The Heights will return on Dec. 6. For news updates visit www.bcheights.com The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Vol. XCI, No. 44
THE HEIGHTS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
www.bcheights.com
Econ majors are on the rise B Y J I H AE L EE For The Heights
The communication, economics, biology, and finance departments have the highest number of undergraduate majors in Boston College this school year. The communication department also had the largest number of undergraduates in 2006, 2008, and 2009. In 2007, the communication department was second in size to finance. Though finance had ranked as one of the top two most popular majors from 2006
to 2008, this year, it came third after economics. The economics department has seen a surge in the number of students compared to other departments. There were 610 economics majors in 2006, and that number steadily rose each year, so that there are now 810 economics majors, according to University records. “I think the rise in economics majors is attributable to the general trend toward math and science-oriented subjects, and economics is heavily interrelated with math,” said
James Anderson, chairperson of the economics department. “More students have been pursuing math and science-oriented subjects since about a decade ago. Another reason seems to be the recent recession. Enrollment in economics tends to increase when the economy is bad. The severity and length of the current recession seems to have a heavy impact.” Anderson said that BC had seen a sharp jump in the number of economics majors during the recession of the 1980s. The rise continued for a few years until it gradually tailed off and dropped to the previous level. Anderson said that the number of economic majors may gradually decrease as the economy improves. The publication of Freakonomics, a popular compilation of articles that address economic and statistical questions, in 2005 could have also led to a spike in economics majors, Anderson said. “I think this book spurred interest in economics and showed how economics can be applicable to various sociological phenomenons,” he said. To accommodate the increased number of economics majors, the department has hired two more full-time professors this semester and is currently looking for three more
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF NEWS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Communication is the University’s top undergraduate major for the third consecutive year.
See Majors, A4
BC’s wireless network monitored Illegal downloads will not go undetected, according to ITS B Y T OM K OTLOWSKI For The Heights
St u d e n ts wh o t ry to i l l ega l ly download files over the Boston College wireless network will not go undetected, according to Information Technology Services (ITS). In one such case that occurred earlier this semester, a student was emailed by ITS, notifying the student that they had been caught illegally downloading a video while using the
INSIDE SPORTS
BC network. According to David Escalante, director of policy and security for ITS, these instances occur multiple times a semester. Inquiries into an individual student’s Web activity are opened when ITS is contacted by copyright agencies, which can detect illegal downloads of copyrighted f iles. The agencies then forward the particular IP address where the download originated to ITS, which then matches that IP address with
ARTS & REVIEW CECILIA PROVVEDINI / HEIGHTS STAFF
BY ELISE TAYLOR For The Heights
FEATURES
See ITS, A4
‘Anatheism’ revealed
Women’s soccer rolls over West Virgina to Elite Eight, B1
Merriment and deception in ‘She Stoops to Conquer,’ A10
a student. If the agency doesn’t seek to press copyright infringement charges against the student in question, BC would then deal with the student internally on a case-by-case basis. If the copyrighter seeks to press charges, the party sends BC a subpoena for the student’s name. Escalante said that BC can usually negotiate on the student’s behalf to see if the subpoena can be dropped,
Last Thursday, Richard Kearney, chairperson of the philosophy department, engaged in a conversation with James Wood, a staff critic for the New Yorker and a professor of literary criticism at Harvard University, regarding Kearney’s most recent publication,
Anatheism. The talk, titled “Re/Imagining the Sacred: Theism, Anatheism, Atheism,” is part of Kearney’s multimedia experiment on the philosophical nature of hospitality called the Guestbook Project. Kearney began by discussing the overall premise of Anatheism. In the book, Kearney said he describes the “split between theism and atheism,” which he said has left a spiritual space open, in which people can rethink the notion of God and existence in a secular context. The acceptance of this space, Kearney said, is anatheism. “It means returning to God after God,” he said. “Anatheism is an invitation to return to questions of the sacred beyond the old extremes of dogmatic
See Anatheism, A4
CAMPUS COMMUNITY GIVES THANKS
KYLIE MONTERO / HEIGHTS STAFF
Last Thursday, students, administrators, and faculty of different religious backgrounds gathered in the Heights Room for the annual Multi-Faith Thanksgiving Celebration.
Two BC undergraduates competed for Rhodes BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor
Amanda Rothschild and Leon Ratz, both A&S ’11, were among dozens of finalists nationwide competing Saturday for two of the nation’s 32 Rhodes Scholarships. Although neither of the two finalists were awarded the scholarhip, both said they enjoyed the experience of being in the running for the prestigious grant. “For me, the experience was really great,” Rothschild said. “I was just happy to be in the group.” Ratz said he had similar feelings. “It was intense,” he said. “There was a lot of pressure in the room, but it was a blast.” Donald Hafner, vice provost for undergraduate affairs, said in a statement that Rothschild and Ratz fit the bill for what a Rhodes Scholar should be. “Amanda and Leon are unusually talented and active,” Hafner said. Hafner is also a professor in the political science department and is the coordinator for the Rhodes Trust Scholarships on campus. “Rhodes Scholarships have a particular orientation in that they are for people who intend to go on in public life in their own communities,” he said. “The curriculum that we have here is an excellent foundation for students who propose to do that with their lives.” Rhodes Scholarship candidates are categorized by district. There are 16 districts across the nation, each of which select two winners, giving a total of 32 students scholarships to pursue advanced studies at the University of Oxford in England. Rothschild, who plans to study for a doctorate in international politics, said in a statement that opportunities for
academic research at Boston College were key factors in the success of her Rhodes application so far. “After my freshman year, I got an advanced study grant to study anti-semitism,” she said. “And at the end of my junior year, I got a thesis advanced study grant to do research on the genocide convention at the United Nations in Geneva. “The advanced study grants were really important,” said Rothschild, a student in the A&S Honors Program from Sherborn, Mass. “I was also able to take graduate seminars in security studies with Tim Crawford [a professor in the political science department] last spring, and I was able to use that term paper to do research on genocide, which really kicked off my [honors] thesis. I developed a typology on reasons for why
See Rhodes Scholars, A4
KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Leon Ratz, A&S ’11, was one of the nation’s finalists for a Rhodes Scholarship this year.
TSA ups security measures
Full-body scanners are now operating at 70 U.S. airports
Examining the liberal arts among undergraduates at BC, B10 Classifieds, A5 Editorials, A6 He Said, She Said B8 Police Blotter, A2 Box Office, A8 Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down, A7 Player X, B4 Weather, A2 Best Selling Hardcovers, A8
BY ADRIANA MARIELLA For The Heights
AP FILE PHOTO
Modified airline regulations, now including more intensive pat-downs and full-body scanners, have become an issue of national debate.
The use of full-body scanners and pat-downs at airports across the country have proved to be issues of national debate, as administrators from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have been reluctant to re-think intrusive security procedures. Some
students at Boston College said that they will be inconvenienced this holiday season by these new security measures. John Pistole, head of the TSA, said in a report that his office will not be changing its policies and that they are the best way to keep travelers safe. The screenings, he said, are the last line of defense in protecting travelers. The new procedures will include the addition of full-body scanners, as well as additional pat-down methods. The scanners, which produce a “naked” image of
a passenger’s body, are currently in use at 70 airports across the country. While travelers have questioned whether screenings of this intensity are necessary and the only way of maintaining safety, Pistole said that they are imperative for keeping airlines safe. Most passengers will not be forced to undergo a pat-down, but those who are will be subject to the new guidelines, which allow for more invasive and personal
See Airlines, A4
TopFive
Monday, November 22, 2010
THE HEIGHTS
things to do on campus this week
Diana Puntar Speaks
1
Men’s BBall vs. Holy Cross
Today Time: 5 p.m. Location: Devlin 101
Come listen to Brooklynbased artist and sculptor Diana Puntar as she presents a lecture on her works. The event will run from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
2
Today Time: 7 p.m. Location: Conte Forum
Come cheer on the Eagles as the men’s basketball team compete in their 110th meeting against the Crusaders from the College of the Holy Cross.
Lectura Dantis: ‘Paradiso 15’
3
Today Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Devlin 101
Join the Italian Center as they present a reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy in Italian with scholar Francesco Castellano presenting Paradiso 15 in English.
FEATURED ON CAMPUS
Job market shows positive signs
Thanksgiving Shuttle Bus
4
Tuesday Time: 12 p.m. Location: Campanella Way
The UGBC-sponsored shuttles will leave every hour on the hour from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. to Logan Airport and 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. to South Station.
Thanksgiving Day
5
Thursday Time: All Day Location: United States
The Heights would like to wish all of our readers a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Thank you for tuning in, and you stay classy, Boston College.
IntheNews
This fall, over half a million college students in the U.S. were asked to use wireless devices, or “clickers,” to sign in to classes and to respond to prompts, according to a report by The New York Times. The report cited early studies at Harvard and Ohio State, which indicated that using the devices adds to the students’ understanding of the subject matter more so than a typical lecture would. The report also said that there are similar iPad and BlackBerry applications in use.
Local News Mass. DOT expects traffic to be heavier this Thanksgiving than last
KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
BY DANIEL MORRISON
pacted the Class of 2009. Future measures of hiring at the Center will now use 2009 as a comparative standard, Faced with a trying econoHarrigan said. my, the Boston College Career “We’re planning on using Center has pulled out all the the Class of 2009 as the new stops in its crusade to match base year, but luckily we’ve students with employers and been inching up as far as the job openings. hiring of our students,” HarDespite the Center’s best rigan said. efforts, however, the slow and The increased number of painful economic recovery hiring employers on campus has made its goal all the more is drawing the attention of difficult in a job environment students, many of whom atthat has an unemployment tended an informal talk at rate of 9.6 percent, according the Center given by Danielle to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Auriemma, a consultant for Statistics. Exeter Group, Inc. and BC The sour economy and ’10. Auriemma imparted adhigh unemployment rate are vice on applyhaving noticeing for jobs and able effects on “We’re planning internships and the number on using the Class f i e l d e d q u e s o f c o m pa n i e s making offers to of 2009 as the new tions from stuin attenstudents, said base year, but luckily dents dance. Theresa HarriAlong with gan, director of we’ve been inching up the Career Cen- as far as the hiring of talking about her role at Exter. “Employers our students.” eter, she emrecruiting at BC phasized netare being more as critconservative in — Theresa Harrigan, working ical to finding their hiring of students com- Director of the Career job and internCenter ship opportupared to 2007,” nities, and not she said. relying on the internship While hiring has fallen database, EagleLink. from its peak in 2007, it is “Ask friends’ parents from reb o u n d i n g f ro m t h e l ow high school and college about point that drastically imFor The Heights
their companies and their positions within those companies,” Auriemma said. “If it’s appropriate, demonstrate your interest in what they do by talking about your courses that are relevant to their line of work. “Be sure to look at smaller companies, because they will give you tons of responsibility,” she said. She supplemented this advice by discussing her summer position at Commonwealth Research Group, wh e re s h e wa s e n t r u ste d with the economic analysis of pending law cases, often requiring her to speak directly with lawyers handling the cases. L a rge c o m p a n i e s c a n overwhelm, but also provide countless networking opportunities with large numbers o f e m p l oye e s , Au r i e m m a said. Many students in attendance said they were concerned not about simply receiving an offer of employment, but about staking out a life after college. When asked about the biggest challenge she faced in transitioning from college to her post-graduate career at Exeter, Auriemma said, “Determining what my work-life balance was going to be.”
Police Blotter 11/15/10 – 11/17/10 Monday, Nov. 15 10:41 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an ill party in Gonzaga Hall. The party was transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser. 11:33 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a fire alarm activation in the Mods. The alarm was triggered by burnt food. 11:41 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance that took place off campus. Several parties were identified. A detective is investigating. 6:21 p.m. - A report was filed regarding assistance provided to another police agency in an ongoing investigation. 7:11 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a past larceny at McElroy Commons. A detective is investigating. 10:27 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a missing person in Kostka Hall. The party was later located and was determined to be safe.
Tuesday, Nov. 16 8:18 a.m. - A report was filed regarding the previous missing party being located. The party was safe and all was in order.
11:48 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance at McElroy Commons. A detective is investigating. 2:48 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a party in Claver Hall that was feeling ill. The party was transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser. 5:49 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a past larceny at McElroy Commons. A detective is investigating.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation expects traffic to be heavier this year during the Thanksgiving weekend than last year, according to a report by The Allston-Brighton Tab. Traffic is projected to be worst on the interstates between Wednesday and Sunday, the report said. In anticipation of crowded highways, the Mass. DOT said it is advising drivers to stay off the roads during the afternoons and early evenings, and encouraged residents to take public transportation wherever possible, especially when heading to Logan Airport.
On Campus Excavation of the Stokes Hall site likely to last three weeks Lower foundation excavation of the Stokes Hall construction site began last week, and is scheduled to last for about the next two to three weeks, according to a construction update from the Office of News and Public Affairs. According to the update, the excavation work will include a daily sequence of low-level controlled blasting to remove ledge from the area. The update also stated that other work that is currently taking place at the site includes utilities-related projects and other installations.
National Study tabs St. Louis as nation’s most dangerous city in 2009 TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A national study finds St. Louis overtook Camden, N.J., as the nation’s most dangerous city in 2009. The study released Sunday by CQ Press found St. Louis had 2,070.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 429.4. That helped St. Louis beat out Camden, which topped last year’s list and was the most dangerous city for 2003 and 2004. Detroit, Mich., Flint, Mich., and Oakland, Calif., rounded out the top five. For the second straight year, the safest city with more than 75,000 residents was Colonie, N.Y.
Voices from the Dustbowl “What are you most thankful for this year?”
“My family.” —Josh Coyne, CSOM ’14
Wednesday, Nov. 17 9:33 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious party in Fulton Hall. A canvass of the area yielded no suspects. 12:38 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a fire alarm activation in the Archdiocese of Boston buildings. Boston Fire responded and determined the alarm was triggered due to accumulated dust in a smoke detector.
“The health and happiness of my family and friends.” —Molly Shotwell, A&S ’11
1:16 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious off-campus circumstance. After a brief investigation, all was determined to be in order. “[That] I got into BC.” —Brooke Stayer,
—Source: The Boston College Police Department
TODAY
52° Slight Chance of Showers 45°
TUESDAY
62° Chance of Showers 35°
WEDNESDAY
43° Breezy
University Reports show students benefit from wireless ‘clickers’ in classes
The Career Center’s advisors say they have seen a slow but noticable improvement in national hiring trends.
FOUR DAY WEATHER FORECAST
A&S ’14
28°
THURSDAY
42° Sunny 35°
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 Michael Caprio, 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 Zach Wielgus, 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 Kristen House, Arts and Review Editor, at (617) 552-0515, or e-mail review@ 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 Matthew DeLuca, 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 John O’Reilly, 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) 2010. All rights reserved.
CORRECTIONS Please send corrections to editor@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.
You need a flame to start a fire
Joseph Pasquinelli Boston College is a perfect place. There are no issues affecting students that really need to be addressed. The student body is completely satisfied with the way the campus is being run and sees no need for change. It must be. If it were not perfect and in need of change, students would be rallying, protesting, and demanding that administrators and student leaders make BC a better institution of higher education, right? Wrong. BC is not perfect. There are still many issues that concern students that are not being fully addressed by the administration. Yet, there is little activism on the part of the student body to bring about this change. Instead, students seem to be complacent with the University’s imperfections and make little effort to enact what Gandhi would call, “the change they wish to see in the world.” Either students do not notice the imperfections, or they simply do not care enough to do anything about them. Both are unacceptable and can be explained by a lack of student activism. Students not recognizing the issues could be cured by activists. Blissfully ignorant members of our community would have no choice but to see the problems if students were to congregate in the Quad and shout that they are fed up with the status quo. Students who recognize the issues, but do not care enough to attempt to make a change, are likely the majority on campus. They might know of problems but remain inactive because they are too busy or fearful of retribution from the administration. It would be best for the University and the student body if less important activities were set aside and students developed enough courage to stand up for what they think is right. Those who came before us cared enough to rebel and shout loudly that they were not going to accept the way things were. Because of their activism, BC is a better place than it was 40 years ago. When female students were not given space for a women’s resource center, they barricaded themselves in a bathroom, not leaving until their demands were met. Then president Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J., met with them in their bathroom, and now we have a Women’s Resource Center. They did not accept the status quo, did something about it, and made BC recognize the unique needs of women on campus. BC Students for Sexual Health are passing out condoms and have Safe Sites, where members of our community can obtain materials for practicing safe sex. This is a brand of activism and has led the administration to slowly, but surely, recognize and address the issue of sexual health on campus. However, there are more problems that are not being addressed. The practical segregation in dining halls and student groups has not changed with the writing of articles, columns, and editorials. Students are not protesting this lack of integration and lack of effort on the part of the administration to change this. Students who care should be shouting and protesting this in an in-your-face manner. This, like many other issues, cannot be solved by passing out quarter sheets. News columnists typically write about the news. Regrettably, this has been commentary on what has not been in the news. I sincerely hope that my next column will be on students’ acts of civil disobedience calling for positive change on our campus. Activism is not a spectator sport. Pick a problem – GLBTQ issues, segregation, the ever increasing cost of college – and use your protesting as a means to set the world, and our campus, aflame.
Joseph Pasquinelli is a columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at editor@bcheights.com
A3
The Heights
Monday, November 22, 2010
Roggie’s owner tells of restaurant’s growth By Daniel Morrison
Rogaris’ knowledge of the business, he said, is the product of his upbringing. His father managed a Editor’s Note: The following is the seafood restaurant, The Captain’s second part of a three-part series Wharf, and it was when Rogaris on the history of the Cleveland managed the restaurant for a Circle area and its relationship period while his father was sick with Boston College that he decided to open his own restaurant. On any given night, Roggie’s “I grew up around food, and Bar and Grille – a restaurant and picked up what it’s all about,” local hangout popular among Rogaris said. Boston College students and Rogaris estimates that BC sturesidents of Cleveland Circle – is dents account for 25 percent of his packed with a crowd that is drawn business. Over the last few years, to its extensive menu and lively Roggie’s has enjoyed a larger dayatmosphere. time crowd during home football But Roggie’s, which opened in games thanks to BC’s joining the 1991, has not always known such ACC in 2005, Rogaris said. success. “On game days before BC “It took three or four years joined the ACC, we didn’t have before I thought we would re- business during the day,” Rogaris ally make it,” said John Rogaris, said. “Now, if it’s a game day, BC the owner of Rogcan account for “It took three of four 60 to 70 percent gie’s. “At one point, years before I thought of sales. The overI was selling and flow from games we would delivering coffee against Clemson to local businessor [Notre Dame] really make it.” es to make an exhas helped busitra buck,” Rogaris ness.” —John Rogaris, said. Rogaris said Roggie’s busihe believes that Owner, Roggie’s ness ballooned Cleveland Circle Bar and Grille after Rogaris dehas become a niccided to expand the lunch menu er place to live since he opened by offering soups, sandwiches, Roggie’s in 1991. “It’s cleaned up, and the wing specials – a change and they have done a lot to the that drew laughs from some at the Reservoir,” he said. “And there are time, Rogaris said. more neighbors moving in because This decision paid off. With a it’s getting more expensive to live broader lunch menu, customers downtown.” were more likely to order appetizRoggie’s has captured the naers and beers, which generated tional spotlight on numerous ocmore revenue, Rogaris said. casions, including being featured Rogaris, a 1992 graduate of in an addition of ESPN College Babson College who hails origi- GameDay last year. nally from Arlington, Mass., said “I’ve been in The Boston Globe he selected Cleveland Circle as the and was in ESPN last year for site for Roggie’s primarily because the Notre Dame game,” Rogaris of the high volume of pedestrian said. The commentators from traffic and its close proximity to GameDay came in, and we got hits BC. from that.” “Demographic-wise, there In spite of the attention, Rogaare families and students, and I ris remains humble. “It’s cool bethought this would be the right cause I feel like we’re a landmark, area to get a seven-day flow of and it’s not because of me,” he business,” he said. said. n For The Heights
Daniel Morrison / For The Heights
John Rogaris, owner of Roggie’s Bar and Grille, said that about 25 percent of his business is from Boston College students.
Lecturer criticizes US bottled water consumption By Francesca McCaffrey For The Heights
Last Thursday, a group of students, professors, and other members of the Boston College community gathered to hear Mike Cermak talk on sustainable living. Cermak, a professor in the sociology department and a fourth year sociology doctoral student, said he devotes much of his time to promoting the idea of sustainability in all parts of life, across geographic and social boundaries alike. One of his actions toward promoting sustainability was to co-found RealFood BC to increase the presence of sustainable food sources on campus. The phrase “sustainable living” could take on a myriad of meanings, from using public transportation to powering your house using clean energy sources, Cermak said. His own focus was on one particular topic, and, to begin his lecture, he laid it on the table for his audience. “I found these in the trash here on campus,” Cermak said, as he positioned three plastic bottles on a table at the front of the classroom. He proceeded to ask audience members to look at the bottles, which had been stripped of their labels, and identify what brand of drink they had once held. Without fail, the names began to roll in: Poland Spring, Vitamin Water, Fiji. Each time, the unique shape gave away the brand behind the bottle. When it comes to bottled beverages, Cermak said, brand names are often tied to the shape of the bottles themselves, making it almost impossible for beverage brands to do away with this image and remain commercially viable. Bottled beverage companies cannot lose the bottle, he said, leading to corporate plans that are often called “greenwashing,” attempts to “take [products] that [are] inevitably unsustainable and make [them] seem green.” The bottled beverage corporations themselves, however, are not the only ones who find it difficult to let go of plastic bottles, he said. Cermak said that bottled beverages, water especially, have “a long
legacy as a status symbol.” Bottled water companies such as SmartWater, he said, play up this idea of status by marketing their water by using celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Tom Brady as the faces of their product. Cermak dedicated a portion of his lecture to questioning the idea of how much value is placed on bottled water in consumer culture, viewing this question through the lens of the negative effects the rapid consumption of bottled beverages is having on global society. Cermak organized his examination of the bottled beverage culture into two fronts. The first was a look into the effect that excess plastic from bottled beverages has on the environment. The second was an examination of the effect of efforts to privatize water for the sake of bottled beverage corporations on the people of countries whose water is being targeted. Cermak said that many of the effects of bottled water are quantifiable. Two million plastic bottles are used in the United States every five minutes, he said. Roughly 16 million gallons of oil are consumed each year to make plastic water bottles. One example Cermak gave to illustrate how environmental issues can be tied to social justice was that of a recent case in Bolivia, in which the government, seeking to do away with a large amount of its debt, sought profit from a deal in which the country’s water rights were sold to a private company, giving the company control of all of Bolivia’s water resources. Those who suffered the most from this exchange were Bolivia’s poor, who soon found themselves being cut off from water, Cermak said. “When water becomes locked up in corporate, multi-national companies’ interests is when countries become water poor,” Cermak said. The issue at hand, Cermak said, is that these companies, while providing bottled beverages to nations across the world, are creating water supply shortages in the countries in which they operate. The problem is not just that water in poor countries is contami-
nated, but that the corporate structures of these companies propagate the problem of the native people not having access to water, he said. Cermak said there are a number of different solutions to these problems, including making efforts to establish new technologies, such as desalination, to help bring water supplies to water-poor countries. He said, however, that there is a long way to go. Boston, Cermak said, has been proven to offer some of the cleanest tap water in the U.S., making it a huge asset
for those looking to move away from bottled beverages. At BC, for example, filtered tap water is available in all dining halls, and though Dasani bottled water and various bottled sodas can be purchased in dining halls as well, vending machines are located outside of the main food-purchasing area. Cermak said this measure discourages students from choosing bottled beverages with their meals. In addition, the Undergraduate Government of BC (UGBC) and Dining Services, have collaboratedto promote the use of refillable
beverage containers by selling refillable water bottles and placing posters advocating their use next to taps in the dining halls, Cermak said. Continuation of these practices, not only on BC’s campus, but all over the country, will go a long way toward helping to alleviate water-related problems, both environmental and social, he said. The key, Cermak said, is to remember that this is not simply a question of sustainability for the sake of the environment, but also a question of social justice. n
Allston-Brighton Crime Reports 11/08/10 – 11/14/10
Vandal caught with green, leafy matter On Nov. 13 at around 2 p.m., an officer observed a man tagging a door at 75 Linden St. with silver ink. After watching the man tag the door, the officer reportedly observed the suspect placing the writing implement in his right front pants pocket and crossing Linden St. After arresting the suspect and conducting a search of his person, officers reportedly found the man to be in possession of a plastic bag containing a leafy matter believed to be marijuana. During the booking process, officers discovered “rolled white paper containing a green leafy matter.” The suspect, who reportedly wrote the word “Quack” on the Linden St. door, was charged with wilful and malicious destruction of property over $250 and was issued a citation charging him with possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. The silver marker was confiscated and stored as evidence.
