BC Defeated
The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919
Superbowl Festivities
Talking about casting
Sports
Features
Arts & Review
Men’s basketball team trip to Durham ends on a blue note, 84-68, B1
BC students prepare for the game of the year this Sunday, B10
Which ‘Network’ breakout star can make the leap to individual stardom?, A10
The Heights Monday, January 31, 2011
Vol. XCII, No. 4
www.bcheights.com
Spike seen in parent giving Last academic year saw a 346 percent jump in donations By Matthew DeLuca Heights Senior Staff
For the academic year 2009-2010, parent gifts to Boston College totaled $34.8 million of the more than $125 million received by the University, according to the BC fact book. This represents a 346 percent increase over the $7.8 million received in parent gifts the previous year. This number represents nearly 28 percent of all gifts to the University over that period. It also more than doubles the previous parent giving high of $14.6 million received in 2006-2007. Paul Schervish, director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, said that this increase is noteworthy in light of giving trends nationally during the same period. “2009-2010 was a period of decline of charitable giving in the nation, on average,” he said. “This is a remarkable evidence of both a terrific
and inviting fundraising effort coupled with a remarkable contribution level in a year when charitable giving by individuals declined by 5 percent.” Nicole Cherubini, director of parent development, said that the proportion of gifts represented by parent giving “is not uncommon among our peers.” During the same period, fiscal year 2009-2010, parent gifts represented 9 percent of gifts received by Georgetown University and 16 percent of gifts received by Tufts University. Over the years 2000-2008, parent giving to BC represented an average of 13 percent of total donations to the University. Cherubini said that the total for 2009-2010 was influenced by a small number of sizable donations. “Last year we were fortunate to have a few generous gifts as well as payments on pledges that had a significant impact on total parent support, accounting for a large percentage of the increase in support,” she said in an e-mail.
She said that she could not comment further on the size or number of individual gifts due to donor requests for anonymity. Current institutional fundraising priorities, such as the Light the World Campaign with its aim to raise $1.5 billion, have also had an effect on parent donors, Cherubini said. “We are in the middle of a capital campaign and parents recognize that, and that also is affecting these numbers.” Cherubini said that the definition of a parent contribution had not changed, and that the high number was not attributable to a change in how parent gifts are tabulated. Thom Lockerby, vice president for development, said that the size of gifts received in any one category by a university fluctuates from year to year. “It is not uncommon for one donor cohort to increase relative to others from year
See Donations, A4
Mollie Kolosky / heights editor
WRC forms new survivor support group
Students in Egypt are safe, despite protests By Patrick Gallagher Heights Senior Staff
By Molly LaPoint Asst. News Editor
HEAL, a support group for survivors of sexual assault, had its first meeting last night. The group will hold meetings biweekly on Sundays at 7 p.m. in the Irish Windows Room of Bapst Library. Survivors were coming into the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) and asking if a group existed, and although a survivor circle had existed previously, no one had taken initiative with it, and it did not last, said Katie Haroldson, a facilitator of the group and A&S ’11. “There was a need for it,” Haroldson said. Both Haroldson and the other student facilitator of the group, Ryan Summers, A&S ’11, are advocates for the Sexual Assault Network (SANet). While SANet tends to provide more initial help, HEAL, which stands for “Help, Empowerment, Acceptance, and Listening,” will be more about helping survivors of sexual assault work through the healing process. “It’s more the follow-up work that we’re into,” Summers said. “If there’s nobody to facilitate that, it leaves them feeling alone and stressed.” University Counseling Services also has resources for survivors of sexual assault, AP File Photos
See HEAL, A4
The Office of International Programs confirmed their contact with BC students in Cairo.
‘AWAKE’ exhibits variety
The Office of International Programs (OIP) confirmed that there are a number of Boston College students currently in Egypt, but said that, as of last Friday, the students were safe and preparing for class this week. “OIP is in contact with BC students in Cairo and their families,” said Christina Dimitrova, assistant director of international development in OIP, in an e-mail. “They are safe and at this moment preparing for the start of classes on Sunday.” Dimitrova said on Friday that her office was in the middle of an emergency situation and would not be able to comment further on the situation. There are three external study abroad programs to Egypt available to BC students through OIP, including one at the American University in Cairo. All three programs are in Cairo. The American University in Cairo is located roughly 20 miles outside of the downtown area and Tahrir Square, where the majority of the protests have occurred. The Associated Press reported
that beginning today, the U.S. State Department would be evacuating American citizens who wish to leave the country on chartered flights from Cairo to Europe. The U.S. will have enough flights to take out all American citizens and dependents who wish to leave the country, Assistant Secretary of State Janice Jacobs told reporters. According to the report, there are roughly 52,000 Americans currently registered as being in Egypt with the embassy in Cairo. This announcement from the State Department came yesterday, two days after the department issued a travel alert cautioning U.S. citizens of the developing protests and political unrest in Egypt. On Friday, President Hosni Mubarak deployed the military to suppress protesters, with tanks taking up positions in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria. According to numerous reports, Egyptian police forces opened fire on protesters in Cairo on Saturday, and the total casualties are estimated to be at least 80 dead and thousands injured, according to the Associated Press.
See Egypt, A4
Falling sales affect Haley House
CSOM group will offer free cookie samples in coming weeks By Rebecca Kailus Heights Staff
Sang Lee / heights staff
The Dance Organization of Boston College (DOBC) performed for packed audiences this past weekend in Robsham Theater. The troupe showed versatility and highlighted a variety of styles.
This week, students will get a sweet treat as they enter the dining halls on campus. In an effort to increase the falling sales of Haley House cookies, the Carroll School of Management (CSOM) Honors Haley House Program will offer free samples of Haley House cookies at three different dining hall locations. Cookie sampling will take place between 6 and 8 p.m. in Stuart Dining Hall on Monday, Jan. 31, McElroy Commons on Tuesday, Feb. 1, and Coorcoran Commons on Thursday, Feb. 3. “We are bringing in Haley House cookies to encourage students to try them,” said Xin Liu, senior chair of the CSOM Haley House Committee and CSOM ’11. “Hopefully that will get students to buy more this semester.” Liu confirmed that the consumption of Haley House cookies has dropped about 50 percent. “BC would order about 500 cookies a week. Haley House required BC to order 300. Today, BC’s orders have fallen to 200 cookies a week. Haley House has had to decrease their minimum order and sales have dropped to below half,”
Courtesy of Bing Broderick
Cookie sampling will take place from Monday, Jan. 31 to Thursday, Feb. 3 this week. Liu said. Megan O’Neill, associate director of restaurant operations for dining services, has confirmed the decrease in sales. “Like any other vendor, there is a minimum we have to buy,” O’Neill said. “Right now, it’s very hard for us to meet the minimum. Sales have dropped about fifty percent. Around finals time sales increase. We don’t know if it’s
because each package is too big.” While O’Neill said that various factors have caused a decrease in sales, she said that price was not one such factor. “The price hasn’t changed since before we started selling the cookies. We are a self-sustaining department. We are not supported by students’
See Haley House, A4
arts&review
A10
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wicked Cultured
One cheap fantasy Charlotte Parish Only in Boston will a few days of 30-degree weather make people say, “Wow, it’s pretty nice out today!” Of course what we all mean is, “Wow, I can go outside without fear of hypothermia!” This has its perks. Despite all else, in this dreary, desolate landscape, we know that there comes the promise of spring in Boston, which is a beautiful thing. There is nothing better than walking around Boston Common in shorts, seeing the multitude of students who populate the 200 plus colleges of Beantown playing Frisbee in stereotypical style. Unless of course (for many of us) the better thing to do is walk down Newbury Street on this same gorgeous day, ogling the new spring trends that pop up along with the May flowers. With the warm weather comes the sudden urge to try out new styles, which of course means buying new things to energize the old favorites rather than simply finding new pairings. Where better to start this emergance from fashion hibernation than a street with stores for every flavor of clothing? The only tragedy of this scene is that for most students, window shopping is the only affordable activity in this Mecca of high end shopping. Store front at street level or below, there is a bonanza of shopping opportunities on this one street. It is even friendly to the geographically challenged since it is virtually impossible to get lost on the long, straight road (though my sister has tried incredibly hard to disprove this). Occasionally, there is a window display that makes us stop and actually venture into these lust-inspiringly torturous stores. What do these displays have in common? The hook word “free.” What is it about college life that turns very classy students into vagabonds mentally? There is something about the “broke college kid” frame of mind that makes the word “free” light up like a neon sign. Free food at a club meeting? Suddenly my lack of art skills does not seem like a hindrance for joining Artplosion. In that moment of sheer “free” ecstasy, we forget that the meal plan is nearly impossible to finish in a semester. With nearly 200,000 students in the Boston area, this is a citywide phenomenon, and one that the stores have certainly picked up in when designing their taunting storefronts. More and more seasonal blowout sales spring up in order to clear out room for the next season’s clothing lines, but these sales only serve to clear out wallets too. Ater all, it’s not going to be here in a week and it’s on sale! Buyer’s remorse is a sad thing the next morning. In Boston, we need to be a little more creative to keep the green stuff in hand. One of these finds is part adventure, part shopping trip, and all unique: The Garment District. Nominally a consignment store, there are many hanging racks of clothing on the second floor for a reduced price. But, to find the true bargains that make this place worth the trip, descend to the first floor and observe the dollar-a-pound section. That’s right. In this store you can buy clothes by the pound. Good luck finding things – including occasionally designer items – at such a cheap price outside of Boston. Now a caveat to the squeamish about how they make this so cheap – This section has no hanging ranks like upstairs, everything is literally in a giant mound on the floor. But, when taken like a challenge, the hunt through this chaos is half the fun. And where else can you find both vintage and designer, costume and ’80s (although these might be the same thing in some cases)? So take a dollar, buy a pound, then just bleach them in the wash before wear. For the vagabond in all of us, the deals are worth the strangeness first felt when told to just dive in and pull clothes out of a pile up to your knees.
Charlotte Parish is the Assistant Arts & Review editor of The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com
Wide ‘Awake’ and full of energy
Sang Lee / Heights staff & Mollie Kolosky / Heights photo illustration
By Katie Lee
Heights Staff Strong, vibrant, and always energetic, the members of the Dance Organization of Boston College (DOBC) did not fail to entertain the masses on campus this past weekend in Robsham Theater. Their annual show, Awake, met packed audiences on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and was nothing, if not an incredible success. The DOBC is an entirely-student run organization composed of more than 50 members. The dance group brings a wide variety
of unique styles to the stage through its performances. With more than 20 different student choreographers contributing to the annual show, the styles were varied and each dance was the only one of its kind. The variety of the performances in conjunction with an unmatched energy and enthusiasm from the group made the show a truly unforgettable experience for its viewers. From the beginning, it was clear that the title of this year’s winter show, Awake, was more than appropriate. The performances constantly had the audience shouting out in enthusiastic
‘Barefoot’ not a walk in the park
i nside Arts this issue
that included genres such as tap, point, contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop. The organization chose modern, popular songs that were easily recognizable. This range of genres and music assured that there was something for everyone. The costumes ranged from f lowing dresses to sports bras and shorts. The lighting also added to each piece that made the dances even more exciting to watch. One of the major highlights of the show was the piece “Seven Nation
See DOBC, B9
‘Bigfoot’ gets animated By Erin Furlong
By Darren Ranck
Arts & Review Editor The television show Dharma and Greg, with Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson in the titular roles, presented the comic trials of freespirited Dharma and successful but uptight Greg. Despite their intense differences, they somehow managed to form a loving relationship as husband and wife. While it may sound like a quirky, original idea, the inspiration for the show probably came from the 1960s comedy Barefoot in the Park, now being performed by local company Friends United Developing Genuine Entertainment (FUDGE) at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, Mass. The production is predictably sweet, but the show’s fluctuating energy and outdated script do not translate into a picture-perfect performance.
approval and asking for more. The show opened with a dance for the song “Tomorrow Can Wait” by David Guetta that included all of the choreographers of DOBC. The attention of the audience was captured immediately as the dancers emerged on stage, confident in their sparkly attire. The lively and upbeat piece set the mood for the entirety of the show. By the time the first song was over, it was clear to the audience that the show was going to be a huge success. As Awake continued, the performers showed their impressive range as dancers. There were pieces
Photo Courtesy of Jacksina Company
‘Barefoot in the Park’ places until Feb. 5 at Arsenal Arts Center. Barefoot in the Park tells the story of newlyweds Paul and Corrie Bratter (Andrew Cromartie and Alexandra Harrington, respectively). After six blissful days at the Plaza Hotel, they finally settle into their new digs on 48th Street in New York City. The apartment, with
See Barefoot, B9
Action genre lacks creativity in ‘Mechanic’
Director Simon West brings nothing original to this hackneyed and disappointingly dull cookie-cutter movie, A8
Heights Staff I have a hard time classifying this book as belonging to the “coffee table” genre even though it mainly consists of pictures and no one would ever compliment its prose, but if I ever went to a dinner party and the host had this book resting on some antique wooden table in their living room, I would definitely stay for dessert. Bigfoot: I Not Dead is the third book by illustrator Graham Roumieu detailing the adventures of the giant mythical beast, wherein Bigfoot has decided to see the world and have his fair share of experiences. The book’s unusual writing style consists of a first person narrative from Bigfoot himself, complete with the awkward grammar and sentence structure one would come to expect from
O’Donoghue fails to scare or impress
Lackluster performances drag The Rite down along with its frightless scenes of excorsism, A8
a scary, but misunderstood beast who has never had any proper schooling, lives in the woods, and just wants to be loved. In the introduction letter addressed “Dear people,” Bigfoot describes the circumstances leading up to his big journey. “All start with tragic hot plate related fire at bigfoot com-
See Bigfoot, B9
Bestsellers of Hardcover Fiction......A8 Box Office Report........................A8
TopFive
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
things to do on campus this week
Performance and Lecture
Noam Chomsky Lecture
Tonight Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Robsham Theater Enjoy a performance and lecture presented by George Drance, S.J. with members of his professional theater company, Magis. Admission is free.
Tuesday Time: 7 p.m. Location: Robsham Theater Come listen to the “father of modern linguistics,” Noam Chomsky, at his free presentation on linguistics at 7 p.m. in Robsham.
1
2
Men’s Basketball vs. UNC
3
Tuesday Time: 9 p.m. Location: Conte Forum
Be a Super fan and cheer on the the BC Eagles as they take on the University of North Carolina Tarheels at Conte Forum.
Jerusalem’s Significance
Colloquium Series
Wednesday Time: 4 p.m. Location: Corcoran Commons Find out why Jersualem is so special to Judaism and how this affects Palestinian-Israeli relations in a lecture by Dr. Raphael Jospe.
Wednesday Time: 7 p.m. Location: Weston Observatory Come listen to BC chemistry professor, Paul Davidovits in his talk about atmospheric aerosols as a part of the 2010-2011 Colloquium Series.
4
5
IntheNews
featured on campus
ESM event proves a success
A part-time professor, William G. Hillar, at the the Monterey Institute of International Studies was arrested this week by the FBI for one count of federal mail fraud for a payment sent to him by the California Institute, the graduate school of Middlebury College. The professor, who claimed that he was a retired military officer and expert on counter terrorism was hired by numerous universities and institutions to give lectures on counter terrorism. The man was arrested at his home in Maryland.
Local News Protest of Egyptian president draws crowd of 200 to Cambridge
Cecilia Provvedini/Heights editor
Students in the Rat enjoyed music mixed by student DJs at this month’s Winter Wonder Jam event sponsored by the ESM. Heights Staff
Pulsating electronic music, dazzling light displays, and throngs of enthusiastic dancers transformed the Rat Friday night as Electronic State of Mind (ESM) showcased the talent of three energizing student DJs. Headlined as Winter Wonder Jam, the event featured three student DJs who vied for the crowd’s pick as favorite DJ, with the honors bestowed upon the DJ who received the loudest approval from the crowd. “DJ JP,” also known as John Pierson, CSOM ’12—ultimately captured the accolades. Performances by Johnny Beatz (Jon Mennella, A&S, ’11) and DJ Pharaoh (Waleed Farag-Hebela, A&S ’12), sustained the dancing crowds. Much like Pierson’s performance, both combinined elements from the house music genre with those from the contemporary pop genre. Officers from ESM selected the three DJs based on their submissions of 15 minute mixes. Once the three were chosen, officers drew numbers out of a hat in order to determine the order in which the DJ’s would play. The resulting order on Friday night was Mennella, Farag-Hebela, and Pierson. Students and organizers of the event, which was jointly sponsored by ESM and the Residence Hall Association (RHA), thought Winter Wonder Jam was a success.
“I believe the event was a large success, as evidenced by positive remarks from students throughout the night,” Paul Veiga, CSOM ’12, and RHA co-director of programming, said in an e-mail. Winter Wonder Jam marked ESM’s second club event, following Ghosts ‘n Stuff, a Halloweenthemed disc jockeying showcase in November. Members of ESM, though satisfied with the club’s first event, said they felt that they could increase student turnout by addressing concerns about long lines and room capacity that emerged during November’s event. “We had trouble holding a crowd. There were a lot of rumors that there was going to be a long line because the capacity was small in the room we had rented,” Pierson said of Ghosts ‘n Stuff. Collaboration between RHA and ESM for Friday’s event resolved many concerns that had arisen during the first event and was key to attracting large student crowds. “What we learned from [Ghosts ‘n Stuff], we kind of improved in this event,” Pierson said. “We had enough resources to help them put on the event, and we were expecting a big turnout,” said Jason Goode, A&S ’11. RHA funded the rental of sound equipment, helped decorate the Rat as a club, and managed security arrangements, Pierson said. “Pairing with [the RHA] really doubled our ability to promote the
Today
25° Mostly Sunny 11°
Tuesday
29° Snow 25°
Wednesday
32° Snow
University Part-time professor exposed as a fraud, arrested by the FBI
By Daniel Morrison
Four Day Weather Forecast
event,” Pierson said. ESM and RHA developed the idea for Friday’s event in October, and wanted to have an event that offered dancing and a chance to showcase the DJ talent within the ESM. “We wanted to put forth a fun event through which some of our very own Boston College students could be showcased,” Veiga said. Members of ESM said they hope that the large turnout at Wonder Jam will translate into greater interest in the club’s activities, and in particular, learning to DJ. ESM will begin offering workshops that will teach interested students the fundamentals of mixing music, creating mashups, and producing electronic music. By conducting these workshops, Pierson and other ESM members are confident that they will organize more events in the near future, where members can practice what they have learned in the workshops. “If we are teaching people to DJ, we need to provide them with opportunities,” Pierson said, adding that “a lot of clubs on campus have a need for the things we do.” Both ESM and RHA are optimistic about organizing a similar event in the future. “Based on the success of this event, we definitely will put it on again at some point,” Goode said. n
On Jan. 29, protesters gathered in Harvard Square and marched into Boston. The protest, which was in support of the Egyptian people and the protests against current President Hosni Mubarak going on in Egpyt, drew approximately 200 protesters to Cambridge and was monitored by about six police officers. Most of those who partook in the peaceful march were either Egyptian-American or of Egyptian descent who are dissatisfied with the status of the Egyptian government and state of the country.
On Campus Physics professor Stephen Wilson receives NSF Career Award Stephen Wilson, a professor in the physics department, has received a career award from the National Science Foundation in support of his research in electron behavior in three new classes of material. The understanding gained from his work will help in engineering future materials. A grant of $600,000 will be distributed over five years. Wilson, who is in his second year as a faculty member at BC, uses a neutron-scattering approach in his experiments, and has a newly-completed lab on campus where he will grow the materials and perform his tests.
National Man arrested for explosives in vehicle parked outside mosque DETROIT (AP) - Roger Stockham, a 63-year-old Southern California man who had explosives in his vehicle was arrested outside one of the nation’s largest mosques in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, authorities in Michigan said. Dearborn police said he was arraigned Wednesday on one count of making a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of possessing explosives with an unlawful intent. Stockham had a large but undisclosed quantity of class-C fireworks including M-80s, which are outlawed in Michigan, Chief Ronald Haddad said.
15°
Thursday
21° Partly Cloudy 2°
Source: National Weather Service
A Guide to Your Newspaper The Heights Boston College – McElroy 113 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467 Editor-in-Chief (617) 552-2223 Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 Marketplace Desk (617) 552-3548 Features Desk (617) 552-3548 Arts Desk (617) 552-0515 Photo (617) 552-1022 Fax (617) 552-4823 Business and Operations General Manager (617) 552-0169 Advertising (617) 552-2220 Business and Circulation (617) 552-0547 Classifieds and Collections (617) 552-0364 Fax (617) 552-1753 EDITORIAL RESOURCES News Tips Have a news tip or a good idea for a story? Call Taylour Kumpf, News Editor, at (617) 552-0172, or e-mail news@bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the News Desk. Sports Scores Want to report the results of a game? Call Paul Sulzer, Sports Editor, at (617) 552-0189, or e-mail sports@bcheights.com. Arts Events The Heights covers a multitude of events both on and off campus – including concerts, movies, theatrical performances, and more. Call Darren Ranck, Arts and Review Editor, at (617) 552-0515, or e-mail arts@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the Arts Desk. Clarifications / Corrections The Heights strives to provide its readers with complete, accurate, and balanced information. If you believe we have made a reporting error, have information that requires a clarification or correction, or questions about The Heights standards and practices, you may contact Michael Caprio, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@ bcheights.com. CUSTOMER SERVICE
Police Blotter 1/22/11 – 1/28/11 Saturday, Jan. 22
for a replacement.
