflection On Reflection: Why a Jesuit Education Places So Much Importance On Self Introspection,” with the audience taking part in an examen reflection. Mudge highlighted how programs at BC use reflection as a way to focus on what each program provides. By understanding its Jesuit Catholic identity, students at use reflection in activities and groups that aren’t necessarily religious, but choose to look at how to answer the “why,” Mudge said. He asked the audience to see how the St. Ignatius statue on campus depicts St. Ignatius as a pilgrim, not as a saint. He was on a journey, and every journey takes time, Mudge said. Finally, Mudge focused on comparing two types of people, and asked the audience members to see themselves as the pilgrims. “A pilgrim is not a tourist,” Mudge said. “A tourist goes on a journey for the destination. A tourist goes through the city, a pilgrim lets the city go through them.”

“HOOPs!,” a talk given by Teresa Schwarz, Vienna University ’17, was named after the program that stands for Helping Overcome Obstacles in Peru and seeks to guide those in Peru through a specialized program. In Flora Tristán, Peru, HOOPPeru tries to alleviate the cycle of poverty in the town through child education, adult education, health and social work. Some of the lessons discussed were “you can’t do it alone,” “lead the development,” and “be flexible!” Schwarz focused on explaining to the audience her path to cofounding this NGO and her experience working in Peru. James Kale II, LSOE ’16, discussed how the achievement gap in the United States needs to be defined and looked at with educational measures in his talk, “The Lagging Duckling: Opportunity in the African Diaspora.” Kale focused on how there is a direct link between education and self-identity. “A strong sense of self-identification helps someone lead to who they are, through connection with others,” Kale said. He highlighted how second-generation immigrants of African descent decline in education as they assimilate to American culture. “Opportunity is now here,” Kale said. Christopher Keegan, CSOM ’18 talked about his ADHD and how that has affected him in his lifetime and his journey to BC in his talk, “Time and a Half in Time.” He focused on the disorder itself, by

highlighting its terms and the connotations of the deficit. By breaking down the label, Keegan drew attention to how in society we’ve created someone who doesn’t fit into a mold and is put aside. Keegan also explained the distinction between involuntary and voluntary attention, as well as what each means. Finally, he spoke about his journey in school to understanding his acknowledgement of his ADHD and how he has to deal with peers and friends who looked at ADHD as an advantage in a higher-level academic environment due to abuse of ADHD medication such as Adderall. “There is no extra time in the real world,” Keegan said. “Those with ADHD have to work twice as hard.” Lucas Allen, MCAS ’16, delivered the thesis of his speech, “Pandemic under Patent: How Brazil Broke the Rules to Change HIV/ AIDS,” by breaking down the use of patents in the pharmaceutical world. After his six-month study abroad in Rio de Janeiro, Allen saw how Brazil approached the HIV/AIDs pandemic by administering free and equal access to treat those with the disease. He then challenged the audience to imagine what a world would look like where health is a human right. We are far from that type of lifestyle, Allen said, but challenged the audience to look at how patents are used. “Do we really need patents for innovation?” Allen asked.

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For something that sounds like an oxymoron, the field of medical humanities has been able to delve into the creative minds of health care professionals and provide a glimpse into the human side of medicine. On Saturday, April 16, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the medical humanities minor at Boston College will host its first medical humanities conference, entitled Body, Voice, Narrative: An Interdisciplinary Discussion in Medical Humanities. Medical humanities minors Katherine Carsky, MCAS ’16, Abigail Dryer, MCAS ’17, Emily Sokol, MCAS ’17, and Nicholas Raposo, CSON ’18, organized the event with the help of Rachel Ernst, GMCAS ’19, over the course of an entire year. The conference will explore the intersection between medicine and the humanities and will feature presentations of submissions by writers from around the Northeast, concluding with a keynote address by Jonathan Adler, associate professor of psychology at both Olin College of Engineering in Needham and Wellesley College. Over the past 40 years, health care has incorporated the unique perspectives offered by other disciplines for an increasingly well-rounded approach to medicine. The 1970s and ’80s saw a social revolution in the field, with people challenging the traditional ways of learning medicine and clinical practice. The term “medical humanities” came from the desire for a more humanistic approach to health care, treating the whole person instead of focusing only on the illness. To meet this demand, universities soon began offering medical humanities programs—however, these courses were usually only offered at the graduate level to medical school students. Fifteen BC faculty members, representing a wide range of academic fields, collaborated to develop a medical humanities program for the University modeled after existing programs at other institutions. The BC medical humanities program soon took on its own form—it remains one of the few medical humanities programs in the nation to be offered exclusively at the undergraduate level and draws on the University’s commitment to ethics and social justice. After two years as a pilot course, the minor became a permanent offering to students in 2014. Students take courses in global health, ethics, narrative medicine, natural science, and social science

through different departments to form a more holistic view of health care and the person. “Medical humanities minors are interested in immersing themselves in humanistic approaches to health care,” Amy Boesky, director of the medical humanities minor, said, noting that students drawn to the minor have also been influenced by strength of the humanities at BC. The minor supplements the standard courses students would take for their major and asks them to consider health care through a multidisciplinary lens. “The medical humanities minor is one of the most important things I’ve done,” Carsky said. “It’s something I didn’t realize I was missing until I was actually getting involved with these different classes. They’re things I wouldn’t have done otherwise and have really brought my whole education full-circle.”

“Considering what the minor is and what the students want to get out of the experience, the event will be useful to both our students and students at other schools,” Ernst said. “It’s a personal narrative-driven conference—they can appreciate the breadth of projects and share in other people’s experiences, which will hopefully open up discussion and dialogue.” Carsky emphasized that medical humanities is what the individual makes of it. “For those who’ve never had the exposure to medical humanities, it’ll be a really neat opportunity to see how much more there is to medicine,” she said. As indicated by its title, the conference is centered on three themes. The first—“Body: Living with Adversity”—features panelists Kyle Carr and Salijooq Asif, MCAS ’15. Carr, a Ph.D. candidate

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The minor prepares students for the collaboration they can expect in their professional careers, especially in health care. “Health care is, in its nature, interdisciplinary and involves teamwork,” Boesky said. “Students like having that approach in the classroom and in their extracurriculars, eventually [preparing them for] their professional lives.” The idea for the conference came in the form of an email, in which Boesky asked Carsky, Dryer, Sokol, and Raposo, who were all in the same Introduction to Medical Humanities class, if they would be interested in organizing the event. Ernst, who had previous experience preparing a conference for her graduate class, helped to call for submissions, book a venue, and handle finances. The speakers selected to present at the conference are a diverse group consisting of both undergraduate and graduate students from BC and other institutions.

in sociology at BC, previously worked with individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease of the central nervous system that disrupts communication among the nerves within the brain and throughout the body. His research interests in medical sociology and aging, along with his knowledge of MS, inspired his presentation, entitled “‘MS Warriors’: The Idiosyncratic Identity Process for Individuals Diagnosed with MS.” Asif is currently pursuing a master’s degree in narrative medicine at Columbia University. His background in health journalism, interest in the media’s portrayals of race, gender, and socioeconomic class in regard to health care, and ABC Family’s Switched at Birth inspired his presentation, entitled “Neither Illness nor Disability: Deaf Gain in ABC Family’s Switched at Birth.” The second theme, “Voice: Cultural Perceptions of Illness, ”features artwork by Karolina Mieczkowska, MCAS ’17, writing by Derek Mc-

Cracken, and photography by Emily Simon, MCAS ’15. Mieczkowska will present “Staring,” a personal narrative based on her experience with a benign tumor. A medical humanities minor, Mieczkowska plans to become a physician and works to maintain a literary presence along with her regular science classes. McCracken is currently pursuing a master’s degree in narrative medicine at Columbia University and uses public health narratives as a platform to advocate for marginalized communities and victims of sexual assault. His presentation, entitled “Checking in on the Czech: Macho Medicine Metaphors in ‘The Prostate Czech’ PSA” raises awareness about men’s sexual health. Simon, a Ph.D. candidate in English at BC and account management executive for Emerald Group Publishing in Cambridge, is interested in the search for identity and the portrayal of the female body in 20th-century American literature and visual art. Her presentation, entitled “‘Very little is about their everyday lives’: Terminal Illness and The Everyday in Nixon’s AIDS Photography,” features work by photographer Nicholas Nixon chronicling the struggle to find one’s identity in everyday life. The third theme, “Narrative: Health Care Experiences,” features poetry from Colleen Brady, MCAS ’16, Sarah Ramsey, CSOM ’18, and McCracken about their experiences handling illness face-to-face. Brady uses creative writing as a reflective outlet. Her volunteer work with children, the elderly, and the homeless was the inspiration for her presentation, entitled “What Matters in the End,” a poem about the stages of dying based on her volunteer experience in hospice care. Ramsey is an editor for the BC Medical Humanities Journal and runs a food blog named Sweet Olympia. She plans to pursue a health career in nutrition and exercise and will present her poetry on aging and the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. McCracken will present “A View from the 25th Floor,” a series of poems on chronic illness. What began as a collaborative effort among BC faculty has begun to bear fruit in the form of student-led initiatives promoting the medical humanities to a greater audience. “I’m excited by the way in which the students have been able to do innovative program planning,” Boesky said. “That’s where the interdisciplinary work really happens.”

