The Heights will return on Thursday, Sept. 5. Good luck on finals! ONE LAST SHOT
THE RESULTS ARE IN
MACKLEMORE
SPORTS
METRO
SCENE
Chase Rettig prepares for his last year under center at BC, A10
Markey and Gomez look ahead to the general election after winning Tuesday’s primaries, B10
The Scene dissects the rapper’s musical personality as he lands at Modstock today, B1
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The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College
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Thursday, May 2, 2013
Vol. XCIV, No. 24
Administrators take steps to deal with grade inflation at BC BY DAVID COTE Editor-in-Chief AND
ANDREW SKARAS
Asst. News Editor Starting during the Vietnam War, average grades at universities nationwide began to climb steadily, a trend that has not stopped since. At the time, professors were unwilling to give students low grades, as a poor GPA could jeopardize their military exemption status and result in their being sent to fight and possibly die overseas.
In 1930, the average GPA of undergraduate students at U.S. colleges was 2.40, according to a 2009 report released by the University Council on Teaching. In 1960, it was around 2.48, a modest increase of .08 over 30 years. In 2009, the last year the data was reported, the average GPA was roughly 3.25. In 2004, 90.6 percent of Harvard University’s graduating class received Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude), an occurrence that sparked controversy and led to
serious conversation on the topic of grade inflation among top-ranked universities nationwide. The trend has been apparent across the country at both private and public universities, and Boston College is no exception. Donald Hafner, vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs, noted that grade inflation was a trend that had gained momentum and was difficult to stop once it began. In the College of Arts and Sciences as a whole, the percentage of As and Aminuses was 38 percent in 2000, according
to the report. In 2008, As and A-minuses made up 45 percent of the grades. David Quigley, dean of A&S, partially attributed this trend to the increasing quality of the average BC student. Quigley pointed out that average GPAs have been increasing at close to an equal rate to incoming SAT scores and high school GPAs of students, but admitted that there have been problems recently. “[Grade inflation] has clearly been one of the big issues of the last 10 years on all highly selective college campuses—cer-
BC Social to open as media hub
BY ELEANOR HILDEBRANDT News Editor
Muslims, immigrants, and people of color after the bombings. “As everything was unfolding, the first thing that the media jumped to was what their religion is and where they are from,” Bhattacharyya said. “Immediately, within minutes, people on Twitter started making memes and people on Facebook started putting things up about immigration reform … People jumped to conclusions out of fear, anger, and just wanting someone to blame.” Bhattacharyya spent the lockdown
During the last academic year, the Office of AHANA Student Programs (OASP) and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs conducted a climate survey about diversity on campus. This past spring, smaller focus groups were convened in order to gather more information about questions that sprang up as a result of the original survey and could not be answered with any preexisting institutional data. “There were some questions where we just wanted to understand better why students were saying what they were saying,” said Ines Maturana Sendoya, director of OASP. “Black students and African-American students indicated [on the original survey] that they were the most dissatisfied with their experience at Boston College, so we wanted to get a better understanding as to why that was happening. “Another area we wanted to explore was we found that mainly white students indicated that they were tired of talking about diversity … and so we wanted to understand what that meant. The other area was that, about one-third of students said that LGBTQ students have support, another third said that they’re not supported, and another third said that they didn’t know.”
See Anti-Islamophobia, A4
See Diversity Study, A4
BY GABBY TARINI Heights Staff
See BC Social, A4
ALEX GAYNOR / HEIGHTS EDITOR
The ‘Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate’ initiative is intended to combat Islamophobic sentiments that sprang up after the Marathon attacks.
Student group fights Islamophobia BY DEVON SANFORD Assoc. News Editor Between the comedy show fliers and a cappella banners, “Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate, Love Islam” might be missed by those passing through the Quad. The phrase, painted on a blue banner and hung earlier this week, is surrounded by signatures and kind words of Boston College students, faculty, and administrators in support of the cause. “Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate” is an antihate initiative group created in response to the prejudice against Muslims, immigrants,
The BC Social site, set to launch this summer, will be compatible with phones and tablets.
and people of color after the Boston Marathon bombings. The initiative was created by members of the BC community, including Sriya Bhattacharyya, GLSOE ’14. “This whole entire thing started when we were in the lockdown, during the aftermath of the bombings,” Bhattacharyya said. “In the lockdown, I think the only thing people could do was watch the news, sit, and wait for more information. As I was sitting there, all I could think about [was] how worried I was that the person behind this was a Muslim.” Bhattacharyya feared that people would impose violence and discrimination on
BC community supports bombing victims, alums BY DEVON SANFORD Assoc. News Editor
PHOTO COURTESY OF BC ITS WEB TECHNOLOGY GROUP
See Grade Inflation, A4
Focus groups explore BC’s diversity
Webpage will coalesce Boston College’s best
In an effort to bring better cohesion to the social media offerings at Boston College, the Office of News & Public Affairs is working with BC Information Technology’s Web Group to launch a fully integrated social media convergence site called BC Social. Commonly known as a “mashup page,” the site will highlight the best of BC’s official social media. In addition to serving as a one-stop entry point for BC’s social media channels, the site will bring awareness to active social media campaigns and promote the best work being done on behalf of the University. BC has been recognized by Track Social as one of the top 25 overall performing schools in social media. The University also has a “Klout Score” of 92, which is among the nation’s highest for colleges and universities. The score is a number from 1-100, based on the relative activity of the University’s social networks. After adopting Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram, BC has continued to evolve its virtual presence through initiatives like BC Social. Office of News & Public Affairs Deputy Director and Social Media Council cochair Patricia Delaney is enthusiastic about the use of social media on campus, and sees the University as leading social media initiatives on college campuses around the nation. “We’re excited that BC’s social channels
tainly Boston College is no exception,” Quigley said. “I think in the last decade or so there are some areas where the grading curve, at the high end, the outliers have really drifted far away from a reasonable median, depending on department and discipline.” Hafner didn’t necessarily agree that the upward trend in grades could be explained by an increasingly talented student body. “There has also been an argument that the
In the wake of tragedy, members of the Boston College community have joined together to support the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Most recently, BC alumni, friends, and even complete strangers have reached out to Patrick Downes, BC ’05, and his wife Jessica Kensky, who were both seriously injured by the bombings. A fundraising effort via GiveForward.org was launched within days of the Boston Marathon to help pay for the couple’s medical bills and rehabilitation costs. The fundraiser has since raised over $735,000. Friends, family, and supporters of the fundraiser have left notes of encouragement and good wishes for the couple, including video tributes from as far away as Istanbul. “You don’t know me, but I wanted to contribute to the cost of your care, and wish you a speedy recovery,” one donor wrote on the page. “I am so sorry this happened to you, but I hope you emerge from this with strong spirits and determination to live the rest of your lives to the fullest.” “My son Alex, Brandon’s roommate, has told me how much he respects and admires you both,” Stephanie Neckles,
another donor, wrote. “He described your courage, generosity of spirit, and deep love you share. These things, and God’s grace, will sustain you as you travel the difficult road ahead … My family’s thoughts and prayers are with you.” Downes and Kensky, newlyweds and avid runners, were standing at the finish line of the marathon when the bombs exploded. They each lost a leg, and Kensky’s right foot was badly hurt. Downes ran in the Boston Marathon in 2005, according to The Washington Post. The couple had gone to the finish line this year to reminisce about the run. Downes, a Cambridge native, is finishing a doctoral degree in psychology. Kensky is originally from California and is an oncology nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. The two met in 2006 in Washington, and were married in Boston last summer. As a BC undergraduate, Downes was active in Campus Ministry and received a certificate of merit for programming skills in the 2005 University Student Leadership Awards. Downes, “who cried his eyes out when the Sox finally won the World Series,” according to the fundraising site, “was nicknamed ‘Jesus’ in high school for
See Marathon Charities, A3
THOUSANDS LINE UP FOR TICKETS
GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR
UGBC distributed tickets for today’s Macklemore show to non-seniors on Tuesday. At 8 a.m., the line stretched from Conte Forum (above) to Fulton Hall.
TopTHREE
THE HEIGHTS
A2
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Thursday, May 2, 2013
things to do on campus this week
1 2 3 Modstock
Last Five Walk
Today Time: 3:30 p.m. Location: The Mod Lot
UGBC will host the annual Modstock this afternoon. Lucid Soul, the winner of BC’s Battle of the Bands, will open the event, followed by Aer, and finally, the much-anticipated Macklemore. Gates to the Mod Lot will open at 3:30 p.m. and close at 5:15 p.m.
Core Proposal Meeting
Friday Time: 10 a.m. Location: The Mod Lot and Reservoir
To honor those lost and affected by the Boston Marathon bombings, two BC students created “The Last 5.” The event will include a brief ceremony in the Mod Lot followed by a walk around the Reservoir. T-shirts will be on sale, with all proceeds going to victim relief funds.
Sunday Time: 6 p.m. Location: Murray Function Room
A Town Hall meeting will be held for the new core proposal. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and members of the core proposal team will be available to provide feedback on the changes. Information on the core proposal is available on the bc.edu website.
FEATURED EVENT
Chomsky, activists protest base on Jeju Island BY GABBY TARINI Heights Staff On Tuesday, Boston College’s Korean Students Association hosted an event called “Save Jeju Island,” featuring two South Korean activists, Young-Hee Jeong and Sukjong Hong, and popular public intellectual Noam Chomsky. The event highlighted the global activism taking place on Jeju Island, a small island off the coast of South Korea, where local citizens are protesting the planned construction of a military naval base. Jeju Island, known as Korea’s tropical paradise, is home to one of the world’s richest biodiversity systems and has more UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites than any other single location. In 2005, Jeju was christened the “Island of World Peace,” by way of apology for a little-known but brutal massacre that took place there in 1948. Today, Jeju Island is threatened by a joint U.S.-South Korean naval base in the village of Gangjeong on what many consider to be Jeju’s most beautiful coastline. For more than six years, island residents and peace activists have engaged in determined resistance to the base. Jeong is the chairwoman of the Woman Villagers’ committee to stop the naval base Project in Gangjeong. Her village has been fighting for seven years against the naval base construction. She described how the government has split the villagers into pro-naval base groups and anti-naval base groups, causing
EUN HEE KWON / HEIGHTS STAFF
Naom Chomsky and two South Korean activists spoke at the ‘Save Jeju Island” event. violent tensions. “The administration continues to divide the villagers, bribing small numbers of pro-base villagers with entertainment, extravagant dining, and boat trips,” Jeong said. Jeong explained that Gangjeong has often been called the best village for agriculture on the island and that many of the villagers are farmers. “Many villagers who are tangerine farmers have greatly suffered from the naval base construction,” Jeong said. “Their livelihoods are rotting away due to the pollution from the construction site.” Most importantly, however, Jeong said that the villagers are anguished over losing all connection to their ancestral roots. “Many who live in Gangjeong have lived
here forever,” Jeong said. “We feel that our childhood memories of a place are being destroyed.” Hong, a writer, activist, and Fellow at the Korean Policy Institute, spoke about her project to create international solidarity with Jeju through arts and activism. “For a lot of us, because the Jeju struggle is so urgent, we felt that we not only needed to make the issues heard but seen as well,” Hong said. Hong explained that the way the Jeju base is sold to the international community and the villagers of Gangjeong is through images that make the base look like an eco-resort. The images are bright and sunny, with cruise ships rather than navy ships parked at the base. “What is missing from this picture is what is
POLICE BLOTTER
4/27/13-4/30/13
Saturday, April 27 12:06 a.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a subject in Corcoran Commons who was later transported to a medical facility by ambulance. 12:26 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a fire alarm activation in Stayer Hall. 7:21 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a past assault and battery in Campanella Way.
Sunday, April 28 2:15 a.m. - A report was filed regarding the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in Walsh Hall lots. 4:19 p.m. - A report was filed regarding an activated fire alarm in Voute Hall.
1:05 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance in Edmond’s Hall. 2:46 a.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a subject in Brightron Campus Roadways. The subject was later transported to a medical facility.
Monday, April 29 11:29 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an activated fire alarm in Rubenstein Hall. 5:57 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical aasisstance provided to a BC student in Stadium Roadway. The student was later transported to a medical facility. 3:53 a.m. - A report was filed regarding medical aasisstance provided to a BC student in Roncalli Hall. The student was later transported to a medical facility.
College Corner NEWS FROM UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY DEVON SANFORD Assoc. News Editor Natasha Goss, a 16-year-old majoring in chemistry and minoring in math, will be graduating next week from University of Colorado (CU). While most teenagers are studying for their driver’s license, Goss is preparing for her next academic chapter—a Ph.D. program in atmospheric chemistry at Harvard University, according to The Huffington Post. Goss, who was reading at age two and taking pre-algebra courses by third grade, began attending classes at CU three years ago. She commuted by bus from her home, until this year. She now lives in the on-campus dormitories and volunteers with the Environmental Center. “I want to have a direct impact on the CU campus while I’m here,” Goss said in an interview with The Huffington Post. Environmental Center Director Dave Newport remembered when
going to be destroyed in the process, namely the villagers’ livelihoods and memories,” Hong said. “We wanted to raise counter images to interrupt the dominant narrative.” From her base in New York City, Hong has hosted film screenings, protests at the South Korean consulate, and various other outreaches around the city in an effort to stop the construction of the base through creative and direct intervention. Chomsky spoke about the threats to global peace and security that the construction of the base poses. “The naval base has an obvious target,” Chomsky said. “It is not for the defense of the U.S., but rather it is intended as a direct threat to North Korea and China.” Chomsky explained that the construction of the base is only a small part of the Obama administration’s “Pivot to Asia,” a policy that is meant to be a strategic re-balancing of U.S. interests away from Europe and the Middle East toward East Asia. He warned that failure to prevent this project may well have consequences reaching far beyond Asia. “Not surprisingly, China sees the base as a threat to its national security,” Chomsky said. “At the very least, the base is likely to trigger confrontation and an arms race between South Korea and China, with the U.S. almost inevitably involved.” Chomsky spoke urgently of the need to halt the construction before it was too late. “The irony is that the seeds for future superpower conflict are being sown on an ecological preserve and island of peace,” he said.
Goss walked into his office in the summer of 2009, according to The Huffington Post. He recalls she said, “So, I have been looking at everything the Environmental Center does and I think I can help you a lot. And the good news is you don’t have to pay me because I’m only 13.” Goss is attending CU as a Norlin Scholar, a Marjorie Skiff Rose Scholar, and a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. She also won an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program grant while working as an intern in a water chemistry lab. Goss supplemented her honors research into trace gases in the atmosphere and isotopic substitution with a year and a half of work with another campus research group at the Institute of Artic and Alpine Research. “I helped develop and improve dry deposition collection,” she said. Goss will be attending Harvard on a three-year National Science Foundation fellowship.
Tuesday, April 30 1:03 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance in Fenwick Hall. 4:25 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an activated fire alarm in Edmonds Hall. 1:45 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a subject in Corcoran Commons. 5:12 p.m. - A report was filed regarding an activated fire alarm in Gonzaga Hall.
—Source: The Boston College Police Department
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 Metro 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 Eleanor Hildebrandt, 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 Austin Tedesco, Sports Editor, at (617) 5520189, 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 Sean Keeley, 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 David Cote, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail eic@bcheights.com. CUSTOMER SERVICE Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Jamie Ciocon, 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) 2013. All rights reserved.
CORRECTIONS The first correction is in reference to the issues dated April 25, 2013, Vol. XCIV, No. 22. The second and thrid corrections are in reference to the issue dated April 29, 2013, Vol. XCIV, No. 23. The article titled “Notes from BC Underground” incorrectly stated that Alex Lam’s hometown was Lochaneta, CA. His actual hometown is La Canada, CA. The headline titled “Robert Balog ’74 screens his acclaimed ‘Chasing Ice’ in Devlin” incorrectly stated James Balog’s name as Robert. The story titled “Vocis of Imani” was incorrectly attributed to Magdalena Lachowicz. It was actually written by Bernadette Deron.
VOICES FROM THE DUSTBOWL “What are your plans for the summer?”
“Working as a camp counselor.” —Margot Soule, A&S ’16
“Interning and chilling, hopefully.” —Ashley Branch, A&S ’14
“Working in New York.” —Sam Blumenthal, CSOM ’14
“Hopefully filming a documentary in Sierra Leone.” —Kristy Davis, A&S ’14
The Heights
Thursday, May 2, 2013
A3
Runner raises awareness
End of a Alonsozana and Pan journey win Aquino awards By John Wiley Heights Editor
Matt Palazzolo 1,356 days separate the moment my parents dropped me off on Newton Campus from the rapidly approaching moment when I collect my diploma in Alumni Stadium. Day 1 feels like yesterday. In the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 2, 2009, I nervously paced around the clothes and books scattered across my bedroom. In an effort to block out my fear of the great collegiate unknown, I made three promises to myself. The first two promises were to make friends quickly and join a club on student activities day. In high school, it took me until junior year to became an active member of my favorite club (Model UN) and to assemble my friend group. I was determined to get a jump start on both, but it would take until sophomore year to fulfill these promises. After classes ended that year I organized a “Last Supper” dinner at Maggiano’s with six other people. I currently live with five of them in Mod 14 Bravo, while the other is a frequent guest and de facto roommate. While the seven of us will live far away from each other next year, I am confident that we have formed a strong friendship bond that will outlive our time at Boston College. At the beginning of sophomore year I joined the editorial board of The Heights, and it quickly wrested the title of favorite club from high school Model UN. My final column would be incomplete without mentioning my love for The Heights. Though my awkward mugshot will no longer occupy Page 3 of the Wednesday News section, I will never forget the people who made The Heights a defining part of my BC experience. Thanks for the memories—I am a better person because of you. My final promise was that I would find love at BC. While driving to campus for freshman orientation, my mom eagerly postulated that I might find my future wife at BC. Outwardly, I snickered, but inwardly I felt different. I remembered my sister’s wedding reception 10 years before, when my grandpa told me that he wanted to live long enough to dance at my wedding. I remembered my grandmother asking me each and every time I call her if I have found a girlfriend yet. Even as I brushed off my mother’s comment, I privately vowed to pursue love at BC. Four years later, it is clear that I was unsuccessful. The hook-up culture created a steep handicap, and my own immaturity was no help either. Most tragically, Jennifer Lawrence still has not realized that we are soulmates. Fortunately, there is still hope. As a potential BC Law student this fall, I will continue my quest. Though I was unable to find love in a Mod, it may be waiting for me on Newton Campus next year. The night before Marathon Monday, my visiting friend from home asked me what I would change if I could redo my college experience. I gave a lame answer that he immediately compared to equestrian manure. I replied that I have always striven to live a life of no regrets. Where others see failure, I see an opportunity to improve. Where others see embarrassment and humiliation, I see a funny story to tell at alumni receptions years from now. Even though I didn’t fulfill any of my promises freshman year, I still look back fondly at my time in Hardey Hall. I am not the first person to think this way. In an iconic song from the musical Rent (and the inspiration for this column), playwright Jonathan Larson urged people not to view a year as simply 525,600 minutes, but rather to “measure in love.” Long before YOLO became annoyingly popular, the Romans had the aphorism Carpe Diem, or seize the day. Though its been said many times and many ways, I have a simple piece of advice for all BC students. Enjoy every moment of your college experience, because it will be over before you know it.
Matt Palazzolo is a senior staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at news@bcheights.com.
On Tuesday, the Asian Caucus awarded Matt Alonzosana and Lucilla Pan, both A&S ’14, with its Corazon and Benigno Aquino scholarship—an honor recognizing Boston College juniors with exceptional achievement in academics and community service to the Asian American community. The two were chosen from a pool of 39 applicants, and were among five finalists recognized at an honorary banquet held for the Aquino scholars. Founded in 1995 as the AsianAmerican scholarship, the Aquino scholarship was renamed in 2010 to honor husband and wife Benigno and Corazon Aquino, the Filipino political advocates who together worked to end the rule of Ferdinand Marcos, whose 21-year regime effectively eradicated democracy in the Philippines through corrupt practices and human rights violations. “Behind this scholarship are two people, two people who set the direction for the country which my ancestors call home,” said scholarship recipient Alonzosana, who served this year as co-president of the Asian Caucus, and will next year assume the role of UGBC executive vice president. “Right now, that country is undergoing an election process which will consolidate the progress of decades past.” Benigno Aquino was assassinated in 1983 while running in opposition to Marcos, and left behind a long legacy of public opposition to Marcos’ regime. In 1986, Corazon went on to become the first female president of
the Philippines after the People Power Revolution restored democracy in the country, ending the rule of Marcos. “I think one thing we forget is a dictum which Demosthenes gave us two millenniums ago, which was that all speech is vain and useless unless it be accompanied by action,” said Alonzosana of the Philippines, a country in which he served as the Visiting Research Associate at the Ateneo de Manila two summers ago. “Truly I think that is what distinguishes Corazon and Benigno Aquino, because they devoted their lives to contribute to the edifice of greater principles which unite us all.” Pan, who received this year’s Aquino scholarship alongside Alonzosana, will serve as co-president of the Asian Caucus next year, and has begun writing a comprehensive history of the scholarship as Secretary and Historian of the Asian Caucus this year. She expects to publish it this spring. “Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to just do things and get involved and taking a chance with me,” said Pan upon receiving the scholarship. “I’m so honored to be here.” Keynote speakers Grace H. Lee, former First Deputy Treasurer and General Counsel for the Massachusetts State Treasury, and Jason Chou, Executive Director to the Massachusetts Asian American Commission, addressed issues of the Asian American community—particularly through anecdotes of prejudice and adversity in their respective careers—and also discussed the formation and function of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American Commission, a
By Gianni Matera Heights Staff
eun hee kwon / Heights Staff
Matt Alonsozana and Lucilla Pan, both ’14, won this year’s scholarships. state agency focusing on the welfare of Asian Americans. “My highlight at the treasury—and it’s about doing what you can in your venue—was working with the state treasurer, with the governor’s office, with the state legislators in passing a commission to advance and protect the rights of Asian Americans in Massachusetts,” Lee said. “Often enough, people don’t care about any of these issues until it affects us, and we don’t know where to go for assistance,” Chou said of his experience championing Asian American issues in Massachusetts. “That’s why I like to encourage people to be involved before these issues come back to you. That’s what the Commission is really about, to be of preventive care.” Last year’s recipient of the Aquino scholarship, Krystle Jiang, A&S ’13, also shared remarks on the struggles of Asian Americans in Massachusetts, stressing the importance of engaging
in the often uncomfortable conversations about prejudice at BC. “Racism and sexism and heterosexism and all these negative isms aren’t that blatant all the time, but they still happen at the time, and that’s what’s forcing our parents and our friends to feel like they don’t belong in this country,” Jiang said. Upon presenting this year’s Aquino Scholarship, University President Rev. William Leahy, S.J., urged an openness in sharing stories of identity at BC. “As I listen to Grace Lee and Jason Chou and the stories about our finalists and then Krystle Jiang, it occurred to me once again how everybody has a story, and how important it is to know those stories,” Leahy said. “We value those and learn from them, because if we’re going to be a community, that means we’re going to have to have things in common, and it’s that story, that personal history that makes BC so strong.” n
Cuban writer laments repressive practices By Jennifer Heine Heights Staff Boston College’s Cuban-American Student Organization (CASA) hosted Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo for a presentation on Tuesday concerning the current state of Internet-based citizen journalism in Cuba. Lazo, a blogger, freelance photographer and civil rights activist, discussed the Cuban government’s repressive Internet policy, the difficulty of disseminating one’s viewpoints in such an environment, and the gains the movement has made since its origins. A University of Havana graduate with a degree in biochemistry, Lazo began his political work in 2000. Most recently, his online magazine, Voces, has gained an international following. “This is a great opportunity for the BC community to hear from someone directly involved in the dissidence movement in Cuba,” said Mayte Jaime, CASA president and A&S ’13. “This is for all who cannot speak.” “I would like to speak of a very interesting phenomenon occurring recently in Cuba, which is the development of an independent civil society on the Internet,” Lazo said. This development seems particularly noteworthy given Cubans’ inability to access the Internet on a regular basis. “In order to get Internet access, you need to be a foreign resident in Cuba or work in a special institution or access a hotel for tourists,” Lazo said. “A domestic Internet account for Cuban citizens is impossible. They have the technological capability, but they don’t want the money—they want you to be separate from this powerful, free flux of information.”
