lacrosse defeated
Innovation day disney stars speak
Sports
metro
the scene
No. 13 women’s lacrosse unable to keep up with No. 12 Syracuse in tight contest, A10
Children’s Hospital Boston commemorates the city’s superior healthcare, B10
Taylor Kitsch and Andrew Stanton offer their thoughts about new film, B1
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 11
Chris and Kudzai win with 51 percent of vote
BC will appeal court’s ruling, protect tapes
42 percent of students turn out to elect UGBC leadership for 2012-2013 year
Appeal will not be heard until June
By David Cote News Editor
Chris Osnato and Kudzai Taziva, both A&S ’13, have won the UGBC presidency for the 2012-2013 academic year. The pair received 50.5 percent of the votes cast. Vanessa Gomez and Jennifer Wanandi, both A&S ’13, received 243 fewer votes than the Osnato-Taziva vote. In total, 3,745 ballots were cast, amounting to 42 percent of the undergraduate student population. Osnato and Taziva campaigned under the slogan “Because YOU Matter,” and have worked hard to emphasize their commitment to including every student at Boston College. They stressed the importance of improving academic advising and creating peer-mentoring relationships. They also recognized poor attendance at athletic events, and hope to encourage better participation by incentivizing attendance. Gomez and Wanandi also recognized the importance of incorporating the typical student into UGBC, and
By Taylour Kumpf Editor-in-Chief
hoped to restructure UGBC to be more transparent. They wanted to increase relationships with administrators and accessiblity for students to their UGBC representatives. “From the beginning, we’ve tried to make this campaign relevant and important to all students on campus,” Osnato and Taziva said in a statement. “We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to make a difference on this campus and we will do our best to carry out the goals and initiatives outlined in our platform. We commend the efforts of the GomezWanandi team and we hope to work with them in the upcoming year. Thank you Boston College!” Voter turnout was down from last year, when 3,918 votes were cast. There were 208 voters who submitted ballots without selecting a presidential candidate, comprising 5.5 percent of the total votes. Senate votes were also tallied and released by the Elections Committee. They
See Elections, A4
woogeon kim / heights editor
SOFC budget runs dry early
By Taylour Kumpf
Asst. News Editor
Editor-in-Chief
See SOFC, A4
See Belfast, A4
UGBC gets green light for concert from administration
By Samantha Costanzo The Student Organization Funding Committee (SOFC) has recently alerted all organizations that receive funds from it that it has exhausted its budget for this year and will not be able to fund additional events or hear appeals for more funding. According to the e-mail sent to each registered student organization (RSO), the SOFC was asked for $1,835,879 this year but only received $476,600. This money comes from the student activity fee each student pays and is split with UGBC, club sports, and Nights on the Heights. Several factors contributed to the depletion of SOFC’s funds this year. According to Karl Bell, assistant director of the Student Programs Office, various accounting errors occurred between the fall and spring semesters. SOFC generally looks at the amount of money clubs have left over from previous semesters, called “carry forward,” when determining new budgets. For example, a club asking for $4,000 for this semester that already has $1,000 left over could only receive a maximum of $3,000. This year was the first year in which SOFC divided its funds between two semesters. “The carry forward [from the previous year] was accounted for in the fall, but there was no carry forward accounted for in the spring,” Bell said. As a result, clubs were overfunded. In addition to this error, the sheer number of RSOs proved difficult to deal with. “The amount of clubs that we’re al-
Boston College filed an appeal on Monday of the federal court ruling issued last month that ordered the University to turn over transcripts and recordings of interviews with seven individuals who took part in the Belfast Project, an oral history project on the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland known as “The Troubles.” “Boston College today filed an appeal of the District Court’s most recent decision (issued Jan. 20, 2012) requiring the University to turn over all or parts of the interviews of seven individuals who took part in The Belfast Project, an oral history project on the Troubles in Northern Ireland,” University Spokesman Jack Dunn said on Monday. “The University is seeking further review of the court’s order to ensure that the value of the interviews to the underlying criminal investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland outweighs the interests in protecting the confidentiality of academic research materials.”
alex trautwig / heights senior staff
Last year’s Spring Concert featuring J. Cole and Wale (above), resulted in many transports.
UGBC has announced that they have been given the go-ahead by the administration to have a concert this spring. This approval comes with a contingency clause, however, as administrators have said that future concerts are dependent on student behavior this spring. According to Michael Kitlas, UGBC president and A&S ’12, there have been numerous discussions between the administration and UGBC, and the University has finally agreed to allow a
Spring Concert event. “We’ve had a lot of communication with the administration–including proposals and recommendations,” he said. “But we finally got the green light.” Based on the proposals UGBC submitted to the administration, Kitlas said that students will see some changes with the event this spring, including an earlier start time on the Friday of the concert. Kitlas stated that the most important thing is working to create a safer environment at large-scale concerts.
See Concert, A4
Campus parking dilemmas and prices explained by administration By Colleen Donnelly For The Heights
If you ask students, many of them will tell you that one of their least favorite aspects of Boston College is the lack of undergraduate student parking. According to Transportation and Parking Manager Paul Cappadona, resident students share access to about 970 parking spaces between the Main, Brighton, and Newton campuses. There are 9,100 undergraduate students, meaning that about 10 percent of students are able to park on campus each year. Cappadona also stated that graduate students and commuters comprise about 70 percent of the total parking inventory owned by BC. If permits are requested, it is more likely that they will be given to graduate students and commuters rather than full-time resident undergraduates.
In addition to being limited for undergraduate students, parking is also extremely expensive. This can be a source of concern for many who feel that having access to a car on campus is a necessity. For resident undergraduate students, parking costs $518 per semester, while graduate students pay $259 per year. “The prices are developed to support the maintenance and upkeep of the parking facilities,” Cappadona said. On top of insurance, maintenance, and gas prices, the high price for parking is a major deterrent to many students who desire to have access to a car on campus. Not only is parking difficult for students, but it is also a hassle for weekday visitors. Because of faculty and staff parking, visitors are prohibited from using the Commonwealth Garage until after 2 p.m. Visitors must park on lev-
See Parking, A4
annie budnick / for the heights
Parking on campus is limited for undergrads, and fees range as high as $518 per semester.
TopTHREE
The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
things to do on campus this week
..
1
Why be baptized? Today Time: 5:30 p.m. Location: Heights Room
Rev. John F. Baldovin, S.J., will discuss the sacrament of baptism, its importance in the Catholic Church, and why it should be considered more than just a cleansing from sin. This event is sponsored by the Church in the 21st Century and the School of Theology and Ministry.
Lysistrata
2
Today Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Robsham Theater
In this hilarious Greek comedy, a band of women from two warring city-states decide to take peace into their own hands. The play will run until Feb. 25.
University Chorale performance
3
Saturday Time: 2:00 p.m. Location: St. Ignatius Church The University Chorale of Boston College will perform music from Mozart’s Coronation mass as well as American folk hymns and spirituals.
the
University
In s w e N
New study shows that more women go abroad than men
On Campus Office of Residential Life to participate in annual Relay for Life for first time Eighteen employees from the Office of Residential Life will be participating in this year’s Relay for Life to honor a late colleague and remember their own experiences with cancer. Over winter break, the office began thinking about philanthropic activities that employees of the office could participate in together. Katie Wostbrock, Resident Director in Duchesne Hall and co-captain of the team, told The Boston College Chronicle that Relay for Life was a natural choice because of the number of people in the office who had been affected by cancer in some way. Three members of the team are survivors of cancer themselves. In addition, the team will be honoring the memory of their colleague Ellen Hominsky, who died of leukemia in 2010 after working at Boston College for 35 years. The team, called “Too Inspired to be Tired,” has already raised $1,185 and is in the process of brainstorming other ways to raise money at the event itself.
Of the nearly 270,600 students who went abroad during the 2009-2010 school year, about two-thirds were women. Though many may conclude that women usually study some kind of liberal art, such as literature or the fine arts, and are therefore more predisposed to study abroad, business students are now the second largest group to go abroad. Kate Frehyof, a graduate of Gettysburg College, teamed up with the college’s study abroad office to investigate and found that men were more likely to go abroad if their friends were going too, while women didn’t mind exploring on their own. Men were also less likely to respond to current marketing techniques for study abroad programs.
Hospitals campaign to reduce consumption of sugary drinks Mayor Thomas Menino and 10 Boston hospitals have partnered with the American Heart Association in an attempt to reduce the amount of soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks consumed in hospitals. St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, which serves the BC community, is among the hospitals pledging to replace high-sugar drinks with healthier options, install free water dispensers, and provide patient and employee education. The initiative is part of heart health awareness month, which takes place in February.
Series offers BC students a look at the ‘Real World’ By Brigid Wright For The Heights
Sara Davey/For The Heights
Cameron Smith, one of the speakers at BC’s first “Real World: Boston College” event, spoke of his college experiences. mation and LSOE ’14. “We chose really relatable faculty administration, peer leaders, whoever it may be so everyone on campus can have an opportunity to listen to someone they haven’t heard and learn something.”
Both Corey and Smith gave heartfelt, comedic talks about their experiences in college, and what they wish they could have known looking back . Some of their advice was humorous, as Smith stated, “I wish I had flossed in college,”
and Corey rehashed her musical choices at parties in 2003. However, the basis of both lectures was to encourage students to listen to their gut and be honest with themselves. Both speakers reached out to students in a sentimental,
relatable way, urging them to look beyond the superficial aspects of college social life. Smith concluded his talk with the statement, “I wish I knew to have honest conversations ,and I wish I knew to have conversations with people who weren’t my friends.” Corey ended on a similar note, encouraging students to, “listen to yourself, and those deepest down stirrings inside of you.” After the event, Corey commented on her experience working on the lecture. “This is a great event for BC students because students really will get a chance to hear from people who went to college 10 plus years ago and learn from their advice, but in a fun, authentic, meaningful way.” She mentioned that events like this are particularly unique because they offer a retreat-like “talk” outside of the solemn setting. “[Students] can take one hour out of their lives and just be able to hear a story.” Real World: Boston College will continue to have events throughout the semester with similar topics featuring faculty and staff, to reach out to students of all types. n
Police Blotter
Voices from the Dustbowl
2/19-2/22/12
“What is your dream vacation spot?”
Sunday, February 19
reported that his Kindle had been stolen. A detective is investigating.
12:30 a.m. - An office filed a report on an underage, intoxicated BC student who was injured. The party was transported to a medical facility by Boston EMS.
11:40 p.m. - A student reported the theft of a shirt. A detective is investigating.
2:05 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a BC student who attempted to steal an item of food at Corcoran Commons. The party was transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser. 2:41 a.m. - An officer stopped and identified the operator of a motor vehicle which he had observed traveling at a high speed the previous evening. 9:21 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a small amount of marijuana that was confiscated from two students at 66 Commonwealth Avenue.
Monday, February 20 1:43 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a student who had his wallet stolen at an off campus establishment. He was told to notify the Boston Police. 3:33 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a traffic accident on Centre Street involving personal injuries. Newton Police and Newton Fire also responded. The injured parties were transported to medical facilities by ambulance.
6:10 p.m. - A student in Edmond’s Hall
“Lothlorien.” —Meaghan McCarthy, A&S ’15
Tuesday, February 21 9:06 a.m. - An officer filed a report regardingthe smell of smoke coming from inside the Brighton Campus library. The cause was determined to be a burnt-out motor from a univent heater. BC HVAC was notified and they removed the motor. There was no actual fire. 1:58 p.m. - A student reported that a banner belonging to a student organization had been removed. It was discovered that Facilities Services had removed the banner.
“Dubai.” —Phoebe Theodore, CSOM ’14
6:54 p.m. - An officer filed a report on a verbal altercation between two males at the Plex. There was no physical altercation.
—Source: The Boston College Police Department
“Bora Bora or Tora Bora..” —Molly Pekula,
A&S ’13
53° A.M. Showers 35°
Friday
45° Rain 38°
Saturday
46° Windy 24°
Sunday
41° Sunny 23°
Source: National Weather Service
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 Marketplace Desk (617) 552-3548 Features Desk (617) 552-3548 Arts Desk (617) 552-0515 Photo (617) 552-1022 Fax (617) 552-4823 Business and Operations General Manager (617) 552-0169 Advertising (617) 552-2220 Business and Circulation (617) 552-0547 Classifieds and Collections (617) 552-0364 Fax (617) 552-1753 EDITORIAL RESOURCES News Tips Have a news tip or a good idea for a story? Call David Cote, News Editor, at (617) 552-0172, or e-mail news@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the News Desk. Sports Scores Want to report the results of a game? Call Greg Joyce, Sports Editor, at (617) 552-0189, or e-mail sports@bcheights.com. Arts Events The Heights covers a multitude of events both on and off campus – including concerts, movies, theatrical performances, and more. Call Brennan Carley, Arts and Review Editor, at (617) 552-0515, or e-mail arts@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the Arts Desk. Clarifications / Corrections The Heights strives to provide its readers with complete, accurate, and balanced information. If you believe we have made a reporting error, have information that requires a clarification or correction, or questions about The Heights standards and practices, you may contact Taylour Kumpf, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@ bcheights.com. CUSTOMER SERVICE Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Dan Ottaunick, General Manager at (617) 552-0547. Advertising The Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the BC community. To submit a classified, display, or online advertisement, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.
The Heights is produced by BC undergraduates and is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by The Heights, Inc. (c) 2012. All rights reserved. “Brockton, Mass.” —Cliff Sutter, A&S ’13
Wednesday, February 22 3:49 a.m. - An officer filed a report on a person at Cheverus Hall who was arrested on an outstanding warrant. The person was transported to BCPD for booking and was later transported to the Newton Police station.
Today
Local News
featured story
The UGBC Student Information and University Affairs committee filled Gasson 100 on Wednesday night with their first of several “Real World: Boston College” events. The event, “Things I Know Now That I Wish I Knew In College” featured Katie Corey, STM ’13, and Cameron Smith, assistant director for the First Year Area and Academic Initiatives in the Office of Residential Life, who gave talks about their experiences as college students in the early 2000s. The series, which commenced on Wednesday, is targeted toward all BC students to offer insight on the “real world.” Grace Lee, UGBC director of Student Information and A&S ’14, introduced the talk, stating that the series had a focus on “where have you been, and where are you going.” “My co-director [Grace] and I decided that we wanted to spark a more honest conversation series on campus,” said Kiley Callahan, UGBC director of Student Infor-
Four Day Weather Forecast
CORRECTIONS In the article titled “45 students vie for 15 UGBC Senate positions” in the Feb. 20 issue, Molly McCarthy, A&S ’14, was not included in the list of candidates for Senate.
The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
A3
GOP provides the laughs
IDER S ON
C
The Global Water Shortage
Sean Talia This year’s Republican primary season has been spectacular. Everything about it makes it entertaining – the quickly shifting political winds, the struggle to overthrow Romney, and Herman Cain. But among all the reasons to pay attention, my favorite is that the candidates just love to say really stupid things. Take for instance, Mitt Romney’s comments regarding the recent bit of health care reform that I discusse d in my la st column. B efore Obama had amended the legislation to accommodate Catholic-affiliated employers, Romney lambasted it as an “assault on religion” and as evidence that Obama was unwilling to “protect our right to worship God.” Now, a similar version of the law came on the books in Massachusetts in 2002, but we were all relieved that once Romney became governor, he quickly gave us back our first amendment rights by repealing the measure. And by that I mean he did exactly the opposite, passing a new law in 2006 that expanded access to contraceptives. He also lost a battle with the state legislature over whether hospitals, including Catholic ones, should be required to provide emergency contraception pills to rape victims. Romney vetoed the bill at first, then had his veto vetoed by the state legislature, tried to get an exemption made for Catholic hospitals, and eventually just gave up after deciding that the bill wasn’t such a bad idea after all. So by taking a swing at Obama, he was actually taking a swing at himself as well. Whoops. That particular issue resurfaced a couple of weeks ago after Santorum brought it up, condemning Romney for being too much like Obama, whom he said had “decreed” that Catholics and other religious employers must offer “sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs” to their employees. This came as shocking news to me, as I was totally unaware that contraceptive drugs actually sterilize you, so I was happy that “Dr.” Santorum cleared that up for me. And kudos again to Mr. Santorum for letting us all know that birth control “is not okay, be cause it’s a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be…it gets deconstructed to the point where it becomes simply pleasure.” Heaven forbid! It’s funny because all this talk about banning abortion and contraception is coming from a guy who claims to want to downsize the government. Of course, by downsizing he really just means that the government should intrude in everyone’s private life where he feels it’s appropriate and ensure that it keeps its grubby little hands out of his pockets. Now, the brutal, if naive, honesty may win some voters over, but his extremist positions on women’s health issues could very well hurt him if it alienates the GOP’s more moderate female constituents. Apparently no one told Santorum that a good 99 percent of women between the ages of fifteen and forty-four in the United States have used contraception at some point in their lives, and that they might not take kindly to his inflammatory rhetoric. Or maybe he just enjoys making really stupid, politically radioactive remarks. It’s hard to tell.
Sean Talia is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at news@bcheights. com.
Photo Courtesy of Walk for Water
Walk for Water publicizes shortages By Sara Doyle For The Heights
Every morning until Mar. 2, two groups of students will meet and walk between one and a half to two miles for the movement known as “Walk for Water.” These morning walks mimic the distance many people in developing countries have to walk to reach sources of fresh water, and raise both money and awareness for the Batey Los Robles School in the Dominican Republic. Walk for Water was started last year by a group of Boston College students, and has expanded this year to include not only the Newton Campus, but the lower campuses as well. “This year, everyone can participate, even those who don’t go to BC,” said Du Park, A&S ’13, who started Walk for Water along with Kelsey Stuart, CSON ’14; Chris Olmanson, A&S ’14; and Jon Geary, A&S ’14. “We’ll be walking down Central Street, and ladies jogging by would say ‘Hey, it’s Walk for Water!’”
Allison Gilmer and Brittany Owen, both CSON ’15, are leading the group that leaves from Newton at 8:00 a.m. each morning. “We just want people to know that there are people all over the world who have to walk two miles to get water, and often it’s contaminated,” Olmanson said. “We want to get the water to the school so the kids don’t have to make that walk. Often, they have to miss class to get water, and we want to help give them easier access.” For the founders, faith played a pivotal role in deciding to initiate the program. “We see it as one practical way that we can love people like Jesus loved people,” Stuart said. “This is one way we are trying to live that out, by loving people through meeting a very practical need.” This year, Maji, a company founded by BC student Max Ade, A&S ’12, is teaming up with Walk for Water. Maji, which donates $5 for every water bottle sold in order to build wells in developing nations around the world, will be donating $5 to the Batey Los Robles School for every water bottle sold to the
Walk for Water cause. These water bottles can be purchased online at www.majibottle.com/walkforwater. “It’s great, because it’s helping both the water bottles and our cause,” Olmanson said. Walk for Water has grown since its inception last year, and its founders are optimistic for the future. “It’s gotten bigger than I thought,” Park said. “It’s annual now, which is great. We want to see it be annual even after we’re gone.” Stuart agreed on the continued work that can be done to support the cause and provide clean drinking water for those in need. “This is just one way we’re trying to home in on this issue and how we can help, but it shouldn’t end just because the walk is over for the year,” Stuart said. The two groups of walkers meet each morning on Newton and outside of Corcoran Commons. The Newton group leaves at 8:00 a.m. in the morning, and the Lower group at 9:00 a.m. These events will continue for two weeks, until Mar. 2. n
Walk for Water’s efforts are a reminder of an issue that many college students living in the affluent Chestnut Hill area may forget about: the world water shortage. While this student group is walking over a mile to represent the journey that many citizens in developing nations must undergo every day to find clean water, the length of this walk is not the most shocking statistic involved with the world water shortage. Here are a few facts from water.org to help remind American students just how lucky they are, and how much work still needs to be done in the fight against the global water shortage: -3.575 million people die from a water-related disease. This is the same size as the population of Los Angeles. -884 million people lack access to safe water supplies; this is almost three times the size of the United States’ population. -Approximately one in eight people on earth lacks access to safe water. -People living in slums in developing nations often pay five to ten times as much for clean water as do citizens from the United States. This increase is due to the transport charges of bringing the water to the slums. -Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness. -Women in developing countries spend 200 million work hours a day collecting water for their families. An equivalent number of
work hours could build 28 Empire State Buildings a day. Unpaid Internships Though interns can gain valuable experience from unpaid internships and possibly improve their chances of getting a job, recently questions have been raised about whether businesses in the U.S. are using their unpaid interns legally. Just a few weeks ago, an Ohio State graduate sued Harper’s Bazaar for not paying her though she worked 40 to 55 hours a week for the company. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires that internship experience benefit the intern, and be similar to the training which would be given in an educational environment. It also requires that the employer derives no immediate advantage. Here are a few facts about unpaid internships that raise even more questions: -The book Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy reports that over 500,000 unpaid interns in the U.S. provide companies with two billion dollars of free labor. -The study The Debate Over Unpaid Internships reports that 87 percent of engineering and computer science majors have paid internships, while the percentage of education, social sciences, health sciences, and humanities majors that have paid internships is only 40 percent. - The same study reports that women are far more likely to have an unpaid internship than men. -By Andrew Millette n
Students must scrutinize internships By Rachel Schmit and Marion Halftermeyer For The Heights
Photo Courtesy of Walk for Water
Walk for Water groups from Newton and Upper campuses will walk over a mile a day to publicize global water shortages.