SPORTS

B1

MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

ALL IN THE FAMILY MEN’S HOCKEY

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JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

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Ryan Fitzgerald has had a flair for the dramatic this postseason. Vermont (and its faithful fans who trekked down from Burlington) nearly took down Kelley Rink early in overtime during the final game of a best-of-three series with Boston College men’s hockey with a shot that almost crossed the goal line. Now on the brink of a third-consecutive Hockey East Quarterfinal collapse, BC used the momentum of the Catamounts’ missed opportunity to bombard goaltender Packy Munson. One by one, the freshman turned each of the Eagles’ opportunities away. Until Fitzgerald stepped up. The junior blasted a shot from between the circles that caromed off several Vermont defensemen and into the back of the twine. With his stick in the air and a small fist pump with his left hand, Fitzgerald was mobbed by his teammates. For the first time since 2013, the Eagles would have an opportunity to play a third game at TD Garden. In the Northeast Regional, Fitzgerald did it yet again— though he wasn’t expecting this time to be so crucial. Entering the third period up 2-0 on Minnesota Duluth and with Thatcher Demko showing no signs of letting up, BC looked destined for a trip to Tampa. But Fitzgerald, never satisfied, aimed to make his goaltender’s job a little easier. “You’re never comfortable with a 2-0 lead,” Fitzgerald said after practice this week. “You always want a third.” Fitzgerald measured up 6-foot-6 defenseman Brenden Kotyk, skating slowly to his right while deking back and forth. When he wound up, Kotyk lost his balance and lunged in front of Fitzgerald’s incoming shot. The junior exploited a screen in front of Duluth’s Kasimir Kaskisuo to sneak the puck just past his left arm. The goal gave BC the cushion it would need to

See Fitzgeralds, B3

DREW HOO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

FOOTBALL

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DREW HOO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Running back Jonathan Hilliman (32) gained 119 yards against NIU before breaking his foot.

INSIDE SPORTS THIS ISSUE

As 2015 starts to drift into the rearview mirror, Boston College football has attempted to look for signs for optimism moving forward. On Saturday, the Eagles received that good news. Two of BC’s key players—quarterback Darius Wade and running back Jonathan Hilliman—have each received redshirts for their injury-plagued sophomore seasons, according to an update on BC’s official website. This guarantees Wade and Hilliman an extra year of eligibility for the 2018 season. Wade entered 2015 as BC’s starting quarterback. His season was cut short in the third game against Florida State, after defensive tackle Nile Lawrence-Stemple sacked Wade and broke his left ankle. Wade ended with 21 completions on 42

attempts, two touchdowns, one interception, and 232 passing yards, as well as 73 yards on the ground. Throughout spring practices, Wade has gone in full contact and pads, and appears to have the same strength on that ankle that he had before the injury. He is expected to play behind graduate transfer Patrick Towles, who is from the University of Kentucky. After Towles’ one season, however, the starting job should be Wade’s to lose—he’ll only have to compete with incoming freshman Anthony Brown. The news regarding Hilliman is even bigger for the Eagles. The Plainfield, N.J. native broke onto the scene as a freshman with 860 yards on 230 attempts and 13 touchdowns. In 2015, Hilliman had an up-and-down start in his first three games before exploding for 119 yards on the ground against Northern Illinois.

Sweep

C olumn: NFL Up in Smoke

The Eagles were swept by FSU after snow cancelled games on Saturday and Sunday....B4

Assoc. sports editor Riley Overend argues that the NFL and Big Tobacco are a lot alike.....B2

Baseball:

Snow-bitten

But as soon as Hilliman appeared to be hitting his stride, his season was over as well. In that game against the Huskies, Hilliman broke his left foot—an injury he doesn’t even remember sustaining. Typically, to receive a medical hardship waiver, a football player must appear in less than 30 percent of his games—with only 12 games in BC’s season, Hilliman appeared in four, or 33 percent. Nevertheless, the exemption was granted. After this season, seniors Myles Willis and Tyler Rouse will depart. With no running backs in BC’s 2016 recruiting class, that would leave Hilliman and Richard Wilson as the only guaranteed players at the position in 2017. With Hilliman’s extra year of eligibility, this puts less pressure on head coach Steve Addazio to scour the nation for an impressive freshman back in his 2017 class.

TU/TD...................................B2 Sports in short............................B2 Lacrosse................................B2

THE HEIGHTS

B2

THUMBS UP

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BERMUDAN BALLER W h i l e students returned to campus from Easter Break last Tuesday, midfielder Zeiko Lewis was in Havana representing his home country of Bermuda — which runs the infamously elusive Bermuda Triangle offense—in an international match with Cuba. OH, BROTHER  The national championship game will hold a little more weight for Nova’s Kris Jenkins and UNC’s Nate Britt. Jenkins and Britt are adopted brothers who played high school ball together. There’s nothing better than winning a national title AND beating your brother, right? SPRING HAS SPRUNG- C an you smell it in the air? Freshly mowed grass, hot dogs, beer, and another heartbreaking year for the Chicago Cubs? Baseball season is back, baby.

THUMBS DOWN DEATH BY BUNT - With a runner on second and no outs, Jake Palomaki laid down a bunt to advance the runner and help erase Birdball’s one-run deficit to FSU. The bunt resulted in an out at third, killing the rally with yet another small-ball gaffe. YEAR OF “ALMOST” - Lacrosse’s 15-14 loss to UVA marked the third time this season that the team suffered a one-goal defeat to a ranked opponent. The Lax gods are not looking down kindly upon the Eagles right now. SPRING HASN’T SPRUNG - The weather played a nice April Fool’s Day trick on everyone when it gifted us with a shortsand-sandals sunny day before bringing a weekend of snow and rain. The elements caused cancellations of both baseball and softball games against Florida State and Virginia, respectively.

SPORTS in SHORT

Like Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down? Follow us @HeightsSports

“We have one essential job— which can be simply said: Stop public panic … There is only one problem—confidence, and how to establish it; public assurance, and how to create it.” Go on, take a guess. Was this quote from Big Tobacco, a climate-change denier, or the NFL? The above excerpt was actually taken from the tobacco industry’s leading PR firm, Hills & Knowlton, in 1953. In the face of concrete evidence that linked smoking cigarettes to lung cancer, Philip Morris and other cigarette companies orchestrated a marketing campaign that smeared credible science in order to conceal the dangers of America’s favorite addiction. As countless indisputable findings emerged that linked cigarettes to health risks, the industry and its lobbyists struggled to maintain the image of the classic tobacco brand. Finally, by the 1990s, a legal blitzkrieg demanding billions of dollars in damages threatened to bankrupt Philip Morris and its competitors, exposing the cover-ups and teen-targeted marketing schemes that plagued the industry. It took over three decades, but science prevailed over corporate interests. For a moment, at least. It wasn’t long before a nonsensical, climate-change denialist crusade gained traction and peaked around the turn of the century. Phony scientists, cozy in the pockets of fossil fuel giants, published studies downplaying global warming and labeling the scientific consensus as alarmist. Worried about government regulation in response to the environmental

movement, conservative think tanks hopped onboard the train of skeptics. So did the media. Marc Morano, climate denialist talking head and Rush Limbaugh protege, made 30 TV appearances between 2009-2014, once even claiming that climate scientists “deserve to be publicly flogged.” A pattern of granting equal coverage to illegitimate claims bred biased reporting. Today, despite increasing support for an international agreement regulating greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. remains one of the least concerned nations regarding global climate change. What does this all have to do with football? Well, it appears as if the corporate attack on science has found a new battleground on the gridiron. New data gathered by the New York Times has revealed that the NFL skewed concussion data to whitewash the severity of the problem, omitting over 100 diagnosed concussions between 1996 and 2001. To make matters worse, the league shared lawyers, consultants, and lobbyists with the grandfather of fake science: Big Tobacco. These findings support

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Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru’s assertions in League of Denial, that the NFL repeatedly discredited independent concussion studies in favor of its own distorted data. The news should hit close to home for Patriots fans who witnessed the Deflategate scandal— a controversy regarding the air pressure of footballs during the 2015 AFC Championship game against the Colts—and the ensuing Wells Report that accused Tom Brady & Co. of cheating. But a closer look at the investigation raises questions about its validity. Ted Wells, the attorney tasked with leading the “independent” evaluation, has a history of defending high-profile clients and major corporations in messy scandals, including tobacco giant Philip Morris. For research, he hired Exponent, Inc., a consulting firm accused of generating results beneficial for its clients. In 1989, it defended Exxon in the Valdez oil disaster. More recently, the company argued that unloading oil waste in the Ecuadorian rain forest does not increase cancer rates. Exponent’s largest shareholder was also a member of the board

of Chevron Corp., which commissioned the study. Perhaps worst of all, the firm helped perpetuate the myth that secondhand smoke does not cause cancer. As environmental consultant Cindy Sage told the Los Angeles Times in 2010, “The first thing you know is that when Exponent is brought in to help a company, that company is in big trouble.” The NFL is in big trouble. For decades, the league has waged a war on science, with an aim of profiting from misleading the public. Not only has the ploy been a disservice to fans, but it has purposefully slowed progress in the field of concussion research by disguising the NFL’s phony findings with a cloud of legitimacy. But while Big Tobacco’s marketing efforts and Big Oil’s battles against climate change felt their appropriate blowback, the multi-billion dollar industry that is the NFL has remained rich as ever, despite the controversy. What’s worse, public opinion of the league doesn’t seem to be taking a bit hit. I don’t sense a wave of anger toward the NFL that is deserved during a scandal of this mag-