He noted that, in its place, the government provides what is known as the “intranet,” accessible to university students and some others, featuring censored recreations of other, international websites, such as “Red Social,” a duplicate of Facebook, and a clone of Wikipedia. “It is sad that most university students will only have access to this, and not to the real Wikipedia,” Lazo said. Blogging, therefore, has proved a challenge. Taking advantage of this limited access through the homes of friends who work in the government and hotels for international tourists, though, the independent blog movement has skyrocketed. “The mere act of blogging in Cuba is considered a subversive activity,” Lazo said. “But now there are over 100 persons blogging in Cuba.” The movement has even given rise to a reactionary system of institutionalized blogging. “The institutional, official Cuban blogosphere originated as a reaction to the independent, underground blogs, and has surpassed the independent blogs,” Lazo said. “They are working with all the resources of the state, they are blogging from their workplaces and some of them are receiving a salary to do this. They are not free to express any point of view. Somehow, they are always echoes of what the official Cuban press publishes. You can get to any of these blogs and they will be talking about the same issues in the same terms. Whenever they talk about the independent blogger, they use the same language, a militant language, that I consider outdated, from the Cold War.” Beyond online opposition, the independent bloggers face a host of threats. “It seems that the Cu-
emily sadeghian / Heights Staff
Lazo, a Cuban blogger and freelance writer, discussed Internet restrictions. ban government forces most of this distribution of information to be outside the law,” Lazo said. He recalled being arrested as a result of his work. “I have been put into prison, for no charges, as a preventative measure, to stop me from covering something,” he said. Furthermore, most bloggers do not use pseudonyms to protect themselves. “Bloggers do not even belong to an organization. They are working as individuals, it’s citizen journalism,” he said. “In Cuba, there are very few bloggers who are not using their real names. It is the first liberation. And from that moment, you are waiting to get further and further. This is a provocation. This is
me, this is my point of view.” Lazo added that he finds freedom in this method, despite the dangers. “The moment I put my name, I gained this ability,” he said. “The trouble started, but I felt less fearful. I knew somehow that people knew I was here. I had the impression that in Cuba, something could happen at any moment. Something is going to happen, and I wouldn’t have said what I want to say. And so now I am at peace.” He remains cautiously optimistic about the future. “I am enthusiastic, but also skeptical,” Lazo said. “Independent bloggers and independent journalists are no longer able to remain silent.” n
Charity supports community in wake of bombings Marathon Charities, from A1 his goodness.” On Friday, the parents of Downes and Kensky, Deborah and Brian Downes and Katy and Herman Kensky, left a note of gratitude on the fundraiser site. They told friends and family that the couple is currently recovering in different hospitals and remain in close contact by phone and through friends . They are confident that their children will manage their rehabilitation with the same spirit of optimism and determination that guided each of them in the days following the bombing. “The traditions of our faiths
—Jewish and Christian—teach us that hardship breeds courage, which feeds a strength that leads to rebirth,” the note read. “We know that goodness transcends evil, that where love is, love remains. It is that love we have felt from so many of you that sustains us today, tomorrow, and in the difficult years to come.” A similar fundraiser was created for the Richard family, who were affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. Martin Richard, age eight, was the youngest victim of the bombings. His younger sister and mother, Jane and Denise Richard, were severely injured. Deidre Manning, the former
director of sustainability at BC and friend of the Richard family, reached out to members of the University community asking for their support. “The Richard family lives two houses away from me,” Manning wrote in an email. “They are a wonderful family and have dedicated time and given money to the community and charitable causes … It is surreal to think that the entire world has seen a picture of Martin and know that I won’t see him again and to remember Jane hopping around in her red cowboy boots that Santa gave her last Christmas and know that it will be some time before she is able to hop
around again. Now the Richard family needs help. I ask you to consider donating to the Richard Family Fund.” The Richard Family Fund was created days after the bombing and has since raised over $324,000. Members of the BC community also showed their support for the Richard family at an Irish dance benefit, “Dance Out for Jane,” this past Saturday in the Back Bay. Jane Richard, age six, danced at the Clifden Irish Dance Academy. The benefit featured local college Irish dance groups, including the BC Irish Dance Club, and had raised over $22,000 for the Richard family at the time of print. n
Liz Byron, BC ’06, spoke at Boston College on Tuesday about her recent experience running the Marathon des Sables, a 147-mile ultra-marathon in the Sahara desert. She ran to raise $50,000 to buy laptops for the Gardner Pilot Academy (GPA), a full-service community school in Allston where she is a special education teacher. “I went to my principal and was like, ‘I know I’m doing this race and I know I can raise a lot of money through it, and I know we have a need for technology,’ and she totally agreed,” Byron said. The benefit event was organized by the Boston College Students for Education Reform (BCSFER). “Basically, our national organization’s mission is to mobilize the power of students in the education reform movement to close the widening achievement gap that occurs in the United States’ public education system,” said Kat Clarke, A&S ’13, a member of BCSFER and organizer of the event. Members of BCSFER thought that Byron’s efforts to raise money to buy laptops for her school fit perfectly with their mission. “As soon as we read about her story and heard about what she was doing for her students—and the fact that she was a BC alum brought it a lot more close to home—we knew we had to have her,” Clarke said. “And it’s just such a cool story.” At GPA, 92 percent of the students live at or below the poverty line. “Neighborhoods that have a lower socioeconomic status typically fall through the cracks, and those students get stuck in a cycle of poverty because they don’t have the tools to get themselves out,“ Clarke said. “They graduate not having the dream education that the Unites States’ education system is supposed to provide.” Byron ran the race because she believes that providing exemplary, full-service education to high-need, low-income public school students presents a greater challenge than running an ultra-marathon in the Sahara desert. “I Googled the world’s hardest running race in 2009,” Byron said. “There were a lot of websites that came up and this was one of them. This one sounded like it was arguably the hardest.” She signed up in 2009 and was put on a waiting list, and about a year ago she got the go ahead to run the April 2013 race. Training for the race was a challenge, Byron said, because she was also working at GPA. She would often run in the late evenings in order to fit training into her busy schedule. Her longest run during training was 53 miles. “I would do a 20 to 22 mile run at least once a week, during a couple of weeks [I did it] four or five times,” Byron said. “So my mileage per week ranged somewhere between … 20, which is awful, and as high as 120. But mostly it was somewhere in the middle.” During the race, runners had to manage their own calorie intake to make sure they had enough nutrients and energy for the race. They also had to carry their own gear. “You have to run with about 10 compulsory items,” Byron said. “So you have a compass, you have to have extra batteries, a headlamp. There was a day where we ran 50 miles and you’re running into the night so you have a headlamp and they give you a tiny little glow stick to attach to the back of your backpack, and you have a flare.” Byron admitted that running a race that is almost six times as long as a traditional marathon and in the extreme heat was difficult. She said race officials, however, worked hard to keep runners safe. “In the Boston Marathon there’s a checkpoint every mile to get water and fluid,” Byron said. “Here there’s a checkpoint every six to nine miles. So if you’re in that in-between area and you’re like having heat stroke—and a lot of people did need medical attention—you can send off your flare, and there were two helicopters and they could come to help you out. Or someone in a car would see a flare and they’d come.” Byron cited severe blisters as her primary medical problem. Byron has raised about $38,000 of her $50,000 goal. Donations can be made at www.runforlaptops.org. n
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Social media webpage will compile BC-relevant info BC Social, from A1 are gaining recognition as leaders among the nation’s colleges and universities,” Delaney said. “On April 24, for example, we learned that our channel had been designated an Instagram ‘suggested user,’ which has resulted in some 10,000 new followers in the last week alone.” In 2012, the Office of News & Public Affairs founded the Social Media Council (SMC), which brought together 10 departments from across campus to talk about the best strategies and practices of using social media. In the past year, the group has grown to over 45 different departments, organizations, and schools. Each entity operates social media channels independently, while adhering to community guidelines and best practices established by the council. BC Social is scheduled to launch early this summer. The aim of the convergence site is to provide students, faculty, staff, and the larger, worldwide BC community with a landing page to access all of the University’s social offerings. The site will include a dynamic social media directory and windows that high-
light the overall web presence of SMC members, as well as provide a central resource for social media administrators across campus. “We are always seeking ways to improve the channels, to provide a better experience for our audiences, and we believe that this convergence site will make it much easier for users to learn about and locate BC’s social offerings,” Delaney said. The site will be highly visual and include elements from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+ and a variety of blogs. The site offers the capability of showcasing social initiatives to the BC community as they arise, such as a new LinkedIn site that represents a collaboration between the Office of News & Public Affairs, Human Resources, University Advancement, and the Career Center. It also will exhibit the recently revamped YouTube page that reflects a new partnership between the Office of News & Public Affairs and the Office of Marketing Communications, and a new social site for students being developed by the Student Affairs Division. University Social Media Manager and
BC students combat antiIslamicism Anti-Islamophobia, from A1
photo courtesy of BC its web technology group
A mock-up of the BC Social page (above) highlights BC’s presence on social media. SMC co-chair Melissa Beecher offered up some wisdom about the relevance of BC Social in regard to the recent events that have transpired in Boston. “In the past two weeks, in the wake of the Marathon bombings, audiences on campus and around the world turned to BC’s social sites as well as its traditional
news channels, for information and to stay connected with the campus,” Beecher said. “It’s clear that social media is a great tool for keeping the BC community together, and we believe the convergence site will make it that much easier for everyone to take advantage of the resources available.” n
Focus groups investigate state of diversity on campus Diversity Study, from A1 Finally, Sendoya said, over 90 percent of students surveyed indicated that they wanted to learn how to work with people across differences, yet also said that they did not participate in programming designed to meet those goals. The focus groups, Sendoya said, provided a way to find out why such programs were not attended, and by the same token how to create new programming that students would find more attractive. Six separate focus groups met over the course of February, March, and early April. The groups were split so that each one would be homogenous in one respect: freshmen, seniors, white students, black students, AHANA students, and students who identify as GLBTQ, according to Sendoya. “In terms of focus groups, it’s better to have some kind of homogeneity so that people feel more comfortable sharing information,” she said.
“We also wanted to see if there were any differences between those populations—or similarities, too.” The participating students were invited to volunteer based on random lists provided by the Office of Institutional Research, and groups ranged in size from three to 19 students. The discussions were each facilitated by an administrator and a student who were part of the diversity working committee that had been arranged for the study. The students had been recommended by UGBC and ALC leaders. “We have been working on this for a while,” Sendoya said. “Before we did that survey, the previous vice president of student affairs [Patrick Rombalski] had commissioned a group of administrators to look at diversity, mostly within Student Affairs. With that committee, we looked at the departments within Student Affairs and what the departments were doing—we looked at the composition
of the major student organizations—and we developed a rubric to look at areas—aspirational areas of where we’d like to be in terms of diversity, mostly within Student Affairs.” After that study concluded, the committee realized that some information—which could only be gathered by asking students—was missing, and thus the first survey, and consequently the focus groups, followed. As a result of these studies, Sendoya and her colleagues have been providing strategic recommendations to the Office of the VPSA. “[They] have been implemented for the most part,” Sendoya said. “For example, at the conclusion of the first year, we recommended … that there [would be] one person in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs that would be dedicated to collecting data, looking at trends, and providing overall general direction to the diversity initiatives within the division.” Other recommendations included providing more training for the staff within
the Division of Student Affairs, and executing the diversity survey itself. Sendoya has not had an in-depth meeting with the new VPSA, Barbara Jones, as of yet, but she anticipated that the results of the focus groups will lead to more suggestions for the Office of the VPSA. “For us, this is a way in which we continue understanding the student experience, and also it’s a tool for us to figure out ways to do a better job in terms of creating a climate that is welcoming to all students, and where all students feel that they are part of Boston College,” Sendoya said. “It’s a process that takes time, and the more you learn about it, the more things you find that you could do differently and better.” The specific data and results of the focus groups have not been released to the general public yet. Sendoya said that the results are currently being finalized and will be released either over the summer or in the fall. n
BC departments differ in approach to grade inflation Grade Inflation, from A1 average BC student is better academically prepared—I don’t find that persuasive,” he said. “If they arrived here better prepared, I would expect them to go farther.” Either way, the compression of grades into mostly the range of As and Bs has made distinction between good work, very good work, and truly excellent work nearly impossible in some cases, both Quigley and Hafner said. As a result of the steady increase in average GPAs, the 2009 report by the University Council on Teaching gave several recommendations for ways to combat grade inflation, which the University has begun to phase in over the past few years. The Office of the Provost now provides department heads with an annual report, delivered at the end of the academic year, that summarizes grades by faculty member, by department, and by college, giving faculty members and department chairs the opportunity to compare their grading policies with those of the University as a whole. “Over the last couple of years we’ve been using the departmental data reports, which are very useful materials, putting that out to chairs and encouraging [them] to share that information with their faculty, so that faculty can see not just how they’re grading, but how their grades correlate with the department, in the College of Arts and Sciences, and even across the University,” Quigley said. Most grading policies are determined by individual departments, in consultation with the Dean’s Office and the Office of the Provost. The biology, chemistry, and accounting departments all have standard target grades for their introductory level courses, which are often taught by several different professors simultaneously. According to Kathleen Dunn, assistant chair of the biology department, instructors for introductory biology classes aim for a B-minus average score. Similarly, Lynne O’Connell, director of the undergraduate chemistry labs in the chemistry department, said that the faculty who teach General Chemistry I and II aim for a B-minus average. Billy Soo, who has been chair of the accounting department for seven years, said that his department’s target average grade for introductory and major required classes is a B. The standard target grade changes, however, in the case of more advanced classes and electives. Dunn pointed out that in some cases, a higher average grade in a class
makes sense. “We do get messages from the dean regularly reminding us to pay attention to grades, and that courses that have all As are suspect,” Dunn said. “In some cases it’s warranted—there are certain small classes, small discussion classes, certainly small lab classes, where it’s not unusual for the grades to be mostly As and A-minuses.” Dunn said, however, that there was no overarching structure for the way grading works in higher-level biology classes. O’Connell said that the chemistry department works in a similar fashion, leaving grades in upper level classes mostly up to individual faculty members. “The chemistry department does not have a ‘blanket’ policy about grades,” O’Connell said in an email. “Each faculty member is given the authority to assign grades in his/her course as s/he sees fit.” Soo, on the other hand, maintained that his department keeps a target average score for upper level classes, but increases it from the B average recommended for introductory classes to a B-plus. Although the economics department also has a large number of introductory courses with high enrollment, it does not have target grades for the many sections of Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics. “The economics department does not promulgate a grading standard that faculty are expected to adhere to,” said Donald Cox, chair of the economics department. “When I first started here 25 years ago, the median grade in economics was a B-minus. That is not true anymore.” Housing both the core writing classes and core literature classes, the English department does not have separate criteria for grading core classes in comparison to upper level classes, as some of the sciences do. “I encourage the faculty to have some sort of reasonable distribution, show them the English department data in relation to other departments, and write personally to the people who are statistical ‘outliers,’” said Suzanne Matson, chair of the English department, in an email. One of the concerns that she expressed was the meaning students assign to grades and how that was a challenge to faculty. “One challenge that I don’t think English is alone in facing, is that grades have become enormously important to students because they have to compete so hard for everything from internships to graduate and professional school acceptances,” Matson said. “Students
don’t think of a B as a good grade anymore, when, really, that’s what it’s supposed to mean: ‘good.’ And a B-plus is supposed to mean ‘very good.’” Lisa Cuklanz, chair of the communication department, said that her department also does not have an overarching grading structure that limits instructors to a particular average. “Our department does not have a ‘grading policy’ per se, but we do require that faculty members put information on their syllabi to inform students about how grades are computed in each course,” Cuklanz said in an email. “Professors make their own decisions about what percentages to assign to individual course components such as exams and papers, how to evaluate student work, and assignment of grades based on their evaluation.” In the communication department, professors are also informed of where their overall grades fit into the department and University as a whole, according to Cuklanz. Over the course of their careers at BC, both Hafner and Quigley have seen the University make changes to address grade inflation. Before 1983, Latin honors were given based on students reaching a threshold GPA. As a result of this, more and more students received Latin honors. In order to change this, the University shifted to awarding Latin honors to a certain percentage of the class instead. “Boston College was able to avoid [Harvard’s] kind of fate because we’ve held tight all through the last decades to an absolute standard for Latin honors,” Quigley said of Harvard’s controversial 2004 class. Despite fluctuations in average GPA between departments, neither Quigley nor Hafner felt that a Latin honors system by department would be preferable. “I’d rather see us address the issue of grade compression University-wide and have more shared standards among departments, rather than say, ‘That’s fine, if you want to engage in grade inflation,’” Hafner said. Last Thursday, the Provost’s Advisory Council met and discussed grade inflation, among other topics. Harry Kent, the council’s UGBC student advisor and A&S ’13, said that in his three years on the council, this was the first meeting that discussed grade inflation. He said that the conversation began partially because of a report from the alcohol task force working with the VPSA’s office. “They noticed that in measuring drinking behavior that there wasn’t much correlation between excessive drinking habits and GPA,”
Kent said. “The administration was wondering why this was. You would think that if people were binge drinking that it would affect their GPAs.” Although he could not release the data presented at the meeting, Kent said that grade inflation was an issue across all the departments in A&S. “The information distributed made it readily apparent that students are receiving more As and A-minuses,” Kent said. Quigley provided a two-pronged approach for controlling the steady upward trend in grades. First, he said that outlying professors, some of whom give grades that average much higher than their department median, need to be approached directly. “On the faculty end, really convincing a small minority of A&S faculty, who tend to give consistently, over time, grades at the very high end of the spectrum is crucial,” Quigley said. “[We] try to encourage them to be a little more discriminating in their work, really getting a change in behavior among some outliers.” Quigley also argued that change must come from students. “Among students, a B-minus I can understand some concern, but I think we’ve gotten to the point where a B, or in some cases even a B-plus and I know in some departments, an A-minus, is seen as some kind of slight,” Quigley said. “Student culture needs to adjust to the fact that a B or a B-plus at a top-ranked national university is no insult.” Quigley admitted that grading is often the least desirable aspect of a professor’s job, and Hafner agreed that professors often get more negative feedback when the grades they assign are generally lower. Hafner stressed the importance of clarity in professors’ expectations and individual grading policies in order to limit complaints from students. Despite considering it a difficult part of the job, Hafner, Quigley, and many department heads emphasized the importance of distinguishing between quality of work, and lamented the fact that grade inflation often obscures this purpose. “Grading is fundamentally about assessing quality,” Quigley said. “I think that the idea of the University, why we credential people, why you have to go through courses and earn credits to eventually earn the Bachelor’s and then the Master’s and then the Ph.D., is that there’s a certain ranking that goes on here, but also there’s a commitment to a kind of hierarchy—a hierarchy of excellence, of achievement, the kind of meritocratic commitment that animates the modern University.” n
day text-messaging her friend and fellow student, Kimberly Ashby. The two decided to make a banner to address the issues of violence and discrimination on BC campus. Bhattacharyya created the slogan “Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate.” “The slogan actually came from something I had heard about the Amish school shooting in 2006,” Bhattacharyya said. “A milk man went into an Amish community, tied up a group of Amish school girls and essentially raped and shot them. It was absolutely horrible … After the devastation, this Amish community invited the killer’s family to the funeral. It really touched me. I remember reading that one of the elderly women in the community said, ‘We know that the hurt is very great, but you cannot balance hurt with hate.’ I thought it was really beautiful how they met the family of the killer with so much love and understanding. I thought that was a really important message to remember.” Bhattacharyya and other members of the anti-hate initiative chose to focus on and support an underrepresented community after the Marathon bombings. “We recognized that so many of the victims were hurt in the bombings, and there are so many resources addressing them,” Bhattacharyya said. “So we chose to focus on a different community that was being attacked as well … We did it to give Muslim and international students and students of color on campus a means of support.” The banner was hung in the Quad early last week. Since then, over 400 members of the BC community have signed it. “Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate” also took to Facebook, where the anti-hate group has
“We chose to focus on a different community that was attacked as well ... We did it to give Muslim and international students and students of color on campus a means of support.” - Syria Bhattacharyya Co-creator of ‘Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate’ initiative and GLSOE ’14 engaged in conversations concerning the discrimination and violence against members of the Islam community, immigrants, and people of color. “A lot of people said they wished they knew more about Islam,” Bhattacharyya said. “Kind of organically, we decided to have an event to talk about it.” “Myths and Facts About Islam: Post Marathon” was held on Tuesday night in Stokes Hall. The event featured Ali Banuazizi, political science professor and director of Islamic Civiliaztion & Society; Na’eel Cajee, Harvard School of Dental Medicine ’14; Nuri Friedlander, associate chaplain at the Harvard Islamic Society; Lisa Tobias, Finance Director at WorldTeach; and Dana Collins, GLSOE ’16. The panelists discussed the common misconceptions and, in turn, the truths about Islam and Muslims. They also answered questions that students submitted via the “Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate” Facebook page and through email concerning Islamic culture and Muslim religion. “The turnout was fantastic and the panelists provided informative, honest answers to students’ questions,” Bhattacharyya said. “I think it’s so important to balance the information that people are receiving and to give people to understand Islam if they wish.” Bhattacharyya said that the “Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate” initiative will continue until at least the end of the semester. “We are really hoping for people to continue engaging in conversations, to reach out to people who seem different than them and recognize their similarities,” Bhattacharyya said. “We also hope to continue engaging people online and share resources.” The “Don’t Meet Hurt with Hate” banner will be hung outside of the Mod Lots later today. As students enter the Modstock concert, the anti-hate initiative group will be encouraging attendees to sign the banner and share words of support for those experiencing prejudice. n
CLASSIFIEDS
The Heights The Heights
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
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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: · Number can appear only once in each row · Number can appear only once in each column · Number can appear only once in each 3x3 box · The number should appear only once on row, column or area.
A5 A5
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BC must take steps to reduce grade inflation Giving away too many high grades fails to acknowledge exceptional students’ work or inspire greater effort Grades at universities nationwide have been steadily climbing since the 1970s, resulting in the problems of grade inflation and grade compression. At Boston College, these problems are no more or less severe than nationwide averages, but they certainly exist. Grade inflation causes a variety of problems. First, it prevents professors from distinguishing between a spectrum of quality of work—according to a report released by the University Council on Teaching in 2009, in the case of one undisclosed Arts and Sciences department, nearly 75 percent of the grades given in the department were an A or an A-minus. Grade inflation also has the unfortunate effect of allowing students to scrape by doing the bare minimum, meaning that professors can no longer hold students fully accountable for understanding and mastering the material in a particular course. If students know that they can put in subpar work but still receive a B or a B-plus, they will often be less likely to apply themselves and therefore less likely to master the course material. The trend hasn’t gone unnoticed. Students, faculty, and administrators alike, particularly in the last few years, have been concerned with this steady increase in average GPA. While the trend is universal, that doesn’t mean it’s unstoppable. In 2009, the University released a
Students must realize that the purpose of grading is both to acknowledge mastery of content, but also to distinguish between differing quality of work—from good, to great, to excellent. report on grade inflation and grade compression, which references the concentration of grades so closely together at the high end of the spectrum, and recommends a number of ways to combat these trends. Currently, department chairs receive reports from the Provost’s Office each year, summarizing the grades of that particular year by faculty member, department, college, and then across the entire University. This data, which was available until the early 2000s, stopped being distributed for a few years, and was recently reintroduced after the 2009 report, is crucial to controlling grade inflation, and should be made available to all faculty members in every department. By seeing where their particular department stands in relation to similar disciplines and the rest of their college, and also where they stand in relation to their colleagues, faculty can have a better sense of what grades are reasonable. David Quigley, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has also recently instituted mandatory, departmental-level conversations about grading each semester. At the meetings, faculty members discuss approaches to grading, what reasonable grades to give are, and how the department has been doing during that particular semester or academic year. It is imperative that all departments University-wide have these conversations every semester. Although “conversations” might seem like a vague way of approaching a very specific problem, encouraging faculty to reevaluate the meaning of grades and their approach to assigning them is crucial if grade inflation is to be controlled. These conversations are particularly important among more subjective departments, like English or communication, where grading policies are more likely to differ between professors. The lack of these discussions in recent years
might be part of the reason that grading policies between faculty often differ so greatly, even within the same department. In departments where the same introductory level course is taught to many students by several different professors, it is especially important for a conversation about standardizing grading practices to occur. When freshmen are taking the same introductory classes, it is unfair for one professor to be significantly more demanding or grade more harshly than a colleague teaching the same class. While instituting a hard curve across all sections for classes like this is too strict, requiring professors to cover the same material and aim for the same target grade would improve the process greatly. Transparency and communication alone do not have the ability to change the attitudes of professors and students to grading, however, and this is where true change must occur. Students at the University today often see a B or a B-plus as a bad grade, and in some cases are upset with A-minuses. Although a C no longer truly represents an “average” student, it is important for students to readjust their attitude toward grades and realize that a B is not necessarily a bad grade, and that having a few Bs will not permanently derail one’s career aspirations. Students must realize that the purpose of grading is both to acknowledge mastery of content, but also to distinguish between differing quality of work—from good, to great, to excellent. Professors are not hired to hand out good grades. They are hired in large part to instruct and evaluate students. If a student is not putting their best effort into a class or is failing to master the material, they should not expect an A-minus. As a result of the attitudes of students, professors are often reluctant to give lower grades, seeking to avoid pushback from students or their parents, or a bad reputation among the student body. Giving a large majority of high grades isn’t always an indication of laziness. It is also an extremely easy way for them to ensure that students enjoy their class and sign up for it again the next semester. After all, few students enjoy receiving bad grades. In order to cut down on the problems professors often face when they assign bad grades, it is important that faculty make clear their expectations for students early in the year. Rubrics, specific grading policies, and a general conversation about grading as a whole during syllabus week would make students more aware of a particular professor’s policy and therefore less likely to complain or become frustrated when they get lower grades than they were expecting. In turn, professors would be able to be more discerning with grades, without fear of discouraging students or losing popularity for their classes. Professors must fight the urge to give consistently high grades because it does a disservice to students. If the majority of grades in a class are As and A-minuses, then students who worked extremely hard will have less of an incentive to do so in their future classes, because working a little less will not have much of an effect on their GPA. In addition, students whose grades are inflated will leave school believing that they are prepared for a job in their particular discipline, but might not have mastered the material at a high enough level. It is clear that BC must take steps to address grade inflation as soon as possible, but the University must be careful not to jeopardize future jobs or graduate school plans students may have. The solution to grade inflation is not necessarily to lower the grades of every student until the average is always a C. Rather, it is to have ongoing discussions about what an A means, what a B means, what a C means, and so on—and then ensure that those definitions are followed closely.
