The Heights November 6, 2017 by The Heights

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HEIGHTS The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College

EST. 1919

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017

2017-18 BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking to erase memories of last year’s single-digit win seasons. SEE

Schillers Give $25M to Name IISS Phil Schiller, a senior VP at Apple and BC ’82, and Kim Gassett-Schiller, his wife, pledged the multi-year gift for ‘The Schiller Institute.’ BY CONNOR MURPHY News Editor Boston College’s planned Institute for Integrated Science and Society, the centerpiece of the University’s new strategic plan, will be named for Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, BC ’82, and his wife, Kim Gassett-Schiller, who have pledged a $25 million multi-year gift, BC announced Friday. The Institute, first reported by The Heights in April, will be adjacent to Higgins Hall and the Merkert Chemistry Center, likely in the current location of Cushing Hall. Construction on the 150,000 squarefoot facility will begin in spring 2019, with

a total cost of $150 million, a timeline and dollar figure that were previously undisclosed. Over $100 million has already been raised, according to the release. “I am deeply grateful to Phil and Kim for their longstanding commitment to Boston College and its mission,” University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., said in the release. “Their generous gift will benefit not only generations of BC students but also wider society in coming decades. I am confident that the Schiller Institute will play a key role in helping the University address the pressing needs of our day in such areas as health, the environment, and energy through quality teaching and research.”

The Schiller Institute is part of a $300 million total investment BC plans to make in the sciences, including the hiring of 22 new faculty and new courses in applied sciences, data science, and global public health. Described in the spring by Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Tom Chiles as “BC’s Moonshot,” the institute will facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to the sciences, with a goal of integrating science, entrepreneurship, and other fields to help solve global problems in health, the environment, and energy, such as disease, water supply, and

See Schillers, A3

RENDERING COURTESY OF BC.EDU

A depiction of the hall that will host the IISS, to be located where Cushing Hall is now.

$25M $100M $150M $300M total pledge from the Schiller family

total amount already raised

total cost of new IISS building

BC’s total planned investment in the sciences

CSOM May Evaluate Honors Program CSOM may follow Lynch in creating a task force on Honors. BY CHARLIE POWER For The Heights

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Carroll School of Management is considering planning its own task force to evaluate the future of CSOM Honors, according to Ethan Sullivan, an assistant dean in CSOM and director of the CSOM Honors Program.

“We haven’t yet started a task force, but I think there’s a plan to have a task force that will take a deeper dive into the purpose of the Honors Program, and to see what happens,” Sullivan said. Last month, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences announced that it would be ending its Honors Program with the Class of 2021. The Lynch School of Education said last month that a task force is looking into the future of its Honors Program, although no decision is expected before Spring 2018. CSOM Honors was founded in 1958,

the same year as MCAS Honors, with similar goals of attracting more qualified applicants to BC, as well as improving their academic experience. Sullivan noted BC’s average SAT score has increased from about 900 in that era to almost 1,400 today, but a more important change is the decline in academic disparity between students, the same reasoning outlined by Dean of MCAS Rev. Greg Kalscheur, S.J., in his letter announcing the phasing out of the

26 percent AHANA students and the Class of 2018 was reported to be about 28 percent. The Class of 2021 will receive about $37 million in need-based financial aid this year, another record high. The total aid provided to all undergraduates was $120.5 million this year. “Boston College is determined to make higher education accessible to excellent students of all socioeconomic backgrounds,” Director of Undergraduate Admission John Mahoney said to The Chronicle. “The University has made, and will continue to make, financial aid a major priority.” Mahoney did not respond to an interview request from The Heights.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will be flexible with applicants for the Class of 2022 from areas of the country that have been affected by natural disasters, Mahoney said to The Chronicle. BC will accommodate potential applicants from Puerto Rico and parts of Texas, Florida, and California. Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida were hit with massive hurricanes this year, and California has been ravaged by wildfires. Admissions has waived application fees for students from Puerto Rico and worked with early-action candidates to make the Nov. 1 deadline. “We want to be responsive to families, because the college application process is stressful enough as it is,” Mahoney said. 

UGBC, Admin Discuss Potential Policy Changes Class of 2021 Is Most Diverse Ever Mogan said he had a productive meeting with students leaders. BY COLE DADY Heights Staff Two weeks after the “Silence is Still Violence” march, the BC community is reflecting on the long term implications of the event and assessing how to ensure that it doesn’t lose momentum. Several student organizations have asked the University to make specific policy changes that address what various students are suggesting is a culture of racism at BC. The Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) is collaborating with the administration to create new policies that aim to prevent bias-related incidents

like those that caused campus-wide outrage a few weeks ago. UGBC wrote a proposal that lays out various provisions to affect institutional policy change, entitled “A Letter of Support for Our Black Students at Boston College.” The Student Assembly passed the letter as a resolution late last month. As of Saturday afternoon, 546 students and faculty had signed the letter. Dean of Students Thomas Mogan and other senior administrators met with UGBC last Monday to discuss the proposals made in the resolution. “It was a very productive conversation, and they identified several areas that they would like to see changed,” he said in an interview Thursday. “We had really good conversations about [the issues] and are

See UGBC and Admin, A3

AHANA students make up 31 percent of the freshman class. BY CHRIS RUSSO Assoc. News Editor Boston College’s Class of 2021 is the most diverse class in the University’s history, according to the Oct. 26 issue of The Chronicle. AHANA students make up 31 percent of the freshman class, which is a record high. International students from 41 different countries are another 8 percent of the class. The Class of 2020 was made up of 29.6 percent AHANA students. The Class of 2019 was made up of

See CSOM Honors, A3

EVERYBODY TALKS

SCULPTING FELLOW

Eight BC students to give their takes on activism, current events, the brain, and more

Arts professor Mark Cooper speaks about his recent award and future projects.

SCENE

FEATURES

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NEWS: Human Trafﬁcking

Students plan a week of events about illegal trafficking............................... A2

METRO: More Than Food

Anoush’ella brings fast-casual Mediterranean cuisine to Boston............................................ A5

INDEX

NEWS.........................A2 OPINIONS................... A6

The Heights

TOP

things to do on campus this week

The Office of the Associate Dean for the Core will host an event titled “Whiteness: A FacultyStudent Dialogue about Race” today from 4 to 6 p.m. in McGuinn 121. The panelists will address what whiteness means, how people should think about it, and what white people can do about racism.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Tonight at 6:30 p.m., Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law, will argue that segregation in America is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal levels. The event will be held by the Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action in the Murray Function Room.

The Boston College Women’s Center will host an event titled “Talking Body: Disabled Bodies in the Media” on Thursday at 12 p.m. in Stokes N201. The talk is a part of Love Your Body Week, a week of programming dedicated to promoting healthy body image on campus.

NEWS Stockton Mayor Discusses Building Community BRIEFS By Aidan Latona

SEP Celebrates Anniversary

Boston College’s Supported Employment Program (SEP), which provides jobs for adults with developmental disabilities, will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Nov. 2. The program has been honored by The Arc of Massachusetts, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and services for Massachusetts citizens with developmental disabilities. SEP participants improve their vocational and social skills through their work at BC. Through the building of relationships with others at the University, they are able to discover their full potential. “Beneficial relationships form between participants and their supervisors and co-workers, creating experiences for mutual learning and an appreciation of differences,” Julianne Ferro, a coordinator for SEP, said to The Chronicle. “These individuals bring a variety of essential skill sets and colorful personalities that positively contribute to campus diversity.” SEP participants typically work 18 to 28 hours each week in various areas of the University, including Dining Services, Facilities, University Libraries, the BC Bookstore, and the BC School of Social Work. The Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services refers candidates for the program and provides the money to cover the cost of training and support for the participants. Salaries are paid from the employing department’s budget. The program will celebrate its 30th anniversary in the Murray Function Room in the Yawkey Athletics Center on Nov. 2. “With the right supports, participants are able to strive to meet their fullest potential while SEP and their BC partnering departments continue to promote an environment of inclusion and social justice,” Ferro said.

Nursing Prof. Honored Jane Flanagan, an associate professor in the Connell School of Nursing, has been inducted into the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). The AAN is comprised of nursing’s most accomplished leaders in education, management, research, and practice. Flanagan is the director of the Adult Gerontology Graduate Program, a nurse scientist at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Yvonne Munn Center, and an associate clinical scientist at the Phyllis Cantor Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She has several grants supporting research projects, including the effectiveness of holistic, complementary interventions for women with breast cancer and the feasibility of implementing a physical activity program for caregivers of older adults. Flanagan was presented with the Distinguished Nurse Practitioner of the Year Award by the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and the Partners Healthcare Excellence in Action Award from the Massachusetts General Hospital. She, along with the other AAN inductees, were officially recognized at the ANN’s annual policy conference held in Washington, D.C., in October. “Being inducted into the Academy is deeply humbling,” Flanagan said to The Chronicle. “I am extremely honored to be a part of the is prestigious group of nurse leaders.”

For The Heights

Michael Tubbs, the mayor of Stockton, Calif., called for Boston College students to become involved with their local governments and to make a beneficial impact on their communities during a lecture on Monday evening. Local administrations, Tubbs said, are desperate for capable and intelligent people who care about the public’s well-being. Tubbs’s lecture, a part of the Jane Jacobs Lecture series through the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics, addressed the challenges that arise when building community within a diverse and largely impoverished population. Using his experiences as a city council member and mayor of his hometown as testimony, Tubbs argued the importance of finding common values within a locality and implementing those values in government. “Everyday values in our country like opportunity, democracy, fairness, and equality are under attack, and they will continue to be undermined as long as we don’t bring people to know that it’s not about an individual person or party, but that it’s about values,” Tubbs said. Tubbs originally had no interest in local government. As a 20-year-old Stanford undergraduate interning for the White House, Tubbs’ attention had been focused on escaping the stigma of poverty and failure that surrounded Stockton. Yet on Nov. 1 of his junior year in college, Tubbs received a call that drastically changed the trajectory of

Celine Lim / Heights Staff

Michael Tubbs first ran for city council after one of his cousins was murdered in his hometown of Stockton when Tubbs was 20. his career. “On that day my mom called me, and she never used to call me during work days,” he said. “She called me to tell me that one of my cousins was murdered back home in Stockton.” Upon hearing this, Tubbs made the decision to run for Stockton City Council. Lacking a financial foundation for his campaign, his greatest asset was community outreach. Going from door to door, Tubbs learned what he believes is a very important principle in local politics. “Those who are closest to the pain and the problem also have a very good understanding of solutions,” he said. Tubbs’ first political campaign was a success. As a newly elected city council member, he intended to focus on initiatives such as poverty reduction, public safety, and job creation. These initia-

tives were part of a larger collective impact strategy that the council termed “Reinvent South Stockton.” Historically, South Stockton, known for being economically underdeveloped, had been home to the most impoverished of the city’s population. Shortly after gaining a seat on the council, however, Tubbs learned that the larger initiatives he set forth were difficult to achieve without first having developed a reputation of trustworthiness in the community. The currency of government is trust, and this trust is attainable through direct interaction with members of the community, he said. As a city council member, Tubbs worked to improve park sanitation, open health clinics, and establish Stockton’s first bank in over 50 years. His policy successes propelled him

towards a mayoral campaign in 2015. In 2016, Tubbs won the election with a large majority. At the age of 26, he became the first African American mayor of Stockton as well as the youngest person to ever hold office. One of Tubbs’ greatest challenges as mayor has been establishing unity in a city that is not only ethnically diverse but also politically divided. Tubbs said that basic income experiments and protection for immigrant populations, documented and undocumented, have been early focal points of his administration. “Some 40 percent of my city voted for the current president,” he said. “Forty percent of my city is Latino, 35 percent is white, 20 percent is Asian. Every day we’re negotiating something different and asking ‘What do we value and what do we care about?’” n

Students Plan Week of Human Trafficking Awareness By Aidan Latona For The Heights This week, members of the Boston College community will urge their peers to advocate against a complex issue that they say is critical on both a local and international scale—human trafficking. During BC’s first ever “Human Trafficking Awareness Week,” presented by the Rallying Efforts Against Contemporary Trafficking club (REACT), discussions and presentations will be held across campus in an effort to educate students on the importance of prevention of human trafficking. The awareness week will begin with a documentary screening organized by REACT on Monday. The film, titled I Am Jane Doe, tells the story of a Boston-based legal battle between mothers of trafficking victims and the website Backpage, an advertising business that was frequently used for the sexual trafficking of minors.

“The film really shows that trafficking is happening in our own backyard,” Molly McFadden, co-president of REACT and CSOM ’19 said. REACT hopes that the film will illustrate to the community that human trafficking is an issue that needs to be better addressed in the Boston area. The second event is a panel discussion titled “A Price on Life: Slavery in The 21st,” which will be held on Tuesday. The event will be presented by the Gabelli International Scholars Program and the Center for Human Rights and International Justice in the Yawkey Center of the Murray Function Room. The panel will feature Wendy Macias-Konstantopoulos, director of The Freedom Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital, Westy Egmont, a professor in the school of Social Work, Elizabeth Keeley, chief of the Massachusetts Attorney General Human Trafficking Division, and Jasmine Marino, a survivor of human trafficking from Chestnut Hill.

Human trafficking is thought of too often as a crime that occurs only in economically undeveloped areas far different from the city of Boston, Luke Murphy, an organizer of the panel, said. In having reputable Massachusetts-based advocates discuss human trafficking, Murphy and his peers will attempt to spark awareness of the almost ubiquitous nature of the crime in the modern day. The panel will also serve to educate the community on the complexity of human trafficking. Frequently overemphasized within contemporary society as an acute form of sexual harassment, human trafficking comes in various, and equally atrocious forms. “A lot of people think that a victim of human trafficking is just someone that is tied to a basement, but there are a lot more social and economic factors involved in the process,” Murphy said. In having diversity among the panel members, the organizers of the

events intend to display the various situations in which human trafficking can arise. On Wednesday, REACT will present a discussion of human trafficking that features the organization Selah Freedom in McGuinn 521. The leaders of Selah’s teen trafficking prevention group, discussing the basic causes of trafficking, will urge college-based advocacy against the issue, McFadden said. Selah’s prevention efforts have included the construction of safe homes across the country for victims of human trafficking. Their presentation will describe the first-hand experiences of many of these victims. The final event of the week will be a talk given by Carlande Nicholas, president of the Intervarsity Asian Christian Fellowship (ACF) in the Office of Campus Ministry. Her discussion will give a global perspective on human trafficking, McFadden said. n

POLICE BLOTTER: 10/30/17 – 11/1/17 Monday, Oct. 30

Comm. Ave.

11:51 a.m. - A report was filed regarding vandalism to Keyes North.

8:45 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious motor vehicle at Campanella Way.

1:46 p.m. - A report was filed regarding vandalism to Keyes South.

Tuesday, Oct. 31

1:52 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance at 2000

9:45 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious person at Stokes Hall.

4:14 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance at the Lower Lots. 6:27 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a medical incident at Higgins Hall.

Wednesday, Nov. 1 12:41 a.m. - A report was filed regarding

an intoxicated person of legal age at the Lower Lots. 3:19 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a medical incident at Rubenstein Hall.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

CORRECTIONS What snack would you add to the vending machines? “White cheddar popcorn.” —Jimmy McDermott, CSOM ’21

“Any snacks from Trader Joe’s.” —Helena Low, MCAS ’18

“Cheez-Its.” —Alena Frye, CSOM ’18

“Skinny Pop.” —Sophie DeMenil, LSOE ’18

Please send corrections to eic@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.

The Heights

Monday, November 6, 2017

Mogan, Students Talk Future Post-March UGBC and Admin, from A1 moving forward as a campus community through constructive dialogue.” The proposal is divided into two sections which aim to “Prevent future Bias-related Incidents” and to “Reaffirm [the] university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.” The last provision notably calls upon BC to “Affirm that Black Lives Matter.” Some student groups have expressed their support for UGBC’s proposal. Amelie Daigle, a member of Eradicate Boston College Racism (EBCR) and GMCAS ’19, felt that the resolution makes clear the demands of the University. Similarly, Maria Guerra, co-president of FACES and MCAS ’18, believes their provisions offer tangible changes that BC should implement as soon as possible. “We wanted the demonstration to tell the administration that it’s their turn,” Guerra said. “What are they going to do now?” Reflecting on the past few weeks, Guerra said she didn’t think administrators responded appropriately to the incidents, specifically citing the initial five-line email that Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley and Vice President for Student Affairs Barb Jones sent the student body on Monday, Oct. 16. She said that statement was not a strong enough stance. Jones and Mogan did, however, send a follow-up statement on Thursday, Oct. 19. Daigle expressed anger that the University never made an official statement saying that black lives matter. She feels that this lack of response causes students of color not to feel welcomed at BC. “‘Black Lives Matter’ is such a heartbreakingly simple phrase,” Daigle said. “It’s setting the lowest possible bar for being a decent human being.”

Mogan suggested in the interview that students consider that the University clearly condemned all acts of hate through multiple public statements during the week and has expressed its commitment to holding people accountable for the acts. “I think it was an adequate statement considering the timing of when it came out,” Mogan said. “I do recognize that students maybe wanted some more information, and that’s why we followed Monday’s statement up.” While Mogan could not disclose any information about possible sanctions on the protests leading up to Friday’s march, he affirmed that the school is conducting an investigation into the incidents. “I can assure the campus community that all alleged violations of the Code of Conduct are being actively and thoroughly investigated and will be adjudicated through our conduct process,” he said in an email. “If students are found responsible for these violations, they will be sanctioned accordingly.” Many individuals, such as Kevin Ferreira, GLSOE ’19, are convinced that these were not isolated incidents and that institutional change is necessary. He argues that they are tied to the antiracist movements on campus from between the 1960s and the 1980s, the disciplining of students for die-ins in the St. Mary’s Jesuit community against police brutality in 2014, and the 2015 UGBC proposal “Towards a More Inclusive Community” with contained demands for BC. He believes that, to express a commitment to diversity and inclusion, the administration should put into place concrete plans to address racism on campus, like those which were implemented at Yale University and Brown University within the past two years. “While individual acts of racism and

the ways we interact with each other have real consequences for how we feel, our health, and our relationships with others, it is only a part of the story,” Ferreira said. “We need to think about the ways that the institutions we belong to, the laws and policies we live under, [and] the ways our lives are structured are governed by racist assumptions.” Mogan highlighted several initiatives the University has developed, including the MOSAIC program during Welcome Week, increasing the number of dialogues on race to build cultural competency, and founding Complex Problems and Enduring Questions core courses with a focus on diversity and inclusion. He also noted that the University piloted the Campus of Difference program in several residence halls, making BC the first college or university to sign on with the Anti-Defamation League to offer this specific training to students. Furthermore, he noted that the incoming class of AHANA students and faculty hires is the largest it has ever been. But he hopes to emphasize that there is more to improving campus culture than having a higher number of AHANA individuals on campus. “It’s not just about increasing the number of AHANA students but also making sure that we have a campus culture that is welcoming and inclusive so that all students can thrive and be successful here at BC,” Mogan said. Mogan said he is committed to learning more about the experiences of students on campus with racism and holding the perpetrators of any sort of racist act accountable for their actions. “I think that can go a long way toward helping students feel supported, safe, and that the administration cares about them as students and cares deeply about their success at Boston College,” he said. n

Freshmen React to Week of Activism By Mary Wilkie For The Heights and Charlie Power

For The Heights Following racist incidents that occurred on campus last month, The Heights spoke to 13 Boston College freshmen about their reactions to a historic week of activism on campus. After three events of activism during the week of Oct. 16-20—a rally on Monday, walkout on Wednesday, and march on Friday—some said they were assured by the solidarity of the student body. Others said they are concerned, and somewhat wary of their experience at BC. The Chronicle reported last week that the Class of 2021 is BC’s most diverse ever, with 31 percent AHANA representation. Of the freshmen interviewed for this story, 10 identify as being of color and three identify as white. BC sent out a statement on Monday, Oct. 16, as the incidents, which included the vandalism of “Black Lives Matter” signs and a racist social media post, got some traction among students. After rallies that Monday and on Wednesday, at which some students voiced disapproval of the Monday statement—which some saw as too short and not strong enough—Vice President for Student Affairs Barb Jones and Dean of Students Thomas Mogan sent out a much longer statement on Thursday, Oct. 19. Several freshmen said they expected a more “confrontational response” from the administration. Nish Varma, MCAS ’21, said he thought administrators should have been more responsive. Sireesh Vinnakota, a senator in the Undergraduate Government of BC’s Student Assembly and MCAS ’21, said he came from an extremely diverse high school, and he said the demographics at BC are much different. He was disappointed in how the University handled the incidents. “There is absolutely no excuse that the students had to work so hard to even get the response that we did,” he said. Some freshmen found the student response encouraging. Joe Okafor, also an SA member and MCAS ’21, was upbeat, despite some frustration. “It’s obviously discouraging and disappointing, the events that occurred, but it also made me proud,” he said. “I feel a sense of empowerment because there are so many likeminded individuals in this community, so many individuals that care about the wellbeing and safety of the people around them.” Many were amazed at the determination and solidarity of some of the students.

“It helped me to like the school a little bit better,” said Berlindyne Elie, MCAS ’21. “Knowing that over 300 students walked out of class against hate and racism was really encouraging … My mind was racing, my heart was racing … I could see people who were Black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, and it made me feel better. And then on Friday there were over 1,000 people and that made me feel even better.” Daniel Dixon, CSOM ’21, said that the freshman class should adopt a sense of responsibility to address racism on campus. “We as freshmen play the most important role because we are the future of BC,” he said. “It is a monumental weight on the community of the freshmen class to have to deal with such a tragic ordeal during a blossoming phase of our lives.” However, while some have primarily been struck by students’ quick unity, others remain wary because of these racist occurrences. “It was really great to see that sense of solidarity among the students, however, I don’t think that I felt resolved,” said Nina Bombole-Boimbo, CSON ’21. “There’s still so much to be done.” Bombole-Boimbo was unsatisfied with the administration’s response and with the amount of support from the student body. She said she is reconsidering her place at BC. “I’m really upset that students have that mindset of being really apathetic about a situation that’s really severe,” she said. Bombole-Boimbo said she felt a lack of concern among students, and hoped that soon could be resolved. “Everyone is entitled to do whatever they want to do, but when this happens you should try and support everyone else,” she said. Many freshmen attribute this response to what they perceive to be a lack of diversity among the students. Markus Joseph, MCAS ’21, came from a largely diverse area and he said he frequently notices the lack of diversity at BC. He thinks that people tend to congregate and cling to their groups, rarely branching out. “Where there is diversity, everyone hangs out in their own cliques; people don’t really hang out and move into others’ cliques … [they] don’t get exposure to other cultures that are here,” he said. Amani Barnes, CSOM ’21, thinks that the perceived lack of diversity explains students’ discomfort with unfamiliar cultures. “I think the problem is the comfortability factor,” he said. “I think some people are definitely too comfortable with just embracing a racist culture.” Still, he is optimistic, saying, “There’s definitely room for change.”