ABBY PAULSON / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The NFL’s concussion cover-up campaign has been exposed at last. Where’s the appropriate wave of anger?

nitude. I don’t think the public realizes how much they’ve been duped, and how many lives are at risk because of it. And I believe that the pattern of businesses attempting to discredit science for monetary gain—and succeeding—is one of the saddest traditions in this country. Granted, there’s only so much we can do. Maybe recent events will open the door for more lawsuits against the league. I wish boycotting Goodell & Co. was as tangible as spurning cigarettes or choosing more eco-friendly alternatives, but I’m not sure that changing the channel from NFL RedZone on Sundays solves the problem (plus, it may very well be part of my future job description to regularly watch football). Most of the troubles lie within the league’s leadership, not the sport itself. Are we accessories to the crime by supporting a corrupt industry with our fandom? I don’t know. But if history has shown anything, it’s that more than a legal slap on the wrist is needed to reform an organization like the NFL. It has taken decades of activism and a collective movement to make any dent in the profits of the tobacco and fossil fuel industries. The same may be needed to effect change in the most dangerous sport in America. When it comes to concussions in the NFL, the league’s policy has been, “If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.” It’s time for America’s favorite sport to change its approach to prioritize player safety and save lives. Instead of, as Big Oil and Big Tobacco would say, establishing confidence in its industry, the NFL needs to establish something far more important: the truth.

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LACROSSE

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Getting on the southbound bus to Virginia, Boston College lacrosse knew it was in for a fight, as it is with most conference adversaries. This week’s opponent: the Virginia Cavaliers, a team that, like BC (6-5, 1-4 Atlantic Coast), has struggled to find conference wins this season. As the season begins to reach its final stretch, this was a great opportunity for both teams to notch a conference win. No. 10 BC had its opportunity to add its second conference win of the season on Saturday but failed. The Eagles came into the game fresh off of a loss at home in a barnburner to the UNC

Tar Heels, and looked to regain some momentum against No. 15 Virginia (6-6, 1-4) in Charlottesville, Va. Winning in Klockner Stadium is a tall order under any circumstances, and BC had to fight hard to keep the game close. In this high-scoring shootout, BC found itself playing catch-up from the beginning, as the Cavaliers struck early and often in each half to extend their lead. And while the Eagles battled back fiercely, UVA held on just enough to seal the victory, beating the Eagles by a score of 15-14. The scoring started very early on in this matchup, with UVA drawing first blood a mere 13 seconds into the game with a goal from Maggie Jackson. Seven

ACC Football Standings 8kcXek`Z

Monday, April 4, 2016

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minutes passed before Jackson notched her second goal of the game for the Cavaliers, giving UVA a 2-0 lead. Caroline Margolis responded for BC three minutes later, scoring her first goal of the game. UVA and BC then exchanged goals, keeping the score close at 3-2. BC also posted two more goals in the half, but only to be outdone by three UVA goals that brought an end to the half, with a score of 6-4. The second half featured an offensive breakout by both teams. UVA again struck first, posting the first three goals of the half. But the Eagles broke the Cavalier’s 4-0 run with a goal by Kenzie Kent. This didn’t disrupt the UVA offense, however, and the Cavaliers poured on another

Numbers to Know

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three goals to lengthen their lead to 12-5. But BC came alive and began its response with three goals, two of which came off the stick of Kate Weeks. Jackson scored again for the Cavaliers, but the Eagles then went on their biggest run of the game, scoring four straights goals. Sarah Mannelly scored two unassisted goals during the streak to bring BC within one goal of tying the game, setting the score at 13-12. But two more UVA goals followed, the second following the first by only 51 seconds, and the latter goal would prove to be the game winner for the Cavaliers. But BC also posted two more goals before the end of the game, courtesy of Tess Chandler and Mannelly to set

the score at 15-14. BC couldn’t notch an equalizer goal to send the game to overtime. BC has had some trouble winning conference games this season, posting a 1-4 record on the year. ACC competition is tough annually, and so the Eagles will need to work on starting games off with more intensity to find success. The team has also struggled when playing away from Newton, with a current road record of 3-4. The Cavaliers have struggled in conference play as well, and the win over the Eagles is their first ACC win of the year. Though BC put together a solid comeback bid in the second half, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Cavalier lead that they had built early in the game.

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THE HEIGHTS

Monday, April 4, 2016

B3

MEN’S HOCKEY

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JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

23

Ryan 23

46

4

goals

assists

points

goals

conference, and his 31 points in HEA play overall had him tied with White behind only Poturalski, BU’s Danny O’Regan, and Northeastern’s Zach Aston-Reese. His five game-winning goals and three shorthanded goals each lead the team. And, with that game-winner against Duluth, Ryan now has 100 points for his career. To Casey, it was only fitting. “There’s no better time to get your 100th point,” Casey said. Most notably, Ryan ranks fifth in the country in shots, with 160. BU’s Ahti Oksanen, Robert Morris’ Greg Gibson, Vermont’s Mario Puskarich, and Michigan’s Tyler Motte all have more than him. But of those top five in players who take aim at the net, Ryan is the best at actually getting the puck on the goaltender. At a 62-percent clip, Ryan creates scoring attempts with rebounds more effectively and more frequently than any player in the nation. When informed of that stat, Ryan laughed and said he was pleased to hear it. “I try to only take smart shots,” Ryan said. “I’m not just shooting to shoot.” But it all comes back to succeeding in the most important situations. Between Ryan’s two goals against UMass Lowell that earned BC the No. 1 overall seed in the Hockey East Tournament and clinched a share of the conference’s regular season title, or his game-winners in the playoffs, the Fitzgeralds merely want to win. After all, it runs in their blood. Their father, Tom, was an integral part of the Florida Panthers during their run to the Stanley Cup in 1995-96 and now works in the front office of the New Jersey Devils. Keith Tkachuk, one of the best U.S.-born hockey players, is a cousin, as well as his son, Matthew, who Casey has played alongside on the USNTDP. Their other cousins, Kevin and Jimmy Hayes, have won national championships at BC. Now, it’s their turn. After Ryan took a backseat in 2014, he has the fire to get another star on the BC sweater. And it all starts with a business trip to the Amalie Arena. “You grow up watching BC win all the national championships, and you want to be a part of it,” Ryan said. “My freshman year we came up short, and you kind of have that feeling in the back of your mind that you know what it takes to win it the second time around.”

BY ANNABEL STEELE | ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Boston College sailing had a busy weekend, competing in four regattas over several days. On Saturday, the Eagles had strong, second-place finishes in the 35th Annual Lynne Marchiando Trophy Team Race Regatta and the Central Series 3 Fleet Race. In the Lynne Marchiando Regatta, the Eagles were unable to defeat Yale, while in the Central Series race BC was three points away from first-place Tufts. Sailing also competed in the Boston University Trophy Fleet Race, and the women raced in the Dellenbaugh Women’s Trophy competition. The Eagles finished seventh out of 16 teams in the BU race and seventh out of 18 in the Dellenbaugh race.

Women’s rowing took on Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday, where every Eagles’ boat finished before every MIT boat. BC’s varsity-8 boat beat MIT’s by almost eight seconds, while the first boat in the second varsity-8 defeated MIT by more than 20 seconds. The margin of victory in the varsity-4 race was highest, however, as BC beat MIT by exactly 50 seconds.

Boston College men’s tennis couldn’t overcome Clemson University in a close match on Friday. Victories from the doubles teams of Aidan McNulty and Alexandre Thirouin and Jeff Melvin and Kent Mukai gave BC the doubles point. On the singles side, Mukai and Kent Workman picked up matches of their own, bringing the Eagles a total of three points on the day. Alex Favrot, Luke Johnson, Robert Dudley, and Arturo Pinazo won singles matches for the Tigers to clinch the 4-3 victory.

