The Heights 12/09/2013

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HEIGHTS

THE

The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College

established

1919

Monday, December 9, 2013

Vol. XCIV, No. 47

UGBC

NIGHTS ON THE HEIGHTS

UGBC eliminates programming department

BY ANDREW SKARAS Asst. News Editor

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

PROGRAMMING

HERITAGE

HERITAGE

PROPOSED PROGRAMMING BOARD

BC2BOSTON ON-CAMPUS UGBC passed an amendment to detatch from two of its three main programming branches.

The Student Assembly (SA) approved an amendment to the UGBC constitution on Tuesday that will separate programming from the student government. The measure passed 38-1, with Nanci FioreChettiar, senator and A&S ’15, abstaining.

Alex Sarabia, senator for the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) and A&S ’14, was the only one to vote against the amendment.

The conversation on a new programming structure began in the SA at the end of October this year, but Matt Nacier, UGBC president and A&S ’14, said after the SA meeting that the idea of splitting programming from UGBC has been discussed for a couple of years.

“The conversation has been around for years—it came up my freshman year and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the first time someone had talked about it,” Nacier said. “Now, I think that it’s because Matt [Alonsozana, UGBC executive vice president and A&S ’14] and I were in a position and felt that UGBC was ready to make that split.”

According to Gus Burkett, director of the Student Programs Office (SPO), UGBC discussed a potential programming split last year and SPO did not play a large role in the discussions. “[The programming split] was not something that [SPO] pushed on UGBC,” Burkett said. “We facilitated the discussion. It is something that, nationally, there are a lot of different models. Either way [the vote] went, we were prepared to

deal with it. We did not have a prescribed agenda on what we are going to do.”

The timing of the split comes within months of a controversial Fall Concert result, but Nacier said that this decision was not made as a result of that event. He also said, though, that the Fall Concert could be considered a catalyst, albeit a minor one.

“It is not because of one incident that we had this shift happen … I think that it was on a lot of people’s minds before the Fall Concert,” Nacier said.

Both Nacier and Alonsozana focused on the question of UGBC’s role for the student body. This question revolved around the relationship between hosting programs and advocating to the administration on

See UGBC Programming, A3

Law program continues BC partnership

BC student arrested for arsons

Local law students teach BC undergrads

BY ELEANOR HILDEBRANDT News Editor

BY JENNIFER HEINE Heights Staff Next semester’s environmental law and policy course will mark the 23rd year of a unique partnership program between local law schools and Boston College’s undergraduate community. The program, inaugurated in 1991, provides BC students the opportunity to take a law school-style course in their undergraduate career. The cause is taught by third-year law students at BC, Boston University, and Harvard, under the supervision of Zygmunt Plater, a professor within BC Law. Though longstanding at BC, the program is the only one of its kind, in that it permits third-year law students to teach at the college level and undergraduates who perform well in the course to take other classes at the law school in their sophomore, junior, or senior years.

Although the syllabus for the class differs from section to section, as each pair of law students design their own focus for the course, environmental law and policy serves primarily as an introduction to various facets of law through the lens of environmental policy.

According to Matthew Karambelas, BC Law ’14, who will teach the course for the first time this spring, the course will begin with an overview of common law lawsuits, focusing on private citizens taking action against polluters and the logistics of filing a lawsuit, before covering statutory law, which involves the government taking action against polluters, as well as international environmental law treaties and the future of environmental law. Other courses focus on constitutional or other types of law.

For undergraduates, it offers a law school experience before law school.

“It’s a different way of learning from other classes you take in college—it’s less learning just information and more of taking information you’ve learned and applying it to a situation you’ve never seen before,” Karambelas said.

“It can be a little nerve-wracking when you first become a law student to have to go through that in the testing room, but if you’ve already done that before, you’ll be more comfortable used to that kind of testing.”

Still, he emphasizes that the course is open to students of all interests. “I think it’s a huge benefit for people who are interested in law school, but it’s also a great class for people who aren’t pre-law, because it’s relevant to science, real estate law, food and drug law, and health law, so even biology majors, nursing majors, and business majors would

See Environmental Law, A3

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS STAFF

Members of the BC community gathered in O’Neill Plaza to usher in the holiday season and celebrate the annual Christmas tree lighting.

Annual celebration ushers in holiday season

BY SCOTT BAILEY For The Heights The air was cold, the drinks were warm, and the music was festive in O’Neill Plaza on Wednesday night at the annual tree lighting. The Nativity season has commenced and the lighting was a celebration of the coming three weeks, as well as Boston College’s heritage. While the night featured all the traditional Christmas celebrations, including Santa, hot chocolate, and holiday tunes—it also was a chance for BC to try something new.

Up until this year, BC had always held the tree lighting outside of St. Mary’s Hall. This year, however, the ceremony was moved to the middle of O’Neill Plaza as the St. Mary’s construction blocked off the usual tree.

While the tree was smaller than usual, the charm warmed the spectators no differently than in previous years. It was an event that both had attendees looking forward to the weeks to come as well as remembering the reasons for celebration.

The BC Bells rang in the evening with “Carol of the Bells” among other Christmas favorites. Their gloves gleamed white and

their bells filled the air with a traditional Christmas feel. Following the Bells were the Madrigal Singers of BC who sang a capella versions of “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” and “Silent Night.”

They rocked the stage until everyone’s favorite man dressed in red joined the party.

As the Madrigals wrapped up, police sirens filled the air. The emcee prompted the crowd’s excitement as four police cars pulled up in front of Gasson. To everyone’s delight, especially the younger members of

See Christmas Ceremony, A3

Boston College student Pengliang Yue, A&S ’15, was arrested in late November after confessing to setting fires in Gasson and Stokes halls on Nov. 9. After an investigation into the fires, BCPD made the arrest on the night of Tuesday, Nov. 26, and the University confirmed the arrest the next day.

Yue was arraigned in Newton District Court on Nov. 27 on one count of arson, three counts of attempted arson, four counts of malicious destruction of property, and one count of disorderly conduct. He was also issued a summary suspension from the University.

According to a report from The Boston Globe, Yue pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was released on $2,500 bail and is scheduled to return to Newton District Court on Dec. 30.

As the suspension is still in effect, Yue remains barred from BC’s campus.

The fires, which were set on the night of Saturday, Nov. 9, led to a small mark on the second floor of Gasson, as well as much more extensive damage in Stokes. Cubicles on the fourth floor had to be replaced, books were damaged by the soot and smoke, and the second and third floors of the building suffered water damage from the sprinklers.

After a final vacuuming and cleaning, offices and classrooms in Stokes resumed normal operations the week of Nov. 18.

Heights Editor Austin Tedesco contributed to this report. 

Professor of economics retires after 52 years at BC

BY ANDREW SKARAS Asst. News Editor The way he describes it, Francis M. McLaughlin ended up at Boston College by accident. Recently out of high school, one of his friends suggested that he sit for the entrance exam taking place the next day for the Intown College (the precursor of Woods College of Advancing Studies).

On a whim, he sat for the exam, was accepted, and began in September of 1947.

After graduating in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree and again in 1957 with a master’s degree, he eventually made his way back as an instructor in economics in 1961. At the end of this semester, after 52 years of teaching at BC, McLaughlin is retiring from his position as associate professor of economics.

According to McLaughlin, when he began attending the Intown College, it was a six-year, four-night per week program. He worked during the day and attended classes at night. McLaughlin was unable to complete the program on time, however, because of active duty service in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Afterward, he continued working for an engineering firm in Boston and decided to enter into one of BC’s master’s

programs.

“I got recommended by one of my professors here for the part-time MA program,” McLaughlin said. “I finished that and then I was taking more courses and considering a Ph.D., but I wasn’t sure that a BC Ph.D. was really marketable in those days. Then came this Jesuit—McEwan. He was talking to Doug Brown about MIT and he said I should apply, otherwise I wouldn’t have thought to apply. I was accepted and won a fellowship—the Hicks fellowship.”

Studying at MIT marked the first time that McLaughlin was a full-time student.

He described his college experience as very different from the kind that people have today because of the different background that he had growing up.

“My grandparents didn’t read and write,” McLaughlin said. “They were immigrants from Ireland. I was one of eight during the Depression years—my parents left school after the eighth grade.”

In 1961, he joined the faculty of the BC Economics department as an instructor before he even finished his Ph.D. at MIT. “The standard in those days was they

See McLaughlin, A3

ANDREW SKARAS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Economics professor Francis M. McLaughlin’s legacy was celebrated last Monday.

TopTHREE

THE HEIGHTS

A2

Common Boston

Christmas Concert

Monday, December 9, 2013

Fair Trade Holiday Sale

1 2 3 Today Time: 9 a.m.

Location: Burns Library

The exhibit at the Burns Library explores how 19th century Bostonians shaped and responded to the changing urban landscape. Featured items include diaries, police records, and financial records.

Tuesday Time: 8 p.m.

Location: Gasson 100

The University Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band will perform The Nutcracker as well as all-time Christmas favorites “A Christmas Festival” and “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson.

Wednesday Time: 9 a.m.

Location: Corcoran Commons, 2nd floor

Buying Fair Trade at this craft fair ensures that the goods you purchase were produced by workers earning a just wage for their labor.

FEATURED EVENT

LaChance traces lineage with Native American heritage

BY SOO JUNG RHEE Heights Staff

Last Wednesday evening, the Heights Room was transformed into a small, Native American cultural museum, with traditional Native American artifacts displayed on tables and different toys and games gathered in the center of the room. The Native American Heritage Month closing ceremony began with an interactive presentation of Native American culture by guest speaker Ray LaChance, who spoke about his Native American heritage, which traces back to his great-great-grandfather’s generation. In his presentation “The Web of Life: A Tribute to a Culture Past and Present,” LaChance discussed the fundamental belief which connects all indigenous lineages by creating an equal, circular interconnection among people and maintaining a harmonious relationship among them.

The circular arrangement of seats in the audience also reflected the idea of reciprocal network of mankind and balanced interdependence among living beings. “From early childhood I was guided by the values and the principles of the web of life, of the circle of life,” LaChance said. “If you don’t know what that means, it’s that we’re all connected as a circle as of right now, and the disposition is that we’re all equal.”

As children of earth and nature, the indigenous people learned to develop a respect for life and preserve self by keeping themselves

ROBIN KIM/HEIGHTS STAFF

Ray LaChance discussed human interconnections for Native American Heritage Month. mentally as well as physically fit, LaChance said. Starting from selfpreservation, commitment to life expands to love for family, appreciation of friends, sharing with the community, and doing good for the nation, he said.

LaChance showed his concern about the increasing forgetfulness of gratitude toward the environment and the bleak future of sustainability of the indigenous heritage. “My goal has always been to educate this generation about the positive tributes that many indigenous people brought forward to impact the future,” he said.

“We are the students of this earth, and that’s our basic premise and philosophy as the native culture, and it gets harder and harder and more difficult every day. Why? Because our children are being immersed in the technological society, and in some ways it’s very sad.”

Under the general theme of inter-

connectedness with “Mother Earth” and “Father Sky,” the presentation not only introduced the values system and primary tenets of the Native people but also provided a new perspective of viewing and interacting with other cultures by redefining civilization.

LaChance noted the relentless violence of the Europeans and ethnocentric labeling of Native Americans as “savage,” providing examples of how civilized and organized the lives of the indigenous people were.

He argued that the indigenous culture developed a civilized society in their own sense by forming organizational structures characterized with leadership, religion, social class system, education, understanding of nature, and development of practical skills. “I want you to look at this perspective, the characteristics of civilization, from the eyes of a different culture,” he said.

In addition to sharing common-

POLICE BLOTTER

12/3/13-12/6/13

Tuesday, December 3

ceny in Devlin Hall.

7:38 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a traffic incident on Campanella Way.

6:14 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a fire alarm activation in Stayer Hall. There was no fire department response.

7:46 a.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student in the Flynn Recreation Complex. The student was later transported to a medical facility.

9:45 a.m. - A report was filed regarding threats to commit a crime in Lyons Hall.

Wednesday, December 4 12:36 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a past lar-

Thursday, December 5 2:27 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a confiscation in Walsh Hall.

8:26 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student in the Quonset Hut. The student was later transported by cruiser to a medical facility.

College Corner NEWS FROM UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

BY JULIE ORENSTEIN Heights Editor Over the last two semesters, reports of hazing at Wake Forest University have increased, with allegations focusing on six fraternities in particular, The Huffington Post reported. All six Greek organizations faced hearings in the spring, though only three were found responsible for hazing.

Among the organizations found responsible was the Wake Forest chapter of Kappa Sigma, which lost its charter following suspension from the fraternity’s national headquarters.

“They are no longer a fraternity at Wake Forest,” said Steve Hirst, director of student organizations at the university.

“They do hope to return to Wake Forest in three to five years.”

According to The Huffington Post, students at Wake Forest are well aware of the hazing element of the school’s significant Greek life culture.

“I think to some extent it can bring a pledge class together,” said one fraternity

ality of all cultures, the Native American culture left its mark in the history of the people, he said. According to LaChance, the indigenous people contributed their wisdom regarding agricultural technologies, communication techniques, and knowledge of the natural phenomena, and they served as an example to other cultures by living in accordance with their values of respect, humility, love, honesty, bravery and responsibility.

“It doesn’t matter what our culture is or isn’t,” he said. “We are people first.” “We breathe the same air, we drink the same types of water, we have the same concern about ourselves, our family, our community. Most of us are innately compassionate. That’s what we need from your generation and, going forward, my grandchildren.”

Following the presentation, LaChance performed a short musical piece with the traditional indigenous flute and invited every member of the audience to participate in the traditional Native American dances and games.

Listeners became active participants by learning ceremonial dance steps, playing instruments made of raw materials and engaging in games derived mostly from hunting and surviving skills in the wild.

After sharing interactive, cultural experiences with the audience, LaChance closed the ceremony with a letter to the students, wishing nature’s blessings and saying a blessing himself with a Native American thank you, “Aho.” 

member, speaking anonymously to avoid self-incrimination. “When it gets to a certain line it can become dangerous and unnecessary. I think that physical harm is a line you don’t cross, that’s not benefiting anyone, but certain things can bring a pledge class together.”

While forced alcohol consumption, driving duty, and cleaning are often considered common forms of hazing, more extreme alleged hazing rituals at Wake Forest have involved students being trapped in a basement, stuck in an animal pen with a dozen other men, and forced to eat inedible food from a trough.

Pointing to the university’s strict anti-hazing policy, Hirst noted that he has been carrying out investigations of Greek organizations accused of misconduct himself. The university has also recently formed a committee that works to prevent hazing, with the group looking to take an “enhanced, proactive approach to education in an attempt to prevent similar activities from occurring in other organizations,” Hirst said. 

10:04 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student in Stayer Hall.

The student was later transported by ambulance to a medical facility.

Friday, December 6 1:21 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious motor vehicle in the commuter lot.

5:57 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a motor vehicle accident on Commonwealth Ave.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

A Guide to Your Newspaper The Heights Boston College – McElroy 113 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467 Editor-in-Chief (617) 552-2223 Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 Metro Desk (617) 552-3548 Features Desk (617) 552-3548 Arts Desk (617) 552-0515 Photo (617) 552-1022 Fax (617) 552-4823 Business and Operations General Manager (617) 552-0169 Advertising (617) 552-2220 Business and Circulation (617) 552-0547 Classifieds and Collections (617) 552-0364 Fax (617) 552-1753 EDITORIAL RESOURCES News Tips Have a news tip or a good idea for a story?

Call Eleanor Hildebrandt, News Editor, at (617) 552-0172, or email news@bcheights. com. For future events, email a detailed description of the event and contact information to the News Desk.

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

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

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The Heights is produced by BC undergraduates and is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by The Heights, Inc. (c) 2013. All rights reserved.

CORRECTIONS This correction is in reference to the issue dated Nov. 25, 2013, Vol. XCIV, No. 46.

In the article entitled ‘‘Three Sisters,’’ the character of Masha was incorrectly named as Marsha and Martha. Also, the play was said to have three acts rather than four, and a line from the original script was quoted as it appeared in Chekhov’s original rather than as it was delivered in the Robsham performance.

VOICES FROM THE DUSTBOWL “What is the most extreme thing you would do to get out of finals?”

“Give up my meal plan to my professors.”

—Claire Messina, LSOE ’17

“Walk back to Newton.”

—Liliana Zeolla, CSOM ’17

“Do the Strip Mod performance solo.”

—Brian Hommel, A&S ’17

“Give up Stuart froyo.”

—Annie Borman, CSON ’17

The Heights

Monday, December 9, 2013

A3

Environmental law and policy enters 23rd year Environmental Law, from A1 be interested,” he said. “It has applicability to all kinds of disciplines.”

Francesca McCaffrey, A&S ’14 and an alumna of the program, echoed his sentiments. “Taking environmental law and policy was one of the defining points of my time here at BC,” she said. “I’ve always loved both science and writing and taking that course allowed me to apply these interests to a dynamic and exciting field. The law students who taught my class were passionate and smart, and they inspired me to continue researching environmental issues, and, eventually, to work for the Environmental Protection Agency the summer after my junior year.”

The program also proves beneficial to the law students. The experience of teaching a class, one most of the environmental law and policy teachers have never had before, prepares them for the courtroom: “When you’re a trial lawyer, you have to take a really complex issue and boil it down to its basic parts in presenting it to a group of jurors from

various backgrounds,” Karambelas said.

“So that’s sort of what we’re doing. The teaching program is trying to take complex legal issues and present them in a way that people who have no experience in the law can understand.”

Using environmental law as a lens through which to view all branches of law also helps them prepare for the Bar exam. “Environmental law is not one area of law, like contract law or property law, but it takes environmental issues that come up in almost every area,” Karambelas said. “So it really is going to help me in preparing for the bar exam, because in teaching this class, you have to know constitutional law, common law, statutory law, regulatory law, corporate law, real estate law, health law, and many other areas. It’s bringing it all together.

“Environmental law is definitely something interesting for all, regardless of whether students consider themselves to be ‘pre-law,’” he said. “And, for those interested in becoming lawyers, environmental issues will never go away and are becoming increasingly important for clients and the public.” n

Emily fahey / heights staff

Alex gaynor / heights editor

Students sang Christmas carols, drank hot chocolate, and commemorated the spirit of the holidays in front of Gasson Hall.

Tree-lighting marks start of holidays Christmas Ceremony, from A1 the crowd, Santa Claus stepped out of one of the cars. Santa received a police escort onto BC’s campus.

Children immediately ran from the crowd, up the stairs and toward Gasson.

After the commotion settled, the emcee took the microphone and addressed the

crowd in a different way than Santa and the musical groups could. He spoke of the original reason why participants celebrate Christmas. “While this is a season for gift-giving,” the emcee said, “we can’t forget the original gift that we are celebrating.”

The lighting ceremony was a welcome introduction to the upcoming

holiday season, ushering in a warm and merry atmosphere to the BC community. Couples embraced, children’s faces lit up at the sight of Santa, and the musicians used their craft to spread Christmas cheer.

As University President William P. Leahy, S.J., flipped the switch to the tree, BC’s holiday season commenced. n

UGBC scales back its programming duties UGBC Programming, from A1

alex gaynor / heights editor

McLaughlin, who graduated from BC in 1954, reflected on his academic career at BC.

McLaughlin recognized as associate professor emeritus McLaughlin, from A1 would hire you as an instructor without your thesis finished and you could have a maximum of four one-year contracts,” McLaughlin said. “The first hurdle for me was to get a doctorate. I got it all accepted in the first semester of my third year. They hired me as an assistant professor on the basis of that. The next hurdle was for me to get tenure and I got that in ’67.”

Since then, McLaughlin emphasized that it has become much more difficult to get employed and then get tenure because of the international reputation that BC has generated for itself.

In his first years of teaching, he taught principles of economics and two sections of labor economics, the latter being the focus of his dissertation and a class that he has offered almost continuously since then. Since those days, McLaughlin said that little has changed in terms of the requirements to major in economics.

“When I came, it was 10 courses— principles [of macroeconomics and of microeconomics], theory [of macroeconomics and of microeconomics], statistics, and five electives,” McLaughlin said. “Now, it is required that students have a certain level of math—this used to be required just for honors. Now, it also requires econometrics. The program is more quantitative now.”

Over the decades of his ser vice, McLaughlin saw a lot more than just the structure of the major change—he has seen the location change, the number of undergraduates change, and the University as a whole change through his service both in departmental and University-level capacities.

“When I started, two or three faculty members would share an office,” McLaughlin said. “I had my own office.

The Economics department was in Fulton, but I had an office in Gasson where the stairwell is now. It was a deserted building after classes and the place would go into darkness at 10 [p.m.]. The building used to have a wooden frame and it would creak. It was a spooky place—it sounded like someone was

coming down the corridor.”

The technology was different then, as well. McLaughlin recounted the telephone situation in the ’60s when he began.

“There was one telephone for the entire Business and Economics departments in a closet in Fulton,” he said.

While it is impossible to form an exact count, over his 52 years of teaching, McLaughlin taught thousands of students. In addition, nine of his 11 children graduated from BC and five of numerous grandchildren currently attend BC. All of his children, most of his grandchildren, and many students that he taught over the years gathered together on Dec. 2 in the Heights Room to celebrate his tenure. There, many spoke about how he had touched their lives.

Donald Cox, chairman of the Economics department and BC ’75, recounted a class that he had with McLaughlin when he was an undergraduate. He pulled out a blue book from an exam in a class he had with McLaughlin and joked about receiving a B+ on the exam.

His children spoke about how, with their father teaching at BC, they grew up on BC’s campus. Francis X. McLaughlin recounted how he remembers the Flynn Recreational Complex when it was first built.

“We would spend all day in the Plex when it first opened,” he said. “We’d come down here and run around and swim until it closed at night. Whoever was defined as one of the ‘little kids’ at the time would even have to put on their pajamas before we left to go home.”

Another member of the Economics department, Paul Cichello, BC ’92, remembered McLaughlin as well from his time as an undergraduate.

“The one thing I remember from him is his love of learning,” Cichello said. “He was teaching that course and was still taking courses. He was still learning.”

While University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. was not present for the celebration, Joseph Quinn, interim provost and dean of faculties, read a letter written by Leahy that awarded McLaughlin with the rank of associate professor emeritus. n

behalf of the student body.

“The fundamental question that we need to answer is, ‘Is it UGBC’s job to keep putting on these events or should there be a board that specifically concentrates on this?’” Nacier said. “You find it difficult to strike a balance between the two [programming and advocacy]—where to put the resources and the emphasis. There are times when UGBC can be stretched thin in terms of attention and energy.”

