beanpot champs
art or enterprise?
haley house
sports
metro
the scene
Bill Arnold’s OT goal led BC over BU for their third straight Beanpot title, A10
Employees of the non-profit program, Haley House, share their inspiring life stories, B10
Recent days have seen a surge in art-inspired objects, B1
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 9
Researchers weigh in on Belfast Project legal drama By David Cote News Editor
Editor’s Note: This story is part of an ongoing series about the subpoena of the Belfast Project.
photo courtesy of eagle ems
Eagle EMS members (from left, Pat Arpin, Kendra Munkascy, Chris Faherty, and Kevin Wickersham) with the new Eagle EMS vehicle.
Eagle EMS rolls out new medical vehicle Ford Explorer will help EMTs respond to on campus medical emergencies By Andrew Millette Assoc. News Editor
After a decade of research and proposals, Eagle EMS (EEMS) has finally obtained an emergency response vehicle. A speciallyoutfitted 2012 Ford Explorer XLT will allow EEMS to give initial medical care to patients anywhere on any one of Boston College’s three campuses in the time before an ambulance is able to arrive. This is a massive step forward in the evolution of EEMS, which was previously only able to offer care during events on campus. “The vehicle is outfitted with everything
that an ambulance has, besides a stretcher,” said Chris Faherty, president of Eagle EMS and A&S ’13. “It is a non-transporting, class five ambulance that actually has even more medicines on board than an average ambulance would.” The vehicle is equipped with lights and sirens, radio communications, and a host of medicines and medical equipment, including EpiPens, charcoal, traction splints, trauma equipment, aspirin, and more. “We have had cases where the application of the kinds of medications the vehicle will carry would have been appropriate,” said John King, director of public safety and chief of the BCPD. “In the past, we would
have had to wait for the ambulance to bring those kinds of things to the scene, and now Eagle EMS will be able to bring them almost immediately.” Last Friday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services declared the emergency response vehicle legally ready for use after completing a three-hour inspection of the vehicle. The Office of Emergency Medical Services also inspected EEMS as an organization and approved of the operating guidelines it has set forth for use of the vehicle. The emergency response vehicle will be responsible for primary medical response on campus Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. “This vehicle
See EEMS Vehicle, A4
The Belfast Project started as an historical effort by Boston College intended to preserve the experiences of men and women on the ground during “the Troubles,” a period of violence and political turmoil in Northern Ireland that lasted from the 1960s to 1998. Over the past nine months, the project has developed into far more—an international legal episode with high tensions and even higher potential consequences. Last May, tapes from the Belfast Project were subpoenaed by the United States federal government, on behalf of the United Kingdom, as part of an ongoing investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) into the death of Jean McConville, an Irish widow and mother of 10 who was murdered in 1979. The U.S. government issued the subpoenas pursuant to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), an agreement between the two countries to exchange information in the interest of solving crimes, which they believed applied in the case of the Belfast Tapes. Last year, the Department of Justice successfully subpoenaed interviews with two former IRA members who participated in the Belfast Project, Brendan Hughes and Dolours Price. The second set of subpoenas specifically called for the procurement of any and all interviews that contained information relating to McConville’s death, and have posed far greater legal difficulties. BC filed a motion to quash the subpoenas last June, but was ordered to hand over the tapes on Dec. 27 by Judge William Young. At that time, the University did not file an appeal on the decision, but reserved the right to appeal at a later date. Young was to review the tapes and select those that he believed fit the description of the subpoena, as relating to McConville’s death. Young eventually revealed that seven of the tapes held by BC were relevant to the investigation and should be handed over to the British authorities. BC still reserves the right to appeal, and is deliberating whether or not it will, according to University Spokesman Jack Dunn.
Beginnings The Belfast Project began in the early 2000s under the direction of Burns Librarian Robert O’Neill and Thomas Hachey, executive director of the Center for Irish Programs. The two spoke with Paul Bew, now a member of the British House of Lords, while he was a visiting professor at BC in 1999 and 2000, about the possibility of beginning an oral history project regarding the Troubles. Bew returned to Ireland and spoke with Ed Moloney, an Irish journalist and former schoolmate of Bew’s, who became interested in the possibility of directing such a project. Moloney referenced a similar project conducted by the Irish government after the Anglo-Irish War as part of his motivation for becoming involved in an oral history of the Troubles. “[The Irish oral history project] was a very, very valuable historical archive and it was conducted and paid for by the government,” Moloney said in an interview. “I had always been an admirer of this. I had thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to do something like
See Belfast, A4
matt liber / for the heights
The Belfast Project interviews are stored in the Burns Library (above), in Chestnut Hill.