Man caught drunk driving acts belligerently At around 1 a.m. on Nov. 12, an officer pulled over a gray Volkswagen at the corner of Chestnut Hill Ave. and Beacon St. for having a defective head light. When speaking to the driver, the officer noticed that the driver’s pants were unbuckled, leaving his underwear visible, and that his crotch was wet. The officer suspected that the driver may have been under the influence of alcohol and asked the driver to take a field sobriety test. When asked if he was on any medication, the driver admitted that he was taking prescription medication that causes dizziness when taken with alcohol. The driver was arrested for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. At the District 14 police station, the driver refused to take a Breathalyzer test as instructed and repeatedly said to the arresting officer, “I hope you die of cancer.”
Woman arrested for drunk driving after hitting bicyclist At around 2 a.m. on Nov. 8, officers responded to a call about a bicyclist who was struck by a motor vehicle on the corner of Commonwealth Ave. and Brighton Ave. Upon arriving, officers observed that the bicyclist was very disoriented and was complaining of pain in his right leg and trouble breathing. After the bicyclist was transported to Beth Israel Hospital, the officer performed a field sobriety test on the driver. The driver was placed under arrest for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. When searched for weapons at the District 14 police station, the driver stated that she “did not want to drive because she was drunk.” She was reportedly uncooperative during the booking process, cursing at officers in both English and French.
Duo arrested for shoplifting at Shaw’s At around 3 p.m. on Nov. 14, officers responded to a radio call at Shaw’s Supermarket on 370 Western Ave. regarding two people who were caught shoplifting. A security officer said he observed two suspects, a man and a woman, exiting the building with almost $200 worth of stolen groceries. The two suspects will be summoned to court, where they will face shoplifting charges. - Courtesy of the Boston Police Department, District 14
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Heights
A4
Philosophy prof. discusses split between theism and atheism Anatheism, from A1 theism and militant atheism.” Kearney cited prominent literary works, such as James Joyce’s Ulysses, Virginia Woolf ’s To The Lighthouse, and Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, to support his revelations. In these novels, he said characters are “seeking without religion” and discovering a “sense of sacred in an experience through the secular.” After Kearney introduced his work, Wood stepped in to offer his criticism. An atheist, Wood said he “felt a narrowness because of [his atheism],” but still felt it had “wonderful passages.” “I like its boldness,” Wood said. “There are very few practical discussions about God and ethics, so this is very moving to me.” Wood said his criticism had to do with whether anatheism is needed, and if so, what would be lost if anatheism was accepted. He said he did not see
evidence of an understanding of God as a creator of the world with anatheism, and said there is little mention of the afterlife and prayer. Kearney said that although the idea of a creator and redeemer is not outright in his work, it is still present. “Creator and redeemer are part of a narrator,” he said. “They may be understood as narrative figures in a drama of existence. “The creator is something given. Both are found in the promise of something more, the impossible becoming the possible. It’s a possibility that these daily miracles can have [redemption],” Kearney said. He cited the Biblical stories of Abraham approaching the strangers coming out of the desert and the Immaculate Conception as examples. After the dialogue between Kearney and Wood, the discussion turned into a question and answer session. People had a chance to ask questions both about the discussion and Kearney’s book. n
Cecilia Provvedini / Heights staff
Richard Kearney and James Wood debate the significance of anatheism and what would be lost if it was accepted.
Ratz, Rothschild both have a strong presence on campus
“Oxford is home to some of the top scholars working in the field of arms-control security,” he said. the international community has failed to intervene “There is also a center for ethics, law, and armed conflict there. during genocide.” “I had been involved in Amnesty International Rothschild, whose grandparents on her father’s side were Holocaust survivors, said her interest in for four or five years before I got into the field of human rights stems from her own family’s experi- arms control,” Ratz said. “I was reading a lot about ences. “I have always had that in the background,” the situations in Darfur and the Sudan, which are she said. “On a larger scale, I see non-intervention very horrific atrocities. I started thinking and asking myself questions about where during genocide as a major case “Faculty here are just they were getting these weapons. of indifference to people who are being killed for who they are.” so enthusiastic about The guns are not coming from the sand in the Sahara.” Ratz, a Presidential Scholar their students getting Ratz said that BC has given from Fairlawn, N.J., said in a statement that he has focused his involved in research ... him opportunities to explore this topic. undergraduate research on the “BC is the best place to do links between small arms trade BC does a terrific job in and resulting human rights violaencouraging students research,” he said. “Faculty here just so enthusiastic about tions. to apply for research are their students getting involved “In the summer after freshman year, I received an advanced study fellowships and grants.” in research, and there are a lot of opportunities to get involved. BC grant to go to London and work for does a terrific job in encouraging Amnesty International,” he said. — Leon Ratz, students to apply for research fel“During my sophomore and junior A&S ’11 lowships and grants.” year, I did research with ProfesRatz said that he would encoursor Hafner on various elements of the arms trade and the linkages one can make to age more BC students to explore scholarship options. violations of human rights. All of that is culminat- “I really think that BC students have what it takes ing with my senior thesis, which deals with nuclear to win these scholarships,” he said. “I think they are absolutely qualified.” arms control.” Following graduation, both Ratz and Rothschild Ratz said he would like to pursue a career in government foreign service, and a Rhodes Scholarship will be pursuing graduate studies in public policy or could go a long way in helping him realize that goal. international relations. n
Rhodes Scholars, from A1
Photo courtesy of the Office of news & public affairs
Both Ratz and Rothschild plan on pursuing graduate studies in either public policy or international relations.
University announces its top undergraduate majors Majors, from A1 full-time professors as well as one more full-time adjunct professor next semester. The biology department has also attracted more students in the past four years. There are currently 680 biology majors and 120 biochemistry majors at BC. “What’s interesting is that BC is not only seeing an increase in the number of biology majors, but also a significant increase in the number of nonbiology majors students taking biology courses,” said Thomas Chiles, chairperson of the biology department. “There are two mandatory courses for all freshman biology majors – Molecules and Cells, and Organisms and Populations. There are 599 students in those courses and 285 biology majors in the Class of 2014. This means that more than half of the students in these classes
are non-bio majors,” Chiles says. “I think students view biology as a stepping stone to stable careers or professions and also to a variety of options when considering graduate and professional schools.” He said that there are more opportunities in job markets for biology and biochemistry majors presently than there were about 50 years ago. “Most biology majors want to go to graduate or medical schools, or enter pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries.” Chiles said that biology students can apply their knowledge to a variety of fields. “There are so many more opportunities for biology majors in the modern world that I don’t think the number of biology majors will reach a plateau soon,” he said. Chiles said the department is working to accommodate this large number of biology majors. “One of the most invaluable
opportunities provided for biology majors in BC is the opportunity to partake in independent research and publish original research findings in peer-reviewed journals with the faculty,” he said. This enables students to work and interact with professors and apply the concepts they learned in class, he said. “Unfortunately, if the number of biology majors continues to increase, it will lead to a higher student-faculty ratio and make it difficult for some students to partake in independent research with their professors.” He said that the biology department is addressing this issue by providing more advanced laboratory courses that focus on discovery and independent research projects for biology majors, including identifying area laboratories at non-BC institutions for students to carry out independent research. n
Students feel increased security is inconvenient, but necessary Airlines, from A1 searches. Pat-downs are no longer limited only to the outside of clothing, a cause of much concern for travelers. Although the pat-downs must be executed by a TSA employee of the same sex, they could include private areas of the body. Some BC students, who will be traveling over Thanksgiving and winter break feel that the new regulations are important to ensure safety. “I think that these procedures are an invasion of privacy, but certain things are necessary for safety, even if it is an invasion,” said Mansoor Choudhry, A&S ’13. “At the end of the day, it’s for the safety of American citizens.” Choudhry said that there is a
line that cannot be crossed in the name of safety, but he does not think that these new screening processes cross any. A few students debated the topic of the invasiveness of these new procedures. Gary Newcomer, A&S ’13, who will be flying to St. Louis over winter break, said that because of the Sept. 11 attacks the perception of danger has been exaggerated, but there must be a standard of security in place in airports to prevent future attacks. “The body scans are not worth fighting,” Newcomer said. “If it reduces the need to have to do more physical searches, which I think are more invasive, they’re a good thing. In the past, I haven’t had many problems with having to go through additional searches,
though.” Nick Doffek, A&S ’13, said he agrees. “I don’t think that these scanners are an invasion considering that those who are viewing the screens see so many people every day,” Doffek said. “It’s sort of the same mentality as a doctor.” Some in the group, though, were skeptical about the effectiveness of the guidelines. “I think it is an invasion of privacy,” said Claire Marinello, A&S ’13. “Plus, the old system proved that people could still get through with weapons. The old screening system was tested and it was said that it would work, but people still got through. I would be interested to see if the new system has been tested and if it will actually work.” n
“On the BC network we use several security products to watch the data stream of students’ activity. These are automated systems set in place for security purposes to prevent behavior like hacking.” —David Escalante, Director of policy and security for ITS
ITS respects student privacy ITS, from A1
but sometimes legal action does ensue. “As far as I know this has only happened about a half-dozen times,” Escalante said. “BC immediately notifies the student that a copyrighter plans to press charges and advises that student to get a lawyer. At that point it is out of our hands.” Escalante said that the University wants to respect individuals’ privacy in general, and monitoring of Web activity is done for security purposes only, but the copyright charges do happen and in varying degrees. “On the BC network we use several security products to watch the data stream of students’ activity,” Escalante said. “These are automated systems set in place for security purposes to prevent behavior like hacking. If something occurs in the data stream that sets off an alarm in one of these systems, then that data stream may get individual attention.” Typically, though, ITS does not regularly examine individual students’ Web history.
“Individual monitoring is very rare,” Escalante said. “We try to respect our students’ privacy as much as is possible. Individual monitoring does not occur without probable cause. We don’t just look at what you are doing because we find it interesting.” What constitutes probable cause is a judgment call made by ITS staff and generally comes from the automated security systems, Escalante said Other security measures used by ITS vary by network. Escalante said that depending on which wireless network a student uses, data may be encrypted or kept secured. “The on-campus landline network doesn’t share its data stream until it reaches certain hubs,” Escalante said. “If you access the BC network wirelessly, all BC sites are encrypted. If you access BC Secure, all of your activity will be encrypted. On the Virtual Private Network, which you can access off-campus, BC will encrypt all of your activity. This can be very useful for students who don’t know how to set up their privacy settings on their own networks.” n
CLASSIFIEDS
A5
THE HEIGHTS
Monday, November 22, 2010
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Power enhances energy levels through a new technology. We are seeking highly motivated interns that are interested in the sales and marketing of a growing business. Send resumes to internships@truepower.com or call Matt Campbell @ (781)820-9047 to learn about an opportunity with our company. www. true-power.com.
MISCELLANEOUS Interested in blogging for The Heights? Contact Dara Fang at fangda@bc.edu for more information. Got a tip for the B-Line? Visit the blog at theb-line.tumblr.com to submit a tip! Check out The Heights fan page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@ bcheights) for breaking news updates, blog updates, and more!
Originality is the art of concealing your sources. Live, laugh, learn, readers. - DER
Directions: The Sudoku is played over a 9x9 grid. In each row there are 9 slots, some of which are empty and need to be filled. Each row, column and 3x3 box should contain the numbers 1 to 9. You must follow these rules: · Number can appear only once in each row · Number can appear only once in each column · Number can appear only once in each 3x3 box · The number should appear only once on row, column or area.
Answers below
Answers to Crossword and Sudoku
A6
The Heights
Monday, November 22, 2010
Editorials
Quote of the DAY “Go on, get out – last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.”
Thanksgiving
— Karl Marx
Each year, the editors of ‘The Heights’ commemorate the holiday by expressing their gratitude. We are thankful for: Friends who continue though this chapter ends. Matt DeLuca
Great friends, great conversation, and Hillside skim lattes!
Joelle Formato
The Chassé clan, Maine, friends both near and far, my long lost Salvi, Beihai Park, my mom’s apple pie, and second chances.
and a special thanks to 299 Foster for obvious reasons. Zac Halpern
The Georgetown Admissions Office, for subtly encouraging me to come to BC. Matt Palazzolo
Learning from mistakes, being an individual, great roommates, amazing friends, love, family, Honest Ade Cranberry Lemonade, and Willow Smith.
Kris Robinson
Hilary Chassé
My family and friends, the folks of McElroy 112 and 113, the Charles and BC Crew, and $1.75 drafts at Mary Ann’s.
My friends, family, health, and happiness. And the fact that it is going to be 84 degrees in Florida over Thanksgiving. Jacquelyn Herder
Patrick Gallagher
My family and friends, Darjeeling tea, Wikipedia, and good books.
Dan Ottaunick
The kind men and women of the TSA customer service, who quelled my fears about the safety of bringing a tenderhearted goldfish on a plane and the fact that my father just learned (and endearingly misuses) the phrase “It isn’t rocket science.”
Ana Lopez
My family, the ability to travel, water (of the non-salt, lake variety), chapstick, my assignment notebook, “flyover” country, especially all my fellow corn-fed folk, memories of the past, hopes for the future, and all the great friendships I’ve built along the way. Taylour Kumpf
My family, fun times in Gabelli 201 today, competitive games of pool, pepperoni pizza, and Wednesdays and Sundays in McElroy 113.
Paul Sulzer
The Schneider clan, Walsh 709 comrades (and those back home), circa 11:05, spontaneous life chats with Ta-lour, notes from Mackenz-ie, always finishing papers in the nick of time, and my blender. Brooke Schneider
My crazy amazing family, my roommates (at 2001 Comm Ave and abroad), and Thanksgiving dinner.
Everything, life is good.
Michael Saldarriaga
Poppy, Mom, Becky, Andy, and Jackie, my friends, The Heights, and California. Can’t ask for anything more. Danny Martinez
Family, friends and staple removers. Family and friends can help you rearrange your life while a staple remover can help you rearrange pages. David Givler
Personalized Longchamp clutches, Tory Burch holiday pumps, UBS derivatives consultants, my dad’s haircut, and Brooke Schneider’s endless ebullience. Zak Jason
Family, friends, and of course The Heights board which is a combination of the two. Alex Trautwig
No-shame November.
Laura Campedelli
My family, friends, and roommates. Thanks to those whose capacity to be extraordinary betters BC every day. Michael Caprio
Garcie, the Chiefs not going 4-12 this year, peanut butter, seasonal decorations, Maddie Redlick’s bbms, Keurig machines, the Lee clan, and being Yoko. Brynne Lee
Rachel Gregorio
To the power of friendly conversation, the elegance of baseball, the emotion within a musical note, and the rejection letter that unknowingly brought me to my real destiny. Thank you. DJ Adams
My family, blood and otherwise, Noah Wyle, Kermit the Frog, and grandma and her cat, the support of Pino’s, and The Heights board for everything they’ve given to me. And water. Darren Ranck
The unlimited amount of owl photos that come up on Google images and the people who willingly receive said owls in their inbox and still count me as a friend and / or family member. I’m so blessed. Kristen House
Star-shaped sticky notes, fuzzy knee socks, Alexander Skarsgard, L’OWLS, rogue turkeys, Ents. Allison Therrien
My family, my friends, my suitemates, The Heights, and a taste of homemade food.
James Gu
My family and friends, Gabelli 406, 407, & 408, Copy, senior year, and food. Lots and lots of food.
Kaleigh Polimeno
My fabulous family that I love and adore, the best friends who moonlight as family, monograms, optimism, the state of Rhode Island, opportunities to snuggle, and Twitter. Christina Quinn
Carrie for giving me good advice, but not for convincing me to buy white jeans, Juan for getting me on the party trolley,
Family, friends, oversized news houseads, Zak Jason’s funny e-mails, and everything else that I can’t remember at this moment. Margaret Tseng
Family and friends, sushi, Taylor Swift, and all the people who welcomed me into The Heights family with open arms. Lindsay Grossman
My family and friends, who are always supportive of me, my senior year, Mod tailgates, the Jets being 8-2, and The Heights, which has allowed me to be part of something truly great over the last four years. John O’Reilly
Family, friends, The Heights (obviously), and the girls at 299 Foster.
Madeline Demoulas
An amazing family, endless opportunities, chai tea lattes, and a loving “Home.”
Carrie McMahon
My family, who keep me grounded. The friends that make every day memorable. The little things that make my life complete, like Gchat, Wes Welker, heart to hearts, and guacamole. The Heights, which has given purpose to my time at BC. And no-shame November – oops. Maegan O’Rourke
The steadfast patience of my friends, the constant presence of listening ears, the incredible willpower of my family, the wonderful revitalizing power of coffee, and the remarkable benevolence of fate. I wouldn’t be here without any of you.
Zach Wielgus
My family and friends.
The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Matthew DeLuca, Editor-in-Chief John O’Reilly, General Manager Darren Ranck, Managing Editor
Contributors: Woogeon Kim
Robin Miller/ Heights Illustration
Kevin Hou
Letters to the Editor Buy a cookie, buy an opportunity What are you thankful for? This question gets asked a lot during this time of year. Most of us will probably say our family, friends, the opportunity to attend this wonderful institution, and perhaps our favorite football teams. As we approach the Thanksgiving and winter holidays, many of us are looking forward to the prospect of going home to our loved ones. Just a few miles from Boston College, though, six men are thankful for something very different. These men have been incarcerated for their past mistakes. They’ve been shunned by society. Now, they are trying to get their lives back on track as members of Haley House’s Transitional Employment Program (TEP). TEP provides them with the training and support to find permanent employment. More importantly, the program gives these men a chance to talk about their experiences and work through the difficult transition back into society. Thanks to Haley House’s efforts, these men are slowly reconnecting with their families and finding reasons to be hopeful about their futures.
TEP has given them a second chance at life. A significant portion of TEP is funded by proceeds from the Haley House chocolate chip cookies sold in BC’s dining halls. Unfortunately, cookie sales at BC have fallen by over one half since September. If TEP is to continue to fulfill its mission, this decline has to be reversed. BC has a long history with Haley House (which is named after a former BC student) and it would be a real shame for us to let them down, especially when helping out is so easy (and delicious). So if you’re looking for a way to unload some extra meal plan money, a unique holiday gift, or just a tasty treat this December, please consider getting a pack of Haley House cookies. If a whole pack is too much, share them with your friends. You’re not just buying a cookie. You’re buying an opportunity that someone will be very thankful for this holiday season. Steven Liu CSOM ’11
Response to “In defense of the gift of sexuality” In linking around articles on the College Media Network, I came across a Letter to the Editor, written by one Reverend Chris Collins, in response to accusations which respected his anonymity (he was neither named nor described in the original article) of him bullying students away from accepting free condoms on the Boston College campus. I believe that condoms are a good way to help sexually active individuals protect themselves and others. The reverend’s response has him coming off as anticondom and generally anti-contraceptive. Using condoms, in his words, “inherently demeans both the gift of sexuality and the people who choose to use it,” with “it” ambiguously referring to either condoms or the gift of sexuality. His rationale is that providing contraception is akin to, “implicitly treating … fellow students as if they are animals, incapable of making rational, responsible, loving – and therefore human – choices” so to Reverend Chris, college students can’t use condoms and be rational or loving. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that the reverend’s opinion on this matter was manufactured. Religious texts are big in the area of no contraception, too; the Biblical tale of Onan makes this fairly clear. Historically, this is due to the high infant mortality rate which plagued our species (and still does in the third world) until just about the last 50 to 100 years, dropping precipitously with the advent of heavy industry and scientifically-studied medicine. Before these social breakthroughs, plenty of kids needed to be had, so that the genes had a fighting chance of being passed on. So texts written before the turn of the previous millennium would certainly have been opposed to anything that wastes sperm (“spilling his seed”) or prevents pregnancy – any contraceptives. However, a condom is not just a contraceptive; it’s also a prophylactic. Prophylactics prevent disease transmission, which is good for a sexual partner who’s infected and even better for the one who isn’t, not to mention for the whole of humanity for having fewer carriers around. The reverend is anti-condom. So is this man telling us that having sex without protection is more humanizing despite the risks, and thus better, and therefore implicitly condoning it? At first it seems that way. However, I’m pretty
certain he was driving at a slightly different point. Although he skirts around saying as much, Reverend Chris has said nothing to disavow his advocacy of that great failure of rational thought: abstinence-only education. The reverend appears to have two core values on this issue, although he only explicitly states a half-value: 1. Condoms rob us of our humanity (explained) because they give us means to and therefore make us want to have sex (implied). 2. Sex is for married folks only; unwed folks should abstain (implied). He believes in the sanctity of marriage, and believes that anyone who has sex before marriage ... well, shouldn’t. Problem is, there is going to be unwed sex whether you want there to be or not. And his actions of goading, guilting, and shaming students out of free condoms as described in the original article may have led to someone who would have had protected sex having unprotected sex. Biblical stories and values were set before most of the STDs and STIs today came around, so they didn’t take into account the different uses and benefits for contraceptives and prophylactics. However, since people like Reverend Chris have now espoused these values in a world that is rife with STDs and STIs, this point is absolutely irrelevant. There needs to be an increase in sex education, mostly from parents, so that teenagers and young adults can know the facts about and options for and repercussions of having sex before they actually do. Abstinence-only education and fear-mongering have never worked in helping people make healthy decisions. All they do is suppress and demonize entirely natural desires and urges until a rash decision and / or scarring incident occurs. There’s no way around the fact that being anti-condom is being anti-disease prevention. To insist that unwed people in their sexual prime shouldn’t – or worse, to believe that they don’t – have sexual contact of any kind is shortsighted and dangerous for the American public’s welfare. This presumption plus its resulting mindset and actions are insane and irresponsible, and anybody who abides by them cannot call themselves a mentor to today’s youth. Keone Zirkle
Readers Note: 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 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 email to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.
