2012 spring sports preview
The Eagles’ Spring sports teams set their sights on ACC success this season, D1.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 14
Boston College undergraduate financial aid increased by 6.4% to $90 million.
Nationally, the average tuition increase for private universities for the 2011-2012 year was 4.6%, according to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
woogeon kim / heights graphic
Boston College was one of numerous private universities across the country to increase tuition prices for the 2012-2013 academic year.
Tuition up 3.6 percent By David Cote News Editor
The Boston College Board of Trustees has approved the budget for the 2012-2013 academic year, including a 3.6 percent increase in tuition, fees, and room and board. The increase brings the tuition total to $43,140. The increase in fees will provide $7 million for academic and infrastructure initiatives and will help support the University’s Strategic Master Plan. “In preparing the FY [Fiscal Year] ’13 budget, the University made every effort to limit the tuition increase, while maintaining our commitment to academic excellence, recruiting and retaining quality faculty, and enhancing our student formation programs and the residential life experience of our students,” said University President Rev.
William P. Leahy, S.J. BC was not the only university to increase tuition this year. George Washington University, Carnegie Mellon University, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, University of Notre Dame, Brown University, and Georgetown University all increased tuition between 3.5 percent and 4.9 percent. The average increase for private institutions across America was 4.6 percent, according to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Overall, the approved budget for BC increased spending by roughly 2 percent, bringing total University expenditures to $862 million for the next academic year. “This $862 million budget represents an increase of just 2 percent over last year’s
See Tuition, A4
Franco Garcia still missing After more than three weeks of searching, no clues have been found By David Cote News Editor
Franco Garcia, WCAS ’12, is still missing, more than three weeks since he disappeared after a night out with friends. Garcia was last seen late at night on Tuesday, Feb. 21, after celebrating Mardi Gras at Mary Ann’s Bar in Cleveland Circle. The last time he was seen in person was inside the bar, but photos taken by a Citizens Bank security camera showed him walking toward Boston College at 12:18 a.m. Wednesday morning. A tracked cell phone call at around 1:15 a.m. also showed Garcia returning in the direction of campus, but after that time his phone was either turned off, out of battery, or damaged. Garcia’s jacket was found in Mary Ann’s Bar after his disappearance, but no other possessions of his have been found. Extensive searches of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and surrounding areas took place last week. Divers and K-9 teams searched the area, and sonar was used to scan the water. Despite the participation of four police departments and over 100 officers, no evidence of Garcia’s whereabouts has been found. Regardless of the lack of progress, friends remain hopeful that Garcia is somewhere safe. “They haven’t turned up anything and we’re taking that as a good sign because that means he’s not there,” Rachele Reis, a friend and band mate of Garcia and A&S ’12, said last week. “We can take that possibility away and focus on that he’s out there safe somewhere.”
Garcia’s mother told The Boston Globe that she believes Garcia is still alive, and is continuing to hope for a positive resolution to the ordeal. “Maybe something happened to him, like he got hit on the head and he’s not thinking clearly right now,” she said. “Maybe somebody is holding him against his will. If that is what is happening, I just want to say to whoever is holding him: My son loves his family; he loves to play music. Please let him go so he can return to us.” University administrators have reached out to the Garcia family, and the University community has worked hard to spread awareness about Garcia’s disappearance with fliers, a Facebook group, and tweets at local celebrities with the hashtag #findfranco. Friends helping
See Garcia, A4
natalie blardony / for the heights
The Hellenic Society of BC brought notable Greek experts to campus for a discussion titled “The Greek Influence: Democracy Today.”
greeks reflect on democracy Hellenes gather for panel on Greek influence in politics ByAndrew Skaras Heights Staff
photo courtesy of findfranco.org
Franco Garcia, WCAS ’12 (above) has not attended class or been to work since Feb. 21.
The Heights Room was filled with Hellenes and Philhellenes alike Monday for a panel discussion on “The Greek Influence: Democracy Today.” A collaborative effort between the Hellenic Alumni Network and the Hellenic Society of Boston College, the panel explored the influence of the Greek political and cultural heritage on American democracy in its origination and current existence.
John Grossomanides, the Supreme President of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), and Elizabeth Prodromou, an assistant professor in the department of international relations at Boston University. Coming from a political and historical point of view, Bartlett examined the impact that the political philosophy and the political history of ancient Greece had on the writing of the Constitution.
See Hellenic Society, A4
FYPDS becoming ERA
Ex-con turned public speaker offers guidance
Lynch School freshman seminar will undergo numerous changes to emphasize Ignatian values By Brigid Wright Heights Staff
By Samantha Costanzo Asst. News Editor
Organizers of the Chambers Lecture Series chose what may seem to many like a rather unusual speaker for their twelfth lecture of the year: Patrick Kuhse, a former financial planner turned convict turned public speaker. But Kuhse and the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics, the Boston College organization that hosts the Chambers series, actually hold business and personal ethics in high regard. “I was given the opportunity to spend four years at the University of Crime,” Kuhse said. “It cost me my country, my assets, my freedom, and my family. Every decision we make impacts our loved ones.” Kuhse went to Arizona State University, which fulfilled his two require-
Moderated by Joseph Coutlis BC ’09, LGSOE ’10, the panelists each presented and then accepted a number of questions from audience members in their area of specialty. Drawing in experts from different fields, Drake Behrakis, BC ’86, the chairman of the Hellenic Alumni Network and a University Trustee, brought in Nikolaos Krikos, First Political Counselor to the Embassy of Greece, professor Robert Bartlett, the Behrakis professor of Hellenic political studies at Boston College,
sara davey / for the heights
Patrick Kuhse (above) told BC students the mistakes he made on the way to his conviction. ments that his college have no snow and be a lot of fun. “My mother noticed a change in me. She said all I talked about then was money, but I didn’t care. [My classmates and I] were the Gordon Geckos of the future.” Kuhse connected his poor decisions to eight critical thinking errors, which he said he encountered in the stories of other prisoners as well.
The first error is having a sense of entitlement, which, in Kuhse’s case, caused him to drop out of school after two years and eventually become a New York stockbroker. “I didn’t want to wait until after graduation to make my millions,” he said. The second error Kuhse identified
See Kuhse, A4
The Lynch School of Education’s (LSOE) freshman seminar class is anticipating changes to improve its structure and effectiveness. The current class, First Year Professional Development Seminar (FYPDS), is a required, yearlong class for all freshmen entering LSOE. It provides an outlook on college life and what experiences students may encounter during their first year, spanning anywhere from academic to social issues. The course is in a developmental stage of changing not only the name, however, but also adopting a focus on the Ignatian value asking, “What does it mean to be well educated?” “The program has been in place for a couple of years … [and] we’ve been trying this semester to make it a little more cohesive,” said Sara Rosen, cocoordinator of FYPDS and LGSOE ’13.
“We’ve looked at different things like the Ignatian pedagogy, the Jesuit ideal of teaching, and how that is or isn’t infused in the different Boston College experiences that freshmen and all students come in contact with.” The reformed class, titled Freshmen ERA (Experience, Reflection, Action), will commence in the fall of 2012, and will also be run differently in terms of logistics. The current class is a full-year course, requiring one credit in the fall and two in the spring. In contrast, the new class will be a full-year, two-credit class supported by the Ignatian pedagogy that inspires thoughtful thinking, and is intended to encourage good decision-making for college and the future. The class will require a once-a-week classroom session with about 17 students, and then a full- program meeting once a week as well.
See LSOE, A4