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Devasting earthquake may have killed as many as 25,000 citizens in Japan, B10
Arts bracket tracks the best options for Boston entertainment, B1
The women’s hockey team plays for its first national championship this weekend, A10
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Vol. XCII, No. 14
2011-12 tuition released Board of Trustees announces 3.6 percent increase in tuition, fees, and room and board By Michael Caprio Editor-in-Chief
alex manta / heights editor
The University Board of Trustees has approved a 3.6 percent increase in tuition, fees, and room and board for the 2011-2012 academic year. The tuition for the next academic year will be $41,480. The new tuition will be an increase from this year’s $39,880. The Board of Trustees raised tuition 3.5 percent last year from the 2009-2010 academic year. “In light of the challenges our families continue to face in this slow-recovering economy, we made every effort to limit tuition increases and still maintain our commitment to academic excellence, financial aid, and the student formation initiatives so
critical to the BC educational experience,” said University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. in a recent statement. The University will also increase needbased undergraduate financial aid by 6.5 percent, per the ruling of the Trustees. This $5.1 million increase will bring the amount of need-based undergraduate aid awarded to $84.5 million. The amount of total aid awarded, which includes aid for graduate students, work-study students, and Presidential Scholars, will increase to $135 million. Forty-three percent of the full-time undergraduate student body receives needbased financial aid from the University,
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Artists await Students’ families safe a space of their own
News Editor
whether the students should remain in Japan due to safety concerns. Widding said that the decision to evacuate BC students is a rather complex and developing one, as no one knows how the situation in Japan will progress. “Since we have no sufficient evidence at the moment how the situation will evolve, especially with regard to the nuclear reactors and possible severe aftershocks, we have asked our students to give us a couple more days to come to a decision,” he said. Paul Chebator, senior associate dean for
Last Tuesday, March 8, Alexander Grant, a sophomore economics major and member of the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, was found dead in a Saratoga Springs, N.Y. creek. Authorities reported that the cause of death was drowning, with hypothermia being a factor. Grant, a resident of Westchester County, N.Y., was last seen visiting hometown friend Mike Perlow, a Skidmore College student, last Saturday night. Police accounts suggest that he was separated from his friend after a party, becoming lost in the midst of a snowstorm that dropped more than a foot of snow on the area. He was captured on surveillance tape at 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, breaking his way into a medical office building. His body was found Tuesday morning in Putnam Creek, three-tenths of a mile from where he was last seen. A search crew consisting of Saratoga Springs City Firefighters and New York State Forest Rangers began their efforts Sunday night, shortly after friends reported Grant missing at 4:50 p.m., and continued through Monday’s heavy winter storm. Police investigating a burglary at the medical office building early Sunday afternoon discovered the surveillance tape showing Grant, wearing only shorts, a shirt and one sock, breaking in shortly after 1 a.m. and then leaving just over an hour later. Nearby, they found his pants, a second sock and his identification. At the scene of the break-in, there was a considerable amount of blood and police surmised that he was injured when breaking a window to get inside. Sunday’s heavy snow hampered search efforts and the heavily wooded area sur-
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See Grant, A4
Heights Senior Staff
Editor’s Note: This article is the first of a three-part investigation into support for the arts at BC.
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AP file photo
Despite initial dificulty, BC’s 20 Japanese students have been able to contact family and friends back in Japan, confirming their safety.
Six BC students abroad in Japan, families of 20 Japanese students all confirmed to be secure By Elise Taylor Heights Editor
For the Boston College students who reside or are studying abroad in Japan, the 8.9 magnitude earthquake on March 11 and its aftermath have hit very close to home. According to the Office of Public Affairs, there are six students currently in Japan for study abroad programs, and 20 native Japa-
nese students studying at the University. All six students studying abroad in Japan are safe following last week’s tragedy. Three of the students were in America for spring break at the time, while the other three were studying in Tokyo, which is 380 miles away from the quake’s epicenter and well-known for its earthquake-sound architecture. The Office of International Programs, headed by Bernd Widdig, is currently discussing
Sophomore BC student passes away By Taylour Kumpf
By Matthew DeLuca
Before Spring Break, Lauren Gomez, president of the Art Club and A&S ’11, had a meeting with David Quigley, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, to discuss the need for display space for student artwork on campus. Currently, the club hosts gallery showings of student artwork in spaces provided by the University Libraries in the basement of Bapst and on the first floor of O’Neill. What the Art Club really needs, Gomez said, is a dedicated space on campus to prominently display student artwork. “He was realistic,” Gomez said, “and told us that it’s not going to be practical for the next five years. But it was nice to have someone be honest with us.” Quigley said that over his time at Boston College, he has seen an explosion of interest in the arts among students. “I would judge that student interest in and passion for the arts has increased at BC over my 13 years, and I think that’s a good thing,” Quigley said. “I see the creative, visual, and performing arts as important priorities for the college, alongside the humanities, arts, and sciences.” Quigley pointed to the University’s Master Plan, which includes a planned arts complex on the corner of Brighton Campus by Lake Street, as a sign of institutional commitment to the arts. It will be several years before ground is broken on that facility, Quigley said, given the current state of progress in the Master Plan. In the meantime, administrators, faculty, and students, are looking for other places to rehearse, practice, display their work, and perform. Crystal Tiala, associate professor in the theater department, has been the chair of the Arts Council since May, which, among other responsibilities, oversees the annual Arts Fest. Tiala said that the projected arts center is a step in the right direction. “We have to look for other spaces in the meantime,” she said. The gallery in Bapst is a short-term solution, Tiala said. “Bapst is OK, it’s
Courtesy of the office of news and public affairs
Alexander Grant passed away last week in a drowning incident in upstate New York.
University cancels Saturday events, drinking cited as cause By Daniel Tonkovich Heights Editor
After the Fall Concert featuring Kid Cudi and LMFAO, which resulted in 47 attendees receiving medical attention, campus entertainment events will no longer be held on Saturdays. Administrators attributed the number of transports to the day of the week on which the concert occurred. “Last fall’s concert had the most medical transports and medical incidents, most related to alcohol consumption, than any previous concerts,” said Mark Miceli, asso-
ciate director for student engagement. “On Saturdays, students have all day to pre-game prior to the event whereas on Fridays, most people have classes and other events prior to evening events, reducing the time available for alcohol consumption. For that reason, I decided to implement the new policy.” UGBC, sponsor of both the Fall and Spring Concerts, in addition to other large events on campus throughout the year, did not take issue with the new restriction. “Many incidents at concerts, such as last fall’s, are related to alcohol,” said Michael Kitlas, UGBC director of campus entertainment
and A&S ’12. “On Fridays, students have classes to prevent drinking prior to concerts. Our job is to provide the students with safe events in which to socialize and have fun. Considering that, I believe the policy was a smart move.” Miceli said that during a typical event of a similar size and nature, the University usually has medical transports in the single digits. Of the 47 attendees who received medical attention during last fall’s concert, 25 were processed for medical reasons during the concert itself at Conte Forum. Of those, 22 were transported to medical facilities, while
three were released to sober parties because of only minor injuries. Miceli, however, did note that the decision to not hold events on Saturday was not official University policy, but a restriction he implemented for student organizations to follow when planning large-scale weekend entertainment events. “While I strongly encourage Fridays, if an event has to be on a Saturday due to artist or venue availability, I will consider holding an event on a Saturday,” he said. “If I can avoid
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