Business and Operations
Editorial Kaleigh Polimeno, Copy Editor Michael Caprio, News Editor Zach Wielgus, Sports Editor Jacquelyn Herder, Features Editor Kristen House, Arts & Review Editor Daniel Martinez, Marketplace Editor Hilary Chassé, Opinions Editor Ana Lopez, Special Projects Editor Alex Trautwig, Photo Editor Margaret Tseng, Layout Editor
Michael Saldarriaga, Graphics Editor Christina Quinn, Online Manager Laura Campedelli, Multimedia Coodinator Brooke Schneider, Assoc. Copy Editor DJ Adams, Asst. Copy Editor Patrick Gallagher, Assoc. News Editor Taylour Kumpf, Asst. News Editor Maegan O’Rourke, Assoc. Sports Editor Paul Sulzer, Asst. Sports Editor Kristopher Robinson, Asst. Features Editor
Zachary Jason, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor Allison Therrien, Asst. Arts & Review Editor Matt Palazzolo, Asst. Marketplace Editor Kevin Hou, Asst. Photo Editor Lindsay Grossman, Asst. Layout Editor Rachel Gregorio, Asst. Graphics Carrie McMahon, Editorial Assistant Zachary Halpern, Executive Assistant
Joelle Formato, Business Manager David Givler, Advertising Manager Brynne Lee, Outreach Coordinator Brendan Quinn, Systems Manager Madeline Demoulas, Local Sales Manager Daniel Ottaunick, Collections Manager James Gu, Asst. Ads Manager Dara Fang, Business Assistant
THE HEIGHTS
Monday, November 22, 2010
A7
OPINIONS
Thumbs Up Last hurrah – It seemed that the entire Class of 2011 stayed until the bittersweetest of ends at the game on Saturday. There was not a dry eye in the place as the band blared out the “Alma Mater” and the senior players escorted their families to the turf. Hopefully the image of Thomas Claiborne conducting the Screaming Eagles (who outdid themselves with a full 30 minutes of extra music) will linger long past graduation. Tea selection – Although the Rat can often be overlooked for other “hipper” lunch spots on campus, TU/ TD will remain loyal to the Welch Dining Hall (to use its proper name) if only for the broad spectrum of tea options they provide, from Tazo to Lipton, to meet all your tea needs. Also, for you plebs who prefer the coffee bean variety of caffeinated beverage, the sticky bun flavor makes drinking coffee somewhat tolerable. Triumph – After much ado and a collective temper tantrum from Superfans both near and far, the Eagles have answered all our prayers and managed to end the season with bowl game eligibility. So get ready to take this show on the road! Also, the double victory over the Maine Black Bears on the ice this weekend was particularly and personally pleasing, so allow TU/TD a moment to gloat: Oh really, Maine? Thought you were such hot shots with your No. 3 ranking? We knew we were moving to bigger and better things with BC. ’Tis the season – A few weeks ago, it was too soon, but the time has finally arrived. TU/TD has now officially deemed it appropriate for Christmas tunes to be played (24/7 if necessary), for eggnog lattes to be sold, for Christmas sweaters to be proudly donned, and for the month-long extravaganza that is the holidays to commence. Ready … go! McGuinn 5th – TU/TD has shared many pearls of wisdom in the past: Students have learned which paninis to avoid and which online videos to watch repeatedly, but if we have given you nothing else, let us give you this. The building of McGuinn, so grim and depressingly ’70s at first glance, holds within it one of the best kept secrets at BC. So do yourself a favor, and for your next late study session set yourself up in this study lounge. Around 5 a.m. you’ll thank me. Arrival – Long lost students who spent their semester abroad in the Southern Hemisphere are slowly trickling back home, leaving behind the beautiful spring of New Zealand for the impending slush of New England. Regardless of weather conditions, we’re all excited for your return and post-study-abroad smug superiority. Departure – Every November, two distinct groups prepare to take their leave of the Heights. Members of the junior class, frantically searching for the world’s largest suitcase, are preparing to leave not only BC, but also the country behind as they embark on their international adventures. In addition to these jetsetters, some of The Heights’ editors are about to make their last corrections and retire their red pens. To both of these groups, TU/TD would like to wish you all way more than luck as you start a whole new chapter of BC life. You will be missed more than you know.
Great liberal arts expectations
KONRAD PUTZIER Weary of discussing the dismal state of the economy, the American Intelligentsia seems to have turned to another favorite topic of complaint: the demise of the liberal arts. And the tone of discussion is similarly panicky. Last week, Boston College hosted a symposium on the critical situation of the liberal arts in America, where speakers warned of “great harm” and “danger of societal amnesia.” And the figures really are alarming: In 1966, 17 percent of all college students graduated in the humanities, while today only 8 percent do so. As a history student myself, this means I am part of a dying breed, and that alone is sad enough. But what is even worse is that the demise of the liberal arts education is going hand in hand with a change in perceptions of what makes a happy and fulfilling life. Law and business students have always had the brighter future ahead of them financially, but within American popular culture there used to be a strong element that heralded the unsuccessf u l . Th e musical Rent, John Updike’s Rabbit series, and TV shows like The King of Queens were influential in their genres and all sent the same message: You may not wear a $2,000 suit to work, but your story is still interesting enough to be turned into a musical, a novel, or a movie. And that meant a lot. Happiness and a meaningful life were not necessarily connected to financial success. Today, this seems to have changed.
Perhaps this change is best explained with the example of two extremely influential Manhattan-based TV sitcoms: Friends and How I Met Your Mother. Friends was arguably the most successful and influential TV show of the ’90s and early ’00s. Its five main characters were the prototypes of the artsy and the unsuccessful. Ross was a nerdy paleontology professor at NYU, Phoebe a masseuse and singer-songwriter, Rachel a waitress, Monica a chef, and Chandler did something in business, but certainly wasn’t successful at what he did. I can picture millions of law, business, and economics students sitting in front of their TVs in 1999 worrying if they made the right choice when looking at the poor, unhappy Chandler. But the arts students, on the other hand, could be reassured that doing what they liked would make them happy, regardless of the paycheck. If you turn on the TV today, you find a completely different set of role models. How I Met Your Mother, currently the most successful TV show worldwide, has pretty much copied the idea of Friends but replaced the scruffy, loveable characters with upper-class mainstream hotshots. Whereas Ross was teaching the most useless subject imaginable at down-to-earth NYU, HIMYM’s Ted is teaching architecture at polished Columbia University. Robin is a careeroriented journalist, Barney a surprisingly successful banker, and Marshall a corporate lawyer. Lily may be a kindergarten teacher, but she has secured her financial future early by marrying Marshall. Today, it is the arts student that has to worry about his or her choice when turning on the TV. Perhaps changing the program would be a good idea? Not so much. The
poor arts student may end up watching Gossip Girl, the other big TV show of the past few years that does not consist of much more than the glorification of Manhattan’s posh elite. Today’s media does everything it can to show college students that they need to make (or at least inherit) lots of money in order to not be considered a failure. It would be easy to follow Jon Stewart’s lead and blame the media for imposing its evil capitalist ideals on virtuous Americans, but that would be too simple. We can trust CBS and the CW to have done lots of market research before they launched their shows, and it seems to me that the people get what they want. In an ironic twist of historic fate, we did not want all those high-paying corporate jobs that were so abundant in the booming ’90s. But now, with Wall Street in its biggest crisis in living memory, everyone desires what is suddenly so hard to get. It is like the little boy who never plays with an old toy, but once the sister takes it and he can no longer have it, he suddenly wants it badly. I am not saying that this shift in mentality is necessarily a bad thing. Making lots of money can be very fulfilling. But simply because fewer people choose to graduate in the arts doesn’t mean that there are more high paying jobs available. Wall Street can only employ so many people, and there is still a large part of us who will have to inhabit Greenwich Village and spend the day writing songs or teaching useless subjects. One only has to watch TV shows from 10 years back to realize that that’s not such a bad thing after all. Konrad Putzier is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
Numb to the world CJ GUSTAFSON I’m trying to sleep and all I hear are rapid machine gun blasts and blood curgling screams. I don’t understand why my roommate has to play the new Call of Duty: Black Ops on full volume. But I can’t say this is a rare occurrence. Either I go to bed early all the time (it’s 1:49 a.m. right now, does that make me a baby?), or my friends are addicted to video games (and the Skoal they believe directly correlates to their high scores). However, it’s fair to say that I’ve become accustomed to this. I mean, it is just a television and those are just Nazi-zombies getting their heads blown off. Real life or not, Americans are being desensitized at alarming rates. The ease of the Internet allows them to search for anything. And when I say anything, I really mean anything. Even things that you didn’t think existed have unfortunately been documented on the Web. I can’t even begin to tell you the links friends have sent me of what they said was “a cool new movie trailer” or “an insane sports highlight,” only to find myself searching for a trash barrel. But it’s not just video games, Internet sites, and YouTube videos that desensitize us. From the music we listen to, to the Facebook messages we send each other, derogatory language and racist comments are overlooked as mere humor and commonplace talk. In everyday speech, we have friends who constantly drop “F” bombs instead of saying “umm” and struggle to call
Party Time
BY BEN VADNAL
something “bad” without instantly blurting out “gay” or “retarded.” It appears that many of the terms we have come to use carry much more meaning than we are aware of, yet we constantly stretch them out of context. Does this mean we’ve supplanted these words with new definitions that are less meaningful, or that we have just grown immune to the true societal implications of using them? If you don’t believe me, try a little experiment. When you’re at some party this weekend and in a large group of people talking, just take a moment and don’t say anything. Listen to the people around you and the words they use to describe one another, events that occurred on campus, and how their days went. I guarantee that they take sexual, violent, or racist terms out of context, yet no one thinks twice about it. It’s actually pathetic that we all know exactly what people mean when they use unrelated derogatory terms as superlatives in the course of a normal conversation to prove a point. I’m not going to be one of those antivideo game moms on a mission to destroy everything not in the name of college extracurricular. I also know I can’t put words in people’s mouths. In fact, I have a long way to go myself, finding that I often slip up and use words outside of their true meanings that superficially have become commonplace, yet, deeper down, offend people. It’s hard to draw the line between the socially-accepted definition of a word, especially on college campuses, and however Webster’s Dictionary defines the word. I also start to wonder if there’s a link between real-life empathy and the way in which we live our lives in violent video games, cruel Facebook messages, and racist YouTube videos. In the back of my head, I do sometimes feel a pang
of guilt for laughing at a video that is derogatory toward one sex or degrades a race. Even though technology has shortened the distances and abbreviated the time it takes two people to communicate, the same communication through Xbox LIVE, Twitter, and blogs may be pulling us farther apart by bringing us so superficially close. The ability to say something behind the mask of a Web connection or text message is defining the communication of our generation. People are no longer held accountable for their words to the same extent they were in years past, because their responses arrive virtually instead of being delivered through someone’s mouth, which is connected to someone’s body, the body of someone standing right in front of you. Text messaging, online gaming, YouTube, Facebook, and social media have literally put communication with the entire world at our fingertips. It’s such a cliche saying, “at our fingertips.” But it’s also frightening that by doing so, an element of this communication has been watered down and made less genuine. Perhaps there is a link between the modes of social communication we use and the less empathetic many Americans have become in person. This lack of understanding, reflected in the terms and phrases used so flippantly in every day conversation, is breaking down barriers of political correctness and respect for various lifestyles and cultures. It’s almost as if because we can communicate so freely, our social morality is sometimes lost in translation. (Unless, of course, you’re playing Black Ops). CJ Gustafson is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
An extra helping of gratitude DINEEN BOYLE In preschool, the week before Thanksgiving was a week packed full of funtivities. One day we learned about the foods that the pilgrims and Indians supposedly enjoyed at the very first Thanksgiving. As part of the lesson, we poured heavy cream into jars and shook them for hours until they turned into butter. Another day we were each instructed to inscribe three things for which we were thankful on feathershaped pieces of colored construction paper. Looking back, that week likely instilled in us socially perpetuated, politically incorrect sentiment (in addition to early onset carpal-tunnel syndrome for those overly enthused about the butter making). But what I most remember was sprinting out into the parking lot to greet my mom, sporting my awesome Native American headdress full of thankfulness. It just so happened that the other preschoolers, in what was undoubtedly a highly sophisticated plot to make me look bad, had somehow listed deeply profound things for which they were thankful – such as parents, puppies, and baby brothers. I, however, was apparently thankful for only two things – “my friends and corn.” Somewhere along the line I must have gotten things confused, but in some ways, I think I was on to something. Thanksgiving is a time of year to appreciate all with which we have been blessed and to evaluate priorities. In the 17 years after “graduating” preschool, both my priorities and thoughts about the holiday have undoubtedly shifted, but they also remain the same. We characterize Thanksgiving by gathering with the people we care about and sharing a meal (which may or may not happen to include corn). In a society jaded by overly commercialized holidays, Thanksgiving remains largely unadulterated. While other holidays such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day have become characterized by spending large amounts of money on material goods, and holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s Eve, and Halloween have become focused on the overconsumption of alcohol, Thanksgiving has managed to retain some sense of its original purpose. Although college students may participate in what they refer to as “Thanksgiving Eve” and sports fans may enjoy the occasional adult beverage while taking in a hearty football game, the main activity of the holiday is not centered on drinking. Arguably, it is centered on eating too much food. But is there not something innately American about a holiday based on enjoying a large meal? If there’s anything Americans love, it’s excess ... and funny cat videos. All kidding aside, this is a time of year to appreciate community and to be mindful of those who are less fortunate. More so than at any other point in recent history, many families are experiencing financial hardship. With the current state of the economy, it is easy to focus on the negative and things that we wish were different. But perhaps now, more than at any other point in both our own and in our parents’ lifetimes, it is imperative to be thankful for all that we do have. Additionally, it is important to consider those men and women who sacrifice spending time with their own families in order to protect our freedoms. I admit that, as a college student, I sometimes lose perspective. But when I stop to consider it, I am so fortunate that one of the biggest stresses in my day-to-day life is merely balancing an overwhelming course load. I have access to an incredible education, am surrounded by friends and family who support me, and never have to worry about whether I will have a safe place to stay. For these, I am so incredibly grateful. We live in a nation where most all will have access to a meal this Thursday. Enjoy, for if you are in this country and affiliated with this University, you likely have much to be thankful for. And corn. I am also thankful for corn. Dineen Boyle is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
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A8
The Heights
Monday, November 22, 2010
‘Waste Land’ becomes Muniz’s treasure chest By Brennan Carley Heights Staff
In Rio de Janeiro, there is a landfill that is the largest in the world. Named Jardim Gramacho, the island of garbage is filled with catadores, Brazilian garbage pickers who troll through the trash in search of recyWaste Land clables. Halfway Lucy Walker across the world, Almega Projects Vik Muniz makes art in Brooklyn. He has done well for himself, focusing mainly on photographing images made from quirky materials like chocolate syrup and sand. He decides that his next project will be working with the catadores to give back to the region. This is Waste Land, a startlingly moving film that recently made the Oscars Documentary shortlist. The movie quietly arrived at the Kendall Square Theater on Friday, but it is a film that should really be greeted with the type of attention garnered by the new Harry Potter. Equally about the importance of recycling and the interpersonal connections that can be shared in the creation of art, Waste Land is a breathtaking movie that explores just how easy it is to bring joy where there previously was
despondency. In Waste Land, Muniz discovers that the individuals he encounters are far more important than he ever thought they would be. On his first visit to Jardim Gramacho, he finds himself drawn to several different people. Choosing a select few, Muniz begins to snap pictures of them, some posed and others in their natural environment. His technique from there is to project enormous versions of these pictures on a white floor in his Rio studio. The same people in the photographs are paid to strategically place the trash they spend their lives digging through all over the floor, in the form of the picture. Muniz then snaps a picture from overhead, which in turn becomes the finished piece. Muniz quickly discovers that the various relationships he builds with the catadores are more important than the artwork he creates. Tiao is the head of the catadore organization, devoted to improving the lives of the impoverished landfill workers. He searches for books in the rubbish in hopes of one day having enough of them to start a library for the community. This elicited some cheers from the audience in the theater, a sign that I found interesting. I had spent much
of the film up to that point marveling at how wonderfully well informed and well spoken the catadores were. Some of them had read books like Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and were able to understand it, without the aid of any sort of education. It was this spirit and desire to learn that made them prime candidates for escaping the harsh working conditions of Jardim Gramacho. One of the most moving stories of the bunch belongs to Suelem, an 18-year-old mother of two. She rarely gets the opportunity to see her children, and when the camera crew follows her on her first visit home in a month, the tears begin to flow both on and off the screen. It is clear to viewers that Suelem does not value herself as a human being anymore, until she sees her own image enlarged on the giant canvas that is the studio floor. When Muniz gives her a framed version of the painting to put on her wall, she weeps on his shoulder. Muniz’s wife is the voice of reason, speaking on behalf of the audience when she rightfully asks her husband “what is to become of these people once you leave?” The question is fair – Muniz essentially stepped into these people’s lives and plucked them from the garbage dumps, as a sort of “this is what your life
Potter’s end begins with a bang By Kristen House
Arts & Review Editor “These are dark times, there is no denying it,” the Minister of Magic notes at the beginning of the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Indeed, he could speak for hARRY pOTTER aND THE DEATHLY not only the wizard community, but HALLOWS also for our very David Yates real Muggle world. Warner Brothers You wouldn’t know these darks times by the never-ending line for the midnight showing of Potter, however. The line for the Boston Common Theater alone stretched from its open doors to the Opera House. Deathly Hallows is a veritable feast for the eyes. Director David Yates, responsible for The Order of the Phoenix and The Half Blood Prince, stayed on with the franchise to produce the epic two-part finale. Certainly, many were wondering how the first movie was going to stretch a series of prolonged camping scenes into an enjoyable movie, but the film did its best to entertain. The first installment followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with their omnipresent network of support from the Order of the Phoenix, in their struggles to keep Harry safe and find and destroy as many horcruxes as possible. Deathly Hallows presents a London that is shot
through a lens capable of capturing the most vivid darkness. Favorite luxurious settings like the Ministry of Magic were back, lined with onyx stonewalls. Bill and Fleur’s wedding was held under the most elegant lavender tent. Hermione directed Ron, Harry, and herself to a bevy of luscious locations, like a pure white, cliff stone formation and an opera house. There was never a shortage of scenes on which the eyes could feast. While the scenery rarely failed to stun the audience, some emotional moments were unquestionably stilted and at times bizarre. One such instance occurs when Harry and Hermione are left alone to traverse England in search of the horcruxes, after Ron has deserted the pair in a jealous fit. Hermione and Harry, apparently suffering from cabin fever and stress, begin to slow dance, with “O Children” by Nick Cave playing in the background. Oddly, it felt like a fragment of Away We Go snuck its way into the film. Yates often went for the emotional gusto, but sometimes it was to the detriment of the film’s flow. Further, the emotional progression of the characters was quite uneven. Ron’s moment of jealousy with the horcruxes, for example, with the much-publicized vision of Harry and Hermione in a naked embrace, fills him with jealousy quite suddenly and encourages him to irrationally abandon his friends. Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry is moody as usual,
despite the flurry of activity designed to protect him. Emma Watson’s Hermione wears a single stoic expression for the entire two and a half hour film, except for her hysterical moments of melodrama, like her breakdown over a birthday cake that she forgot to give Harry. Where Deathly Hallows especially excels is with the portrayal of beloved house elf Dobby. He is given a sizable amount of time to shine in this installment, ultimately dominating the last third of the movie with his falsetto voice and baby blue saucer eyes. “Dobby has no master,” asserts the little elf dressed in tatters. Indeed, Dobby, I can only agree with you there. Be prepared and bring a Kleenex packet in your back pocket. Another surprisingly captivating moment came when Xenophilius Lovegood relates the story of the Deathly Hallows. The tale of three men who avoided death and were each granted one wish, was presented as an elegant, three-dimensional silhouette puppet show. In all, splitting the film into two parts gave the creators more room to grow, and grow they did, in an artistic sense. The characters may not act that much different than they did when we first met them in The Sorcerer’s Stone, but the series has largely achieved something that not many adaptation movies can: a dark suspense, that, indeed, may not devote itself to every detail of the book, but earns a great deal as a film in its own right. n
photo coutresy of allmoviephoto.com
Director Lucy Walker dives into the filthy and grimy world of Vik Muniz’s abstract art. could be like” moment. In fact, some of the worker’s emotionally confess to the camera that they can’t ever return to the dump again. However, the film wraps up each person’s story beautifully and (mostly) positively. In their initial inter-
views, almost every person Muniz meets tells him that they are perfectly happy, but in the end, it is clear that Muniz has given the catadores a new self worth and, hopefully, the will and the courage to make a change. n
Box Office Report title
weekend gross
weeks in release
1
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 125.1
1
2. Megamind
16.2
2
3. Unstoppable
13.1
2
4
9
4. Due Date
9.2
3
5. The Next Three Days
6.8
1
6. Morning Glory
6.8
3
7. Skyline
3.4
2
8. Red
2.5
6
9. For Colored Girls
2.4
3
10. Fair Game
1.5