“Our mission statement says that we need to be taking care of student needs,” Alonsozana said. “I don’t doubt that students are interested in programming—that’s one of the main drivers of UGBC energy, effort, and resources—but if it’s true that UGBC should be providing for programming, then I’m glad that the vote last night acknowledged that UGBC is taking better care of programming by giving it better resources and a better structure.

I think that it would have been completely opposed to student need if UGBC had persisted with the present structure.

“We know that with programming leaving, UGBC will truly be a unified policy advocacy tool for the student body.

Everything in UGBC will be devoted to that goal—initiative programming, heritage programming, things of that nature.

Everything has some sort of advocacy background or purpose in mind.”

As a part of the process, Denise Pyfrom, vice president of programming and A&S ’14, held meetings with her department to determine the stance that UGBC programming had on the issue.

“A month before the [SA] vote, I had open meetings with all of programming and anyone else in UGBC to talk about their thoughts and concerns,” Pyfrom said.

“We came to a general consensus that this is what we wanted to try—95 percent were for it. Those who weren’t were concerned about what it will look like.”

One of the benefits that Pyfrom thought the change would bring to programming at BC was in the size of staff that could be devoted to programming on campus.

“We are now limited in number of students for staff by SPO,” Pyfrom said.

“If we are separate, those rules change.

Logistically it would be wonderful to have a bigger staff. We would have our own publicity department that could strategize to meet our needs.”

At the SA meeting, Fiore-Chettiar told her fellow senators that in choosing not to vote she was standing up for the student body.

“We started about a month and a half ago, but the conversation never really evolved beyond what we continuously had,” Fiore-Chettiar said after the meeting of the process that led to Tuesday’s vote. “We were continuously told that this wasn’t a vote to split necessarily … that it was more of a vote about what the mission of UGBC is, [but] we never really talked about what our actual mission was, we never talked about what we wanted it to be, and if that’s what we were really voting on, I’m concerned that that discussion wasn’t really had.”

She also raised concern that the change would not be implemented properly, saying that implementation was never discussed in the process, either.

“I think that it could do a lot of good, but I think that because of the way the process went, it will be less successful than it could have been,” she said. “I think a lot of the concerns were dismissed, [so] I don’t think we had the necessary conversations to make this happen in the most effective way.”

Sarabia, the one senator with a dissent-

ing vote, was contacted but declined to comment on his decision to vote against the amendment.

The change, which will take effect at the beginning of the 2014-15 academic year, will eliminate the Division of Student Programming, an executive level office, but will keep the Heritage Programming subcommittee, moving it under the Division of Diversity and Inclusion. Heritage programming focuses specifically on the programing needs of ALC and the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC).

“The future of ALC and GLC programming has been safeguarded in the future,” Alonsozana said.

Isaac Akers, chairman of the Rules Committee and A&S ’16, said that he voted in favor of the amendment because many of his constituents told him that they supported it. He hopes that events will improve under the new structure, because the new board will focus specifically on programming.

“I felt like the process was open,” Akers said after the meeting. “It was an entire conversation. I went to several meetings.

Programming hosted multiple meetings open to the public throughout the process that were separate from SA meetings to hear various perspectives and to discuss potential structures.”

During the meeting, Nate Schlein, A&S ’14, and other senators expressed concern that the amendment was not being sent to the student body for approval. The constitution stipulates that the general student body give it approval after an amendment is first passed by the SA. Burkett, to whom the constitution gives the power to grant exceptions to that rule, said that he and UGBC executives did not think it was necessary to have a campus-wide vote on the amendment, because such a route usually takes a long time and few students actually turn out to vote.

“Originally, when [the amendment process] was put in, as far as I remember, it was put in there to protect the student body from the Student Assembly from making decisions not in the best interest of the student body,” Burkett said after the meeting. “It only made sense that the student body have a say. [With the exception], the students working on the Constitution wanted to leave a door open.”

UGBC executives came to Burkett and requested the exception because of the early elections that will be taking place in February. Burkett said that he believed that, with the expanded size of the SA, every aspect of the student body would be represented in the SA vote.

“We didn’t think it was fair for students to have to campaign on unresolved issues,” Burkett said. “We wanted to make sure that the issue was cleared before it starts.”

Before the meeting, there was disagreement over the interpretation of the amendment process as outlined in the new UGBC Constitution. According to the UGBC Constitution, amendments require a twothirds roll call vote of the SA, the approval of the director of SPO, and then take effect upon the ratification of the amendment by the student body between 30 and 45 days after approval was received.

After the meeting, Alonsozana said that he understood that there were two different processes—one through the SA and one through the student body.

“If we had agreed on an interpretation beforehand and the student body had been more informed, I think [a student body vote on the amendment] would have been a good exercise,” Alonsozana said. “I don’t think it is derailing due process. I think the reason we decided to move forward with the exemption clause is because if we had delayed any longer it would have put us in next year’s election period. That

would have had a negative effect upon next year’s leadership. I don’t think anyone would have wanted the situation where the future of UGBC and all programming was indeterminate into the second semester. It was done for practical reasons.”

Akers also felt it was a necessary exception in order to ensure the measure was passed without confusion before the UGBC executive elections in February.

“I mostly feel that it is an internal adjustment, and it will hopefully not change the perception or experience of students,” Akers said.

With the departure of programming from UGBC, both Nacier and Alonsozana spoke of the work that would need to be done in the coming semester. They both emphasized the need to rebrand UGBC and the challenge that there would be to publicize and to change the student perception of UGBC. Additionally, Nacier described how the new, independent programming board would be set up in the spring semester.

Under the purview of SPO, a student programming committee will be set up to determine the structure of the board.

This committee will meet in the spring to prepare the new structure to be up and running for the 2014-15 academic year. It will be co-chaired by one representative each from UGBC and from Nights on the Heights (NOTH).

According to Burkett, the committee will be open to members of UGBC, NOTH, other on-campus programming groups such as the Residence Hall Association (RHA), and the general student body. The committee has neither a set membership number, nor a set structure. He also said that SPO would not impose a structure that they expected the committee to come up with for the Board. How funding for the new committee will be handled has not been determined yet.

“We will not change the oversight that we have over programming in UGBC and programming in NOTH,” Burkett said.

“My preference is that it will be funded like SOFC and UGBC. That way, they get their funding earlier in the semester.”

According to Nacier, another result of the development of an independent programming board would be that NOTH would cease to exist as a separate entity, in what he described as a “combining of forces” for student programming.

Burkett addressed the issue that NOTH has a set of principles of offering on-campus programming every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night of every weekend and how that would play into the role of the new programming board on campus.

“I don’t think there is going to be a proscription on how many programs [the new board] puts on,” Burkett said. “NOTH may exist as a program within the programming Board, just like BC2Boston exists. The committee will determine this.”

Pyfrom said that she did not have an idea in mind of what the new board would look like, but emphasized the importance of hearing many different opinions in the committee.

“I think the loudest voices in the process should be freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who will be living in the new structure,” Pyfrom said.

Looking forward, Alonsozana did not offer any ideas on what the new programming board would look like, but did reflect on UGBC restructuring.

“I think, for all intents and purposes, that the restructuring of UGBC has ended,” Alonsozana said. “The political will to do it has been expended. There will be minor adjustments but nothing as big as this for a very long time.”

Heights Staffer Nathan McGuire contributed to this report. n

THE HEIGHTS

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Monday, December 9, 2013

New course teaches food writing in Paris

Prove we are all BC

BY KAYLA FAMALORE Heights Staff

BRENDON ANDERSON Those who know me know that I’m against fighting. I think that rather than using violence, we’re called to speak out against injustice. But I’m afraid that those words can hurt too, so this isn’t going to be easy for me to say—but I swear I say it only because I love this campus and every person on it. The scary thing about injustice is that it can disguise itself as something so seemingly good. Case in point: the Facebook page “Faces of Faith, Spirituality, Humanity at Boston College.”

I love the idea of the page. It says it’s about how “The beauty of life is that there isn’t one definition of success or happiness. Everybody has a story to share.” Diversity, universality, beauty—right on, man. I can dig all that.

But as I sat scrolling through the page, I recognized a suspicious amount of those “random” faces of BC life. That person was on Arrupe, that person was in 4Boston, that person was an orientation leader.

The people are all examples of a BC that is wonderful and perfect. Take a random person walking through the Quad and they might not talk about magis and discernment. That’s not to say that the “faces” didn’t give amazing answers, because a lot of them truly inspired me, but it’s not an honest picture of the complete humanity and diversity at BC. They’re the type of person BC seems to want you to see and, frighteningly, seems to want you to be—molded by PULSE, three different culture clubs, and a heartbreaking Fishbowl revelation during 48Hours. The page makes them seem cloying and typical, not the uniquely gifted and flawed people they all are.

For all the talk this page—and BC in general—does about diversity, it falls devastatingly short in action.

If the creator chose students at random, he or she could capture a more honest portrait of spiritual life on campus. Perhaps it wouldn’t fit as well into this idea around campus that I like to call “successful spirituality”—as if it were a competition—but it would show the truth, and that’s more important.

It’s more than just this page—it’s BC in general. There are just these things that we accept because it’s part of our culture. Buzzwords, for example: discernment, affirmation, realness, solidarity, presence, magis—the list goes on. We constantly throw them around, and they become devoid of meaning.

This carelessness with words makes spirituality at BC so hard. It’s as if being spiritual or having faith requires knowing the right words, leaving little support—besides the common declaration that we are accepting of everyone—for those who speak differently. In creating that environment we are really encouraging silence.

If we’re going to talk about faith, spirituality, and humanity, I might as well bring up Jesus. He went to the people on the margins. He celebrated the humanity of the sick, forgotten, blind, hungry, lonely, and poor. His vision was one of justice, love, and friendship—yet, so often at BC, we talk of spirituality in this self-congratulatory way. It’s like we pat ourselves on the back for being discerning and reflective. The forgotten and lonely are right down the hall, though. They’re the freshman who got rejected from every single club, the girl too afraid to talk about the guy who assaulted her, and the kid who can only be honest on a drunken Saturday night. We celebrate the kind of people who we think have found “spiritual success” so much that we ignore the suffering ones, whose voices we truly need to hear.

I get caught up in BC success too.

I’m a 4Boston leader, I’ve done Arrupe, I’ve gone on Kairos. But what I learned from these things is never to be silent when you know something is wrong. That’s not love. Love is not exclusionary and it cannot be measured by success. It’s only the right done to others, and we could definitely use more of that.

We always say that we are all BC. I say prove it.

Brendon Anderson is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at news@bcheights.com.

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS STAFF

Students model “ugly Christmas sweaters” that were auctioned to benefit the Boston Rescue Mission.

RHA event auctions sweaters, raises money for local charity

BY ELISE TAYLOR Heights Editor

Milan is known for its leather, Paris is known for its perfume, New York is known for its avantgarde style—and now, Chestnut Hill is known for its tacky sweaters.

Last Wednesday, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) raised over $900 for the Boston Rescue Mission during their Catwalk Christmas event by auctioning off “ugly Christmas sweaters” in Fulton 511.

In total, 70 sweaters were sold, the highest one receiving a $50 donation. The event, hosted by emcee Alex Dzialo, A&S ’15 (who wore a sweater with a bright red bow for the occasion), featured several student models including Matt Nacier, UGBC president and A&S ’14. This is the second year for the event.

Vice Presidents of Programming for RHA Peter Sidney, CSOM ’15, and Corey Leonardi, A&S ’15, said that they decided to increase the scale of Catwalk Christmas because of the unprecedented response the event received last December.

“The student programming council of RHA kind of came up with the event on the spot last year,” Leonardi said. “Last year we had planned an ugly sweater fashion show and sale. Because demand was so high and a lot of people showed up, we decided at the event to auction off the sweaters instead so that we could raise

even more money for charity. Due to its success last year—we raised $800 for charity—we decided to put on the event again this year.”

While music blasted, models pranced down the aisle of Fulton 511 in groups of five wearing sweaters with sparkles, sequins, bows, and plenty of pom-poms.

After reaching the stage, students in the audience shouted out prices, with Dzialo egging them on at every step.

Each group also had a spotlight model wearing an especially ugly sweater. After Dzialo would announce their fun fact, the spotlight model would then perform a talent. Some were endearingly quirky—including the interpretive dance of Chris Truglio, CSOM ’14, to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”—while others were more representative of talent and skill, such as “Where are You Christmas,” performed by Caroline Portu, A&S ’16. Then, the bidding wars began, with some spotlight sweaters going as high as $30.

Nancy Au, event co-chair from RHA’s student programming council, credited the energy of the models for the event’s success.

“We had an amazing selection of models who definitely got the crowd excited for sweaters,” she said. “It was also amazing to see the students excited to bid and even partake in a little friendly competition for some especially ugly sweaters.”

Many students attended the event not just because they need-

ed an ugly Christmas sweater for holiday parties, but also because of the event’s charitable aspect.

“I think that is a great opportunity around the holiday season to give back to a good cause in Boston,” said Taylor Stockton, CSOM ’14. “I think around this time of year you are really able to realize how lucky we are to go to a school like BC. It’s a great opportunity to help those less fortunate.”

Katie Carbone, LSOE ’15, echoed Stockton’s sentiments.

Attending the event mainly to support a friend in RHA, she also said the philanthropic nature of Catwalk Christmas inspired her to come. “Why not get an ugly sweater and donate to a really good cause?” she said.

RHA’s charity of choice, the Boston Rescue Mission, aids the homeless throughout the city, providing shelter, meals, clothes, and health care.

“The holidays are a time for hope and cheer and that’s exactly what the Boston Rescue Mission gives to people in need,” Leonardi said.

The success of this year’s program, in addition to last year’s, makes Catwalk Christmas an RHA staple for the future. “This second annual Catwalk Christmas has become a fun tradition that gets lots of people engaged,” said event co-chair of RHA’s Student Programming Council Patrick Ebbert, A&S ’15. “And I think we are solidifying an RHA event for years to come.” 

“For most countries, food is at the center of culture,” said Lynne Christy Anderson of the English Department. “It oftentimes shapes and influences our cultural wellbeing and thinking.”

For the first time this summer, the English Department and the Office of International Programming (OIP) will be offering a foodwriting course in Paris, France.

This four-week program will allow students to hone their creative writing styles, all while exploring the many aspects of food culture in the city of Paris. Students will have the opportunity to practice a variety of different writing styles, including blogs, reviews, food memoirs, and essays, all of which they will use to express their personal experiences of living in and around France’s food culture.

The course will consist of four classroom days, where students will participate in writing workshops, learning the “nuts and bolts,” as Anderson described, of food writing. There will also be opportunities for formal critique sessions where students can provide input on their peers’ writings.

A key component of the course will entail weekly field trips, where students will have the opportunity to explore the cultural importance of food in Paris. These trips will include ventures to the fresh market places, local restaurants and cafes, and newly popular food trucks. “I hope to take at least one field trip outside of Paris for an ethnic neighborhood food tour, probably to a local cheese maker,” Anderson said.

“I also hope to include at least one cooking class during the course.”

The course will also include works from a variety of food critics, in particular those who specifically focus on French cuisine.

The syllabus includes works from M.F.K. Fisher, David Lebovitz, and Julia Child. During classroom time, students will discuss and examine the writing styles of these

authors and critics and how their experiences in Paris have shaped their appreciation for Parisian cuisine.

Students will not be graded on their individual writing pieces, but, they will compose a portfolio of works at the end of the trip that will be given to Anderson for a final grade, according to the course syllabus.

Students will also be encouraged to keep a blog during their time abroad. There, the students will be able to record their experiences to keep others informed of their travels. The blog will also be a place for them to practice their food writing.

The program is set to take place during the month of June, but the specific dates are not yet confirmed.

There are no major restrictions, so any student from any grade is able to participate. The three-credit course will cover the Cultural Diversity core requirement. If a participant is indeed an English major or minor, the course can count as an elective.

Although dormitory arrangements have not been completely decided, Anderson suspects that the students will live in a building that will host both their academic classrooms and their living quarters.

While Anderson does warn that the language barrier may be problematic for some participants, she does not discourage non-French speakers from participating. “[Knowing the language] will just help those participating in the program, maybe allowing them to do an interview or two at a restaurant or cafe,” Anderson said.

Anderson hopes that participants will leave Paris with a greater sense of how food constantly shapes and influences culture. “[Food] goes far beyond the table,” she said. “The table is connected to life, influencing love and war and shaping history. It symbolizes everything humans need and is so essential to life.” She also hopes students will leave with a greater understanding of critical writing, as well as a newfound appreciation for food writing. 

Bowl opened up to Gold Pass holders

BY CONNOR FARLEY Heights Editor

All Gold Pass ticket holders are eligible to receive a free ticket to Boston College football’s 2013 bowl game upon request, according to an announcement from the athletic department last night. The Eagles will face Arizona in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

The game is set to take place at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La. at 12:30 on ESPN. BC is returning to a bowl game for the first time since the 2010 season, and the University is responsible for an allotment of postseason tickets.

The BC Athletics website links to travel packages—including hotel accommodations and transportation services—in addition to announcements of fan-fest events

There are currently no studentspecific travel options.

Each team holds an overall record of 7-5, and the Arizona and BC offenses both boast Doak Walker finalists as well as Heisman Trophy candidates in the backfield. BC’s Andre Williams and Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey are ranked first and second, respectively, in total rushing yards.

“We are thrilled to play in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl, be able to compete for our eighth win and to have a chance to compete against a great opponent like Arizona,” Addazio said in a statement.

“It’s an exciting time at Boston College. This is a game that highlights our season and it’s a reward for becoming bowl eligible and competing at a higher level.” 

CONTENT SPONSORED BY EAGLE EMS OF BOSTON COLLEGE

Eagle EMS Celebrates National Collegiate EMS Week Nov. 11, 2013 marked the beginning of National Collegiate EMS Week.

The week long recognition period provides annual collegiate Emergency Medical Service the opportunity to highlight their activities and educate their communities.

Eagle EMS proudly celebrated the week through a wide scope of activities designed for a wide audience. To begin the week, Eagle EMS volunteers taught hands-only CPR at dining hall tables, as well as fielded general emergency medical questions. Patrons were offered the opportunity to enroll in a discounted CPR Certification class in spirit of celebrating National Collegiate CPR Day. Additional events for the week included an educational obstacle course, designed to teach basic bleeding control, CPR skills, and basic triaging.

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Eagle EMS welcomed Commissioner William B. Evans of the Boston Police Department to speak on campus. Commissioner Evans spoke on the tragic events of the Marathon Monday Bombings on April 15, 2013, along with Boston’s recovery and plan for the future. The event was open to the public and had an outstanding turnout.

To culminate the week, Eagle EMS taught two classes through Boston College Splash, a program designed to spark interest in a wide variety of topics to Boston public school students. Eagle EMS instructors engaged over 40 students in topics such as emergency preparation and the role of EMS, basic First Aid skills, CPR, and several other areas. After a fantastic week of getting deeply involved with our community, Eagle EMS looks forward to participating in National Collegiate EMS week in the years to come.

- SPONSORED CONTENT -

Eagle EMS members Kevin Zirko and Joseph Pereira teach backboarding and other basic first aid skills at Thomas A. Edison Middle School.

CLASSIFIEDS Monday, January 17, 2013

The Heights The Heights

A5 A5

Monday, December 9, 2013

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The Heights

A6

UGBC fails to outline future of programming

Monday, December 9, 2013

QUOTE OF THE DAY Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise.

-Horace (65 - 8 B.C.), Roman lyric poet

Though independent board could bring benefits to on-campus programming, much is uncertain The UGBC Student Assembly voted 38-1 last week to divest the programming department from the student government. This amendment will remove on-campus programming and BC2Boston initiatives from under the purview of the vice president for programming, whose position will be eliminated when the new structure goes into effect in the fall of 2014. Heritage programming will remain in UGBC under the office of the vice president for diversity & inclusion.

After the change, UGBC will retain responsibility for heritage month events, BC Ignites, and similar advocacy-based events, while responsibility for BC2Boston and all large-scale concerts will shift to a

It is not clear, though, that enacting such a fundamental change in UGBC’s structure will facilitate the development and execution of more popular and costeffective programming. new, independent programming board.

The track record of UGBC’s programming department is flawed— in particular, the $112,000 loss sustained on this semester’s Fall Concert suggests a need for internal revision and stricter programming standards. It is not clear though, that enacting such a fundamental change in UGBC’s structure will facilitate the development and execution of more popular and costeffective programming.

Less than a year has passed since the new UGBC constitution went into effect. More than one semester’s worth of experience with the new structure should be allowed before committing to further changes, and programming is one of the facets of UGBC revised most under the new constitution.

This past semester was the first in which on-campus programming, BC2Boston, and heritage programming were all the responsibility of one vice president. Some aspects of the new structure did prove problematic over the past three months, but the fact that such a dramatic revision was made so soon after the last restructuring is concerning—especially since UGBC is relinquishing its responsibility for one of the tasks that most impacts students through this amendment.

The UGBC programming department’s work has been disappointing in the past, but other, smaller-scale events that are subsidized and co-sponsored by the programming department such as BC2Boston initiatives, are both popular and well-run. The transition may not change the way these events are run, but it does not provide for their preservation either.

The programming amendment notes that “the role of [UGBC] is to create policies in the best interest of the student body.” Holding internal revisions to high standards of transparency and accountability is also in the best interest of the student body, though. The manner in which a UGBC policy is formulated and approved can be just as consequential as the policy itself, as this approach sets a precedent for future initiatives.

This particular revision was rushed—it was proposed at the end of October and then passed by the SA during the first week of December. Furthermore, the fact that the SA did not actively solicit the opinions of the general student body is cause for concern. While it

is true that SA meetings are open to the general public, the discussions of changes to UGBC programming were not well publicized. Moreover, rather than opening the amendment up for approval by the general student body—a step required by the UGBC constitution—the SA applied for an exception from the Student Programs Office (SPO) and thus bypassed the student body. If the SA is of the opinion that a new programming board, operating independently of the rest of UGBC, will be better able to serve the students, then it should be able and willing to present that notion to the student body and then defend it.

Personnel is another issue presented by divesting programming from UGBC. Even this past year, UGBC struggled to find enough students to form the new administration. Many of the elections in the spring of 2013 were uncontested, and several positions were left empty altogether. Many students involved in UGBC are sincerely concerned with advocacy, but many are also interested in gaining programming experience.

Fewer students would be able to gain such experience in a UGBC limited to heritage programming, giving UGBC an even smaller pool of talent from which to draw.

As this new programming board will be made up of unelected members, the mechanisms available to students in order to hold the board accountable for its actions are a serious concern. A good deal of this board’s available funds will likely be diverted from the portion of the student activities fee that is currently allocated to UGBC and NOTH. As the board will not be the responsibility of the elected members of UGBC, there is no guarantee that students will be able to see what their money goes toward.