Vinnakota explained the emotions through which he progressed during the events. “At first it was really disheartening … but as the week went on I was a little bit happier that this went on my freshman year because now we have four years, and I took that as a call to action,” he said. “There’s a lot of work for us to do.” “It just put me in a setting to make me aware of [racial injustice], which I think is a good thing, because when we come to a new place we often aren’t concerned with everyone else’s issues,” Olivia Keirby-Smith, MCAS ’21, said. “Students should have this perspective that some people here are minorities who are having completely different experiences coming to a predominantly white university,” she said. “It’s good that it happened as I got here, so that during my four years here I am aware that my reality isn’t everyone else’s reality [and am] more empathetic towards those who are the minority.” Elie agrees, and called for further action from fellow students and the University. “You have to use your privilege as a platform to speak on behalf of people who do not have a voice,” she said. Likewise, Markus believes that educating the masses would create a more accepting environment not conducive to such offenses. “More knowledge about other cultures will give us more knowledge about how to act toward others … [without] saying something that could be offensive to them and their culture,” he said. Because these events occurred during their freshman year, many of these students feel a sense of responsibility to address this issue in their years to come at BC. Despite their overall disappointment, freshmen are confident that by continuing to address racism on campus, they will change the trajectory of University and student involvement regarding this issue. Arturo Balaguer, MCAS ’21, acknowledged that the last few weeks might have made some freshmen uneasy, but he’s still optimistic. “I feel like it’s hopeful,” he said. “Some freshmen would say, ‘Oh, I’m here, two months in, and all this turmoil is happening’. But no, I like that it’s happening, because it’s addressing something.” “It might be premature for me to say that it’s a really big problem, but people who have been here longer than me say it is and say it has to be addressed,” he added. “And it’s being addressed right now. And I’m happy for that. I’m hopeful for what’s to come.” n

Amelie Trieu / Heights Editor

BC Releases New Details on Sciences Investment Schillers, from A1 poverty. The building itself will contain new laboratories, maker spaces, and some classrooms. The release confirmed that the Institute will house some engineering faculty, a first for BC. It will also contain space for the computer science department, which has been looking for opportunities to grow. The Institute’s “signature program,” according to BC’s new site about the project, will be a major in Integrated and Applied Science. “This major will prepare students who are fluent in multiple natural science disciplines and applied science approaches, while shaping the next generation of scientists in the art of collaboration across science disciplines,” according to a Q&A with Chiles posted on the site. Dean of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Rev. Greg Kalscheur, S.J., and University Spokesman Jack Dunn did not specify at this time exactly how the $300 million investment will be allocated, but said specifications would come later. “[Friday’s] event was held to formally announce the Schiller Institute and to thank the Schiller’s for their generous gift to Boston College,” Dunn said on Sunday. “As details regarding the Institute emerge during the coming months, we will gladly share them with The Heights.”

BC held an event Friday in Robsham Theater to celebrate the announcement, with the Schiller family and many members of BC’s Board of Trustees in attendance. The idea for a major investment in integrated science at BC was also included in the University’s last strategic plan, released a decade ago, but never took off. Schiller, a longtime member of Apple’s inner circle of executives, said that every time he and his wife come to BC they are “blown away” by students’ creativity. And, he said, they need more. “This is for them, they’re aching for it,” he said. “And that’s the best thing, when you can make something the world is already in need of.” Paul Farmer, the Harvard Medical School professor and founder of the Boston nonprofit Partners in Health, gave the keynote address, talking about some of his work in Haiti, which has included building a major hospital in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake there in 2010. “All of higher education is grappling with the enormity of our contemporary challenges,” Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley said at the event. “When it comes to undergraduate and graduate education, it’s our sense that we cannot continue to rely solely upon our traditional siloed approaches, but instead we must adapt and embrace new ways of thinking, of teaching, of working together.” n

Amelie Trieu / Heights Editor

Partners in Health co-founder Paul Farmer delivered the keynote at the event held Friday.

CSOM Considering Task Force on Honors Program CSOM Honors, from A1 MCAS Honors Program. “That’s really what spurred the Carroll Honors Program … there was a huge variance,” he said. “And I think those top students said, we want more. And those bottom students were people who wouldn’t get into Boston College now.” “So there was a great case to be made for honors-types of experiences for those students,” he added. This gap has narrowed. Over time, Sullivan said he has seen BC students become more competitive. He estimated that 90 percent of current CSOM students would have qualified for the Honors Program a few decades ago. “I do see that rationale that was written up in the Arts and Sciences letter as having truth to it, that over time the students have

gotten quite a bit better,” he said. In its current inception, CSOM Honors students have the opportunity to take honors sections of CSOM core classes, and are required to do an honors thesis. Admission to the Honors Program is offered to both early action and regular applicants, and the freshman class usually averages around 30 or 40 students. Beyond academics, one of the benefits of the program Sullivan cited was the spirit of camaraderie it cultivates among class years, including First Serve, a community service program CSOM Honors does at the beginning of every year. “The Honors Program starts with First Serve, so there’s some team building that’s especially helpful for first-year students to have a sense of community right from the start, to make Boston College feel smaller,” he said. n

The Heights

Monday, November 6, 2017

Malarczyk Fights on the Frontlines of Medical Research By Brooke Kaiserman For The Heights Many of us wait years before having that “aha moment,” the instant we have the doubtless realization of what we are meant to do with our lives. But for Ali Malarczyk, MCAS ’19, it unexpectedly came much earlier. When she was just 10 years old, her dad was taken to the hospital because of a heart attack. Devoted to every step of her dad’s recovery, Malarczyk was by his side day in and day out. She remembers the environment clearly. But instead of fearing the endless gurneys, EKG machines, and blood, she felt intrigued. Every moment within the white walls represented endless possibilities and adventure, and she felt a strong sense of wonderment at the hospital’s capacity for healing, and, in extreme cases like her father’s, saving lives. In middle school, she cultivated this interest with numerous science classes including anatomy and biology, equipped with the firm conviction that she would continue her foray into medicine in college. Malarczyk spent her freshman year at Simmons College, a small school just outside Fenway with a total undergraduate enrollment of about 1,800. Through her chemistry courses, she grew close with a professor who recommended her for an open research assistant position at Harvard Medical School. Although she hadn’t been looking for the job, her desire to branch out and gain more exposure to neurobiology at a handson level convinced her to take the interview. Walking into the Armenise Building, she was shocked to find that the quintessential science lab she had been picturing actually consisted of two sections: an expansive laboratory as well as a back room filled with advanced microscopes she had no idea existed. She remembers finishing her tour of the renowned Armenise Research Building before being interviewed by Postdoc. Brendan Lehnert, and then getting the job. “Ali interviewed in the fall of her freshman year and struck us as confident and collected during her interview,” Lehnert said in an email. “After we hired her, I taught her a challenging technique, which she was quickly able to improve, such that she is now the lab expert.”

Harvard was just down the road from Simmons and had the opportunities she craved. It was the ideal place for her, and she’s been there ever since. Though her school’s location to her new job provided a great benefit, Malarczyk knew she wanted to attend a bigger university with a diverse student body after her first year. The thriving student life was immediately apparent when she stepped onto Boston College’s campus. She knew it was the place for her. Malarczyk largely credits BC for furthering her passion for biology and increasing her engagement within the field of medicine. The diverse curriculum for the sciences at BC allows her to mold her education to herself and her passions, and the professors constantly expose her to the many possibilities she has as a biology major—she even remembers an enriching talk at BC that emphasized medicine while simultaneously incorporating history into the lecture. She also loves to take advantage of the opportunities BC offers its students: Malarczyk is a regular attendee of office hours, and even if she doesn’t need help grasping the material, she loves going just to talk with her professors and engage with the material. She appreciates BC’s professors for their willingness to connect with students and have individualized, intellectual conversations. Her professors feel the same way about her. “She represents all of the things that have impressed me about BC students not only on the intellectual and academic side, but also on the personal side,” Karen Atkinson, Malarczyk’s summer organic chemistry teacher, said in an email. “She is kind, honest, and thoughtful, even in the pressure cooker of an intensive course.” After a long morning of classes, most of us can be found heading back to our dorms for a nap, grabbing lunch at Eagle’s with friends, or heading to O’Neill to get a jump on the next day’s work. But if you’re Malarczyk, you ride the Commonwealth Ave. bus down to the Reservoir T stop, maybe getting a head start on some impending reading on the way, hop off at Longwood, and from there it’s a 20-minute walk to the renowned Harvard Medical School, where you’ll stay for the next seven to eight hours. The Armenise Medical Research Building is one of the classically beautiful

buildings that surrounds the quadrangle of Harvard Medical School. Malarczyk finishes her long walk to Harvard at this spot, then makes a beeline for the Ginty Lab, a research lab focusing on “the function, organization, and mechanisms of assembly of the peripheral nervous system and spinal cord circuits that underlie the sense of touch.” Malarczyk passes through the “typical” part of the lab, walking by the black countertops and the chemicals lined up neatly on shelves—everything is in its proper place. She then makes her way down to the basement, where her revolutionary research takes place: the mouse room. The “mouse room” is a bit like a highly fortified bank vault. After washing her hands and adorning herself from head to toe in scrubs, gloves, shoe covers, and more, she types in several PIN numbers and codes and makes her way through a series of underground tunnels before she finally reaches the room, in which there are wall-to-wall cages filled with mice. “You have to fully wash yourself,” Malarczyk said. “Your entire experiment could be completely destroyed if you had accidentally touched one with a contaminant.” Malarczyk is also not your run-ofthe-mill research assistant. She is at the frontline of this groundbreaking research. After pulling on a crisp white lab jacket, she consults her checklists and makes sure all the materials are properly stocked, and then she’s ready to go. Specifically, Malarczyk works under Lehnert, who studies the relationship between neurons and the skin. To do so, he self-generates rare viruses and injects them into the mice to study their propagation throughout the brains of the mice. The physical barrier completely shuts out the outside world, and as soon as she enters the mouse room, Malarczyk is ready to start working. After playing with the mice for an hour, Malarczyk gets to work on her main responsibility: extracting their DNA. She takes a small sample of skin or hair, puts it in a solution, and then puts them on gels and runs it through a process called electrophoresis, which is a technique that allows her to analyze the DNA. She is also thoroughly involved in the surgical aspects of the experiments. Once the mouse dies, Malarczyk dissects out the spinal cord, brain, and brainstem. She uses a machine to physically slice the brain, which

Sam Zhai / heights staff

Ali Malarczyk, MCAS ‘19, works as a research assistant at Harvard Medical School. can be cut into 150 individual slices, and the brainstem, which can be cut into 80. After tagging where the virus has spread, she maps the brain and can see exactly how far the virus propagated. Each cycle of the experiment generally takes about 24 to 48 hours, and the viruses grow and are genetically modified at different times, so there is a cyclical feeling to her research, which she participates in almost every day. The reason behind these experiments is to tag the neurons in the body that are affected by the spread of the specific disease Lehnert has generated. Malarczyk’s currently learning how to suture and inject the viruses, something that many research assistants have been unqualified to do. By looking at the propagation of these viruses and how they fluorescently lit up different neurons in the brain when touched with a mechanical stimulus, Malarczyk was integral in the discovery that there is a disproportionate relationship between where projections occur in the brain with what neurons are stimulated. Even with her tight schedule, Malarczyk remains involved in BC’s campus life. She currently serves as an RA in the always lively Walsh Hall, which has a surprising correlation to her medical career. Her graduate resident director, Jaimie Carvalho, notes that as an RA, Malarczyk is learning how to listen to people, show compassion for others, and have a positive demeanor—all essential skills for her promising future in

medicine. “I think her superb initiative is really inspiring,” Carvalho said. “She doesn’t just do what she needs to do to check off boxes, she does them really well.” After graduating from BC, Malarczyk wants to continue exploring the field of medicine and hopefully find some clarity on whether or not she wants to be a cardiologist or a neurobiologist. To do this, she wants to go to medical school, but she also wants to keep up her participation in research. Ultimately, she hopes to receive her doctorate and become a licensed M.D. She surmises that her research may just be the push she needs to decide on neurobiology. “Don’t get me wrong, I find myself thinking about [my research] a lot,” Malarczyk said. “Every day I’m thinking about how I can further do this experiment.” In the future, this groundbreaking research could even help find a cure for muscular dystrophies and paralysis as it examines the neuron proportionate relationship to sensation in the skin. For something that seems so small when the research involves tiny mice, it could eventually become part of a big scientific paper. Malarczyk credits her passion for biology and medicine as well as her tenacity more than anything else. “Do what you love,” she said. “Just take a risk and try something. It’s very easy to quit, but don’t be afraid of risks. I was never afraid of risks, and I’m here now.” n

At Council, Students Combine Jesuit Values With Public Policy By Shannon Youngberg For The Heights Students are often overwhelmed by the seemingly limitless avenues that they can take to practice the Jesuit ideal of “men and women for others” while at BC. With service immersion programs such as Appalachia Volunteers and Arrupe, and clubs such as 4Boston and Eagle Volunteers to name a few, it is easy to feel as if all the bases have been covered. To Ian Wyllie and Cecilia Milano, both MCAS ’18, however, there seemed to be something missing. As students both interested in public policy, a field with the intent to advance society through the adjustment of political procedures, Wyllie and Milano recognized the need for an organization which promotes the development of this work. The abundance of clubs on campus relating to public policy was evident, but the lack of an entity that could provide a sense of cohesion among these groups was even more apparent. “There are a lot of different clubs that have similar types of people ... students who are interested in policy in some way, but there was no uniting body,” Milano said. Organizations related to public policy such as College Democrats, College Republicans, Economics Association, and Eagle Political Society are some of the groups between which Milano and Wyllie hope to form a connection.

During the second semester of their sophomore year, Wyllie and Milano set off to establish an institution that would promote collaboration between students looking to pursue public policy at BC. Though they didn’t end up achieving this goal for two years, they finally established the BC Policy Council in the spring of 2017. According to Wyllie, the process of creating a club is quite tedious. They first needed to communicate with the School of Social Work and the economics and political science departments to understand how the council could maximize its impact on as many parties as possible. After the writing, editing, and rewriting of a proposal for the organization, they moved on to strategizing the logistic operations of the club. The formulation of a constitution and by-laws was the next step in their preparation for the presentation they would be giving to the Office of Student Involvement (OSI). The Policy Council did not receive immediate approval due to a supposed lack of understanding of what the Council aimed to accomplish. This setback was not enough to deter Wyllie and Milano from establishing the organization. The two remained vigilant along with the help of other members of the BC community. Rohit Bachani, CSOM ’19, and Tiziana Dearing, a professor in the School of Social Work, both played crucial roles in getting the club up and running, according

Sam Zhai / heights staff

Cecilia Milano (above) co-founded the BC Policy Council with Ian Wyllie last spring.

to Wyllie. They were both active contributors to the formulation of the proposal given to OSI and they remain very much involved with the council today. Bachani now serves as secretary on the executive board and Dearing continues to serve as an adviser for the Policy Council. “[Dearing] has been really instrumental in working with Ian Wyllie on the formation of the club,” Milano said. “It kind of grew out of one of their conversations where she was noticing that there was something missing here.” Over time, as Dearing and the students gathered the necessary components of a convincing proposal, they received approval from OSI. The vision that Dearing described is still a work in progress, as the club needs time to gain momentum and to get to a place where its goals are achievable. The council has, though, made some substantial leaps in creating an entity that has the potential to impact public policy at BC on a large scale. The Policy Council is currently comprised of 10 independent clubs, or member organizations, that collaborate to set up events concerning policy. By avoiding the profligate practice of holding similar events on multiple occasions for each organization, the council hopes to make a more efficient use of resources on campus. Prior to the council, if College Democrats were hosting a speaker, a member of College Republicans or Economics Association would be unable to attend, despite the groups’ universal interest. “The 10 groups involved … we wanted to have a more cohesive, coordinated effort ... so the biggest thing we wanted to avoid was duplication [of events],” Wyllie said. The way in which the council goes about promoting this collaboration is through a newsletter sent to all the user organizations. It contains a list of events regarding public policy that the organizations can choose to get involved with or attend. According to Wyllie, the first newsletter was just sent out this October. Though efficiency is a key factor in the motivation behind the newsletter, Wyllie emphasized that the council hopes to accomplish much more than just minimiz-

ing the amount of superfluous events on campus. “We’re trying to bridge a gap with the fact that we can’t do what an institution could do, but we can show that there’s interest [in public policy] and we can pool resources to get a little bit further,” he said. “We are trying to have the mindset of other student organizations that have done a great job of putting together different events.” Another element of the council is centered around career planning in the policy sector. Milano serves as the career director, and she provides students with the means to build a possible future in public policy. According to Milano, the Career Center has many strengths, but she notes the fact that they haven’t yet developed any resources that could benefit students looking to go into the field of public policy. Holding the position of career director requires Milano to oversee a group within the council known as the careers team. The main objective of this group is to establish a mindset among the members of the different organizations involved that a future in public policy is very much possible and attainable. “The career team’s goal is to create and promote events and career opportunities that are practice-based, whether that’s job shadowing, or other opportunities that really involve students in the opportunities that the public sector has after graduation,” Milano said. With hopes of establishing a more proficient and accessible pathway to success in public policy, Wyllie and Milano refused to back down despite the constant obstacles they faced and the extensive efforts they exerted in order to achieve their goal. Though not the driving force behind founding the council, they recognize the many ways in which they have benefitted as a result of their work with the club. Since Milano has been exposed to many people who share her passions in the public sector, she has been able to benefit a great deal from their collaboration. “I think I have a much better understanding now of when I say I want to go into policy ... of what that actually means,”

Milano said. Come May, Milano will be working in New Orleans with Teach for America. As she eventually wants to pursue a career in educational policy, Milano feels that she needs to gain some perspective on the challenges present in public schooling systems in order to better understand where the need for improvements lie. On the other hand, Wyllie doesn’t have any immediate plans to go into policy, but intends to first get involved with the business world. The skills that he has developed throughout the process of establishing the council and serving as its chairman have provided him with a great deal of the experience necessary in achieving success in the field of business. According to Wyllie, many of the positions on the Policy Council are going to become available with the conclusion of the spring semester, as the board is currently led by seniors. He hopes that students looking to expand upon policy on campus can find their way to the council and contribute to its mission. Due to the tremendous amount of work that was required of the students to create the club, Wyllie sees promise in its abilities to continue the growth toward forming a higher appreciation of public policy of BC’s campus. “It’s been a long process but we’re hopeful that because it’s taken so much time and because there’s so much thought that went into it, it’ll actually be something that can provide a voice for students to come through the public policy sector,” he said. Dearing expressed feelings of optimism not only surrounding the Policy Council’s prospective successes, but the successes of all students looking to make social or educational advances on BC’s campus. “I think it’s exciting to see entrepreneurial students caring about and being passionate about public policy, because innovation is as important in policy as it is in any other part of life for social change,” she said. “To see students with that in their DNA, who care about these subjects, just makes you feel good about the future.” n

The Heights

Monday, November 6, 2017

Festival Shines in Night By Colleen Martin For The Heights A group that started with four people performing a synchronized dance quickly became a street full of people doing the Macarena as they followed the lead of the video projected on the building in front of them. A crowd formed around the professional dancers of MetaMovements, a Boston-based music community, to watch as they led the passers-by who had been inspired to join in on just one of the interactive art exhibits offered throughout the neighborhood. Washington Street was transformed by the light, sound, and energy of one of Boston’s premier arts events. According to its website, the goal of the Illuminus Festival is to “create immersive experiences that turn city streets into an installation gallery.” It was inspired by the nuit blanche art movement that originated in Paris. The idea behind it is to have free night-time art exhibits that turn ordinary city areas into cultural centers that create a community of people gathered to experience art together. The Illuminus Festival was created by Jeff Grantz in Boston in 2014, and returned to the city in 2015 for its second appearance. It’s co-sponsored by the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District and LuminArtz. After not taking place in 2016, the festival was reinstated this year featuring exhibits from over 20 artists. Some, such as the creators of the Gridlock interactive installation, are veteran artists, having been involved with Illuminus since its inception. Created by Masary Studios, Gridlock consists of large blocks that can be touched, moved, and manipulated by the public to create displays of light and sound that are projected on an adjacent wall. Maria Finkelmeier, who produced Gridlock along with Sam Okerstrom-Lang and Ryan Edwards, observed the public reaction to her piece from a nearby tent where they kept sound and light equipment. “This year we’re excited to create a truly interactive piece for the public,” Finkelmeier said. “I hope the public sees themselves as the artists—as the people creating the music, creating the visuals, creating the play.” William Lee and Josh Seim, who were referred to the festival by friends studying at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, agreed that the best part of the festival was its connection with the audience. “It’s involving the public, which is awesome,” Seim said. In addition to interacting with the public on a physical level, some exhibits were created with the intention of pro-

moting thought and compassion among its viewers. Lantern Story shares the experiences of immigrants in the United States. Cubeshaped lanterns hang in groups of two on wires between trees. Each side of the cube has different answers to the questions, “Why do you want to be here in United States at this time? How long do you plan to stay in United States? Describe your job/occupation, and if you didn’t have a U.S. visa where would you be and what would you be doing?” The crowd was quieter at this exhibit than at Gridlock or MetaMovements as they read and photographed the responses of the contributors. Answers for “Why do you want to be in United States at this time?” ranged from “There are more potential buyers in the United States for the products I want to make,” to “Family and Opportunities,” to “I’m in love.” Furen Dai, the artist behind Lantern Story, hopes that people will remember the voices of the individuals in her exhibit after the festival is over. Dai asked her friends for help finding subjects to interview, but explained that each person could only produce three to five names. Dai was saddened by this, because as an immigrant, she is aware that there is a large population of people with stories to share. Dai hoped that the installation would “turn these anonymous people into real people,” so that viewers could “realize their existence around you.” People walking through the festival ranged from frequent art viewers to curious individuals and couples who just happened upon it. Cary and Jolene Ward were walking home from the American Academy of Medical Colleges Meeting at Massachusetts General Hospital when they heard the music on a street corner and stopped to observe. Self-proclaimed frequent museum-goers from Omaha, Neb., the Wards agreed that Illuminus was “totally different” than what they usually see. “It’s a venue for people to gather,” Jolene Ward said. Isabelle Stromberg, a freshman at Barnard College, saw the event advertised in The Boston Globe, and decided to check it out with her mom while home on fall break. “It’s more interactive,” Stromberg said. “You get all sorts of people, people that are walking by not necessarily looking for art, but stumbling upon it.” The Illuminus Festival certainly has the ability to attract people to its exhibits. When it began in 2014, only 10,000 people attended. Just one year later it attracted 30,000 people. While its location will change every year, its mission will not. “It’s less about giving them something, and more about them giving themselves the gift of art,” Finkelmeier said. n

Emma Cooke / heights Staff

Over the weekend the Illuminus Festival filled Downtown Crossing with light.

Max Calleo / heights Staff

Anoush’ella Innovates Comfort Food By Max Caello Heights Staff

It all started with a complaint from Nina and Raffi Festekijan’s son regarding the current state of the restaurant industry. He was discontented that Chipotle was the only place that he and his friends could have a nice, sitdown meal. The plan was then in the works: the Festekjians would open a restaurant with these specifications. Anoush’ella, located in Boston’s South End, opened its doors on Sept. 1, the Festekjians first venture into the restaurant world. The name of the restaurant means “may it be sweet” in Armenian. This is an expression regarding the love of preparing food and serving it to people, and it is very similar to saying “bon appetite.” Interior design was Nina’s speciality, and Raffi was previously involved in the information technology realm, so opening their restaurant was a complete change. A scarcity of Eastern Mediterranean restaurants with dishes from places such as B eirut , Lebanon, and Armenia was another major influence in their decision to open Anoush’ella. Nina commented that being a mom for the past 22 years and entertaining friends and family has helped her realize that she has always loved cooking and entertaining. Nina has also hosted and organized many fundraising events, helping her realize her love for planning and coordinating events. Ironically, the restaurant industry surrounded her for the majority of her career, but it never struck her previously that being a restaurateur was an option. The Festekjians grew up in Lebanon and were brought up cherishing food similar to what they now cook in their successful venture, Anoush’ella. Eater Boston has named Anoush’ella one of the hottest restaurants in Boston right now. The fine, fast-casual dining experience attracts all age groups, from high school seniors to couples that desire a nice sit-down dinner, and the fresh quality food keeps the customers coming back.

