The Heights, Nov. 15, 2021

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The Eagles take down the Stags in a close game, winning 72–64 against Fairfield University.

BC Afghanistan Veterans Reflect

B Y M EGAN K ELLY News Editor

On Nov. 11 of each year, the nation celebrates its veterans who have served in the U.S. military. Veterans Day, commemorated this past Thursday, corresponds with the anniversary of the end of World War I, when the

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armistice between Germany and the United States went into effect on Nov. 11, 1918—the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of the war.

Thousands of Boston College alumni, students, faculty, and staff have served in the U.S. military. In light of the end of the Afghanistan War, The Heights highlights some of

their stories.

Veterans and service members in crisis can speak with a Department of Veterans Affairs responder at 1-800-273-8255, as well as connect with care through the Massachusetts HomeBASE program at 617-724-5202.

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Asinine kept the crowd on its toes during its recent show celebrating the comedy group’s 20th anniversary. A8

BC Remembers Alumni Veterans

BY ELIZA HERNANDEZ For The Heights

Jean Chisser, associate director of Boston College’s Alumni Affinity Programs, said that there is a military maxim that says people die twice—once when they take their last breath and the last time their name is spoken aloud.

On Thursday morning, BC alumni and families gathered for BC’s 21st Annual Veterans Mass and Remembrance Ceremony, held each year on Veterans Day to honor alumni who have died in the line of duty.

Under a sprawling white tent on John J. Burns Library lawn on Thursday, BC ROTC cadets read aloud the names of every alum who has died while serving in the U.S. military since World War I.

“I think the important part of that is remembering people’s names, and seeing their names, helps keep them alive,” Chisser said. “It’s in our hearts and in our thoughts.”

The tradition holds, according to Chisser, that after reading the names from each war, the cadets ask “Who will stand and answer for the fallen?” followed by a BC veteran responding with, “I will answer for all those who gave their lives,” and lighting a candle. The names are also etched on the BC Veterans Memorial, a 70-foot-long wall that borders the Burns Library lawn. The list includes veterans from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

See Memorial, A2

Blind at BC: CSD’s Dinner in the Dark

BY NINA KHAGHANY Heights Staff

The Council for Students with Disabilities (CSD) is encouraging Boston College students to share a meal with one another while blindfolded. Dinner in the Dark, which was hosted last week and will continue this week, will allow participants to experience how blind people navigate everyday events like meals.

Svea McNally, chair of CSD and Lynch ’22, said that the purpose of Dinner in the Dark is to spread awareness about the physical and social barriers someone with a visual impairment experiences.

“The goal is for students to leave with a new perspective that they can bring towards dismantling the

ablest structures and social isolation that people with disabilities face,” McNally said.

According to Nick Claudio, a member of CSD and GMCAS ’23, there are ableist structures surrounding meals on BC’s campus. Claudio said that he first began to lose his vision when he was about 10 years old, and is now the only blind student at BC this year.

“I don’t know which bin will have which ingredient for my salad,” he said, commenting on the BC dining halls. “Or like, you know, which fridge will have which sandwich unless I literally open it up and stick my hands in there, which isn’t a sanitary thing.”

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IKRAM ALI / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Jean Chisser talks about BC veterans in front of a crowd of alumni, BC families, and students

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Head to Stokes N131 on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. for diverse food and stories. The event, hosted by the International Club Boston

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Veterans Day Ceremony Honors Fallen BC Alumni

“Right now there are 211 names on the wall,” Chisser said. “It was intended to bring the veteran community together and to honor, always honor, and recognize those who paid the ultimate price.”

The Annual Veterans Mass and Remembrance Ceremony is a tradition that began 21 years ago after a group of BC alumni wanted to create an opportunity to honor former BC students who died in battle, Chisser said. The group also fundraised for the building of the BC Veterans Memorial.

“There was nothing on campus at the time, so there was a group of

people who formed a committee in conjunction with the University,” Chisser said. “They raised $500,000 to have this wall built and came up with the criteria of how your name would get on the wall.”

Preceding the ceremony, Rev. John Monahan, S.J., celebrated mass in St. Mary’s Chapel with featured preaching by Rev. Paul McNellis, S.J., both of whom are veterans.

“We try to make it so that it is by and for veterans,” Chisser said.

The ceremony featured guest speaker Raymond E. Berube, who graduated cum laude from BC in 1978 and retired from the U.S. Navy Supply Corps in 2011 after 33 years of service.

Berube spoke about the unique life lessons he learned throughout his BC

education and assignments as Navy captain. He also encouraged attendees to speak with veterans who were at the ceremony.

“If you have the opportunity to speak to the BC veterans here today, one on one, you will hear the shared pride that they feel in having provided service to our nation and being part of something bigger than themselves,” Berube said during the ceremony.

“While there are many common aspects to a military career and military service, there are also many unique aspects for each veteran.”

Veterans Ed Rae and Tom Quirk, both BC ’53, said they have attended the event for many years and praised the quality of the commemoration.

“So well organized, so well put together, rehearsed, and someone gave a lot of thought,” Rae said. “[BC] deserve[s] the accolades.”

This year, a new name was added to the memorial wall: 1st Lt. Thomas Redgate, BC ’48, who was missing in action for 71 years after the 1950 Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War.

Redgate’s family was notified this year that Redgate’s remains had been identified among 55 boxes of remains that were turned over by North Korea in June 2018. Redgate’s name was added to the BC Veterans Memorial two weeks ago.

“We feel it’s an honor to be able to welcome him back, not only to his family, but for us, to the BC community, to the BC family,” Chisser said. “And we will always remember his name now. To me, that’s really special.”

Some of Redgate’s family members were in attendance at the ceremony, including Marriane Beach, Redgate’s niece, who said it was her first time attending the annual commemoration. Beach’s family was unable to bury Redgate until this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re very honored to be in this group,” Beach said. “It’s the right thing for my uncle after 70 years to be honored by Boston College.”

During his address, Berube emphasized the harsh conditions that Redgate endured in his final battle in December of 1950.

“The soldiers, Marines, and British commandos spent weeks fighting some of the harshest weather conditions on the planet, as they experienced temperatures of 36 degrees below zero,” Berube said. “Frostbite was commonplace in 10,495 American and allied casualties.”

Berube honored the ultimate sacrifice Redgate made for his country.

“Nemo Resideo is a phrase as old as warfare itself,” Berube said. “It means leave no one behind. Redgate has never been forgotten by friends and family.”

The CSD Highlights Being Blind at BC

rience every day, and Nick does a really good job of talking about that after the dinner is done.”

Yáñez Reflects on Pope’s Ideas

BY THOMAS CODER For the Heights

Rev. Humberto Miguel Yáñez, S.J., a professor at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, spoke at the Gasson Chair Lecture on Thursday, a twice-ayear lecture hosted by a visiting Jesuit professor.

Yáñez joined the Society of Jesus when he was about 19 years old, and his provincial was Pope Francis, then Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he said. In the lecture, Yáñez analyzed Francis’ tenets regarding the direction of the Church and its impact on Christian ethics.

“The five main principles of the reform of the Church have five points— pastoral principle, conversion, synodality, Christology of the people of God, [and] relationship between the Church and society,” he said.

Yáñez discussed Pope Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi, an apostolic exhortation written in 1975 that discusses evangelization and the effect it had on Francis.

“Paul VI, in Evangelii Nuntiandi speaks about the necessity to rediscover popular piety, from the faith of the people and the enculturated theology,” he said.

Francis understood that evangelization is the duty of the whole Church and needs to be in touch with reality, Yáñez said.

“Francis took this purpose in a more radical way,” he said. “All the church, all the structures of it … all the people have to evangelize. In a more practical sense, Christian ethics has to be at the service of the evangelization.”

Yáñez said Francis values conversion and its indispensability to the reform of the Church.

“Francis encourages the Church to focus on the pastoral conversion rooted in evangelical conversion,” he said. “In fact, he wants to transport the Church to be permanently in a state of mission.”

Yáñez explained how Francis sees a need for a shift in the attitude the Church has toward sinners. The Church should become less legalistic and more merciful, he said.

“The viewpoint of mercy has to be the main key point of Christian ethics too,” he said. “The Church has to convert herself from a legalistic mentality to a merciful attitude.”

Francis uses the ideal of the inverted pyramid to show that the pastor should act inclusively as a father and brother for parishioners, Yáñez said.

“Francis’ ideal of an inverted pyramid is linked with pastoral principle, and the ideal of a pastor who sometimes goes before the people, and other times he will have to walk after them,” he said.

In discussing the people of God, Yáñez said Francis identifies a particular connection the poor have with the Church. Francis intends for followers to learn from the poor, he said.

“They are not only recipients of evangelization, but they are also subjects of it,” he said. “Their experience of poverty [is] synced with experience of faith.”

Yáñez said Francis prefers an approach of realism when integrating the Church into the world, particularly in regard to those disadvantaged and the environment. Francis prioritizes the unfortunate, and he wants the Church to offer mercy and integrate anyone into the Church, Yáñez said.

“What divides society are the ideologies constructed without contact with reality, mostly to defend a need in contrast with the majority,” Yáñez said. “Pope Francis has [positioned] against these ideologies in the church and in the society, instead he proposes a culture of encounter.”

Additionally, navigating the organization of the food stations at Lower is something Claudio will often not do alone.

“Because of how complicated something like a BC cafeteria is, I need assistance if I’m going to go there and get food there,” he said. “They don’t have just dining staff at the door waiting to greet someone who might need assistance, which makes it difficult. Oftentimes, if I’m going to go to the cafeteria, I’ll just go with one of my friends.”

Claudio said that his statements are not meant to invoke pity for those with a visual impairment like himself.

Instead, he wishes to encourage students to broaden their perspective on how deep the roots of ableism run within our everyday structures and activities.

Cate Cheevers, CSD legacy programmer and MCAS ’23, is in charge of facilitating Dinner in the Dark. She mentioned that Claudio’s words during the event’s reflection session were extremely impactful to her.

“When Nick gets up [and] talks and does the reflection, I think that’s a really good moment at the event,” Cheevers said. “You’re just doing this for fun, but this is something that people with vision impairment or those types of disabilities expe-

CSD Policy Coordinator Jonah Kotzen, MCAS ’24, strongly encouraged students to attend, if not just for the event itself, then to hear Claudio speak about his experiences.

“Hearing Nick and our general dialogue after the event actually occurred and understanding what it means to him on an everyday basis and to live with a visual disability was really impactful for me,” Kotzen said. “I think it was something that I’m never going to forget.”

Dinner in the Dark will continue in the Walsh Function Room from Monday through Wednesday. Tickets for the event are sold online.

Even if a student is unable to attend, Claudio encourages students to make changes in how they treat those around them.

“These events, not just Dinner in the Dark, are not meant to say to people, ‘Hey, look how hard it is for people with disabilities,’” he said.

“Because if that was the message we were trying to get across, that would be further isolating and playing into the stigma. The point of it is, look at how much people don’t think about accessibility and how much that needs to be increased because everybody, regardless of, you know, what you’ve got going on in your life, should have equal access and inclusion to everything.”

College, showcases the cultures and backgrounds of BC students.

The Theatre Department is putting on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from Wednesday through next Sunday. Individuals are required to wear masks and tickets are available through the Robsham box office.

Watch the documentary, Writing on the Wall: Remembering the Berlin Wall, on Thursday at 4 p.m in Devlin 026. The film recounts the stories of world leaders and ordinary citizens during Cold War events.— a panel discussion will follow the screening.

Memorial, from A1

IKRAM ALI / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Boston College ROTC cadets read the list of fallen BC veteran alumni.

IKRAM ALI / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Rear Adm. Raymond E. Berube salutes at the front of the ceremony.

CSD, from A1

IKRAM ALI / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Rev. Humberto Miguel Yáñez, S. J., discussed mercy and evangilization in the Yawkey Center on Thursday evening.

Rev. John F. Baldovin, S. J., Wins Jubilate Deo Award

B Y L YDIA B OER Heights Staff

The National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) has awarded Rev. John F. Baldovin, S.J., a professor of historical and liturgical theology at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, with the 2021 Jubilate Deo Award, according to a University release.

The award recognizes Baldovin’s substantial contribution to the development of pastoral liturgy in the United States.

“A good deal of my writing has combined history, theology and pastoral aspects of the liturgy like confirmation, liturgical processions, liturgical language and the performance of the Eucharistic Prayer,” Baldovin said in an email to The Heights.

NPM is a national association that seeks to foster the art of sung liturgy, according to its website. Members of NPM serve the Catholic

Church in the United States as musicians, clergy, liturgists, and other leaders of prayer.

Prior to his 13 years at BC, Baldovin taught at the Santa Clara University’s Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif. for 15 years. He also spent nine years at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, which in 2008 merged with the former BC Institute for Religious Education to create the STM.

At BC, he teaches about the history of the liturgy and history and theology of the eucharist.

Baldovin is also a part of the group that founded the International Jungmann Society for Jesuits and the Liturgy, a professional association of Jesuits, in 2004.

“We meet every two years and focus on a topic of interest to Jesuits, liturgy and the wider church,” Baldovin, who currently serves as the society’s president, wrote. “For example, liturgy, and justice and liturgy and the arts.”

Baldovin has also been on the board of directors of Theological Studies , a journal published by the Society of Jesus, since 2015. The board of directors oversees the editorial work, production, and promotion of the journal.