3:36 a.m. – A report was filed regarding a party at Campanella Way who was provided transportation in a police cruiser.
1:17 p.m. – A report was filed regarding the service of a subpoena.
Tuesday, Jan. 25 12:36 p.m. – A report was filed regarding a party who lost their parking permit. The party was referred to Student Services for a replacement. 5:38 p.m. – A report was filed regarding an injured party in Roncalli Hall that was transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser.
Wednesday, Jan. 26 3:41 p.m. – A report was filed regarding found property in McElroy Hall. The owner was identified and later retrieved their property. 8:28 p.m. – A report was filed regarding damage caused by a fallen tree. A report was sent to Facilities Services.
Thursday, Jan. 27 9:33 a.m. – A report was filed regarding a party who lost their parking transponder. The party was referred to Student Services
1:50 a.m. – A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance at the McMullen Museum. A detective will follow up.
2: 34 p.m. – A report was filed regarding a suspicious person at Williams Hall. The subject was identified, issued a written trespass warning, and escorted from the area without incident. 4: 02 p.m. – Officer files a report regarding a past larceny in Kostka Hall. A detective is investigating.
Friday, Jan. 28 2:14 a.m. – A report was filed regarding an injured party in Corcoran Commons. The party was transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser. 2:59 a.m. – A report was filed regarding a fire alarm activation in the Gate. Boston Fire Department arrived on scene and determined the alarm was triggered by smoke from burned food.
—Source: The Boston College Police Department
Voices from the Dustbowl “Who is your favorite professor this year?” “Professor Margaret Thomas in the linguistics department.” —Sarah Bleicher, A&S ’13
“Professor Stephen Brown in the theology department.” —Nate Schlein, A&S ’14
“Professor Dayton Haskin in the English department.” —Harry Kent,
A&S ’13
Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager at (617) 552-0547. Advertising The Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the BC community. To submit a classified, display, or online advertisement, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.
The Heights is produced by BC undergraduates and is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by The Heights, Inc. (c) 2010. All rights reserved.
CORRECTIONS Please send corrections to editor@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
A3
A suspicious spike in parent giving
On or around Dec. 10, 2010, BCPD was contacted by representatives from the Department of Homeland Security in response to a package that had been intercepted from the mail before it reached BC.
Package of fake IDs intercepted
Joseph Pasquinelli Parent donations increased nearly 400 percent from fiscal years 2008-2009 to 2009-2010. While this may be a cause for celebration in the development office, it should be a cause for suspicion among the rest of us. An increase from almost $8 million to almost $35 million in one year, and an increase of almost $20 million from the previous high should lead us to ask, “Where exactly did this money come from?” A “parent” is any parent of an undergraduate or graduate student either past or present who did not attend Boston College. The definition of “parent” has not changed since the last fiscal year so a broader definition of the term, and the reorganizing of figures that would accompany it, could not possibly account for this spike in parent donations. We know, then, that the increase in donations is indeed genuine. There is more money coming from the same group of people: those who are paying or have paid one of the highest tuition bills in the state of Massachusetts. Now that we have a general idea of who is donating the money, we need to consider why there was a spike in donations from people who, in four years, gave the University over $200,000. Contributions to BC’s endowment from parents come from extra funds after the parents have calculated their disposable incomes. That is, donations are from disposable income. It seems odd that in these difficult economic times those in the “parent” category were able to donate almost $20 million more than their previous record of total donations. Not only is the net increase strange, but parent donations constituted over one-quarter of all donations received by the University. Contrary to the assertion of Nicole Cherubini, director of parent development, this percentage is uncommon among BC’s peers. If this increase was a trend in other higher education institutions, the community might not have reason to question the spike in donations, but our proportion of parent giving is much higher than similar universities, which eliminates another possible explanation for this significant increase. Because this increase is an anomaly rather than a trend amongst colleges and universities, it is likely that these donations came from one or two individuals who were feeling especially generous during the last fiscal year. When one or two people make a large gift to the University, they are generally recognized for their outstanding support of BC’s mission and development. However, no one has been recognized for donating an especially significant amount of money to the endowment. Since no one in particular has been recognized and honored for contributing to the recent increase, there are two possible explanations. The first, that colleges and universities are simply receiving more money from each parent donor, has already been eliminated. The second is that the person or persons who made a single large donation do not wish to be recognized or have a wing in Stokes Hall named after them. There seem to be only two explanations for why someone would not wish to be recognized. The first, and optimistic, reason is that the donor is a true good samaritan who believes that recognition will detract from the charitable nature of her or his donation. I must maintain that the second, cynical, and, I believe, more realistic explanation (like all the previous assertions) is purely speculative. The parent or parents who have made particularly large donations do not wish to be recognized because they gave money to the University for reasons that were not entirely charitable. Perhaps a donation helped a student, who otherwise would not be admitted, to earn a place amongst Eagles whose parents did not contribute to the four-fold increase in parent donations. Perhaps the donation is part of some larger cover-up of wrong doing on the part of the donor. Perhaps I, and many others are so pessimistic because we are tired of the misdeeds of the incredibly wealthy harming those who do not have such large financial resources. Whether my speculations are accurate or the result of my cynical assessment of the wealthy, there are three products of this huge increase in parent donations. First, there needs to be more transparency. As members of the BC community, we have the right to know from where the money is coming from and the responsibility to either thank the donors or call for the development office to be more responsible when accepting donations. If the development office is taking “bad” money, then they are harming the integrity of the University. Second, there should be a feeling of joy and success. The fundraising campaigns seem to be working and BC is bringing in more money than it ever has in the past. Whether the donations are from self-interested financial big shots or true philanthropists, we now have the money and that is cause to praise the development office for bringing home the bacon to the BC community. The final product is a sense that we should do something good with the money even if it is “bad” money. We ought to build that conversational lounge in O’Neill Library. We ought to give more scholarships to students who do not have the financial resources of the typical BC student. We ought to use this money to create a BC that fosters unity. Finally, this money should be used to help all students, regardless of race or financial background, to excel here so that we as an institution and community may answer the call to be men and women for others.
Joseph Pasquinelli is a columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at editor@bcheights.com
Dept. of Homeland Security investigates package sent to BC By Adriana Mariella Assoc. News Editor
photo courtesy of fafsa financial aid websites
FAFSA underfiled among students By Tanner Edwards Heights Staff
Twenty-eight percent of families nationally did not submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) last academic year, according to a recent study conducted by Sallie Mae and Gallup. The study found that nearly half of the families that did not file chose to do so because they were not aware of the FAFSA nor did not expect to qualify for financial aid. Bernard Pekala, director of student financial strategies, reported that roughly 62 percent of returning Boston College undergraduates completed the FAFSA for the 2010-2011 academic year. Pekala said that the Financial Services Office generally assumes that those not completing the FAFSA do so out of the perception that they will not receive financial aid rather than a lack of knowledge about the FAFSA. Still, Pekala asserts that BC goes to great lengths to promote awareness about the financial resources available to students. “If a student is having difficulty, we have a safety net that will advise them to come and talk to us,” Pekala said. “If a student has any concerns they should talk to somebody. Everyone has an aide officer if they want one.” Pekala described the thorough steps BC goes through to ensure that those who need financial support don’t fall through the cracks. Measures extend past the offerings of the Office of Student Services
to the administration’s faith in its faculty and staff to refer students in need to the office for guidance. Pekala also noted that BC tracks student dropout rates and their correspondence to the student’s financial aid status, hoping to avert similar situations in the future. “As a student, you are a part of the BC community, and we want to do anything we can to help keep you here,” Pekala said. Commenting on the national study, Pekala referenced a national debate on FAFSA reform aimed at increasing filing rates. He said that analysts are divided as to whether a more simplified federal financial aid application would be better than a more thorough and uniform system. He stressed that, no matter the future of the FAFSA, his office continues to offer a bevy of resources for students in financial need. Above all, Pekala said that he urges students who feel they have some form of financial need to continue applying even if they haven’t received aid in previous years, a potential factor attributing to a decline in FAFSA filing. After all, annual data shows that BC undergraduate filing of the FAFSA drops off roughly 10 to 15 percent after freshman year, Pekala said. “Financial aid is a constant re-evaluation process,” Pekala said. “It is never too late to come in for advisement and, even if you don’t think you will qualify, apply anyway.” n
A number of Boston College students were contacted by the Boston College Police Department (BCPD) in regards to an investigation being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security. On or around Dec. 10, 2010, BCPD was contacted by representatives from the Department of Homeland Security in response to a package that had been intercepted from the mail before it reached BC. The package, which was sent from a foreign country, was believed to be false identification cards, said Chief John King of the BCPD in an e-mail. Interviews with the students whose information was listed on the cards were conducted by both BCPD officers and officers from Homeland Security. Once the intended use of the false ID cards was verified and considered not a threat to national security, the students were turned over to BCPD, King said. King said that the students, who were cooperative throughout the investigation, were referred to the Office of the Dean of Student Development (ODSD). “We recommend that if other students possess false ID cards, especially obtained from outside of the United States, they either turn them in to BCPD or destroy them immediately,” King said. n
Allston-Brighton Crime Reports 1/19/11 – 1/23/11 Suspect attempts to evade taxi fare At approximately 2 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22, officers responded to a call regarding a larceny in progress on Commonwealth Ave. While officers were en route to the scene, they observed a female slowly running down Comm. Ave. and hiding in allies along the way. When officers arrived on the scene, they spoke to the City Cab taxi driver who stated that he had picked up three females at a bar, dropping two of the three off at different places, leaving only one female in the cab who had received $10 from the second to last female who left the cab. The driver stated that when he reached her destination, she attempted to exit the cab and enter a taxi stopped behind them. She then proceeded to run down Comm. Ave. The cab driver’s description of the female matched the female that the officers had observed running down the street. Officers searched the area for the suspect, finding her walking alone on Comm. Ave, stopping to talk to a group of people. The officers requested that she produce ID as she matched the description of a female who had attempted fare evasion. Eventually the female produced a driver’s license and told officers that she had gotten dropped off near an ATM and was on the way back to pay for the fare. The cab driver verified the suspect and said that she never attempted to pay the fare. The suspect was placed under arrest and was uncooperative during the booking process.
Victim finds items stolen from car On Sunday, Jan. 23, at about 3 p.m., officers responded to a radio call for breaking and entering a motor vehicle. Upon arrival, the victim told officers that his car had been broken into between the hours of 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Officers observed that the front right side window had been smashed and that the vehicle’s glove compartment and inside console were open. No tools were found at the scene. The victim stated that his laptop, iPod, money and GPS had been stolen from the car.
Electronics stolen from motor vehicle On Saturday, Jan. 22, officers responded to a call regarding a breaking and entering of a motor vehicle in Allston. Upon arrival, the victim stated that while her car was parked and unattended between the hours of 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 and 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 22, someone had broken into her car, smashing her right side window. The unknown suspect stole her GPS, medical pager, and DVD screens for the rear headrests.
Two laptops stolen from apartment At about 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19, officers responded to a call regarding a breaking and entering in Allston. Upon arrival, the victim stated that an unknown person had broken into her apartment by breaking the front door lock. The suspect stole two laptops from the residence. Officers searched the area to no avail and the victim was advised to contact her building’s maintenance in order to have her door secured.
Car window smashed in North Brighton At approximately 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19, officers responded to a call for a breaking and entering a motor vehicle in North Brighton. Officers spoke with the victim who stated that she had parked her motor vehicle in front of her apartment on Monday, Jan. 17 at approximately 2 p.m. and returned at 5 p.m. on Wednesday to find it broken into. An unknown suspect stole her GPS and $25 from her car, smashing her passenger side window in the process.
- Courtesy of the Boston Police Department, District 14 Gathered by Adriana Mariella, Assoc. News Editor
The Heights
A4
“It’s really important that people know that rape happens at BC. It happens on all college campuses. What happens here isn’t any different than anywhere else.” —Elizabeth Rhodes, Faculty Moderator of HEAL and a Professor in the romance languages department
Program acts as stress relief HEAL, from A1 though this group is not meant to provide therapy. “A survivor tends to be isolated unless she or he has access to very specific resources,” said Elizabeth Rhodes, a professor in the romance languages department and the faculty moderator of HEAL. “At college when you’re away from home and family, in incidents where people may turn against you, it’s very difficult to reintegrate,” she said. “It takes everyone a different amount of time, but it takes everyone a long time.” The group will allow survivors to be exposed to others who will
be able to relate to their experiences and the recovery process. “Sexual assault is one of the traumas that is more effectively healed by contact with people who have been through the same thing,” Rhodes said. There will be no set plan for each meeting. Instead, “people can talk about their own experiences to the extent they feel comfortable,” Summers said. “It’s the survivors themselves that are setting the boundaries, and that’s part of empowerment.” At the end of the meetings, there will be a yoga component to help make sure survivors leave the meetings relaxed, since the
meetings may become intense. “It’s more for decompression,” Summers said. “It’s something to bring the stress level down.” “It’s really important that people know that rape happens at BC,” Rhodes said. “It happens on all college campuses. What happens here isn’t any different than anywhere else.” HEAL is intended to provide support for anyone who has been the victim of any kind of sexual assault. “Sexual assault doesn’t just mean rape,” Summers said. “Any sort of feeling of violation is really important.” HEAL’s website, http://sites. google.com/site/healatbc/, will post updates about the group. n
Samples hope to boost sales Haley House, from A1
the rehabilitation mission of Haley House. “I came home after 15 years tuition money. We are supported of confinement, and I interviewed only by the meal plan. Although we with Haley House and brought in could make cookies and sell them a level of experience from when for less, right now we are breaking I was incarcerated. I came in as even [with the Haley House cook- the catering manager and I was ies]. Haley House cannot lower elevated to the director of wholetheir prices, and we can’t either. sales and catering and the transiFor what you’re getting and the tional employment program and quality it’s a very feasible cost,” co-manager of the Haley House O’Neill said. Cafe,” said Cordon. “Haley House Liu said he agrees that a variety gives people that sense of dignity of factors have caused the decline and sense of worth.” in Haley House cookie consumpCordon said that the BC-Haley tion on campus. “We have heard House relationship has been imdifferent theories on why sales portant for Haley House over the have dropped. There have been years. “We have PULSE volproblems unteers with with the con- “We’ve partnered with the us. We have sistency, but connections local halfway houses and with BC gothat has been fixed. Some ing back to taken men and women members of t h e ’ 7 0 s ,” out of confinement and the student Cordon said. body worry Likewise, helped them transition about caloric the sale of into society. We help content. But Haley House connect them with their cookies has it’s okay to indulge ocindicaGED, obtain licenses, and been casionally,” tive of the get jobs.” Liu said. Jesuit tradi“ Wi t h t h e tion of helpnew freshman ing others at —Danny Cordon, class coming BC. “We sell Co-manager of the Haley in, they don’t them because House Cafe k n ow wh a t they are an Haley House important is.” part of what BC is about in terms Haley House is a non-profit of what Haley House is doing for organization established origi- the community and the people nally as a soup kitchen in 1966. that work there,” O’Neill said. “A It grew into the bakery, located in lot of BC students volunteer their Roxbury, Mass., that has provided time [there] and it’s a great way formerly incarcerated persons with to bring that onto our campus. the ability to develop a trade and They deliver twice a week and transition back into society. then sell them here and they make “We’ve partnered with the lo- a profit that goes to the cafe, cal halfway houses and taken men which, of course, is non-profit. and women out of confinement We [dining services] also went to and helped them transition into the Haley House cafe and helped society,” said Danny Cordon, co- them with meeting their health manager of the Haley House Cafe. code standards.” “We help connect them with their Because BC has its own bakery GED, obtain licenses, and get jobs. on campus and dining services is There is a character-based com- self-sustaining, O’Neill said this ponent to it. We meet with teams type of partnership with Haley and evaluate how this will shape House is quite unique. “We were who our employees want to be, approached to sell the cookies on and whether they have patience. campus. We don’t typically don’t We work with their long term goals do this. We have our own bakery and help them take each day one on campus. To pay someone to day at a time.” make our cookies is usually not Cordon, who went through the what we do,” O’Neill said. Haley House transitional employWhile Haley House has a ment program himself, believes in similar partnership with North-
eastern, Cordon said that the falling sales at BC have been felt by the Haley House Organization. “It limits our ability to assist people. If the demand isn’t there we just can’t have the impact. The more lives we can affect the more people we can help. The cookies should bring people together and connect people,” Cordon said. Although sales have been falling, the CSOM Honors Haley House Committee has begun several different marketing approaches. “We are trying holiday promotional campaigns to spread the word. Valentine’s Day is coming up. Product-wise there isn’t much we can do. We are trying to branch out with catering. And in April, the Winston Center for Ethics and Leadership will feature Haley House Event for social responsible entrepreneurship,” Liu said. O’Neill said that, previously, CSOM’s marketing help on campus was effective in boosting cookie sales. “When CSOM works with them, marketing increase and more cookies are bought on campus. They are now trying to get a year-long marketing strategy,” she said. One of CSOM’s marketing strategies has promoted the very principle of the Haley House organization, sharing and helping others. “Because there are five, find a friend and share a pack,” Liu said. This very concept of sharing is at the heart of the Haley House organization, and Cordon believes that, through cookie sales, BC students can extend this concept to the less fortunate that work in the Haley House Bakeries. “People in the program, they love Haley House,” Cordon said. “It’s an organization that’s really special. We can’t keep it something special if we don’t have the support. Support is so important especially from students. [Students] are going to be the next policy makers, become affluent, and become the decision makers. If students early on realize the opportunity on a basic level that can change lives, that’s something that’s very powerful. While you, as students, can directly impact and help people, you are also helping yourselves." n
Monday, January 31, 2011
BC trends differ from nation Almost 40 percent of parents give annually to BC Donations, from A1 to year,” he said in an e-mail. “For example, in a given year, the percentage of support from parents, or from bequests, or from alumni celebrating reunions might spike due to a few large gifts. Because of this, we tend not to respond to single-year variations but instead focus on longer-term trends.” “I would agree with them that a trend cannot be discerned from this,” Schervish said. “Also, we don’t know since this took place in the middle of a fundraising campaign.” Schervish said that further explanation of the sudden rise in parent donations would be valuable. “It is a phenomenon that, when explained, would lead there to be a gain in knowledge for other universities, for Boston College, and for the field,” he said. One of her office’s priorities, Cherubini said, is to show parents who are already paying tuition that their donations have an effect. “I think it is back to parents recognizing that their support of the University makes a difference,” she said. “We have many different opportunities for parents to be involved. We try to remain diverse in how we approach parents.”
Cherubini said that her office has tried to find ways to involve parents in all aspects of university life. “This is hopefully something where parents feel engaged in all parts of the University, as well as philanthropy,” Cherubini said. The work, she said, pays off. “36 percent of our parents make a gift to our University annually. That’s among parents of current undergraduates.” Lockerby said that his office works to keep parents informed about where there money is going. “It is very important to any donors that they understand the impact of their philanthropy. We communicate these effects to parents through dedicated and general reports and other publications, in on-campus meetings and events, and where possible by directly connecting donors with the objects of their support.” In other cases, parent donors may be invited to campus to see first-hand the effects of their donation, Lockerby said. “For example, a parent donor who funds and endowed scholarship will be introduced to the students who are benefitting. Those who support faculty research receive copies of faculty books and other publications and may come to campus to attend lectures.” n
Emergency situation for OIP
ap file photo
BC students study abroad in Egypt through three external programs, including one at the American University in Cairo.
Egypt, from A1 The alert also advised Americans in Egypt that the Egyptian government had imposed a curfew from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez until further notice.
On Saturday, about 200 people gathered in Harvard Square in a show of support for the Egyptian protesters, according to a report by The Boston Globe. The crowd came bearing signs, banners, and bull horns, according to the report, with sentiments strongly against the Egyptian government. n
CLASSIFIEDS
A5
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
Community Help wanted
RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS Females who are currently bulimic, or have recovered, age 18-45, in stable medical health, not taking medications (with the exception of oral contraceptives), BMI between 19-26 kg/m2 [ http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ ] are sought for a study of behavioral ratings and blood hormone levels. Eligible participants will receive up to $100 for a total of 2 visits at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Contact Sandy Hannon-Engel , PhD(c) RN, CS at 508-274-0671 or CCK@ bc.edu. TUTOR WANTED For computer science class. Must know Javascript and ActionScript. Call (617) 655-8196.
HELP WANTED Have you thought about adoption? Loving and devoted married couple hoping to adopt. We hope you will consider us in your options. To learn more, please call us tollfree at 1-877-841-3748, or visit our website www.roseanneandtim.com. Please be assured all conversations are held in strict confidence. With gratitude, Roseanne and Tim. PET GIVEAWAY 2 teacup Yorkshires Free To Re-Homing Contact: xtionbert@gmail.com.