Many of the challenges that the UGBC programming department faced will carry over to the new programming board. For example, one of the most common reasons cited for disappointing Fall and Spring Concerts in the past has been the limited number of days that Conte Forum is open, combined with the fact that artists must be chosen from a list drawn up by the agent working with SPO. There is no indication that these difficulties would be eliminated by the presence of a new programming board.

Finally, the timeline of this split is problematic. As the amendment has already been passed, the programming board must be running by the start of the fall 2014 semester. The structure of this board and method of selecting its members will be determined by a committee, headed by one representative each from UGBC and Nights on the Heights (NOTH) and advised

by SPO. The committee has not been formed yet either, nor has the selection of its members been outlined. Divesting programming from UGBC before setting up a solid structure for a new programming board gives this committee very limited time and no leeway.

Should the committee fail to meet its deadline, or adequately train the new board members, the state of programming next fall could be much worse.

The results of forming a new programming board independent of UGBC will not necessarily be negative. More experienced and bettertrained students, working with a greater amount of funding, could improve upon the current programming offered to students. Careful steps must be taken, though, to ensure that the new programming body is transparent and responsive to the input of BC students—and up until this point, the process of splitting programming from UGBC has not instilled much confidence in the future success of this programming board.

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emily Devlin / Heights Illustration

Letter to the Editor WRC works hard to address body image As the first member of my family, and one of the only students from my high school, to attend Boston College, I wasn’t sure what to expect coming in for my freshman year.

I remember sitting down for the first floor meeting with my RA at the beginning of the year. My RA was enthusiastic about being a student at BC and spoke a lot about the many fantastic opportunities for students here as well as the culture and social atmosphere that exists at BC. Though most of what she spoke about was positive in an attempt to reassure 24 freshmen girls, one thing that my RA had admitted that had really stuck out to me was the existence of a “thin culture” at BC, that the “stereotypical” female BC student is expected to be incredibly smart, involved, successful, well put-together, and most of all, skinny. I didn’t expect it at first, but as time went on, I began to understand what my RA meant.

Even though the pressures to fit this mold aren’t always apparent, there is always a subtle pressure to fit the stereotype. This expectation of all BC girls only feeds the rampant epidemic of eating disorders that plagues college campuses, including BC. The issue of eating disorders is often very personal and difficult to address, in both the sense that it can be emotionally trying for those who have an eating disorder and their loved ones and that it can often be difficult to detect until it is far advanced. For these reasons, I applaud the Women’s

Resource Center (WRC) for their efforts to address such a sensitive topic and form programs to promote healthy living,—physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Love Your Body Week (LYBW) was inspiring and uplifting, but this positive message is not something that can be fully addressed in a week and cannot be expected to carry through for the rest of the undergraduate experience here at BC. Once the week is over, lessons learned in LYBW are once again put to the test with the outside social pressures.

The WRC, though, is putting in place new programs that will continue to address this issue and inspire others to have a healthy body image, which I believe is vital in conquering the pressuring BC stereotype that can escalate to eating disorders and unhealthy mentality. So thank you, WRC. Your increased efforts on campus have positively influenced my time here at BC so far, and have helped me break out of the stereotypical mentality. With more programs and advocacy for healthy body image, hopefully the BC community will be able to collectively question the “typical” BC student stereotype. Hopefully, one day, this mentality can be a thing of the past for the BC community.

Jacqueline Corcoran A&S ’17

The following letters are in response to “Campus School may move out of University facilities” by Devon Sanford, originally published on 11/21/13:

BC loses by closing Campus School A friend of mine, on his first visit to Boston College, said that the place resembled a kind of academic “eugenics camp”—filled with healthy, eager, gifted, energetic, well-scrubbed, “beautiful” people. And my friend had a point; there is a lot of obvious beauty, health, and energy on display here. But when I think about what’s most “beautiful” at BC, my mind goes immediately to the work that’s been done—for many years, day in, day out, without much fanfare—at the Campus School. There, in the midst of so much wealth, privilege, material goods, and trendy chic—that is to say, in our very midst— you’ll find severely handicapped and impaired young people who haven’t been blessed as we’ve been blessed. One of these people is my cousin Christopher.

The doctors said that Christopher, so seriously disabled as he was, would never be able to walk. I’ll never forget the day I saw him walking along the old “Dust-Bowl” with one of his “buddies”—one of the student volunteers at the Campus School. What made that scene so impressive to me wasn’t just that my little cousin, against all medical predictions, was walking on his own. It was more than that. Christopher, with his student-volunteer “buddy,” was there on the DustBowl walkway, surrounded by our typical undergraduates relaxing on the grass, laughing, reading, playing frisbee, whatever. But he belonged. That was the point. He wasn’t some embarrassing intrusion into “normal” campus culture.

He was part of that culture. His presence, and the presence of the other children at the Campus School, was BC’s way of saying “no” to a world that increasingly measures human worth by achievement. Whatever appearances to the contrary, however much some may see the handicapped as worthless drains on ever-diminishing resources, BC had made it part of its mission to give witness here, at its center, at its heart, that these children have a real and even special dignity; and that we are made better by having them

with us, by recognizing their dignity, not just in words, but in deeds.

Now we’re told that the Campus School may be closing.

We’re told that a hospital setting with professional staff will be better for the children; that the proposed facility has more room; that it’s a scant three miles from campus.

And so forth.

I don’t doubt the sincerity of people who say these things.

And there’s some truth in what they say. But at the very least they should ask themselves: How come those most intimately involved in the day to day care of these children—the staff, the volunteers, the “buddies”—how come they see the moving of these children to another facility and the closing of the Campus School as a disaster both for the children and also—most especially—for BC? As one faculty member (not a Christian believer, by the way) told me: “When I see those white ambulance-vans coming at 3 p.m. to make their pick-ups from the Campus School, they’re like people lining up to receive Communion.”

What he meant was this: The presence of those kids transforms this campus in something like the way the Eucharist transforms a mere room into a holy place, a place where God is concretely present among us. And so the loss of these handicapped kids will deprive BC—will deprive us all—of their uniquely transforming presence. But they in turn will also be deprived—of the incredible attentiveness, care, devotion, and love that their presence here has inspired.

That is why some of us have raised our voices against what the University may be about to do.

I don’t know what BC will be gaining by the closing of the Campus School. But it can’t be worth more than what we will surely all be losing.

Rev. Ronald K. Tacelli, S.J. Associate Professor of Philosophy

Campus School should not be dissolved The wonderful entity that is Campus School should not be dissolved by Administrative intentions, (however guided), to force the program off-campus. I taught at Campus School from 1981-1986 and know well how students and parents internalized the spirit of being a vibrant part of a college community, well beyond just being a special needs family. The job placements throughout the campus gave our students independence, pride, and a sense of

contribution.

I remember Doug Flutie stopping in at Roberts Hall between his classes and being met as an equal by our students, fellow members of the Boston College Community.

Distance Campus School and you destroy that “Community”.

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The Heights

Monday, December 9, 2013

A7

The trials and travails of abroad

Kimberly Crowley Christmas tree lighting - Well, it’s officially that time of year again.

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it is officially okay to start playing Christmas music. Yes, we know that some people have been playing Christmas music since midNovember, but we at TU/TD firmly believe in waiting until after we give thanks to begin the season of shopping … oops, we meant the season of celebrating the birth of Christ.

Here on campus, nothing is more indicative of that time of year than the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in O’Neill Plaza. We are glad to see the festivities of this last week as a sign that, soon enough, classes will come to an end and we will be able to go home for the holidays.

Amazon drone technology - There has been quite a bit of buzz on the interwebs over the past couple of weeks regarding Jeff Bezos’ latest scheme for getting us those knick-knacks and doo-hickeys that we order off of Amazon.com faster than ever before.

While it will likely be years before Amazon works the kinks out of its technology, gets approval from the notoriously bureaucratic FAA, and puts its drones in the air, we would like to Thumbs Up all of the potential that lies in the years to come. Pretty soon, when we want a good book delivered to us in 30 minutes for our daily commute, it will be at our door as we are walking out.

As a senior who studied abroad in the spring of last year, I am reaching that point of the semester where I am starting to feel nostalgic for my time abroad, and with that nostalgia comes a memory of the anticipation and nervousness I felt around this time just a year ago. Facing the prospect of a semester abroad in China with limited knowledge of the culture and absolutely no knowledge of Mandarin, my anxiety-filled, junior-year self desperately sought advice anywhere she could find it. So for any of you juniors who are currently preparing for a semester abroad—especially those of you who are preparing for a semester in a country that primarily speaks a language other than English— and are feeling a bit nervous about it, this is for you: Despite all of the fantastic things you hear from your friends, family, teachers, study abroad coordinators, Facebook, etc. about it, studying abroad will initially be anything but simple. You’ll get to your new country after likely having spent half a day or more traveling, disoriented and not quite knowing exactly where you are or what day it is. To add insult to injury, you’ll exit the airport and quickly realize that you are surrounded by road signs that either you can’t read or which point to things that have absolutely no meaning to you. Moreover, your program will likely force you to meet a group of your classmates almost immediately upon arrival, and, although you are exhausted, gross, and not at all in the mood to make friends, you will attempt to socialize since you are aware somewhere in the back of your mind that you’re completely terrified of winding up totally alone in a foreign country for five months.

Things probably won’t get easier that first week. In fact, you’ll likely spend your

first two weeks fighting off a jet lag that won’t go away no matter how hard you try to regulate your sleeping patterns. You will wake up at all hours of the night for no apparent reason and will not be able to sleep in to save your life. Moreover, if you are one of the brave souls going to a country whose language you either don’t or barely speak, you will spend those first two weeks realizing how frightening it is to be completely intimidated by every conversation around you. You will be afraid to do anything on your own and will begin to rely on the buddy system like you never have before. Ordering every meal will be an adventure, and you will accustom yourself to the fact that the natives will probably laugh at you, no matter how well you think you’re conveying your point.

Yet, during these first few weeks, your spirit will manage to stay lifted thanks to the knowledge that, despite everything that’s tough, you’re in another country. All kinds of adventures will be yours for the finding, and, once you realize this, you will start looking for them. You will get on the subway (or take the metro, or rent a cab, or however you get around in your country) and explore random sections of your city, stumbling across thousands of years of history no matter where you go.

Suddenly, the little quirks about your city that initially intimidated you won’t seem so bad. For instance, if you happen to be in my shoes and you choose to study abroad in China, you will quickly learn that you should invest in some long underwear and a face mask, and it will be a fun adventure for you and your new friends to go attempt to buy these things. You’ll figure out how to log into the Internet, message your friends back home, and start putting pictures on Facebook.

You’ll visit the Forbidden City, the Eiffel Tower, the Sagrada Familia, the Coliseum, the Great Pyramids—whatever your city has to offer. You’ll dare to speak briefly with some locals. You’ll eat delicious food.

You’ll prioritize every experience above homework. You’ll spend every hour you can finding a new adventure. You’ll smile

when you wake up in the morning. You’ll go to bed excited for the next day. You’ll fall into a routine. Time will go on and, before you know it, you will find yourself creeping through your own Facebook pictures, in complete awe of the surreal life you’ve been living.

Then, all of the sudden, you’ll find yourself sitting outside in a foreign, onceterrifying city with your new friends eating lunch in the spring sunshine and you realize something startling—You’ve done it.

You’re ordering food on your own. Yes, your friends are there, but you don’t need their help getting your point across. You’re walking around alone during the day and feeling completely comfortable by yourself.

You know how to recharge your phone card, where you can find the best food for the lowest price, and which places offer the best free Internet connection. You have started using local terminology to express your frustration or your joy. You enjoy your foreign language classes. You have made friends you’ll never forget. You don’t desperately miss the familiarity of home anymore—in fact, you’re happier than you’ve been in a long time.

Then, once you’ve realized how far you’ve come, you’ll realize something even more surprising and even more wonderful—namely, that you feel strong. It’s like you know there’s nothing you can’t do now, because, despite what people might tell you, you know that nothing is ever going to be scarier than taking on a new country feeling completely alone. You may not want to leave, but as sappy as it sounds, you know you’re ready because your abroad country—the experiences you’ve had, the lessons you learned, the friends you’ve made, and the new perspective you’ve inevitably gained—will be a part of who you are from here on out, and that achievement is worth all of the fear, helplessness, frustration, and persistence it took to get there.

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

Coming to understand humility BC Doors - The doors at BC are sometimes an enigma … wrapped in a mystery, shrouded in a conundrum. Two experiences recently have reinforced in our minds that the doors here seem to have minds of their own. Has anyone else noticed that, from time to time, a few of the front doors on the first floor of McElroy Commons are locked in the middle of the day?

When there aren’t many people moving through, it is not that big of a problem. Any time there are a fair number of people, however, it quickly clogs traffic, as people must be diverted to the doors farther from the walk-way in order to enter the building. What we don’t understand is how some of the doors end up unlocked and other don’t. They all use the same key, right? Additionally, we would like to bemoan the right door on the left side from the atrium of Lower into the main cafeteria. It has been consistently locked for the past few weeks. Why, Lower, why? three days - Pat Green has a country song titled “Three Days,” in which he sings about living and loving with incredible intensity in the three days he has in front of him. Well, fellow students, we have just three days in front of us … the last days of class.

We know, we know, that is much less fun, but just hang in there—afterward we all get two days of respite and then, finals.

Bound 2 - Before everyone gets all up in arms here, we would like it to be known that we are not Thumbs Downing the song “Bound 2.” We here at TU/TD love Yeezus and actually enjoy the song, despite what some might say about it not fitting in with the rest of the album. What we are giving a TD to is the music video.

What is really going on there? We’re not quite sure. Kanye’s production is normally top-notch, so it must be an artistic decision, but really, it just comes off poorly. We get it, Kanye, you’re with Kim Kardashian and s really hot, even right after givng birth. But we’re over it.

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Kwesi Aaron “Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin, as self-neglecting.” So wrote William Shakespeare, and in addition, unknowingly gave license for people to indulge in centuries of arrogance and egotism.

We all know the usual suspects. There are the athletes that walk campus with a swagger that says, “Bowl eligible” and a stat sheet that says, “third string.” Sometimes you might catch your friendly neighborhood CSOM student in the dining hall talking just loud enough for the immediate area to know the details of his summer internship at Goldman. Don’t even get me started on the covert-braggers who finish their midterms early and make a meal out of packing up to leave so that everyone could see just how smart and awesome they are. Even famous people have gotten in on the act. Muhammad Ali dedicated tour buses and free verses to his inferior opponents—often describing the beatings he’d give in iambic pentameter (or something of the sort). To the best of my knowledge, Robert Downey, Jr. has not uttered a single humble word in his lifetime.

Kanye West made sure to dispense with the inadequate superlatives and dive right into a more appropriate description: “I am a god.”

Although all of the previous examples have seemingly absurd displays of selfservitude, they also have another thing in common—success. Imagine a boxer who isn’t arrogant. “Oh well, I’ll try my best.” “I sure hope I can land a few punches out there.” I doubt anyone could legitimately survive that career acting like a timid deer. The results really speak for themselves, even if our arrogant friends add a few words on top. Over time I’ve come to question our society’s aversion to bragging and arrogance. It seems to be one of the least socially acceptable things to be (second only to exhibitionism and the

like). I felt like my eyes deceived me when I read the hatred and vitriol aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo when he unveiled plans of a Cristiano Ronaldo museum on his home island of Madeira. There is nothing more noble than to cut down these narcissistic creatures and remind them that, though they think they are “all that,” they really are not.

But why shouldn’t people feel like they’re great, or even the greatest? I think self-love is a worthy thing to give voice to. The same cocky Muhammad Ali “was the greatest before [he] knew he was.” It doesn’t take trophies and medals for anyone to feel great. All it takes is a mirror and some nerve to shout it out over everything that tells you you’re anything less than. It’s important to give voice to these ideas because self-belief drives all great things we do. No superb action can begin with anything less.

We try to exude the ever-overrated humility in an effort to soften the blow for all those who didn’t make the podium, but that proves to be a futile effort since nothing—especially not the false modesty of a winner— can console them. Every year at the Oscars, someone receives an award and says, “I’m so humbled,” because nothing says humility like a gold statue in honor of your talent.

The only place that these indulgent behaviors go wrong is where they aim to attack a fellow human being. It’s one thing to believe you’re to be great, and it’s another to believe someone else to be smaller than you.

Ernest Hemingway said, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” He’s certainly right. Competition (and all things are a competition) is really about self-improvement and growth.

When I walk out of bed in the morning and say, “I’m so smart, and handsome, too,” not only am I absolutely correct, I am not suggesting anything about anyone else. Even my roommates (bless their hearts) can feel as I do and have equal credibility. The great part about the “Awesome Club” is its room for unlimited members. Every single person can legitimately believe he or she is all that and a piece of pie. Everyone can hold his or her skills, goals and even music tastes in the

highest of regards (even country music fans).

The alternative is to think you’re “just all right” or perhaps even “bad.” Those thoughts I can no longer abide. It is true that I was once a loyal servant to both humility and self-loathing. There were times when I truly felt like I was worth next to nothing and that my every pursuit was fruitless. I often hid those sentiments behind self-deprecating humor. It is what I thought I was supposed to do. After all, the best and most artistic poets were the ones that roamed the reservoirs at night lamenting over lovers that could have been and successes that could have been had.

But I was wrong. Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, “The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid … a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.” Not only is this very true, I would extend those views to humility.

I attack humility because I see it for what it really is—undercutting, underscoring one’s self—the trimming and pruning of a person’s own self-satisfaction and love. Humility says, “you ought to be happy with yourself, but only so much.” Humility needs to change its tune. A better humility would be one that doesn’t restrain happiness, but extends from inside, outward towards others. My version of humility acknowledges that no matter how great anyone gets, they couldn’t do it alone and puts the appropriate people in high regard. I don’t hesitate to thank my parents for driving in me a sense of purpose when I had none, and giving me both confidence and food money when I was running low. The most remarkable feature of self-love is that once you have it in your grasp, it overflows with love that you can share with other very deserving people. Once you carve out space to love yourself fully, you’ll find an even greater supply for everyone else thereafter.

So, the next time you see someone bragging, join in. After all, we are all the new rock stars, and I’m the biggest one.

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

Heights file

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

Violence and slaves Tessa Mediano This past Thanksgiving break, I made my way over to the Kendall Square Cinema with a certain degree of trepidation. Despite my internal qualms about finally viewing Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, I had decided that my desire to have an opinion on the movie superseded my apprehension over whether or not I could sit through the purported scenes of abuse. Steeling myself to possibly do what I had never done before, I got my movie ticket and told myself that if I couldn’t handle what was on the screen, I would just walk out.

To my slight surprise, I sat through the entire film without flinching, even as a projection of a woman being whipped lay 20 feet before me. Why did I not react more strongly to this explicit scene of violence? I certainly have had to avert my eyes and cover my ears during other films that contained images that crossed my threshold of tolerance. This almost indifferent reaction puzzled me, until at last I settled on a satisfactory answer that explained how I remained in my seat—though historically accurate (as far as I can tell, having not been alive in the 19th century), 12 Years a Slave hardly documented breakthrough material, and did not reveal to the audience any new insights about slavery.

Violence was undoubtedly utilized in this film to paint a realistic picture of AfricanAmerican slavery in the 1800s, but it did not particularly shock me or alter my perception of this dark time in American history. Perhaps that is indicative of the overall problem (lack of originality) I had with McQueen’s effort.

In the days following my viewing, memories of my experiences with other controversially violent films kept resurfacing. They plagued me with questions over what content is disturbing enough to warrant a refusal to watch another minute of a given work.

Unsurprisingly, one of the most maligned films in cinematic history often enlivened my reflection—Lars von Trier’s Antichrist. For years I had vowed never to watch this vile, disturbing movie, citing the graphic depiction of genital mutilation as an insurmountable deterrent. Last spring, however, I found myself sitting on my friend’s couch, preparing to see the film I had once described as “completely sick and twisted.” My friend was writing a thesis on Antichrist, and, eager to help her with the creative endeavor, I consented to watch and give my opinion on it—though I did reserve the right to run out of the room with my fingers jammed in my ears, humming a loud tune.

Surprisingly, I didn’t have to resort to that measure. Even more surprisingly, the infamous mutilation scene referenced above wasn’t even the most troubling part of the movie to me. The segment I found to be genuinely stomach-lurching is when Charlotte Gainsbourg’s character nails a huge stone weight to her husband’s leg in a fit of madness to prevent him from leaving her. Granted, that’s not exactly a lighter image, but it notably has received far less negative attention than the moment when Gainsbourg takes a pair of scissors to her genitals.

Once again, questions about how we internally determine what images send us over the edge arose after I finished this film. I believe that I reacted more strongly to seeing Willem Defoe’s character crawling around with a heavy weight attached to his foot because the idea of someone mutating another’s body in such a way frightens me. Even though Defoe’s character essentially and ignorantly drives his wife into insanity, I still cannot justify her actions. Of course, the situation is infinitely more complex than what I have just described (which is why Antichrist is such a compelling film in the first place), but I think the comments I have made are an accurate simplification of my thoughts on the subject.

The fascinating thing about Antichrist is the varying reactions it has engendered among its audience. My friend’s thesis adviser, for example, couldn’t make it past the 30-minute mark of the film. She quite passionately claimed that the overt misogyny in the halfhour she saw was too sickening to allow her to continue watching. Though critics have often leveled this accusation of misogyny at the film, and von Trier himself, it still startled me to encounter someone who literally was too indignant to see the entire film.

So what, then, makes Antichrist more difficult to watch than 12 Years a Slave? I think, in large part, Antichrist’s moral complexity and originality make it the darker film of the two.

While 12 Years a Slave deals with emotionally difficult material, it is a pretty straightforward and un-nuanced film. The motives for the violence depicted are clear and recognizable, though hardly justifiable, for anyone who has studied American history. In Antichrist, on the other hand, the motives for the extreme violence are murky at best, leaving viewers to make sense of seemingly incomprehensible acts. The inexplicable, as usual, is what scares us more than anything else.

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

The Heights

A8

Monday, December 9, 2013

Animated film ‘Frozen’ breaks Disney princess conventions

By Magdalena Lachowicz For The Heights Disney’s back and at it again. Hailed by some as one of the best animated films since the golden days of the Disney Renaissance, Frozen may not live up to such high praise for everyone, but it certainly brings back some Frozen : of that old Chris Buck Disney Walt Disney charm Animation Studios many have been missing.

Frozen takes on heavier thematic elements than the traditional Disney feature.

