Heights 10-14-10

The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919

THE HEIGHTS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2010

Vol. XC, No. 34

Pedestrians cope with new fence

Admins respond to shuttle bus concerns

BY DANIEL TONKOVICH For The Heights

Boston College officials have responded to questions regarding recently revealed safety and student conduct concerns surrounding the BC shuttle bus system.

“As part of Transportation and Parking’s ongoing assessment and evaluation of the shuttle service, adjustments have been made to address capacity issues,” said Paul Cappadona, director of the Office of Transportation and Parking, in an e-mail.

“We strive to provide the safest and most efficient service possible for all passengers. We are also collaborating with Student Affairs and BCPD [BC Police Department] to deal with behavioral issues on the buses.”

Previously, shuttle drivers complained about student conduct, alcohol consumption on the buses, overcrowding, and occasional assaults, conduct to which BC

Transportation and Parking claimed no prior knowledge.

Boston Coach, the contracted company that manages the bus services, also released a statement in light of the reported system concerns.

“Rider safety always is our top priority at Boston Coach, and throughout our partnership with Boston College we have worked closely with college officials to optimize the safety and reliability of the service we provide,” said Jeffery Wdow, director of marketing for Boston Coach.

“We are addressing recent questions about crowding and alcohol use on buses with the same spirit of continual improvement and cooperation as we take additional steps to help our drivers enforce capacity limits and alcohol consumption policies on our vehicles.”

Both Wdow and Cappadona declined to comment on any specific changes as a result of the reported occurrences.

Some students have noticed system changes on the shuttle system, including

www.bcheights.com

Student opinions differ on construction

BY ADRIANA MARIELLA For The Heights

MICHAEL CAPRIO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Administrators have responded to concerns over safety and conduct on shuttle buses. more signs on buses directing students to not stand in prohibited areas and drivers enforcing capacity limits.

“I have ridden the BC bus several times over the weekend, and the capacity issues do not appear to be as bad anymore after the article,” said Jeb Thomas, CSOM ’13.

“Signs have been posted. There appears to have been somewhat of a response.” 

On Oct. 4, the Boston College community said its final goodbyes to the Dustbowl.

Although a portion of the Dustbowl will remain intact after the construction of Stokes Hall is complete, many students are realizing the inconveniences that they will experience while the green space is unavailable.

The main inconvenience for many students is the increased time and distance that is required to walk between classroom buildings.

“I had to walk around so many things today,” said Marissa DeLiguori, CSOM ’14. “I hate this construction.”

KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

This week, students have been coping with the new fence that encircles the Dustbowl.

See Dustbowl, A4

‘Exploding’ laptop fire empties library Firefighters respond to laptop fire in O’Neill

BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor

Firefighters responded yesterday afternoon to a fire alarm in O’Neill Library that cleared the library, causing dozens of students to spill into O’Neill Plaza. The cause of the fire was determined to be a laptop that combusted suddenly.

“I was sitting in the main room [third floor] of O’Neill Library by the stacks and I was sitting with some friends, and then

my laptop started smoking,” said Kevin Howard, CSOM ’11.

Howard said that a small “explosion” from the laptop followed the smoking, followed by more smoke and combustion from what appeared to be his Dell’s battery.

“That’s when we all got up and left,” he said.

After a five minute check of the building and the removal of the smoking laptop, firefighters allowed students to return to O’Neill Library.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Howard said that he bought his laptop through BC’s laptop purchasing program.

“I feel like I have some leverage here to ask for a new computer,” he said. 

KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

James Monaco, CSOM ’14 (left), Molly McCarthy, A&S ’14 (middle), and Sam Gervase, CSOM ’14 (right), are some of the newest UGBC senators.

Class of ’14 senators sworn in Newest Senate members take UGBC oath, create career goals

BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor

KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Onlookers watched as firefighters responded to a call in O’Neill Library yesterday afternoon.

INSIDE SPORTS

Suspect arrested in Mod stabbing case

BY TAYLOUR KUMPF Asst. News Editor

Defense will have its hands full with Florida State, A10

THE SCENE

Analyzing fall trends with The Scene’s fashion spread, B1

MARKETPLACE

Five new members of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) Senate were sworn in last night at a general meeting, each reciting the oath, “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College …”

The new UGBC senators are James Monaco, CSOM ’14; Sam Gervase, CSOM ’14; Brandon Short, A&S ’14; Molly McCarthy, A&S ’14, and Scott

On Monday, the Boston College Police Department (BCPD) arrested a suspect in the stabbing of Jeremiah Hegarty, CSOM ’11, which took place outside of the Mods on Sept. 25. The arrest was made with the assistance of the Cambridge Police Department and Massachusetts State Police.

Francisco Ramirez, 18, of Cambridge, Mass. was arrested at his home, and he appeared in Brighton District Court on Tuesday for arraignment on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He will be held until his pre-trial hearing on Nov. 18.

At the arraignment, Ramirez’s open bail was revoked and his new bail was

set at $250,000, according to a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. Judge David Donnelly, who presided over the arraignment, also revoked his open bail on a pending drug charge out of Middlesex County.

During the early morning of Sept. 25, Ramirez and four accomplices with no connection to the victims and no affiliation with the University allegedly came on to the BC campus, after which police say they assaulted two students who had asked them to leave their Mod. Ramirez allegedly stabbed Hegarty during a dispute shortly before 3:20 a.m. When BCPD officers arrived at the scene, they observed a crowd dispersing, according to a press release from the Of-

Geron, A&S ’14.

There were 4,834 votes cast in this year’s freshman senator election, according to the UGBC elections committee. Gervase took the most number of votes, 606, which represented 12.54 percent of the total spread.

Gervase, who hails from Davenport, Iowa, said he hopes to continue the student government career he began in high school, where he served on the student council for four years. In addition to serving on student council, he played defensive end for his high school’s foot-

See UGBC, A4

PARKOUR SEEKS APPROVAL

MICHAEL CAPRIO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Members of the BC Parkour organization have struggled to get official recognitian as a Registered Student Organization (RSO) For more information on their struggle, see A3.

See Arrest, A4

Season ticket sales kick off

Chinese political protester wins Nobel Peace Prize, B10

BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor

Classifieds, A5 In the News, B10 Editorials, A6 Editors’ Picks, A9 Forecast on Washington, B7 On the Flip Side, B6 Police Blotter, A2 Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down, A7 Videos on the Verge, B2 Weather, A2

ball team and held a role as a “Shark” in his high school’s rendition of West Side Story during his senior year.

“I’m going to learn a lot over the next few years,” Gervase said. “I’m a people person and I definitely want to stay in touch with the student body.”

Over the past two years, there have been three brothers from the Monaco family that have served as members of the UGBC Senate, the most recent of whom is James Monaco, who is following

KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Students waited in line yesterday to be the first to purchase season tickets at a promotional event held by the athletics department outside Corcoran Commons.

Students gathered in Corcoran Plaza yesterday afternoon to sign up to buy season tickets for the 2010-2011 men’s hockey and basketball season. Administrators from the athletics department said they hoped to boost initial season ticket sales at yesterday’s sale kickoff, which featured arcade games and free food for ticket holders.

Season tickets cost $90 for each sport and allow access to 10 home games. Students

who purchased their tickets yesterday were offered free t-shirts and hot dogs with the purchase of basketball and hockey tickets.

“We had a line of students forming to buy tickets earlier in the afternoon,” said Jamie DiLoreto, associate athletic director. “If we can sell 1,000 tickets today, that would be great.”

Athletes were at the promotion to interact with students and guests. Students can expect further promotional events in anticipation of the Ice Jam event on Oct. 26 in Conte Forum, DiLoreto said. 

TopFive

Thursday, October 14, 2010

THE HEIGHTS

things to do on campus this week

Open Mic Night

Invisible Children Film

Today Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Vanderslice Cabaret Room The Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration Committee hosts an open mic night, dubbed “Night at the Revolutionary Cafe,” featuring performances by members of the BC community.

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Today Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Fulton 511

The second film from Invisible Children, Face to Face Tour, will be presented by the Volunteer and Service Learning Center (VSLC) and Americans for Informed Democracy (AID).

Music at St. Mary’s

Closing Celebration

The British are Back

Today Time: 8 p.m.

Location: St. Mary’s Chapel The BC music department presents a performance by the Blue Heron Renaissance Choir, directed by Scott Metcalfe, which will feature selections from the Peterhouse Partbooks.

Friday Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Robsham Theater Join the Hispanic Heritage Month Committee as it concludes its celebration of the past month with a culture and fashion show. Admission is free of charge.

Saturday Time: 8 p.m.

Location: Heights Room Come see the first fall performance of the University Wind Ensemble, presented by the BC music department and featuring a selection of music by British composers.

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FEATURED ON CAMPUS

ROTC works with students

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IntheNews

FOUR DAY WEATHER FORECAST TODAY

58° Chance of Showers 50°

FRIDAY

56° Heavy Rain 41°

SATURDAY

59° Chance of Showers

University Georgia bans illegal immigrants from public, four-year colleges In Georgia, the state’s Board of Regents ruled yesterday that illegal immigrants will be denied admission to public colleges in the state as long as there are applicants who are academically qualified, legal residents of the state, according to a report by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The ban will take effect next fall, when it will make Georgia only the second state to prohibit the admission of illegal immigrants to public four-year institutions, according to the Chronicle report.

43°

SUNDAY

60° Sunny 41°

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

Local News Police believed to have found gun used in Mattapan shootings

HEIGHTS FILE PHOTO

The Boston College Army ROTC unit invited civilian students to participate in one of its morning training sessions.

BY MICHAEL CAPRIO

Willis said that about 35 students showed up for the event, which is the usual In an effort to promote turnout. These open workinteraction between student outs are typically held about cadets and civilians, the once or twice a semester.

University’s Army ROTC “We do it at least once unit invited civilian stu- a semester to show BC students to participate in one dents what we do in the of its thrice-weekly physical morning,” Willis said. training sessions yesterday There seems to be a lack morning in the Plex. of understanding of what The unit gathered at 6:15 the ROTC cadets on cama.m. in the Plex to brief stu- pus do on a day-to-day dents before taking off on a basis, Willis said. “That’s run that circled the campus. the most common question The students then broke I get asked: ‘What do you off into three groups that do?’ I think this event tries were located in to break down front of Bapst that wall.”

“That’s the most L i b r a r y, i n Students front of Higwh o a tte n d common question I gins Hall, and ed the workget asked: ‘What do out said they in the Plex.

E x e r c i s e s you do?’ I think this e n j o y e d t h e included crab event tries to break event and that walks, pushit helped them down that wall.” ups, crunches, understand and running the workings drills that inof the ROTC. —David Willis, volved carry“I thought ROTC cadet and ing water jugs. i t wa s awe A&S ’12 “The works o m e ,” s a i d out was actuEvan Cooper, ally pretty challenging,” said A&S ’12. “It gave me more David Willis, ROTC cadet of an appreciation for what and A&S ’12. “I spoke with my friends and peers in the the squad leaders before ROTC are doing every day. this morning and told them I thought it was cool to be that people don’t have to there with all the ROTC and do every exercise and that get a glimpse of what their civilians are encouraged to daily training and workouts take breaks.” are like.”

News Editor

Cooper, who has run the Boston Marathon the past two years, said he had some trouble keeping up with the exercises. “I was doing push-ups and discovered that I couldn’t even do enough push-ups required for a girl to qualify for ROTC.” While the event serves the purposes of establishing connections between cadets and civilians, it also sometimes serves as a recruiting ground. Some cadets, like Willis, had their first contact with ROTC at such events.

“I didn’t join ROTC until November of my freshman year,” Willis said. “The way I got involved was I went to one of the open PT sessions, and it went from there.”

Willis said that since joining ROTC, he has been able to use the skills he has gained as an ROTC cadet in his academic life.

“It’s been great for me so far,” he said. “There are skills you learn in ROTC, like basic leadership exercises, that translate into va r i o u s ex t ra c u r r i c u l a r activities that I do. It’s changed my academic life as well. I’m an international studies major, so my classes can relate to ROTC more than other peoples’ majors might.” 

Police believe they have located the gun that was used in last month’s quadruple homicide in Mattapan, according to a report by The Boston Globe. The revelation came at the arraignment of 34-year-old Kimani Washington in Dorchester District Court on gun charges and other offenses. Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin told the court that one of the two guns police found at Washington’s mother’s home was used in the Sept. 28 shootings, according to the Globe report.

On Campus Walkway resurfacing outside Devlin Hall scheduled to finish on Oct. 22 The resurfacing of the walkway outside of Devlin Hall, which began on Oct. 4, is tentatively scheduled to be completed by Oct. 22, according to a Web update by the Office of News and Public Affairs. The update said that the lane between the Devlin walkway and the Gasson construction site would be closed through today for the pouring of cement, and it will reopen tomorrow. While the lane is closed, pedestrian traffic will be routed either around the border of the Gasson construction site or around the opposite side of Devlin.

International Chile rejoices after last of 33 trapped miners is lifted to safety SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) — The last of the Chilean miners, the foreman who held them together when they were feared lost, was raised from the depths of the earth Wednesday night – a joyous ending to a 69-day ordeal that riveted the world. No one has ever been trapped so long and survived. Luis Urzua ascended smoothly through 2,000 feet of rock, completing a 22.5-hour rescue operation that unfolded with remarkable speed and flawless execution. Before a crowd of about 2,000 people, he became the 33rd miner to be rescued.

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

Police Blotter 10/8/10 – 10/10/10 Friday, October 8 1:16 p.m. - A report was filed regarding the harassment of a BC student in Corcoran Commons.

3:05 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious motor vehicle parked outside of Walsh Hall that was reported by the parent of a BC student. A detective is investigating.

11:43 p.m. - A report was filed regarding assistance provided to an underage intoxicated BC student in Walsh Hall.

The subject was first transported to the Primary Care Facility in a cruiser and was later transported to a medical facility in an ambulance.

Saturday, October 9 12:57 a.m. - A report was filed by an officer assigned to the team-policing detail regarding a large off-campus party. Two BC students were issued written warnings by the Boston Police for violating a city ordinance.

10:30 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a traffic incident with injuries that occurred off-campus and involved a bicyclist and a motor vehicle. The victim with no BC affiliation stated that while riding his bicycle,

he was side-swiped by a motor vehicle. The victim declined any medical attention. The operator of the motor vehicle was issued a citation by the Newton Police.

2:27 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a BC student who was injured on the Brighton Campus fields while playing rugby. The victim was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

Sunday, October 10 2:07 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an altercation that took place outside Corcoran Commons between 20-25 males.

Two non-BC students were issued trespass warnings and escorted off campus.

3:27 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a BC student in Edmond’s Hall who reported receiving a harassing e-mail message. A detective is investigating.

10:17 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a BC student in 66 Commonwealth Ave. who reported receiving harassing e-mail messages from a non-BC student. An officer made contact with the subject and informed them to cease the unwanted contact with the student.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

Voices from the Dustbowl “What is your favorite spot to study for exams?”

“I actually liked studying in the Dustbowl. Now I guess Bapst.”

—Kevin McGovern, A&S ’14

“My room.”

—Courtney Gazerro, LSOE ’13

“I’m going to say Bapst Gargan Hall.”

—Marion Halftermeyer,

A&S ’13

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.

A3

The Heights

Thursday, October 14, 2010

BCPK seeks recognition

By Tom Kotlowski For The Heights

Boston College Parkour (BCPK), BC’s unofficial parkour club, was removed from Student Activities Day in September for trying to recruit without being recognized by the University.

Greg Milano, A&S ’11, and his twin brother Matt Milano, LSOE ’11, the founding members of BCPK, were asked to leave the Dustbowl on Student Activities Day by Karl Bell, assistant dean in the Student Programs Office (SPO), because BCPK is not a registered student organization.

Matt Milano said that this is not the first time the club has run into administrative red tape. The club sought official Registered Student Organization (RSO) status in 2008 and was directed to the athletics department. They were denied club sport status because parkour does not operate like a conventional sport that competes against other teams.

“The administration sees us as a liability,” Matt Milano said.

“They see parkour as an extreme sport, just like it is depicted in action movies where stuntmen perform dangerous stunts 30 feet off the ground. We practice on the ground for hours before we attempt anything remotely close to that. In reality, parkour is more of a martial art because it is based in a philoso-

phy of movement.”

It is hard to put parkour in a category with other activities, BCPK organizers said.

“The administration didn’t know how to even view our organization,” Matt Milano said. “Instead of having us apply to be a RSO they had us go to the athletics department and apply to be a club sport.

But they said we couldn’t be a club sport because parkour isn’t competitive. I don’t consider parkour a sport, it’s an art.

“Parkour is unique in that no two people move the same way.

Everyone’s bodies are different, so everyone’s movements are unique.

In any sport that uses tools, like skateboarding, you are limited in your expression by your tool. Parkour is a discipline. Through a lot of training and conditioning someone can learn about their body and achieve a freedom over their environment,” Matt Milano said.

“The reason we want official status is because we want to be able to represent BC. Our kids are hardworking, smart, and want to represent their school. We don’t need funding. We don’t need to be given space to practice. We don’t need any resources from BC. We just want to be able to advertise and recruit as an official BC club. We already have a mission statement, a handbook, and a full constitution. We have a leadership council and a committee working on get-

ting University approval. All the organizational work is done, we’re just waiting to get approved,” Matt Milano said.

BCPK has grown since its creation in 2007 by the Milano brothers. After one year, it claimed seven active members. Three years later, they have about 25 active members and over 150 students who expressed interest by signing up for the club’s listserv.

“For the first time I really felt unwelcome at BC,” Greg Milano said. “We were told that we couldn’t use the BC name for our club. The University said they don’t recognize us and that we can’t promote our club on campus. We’re a family. We don’t want to fight BC, we want to work with them.”

Bell said that the administration had every right to remove BCPK from Student Activities Day along with any other organization that is not recognized by SPO. BCPK never submitted a proposal through that route and, because of that, the club members never had a chance to make their case to SPO. “There is not an effort on our part to stifle RSOs,” Bell said.

“Parkour is more than welcome to submit a proposal and work with us. Let us help you. But if you are not an RSO, the SPO does not have any relationship with you. We don’t say you cannot exist at BC, but you cannot use the BC name. The BC name adds legitimacy.” n

Michael Caprio / Heights Editor

BC’s unofficial parkour club struggles to gain University recognition as an official student organization on campus.

Allston-Brighton Crime Reports 10/6/10 – 10/11/10

Two suspects steal laptop and $1,000 At 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 11, police responded to a call in Brighton and spoke to a victim after he was allegedly assaulted and robbed by two people he had met earlier that weekend. The two suspects had entered the victim’s house to hang out and, after chatting about the weekend, they allegedly stood up from their chairs and began to beat the victim. They then allegedly stole a laptop and $1000 in cash. The suspects fled on foot and are still missing.

Police break up underage party in Allston At 1 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, Boston Police responded to a call in Allston regarding a loud party.

After entering the residence, police heard loud music coming from the basement as well as upstairs.

They attempted to rid the building of all non-residents – it is estimated that there was a total of 300 people in the house. The host of the party was eventually identified and arrested on charges of procuring alcohol for minors and disturbing the peace. Two Boston University students were arrested for possession of alcohol by a minor.