5 photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
hardcover fiction bestsellers
photo courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson take on the roles of the legendary trio for the final time in part 1 of ‘The Deathly Hallows’
1. Towers of Midnight R. Jordan & B. Sanderson 2. The Confession John Grisham 3. Indulgence in Death J.D. Robb 4. The Girl who kicked the hornet’s nest Stieg Larsson 5. American Assasin Vince Flynn
6. Moonlight Mile Dennis Lehane 7. Worth Dying For Lee Child 8. Fall of Giants Ken Follett 9. In the Company of others Jan Karon SOURCE: Publisher’s Weekly
The King and Queen of hip hop stay on their thrones Kanye & Minaj, From A9
One of Pink Friday’s most successful tracks is “Dear Old Nicki,” a song that Minaj promised longtime fans she would include on the album. On it, her voice hearkens back to that of her mix-tape days, the most recent of which, Beam Me Up Scotty, was released to critical acclaim in early 2009. “Maybe you died cause everybody asked where you at / I try to channel you in hopes that I can steer you back,” she muses, contemplating the tradeoffs she has made in her transition to mainstream success. She ultimately decides that, “I needed to grow / and I needed to know / were there some things inside of me that I needed to show? / So I just deaded you / left you in all black / but dear old Nicki / please call back.” It is an oddly sentimental rap that veers into more recent territory on its R&B-style chorus, showcasing quite brilliantly the Nicki of both then and now. We get a glimpse of one of Minaj’s amusing alter egos on the stellar “Roman’s Revenge.” On this duet, Minaj’s Roman Zolanski trades verses with Eminem’s Slim Shady, a truly inspired combination. It is a biting, thrashing track, and it is hard to tell who does the more masterful job. “Roman”
targets (unofficially) Lil’ Kim with verses like, “you outta work / I know it’s tough / but enough is enough,” an apparent response to the mud Kim has been slinging Minaj’s way. In the meantime, Eminem plays off Minaj’s palpable anger and hurls piercing verbal barbs Kim’s way, quite literally spitting, “so finally I broke down and bought her an iPod / and caught her stealing my music / so I tied her arms and legs to the bed / set up the camera / and pissed twice on her / look! / Two peas in a tripod!” It is the album’s most vulgar, yet most successful track. “Roman” is Minaj’s most successful alter-ego, with a best-of-the-summer verse on Trey Songz’s “Bottom’s Up” and stealing the show from Kanye and Jay on “Monster.” Her voice becomes rapid and frenzied, alternating between knowingly silly and swiftly intimidating. Unfortunately, Roman disappears for the rest of Pink Friday, but perhaps it was a conscious decision to keep “him” from overexposing “himself.” Many artists like to address the media directly through their music, and Minaj does so in a professionally subtle manner on “Here I Am,” a bumping and old-school track that is more about self-assurance than calling out anyone in particular. The
song does a much better job of enforcing the “be yourself” message than the current Top-40 hit by Ke$ha, “We R Who We R,” a real garbage pail of a track. On “Here I Am,” Minaj confidently asks, “Do you take me to be who I am / to have and to hold ‘til death do us part / You say I wont survive if I leave / but I’ve got a couple of tricks up my sleeve / I no longer need your attention / at ease.” The album veers into a winning blend of pop and rap on tracks, like “Check it Out” and the summer smash “Your Love.” Joined by Will.I.Am on “Out,” Minaj’s auto-tuned voice rises above the David Guetta-style drum machine and keyboards in the background. “Love,” a track that Minaj never intended to release until a leaker spread it around the Internet in May, samples Annie Lennox as Minaj raps, “S on my chest cause I’m ready to save him / Ready to get buck on anybody that plays him.” It features an un-auto-tuned Minaj (save for the chorus) showcasing her constantly evolving singing voice over a throbbing drum and organ pairing. On the album’s best R&B track, “Save Me,” the rap goddess finds a winning formula by mixing pop and rap as she sings, “I’m a monster / I’m a beast / and I feast
photo coutresy of allmoviephoto.com
Kanye West and Nicki Minaj display their great artistic talents on their albums, released today. / when I conquer.” It is the most emotional track on the album and it exceeds expectations for her as a singer. Again, I run out of space, but I have to point out some of Pink Friday’s other successes. “I’m the Best” is Minaj’s “Kanye moment,” a bragging track that proves the rapper can rhyme like the best of them. I think “Did It On’em,” a boastful and synth-heavy track, is one of the album’s best, second only to “Roman’s Revenge.” Drake makes a more than welcome appearance on the fantastic
“Moment 4 Life,” Kanye returns the favor on the Minaj-frenzied “Blazin,” and surprisingly, but actually quite successfully, Natasha Bedingfield croons the chorus on the poppy “Last Chance.” I have watched and heard Minaj grow for the past two years. I heard her on Lil’ Wayne’s Dedication 3 in late 2008 and I’ve been following her progress ever since. I can happily say that Pink Friday is an astounding debut album and a sure sign that Nicki Minaj will be a force on the music scene for a long time. n
Monday, November 22, 2010
THE HEIGHTS
A9
Minaj and Kanye hammer out hits BY BRENNAN CARLEY Heights Staff
The mere mention of Kanye West one year ago would surely elicit a sneer, while Nicki Minaj’s name might bring about a furrowed brow with the question of “who?” It’s funny how so much can change in just one rotation of the calendar. Minaj is now the queen of the rap world, and her first single “Your Love” peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and conquered the rap charts with a number one position. Just last month, Minaj became the first artist to have seven songs on the Hot 100 chart at one time. Artists like Christina Aguilera, Diddy, and M.I.A. have featured her on their songs. This summer it was almost impossible to turn on a rap radio station without hearing Minaj’s trademark growls. Concurrently, West took some time off and sheltered himself in a Hawaiian recording studio. His decision to step out of the limelight to focus on his music was a winning one. He stormed back onto the scene with “Power” in June, a song that lit up the charts and let Kanye back into people’s hearts. It was a grandiose and forceful smash. I think a lot of people had expected a more sorrowful song, an apology to Taylor Swift or at least some acknowledgement of his wrongdoings, but instead the track briefly brushed off the incident and focused on the ineptitude he had displayed over several years, as the chorus rings out, “No one man should have all that power.” In August, West joined Twitter (one of the best decisions he could make, I think)
and announced his “G.O.O.D. Fridays,” harmonizing, “Can we get much higher (so his promise to adoring fans that he would high!) / oh oh oh!” Kanye quickly takes drop a new song every Friday until the command, the Kanye that, at his core, release of his new album. The songs kept is a self-assured braggart with the killer eager listeners satisfied and, true to his rhymes to back him up. “Refresh the page promise, Kanye kept on releasing them and restart the memory / re-spark the soul once a week. Unfortunately the songs never and rebuild the energy / we stop the energy quite reached the same level of quality as we kill the enemy.” The track is harrowing “Monster,” a behemoth of and subtly addresses the [“Runaway”] is a track (which thankfully aftermath of his mothmade the cut for the album) Kanye’s long awaited er’s 2009 death, as he that is dominated by Nicki muses, “the plan was to Minaj. Her verse outshines acknowledgment of drink until the pain over Kanye’s, Rick Ross’, and but what’s worse / the his wrongdoings, and /pain Jay Z’s combined. It served or the hangover?” as a wakeup call to people he does so in typical On “Gorgeous,” Cudi who previously had not seen joins Kanye once again. Kanye fashion her as a contender in the The track sounds like it rap world, as she breath- – cockily and boldly, could have been plucked lessly unleashed a torrent of off Cudi’s latest album. rhymes like, “So lemme get with no apologies to A brooding and muddy this straight / wait / I’m the guitar plays alongside a be found. rookie? / But my features haunting organ as Cudi and my shows 10 times your pay / 50k for a sings, “I’m on the edge / so why you playverse no album out.” She assuredly gained ing / I’m saying / I will never ever let you new fans thanks to the track, and even had live this down, down, down.” the chance to perform it live at Jay-Z’s One of Kanye’s most brilliant tracks concert in Yankee Stadium. on the album is the sparse “Runaway,” West heavily improves on the quality of a song he debuted on this year’s VMAs, his “G.O.O.D. Friday” songs on My Beauti- stealing the rug right from underneath ful Dark Twisted Fantasy, his best album to Swift’s feet. The song has improved since date and one of the best works of the year. its “G.O.O.D. Friday” release — Kanye has It is a maniacal and grandiose journey, and sharpened the sound quality and added a funnily enough, the first thing one hears on very 808s and Heartbreaks-era verse, autothe album is Minaj’s voice, growling her tune and all, on top of some lilting strings way through an introductory poem, snarl- and the same, simple piano chords. It is ing in a British accent, “Twisted fiction / his long awaited acknowledgment of his sick addiction / well gather round children wrongdoings, and he delivers it in typical / zip it / listen!” The track segues into Kid Kanye fashion – cockily and boldly, with Cudi and an un-credited female gorgeously no apologies to be found.
Fantasy’s best song is its last, the aptly titled “Lost in the World.” Featuring an auto-tuned Bon Iver, singing from his song “Woods,” he adds some beautiful layers of sound, ranging from a trashing drum to an angelic chorus cooing in the background. The song incorporates snippets from master poet Gil-Scott Heron’s classic “Comment #1,” audible when Heron repeatedly chants, “Who will survive in America?” in rapid succession. “Lost in the World” is not only one of the best of Fantasy, but also of the year – no other artist has taken artistry to such bold and truly thrilling new levels. I wish I had the space to explore the rest of Fantasy, but I must also point you in the direction of several songs. On “All of the Lights,” Kanye teams up with (get ready) Rihanna, Fergie, John Legend, Elton John, La Roux, Alicia Keys, and many more in a rousing anthem that is a standout track. West has reworked “Devil in a New Dress” with an exceptional new verse from Rick Ross. “Hell of a Life” is phenomenal, and a song I can’t wait to blast from the speakers in my car over Thanksgiving break, while “Blame Game” is the best love-lost song of the year, featuring John Legend and Chris Rock. “So Appalled” and bonus track “See Me Now” are my least favorite tracks on the album, but both still transcend what defines a good song. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is certainly the best rap album of the year, and thanks to West’s masterful work, makes my top three best albums of 2010 list.
See Nicki & Kanye, A8
A lesson in conquering Robsham Theater
KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Meticulously detailed sets and costumes, and voluminous wigs enhanced the period aesthetic of ‘She Stoops to Conquer.’
Stoops to Conquer, from A10 and high fashion is set off against her complete ineptitude in actually pulling off the outfit. When Mr. Hardcastle endeavors to play matchmaker between his daughter and his oldest friend’s son — the dashing but stuttering Marlowe, played by Owen Grover, A&S ’12 — he invites a whole slew of misunderstandings into his home. Most of them stem from the uncouth, beer-loving Tony, taken on
by Alex Lucci, A&S ’12, who seems set on devising pranks against every character onstage. Mistaking the Hardcastle’s home for an inn, Marlowe swaggers in and Grover welcomes his father-in-law with mirthful disdain. But, alas, Marlowe’s weakness is his speaking to women of class, though he’s a regular Casanova with those of lower birth. And when his travel companion, Hastings, played by Bill McEntee, A&S ’14, discovers their blunder regarding the
Hardcastle’s home, he insists on keeping Marlowe in the dark in order to woo another lady of the house, performed by Christine Movius’, A&S ’13, Miss Neville. Marlowe easily falls for Miss Kate Hardcastle, when he mistakes her for a servant. But, all the Mistakes of the Night (the play’s alternate title) are revealed after a thoroughly confusing tangle for the players, and most everyone gets their happy ending. If that was confusing, just think of Twelfth Night, where instead of gender crossing, there is social class crossing. Bringing some of the most experience to the cast, Grover, a Massachusetts native, provided plenty of humor with his performance of the bumbling, stumbling Marlowe, who is adoringly like a deer in headlights when faced with a beautiful, upper class woman. His best moment was capturing the quintessential party dilemma when he exclaims, “I like that girl, she is blocking the door, I can’t run away without her noticing, how do I escape!” All this presented with sharp looks of panic, jumpy motions, and failed attempts to cover up the sheer horror of being unprepared to meet his (potential) future wife. The strongest factor of the night’s success was the physical comedy of every character, all the way down to Diggory, Kyle Brown, A&S ’14, the servant who is terrified of people and has no idea what to do with his hands. Bawdy jokes, stunt falls, and a dance break aside come easily to the cast and keep the play moving through both acts. Marlowe even pulls the classic shoulder counting, put-my-armaround-you move when seducing Miss Hardcastle. The action was met with much audience approval. The most entertaining piece of the play though
Coming ‘Home’
Pup Dawg unleashed DJ Pup, from A10
Home, from A10
Patrons were encouraged to keep the theme of home in the back of their minds as they examined the various displays. Home incorporated a diverse collection of artistic media in order to create a multi-layered meditation. Aside from viewing numerous pieces of art, visitors were also able to listen to poetry via communal headphones. A screening room was set aside in which films were presented before any interested viewers. Creators of the art in Home were also on hand to converse with visitors and explain what influences inspired them to produce their work. Film student Nikil Nagaraj, A&S ’11, described how he and his Filmmaking II classmates worked together to produce Good Morning, a film that was shown in the screening room throughout the night. “Our teacher wanted us to get a sense of how the movie process worked, so each of us signed up to do a specific part,” he said. “It was an effort in collaboration.” Nagaraj will continue to display his work this semester when he participates in the film festival “BC, I Love You,” an event that will take place at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts on Dec. 11. Nagaraj was not the only contributor who displayed a work that was created for academic purposes. Courtney Allessio, A&S ’11, explained how she produced her colorful expression of the family unit for a song interpretation project. “I created the initial back-
could possibly be the pseudo-ballet of the high brow men, constantly standing in third position and leaping over furniture with graceful jetes to chase women. In the first few scenes, however, physical comedy is one of the only things pulling the show through since, with such a convoluted set of mistaken identities, the show is slow out of the gate with so many characters and plots to set up. An odd, out-of-place, mimed intro also sets up a convention that was never used again, and did not match the rest of the show. But, persevere through the bewildering beginning moments and attempt to decipher Tony’s thick accent, because it quickly becomes a fast-paced, well-directed piece. Frequent asides demonstrate the technical talent of the cast. They could have easily fallen into choppy, disjointed moments, but instead, these internal confidences bring the play up a notch in energy, particularly when Mrs. Hardcastle begins harassing the audience to double check a letter calling her a hag before letting all hell break loose on the recalcitrant Tony. Aided by a silent, but swift working crew, the cast jumps from the luxurious Hardcastle manor to the Three Pigeons Tavern to the swamp and back multiple times, showing off the efficient, but still very impressive, set. Four large-paneled windows change to set the scenes, keeping the play moving forward without any awkwardly long stage switches that couwld easily derail a comedy. As with any good party, the night ended with some dancing. Not quite a modern day rave since no one was fist pumping, but as far as 18th century styles go, choreographer Sun Ho Him pulled out some rocking steps to close out the show.
KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Zimmerman and Sheehan’s piece was one of the highlights of this collaborative exhibit. ground of the painting using Sumi ink, a water based substance that takes on the track of water.” Allessio randomly splattered water on her work to create an original landscape. “Our professor called the process ‘controlled spontaneous,’” she said. The creators of the Home exhibit looked to deviate from past practices by incorporating a wider variety of talent. “This year we branched out and contacted people who were recommended to us instead of simply relying on the people we knew,” explained Michael Wolf, A&S ’12. Wolf, who is no stranger to the artistic scene on campus, displayed a number of collages that combined pictures from vintage National Geographic issues. Wolf also described how he and his fellow artists collaborated with one another to improve their work. “Every weekend we met for an hour to discuss our work,” he said. “We worked with each other in order to bring forth more detail in each of our pieces.” This sense of collaboration was no more evident than in the display
created by Devon Zimmerman, A&S ’11, and Staff Sheehan, A&S ’11. The intricate sculpture, which could be seen from the streets of Upper Campus, combined the artistic ability of Zimmerman and the scientific talent of Sheehan to create a cognitive artistic expression. Suspended in the center of the room by several strings was a large magnet covered in liquid nanoparticles. The particles, which were produced by Sheehan, turned into a f luid mixture when in contact with the magnet. Visitors were welcome to blow on the magnet and watch the solid contort. Zimmerman, who was a cofounder of the exhibit three years ago, explained the artistic intentions of the piece. “I wanted to show the memories of home as a fluid, intangible thing,” he said. “Memory is something that seeps into your mind.” The artwork was accompanied with audio in which various artists lamented on their memories of home. “It’s something that gives the piece more emphasis and brings it back home – no pun intended,” Zimmerman joked.
for all attendees to munch on, even those more inclined to simple conversation. Eventually, Pup had his audience swaying to the beat. The music itself was appropriate for the affected region. Pup Dawg mixed South Asian sounds with today’s hits, reaching out to all members of the audience. He involved himself directly with the event, encouraging attendees to invite more of their friends and drawing dancers further to the front to get the party going. Some were more inclined than others to get their groove on, but overall the spirit of the occasion was well received. Those individuals who weren’t dancing busied themselves with spirited conversation as groups of friends came together. Students found themselves in the darkened Rat for various reasons. Some just wanted to dance, but most felt a need to represent the interests of Pakistan and its affected citizens. “I’m attending because I’m from Pakistan,” said Nida Javed, A&S ’12. “I love the country and hope awareness about this cause will spread.” This attitude seemed to be prevalent throughout the evening, and was even shared by DJ Pup Dawg. “I’m glad everyone’s getting together and supporting each other as one,” he said. Pup Dawg’s Web site presents him as an artist “from Pakistan, to L.A., to Boston.” He has opened for other performers such as Alicia Keys and Akon, and is currently the star of 94.5 JAM’N’s morning show. He allegedly has tripled the business of every club in which he has performed. Whether this is all true was difficult to ascertain from the show itself, but I assume the Rat will be three times as packed Monday
morning. Sana Sheikh, vice president of SASA and BC Law ’12, said the group was hoping for a good turnout, and to have “the best event as possible to raise as much money as possible.” She emphasized the important step the BC community was taking by supporting the fundraiser. “There was not enough done in the media or on campus as compared to other recent disasters like the earthquakes in Haiti,” she stated. The floods that plagued Pakistan during the summer and continue to cause problems today affected at least 20 million people with nearly 2,000 killed and four million left homeless. Damages have been estimated at $43 billion. Despite the enormity of the situation, Pakistan was slow in asking for aid, and the world has been slower still in responding. Observers of this phenomenon have blamed the poor economy and “donor fatigue” after the Haitian earthquake of Jan. 12. Whatever the case, the discrepancy between the amounts of aid offered in each of these instances is incredible. According to the Christian Science Monitor, in the first three weeks following the flooding $230 million was committed to cover 15 million affected individuals. In contrast, $742 million was committed to 1.5 Haitians after just 10 days. DJ Pup Dawg’s performance was an entertaining and exciting addition to campus life on Thursday, speaking to the social awareness of BC students. Certainly students want to have fun, but a good cause is just as likely to bring them together. The turnout might not have been quite as high as organizers hoped, but the event brought a notable artist to campus, spread awareness, and with 100 percent of profits going to UNICEF, raised a significant sum of money for Pakistan.
ARTS&REVIEW
A10
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Reaching new heights ALLISON THERRIEN Thirty-six days ago, someone thought it would be a good idea to take almost 10,000 pieces of toast and create a mosaic. The toast was blackened to various degrees – some hardly blackened at all – and the result was a toast-speckled face that spanned a room like an area rug. That someone was Laura Hadland, who created the mosaic as a 50th birthday present for her mother-in-law. I developed a deep and lasting love for The Guinness Book of World Records two years ago, when I agreed to babysit for a family of three girls and three gerbils. While the girls occasionally turned to me to provide some form of entertainment, chances were that whatever I came up with would pale in comparison to gerbil obstacle courses and, “Let’s see if Lucky can fit into this dolly’s tutu!” Rather than watching the poor little mammals squirm, I would opt to find some means of distracting myself. Left with few options for reading material, I would usually find The Guinness Book to be a preferred alternative to Fancy Nancy, the Llama, Llama series, or The Care and Keeping of You. (Girls, you know what I’m talking about.) To avoid seeing images of 15-inch millipedes and the man with the longest ear hair, I tended to flip to the “Arts and Media” section first. Let me tell you, devotion takes on a whole new meaning when you’re faced with the boy who played the drums for 120 hours straight, or the man who made 747 balloon sculptures in a single hour. I’ve been thinking a lot about devotion lately. While I haven’t windsurfed the Brazilian coastline or cooked a 6,000pound omelet, I have spent a year as Assistant Arts & Review Editor for The Heights, and that’s been quite a commitment. It has meant living in lovely McElroy Commons on Sundays and Wednesdays, drinking one too many Chocolate Bar frappes, and battling feelings of constant inadequacy in the midst of some of the most talented and intellectually stimulating people I’ve ever known. Luckily, my fellow editors are also some of the most fun, which is why any rogue wanderer stumbling upon the newsroom will often find us Photoshopping animals’ faces onto pictures of one another, belting Celine Dion lyrics, or watching instructional videos on how to make a baby-shaped cake. A caveat: Once the cake is finished, it is cut into with a very large knife. Viewer discretion is advised. Through my experience here, I have managed a few records of my own. Accompanied by Arts Editor Kristen House, I ate more salsa (no chips necessary) in one sitting than I ever had before on our trip to Maine last May. I have been privy to what holds the record for the strangest soundtrack, since in a single hour, the newsroom might be filled with the likes of Taylor Swift, Bon Iver, The Cranberries, The Social Network soundtrack, and the bellowing tones of Josh Groban performing “Horse and Buggy Ride” on Adult Swim. On our recent Heights scavenger hunt, my team made more consecutive attempts to swallow a Boston Kreme donut within the required 12-second window than probably anyone has ever witnessed in their life. I achieved a personal record for the longest remaining permanentmarker tattoo, the remains of a determined effort to represent communism at a “C” party. I will never again doubt the powers of a freshly uncapped Sharpie. Three weeks is a long time to bear the words “Karl Marx is my boyfriend” on one’s upper arm. Most importantly, though, this opportunity has provided me with more artistic inspiration and intellectual stimulation than I ever thought possible. I can’t imagine how this year would have been if I hadn’t opted to put aside my doubts and run for this position. Engaging with both the innovators of this publication and the artists of this campus has trained my ear, sharpened my mind, and kept me constantly in awe of the talents you all possess. Thank you.