When Anoush’ella opened, the Festekjians decided that they would not have a grand unveiling. On the first day of business, they simply opened the doors to a flood of people that had the kitchen wiped clean of food by 7:30 p.m. But one of the first things that customers saw upon entry was a beautiful table, filled with all of the 14 typical spices that are used in Eastern Mediterranean meals, including saffron and sumac. This came to the Festekjians as a creative take on the spice market of Lebanon, but instead of being displayed in burlap sacks, the colorful array of spices is displayed within a table, ranging from red to earthy hues of brown. The tile is asphalt-colored, like the ground of a marketplace. “We wanted to bring the atmosphere of the outside marketplace to the inside,” Raffi said. Customers observe an intricate light fixture with a beautiful knotted pattern typical to Armenian architecture as they cross the threshold. Nina added that the stonework on an Armenian church constructed in the 14th century was the inspiration for the light fixture. The back seating area also has the ambiance of a Mediterranean marketplace, as bright, detailed tapestrylike patterns that are found hanging in these markets adorn the seating. These inspirations came from years of traveling around Mediterranean countries. Vibrant paintings hang from the walls, crafted by the American-Armenian artist Sirarpi Heghinian Walzer, based out of Lexington. Nina and Raffi found the artist, and Nina added that she would like to display different artists inspired by this region as time progresses. The Festekjians explained that college students love the restaurant, especially since Anoush’ella’s location is near both Boston University and Northeastern. Raffi reflected on the past weeks, saying that students usually come in large groups of 10 or more, and they keep coming back. They would like to open up other locations, possibly in

Chestnut Hill or Brighton, to expand their vision to more people. All of the ingredients are fresh and healthy. Everything is made fresh daily—the cooks braise the juicy and smoky meat overnight, and they also marinate the flavor-enveloped chicken simultaneously. Raffi describes it as “comfort food.” The dishes are not exactly as they would be served originally, as the Festekjians have placed their own twists and interpretations upon each dish, making them their own, including the use of a flatbread in many of the dishes. The sai, a type of oven used to cook the wraps, is the centerpiece of the kitchen. The Festekjians’ take on some of these recipes is to wrap them, whereas many would have been served originally simply as a dish without the flatbread, a fluffy, flavorful, and deliciously seasoned base. One such wrap is the chicken za’atar, made with a creamy hummus, chicken that is slow-roasted and marinated with za’atar (a typical Mediterranean spice-herb combination that adds a powerful, tangy taste to many dishes), juicy tomatoes, baked fries, a pickled turnip that adds a pop of flavor and color to this dish, and garlic sauce. With the ingredients and herbs melding together, e ver y thing is wrapped in a m’anoush, a form of flatbread wrap. Customers can also add side dips to the meal, such as the hummus—topped with aleppo peppers, it is a delicious, smooth, and creamy side that when complemented with the soft, chewy chips presents an earthy flavor profile—and labneh, a strained Mediterranean yogurt with a thick and creamy consistency and a slight tinge of tartness that elevates every menu item. A selection of house-made drinks also populate the menu, such as the thyme and ginger lemonade, a citrus drink that brings an acidic flavor to the Mediterranean meal. As the menu states, “Anoush’ella. It’s an expression of the love, pride and enjoyment that goes into serving someone who enjoys food and thank you.” n

Using Bookmarks and Design, Boston Preserves History By Chloe McAllaster For The Heights As one of the oldest settlements in the United States, Boston is rich with a history that touches nearly every street corner and houses iconic relics of centuries past. Timehonored houses, parks, churches, and monuments stand proud in each neighborhood of the city as tributes to pivotal eras and decisive moments in the history of the nation. These landmarks halt the turning of the pages of history in much the same way a bookmark holds the place of a significant point in the narrative—both are reminders to revisit a compelling moment. This link between the role of landmarks in a city and the conventional purpose of bookmarks was the inspiration behind one of Boston Landmarks Commission’s most popular Preservation Month projects. The Landmarks Commission worked in collaboration with the city’s digital team to design bookmarks, and later tote bags

and posters, for each of Boston’s nine historic districts, the Landmarks Commission, and the Archaeology Program. The project found its roots in line drawings of landmarks created for tote bags by city archaeologist Joe Bagley a few years ago. The widespread popularity of the tote bags acted as the springboard for the bookmarks designed for this past May’s Preservation Month, as the Landmarks Commission found itself searching for a way to give each of the historic districts—Aberdeen, Back Bay, Bay State Road, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Mission Hill, Fort Point Channel, South End, and St. Botolph—its own individuality. “We really needed to come up with some way of identifying the various districts because we have nine districts, the Boston Landmarks Commission and the Archaeology Program. They all needed an individual identity,” said Kathleen von Jena, Assistant Survey Director of the Landmarks Commission.

Each of the nine districts, the Landmarks Commission and the Archaeology Program has its own bookmark featuring an illustration that highlights its distinct architectural style. To arrive at the final iterations of the line drawings, von Jena’s team sent designer Caroline Stjarnborg photos of landmarks and architectural elements from each of the neighborhoods for inspiration. One of the chief challenges Stjarnborg and the design team faced was finding landmarks that would fit the elongated shape of a bookmark. Some trial and error was necessary to overcome this obstacle, but with so many historical sites in Boston the team was still unable to explore every detail. Using the photos and walking the streets of the districts for ideas, Stjarnborg operated within the brand guidelines for icons used by the city’s design team to create illustrations that remained consistent with the overall look of other graphics produced for the city of Boston. Rather than

creating exact depictions of each landmark, Stjarnborg wanted each illustration to have “a little more unique spark to it.” Brand guidelines for elements such as color, typography, iconography, photos and landmarks ensure that all content created for the city of Boston has a cohesive look. The bookmarks had a dual purpose in spreading the new brand and increasing awareness for different historical landmarks and districts within the city. “We already have a great brand that we are building off of, and it’s a new brand that people seem pretty hungry for. I think that by proliferating it in this way, it drew some needed attention to some great landmarks within the city,” said design director Sebastian Ebarb. The design team is striving to give a unique flavor to each of the city’s departments while remaining within the somewhat rigid guidelines of the new brand. The brand guidelines protect the uniformity of materials and digital content created

for the city, but allow for the creativity necessary to accentuate the goals of each department. “It’s everything from landmarks to the snow brochure you get to remind you to shovel your sidewalk,” Ebarb said. “We utilize the new brand and hopefully give a cohesive message and visual identity that gets people excited and hopefully loving their city government a little bit more.” The design team and Landmarks Commission attribute the success of the bookmark project to the simplicity of the illustrations created by Stjarnborg, who Ebarb called “a force of nature when it comes to design in general,” and the way the bookmarks honor the history of the city. “One of the great things about Boston is that everybody is interested in the history and where this all comes from, so it’s kind of tying together this new brand that people are celebrating from Boston and the rich history that everybody loves,” Ebarb said. n

The Heights

Editorials

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Schiller Institute Will Advance Academics and Jesuit Mission Boston College released new details about its plans to build the new Institute for Integrated Science and Society on Friday. The Heights first reported on the project in April. The institute will be named for Phil Schiller, Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing and BC ’82, and his wife, Kim Gassett-Schiller. The couple have pledged a $25 million multi-year contribution to the project. The goal of the Schiller Institute, which has been described as “BC’s Moonshot” by Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Tom Chiles, is to establish a crossdisciplinary, collaborative approach at the University to solving many of the world’s most complex problems, including rises in terrorism, mass migration, revolutionary and social movements, threats to cybersecurity, and pandemics. The building will be aptly located adjacent to the Merkert Chemistry Center and Higgins Hall, likely in the current location of Cushing Hall, and will feature a 150,000 square foot facility containing

Monday, November 6, 2017

new classroom, lab, and office spaces. The construction is projected to cost $150 million, and over $100 million has already been raised, according to a University press release. The total investment in the sciences is $300 million. The Schiller Institute represents an important and exciting addition to the University. STEM majors will have the opportunity to explore a variety of new academic subjects such as integrated and applied science, global health, and design thinking, and benefit from collaboration with other departments at the intersection of technology, engineering, and entrepreneurship. The University plans to hire engineering faculty and establish an engineering department, according to the press release. In the addition of new courses in the sciences, students will likely have more options in fulfilling their Natural Science core requirements, contributing to BC’s mission as a liberal arts university to produce well-rounded students. New courses brought by the Schiller Institute will also

be a part of BC’s Complex Problems and Enduring Questions program, which offers interdisciplinary courses for freshmen that also fulfill core requirements. The Schiller Institute will house the University’s computer science department, and will provide additional resources for the program. Computer science is the fastest-growing field of study at the University, and has been recently seeking faculty and resources in order to expand. Not only will the Schiller Institute academically enrich the University, but it will also serve as a way for BC to rise in national school rankings. This should also help in BC’s recruiting efforts for scienceminded students. The Schiller Institute will create new research opportunities at BC and help the University attract high-caliber faculty in the sciences, important factors that contribute to the University’s rank. The institute will likely also help attract students interested in studying applied and integrated sciences, and how these fields can be used in solving some of the world’s most pressing issues.

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Letter to the Editor A Response to “Changing the Capstone Program” In his recent opinion piece, Thomas Keenan presumes to criticize the Capstone Program on the basis of misimpressions, anecdotal comments, and a failure to grasp core principles of journalism: get the facts and go to the sources. He uses random peers’ comments and a selection of some student comments on the Capstone website (bc.edu/capstone). He never troubled to speak to any Capstone faculty, the Deans who legitimate and sometimes teach Capstone, or me, who founded and has directed the program for 27 years. More egregiously, he presumes to judge the content and goals of 25 varied Capstone Seminars without reading a single syllabus: Every syllabus is on our website, offered by 28 faculty (70 since our inception) from 19 departments. If he had taken the essential journalistic step of confirming superficial impressions by examining key documents, he would have found explanation and refutation of his fundamental mistakes. For lack of background, his essay amounts to a blog—a subjective utterance without verification—rather than an op-ed piece in the tradition of conservative and liberal newspaper writers. Your word limit requires me to focus on his major misprisions. His chief objection is that Capstone must be taken for a grade but that the “openness,” “personal sharing,” and “on-demand intimacy” that are “promised” are neither appropriate nor possible for a graded course. The 400 student evaluations submitted each year never mention Mr. Keenan’s criticism. First, on grades. A fundamental premise of BC’s Capstone Program is that skills acquired in a rigorous education—careful reading and research, skillful writing, disciplined discussion—will specifically help

to navigate life’s challenges. It is possible to read, write, and discuss carelessly, so it is important to assess those skills in the “laboratory” of graded exercises. This gives the lie to Keenan’s assumption that course readings are a “secondary consideration” done “insofar as … directly helpful [to] college seniors.” If anything, Capstone faculty strive to move students beyond their frame of reference. Check our syllabi. He also completely misses a key purpose of Capstone, which is not to dwell in a student’s experience up to now, but to stretch their awareness of future long-term commitments waiting beyond college in citizenship, career, relationships, and spirituality. Capstone helps students imagine a future precisely when they need help to do that by widening, not focusing on, their frame of reference. Second, on openness in class. While Keenan dwells on students’ praise of friendly sharing in Capstones, that is a by-product, not the goal of the program. Again, read some syllabi. Students know well how to protect their vulnerability. They do so maturely in Capstone. If they lower their guards, it’s because of the chemistry of their Capstone class, but it’s not a requirement. That it may happen is a tribute to us, but our grading certainly does not use that as an assessment criterion. Rather than casual scanning and chatting which led to his essay, Mr. Keenan really needs a Capstone to strengthen his skills of careful reading, research, discussion, and writing. Fr. James M. Weiss Founder & Director, Capstone Senior Seminar Program Associate Professor, Theology

A Response to “Peter Markell, New Chair of Trustees, Discusses Goals, Recent Activism at BC”

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In my humble opinion, Chairman Markell, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. as the leader of Boston College, should speak out whenever situations occur that especially hurt students. There cannot be a substitute for that. Whether he recognizes it, not speaking out about racism and other forms of oppression at BC has been his Achilles’ heel throughout his tenure as president. I cannot see the racial climate at BC improving until he interfaces with students to gain knowledge of their experience at the University. You were at the University during Father Monan’s tenure as president.

Father Monan, as I recall, did not shy away from hearing student concerns. Leahy should take a page out of his book. Leahy who, I am sure, believes himself to be a friend of the AHANA community can learn a great deal from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who stated the following: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” . Donald Brown, Ed.D. Former Director Office of AHANA Student Programs Boston College

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The Heights

Monday, November 6, 2017

Awareness and the College Experience Coming

Shannon Lyons Jean Jackets - You might call me a hipster. I can live with that. You might call me a liberal. Fine by me. Who doesn’t know that already? I’m warm in my denim, and I feel impervious to your criticism. “Miss Independent” - Won’t you come and spend a little time? An unreal song that is currently entirely underappreciated in terms of its lack of inclusion in the throwback music that people play at parties out of nostalgia. It should be added to the unspoken playlist that includes other legendary tracks like “Mr. Brightside” and “Stacy’s Mom.” Ne-Yo is deserving of far more recognition than he receives. Take a bow king.

Dying of Heat For a Salad - You’ve just gotten out of class. Your destination predetermined in the group chat about an hour ago, you quickly descend the stairwell in Gasson, almost knocking over a gray-haired professor carrying a briefcase as you swiftly make your way down. Your professor decided to let your class out at 12:48, meaning you’ve got a two-minute head start on the rush to Eagle’s. You stride quickly across the academic quad, down the stairs, and glide by Stokes, content that your path is not impeded by the usual 12:51 havoc. You swing open the door to Mac and climb the stairs up to Eagle’s, the final push in what you hope will be a triumphant journey. Alas, you realize that everyone else in this school has decided to eat lunch at the same time as you, and despite your early start, the lines extend as far as the eye can see. You take your place in the back of the salad line, slowly waiting to order your “salad” dominated by popcorn chicken and asiago dressing. But as time progresses and you move closer to the counter, you start to realize the excruciating temperature in the room. It’s almost winter, and you’ve still got your sweater on. The heat in the counter area gets under your skin and causes you to sweat, your impatience amplified by the uncomfortable feeling. Slowly, it all becomes too much to handle, and you debate exiting the line and escaping the agonizing environment around you. Your eyes see fire, the containers of mozzarella, tomato, and cucumber replaced with fuming vats of lava. The fridges along the walls may as well be heat lamps, and your throat goes dry. Suddenly, a sandstorm sweeps through this desert, knocking you to your knees. The temperature intensifies, and you begin to spontaneously combust, burning up in flames as those in line around you look on, rather uninterested. A few take notice and post a video on their Snapchat stories of the bright flames engulfing you slowly. Then, you’re no more, a pile of ash on the floor of Eagle’s that someone will come by and sweep eventually, or that Duck Boots will kick to the side. You’ve fallen victim to the inferno, all for the sake of a salad, and you won’t be the last.

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The first rays of sunlight fall through your dorm window and pull you from a deep and dreamless sleep. For just a moment, the world is utterly silent and your mind is as clear as the azure November sky. Immersed in the silence and the warm glow of morning, you relish in the peace of a pre-conscious mind. In the mere flash of an instant, however, the clouds creep in. You recall that it is a Tuesday morning and you have a biology exam in just a few hours. It’s your sister’s birthday. You can’t forget to call her. The forms for the tutoring position you’re applying for are due tomorrow. You didn’t do your laundry. The thoughts strike you like pelting drops of rain, forming a stream of dialogue that runs through your mind unceasingly, until the moment that you slip back into sleep. Often, the voice inside our heads is like elevator music. We are so accustomed to it that we are not even aware of its presence. Because this mental narration never ceases, it is easy to feel as though our minds alone constitute who we are—as though the very essence of our being can be reduced to the chatter inside our minds. Of course, we are better off identifying with our mental faculties than purely with our bodies. Nonetheless, I believe that there is a secondary danger that comes with identifying only with our thoughts as well. In a Psychology Today article, “How Negative is Your Mental Chatter,” Dr. Raj Raghunathan writes that up to 70 percent of our thoughts are negative. This statistic struck me. If our minds are more inclined to think cynically, and if the majority of our thoughts are merely recycled notions from yesterday, then we do not have

as much control over our mental skies as I once believed. Just as we cannot prevent an impending storm from occurring, we cannot resolutely decide which ideas and beliefs will become ingrained into our minds. Often, our thoughts feel totally arbitrary and seem to arise from a force that is beyond our reach—whether we believe that force to be the will of nature, the grace of God, or something entirely different is of course subjective. In any case, there is a profound sense of freedom that comes with stepping back and distancing ourselves from the thoughts in our mind. In doing so, we allow ourselves to recognize that though we may be immersed in a stream of mental dialogue, we are not the stream itself. Though the waters of our mind saturate every aspect of our being, we have the ability to lift our chins above the rapids of thought and to gaze upon the ever-present shore. According to advocates of mindfulness, the key to this practice is not simply witnessing our thoughts, but rather asking ourselves who that witness is. Who or what is it that silently observes the racing mind—who is the presence that dwells both within and beyond the bodies that we call our own? I recognize that it may seem slightly fanciful to suggest that college students—in the thick of their homework assignments, job searches, and social lives—should devote time to reflecting on such seemingly abstract questions, but in my opinion these are some of the most important inquiries one could ask. Every element of our daily experience, from the conversations we have with friends, to our midterm exams, to the runs that we take around the Res, stem from our awareness. If we do not have the awareness to witness our thoughts and actions, then we do not have a medium through which to experience reality. If our sheer awareness necessarily precedes all elements of reality, then it

seems logical to suggest that we identify with that awareness, rather than with the experiences which emanate from it. In his book The Nature of Consciousness, spiritual guru Rupert Spira writes, “Awareness rises in the form of the mind to know the body and the world, but to know itself it need only rest in and as itself; it need only be itself alone.” Too often, as college students, we become fixated on “doing.” We deceive ourselves into believing that our selfworth is achieved through constant activity and movement, forgetting that beneath all the “doing,” we are beings. I do not mean to suggest that we should become inactive, slothful philosophers but rather, that we should learn to identify first and foremost with the light which illuminates the objects of our experience, rather than with the objects themselves. It is not until we do this that we can free ourselves from constant self-judgement. When we make a mistake, find ourselves in a terribly bad mood or simply don’t like the way that we look on a particular day, we can separate ourselves from that emotion or impression. We can witness the mental activity within our body without attaching ourselves to it and becoming swept away by its irrational rollercoaster. Let us remember that we are the silent observers who watch the experience unfold. We may express our awareness in the context of the finite mind, but I believe that the essence of our being goes far beyond the streams of our interior dialogue, the fog which obscures our mental skies, and the horizons of our physical bodies. We may never know what constitutes this so-called space of “beyond,” but if we can allow our minds to grow quiet—if only for a moment—I believe that we can feel it, alive and pulsating within our every breath.

Shannon Lyons is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

Learning From Our Heroes Lucia Madero It all started with my older brother. As children, we were inseparable. Whatever he wanted to be for Halloween, I wanted to be as well. If he was Zorro, I was Zorro. If he was a Power Ranger, then, of course, so was I. That was until we discovered Star Wars. At first, I was not that interested in what I thought came down to a bunch of intergalactic space fights. However, under my brother’s tutelage, I too began to think of myself as a Jedi apprentice—fascinated by light sabers and the power of the force. We did not play with Jedi costumes and light sabers … we trained. A few years later, when I turned six and entered first grade, Harry Potter taught me how to read. Since my mom was working and didn’t have much free time that year, I armed myself with an audio book and a paperback, and deciphered the first book. That year, I managed to make my hair look like Hermione’s without much effort, and when the doctor told me I needed glasses, I felt extremely fortunate. I thought that it would not take long after that, obviously, for me to get my Hogwarts letter, and I started looking for owls in the daylight. Not long after, my brothers and I stumbled upon the Lord of the Rings. We were hooked, and of course started figuring out how to acquire horses and bows so that we could pretend to be Legolas and Aragorn. Unfortunately, our venture was not successful, and we took up the roles of Frodo and Sam—both of whom were more in line with our heights and fighting abilities (or lack thereof ). I may not have seen much in com-

mon between the marvelous characters that I sought to imitate in those days, or the worlds that I wanted to inhabit. Thinking about it years later, however, all of my “chosen ones” had an integral character: they were hardworking, adventurous, strong, brave, and passionate. All were generous and sacrificed themselves in the service of others. They knew how to be good friends, and above all, they had a quality that could be described as “openness”—a way of accepting people and life circumstances without hesitation. Obi Wan was never disdainful with Jar Jar Binks, even when the latter lacked a position of power. All of the Jedi respected Yoda and managed to see his strength and wholeness, even if he was physically very different from them.

“I want to be a little more like those characters I used to dress up as.” Legolas never made fun of Sam for being much shorter or for being scared in the face of orcs, and even though Aragorn was king, he recognized the value of Frodo. Tolkien tells us that even Gollum had a purpose, and that he too could teach us something. It has been many years since I stopped playing in costumes and dreaming of living in other worlds. I understand that superheroes don’t exist, and that people aren’t just good or evil. Yet, whenever I remember these characters, I remember the way they all saw each other’s essence, each other’s worth. I remember their qualities and virtues. Here at Boston College, I’ve met many people who remind me of these characters. I’ve met people like Yoda,

who can be extremely quiet and will suddenly surprise me with the wisest advice I’ve ever heard. I’ve met people like Hermione, who will study much harder than anyone else and still have time to support me on all my adventures. I’ve met people like Merry and Pippin, who joke around about everything and always make my day a little brighter. And I’ve met people like Frodo and Harry, who are willing to fight for what is right, instead of what is easy. No one is perfect, but there are many people at BC doing their best. We all have different qualities that we bring to the table, and I think it’s important to celebrate our humanity, our positivity, and our combined strength. Maybe some days will be a struggle. Maybe some days we’ll fight with our friends or our teachers. Maybe some days we’ll fight with ourselves, as we contemplate the amount of homework we have and question why we’re once again getting dressed in all black to go to Agoro’s on a Thursday night. Yes, some days might be hard. But regardless of how hard situations might be, I want to be a little more like those characters I used to dress up as during Halloween. I want to use my time at BC to try to take stock of the people around me, and look at them with an open mind. I don’t want to look down and miss the people who are literally, and maybe even metaphorically, crossing my path. Because in the past year, if I’ve learned anything from the brave people around me, it is that I do not want to miss a single moment to laugh, to enjoy, or to speak out. And if I learned anything from all those characters I used to adore, it is that I want to leave room for everything but regret.

Lucia Madero is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

The opinions and commentaries of the op-ed columnists and cartoonists appearing on this page represent the views of the author or artist of that particular piece, and not necessarily the views of The Heights. Any of the columnists and artists for the Opinions section of The Heights can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

Full Circle

Joanna Yuelys

Finding your place at Boston College is a process that thousands of us have struggled with during our time here, whether it be the first few months for freshmen or three years and change for us old seniors. Something I found equally hard as a freshman was finding my places. That is, those places which were “mine,” that I would go to when I had a few hours to spare where I didn’t necessarily want to do work. I lived on Newton Campus freshman year. Depending on the day, I might have been on main campus for only a few hours, or sometimes morning to night. Waiting for club meetings to start, going to office hours with my professors, or even attending an evening lecture all become a little more complicated when your home base is a bus ride away. Because it was often easier to just stay on campus than to trek all the way back to Newton for a short period of time, I slowly began to look for places where I could park for a few hours to work or just relax. I wasn’t alone in this. Between the other Newton kids, the students who commute, and the students living off campus, most people at BC have experienced the frustration of not being able to go home between campus activities. For freshmen, it’s particularly difficult because you just have not spent enough time on campus to know exactly when certain places are crowded and what places to avoid. And hey, maybe even as a senior you never learn. This year, I have walked into the Rat after my Thursday 12 p.m. class, looked at the line, visibly cringed, and proceeded to my next class grumpy and coffee-less at least three times. And forget about the Chocolate Bar. My freshman-year self would have never hovered over one of those coveted tables as people were leaving. At this point, once I open the door to Stokes, I’m on a mission—and have yet to fail to get a table. I never gave my mom credit for her sixth sense in finding parking spots, but now I have decided that I have inherited it in the form of table hunting. Nowadays, even if my room is empty, out of habit I will always make long phone calls outside. I am pretty sure I do this because freshman year there was never a truly viable alternative on main campus. And just by virtue of living on a communal hall, when I was on Newton I did the same as to not disturb my roommate. Now, I essentially pace O’Neill Plaza people watching whenever I’m on the phone. Because I had all this time to spend on main campus freshman year, I also got to learn about the little lounges and rooms seemingly everywhere. I would grab my overstuffed backpack after class and pick my spot to wait until my next obligation. My favorite place to go freshman year was the seating area in the back of Stokes South. I would find my favorite armchair, and settle in for a few hours to read or do work. Sophomore year, my roommates and I got a not-so-spacious nine-man in Vandy, but if I had a chunk of time that I was not spending at the library or with friends, I was back there. Hanging out on campus completely lost its appeal because of the many times I was forced to wait for hours for my next activity. The interesting thing about my experience freshman year was that even though I lived on Newton, I feel that I got a strong grasp of main campus as well. The hours before my Perspectives evening lectures, or my club meetings, led me to all different parts of campus. I’m back to living on main again, but now I have found myself going back to these old spots in a way that I never did sophomore year. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of senior year, maybe it’s the realization that I only have a few more months left here. Sitting in the back of Stokes gives me a strange comfort in knowing how far I have come, and how much change college has brought upon me in terms of security and confidence. I resented the time I spent unnecessarily on Main while I was a freshman. Now, those old spots bring me a kind of comfort and assurance and I would not change any of it.