Real Estate OFF-CAMPUS HOUSES and sublets! Still looking for that perfect junior year apartment??? Call GREENLINE REALTY today! (617) 731-5434. Or just stop by to see us at 1956 Beacon St. (next to City Side in the heart of Cleveland Circle). We still have premium apartments in all of the best locations. 2 BEDROOOMS in 5 bedroom apartment; Oak Square, Brighton; rent both or one; driveway; porch; walking distance to bus and bars; approx. $670/month w/utilities; May 1-August 31; Inquiries: e-mail marisa.anthony@gmail.com.
I always laugh when people are mean to me, I think it helps take the pain away.
Directions: The Sudoku is played over a 9x9 grid. In each row there are 9 slots, some of which are empty and need to be filled. Each row, column and 3x3 box should contain the numbers 1 to 9. You must follow these rules: 路 Number can appear only once in each row 路 Number can appear only once in each column 路 Number can appear only once in each 3x3 box 路 The number should appear only once on row, column or area.
A6
The Heights
Editorials
Statistically speaking: Creationism
Establishing that ‘those that can, teach.’ The recent State of the Union address brings to light the role of universities and their students in reforming education.
When President Barack Obama deWhile colleges and universities livered his State of the Union address dedicate extraordinary funding tolast Tuesday, he called upon young ward preparing students for univerAmericans to become teachers, saying sity life through guidance programs, “Your country needs you.” first year experience offices, and Obama’s call for a revitalized orientations, colleges could also be stock of teachers is one part of his conversing about why some students administration’s plan to address from under-performing high schools problems in the U.S. public education are ill-prepared academically and system – problems that are becoming socially for college life. From these increasingly apparent. It now comes conversations, thoughts and solutions as no surprise to many that U.S. for improving the American education schoolchildren routinely underper- system will arise. At the very least, form in the areas of such a movement math and science, would force the wh e n c o m pa re d u n ive rs i ty a ca with their peers demics, who live As Obama said, young in other countries. and work atop the ambitious people (and the ivory tower of the But now, even at the university leveducation system, colleges and universities el, students are ask the questhat graduate them) have to spending less time tions of whether a role to play in this brave what we are teachstudying and doing class work than ing young people new academic world the their counterparts government hopes to form. during their pris eve ra l d e ca d e s mary and secondago, according to ary educations is a report released worthwhile and by two University whether we, as a of California economists last year. country, can do a little better. We agree with Obama in saying We recognize that Boston College that U.S. legislators should make edu- has already made some efforts toward cation a top priority if these trends achieving this goal through programs are to be reversed. But, as Obama in the Lynch School of Education said, young ambitious people (and the (LSOE) and its relationship with St. colleges and universities that gradu- Columbkille School in Brighton. A ate them) have a role to play in this more effective movement, though, brave new academic world the govern- would require participation not just ment hopes to form. As the employers from BC, but from all schools. And of brilliant minds and the stewards of it would require not just advanced some of the nation’s most advanced programming, but an advanced mindfacilities, colleges and universities set – a mindset that treats incoming need to think beyond educating their students not as minds to be shaped, current students. They need to begin but as minds that have already been thinking about how the country is to formed by an expansive education to educate the classes of 2020 and system, of which universities are parbeyond. ticipants and responsible to.
The gift that keeps on giving In the past year, parent donations to the University rose four-fold. That the experience of their child can instill such pride in parents is impressive. The 2009-2010 year was a ban- to refine large amounts of students. ner year for parent giving at Boston In that sense, it seems that these College. Coming in at an impressive statistics does not hold true at BC. $34,818,814, a significant increase The benefits of our time spent on the from last year. These donations from Heights truly epitomizes the charge persons who had never attended BC we are given in our freshman year to themselves accounted for nearly a “go set the world aflame,” as students quarter of total donations to the Uni- are not only affected personally, but versity this year. This incredible show consistently spread the benefit of that of charitable giving is a testament not effect to those around them. only to the financial kindness of these A further indication of BC’s parents, but also community is the to the ability of uniqueness of this the BC experience trend to the Unito win over even versity. At GeorgeFurther indicative of those who do not town, for example, BC’s benefit over other directly benef it parent giving only schools is that this trend from it. accounts for 9 That parents percent of overall does not exist in our donate such imgifts to the Unipeer institutions. At pressive amounts versity. The fact Georgetown, for example, that over a third to a school othe r t h a n t h e i r parent giving only accounts of the parents of own alma mater for 9 percent of the overall BC students, past speaks to the fact and present, chose gifts to the university. that they perceive to donate funds, four years at BC in the thick of naas having a sigtionwide economic nif icant impact struggles, makes on the growth and maturity of their it evident that there is a particular sons and daughters—in the realms advantage to be gained in being an of intellect, interpersonal skills, Eagle. Though the size of this year’s and personal development. This is total donation might go unsurpassed impressive for the BC community, in coming years, the fervor for giving particularly in light of recent statis- to this institution has endured for tics, that shed light on the fact that years and will most likely continue the college experience does not serve to persist.
The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Michael Caprio, Editor-in-Chief Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager Hilary Chasse, Managing Editor
Monday, January 31, 2011
“About 13 percent of high school biology teachers nationwide push creationism as the process by which humans came to exist on Earth, LiveScience reports. A Penn State survey found that the majority of bio teachers—about 60 percent—take a soft stance on the contentious issue, avoiding definitive statements about either creationism or evolution to avoid controversy. But two minorities take firmer stances for their chosen positions: 28 percent of teachers teach evolution and discount creationism, while 13 percent agreed they ‘explicitly advocate creationism or intelligent design by spending at least one hour of class time presenting it in a positive light.’” Source: “13 percent of High School Bio Classes Push Creationism” By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff Writer, Jan. 28
Matt Laud / Heights Illustration
The Online buzz Reprinting reader comments from www.bcheights.com, The Online Buzz draws on the online community to contribute to the ongoing discussion. In response to “Law Grads Face Fewer Jobs,” by Adriana Mariella: Here’s the problem with those stats: a) they’re entirely dependent on people actually responding to the surveys that get sent out; b) they count anyone doing any sort of job as employed—including newspaper routes, Starbucks baristas, temp work etc.; c) they don’t track whether people stayed employed. Many people from 2009 have already been laid off. But why would Maris skew the numbers? I don’t know, maybe because her job is dependent on them...ask any law student, your source isn’t credible. Career Services is a joke.
Anonymous In response to “2000 Comm. Ave. Limits Guest Capacity,” by Daniel Tonkovich: I am a graduate of Boston College, the daughter of a graduate of BC, the sibling of two BC graduates, the wife of a fellow BC grad. And, literally, so on. Needless to say it would not be a stretch that I may send my kids to BC one day. Hearing things like this makes me think I shouldn’t. Just because BC has the right to be tyrannical does not mean that they should be. My husband has been saying for a while that we will never send our kids to BC because of hearing about things like this. I’ve always disagreed, but honestly it’s to the point where I’m starting to see his point. By the way four people is an absurd number of guests
to be limited to. I would potentially understand 15. Or 20. But four? That is humiliating to the people paying rent to be living there. I’m starting to realize that BC has no problem humiliating students OR alumni whenever they get the chance. I donate a relatively substantial amount to BC every year. I’m rethinking that as well.
Anonymous In response to “Freshman Attends Climate Talks,” by Taylour Kumpf: The climate scientists were the real problem all along, not the privileged right wing power . Planet polluting chemicals created by the trusted scientists made environmentalism necessary in the first place. They are the enemy. Scientists are the very authority and power elite that progressivism should have been fighting all along, not the every day person sentenced to carbon tax. Academic Scientists not only polluted the planet with their chemicals, they also produced cruise missiles, cancer causing chemicals, land mine technology, nuclear weapons, germ warfare, strip mining technology, deep sea drilling technology and now climate change. Climate change was to journalism, science & progressivism, what nasty priests were to religion. Moderation State
Anonymous
Readers Note: The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 200 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages. The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces
submitted to the newspaper. Submissions must be signed and should include the author’s connection to Boston College, address, and phone number. Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by email to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.
Business and Operations
Editorial Clara Kim, Copy Editor Taylour Kumpf, News Editor Paul Sulzer, Sports Editor Kristopher Robinson, Features Editor Darren Ranck, Arts & Review Editor David Cote, Marketplace Editor Ana Lopez, Opinions Editor Dan Tonkovich, Special Projects Editor Alex Trautwig, Photo Editor Lindsay Grossman, Layout Editor
Mollie Kolosky, Graphics Editor Dara Fang, Online Editor David Riemer, Asst. Online Editor Therese Tully, Assoc. Copy Editor Christopher Marino, Asst. Copy Editor Adrianna Mariella, Assoc. News Editor Molly Lapoint, Asst. News Editor D.J. Adams, Assoc. Sports Editor Greg Joyce, Asst. Sports Editor Brooke Schneider, Asst. Features Editor
Brennan Carley, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor Charlotte Parish, Asst. Arts & Review Editor Matt Palazzolo, Asst. Marketplace Editor Kevin Hou, Asst. Photo Editor Woogeon Kim, Asst. Layout Editor Alex Manta, Asst. Graphics Elise Taylor, Editorial Assistant Katie Mcclurg, Executive Assistant
Margaret Tseng, Business Manager Christina Quinn, Advertising Manager Zac Halpern, Outreach Coordinator Cecilia Provvedini, Systems Manager James Gu, Local Sales Manager Jamie Ciocon, Collections Manager Amy Hachigian, Asst. Ads Manager Seth Fitchelberg, Business Assistant
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
A7
Opinions
Thumbs Up
Tall, grande, venti … trenta? Katya Rucker
Lea Michele – The Glee star has been slated to sing “America the Beautiful” at Sunday’s Super Bowl XLV. Gleeks worldwide are overjoyed to see their leading lady headlining one of primetime television’s annual pinnacle of viewership. Finally, f lamboyancy and fried potato skins have found an event where they can coexist wonderfully together. Nebraska – Despite the economic troubles that have plagued the nation for the past few years, the majority of this state is not in the “big red.” Instead, those residing smack dab in the middle of the country have been ranked the happiest in all the land, financially speaking. With an unemployment rate half that of the national average—not to mention access to fresh Omaha Steaks—Nebraskans may be conservative in their financial dealings, but definitely not in their tendency to have a good time.
Thumbs Down Plex Etiquette – You know them: the lurkers “stretching” behind the treadmills, those that loom over the 10-pound weights and stare incredulously while you struggle through your midweek workout, just awaiting their chance to pounce on your machine if you show any sign of slowing. Crowded from dawn until dusk on a daily basis, life at the Plex has become downright cutthroat. Hopefully those happiness-generating endorphins will kick in sooner rather than later… Housing Drama – It’s official. The Office of Residential Life has sent out the inaugural e-mail of the housing selection season— and things are about to get gnarly. As our social scenes transform into a debauchery similar to Survivor, with groups of friends forming even numbered alliances for on-campus housing and sophomores vying to nab the leases of those perfect off-campus pads, it seems “home” is not really where the heart is. Endless winter – The Beach Boys didn’t produce an album called Endless Winter (to accompany their hit, Endless Summer) for a reason. It would only be popular with severe masochists and/or arctic foxes. It definitely would not be popular with the pale-skinned, perpetually-frozen populace of Chestnut Hill. With yet another snow storm scheduled for next week, it leaves the runny-nosed and soup-overloaded amongst us questioning why Southern California wasn’t an obvious choice to spend our college years. Egypt – The hardship in the Middle East reached a climax last week when the country’s entire population was cut off from the Internet in an effort to thwart citizens from organizing and staging protest. The only bright side? Even a move as drastic as that hasn’t stopped thousands of Egyptians from rallying together to fight for their democracy, proving that, even in the world of overwhelming web dependency, the power of human connection prevails.
In our bigger-is-better nation, Starbucks has become the new favorite scapegoat. The current roll-out of a 31-ounce iced drink, the Trenta, has a modest slice of the media jumping on the notion that the drink packs more volume than the human stomach can take. The Trenta is 916 mL, while the “average capacity” of the human stomach is 900 mL (30.5 ounces), according to a graphic published in the National Post. While this claim doesn’t really merit addressing, I’ll give you a few reasons why it’s skewed so we aren’t starting with any misconceptions. First, the claim doesn’t account for how long the “average” person will drink 31 ounces of liquid. Second, more than a third of what goes into a Trenta cup are ice cubes. So it isn’t 31 ounces of liquid, it barely triumphs 20 ounces. Third, the “average capacity” of the stomach may be 900 mL, but, disclaimer: The “maximum capacity” of the stomach is 4,000 mL. Finally, to put this all into perspective, think about ordering two beers at a bar (32 ounces. No ice). No one is denying that the Trenta is big, but now we can ask, “Is it too big?” In reality, Starbucks is just conforming to its competitors. How about the 7-Eleven Big Gulp? Or the Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s large sizes? Each of those drinks is 32 ounces, so Starbucks isn’t trying to break any records. Maybe the real mistake Starbucks is making is throwing the quantity in the customer’s face. The other guys use more generic size labels, allowing their biggest sizes to be mysteries of which we remain blissfully ignorant. But Trenta…that’s 30 ounces! Almost a quart! The thing is, Starbucks is all about
hydration (and caffeine, of course). tering seven ounces more than the iced On a sweltering day in the middle of Venti. Is that something to get flusJuly, what could be better than an iced tered about? Perhaps. But I don’t think tea or iced coffee that will last you so. If we follow the rough ratio of two the whole afternoon? That’s why you parts liquid to one part ice, the Trenta can’t get a Trenta-sized Frappuccino is giving you less than 5 ounces more or a milk/soy-based drink. The Trenta liquid than the iced Venti. I hardly will always have low calories, with the think anyone’s stomach is going to purpose of keeping you hydrated or explode over that. caffeinated, since it only comes as iced Another practical reason for the tea or coffee. Trenta: the Starbucks refill policy. If But on a more basic level, Staryou buy any hot coffee, iced coffee, or bucks is a corporation, and like most iced tea, and sit in the cafe to drink it, corporations, you can get a refill (no it would like matter the size) for to make a 50 cents. If you have profit. Peoa Starbucks Gold ple are used Card (rewards proto getting gram), your refill is mammothfree. Customers rousized drinks tinely wanted refills at other of iced Venti drinks, establishand some didn’t ments, and have the luxury of start to pout time to hang out in when stuck the store. The grabwith a dinky and-go customer can Iced Venti certainly appreciate Passion Tea the option of having Lemonade. the refill incorporatSo, the ed with the first and Mollie Kolosky / Heights Illustration customers only drink they order want bigger. If you’re a corporation, do (a Trenta is only 50 cents more than a you give the customer what they want Venti, after all). A Venti, refilled, gives if you can slap a Starbucks price tag on you a total of 48 ounces. it? Absolutely. So let’s not assume that the Trenta “We want to please our customers, is making people drink more than they that’s the bottom line,” said Fran Rogever would. I can assure you, people ers, Starbucks district manger of the find ways of drinking however much Newton and Brookline areas. “Starthey want. Size isn’t a factor. The bucks typically tests products, and Trenta doesn’t force you to drink your the Trenta test went extremely well. weight in iced coffee. You, the customCustomer feedback wanted bigger, and er, order the drink. And at Starbucks, we responded.” the customer is always right. Here’s a fun fact: Venti means 20, Starbucks is simply giving the right? Well, you would think. The American culture exactly what it Starbucks Venti hot cup is true to its wants. If the company attempts to name. The iced Venti cup, however, is introduce the Trenta in its European 24 ounces. It makes sense because ice stores, then we can start to raise our takes up space, and you still want the eyebrows. same balance of milk, espresso, sugar, etc. And it would get confusing if it Katya Rucker is a staff columnist for were called the iced Venti-Quattro. So, The Heights. She welcomes comments at the Trenta is 31 ounces. An earth-shat- opinions@bcheights.com.
Reaching for the moon Hayley Trahan-Liptak Remember when President Barack Obama told Congress to aim for complete energy self-sufficiency, to reach for a nationwide high school graduation rate of 90 percent, or to impose tests for every fourth and eighth grader to ensure higher education standards? Though these goals may sound familiar, it was not Obama that presented them last week. Former President Richard Nixon aimed for energy self-sufficiency by 1980, while George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton pressed for better education by 2000 and 1999, respectively. Yet, although as many as 30 years have passed, none of the goals have been recognized. Setting goals in presidential speeches has been common practice for years. There is no better forum for declaring ambitions than in the annual State of the Union when all of Congress is the president’s captive audience. Although the annual speech was originally intended to be an explanation of the current circumstances of the country, it rapidly evolved into an oratory imagining visions of a new America. Even in the height of war, Abraham Lincoln used his speech to instruct Congress on how to regain a balanced budget and ways to mine minerals from Western territories. Again in the middle of war, Franklin Roosevelt urged Congress during his annual speech in 1944 to ensure a second Bill of Rights for the American people, including proper education, a home, and economic security. Like most other presidents, Obama declared his own set of ambitions this year. Obama told Congress that Americans should aim to be the “first country
Party Time
BY BEN VADNAL
to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015” and to ensure 80 percent of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources by 2014. Obama called this goal our generation’s “Sputnik moment,” harkening memories of Kennedy’s call to reach the moon by 1970. Though the initiatives bear a marked resemblance to American ambitions from years past, many people have criticized Obama’s goals as minor and short sighted in comparison. Imagine if Obama had called for a goal similar to Kennedy’s, say a journey to Mars. Pundits would scorn the excessive spending and millions would decry the misappropriation of funds. Instead, Obama presented practical and necessary goals that should improve our economy and our environment, but still the criticism and scorn abound. Even John Stewart on the Daily Show poked fun at Obama’s goals as unimaginative and boring, lacking the grandiose vision of a race to unexplored outer space. These criticisms only show us that this truly is our Sputnik moment. The unexpected 1957 launch of the U.S.S.R. satellite shocked the U.S. into realizing its dominance was threatened and it needed to increase efforts if it wanted to be part of the race. Sure, the quest to reach the moon generated excitement and brought people together in awe of new technology, however the actual objective wasn’t just to unite the populous – it was to show the power and potential of the U.S. Obama’s goal may not sound exciting or imaginative, but it still parallels the race to space. China has emerged as the new global competitor to the U.S., with advanced technology and energy initiatives. Similar to the U.S. competition with the U.S.S.R., though currently on a smaller scale, the development of China threatens the dominance of the American superpower. China is not alone in its threat. Dependency on oil reserves and the environmental factors of pollution and global warm-
ing that hover just around the corner call for the American people to notice that our dominance is slipping away and resources are slowly disappearing. Obama’s goals call on us to realize this dependency and this competition, to have our own Sputnik moment where we see others have surpassed us and we aim to regain our ground. These new goals are an ambitious start, yet they are all too similar to the goals have fallen by the wayside like the goal to end energy dependence set for 1980 by Nixon, 1985 by Gerald Ford, and 2025 by George W. Bush. These goals were mentioned in passing but failed to inspire, and as a result, oil imports from the Middle East have hovered around 45 percent of total U.S. oil supplies for years. While dirty oil wells don’t retain the same gleam as the stars, President Kennedy was able to inspire and focus in a way that has yet to be duplicated. When Kennedy called for a man on the moon, he outlined four specific steps before Congress to meet the goal. When he spoke at Rice University in 1961 he even went into such specifics as to describe the new building at Cape Canaveral, a 48 story structure, as wide as a city block and as long as 2 lanes of a football field. While the struggles of the Cold War were present in every day live and a large focus of Kennedy’s presidency, the goal to surpass the U.S.S.R. in space was itself focused and sure. If we want to expand our sources of clean energy sources today, Obama needs to follow Kennedy’s lead. He must show us how clean energy will work, how we’ll achieve the goal, and why this goal will catapult us forwards into the future, the way a rocket catapult us into space. He can’t just tell us to reach the moon, he needs to show us how. Hayley Trahan-Liptak is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
Setting expectations
Pooja Shah It’s now Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. The Christmas decorations are packed away in small, cardboard boxes, the holiday season and the festivities are over, and a fresh new spring semester is underway. At the beginning of the New Year, while the countdown at Times Square commences, our internal clock also strikes a chord. The closer it is to midnight, the quicker our minds squirm to make our last minute New Year resolutions that we predict will make the upcoming year much better than the last. What is really puzzling about this tradition is why are we so inclined to pick a particular point in time each year to make self-promises to change certain things in their life? And even more strange is why do these resolutions fail within a month’s time? What is really puzzling about this tradition is why is a certain moment each year designated to make self-promises about the way we will live our lives for the next 365 days? Think about it. How well have you kept true to your resolution within this past month? Growing up, I was always told that the start of a new year meant choosing a goal that could amend your life and work towards following it. This year was no different. As I rummaged through my mind’s departments of what resolution I didn’t previously make (or failed at) I realized there weren’t many options left. Stop procrastinating? I had delayed even starting that resolution. Start exercising at least three times a week? The thought of sweaty red faces and the pungent odor of used socks repulsed me. Start eating better? Late night mozzarella sticks and french fries from Lower do not allow me to do the previously mentioned statement. Though I was desperately trying to come up with something, I realized that most of the times, I quit trying to make my resolutions last after the first month or so. According to a survey done by scientists Miller and Marlatt, 75 percent of the population that makes a resolution failed on their first attempt and 67 percent make more than one resolution. What boggled me was whether there was a psychological factor that helped determine the number of goals people set and how successful they were in following it. While surfing the web in a frantic attempt to find the treatment to my curiosity, I came across an examination by researchers Mukhopadhyay and Johar who concluded that the people who maintain their resolutions are those who believe that self-control is dynamic, changing, and unlimited. On the contrary, those persons who think they are incapable of changing due to the finite amount of willpower they possess do worse on realizing their resolution goals. Psychologists refer to these persons as having “low self-efficacy” or theoretically they are intrinsically less motivated. Furthermore, I learned that thorough investigation on the psyche of New Year’s resolutions reveals that if one is forced to believe that self-control is fixed or limited by an outside force or some internal factor, then one will set fewer goals. I wasn’t really sure how to feel after reading this research—should I feel enlightened because I now had the inside scoop on how to make my future years victorious or depressed because I might be lacking high self-efficacy? In hindsight, I realized that, as cliche as it may sound, New Year’s resolutions are nothing but a simple test on how badly you want something. Though the work of Mukhopadhyay and Johar was a great psychology lesson learned in the span of 10 minutes, all it actually takes to fulfill one’s goal is an effective method and being physically and mentally prepared. Achievement cannot occur with half-hearted resolutions. In context of college students like you and me there are simple things that we can do. For example, consider a situation where a person’s resolution is to stress less throughout a semester and maintain better time management. Pretty feasible, huh? Having simple coping strategies or ways to de-stress through the help of roommates or friends or the various events arranged by on-campus organizations can be a valuable resource. Or, removing any sort of absolutes in one’s mind such as “I will never go out during the weekends and spend that time studying for the week ahead.” Remind yourself of all your successes and consider any roadblocks as motivating factors rather than negative setbacks. A positive attitude allows for positive results. And if for whatever reason 2011 does not offer you favorable advances, remind yourself that no matter what day it actually is, it’s never too late for a refreshing innovative start. Pooja Shah is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.