Joshua Tree bar fight leaves one injured At 1:10 a.m. on Friday Oct. 8, police arrived at Joshua Tree and attended to a fight, including the injured victim and suspect. Each party gave a different story – yet both included a drink being spilled and an argument ensuing when the victim was dancing with an unnamed female. No arrests were made.

Argument leads to assault and battery At 3:26 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 8, police responded to a call in Allston claiming assault and battery.

The victim was walking home with a friend when she overheard the suspect make a comment about the victim’s New Jersey accent. An argument ensued, and the suspect allegedly smashed a beer bottle, threatening to hit the victim with the broken glass. The suspect attacked the victim, knocking her to the ground and slamming her head into the ground several times. The victim also had bite marks on her hand and arm. The detectives attempted to talk to the suspect, eventually confiscating drugs from the suspect and placing them under arrest.

Mosh pit at Paradise Rock Club results in head injury At 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 6, police arrived at Paradise Rock Club, responding to a call regarding a 25-year-old male who received a head injury while dancing in a mosh pit. The source of his injury is unknown. The victim was transported to the hospital due to a small laceration.

- Courtesy of the Boston Police Department, District 14 Gathered by Kendall Bitonte & Adriana Mariella

Jesuit films documentary

By Elise Taylor For The Heights

Rev. Jeremy Clarke, S.J., an assistant professor in the history department, celebrates 400 years of the Chinese Catholic Church with his documentary on Matteo Ricci, one of the first Jesuits in China.

Writer, producer, and director of the film, Clarke’s Beyond Ricci: Celebrating 400 Years of the Chinese Catholic Church had its Boston College premiere on Oct. 7. Clarke was assisted by Rev. James McDermott, S.J., with the documentary, which told the story of Ricci’s life.

Running 53 minutes, the documentary started off in Macau, where Ricci began his Jesuit duties in 1582. From there, it followed his journey throughout eight Chinese cities and then proceeded to describe his accomplishments, such as his skills in cartography, translation, and his knowledge of Chinese culture. The film then went on to show how Catholicism has grown in China since Ricci’s arrival in the late 16th century, before culminating with facts about the Catholic Church

in China today.

The documentary was both an educational as well as a passionate project for Clarke and his team, he said. Fascinated with Ricci since his youth, Clarke wanted to properly acknowledge the fact that 2010 is the 400th anniversary of Ricci’s death. “I wanted to use this 400th anniversary to tell the story of his life, and, in doing so, celebrate the life of the Catholic Church in China today,” Clarke said. As a result, Clarke and McDermott decided to do a filming expedition through China in just 30 days.

Although the trip was exhilarating, he said there were also problems brought on by traveling to various cities in such a vast country. “It was very challenging,” Clarke said.

“We took probably four trains, eight buses, three planes, and a couple of ferries just to get around, and not to mention we encountered tropical storm Gonie. We also had all the problems you have with traveling around with a backpack, a camera, and a tripod.”

Clarke said he was initially worried about how the national

government would react, as they did not have permission to film in China. “We did guerilla filming to avoid the Chinese government at first,” he said. However, further into the filming process they realized that in cities full of millions, or sometimes even billions of people, no one took much notice.

After the filming process was over, the team had more than seven hours of raw footage.

From there, they edited the film to under an hour, coordinated voiceovers, and added text to help weave the film together.

Clarke said that with the help of recent graduates Kristen Shore, Andrea Wang, and Rosie Guarrin, all BC ’10, the postproduction process went rather smoothly.

Clarke said that during this whole process, he had become more knowledgeable about the subject of his film.

“I learned about all the opportunities that are present at BC, got to work with interesting and fascinating students, and learned more about Chinese history and how to make a documentary from scratch,” he said. n

A4

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Heights

New senators begin 2010-2011 term UGBC, from A1

Kevin hou / Heights editor

James Monaco (left) and Brandon Short (right) are two of the senators from the Class of 2014 that were sworn in at last night’s meeting.

the path of his older brother Scott Monaco, UGBC senator and A&S ’13, and Robert Monaco, former UGBC senator and CSOM ’11.

“I definitely want to work on student life during my time here,” said James Monaco, who is already crafting a resolution that would propose extending dining hours at McElroy Commons.

Before he was sworn in, he was working up to 10 hours a week with other senators and senators-elect in preparation for his term, a commitment he hopes to increase, he said.

“You’ve got to stay hungry, and you’ve got to work hard,” said Scott Monaco, giving advice to his younger brother and fellow senator.

“The first week is always the craziest week.”

McCarthy, who traveled to BC from Los Gatos, Calif., has been involved with student council since the sixth grade. She said she views her BC ca-

reer as a way to continue her former student council work. “I tend to have really good experiences with student government,” she said. “And I like the idea of leaving a legacy.”

Geron, who served as student council president his senior year, said he already has a goal of what he wants to focus on as a senator. “Definitely University issues,” he said. “It sounds like a great place to make a difference.

I went to a lot of students already, saying ‘What do you want to accomplish?’

I want to see if those ideas are things we could help push through.”

Not all freshman senators have previous experience on student council, however. One example is Short, who ran for the position thinking that “it was a good opportunity to getting involved on campus,” despite not having student council experience in high school.

“It gives me a fresh perspective,” Short said. “I didn’t really have anything to build off of, so I wasn’t really stuck in my old habits.” n

Students find new walking routes Dustbowl, from A1

Yesterday morning, students using the College Road stairway were met with a new gate and were directed to use another route to get to class. During the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, students using that stairwell must either walk down Beacon Street or walk through McElroy Commons to get to Middle and Lower Campus. The gate will be removed after 4 p.m. on weekdays and will not be present on weekends.

Some freshmen said that they will not have a chance to enjoy the Dustbowl that they saw when they first entered BC. “I wanted to come here and use the Dustbowl,” said Hannah Swaim, A&S ’14. “Now there’s going to be construction all the time.”

“The worst part is that by the time they finish construction we’re going to be on Lower Campus, so we won’t even use it,” said Melissa Incera, A&S ’14.

For juniors and seniors, the construction will not be finished by the time they graduate.

While students who attended BC last year may have known about this impending addition to Middle Campus, some freshmen were not aware of the changes until just days before.

“They were just like, ‘By the way, tomorrow there will be construction.’” Swaim said.

The adjustment is one that some students said they had not been prepared for, or simply did not want to accept.

“Two years is a really long time and I already hate the detour,” said Catherine DiMarzo, A&S ’13. “It will be a long two years.”

Other students said they hope that the construction is worth it for a better, more functional campus in the future.

“I feel like the new building will be really nice, but I’m sad that our largest green space will no longer be,” DiMarzo said. n

Kevin hou / Heights staff

The new fence, which encircles the Stokes Hall construction site, went up over the past week, forcing some students to find another way to class.

Mods stabbing suspect held on $250,000 bail Arrest, from A1

fice of News and Public Affairs. Additional officers located the victim, provided first aid, and notified emergency medical technicians, who transported him to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

BCPD initially arrested Santos Carrasquillo for allegedly kicking the second victim during the same incident, and they detained three others after they fled the campus. Carrasquillo was arraigned in Brighton District Court on Sept. 27 and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, his shod foot.

He was released without bail and will be back in court on Nov. 16.

As the investigation continued, BCPD uncovered additional information that led them to iden-

andrew powell / Heights staff

tify Ramirez as a potential suspect. the Massachusetts State, Boston, Later, a witness to the incident and Cambridge Police Departidentified Ramirez in a photo array ments, are to be commended for as the alleged stabber. “[Track- their efforts in this investigation.” ing down the susHega rty wa s “We are pleased treated pect was] based at Beth Israel that the suspect Deaconess Hospital, on several factors, most importantly, in the stabbing where he underwent the identification surgery as a result of was arrested in injuries suffered in the of Ramirez through a photo array,” said assault. He has since Cambridge.”

Jake Wark, press returned to class. secretary for the In light of the — John King, Su f f o l k C o u n ty incident, which BC District Attorney’s Chief, Boston College administrators deoffice.

Police Department scribed as “a rare “We are pleased and isolated event,” that the suspect in BCPD have increased the stabbing was arrested [Tues- patrols throughout the Mods to alday] in Cambridge,” said BC Po- lay concerns of students. King said lice Chief John King in a press that the BCPD will continue to do release. so on weekend nights as long as it “BC Police officers, as well as is warranted. n

CLASSIFIEDS

The Heights

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Community Help wanted Have you thought about adoption? Loving and devoted married couple hoping to adopt. We hope you will consider us in your options. To learn more, please call us toll-free at 1-877-841-3748, or visit our Web site www.roseanneandtim. com. Please be assured all conversations are held in strict confidence.

With gratitude, Roseanne and Tim. BABYSITTER NEEDED. Looking for an experienced babysitter on Thursdays for a 1 1/2 year old now through November. Hours approx.

8a.m.-1p.m. with some flexibility. Ten minute walk from campus in Newton Centre.

BABYSITTER. Need mature and responsible older student or grad student to pick up two great girls, ages 15 and 11, from school, drive to activities and home (near football stadium), make easy dinner. Must be excellent driver (SUV provided). Hours approx.

2:00/2:30. until approx. 7:00 MonThurs (hours vary). Some help with groceries, laundry, errands ideal, if possible and if/as time permits. Girls are responsible and sweet. Golden retriever at home. Email nfbaskin@ baskinfamlaw.com.

AFTER-SCHOOL CARE HELP. Responsible person to help with after-school care for middle school twins. Car needed for short local rides. Time to study. $15/hour. Jan, 617-964-4405.

Real Estate BRIGHTON HOUSING. By owner.

NO FEE Avl., 12/1/10 or 1/1/11 Modern Large 1 Bed., Condo off Comm.

Ave; Hardwood floor, A/C, Heated.

1 Parking included $1,500. CALL (617) 256-3306.

TOWN ESTATE. 10 min walk to BC Starts 9/1/11 NO FEE, By Owner Modern 3 Bed., 2 bath, 2 Parking spots, swimming pool, a/c, heated $2,500. Call (617) 256-3306.

MISCELLANEOUS The Heights wishes Margaret Chen (October 12) a very happy belated birthday.

Answers below Answers to Crossword and Sudoku

A5

A6

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Heights

Editorials

BC’s Berlin Wall

Instead of bemoaning the space lost during construction, students should strive to incorporate it creatively into the campus.

This past week, a wall went up that will enclose a campus treasure for two years. With this wall comes a chance to recapture some of the freedom that was once offered by the Dustbowl itself. If given the chance to make the new Dustbowl walls whatever we please – a place for free student expression, rather than a location for marketing by student groups and University offices – we can preserve at least a small part of the personality that existed in this area before.

With the exception of Student Activities Day, the Dustbowl is unique in the fact that it holds only scattered posters or flyers and only a few informational bed sheets. Beyond these, most attractions that groups have erected in this area have been to raise awareness not for their benefit, but for a cause. Due to creativity on the part of student leaders, the majority of these attractions have been interesting and interactive. Think back to last year’s reproduction of the Berlin Wall, on which students could spray paint whatever they pleased on the Dustbowl version in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the wall’s destruction in Berlin, or to the

annual Respect Life Week display put on by the Pro-Life Club, for which dozens of white crosses in the “Cemetery of the Innocent” are placed in the Dustbowl. These are initiatives that are asking us not to come to a meeting or extend our time to yet another group, but merely to think. We live in a community that hosts and supports a plurality of beliefs and values, and we have been allowed to express and raise awareness regardless of how our causes are received by others – in the free, respectful commons that was the Dustbowl.

With the onset of chilly weather, we will be shuttling from the fourth floor of Campanella Way through the O’Neill staircase, where flyer bombardment has become a given. With all of these established means by which campus organizations and offices market themselves to us, shouldn’t the relative freedom of the Dustbowl be preserved, even in its new state? As a space on campus that has always been home to the most relaxed and creative of student interactions, we believe it can remain as such, if we utilize our intrepid creativity to make the Dustbowl wall our own, and not merely another outlet for campus marketing.

On the hunt for jobs During the recession, recent graduates are sometimes finding employment out of reach. We prescribe ingenuity in the market.

The dire economic situation and its effects on national unemployment are weighing heavily on the minds of the current senior class, for whom the postgraduate years are fast approaching. As of September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics placed unemployment at 9.6 percent, and a recent Gallup poll found that those aged 18-29 are fairing even worse, with 15.8 percent actively seeking and failing to find work. Clearly, these are tough times for all, but recent college graduates are particularly disadvantaged, with too many qualified applicants and too few entry-level positions.

It would be easy for students and recent graduates to feel frustrated and betrayed, as students often view a college education as a prudent investment toward a successful future. Despite our ambitions, this is not always the immediate reality.

Most students in four-year institutions have invested enormous amounts of time, effort, and money into their educations to ensure that they would have the skills necessary to be competitive applicants in the job market. Our parents were able to anticipate a clear path from college to career. Though our paths are less clear, their ambiguity frees us from the idea that there is a clear divide between college and the “real world.”

Students who might have been expecting to immediately begin their careers in highly competitive fields directly after graduation will need to think creatively about other ways to gain experience while working toward their ultimate goal. The idea of a career has drastically changed during our lifetime, and students should no longer expect to spend their entire professional lives in one field. It’s easy to become pigeonholed in college, but the world encourages students to broaden their horizons and investigate other options that would utilize their skills sets in different ways. There are jobs out there and your skills will be needed, but the search will just require more effort than it would have in previous years.

Until your goals become clear, there should not be a stigma attached to spending some time after graduation to explore options. Young adults can volunteer, seek advanced degrees, or explore the country or the world. This is the time when we are discovering where our calling lies. This is a process that will never look the same for two different people. We realize that it may be unhelpful or even overly simplistic to tell students to work harder, to think more creatively, or to discover the undiscovered, but there is no advice that will replace your own ingenuity.

Causal marketing

Students should be informed and aware about what they are supporting with their dollars, on and off campus.

One needs only to look at our school motto of “men and women for others” to realize that the Boston College community has a driving interest to help others. Volunteer opportunities and service trips elicit stiff competition among applicants, and hardly a day goes by when Corcoran Commons or McElroy don’t house the cries of one service group or another, seeking donations of meal plan dollars to fuel their journeys abroad.

With this overwhelming influx of interest in philanthropy, it is increasingly difficult to ascertain which causes are worthy of one’s time and treasure. The Heights would like to caution students against causal marketing in our dining halls and within the greater campus community. This unique breed of product differentiation seeks to associate an item with a greater, usually humanitarian-oriented cause. A common example of this phenomenon can be identified in breast cancer awareness.

The practice of “pink washing” products involves packaging them in such a way that they appear to be associated with a reputable cancer research charity like the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Founda-

tion. The ethical dilemma arises when companies start using this type of branding to elicit sympathetic purchasing from consumers, yet they do not follow through on actually donating any of the profits toward the cause they seemingly endorse.

Our campus dining facilities are not exempt from such marketing practices.

There are products ranging from Sun Chips to SmartWater to Yoplait yogurt which all sport pink ribbons on their packaging, giving the buyer the warm, fuzzy feeling of supporting a greater cause while stocking up on snacks. Further investigation confirms that though these products all donate a portion of their proceeds to legitimate foundations in various increments, only the yogurt tells you explicitly how much from each individual container (10 cents) will be realistically “funding breast cancer research.” One must wonder if perhaps consumers are purchasing these goods, blindly presuming to have “done their part to help” when in actuality, their feeling of well-being is an inflated one in comparison to the tangible good they’ve done. We urge students to continue to give back in more significant ways than merely a dime’s worth of EagleBucks.

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: Kevin DiCesare, Diana Nearhos

Samantha Cohen/ Heights Illustration

Letters to the Editor The view from inside Boston’s Closet “Of course you’re not out. You go to Boston Closet.”

That’s what a man I was dating last spring told me. The truth is that Boston College is known as “Boston Closet” in the gay community, because so many of us are not out.

And sadly, there’s a good reason why.

To be openly gay at BC is to be constantly judged, marginalized, and discriminated against. Homophobic slurs pour from students mouths as commonly as “Hello’s,” and the administration’s policies regarding sexual health and events on campus promoting GLBTQ issues leave students with the impression that homosexuality is something that is wrong, shameful, and not to be discussed.

In Thursday’s issue of The Heights, Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski said, “There’s a tension there within people who are Catholic and try to take their faith seriously. You have competing values.”

When the “values” of the University lead to a significant portion of the student body feeling marginalized at best and discriminated against at worst, maybe these “values” need to be reconsidered. BC is a prestigious university that is only working harder to become better, and I think we now stand at a crossroads of what we can become. Is this to be a place where different ideas, lifestyles, and diverse people come to learn, grow, and excel, or is it to be a place where only a certain type of person can succeed?

I came to this campus three years ago as an 18-yearold unsure of who I was and nervous about discovering who I would become. The fact is, I am a gay man, some-

thing I have been comfortable sharing with my family and friends from back home, but not comfortable sharing with my friends here in college or the University as a whole.

At times I feel that the school is changing, that being openly gay wouldn’t be that big of a deal here (because it shouldn’t be). But then someone shouts “You f—g f—t ” at the top of his voice to someone wearing a Notre Dame jersey in the Mods on game day, and the insult is met with laughs and cheers as my stomach sinks, and I burrow deeper into the closet.

The recent string of suicides has prompted me to write this letter, and I am doing so anonymously, out of cowardice, yes, but also as a statement. BC is home to many people just like me, and I want that to change. I want the student body to be galvanized into acceptance, and to realize that there is a deep problem within our community. I do not want what happened at Rutgers to happen at BC, and the only way for that to happen is to talk about the problems we have.

T-shirts that support love can only go so far. Things need to change here at BC before it’s too late, and I hope that it’s soon. All communities have problems. It’s by facing them that we become stronger.

Sincerely, Closet Case Editor’s Note: Go to bcheights.com/opinions for more letters about GLBTQ issues at BC.

Dignity for all students and their health Lindsey Hennawi Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) is committed to improving sexual health education and resources for all students at BC. We seek to foster dialogue and provide comprehensive information about sexual health, as well as to campaign for policy reform. We engage with the health of the whole person: emotional, social, environmental, physical, spiritual, and mental, in order to empower students to make informed and healthy decisions.

We do not do these things in spite of our place at a Jesuit institution, but in keeping with it. It is expressly because we have the privilege of attending a University so dedicated to the development of the self – both the body and the soul – that we find it both appropriate and necessary to advocate for these sexual health issues that are an integral aspect of that process. In that regard, we provide condoms and other resources directly to students, we run programming, such as Sex and the Soul, that explores the relationship between human sexuality and personal spirituality, and we work with the administration to understand the University’s positions on these issues and push for policy reform in the best interest of the students. In short, BCSSH respects and works within the framework of BC’s Catholic tradition, but we refuse to accept that it must invariably bar us from pursuing an open dialogue and concrete action around this issue. A University dedicated to fostering men and women for others simply cannot consider itself and the mission of protecting students’ health mutually exclusive.

As an executive board member of BCSSH, these were the points I tried to discuss with a Jesuit and resident

minister who we encountered during last Friday’s condom distribution when he told me that my participation in the distribution was degrading to the dignity of both myself and other students, that it – the distribution and the act of protected, consensual sex itself – made any who participate less of a person and less human. He further elaborated that we female volunteers were making it easy for men to use us, as if sex were an inherently misogynistic act which a woman could not be empowered to pursue for herself, and in which there could not possibly exist mutual consent and respect.