In addition to teaching, leading the International Jungmann Society for Jesuits and the Liturgy, and his work with Theological Studies, Baldovin has also published five books on topics ranging from liturgy in ancient Jerusalem to reforming the Catholic liturgy. He highlighted the publication of his dissertation, The Urban Character of Christian Worship , in 1987.

“It dealt with the use of the city as a space for liturgy in Jerusalem, Rome and Constantinople,” he said. “Another work that has been widely used is a little commentary on the Mass entitled Bread of Life, Cup of Salvation (2003). In 2008, I published Reforming the Liturgy: A Response to the Critics , which is

Baldovin focuses his work on the history, theology, and pastoral

basically a defense of the Vatican II reforms.”

His favorite of his works is an introduction he wrote for Nathan Mitchell and John Brooks-Leonard’s book, The Postures of the Assembly he wrote.

Baldovin also described his grat-

itude for the NPM’s recognition in the University release.

“I am deeply honored by this recognition from the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, especially in view of the wonderful colleagues I join as recipients of this award,” he said.

Oppenheimer Explores the Healing of Squirrel Hill, Pa.

BY ANTHONY KANG For the Heights

Nov. 9 marked 83 years since Nazi paramilitary forces and other German civilians carried out a deadly attack on Jewish people in pre-World War II Germany. Events like the infamous “Night of Broken Glass,” known as Kristallnacht, are not too foreign in today’s world, according to Ruth Langer, a professor of Jewish studies in the Boston College theology department.

“It’s very easy to feel that such events would never happen today and certainly not in America,” Langer said. “But recent years have seen attacks on American minorities against churches of the African American community and also explicitly anti-semitic attacks

on synagogues.”

In commemoration of Kristallnacht, former Corcoran Chair Mark Oppenheimer spoke about his newest book,

Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood, at a lecture on Tuesday.

Oppenheimer drew connections between Kristallnacht and the Tree of Life shooting, a deadly attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 people dead in October 2018. Oppenheimer’s new book explores what happened to the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, which is home to the synagogue, in the wake of the national tragedy.

Langer, the interim director for the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, spoke about her personal connections to Squirrel Hill. In fact, it’s the neigh-

borhood Langer grew up in.

“Today’s program focuses on a shooting that occurred three years ago in my hometown, in Pittsburgh, in a neighborhood in which I grew up—Squirrel Hill—at a synagogue a few blocks from the childhood homes of my parents and our speaker’s father,” Langer said.

Squirrel Hill is a strong Jewish community, according to Oppenheimer.

“I was very curious about what it would mean for the worst thing that could happen to a Jewish community to happen to one of the best Jewish communities,” he said.

Oppenheimer’s book examines the Squirrel Hill community through a variety of perspectives, he said.

“The book I wrote really is a panoramic and kaleidoscopic look at Squir-

rel Hill from the point of view of clergy, Jews, non-Jews, challah bakers, trauma therapists, trauma dogs, human, animal, everything over the course of a year,” he said

The most lucrative fundraiser in reparative efforts, according to Oppenheimer, was Shay Khatiri, an Iranian immigrant.

“[Khatiri] heard what had happened, so he went to his coffee shop and went on GoFundMe.org to open up a fund,” he said. “That fund page was retweeted by [CNN] anchorman Jake Tapper and other people and it kind of circled the globe, and he ended up within a week raising something like a million and a half dollars for the victims.”

Through stories like Khatiri’s, the book highlights the difficult conversa-

tions that occur in healing communities after attacks. The new book, he said, is about how communities rally after terrible events.

“Ultimately, to me, this book is about these little stories that really make up the bigger story of how a neighborhood is an organism and comes through something like this and not only survives but in some ways thrive,” Oppenheimer said.

Oppenheimer said mass shootings like the Tree of Life tragedy create waves of consequences.

“[A mass shooting is] a lot of things,” he said. “It’s a terror and horror that goes on for people who can’t forget … But so too do these extraordinary ripples and emanations. So too does the Muslim exchange student raise over a million dollars for the Jews.”

Rev. Paul McNellis, S. J., Talks Value of Masculinity

B Y N OELLE B RUCE For the Heights

Rev. Paul McNellis, S.J., said that masculinity is not something to be apologized for.

“You should never apologize for being a man, no matter how many woke commissars … tell you that you should,” McNellis said. “I’ve actually seen so-called men who are proud of being ashamed. To apologize merely for being a man shows a lack of self-respect, and dishonors your own father and his father.”

McNellis, who teaches in the Boston College philosophy department, spoke to students in an event titled “How Toxic is Masculinity?” on Thursday night.

He began by defining ‘masculinity’ as a whole and emphasizing the importance of the topic.

“Toxic masculinity—the term itself seems to have become toxic, which is so partisan, divisive, and triggering that many seem to use the term masculine only ironically,” McNellis said.

This phenomenon strikes McNel-

lis as unfortunate for two reasons.

“First, on the University campus, we should be able to discuss important topics,” McNellis said. “Second, personally, I can’t imagine a conversation more interesting or important than one on the meaning of men and women, masculine and feminine.”

McNellis spoke about the history of masculinity, noting the shift and lack of responsibility of men during the sexual revolution of the ’60s. According to McNellis, women earned freedom from men with the radical changes in contraception, gender roles, and education. This, he said, was largely successful, but did not achieve its main goal.

“If the revolution was supposed to grant us new freedoms that would make us happy, why are we so unhappy?” he said.

McNellis answered his question by discussing the ‘absent father,’ which he believes is the most pressing epidemic on the rise and has incited the idea of toxic masculinity.

Without fathers, he said, boys have fewer role models to follow to become good men.

“The good father is also the richest example because all the virtues are needed—temperance, justice, courage, generosity, compassion, wisdom, mercy, magnanimity, faith, hope, and love,” McNellis said.

McNellis then gave an example of a WWII letter between a father and son that he believes represents what a good father is.

“He tells his son what kind of man he hopes he will become and what he must do to become that kind of man,” he said. “He speaks of honor, duty, fairness, [and] never becoming a quitter.”

McNellis then opened the floor to questions, where he was asked by several participants if the absent mother was just as impactful on the upbringing of men.

The mother had equal value in her child’s upbringing, McNellis said, but to do it alone—without providing a son with a male role model—is extremely harmful.

“And I know I’ve worked in countries like Cambodia, where men were wiped out, almost a generation,” McNellis said. “The only ones raising

the kids in many cases, especially in rural areas [are the mothers]. And yes, they can do it but probably not all alone.”

Attendees also asked questions regarding non-binary individuals and potential toxic femininity, as well as how these virtues applied for men.

“No, the list of virtues I gave doesn’t change,” McNellis said. “Courage, compassion, justice, motivation, compassion, love—those are still good virtues—why wouldn’t

they be?”

McNellis said that a father is the most important role in a man’s life and that the term toxic masculinity is not beneficial for finding a solution for this issue.

“There is a real problem with boys not becoming men,” McNellis said. “However, the term toxic masculinity does not help us identify the problem because its fundamental understanding of what it means to be a man is flawed.”

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS STAFF

aspects of liturgy.

McNellis stands at the front of a classroom filled with students in Campion Hall.

Veterans Day: Meet Four of BC’s Afghanistan Veterans

Lorenz said. “I was and still am a little disappointed that the U.S. didn’t plan to get the interpreters and our Afghan allies out.”

Mike Lorenz, U.S. Air National Guard

Stacks of BC veterans stickers are neatly arranged on the corner of Mike Lorenz’s desk in Maloney Hall. At the center of the desk sits a gray book: a compilation of his grandfather’s letters from World War II, his father’s memoirs from Vietnam, and a journal Lorenz kept while serving in the Air National Guard in the Middle East.

As BC’s first assistant director for veterans programs and services, Lorenz helps to coordinate veterans groups and events at BC. For Lorenz, veterans—whether alumni, students, faculty, or staff—are all bonded together by common experiences.

“We all signed up for a future that we didn’t know about,” Lorenz said. “And that was completely out of our control, and I don’t think everyone can say they’ve done that in the same way.”

In August of this year, the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan after

Lorenz kept a close eye on the scenes from Kabul in the days following the war’s end.

“I just watched and it was a weird little reliving of things,” he said. “I didn’t work closely with the interpreters or anything like that, but I felt for them and the people, because people just needed help.”

When the United States first declared war on Afghanistan back in 2001, Lorenz said he was proud to be going to war. Over time, however, the war hit a stalemate, Lorenz said, and the U.S. stopped gaining any ground. As Kabul fell, questions began to emerge about the legacy of United States presence in the country.

“At the time, … I was excited to be going,” he said. “I felt like there was a purpose. And then when the Iraq War kind of fizzled, and we found out like, ‘Oh, there really weren’t weapons of

from BC, Daniel Arkins enlisted in the U.S. Army to qualify for a student loan repayment program. Though he originally intended to stay in the army for only six years, Arkins instead served for the next 33.

Arkins, now a retired U.S. Army Colonel, serves as the director of development at the HomeBASE program at Massachusetts General Hospital. HomeBASE provides clinical care and support for veterans and their families to heal the “invisible” wounds of war, including post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and depression, among others.

Though HomeBASE offers its veterans services year round, on Nov. 11 of every year, “it’s all hands on deck,” according to Arkins.

“Veterans Day is always a busy time for veterans advocacy programs, especially in the mental health arena,” Arkins, BC ’81, said. “So you know, we were always expecting an uptick. Afghanistan just drove it a lot sooner this year, and I would say just, you know, opened up a lot of really raw emotions for a lot of veterans.”

The end of the war was an emotional event for veterans, Arkins said, himself included.

“I think we probably knew it was inevitable, but how quickly it happened really ripped up a Band-Aid off a lot of scar tissue for service members, and not just Afghan veterans,” he said. “We serve a lot of Vietnam-era veterans who saw a very similar conclusion to the Vietnam War, and so on. It’s been emotional. It’s been taxing on our resources.”

said. “I just hope every Veterans Day people can dust these things off and make sure that it’s not just a parade, it’s not just a speech. That, you know, there is some concrete action people take to honor and commit to the service and sacrifice these people have made.”

William Kelly, U.S. Marine Corps Brockton, Mass. native William Kelly enlisted in the U.S. military in 2005. Inspired by both of his grandparents’ involvement in the army—one during World War II and the other in Europe during the Korean War—Kelly signed up for the U.S. Marine Corps as a junior in high school.

He also knew he wanted to eventually join the fire department, where veterans receive hiring preference. The outdoorsy teenager left for boot camp a week after his high school graduation.

appreciate.”

Kelly said that, in light of the end of the Afghanistan War, it is quite sad to think of the 13 service members who were killed in action in the days leading up to the withdrawal.

“Just looking at how young they were, you know,” Kelly said. “I think there was only one of the 13 that was in their 30s and pretty much everybody else was a lot of 20-year-olds, 22, and I think one or two of them were 25. So it’s sad to think about that.”

The first few weeks after the withdrawal from Kabul, Kelly said he wanted to hear somebody admit it was a failure.

“It was a very difficult mission in a very difficult landscape,” he said. “Socially, geographically, politically, in every scenario, it’s a difficult task to deal with.

nearly two decades of conflict. Nearly three months later, Lorenz noted the significance of this Veterans Day after the end of a war that claimed the lives of thousands of U.S. service members.

“It’s the first Veterans Day where we haven’t been actively engaged in a war, at least not on paper,” Lorenz, BC ’21, said. “That’s 20 years of 20 Veterans Days where that war particularly was going on.”

From November 2007 to February 2008, Lorenz was a weapons loader for the Air National Guard at Bagram Air Base, about 40 miles outside of Kabul— Afghanistan’s capital city. He also served in Kuwait and Iraq during his 10 years in the Air Force Reserves.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan in August garnered criticism from the American public and international community. The withdrawal should have been planned ahead of time, according to Lorenz.

“I think it was time for us to leave or to hand the reins over or something like that, so I was okay with the war ending and us sort of leaving it up to fate,”

mass destruction,’ and all this stuff, Afghanistan was still the noble fight, if you will.”

Most students at BC do not remember the attacks on Sept. 11, if they were even alive when they occurred. Regardless, the event has widely impacted the world we live in today, Lorenz said, ranging from heightened airport security to almost constant warfare for the past two decades.

To bridge this gap in understanding, Lorenz encouraged the younger generation of Americans to not be afraid to approach veterans they see in public and ask them about their time in the military.

“Just acknowledge the fact that they were in the military and you might be surprised that someone may open up,” Lorenz said. “I can’t tell you how many birthdays, anniversaries, holidays [I missed] because of all that stuff. … And to have that acknowledged by somebody who has no connection to it is a very meaningful thing.”

Daniel Arkins, U.S. Army

Just two years after he graduated

Arkins spent nine months in Kabul during his deployment. The withdrawal in August meant a constant deluge of images of places where he had served.

“And a lot of people did put their lives at risk, you know, went all-in supporting this hope for a better Afghanistan, and I think a lot of Afghan veterans felt let down by that,” he said. “I think that there’s a sense of disappointment. There’s a sense of loss. There’s a sense of, you know, could we have done more for particularly those people we left behind?”

Arkins has been a member of the BC Veterans Alumni Network (BCVAN) for the past 12 years, eight of which he served as co-chair. He returns to campus every year for BC’s Veterans Day Remembrance ceremony, which is sponsored by BCVAN.