The Heights
A8
Monday, January 31, 2011
This horror flick gets very little ‘Rite’ By Joe Allen Heights Staff
So many exorcism movies have been churned out in the past few decades that any new film about demon possession must find a way to distinguish itself from the masses. Does The Rite, another horror film centered the rite: on exorcism, Mikael Hafstrom bring originality to a Contrafilm common movie topic? In one early scene, the movie breaks barriers by explaining exorcisms to the audience in a way that the 1973 Exorcist film never could, by showing the main character and moviegoers a classroom slideshow presentation. Unfortunately, this dull scene does set the tone for a movie that features yawns lurking around every predictable and dull corner. Before the opening credits, the ominous words “inspired by true events” flash on the black screen, almost daring the audience to doubt the film’s historical and artistic credibility. The movie then introduces Michael
D+
Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), the son of a mortician, who joins the seminary in an attempt to find meaning in his life. After four years of studying to enter the priesthood, Kovak still experiences a crisis of faith and tries to resign. Unhappy with Kovak’s decision, another priest tasks him with attending a class on exorcism in Rome where he is transferred to Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), a practicing exorcist, to ignite his belief in God and (pause for dramatic effect) the devil. At this point, one would expect all hell to literally break loose. Those expectations quickly fizzle after watching the film’s exorcism scenes, which range from mildly scary to downright laughable. When a possessed 16-year-old pregnant girl (played by an actress who seems nowhere near that age) screams “licketysplit” in a deep voice, the moment produces more jeers than gasps in the audience. Also, with a running time of over two hours, the exorcism scenes drag, and Mikael Hafstrom overdirects each one of them. Making matters worse, the screenplay, written by Matt Baglio and Michael Petroni, can put people to sleep faster than a late-night infomer-
cial. Listening to Kovak and Father Lucas constantly bicker about whether the devil exists or not might be realistic, but is also downright boring. Good acting could make up for this bad direction and terrible dialogue. By The Rite’s halfway point, however, one realizes that no one in the film can act besides Anthony Hopkins, and even the man behind Hannibal Lecter seems uninterested in the material. The nail in this horror dud’s coffin is lead actor O’Donoghue. He is brought to Father Lucas in the film after a stream of people tell the young priest that he is “special” and that he must learn how to exorcise because he seems so “promising.” The problem with these assertions is that O’Donoghue never once makes Kovak seem important, let alone priest-like. He stumbles through the film with a blank face, even when he should be frightened. If the main character never seems to be afraid, why should the audience be? A few scattered moments throughout offer glimmers of potential that the movie squandered. In a dream sequence, Kovak walks across a deserted square covered
‘Mechanics’ of plot are trite
courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
With this trite and typical exorcism plot, Hafstrom’s horror flick lacks inspiration or fear. in cloven hoof marks as voices close in on him. For every frightening scene like this, however, there are several scenes that will cause horror movie veterans to think, “I’ve seen this done better before.” During many of the non-exorcism scenes, one will hardly be aware that it is a horror film at all, with jokes and soothing music in the background.
In one defining moment, Kovak walks into his room to find that the devil has covered it in frogs. Instead of screaming, Kovak looks around like a clueless kid who has just been punked. After sitting through an hour and a half of lazy filmmaking only to arrive at a moment of such little payoff, the audience will feel punked as well. n
Box Office Report title
weekend gross
weeks in release
2 photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
1. the rite
15.0
1
2. no strings attached
13.6
2
3. the mechanic
11.5
1
Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com
Veteran actor Jason Statham rebels against the harsh machine that created him in director Simon West’s newest action packed film. By Tony Cuneo For the Heights
The Mechanic is a well-acted, wellphotographed film with an edgy, gritty aesthetic that provides all of the excitement and explosions promised in the trailer. the mechanic: H o w e v e r, none of Simon West Millenium Films these qualities can save the film from the fact that the storyline has been told too many times. A remake of a 1972 Bronson shoot-‘em-up by the same name, The Mechanic attempts to revive the genre of the relentlessly exciting, yet equally simplistic action story. The plot revolves around the cliche hit man turned rogue seeking revenge against the very organization that trained him because (conveniently) they forced him to murder his mentor. It’s a role that leading man, Jason Statham, has acted out himself in about a dozen consecutive pictures. Compared alongside its ’70s predecessor, The Mechanic communicates one unshakable truth about the American action film over the last 40 years – not much has changed. The action genre is one that is constantly being reinvented, but that reinvention comes always in the form of style, not plot. Whether it’s the jump-
C
cut narrative that made Lock Stock and the screen, not with their cohesion into Two Smoking Barrels an international a captivating plot. This is the thesis success, (the film where Statham first of the classic action film. If the explocoined his nimble-minded tough guy sions are sensational enough and the delivery) or the slow-to-fast motion gunfights well-choreographed, then action sequences in 300, the landmark the film has achieved its purpose on a innovations in action movies seem to level completely independent of story. always be of a visual nature. As long That certainly seems to be the as those innovations provide the ooh’s dominant thought in The Mechanic. and aah’s an audience really wants, Simon West, director of Con Air and it is possible to Tomb Raider as well as a trot out the same handful of other action tired story of the “The film is geared toward movies, adheres to the renegade, lonesame formula in The the greater purpose of wo l f h i t m a n Mechanic – a stylized retantalizing the audience taking on the telling of a boring story. world alone, time purley with the impressive Statham acts out his and time again. role within this formula, images on the screen, not I n t h e b e st just as he has in so many with ... a captivating plot.” films, the story other action flicks. Ben is what keeps the Foster thrives in the viewer in the seat. role of the bloodthirsty With each turn in the plot, the audience and ominously creepy gunslinger as he is provided with another set of reasons did in 3:10 to Yuma. The story is laid to find the characters compelling. The out in a linear fashion in service of the Mechanic does not provide this kind of hard-hitting scenes of improbable asstory. The story is a contrivance, exist- sassination and fierce combat. Once ing only to justify the seemingly endless again, the formula is the exact same. procession of bus explosions, dizzying For some, it adds another exciting gun battles, frenzied car chases, and shoot-em-up popcorn flick. For othdid I mention explosions? Everything ers it adds up to an hour and a half of in the film is geared toward the greater inane killing, all driving toward a tirepurpose of tantalizing the audience some conclusion where the protagonist purely with the impressive images on finally kills the guy he was trying to kill. n
7
9
4. the green hornet
11.5
2
5. the king’s speech
11.1
9
6. true grit
7.6
5
7. the dilemma
5.4
2
8. black swan
5.1
8
9. the fighter
4.0
7
10. yogi bear
3.1
6
bestsellers of hardcover fiction 1. the inner circle Brad Meltzer 2. the sentry Robert Crais 3. The girl who kicked the hornet’s nest Stieg Larsson 4. what the Night Knows Dean Koontz 5. dead or alive Tom Clancy
6. the help Kathryn Stockett 7. three seconds Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom 8. the confession John Grisham 9. cross fire James Patterson SOURCE: Publisher’s Weekly
‘Network’ stars find a lot more than just friends By Dan Siering
The Social Network was an utter success on all levels, receiving eight Oscar nominations and grossing well over $200 million worldwide. A film with such a lofty level of notoriety gives its actors incomparable exposure and the chance to quickly ascend the ranks of the Hollywood hierarchy. Two of the films most notable stars look to do just that, as Rooney Mara and Andrew Garfield have each taken on starring roles in two of the most anticipated films. Both Mara and Garfield have already shown that they are undoubtedly talented actors. However, it seems that the fate of their young careers will ultimately rest on their performances in these mega-productions. With both actors using the same launching pad to build their currently humble careers, one can’t help but wonder which star will be better equipped to make a lasting impact in their upcoming projects and propel themselves into the elite acting class. First up is Rooney Mara. The 25-yearold made the proverbial leap onto the Hollywood stage when she played Erica Albright in the aforementioned film. Albright, a minor but significant character, unintentionally inspires Zuckerberg to go
forth with his social networking ventures after breaking up with the lead character in the opening scene. With her performance, Mara caught the eye of many big players in Hollywood. Among those who were impressed were the executives at Sony Pictures, who had begun casting for the American film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Virtually every actress in Hollywood between the ages of 18 and 25 was linked to the lead role of Lisbeth Salander, but in August, the studio announced they had chosen Mara to play the computer hacker. A lot of the personnel from The Social Network will join Mara on the set of Dragon Tattoo, including director David Fincher and producer Scott Rudin. The amount of talent signed on for the film adds to the already high expectations for the American film adaptation. Stieg Larsson’s series, from which the films are based, has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, and the Swedish film adaptation received rave reviews in 2009. Noomi Rapace, who plays in Salander in the Swedish films, was praised so much that there was a large movement urging Sony to have Rapace reprise her role in American verison. After Rapace declined the suggestion, the role fell to Mara. The
task of satisfying fans’ high expectations and preconceived notions will be a strenuous task for the young actress, but these days, Fincher and Rudin are practically incapable of making a bad movie. Sticking with her Social Network colleagues seems like a foolproof way of making Rooney Mara a household name. Next is Mr. Garfield. Garfield gave a stoic performance on the silver screen as Eduardo Saverin, the best friend and business partner of Zuckerberg who ends up trusting his workmate a little too much. Many thought Garfield was cheated when he didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Nonetheless, Columbia Pictures were impressed enough to give Garfield the task of playing Peter Parker in the rather controversial Spiderman reboot. After Sam Raimi, the director of the first three Spiderman films, and Columbia parted ways due to creative and scheduling conflicts, the studio still wanted to milk the cash cow that was the Spiderman series. The answer? Brand new cast, brand new director, and brand new storyline. The relatively young Marc Webb, who directed the witty rom-com 500 Days of Summer, was hired to lead the pack of
entirely new cast members. For fans of Mary Jane Watson, don’t expect to see Spidey’s main love interest in the new edition. The reboot will focus on Parker’s high school sweetheart Gwen Stacey, a role given to emerging star Emma Stone. The fate of this movie really rests on the shoulders of Webb and Stone, who are making the collective jump into the drama/action sector. As
for Garfield, staring in one of the most profitable movie franchises will give him exposure that he really can’t get anywhere else. Let’s just hope that he can deliver his lines better than at the Golden Globes.
Dan Siering is a Heights columnist. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
photo courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
The fascinating and luminous Mara Rooney takes on a much edgier role in her next film.
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
A9
F.U.D.G.E. presents ‘Barefoot’ ‘Barefoot’, from A10
Sang Lee / Heights Staff
With impeccable, lightning-fast moves, DOBC dancers twirl their way across the stage.
DOBC variety puts dancers to the test DOBC, from A10 Army” by the White Stripes, choreographed by Cassie Callahan, LSOE ’13. When asked about her inspiration for her choreography, Callahan spoke of taking a different approach to typical DOBC dances. “With ‘Seven Nation Army’ I wanted to create a dance that had the audience captivated from the very beginning,” Callahan said. “We always have a lot of beautiful lyrical and modern dances, yet I wanted to capture the mood of these types of pieces and give it a dark and edgy twist.” With red lighting and bold movements, Callahan’s dance was a hit. The girls performing in the dance s p o rte d re d s h o rt - s h o rts , b l a c k leotards, and an oversized black long sleeve top for “Seven Nation Army” that matched the edgy choreography and music. Another high point of the show was a more reflective and emotional piece, “Swans” by Unkle Bob and choreographed by senior Juliet Gallagher. It was hard to turn your head away from the stage as the dancers wearing black sports bras and oversized shorts put in an incredible amount of emotion into this piece. This dance was extraordinarily moving for the audience and a surely unforgettable moment of the night. Awake was under the direction of Juliet Gallagher, A&S ’11. Her vigor and enthusiasm acted as a vehicle for
the success of Awake. When asked about having Gallagher as a director for this year’s show, Callahan had nothing but positive things to say. “Juliet was a true inspiration to the club this year through her strong commitment and dedication. She truly believed that we were capable of taking the club to the next level.” But it is not only the director that helps to make this performance a success year after year. When choreographing a dance, there’s a greater art behind each individual piece. “Each of the choreographers have an initial vision for their dance,” Callahan said. “Through collaborating with their dancers, they are able to create pieces that are a perfect balance of music choreography, energy, and passion.” Since returning after Christmas break, the DOBC has put in an unbelievable amount of hours rehearsing and perfecting each of the dances. It was clear this past weekend though that the dedication of all dancers involved truly paid off. Despite the diff icult range of genres in which members of the DOBC chose to choreograph, there was a clear, consistent unity of style throughout the show. There were a few slip-up moments of course, but that is to be expected of any sort of performance. All in all, the DOBC put on a remarkable show, characterized by creativity, inventiveness, and energy that any BC student would enjoy. n
its closet-sized bedroom and broken skylight, leaves little to be desired, but the couple believes, as Al Green says, love will keep them together. There couldn’t be two more different people, though. Corrie lives compulsively and tries to keep every moment lively and lovely. Paul is a rising lawyer who uses rationality to keep life afloat, despite his combatant desire to keep his marriage healthy. Also along for the ride is Corrie’s mother, Ethel (Sharon Kivnik), a single, neurotic woman who dotes on her daughter just a little too much for anyone’s liking. When Corrie meets eccentric Hungarian neighbor, Victor Velasco (Cliff Blake), she devises a plan to set her mother up with the poor but charming man. The ensuing evening becomes a wild, turbulent ride for everyone involved, particularly the not-so-happy new couple. Written by famed playwright Neil Simon, the show is a slice of 1963, the year when Fellini directed 8 ½, the year when protesters marched on Washington, the year the Beatles released “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Surely the
show caused quite a stir in the 1960s for its spot-on portrayal of a marital revolution, but for today’s audiences, the show feels rather stale. Many of the jokes are rooted in the culture of the ’60s. For an audience of college students, a majority of the punchlines bear few laughs and simply fall with a thud. Simon possesses an undeniable prowess with the written word, but it may not be appreciated by younger audiences. The cast brings his words to life, but the energy level continually fluctuates throughout. Admittedly, the show picks up its pace by the middle of the second act, but the first act moved rather slowly due to the actors’ portrayals. Cromartie and Harrington, a couple on stage and in real-life as well, have believable chemistry as the Bratters, but they occasionally play the roles too broadly to be believable as an actual couple. Harrington’s Corrie almost shines too brightly. Her unbridled enthusiasm feels too put upon, and her angered confrontation with Paul is over-the-top in a way that compromises both the laughs and the heart of the scene. Her best scenes are opposite Blake, where her charm truly comes to life as an impressionable young woman.
Black gets laughs for his comedic performance, purring his lines while being both goofy and alluring. Cromartie and Kivnik perform their roles the best, though, delivering great neuroticism with a heartwarming edge. Cromartie, despite his tall build, perfectly inhabits the de-masculated husband, balancing the broad comedy with the quiet, loving moments. Kivnik offers the greatest comedic portrayal, though. Her Ethel is a ball of raw nerves, and her willingness to please despite the absurdity of her situation is nothing if not amusing. Director Joe DeMita does well with the lightning-fast dialogue, keeping the actors in motion in an attempt to keep the pace up, but tempering down the broadness of the comedy would have kept the show running smoothly as opposed to weighing it down with leaden jokes. The technical aspects of the show worked for the small performing space. Bryan Prywes’ set design particularly does well capturing the New York City apartment, right down to the nauseating shade of the wall paper. This production is not ideal for the college set, but it’s an excellent view of marital comedy, and a preview of the promising future productions of the FUDGE company. n
Humorous, quirky illustrations put ‘Bigfoot’ diary over the top Bigfoot, from A10
pound … so scare by fire and sad about burn ravioli that Bigfoot just run … like Kerouac Bigfoot decide to travel land. Like Odysseus have hard time get back, romance some ladies and slay monster both figurative and real. Like OJ, just want run down highway for little while and clear name later.” Bigfoot’s journey of self-discovery hits some rough patches, as all are wont to do, and certain pages are graced with such titles as “Sad Times,” “Blind Date,” and my personal favorite, “Haters.” While not exactly chapters, since they typically run one to two pages, each details a hilarious point in Bigfoot’s path for self improvement and offers excellent advice for others to follow in the same path, “Maybe if eat Kelsey Grammer of
Frasier fame, will absorb him soul and all attribute like McDonald’s combo meal.” While the book’s deadpan jokes and pop culture references definitely provide the majority of the laughs throughout the story, as Roumieu is primarily an illustrator, the same offbeat and slightly offensive brand of humor shines throughout the drawings of Bigfoot and his many endeavors. Bigfoot at the statue of David turned away and chatting on a cell phone greets the reader on one of the first pages, followed by Bigfoot in fishnets and pink high heels. Almost every drawing depicts some sort of violent Bigfoot (in a well meaning way of course) and the captions that accompany many of the portraits of Bigfoot or his friends only add to the hilarity. One particularly well-meshed grouping
of illustrations and captions is a guide for “Everything Ever Want Know About Forest Animal” featuring M.C. HammerWoodpecker (Is a sucker M.C.), Victoria Butterfly (Tax Cheat), and Bernard Beaver (Al-Qaeda Sleeper Agent). The book covers many different topics related to life as Bigfoot and the trouble that comes with being the only one of your kind trying to survive in a world you know nothing about, but would like to appear like you do. As Bigfoot suggests in the back cover, “You like. Read book, change you life, maybe for better.” It should be noted that while the book is relatively short and consists largely of funny illustrations, it is not in any way suitable for children or easily offended readers, as it contains mild language and several depictions of Bigfoot in fishnet stockings. n
SPORTS The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
Section
B
Monday, January 31, 2011
Feeling Blue
gerry broome / ap photo
Nolan Smith (right) was unstoppable, scoring 28 points and dishing out eight assists. The Blue Devils prevented drives by Biko Paris (top left) and Reggie Jackson. Steve Donahue (bottom left) was unable to solve the Duke defense.