Joanna Yuelys is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

The Heights

Monday, November 6, 2017

Activism, Current Affairs, and the Brain At the seventh annual BC Talks, eight students will give TED Talks-style lectures aimed at promoting positive change on campus. By Archer Parquette Features Editor

And Timmy Facciola Heights Staff For the seventh year in a row, eight Boston College students will deliver lectures in the style of TED Talks, free and open to the student body. On Nov. 10 in Higgins 300, these students will take on issues of identity, free will, neuroscience, and more. Here’s a look at what motivates these eight students to speak up.

El Hadj Dieng

At first, El Hadj Dieng, MCAS ’18, wanted to give a talk about music. Then he went to the “Silence is STILL Violence” rally two weeks ago, sparked by the defacing of several “Black Lives Matter” posters and a racist Snapchat that circulated. Watching dozens of speakers stand up in front of Corcoran Commons and talk about their experiences at BC and their responses to racist incidents on campus made him think. With each speaker, he heard the same sentiment. “Everyone just wants to be heard,” he said. They wanted to stop being thought of as “less than.” Dieng understood this well. “I’ve always struggled with my identity,” he said. “I talk a certain way, I act a certain way, so people will say I talk white or act white, and that puts a problem of criminality as inherent in the image of a black man, and that in itself is a problem. I want to examine how that can happen.” He scrapped the music talk and switched to something he thought could contribute to the conversation on campus—the idea of “law and order.” The political rhetoric behind law and order was famously used by Richard Nixon, but Dieng traces it beyond that. He points to law and order as a way of assuaging middle-class white fears and then examines the policies that stemmed from it. These policies disadvantaged black Americans and led to a feedback loop. “When you have policies that turn communities into police states, crime’s going to happen,” he said. “You’re then going to have a call for more of the rhetoric and more of the policies, and then the media’s going to get involved, and that has such a disastrous effect on the black community … and it starts with the rhetoric. It’s maintained, proven, and sustained by the rhetoric.” Three weeks after witnessing the massive crowd of students gathering to rally, protest, and be heard—Dieng hopes that his voice will spark the same sort of dialogue among those who hear it and that maybe someone like him will be inspired to take on the issues in their own way.

Elyse Mackenzie

Elyse Mackenzie found that you can’t always bring up neuroscience at a party and expect a lot of interest. Nevertheless, she has been fascinated with the subject since before arriving at BC. While witnessing her grandfather and a close friend suffer from neurodegenerative diseases, Mackenzie, MCAS ’19, was intrigued by the science behind it all. So when it came time for the college process, she made sure to apply to schools with rigorous neuroscience programs that would provide a sturdy foundation from which she could go on to pursue a Ph.D. In the summer before coming to BC, Mackenzie interned at a children’s hospital in New Jersey, working with kids who suffered extreme brain in-

juries. This experience solidified her passion for neuroscience and she arrived on move-in day ready to learn. Mackenzie now works in the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (CAN) Lab with Elizabeth Kensinger, a professor in the psychology department. Under Kensinger, Mackenzie began her work studying eye-tracking data from sleeping subjects. From those sleepless Monday nights in the lab, Mackenzie grew curious about the neuroscience of memory. In her talk, Mackenzie will discuss the neuroscience of memory, specifically how it relates to study habits. She also will provide insight into what we can do to limit memory loss as we age. Mackenzie says that her time in the CAN Lab has done more than educate her about memory. “It’s opened my eyes to understanding people,” Mackenzie said. “When people act a certain way that others dislike, I know there’s a reason behind that and knowing that has made me more understanding and more accepting.”

Carlande Nicolas

Jan van Merkenstein In 10th grade, Jan van Merkenstein, MCAS ’18, was playing pickup soccer when he took a fall and hit his head. It was the kind of injury that might be expected and brushed off, but the pain of the hit didn’t go away. Even after the immediate pain left, Merkenstein started experiencing headaches, vertigo, and light sensitivity. He couldn’t go outside—the sun sent needles of pain through his head. He couldn’t use his computer—no brightness setting was low enough. He couldn’t even read—tracing his eyes left to right across the page hurt. The symptoms were clear. He had a serious concussion, and for six months, he couldn’t go back to school. The memory lingered long after the pain left, and when Merkenstein left for college he found an opportunity to channel it. He started working for the Stanford Concussion and Brain Performance Center. Every summer, he went out to California and experienced the virtual reality technology they were developing. This technology is a way of assessing the symptoms of the concussed by tracing their eye movement in relation to a dot. It is just one of the major strides forward in the understanding of concussions over the past five years. The serious long-term danger of concussions, specifically the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), poses a serious threat to anyone playing a contact sport, especially football players.

When Carlande Nicolas, MCAS ’18, walked into a safe home on Massachusetts’ North Shore, her world changed. The shelter was secret, an unmarked building hidden among others in the Boston area, where people slipped in and out every day, trying not to draw attention to themselves. They were battered and vulnerable, victims of abuse and exploitation, who sought out the shelter as a place to find food, clothing, and rest hidden away from those who had hurt them and would hurt them again if given the - El Hadj Dieng, on the recent chance. The victims of sex trafstudent activism on campus ficking live there for a few months, during which they receive counseling services and other “We should care for our athletes resources to help them recover. Others and not just use them as a source of who entered the shelter, like Nicolas, income,” he said. were volunteers, looking for a chance He sees cultural shifts coming as our to help. understanding of concussions grows Working in the shelter as part of a and hopes that BC can diversify its learning and service program called sports culture to accommodate these “Modern Day Slavery,” which was changes. As big expenditures go toward aimed at combatting sex trafficking, new practice and playing facilities, he’d Nicolas saw firsthand the pain that sex like to see more focus on sports other trafficking causes. than football and imagines that larger “I was able to hear a lot of the alterations in sports culture will spur stories from the women, and it was this kind of change. just really eye-opening, dry, and real,” “I think using our sports as a base to she said. “So that whole experience build ourselves is a really tremendous motivated me and really sparked my thing to do, and I get that as a tactic,” passion.” he said. “But I think we need to move This passion drove her to keep on and re-identify a new identity for working against sex trafficking after ourselves.” the program ended. She wants to advocate for reform and assistance to prevent this abuse and help the The idea for Soojin Park’s talk startvictims. ed with the most dreaded and uncom“I hope that number one, [BC stu- fortable of encounters: a conversation dents] know that sex trafficking hap- with her Uber driver. After spending pens,” she said. “It happens in Boston. several minutes trying to find the car, It happens in Newton.” Park, MCAS ’19, got in the backseat One way to combat sex trafficking, with a pout. she said, is through safe harbor laws, “This is the worst Uber driver in the which each state can add to their exist- world,” she thought to herself. ing sex trafficking legislation. These Her driver was equally annoyed with laws prevent children from being ar- her tardiness, but after getting stuck rested for prostitution. By not crimi- in traffic, the two started talking. Park nalizing them, the focus can be shifted immigrated to the United States from to helping them escape the trafficking South Korea when she was younger cycle. But a number of states have and her driver originated from Ghana. not passed safe harbor laws—Nicolas They compared their experiences and hopes her talk will help shed light on Park soon learned her driver’s daughter this. For BC students specifically, she was in medical school, an aspiration of hopes that her talk will make them Park’s since she first arrived at BC. It realize how close to home the problem was then that Park realized her clearreally is and take the time to educate cut, absolute judgements about the themselves and try to fight it. driver were terribly misguided. She

resolved to make an effort to avoid black-and-white judgements like the one she made before getting in the Uber and, with her talk hopes to instill in others a similar mindfulness. Park sees dichotomous thinking all around her. As an orientation leader this past summer, she was a bit taken back by how many of her freshmen said they felt certain about their pre-med track, even though they had yet to take a college-level science class. Park noted that last year only 20 BC graduates went on to medical school. “It makes me question how sure people are,” Park said. “Because they may think that they are but I think it’s more that they feel pressured to feel that way.” Park wants to remind BC students that there is nothing wrong with being uncertain. Her talk, “The Gray Area: we crave absolutes, but life is full of infinite complexities,” will explore the uncertainty and nuance of the world around us. She hopes her audience will reflect on their own lives and find comfort in that uncertainty. “I think it’s better to admit you don’t know,” Park said. “Instead of forcing yourself to set your mind to one thing and later learning you don’t like it.”

Adam Martin

Adam Martin doesn’t want you to freak out. That’s why he’s giving his talk. As a news junkie, Martin, MCAS ’20, notices a trend of bombastic concerns that Donald Trump’s presidency will lead to a dictatorship or nuclear war. As an avid student of history, he realizes this isn’t the first time some Americans were unsure of the future. “There have clearly been other times when we thought we were at risk of an existential threat,” Martin said. “During the New Deal, a lot of people thought FDR was going to become a dictator due to his rapid expansion of the government during peacetime.” Martin finds comfort in a split he notices in the current Republican Party. He observes principled conservatives, like Rand Paul, who fight for limited government because they genuinely believe in its value. He also recognizes moderate Republicans, such as Dean Heller, who pledge ideological allegiance to Ronald Reagan but cannot afford to staunchly oppose some social programs because much of their working-class bases depend on such programs. Because Republican legislators rely on state elections, they cannot always afford to act in the name of pure conservatism and this forces them to compromise. Democrat or Republican, no politician can afford to make severely partisan decisions without alienating some part of their base, Martin believes. With reference to other polarizing politicians in American history, he plans to discuss the implications of his observation for the current presidency, as well as what it means for the future of the Republican Party, and American politics as a whole. “Donald Trump does not act alone,” Martin said. “He still has to work with a Congress. Political change is a lot more difficult and the constitutional system is a lot more stable than some might believe.”

“Everybody just wants to be heard.”

Soojin Park

Grace Chung

In Spring 2017, in preparation for her law school applications, Grace Chung, MCAS ’18, was doing community organizing work in Georgia

for Jon Ossoff ’s campaign for the 6th congressional special election when she noticed the feedback she was receiving from citizens fetishized her Asian heritage and dismissed her because of her gender. She decided she wasn’t going to ignore these vulgar comments, and she’s using her talk to respond. After talking with her fellow campaign workers, Chung concluded the crude responses she received from strangers were different in that hers were the only ones that mentioned race. This got Chung thinking about what it means to be an Asian woman and a woman of color. She points out that the Asian community has not been the most diligent in supporting its brothers and sisters of color in their own struggles. “If we can start with advocating for the basic male to female equality, people will wake up and realize this is why so many other communities feel oppressed,” Chung said. She hopes to raise awareness about efforts the Asian community can make to be more inclusive of women. She believes that activism for the inclusion of women is the first step the Asian community can take in a larger effort of solidarity with other communities of color. But she doesn’t think students need to sign up with campaigns or organizations to seek change. “Activism doesn’t just end once the campaign does,” Chung said. “You’re always an activist.”

Branden Lee

Branden Lee, MCAS ’18, never thought doing debate in high school would lead to an existential crisis. He started debating, as many students do, and learned to enjoy the arguments and the logical points behind them. As he explored the field, he delved into philosophical debate and more elevated, complicated approaches to abstract concepts. At a National Speech and Debate Association tournament called “Big Questions,” he found one argument that had an alarming conclusion—under science there is no room for free will. “All of our decisions and all of our actions come from our brain,” Lee said. “Our brain essentially is determined by genes and environment … those are externally determined. We don’t get to decide where we’re born, or if we’re born or not, or what genes we’re born with.” This restriction creates a determinism that restricts choice. A child born in Melbourne to an independently wealthy single mother with exceptionally high intelligence and another child born in Moscow to a poor family with 10 other children and a genetic predisposition toward athletic skills will obviously have different lives. But their lives and decisions, Lee says, are not their own. All of those external factors, forced on them at birth and through life circumstances, restrict their decisions and remove their free will. Lee’s talk goes beyond this argument and into its implications. When he examined the question of free will closely, he found that his own assumptions were shaken and that he began questioning his own beliefs. “Can I really go on not believing in a God, if I believe that free will doesn’t exist?” he said. The possibility of a creator and what human life means if our decisions—even criminal ones—are forced on us opens up massive philosophical possibilities. Lee hopes these questions will open a door for students who listen to his talk and that, despite the uncomfortable possibilities on the other side, they will step through and follow him in his search for truth. n

meg dolan / heights editor

SCENE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017

@BCHEIGHTSARTS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE KEMPER MUSEUM

Mass. Cultural Council Names Prof. Cooper 2017 Fellow Mark Cooper, a professor in the art, art history, and film department, was recognized for his work featured extensively in art installations around the globe.

BY CALEB GRIEGO Scene Editor Within the world of art, a common cultural currency is exchanged. Ideas are supplanted from other places and new ideas arise through migration, breeding a healthy stock of artistic minds and innovators. That artistic stock certainly has found its way into the ranks of Boston College’s arts faculty and the world at large has taken notice. Mark Cooper, a professor of the practice, in the art, art history, and film department was recently named a 2017 Fellow in Sculpture, as one of the recipients of the Massachusetts Arts Council Awards. The awards, which function on funds from state legislation and the National Endowment for the Arts, give funds to local artists for their marked contributions to the state community and the world at large. Though cultural currency is disseminated readily in artistic arteries, other forms of currency are accepted as well. For Cooper, who received a $12,000 prize, the award marks, not only a pleasant moment of recognition by peers and colleagues, but a way to further finance his work and process. Cooper is best-known for his large public art pieces made for public display at various institutions ranging from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Capital Children’s Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris. His works of fiberglass, paint, rice paper, and silk screens are big and take up a space, leaving viewers to interpret

and physically stand among his pieces and analyze the dialogue therein. As a result of his large, composite style, much of Cooper’s works are best experienced in a lived setting, taking into consideration the breadth of the work as it is laid out. The Massachusetts Cultural Council awarded Cooper for his work in sculpture installation in new genres. Artists can only win an award once every five years in the state of Massachusetts, allowing for others to benefit from the allocation of funds. Cooper had won the fellowship in 2011 and says the state sponsored grants for artists are especially unique, as many states do not have funded arts bodies like Massachusetts. Cooper was selected based on his numerous installation and exhibitions over the past three years. He has truly spanned the globe, with exhibits reaching Beijing, China, the National Museum in Hanoi, Vietnam, the Kemper Museum in Kansas City, and both the Museum of Fine Art and the Boston Museum of Contemporary Art. Each of these installations offer unique visual styles, ranging from natural shapes of honeycomb and harsher geometric objects to whimsical shapes vacillating like the waves of the ocean. “There is a lot of subtext to my work, the notion of collecting and collections, and why people put things together. It references architecture, rogue bees nests,

things, microcosm, macrocosms,” he said. “The conversation of all living things.” Much of Cooper’s work, especially installations, is collaborative. In many cases, whether it be by other artists, a curator, or simply someone who is helping him organize and install the exhibit, other voices are always welcome. This blending of

voices, lends itself to the process of creating unity through art. “Everyone brings their own voice and you do not compromise your voice, but you do work in harmony with other voices,” he

said. “When you get a lot of voices speaking, there’s huge potential.” Art is meant to illicit responses and Cooper does that through a conscientious integration of the viewer into his exhibitions. Long before anything is crafted or finalized, Cooper visits the site, and diligently measures lengths, widths, and heights. He responds to the space and allows for it to shape the narrative he is going to place within it. It is better, in his mind, to create something fresh and unpredictable even to him, than something rigid and predetermined. “When you have collage, I have learned that it engages viewers’ brains different than a linear narrative.” Co op er de sire s a narrative that is dynamic, with turns, spins, and inversions. His organic styles lends itself to this end and gives viewers a lot to consider visually. In the end, he wants to convey that the installation, as a whole, is an art piece. And in some sense, that means the viewer is part of the installation itself. If viewers are traversing the paths of his exhibit, gazing up at massive painted fiberglass structures, or peering down on smaller, but equally as remarkable constructions, they are engulfed by his creations on all sides. They regard a piece, but others linger in the periphery. They marvel at one object and are reminded of another. They draw

connections. They, the viewers, are the connective element that makes the exhibit whole. “When there is a juxtaposition of component parts, a viewer has to bring their own experiences into it and see where they fit within it,” he said. Cooper’s larger ideas are married neatly to his organic style, as pervasive notions of unity and belonging can been seen throughout his work. “The overall metaphor in my installations is that the sum of the parts is greater than the individual parts,” he said. “And that simply, if we work together, maybe we can make the world a better place.” Looking to the future, Cooper is already planning on putting his prize money to good use. He currently has a museum show in Seoul, South Korea and has allocated some of the fund to shipping the works to be displayed. Additionally, he will have a major exhibition in New York in the late spring. The use of the money was obvious as he knew he would use it to subsidize what he has always been doing, but in a larger sense it represents a validation of his work and serves as a motivating factor in the months to come. The notion of pieces of a whole may often be overlooked. But for Cooper, this is a central tenant, not only of his style, but of his goal of unifying through collaborative art and dialogue. Art is a vessel, through which such ideas may be actualized. All we have to do is step into it and engage. 

Leggy Brings ‘Lush Punk’ to WZBC BY KAYLIE RAMIREZ Heights Staff Walking onto the checkerboard floor of the Great Scott on the night of Oct. 30, one was immediately hit with the smell of smoke and beer and the loud noise of punk rock music blaring from the Allston club’s speakers. Boston College students gathered at the small venue for WZBC’s fall concert, an event featuring the bands Legg y, didi, Human People, and gobbinjr. The intimate setting gave off the quintessential small rock club vibe, with the equipment stored on a wall adjacent to the bar and a longhaired, bearded man controlling the soundboard under a glaring purple light in the corner. With a bust of Elvis overlooking the small bar and the costumed figures wondering throughout, some with x’s on their hands and others sipping on drinks, the quirky concert venue set the stage for a night of original music from the underground performers. gobbinjr started the night off with

a melancholic set consisting only of a female vocalist and her synthesizer. The unassuming red-headed singer performed with a certain goofy tone behind her voice, only comparable to that of singing comedian Bo Burnham. While the Brooklyn-based gobbinjr mostly performed original songs, she threw in a flat cover of “My Love” by Justin Timberlake, but purposefully left out T.I.’s rap verse. She closed the set with a song titled “Fake Bitch,” whose blunt lyrics like “You’re a fake bitch and you know it” earned a few laughs from the crowd. Human Pe ople, an all-girl alternative band from NYC, was next to t ake the st age w ith it s creative Halloween costumes and unconcerned vocals. While the music was decent, the lyrics were often overpowered by the screaming guitar and drums. Just in time for Halloween, the band performed its “spookiest song,” called “Phantomhead,” a song with a strong baseline and haunting vocals that seemed to just flow into the microphone. The guitarist, who donned a blue suit and tie in character

as D wight from the Office, won WZBC’s costume contest. The third band to take the stage was didi, a diverse group from Columbus, Ohio. The band shared vocals between two females, one who played the bass, and their male guitarist. The drummer, who performed with huge dramatic bangs of the drum, brought an intense energy to the stage and encouraged the crowd to “buy [their] sh-t” halfway through the set. While most of the songs were punk songs performed in English, the band did perform one song in Spanish, bringing a diverse quality to the notoriously h o m o g e n o u s g e n re . d i d i’s s o n g “Circle” was especially memorable, as it was less rowdy than the others and utilized a calming beach-rock guitar riff. The lead vocalist joked about how it is fitting that the song’s name is “Circle,” because it often makes her dizzy if they play it repeatedly. Legg y, a self-describ e d “lush punk” group from Cincinnati, Ohio, headline d the set . D espite only

See WZBC Concert, B2

JULIA HOPKINS/ HEIGHTS EDITOR

Leggy engaged the raucous crowd at the WZBC-sponsored concert with its energetic stage presence and genuine lyrics.