He hopes the younger generation of Americans recognize that veterans and their families will be grappling with both the mental and physical effects of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for years to come. Arkins is grateful for the recent uptick in donations to HomeBASE.

“I hate to put it in these terms, but the Afghanistan withdrawal kind of reopened the window into veterans issues,” Arkins said. “This is a long-term commitment we owe to our service members.”

Arkins joined HomeBASE in September 2019, where he said he savors the opportunity to help his fellow veterans and their families every day.

“I feel like I landed my dream job pretty late in my career,” he said.

Arkins said that he hopes Veterans Day can be an opportunity for others to reconsider veterans’ issues that may otherwise fade into the background.

“I’m surrounded by these issues every day, you know, so it’s front of mind for me every time I come to work,” he

“I joined the Marines specifically because, you know, they were like the ‘toughest,’” Kelly said. “They honestly seem to have the most pride in their branch. It also helped that a good friend of mine from high school was joining as well, so him and I could go to boot camp together.”

After an initial deployment to Iraq in 2006, Kelly was deployed in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in 2011, when he was about 24 years old. His company

And I don’t think it’s reasonable to be a Monday morning quarterback with how difficult it all was, and I don’t think it’s right to point fingers and blame, but I do know that integrity and accountability is a big thing at every level of the military. That seemed to be missing.”

Though conversations surrounding veterans issues often re-enter the spotlight around Veterans Day, Kelly emphasized the wealth of resources currently available to veterans. It is important to increase the visibility of these resources for veterans to actually

fell under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—a military alliance that includes Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and various other European countries. Kelly and his fellow marines were in Afghanistan on a training mission, he said, where they trained various Afghan troops, police, and border police.

Kelly, GCSOM ’18, now serves as co-chair of the Boston College Veterans Alumni Network. He has been involved with the network since he became a BC student in 2015 as part of the Student Veterans Association, a group within BCVAN.

Though he also attends BC’s Annual Veterans Mass and Remembrance Ceremony, Kelly typically celebrates Veterans Day a day early on Nov. 10, the birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.

“We have a big party in the Seaport,” he said. “I never really did much before I got involved with BCVAN. I do get a lot of phone calls and text messages from family and friends, which I enjoy and I

use them, he said.

He referenced an instance where in a speech in San Francisco, General Jim Mattis, who commanded forces in the Afghanistan, Iraq, and Persian Gulf wars, told the public that veterans are not “damaged goods.”

“It’s not Vietnam,” Kelly said. “When we came back and when we served, there was a lot of appreciation. I’m a big proponent of post-traumatic growth, which is like, obviously, you’ve done this, you’ve made the sacrifices, you’ve dealt with these situations, and [you’re] growing from that.”

Tyler Pase, U.S. Army

Tyler Pase, a former ranger in the U.S. Army, always knew he wanted to serve in special operations. Following the attacks on Sept. 11, Pase had felt that it was his civic duty to serve his country.

COURTESY OF MIKE LORENZ Lorenz stands with an aircraft at an air base in Afghanistan during his deployment.

COURTESY OF WILLIAM KELLY

Kelly in front of Fulton Hall on Boston College’s main campus.

COURTESY OF TYLER PASE

Pase in the hills of Afghanistan during one of his deployments.

COURTESY OF DANIEL ARKINS Arkins with a Boston College flag while on an aircraft during his time in the army.

Newton Hires Connects Workers to Newton Employers

By ashley Emanuel Heights Staff

Newton Hires, a program that aims to attract employees for Newton employers using cash bonus incentives, participated in a virtual career fair on Nov. 2 in an effort to involve more people in the program.

“We really hope that people will take a look at the program and try to participate,” Devra Bailin, Newton Economic Development director, said. “Our goal is to get as many people employed in Newton as we can, and we feel that this incentive is actually really helpful to people, especially over the holiday season.”

The program is a collaborative effort among the city, MassHire Metro South/West, and the Charles River Regional Chamber, where Bailin serves on the board of directors. A portion of the funding Newton received from the American Recovery Plan will fund the program, according to Bailin.

Newton Hires connects employees with prospective employers in an effort to make the job search easy and efficient. The program uses a monetary bonus to incentivize people to find and remain in jobs, Bailin said.

While Newton Hires was first available on Aug. 9, anyone who

met the requirements by Aug. 1 can retroactively register, Bailin said.

“What’s interesting about the program is that an employee can start with an employer and then find out about the program and they can both then retroactively apply,” Bailin said. “We’ve made it as simple as possible for people to grab hold of the incentive bonus.”

Bailin had a booth at the fair to answer questions and was available to help resolve any issues, and she said was able to witness how employees responded to the program.

“As I participated in the job fair, I can say that I thought it was a very successful event and hope that many of those people who were participating get jobs,” Bailin said. “It was a platform that was very easy to use … and I think it created a very open environment for people to feel free to ask their questions.”

According to Bailin, 88 individuals pre-registered for the fair and 41 attendees and 30 employers participated. The program has had positive feedback so far, though employers seem to be more eager than potential employees, Bailin said.

Over 65 employers have identified vacancies through the program. Though there have been a lot of inquiries and interest, only

27 unemployed individuals are fully registered on the MassHire website and 10 of those job applicants have earned their first bonus by working at least four weeks, according to Bailin.

Qualifications to apply for the program, according to the MassHire website and Bailin, include being 18 years of age, currently underemployed or unemployed, registering with MassHire Metro South/ West, and securing employment of 20 hours per week and providing documentation of being employed. Qualifications for employers include being based in Newton and registering their business and job openings with MassHire. Newton Hires is also limited to the first 200 people who are hired in Newton and stay employed.

Some of the participating employers include Solomon Schechter School, the Suzuki School, and Boston Showcase, according to Bailin.

Over 3,400 vacancies were reported in the city between April 15 and July 15, according to the city’s website. Bailin said this reflects the labor shortages and difficulty to retain workers in Newton, but also at the state and national level.

Employers are not only having issues finding employees, but also

retaining workers for extended periods of time, Bailin said. To encourage long-term employment, the program offers the bonus only after employees remain with their employer for four weeks and offers another bonus if they stay through Dec. 20, according to Bailin.

“Under the program if you work for four weeks you get $500,” Bailin said. “If you’re still working as of December 20, you would get another $500 after January of 2022—so it’s a $1,000 bonus.”

Boston Showcase exemplifies the issue of employee retention, as Bailin said the company was able to find employees but was having trouble incentivizing them to stay.

“That was one of the reasons for doing this sort of incentive bonus,” Bailin said. “A lot of people were showing up for a day or two of work and then they’d go on to something else and that obviously is a problem for employers … so we wanted to encourage people to be employed here in Newton, but also to stay employed here and allow companies some stability in their work staff.”

While this program is new to Newton, it has been implemented in a similar capacity in other Massachusetts communities and is based loosely off of Salem’s Hospitality

Employee Incentive Program, Bailin said. This program also offers monetary benefits, in the form of Visa gift cards, to employees who maintain a certain number of hours of work on a weekly basis, according to the Salem website. Bailin said she, along with other city officials, determined Newton could benefit from a similar program.

Aside from the job fair, Bailin said she has also publicized Newton Hires in Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s community update emails, on social media, and in the Charles River Regional Chamber’s newsletter.

“The difficulty is it is not just people in Newton who are unemployed that qualify, but anybody who takes the job in Newton,” Bailin said. “So trying to get the word out in a broader market is much more difficult.”

While the program is expected to end after the last bonuses are given out in January 2022, Bailin said she would love to continue the program in the future.

“At some point, those people will need to get back to work and my hope is that we can sort of incentivize them to come our way, but right now the plan is the program will end at the end of this year with final payments being made early next year,” Bailin said.

Bettina’s Brings German and Latin Treats to Newton

By Rachel Lee

For The Heights

Specializing in German and Latin treats, Bettina’s Bakery is bringing a unique combination of flavors to Newton Upper Falls. Bettina Scemama, along with her partner Naun Rivera, opened their homey bakery on Oct. 5.

“I’m originally from Germany and my partner Naun is from Honduras, so we have always talked

really interesting mix. Coming from two kinds of traditions that make really good home-baked goods from scratch and translating that into a cafe was something that we’d thought would be appealing to a lot of people.”

All of the bakery’s selections are made fresh every morning and often sell out by closing time, especially it’s signature treat, the concha, according to Scemama.

She described the concha as

mon-sugar topping.

The mouthwatering selection of desserts includes mainstream favorites like lemon pound cake, along with more specialized Honduran and German treats. The bakery offers tres leche cake, a moist Central American sponge cake soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream, and Apfelkuchen, a German two-crust apple cake.

In addition to baked goods, Bettina’s Bakery has a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, and soups that reflect the German and Honduran influences.

For breakfast, customers can choose from a wide variety of German and Honduran dishes, two being the Honduran breakfast plate and the Streuselkuchen. The Honduran plate consists of sweet plantains or two soft flour tortillas, refried beans, eggs, queso duro or crema, and avocado, while the Streuselkuchen is a German crumb cake served with fresh fruit.

The lunch menu offers both a schnitzel sandwich, consisting of thinly pounded breaded chicken on a brioche roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and German pickles, and Honduran chicken tacos with cabbage salad. All items on the menu are generally under $10, making it affordable to customers looking for a quick snack or lunch on the go.

and pastel blue walls.

What makes Bettina’s Bakery even more inclusive is its choice to go completely nut free, making it one of the few bakeries in the greater Newton area that has chosen to do so. Helen Geckle, a local resident and fan of the bakery, said this element of the menu draws her back to Bettina’s.

ing a business amid a pandemic, Scemama has remained optimistic about business.

“Due to the pandemic, we have a limited number of seats,” she said.

about the home-baking culture from both those countries,” Scemama said. “We thought it’d be a

a popular Mexican pastry made from a soft, yeasted roll, slightly sweetened with a crunchy cinna-

With its entrance framed with two hanging flower pots on either side, Bettina’s immediately feels welcoming. While seating is limited, the bakery is cozy with an order-atthe counter selection of baked goods

“It’s awesome to find a local bakery where I can buy treats without triggering my severe nut allergies,” Geckle said. “That, and its really cozy atmosphere makes it the perfect place for me to pick up baked goods for me and my family.”

Although it is never easy open-

“But the nice thing is, we have had people sitting in, since the employees all wear masks and are vaccinated ... and I’d say probably the majority of the business is takeout, which is helpful.”

Taking all these factors into consideration, residents in Newton and across the Boston area who are looking for a local bakery with a diverse selection of delicious pastries should pay a visit to this up-andcoming business.

RACHEL LEE / FOR THE HEIGHTS

With yellow flowers at the entrance, the bakery invites guests in to try a dessert.

RACHEL LEE / FOR THE HEIGHTS

The bakery’s interior has limited seating but has a cozy atmosphere with blue walls.

Sofra Bakery is Bustling Following National Recognition

By Maggie Leahy Assoc. Metro Editor

Situated on the corner of Belmont St., Sofra Bakery & Cafe has always had a loyal following, but lately lines have been longer than usual.

On a sunny Saturday morning, the line winded its way out the door of the restaurant around the corner onto Holworthy Street. Business has been booming at Sofra following its inclusion in The New York Times’ “The Restaurant List” from Oct. 12, which names the 50 restaurants The New York Times is currently “most excited about.”

Since the article came out, lines at Sofra have been consistently out the door, according to Payal Parikh, the general manager of Sofra. Sofra was the only restaurant in Massachusetts to make the list.

“It has been [like this] since the New

rich yet light quality of the food there, according to Parikh.

“Both Ana and Maura had worked in Turkish restaurants in the past and they had really fallen in love with Turkey and its flavors,” Parikh said.

Sofra offers a variety of sweet, savory, and contemporary interpretations of traditional Turkish, Lebanese, and Greek cuisine, according to the Sofra website. The restaurant is particularly inspired by the food in the Levant region, Parikh said.

Some of it’s signature dishes include a spinach falafel, a morning bun, and their earthquake cookie, a rich chocolate cookie topped with powdered sugar, Parikh said.

“Spinach Falafel is a non-traditional take on a falafel,” Parikh wrote in an email to The Heights. “Inspired off an ultralight creamy hummus and made with chickpea flour with all the typical falafel flavors, [it is] served on a fresh-made yufka bread, with seasonal pickled vegetables, beet tza-

sells out of this fan favorite every weekend, Parikh said.

Despite its long lines, Sofra is worth the sometimes hour-long wait. As if it’s innovative and delicious menu is not enough to tempt customers, Sofra creates a warm and welcoming environment that reflects the meaning of the name.

The name Sofra means a picnic, a special table preparation of food, or a small square kilim rug for eating. While traveling in Turkey, Sortun and Kilpatrick asked locals what the word “Sofra” meant to them and settled on that as the name for their restaurant after seeing the smiles the word generated, according to Sofra’s website.

Sofra is a feeling as much as a place and it is an evolving and inviting gesture of hospitality, Parikh said. Upon stepping into the small interior space, customers are greeted with cheery employees, all wearing masks, bustling around to bring people their food as quickly as possible. The smell of fresh baked goods mingles with Middle Eastern spices and wafts through the air.