BC grad’s film shows moral courage By Brandon Stone For The Heights
This past Tuesday, Feb. 21, Boston College hosted a screening of the documentary Brownstones to Red Dirt. The film documents a penpal program between sixth-grade students from inner city Brooklyn and orphans from Freetown, Sierra Leone. The film’s co-creators, Dave LaMattina, BC ’03, and Chad Walker, shot the documentary in 2006, and it premiered at the Sarasota Film Festival in 2010. The fundraising campaign surrounding the film has raised over $55,000, enough to finance the construction of a new primary school in Sierra Leone. Brow n stone s to Re d D ir t features a group of roughly 10 children from Brooklyn and Freetown discussing their lives and the adverse environments in which they are growing up, as well as their aspirations for the future. It alternates between the children relating their own life stories, and reading the letters that they compose to their pen pals. Through the letters, the children discuss their lives and form genuine friendships. It is clear from the beginning of the film that both groups of children lead lives marked by hardship. Unquestionably, the Sierra Leone orphans, whose
parents were killed during the decade-long civil war, lead more difficult lives than their New York pen pals. In Freetown, poverty is rampant and electricity is unavailable 24 hours per day. All of the orphans’ lives have been indelibly marked by the Civil War. The Bedford-Stuyvesant housing projects from which the Brooklyn students hail, however, are situated in a dangerous urban environment where shootings are all too common.
It is clear from the beginning of the film that both groups of children lead lives marked by hardship. L aMattina de s c r ib e d hi s inspiration for the film, noting that it began during his time at BC. While at BC, LaMattina took part in the Jacques Salmanowitz Film Program, which offers money to students who wish to make films that show “moral courage.” L aMattina cho s e to f ilm a documentar y about single mothers in South Africa. He en-
joyed the project so much that he decided to soon make another film about Africa, though he was unsure as to what specifically. That question was answered for him by his fiancee, Elizabeth Glenne y, who taught at the Urban School for the Environment in Brooklyn (the school which the subjects of the film attended). Glenney elected to have her students participate in the Respect Refugees penpal program, and LaMattina saw the opportunity to make a fascinating documentary. When discussing the film, LaMattina said that the most surprising part of making the film was the level of poverty in which both groups of students were living. He expected the orphans in Sierra Leone to be living in difficult conditions, but the lives of the students in Brooklyn were more adverse than he could have imagined. He was, however, struck by the wholly innocent desires of both groups of children. While many of the adults with whom he dealt in Sierra Leone had an ulterior motive for working with the filmmakers, the children only wanted to tell their stories. Brownstones to Red Dirt is streaming free online at www. snagfilms.com for any interested viewers. n
Only a few months after Megan Easton started her unpaid internship at an event-planning firm in the spring, she began to dread going to work. All she seemed to do all day was update spreadsheets. “It was all busy work,” said Easton, a Bentley University senior majoring in marketing (This is not her real name, which she asked not be used). “This one time my boss even asked me to get lunch for her because she said she had a meeting,” Easton said. “My desk was in her office, and she didn’t leave to go to the meeting. I was so annoyed.” It’s not just annoying. It’s against the Fair Labor Standards Act, a federal law that governs what an unpaid intern can be asked to do. The act says that internships have to benefit the intern, not the employer. But while students and university career advisors say such violations occur, state and federal authorities say no one has ever filed a complaint, so they’ve never investigated. “We don’t know why people don’t complain,” said Ted Fitzgerald, spokesman for the regional office of the U.S. Department of Labor. “We don’t know if it’s going on and people aren’t reporting it, or if there really isn’t an issue. We just haven’t received complaints, and without complaints there is no basis for investigations.” Interns, former interns, and career counselors, however, say there is an issue. “Assuming that the employer hires the student in good faith, legally the student is getting more benefit than the employer. It doesn’t always pan out that way,” said Amy Donegan, associate director of undergraduate management advising at Boston College. “There are employers that do not pay that should. Legally they may be breaking the law, if someone really looked into it.” Retail brokerage firms, for example, assign interns to cold-call—or make unsolicited calls to—potential clients. “Is that a valuable experience?” Donegan said. “Depends on the student.” “I don’t want to name names but we did have an event-management firm that seemed to rely solely on the help of unpaid interns. And I thought that that was unethical. Considering what the interns were doing, they really were running the
company and the employer was profiting from it.” BC has cut ties with some employers for violating the standards, said Louis Gaglini, employer relations director at the University’s career center. The law says an internship has to be similar to “training that would be given in an educational environment” and cannot displace a paid employee. “If an employer uses interns as substitutes for regular workers … these interns should be paid at least the minimum wage and overtime compensation for hours worked over 40 in a work week,” the standards say. But students who try to complain face a bureaucratic runaround. Calls for information about unpaid internships were transferred from the national office of the U.S. Department of Labor to the Wage and Hour Division. The Wage and Hour Division sent them on to Division of Enforcement Policy and Procedure, which said the rules were enforced at the state level. No, they are not, said Alison Harris, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. Harris said the department does not have enforcement authority in the matter of internships, and referred calls to the Attorney General’s Office. There, a spokesman sent them back to the Boston district office of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, where an agent said she was not authorized to answer questions, which she referred to the agency’s regional spokesman, Fitzgerald. “We’d like to encourage people to report cases where they’re not being paid minimum wage or aren’t being compensated, or cases where perhaps they should have been paid,” he said. Half of American college students hold internships, and half of those are unpaid. Donegan said students should scrutinize potential internships. “If it is unpaid, they need to ask a lot of questions to be clear about what they will being doing specifically,” she said. “If they get a sense that the employer hasn’t thought about it, chances are the employer never will. And you’ll show up and the employer will be unprepared and give you busy work.” This story was produced by students in Jon Marcus’ Advanced Journalism class. n
The Heights
A4
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Rare occassion brings new questions: should two UGBC candidacies be allowed? By David Cote News Editor
Current UGBC Senate vice president and UGBC presidential candidate Vanessa Gomez, A&S ’13, was also on the ballot in hopes of being a UGBC senator for the class of 2013 next year. Though she lost the election for president, Vanessa won a senate seat for the class of 2013. Many students have raised concerns that Gomez’s double candidacy could result in an unfair election due to her increased
name visibility and publicity campaigns. Gomez has maintained that her decision to run for both positions was not made with bad intentions. Patrick Gladstone, co-chair of the Elections Committee and A&S ’12, commented on the situation’s rarity and pointed out that there is no precedent for such a case. “This was the first year that this situation arose,” Gladstone said in an e-mail. “We also looked through the code and there is nothing that says a student can-
not run for president and Senate at the same time. Because it was not in the code we decided that we did not have grounds for withholding a candidates name from either ballot for that reason.” Gladstone explained that although the Elections Committee understood student’s concerns about increased name visibility, “[The committee] has decided the argument is not justification for excluding a candidate from either ballot.” Gomez, who has served as vice president of Senate for the
last year, has also served on the Senate Budget Committee. “My reason for running for both positions is because I truly love Boston College and I’m very passionate about working to bring positive change for our student body,” Gomez said. “I have devoted a lot of time to UGBC and would like to continue to do so regardless of the outcome of the presidential race.” “If elected to the presidency and the senate, Vanessa would not be able to hold both spots and her senate seat would go to the
6th place finisher in the class of 2013,” Gladstone said. “Every year new things similar to this come up we must make neutral decisions based on the code and the circumstances presented to us. Just as with every post-election season, we evaluate the things that came up, hear the candidates’ input, and decide if we need to alter our policy or amend the code. That being said, all the candidates on the ballot this year are valid and we wish all the candidates the best of luck.” Gomez emphasized her hope
to bring positive change to BC in the next year, regardless of the outcome of her presidential run. “I apologize if anyone took this in a negative manner. This was obviously not my intention,” Gomez said. “I am simply a student who is dedicated to Boston College and wants to work to make it a better place. I’ve always wanted to make this institution better than way I found it, and this is the most effective forum to do so. I wish all of the other 2013 Senatorial candidates the best of luck.” n
Election results released BC will continue fight for Belfast tapes, ruling in June Elections, from A1
’15; Jennifer Sidney, CSOM ’15; and Christopher Marchese, LSOE ’15, were all elected. 6,245 votes are listed below in order of most were cast for the class of 2015 in votes received per grade. total. For the class of 2013, Bri“On behalf of the Elections an Raab, A&S ’13; Constantine Committee, I want to thank all Schidlovsky, CSOM ’13; Rory the candidates and their teams for O’Hanlon, A&S all of their hard ’13; Tim Jablonwork and dedi“Your ideas, your ski, A&S ’13; and cation towards Vanessa Gomez, th i s s p r i n g ’s experiences, your A&S ’13, were elections,” said passions … because all elected. 4,550 Pat Gladstone, votes were cast you matter. Thank you c o - c h a i r o f for the class of the Elections Boston College!” 2013 in total. Committee and For the class A&S ’12. “It is of 2014, Molly our hope that -Chris Osnato and McCarthy, the candidates Kudzai Taziva A&S ’14; Ricky ele c te d conUGBC President and Vice tinue to effect Knapp, A&S ’14; President-elect Nate S chlein, positive change A&S ’14; Coleand uphold the man Younger, responsibilities A&S ’14; and Stephen Wu, A&S handed over to them.” ’14, were all elected. 5,609 votes Osnato and Taziva also made were cast for the class of 2014 in a statement to their followers on total. their Facebook page. For the class of 2015, Michael “Your ideas, your experiences, Rosella, A&S ’15; Sean McBride, your passions … because you matA&S ’15; Brock Menard, CSOM ter. Thank you Boston College!” n
Belfast, from A1 The University has reserved the right to appeal throughout the case and did not immediately appeal the court’s first decision in December. “Boston College did not appeal the District Court’s first decision in this case (issued Dec. 16, 2011) because the court both accepted Boston College’s argument that government subpoenas for confidential academic materials requires heightened scrutiny, and agreed to review the materials in camera to help protect the significant interests at stake,” Dunn said. “In its appeal, Boston College will argue that the District Court incorrectly applied its own review standard when it demanded the production of the interviews of these seven individuals.” After the tapes were originally subpoenaed, BC asked U.S. District Court Judge William Young to review the tapes to determine their relevance to the criminal investigation regarding the abduction and murder of Jean McConville. “Upon his review, he determined that the
Price materials were relevant to the investigation and ordered that they be turned over to British law enforcement,” Dunn said. Young, who reviewed the transcripts, has said that he reviewed 176 transcripts compiled from interviews with 24 individuals, but only a handful even mention McConville, whose death is being investigated by British authorities in Northern Ireland. The body of McConville, a mother of 10, was recovered in 2003. British authorities have sought the information as they investigate the 1972 abduction and killing of McConville in Belfast. The IRA has admitted to killing McConville because she was suspected of being an informant. “From the beginning, Boston College has asked Judge Young to weigh our interest in protecting academic research with the government’s interest in meeting its Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty obligation with the United Kingdom,” Dunn said. “Judge Young agreed to balance these competing interests. The University is now seeking further review of his order
to ensure that the value of the interviews to the underlying criminal investigation outweighs our interest in protecting the confidentiality of academic research.” “In the subsequent review of the remaining IRA tapes, Judge Young ordered that seven of the tapes were relevant to the criminal investigation and ordered that they be turned over to British law enforcement,” Dunn said. “These interviews appear to have limited probative value to the investigation, so we have sought a review of the judge’s decision to determine if he incorrectly applied his own review standard when he ordered the production of these interviews.” The University’s appeal will likely be heard in June, Dunn stated. The researchers behind the project, Ed Moloney, Anthony McIntyre, and Wilson McArthur, are separately asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to completely block the request by British law enforcement. A hearing is set for March. In a statement, McIntyre and Moloney said they regretted that the college has only now decided
BC parking examined
SOFC hopes for more money SOFC, from A1 locating funds to is increasing, but the total amount of money that we have to allocate out is decreasing,” said Andrew Breger, Chair of SOFC and CSOM ’13. Breger also said that rather than ration funds throughout the first semester, SOFC funded as many events as possible in the fall. “A lot of clubs aske d for money for events, so we wanted to fund events that were in front of us that we knew were going to happen rather than ration off a portion of the money so it lasts the entire semester,” Breger said. This loss of funds is due in part to the fact that SOFC no longer funds club sports or service organizations. “You look at SOFC’s budget from three years ago at around $600,000, and then you look at it today at around $420,000 or $430,000 and you say ‘Oh yeah, you’ve been cut,’ but that’s technically not true,” Bell said. According to Breger, however, SOFC also faced additional cuts. “Club sports now took $100,000 out of our budget, which we would have funded to them anyways, and same with service groups,” he said. “That being said, we still received $90,000 less this year.”
According to Bell, this $90,000 w a s re allo c ate d to other groups. “As opposed to giving that $90,000 to the SOFC , there were other priorities, and those priorities vary greatly,” he said. “I will say that there was additional funding for service and recreation.” Despite the fact that it has run out of funds, Breger said that SOFC’s work this semester is far from done. The committee will be focusing on a variety of new goals designed to help both SOFC and the RSOs it supports. “Now that we’re out of money, we’re going to be advocating for the RSOs to receive more of the student activity fee dollars,” Breger said. “Another big [goal] is transparenc y and finding new ways to connect and communicate with our clubs and better understand their events. And we’re going to rework our guidelines. Our goal is to have each subdivision of clubs—intercultural, religious, service— get together with SOFC representatives and go guideline by guideline to see if that specific type of club should have unique guidelines.” This is not the first time that SOFC has run out of money before the end of the year. “This isn’t new, this isn’t an issue,” Bell said. “Two or three years ago, we had the same thing.” n
Parking, from A1
woogeon kim / heights editor
SOFC has run out of money with which to fund RSOs this year. SOFC hopes to advocate for more funds in the future.
UGBC responds to student requests by resolving Spring Concert issue Concert, from A1 “Concerts are not guaranteed from here on out,” he said. “If things don’t change, nothing is guaranteed.” Bianca Gandarias, executive director of communications for the UGBC and A&S ’12 said, “People need to change their behavior if the y want a Fall Concert.” In an effort to make students more aware that this is the case, UGBC will be organizing campaigns to spread the word to the undergraduate population. UGBC did not have further details on the concert at this time, but stated that they will be moving forward with the whole process as soon as possible. “We’re still going through the process of vetting artists,” Kitlas said. “Our deadline is basically as
soon as possible.” Kitlas said that UGBC is particularly excited to announce the spring concert to students because it is an opportunity for the organization to show that they have been listening to student concerns. UGBC’s recent “Be the Change Survey” received numerous responses regarding the spring concert situation and urging UGBC to push for the establishment of concerts as a tradition on campus. The sur vey, organized by Chris Duffy, A&S ’13 and Luke Stephan, CSOM ’14, co-directors of Student Rights within the UGBC Student Life department, asked students, “What is the one thing you would improve at Boston College?” and said to briefly describe the improvement they would like to see. Duff y and Stephan said that getting concerts back was a top concern for
that it will fight the forced release of the transcripts, especially since BC has already agreed to hand over the project’s interview with Price. “We would like to welcome Boston College’s decision to lodge an appeal against the subpoenas served against seven of our interviewees but regret that the college finally took this decision too late to include the interviews of Dolours Price,’’ the men said in a statement. “We will continue our fight to protect all our interviewees, Republican and Loyalist, including Dolours Price.” Dunn gave reasons for the University’s decision not to appeal for Price’s tapes. “We did not appeal [Young’s] decision because there was no legal basis upon which to appeal it,” Dunn said. “Dolours Price had given an interview in Northern Ireland in which she referenced her involvement in the Belfast Project and made statements that incriminated both herself and Gerry Adams. Her statements made her interests in upholding the secrecy of the interviews less than compelling to the court.” n
many students. The duo was surprised at the number of responses they received, stating that they expected around 100, but in fact, received over 1,200 unique responses. “The highest hit was dining issues,” Duff y said, in regard to what most students had concerns about. The issues that were raised ranged from food to the restructuring of the dining meal plan itself to space improvements, according to Duffy and Stephan. Some students requested more healthy choices in campus dining halls, as well as an expansion of offerings and hours of operation. Right up there with dining issues were student concerns about concerts and other largescale events. Many students suggested improving the diversity of acts available. For example, some students requested more
small-scale shows in the Chocolate Bar. Duffy and Stephan said their next step with the surveys will be to analy ze the responses and issues at large. They plan to compose a report based on student responses that will be made available to certain administrators and to the different UGBC branches. In addition, the duo mentioned that they will be responding directly to some of the students who submitted responses. The two said that they were pleased with the responses because many were more than just a quick sentence. “It was nice and refreshing from a usually apathetic student body,” Duffy said. Moving forward, UGBC plans to address the major categories from the responses with blog posts and e-mails to the student
body. In addition, the organization plans to clarify to students that certain issues raised are currently being addressed by the undergraduate government. In order to continue this dialogue, Kitlas said UGBC will be adding a suggestion box on their website to further this interaction and feedback from the organization to students, which he said will hopefully solidify this back-andforth for years to come. Students who filled out the survey were entered to win prizes such as Kindle Fires, Chipotle gift cards, Red Sox tickets, and early Mudstock Registration. Some of the winners include Dayna Mudge, A&S ’12; Meghan Shain, CSOM ’12; Joan Kwiatek, LSOE ’12; Robert Marren, A&S ’15; Elizabeth Lydon, CSON ’14; Zacharias Zacharia, A&S ’13; Vanessa Obei, A&S ’12; and Andrew Suralik, CSOM ’14. n
els 3 and 4 in the Beacon Street Garage adjacent to Alumni Stadium. On high volume days, such as Accepted Eagle Days, visitor parking spots become more difficult to find. Visitor parking for athletic events are managed differently according to the event, date, and time. Football games require that all students move their cars from Main Campus in order to accommodate the large number of fans attending the event. When heavy snow is predicted, students also have to remove their cars from surface parking lots, like the Mod Lot, to facilitate snow removal. Enforcement of BC parking rules and regulations is done through the BCPD. “The BCPD effectively meets the University’s needs due to the policies and procedures in place,” Cappadona said. “They are able to keep the number of parking violations to a manageable size, and given the amount of cars that park on campus daily, the number of vehicles towed is minimal.” The number of parking tickets issued daily varies depending on classes being in session, times, locations, and other factors.The average ticket price is set between $50 and $75. Cappadona believes that this is an effective deterrent to make sure there is enough space for those permitted to park. “Since raising ticket prices to this level around 2008, BC has successfully increased parking availability for permit holders and authorized visitors,” Cappadona said. The University does have plans to expand on campus parking in the future, though it is unknown whether or not the new parking will be available to undergraduates. The 10-year master plan being carried out by BC includes arrangements for a 500-space parking garage on the Brighton Campus. Although parking may be limited, Cappadona urges all students to abide by all parking regulations on and off campus. He maintains that BC works hard to be a good neighbor by following the parking laws of the City of Newton and addressing problems proactively. n
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The Heights
A5
Thursday, February 23, 2012
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A6
The Heights
Editorials
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Congratulations to Osnato-Taziva
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. -Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), past President of the United States
The Heights extends our congratulations to the UGBC presidential-elects The Heights would like to congratulate Osnato-Taziva for their victory in the UGBC elections. After weeks of campaigning, this accomplishment was one based on hard work, good ideas, and most of all, a true passion for the position. With the slogan “Because YOU Matter,” Osnato-Taziva stressed the importance of connecting all facets of the BC population, not just those who are already involved in student government groups, during their campaign. We hope that the team never loses sight of this goal. As only 42 percent of the student body voted in the final elections and 20 percent in the primaries, it is clear there needs to be a change in the way UGBC and the general public communicate. The Heights believes, and hopes, that Osnato-Taziva are up to this daunting
task. Their platform points are innovative and refreshing, especially the Major/Minor Fair, the creation of the Student Involvement Council, and the facilitation of the Maroon and Gold Campaign. These ideas could truly make a change here at BC, and we urge Osnato-Taziva to work diligently until they are achieved. In addition, we would like to applaud the Gomez-Wanandi team for their tireless effort, and ask Osnato-Taziva to adopt some of their initiatives. Their proposals of a GLBTQ resource center and a BChange Fund (a fund to allow students to put on their own events and programs) should not be ignored nor forgotten now that election season is over. We look forward to working with you and seeing your ideas come to fruition.