Obama provides avenue of escape for religiously affiliated institutions By Brandon Stone For The Heights
In recent weeks, a struggle between the Obama Administration and certain religiously affiliated organizations has played out on the national stage. The struggle concerned the Obama Administration’s stance on the rules that govern the health insurance plans offered by religiously affiliated organizations, such as charities, hospitals, and universities. Initially, the administration supported the requirement of such organizations to offer free birth control for their employees. It did, however, allow an exception for explicitly religious organizations, such as churches. Many religious leaders took issue with the fact that religiously affiliated organizations were not offered a similar exception, arguing that it forced them to violate their religious beliefs. On Feb. 10, however, President Obama announced a softening of the rule, namely, that religiously affiliated organizations would no longer be required to pay for contraceptives themselves. The cost would instead be shifted to the health insurance companies. This change is seen by many as a concession to religious leaders, particularly Roman Catholic bishops, who had been outspoken in their opposition to the policy. However, later on Friday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement that rejected any compromise on the issue and instead indicated that the Conference would continue to push for a complete end to the birth control mandate. The birth control mandate, which requires all employers to provide free access to preventive care and currently offers exceptions for religiously affiliated organizations, is part of Obama’s healthcare overhaul.
The Obama Administration’s recent change in stance has fractured much of the opposition to the birth control mandate. Although the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops remained steadfastly opposed, many religious organizations, such as the Catholic Health Administration and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, hailed the compromise as a success. “I really am appreciative of what the president did last Friday,” said Rev. Gregory Lucey, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. “I’m optimistic and hopeful, and I feel the religious liberty issue is addressed.” Supporters of the Obama Administration’s birth control mandate argue that opponents are exaggerating the effect of the new rule. In fact, 28 states already require organizations that offer prescription insurance to cover contraception. Organizations in these states could have chosen to self-insure or not to offer prescriptions drug coverage. However, many, including Boston College, chose instead to offer contraceptive services as part of their prescriptions health insurance packages. “Since 2002, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has required religiously affiliated institutions to provide contraceptive coverage for their employees,” University Spokesman Jack Dunn said. “Boston College continues to provide this service, which does not cover abortions, abortifacients, or sterilization.” Though the issue remains a controversial one, it seems that the powerful opposition that initially rose to fight the rule will not be seen again. Moderate Catholics and religious leaders generally seem satisfied with Obama’s compromise. As such, the administration appears to have moved on from the issue now that a compromise has been reached. n
daniel lee / heights editor
Students gathered in Conte Forum last night to hear the announcement of the theme for this year’s spring dance in the O’Connell House.
Middlemarch will have superhero theme this year By Samantha Costanzo Asst. News Editor
The theme for the 38th annual Middlemarch dance was announced last night at 10 p.m. in Conte Forum. The announcement video showed three O’Connell House managers arguing over the theme, each insisting that Jersey Shore, sports, or PBS was the best idea for a theme before announcing that Middlemarch would be cancelled this year. After a brief pause during which several students jokingly stood up to leave, the video resumed, showing the managers
in superhero costumes. After a montage of clips from The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, and Spiderman, it was clear that this year’s theme will be superheroes. “There’s a lot of variety with this theme,” said Christopher Georgevich, undergraduate manager and A&S ’13. “It’s something people would probably like to dress up as.” This year’s Middlemarch dance will take place on March 23, the same night as the annual 100 Days Dance for seniors, which was postponed from its regular time in mid February this year. Middlemarch is hosted in the
O’Connell House each year and features a theme that attendees must use as inspiration for their costume for the evening. Because of the limited amount of space inside O’Connell House, the only way to obtain a ticket for the event is to be present at the theme announcement to get a scavenger hunt list. The list, which includes questions about BC and O’Connell House managers, must be filled out and returned to the Student Programs Office by Feb. 20. Past Middlemarch themes have included board games, Harry Potter, and Nickelodeon. n