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The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 David Cote, Editor-in-Chief Jamie Ciocon, General Manager Joseph Castlen, Managing Editor Contributor: Ryan Dowd
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Brennan Power / Heights Illustration
Letters to the Editor The following letter is in response to “I’m Sorry, Mr. President” by Ryan Giannotto, originally published on 4/29/13:
There are no Republicans or Democrats: Only Earthlings I did not watch Obama’s speech in the Rose Garden after the gun control bill did not pass, so I am in no place to judge whether or not the president was “petulantly whining” or whether or not the speech was a “perverse outburst” as Ryan Giannotto claims in his piece in [Monday’s] Heights entitled “I’m sorry, Mr. President.” However, I am in a place to address Giannotto’s woefully ignorant claims regarding climate change. The following is a direct quote from his piece: “In particular, many of his [Obama’s] more radical proposals, such as an emphasis on climate change, have no credible future, notwithstanding the fact that global temperatures have not risen by an inkling for 15 years now, somewhat of an inconvenient truth.” Now Mr. Giannotto, it would appear that not only are you lacking tangible data on climate change, but you also may be unaware of how Earth systems operate. It is difficult to respect your viewpoint on an issue you have not made an effort to understand. In casual conversation, 15 years may seem like a long time, because most college kids have only been alive for a handful of years beyond that. However, if you choose to discuss climate change, you should realize that 15 years in geologic time is less than a blink of an eye. Allow me to explain geologic time to you in a relatively simple way. If you hold both arms outstretched, the tip of the nail on your left middle finger represents the beginning of Earth’s history (around 4.5 billion years ago) and the tip of the nail on your right middle finger represents the present. If you run a nail file along the tip of your right middle finger once, you’ve erased all of human history. So you see, 15 years is a laughably small amount of time to use as a yardstick for measuring the shift in Earth’s temperature.
Even if one is using the quantitative unit of an “inkling.” The sad truth about global warming, Ryan, is that there may be little chance of anything you consider drastic happening in your lifetime. The oceans are not going to boil and fire will not rain down from the sky. That’s why it is so hard to get people who will not educate themselves about climate change to care about it. The prevailing attitude is “if it’s not gonna affect me, why should I care?” You should care because this world is not just your own. Global warming is gradually taking its toll on lesser-developed nations, and your children and grandchildren WILL feel its effects. CO2 levels have been steadily climbing in the past 150 years or so of industrialized society, and they will continue to do so, gradually wrapping the Earth in a blanket of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. The Earth IS getting hotter. As for the rate at which this is happening, you may not consider it quick enough to scare you or trouble you, but you should. In closing, please realize that if you hope to be respected as a journalist, now or later in the future, statements such as “global temperatures have not risen by an inkling for 15 years now” will result in derision from the scientific community at large and drive interest away from whatever point you are trying to make, be it political or otherwise. Politely agreeing to disagree on a topic may be necessary in politics, but in science it is simply not possible to respect the position of an individual who refuses to do basic research. I sincerely hope that you seek out more information on climate change. Until then, I’m sorry, Mr. Giannotto, but you have no idea what you’re talking about. Kiara Zani A&S ’14
BC Fossil Free’s message allegedly stifled by the Dean of Conduct I recently found myself recalling high school English class and Big Brother’s all-pervading control of expression in George Orwell’s 1984 dystopia after receiving a series of emails from Christine Davis, the Dean of Conduct, banning my efforts to creatively educate BC students about the imminence of the climate crisis. BC Fossil Free, the divestment group using creative methods to bring awareness to environmental issues, such as the mock oil spills around campus, recently took to Facebook to recruit volunteers for a “Cover the Night” campaign. The event was planned to take place the night before Modstock, which happened to be the national #FossilFreedom Day of Action coordinated by the environmental group 350.org. BC Fossil Free’s planned action involved educating students about the climate crisis and urging the administration to divest the University endowment from fossil fuel companies using creative yet reasonable tactics such as Macklemorethemed flyers and sidewalk chalk. However, the Dean of Student Conduct caught wind of the plans for the event and singled out a BC Fossil Free group member to interrogate one-on-one. Dean Davis informed the student that vandalizing school property—something BC Fossil Free clearly did not intend to do—would be handled by BCPD. Even after clearing the air about the group’s peaceable plans, we were then informed via email that only two out of the numerous actions we had planned would be allowed. “NO OUTDOOR CHALKING on campus is allowed,” Davis wrote, only a few days after the Arts Festival had covered campus sidewalks in colorful chalk illustrations. But hang on, it gets better. After further behind-thescenes discussions amongst BCPD, Student Programs Office, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs,
Office of the Provost, and Dean of Students Paul Chebator, our group was told that Dean Davis had changed her mind about the two actions she had previously granted us permission for. She emailed again, saying, “After further consultation with University officials, I have determined that the activities on the Demonstration Registration form must be amended. Posting flyers and stickers and writing/chalking on boards within classroom spaces is NOT allowable.” It turned out that the only permissible course of action we were allowed to take was hanging flyers that needed to be pre-approved by the appropriate administrative officials, and then only hung in pre-approved (and might I add, entirely inconspicuous) places. Dean Davis ended her email to us by pledging that any students who moved forward with BC Fossil Free’s action would be “held accountable through the Boston College student conduct system or through the municipal court process.” BC’s highly bureaucratic and overly controlling system of approval stifles creative and opinionated expression. If students with a critical opinion of the way that Boston College operates are not turned off by the sheer number of steps it takes to get a simple action approved, then they will surely be silenced by the powers that be who desire to keep the student body a homogenous and manageable think-tank of business graduates. Threatening to take students to court over hanging unapproved flyers is utterly ridiculous. We need to act now on the climate crisis, whether Boston College wants me to say it or not. Join me in telling our school to stop profiting from the destruction of our future.
The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 400 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.
Tory Kaltner A&S ’13
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The Heights
Thursday, May 2, 2013
A7
So what happens now?
Saljooq Asif ThIs Is It, Ladies And Gentlemen Well, here we are folks. The last day of classes. Thumbs Up to all professors who realize that this should in fact be a party and act accordingly. If you don’t bring food and music, you’re doing it wrong. Plainly, no one will be paying attention anyway, because they’ll be thinking about how they are currently sitting in their last class, or second to last class, or any class at all if it’s while Modstock is happening, and therefore, conducting class as normal is simply foolish. So order some pizza and grab some soda and just have some of those good ol’ conversations Fr. Himes is so fond of, because THAT is what a university is all about. The Smell Of FLowers - We know this is an extremely cheesy Thumbs Up, but we couldn’t help ourselves. Have you ever heard that flowers from a boy mean “I’m sorry”? Well, we don’t know about that, but flowers from Mother Nature are most certainly her way of saying “I’m sorry I just frosted over the world for a few months and took away your tan and made your life generally unpleasant. Please forgive me.” And somehow, we do. Studying on Stokes - Despite the fact that we are bummed about finals, as you will read in a Thumbs Down, we are kind of excited to study outside in the sunshine. No more griping from us about the meanies who swipe all the Gasson classrooms and never let go, we’ll take Stokes Lawn, thank you very much.
To say that this academic year has been an emotional and mental rollercoaster for all would be an understatement. Hurricane Sandy and Winter Storm Nemo devastated parts of the eastern seaboard last October and this February, respectively. North Korea has been a growing global threat since last autumn, constantly issuing warnings and intimidation. The West Fertilizer Company explosion in Texas occurred just two weeks ago. And who will ever be able forget the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting? But even before this academic year there have been countless other tragedies and heartbreaks. The 2012 Aurora shooting took place the day The Dark Knight Rises was released, and the Tuscon shooting occurred more than a year before the movie premiere. What could be the reason for the increasing frequency of such tragedies? Doomsday believers would say the end is nigh. The Westboro Baptist Church would say God is punishing the world for its sin and immorality. And I’m sure there are crazy people and conspiracy theorists out there who would say President Barack Obama is responsible for everything. On a closer level, Boston College itself is an example: it’s been more than a year since the body of student Franco Garcia was recovered from the Chestnut Hill reservoir. More recently, of course, are the bombings that took place on Boylston St. just a few weeks ago—an event that will haunt the Boston Marathon forever. Everyone has been somehow impacted by the aforementioned events and will continue to be affected by them in the future. Incidents like natural disasters,
shootings, bombings, warfare, and death aren’t just one-time episodes—they’re eternal and persistent, leaving their imprints and lasting as memories. And since they follow us wherever we go, our own individual problems seem so much more inferior, don’t they? Who cares about that terrible organic chemistry exam? Or about you not getting your summer internship? That you’re not able to study abroad? Or that you didn’t get your ASG? That you weren’t able to get tickets to Modstock? There are obviously much more important things that keep everything in perspective. But still, these little problems continue to irritate us and prove to be challenges in their own way. So where do you go from here with your bundle of little problems in a world filled with problems that are much bigger than your own? In his open letter to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, which has gone viral on the Internet and which one of my own friends shared on Facebook, Michael Rogers claims that these bigger predicaments can only be ameliorated with the power of peace and love. He writes, “Dear Dzhokhar, I will pray for you … that you will come to know that PEACE and LOVE are the only ways in which world will ever be changed … I will love and pray for you, because somehow your sin was turned for good, and my community and the people I love will only be stronger in the end.” As wonderful as Roger’s sentiments sound, they’re slightly utopian and even saccharine. Some issues, big and small, can’t be resolved so neatly as if they were wrapped with a nicely-made bow on top. Wherever you go and no matter what the circumstances, there will always be those who constantly reiterate and champion universal love. The musical Les Miserables proclaims, “To love another person is to see the face of God,” and Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov concludes with a message about the eternality of love—but alone, even love is sometimes unable to change
the world. To believe love and peace always triumph over tragedy and struggle would be naive and childish, but to say they’re useless is equally foolish. If anything, peace and love should instill within us empathy not only for the affected community and “allow[ing] us to heal and move on,” but also for the global community. I am more than sure that there exist individuals who are overflowing with love, and in their one act of kindness and benevolence another life can be altered. The world can’t be changed and reformed as easily as Rogers claims, but in no way does that mean we shouldn’t practice active love and humanity. And if that truly is the case and we should all be concerned with the world as a whole, then our individual problems seem even more insignificant. There are times when we should stand together to support our loved community, and there are times when we should band together for all mankind. But believe it or not, there are times when we should just support ourselves. The world is and always will be filled with difficulties, but that doesn’t mean we should stop focusing on ourselves. It’s not selfish and it’s not self-centered—sometimes, it should be just about you. It’s good to keep things in perspective, but it’s also necessary to better yourself and make sure you’re in a good place first. So what about you and your bundle of struggles? As the academic year draws to a close and leads into summer, who knows what will happen next? The past several months have been filled with challenges, big and small, for everyone, and the following months will be no different. So as we all part ways and serve the world, remember to set some time aside for yourself. It’s great to be men and women for others, but don’t forget to think about yourself in the process.
Saljooq Asif is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at opinions@ bcheights.com.
Love is louder
mACKLEMORE mADNESS - We know that you are all so proud of yourself, but everyone who slept in until 11 o’clock and waited a grand total of three minutes for their Macklemore tickets can just shut the hell up. We get it. You took a gamble and it paid off. But we bet you that the feeling of community and solidarity that all of us out there at 6:30 a.m. felt was way better than your empty life of luxury! It’s like a Newton vs. Upper situation. The community is worth this immense inconvenience, dammit. tHE fINAL fINAL - Finals on Tuesday, May 14. That is just mean. Not only do we have to wait so long to finally be done with school, we have to watch all our friends leave in the process until we are forced to study all alone in our dorm rooms that are suddenly depressingly barren, staring at where our roommate’s lacrosse stick would always lie and we would always trip on it but, gosh, now we miss it. And on top of that, this final comes almost a full two weeks after our class, meaning we’ve forgotten everything we could possibly be tested on, and our professor probably hasn’t been on campus in a week to help us out. It’s a recipe for failure. We suspect this is a system in place to counteract the grade inflation we wrote that editorial on the previous page about. Because there is no way you’re acing a May 14 final. wE bID yOU fAREWELL - The time has come for us to bid you faithful readers goodbye for the next four months. We will miss you dearly, and we are sure the feeling is mutual. So, for all of you out there who need this twiceweekly Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down fix (addictive innuendo intended—we like to think that you think of us the way we think of coffee), you should follow us on Twitter! We know it’s written right below this anyway, but we’ll tell you twice: @BCTUTD.
Like Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down? Follow us @BCTUTD
Kristy Barnes Two weeks ago the vibrant, bustling city of Boston came to a screeching halt. Not once, but twice. The T stopped, business stopped, even the people stopped—but I don’t need to re-tell the events. You were all here—you saw, you heard, you felt. I know this topic has been written about, talked about, even sung about, yet I’m still struggling, and I’m willing to bet, so are you. I grew up on the end of the commuter rail, so I consider Boston to be my city. My childhood fieldtrips were on duck tours and to the Freedom Trail, my favorite memory was the first time I saw all the world’s constellations in the Red Wing of the Science Museum, and my dad has a wicked heavy Boston accent I seem to adopt every time I’m angry. I have a history with Boston, it has always been my city. But now, now it is our home. I’ve gone to quite a few services since the bombings—it has been my own way of coping. I find the stillness of an empty church to be calming, the words of a priest to be inspiring, and the community and support of the congregation give me hope. Yet sitting in the pews the past two weeks has proved to be difficult. The message preached to me is one I’m not sure I want to hear. It is one I am not sure I can carry out. It is one that will test my faith. They keep telling me I must love, for love is louder. It has been easy to love the Boston College and Boston communities, for in the past few weeks they have shown true love. BC students made a spreadsheet to account for all our runners, Boston residents opened up their homes and offered food for stranded runners,
Imbroglio
and the Boston One Fund is growing exponentially. Even weeks after the horrific events, I still see compassion on campus—whether it’s donating meal plan money, attending fundraising events, or simply being there to talk to one another. BC and Boston have shown they care. In this community and city I see love and receive love, and thus to this community and city I can give love. Yet the teachings in mass have called upon us to love even further. Jesus says in John 31:34-35, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This commandment requires that those who follow the Lord love everyone, and that includes those who wrongfully took lives. Love? How am I supposed to have love for terrorists? For two horrid men who put my city into fear, my school into lock down, and took four precious live? How am I to love someone who has only shown hate? And how am I to love these men, if loving means forgiving? To be honest, this has been on my mind every day, when I see someone in a Boston Marathon jacket, when read the latest headline, when I pray. I have read numerous columns and articles concerning the subject. Some say we must forgive, yet others say to forgive would be a sign of weakness, and if we forgive, we cannot stand strong against other terrorists. The undergraduate population of BC are the fortunate ones, the ones who got away unscathed and unharmed. With over 200 runners, that is quite the blessing. Yet our graduate students and the greater BC community did not. Fellow Eagles were injured along with fellow Bostonians and fellow citizens of the world. Four innocent people lost their lives. And so I am angry. I am angry that such tragedies hit so close to home, and I want justice, for those who ran, those
who served, and for those who lost. Yet it is clear that no matter my thoughts, my feelings, my anger, that God commands me to love, and that means I must forgive. But I find myself asking why? What benefit does that have? I turn in my times of trial to the words of Cardinal Sean O’Malley. In a homily to the city of Boston he said, “Forgiveness does not mean that we do not realize the heinousness of the crime. But in our own hearts when we are unable to forgive we make ourselves a victim of our own hatred.” God tells us to forgive, so we may not be hindered by our hatred, so we do not become evil by it, so we may continue to live righteously. So I must forgive, for my own sake. Yet the love God demands I bestow goes further than my own benefit as Fr. Joe reminded me on Sunday night. My love, my ability to forgive, is a testament to my faith and to my religion. As the hymn we sang on Sunday says, “they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love.” It is our love that is the strongest tool we have, and when it comes down to it, it’s louder than any other noise we may make while acting on the hatred we hold in our hearts. Through our love we show what it is to be compassionate, to be virtuous and to have faith. God does not tell us that we cannot demand justice—after all, he is a just God himself. But we must love, and we must serve the justice out of love and in hopes that the punishment will allow the criminal to learn. It will not be easy, I will not be able to right away, but God has set this before us all as a challenge. He knows some of us will fail, but he also knows some of us will not, some of us will live up to our duty as Christians and show the world what it means to be a follower of Christ and that love truly is louder.
Kristy Barnes is a staff columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@ bcheights.com.
BY KALEB KEATON
The opinions and commentaries of the staff columnists and cartoonists appearing on this page represent the views of the author or artist of that particular piece, and not necessarily the views of The Heights. Any of the columnists and artists for the Opinions section of The Heights can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.
What should be done? Matt Auker Yes, this is another Boston bombing column. I’m sorry, but it’s just still too relevant not to address it. Writing about anything else seems silly. I won’t go into an emotional recap or praise all the heroes that emerged out of one of the most memorable weeks we’ll ever have. That’s all been done, and deservedly so. But now that the dust has settled a little bit and we can start looking back rationally rather than emotionally about the events of two weeks ago, we can get back to the good old American pastime of politicizing tragedies to further our own political agendas. Within 24 hours of the marathon, politicians and talking heads alike were speculating about what should have been done, and what needs to happen in the future, to prevent this type of violence from happening. A few examples to highlight what I’m referring to: Former Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Barney Frank said in a telephone interview on CNN, “in this terrible situation let’s be very grateful that we have a well-funded, functioning government,” and later, “no tax cut would have helped us deal with this.” Keep in mind this was one day after the bombing, hardly the time to put the incident into the context of U.S. fiscal policy. Arkansas Republican State Representative let out this gem of a tweet the day of the manhunt that hit close to home for B.C. students, “I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a hi-capacity magazine?” Never one to shy away from polarizing anything in the news, Bill O’Reilly said on his show after it was discovered that the bombing suspects were Muslim that “no matter what proof you have, there will be crazy people who will deny the reality that Islamic jihad is a threat to the world.” I normally wouldn’t pay attention to anything O’Reilly has to say, particularly when he’s generalizing an entire faith tradition based on the violent actions of a handful of nut jobs, but he reaches such a wide audience that his influence on American politics is undeniable. This is just a sample of what’s been going on in the media. But now that we’re rapidly approaching the stage where it becomes socially acceptable to point fingers and generate outrage at opposing parties for how their policies paved the way for something like this to happen, we should ask ourselves, ”Does anything need to happen?” I’m speaking strictly legislatively here. Support and contributions for the victims and heroes is a given. But what about policy changes? Do we sacrifice some of our freedoms in the name of safety? And if so, where do we draw the line? I personally would be shocked if we didn’t start seeing these types of conversations coming up in the next few weeks, and I think it would be prudent to remember the last time Americans sanctioned a knee-jerk legislative reaction to a national tragedy, the USA PATRIOT Act after 9/11. Sold to the population as an expansion to the government’s abilities to stop terrorists before they can strike, the Patriot Act has been used to create a surveillance superstructure with vague provisions granting the government unprecedented access to citizen’s private information. (Quick aside: this is an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. That’s about the most Orwellian name for a bill you could have. I’m guessing it was between that or calling it the JESUS Act.) Anyone deemed “relevant” to terrorism by the government can have all of their personal information and communications tapped into, even if they’re two or three times removed from a terrorism suspect. The major issue that many people have with this is the intentionally opaque wording behind it. What exactly constitutes terrorist activity? Is it checking out a book on Islamic radicalism from the local library? If so, then the government has every right under the Patriot Act to all my information because of that paper I had to research last week. This isn’t to say the government has no right, or obligation, to do what it can to stop violent attacks like these. But a serious, clearheaded debate about the ramifications of signing away civil liberties for security should take place before any bill is rushed through congress. Expanded government powers don’t just fade away when they are no longer relevant—just ask any conservative. So as we dive into arguments and confrontations in the media on what needs to be done to stop actions like this in the future, I hope we can all remember that we’ll be dealing with whatever legislation comes out of this for the foreseeable future.
Matt Auker is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at opinions@ bcheights.com.
The Heights
A8
Thursday, May 2, 2013
ESPN takes Addazio on its absurd Tim Tebow tour of nonsense Austin Tedesco All four years of high school, I spent three days of each fall at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. During that time, I learned that it’s impossible to enjoy the weekend by sticking with one large group. Inevitably, people will want to see different artists at the same time, and it is much easier to split up than to miss out on something great or get stuck watching a band that makes you want to lose your hearing. A few people never understood this. They wanted to go to their bands, at their time, and they wanted to drag the whole group with them, whether they liked it or not. On Tuesday, ESPN dragged its audience and Boston College football coach Steve Addazio to the “Irrational Tim Tebow House of Nonsense” show, and then pushed Addazio onto the stage and told him to sing. It was awkward, frustrating, and worst of all, unfair to both the coach and everyone watching. The day didn’t start off so bad. Addazio went on Mike and Mike in the Morning and was asked about the Boston Marathon, conference realignment, and the new college football playoff. Then, Mike Greenberg asked Addazio about Tebow’s pro potential. Tebow was cut from the Jets on Monday, and Addazio was his offensive coordinator for four years at Florida. This question was fine. I don’t think Tebow needs to be a part of the sports news cycle, but besides that point, Addazio does know him well and could probably provide a thoughtful answer on the quarterback. And he did. Addazio handled the question like a pro, giving great
insight on Tebow and quarterbacks in general. Mike Golic then asked what was probably an unecessary follow up question about Tebow, before the conversation turned to spread offenses with mobile quarterbacks and turning things around at BC. So, two out of the seven questions were about Tebow. Somewhat annoying, but overall, nothing horrendous. Then things got worse. Granted, it would be foolish to expect anything but nonsense from Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith when Addazio ap-
peared on First Take, but this was an absurd level of crap. Bayless, Smith, and then SportsCenter anchor Jade McCarthy later in the day all made Tebow sound like the most important news story from Monday. McCarthy even called it Monday’s “big news story” during her interview with Addazio, in which the first three questions were about his former QB. But it wasn’t the biggest story. It wasn’t even close. These ESPN personalities decided to label Addazio a Tebow expert to keep the story
alive, when there was a much more important story dominating the sports world. NBA player Jason Collins became the first active, professional male athlete to be openly gay in the history of the four major North American sports. Rather than berate Addazio about whether or not Tebow got a fair shake with the Jets, a ridiculous, pointed question, since Addazio would have no way of knowing, why not take the opportunity to ask the head coach of a major college football program about
Graham Beck / Heights Editor
Head football coach Steve Addazio received plenty of questions on Tuesday about his former quarterback at Florida, Tim Tebow.
Collins’ announcement? Addazio couldn’t spend his whole time on ESPN talking about BC. Viewers wouldn’t be interested in that, but football is generally considered one of the least gay friendly sports. Here is the coach of a major football program at a Jesuit university—wouldn’t the audience be interested to hear his answer to maybe one question about gay athletes and football culture? Instead, he was bombarded with Tebow questions throughout the day, and after handling it well over and over again, he finally seemed a little worn out when he went on the afternoon SportsCenter with McCarthy. When she opened with a Tebow question, there was a brief pause from Addazio. He had already finagled his answers on First Take into a way to talk about Chase Rettig, Matt Ryan, Doug Flutie, and BC. It was impressive, and he was the most engaging person during those minutes whether you were watching from a BC perspective or not. He still answered her questions well, but that patented fire in his voice clearly wasn’t there. Thankfully, that changed an hour later on College Football Live. Joe Tessitore, a BC grad, led a great discussion with Addazio, Desmond Howard, and Danny Kennell about, shockingly, college football. It allowed Addazio to be spirited, humorous, and entertaining, which he can excel at for a wide audience when given the opportunty. For his last 10 minutes on ESPN, he was finally standing on the right stage, playing for the right audience, and it sounded great to almost everyone. The only people not bobbing their heads were the out-of-touch ESPN personalities standing in the crowd with homemade Tebow jerseys.
Austin Tedesco is the Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.