UGBC survey a step toward transparency Students should participate in surveys to give tangible feedback to our student government The Heights would like to commend UGBC for their recent survey of the opinions of the student body. As has been noted in previous editorials, UGBC is often criticized for being a very closed group, which serves the needs of only a few students rather than the 9,000-plus undergraduates as a whole. This criticism, though inevitable and often unavoidable due to the general disinterest of a large majority of the student body, still represents the opinions of a large segment of the population and therefore must be addressed. That being said, the recent “Be the Change” survey is an example of a clear effort on the part of UGBC to reach out to students for ideas and
opinions, asking questions such as, “What is the one thing you would improve at Boston College?” UGBC is undoubtedly the most well-equipped organization on campus to implement change, and The Heights appreciates their attempt to reach out to the general BC student body. In the future, The Heights also calls upon more students to participate in UGBC surveys. If you have problems with the undergraduate government, one of the best ways to voice those concerns is through these surveys, which can then address them directly. UGBC should not have to bribe students with prizes to get only 10 percent of students to express their concerns.
SOFC would benefit from increased funding Early exhaustion of SOFC funds signifies a necessary change in budget allocation The Student Organization Funding Committee (SOFC), recently sent a letter to Boston College’s numerous registered student organizations (RSOs), alerting them that the organization has run out of money and will not be able to allocate funds for the remainder of the semester. “Where did all the money go?” and “Why weren’t they given more money?” are both legitimate questions to ask in light of these circumstances. SOFC received budget requests in excess of $1.8 million so far, but were budgeted only $476,600 with which to fund RSOs. This vast discrepancy greatly limits the ability of SOFC to fund RSOs properly, and makes the process by which organizations apply for funds less fair and technical, and more of a random lottery. With such high requests and so little money, SOFC is simply unable to adequately fund every RSO. The Heights believes that the problem is not that SOFC budgets their money poorly, but rather that they simply do not receive enough money in the first place. The logical next step would be to increase the funds allocated to SOFC. But where should this money come from? The $298 activity fee paid by BC undergraduates each year is distributed mainly to three organizations: the UGBC Senate, Nights on the Heights (NOTH), and SOFC. Increased collaboration between these departments, which has already
been started by the Senate and SOFC, can only help improve the efficiency of funding in general and hopefully avoid an increase in the activity fee. The Heights recognizes and applauds NOTH’s niche on campus, and understands the importance of the late night weekend programming put on by the organization. However, we also encourage NOTH to reach out to RSOs like culture clubs, religious organizations, and academic groups to collaborate for weekend programs. While this is not NOTH’s traditional type of weekend programming, collaboration would allow funds to be better distributed. In this way, RSOs can put on the events they wanted SOFC to fund, and NOTH can use its budget for two purposes simultaneously—to provide late night programming and to support BC’s various RSOs. While it would be unrealistic to increase SOFC’s budget by 300 percent to $1.8 million, isn’t the fact that a 300 percent increase is necessary disconcerting? As we all know, students pay vast amounts of money to attend BC, and it’s only fair that some of it is paid back to those who choose to involve themselves in RSOs while here. The Heights hopes that in the future, increased collaboration between Senate, NOTH, and SOFC will allow students to continue to get involved and receive the funds they deserve for their hard work.
The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Taylour Kumpf, Editor-in-Chief Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager Lindsay Grossman, Managing Editor
“WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND SEEING YOUR IDEAS COME TO FRUITION” Woogeon Kim/ Heights Illustration
Letters to the Editor BC students are honest, rich or poor
The following letter is in response to Joseph Pasquinelli’s column on Feb.20: I have just read your fine article in the current issue of The Heights. I totally agree with you about our obligation to be generous and concerned about the millions without fresh water, indeed without food itself. But let me reflect on your example of the unattended Apple computer. You suggested no one at BC stole the computer because BC
students are affluent and have no need to steal. At a university with many lower income students you suggest it may well have been stolen. You may not have meant this but it seems to me what you were saying is that higher income people don’t steal and lower income people do steal making no allowance that a person, rich or poor may not steal because they
Rev. William B. Neenan, S.J. Special Assistant to the President
Gomez’s ‘double run’ must be examined The following letter was received before the final UGBC election results were released: As members of the Class of 2013 may or may not have noticed over the past two days, Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) presidential hopeful Vanessa Gomez is also listed on the official ballot as running for Senate. Considering the vast differences between the Senate and Presidential campaigns, this issue should not merely be brushed off. Students running for Senate are limited to spending $50 over the course of their campaign, while candidates for president are capable of spending hundreds of dollars. Additionally, students running for president are permitted to start campaigning weeks before those vying for a Senate position. There is clearly an advantage to be gained here by running for the two positions concurrently. Ms. Gomez’s level of publicity far surpasses that of any other Senate candidate. Her name has been splayed across campus in banners, t-shirts, fliers—and, additionally, by students constantly
touting her in dining halls and the Quad—for almost a full month now. She has enlisted hundreds of students to support her, and who is to say her fervent or even tepid advocates won’t vote for her in both the presidential and Senate elections? It simply isn’t fair to the other students running for Senate. A large part of politics (especially when considering the shortened campaign season of the Senate as well as candidates’ strictly limited resources) is simply getting your name and ideas into the heads of voters. There is no way around it: Ms. Gomez has had an enormous advantage over her competitors in this regard. And what happens if she wins both positions? Does she get to pick between them? Or perhaps serve both? Does Ms. Gomez the senator get to answer directly to Ms. Gomez the president? (An unsettling conflict of interest as, with the recent elimination of the UGBC Judiciary Committee, the president and vice president are now solely responsible
The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 200 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages. The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces submitted
for overseeing the behavior of senators). I unsuccessfully tried to locate a copy of the UGBC Constitution to see if there was any provision dealing with this potentially thorny scenario. The Elections Code, available on the UGBC website, does not explicitly state whether or not a candidate can simultaneously run for multiple positions. Considering the potential for serious conflicts of interest here, this practice should not be allowed to continue. Obviously, it is too late to remove Ms. Gomez from the ballot. But the Elections Committee should, at minimum, review the legality of this practice in the name of a fair elections process. Hopefully they will recognize some of the issues that I’ve enumerated here and take appropriate action to ensure that future races are as fair as possible. T imothy J ablonski A&S’ 13 S enatorial C andidate
to the newspaper. Submissions must be signed and should include the author’s connection to Boston College, address, and phone number. Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.
Business and Operations
Editorial Eleanor Hildebrandt, Copy Editor David Cote, News Editor Greg Joyce, Sports Editor Therese Tully, Features Editor Brennan Carley, Arts & Review Editor Charlotte Parish, Metro Editor Elise Taylor, Opinions Editor Molly Lapoint, Special Projects Editor Jae Hyung (Daniel) Lee, Photo Editor Maggie Burdge, Layout Editor
are simply honest. Maybe BC students didn’t steal that Apple because they, rich and poor, are honest. Joseph, I liked your article so I wanted to share my reflections with you.
Woogeon Kim, Graphics Editor Katie McClurg, Online Manager Michelle Tomassi, Assoc. Copy Editor Chris Grimaldi, Asst. Copy Editor Andrew Millette, Assoc. News Editor Sam Costanzo, Asst. News Editor Chris Marino, Assoc. Sports Editor Austin Tedesco, Asst. Sports Editor Alexandra Schaeffer, Asst. Features Editor Taylor Cavallo, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor
Dan Siering, Asst. Arts & Review Editor Marc Francis, Asst. Metro Editor Graham Beck, Asst. Photo Editor Mary Rose Fissinger, Asst. Layout Editor Joseph Castlen, Asst. Graphics Editor David Riemer, Asst. Online Manager Devon Sanford, Editorial Assistant Cathryn Woodruff, Executive Assistant
Jamie Ciocon, Business Manager James Gu, Advertising Manager Adriana Mariella, Outreach Coordinator Borui Wang, Systems Manager Amy Hachigian, National Sales Manager Daniel Arnold, Local Sales Manager Natasha Ettensberger, Collections Manager DJ Terceiro, Asst. Local Sales Manager Christina Quinn, Project Coordinator
The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
A7
Opinions
Fear, faith, and politics
Thumbs Up Impressive marketing- No words can describe the utter joy we felt when we saw those braces and frilly sock-clad elementary school girls posted up inside McElroy selling Girl Scout Cookies. Not only were they cheaper and better than well, anything at the BC dining hall, but they’re a wonderful reminder of our childhood days. Sidenote: why does Massachusetts butcher the name of basically every single food? Seriously, they’re Tagalongs, not Peanut Butter Patties, and they’re Samoas, not Caramel deLites. Don’t even get us started on Peking Ravioli versus dumplings. Nice Human Nature- A study done by Emory University revealed that human nature is not inherently nasty and that there is a biological basis for pleasant behavior. Do you know what this means? D—bag philosophers like Machiavelli and Locke don’t have any basis for their mind-numbing and in Locke’s case, infinite books. State of War? Being feared rather than being loved? Absolutely useless. Since both these books are on our Philosophy of the Person syllabus, we think the class should just end now. Sexed Up Santorum- Some genius made a picture of Rick Santorum composed of gay porn images. Someone should tell Rick that he’s also backed by the Lemon Party. To our readers who don’t get that last reference, don’t google it. Trust us. It’s scarring.
Thumbs Down Harvey Dustbowl- TU/TD was walking out of Mac the other day (gross, we know) when we gazed upon the majestic structure of Stokes Hall. We were in the middle of examining its stately windows, its impeccable stone, and grand architecture, when a friend called our name. And then we saw it. Carney. Wow, that thing is just absolutely foul. It’s the roadkill of academic buildings—a grotesque mass tossed to the side of the road that you just shudder at and hope someone else cleans up. That’s when we realized the path to Mac is just like Harvey Dent, beautiful on one side and repulsive on the other. Lent- We’ve realized that all our TU/TDs have been incredibly brazen thus far, and it’s because we’re angrily coming to terms with the fact we won’t have any junk food for the next 40 days. On the bright side, at least this fits in with our Spring Break diet. Only the pure fear of God’s wrath could get us to rethink ordering a buffalo chicken calzone from Roggie’s at 2 a.m. Pointy Plex- Rumor has it that someone threatened to pull a knife at a pickup basketball game in the Plex. There’s a lot of things wrong with that, but TU/TD just wants to know who decides to bring a knife to the gym. What are you going to do, threaten to cut the kid in short shorts if he is on the elliptical for too long? Like TU/TD? Follow us on Twitter @BCTUTD
Tim O’Connor I don’t like any of the Republican presidential candidates. I certainly will never vote for any of them. At the very least, though, I can find something good to say about most of them. Mitt Romney has nice hair and a cadre of eerily photogenic sons to surround him at each victory speech. Newt Gingrich is certainly the most entertaining thing to happen to the election, and seeing him constantly inspires a warm, fuzzy feeling not unlike that engendered by the Pillsbury Doughboy. Ron Paul is that delightfully kooky uncle that you can’t help but invite to Christmas dinner every year, even if he does have a tendency to occasionally veer off into mild insanity. I have nothing positive to say about Rick Santorum. He is a rot. Every time he opens his mouth, I brace myself to have my sensibilities assaulted by unfiltered stupidity. I wish I could say his recent primary victories in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado confused me, but they make perfect sense. They are, in fact, the logical result of a process 30 years in the making: the politicization of religion. It started with Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority in 1980, helped George W. Bush take the presidency in 2000, and has reached its most refined essence in Santorum’s endeavor. He is running a campaign that answers growing fears that America is on the decline with a zealous and debasing imitation of true faith. The core of Santorum’s platform relies on the oft-forgotten 11th
Commandment: “Thou shall vote against abortion and gay marriage, to the complete and utter exclusion of every other issue.” Now, to clarify, both of these issues have been at the center of a very complex and intricate conversation unfolding within various churches around the world, and that’s healthy. A self-reflective attitude towards religion and an attempt to reconcile perceived disparities between a changing world and the demands of our individual faith shows that we hold our beliefs in high esteem. Answers are not easily obtained, nor should they be– faith is, by its very nature, difficult and imprecise. That’s not what Santorum and his supporters think. Faith is a very simple exercise in Rick’s world: if you vote on a couple of wedge issues, you are a good Christian. It reduces the mystery of God, the divine, and everything bigger than us to something that can be resolved in the voting booth. He is a charlatan, preying upon the worldly and metaphysical fears of people who have simply grown tired of dealing with the ambiguity in life. And who can blame them? Jobs are disappearing, retirement savings are evaporating, and home values are plummeting while the cost of food and oil skyrockets. A little bit of certainty, no matter how shallow or ultimately unfulfilling, can make all of that a little more bearable. It doesn’t stop with those two driving issues, though. Once you’ve committed to running on pure religious ardor, you have to make everything a matter of religion, or you risk exposing how inconsistent and hollow your positions actually are. On Feb. 19, Santorum suggested that President Obama’s “radical environmentalism” is against the teachings of the Bible, and that “man is here to use the resources and use them wisely, to care for the Earth, to be a
steward of the Earth, but we’re not here to serve the Earth.” The mental hoops are big enough to drive a truck through. Convenient consumption and occasionally recycling a plastic bottle is Christian, but taking a more proactive stance to try and protect our deteriorating environment isn’t? Oh, but it gets better. Back in January, when critics called on him to defend his stance that abortion should not be allowed in cases of rape, Santorum suggested that victims embrace “the gift of human life … that God has given to [them].” Okay, Rick, I’ll meet you halfway on this one. Even if you are going to accept the position that victims of rape shouldn’t have the option to consider an abortion (which you shouldn’t, because it is misguided, wrong, and totally devoid of empathy), can we at least agree that the rapist wasn’t delivering a gift from the almighty creator? Well, no, we can’t, because if Santorum gives even an inch, the entire shell game falls apart and the con man is left with an angry mob. For Santorum to have a prayer at taking the nomination, he needs to constantly reinforce the illusion that he is the one true path to salvation. Only by electing Santorum can we sinners escape the hands of an angry God. Sooner or later—and man, do I hope it’s sooner— the story will fail. His “religion,” which consists of self-righteous opinions on women’s health and a questionable fixation on the sexual activities of gay couples, will become exposed for the mockery that it is. Voters look behind the curtain, and they will discover that the wizard is nothing more than an empty sweater vest.
Tim O’Connor is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
The lasting connection of service trips
Pooja Shah This summer, I am going on a service trip to Jamaica. I will spend 10 days of the beginning of vacation teaching kids at a primary school, volunteer at a nursing home, serving the community, and supporting the disabled. I, alongside a group of 15 peers, will serve as examples of hope and optimism to people who have seen extended amounts of pain, suffering, and poverty. Many of the students we will be working with do not live in communities where young adults flourish
intellectually without having domestic or familial obligations. When I first applied to the service trip, to be quite honest, it was so that I could gain the experience that many of my classmates at Boston College always value. Part of my decision to do a short-term service trip was to break free from my comfort zone and help someone in a different setting. I wanted to be immersed in another culture that I am unfamiliar with and hopefully undergo a transformative experience. Part of my incentive to apply also was because
Bazoomie Wagon
I wanted to be in a position of empowering others that would make me feel like a better, more satisfied individual. Little did I realize that the purposes of a service trip extend further than what I was imagining. BC is an institution that takes pride in championing the ideal of being young men and women for others. As part of this Jesuit culture, students aim to do service because we are taught that by serving others, we are serving ourselves. BC students genuinely care about assisting others and take on any opportunity they can find to do so. Consequently, BC has multiple local, domestic, and international service and volunteering programs that engage students to raise awareness and fight for multiple causes. When it comes to service trips, however, there exists controversy on how beneficial they actually are. Many opponents of short-term service trips argue that students spend months planning and fundraising large sums of money to attend and fund plane tickets when they could just donate the money they raise. In some ways, this is a valid point because students are still spending their time to gather resources for the issue they believe in. Often times, those going on service trips not only ask for monetary help, but also old clothes, toys, books, or other supplies that they feel the community they serve within might make use of. Additionally, the money donated to the country could possibly generate more jobs and labor, pay staff members, build facilities or improve those currently instated, and collect other crucial resources. Another point that challengers bring up is that short-term service trips benefit those who go on them more than the ones served. Some argue that many students value the enlightening experience they receive post-trip more than the effects it has on the community they are in. Part of going on the trip is creating this image of
BY BEN VADNAL
someone who sacrifices his or her vacation or free time to make changes for others. Those against service trips believe that sometimes this is a selfish incentive. Although I understand the practicality of the points that opponents mention, I strongly advocate for service trips. Although my understanding of their importance has evolved over time, I think that service trips are notable in the personal connections that they create. Though I agree that donating the money a group raises would be advantageous to the region in certain aspects, by being in a country and actually witnessing the social justice issues that occur, one gains a better understanding of where the money is going. One of the biggest problems is that our peers are not aware of the conflicts in third-world countries or less fortunate areas, but by personally travelling to these places, one is inspired and can then share this knowledge with others. Additionally, many global areas feel isolated and as if those in fortunate conditions are not concerned with what is happening. Again, this notion is disproved because service trips make it their goal to incorporate themselves into the respective communities. What makes a service trip successful is not only what the group does during their time abroad, but the continual progress they make once they return back to the familiarity of their homes. Following up with those whom they served or even working on additional projects to help in creative ways is a reminder of why we volunteer in the first place. Real service is giving something that can’t be bought or measured, but instead given with a full, open heart.
Pooja Shah is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
Live and let tweet
Janine Hanrahan On Sunday night as I eagerly tuned into my favorite television show, The Good Wife (if you share my love of politics, the law, and love triangles, do watch), I noticed “#GoodWife” in the corner of the screen. As an avid user of Twitter, I instantly recognized this as the official hashtag for the show, to be used when I inevitably tweeted about something happening during the episode (An aside for those living Twitter-less lives: a hashtag is used to categorize tweets. If you click on a hashtag, all other tweets containing it will appear, enabling the user to see what other people are saying about the topic). Yet I found myself slightly uneasy about CBS’s promotion of Twitter usage. In fact, the more Twitter pervades the public conscious, the more I find myself wondering about my own account. When I posted my debut tweet approximately two years ago, hardly anyone I knew was using or talking about Twitter. As a result, I tweeted whatever I wanted without a second thought. Whereas on Facebook I do my best to limit my postings and to censor myself, on Twitter I felt comfortable tweeting ten times a day and using four-letter words with abandon. That person who cut me off the highway? Tweet. Problems with a friend? Tweet. Annoyed by an assignment? Tweet. If anyone who follows me on Twitter happens to be reading this column, he or she is probably wondering why I am writing in the past tense, given my continued penchant for numerous, colorfully worded tweets. Indeed, I still take to Twitter with abandon, especially when I find myself irritated. Yet, as more people have started to follow me (and my number of followers is paltry), I find myself secondguessing tweets. Should I really tweet this? Have I tweeted too many times today? What will so-and-so think of this tweet? Tweeting is no longer a guaranteed source of catharsis, but instead a provoker of anxiety. I am not alone in my tweet-anoia, however. This past weekend on CNN’s Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz (a tweeter himself ) interviewed New York Times reporter David Carr about the “seduction and dangers” of Twitter. Noting that Carr has tweeted some 17,000 times, Kurtz asked if the recent suspension of a CNN commentator for tweets deemed offensive made him more likely to think two or three times about his tweets. Before answering that the suspension is a “cautionary tale” and that he tries to read his tweets with his “boss’s eye,” Carr said that he is “ashamed” of the number of times he has tweeted. While it is hardly a revelation that a journalist with his reputation and career at stake mulls over his tweets, it is somewhat surprising that he is embarrassed by the number of times he has tweeted. One would assume that as a reporter Carr has a lot to say and given that he has over 350,000 followers, that people are interested. Yet despite these facts, Carr feels a sense of shame about his Twitter use. Why? Though I cannot speak for Carr, it seems that the answer lies in the human propensity for judgment. Right or wrong, fair or not, people are constantly passing judgment on one another. Social media has only enabled this tendency. In the case of Twitter, more tweets provide more fodder for judgment, and more followers means more judgers. While good friends may take tweets as they are, an acquaintance or future employer might see a politically incorrect tweet as evidence of racism, or an incoherent tweet as a sign one drinks too much, or an angry tweet as an indication of unhappiness. Ultimately, just like anything else put in writing, a tweet can be a liability that results in harsh judgment. So while increased Twitter usage is providing me with ever more people to follow, ranging from my roommates to the writers of The Good Wife, it comes at the cost of Twitter piece of mind. More and more, I find myself deleting tweets or refraining from tweeting (shocking to my followers, I know). Maybe, I always should have thought twice about my tweets, but Twitter was much more fun when those 140 characters could be filled with whatever I pleased. Janine Hanrahan is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
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The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
BC travels to UCF for tough series
Friars next for Eagles Men’s Hockey, from A10 Leaman coached Union College in the ECAC last year and earned single season school records in wins (26) and division wins (17). “Providence has played fairly well recently, and they’ve actually had some good wins over the course of the season,” York explained. “They have a strong goaltender, they play an up-tempo, fast style, and they’ll have the home ice advantage on Friday night. Nobody sits back and gives you two points. They’re certainly going to bring an ‘A’ game when they play the Eagles.” York believes that his team has responded well recently, thanks to a special emphasis on team defense and goaltending, and he will be looking for more of the same from junior goalie Parker Milner on Friday. Milner, who just received the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week award, has backstopped all of the Eagles’ victories on their sevengame winning streak, and has a 17-5 record overall this season. On top of the strong goalie play, York is hoping to build on the energy and enthusiasm that the team has had as of late. This excitement has been generated just in time for the Eagles, who seemed to be lacking it in December. The Eagles were a lowly 2-4-1 before their current
Baseball, from A10 ting there, and Perds did a great job, a really hard turn around first base, and the guy just gave him an inch by not going hard to the baseball. And Perds exposed him and took second base on him and turned it into a double. It was a huge play in the game. If you weren’t at the game, it just looks like a double. But it wasn’t. It was hustle. “And that’s what Perds gives us in our lineup. He plays so hard, and that’s who we all want to be, is those guys that as soon as anybody makes a little mistake or takes half a play off, we’re going to capitalize on it. [Perdios] gives us that.” Another key to BC’s early success has been the performance of the bullpen. In the opening weekend, the relievers did not allow an earned run in 10.1 innings of work. Gambino noted that as long as they continue to buy into their respective roles in the bullpen, they can continue to enjoy that same success. “The guys were great,” he said. “One of the catch phrases, especially in college baseball, are roles. What are guys’ roles? We talked to our boys going into that weekend, that when you pitch seven years in the big leagues, that’s when you start to figure out who you are and figure out where your role is going to be. What these guys’ roles are is going to take a while to develop. So what we ask them to do is, ‘What your role is, when you come into a game: get guys out.’ That’s it. Let’s make it as simple as possible. The guys did an awesome job. Everybody we called on came in and did their job. It was great. I was really happy with the boys.” n
seven-game tear, giving up 23 goals in the process. York spoke of the turnaround in demeanor, stating that he believes they are “much more positive and much more upbeat.” “When you have a lot of enthusiasm and you have a lot of energy, you’re able to be that much more effective tactically, so I think the energy and the enthusiasm our team has generated has resulted in a lot of really good play.” If the Eagles are able to sustain that high level of intensity, they should be in good position after this weekend in the Hockey East standings. York noted that in the end, he won’t be looking to one player or a certain line to step up. Rather, it will need to be a full team effort in order to pick up these essential four points against the Friars on the weekend and stay atop the conference standings. “With our goals and aspirations, one line or one particular player is not going to help us achieve that,” York said. “We need the 20 players we dress to all be factors in the course of the game to determine the outcome of the game. You never know what shift or what point in the game that the tide’s going to turn for you or against you. It has to be all four lines and all six defensemen.” n
alex trautwig / heights editor
C oach’s o r n e r Nate Bayuk and the BC bullpen had an impressive opening weekend, allowing no earned runs in 10.1 innings.