Conquering the stage BY CHARLOTTE PARISH
T Heights Staff
SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER DIRECTOR Stewart Hecht STARRING Claire Mahoit, LSOE ’12, Owen Grover, A&S ’12, and Alex Lucci, A&S ’12 WHEN Nov. 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. & Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. WHERE Robsham Theater
ake a frat party, put it in 18th century England (with authentic accents to prove it), sprinkle on plenty of mistaken identities, and what comes out is the hilarious play She Stoops to Conquer, directed by Stewart Hecht. As with any good party, there is the suave seducer, the timid lover, the delusional girl, and plenty of brew drinking in this season’s second main stage, theater department-directed show. Although the cast was completely devoid of seniors, it lacked no confidence of seniority in the acting, led particularly by Claire Mahoit, LSOE ’12, as Mrs. Hardcastle, the domineering housewife whose lust for London
See Stoops to Conquer, A9
Jam’n in the Rat BY KRYSIA WAZNY Heights Staff
A
s the scene unfolded in the Rat on Thursday night, a couple truths became clear. First, there are many students on campus who feel strongly about the recent events in Pakistan. Second, they love to dance. These students were in luck when they came together for a performance by DJ Pup Dawg from Boston’s own JAM’N 94.5, sponsored by the South Asian Students Association (SASA) and the South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA). Through some pumping beats, these groups managed to raise awareness and funds for the survivors of the devastating floods that occurred this year in Pakistan. Though the initial turnout for the dance party may not have been as large as expected, it grew to better fulfill the expectations of organizers as the night wore on. By 9:45 p.m., DJ Pup Dawg’s set was finally organized and the artist himself arrived. The audience made its way to the dance floor as the Boston College Police Department assisted in turning off the lights. A multitude of tasty snacks were readily available
Allison Therrien is the Assistant Arts & Review Editor of The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com
See DJ Pup, A9
KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
A sculpture by Devon Zimmerman and Staff Sheehan on display as part of the ‘Home’ exhibit in O’Connell House.
Artists stay close to ‘Home’
The collaborative art exihibit opened on Saturday BY DAN SIERING Heights Staff
S
ophistication was in the air Saturday at the O’Connell House. In a location that is usually reserved for game nights and dance parties, the function building on Upper Campus showed its creative side as an array of students from the Boston College community came together to create a cohesive display of artistic mediums. The exhibit, which has been a perennial event for the past three years, has taken on numerous personalities in the past as artists were given the chance to freely explore the abstract. This year, however, with an exhibit
simply named Home, coordinators aimed to center the work around a broad theme that could be both highly interpretive and easily relatable. A sense of creativity was immediately evident upon entering the O’Connell House. The exhibit, complemented by various refreshments and soft background music, presented itself as a genuine professional display. A plaque on the wall explained the essence of the show to curious visitors. “Home is an examination and meditation on the places we run to or from. We carry it with us in family photos and dress it up with posters and lazy armchairs.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMN945.COM
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KEVIN HOU /HEIGHTS EDITOR
THIS ISSUE
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’
The first installment of the series finale begins with artful risks, hormones, and explosive moments, A8
‘Waste Land’
Director Lucy Walker shows the beauties of garbage through the work of artist Vik Muniz, A8
See Home, A9
Nicki Minaj and Kanye West......A9 Box Office Report........................A8
SPORTS THE HEIGHTS
Monday, November 22, 2010
Section
B
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Peak Performance Soccer punches ticket to another Elite Eight BY RAYCHEL KRUPER For The Heights
The Boston College women’s soccer team hadn’t won by more than two goals in over two months. Behind two Boston College 4 Brooke Knowlton goals, 0 West Virginia the second-seeded Eagles (16-6-1) ended that drought and soared past the third-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers (18-51) for a 4-0 victory and a second straight Elite Eight berth. The win broke the Mountaineers’ 14game winning streak, and gave BC its first home Elite Eight match in program history. “It feels great,” Knowlton said about her goals, both of which she one-timed close to the net. “I think the best thing about it is knowing that my teammates never gave up on me. I’ve had kind of a rough season – I haven’t been scoring very much. But Coach still had faith in me, and my teammates, too, and those goals were really team efforts. I couldn’t have done anything without them.” The Eagles took control from the first whistle, and finally broke through 21 minutes in. Midfielder Kristie Mewis controlled a ball out of the air and took it down the left flank to the end line. She then crossed the ball to the feet of an open Knowlton in the middle of the box, who buried her sixth goal of the season into the upper right corner of the net. Mewis notched her second assist of the game just 10 minutes later on a goal by Julia Bouchelle to double the Eagles’ lead. The play began when Mewis controlled the ball on the left wing and earned a throw in. She quickly threw the ball in, which missed its target but bounced through the box to the feet of Bouchelle, who tucked a leftfooted shot into the lower right side of the net.
See Sweet Sixteen, B4
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Too many moments to cherish
FOOTBALL
BC finds rhythm, shuts down Cavs BY NICK LOURY For The Heights
ZACH WIELGUS Appreciating the moment is not my specialty. Partly my responsibility and partly my genetic construction, I feel the urge to know and disseminate everything concerning Boston College sports, logging tidbits away for future stories or frantically sending results over Twitter. This is why I bought an iPhone six months ago, why I always have a separate browser window open to track away games, and why you can find me contorting that iPhone to pick up a decent signal during a break in the action in Alumni or Conte. I need to feel I am at the head of the race for information, even if it’s so I can avoid replying, “Honestly, I don’t know,” when someone asks me by how much the women’s basketball team beat Vermont or how long Tommy Cross is out with his pesky knee injury. Does pride get in the way, interrupting a phenomenal soccer game so I can check the hockey score? Absolutely. And for the last year, it’s been a necessary evil. Today, however, it’s impossible not to appreciate the moment. Since I took over as Sports Editor on Dec. 6, 2009, I knew the finish line stretched across the early morning hours of Nov. 22, 2010. As I’ve neared this inevitable end, instead of speeding up or dragging my heels, I’ve taken the time to look behind me at every new city, every memorable game, and every riveting reaction that creates my blurred landscape of the past year. To be able to travel from Boston to San Francisco, to Tallahassee and Detroit, to conference tournaments and national championships, is simply
See A Look Back, B3
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Mark Herzlich flew around the field Saturday, racking up eight tackles and this pass breakup.
The 2010 season has been a tumultuous one for the Boston College 17 Boston College 13 Virginia football team. Saturday’s 17-13 win over Virginia was no different. Against Virginia (4-7, 1-6 ACC), BC’s defensive performance once again started slow and finished strong. For the first quarter and a half, the Eagles (6-5, 4-4 ACC) were unable to get stops on third downs and allowed Virginia to march the ball down the field, with the first two drives lasting six and five minutes, respectively. Virginia jumped out to a lead after converting on fourth down when running back Perry Jones jumped over the goal line to score from one yard out. On the next Cavaliers series, it seemed as if they would continue to roll down the field, but, following two penalties, receiver Kris Burd was stopped short of a first down by Luke Kuechly and Mark Herzlich to force a punt. This pivotal play ignited the Eagles’ defense for the remainder of
the game, in which it allowed only three points in the final 39 minutes. Taking his cue from the defense, quarterback Chase Rettig looked impressive running a two-minute drill that spanned 82 yards in six plays and was capped by a beautiful 39-yard pass to Alex Amidon. Rettig threw the ball over the top of the defense, and Amidon made a spectacular catch, reaching over two defenders to make the catch at the 3-yard line before stepping into the end zone for a gametying score. The Eagles relinquished some momentum when they allowed Virginia to kick a 40-yard field goal as time expired in the half, but the defense shut out the Cavaliers in the second half to hold on for the win. “I don’t think we came out how we needed to,” Kuechly said. “We came in at halftime and got things fixed. We did a little better job of containing the ball in the second half that led to a better showing from the defense.” The same defense that was unable to stop Virginia’s offense early in the game
See Rhythm, B3
MEN’S HOCKEY
Eagles take both from Maine BY JAKE BURG Heights Staff
Sometimes hockey players get lucky, and sometimes they are just plain good. Boston College’s Paul Carey was both in the No. 10 Boston College 4 Eagles’ 4-1 win over No. 3 1 Maine Maine. He doubled his total goals for the season, and helped power a BC scoring attack that outmuscled Maine by a combined 8-1 score over the two-game sweep. “If you’re going to be a goal scorer and a top level player, you have to put points on the board, and he did that this weekend,” said Eagles head coach Jerry York. Carey was one goal shy of netting a hat trick, but that certainly was not for a lack of effort. He
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consistently found his way to the puck all game. And sometimes, the puck found him. Just two minutes into the tilt, the Eagles were on the power play and captain Brian Gibbons passed the puck up to Cam Atkinson at the point. Atkinson proceeded to rip a slap shot that Maine goaltender Dan Sullivan promptly blocked. The puck ricocheted off Sullivan and found Carey’s shin pad as he pulled up to a stop at the top of the crease, and into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. “There was some puck luck in it,” York said. “Sometimes the game can be kind of cruel,” said Maine head coach Tim Whitehead. Later in the first period, Carey made a nice pass right in front of the goalie’s crease, but the puck did
Women’s hockey splits with BU
See Maine Sweep, B5
The Eagles followed their 6-3 win with a home loss to the rival Terriers.................B2
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Patrick Wey and the Eagles knocked Maine off in two straight games.
Brown takes out men’s soccer
Ed Kelly’s squad was down for 88 minutes and was eliminated from the NCAA tournament...................B3
Numbers to Know........................B2 Game to Watch............................B2
B2
Monday, November 22, 2010
THE HEIGHTS
Terriers effectively slow down Eagles for split
BY DIANA C. NEARHOS Heights Senior Staff
The two games this weekend between the No. 7 Boston College women’s hockey team and No. 5 1 Boston Univ. Boston UniverBoston College 0 sity drastically differed, and in a rivalry where anything goes, maybe the clashing results of the split series was only fitting. Last night, the game was a slow affair with the Terriers prevailing, 1-0, over the Eagles. In contrast, BC derailed BU with speed in a 6-3 victory on Saturday night. On Sunday, the only goal of the matchup came almost halfway through the first period. BC blocked the first shot attempt, but Terrier forward Jenn Wakefield picked up the deflection and sent it past goaltender Molly Schaus to put BU up for good, 1-0. The Eagles only had five shots on target in the first period, after 16 the night before. By the third period, BC was playing stronger hockey and sending harder shots at the net. Despite the increased intensity, though, BC still totaled 10 fewer shots the second night with 22. “One of the things we were focusing on was getting shots on net,” said head coach Katie King. “We had opportunities, especially in the third period, but we were not able to make anything of it.” Few of BC’s shots came from close range. Only two shots in the first period were taken past the faceoff points, and none after that. The night before, both teams started with a vengeance at Walter Brown Arena. The Terriers forced Schaus to make back-
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Kelly Stack scored three of BC’s six goals Saturday, but she was unable to light the lamp a day later in the Eagles’ loss to Boston University. to-back saves within the first minute. Forward Kelli Stack then retaliated with a stronger attack, scoring the first goal of the contest just 3:42 into the game with a power-play slapshot from the right side. Just 30 seconds later, forward Ashley Motherwell sent the puck past goaltender Alissa Fromkin for the second time of the night. The score remained 2-0 for most of
the first period despite 16 shots by BC. With just 1:36 left in the period, forward Danielle Welch was sent to the penalty box for body checking. Although BU had the player advantage, it was BC that found the net. Stack scored her second goal of the night, this time unassisted, putting the Eagles up by three going into the first intermission. “Anytime we play BU, we get excited,”
King said. “It’s easy to come out with a bit of fire. We have to learn to do it two days in a row.” The second period started off with more of the same. Just 1:32 into play, BC increased its lead to 4-0. The Eagles sent a barrage of shots toward Fromkin, who managed to deflect pucks from forwards Mary Restuccia and Motherwell. Taylor Wasylk, however, took control of
the rebound and fired into the back of the net. Down by four goals, BU decided to change netminders, putting Braly Hiller into the game. The change did not help much, though, as Stack scored a few minutes later, completing her second hat trick of the season. “That is her forte,” King said of Stack. “Her role is to produce, and she takes it very seriously.” BU scored its first goal with 4:37 remaining in the second period. Forward Marie-Philip Poulin charged the net directly from the penalty box and put the puck past Schaus. The Terriers followed that with two goals in the third period to cut the lead to 5-3. Welch scored once more for the Eagles to put the game away for the final threegoal advantage. She took the puck from defenseman Blake Bolden and sent it past Hiller with 2:44 remaining in the contest. The home-and-home series was the first two of three games BC and BU will play outside of the Beanpot Tournament this year. Though the rivalry is better known on the men’s side, the emotions run just as high for the women. “Obviously I’m really excited to play BU,” Wasylk said earlier this season. That initial excitement has given way to disappointment after losing the home half of the series. BC will get another chance at defeating its Comm Ave. counterparts when the Terriers return to Kelley Rink on Jan. 15. “To be beat by BU at your home ice was not fun,” Motherwell said. “When they come back here, we’ll be ready.”
Fencing begins season in style BY PAUL SULZER
Asst. Sports Editor
NICK RELLAS / HEIGHTS STAFF
Seniors Stefanie Murphy (left) and Carolyn Swords (right) controlled the paint for BC against Vermont. They both recorded double-doubles in a 85-50 win.
Eagles continue early-season surge
BY CHRIS MARINO For The Heights
SPORTS in SHORT
In a battle of teams moving in two completely different direcBoston College 85 tions at the early 50 point in Vermont the season, the Boston College women’s basketball team dominated the University of Vermont, 85-50. With this victory, the Eagles (4-0) went 2-0 at the TD Bank Classic, a tournament hosted by the Catamounts (0-4). The Eagles also beat Dartmouth, 87-61, in the tournament’s first round. From the first whistle, BC ran smoothly on all cylinders. Led by a strong effort from freshman guard Kristen Doherty and the senior members of the team, the Eagles gained an early lead and maintained it throughout the contest. Doherty made her presence known with 21 points, six steals, and six assists. The most impor-
tant aspect of her performance was her 3-pointers, as she went five for five from beyond the arc. Also having great days were Carolyn Swords and Stefanie Murphy. Both players earned double-doubles, Swords’ fourth consecutive and 33rd of her career, and Murphy’s first of the season. Swords had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Murphy had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Another key performer for the Eagles was Jaclyn Thoman, who added 11 points and six assists of her own from the point guard position. BC outperformed the Catamounts from the opening minutes, as they started on a 6-2 run with Swords scoring four points. The Eagles never looked back, shooting 55 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc in the first half. The Catamounts were never close from the get-go, but heading into halftime faced a 25-point deficit, 39-14. The second half showed no signs of change, as the visitors
shot 54 percent from the field and an amazing 57 percent from 3-point range. The team finished with an overall converted fieldgoal percentage of 54, and shot a remarkable 50 percent from distance. The Eagles also forced turnovers in their high-pressured defense, converting their defensive stoutness into points on the offensive end. BC scored 23 points off its 15 steals, and only turned the ball over 10 times. The Eagles also dominated beneath the boards. Led by the low-post play of Swords and Murphy, BC outrebounded Vermont, 45-27. Even more impressive was the team’s physical offensive play underneath the basket. The Eagles scored 38 points in the paint, compared to just 22 points by the Catamounts. In the first round, BC faced off against Dartmouth with similar success. Swords led the team with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocked shots. Murphy also had
ACC Football Standings Atlantic
Florida State NC State Maryland Boston College Clemson Wake Forest
Coastal
Virginia Tech Miami Georgia Tech North Carolina Duke Virginia
Conference 6-2 5-2 4-3 4-4 4-4 1-7
7-0 5-3 4-4 3-4 1-6 1-6
Overall 8-3 8-3 7-4 6-5 6-5 2-9
9-2 7-4 6-5 6-5 3-8 4-7
a solid performance, chipping in 14 points, as did Doherty and fellow freshman Korina Chapman. Doherty compiled a well-rounded effort, finishing with six points, six rebounds, eight assists, and six steals, while Chapman played well in the post with 10 points and seven rebounds. The Eagles relied on solid defense and efficient shooting to maintain the advantage, as they shot 47.8 from the floor while holding Dartmouth to 34 percent. BC also had 15 steals in the victory. The defeat was Dartmouth’s third straight. BC was able to force turnovers, overpower its opponents in the paint, and shoot for a high percentage in its overwhelming victory. The Eagles were also well-represented on the All-Tournament team. Swords was named Most Valuable Player for her consistent post play, and Doherty was also named to the team for her breakout shooting performance against the host team.
Numbers to Know
126
Boston College began the dual meet fencing season by winning five of its six women’s matches and four of five men’s matches at MIT Saturday. The women beat Wellesley, New Hampshire, UMass, Boston University, and Sacred Heart. The Eagles lost to Brown, 16-11. Olivia Curry, a sophomore who won the bronze medal at the New England Fall Invitation two weeks ago, went 17-1. The sabre position as a whole, led by Curry and Molly Wolfe (13-5 overall, 7-2 varsity), went undefeated. In foil, senior Jenna Calacino was 16-2, while freshman Anabel Young was 10-2 in epee. “The competitive energy the team displayed today makes me very optimistic about the season,” said head coach Syd Fadner. “For Olivia to be so consistent all day shows how far she’s come since last season. And Molly’s performance was a milestone. And we
had strong showings from the epee and foil squads. It was a great team effort, with everyone contributing.” BC’s men’s team dominated UNH, UMass, and BU, winning each match 20-7. The Eagles also beat Brown, 14-13, and lost to Sacred Heart by the same score. Both teams gave BC trouble last year, when the Black Bears won 16-11 and the Pioneers won 17-10. Freshmen Kendall Harmeyer (epee) and Patrick Riley (foil) each went 8-2. Classmate Devin Midgley went 6-5 in sabre. Sjur Hoftun, a senior competing in foil, went 5-1, including big wins against Brown and Sacred Heart. “We’re seeing the impact of a strong freshman class, who are not only having success on the strip, but are energizing the upperclassmen,” Fadner said. The Eagles have one tune-up remaining before Winter Break – at Brandeis on Dec. 5 – before their season begins in earnest in January.
Game to Watch Women’s Soccer
Yards Montel Harris needs to break the BC career rushing record after his 114yard performance Saturday. He left the game with an undisclosed knee injury.
2
Consecutive Elite Eight appearances by the women’s soccer team, which defeated West Virginia 4-0 Friday. BC plays Washington at 4 p.m. Saturday.
.175
Three-point shooting percentage (7-for-40) for the men’s basketball team through two games.
Washington vs. Boston College The Eagles exploded for three goals against Hofstra and four against West Virginia. Now, they’re a win away from the College Cup, NCAA soccer’s Final Four. Boston College has never advanced beyond the Elite Eight, so this is arguably the biggest game in school history. The Washington Huskies have won twostraight overtime games, including a dramatic penalty-kick victory over No. 2 Portland. Saturday, 4 p.m.
THE HEIGHTS
Monday, November 22, 2010
B3
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
Williams joins Harris in 100-yard rushing club BY GREG JOYCE Heights Staff
A 100-yard game for a Boston College running back has become the norm over the last few weeks, and it continued in Saturday’s 17-13 win over Virginia, with Montel Harris racking up 114 yards. But Harris wasn’t the only rusher with 100 yards. True freshman Andre Williams gained 108 yards on the ground, including a lightning-quick, 59-yard run in the third quarter. “I was just thinking slow in the A, because that’s where you have to hit it, and it worked out perfectly,” Williams said of the long dash. “There was a big hole, and I just hit it.” That run set up a 4-yard touchdown carry by Harris to put the Eagles up for good. Williams was later forced to take over the entire run attack, as Harris was injured on a draw play. He was down on the ground for a few minutes before walking off the field under his own power. He sat out the rest of the game with an injured left knee, and was taken to get an MRI on the knee after the game. Williams, however, was able to step in
for the ACC’s leading rusher and handle the ground duty for the fourth quarter. “I said to Andre, and I said to a couple of the players, that’s why you keep working hard as a backup, whether you’re two or three or wherever you are on the depth chart,” said head coach Frank Spaziani. “That’s why, because you will be called on, you don’t know when, and you don’t know where, and he was ready. You have to be ready for the opportunity. We know he has some talent, but he’s been working, and we’re glad to have him today, obviously.” “It feels great coming off the field knowing this game you definitely played a huge role in how the game turned out,” Williams said. “It felt good. I just kept thinking everything that I always think when I get in the game, ‘I just have to hold on to the ball and make the right reads,’ and I had a good game.” Promise validated Three weeks ago, the BC football team stopped its five-game losing streak with a win against Clemson. After that game, Harris vowed that the Eagles would run the table and make it to a bowl game. Luke Kuechly also said that they could
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Montel Harris recorded his sixth straight 100-yard game, racking up 114 before his injury.
run the table, taking it one game at a time. At the time, a bowl game seemed like a big reach. But now, after Saturday’s win, Harris’ guarantee has become a reality, as BC clinched bowl eligibility, and is just one game away from running the table to end the season on a five-game winning streak. “We knew we had a great team,” Kuechly said. “We knew we just had to get things rolling. It just took us a couple games there in the middle of the season to figure things out. Now, once we figured things out, we’re starting to roll again.” The results of the season have been a disappointment overall, but given where the Eagles were after their fifth straight loss, securing a bowl game is an impressive feat, as well as a moral victory for the team. “The players and myself, we didn’t start the year off to be 6-6,” Spaziani said. “We have certainly higher aspirations every year around here. Are we happy now, to win four games in a row? Absolutely. We have another game to play, and we have to stay to our straight and narrow [vision] and move on to next week, and then we’ll figure out at the end.” “This whole week we’ve been talking about wanting it,” said quarterback Chase Rettig. “Every game it’s a new week, and all you’re trying to do is win that game, not worry about anything else. “Each week, I feel like our coaches instilled in us that it’s yours to take every game. Some of the older guys have definitely helped out, some of the captains telling us that we’re all right, and if we want this, it’s ours. It’s nice to be on this streak right now. We’re just trying to continue it out next week.” Rettig-Amidon Connection With two minutes and 17 seconds left in the first half, the BC offense got the ball at its own 18-yard line. Just 56 seconds later, the Eagles had tied up the game at 10-10, thanks to a six-play drive that included 67 yards of passing from Rettig.
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Quarterback Chase Rettig found Alex Amidon on this 39-yard pass to tie the game at 10-10. A 39-yard bomb to fellow freshman Alex Amidon capped off the drive. “Alex made a great break on the corner,” Rettig said. “I got a lot of time on that play, so I was able to step up and put it in Alex’s hands.” Rettig threw the ball into double coverage, but it was perfectly placed so that only Amidon could catch it. “It was definitely an excellent throw,” Amidon said. “If he had put it any closer, then the backside corner would have got it, or the safety could have got it. He put it perfectly over the safety’s head. Even if there were two guys there, neither of them really had a good angle
on the ball.” The play was set up by Amidon’s ability to read the defense and get behind the secondary. “It was cover four, so coach always tells us, ‘Get on the toes of the cornerback and make them guess which way you’re going.’ So I did that, and then I kind of got behind the safety after I did that, and I saw the ball come in.”