Rettig embraces Addazio’s new system Rettig, from A10
Graham beck / Heights Editor
Rettig says he only cares about the win and loss columns as he gets ready for his final year.
teammates begin in August, though the preparation for them has already begun. It began when the final whistle blew at North Carolina State last November and when Rettig pulled his team together in the ensuing weeks and told them that what happened in 2012 wasn’t going to fly in 2013. “We set a standard and we have to live by it,” Rettig said. If the Eagles prove they can live up to that standard as a team, Rettig believes the results will show. In order to have a shot at pulling off the wins that have come sparingly in the past two seasons, Rettig and his teammates still have plenty of work to do on the field. That work started this spring, and will continue throughout the summer, which will have a different feel than in years past. Instead of being here the whole summer as they have been in years past, the Eagles will have a three-week break after finals, before they return to campus midway through the first session of summer classes. Rettig is hoping that while the summer workouts will help bring the team together, they will also be a time to get more reps in the new offense, which he is excited about. “I think coach Addazio is really smart when it comes to the run game and the offense—he’s an offensive guy,” Rettig said. “This will be a better scheme for Andre [Williams] than it was last year. We’re going to be different this year. It’ll be more like my freshman year—more run with play action. If you do it the right way, it works really well.”
players, regardless of who is coaching on the sidelines. “There’s a lot to be said about how many different coaches we’ve been through, or how it could be their fault, but every coach has good intentions,” he said. “They have a good plan to win, so it’s up to the players.” During the last transition, some believed that it could have been easy for Rettig to leave the program, frustrated with the unsteadiness and losing ways of BC. But Rettig said he never really gave transferring any serious thought, because he wanted to be at the forefront of the program’s resurrection. “I want to try to do something that another guy wouldn’t be able to do in my situation,” Rettig said. “I try and make guys better and play their full potential. Hopefully we do something special this year and it’ll be that much sweeter.” That is especially important to Rettig as a senior, as his class only has one more season to distance itself from a career filled with losses. “We want to be the 2014 class that had a great season, won football games that nobody gave us a chance to win, played together, sacrificed, and celebrated wins with each other,” Rettig said. “Hopefully we can change that and just get back to everyone coming to the stadium for home games, getting rowdy and having a good time, and expecting to win football games. That’s the culture that it’s going to be, and that’s the culture that coach Addazio is changing.” If Rettig has anything to do with it— which he very much intends to—he’ll be the one leading the change. n
BC’s lineup hits in the clutch
BC comeback falls short
Baseball, from A10
By Marly Morgus Asst. Sports Editor
After what proved to be a long weekend for the Boston College softball team in which they dropped three games, two of which were decided by over 10 runs, to NC State, the Eagles were back in action on Tuesday hoping to shake off the weekend and get back on track against the UConn Huskies. Although the Eagles put up a strong fight after falling down by four runs early in the game, their rally was not enough to secure a victory and they left Storrs with a 6-4 loss. The Huskies set the tone early as they took one run in the second inning and three in the third off of Eagles’ pitcher Chelsea Dimon, who returned to the mound after missing the weekend’s games due to injury. Although Dimon started the game off with a perfect inning, she allowed five hits in the next two, giving Connecticut scoring chances that the Eagles’ defense could not stifle. One run in the second and three in the third put the Eagles at a four-
The increased focus on the run doesn’t bother Rettig as a quarterback. He realizes that a good run game helps out the passing attack, and he’s even looking forward to keeping a few runs for himself. “We haven’t had a lot of packages for me. I don’t know why, because I’m really fast,” Rettig said jokingly. “The thing is, if we run the ball well and throw the ball well, those times when I do pull it will be when the defense is screwed up. I know all my reads, so when I do pull it, I know what to do. I’m confident I can get first downs and make plays happen. I like running the football, I just haven’t been asked to. Hopefully that’ll be something that can help us this year.” If Addazio decides that he wants to insert backup quarterback Josh Bordner for certain run packages in a game, Rettig will be the first to throw his support behind Bordner. The two are best friends, and have been since they got to campus. “Some people think it would be hard to have a relationship with him because you’re both going after the No. 1 spot, but we’ve been pretty good at it,” Rettig said. “At the end of the day, either of us would do anything just to get a win.” That’s what it keeps on coming down to for Rettig—winning. The three and a half years that Rettig has been a part of the program for have been filled with more downs than ups, and good wins have been tough to find. He has seen five different offensive coordinators—meaning five different offensive packages—two head coaches, and a program that has gone from 12 straight bowl games to two years without any postseason. In Rettig’s mind, the burden falls on the
Graham beck / Heights Editor
After falling behind by four runs, the Eagles were not able to recover in a loss at UConn. run deficit going into their fourth at-bat. Despite the Huskies’ big lead at the bottom of the third inning, it did not take long for the Eagles to respond. In the top of the fourth with two outs, a walk from Alana Dimaso put the first BC runner of the inning on base, immediately followed by a fielding error that put Tory Speer on base. A double from Maria Pandolfo drove in both runners for two unearned runners, but the Eagles had not finished their offensive flurry. CJ Chirichigno came up to bat next, and her single up the middle led to an off-target throw allowing her to advance to second and Pandolfo to score. The next batter fouled out, but BC had cut the deficit to only one. In the Eagles’ next defensive frame, they
managed to hold the Huskies back and allowed no runs, setting up an opportunity to tie the game that they willingly took. In the top of the next inning, Megan Cooley took a base on balls and then quickly stole second base to reach a scoring position. Jessie Daulton doubled on the next at-bat to bring Cooley home for the Eagles’ only run of the inning, tying the game. The Huskies turned their offense back on following the tie, and two runs in the bottom of the fifth provided the final blow in the Eagles’ loss. The Eagles had two hits in the final two innings, but also left two runners on base, failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities and allowing Connecticut to hold on to its narrow two run lead through the end of play. n
on second, sophomore infielder Blake Butera drove an RBI base hit to the opposite field to put his squad up 5-3. Although a sacrifice fly in the sixth shrunk the deficit back to one run for a third time, the Eagles created some pivotal breathing room with four crucial insurance runs thanks to a couple of Rhode Island miscues. An errant throw on a Pare groundball and a costly bases-loaded walk of Shaw plated two. Before the dust settled, senior Matt McGovern delivered the knockout punch with a swing of the bat—a two-run single to the gap in right-center. Taking their largest lead of the afternoon into the final inning, the Eagles looked to John Gorman to secure the team’s third consecutive victory. Yet the Rams refused to go down quietly. Two run-scoring hits, including another two-RBI single up the middle from Fortunato, brought Rhode Island to within one. It seemed that a couple of days after winning in their own final at-bat, the
Eagles might fall victim to a walk-off hit as the potential game-winning run stepped into the box. Nevertheless, the poised veteran Gorman sent Kevin Stenhouse back to the bench and the Eagles into the winner’s circle on a called strike three. Surviving three turbulent innings of relief work, the senior notched a save and preserved the win for Poore, who posted four strikeouts of his own in only two innings of work. After dropping 34 of its first 40 games, BC is 4-1 in its last five—including a series win against ACC powerhouse Miami. Gambino’s squad has demonstrated an improved ability to secure leads and play sound baseball in later innings, as three of its wins in the past week have been decided by only one run. The Eagles will look to continue their late-season surge against No. 25 Virginia Tech in their last homestand of the year, starting on Friday afternoon and continuing on through the weekend. It is the last home series and the second to last weekend series of the year for the young BC basebal team. n
THE HEIGHTS
EDITORS’ EDITORS’PICKS PICKS
Thursday, May 2, 2013 The Week Ahead
Standings
Virginia Tech travels to Chestnut Hill for a series with BC baseball. Softball hosts Bryant this afternoon. The NBA playoffs are in full swing and will conclude in June. The Stanley Cup Playoffs have just begun. TIger Woods has three more chances this year to win a major championship in golf.
35.5-25
Austin Tedesco
35-25
Marly Morgus Heights Staff
34-26
Chris Grimaldi
31-29
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Recap from Last Week
Game of the Week
Austin Tedesco won picks for the semester, after winning the tiebreaker CFB mascot contest 98-54 over Marly Morgus. BC defeated Harvard at Fenway. Softball fell to NC State, and the Wolfpack also defeated women’s tennis. Lacrosse won one game at the ACC Tournament. The Celtics held on with a win in game four to avoid a sweep.
Baseball
Guest Editor: Kendra Kumor
Virginia Tech
Copy Editor
“Too blessed to be stressed.”
This Week’s Games
Austin Tedesco Sports Editor
Chris Grimaldi Assoc. Sports Editor
Baseball: BC vs. Virginia Tech (Series)
Virginia Tech
BC
Softball: BC vs. Bryant Who will win the NBA Finals? Who will win the Stanley Cup? Will Tiger Woods win a major this year?
Marly Morgus Asst. Sports Editor
Kendra Kumor Copy Editor
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech
BC
BC
BC
BC
Knicks
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Thunder
Heat
Rangers
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Sharks
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Yes
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vs.
Boston College
The Eagles will hold their final home ACC series this weekend when Virginia Tech comes to town for three days. BC has been on a hot streak with its first series win over Miami last weekend. Since then, BC has topped Harvard and the University of Rhode Island, improving its record to 10-35. Virginia Tech enters the series in the second to last position in the Coastal Division of the ACC with a conference record of 11-13, significantly higher than BC’s 2-21. However, earlier this season the Hokies dropped their series against Miami. With both teams hoping to build momentum going into their last ACC series, all three games will be hardfought.
Friday at 2:30, Saturday at 1:30, Sunday at 1.
Green leads a strong BC performance BY GREG JOYCE
Heights Senior Staff Coming off an emotional weekend against Miami that included its first ACC series win, the Boston College baseball team was destined for a letdown game on Monday. It was a 2 p.m. start against Harvard in the Beanpot consolation game, the Eagles fourth game in as many days, with another game looming on Tuesday. Yet in baseball’s cathedral, BC was able to avoid that letdown, instead building on momentum that it has for the first time all season, to take the 7-2 win over the Crimson at Fenway Park, thanks to solid pitching and timely hitting up and down the lineup. “It would have been really easy to have a letdown, and our boys did a really good job,” said head coach Mike Gambino. “This is a team with a lot of character. It’s really easy to have a letdown, but they just came out and went back to work today and allowed us to build on this weekend, not lose that momentum.” Entering the game, Steve Green had not gotten a start on the mound all year, and had been struggling earlier in the season. He had a 9.32 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched tagged to his stat line, but had pitched well enough in his past two appearances to get his number called on Monday for the start. “Earlier in the season, he wasn’t throwing strikes, and it doesn’t matter how good your stuff is 2-0 or 3-1—guys get pretty good swings on the ball,” Gambino said. Green’s answer to that call was his best performance all year, going five innings of one-run baseball, allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out four. “He pounded the strike zone,” Gambino said. “That’s really what it is. When he throws strikes, hitters don’t like his fastball and he’s got a good breaking
ball. When he’s 0-1 [count], he’s really, really good. He was ahead of hitters and pounding the strike zone, and it was a really good outing for him.” Meanwhile, his offense gave him plenty of room to work with, putting up five ones and a two across the scoreboard on the Green Monster, scoring in six innings to build the lead. The Eagles got on the board in the first inning thanks to a Harvard error. Blake Butera was hit by a pitch with one out, and advanced to third on a single by John Hennessy. Then, with two outs, Chris Shaw hit a hard ground ball to second base, where Tanner Anderson bobbled the ball. The throw to first was just late, and Butera scored from third to make it 1-0. In the top of the third, BC tacked on another run. Matt Pare drew a leadoff walk , and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. With two outs, Jimmy Dowdell knocked a single into left field to score Pare for the 2-0 lead. Joe Cronin led off the fourth with his second single of the game, a line drive to center field. He advanced to second on a single from Butera, and then to third base when pitcher Matt Timoney threw a pickoff attempt into center field. Cronin came around to score to make it 3-0 when Hennessy found a hole on the right side of the infield, grounding his second hit of the game into right field. The Crimson responded with one run in the bottom half of the frame, but Green limited any serious damage and got out of the inning on a lineout. Harvard’s relief pitcher Peter Kaplan worked himself into trouble in the sixth inning, when he hit Butera and Pare. Then, with two outs, Matt McGovern hit a fly ball down the right field line. Brandon Kregel came over to catch the ball, but lost it in the sun, and it dropped right in front of him to score Butera and
Women’s tennis
scoreboard
BC 1 NC State 6 6 4
Women’s lacrosse
Kelleher 1 W BC Illora 2 w unc Chestnut Hill, MA 4/25
Softball
BC Har
Cary, NC 4/25
Pare. With the 6-1 lead in hand, Johnny Nicklas relieved Green on the mound and went on to pitch three scoreless innings. As the shadows began to creep across home plate in the top of the seventh, the Eagles put together another one-run inning. Nate LaPointe led off with a standup double to the left-field corner. One batter later, Gabe Hernandez walked on four pitches. After Sean Poppen entered the game for the Crimson, he threw a wild pitch, allowing the runners to advance a base into scoring position. Butera then lifted a fly ball to right field, which was caught, but it was hit far enough for LaPointe to tag from third and score. The Eagles tagged Harvard for one more run in the top of the ninth when McGovern came home to score on a wild pitch. Cronin also tallied his third hit of the game out of the nine-hole, earning praise from his coach. “Joey keeps playing hard and he keeps getting better,” Gambino said. “He had some really good at-bats on Sunday against Miami with nothing to show for it. That’s always when you see a kid coming out of a slump. You have a couple good at-bats, really good swings, but nothing to show for it, that’s when they’re coming. Today, he barreled up three balls.” The Crimson squeezed one run across the plate in their last plate appearance, but it was too little, too late, as Nate Bayuk closed the door for the BC win. Six different Eagles tallied at least one hit on the day, while all nine reached base. That complete effort from the lineup, in addition to efficient pitching, sealed the win for the Eagles. “It was just everybody chipping in, everybody doing their job,” Gambino said, “and we played pretty good baseball today.”
1 16
Baseball
Pandolfo 2h 3rbi BC 1 Regan 3h 1rbi Miami 0
GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Late in the season, the Eagles have shown an improved ability to secure close victorieas.
Eagles handle Fenway BY PAT COYNE Heights Staff
As members of both the Boston and baseball communitiesvery well know, Fenway Park has been an instrumental part of Boston’s history. Home to the Boston Red Sox, one of the most storied franchises in professional sports, Fenway, which is the oldest major league stadium still in use, has hosted countless great moments for the game of baseball. On Monday afternoon, an off day for the Red Sox, it was the Boston College and Harvard University baseball teams that were taking the field at Fenway for the consolation game of the Beanpot. Although they entered the game with a disappointing 8-35 record, the Eagles had just finished a weekend in which they won their first two ACC contests of the season. Not letting any of that momentum from the weekend’s series go to waste, BC won the game 7-2 over the Crimson in convincing fashion. During the victory, the Eagles were led by the pitching of Steve Green, who provided five innings of work and four strikeouts while letting up only one earned run, and the hitting of Joe Cronin, who went 3-of-4 and scored one of the Eagles’ seven runs. Head coach Mike Gambino said after the game that playing at such an historic venue is not always an easy task. “It can be a little bit daunting the first time you walk out on the field and you look up and you’re saying to yourself ‘Holy crap, this is Fenway Park,’” Gambino said. “All of a sudden, tasks that are usually fairly easy can become harder, and our boys did a great job of not allowing that to happen.” Throughout the nine innings of play, the Eagles certainly did not let the easy tasks become any more difficult than they had to. Despite ending an inning with the bases loaded on two occasions, the Eagles, for the most part, took advantage of every opportunity given to them by the Crimson. With that, if either team was impaired by Fenway’s awe during the game it was most certainly the Crimson. Besides giving up three errors to the Eagles zero, the Crimson threw several wild pitches that allowed the BC base runners to advance freely around the diamond.
chestnut hill, ma 4/27
Chapel Hill, nc 4/26 Baseball
stanwick 3g BC friend 4g miami
0 5
butera 1h carey 2h 3rbi
chestnut hill, MA 4/26 baseball
ferrick 1 h 1r BC mack 1h 1rbi miami
chestnut hill, ma 4/28
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G oing into the game, Gambino explained how his team, as a member of the ACC, is more suited to play in a ballpark like Fenway. “Our kids are used to playing in big ballparks and in front of big crowds, that’s what our conference is, it’s what we do, but this is still Fenway Park,” Gambino said. In what was the type of game that only comes around once a season, everyone on the field made a contribution en route to the victory. Eight out of the nine batters for the Eagles got on base, and six out of the nine had at least one hit. Cronin’s three hits led the team, and John Hennessy was the other Eagle who recorded multiple hits on the day with his two. With the potential challenges of playing a game at a stadium such as Fenway in mind, Gambino was quick to point out that there truly is no other park like it. “It’s not just a major league stadium, it’s Fenway Park. You have big league stadiums and then you have this,” Gambino said. “Especially for some of these boys who grew up Red Sox fans, it’s something that we look at all year as a chance to come in [and play].“ For the vast majority of players who compete in the Baseball Beanpot each year, the event is one of the few chances that they will ever have to play in a Major League venue, let alone one of the most famous ones of all. Each year, the Baseball Beanpot gives college ballplayer in the area a chance to get a small taste of what playing in a Major League game is like, along with giving the opportunity for the area’s best college ballplayers to come together. Although the Eagles still have a few weeks left in their season and have enjoyed limited success, after the game Gambino and the Eagles were simply enjoying their third place finish in the Beanpot. “We’re so thankful for the Red Sox to allow this tournament to happen and the championship day here,” Gambino said, “And it’s something these boys will talk about for the rest of their lives.” Following the game, a ceremony was held for Pete Frates, a former Eagle and director of baseball operations who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012 when he was just 27-years-old. All admission proceeds from the game benefitted the Pete Frates #3 Fund.
softball
BC 2 nc state 16 softball
310 pare 2h 1rbi bc juan 1h 1rbi NC State
Chestnut Hiill,MaMA11/11 4/27 Boston,
cooley 1h 1rbi davis 3h 3rbi Newton, MAma 11/09 Chestnut hill, 4/27
pandolfo 1h 2rbi sommer 2h 3rbi
SPORTS win at all costs The Heights
A8
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Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
A pioneer in and out of sports
Marly Morgus As I sat down to write my final column of the year, I was set on rounding off my freshman experience nicely with something about how great it is to have a strong athletic program at your new school. As I sat in the back of Stuart, though, the small TV that was turned to ESPN caught my attention as it profiled a 34-year-old, African-American NBA center. On Monday, Jason Collins became the first openly gay athlete in the big four American professional sports leagues when Sports Illustrated released its May 6 issue with a story by Collins himself and Franz Lidz. “I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different,’” he wrote. “If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.” Immediately, questions popped up, such as if this will inspire other athletes to come out, how heterosexual athletes will react, and how to market Collins when he inevitably gets offered endorsement campaigns. The biggest question, however, is how much backlash Collins will receive. Already, stories are being revealed of negative reactions. On Monday, LeRoy Butler tweeted a simple, “Congrats to Jason Collins.” Two days later, the Green Bay Packers safety tweeted again detailing an interaction that he had with a pastor from a church that he had been scheduled to speak at. The pastor informed him that he was canceling the appearance, referring to the recent tweet congratulating Collins as the reason for the cancellation, and citing a moral clause in the church’s contract with Butler. Butler was told that he could still make an appearance given he “apologize and ask God forgiveness,” but he declined and chose rather to make another bold statement: “Only God can judge.” This reaction shows both a sample of the solidarity that Collins will find from around the sports world and an example of the challenges he will face. Some say that sports aren’t ready for gay athletes. Others worry about close interactions between teammates in locker rooms and on the road. But no one can doubt the commitment and positive aspects that Collins brings to a team. “On the court I graciously accept one label sometimes bestowed on me: ‘the pro’s pro,’” he wrote. “I got that handle because of my fearlessness and my commitment to my teammates.” His impact is not just intangible. Upon his departure from Stanford, Collins was the Cardinal’s all-time leader in field goal percentage. In 12 NBA seasons, he has played in nine playoffs and two Finals. Those who doubt gay athletes now have to come to grips with an effective player who has had a long, successful career. But Collins’s impact will not be limited to just the sports world. In Bloomberg Businessweek, Ira Boudway pondered how companies could market Collins, and he came to the conclusion that the most effective way to portray him will be as a pioneer, a first in his field. Collins, as a pioneer, will affect more than just sports. In an area that for so many defines masculinity, he falsifies preconceived notions that people may possess of homosexual individuals and will inspire people to put further thought into their views regarding GLBTQ issues. Recently, the movie 42 attracted millions of viewers as it portrayed another trailblazing individual in the world of sports. Jackie Robinson, the first African-American player in the MLB long before individuals like Martin Luther King, Jr. took a stand for civil rights and never openly let racist reactions affect him, but the reactions and anger from players and managers around the league made his transition into the league immensely emotionally taxing. Collins has a slightly different situation because he is already an established player and has proved his competency, both statistically and in how his teammates value him, and it is my hope that we live in a time when his transition, his first season as an openly gay athlete, will not involve so many emotional hurdles. “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” Collins wrote. It should be as simple as that.
Marly Morgus is the Asst. Sports Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.
Daniel Lee / heights senior staff
Chase Rettig has had five offenses in four years, but all he wants to do in his last year is win By Greg Joyce
Heights Senior Staff
Year-by-Year Numbers
Touchdowns ‘11 ‘12
13 17
Yards ‘11 ‘12
1,960 3,055
Attempts ‘11 ‘12
317 476
Interceptions ‘11 ‘12
9 13
Wins ‘11 ‘12
4 2
There won’t be much use for a quarterback like Chase Rettig at Boston College in five years. His intangibles would be welcomed, but his skill set—a strong, accurate arm but more of a pocket passer than a dual threat—isn’t what head coach Steve Addazio has in mind for his ideal quarterback. The cumbersome brace that adorns Rettig’s left knee each game serves as a reminder of his valuable arm, not so much his legs. There is a lot more changing around the program than just the offensive scheme, though. Names are coming off the back of jerseys. The locker room has been rearranged. Competition at practice is bursting at the seams. Accountability that was lost is now being taken. Suffice it to say, the culture around the entire football program is going through a major transition. In the immediate, however, Rettig is BC’s quarterback, and he’s planning on being a part of the change happening around him as much as he can. “We won’t see it personally when we’re here—next year I think we’ll have a good year—but over the next 10 years, this place is going to be different,” Rettig said. “It’s going to happen. The older guys, we’re doing everything we can to make that happen this year.” While he is on his way out with a new system coming in, Rettig knows there is only one thing he can do to make the change happen: win. Rettig has already begun preparations to
do just that in his senior season, his last shot to prove himself as a college quarterback. “At the end of the day, everything I can control, I really want to put my best foot forward at it … I just want to win,” Rettig said. “Everything I can do to do that, that’s what I’m going to do.” Until those wins start coming, there aren’t many opponents on the Eagles’ schedule for next year circling their game against BC as one to watch out for. That’s just fine with Rettig. “We’re a lot of homecoming games, parents’ weekend games,” Rettig said. “The best thing about it is that no one cares about BC in our conference right now. That gets people fired up. That gets me fired up. Wait ‘til we really get on someone or put someone down.” While Rettig believes that he can throw the ball as well as any other quarterback in the ACC, he realizes that none of that will matter if his play on the field doesn’t amount to wins. With one season left and a reputation that has yet to be fully determined, Rettig can hear the clock in the back of his head ticking. Time is running out on his collegiate career, and Rettig knows he has unfinished business to prove himself as a quarterback. “We dedicate so much time to 12 shots,” he said. “Everyone busts their butt so much, you got to make your shots count. You have to win the close games. And when you have the opportunity to really step on another team’s throat by a couple of scores, you have to take advantage of that.” The 12 shots awaiting Rettig and his
See Rettig, A8
Eagles keep streak alive with another close win By Chris Grimaldi Assoc. Sports Editor
In a road matchup with Rhode Island on Tuesday afternoon, the Boston College baseball team tried to complete a feat it hadn’t yet achieved in 2013—win three straight games. The Eagles followed their walk-off thriller on Sunday with another nailbiting contest. Despite a comeback attempt from the Rams, head coach Mike Gambino’s squad manufactured just enough offense at the plate to squeeze out an 8-7 victory. The win marked BC’s fourth in its last five games. John Hennessy and the Eagle offense filled in the boxscore early on, as the junior notched his first of a career-high four hits on the day with a two-out double. With Hennessy in scoring position, senior captain Matt Pare—the hero from two days before—laced a single up the middle to plate BC’s first run of the day.
i nside S ports this issue
Yet the Rams immediately responded off of Eagle starter Nick Poore with a run of their own during the bottom of the inning, as Mike LeBel drove in teammate Jeff Roy with a one-out extra-base hit. After both lineups were sent down quietly in the second, BC began to break out in the top of the third frame. Base knocks from Hennessy and freshman Joe Cronin were followed by a Pare hit-by-pitch. With the bases loaded, rookie Stephen Sauter came to the plate and connected on a clutch two-run single off of Rhode Island southpaw Nick Narodowy through the left side. A Shaw RBI groundout capped a three-run rally that put BC up 4-1 after three. As they did all day long, however, the Rams hung around by chipping away at the Eagles’ lead using a combination of sneaky base-running and crisp small ball. The bottom of the third frame saw Rhode Island execute a double steal, as Roy and LeBel swiped second and third.
Rally falls short against UConn
Softball staged a comeback but consistant UConn offense overcame their efforts on Tuesday...A9
Graham Beck / Heights Editor
Graham Beck / heights Editor
BC’s lineup combined for eight runs in its win on Tuesday, capitalizing with runners on. With two runners in scoring position, a Pat Fortunato blooper into right field was damaging enough to plate two and inch the Rams closer to BC’s advantage. Though the Rams were poised to even the score, Pare threw Fortunato out on a stolen base attempt to stop the bleeding.