Head Softball Coach
Featuring
Ashley Obrest
This is part of a series of sit-down conversations with Boston College coaches. The Heights will also be producing its first ever Spring Sports Preview on Mar. 15. The issue will be packed with a full outlook on the baseball, softball, and lacrosse teams. Interview conducted by Chris Marino, Assoc. Sports Editor The Heights: First and foremost, welcome back to Boston College. obrest: Thank you!.
The Heights: Having once played at BC, how has the return been for you?
obrest: It’s been great. Obviously, I’m familiar with the campus and everything. So just to get back here, get things moving along, and change the program around has been great. It’s been busy, but the girls have been great, the administration has been great, and everyone is just kind of buying into what we want to change here. The Heights: How has the offseason been so far, especially with having to play indoors, and not being able to have that full on-field experience?
obrest: We try to get as creative as possible in the Bubble. The turf ’s great out there. Still, it’s tough for the outfielders when you hit fly balls, because it hits the top of the Bubble once in a while. We’ve actually gone out to Newton a few times, just for full defense, which has been great. Then, once we went down to Florida Gulf Coast, we had a chance to practice outside the day before the tournament. We got a solid two hours of ground balls, which is always a huge plus. The Heights: After your first weekend of play, what are your early thoughts on this team?
obrest: I thought it was a pretty good showing for our first weekend. We had
two big injuries right before we left, so those were two outfielders that were going to be starters out. We had to shift things around last minute. Our kids adjusted and went with it. I thought it was a good showing for the first five games.
The Heights: How challenging has it been to adjust to this new team in your first year here? What was the preparation like before you even met them?
obrest: Before I met them, I obviously did a little bit of research, and looked at some stats. I talked to some people, but there are only so many stats you can look at. You kind of want to start fresh, and that’s what we did. I met with all of the girls before school started, just to kind of talk to them a bit, and see what they wanted to change and what went well last year. They’re a great group of kids, and they’re buying in, so I’m really happy with the group I’ve been given. The Heights: What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of playing away from home for so long?
obrest: I know it’s going to be challenging, but again we’re on the road so much, and we have a good group of kids traveling together. They all stay up with their studies. Then, we do come back home, and have a decent number of games at home. I think they’re just really excited to play, see the dirt, and good weather with the sun out. Everyone’s just excited to get out there and play. The Heights: Especially after seeing them play this past weekend, what do you think will be the biggest strengths and weaknesses of this team? Can you really even gauge that yet?
obrest: I guess you can gauge it to some extent. I think our defense is going to be really solid. I don’t see many errors coming from our infielders. Again, two big injuries for our outfielders hurts. One’s going to be out for the season, and the other hopefully back in two weeks. Some people are just going to have to step into different roles. We’ve kind of worked our kids at different positions in case something like this happened, so I feel pretty prepared with the defense. I think pitching is totally different this year. They’ve been working hard. They’re changing what needs to be changed. They’re looking at scouting reports, and wanting to adjust each inning. And I think our hitting is coming along. We had a slow start in Florida, but hitting is contagious, so once we got on the board, the hits just kept rolling. It’s just going to be a work in progress. The Heights: Do you have a certain coaching philosophy that you are using with this team?
obrest: We kind of just stress that, as long as we are
getting better in some aspect of the game every day, good things will be in store. They’re showing up ready to work hard for the two, two and a half hours that we are asking for. We’re kind of pushing them to see how much we can push them, and who’s mentally tough, and who needs to work on that part of their game. Again, they’re buying into it, and they’re working hard. Practices are competitive. There’s really no sense of entitlement, and no one feels like they have a position locked. Constant competition is what will make them better. The Heights: Can you talk a little bit about your experience instructing at the Chicago White Sox Training Academy? obrest: After I graduated, I did some private lessons at a couple facilities with all different age groups, and I also coached at a DIII school, so I was kind of bouncing around back and forth between those two things. It’s a good experience to work one-on-one with some kids. Then I also did some clinics. Just to kind of see the kids’ progress over weeks and months is a cool thing to see. The Heights: Have you seen any significant differences in the short term between your head coaching jobs at Colgate and BC? obrest: It’s just a different group of kids. These kids are hungry here, and there hasn’t been as much success as they were hoping for in the past. But they’ve kind of stopped looking in the past, and they want to just start from scratch, and just take every game for what it is. Like I said before, as long as we are getting better, each game, each series, each weekend, each tournament, we’re going to be in a good spot once conference play rolls around. The Heights: How do you see the competition in the ACC this season? Where do you see your team positioned in there? obrest: It’s a great conference. There are some great teams that are beating top 10 teams right now. Maryland’s stepping up. They just beat Michigan the other day. Georgia Tech has always been good in the ACC. Again, I think if we have a successful preseason with our tournaments, and we’re going into conference with a good record and everyone confident, I think we can hang with the top. The Heights: Is there one moment from your playing career at BC that sticks out in your mind? obrest: Probably beating NC State my senior year. We were a really low seed, and they were the first seed, and we knocked them off in the first round, so that was pretty sweet. n
The Heights
Editors’ Picks
Thursday, February 23, 2012 The Week Ahead
Standings
Men’s hockey has a weekend series with Providence. Men’s basketball continues ACC play against Wake Forest on Saturday. Women’s basketball looks to rebound against NC State tonight. Baseball looks to continue its winning streak in a series against UCF this weekend. The Lakers and Thunder face off tonight.
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Recap from Last Week
Chris Marino
16-9
Greg Joyce
14-11
Austin Tedesco
14-11
Heights Staff
14-11
Men’s hockey took two away from Merrimack, as head coach Jerry York earned his 900th career victory. Despite a quick start, men’s basketball fell to Duke. Women’s hockey swept Vermont. Women’s basketball clipped Clemson but lost to GT. Linsanity continued as the Knicks beat Dallas.
Guest Editor: Daniel Ottaunick
Series of the Week Baseball
Central Florida
General Manager “Fear the beard.”
Greg Joyce Sports Editor
This Week’s Games
Chris Marino Assoc. Sports Editor
Austin Tedesco Asst. Sports Editor
Daniel Ottaunick
General Manager
Men’s Hockey: No. 2 BC vs. Providence (Series)
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Men’s Basketball: BC at Wake Forest
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Wake
NC State
NC State
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UCF
Thunder
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Thunder
Women’s Basketball: BC vs. NC State Baseball: BC at UCF (Series) NBA: LA Lakers at OKC Thunder
vs.
Boston College
This past weekend, the baseball team went 3-0 in the Caravelle Resort Tournament. Behind solid pitching and timely hitting, head coach Mike Gambino and his team took down No. 17 Virginia, Coastal Carolina, and James Madison. This weekend the Eagles continue their road trip with a series at the University of Central Florida. Boston College will rely once more on the bat of shortstop Anthony Melchionda, who batted .429 with one home run, three doubles and six RBIs. He was named this week’s ACC Player of the Week.
Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.
Syracuse routs lax Lacrosse, from A10 momentum against the home team’s defense. Syracuse goalkeeper Alyssa Constantino made six saves in the first half, and Kelse Richardson made nine when she took over in the second half. Igoe netted two goals, and teammate Brooke Blue was held scoreless after her four-goal performance in the Eagles’ 16-5 blowout against Holy Cross on Feb. 17. While the upperclassmen struggled to find the net, two members of BC’s highly touted freshman class scrounged up their own hat tricks. Attacker Mikaela Rix followed her three scores against Holy Cross with two goals in the first half and a third late in the second. Stanwick’s first of three goals was a
beauty as she faked high then sent a shot low, one of the few balls to get by Constantino. The Eagles kept themselves in the game for the first 30 minutes, heading into halftime with a challenging but not insurmountable 10-6 deficit. However, ’Cuse opened up the second half with an 8-2 scoring run over the first 10 minutes, then scored the last four goals of the game to reach the final 23-12 tally. Although the two teams matched each other shot for shot with 38 apiece, Syracuse shooters were much more on target than the Eagles, who struggled with shot accuracy throughout the game. The Orange won control of 27 draws to the Eagles’ 10, and successfully converted four of six free position shots, while BC scored on just two of nine. n
alex trautwig / heights editor
Brittany Wilton scored early, but BC couldn’t keep up.
Ryan provides good example Column, from A10
photos by tom connelly
Louis Serafini (left) and Jillian King (right) will look to lead their teams in the ACC Championship this weekend. The meet marks the first time that Boston College will be hosting the event.
Track looks for victory as host of ACC Championship By Steven Principi Heights Staff
The Boston College track team will be turning its focus to postseason play now, as they prepare for the ACC Championship. For the first time ever, the Eagles will be the host for the three-day meet, which will take place at the Reggie Lewis Track Center from Thursday to Saturday. The event offers a unique experience for the athletes, who spend the majority of the season running against more local schools instead of their conference opponents. This opportunity, as well as the chances of qualifying for the national tournament, has generated a high level of excitement for the Eagles, who have several athletes hoping to do well this weekend. “It’s been a very consistent season,” said junior middle distance runner Louis Serafini. “We’ve got a really young team this year, so it’s been really good to work out with all the freshmen and see them improve. I’m pretty excited to go out
there this week and see what we can do and what I can do on an individual level.” “It’s pretty exciting,” added senior distance runner Jillian King. “It’s good to get in a race where you’re kind of being pushed.” The event marks the first time in history that BC will play host for the Indoor Track and Field Championship. Although the Eagles did host the cross country meet last year, the track and field meet has traditionally been held farther south. This has created an even larger buzz for the Eagles, who have had to travel to Virginia Tech in each of the last two years for the event. “We’ve obviously never done it before, but we hosted cross country last year, and it was a big success,” Serafini said. “It’s a new atmosphere, too. It’s been at Virginia Tech the last two or three years, and I think it’s good for the freshmen who don’t usually get a chance to go to an ACC championship to get to come and see what it’s like for
the first time and get an idea of how it goes down.” King took it one step farther, saying that she has been anticipating this meet for a very long time. “I’ve been excited about having it in Boston for like a year since we found out about it,” King said. “We had crosscountry ACCs here, and it was really exciting. People came out and you got to see your friends, so it was really exciting. It’s just a good atmosphere, and I feel like I’m at home when I’m at Boston around the tracks.” Another point of interest generated from this championship is the new competition that the team will be facing. With the Eagles located much farther north than most other ACC schools, the opponents that they usually run against are local teams, since there is often not much travel for track meets. And while the local teams often provide good competition, the ACC is known to be one of the stronger conferences in the nation.
“It’s very competitive,” said senior thrower Kelsey Huckins. “It’s nice to have those really good people to run with or to try and catch up on throws, though. It’s good to have the high level of competition.” King echoed this statement, singling out Florida State as a team with a good chance to win. “The ACC is pretty strong, especially in the spring races,” King said. “FSU is always really good in distance, so they’re probably looking to win it. There are a lot of good distance and middle distance runners, so the competition is really good.” The meet will begin with a few combined events on Thursday afternoon before getting into full swing on Friday. It will last all throughout the day on Friday and most of Saturday before the awards are given late Saturday afternoon. The Eagles are slated to do well in a number of track events, including mid-distance events, distance events, and the relays. n
in my hometown during his first several years as a beat reporter. I found it so funny that the man who I had often read in the Globe and seen on various sport programs was holding this conversation with me. The one thing I found even more amazing was that he actually seemed to care about who I was and the work that I was doing at his alma mater. My favorite part of our conversation came when he asked me if I had seen any of the Knicks’ game that night. I had checked ESPN’s game tracker to see how Jeremy Lin was performing, but hadn’t seen much more than that. Ryan, one of the best basketball writers in the business, went on to talk about Lin, Carmelo Anthony, and the rest of the team. He had so much passion, intelligence, and insight in his words that I was mesmerized. Here was a nationally recognized sports journalist, holding a conversation with me about basketball. He went on to say that the Knicks playing well is great for the sport. When I asked his thoughts on potential struggle between Anthony and Lin, he gave the perfect analysis of how the two players could utilize one another. I honestly felt like I was listening to SportsCenter. I couldn’t believe that this was happening. As a college journalist, nothing could be better than conversing with one of your role models. I have always seen his work as something to work toward. He is respected by so many in the sports world, yet remains grounded and continues to work hard. I would just like to take this chance to congratulate Ryan on a fantastic career. He will be remembered by many for his integrity and love for sports. His columns always came with fresh ideas, and perspectives good enough to keep up with the strong fandom of Boston. In the city of champions, Ryan has stood out as a constant figure of integrity. That is surely something to celebrate. Thank you, Bob, for your great influence on sports.
Chris Marino is the Assoc. Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.
SPORTS The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
A10
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Syracuse deals lacrosse its first loss
Honoring a Boston legend
The No. 12 Orange trounce No. 13 BC By Robert T. Balint Heights Staff
Chris Marino As I sat in the visiting press conference room following the Duke men’s basketball team’s victory over Boston College on Sunday night, I realized that the only other man in the room was none other than Bob Ryan. Growing up in the Boston area, I had become accustomed to reading Ryan’s work in The Boston Globe. He quickly became my favorite Boston sports journalist, always accurate with his analysis, and always a fan of players and coaches. Ryan had the integrity necessary for a reporter, and the writing skills that could make you feel as if you had attended the game yourself. As my interest in sports grew, my dedication to following his articles followed closely behind. He became an icon of sports writing, and a figure I truly admired. For me, sitting in that room with one of the major sports influences in my life was surreal. As he recently announced his retirement from writing after the 2012 Summer Olympics, I felt that I owed this man, who had helped push me towards sports writing, a thank you and congratulations on such a prolific career. Ryan, a BC alumnus, initially made his mark as a beat writer for the Boston Celtics. He became a staple in the sports section, and a favorite of the Celtics and their fans. While basketball is his passion, Ryan has shown his versatility by covering numerous sports. He wrote for football, baseball, college sports, and the Olympics. He was even recognized as the 2000 AP National Sportswriter of the Year. Whether covering the Super Bowl or a BC basketball game, he brought a certain enthusiasm and passion for the game that was visible in his writing. Bob Ryan is a true fan of sports. As I shook his hand and congratulated him, he was so humble and unassuming. He asked me where I was from, and which paper I was representing. I told him I was from The Heights, and he talked about how he was on the sports staff when he went to BC. I discovered that he had lived
See Column, A9
alex trautwig / heights senior staff
In first place of Hockey East by just one point, the Eagles will need to keep up their hot streak this weekend against Providence in a home-and-home.
BC looks to stay atop Hockey East By AJ Pottle For The Heights
This weekend, the No. 2 Boston College men’s hockey team (21-10-1, 15-7-1 HE) will take on Providence College (10-10-3, 12-14-4) in a home-and-home series, the second to last in the regular season. The Eagles will travel to Providence Friday night, and the Friars will come to Kelley Rink on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. start. BC will be looking to build off its 4-1 victory the last time the two teams faced off, and maintain the top spot in Hockey East. The Eagles, winners of seven in a row, have really turned it on for an end-of-theseason push, but have no time to enjoy
their good fortunes, as every point is at a premium this late in the season. Continued strong play is going to be a necessity if they have any hopes of locking up lone possession of first place in Hockey East this weekend. Currently, the Eagles are edging out UMass Lowell for the top spot by one point, with only four games remaining in the season. “The most important thing for [the Eagles] is not the team [that they are playing] but how well [they] play and that [they] need to try to secure two points because [they’re] in a very important pennant race,” said head coach Jerry York. “It’s awfully close here with four games left, so they need the eight points left available to [them].”
Despite the Friars’ overall record of 1214-4, motivation shouldn’t be any type of issue, according to York, who said he does not “care if it’s a Tuesday night, a Friday night, a Saturday afternoon—if you’re playing BU or the Boston Bruins, you bring that same enthusiasm to every game.” The Friars themselves are making their presence known within Hockey East this season, and are vying for a great amount of attention from their opponents. They have received points in their last four games, including wins against Maine and at UMass Amherst. Much of their improvement lies in the hands of their new coach Nate Leaman.
See Men’s Hockey, A8
The women’s lacrosse team found itself on the receiving end of Syracuse’s best season opener in school history, losing 23-12 on Tuesday 23 Syracuse afternoon in the Boston College 12 Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. The No. 12 Orange (1-0) came out with all guns blazing for the team’s home opener, as 10 players scored a point apiece. The visiting No. 13 Eagles (1-1) traded goals with their hosts in the opening minutes, but could not keep up with a constantly striking Syracuse offense. “There’s a lot of X’s and O’s that we need to work out,” said head coach Bowen Holden in a phone interview on Wednesday. “There are a lot of adjustments we need to make.” Attacker Michelle Tumulo started off the scoring for the Orange a minute and a half into the first half by cutting into the center and firing a shot in from close range. The Eagles’ Brittany Wilton answered 30 seconds later with a goal off a free position shot, but less than a minute later, Syracuse attacker Ashley Murray scored to give her team a 2-1 lead. Boston College freshman Covie Stanwick’s goal that followed, executed with a slick juke that shook off her defender and gave her plenty of space to shoot, would mark the last equal score of the game. In the next seven minutes of the first half, Syracuse went on a 4-0 scoring spree. Back-to-back goals by Stanwick and graduate student Kristin Igoe brought the Eagles back to within two, but the Orange rattled off another three in a row to bring the score to 9-4 with 9:13 to play in the half. About two minutes before, freshman Emily Mata had replaced starting goalkeeper Catherine Conway, who would then replace Mata later on in the second half. The switches failed to stem the Orange tide, and Syracuse continued to score constantly throughout the game, getting 15 on Conway and eight on Mata. Murray tore her way through the Eagles’ defense for the better part of 60 minutes, netting a hat trick in less than 10 minutes on the way to a total of eight on the afternoon, a Syracuse singlegame record. Teammate Kailah Kempney registered five goals, while Tumulo and Michelle Collins each had a hat trick. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles’ offense did not manage to sustain much
See Lacrosse, A9
UCF up next for Eagles By Greg Joyce Sports Editor
nick rellas / heights staff
Montel Harris will be out for the entirety of spring ball due to his reocurring left knee injury.