“Sofra is about hospitality, from when you walk in and are greeted by our staff and order your food or beverage,” Parikh wrote in an email to The Heights. “Our unique takes on classic dishes sets us apart from others, but we pride ourselves as being part of the community and that is important.”

the left of the counter sells a variety of hummuses, dishes to take home and heat up, and a variety of wine and spices for customers to incorporate into their own cooking. Sofra sells ingredients which are both sourced locally and globally, according to Parikh, and is committed to supporting local and international food artisans and sustainable agriculture, according to it’s website.

of their spices so I can use them at home. So, it’s really a combination of really good ingredients and very nice presentation.”

Whenever customer Logan Troppito eats at Sofra, she said she feels like she is eating food from around the world. Tony’s favorite dish is the sausage pita while Logan’s is the chicken biryani.

York Times article came out,” Parikh said. “Otherwise, yes, there’s always a line, not this long, but it has been since the … article came out, during [both] the weekdays and weekends.”

Executive Chef Ana Sortun and Executive Pastry Chef Maura Kilpatrick, first opened Sofra Bakery and Cafe in August of 2008 following a trip to Turkey where they were inspired by the simultaneously

tziki, dressed arugula, and a tahini sauce.”

The morning bun was one of Kilpatrick’s first recipes for Sofra, according to Parikh. The buttery pull-apart bun has elements of a classic cinnamon-saturated monkey bread, but is different from the typical breakfast bun with its orange blossom glaze. The creative incorporation of cardamom and orange blossom water make it an irresistible treat. Sofra usually

Right as customers enter the restaurant, front and center at the counter is a mouthwatering display of baked goods that reflect Sofra’s innovative take on baking. While ordering their meal and treats at the counter, customers can catch a glimpse of the kitchen in the background. Watching the bustling kitchen while staring at the display of finished treats gives the customer a more holistic view of the bakery, bringing everything, from the creation to the final presentation of the dishes and treats, full circle.

“Everything that we create we want to put our best foot forward and we want to make sure that whoever is enjoying it, whether it be on our outdoor patio, at their own home, in a local park, they feel that we are there with them,” Parikh said.

A small grocery-like retail space to

“At Sofra, we try to capture the world’s finest ingredients in our dishes,” the Sofra website reads. “We search high and low for outstanding food artisans with delicious, healthy, and interesting products, which we use in our dishes; and which we offer to you through our specialty in-store marketplace. We cultivate personal relationships with many of our food purveyors, and we consider them part of the Sofra family.”

This attention to detail is not something lost on customers. Tony Troppito, one customer who has been a regular since Sofra’s first opening 13 years ago, said this is one of the reasons why he chooses to come back. Troppito and his family knew Sortun prior to the opening of Sofra, and frequented her other Turkish and Middle Eastern inspired restaurant, Oleana.

“The ingredients are very good and the flavors are really a lot of fun,” Tony Troppito said. “The various different spices they use [are good], so I have stocked up on a lot

“[Sortun] actually travels a fair amount during the year to get inspiration for new dishes, I think she goes to Turkey and other places in the Middle East too,” Logan said. “It’s kind of fun to be able to walk in and taste the flavor from around the world.”

While Sofra values it’s customers dinein experience, its transparency and retail of ingredients encourages its customers’ to also experiment with cooking. Prior to the pandemic, Sofra additionally offered cooking classes for its customers, featuring a taste test at the end, and a wine pairing, according to it’s website.

The pandemic created challenges for Sofra. Like many other restaurants, Sofra closed its doors at the outset of the pandemic, but gradually shifted to takeout only for several months. In its own innovative way, Sofra gradually expanded its services with a walk-up window where

Newton Neighbors Holds Thanksgiving Card Drive

By Sofia Laboy For The Heights

To help families struggling with food insecurity, Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors is holding a Thanksgiving card drive from Nov. 1 to Nov. 22. The initiative aims to provide families with $50 gift cards to local grocery stores, including Shaw’s, Star Market, Stop and Shop, and Market

Basket.

One in eight families in Eastern Massachusetts suffer from food insecurity, Bruce Hugh Wilson Newton Neighbors volunteer and Newton Project Takeout lead said.

“I mean think about what missing just one meal can do to us. It can throw off our entire day. Now think about these families who constantly worry about having to

put food on the table,” Hugh Wilson said. “It’s not just one meal. It’s not just an inconvenience. It’s a daily struggle and a health issue. Food insecurity is a serious problem and Newton Neighbors wants to help address it on a local level.”

There are four ways in which people can get involved in donating to the Thanksgiving card drive.

One way is by purchasing a $50 grocery gift card, and then dropping it off at a drop-off location at 137 Annawan Rd., Waban; 51 Hyde St., Newton Highlands; 40 Sewall St., West Newton; or 22 Florence Ct., Newtonville.

People can also donate $50 to Newton Neighbors on its website, and Newton Neighbors will then purchase the gift card.

People can also visit OddFellows Ice Cream Co. at The Street Chestnut Hill or Clarke’s Cakes and Cookies at 141 Needham St. to drop off $50 grocery gift cards in a box at the registers.

The group set out to collect 150 gift cards, and Wilson said he is happy that they are already halfway to the goal.

Newton Neighbors will distribute the gift cards to families in Newton, Waltham, and Brockton on the week of Thanksgiving

through its partner agencies The Second Step, Thom Charles River Early Intervention, and Brockton Workers Alliance to families in Newton, according to its website.

Each month Newton Neighbors gathers to find ways to help marginalized families in Newton and neighboring cities gain access to basic resources like clothing, school and home supplies, groceries, and more, Wilson said. He said it takes a whole community of people working toward one cause to help projects like these succeed.

“Local businesses have proven very generous in allowing Newton Neighbors to set up card drop-off boxes by their registers,” Wilson said.

Wilson said every volunteer is valuable in that they each bring different skill sets that help the Newton Neighbors’ achieve its goals. Wilson, along with the help of food photographer Carrie Strah Belcher, helped to create flyers with QR codes that link to the Newton Neighbors’ website to hand around the city, including at The Paper Mouse in West Newton and Artitudes in Newton.

“About four of us volunteers with Newton Neighbors have even set [gift

card] drop-off boxes outside our homes,” Wilson said. “We’re just trying to make participating as easy and accessible as possible.”

Newton Neighbors is a relatively new organization, having launched in March 2020, according to the September 2021 Newton Neighbors’ write-up.

“I got involved with Newton Neighbors around COVID time and it’s impressive how much I’ve seen the community achieve in such a short time,” Wilson said. “Selfless, competent, caring, and upbeat are just some of the adjectives I’d use to describe the volunteers. Plus, we’ve become good friends with each other.”

Newton Neighbors has reached over 4,700 followers on Facebook. The group has organized various drives, food pantry deliveries, and other initiatives in the 18 months the organization has been around. For the group’s efforts, the West Suburban YMCA recognized it with the 2020 Community Partner Award, according to the write-up.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRUCE HUGH WILSON

Clarke’s Cakes and Cookies is collecting gift cards for the drive at its register.

MAGGIE LEAHY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Long lines wrap around the outside of Sofra’s welcoming entrance.

MAGGIE LEAHY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Customers can catch a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the kitchen while waiting.

AGAZINE

Quarantine Kitchen: Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

BY ALEXANDRA MORIN Heights Staff

As we anticipate the swiftly approaching holiday season, baking becomes a quintessential part of the lead up to Christmas. While sugar cookies, festive pies, and peppermint bark certainly deserve their time to shine, my caramel chocolate chip cookie bars demand the spotlight. Gooey chocolate chip cookie dough hugs a silky golden caramel filling, and sea salt flakes dance atop the golden crust. Subtle salty notes perfectly balance the sweet mouthful of comfort, appeasing everyone wanting a holiday treat.

Since the start of October, I have baked these cookie bars on four separate occasions. Each time, those who consume them express an overwhelming joy to me. The holidays should be a time of spreading kindness to those around you, and these cookie bars are the perfect vessel to share love with your friends, family, or classmates. They are not only fun to make but arguably one of the most delicious desserts to sink your teeth into.

DISH:

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

INGREDIENTS:

For the dough

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

½ cup butterscotch chips

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup softened unsalted butter

½ cup granulated white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

For the filling

Soft caramel creams (can substitute with plain soft caramels)

14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 can)

For the top Sprinkle of flaky sea salt

RECIPE:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spraying it generously with non-stick cooking spray.

For ease, I recommend using an electric mixer to make the dough. Beat the softened butter with the light brown sugar and the white sugar until combined (around 1 minute).

Add the vanilla extract, eggs, baking soda, and salt to the batter. Combine on medium speed until well incorporated.

Combine the flour into the batter by adding around 1 cup at a time on a slow speed.

Once combined, fold in the chocolate and butterscotch chips. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk and soft caramels, whisking gradually as they begin to melt and thicken into a soft sauce. Turn off the heat once combined.

Press half of the cookie dough batter into a layer on the bottom of the foil-lined pan.

Pour the caramel sauce over the batter, making sure to cover the en-

tirety of the dough for an even filling.

Place the rest of the cookie dough batter in small chunks (around the amount of cookie dough you would use to bake a regular cookie) on top of the caramel. It is normal for there to be small spaces in between the caramel and the cookie dough chunks, as it will spread to cover the top as it bakes.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 26 minutes. Periodically check to

ensure that the top is golden brown when you remove them from the oven.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle it with sea salt flakes.

Allow the bars to cool for at least 1 hour before attempting to slice. Because these are gooey bars, it is imperative you allow them to cool so that their structure remains intact.

Slice the bars into desired size and enjoy!

Doing Well By Doing Good: Giovanniello Revamps Cognitive Rehabilitation Methods With Frenalytics

BY ERIN FLAHERTY For The Heights

Boston College students often hear the University’s core philosophy through the same mantras—such as “men and women for others” and “set the world aflame”—but it can be hard to think of real-world applications of these principles.

Matthew Giovanniello, BC ’18, recalls passing a sign in McElroy Commons that read “doing well by doing good” during his time at BC. He feels this idea encapsulates the focus of his

The idea behind Frenalytics was born in 2008 when Giovanniello’s grandmother had a severe stroke on the operating table during an open-heart surgery, ultimately leaving her paralyzed on the right side of her body and causing irreversible brain damage.

“In essence, it affected her ability to comprehend and communicate,” Giovanniello said. “It impacted her short-term memory and impacted her ability to communicate that her longterm memory was still intact.”

Over the subsequent months, Giovanniello’s grandmother spent time

tion did not improve.

Determined that there was a better way for his grandmother to relearn activities of daily living, Giovanniello put together a PowerPoint program to aid his grandmother’s rehabilitation, which became the blueprint for what Frenalytics is today.

“The original version of the PowerPoint that I created had things like background colors and sound effects and a scoring system to help her get a better idea as to the areas that she was doing well in and for us as family members to realize the areas that she was doing well in and things that she was still struggling with,” Giovanniello said.

One of the first questions that Giovanniello created for his grandmother was about a photo of her family members from a vacation before her stroke. An arrow on the screen would point at each of the faces, and she had to identify the family member. Not only did Giovanniello’s grandmother enjoy this treatment more, but, soon enough, she began to steadily improve. Her whole family saw noticeable differences in her functioning, Giovanniello said.

After being frustrated by the ineffectiveness of his grandmother’s prior treatment, Giovanniello centered Frenalytics around personalization. Its learning tools utilize personal data that the patient’s family provides. This can be information about the patient’s familial relationships, past life, or their favorite foods or sports teams.

company—Frenalytics.

Giovanniello is the CEO and co-founder of Frenalytics, which provides data-driven solutions for cognitively impaired patients, helping them relearn aspects of daily life through an interactive online learning tool. Creating a reimagined rehabilitation process for those who suffer from strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and dementia was not a recent idea for Giovanniello—he has been working toward the company’s creation since he was a seventh-grader.

in some of New York’s top hospitals. She worked with all sorts of therapists and professionals to relearn fundamental concepts—such as identifying family members, comprehending numbers, and other daily activities—that she had lost.

Giovanniello’s frustration mainly stemmed from these professionals’ use of flashcards as their means of re-teaching these concepts. He found this form of rehabilitation patronizing, and said it was clear that his grandmother’s condi-

“She was originally tubed and vented—the extent of her communication was a yes-or-no head nod,” Giovanniello said. “Several months later, we would be able to, with some coaching, put her on a phone and have her talk to her sister ... and she was able to have a very rudimentary conversation, but a conversation nonetheless,.”

Giovanniello’s friend Chris Patterson witnessed the success of the earliest stage of the program, and he noticed its potential to expand by helping other cognitively impaired individuals. Together, Giovanniello and Patterson co-founded Frenalytics in 2013 while they were both still in high school in Long Island, N.Y.

“For those who suffer from a cognitive deficit, being able to connect with them on that hyperpersonal level will just allow them to unlock all of these memories and all of these skills that are cooped up,” Giovanniello said.

Giovanniello said the health care industry has generally lagged behind when it comes to integrating technology. He attributes this to several factors—integrating technology is tough, time consuming, expensive, and it requires a lot of research.

Frenalytics’ approach to rehabilitation utilizes established neurological tests to assess a patient’s condition, then uses those personalized datasets to create a therapy protocol.

Giovanniello began performing re-

search to develop Frenalytics while he was a senior in high school, where he participated in the Intel Science Talent Search Competition and was a national semifinalist. Though he started up Frenalytics as a high school student, Giovanniello knew that he wanted to further his education. He specifically looked to private and Jesuit schools since his parents had attended these types of universities, he said.