Game Of The Week: Va. Tech at BC
The Hokies come to Chestnut Hill for BC’s final home series of the season............A9
As close as the Rams came to stealing away the game’s momentum, BC’s lineup always had a quick response in what turned out to be a quintessential back-and-forth contest. With freshman Logan Hoggarth
See Baseball, A8
Editors’ Picks........................A9 Scoreboard........................A9
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album review
‘life on a rock’
country star kenny chesney returns with a rock-solid new release combining country and reggae, b5
‘scrubs’ star finances new movie through kickstarter, page B2
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Thursday, May 2, 2013
SCENE AND HEARD
BY: RYAN DOWD
JOHN WILEY The New Jersey summer reeks of sunshine and parkway stench. A year’s toil finds recompense in the sea breeze and consolation in amusement park rides. At dusk, the humid day rolls by into night, and time takes rest, sheltered in the streetlight. The summer night captures the world in a lucid dream of a sort, and of all places, it often drives people to the theaters—so it seems on these nights, we can cling to a movie with hope of prolonging the dream, and hopes it’ll save us from the break of the morning. As the semester comes to its close, I catch my mind making casual passes at this great elsewhere, and though I recognize that the New Jersey summer doesn’t specifically mean something to everyone, I reckon the season can speak to most all of us. I’ve always taken a special liking to summer movies. Oscar season demands recognition, but it can feel less like an adventure and more like a yearly checkup with the doctor—it comes along every year, it’s likely we’ll discover something important, and it’s certain somewhere in the process we’ll be touched, but it’s not always pleasant. The summertime lot makes fewer pretensions. Without worrying about the little golden man, summer movies can get on to more important things. While we’re on the topic of metallic men, it’s worth bringing up the return of both Iron Man and the Man of Steel into theaters this summer, alongside similarly metal-clad superhero Wolverine. Opening May 3, Iron Man 3 is already showing promise of bringing the series back into its element—it’s been “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen) and produced by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy), will open June 14 with hopes of rebooting the Superman franchise. On July 26, Hugh Jackman will again reprise his role in the X-Men series with The Wolverine, the sequel to 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Rounding off this summer’s crop of superhero flicks, Kick-Ass 2 is set to give the genre a kick in the rear on Aug. 16, with its R-rated response to the American filmgoer’s obsession with tights. Director J.J. Abrams is expected to again take viewers where no man has gone before with Star Trek Into Darkness, the follow-up to the critically-praised—and unoriginally titled—Star Trek, Abrams’ reimagining of the Star Trek franchise. Sci-fi aficionados from all walks of the cosmos are likely to be taking notes on Into Darkness May 15, as Abrams has been named to be director of Star Wars: Episode VII, Disney’s first pass at the other founding franchise of the genre. Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) also is making a notable contribution to the sci-fi genre with Pacific Rim (July 12), a movie he calls “a beautiful poem to giant monsters.” For better, or often worse, this summer promises no shortage of sequels and spinoffs. With Fast & Furious 6 (May 24), The Hangover Part III (May 24), and Disney’s Planes (Aug. 9) all coming out this summer, I’m left to wonder why some studios simply refuse to let a sick dog die. Many of this summer’s return visits, however, are welcome and even long overdo, like Pixar’s Monsters University (June 21), the prequel to the now 12-year-old Monsters Inc., and Despicable Me 2 (July 3). Not to be forgotten is World War Z (June 21), a zombie film starring Brad Pitt, or Lone Ranger (July 3), what seems to be Disney’s reprise to Pirates of the Caribbean disguised as a classic wild west tale—notable here is the revival of Hollywood’s great bromance between Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski, who collaborated on the Pirates trilogy. And of course, there is The Great Gatsby (May 10). Beyond giving moviegoers a chance to relive their high school English classes vicariously through the film, the film should benefit from a talented list of contributions. Director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) and actors Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained) and Tobey Maguire (Spiderman trilogy) certainly seem the men for the job, and with rapper Jay-Z as the executive producer for the film’s soundtrack, it’s likely this Fitzgerald adaption will feature a few goodies the book never got at. As I prepare to leave Boston College behind for a few months, I can’t help but get excited over the many nights I plan spending in my summertime classroom— as the late critic Roger Ebert said in his final essay, “I’ll see you at the movies.”
John Wiley is the Asst. Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
1. BUSTIN’ BIEBER
The stress of a globe-trekking tour may finally be getting the best of our beloved Canadian pop sensation. Last Wednesday in Stockholm, police could reportedly smell marijuana from the Bieber tour bus. Later that night, after careful deliberation, Stockholm police sent in a special narcotics team while Bieber was in concert. For the most part, what they found wasn’t that surprising—marijuana—aside from your run-of-the-mill stun gun. Charges were not filled—however, Sweden may not seem so swagtastic anymore.
2. PEOPLE’S CHOICE In its latest issue, People Magazine selected Gwyneth Paltrow as the most beautiful woman in the world. This seemingly random revelation could not have come at a better time for the 40-year-old mother of two. In just two days, she stars in the surest blockbuster of the year, Iron Man 3. But the selection has caused a bit of a stir because, in reality, a fair portion of the human population actually despises Gwyneth Paltrow.
4. A NEW CINDERELLA
Who is Lily James? She’s Cinderella, of course. James will now star in Disney’s upcoming adaption of the classic fairy tale. While James may be a fresh face to many Americans, she’s been one of the brightest young talents across the pond. James turned heads as wild child Rose MacClare on the popular Downton Abbey and has starred in several acclaimed theatrical productions. The fresh, live-action adaption will be directed by Kenneth Branagh, and Cate Blanchett will gleefully play the evil step mother.
3. BRAFF GETS A KICKSTART
5. LAUGHS AT WHITE HOUSE
If you’ve been waiting for another film from Zach Braff since well … his only film (way back in 2004), you may be able to help. Braff has recently taken to Kickstarter to fund his next project, a quasi-sequel to Garden State. Braff ’s goal was to raise $2 million in 30 days, but after just six days, his loyal and dedicated fans donated well over $2 million. At this point, it seems safe to say that Braff is back.
You know you’ve made it in life when you’re invited to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a night when Washington bureaucrats and Hollywood bigshots pat each other on the back. For what, no one really knows. This year’s dinner was hosted by comedian and vagabond late-night television host Conan O’Brien. President Barack Obama apparently had a jolly old time making fun of himself, the right wing, and, unwisely, the First Lady.
THE CRITICAL CURMUDGEON
@MINDYKALING (MINDY KALING, ACTRESS/ COMEDIAN)
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES
“WATCHING ANNA KARENINA ON THE PLANE WITHOUT HEADPHONES. I GUESS SHE DOESN’T LIKE BEING MARRIED TO JUDE LAW? THIS MOVIE IS SCI-FI/ MESSED UP”
The Mozart Effect may not be entirely scientific, but sometimes the right playlist is just what is needed to make it through finals period.
Finding the perfect finals playlist MATT MAZZARI By the time many of you are reading this article, the one and only Macklemore may very well be on campus for the free Modstock concert this year organized by UGBC. One can imagine the excitement, especially considering the fact that several underclassmen actually camped outside Conte Forum in tents so as to be the first awarded their free student tickets ... although tickets were available well past 11:00 a.m. for anyone who decided to mosey by. You certainly can’t call them halfass fans, though! I myself was duped into a brutal 5:45 a.m. wake-up call, after which I stood in the line like some kind of animal for nearly three hours before getting my own pass. Regardless, the fact that I’m actually in possession of a ticket means that, in the general temporal vicinity of you reading this column, your critical curmudgeon truly may very well be shrieking himself hoarse and stumbling around the Mods wearing a women’s size fringe-vest, asking around for people who will help me bum-rush the stage “Wake Forest Style.” I cannot say this enough: ignore him. He’ll probably promise to “do it if you do,” then run away cackling and shouting broken verses from “And We Danced.” So, with all of this tumultuous activity barreling headlong toward our humble University, it’s easy to forget the soulcleaving fact that finals are just around the corner, with the culmination of papers, portfolios, projects, posts, procrastinations, and pressure-induced paralysis to surmount before the glorious summer vacation. But don’t let such preparations
pooh-pooh your parade just yet, dear reader, for there is still this: Matt’s Stupendous and Stupendously Under-Researched Musical Study Aide. What’s a “musical study aide,” you ask? I dunno yet, man. I’m only in paragraph two. Let’s find out what comes next together, shall we? In 1993, the research team of Rauscher et. al. published a scientific study in Nature Magazine on what they referred to as “The Mozart Effect,” which essentially concluded that subjects who listened to Mozart scored higher on a test of abstract “spacial reasoning”—the test used was the Stanford-Binet IQ test, and the Mozart group outdid one group that had listened to repetitive, relaxing melodies and another that simply sat in silence. The study only claimed to have a temporary effect on spatial intelligence lasting approximately 15 minutes, but the popular rumor that Mozart music increases IQ was spread by other “researchers” as well as under-informed word of mouth. This, of course, propagated several fairly recognizable practices and myths such as playing classical music for babies in utero, or listening to Beethoven the night before a calculus quiz. Unsurprisingly, people were quick to latch onto the idea that Baroque style sonatas can “make you smarter” just by listening to them, presumably by some fool-proof form of century-traversing mental osmosis. Seems legit. Yet despite the utter lack of scientific proof for most, if not all, of these assertions, the link between music and the brain might just be a manipulatable phenomenon after all. Recent studies have shown that music increases the speed and
efficiency of communication between brain hemispheres, meaning that, while it might not quite give you telekinetic powers, it might help the left and right sides of the brain transfer information. Additionally, music of different rhythms and tempos has been shown to have different effects on brain activity: for instance, 60 b.p.m. music tends to put listeners in a more calm, creative mind-frame. Listening to Mozart or other relatively slow, de-stressing music might therefore improve your ability to focus while studying. “Background music,” more than just making homework more bearable, can put your brain in a good mood. Throw on some instrumental jazz, the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, or even Taylor Swift if that’s what your into. Great news, right? Mozart Effect, you’ve done it again! But here’s the catch: the truth is that all that really matters is how you, individually, tend to learn. Are you an audio learner? Visual? Tactile? According to a study from Fu Jen Catholic University, depending on how your brain processes data, you might find listening to your favorite relaxing tunes anywhere from helpful to just as distracting as someone randomly listing numbers in your ear. You just need to have the right brain for jam-out studying, and that’s that. Still, what’s most important is that you have fun seeing Macklemore today. Boy, I sure hope he plays “Thrift Shop!”
Matt Mazzari is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
@JIMGAFFIGAN (JIM GAFFIGAN, COMEDIAN)
“I BET BEEF JERKEY IS SO JEALOUS OF BACON.”
@SETHMACFARLANE (SETH MACFARLANE, ‘FAMILY GUY’ CREATOR)
“‘WOW, IF ONLY I COULD WATCH THIS BOOK IN 3D!’ -NO READERS OF THE GREAT GATSBY, EVER” @STEPHENATHOME (STEPHEN COLBERT, ‘THE COLBERT REPORT’)
“JOIN COLBERT’S BOOK CLUB! READ THE GREAT GATSBY BY 5/9! AFTER THAT WE’LL READ THE SEQUEL, 2 GREAT 2 GATSBY!” @JIMGAFFIGAN (JIM GAFFIGAN, COMEDIAN)
“I DON’T SEE IT AS ‘A LOT OF OUR SENATORS ARE GAY MEN.’ I SEE IT AS ‘A LOT OF OUR GAY MEN ARE SECRETLY SENATORS.”” SUBMIT YOUR FAVORITE TWEETS OF THE WEEK FOR CONSIDERATION AT ARTS@ BCHEIGHTS.COM.
THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, May 2, 2013
B3
F O G N I K A M E TH INTERNET INNOVATOR
MUSIC MAN “David Bowie meets Kanye s—t” is Macklemore’s own pithy summary of his musical influences, as delivered on “Ten Thousand Hours,” the opening track on The Heist. The song itself is all about Macklemore’s musical journey from obscurity to fame, referencing Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers and the idea that artists need 10,000 hours of practice to truly master their skill. Macklemore has certainly put in that time, but another crucial element of his personality is his ability to weave together diverse musical inspirations. Appropriately for a Seattle boy, Macklemore’s main influences in the hip-hop world hail from the West Coast: mainstream rappers like Nas, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg but also more underground groups like Hieroglyphics and Freestyle Fellowship. Yet Macklemore has never let his influences be constrained by boundaries of geography or genre: the New York-based Wu-Tang Clan gets a big shout-out on “Can’t Hold Us,” and his stated admiration for David Bowie suggests an appreciation of pop music far beyond the realms of rap. Really, though, you just need to listen to his music to understand this reality: a Macklemore song is just as likely to be anchored by jazzy horns or soft piano as standard hip-hop beats. – S.K.
Jumping from YouTube to the Billboard charts after nearly a decade of self-promoting, the Seattle-based rapper Macklemore has come to be known just as much for his hit “Thrift Shop,” as he is for his amazing, DIY success story. He began writing music when he was only a teenager, releasing self-recorded mix tapes and EPs throughout the early 2000s. By the middle of the decade, Macklemore met Ryan Le wis , his current producer, who helped him independently rel e a s e h i s f u l l length debut, The Heist. Macklemore’s massive online following, which he garnered throughout the development of his career, enabled his album to skyrocket to the top almost instantly. Macklemore, even now, though, advocates for autonomy and authenticity while working in the music industry. Staying true to his humble beginnings, he’s refused numerous offers from major record companies, believing that individual identity, rather than money or fame, is the most important aspect of an artist’s career. Macklemore’s history is an inspiring one—one that fans can personally connect to—one that illustrates the incredible influence of the Internet. –A.I.
RAPPER WITH A CAUSE Between the aggressive horn loop and indelible hook on Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop,” it’s easy to ignore that his bestselling single is in fact raging against consumerism and materialist culture. Other tracks such as “Make the Money,” “Wings,” and “Gold” similarly take on the issue of materialism. In “Gold,” he suggests if we came to know the value of the things we come in contact with everyday, making “everything gold,” then gold itself would have no value—Macklemore’s getting at the paradox that people can obsess over material things, while plainly ignoring the richness of life itself. Macklemore also has come out in support of gay rights through his single “Same Love.” The track begins with an anecdotal account of his own preconceived notions of sexuality, reckoning by third grade, he already had a skewed perception of what sexuality meant. The song goes on to critique homophobia in the hip-hop genre, and resolves there’s “no freedom ‘til we’re equal.” The social consciousness of Macklemore’s music most always presupposes the music itself. There’s nothing radical about trying to promote a cause with music. It’s the ambition of Macklemore’s critiques that set him apart—“Ten Thousand Hours” takes on the American education system, “Thin Line” criticizes one nights stands and pokes at the central themes of monogamy, “Wake” lampoons the mentality of “white privilege, white guilt, at the same damn time.” –J.W.
After the surprise Modstock announcement, the endless anticipation, and the long wait for tickets, Macklemore finally arrives at Boston College today. To celebrate, The Scene looks at the hip-hop sensation’s diverse influences, inspirations, and unique contributions to today’s music scene as we ask: what makes Macklemore, Macklemore? BY SEAN KEELEY, ARTS & REVIEW EDITOR | ARIANA IGNERI, ASSOC. ARTS & REVIEW EDITOR | JOHN WILEY, ASST. ARTS & REVIEW EDITOR
PRODUCER PRIDE
THE THRIFT SHOPPER Macklemore’s fun and slightly unconventional song, “Thrift Shop” has become more than just a catchy radio single—it was actually become a fashion inspiration. Sporting big fur coats and onesie flannel jammies in his music video, it’s really amazing that the rapper has become such a style icon. Believe it or not, he actually made thrift shops and Goodwill stores cool. In an online interview, he explained what he calls his “thrift shop luxury” look. “I’ve always just loved trying to be a little bit different from everybody else,” he said, “Like, using conventional styles but then also putting your own spin on it.” He describes his general wardrobe selection as being a combination of vintage pieces and street wear—almost always with gold accessories. Macklemore’s distinctive fashion flair, however, is appealing not just because of the unique statement pieces that comprise it—for Macklemore, it’s all about originality and individuality. With every outfit, he strives for a sense of authenticity. No matter what he wears, though—granddad’s clothes or fur coat—there’s no denying that the man looks incredible, am I right? –A.I.
In the world of hip-hop, it’s always been common for producers to be prime shapers behind the music, even as rappers take the main credit. What distinguishes Macklemore is his insistence on establishing a truly collaborative relationship with his producer and musical partner, Ryan Lewis. Whereas many hip-hop artists jump from producer to producer seeking a new sound on each new album, Macklemore and Lewis seem to be in it together for the long haul. The two became a rapper-producer team in 2010—releasing several buzz-worthy mixtapes and performing raucous live sets on college campuses together. Lewis even gets co-billing on debut album The Heist, emphasizing the inseparable nature of their musical relationship. Macklemore and Lewis’ ties are cemented by more than just music, however. Lewis first came on board Macklemore’s team in 2006 as his photographer, and he’s continued to employ his visual skills throughout the partnership: he’s directed all of Macklemore’s music videos and served as the prime graphic designer for the team, creating album art, posters, and many more promotional materials. At this point, it’s hard to imagine Macklemore operating without his good friend Ryan Lewis by his side every step of the way. –S.K.
SOBRIETY STRUGGLES “It’s been a struggle the past year,” said Macklemore in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. “It’s very important to go into the rooms of AA, smell the shitty coffee and be reminded that without sobriety, I would have no career.” The 28-year-old Seattle rapper has been sober since August 2008, after struggling through his 20s with an alcohol and drug addiction. On his 2010 mixtape The VS. Redux, “Otherside” examines the relationships between his own narcotic experimentation and the hip-hop genre, namely discussing the example arts can set (“That’s the same stuff Weezy’s sippin’ huh? / And tons of other rappers that be spittin’ hard”). In 2012, his debut album The Heist furthered this narrative of his struggle for sobriety, particularly on “Neon Cathedral” and “Starting Over.” The former compares addiction to religiosity, suggesting bar culture and alcohol can take up a near spiritual significance in the lives of alcoholics. “Starting Over” is the story of his breaking sobriety after three years, and finding the resolve to start over. Interestingly enough, Macklemore describes his fans as reason for his being sober, and seems quite humbled by the importance he has taken up in many others’ battle against addiction (“God wrote ‘Otherside’ / That pen was in my hand / I’m just a flawed man”). Macklemore’s discussion of sobriety grants his voice dissonance in a genre often desensitized to talk of drug use and addiction. –J.W.
THE HEIGHTS
B4
Thursday, May 2, 2013
KEELEY’S CORNER
NETFLIX NEXUS BY RYAN SCHMITZ
Catch up on ‘Arrested Development’ before Season 4 My summer artistic resolutions TITLE: Arrested Development YEAR: 2003-06, 2013
CREATED BY: Mitchell Hurwitz STARRING: Jason Bateman
WHY: This dry, cult classic has been a popular Netflix stalwart since day one. The long awaited fourth season premieres May 26
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES
Netflix has a huge array of popular shows in its instant play archives, from mockumentaries to sitcoms to dramas. But possibly the most highly demanded show of them all would be Arrested Development. And coming this month any and all Arrested Development fans should rejoice, because the new season four is finally upon us. After a brief three-season run in the early 2000s, the show went off the air, but not before gaining what can only be referred to as a cult following. Over time the fan base grew and spread until finally the demand for new material was so great that Fox, working together with the team at Netflix, had to answer with new material. Luckily, the series took its end on something of an ominous note, hinting at an eventual return with the possibility of a movie in the future. Although the movie is still unconfirmed, the newest season of Arrested Development has been made and will be released on Netflix on Sunday, May 26. The whole season, consisting of 15 episodes, will be released at once, which means a lot of people will be streaming the whole thing in one big Arrested Development marathon. And really, isn’t that all any of us could ask for?
FASHION FORWARD
The fashion of ‘The Great Gatsby’ Looking at the new movie’s Brooks Brothers connection
ELIAS RODRIGUEZ After months of anticipation, The Great Gatsby is little over a week away. I have been waiting for this movie since the trailer first aired last year, claiming to arrive to theaters on Christmas, only to have the movie delayed when the release date was moved to May 10. I have to admit I was a little—well, a lot—thrown off when I saw the trailer in all of its CGI/Jay-Z glory. I asked myself ‘Gatsby? What Gatsby is that?’ Nonetheless, I’ve come to terms with the fact that contemporizing the story for modern audiences with anachronistic soundtrack and visuals is risky, but it’s also kind of genius. Speaking of genius, let’s talk wardrobe. Academy Award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin worked with none other than Brooks Brothers to create all of the menswear featured in the movie, including that of the extras. Given that Brooks Brothers was the actual purveyor of F. Scoot Fitzgerald’s clothes back in the day, it was only natural that the brand be chosen to outfit the cast of the film. Brooks Brothers allowed Martin to create the menswear for the film by drawing from the company’s archives of 1920s designs, ensuring that the costumes are both historically accurate and timelessly elegant. Martin describes Jay Gatsby’s style as that of an “immaculately dressed dandy” and Tom Buchanan’s as “the picture of the establishment” e.g. blue pinstripe suits and shirts. When speaking of Nick Carraway, she describes him as an educated, yet relatively unsophisticated man who is polished through contact with the other characters. Because style is synonymous with Gatsby, Brooks Brothers has launched a collection based on the costumes for the movie. It features everything, from straw boaters to velvet slippers. Standout pieces are the burgundy stripe and the red, white, and navy regatta blazers, the green shawl collar cardigan, and
Fi
the onyx and gold studs and cuff links. The entire collection is absolute perfection—I think if you actually Google perfection, you’ll get a link to the collection’s page on Brooks Brothers’ website. The collaboration with Brooks Brothers is the only thing that could outdo the costume design in the 1974 version of the film (available on Netflix) on which Ralph Lauren himself consulted. Such is the influence of 1920s style, that last year’s spring collection of the eponymous label was significantly inspired by the era. The Jazz Age years have left us fashions that are classic and sophisticated, carrying to this day an air of elegance unperturbed by time. The days when men used to dress up for pretty much everything are long gone, but we can get a glimpse of what menswear used to mean back in the ’20s thanks to several television shows e.g. Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey—and now, this film. But Leonardo DiCaprio (Gatsby), Toby Maguire (Carraway), and Joel Edgerton (Buchanan) didn’t have all the fun. The women had the pleasure of donning thousands of dollars worth of jewelry throughout the film provided by none other than Tiffany & Co., who supplied all of the diamonds and jewels worthy of Gatsby’s world. The items range from a $200,000 headpiece to a ring worth almost a million dollars. It appears that in bringing to life the fantasy that was Fitzgerald’s East and West Eggs the production has spared no expense, and rightly so. To the characters in the story, image is everything, and money is not an issue (well, to the Buchanans and Gatsby, anyway). It is only fair that they be dressed to the nines, and in this case that means Brooks Brothers and Tiffany’s. No one can deny the power of the latter when it comes to literature and film (see Capote’s novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s). Taking on The Great Gatsby a.k.a. the great American novel is a risky task. Modernizing it is even riskier. It can either be a triumphant success or a flat out failure. In any case, some will love it, and some will hate it. If what I’ve seen so far (e.g. trailers one, two, and three) are any sign of what’s to come, the future looks promising. The soundtrack, for which Jay-Z collaborated, is amazing, the clothes are stunning, and the story is legendary. Fingers crossed.
Elias Rodriguez is a columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES
The upcoming movie adaptation of ‘The Great Gatsby’ is sure to be a hit among fashion aficionados for its superb Brooks Brothers collection. Many fashion pieces inspired by the movie are now available for sale online.
THIS WEEKEND in arts
BY: ARIANA IGNERI | ASSOCIATE ARTS & REVIEW EDITOR
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1. MACKLEMORE CONCERT (THURSDAY 5/2, 4:00PM)
2. IRON MAN 3 (FRIDAY 5/3, OPENING)
4. BALDWIN FILM AWARDS (SATURDAY 5/4, 7:00 PM)
Organized by UGBC, this year’s Modstock will be headlined by “Thrift Shop” sensations Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on the last day of classes. The concert will be held in the Mod parking lot, and doors will open at 3:30 p.m. Though it is free, tickets to the event are required.
Robert Downey, Jr. returns as Tony Stark in Marvel’s latest installment to the action-packed Iron Man series. In this third movie, Stark’s personal life comes under attack, as he faces off with an intimidating terrorist named Mandarin. The film opens in theaters on Friday.
Comedy actor Zach Braff will be visiting Robsham Theater this Saturday night thanks to Hollywood Eagles: BC Film Club and Nights on the Heights. On campus improv groups Hello…Shovelhead! and My Mother’s Fleabag will also be present. Tickets are free, but they must be acquired prior to the event.
3. MADRIGAL SINGERS (FRIDAY 5/3, 8:00PM)
5. BARRY MCGEE EXHIBIT (SATURDAY 5/4, ONGOING)
Singing both Renaissance and contemporary pieces, the Madrigal Singers will be performing their spring repertoire this weekend in Gasson 100. In addition to classical works, the performance also includes an original composition by Madrigals’ own Peter Olsen, A&S ’13.
