The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Vol. XCI, No. 42
THE HEIGHTS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2010
www.bcheights.com
Liberal arts examined BY TANNER EDWARDS For The Heights
KEVIN HOU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Boston College administrators, professors, and students welcomed five lecturers to a day-long symposium Saturday to discuss the history, relevance, and future of a liberal arts education. The symposium, “Old and New Territories: Remapping the Liberal Arts for the 21st Century,” was hosted in a crowded Heights Room by the two-yearold BC Institute for the Liberal Arts. The speakers included Rev. John O’Malley, S.J., a professor of theology
at Georgetown University; Catharine Stimpson, a professor of English at New York University; Louis Menand, a professor of English at Harvard University; Alan Ryan, a professor of politics at the University of Oxford, and Stanley Fish, a professor of humanities and law at Florida International University. Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (A&S) David Quigley, opened the day’s events by framing the liberal arts in the context of BC and its mission. “We share a certain belief in the transcendent ability of the liberal arts,” Quig-
The International Club of BC hosted its second annual International Student Prom on Friday.
Prom offers a taste of Americana for some BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor
Amanda Tjan sat behind the sign-in table at the International Student Prom last Friday night checking students in as they arrived. It was 9:30 p.m. and only a few students had arrived, shuffling into the Murray Function Room. “Sorry, more people will be here soon, we’re on international time,” Tjan, CSOM ’11, said. Friday’s event was the second annual International Student Prom sponsored by the International Club of Boston College (ICBC). The event was started last year by Veronica Faubert and Patricia Lopez, both CSOM ’11. The duo created ICBC during their
sophomore year and came up with the idea for the International Student Prom after listening to their members’ concerns. “Someone came to me with the idea about the prom,” Lopez said. “She said that she had never been to a prom before and that they didn’t know what it is.” Lopez said that the idea of the event was to introduce the prom tradition to students who never had the experience. The organizers set up an area near the door with a backdrop where attendees were able to take mock couple photos. The DJ was John Pierson, a member
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UGBC stresses unity
Works to strengthen ties with ALC, GLC BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor
In an effort to strengthen communication between branches of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC), members of the organization said they have committed to working more closely with the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) and the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC). This year, GLC and ALC have had greater roles in organizing UGBC retreats, which now include increased participation from members of the two organizations. Micaela Mabida, UGBC president and CSOM ’11, said that the move is
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Football makes final stand, holds on to 21-16 win at Duke, B1
ARTS & REVIEW
not a structural change but rather a commitment to increase communication between the multiple facets of the UGBC. Mabida said that she and Patrick Raab, UGBC vice president and A&S ’11, along with the presidents and vice presidents of ALC, GLC, and the UGBC Cabinet, hold monthly meetings to speak about what each group is planning for the upcoming weeks. “We hold meetings about once a month and we made a formal commitment that we would do that,” she said. Mabida said she has also encouraged other members of the UGBC to do the same. “We want to make sure that they’re interacting with their counterparts,” she said. Kelsey Gasseling, GLC president and A&S ’11, said that the new communication structure between the three organizations has helped GLC in moving forward on some of its own initiatives this year. “The GLC has been trying to put together a presentation on anti-bullying with a focus on all issues of diversity,” she said. “That’s one way that I hope the UGBC is going to show that it’s very supportive of each other. My goal right now is to do a more collaborative
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ley said. He pointed to the foundation of the Institute for the Liberal Arts and the construction of Stokes Hall, planned to house humanities departments and service centers in A&S, as examples of BC’s commitment to the liberal arts. “At Boston College, the fate of the liberal arts is not in doubt,” he said. The area of study was in “a moment of concern, if not crisis” nationally, he said. O’Malley was the symposium’s first featured speaker. He offered a historical portrait of the development of the college and university, especially within the Jesuit tradition, as a starting point for the rest of the day’s discussion. O’Malley said that the core purpose of an education has not fundamentally changed since the development of universities in the Middle Ages. “Attendance at a university spelled upward social mobility,” O’Malley said. “Like today, students went to university to get ahead.” He said there was a shift from an academic focus at universities to a goal of developing the entire person during the later stages of Renaissance humanism. This change gave rise to the notion of a college that emphasizes students’ personal development and place in the public sphere, he said. O’Malley turned the conversation to BC’s roots and commented on the
ANNIE BUDNICK / HEIGHTS STAFF
The relevance of a liberal arts education was debated at a day-long symposium Saturday.