Jackson scores a season-low seven in blowout loss Don’t be discouraged by the loss to the Blue Devils By Dan Popko Heights Staff
Reggie Jackson was held to a season-low seven points while Duke put a pair of players over 20, as the Eagles fell 84 Duke 84-68 at Cameron Indoor Boston College 68 Stadium. Jackson came off the bench, due to undisclosed “practice” issues cited by Steve Donahue after game, for the first time this season. The junior was joined on the bench by freshman Danny Rubin in favor of Dallas Elmore and Corey Raji. Elmore (10 points) and Raji (18) shot a combined 11-for-17 from the floor but Jackson wasn’t able to do enough in his 32 minutes to overcome the high-powered Blue Devils’ offense. “We didn’t do anything on the defensive end,” Jackson told reporters. “We let them get good looks, and even when we did get stops, we didn’t box out and they had too many offensive boards. We have to tighten things up and figure out a way
to stop people.” ACC leading scorer Nolan Smith had 28 points to go along with eight assists to lead Duke. Sophomore Seth Curry had a season-high 20 in a good impression of his older brother Steph, shooting 5-for-7 from behind the arc, including one in transition from NBA range that seemed to put a final stamp on the game. “You look at his last name and you know his bloodlines,” Jackson said of Curry. “He’s a great shooter. Basically, they have seven guys any night who can go get you 20. Everybody can hurt you. We obviously let him get going, and then everybody else fed off that.” Despite Elmore and Raji’s efficiency, the Eagles didn’t get enough production from their usual suspects. Joe Trapani did his part with a 14-point, 11-rebound performance, but Jackson shot just three-for-11 and Biko Paris went fourfor-12 as BC shot 46 percent as a team, slightly
See Bedeviled, B4
Paul Sulzer There’s been a lot of negativity around the basketball team lately. Have people already forgotten the Eagles’ fast start to the season, against one of the most difficult out-of-conference schedules in the country? They took down a fantastic Texas A&M team in the Old Spice Classic, and a good Maryland team (at least according to basketball guru Ken Pomeroy) in College Park. They can beat anyone, so don’t let a short dry spell convince you otherwise. The Eagles hung with the Blue Devils in Durham on Thursday before Duke closed out the
first half on a 13-5 run, breaking open a one-point game. And this was without a fully functional Reggie Jackson, who was benched for the first fiveplus minutes (due to “practice” issues, said head coach Steve Donahue) and had his worst game of the year. The Eagles are going to struggle whenever their best player is held to seven points. But Jackson has otherwise been spectacular this year and has given us no reason to think his play will tail off. When Jackson does turn it around, the Eagles will be tough for defenses to stop. Corey Raji has become a more dynamic player than he ever was under Al Skinner. He’s always been able to clean the offensive glass incredibly well, even though he’s only 6-foot-6 and he’s often asked to play power forward. Now he can stretch the defense with the three, too. In his first 104 college games, Raji hit two or more 3-pointers four
See Reasons To Believe, B4
Two late goals give BC a comfortable win
Senior showcase
By Robert T. Balint Heights Staff
dave martin / ap photo
Linebacker Mark Herzlich (above) and tackle Anthony Castonzo represented Boston College in the Senior Bowl on Saturday. For more, see page B5.
i nside S ports this issue
Al Louis-Jean
A pair of late-game goals by freshmen Kevin Hayes and Bill Arnold sewed up what could Boston College 5 have been a UMass-Lowell 1 close game for the men’s hockey team, as Boston College beat UMass-Lowell by a score of 5-1 on Saturday Night at Lowell’s Tsongas Center. The win for the Eagles closes out a three-game season sweep of the River Hawks, the first since the 2007-08 season. “Of all the teams in the league, that’s been the one team that’s given us fits,” head coach Jerry York said in a phone interview on Sunday. “We’re 5-5-1 against them in the last four years. They’ve been a difficult opponent for us for a variety of reasons.” Lowell (4-20-2, 3-16-0 HE) kept the game close for the first two periods of play, allowing the Eagles (18-6-0, 145-0 HE) only one goal per period. Cam Atkinson gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead when he scored 4:43 into the game, assisted by Brian Gibbons and Joe Whitney from the far boards. In the second period, Lowell goaltender Marc Boulanger tried to clear the puck from River Hawk territory by sending it along the boards. BC forward Jimmy Hayes made a heads-up play when he intercepted the clearing pass and sent it right back into an empty net. Boulanger had not yet reset, and Hayes doubled the Eagles’ lead to 2-0 after 40 minutes of play. Seven minutes into the final pe-
Get to know BC’s newest football player, a four-star early enrollee................B5
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Junior Cam Atkinson scored twice as BC remained atop Hockey East with a 5-1 win at Lowell. riod, the River Hawks broke through the Eagles’ defense for the first time when Lowell forward Matt Ferreira found a way past BC goaltender John Muse. Ferreira’s teammate, Maury Edwards, took a shot, which was tipped by Shayne Thompson. Muse blocked the shot, then saved Ferreira’s first attempt off the rebound, but Ferreira stayed with it and scored from close range, reducing the Eagles’ lead to 2-1. With fewer than 13 minutes on the clock, the outcome of this Hockey East
An Unconventional Offense
The Eagles eskew easy shots like layups in favor of long-range opportunities......................B5
match-up was up in the air, and the sellout crowd got excited. “They had a lot of momentum,” York said. It was then, however, that the River Hawk defense broke down. Atkinson scored his second goal of the night and 19th of the season on a short-handed play two and a half minutes after Ferreira’s goal, controlling a crossing pass from Brian Gibbons and shooting for a back-
See Men’s Hockey Wins, B3
Quote of the Week.......................B2 Numbers to Know.......................B2
The Heights
B2
Late rally falls short
Weekend Roundup
Four Eagles named to U.S. national team
Women’s basketball loses at home to FSU
By DJ Adams
Assoc. Sports Editor
By Drew McKay For The Heights
After failing to click offensively against Georgia Tech last Sunday, the Boston Florida State 102 College women’s basketball team Boston College 93 needed to revamp its shooting approach. On Thursday night, behind senior forward Stefanie Murphy’s career-high, 30-point performance the Eagles had seemingly done that. In the end it wasn’t enough, as BC dropped its second straight match-up, 102-93, to No. 15 Florida State. BC knew that FSU liked to be methodical and slow the game down. Head coach Sylvia Crawley devised a gameplan that attempted to get FSU out of its comfort zone. The Eagles brought a new, faster offensive pace – one that the Seminoles were not used to facing. “I thought it was a very up-tempo game,” Crawley said. “Florida State usually likes to walk the ball up the floor. We tried a few things to get them to speed up.” The game’s first few minutes were symbolic of the Eagles’ tremendous first-half play. After BC won the tip, Jaclyn Thoman brought the ball up the floor and dished to Murphy in the paint. Murphy kicked it out to Kerri Shields who drained a 3-pointer. The Seminoles immediately responded, though, as they did all day. Cierra Bravard nailed a jumper off a Alexa Deluzio driveand-dish. The Eagles then scored again from downtown, as Carolyn Swords found a wide open Thoman who converted the three. FSU’s Deluzio countered with an easy layup on the other end. The scoring moved rapidly, with little pause between. The whole first half was identical to the game’s opening minutes. The Eagles shot exceptionally well, but after every BC make, FSU was able to respond with an easy bucket of its own. Although both teams scored at will, the Eagles did most of their damage from behind the arc, while the Seminoles scored the majority of their buckets in the paint. BC shot 70 percent from distance in the first half. This sharpshooting led to an eight-point Eagle lead
Monday, January 31, 2011
Nick Rellas / HEIGHTS Staff
Murphy scored a career-high 30 points, but could not carry the Eagles on her back alone. at one point. The extent of BC’s youth was evident in the last 10 minutes of the first half, though, as the team saw its lead evaporate through a series of turnovers and silly fouls. Tiffany Ruffin committed the cardinal sin of fouling Deluzio on a three-point attempt. Katie Zenevitch, despite being in good position, fouled FSU’s Chelsea Davis on a layup. Davis then converted the layup and the free throw easily. It seemed the freshmen mistakes were mostly because of inexperience and laziness. For example, Thoman made a brilliant dish to Zenevitch, but because her hands were down instead of in a position to catch the pass, the Eagles lost the ball. The freshmen did have some spectacular moments in the first half, however, as both Zenevitch and Kristen Doherty each went two for two from behind the arc. As play continued, FSU seemed to adjust to the Eagles’ up-tempo style. Despite the fact that BC shot 70 percent from three-point range and 59.4 percent on
field goals in the first half, the Eagles’ shot themselves in the foot with silly mistakes. The Seminoles led BC 49-48 at halftime. The Eagles continued to have a hot hand in the second half, but their marvelous shooting went unnoticed as foul trouble plagued the team. “All of our post players were in foul trouble, so it was just tough to really get going,” Crawley said. Murphy spent much of the second half on the bench with foul trouble. Swords and Korina Chapman both fouled out. Finally, Zenevitch played most of the second half with four fouls. Without experienced BC post players to slow her down, Seminoles forward Cierra Bravard put the team on her back and scored 18 second-half points. Bravard scored a team-high 21 points while Alexa Deluzio and Courtney Ward each scored 20. Murphy led the Eagles with a career-high 30 points, Jaclyn Thoman scored 17 to go along with five assists, and Zenevitch scored 13. n
Four members of the Boston College women’s hockey team – Blake Bolden, Molly Schaus, Kelli Stack, and Taylor Wasylk – were selected to the preliminary roster for the U.S. women’s national team that will play in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women’s Championship, in an announcement made by USA Hockey on Friday. The team currently consists of 30 players, but the athletes will take part in a training camp in Ann Arbor, Mich., from April 4-12, during which cuts will be made to set the final roster for the competition at 21 members. The camp will take place at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, home to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, and will feature two exhibition games against Canada on April 7 and 8. The finalized U.S. squad will then depart on April 12 for the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship, which runs from April 16-25 in Zurich and Winterthur, Switzerland. Schaus and Stack have been named to the team the past two years the event has taken place (2008, 2009), and were each selected to the U.S. roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Bolden and Wasylk, on the other hand, will be seeing action at the senior level for the first time. The preliminary roster includes 27 skaters (18 forwards, nine defensemen) and three goaltenders. The roster will be reduced by nine members to attain the final 21-player list. Class of 2015 recruit Alex Carpenter was also named to the roster and, at the age of 16, is the youngest player heading into training camp. Boston University Terrier Classic results — Senior Jon Bogosian of the men’s track and field squad won the high jump competition on Saturday at the Boston University Terrier Classic at the BU Track and Tennis Center. His height of 2.03 meters, the ninth best mark in school history, was also a personal best.
The Eagles posted 13 personal records over the two-day meet, which were highlighted by Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) qualifying times from senior Ian Thomas in the 1,000-meter race and sophomore Daniel Kane in the mile run. Thomas’ race was especially exciting, as the senior surged to the front of the pack with about 300 meters to go in the race, only to be overtaken by Providence’s Julian Matthews heading into the final turn. In the final push, though, Matthews won the race, posting a mark just 22-thousandths of a second better than Thomas’ time of 2:25.63. BC finished the meet with three strong performances in the 5,000meter race. Graduate student Brian Hughes and senior Theodore Doyle were in the same heat, running 2-3 for many of the early laps, before finishing with respectable times of 15:11.36 and 15:14.52, respectively.
Boston College 4, Yale 3 — The BC men’s tennis team bounced back from a 5-2 loss to Columbia last week and earned its first victory of the spring season with a 4-3 road win over No. 73 Yale on Saturday. The Eagles split the singles points, with Akash Muppidi earning a win in the No. 1 singles match when Yale No. 1 Marc Powers was injured during his doubles match and could not compete. The other BC victories included Jonathan Raude defeating Erik Blumenkranz, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in No. 4 singles and Jonathan Schroeder outlasting Joel Samaha at No. 5 singles in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. With the other three singles slots dropping their matches to Bulldog opponents, the winning point for the Eagles came from earning the seventh point for beating out Yale in two of the three doubles matches. The duo of Schroeder and Alex Skinner beat Powers and Daniel Hoffman of Yale in a closely contested battle, 9-8, while Erik Kruetzer and Adam Davison rolled easily to a 8-4 win over Bulldog tandem Blumenkranz and Patrick Chase. n
Stack scores four, fuels hot weekend for BC By Raychel Kruper Heights Staff
The No. 8 Eagles (15-5-4) have gone 3-0 against the Northeastern Huskies ( 14 - 8 - 4 ) t h i s Boston College 2 season, though 1 Northeastern their Sunday afternoon match-up at Kelley Rink was the closest contest of them all. The Eagles won, 2-1, completing a weekend sweep of Hockey East rivals. They defeated the Providence Friars 3-1 on Friday evening. “They’re a good team,” head coach Katie King said. “They have good goaltending. They have good players and they’ve worked on some points and I think they’re 11th or 12th in the country, so they’re good.
I would have liked to score more, but we ended with a win so that’s good.” The game opened with a scoreless first period. Each side a had a few scoring opportunities, with the shot count 9-8 slightly in the Eagles’ favor. Momentum for BC began to build towards the end of the period, yet neither team was able to convert on their chances even with multiple power-play opportunities. The Huskies struck gold first within the first two minutes of the second frame when Northeastern’s Kat Macsorley put the puck past BC goaltender Molly Schaus. The Eagles’ responded with an unassisted goal from Kelli Stack from just outside the right post at 10:13, who pushed the puck past Northeastern’s Leah
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
SPORTS in SHORT
Senior forward Kelli Stack was responsible for four of the five BC goals over the weekend.
ACC Basketball Standings Team
Duke North Carolina Florida State Clemson Virginia Tech Boston College Maryland Georgia Tech N.C. State Virginia Wake Forest Miami (FL)
Conference 6-1 5-1 5-2 4-3 4-3 4-3 4-3 3-4 2-5 2-5 1-5 1-6
Overall 19-2 15-5 15-6 15-6 14-6 14-7 14-7 10-10 12-9 11-10 8-13 12-9
Sulyma. “We need to really work on trying to start to get going before the other team scores a goal,” King said. “Sometimes we sit back and wait and once they score we realize we have to start playing and be more on the aggressive.” Just minutes later, after a penalty on BC’s Caitlin Walsh, the Eagles lit the lamp again on a shorthanded goal from Stack, who carried the puck to the net and put it away from just outside the crease. The score from the middle frame would hold for the rest of the game. Eagle forward Melissa Bizzari had a chance to put in the security goal on a breakaway midway through the third period, but lost control of the puck as she neared the net. The game ended 2-1, with the Huskies having the upper hand on shots with a tally of 27-25. The game served as Stack’s second straight two-goal game and Schaus recorded 26 saves on the day. “I thought she did a great job,” King said of Schaus’ performance. “There were a couple of times where we had people jump up on the play and she had been on the back end where we don’t have as many people back so they’ll get an oddman rush, but she did a great job making the saves that we really needed to keep in it.” Friday night at Kelley Rink, the Eagles took on Providence, and after having fallen to the Friars the previous weekend, BC pounced on its conference opponent this time, winning 3-1. The Friars were the first to light the
ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Only allowing two goals to two potent offenses, Schaus was a force between the pipes for BC. lamp during the first frame, but Stack was able to put a puck away in the same period to tie the game and give BC some momentum. Stack continued her hot streak by putting another puck past Friars’ goaltender Genevieve Lacasse on a power play, and Mary Restuccia put in the final goal of the night on a breakaway with just over one minute left in regulation. The Eagles outshot the Friars 35-17 and Schaus ended the game with 16 saves. BC has the opportunity to play the
Numbers to Know
7 Points for Reggie Jackson, a seasonlow, in the men’s basketball team’s 84-68 loss to Duke.
38
Seconds between the last two goals the men’s hockey team scored in its 5-1 win over UMass-Lowell.
30
Stefanie Murphy’s career-high in points, which she recorded Thursday night in a loss to Florida State.
Northeastern Huskies once more this season in the second round of the upcoming annual Beanpot tournament. “The Beanpot, in general, is just a fun tournament for us,” King said. “We’re lucky, especially towards the end of the season and towards playoff time, to have the experience of a championship in the middle of the season. Wins definitely help with the Beanpot coming up and the last part of the season in general. We really got to focus every game and be ready to come and play every game.” n
Quote of the Week “Coach Siravo and Coach Devine, they always let me know how they felt about me, and the opportunity here at BC. It just sat with me, in a good way.” — Al Louis-Jean
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
B3
Junior forward Carey quietly enjoys career year By Ryan Kiracofe Heights Staff
Fresh off a Saturday beatdown of UMass-Lowell and heading into Beanpot weekend 2011, Jerry York’s offense seems to be hitting its stride. Leading the way alongside BC’s vaunted first line of Cam Atkinson, Brian Gibbons, and Joe Whitney is junior forward Paul Carey. Less famed than his high-profile offensive teammates, Carey has had a quiet, yet impressive season. His 10 goals are fourth on the team, and his .196 shooting percentage is second only to Gibbons’. Yet the Weymouth, Mass., native was quick to deflect praise onto his teammates and York’s leadership. “I think I’m having a good season so far, but I also think that’s a byproduct of how well we’re playing as a team,” Carey said. “Everyone’s playing well. The lines are really working well together. It really helps that I’m paired up with good linemates every night out. It doesn’t matter who you’re with because everybody’s so good. I jut think that for the rest of the year our goals are all team-oriented, and we just want to get some trophies.” Next Monday’s date with archrival Boston University in the Beanpot has added meaning for Carey and the other Eagles from the Greater Boston area. “The Beanpot’s huge [for me],” Carey said. “It’s something to look forward to all year. Growing up locally, the Beanpot’s something I’ve always gone to and always wanted to play in. Now that I’ve got the chance, like other guys on the team from around here, all you want to do is win the Beanpot. It’s the first big test as far as seeing if you have what it takes to win a trophy.” The importance and history of a BC-BU Beanpot match-up isn’t lost on Carey. “There’s so much history between
alex trautwig /heights editor
Although Paul Carey’s name is not the first one that comes to mind when thinking of scorers, he’s fourth on the team with 10 goals. our schools, obviously. The Beanpot is historic in its own way, too, so playing BU in the first round definitely gets us geared up. You’re real excited to get out there and play.” Carey also spoke of the rising momentum of student support for the surging Eagles and the role they can play in the team’s stretch run. “There’s definitely more hype on campus thus year. We can tell from the attendance numbers, from the Beanpot
ticket sales, and how great the students have been coming to the games lately. We definitely appreciate it. It definitely helps. It means a lot looking up and seeing a lot of students in the stands.” Carey’s been a durable and consistent contributor through the season’s first 24 games and knows that the team’s health may be a key variable in the team’s quest for Beanpot, Hockey East, and NCAA titles. “I’ve definitely got some bumps and
bruises right now, but I’m in good shape. There’s a little bug going through the team right now, but everybody’s battling through all the injuries. It’s good to be healthy, knock on wood.” A 2007 fifth-round pick of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Carey has already surpassed his season-highs for goals (10 goals this year vs. nine in 2010) and is set to pass his career-high in assists (11 so far in 2011 vs. 12 in 2010). While he’s recorded a number of memorable goals
for the Eagles, including a tie-breaking third-period goal at home against UNH last March, as well as the team’s sixth goal in the Frozen Four romp over Miami, Carey hesitated to identify a single highlight of his BC career thus far. “There have definitely been some big goals, but it’s hard to pick one out for any of us because there’ve been so many great ones from so many guys in the team,” Carey said. “There’s nothing more important to this team than winning, so we certainly hope that our best goals are yet to come down the stretch this year.” In what will ultimately prove to be Carey’s best season yet on the Heights, he said nobody will be able to tell until the end of the campaign if this is his best team yet. “It’s hard to tell,” Carey said. “It’s definitely been a great season for us so far, but we won’t be able to tell until it’s all said and done and we hopefully have some trophies on the shelf.” Carey had a big weekend series against BU and UMass-Lowell earlier this month. He racked up two assists in a 3-2 victory over the Terriers, then broke a 2-2 deadlock with a power-play goal in the 5-3 home win over the Riverhawks. With the Eagles set to ascend to a No. 1 national ranking and sitting in first place in Hockey East, Carey’s picked the right time to get hot. “It’s national championship or bust,” Carey said. The Eagles will need his big performances to continue in order to make the goal become a reality. “Going into every year, winning every trophy is our goal. We want the national championship, the Beanpot, the Hockey East title. It’ll be a disappointment if we don’t achieve those goals because that’s what we’re focused on. Personally, I just need to keep plugging away to make sure I do everything I can to help us get there.” n
Hockey east roundup
BU remains five points back By Raychel Kruper Heights Staff
alex trautwig / heights editor
Steven Whitney and the Eagles were too quick for the River Hawks, skating to a season sweep.
Eagles wear down River Hawks, 5-1 Men’s Hockey Wins, from B1
side goal. “We got a big-time play from our two leading scorers [Atkinson and Gibbons],” York said. “Cam’s goal turned the game.” The Eagles kept up the attack throughout the third, peppering the beleaguered Boulanger with shot after shot. The Lowell goaltender finished with 38 saves, and has registered at least 35 stops in his last two starts. BC outshot Lowell 43-30, however, and the Eagles’ persistence, having outshot the River Hawks 18-7 in the third period, was rewarded. Freshman Kevin Hayes, who suffered a knee injury earlier this season, scored off of an assist from Barry Almeida and Bill Arnold at 18:06. Arnold came away with a goal of his own just 38 seconds later. “Both are very good freshmen, pivotal guys,” York said. “[Hayes] has elevated his game, and will be one of our main guys
down the stretch.” The late-game rally catapulted the Eagles to a 5-1 lead, which they would maintain until the final buzzer rang, closing out a sweep of this season’s threegame series with the River Hawks. Goaltender John Muse played outstanding, York said. Muse made 29 saves in the game to secure his 15th win of the season. With Saturday’s win, along with last week’s victories over Lowell and Boston University, the Eagles have a three-game winning streak. Although the stadium was sold out, a few hundred BC students made the trip out to Lowell, lending enthusiastic vocal support to the team’s efforts. The head coach tipped his hat to junior Adam Marchany, who organized the trip to the away game. BC has led the Hockey East conference this year in attendance, averaging about 6,400 per game. “You need a lot of those really rabid fans,” York said, “a lot of gold shirts.” n
The Boston University Terriers and University of Maine Black Bears skated to a 1-1 tie Saturday night at the Alfond Arena in Orono, after the Terriers toppled the Black Bears 4-3 on Friday night, battling back from a 3-1 deficit. The goaltenders were nonexistent when the game opened, as both teams scored on their first shots of the game in the first period. Despite the early slip-ups, the goaltenders picked up their level of play and rejected anything that came near the net. BU’s goaltender Kieran Millan made 41 saves to keep the Terriers alive, while Maine’s Martin Ouellette recorded 19 saves of his own. Maine scored just 21 seconds from the opening faceoff on a goal from Will O’Neill from the left point. Just under seven minutes later, BU’s Joe Pereira scored off a two-on-one pass from Chris Connolly, who intercepted a Black Bear pass at center ice. The tie reflects the best possible outcome of this game for BC, as the Terriers three-point gain keeps them in No. 3 in the Hockey East rankings, safely behind the Eagles, who remain tied for first with New Hampshire. The Black Bears remain in fifth, gaining one point on the weekend
series.