The film follows two sisters, Princesses Elsa and Anna, who are almost complete opposites. After Elsa’s powers accidently harm Anna, Elsa is forced by her parents into an isolated state, under the advice of trolls. In order to keep her strengthening powers at bay, she teaches herself not to let others in, while the gates to the castle are shut to keep the two safe.

The film explores the consequences of this isolation, leaving Elsa to grow up to be a cold and fearful young woman, and Anna

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an optimistic and spirited one, especially after the death of their parents. When the two personalities clash after Elsa’s coronation, her secret comes out. In desperation, she flees, not realizing that her powers cause the kingdom to fall into an eternal winter. In her quest to save the kingdom and her sister, Anna realizes that what it takes to melt the ice is love.

In terms of dialogue, there was not anything special here, and oftentimes the comic relief felt contrived. The two shining lights here were Olaf the Snowman and Sven the Reindeer—their interactions with other characters made for delightful little moments.

As far as men in the film, Kristoff charms with his man-of-the-woods persona, while Hans never reads as more than a forgettable Prince Charming, The film establishs the two as opposing love interests, with Kristoff ultimately winning for his purity of heart, despite his gruff nature. Musical numbers were catchy, though only Elsa’s song “Let It Go” stood out as a possible classic.

The animation here is absolutely flawless, with scenes involving breathtaking ice structures. The intricacy and detail fit into every

frame is stunning, and the way the ice takes on an almost lifelike appearance—gleaming and glittering—is wonderous. How the camera pans through Elsa’s ice castle, transforming its delicate beauty to dangerous weaponry is also a visually captivating facet of the movie.

Characters, too, were fabulously designed, with each one’s outfits and facial expressions giving them a unique feel—no two looked copied and pasted. One of the most notable examples occurred during the song “Let It Go,” when Elsa transforms her coronation outfit—a conservative, darkly-colored outfit paired with a tight hair bun—into a beautiful ice gown of shimmering fabric and a delicate yet intricately patterned cape. As she lets her hair loose and becomes free from the bonds of her fear, Elsa blossoms from fearful recluse to a powerful woman, able to stand on her own, all thanks to a beautiful and well-thoughtout costume change.

And, as always, Disney hair is still unrealistic.

What truly makes the film is the relationship between Anna and Elsa and the moral that comes with it. When Elsa

photo courtesy of walt disney animation studios

‘Frozen’ depicts a moral tale of love and sacrifice, reviving Disney’s traditional charm. freezes Anna’s heart, the only thing that can save her is an act of true love, and the plot is set up to lead the viewer into thinking that it needs to be true love’s kiss—something which Anna then goes to seek. This journey sends her on a diffucult adventure in which she learns about both sacrifice and love.

Disney made a smart move here,

throwing aside the predictable savior of most tales in lieu of highlighting how love between family members can be just as true as that between lovers—love alone can thaw the ice. This moment of realization is truly touching. It elevates Frozen to be a memorable movie. The film is not without its flaws, but it still proves to be a step in the right direction for Disney. n

‘Philomena’ finds truth in its characters

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Box office report title

weekend gross

weeks in release

1. Frozen

31.6

3

2. the hunger games: catching fire

27.0

3

3. out of the furnace

5.3

1

4. thor: the dark world

4.7

5

5. delivery man

3.8

3

6. homefront

3.4

2

7. the book thief

2.7

5

8. the best man holiday

2.7

4

9. philomena

2.3

3

10. The Collection

3.4

1

photo courtesy of BBC films

Judi Dench and Steve Coogan explore untapped talent through their roles in Stephen Frears’ Oscar-worthy film ‘Philomena.’

By Sean Keeley

Arts & Review Editor At one point early in Philomena, the highbrow and world-weary journalist Martin Sixsmith offers up his pithy judgment of “human interest” stories, dismissing them as “a euphemism for stories about vulnerable, ignorant, weak-minded people.” That line, in the context philomena: of the film, Stephen Frears is an expression of BBC Films Sixsmith’s cynicism and a foreshadowing of things to come. At the same time, though, that quote could be the weary pre-judgment of moviegoers, skeptical of another generic “human interest” movie—this one a true-life tale of an old Irish woman trying to find her long-lost son—designed to jerk tears and win awards during Oscar season.

In the case of Philomena, however, there’s no need for such cynicism. Just as the character of Sixsmith ultimately finds his preconceptions shaken, so, too, will skeptical audiences emerge from the movie pleasantly surprised. Philomena has the potential for sentimentality and mawkishness, but it never falls into that trap. Instead, it’s a graceful, delicately balanced movie that sensitively weaves two different strands together: an endearing story of the growing bond forged by two unlikely companions, and a deeply disturbing story of institutional corruption.

The title character is Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), a devout Irish woman who

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we first see in church praying on a nonetoo-happy anniversary: the 50th birthday of the illegitimate son who was taken from her against her will. Through flashbacks, we learn the sordid story­—a teenage Philomena was impregnated by a dashing stranger, and after giving birth, was forced to slave away as a laundry worker in a convent run by vindictive Catholic nuns. Made to sign away her parental rights, Philomena’s son Anthony was taken away at an early age, never to be seen again. Five decades later, Philomena is put in touch with Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a recently out-of-work political journalist, who decides to take up her story and help her find her son.

At the heart of Philomena lies the two main performances, which find Dench and Coogan stretching their limits as actors and playing up previously unseen strengths.

Dench has made her career playing stern, aristocratic figures, whether it’s M in Skyfall or Lady Catherine in Pride & Prejudice. Here, she is someone else entirely: a charming, sprightly, domestic woman who is singleminded in her faith and in her conviction in greeting the world with a smile. But Philomena is not all happy-go-lucky, and over the course of the film, Dench conveys her feelings of guilt and torment with wrenching precision.

Coogan is an even greater discovery.

The British comic known for zany roles in Hamlet 2 and Tropic Thunder is almost unrecognizable as Sixsmith, a pent-up intellectual frustrated in his career and initially scornful of Philomena’s bubbly faith and

optimism. Coogan follows in the tradition of Bill Murray and Jim Carrey as comedians who have delivered powerful, dramatic performances, tapping into reserves of feeling that go unexplored in their comic work.

Dench and Coogan are certainly an odd couple, and the movie’s main pleasure is watching these two starkly different personalities interact as they travel across America in search of Anthony. But it’s not just fluffy comedic banter—the script, adapted by Coogan and Jeff Pope from Sixsmith’s own book, allows the characters to have tough disputes about religion and the proper role of journalism. Crucially, these topics are not weighty, thematic baggage hanging on the story—rather, they arise organically from the characters and their predicament. Nearly everything about the movie feels natural, and the wisely unobtrusive direction of Stephen Frears (The Queen) allows the script and the actors to do the heavy lifting.

In the end, the movie boils down to two competing visions of how to deal with past injustice: anger or forgiveness. The movie indulges in both, but ultimately sides with forgiveness. To some viewers, the ending may seem like a cop-out, with Frears going soft. Really, though, it couldn’t end any other way. Philomena certainly touches on dark territory: it’s about how the spirit of an institution can become perverted, how faith can be betrayed to devastating ends. But it’s more fundamentally about how that spirit and faith can be restored through simple goodness. In that way, Philomena stays true to the spirit of its character to the end. n

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photos courtesy of Google images

bestsellers of hardcover fiction 1. cross my heart James Patterson 2. Sycamore Row John Grisham 3. takedown twenty: A Stephanie Plum novel Janet Evanovich 4. King and Maxwel David Baldacci 5. the goldfinch Donna Tartt

6. Doctor Sleep Stephen King 7. the first phone call from heaven Mitch Albom 8. Remy Katy Evans 9. The longest ride Nicholas Sparks 10. forever us Sandi Lynn SOURCE: The New York Times

Cooper’s new thriller ‘Out of the Furnace’ lunges into the fire

By Cam Harding For The Heights

Director Scott Cooper’s Out of the Furnace follows the release of his 2009 Academy Award winning Crazy Heart. The plot mainly focuses on Russell Baze (Christian Bale) as he attempts to keep his brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) out of trouble. Rodney is a disturbed Iraq War veteran who OuT Of The fights in backFurnace: woods brawls Scott Cooper to pay off his debts to John Appian Way Petty (Willem Dafoe). After entering a fight ring run by gang leader Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson), Rodney goes missing. Russell spends the second act of the movie taking matters into his own hands, hunting down DeGroat.

Out of the Furnace features a sharp cast that consistently delivers great performances.

Affleck and Dafoe performed solidly. Even Zoe Saldana—who played the relatively minor role of Russell’s girlfriend Lena—had one phenomenally-acted scene before being tossed into the background.

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Harrelson was particularly unnerving as a murderous hillbilly meth-head. Regrettably, his character DeGroat felt like a caricature at times. His introduction, which involved abusing a woman with a hotdog, felt a bit forced and ridiculous.

Despite some stronger performances in the film, the writing for Out of the Furnace rendered the characters predictable and flat.

Rather than having any depth, too many of Cooper’s characters seem more like plot devices than actual people. This is especially evident considering it’s nearly impossible to describe many of the characters without spoiling a key element in the plot. Russell’s father, for instance, who has one brief scene to establish that he is terminally ill, never reappears, and later is revealed to be dead through some expositional dialogue. Saldana has one scene with Bale before he ends up in a drunk-driving incident, accidentally killing two people, hence landing his character in prison.

In the next scene they share, Russell has been in prison for an unspecified number of years and Lena is with another man. This is pretty much the entire span of the pointless romantic subplot. It’s hard to feel any emotional impact during dramatic scenes that feature

seemingly throwaway characters.

One thing this movie does have going for it is a very distinct atmosphere and consistent tone. Cooper does a fine job establishing the setting and location. There are some intense shots throughout that give the audience a clear sense as to what kind of world they are in—Out of the Furnace is a film that is riddled with poverty, prison life, crack-houses, veterans with PTSD, death, loss, drugs, violence, vigilantism, revenge, and plenty more. It’s probably safe to call this a dark movie.

The film’s dark tone is complemented visually by an appropriate amount of grit.

Although some would argue a dying town in the Rust Belt isn’t the most original setting for a drama, it certainly fits the content.

While the first half of the film is not great, it is certainly watchable. The scene in which Rodney goes missing is intense and well executed. Unfortunately, the action/thriller half of Out of the Furnace is when the movie fell apart. It’s hard to elaborate without significant spoilers, but there are some painfully stupid moments in this section.

In one sequence, Russell approaches gang members—who have no idea who he is—and asks them for “candy,” informing them he is

“not a cop.” Bale is escorted to the DeGroat’s house, and he repeatedly refuses to sample the drugs he is supposedly buying. He wanders around the house to investigate and is stopped by a gangster who gives him the drugs he forgot to take with him, and pulls it off with virtually no problem. Even a child could recognize how implausible this sounds. Backward logic along with poor pacing eliminated too much of the tension. The climax is predictable

and emotionless. The final shot of the film was unclear and didn’t indicate whether that climax had any consequences.

Even with a decidedly generic plot, Out of the Furnace features some great performances, and with its consistency, still could have been an engaging and riveting film. Instead, Scott Cooper delivers a predictable story with lapses in logic and underdeveloped characters, themes, and ideas. n

Photo Courtesy of appian way

Although Bale and Affleck give solid performances, ‘Out of the Furnace’ lacks conviction.

The Heights

Monday, December 9, 2013

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Chorale concert ushers in ghosts of Christmases past Chorale, from A10

Marc Francis / heights editor

Although filled with vibrant visual displays, ‘Spectrum’ also showcased measured, still moments of vulnerability and reflection.

‘Spectrum’ brings life, repose to Robsham ‘Spectrum,’ from A10 the smallest footsteps could be heard, capitalizing on each and every lift, leap, and spin.

Mirrors were a common motif of the performance—for both “In This Shirt” and “Young and Beautiful.” In the former, six dancers were accompanied by full-size mirrors, and although they could have been angled in a way to create more interesting reflections, they were perfect in conjunction with the Spectrum theme. The girls held smaller mirrors during “Young and Beautiful” for the duration of the dance, an artistic choice that lent itself well to the movement. The best visual display, however, was undoubtedly the performance of “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” marking a strong close to the first act. Again, the all-white attire added a sense of purity and beauty to the piece, but the tossing

of yellow petals at the end is what made the performance, as if an Impressionist painting were being painted right before us.

Both acts featured Synergy and Fuego, and the groups did not just perform themselves. Members of both groups choreographed dances that included the Ensemble dancers, allowing for striking combinations of BCDE’s fluidity with Synergy’s hip hop (and the crowd-favorite twerk party) and Fuego’s Latin flavor. Considering the fact that all proceeds from the show were donated to the Campus School, the unity between the dance groups created a strong sense of community on stage.

That sense of connection was most vividly felt during “Boston Strong,” the most chilling performance of the night, choreographed by Nicole Harris, A&S ’14. Peter Broderick’s “A Glacier” served as a quiet backdrop for the dance. Bits of

speeches from the day of the marathon were interspersed throughout, the first from President Barack Obama’s speech that day: “The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight.” The moment harkened back to that tragic day in April.

The girls wore white dresses and showed their Boston pride by putting blue and yellow ribbons in their hair, a subtle yet powerful touch. As the spotlight focused on single dancers while the words reverberated throughout the theater, the audience was in complete silence and awe at the emotional performance. Three dancers joined hands at the end as they slowly walked toward the back of the stage, perhaps a symbol of the three individuals who lost their lives. It was a reminder of loss, but also gave a sense of hope and strength, as if to say that through art, none will be forgotten. n

The high point of the evening, however, was the rendition of “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” a spirited selection from Handel’s Messiah. The piece’s interplay of male and female voices creates something of a calland-response effect, one carried through to perfection by all five voice types in the Chorale.

The piece also provided the Orchestra’s finest hour, with the group’s violins taking center stage with rapid, sprightly string parts. After the piece, Finney was met with hearty applause as he said to the crowd, “It’s moments like that that make me feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

As the concert progressed, it established a carefully arranged pattern of ebb and flow, as somber and slow religious pieces were often followed by more upbeat carols. Midway through the concert, Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival” provided an intriguing medley of both styles, arranging excerpts of “Joy to the World” alongside “Silent Night,” “Jingle Bells,” and, most intriguingly, a propulsive, brass-heavy version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” With its reprise of earlier tunes in the concert and its anticipation of coming

ones, “A Christmas Festival” looked backward and forward at the same time.

The second half’s highlights allowed the orchestra to have some fun with atypical sonic elements. Anderson’s famous “Sleigh Ride,” for instance, calls for jingle bells and sound effects of hoofs and whips. The Spanish carol “Fum Fum Fum”—one of the concert’s shortest pieces, but also one of its most memorable—evoked the sounds of clicking castanets and, with its loud tambourines, became that most unlikely of creations: a foot-tapping classical piece.

To close the concert, however, Finney chose the “Hallelujah” chorus, another Handel masterpiece from Messiah. Recalling the opening rendition of “Joy to the World,” the piece brought the performance full circle. Before beginning the piece, Finney called on any former Chorale members present to come forward and join the musicians. As if waiting for the cue, dozens of Chorale alumni of all ages and from all corners of the church suddenly got out of their seats and approached the altar, squeezing beside current Chorale members for the concert’s final performance of the evening. It was a fitting testament to the Chorale’s traditions, its longevity, and the voices, old and new, that have been ushering in “Christmas on the Heights” for so many years. n

Sean Keeley / heights editor

The University Chorale joined the Symphony Orchestra for an evening of Christmas classics.

Sexual Chocolate complements choreography with humor, commentary Sexual Chocolate, from A10 ern influences in their vibrant cultural display of Bollywood moves and Bhangra beats.

The Boston College Irish Dance Club fused customary and contemporary choreography moves, too. Noted for their deliberate footwork and perfect posture, BCID commanded the audience’s attention with their patriotic, army-themed performance to “I’ve Got Soul,

But I’m Not A Soldier” by The Killers.

Before Sexual Chocolate came out for its show, defending ALC Showdown champion Phaymus took the stage, offering viewers the grittiest dance display of the night. With their red, black, and white flannels tied around their waists and provocative, edgy moves, the dancers exhibited raw street style.

Despite a number of strong opening acts, though, Sexual Chocolate stood alone

in presenting a performance that was not only entertaining, but also creative and innovative. The group framed their step moves within the confines of a self-written, comical sketch, as they usually do. And while Sexual Chocolate’s skits are often highly amusing, this year’s was particularly sharp in its sense of humor, as it drew on ironic and pointed BC student stereotypes.

The act pitted a group of Superfans, pre-

med students, Rat employees, and retreat leaders against each other, trapping them all in the Rat during a snowstorm. The personal, yet satiric subject matter of Sexual Chocolate’s skit made for darkly laughable jokes, poking fun at things relevant to BC student life—like the awkward icebreakers and journal writing exercises related to retreats or the over-the-top yellow wigs and wild enthusiasm of crazed football fans.

Sexual Chocolate’s choreography—including its skillful step moves and infamous strip tease—is consistently exhilarating, but the sketches surrounding this choreography can sometimes fall flat, simply because of the high standards audience’s have come to expect from the dancers. Friday’s sold-out Fall Big Show, however, was a solid success on the two fronts, demonstrating both witticism and precision. n

Shovelhead pushes limits Shovelhead, from A10 introductions.

Since most all work in sketch comedy is done in character, Shovelhead is challenged in ways improv groups like My Mother’s Fleabag are not. “Michael Vick’s Cats” focused on characters, not so much personalities. Although certainly a valid choice in direction, it came with obstacles for the performers.

Shovelhead opened Friday at a deficit of two members. Alex Dragicevich, A&S ’14, and Liz Sanchez, A&S ’16, were missing from the show, and the group at first seemed to struggle to define itself in these circumstances.

The evening’s opening sketch “Cooking with Carol” had the feel of a Saturday Night Live routine, perhaps most immediately reminiscent of the “Cartoon Catchphrase” skit that aired in an early November episode. In the SNL sketch, Amy Bryant plays a contestant on a cartoon game show who, using her “phone a friend” option, discovers her husband in an extramarital affair. “Cooking with Carol” opened similarly, with Meg O’Neill, A&S ’15, in the role of TV host Carol, helping to prepare a dish of chocolate strawberries, while making frequently offhanded references to her husband’s extramarital affair.

The group worked to warm a very stale audience at the Friday 7:30 p.m. show. A few of the more unassuming grandparents in the audience quickly caught onto the fact a Shovelhead show is no trip to Disneyland.

What initially were looks of sheer horror at the frequent references to cocaine and f-bombs dropped in passing, built into looks of reserved amusement. Eventually, everyone was reading from the same page.

Daniel Casey, A&S ’17, the only freshman in Shovelhead, was one of the evening’s most powerful players. In the evening’s second skit, Casey played a delusional Hugh Jackman, who

keeps requesting that his agent allow him to reprise his role as Wolverine. He later took on the character of Dr. Phil, who—eager to perform an exorcism as part of his talk show—insisted to an incredulous guest on the show, “Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.”

Perhaps this remark captures more than just the sentiments of a manic, mustachioed Doctor looking to inflict physical harm on the innocent. Shovelhead seemed assured that it has nothing to hide, and hence, hid nothing. Most performers on campus would feel more than slightly uncomfortable making jokes about a sex playlist and stripping down on stage, or attacking the stereotypes often perpetuated about Hispanic students.

Additionally, maybe a comedy group isn’t wise to mention the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy or allegations of homophobia in the armed services.

Oops.

Shovelhead’s comedy is akin to SNL in its absurd execution, and it goes so far as to make casual nods to the characters brought to life in this program. One of the night’s shining characters “Barb,” played by Olivia Hershiser, A&S ’16, seemed to salute Kristen Wiig’s work as the ugly duckling Maharelle sister in SNL’s recurring “Lawrence Welk Show” sketch.

Unlike the cast of popular NBC sketch comedy show, Shovelhead’s members are not complacent in their habits. It’s not stagnant comedy. Directors Armas and Fabbri weren’t afraid to put off the audience slightly with an uncommon sense humor. The show’s rather extensive exploration of misogyny, homoeroticism, and race was not meant to solicit the common laugh.

It’s the uncommon laugh—the type at first you fight, but in time allow to overcome you—that gives credence to Shovelhead’s humor and solidifies the group as one of the most daring voices speaking at Boston College. n

John Wiley / Heights Editor

Olivia Hershiser, A&S ’16, plays cheerleader “Barb” in one of Shovelhead’s sketches.

photo Courtesy of CBS Broadcasting

Ted Mosby (above) of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ is caught in a perpetual dating cycle, through which the show has exhasuted its very premise.

The ‘How I Met Your Mother’ dilemma Ryan Dowd I met How I Met Your Mother on lazy afternoons from 4 to 5 p.m. on FX. Later, I moved operations to Netflix and watched it whenever I pleased, which happened to be every waking moment.

But in its final season, all I can say is that I miss my friends—my fictional friends who just happen inside a television show.

If television can teach you anything, it’s that the good times always end, and that the end is rarely as good as its beginning.

Too often, I see a show burst through the gate of mediocrity only to lumber its way to a dull conclusion, Dexter being only the latest offender in the longstanding tradition. The reasons that a show might lose momentum and falter are easy enough to grasp—it’s tough to maintain any sort of consistency with an ever-changing staff of writers. One can imagine that after five or so years of working on a particular project, show runners and producers discover that their creative juices just don’t flow like they used to.

So the slow, painful death of How I Met Your Mother shouldn’t be that surprising—that’s what happens to shows after they run for nine years. Ted Mosby can only date so many bimbos before the audience can’t help but wonder, “Where is the freaking mother?”

But watching CBS reanimate this

corpse every Monday night has proven exceptionally painful. Why is that? It’s not that How I Met Your Mother was such a great show that an eventual letdown seemed impossible. Maybe watching the show on Netflix, as many of us have, gave the show’s narrative a much quicker pace than it originally had in the traditional format—that’s part of the answer. But what first made How I Met Your Mother such a good show was that its eventual ending was tied into the premise. Even now, I think: The ending has to be good, or else what was the point?

The audience already knows how this story will end—Ted meets the mother.

And while the show was often hilarious because of its great characters, it was the show’s momentum toward the mother that gave the show its heart. Sure, Marshall (Jason Siegel) and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) usually got the laughs, but it was those moments when everything seemed stacked against Ted, when Bob Saget (the voice of the older, narrating Ted) would tell us that despite it all everything will be all right, that made the show more than the average sitcom.

The average sitcom fires punchline after punch line, hoping it’s clever enough to hold your attention for a season or two.

How I Met Your Mother has its punchlines—its jokes contingent on Marshall being goofy, Ted being girly, Robin being manly, Barney being delightfully evil, and even Lily as the manipulative hen of the group. Presumptively, How I Met Your Mother’s real punch line, however, has

always been the eventual reveal of the mother. And it’s the anticipation (nearly a decade of anticipation) for this punch line that made the show mean more than the typical sitcom.