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Lack of space affects students University plans to extend Hillside Cafe and Chocolate Bar hours in response BY MICHAEL CAPRIO News Editor
Since the University announced last semester that Stokes Hall will not offer student lounge space, some have voiced their concerns over the effects of space, or lack thereof, on the student body. A lack of space in which students can continue conversations that originate in the classroom can foster a campus culture ill-suited to deal with issues like sexual assault, said Sharlene Hesse-Biber, a professor in the sociology department and director of the women’s studies program. “There are no spaces for men and women to come together,” Hesse-Biber said. “We need to really have time where we talk about intimacy on campus.” The Institutional Master Plan (IMP) may offer opportunities to construct such space, she said. Stokes Hall, which is the first construction project to begin under the auspices of the IMP, was originally planned to include a student lounge area, but the plan was amended last semester – a move which drew criticism from members of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC). Hesse-Biber said that when continuing with its building projects, the University should consider how the space can encourage students to carry on conversations outside of the classroom. “You need to have flexible areas,” she said. “There’s got to be that fluidity and spontaneity. We have a choice to build physical structures to foster intimacy between students.” Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski said that the University
has instituted a number of mechanisms in an effort to include student opinions in the decisions surrounding campus space. Rombalski said in an e-mail that, in response to concerns about the lack of student space, the University will be extending the hours of Hillside Cafe and the Chocolate Bar. “The idea is to keep these facilities open later so that students can use the spaces for study, conversation, etc.,” he said. “The hours of the food service operation will not change.”
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ANDREW POWELL / HEIGHTS STAFF
University efforts will include student opinions in the decisions surrounding campus space.
BC FOOTBALL WINS OVER DUKE
AP FILE PHOTO
Freshman quarterback Chase Rettig threw two third-quarter touchdown passes, leading Boston College to a 21-16 win over Duke on Saturday. For more, see Pg. B1
Dancing with the Stars unites student groups BY JI HAE LEE Hello...Shovelhead! delivers with satire, and sleepovers, A10
FEATURES
For The Heights
The stars were out on Friday night as the Cape Verdean Student Association (CVSA), Nights on the Heights (NOTH), and the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) hosted the
second annual Dancing with the Stars event in the Rat. The dance competition brought together representatives from nine BC dance groups, including Swing Kids, Presenting Africa to U (P.A.T.U.), Sexual Chocolate, Phaymus, Masti, Fuego del Corazon, Aero-K, Females Incor-
Part 1 of 3: Uncovering the value of a liberal arts education, B10 Classifieds, A5 Editorials, A6 He Said, She Said, B8 Police Blotter, A2 Box Office, A8 Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down, A7 Humor, B9 Weather, A2 The Art of a Corner Kick, B2
PAMPAN ZHANG / HEIGHTS STAFF
Student leaders and athletes participated in the second annual BC Dancing with the Stars.
porating Sisterhood Through Step (F.I.S.T.S.), and the Hawaii Club. “This year’s event was a success,” Wanandi said. “About 400 to 500 people showed up, and we had nine dance groups. This is a big increase compared to the three – P.A.T.U., Phaymus, and Fuego – that we had last year.” A member of each dance group was paired with a “star” who learned the music and choreography based on the dancing style of the group they were paired with. The stars, who were mostly student leaders and athletes, then performed with the dancers during the competition. “We tried to pick student leaders that we knew were sociable and would really make an impact on the student community,” said the event’s co-director Jennifer Wanandi, co-director of UNITY for the UGBC and A&S ’13. Wanandi said that the goal when selecting student participants was to choose those who would draw the most diverse crowd to the event.
“The way that we picked those guys was who would bring the most diverse crowd and a big crowd,” she said. “We wanted to make sure this event would bring the entire BC community together.” While the expectations for the dancing stars weren’t high going into the event, Wanandi said that she and co-director Ariel Durgana, co-director of UNITY for the UGBC and A&S ’12, were pleasantly surprised. “We didn’t know how seriously they were going to take it, [but] we saw they were completely invested in the competitions,” Wanandi said. “They were really excited to be a part of the event. We wanted to make sure that all of their hard work would be paid off with a big crowd, and we were fortunate enough to have that happen.” The competitors were judged by alumni from the dance organizations themselves, in addition to a guest judge
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