A street artist from San Fransico, Barry McGee began his professional artistic career in the 1980s. His socially conscious work, now on display at the Institute of Contemporary Art, is characterized as being “elegant on the street” and “shockingly informal in the gallery.” Opening earlier this month, the gallery will run until Sept. 2, 2013.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES
SEAN KEELEY Everyone knows about New Year’s Resolutions—that ever-popular trend, all-but-ubiquitous every time January rolls around, of composing a list of new commitments to self-improvement. Here at Boston College, the most obvious sign of such resolutions can be seen in the Plex, as that overcrowded and uncomfortably hot exercise haven becomes even more so during the first weeks of spring semester, with fervent resolution-makers taking over the ellipticals much to the chagrin of seasoned Plex-goers. I usually don’t make resolutions at year’s end, though—and I certainly am not very reliable in following through on my exercise goals. Instead, I look to summer resolutions during this time of year that is at once stressful, exciting, and a little bit sad. As classes wind down, friends depart for the summer, and a mad bevy of exams and papers obscure the promise of summer’s freedom, it is comforting to think of the possibilities that await us once the final rush is over. And, given my position on this paper, most of my resolutions are geared toward consuming as much art as possible. Goal number one: read. A lot. This is a perennial goal, one that I fulfill to varying degrees of success every summer. The high point was certainly the summer before college, when a boring and uneventful summer job allowed me to go through War and Peace, Anna Karenina, a massive Abraham Lincoln biography and several other classics behind the desk at work. Last summer, when I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in Paris, I fondly remember carrying around Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise and reading it here and there—in cafes, at the Luxembourg Gardens, sitting by the banks of the Seine. This summer, I plan to revisit another Fitzgerald classic: The Great Gatsby, which I’ve been meaning to reevaluate ever since I read it in a rush for my junior year English class. The new movie version gives me the perfect excuse to do so. And though I won’t be able to enjoy it in the most beautiful city in the world, great literature has a way of transporting you beyond your immediate surroundings—and to unlock the English major hidden inside this international studies student, if only for a summer. Goal number two: see more live music, especially bands I’m not familiar with. This resolution occurred to me at our very own Arts Festival. As I watched groups like Jimmy and the Gooch and Bobnoxious and the Master Craftsmen perform at the Battle of the Bands, I was reminded of the sheer excitement of hearing unfamiliar sounds played with energy and dynamism in a live setting. I’ve been to several great concerts over the past year—Bruce Springsteen, Glen Hansard, Leonard Cohen, Mumford & Sons—but most of them were artists whose catalogs I know backward and forward, concerts I entered into with preexisting expectations and setlist wishes. It took the efforts of BC’s own student musicians to jolt me out of my comfort zone and realize how infrequently I check out a group with which I’m not familiar. Goal number three: fill gaps in my television knowledge. It’s hard to count the number of TV shows that I’ve been “meaning to watch” for years. First on the list is definitely Breaking Bad, whose first season I ran through over Easter break and whose final season premieres this August. Also in the dugout for my TV-watching: The Wire, Game of Thrones, Freaks and Geeks, Mad Men… I could go on, but my task would soon appear insurmountable. Even if I don’t make it through all of these shows, though, I will at least comfort myself with the fresh serving of Arrested Development coming our way on May 26. Seven years after the best comedy on television went off the air, I’m intrigued to see what the writers have cooked up, and how the ever-innovative comedy will be able to explore new possibilities with the creative freedom offered by Netflix. Goal number four: watch as many movies as possible. This is an ongoing project, really, but summer is prime movie time—especially after a busy semester with virtually no opportunity to check out new films. I’m such a film obsessive that I have Word documents keeping track of every movie I’ve seen since 2009, and so far, the 2013 list is looking a little sparse. During the first few days of summer, before my obligations set in, I intend to plant myself on the couch, make up for lost time, and pad out that document. And goal number five? To emerge from this summer artistically saturated and ready to deliver another semester’s worth of artsy thoughts in the fall. See you all on the other side.
Sean Keeley is the Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.
THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, May 2, 2013
B5
Though nostalgic, ‘Hot Blood’ is musically inconsistent
CHART TOPPERS TOP SINGLES
BY DMITRY LARIONOV Heights Staff Such Hot Blood, The Airborne Toxic Event’s third release since their 2008 debut, is certainly a product of the LA rock scene of late, building on the mythology of stay-up-all-night, windblown heroes of PacSun beachwear ads. Mikel Jollet’s gruff, drunk delivery sets the scene—it’s the kind of music you walk into a ’90s high school prom with to see your girl dancing with some other guy. Cue montage. Not to say that the album sounds dated—it’s a laudable exercise in period—but in between Brit-punk anthems like “The Secret” and “What’s In A Name,” you get songs like the pure country “The Storm” or “Bride & Groom,” which has distinctive Irish undertones. It’s not a consistent album, though the songs are arranged in a sonically-cohesive order. “ The S e cret ” is a strong opener and sets the pace for the sweeping anthems prominently featured on Such Hot Blood. And while many of the songs carry the Arcade Fire torch, the follow-up “Timeless” is held down by drab lyrics, bland melody, and a sentiment that seems to fill the loveless void of a world without Stephanie Meyer films.
Not to mention the weird “In the Jungle” feel. “What’s In A Name” is another great nostalgia track , although the use of cheesy keyboard synths over a live string section is a bit of music history we could all do well to forget. When Jollet belts, “We were running through the halls of the middle school / writing our names on the side of the public school,” it sounds like a scene out of The Breakfast Club. “The Storm” feels completely out of place. Sure, their contemporaries Young the Giant, The Lumineers, and Kings of Leon have all dabbled in country. But Airborne consistently works better as a punk group than a shoulder to cry on, and one has to wonder why they feel the need to branch out to other genres when there’s so much room for a combination of the two. I honestly can’t imagine any male of any age or of any personality wanting to listen to “Safe.” The garage party ambience Airborne is going for simply doesn’t work with something so niche and over-produced into Disney channel oblivion. Such Hot Blood has a bit of an identity crisis as “True Love,” “This is London,” and “The Fifth Day” back-to-back beat you over the head with almost
1 Just Give Me A Reason Pink feat. Nate Ruess 2 Can’t Hold Us Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz 3 Thrift Shop Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton 4 When I Was Your Man Bruno Mars 5 Gentleman PSY 6 Stay Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko 7 Mirrors Justin Timberlake
SUCH HOT BLOOD THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT PRODUCED BY ISLAND RECORDS RELEASED APR. 30, 2013 OUR RATING B
PHOTO COURTESY OF ISLAND RECORDS
Rarely straying from the alternative/punk-rock genre, The Airborne Toxic Event’s latest release is just average.
TOP ALBUMS
indisting uishable anthems . Sure, they’re not bad songs, but the album often seems to sacrifice theme for a radio hit, an honest verse somebody can enjoy on a personal level for a chorus to be shouted with your arms around strangers. The question here is, ultimately, is Airborne limiting themselves by singing to dejected
1 Save Rock And Roll Fall Out Boy 2 Indicud Kid Cudi 3 The 20/20 Experience Justin Timberlake 4 Based On A True Story Blake Shelton 4 Mosquito Yeah Yeah Yeahs
teens? Or is this just the Toy Story 3 effect—do they know we’re pulling up seats to graduation, and their music is an in-yourface reminder of our roots? Such Hot Blood is catchy, and expect it to makes its way into the FM, Google commercials, and your favorite Showtime series. Sure, it’s fun to remember Vans sneakers, shoplifting gum, skateboarding,
guitars, basements, backyard cabin parties , hookups , and the cute girl with blue in her hair—8th grade, man. What a rush. But this is music for the next generation, for the 16-yearold girls and the boys hoping to get close to them at Warped Tour, and to remember later as they adjust their ties and dresses at Commencement.
Source: Billboard.com
Despite his lengthy country music career, Chesney remains fresh BY HENRY HILLIARD Heights Editor Spring—this time of year ushers in warmer weather, finals season, and for the last five years, a new Kenny Chesney album. Life on a Rock is the Tennessee
native’s 16th studio album and his eighth in the last nine years, not including his two greatest hits albums. Chesney’s latest installment continues his recent trend of sounding much more U.S. Virgin Islands than his local Smoky Mountains.
Chesney does not shy away from his musical evolution. The entire album follows the model set by 2010’s Hemingway’s Whiskey and last year’s Welcome to the Fishbowl as an ode to Chesney’s recently adopted Caribbean island lifestyle. The opening lines
LIFE ON A ROCK KENNY CHESNEY PRODUCED BY COLUMBIA RECORDS RELEASED APR. 30, 2013 OUR RATING B+
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA REDCORDS
Seemlessly merging island and country sounds, Chesney’s ‘Life on a Rock’ represents both innovation and consistency.
of the album’s lead single, “Pirate Flag,” perfectly summarize the last five years of Chesney’s career: “Well I come from a little bitty, homegrown small town / And I traded it in for a whole ’nother world / A pirate flag and an island girl.” That is not to say that Chesney’s Jimmy Buffet-esque evolution is necessarily a bad thing, or entirely unexpected. Many of his singles, such as “When the Sun Goes Down” and “Beer in Mexico” have always had a distinctly beach feel. But these tracks were always buried in his albums behind his backwoods classics like “I Go Back” or “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” Chesney’s recent work has simply put greater, if not total, emphasis on his Tiki hut anthems. The recent approach has surely been successful. Welcome to the Fishbowl debuted last year as the second highest rated country album in Billboard’s history. “Somewhere with You” on Hemingway’s Whiskey marked Chesney ’s 19th career No. 1 country single.
Life on a Rock, though, is by far Chesney’s boldest attempt of his musical mid-life crises. Apparently following the path blazed recently by Snoop Lion, Life on a Rock features a seemingly random tribute to Bob Marley, appropriately entitled “Marley.” Country legend Willie Nelson also makes an appearance later in the album on “Coconut Tree.” No one would have expected when Chesney first burst onto the country music scene from the Tennessee backwoods in 1994 that his latest work would be serenading a reggae icon. In a music industry, and particularly the country music genre, that is criticized for lacking originality, Chesney’s distinctive recent work should be commended. It would be easy for Chesney to rest on his professional laurels, but instead he has released a new album every year since 2006. Country music purists will surely criticize Life on a Rock for sounding more like Jimmy Buffet than George Straight, but they miss the greater point—Chesney has
the unique talent of uniting the backwoods and the beach. Very few artists can seamlessly venture into a new genre and experience as much success without alienating their fan base, but Chesney has done so effortlessly. Let’s credit rather than chastise him for welcoming countless new fans into the world of country music. Life on a Rock is undoubtedly one of Chesney’s strongest musical efforts to date. It features tracks like “Pirate Flag ” and “When I See this Bar,” which are catered to the stadium crowds that have made Chesney one of the most successful touring artists in the history of country music while also adding a personal reflections like “It’s That Time of Day.” Chesney transports his listeners to his reality—the seemingly opposite worlds of the Virgin Islands’ serene blue waters and raucous bar scene. Life on a Rock could be played on a Friday night in the Mods or a quiet day at the beach and still receive equally positive reception. It is classic Chesney—what’s not to love?
LL Cool J’s latest album seems forced, rather than ‘Authentic’ BY BERNADETTE DERON Heights Staff There is no denying that LL Cool J was one of the biggest superstars in the hip-hop world. The keyword in that last sentence, however, is “was.” The game has changed significantly since LL left. Authentic is his first record since 2009, and his first record not associated with the Def Jam label. What has LL been doing since 2009? He’s been making a living with a spot on NCIS: Los Angeles, and also caused quite the ruckus with Brad Paisley when he appeared on the extremely racist song “Accidental Racist.” So now LL has decided to make his big comeback move and put out an album. Authentic, however, is very far off from what the public hoped. It’s clear that somewhere between the acting career and just being somewhat removed from the music scene, LL Cool J lost it. The first song off the record, entitled “Bath Salts,” has a static beat, which coupled with LL’s
lyrics makes it sound even worse. The next track, “Not Leaving You,” has a pretty nice and interesting combination of euphoric, synth sounds combined with a heavy drum. The lyrics are just a bit overdone on this record. There are way too many different types of metaphors for love. You can’t combine football, poker, and boxing metaphors all on one song. It makes the relatively tranquil melody feel congested. The next song, “New Love” feat. Charlie Wilson, is actually one of the better songs on the album. The lyrics of LL feel more authentic, even though he talks about a lot of modern social media more relevant to generation Y, than the rest of the album (oh, the irony), which makes this track a lot more enjoyable to listen to. Following, is the starkly different “We Came To Party” feat. Fatman Scoop and Snoop Dogg. Nobody wants to hear a 45-year-old man rapping about the club, especially when he is also a husband and father to four children.
On “Whaddup,” feat. Chuck D, Travis Barker, Tom Morello, and Z-Trip, LL gets lost amid one too many guest artists. Although all four musicians are credible as artists individually, together they drown each other out on this track. Collaborations that involve multiple artists, especially when they are artists of different genres, are a hit or miss. Unfortunately for LL, this was a complete miss. That seems to be the problem for most of this record. There are too many guest artists that, instead of contributing to LL’s craft, fade his presence from the album and make him look like he is trying too hard. On “Between the Sheetz” feat. Mickey Shiloh, LL does what he does best. One of the staples of LL’s persona is that he is a ladies man, but this side of him has become played out over his extensive career. This might have worked in 1995, but it certainly doesn’t work now. The slightly more mature song , “Closer ” feat. Monica, is one of the more enjoyable on this album, simply
because the lyrics don’t sound forced and remain relevant. If there were one word to describe the totality of Authentic, it would be “forced.” This entire album as a whole feels ver y forced on LL’s part. The overwhelming amount of guest artists on this album detracts from
LL’s presence. On a separate note regarding the guest artists, why would Paisley be featured on “Authentic” after their most recent disaster collaboration? The title of this album was originally Authentic Hip-Hop, but LL changed it to simply “Authentic,” because he wanted to explore
his multiple tastes in music on the record. That, in effect, is the problem with this record. There is way too much going on. Between the hip-hop, country, soul, and hard rock, Authentic sounds less like an innovative record and more like a hodge-podge of musical style.
AUTHENTIC LL COOL J PRODUCED BY 429 RECORDS RELEASED APR. 30, 2013 OUR RATING C
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES
Attempting to merge too many different genres, LL Cool J’s ‘Authentic’ is a fairly disappointing comeback record.
SINGLE REVIEWS BY MAGDALENA LACHOWICZ Sander Van Doorn, Dubvision & Mako “Into the Light” Inevitably a future summer staple, “Into the Light” nevertheless only serves to rehash tried and true electronica trends: airy vocals, easily accessible lyrics, a few piano chords, and a standard drop that underwhelms. Though danceable and well produced, one would expect something more dynamic from the renowned Van Doorn.
Daughter “Human”
Sara Bareilles “Brave” Sad yet soothing, Elena Tonra’s lilting voice calls for healing despite losing herself, affirming that her “Mind’s lost in a bleak vision / I tried to escape but keep sinking.” The rolling drums and driving acoustics animate the song, giving it a hopeful feel in spite of the troubled introspection of the lyrics. This tension elevates “Human” from a pain-wrought tune to an optimistic lament.
As the title suggests, Bareilles’s new single is an ode to standing up for yourself. With a heavy backbeat underneath a light piano tune, the song is stylistically happy-golucky in light of its empowering lyrics. Perfect for those days that need a lift, “Brave” is a simple and happy song with a poignant message.
The Heights
B6
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Takeout can eat up your savings. Pack your own lunch instead of going out. $6 saved a day x 5 days a week x 10 years x 6% interest = $19,592. That could be money in your pocket. Small changes today. Big bucks
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee, Oscar Romero Scholarship Committee, and the Benigno and Aquino Scholarship Committee Position Statement We Need to be Stewards of Non-Violence Summary
In the events of recent days and months where mental health, weapons, and loss of massive proportion have affected our lives, we ask each of you to support positions of non-violence at the individual, family, group, and community level.
Background and Significance
Martin Luther King Jr. was an advocate for others on three key components of individual, family, and community challenges: Poverty – unemployment, homelessness, literacy, physical and mental health, mortality or morbidity, health disparities Racism – prejudice, apartheid, ethnic conflict, anti-Semitism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, ageism, discrimination against disabled groups, stereotypes Violence– war, imperialism, domestic violence, rape, terrorism, human trafficking, media violence, drugs, child abuse, violent crime, bullying, harassment (REF)
Position WE ADVOCATE THE FOLLOWING POSITIVE STEPS:
• Know and understand the statistics on gun violence, domestic violence, urban violence, suicide and armed self-defense • Consider, encourage and support pragmatic, positive approaches as a way to be constructive in your responses • Understand and consider the meaning of a culture of violence and the potential for shaping and enabling behavior • Understand the principles and applications for non- violent intervention and mediation • Understand the principles of crisis intervention • Create a vision of non-violent action as a non-partisan cause or movement • Reach out to professionals to bring assistance to those who may appear to be emotionally troubled • Discuss any form of discrimination openly to understand the source and solution • Never ignore someone’s experience of poverty, racism , or violence • Be there for others, advocate directly and openly, and never give up “ For a Historical Reading List, please visit: www.bc.edu/mlk http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/romero.html http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/ahana/programs/services/minifeed0/benigno-corazon. html#committee “
tomorrow. Go to feedthepig.org for free savings tips.
THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, May 2, 2013
B7
THIS WEEK IN... BY TRICIA TIEDT | METRO EDITOR
SPORTS
POP CULTURE
Washington Wizard center Jason Collins has become “the first known athlete in one of the big four American professional sports (basketball, baseball, football, and hockey) to declare he is gay,” according to The Boston Globe. The May issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands May 6, will feature Collins as the cover story with this opening line: “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.” In the Sports Illustrated article, he reportedly cites Congressman Joe Kennedy, his college roommate at Stanford University, as inspiration to come out after Kennedy marched in the Boston Gay Pride Parade last year. Collins spent half of last season (his 12th in the NBA) as a Boston Celtic, currently plays for the Washington Wizards, and will be a free agent as of this summer.
Pop music stars Hot Chelle Rae and Boston sensation Sammy Adams performed at the House of Blues Tuesday night in conjunction with the “Amp Your Campus” Challenge. A collaboration by Comcast Cable and Music Choice, the multiplatform music and video network, “Amp Your Campus” began as a social media challenge in February. Students from across the country voted for their city or college town via Facebook in order to be eligible for tickets to the grand prize show, dependent upon which town won. The top 10 finalists were announced in mid-March, and Boston prevailed, once again, as the ultimate college town in America. Adams grew up in Cambridge and attended Wayland High School. Well known throughout the Northeast, Adam’s Boston’s Boy album led to a deal with Party Records that has since gained Adams national recognition.
NEWS CUISINE BEER B o s t o n Po l i c e Commissioner Ed Davis will receive multiple formal recognitions for his service in the wake of the bombings at the Boston Marathon this upcoming week. Two local universities, Northeastern and UMass Lowell, will present Davis with honorary degrees in ceremonies throughout May. Davis has been announced as the commencement speaker of UMass Lowell’s May 18 graduation, where he will receive the honorary degree of humane letters. A Lowell native, Davis ran the city’s police department before stepping up as the Boston Police Department Commissioner in 2006. Northeastern’s commencement ceremony will take place this Friday, May 3, at the TD Garden. There, Davis will be one of four recipients of an honorary degree from the university. Governor Deval Patrick is scheduled to participate in Friday’s ceremony, reading on behalf of Davis’ award.
The newest phase in the cupcake fad has arrived, and in a convenient package. Yesterday, Wicked Good Cupcakes opened their second shop in Faneuil Hall Marketplace, selling their signature cupcakes in a jar. According to owners Tracey Noonan and Danielle Desroches, the idea to package their product in mason jars was out of necessity to preserve the cupcakes during shipping. The mother-daughter duo started the company three years ago, opening their first location on the South Shore in Cohasset. Last week, Noonan and Desroches appeared on Shark Tank, the new ABC reality TV show dedicated to giving startup companies the chance to pitch their product to renowned entrepreneurs. Wicked Good Cupcakes will offer classic and gluten free cupcakes, as well as shipping options to be ordered in store.
In light of the B oston Marathon t r a g e d y, B o s t o n Beer Company has filed to trademark the phrase ‘Boston Strong.’ Boston Beer, maker of the signature Samuel Adams brews, seeks to rename the Sam Adams 26.2 Brew to include the phrase ‘Boston Strong’ and donate all proceeds to marathon-related charities in the following year. In addition, Boston Beer has pledged to donate all profits from the release of this year’s signature 26.2 Marathon brew to the Greg Hill Foundation, which supports the victims of the bombing and their families. According to Boston. com, “If the trademark is approved, Boston Beer said it will allow others in the beverage category to use the ‘Boston Strong’ phrase so long as 100 percent of profits are donated to charity.”
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Roxy’s to open new location
GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR
BY BRENNA CASS For The Heights
HOUSE AD YOU JUST BLEW $10,000. Buzzed. Busted. Broke. Get caught, and you could be paying around 10,000 in fines, legal fees and increased
$
insurance rates.
Buzzed driving is drunk driving. buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org
Grilled cheese fans, rejoice—the buzz around restaurant blogs and social media is that Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, a favorite food truck in the Boston area, will be opening a “brick and mortar” restaurant as early as the fall of 2013. The restaurant will serve the unique grilled cheeses that the people of Boston have wholeheartedly embraced. The notorious yellow food truck, which began to gain popularity and recognition when it was featured on season two of the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race, has satisfied lunchtime customers in Cleveland Circle, in Copley Square, at the SoWa market, and other locations around the city since its beginning in March 2011. As their description on the website proclaims, they don’t make “your grandma’s grilled cheese.” All of their ingredients are fresh, and their flavor combinations unique. In their “Green Muenster Melt,” they combine Muenster cheese, guacamole and bacon, creating an interesting texture and flavor combination. They also feature a seasonal sandwich—currently, it’s a “kinda-caprese” that includes mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, arugula and balsamic. For the less-adventurous eater, they always have a “Rookie Melt,” a classic cheddar and tomato grilled cheese. But even the most traditional of grilled cheeses is made in such a way that one could never call it plain or boring. The hearty white bread is grilled to achieve the perfect crunch when one bites into it, followed by cheese that is uniformly melted throughout. Although each grilled cheese sandwich could stand on its own, the truffle fries served with the grilled cheeses are a delicious complement. They are reminiscent of french fries that you would get at a county fair. They have some of the potato skin still on them, and each batch has a mix of small crispy fries as well as bigger ones. The sides for a grilled cheese can be a little too much food for one person to eat—your best bet is to buy your own grilled cheese and split an order of truffle fries with a friend. Roxy’s also sells tomato soup and flavored lemonade as sides for their grilled cheeses. Each grilled cheese costs between $5 to $10, and including one of the sides would bring your total to about $15 per meal. Diners definitely get
their money’s worth—each grilled cheese is stuffed with as many fresh ingredients as it can hold, and it will certainly leave customers feeling satisfied whether they choose to get a side or not. Each grilled cheese is made to order, and the wait time after each order is approximately eight minutes. As Roxy’s grows in popularity, the lines outside the food truck have gotten longer, but the freshness of each grilled cheese that leaves the truck is well worth the wait. Roxy’s also continues to feature unique menu items, such as a “Brunch” menu that turns their signature grilled cheeses into breakfast sandwiches. They are constantly developing new flavor combinations for specials and different events. Roxy’s has
LOCATION: 485 CAMBRIDGE ST (FALL 2013) CUISINE: American SIGNATURE DISH: Spring Seasonal - Kinda Caprese AVERAGE SANDWICH: $5-10 OVERALL EXPERIENCE: A also expanded to a catering business that has taken their food truck business to a new level. After the Roxy’s Grilled Cheese Twitter account tweeted on Apr. 25 that they would be opening a restaurant, the owner of the food truck, James Sabatino, confirmed the tweet and reported on Facebook that they hope to open by the fall of 2013. It will be located on 485 Cambridge Street in Union Square in Allston. The Union Square area already features many unique and diverse restaurants. It is unclear as of now what other fares Roxy’s will feature along with their signature grilled cheeses. Roxy’s follows suit with other food trucks in Boston that have recently opened or plan to open “brick and mortar” restaurants soon, including Bon Me and Mei Mei Street Kitchen. A Roxy’s grilled cheese restaurant will likely feature even more unique and delicious flavor creations and will continue to reinvent the traditional grilled cheese for fans of the sandwich all over Boston.
The Heights
B8
Three men associated with Tsarnaev arrested
Bookish Bostonian
Emulating a good man from home
Marathon, from B10
photo Courtesy of nicole st. jean
BC students traveled to the Massachusetts Senate to meet with Sal DiDomenico this week.
ELL bill hopes to pass Ryan Towey A good man that I know from my hometown performs the same ritual every night. Once everyone in his family has gone to sleep, he leaves the house, walks across the street, and stands there, gazing up at his house, a cigarette between his lips before bed. Though I do not always succeed, I seek to emulate the actions of people who I think are good, and so after I first saw him engage in his nightly routine, I could not wait to find something at which I could gaze at the end of the night. For many Boston College students, I imagine the place at which one most frequently gazes is Gasson Hall—as evidenced, perhaps, by the absolutely incessant need for BC students to Instagram photos of our signature building. (No filter? Really? Tell me more.) But I think what few manage to realize is an even more compelling sight: the view of the Boston skyline at the top of the stairs that lead to St. Joseph’s Chapel on Upper Campus. On a clear night, if you look to the east, you can see the lights of Boston piercing the sky, the red light of the Prudential Center blinking above the rest. I am not saying that BC’s students are too stupid to notice that they can see Boston from the top of the stairs, but I wonder how often they truly look at it. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby looks with longing at the green light at the end of the dock at Daisy Buchanan’s home. (Sometimes this book is just too damn relevant to ignore, though I promise that this is not a shameless plug for the upcoming film version.) What Gatsby did not understand about his longing, however, is that he was looking at nothing. Daisy Buchanan did not love him, for whatever reason. He was looking at shadows, at memories. He would have done better to turn his gaze upon the nearby New York City, a place of opportunity and of tangible promise. And so I take a page out of the book of the man from my hometown, who holds his cigarette while looking at the home and family that he has built, the man who looks at what matters. I do not smoke cigarettes—though I am the kind of guy susceptible to the idea that it looks cool to do so despite my knowledge of the health concerns that repulse me from trying. I like to think that I subconsciously agree with Ayn Rand’s sentiments on smoking: “I like to think of fire held in a man’s hand. Fire, a dangerous force, tamed at his fingertips.” (In reality, I think that I would prefer to be just a bit more rebellious—so sue me.) Ayn Rand was indeed one of my favorite writers as a younger teenager. Call it a phase. (Call it a guilty passion that may or may not persist to this day.) But regardless of one’s opinions regarding her views, one cannot deny that she had quite a way with inspiring words. Ayn Rand wrote in her Atlas Shrugged, “Do not let your fire go out … The world you desire can be won.” No, I do not smoke cigarettes, but I can taste the smoke of my inner fire when I look at Boston. There is a promise in that skyline. If you are a graduating senior, I hope that you have not failed to really take a look at where you are. If you still have some time at BC, I recommend that you spend more of it enjoying the city that is our namesake. Do not be a Gatsby, chasing shadows. Instead, be a man that can look at the tangible world he has built. No one can demand that you build a world for yourself today, but at least go look at the Boston skyline tonight. Remind yourself that you can.