New Hampshire 5, Providence 1 — The Wildcats took down the Providence Friars twice, 5-2 on Friday night and 5-1 Saturday. The sweep keeps New Hampshire tied with BC atop of the Hockey East standings. During Saturday night’s game, the Wildcats took a quick lead on a power play at 8:55 of the first period. The Friars tied the game at 1 at the beginning of the second period before New Hampshire blew the game wide open by scoring four goals. The Wildcats’ sweep doesn’t sit well for the Eagles, since the teams are fiercely battling for first place in Hockey East. The Eagles have played two more games than the Wildcats this season, but, depending upon how those two games fare for the Wildcats, BC could be at risk of being bumped from the top spot. Northeastern 2, UMass 2 — The Huskies tied the UMass Minutemen 2-2 on Saturday night, although Northeastern won 3-0 the night before. In Saturday’s contest, Northeastern’s Wade MacLeod struck gold just 33 seconds into the game to give the Huskies an early 1-0 lead. The Minutemen battled back and, within a 2-minute stretch in the same period, scored two goals of their own, courtesy of Chase Langraap and
Michael Pereira. The equalizing goal for the Huskies came just three minutes into the second period, which was MacLeod’s second goal of the night. While the Huskies walked away with a three-point weekend, and the Minutemen left with a tally of their own, their play does not threaten the position of the Eagles, as they stand in sixth and seventh, respectively. Merrimack 7, Vermont 1 — The Merrimack Warriors took down the Vermont Catamounts twice this weekend, 2-1 and 7-1 on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Warriors’ Chris Barton, Mike Collins, and Carter Madsen each netted a goal in the first period to put the Warriors up 3-0 before the Catamounts responded with one of their own. In the last five minutes of the period, the Catamounts Josh Burrows batted the puck out of the air and into the net, cutting the Merrimack lead. The Warriors went on to score four more goals over the final two frames, capturing a series sweep in the process. The four-point gain for Merrimack puts the Warriors one point ahead of the Black Bears, yet they still pose no threat to the No. 1 Eagles. The Catamounts’ pointless weekend reflects their poor season to date. They sit in ninth. n
alex trautwig / heights editor
Kieran Millan stood tall in net for the Terriers, turning away 41 shots to preserve a 1-1 tie and keep Boston University in third place.
The Heights
B4
Monday, January 31, 2011
Blue Devils dominate Eagles in easy win
Don’t give up on the Eagles so quickly Reasons To Believe, from B1
times. In the last nine games, he has done it seven times. Joe Trapani is playing just as well as Raji after starting the season slowly. Over the past seven games, his shot selection has been fantastic, with the exception of the Florida State game, in which he launched eight threes. He has otherwise played closer to the basket, where he and Raji have developed into quite the tandem when the Eagles go small. Jackson is the key to the offense, though, because he creates shots for everyone else. He beats his man off the dribble better than anyone in the ACC with the exception of Nolan Smith. Danny Rubin and Biko Paris need Jackson to play well so he can drive and kick to them on the wings or in the corner for uncontested shots. Rubin in particular has struggled without Jackson feeding him the ball. In his past 68 minutes (five games), he has just three points. That’s right, three. No one needs Jackson to be playing well more than the freshman small forward. Jackson and the Eagles will have the perfect opportunity this week to prove that they’re better than they’ve played in the past four games. Visitors North Carolina (Tuesday, 9 p.m.) and Virginia Tech (Saturday, 1 p.m.) are two of the teams they are battling for the byes in the ACC tournament and potential berths in the NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels are on a three-game winning streak, but they’ve been feasting on the bottom half of the ACC on their way to a 5-1 start in the league. They’re very balanced. The flip side to that is that they don’t have a go-to scorer. None of their players average more than 14 points per game. Who will they turn to in crunch time? Harrison Barnes has a lot of hype but is incredibly inefficient from the floor. The Tar Heels are very beatable. So are the Hokies, who have already lost to Georgia Tech and Virginia, but beaten Florida State and Maryland. Malcolm Delaney is their Reggie Jackson – stopping Delaney effectively shuts down Virginia Tech. Ask the Yellow Jackets. They were in his face all game, holding him to eight points on three-of-11 shooting in a 72-57 upset. So let’s wait before issuing a final verdict on the season. The focus has to be on the future because there’s still plenty to play for. If the Eagles don’t win either game this week, then the negativity will be much more justified.
Bedeviled, from B1
below their season average. Elmore made his first two shots but the Eagles hit just three of their first 13 shots from the floor. Despite their inefficiency early, they defended stoutly and tied the game at 11 on a Trapani threeball nearly halfway through the first half. The two teams traded baskets and Boston College remained within a single basket with just over three minutes remaining before the break. Curry was fouled in the act of shooting while behind the arc and hit all three freebies to put Duke up four. Curry then hit another triple on the next possession as the Blue Devils began to pull away. BC’s defense, which was tough early crumbled late in the first half and didn’t get any better after the break. Trapani had a pair of buckets early in the second to get the game within five but the Eagles went cold. Courtney Dunn scored the only two points in the next four minutes as Duke stretched the lead to double-digits. After a Raji three brought the Eagles back within eight, the Blue Devils rattled off an 11-2 run on their way to a 17-point lead. BC never was within 13 points of Duke again. Despite a decided size advantage, Duke wasn’t able to dominate the glass as much as could be expected, as both teams pulled down 31 boards, thanks mainly to Trapani and some active work on the boards by Josh Southern, who finished with seven rebounds, four on the offensive end. Though the Eagles were able to keep the bigger Blue Devils out of the paint, Duke was able to make them pay from the outside. The threepointer has been the calling card of both teams all season but the No. 3 Blue Devils got the better of the battle on Thursday. The Eagles hit just 35 percent from beyond the arc, hitting on seven of their 21 attempts. Duke drilled 10 of its 20 shots from deep, half coming from the hot hand of Curry. Usually sure-handed, the Eagles turned the ball over 13 times, nearly twice as many times as their opponent let go of the ball. They have managed to continue their early season ball control, remaining one of the top teams in the ACC in holding on to the basketball, but haven’t been able to force as many turnovers as they had against weaker opposition once they got into conference play. n
gerry broome / ap photo
Duke senior guard Nolan Smith rose above the Eagles on his way to an impressive 28-point, eight-assist performance.
Paul Sulzer is the Sports Editor of The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.
ACC roundup
Red Storm upset Duke By Ryan Kiracofe Heights Staff
Head coach Steve Lavin’s St. John’s Red Storm slammed the No. 3 Blue Devils yesterday at Madison Square Garden, 93-78, completing one of the season’s most stunning results to date. The game wasn’t as close as the 15-point final margin indicates, with St. John’s leading by as many as 25 and completely outclassing its bigger-name opponent. Dwight Hardy and Justin Brownlee led the way for the Red Storm with 26 and 20 points, respectively. St. John’s had lost three in a row and five of six, but outhustled the talented Blue Devils in just about every facet of the game. The result may have an effect on BC’s tournament chances down the road, as Duke has been the ACC’s only marquee team so far this season. No. 22 Florida State is the only other ACC team in the Top 25, and the Blue Devils’ crushing defeat at the hands of a mid-level Big East foe may have major repercussions on the league’s image come Selection Sunday. Clemson 62, No. 22 Florida State 44 — Yet another ACC title contender fell by the wayside as Clemson upset the Seminoles on Saturday. It was a surprising loss for one of the league’s best road teams, and may further damage the ACC’s image as FSU will likely fall out of the Top 25, leaving Duke as the only representative. The team’s leading scorer, Chris Singelton, scored just two points before the last five minutes, and ended up with eight. “There are moral victories and I guess there are moral losses,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton told reporters. “Hopefully we learn from this that life on the road in the ACC this year will be a lot of these type of games for
the visiting teams.”
Wake Forest 76, Virginia 71 — The Demon Deacons recorded their first ACC victory of the season, rallying to defeat Virginia on Saturday in Winston-Salem. Wake saw double-digit point contributions from six players, overcoming a career-high 15-point effort from massive Virginia center Assane Sene. The Cavs had lost an astounding nine consecutive games at Wake Forest, and had lost five of six overall. Virginia led by 11 with 13 minutes to play, but Wake’s Ty Walker, who had scored just 8 ACC points previously in his career, sparked the Demon Deacon rally. He made consecutive baskets to give Wake a 58-57 lead with under six minutes to play, and his team held on, sparking wild celebrations on the bench after an important victory for much-maligned first-year coach Jeff Bzdelik. North Carolina 84, NC State 64 — Roy Williams’ Tar Heels roughed up in-state rivals NC State behind a 25point effort from freshman Harrison Barnes. It was a season-high point total for Barnes, the first freshman ever voted to the AP preseason All-America team. North Carolina improved to 5-1 in the ACC and moved to a half-game behind conference leaders Duke heading into Tuesday night’s match-up on the Heights. UNC’s John Henson added an impressive 16 points, 16 rebounds, and seven blocks in a comprehensive victory that saw the Tar Heels surge to a double-digit lead in the game’s opening three minutes. The result was never in doubt, as the lead swelled to as many as 27 late in the second half. The Wolfpack were without their starting point guard, freshman Ryan Harrow, who was out with an undisclosed illness. NC State shot a dismal 36 percent from the field and were outrebounded by a 53-39 margin. n
Kathy Willens / ap photo
The Red Storm built up a 21-point halftime lead and coasted to victory despite allowing Duke to score 53 second-half points.
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
B5
Four-star recruit Louis-Jean ends up at BC By Greg Joyce
Asst. Sports Editor
If you saw Al Louis-Jean walking around campus, he might just seem like any other football player. Boston College sweatshirt, BC sweatpants, BC beanie. He even plays video games with Montel Harris and Colin Larmond. But Louis-Jean isn’t just any other football player. The 6-foot-1 cornerback from Brockton, Mass., is the newest member of the recruiting class of 2015, and the first to enroll at BC, along with defensive end Mehdi Abdesmad. Louis-Jean graduated from high school in December, enabling him to complete a semester of college and spring practices before playing a snap of football. “I probably decided that my junior year when I started getting a lot of offers,” Louis-Jean said. “I decided that I would graduate early to get an extra semester under my belt and participate in spring ball, which will hopefully contribute to me being able to play as a freshman.” Originally, the four-star recruit was headed to the University of Miami, after committing to them during March of his junior year. He was drawn by then head coach Randy Shannon, whom Louis-Jean cited as a coach who acted as a “father figure.” But after Miami finished the season with a disappointing record of 7-5, Shannon was fired, and it was time for Louis-Jean to reconsider his commitment. “Everything was all set, I was set in stone going to Miami,” Louis-Jean said. “And then they fired the coach, and I de-committed. And then after that, recruiting got kind of hectic.” Everybody wanted LouisJean after he de-committed, including many teams that hadn’t initially recruited him. The list included LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida, USC, and Oregon, besides almost every other team in the SEC. “They all came at me, but since I was graduating early I didn’t really want to get to know
Close to Home Until just a month ago, Louis-Jean was a senior at Brockton High School, an annual powerhouse in high school football in Massachusetts. His career there was a unique one, and he showed his potential early on. Louis-Jean said that typically, sophomores never play varsity at Brockton. But he was the exFirst Impressions Ever since he started playing ception to that rule, starting organized football in fifth grade, on the varsity squad in just his Louis-Jean grew up dreaming second year. “It was a great experience about playing in the D-I arena. That dream first became a reality playing with a lot of great playwhen he attended BC’s summer ers, playing against a lot of great camp, and was offered a scholar- players,” Louis-Jean said. “It ship at the end of camp. It was was a great time.” Besides football, Louis-Jean the first school that offered him a scholarship, and it may have ran track, and also played basbeen that first impression that ketball in his first two years. He originally thought helped BC land about playing such a heralded “I just knew BC basketball in colrecruit. lege, but ended up Throughout always had a football, the process, deplace for me. This choosing knowing that he fensive backs coach Mike Siravo coaching staff had had to pick one and offensive line been recruiting me ove r t h e o t h e r and give his full coach Sean Devine had their eye on since my sophomore attention to that t h e p r i z e , a l - year, and it’s home, sport. “I thought ways making sure so I knew it was the about playing basLouis-Jean knew right place.” ketball in college, how much he was but I was realizing wanted at BC. you had to com“Ever since [the -Al Louis-Jean mit to one or the camp], we have Four-star recruit other,” said Louisbeen in touch,” Jean. “With footLouis-Jean said of Devine and Siravo. “They ball you would have to lift and just seemed real genuine. They go to all the camps and things didn’t seem like all the schools like that. If not, basketball you I’ve been to. They just seemed have to be practicing on your different from all the coaches, game constantly. So I just chose and that was along with Miami football.” Brockton is about 40 minutes too. Miami, their coaching staff was a little different from the away from Chestnut Hill and rest, too. That’s why I liked both Louis-Jean said he is looking forward to having his family schools. “Coach Siravo and Coach nearby like he has throughout Devine, they always let me know his football career. “Even when I was committed how they felt about me, and the opportunity here at BC. It just to Miami, I was realizing what it would be like to be away from sat with me, in a good way.” Those two coaches have still home for that long of a time,” been there for Louis-Jean since he said. “After all my games he arrived on campus a few since Pop Warner, high school, my family’s been there to conweeks ago. “Coach Siravo was here at my gratulate me after games. So if orientation day, and Coach Devine I could do that at BC, too, at a was here on my first day of class, so Division I college for football, why not?” I got to talk to him,” he said. a whole new coaching staff in so little time,” Louis-Jean said. “So BC was the place.” “I just knew BC always had a place for me,” he added. “This coaching staff had been recruiting me since my sophomore year, and it’s home, so I knew it was the right place.”
Early Transition While most other freshman are living on Upper Campus or Newton Campus, Louis-Jean has settled into his eight-man in Walsh Hall. His direct roommate is offensive lineman John Wetzel, and his other roommates include Kevin Pierre-Louis, Jim Noel, Kasim Edebali, and Josh Bordner. Getting put with the upperclassmen, including Pierre-Louis, who enrolled early last year, has been a big help for Louis-Jean’s transition. “They all just look out for me, and give me pointers on anything, [answer] any questions I have,” Louis-Jean said. “Kevin Pierre-Louis, too. He’s in my suite and he did what I’m doing right now last year, so he’s a good help to me.” Overall, Louis-Jean said the transition from high school to college life has gone pretty smoothly. “The transition’s been a good one,” he said. “It’s been a little tough. I’m learning on the go, especially with school and stuff. We just started workouts on Monday, and I’m moving into that. They’re still teaching me how to do all the correct movements in the weight room so I can know how to do everything before I actually lift the weights. But it’s been a smooth transition.” As for the academic side, Louis-Jean is still learning the ins and outs of BC classes and time management. “I’m realizing that I have to check Blackboard Vista, the website that they use, I’m realizing I have to check that more often. I’m realizing that when you have free time, do some work, and not to go hang out with your friends or waste time.” In just the few weeks that he’s been at BC, Louis-Jean has been taken in by all of his teammates, whether it’s been during drills, or even while playing video games. He’s already fitting in with his team and settling in nicely on the Heights. His time to stand out from the crowd will come once he steps foot on the field for live snaps. n
Tim Correria / AP Photo
Tim Casey / Gatorcountry.com
BC’s recruiting class was given a major boost when Louis-Jean committed.
Struggling offense needs a spark Conrad Kaczmarek
Dave Martin / AP Photo
Herzlich took full advantage of the Senior Bowl, using it to shoot up draft boards.
Herzlich ups stock By Paul Sulzer Sports Editor
Mark Herzlich and Anthony Castonzo wore their Boston College helmets for the final time on Saturday in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl, which their North team lost, 2410. The Senior Bowl is one of the main showcase events for elite graduating players before April’s NFL Draft. Herzlich finished with three tackles, while Castonzo gave up a sack while playing across the offensive line. “It feels great,” Herzlich told reporters. “I played well in this game and had fun. That’s what it’s all about.” Perhaps no player in the draft has seen his stock rise and fall as much as Herzlich, who was a projected first-round pick before he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in May 2009. He returned a year later to post 65 tackles, two fumbles forced, and four interceptions. He was so impressive in his comeback that scouts have
upgraded him from a possible fourth or fifth-round pick to the second round, despite lingering concerns about his long-term health. As for Castonzo, he was slated to start at left guard before injuries forced him to right guard. He played neither position at BC. He ended up playing at left and right tackle later in the game. Brooks Reed of Arizona beat him for a sack while Castonzo was playing left tackle. “I felt I played fairly well, but not up to my standards at all,” Castonzo wrote on his blog at CBSSports.com. “All that means is that I have plenty to work on for my impending professional career.” Entering the Senior Bowl, Castonzo graded out as a mid first-round pick. Reports on his performance in the practices leading up to the game were mixed. He currently stands as a mid-to-late first-round pick according to ESPN draft experts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, Jr. n
Most authorities on basketball strategy will tell you that they like 3-pointers but they love layups. Twenty-one games into the 2011 season, the Boston College Eagles seem to have the philosophy backwards. BC has earned the reputation as a team that shoots from behind the arc as much as any other team around the country and is known as a team that “lives and dies by the three.” This offensive strategy was incredibly effective to start the season as the Eagles got off to a fast 11-4 start, averaging 75.4 points per game during that span. As ACC play has picked up, however, the Eagles are just 3-3 in the last 6 games, scoring only 70 points per game. A five-point drop off per game may not seem like a huge difference, but it is apparent to even the average spectator that the BC offense is not nearly as effective as it was early in the year. This is no knock on the Eagles’ start under new head coach Steve Donahue. He has clearly gotten this team playing a new, exciting brand of basketball while putting together a record that ranks in the top third of the extremely competitive ACC. The concern arises from the fact that the Eagles’ most dangerous weapon has been contained by several of the ACC’s top defenses in recent weeks. The Eagles were stifled offensively against FSU and Duke this past week, scoring only 51 and 68 points, respectively. If this is a sign of things to come, BC may be in trouble. It isn’t easy to determine the cause of the struggles. Have teams figured out the Eagles’ offensive schemes? Has the competition simply been ratcheted up as a consequence of difficult conference play or is BC merely experiencing a shooting slump? As you might have imagined, it is a combination of all three factors.
Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor
In order to get their season back on track, the Eagles will need to find a way to win when Reggie Jackson’s shooting is off. There is never a simple solution to these types of issues. It is obvious that excellent shooting ability is what will power this team and it is up to Donahue to figure out how to emphasize the advantages that his team possesses. Another area of concern for BC is the play of standout guard, Reggie Jackson. After starting the season on a complete tear, averaging 19.6 points per game through the first 18 games, Jackson has understandably cooled off in the past three contests. It is not the decline of Jackson’s play that is worrisome, but rather the performance of the team as a whole when he is not at his best. While Jackson was struggling against Florida State and Duke’s defenses, every offensive possession was an adventure.
Running the offense through Joe Trapani only works for so long. As the season progresses, opposing teams will start to play a bigger man on Trapani, who is relatively undersized for the power forward position at 6-foot-8, in the post and close out on his three-point attempts. It then becomes vitally important for BC to develop some sort of offensive rhythm for the rare occasions that Jackson is unable to carry the load. One final and startling observation about the Eagles’ season thus far is the importance of tempo. Boston College is a pedestrian 3-6 when scoring under 70 points this year, while posting an impressive 11-1 record when eclipsing the 70point mark. The game against Florida State was exactly the type of contest that the Eagles
will look to avoid the rest of the year. Boasting explosive guards and knockdown shooters, BC is not equipped for slow, “grindit-out” types of games. The best strategy is to maximize possessions in order to take full advantage of BC’s superior shooting ability. The Eagles currently hold a 14-7 overall record and are 4-3 in conference play. Nine games remain, including several key match-ups with conference rivals North Carolina and Virginia Tech. BC looks to shake its two-game slump and get back on track when the Tar Heels visit Conte Forum tomorrow at 9 p.m. The game will be aired nationally on ESPN. Conrad Kaczmarek is a guest columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.