That’s why the past two seasons of How I Met Your Mother have left me wondering how things went so wrong.

The anticipation wore off over the first six seasons. It’s great that Barney has become a functioning member of society these last few years, but this is done at the expense of the show’s overarching narrative: meeting the mother.

How I Met Your Mother could have ended like Breaking Bad, as the endings of these shows are seemingly implicit in the story. Walter White has advanced cancer.

He is going to die, and he’s going to die soon. Breaking Bad could never run for nine seasons, because we’d never believe that Walter could linger on for nine seasons. Breaking Bad ended at just the right time. But due to corporate concerns, How I Met Your Mother’s charm has been dragging through the mud, with the rightful ending, seemingly lost.

What makes How I Met Your Mother’s final chapter so disappointing is that this particular end should have been as good— and maybe even better—than its beginning.

The show should have ended three years ago, and while I’ve enjoyed the past three years with my fictional friends, I wanted that ending for them—and, well, us too.

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

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ARTS&REVIEW THE HEIGHTS

Monday, January 17, 2013

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2013

COLORING THE ‘SPECTRUM’

THE FINER THINGS

‘Back to December’ ARIANA IGNERI As I was walking past O’Neill late the other night while listening to a playlist of Taylor Swift ballads, the colored Christmas tree lights stopped me mid-stride.

They gleamed, tiny bits of red, yellow, blue, and green blurred together against the rainy night’s sky.

Campus was quiet. And although it was cold and damp, I couldn’t stop starring at the lights, as they reflected brightly in the shallow puddles on the pavement.

Standing there, with my ballet flats soaked, I was lulled into a state of emotional contemplation. So many thoughts.

So many feelings. About my week, my semester, my life. About my family, my friends, my self. It was a lot to take in.

Whether my introspection had to do with the sheer beauty of the scene or the brooding lyrics of “All Too Well,” I couldn’t say.

I tend to get more meditative in the winter. It’s a good time to step back and review things, to look at where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to go. To look at who you were, who you are, and who you want to be. Those sorts of things.

I’ve been so busy the past few years that I’ve eased into a routine, comfortably following my own preset plan. It’s been a long while since I’ve shed much light on anything in my life. And, honestly, it’s been just as long since I’ve noticed something as simple and stunning as a lit-up tree.

That still setting and those sentimental Swift songs prompted some much-needed soul searching. It got to the point where all I did all week, while working on my final papers in the Chocolate Bar, was listen to her albums on repeat. That’s not something I usually do. I don’t hate Swift, but I don’t love her either. And I definitely didn’t think I cared enough about her to spend so long engaged with her music.

In retrospect, though, my sudden Swift fixation makes sense to me—because her lyrics helped me sort through my thoughts. They were honest and relatable. They where what I needed when I needed them. I’m not trying to make a case for or against her, and I’m definitely not going into what the media says about her love life. But somehow, I found depth and meaning in her simple words through experience. Many of the things that mattered to her, seemed to matter to me, too.

I thought about how figuring out where you belong can be a process of trial and error: “I’ll be strong / I’ll be wrong, But life goes on / I’m just a girl / Trying to find a place in this world.”

I thought about how there’s always the opportunity to reinvent who you are, to explore new possibilities: “Lives change like weather / I hope you remember / Today is never too late to be brand new.”

I thought about how easy—and terrifying—it can be to lose yourself in your day-to-day life: “Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it / I’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still trying to find it.”

I thought about relationships and how fickle we can be, even when it comes to people who are important to us: “People are people / And sometimes we change our minds.”

I thought about love and wondered whether it was magic or just some kind of mechanics: “All we are is skin and bone / Trained to get along.”

I thought about how although it can be scary, it’s okay to care about someone and let them in: “And all my walls stood tall painted blue / And I’ll take them down / Take them down / And open up the door for you.”

I thought about how when someone really loves you, they love every part of you: “You’re beautiful / Every little piece love / And don’t you know / You’re really gonna be someone / Ask anyone.”

I considered these ideas, and a great many others, over the past several days—a string of simple, little, shining things, no different than those Christmas tree lights.

And while I’ll think about them from time to time, very rarely do I appreciate them the way I should—except when I take these moments to remember, to go back and reflect, much like I did this December.

Ariana Igneri is the Assoc. Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

BC DANCE ENSEMBLE

Dancers gather in Robsham for eclectic act with multimedia tribute to Marathon bombing victims

BY MICHELLE TOMASSI Heights Editor

SYNERGY

FUEGO DEL CORAZON

MARC FRANCIS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Every time the music slowed, the lyrics disappeared, and the lights dimmed, the movement of each and every dancer could be felt throughout Robsham at Boston College Dance Ensemble’s Spectrum show. Amid the synchronized sound of tap shoes and the hit songs of Michael Jackson and Lana Del Rey, it was these moments of stillness that truly made the dancers shine in Friday’s performance.

Dance Ensemble’s usual precision and grace were apparent, but the group also took bold steps to be unexpected. From song selections, to the showcasing of individual as well as group talent, the students displayed a wide variety of skill and technique, rendering “Spectrum” an apt title.

The company primarily performs contemporary dance with modern, tap, and lyrical infusions, but one thing’s for sure: they never showed the same dance twice. The performance,

which was split into two acts and also featured Synergy and Fuego del Corazon, was structured well enough to keep the audience entertained by including contrasting songs and dance styles in back-to-back performances. It was refreshing to see song selections such as Mumford & Sons’ “Below My Feet,” which was the second dance of the show. Choreographed by Laura Huggard, A&S ’15, the dance was one of the most beautiful performances of the night, as the girls’ movements coincided perfectly with Mumford’s fast-paced folk strings and even reflected the lyrics of the song.

While there were a few misses—TLC’s “No Scrubs” and LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It” are just too iconic to be substituted with acoustic covers—for the most part the music was well balanced. Popular hits such as “Royals” alternated with instrumental pieces, and the latter allowed the dancers their well-deserved attention, as even

See ‘Spectrum,’ A9

Christmas comes early to the Heights for Chorale concert

BY SEAN KEELEY Arts & Review Editor The setting was not exactly a model of holiday cheer: a chilly, rainy, and sleet-filled night on the last weekend before finals period.

Within the confines of the Trinity Chapel on Newton Campus, however, a vast assembly of Boston College’s most talented musicians turned a gloomy Friday evening into a joyful celebration of the Christmas season. The occasion was “Christmas on the Heights,” an

annual concert conducted by Director of the University Chorale John Finney and jointly performed by the University Chorale and the Boston College Symphony Orchestra. The first of three performances over the weekend, Friday’s concert offered a carefully assembled program of Christmas classics from across the musical spectrum: some religious, others secular, some upbeat, others somber—but all performed with the consistent professionalism that has long defined the Chorale and Orchestra.

From the concert’s start, Finney engaged the audience directly, encouraging them to sing along to the carols. As the opening notes of “Joy to the World” resonated throughout the chapel, many audience members took him up on that offer. The familiar, soaring notes of Handel’s hymn were an appropriately joyous beginning to the concert, reverberating throughout the church walls as the Chorale singers jumped in without missing a beat.

By their very nature, both the Chorale and the Symphony Orchestra are groups whose

success is determined not so much by individual players as the collective whole. On “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” however, three Chorale seniors were granted their time in the spotlight. To the lovely violin accompaniment of Emma Lott, A&S ’14, Chorale President Mariana Eizayaga, A&S ’14 traded solos with Vice President Sydney Barada, A&S ’14, and Women’s Secretary Colin O’Neill, CSOM ’14 on one of the concert’s early highlights.

See Chorale, A9

Sexual Chocolate and friends meet for Big Show in the Rat

BY ARIANA IGNERI Assoc. Arts & Review Editor While the Rat is often filled with students eating lunch and doing their homework during the week, never has it been exclusively packed with an excited crowd of Sexual Chocolate fans—except for this past Friday evening, when Boston College’s all male step team presented their 15th annual Fall Big Show, supporting the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Effort in the Philippines.

The 18-member dance group was preceded by other on-campus troupes, including Synergy, DOBC, UPrising, Masti, BCID, and Phaymus. Although each was distinct for the most part, common themes, like Beyonce and twerking, seemed to be repeated among

a number of the groups.

Senior Shaun Flint, A&S ’14, popped and locked with sharp exactitude to start the show off, leading Synergy in an energetic hip-hop dance cut. UPrising’s John Steichen, A&S ’15, was front and center in a loaded routine to Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead.”

To retro-sounding songs including “Pusher Love Girl,” “I Never Loved a Man,” and “Take Another Piece of My Heart,” the girls of DOBC sauntered, twirled, and slid with grace and control across the stage, presenting a singularly empowering set of choreography.

Masti, BC’s South Asian dance club, embraced Indian artistic traditions as well as more modern styles by merging Eastern and West-

See Sexual Chocolate, A9

JOHN WILEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Sketch comedy group Hello...Shovelhead! returned to Fulton 511 this weekend for four shows.

Shovelhead gets hands dirty with ‘Michael Vick’s Cats’

BY JOHN WILEY

Asst. Arts & Review Editor

EMILY SADEGHIAN / HEIGHTS STAFF

Sexual Chocolate took on the Rat last Friday, bringing stomp dance and comedy to Lyons Hall.

I NSIDE ARTS THIS ISSUE

In television, all good things must end

‘How I Met Your Mother’ sold its soul, overstaying its welcome on the networks ..........................A9

Sketch comedy troupe Hello...Shovelhead!, which has historically been one of the more controversial performance groups on campus, continued a tradition of bombastic, no-stone-unturned comedy this weekend, this time under the direction of senior members Luis de Armas, CSOM ’14, and Kevin Fabbri, A&S ’14. The show, cryptically titled “Michael Vick’s Cats,” kept true to the group’s traditions: the subject matter was unsavory, the jokes insensitive, the characters crude, and the actors quite confident in this brand of comedy. What emerged was a product no disclaimer could disavow—broadly offensive, but genuinely focused.

Movie Review: ‘Philomena’

Dench and Coogan bring their best in powerful mother-son character study...........................A8

Shovelhead’s customary video segment marked the start of its fall show. The clip, set to Creed’s “One Last Breath,” centered on the rehearsal process, with directors de Armas and Fabbri revealing to the group a blackboard with a simple message: “Shovelhead is not fun.”

De Armas and Fabbri then set out to haze and torture younger members, waterboarding one, and then later ripping up the Geneva Convention.

As far as soundtracks go, the music of Creed seemed perfect in the context of human torture. The video perhaps erred in that it didn’t do enough to acquaint the audience with the personalities of individual members, which traditionally has been the role of these

See Shovelhead, A9

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SPORTS THE HEIGHTS

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Monday, December 9, 2013

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2013

Country’s top running backs to face off in Shreveport for Bowl

BY ALEX FAIRCHILD Heights Staff

After a two-season absence from college football’s bowl scene, Boston College will make its return to postseason play at the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl against the Pac 12’s Arizona Wildcats. The all-time first meeting between the two schools is set to take place on New Year’s Eve at 12:30 p.m. in Shreveport, La. ESPN will televise the matchup.

The game will feature two of the nation’s best running backs, as Doak Walker Award finalists and Heisman Trophy candidates Andre Williams of the Eagles and Ka’Deem Carey of the Wildcats will face off in opposite

backfields. Williams leads Carey on the ground in total and Ka’Deem Carey from Arizona.” rushing yards for the season with 2,102 comBoth running backs contributed 17 rushpared to the Arizona rusher’s total of 1,716. ing touchdowns for their teams, but Carey BC’s power back also tops his rival in yards is a threat in the air. He tallied 26 receptions per rush, boasting a 6.39 average compared for an average on 6.7 yards per catch, but to Carey’s 5.33. he was found by Arizona quarterback B.J. “We are very excited about Arizona and Denker just once for six points. Chase RetBoston College playing in the AdvoCare ting did not connect with Williams once V100 Bowl,” said chairman John Hubbard in during the season. a statement. “These are two programs on the Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez is in DEC. 31, 2013 BC vs. Arizona rise with excellent coaches and high-powered his second year at the helm of the Pac 12 pro12:30 ON ESPN offenses. We look forward to the high-program, while BC head coach Steve Addazio file running back match-up that will be on display in earned a semifinalist nod for the Maxwell Football Club Shreveport with Andre Williams from Boston College Coach of the Year after helping the Eagles recover from a

2-10 finish in 2012 to win five more games in 2013.

“We are thrilled to play in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl, be able to compete for our eighth win, and to have a chance to compete against a great opponent like Arizona,” Addazio said. “We’re thrilled; we’re excited; the players are excited and they are all fired up. It’s an exciting time at Boston College. This is a game that highlights our season and it’s a reward for becoming bowl eligible and competing at a higher level.”

BC gained bowl eligibility through a Senior Day victory over NC State. Williams’ ground game toppled his own single-game rushing record with 339 yards. He surpassed Mike Cloud’s 1998 single-season record of 1,726 yards in the process. 

BACK ON TRACK

Road woes continue for Eagles

BY ALEX FAIRCHILD Heights Staff

Basketball fans at the University of Southern California were promised an exciting style of play. After the thunderous performance put on by Florida Gulf Coast University in its trek as a No. 15 seed to the Sweet Sixteen of last year’s NCAA Tournament, Andy Enfield, the team’s coach, inked a deal to coach at the Los Angeles-area institution. Three freshmen started for the Trojans against a Ryan Anderson struggling Boston College team with the start of its conference schedule imminent.

Enfield’s dunk-based offense crushed BC, as most of the Eagles’ issues have come down low. Entering Sunday night’s matchup against USC, though, BC’s rebounding was improving. After starting the season by getting trounced on the boards by a combined margin of 42 rebounds in their first four games, the Eagles bounced back to beat Connecticut, Washington, and Sacred Heart on the glass. While Purdue had the Eagles’ number on the boards in their ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup, it was only by a margin of two. Against USC, the Eagles were slaughtered in the paint, losing the battle to the Trojans 44-27.

The Trojans were energetic and physical. As if dominating BC under the rim was not enough, the home side would send the Eagles on a lengthy flight back to Boston, dunking on the visitors three times in the final 51 seconds of the game to close out a 78-62 victory.

It took an 11-point, 5-rebound performance from KC Caudill to keep the Eagles within reach of the hosts, who pulled away late.

Ryan Anderson and Joe Rahon got the Eagles off to a quick start. A few 3-pointers from the junior and sophomore contributed to the 11-4 lead the team took in the game’s opening 4:30. The Eagles maintained their advantage through an Eddie Odio triple, which made it 16-9.

USC began to win the battle in the paint, taking it to BC down low for the remainder of the half. After Odio’s three, the Trojans scored 16 of their next 18 points in the key. The two exceptions came from free throws.

In that span, an Omar Oraby layup, which was assisted by Byron Wesley tied the game at 20 with 9:38 remaining in the half. BC responded through Caudill, who assisted a Lonnie Jackson three, before knocking down a jumper to put BC back

See Men’s Basketball, B4

GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Demko and the Eagles hold on for narrow win on the road to sweep New Hampshire

BY MIKE HOFF For The Heights

Outshot substantially for the second night in a row, on the road, devoid of power plays, and playing its last game before its New Hampshire 1 season’s Boston College 2 extended halfway break, Boston College needed some extraordinary performances for a chance to grab any points from Saturday night’s game at UNH’s Whittemore Center. The Eagles got those

Billett’s impressive play between the pipes strengthened by BC’s rejuvenated offense

BY ALEX FAIRCHILD

performances from their top line and goaltender Thatcher Demko, and BC left Durham with a 2-1 win and four more points in the standings than they had Friday afternoon, giving the young Eagles squad a welcome boost into their Christmas respite.

Demko played the biggest of all. On his last day as a 17-year-old, the freshman put forth an effort that dispelled any doubt about head coach Jerry York’s sticking by him after Demko’s poor

Heights Staff After multiple shots from Grayson Downing, Brian Billett was caught out. Screened by a University of New Hampshire New Hampshire 2 Wildcat, he Boston College 6 was temporarily blinded. A long-range blast from Trevor van Riemsdyk slipped through the Boston College defense, but the Eagles’ goaltender parried the puck wide with his padding. It was one of many impressive

See Hockey Saturday, B4

RAPID RESPONSE The Eagles switched things up by putting three big scorers on the first line this weekend, yielding immediate results in two wins over New Hampshire.

TOTAL POINTS

LW

GAUDREAU JR. 5-8 159

8

GOALS

1

ASSISTS

2

saves from Billett, who finished one save short from his career high of 40 in his team’s 6-2 victory over No.18 UNH. “At first, they were just throwing shots at the net, I think, to feel me out,” Billett said. “Later in the game, once they saw that we were up by four or five goals, they were parking guys in front and hoping for screens and tips.”

Billett was busy throughout the night protecting BC’s lead, which they gained after 1:07. Bill Arnold split UNH’s two de-

See Hockey Friday, B3

C

ARNOLD SR. 6-0 203

GOALS

1

ASSISTS

1

RW

HAYES

SR. 6-4 216

GOALS

2

ASSISTS

1

COMBINED: 4 GOALS, 4 ASSISTS, +7 IN UNH SERIES

After a wild ride of ups and downs, the best is still yet to come CONNOR MELLAS A year and a half ago—during the waning days of the Kristie Mewis-era of Boston College women’s soccer—I wrote one of the first and worst stories I’ve ever written. Looking back, “story” may not even be the appropriate word for the way I described that soccer game. It was basically a narrative-lacking, thinly veiled editorial composed of scattered British soccer colloquialisms I picked up from playing an unhealthy amount of FIFA, one misplaced quote, and a truly disturbing amount of weird analogies (“Northeastern remained determined

to celebrate every corner like a Superbowl [sic] victory”).

The piece was a deadline-pushing disaster, and if then-Assistant Sports Editor Austin Tedesco had told me how bad it was, that might have been it for me—I quite possibly would have resigned myself to a life of sportswriting exile and journalistic silence.

But here I am all this time later, racking my brain, desperately trying to come up with a perfect idea for my first column as Sports Editor, and I’m sure glad he didn’t. On the other hand, the hunt for this flawless idea isn’t looking great—so try to stay with me for a moment.

As someone who is terrible at

I NSIDE SPORTS THIS ISSUE

looking for things and prone to losing things, retracing my steps has long been a means of survival. So naturally, when searching for an idea, I ended up working my way back to the beginning—to that aforementioned first piece, and there I found this terrifying sentence: “When the whistle blew for halftime the Northeastern bench cheered with greater joy than a six-year-old on Christmas morning, their [sic] excitement at escaping the first 45 with a tie clearly evident.”

Along with making me cringe heavily, this bizarre analogy got me thinking about the feverish anticipation that comes with Christmas morning—a sensation that I, and I’m sure many of

Women’s hockey ties Harvard

65 minutes of play provided no decision between the Eagles and the Crimson.......B2

you, have in some degree come to feel for sports.

Just as the ascent of wintery weather sparks anticipation for the holidays—and a slow-burning fear of finals—it ushers in some of the best sports-related events and activities BC has to offer. In the immediate future, we’ll find out whether #Andre44Heisman is making the trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony, and watch the BC football team in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl in its first bowl game under head coach Steve Addazio’s reign. On the hardwood, this Thursday night the men’s basketball squad will try to shake off its early season struggles and kick its

Women’s basketball bounces back

After a loss to Wisconsin, the Eagles rebounded with a home victory over Hartford.................B2

game into high gear with a foray into conference play against Maryland in Chestnut Hill.

While it seems like BC’s hockey teams have already been playing for ages at this point, the hockey season is still young. For the even younger men’s team, Frozen Fenway against the Fighting Irish, a BU home stand (often a high scoring, penalty-filled affair), and the Bean Pot are all waiting just around the corner—for the freshmen out there, load up those Gold Passes because the Bean Pot is a totallyworth-skipping-studying-for-your-9 a.m.-test event.

See Column, B4

Hockey Recap...........................B3 Sports in short............................B2

The Heights

B2

Monday, December 9, 2013

Eagles bounce back against University of Hartford for fourth win

By Jackie Scherer For The Heights

Back at home for the first time since Nov. 21, the Boston College women’s basketball team looked to turn around a three-game losing streak against the University of Hartford. The Hawks, with a record of 1-7, were just the opponent to face to add momentum to BC ’s season, and the Eagles’ dominance on offense and defense helped them come out on top with a score of 65-45.

The Eagles were first to put points on the board with a drive to the net

by Lauren Engeln, who reclaimed two of her own rebounds on failed shots.

The first few offensive attempts by the Hawks were shut down by the Eagles’ defense, which forced the shot clock to expire.

The Hawks pulled ahead briefly in the first half, but a seven-point scoring streak started by a 3-pointer from Kelly Hughes brought the Eagles ahead for the rest of the game. BC’s shots were a little short, but the Eagles had seven offensive rebounds to stay on top.

At halftime, BC led 31-24. The Eagles were 100 percent on free throws, going 3 for 3 on the line. Defensively, the Eagles had seven steals, two blocks, and only six turnovers. The BC defense did not allow any free-throw shots in the first half. BC was only 16 percent for 3-pointers though, while Hartford was 36 percent from behind the arc.

“We missed some shots we don’t normally miss, but we were right around the basket,” said head coach Erik Johnson. “Our offensive rebounding was much better than it has been, that’s

Graham Beck / heights editor

Kristen Doherty had 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists against Hartford.

been a weak point for us. To have 16 offensive rebounds, that makes up for a lot of the lower shooting percentage.

So even though the shooting percentage was low for us on the game … the ability to go get the ball back is something we haven’t done well, so it was nice to be able to see that.”

The Eagles began the second half with posession after a jump ball was declared in BC’s favor. Nicole Boudreau was fouled on the 3-point line and started the half making two of her freethrow shots. Two 3-pointers from Kat Cooper and Kristen Doherty brought the Eagles a double-digit lead.

From there, the Eagles prevented the Hawks from a comeback by making scoring opportunities and shutting down Hartford on defense.

Hartford’s offense was mostly successful on its full court rushes rather than settled offense. Hartford’s Deanna Mayza would start the offensive rush for the Hawks and look to teammate Amber Bepko, who capitalized on the shots with 16 points for the Hawks.

In the final minute, the Eagles had possession in their offensive zone and ran down the clock to finish the game.

“We talk about being relentless … we use that word, ‘relentless,’ a lot—post play, transitions, in rebounding—and I thought we embodied that very well today,” Johnson said.

BC’s defense didn’t give up any freethrow shots until the middle of the second half, with a foul on Katie Zenevitch giving Hawks player Cherelle Moore two shots from the line. The Hawks only went 4 of 7 from the line, while the Eagles went 8 of 11 in the second half and 11 of 14 for the game.