Ryan Towey is the Asst. Metro Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
ELL Education, from B10 During the hearing , Nicole and Morgan heard many testimonies from representatives as well as parents who have ELL children that were not given the proper education upon coming to the U.S. One representative said that it is assumed now in the Massachusetts education system that “English Language Learners are supposed to learn English in one year but statistics from 2011 show that the average number of years that English Language Learners are in a Sheltered English Immersion program is over three and a half years” showing that the prior law is not suitable for the needs of English Language Learners. One of the reasons is that teacher training and accreditation is now changing so students are receiving their education from properly trained individuals. Another challenge facing Massachusetts is that the state does not have any standards for English Language Learners besides the MCAS test which is not to be taken in the student’s language of origin. DiDomenico stated, “ We need this bill now more than ever. It’s time for us to step up so that all school districts are responsive to their student population.” A second touching testimony was from a parent of an English Language Learner who spoke Spanish in her testimony that was translated for the Joint Committee on Education. This mother had a son enrolled in the Boston Public Schools who was in kindergarten seven years ago. Her son was not given the proper education and therefore could not participate in class the way that he told his mother he wanted to. It took him over four years to receive the proper education where he could learn in a mainstream class because there was no law to mandate all schools to have an ELL education program. The bill that is
now hoping to be passed would mandate such a system so that children such as this little boy will not struggle in school for so long. The inter view with DiDomenico began with a discussion about the injustices in the education of English Language Learners that the senator has seen in his experiences. He said in the elementary school he attended in Cambridge, there was a strong bilingual program. He believes that the bilingual programming in schools makes students more confident and has a greater to desire to stay in school. His experiences included seeing friends grow up with a bilingual program and then eventually being mainstreamed at the right time. He said that these friends who learned in their own language while learning English are his friends for life, one of them being his best man and godfather of his son. When asked what changes he feels are the most important in bilingual education, the senator responded by saying he wishes that people would be more open-minded to the system. He said, “It is tough when you know that you are doing the right thing and people are coming up to you and look at the bill and say this is not what we want and isn’t needed.” He believes it is difficult to have this bill passed because of the people who are not for it. People have very strong opinions when it comes to this “radioactive bill” as DiDomenico referred to it. His advice to future teachers is to not let anybody convince you that supporting this bill is wrong. “There will be people that will tell you that this is unnecessary and if we allow people to overcome this, it will never pass,” he said. “We need people on the inside to fight for this. We should not feel like we have to go with the flow, because if we do kids will get hurt.” n
According to an affidavit by Special Agent Scott Cieplik, Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov admitted to planning to throw away the backpack when it became apparent to them that Tsarnaev may have been one of the bombers. Both Tazhayakov and Kadyerbaev entered the United States on students visas and are originally from Kazakhstan, which neighbors Kyrgyzstan, where both of the Tsarnaev brothers once lived. Tazhayakov and Kadyerbaev allegedly threw Tsarnaev’s backpack in a dumpster near their New Bedford apartment. The FBI later recovered the backpack in a New Bedford landfill. Phillipos’s defense attorney Derege Demissie said that Phillipos had nothing to do with the actions of the two other arrested men, according to The Boston Globe. Tazhayakov’s attorney, Harlan Protass, said that Tazhayakov was “shocked” that someone he knew was involved in the bombings. Kadyrbayev’s defense attorney Robert G. Stahl said that his client “absolutely denies the charges.” Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov face maximum sentences of five years in prison and $250,000 each in fines. Phillipos faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to prosecutors. After his arrest, Tsarnaev was transferred to the Federal Medical Center Devens, about 40 miles from Boston at the former Fort Devens Army post, where federal prisoners are treated. Tsarnaev had previously been recovering at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from a gunshot wound to the throat and other injuries suffered during a getaway attempt. Officials reported that before Dzhokhar was read his Miranda rights, after which he became silent, he admitted to FBI interrogators that he and his brother committed the Marathon bombings, and that he was recruited by Tamerlan to help carry out the attack only a week or two before Apr. 15. Dzhokhar reportedly told interrogators that he and his brother Tamerlan also had plans of traveling to New York City after the attack in Boston to set off explosives in Times Square. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force informed New York officials that the brothers had six bombs, including one pressure-cooker explosive similar to the ones set off at the Boston Marathon, in
addition to five pipe bombs. The decision to head to New York was allegedly spontaneous, and would have involved the stolen Mercedes SUV on Thursday, after the fatal shooting of MIT campus police officer Sean Collier. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly reported that the victim of the carjacking overheard the brothers planning the New York plot while he was held captive in the vehicle. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference last Thursday that city officials had been told that Manhattan was next on the Tsarnaev brothers’ list of targets, adding, “We don’t know if we’d have been able to [stop an attack] if the terrorists had arrived from Boston.” Bloomberg mentioned that New York City remains a prime target for “those who hate America and want to kill Americans.” Further intensifying the mystery surrounding the Tsarnaev family, U.S. officials acknowledged for the first time that the suspects’ mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, had been under investigation before the attack in Boston. According to the two officials, the CIA added Zubeidat Tsarnaeva’s name to a federal terrorism database by the CIA about 18 months before the bombings, along with that of her son Tamerlan. Russia notified the CIA in 2011 with concerns that the mother and son were religious militants with plans to return to Russia. Tsarnaeva had considered returning to the U.S. following the capture of her youngest son, but recently reversed this decision. Tsarnaeva was arrested last June in Natick, Mass. on a shoplifting charge of stealing over $1,624 worth of women’s clothes from a Lord & Taylor department store, and has not been back to the U.S. since then. In an interview from Russia, Tsarnaeva said that news of her being added to the CIA’s list was “lies and hypocrisy” and that she has never been linked to terrorism. The suspects’ mother claims that her sons could never have been behind the deadly bombings and believes they were framed. It has also recently surfaced that a man known as “Misha” is working with the FBI to share information about Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Misha, or Mikhail, 49, is of Armenian and Ukrainian decent, and claims that he has not been in contact with Tamerlan for three years. The man claims that if he had been teaching Tamerlan, he would have stopped him, though the brothers’ uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, had described Misha as a negative influence on his nephew’s life. n
Charlotte Sometimes to hit Cambridge’s Lizard Lounge By Ryan Towey Asst. Metro Editor Charlotte Sometimes, a singer-songwriter based out of New York who has released one album and four EPs, will perform at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge on the night of May 4. “I’ve been to Boston many times playing,” Sometimes said. “This should be a really fun show.” Sometimes, age 25, has had a relationship with the Boston area ever since she was
diagnosed with condylar resorption at age 14, a disease that threatened her jaw and ability to sing. Sometimes had reconstructive surgery on her jaw at Massachusetts General Hospital. “I have a really great relationship with Boston and have a lot of respect for it,” she said. “It’s always really great to be there.” Born in Wall Township, N.J., Sometimes began writing poetry at a very young age. When she started singing her poetry, her father encouraged her to write songs. “I just always found myself drawn
to music,” Sometimes said. “I am so crazy and I have so many emotions. It’s easy for me to be an artist, I guess.” She cites Roy Orbison and Death Cab for Cutie among her musical influences. Sometimes recently performed at Penn State University on Apr. 19, and is planning to take part in the Vans Warped Tour this upcoming summer, which she also participated in during the summer of 2008, just after the release of her first full-length album, Waves and the Both of Us. Sometimes also participated in the second season of NBC’s The Voice, when she was on Blake Shelton’s te a m a n d w a s eliminated from the competition after the first live round. Although she was hesitant at first to compete in a reality show, Sometimes now considers the experience to have been enjoyable and educational. “It was such an amazing experience, I am so grateful for it,” she said. “I learned s o mu c h about being an artist.” Sometimes added that her mentors o n th e ez show shervin lain of sy te ur photos Co were “humble and gracious and such good people.” In her years active as an artist, her music
has been hard to categorize—the labels of pop artist and alternative rocker have both been attached to her. “There are definitely elements of dark pop,” Sometimes said of her music. “There’s a little jazz in there. I would probably say I’m a bit of alternative pop.” Sometimes said that her songwriting process is often built around an emotion or a specific circumstance, adding that she expands upon experiences to create a song. Sometimes described herself as having been a rather “angsty teenager,” one made only more so by her experiences with hospitalization while struggling with condylar resorption. “I wrote some of my best material when my jaw was wired shut. I was just writing constantly,” Sometimes said. “I kind of admire my younger self more than I admire my elder self. I had a really great sense of purpose when I was a young woman. Nothing was going to stand in my way.” This willpower is evident in her use of a stage name, as well, which she said allows her to create a character that is stronger than who she might be in her actual life. Born Jessica Charlotte Poland, Sometimes named herself after Penelope Farmer’s 1969 children’s book Charlotte Sometimes. “I was really just kind of drawn to this book,” Sometimes said. “It’s about a girl that gets trapped in time and has to be somebody else.” “I feel like as a person, there are two people inside of us—a representative, and who we really are,” Sometimes said. “For me, Charlotte Sometimes is my representative, and the person I wish I could be most of the time. I am able to leave my life behind and go into Charlotte Sometimes if I need to.” Sometimes described the person embodied by her stage name as a headstrong, willful woman. Underneath her representative stage name, however, Sometimes noted that she is not as headstrong as the person she becomes on stage. Beneath the exterior, Sometimes said that there is another layer to her that takes the name with which she was born: “Her name is Jessie.” n
The Heights
Thursday, May 2, 2013
B9
Mind Yo’ Business
Bravery must be legitimized
Marc Francis
photo Courtesy of cheun park
The Boston Fire Department responded in full force to the three alarm fire on Linden St., which resulted in six firefighters injured. No fireman’s injuries were life threatening.
Allston fire prompts a look at Boston off-campus housing Allston Fire, from B10 house was converted from a one family home into a two-family home in 1992 and thus two kitchens and two bathrooms constitute the rooms. According to the city assessor office, the property value for this year was $615,500. According to The Boston Herald, the house had not been inspected in the 21 years since it was converted. The apartment housed people on all floors, including the basement. Lee was found in one of the four rooms in the attic. Before the fire, property owner Anna Belokurova had been cited several times for improperly handling garbage disposal at the property. As of Monday afternoon,
Inspectional Services Department commissioner Bryan Glascock stated that the department was investigating if any city ordinances were broken, including one that requires the land owner to limit the number of unrelated undergraduate students to four in any dwelling. Before the incident, Belokurova had not been cited for having too many residents. Belokurova owns other residences, including a three-family home on Reedsdale St. that has an illegal basement unit, and a condo in West Roxbury, both of which are to be inspected. While Boston law requires an inspection every time a new tenant moves in, the constant flux of college students causes many landlords to ignore the rule. Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino
has recognized this problem and pushed for a new law, which would require an inspection every five years. The law will take effect next month. According to the Boston Fire Department, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The university is providing housing for the nine other BU students living in the apartment, two of whom were injured. Most have lost all of their belongings in the fire. The university is also providing counseling through the Dean of Students Office, the University chaplains, the Student Health Services, and the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Center according to BU Today. The tragic loss is quite the shock for
the school and comes just shy of two weeks after BU lost grad student Lu Lingzi in the Boston Marathon bombings. In an email released to students on Sunday, Brown said, “I recognize that these have been challenging days for Boston and for Boston University. Once again we are grieving the loss of a member of our student community. While we continue to work to provide support and care to those most in need, each of us should hold close all our friends and colleagues, as we all have lost part of our community in the tragedies of the Marathon bombing and this morning’s fire.” A memorial for Lee is scheduled for Monday, May 6 at 7 p.m. in the school’s Metcalf Hall. n
Candidates win primary, prepare for November election Primary Results, from B10 Boston by 3,000 votes, The Globe reported. These pockets of Lynch supporters could be fertile ground for Gomez to win votes in the general election, as more conservative Democrats could favor Gomez over the liberal Markey. Throughout the primary race, Gomez, 47, a former Navy SEAL and Harvard Business School graduate, has tried to portray himself as a fresh face who will breathe new life into the Massachusetts delegation in Washington. He appears to fit a mold for a new kind of Republican, with more appeal to minorities—Gomez is the son of Colombian immigrants—and inclusive positions on social issues and immigration. While he opposes President Barack Obama’s health care plan and supports the Keystone Pipeline—more traditional Republican stances—Gomez supports same-sex marriage, joining with his fellow Republican candidates in calling for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act in a primary debate. A newcomer to politics entirely beyond an unsuccessful run for selectman in his
hometown of Cohasset, Mass., Gomez will continue to tout his outsider status as he faces Markey in the general election. Markey, 66, has served in the House of Representatives since 1976 and is often considered a Washington insider. In his victory speech Tuesday night, Gomez, predictably, began his attack of Markey’s longtime presence in Congress. “Einstein famously said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” Gomez said. “Congress has enough politicians. If we keep sending politicians to Washington we will keep getting the same results.” “If you are looking for a rigid partisan, I’m not your guy … if you are looking for an experienced slick talking politician, I’m definitely not your guy,” he added. Winslow, after losing in the primary Tuesday, backed his former challenger, telling The Globe, “I’ve gotten to know Gabriel Gomez over these last months, and I can tell you one thing for sure: He’s not a career politician, but he sure as hell can beat one.” Speaking to reporters Wednesday morning in a handshake event at a T station in
South Boston, Gomez continued his assault on Markey, calling him the “poster boy for term limits” in Congress, an initiative for which Gomez has expressed support. Democrats, however, have their own strategy set for the eight-week sprint toward the general election. State party leaders aim to go after Gomez as “an extremist whose views are antithetical to Massachusetts,” according to The New York Times. Markey told supporters after his primary victory that his goal looks beyond just specific policy issues to the American political environment as a whole. “This campaign is about standing up to the special interests and the extreme tea party Republicans who want to stop progress and send our country in the wrong direction,” Markey said. “I am ready for that fight.” Due to the Democratic nature of the Massachusetts electorate—Democrats hold a three-to-one advantage over Republicans in registered voters, though independent voters account for nearly 53 percent of the electorate, according to The Wall Street Journal—Markey, with his experience and
financial support, is considered the favorite in the general election. Yet Democratic party leaders are cautious of predicting a win this early, particularly cautious as they look to avoid a repeat of Brown’s victory for Republicans in 2010. Democrats are committing to a grassroots campaign to rally party members across the state to support Markey. “We have absolutely learned a lesson. As long as I’m around, we will never leave primary day thinking we’re all set,” Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman John Walsh told The Globe Tuesday. There is certainly time for the race to take interesting twists ahead of the June 25 general election, though there is the potential for it to be overshadowed once again, this time by the federal trial of Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger that is set to begin June 10. Once one of the FBI’s most-wanted fugitives, Bulger evaded capture for over 16 years before being caught in 2011. He is charged with racketeering and participating in over 19 murders in the 1970s and 1980s. n
Boston Public School superintendent Johnson resigns Superintendent, from B10 district administrator in both Memphis, Tenn. and Minneapolis, Minn. As superintendent, Johnson focused on providing the schools in Boston with sufficient freedom and flexibility in order to bring about lasting reform. Among her achievements over her six years of leadership were closing the achievement and access gaps that existed within the neighborhoods, helping schools better prepare students for college and career success, and bringing Boston to its lowest dropout rate in over two decades as well as the highest graduation rate ever, which has been increasing steadily for the past five years. She contributed to the expansion of academic support for English as a second language, increased the availability of arts and health and wellness activities, and strengthened parent outreach efforts in order to enhance the presence of schools within the community. The initiatives Johnson took to reform
specific elements of the Boston Public School System shaped many of the policies that she implemented during her time. In 2007, she began a program called “Graduation for All,” which was designed to ensure that each student in the Boston Public Schools graduates from high school with the skills necessary to succeed in college and in a career. She also responded to requests from families in Boston expressing their desires for programs that span kindergarten through eighth grade for a better sense of continuity during the early years of children’s education, increasing the number of K-8 programs from three to 28 by 2009, according to BostonPublicSchools.org. One of the centerpieces of Johnson’s leadership as superintendent is the Boston Public Schools Acceleration Agenda, a five year program designed in 2009 and solidified in 2010, that was founded with the idea that each child has access to only one education during the formative years of his or her life and therefore has the right to the best one possible. “Today,
Boston Public Schools, the birthplace of public education in this nation, offers the best education possible for some of our students. Boston Public Schools has the capacity to offer the best education possible for all of our students,” Johnson said. The program was implemented with the purpose of holding educators responsible for overall graduate success by raising the bar for student achievement and incorporating the community to engage students in their learning experience. Specifically, the plan has three main goals: MCAS proficiency for all students, closing of access and achievement gaps within Boston Public Schools, and preparation of all high school graduates for college completion and career success. The plan uses concrete benchmarks to track progress such as reading skills by the end of grade I and completion of Algebra I in grade eight. Johnson theorizes that these goals can be accomplished through improved leadership, replication of successful methods, turnaround of low-performing schools, and deepened relationships
between the schools and the parents and general community for an increased effectiveness of the system. Following the death of her husband, Johnson issued a resignation letter to say farewell to the citizens of Boston, and explained that there are things that still need to be done. She hopes her successor continues to close achievement gaps, improve quality and quantity of dual language schools, update career and vocational programs, increase gifted/talented services at every school, improve facilities in Boston schools, and implement a new student assignment system. Although she expressed many times the difficulty with which she made the decision to step down, she is optimistic for the future, “It has been an exceptional honor to lead this school district with Mayor Menino and the Boston School Committee as partners,” Johnson said. “With a city full of passionate and committed educators and citizens who care deeply for our children, I am confident our schools are on a path to great success for each child.” n
The headline of the most recent New York Times article to flash across my computer screen read “With the Words ‘I’m Gay,’ an N.B.A. Center Breaks a Barrier.” NBA player Jason Collins has, in fact, broken a barrier in the athletic industry through the announcement of his sexuality. It is important to recognize Collins for this achievement as he displays an unprecedented level of courage. His actions will hopefully not only encourage other professional athletes to express their sexuality comfortably, but also incite a trickledown effect and inspire athletes on the more local and university level. However, as I applaud Collins, I cannot help but be overcome with distress as I call to mind that such a successful individual took so long to muster up the courage to come out of hiding. College campuses like Boston College bear resemblance to the world of professional sports in that reputation, appearance, and personality are seemingly dependent on conformity. Throughout the last decade, the media has tackled the issue of gay rights and acceptance by derailing and focusing on the beliefs of religious extremists and radical Republicans. Personally, I believe that the issue is twofold—the media should dissect the viewpoints of the opponents of gay rights, but it should also adopt a more internal approach and examine how the gay culture might indeed be self-implosive. Within a stereotypically conservative environment like BC, closeted GLBTQ adults are just as much to blame for the supposed homophobic atmosphere as those who object to gay rights. Many campaigns, like this year’s BC Ignites, have been launched to counter this attitude on campus. By glancing at the BC Confessions page for just a few moments, one can see that so many closeted gay people on campus are voicing their plethora of concerns. Yet, playing the role of “coward in the closet” is indirectly contributing to BC’s contagious homophobia. I understand that people have their individual circumstances that make them reluctant to fully accept who they are, but now is the time to abandon the role of bystander and coward, and outwardly support those who face similar troubles. It is unfortunate that a 34-year old man waited so long before freeing himself of the burden of his secret. I was shocked to learn that no other professional athlete had ever come out before retirement—it forces one to wonder what the atmosphere of professional sports would be like today if an athlete had come out as little as five years ago. In his article with Sports Illustrated, Collins stated: “I realized I needed to go public when Joe Kennedy, my old roommate at Stanford and now a Massachusetts congressman, told me he had just marched in Boston’s 2012 Gay Pride Parade … I was proud of him for participating, but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn’t even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator.” Athletes and stereotypically “manly men” hold much power in their hands—they are looked up to among their peers and possess much influence on the social scene. If a gay athlete comes out, people listen. College students are privileged to have a designated four years dedicated to selffulfillment and personal growth. Once we leave the university, it is expected that we know who we are. BC is a wonderful institution that, naturally, has its flaws. These flaws are amendable, but not if students lack the bravery to accept themselves and stand by their peers. Despite its general reputation, BC is an accepting place and it is unfortunate that students do not take advantage of their time here to uplift themselves and others. American universities are known for their liberalism and affirmation of ideas—it is nonsensical for a student to remain closeted during their college years, because they will probably never again be met with such a level of acceptance. As I wrap up my column until next year, I am happy to say that I have much faith in our community to continue to grow and acquire the courage necessary to enact legitimate change.
Marc Francis is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@ bcheights.com.
metro The Heights
B8
B10
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Markey to face Gomez in Senate race Hey, good Party: Party: Breaking Boundaries
riddance
Republican
Democrat
current position:
current position:
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Private Equity Investor
United States Representative Tricia Tiedt Good Mackle-morning, ladies and gentlemen. I write this, my final column of the semester, as I perch alongside the west wall of Conte Forum. The clock reads 5:31 a.m. as I watch group after group of people pass by, en route to take their place in line. Blankets, pillows, and friends serve as the only reparations for the next two and a half hours. So, what are we all doing out here? The obvious answer is, of course, Macklemore. Enough said. But I think there’s a more subtle, yet very present, reason we’re all camped out in anticipation of what may be the greatest concert to ever grace the Mods. Let’s face it: April was a hell of a month. We came back from Easter break to the home stretch: the last weeks of classes to struggle through, summer internships to snag, a finals schedule to plan. The tragic week that followed what was supposed to be a day of pure joy at the top of Heartbreak Hill turned our city upside down. Campus on lockdown, a grad student dead among four others, and runners coping with the ghastly sights seen. Now, BU mourns the loss of another student due to the fire in Allston this past Sunday. All these events came with dark skies, rainclouds, and too cold of temperatures suitable for what should have been spring. It has not been a good month for Boston. A guy just walked by wrapped in a blanket printed with comic panels of Snoopy snowboarding. Kudos to you, sir. As the sun rises, I realize that spring is now, finally, in full swing. The tulips have bloomed, the sundresses sway in the breeze, and iced lattes abound. On this last day of classes, we have more to look forward to than Macklemore: summer is officially around the corner. And, that, my friends, is why we are all here. In the midst of finals, summer plans, and saying goodbye to seniors, here are a few more ways to enjoy this new month of May in Boston. Food Truck Showdown: Continuing the ultimate Boston v. New York rivalry, 18 food trucks (nine from each city) will be competing in a variety of categories this Saturday, May 4. Admission is free (but the food is not!) at the Greenway between State and India Streets from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.—ditch the dining hall and sample the best of the best. Boston Calling: If you’re fortunate enough to be in Boston for the summer (you lucky duck, you), make sure to check out the music festival taking over City Hall Plaza on May 25 and 26. Headliners of the Boston Calling Music Festival include Fun., The National, and Of Monsters and Men. This will be the first event of its kind to grace the red brick of Government Center. Back-to-Back Bay: The Marathon bombings affected every part of our city— including the local businesses forced to shut their doors for a full week due to the crime scene investigation. Different sponsors, all with the goal of bringing business back to Boylston St., have created innumerable organized events. But why not go on your own? For those of you who have not ventured past Mile 21 since Marathon Monday, I highly encourage you to get back into the city. A majority of businesses—bars, restaurants, and retail shops alike—in the vicinity of the finish line are offering discounts and free giveaways to preemptively thank their patrons sparking this mini revival. As the semester comes to a close, I sincerely wish you all the best, wherever your summer may take you. For those of you staying in Boston (again, you luckiest of lucky ducks), join me in cherishing this city as a new season of summer blooms. If the city of Boston can survive April, we can survive anything. Like Macklemore will soon be shouting through the Mods, “this city never looked so bright.”
Tricia Tiedt is the Metro Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.