“The real thing that drew me to Boston College was the first time I stepped on campus,” Giovanniello said. “It really felt like an area and a community that I could belong in. It’s just a feeling.”

Giovanniello was also drawn to the Boston area because it is a tech-driven city, he said. While studying information systems and entrepreneurship in the Carroll School of Management, he continued his work on Frenalytics. During his sophomore year—after four tiresome years of trying—Giovanniello finally received a patent for Frenalytics, he said.

GRAPHIC BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

IKRAM ALI / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Giovanniello’s experiences in CSOM helped him further develop his business.

Giovanniello’s cognitive rehabilitation model personalizes its training to the patient.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT GIOVANNIELLO

These cookie bars perfectly balance salty and sweet flavors for the holiday season.

Students Embrace Body Acceptance at Open Mic Night

BY ISABELLA PIERETTI For The Heights

The comforting scents of caffeinated beverages that fill Hillside Cafe during the day were replaced by students’ messages of positivity and self-love for Thursday evening’s open mic night. The event gave students the opportunity to celebrate the capabilities of their own bodies and minds with musical performances and poetry readings.

The open mic night was part of the programming for “Love Your Body Week” put on by the Boston College Women’s Center. The week’s events were dedicated to educating students about body image issues and promoting body positivity and empowerment, according to Jenaea Duddie, Women’s Center staff member and MCAS ’22. Other events included a discussion on cultural perspectives on the body and a painting workshop on Friday.

Students emphasized these themes of body positivity with musical performances that got the audience clapping and singing along. The Common Tones a capella group opened with a tone-set-

ting, joyful rendition of “December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

BC Against the Current followed with its a capella rendition of “Flashlight” by Jessie J and “One and Only” by Adele.

Graduate student Bayar Tuvshinjargal, GLSOE ’22, then sang “Jealous” by Labrinth. Other students showed great vulnerability as they stepped up to the microphone to perform. The first person to give a poetry performance, Emersen Mackenzie, MCAS ’25, read an original poem about love and pain in relationships. This was followed by a mellow, acoustic guitar duet by Colin Martin and Cole Dumas, both MCAS ’24. The duo played “Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette.

Erin Pender, MCAS ’24, continued the night of musical musings, singing Adele’s “When We Were Young” before the stage was opened up to anyone in the audience. Tuvshinjargal and Pender gave encore performances before Jordan St John, MCAS ’22, lit up the room with her version of “We Found Love” by Rihanna. St John gave an energetic performance by jumping up and down and

inspiring some BC After Dark workers to dance along with her.

The high energy continued with a sing along to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” and a moving rendition of her song “All Too Well” in honor of the release of

Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) later that night. Duddie also gave a four-part performance of original poetry inspired by personal experiences with racism and femininity.

The BC Sharps closed out the event

with their arrangements of “Back In My Body” by Maggie Rogers and “Alive” by Sia. It was a night full of performances that took everyone in Hillside on a journey through heartbreak, anger, love, and freedom in just two short hours.

Simphiwe Ndzube Discusses His Artistic Inspirations

BY MEADOW VRTIS For The Heights

On an otherwise empty wall hang five canvases. Each contains an image of the seashore, with the coast distorted to appear textured. Five birds soar in the sky with their wings outstretched as though they are fighting against the current.

At first glance, there appears to be people in the foreground of each of the works. But the faces are warped and imaginative—green with pink eyes and protruding tongues.

Each person has clothing too, but not painted on. Real clothing is stuck to figures in the pictures. Pants stick out from the bottom of the canvas, and shoes touch the floor.

These unique artworks belong to Simphiwe Ndzube, a South African painter and installation artist. On

Tuesday, Ndzube stood in front of a room crowded with eager Boston College students. As he began his lecture, “Endless Experimentation as a Form of Healing,” images of his expressive and unique art were displayed across the large screen behind him.

Ndzube spoke on his recent projects and the decisions that guide his artistry.

His lecture was sponsored by the Institute for the Liberal Arts, BC Core Curriculum, and the African and African Diaspora Studies program. John Brooks, a visiting assistant professor in the English department, introduced Ndzube, who began his lecture talking about his experience being the first person in his family to become an artist.

Not only has Ndzube broken away from family tradition by becoming an artist, but also the lecture highlighted how Ndzube uses

less traditional materials in his art— going beyond just paint on a canvas.

Bursting with character and color, his pieces incorporate clothes, mannequins, signs, umbrellas, and other objects. Ndzube said that this manipulation of unique materials helps create a sense of magical realism in his art.

“I can kind of play around with materials and pull things around … you know, kind of go back and forth,” Ndzube said. “It’s not premeditated but an intention to arrive [at and] to make work that feels like it is saying something.”

Ndzube said that some of his work possesses an element of humor.

His exhibits include mannequins dressed in garish costumes and positioned with distorted body movements. The colors he uses for the mannequins and paintings are bold and playful.

While discussing how he attempts to embed his art with emotional meaning, Ndzube said he creates portraits by imagining people he knows in their homes and includes these images in his paintings.

He uses traditional African hairstyles and often depicts figures with dark skin tones in his work—paying homage to his cultural roots.

“I made these portraits as a way to kind of … add my people into my universe,” Ndzube said.

Ndzube said that his work addresses both his current struggles and past experiences. His creative process reflects how he wrestles with both his present experiences and the history of African men, which is fraught with tension and violence, as he approaches a project. Ndzube said he processes his experiences as an African man through his work.

In a piece from his exhibition ti-

tled “In the Order of Elephants After the Rain,” a mannequin holding an umbrella stands in front of a canvas depicting the same image. According to Ndzube, the work is meant to deal with questions of exploitation, occupation, and power— combining history with mysticism.

Ndzube said that the meaning of his art crystallizes as viewers interact with the work. Visitors are able to wander through his exhibits and formulate their own interpretations of his unique pieces. Merryn Couto, Lynch ’25, reflected on Ndzube’s lecture, considering his intentions behind his imaginative and humorous art.

“One of the main takeaways I took was that art doesn’t have to have this big political push behind it,” Couto said. “[When] the spectator actually participates in the work to give it meaning, it kind of just takes on a voice of its own.”

Asinine Commemorates 20 Bountiful Years of Comedy

BY PATERSON TRAN For The Heights

Students streamed into Fulton 511 as the Asinine comedians prepared for their entrance behind a set of dramatic, black curtains. Upbeat music,

including tunes by ABBA and Wolf Alice, energized the crowd as it filled the lecture hall almost to capacity and prepared for a night of laughter.

Boston College’s sketch and improv comedy group Asinine commemorated its 20th anniversary with a night of

audience-interactive improv on Friday night. The theme for the fall show was “20 Years of Bountiful Harvest.”

In similar fashion to its last show, Asinine kicked off the performance with a pre-recorded sketch. The sketch imagined a reunion of the As-

inine members with outrageous lies about how they have changed since last regrouping.

One member, for example, had gone bald while another had an absurd growth spurt, depicted by the member standing on stilts.

The show then opened with a skit titled “The People’s Podcast with Lydia Hickenlooper and Lyle Lipkowitz” featuring Grace Murnane, MCAS ’25, and Paxton Decker, MCAS ’24.

The skit focused on two New Yorkers, the podcast hosts, who have a vendetta against the United States Postal Service after their mail goes missing.

Asinine dimmed the lights in the lecture hall in order to swiftly transition from one segment to the next, with interludes of music and dancing that quickly got the crowd to sing along.

In its nearly hour-and-a-half show, the comedy group fit in many interactive games with the audience and sketches that drew loud laughter and heckling.

The rowdy crowd gave suggestions to inspire some of the sketches. At one point, the comedians asked the audience “what is one thing you don’t want

to see in a movie theater?”

The Asinine ensemble took on characters and personas that captivated the audience with outrageous absurdity. Quinn Kiernan, co-president of Asinine and MCAS ’22, played a historical reenactor on a school field trip to colonial Williamsburg.

One of the students, Daniel Strickland, MCAS ’25, ridicules him, and Kiernan is shown having a meltdown as he realizes he is a failed Broadway actor.

In another skit, international students at BC are met with an eccentric student with a top hat, played by Sara Litteken, MCAS ’24, who recalls the hardship of being born British. The audience would later learn that she was not from Britain, but adopted the identity of a British aristocrat despite being born to American parents.

After various games, often including sexual innuendos, Asinine closed out its show with a make-believe game show in which the audience decided which contestant would adopt an orphan.

With dramatic sound effects and confetti poppers, Asinine drew the audience to its feet in a standing ovation once the show came to an end.

As “Love Your Body Week” neared its end, students performed music and poetry that touched on love and longing.

NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS STAFF

Members from Asinine performed a sketch about two podcast hosts to commemorate the group’s 20th anniversary.

‘Love Hard’ Tries but Fails to Escape Rom-Com Tropes

MOVIE

BY ISABELLA PIERETTI For The Heights

Cheesy references to movie classics like The Breakfast Club and Love Actually along with slightly forced dialogue set low expectations for Netflix’s new movie Love Hard. The first scenes that introduce the hardworking but burnt out writer Natalie (Nina Dobrev) who is ready to give up on love and writes about her “disaster dates” in a magazine column are eerily familiar to anyone who has watched a few romantic comedies.

The movie is centered around Natalie’s trip to surprise Josh (Jimmy O. Yang), a man she has met online, only to realize that she has been catfished.

On his dating app profile Josh is honest about everything, but he uses pictures of his more attractive friend, Tag (Darren Barnet). Natalie spends her trip navigating these new relationships with both Tag and Josh.

The largely predictable plot is aided by a witty and relatable, if slightly unnatural, dialogue. Commentary on modern concepts like social media and online dating apps help to cover up the film’s reliance on overused rom-com tropes.

At first glance, this movie appears to be a mess of cheesy and superficial romantic themes transferred to a modern dating situation, but it does manage to leave the viewer with a meaningful message about dating, relationships, and how people present themselves

in the search for love. The feel-good message is supported by a festive soundtrack meant to get viewers in the holiday spirit.

The movie also succeeds in its representation of Asian Americans, as each of Josh’s family members have unique personalities outside of their Asian identities and the film’s portrayal of family dynamics can be true of any family.

The film may cause viewers to look more closely at their own relationships and to reevaluate their sense of self.

Great for a rainy day, Love Hard is a cliché but worthwhile movie about the, at times, confusing and stressful journey of navigating romantic relationships.

Radiohead Makes a Lackluster Return to Its Classics

BY CHARLEY CONROY Heights Staff

Radiohead has gone back in time with its re-release of its albums Kid A and Amnesiac along with several unreleased tracks in a project called Kid A Mnesia While many of the songs themselves might not be new to fans, these updated versions and the new releases offer a deeper look into the recording process of Radiohead’s previous albums.

Stylistically the new tracks are very much on par with Kid A and Amnesiac The constant flow of electronic beats courses through the veins of the material but leaves little room for Thom Yorke’s voice. His lyrics are sparse and almost nonexistent on the second half of the

material.

While this collection of tracks is enjoyable, most of the tracks are a bit half-baked. Some tracks don’t sound fully formed, and that’s clear just from their runtimes. “Pyramid Strings” is barely given a minute while its completed counterpart later on the tracklist, “Pyramid Song,” is almost five minutes long.

It’s disappointing that in 20 years these tracks weren’t fleshed out more.

The entire album seems like a collection of ideas that didn’t make the cut, which would have sufficed to make the release exciting if Radiohead had made an attempt to blend them together a little better. In the second half of the album, some songs try to lead into each other a little better, but the overall album

remains disconnected. The transition from “Pulk/Pull (True Love Waits Version)” into “Untitled v2,” for instance, is notably jarring because the tracks differ greatly in tone.

“Follow Me Around” is probably the most interesting track on the album with its gentle instrumentals—a stark shift from the other songs.

Kid A Mnesia is a deep dive into one of the most creative periods in Radiohead’s history. Anyone looking to revisit Kid A and Amnesiac now has the opportunity to appreciate the albums more through a glimpse into Radiohead’s creative process. It’s not quite a coherent album, but it’s worth a listen to witness the evolution of a beloved band.

MUSIC

‘King Richard’ Sheds Light on Rise of the Williams Sisters

BY ALICIA KANG Asst. Arts Editor

Beyond endless hours of practice, extreme dedication, and boundless skill, a significant but little-known secret to Venus and Serena Williams’ unrivaled success lies in their father Richard Williams, who acted as their 24/7 coach and number one supporter.

King Richard follows the story of Richard (Will Smith) as he begins to convince the all-white, upper class tennis world that he is raising two future champions. Starting with the girls’ training days during their early teenage years on the courts of Compton, the film shows viewers how Richard’s intense dedication and uplifting attitude helped Venus (Saniyya Sidney)

and Serena (Demi Singleton) progress their tennis skills beyond anything anyone but their parents had imagined for them. Because the movie captures Venus’ early years before going pro, Richard is shown focusing especially on her and his journey to find her a coach.

Smith’s blunt jokes work perfectly to expose both the discrimination he and his daughters face every time they step foot in a country club and the discomfort the white men around them experience when Richard tries to discuss their unequal treatment.

The careful casting choices clearly pay off with Sidney and Singleton as well. They both perfectly embody two lighthearted yet hardworking sisters. Singleton delivers a nuanced portrayal of the difficulties in

supporting her older sister while wanting to shine in her own right. And Sidney masterfully conveys everything Venus must be feeling as a rising star just beginning to feel the pressure of the world’s eyes on her. With the slightest change in expression, Sidney can completely shift the mood of a scene, keeping audiences engaged and focused on her every action.