The Eagles did a better job making the first shot in the second half, constantly passing the ball and setting screens against the Hartford defense and allowing teammates to take open shots.

The Eagles’ shooting percentage declined from 38 to 37, but 3-point percentage improved from 16 to 60 in the second half. BC capitalized on the 12 turnovers from the Hawks to generate its offense and move the ball down the court.

Despite what Johnson viewed as “sloppy execution” in the first half, the win had its highlights, which he plans

Graham Beck / heights editor

Katie Zenevitch tied with Kristen Doherty as the Eagles’ leading scorer on Sunday. to develop with the team.

“Tonight was a good step, that we don’t have to shoot the ball perfectly and we can still win,” Johnson said.

The Eagles had five players with double-digit point totals for the game: Zenevitch, Boudreau, Doherty, Cooper, and Engeln. Doherty led the team in rebounds, getting three offensive and six defensive boards for a game total of nine.

The Eagles headed into the weekend on a lower note with a road loss to the University of Wisconsin in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Despite strong shooting during the first half, in the end the Eagles’ offensive efforts were not enough to pull away from the Badgers, and the game ended with a final score of 74-59 in favor of Wisconsin.

Zenevitch was the most productive scorer for the Eagles with 17 points. She was followed closely by Doherty, who posted 14 points. The duo had 10 and nine rebounds, respectively.

BC shot 50 percent during the first half, but multiple lead changes kept the game close, with the Eagles retaining only a one-point lead at the end of the half. BC opened up the second frame with a 13-2 run, but was unable to hold onto its lead and was plagued with turnovers, allowing the Badgers to fight back for the win.

“We coughed the ball up a couple of times and had a few uncharacteristic travels,” Johnson said. “And when you do that against a quality team, playing well on the road, that’s a good formula to get yourself beat.” n

BC and Harvard tie in overtime

Hockey East Scoring Offense

By Marly Morgus

2. BOSTON UNIVERSITY Goals Scored: 59 Games Played: 18 Average: 3.28

WIth big efforts from top scorers Haley Skarupa and Emily FIeld, BC is at the top of Hockey East in terms of scoring offense.

1. BOSTON COLLEGE Goals Scored: 64 Games Played: 18 Average: 3.56

Asst. Sports Editor

SPORTS in SHORT

Since the fourth minute of play, the Boston College women’s hockey team had been fighting a deficit. With both teams executing on defense, the Eagles and the Crimson had held each other scoreless through the greater part of three periods. It wasn’t until less than a minute and a half remained to play in the third period that the deadlock was broken—BC’s Emily Phalzer took a feed and fired a shot from the left circle, dashing Harvard’s Emerance Maschmeyer’s shutout hopes and sending the game to overtime.

While Phalzer’s goal was the late push that BC needed to send the game to extra minutes, her efforts were not matched on either side in the additional period, leaving the game to end in a 1-1 tie when the Eagles visited Harvard on Saturday night.

BC was not without chances during the bulk of play, as the Eagles ended up outshooting the Crimson 52-36 over the course of the game, with Corinne Boyles putting up 35 saves to Maschemeyer’s 51. Haley Skarupa, BC’s leading scorer, accounted for 14 of the Eagles’ shots, while no other player posted more than four, but she didn’t post any points on

3. PROVIDENCE Goals Scored: 49 Games Played: 18 Average: 2.72 3. VERMONT Goals Scored: 49 Games Played: 18 Average: 2.72 Graham Beck / heights editor

Emily Phalzer had the Eagles’ only goal in the Saturday night contest against the Harvard Crimson, which ended in a deadlock. the day.

It did not take Harvard long to claim its first and only lead of the night. Just over three minutes into the first period of play, Miye D’Oench sent an unassisted goal past Boyles, marking the game’s first goal. From there on out, the first period remained scoreless, each team taking a penalty but neither special teams unit profiting off of the man advantage.

The second period was tightly contested, with BC taking 13 shots and Harvard taking 12 as the teams played back and forth. Even with the Crimson

Hockey East Standings Conference

Overall

Boston College

6-1-1

10-4-2

Providence

6-2-1

11-2-3

New Hampshire

5-5-0

9-9-1

UMass Lowell

4-1-1

11-4-0

Vermont

4-4-0

7-5-1

Maine

3-2-1

6-6-1

Northeastern

3-4-1

9-5-2

Notre Dame

3-4-1

10-7-1

Massachusetts

2-7-2

4-11-2

Boston University

2-4-1

7-7-2

Merrimack

1-5-2

4-9-2

Team

taking three penalties during the frame, the Eagles couldn’t penetrate Maschemeyer’s front, entering the third period with the one goal deficit from the first period still standing.

The teams played another 18 scoreless minutes during the third period, again trading penalties that neither offensive unit capitalized on. In this segment of play, however, the shots were heavily in favor of the Eagles as they turned up the offensive pressure, sending 18 toward Maschemeyer. All but one was stopped, as Phalzer scored her game-tying goal with just 1:33 re-

maining in regulation.

The five-minute overtime period was lopsided in the other direction, with the Crimson outshooting the Eagles 73, but Boyles added all seven shots to her save total, as the extra period and game came to an end with the teams still tied at 1.

Maschemeyer’s 51 saves marked a career high, surpassing her previous record of 44, which she set earlier this season against Princeton on Oct. 26.

With the performance, she also moved into the Harvard record books in third place for saves in a single game. n

The number of saves Brian Billett tallied on Friday night against UNH. He faced 41 shots.

9

The number of assists that Joe Rahon had against USC on Sunday, a career high.

5 The number of BC players who scored double digit points in the women’s basketball team’s win over Hartford.

6. NORTHEASTERN Goals Scored: 38 Games Played: 18 Average: 2.11 7. NEW HAMPSHIRE Goals Scored: 40 Games Played: 19 Average: 2.11 8. MAINE Goals Scored: 27 Games Played: 18 Average: 1.5

Quote of the Week

Numbers to Know

39

5. CONNECTICUT Goals Scored: 37 Games Played: 16 Average: 2.31

“They got a breakaway. Look who got the breakaway. We let him get behind us. That’s not a good plan.”

UNH men’s hockey head coach Dick Umile on Johnny Gaudreau’s goal Friday night —

The Heights

Monday, December 9, 2013

key stats

67 +26 30

Series save total for Thatcher Demko and Brian Billett

B3

Graham beck / heights editor

quote of the Series

BC’s +/- tally during the home-and-home

“Our team was very opportunistic. We had some chances and we didn’t miss many. If we had a good chance, it was a red light, and I thought that was a real plus for us.”

- Jerry York BC head men’s hockey coach

Amount by which UNH outshot BC over the weekend

Standouts

Memorable Play Johnny Gaudreau rushed down the left side of the ice and threaded the puck to Austin Cangelosi. The freshman forward received the puck and chipped it over the padding of UNH goaltender Casey DeSmith to give BC a 3-1 advantage.

Prime Performance Steven Santini

Austin Cangelosi Alex Gaynor / heights editor

Graham Beck / Heights Editor

Freshman forward Austin Cangelosi contributed one goal and two assists in BC’s win on Friday, while Santini also added a goal and an assist of his own.

Defenseman Steven Santini was +4 on Friday night. The New Jersey Devils prospect scored and had an assist in the first multi-point game of his college career.

Friday Notebook

Billett plays key role in win Stacked first line sparks scoring for Eagles

By Mike Hoff For The Heights

The only positives that Boston College could take out of its embarrassing loss at home to Holy Cross on Friday were the events of the third period. Hoping for any semblance of life from his team, head coach Jerry York switched up his forward lines, most notably by placing his top three playmakers—seniors Bill Arnold and Kevin Hayes, and junior Johnny Gaudreau—on the same line. The move produced three goals, and York stuck with the same trio throughout Friday’s game against the New Hampshire Wildcats, even after a first period in which the Eagles mustered just four shots—one of which was a Gaudreau goal.

“They are our three most dynamic offensive players,” York said. “Generally I like to split them up, but we were experimenting a little bit, you know. We were coming off two losses in a row. And in the second loss to Holy Cross, we put them together in the third period … There’s a chance they could be a very good line for us.”

York’s forwards rewarded his patience in the final two periods, exploding for four goals in the second period and adding one in the third. While both Gaudreau and Hayes contributed to the output in the last two frames (Hayes with a goal, Gaudreau with an assist), it was three other players—players whose production could have been more than reasonably expected to falter due to such a concentration of talent at the top of the lineup that made the biggest impact.

Playing without Gaudreau for the first time in several weeks, freshman forward Austin

Cangelosi led the attack and finished with a goal and two assists, good for a game-high three points. His two linemates, junior Destry Straight and fellow freshman Ryan Fitzgerald, were playing without their usual center, Hayes, for the first time in several games. With Fitzgerald at center, the trio combined for six points and a cumulative plus-eight rating.

Their instant chemistry was most evident on BC’s last goal. Leading a two-on-one with Straight into the Wildcats’ end, Cangelosi stopped just below the right faceoff dot violently yet gracefully, and spun back with Gaudreau-esque fluidity, leaving the UNH defense scrambling. Wide-open, Cangelosi fed a trailing Fitzgerald in front of the net.

Hooked—even if the officials failed to notice—Fitzgerald could not get a shot off, but all the action left UNH backup Jeff Wyer scrambling and unaware that the puck was at the goal mouth. Straight then did the dirty work and banged home the sitter. “[The goal was] just a testament to my linemates,” Straight said. “[Fitzgerald] and [Cangelosi] had a great game. On the goal, [Cangelosi] made a great play, and he got [the puck] to [Fitzgerald], and I was lucky enough to be there and get an early Christmas present.”

The real gift may be York’s, if production can be found throughout the lineup in its current state.

Santini Steps Up Before Friday, the last time freshman Steven Santini demolished an opposing player in the neutral zone at Kelley Rink, UMass winger Steven Guzzo was in an immobile

heap on the ice and Santini was on his way to the locker room. Not only was it Santini’s second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in a week—ensuring that he would be suspended for the next two games—the penalty gave way to UMass’ tying power-play goal. After the game, York had to answer for both the disappointing result of his team and his offending freshman blueliner.

This week has been much kinder to Santini.

He was picked for USA Hockey’s preliminarily World Junior roster on Wednesday, and he was BC’s best skater on Friday. The New Jersey Devils prospect finished the night with a game-high plus-four, was a stalwart in his own zone, and set up Kevin Hayes’ goal with a pinpoint two-line pass off of the left boards that sent Hayes on his way to paydirt.

A physical, stay-at home defenseman like Santini could not be asked to do much more.

He did more, though, something that Santini himself reminded his coach, whose press conference was much more lighthearted than it was three weeks ago.

“And he scored a goal! He reminded me of that,” York joked, referring to the Straight rebound that Santini backhanded in at the back post in the second period. “I thought he played outstanding.”

Evidenced further by his apparent excitement toward York, Santini was feeling confident after his goal. So much so, in fact, that on his next shift, he destroyed another unsuspecting forward at center ice. York said, though, he was able to leverage his strength and physicality just right this time, and lowered his shoulder just enough to stay out of the penalty box. n

Hockey Friday, from B1

fenders with a chipped pass that was collected by Johnny Gaudreau. The Eagles’ talisman found himself one-on-one with Billett’s counterpart, Casey DeSmith.

Gaudreau proceeded to cross up the UNH goaltender, finishing easily on his opponent’s right side.

“They got a breakaway,” UNH head coach Dick Umile said. “Look who got the breakaway. We let him get behind us.

That’s not a good plan.”

Despite their slow start, the first period was not all bad news for Umile’s team. The Wildcats plundered Billett and the Eagles’ defense with 16 shots in the first period, though all of those efforts were saved by BC’s goaltender.

Offensively, the Eagles got off to a slow start due to a large amount of puck possession from the Wildcats. UNH’s control of the game pinned BC into its own zone and made it difficult for it to counter.

A quick start to the second period from the Wildcats made them look likely to threaten the Eagles, as a Jeff Silengo shot that came from just over the blue line beat Billett easily. The senior right-winger cut across the center of the ice from left to right before unleashing his equalizer into the net.

The pores in the Wildcats’ defense opened up later in the second period, though. BC reclaimed the lead less than one minute after Silengo’s goal through Steven Santini’s finish. The goal developed when a nifty backhanded pass from Austin Cangelosi found the on-skating Destry Straight. The junior centered the puck to Santini, who made

no mistake from point blank range.

BC was excellent coming forward at the UNH defense with a swift attack, and Umile was displeased with his team’s play in BC’s four-goal second period.

The Eagles would counter throughout the period, but their attacks would prove fruitless until 15:06 when Gaudreau slotted the puck between the stick and legs of van Riemsdyk to find Cangelosi in front of the goal. The freshman chipped the puck over DeSmith’s shoulder, threading the slim margin between the goaltender’s mask and glove.

One minute later, Teddy Doherty notched his first goal of the season.

The puck popped over the goal, when Doherty caught it and placed it down for an easy wrap-around finish.

Twelve seconds later, the Eagles’ second period demolition concluded with a Kevin Hayes wrist-shot that rooted DeSmith to his crease. Jeff Wyer replaced DeSmith after Hayes’ goal, which gave BC a 5-1 advantage heading into the final period of play.

Straight would score five minutes into the third to put BC ahead by five goals, one of which was pulled back by van Riemsdyk, who beat Billett from miles out at 6:50 in the third period.

UNH did well to combat the Eagles in the first and third periods, limiting the BC attack to just four shots in each passage of play. In fact, the Wildcats dominated the Eagles throughout the evening, outshooting them 41-21. BC was able to capitalize on its chances, though, and that made the difference.

“We had some chances and we didn’t miss many,” York said. “If we had a good chance, it was a red light, and I thought that was a real plus for us.” n

THE HEIGHTS

B4

Monday, December 9, 2013

Defense falls short in road contest

BY JIM HILL

For The Heights Although the Boston College men’s basketball squad vied with the Purdue Boilermakers through the first 10 minutes of this 87 past WednesPurdue day’s game, the Boston College 67 team ultimately fell behind—far behind. Unable to stymie or respond to a series of offensive drives, and struggling with fundamentals, BC lost to its Big Ten opponent 88-67.

The drubbing began with efficient 3point shooting, as Purdue repeatedly and consistently scored from beyond the arc.

During the first half, the team made five 3-pointers in eight attempts—against BC’s five in 15. Freshman guard Kendall Stephens contributed immensely to this total, making three of three from outside: one uncontested, two over the head of a lunging Alex Dragicevich.

Three of Purdue’s first-half 3-pointers came within roughly three minutes of one another, between the 10:22 and 13:25 marks. Prior to the shooting spree, BC had been tied with Purdue, 20-20, but after the barrage from the perimeter—ending with a shot from the corner by forward Basil Smotherman—the Boilermakers led the Eagles by 10 points, 31-21.

While skillful 3-point shooting enabled Purdue to take the lead, a strong offensive presence inside and good mid-range shooting helped the team extend it to a whopping 21 points. The Johnson brothers, Purdue’s starting guards, performed especially well in these areas, generating most of their points off of layups and mid-range jumpers. By game’s end, Ronnie Johnson had 15 total points—with five from free throws, after drawing fouls—and Terone Johnson scored 18, leading all other players.

Through the contest, the Boilmakers’ offense was steady and prolific. BC’s offense, on the other hand, was highly sporadic, with the team unable to mount a solid run.

Turnovers played a major role in the stifling of BC’s offense. In the first half, the team lost possession of the ball nine times— seven more times than Purdue. The squad would eventually remedy the situation, losing control of the ball two fewer times than Purdue in the second half, but would be confronted with a new challenge: the play of the opposing center and forwards.

While Purdue’s big men struggled

against BC early in the game—the Boilermakers were outrebounded both defensively (16-13) and offensively (9-6) in the first 20 minutes of play—the players dominated in the second half, preventing the Eagles from establishing themselves inside and drawing plenty of second chance opportunities for their teammates. At 40 minutes of play, after taking advantage of mismatches in athleticism and height, Purdue had more total rebounds than BC (39-37).

Stephens was quick to praise his teammates, center A.J. Hammons and forward Jay Simpson, for their work: “I think you … have to give credit to Jay and A.J.,” he said. ”They did a great job on ball-screen defense … They made Boston College work, and they definitely boxed out, and they came ready to play today—both of them.”

Through the game, BC’s play was disjointed. Purdue seemed to have an answer for each move and maneuver—the few positive aspects of the Eagles’ play. One instance that captured this futility occurred with approximately 17 minutes remaining in the second half when Dragicevich stole the ball from Purdue guard Raphael Davis, only to lose possession in a scramble seconds later.

Straddling the baseline, Ronnie Johnson would score with the recovered ball, extending the Boilermakers’ lead to 19.

In spite of BC’s inability to outscore the opposition or keep the game close, several individual players had noteworthy, albeit often streaky, performances.

Early in the game, Dragicevich evidenced the shooting prowess for which he was praised at Notre Dame, making three of his first five 3-pointers. He would not score after the first half, though.

Olivier Hanlan struggled in the beginning, making only one of his first seven shots, but the sophomore guard overcame the rut, scoring in five of the following six attempts.

After performing well in the second half, Hanlan finished the game six of 15 from the field, with 15 points total.

Ryan Anderson’s performance was among the most consistent. He scored 16 points to lead the squad, shooting four of seven from the field. At the beginning of the game, the junior forward seemed unstoppable, accounting for six of the team’s first eight points. Beyond those first few minutes, through the contest, he was able to draw fouls, and gained eight points off free throws.

In the end, the BC squad was unable to follow head coach Steve Donahue’s general game plan, as stated in an interview following the Eagles’ victory over the Washington Huskies in the 2K Classic: “We’ve got to be gritty enough to keep them off the glass,” he said. “We’ve got to be tough enough to not turn the ball over, and then we’ve got to step up and make shots.”

Purdue, on the other hand, did exactly that—scoring, rebounding, and keeping ball control—and the results were captured in the final score.

“Well … we’re hoping to dominate in … rebounding or taking care of the ball,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter. “Tonight, we outrebounded them by two, and we had five fewer turnovers, so … those are the areas we really focus on. We had good balance tonight. We had a lot of guys contribute—just … carrying out their [assignments]. [We did] what we were supposed to do, [and] our percentages went way up.” 

GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Olivier Hanlan scored 15 points for the Eagles, but a lack of bench production hurt the offense.

GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR

A tough, road-heavy schedule is taking a toll on head coach Steve Donahue’s team so far.

Losing ways continue for the struggling Eagles Men’s Basketball, from B1 up by five.

Jackson’s three was countered by a 7-0 run from the Trojans that stretched over five minutes nearing the end of the first half. Even though Olivier Hanlan would score three of his six points to stop the bleeding and give BC the lead back, a Pe’Shon Howard shot from behind the arc gave the home team a 28-27 lead that BC would never overcome. Even though Rahon’s layup with three seconds left in the period leveled the teams 32-32 at halftime, USC would open the second half with a three from Wesley and not look back.

Rahon tallied a career-high nine assists on the night, one more than his previous record, which came last season against Harvard.

Freshman forward Nikola Jovanovic then dropped a layup to put USC further ahead, before a three from Jackson cut the USC lead to two. Julian Jacobs, who led all scorers with 16 points, knocked down a three of his own to make it 43-35 just moments after.

Jacobs, who also had eight boards and five assists, was one of the five USC starters to finish the night scoring in double digits.

The Trojans pulled away from the Eagles with ease, though. Caudill hit a free throw to make it a 45-40 game with 14:53 left, but that was as close as his team would come for the rest of the night.

A Jacobs jam 6:57 from the end of regulation gave USC a double-digit edge.

USC finished the night by holding off the Eagles before its trio of slams provided an appropriate knockout punch. 

BC sports narratives should be both shared and heard Column, from B1 These games and events promise action, entertainment, the opportunity to watch Andre Williams run wild on a college defense one last time, and the chance to catch some truly thrilling hockey rivalry matchups.

And of course, anything occurring in Conte Forum will mean the possibility of dining on BC’s signature dishes of Dead Sea-level-of-salt popcorn and awful pretzels. In addition to everything else these sporting events will bring, though, they also present unique and compelling storylines— narratives that deserve to be heard.

From the football team’s chance to go from 2-10 in 2012 to post-season prizes a season later, to Gaudreau’s quest for another shot at the Hobey Baker, to the men’s basketball team’s campaign to get back in the NCAA

tournament, to the Alex Carpenter-less Eagles’ bid for Frozen Four redemption, plenty of stories are waiting to be told, and as your Sports Editor, I’m looking forward to sharing as many of them with you as I can.

Don’t worry, I’ve learned my lesson since that first article, and I can promise that outbursts of British lingo and ridiculous analogies will be kept to an absolute minimum as the next year unfolds.

Right now, looking at the year ahead is making me feel a lot like that kid who woke up just a bit too early on Christmas morning—slightly anxious, maybe a tiny bit nervous, totally excited, and completely ready to find out what happens next.

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

GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The sun set as Boston College men’s soccer played against conference foe Syracuse in early October of this year. BC won 3-2.

Demko, Billett keep up goalie rotation Hockey Saturday, from B1

GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR

After losses to Maine and Holy Cross, BC bounced back with a weekend sweep of UNH.

game against Holy Cross on Nov. 29. It was also an effort that harkened back to another game against UNH, one in which Demko also played superbly, but in which BC didn’t even participate.

A year ago to the weekend, playing for the USA U-18s, Demko stopped 35 Wildcat shots in front of York and BC assistant Greg Brown. BC offered Demko a position the next day, and then Demko paid the dividends Saturday night.

The goalie sent back all but one of UNH’s offerings, stoning every type of chance.

Demko worked quickly to corral all loose pucks, minimize rebounds, and move postto-post fluidly when faced with odd-man rush one-timers. For a 6-foot-4 goalie, it was extremely impressive.

That size also served him well in more predictable scenarios. In two of these instances, Demko kept his team in the game when many would not have been able to.

The first came a couple minutes into the second period, when an egregious Eagles defensive breakdown and a saucer pass to UNH forward Collin Bourque left Demko as the only obstacle between Bourque’s point-blank wrist shot from the left slot and the back of the net. Demko calmly kick-slid to his right and ‘played big’—in other words, he came out of his net and left no angle for Bourque to fit his shot in between Demko’s frame and the goal’s. Bourque’s shot was harmlessly swallowed up, and BC retained the lead.

The second time Demko saved the game by ‘playing big,’ he didn’t need to make a save. In the third period, as BC packed the defense in and UNH fired away from the perimeter, Wildcats forward Jay Camper ripped a missile of a shot from just outside the slot considerably over the crossbar.