For a slideshow of the team’s sixth win, visit www.bcheights.com/sports
Football pulls out fifth straight win Rhythm, from B1
continued to stop it for the remainder of the game, stymying the Cavaliers long enough for their own offense to gain momentum. The Eagles threatened throughout the third quarter, but were unable to put points on the board until Andre Williams ripped off a 59-yard run that set up Montel Harris’ 4-yard touchdown run that gave BC a 17-13 lead. With nine minutes left in the game, Virginia appeared poised to retake the lead after a Rettig interception, but could only advance the ball as far as the BC 7-yard line before missing a 25-yard field goal attempt. “There weren’t any big chunk plays in there,” said head coach Frank Spaziani. “It’s very difficult to keep [that] up. Once
again, [total] yards is a nice stat for everybody, but points is where it’s at.” Herzlich especially shined. In addition to teaming with Kuechly to make the key stop in the second quarter, Herzlich had more momentum-changing plays in both the third and fourth quarters. On third down with five minutes to go in the third quarter, Virginia quarterback Marc Verica threw an out route to a seemingly wide-open receiver before Herzlich flew in and tipped the ball away. Then, early in the fourth quarter, he made a diving interception despite having a club cast on his left hand. It wasn’t the most convincing win, but for the fourth straight week, the Eagles held on long enough to win and qualify themselves for a 12th straight bowl.
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Senior offensive lineman Thomas Claiborne led the celebration after the team’s 17-13 Senior Day win by jumping into the student section.
“At the start of it, we tried to make sure we weather the storm, knowing that the home goes out and plays very aggressively. We tried to get our feet on the ground.” –Ed Kelly, Head Coach
Brown knocks men’s soccer out of NCAA tournament BY ROBERT T. BALINT Heights Staff
The final whistle rang out Thursday night over Stevenson Field in Providence, R.I., bringing both the game and the men’s 2 Brown soccer team’s playoff run to Boston College 1 a close. The No. 14 Brown Bears held on to a 2-1 first-half lead until the end, advancing them to the second round of the NCAA tournament and sending the No. 21 Eagles back home to Chestnut Hill. The Eagles adopted a defensive posture in the early minutes of the first half, straying from their normal, heavily offensive strategy. “At the start of it, we tried to make sure we weather the storm, knowing that the home team goes out and plays very aggressively,” said head coach Ed Kelly. “We tried to get our feet on the ground.” The shift was not enough to stop a surging Bears offense, however, as Brown scored just 11 minutes into play. Jon Okafor took a pass from Taylor Gorman 15 yards into BC territory, and cut his way through the Eagles defense, shooting and scoring to put the Bears up 1-0. BC regrouped and struck back later in the half, when midfielder Kyle Bekker sent a shot past Brown goaltender Paul Grandstrand from 25 yards out in the 40th minute of play. The goal, Bekker’s fifth on the season, evened the score at 1-1, but the Eagles barely had time to celebrate the score before Brown struck back just two minutes later. Bears forward Austin Mandel, assisted by teammate Thomas McNamara,
beat Eagles goalkeeper Justin Luthy and scored to give Brown the go-ahead goal. Luthy faced heavy pressure throughout the game, as the Bears offense produced more tries than the Eagles, outshooting them, 22-15, and taking seven corner kicks to just three by the Eagles. “They outworked us,” Kelly said. Luthy made six saves to Grandstrand’s four, including an impressive diving stop that enabled him to just barely get a hand on and deflect a hard shot from Brown’s Sean Rosa with 10:48 to play in the half. The Eagles pushed hard to equalize in the second half, but no goals came for either team. With the team trailing 2-1, from there “it just became a battle of long balls,” Kelly said. Thirteen fouls were called on the visiting team throughout the game, 12 of them coming after the break at half. Despite the aggressive play, the Eagles could not find an opportunity on which to capitalize, ending their 2010 season. This season’s NCAA berth marks the fourth year in a row that the Eagles have made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. The team concludes the year with a 10-5-5 overall record. The contest was the final game for seniors Karl Reddick and Dave Dale, who came off the bench and played 62 and seven minutes, respectively. This season is also the final one for two other seniors, goalkeeper Ayotunde Ogunbiyi and defender Myles Gerraty. With 19 returning players on the roster, the team will remain relatively young, as it has for the past few years. “We just have to push on and get back into business next year,” Kelly said.
A year of too many moments A Look Back, from B1
surreal. To cover everything from football and basketball in nationally-televised contests to golf and sailing and be thanked profusely by every team member has been a pleasure. To sit here and type out my final words to the student body, allowing me the bittersweet joy of recounting where I’ve been and what I’ve seen, may be the greatest gift of all. As I ate lunch with the Photo Editor of The Heights, who has doubled as my frequent journalist companion and travel partner, we couldn’t help but relive the glory that was our three-day stint in Detroit for the Frozen Four. “That is easily one of my best college experiences,” he said. “Actually, I bet that ends up being one of my best life experiences.” I couldn’t disagree. We spent our entire second semester rising and falling with the team, and had the fortune of watching an unbeaten final 13 games carry them all the way to the national championship. Then it hit me: I have seen far more success than failure, despite my constant griping. I witnessed the women’s soccer team capture both of its Elite Eight berths, the football team crawl out of a deep hole to qualify for yet another bowl, and the ushering in of
the most exciting hire the basketball team has seen since I was born. Sure, that first-round ACC tournament loss to Virginia in March was the icing on top of a revolting cake, and letdowns from a handful of other squads litter the path, but in the entirety of it all, it means quite little. I am never going to characterize the last year with the sharpshooting of Sammy Zeglarski. Yet, I can never define 44 issues by the incredible win of the hockey team, either. I have spoken with a dozen coaches and innumerable players, putting into words their highest highs and lowest lows – harboring the same euphoria and frustration the whole way – in more articles than I want to count. Every one of those encounters has shaped the last 12 months, and it’s impossible to point to a single one as the event that represents my career with this newspaper. So, once again, I am struggling to appreciate the moment. This time, though, it’s not because I’m busy worrying about the game I can’t see or the story I’ll need to write. It’s because I have far too many moments to cherish.
Zach Wielgus is the Sports Editor of The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.
B4
Monday, November 22, 2010
THE HEIGHTS
Soccer blows by West Virginia to advance Sweet Sixteen, from B1
“I meant to throw the it in to [Victoria DiMartino],” Mewis admitted, “and I think she didn’t make it in time and it went through to Julia. Julia took a beautiful shot and buried it. That’s not how I pictured it, but in the end we played fast and it worked out.” The first half came to a close with the Eagles outshooting the Mountaineers, 9-3, and holding a commanding 2-0 lead. Eagles goalkeeper Jillian Mastroianni needed to make only one save in the first 45 minutes. “We talked at halftime about how at the 10minute mark, we settled the game down a little bit, we kept possession of the ball and moved it,” said head coach Alison Foley. “We emphasized changing the point of attack and isolating our wide players, especially our wide forwards and getting our one-on-ones in the wide channels. Once we got doing that, I think the game opened up a bit in our favor, and we started creating some good chances.” BC continued to construct these offensive opportunities in the second half, eventually scoring twice more to put the match out of reach. In the 55th minute of play, Knowlton struck again. She one-timed a shot into the top of the net, from just four yards out, on a service from
Natalie Crutchfield from the right end line. Hannah Cerrone took possession at midfield and chipped a beautiful ball down the right sideline, which Crutchfield corralled near the corner of the pitch. Crutchfield fired a pass to the middle of the field, and Knowlton got just enough foot on it to blow it by Mountaineers goalkeeper Kerri Butler. DiMartino added the fourth and final goal in the 84th minute of play – her 14th tally on the season. DiMartino scored an unassisted goal from just outside the 18 on a shot that deflected off the left post and bounced into the right side of the net. The offensive firepower was a far cry from the first half of the Eagles’ first-round match against BU, during which they were shut out. “I think the first half of the BU game, they took it to us and we recognized that we got to have more focus when we start matches,” Foley said. “The second half, obviously, it was a different story, and if we continue to keep up that level of soccer, we’re going to make a good run here.”
For a slideshow of the women’s soccer team’s Sweet Sixteen win, visit www.bcheights.com/sports
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Brooke Knowlton scored two goals for the Eagles, including the match’s first score in the 22nd minute of play.
New coach, same Ivy League problems for basketball BY BRAD ZAK Heights Staff
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Reggie Jackson and Steve Donahue had plenty to talk about in Thursday’s 75-67 loss to Yale.
Maybe it wasn’t the coach’s fault after all. Another early loss to an Ivy League opponent caught the men’s basketball team again, this time a 75-67 loss to the 75 Yale Bulldogs, Yale the third defeat Boston College 67 to an Ivy League opponent in as many years. New head coach Steve Donahue now takes on the task of righting the ship for a team that has been plagued by inconsistency. “For me, this is about figuring out who we are and what we do well,” Donahue said. “I had my ideas that if certain teams play us a certain way, we might have a difficult time. Right now on both sides of the ball, we’re just not consistent enough. There are some good things, and then there are some really poor things.” Despite the team’s problems, Reggie Jackson played with heart and determination in an effort to pull the team to victory. For much of the night, his point total was greater than the rest of his teammates combined until it settled at 30, a career high for the junior guard. He led the team in points, field goals attempted, free throws attempted, rebounds, and steals, which demonstrates the depth issues plaguing the team more than a phenomenal individual performance. Even though his play kept the team close, Jackson was still his own toughest
critic following the game. “Personally, I didn’t take care of my assignment,” Jackson said. “Coach told me I had Austin Morgan, a great shooter, and I let him get two quick threes, and basically everybody else suffered. At the beginning of the game, I have to take it upon myself to shut down their best player. Tonight, I feel like I failed at that.” Jackson did not sugarcoat another disappointing loss to a mid-major opponent. “We still have to grow up mentally,” he continued. “Coach can only do so much. If you were here last year, then you are seeing the same stuff. We come out and clearly we aren’t taking it as seriously as we should. We aren’t mentally prepared, and it showed because we came out slow and they jumped on us, and we had to play catch-up all night.” The issue for Donahue is that the players currently within the program don’t seem to fit the style that worked to perfection at Cornell. His team last year was predicated on ball movement, good shooting, and controlling the style of play, which his current Eagles struggle to consistently maintain. “Things are going through my head that we just haven’t had a chance to work on yet,” Donahue said. “I think this is a step back. Not that I want to lose. I never want to lose. But I expect that this is going to be part of growing this program. We are going to have bumps in the road. I
would be crazy to think that it was going to be a smooth ride.” Outside of Jackson, the team’s numbers were anything but pretty. The rest of the team was 0-for-11 from threepoint range, made only 11 field goals, and amassed just 37 points. Against St. Francis, Joe Trapani and Corey Raji contributed 20 and 17 points, respectively, and helped compose a formidable scoring trio that could lead the Eagles through tough stretches. A rough night of shooting for the pair, though, kept the Eagles down for the entire game. At times, it looked as if perimeter players were hesitant to take open shots, as players tried to mask their lack of confidence with “unselfish” play. Late in the game, Jackson was the only one who looked comfortable stepping up to take the big shot, and it exposed the team late as Trapani, Biko Paris, and Dallas Elmore all missed 3-pointers at critical moments down the stretch. “Guys are passing up shots in practice, trying to be unselfish, when in reality we should probably be shooting the basketball and getting used to what that feels like,” Donahue said. “I think there is a lot of stuff that when we get into the game, it’s not the comfort level with the offense they feel they should have. I thought they were hesitant to shoot the ball at times, as well. There are a lot of little things that go through our mind that we have to keep getting better at.”
BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Jackson lone bright spot in stunning Yale loss BY TOM BUCKLEY For The Heights
The Boston College men’s basketball team suffered its first loss under head coach Steve Donahue on Thursday night, losing 75-67 to Yale. BC, which was plagued by inconsistent defense throughout the game, had a particularly diffi cult time stopping Yale guard Austin Morgan. Morgan went nine of 14 from the field for the game, including six of nine from three-point range on his way to a team-leading 25 points. While Donahue attributed the team’s defensive struggles to an overall lack of energy and focus throughout the game, Eagle guard Reggie Jackson took personal blame for Morgan’s exceptional shooting. “That was my fault,” he said. “I didn’t take care of my defensive assignment, and his threes were falling.” Jackson, who played an impressive 39 minutes in the contest, was the only noticeable bright spot for the Eagles. Jackson consistently looked to take control of the game, aggressively coming off screens and holding the ball in his hands when BC needed a big basket. Jackson finished the game with 30 points, going 10 of 22 from the field. The junior guard did not dwell too much on his personal accomplishments, however, and focused more on his team’s lack of intensity and consistency. “It’s the same story as last year,” Jackson said. “At times we showed great poise and desire, at times we looked flat. We have spurts where we show we can be a great team. This team needs to grow up and be more mentally prepared.” The rest of the Eagles struggled offensively, with only two other players besides Jackson scoring in double figures. The team shot a combined three of 19 from three-point range and looked uncomfortable taking open shots all
over the floor. Donahue, whose career record against Yale moved to 9-12, hopes his team can learn from the defeat. “Obviously, you don’t ever want to lose, but I’m hoping our team can learn from this,” Donahue said. “I hope this will inspire our players in practice. I hope they will work harder. This is part of the learning process. It is a bump in the road. I knew coming in here that everything would not go perfectly.” Three-point jitters One thing that alarmed Donahue was BC’s unwillingness to shoot from long range. Donahue is looking for players such
as Biko Paris, who shoots the 3-pointer consistently well in practice, to have confidence in taking the shot on a more regular basis. While the team shot a measly 16 percent from three-point range – Paris himself went zero for six – Donahue does not want the team to pass up open shots. “We only shot 19 threes tonight … that’s not a lot,” Donahue said. “Some players seem reluctant to shoot the open 3-point shot, that’s something we need to work on. We need to keep shooting.”
James Jones. James Jones has been the head coach of the Yale basketball team since 1999. Donahue, who was the head basketball coach at Cornell University from 2000-2010, has much respect and admiration for James Jones. “You’ve got to tip your hat to a team like Yale,” Donahue said. “James Jones is one of the best mid-major coaches in America, and no one knows it. He constantly has that team in the top two or three of the Ivy League every year. His teams always are smart and play hard. We were not ready for them tonight.”
Family ties BC associate head coach Joe Jones is the younger brother of Yale head coach
Odds and ends Josh Southern, who missed the first game of the season due to surgery,
got eight minutes of play in Thursday night’s game. While Southern was projected to be the starting center for this year’s team, he has been limited in practice all year and is still some ways away from playing substantial minutes. “Josh’s conditioning just isn’t there yet,” Donahue said. “He is not able to run down the floor consistently well enough yet, and that’s a big part of what we do.” In a striking departure from both the exhibition game and the opener against St. Francis (NY), Donahue did not rely on his bench to supply crucial minutes. In this close game, starters Joe Trapani, Jackson, Paris, and Corey Raji all played more than 30 minutes.
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
(Left): Reggie Jackson was a lone bright spot for the Eagles, scoring 30 of the team’s 67 points. (Right): Head coach Steve Donahue spent much of the game actively coaching player mistakes.
THE HEIGHTS
Monday, November 22, 2010
B5
HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
BC penalty kill shuts down Maine’s attack BY ZACH WIELGUS Sports Editor
As the No. 10 men’s hockey team endured an up-and-down first 10 games, one problem popped up every time: It couldn’t stay out of the penalty box, and opposing teams were capitalizing. That trend came to a screeching halt in Sunday’s 4-1 win over No. 3 Maine. The Black Bears had five power-play opportunities and took as many chances as they could, totaling 10 shots, but the penalty kill was always there to block a shot or clear the puck. “BC’s penalty kill was exceptional,” said Maine head coach Tim Whitehead. “They were aggressive and put pressure on us. They have some real good depth on their team, using different guys in all different situations, who can perform on the power play and lead on the penalty kill. That’s something we’re striving for, but aren’t there yet. They did a great job on the kill, [goaltender John] Muse was really good, and we also missed a couple, as well.” In the two-game sweep of No. 3 Maine, BC shut down the Black Bears’ power-play unit on all 12 chances and turned away 21 shots. The penalty kill unit, which rotates players in the double digits to keep legs fresh, allows a goal just 10 percent of the time, tops in the Hockey East. “We can go all the way down the bench killing penalties,” said BC head coach Jerry York. “We try to keep it at 20- to 25second shifts, so everyone stays fresh.” The power-play unit, meanwhile, came alive for the Eagles in Friday’s 4-0 win, and it continued on Sunday. Just a few seconds into the first power play, a rebound following a Cam Atkinson shot was redirected into the back of the net off Paul Carey’s shin pad, putting BC up two
minutes into the game. It was the fourth straight game the Eagles scored a powerplay goal, and converted on 21.4 percent (12 for 56) of its power-play chances, also best in the conference.
Arnold puts it all together NHL first-round draft pick Kevin Hayes has received most of the attention as the team’s top freshman, but Bill Arnold is making a case for the title himself. Forced to adjust to another line change due to Hayes’ injury, Arnold put together his finest performance as an Eagle as the center of Joe and Steven Whitney’s line. With a minute and a half remaining in the second period and the game knotted 11, Arnold read the defense and put himself behind the Maine defenseman approaching Steven Whitney. Steven Whitney sent the pass around his man to Arnold, who switched the puck to his backhand and flipped it over Maine goaltender Dan Sullivan’s shoulder for the go-ahead goal. York, Whitehead, and even Sullivan himself aren’t quite sure how he did it. “It was a great, great play,” Sullivan conceded. “It was a good backhand that he just slid over. There wasn’t much to shoot at there, but he got whatever was there. “What a tremendous play by Arnold,” Whitehead said. “That was an incredible shot.” York had noticed Arnold’s high level of play when directing a line with fellow freshman Patrick Brown and either Chris Kreider, Isaac MacLeod, or Paul Carey, but is excited that the young center is finishing on the scoring chances he creates. “That backhand shortside, I think it went off both bars,” York said. “Special players make that play. His confidence level is way up, and he has done a lot of positive things for us, but he didn’t have
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Freshman Bill Arnold fights off two Maine defenders in Sunday’s game against the Black Bears. The forward scored a goal in the second period. points on the board. Now he is accomplishing both.” Muse two-for-two With a break on Saturday between the two-game series, York elected to start Muse between the pipes for both contests. The coach was not disappointed. The senior goaltender allowed just one goal on 71 shots for a stellar .986 save percentage against a Maine offense that averaged three and a half goals a game coming into the series, the best mark in
the Hockey East. His two wins improved his record to 7-2 on the year. “John Muse, what a weekend – one goal in the weekend,” York said. “He continues his real strong play in net for us. He has had some remarkable stretches during his four years, but right now, he is playing as well as any time he has played in four years.” York also attributed the team’s success on the penalty kill largely to Muse, who survived a barrage of shots early in the third period to preserve the 3-1 lead.
The Black Bears fired four shots in 30 seconds on net, but Muse stood tall the entire time. “He made some really good saves, especially on power plays,” York said. “The 0-for-12 is more a result of excellent goaltending, and some timely blocks by defensemen.” Statistically, Muse stands far above the rest in the Hockey East, with a conferencebest 1.45 goals-against average and .955 save percentage. Those stellar numbers also rank second in the NCAA.
Muse shuts out Maine in first game of series BY STEVEN PRINCIPI For The Heights
For the last three weeks, the No. 10 Boston College hockey team has been trading wins and losses, still searching for a level of consistency that would give it desired results. The Boston College 4 Eagles may have finally 0 Maine found it on Friday night. The team put in arguably its most complete effort of the young season, dominating No. 3 Maine in route to a 4-0 win. Four different players scored for the Eagles, the defense looked strong all night, and goaltender John Muse was unbeatable between the pipes. “From the d-zone coverage to the forecheck at the other end, I thought we were just much sharper than we had been of late,” said head coach Jerry York. “It was good to get a win against a team like Maine, as they are a team that is going to be with us all season.” The game started slowly, and Muse had to be on top of his game early, making key saves on hard shots from the sticks of Maine captain Tanner House and forward Gustav Nyquist. The best chance for the Black Bears came just before the nine-minute mark of the first period. With BC on the power play, a blocked shot led to a breakaway for Nyquist. Muse managed to make the save, but Joe Whitney hooked Nyquist from behind, leading to a penalty shot. Nyquist came in slowly and tried a backhand to forehand deke, but Muse, fully extending his legs, managed to make the difficult save. “He came down kind of slow, which surprised me,” Muse said. “I tried to out wait him and make him make the first move. He’s one of the best players in the country. I got lucky with the move he made.” From that point on, the Eagles set the tone. Less than five minutes later, BC capitalized on a fiveon-three power play, with Paul Carey deflecting a sharp pass from Brian Gibbons for his second goal of the year.
“The five on three was really when we gained momentum,” York said. “We had good control for about a minute, and we created a lot of chances. As a whole, I thought that set the tone for the night. We really finished very well.” With just over a minute remaining in the first period, BC struck again. On a Maine power play, Black Bears goalie Dan Sullivan botched a clearing attempt, giving the puck to Gibbons, who put the shorthanded attempt in the back of the net for his fifth of the year. With 13 minutes left in the second, sophomore Tommy Atkinson potted the first goal of his career, when Pat Sullivan failed to hold on to his shot, allowing it to trickle over the goal line and make it 3-0. Atkinson’s goal all but iced the game, as Maine was unable to truly test Muse again. “I thought we played about as well as we could have expected,” York said. “We had some critical breakdowns [last week] against Vermont, which really cost us on Saturday. That’s what we stressed a lot at practice this week. We can play well in stretches, but if we don’t play solid for 60 minutes, we can’t expect to win.” The solid play came as a result of huge contributions from the entire roster. Atkinson is filling in for the injured Kevin Hayes, who is expected to be out for at least two more weeks. Defenseman Isaac MacLeod also saw an increase in playing time. MacLeod has been replacing junior Tommy Cross, who is now expected to be out until January with a knee injury. Pat Mullane capped off the scoring at 7:13 in the third period, with a perfectly placed shot over Sullivan’s shoulder on the power play. The goal chased Sullivan from the game, with backup Shawn Shirman taking over for the final 13 minutes. It was a convincing win over a top team, but the Eagles aren’t content with just one shutout. “It’s one game,” Muse said. “Going forward, tonight doesn’t mean a thing. We need to keep moving forward and improving. We can’t be satisfied with this.”
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Paul Carey scored two goals in the Eagles’ 4-1 victory over Maine, helping BC sweep the Black Bears this weekend.
