THE
HEIGHTS The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College
EST. 1919
WWW.BCHEIGHTS.COM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017
Racist Incidents Reported Three more cases of vandalism committed on Upper Campus BY CHRIS RUSSO Assoc. News Editor
Finally Feels Like Home
SHAAN BIJWADIA / HEIGHTS STAFF
For the first time since Nov. 29, 2014, football won an ACC game at home. It was also the first home ACC win with school in session for every undergraduate student. BY ANDY BACKSTROM Asst. Sports Editor Two years ago, Boston College football wide receiver Jeff Smith was lining up under center on a daily basis. Originally recruited to play quarterback, Smith was thrown into the starting lineup following Darius Wade’s Week Three, season-end-
ing leg injury. The 6-foot-1 dual-threat gunslinger went on to start nine games that season, but only managed 253 yards and two touchdowns through the air. His completion percentage hovered around 33, and, worst of all, he didn’t win a single game. BC finished 0-8 in the ACC and 3-9 overall, and the St. Petersburg, Fla. native abandoned the quarterback position at the season’s end.
Well, not entirely. Since transitioning to the outside, Smith has tossed three touchdown passes—the latest of which came on Friday night against Florida State. Quarterback Anthony Brown took the snap out of the shotgun and handed the ball off to Thadd Smith, who then pitched it to Jeff
See Football, B3
Three sets of racist incidents have occurred on the second floor of Gonzaga Hall since Thursday, Oct. 19—the day before the ‘Silence Is Still Violence’ March—including the defacing of “Black Lives Matter” signs and the writing of racially-charged statements in the floor’s bathroom. The third set of incidents, which began this past Thursday, were statements written inside bathroom stalls on Gonzaga 2. All three statements seemed to target one of the floor’s resident assistants, and two of them were racially charged. The Heights viewed photos of the three statements, but they were not provided for publication. Friday’s latest incidents follow two others reported recently in Gonzaga. Residents of Gonzaga and Fitzpatrick Halls were notified of the first set of incidents on Friday, Oct. 20, via an email from Matthew Razek, a resident director on Upper Campus. Associate Vice President for Student Affairs George Arey is the only Office of Residential Life employee authorized to speak to the media. Arey did not respond to several requests for comment made throughout last week regarding the earlier incidents. At press time, Arey had not yet responded to an email sent Sunday night
See Gonzaga Vandalism, A3
New Trustee Chair Outlines Goals Markell also spoke about his time at BC and recent activism. BY CONNOR MURPHY Heights Staff Peter Markell, BC ’77, was officially selected last month as the new chair of Boston College’s Board of Trustees. In an interview Friday with The Heights, Markell talked about his time at BC, his goals for the Board, and his take on recent activism on campus.
The Heights: Can you talk about your time at BC? Peter Markell: I came to BC in 1973, and I had taken a bookkeeping course and I liked working with the numbers and that kind of stuff. So I went into the School of Management, decided to do a concentration in both accounting and finance, and went through my four years. That worked out great and I got a job in public accounting when I came out. TH: What has made you stay involved with BC? PM: I thoroughly enjoyed my experience when I was there. I was involved,
I was on the budget committee in the undergraduate government, and that kind of stuff. I was an RA. I just enjoyed the whole thing, and I liked the fact that I was able to get my management degree but also take liberal arts courses, and really grow as a thinker and understanding values. I always tell people that the business side was great, but the philosophy, the theology, the history, the social sciences, all those courses round you out as a person and make you a better contributor. Looking back, being good
See Peter Markell, A3
Barnes Will Join U.S. Olympic Team BY ANNABEL STEELE Assoc. Sports Editor Freshman Cayla Barnes has been added to the 2018 United States Women’s National ice hockey team, Boston College Athletics announced on Saturday. Barnes will leave the Heights and join the team, as it prepares for the upcoming Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Barnes is the third member of the team to take a leave of absence from BC to participate in the Olympics. Barnes will return to BC and restart her academic and athletic career next fall—she will not lose a year of NCAA eligibility. She will be the youngest member of the national team, at just 18 years old.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ED REINKE / AP VIA THE LEXINGTON HERALD LEADER
Thapar Serving on U.S. Court of Appeals Trump chose the alum in March to serve on the Sixth Circuit. BY KATIE MURPHY Heights Staff
AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
The freshman will return next fall to restart her academic and athletic careers.
Amul Thapar, BC ’91, was nominated to the the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in March, and assumed the position in May after being confirmed with a 52-44 vote in the Senate. The seat that Thapar filled had been vacant since 2013. Thapar was included on a list of potential Supreme Court nominees by then-candidate Donald Trump for a seat that was eventually filled in the
SCENE
SPORTS
Sexual Chocolate and F.I.S.T.S swept the field at UConn’s step competiton last week.
The Eagles surrendered three quick power play goals to Denver, melting down against the nation’s No. 1 team.
B8
B4
THIS ISSUE
NEWS: Task Force Assembles FEATURES: Digging for Dinos
The Lynch School of Education is now examining its Honors Progr.m.........A3
See Amul Thapar, A3
STEPPING UP
ICE AGE
INSIDE
spring by Neil Gorsuch. Earlier in his career, Thapar became the first ever federal judge of South Asian descent, and he is the second Indian-American judge on the Court of Appeals, after Sri Srinivasan. “What I hope I represent is that with hard work anything is possible,” Thapar said in an interview. “I’m a child of immigrants, I’m someone who’s achieve above what I’d anticipated and I hope that what I show to others is that it is possible with hard work to accomplish anything.” Thapar credits his success that he has been able to achieve at such a young age to “a lot of hard work and a lot of luck.” After graduating from BC, Thapar went on to earn his J.D. from the Uni-
When she’s not out on a dig, Grace Broderick grows succulents in her Walsh quad........... A8
INDEX
NEWS.........................A2 OPINIONS................... A6
Vol. XCVIII, No. 33 FEATURES..................A4 SPORTS......................B1 © 2017, The Heights, Inc. METRO....................... A5 SCENE.......................B8 www.bcheights.com