Double trouble for football By Greg Joyce Sports Editor
The Boston College football team was dealt two blows this week, just days into the start of spring practices. First, head coach Frank Spaziani announced that star running back Montel Harris will be held out of the entire spring after re-aggravating his knee injury. Then, the NCAA announced yesterday that BC’s appeal for a sixth year of eligibility for wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah was denied. Harris sat out much of last season with a left knee injury, going down just a month after it was operated on by Dr. Tom Gill. He was said to be 100 percent entering the first official practice on Saturday, but complained of soreness afterwards. Two days later, Spaziani made the decision that Harris would be sidelined for the spring.
Yesterday, the program received more bad news when the NCAA denied Momah a sixth year. The wideout played in just one game last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. The ACC approved a medical hardship waiver for Momah, but BC’s request for a sixth year for him was turned down twice by the NCAA since he did not play in the 2009 season. A written explanation for the denial was not issued, but will be mailed to BC in two to three weeks. “This is very disappointing news,” Spaziani said. “We only want what is best for Ifeanyi, and I felt a sixth year would have benefited him greatly after missing two full seasons with injuries. He is a great young man who will leave Boston College with a degree in hand. We are very grateful for his contributions to our football program, on and off the field, and we hope he is able to continue pursuing his dreams.” n
i nside S ports this issue
Coming off three wins in its opening tournament, the Boston College baseball team will travel to Florida this weekend for a series against No. 19 UCF with something to prove. By playing solid, fundamental baseball, the Eagles were able to defeat three quality teams last weekend. They will now look to build on that momentum and confidence against the Knights in another challenging series. “I think [the 3-0 start] gives us a lot [of confidence], especially because we didn’t go out and play way over our heads,” said head coach Mike Gambino. “I think that’s kind of the best thing that came from that. We didn’t go do anything spectacular, we didn’t go do anything that we can’t do every weekend, we just played good, solid baseball. For us, we left sort of saying, ‘That’s just kind of who we are.’ And we beat three tournament teams from last year. So I think it gave us a lot of confidence. I’m not saying we can sweep every weekend, but I’m saying we can repeat that level of play every weekend and every game.” In the opening weekend, the Eagles received solid pitching performances throughout, and will look to the same three pitchers for another strong start. Eric Stevens gets the call on Friday, Matt Alvarez will go on Saturday, and Hunter Gordon will finish off the weekend on Sunday. Some of the BC batters got off to hot starts last weekend, as Tom Bourdon and Anthony Melchionda went on hitting sprees, batting .571 and .429
ACC Track Championships
For the first time ever, the meet will be held in Boston from Thursday to Saturday.........A9
respectively. Gambino said he expected that to even out a bit with the guys who started off batting cold as the season progresses. “Well, Tommy Bourdon’s not going to hit .570, but he can really hit,” he said. “Melch—I think that’s about what Melch is, honestly. He’s really, really good. Tommy Bourdon’s not going to hit .570, but Andrew Lawrence is not going to hit .180. Both of those guys are going to end up evening out. So that lineup, I think the guys did a pretty good job. I don’t think there was anybody that ridiculously surprised me.” The series against UCF will give certain position players another chance to solidify their spot at some battle positions, but Gambino said that a lot of the decisions will be made based on the situation, such as what pitcher the Eagles are facing, or who might need a break in the field. Marc Perdios started two games at DH and one in right field, while Spenser Payne started two games at first base, coming in to pinch-hit in the other game. Gambino said he was impressed with Perdios’ hustle in the opening series, which will likely continue to make him a starter. “Marc will always be in the lineup against a left-hander, as long as he keeps doing what he’s dong,” Gambino said. “He had a really, really big play on Saturday. He singled to left, and the left fielder kind of took his time get-
Coach’s Corner
alex trautwig / heights senior staff
See Baseball, A8
Ashley Obrest returns to her alma mater to coach the softball team, and it is off to a good start...............A8
Editors’ Picks..............................A9 Series of the Week.......................A9
album reviews
Bells of ‘terror’
brooklyn duo sleigh bells returns with a bang, page b5 scene and heard
Chris & rihanna
Despite a turbulant past, the duo reunites, page b2
taste debate
zooey d.
Is the ‘new girl’ star a true talent or just eye candy?, page b4
Thursday, FEBRUARY 23, 2012
from ‘friday night lights’
to mars
woogeon kim / heights photo illustration
The Heights
B2
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Editor’s cornerNeed a graphic designer?
Not all pleasures are guilty
Scene and Heard
let us make your ad!
BY: Christine zhao
Brennan Carley At dinner a couple of nights ago, a couple of my friends were talking about their guilty pop culture pleasures. They included things like reality television (yes, several incarnations of The Real Housewives were mentioned), cheesy rap from the 1990s, YouTube videos of baby animals, and shot-gunning episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix. I share all of those loves and more—I would rather watch hours on end of Mob Wives and Dance Moms than go out any night of the week. The guilty pleasure is an interesting concept though, because I certainly don’t usually actively identify feeling guilty as I absorb pop culture. What’s the reason, exactly, that makes us feel so guilty about consuming anything? One of my best friends subscribes to the idea that there’s no shame in liking anything, because who’s to tell us that we’re wrong? I recently read somewhere that our brains are the happiest when we’re doing something that we almost can’t do. The same article said, with that reasoning, that’s why many Americans turn to the arts as pleasurable activities—that is, as an activity hard enough to call upon most of the brain’s resources. At the same time, guilty pleasures are identified as such by more than just the individual. Our culture dictates what we should like and what we shouldn’t—institutions like The New York Times and NPR spit out weekly reviews and year-end “Best Of … ” lists that declare “definitively” what audiences must pay attention to in order to remain part of the cultural know. For instance, one of my “guilty pleasures” is having breakfast for dinner, and I’m talking full-on breakfast with pancakes, bacon, and syrup galore. I take such pleasure in cooking myself a waffle after 5 p.m., and I have friends who, on occasion, love nothing more than demolishing several scoops of ice cream for dinner. Would we enjoy these meals quite as much if we didn’t know how unhealthy and culturally “taboo” they were? There’s something to be said about how so many guilty pleasures exploit the part of our brain that likes to break the rules. Often, guilty pleasures offer us so much delight due purely to a gleeful sense of getting away with something, a rebellion—even if only in our minds. I’m sure that for some people, myself included, a real sense of guilt can arise from certain pop cultural activities. More than once, I’ve watched shows like My Strange Addiction and enjoyed how their crappy lives didn’t even compare to mine. If liking something for a purely judgmental reason isn’t grounds to feel guilty, I’m not sure I know what is. Finally, there’s the idea that a guilty pleasure makes us feel like hiding under a rock because of what our friends may think. Do I want people to know that I’ve played “Super Bass” over 150 times on my iTunes in the last year alone, or that Kelly Rowland also makes a grand three appearances in my top 20 most-played songs? I’m not shy about that information (and most of my friends already know about that “Super Bass” smash statistic) but I know some people would be embarrassed if all their Facebook friends suddenly had access to information about their entertainment choices. As a closing note, I want to make very clear how much I’ll never consider the new Rihanna and Chris Brown “songs” as guilty pleasures. I’ve downloaded one of the two, I’ve heard both, and they make me uncomfortable on every level. I know it’s none of my business, just as it’s none of her fans’ business, but even though she may not want to be remembered as a role model, people look up to her. She’s in a prominent position and yes, she’s young and will inevitably make mistakes. As Jon Caramancia of the Times said in his column yesterday morning, “You want to forget? Fine. But don’t forgive.”
Brennan Carley is the Arts & Review editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
1. CHRIS AND RIHANNA
Rihanna’s duet partners have been pretty interesting choices—Drake can’t remember her name, Eminem lied to her, and Chris Brown beat her up. Even so, the last of the three, her exboyfriend and assailant, is currently featured in a remix of her song “Birthday Cake.” Moreover, Brown’s song, “Turn Up the Music,” features Rihanna. Both artists tweeted promotions for their songs, and not many people seem to care very much that Brown wasn’t exactly respectful to his duet partner. At the very least, it’s definitely a very catchy way to put things in the past.
2.‘TEEN MOM’ DRAMA Teen Mom 2 star said she was leaving a movie theater with her fiance in West Virginia when three women attacked her. An older woman began by calling her names, and then two other attackers came and beat her up. Her fiance, who must have finally realized he should do something, eventually managed to help a security guard save his future wife.
3. REALITY BITES
Reality television’s notorious toupee-wearing boss is evidently not very popular among viewers. Donald Trump was recently voted the worst male reality television personality at the third annual Bennies, the television equivalent of the Razzies. Pitted against Kris Humphries, Steve Jones, Randy Jackson, and Mike “The Situation,” Trump emerged victorious. Meanwhile, the Kardashians warranted their very own category (Worst Reality Show featuring a Kardashian), Teen Mom 2 kept its reputation as the worst reality show, and poor Ashton Kutcher just couldn’t follow in the footsteps of Charlie Bi-Winning Sheen.
4. Lohan’s comeback
Lindsay Lohan has had a rough couple of years, what with her multiple stints in jail and rehab, her daddy issues, and the transformation of her career into one big tabloid joke. Nevertheless, she keeps calm and carries on. In fact, she’s slated to play Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming Lifetime biopic entitled Liz and Dick. Once Lady Lohan is off probation in late March, production can begin. In the meantime, the dedicated starlet has been throwing herself into preparing for the role, watching Taylor’s movies and reading her biographies. Hopefully she can behave herself long enough to finish filming.
5. CRoss’ Confessions The White House Correspondents’ dinner is a chance for politicians to unwind, be a little racy, and apparently, for their guests to do some blow. David Cross, of Arrested Development fame, confessed to snorting a “tick” sized bit of cocaine at the 2009 dinner. In an interview with Playboy magazine, he confessed to having done it just a few feet away from President Obama. Even though Cross said he didn’t even get high, he is sorry he has tarnished his girlfriend Amber Tamblyn’s reputation in having her play witness.
the critical curmudgeon
@robdelaney (rob delaney, Comedian)
“just went after a zit a little too aggressively & now i’m 100% certain I’m bleeding to death.” photo courtesy of google.com
‘Glee’ frequently oversteps its boundaries by featuring classic songs originally sung by talented, more timeless artists.
Confusingly popular ‘Glee’ needs to set boundaries Matt Mazzari I was hoping to touch base again on the issue of Chris Brown since he and Rihanna have decided to collaborate despite their dubious past together, but I’d hate to abuse a dead horse. Brown’s tweets on the matter clear one thing up for sure: capitalization means nothing to the man. Regardless, we need to move on. I foraged for some better news in the music world and successfully discovered a headline that filled my heart with joy: Glee, the popular television show driven by high-school choir drama, will not be touring in Boston this coming June 6. In order to get the full effect of this happy news, try to imagine a gospel chorale of worldly, bodacious women swarming whatever room you’re in right now in full-swing clapping mode. Feel free to join in with them. Preach it! Why does this news merit so much imaginary Lord-praising and sass, you ask? Because any inconvenience delivered to Glee is a triumph for the rest of humanity. Now, sometimes I’m criticized for being too harsh on the triter end of modern pop because, after all, [insert apathetic reason here], you know? But Glee is a different breed of evil, namely because it isn’t just a rehashing of modern pop with a melodramatic backdrop. No, though the usual routine consists mostly of
recent hits, the cast of Glee has been known to cover rock and roll staple bands such as the Beatles in the same garishly auto-tuned fashion that they do for Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus, occasionally in the same breath. It’s like some fiendish spawn of Kidz Bop, yet somehow less appealing than 20 children screaming radio hits off-key at you for $19.99. Am I being too harsh? Surely Glee is just a television show, and a modern day soap opera at that. Does such a medium even claim to be a serious musical outlet? Sadly, yes. Glee versions of hit songs, a cappella or synthesized, have taken the single market by storm. Why? To be honest, I’m not entirely certain. The songs are consistently forced into contexts that, at best, do not fit them and, at worst, rely on gut-wrenching puns. Certain basic material lends itself to tribute and revision, but there is a point one reaches in rampantly covering songs where you are no longer doing any service to the original artists but are mutilating the originals through reduction. Mashing together tracks by Maroon 5 or even Bon Jovi into the Rolling Stones expresses an unwelcome artistic nonchalance. I’ll try to elaborate with one main example: the Glee version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” a particularly personal insult. In actuality, the music of “Blackbird” was written on acoustic guitar by Paul while he was still mastering the instrument. For
years he struggled with the dense, Bachian structure of the finger-picking, which he wrote himself. He penned the celebrated lyrics much later in dedication to the American Civil Rights movement, after he was particularly moved by the stirring poise of a female black protestor he saw in the midst of a march. In the show, a character sings “Blackbird” to mourn the loss of a literal bird, a symbolism so irresponsibly kitschy that the fact it was sung by a 28-year-old playing a high school kid was comparatively secondary. I don’t mind Glee when it does banal covers of banal songs. However, there needs to be a line drawn in the sand. Aretha Franklin, Simon and Garfunkel, and Queen are not flimsy, shoddily crafted pop rubbish. To consider them as such is to fundamentally misunderstand the musical and historical contexts of the songs being ruthlessly butchered by second-rate vocalists on a gaudy television show. Despite the joyousness of any occasion involving the cancellation of a “Glee Tour,” the situation does have a downside: Glee will instead be touring on June 7. But hey, it’s a step!
Matt Mazzari is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@ bcheights.com.
@llamadelray (comedian)
“we were born to die-t on bromgrass, alfalfa, and corn silage. ” @kellyoxford (kelly oxford, comedian’)
“We’d be scared of beavers if trees screamed.’” @garyjanetti (gary janetti, writer, ‘family guy’)
“If you’re the kind of person ‘you really have to get to know’ i already hate you.” @Pattonoswalt (patton oswalt, actor, ‘young adult’)
“Not kidding -daughter just pointed at Romney and said, “Super Martian robot.” #tweetthepress” Submit your favorite tweets of the week for consideration at artseditors11@gmail.com.
The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
B3
On the eve of the release of ‘john carter,’ the film’s director and star sit down to discuss Disney’s hand in the project, the movie’s origins, and the feeling of pure exhaustion that ran rampant as the movie wrapped its grueling months-long shoot.
tAYLOR kITSCH
ANDREW STANTON
The Heights: It seems like you were really pushed to your physical limits with this film, so what did you do to prepare? Taylor Kitsch: So many, I battled exhaustion throughout just because you’re in so much of it and you’re working six to eight weeks and all that kind of stuff. The diet is everything. You’re on that regimen and it’s the most boring diet you can think of ever, literally. I’m just like surrounding all the meals with protein and I was on it for almost 11 months, and then just the aesthetic part of John is such that you wake up at 4:30 in the morning every day and train and it goes back to boxing to a lot of the core stuff: water work, the sword training … man, I could bore you all day with what I ate, but I’ll just leave it at: it was incredibly boring.
The Heights: How is directing a live action film different than directing an animated film? Stanton: It’s actually not that different. People think that when you work on an animated film, you’re talking to a bunch of computers. I’m talking to 200 people each day, 200 people that have different jobs, like how to do the lighting, the camera, the costume work. So it’s very similar, actually, because in live action I talk to people who do the lighting, the camera, the costumes, the actors, and it’s just that you’re doing it outside rather than inside, and you’re doing it under a very tight schedule whereas you have a lot more sort of banker’s hours when you’re doing animation. So the big difference is just physical stamina. I know that’s not sexy, but that’s the truth of it.
The Heights: Do you want to continue to take more action roles, and what made John Carter different from other roles for you? Kitsch: I think that’s just it, I don’t see it as just an action role, you know? Of course the action is going to be insane, and it is, in the film, but I mean, what really makes me choose a role is the people I’m surrounded with and the character I get to portray, and the sense of how in John Carter the emotion is no joke. It’s that arc of who I got to play, of the guy who’s lost his cause completely and then through this action and through the people who come into his life. That’s why I signed onto it. If it didn’t have that emotional arc, I wouldn’t have done it. As long as that action and the emotion is balanced, then I’m more prone to take the role. You never know, hopefully I keep throwing you guys curveballs so you can’t know what I’m going to do next, that’s the joy of it all.
The Heights: Did your experience at Pixar help with the CGI in the film? Stanton: My experience at Pixar was tremendously helpful. I don’t think I could’ve done this had I not … I mean, making John Carter was basically making two movies, almost literally two different film productions. One was the live action side that took almost a year to do, and then the computer graphics side, because half my main characters are completely CG and half the world is sort of CG, and that was another year and a half of work, and that happened after I shot the live action. I kind of was in this live-action world with all the sort of production rules and pipelines, and then I moved on to animation and I worked in the same kind of pipeline that I would work and production flow for a Pixar movie. I knew I would know that half of it really well, and I was working with people I hadn’t worked with before, and that was fun. I think they enjoyed working with a director who actually knew and cared about animation.
The Heights: From Friday Night Lights to John Carter you’ve worked with an impressive ensemble of actors, including Kyle Chandler, Willem Dafoe, and Liam Neeson. What’ve you learned from working with talent like that? Kitsch: Yeah, I had to put them all on my back, man, all of them [Laughs]. I can keep going on that list by the way—John Travolta, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Oliver Stone … I mean I’ve been so lucky, and I think it goes back to the answer before, just surrounding yourself and playing these incredibly character-driven roles. That’s the beauty of my gig, man, I’m empowered and I’m better for it, by putting myself with these guys. You learn and you take the best of each of these guys, hopefully, and you try to apply it when you can. I hope to continue this kind of path we’re on for sure. I would love to tell you what the next gig is … if it is what I think it will be, it’ll continue on that path.
The Heights: Did you feel a certain kind of pressure tackling a story that so many people already knew? Stanton: I did and I didn’t, because the harsh truth of it is that not that many people know about it. It’s not like Harry Potter or Tolkien, it’s slowly been a dwindling base, so I knew there wasn’t this massive social pressure about how it was executed. But I didn’t worry about that so much also because I’m a huge fan, I’ve read the books my whole life and wanted to see them and I’m probably one of the more rabid fans, so I didn’t want to screw it up! I kind of got pregnant with this idea, with telling Disney when the property suddenly went back to the estate in 2006, I told them, “You’ve gotta make this, I want to see it on the screen. I’ve been waiting 35 years and it’s still not gonna happen. Somebody’s got to make it! I would consider it once I finish WALL-E.” Suddenly they said yes and gave it to me, before I even knew what was going on, and it was sort of one of those “be careful what you wish for” circumstances. If there was any pressure, it was my own pressure on myself, because I was like, “Okay, now you can put your money where your mouth is and put on the screen what you’ve always wanted to see.”
The Heights: How was it working with Andrew Stanton? Kitsch: Terrible, just terrible. We hate each other, the communication is terrible, we can’t even stand to be in the same room as each other even now. No, it’s quite the opposite, obviously. For what he’s achieved, you’re dealing with a guy who has zero ego, and I think that’s why the movie is what it is. I think the biggest compliment you can give anyone, especially when you’re working with someone with who I would go to war with and I would do whatever it took to do it justice with him. These movies should test you on so many levels, and waking up every day knowing I would get to work with him was an amazing feeling. The Heights: How was the transition from television to film? Kitsch: I don’t think it was a big thing for me. I started, actually, doing film, so I think there is that stigma with it, from film to TV, ‘what does it mean?’ but I don’t know, I love doing film and I hope to keep doing film. The time you get, or is allotted for these character-driven things and the time it can take … in film, we can do a whole 12-hour day and do one scene. If I’m doing Riggs, I’ve done 17 pages in one day. I think that you can really take your time and break it down a lot more, maybe, but yeah, I hope to keep doing film, but there are some cable shows doing incredibly characterdriven stuff, so you never know. The Heights: What do you feel was your greatest accomplishment with this film? Kitsch: With this film, getting through it. I think I keep going back to how tired I was, but you’re truly on bended knee at times for days, not even able to walk to set you’re so exhausted. I think it was just that task of how many days you question the love of your work so many times just because you just want to sleep for another eight hours or so. That was just getting through it and, you know, setting the bar that high for myself personally and keeping it at that level of energy and aesthetic and emotion, that’s probably the biggest thing I’ll take from it. You did it, you got through it.
Photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
Traversing deserts, lakes, and even picking up a dog along the way, Kitsch explores Mars.