INSIDE SCENE

The Press Gang Gaelic Roots Concert

The Press Gang, a modern Irish band with roots in the grand traditional, performed jigs, reels, and tunes........................... B2

AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Wilderson, Flanagan Talk Acting Careers, Life at BC BY BARRETTE JANNEY Executive Assistant Tele v i sion and f ilm ve terans Wayne Wilderson, BC ’89, and Maile Flanagan, BC ’87, visited their old stomping grounds last Thursday night when they led the most recent part of the DeVoy Lecture Series in Robsham Theater. With their acting exp erience combined, the two have accumulated well over 200 acting credits, including gigs on The Office, Shameless, Two and a Half Men, Modern Family, Disney films and television series, an Emmywinning animation masterpiece, and a long-running Fruit of the Loom commercial. Despite their wildly successful Hollywood careers, the two still credit Boston College as the foundation for both their pursuits in acting and their close friendship. Born and raised in a military family

Orkestra Marhaba Concert

Classical Turkish music from the Orkestra Marhaba displayed a variety of foreign instruments................ B2

situated in Germany, Flanagan found herself at BC by way of a brochure she spotted at her friend’s house. Upon admission to the University, she turned down a full ride to the Air Force Academy and made her way to the Heights. “I was this freak from Germany who didn’t know anything about the United States really,” Flanagan said. “My mom just kind of dropped me off on Newton with a phone card.” At the beginning of her sophomore year, the political science and math major joined My Mother’s Fleabag, t h e co u nt r y ’s o l d e s t co l l e g i at e improvisational come dy troupe. While she raved that this new venture inspired her passion for and eventual career in acting, she joked about the financial stability she might have had if she’d followed a different path,

See Alum Actors, B2

‘Beach House 3’............................................... B4 ‘Turn Out The Lights’......................................... B4 ‘Mudbound’..................................................... B4

The Heights

Monday, November 6, 2017

‘Orkestra Marhaba’ Resounds With Vigor By Cannon Few Heights Staff The Islamic Civilization & Societies Program along with the music department hosted a concert on Thursday of Turkish classical music featuring the group Orkestra Marhaba. The ensemble’s ranks were comprised of ethnomusicologists, students, teachers, engineers, and local musicians all coming together to “introduce classical and jazz audiences to the E a ster n Mak am (mo d al) tradition,” according to the program. The concert was held in Higgins 300, and was met with an impressive turnout. One of the founders of the group, Fred Stubbs, remarked in the beginning that the group had never performed for so many people. From the get-go, thoughts of wonder emerged in the audience when looking at the many unfamiliar instruments. Waiting before the audience was the ud, a short-necked, plucked, and unfretted lute that resembled a 12-string guitar in the shape of an egg. There was also the yaylı tambur, a bowed and fretted lute that resembled a banjo with a longer and skinnier neck. Among the remaining traditional instruments were the ney and the bendir, an end-blown flute and a frame drum for rhythm, respectively. There were also some familiar sights, such as a violin, cello, and double bass. The program stated that these additions indicate the “happy marriage of non-traditional instrumentals into the framework of classical Turkish music.” The presence of these familiar instruments served to bring the two distinct cultures of modern Western and classical Ottoman together, almost as a gesture of mutual respect. Just before the music began, the lights were dimmed and the setting became a perfect reflection of what was to be heard. The music, though relatively quiet in the acoustic setting, was grandiose and regal. It was the

sound of an empire, heard in the rich, plunging melodies and deep intonations. The ensemble played a variety of traditional forms throughout the concert, like Peşrev, a slow-paced prelude, and Şarkı, a classical song written in verse and featuring vocals from Shanteri Baliga. There were some pieces the ensemble performed that incited ecstatic feeling with a steep melodic contour and fast-paced rhythm, and others that reflected meditation in low-pitched droning and slow rhythm. They transitioned between these forms well, and the progression of the concert flowed naturally. Perhaps what was most interesting was the Taksim, or improvisation. Taksim, though technically not a form, is an essential part of the Turkish musical modes, Makam. The program reveals that Taksims can be planned in advance to open a concert, or can happen spontaneously among the musicians. These improvisations truly exhibited the skill of the musicians. The members of the ensemble would take turns performing solos while the others provided a simple, harmonic structure underneath. The performance of Volkan Efe on the ud—probably the closest thing to a guitar solo in Eastern Makam tradition—was the most prominent. Though not exactly a Fender, the ud was displaying some impressive flourishes and maneuvers. Amid these classical and formal traditions of eastern music, it was really cool to see Efe essentially just jamming out. The group ended with a performance of the longa form. According to Stubbs, it is common to end a classical concert like this with a more light-hearted dance form. This final piece featured solos from the violin and expressed more familiar and mirthful melodies, at a fun pace. n

Amelie Trieu / Heights Editor

Lecture Shines Light on Alum Actors Alum Actors, from B1 saying, “if you like Top Ramen, have fun being an actor.” Wilderson, however, arrived at BC well aware of his desire to pursue a degree in theatre and reap the benefits of the then newly built Robsham Theater Arts Center. Hailing from Minneapolis, he relished his time in multiple main stage productions, including a rich three-line role in West Side Story, among several leading roles. The two actors’ BC tales converge at Flanagan’s party in Mod 23A that Wilderson was alleged to have catered. Abandoning beer-stained floors for life beyond the Heights, Flanagan eventually moved to Wilderson’s hometown of Minneapolis along with Tom McCarthy, Oscar-winning writer of Spotlight, and Nancy Walls, a former Saturday Night Live cast member and wife of Steve Carell— both are BC ’88. While the talented group formed a comedy troupe spinoff from My Mother’s Fleabag entitled “Ever y Mother’s Nightmare,” the duo couldn’t help but poke fun at their mega-star pals. “ It ’s a sh a m e th e y d i d n’t g o anywhere in their lives,” Flanagan joked. “I feel sorry for them.”But the two speakers certainly had their

own growing collection of acting credits on the horizon, although not without a few bizarre gigs along the way. Such performances included but were not limited to acts at a rib-andcomedy restaurant called The Rib Tickler, tours around Nebraska, and an existential play that culminated in Wilderson’s serious delivery of the Madonna quote “Beauty is where you find it, not just where you bump and grind it.” When Los Angeles called Wilderson, Flanagan soon followed, and the two have been represented by the same manager ever since. Wilderson’s on-camera career launched rapidly with the first nonpilot episode of Frasier and a recurring role on Seinfeld while Flanagan snuck back and forth between auditions and her job as a financial analyst for Sony. While both actors began to feel a flow of cameo and extra work , including on big features like Evan Almighty, Wilderson then booked what would become his claim to small screen fame. He starred as “Purple Grapes” in a Fruit of the Loom commercial that ran a whopping eleven years on television, resulting in the purchase of a home that he dubs “the house that underwear bought.” F l a n a g a n’s d e f i n i t i v e c a r e e r

highlight surfaced when she booked the leading role on the Japanese animation series Naruto, which she still continues to voice 15 years later. An Emmy w in for her other animation success entitled Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks solidified her extraordinary gift for voiceover work. After Wilderson’s role as a man with an ovary on Grey’s Anatomy and Flanagan’s own on-camera medical role resulting in her exclamation “I’m in a thin hospital robe, John Stamos. Don’t poke me in my side fat,” their paths crossed once again. Flanagan was a main cast member for 65 episodes of Disney’s Lab Rats while Wilderson played the infamous role of Officer Diarrhea on Hannah Montana. “That’s what BC education gets you, kids!” Flanagan said. Between Wilderson’s unexpected Screen Actors’ Guild nomination for his ensemble role on Veep and Flanagan’s comedic work with longtime idol Roseanne Barr, the two actors’ ceaselessly prosperous careers have been anything but ordinary, and they both credit BC as the igniter of their unique journeys. “There’s something special about this college … ” Wilderson said. “It all started here. A great education, these great experiences, and especially here in the drama department.” n

At WZBC Concert, Punk Rockers Energize Crowd WZBC Concert, from B1

Jacob Schick / Heights Editor

‘Press Gang’ Conjures Sounds of Eire By Jacob Schick Assoc. Scene Editor Irish music and culture surrounds and envelops Boston College, almost literally. The entire city of Boston is rich in Irish culture, religion, and experience. There is the warm and inviting Connolly House on Hammond St., slightly south of Middle and Upper Campus. Now, after the most recent event at the Theology and Ministry Library, on the north side of Brighton campus, Ireland’s presence is felt at all points of the compass. If you squint west, you might just be able to make out that western bastion of Ireland, the University of Notre Dame. The Gaelic Roots Series hosted The Press Gang for a night of lively traditional and contemporary Irish music. Fresh off its concert in Somerville the night before, The Press Gang took the small stage of the auditorium in front of a small group of dedicated Irish culture enthusiasts. From the start, energetic and hightempo music poured forth from the stage. The first song expressed the talent of the musicians and their adoration for their craft. The Press Gang began with “a few gigs and a reel,” which included tunes like “The Apples in Winter” and “The Godfather.” These tunes highlighted the bright and vibrant sounds of the flute and accordion. At one point in the first set of songs, The Press Gang deconstructed the sound, down to the base of string instrumentation, and then proceeded to rebuild the song from there. This highlighted the individual and unique aspects that each player was

contributing. The Press Gang is a traditional Irish band from Portland, Maine. The band is made up of four members. Christian Stevens was the designated accordionist, playing both the concertina and the button accordion. On multiple fiddles throughout the night was Alden Robinson, and on the guitar, Irish bouzouki, and harmonium was Owen Marshall. The newest addition to the band was Hanz Araki. Hanz doubled as the flutist and the solo vocalist when the songs demanded it. Together, the four musicians took those few Irish music enthusiasts present on a whirlwind tour of Irish music. The traditional was influenced by the modern, and the setlist featured Irish tunes so classic that their origin had long been forgotten and original and recent compositions by The Press Gang. Throughout the rest of the performance, The Press Gang displayed not only their musical talents, but also their ability to entertain the crowd in other ways. Between songs, the musicians would banter back and forth with each other and with members of the audience. One of the common comedic bits was the consistent plugging of their new album, which was conveniently for sale in the atrium of the auditorium. At one point, they introduced their next song as “The Banks of the Nile.” Marshall was very adamant that any audience members who enjoyed that song could very easily and affordably purchase it and a handful of others in CD form directly after the show. The humorous effect with which the band members hawked their music resonated with the

audience members, and a few chuckled good-naturedly as they purchased it. The performance by The Press Gang stands out from other events in the Gaelic roots series because of the contemporary spin the band adds to the music of Ireland. Many other events play music and perform dances in the same way that they were hundreds of years ago. The Press Gang has adopted instruments that might have been frowned upon by the Irish musical elite just a few decades ago. Marshall elaborated that the string accompaniment was an effect of the Irish folk revival that occurred in the ’60s. The evening ended on a high note. As the final chords and notes of the last song faded out, the audience erupted in applause as the musicians made their way off the stage. In the back corner of the room, the members of The Press Gang conferred briefly with each other while the attendees continued to clap and cheer. After a brief discussion and a few smiles, the band retook the stage for an encore. “Sweet Forget-Me-Not” was the final tune of the night. The Press Gang invited the audience to join in on the chorus once they caught the words. A few bold and excited members seized the opportunity, and poured their voices out right along with Araki. The warmth did not fade along with the encore. Audience members mingled with Gaelic Roots coordinators and musicians alike. The night air was cold and bitter, but the heat left over from a few hours of foot-stomping reels and tunes suffused the twilight hours. n

having three band members, the band effortlessly filled the stage with its enthusiastic presence and raw, edgy lyrics. Leggy performed a Courtney Love-esque 45-minute set consisting of punk rock songs switching between sweet, harmonious vocals and screaming choruses full of angst. Two songs, however, stood out more than the others in its set. The first the band introduced as “a song about consent” that it likes to play at college events. The song was typical of its raucous garage-rock sound, but the lyrics held special meaning to the performers. The lead singer described the song as “weirdly personal” and black mascara tears began to run

down her face throughout the short song. The other song, titled “Grrls Like Us,” was the final song of the set and featured solid guitar riffs and a fun drum beat that got the crowd swaying along. In b etwe en the set s of other bands, the charismatic lead singer of Leggy mingled with members of the small c rowd. In a quick conversation, Véronique All aer detailed her excitement for the band’s upcoming string of shows in Spain and Portugal. She also talked candidly about how life on the road can be tough without a tour manager, especially true in foreign countries like the UK, where she crashed the band’s only method of transportation just days into their tour years before. n

Julia Hopkins / Heights Editor

The costume clad Human People (bottom) delved into the grunge rock vibe of the night.

Monday, November 6, 2017

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THE HEIGHTS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017

Melodic Waves of Funk Surge Over ‘Beach House 3’ BY MAX PAPILE For The Heights

Ty Dolla $ign, master of the oooh-yeah, is back with his second studio album, entitled Beach House 3. The 20-song album is 52 minutes in length and boasts features from the likes of Lil Wayne, Jeremih, Future, Swae Lee, and Pharrell Williams. Ty Dolla $ign, at his best, sounds like the texture of the perfect bagel with cream cheese: overwhelmingly smooth, but with tasteful amounts of grit and texture. He has shown over the course of his career that he can handle smooth R&B melodies and rougher acoustic tracks with more vocal range. He rarely combines the two skills in a single song, and never has he fully utilized them on a full project. Beach House 3 is the

first time Ty Dolla $ign has showcased his vocal range over an entire collective musical compilation, using his talents on various genres such as R&B, rap, and even reggae. On his earlier projects, such as Beach House, Free TC, and Campaign, he has demonstrated only flashes of his full potential, often hiding behind the aforementioned repetitive smooth melodies and generic “singing-rap.” He has only hinted at his full range and guitar abilities on these previous projects, ultimately choosing to push those behind an overwhelming amount of DJ Mustard-produced sounds. This startling lack of diversity of production has held Ty Dolla $ign back throughout his previous artistic ventures. While DJ Mustard is certainly a pioneer of hip-hop production, and is perhaps the driving force

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BEACH HOUSE 3 TY DOLLA $IGN DISTRIBUTED BY ATLANTIC RECORDS RELEASE OCT. 27, 2017 OUR RATING

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behind the resurgence of West Coast radio hip-hop and R&B, his sound is old, tired, and extremely repetitive. Nearly every song that starts with “Mustard on the Beat,” his trademark tag, is 100 beats per minute, has an ascending-descending-midline chime as the instrumental melody, and has a fourcount clap. Ty Dolla $ign and DJ Mustard have been collaborating since DJ Mustard hosted Ty’s first published project, “House on the Hill” in 2011, and after six years of working together, Ty Dolla $ign seems to have realized that it was time to find greener production pastures. Beach House 3 still contains its due portion of DJ Mustard on “Love You Better,” a necessary gesture if Ty wishes to stay true to his roots. But the production expands to feature production from some bass-heavy funk, producer Hitmaka, and trap-superstar Mike Will Made It. “Ex,” featuring YG, makes great instrumental use of the vaguely ’70s upbeat funk vibe, while lyrically adding to the R&B motifs of relationship conflicts and the hip-hop staples of Jet Skis and a distaste for monogamy. “Drop Top in the Rain,” perhaps the overall best song on the record, makes use of a dragging synth, creating an expansionary sound (a la Hans Zimmer), laid over with trap staples of hi-hats, a kicking bass, and adlibs littered throughout. “Don’t Judge Me,” featuring Future and Swae Lee and produced by Mike Will Made It, is a hardhitting boastful piece detailing the trials and tribulations of the party life. Mike Will’s utter talent shines, as he provides perhaps the most balanced instrumental on the entire record. “So Am I,” featuring Damian Marley and Skrillex, is a perfect reggae addition to

the album—that is, until Skrillex makes his presence known through noises that sound like faulty bike brakes. Even while including the horrors of Skrillex, the low points of this album are few in number. The first of such disappointments is that some songs are pretty forgettable, such as “Dawsin’s Breek,” which had loads of potential with a feature from Jeremih. Further, “Stare,” featuring Pharrell Williams and Wiz Khalifa, is an easy skip, and struggles to pull the listener in with the same force that other, more verbose, tracks do. A further shortcoming of the record is that there are six interludes on the album. Each one is about a minute long, and adds absolutely nothing to the listening experience. That being said, if you simply just delete them off of your digital library, the collective nature of the album is not at all interrupted. The unity of the album is pretty impressive, despite the fact that Ty Dolla $ign crosses genres on several occasions; his voice unifies the album despite the sharp and unexpected stylistic changes. The best song on this album is, as previously stated, “Drop Top in the Rain.” It is a fantastic mix of pop culture references, ad-libs, showcases Ty’s full vocal abilities, and has fantastic repeat value. “Love U Better,” although produced by DJ Mustard, is a fantastic example of how to properly sample a song, and is one of two production highlights of the record along with Mike Will’s “Don’t Judge Me.” This beat shows all that DJ Mustard is capable of, and it would be fantastic to see him continue in this vocal-sampling direction in the future. 

Baker Illuminates Emo Genre in Newest Album BY TRISTAN ST. GERMAIN Heights Staff

With influences that range everywhere from folk and emo to Christian Gospel, Julien Baker was 19 when she released her first record, Sprained Ankle, to immediate success and recognition. NPR Tiny Desk Concerts had her on for a performance, while the band Brand New covered Sprained Ankle live in concert. Originally rooted in the hardcore movement in the footsteps of bands like “Rites of Spring,” the emo genre gained a mainstream following that appealed to a subculture of post-Gothic misanthropes who wanted more to cry than scare. As with other artists now working in the same cultural framework, Baker lets go of such self-effacing pretensions to approach an emotional confession as sincere as it is self-aware. Fiery vocals overlie icy guitar plucks whose bareness suggest the skeletal landscape Baker inhabits emotionally. Her newest release, Turn Out The Lights, heightens this contrast between the naked and powerful to extent that stuns and overwhelms listeners. Baker often works within extremes. Every song feels like the show-closer that will rile audiences to tears and applause. Her ratio of dramatic highs to lows is so out of proportion there’s a fear the album chanced straddling the thin line of melodrama. But compared to other bands whose screaming is redundant to the effect it becomes the standard, Baker’s anguish manages to feel authentic and original even after her sixth vocal strain. Her voice possesses a nuance

and sensitivity that flows organically with her guitar and piano playing, making listeners feel as if they’re watching a movie. Pain seems to be a constant for Baker, whose loathing is directed at a multitude of sources. On “Appointments,” Baker laments how her selfdestructive behavior has negatively affected those she loves. Despite recognizing that things will turn out terribly, she has no other option than to believe the opposite. “I have to believe it is” she gasps dramatically toward the song’s ending, in the first of many brazen track closers. The sentiment is a great analogy for the record’s overall purpose—conjuring joy out of suffering, out of the faith that trying to improve a situation will make up for the bitter reality. The title track digs at the same subject matter but from a whole different angle. Like the real indecisiveness which marks teenage ennui, Baker explores the difficulty of accepting the help she asked for so desperately. Transcendent highs of spiritual conviction become stepping stones toward an even severer anguish, which in turn produces moments of blissful, guitarheavy repentance. Drug addiction, suicide, alienation, and the usual topics of emo are embellished with Gothic imagery that, just like the music, pushes internal torments to the brink of a physical experience. “Sour Breath” depicts a relationship strained by substance abuse, as the narrator’s self-disgust manifests in unseemly images of deformed body parts. Lines like “Plywood boards joined

at your breast / Splinter in my arm where you rest your head” express the burden of physical contact in a romantic relationship. The following track, “Televangelist,” continues this motif of physical deformity: “I’m an amputee,” Baker sings. “Leaning on an invisible crutch.” Called over a rising choir and organ assemble, the final line “Do I turn into light if I burn alive,” shows the extents to which one desires to become perfect, clashing martyrdom with insecurity. “Happy To Be Here” tinkers with this objectification of self-repulsion, like a pop-punkish ode to hatred for the body’s constraints. It is no wonder that Baker has such fervent disdain for the physical form she is stuck in, and yet simultaneous reverence for the suffering it brings. The album uses its predecessor’s stripped sound as a platform to ex-

pand sonically in every direction, adding in violins, mandolin, backing vocals, and other instruments which accommodate the complexities of Baker’s vocal delivery and subject matter. Mournful ballads fit in perfectly with tracks drawing from pop-jingle sources, as if acoustically repressing the influence of Fall Out Boy and other such emo bands of the 2000s. The incredible part of it is that these conflicting textures and elements we couldn’t dream of synthesizing fall in place so naturally for Baker. They’re an expression not of a single point in her life, but of all of it. For the music’s extremity and sadness, we nonetheless feel a sensitive balance of emotions, making Turn Out the Lights an engaging roller coaster of adolescence. 

For The Heights

While it’s plain to see that Netflix has recently been stepping up itsa game up with its original series and movies, none of its original works have reached the point of true Oscar buzz. That might now have change with Mudbound. The film was directed by Dee Rees, previously known for her 2011 indie darling Pariah. Mudbound is her newest film and was picked up by Netflix for 12.5 million dollars at the Sundance Film Festival. It will be airing on Netflix as well as in theaters on Nov. 17th, and it is a must watch, as it is a fascinating meditation on racial tension in America at the end of World War II. The plot follows the tense relation-

ship between the families, the white McAllan family and the black Jackson family. Both live on the same land after the McAllans move in to take ownership of the farm, forcing the Jacksons into sharecropping. The two families become more entwined after two young men (Jamie and Ronsel) from each of their respective families return home and begin to form a close and supportive friendship. While this is the main focus of the film, the film’s pace is very meandering, preferring to portray a series of telling vignettes rather than a strong through line to make its point. There are many other plot threads in the movie that stitch these two families together and flesh out intrafamilial relationships in intriguing ways, many of which converge in a devastat-

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KAYLIE RAMIREZ

‘GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY’ U2

Despite having a career that spans four decades and includes iconic hits like “With Or Without You” and “One,” U2 continues to write new music. The legendary Irish band released the single “Get Out of Your Own Way” on Nov. 1. The upbeat track admits harsh realities like “Love has got to fight for its existence” in its first verse and then encourages the listener with lyrics like “Nothing’s stopping you except what’s inside” in the post-chorus. The song is accompanied by traditional classic rock guitar riffs and drum beats, but adds a techno-synthetic beat weaved throughout the song thus refinishing the age-old genre norms. While the song simply does not compare to the band’s past works, some of the most critically acclaimed of their time, U2 makes an earnest attempt to connect with the younger generations by enlisting all-star rapper Kendrick Lamar on the track. The single is not the first collaboration between the two living legends—U2 was featured on the track “XXX.” on Kendrick’s highly regarded 2017 album DAMN. Kendrick’s feature on U2’s new track seems slightly out of place, as it restricts the rapper’s unparalleled skills by granting Lamar only a lacking musically, yet triumphant in tone outro rather than an actual verse embedded in the song. Perhaps releasing this single is a strategic move to expand its fan base to include younger fans. 

MUSIC VIDEO ISABELLA DOW

MUSIC ‘BEAM’ PETIT BISCUIT TURN OUT THE LIGHTS JULIEN BAKER DISTRIBUTED BY MATADOR RECORDS RELEASE OCT. 27, 2017 OUR RATING

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‘Mudbound’ Digs up Gritty Realism Before WWII BY JACK ANDERSON

SINGLE REVIEW

ing and deeply cathartic ending. The acting that brings these stories to life is the primary reason the film succeeds. Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell, who play Jamie McAllan and Ronsel Jackson, respectively, skillfully portray a gauntlet of emotions involving their friendship, ranging from fear, grief, haunting, love, and longing. Carey Mulligan plays the wife of Jamie’s brother, and she too develops a complex character, portraying a woman with a compassionate heart encaged in a deeply controlling marriage and lifestyle. Her husband (Jason Clarke) is also realistically portrayed. The audience doesn’t hate him as much as it normally would, but rather understands through Clarke’s performance that his character is a product of his time and upbringing . Nowhere is this made more clear than in Jonathan Banks’s memorable performance as a reprehensible old man living with the McAllan family. Rob Morgan and and Mary J. Blige, who play Ronsel’s loving parents, also give excellent performances as good people forced to live a difficult and humiliating lifestyle in an unjust system. Every cast member came to work on this film. In these stories the film explores its themes effectively. Ronsel’s journey is particularly captivating. We are introduced to him as he is leaving his family for deployment in World War II. The audience feels his nerves through an internal narration. Once deployed, we see him fighting in Europe, expanding his world from a

single Mississippi sharecropping town to a whole new world of possibility. Overseas white people treat him and his friends as heroes. There he falls in love and develops a romantic relationship with a white German woman. When he returns home, while it is clear that he is happy to be reunited with his family, it is clear that he no longer belongs in that world anymore. As he is told by his racist neighbours after attempting to walk out a front door, “You’re in Mississippi now.” Where this journey leads and ultimately ends is best left for the viewer to discover. The film, however, is not flawless. While many plot threads do contribute in a meaningful way, others feel like fat that needs to be trimmed off. These stories don’t go through an arc or reach any conclusion, but rather start happening and then stop happening. A plot line involving two young white sisters who are hired by the McAllans feels particularly unnecessary. What’s worse, it culminates with extreme abruptness and is confusing. It does not in any way stick the emotional landing it hopes to deliver on. Regardless, this is still a great film that deserves to be seen. This is a time period and setting to explore ripe for exploration, and Dee Rees manages to do it in a way that feels naturalistic and very human. The film’s climactic culmination, which is alluded to in the film’s in medias res opening, makes the leisurely pace of the rest of the runtime worth it. 

From the beginning of Petit Biscuit’s latest music video, “Beam,” viewers can see the artist’s intent to fuse human sentiments with the endless beauty of the natural world. The 17-year-old French DJ created a song that aims to transcend typical electronic music by touching on a peaceful, expansive sound that builds over the course of the track. The music inspires an uplifting quality in its listener, which is enhanced by the beautiful aesthetics included in the video. The visual opens on frost-toned, multi-colored peaks and valleys as far as one can see, interspersed with stunning frames of soft sunrises or sunsets, purple-twinged clouds, red fiery sparks reflecting off of blue-green air, and tall grasses swaying peacefully in the wind. A human silhouette travels across the ridiculously beautiful landscapes, standing on mountain summits and basking in the colorful light. The silhouette doesn’t stop until it reaches a huge rock formation in the shape of a human sprawled out on the ground. After jumping into the figure, the rock formation releases yellow lanterns into the purple sky like a volcano, after which point the rock formation lights up and begins to move around—its head glowing exceedingly bright. Shortly after, the huge rock figure morphs into a larger version of the silhouette from earlier in the video, its small version nested in a partially open crevice in the silhouette’s face. With a backdrop of the night sky twinged with what appears to be the Northern Lights, the figure stands triumphant as the song’s final note rings out. The beauty of the video stems from its simplicity, as it doesn’t rely on overdone stories to propel the visual. Instead, it presents viewers with a relatively neutral stimulus, and lets the effect of the music paired with the beautiful images speak for themselves. The meditative quality of the video allows it to meander seamlessly throughout the song, which is a profound asset to both the song and its video. 