Having never before been accused of degrading students’ dignity, nor told I am less than human, I was taken aback by this attack on my freedom to educate students and my personal freedom in making informed decisions related to sexuality. Yet, what shocked me most was when he began to shout at students with whom we interacted. “You’re better than that!” he would say to students who accepted condoms.

And when a student declined our offer, he would laud them: “Good for you! You have dignity!”

As this interaction continued, I watched student after student appear to take interest in receiving sexual health resources, but shy away because of his comments. These students turned down life-saving health materials because they were intimidated by a University figure employed to support and guide them. Whether this was his intent, this Jesuit’s actions directly infringed not just upon students’ personal comfort, but also their very freedom to make decisions for themselves. In so doing, he jeopardized students’ health and safety.

Is this the culture we want for our students – one of intimidation, fear,

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

Lindsey Hennawi is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences

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

and judgment? BCSSH has always acted with respect, both in our approach to University administration and with regard to the student body, in whom we recognize a plurality of views and experiences. We acted respectfully toward our protester as well, inviting him to speak with us.

The behavior we saw in return, however, was anything but respectful of students, their health needs, or their freedom of choice. BC should foster a community that empowers and supports its students to make healthy decisions for themselves, not one that judges or endangers them.

After last Friday’s encounter, I am more than ever committed to the BCSSH mission. I realize just how great a need there is for open dialogue, a University culture more accepting of students’ personal choices, and our efforts to promote students’ ability to make those choices in a healthy manner. This Jesuit accused us of being “animals” who ignore the consequences of our actions. But BCSSH is here precisely because we know the consequences of a student body that is not provided adequate sexual health information and resources – like how, for example, one in four college students has a sexually transmitted infection. With that in mind, we cannot afford to judge or intimidate students. Our health and safety are too important.

Please consider this letter an open offer to the BC community to engage in conversation and meaningful dialogue. We hope that as a community we can respect students’ rights to pursue choices about their health in a judgment-free environment. Human dignity and respect for the self means nothing without respect for others.

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

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A7

OPINIONS

Intercultural cluelessness

Thumbs Up Homecoming – Although tickets were in short supply, the dedicated or savvy were able to, one way or another, wrangle an entrance into the much-hyped event. Here’s to friends who will wake up at the crack of dawn to secure a good time for their buds.

Foliage – With nights dipping into the 30s and days requiring increasingly heavy layers, out of town students will finally experience the payoff of this annual New England display.

Welcome to the Northeast, it’s all downhill from here.

Miners – As of writing, 17 of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for over two months have f inally been freed. Their successful and safe rescue has fueled a national (and international) celebration, coinciding with the country’s bicentennial celebration. All in all, it’s been a good day for Chile.

Bobby Cox – The Atlanta Braves manager has ended his long and extremely fruitful partnership with the team after losing in the playoffs to the San Francisco Giants.

After leading the team for a quarter century, the 70year-old legend is heading for a quieter life. Fans, not just of the Braves, are saying goodbye to one of the greatest managers the game has ever known.

Innovative – With the Mass.

Government imploring college students from local schools (such as BC and those two across the river) to remain in the state after graduation, the Class of 2011 might have more incentive than ever to remain Boston bound. The city was just named the most innovative city during these economically volatile times.

Apparently it really is the hub of the universe.

Thumbs Down Fahrenheit 451 – After a student’s computer self-destructed through spontaneous combustion, O’Neill was at major risk, containing many very flammable items.

Luckily, the fire was quelled quickly, but not before even more trucks were packed into O’Neill Plaza.

Counseling – TU/TD is all about the supportive relationship between Superfans and the team in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, but recently there has been some serious trouble.

One more broken promise or embarrassing public incident, and we will be seeking a divorce.

Ha rd Ha ts – A l t h o u gh TU/TD has already whined about the new impossibleto-navigate nature of the campus, now is the time to be constructive. We suggest that, given the amount of construction on campus during the coming years, that site safety be added to the core curriculum to ensure students can both survive the zone and perhaps lend their assistance and speed up the process.

Fall TV – Not only have all the hugely promoted new shows fizzled and flopped, but even standbys have been lackluster so far this season. TU/TD’s weekend DVR marathons is all that gets us through the week, don’t take that away from us!

KONRAD PUTZIER Have you ever heard the words chav, capsicum, or doona? Do you know what a grande ecole or the San Siro is? No? Well, then you may be suffering from something I like to call the Intercultural Cluelessness Syndrome, or ICS. You just don’t understand people from other cultures. Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. If you are American and most of your friends come from a similar cultural background, then you will barely notice the symptoms at all.

But for an exchange student like me, it can have pretty serious implications.

Symptoms include headache, exhaustion, speechlessness, and confusion. They can set in at any time and without warning. Despite the fact that thousands of exchange students are affected by ICS every year, there hasn’t been any scientific research conducted on the syndrome yet. This needs to be changed, and I have therefore decided to analyze ICS in its three different stages, with my flatmates and myself as case studies.

The first and most obvious stage of ICS is linguistic. You don’t understand the language spoken around you. For me, living with two French girls, this is a serious issue. Whenever they swiftly switch to French, I get a headache trying to understand what they are talking about. The same happens when I end up with a bunch of Spanish, Italian, or Danish people. Even if you understand the language, there is still the obstacle posed by accents and the inability of

Americans to understand them. When I wanted to book a hotel room, I asked the receptionist in my British / German accent if the room had a bathroom. I had to repeat the question three times, only to get the puzzled reply: “Did you just ask me if the room has a Bahstun?” Later I had the joy of overhearing my Australian flatmate on the phone: “Seven, five, two”… “No, two”…

“Two, as in the second number”… “Not three, two! Could you read it again please?”… “Sir, every time I say two you say three!” It went on like that for 10 minutes and by the end of it he was completely exhausted. That’s what ICS does to you.

The second stage can be called cultural. This stage sets in when I sit in a baseball stadium, completely clueless about why people cheer when it is clear that nothing is happening on the pitch. It can also suddenly appear in conversations. Someone may say to me that 40 degrees is pretty cold, and I will certainly reply that 40 degrees is hotter than anything I have ever experienced. All in all, this second stage leaves the common exchange student pretty confused.

But even if you have managed to change your accent and learn the rules of baseball, there is still a third and final stage of intercultural cluelessness: the mentality stage. It is phenomenal how polite and friendly Americans generally are to strangers, and I keep wondering where that person knows me from. Why else would they talk to me like we are old friends? Even more difficult to understand is the French mentality. The other day, my flatmates made crepes that happened to be darker on the outside than in the middle and thus provoked a debate, of course in French, about what had gone wrong. The first round lasted one hour and ended with the two girls practi-

cally yelling at one another. After a daylong break, one of them came back with some scientific essay on gravity that supposedly supported her point that it couldn’t have been the shape of the pan that led to the “catastrophe.” The second round started, this time on a more scientific level, and it ended with some more yelling. Not that it matters, but the crepes were delicious. As of today, the debate is still unresolved, occasionally breaking out unexpectedly and leaving me exhausted, confused, with a serious headache, and cursing the Intercultural Cluelessness Syndrome. By the way, I just found out that cluelessness isn’t even a word, but that just underlines my whole point. How am I supposed to know that speechlessness is a word but cluelessness isn’t? Clearly a case of first-stage ICS. Is there a cure? Maybe. My Australian flatmate was on a promising lead when he discovered an app on his mobile that can translate foreign languages into English via voice recognition. He held the microphone right into the heated argument about crepes, but all that appeared on the screen was “Superman Eminem we children live in a townhouse that ####.” Not very enlightening.

So the search for a cure goes on.

But even if there is none, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, not understanding everything is part of the experience we exchange students are seeking. Confronting the unknown gives you a sort of pioneering spirit, and that’s a wonderful thing. Do you understand what I mean? No? Of course you don’t, you’re not a European exchange student.

Konrad Putzier is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

Our hidden civic duty

JACK SCHWADA We all remember our seventh and eighth grade history classes. Well actually, I know I don’t really remember them, but I can vaguely recall some of what I learned in them. They were quite simple and attempted, at least I think they attempted, to teach us about the history of this great country we live in today. The United States, we were told, was a city (perhaps a country?) on a hill, shining its light to demonstrate to all of the world how great democracy is. Such simple lessons, yet we probably did learn something valuable in those hours in class. One thing I definitely learned is that what is essential to our democracy, well I guess this is pretty obvious, is our right and ability to vote.

Voting, our civic right, seemed to me, in my youth, to be what made me so proud of this country and Old Glory (Wikipedia told me that’s our flag’s name). And with a pivotal election coming around this November, I think that we, myself included, need to be reminded of how important that right to vote is.

There are issues that are affecting students directly, and there are issues that will also, in the long run, make a big difference in our lives. We, as young people, came out in record numbers in the 2008 election, and we (well not all of us) elected President Obama. We can’t allow this one, short-term spurt of activism to dry out. We need to vote in this next election and have our voices heard.

Some of the legislation President Obama has helped put into place has specifically affected people of our age.

Although these policies were instituted under the president, they could not have passed without Congress.

These midterm elections are going to

Party Time

BY BEN VADNAL

be very important in determining the Congress that will serve for a considerable amount of time. Some of what President Obama has done has helped students like us. For instance, the president helped pass legislation that would allow for debt forgiveness to students for a considerable period of time if they decide to pursue a career in social work. Just another example is that, with the passing of the health care bill, we are now able to stay on our parents’ health plans until the age of 26. Now, I certainly know that I’m nowhere near being able to pay my own health bills, and I’m sure that most of us probably are not. These are just a couple of examples of some very tangible results of the past election and the regime (not saying that in a bad way) that was created under which we now live.

In addition to these tangible results that I’ve commented on, we must think of the long- term results of our voting. We are the youth of this country. We are supposed to be coming up with the best ideas and be on the cutting edge. The country we live in will be determined not only by those in power in the future, but also by those in power now. If we let the seemingly innumerable army of baby boomers single-handedly elect our representatives, then the government and laws enacted will reflect the wishes and desires of those people who don’t exactly have the same ideals and desires that we have. We all recognize the problems with our country, and it’s our time to take control of the situation. No offense to all of those people born in the ’40s and ’50s, but from what we’ve seen, they haven’t had much success in electing able representatives. It’s our time to step up and take advantage of the opportunity we’ve been given.

We all know these things. I want to bring this removed, perhaps idealistic conversation back to us, back to Boston College. Today, I will have to condemn the University and our administration here for its approach to student voting. Let me explain something about the availability of voting

information here at BC. Let’s just say it would take a fairly determined student to find some information on our University Web site that could assist them in voting. That information is posted on the Office of Student Services Web site. They are the ones in charge of helping students vote.

From what I just told you, you might think that BC is a semi-responsible institution, promoting civic rights to a point and helping us to determine our futures. However, there is just this one little catch. As it turns out, the school, by law, is required to post this information in exchange for receiving a certain amount of federal funding. I think that’s a fairly interesting fact. Another interesting fact is that this school, which claims to teach us to be better citizens and better people, does not go to any extra lengths to encourage us to vote.

Perhaps in the multitude of e-mails we receive there was some small mention of voting. But I, and others like me, have been unable to detect any concerted effort to encourage students to be responsible citizens and get out and vote.

Other universities encourage their students to vote by repeatedly reminding them to register and helping them with that process. To them, who you vote for doesn’t matter, just as long as you vote. At UCLA, the university makes a serious effort to register students. In fact, they practically register the students themselves, recognizing the importance of this essential part of our democracy. As part of a generation that hasn’t truly exercised its rights and has yet to put its stamp on government, I am deeply disappointed, as we all should be, that our University has not helped in any way besides the bare, legal minimum to encourage us to vote. Hopefully, the University will review its policies, but as of now, the job it has done has been very mediocre, and even that assessment is probably generous.

Jack Schwada is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

Freshman fifteen

ZAMIN HUSAIN Boston College was ranked as the third fittest school in America by The Princeton Review. Well, if I had known that I was going to a school filled with kids not only smarter than me but also more attractive, I may have reconsidered which school I was going to attend. Nevertheless, this ranking is not difficult to believe. People are always jogging on and around campus, guys on my floor are always going to the Plex, and people in my classes often do look like they came out of a “J. Crew catalogue,” and not just because of their clothing, either. Even more prevalent is the omnipresent chit chat about fears of the infamous freshman 15.

Parents understand the freshman 15 to be simply snacking on junk food while studying for those stressful midterms, but we students know that maybe a small part of these 15 pounds can be attributed to the 12 shots of the Smirnoff we acquainted ourselves with last Friday night (and of course the occasional Wednesday, too). Freshman year is essentially a cycle that you get trapped in. You become overwhelmed in school work, get stressed out, don’t go to the Plex, study harder while munching on the third tub of Easy Mac (I’m sure by one serving size it really means a third of one, because it is impossible to pack 440 calories and 8 grams of fat in that tiny little tub, right?), get stressed out again, go out to party and drink as a “study break” to relieve the stress, repeat until sophomore year.

With all the calories and stress, it is easy to see how those 15 pounds creep up on you, not to mention the added stress that you get by gaining all that weight (and so you become stressed out because you weigh more, and then the stress makes you weigh more, so you become more stressed out because you weigh even more, etc … ) But we have anticipated this weight gain from the day Super Size Me came out, and it is globally accepted that freshmen become chunkier in college (even in New Zealand and Australia they call the freshman 15 the “fresher five (kilograms)”). Because the freshman 15 is so universally known, it is not something to fear, but rather should be embraced.

There are only two times in one’s lifetime when one can gain abnormally large amounts of weight without being judged: pregnancy and freshman year (unless those two are combined, of course). A skinny girl can gain weight, and rather than gossipy whispers of how she ate her heart out of a Nutella jar after her boyfriend dumped her, parents, students, and professors alike simply attribute the weight gain to the freshman 15. So here’s our chance to eat both dinner and late night. Enjoy a five course meal at the Chocolate Bar. We do have $2,200 to spend, and specifically to those twiggylegged calorie counters who still have $1,800 left on their dining bucks, indulge in the debauchery of fried foods (though I may be befriending you towards the end of the semester when my own dining bucks start to look pretty thin). Freshman year will not last forever.

So while the athletic kids go to the Plex, I’ll be competing against my body to see how much ice cream (yes, real White Mountain ice cream, none of that healthy fro-yo nonsense … ) I can take without getting a brain freeze. While the football team runs back and forth (more back than forth lately), I’ll be in the stands competing against my nachos and processed cheese. And while those same, skinny-legged calorie counters nibble on organic leaves and grass in the lower dining hall loft, I will be competing with my friends to see if I can eat an entire pizza slice in two bites.

Although BC provides us with so many opportunities to stay healthy, from the long hours of the recreation centers on both the Newton and Main campuses to healthy salad bar options in the dining hall and seminars on the bad effects of alcohol (conveniently positioning it so that “we are not telling you what decisions to make”), there is one thing that they overlook: you can’t fight fate. Someone, somewhere, a long time ago, decided freshmen were going to gain weight, and after a certain point those 15 pounds will find their way in.

Accept them with open arms. Get two desserts because you didn’t see how tempting the fried dough and ice cream looked the first time, and at least once get to experience the thrill of Thirsty Thursday. What’s the worst that could happen – freshman 50?

Zamin Husain is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

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Thursday, October 14, 2010

THE HEIGHTS

BOSTON COLLEGE AT FLORIDA STATE

When BC runs the ball

Last year against the Seminoles, Montel Harris ran for 179 yards on 25 carries, scoring two touchdowns in the process. This year, however, is a different story. Harris has been ineffective, only getting into the end zone once this year. The struggle will continue.

Advantage:

When BC passes the ball If Rettig doesn’t start, there isn’t even a question of who has the advantage here. But it looks like Rettig will be ready to go on Saturday, giving the Eagles a bit of hope that has been missing all season in the pass-game. Still, a young QB playing in Tallahassee doesn’t line up nicely for Chase.

Advantage:

When Florida State runs the ball The Seminoles bring a double-headed attack in the backfield. Jermaine Thomas and Chris Thompson have combined for six touchdowns over the last two weeks. The BC run defense has been pretty strong so far this year, but the FSU run game may bring too much power.

Advantage:

When Florida State passes the ball Christian Ponder threw for 341 yards last year against the Eagles, and so far this year, the secondary has been BC’s biggest weakness on defense.

Ponder will most likely air it out early, and the Seminoles will be able to score big through the air before they turn to the ground game.

Advantage:

Special teams Ryan Quigley has been one of the few bright spots this year for the Eagles. Nate Freese is having a solid year kicking field goals, except for his missed field goal from 30 yards out last week. This may be the only advantage BC has, so we’ll give it to the Eagles.

Advantage:

Coaching and intangibles Jimbo Fisher is in his first year as head coach of the Seminoles, but he has already posted a convincing win against Miami. Anybody could have better offensive play calling than Gary Tranquil. Add to that the rowdy home crowd FSU will have, and it is clear the ’Noles have the edge.

Advantage:

FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK

Offensive line faces tough test in Tallahassee

BY IAN BOYNTON For The Heights

Considered one of the best offensive lines in the ACC entering the season, the Boston College line has failed to live up to the lofty expectations thus far in 2010. Entering the sixth game of the season, the unit has given up a total of 15 sacks, only five fewer than they gave up in the entire 2009 campaign.

Hoping to re-energize the line, head coach Frank Spaziani and the Eagles coaching staff have made drastic moves along the offensive line throughout the season, including the benching of senior right guard and captain Thomas Claiborne prior to the Eagles’ game against Notre Dame.

Despite the switch, the play of the offensive line has remained erratic, and has taken a lot of heat for the Eagles’ lack of offensive production.

“I don’t necessarily want to say we have been stuck in the mud,” said tackle Rich Lapham. “There have been some breakdowns as the season’s gone on where you look at the tape and you go, ‘What are we all doing?’ But there have also been glimpses and shimmers of people doing everything right.”

For the Eagles offensive line to be successful, Lapham said the unit will need to build chemistry and find consistency.

“People say that football is the ultimate team game,” Lapham said. “From an offensive line stand point, if four guys are doing it right and one guy is screwing it up, then you are not going to have success on the play.”

Heading to Tallahassee to play Florida State on Saturday, the Eagles offensive line will need to develop consistency quickly. So far this season, the Seminoles defense has harassed opposing offenses, ranking fifth in the country in tackles for loss with 8.7 per game, and leading the nation in sacks with 4.3 per game.

Rettig Expected To Start After completing five con-

secutive passes, including a 58-yard strike to receiver Bobby Swigert for a touchdown, quarterback Chase Rettig was helped off the field after injuring his ankle early in the second quarter against Notre Dame.

Forced to watch as BC fell to North Carolina State, 44-17, last Saturday, Rettig will get another chance at leading the Eagles to victory this Saturday when they travel to Florida State. “[My ankle] feels good, I’m ready to play,” Rettig said.

With just over a quarter of game experience under his belt, Rettig will make his second start, and his road debut in one of the most intimidating environments in the ACC. “It’s the biggest atmosphere we’ve played in all year,” Rettig said. “When you go and travel to places like this, you are trying to tell yourself to focus on what your job is, but I think what we have to do is embrace the whole situation, and use the crowd and the energy, and live in the moment, and use it all to our advantage.”