Men’s hockey earns the sweep over Maine Maine Sweep, from B1
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Goaltender John Muse played solidly in BC’s two games against Maine this weekend, including a shutout on Friday.
not find any Eagles’ stick, despite the opening. With no one on the other end of a few of his passes, Carey decided to take matters into his own hands. While his first goal might have been touched by luck, his second goal, which gave BC a commanding 3-1 lead in the final minute of the second period, was a product of skill. Atkinson chipped the puck up and down the ice, and Carey quickly snatched it out of the air right at the blue line. He skated down the middle of the ice, in between two Maine defenders, and wristed a shot right on target. Sullivan saved it, but Carey put his own rebound through the goaltender’s legs and into the back of the net. “He picked up his own rebound and put it in,” Sullivan said. “You have to give him credit for that, and for the amount of skill it takes just to pick up your own rebound and deposit it in there.” “Paul made an incredible play,” York said. “He stayed with [the puck] and rapped in the rebound, which is characteristic of a goal scorer.” Entering the game, Carey’s style of play was decidedly uncharacteristic of a goal-scorer. He was tied for second on the team in assists, with six, but he had only scored two goals on 21 total shots. “We were a little concerned about [Carey], because he had played 10 games and had one goal,”
York said, regarding Carey’s production coming into the weekend series. “But he stuck through the slump and kept battling.” Carey battled throughout the entire game. Even when he was off-balance, as he was once during the second period, Carey still found ways to get the puck on net. He had a team-high six shots, and he both helped generate and tried to capitalize on numerous other goal-scoring opportunities. His contributions were not just made in Maine’s zone, either. Carey was also part of an Eagles penalty kill that kept Maine in check on all five of the Black Bears’ power-play chances. Despite all of Carey’s success during Sunday’s contest, he was quick to praise his line mates, Atkinson and Gibbons. “I have to give credit to [Gibbons] and Cam,” Carey said. “I just felt that if I kept moving my legs and getting into the open ice that they would find me, and they did so.” The Eagles have also found themselves a new scoring threat, and his name is Paul Carey.
For a slideshow of Sunday’s win, visit www.bcheights.com/sports
B6
The Heights
Thursday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
THE HEIGHTS
B7
AROUND CAMPUS
LIBERAL ARTS
Career prospects vary The million dollar man From Arts, B10 a fabulous nursing program because we have a fabulous core,” she said. “We teach critical thinking and different dimensions of the human experience. Nurses learn a great deal of things that are really aligned with theology and philosophy through experience.” She offered the example of coping with the theological and philosophical implications of dealing with the death of a young child as a nurse. “Nowhere do you have to examine these things more than as a nurse,” she said. While a firm belief in the value of holistic education is clearly shared among academic officials at BC, the institutional prioritization of either liberal arts or pre-professional studies is more ambiguous. With CSOM recently ranked as the ninth best undergraduate business program in Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2010 rankings, one may question how attention, and resources, are allocated to the various undergraduate schools at BC. The Provost’s Office said that resources are never allocated to schools based on national noteriety. “Boston College aims for excellence in all of its schools, applying resources to sustain existing strengths and to achieve improvements as needed,” Garza and Hafner said. “National rankings can tell us something about how our success is viewed by the outside world. But in the end, what really matters is how close we come to the high standards we set for ourselves in all our programs.” While this relative quality of BC’s four undergraduate schools is one measure of distinction, success in the job market may prove the real test of the relative worth of various degrees. “Do these non-A&S [graduates] simply find jobs faster?” said Janet Costa Bates, associate director of the Career Center. “The answer is yes, they do find jobs faster.” She referenced a survey of the Class of 2009 administered March 2009 through November 2009 that examined post-graduation activities. The survey found that 75.6 percent of CSON graduates and 74.4 percent of CSOM graduates were working full-time for pay during the survey period, compared to 53.4 percent of A&S graduates. Bates explained the discrepencies by saying that career-related majors were best equipped to navigate internship and job searches, and that hospitals, major corporations to which these
students were applying were better prepared organizationally and financially to recruit and hire them. Bates cautioned against assuming that studying in a particular school guaranteed success in any form.. “I do not believe that students need to major in something career-related for the sake of finding a job after graduation,” Bates said. “What all students need to do is the hard work of preparing themselves for the workplace, regardless of whether or not their major is career-related.” Despite current job placement numbers that seem to favor non-A&S majors, the Provost’s Office doesn’t believe the value of a liberal arts degree is diminished, pn the personal or economic level. “One year, business firms may want to hire nothing but CSOM majors. The next year, they may decide they have enough business majors and instead they want graduates from the humanities or social sciences,” Garza and Hafner said. “What we hear most often is that students should build a broad foundation appropriate for a changing world – with the strong and enduring building blocks of a liberal arts education enabling our students to discover their scholarly passion and vocations,” they said. At an ideological level at least, the division of schools at BC may represent nothing more than a division of thinking in how best to utilize the liberal arts foundation inherent to all academic endeavors at BC. Likewise, Boynton believes the distinctions between BC undergraduates to be generative. “We think Boston College does an exceptional job in keeping students first and foremost Boston College students,” he said. “As experts in management education, we know firsthand the Carroll School does less to segregate its students and more to integrate them into the University as a whole than any school of management we are aware of,” Boynton said. Quigley’s opening remarks at the liberal arts symposium may encapsulate the opinions of leading BC academic officials best. “At Boston College, the fate of the liberal arts is not in doubt,” he said. Indeed, BC students are divided into four undergraduate schools, but, as Boynton says, they are united academically, no matter what the individual’s interest or future profession. “The heart and soul of Boston College is its liberal arts heritage,” he said.
this dream by viewing his prize money as an investment and selling his ticket to a private company. As Heights Editor per Massachusetts Lottery, Vo will receive a portion of his prize money annually for 20 years, but he What would you do if you won $1 million? It’s hopes to sell the remaining 19 years to a company in one of those whimsical questions that belongs in the order to maximize his reward as quickly as possible, same realm as, “If you could have one superpower, he explains. “My sister [who he is sharing the money what would it be?” Just as it is not realistic for one to with] is trying to sell that money so we can open a expect that they will acquire the ability to fly, it is not business, buy a house, get a car, and then hopefully likely that one will suddenly become a millionaire. we can get some money for Christmas,” he says. Unlike the ability to fly however, winning $1 million This money means much more to Vo beyond the is possible, and Jimmy Vo, Boston College food service material rewards, like the new clothes, Nike sneakworker, is proof. On Sept. 17, Vo won $1 million on a ers, and television that he first purchased. It will give Merry Millionaire instant game that he purchased Vo an opportunity to relax. Though Vo intends to from Tedeschi’s Convenience Store on Harvard Avcontinue working at BC for insurance purposes, he is enue. Though Vo is excited by his recent fortune, he is looking forward to not working so often and bettering also nervous and unfamiliar with being the object of his health. “Hopefully I can relax a little bit on my job so much attention, he says. “So I go ahead and share here,” he says. with someone at work, and then next thing I know, Amid all of the positive chaos that Vo has been everybody know, Dining knows, the whole school know experiencing lately, he has also what’s going on,” he says. “I feel a little bit nervous, found a way to reconnect with his and at the same time I also felt very excitfamily, with whom he had not ing, very lucky, [as] one of the spoken in 10 years. Vo recently million players in Massachuinformed his younger sister setts.” of his recent luck, and she Vo, who buys instant has assumed control of his games a few times a finances. “I never met her for week, was unable to 10 years, and I was so happy restrain his exciteto see her,” he says, about ment when he realized their reunion in a Chinahe had won. “I was extown restaurant. Vo says his cited, I jump up and down sister did not believe him when in the store,” he says. “I was he first told her the news. “First so happy, I never win anything of all, she say I’m a liar because I MIKE SALDARRIAGA / HEIGHTS ILLUSTRATION in my life. A million dollars can never tell the truth anyway,” he says, change my life.” laughing. The two plan to share the money, while Vo And that it will. Vo came to the United States in has also given money to other members of his family. 1983 when he was around 15 years old, having been Though Vo’s labor behind the scenes in Corcoran born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam. He relocated Commons for the past 10 years has gone largely unnoto California with his older brother in pursuit of the ticed, his work contributes to the efficiency of dining American Dream. “We trying to find freedom and services. Vo views his fortune as a blessing for having wealth, looking for a better life, because in my country worked so hard all of his life and being a good person. there was a lot of Communists,” he says. “So we don’t “I feel very lucky because God love me because I do so have that kind of opportunity that we can become like many good thing for other people,” he says. “So I feel freedom, what they call freedom.” Winning the lottery like God reward me for this money, so when I get the has been the actualization of his dream for a better money I’ll probably donate some money to the church life. and help the poor.” Now that he is $1 million richer, his dream centers Currently, though, he is most focused on using on his desire to open a business and be his own boss. the funds to establish a business, he says. Once he “I’ll probably open a convenience store and maybe like makes progress on that goal, Vo hopes to travel back a smoke shop – sell lottery, cigarettes, stuff like that, to Vietnam, as he has not been to his home country soda, food, milk,” he says. “I’m looking for a different in 20 years. He is also looking forward to being with career so I can move on to higher level. Hopefully I his family and making up for lost time. “Right now, can be my own boss, I won’t have to work for someone I’m just trying to catch up what I miss in the past else.” Though Vo fears that his limited communication 10 years,” he says. With no shortage of money, this skills will render such a major career move difficult, he humble new millionaire will have all the means to do is determined to overcome any related barriers. just that. Vo plans to acquire the funds necessary to achieve
BY BROOKE SCHNEIDER
B8
editor’s column
Seize the (Sun)day
This weekend was full of “lasts” for me. The last home football game, the last big tailgate, the last Heights production day. Jacquelyn Herder There were bittersweet moments, a few sad ones, and tons of happy ones. It is easy to get caught up in all of the “lasts,” but what good does it do to dwell on what has passed? I’d rather enjoy every minute of it and take it all in so that, in 50 years, I can close my eyes and be transported back to some of the best parts of my college career. This is my last week as an editor for The Heights. No more late nights, and my weekend will double in size. But … what am I going to do with all of my free time on Sundays? It is a bit daunting and overwhelming to suddenly realize that I have a whole other day to add to my week. For me, part of going to school at Boston College is having the opportunity to explore the city, and that’s just what I want to do. I want to do all the things that I couldn’t do because I didn’t have the time that accompanies available Sunday afternoons. I want to go into the city on a lazy Sunday afternoon and explore a museum. I want to be able to go shopping on Newbury, make a stop in the Commons, and peruse the Boston Public Library. I want to go out to lunch at the newest hotspot, and to enjoy the seasonal events offered in Boston. There are so many things to see and do outside of campus, and I want to be able to experience and enjoy all that comes with living in a city. I want to do it all before I bid adieu to undergraduate life in the spring. On campus, I want to take full advantage of the plays we have here, performed by our fellow students. I want to be able to go the afternoon basketball and hockey games, and I want to be able to spend time with my roommates. If you haven’t met my roommates, you seriously should, and you will understand my joy and excitement at being able to have mid-morning pajama parties with them, cook family dinners, go shopping, and have spontaneous adventures. Girls, I cannot wait. I can’t wait to be able to wake up late, enjoy a cup of coffee, and take a day for myself, be it relaxing in my room, taking a yoga class at the Plex, or using my weekend as a mini ski vacation. I can’t wait to perhaps meet the rest of my class whom I haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet – maybe Sundays will be the day! I have been a part of The Heights for two years, dedicating each Sunday to putting together the paper. It is a long day, and it is an arduous one, as well. But it has been worth every second. The people I got to work with, and the experience of being in this position at a college newspaper, has been incredible, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. It taught me how to cope with only half a weekend in which to do my homework, and I learned just how wonderfully silly people can get after spending way too much time together at 3 a.m. It has been a joy to serve you as a part of your student newspaper, and I can honestly say that the past two years have been one of the most defining experiences of my run as a BC Eagle. Thanks to the Board for making this year so fabulous, and thanks to every single person who has picked up a section of Features, read it, and taken something away from it. You are the reason that my job has been so fulfilling, and why those Sundays were always worth it. Yes, this weekend has been full of lasts, but I like to think of those lasts as opening the way for a whole lot of firsts. Seniors, it has been a great ride so far, and it is not over yet. Find those firsts, embrace them, and seize the day. Sundays included.
Jacquelyn Herder is the Features editor for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Heights
Giving thanks beyond Thanksgiving Day appreciate, and come to value spending time with the people I love. Seems like underneath their consumerist stigma, I used to really hate cranberry sauce. holidays still have the potential to creIt was slimy looking, had a nasty color, ate sentiment. and beared an uncanny resemblance to Thanksgiving is the one day of the beets which, as anyone with properly year that is designated specifically for functioning taste buds could tell you, giving thanks. As cliche as this is going are disgusting. Eventually, however, to sound, I’ve come to realize that every I came around to the stuff. Dressing day should be a good enough day to (stuffing) and cranberry sauce became give thanks, just like every day is a good my new peanut butter and jelly. enough day to have cranberry sauce. At first, I’d only grow more and more Frankly, only certain things should be anxious for Thanksgiving because I exclusive to Thanksgiving (like eggnog). knew it meant cranberry sauce would Expressing gratitude is not one of them. soon be on my plate. As time went by So while it’s nice to have a day totally though, I began to look for any excuse to dedicated to being thankful, there’s have the sauce cranberry. If there was a no reason to wait until the fall to think can in my house, I’d put it on whatever about all the things in your life that I thought it would feasibly taste good you’re grateful for, especially when with. I wanted to have it as much as that day is associated with a story possible. In some ways, my relationship that’s been altered to the point where with cranberry sauce has come to mirror it’s almost at Santa Claus myth status my relationship with the very holiday (the Pilgrims and the Native Ameriit’s come to be associated with. Some, cans weren’t really the best of friends not all. now, were they?). If anything, For instance, I never hated Thanksgiving should be Thanksgiving. the day that either There’s no way serves as a a kid like me, reminder of who had an the things insatiable for which appetite you’re for food, thankcould. ful or Though, proI could vides honestly you say that with even as things to a young be thankful person, for. I know that Thanksgiving when I’m sitting at a Alex Manta / Heights Illustration wasn’t just about table, surrounded by family, the food, but more about what the food friends, and food, I can’t help but think did – it brought my family together, about how much I have to be grateful for which was a feat in itself, and helped every day. me to understand the importance of, As college students, it’s easy for us
KRIS ROBINSON
to get caught up in the business of our day-to-day routine and not reflect on the things that are really important to us. I’m as guilty of this as I can be. I’m not saying it’s bad to immerse yourself in the college life since, after all, the opportunity to be a student at a university as prestigious as Boston College is one that not many have and should be taken advantage of to the fullest. But when a B on a test becomes a cause for depression, that’s never a good sign.
Maybe Thanksgiving’s a necessity for people like us. Maybe we need a day to put things into perspective, to remind us of the things that matter to us most. But what if we don’t? What if we can change the meaning of Thanksgiving, the, dare I say it, purpose? What if we make every day a day of thanksgiving? And so, because I failed at sticking to my New Year’s Resolution, I’m going to try something new and make a Thanksgiving Resolution. Originally, I planned on making this column an account of everything that I’m thankful for this year, but why should I feel more inclined to do that in this pre-Thanksgiving issue than any other? I’m appreciative of my life every day of the year. I don’t think I need a holiday to allow me to be grateful. My Thanksgiving Resolution is to
make every day Thanksgiving … just without all of the turkey, pumpkin pie, and eggnog (but I’m keeping the cranberry sauce). It’s nothing too extreme – it’s a pretty reasonable resolution. While keeping the practices of holidays like Christmas (giving presents to family and friends every day, while it sounds nice, would get pretty expensive and perhaps pretty tiresome, too – I mean, I’d get tired of getting presents every day, wouldn’t you?) year round may be unreasonable for some, I think taking the time to be grateful is something everyone is capable of doing, including myself. Unlike those impractical goals some of us set for ourselves at the beginning of the year, my Thanksgiving Resolution is something that’s capable of being done. Sure, I might miss a day or two (or three), but even when you’re on a diet, you’re allowed to cheat every now and then. So as the official day of Thanksgiving approaches and we mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare ourselves for the grandest meal of the year, I’m going to be looking forward to Thanksgiving in a different way.. Thanksgiving is simply going to be a reminder that giving thanks is something that I should be doing all the time, especially in a world where you can’t take anything for granted.
Kris Robinson is the Asst, Features editor for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com
professor profile: Pheme perkins
Perkins brings dynamic edge to classroom By Mayre Morgan For The Heights
Pheme Perkins’ college experience was much different from what is considered normal by Boston College students. The student body at her alma mater, St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., totaled somewhere between 350 and 400, with a male-to-female ratio of five to two. Her 187-person freshman class dwindled down to 83 students by second semester and 44 by graduation. It was at St. John’s that Perkins’s childhood passion for physics and astronomy and her hopes of becoming a theoretical physicist grew less appealing as she discovered she was “not the next Einstein.” “I gave up that dream and decided to explore theology,” says Perkins. The rigorous curriculum provided no vocational training and was based completely on a “great books” program. Although her all-girls, prep school background provided her with a solid foundation to succeed in this environment, Perkins, a professor in the theology department, never graduated. She applied to St. John’s her junior year and did not return to complete her senior year of high school. Having pondered basic philosophical questions since childhood, St. John’s philosophical, classical approach to education enticed her. This interest in philosophy developed into a curiosity about different religions, and in her teen years, Perkins would venture
through Boston exploring different places of worship and different faith communities. It was at this time that Perkins was first exposed to BC upon being introduced to a Jesuit professor. She recalls her first visit to St. Mary’s Hall, the Jesuit residence on campus, as a very formal affair. She also remembers when BC was much smaller and a time when women were only enrolled in the Connell School of Nursing and the Lynch School of Education. Ancient Greece and the classical Greek and Latin languages were other interests of Perkins’s throughout her high school years. This foundation in language proved useful when she was accepted to Harvard University’s graduate New Testament studies program on the heels of Vatican II. The flurry of activity around Roman Catholicism created the perfect backdrop for a theological education. The scales were tipped in her favor when her success on her language exams qualified Perkins for a doctorate. This success, coupled with several other factors, led Harvard to grant Perkins a master’s degree although she was outside the master’s program. “Harvard likes to give masters out to people, but I really didn’t want one,” she says. “My dad wanted to go to a Harvard commencement, so he compelled me to pursue a degree there.” Focused on her PhD, she was reluctant
to accept the offer, but decided to go ahead with it at her father’s insistence. The eldest of five children, all her siblings currently live within 100 miles of her town, thus allowing holiday gatherings to be very family-oriented affairs. Although she does not have children of her own, Perkins has formed close relationships with several of her nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews over the years, acting, at times, as a second mother. She enjoys taking her younger nieces and nephews to BC women’s basketball games because the laidback, family-oriented nature of the games is ideal for younger children. Perkins became a sports addict in high school, having been required by her school to play nearly every sport. She found field hockey the most rewarding and continued playing through college as a goalie. Currently, she is on a golf team and enjoys yearly trips to Fenway Park with her family. Always a die-hard Red Sox fan – even when the Braves also claimed Boston as their home territory – Perkins successfully converted her New York born-and-raised husband from a traitorous Yankees fan to a loyal Sox fanatic. Although Perkins never enjoyed English much in high school, she has become a widely published author of more than 25 books and is currently awaiting publishers’ approval on a newly submitted project. Her book Reading the New Testament, published
in 1988, has been widely used in high school and middle school religious studies classes and is up for revision. She is currently on the editorial boards for the Yale University Press, overseeing scholarly series, and the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, and was the New Testament editor of The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Her editing career began when she was chosen by her high school English teacher to be on the board for the school’s literary magazine. This talent developed further as she assumed the position of teaching assistant to Krister Stendahl, a professor at Harvard. Charles Hefling, a professor in the BC theology department and a colleague of Perkins for nearly 40 years, recalls being a student in this New Testament class. “I still have the paper of mine that she graded – with a full page of handwritten comments, tearing to bits everything I wrote (though I still got an A for it),” he says. A tough literary critic and a lover of the written word, Perkins insists her favorite book of all time is War and Peace. She enjoys productions of Greek and Shakespearean tragedies and is a fan of classic Woody Allen films. Hefling sums up Perkins best: “It is commonly said of [Perkins] that there isn’t anything she doesn’t know – except that her command of Mandarin Chinese is perhaps a little weak.” n
he said, she said My roommate has been playing “Walking on Broken Glass” over and over again for the last two days and laughing nonstop about how funny the wigs in the music video are. I responded by playing selections from Wu Tang’s greatest hits and laughing about how humorous their lyrics are, but that hasn’t helped. I can’t take the wigs anymore! What should I do?- Wigged Out The first and best thing to do when you have a problem with a roommate is to bring it up and try to talk to them about it. Don’t start off accusing them of anything, bringing up the past, or making generalizations about their behavior. Explain to them what exactly this particular problem is and why it bothers you so much. I would hope that if your roommate can act as an adult, that they Alex Trautwig will listen to what you have to say and stop. Just because you started matching their behavior doesn’t show them that it bothers you. Maybe establish some ground rules when it comes to music playing so that there is no gray area the next time this happens, as I’m sure it will. I was woken up on Marathon Monday last year rather early in the morning by the same song that plagues you now. Although it’s a pretty decent tune, I understand where you’re coming from. The reason I didn’t have a problem with it, however, was because my roommate and I had already discussed what time was appropriate to start playing music and he listened (to the minute, I might add), but a conflict was avoided because of our communication. A few issues back, there was a student who had a problem with his roommate as well, because his girlfriend was leaving her underwear all over his bed. The advice is the same for you as it was for him. Talking is the best way to solve and prevent conflicts with people with whom you’re spending a lot of time or sharing space. It can be your roommate, the kid sitting next to you in Bapst Library, or even your own parents. If there’s a possibility of a problem, it’s best to cover it beforehand, but if that’s not possible, you need to address it directly and concisely.
Alex Trautwig is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com
Just because you and your roommate don’t exactly share the same musical tastes doesn’t mean you have to let this discord affect your suite harmony in other ways. Think about what you two do share in common, and then remember that it’s really just a matter of whose iHome plays the loudest. Sharing the same musical tastes – or at least learning to compromise – can make for a lot of fun among roommates. My roommates Julia Wilson and I have taken our same signature jams from Walsh Hall to the Mods together, and playing our favorite beats for all our neighbors to hear only adds to our fun. So you two both like catchy tunes, but disagree when it comes to Victorian wigs and rap lyrics. It’s like the difference between the people who cheer (and those who groan) when “Take Me Home, Country Roads” comes on at Mary Ann’s. Even if you’re sick of hearing it every Tuesday night when you just want to play some Hoop Fever, you can still appreciate a song that gets a bunch of Boston College seniors to sing along together. You two should try to reach a compromise on this one, just like the Mary Ann’s clientele, who take comfort in the fact that “Teach Me How to Dougie” will soon come on to balance out the song selection. If a compromise doesn’t work, then you’re just going to have to agree to disagree, although this approach also has its advantages. Playing Annie Lennox and the Wu Tang Clan on repeat will probably make you so sick of both after a while that you won’t ever want to hear either again. Once you get back from Thanksgiving Break – and playing Christmas songs nonstop at extremely loud volumes is socially acceptable – you just might be missing Annie Lennox. Congratulations, I never thought I would ever say that.