THE HEIGHTS 2017-18 BASKETBALL PREVIEW

BEHIND THE CURTAIN

You already know the stars of BC’s basketball programs. But they’ll need more in order to be competitive in the ACC.

2 Men’s Rundown 3 Sydney Lowery 4 Nik Popovic 5 Martina Mosetti 6 Steﬀon Mitchell 7 Milan Bolden-Morris 8 Deontae Hawkins 9 Andie Anastos 10 Stats and Schedules

2 | MEN’S RUNDOWN | BASKETBALL PREVIEW

November 6, 2017 | THE HEIGHTS

CLOSING TIME Thanks to the backcourt duo of Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson, BC hung with the best in the nation last season. This year is about finishing. Andy Backstrom

oston College men’s basketball turned the ball over 16 times and gave up 79 points in last year’s season-opening loss—not to a Power Five team, or even one from the Atlantic 10 or the American Conference, but to Nicholls State. One game into the Eagles’ 24th-easiest non-conference slate in the country, and it was clear that head coach Jim Christian’s team still didn’t have an identity. “Well, we know who we want we to be. And I think we show at times, in stretches … It’s a process,” Christian told reporters following his team’s bounce back victory over Maryland Eastern Shore in the second game of the season. Others thought so, too. One year removed from finishing 7-25, including a winless, 0-18 mark in the ACC, Christian’s team was slotted to bottom out the conference. In fact, BC received just 128 points in the ACC’s preseason media poll—600 less than the league average. To make matters worse, the Eagles lost two of their top-three leading scorers: Eli Carter and Dennis Clifford. Christian needed someone to step up. For the first month of the season, that someone was Jerome Robinson. The Raleigh, N.C. native emerged as one of the ACC’s premier scorers, lighting up the box score, night after night. Robinson, then a sophomore, put the team on his back, averaging close to 19 points per game. He recorded nine 20-point games before the new year, and, at one point, strung together four in a row. To put that in perspective, he had only scored 20 or more once his entire career prior to the start of the season. But Robinson’s scoring spree wasn’t necessarily paying off. BC dropped five of its first nine. Christian knew better than anyone else that Robinson’s production alone wasn’t going to cut it. After all, the fourth-year man saw the same thing happen the previous two seasons. Even with Olivier Hanlan, Carter, and now Robinson leading the way, the Eagles hardly posed a threat to non-conference opponents. There was no reason to think that BC had any shot of snapping its year and a half-long ACC drought. That was, until Ky Bowman started showing up on the stat sheet. Everything changed when the freshman point guard racked up a career-best 15 points in a thrilling win over Auburn in the Under Armour Reunion. Red hair and all, Bowman was on fire. When he wasn’t scoring, his shots often created opportunities for others on the floor. Bucket after bucket, he dribbled the ball up the court with more and more confidence. Aggressive as ever, and with the clock winding down, Bowman sprinted to the basket, trying to lay-in the game-winner. The ball rimmed out, but right into the hands of fellow classmate Nik Popovic, who sealed the deal with a tip-in. From that game on, the rest was history. Bowman ousted Ty Graves at the point—and, essentially, from the school— becoming the heart and soul of the team. Bowman teamed up Robinson to form one the best backcourts in the Power Five. By the season’s end, the two were combining for close to 35 points per game in conference play. The freshman phenom

Asst. Sports Editor

KEITH CARROLL / HEIGHTS STAFF

simply took over games, especially in conference play. Scoring 30 points and drilling seven shots from 3-point land, Bowman single-handedly willed BC to victory over Syracuse. He just couldn’t miss. Contested or not, it seemed like every one of his shots were falling. The announcers were suspended in disbelief. Bowman was putting on of the best performances in Conte Forum history. He was locked in the entire game, but as the Eagles started to pull away, the freshman’s personality shined. After knocking down his sixth 3-pointer, Bowman backpedaled to the other side of the court with a subtle smile. BC was about to beat the reigning NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Champions, and he was loving every second of it. A week and a half later, he delivered another conference victory. Bowman outplayed Dennis Smith, Jr., chipping in 19 points and three more triples, taking down North Carolina State. BC ended the season on a 14-game losing streak, but it could have just as easily won two or three more conference games. Thanks to Bowman, the Eagles were able to go toe-to-toe with most of the ACC heavyweights, including eventual national champion North Carolina. So when the All-ACC Freshman went down with an awkward-looking knee injury in BC’s final game of the season—a first round ACC Tournament matchup against Wake Forest—you could hear a pin drop in the Barclays Center. Chatman, Robinson, and Tava crowded around Bowman, as he pounded his fist against the hardwood. As soon as he was helped off the court, many expected the Eagles to

CELINE LIM / HEIGHTS STAFF

keel over. Once again, the only pure scorer on the court was Robinson. But then something happened for the first time all season. The bench—a group that had only played 28.1 percent of the team’s total minutes, 262nd in the country—came into its own. Out of nowhere, Garland Owens pitched in eight points. Both backup centers, Popovic and Johncarlos Reyes, played harder in the paint than they had all season. And guys like Mike Sagay got involved too. Because of BC’s supporting cast, the Eagles held their own against the Demon Deacons. Bowman and Robinson are projected to be two of the highest volume scorers in the country this season. But without solid contributions from the guys below them—Jordan Chatman, Popovic, Teddy Hawkins, Steffon Mitchell—the Eagles’ standing in the ACC won’t budge. ccording to Bowman, receiving his MRI results was one of the biggest reliefs in his entire life. What originally looked like an ACL tear, was actually just minor cartilage damage. The injury still required surgery, but within four weeks, Bowman was back in the gym, working on his craft. In June, he joined Robinson, who was training in Santa Monica, Calif. at Integrity Hoops—an offseason personal development program for college, NBA G-League, and NBA players. Both of them relished the chance to play against professional-caliber players, in addition to furthering their already established chemistry. Some say that the tandem of Bowman and Robinson is just as good as any in the country. Christian doesn’t see why his star players shouldn’t feel that way. As far as Hawkins is concerned, they’re two of the best he’s ever seen. “[They’re] NBA prospects. I’ve watched a lot of basketball, I was on a team with the player of the year in our conference (Missouri Valley)—Paris Lee—and he’s a good player, I’m not taking anything from him,” the Illinois State graduate transfer said. “But those two guys, NBA potential—all the way.” Hawkins isn’t too shabby either. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 14 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season, earning a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference Most-Improved Team. With the ability to knock down perimeter shots and back down in the post, Hawkins routinely stretches the floor. Joining him at the forward position is Mitchell—a player that no one really knew about a few months ago. The freshman can do it all: rebound on both sides of the floor, shoot from the outside, pass, run the pick and roll, and drive to the hole. “I think if you asked the guys on our team, ‘Which guy on our team takes the most pride in doing the little things to win,’ I think it’d be unanimous: Steff Mitchell,” Christian said. Hawkins and Mitchell will provide substantial size at the three, and especially the four—a position that was anchored by

6-foot-6 Connar Tava a season ago. Scoring-wise, BC’s offense—a unit that posted 72.5 points per game last year—should be in better shape than ever. Christian isn’t concerned about that. Turnovers are what he’s worried about. Last season, the Eagles had the 284th-highest turnover rate in the nation. BC gave the ball away nearly 15 times a game. Christian doesn’t use his team’s transition offense as an excuse either. “We want to get shots, and we want to play the fast pace, but that doesn’t mean that everybody in press row should have their hands up, because they don’t know where the ball is coming,” he said. Regardless of its turnover numbers, the offense wasn’t holding BC back. Its defense was. he Eagles gave up an average of 78.4 points per game last season. Even worse, their field goal defense was one of the worst in the nation—306th to be exact—as they 0.allowed opponents to shoot 47 percent from the field. Christian says that defense has been the point of emphasis, ever since last season. He believes that BC’s inability to stop opposing offenses wasn’t really a matter of X’s and O’s, rather that it was a byproduct of his players’ effort, or lack thereof, on the other end of the floor. “Our players need to take a lot more ownership of [their defense],” Christian said. “I mean I hate to say that, but it’s not a schematic thing all the time.” When the Eagles played their best on defense, it was only for a stretch of five minutes, maybe less, but not 40. Christian thinks that his players had the tendency to wear down toward the end of games— partially because of BC’s run-and-gun offense, and partially due to the fact that the Eagles were one of the youngest teams in the ACC. Their fatigue was evident, as BC blew five halftime leads—three of which came in the final seven games in the season. The Eagles struggled to defend penetration. More often than not, BC’s opponents cashed in on wide-open scoring opportunities. Sometimes there’d be a hole in the interior, other times a guard would attack the paint, drawing Eagles off the perimeter, and then simply dish it out to the outside for the easy mid-range or 3-point shot. Christian has been addressing this issue throughout the offseason. From time to time, Christian has players wear different color jerseys in practice. Each color is representative of that particular player. Shooters wear red, players that can drive and shoot don white, and those that only drive are in blue. Christian runs drills where he throws the ball in the play, and watches his defense make the necessary reads and switches, without giving up an open shot inside or behind the arc. BC has to crash the boards, contest shots, and, most importantly, communicate. When Hawkins first joined the team, he realized that almost no one was talking

on the court. In his book, that only means one thing. “A quiet gym is a scared gym,” Hawkins said. From day one, he’s been trying to fix that. And he’s already seeing signs of growth, as players are starting to follow his lead. Despite being a fifth-year transfer, Hawkins is BC’s best leader. And Christian says that it’s not even close. The Dayton, Ohio native is 24 years old, meaning that he is a whole seven years older than Vin Baker Jr. and Avery Wilson—the Eagles’ youngest players. His experiences, both on the court and outside the world of basketball are invaluable. Hawkins is coming off a 28-7 season that almost, and debatably should have, ended in a NCAA Tournament bid. He’s been part of great teams. Now he’s confident he can lead one. “Just being on this team, I know we can do some special things if we just keep our heads locked in, take some criticism, and just keep fixing our mistakes,” Hawkins said. That “if” will likely determine BC’s record this season. Last year, there were times when players, Bowman in particular, shut down. Christian got in his head, and he lost focus. And when that happened, the whole team came to a screeching halt. Against Virginia, Bowman shot just 3-of-6 and turned the ball over four times. He only took one shot in the first 15 minutes of the game—a 3-pointer that was off the mark. The Cavaliers’ defense took him out of the game, and Bowman’s spirit plummeted. And so did his teammates’. UVA pulled away in the first half, mounting a 17-point lead. Players were sulking on the bench and on the court. It was a home game, but you’d never be able to tell. Bowman was no longer energized, and neither was the team. The Eagles only converted 38.5 percent of their shot attempts, and, consequently were embarrassed by the No. 16 team in the nation, 71-54. Plain and simple, Bowman’s energy is volatile and contagious. “Me being engaged the whole day is what is going to help me and my teammates actually stay engaged,” Bowman said. “If I have a down day, most of the time, the rest of the practice will be silent … The more that I’m up, the more engaged the practice is for everybody around me.” That kind of effect on a team is admirable, but in no way efficient come February. Bowman and Robinson always talk about getting BC back to where it was in the early 2000s. If they’re going to do that, they’re going to need a whole lot of help from the guys behind the curtain. Who knows, if they don’t, the Eagles’ backcourt could very well leave for the Association. Christian has been in rebuild mode for three years. With two NBA prospects, a bonafide power forward, a more experienced roster, and an identity, now is a better time to win than ever. n

THE HEIGHTS | November 6, 2017

BASKETBALL PREVIEW | SYDNEY LOWERY | 3

BEYOND HER YEARS Sydney Lowery has spent her entire career playing with older athletes—and it’s turned her into a disciplined, mature player.

KAITLIN MEEKS / HEIGHTS STAFF

Annabel Steele

o the casual viewer, the play wouldn’t really seem like anything out of the ordinary. St. Luke’s School was playing The Ethel Walker School in January 2017. St. Luke’s had the ball. Maya Klein stood at the top of the arc, surveying the court for a moment as her teammate Sydney Lowery waited on Klein’s left wing. Klein attempted a shot from deep that just didn’t fall. An Ethel Walker player couldn’t secure the rebound, and knocked the ball toward half court. Lowery streaked to the top of the arc as one of her teammates grabbed the ball, turned, and fired a pass to her. Lowery caught the ball, pivoted to face the hoop, and hesitated only for a moment before making her move. She dribbled a few times, hovering around the top of the arc, before suddenly exploding toward the basket. Her defender was too slow to stop her, and Lowery went up strong to the hoop and laid the ball in. Nothing fancy, right? A long shot, a long rebound, and a guard driving aggressively to the hoop for a basket. Plays like that happen all the time in

· Assoc. Sports Editor commit to Boston College at the end of her freshman year, tally 1,000 career points only six games into her sophomore season, serve as a two-time captain for the Storm, set a career point total record with 2,165 scored over the course of four years, and nab multiple New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) All-League and All-Star honors. For Lowery, the accomplishments were pretty sweet—but getting to share them with her friends and family was even sweeter. And scoring her 2,000th career point felt much nicer than scoring her 1,000th career point. First of all, she was the first player in St. Luke’s history to ever reach that milestone. Plus, her mother, who’d been unable to attend her 1,000th point game because of health reasons, was there to proudly cheer Lowery on against The Ethel Walker School. And it was the last game of basketball Lowery’s grandfather ever saw her play. “[Sydney] wanted to celebrate with her family and her teammates,” Ward said. “That’s all she really wanted—to share the moment with them.” Lowery carried this selfless spirit

with karate, but was soon tempted to give basketball a try. She’d played a little bit at school, and she found herself really enjoying it. When she was 9 or 10 years old, Lowery took the plunge and joined a travel team. She never looked back. Karate fell to the wayside, and so did most other sports. She gave cross country a try, but basketball was her first and most important love. Lowery played on high-level basketball teams with a year-round time commitment, so she didn’t even really have time for other sports. Lowery found her first basketball heroes on the courts at local high schools. She attended as many high school games as she could, eagerly observing the athletes and figuring out how she could improve her own game to match theirs. “I wanted to be just like them,” she said. “I want to make a change on my team, be the best scorer.” Lowery never backed down from a challenge. She always played up, competing against older players in higher age groups, forever the youngest member of any team she was on. This

While at St. Luke’s School: Points: 2,165 Honors: 4-time FAA All-Star basketball. Nothing to write home about. Except this time, it really was something to write home about. Immediately after Lowery made her layup, the gym erupted in cheers. A timeout was called and Lowery’s family joined her on the court as the St. Luke’s athletic director handed her a commemorative ball. See, this wasn’t just any old basket, and they weren’t just any old points. It was Lowery’s record-setting 2,000th point for St. Luke’s School. She was 16 points shy at tip-off, and she reached the milestone in the first eight minutes of the game. Matt Ward, in his first season as head coach of St. Luke’s girls’ basketball, was overjoyed for his senior. It was the latest achievement in an illustrious high school career that saw Lowery

through the remainder of her senior season, doing everything in her power to help St. Luke’s advance as far as possible. And when the Storm were knocked out of the NEPSAC playoffs, and her high school career was suddenly over, Lowery knew she had to look ahead to the next challenge: competing in the ACC. owery was always destined to be an athlete.

Her mother played high school basketball before deciding not to pursue a college career, and then coached when Lowery was young. Her father played college football at Fayetteville State. They encouraged Lowery to pursue sports from a young age growing up in Shelton, Conn. She started out her athletic career

made her tougher, both physically and mentally—playing against bigger bodies forced Lowery to become stronger and unafraid of contact, while playing against more experienced bodies forced her to become a better decision-maker and raised her basketball IQ. She began to compete in New York, playing for the New York Gauchos organization and traveling to the city for tournaments. Everything in New York is bigger, and playing there offered Lowery more opportunities than she’d ever had before. But when the time came to choose a school to take her game to a higher level, Lowery stayed close to home, opting to attend St. Luke’s in New Canaan, Conn. As an eighth grader, she entered a basketball program that was weak, one that nobody considered a local pow-

erhouse. Lowery was determined to change that. After all, she knew that she was serious about basketball, and she knew she wanted to play in college, and she knew that by bringing her focus, drive, and work ethic to practice every day, she could slowly shape the players around her, too. “When I first started playing for St. Luke’s, we weren’t really on the map for girls’ basketball,” Lowery said. “I came in trying to change the organization.” According to Ward, Lowery was instrumental in building St. Luke’s into a perennial competitor. Through her actions, she set expectations for her teammates and established a standard to which they all played. This paid off almost immediately—by the time Lowery was a sophomore, St. Luke’s was winning more games and going further in the playoffs. When she was a junior, a freshman class of highly talented players had joined her at St. Luke’s, and the team suddenly became a serious regional threat. Lowery gave her heart and soul to St. Luke’s, and the day her high school career ended was emotionally charged. As Lowery came off the court crying, she hugged Ward for almost a full minute. She had devoted so much time and energy to turn St. Luke’s around, and all of a sudden, her time was up. “When she came off the floor in tears that game … I told her: ‘You changed this program,’” Ward said. “How can you not be proud of a kid in that moment?” owery’s path to BC was clear early on. When she was in eighth grade, she first noticed college coaches watching her travel games, and from that moment on she knew she could play Division I college basketball. She first got in contact with BC during the summer after her eighth grade year, asking head coach Erik Johnson if she could go to BC’s summer camp. For his part, Johnson was floored the first time he spoke to Lowery. “I remember getting off the phone and thinking, ‘There’s no way that’s a 13-year-old,’ or 14-year-old, or whatever she was at the time,” Johnson said. “Her poise, the way she spoke on the phone, her maturity—it was unbelievable.” Lowery began making campus visits during her freshman year, and was quickly sold on BC. She and her family placed great emphasis on academics, and BC certainly checked that box. Besides that, it was in the Northeast, so it was relatively close to home. Lowery just felt right at home, and so she made her decision to commit by the end of her freshman year—the earliest recruit

in Johnson’s 24 years of experience at the Division I level. Her phone call with Johnson demonstrates what makes Lowery such a fierce competitor on the court— her tenacity and emotional strength. Lowery matured early, both as an athlete and as a person, through playing against older girls and experiencing her mother’s health issues. Her mental toughness has translated well to her game. Lowery’s coaches praise her laser focus and complete dedication to whatever task is placed in front of her. Ward called her the toughest player he’s ever coached. According to Johnson, Lowery and her teammate Milan Bolden-Morris are unlike most freshmen during their transition to playing college ball. While it might be easy for most freshmen to become overwhelmed in a new situation, juggling academics with a completely new level of athletics and trying to establish an identity in college, Lowery and Bolden-Morris have worked hard to settle in and prepare for the season ahead. It isn’t surprising, given that one of Lowery’s goals is to jump right in and work as hard as she can to adjust to college ball. She wants to bring her court awareness up, increase her basketball IQ, and learn how to play alongside and against athletes with years of college experience. “I plan on not playing like a freshman,” Lowery said. Lowery has spent most of her basketball career playing against older opponents, so it’s not hard to imagine that she will quickly settle in at BC and play with poise above her years. She loves getting physical, and favors driving hard to the hoop and drawing contact. So far, Johnson has not seen her fazed by any opponent in practice. She brings the same exact intensity to practice, even when she’s going up against older teammates or the men that come in to scrimmage against the Eagles. “I haven’t seen Syd scared of anybody yet,” Johnson said. For those who watched Lowery turn St. Luke’s around, the similarities are clear. Just like St. Luke’s when Lowery entered the program, BC has endured a rough couple of years. Lowery managed to start a new era for St. Luke’s, changing the culture of the team and making it into a regional powerhouse. Now Lowery has joined an Eagles squad that desperately needs a kick-starter, and she might just be the person to turn everything around. “She is going to do really great things at BC—for the school, the women’s basketball program, and for herself,” Ward said. n

4 | NIK POPOVIC | BASKETBALL PREVIEW

NOVEMBER 6, 2017 | THE HEIGHTS

PLAYING IT COOL

Nik Popovic has moved past last season’s mental blowups, and is ﬁnally having fun playing basketball.

Michael Sullivan

im Christian clapped his hands. In his trademark gravelly tone, the head coach of Boston College men’s basketball’s voice sounded hoarse as he yelled at the players. Unlike an average practice for this program, this scream wasn’t in aggravation—it was encouraging. His starters, albeit against a squadron of walk-ons, ran a picture-perfect offensive possession, with ball movement around the perimeter that finished with a wideopen layup drive by the team’s star point guard, Ky Bowman. But offense hasn’t ever been the problem for the Eagles—the team has struggled on defense during Christian’s tenure. Whenever his chosen starting five is on the court, they start with a defensive possession against the walk-ons. Ideally, they’ll earn the ball in transition to score, instead of starting with a set plan. Following a successful pairing of these two, Christian got his guys into the huddle and they started again. The sound in Power Gym increased as the two sides fought—ACC starters hoping to hold their own against the Dukes and North Carolinas of the world, against walk-ons hoping to just get some action against Maine on Nov. 10, BC’s opening day. Bowman squared off directly against Gordon Gehan, the Eagles’ best walkon, forcing him to scramble beyond the arc and chuck up a desperation 3-pointer as the shot clock expired. The key to that play wasn’t Bowman’s perimeter defense, though— it was the behemoth holing up the paint: Nik Popovic, the team’s starting center. But before you could notice Popovic’s improved inside presence—even if it came against players a foot shorter than him—he was already dashing down on the fast break, right hand raised in the air. He didn’t look back until Bowman called him. “Niko! Niko!” He screeched, heaving the ball down the court. Popovic caught it, just barely in transition, and tried to dunk. There wouldn’t be any highlight reel ending to this possession, though. Popovic got stuffed by the rim like Frederic Weis against Vince Carter, falling backward as the ball hit him in the face on the fall. Then, something happened that never would have happened last season to Popovic, then an underweight, skinny freshman who played just a year of high school ball in Florida after going stateside from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He started cracking up with Bowman, his best friend and former roommate. Then, something happened on the very next possession that really never would have happened to the player who grew a notorious reputation

Editor-in-Chief

both inside the program and out for a temper when things didn’t go his way that would shut him down for the remainder of a game. He dunked. o say Popovic dwarfs most in size should be obvious. At 6-foot-11, Popovic is the second-tallest player Christian has had at BC, only behind Steve Donahue recruit Dennis Clifford. His stature feels even bigger with the slight bend he has at the neck when he looks down, and the width by which his shoulders have grown with offseason workouts. His English flows perfectly, even if he forgets the occasional vocab word and his accent sounds like a Saturday Night Live impression. Popovic lets out a chuckle after every question asked, as if he thinks back to each moment he recalls as if he were there. But as we sat and watched women’s basketball’s practice during our conversation in Conte Forum, he never took his eyes off the ball, watching as Erik Johnson’s team ran its offense through its centers. It’s that kind of focus that made him leave his home at age 14 to play in Serbia. The decision was challenging for a young boy so close to his father and sister, neither of whom could contribute to this story due to their inability to speak English. But the coach of his soccer team saw that, while he was athletic, he just couldn’t move as well laterally to keep up with the sport. So the coach called up a basketball coach he knew to help get Popovic set up with KK Crvena zvezda—the Red Star—a multi-level basketball club in Serbia’s professional league. That translated to joining the Serbian U17 National Team—though born and raised in Bosnia, Popovic’s Serbian ethnicity makes him eligible as a citizen—where he competed for the 2014 FIBA World Championship. During that time, he started crafting a list of basketball idols. It rarely was composed of men from Eastern Europe, like Drazen Petrovic or Vlade Divac. Rather, he studied the offensive system of the San Antonio Spurs, and his new hero: the Big Fundamental. “The coach has the same last name like me, so that was like the first association,” Popovic said, referring to the legendary Gregg Popovich. “But I used to watch Tim Duncan a lot, because I like his game and I’m trying to play as much like he does.” He took that desire to be a well-rounded, double-double machine to the States as an 18-year-old, where he played for the Sagemont School, a prep school in Broward County, Fla. In what would be his senior year, Popovic averaged eight points, seven boards, and three blocks, earning an All-County First

Popovic in 2016-17: Points: 6.1 per game Field Goal Percentage: 48.8 Rebounds: 3.5 per game Minutes: 13.8 per game