The film is a thoroughly enjoyable watch with tennis matches that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats, even if they already know the details of Venus’ early tennis career. With meaningful discussions on what it means to be a family, masterful performances from every cast member, and a carefully cultivated score, King Richard pulls off the perfect mix of drama, sports, and comedy.

Dijon Mesmerizes Listeners With Stripped-back Album

BY KIERAN WILSON Heights Staff

Mesmerizing. That seems like the most apt word to describe Dijon’s debut album, Absolutely. Its 12 tracks run a little over half an hour, and many of them feel almost bare. But the raw production on this record perfectly illustrates the idiosyncrasies of Dijon’s style.

Take the ninth track from Absolutely, “Talk Down.” It is one of the more soft-spoken songs on the project, but the production still shines through. The percussion blends nicely with the subtle guitar and piano and creates a laid back but still dynamic feel, which has

become something of a Dijon specialty.

Another strength of the album is Dijon’s ability to meld his personal experiences with unifying messages to his listeners. On “Scratching,” he sings, “I know that I cannot change it / And it can’t be undone / Shadows stretchin’ and scratchin’ at your heels where you run.”

While there are certainly lines that may seem vague to many listeners, Dijon always provides some universal idea that his listeners can walk away with.

One of the most entertaining songs on the album is “Big Mike’s,” the very first track on Absolutely . The live version runs over seven minutes, and

this version might best capture the authenticity that this album was clearly made with.

The live video starts at an almost plodding pace, but Dijon and his band build and layer the song with percussion; electric, slide, and lap steel guitars; bass; and piano until it becomes a flowing, hypnotic, sonic landscape that Bon Iver would be proud of. Dijon casually walks around the room, interacting with his band and soulfully belting out his lyrics—it’s clear he’s just having fun.

As his fan base grows and learns more about his style, it will excitedly anticipate more live versions of the tracks from Absolutely

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

PHOTO COURTESY OF XL

‘KID A MNESIA’ RADIOHEAD DISTRIBUTED BY XL RELEASE NOV. 5, 2021 OUR RATING

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

MOVIE

‘ABSOLUTELY’ DIJON

Boston College Should Improve Course Registration Process on EagleApps

Boston College should improve its course registration process by increasing communication with professors and students and ensuring EagleApps is updated with accurate course information. Students and faculty both experience a great deal of uncertainty during registration week due to problems that can be fixed by providing more consistent and factual information.

Last spring, BC converted the University’s course registration system from UIS to EagleApps. The goal was to provide students with “a modern user interface with richer content and an upgraded user experience.” EagleApps, compared to UIS, certainly has its perks. It has consolidated the interface for searching and selecting courses and allows students to create pre-planned schedules. This consolidation of all of these new features has created a “onestop-shopping” experience for BC students.

Underneath the initial improvements, however, EagleApps has a long way to go before it can be deemed user friendly. BC, upon its launch of EagleApps, recognized that the new student information system was a “growing platform,” implying that there was room for further development. But as BC, in collaboration with DXtera Institute, a consultant that provides data management solutions, continues to improve EagleApps’ capabilities, effective communication to students and faculty is imperative.

During its initial launch this past summer, EagleApps failed to meet the quality standards it set out to achieve. The application was consistently reporting inaccuracies, failing to update on student information and open courses, and most importantly, failing to successfully register students for classes. The result was an undue burden on the IT department as the help center scrambled to patch bugs and provide live assistance to students. Although the effort and availability of the IT department should be commended during this whirlwind process, multiple calls to the IT team should not be necessary to register for classes.

There were, however, benefits to an early rollout of the software. For the IT department and advisees who were working tirelessly on developing EagleApps, this haphazard launch offered a wealth of knowledge about where the software needed to be improved. To a certain extent, software can only be tested so many times before an initial launch is necessary to understand its operating capabilities. The issue with the platform’s rollout was a lack of communication, as BC did not notify students that the platform would be further developed after its launch. Therefore, students feared that the hiccups and mishaps of EagleApps were potentially permanent.

EagleApps’ deficiencies required many advisers to manually register students for classes,

establishing a lack of trust in the effectiveness and accuracy of the information system. Even as students are navigating spring registration, many are expecting to be barred from classes due to inaccurate restrictions or having to reach out to their adviser to override errors.

EagleApps’ inaccuracy spans further than just the registration process as well. Degree audits have returned missing information about students’ major and minor requirements, which precipitate the stress of navigating a pick time itself.

The inconsistencies in EagleApps’ performance have added an undue complication to students, faculty, and advisers who must now adjust to developing obstacles. While communication among these three groups has increased as a result of misinformation, communication from the University has slowed since its original updates in the last semester. Distrust in EagleApps’ capabilities continues to grow and the future of the platform at BC is undermined by its failure to report basic information accurately. In order to effectively transition from the use of UIS, the University must consistently report on the developments being made to EagleApps, including how problems are being addressed and ways in which users can better interact with the interface. Otherwise, EagleApps will simply serve as a half-hearted attempt to implement change.

(NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS STAFF); (ADITYA RAO / HEIGHTS STAFF); (LEO WANG / HEIGHTS STAFF); (NICOLE WEI / FOR THE HEIGHTS); (CHRIS TICAS / FOR THE HEIGHTS); (STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS STAFF).

Top photos, left to right: BC guard Brevin Galloway pushes up the court against Dartmouth, Tuesday, Nov. 9; The Women’s Center hosted Love Your Body Week, focused on students’ relationships with their bodies, Wednesday, Nov. 10; The Council for Students with Disabilities organized an event to allow students to experience how visual impairment can affect everyday activities, Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Bottom photos, left to right: BC forward Jaelyn Batts takes possession from Harvard guard Tess Sussman, Tuesday, Nov. 9; BC guard Jaeden Zackery defends and looks for an opening against Holy Cross, Friday, Nov. 1; The Office of Global Engagement held International Education Week, discussing how governments and individuals can respond to current global challenges, Monday, Nov. 8; Asinine performed its anniversary show to a large crowd in Fulton, Saturday, Nov. 6.

PINIONS

It’s Trashy Not to Compost

provided fantastic answers to my aforementioned questions (and I didn’t have to end up inside the back of a garbage truck).

Food waste, specifically, was the most intriguing. What happens to our scraps when we put them in those notorious yellow bins in and around dining halls?

ALLI HARGROVE

Out of sight out of mind—a proverb that certainly rings true regarding our trash. Can you recall everything you have thrown out this week? I struggle to remember where my ever-essential student ID is, so there’s no chance I could recall everything I have thrown out this week, or even everything I’ve thrown out today.

But allow me to bring that forgotten trash back to the forefront of your mind. What ends up happening to your trash? Where does it go once you drop it into the various bins around campus?

These questions intrigued and, for the most part, worried me. No one really wants to picture what ends up happening to their trash. It is understandably disturbing to think about how you personally are contributing to the massive amounts of trash that end up in landfills (hopefully, sometimes trash doesn’t even make it that far) and, in turn, how you individually are polluting the Earth further than we, as a species, already have. The answers to these questions also hold us accountable to follow through by making sure that we do our part to compost our dining hall food.

Alas, the only way to ameliorate the problem is first to truly understand it. And that is precisely why last week I camouflaged myself in one of the trash bins and followed our trash from campus all the way to a landfill to see where it goes.

Nah, I did not actually do that. But, what I did do is speak with Molly Funk, the student sustainability manager of BC Dining and MCAS ’22, who

Well, Save That Stuff is a waste collector in Boston, and it handles the waste from Boston College, including the school’s food waste for compost. You probably would even recognize its big green trucks from around campus that say “Save that Stuff,” sometimes featuring an apple core. In its composting process, the scraps undergo anaerobic digestion, which eventually produces methane gas. That methane gas is then harvested and used for energy. The other organic materials produced from the process are also utilized, mostly in fertilizers. Isn’t that neat—your leftover food is in turn making more food! Don’t judge my excitement on this, c’mon that’s got to get you at least a little jazzed.

Lower also participates in composting, independent of Save That Stuff. There are employees standing behind the waste conveyor belt in Lower and sorting all items into their respective recycling, composting, or landfill bins. This sorting process operates with an almost 100 percent accuracy, so it is practically guaranteed that the waste will end up where it is supposed to be.

This same sorting process often presents an issue for students when they are trying to throw away their trash in the dining hall. Isabella Turco and Anne Marie Green, both BC ’20 and environmental studies minors, investigated this exact issue in 2020, and found that students generally understand how to sort their recycling, but that there is still a lot of room for error, and therefore a lot of room for contamination.

In terms of recycling, BC uses single-stream recycling, so there is no need to sort through the re-

cyclables. But, I also know that students will often, in a rush, tend to throw everything into the landfill bin as to save time and for fear of messing up and contaminating the compost or recycling bin.

This fear may be a bit unfounded, though. Firstly, it is always worth the extra second to look at the pretty pictures above the bins. They usually are informative about what to put where. But, even if you still throw something in the wrong bin, it is not automatically destined for the landfill. Some contaminated compost can still be composted. Employees of BC are not permitted to decide on their own whether a bin is too contaminated to send off to Save That Stuff. Rather, all of the composting bins are sent, and then it is up to Save That Stuff to sort through it and decide whether it can salvage what is compostable. Unless the contamination is egregious, most of the time the waste items can still be composted.

BC has also made an effort to make more of its dining tools (utensils, bowls, napkins) compostable. Compostable food containers were especially important last year, when students were encouraged not to eat inside of the dining halls. But, now with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, reusable plates and silverware have returned. These options are, as always, preferable to any single-use items and as convenient as it is to take food to go, perhaps consider sitting in the dining hall every now and then.

So, that is where your food goes. What you do now with this information is up to you. Surely, I would advise you to continue to be cognizant of where your waste goes, at BC and beyond, as well as keeping up on your waste sorting. It is the little things that add up, and we are going to need a lot of adding up to remedy the global-scale trash crisis we currently find ourselves enveloped in.

Aquaphor

As the Boston College plague continues to rampage through dorms across campus one hero rises above: Aquaphor. After three consecutive weeks of runny noses, students have reached for tissues, toilet paper, and in a real pinch, paper towels, all of which result in dry skin and Rudolph-red noses. While Vaseline, Neosporin, and Burt’s Bees lip balm—in moments of true desperation—help, Aquaphor stands alone. It absorbs into skin better than Vaseline, heals more quickly than Neosporin, and is fragrance-free unlike Burt’s Bees lip balm.

The Myth of Productivity

Stop trying to be so productive. No, really. Focusing on productivity isn’t improving your life, it’s probably making it worse. Let me explain.

Growing up, we are told by parents and teachers not to “waste time.” We’re told to stop watching TV and “do something productive,” chastised for sleeping in, and constantly reminded that there are “a million ways” we could make ourselves “useful.” We have been conditioned to believe that if we are not “doing something,” then we are wasting our lives. I disagree. Sure, a certain level of productivity is necessary for society to function, but it shouldn’t be treated as an end goal in and of itself. Why not? I’m so glad that you asked.

First, focusing on being productive can actually make you less productive. Can you recall the last time you had a big assignment to hand in or a meeting you had to prepare for? Did focusing on the gravity of the assignment or scrambling to maximize the time you had to complete it help you produce a better outcome? Or could you have achieved something of a similar, if not better, level of quality by simply working through the task without a focus on the end product? My argument here is that by focusing on producing rather than do-

ing you actually add unnecessary pressure which can be paralyzing. When something feels like it is too big, too much, or even unattainable, it also feels less worth trying to achieve. I’m not suggesting that focusing on the outcome will leave you completely paralyzed and unable to work through a project—although that does happen—but rather that putting too much pressure on yourself can actually lower your motivation and thereby prolong the entire process. For example, if I sat down to write a 20-page paper and every time that I finished a few sentences I was reminded of the fact that I’m not even close to reaching the page limit and I wasted the previous weekend being “unproductive,” I would feel less accomplished and even a little demotivated to continue writing. If instead I focused on the sentence ahead of me, I would waste less time in my head entertaining purposeless thoughts and more time simply getting the assignment done. This is definitely easier said than done and a true case of “practice what you preach,” but the logic is there.

Similarly, a focus on productivity can also lead to burnout. How many times have you found yourself happily laying in bed, scrolling through Instagram and then all of a sudden—POW! You’re hit with a huge wave of guilt and anxiety when you realize that you’re not being productive? We’ve come to see doing nothing in particular as a waste of time, always feeling like there could be better ways to spend time. Anne Peterson, author of the upcoming book Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, explains that “we’re so used to making every moment of ours productive

in some capacity … Like, I’m on a walk, I should listen to this information podcast that makes me more informed or a better person.” This is something that I think we can all relate to. The urge to produce is so much stronger than the urge to just simply do. This means that even when what we are doing is relaxing and recharging our batteries, we feel bad.

This problem is so widespread that the counteraction to it, the “self-care” movement, has become popular. “Self-care” is the practice of acknowledging and prioritizing your mind-body needs and treating them accordingly. Feeling stressed about an upcoming assignment but don’t have the energy to work on it right now? Take a nap. Made plans with your friends to go out tonight but you’re no longer in the mood? Stay home and take a bubble bath. Have a million things to get done today but all you want to do is walk to Starbucks? Start by treating yourself to that seasonal pumpkiny-delight! I will acknowledge that there is a thin line between self-care and totally giving in to your desires, but in order to be productive it is absolutely necessary to listen to your needs. Otherwise, at some point you will experience burnout.