Despite the injury to his ankle limiting his playing time against Notre Dame, Rettig believes that the experience has nonetheless allowed him to overcome the initial hurdles of starting.

“When you haven’t played yet, you are so caught up on what it is going to be like, and then when I was out there it’s the same game I’ve played my whole life,” Rettig said. “I can go out there a little more confident and a little less nervous about what to expect, and I think that will help me out.”

Quick Notes Sophomore quarterback Dave Shinskie has suffered a concussion and will be inactive for this week’s game against Florida State.

Since joining the ACC, the Eagles have defeated the Seminoles three out of their five meetings, with two coming in Tallahassee.

Florida State is 5-1 on the season, and is coming off a decisive 45-17 victory over in-state rivals, the Miami Hurricanes. 

ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Damik Scafe (55) and the BC defense allowed quarterback Christian Ponder to throw for 340 yards, but held him to zero touchdowns in last year’s win.

Defense will have its hands full Hands Full, from A10

those creases and just going.”

Thompson has scored two touchdowns on runs more than 80 yards apiece, and his longest came against Miami in the form of a 90-yard scamper. He leads Florida State with 421 yards on 47 carries for an eye-popping nine yards per rush average.

When Thompson grows tired, there is tailback Jermaine Thomas, who has scored five touchdowns in the past two games, including two on the ground and one through the air against Miami. Though he boasts a relatively low average of 5.9 yards per carry, he has the most rushes with 65 and most touchdowns with six.

The Seminoles also welcome the third back to their terrible trio, Ty Jones, who brings a 7.9 yards per rush average back to the field after an ankle injury.

“We’re very conscious of how good they are,” said head coach Frank Spaziani. “There are always things you can do schematically, but it’s a matter of emphasizing what we have to execute.”

Ponder has had a strong season thus far, completing just over 60 percent of his pass attempts for 1,017 yards, 10 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. BC, however, has intercepted eight passes this season, though has struggled at times to keep short routes contained.

While Luke Kuechly recorded a career-high 20 tackles against NC State, 13 more than anyone else for BC, he is only one player. Many of the Eagles seemed to miss tackles last week, allowing NC State larger gains.

“We have to tackle better. I think that was our biggest problem against NC State,” Albright said. “We had so many opportunities to get off the field on third down, and we’d miss a tackle or we’d be slightly out of position and

then try to arm tackle, and then that would hurt us the rest of the drive.”

As a group, the defensive line has overcome injuries and game suspensions to jell together this season. Albright said what helps is their time off the field to make sure no issues arise between them.

“If we have problems with each other, it’s not going to work on Saturdays,” he said.

“We’re really making an effort to be together and form that family bond.”

The more the line works together as a unit, the more players will be able to step up and make big plays. They can trust each other to make the same reads, fill their gaps, and get after Ponder.

With an offense that is averaging only 10 points per game in the last three contests, the defense will need to keep the Seminoles out of the end zone in order for the Eagles to end their longest losing streak in 12 years. 

Holding out hope for an FSU miracle Strand of Hope, from A10

ineptitude: dropping passes, missing receivers, allowing Russell Wilson to complete 38-of-51 passes, to name a few.

“It just seemed like they knew every play that we were running,” Shinskie said after the loss. It was clear. BC was struggling.

So why is this season so drastically different from last season?

Most assumed that BC would continue its success from last season, when the Eagles went 8-4 before losing to Southern California in the Emerald Bowl. Even with the loss, BC exceeded expectations with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback, and most of the core members of the team were returning. But this season, the Eagles, who ESPN even went so far to say had a chance at the national championship (ridiculous to think now), have obviously underperformed.

So what went wrong?

There’s no question the quarterback play has been one of the most prominent

struggles of the team this season. Shinskie has plateaued, with no visible improvement rolling over from his freshman campaign.

In fact, his play has declined to the point where the offense is struggling just to get a first down. He’s simply missing receivers and making poor decisions.

But it’s unfair to place all the blame on the quarterbacks. The graduation of Rich Gunnell, whose consistency BC certainly misses, and the injury to Colin Larmond, who makes the BC offense more dynamic with his playmaking ability, has hurt at the wide receiver position. The rest of the receivers haven’t become consistent enough.

And if the Eagles can’t complete a pass, running back Montel Harris has less space to maneuver. This team clearly has issues.

So why, entering the game against Florida State, which is arguably the best team BC plays all season, am I holding out one last strand of hope?

I don’t necessarily think we’ll pull out a win at Doak Campbell Stadium, but I think

the team could potentially put on a much better performance that will help them the rest of the season. Even if BC loses at FSU, that’s only four losses. If the Eagles can rebound after that and win out in their last four games, they will still make a bowl game.

Not the ACC Championship we all hoped for, but still respectable.

And barring injury, Florida State will be Chase Rettig’s second chance at taking over the starting quarterback position. For a team that’s struggled under center all season, this change could jumpstart the team for the rest of the year.

If the FSU game is just a continuation of NC State, we’re in a rough position for the rest of the year. But if Rettig and the rest of the team can find that spark for the remainder of the season, it won’t be so hard to be positive.

Maegan O’Rourke is the Associate Sports Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

Ambushed in Raleigh

ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR

For the first time since Tom O’Brien left, the old head coach got the better of his former team. Once again, the Eagles offense found no rhythm, and NC State quarterback Russell Wilson lit up the defense for 328 passing yards in a 44-17 win. For full coverage, see www.bcheights.com/sports.

The Heights

Editors’ Picks

Thursday, October 14, 2010 The Week Ahead

Standings

Football tries to turn it around at Florida State. Men’s soccer welcomes No. 3 UNC to town, and women’s soccer faces Clemson. Men’s hockey heads to Denver for a two-game series against the No. 6 Pioneers. Arkansas and Auburn is the game of the week.

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Zach Wielgus

12-13

Maegan O’Rourke

11-14

Heights Staff

11-14

Paul Sulzer

9-16

Everyone had BC losing to NC State and hockey beating Northeastern, but that’s where the success stopped.

The staff was the odd man out on football’s woes, and Zach was the only one to predict Michigan State over Michigan.

Guest Editor: Laura Campedelli Multimedia Coordinator “I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it.”

Women’s Tennis The women’s tennis team competed in the USTA College Invitational this past weekend at the National Tennis Center in New York. Boston College entered eight players into the tournament, and each of them had winning singles records. Overall, they compiled a record of 28-7 in singles and doubles play.

The Eagles earned four individual titles: Katharine Attwell, Olga Khmylev, and Ina Kauppila all won their respective matches in singles, and Alex Kelleher and Erina Kikuchi won their doubles match.

On Friday, the team will hear which players have qualified for the Regional Championships held at Dartmouth from Oct. 22-26.

Women’s Cross Country Zach Wielgus Sports Editor

This Week’s Games

BCnotes

Recap from Last Week

Football: Boston College at Florida State

Maegan O’Roruke Assoc. Sports Editor

Paul Sulzer Asst. Sports Editor

Laura Campedelli

Multimedia Coordinator

Florida State

Florida State

Florida State

Florida State

Split

BC

BC

BC

Women’s Soccer: Boston College vs. Clemson

BC

BC

BC

BC

Men’s Soccer: Boston College vs. North Carolina

BC

UNC

UNC

UNC

Arkansas

Auburn

Arkansas

Auburn

Men’s Hockey: Boston College at Denver (series)

NCAA Football: Arkansas at Auburn (-3.5)

The No. 22 women’s cross country team won the New England Cross Country Championship on Saturday at Franklin Park in Boston. This was Boston College’s second team title in three years and third overall.

In a field of 322 runners (47 teams overall), BC’s best five all finished in the top 12, and every member of the varsity team finished within a minute and 20 seconds of each other. Jillian King, who ran her second-fastest time of the season, finished second overall and was named the ACC Women’s Cross Country performer of the week for her success.

When buying season tickets, don’t overlook hockey Greg Joyce With hockey and basketball season tickets going on sale Wednesday, my roommates and I were talking about the sports of the upcoming season. There were four of us, and I was the only one who said I was going to buy season tickets for hockey. One of my roommates said he was going to definitely buy basketball season tickets, and that he wanted to go to some hockey games, like the BU game and the Beanpot. The other two said they’d only buy basketball tickets, saying that hockey was lame and not worth their time or money.

Lame? Go watch the Gibbons-Whitney-Atkinson line fly down the ice and dish out amazing passes, culminating in a top-shelf laser past the goalie, and tell me what’s lame about hockey. Go watch John Muse save every single puck that comes his way, even with the opposing teams using more dekes than Charlie Conway and Gordon Bombay combined, and tell me what’s lame about hockey. Go watch the No. 1 team in the nation, the team that has won the national championship in two of the last three years, and tell me what’s lame about hockey. And if all of that won’t get you to go, go tell the opposing goaltender that he sucks at

life and goaltending, and that it is all his fault, and then tell me what’s lame about Boston College hockey.

Some will say that they’ve watched the NHL before and that it is boring.

Although I love my Bruins, I can understand this claim. But college hockey is different. The speed of the game is like no other. The BC men’s hockey team might not have the biggest guys in the nation, but I will bet you that they have some of the fastest. But be careful. Just because we have some of the fastest guys does not mean they cannot completely lay out another player. There are six players on the roster measuring 5-foot-8 or smaller, but don’t count out Gibbons or the Whitney brothers from knocking down another player in the open ice when going for the puck.

This team has so much character, and I think they are the best team to follow on campus. I’m not trying to bash the basketball team, or any other team for that matter (except for football, of course), but the fact is that the team you’re going to see win most this year is the hockey team. Trying to claim ignorance about hockey is just stupid. We do, after all, go to BC. Why spend your money watching a team get embarrassed by the opponent (no offense to basketball, all offense to

ALEX TRAUTWIG / heights editor

A select few Superfans made the trek to Detroit for the hockey team’s Frozen Four trip. Nearby Conte Forum deserves to be filled even more. football) when you could see a team that went 12-2 at home last season, scoring 75 goals in 16 games at Conte? Why see Dave Shinskie get tackled in the backfield when you can see players from BU and Northeastern get obliterated by our own players?

So when you think about buying season tickets this week, don’t just pick basketball because it’s basketball and popular around the country. Yeah, it’s too bad college hockey doesn’t get more attention outside of the Northeast and Midwest. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t give it the attention it deserves. If our basketball or football

“We played very well overall. Our backs were steady, and we were able to upset their rhythm with timely goals.”

— Ed Kelly, Head Coach

teams ever won a national championship, never mind two in three years (now that’ll be the day), the hype on campus would be ridiculous, and everybody and their mother would instantly become the world’s biggest fan. I know that hockey isn’t as popular as basketball or football around the country, but that shouldn’t matter.

What matters is that our hockey team is one of the best in the nation, and it deserves more fan support. Why should a football team with a losing record draw thousands of Superfans, while the national champion hockey team only draws a few hundred? You want to be like the

nationals, which stung them a little bit, and from what I read, they are trying to make this a special year,” York said. “We watched them on tape against Vermont, and they have a good club. This will be a very good early season test for us.”

All of that, of course, was last year, which means little come Friday and Saturday night. What will play a role are the weaknesses BC showed in its 2-0 win at Northeastern last Friday. Breakaways that normally end in lamp-lighting wristers flew over the net, and defensive clears that usually thwart the opponent’s scoring chances were botched, handing the Huskies a number of great opportunities.

While the Eagles escaped unscathed in their season-opener, mostly due to goaltender John Muse’s clutch performance and 35 saves, York recognized that those mistakes won’t go unnoticed against a more talented team like Denver.

“What concerned us about the game was we gave up just as many good chances,” York said. “You

Forward Edvin Worley built the Eagles’ lead with two goals in nine minutes, giving them a 3-0 lead into halftime.

BC blows by Holy Cross after formation change Holy Cross, from A10

eight yards outside the net.

Worley now shares the team lead in goals despite playing four fewer games than the rest of his teammates. His five goals are tied with Rugg’s five for the top mark.

It was smooth sailing from there for the Eagles.

Their rivals from Worcester only registered one shot each half, testing goalkeeper Justin Luthy only once before backup Ayotunde Ogunbiyi came in.

“We played very well overall,” Kelly said. “Our backs were steady, and we were able to upset their rhythm with timely goals.”

But he also admitted that he was a little concerned about his team heading into the match, which had won only one in its last four.

“Midweek games are hard, a bit different than games on the weekends,” Kelly said. “[The team] can get up physically, but it’s difficult to get up mentally for them.”

After a slow start, the Eagles showed their coach he had nothing to worry about. The starters put on a defensive clinic, not allowing the Crusaders to register a shot until the 43rd minute. With the game in hand in the second half, Kelly gave some of the bench players extended playing time, including senior Dave Dale, who was able to create several scoring chances for BC in the game’s final third.

Another senior, Myles Gerraty, was given his first start of the season and helped the Eagles notch their fourth clean sheet of the season.

It took a few different combinations, but BC eventually found one that worked. n

Greg Joyce is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

Denver presents team with early challenge Denver Preview, from A10

ALEX TRAUTWIG / heights editor

thousands of crazy basketball fans who fill Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium?

You want to be like one of the thousands of students who fill the swamp at Florida every Saturday in the fall? Well this is the closest we’re ever going to get to anything like that, and in my own personal opinion, I think what we could have at Conte for every hockey game this season could be better than both of those places.

Just give it a chance.

can point to the fact that we could have had five on [Northeastern goaltender Chris] Rawlings, but they had a lot of good chances, too, and they missed opportunities. Even though it looked like a good defensive battle, we looked too loose defensively. If we do that against Denver, they’re going to capitalize, so we need to be tighter on defense.”

Improving the back line will be a major focus in practice this week, York said, and will be crucial for BC’s success in Denver this weekend. Even though York and his team aren’t forgetting what happened against the Pioneers last season, they are focused on returning with a better sense of how they stack up against the upper echelon of the national scene.

“We will find out where our strengths are and where our weaknesses are,” York said. “Sunday morning, we will come back on the plane and look at our club and say, ‘Here’s where we need improvement, here’s where we feel comfortable on defense and on our line combinations.’

“When you schedule strong opponents, you will be pushed and tested. It will all be good for us.” n

SPORTS THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, October 14, 2010

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2010

Formation change provides necessary push

BY TIM JABLONSKI For The Heights

Twenty-five minutes into Tuesday afternoon’s match against Holy Cross, the Boston College men’s soccer Boston College 3 team was in a rut.

0 Holy Cross Despite outshooting their opponent, 4-0, the Eagles had no goals to show for it. That’s when head coach Ed Kelly decided to make a change, switching from the 3-4-3 formation into the 4-4-2, allowing the midfielders more freedom to attack and feed the two forwards, thanks to the extra man on the back line.

Twelve minutes and three goals later, the Eagles (6-2-3) had all the goals they would need against the Crusaders (3-7-2) to earn their fifth non-conference win of the year.

“The 4-4-2 works better with the system we run,” Kelly said after the game. “We scored right away with it. We sacrifice a little in the center of the field, but we had enough there to force them to defend two up front.”

The two up front were forwards Edvin Worley and Charlie Rugg, who were the only scorers of the contest. Rugg got things started in the 27th minute, striking from 17 yards out off a quick pass from Worley.

Rugg, who said he prefers playing outside in the 3-4-3, said that the Eagles’ best formation really varies from game to game.

“It depends on what team we’re playing, really,” Rugg said. “BU played with three in the back, so it was easy with three guys up there to score.”

On Tuesday at the Newton Soccer Complex, Holy Cross kept four defenders back,

and continually slid back a few midfielders to help stop an offense that is averaging nearly three goals a game.

Even with the extra help, the Crusaders defense couldn’t contain BC’s strikers. Just over two minutes after Rugg’s goal, the Eagles broke out in a counterattack that culminated with a Worley one-timer. Off a nifty feed from midfielder Amit Aburmad, Worley drilled the pass into the back of the net.

“We’ve been telling [Worley] to run across the box more, working with him on crashing in,” Kelly said. “He had a very good day out there.”

Asserting himself in the box would pay off again for Worley in the 38th minute, when he headed home a Colin Murphy cross from

ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR

See Holy Cross, A9

Charlie Rugg (middle) opened the scoring spree in BC’s 3-0 win on Tuesday.

HANDS FULL

One last strand of hope

Seminoles will be toughest foe yet

BY DIANA C. NEARHOS Heights Senior Staff

MAEGAN O’ROURKE It’s hard to find anything positive to say about the Boston College football team right now.

Three consecutive losses? That hasn’t happened since 1998 – which coincidentally is also the last year BC didn’t make a bowl game. Thank God hockey season has started again.

We weren’t always disappointed in the team, though. Look at the last three games.

After the loss to Virginia Tech on Parents’ Weekend, most conceded that it could have been a fluke – just an off performance in the first ACC game of the season. Virginia Tech was probably going to win the ACC Coastal Division, anyway. There’s still the whole season remaining.

When quarterback Dave Shinskie was benched for Chase Rettig against Notre Dame, we held out hope for a turnaround. Things didn’t go according to plan, though, as the Eagles were embarrassed on national television against their biggest rival, and Rettig was sidelined with an ankle injury. But still, the Irish weren’t an ACC opponent, and wouldn’t affect our standing in the conference. The game was a big deal for the rivalry, but for not much else. We’ll get them next time.

Now, we must face reality. There are no more excuses. The “next” games are steadily running out. After a 44-17 thrashing at the hands of NC State, it’s obvious that this team is far from what we all expected at the start of the year.

Watching the game in person, the Eagles just seemed out of sync, especially on offense, and couldn’t catch a break against a talented Wolfpack team. There were the technical errors: three interceptions and the blocked punt for a touchdown. There were the mental mistakes: penalties for late hits and a roughing the kicker call that NC State used to its advantage for a first down. Finally, there was also just plain

The Boston College football team travels to Tallahassee this weekend for arguably its biggest defensive challenge yet: Christian Ponder and the Seminoles of Florida State.

This is the defense that allowed more than 30 completions in a game for the first time in three years last weekend. NC State’s Russell Wilson completed 38 of his 51 pass attempts for 328 yards and three touchdowns. BC’s defense was only responsible for 30 of NC State’s 44 points, but that was still more than the previous year’s 20 points allowed, and far more than the sputtering offense was able to score.

As good as NC State is on offense, Florida State may actually be better. The Seminoles have outscored their opponents, 220-94, this year, including an average of 36.6 points per game against ACC foes. The Eagles, on the other hand, have scored exactly 94 points in their first five games of the season.

In last week’s 45-17 romp of Miami, most of the Seminoles’ offense production occurred on the ground.

Ponder completed 12 of 21 passes for one interception, one touchdown, and 173 yards, but the tandem of Florida State backs, Chris Thompson and Jermaine Thomas, ran the ball 41 times for 298 yards and four touchdowns. “[The tailbacks] look really good,” said defensive end Alex Albright. “Their offensive line is just getting guys out of the gaps right away, and they are finding

See Hands Full, A8

Saturday, 12 p.m.

Live blog on bcheights.com/sports

See Strand of Hope, A8

ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Pioneers will test No. 1 Eagles Two-game set at No. 6 Denver stacks BC against nation’s best

BY ZACH WIELGUS Sports Editor

ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Captain Joe Whitney will look to lead the Eagles to at least one win in Denver.