D
’ ISNEY s
Visionaries Talk JOHN
‘ Carter’ For More from Kitsch and Stanton see Bcheights.com
By Brennan Carley Arts & Review Editor
The Heights: What was it like working with human actors rather than being able to manipulate your characters via computers? Stanton: Well, I don’t work with the manipulated CG characters, I work with the animators that are human beings that manipulate the characters, so I don’t talk to the puppets, I talk to the puppeteer! To me, talking with actors is really no different than talking with an animator—animators are just shy actors. They may not be as fun as the actors, they may not jump around and give you a million great ideas or come back fighting you with their own agendas as much as an actor might, which is really exciting, but the way an actor is thinking is exactly how an animator’s thinking. They’re trying to figure out the character’s motivation, what are all the choices I have or the tools at my disposal as the character I am, what are my marks, where do I come in, when do I exit. Talking to an actor was like talking to my animators and my story guys at the same time, because my story guys can be really crazy and try a million ideas at once and we’re just thinking of the wackiest ideas out there like a good improv group. It was really like having these two conversations I was used to having as one!
The Heights
B4
Thursday, February 23, 2012
keeping with the current
Star value by Joe Allen
Brie aims to make a successful jump to the silver screen A house
where all are welcome
Most fans of NBC’s Community can’t talk about the show for long without mentioning Alison Brie. As the nervous, innocent-looking Annie Edison, Brie has become one of the highlights of the series, whether her character is having a mental breakdown over a lost pen or trying to sex up a creepy Christmas song. Her wide-eyed charisma has also been seen on Mad Men as the supportive, yet strong Trudy Campbell. While a lesser-known actress up until now, Brie has cultivated her persona in an impressive fashion. She made Maxim’s Hot 100 list last year at #49, but has rarely shown off anything but her impeccable comic timing when on camera. Brie recently began her rise in the movie world with a role in Scream 4, and will star alongside Jason Segel and Emily Blunt in the Judd Apatow comedy The Five-Year Engagement this April. Between this upcoming role and the return of Community to TV this March, Alison Brie could be on her way to fame.
Dan Siering
Photos courtesy of google.com
Fashion Forward
Look to menswear for a wardrobe jolt Crossing the gender divide is an increasingly popular trend in the fashion world
Therese Tully Early on a Sunday morning, I managed to put together a half presentable outfit, and was quite proud of myself for this. On weekend mornings it can be hard to motivate myself to get up and get dressed, when all I want to do is lie in bed and drink coffee. Nonetheless, I did it. I got dressed for my busy day, which included the long walk to St. Ignatius for Mass, a lengthy meeting, and a long night of newspaper production. I slipped on one of my favorite pairs of shoes, my Dolce Vita “Bobbie” suede ankle boots, and headed out into the world feeling both comfortable and fashionable. These suede ankle boots are a lovely shade of taupe, and are reminiscent of a man’s Chukka boot. Yes, I may be biased, but I hardly think they look manly on my size 7 ½ feet. They are perfectly lightweight suede and are a nice alternative when I don’t feel like hauling out my heavy leather boots for the millionth time. They add just a hint of edge to an otherwise simple outfit. All of a sudden, I was blindsided, hardly thinking anyone had taken notice of my current footwear. A male friend commented that he thought he had the same shoes as me. And another chimed in that he thought the same, and my boot of choice was definitely a male option. I can hardly expect college-aged men to be up to date on fashion, but seriously, menswear for women is hardly a new trend! I tried to explain to them that the fact that they looked like men’s boots was kind of the point. This is in essence what made them cool. My stubborn male friends only laughed, and seemed unable to grasp the larger fashion statement I was making, or simply how darn comfortable they are. I hope, that with time, they will become accustomed to it. There is evidence that big scary fashion statements can be normalized to them, that their stubborn minds can be changed, very slowly. I have yet to see a guy scoff at a girl wearing a blazer to class or as outerwear, with the sleeves rolled up, and bracelets accenting the look. But really, who wore sports blazers? I’ll give you guys a hint: it wasn’t women. The most simple and basic pieces that we often don’t bat a lash at were originally stolen from the closets of men. Button-down shirts, suspenders, vests, loafers, trouser pants, each one not our own. Though many of these pieces have taken on distinctly feminine qualities in their fabric, cut, and color, they originated as staples in a male wardrobe. Each season, many designers will inevitably play off this in their women’s collections, as the trend is only expanding. This is no secret by any means. Katharine Hepburn, for
example, was known for her menswear. I have definitely idolized her in this column before, but it is just so easy to admire her not only for her acting and iconic beauty, but for her gusto and her unwillingness to conform. She was the first woman to be pictured on screen in pants, and from then on out, flouted many fashion conventions. She loved menswear, and was often pictured decked out in head to toe male-inspired ensembles. But the beauty of Hepburn’s fashion statement was its simplicity. She wasn’t wearing pants to start a revolution, she just could not understand why men got this option that was both comfortable and functional and she as a woman did not. When Barbara Walters asked her why she wore pants, she replied, “I just wore pants because they’re comfortable.” I just wear my boots because they are comfortable! I like to think that if Katherine were alive today, she would be sporting her own pair of Chukka boots, unapologetically of course. A little menswear can go a long way, in either making a statement, or just wearing something wonderful. Whether a watch, blazer, trouser, or boot, the sharp cleanness of menswear is a great way to set off the beauty of a feminine piece. If a dress or skirt is feeling too cutesy or too sweet, a hint of tailored menswear can remedy the problem instantly. So snatch away from the male wardrobe and make it your own, and in time, the men will learn that great fashion is meant to be shared.
Therese Tully is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
Top: Pairing a masucline button down and accompanying bow-tie with kitten heels, tights, and other feminine accents makes for an androgynous yet consistently chic look. Bottom (left): Menswear inspired shoes can give any outfit a more casual, edgier feel. Bottom (right): Despite the association of button downs to a business casual oriented wardrobe, funky styles, prints, and colors can spice up the potentially bland piece.
Taste debate: zooey deschanel
Pro
chris marino
heights editor
I am a huge fan of Zooey Deschanel. Between her constantly evolving music career and acting skills, the 32-year-old has shown the world that she can perform on a number of stages. While her niche in the industry may be more condusive to the big screen, her smokey singing voice has the ability to captivate an audience, as she puts new twists on classic songs. Her role in the show New Girl exhibits her quirky personality, as well as the adorable naivety missing from most television shows today. I first fell for Deschanel while watching Yes Man, a film in which she portrays an eccentric and spontaneous young woman. From there, each role she played captured my attention more and more. The perfect role for her came in the form of (500) Days of Summer. She played the “girl next door” persona perfectly, and I know that I felt for Joseph Gordon-Levitt when the pair split up. Zooey truly has that effect on people.
con
taylor cavallo
assoc. arts & review editor
Just because you’re an indie actress (and a mediocre one at that) doesn’t mean you’re a singer. Perhaps my bias comes from her extremely unlikeable character in (500) Days of Summer, who is shockingly manipulative, reaching new levels of inconsiderate and evil, torturing her loving boyfriend; a character who seems too cute to ever do wrong. Alas, I know this is only a character she once played and is not reflective of her real personality. What we can comment on, however, is that she did not even play this part well. Her recent role in the cliched, TV show The New Girl highlights perfectly the reason why she continues to get cast: she does “vapid,’’ “confused,” and “clueless” well. Zooey Deschanel exposes her true hubris with her involvement in the “band” She & Him, a singing duo who are terrible live, proof that Deschanel cannot sing. Instead, she whispers seductively into a microphone, which is probably the draw to her music. This does not denote true talent. Let’s call a spade a spade here people, admit that you like Zooey because she is attractive, and this delusion of “talent” can finally be over.
Since we came of age, a favorite pastime for my hometown friends and I, along with several weary college students and high school seniors in the Twin Cities area, is to make the short trek to the troika of casinos in the southern metro suburbs, where hopeful patrons over the age of 18 can exchange their paychecks for blackjack chips and video roulette credits. Not only a way to fill otherwise uneventful summer weekdays, these gambling escapades also gave my friends and I an excuse to drive around and showcase recent song discoveries to each other. It was during such a trip that I was first introduced to the obscure and frightening world of dubstep, house music’s youngest and most distinct subgroup. After my friend Jake, who attends Arizona State University, played Rusko’s remix of Kids Sister’s “Pro Nails,” he began explaining how popular dubstep was becoming down south. He told of immense rave-style gettogethers and the pure euphoria of listening to the music amongst a large crowd. This conversation occurred during the summer of 2010. When I returned for my sophomore year at Boston College, I saw very few traces of the trend my friend had so vehemently advocated. While I carried on thinking dubstep was a mere flash in the pan, my friends at bigger colleges were beginning to attend such electro concerts on a frequent basis. And it wasn’t simply dubstep—it was all kinds of house genres that were being made famous by DJs with daunting stage names like Deadmau5 and Avicii. When I came home last summer, it was apparent that some of my closest friends had become zealously obsessed with house music. Logically, they wanted to continue their concert-going tear when they returned to Minnesota, and while I, the conceited music critic that I am, was doubtful that a live concert of such music would be at all gratifying, I trusted their enthusiasm and purchased a ticket for an upcoming Flux Pavilion concert. I really had no idea what was in store for me, yet when I walked out of that concert there was one thing that I was sure of—the rise of house music was anything but a flash in the pan. The concert was a decidedly unique musical experience, where a purely audible and visual sensory pleasure stood in place of classic lyrical and instrumental collaborations. Needless to say, I was hooked. While I have Flux and dubstep to thank for introducing me to the house universe, the “lighter” side of house, such as trance and progressive music, is the music that has really kept me interested in the genre. This curiosity has spiked in the last month, mainly due to the fact that I have seen live sets by Swedish DJ Avicii twice during that span. In just the last few years, it seems that house music has shed its obscure outlier status in pop culture to become perhaps the most preferred music choice on college campuses. Much of this success can be credited to the aforementioned DJ’s release of “Levels,” a poppy electro megahit that has been played at every party, pregame, and youthful get-together in the last six months. Yet a large portion of the exponential success also comes from the increased popularity of live house concerts, which have become readily accessible by the rigorous touring schedules of popular DJs. When I saw Avicii in Minneapolis last month, the line to get in the door wrapped almost fully around a downtown block. This as I later learned was because the 2,400 capacity concert venue had severely oversold tickets to the event. Despite being elbow to elbow in a venue that could pass as a low-grade convection oven, it was the highlight of my winter break. I know there are plenty of you out there who remain unconvinced—the ones who see Avicii’s synth melodies as tirelessly repetitive or Skrillex’s heavy dub sounds as mindless computer gargle. I completely understand your grievances. About a year ago I was there with you. But what I say to that shrinking segment of skeptics is this: house music, unlike traditional pop music, is a style that must be experienced. I believe that you will never fully understand this musical phenomena if you simply listen to it alone in your room. House music is a dish best served family style—to a sweaty family swaying in unison to the beat.
Dan Siering is the Asst. Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
B5
Sleigh Bells show no signs of a sophomore slump with ‘Terror’
Chart Toppers
By Margaret Fahey
1 Stronger Kelly Clarkson 2 Set Fire To The Rain Adele 3 We Are Young Fun. 4 Sexy And I Know It LMFAO 5 Good Feeling Flo Rida 6 We Found Love Rihanna 7 I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston 8 Turn Me On David Guetta 9 Rack City Tyga 10 Give Me All Your Luvin’ Madonna
For The Heights
Mom & Pop records released Sleigh Bell’s second album, Reign of Terror, on Feb. 21, 2012. Although I’m not sure how to define this dynamic duo’s music style (rock, pop, metal, techno, or a mixture of all), I am sure that I like it. In 2009, songwriter/producer/guitarist Derek Miller met Alexis Krauss, the missing piece to this new indie band. Miller, previously a guitarist for the band Poison the Well, moved to Brooklyn to find a female vocalist able to mesh with his unpolished creative energy. Krauss, a former member of teen pop band Rubyblue, happened to eat lunch in the restaurant at which Miller was waiting tables. The two soon performed at the CMJ Music Marathon and produced a seventrack EP that gained attention from the music world. Krauss’ high-pitched vocals harmonize beautifully with Derek’s rougher heavy-metal guitar riffs. The album’s sound is somewhere between an amped-up marching band and a head-banging metal rock performance. If anything can be said about Reign, its high intensity is refreshing and contagious. The band’s debut album Treats, released in 2010, put Sleigh Bells on tour at key music festivals such as Coachella, Primavera Sound Festival, and Pitchfork that same year. Since 2010, the band has gained much notoriety from
music critics and artists such as M.I.A. Treats’ songs appeared in selected popular commercials and even played on the shows Gossip Girl and Skins. Their new album is a bit darker than its predecessor, reminiscent of a personal tragedy suffered by the band with the recent death of Miller’s dad. Krauss, now the band’s established secondhalf, was much more involved in the producing of this album than she was with Treats. Song titles such as “You Lost Me” and “Never Say Die” are not necessarily happy messages but are nowhere near depressing. Sleigh Bells proves its influence from darker, heavy metal bands, and proliferates energetic, sometimes mournful songs that aren’t trying to be too serious. Sleigh Bells brings just as much energy to its second album as its first (in a prerelease tour of Reign, Miller fractured a rib crowd surfing). And yet, the songs in Reign are a bit more polished and contain more variety than in Treats. “You Lost Me” encompasses one of the album’s best overall sounds. Krauss’ voice is purely haunting, and the drums echoing gunshots add just the right touch to this spooky formulation. The song’s lyrics, “I don’t want you to see me this way / What a way to die,” converge into Krauss’ typically fast and repetitive vocals that then repeat throughout the song. “Crush” is one of my personal favorites, and has an uplifting refrain with a more rock’n’roll vibe. The song is a conglomeration of
Reign of Terror sleigh bells produced by Mom & pop records released feb. 21, 2012 Our rating A-
Singles
Top Albums
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With ‘Reign of Terror,’ Sleigh Bells showcases their patented combination of poppy vocals and electro instrumental. chanting vocals, heavy repetitive guitar chords, and a melody unique to their new album. Reign of Terror’s single “Comeback Kid” is similar to songs on their previous album, yet Krauss’ voice is lyrical and softer than on other tracks. With this song, the band provides an emotional message with longer-lasting melodies, subtleties that prove an expertise often missing in Treats. “Demons” flaunts the former schoolteacher’s much
rougher, screaming vocals and a chaotic melody that is reminiscent of the band’s earlier album. The song would seem unharmonious, but something about Miller’s music meshes all the elements together. Krauss chants the refrain, “And you will answer to no one else but me,” and fans feel the energy that is a one-and-only quality of the duo. While Sleigh Bells’ music isn’t for everyone, Miller and Krauss are
unarguably respected and talented musicians. It seems that fans won’t have to wait long to hear what the pair have next. In a Rolling Stone interview Miller confessed, “All I can think about is the next record … the second we finish a record I’m ready to do another one.” With the release of Reign of Terror, Sleigh Bells prove it is a multi-dimensional band whose indefinable music won’t be forgotten. n
1 21 Adele 2 A Different Kind Of Truth Van Halen 3 NOW 41 Various Artists 4 Scars & Stories The Fray 5 Kisses on the Bottom Paul McCartney Source: Billboard.com
Tyga’s ‘Careless’ adds a mediocre chapter to the Young Money collection By Taylor Cavallo
Assoc. Arts & Review Editor With the incredible popularity of the much-loved “Rack City,” people were certainly expecting big things from Tyga’s Careless World—Rise of the Last King. While by no means the hip-hop
album of the year, it does accomplish exactly what it claims to be: a decent mix tape with catchy songs that hit on all the expected topics (money, cars, women, etc.), while featuring the YMCMB all-star crowd of Nicki, Wayne, and Drake, because, all sarcasm aside, we do appreciate any new songs featuring
those three artists. While almost no song delivers as well as “Rack City,” which is certainly the track that we will all still be listening to when this is all said and done, a few come close. “Muthaf—ka Up,” featuring Nicki Minaj, is absolutely one of the best tracks on the album.
Carless World: Rise of the Last King Tyga produced by Young Money released Feb. 20, 2012 Our rating B courtesy of google.com
Although decent at best, Tyga’s new mixtape delivers a few quality party songs such as “Faded” and “Muthaf—ka Up.”
Tyga’s rhymes are again, nothing unbelievable, but catchy nonetheless. While he might not be the best rapper alive, he does have flow. With a background beat reminiscent of Lil Wayne’s “6 Foot 7 Foot,” in that there is some sort of loud childlike voice singing very repetitively to the point of annoyance, the track is undeniably a great song to dance to. There are some really impressive rhymes scattered through the song and the chorus uses a sample of some anonymous man saying, “Break this mother f—ker up.” Nicki kills it in her verse, as usual, but Tyga holds his own alongside her. The best track on the album (apart from our dear “Rack City”) is “Faded,” featuring rap aficionado Lil Wayne. This track is similar to “Rack City” in many ways, with the soft background beat and Tyga’s smooth yet intense voice. Also, it is more than appropriate in a party setting, which is probably the song’s biggest attraction. The song certainly has some blatantly vulgar verses, but nothing we haven’t heard before. At first, Tyga seems to be naming seemingly disconnected things, such as Al Pacino in
Scarface and women in peacoats, but things get more coherent, or as coherent as they can be, as the song goes on and things fall into place. It is certainly realistic for us to anticipate hearing this song come on right after “Rack City.” People who love Drake will be slightly disappointed in “Still Got It.” While his rhymes are executed to perfection, the repetition of the phrase “still got it for ya” seems a little like a cop out, as it is repeated way too many times. Perhaps emphasizing the fact that he still in fact does have “it,” the point gets lost, because listeners will find themselves wanting him to say something else. When he isn’t repeating this catchphrase, however, he is the same Drake we know and love, speaking directly to the lady listeners with a silky smooth voice, as if he’s singing with a smirk. His strong raps are mixed with lyrical breakdowns in his questionable but refreshing singing voice. You’re probably wondering why I’m not commenting on Tyga’s part in this song, and that’s because his verses are so mediocre that he basically forfeits this track to Drake anyway.
“I’m Gone,” featuring Big Sean, as one of the album’s slower tracks, is a shout-out to “haters” (another hot topic in popular rap), but some lines flow so easily that this “typical” song seems fresh. Big Sean is impressive on the track as well, and the two collaborate together well, but to be honest, I couldn’t tell at first which verses belonged to Tyga and which belonged to Big Sean—perhaps this represents just how well they blend together. Then I thought of the voice heard on “Dance (A$$)” and was able to distinguish the two. One of the best lines, in my opinion, can be heard on this track: “I’m a G plus one.” While Careless World—Rise of the Last King is, again, not the pinnacle of rap mix tapes, I don’t think that’s what it’s attempting to be. From listening to this album, it seems as if Tyga knows what type of rapper he is—the type who makes party hip-hop songs that can be appreciated by the general public—and that is exactly what these songs are. He seems aware that he can’t just make another “Rack City” —sometimes people peak too soon. n
‘Nights’ showcases a fun and refreshing take on classic themes By Ariana Igneri Heights Staff Audaciously ambitious and grandiose, Fun.’s second studio release, Some Nights, is an avantgarde anthology that takes the listener on a musical, lyrical, and emotional journey with its flamboyant, theatrical tracks. Experimenting with an inestimable number of instruments, genres, and moods, Fun. achieves the seemingly impossible and creates a beautifully and intricately layered soundscape, characterized by infinite hooks and inspired production. Jeff Bhaskar (Billy Kraven), who has worked with artists such as Kanye West, Alicia Keys, and Beyonce, produced Some Nights, and undoubtedly prepared many of the indie pop trio’s songs for incessant radio play. Though some fans may consider their new direction “selling out,” Fun. effortlessly manages to blend their affinity for dramatics with more relatable pop melodies, lifting their songs far above cheap imitations. Each track, and, actually, Some Nights in its entirety, plays out much like a Broadway musical, building up and then collapsing.