W. TENNIS

SAILING

M. TENNIS ROWING

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While Casey’s rise was necessary to keep BC functioning, Ryan’s jump from a good second- or third-line player to one of college hockey’s most feared goal scorers has propelled BC to sunny and scenic Tampa. That’s not to say he wasn’t performing before this season. Ryan had steady production in his first two years. As a freshman under the guidance—or in the shadow—of Johnny Gaudreau, Kevin Hayes, and Bill Arnold, Ryan quietly compiled an impressive campaign with 13 goals and 16 assists, the most out of BC’s freshmen. In his sophomore year, Ryan became more of a force on the Eagles. He led the team with 17 goals and earned his reputation as a high-quantity shot producer, with 125. During that season, he earned his mark as a clutch performer with BC’s most recent hat trick and an overtimewinner against Harvard in the consolation game of the 2015 Beanpot. Yet, according to Casey, Ryan said that this year was going to be his year. He worked hard this offseason, both at home with his brother and at the development camp for the Boston Bruins, the team that drafted him in the fourth round back in 2013. Now, Ryan has become the complete player that he’s always wanted to be. Though he primarily plays left wing, Ryan has showed his skill as a center. On JY1K Night against New Hampshire, Ryan’s linemate, White, had to leave with an upper-body injury. The situation was not exactly ideal for the Eagles: a faceoff in their own zone, up by one, 10 seconds remaining, and two of Hockey East’s most dangerous scorers—Andrew Poturalski and Tyler Kelleher—on the ice. Instead of going with an established master off the draw, like Austin Cangelosi, York rode the hot hand in Ryan Fitzgerald. Ryan’s left-handed shot allowed him to perfectly win the puck and dish it to safety, giving BC a victory. It’s just one of many faceoff wins in a secret skill for the left winger. He has 170 wins to only 128 losses, a .588 success rate that’s 26th-best in the nation and second on the Eagles only to Cangelosi. It’s his scoring that elevated Ryan to the AllHockey East and All-New England First Teams. With one (or, ideally for BC, two) games remaining, Ryan leads the Eagles with 23 goals and 23 assists. His 23 goals are eighth-most in the country. Ryan’s 15 goals in Hockey East play were the most in the

Women’s tennis was able to claim a 4-3 victory over the University of Pittsburgh on Friday. The Eagles dropped the doubles point after Wan-Yi Sweeting and Heini Salonen were the only team to win its match, but BC made up for it in the singles matches. No. 86 Asiya Dair, No. 113 Lexi Borr, Emily Safron, and Jackie Urbinati each defeated their Panthers counterparts to secure the victory for BC. Dair and Safron won in straight sets. Sweeting and Salonen each forced her singles match to a tiebreak before ultimately losing to Pittsburgh’s Gabriela Rezende and Amber Washington, respectively.

GOLF

survive a Duluth onslaught in the game’s waning minutes, moving on to the Frozen Four with a 3-2 victory. BC couldn’t have gotten to this point without Fitzgerald. But Ryan couldn’t have gotten the glory without his little brother, Casey. Maybe it’s just a matter of luck that the younger Fitzgerald, a freshman defenseman, is on the ice at the same time as Ryan. Yet on both of those critical goals, the play began on Casey’s stick. In fact, five of Ryan’s goals this season have begun with an assist from his brother. That’s more than any other BC defenseman, and only behind Ryan’s two linemates for most of the season: Colin White and Matthew Gaudreau (eight assists each on Ryan’s goals). Two of those five goals were Ryan’s game-winners in the playoffs. But, never to be outdone, Casey has found the back of the net with Ryan’s help twice this year. One came in the Beanpot opener against Harvard. The second was in a 5-5 tie in North Andover, Mass. against Merrimack, just minutes after Casey had assisted Ryan on a goal of his own. When they’re not creating clutch plays for each other, they’re doing it for their teammates. Twice this season, Ryan and Casey have assisted on goals scored by another Eagle. Both have come in the playoffs, most notably J.D. Dudek’s game-tying—and first-career—goal in the third game against Vermont that helped put BC into overtime. Casey believes their chemistry comes naturally. The two took to the streets to play hockey while growing up in North Reading, Mass., alongside their younger brothers Brendan and Jack. They also played together at Malden Catholic, where they won the Super Eight Tournament together in 2011-12. When both are on the ice, the two seem to mesh in a big way for BC. “He’s a pretty good player, so I try to get the puck to him and see him get the job done,” Casey said. It’s certainly not a surprise that the Fitzgerald brothers are contributing big minutes and plays for the Eagles in the 2015-16 season. But how far they are exceeding their preseason expectations has been a key reason for BC’s jump from borderline contender to a nation’s-best 25th trip to the

Frozen Four. Start by taking a look at the younger Fitzgerald. After committing to BC in his freshman year, Casey played with the U.S. National Development Program (USNTDP). In 57 games for the U-18 team, Casey notched 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) and had the highest plus/minus of any player during the United States’ gold-medal-winning campaign in the 2015 IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championships. Nevertheless, at only 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Casey went undrafted as an undersized defenseman. The fact that NHL teams weren’t looking to take a flyer on Casey caused some alarm at BC, where it was anticipated that minimizing shots aimed toward Demko would be the team’s Achilles heel in 2015-16. After losing Noah Hanifin and Mike Matheson to the allure of the NHL, the Eagles were depleted among the defensive ranks. They’d return three stalwarts in Ian McCoshen, Scott Savage, and Steve Santini. Teddy Doherty’s status was uncertain given that he shuffled between forward and defense last season. That left Travis Jeke to break in the two freshmen: Casey and Josh Couturier. Yet when Brendan Silk went down in the first game of the season, Jeke had to move up and take his place on the fourth line. Casey, who didn’t expect to play much, was now thrown fully into the fire. Head coach Jerry York moved him onto the first defensive pairing with McCoshen, and Casey thrived. He and the defense became one of the country’s toughest units. Casey believes that everyone telling the defense that it couldn’t do it without Hanifin and Matheson only drove it to work harder. “We just looked around and said, ‘You know what? We’re a pretty good D corps,’” Casey said. “We can do it without them.” Ryan isn’t shocked at Casey’s fast development. He believes that Casey was merely limited with the USNTDP and needed a bigger chance to play. Even Casey didn’t see this much success coming. He loves to keep the offense in the front of his brain, citing puck movement to BC’s excellent forwards as his most polished skill. That’s certainly proven true—Casey’s 26 points (four goals, 22 assists) lead the team’s defensemen. “Yeah, I’m having a pretty good year, I would say,” Casey said with a laugh.

assists

Boston College golf traveled down to Salem, S.C., for the Clemson Invitational this weekend. The men had a rough start and finished the first day with a score of 302, earning them 10th place out of 12 teams. The Eagles could not improve, finishing the tournament still in 10th place after shooting 57 above par. BC finished with a score of 921—meanwhile, first-place Clemson was three below par with a score of 861. The women also failed to succeed early, falling to 12th place after one day. BC dropped to 13th out of 14 teams after the tournament’s end with a score of 916, good for 52 above par.

TRACK

Fitzgeralds, from B1

casey 26 22 points

Women’s track and field headed to Stanford, Calif., to compete in the Stanford University Invitational this weekend. Several runners qualified for the ACC Championships after strong performances at Stanford. Liv Westphal, Isabelle Kennedy, Molly McCabe, and Danielle Winslow each earned berths in the ACC Championships in the 5000-meter event, 800-meter event, and steeplechase, respectively.

THE HEIGHTS

B4

Monday, April 4, 2016

BASEBALL

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After Florida State took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning, Boston College catcher Nick Sciortino punched back, scorching a line drive 3 Florida State down the rightBoston College 0 field line for a double to begin the bottom of the fifth inning. The hit energized the Eagles, providing hope against one of the best teams in the country. The next play, however, sent head coach Mike Gambino and the Eagles’ bench into a frenzy. The leadoff hitter, Jake Palomaki, sent a bunt down the third-base line that pitcher Mike Compton fielded and fired to third baseman John Sansone. After Sansone sold the play and recorded the out, Gambino furiously chewed into the third-base umpire. He obviously disagreed with the questionable call and let the umpire hear

about it for a few tense minutes as the Eagles faithful let out roars of disgust. The next batter, Joe Cronin, flied out to right field on a play that would have easily scored Sciortino from third base to tie the game, further antagonizing the Eagles. “It’s a tough one,” Gambino said. “You saw the discussion that I had with the umpire afterwards. I obviously disagreed. It could have gone either way. That’s one of the ones you wish you could look on replay. It didn’t end up costing us the game, obviously.” No. 7 Florida State (19-6, 7-1 Atlantic Coast) sent its ace, Mike Compton, to the mound in the first game in a threegame series in Chestnut Hill. The senior entered the game with a 3-1 record in six appearances. The Eagles (14-10, 3-7) countered with the team’s own ace, Mike King. Yet, while the junior pitched well, it wasn’t enough in a 3-0 BC loss. Unsurprisingly, this game was a

pitchers’ duel, with both aces allowing contact but efficiently recording outs. Both starters recorded only one strikeout, but they kept their pitch counts in good shape and trusted their defenses to make plays. Compton lasted five innings after throwing 69 pitches and surrendering only three hits and three walks. King allowed the Eagles’ bullpen to rest for longer, recording all but two outs after tossing 101 pitches. The Seminoles had the first opportunity of the game to score and it came in the third inning, as the team had a runner on third base with two outs. To keep the game scoreless, shortstop Johnny Adams nabbed a tough chopper, and first baseman Mitch Bigras scooped the throw out of the dirt to record the final out of the inning. BC’s first legitimate chance at a run came in the fourth inning, as the Eagles had the bases loaded with two outs after one single and two walks. The rally ended with a soft ground

ball up the middle that Florida State shortstop Taylor Walls handled with ease. Starting pitchers usually have more trouble later in the game because batters have had a couple opportunities to see what the pitcher is throwing and make adjustments, and that was the case in this game. Both teams posted exciting fifth innings as each hitter faced the starting pitcher for his second or third time. Florida State got on the board first due to a two-out rally. As King looked to record a 1-2-3 fifth inning, Matt Henderson laced a ground ball in between the first and second baseman. Bigras managed to glove the ball, but he could not complete the toss to King, as the speedy Henderson pressured him into releasing the ball quickly. Walls made the Eagles pay—he lined a ball deep into left center for a double, allowing Henderson to score from first base. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Eagles

nearly responded, but the controversial call hampered the team’s efforts. After that heartbreaking fifth inning, the Eagles could not muster another hit for the rest of the game, and Florida State relief pitchers Jim Voyles and Tyler Warmoth dominated for the final four innings. The Seminoles added two insurance runs in the ninth inning after doubles from Jackson Leuck and Ben DeLuzio and an error by Cronin. The Eagles will face the Seminoles again on Saturday, and Gambino comically stated that the revised game plan was to “score more runs.” As for King, he’s still proud of his team’s effort, yet knows that the Eagles will need more of it going forward. “I think we set the tone that we are not going to go away easy, and it’s not going to be an easy series for them,” King said. “They are obviously a great team so they can win on talent alone … we just have to keep firing at them.”