I NSIDE SPORTS THIS ISSUE

Head coach Jerry York is still focusing more on how his team looks than how the other team does. But the 39-year coaching veteran knows it would be unwise to ignore what happened in Denver last year: a twogoal surge in the third period that stole Boston College’s momentum and doused its chances of flying home with a win.

“There are ebbs and flows to the game, but certainly, when we went out there last time, it was one of our low points of the season,” York said. “St. Lawrence beat us and Denver beat us, and we need to make sure that doesn’t happen again this year.”

What happened last year comprised the worst stretch for the Eagles, who lost three

Rettig to start Saturday

True freshman quarterback Chase Rettig is healthy enough to play at FSU.............A8

straight to St. Lawrence, Denver, and Boston University in early January. It was the only time BC lost three in a row last season.

Denver pulled the same comeback stint against fellow Hockey East member Vermont over the weekend. After falling into an early 2-0 hole, the No. 6 Pioneers fired off four unanswered goals to build a 4-2 lead halfway through the third period, and held on for a 5-3 win. They held on for a 1-1 tie the following night, putting their strong defense on display.

This year, the Eagles must not only create a lead but also hold on to it, which won’t come easy on back-to-back nights at a hostile Magness Arena. It also won’t be easy to do against a squad from the rarely-seen WCHA, a conference known for its physicality. York, however, said that Denver is one of

Give hockey the attention it deserves

With season tickets finally on sale, do the smart thing and buy hockey’s season package.................A9

the teams that is leading the trend of adding more speed without sacrificing the patented toughness.

“When we play these teams, we see a lot of similarities between Denver’s team and our club,” York said. “Last year we played them, and I thought they were quick and physical, and they had excellent special teams – and that was last year.”

The difference in 2010? The first-round upset at the hands of RIT still looms in the Pioneers’ minds. After entering the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 team and the chic pick to win the Frozen Four, Denver was stunned by the upstart Tigers. That is only serving as added motivation to be the best.

“They got upset in the first round of

See Denver Preview, A9

Editors’ Picks..............................A9 BC Notes.....................................A9

FOOD

GOAT CHEESE PASTA TRY THIS FLAVORFUL ITALIAN DISH PAGE B5

MUSIC

BCTUBE

RUNWAY NOTES

A LOOK AT ‘PROJECT RUNWAY’ THROUGH THE EYES OF A TUBE OUTSIDER PAGE B2

SUFJAN RETURNS

THE EXPERIMENTALIST COMES BACK WITH ‘AGE OF ADZ’ PAGE B4

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2010

O T E D I U G ’ S T H G I E H E TH

N O I H S A F FALL

TAKE A LOOK AT SEASON TRENDS AND HOW YOU CAN FOLLOW THEM WITH PIECES FROM YOUR OWN CLOSET

BY CARRIE MCMAHON PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN HOU

SEE ALL THE TRENDS INSIDE! B3

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Heights

B2

+Editor’s Corner

Standing ovation nation

arts events calendar, oct. 14 – 17

If you had cared to drive by the Agganis Arena at Boston University this past Monday, you would have noticed an inordinate Kristen House number of tweens, tiny children in ebullient tulle skirts, and a sizable 20-plus crowd with glowsticks. Indeed, it marked the annual return of the So You Think You Can Dance tour. This year included not only the season’s top seven contestants, but also the resident all-stars, and season six champion, Russell.

What’s so interesting about a bunch of scantily clad uber-humans with borderline circus-friendly flexibility? Well, I’ll tell you.

The show was well choreographed, technologically speaking, from the very beginning. The stage was lit with a gauzy backdrop of white lights, complemented by textured satin reams, and surrounded by three giant LCD screens. But there was one routine that caught my attention above all others. Halfway into the first act, during winner Lauren Frodermann and Billy Bell’s “Boogie Shoes” contemporary routine, the music cut out completely after the first 10 seconds. It was every dancer’s nightmare. How does one complete a synchronized dance performance without the music thrumming like a metronome throughout? I’ve been to Boston Ballet shows, two SYTYCD shows, and trillions of recitals. I’ve never seen the sound shut down midsong.

Billy and Lauren’s answer to the problem was to dance like the music never stopped (forgive me for sounding like an inspirational plaque from HomeGoods). This was the most incredible experience I’ve ever witnessed at a show. All I could hear was the squeaking of their dance shoes. They didn’t even flinch. The routine was flawless.

They smiled brightly and, when everything was over, looked incredibly proud to have persevered.

The crowd was lifted by the breath of the arts and entertainment gods to a rollicking standing ovation. I think I misted up.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the glory of the standing O. The audience’s most sincere way of saying, “Yeah, man you killed it, and you made me a better person for watching it.”

There is a special mood that comes with the most earnest of standing ovations. I’m not talking about the obligatory prolonged clapping for an artist to perform an encore. I’m talking about the unstoppable furor with which a group of people responds when they understand that they’ve witnessed something incredible. People go to a show with the hopes that it will succeed in a vague sense. But quirky numbers that have gone awry and then catapult back into the jaws of success thrill me.

Sometimes, a standing O is just a good, old-fashioned love fest. I remember standing at Kiss 108’s Jingleball in 2004, screaming the lyrics to Bowling for Soup’s “1985” at the top of my lungs in the Boston Garden in unison with 35,000 people. This overwhelming appreciation stunned even the lead singer.

I’ll always remember him saying, “I just peed my pants onstage.”

The crowd dynamic is incredibly integral to the recipe for a hearty ovation. If you’re around people that unenthusiastically glower as a show goes on around them, you’re doomed to forget. The event will be another mundane chapter catalogued next to tooth brushing, or waiting for a coffee at Hillside.

When the audience jives just so with the performance, and the performers reach a frequency that is so rarely displayed, these are the memories, live and in color, that will follow us into eternity. When I applaud among a throng of other people, I applaud the brilliance that I hope to see in myself. So what if this brilliance comes in a SYTYCD lightstick draped around my neck, stunned into silence, and surrounded by 10-year-old fans?

Kristen House is the Arts & Review editor for The Heights. She can be reached at houseka@bc.edu.

thursday

friday

An independent frame of mind

saturday

sunday

Blue Heron Choir St. Mary’s Chapel, 8 p.m.

Culture and fashion show Robsham Theater, 7 p.m.

Wind Ensemble Heights Room, 8 p.m.

CHile: 1810-2010 Burns Library, 9 a.m.

Irish Language Tradition Burns Library, 9 a.m.

Literary Lives McMullen Museum, 9 a.m.

irish language tradition Burns Library, 10 a.m.

Literary Lives McMullen Museum, 9 a.m.

Lady Antebellum Agganis Arena, 8 p.m.

Jimmy Eat World House of Blues, 8 p.m.

Deerhunter Royale, 8:30 a.m.

MayDay Parade Paradise Rock Club, 8 a.m.

The Hollow Sound The Middle East, 9 p.m.

Belle and Sebastian Wang Theatre, 9 a.m.

Lifehouse Orpheum Theatre, 8 a.m.

First Aid Kit Great Scott, 8 p.m.

videos on the verge

The long and short of musical talent online

Some songs are meant to be immortal, some voices eternalized, some eras preserved. Others, though, are best left in the shower, or a soundproof box. These videos are a little bit of each, the fantastic, the unbelievable, and the astonishing. The question is which one is which? Or, more importantly, are these descriptions a good or bad thing? Good music is that illusive combination of lyrics, sound, and emotion that is so subjective to individual criticism, but no one can argue with the uniqueness, if not talent, of these compositions.

—Charlotte Parish

photos courtesy of youtube.com

norwegian recycling - “miracles”

nick pitera: “i will always love you”

shane sings 5 octaves on piano

Mixing some of the greatest classics with new hits, Norwegian Recycling creates a seamless mash-up in one mega hit that should truly be considered a song in its own right. This video is addicting — listen to it once and you will hear it all day long and quickly forget that it is a composite piece. The most amazing aspect of this mash-up is the number of pieces they manage to tie together, both in sound and theme.

Whitney Houston may have lost some of her vocal talent, its spirit, however, has found more than one host. First there was Charice Pempengco, and now there is Nick Pitera. Yes, a boy can hit those shiver-inducing high notes in the same octave and with beautiful tone, as Whitney. That’s not to say they are equals – pure blasphemy – but it is eerie. Plus, his solo singing of the “A Whole New World” duet is oddly amazing.

And now, saving the worst for last, comes Shane – a man who can “sing” five octaves. Of course, you’re too busy plugging your ears to hear anything after the first two octaves. Believe him, though, he’s got the range. Though not quite as talented as Nick Pitera, this video is hilarious, especially when you watch his facial expression as the notes ascend. Can’t get enough?

Check out the auto-tuned version.

bc tube

Hanging ‘auot’ with ‘Project Runway’

photos courtesy of lifetime.com

Fashion juggernaut ‘Project Runway’ is currently in its seventh season on Lifetime, complete with Heidi, Nina, Michael and the gang.

As I write this column, I’m wearing a flannel shirt and jeans.

It’s a comfortable outfit, and I don’t think it looks too shabby. Sure, it might be wrinkled Darren Ranck (quickly becoming my signature), it might be out of season, and it might be too rustic, but I never claimed to know much about fashion. I really don’t know the first thing about fashion. My cheap tendencies lead me to stores like Old Navy, The Gap, and the glamorous Target. Boston College staples like J. Crew and Banana Republic are reserved for only the most special of occasions (i.e. a meeting with, say, Kristen Bell). Through the prodding of some good friends, I decided to get a little fashion education via Project Runway.

I was hesitant to watch it, but I did, and while I still think I just don’t know what makes for cutting edge fashion, I can say the show has educated me in some way. First of all, Lifetime channel or not, the show is pretty good.

It’s compelling, well thought out, the editors do a great job at shaping characters, and frankly, Heidi Klum is hot. The fashion aspect is a complete mystery, though. For their first challenge, the designers had to create

clothes made from things found in a grocery store. This means there were getups made of vegetation, plasticware, napkins, and so on. It all looked more like an elaborately planned picnic than a fashion show of dresses.

I thought to myself, “What girls at BC are wearing cut up and geometrically placed red plastic cups as lingerie?”

That may be the new thing. Again, I think I’m learning a lot.

It’s also helpful to get tips from the show’s judges, Klum, designer Michael Kors, and fashion editor Nina Garcia, about the ins and outs of fashion. For instance, Garcia loves to criticize outfits and dresses that are all one color.

“They seem too matchy-matchy,” she often says. “It shows a certain laziness.” I never made that connection before. I never realized that when I wear my blue shirt with the thin white stripes, blue jeans, and my blue Converse (I kid you not) that people think, “That guy is totally lazy.” Fashion truly does reflect the inner self, everyone. In the same episode, Kors takes a stand against tennis shoes, claiming, “Tennis shoes are for people who can’t take a minute to breathe.” I wear tennis shoes all the time! I guess I’m constantly on the go? I thought my matchy-matchiness already expressed my laziness, though. If my fashion sense is any indication, I’m a paradox and a mystery.

The designers, all geniuses in their own way, I suppose, also take a rather

extreme point of view when it comes to fashion. I get that high fashion is supposed to be a little ridiculous, but does it also have to come with a giant collar that looks ready to engulf your head?

While each designer has their own unique (and absurd) vision, I find myself most interested by that of resident villain Gretchen. She’s very earthy, all granola and peace pipes. Her dresses always have a very Southwestern feel, like some high fashion Native American chieftain. At least they don’t seem to have the model sewn into them like a Chinese finger trap. Her Type A personality and weighty confidence really push her over the edge, though. One time, as her dress was coming down the runway, she exclaimed, “Woah, look at the side slit action. Holla!” I love how it surprised her. Like, you made the dress. She won the particular challenge, though, so maybe I should echo her confidence to get my fashion noticed. “Woah, look at the jean rip action. Holla!”

It’s been an intriguing ride with Heidi Klum into the fashion underbelly. I’m curious to see who wins the season and what allegedly fashion forward outfits get sent down the runway.

For the occasion, maybe I will pull out my best J. Crew button down.

Darren Ranck is a Heights editor. He welcomes comments at ranckd@bc.edu.

Secret of screeners

One of the most exciting yet underutilized ways to see a movie is the preview screening, probably because it can be Brennan Carley a confusing and difficult process to come across a ticket. These events can be small (a simple screening of the movie) or quite massive (with prizes and sometimes even with the cast present).

One of Hollywood’s greatest gifts to the average man is the free screening. I have to admit, I have a definite New York City bias when it comes to culture. In retrospect, it’s a bit closeminded of me, but to be fair, I’ve had some once-in-a-lifetime movie experiences there. In July 2009, I got my hands on tickets to an advanced screening of Bruno, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, courtesy of MySpace’s Black Curtain screenings. At my Brooklyn screening of the movie, I was delighted when Baron Cohen came prancing out in character and took questions from the audience.

Just this past May, Black Curtain put on a preview of Get Him to the Greek that featured a question-and-answer period with entertainment journalist Ben Lyons, director Nicholas Stoller, and lead actors Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. The stars were funny, charming, and informative.

Their presence greatly enhanced the general movie-watching experience.

Boston actually has a surprisingly thriving independent movie scene.

Several months into my freshman year, I stumbled across gems like the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Kendall Square Cinema. While combing the Landmark’s Web site last fall, I came upon a very tiny blurb about a rapidly approaching screening of the movie adaptation of David Foster Wallace’s Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, directed

by John Krasinski of The Office fame.

While it wasn’t free, what most caught my eye was the added bonus of a Krasinski intro and Q&A session to accompany the screening. He shed light on the movie making process, answered questions about both the film and, yes, The Office, and was a genuinely affable host.

Just over the past few months, Boston has played host to several bigname, free previews. September saw a Boston Film Festival free screening of Conviction with star Sam Rockwell.

One of the best new programs this year is Boston’s Independent Film Festival’s screening series. The IFF, usually held in April, has decided to treat moviegoers to a boatload of free and exciting movies, including this past weekend, when Danny Boyle (director of Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire) visited the Regal Fenway Theater to show his upcoming 127 Hours starring James Franco. Several weeks ago, moviegoers had the opportunity to check out the movie It’s Kind of a Funny Story with directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, both of whom also wrote and directed the Oscarnominated Half-Nelson in 2006.

Now comes the important part.

“But,” you might say, “how do I get into these free screenings?” This is a difficult question to answer, because screenings pop up in the most random places online. The “hub,” if you will, is a Web site called Gofobo, but the necessity of a dreaded “RSVP Code,” which can only be obtained from partners, can serve as a major hassle.

We’re college students, we don’t (or shouldn’t, at least) have the time to go trolling for codes. Thankfully, other organizations do the work for us. Local radio stations like WFNX occasionally mention codes on air or via their Twitter. Nearly every week, The Boston Phoenix features codes hidden in the nether regions of the paper. Google “Advance Screenings,” the best resource when it comes to looking for previews, as the Web site (and Twitter) scours the Web to find every possible movie screening around. I’d also highly recommend looking up Black Curtain Screenings.

Every several months, they roll out a nationwide preview screening of bigname movies, most recently The Social Network and Jackass 3D. I can only assume that if you’re reading this column, you like movies, and most likely you’re a college student, so the word free always perks your ears upright. Check out a free screening. There’s really no telling who might show up.

Brennan Carley is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at review@bcheights.com.

FALL FASHION

B3

THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, October 14, 2010

WITH EVERY CHANGE IN THE SEASON, the question of what to wear inevitably comes to mind. Trends start to develop and styles begin to change, which can make anyone feel like it’s time to hit the stores, and fast. Yet, it is important to remember that you can still look fashionably relevant by reworking your current wardrobe and adding just a few new, key pieces. This season, a variety of trends, encompassing everything from jeans to outerwear to how to wear your basic tank top, have popped up. To demonstrate these updates, we’ve teamed up with National Jean Company for the latest looks, brands, and styles.

Additionally, we’ve incorporated items we all already own, showing that even though trends change, a complete wardrobe overhaul isn’t always necessary.

—CARRIE MCMAHON

THE STATEMENT JACKET

A statement jacket can transform any look. What could be considered a simple outfit morphs into an undoubtedly fashion-forward one with the addition of a stunning jacket, like the luxurious brown leather jacket, complete with shearling details on the collar, worn by Najee. Not only is it amazingly warm, but completely trendy as well. In only the past few weeks, shearling has begun to creep into the details of outfits worn by some of the most influential players in the fashion game. To really let your jacket take center stage, try pairing the new piece with basics you probably already own. Here, Najee pairs his with a pair of great dark-wash jeans by Paige and a fitted thermal.

ON NAJEE Jeans, $185, Paige Thermal, $34, Next Level Jacket, $695, Seven for All Mankind KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

DON’T SWEAT IT, USE A SWEATER BLONDE BOMB

Jeans are a staple in anyone’s closet. No matter what else is going on in an outfit, jeans can make or break any look. Skinny jeans have been taking over for the last few years, but now it is time to break out of that shell and explore other possibilities. The new flared jeans, which fit like a skinny until the knee and then widen out, look so much fresher, and lend a ’70s feeling to any look, which is a definite plus right now. The Roxy jeans pictured are a prime example of this. Although there aren’t too many rules when it comes to flared jeans, adding your favorite leather jacket can make this look go from hippie to hardcore. Consider piling on mixed metal jewelry, like the Leslie Danzis necklace here, to complete the look.

ON MARYKATE Jeans, $168, Roxy Tank, $78, Apriori Jacket, $400, Muubaa Necklace, $80, Leslie Danzis

KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

As every day becomes chillier than the last, it is time to consider the sweater options that are available. Opposed to a standby hoodie, cardigans can give off a put-together vibe for any guy donning them. This one, shown by Najee, is thick, noticeably cozy, and outfitted with details such a double zipper. To give this basic look a spin, Najee tucked the Hudson jeans into his own boots, which are rugged-looking lace ups. For most women, a cardigan is already a wardrobe staple, but it still could use some updates for winter. Try slightly tucking in your shirt underneath the sweater for a more-polished look, one that has been being emphasized in numerous collections this fashion season. Also, knee-high boots keep your top half from stealing all the spotlight beyond the drivel of many romantic comedies.

ON NAJEE Jeans, $231, Hudson T-shirt, $44, The Same Guy Jacket, $98, Martin Gordon

ON SHANNON Transforming the basic cardigan look with a tucked in tee and knee-high boots

KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

MILITARY SERVICE

Military pieces have been in style for the past couple seasons, but the look continues to be reinvented as different army-inspired items hit the stores. This season, a pair of cargo pants is the key piece to toughening up looks and giving an outfit the military edge. The cargos of 2010 are not the baggy army fatigues that tend to spring to mind, though. They are fitted, skinny, and covered with zippers and pockets, like those demonstrated on Marykate here. Although cargos might be the choice military update for winter, you can update your look by choosing any other military piece, such as a military jacket like the one worn

by Casha, which has been in stores for several seasons. Casha pairs hers with heeled leather boots to give the look an extra touch of tough.

ON MARYKATE Jeans, $231, J. Brand Shirt, $184, Equipment Earrings, $32, Yochi Designs Bracelet, $65, Leila Bracelet, $52, House of Harlow Bracelet, $55, Vita

ON CASHA Keeping up with the military trend using army-inspired pieces, such as the jacket pictured

KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

B4

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Heights

+Fashion and Food Chronicles of Campus Fashion

Students against sweats

H

As I woke up on Tuesday morning, stressed and in a bit of a tizzy without any pictures for this column, I hit the sidewalks bright and early before my first class, hoping for the best

Jillian sports the femme-military looks with lace up leather boots, studded sweater, and cargos.