The buildup begins in “Some Nights (Intro),” an orchestral overture that opens with twinkling piano keys, faint applause, and soft vocals, and eventually ends with Queen-esque choirs and operatic opulence. Fun.’s alluring introduction prepares listeners for the album’s title track, “Some Nights,” as the two flow seamlessly together. Opening with a sincere verse of a cappella vocals, the tune is definitely one of the most stunning on the record. Its victorious chord progressions, unremitting drum roll, and electronic sounds make “Some Nights” incredibly infectious, as lead singer, Nate Ruess, relentlessly and passionately asks, “What do I stand for?” By the end of the song, listeners will inevitably find themselves asking the same question. The track “We Are Young,” an already trendy single, follows next—it, too, is one of the strongest songs on the album. A teenage anthem driven by triumphant vocals and hollow percussion, “We Are Young” epitomizes what Fun. does so very well: taking something small, something familiar—here, a night at the bar—and transforming it into something that sounds enormous. Though Some Nights features several more subtle songs, these
songs are just as powerful as the others. “Carry On,” for example, is an encouraging pop ballad about moral perseverance. The track starts delicately, with the piano and acoustic guitar, but eventually Ruess’ soaring vocals, a monotonous drumbeat, and an electric guitar solo emphasize the song’s uplifting message. Similarly, “Why Am I The One” is a slow, yet strong, pop song that could easily make it onto the radio, and though it is certainly less ambitious and slightly repetitive, the chorus is still commanding. Other noteworthy tracks include “Alright,” whose catchy drum and synth combinations resonate popular OneRepublic singles; “Out On The Town,” a bonus track that is slightly reminiscent of the ’80s; and “One Foot,” which is heavy, confident, and authoritative. Despite the plethora of unpredictable, boundary-stretching songs, “Alone” may be the most interesting. Perhaps because of the album’s producer, the song demonstrates an undeniable hiphop influence. Regardless, its new, sonic quality makes it undeniably captivating. The majority of Some Night’s songs manage to present Fun.’s the-
atrical approach in a balanced way. Unfortunately, there are a few tracks that are simply forced and overdone. “Stars,” notably, is tainted heavily by auto-tune, even though Ruess’ voice could carry the song alone. At almost seven minutes long, the tune becomes tiring, as it attempts to incorporate more genres than necessary—nevertheless, the song
is cohesive, and still has a place in Fun.’s primarily solid album. The song “It Gets Better,” however, is the real low point of the record. It does not, in fact, “get better,” and instead, it just sounds like a harsh reproduction of middle school punk rock, with its compressed instrumentation and obnoxious guitar riffs. All in all, though, Some Nights
is novel, creative, and refreshing. It provides listeners with a new perspective regarding sounds, lyrics, and feelings, and it takes them on a thematic journey through love, loss, victory, defeat, and self-discovery. Fun.’s album is all-encompassing, and its dramatic quality enables it to authentically convey a message that anyone can relate to. n
Fun. some nights produced by fueled by ramen released feb. 21, 2012 Our rating B+
courtesy of google.com
Fun. utilizes a traditional crescendo of instrumentals to deliver novel meditations on the topics of love and love lost.
Radio singles by carolina del busto The Used “Hands and Faces”
John West ft. Big Sean “Already There”
B.o.B. “So Good” The Used is known for its loud, rock infused songs, and its new single “Hands and Faces” is no different. It incorporates electronic beats mixed with the band’s usual loud and fast-paced sound. About halfway through, the song slows down, only to then pick up again suddenly–this contrast creates a grungy, almost eerie feel that sounds just about right.
Artist B.o.B. has done it again. With his new, catchy single “So Good,” you’ll be singing the refrain all day. The sweet tempo and upbeat melody add to the carefree feeling of the song, just as the chorus chimes, “Living life like you should, you say you never had it so good.” The mention of traveling throughout the song, “pack your bags real good, baby,” adds to the potential for it to be a summer anthem.
Starting off slow with a piano in the background, John West sets the tone for the song by singing, “I ain’t got a dollar but I’m feeling like a millionaire.” The beat picks up when Big Sean starts rapping, and it continues to rise and fall at a steady pace. West’s soft voice mixed with Big Sean’s calm rapping make the song “Already There” easy to listen to and enjoy.
The Heights
B6
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The onset of eye disease may not be as visible as the appearance of new wrinkles. An eye doctor can spot the early warning signs of vision problems like glaucoma and macular degeneration, as well as other serious health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Early detection is key. For men and women over 40, it might be wise to look into your eyes. For more information, visit checkyearly.com. A public service message from Vision Council of America and AARP.
6#! C -AG & X INDD
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The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
B7
BY LAUREN TOTINO
A game at the Garden and diverse dinner options Last week, loyal Boston College Superfans made the trek to TD Garden to watch the Eagles soar to victory in Boston’s 60th annual Beanpot Tournament. For many, it was a first time at New England’s premier sports and entertainment arena: a
first visit to the home of the Bruins and Celtics, a first experience with the infectious enthusiasm of Boston sports fans. And for many, it won’t be the last trip to the Garden either, with hockey and basketball seasons in full swing through the spring and some of the biggest names in entertainment headlining concerts and shows all year long. Whatever the event, any voyage to the Garden should also be supplemented with a bite to eat and a bit of urban exploration. Unless you have an overwhelming
Courtesy of Google.com
Though the North End is a popular dinner spot, hidden gems like Green Dragon are worth the walk.
craving for mediocre-quality nachos and hotdogs, don’t fall victim to the overpriced concessions at the Garden (though, on a side note, it is pretty impressive that a “Hot Nosh” vending machine is available for those keeping it kosher–now that’s variety). Instead, many folks take to the eateries on nearby Canal Street before and after games. Popular restaurants include Hurricane O’Reilly’s and The Four’s Boston, which provide the classic sports bar vibe and are perfect for snacking on buffalo wings before the action starts or catching up on a post-game report aired on big-screen TVs. Outside, the sea of riled-up fans filling the street, the sporadic shouts of ticket scalpers, and the eager t-shirt vendors on the corner make it clear that this direct pathway to the Garden is the road most traveled on game day. The North End, in all its Italian glory, is the next obvious choice for a fan seeking pre- or post-game activities, since the neighborhood is just a short walk across the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway from the Garden. Sometimes, though, it’s better to check out the spots that tend to fly under the radar for most college students. How about stepping off the beaten path and onto one made of cobblestones? I’m talking about Marshall Street, a small side street across from the New England Holocaust Memorial, and home of the Green Dragon Tavern.
Allston-Brighton Crime Reports 2/16/12— 2/19/12
Unarmed robbery on Allston St.
Inside and out, the Green Dragon is a snapshot of colonial Boston. This traditional Irish pub lauds itself as the “Headquarters of the Revolution,” referring to the original Tavern on Union Street which was demolished in 1854 but had served as a meeting
straight to the game, taking the T to Haymarket or North Station is the most practical approach, but hopping off the D-line at Government Center is optimal if you’re looking to get the most out of a trip to the Garden. Before hitting up the Green Dragon
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The Four’s Boston is a common place for victory feasts after Bruins and Celtics games. place for the Sons of Liberty and the Boston Committee of Correspondence during the American Revolution. The Green Dragon’s standard pub fare aptly fits the Game Day theme, and its rich Bostonian history and culture simply can’t be missed. If you want to make a beeline
and Canal Street, leave some time to stroll through Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, where you can stop by the Roster store to purchase team apparel and other fan essentials (who doesn’t love a foam finger, right?). Just make sure you’re in your seats for the drop of the puck or the tip-off. n
Restaurant review
Chefs create delicacies in small spaces
At about 2:05 a.m., on Friday, Feb. 17, officers responded to a radio call for an assault and battery in progress at Allston St., Brighton. Upon arrival, officers entered a pizza shop where the victim was inside, on the phone with the dispatch. Officers observed the victim visibly upset and shaken. The victim stated to the officers that she had just been robbed out in front of her building at 161 Kelton St. The victim stated that she walked into her apartment building and was followed by the suspect. She said she did not want to enter her apartment in fear that the suspect might “try something,” so she walked to the laundry room. She then stated that the suspect followed her into the laundry room and asked her, “Do you want drugs?” She then left the laundry room and exited the front of her building. The victim stated that she was attempting to call her friend to tell her that she was being followed when the suspect knocked her to the ground and took her cell phone. She described the suspect as a male in his twenties, about six feet tall, wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, and he ran away in an unknown direction. Officers asked the victim if she needed medical attention and she refused.
Breaking and entering on Allston St. At about 7:39 a.m., on Sunday, Feb. 19, an officer responded to a call for breaking and entering in progress at 84 Allston St., Brighton. Upon arrival, the officer met with the victim who informed the officer that a male in his late twenties, wearing a white hat, tan shirt, and light blue jeans came through a possibly unlocked back door and entered her apartment. He then made his way into her bedroom, waking the victim up and stating, “Sorry, I am here to clean the basement. I will be making a lot of noise.” He then closed the bedroom door. The victim then stated that the suspect went into her roommate’s bedroom and stole a white Macbook computer. She further stated that the suspect fled out the front door down Allston St. possibly taking a right onto Greylock St. The officer drove around with the victim in search of a possible suspect but was not able to locate anyone fitting her description.
Unarmed robbery in residential apartment on Comm. Ave. At about 5:40 a.m., on Thursday, Feb. 16, an officer responded to a larceny in progress. Upon arrival, he met the victim who stated that the doorbell to his apartment kept ringing so he buzzed the person in. He opened the door to his apartment and observed a six foot tall heavy man, wearing an orange cap, grey sweater, blue jeans, and brown shoes in the foyer. The suspect then approached his door and would not let the victim shut it. The suspect pushed and entered the apartment. The victim gave the suspect $3 out of his wallet. He also took his iPod and thereafter fled the apartment. The suspect appeared intoxicated.
- Courtesy of the Boston Police Department, District 14 Gathered by Marc Francis, Asst. Metro Editor
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By Molly Shea For The Heights
After two and a half years of relying on Fin’s for a sushi fix, I figured it was time to switch it up. With a little decision-making help from Yelp.com, Fish Market in Allston, a five-minute walk from the Harvard Ave. T stop, seemed to be the place to go: intimate, modern, and just far enough outside of Chestnut Hill to burst the BC Bubble. Past reviewers were dead on, and Fish Market turned out to be just the place to hit up for a Saturday night sushi date. There are four tables and a sushi bar in Fish Market, and my dinner at the only two-seater in the restaurant walked a fine line between cozy and cramped. The restaurant seems a little better suited for takeout, but the white walls and modern decor prevented the one room from seeming too small. The sushi bar, which takes up nearly half of the space inside, offers a front-row seat to watch one of the three sushi chefs prepare your meal. With chefs nearly outnumbering the tables, Fish Market thrives on quick and efficient service. Starting the meal off with a seaweed salad, the plate appeared, quite literally, seconds after ordering. The salad maintained a perfect sweet to salty ratio, and came mounded in a serving bowl with a hearty sprinkling of sesame seeds on top. The seasonings slightly overpowered the flavor of the seaweed, but the dish was tasty and addictive. I had only set down my chopsticks for a few short seconds before the bowl was whisked away and replaced by a platter of maki. We ordered six different rolls, forgoing one of the many combo options to mix and match ourselves. The standout of the night was the White Tiger Maki, named to describe the stripy white seaweed the roll was wrapped in. Filled with tuna, flying fish roe, cucumber, and avocado, and drizzled with a slightly sweet miso sauce, the fresh fish stood out nicely against the different textures. Another favorite was the Eel Maki, filled with eel, cucumber, avocado, and eel sauce. This inside-out roll was a little salty but extremely tasty. Despite the fish-centric name, there were a variety of vegetarian-friendly options on the menu. Of particular note are two different vegetable tempura rolls, one with sweet potato and one with shiitake mushrooms. The Sweet
Potato Maki was a little on the bland side, as the taste of the sweet potato blended in with the rice. With a bit of wasabi and a dunk in soy sauce, the roll was a little more flavorful, but something in addition to the sweet potato tempura, rice, and seaweed wrap could have helped to improve the flavor. The shiitake mushroom roll was a little more zesty, yet, had a consistency eerily similar to a McDonalds French fry. Though both tempura rolls were underwhelming, the Avocado Maki was fresh, creamy, and similarly boosted in flavor by the addition of wasabi and soy sauce. Our final roll choice was the Japanese Pickle Maki. This roll offered the biggest possibilLocation: 170 Brighton Avenue, Allston Cuisine: Japanese Signature Dish: Avocado Ball Atmosphere: 7 / 10 Price: $$ Overall Experience: B
ity for flavor, but the sweet and sour tang of the pickle never quite came through. To avoid crunching through six well-portioned bites of what tasted like seaweed-wrapped rice, I used the last of my wasabi and ginger to spice up that roll as well. While the sushi rolls containing actual sushi were fantastic, the vegetarian rolls needed a little extra development. The service remained speedy throughout the meal–our water glasses were refilled four or five times, and our waiter allowed ample time to make a sushi selection. Also worth noting is the Avocado Ball appetizer. Recognized as one of Boston’s best appetizers of 2011 by The Boston Globe, this fairly pricey starter ($12) has received rave reviews from various customers and critics alike. For those willing to make the trek into Allston, Fish Market offers eat-in and take-out, as well as delivery to Brighton, though not Chestnut Hill. Better vegetarian maki can be had elsewhere, but for fresh, tasty sushi, Fish Market can’t be beat.
B8
The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Newton readies for Princess of economic growth Subway Series
pop breaks fans’ hearts
Marc Francis New Yorkers and Bostonians are diehard fans of pop culture. Musicians from all over the world dream about performing at “the Gardens”— Madison Square Garden and TD Garden have hosted the most infamous international superstars. Fans in both cities pay hundreds of dollars to see their idols perform for just a couple of hours. Many fans closely follow every step of their idols’ lives, experiencing every hurdle and success along the way. But what happens when an artist does something that totally loses the respect of his or her fan base? Just look at Janet Jackson’s musical career. She was considered a frontrunner of the pop scene, second to Madonna of course, before she flashed millions of Americans at the 2004 Super Bowl. Currently, Rihanna and Chris Brown have entered a barrage of criticism for their recent features on one another’s newest singles—“Birthday Cake (feat. Chris Brown)” and “Turn up the Music (feat. Rihanna).” I was sitting in the McElroy dining hall when the link to Rihanna’s new remix with Brown popped up on my Twitter feed. I stared at my laptop screen with a dropped jaw for approximately 10 minutes, disregarding all of the weird looks shot my way by the dining hall’s foot traffic. As a loyal Rihanna fan, having met her twice and been to two of her concerts, I was in shock as I learned of her decision to reunite with Brown. Rihanna had the support of millions of people three years ago, after the incident, and expressed that re-entering a relationship with Brown would only encourage women to remain in abusive situations. While she has not officially rekindled her relationship with her former lover, Rihanna has still offended and mocked more than just her fan base, but also all those young women who considered her a role model. Most abused women do not have security, a publicist, and millions of fans around the world backing them up—many victims are alone. In “Birthday Cake,” Rihanna and Brown express their desires to have sex and how they miss one another’s physical presence. Rihanna repeatedly chants “Remember how you did it,” while Brown responds by voicing his desire for his ex’s “cake.” In addition to those who were horrified by the reunion of the artists, there were also those who chose to express their disapproval through mockery. Tweets erupted with links to “Pound Cake (feat. Chris Brown)” and “Turn up the Music (beat Rihanna).” Fans also conveyed their anger by tweeting pictures of Rihanna records that they had broken, symbolizing their loss of respect for the musician. Both Grammy award-winning artists hardly need such controversy. Rihanna rose above any feelings of pity and weakness, and went on to achieve 11 number one hits on the Hot 100, tying with the late Whitney Houston. She has graced the cover of almost every high-end fashion magazine in the world, and manages to stir up a healthy amount of controversy through her music videos and fashion. Whether in Boston or New York, fans are simply asking why she released not one, but two songs with Brown. If she is trying to show that she has psychologically overcome the incident with Brown, this surely is not the way she should have approached doing so. Rihanna and Brown have both performed at Madison Square Garden and TD Garden. In fact, Rihanna’s last performance of her Loud Tour was in Boston. She thanked the thousands of fans for their continual support. As of now, what seemed like an indestructible fan base now appears to be crumbling. Rumor has it that the music labels of both artists have refused to support the remixes, so the songs will most likely not be released on iTunes. Pop culture has entered a chaotic and questionable time, as artists are solely interested in money and controversy and do not respect the fan bases that have made them superstars. Marc Francis is the Asst. Metro Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.
Newton, from B10 Weston school district. Fleishman anticipates that capacity challenges will continue in the future because the current amounts of children in the system progress from elementary schools on to middle and high school. With a general growth in population comes a growth in special populations within schools. Fleishman noted that as Newton continues to be “a richly diverse city,” with over 70 languages spoken among students and parents, there comes an increase in the number of ELL (English Language Learner) students in the system. The growth has not been in the percentage of students with learning needs, but rather a general growth in the student body as a whole and, in turn, subpopulations of students. Enrollment growth has created a distinct need to expand capacity in the current Newton Schools. The town’s Master Plan priorities are to alleviate current overcrowding by replacing deficient facilities, and renovating or upgrading existing facilities. As of now, the “newest” original school building is 40 years old. Twelve buildings are over 50 years old, four are over 80 years old, and one, the Angier School, is 90 years old. The age of these buildings is shown in pictures of decrepit electric panel systems and boilers which needed replacing, and schools like Angier Elementary, which require pumps
Modernity infused in classic play Medea, from B10 in hunt for a new, younger, and royal partner, but also leaves her with children and an exile ordered by Aegeus, Jason’s soon-to-be fatherin-law and king of Athens. As a woman of an ancient society, this basically means the end. There is no divorce settlement option, her reputation is ruined, and so she enacts the ultimate plot for revenge. Perhaps this is where the play struggles the most: in the temporal disconnection from its original production. Though the problem of revenge itself is timeless, the circumstances surrounding the core issue are crucial to its understanding. Sure, for all of those audience
to be set up in the building every time it rains in order to alleviate flooding. The severe lack of space at Zervas Elementary leaves little to no workspace for adults, while at Angier the front hallway of the school does double duty as a cafeteria. Though 25 modular classrooms have been added to eight schools, including Oak Hill, Marace Mann, and Burr, it was made clear that additional space is a necessity for Newton schools. Angier Elementary School was cited as the number one challenge the system is looking to address. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has already invited Newton Public Schools into the process of potentially upgrading the facility, and administrators at the meeting expressed their hopes that MSBA will be willing to pay for a portion of the project’s cost. The school system’s efforts to revamp physical classroom space complements the donation of $300,000 that Boston College will be providing Newton Public Schools over the next three years to fund technology initiatives. Though not mentioned specifically in the meeting, the purchase of new computers, projectors, televisions, and media carts will be one less cost to bear as the effort to update schools is undertaken. As with the undertaking of any substantial project, administrators anticipate pressure on
forgotten wife would be understandable. But, nowadays, one could barely capture the plight of a divorcee, as half of today’s marital bonds will end in agreements that split couples’ resources down the middle. But, the issue was embraced in other areas. Medea’s young children, who put on an astonishingly brave performance despite their eventual bloody murder, are drawn away from adult conversations with the lure of the almighty iPhone, a more convenient and understandable commentary of present societal workings. But nothing could take away from the moving performances of Israel and Gore. Their initial interactions, for lack of a better description, were very high school. Their messy separation was sprinkled with the immaturities of playful slap fighting and some ever-so-serious occurrences of domestic violence. The bipolar dealings result in a crack—Medea’s mental breakdown. As she turned toward insanity with unwavering intention, the audience and the Chorus of Corinthians watched in paralyzing fright. As the play closed, two still children lay on the floor drenched in red. Revenge. n
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Angier Elementary celebrated its 90th birthday, making it among the oldest schools in Boston. the school budget. The first option proposed to lower expenditure was economic development. Initiatives to create a residential/shopping facility called Chestnut Hill Square, a new development in Riverside, and a revitalization of Needham Street are all potential sources of tangible economic growth that are part of the city’s master plan. However, it was noted in the meeting that economic development alone cannot completely satisfy the financial needs that renovating the schools will require. As a result, three other supplementary options were proposed. The first, a “pay as you throw” trash fee, would need to be approved by a simple majority of Newton’s aldermen with no ballot question or affirmative community vote required. These
fees would not be tax deductible or based on property value, nor would they be set for a certain amount of time. As such, speakers at the meeting noted that these measures would require “some level of community trust” in their implementation. The two other options, a debt exclusion override and an operating override, would both need to be voted on by the community and would be tax deductible, as well as based on property value. The debt exclusion would have a specific time frame, whereas the operating override would simply be for specific or general operating expenditures with no set time period. The meeting’s attendees then split into smaller groups to further consider these options, ranking them by preference. n
Born This Way Foundation launches Wed. at Harvard
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Lady Gaga prepares to visit Harvard University and rouse up support for her foundation.
