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BOSTON BANDS
ZONED OUT
MORE THAN LUNCH
SPORTS
METRO
SCENE
The Women’s Lunch Place provides a safe and dignified space for impoverished women, B10
The Scene looks at six acts to watch in 2014, including Moe Pope, Karmin, and Deer Tick, B1
Despite revitalized play and missed free throws, Syracuse defense stops BC’s upset bid, A10
www.bcheights.com
The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College
HEIGHTS
THE
established
1919
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Vol. XCV, No. 1
Leo Sullivan to step down from human resources BY CONNOR FARLEY News Editor After decades serving in the human resources department at Boston College, Leo Sullivan, vice president for human resources, will be stepping down this spring to assume his new position as senior advisor to the president. Nationally renowned as an architect of human resource policy and for his involvement in restructuring much of the business model currently employed by the University, Sullivan’s service to Boston College has been marked by his commitment to BC employees and to growing the department.
“Leo has had such a profound influence on the life and culture of Boston College,” said University President William P. Leahy in a statement to the Office of News and Public Affairs. “He has provided pastoral care, wisdom, and sensitivity throughout his decades of service. I am pleased he has agreed to continue his service to the University in this new capacity.” One of Sullivan’s most successful contributions within the field began in 1996, when he and then-Executive Vice President Frank B. Campanella initiated a University-wide undertaking called Project Delta. An unprecedented cost-cutting
project designed to reduce rising tuition fees, Delta resulted in accumulated savings of $10 million by 2002 and led to the creation of BC’s information system, Agora, among other innovative business structures—all without losing any employees. “Whatever systems and procedures we need to put in place to be sure comprehensive communication takes place we will do,” Sullivan said of Delta in the April 25, 1996 issue of The Chronicle. Although the project was closed on June 6, 2006, much of the policies birthed from Delta still exist today. “Leo’s decades-long contributions to Boston College and our employees have
been invaluable,” said Executive Vice President Patrick Keating in a statement to the Office of News and Public Affairs. “What Leo has done for the University will not be replicated, but this new role is a perfect way for him to assist in and ensure a smooth transition for his eventual replacement.” Before joining BC’s two-person human resources department at the beginning of his career with the University, Sullivan earned his master’s degree from BC and his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University. The human resources staff now consists of over 50
See Sullivan, A4
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF NEWS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Sullivan leaves HR to assume his new role as senior advisor to the president.
ATHLETICS RELEASES FINANCES Blackboard Vista to be phased out
Profits increased for the basketball and hockey teams while the gap between male and female financial aid continues to widen
Canvas Network will replace Vista in 2014 BY CONNOR FARLEY News Editor
EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR | GRAHAM BECK AND DANIEL LEE / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF
BC released financial data for 2012-13 in accordance with the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, revealing the distribution of athletically-related aid among students. BY AUSTIN TEDESCO Heights Editor
Profits for Boston College men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and men’s hockey increased drastically from the 2011-12 season to the 201213 season, while football profits decreased slightly, according to the University’s Equity in Athletics Data Report. While the BC men’s basketball team lost about $623,000 in 2011-12,
revenue increased by 9 percent and expenses decreased by 23 percent last year leading to an almost $895,000 net gain for the program. Despite the improvement, the program’s profit was the second smallest total among the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 12 institutions and was more than five times smaller than the league average of $4.97 million. After an expensive run to the National Championship in 2011-12, the men’s hockey program saw a 27
percent decline in expenses along with a slight increase in revenue during the 2012-13 season, which came to an abrupt end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Providence. In 2011-12, the program lost more than $1.89 million, but that total fell to an approximate $662,000 loss last season. BC football, the school’s most profitable program, had the third smallest profit in the ACC in 2012-13 with a total of about $3.24 million—a decline
from the 2011-12 mark of $3.68 million. Revenue increased by more than 5 percent last season, while expenses increased by more than 9 percent. BC’s total was a little less than three times smaller than the league average of $9.62 million. Although revenue for the B C women’s basketball program fell by 9 percent from the 2011-12 season to 2012-13, expenses fell by 45 percent
See Financial Report, A4
Walsh sworn in as 54th Boston mayor in Conte Forum BY NATHAN MCGUIRE Assoc. News Editor On Monday, Jan. 6 at 10 a.m., Conte Forum hosted the inauguration of Mayor Martin J. Walsh, WCAS ’09, an alumnus of the University and Boston’s first new mayor in two decades. The son of Irish immigrants and a Dorchester, Mass. native, Walsh earned his degree from the Woods College of Advancing Studies in 2009 while also serving as a representative to the 13th Suffolk District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He is the first undergraduate alumnus to become mayor of Boston—Kevin White, who served as mayor of the city from 1968-84, earned his law degree from BC in 1955. The choice of Conte Forum, named after former Republican U.S. Representative Silvio O. Conte, BC ’49, as the venue for the inaugural ceremony broke a longstanding tradition of holding the mayoral inauguration in downtown Bos-
ton. The last time the mayoral inauguration was held outside the downtown area was in 1980 when then-mayor White took the oath of office at the Strand Theatre in his native Dorchester, four miles south of City Hall. The most popular inaugural location is Faneuil Hall, where outgoing mayor Thomas M. Menino was sworn in for each of his five terms. Located about six miles west of Walsh’s new office in City Hall, Conte Forum is just within the city limits despite its address being listed in Chestnut Hill. Walsh’s inaugural committee, which raised $489,825 for the inaugural celebrations, chose the venue in part because of its proximity to public transportation and its parking and seating capacities—the building holds approximately 8,500 spectators. The morning of the inauguration, spectators flocked to BC from across the city to join numerous political dignitaries in welcoming Walsh as Boston’s
See Walsh, A4
TRICIA TIEDT / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Martin J. Walsh, BC ’09, chose his alma mater as the venue for the 2014 inauguration.
By the end of the academic year, Boston College will no longer use Blackboard Vista as its online course management network. Vista will be replaced with Canvas, a learning management system (LMS) produced by Utah-based educational technology company Instructure. Blackboard, the University’s online source for students and professors to access class information, course materials, and student schedules since 2001, has decided to retire its Vista product, resulting in the application’s waning capabilities. BC’s Information Technology Services (ITS) subsequently decided to begin researching a more advanced LMS. BC is now under a five-year contract with Canvas LMS after separating from a 12-year agreement with Vista. Recognizing the need for an updated platform capable of keeping pace with the growing technological needs of students and faculty, Executive Director for Academic Technology Rita Owens, alongside Associate Director of Instructional Design and eTeaching Services (IDeS) Cristina Joy, searched for the new LMS best suited for BC. “Blackboard has served us well for what it was at the beginning of the 21st century—a place to hold information, faculty PowerPoints … a safe and secure place to put all class materials,” Owens said, comparing Vista to “a big briefcase” intended to house class documents. When Blackboard announced its plans to phase out Vista, however—coupled with growing faculty frustration at Vista’s outdated interface—the administration began the search for a new higher-education LMS. The process for replacing Blackboard began with the IDeS department evaluating the forefront of online learning platform options, conducting extensive research on an array of higher-ed LMS that was guided by both the administration and student input. “This is a very thorough process, and it begins by asking the question, ‘What do we need to do, who needs to do what, and what is the rank order of those things in terms of the process [for selecting an LMS]?’” said Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Donald Hafner. “We wanted more ability to intersect with other tools like Google Apps to allow more dynamic discussion and student contributions in the classroom rather than just putting the materials there that students would passively
See Canvas, A4