Finally, the biggest issue that I have with soci-

Marzbani is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at indira.marzbani@bc.edu.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar, or as it is often affectionately referred to as “G-cal,” is the backbone of every college student’s life. Whether it’s the recurring note to submit coding homework or a reminder to call your mom about what sides you want on Thanksgiving, G-cal has your back. Somehow, organizing your life into little color-coded boxes and bullet points makes the transition from midterms to finals look like an arts and crafts project, and not the most stressful time of your life!

Cheugy

Cheugy, according to Urban Dictionary, is a “basic catch-all term to refer to anything that is basic, uncool or untrendy.” In practice, however, calling something cheugy is simply a way to shut down things that other people enjoy. It is cancel culture–lite and allows people to remove personal responsibility while simultaneously assigning a “Thumbs Down” to anything and everything based solely on their subjective opinions. Imagine that. But really, it’s okay to not like things, but it’s also okay for other people to enjoy those same things.

Residential Dining Bucks

Residential dining bucks, or what could be better known as BC Dining’s version of Kohl’s Cash, are a hot commodity. Students hooked on ordering through GET Mobile after a year of free spending are now finding that their residential dining bucks funds are closer to residential dining pennies. It feels as if BC was worried about students’ inability to properly budget, and decided that implementing residential dining bucks would be a great way to introduce the concept of putting aside savings toward a 401k.

INDIRA MARZBANI

The opinions and commentaries of the op-ed columnists appearing on this page represent the views of the authors of those particular pieces, and not necessarily the views of The Heights

Alli Hargrove is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at allison.hargrove@bc.edu.

Indira

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA CHARBONNEAU AND ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITORS

Playoff Changes

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY...

BY EMMA HEALY Sports Editor

Phil Jurkovec is 2 inches taller than the average NFL quarterback. The 6-foot-5 signal caller lumbers down the field in a Boston College jersey, beating defenders with long strides. His size makes him elusive, but his friends back home in Pennsylvania don’t see it that way.

“Everybody was calling me fat last year—fat and slow—back home,” Jurkovec said in his postgame press conference on Saturday.

In the six weeks that Jurkovec was sidelined with a wrist injury, however, he worked closely with BC strength and conditioning coach Phil Matusz to stay fit, which included shedding a few pounds. He worked on speed and agility, Jurkovec said, and it showed in BC’s game against Georgia Tech on Saturday. The signal caller rushed for 71 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, leading BC (6–4, 2–4 Atlantic Coast) to a 41–30 win over the Yellow Jackets (3–7, 2–6).

“He [is] moving way faster than he was before,” receiver Zay Flowers said. “So it might have been a good thing to miss a little bit of time and gain a little bit of speed.”

Jurkovec took his seat for the postgame press conference donning a t-shirt that read “Bowl Bound,” as the Eagles’ sixth win of the season clinched a spot in a postseason bowl. The Eagles were bowl eligible one season ago but opted to sit it out to help the players’ mental and physical health. This year, though, BC head coach Jeff Hafley said it’s his and the team’s goal to get to the

best bowl they can.

“Now that it’s there, what it means to me is more time with this team, more practice with this team, more practice time to get the young guys better,” Hafley said of clinching bowl eligibility. “And then a reward at the end of the season to go away together, enjoy each other, enjoy each other’s families, and get to play one more game.”

In addition to Jurkovec’s three-touchdown performance on the ground, his connection with Flowers on deep balls was reminiscent of the Eagles’ success through the air one season ago, a connection that has been missing for the last six weeks.

Flowers finished the game with two receptions, both of which went for touchdowns of 35 yards or more.

“I feel like we’re just getting the connection started back again,” Flowers said. “But it felt good having those two receptions go for that long and go for touchdowns because, you know, we’ve been struggling on the year. I just feel like to get those back, it just puts us in a good position.”

On the game’s opening drive, Flowers had about 3 yards of separation, and Jurkovec, taking a three-step drop, set his feet and let a 48-yard pass fly straight into the hands of Flowers, who walked untouched into the end zone. His second touchdown catch of the day went for 39 yards and also found the end zone early in the second quarter.

Flashy plays, however, were not limited to the Eagles. On the kickoff following

...STING LIKE A BEE

BY ASA ACKERLY Assoc. Sports Editor

Despite the largely ugly nature of Boston College football’s win against Virginia Tech last week, quarterback Phil Jurkovec connected on a couple of deep balls that gave BC fans a renewed taste of the dynamism that made BC a preseason media darling. Against Georgia Tech, that glimpse turned into a full showcase as the Eagles cruised on offense and struggled enough on defense and special teams to win 41–30. Here are three takeaways from the win:

Second-Half Step

Defensive struggles were a constant theme for the Eagles during their fourgame losing streak. After hanging with NC State during the first two quarters and going into halftime down just 10–7, the Wolfpack ripped off three unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter as BC looked ragged and uninterested on defense. The same trend continued against Syracuse, with the Orange running all over BC for 21 points in the third quarter after the Eagles did a good job bottling up Garrett Shrader in the first half.

The Eagles had the opposite problem against Georgia Tech. Despite its offensive success, BC looked completely unprepared to play defense in the first half. Yellow Jacket receivers were running free throughout the secondary, and Jahmyr Gibbs was picking up chunk gains on nearly every rush in the first quarter. BC struggled to set the edge, looked lost in tackling, and had nowhere enough speed on the second level.

Instead of the third-quarter struggles that have hamstrung BC throughout the season, the Eagles put on a dominant performance in the second half. Georgia Tech continued to have success on the ground, but Georgia Tech quarterback Jordan Yates could not get comfortable in the pocket as BC’s defensive staff did a great job scheming pressure. The defensive line had success running stunts, and the linebackers did a great job applying pressure up the middle.

Big Plays

After struggling to drive the ball down the field under Dennis Grosel, it almost felt like BC was proving a point against the Yellow Jackets as the Eagles racked up big play after big play. Against Virginia Tech, BC showed some return to the big play ability that was its calling card last year, and BC fully came into its own and then some on Saturday.

Grosel completed four passes that traveled more than 20 yards in the air across the nearly five full games he played this season. Jurkovec beat that total just in the first half against the Yellow Jackets. Short completions be damned, BC took advantage of its speedy wide receivers and a porous Georgia Tech defense and built an offense out of hucking it deep. Jurkovec’s passer efficiency rating of 228 was the highest of his BC career. `

Trae Barry notched two long catches, a welcome return to form for the Eagles’

Like most college football fans, I was ecstatic when the College Football Playoff replaced the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system in 2014. The move seemed like a no-brainer. The College Football Playoff would give a greater number of deserving teams a shot at the National Championship, create more exciting games, and allow college football to steal a tiny sliver of the tournament drama that makes March Madness so incredible. All that compared to a one-game system largely based on quixotic computer rankings? There was no choice to be made.

Seven years on, the Playoff has been a complete and unmitigated disaster. Rather than giving more deserving teams a chance, the selection committee has hopped in bed with ESPN to guarantee bid after bid to college football’s largest brands.

The games we religiously watch every week have little impact on the malarkey that ESPN and the selection committee say defines the best teams in the nation.

The on-field product that the Playoff has produced has not been much better. The idea that a semifinal round would create more exciting games has been met with blowout after blowout as we get to see that there are rarely four wellmatched programs at the top of college football.

Proposals that the Playoff should expand to eight or 12 teams fall prey to the sunken-cost belief that the only way to fix our broken system is to keep digging the hole ever deeper. A return to the BCS is certainly not the answer either, but we need to agree that we failed, shake ourselves off, and return to a two-team, one-game national championship system.

Across the 14 Playoff semifinal games that have been played since its inception, the winning team has won by an average of over 20 points as the higher seed generally rolls to victory.

For every 54–48 double-overtime game such as Georgia’s victory over Oklahoma in 2018, there are plenty more that are closer to Alabama’s 38–0 blanking of Michigan State two years prior.

Expanding the Playoff will only create more of these uncompetitive matchups. If the season ended today in a world with an eight-team playoff, Georgia would play Oklahoma in the first round, a team that SP+ believes the Bulldogs would easily defeat by double figures. The same metric has No. 2 Alabama beating No. 7 Michigan State by two touchdowns. A 12-team playoff just delays these bloodbaths for another week. As much as I want to believe in a Cinderella story like we see

BC clinched bowl eligibility for the sixth straight season thanks to five touchdowns from quarterback Phil Jurkovec, three on the ground and two through the air.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP

ASA ACKERLY

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP

BC Remains Undefeated With Win Over Fairfield

BY SOURABH GOKARN For The Heights

It was the Langford show at Conte Forum on Sunday as Boston College men’s basketball took on Fairfield. The Eagles’ two leading scorers, half brothers DeMarr Langford Jr. and Makai Ashton-Langford, combined for nearly half the team’s total points.

Though they never comfortably separated themselves from what proved to be a feisty Fairfield squad, the Langford duo still powered BC (3–0) to a 72–64 victory. Ashton-Langford led the team with 17 points while Langford Jr. added 16 points and seven rebounds.

“It’s the fruit of his labor,” BC head coach Earl Grant said of Langford Jr. in his postgame press conference.

The Langfords, however, were cer-

tainly not the only stars in Sunday’s matchup. Four of the Eagles’ five starters scored in double figures. T.J. Bickerstaff scored 12 points and picked up seven rebounds, while Quinten Post also poured in nine points off the bench.

Guard Jaeden Zackery had a particularly strong evening, with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting and six assists. The Chipola College transfer made some pivotal plays, including a few key steals and a highlight-worthy alley-oop pass to Langford Jr.

“He has some toughness and some moxie,” Grant said. “He just played winning basketball today. I was really proud of his efforts.”

BC jumped out to a quick lead—one that it would never relinquish—but the Stags would not let the Eagles close the door on them early. Near the end of the second half, Fairfield cut BC’s lead down to two points via an 8–0 run that

included a two-minute scoreless stretch from both sides.

That score was as close as they would come, though. The Eagles started the second half with some much-needed energy, expanding the six-point halftime lead to as much as 13 at one point. The Eagles’ tenacious defense ensured the lead remained in their possession. BC’s tight man-to-man defense, which occasionally grew into an intense full-court press, forced 14 turnovers.

Despite BC’s eight-point margin of victory, Fairfield still managed to expose some of the Eagles’ flaws. After only having four in the previous game, the Eagles committed 15 turnovers, leading to several fast-break opportunities for the Stags.

Many of Fairfield’s runs came as a result of sloppy passes and poor ball handling. More concerning, however, were the Eagles’ struggles at the free-

throw line. Given 27 opportunities, BC shot only 59 percent.

“If that game was a little bit closer, it might not have went the way we wanted it to,” Ashton-Langford said. “So we got to get right with the free-throws.”

Sunday’s win marked the Eagles’ third

straight wire-to-wire victory in what has become an undefeated start to the season.

“We’re in the pursuit of trying to be a good team,” Grant said. “It’s going to be a lot of things that come with that: ups and downs, adversity, good days, [and] bad days.”

Soule Drops 21 Points to Beat Holy Cross

BY ROBERT BRENNAN For The Heights

Exactly two years ago Saturday, Boston College women’s basketball traveled to Worcester, Mass. expecting a win after beating UMass Lowell and St. Francis by an average of 40 points. Instead, Holy Cross put a damper on the Eagles’ promising start, beating the Eagles 80–71.

BC faced off against the Crusaders for the first time since that day on Saturday, and the players who were on the team two years ago had not forgotten about that game.

“This was definitely a redemption game for us,” Taylor Soule said after the game. “It was important to go out there senior year at home to play with confidence and really dominate them from the start.”

The Eagles did just that, earning

redemption with a 75–50 win against in-state rival Holy Cross (0–2), preserving a perfect start for BC (2–0).

The first quarter saw some early-season nerves from both teams, as they combined for nine turnovers, plus multiple traveling calls on each team. The two teams traded baskets to begin the game before BC went on an 8–0 scoring run that drained nearly three minutes from the clock. Still, by the end of the quarter, Holy Cross had crawled back within four.

The nerves stayed active in the second quarter, as both teams struggled to get anything going on the offensive end and turnovers continued to hinder both teams. Holy Cross went without a field goal for the first four and a half minutes, and the Eagles did not hit a field goal until Soule attacked the rim with four and a half to play.

Soule continued to run BC’s offense with an and-1 layup that made

the BC bench go wild. Despite the low-scoring period, BC increased its lead to 11 because Holy Cross only managed six points in the quarter.

The Eagles settled down in the third quarter, committing fewer turnovers and hitting the shots that the Crusaders left open. BC continued to capitalize on Holy Cross’ struggles from the field, holding the Crusaders to 11 points. Soule continued to shine with efficient scoring, capping off the third quarter with another high-impact play as she drained a buzzer beater from behind the arc that withstood a replay review.

Soule finished the game with 21 points of 9-of-11 shooting from the field.

The Eagles maintained control of the game throughout the rest of the second half despite returning to some of their early-game scoring struggles in the fourth quarter. BC showed strength on the defensive end, both

on and off the stat sheet, finishing with 40 total rebounds as a team.