Born This Way, from B10
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Medea plots revenge on her disloyal spouse, Jason, who leaves her and her children peniless.
acceptance, where humanity is embraced. This way, towards love, where individuality is encouraged,” states the foundation’s mission statement on its website. The website already sports a list of personal stories sent in by those who struggled with acquiring bravery in their own lives. Having partnered with the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the California Endowment, and the Berkman Center, the Born This Way Foundation will engage in research on the dynamics of social interaction and thereafter disseminate the attained results through mentorship and confidence-building programs. Gaga’s foundation will place heavy emphasis on digital mobilization. The Internet has become a mechanism by which troubled people, especially teens, express their innermost feelings and secrets. Gaga
said she has grown tired of witnessing the increasing number of suicides that could have been prevented. Just last September, she dedicated a song at the iHeart Radio Music Festival to Jamey Rodemeyer, a gay teen who took his life after documenting his struggle with bullying on the Internet. Regardless of his multiple cries for help, no one took notice. Cynthia Germanotta explained that her daughter “has experienced many of the struggles that our youth encounter today, and identifies with the lasting effects they can have without proper support. Together, we look forward to creating a new movement that will engage and empower youth and accept them as valuable members of our society,” as reported by extratv.com. The foundation will seek to inform the younger generations of social issues, especially bullying and violence, and develop personal solutions to overcome them. n
members in Ancient Greece, the struggles of a
Person to Watch On Friday, Feb. 10, Boston College awarded Sandra Dickson with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship for the 2012 calendar year. A junior in the Connell School of Nursing, Dickson was recognized for her leadership in CSON’s AHANA Outreach Program. The King Scholarship is awarded annually to a student in the junior class of African descent who succeeds academically as well as exemplifies the spirit and determination of a leader like Martin Luther King, Jr. In recent years, the ceremony has become more prominent throughout campus and the Who: Sandra Dickson, CSON ‘12 What: Dickson recently was honored with the King Scholarship, rewarding her leadership qualities and endeavors. Where: Dickson is a student in the Connell School of Nursing, currently promoting Black History Month throughout campus. Why it matters: Students like Dickson have contributed to BC’s strong school spirit, and highlighting such involvement will hopefully further encourage campus involvement. committee of contributors has grown substantially. Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, the keynote speaker in honor of the 30th celebration of this award, recognized Dickson in front of friends and faculty in Robsham Theater. Twenty-two students originally applied for the award, and from that pool 10 semi-finalists were chosen. Dickson was ultimately selected from five
finalists for the scholarship. In addition to her work in the AHANA Leadership Council, Dickson is a Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing (KILN) scholar in CSON. She serves as a research assistant to both professors Allyssa Harris of the nursing department and Shawn McGuffey of the sociology department, working on studies ranging from the effects of urban literature to the culture of Darfur refugees. Dickson serves as a tour guide for the Student Admissions Program, has been a student leader on the freshman retreat 48 Hours, and works with Samaritan’s suicide prevention hotline through BC’s PULSE Program. In addition, as part of her role in the AHANA Outreach Program, she annually travels with the Volunteer Corps to Mississippi. More recently, Dickson has been active in promoting Black History Month all around campus: she serves as the co-chair of the Black History Month planning committee. Dickson was honored to receive the award, striving to be “a peaceful agent of positive change, yet persistent for equality.” Of Ghanaian descent, born and raised in New Jersey, she has taken the Jesuit education BC implements and combined it with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s teachings to form her own beliefs. “Dr. King’s teachings summon us to replenish ourselves spiritually and to lead a life of purpose,” she wrote in her scholarship application essay. “My personal goal for dealing with the injustices in our society is creating awareness and finding ways to integrate the Jesuit ideals with that of my own.” Students such as Dickson are not to be missed on campus. While Dickson was awarded for her immense
By: Arjun By: Tricia Gajulapalli Tiedt
impact in the school’s cultural and service fields, her efforts are not hers alone. Four other extremely qualified candidates were in the running with Dickson, all of whom have made their own impacts on this University as well. The purpose of awards such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship is to recognize the students who strive for the betterment of this campus. Dickson prov ide s inspiration to h e r fel l o w students , faculty, and those who will see the effects of her efforts in the years to come.
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The Heights
Thursday, February 23, 2012
B9
Boston’s healthcare feats recognized Children’s Hospital, from B10 Additionally, a cloud-based teaching platform, “Pediatrics Without Walls,” aims to use the worldwide reach of the Internet to share lifesaving information instantly with doctors around the world. According to the Children’s Hospital website, “The early 2012 beta launch of this comprehensive, continuously updated, and peer-reviewed knowledge exchange platform will be dedicated to providing multimedia and interactive educational resources to physicians and nurses on optimal care of the critically ill child. More specifically, the overall objectives include providing information on demand, curricular learning maps for training clinicians, and a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration between care providers around the world.” The Integrated Clinical Information Sharing System (ICISS) was developed by Eric Fleeger, M.D., M.P.H., and Eugenia Chan, M.D., M.P.H, as a monitoring and management system designed to capture in real-time how a child with a chronic condition responds to medications when he or she is away from the hospital. In monitoring a child’s health and functional outcomes, clinicians can assess and adjust medication regimens. Ideally, this technology would decrease unnecessary healthcare utilization. Perhaps one of the most revolutionary technologies showcased on Innovation Day was the robotic beating heart surgery. This breakthrough in surgical procedure seeks to create a less invasive kind of heart surgery through the utilization of millimeter-scale tools.
According to the Children’s Hospital Boston’s science and clinical innovation blog, Vector Blog, “They’re developing completely new, miniaturized tools to replace the surgeon’s scalpel, needle and suture, and a robotic system that could snake its way through the heart to operate these tools.” Although these tools are being developed for intra-cardiac surgery, The Journal of Pediatrics reports that the robotic platform is applicable to additional types of surgery, including neurosurgery, urology, and orthopedics. Children’s Hospital Boston was founded in 1869 and has, for the last 21 years, been ranked as one of the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, according to The Journal of Pediatrics. As the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medi-
“Last March, doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston performed the first full face transplant in the United States after receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Defense...” cal School and the largest provider of healthcare to children in Massachusetts, Children’s Hospital Boston houses the world’s largest research enterprise based
Questioning Conventions
Welfare’s undeserved stigma
Andrew Schweiger
of valet employees, the law really just enforces what any normal, caring individual should do when presented with the situation of a drunk driver. While roadblocks exist with regard to ensuring the attentiveness of valet personnel, the idea is still in its early stages, and Consalvo’s hope is that further hearings will “help [him] iron out the details of the proposed ordinance,” as he said to Globe reporter Martine Powers. Consalvo does not intend for the additional responsibility to burden valet workers, since a course, “often required of bartenders and restaurant staff,” as explained by Powers, would help make the task easier to bear. Consalvo’s idea may need more work, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. And while the legislation will not stop every single drunk driver from getting on the road, it will certainly foster a “Good Samaritan” system. Getting caught up in the specifics of liability and responsibility detract from the general idea of this legislation, which at its heart benefits everyone. While the law may not show immediate results, it has the potential to save lives in the long run.
Welfare. The term leaves a dirty taste in a lot of Americans’ mouths, almost makes them want to spit. Welfare is for those who can’t cut it. If you need the government to write you off a check every month, you’re a failed, good-for-nothing loser. At least, that is the comfortable train of thought to ride on. If I can work hard, pay my taxes, and provide for myself and loved ones, well, shoot, why the heck can’t those bozos on welfare do the same? I wish it were only that simple. If it were only that simple, then I’d be saying the same ignorant things as anyone else who thought that way. The sad truth is that the way most folks find themselves relying on someone else’s tax dollars is far more complicated than we’d like to believe. There are those who have found themselves handicapped at an early age and are forced to practically retire because of work-related injuries. Others work two or three jobs and still come up short of maintaining a decent standard of living. Because of Medicaid and Medicare, there are those among us who receive life-saving medical treatment that we otherwise would simply not be able to afford. Thanks to our taxes, Uncle Sam can provide food stamps and childcare subsidies, Social Security benefits, and unemployment insurance, each program providing a welcomed safety net for those who find themselves in need of a helping hand. Yes, life is not fair, and there are those who were even dealt a bad hand who are able to make due. Why is it then that our government should be the one to provide for these people? My only answer is pure human compassion. Could we, in all honesty, live peacefully with the knowledge that we had done nothing for those in this country in need of a caring, helping hand? Would we as a society be able to live with ourselves, knowing that we had failed to act when we had all the power to do so, but simply lacked the compassion? What about those who do abuse welfare programs? What should be done with them? It’s true that stories abound of people misusing food stamps to buy cigarettes or alcohol, and many think that welfare encourages its recipients to make nothing of themselves and live contentedly off the government. Are the current programs of welfare employed by the U.S. imperfect? Of course they are, but rather than point out the obvious faults, our focus should be on how to properly reform welfare programs so as not to promote an attitude that the recipients are receiving careless “freebies” from the government. To compound this issue (and this is very much a point made by all the current Republican presidential candidates) is the question, what happens when the U.S. can no longer practically afford to provide the expensive welfare programs many American rely on to make ends meet? It is no secret that the U.S. federal debt is cause for concern, between the funding of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the decreases in tax revenue the U.S. government has had in order to dramatically ratchet up its debt load. With the Congressional Budget Office projecting Medicare and Social Security benefits to increase over the coming years as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, it is an undeniable fact that we as a society are quickly approaching an impasse. Do we cut program benefits, raise taxes, or even do both? Is it fair to ask more of Americans who juggle paying taxes with providing for their own needs? What of those currently receiving benefits? In a recent, heartbreaking article by Binyamin Appelbaum and Robert Gebeloff published in The New York Times, residents of Chisago County, Minnesota who receive welfare benefits were asked their opinions of what the right move should be. Matt Falk epitomized the responses of his neighbors when he stated that,“They’re going to have to reduce benefits. We’re going to have to accept it, and we’re going to have to suffer,” he said.
Graham Beck is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@ bcheights.com.
Andrew Schweiger is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.
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At 300 Longwood Ave., Children’s Hospital Boston ranks among the top in pediatric care. at a pediatric medical center. More than 1,100 scientists, including nine members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine, and nine members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, comprise Children’s Hospital Boston’s research community. Innovation Day is not the only time that Boston hospitals have been featured in the news in recent years. Last March, doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston performed the first full face transplant in the United States after receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Defense as part of the military’s efforts to expand research in innovative medical procedures. The donor face was given to a 25year-old Fort Worth man whose face was severely burned three years prior when his head touched a high-voltage line while he was on a cherry picker.
The team of more than 30 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and residents worked for about 15 hours to transplant the forehead, nose, lips, facial skin, and underlying muscles. Another hospital in the Boston area, Massachusetts General, was just recently featured in the news after singer/songwriter Adele underwent throat surgery there. A statement released from the hospital affirmed that “Adele underwent vocal cord microsurgery by Dr. Steven Zeitels to stop recurrent vocal cord hemorrhage (bleeding) from a benign polyp. Based on the advice of her doctor and voice therapist in the United Kingdom, Adele came to Boston to consult and undergo corrective voice surgery with Dr. Zeitels, the Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Voice Center. Dr. Zeitels expects Adele to make a full recovery from her laser microsurgery.” n
THE ISSUE:
In an effort to curb drunk driving in Boston, City Councilor Rob Consalvo has introduced new legislation requiring valets to withhold car keys from drivers they consider to be inebriated. While many valet companies already enforce key-withholding policies, Consalvo’s proposal would establish a uniform protocol for all Boston valets. Consalvo’s proposed plan requires valets to notify a superior if they believe the driver is drunk, withhold the driver’s keys and access to the car, notify the police if the driver refuses to comply, and find the driver an alternative ride home.
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Additional duties imposed Moral behavior promoted Molly Shea While Consalvo’s proposed legislation is clearly well-intentioned, it puts an impossible strain on both valets and the businesses they work for. On one level, a law like this puts a significant amount of pressure on a valet. If they refuse to hand over keys to someone they believe to be drunk, only to find out the patron is sober, the valet risks losing his or her job. Embarrassment and anger could lead an intoxicated customer to strike out violently at a valet, or to make a scene in front of other customers. If, on the other hand, a valet fails to recognize that a customer is intoxicated, this could again lead to a loss of job or a lawsuit. Valets are a valuable asset in working to prevent drunk driving, but introducing legally mandated protocol puts them in a difficult position. Joshua Lemay, director of operations at Ultimate Parking, echoed these concerns, saying, “We want to make sure that if, for some reason, someone doesn’t recognize the situation, we aren’t held accountable for someone else’s actions.” The proposed legislation also puts valet services and the businesses that hire them in a tough position. Withholding a customer’s car keys makes the restaurant or bar look bad, and could
prevent those whose keys are withheld from returning. This could lead business owners to hire valet companies that are known to be lenient, or to ask valets to bend the rules. Additionally, Consalvo has proposed that the law would allow the intoxicated driver to leave his or her vehicle in the parking lot free of charge, though he has admitted that he is not sure where the money to pay for additional parking would come from. This proposal could place a financial burden on the restaurant or owner of the lot, or cost the state money in parking fees. The motivation behind the legislation is pure, and valets do provide a valuable chance to stop drunk drivers before they get on the road, but this is not the right approach. Legislation could be introduced that requires valet companies to run mandatory classes on recognizing drunk drivers, without putting legal pressure on valets themselves. Putting the power in the hands of the valet companies and the businesses they work for will avoid the threat of legal action. With some reevaluation and restructuring of this legislation, Consalvo might find success. The current proposal, however, is a recipe for disaster. Molly Shea is a writer for The Heights. She can be reached at metro@bcheights. com.
Graham Beck Councilor Rob Consalvo’s proposal can only aid in the prevention of drunk driving-related injuries and fatalities. Making valet personnel responsible for identifying and preventing intoxicated guests from driving creates a win-win situation with no consequences for the guest. While one may argue that such a law places too much pressure and responsibility on valet employees, it really only enforces an idea that everyone should take to heart—the deterrence of people from hurting themselves and others. Consalvo’s idea is not revolutionary in any way, since companies like VPNE Parking Solutions already have their own systems installed to make sure employees are trained to identify and stop drunk guests from getting in their cars. Petty arguments regarding the liability of staff stand against a law that, in the end, will help make people more aware of each other’s safety. Furthermore, the proposed legislation does not make drivers the “bad guys,” since they would not receive any legal consequences or additional fines. The goal, simply put, is to create a more responsible society. With regard to the additional responsibility and possible liability
metro The Heights
Thursday, December 8, 2011
B10
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Wicked Cultured
Building momentum in Southie
Medical Miracles Innovation Day at Children’s Hospital Boston celebrates the technologies that make impossible surgeries successful
By Jaqueline Parisi
Charlotte Parish There’s nothing quite like getting paid to cruise along in the Boston Harbor, looking over the gorgeous skyline from the North End, to Southie, to the Harbor Islands. Sure, I had to occasionally give people drinks, provide some narration, and once in a while prevent a small (read: hyper and not too smart) child from falling over the edge of the ferry. But all in all, not a bad deal. After spending so much time in the area, I’ve become infinitely more attached to that skyline. Yet, I am incredibly excited for the recently unveiled development that will alter not only Southie’s skyline, but also its personality and productivity. The physical changes to the seaport area include 1,700 new apartments in four new buildings and a facelift for three buildings on Melcher Street (renovating the building to make room for offices, restaurants, and entertainment spaces). But it’s not the gloss that makes this a laudable project. Simply put, Mayor Menino is taking a huge political risk by investing $211 million in this project. Considering how wobbly budgets are right now, that is no small sum of money, and a lot of people will argue that it could be better spent on schools, the MBTA, or safety measures. Also, there is a general (and understandable) panic that this will be the Big Dig Part II. But it’s imperative that Menino does this in order to keep pushing Boston forward in recovering from the recession. Because this is a construction project, Menino can actually guarantee (not just throw around projected numbers and probable statistics) that this will employ about 1,400 people. What I find the most interesting about this project, though, is the price range of the apartments. Though they are on the small side, they are selling for no small price. For example, a 375-square foot apartment can be rented for $1,200 to $1,500 per month. That’s not affordable for the stereotypical Southie family. And these apartments are not designed for families, given their size. Added together, Menino is explicitly trying to seduce the new college grads, who flock to the city and fall in love with our terrible driving and great sports teams, to stay, preferably in this brand spanking new complex. If he has gambled correctly, Menino will have successfully changed both the social and physical landscapes of one of the most historically troubled areas in Boston. Already on the rise, Southie needs a project like this to make citizens reinvested in the area. In his heart-wrenching novel, All Souls, (which everyone should read if they want to understand just how strong yet destructive loyalty can be in a place like Southie), Michael Patrick McDonald wrote that there were no role models for him growing up except for his brothers, who had already fallen in with Whitey. Now that Whitey is in custody, its time for a new age of inspiration, and I can’t think of a better way to do it than import the rising talents of our generation to live in the neighborhood. After all, this new building complex is about more than increasing the amount of pretty housing in Boston. It’s more than about cleaning up a notorious area of the city. It’s about re-upping on the promise that Boston will continue to be a center of progress, and that we will never take our past accomplishments for granted.
Charlotte Parish is the Metro Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.
Heights Staff Children’s Hospital Boston hosted its first Innovation Day on Tuesday, Feb. 14. As the first of 17 in a series of short sessions, Innovation Day was an opportunity to witness firsthand the innovative ideas that are currently being turned into products, technologies, and new care delivery models to improve the care of children. The showcased technologies seek to improve health care quality while also cutting costs. The event was held from 1-5 p.m. in the Folkman Auditorium at the hospital, and was also streamed live on their website. The Innovation Acceleration Program (IAP) sponsored Innovation Day. An 18-month-old program at Children’s Hospital Boston, IAP is responsible for building resources to support the innovation process while also removing obstacles to hospital-based innovation. “Our group focuses on enhancing the culture of innovation that thrives at Children’s,” said Chief Innovation Officer Naomi Fried, Ph.D., in a press
release. “Children’s innovation environment coupled with strategic support of innovation has resulted in some outstanding contributions to medicine and science. Intravenous oxygen was one of the innovative ideas showcased this past week at Innovation Day. Currently, there is no way to oxygenate blood via injection for patients who have experienced myocardial infraction and cardiac arrest. This potentially revolutionary treatment for patients “has the potential to deliver oxygen to the deoxygenated heart tissue quickly and directly, providing it with essential metabolic energy,” according to the Children’s Hospital website.
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Joseph Castlen \ Heights Editor
Enrollment growth fears in Newton Gaga and Oprah unite at Harvard By Marc Francis Asst. Metro Editor
Joseph Castlen \ Heights Editor
By Christina Quinn Heights Editor
On the evening of Feb. 15, the Newton Town Hall meeting addressed the capacity concerns and building renovations currently being faced by the Newton Public Schools system. Economic development
initiatives, user fees, a debt exclusion override, and an operating override were all proposed as potential funding solutions for the system’s needs. David A. Fleishman, the superintendent of Newton Public Schools, addressed enrollment growth as a phenomenon that is “a very good thing for the community
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Actors’ Shakespeare Project rejuvinates older works, such as ‘Medea,’ for a younger audience.
Medea resonates despite age By Sean Powers
For The Heights Valentine’s Day is barely a week passed, but this holiday of love and compassion seems as far gone as say, 431 BC—the year that Euripides’ timeless tale Medea was first produced. The lights went dim inside the Multicultural Arts Center of Cambridge, as an ominous bass shook the seats of a fright-
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ened and anxious audience. Howls and whispers from the Chorus of Corinthian women floated over the spooky rattles, as the three women garnished in tattered rags swayed above head on the circling balcony. A chandelier of sorts, later to become the legendary chariot of Helios, dangled from the ceiling above center stage. The facade of a simple, countryside home created the stage’s backdrop. Ruptured down
but obviously puts some pressure on the system.” Current enrollment in the Newton Public Schools is at 11,923 students, an increase of 147 children since last year. Projected growth for 2012 is 12,696 students, a population exceeding that of the entire
See Newton, B8 the middle, the fixed stage set became a symbol of treachery and agony. Love was certainly not in the stale Cambridge air that afternoon. Instead, betrayal and vengeance infested the atmosphere with a suffocating presence. For several years now, the Actors’ Shakespeare Project has been putting on productions of this intensity all over the greater Boston area, with the occasional showing in other Massachusetts cities. The extremely talented collaboration of actors, directors, and other artists has put on productions like Medea, Twelfth Night, and others in hopes of keeping classic theater alive and appreciated. In light of the adorable baby Cupid’s holiday, this particular production may seem a bit out of season. But, director David R. Gammons explains his courageous explorations of human nature in his Director’s Note, saying, “I am compelled to explore the fullest range of what we—as individuals and as societies—are capable of: the most heroic acts of generosity, love, and compassion, and the most monstrous acts of selfishness, hate, and cruelty.” That is exactly what the unhappy (an understatement perhaps) couple of Jennie Israel (Medea) and Nigel Gore (Jason, Medea’s husband) gave their audience on that Sunday afternoon. For the unfamiliar reader, Medea is a breakup story of colossal proportions. Jason not only leaves Medea
Should valets be given the power and responsibility of determining when a customer is too intoxicated to drive>?.............. B9
Founded on bravery, acceptance, and love, the Born This Way Foundation will be launched at the Berkman Center at Harvard University on Feb. 29. Lady Gaga has been an advocate of anti-bullying programs since the beginning of her career, and has taken yet another step to promote acceptance and diversity among the youth. Just last December, Gaga visited the White House and spoke with the Obama Administration about ways to counter bullying and violence throughout the American school system and youth in general. She and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, will unveil the details of their foundation to a swarm of non-profit organizations, policymakers, and college students. Obtaining a ticket to the Harvard event is no easy task. Only 100 college students across the country received an invite to attend, based on their influential work in their communities. The students were found through the Internet and will meet shortly before the main event to share ideas and discuss the mission of the foundation. Harvard also set up a lottery for a select few students to randomly win a ticket to the highly publicized event. The opening of the Born This Way Foundation will feature appearances by Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree. “This way, towards bravery, where youth are empowered. This way, towards
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Restaurant Review: Fish Market....................................................B7 Person to Watch: Sandra Dickson .......................................................B8