Team selection by the Sun-Sentinel. He received fleeting offers from colleges, such as Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and Maryland, but none were more serious than a carbon-copy letter. A few coaches visited him, like from Rice and Richmond, from time to time. One came repeatedly. “Scott Spinelli stood out, he was there every day,” Popovic said about the BC assistant. “He was coming all the time, he was calling me all the time, he wanted to make that connection. So that’s why I decided to come here.” he transition, however, wasn’t seamless. With Clifford gone and no other true center on the roster, Popovic was expected to play significant time in all of the Eagles’ ACC games. But in conference play, Popovic only averaged 14.7 minutes per game. Part of this was conditioning and typical freshman adjusting to the game. But another huge factor was foul trouble. Of BC’s 18 ACC games, three times he picked up four fouls, and four times he fouled out. And when Popovic got called for fouls, he took it personally. He’d throw his hands up. He’d yell at refs. And, mentally, he’d check out. “Because I put a lot of expectations on myself and then when I didn’t make the results I wanted, I was disappointed,” Popovic said of his temper. The mentality was noticeable to fans and the team alike. Christian often had to get in Popovic’s face—not because he was mad Popovic committed the foul, but because he got mad and appeared to quit. And last season, because he was so hard on himself and still didn’t have a ton of familiarity with the team or the country’s customs, he’d shut down and not talk to anyone. His roommate, Bowman, took notice. “His temper, when it got out of hand, sometimes it could cost us the game, it would turn into 4-on-5,” Bowman said. “When he cools down, with him listening and keeping his mind in the game, he’s helping himself and us.” So Bowman took that mission into his own hands. He sought out Popovic before the season to live with him, because he wanted to interact with someone who came from a different background. Popovic agreed, only because he was intrigued by Bowman’s red hair. Bowman introduced him to a number of American customs—Popovic’s first trips to McDonald’s, Raising Cane’s, and IHOP, which might not be as international as its name implies, were particular highlights. The two have an unfiltered connection with one another, which has

helped them grow closer. The trust that the two have built helped Bowman work with Popovic on his temper. “If a coach gets mad at him, I can always talk to him and cool him down, and it helps us continue on with the game,” Bowman said. or Popovic, what’s more important is the connection that helps create on the court. Popovic simply feels comfortable playing with Bowman, and it’s shown in practice. The big man routinely finds Bowman on feeds when the spark plug point guard

e showed flashes of that in the Auburn game last year at Madison Square Garden, which Popovic indicated is his favorite moment in a BC uniform to date. Down by one with 7.5 seconds remaining, Bowman drove down the court and attempted a drive and lay-in for the win. The shot tipped off the backboard and rim, bouncing forward into the scrum with two seconds left. With three Auburn defenders surrounding him, Popovic soared up with his right hand for the bounding tip-in. At the top of the paint, all alone, Bryce Brown of Auburn put his

drives in with blazing speed. And Bowman can draw double coverages that open up lanes for Popovic’s Euro-stepping layups or turnaround hook shot jumpers. “Ky understand everything I do,” Popovic said. “So he kind of knows how I’m moving, what I’m doing, he actually knows. He’s always one step ahead of me.” That adjustment has led to a happier, more upbeat Popovic. “I think the best part about him, he’s really growing and maturing as a person,” Christian said. “When you grow and mature, you get better, you understand what you need to do. I think he has grown past the blow ups. I know that will happen.”

hands on his head in the “Surrender Eagle” formation, while Popovic raced down the end of the court. It was a great moment for Popovic, according to Christian, that gave him the confidence that he could take the next step. But for Bowman, it said more about that electric personality. Because, instead of running to the bench to celebrate with his team, Popovic dashed straight to Auburn’s cheerleaders, and started trash talking. It represented a sign that Popovic can channel his anger and attitude toward his opponents. And if he makes the jump like Christian expects, the rest of the ACC is going to hear it. 

JOHN QUACKENBOS / BC ATHLETICS

THE HEIGHTS | November 6, 2017

BASKETBALL PREVIEW | MARTINA MOSETTI | 5

THE SERVICE MENTALITY While at BC, Martina Mosetti has always put others before herself: serving her classmates in the dining hall, working for the athletic department, and distributing on the court. Patrick Conway

elflessness is a desirable quality to look for in a friend, and an even better trait to have in a teammate. In basketball, a player who shares the ball may not get as much glory as a player who takes an abundance of shots and scores a heap of points. But their coaches and teammates know how

was part of the broader American culture. Nowadays, Mosetti has already started to build her own life in Boston, although she has not lost her Italian roots. Living at BC for most of the year, it’s not often that she gets to see her family members and friends. She goes home to

a point guard, there are many different styles that Mosetti could choose to emulate, so the fact that Mosetti picked a player like Teodosic to follow says a lot her game. “His understanding of the game is just something else,” Mosetti said. “In particular, in transition and coming off

“I think this year we are a low-drama team, and if we are going through some troubles such as injuries, we’ll be able to handle it very well.” - Martina Mosetti truly valuable they are. Ball movement simply makes scoring easier for teams, and there may not be a better player in the world right now at creating points through passing than Milos Teodosic. Teodosic is a EuroLeague legend, a two-time FIBA Europe Player of the Year, and now a 30-year-old NBA rookie known for his phenomenal passing ability. Originally from Serbia, he is now the new point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, but has been relevant to hardcore basketball fans for years due to his jaw-dropping highlight tapes of his surgical slicing of defenses. Here at Boston College, there is another outstanding passer from Europe, but she has been in the United States for much longer than her idol Teodosic. Now in her senior year at BC, point guard Martina Mosetti has taken the Heights by storm. Mosetti is originally from Trieste, a city in northeast Italy, and she was recently awarded for being the only NCAA athlete to hail from Trieste. She has been playing basketball since age 12, and cites her grandfather as the driving force behind her love of the sport. But she only ended up on the court after growing out of her first sport of choice. “I started off by doing gymnastics, but then they told me I was getting too tall,” Mosetti said. “I’m pretty competitive so I just quit gymnastics because I realized I wasn’t gonna get that far and started basketball because of my grandad.” When she was around 16 years old, Mosetti lived alone for two years in Vicenza, which is a little more than three hours from her home, to play basketball professionally for Famila Schio. One of her teammates, Kathrin Ress, had played at BC before playing for Famila Schio, and she played a huge role in getting Mosetti in touch with her alma mater. Mosetti didn’t want to give up her university studies to solely focus on basketball, so she communicated with BC before making the trek over to the states. “[Head coach Erik Johnson and I] Skyped a couple of times and then I had to go through the whole SAT and visas and that kind of stuff and then yeah I came over in the summer for five days,” Mosetti said. “It was kind of a shocking experience.” hestnut Hill definitely provided Mosetti with a culture shock, as it does for many new college students, but it was a whole different world for Mosetti. She spoke English before coming to the United States, but originally learned the British version. Learning in a classroom and conversing with peers in a dining hall are quite different tasks. Mosetti said that one of the hardest parts for her was actually separating BC and America and figuring out BC’s place in American culture. She often found herself seperating what was specifically “just BC” and what

Italy about twice a year, always making sure she returns for Christmas. While at school, Mosetti is active around campus and has a packed schedule on top of basketball and classes. Mosetti used to work for BC dining, and before that she worked volleyball, football, and ice hockey games for BC Athletics. This summer, she interned with the marketing department, and now she has a part-time job with Akamai Technologies as a result of that internship. Mosetti, like every other college student, is still unsure of what she plans to do after she graduates. Whether she will stay in the United States or go back home to Italy is still up in the air, as is whether she will play basketball or not. There are seemingly endless options for Mosetti, as she could do anything ranging from living and working in the United States, to playing professionally abroad, and maybe even getting a Master’s degree in the future. “I think the way I’m gonna go about this is to try to keep as many doors as I can open and then at the very end pick something,” Mosetti said. If Mosetti did play professionally in Italy, she would probably have a good shot at making the roster for the senior Italian national team. She has previously played for her country, the last time being two years ago when she played for the U-20 national team, and she has not ruled out playing for Italy again in the future. While Mosetti’s long-term athletic future may still be uncertain, the present certainly contains a lot of basketball. As

pick and rolls, are just the two things that he is incredible at.” While she can still efficiently score, Mosetti drops more dimes than buckets and serves as a facilitator from her position at point guard. Mosetti averaged in the ballpark of four points per game during her freshman and sophomore years, but she was able to bump her assist total from 2.2 per game as a fresh-

Last Season: 3-Point Percentage: 31.3 Free Throw Percentage: 70.6 Third on the team in assists

man to 3.9 per game as a sophomore. During her junior year, Mosetti saw a decrease in minutes, but still racked up the second-most total assists on the team, and was a valued contributor. BC women’s basketball is in a more difficult place than they were last year. This year, the team is without its leaders in blocks, steals, rebounds, and is missing its number one and two scoring options. Center Mariella Fasoula played with complete dominance at times last year, but transferred to Vanderbilt, and guard Kelly Hughes, who recorded the most 3-pointers in BC history, graduated. Without these prolific players, the Eagles have a tough road ahead, and veterans will have to take on larger roles for the team to be successful. Mosetti is set to become a beneficiary of this increased workload, and the reins have been passed to her to improve in terms of on-court production and all-around leadership. Mosetti recognizes the loss of her former teammates, but isn’t worried about her team’s identity this year. “Yes, we lost them. But every year, the team is different,” Mosetti said. “I think this year we are a low-drama team, and if we are going through some troubles such as injuries, we’ll be able to handle it

· Heights Staﬀ

very well. This year we’re going to share the ball more, and Coach will give more people more responsibility within their roles. I have a good feeling about it.” When given the hypothetical situation that her team was down two points with the clock ticking down, Mosetti thought hard but answered decisively when asked who would take the last shot. “If I have freedom and Coach didn’t tell me anything, I think that being a point guard, I would pick the person on the floor that I think is in rhythm, considering the previous plays. I think it would be Taylor [Ortlepp],” Mosetti said. It’s no surprise that Mosetti didn’t pick herself to take the shot. After all, she passes up a lot of them. Mosetti is a distributor, a play-maker of sorts. At ACC Media Day, head coach Erik Johnson talked about how Mosetti, fellow seniors Katie Quandt and Rachel Gartner, and graduate student Andie Anastos have adopted a “service mentality.” “It’s not about me, it’s not about what’s my senior year gonna be like, it’s how can I give, how can I make this team better,” Johnson said. But one thing’s for certain: she isn’t passing up her time in the states—especially her senior season. 

6 | STEFFON MITCHELL | BASKETBALL PREVIEW

November 6, 2017 | THE HEIGHTS

COVERING ALL THE BASES

Jack Goldman

ower Gym is loud. The practice home of Boston College men’s basketball is filled with noise from the moment you step in through the doors. If the Eagles are going to be good, it probably needs to be. The ACC will punish teams mercilessly if they can’t communicate. Perhaps such an atmosphere would intimidate a newcomer. But Steffon Mitchell doesn’t look intimidated. Stationed on the block as the team works on its zone defense, the 6-foot-8 forward looks like he was born to play in head coach Jim Christian’s system. His large frame doesn’t inhibit him from keeping up with smaller players, and at 222 pounds, Mitchell is well-equipped to battle in the post. He doesn’t struggle to communicate with other defenders, never takes a possession off, and exudes professionalism that is hard to find in a player so young, specifically on the defensive end of the floor. Mitchell says it’s the hardest lesson he’s had to learn on the basketball court. “Back in the day, in AAU I played on the Minnesota Fury,” he said. “We would score a lot, shootout games, defense wasn’t that big of a priority. But, I think that as it kept going on later in the AAU season we focused more on defense, and that got us to win more games.” His focus shows at practice. One moment he’ll be in the paint bodied up against a bigger player, the next he’ll be switched out onto point guards behind the 3-point line. He never looks overwhelmed, and when Christian stops play to point out an error, Mitchell absorbs the information, asks a question or two, and then gets back to work. His high school coach Bruce Kugath, hailing from Shakopee, Minn., wouldn’t be surprised. “I’m pretty involved in our youth program, so I’ve seen Steffon as a player from third grade on up, and the thing that impressed me even when he was very young was that he was very competitive and just a basketball junkie,” Kugath said. “He just played and played and shot and

Steﬀon Mitchell has molded into the player that head coach Jim Christian was looking for: a two-way wing that is willing to do all the little things in order to win. Heights Staﬀ shot and he never really changed.” Perhaps Mitchell’s work ethic stems from his early indoctrination to life in basketball. His father, Juan, coached Shakopee’s girls’ basketball team, and Steffon has played under his guidance since second grade. It was the perfect incubator for building a basketball player who can do it all. “I think he just had a burning desire to be a good Division I college basketball player ever since he was a little kid,” Kugath said. “Basketball, I think, was always his passion, and I don’t think that’s changed.” That attitude brought Mitchell immense success at the high school level. In addition to his defensive efforts, he graduated from Shakopee as the school’s all-time scoring and rebounds leader— Mitchell racked up 1,985 points and 800 rebounds during his four-year career. Kugath believes Mitchell had close to 500 assists as well. It’s hard to imagine Mitchell, probably closer to 6-foot-5 at the time, serving as his team’s primary ball handler, but his court vision justifies the temporary position change. By the time Mitchell graduated high school, he had already learned how to be the most versatile player on the court, filling any role a coach or situation would demand from him. During one practice this preseason, Mitchell came down with a rebound, and sensing opportunity, passed up on outletting the ball and instead dribbled easily up court to run the fastbreak. It only took him moments to find a streaking Vin Baker, Jr. with a nifty pass, leaving Baker an easy dunk. Moments like that have shined a light on Mitchell’s potential, and Christian has taken notice. The head coach has indicated Mitchell will play the three and the four, relying on his excellent rebounding ability and high basketball IQ specifically to make a difference on the court. “Right now, he [is] one of our catalysts even though he’s a freshman. He sets a tone out there for us—he’s very, very important,” said Christian. It’s taken a lot of work for him to

While at Shakopee High School:

TIGER TAO / HEIGHTS STAFF

get this point. After Shakopee, Mitchell decided to go to prep school for a year to hone his game. Despite his tremendous success at the high school level, he, and Kugath, knew he had room for improvement. Kugath and Mitchell had a conversation during his sophomore year, in which Mitchell voiced his concerns about his usage as a center rather than as a perimeter player. His goal has always been to be a D-I college basketball player, and although Mitchell is big, he already knew that in college he would be best suited to play on the perimeter. Kugath asked him to sacrifice. In order for Shakopee to get wins, they needed Mitchell, their biggest player down low. The results spoke for themselves, as Shakopee finished third in their league twice behind Mitchell, who shattered school records in the process. Mitchell would work on his perimeter game outside of the regular game plan, and whenever a situation would call for it he would step behind the 3-point line to run the offense. He wouldn’t have to sacrifice for long though. Mitchell went to Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas for his prep year. While there, he’d work under head coach Kyle Bankhead, who was immediately impressed. “What stood out about him, I think he’s an every-day guy, and what I mean by that is he brings his lunchpail every day to work,” Bankhead said. “He has the same attitude every day, and he doesn’t let outside influences change who is is.” While at Sunrise Christian Academy, Mitchell worked more on the outside shot he had previously sacrificed. According to Bankhead, Mitchell’s natural position in college is as a face-up stretch four. Mitchell can pass and shoot, and has moved away from some of the less natural post-game he grew up playing. Both Kugath and Bankhead felt that before Mitchell could excel at the collegiate level, his footwork and body type needed to be worked on. Mitchell is a good athlete, especially laterally, but after so many reps in the post at Shakopee, Sunrise was the perfect place to refine his athleticism. In prep school, Mitchell was

freed to operate primarily on the perimeter, only venturing to his old spots in the post to take advantage of mismatches. Now, as he begins at the collegiate level, Mitchell has had extensive exposure to low post and perimeter play on both ends of the court. His presence gives the Eagles a unique asset to take advantage of various inefficiencies in opposing game plans. Mitchell’s broad skillset gives BC more options when the team is trying to take advantage of any weakness an opposing team will have. If the Eagles play their cards right, Mitchell could play a huge part in adding to the team’s win total. Bankhead is quick to mention that Mitchell’s improved shooting ability is a big key to his success at the college level. He believes that if Mitchell can reach his 3-point shooting potential—making 40 percent of those shots or so—he’ll be extremely difficult to guard, regardless of the athletic improvements he’s worked on the last few years. Mitchell’s outlook also translates to his big game performances. Kugath mentioned that although Mitchell is extremely unselfish on the floor, to the point where sometimes against lesser opponents he isn’t aggressive enough, against better teams Mitchell’s game escalates to new levels. Mitchell functioned more as a ball-handler alongside his primary scoring capabilities and never shied away from the big stage. Bankhead adds that a lot of Mitchell’s time at Sunrise was geared towards learning to be more aggressive in big moments, but also further integrating Mitchell’s flexibility into important gameplans to create advantages opposing teams couldn’t deal with. His defensive capabilities alongside his inside-outside game and high basketball IQ make him difficult to keep up with, and his selfless playing style endears Mitchell to his teammates. Baker, Jr. has experienced that selflessness firsthand. He believes Mitchell’s rebounding ability opens up incredible opportunities for his teammates. “We have a lot of good shooters,” Baker, Jr. said. “When he rebounds like he does offensively, it just opens up for

more opportunities, more second-chance points.” Kugath couldn’t be more proud to have coached Mitchell, the ultimate team player with a passion for winning and an attitude that makes him the ultimate Swiss army knife on the court. Mitchell has turned into a weapon that BC cannot only use, but could push the team to another level. Bankhead, who has stood witness to much of Mitchell’s progress into a player with immense potential, thinks the college basketball world is about to be taken by surprise. “I just think it’s important everybody knows how wonderful a kid he is” Bankhead said. “He’s a special, special kid. I don’t think BC even knew how good of a kid they were getting. If you were behind closed doors, they’d be scratching their heads like ‘Dang, I didn’t know he was going to be this good.’” Christian didn’t either. “I think he’s the guy that nobody knew about, and in some regards even I didn’t know, how good he was,” Christian said. “He’s really good … I think if you asked the guys on our team ‘Which guy on our team takes the most pride on doing the little things to win,’ I think it would be unanimous: Steff Mitchell.” ack on the practice floor, Mitchell is guarding on the perimeter. He and his teammates don’t get the coverage right on a play the scout team is running, and give up a tough basket. The ball bounces to Mitchell, who gathers it, and in a brief moment of frustration gives it one hard dribble before lobbing it back out to run the play again. This time, the play comes to an end when Mitchell and his teammates lock the coverage up perfectly, and Mitchell closes out quickly on a 3-point attempt to make a difficult block. He comes up with the ball and a smile, quickly handing it back to the scout team to run the next play. He daps up his teammates, then gets back into his stance. Power Gym is loud, but Steffon Mitchell is ready to bring the noise to Conte Forum. 

Points: 1,985 Rebounds: 800 First Team All-State and All-Metro as a senior

THE HEIGHTS | November 6, 2017

BASKETBALL PREVIEW | MILAN BOLDEN-MORRIS | 7

ON THE FLY Throughout her entire high school career, Milan Bolden-Morris was a 3-point shooting guard. Now, she’s being asked to learn how to play power forward.

Bradley Smart

· Heights Staﬀ

ong before Boston College power forward Milan Bolden-Morris’s name was among the next crop of ACC recruits, before she twice broke her high school basketball team’s record for three-pointers made in a season, before she became her school’s all-time leading scorer, she was just a tall-for-her-age middle school softball catcher who’d played the game of basketball. As a catcher, Bolden-Morris had the role on the diamond that many compare to basketball’s point guard position. Like their basketball counterparts, they orchestrate much of the game–signaling pitches, adjusting outfielders, and acting as the eyes for the fielders in front of them. Still, softball is an excruciatingly slow sport in comparison. It’s stop-and-go, with time between pitches or sustained action beyond a minute at a time. Catchers may have the same basic job description, but a point guard has to be explosive and quick for the entire game, constantly adjusting and attacking defenses. So, when Bolden-Morris decided to take up basketball at the suggestion of the middle school coach who saw her height as a sign of potential, she was destined to emerge as a leader—even if that seemed like a stretch at the time. Five years later, she was polishing off an impressive high school career at Cardinal Newman. She went from simply leaning on her height in middle school to evolving into one of the most effective 3-point shooters in the state of Florida. This 5-foot-10 product of Belle Glade, Fla. was also called upon heavily to run her team’s offense. And run it she did. Bolden-Morris finished her senior year with a remarkable stat line, averaging 22.3 points per game to go along with 12.5 rebounds, three assists and nearly four steals. The path to that impressive senior year with D-I programs knocking on the door wasn’t easy, though, especially due to the fact that she started playing the game so late. ecoming a sharpshooter takes years of practice. These players grow up taking shot after shot, gradually expanding their shooting range. They eventually reach a level of mastery where they know where the ball will hit on the rim, the instant it spins off their fingertips. Bolden-Morris clearly had some catching up to do, but there’s no doubt she was up for the task. “You just have to do little tedious things,” she said, casually brushing off the commitment of endless hours spent drilling. “It may seem boring once you figure it out, but it works significantly. It makes a huge difference.” It wasn’t an immediate jump to 3-point shooting, however—she had to learn the game first. Instead of simply chucking up 20-footers like most kids do when they walk into a gym, she started in the paint. Bolden-Morris had a height advantage in middle school, so she focused on learning the fundamentals in front of the basket.