Holy Cross struggled all game with outside shooting, and BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee adjusted accordingly by giving rim protectors like Maria Gakdeng and Andrea Daley a combined 47 minutes and placing them in the paint to stop Holy Cross from attacking the basket. The Crusaders finished with just 26 points in the paint.

“We started to dig up the pressure a little bit on the outside … and had more of a defensive lineup in … and our offense went down just a little bit,” Bernabei-McNamee said.

Gakdeng and Daley each finished the day with three blocks, but they contested countless Crusader layups and floaters. Marnelle Garraud also had a monster defensive game, swatting two shots and racking up five steals in addition to her nine assists.

Eagles Hold On To Earn Rebound Win Over Duke

BY SARAH STOCKER Heights Staff

Nicknamed the “Frozen Tundra,” Lambeau Field provides the Green Bay Packers with arguably the greatest home field advantage: freezing temperatures. As a result, the Packers have won every home playoff game during the first 45 years of the field’s existence.

While it’s not comparable to the weather conditions of Wisconsin, Boston College volleyball has an obvious advantage in Power Gym. Given the gym’s small size, BC has mastered the ability to continue rallies off the ceiling and basketball hoops that crowd the overhead area above the court. Most visiting teams have not played in a multipurpose gym, and this inexperience proved detrimental to BC’s most recent visitor, Duke.

In a thrilling, four-set match, the Eagles (14–14, 4–10 Atlantic Coast) took a 3–1 victory over Duke (15–10, 6–8), a stark contrast to the teams’

previous meeting in which BC lost in straight sets. After a two-week drought without a home match, the BC faithful packed Power Gym, donning maroon and gold and carrying homemade signs to support the players.

The Eagles started off the day with an energy that has been missing as of late. Mackenzie Fuhrmann recently won her way into the starting lineup, and she proved why against Duke. She contributed to three consecutive BC points early in the first sets, keeping BC within reach of its opponent and ending a 3–0 Blue Devil run.

After falling behind late 23–19, BC capitalized on a service error from Payton Schwantz and started a 6–1 run to take the lead. The Eagles could not finish the job swiftly, however, and Duke clawed back to retake it 26–25. Unwilling to allow the visiting team to take the first set, freshman Jenna Pollock responded with a resounding kill to keep her team alive.

Pollock’s kill flipped the switch for the Eagles, as they forced two attack errors from the Blue Devils to win the first and carry momentum

into the second set.

With the support of the crowd behind them and the knowledge that they would not be swept once again, the Eagles plowed through the second set, taking it 25–13. After outside hitter Gracie Johnson tallied 10 kills in the opening set, the Eagles limited her presence and held her to only two in the second.

The Eagles were aggressive in the second set, forcing six Duke attack errors while only committing one of their own. Improved setting from Jane Petrie and Grace Penn eliminated the miscommunication that has plagued the BC offense this season.

“We’re pretty young on the setting front, and our setters continue to improve,” head coach Jason Kennedy said. “I think [today’s performance] shows a lot of what we’re doing every day in the gym is paying off.”

With the Blue Devils desperate to return to Durham victorious, four new starters were thrown onto the court to begin the third.

“We got uncomfortable in the start of the third set when they went to a different lineup that we weren’t all too familiar with,” Kennedy said.

“We had to adjust quicker than we actually did.”

Errors were the ultimate downfall of the Eagles in the third, as five service errors and five attack errors presented as a poor reminder of BC missteps at other moments in the season. Despite these mistakes, the third set proved to be the most competitive, with the score being tied 10 different times and the lead changing possession four times.

Even with the Eagles’ kills being spread evenly across five different players, the Blue Devils put up multiple blocks to effectively shut down

Trailing 10–3 in the fourth set, a much-needed timeout from Kennedy allowed the Eagles to recuperate. BC rallied to take the fourth set 27–25 and claim the match.

“I didn’t feel like we had any momentum going,” Kennedy said. “But they kept grinding and fighting, and to [the team’s] credit, this was a big win to get.”

the home attack. After a kill from Amaka Chukwujekwu gave the Eagles the lead 24–23, the Blue Devils followed with the three needed points to take their first set of the day.

BC beat Fairfield Sunday afternoon for its third win of the season.

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

The Eagles held on to beat the Blue Devils 3–1 Saturday afternoon.

LEO WANG / HEIGHTS STAFF

Holy Cross Boston College 50 75

River Hawks Net Two in Third Period, Down BC

BY NICOLE CHO Heights Staff

When No. 16 Boston College men’s hockey overcame a two-goal deficit against No. 20 UMass Lowell in less than two minutes during the second period, revenge for last season’s heartbreaking double-OT elimination in the Hockey East Tournament Semifinals seemed imminent. UMass Lowell had scored two early goals, but BC fought back to tie it at two apiece.

Another dominant third period from the River Hawks (5–1–3, 3–0–1 Hockey East), however, handed the Eagles (6–5–1, 4–3–0) a disappointing 4–2 loss.

The first period saw nearly four minutes of four-on-four play following matching penalties. BC put up just four shots on goal in comparison to the River Hawks’ 15.

In the 14th minute of the game, UMass Lowell netted its first goal of the game, as Andre Lee redirected a shot inside the left

post off a faceoff win for his fourth tally of the season.

“I thought Lowell really played dominant in the first period … got us back on our heels,” BC head coach Jerry York said in his postgame press conference.

The Eagles came out visibly stronger after a disheartening first period, and UMass Lowell goaltender Owen Savory barely stopped BC captain Marc McLaughlin’s shot in the first minute of the second period.

While the Eagles’ play looked to be picking up, a total of five penalties characterized the second period as both teams’ power-play units capitalized on scoring opportunities. A facemask penalty on McLaughlin sent UMass Lowell right back to the one-man advantage, and Ben Meehan found the net from the wing, past goaltender Eric Dop, to extend the River Hawks’ lead to two.

Despite an unsuccessful power play, the Eagles took advantage of their momentum to respond in the 12th minute of the second period. Nikita Nesterenko cruised the puck

directly in front of the net and UMass Lowell defenders pushed him into their goaltender in a frenzy.

With Savory obstructed, Trevor Kuntar netted the rebound for his fourth of the season. As officials reviewed the goal for goalie interference, a familiar feeling of anticipation ensued until the officials confirmed the sophomore duo had put the Eagles on the board to bring the score to 2–1.

After a boarding call on the River Hawks minutes later, the newly energized Eagles were on the hunt for the equalizer on the one-man advantage. Less than a minute into the power play, Brandon Kruse and Jack McBain centered the puck to McLaughlin, who quickly fired a one-timer to score and tie the game at two apiece.

McLaughlin’s fourth power-play goal of the season broke the tie for the league lead and places him fifth nationally in power-play goals. Meanwhile, Kruse’s seventh assist of the season ties him for the league lead in assists, and both he and McBain place second for most points in the league.

BC

As the shorthanded Eagles prevented any scoring by the River Hawks and were then awarded with a power play of their own in the opening minutes of the third period, a comeback win appeared hopeful.

But in the fifth minute of the third period, the River Hawks regained their lead. Nearly identical to the opening goal, Lee tipped another point shot off a faceoff win to record his second of the night. Four

minutes later, Carl Berglund redirected Ryan Brushett’s shot on the power play to re-extend the River Hawks’ lead to two.

Despite pulling Dop for an extra attacker for the final two minutes, the Eagles could not net their final attempts at equalizing the score, and were outshot 37–26. Faceoffs were also in Lowell’s advantage, as the River Hawks not only won 39 of the 63, but scored on two of them.

Eagles Drop Fourth Straight With Loss to Providence

BY NICK PULICE Heights Staff

Boston College women’s hockey came out of the gate flying this year, jumping out to a 6–0 start. A weekend sweep at the hands of Northeastern two weeks ago, however, derailed the season and put BC on a downward spiral. After dropping two to Northeastern, BC took a trip across town to Harvard, and the Crimson handed BC its third straight loss.

Leaving Massachusetts to take on

Providence seemed like an opportunity to get the season back on track. But despite a 34-save performance from Abigail Levy, the Eagles (6–4, 4–3 Hockey East) fell once again, losing 2–1 to Providence (4–3–3, 3–2–1).

The teams combined for a whopping 34 shots on goal in the frame, but not a single one found the net. Both goaltenders, Levy for BC and Mireille Kingsley for Providence, were outstanding, standing tall under a barrage of shots.

BC had the added advantage of two power-play opportunities in the first

period but failed to convert on either. This struggle has been a recurring theme for BC, which entered today’s game just 2-of-22 or 9.1 percent on the power play. The Eagles converted on none of their four chances with the man advantage against Providence.

BC was awarded with another power-play opportunity early on in the second period following a whistle against Providence for having too many men on the ice. Once again, the Eagles came up empty. Shortly after the power play concluded, Levy made arguably her best save of the afternoon, stopping Lindsay Bochna

on a breakaway chance.

BC finally beat Kingsley halfway through the second period. Gaby Roy found a loose puck in the corner, carried it through the crease, and slotted a backhand shot into the back of the net to put BC up 1–0.

With just 2:14 remaining in the second period, Providence tied the game up. Hunter Barnett redirected a long shot from the point past Levy. The score remained 1–1 as the teams went back to the locker rooms for the second intermission.

The final period was one with very few scoring opportunities, a stark

contrast to the first two frames. The Eagles’ best chance of the period came with just over five minutes remaining. A loose puck found Abby Newhook with plenty of space, but her backhand shot went just wide to keep the game tied.

With 4:20 remaining in the game, Providence scored again to take the lead. The eventual game-winning goal stemmed from a 2-on-1 opportunity for the Friars. Levy made the first save but gave up a big rebound that fell right to Barnett. Barnett fired it into the back of the nearly empty net for her second goal of the day.

McBain’s Game Winner Propels Eagles Over UConn

BY NICK PULICE Heights Staff

Boston College men’s hockey looked to step on the gas and find its footing following a disheartening split series against Merrimack. The Eagles have yet to find consistency, and stringing together a series of w ins has become a troublesome feat. In search of a new outlook, BC head coach Jerry York made line changes in hopes of amplifying the group’s top trios. Forward Patrick Giles advanced into the Eagles’ top line assisting senior captain Marc McLaughlin, BC’s top scorer, sending Colby Ambrosio down to bolster the third line.

BC (6–4–1, 4–2–0 Hockey East) got off to a sloppy start in the first period at UConn (6–4–0, 4–2–0), which had entered the night on a four-game win streak.

The line changes worked for BC, as Jack McBain slotted home the game winner with 1:33 to go in the game, and BC walked away with a 2–1 win.

UConn, an experienced group riddled with speedy upperclassmen, found an early edge on the Eagles.

A crucial right-pad save from BC goaltender Eric Dop on UConn’s Vladislav Firstov helped reverse the tide in what would have been a timely momentum switch for the Huskies.

Dop continued to stand tall through a barrage of shots, and the period was marked with intense crease battle on both ends. UConn goaltender Darion Hanson looked just as sharp. Hanson showed no signs of quitting, and he had help from a heap of blocked shots on BC’s early attack.

“They did a lot of things very well defensively,” York said in his postgame press conference. “They had sticks on pucks an awful lot, deflecting shots from reaching the goaltender, and they blocked shots very well. It’s such a key part of the game.”

Tied at 11 shots and no goals apiece through the first frame, the second period arrived looking to charge a careful battle in any direction.

T he floodgates opened in the second period with multiple chances on high-quality shots for both squads. Hanson read a short-side drive from BC forward Trevor Kuntar and a whizzing wrister by

McBain to prevent an early lead.

Then, UConn caught the Eagles on back-to-back shift changes, and a furious breakout set up UConn forward John Spetz to blast a one timer, but Dop got in front of it. BC’s Jack St. Ivany marched back into UConn’s zone a few plays later, positioning a one-time chance for Ambrosio, but scrambling to his blocker side, Hanson made a stop, salvaging the Huskies.

Moments later, forward Ryan Tverberg netted a wrap-around shot to open the scoring. The goal marked his eighth of the season, taking a share of the Hockey East lead in goals and handing UConn a 1–0 lead.

UConn had the momentum from there, taking control of the game until late in the period. As the period wound down, BC’s offense began to gel, particularly between Ambrosio and Marshall Warren.

Puck movement continued until a cross-ice pass slid across UConn’s defensive zone, and Ambrosio scored with one swift motion to tie the game.

After his fourth of the season, Ambrosio shushed the XL Center crowd with his celebration.

Ambrosio’s goal came with just

seconds left in the period, and none of that momentum carried over into the third.

Kuntar was robbed on a breakaway to take the lead, and the first p enalty of the game was finally issued dually on a high stick call on UConn and embellishment against BC. With 80 seconds remaining in the game, BC’s Nikita Nesterenko dropped the puck for McBain high in the offensive end. McBain, using the defender for leverage as a s creen, sniped Hanson on the far

glove side for the go-ahead goal.

Still, the game wasn’t over, and UConn defensemen Carter Berger gave York and the Eagles a scare with just seven seconds remaining. With the Huskies’ goaltender pulled in favor of an extra attacker, he nearly stuffed the puck through Dop’s f ive-hole, but the graduate transfer goaltender made the stop.

“It’s such a rapid scene there. I was jumping,” York said. “I gotta watch the tape a little bit and see that.”

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS STAFF

fought back from a two-goal deficit but fell to UMass Lowell on Saturday.

Jack McBain scored the winner with under two minutes to go against UConn.