By Kailey kramer | For The Heights

alf of the semester seems to have flown by as midterms are upon us all. For most, midterms mean hours of cramming and days turned to nights spent at their library of choice. Therefore, it’s easy to see how wardrobe scales shift in favor of sweats and sometimes even pajamas (yikes). Despite being that time of year again, it appears sweatpant fever is arriving late (fashionably or unfashionably – you decide). I’m not exactly mourning its absence.

while preparing for the worst. To my stress level’s delight, I found three of the loveliest and sartorially pleasing students in less than an hour! If these students don’t inspire and motivate you to stay away from the jersey knits, then just do it for me and make my job as easy as it was on Tuesday!

I bumped into my co-worker LaDante McMillen, A&S ’12, outside of O’Neill minutes after I stepped on the “Campanella-vator” on my journey to Mac. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about LanDante since I met him at the beginning of the summer, it’s that he knows how to throw together an outfit. One thing I’ve always admired about his style is his understanding of how to accessorize.

Whether it’s a cool watch or green socks to match his oxford shirt, his looks are always perfectly polished.

The outfit he wears in this photo remains consistent with the standard he sets for himself. Here, LaDante wears a King Stampede jacket with Converse jeans and Reebok sneakers. Although the makings of this outfit alone are fantastic, the accessories take it to the next level. The lime green watch adds a pop of color while the headphones slung on the neck are more functional than anything, but definitely score points for aesthetics. My favorite piece of this outfit is the vintage

Boston College snapback hat (an eBay find). If anyone can combine school spirit and style, it’s LaDante.

I may have lied earlier when I implied I only photographed “current”

Riannon makes the blends contrasting trends for a look all her own.

dorm-cooked goat cheese & wine pasta

Diana C. Nearhos / heights senior staff

By Diana C. Nearhos

and becomes more translucent, add the garlic. Make sure to put the onion in first, otherwise you will burn the garlic. After the garlic browns slightly, add in Goat cheese pasta with a white wine reduction wine. Turn the heat down and let it simmer while sounds like something you might order in a restau- you continue cooking. rant. You can only eat penne with Prego so many Sometimes, if the circumstances are just right, the nights before you want something a little bit classier. wine will flame up a bit, but it will die down quickly. It Try dressing up your pasta without too much addi- also might create a lot of steam, but again, it will die tional effort with a white wine sauce, some protein, down quickly, just turn the fan above the stove on. and goat cheese for a tangy touch.

While you are cooking the sauce, you want to Before you stop reading, I promise this will not start the chicken and asparagus. You could prepare actually be as hard as it might sound. The sauce only them ahead of time, but it is freshest when you do it takes as much time to make as the pasta takes to all at the same time. I like to grill both the chicken cook, if not less. And all you need is some olive oil, and the asparagus, and if you have a George Foreman white wine, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. For those grill you can easily set that up on the counter next under the magical age of 21, cooking wine will come to your stove. If not, you can saute the chicken and pretty close to the same flavor and can be found at asparagus almost as easily. any grocery store.

Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and olives roughly This recipe can also be done with red wine. This and add them to the sauce to heat and soften them. I will have a slightly stronger flavor than the white like to quarter the olives lengthwise because it looks wine. Disclaimer: Red wine reduction and goat more appealing than if you chop them horizontally. cheese combine to a somewhat off-putting gray color, You might not care, but it is always nice when your but it will taste very good. food looks as good as it tastes. Leave the sauce, with The single ingredient that stands out the most in the tomatoes and olives, simmering on the stove this recipe is the goat cheese. I was never a huge fan while you finish the other components. of goat cheese in the past. I would push it to the side When the pasta is cooked, drain it and put it of my salads and scrape it off my sandwiches. That in a large bowl. Cut the cooked chicken into just is, until I tried this recipe. The taste is subtler once it under bite-sized pieces – that way you can fit more melts on the hot pasta and combines with the sauce. on your fork. The asparagus works best in about 1It simply makes the sauce a little bit tangy. On the inch spears. Mix the chicken, asparagus, and pasta other hand, if you like goat cheese, you can add more together. and the taste inevitably becomes stronger.

Pour the sauce over the top of the pasta. ImmediThe rest of the ingredients can be used or not, ately, add the goat cheese and stir it into the pasta. depending on what you like. I add in some grilled The sauce will be very hot and the pasta clearly still chicken, grilled asparagus, olives, and sun-dried warm, which will melt the cheese, making it a more tomatoes, but you can choose your favorites. subtle taste coating the whole dish.

Start off the process putting the water on the The more immediately and the more you stir the stove, as with any other pasta recipe. You want to use cheese in, the more it will melt. If you are not sure a stocky pasta with this, something like orrechette how much you like goat cheese, mix it in well, ensuror campanelle is best, but farfalle will also work. The ing that it is completely melted. If you really like goat texture of a bigger pasta with an irregular shape will cheese, though, leave it a bit so there are unmelted hold the sauce and cheese better. pieces throughout the dish.

While the water is coming to a This dish may seem complicated boil, begin the sauce. Mince garlic, because it has a bunch of ingredients or, if you prefer, you can buy it already Want to make Diana’s and a fancy name. But it really is easier minced, and chop up the onion. You pasta dish yourself? than it seems. You can always cook want the garlic as small as you can Check out it with a few friends, with someone get it, but the onion can be in slightly www.bcheights.com/ preparing the chicken and asparagus larger pieces. arts for the specific while someone else chops up the inStart the sauce with olive oil in a recipes featured gredients for the sauce. However you small pot. Warm the oil a bit and then in this week’s decide to do it, this recipe is worth a add the onion. Once the onion softens Recipe of the Week. little extra effort. Enjoy!

Heights Senior Staff

students, considering Jillian Buckelew is a prospective student hailing from Brielle, Kailey kramer / for the heights N.J. Probably confused as to LaDante looking casually cool with a Boston College why I approached her to be vintage snapback hat he found on eBay. in the newspaper of a school that she does not attend, Jillian was still more than happy to let As the rest of her outfit revealed itself to me, I had to stop her. I absolutely me snap a quick photo. Her Charles love the bow, but my favorite part of David lace-up leather boots caught my eye immediately – a stellar pairing her outfit was the Sergeant Pepper’s inspired jacket. Initially I mistook it with her cargos (Joe’s, I presume).

In addition, her Banana Republic for vintage, but later discovered she bought it at Harvey Nichols back in military-eqsue sweater had killer stud the U.K. Also, I love how she comdetailing on the shoulders and looked cozier than cozy. She polished her bined a variety of contrasting textures, patterns, and trends. From denim, the outfit by adding final touches like a chain leather bag, intelligence, a love military coat and leather boots, to her floral, vintage scarf and girly bow, for community service, an undying passion for varsity sports, fervent par- this outfit is un-cohesive in the most ticipation in an eclectic mix of clubs, perfect way. There’s nothing matchymatchy about this, which makes it all killer ACT scores, and a 4.0 GPA (ahem, admissions committee). the more interesting.

So keep taking your daily dosage As much as I want to contest it, for of daily street style blogs or whatever the most part, it’s true: Foreign exinspires you, and keep the frump flu change students do it better. Riannon away. Remember: Only bananas can Jones-Spencer, of the United Kingpull off public pajama wearing. So dom, proved the tenet true yet again save the PJ’s for sweet dreams and get while walking through the used-to-be snug in the sweater weather while it Dustbowl. As I strolled along the only lasts! walkway to Carney, comparable to a two-lane freeway whose other four lanes seem perpetually under conKailey Kramer is a Heights contributor. struction, I noticed her checkered bow She can be reached for comment at arts@ sticking out of the human traffic jam. bcheights.com.

THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, October 14, 2010

B5

NEW RELEASES

+Music & notes

Sample masters lace a tight debut

BY ROBERT ANDWOOD

A For The Heights

little over a year ago, two teenagers from Philadelphia who call themselves Chiddy Bang remixed indiefavorite MGMT’s “Kids” to create a ridiculously catchy hip-hop song called “Opposite of Adults.” Now, the duo is on the cusp of success with its first full album due out in early 2011. But first, there’s The Preview, a Chiddy Bang primer designed to introduce the group’s sound to new fans, as well as to remind old listeners why they first paid attention. Chidera Anamege and Xaphoon Jones may be young, but they show remarkable musical ability, blending Xaphoon’s infectiously complex electro-pop beats and samples with Chiddy’s lyrics, which show improvement over his work on the duo’s first two mix tapes. On The Preview, Chiddy Bang shows that it is not just a one-hit wonder, and will remain a force to be reckoned with among the hip-hop community.

Of the eight tracks on The Preview, three are holdover highlights from The Swelly Express, the twosome’s debut mix tape. The standout is still “Opposite of Adults,” an instant classic if only for its innovative use of a popular song. However, Chiddy Bang does more than just rely on established crowdpleasers to try to sell this EP. “Old Ways,” one of the five new tracks, is the best song the group has created since “Opposite of Adults” and almost surpasses it, featuring a stuttering piano and huge drums under some of the best lyrics Chiddy has ever written. However, there are some warning signs, especially on “The Good Life” and “Here We Go,” that the duo may

KINGS OF LEON COME AROUND SUNDOWN

THE PREVIEW CHIDDY BANG

SHAKIRA SALE EL SOL

PRODUCED BY 101 DISTRIBUTION RELEASED OCT. 12, 2010 OUR RATING 8/10

CHART TOPPERS SINGLES PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM AND COLLEGEMAGAZINE.COM

Chidera Anamege (left) and Noah Beresin, two teens from Philadelphia, have strutted onto the alternative rap scene with a blend of sampling and organic instrumentation. be headed in the club-pop direction.

“Here We Go” is easily the worst song on The Preview, suffering from overproduction and annoying repetition.

Chiddy Bang would be much better off sticking to songs like “Old Ways,” on which it performs best.

The alternative rap scene is currently a crowded mess of overused samples and Kanye West imitators.

Chiddy Bang is able to distinguish itself from the masses mainly because of the production capabilities of Xaphoon Jones, who crafts Europeaninfluenced electro-pop and shows good decision making when it comes to sampling. As opposed to the mix tapes, The Preview is not so sample-heavy, and Xaphoon shows that he is able to concoct good beats without relying on gimmicky samples. The addition of

real instruments like guitars and piano on a few tracks is definitely a welcome break from the synthesizers. However, Chiddy Bang would fade easily if not for the improved vocals of Chidera. His rhymes, though always witty, were a bit forced and immature on early tracks like “Opposite of Adults.” By adding a layer of self-consciousness to his confidence, he emerges as a much better lyricist on the new tracks.

There are a few themes that emerge in The Preview, most notably an antieducation theme that seems too derivative of Kanye West’s early albums.

However, the duo also establishes its wariness of success, which separates the artists from most emerging rappers who are desperately trying to claw to the top: “And do they really love us / Or is this just a fling?” This

concept is what really differentiates the new songs from the old, and shows that Chiddy Bang is comfortable with evolving musically.

Chiddy Bang is releasing The Preview in lieu of its first full album, which has been pushed back to a release date in early 2011. If the stand-in tracks are this good, then the duo must have some truly amazing songs for its LP. The most notable aspect of The Preview is the group’s musical evolution. Chiddy Bang could have just stuck to their guns and sampled a few wildly popular indie rock songs, but they show that they are interested in trying out new musical ideas. If they continue to do so, Chiddy Bang could rise to the top of the hip-hop world in as short of a time as it took the duo to get noticed.

1 Just the Way You Are Bruno Mars 2 Like a G6 Fear*East Movement 3 Teenage Dream Katy Perry 4 Just a Dream Nelly 5 DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love Usher feat. Pitbull COLLEGE ALBUMS

1 Teen Dream Beach House 2 Transference Spoon 3 One Life Stand Hot Chip 4 Contra Vampire Weekend 5 ODD BLOOD Yeasayer Source: Billboard.com & CMJ.com

Sufjan Stevens returns with brave new sound

BY DAN OTTAUNICK Heights Editor

Sufjan Stevens has had a rough five years. After releasing the widely successful Illinois, Stevens opened up to the world and spoke of his dreams and ambitions, declaring his idea for the 50 States Project, which would have seen him creating a folk album celebrating each state. This highly ambitious project was met with confusion and laughter, with many doubting Stevens’ ability to achieve THE AGE OF ADZ SUFJAN STEVENS PRODUCED BY ASTHMATIC KITTY RELEASED OCT. 12 OUR RATING 9/10 such a lofty goal. In time, Stevens came to doubt himself, becoming depressed and retreating from the public, having lost his ambition and his creative spark, with many speculating that he would no longer be making music. After five years of no significant releases, Stevens has returned to the musical forefront with his new LP, The Age of Adz. In many ways, this album completely disregards all of Stevens’ previous LPs, with his voice and his trademark horns among the only continuities be-

tween Adz and Illinois. Adz proves that Stevens has overcome the melancholy of realizing the impossibility of his goal. “I don’t really have as much faith in my work as I used to, but I think that’s healthy,” Stevens said. “I think it’s allowed me to be less precious about how I work and write.”

His new work is marked not by romanticism and aloof beauty, but by the experience of having lived through the despairs of the world. The album begins with “Futile Devices,” a short track that introduces us to Stevens’ new style. His new sound is more electronic, filtered, and gritty. Stevens is no longer making whimsical folk songs, but mechanized pop tunes that still manage to capture warmth of emotion.

“I Walked,” one of the most intriguing and catchy songs on the album, features heavy echo and fade over an electronic hand clap beat with verses separated by a searing dark laser. “I should not be so lost, but I’ve got nothing left to love.”

This is a song about a failed love, and though the dark music asks us to share in the singer’s sympathy, we almost feel as though this song and the pain are things we could dance to. Like much of this album, we experience the same sort of emotional reconciliation Stevens has experienced throughout his five years of finding himself.

We see this sorrow in “Now That I’m Older.” “I wasn’t wise, I guess, somewhere I lost whatever else I had,” Stevens laments, looking back on his lost dreams. However, in “Impossible Soul,” the 25-minute track that concludes the album, Stevens sings of the joy of coming out on the other

PHOTO COURTESY OF DONNA LOU MORGAN

After a five-year hiatus, experimentalist Sufjan Stevens has released the equally euphoric and hopeful ‘Age of Adz.’ side of melancholy. “Boy, we can do much more together,” Stevens boasts, with a reassuring “It’s not so impossible” echoing in the background. Our shortcomings are depressing, but by capturing the emotion of melancholy and using it to churn our creative engines, Stevens asserts we can overcome the pains of failure and create new things carrying the knowledge gained from those experiences.

Though his progression is clear, Stevens’ change of style does not feel entirely unnatural. Yes, the overall mood of his work has changed, and the legends of folk heroes and cities have been replaced

with songs of love and emotion, but what we are left with is an album filled with new, revitalizing sounds. Though many songs on this album may initially seem cold and mechanical, Stevens’ voice breathes life and beauty into the sound, creating an almost incomparable musical experience. This is a unique and exciting album, significantly different from the work of other current artists. Stevens may have made stylistic changes, but the overall substance and character of his music is stronger than ever before, and The Age of Adz is as deserving of high acclaim as any other Sufjan Stevens album.

A FRAME OUT OF CARDBOARD

Why the perfect solo date is an evening at the ballet Be honest.

Tell me. What’s your idea of the perfect date?

The 25th of April? Seems like that is tough luck for the other 364 days of the year.

My idea of the KRISTIN CANFIELD perfect date came to fruition on Saturday night when I took myself to see the ballet Onegin at the Viennese State Opera House. One is not always the loneliest number.

You see, I came to a realization this week. As much as I would like to bring art to the people, so to speak, I don’t actually enjoy experiencing art with other people. Maybe it’s because I’ve found that there are few people on this earth that move through a museum at the pace I do. Or perhaps it’s because, no matter how excited I am that you’ve taken a semester of art history (as everyone should), I don’t lose my ability

to read upon entering a museum, and thus thoroughly do not enjoy being told what is printed on the information cards as though it’s breaking news. Leave me to make my own opinions before you force your own or your borrowed interpretations down my throat. After two years of college, I find that I am very resistant to forced interpretations. Just as I find that it really bugs me on a date when the other person talks only about himself. Which brings me back to why I think the ballet is the perfect date.

Oftentimes people tell me that they don’t particularly enjoy the ballet. Sure, they would go see The Nutcracker at Christmas, but that is it. As the ballet is my favorite of on stage productions, I have always struggled to understand this. Nevertheless, the number one complaint I hear about the ballet is that the stories are difficult to follow. This is actually one of my favorite things about the ballet, save perhaps the flawless extensions and of course, the men in tights. The ballet is quiet when it needs to be quiet and loud when it needs to be

KRISTIN CANFIELD / FOR THE HEIGHTS

loud. It has strong opinions of its own, but it doesn’t force them on you.

Take, for instance the ballet I saw on Saturday night: Onegin. The basic plot of the ballet is that a woman, Tatiana, who is scorned by the man, Onegin, she loves and later is forced to turn him down when he comes back begging for forgiveness. In case you are personally unfamiliar with this story, JoJo sings about a similar predicament in the song “Too Little, Too Late” on her second

album The High Road. In the ballet, the music is Tchaikovsky, interestingly not taken from the opera of the same name, but from his selected works, while the choreography is John Cranko. The story is from the Russian novel, Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. What a feast for the senses: the drama, the dancing, and the music. Not to mention the scenes that are occurring off stage.

There are so many layers of interpretation involved, and yet it is so easy to

digest. Even in Oklahoma, it takes a fool to think that ribs and corn on the cob make for a good first date. No matter how many times you may have successfully eaten these things before, it’s bound to be a mess. In other words, the great achievement of the ballet is that it achieves so much without ever having the appearance of trying too hard, leaving plenty of room for you to make your own interpretations. You can rarely fault the ballet for talking too much.

When it comes to my ventures into the high culture of Vienna, more than anything else I am searching for compatibility. Whether this means going alone so as to best enjoy the events or dragging others with me, but insisting they quiet down, I do not know. I do know, though, that the ballet will always be there: calm, cool, and collected. All I need is an open mind, and maybe a light jacket.

Kristin Canfield is a Heights contributor.

She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

THE HEIGHTS

B6

Only homicide warrants death

ON THE flip side

DAVID COTE

THE ISSUE:

The death penalty is legal in most US states. However, capital crimes vary greatly. Aggravated rape is a capital punishment in Florida, and aircraft hijacking merits the death penalty in Alabama. Most states though, only punish severe homicides with the death penalty. In Kennedy v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s death penalty, drawing a distinction between punishing homicides and non-homicides with the death penalty. Which crimes should be punishable by execution?

Crime severe, sentence just victims live with the consequences of their rape for the rest of their lives. In some cases, rape victims experience Imagine an infant. She has symptoms similar to those of chubby limbs, soft skin, maybe Post Traumatic Stress Disoreven a thin layer of hair on her der, and one study suggests 55 head. She knows nothing about the world and is completely de- percent of victims suffer lasting effects including depression pendent on the care of others. and social and sexual dysfuncIt is hard to think of a more intion. nocent creature. Now imagine Some argue that having the someone raping this child. It death penalty as an option is unthinkable. Who could do for child rape will make it less something so vile?

