The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919
THE HEIGHTS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2010
Vol. XCI, No. 40
www.bcheights.com
Finder: ‘Don’t be a bystander’
LOCAL NEWS
Library officials optimistic
Holocaust survivor speaks of childhood
Branches might fight off closing by City
BY ANA T. LOPEZ Heights Editor
She stood scarcely taller than her podium, but the presence and power that Rena Finder exerted over those packed into the Heights Room last Tuesday through the retelling of her “miraculous” biography was, for many, overwhelming. One of rapidly dwindling number of living Holocaust survivors, Finder, who said she owed her life to the determination of Oscar Schindler to protect Jews from the Nazi Party, told the Boston College community that you don’t have to be in the midst of the “most horrific crimes committed against human beings” to act heroically. The event, hosted by the Jenks Leadership Council, BC Hillel, the Mentoring Leadership Program (MLP), and the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), was particularly emotional this year as Sonia Weitz, the survivor who had spoken at BC in past years, recently passed away. Finder was a close friend to Weitz. Finder told the audience that she had enjoyed an idyllic childhood, “treated as a princess” by her family and growing up in the ancient city of Krakow, Poland, which she described as “magical” with its antiquated castles and winding rivers. “But, overnight, from being a little girl, I became an enemy of the state,” she said. After being forced into a ghetto
See Finder, A4
ELAINE THOMPSON / AP PHOTO
The GOP took the House and are expected to be powerful again in 2012, said Kay Schlozman, a professor in the political science department.
STUDENTS AND POLITICS
Campus goes to the ballot box BY PATRICK GALLAGHER Assoc. News Editor
On Tuesday, dozens of Democratic incumbents were uprooted from both houses of Congress in what turned out to be a defining vote for the Republican Party. Republicans seized the House of Representatives, gaining 60 seats as of Wednesday evening, with 11 races yet to be decided. In the Senate, the Democrats maintained a slim majority, currently holding on to 52 seats with races in two states – Washington and Alaska – yet to be called. So far, Republicans have picked up six Senate posts. Locally, Democrats fared much better, triumphing in each of Massachusetts’
Congressional races, in addition to a resurgent win by Governor Deval Patrick over challenger Charlie Baker. Democrats also took the state elections for attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state, and auditor. Massachusetts residents voted down a ballot question that, if passed, would have repealed the state law allowing the issuance of a single, comprehensive permit to build low- or moderate-income housing, and another that would have reduced the state sales and use tax rates to 3 percent. A ballot question calling for the elimination of a state tax on beer, wine, and liquor was approved. On the national spectrum, the midterm elections represented a return to a relative
equilibrium in Congress, said Kay Schlozman, a professor in the political science department. “What is the equilibrium position in partisan terms? It’s pretty balanced,” she said. Despite that, Schlozman said that Republicans made significant gains in both houses of Congress, noting that the party’s gains in the House of Representatives amount to the biggest such swing since the 1948 election. She said that currently, Republicans are predicted to end up with 65 seats gained in the House, once the remaining tallies are completed. “The fact that Democrats held onto
See Midterms, A4
Pro-Life Club hosts week, re-thinks cemetery spread BCSSH holds organized counter demonstration BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor
SANG LEE / HEIGHTS STAFF
Rena Finder, Holocaust survivor, spoke to an audience in the Heights room on Tuesday.
INSIDE SPORTS
In an effort to steer clear of controversy and promote a more positive message, the Pro-Life Club excluded its annual “Cemetery of the Innocents” display from last week’s Respect for Life Week activities, the club said. The graveyard, which is usually displayed in the Dustbowl, consists of dozens of white crosses, each one representing 10 abortions that are carried out daily. Bill Cody, vice president of the Pro-Life Club and A&S ’11, said the display was discontinued not because of the recent Stokes Hall construction, but because of public relations concerns.