Camper was not rushed, and his shot was not tipped. On the outskirts of his crease, Demko again relented little daylight from Camper’s vantage point, and Camper couldn’t pick his spot—few could.

The Wildcat center’s misguided screamer was the epitomization of his team’s third period. Possessing the puck for the majority of the last frame, UNH only came away with seven shots on goal. So while Demko only “saved” 28 shots, he affected many more.

The Eagles came away with the only goal of the first period, when BC’s star-studded line of upperclassmen pounced on the chance that their young goalie gave them. Down a man three times in the first period, Demko backboned the nation’s No.3-ranked penalty kill and kept the Eagles in the game by staving off all the Wildcats’ chances—many of them quality. Just over 16 minutes into the period, though, junior Johnny Gaudreau and seniors Bill Arnold and Kevin Hayes did what they were put together to do. “[That line] should [create chances],” York said after Friday’s game. “They are our three most dynamic offensive players.”

Create they did, Gaudreau specifically. Coming down the left wing, Gaudreau stopped and generated space by sliding farther toward the half-wall in the Wildcats’ zone. As he drew the defense laterally, Hayes

drove vertically from the blue line towards the space Gaudreau created, and Gaudreau promptly passed the puck to Hayes. Hayes, sensing a defender coming from the net-front area to fill the area vacated by those that went to Gaudreau, one-timed the puck towards Arnold, who was posting up right in front of goalie Casey DeSmith. After a few hacks, Arnold banged the puck into the back of the net to give BC the first lead of the game.

In the second, the Wildcats’ Matt Willows, a top-liner himself, tied the game with rebound wrist shot from the far post 7:11 into the game. BC’s top guns—the most explosive in Hockey East—responded a little more than 10 minutes later.

Caught in a line change, senior captain Patrick Brown was in Arnold’s place this time, but filled it well. Just inside the redline, Brown saw Hayes filling the gap behind the UNH forwards and in front of the defensemen near the right side offside faceoff dot.

Brown led Hayes and skittered a pass into the Wildcat zone.

Rarely smooth but ruthlessly efficient, Hayes created space from his defender with a simple right-to-left move at the right hash instantly released his snap shot in stride.

DeSmith barely saw it, but not because he was screened. The puck was past UNH’s goalie before he could check which hole the shot beat him through.

The Eagles’ defense hunkered down after Hayes put them up 2-1, and the score didn’t change the rest of the way. They could only do so much, though, because of the position that their top weapons and Demko’s best outing put them in. 

Monday, December 9, 2013

The Heights

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B6

THE HEIGHTS

Monday, December 9, 2013

THE HEIGHTS

Monday, December 9, 2013

EDITOR’S COLUMN

News, drugs, and a life of love

SAM COSTANZO I tell people all the time that The Heights is like a drug. It’s like Tylenol or antibiotics—it fixes what hurts. I need the interviews, the writing, the crazy and intelligent people I get to work with.

I need the satisfaction that comes with picking up a newspaper on Monday mornings and finally seeing all my hard work in print. Most of the time, the rush I get from being in the newsroom is what picks me up on frustrating days.

Other times, all of the side effects hit me. I get cranky, sleep-deprived, sick of all the nonsense I used to want so much.

But that doesn’t happen often, and so I keep taking my dose of The Heights.

I haven’t been filling my prescription as often as I should, though, but I’m changing that. I’m running right back to the newsroom, where I have the people and stories that I’ve been missing.

I’m driven by the guarantee that as long as I’m doing that, I’ll be right where I belong. I’ll still get to hear all of the stories I can, whether they’re from my fellow editors or from the fascinating people I’m interviewing.

Better yet, I’ll get to put a lot of those stories into printed words for other people to read about too, so that they can learn everything that I’m learning.

I’ll forget the now-trivial things that were bothering me before I started relistening to interviews or writing, made comfortable again by the magic little pill bottle that is this newspaper.

The thing about this drug is that while it’s the kind that helps you, not the kind that tears your life up, it’s addicting. It becomes necessary to survival.

I’ll happily admit that I’ve been addicted to The Heights since freshman year, and aside from the occasional headache or relatively sleepless nights, the side effects haven’t been bad enough to convince me to quit it.

Last year, I wasn’t as involved with all this wonderful madness as I could have been, and I went through some serious withdrawals. It was weird to be so out of the loop, so out of sync with what I had been so used to. I didn’t like it, so I filled up that prescription, and here I am. I’m totally hooked.

Everyone has a drug somewhat like mine. There’s something that everyone needs in his or her life in order to feel happy, or to keep oneself going.

It’s never really the same exact one for everyone, though.

While I have 40 other editors just as dedicated to this paper as I am, if not more so, they’re all taking slightly different brands of the same medicine. For other people, it’s not an organization or a mission that drives them. It’s people: their friends make them feel special, their families support them, the people they’ve decided to dedicate their lives to helping make them feel like they’re making a difference. For others, it’s a dream or a goal or a promise that there are better things to come, and as long as they hold onto that, they feel much better. It all depends on what you lack and what you realize you can take to fix that ache.

My sister’s drug is filmmaking. If she doesn’t have a camera in her hand, she’s trying to figure out how to get one there. All of her movies end up on Facebook for her friends to critique, and it doesn’t look like she’s stopping any time soon. Movies help her get her ideas out of her head, which ends up making her feel better. She’s as hooked as I am, and the effects have been just as healing.

Whether it’s a movie or a newspaper, we know that getting our usual dosage is exactly what we need.

I could very well compare The Heights and all of these other so-called drugs to anything that makes a person feel good: chocolate, books, even puppies. These things, though, aren’t all that necessary or addicting. I’m sure I could live without all of them for a long time and not miss them terribly.

Not only is The Heights so addicting, it’s something that fixes the things that are wrong with me. It’s what I need to survive, because it’s what I want to be doing for the rest of my life: talking, listening, and writing.

When you figure out what you need, you’ll never think twice about making sure you get it, because sometimes, a drug can save you.

Sam Costanzo is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.

B7

Students choose alternate break through Immersion Immersion, from B10 is to learn about poverty and its causes. “ We hope that e ver yone becomes more aware of the large percentage of impoverished and homeless people,” MacMillan said. “The purpose of education entails reaching out and helping people who can’t help themselves, and this immersion experience demonstrates that.

MacMillan said the outreach communities especially love having BC students there to help, given that most other members of the college-age crowd are still on break. “What’s been amazing

to me is how much they rely on volunteers,” MacMillan said.

Another part of the experience that MacMillan found shocking was the overwhelming number of veterans that the groups meet during the week. Many of these individuals suffer from hunger, post-traumatic stress disorder, and extreme poverty.

“It was really appalling the first year I saw that,” he said. “The government does not reach out to help them enough—we need to step in for these people.

“Justice is a two-step process,” MacMillan said. “The first step is in the board rooms and banking institutions,

fighting for legal equality and economic justice. The second is at soup kitchens, food and clothing drives, and charity runs with people donating and giving to the cause.”

This experience allows the group of students to study a variety of urban issues such as the complexity of social issues, theological perspectives, racism, systemic poverty, and homelessness that affect not only the greater Boston area, but also an innumerable amount of places and people throughout the world.

The Urban Immersion program does not fundraise specifically—each

participant must pay $50 for food and T passes.

Because the students stay on campus, however, less money is required for preparations or greater commuting expenses given that, as opposed to other winter service trips, they stay in the country.

There are still three open spaces for anyone interested in the experience, with no application necessary. Each year, some of the student volunteers return to the outreach locations to help—a service continuation that MacMillan refers to as one way of “fighting for the common good.” 

Graduate students work long shifts to keep libraries open Libraries, from B10 just trying to meet your needs to help you get through this stressful time,” Wall said.

In addition to the extended hours and free food, the libraries also open up additional study space during finals week to accommodate the increased library occupation. Conference rooms 406 and 413, classrooms 132, 211, 307, and even Connors Family Learning Center become available for study from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.

“We do very few meetings during this time so that you can have access to the rooms,” Wall said. “And if I’m walking around during the day and see students trying to collaborate, I go back to the office and check on room availability, then I’ll walk them up to the room and lead them in there. It’s all for the students.”

The seating capacity of O’Neill is over 1,000 students including classrooms and conference rooms.

“That’s an ongoing challenge for us.

We’ve doubled the amount of people that use the libraries in these last five years. And we love that,” Wall said.

The library’s goal, at any given time, is to be able to accommodate about one-third of the students on campus in library seating.

The library is close to reaching thi s go al. When combine d w ith some dining facilities and academic

buildings, BC is able to accommodate seating for around 40-50 percent of students.

In regard to overnight staffing, Connie Strittmatter spoke of the increased hiring of graduate students during this period. During the week, the full time library staff leaves by 3 a.m., at which time the graduate students take over until 7:30 a.m., when the full time library staff returns.

On Friday and Saturday, however, these graduate students work long shifts, from 9:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Responsibilities of these employed students include working the circulation desks and taking the hourly headcounts of students studying in the library.

The first night of 24/7 hours, the head count revealed 52 students in the library at 3 a.m., 31 at 4 a.m., 33 at 5 a.m., and 13 at 6 a.m. These numbers will likely increase as finals period approaches and students begin to make University libraries their primary study and social space.

“One thing people need to know is that librarians love to help students,” Wall said. “If you ever think that they’re looking busy, forget it.

We don’t feel like we do enough. Any request, research or library related, we’re here for you. We respond to every request. We will do everything we can to improve the services and the environment.” 

ALEX GAYNOR / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Bapst Library remains open 24 hours so students can utilize study space during finals week.

CLUB SERIES FEATURING BC’S STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

SNAP brings Native American programming to campus, collaborates with AHANA

BY CAROLINE KIRKWOOD Heights Staff While Boston College is tucked away in the quintessential American suburb of Chestnut Hill, the University itself is home to more than 30 different culture clubs representing countries all over the world. From the South Asian Student Association (SASA) to the Caribbean Culture Club (CCC), to the Ukrainian Society of Boston College (BCUS), BC students have created student organizations and clubs representing almost every corner of the world, not to mention more acronyms than one could imagine.

There is one culture club, however, that finds its roots right here on American soil and has quite a catchy acronym: SNAP, otherwise known as the Society of Native American People. With the mission of spreading Native American culture to the BC community, SNAP welcomes students from all backgrounds to learn more about a way of life intrinsic to America’s identity.

“We are reinterpreting what we believe Native American culture is and bringing it to the BC community so they can relate to it,” said David Corbie, SNAP president and A&S ’15.

SNAP is cognizant of the fact that Native American students represent a very small minority of BC students.

Therefore, the club strives to promote Native American culture in a way that is interesting and intriguing to all students regardless of their heritage.

“We are geared toward awareness and learning of a culture that really isn’t prevalent on campus,” said Ellen Yang, SNAP vice-president and A&S ’16. “A small percentage of our members have a background or link to Native American tribes, but most members are people who are just interested and willing to put in the effort to learn and spread awareness

about this culture.”

While the club itself consists of its e-board members, SNAP brings Native American culture to the larger BC community through the variety of events they sponsor and collaborate on throughout the year.

“We often try to collaborate with different culture clubs to put a new spin on our cultures to make it open to everyone,” Corbie said. It is with these collaborate events through mediums like the AHANA Caucus that SNAP is able to continually reinterpret Native American culture in a way that appeals to a larger group of students.

An annual event that SNAP will continue to plan is the Dream Catcher Workshop.

“We teach the audience how to create dream catchers, and introduce the e-board,” Corbie said. “That has always been a great event. It is a way to bring people closer together but also express Native American Culture.”

As November was Native American Heritage Month, on Wednesday, Dec. 4 SNAP held their closing ceremony for the month. The club brought in Ray LaChance, a speaker on Native American culture. Along with speaking about the culture and its impact on today, LaChance interacted with the audience by teaching them traditional songs as well as a dance Native Americans used in hunting practices.

Along with these more traditional learning events, SNAP also attempts to get students off campus and involved in activities that they have probably previously done, but were not aware of its link to Native American heritage.

This semester SNAP attempted to do more off-campus events like hikes and canoe trips. The club has been able to participate in things that Native Americans have done and have created, but

participated in a way where there is deep discussion and introspection.

In this coming semester, students can look out for these canoe and hiking trips to return as well as possible cooking classes and archery lessons.

Going forward SNAP is hoping to reach outside the BC community by connecting to different Native American reservations as well as speakers in the Native American community. The largest goal for the organization in the coming academic year is to host a pow wow on BC’s campus, which will involve communicating with other college cam-

puses that have hosted their own pow wows in years past.

For SNAP, Native American culture is something that all members of the BC community should be able to participate in, regardless of one’s own heritage or background. SNAP members believe cultures are meant to be participated in and enjoyed because that is what they were created for.

The BC community is encouraged to take an interest because students may not get another chance to indulge in another culture, especially when it is easily accessible on campus. 

ROBIN KIM / HEIGHTS STAFF

SNAP plans to host cooking classes, hiking trips, and archery lessons next semester.

THE HEIGHTS

B8

HOW-TO

Deck the halls for the holidays NATHAN BUBES

Christmas is in the air—or at least Christmas music is in the air.

McElroy has been playing Christmas music nonstop, and if you think this is a bad thing, you might as well be excited to take exams.

With Christmas floating in the air particles, that only means one thing: It is time to decorate your room.

Full disclosure—this is for everyone.

I don’t care if you live on Newton, in a Mod, or in 2000 Commonwealth Ave. I don’t care if you are on the football team or the head of the committee for decorating the campus for Christmas—you definitely have to put up some kind of decorations.

Even if you have a single room and are the only one who will ever see it, a successful Boston College campus requires everyone to have the Christmas spirit.

This theory is similar to the study tactic of sleeping on your book in order to absorb the information into your brain while you sleep.

The decorating logic goes: If you sleep in a decorated room, your Christmas spirit will increase by 129 percent.

If you leave Elf on loop, that number becomes 193 percent. If Love Actually is on loop, your Christmas spirit is too big of a number to comprehend. That is a fact that can’t be argued, so don’t argue it or I will get very angry.

So now that you understand how important it is for every room to be decorated, we can figure out how to best decorate.

And by decorate, I mean go so overboard that it is teetering on obnoxious.

1. Lights: Can it get any more obvious? The BC website says, “Christmas or other decorative lighting is permitted only from Oct. 15 to Jan. 15,” and if you are not already taking advantage of this, transfer forms can be picked up at Lyons Hall.

We need strings of lights—some multi-colored, some all green, and others all red—so many lights that you wake up singing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” 2. Pictures of Santa: This is a new thing that I bet most people don’t have on their walls. Put up pictures of Santa—everywhere. Go to the library and spend your color printing bucks— no one has any idea what they are or how to use them—and print out my man Santa.

If you’re a fan of Mrs. Claus, get her up on the wall, too. The reindeer?

You got it. Let’s cover these walls with our best friends from the North Pole.

3. Christmas Sweaters: Wait, why do I need Christmas sweaters if we are talking about room decorations?

Well, for one reason: your shelves need to store Christmas sweaters each and every moment.

Secondly, when you leave your room, you have to be in the spirit.

How do you think the air became filled with Christmas spirit? Well, everyone has their Christmas garb on.

4. Food: This is a big one. You need to have cookies, candy canes, and any type of food that’s eaten on Christmas.

Everyone have his or her mom send up a ton of sweets because there is no better decoration than something edible. Only one problem—you will need a large supply so you can eat the sweets every single day.

5. Music: A constant stream of Christmas music is required.

Actually, if you do not have Christmas music flooding out of the hallway, the previous four steps will be negated, and you will need to head to Lyons and fill out transfer forms.

6. Snowflakes: Pay attention here: If you are spending hours cutting out snowflakes, you are trying too hard.

You are wasting time, and the paper will eventually be stepped on or not even noticed. Don’t waste your time with snowflakes. Don’t try too hard. Really. No snowflakes.

Those are your six keys to filling BC’s Christmas spirit to the brim.

This will help you and your roommates emotionally, physically, and mentally. Nothing is more relaxing than multicolored lights and classic Christmas carols after a long day of dull classes and endless studying.

Also, you will no doubt do better on your exams. If you are fully invested in Christmas, then your grades will be much better. Fact.

So cheers to great Christmas decorations (with no snowflakes) and a wonderful holiday season.

Nathan Bubes is a contributor for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Planning ahead can foil final exam meltdowns, stress Figure out which exams and papers you’ll need to spend the most time on, and schedule more time to study for those classes. Find out which days you don’t have exams, and plan to use those days to get more studying done than the days you do have finals on.

Depending on your personal mindset, it may help to schedule out which classes or topics you want to study for each day. For example, plan to cover one chapter for a class each day or to write a certain number of pages for an essay each day.

Take breaks: “It’s important to take study breaks and remind yourself that it’s healthy to de-stress and not only focus on grades and studying,” said Brooke Shawcross, A&S ’16.

Your mind needs to rest, and it will be counterproductive to study too much.

Plan small breaks every half an hour or hour and plan larger breaks to split up study sessions. Shawcross also suggested a good workout: “A good study break is taking an exercise class at the gym, like yoga, or getting some fresh air by going on a short walk,” she said. Students could watch a TV show or movie as it’s a perfect time to catch up on all those Christmas classics, take a nap, or make a trip to White

CAITLIN SLOTTER It’s hard to believe, but the semester is already drawing to a close. In just two days, classes will be officially over, bringing forth the stressful week and a half of finals.

We’re in the home stretch now, and as daunting as the next weeks seem, going home for the holidays, spending time with family and friends, and having a three-week break is an awesome light at the end of the tunnel. How do you get there, and how do you survive finals week?

Whether you’re a freshman getting ready to experience finals for the first time or an upperclassman looking for new study methods, read on for the best ways to prepare for, excel in, and survive finals week.

Make a plan: It helps to write out when all of your finals exams are and when your papers are due. Plan your studying accordingly depending on when each exam is scheduled.

For example, you should probably use your study days to study for those exams on Dec. 14, 16 and 17, and wait a few days before you start studying for exams later in the finals schedule.

Mountain Creamery.

Know when you’re getting tired of working and give your mind a rest so that you can ultimately study more efficiently and retain more information.

Sleep: You’ll only be at your best if you sleep well.

Plan your time wisely so you won’t have to stay up late cramming the night before an exam. Try to get enough sleep the night before your exams so that you’re well rested and can give your best effort.

Switch up your study space: You’d be surprised how much you can start to hate Bapst if you spend all your time studying there. You’ll get antsy and bored if you study in the same place, so try to change where you study each day.

Switch between libraries, classrooms, dining halls, and lounges.

Megan Ebner, A&S ’16, said, “find a class room or a study space where you can work with friends.” You can take breaks together and motivate each other to study. “And, start looking early for a place to study,” Ebner recommended, because classrooms and seats at the libraries fill up quickly.

You could also go into Boston on a day you don’t have any exams and

study at the Boston Public Library.

Lunch at Panera, Starbucks coffee breaks, and Christmas shopping on Newbury offer great study breaks, too.

Or, go to a coffee shop in Newton Center or Cleveland Circle for the day.

A change in scenery will energize and motivate you to study.

Take advantage of your resources: Your professors and TAs have office hours and review sessions for a reason, so go to them.

Don’t be afraid to go to your professors to go over essay outlines or ask questions about the exam. Find out if your class is having an extra review session—even if you don’t have any specific questions to ask, it will help to listen to discussions on the class material, and maybe other students have questions that you haven’t thought of.

And finally: relax. Countless students have survived finals week, and you will, too. As long as you prepare, take care of your body, and find ways to motivate yourself, you will be fine.

Good luck!

Caitlin Slotter is a staff writer for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.

PROFESSOR PROFILE

Kenny combines Irish, American perspectives in work WHO: Kevin Danielle Taghian WHO: Kenny

BY NATASHA BEDNARZ For The Heights

TEACHES: American Moleculeshisand TEACHES: Cells and Cancer Biology tory and immigration

One might be surprised to hear about the serendipitous choice that led to the prolific life of Kevin Kenny, a professor in the history department. Born in London, raised in Dublin, and educated at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland for his undergraduate degree, studying American history wouldn’t seem like an expected path. He had never encountered American history before college, as it wasn’t taught at the high school level. A time conflict at Edinburgh, however, led to him taking American history, and it turned out to be a much more significant decision than he had anticipated.

“I started to like American history in a similar way to how Americans sometimes like European history, when you start to study something other than your own culture,” Kenny said.

Through an exchange program at Edinburgh, Kenny studied at the University of Pennsylvania in his junior year, and later received his master’s degree at Columbia University. After that, he discovered a job opening at the University of Texas as an assistant professor. He made a major relocation in order to teach there for five years.

Subsequently, BC advertised its need for a senior historian in Irish history.

Kenny, although an American historian, got the job.

“It was a bit of a stretch, but my pitch was: there are 6 million Irish at home, but there’s 70 million globally, and 14 million are in the United States,” he said. “And that’s what I studied, because I wrote my dissertation on American immigration history connecting Ireland and the United States. ”

FOCUS: The biology of EXPERIENCE: Involved cancer in the publication of nine historical works RESEARCH: Completed her postdoc at MassachuFUN FACT: Coached socsetts Hospital in cer forGeneral 14 years and owns Simon Powell’s lab a labradoodle named Luna ERIN FITZPATRICK / FOR THE HEIGHTS

This led to Kenny’s appointment in the history department as historian of American immigration. One popular class he teaches at BC is a year-long survey course of American immigration.

“It’s my favorite class to teach,” he said. “I get a great diversity of students: history majors, non-history majors, different ethnic and racial backgrounds. It’s a very relevant topic to our lives today.”

Rather than having his students memorize copious amounts of detailed information, he focuses on guiding them toward new ways of critically thinking and reasoning.

“A year from now, students are not likely to remember too many of the facts,” he said. “Why should they keep the facts in their heads? The facts are in books, you can look them up. What I’m hoping they will remember are certain ways of thinking, of being critical and skeptical.”

One of the ways that Kenny catalyzes these new thought processes is through the analysis of cogent and relevant texts

and other materials.

“Instead of just bombarding students with tons and tons of material in the hope that some of it will stick, I take very carefully selected short excerpts,” he said.

Kenny also considers the interpersonal facet of the teacher-student dynamic.

He believes humor plays a very significant role in keeping the class engaged, as does “realizing the human dimension” of whom he is teaching.

“It’s the period when you’re just on the cusp of adulthood, the transition from childhood,” he said. Kenny is the father of two children, ages 14 and 18, and through his children he comes to understand his students better.

Besides teaching, Kenny also writes.

He is a published author and has already been involved in the publication of nine works that focus on his historical fields of interest.

“When I went to graduate school, American history was my field, but the real driving thing for me was that

I wanted to know how to write history books,” he said.