Julia Wilson is a senior staffer for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com
How-to
Give out a proper hug Allie Bowman
They say a person should get six to eight “meaningful” hugs a day. Accomplishing this means that you have scientifically fulfilled your daily quota for love. This is something everyone needs, and a hug, one of the most overt signs of physical affection, is the best way to show it. When you hug someone, you tell him or her you’re there. In a world wrapped up in words of hate and stress, sometimes a hug is just the thing you need to get you through. What is a “meaningful” hug? It’s undeniable that there is true value in a good hug. Everyone knows the bad ones. They turn a nicely intended action into something incredibly awkward. Sometimes, though, finding and classifying a good hug can be difficult. We spend too much time mulling over the fumbling and too little thinking about the good ones. You never want to be known as a bad hugger, so here are some ways to avoid it. Know what type of hug you’re going for. There is a definite difference between the way you hug a friend, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a family member. Each sends a different signal. To avoid a messy interaction, be sure you have clearly determined which style you would like to execute before you go in for the kill. The friend hug is casual – girls tend to prefer a tight, quick squeeze and guys like a side arm hug with a pat on the back. A lover hug is more overtly passionate. It’s a longer, tighter hold (but try to not make it too long – too much PDA is generally frowned upon). For family, the quicker the embrace, the better. Kill two birds with one stone and hug your cousins while your aunt is telling the story of her toe surgery, so you’re not forced to experience them separately. Always be conscious of your size. If you are the shorter person, know the appropriate level for hand placement. It’s not a middle school dance. Don’t reach your hands up behind the neck of the taller person. There may be situations where this could be permissible, but for the most part, it is a bad idea. If you know your size in relation to the person you’re hugging, and apply that to your actions, it will facilitate the entire experience much more smoothly. Never do a cross-body hug. It will inevitably lead to fumbling, which should always be avoided. Someone will always reach the wrong way, leading to a mess of flailing arms and bumping into each other – taking away all the sentimentality of the moment. It is always safer to go with a traditional hug. It will save you a great deal of trouble and unnecessary bouts of shameful apologies. Don’t overstay your welcome. Lingering hugs are creepy. The end. There is nothing stranger or more uncomfortable than when one person clearly is looking for a longer hug than the other. A good rule of thumb is to count to three. Three seconds is the perfect amount of time to clearly convey your message and then make a clean break. In a worst-case scenario, come up with an excuse: “Ah, I wish I could hug you forever, but I have class!” It will work every time. Similarly, always make sure that the person you’re hugging wants it. A hug should never be forced. If you’re sneaking up on someone, that’s one thing, but trying to hug someone who would clearly prefer to have terminated the interaction with a handshake is another. Transitioning to “hug phase” is a big step in a friendship, so it’s definitely best to test the waters before you just go for it. In reality, no one will turn down a hug, but you risk moving things in the relationship just a little bit faster than the other person was prepared for. Always make sure it’s okay first and then establish a relationship where hugging is permissible, encouraged, and practiced often, because that is the most healthy kind of camaraderie of all. Finally, avoid the sit-down-standup hug. Think about it. It throws off all the balance. The symmetry is gone, the arms are messed up, and, nine times out of 10, the awkwardness makes both parties feel more uncomfortable. If you are the person sitting, stand up for the hug. It really isn’t that difficult. It puts you in the right form to give the best hug possible and you won’t be sorry you did it in the end. If you are the person standing and you notice that there is potential for a hug of this nature, just throw away the idea altogether. You can hug the person later. Go on with the conversation and pretend you never thought about it. Everybody loves hugs. There is something really special about the way you feel when someone gives you a good one. Take these guidelines and spread them around. With a little practice, Boston College will soon become the best hugging campus in America. Allie Bowman is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com
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The Heights
Monday, November 22, 2010
Spotlight On: Cura College Counseling By Marye Moran
Heights Staff After the college application process, most high school seniors are burnt out. “Senioritis” begins with slacking off in classes, and extends over to the rest of life. Many spend the summer before freshman year as camp counselors or lifeguards, avoiding desk jobs. However, Matthew Alonsozana, A&S ’14, chose to continue the college process even after sending in his deposit. He took this free time and college application experience and did something slightly more productive. He started a business. Along with Jessica Li, a freshman at Harvard University, Alonsozana founded Cura College Counseling this July. The pair met in the throes of the college process, as they were introduced while interviewing for BC’s Presidential Scholarship Program. “Given our success in the college application process, we both agreed that our most marketable experience and skill set came in the form of college admissions counseling and the skills associated with the process: essay writing, interviewing, time management, presentation, etc.,” Alonsozana said. These were not just skills that he could teach, but ones that he could spread in a more efficient and affordable manner than traditional college counseling services. “High-quality, time-intensive admissions counseling should be a service easily accessible for middle-class families,” Alonsozana explained, and at costs that are less than a fifth of competitors’ rates, Cura grants that accessibility. Staffed exclusively by current college freshmen, Cura, whose name means “care,”aims for a deeper level of understanding than other companies in the real field. On the company’s Web site, Alonsozana reaches out to clients, saying, “We fully understand the hardships endured and efforts put forth in the college application process. But we also understand what it takes to achieve success. Let us help. We’ve been through it ourselves.” Though Alonsozana and Li felt they had the experience to offer clients, actually starting the company proved to be a more difficult task. “We took surveys and conducted interviews of what students, parents, and professionals thought of the
“Reading the great works of antiquity helps lay the foundations for business ethics, indispensable in today’s world – especially for a business like Cura, which is reliant upon strong interpersonal relationships, trust, and social awareness.” Matthew Alonsozana A&S ’14
college admissions process and how it could be improved,” he said. With a clear vision about the needs of their market, the co-founders then concentrated on how best to deliver the services. They launched a Web site, established a business plan, consolidated the internal organization, and coordinated payment plans. By mid-August, around the time that most incoming freshmen were working on perfecting their tan and struggling to find time to read the convocation book, Cura was registered and launched. “Since then, business has been growing steadily,” Alonsozana said. “We have a network of counselors in the Boston area and contacts around the country ready to assist students and families in the admissions application process.” Those counselors include some of his BC classmates, as Brooke Loughrin, A&S ’14, is a Cura collective counselor, and Karn Khunger, CSOM ’14, works on the business side. However, since the company niches demands that the advice it offers be dispensed by college students, this venture is not intended to be long-term, at least under the same leadership structure. “The members of our executive board, Jess and I included, see ourselves actively running Cura’s day-to-day operations until the end of college. Part of our philosophy is staying up-to-date, flexible, and dynamic, so eventually, we will have to pass Cura on to a younger generation. However, for as long as the company exists, we will be inextricably linked to it, and we may stay on as executives emeritus,” Alonsozana said. Regardless of whether or not he stays with Cura for a post-graduate career, the experience of starting a business and seeing it grow from the ground up is one that has taught him lessons applicable to any field, Alonsozana said. One of those is balance. In between
classes, Alonsozana can often be found in meetings with Cura administrators and clients throughout Boston, and he admits that “balancing a company while being enrolled as a full-time student is not easy.” However, he finds his education to be a complement to, rather than a distraction from, his work. “Reading the great works of antiquity helps lay the foundations for business ethics, indispensable in today’s world – especially for a business like Cura, which is reliant upon strong interpersonal relationships, trust, and social awareness,” he said. Alonsozana also noted that his Macroeconomics course applies even more directly, and has been helpful in spurring new business ideas. So while some students sit in the back row of Devlin 001 for their economics lecture, thinking that none of this will apply to them for three more years, Alonsozana takes careful notes. For him, these lessons about supply and demand are not just abstract concepts. They are principles that he uses on a daily basis to enhance Cura’s business model. Despite the challenges involved, Alonsozana has found his company to be profitable not only in terms of income, but also in satisfaction and experience. “Starting a business is something totally different than what people our age are usually familiar with,” Alonsozana said. “My best advice: never give up, keep moving forward, and always put in 150 percent if you even want to get off the ground with your ideas and dreams.” If you see Alonsozana editing a mound of papers in the library, it’s not just because of his hefty course load. Those could be his clients’ application essays. And if you spot him working on a resume, it may not be his own. But when he does get around to writing hiown, having founded a company won't hurt. n
College Connections
The upside of being a good listener Taylor Ross There are times when each of us is so invested in our own lives that nothing else really seems to exist. You find yourself in class and the library for most of the day, only to return home at night in a zombie state and prepare to do the same thing the next day. You make polite small talk with your roommates at the end of the night, asking how their days went and what their plans are for the rest of the week. By the time they are done talking, you realize that you didn’t retain a single word. Being a good listener is considered a valuable virtue. Just ask therapists who bank more than $500 an hour for sitting on a leather sofa and periodically asking, “And how does that make you feel?” I’ve dozed too many times in recent conversations, to the point where I have to be asked the same question two or three times before it finally sticks. Good thing I currently live with a roommate who’s recovering from a severe concussion and doesn’t realize my blunders half the time. Still, I realized that I needed to work on my listening skills. I have tried to become the guy in conversations who is really listening instead of just waiting to talk. The past couple weeks, I’ve been more alert and made a conscious effort to listen to acquaintances’ boring stories about financial accounting midterms and registration times. Although trying to be a good listener usually drives me into a state
of oblivion, I’ve recently discovered that it has infinite rewards. I have uncovered a phenomenon at Boston College that I had no idea existed during the first three years of my tenure here. Regardless of time or place, BC students don’t seem to care if people around them hear their conversations. Maybe they don’t notice how loud they are talking, or maybe they just don’t care. I think I first noticed this the other day when I was eating in Hillside Cafe with a group of friends. We were discussing weekend events and more intimate issues for over an hour. The entire time, our group disregarded the fact that a priest and an elderly woman were sitting right behind us. Let’s just say that the two of them may have switched tables midway through their meal. I felt so overwhelmed with guilt that I contemplated leaving my halfeaten lunch and going straight to confession. But I overcame this embarrassment on my way back to the Mods. As I was walking home, utilizing my new listening skills, I overheard one line from a passing group’s conversation, “See, that’s what happens when you make out with someone with a cold sore.” The beauty of hearing a single line in passing is that it enables you to imagine the events leading up to that one line. It makes you the author of the story, and leads your mind to new depths of creativity. Let’s try a different line I heard just the other day. “Dude, I didn’t even know that was possible for a chick that’s six-feet tall.” Now let your mind wander. If I were a
betting man, I’d say that the boys were talking about a girl who played basketball and her magical ability to dunk. It’s hard enough for females to dunk a basketball, let alone one who is only six-feet tall. The boys probably were not talking about college women’s basketball, and most likely something far more inappropriate. The beauty of this game, though, is that it provides me with constant entertainment during mundane tasks, like walking to class. I’ll most likely never learn the context of the story, so it will forever remain a mystery. Here are a few other lines that I’ve heard in passing that provided me some chuckles on a rough day. “I can’t believe she wore that on Friday, it made her look like a badger… “ “My favorite part is when you do it, this vein (motions to his bicep) bulges like the Nile…” “He asked me for my notes to study for the midterm but I’m like gonna avoid that at all costs – I mean, there’s a curve ya know?” “Dude, she totally wants you. If you took her to Fin’s it would totally make her senior year…” I apologize to those who have ever been subjected to the loud conversations of my friends and me. Is that going to stop me from having far-too-intimate conversations with friends on the way to class or in Hillside? Probably not. After all, what would be the fun in that?
Taylor Rossi is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com
HUmor
Of knives, sauce, and eye contact
My sweater, slacks, and socks were stashed away snugly in my leather duffel bag. My headphones, iPod, and laptop are packed away in my backpack. My wallet holds my travel cash and governmentDavid Givler issued ID. This guy is ready to go, ready to head back home for five wondrous days of overindulgence and the underestimated pleasures of eating pumpkin pie for breakfast. This Thursday we’ll sit around a table with family and friends and share a cornucopia of foods. With yams abound, we’ll enjoy each other’s company and give thanks for the blessings we share. But this year will be different. This Thanksgiving I plan on giving thanks for all the unique abilities and influences in my life that never receive the recognition they so rightly deserve. Here’s to you, ability to avert my eyes from talking to someone with whom I haven’t spoken to in years, for you allow me to awkwardly travel to classes and meetings without having to rekindle that blase friendship from freshman year. It’s not that I don’t value you anymore, but realistically we have nothing to talk about. I give thanks for the ability to pester my dogs with a turkey baster. Zulu and Taz really do not appreciate concentrated airflows passing across their satellite-like ears. This ability to torment those rascals is a gift all pet owners should enjoy, especially when their dogs mutilate their socks. My mastery of automatic staplers has always flown under the radar. Many struggle with the accuracy of staple placement when using these contraptions, but I have always maintained a talent for joining my pages with the often finicky automatic stapler. Maybe during finals season I will camp in O’Neill and share my talents with hassled undergraduates. Some might view an obsession with barbecue sauce as a problem, but I’ve come to view it as a major asset. This ketchup, molasses, chili peppers, sugar, and vinegar concoction allows me the latitude to consume many foods that I would normally avoid. This reddish brown sauce spices up the blandest of Boston College’s dining options, including grilled chicken, fries, and flank steak. Thank you, barbecue sauce. You’re a culinary wonder. In a time when warmth is moving to the forefront of clothing selection priorities, one cannot take for granted the wonderful smells of fabric softeners embedded in our sweaters and fleeces. For years, the scents April Fresh and Mountain Spring have sprung from the cotton / wool blends of my favorite winter attires. One can only imagine the odor that would emanate from the Pilgrims’ threads after months at sea and ravaging winters. So this season, let us remember the simple chemistry that allots us the ability to smell like dew rolling off a blade of grass in an Alpine valley. While many BC student have short jaunts home, some must travel greater distances to return home for the holidays. While I spend countless hours in airports this winter, I am thankful for the proliferation of portable electronic gadgets amongst the older generations. I have enjoyed the trend because of the entertainment it provides. When a person over 40 is operating an iPod or a BlackBerry, it’s often reminiscent of a caveman poking a newly-found object. Watching these fellow passengers struggle with their technology brings me a few chuckles not commonly witnessed in the chaotic atmosphere of an airport. Lastly, I’m thankful for pocketknives. This magnificent tool, made famous by the Swiss Army, is a dorm room staple for its small size and endless functionality. This semester alone I have used my knife’s tooling capabilities to flip the refrigerator door so it opens the other way, fix a broken fan, dismantle a sub-woofer to repair a frayed wire, open countless bottles of wine and stab a rabid opossum while I was returning from a party on South Street. These functional wonders deserve my appreciation this Thursday. Many more objects, talents, and abilities exist that go unappreciated. This Thanksgiving holiday, I encourage everyone to consider what unique aspects of your lives are going on without our gratitude and then appreciate them for what good they allow you on a daily basis. For now, I need to go seek out that turkey baster. Happy Thanksgiving. David Givler is an editor for The Heights. He welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com
FEATURES
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Monday, November 22, 2010
THE HEIGHTS
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Four schools, four personalities
One University, four schools, and the relationships among them This is the second installment in The Heights’ examination of the modern value of a liberal arts education. This week’s piece deals with the unique arrangement of Boston College’s academic landscape, in that we have four undergraduate colleges, three of which are pre-professional. What tensions arise when students from three out of our four colleges are studying for careers outside the traditional purview of the liberal arts? Do students in these programs benefit from studying at a liberal arts university? Addressing a room filled with academic leaders and distinguished intellectuals from around the country earlier this month, David Quigley, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), defined Boston College’s academic vision. “We share a certain belief in the transcendent ability of the liberal arts,” he said. The assertion came after Quigley opened the Institute for the Liberal Arts at BC’s symposium investigating the value and relevance of a liberal arts education on Nov. 13. In his remarks, he acknowledged the implications of the current societal climate on the perception of these studies. “We are in a moment of concern, if not crisis, nationally for the liberal arts,” he said. The symposium’s lecturers spoke to Quigley’s claims. Louis Menand, a professor in
the English department at Harvard University, cited the fact that of the roughly 2,500 four-year colleges in the United States, most awarded less than half of their degrees in the liberal arts. Rev. John O’Malley, S.J., a professor in the theology department at Georgetown University, said that “a definitive end of a set of cultural assumptions underlying the importance of the study of the liberal arts” pervaded the contemporary academic environment. In spite of grim outlooks, the importance of a dedication to the liberal arts was echoed unanimously by the event’s speakers. Symposium attendees passing the Carroll School of Management (CSOM), the Lynch School of Education (LSOE), and the Connell School of Nursing (CSON) on their way around BC’s campus that day might have wondered: Could the same unanimous support for the liberal arts be found within these diverse institutions and among the undergraduates they educate? BC is not alone in its dual emphasis on liberal arts education and pre-professional advancement. The Jesuit education model upon which BC was founded espouses a synthesis of career-specific skills and the humanities. “Jesuits were among the educators who did not see a gap between professional training and humanistic training,” O’Malley said during his lecture at the mid-November symposium. Indeed, Jesuit schools like O’Malley’s
Georgetown University typically house multiple undergraduate schools. The university offers degrees through Georgetown College, the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Walsh School of Foreign Service, and the McDonough School of Business. However, not all Jesuit schools fit this mold. One need look no further than Worcester, Mass., and the College of the Holy Cross, to find Jesuit education with a sole institutional focus on the liberal arts. The school offers pre-professional advising programs to undergraduates, yet houses no schools or curricula of business, medicine, or education. Leading academic officials at BC, when asked about BC’s identity in the spectrum of Jesuit education models, steadfastly defended the University’s balance of a liberal arts base and professional training for those desiring it. “From its origins in the 16th century, the Jesuit design for education has been to prepare young men and women to live in the world and be of service to others,” said Cutberto Garza, provost and dean of faculties, in a joint statement with Donald Hafner, vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs. “It was always assumed that these young men and women would have practical skills, and would understand the purpose of their lives and be guided in their service to others by the insights and reflections they gained from study of the
liberal arts,” they added. The administrators explained how BC’s core curriculum, applying to all undergraduates in some way, serves as a realization of this Jesuit ideal while also enriching pre-professional education when applied to such disciplines. “The question is not whether Boston College is a better institution for having professional schools, but how much better professional education is at BC because we have hewed to the Jesuit ‘way of proceeding,’” Garza and Hafner said. The belief in the benefits of a liberal arts foundation for pre-professional programs in higher education is shared by Dean of CSOM Andrew Boynton. “We think having pre-professional schools integrated with the liberal arts foundation at Boston College allows students to pursue their passions and vocations across a broader array of disciplines,” Boynton said. “By taking their courses in the core liberal arts experience, students often narrow their window of study and focus on what they are most interested in.” Dean of CSON Susan Gennaro finds that nurses graduating from her school’s programs utilize their liberal arts knowledge in useful ways in the medical world. “I think we have
See Arts, B6
RACHEL GREGORIO / HEIGHTS GRAPHIC
BY TA N N E R E DWA R DS | F O R T H E H E I G H TS
EAGLE DATES
Good eats: Eagle Dates’ top date night restaurants in Boston
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BY KELLY MCCARTNEY | F O R T H E H E I G H T S
he perfect date restaurant can be hard to find. The lighting needs to be dim enough to set the mood, but not so dark that you can’t gaze lovingly into your date’s eyes. The tables should be small enough to encourage some “accidental” knee brushes, but not so tiny that you can smell the garlic from your neighbor’s entree. And, obviously, the food needs
to be delicious. While that is a pretty intimidating set of standards to meet, Eagle Dates is here to help you with a quick summary of some of our favorite date spots. Check them out for a first date or a bite to eat with your main squeeze, and see what you think about Eagle Dates’ top picks for date-night fare. Try them out, and let us know what you think about Eagle Dates’ suggestions.
GROTTO
TASCA
BROWN SUGAR CAFE
Atmosphere: As its name suggests, Grotto’s cozy basement location could not be any more appropriate for a date. It meets all the requirements for romance: small tables, dim lighting, exposed brick walls. It is also conveniently located for an after-dinner stroll through Beacon Hill’s historic streets. The Food: While not cheap (the prix-fixe three course meal is $34), the food at Grotto does not disappoint. The chocolate cake and the short ribs with gnocchi were particularly impressive.
Atmosphere: While Tasca is close to campus, going inside makes you feel like you are an ocean away. The lighting and decor all contribute to the feeling that you’re tucked away into a tapas bar in Spain, although the neighborhood immediately around the restaurant does not have a lot to offer. The Food: Food at Tasca is consistently delicious and reasonably priced. The goat cheese empanadas and the patatas bravas are both noteworthy, as is the sangria for our 21-year-old readers.
Atmosphere: The restaurant is small but welcoming. Tables can be tight and the wait can be long, but you can keep yourself entertained by visiting Nemo and Dory in the big saltwater fish tanks by the door. The Food: Brown Sugar can be a little bit pricey, but the quality of the food and the generous portions make the extra dollars worth it. The basil pad thai and pineapple fried rice are both interesting takes on classic dishes.
CATEGORY: Italian LOCATION: 37 Bowdoin Street, Boston, MA COST: $$$
CATEGORY: Spanish, Tapas LOCATION: 1612 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, MA COST: $$
I NSIDE FEATUR E S THIS ISSUE
Around Campus
CATEGORY: Thai LOCATION: 1033 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA COST: $$
TEN TABLES
CATEGORY: American LOCATION: 5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge, MA COST: $$$
Atmosphere: Prepare to get cozy – there are actually only 10 tables. While this means that you need to get a reservation at least a week in advance, it also means that the restaurant is small and cozy, and the service is very personal. The Food: The food at Ten Tables is made of local, natural ingredients and is absolutely delicious. While it’s not cheap, the delicious meal, topped off by the incredible chocolate terrine, will put anyone in a romantic mood.
LOOKING TO MEET NEW PEOPLE? WANT TO GET OFF CAMPUS AND EXPERIENCE BOSTON WITH A FRIEND? INTERESTED IN GOING ON A DATE? EAGLE DATES WANTS YOU! APPLY TO EAGLE DATES FOR SPRING SEMESTER. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CONTACT KELLY MCCARTNEY AT FEATURES@BCHEIGHTS.COM.
Read about one member of the BC community who’s luck took a sudden turn for the incredible with a lottery win..................................................................................................B6
Humor Column.............................B8 College Connections.........................B8