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With a debt over $5 billion, the MBTA has plans for some unpopular changes, D1
Will the new year bring on-field success to Boston College athletics? B1
This week, The Scene highlights the nine funniest memes you need to know! C1
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 1
BC ordered to hand over Belfast tapes, will not appeal ruling Judge William G. Young will review 24 subpoenaed Belfast Project interviews By David Cote News Editor
Editor’s Note: This story is part of an ongoing series chronicling the subpoena of the Belfast Project. In the most recent development regarding the Belfast Project, an oral history project held by the Burns Library chronicling a period known as “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland that lasted from 1969 to 1998, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, Dec. 27 that Boston
College must turn over tapes relevant to the investigation of the disappearance of Jean McConville, who was killed by the IRA in 1972. BC will not appeal the ruling, according to University Spokesman Jack Dunn. Judge William G. Young made the ruling based mainly on a treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom that asserts full compliance between the two countries during criminal investigations. Because the interviewees were promised confidentiality until death, many
Goldschmidt named new head of C21
activists have claimed that turning over the tapes could set a precedent that would discourage further oral history projects from being undertaken, and jeopardize the well-being of those who did participate. The interviews, which were conducted from 2001 to 2006, chronicle the activities of former IRA members during The Troubles, which ended with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. “We recognize that the U.S. government has a compelling interest in responding to a treaty obligation regarding a criminal investigation in the United Kingdom,” Dunn said. “We have asked that the judge consider our compelling interest in protecting academic research
and the enterprise of oral history.” Dunn emphasized that the University had no interest in interfering with a criminal investigation, but reserved the right to appeal the ruling at a later date. “We did not appeal Judge Young’s ruling because we felt it represented the best legal option at our disposal,” Dunn said. Young stated in his ruling that he would not immediately turn over the tapes to federal authorities, but would review all of the interview transcripts, and decide which tapes were relevant to the investigation of the disappearance of McConville specifically. Upon reviewing all of the tapes, Young will decide which
must be turned over to British authorities for investigation. A timeline for the review has not been released. Tapes of particular interest are those of interviews with former IRA member Dolours Price, who announced last spring that during her interview she revealed information relating to the disappearance of McConville that may implicate high ranking Sinn Fein politician Gerry Adams. Other tapes of interviews with a deceased former IRA member, Brendan Hughes, were already handed over. In the tape, Hughes alleged that Adams or-
See Subpoena, A4
Early action applicants up by 6 percent
stokes sprouts over break
By Samantha Costanzo
By Molly LaPoint
Asst. News Editor
Heights Editor
One of Boston College’s most distinctive facets is also one of its more obscure: the 10-year old organization called Church in the 21st Century (C21). However, its new director, Erik Goldschmidt, is doing all he can to make C21 a bigger part of student life at BC. University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. founded the organization in 2002 on the heels of the Sept. 11 attacks and the emergence of a wide-reaching sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church. “It was supposed to be a temporary program at the time, aiming to bring people together in a constructive way to look at concerns and questions in the church and have constructive conversations,” Goldschmidt said. “People were really getting dejected —they needed practical but also pastoral conversations that just weren’t happening otherwise.” C21 has focused on exploring a few primary areas since its inception and hopes to continue exploring those same topics under Goldschmidt. The four areas to be investigated include ways of handing down the faith to younger Catholics, relationships between laymen and women and the clergy, sexuality and the Catholic tradition, and the intellectual tradition of Catholicism. “From here, some of the goals now are building on the core focal areas and trying to involve students, trying to reach out to students and have conversations that are helpful to them and meaningful for their formation during their time at BC,” Goldschmidt said. As a BC alumnus who was a first-year graduate student when C21 was founded, Goldschmidt is enthusiastic about continuing to serve the BC community through C21. “Fr. Leahy and C21 had a very hopeful
The number of early action applicants this year increased by six percent over last year, despite some changes in other universities’ policies that might have indicated it would decrease. This year, Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Virginia reinstated early action. Though students who apply early to UVA were not faced with restrictions, Harvard and Princeton instated singlechoice policies such as the ones already in place at Yale and Stanford. This meant students who chose to apply early action to one of those schools could not apply early action or early decision to any other school. As a result, it was predicted that Boston College’s early application pool would decrease in number. This year, however, 6,580 students applied early to BC, as opposed to last year’s 6,201. Georgetown and Notre Dame also saw increases in the number of early applications. “The impact I was expecting volumewise did not materialize,” said John Mahoney, director of undergraduate admissions. Despite the increase in numbers, there was a difference in the application pool. “We clearly saw in our early pool fewer of the high fliers, the top one
See C21, A4
photo courtesy of gary wayne gilbert
Erik Goldschmidt, a former Lynch School faculty member, has been named C21 director.
graham beck / heights editor
Stokes Hall grew significantly while students were home for winter break. The 183,000 square foot classroom and administrative building, which began construction in the Fall of 2010, is slated to be completed in the Fall of 2012 as part of the Master Plan.
See Admissions, A4
‘Sub Turri’ celebrates 100th anniversary Arrupe sends Yearbook hopes to photograph 100 percent of seniors By David Cote News Editor
Sub Turri, one of the oldest organizations on Boston College’s campus, will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. As part of that celebration, student leaders of the yearbook have stated their hope that 100 percent of BC seniors will have their senior portraits taken in honor of the 100th edition. Rachel Gregorio, Senior Editor-inChief of Sub Turri and A&S ’12, spoke about the yearbook’s goal. “So far, we’re only up to 35 percent of seniors photographed for this year, so it’s a lofty goal, but we want to make sure seniors know about the opportunity,” Gregorio said. “Photographers will be here for the next two weeks, until Jan. 27, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and it’s free for any seniors to participate.” On a typical year, Gregorio said that the yearbook gets between 60 and 70 percent of seniors photographed. Though the yearbook has done the same marketing and notification system this year as in the past, Gregorio stated that part of the reason this year’s participation has been lacking may be due to
the construction on Stokes Hall, which potentially decreases the amount of time seniors spend around McElroy Hall, where the yearbook office is located. “Getting your senior portrait taken is really important,” Gregorio said. “You don’t want to be the person who’s not pictured, you want to be in there with your classmates and be able to look back on the publication years from now. It makes a nice compilation of our four years here.” Sub Turri’s first edition was printed in 1913, and the yearbook has been printed
annually by a staff of editors in the years since. Currently, the yearbook staff is comprised of around 40 editors, who begin work in September to meet deadlines in November, December, and February. The entire book is finished by March of each year to be ready for printing, and is available for preorder until the end of January. Because of its long existence, the year-
See Sub Turri, A4
photo courtesy of sub turri
’Sub Turri’ will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a vintage-themed, 504 page yearbook.
students to 9 communities By Andrew Millette Assoc. News Editor
While the majority of Boston College students were enjoying their last days of winter break from the comfort of their homes, Arrupe International Immersion Program participants were living in the midst of abject poverty in nine different communities across Latin America. Sponsored by Campus Ministry, the Arrupe International Immersion Program sends teams of 14 to 16 students and BCaffiliated Arrupe Mentors to locations across Latin America each year for seven to nine days. This year was the first where students were sent to nine communities, an increase of one from last year. Programs took place in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Belize, Jamaica, Ecuador, and three different locations in Mexico. Each Arrupe program is unique, as each group’s two student leaders and Arrupe Mentors plan their group’s experience independently. Service organizations based in the program areas that partner with Campus Ministry help run daily activities
See Arrupe, A5