The Heights
B6
Monday, January 31, 2011
Club Spotlight
Smooth skating for united, dedicated team
The club figure skating team at Boston College competes locally, with an upcoming event at Boston University, and in other states as well. Composed of 16 disciplined skaters, the team practices at Kelley Rink in the early morning. By Therese Tully Heights Editor
Kelley Rink at Conte Forum typically conjures up images of hockey players decked out in full padding slamming each other into the plexiglass walls. The arena is filled to capacity for these games, and Superfans cheer their hardest every time the Eagles score a goal. These hockey players are nationally known for their skills, and prestige is attached to their names. In the wee hours of the morning, however, another group utilizes Kelley Rink, after going through much administrative red tape. A trip to Conte Forum at 5:30 a.m. will reveal one of the most dedicated groups on campus, a group that few even know exists. The club figure skating team at Boston College is forced to take the ice at an hour when most students are sleeping because it is the only ice time they are allowed, and as awful as they say it is waking up so early, they do it because they love their sport. “We are doing the best we can with the ice we are given,” says Becky Card, A&S ’14. This club team is coached in part by Merita Mullen, who works on a voluntary basis, leaving the organization largely student-run. Helping lead the team are Emily Palmquist, club president and A&S ’11, and Kate Froehlich, club vice president and A&S ’12. In particular, the encouragement of the team leaders is much needed during training week, which is a mandatory week
of intense practice that occurs before the rest of the student body returns from winter break. Working so closely in such an intense manner also helps bring the team closer together. “I would say after training week everyone gets a lot closer,” says Jamie Ferraro, A&S ’13. “We are together all week. The fact that we practice so early in the morning is helpful. So we bond over how miserable we all are,” she says, jokingly. Most team members would agree the team is truly a family and a support system. “It’s a small club so you make good friends,” Palmquist says. “It creates a mentoring program.” “Last year, it was a lot different,” Ferraro says. “We did two competitions, the main one was in Lowell, so we went there and came back. Since it was so close it did not give us as much of an opportunity to bond as a team. This year I am a lot closer to the girls than I was last year.” It is important that these 16 girls are close, because in their unity they can overcome many of the obstacles their sport presents. Dedication is clearly not lacking on this team, which not only struggles for ice time at Conte Forum but is also forced to carpool to other locations as a last resort. Club figure skating lacks the funds and prestige of the other teams with which they share Conte Forum. One of the greatest struggles faced by the skaters is the decline in financial support they receive from the administration at BC. “We have lost a lot
of finances and support from the school, so it’s great that we are able to still come together and compete together as a team,” Palmquist says. The team competes both locally, with an upcoming event at Boston University, and in other states such as Connecticut, so fan support is difficult to come by. Fortunately for those interested in seeing the incredible feat that is synchronized skating, the team holds an exhibition every year that serves to spread awareness and garner support for the girls. “People don’t usually realize figure skating actually exists so it’s nice to have that,” Palmquist says. Those with previous experience skating at this level are welcome to join the team, which looks for new members in the fall. “We are only allowed to put 16 people on the ice to compete, but we can have alternates,” Froehlich says. “Ideally, we would have 20 people on the team.” The girls love this team, and hope to see it continue to flourish, as it has in the past. Few clubs at BC exhibit the amount of heart that these girls have. “It’s a unique love, you can’t fake this,” Palmquist says. “You have to have loved skating for a long time and you get to share it with a small group here.” This club is different, Froehlich says. “It’s like a lot of clubs on campus are fueled by interest, or study, or as a resume builder, but this is something everyone is on because they love the sport and love to be on the ice.” n
Nicholas Rellas / Heights Staff
Study Abroad
Padeanu challenges herself in Montpellier By Iulia Padeanu For The Heights
When you greet someone in France, you always kiss them on the cheek three times. It does not matter if you know them, are just meeting them, or have never even been introduced to them before. There is no obligation to say anything, not even your name, but you absolutely must kiss on the cheek. I always knew it was polite, and sometimes even necessary, to follow custom, but I never really realized how much people kept to their traditions until I was invited to a French girl’s soiree. I had never met the girl, Clem, but had been introduced over Facebook (as a typical child of the 21st century) by another mutual friend. Determined to take any opportunity to meet new and especially French students, I decided to accept her invitation. As soon as I walked through the door she embraced me with the three customary kisses on the cheek. I assumed that since we were girls, had previously communicated and had just met face-to-face, that was only to be expected. But two more guys who came in right after also came up to kiss my cheek, and five more after. They did not sit down until each and every one of them had kissed me. A few moments later, another girl walked in. All the guys that had previously come in were sitting down around a small table in the living room. There were seven guys in total. There’s no way, I thought to myself, no matter what custom dictates, that this girl will kiss every single one of these people. But she did, three times. To me, it looked bizarre. Back
in the United States so much of what we do is driven by comfort, and kissing everyone in the room three times on the cheek would definitely be a hassle. But here, in Montpellier, customs like these not only still exist, but are alive and will keep going, as the generation of today abides by them consciously. Traditions seem to sneak up on you in the weirdest ways. I would have never considered bringing a bottle of wine to a dinner party strange, let alone rude. However, when I mentioned my intention of buying wine for Clem’s party, my roommate Eva was shocked. Eva, a student at University of Minnesota, has been living in Montpellier for the year, studying as I am at the university here in Montpellier. She has come to know both the French as well as the familiar American customs, and understand how discrepancies can so easily turn into huge cultural gaps. I did not want to bring wine to dinner, she said, because in France that implies that the host (usually the person also preparing and serving the meal) does not have good taste in wine. To an ignorant American like me, bringing wine to a dinner party seemed like a perfectly legitimate idea. And so I decided that this one time I would be different, and instead of trying so hard to fit into the French mold, instead of trying and failing at being French, I would just be myself. So I purchased a bottle of nice red wine and decided that, since I was American, and in America wine is what you bring to a party, it would be my way of embracing the fact that I was, after all, the American at the party that night. I would stand out with or without the wine. Thankfully, the students
I met at Clem’s were much more typical students than they were typical French. Almost every single one of them brought some sort of drink, and some even brought chips and snacks. The night was an awkward, mellow affair, but I was delighted to be surrounded by a group of people that talked about similar and completely different things than what I was used to. They talked about movies, but movies I had never heard of. They played music, some which was very familiar, and some that was totally unfamiliar. They were loud and happy, much like a group of American students would be. One thing I doubt any of them really understood was exactly how poor my French comprehension was. I don’t think it was difficult to understand that my French conversational skills were basic at best, but I definitely think they overrated my ability to understand them, as they fired across the room French slang in a typical southern accent. I spent most of the night speaking to a guy named Emanuel, who, just four months before, had emigrated to France from Reunion, a small island just right of Madagascar. To be fair, he was the one doing most of the talking. I was just struggling to listen and try to understand. It was frustrating to be among people my own age and have absolutely nothing to say, not for lack of interest or ideas, but simply because I had no idea what they were saying, nor really how to contribute to the conversation. There are so many more things I could have asked Emanuel, things he said I probably did not understand, and so many more things he probably would have said if I had anything more than the basic head
nod to add to our conversation. During the first few minutes at Clem’s apartment, I spoke very briefly to the first few guests, in particular two guys who seemed nice but quite shy. They asked me very basic things, such as what my nationality was. It must have been my accent, or maybe my name that gave it away, so I said casually, “Je suis roumanian.” You mean “Roumaine,” one of the guys corrected me sharply. I was not sure what his name was, and I did not speak another word to him the rest of the night, but he did make sure to correct the only world I spoke to him. On many occasions, I have felt the glaring eyes and judgmental stares of store clerks, taxi drivers and waiters who seem just simply annoyed with this silly American that has trouble ordering a coffee. However, I have found just as many French people, like Clem, who seem genuinely interested in learning more about foreign students, that are happy to accommodate for my poor language skills and lack of French culture. It has not been easy starting conversations in French, when English comes so much easier, and it has been quite demoralizing having store clerks talk back to me in English as soon as they realize my French is not yet fluent. But it would mean defeat allowing negative attitudes and impatient people to influence my approach to this semester. It is in the American tradition to keep going against all odds, and that is one tradition I am willing to carry on. So I will keep speaking French, even if it is exhausting, embarrassing, and sometimes even ridiculous. n
Photos Courtesy of Iulia Padeanu
B7
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Heights
The Real World
It’s not so bad after all Dan Friedman There is so much in the world to complain about. If you’re a college student, it’s bulky core curriculums that emphasize classes you’ll never use again in your lives, or maybe just repetitive food cycles at McElroy Commons. If you’re interested in politics and lean left, you’re appalled by the crazy right wingers that were just elected to office, and their cold-hearted, cut-spending-while-funding-an-outrageous-war-in-Iraq, feed-the-rich rhetoric. If you lean to the right, you are appalled by the Obama administration’s gross overstepping of constitutional authority, nanny statism, and what now feels like a perpetual whirlwind of stimulus packages. If you’re in the center? Well then, it’s worth complaining about the collage of bumbling idiots conveyed in infuriating 10 second sound bites by an irresponsible media. Having traveled to South Africa and Israel in the past two years, it seems not outrageous for me to note that, for Americans, the list goes on and on. My family and I were at dinner our last night in Tel-Aviv early in January, when I began to reflect on my travels, and the differences between America and other countries I had visited. In South Africa, our meals took an average of three to four hours to eat, sometimes longer. It’s not that we were ordering five course meals, or conducting marathon length discussions. My family simply ate the same way we do in America. The difference, which soon became ubiquitously obvious, was that the waiters just didn’t care. Their mindset appeared to be that we were simply impediments in their conversations with friends, while they passed time until their shifts ended. They ordered drinks? Who cares? Oh, you wanted a side of fries with that? That’ll be 40 rand, and an extra 30-minute wait, just for fun. Don’t forget to tip us! Israel was similar. Let me first establish that I am Jewish and extremely proud of and grateful for the existence of Israel. But that doesn’t mean they don’t take the nonsensical approach of actually enjoying denying a customer’s request as in the case of my sister. In order to delay the herculean task of searching for a job in what I believe can fairly be called a stagnant economy (meager recovery aside, there remains that slightly problematic figure of 9.8 percent unemployment), she chose to delay her life in America for a year while simultaneously exploring her Jewish roots. The week before my parents and I visited, her power cord for her iMac broke, and taking advantage of my parents and their wallets in person, she decided to get a new one. Granted, Apple does not have the market share in Israel it has in America, but she dutifully went to the Apple store in Tel-Aviv, one of only two in Israel, to try to buy a new one. Did they have one? The employee grinned gleefully and responded with a hearty, “No!” She was told to try again the next day, and the next, and each time was given the same happy “nope.” I realize these examples may appear trivial, but having grown up in America, I found these numerous instances of inefficiency to become exasperating and at times even infuriating. Consider one’s experience in America when walking into an Apple store. Unless an updated version of the iPhone is coming out, drawing crowds and tempers that can occasionally escalate to the point where one fears riots, I know I have been practically swarmed by eager employees, seemingly bursting to offer advice and to direct me toward the item I wanted to buy. Of course, South African and Israeli natives are used to this type of customer service, and accept it as part of their cultures. For better or for worse, they have a more “live in the moment” mind-set. Unlike Americans, they are not in a perpetual state of thinking about what they are going to do, but rather what they are doing. And though I have often heard friends of mine pining for this kind of life, it is in fact this mind-set that allows America to remain leagues ahead of nations like these, and indeed the majority of nations in the world with regard to our constant strive for improvement, efficiency, and innovation, especially with regard to consumer satisfaction. So does America have its own problems? Of course, and I applaud those who actively and vocally try to make a difference. Maybe it would even be nice if we learned to slow things down once in a while. But at the same time, it might be nice to remember that we really do have it pretty damn great here in this nation of ours.
Dan Friedman is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com
Humor
To be or not to be a self-proclaimed goober Ryan McGuill Every man reaches a point in his life when self-investigation becomes a necessity. Usually, that point is reached between the ages of 40 and 50 and is defined by the purchasing of a yacht, Porsche, or the decision to have the iconic Grateful Dead logo tattooed in painful places. However, I have entered into this crucial developmental phase at the ripe age of 18, and just as the caterpillar sheds its cocoon, I have figuratively ditched my external shell and transformed into a butterfly – or at least a more masculine insect, like a scorpion or a hornet. No way, you might be saying. You aren’t a man yet. You still tear up when you stub your toe. You don’t own a truck. Every MAN owns a truck. And you don’t even watch MANswers. That show is the bible of machismo. Fair enough, my anonymous, italicized friend. I’ll admit that I neglected to mention one rite of passage that I must endure in order to enter into manhood. I’ll give you a hint: It doesn’t involve hunting a lion with a spear, and it’s not a bar mitzvah. Stumped? The “rite” that I’m speaking about is the ultimate realization that I am indeed a huge goober. You have no idea what a goober is? Right. A goober is simply a goofy and sometimes harmlessly oblivious person. Goobers actually span the entire course of written history. Centuries
ago, Jesus called Peter a “goober” when Peter spilled alfredo sauce all over his tunic at the Last Supper, while in a more modern example, Vice President Joe Biden’s CIA code name is “Big Goober” (President Obama’s is “Renegade” due to his love of the early ’80s metal band, Styx). Michael Cera, Steve Urkel, Andy from The Office, and Rush Limbaugh are all goobers. Spongebob Squarepants admitted in The Spongebob Squarepants Movie that he is, indeed, a “goofy goober.” He even went so far as to proclaim his goofiness to the tune of “I Want to Rock,” by Twisted Sister, a move that I thought was a bit self-indulgent. Honestly, Spongebob, get over yourself. You live in a pineapple. I wouldn’t take Ray Lewis seriously if he lived in a pineapple. To be a goober isn’t insulting. In fact, it’s probably the greatest compliment a person can receive. You know that verse in the Bible, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth?” Yeah, Matthew is talking about goobers. On an important side note, there is definitely no mention of “lax bros tearing up the earth with their dank spoons” in the beatitudes. You see my point? My uncle Tim once described me as a “broomstick with a frickin’ Brillo pad on his head.” So, does that mean I’m a goober? Or did Uncle Tim maybe have a few too many beers that night, leading him to actually believe that I was not comprised of flesh and bone,
but instead of broomstick and Brillo? I’ll need to further examine the roots of my goober-ness in order to reach a conclusion. So what exactly makes me feel uncomfortable or awkward enough to elicit my goober tendencies? Ah! I know. It’s that damn walk through the Dustbowl during the middle of the day. You know, that mass exodus of tired lunch goers coming from Upper Campus or going to the Quad, a huge group that consists overwhelmingly of friends, acquaintances, people who you’ve met once or twice before. However, the downside of this huge group is that obligatory salute to every person you know, because if you don’t say, “hello,” then you’re a terrible, terrible friend and a repulsive human being. Along with the tiresome, mandatory, “hey!” or “howahyah,” I’ve learned that every person has a different sort of handshake in which they try to engage me during the few moments when we pass each other. Some kids just go for a high five and usually complain afterward, “Dude, that didn’t echo!” or it reeked of “weak sauce!” Some kids try the hand slap-chest bump that normally obstructs traffic due to its sheer complexity. There’s the hand clasp-finger snap where both greeters pull quickly and forcefully away from the handshake. This is definitely the most violent greeting. One time, I upended the iced coffee of a girl behind me. I typically avoid the guessing game of choosing handshakes by throwing
up the fist pump 50 yards in advance, but this can often look like I’m flashing some gang symbol or playing a longdistance game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. But the worst greeting scenario comes when no one else is around and it’s just me and one cute girl, that chick I met at a party two weekends ago and had that conversation about Cheeseburger-flavored Doritos (“Aren’t those disgusting? They’re totally marketed toward stoners!”). Is that brief conversation enough to constitute a “hello,” or even a “yo”? Does she even remember our talk? I don’t want to be caught staring at her because she’s definitely seen The Strangers and she’ll think I’m some murderous stalker. So look down! Oh, was that my phone vibrating? I’ve been expecting a text from Joe. Nope, not my phone, but let’s change this song! Searching … searching … Outkast! No, I’m feeling something more obscure, like Surfer Blood! Boom! Perfect! Look up! Ah, she’s gone. Now she probably thinks I’m some antisocial freak. Great job, goober. Do you all see the pain and frustration this is causing me? So what’s the verdict? Am I a goober? Or is this just a normal, perhaps genius, thought? Either way, y’all can let me know if you see me walking across campus. Don’t be surprised if I reject your high-five for a fist pump.
Ryan McGuill is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com
How-to
Lose weight like only a real person can Brendan Kneeland “Looking for that perfect beach body by spring break? Want cut, washboard abs like your favorite guido or guidette from Jersey Shore? Is this going to be the year when you finally shed those extra pounds and have every cheerleader begging for your number? I lost 300 pounds using this new, exciting diet, and not only do I have a perfectly sculpted body, I have a smoking hot girlfriend, my tuition is paid, and I have a new car! And I put absolutely zero work into it! It’s the Cookie Diet, the 3-Day Diet, the Intensity Diet, protein!!” Sound familiar? As I was wandering aimlessly through the Plex this week, I noticed that, apart from the fact that every treadmill was full, forcing me to run around the track 33 times instead, there were quite a few unfamiliar faces around me. You’ve seen them. Perhaps you are one of them. These are the people who flash-mob the Plex for the first two weeks of second semester, super determined to follow their New Year’s resolutions and get into perfect shape by Valentine’s Day, and promptly fall off the face of the earth, never to be seen near the Plex or anything resembling exercise again. It seems to me that this mysterious flash-mob has been brainwashed into thinking that it can all be done in a couple of weeks, and if they don’t see results fast, it’s simply not worth it to try. “I’ve been doing 10 sit-ups a day for three days and I don’t look exactly like Brad Pitt? This machine must be broken, I’m going home.” Many of you are not very far from being in good or even
great shape, but simply do not have the right mindset about losing weight and getting in shape. Most people don’t realize how important the mental battle is. Once you’re able to get out of your own head and set some realistic expectations, you’re already more than halfway there. Disclaimer: I am not a fitness expert. This column will not give you nutritional advice, or even tell you what workouts you should do. This column is not meant to treat, diagnose, or perform any sort of voodoo weight-loss magic. All that varies from person to person, and you should try a few different things – maybe talk to a nutritionist on campus – to see what works for you. I will never tell you what to eat or how to exercise, because, as you’ll read in the next paragraph, you really have no good reason to trust me on that one. However, as I train for the Boston Marathon, it’s becoming apparent that even a person like me, who could barely run two miles just a couple of months ago, can run a half marathon with no problem if he or she just sticks to it for more than a few days. Why should you listen to me? Good question. Since freshman year I have gone through some serious weight changes. After gaining the Freshman Forty in 2009, I dropped it all with an intense protein shake diet over the summer, came back to BC, and quickly gained it all back. I’ve done this at least four times in the past three years, so I’ve been around the block enough times to notice some patterns, see who around me is able to keep it off, and why. Plus, while I am still not at my goal fitness or weight, I’ve been consistent throughout
Marathon training and know how to approach it. So here are some things I’ve found so far: Live in the real world. See that copy of People lying on the elliptical, open to a picture of Penelope Cruz and Leonardo DiCaprio? Pick it up … that’s it … and rip it in half. Are you kidding me? This is your standard? These are not real people. They look good for a living. It’s all they do. You are not a failure if you don’t look like them, because they don’t even look like them. It’s all photoshopped. You are an adult, and this is not TV. You’ll notice almost immediately after you start exercising that you feel a whole lot better if you compare yourself to … well, yourself in the beginning. A good before-and-after goes a long way. Develop some tunnel vision. That girl who is already skinny who stays on the machine for three hours and reads a Jane Austen novel or the muscular guy with his protein shake lifting 400 pounds – they aren’t a standard either. Just train yourself to look straight ahead, do what you came there to do, and head out. Don’t go it alone. If you’re trying to lose weight or just get yourself into better shape in general, it’s always better to have someone there to encourage you (if you’re the sensitive type) or kick your butt if you need it as well. Be sure to not strain yourself it you go with a friend who is in better shape, but learn from them. If you’re going to go with someone at the same fitness level as you, make sure you both identify what type of exercise you want to do – cardio, lifting, whatever—and know what you’re doing, or find someone who can help
you learn. You don’t need a clipboard or a team of experts to tell you how to do something basic. Don’t go too hard, too fast. Burning out is the most common problem I have had myself and one that I see every day with others. Certain people are fantastic for a few days, follow a strict diet and regimen, and take a small “break,” which morphs into the food equivalent of falling off a cliff into a valley of donuts and sadness. Don’t do that. Allow for little breaks here and there, and keep in mind that if you are trying to lose weight, you are changing your habits, not “dieting.” Sneak up on yourself. If you think you should go to the Plex or go for a run, just do it. Don’t put it off. A lot of people who try to “psych themselves up” tend to psych themselves out. If you treat a workout or a diet like some huge ordeal, it will be. Everyone is busy, so just take the time you can for exercise. Fifteen minutes is better than nothing. The point is that it’s almost all mental. Live in the real world, and not in the pages of People or with the 500-pound man with the sob story on The Biggest Loser who loses all the weight and gets a perfect body. Those stories are so unbelievable because they don’t describe what really happens—so don’t worry about them. And although it drives me nuts to run around that track in a circle for an hour, I’d much rather the Plex be crowded than know that so many people have already given up.