She slowly took steps back, working further out from the paint. A year later, as a freshman, she had developed into a near50 percent shooter from the field, but hit just 28 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. Then came the first leap. s a sophomore, Bolden-Morris exploded as one of the top 3-point shooters in her division, connecting on 38 percent of shots and coming up just shy of the impressive 50-40-90 club, a mark of a truly elite shooter: 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep and 90 percent at the line. She became her school's record holder for 3-pointers made after just three years of playing organized basketball, a product of both her work ethic and innate talent. It started with drills comparable to those that NBA star Stephen Curry repeated time and time again. Morris would start shooting from outside the block, taking 20 shots. Next, she’d back up and take pull-up shots off dribbles from both her left and right hands. She’d slowly back up, gradually ending up behind the 3-point line. All of the little things she’d worked on came together, building on each other to create a fluid shooting motion that she can now replicate almost effortlessly. Her improvement was evident, one night in December of her sophomore year, when she dropped 30 points, connecting on 5-of-7 three-pointers and missing just four of her 13 shots in a highly efficient outing. Still, she wasn’t going to settle as a one-dimensional offensive weapon. Bolden-Morris began to focus on strengthening different parts of her game, and it paid off . “She came in as a shooter,” Cardinal Newman head coach Dennis Miles said, “but she’s a student of the game. Her intangibles are off the charts, and nobody can outwork her. That’s how she got here.” She started focusing more on ball-handling, then attacking the paint, then further developing her game in the post. The result was a transition from a pure shooter to a multi-faceted weapon, as was evident in a 37-point performance against Palm Beach Gardens near the end of her senior year. Bolden-Morris hit just two threes, with the bulk of the points coming inside. She finished 15-of-16 from the charity stripe and shot almost 60 percent from the field. “She became so well-rounded and we leaned on her heavily,” Miles added. “She became confident attacking the lane, and worked so hard on ball-handling. She just had absolute consistency–there were no slumps, she was out there and getting her [points] every game.” Oftentimes, Bolden-Morris would simply take over for her team. A highlight from a senior-year game against Barron Collier (Naples, Fla.) starts with her running the point. She hesitates after coming across midcourt, with her whole team pushing to one half of the court. It’s just her and her defender, and it’s pretty clear what’s going to happen. She unleashes an array of crossovers, sending

the poor defender tasked with slowing her down every which way. Finally, with the clock dwindling, the defender over commits. Bolden-Morris sees the chance and explodes past her into the paint. Despite three opponents converging, she rises up, elevating to sink a floater over the crowded lane. The sequence had everything Bolden-Morris worked so hard on: ball handling, attacking the lane, fundamentals, and, above all, confidence in her game. Her teammates didn’t skip a beat the entire possession, firmly planted in all corners of the court to give her the space she needed. “Whatever I feel like will best improve my game and I know I can go to it consistently, I try to do,” Bolden-Morris said of the different facets of the game she was now fully focused on. “It’s not like I try every move or every dribbling drill I see, but if I see something I can use, I’m going to try and do it.” That perspective is pivotal, as she enters her first season at BC, joining an injury-plagued team that is stuck in a rebuild. With much of the production last season coming from the current sophomore class, there’s a youth movement on the Heights. They’ll be joined by two freshmen expected to play big roles—Bolden-Morris and Sydney Lowery. But for Bolden-Morris, it’s a different one than usual. olden-Morris is expecting to see a lot of time at the four, or power forward, position this year. She’ll be at a disadvantage, especially when matched up against the likes of Louisville’s Myisha Hines-Allen (6-foot-2), Miami’s Keyanna Harris (6-foot-2), and Virginia’s Lauren Moses (6-foot-2)—some of the many towering forwards in the conference. Still, that doesn’t concern Bolden-Morris, her high school coach, or Eagles head coach Erik Johnson. “Even though she’s not real tall, she’s very strong,” Miles said of his leading rebounder a season ago, who averaged over 12 boards a game. “She can handle herself inside and isn’t afraid to go in and mix it up.” Bolden-Morris, likewise, feels ready for the challenge. Johnson simply came in and told her she needed to play the four with

the numbers they had, and Bolden-Morris didn’t hesitate in accepting the challenge. Even though it’s been tough adjusting, she’s all for it. “I actually love it,” she said, emphasizing that it’s a position that will allow her to make the most of her skill set. Coming off a screen in the paint, a traditional ‘big’ would roll towards the basket. Bolden-Morris, though, can come off it and ‘pop’ due to her extended range. It allows her to create more offense, especially because of her ability to shoot, drive, or kick it out for a pass. The height and presence of experienced forwards will put her at a disadvantage. One thing that won’t happen, however, will be Bolden-Morris backing down. She brings a physicality to the court that dates back to her father, a former Florida State offensive lineman, bringing what he could to his daughter’s training. Michael Morris didn’t know much about basketball, but he did know what kind of commitment and strength his daughter would need to play at the next level. So he took her to the neighborhood park, introduced her to the guys there, and told them not to take it easy on her. Standing an imposing 6-foot-2, the former lineman offered up a threat if they didn’t play the way they usually do. “If you don’t foul her or push her,” he said, “I’ll play and I’ll foul you and push you around.” Her dad’s ‘guys’ were playing a pivotal

role in helping her establish her identity on the court. Now, they’re some of her great friends and act as brothers. Bolden-Morris’s time in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League also helped in preparing for her new role. As a bigger guard, Bolden-Morris spent a lot of her time with the Miami Suns guarding players with three-plus inches on her. The league was home to some of the best players in the country, so it also provided help in preparing her for the toughness and the elevated competition of the ACC. “I feel like by playing them, it took some pressure off,” she said. “It’s somewhat of the speed that’s going to be played at the next level, so now I kind of know what to expect out of some of these players. Even if it was the next level down, now I know how much more I need to do.” Five years ago, Milan Bolden-Morris was just a softball catcher. Now, entering her freshman season in a conference dominated by top-25 talent, she’s ready to make her mark. The Eagles are trying to flip 21 losses to 21 wins in Johnson’s words, and Bolden-Morris is fully bought in. For Bolden-Morris, it’s simply the next step in a journey that started in eighth grade. In five years, she grew from a raw basketball prospect to a refined 3-point shooter who could run the point. Now, she’s being thrown back into the fire, tasked with learning a new position in just a few short weeks. 

KAITLIN MEEKS / HEIGHTS STAFF

While at Cardinal Newman High School: Jump in 3-Point percentage freshman to sophomore year: 10 (from 28 to 38 percent) Number of games out of 111 career high school games she was held to single-digit scoring: 6 Number of years in high school she led her team in scoring: 4

8 | DEONTAE HAWKINS | BASKETBALL

November 6, 2017 | THE HEIGHTS

PUTTING THE PAST BEHIND HIM Deontae Hawkins is farther away from his turbulent Dayton hometown than he's ever been, but he's playing basketball for those left behind. Riley Overend

eontae Hawkins’ hand is quivering in the bowels of Conte Forum. He’s showing me the contact info for his brother, Derek, the man who would best know why he’s emotional right now. It’s not always easy for the 6-foot-8 graduate transfer from Illinois State to talk about home, especially here. The picturesque autumn suburbs of Chestnut Hill are a world away from his neighborhood in Dayton, Ohio. Many of his close friends have found themselves locked up in Terre Haute Federal Prison. Others have been killed. Hawkins himself has dealt with his own issues off the court, but you wouldn’t be able to tell in a casual encounter. Deontae, who introduces himself as Teddy, has the kind of charisma you’d expect from a man who led his high school basketball team to its first undefeated season in school history, capped off by a state championship. It’s clear, though, that this season isn’t about the past—it’s about the future, and how Hawkins fills a vital hole for Boston College men’s basketball this year. The program hasn’t had an effective stretch four since Jared Dudley. One look at his hairline today will prove just how long ago that was. Enter Hawkins, a giant, jump-shooting, sweet-talkin’ power forward that just might be the best graduate transfer yet for an Eagles squad suffering from annual frontcourt deficiencies. Last year, Hawkins shot 45.1 percent on catch-and-shoot chances, and his effective field goal rate— adjusted for the value of a 3-pointer—was 65.6 percent. On unguarded catch-and-shoots, that number soared to 96.8 percent, third in all of Division I. He figures to fit into the offense perfectly with point guard Ky Bowman, who shot over 50 percent from the field as a ball-handler in pick-and-roll and action. With Bowman and Preseason All-ACC Second Team shooting guard Jerome Robinson, BC has the best backcourt in the top conference in the country. Even in just a few months with the team, Hawkins has seen the benefits of playing alongside the duo in the Eagles’ fast-paced system. “At any given time, they can get you an open shot,” Hawkins said. “And you’ll be so open that you don’t know what to do with it, like, damn.” Luckily, in the first scrimmage of the year, Hawkins knew what to do with it. With Robinson holding the ball patiently on the perimeter, the 220-pound big man cut backdoor to the hoop, elevating for an emphatic alley-oop dunk. For the 100 or so fans in Conte Forum, it was a glimpse of things to come. For Hawkins, it marked the beginning of a season that he prays isn't his last. ad, bad, bad. That’s how Hawkins describes his neighborhood just southeast of downtown Dayton, the eighth-most dangerous city in Ohio. Raised primarily by his grandmother while his mom worked two jobs to support the family, he lived with his siblings and cousins in a small apartment that crammed 10 people into just three rooms. If the kids behaved, they were allowed to play outside and sleep in their bunk beds. If one of them broke the rules, they

TIGER TAO / HEIGHTS STAFF

Sports Editor were kept inside and forced to stay in grandma’s room that night. Between the crowded living space and the danger of the surrounding streets, it didn’t take long for Hawkins and his brothers to find a haven on the court. “All we had was the Boys and Girls Club,” Hawkins said. “I just used that to stay out of trouble and play basketball there.” One day, when a younger, chubbier Hawkins was hanging with his buddies, one of them mentioned how he looked like a Teddy Graham. Little Teddy, he called him. The nickname stuck. Everywhere he went, he followed his big brother, Derek, who earned the nickname “Big Teddy.” But by the time Hawkins hit eighth grade, though, he had to drop the “Little” from his moniker due to a massive growth spurt. He passed up Big Teddy, shooting up to 6-foot-5 as a freshman and growing another inch in each year of high school after that. Basketball, he soon realized, was his ticket out of Dayton. “The school side of it, it’s not my repertoire,” Hawkins said. “So I had to go take some different routes to get where I’m at right now.” His height, which he considers a “blessing” as a product of 6-foot-1 and 5-foot-11 parents, turned him into a superstar on Dayton Dunbar High School’s varsity team. He won a state championship as a sophomore before leading the Wolverines to their first-ever undefeated season (28-0) and an Ohio Division II title as a senior. Hawkins, ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the state by ESPN, committed to Wichita State for the following year. He was on top of the world. But Hawkins never played a minute for the Shockers. His college career got off to a rocky start when he failed to qualify academically as a freshman at Wichita State, leading him to enroll in prep school for a year at Quakerdale Promise Academy. After committing to Illinois State in the fall, Hawkins stirred up controversy over a Missouri Valley Conference rule that forces intra-league transfers to sit out two years. The Redbirds petitioned for a wewaiver, claiming he should be exempt because he never actually enrolled at Wichita State or took classes there. But the Shockers refused to waive the transfer, so ISU offered up a clever compromise: What if, instead of sitting out the entire second year, Hawkins just sat out against Wichita State? MVC commissioner Doug Elgin, along with a small committee, heard from both sides and accepted the solution. Naturally, coaches around the league were outraged. “You’re telling me that he’s gonna get 30 points on me one night, and the next night he plays Wichita State, and he’s not gonna play against them? We got a problem,” Southern Illinois head coach Barry Hinson said. Though Hawkins didn’t exactly put up 30 points when he finally made his collegiate debut for the Redbirds in 2014, he nonetheless posed a serious problem for opposing defenses. He showed a blend of perimeter and post potential, using his 6-foot-8 frame to feast on smaller defenders down low. By the end of the season, he had earned 18 starts, averaging 7.4 points per game and

helping ISU earn a berth in the NIT Tournament. Hawkins took the next step forward in what qualified academically as his junior year, pacing the Redbirds with 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest while continuing to extend his range behind the arc. His growth was tremendous—until he suffered a setback. Last October, Hawkins was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal transportation of alcohol, and driving with a suspended license. In January, he was cited for driving with a suspended license and driving without insurance. They weren’t his first disciplinary issues at ISU, either. During a team trip to Madrid his sophomore year, he was suspended and sent back home to Dayton for a violation of team rules. Still, by the time the regular season rolled around, his indefinite suspension was lifted and he was reinstated. In his senior campaign, Hawkins broke out for 14 points and 6.5 boards per game on much-improved 44 percent shooting from deep. That made him one of only 26 players in Division I basketball to put up at least 13 points per game on fewer than 12 field goal attempts while also shooting above 40 percent on 3-pointers (minimum 150 attempts) and posting a PER above 22. Hawkins led ISU to the brink of the NCAA Tournament bubble before losing to No. 21 Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Tournament title game, keeping a trip to the Big Dance just out of grasp despite the team’s impressive 27-6 record. After graduating from Illinois State with one more year of eligibility remaining, Hawkins figured it was time for a change of scenery. Most of his friends in the program had graduated and went on with their professional careers. So he decided to take an official visit to Chestnut Hill, a Mecca of sorts for graduate transfer bigs in recent years. “I felt like it was home as soon as I got on campus,” Hawkins said. “The coaches and the couple of players that were here made me feel like this was the place to be.” But as soon as he arrived back

home in Dayton, he had people in his ear giving him second thoughts. Did I make my decision too quickly? A few weeks later, he reopened his commitment and scheduled four official visits. At University of Pacific, he didn’t gel with the coaches. He visited New Mexico, where “they love their Lobos,” but he was reluctant to play for a team that he had just beat a year prior. He didn’t feel the love from Gonzaga, and while LSU was the most appealing of the four, he wasn’t crazy about the head coach. So after testing the waters, he once again settled on the Heights as his fifth-year destination. o really understand Teddy, you have to know who he’s playing for. There’s his family, of course. His siblings and cousins, who sparked his love for sports from a young age. His mother, who he dreams of moving out to the suburbs one day. His grandmother, to whom he owes everything, and his grandfather, with whom he remembers cutting grass back when “two dollars was a lot of money.” Then there are his friends, most of whom didn’t share his same luck. You can feel the fierce loyalty in his voice when he talks about them. “Too many people don’t make it out,” Hawkins said. “All my friends— like my best friends—are in jail right now over some dumb stuff. I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship and be blessed with the height that God gave me.” There’s his buddy, Moon, who died on the way back from a nightclub on New Year’s Eve, when he was shot in the backseat by his friend. Derek, or “Big Teddy,” was sitting next to him, and one of the bullets grazed his pinky. There’s his boy, JC, who was left to bleed to death after suffering five gunshot wounds outside of a gas station in Dayton two years ago. Both names are immortalized in ink on Hawkins’ left shoulder and right ankle. “There’s more, but those two are close, close, close,” Hawkins takes a deep breath, “like hang around with everyday type of friends.” He carries these memories with him on the court, even as he physically drifts farther and farther away

from home. Through all the twists and turns, he’s got an entire community riding with him. “I ain’t gon’ lie,” Hawkins said. “It’s a lot of pressure.” “He’s got a lot of people looking up to him right now,” Derek said. “I think he does have a weight on his shoulder, but at the end of the day, his life is his life.” And even if Hawkins were to break his leg tomorrow and never play another basketball game again, he’d be far from a failure. After all, he’d still have his degree from ISU, and hopefully, a Master’s from BC, too—both of which are firsts in his family. “People never thought I would have gotten a college degree if it was six, seven years ago,” Hawkins said with a chuckle. “People would’ve been like, ‘He ain’t ever going to college and finishing, period.’” That’s not to say he’s satisfied in the slightest. Hawkins is always staying late after practice, putting in additional reps, thinking about his hometown all the while. When he’s done, he’ll often Facetime with Derek to catch a glimpse of the life he left behind. “If I wasn’t to play basketball no more, this is what I’m going back to,” Hawkins says of Dayton. “So I just try to work my tail off every day, get some extra shots up and stuff so I can make a difference. Like when I do come back, it ain’t me being back to stay—it’s me coming back to visit, trying to get ‘em back up outta there.” Now, he understands achieving that goal requires discipline on and off the court. “I’m looking at it as a fresh start,” Hawkins reflects on it. “I know now to take an Uber if I do choose to drink—which I don’t, because that would be a setback. I tell everybody don’t drink and drive, just call an Uber. I ain’t trying to backtrack to that—just learn from it, and turn everybody else away from it.” But while it may be a fresh start, Hawkins certainly isn’t putting the past behind him. He uses it as a reminder of who he’s fighting for and what he’s trying to avoid—where he came from and where he’s going. “That’s really who I do it for,” Hawkins says, “the people who couldn’t make it out.” n

“All we had was the Boys and Girls Club. I just used that to stay out of trouble and play basketball there.” -Deontae Hawkins

9 | ANDIE ANASTOS | BASKETBALL PREVIEW

November 6, 2017 | THE HEIGHTS

CHANGING THE CULTURE Head coach Erik Johnson didn’t bring in Andie Anastos to lead the team in scoring. The two-time hockey captain is expected to leave her mark in the locker room.

Shannon Kelly

· Asst. Features Editor

ndie Anastos has a lot of time on her hands. She graduated last year, finishing up her bachelor’s in applied psychology and human development. Now she takes three classes in the Woods College of Advancing Studies, where she will receive her M.S. in leadership and administration this summer. The classes are at night, leaving the mornings free. Sometimes she’ll run errands or go shopping, or just relax at her apartment. All she has to do is go to basketball practice. Oh yeah, basketball practice. The change from dominating Kelley Rink to becoming a newbie again won’t be easy for the former captain of Boston College women’s hockey, but she hasn’t given up her real estate in Conte Forum yet. She just took off her skates. ears ago, Anastos was pretty busy.

Since high school, Anastos wanted to be a college athlete—she just wasn’t correct about which sport she’d play. Her alma mater, Ladywood High School, had freshman, junior varsity, and varsity basketball teams. By the time she was a freshman, she was talented enough to skip the freshman team entirely and start with JV. Her coach, Anthony Coratti, moved up with her when she joined varsity the following year. She put in work with her father on her AAU team. But even that amount of activity wasn’t enough for her. She played hockey for Ladywood and her travel team, Honeybaked. For a time, the Ladywood athletic world revolved around Anastos. “To be brutally honest, we arranged our practice schedule around Andie’s hockey schedule in a lot of instances,” Coratti said. “We wanted her to do both.” Before Anastos attended Ladywood, the Blazers had suffered a bit of a dry spell. They had had poor seasons in the two years prior to her joining the varsity team. Once she was added to the mix—in her sophomore year she played with her sister, Alyssa, then a senior, on varsity—the Blazers started to click. They won the state district championships each year Anastos was on the team. When she was a senior, Anastos helped lead them to a victory in the state regional championship, something the school hadn’t accomplished in more than 20 years. She wasn’t just a good player who helped out the team in

little ways. According to Coratti, she was the “centerpiece”—Ladywood’s star player. During the state tournament her senior year, Anastos’ travel hockey team, Honeybaked, had a tournament as well. That Thursday, she helped the Blazers win 48-34 in the regional final to advance to the state quarterfinal. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Anastos had to play hockey. Practices were changed around, and her teammates came to watch her on the ice for two of the three days. “Every single kid was willing to [rearrange practice] because we were better for having Andie around and vice versa,” Coratti said. Thanks to her basketball talent, Anastos drew quite a bit of attention in the state of Michigan—she was given honors for her play junior year and named to the All-State Second Team in her senior year. Small schools in her area sought her out for basketball, but Anastos wanted stronger academics over getting to play basketball. With hockey, she could have the educational rigor and a spot on the roster, so she chose BC. Anastos never imagined she would get to play both sports in college. It wasn’t until she was a senior that she had even entertained the idea of coming back to BC to use up her final year of eligibility. Her academic counselor through women’s hockey, Patrice Bouzan, was the first to bring it up as a real option after Anastos was unsure about her postgrad plans. It intrigued Anastos, but she didn’t see it as a possibility. She mentioned it to women’s hockey head coach Katie Crowley, who encouraged her to at least talk to women’s basketball head coach Erik Johnson about it. Anastos sent him an email. Truthfully, Johnson was not crazy about the idea. He was apprehensive that Anastos didn’t know what she was signing up for—her basketball experience in college was limited to playing H-O-R-S-E with her friends when they had time. In fact, when she emailed him, it was the first time Johnson had even heard of Anastos ever playing basketball. After glowing recommendations from Crowley and women’s hockey associate head coach Courtney Kennedy about Anastos’ work ethic, Johnson was convinced. She may be on a learning curve when it comes to playing, but he was sold on her character. Down a scholarship after Mariel-

Senior Year at Ladywood High: Points: 19.2 per game Rebounds: 9.4 per game Assists: 5.2 per game

la Fasoula transferred to Vanderbilt University at the end of last season, he was looking for more than just talent and experience. He needed someone who could replace the spirit of an upperclassman, and someone who could create a different kind of “culture,” in Anastos’ words. Coming from another BC team, Anastos of-

But one thing has come more naturally to Anastos—her position as a leader. It’s something that has followed her wherever she goes. She was a captain her junior and senior years at Ladywood for basketball, and is the only two-time captain of BC women’s hockey. Though she won’t be adding a letter to her jer-

Though she knew her teammate Martina Mosetti before she joined basketball, she wasn’t familiar with the rest of the team. Now, she makes an effort to introduce her former hockey teammates to her basketball ones. “Her leadership can help any team she’s on,” Crowley said.

Pull Quote

"Every single kid was willing to [rearrange practice] because we were better for having Andie around and vice versa.” -Anthony Coratti, head coach at Ladywood High School

fered a unique opportunity for Johnson to bring in a winning mentality and mindset. “Andie, having been to the Frozen Four with the hockey team, having been such a leader on a team that went 40-0-0 all the way to the national championship game, she had instant competitive credibility, and I really believed and hoped that she could bring some of those lessons to our team and help lead us in the right direction,” Johnson said. he transition back from hockey to basketball hasn’t been easy for Anastos. It’s harder to run after spending so much time on skates, using different muscles in her legs. Handling the ball has become less familiar over the five years since she’s picked one up for more than a pickup game. The biggest adjustment has been from altering the free-flowing, reactionary nature of hockey to a game that is mostly comprised of set plays. In basketball, much of the movement is orchestrated prior—scre en this player, pass to this player, make a drive to the net here. Hockey can be more aimless.

sey this season, her role as a graduate student has given her another responsibility to her new team. This means not only making sure her teammates are getting what they need from the team, but also helping them mingle.

It’s a big jump to go from BC women’s hockey to BC women’s basketball. During Anastos’ hockey tenure, the team won at least 27 games a season and went to the NCAA Tournament every year. The Eagles went to the National Championship in her final two years, with the final game of their 2015-16 season their only loss. Contrast that with women’s basketball, which has had losing seasons in the same time period, culminating in a 21-loss season in 2016-17. The team is rebuilding, and though women’s hockey went through a similar rough patch before she had arrived, Anastos will have to face it as a new challenge. “I’m just trying to be where they need me, what I need to do to help out the team, that’s pretty much what I’m thinking right now,” Anastos said. 

South Carolina State VS. 11/12 Sacred Heart VS. 11/14 Texas Tech VS. 11/18

Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament

Northwestern 11/19 or Lasalle VS.

Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament

Colgate VS. 11/22 Providence

11/25

*Nebraska

11/29

Hartford

12/2

B1G Ten Challenge

*Duke VS. 12/9 No. 1

Vs. Columbia VS. 12/12 Central Connecticut State VS. 12/17 Richmond VS. 12/23 *Virginia

12/30

*Clemson VS. 1/3 *Wake Forest VS. 1/6 *North Carolina

No. 9

1/9

Dartmouth VS. 1/13 *Florida State VS. 1/15 *Louisville

1/21

*Syracuse

1/24

No. 16

*Virginia Tech VS. 1/31 *Georgia Tech VS. 2/4 *Notre Dame

No. 14

2/6

*Miami VS. 2/10

MEN’S BASKETBALL 2017-18 SCHEDULE

Maine VS. 11/10

STATISTICS MEN’S

72.5 59.4

Scoring Offense

178th in the nation

2/13

*Notre Dame VS. 2/17 No. 14

*North Carolina State

2/20

*Miami

2/24

No. 13

*Syracuse VS. 2/28 *Florida State

3/3

Scoring Offense

278th in the nation

78.4 65.4

Scoring Defense 298th in the nation

Scoring Defense 202th in the nation

44.8 42.1 Field Goal Percentage

133rd in the nation

Field Goal Percentage

83rd in the nation

37.4 31.2 3-Point Field Goal Percentage

66th in the nation

3-Point Field Goal Percentage

178th in the nation

47.0 15.0 Field Goal Defense Percentage

306th in the nation

Assists Per Game

74th in the nation

34.8 19.2 Backcourt Scoring Points Per Game

5th among Power Five Teams

68.0 Free Throw Percentage

261st in the nation

No. 13

*Pittsburgh

WOMEN’S

20.1

Turnover Rate

67th in the nation

Lost fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth leading scorers from last season.

Turnovers Per Game

24th highest in the nation

Number of sub-.500 years in a row

27.3

Combined Points Per Game of the Eagles top two scorers who are both gone

7.5

Rebounds Per Game of Mariella Fasoula who transferred

*ACC games

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2017-18 SCHEDULE

BASKETBALL PREVIEW | STATISTICS & SCHEDULE | 10

THE HEIGHTS | November 6, 2017

11/10 VS. Bryant 11/12

Dartmouth

11/16 VS. Fordham 11/19

Minnesota

11/22 VS. Houston 11/26

Boston University

11/29

Columbia

12/3 VS. Fairfield 12/6

Holy Cross

12/10 VS. Seton Hall 12/17 VS. New Hampshire 12/21

Providence

12/28 VS. Maine 12/31

Virginia Tech*

1/4 VS. North Carolina* 1/11 VS. Vs. Virginia* 1/14

1/18

Notre Dame*

No. 6

Clemson*

1/21 VS. Miami* 1/25

Duke* No. 12

1/28 VS. Syracuse* 2/1 VS. Wake Forest* 2/4

NC State*

2/8

Georgia Tech*

2/11 VS. Pittsburgh* 2/15 VS. Louisville* 2/18 VS. Notre Dame* No. 6 2/22

Florida State*

2/25

Syracuse*

No. 18