MICHAEL SULLIVAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

After his double put the Eagles in scoring position, Nick Sciortino (7, top left) attempted to take third on a Jake Palomaki bunt (N.P.), but when a bang-bang throw nailed him at third, manager Mike Gambino (5, top right) exploded.

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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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THE HEIGHTS

Monday, April 4, 2016

B5

C`ebcXk\i >\kj <o`jk\ek`Xc 8Yflk k_\ Ë/'j `e Ê<m\ipYf[p NXekj Jfd\ Ë 9P :8C<9 >I@<>F 8jjfZ% 8ikj I\m`\n <[`kfi Director Richard Linklater has a knack for creating films that harken back to a different era, but nonetheless explore universal sentiments. Dazed and Confused (1993) fleshed out the vicious cycles of high school in the mid ’70s, as students old and new grappled with transitioning to a new place and a fresh sea of faces. Boyhood (2014) attempted to capture that same sentiment of change and transition for one boy over 12 years. In his latest endeavor, Everybody Wants Some!!, Linklater hits many of the same notes of his previous films, while philosophizing during some of the small moments of life, between batting practice and bong rips. Growing up is rough in any capacity. The world continues to shift and shape itself around us as we

hastily crawl into new chapters of our lives. It is a game of catch up, all about getting there. But where is there? Set in the last days of the summer of 1980, Everybody Wants Some!! follows Jake (Blake Jenner), a collegiate freshman baseball pitcher, as he moves in and meets his teammates in their shared team house. As the team begins to bond, the freshmen begin to enter the fold. Through antics at various clubs, in the house, and about the town, Jake and the other newbies set to establish themselves in college. Delving into the treacherous grounds of lust and love, Jake and others find their insatiable libidos and fascination with girls hard to quell. Going after women makes for a challenge as exhilarating as their penchant for competition in baseball. Everyone in the film searches for who he is, what he wants, and where he is going. Everybody

wants some. But what is some? The setting and characters hit the proverbial nail on the head for the this film’s intentions. To its very core, Everybody Wants Some!! oozes an ’80s vibe. From the moment the viewer gets a glimpse of Jake sporting long sideburns, cruising down a college town road seeing high-waisted jeans, big hair, and cars of the era dotting the streets, the audience is almost sucked into the ’80s. Coupled with its soundtrack which continually pumps out the hits and latest jams of the age, the look of the film creates a complete atmospheric feel. The performances are excellent, and each character evinces his own status within the team dynamic. As each guy chases success and a good weekend, his respective methods and personality shine through and the dynamic of the team is felt strongly in every scene. Viewers will be able

to feel the friendship and tension at play. As the film begins to extend its reach deeper into characters’ personalities, the existentialism of Everybody Wants Some!! comes into view. A refreshing aspect of the film lies in the characters’ responses to all the big talk of their life plans. They do not change. In spite of all the things discussed, plans and dreams that had not come to fruition, the guys remain more or less themselves. As one night transitions from a disco club to a county bar, Finnegan (Glenn Powell), expresses concern about their identities shifting so quickly. Had the disco fever really fallen away that fast? Who were they? Are they country boys now? “So you’re not coming,” one of the guys adds, as the gang is about to leave the disco to go to the country bar. “That’s not what I said,” Finnegan

replies. The next shot is of him riding a mechanical bull. This scene illustrates the capacity to question and choose. In their pursuit of a good time, did the characters compromise who they were, or did they become adaptable, evolving entities? When you let the good times roll, you better keep up for fear of getting left behind. This kind of philosophizing does not bog down the film, but plays right into the existential crux it seeks to extrapolate. As characters explore a different, more transcendent reality through drugs and big ideas, the film offers a beautiful counterpoint to the seemingly mindless pursuits of fun and hedonism. Sitting on the carpet, bong in hand, the stoner pitcher Willoughby (Wyatt Russell), proselytizes to the group as his shaggy, blonde hair whips about his head with each eccentric

movement. Music quietly playing in the background, Willoughby explains that the music does not mean anything. He continues stating that the artists only give you the notes to songs and that you must find the meaning that lies in between them. Projecting that same kind of mentality into the actions of the characters, their quests seem a little less mindless. Party-crazed. Sexcrazed. Life-crazed. The film really is a big sign reading “Who the hell are you?” The characters, just as we do, search for the answer, but never let it get in the way of living. Growing up anytime is rough. We have a lot of questions and a lot of them can never really be answered. Everybody Wants Some!! does a great job of asking the question, while ecstatically saying all at once, like shagging fly balls, “Go get it!”

THE HEIGHTS

B6

Monday, April 4, 2016

:_\Xg Ki`Zb =`ccj k_\ 8`inXm\j n`k_ E\n Jfle[j `e Ê9Xe^# QffdË 9P :8C<9 >I@<>F 8jjfZ% 8ikj I\m`\n <[`kfi “Mama never told me there’d be days like this / It all started out with a little kiss.” The first lines off of Cheap Trick’s latest album, Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello, much like the title, speak to the nature of the album as a whole. Cruising on the basslines, with a kiss of its past, BANG, ZOOM, CRAZY... Cheap Trick HELLO starts with Cheap Trick a bang on “Heart On The Line,” which dusts off the boots of the aged pop-guitar champions. Zooming about, creating new sounds foreign to Cheap Trick, the album leads to an end that sees listeners right to the door. As the band prepares to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this album seems to say, “Hello, Cheap Trick is here.” Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello is the first album in the history of the band without iconic cigarette-smoking drummer Bun E. Carlos.

After a lawsuit stipulating his removal, the band replaced him with Daxx Nielsen, son of guitarist Rick Nielsen. Though Carlos is still officially a member of the band, he is not allowed to contribute to the recording process or play on tour. His absence had caused some fans to wonder if the album would lose some of the quintessential Cheap Trick flavor it garnered with Carlos behind the kit. Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello would suggest Cheap Trick can make do without him, and delve into new musical territory. After the bumping beats and guitar shredding of “Heart On The Line” fade away, “No Direction Home” offers up a decidedly different feel. The uppity track is a simple and unchallenging piece, but it leaves a lasting impression of fun and mounting excitement. It seems a very inoffensive radio song that encapsulates catchy movement and flow. “When I Wake Up Tomorrow” is a song unlike any other Cheap Trick song. As many of the older bands enter into their later years, it is interesting to see it adopt similar elements and strike resoundingly similar tones. “When I Wake Up Tomorrow” is tonally similar to much of David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar.

Its darker lyrics—“Please be here when I wake up tomorrow”—and equally somber, simple chord progression make this song stand out on the album as such. “Long Time No See Ya” and “The Sun Never Sets” have upbeat rhythms that exude a more fast-paced feel, erring on the side of rock rather than pop. “The Sun Never Sets” feels like the album’s rock ballad, as its catchy chorus and elevated harmonies bring the song into a full and gripping sound. These kinds of differences see Cheap Trick showing more signs of speeding up its music rather than slowing down. These kinds of fast pieces use Robin Zander’s more aged and worn vocals in a more nuanced and sleek way. This creates music that fits the style of the voice, effectively elevating its strengths and hiding its weaknesses. Songs that show more variety and distinction from the rest of Cheap Trick’s discography are “Do You Believe Me?” and “All Strung Out.” Each brandishes its own types of guitar rips and riffs courtesy of Rick Nielsen. “Blood Red Lips” offers up another fun and safe chord progression

BIG MACHINE RECORDS

Even with an immense musical library, Cheap Trick puts forth a succinct and distinct album. and infectious chorus, again sounding markedly different from the rest of Cheap Trick’s repertoire. On a slower note, “Sing My Blues Away” showcases Zander’s vocals more heavily and offers up, arguably, the most interesting lyrics of the album (“It’s a long way home in the dark”). It is an emphatic bluesy rock melody that will demand multiple listens as it washes over listeners. The backing lyrics are a high point and perfectly complement Zander’s drawling voice.

Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello is a safe album, but this does not detract at all from its overall effect, because it’s masterfully executed at the hands of a band whose work spans over four decades. As Cheap Trick looks to the future, it looks not like an aged, dying group, but a continually evolving one. This album, as testament, proves Cheap Trick will not become stale, but will rather pump freshness and variety into the air waves. For fans of the band, the changes may seem strange. But hey, Cheap Trick has always seemed a little weird.

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1 WARNER BROS. PICTURES

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE REPORT TITLE

WEEKEND GROSS

WEEKS IN RELEASE

1. BATMAN V SUPERMAN

52.3

2

2. ZOOTOPIA

20.0

5

Weezer embraces surfer grunge tones on the ‘White Album’, as Cuomo crafts melodies that are irresistably catchy and infectious.

3. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2

11.1

2

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4. GOD’S NOT DEAD 2

8.1

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5. MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN

7.5

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6. ALLEGIANT

5.7

3

7. 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE

4.7

4

8. MEET THE BLACKS

4.0

1

9. EYE IN THE SKY

4.0

4

10. DEADPOOL

3.5

8

ATLANTIC RECORDS

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Arguably, the most Californian band of all time is the Beach Boys. Sunny and carefree, it’s like you can hear the rushing ocean in the Beach Boys’ immaculate vocal harmonies, and their luscious string arrangements seem to mimic the feel of sand between your toes. Many bands have tried to recapture that sunny feeling, but few have succeeded, in large part because they forget that under that sunny facade was sadness—a sadness that stemmed from being told what to do or having your girl leave you. THE WHITE ALBUM It is Weezer because of this underlying sadness that the Beach Boys’ co-founder Brian Wilson’s most direct heir might be— gasp—an East Coaster: Weezer’s lead vocalist and guitarist Rivers Cuomo. Although Cuomo is from Connecticut, he has always been a little Hollywood, with songs like “Buddy Holly” and “Island in the Sun,” that showcase his knack for bright melodies and his love of Californian themes. For Weezer’s new album, Weezer (White Album), Cuomo returns to the surf grunge sound that produced some of the band’s biggest hits, like the aforementioned “Holly.” But this time, he revs

up the West Coast themes, like the engine of a T-bird, with nearly every song on the record referencing something in the Golden State. Cuomo does, however, also manage to imbue the songs with both an East Coaster’s stresses and a millennial’s social anxieties (Cuomo went on Tinder dates to get ideas for songs). This mix of anxieties and happiness is best exemplified in the first track, “California Kids,” Cuomo describes the worries of everyday life—”When you wake up / Cobwebs on your eyelids / Stuck in rigor mortis”—over muted guitar chords. Then, in the chorus, the music explodes with hopefulness and so do the lyrics, as Cuomo assures listeners that, “It’s gonna be alright / If you’re on a sinking ship / The California kids / Will throw you a lifeline.” It’s the perfect opener to what Cuomo called “a beach album.” On “Thank God for Girls,” Weezer proves that even the Beach Boys can be musically updated, adding together a crunchy, drum-machine beat and a light piano melody. While Weezer shows that it can revamp the Beach Boys’ sound, it fails to prove that it can do the same with the Beach Boys’ themes. Cuomo, singing so staccato on the verses he is nearly rapping, muses on gender roles, which, according to him, haven’t changed much since the ’60s: “And when you come home, she will be there / Waiting for you with a fire in her eyes / And a big fat cannoli to shove in your mouth / And that’s why you / Thank God for girls.” While Cuomo did say the song inten-

tionally played with gender stereotypes, it is still a little cringeworthy. And yet, the lyrics prove just what a sharp—and weird—wordsmith Cuomo can be, even when riddled with anxiety. “(Girl We Got A) Good Thing” is seemingly devoid of angst. Shamelessly borrowing nearly everything from a Beach Boys song—the jangly tambourine and otherworldly strings at the beginning—Cuomo sings about having such a good thing, he “doesn’t see it ending.” That is, of course, until the bridge, when he declares the woman he’s singing about, “scares [him] like an open window.” So, he “chalks it up to Stockholm Syndrome.” The one thing that holds this entire album together, other than its lyrical themes, is Cuomo’s ability to create a nearly irresistible melody. If you didn’t listen to the lyrics, you’d be sure this was a happy album. Even when the lyrics take a more explicitly dark tone—like on “Jacked Up,” during which he laments “why do my flowers always die”—it is hard not to sing along when he gets to the high note at the beginning of the refrain. Cuomo is not afraid to make things catchy, but he is also not afraid to be sad or anxious, even at the beach. It is because of this deep melancholy that Weezer’s White Album cements Cuomo’s claim to Brian Wilson’s surfrock crown. After all, Wilson was so riddled with mental woes that he never learned to surf.

3

2 WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

3 UNIVERSAL PICTURES

HARDCOVER FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. FOOL ME ONCE Harlan Coben 2. PRIVATE PARIS James Patterson 3. THE NEST Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney 4. PROPERTY OF A NOBLEWOMAN Danielle Steel 5. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE Anthony Doee

6. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN Paula Hopkins 7. SUMMER BEFORE THE WAR Helen Simonson 8. THE NIGHTINGALE Kristin Hannah 9. OFF THE GRID C.J. Box 10. THE GANGSTER Clive Sussler SOURCE: New York Times

@e ÊI\Xc K`d\#Ë DX_\i =XZ`c`kXk\j :i`k`Z`jd fe 9fk_ J`[\j f] GXik`j`Xe ;`m`[\ 9P :?I@J =LCC<I 8ikj I\m`\n <[`kfi Watching commentators from the powerhouses of the 24-hour news cycle (CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News), it is often easy to gloss over the many factors belonging to any issue at hand. Shows like The O’Reilly Factor and The Rachel Maddow Show are imbued with a certain opinion by their hosts. The hosts of these shows speak well and with authority, making it easy REAL TIME WITH for viewBILL MAHER ers to be HBO sucked into a certain way of thinking without critically analyzing issues themselves. With this thought in mind, it’s becoming more important for news outlets and commentators to facilitate a discussion between analysts holding a wide range of beliefs and ideals. Real Time with Bill Maher has long been such a program and continues to adapt itself to fit in the volatile political

landscape. No conversation, on the other hand, is without its flaws. As a host, Maher is one of more intricate, intriguing figures in late-night programming. Maher, a Libertarian, often appears to side with the liberal-leaning view on most topics the panel discusses, but he also has views that go against more conventional liberal ideals. For example, Maher is extremely against religion. Sure, he would say that you should be able to practice whatever you want, but he attacks the idea of organized religion at least once on every episode, usually in a very aggravated tone. Maher is also extremely against political correctness and has recently spent segments of his program bashing examples of social hypersensitivity, talking with Jerry Seinfeld about avoiding performing for sensitive college students or lampooning kids that felt threatened by Donald Trump supporters at their school. These biases that Maher manifests can be expressed in blunt, inaccessible terms, and Maher’s guests often disagree with his thinking. This conflict leads to intriguing discussions that a less opinionated host would never find himself in. Late-night hosts

like Trevor Noah or Stephen Colbert cannot really delve into religion’s role in the conflict in the Middle East, and though one might not agree with Maher’s views on the subject, his thinking introduces the topic to a panel of critical, sophisticated analysts that further the conversation in a meaningful way. That’s what’s so interesting about Real Time—no one has to agree with Maher to walk away from the program with some meaningful insight. Taking a brief moment of his program to address the recent brouhaha in the media over Ted Cruz and Trump’s “attacks” on each other’s wives, Bill Maher said that the media exhibits, “a complete lack of self-awareness that they are the problem.” Though he only focused on the Cruz/Trump debacle for a minute or two, Maher tried to clarify why his program could discuss similar issues but programs on MSNBC and CNN shouldn’t. “They’re news networks,” Maher stated, “this is an entertainment program.” This scene is emblematic of a problem that has spread throughout the late-night political satire programs. Maher and other comedians (Jon Stewart and Colbert) hide behind their satirical set-up when they see fit, but often

HBO

Host Bill Maher opens up the conversation to the many opinions in American politics. use their programs to have meaningful political discussions that these hosts take rather seriously. When Maher goes off on a crusade to get Democrats to use the phrase “Islamic Extremists” to describe terrorists, he needs to acknowledge that he is trying to have a credible voice in political discourse. Maher is the master of his unique program. He understands how to guide his panel’s conversation and how to challenge guests into critically thinking about the topic at hand.

Especially with the 2016 election right around the corner, the types of discussions happening on Maher’s program are necessary and substantive. Though his opinions are clear and he doesn’t shy away from saying what’s on his mind, Maher never lets his personality take over a conversation, at least for too long. In today’s confusing, debilitated political apparatus, Real Time remains a haven for honest political debate, thanks to the range of opinions invited to participate in the conversation.

THE HEIGHTS

Monday, April 4, 2016

B7

AXgXe :clY :lck`mXk\j :lckliXc Gfn\i JCBC, from B8 excited when Ken Leszkowicz, MCAS ’16, walked onto the stage. As copresident of JCBC, Leszbowicz is a well-known figure in the community. His mid-range croon captivated the audience and brought out bursts of cheer and laughter. One of the night’s highlights came from guest performers Genki Spark. This multi-generational, pan-Asian women’s collective performed Japanese Taiko drumming. The performance was uncompromisingly powerful. Harkening back to Kwan’s earlier sentiment, Genki

Spark was outspoken in regards to claiming and embracing its members’ cultural narratives. The group was started and served as an avenue for both Asian and women’s empowerment. Many of the members discussed feelings of alienation and separation growing up in American society. Genki Spark started as a way to take back control and become more active in the shaping of the multicultural American experience. This mission statement went well with the actual content of the performance. The drumming sounded like undiluted power. It wasn’t something that the performers could

hide behind. Rather, each of the women, while positioned behind her drums, seemed to brim with self-confidence and p oise. Af ter a fe w songs and demonstrations, the group sought out audience participation. Genki Spark seemed to capture the theme of the night: building a broader community of cultural acceptance. While the night was dedicated to exploring and displaying Japanese culture, it also sought to acknowledge the multicultural condition of BC’s c ampus . Many of the p er for mers came from a wide, often multicultural background.