As it turns out, there are far likely that the victims will come too many of these monsters living forward, since family members in our society, like former U.S. perpetrate most of these heiArmy Major Daniel Woolverton, nous acts. This is a legitimate who was sentenced to 27 years in concern, but even those who prison for raping a three-month- support the death penalty as an old boy and for possession of option in these cases believe it should only be used in the most child pornography. egregious cases. Opponents Then there is Keith Samuel also argue that since child rape Cook, convicted of raping his is such an emotional issue, a girlfriend’s six-week-old jury will not be able to fairly daughter. Or there is Michael impose such a sentence.

Frederick Smith, who commitBut an examination of ted a similar crime against a capital murder cases also nine month old. And the list finds them laden with emogoes on and on.

According to the Supreme tion. Douglas Berman and Court case Coker v. Georgia, “Al- Stephanos Bibas, both unithough it may be accompanied by versity law school professors, another crime, rape by definition write, “…capital sentencing law does not include the death of or and practice is suffused with emotion. Deeven the serious scriptively, the injury to anothYet the fact that death decision er person,” and the harm a rape is an emotional therefore should decision through not be a capital victim endures is and through.” crime. Lest one argue that in the unquantifiable makes They cite studies showing that case of child rape the crime worthy significant there are often of the most severe apredictor of a serious injuries, punishment. death sentence Kennedy v. Louiis whether the siana rules out the death penalty in instances killer shows remorse or, and “where the victim’s life was not note that juries also take into account whether the murder taken.” was “heinous, atrocious, or The Supreme Court argues cruel,” which are all highly that rape is not punishable by emotional terms. death because the harm to the Far from disavowing the role victim “cannot be quantified in emotion plays in verdicts, the the same way as death of the professors embrace it, sayvictim.” This is undoubtedly true, for nothing can be done to ing, “Punishment channels fix a life that is lost. All modern retributive anger, limiting it to proportional payback and philosophers acknowledged tempering it with neutral adjuthat man’s self preservation is his highest priority. Yet the fact dicators and punishers. If one squelches the impulse rather that the harm a rape victim enthan channeling it, people may dures is unquantifiable makes take the law into their own the crime worthy of the most hands.” One only has to look severe punishment.

The notion that rape victims at the way child molesters are treated in prison to know that do not suffer “serious injury” is this is true. false. Children who are victims One could also argue that of rape often require immedirape poses a problem in that ate medical attention. Beyond sometimes those on trial are physical injuries, the emotional falsely accused. As with any toll of rape is immense. Rape

JANINE HANRAHAN

Thursday, October 14, 2010

death penalty case, those that would involve rape should demand a high evidentiary threshold in order to avoid sentencing the innocent. Juries and judges can make errors, but that is a risk taken in any capital trial. Furthermore, the execution for child rape is permitted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so it is not unprecedented (a fact the Supreme Court blatantly ignored in its ruling in Kennedy).

Although lives are not always taken in cases of child rape, the lives of the victims will never be the same. One could say that very young infants will not know the trauma they experienced, but the family will always remember. For older children, they may not understand exactly what was done to them, but they often blame themselves and feel immense guilt. Yet the Supreme Court states that because we cannot understand the degree of their pain, we must let their abusers continue to live out their days. A crime that takes a lifelong toll on its victims is one that is most worthy of capital punishment.

Janine Hanrahan is a guest columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at marketplace@ bcheights.com

The death penalty is a muchdebated punishment, constantly being opposed and promoted various in different areas of the country. In the South, capital punishment receives general support, while, in the North (especially the Northeast), it receives much less support and is thus relatively limited. Depending on the region, capital offenses vary greatly. Applications of the death penalty in America span a wide range of crimes, from offenses as common as kidnapping all the way up to mass murder and serial killing. Homicide is a capital offense in many states and truly the only crime that deserves such a severe punishment.

In order to organize the various applications into a cohesive policy, as well as ensure justice for its citizens, it is necessary for the United States to enact a policy that allows the application of the death penalty only as punishment for homicides.

Many applications of the death penalty are relics of an ancient and less civilized history. Especially in the South, many capital offenses date back to the days of the Confederacy and slavery, and even earlier.

Like many laws, these capital offenses are out of date and need to be updated to better fit today’s American society. No longer should kidnapping merit death in Georgia, nor espionage at the federal level. Homicide is truly the only case in which the death penalty should be applied.

As the U.S. Supreme Court wrote in the 2008 case Kennedy v. Louisiana, “there is a distinction between intentional firstdegree murder on the one hand and nonhomicide crimes against individual persons.”

Homicide, the killing of one cohesive policy, the U.S. can enindividual by another, is truly sure equal justice for its citizens the only crime that merits the in all states. death penalty. While aircraft hiPerhaps the best argument jacking and drug trafficking are for applying the death penalty serious crimes, they are crimes only to homicides is the inherent that are better punished in other injustice of punishing a crime ways. less than death with death itself.

There are circumstances in While it would be remiss to unwhich such derestimate the It is unjust, even criminals can seriousness of be rehabilitated unconstitutional, for crimes such as and thus not rape or treason, a nation founded on perhaps it is merit death.

In serious homore just to let freedom, equality, micide cases, such criminals h oweve r, t h e and justice to unfairly rot in their chances of the punish non-homicidal cells with a life criminal being rather criminals with death. sentence truly rehabilithan deliver tated are slim swift justice in to none. It is only in these cases the form of death. Would it be of serious capital offenses with fair to kill a criminal who has no hope of rehabilitation where never killed? capital punishment should be While capital punishment applied. proponents argue that there are Homicide, in and of itself, is other crimes that deserve capia crime of varying degrees. The tal punishment, such as treason death penalty should only be and rape, the death penalty applied to cases of homicide in should only be applied to homiwhich the criminals are deemed cidal criminals. Though many truly deserving of a punishment crimes may be nearly as heinous as serious as death. Mass muras murder, they don’t merit the der, serial killing, and genocide severity of punishment that is are homicidal crimes that most dealt through the death penalty. juries would decide deserve the According to the Eighth Amenddeath penalty. On the other ment to the U.S. Constitution, hand, there are cases of homicitizens are protected from cide that would not merit such a “cruel and unusual punishment.” penalty, such as manslaughter. It Such non-homicidal applicais important for the judicial systions of capital punishment have tem to draw a line that applies been declared by numerous state across the board in all states. legislatures as unconstitutional One of the most unjust ideas under the Eighth Amendment. behind the death penalty today The Kennedy v. Louisiana is the lack of continuity across Supreme Court case of 2008 states. While in some areas represents an effort by the Suof the country rape could be preme Court to form more a coconsidered a capital offense and hesive capital punishment policy thus warrant the death penalty, in our country. Now it is even in others it is not considered so. more important for the judicial This represents a failure of true system to continue that trend justice. How is it fair that in one and solidify capital punishment state a person could deserve the to apply only to homicide cases. death penalty and in another It is unjust, even unconstituonly imprisonment? In short, it tional, for a nation founded on is not fair. While in situations of freedom, equality, and justice to smaller crimes such as littering unfairly punish non-homicidal or loitering these inconsistencriminals with death. cies seem permissible, when David Cote is a staffer for The the crime is a matter of life and Heights. He welcomes comments death, they are certainly not. By at marketplace@bcheights.com forming the death penalty into a

KIICHIRO SATO / AP PHOTO

The recent Supreme Court decision of Kennedy v. Louisiana has stimulated debate as to whether captial punishment is applicable to non-homicidal crimes.

INTERNATIONAL INSIGHTS

IMF meeting concludes in disappointment, disagreement BINH NGUYEN As most colleges and high schools in the United States celebrated Columbus Day this past weekend, the world’s financial leaders converged in Washington on Saturday for the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Though the financial experts came into the meeting hoping they could contain an escalating currency dispute that has jeopardized global cooperation on economic recovery, the result was disappointment. In October 2008, a looming financial crisis galvanized cooperation. Two years later, with the fear dissipated, policymakers found themselves in sharp disagreement with one another.

The meeting was marked by the growing tension between the richest countries and emerging-market economies as they try to play the “passing the blame” game. Neither side wanted to bear the weight of the global recovery. China charged the U.S. with allowing

ultra-loose monetary policy to flood the emerging world with money, therefore destabilizing these weaker economies. On the other hand, the U.S. asserted that the IMF should redirect its focus on exchange rates and the reserve accumulation of China.

If we ignore the political rhetoric, we see that both sides are responsible for the current economic state. Both creditor and debtor nations need to adjust their policies according to the world’s economic imbalances. Imbalances in the global economy were at the root of the financial crisis in 2007, because the surpluses from countries running trade deficits, most noticeably China, had to find a home. They were accommodated by the West’s financial markets, which used the hot money to fund asset-price booms, accumulating a range of secret investment vehicles in the process. Debtor nations need to export more and import less, and creditor nations need to boost domestic demand in order to absorb the exports from the debtor nations.

I blame America for not taking the initiative to prevent the imbalances in the beginning.

For years, the country has been able to put off the consequences of running a large trade

deficit by printing more dollars.

You can get away with this method if you are the world’s premier reserve currency, but there is a price. The imbalances grew bigger and bigger until it busted, just like the global economy in 2008.

Now it is impossible to regain the balance, because the big creditor nations, such as China and Germany, do not want to deflate their economies

to decrease their trade surpluses. What is more difficult is that surpluses have to be made up by deficits elsewhere.

In the U.S., either the private sector can run up debts or the government has to swallow big budget deficits. At the IMF annual meeting, China unsurprisingly refused to revalue the yuan despite pressure from Washington. The topic would be deferred until leaders of the

MANUEL BALCE CERETA / AP PHOTO

Chinese finance minister Zhou Xiaochuan speaks with IMF Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn before the IMF meeting Saturday in Washington.

G-20 group gather in Seoul, South Korea this November. At the same time, a revaluation of the yuan is not a magic potion for the U.S. economy because the U.S. manufacturing base is neither strong nor big enough to respond immediately to the boost provided by a shift in exchange rates.

As usual, Chinese officials deflected the currency criticism, saying that the large public debts of the richest countries and the loose policies of central banks were contributing to imbalances in the global economies. Beijing feared that a sudden shift in its economic model would cause economic and social alteration, which the power-holding Communist Party wants to avoid. However, China has consented in principle to take measures that would reduce its dependence on exports and spark consumer spending. Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of China’s central bank, said that appreciation of the yuan should only occur gradually. I highly doubt this diplomatic statement. Has not the talk between Tim Geithner and Chinese economic officials been going on for months?

Another topic of discussion at the meeting was the danger of a currency war in which

other nations weaken the value of their own currencies to be competitive with China on the world market. Despite this imminent threat, the language in the final statement of the IMF’s policy setting committee did not show any resolution.

The committee only pledged to “work toward a more balanced pattern of global growth, recognizing the responsibilities of surpluses and deficit countries.” I respect the long hours of negotiation that were put into this meeting, but the world’s top financiers should realize language does not change things. Policies need to be adopted.

Christine Lagarde, the French finance minister, said that the monetary system would be a priority next year when her country hosts the G-20 talk. “I regard it as an extremely positive outcome of these past two days that we talked about it extensively,” she told The New York Times. Until next year, I hope the optimistic language will rebalance the global economy. Unfortunately though, words are not enough.

Binh Nguyen is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at marketplace@ bcheights.com.

THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, October 14, 2010

B7

Vote to decide the partition of Sudan Sudan, from B10

DANNY MARTINEZ

DAN OTTAUNICK

PAT GALLAGHER

HILARY CHASSE

Can Michelle Obama help the Democrats avoid midterm losses?

No, but they shouldn’t be as pessimistic as they are about the political situation.

Can she possibly be hipper than Mitch McConnell and John Boehner?

Why not? If Malia and Sasha get involved though, the Republicans will really need to watch out.

Unless they’re taking her style cues, most likely not.

But some J.Crew never hurts.

Did Carl Paladino’s antiGLBTQ comments doom his campaign?

They sure as hell didn’t help.

Polls say nearly all Tea Party members hate GLBTQ people. He’s rallying the troops!

He didn’t stand much of a chance to begin with, but yes, he’s finished.

Unfortunately he forgot about the large GLBTQ population in that city , you know, the big one.

Has the US Chamber of Commerce been receiving foreign funds, as the White House claims?

There is definitely something fishy. But this bad press for conservatives won’t change the midterms.

Just throw it on the China tab. They own half of our government anyway.

Yes, but it’s possible that organizations tied to the Democrats are receiving foreign funds as well.

Who is Obama to stop the time-honored tradition of buying elections?

Will the halt to an offshore drilling ban harm or help the Gulf Coast?

The real question is whether BP will deliver on its promise of long-term aid to the Gulf Coast.

I thought spilling 185 million gallons of oil into the ocean was good?

Long-term, offshore drilling will lead to the complete loss of the Mississippi Delta system.

When has off-shore drilling ever caused a problem?

Oh, that time ...

Marketplace Editor

Collections Manager

Asst. News Editor

Opinions Editor

Serbia hosts peaceful pro-GLBTQ parade

BY KARN KHUNGER Heights Staff

In 2001, Serbian citizens were still breaking free from the shackles of their previous leader, Slobodan Milosevic, whose controversial political rule had come to a close. Milosevic was put on trial for crimes against humanity and sent to the Hague for persecution. Five years later, he passed away in his jail cell and avoided punishment for his actions. Subsequent to his departure, Zoran Djindic was instituted as the new prime minister (another tragic Serbian political figure who was assassinated in 2003) and thus, Serbia began its recovery.

Serbia was still feeling the aftereffects of the 1990s, when the war in Kosovo had left infrastructure weak and susceptible to further harm. International sanctions and NATO bombings had crippled the nation’s economic well-being. At the time, the nation’s poor and uncertain conditions made it no surprise that the state was unable to protect its minorities.

This was seen in July of that same year, when Serbia attempted to hold a GLBTQ pride rally in Belgrade. Immediately, political miscreants, religious extremists, and ultra-nationalists attacked the parade, beating down members and screaming homophobic obscenities. According to eyewitnesses, the police officers present at the parade seemed passive, unwilling to jump in and stop the chaos. The next day, the head of Belgrade police blamed the rallies’ organizers for the violence and commented on how the nation “was not mature enough to accept such demonstrations of perversity.”

This past Sunday, for the first time in nine years, a GLBTQ rights march was held in Belgrade. Despite the best efforts

of young men hooded in masks, the police held strong. The men hurled rocks and yelled “death to homosexuals” and “homosexuals go to Kosovo.” The police adequately protected the marchers and reinforcements were soon sent to help ensure the safety of others. At the end of the day, over 140 people were reported as injured (124 of them being police officers), 207 were arrested, and the offices of political parties which had supported the rally had been burnt down.

In comparison to the parade in 2001, the one held on Sunday was a relative success. For one, high-ranking political officials came out to watch the processions. Foreign diplomats and police officers also voiced their support. In addition, there was a high number of overall supporters in attendance (an estimated 1,000).

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton commended the efforts of the Serbian government and police. During a visit to Belgrade, Clinton spoke to Serbian President Boris Tadic: “I especially want to commend the bravery of the police who pro-

vided security for the event at last Sunday’s Pride Parade. It was not easy, and yet we watched as the official law enforcement forces demonstrated unequivocally your support for the rights of all.”

While the events on Sunday were a positive step forward for Serbia’s GLBTQ community, it has received mixed signals from the European Union. A parade planned in 2009 was cancelled over security concerns, making this march even more critical for Serbia’s ongoing admission process into the EU. Members of the EU assembly attended the parade and stood alongside demonstrators, attempting to a gain a sense of Serbia’s progress. On Wednesday, the EU released a statement condemning “the outbreak of violence that hit the streets of Belgrade yesterday and that targeted the Pride Parade, as well as state authorities and a number of other institutions participating in the democratic life in Serbia.” But more than that, the EU praised the Serbian government for ensuring the security of its citizens. “Serbia adopted in 2009, an Anti-discrimination Law

providing protection against discrimination on a number of grounds, including sexual orientation and gender identity. The Serbian authorities supported the event and took measures to ensure the security of the event.

Serbia thus sent a message of its commitment and dedication to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

In June of this year, the EU released a new set of guidelines addressing GLBTQ rights in the eastern portion of Europe.

Known as the “Toolkit to Promote and Protect the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People,” it attempts to convey the EU’s stance on certain human rights.

One of the parade’s organizers, Lazar Pavlovic, told reporters, “the EU should send a strong message that if a country cannot guarantee equal rights and equal treatment for its citizens, then that state cannot be a real candidate for EU membership.”

How all this factors into the EU’s opinion of Serbia and its admission chances has yet to be seen. 

Early Monday morning, Sudanese President and head of the National Congress Party Omar Hassan al-Bashir accused the country’s southern autonomous leadership of violating the peace agreement. He cautioned that failure to resolve the disputes of the regions could result in the reeruption of conflict before January’s plebiscite. The president revealed that the referendum is still planned to take place on Jan. 9, 2011, but stressed that both regions must determine and settle the sights of their respective borders beforehand. They must also plan how they will share oil, debt, and water from the Nile River. “A new conflict between the north and south will ensue if there was a failure to address these issues before the referendum and such a conflict could be more dangerous than the one that took place before the peace agreement,” Bashir told reporters.

The 2005 peace treaty stated that northern and southern leaders must make an effort to make unity an appealing prospect to southerners. However, Salva Kiir, president of the Government of South Sudan, revealed earlier this month that he, similar to Bashir, does not support unity.

Kiir, who is also first Vice President of Sudan and Chairman of SPLM, spoke to an excited crowd of residents of Juba, the southern capital. “If I were to vote as a person and choose between the two options of unity and separation, I would vote for separation,” he stated. “There are those who want to postpone the referendum … to teach you what to vote for, and they say separation is bad for you. If it is true that separation is bad for you, why did you fight for

it all these years?” Kiir noted that the 2005 peace deal, which gave priority to making unity attractive, had not had any affect over the past five years.

Such remarks enraged members of the National Congress Party, who have already begun promotion for the referendum.

Officials in the North reacted with statements ranging from threats of failing to recognize the referendum to ones proclaiming that, if January’s vote supports secession, Southerners found in the North will be immediately stripped of their citizenship.

Despite such excitement and passion for the scheduled referendum, many election observers worry that the voting process is too far behind schedule to take place promptly. Voter registration has yet to begin, and the North-South borders have yet to be demarcated. Contemporarily with the referendum, another vote will take place in the oil-rich region of Abyei, where citizens will decide whether to join North or South Sudan. However, the responsibility to run the vote has yet to be taken.

While the referendums are not concretely planned, Kiir told reporters that the North and South should begin to promote good relations as neighbors. Last month, Human Rights Watch urged authorities in both the North and South to vow not to expel citizens of the opposite region if the South is in fact liberated. In the coming months, as preparations such as these are made for the referendum and officials such as Kiir, Bashir, and Musevini take sides, Sudan will change. Whether this change will be the result of a referendum or the South’s assertion of its independence has yet to be established. 

China censors Peace Prize award

ALEXANDER F. YUAN / AP PHOTO

Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu responds to questions regarding Liu Xiaobo’s award.

Liu Xiaobo, from B10

DARKO VOJINOVIC/AP PHOTO

A peaceful pro-GLBTQ march went on as planned with the help of government troops on Sunday in Belgrade, Serbia.