This synthesis of his affinity for history and his love of writing have brought him to where he is today: a prolific professor, historian, and author.

“Through publication, I’ve established BC as one of the places to study migration and diaspora,” he said. “People know about BC internationally because of what we do in this program and in the department.”

When asked what students might be surprised to learn about him, he mentioned his new labradoodle puppy, Luna, and also that he has been coaching youth soccer for 14 years. He has also taught summer courses for BC, twice in Rome and once in Dublin.

Although the number of history majors across the country has decreased, Kenny is not concerned.

“History as a discipline will remain relevant, as long as the past continues to exist,” he said. 

HE SAID, SHE SAID I’ve gone out on a few dates with this girl, but we aren’t quite official. I really like her, so I know I want to get her a gift for Christmas. How much is too much?

I don’t want to get something too expensive and freak her out, but I don’t want to disappoint either.

Gifts are a reflection of your personal character and willingness to spend. Girls love a guy who is willing to dish out some cash for them. You never want to come off as cheap in the first stages of dating. You can unveil more stingy qualities once the relationship becomes official, but for now, I advise that you spend a reasonable amount of money on a Christmas gift.

The Huffington Post published an article about appropriate Christmas gifts for those dating for only a few MARC FRANCIS months, in which they stated, “Think of something that will make your first Christmas together memorable (aw). The right gift at the right time could make all the difference for the future of your relationship.”

Memorability is more important than price point, but that does not mean that you should spend $10 on some pretty flowers—instead, evaluate her personal life story when deciding on a gift. The Tiffany’s jewelry can wait until your one-year anniversary—for now, play on her interests and weaknesses.

She would definitely be impressed if you remembered a small detail about something she likes. Think about all of the meaningful conversations you have had and do not be afraid to approach her friends. Winning the approval of a girl’s friends is an important step toward achieving the status of boyfriend.

Her friends would probably be impressed if you approached them with an unlimited price point and a seemingly sincere heart.

On a final note, I would not get too stressed about finding the “perfect gift.”

Hopefully, this girl will appreciate your thoughtfulness no matter what the gift is—and if she does not, she probably is not the right girl for you.

A few dates? A few hookups? A general trend of dates leading to a committed relationship? Before rushing off to buy something, try to assess where the relationship is now and where it might be going. As always, you want to show care and interest but not push the lines of inappropriate and creepy.

If it has just been a couple of really casual dates, maybe a funny Christmas card would be a good option. You could either write in AMY HACHIGIAN your own semi-cute message, like “hope you have fun with the folks and enjoy a bit too much eggnog,” or leave it blank. It is also completely appropriate to send a text or let her know you want to keep in contact over the break. Be sure to make an effort to send some funny Snapchats or text messages if you want things to resume in the spring.

Now, if you are more progressed in this dating experience, maybe it is worthwhile to look into something nicer. Now, I’m not saying to go buy her jewelry or anything too fancy. You should probably put some effort into this gift, though. Nothing that would make her feel bad if she didn’t get you something, but enough to let her know you really care and are in fact interested in pursuing this relationship. Maybe something small that she might find funny or thoughtful. Get creative!

Finally, if it is someone you are only hooking up with and haven’t actually taken out on a real, official date ... perhaps your Christmas gift would be to do so. A casual, Christmas dinner might spark your relationship into something more.

Marc Francis is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com.

Amy Hachigian is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.

The Heights

Monday, December 9, 2013

BC employees walk for health Healthy You, from B10 valuable player award at the end of each semester. “[The team leader] gave me the award last year,” Flynn said. “Not because I had the most steps, but because he could tell I was putting in the most effort.”

Although employees work together as a team, a lot of the competition can occur within the group. Weekly step count postings allow employees on the same team to battle for the top spot.

Many employees say the competitve spirit is the main motivating component in their decision to be a part of the program each senester.

“I would see that the person ahead of me was only beating me by 300 steps and that would encourage me to go out for a short walk,” Flynn said.

“It can get pretty funny,” Larosee said.

“People sometimes walk up to the second floor of the office to fill up their water bottles or go to the bathroom just to get the extra steps because stairscases count as double.”

Bonus points could be earned by performing certain activities around campus Larosee said. “Walking up the milliondollar staircase is triple points on our BC Fitbits,” she said.

WAC is not unique to BC, however— similar programs are implemented at many workplaces from insurance companies to law firms.

“Really, the point of the program is to make employees healthier to cut back on healthcare costs since most employees’ healthcare policies come through the University,” Larosee said.

BC employees are rewarded with recognition for the most steps and a small prize or trophy at the end of each semester.

Winning teams are also recognized.

Additionally, rankings from past semesters remain on the WAC website in order to keep the competitive spirit alive from semester to semester. Other companies, however, provide more incentive to keep walking.

“One of my friends in Maine had a program like this at her workplace,” Flynn said.

“The winner got a trip for two to Hawaii, so there was a little bit more incentive.

Most of us are just doing it as a social way to stay active.”

The team members also explained that the program changed many peoples’ attitudes toward exercise and dieting. “I think a lot of people realized exercise doesn’t have to be a brutal gym visit,” Larosee said. “Simply walking around campus can improve your health.”

Not only does the program unite different offices and departments—it unites BC employees throughout campus that may have never met otherwise. Everyone from professors to nurses to maintenence employees participate in the program.

“The winner last year was a groundskeeper on Newton Campus,” Flynn said.

“Because he was active all day in his job, he probably gained more steps than all of us in office jobs.”

At the beginning of each semester a kick-off walk open to all employees serves as motivation to get started and meet other employees in the program.

Then at the end of the term, an award ceremony brings participants together to celebrate both individual and team accomplishments.

“Last year the ceremony was on a rainy spring day, but there was still a huge turn out,” Flynn said. “It really shows how committed employees are to the program, and how supportive other employees can be.”

“I’ll definitely keep doing the program as long as they offer it—which I think will be for a long time,” Larosee said. n

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The Heights throughout the century Taking a look at BC’s irish Heritage

BC stretches its Irish roots across the globe through research, scholarship

By Daniel Perea-Kane For The Heights Boston College has long retained an Irish heritage, going back to its founding in 1863 by Irishmen Rev. John McElroy, S.J. and Andrew Carney. The original goal of the University was to educate the growing but underserved Irish Catholic population of Boston.

In 1978, the Irish Studies Group of the English, Fine Arts, and History departments sponsored an exhibit called “Celtic Connection 1978.”

An article from Oct. 23, 1978 describes the event, which stretched out for several weeks and included exhibits, lectures, a Celtic New Year celebration, and a Gaelic Mass.

BC alumnae Maeve O’Reilly Finley established a fellowship to assist students who wish to pursue studies in Ireland. An article from Jan. 21, 1986 describes the fellowship. Kevin O’Neill, history department and co-founder of the University’s Irish Studies program, helped to foster this particular fellowship during his tenure here.

In 2000, BC opened its Irish Center in Dublin. The article in The Heights from Oct. 30, 2000 states that the center would be an advantage not just to BC students studying in Dublin, but also to students studying with BC programs in other cities including Belfast, Cork, Maynooth, and Galway. University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. said to the Boston Herald that the center represented a recommitment to the “homeland of BC’s Jesuit forefathers.”

The Heights ran an article on Mar. 15, 2004 detailing the history of BC’s Irish roots. The article was from the week before St. Patrick’s Day and recounted the University ’s b eginnings through the founding of the Irish Studies program in 1977

by O’Neill and the late English professor Andre Dalsimer.

The program began with one course on Irish literature and politics during some of the critical years of Irish nationalism.

The program grew over time due to a multitude of courses and a new study abroad opportunity in association with University College Cork. During the 1990s, the University hosted Ulster British Loyalist leaders and ended up playing an important role in the contentious peace process at that time.

Nowadays, there is a Center for Irish Programs at BC that oversees the Irish Institute, Irish Studies, the Burns Library Irish Collections, and the BC-Ireland complex in Dublin.

The Burns Library is particu-

larly well known for its Irish collections, including manuscripts of Irish poets such as W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney. Over the years the Irish collections have proven to be invaluable resources for both students and visiting scholars.

In 2005, B C launched an Irish immigrant database to reconnect families with their genealogical roots. The database is located at http://infowanted. bc.edu according to the article about the opening of the database from Mar. 21, 2005.

An article from Mar. 16, 2006 recounts the history of Connolly House, purchased in 1976 and converted into the house of the Irish Studies program in 1996.

The article describes some of the interesting features of the house including a locked safe, BC’s only greenhouse, and a large glass window depicting Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Just last January, six BC faculty members were on the list of Irish Voice’s 2012 Irish Educators 100 list. The educators recognized were Leahy; Director of Irish Studies Music and Dance Programs Seamus Connolly; Academic Director of BC-Ireland Mike Cronin; Thomas Groome, theology and religious education department; and Joseph Nugent and James Smith, of the English department.

The article in The Heights from Jan. 16, 2013 describes these faculty members varied roles in preserving Irish culture through music, religion, language, and literature.

Each year, the University’s Burns Library and Irish Studies program sponsors the Burns Visiting Scholar program, which brings in outside experts on Ireland to give lectures and conduct research in Boston.

T h i s y e a r, t h e p r o g r a m brought in former Irish President Mary McAleese. An article from the Mar. 25, 2013 issue describes the nature of her visit, in which Rev. Liam Bergin, Theology department emeritus, played an important role.

McAleese has had ties with the University for many years, going back to at least 1996, a year before she became president of Ireland, a position she held until 2011.

“The heartbeat of Boston College is Irish indeed,” McAleese said at the opening of the Connolly House as the center for Irish Studies in 1996.

This year, McAleese has divided her time between studies at the Gregorian University in Rome and lectures and research at BC on topics ranging from gender studies to international education to the ongoing Northern Ireland peace process. n

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and Boston College spares no expense when it comes to spreading holiday cheer. As one of the premier Jesuit universities in the world, BC prides itself on the many festive offerings taking place across campus. Performances appear to be virtually everywhere, as dance teams, a capella groups, and musical ensembles show off their abilities at free and ticketed events. Popular productions included Boston College Dance Ensemble’s Spectrum, the Bostonians’ Christmas cafe, Sexual Chocolate, Phaymus, BC’s Fall Show, and the Heightsmen’s Fall Cafe. Each event was well attended and highly enjoyable.

BC’s very own Meyer Chambers, Campus Minister for Liturgical Arts, spoke at this semester’s last Agape Latte event, held last Tuesday in Hillside.

offered everything from a cookie frosting station to live music performed by groups such as the Bostonians, Against the Current, the Dynamics, and the Christian Choir.

Just when things seemed to be getting dull, police sirens could be heard circling the perimeter and students were in search of its source. Crowds of people rushed toward BCPD vehicles to find none other than Santa Clause himself in the passenger seat. Available for flash photography, Santa’s visit was a huge hit.

It was not until 6:30 p.m. that University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. stepped onto the stage to wish students a “Merry Christmas” that the lighting ceremony came to close. He looked at the tree and said, “Let there be light,” and light there was.

Although our school clearly has good intentions, oftentimes the level of overwhelming Christmas spirit subjects students to less than favorable circumstanc-

Kendra Kumor

es. One such drawback is the widespread and dangerous elevation of blood glucose levels caused by the overconsumption of sugar cookies, frosting, hot chocolate, candy canes and Peeps marshmallows.

The number of students that admitted to have gotten high on sugar in the past week, and those who plan on doing so in the upcoming weeks, make up a great portion of the student body.

Many students have made the regrettable mistake of eating their pseudogingerbread cookie gingerbread houses from the O’Connell House decorating event last Thursday. Many of these unfortunate people believe they consumed what would be considered a house of cardboard and suggest that gingerbread houses should henceforth not be eaten but rather admired.

Alison Takahashi is a contributor to The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.

Kendra Kumor is an editor for The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.

Tree lighting ceremony ignites Christmas spirit Christmas and Thanksgiving are arguably some of the most reflective times during the year, in which people put aside their hectic schedules in order to eat, laugh, and talk with friends and family, both near and far. Meyer chose students in the crowd to give bell-ringing a try, an opportunity that left everyone laughing as the chiming instrument seemed to be less in harmony than a dissonant clamor.

Students joined Meyer in singing age-old Christmas carols, from “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” to “Jingle Bell Rock.”

The convivial atmosphere, coupled with yule log cake and Santa-shaped cookies, left many students as happy as their stomachs were full.

For those who missed the opportunity at Agape Latte to spare dining hall bucks and take advantage of free food, another opportunity arose during BC’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony the following night on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in O’Neill Plaza. The two-hour event

Asking questions, getting answers, and telling stories

We look. We assume. We judge. We never ask. I think we do this more than we realize, and I am no exception. But at least I realize I’m doing it, right?

Every time I walk across campus or stroll down Newbury St., I look at the people I walk past and judge them on their appearance—­mostly what they are wearing. Essentially, I make up a story for each person.

I see a girl with a Chanel bag on her shoulder, walking down the street, and my first reaction is that she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth—a girl who has gotten whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it, never working for anything. I continue walking, and I rethink her story because the first was too stereotypical and boring.

Maybe that bag was her grandmother’s, who just passed away—Chanel bags have been around for decades. That story seemed a little more entertaining. Then again, maybe she had been saving half of her paycheck for years to buy that bag that stands as a status symbol in our society—maybe she is just trying to fit in. That makes the best story, I thought.

Satisfied, I move on to the next passerby.

I just judge and move on, never bothering to ask.

Next, I walk past a homeless shelter.

(I’ve always thought it ironic that one exists on Newbury St. but this is an entirely different problem.) I’ve volunteered at this particular kitchen before, and I was always told to believe that most of these women are victims of the government or have been homeless for most of their lives. I create their stories and keep walking. But what if one of those people sitting in the church’s alcove is an undercover reporter or doctor doing research on the ever-growing homeless population in Boston? Again, I approve of this story and move on. I still don’t stop, and I definitely don’t ask.

In my first column as Features Editor for The Heights, I am going to make a promise to my audience for the next year: I am going to start asking. Instead of creating my own alternate realities for each person I pass on the street, I want to investigate their actual realities. I want to reveal to my readers how other people on this campus live, making it more difficult for people to categorize others based on their appearances. Instead of merely making up stories in my head, I will ask and report the stories once a week in these four short pages.

The purpose of this section is to ask the questions that other people do not have the time or the capacity to ask. I have accepted the challenge and responsibility of not letting any person (read story) pass me by again.

Upon further consideration, I realize that over the past few years on this campus I’ve been doing a great injustice to everyone I pass. You see, I’ve been making up my own stories, when actually anyone’s real story is more interesting than anything I could possibly come up with on the street. My limited imagination cannot begin to skim the surface of events and experiences that everyone has each day, let alone how all of these experiences intertwine to create one life-long narrative for each person.

There is actually a formal term for this thought process or realization that everyone else has just as much if not more complexity in his or her life as you.

This realization is called a sonder.

It happens when you realize that for the girl with the Chanel bag or the homeless person sitting in the dirty church alcove, you are merely another passerby, just as they are to you. Perhaps most importantly, it happens when you realize that this campus is made up of tens of thousands of different stories, each no less important or complex than your own life story.

Later that day, I bumped into the girl with the Chanel bag. “I love your bag, by the way,” I said.

“Oh, it’s not even real,” she said. “I got it when I was teaching English in China—they have the best knock-offs over there.”

I’m glad I asked.

campus quirks

Alison Takahashi

Editor’s Column

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FEATURES THE HEIGHTS

Monday, January 24, 2013

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2013

Immersion program enlightens

BY CORINNE DUFFY Heights Staff

As finals season approaches, the University’s libraries prepare for the inevitable influx of dedicated students

BY CAROLINE HOPKINS Heights Staff For those dreaded two weeks during mid-December, the Boston College libraries become students’ new homes. They’re where they eat, drink, socialize, and sleep. (And, maybe even study.) In fact, many students might even benefit from changing their mailing address to O’Neill Library from Dec. 14-21.

The 24/7 library hours are absolutely essential for finals week survival. Many students can not imagine being forced to leave the library at 3 a.m. and attempting to cram the rest of the night in their dorm rooms. Such a thing simply just isn’t possible. Lucky for BC students, from the nights of Dec. 2 through Dec. 20, both O’Neill and Bapst libraries extend their hours, operating 24 hours, seven days a week. Normally, O’Neill operates from 7:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. from Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Sunday. The hours are similar for the first two floors in Bapst Library while the top floor, Gargan Hall, is open for 24 hours year round. Students may take for granted the accessibility of the university libraries during this time of year, or perhaps even complain about having to journey .2 miles from their dorm rooms in the frigid, whipping winds to get to O’Neill. Take a moment to consider, however, what 24/7-accessibility means for the BC library staff. A brief conversation with Thomas Wall, university librarian, and Connie Strittmatter, head librarian in access services and collection maintenance, will leave any student truly appreciative for the beloved libraries at BC. Many do not know that the libraries hire seven new employees for three weeks during December, or that the libraries coordinate extra hours with BCPD to ensure security guards staffed overnight in both O’Neill and Bapst. Throughout exam week in particular, the library staff puts a tremendous amount of extra energy into ensuring that the libraries are as accessible, welcoming, and presentable as possible. The mission of the University libraries year round, Wall said, is to “make it a student space for all things academic—you can come in, you can meet with your friends, you can study, you can surf, you can collaborate, you can do word processing—whatever you want to do, you should be able to do it here.”

During reading and final exam period, however, the library mission becomes slightly more specific. “We’re trying to make it as quiet and as open and accessible as possible,” Wall said. “We’re almost trying to provide a refuge for you guys when you’re studying.”

Wall has worked with BC University libraries for five years now.

No more than two or three years ago, library final exam accommodations were only half of what they are today. Refreshments, for instance—that table of complementary coffee, cocoa, and cookies— used to occur only once during the entirety of finals week at O’Neill alone. Always looking to accommodate the students, however, the library staff recently increased the cookie and refreshment bestowal to twice per night in both libraries every night during finals. “We’re

See Libraries, B7

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS STAFF

Christmas time is often associated with an abundance of presents, delicious food, coziness, and time spent with family and friends. Throughout the world, though, impoverishment, hunger, illness, and loneliness affect millions despite the joyous holiday season.

Therefore, with the true spirit of giving in mind, several students and faculty members are preparing for service trips that will take place at the end of Winter Break through various Boston College clubs and organizations.

In addition to wintertime volunteer excursions to destinations such as Belize, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Guatemala sponsored by the Arrupe International Immersion Program, Urban Immersion offers students the opportunity to reach out to impoverished individuals nearer to campus.

Led by Rev. Don MacMillan, S.J. and Dan Leahy of Campus Ministry, the 10th annual Urban Immersion entails a week-long experience where 25 students journey to various outreach programs in the greater Boston area to learn about and actively participate in the lives of the homeless and impoverished.

This year, the trip takes place on Sunday, Jan. 5 through Saturday, Jan. 11, with 22 students currently signed on to volunteer at St. Francis House, Rose’s Place, Boston Living Center, Marian Manner, and Boston Rescue Mission.

On Jan. 5, participants will return to campus to assemble for orientation, Celebrate mass, and receive their assignments. The students will then be separated into five small groups, and each day they will alternate which location they visit.

After spending the day at one of the five different outreach programs, the five groups will return to Vanderslice’s Caberet Room for dinner. The first group that returns is designated to cook dinner for the subsequent four.

Next, time is allotted for general reflection, discussion, and prayer, and then the students will listen to a variety of speakers from organizations such as the Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau—a group committed to engaging people in the mission of ending homelessness by having individuals previously homeless or impoverished present their struggles to people across all of New England.

These speakers address various and extensive problems within the city, speaking on behalf of the organizations, detailing the historical progression and underlying mission of the volunteer institutions.

Additionally, they come from a variety of backgrounds, with many veterans and some individuals, like the woman who spoke to last year’s volunteer group during an evening seminar.

At the conclusion of each day, the participants gather for a multi-faith prayer service and “people go around to share how their day went,” MacMillan said.

In addition to living out the Jesuit call to be “men and women for others,” the overarching goal of this service trip

See Immersion, B7

Employees walk their way to healthy lifestyle through Fitbit program The Healthy You initiative provides team atmosphere and competition for faculty

BY KENDRA KUMOR Heights Editor Healthy competition promotes healthier employees through Boston College’s Walk Across Campus (WAC) program.

Employees ranging from professors, faculty, ministers, and nurses participated in the semester-long program, forming teams and counting their steps to victory.

The program is run through the Human Resources Department under the “Healthy You” initiative that provides em-

ployees with resources such as lectures on healthy eating, Weight Watchers meeting discounts, and cooking classes. With the program just finishing its third semester on Nov. 30, WAC has been the most widely attended and possibly most successful aspect of the Healthy You initiative.

“We had a team last semester too,” said Joanne Larosee, recruiting manager at the Career Center. “It actually got pretty competitive within the office.”

Each person who signs up for the program is outfitted with a Fitbit—a type of

I NSIDE FEATUR E S THIS ISSUE

pedometer that records every step a person takes throughout the day. Employees are not only encouraged to walk but “work out, run, cycle, dance, or hike” their way to their daily, weekly, and semester-long goals, according to the WAC website.

“The goal or average number of steps a person should take each day is 10,000,” said Carole Flynn, recruiting program assistant and team member. “Sometimes that can be really hard to do, especially for someone in an office job.”

The Fitbits come in two different forms: one that attaches to the person’s shoe and another version, new for this semester, in bracelet form. The Fitbit comes with frequent emails about the goals the participants are meeting, the calories they

have burned, and the “badges” they can earn. The website and emails can be supplemented with an app that provides the same information on the go.

“Just last week I got an email that I had walked over 300 miles,” Flynn said. “That was over the past year, of course.”

Even after the official competition between groups on campus is over, the participants can still keep their Fitbits and sign up for the program on an individual basis. Flynn explained that she continued her walking regimen over the summer.

“One of the things I really like about the program is that, although we are working as a team, it has helped me to improve on an individual level,” Larosee said. “The Fitbit monitors every step I take, so it just

Heights Through the Century BC’s Irish connection has stayed strong thanks to new programs and the Burns Library collection ................................. B9

helps me stay aware of my activity level.”

The team members attributed most of the success of the program to monitoring their daily steps and calories on the website.

Each group signs up through an online registry at the beginning of each semester, and one member of each group identifies as a team leader. Teams can consist of up to 20 employees, and the leader is expected to hold a weekly walk or other active event, according to the WAC website.

Additionally, the team leader is in charge of fostering a competitive spirit within the team. The team leader also has the responsibility of rewarding one member of his or her team with the most

See Healthy You, B9

Editor’s Column.................................B7 He Said/She Said.........................B8