SAVANNA KIEFER / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Jazz Ensemble returned to Robsham with an eclectic setlist and an enthusiastic spirit.

YFg =`i\j Lg `kj ?pg\i[i`m\ Jazz Wars, from B8

AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Guest performances from the female Taiko drumming team, Genki Spark, and j-pop group AAA deliniated from the show’s more serious moments.

’16, on trumpet, gave the audience a performance that was easy on the ears and exemplified another style of jazz music that contributed to BC bOp!’s rich display of the night. Of course, one cannot have a jazz concert without more traditional jazz pieces as well, and BC bOp! delivered with numb ers like “Emancipation Blues” and “Billie’s Bounce.” With performances from Marie Peduto, MCAS ’18, on saxophone, Zack Downey, MCAS ’16, on trumpet, and Christian

Wilson, MCAS ’18, on the vibraphone, the band achieved vibrant and zestful renditions of these classic pieces and showcased the dynamic quality of the ensemble as a whole. “Jazz Wars: the bOp! Awakens” displayed everything from classic jazz music, to innovative takes on modern pop tunes, and everything in between. From the colorful performances of all of the group’s vocalists and talented musicians, the audience was treated to a memorable exhibition of jazz music in all of its spirited glory.

8k Jgi`e^ :X]\# K_\ 8Zfljk`Zj J_fnZXj\ M\ijXk`c`kp Xe[ KXc\ek 9P ?8EE8? D:C8L>?C@E 8jjk% 8ikj I\m`\n <[`kfi Following enthusiastic shouts of “Make us proud, dude!” and “Hey everyone, that’s my roommate!” bellowed by some hyped-up members of the audience, Josh Behrens, MCAS ’18, gave a brief salute to his supporters and sauntered up to his spot at the microphone. Once the cheers and lighthearted laughter had subsided, Behrens quietly cleared his throat. Behind him huddled the remaining members of the Boston College Acoustics, keeping their eyes trained on president Matt Michienzie, MCAS ’17, to give them their cue. On Saturday night, McGuinn 121 played host to the annual Acoustics Spring Cafe, its theme a witty wordplay on the absurd 2006 action-thriller Snakes on a Plane. The co-ed a cappella group regaled its audience with debut performances, entertaining covers of popular songs

and comical skits strewn throughout the night’s rather extensive program. Thanks to the high-energy atmosphere provided by the fun-loving group, “Stix on a Plane” was this weekend’s must-see music event. A debut duet of The Civil Wars’ song “Barton Hollow” kicked off the show with a comforting, folksy vibe. The soulful vocals of Keri DiBattista, MCAS ’17, and Alex Rougeau, MCAS ’18, made for a perfect opening performance that established the mellow tone necessary to silence a chatty audience and captivate everyone’s attention. The duet invited the audience to sit back, relax, and settle in for a night of powerful vocal riffs and infectious background beats. The show was strewn with special performances of popular songs that encouraged audience members to sing along with the skilled a cappella crooners. The “Girls’ Project,” a medley of Miley Cyrus’ greatest hits complete with

blonde wigs and wacky costumes, was an entertaining interpretation of Cyrus’ transformation from innocent country sweetheart to the wild and rebellious pop star she is today. Not to be outdone, the guys in the group matched their female counterparts’ efforts to create an inventive medley all their own—this time, however, the performance featured a collection of theme songs from America’s most beloved television series. The debut performances won the night, for the the fresh, new songs sung by various Acoustics members showcased the group’s vocal diversity and impressive versatility. The chosen tracks perfectly complemented each featured singer’s unique style. Margaret Dauer, CSON ’18, quieted the room with an empowered rendition of Sara Bareilles’ “Bright Lights and Cityscapes” that showed off the sophomore’s impressive vocal range. Hailey Reinhart’s “Hit the Ground Runnin’” was yet another impressive debut. The yearning

tone and emotion-heavy performance by Kayley Okst, MCAS ’19, was met with thunderous applause and a series of hugs from her fellow Acoustics. Dispersed throughout the performance were short skits meant to break up some of the somber songs with a little comic relief. Following along with the night’s Snakes on a Plane theme, the skits playfully poked fun at some of BC’s other a cappella crews, as well as at the Acoustics themselves. One of these scenes features a visibly shaken Michienzie, who slips into his best George Bush-turned-commercialpilot impression and frantically informs Snakes actor Samuel L. Jackson (played by Rougeau) of some shady shenanigans onboard. “There’s a Yankee a cappella group from up north causing trouble on this plane,” Michienzie shouts, “and I need you to save the day.” Of all the impressive covers and medleys, Behrens’ enthusiastic performance of Billy Joel’s classic “Piano

Man” perfectly encompassed everything the a cappella crew is about. Swinging the microphone stand around the stage in a flurry of exaggerated emotion and genuine enjoyment, Behrens seemed as though he was having the time of his life. Enthusiastic, teeming with talent, and just plain fun, Behrens’ performance perfectly embodied the jubilant Acoustics spirit—one that fuses the passion and lightheartedness so integral to the a cappella group’s identity. The Acoustics delivered an array of eclectic performances, each song vastly different from those that came before it. The group tends to jump drastically from genre to genre, bravely treading into virtually every musical genre imaginable. “We ‘Stix’ pride ourselves on the diversity of our repertoire,” the group’s facebook description proclaims, explaining their style accurately as “wailing away on ’70s rock, ’80s pop, ’90s jams, and millennial miscellany.” And boy, does this group deliver.

AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

On Saturday nIght, the Boston College Acoustics gave their audience an entertaining a cappella show to remember with “Stix on A Plane,” a performance of hilarious skits, dazzling duets, and a slew of powerful vocals.

Cfm\# C\oX# Xe[ k_\ C\jY`Xe ;\Xk_ Kifg\ `e Gfjk$8gfZXcpgk`Z 8d\i`ZX LEIGH CHANNELL After a year of resisting my friends’ requests to start watching the series, and constantly scrolling past photos of the main characters on Tumblr, this month I finally caved and started watching The 100. Immediately after I started the first season, I came down with a terrible sinus infection, leaving me with no choice but to bingewatch the two seasons available on Netflix and download the iTunes season pass for the third season currently airing. I was on bed rest—I really didn’t have a choice. While I started watching The 100 simply for the plot, I was struck by the progressive nature of the show concerning its characters’ sexualities. The main character of the series, Clarke Griffin, has a variety of love affairs with both males and females, yet her sexuality is never even addressed as significant—and in the post-apocalyptic version of Earth her people inhabit, there’s no need for it to be discussed. Prejudices are set aside as the human race struggles to survive in this hostile environment, and as Clarke and a slew of other LGBT characters find love, their choices of partners are considered unquestionably valid. Now, queer representation isn’t necessarily the problem in modern television—it’s the reduction of queer characters to only their sexuality. Glee’s Kurt Hummel, played by Chris Colfer, served as

a perfect example. Every episode central to his personal plotlines revolved around his sexuality in some fashion, stressing either his love life, his strained relationship with his father, or the bullying he faced as a result of being gay. While other characters did have similar concerns with relationships—it is a high-school drama, after all—at least some episodes revolved mainly around grades, sports, or other pursuits outside of glee club that had nothing to do with their sexualities whatsoever. The 100 bypasses the over-involved version of queer representation for a realistic one, making LGBT interactions such a non-event that the viewer questions their own surprise. For two and a half seasons, The 100 garnered a huge LGBT following and was for many a sign of long-awaited progress. The show also made huge strides in promoting bisexual visibility, with a bisexual main character that has never been portrayed as “going through a phase.” Unfortunately, The 100 is too good to be true. In the seventh episode of season three, Commander Lexa, played by Alycia Debnam-Carey, is killed by a stray bullet meant for Clarke. Lexa has been described as one of the best female characters on current television—she is incredibly brave and powerful, without being unrealistically cold, and openly gay. Universally respected by her subjects, she still maintains her femininity and personal relationships in a way that is often sacrificed in order to present strong women as

infallible. Lexa’s death came as a huge blow to the community watching The 100 for its portrayal of women—especially since the bullet flew in the very same episode that Clarke and Lexa finally admitted their feelings for each other and consummated their relationship. This was especially painful for the queer community, as the “lesbian death” trope becomes almost inescapable. TV and media Web sites call it the “Bury Your Gays” trope when describing the phenomena, almost always in a tone of disappointment. In modern media, LGBT characters are not allowed a happy ending, often dying immediately after pursuing an LGBT relationship or dying in a heroic sacrifice to save a straight character. The most common method of death? A stray bullet. Lexa was far from the first to suffer her fate—in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tara Maclay died at cause of a stray bullet, and in The Walking Dead, Alisha felt the same at the hands of a 12-year-old girl. Social media sites such as Tumblr and Reddit have exploded with recognition of this trend within the past few weeks, as Lexa’s death finally lit the waiting fuse of outrage in response to this discriminatory trope. Seeing the writers kill Lexa in such a tragically stereotypical and borderline offensive way was awful, especially after a full season of tension between her and Clarke had finally been alleviated. Truly, it felt like a cop out—figuring out a way to maintain Lexa and Clarke’s relationship

would have been incredibly complicated considering all the other running plotlines in the show, and killing Lexa was the easiest way to avoid that problem. Yet I have to believe there was another way to solve that problem without destroying all of the progress The 100 had made within the queer community in one fell swoop. The writers got lazy and fell into an outdated trope without realizing how harmful that cliche is to the demographic it entails. Jason Rothenberg, the show’s executive producer, admitted in a statement that the episode was, “the perpetuation of the disturbing ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope.” He then apologized, saying, “our aggressive promotion of the episode, and of this

relationship, only fueled a feeling of betrayal.” While many fans packed up and quit watching after Lexa’s death, I’m still watching. Recent episodes have felt nearly apologetic—a new gay couple has been introduced, and Clarke is still in contact with Lexa’s “soul,” but I’m still disappointed. After The 100 made such strides for LGBT inclusivity and positivity, Lexa’s death destroyed the fragile progress that the show had made. Now I really am just watching for the plot, reluctantly stuck wondering what path the show will take next.