Brendan Kneeland is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com
he said, she said My roommate recently came out to me, but hasn’t told the rest of our friends yet. How do I support him in feeling comfortable at BC? Keeper of Secrets As college students coming into our own, and perhaps going through a self-discovery process, this is probably more common than most would think so I would try not to make a huge deal about it when your friend breaks the news. Obviously it’s difficult to be prepared for something like this, but it’s important to strike an even balance between being a supportive friend and also allowing them their own space. Alex Trautwig Nobody likes when they tell a friend something in confidence and then that friend brings it up in conversation every five minutes. First and foremost, you need to tell your friend that this changes nothing between the two of you and that you will help them and support them whenever and however you can. With something like this, just the comfort of knowing there are people to count on can make a world of difference. I would think it goes without saying to not tell anyone else, but hey, sometimes people slip. You’ve been trusted in this situation with something that was definitely a big deal for your friend, especially if they waited this long to tell you, so it should be treated with the attention and respect that it deserves. Also, something that I think people might forget is that it is important to make an effort to watch what you say and the kinds of conversations you have in the presence of this person. If there’s a conversation going on at lunch that could potentially be offensive to your friend, stand up and say so to show some solidarity. If that’s too bold, try to change the topic. I know that people don’t like to admit it, but oftentimes we say things without thinking that could actually be offensive. Be mindful of it and try to make this conscious effort.
Alex Trautwig is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com
First of all, make sure that your roommate knows that you will support him no matter what. He must trust you a lot if he chose to tell you first. Make sure you keep his
secret and maintain his trust until he’s ready to come out to his other friends at Boston College. Resist any urges to tell others (even if they “promise not to tell”), no matter how tempting it may be. This is not your secret to spill. Respect the fact that he may choose not to tell Julia Wilson other people for a while, and even if he does, that he may choose not to tell some people at all. Second, let him know that there are resources on campus that he can take advantage of if he so chooses. Tell him to visit the GLBTQ Leadership Council’s (GLC) website and look into some of the resources that it provides for students, like Queer Peers and their links to other supportive services at BC, like Counseling Services. That being said, he shouldn’t have to just turn to the GLC or other organizations for all the support that he needs at this time. Make sure you’re there for him if he ever wants to talk or if he wants your advice on his transition. Even if you have no experience with this type of situation, just being there and being willing to listen is probably a huge comfort for him right now. Having you as an ally will definitely make it easier for him to come out to his other friends. Coming out is definitely a tough thing to do no matter what, but I’m sure it could be especially intimidating here in the religious atmosphere of BC. No matter what his sexual orientation, make sure that he knows you will always be a supportive and understanding friend and roommate. Julia Wilson is a senior staff writer for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com
B8
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Heights
Monday, January 31, 2011
B9
Getting pumped for the biggest football game of the year Super Bowl, from B10
neighbors are supporting. Most manage to look past that though as they plan their celebrations for Feb. 6. For many freshman boys, this ritualistic process of watching football every week has helped form friendships and foster bonds. If one ever walks into the Fitzpatrick Hall basement lounge, where a large television and couches are situated, on a Sunday, Monday, or Thursday night, he or she will inevitably be bombarded with cheers and cries coming from the group of raucous boys watching the game. It is a very unfriendly place for a non-football fan to find him or herself. It only follows that this group of football fans will have big plans for Super Bowl Sunday. “Well, as usual, we’ll probably be watching in the Fitz basement,” says Christian Van Gizycki, A&S ’14, a Dallas Cowboys fan who will be rooting for the Packers. “I mean, it’s not ideal, but that’s where we’ve watched every game this season.” Unless they venture out to a restaurant or sports bar, most freshman boys will be celebrating the big game in a similar fashion. “Unfortunately, it’s a Sunday night, so it’s not like I’m really going to go out and do something big,” says
Steven Valeri, A&S ’14, a New York Giants fan who will also be cheering on the Packers due to the fact that the two teams are in the same division and he harbors a dislike for the Steelers’ players. Erica Hendricks, A&S ’14, recognizes that this is her first Super Bowl away from home, and wants to make it a little more enjoyable. “I’d like to have a small get-together in my room, I mean nothing big, but maybe invite some people over and order some good food,” she says. Kayla Morse, A&S ’14, who can frequently be spotted wearing her Green Bay Packers shirt in the Fitzpatrick basement with the boys, agrees that a small get-together would be an ideal plan. Having lived in Wisconsin for the last 15 years, Morse is eagerly awaiting the game. “I’ve watched every game this season,” she says. “It’s really weird being away from home because I know that every household in Wisconsin will be throwing a party for the game.” Among this group of boys who gathers in the basement is Nicola Kahale, A&S ’14, a Philadelphia Eagles fan who will be rooting for the Packers. “I’m planning on probably watching the game in the basement again,” he says. “The RA for Fitz one, Mike Molinari, has a whole spread planned with buffalo wings, na-
chos, and a vegetable platter. He did the same thing for the playoffs, and it’s a nice way to make the whole game a little more like being at home.” In keeping with the national attitude, the excitement over Super Bowl food fare is present at BC. Though there is a wealth of articles in magazines and on the Internet, with ways to make the Super Bowl spread a little bit healthier, many students are not too concerned with whether their food choices are the best options in terms of health. “It’s really only one day of the year,” says Carmelo Butei, CSOM ’14. “I can’t foresee any real food being available to me anyway during the game.” On the other hand, Tatiana Gilmartin, A&S ’14, believes that if food and drink are available, she won’t necessarily say no to them, but she’s not going out of her way to find any either. “At this point in my life, the health aspect of a single meal is not really of that great concern to me,” Kahale agrees. Even those who are not loyal football fans enjoy Super Bowl Sunday for the food, the parties, and the chance to socialize with friends. “It really is for the social part that I will be watching. To be hip and in-the-know,” says Catherine Crowe, A&S ’12, a Washington Redskins fan, who admits that she will
most likely be indulging in the festivities that day at an undetermined locale with friends. Megan Zink, CSOM ’14, is also entertaining the possibility of using Super Bowl Sunday as an opportunity to socialize. “I’m not really a football fan, and if I do even end up watching it, it will only really be to socialize,” she says. Though much of the viewership appears to derive from genuine interest in the game, some students lose interest in following the season through to its end after their team has been eliminated in the playoffs. “I’m rooting for a good game, that’s all,” Butei says. “I’m a Giants fan, but since that didn’t exactly pan out, I’ll probably be watching it more for the social aspect.” In terms of choosing which team to support in such instances, viewers often resort to trivial reasoning. For example, much of the rationale behind supporting the Packers lies in the fact that the fans’ original teams are in the same division as the Packers and they would like the ability to argue their way to second place. “The Steelers are probably the better team, but come on, it’s the Steelers,” Kahale says. Although the outcome of the Super Bowl is up in the air, it is certain that Super Bowl Sunday is going to be the cause of much celebration in Chestnut Hill. n
BC students BranchOut into the start-up industry By Marye Moran For The Heights
Whether it’s a summer internship for underclassmen or a career for seniors, it’s that time of year to begin the job search. While this incites a gnawing fear in many Boston College students (the weather isn’t the only reason why this week reports the highest rates of depression out of the entire year), two seniors have gotten a head start, and are attempting to make the search easier for those filled with anxiety. Kevin Hylant, CSOM ’11, and Harvey Simmons, A&S ’11, are interns in the marketing associate program at BranchOut, a San Francisco based start-up founded just eight months ago. BranchOut is a Facebook application that uses your social network to connect you to potential employers. It gives you a profile showing only your profile picture, education, and work history. Then, you can search for specific companies or job titles, and find matches from your friends’ or friends of friends’ information. While often compared to LinkedIn, the popular professional networking site, SimThe BranchOut logo features a number of different job-offering businesses. mons insists BranchOut offers an essential difference for college students. “LinkedIn is to PC like BranchOut is to Mac,” Simmons says. “It’s more geared to our generation.” “A lot of people our age watch The Social Network and get excited about the start-up industry,” Hylant says. “It’s an exciting place to be.” Simmons notes that BranchOut’s recent growth caused them to move to a new office building that happens to be owned by Justin Timberlake, who starred in The Social Network, further spawning comparisons to the Oscar-nominated movie. Unlike the movie, which was f illed with betrayal and selfishness, BranchOut seeks to create a positive environment for career-seeking students. “BranchOut has a great community that really fosters a lot of growth,” Simmons says. He and Hylant both work under Mike DelPonte, a BC graduate who is currently BranchOut’s marketing manager. Before that, he was an entrepreneur, founding Sparkseed, a non-profit organization funding social Photos Courtesy of Branchout.com entrepreneurs. Hylant says that with BranchOut, he saw BranchOut hosts a contest for students looking to gain a summer internship.
a way to reach out and connect people who want jobs. “[BranchOut] really is philanthropic in a sense. DelPonte believes that he receives the same fulfillment from his work at BranchOut as he did at Sparkseed, “BranchOut is already making a difference in people’s lives and will revolutionize the way people network professionally,” DelPonte says. At BranchOut, DelPonte says his goal is to help others find a job that they can be enthusiastic about, as much as he is about his. “The two words that were drilled into me at BC were ‘vocation’ and ‘discernment,’” DelPonte says. “Why would anyone settle for a job that isn’t making the world a better place? That’s the whole point of BranchOut, that no one should settle.” Aside from having ideas about social responsibility, DelPonte, Simmons, and Hylant were also driven to enter the startup industry because of a growing entrepreneurial culture at Boston College. “A few of my roommates are starting a music production company, Simmons says. “And there’s a ton of DJs in the sophomore class.” Increasing numbers of students are interested in the start-up industry, a trend that BC has been supporting wholeheartedly. “Our weekly CSOM update e-mails are featuring venture capitalism more and more,” Hylant says, “and the Boston College Venture Capitalism Competition has been encouraging students to pursue their ideas, awarding a $10,000 prize to the most promising business proposal, giving students the momentum to make it into a reality. Two such winners, recent BC alums, Bill Clerico and Rich Aberman, both BC ’07, founded WePay. “It’s a website that makes it easy to collect money online,” Aberman says. “It’s great for collecting dues or donations, collecting rent from your roommates, splitting the cost of a group trip with friends, or selling tickets to your events.” The pair found monetary support through the competition, but desired to enter the contest in the first place because of what they learned at BC. Aberman says that the TechTrek class had a profound impact on Clerico, serving as his first exposure to the entrepreneurial world. This unique resource is a course that culminates in a two-week visit to Silicon
Valley, Calif., where students explore various firms , many of which are recent startups. For some, like Clerico, this provides the motivation to pursue a similar path. Simmons says that once in the industry, there are even more rewards than anticipated. “Being a start-up, you get to have real responsibility real fast, Simmons says.“They’ve given us all the tools we need. It’s all about being personal and having a connection with someone, a mentor.” BranchOut is changing so rapidly that keep tracking of its current position sometimes proves to be a challenge. “The site looks different than it did just a few weeks ago,” Hylant says. While being interviewed, Simmons began to describe a certain feature of the BranchOut application, and then paused. “Is that true?” he asked Hylant. “No, it’s not out yet,” his coworker responded. Both he and Simmons expressed interest in remaining at BranchOut after graduating as full-time employees. They are not the only ones finding jobs in this industry. “According to U.S. census data, businesses less than one- year-old create an average of three million jobs per year,” Clerico says. “Contrast that with businesses older than one-year-old, that lose one million jobs per year. Start-ups are the jobs engine of the U.S. economy.” Two other BC students, Lesley Burr and Lucy McBride, both A&S ’11, have also found success in start-up jobs. This year, they started the fashion blog, Rusted Revolution, and then began selling their own products online. Burr says that starting her own business just makes sense. “It allows us to take control of our own futures, and it’s actually pretty fun being our own bosses,” Burr says. “We’ll still be like every normal college kid and apply for real jobs, but if Rusted Revolution were to take off, we’d drop everything and put all we have into it.” Regardless of whether they are directly linking individuals with jobs, or just providing them, start-ups are an important part of our new economy, and if the rest of the world is anything like the BC campus, their presence will certainly be expanding with more opportunities becoming available for students. n
Administration provides network of emotional support Mental Health, from B10
Health Services, the Office of the Dean for Student Development (ODSD), Residential Life, and the BCPD. “There is an ethos around BC of caring for others,” McGuinness says. “It is easy to work across boundaries. People here are naturally collaborative, especially when it comes to support for a student. It is the duty of the Behavioral Assessment Team to receive information, make an assessment, and draft an appropriate plan of action that can involve multiple departments.” The collaborative effort also ensures that even those with emotional or mental health problems that do not seek counseling or are referred to the department actually receive assistance and do not fall through the cracks. The team also makes sure professors, Residential Life staff, the ODSD, and the BCPD are aware of the services available to assist students with mental issues and how to file confidential reports detailing concerns about behavior they have witnessed. The collaboration of departments can be especially helpful for offices such as ODSD and University Health Services where problems presented – behavioral or physical – could be a result of underlying emotional or mental issues. For some, coping with an
emotional or mental issue can result in behaviors such as substance abuse or other conduct against university policy. “We invest a lot of time and resources into identifying mental health issues and providing support,” says Paul Chebator, senior associate dean of student development. “We have a holistic approach to problems at BC, hence the behavioral case meeting team. In ODSD, we develop appropriate responses to disciplinary issues, always with a primary concern for the health and welfare of all students. Behavior exhibited needs to be addressed, but we also want to be certain to address underlying issues that may be present and motivating certain conduct. That is where University Counseling and Health Services can really help.” “When you talk about holistic medicine, you can’t have them constantly in two separate spheres,” Nary says. “You need to collaborate for the best treatment. One of the benefits of BC is the infirmary. It is not a hospital, but a respite area, a safe area. It is another place on campus where, if you are having problems, physical or emotional, you can come and receive treatment in a safe environment. Also, it is not always easy at the first pass to discover underlying problems. It takes time to reveal issues. Over time, it may be revealed
that a problem may be a result of an emotional trauma. With collaboration between departments when underlying issues are revealed, we can develop a comprehensive approach to help.” The interdepartmental collaboration can also be a major factor in the prevention of a student’s harm to oneself or others due to a severe mental or emotional problem, a potential reality according to BC’s statistics on the issue. According to a 2006 study conducted by BC, which surveyed 1,000 students, 4.9 percent of BC students admitted to attempting to commit suicide at some time in their life compared to 7.56 percent nationally, as recorded by the 2006 National Suicide Ideation Survey. 12.81 percent of BC students stated that they have seriously considered suicide, well below the 17.69 percent nationally. If the respondents in the BC survey are a representative sample of undergraduates at the University, the percentages translate into approximately 450 of the undergraduates having made suicide attempts and 1,080 have thought seriously about suicide. Despite the statistics, BC has not experienced a suicide in recent years. “Suicide is a concern,” McGuinness says. “Just because one has not happened recently, we do not want to get a
false sense of security. It is important for all colleagues, professors, roommates, and friends to be vigilant.” “While part of BC’s prevention of harm to oneself or others is due to the comprehensive services we provide, another part is the vigilance and concern by all members of the BC community for the health and welfare of others,” Nary says. “While we have systems in
place to provide support for our students who experience mental illness and we have an excellent model of collaboration with university partners, we rely heavily on students, faculty, and staff to bring issues of concern to our attention,” says Sheilah Shaw Horton, dean for student development. “The nature of mental illness is such that students may be unaware of the impact of their
behavior on others. Therefore, we need students or faculty who notice behavioral changes to report the concern to ODSD or Residential Life and let us decide how to intervene. We will reach out in a caring way and ensure that students’ rights and confidentiality are maintained.” n Lauren Ruvo, Heights Staff, contributed to this report.
Features
B10
Monday, January 31, 2011
Coming Down with Super Bowl Fever By Alexandra Schaeffer Heights Staff
It’s that time of year again. After what seemed to be an ever-lengthening fall season, the football world is about to have its biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl. As is the case everywhere around the country, the Boston College community is planning on watching. However, it’s a slightly different experience watching the game at BC, as the student body consists of people from all over the country supporting a variety of teams. Being away from home has the power to make the already diehard fans even more passionate, as they feel they have a team to represent among the diverse collegiate community. Friendly, and not so friendly, rivalries form among the students as they’ve learned throughout the season which teams their friends and
See Super Bowl, B9
Coping with problems outside the realm of academia By Daniel Tonkovich Special Projects Editor
The inability to be at peace with physical appearance combined with overwhelming difficulties in making adjustments to college life brought one Boston College female to the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) for assistance. For another female, the panic attacks and emotional breakdowns that resulted from seeing her former boyfriend grew too severe, interfering with her academics and requiring visits to the University’s Counseling Services. These two students represent the broad spectrum of BC community members seeking assistance for mental and emotional issues. Approximately 1,300 students seek assistance from the University’s Counseling Services for a range of mental and emotional issues from the inability to cope with a situation and depression to suicidal behavior. “The rise in students with mental health issues is not just here, but nationally, and it is not necessarily a bad thing,” says Thomas Nary, director of Health Services at BC. “It is different from 30 years ago. Many have been able to come to college now because of better treatment and diagnosis. People now come to college with a variety of issues such as ADHD, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and organ transplants. In decades prior, they would have not been able to go to college or would have been confined to local commuter colleges.” Advances in the treatment of mental illnesses have granted many people access to education previously denied or not feasible due to the inability to accommodate individual needs, mental and emotional issues at colleges and have garnered significant attention. National awareness about the issue has increased due to legitimate concern abut trends since the 2007 massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech by a student. According to USA Today, since April 2007, news reports show that at least 67 people have been killed and 69 others injured in attacks by U.S. college
students. Surveys citing increasing depression and worsening emotional health of college students have made headlines since the wave of student suicides at Cornell University in 2010 and the recent massacre in Arizona by Jared Loughner, a dismissed Pima Community College student. In a recent New York Times report, the emotional health of college freshmen as surveyed by the Higher Education Research Institute has declined to the lowest level since the annual survey of incoming students started collecting data 25 years ago. The report cites the economic woes and other pressures as key contributors to the low emotional health. In the survey, the percentage of students who said their emotional health was above average fell to 52 percent from 64 percent in 1985. “The study has received much attention,” says Thomas McGuinness, director of Counseling Services. “It is a good thing to draw attention to the issue and alert others to resources available. However, the media attention is a bit flawed. For one, the survey is a student’s measure of their own emotional health in which the definition varies from person to person. The survey also alluded to the costs of higher education and the stresses of finding a job as major factors in the decline of emotional health. I have never been impressed with the argument of academic stress having a severe impact on emotional health. Those things do not bring people into university counseling. There are much bigger issues for which students seek counseling.” However, emotional and mental issues such as behavioral issues, addictive behaviors, depression, major mental illnesses, and self-harming behavior do bring the significant number of students into University Counseling at BC. “[University Counseling] addresses the many mental health issues of the BC community from counseling and psychotherapy to crisis intervention, outreach, and training,” McGuinness says. “We do have a higher proportion of students come to see us than schools
i nside FE ATURES this issue
BranchOut
of a similar size.” The high number of students who use Counseling Services at BC, more than 10 percent of the undergraduate population, compared to BC’s peer institutions is not due to BC students having more emotional or mental issues, McGuinness says, but rather due to organizational factors. “Many schools offer multiple departments for mental and emotional health services,” McGuinness says. “At BC, University Counseling provides all mental health services. The numbers could also be because we work to reduce the stigma of going to counseling. Though mental health services are centralized at BC, counseling offices are decentralized with offices in academic buildings. We are embedded in academic life. It is part of the academic experience. It is more normalized. We also pride ourselves on being easy to access. After hours, we always have somebody on-call for emergencies. An emergency is defined by the student. If it is an emergency to them, then we will respond.” While the centralization of all mental health services at BC and ease of access to the services is touted as a benefit, not all mental or emotional issues are presented to or discovered by university counselors. Some students present their mental or emotional problems to mentors, residential assistants, or campus ministers. With many resources available to students, however, keeping tabs on a student with severe issues and ensuring proper treatment is received can become a coordination issue between departments. It is an issue that presents itself at colleges nationwide. Many colleges are keeping tabs on troubled students through assessment teams from various university departments charged with ensuring students deemed dangerous to themselves or others receive the necessary coordinated treatment. According to USA Today, 80 percent of colleges nationwide have begun instituting these teams since the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech. In fact, Virginia and Illinois legally
MENTAL HEALTH UNIVERSITY RESOURCES -University Counseling Services -University Health Services -Office of the Dean for Student Development -Residential Life -Women’s Resource Center -Boston College -BCPD require such teams at colleges. At BC, an interdepartmental behavioral assessment team exists and administrators feel confident in the team’s work to ensure proper treatment of the most severe cases. The team, meeting every three weeks to discuss the treatment of students reported with the most severe mental or emotional issues, is comprised of officials from University Counseling Services, University
Read about two BC students and an alumnus’ journey into the start-up industry using a popular social networking website.............................................................................. B9
See Mental Health, B9
Humor Column.................................B7 The Real World.........................B7