“The cemetery was very controversial, and we wanted to set a more positive tone for the week,” Cody said. Rather than focus on abortion exclusively, last Monday’s demonstration, titled “Celebrate Life Day,” focused on celebrating motherhood and women who choose life, Cody said. “That’s the main mission of the club – to support pregnant women on campus.” Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) organized a counter demonstration in support of abortion rights. The demonstrators held signs that displayed crossed-out clothes hangers. They also passed out cupcakes with similar
BEN KIMMERLE / HEIGHTS STAFF
The Pro-Life Club’s Cemetery of the Innocents last year in its traditional venue, the Dustbowl. images on them. Cody said that his club’s mission is not in direct conflict with that of BCSSH. “We don’t focus on what happens before conception,” Cody said. “We concern
See Demonstration, A4
Safety an issue at State of the Heights
A day in the water with the champion sailing team, A10
Admins explain Walsh desk policy
THE SCENE
Heights Editor
The enlightening appeal of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, B1
MARKETPLACE
Republicans take control of House, Democrats hold Senate, B10 Classifieds, A5 Crossword, A5 Editorials, A6 In the News, B10 Police Blotter, A2 TV Close Up, B2 Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down, A7 Forecast on Washington, B8 Weather, A2 Editors’ Pick, B9
BY ANA T. LOPEZ
Last night, as a part of the second installment of this year’s State of the Heights series, students asked administrators about the state of safety at Boston College and how certain measures, such as the Walsh Hall check-in desk and singleentrance access, would affect them. Vice President for Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski; BC Police Chief John King; and George Arey, associate director of the Office of Residential Life (ResLife), each fielded students’ questions. For most students, questions were not regarding their level of safety, but rather, their level of convenience. “A survey regarding student experience has shown that students leaving BC have one of
the highest percentages of feeling safe,” Rombalski said. Residents of Walsh Hall raised questions about the pilot desk program in the Walsh lobby. Residents of Ignacio questioned why access to their building had been narrowed to a single entrance, which some students felt caused more concerns than it solved. In response to the front desk pilot in Walsh, Arey said that the hope for the program was that it would eventually foster a sense of community in the halls, in addition to its main purpose of cutting down on letting “dubious” people in. “Hopefully, this pilot program will help us to determine if this is an effective method,” he said. “But we won’t know that for a while, at least one or two more years.” When asked if the program would extend to other residence halls in the meantime, Rombalski said that a lack of funding would stand as the main obstacle
to such a move. “Right now, we don’t plan to have a desk in each of our residence halls because it’s cost prohibitive,” he said. “But we chose Walsh because we wanted a dorm that was facing downtown Boston in an area of campus we wanted to try
See Security, A4
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZ SULLIVAN
The Fanueil Branch is being sustained until March 2011, at which time it might close. BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor
Officials from the Boston Public Library recently announced that they would be open to maintaining four local libraries that have been scheduled to close early next year. Amy Ryan, president of the Boston Public Library system, told reporters that if funding becomes available for the libraries, she would be ready to keep the branches open. “If more funding is available for the branches, I’m in favor of keeping all the branches open,’’ Ryan said. “I would make that recommendation to the library Board of Trustees, who I believe would support this option.’’ There will be a meeting tonight at the Faneuil library branch in Brighton’s Oak Square – the second in a series of four meetings held at the branches that have been slated for closure. The other branches are those at Lower Mills in Dorchester, Washington Village in South Boston, and Orient Heights in East Boston. Massachusetts has cut Boston library funding from $8.9 million to $2.4 million in the past two years. The Boston Public Library system faced a $3.6 million budget gap last year. The city increased the library’s budget by $654,000 in June, which would keep the libraries open through March of next year. The libraries would need an additional $372,000 to remain open through the end of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, according to a report by The Allston Brighton Tab. The Boston Public Library system has laid off 31 positions this year at its Copley Square headquarters. Library officials told reporters that the annual costs of maintaining the four libraries will increase in coming years, with projected costs of $1.5 million in 2012 to keep the four library branches open for one year. “Long-term sustainability is something we still need to keep thinking about,’’ Ryan told reporters. “But the additional time is allowing us to work with residents and others on how to keep the branches open.”
LOVE YOUR BODY WEEK BEGINS
KYLIE MONTERO / HEIGHTS STAFF
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
BC Police Chief John King (right) was the featured speaker at last night’s State of the Heights address.
Love Your Body Week kicked off last night with an exhibit in O’Neill Library. The week will hold events that deal with sexuality and body image. For more on the events, see Pg. A3.