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WARNER BROS. TELEVISION

‘The 100’ made huge strides for LGBT characters, but made a fatal mistake with one death.

B8

ARTS& &REVIEW MONDAY , OCTOBER 19, MONDAY , APRIL 4,2015 2016

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:8C<9 >I@<>F We have all thought, maybe for just a moment, that it would be cool to live in another time. We glorify the past and how things used to be. As we look at our favorite music, television, and movies from times past, our beliefs seem to confirm themselves. Sometimes we wonder what life would be like if we had grown up in a different time. To experience Star Wars on opening night, to see the long-since-disintegrated band live, or to live among a culture that has been, temporally, completely obliterated. Though a manner of speaking may have fallen away, hairstyles have died, movies have been made, and records have been released, the memory of these times call out to us and bring us to a different time and place. We have the remnants of time always before us. Our libraries span time. As we look back at the ’80s, we imagine Ash slaying demons in The Evil Dead and David Lee Roth belting out “Hot for Teacher” off of Van Halen’s latest album, 1984. Maybe in the late 1970s we’d tune into the original Battlestar Galactica and relish in the “state of the art” special effects and recognize its topical Cold War undertones. Maybe we would like to sit in a club just outside of Hollywood in the 1940s, listening to Frank Sinatra sing “You’ll Never Know” with a cigar and newspaper in hand. These things take us places, places we may have never been. These small pieces hold enough to paint a picture of a place, or at least a part of one. Today, turning on the television and watching films would have us believe that the past was the place to be. It may seem at times that everything and everyone who was anyone had already had his or her time in one way or another. Mad Men displays an old-school style of force and chauvinism. That ’70s Show may have us reeling at the styles of the time, while trailers for the upcoming The Nice Guys film have us taken aback at that same style and tenacity. Something is fascinating about another time. While we look at the future with uncertainty and wonder, sometimes we look back at times past with the same amount of wonderment. This idea is an interesting one mostly because we have no idea what kind of rabbit hole we may enter when we look back to the past. Though living in the Roaring Twenties would surely be a trip, would we have the capacity to live in the time? Could you sound the bee’s knees? What would life be like amid the counterculturalism of the ’60s? How would we react to The Beatles embarking to America and the “British Invasion.” Could we grasp, cope, or comprehend the bizarre styles of the ’70s? I had always been a fan of ’90s music and culture. It was not the most foreign or out-there, and its similarities to the current age were more apparent than styles of other decades. It shares enough in common with the modern age to remain mostly relatable. I seemed to just miss living in the time by a decade or so. But the more I think about it, I only comprehend a sliver of what the time was all about. For the most part, I ignore or am ignorant of the faults of the era because I have been able to cherry-pick its best parts. I get to take it. Not live it. Moreover, as an individual, I am a product of my environment. Nature and nurture. Changing any of that would certainly change who I am and what I like. That makes all that happens now, though it might not be all we hoped it would be, our time. The time is now. Though we long for a fashion that is long gone and though we may wish we could have lived in another age, we would do well to appreciate what is happening all around us. So go see that movie while it is still in theaters. Remember that new song while it is still new. Turn it up. Before we turn into antiquity, we ought to make memories about this time. Who knows? Maybe someone in the future will wish to live in our time. Instead of wishing for another day, we could all make time for today. We only get one shot at it. Bob Dylan, a man from another time, says as much in “Open the Door, Homer.” “Take care of all your memories / For you

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SAVANNA KIEFER / HEIGHTS EDITOR

K_\ AXqq `j Jkife^ n`k_ 9: YFg 9P @J89<CC8 ;FN ?\`^_kj JkX]] Boston College’s jazz ensemble, BC bOp!, returned to Robsham Theater last Saturday with its Star Wars-themed, “Jazz Wars: the bOp! Awakens.” The show offered roughly 20 high-energy, entertaining performances that were immensely enjoyable even if they weren’t clearly related to the program’s intergalactic theme. With a nice mix of old favorites and new performances, BC bOp! brought viewers a spiritlifting spectacle that had the audience tapping its feet all throughout the show. The show began with grand, swinging tunes like “Almost Like Being in Love” with vocalist Amber Glavine, MCAS ’17, and “Corner Pocket” that quickly immersed viewers in the snazzy world of jazz music. From there, the concert progressed into a sprawling piece, “Moanin’,” artfully arranged by drummer Sanjay Pamaar, MCAS ’16, which showcased the talents of numerous musicians including Justin Solle, MCAS ’16, on the piano, Lucas Allen, MCAS

’16, on the guitar, and Isaiah Anderson, MCAS ’17, on bass. B C bOp! has an aptitude for covering mainstream chart-toppers, as it did at the concert with its cover of Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea’s “Problem.” The lovely vocal talents of Marian Wyman, MCAS ’18, and BC bOp!’s artful reinterpretation transformed the song into a version that was arguably more enjoyable than the original. Another cover appeared with Nina Simone’s crowd-pleaser, “Feeling Good,” in which jazz vocalists including Adam Fung, MCAS ’16, created a sensational presentation offering a fantastic version of the well-known tune. One of the most fun performances of the night appeared with “Mack the Knife,”when the audience clapped joyfully along with the band from the very first moments of the song. Vocalist Michael Mastellone, MCAS ’18, brought the whole song to life, and his spirited rendition had the audience on its feet in a standing ovation. Another playful song came with “Oh, Lady Be Good,” which featured amazing vocals from

Greta Ritzenthaler, MCAS ’17, and Ryan Silva, MCAS ’17, and was all over the map in the most entertaining, jazziest way possible. Later in the show, “Dangerous Precedent” featured some stellar solos from Kyle Murray, CSOM ’16, on guitar, Max Warwick, CSOM ’16, on drums, and Matt Passanante, MCAS ’17, on saxophone, all of whom showed that the musical range BC bOp! can reach is beyond its crowd-pleasing yet more traditional jazz songs. B C bOp!’s concert also included some performances that took a break from its energetic, blaring numbers. “Kiss From a Rose” showcased soft vocals and a stunning melody. The group also presented an a cappella performance with “I’ll Be Seeing You,” featuring the beautiful vocals of Anne Wilder, CSOM ’16, in a way that granted the concert a smooth interlude in the midst of its other, louder performances. Additionally, another wonderful song appropriately titled “In a Mellow Tone” and showcasing the talents of Paul Schwartz, CSOM

See Jazz Wars, B7

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See SASA, B7 AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Japanese Club of Boston College’s fifth annual spring festival, Harumatsuri, invited the school’s broad demographic base to join in a night of Japanese dances, songs, and performances. 9P J?I8M8E :?8CC8G8CC@ =fi K_\ ?\`^_kj The Japan Club of Boston College’s annual Harumatsuri, a Japanese spring festival, was a nightlong celebration of culture and art. Before the performers took to the stage, JCBC’s culture chair Yoyo Kwan, MCAS ’18, asked a simple question. “How many of you in the audience are Japanese?” About a third of the 150 or so audience members raised its hands. While a sizeable

I N SI DEARTS THIS ISSUE

group, it was obvious that perhaps a majority of the attendees came from a variety of cultural backgrounds. According to Kwan, the night’s event was not just for those of Japanese descent. Rather, the event catered to all individuals who have been touched or influenced by Japanese culture. Kwan advocated for individuals to become cultural allies, or persons who support and foster growth within a community—Japanese heritage isn’t a requirement for JCBC membership. The club exists to help all individuals claim their personal narratives and explore the

‘Everybody Wants Some!!’

The latest period piece from director Richard Linklater hit theaters this weekend, B6

intersection of traditional culture and the American experience. The first performance of the night was a Kabuki theatre rendition of six scenes from The Lion King. Kabuki is a genre of Japanese drama that involves highly stylized dance sequences, songs, and body movements. Although the performance lacked dialogue, the intensity of the drama was portrayed through exaggerated gestures and forceful vocal expressions, and the choreographed dancers moved across the stage with ease and fluidity. With this style, the performers thrilled the audience with renditions of

‘Real Time with Bill Maher’

The HBO talk show is more relevant than ever with the upcoming 2016 election, B6

famous scenes such as the death of Mufasa and “Hakuna Matata.” Another crowd favorite was a rendition of “Sound of Love and Rainy Skies” by the popular J-pop group AAA. The performance was full of energy and enthusiasm. It started with a single vocalist on stage, and with the addition of each verse came the entrance of another singer. The backdrop included a lyrics sheet written in English, so nonJapanese speakers could follow along with the music. The crowd seemed particularly

See JCBC, B7

Weekend Box Office Report.........................B6 Hardcover Bestsellers....................................B6 The Acoustics..................................................B7

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