Modern Day Philosopher

By Gregory Kita

Since news broke that Liu was even being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Chinese government has taken a strong stance against both him and the Nobel Committee. Before the announcement, Chinese officials threatened “negative reactions” against Norway were Liu to receive the award, and since his winning, they have condemned the award as meaningless. During the ceremony, Chinese reporters censored the announcement of Liu receiving the award, and Chinese media outlets, which are controlled by the government, have been deriding Liu’s receiving the prize as a Western propaganda tactic being employed because foreign governments fear China’s increasing power. The government has since restricted the media from reporting on Liu or the Nobel Peace Prize, and has blocked Web sites that feature reports about Liu’s award.

The response by the Chinese government to Charter 08 is completely unacceptable.

Despite calls from intellectuals, foreign governments, and Chinese citizens to release Liu, the government is refusing, holding its only winner of the Nobel Peace Prize prisoner for attempting to better the lives of his countrymen. As China continues to emerge as a world power, it is essential that its absurd social restrictions are removed. China

has abhorrent records of human rights violations, environmental negligence, and wealth disparity.

A nation that regularly violates international treaties and spites United Nations resolutions, China has disregarded and outright ignored international criticism of its actions, and attempted to hide information attacking the government from the public.

It is the responsibility of world leaders to stop allowing the Chinese government to have such a significant amount of power on the world stage.

China’s economic growth has largely been the result of its ability to manufacture goods cheaply, which it does with questionable labor standards and low minimum wage laws.

Although governments, including that of the United States, have criticized China’s actions, change will not come while these nations provide China the economic impetus to continue its numerous, negligent policies. By awarding Liu Xiaobo the Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel Committee has brought the human rights problems of China onto the world stage. It is now up to other nations to take a serious stance against the Chinese Communist Party, and to stop feeding money into the party until it is willing to make the changes demanded by Liu and its citizens.

Dan Ottaunick is an editor for The Heights. He welcomes comments at marketplace@bcheights.com.

B8

The Heights

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Heights

Thursday, October 14, 2010

B9

Scathing quotes, rumors lead to Jones’ resignation Jim Jones, from B10

Afghanistan. Outside of Robert Gates, the secretary of defense, Jones was the most experienced man on Obama’s national security team. However, according to Woodward, Jones did not get

along with the most important people in this administration, including Rahm Emanuel (who just left the White House to run for mayor of Chicago), senior adviser David Axelrod, and press secretary Robert Gibbs.

Woodward also highlighted the

advisers’ rocky relationship when he quoted Jones referring to the aforementioned advisers as the “Mafia, Politburo, and water bugs.” Because of the personal tension, Emanuel forced Jones to tap former Carter administration adviser, Tom Donilon, to be

susan walsh / ap photo

Obama walks with Jim Jones (middle) and newly appointed NSA advisor Donilon (right) after the announcement.

number two on his team.

According to Woodward, Donilon became Emanuel’s go-to man, effectively shutting Jones from the day-to-day operations. Woodward, again, brought this rumor to light when he described a situation where Jones pulled Emanuel aside during a cabinet meeting for speaking to Donilon instead of him, saying “I’m the national security adviser. When you come down there, come see me.” According to Woodward, not only did he rub the “Politburo” the wrong way, he rubbed former General Stanley McChrystal, then chief of NATO forces and commanding general of all American forces in Afghanistan, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen the wrong way when he repeatedly denied their request for 40,000 additional troops to be sent to Afghanistan. He defended his position, saying the military, “hadn’t proved their need for it, yet.” Gates eventually overrode Jones when he and the president agreed to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. According to other sources from within the Obama administration who Woodward interviewed, “In six months, you will be hard pressed to find anyone in the administration who notices that Jones is no longer there.”

Military dependence on oil creates wartime casualties Military, from B10 of the power for the Navy and Marines to be renewable by 2020, and the Air Force promises to fly entirely on biofuel by 2011 (although biofuel is another debate).

These measures move beyond the steps Congress has taken, and likely could drive down renewable technology costs, spreading the accessibility to them. While the current technology is generally compatible for their needs, this rise in demand could create a spurt of innovative new concepts for the renewable sector, as well. Could the military be the impetus for an unexpected shift away from our reliance on fossil fuels?

I believe that there is potential in their mission, as history shows times of war have been some of the most technologically productive periods within our nation. People place a high worth on security, and these investments would increase the quality and variety of renewable technologies for the United States as a whole.

According to the Times, a standard 2.25 kilowatt solar unit for a household is about $20,000, taking a number of years to the realize a return on the investment. If these prices could drop and energy utility increases, more companies and individuals would be incentivized to purchase this technology.

While just about any

developments in clean energy in U.S. government seem to be good news these days, it’s important to remember the startling amounts of energy they consume on a regular basis, and realize that this is only the start. If true progress wants to be made, higher standards need to be made within all sectors of the government and private entities, as fossil fuel energy is a security threat to everyone. Boston College itself is located only a few miles from Boston Harbor, where liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers commute, and is close enough to Seabrook, New Hampshire’s nuclear plant to have radiation exposure should they ever experience an attack.

These are highly guarded areas, but with any breach in the system there would be dramatic consequences. The evidence is clear that energy from solar and wind sources are imperative for security in today’s world. To eliminate this risk for all U.S. citizens through energy reform would be an even stronger call to action than a focus on the military alone. This is not to criticize the efforts set forth by the military, but to call upon the government to provide a complete revision of our security standards within energy.

If one is to consider the true number of threats to our society from current fuel sources, the lists are almost unending. Beyond direct attacks on fuel sources, lies

the subtle degradation of our health and ecosystems that are equally threatening to our well-being. We may not see the mercury released into the air from burning coal, the sludge buried by our groundwater, or the particles that build up in our atmosphere, but everyone is affected by these negative externalities.

It is probable that someone you know will experience an illness someday resulting from these actions. The recent BP oil spill in the Gulf awakened many to the volatile nature of deep sea oil drilling, and now one of our most diverse waters will be crippled for many years to come. Rapid climate change is also a direct result of the expansive use of these fuels, and will ultimately increase the number of dangerous storms, floods, and crop failure in the coming years.

The military bases are only the starting point to advancing the true security of U.S. citizens, and although crucial to advancing this cause, larger steps need to be taken

by Congress. The protection of our fuel supplies is foremost among current security concerns, but who will protect us when it comes down to the subtle assault of our resources themselves?

Elizabeth Barthelmes is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at marketplace@bcheights.com.

Jo n e s wa s i n f u r i a te d by Woodward’s portrayal of him.

Furthermore, he has been adamant about being misquoted in the book. It also came as a shock to him because he has a long-standing friendship with Woodward, – even serving as a source of information for some of the journalist’s pieces.

Despite Jones’ military and foreign policy experience, his opinions were never regarded by the three key advisers, none of whom have any foreign policy expertise, according to Woodward’s book. Donilon, Emanuel’s choice for the position, will take over for Jones. Woodward also added that, “Gates felt that Donilon did not understand the military or treat its senior leadership with sufficient respect.” The secretary later told Jones that Donilon would be a ‘disaster’ as Obama’s national security adviser. Donilon, a member of the State Department under President Clinton, has very little foreign policy experience, and is best known as a lobbyist for the mortgage giant, Fannie Mae. Emanuel’s handpicked choice for the job, he has already had several meetings with the president, and according to Woodward, “gets along” with Axelrod and the rest of the Obama inner circle.

At the press conference an-

nouncing his promotion, the president called Donilon “one of my closest advisers.”

Politically, this may be a nightmare for the Obama administration. Gates and Jones were the two most experienced and credible people within the national security team, and with the departure of both (Gates at the end of 2011), charges that the national security advisers are made up of inexperienced radicals will get louder. Many already believe Obama’s foreign policy is on shaky ground, and the move to put Donilon in charge will not silence these critics. The president’s inner circle may not have liked Jones, but he provided credibility at a time when the administration is constantly being berated for a lack of credibility by both sides of the aisle. The Donilon move makes most outsiders scratch their heads. The top NSA adviser will continue Obama’s policies without a rough transition, though. The political fallout, however, may be much more difficult.

Donilon will have an uphill fight ahead of him. The administration wanted to focus on domestic issues, but instead has been surprisingly active abroad.

Only time will tell if the move is a positive one for the Obama administration. n

Political Belief

Elizabeth williams / ap photo

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, apprehended in 1998 for attacks on East African U.S. embassies, was tried this Tuesday.

First Guantanamo detainee tried in U.S. District Court Olena Savytska This Tuesday marked the opening of the trial of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first Guantanamo detainee to be tried in the U.S. civilian court system, in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Ghailani’s trial will have important ramifications for the potential legal proceedings of other Guantanamo detainees, such as Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, in the civilian courts. On Wednesday, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan gave a preview of the controversies raised by such trials with his ruling to exclude the testimony of Hussein Abebe, one of the prosecution’s key witnesses.

Kaplan’s ruling highlighted the tension between national security interests and respect for the Constitution, which has been characteristic of the antiterrorism campaign of the United States.

Ghailani was apprehended in connection with attacks on two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998, which resulted in 224 casualties. The U.S. government’s key witness, Hussein Abebe, would be a crucial factor in proving Ghailani’s deliberate actions related to the attacks, since he would testify that he sold explosives to Ghailani to be used in the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The defendant’s legal team sought to exclude Abebe’s testimony since the Central Intelligence Agency obtained information about this witness from Ghailani when he was held in a special jail overseas, where he was allegedly tortured.

Kaplan accepted this proposition, explaining that Abebe’s testimony was not shown to be sufficiently attenuated from Ghailani’s coerced testimony, and thus could not be admitted into evidence.

The knee-jerk reaction to this ruling may well be one of incredulity or even alarm. Due process and bombings do not seem to overlap neatly. More importantly, Ghailani’s case falls under the umbrella of our country’s war on terror, to use President Bush’s term. If we define U.S. efforts in terms of a war, then what do peacetime constitutional provisions have to do with a wartime prisoner’s trial? A case like Ghailani’s is, in fact, messy and complicated in terms of jurisdiction and legal rights, yet the reasoning which will ultimately color this gray area will be a test of the limits of American faith in constitutional principles, as well as of the resilience of our constitutional guarantees in times of threat to national security.

The CIA’s interrogation tactics are rocky shores for the Obama administration, as is the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. For all of Obama’s emphasis on transparency and “change” in the way things are done, practical constraints have prevented the closing of Guantanamo and the full disclosure of internal CIA memos related to torture. The slippery term “national security interests,” recognized by the Supreme Court in the course of the Watergate scandal, was not enough for President Nixon to hold on to, but was sweepingly used by the Bush administration, and has stayed on for Obama’s watch.

National security is, of course, a creed that often becomes salient in times of military conflict. It was embodied, for instance, in President Woodrow Wilson’s Espionage Act, passed at the beginning of WWI. The war on

terror, however, has taken this concept to a whole new level, with measures such as the Patriot Act and international hit lists for terrorists. Measures such as these give Superman status to the U.S. government, endowing it with special, extra-constitutional powers. It is now rather difficult to turn back the swell of CIA involvement in apprehending terrorist suspects and to find a new home for those suspects held in Guantanamo. Once the government has ventured down the path of actively advertising the security treats our nation faces, it is somewhat difficult to convince the public that it’s acceptable to try a terrorism suspect in regular, civilian court.

Nevertheless, as a historical rule, the American people love their civil liberties, and the time will come for our country to shift out of emergency mode. Perhaps taking this longer view, Judge Kaplan explained in his ruling on the Abebe testimony that, “the Constitution is the rock upon which our nation rests …

We must follow it not only when it is convenient, but when fear and danger beckon in a different direction.” As Ghaliani’s trial goes forward, we must remember that the extra-constitutional powers that the U.S. government has assumed in the past several years are much like a dose of adrenaline that mobilizes the country as a whole in fighting off a threat, but cannot be supported in the long run by the sinews of our constitution, which embodies our country’s deep commitment to individual liberties.

Perhaps Ghailani’s trial will be a meaningful step in the country’s gradual transition away from a state of emergency and in the reaffirmation of constitutional principles and guarantees.

Olena Savytska is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at marketplace@ bcheights.com.

MARKETPLACE THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, October 14, 2010

B10

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2010

NSA adviser Jones resigns

POLITICALLY SPEAKING

Chinese activist honored with Peace Prize

Woodward’s ‘Obama Wars’ incites criticism

BY JAMES HAVEL Heights Staff

Bob Woodward, one of the men who first broke the Watergate story in 1973, ending the political life of President Richard Nixon, has ended the political life of another man 37 years later.

General James Jones, the top National Security Agency (NSA) adviser and the man in charge of the National Security Council (NSC), has stepped down from his position several months earlier than expected, largely because of the fiery charges Woodward leveled against him in his latest book, Obama’s Wars. The book dissects the handling of Afghanistan and Pakistan under the current administration.

Jones, a former NATO commanding officer, was one of Obama’s earliest Cabinet choices. While commanding NATO, Jones lobbied tirelessly for stronger European support and commitment in

DAN OTTAUNICK The Nobel Peace Prize, perhaps the highest honor a worthy activist may receive, is reserved for one who embodies values of virtue and justice, having “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” This is an unrivaled honor, with its awardees among the most recognized names of the past century. In 2010, the Nobel Committee commendably decided to award the prize to Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese freedom activist and political prisoner, “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”

Liu Xiaobo’s noble fight for human rights has been waged across decades. He gained widespread acclaim in releasing “Aesthetics and Human Freedom,” his doctoral thesis discussing how the oppressed can free themselves from supposedly rational social structures through free expression and artistic passion. Shortly after the release of this essay, he became involved in the Tiananmen Square protests in China, which saw millions of Chinese

KIN CHEUNG / AP PHOTO

A Chinese protestor holds a sign with the image of Liu Xiaobo. News of his Nobel Peace Prize was censored by the state media. citizens taking to the streets to protest the authoritarian Chinese government and its appalling human rights violations. Although the protests gathered worldwide sympathy for the Chinese citizens, the government used them as an excuse to create harsher social laws, and arrested Liu and others involved. Liu spent over a year in maximum security prison for his protesting, with his imprisonment for exercising free speech highlighting his objections to the policies of the Chinese government.

Liu was imprisoned two more times before enjoying an extended

period of freedom beginning in 1999. By this time, he had spent over five years in prison for speaking out against China’s Communist Party, with three of those years being spent in a forced labor camp.

However, his time spent outside of prison was marred by the hardships the government imposed upon him.

Liu was under constant government surveillance, and many of his attempts to report on human rights violations in China were censored.

Most recently, and most notably in the eyes of the Nobel Committee, Liu turned his attention to Charter 08, a manifesto calling for

See Jim Jones, B9

freedom and governmental reform in China. The document, which Liu is now serving an 11-year prison sentence for releasing, calls for rights as basic as an independent judiciary system, a guarantee of human rights, protection of private property, and freedoms of religion, expression, assembly, and association. The government responded by imprisoning Liu and imposing harsh sanctions on those who signed and supported the document, including restricting them from giving interviews.

SUSAN WALSH / AP PHOTO

See Liu Xiaobo , B7

General Jim Jones resigned as Obama’s NSA adviser.

A GREEN PIECE

Military makes efforts to go green for safety ELIZABETH BARTHELMES

Thousands of Sudanese demonstrators take part in a pro-unity rally sponsored by the northern goverment in the capital, Khartoum, on Oct. 9.

Ugandan President Museveni supports partition of the Sudan that the referendum not be delayed by the United Nations, saying “the referendum is very crucial and delaying it is highly risky. It is better to involve the UN in the organization rather than waiting to see what happens after the results.”

Uganda suspects that independence for South Sudan through a fair and free referendum would bring stability to Africa’s largest country. However, Museveni has not ruled out the possibility that the Southerners will vote for unity with the North. He hopes that if unity is in fact chosen, the democratic nature of the settlement will catalyze peace and stability in a nation known for political instability.

Nearly 50 years of Sudanese civil

strife ended with a peace accord in 2005.

Largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War that took place from 1955 to 1972, the Second Sudanese Civil War began in 1983 and resulted in more than 1.9 million civilian deaths in South Sudan, forcing more than 4 million others to flee the country before 2005. A product of non-Arab southerners who were allegedly marginalized by citizens of the north, the strife has continued in the years after the peace treaty. The treaty, which was signed between the government and the largest rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), has failed largely because of the actions of insurgents.

POLITICS

ECONOMICS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

A federal judge ordered the U.S. military to immediately suspend Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The ruling effectively ends the policy despite Congressional deadlock on the issue.

The Treasury Department sold bonds at a record low 0.57 percent yield. The low payout has hurt demand for government bonds, with sales dropping off from last year.

Two entrepreneurs launched WePay, an alternative to PayPal allowing groups of people to collect money for shared expenses. The Web site is funded by a PayPal co-founder, Max Levchin.

The Department of the Interior lifted the moratorium on deep-water oil drilling for operators who comply with new regulations. The ban was enacted during the Gulf oil spill.

Major mortgage companies are widening their investigation into possible mistaken foreclosures. Some companies have also temporarily suspended foreclosures.

GAP decided to drop its new logo after an unexpected negative response from consumers on social networks.

The logo was launched in response to declining sales.

Heights Staff

IN THE NEWS

Late last week at the United Nations Security Council meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni openly declared his support for the partition of neighboring country Sudan. Separated by religious conflict and perpetuated by violence, the mostly non-Arab southern region has made known potential plans of secession. With a divide so deep and the January 2011 referendum fast approaching, the oil-rich south is expected to seek further separation from its northern counterpart, even at the risk of insurgency and weakened diplomatic relations. Museveni asked

See Sudan, B7

I NSIDE MARKE TP L A C E

THIS ISSUE

On the flip side

MICHAEL SALDARRIAGA / HEIGHTS PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

71

IN NUMBERS

BY MICHELA GACIOCH

See Military, B9

Percent of Tweets on Twitter that get no replies and are completely ignored.

1.2

Million people on strike in France protesting the government’s attempt to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62.

This week On the flip side will explore both sides of the issue of the capital punishment for non-homicidal criminals................................. B6

“ Children should not be brain-

IN QUOTES

ABD RAOUF / AP PHOTO

With the United States Congress’ recent failure to move a cleaner energy bill forward, an interesting gleam of hope has emerged among dismayed renewable ventures from an unlikely source: the U.S. military.

Heavily dependent upon the energy industry for reliable sources of power in isolated and extreme locations, they use whatever they can to get the job done. When they’re out in the field, their priority is technology that supports security in their missions – that is, until the energy for this technology becomes

the security issue.

A recent article in The New York Times, “U.S. Military Orders Less Dependence on Fossil Fuels,” explains the military’s new concern for security issues posed by fuel supplies on bases. Instead of enabling the troops to access energy for protection and advancement, they have created targets for attacks. Recent studies by the Army Environmental Policy Institute reveal that one out of every 24 fuel convoys resulted in a casualty in Iraq and Afghanistan this past year. Due to this high level of threat, along with the financial costs that accompany the acquisition and transport of the fuel, military officials have decided to be proactive and enforce higher energy standards. The Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, wants 50 percent

washed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option.

”

– Carl Paladino New York gubernatorial candidate speaking to a gathering of Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn

International Insights...........................B6 Political Belief.....................................B9