- gun control legislation - clean energy jobs Ed Markey
A heavily contested primary results in decisive victories for candidates By Julie Orenstein Heights Editor
The general election field is set for the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, as Democratic U.S. Representative Edward Markey, BC ’68 and BC Law ’72, and Republican private-equity investor Gabriel Gomez emerged victorious from Tuesday’s primary. In a race disrupted and overshadowed by the Marathon bombings—after which all candidates temporarily
- build Keystone Pipeline - supports gay marriage
gabriel gomez
suspended their campaigns—both Markey and Gomez won handily over their opponents. Markey won 58 percent of the vote over his challenger, U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch, BC Law ’91, who won 42 percent of the vote, while Gomez’s 51 percent of the vote bested the 36 percent earned by former U.S. attorney Michael Sullivan, BC ’79, and the 13 percent earned by state Representative Daniel Winslow. Also contributing to a general disinterest in the special election was the more compelling state political story of long-time Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announcing that he will not seek re-election, as well as “election fatigue” plaguing Massachusetts voters after a Senate special election in 2010 and the showdown between Scott Brown, BC Law ’85, and Elizabeth Warren in the 2012 Senate election. Massachusetts Secretary of
State William Galvin told The Boston Globe that fewer than one in five registered voters were expected to turnout to vote in the primary. Markey, backed from the start by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, BC Law ’76, whose vacant Senate seat the candidates are hoping to fill, was the best-funded Democrat, surpassing Lynch $4.8 million to $1.5 million, according to The Globe. Gomez out-raised his primary opponents as well, collecting $1.2 million, including $600,000 he lent to his own campaign. Although Lynch won votes throughout his congressional district south of Boston and in a corridor through the central part of the state, Markey dominated western Massachusetts and won Lynch’s hometown of
See Primary Results, B9
Bombing investigation continues
BPS official resigns before contract ends
Three men arrested in connection with marathon bombing
By Maggie Maretz For The Heights After six years as superintendent of the Boston Public School System, Carol R. Johnson announced last Monday that she would leave the position she has held since August of 2007, citing the death of her husband, Matthew Johnson, as the reason for her resignation. She added that while her decision to mourn her husband was the primary cause for her retirement, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s decision not to run contributed somewhat as well, as she had worked closely with him throughout her time as superintendent. Although her contract binds her to serve through June 2015, she will ask to resign in July 2013 and hopes that the school committee will appoint an interim superintendent in the meantime. In her time as superintendent in Boston, Johnson oversaw the education of over 57,000 students in 127 schools, according to BostonPublicSchools.org. She also served as a cabinet member for Menino. She held a position on the Board of Directors for the Council of the Great City Schools, the Spencer Foundation Board, the United Way of Massachusetts and Merrimack Valley Board, and Harvard University Urban Superintendents’ Advisory Board; she has served on the College Board, and was also an ex-officio board member on the Boston Plan for Excellence. Before coming to Boston, she worked extensively in education as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and
See Superintendent, B9
By Lauren Totino Heights Staff
degree in marine science with a minor in journalism. The three-alarm fire broke out at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday according to the Boston Fire Department. At the time, there were nine people in the home, five of whom were taken to the hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries. Six fire fighters were also injured. According to the Boston Fire Departments Twitter account, 19 individuals resided in the house that burst into flames. The city assessor office has stated that the house has 13 rooms, nine of which are bedrooms. Under a previous owner the
Three men were arrested and charged yesterday in relation to the Boston Marathon bombing investigation. Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, both 19, were charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, as they allegedly plotted to throw away a laptop and backpack filled with fireworks that belonged to the younger Tsarnaev brother. Robel Phillipos, also 19, was charged with making false statements to law enforcement in a terror investigation. This is one step investigators have taken to uncover the details of the suspects behind the marathon bombings, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and their plot behind the attack, which killed three people and wounded more than 260. The younger suspect, the 19-yearold Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is charged with uniting with his older brother Tamerlan, now dead after a gun fight with police two weeks ago, in detonating two pressurecooker bombs. Tazhayakov, Kadyrbayev, and Phillipos all began attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2011 alongside Tsarnaev and were allegedly his friends.
See Allston Fire, B9
See Marathon, B8
Photo Courtesy of cheun park
The three-alarm fire Sunday morning destroyed the belongings of all students who lived there.
BU mourns the loss of undergrad in Allston fire By Kristy Barnes For The Heights While Boston slowly creeps back to normal, Boston University once again has started the grieving process as Binland Lee, an undergraduate of the university, lost her life early Sunday morning. The 22-year old native of Brooklyn, N.Y., was killed when a fire blazed through the top floor of a three-story home located at 87 Linden St. in Boston’s Allston neighborhood. The senior was expecting to graduate next month, according to a press release by Boston University president Robert Brown on Sunday afternoon. She was to obtain a
Students meet with senator to push for education reform By Nicole St. Jean For The Heights Editor’s Note: The following is an account of a trip two LSOE students took to the Massachusetts State House to examine bills supporting education for English Language Learners. In the state of Massachusetts, there is
i nside Metro this issue
no bill mandating a system of education for English Language Learners. Right now, many bills are in question of being passed that will create a statewide English Language Learner education system that each district will follow. Two sophomores in the Lynch School of Education traveled to the Massachusetts State House on Apr. 9, 2013 to sit in on the public hearing of the Joint Commit-
Charlotte Sometimes
tee on Education to hear testimonies from both representatives and families that are fighting for these bills to pass. Morgan Festa and Nicole St. Jean are enrolled in a Teaching Bilingual Students class with Anne Homza where they are learning about the education of English Language Learners. For an advocacy project, they traveled to the State House to not only attend the
A profile of singer/songwriter, her upcoming local show, and special relationship to Boston....................................................................................B8
public hearing, but to interview a senator who is a sponsor of one of the bills in question of being passed. Senator Sal DiDomenico, BC ’93, is proposing a bill for English Language Learners that will contain a statewide plan for districts to follow for the education of ELL students.
See ELL Education, B8
Restaurant Review: Roxy’s Grilled Cheese........................................................B7 Mind Yo’ Business: A Reaction to Jason Collins...........................................B9
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The Heights The Heights
B3
Person of the Year 2012-2013
dick Kelley
For two decades in media relations, he educated student-athletes. Now, his fight with a relentless disease has made him an inspiration.
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By Austin Tedesco | Heights Editor
little girl runs into the room beaming with joy. She’s just seen a towering star. “We just saw Ryan Anderson,” she exclaims. “He’s so tall.” Dick Kelley turns his head, and as Anderson walks through the door followed by fellow Boston College basketball players Lonnie Jackson and John Cain Carney, Kelley lights up brighter than his starstruck niece. He can’t get up from his place on the couch to say hello, so they all come around and pat him on the shoulder. Before they can get comfortable, Kelley directs them to the pizza in the kitchen by nudging his head, ordering them to eat. Kelley, a sports information director for men’s basketball at BC, was diagnosed with ALS in September of 2011, when a sore wrist spiraled into something much worse. Since then, the disease has steadily progressed, and he now has very limited mobility, virtually no ability to speak, no use of his arms, and can only walk with great asisstance. A Dynavox computer, which he can control with a metallic dot on his glasses, allows him to send emails and tweets. He relies on others for almost everything, but they still rely on him too, for guidance and for strength. Anderson is one of a group of players who regularly makes the 12-minute walk or five-minute bus ride to Kelley’s apartment near campus. BC helped Kelley move into 2000 Commonwealth Ave. when he could no longer get around the stairs at his condo, and it’s helped him remain an active member of the community. Anderson used to visit Kelley in his office on the third floor of Conte Forum every two weeks. When Anderson’s class first arrived two summers ago, Kelley was completely healthy. He took the first picture of the group as freshmen. “There’s always the thing that you don’t want bad things to happen to good people,” Anderson said. “Because he’s such a good guy and the energy and the happiness that I saw in his eyes when we first came to BC—it’s just crazy to see his progression since I’ve been here.” Now Anderson, along with plenty of other friends, family, colleagues, and athletes, join Kelley for dinner or a visit every month or two. “He’s been such a tremendous role model for me,” Anderson said. “If I had to say someone that’s impacted me the most since I’ve been at BC, it’s definitely Dick Kelley.” One of the first words that the people close to him use to describe Kelley is blunt. He’ll say what’s on his mind, and if you’re doing something wrong, he’ll call you out for it. “He’s straight to the point, and with these guys I think they appreciate that,” said men’s basketball coach Steve Donahue. “Things like ‘You didn’t do that right, this isn’t how you say that, here’s how you act.’” For Kelley, it’s the only way he knows. “Blunt and direct is one way of saying it,” Kelley wrote in an email interview. “Honest is another. I can’t think of a better way. I believe people know when you’re less than honest. Our athletes are smart. If I were ever tempted to BS them, I’m sure they would see right through it. They would—and should—lose respect for me. I think they appreciate getting it straight.” Whenever Donahue has needed encouragement during his three years at BC, he’s been able to rely on Kelley, who has worked for the athletic department for more than two decades. “He’s someone I could go to and reinforce the things that I was thinking and the vision I had,” Donahue said. “And him coming in and telling me, ‘You’re doing it right. You’re doing it the right way. Continue to bring in these types of kids. It’s what Boston College needs.’ It was just great for me. He wasn’t looking for anything in return, he was just being Dick Kelley and helping in any way he can.” Kelley’s way of helping has rarely involved the basketball court. He’s seen
his role in media relations as an opportunity to advise and teach. “Athletes have coaches who instruct them on the game,” Kelley said. “They don’t need me weighing in on their play or rehashing the recent games. I hope to engage them in non-sports talk. I take an interest in their lives away from the athletic arena. I have other interests and so do they.” “He’s always very honest and candid with everyone,” said Chris Cameron, director of media relations. “I saw it every day. His motto was ‘Positive and Humble.’ He would always give that advice to student-athletes before they would do an interview.” When he was a student at BC, Kelley gained respect for the people that took an interest in him and helped him grow. In the early 1990s, Kelley taught a newswriting class, and both of his parents were educators. His mother taught elementary school in Andover, their hometown, and his father taught middle school in Lowell. “What can I help you with in your life?” Anderson said Kelley would ask him. “How can I help you grow as a man? How can I help you become a complete person?” When Joe Rahon first arrived at BC last summer, Kelley was having groups of four or five over to his place for dinner. Rahon, a freshman guard, had never met Kelley until that summer. “Just right when you meet him you can tell he cares so much about you, not only because you’re part of the BC basketball team, but just because you’re part of the BC community,” Rahon said. Rahon went to see Kelley with Anderson, Jackson, and Olivier Hanlan, the team’s other freshman. Kelley sat Hanlan and Rahon down and gave them a 10-minute talk about what it means to be an athlete, a role model, and a part of BC. He told them that the BC community cared about them and shared all it would do for them. He told them to go on service trips and to volunteer at local schools. And he also told them what he expected of them—to perform in the classroom and to represent the school well. It was one of the last meaningful talks in which he would be able to speak before the disease relegated him to messages on his computer. “He did such a good job of making us feel so comfortable and so loved,” Rahon said. “You could honestly tell how genuine of a person he is, and not only did he care about you as a basketball player, but as a person and growing up and maturing and turning into a man.” The PA announcer is trying to give his message, but he’s having trouble talking over the crowd. Kelley sits at center court prior to the tipoff of an early March game between BC and Virginia. Spring break has just started, but the crowd is roaring. Kelley is being presented with the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Most Courageous Award for his fight with ALS. “I was overhwelmed,” Cameron said. “In my 15 years here I’ve never seen a crowd give someone such a heartfelt, extended standing ovation like that. It was unbelievable.” Seven-foot center and captain Dennis Clifford led the team out to Kelley to surround him as he received the award from Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel. “You’re fighting back tears,” Rahon said. “We all love him so much. You’re really happy for him, but at the same time it’s bittersweet because of the condition he’s in.” Before the game could even start, the team was being tried emotionally. “Me being one of the closer guys to DK, it was really emotional for me,” Anderson said. “He’s been my motivation since he’s been going through this whole thing. If he can fight that every day, what’s a workout? What’s practice? What’s studying for a test? All of that stuff isn’t important when you look at the grand scheme of someone fighting for their life.” Kelley attended nearly every BC game during the season, and would still
watch practices. Despite the disease steadily gnawing at him physically, he fought to stay involved. “He came into the office and worked here just as long as he possibly could,” Cameron said. “Boston College means everything to Dick. When he hasn’t been here physically he’s been here in spirit.” Kelley’s entire family was in attendance to see him receive the award. Unannounced, a group of guys he worked with at the Plex years ago all showed up. Two college classmates brought their kids out from Pennsylvania. “To receive the honor from the USBWA was humbling, but my time in Conte Forum that day was unforgettable,” Kelley said. “Suffice it to say that receiving the award in front of so many special people and receiving an incredible ovation from the Conte Forum faithful—all while surrounded by the players, coaches and colleagues I love—was something that will forever be etched in my mind.” Donahue had a message for his players before the game. “Coach told us before the game, ‘You don’t necessarily have to go out and win it for DK, but you have to go out and give everything you have in this one game for him and in his honor,’” Rahon said. With time running out, Rahon sank an and-one 3-pointer to take the lead from Virginia. He was knocked to the floor as the ball fell through the rim, and then sat up slightly, pumping his fist in appreciation while Anderson came over to help him up. Kelley was only a few feet away on press row. What would end up being the game-winning shot happened right in front of him. “It was just like it was meant to be,” Rahon said. “At the time you’re not really thinking about it, but right when it went in I was like, ‘Oh thank goodness. That one was for DK.’ “That’s DK’s magic. He’s such a good human being. I can’t think of a better script to write on his day.” After the game, the entire team walked to the other side of the court to thank Kelley. “I went over and said, ‘That one was for you DK,’” Rahon said. “’We love you. Thank you for everything.’” Kelley nodded at them from his chair, overwhelmed. “What happened at game’s end was something I never could have anticipated or expected,” Kelley said. “It meant the world to me because I love those kids. They are a remarkable group of caring, respectful young men. I tip my cap to Steve Donahue. He recruits the players and he sets the tone for the program. We at BC are lucky to have him because we’re going to win, and win the right way.” When the players were done thanking him, Kelley felt another pair of arms wrap around his body. “As I slowly turned my chair around to leave with a big smile on my face, I received a bear hug from behind from a jubilant head coach— much happier for me than for himself,” Kelley said. And that will be Kelley’s legacy on this program, motivating those around him to be better and do better, simply by being himself. “Now, you see him and you make eye contact and he smiles and he gives you that look and you know he’s proud of what you’re doing, he’s proud of who you’re becoming,” Rahon said. “Even though he can’t express it with words, his facial expressions say it all. To find a guy that genuinely cares so much about you and loves you, it’s something that not many people in this world have the ability to do, to express that and make other people feel that caring about you. He’s really just an inspiration to all of us. No matter how bad you think your situation is, you can always help other people, and for that we’ll forever love DK and what he’s done for us.” n
Photos Courtesy of BC Athletics
The Heights The Heights
Thursday, January 17, 2013 B2
Momentum Awards
B3 Thursday, May 2, 2013
2012-2013
Tim koch
BC to Boston pioneer, student mentor connects undergraduates with city
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Adriana Mariella | Heights Editor
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im Koch, A&S ’14, knows the meaning of being a man for others. He has spent his now three years at Boston College helping to shape the BC community and the student experience through both his work as an Orientation Leader (OL) and his involvement in UGBC. Before coming to BC, Koch didn’t know how his four years here would be spent. In fact, he wasn’t even sure that he had made the right choice. “When I visited BC as a prospective student, I liked it, but I didn’t have that ‘I love it’ feeling,” Koch said. “For me, that didn’t come until orientation where I witnessed how hospitable and how embracing the community was. I remember being so apprehensive and nervous on my ride up here for orientation, but then leaving [and having] any doubts I had had dispelled.” It is this warm quality of the community that has defined Koch’s BC career thus far. After applying to the Mentoring Leadership Program (MLP) on a whim, a decision that proved fundamental to his BC experience, Koch got his first taste of what it meant to be a BC student. “[MLP] was the main outlet for me as a freshman. It was through the upperclassmen that assumed the responsibility to illustrate to me what it meant to be a man for others that ignited my other involvements, such as being an Orientation Leader,” he said. “As an upperclassman now, it’s this sense of assumed responsibility and the need to care and support and empower the underclassmen that I find myself taking on, so that they can accomplish bigger things than I can say that I accomplished.” During his freshman year, MLP placed him in the Campus Entertainment division, and from then on, planning and programming was Koch’s way of helping to shape the student experience. “[That placement] is essentially where my passion for planning and executing student-friendly social events that fostered a sense of the Boston College community, that were inclusive, that really allowed students to rally behind being a BC student, began,” he said. As a sophomore, Koch was the director of Spe-
cial Events, responsible for planning Homecoming, the Christmas Tree Lighting, and BC Boardwalk. The Homecoming dance, specifically, was an opportunity to make a positive change on campus, Koch explained. First, he wanted to increase ticket availability, so he helped boost the event’s capacity by 300 students. Second, he wanted to make the event more inclusive by changing the image that Homecoming was not for everyone, that the similar ALC Ball was the Homecoming for AHANA students. “That’s an image that I personally wanted to challenge,” he said. “I remembered the president of UGBC my freshman year, Michaela Mabida, [BC ’11] always telling me to be attuned to the larger conversations taking place on campus, and for me that was one of them. For me, it was what measures was I, as one of the people planning this event, going to take to try to make this a more inclusive and welcoming event? So, I worked with ALC Programming, which at the time was separate from Campus Entertainment, to educate students [about programming initiatives].” This year, as deputy director of BC to Boston, Koch helped to plan 46 landmark events for BC students, approximately 90 percent of which were sold out. These events ranged from discounted tickets to an Ellie Goulding concert at The House of Blues that sold out in two minutes, to a Harpoon Brewery tour and tasting, which was the first-ever 21-plus off-campus, BC to Boston-sponsored event. “[The Harpoon Brewery event] was unprecedented,” he said. “Everyone had a great time, and it was our department’s way of trying to combat [the stigma attached to] the drinking culture at BC. We were showing that BC students were responsible [about their drinking].” Koch, along with Sarah Slater, director of BC to Boston and A&S ’13, made sure to complement ticketed events with free events so that all students would have the ability to participate, a balance that Koch says they intended to create. With Koch’s help, BC to Boston has reached a new level of programming success. It now serves the crucial purpose of breaking students out of the “BC Bubble,” helping them to take full advantage of the city before they graduate. “Tim really helped shape BC to Boston into what
Graham beck / Heights Editor
it is today,” said Mike Cavoto, UGBC director of Campus Entertainment and A&S ’13, in an email. “It’s a direct reflection of his ambition and desire to make a positive contribution to this University. He and Sarah Slater complemented each other perfectly this year and they really accomplished a lot.” Koch, who ran for UGBC President for the 2014 academic year, translated this planning experience as well as his desire to have a hand in student formation into his presidential platform. Running with a fellow OL, Chris “Trugs” Truglio, CSOM ’14, Koch says that he designed a platform that he felt would provide all students with the formational mentorship experiences that have been integral and beneficial to his own BC experience, one that really emphasized the BC catchphrase of “For Here All Are One.” The platform included some mandatory moments for freshmen to be exposed to the expectations of the BC community as well as provided opportunities to discuss large issues on campus and promote unity. “We spent an entire summer talking to brighteyed [incoming] students whose energy was infectious,” Koch said. “We wanted to make sure that their stories were heard, that they had what they needed, that they had a conversation partner upon getting to BC. We wanted to encourage and facilitate these [deep] conversations with the freshmen class. To have people at BC that care about each other, to foster a community that is respectful.” Koch’s dedication to cultivating this kind of com-
munity through both his planning responsibilities and his mentorship roles is a facet of Koch’s character that Cavoto says reflects what a BC student should be. “Tim represents the typical BC student because he is dedicated to service,” he said in an email. “He tries his best everyday to make sure his events serve his fellow classmates in the most effective way possible and never seeks thanks or any personal accolades.” In his last year at BC, Koch is hoping to continue to give other BC students the mentoring relationship he was fortunate enough to have by continuing to have involvement in the Office of First Year Experience and being a TA for a section of Courage to Know. For Koch, this ability to be attentive to the needs of individuals, as well as the BC community as a whole, has made his time at BC what it has been. “Having had the opportunity to have these conversations [about myself with my peers and mentors] has made me realize how important it is to give yourself in your four years here rather than focus on what’s going to get you the best resume to get a job when you leave here,” he said. “I want people to feel compelled to take on this responsibility, to look out for others, even if it’s one person on this campus who is younger than them, to really make a concerted effort to be present and attentive to them because that has made all the difference for me while I’ve been here.” n
rachel newmiller
Campus School volunteer turns ideas into opportunities for students parisa oviedo | Heights Editor
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achel Newmiller, A&S ’13, is busier than most other college seniors are at this time of year—in New York for the weekend for a fundraiser and at a ceremony the following Monday to receive the Brian D.A. Hall Award for her commitment to service to Boston College’s Campus School. Although she first presents herself as humble, composed, and a bit shy, the intelligence, wit, humor, and compassion that so many attribute to her unfold upon getting to know her. A Presidential Scholar, Newmiller’s list of many awards is so extensive that it took up a full page in an email. “The accolades that she receives are completely well deserved,” said Danielle Taghian, a biology professor at BC and Newmiller’s assigned Presidential Scholar mentor. “I think she’s one of our great thinkers, and because of her morality and integrity I put her up on the lines of a Bill Gates-type of person.” Four years ago, Newmiller came to BC on a Presidential Scholarship seeking to attend a college committed to embodying the ideal of men and women for others. Immediately, during her freshman year, she dedicated
photo Courtesy of BC MTS
herself to the Campus School, a school for children ages 3 to 21 with severe disabilities. Newmiller had shown up to a room in McGuinn where the Campus School’s Karen Rocco, an occupational therapist, and Mary Lessard, a life skills and transitions coordinator, create and modify materials into custom equipment and classroom devices for the students at who have multiple phsyical challenges. “She introduced herself and told us she had experience constructing things using power tools and building materials, and was interested in volunteering to help the students at our school,” Rocco said. Since then, Newmiller has dedicated her Friday afternoons every week for the past four years completing projects and designs that enable the students to have better classroom experiences and enhance their sensory processessing skills. The adaptive design devices that Newmiller, Lessard, and Rocco build together cover a variety of students’ needs. “I work to create devices that allow our students to increase muscle strength and coordination, to communciate by pressing buttons linked to audio, and to participate in normal daily activities despite their disabilities,” Newmiller said. “Volunteering at the Campus School has been a formative experience and the highlight of my time at Boston College.” Eventually, Newmiller increased her hours and began working with Lessard and Rocco on both Wednesdays and Fridays. “There is no right solution for a lot of the problems that our kids face and there is often a lot of trial and error and problem-solving that goes on,” Lessard said, “and I think she really enjoyed that challenge and really ran with that.” Newmiller’s commitment to the Campus School extends past the walls of McGuinn and Campion Halls. “She spends a lot of her own time building stuff on her own,” Lessard said. “I may have said, ‘Gee, it’d be really nice if we had something like this for this kid.’ Before I know it, she is back on vacation with a whole new device.” Last Winter Break, Newmiller constructed from scratch a wooden toy for developing hand and finger manipulation skills and “object permanence.” What Newmiller dreams up, she creates. Taghian called her “the next Bill Gates” for her creativity, innovation, integrity, and extraordinary compassion and intelligence—all of which are qualities that she applies to her work in the Campus School and in the academic arena. The list of projects Newmiller has initiated or helped design, adapt, and construct include but are not limited to, according to Rocco, “wheelchair tray modifications to improve students’ access to classroom activities, switch activated toys for children with limited hand use, adaptive materials for visually impaired students, and activity boards and sensory trays for students who have visual and motor disabilities to help develop eye-hand coordination and fine-motor skills.” One of her most notable achievements, however, is her initiative in forming an extremely valuable partnership between the Campus School and the Home Depot in West Roxbury. After learning that the flowers in the Campus School’s playground were inaccessable by wheelchair, Newmiller secured a grant from the company by designing plans, preparing a letter and pamphlet, and researching funding options. The grant was used to construct a wheelchair-accessible garden so that Campus School students could enjoy the space. “I might have to talk for more than an hour and a half to say everything that Rachel has contributed to us, because this has gone way beyond just
helping us build stuff,” Lessard said. “She’s good at so many different things and in so many different ways. She’s very dedicated and hard working.” When asked to describe Rachel in just one word, Taghian, Lessard, and Rocco struggled to come up with an answer. “I mean, I could give you 50 words,” Lessard joked. “Would you like 50 words? She’s creative, articulate, a good problem-solver— all of it. She’s the whole package.” Taghian tried her best to summarize Newmiller in a sentence: “Rachel is, in a nutshell, a combination of high intellect with hard work in a highly moral person who has so much integrity and wants to do so much good for humanity that it’s unbelievable.” Taghian stressed how Newmiller’s actions are driven by her desire to “do good by others,” and cited the Campus School as just one example of how Newmiller only takes on projects that have meaning to her. “Rachel is not somebody who would take on a project just to make a lot of money or because it’s a resume-builder, she takes on things that have meaning to her and are very special to her and helping others is one of those.” Rachel’s background in scultpure, three-dimensional art, and science helped her land a job tutoring inmates in a medium-security prison and an internship in exhibit production at the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Exhibits Central, where an 11-foot scultpure she and three others created for a client is currently on display. She also used her strong science background to complete a biology major and spend a few years working in Elizabeth Kensinger’s neuroscience laboratory. “I have been willing to try a lot of different things—from research to teaching—in order to determine what I love and what I want to do,” Newmiller said. “Along the way, I have received a great deal of support and encouragement.” That encouragement and support has come from people like Taghian, Lessard, and Rocco, all of whom have relationships with Newmiller that she said she “wouldn’t trade for anything.” Other large influences on her BC career include Neil Wolfman and David Botwinik, two of Newmiller’s previous professors. Newmiller’s research advisor, Elizabeth Kensinger, and Rev. Jim Keenan, S.J. of the Presidential Scholar Program have further helped Rachel develop into the person she is today. That person is one whose absence next year will be felt throughout BC. “It would be an understatement to tell you that Rachel is the most incredible undergraduate student I have come across during my eight years working with volunteers at Boston College, and in my 30 years as a therapist working in schools and hospitals,” Rocco said. All who know her are confident that Newmiller will take giant leaps for society in her future. “She will advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves,” Rocco said. Newmiller wants to combine her desire for serving individuals with disabilities, her creativity skills in hands-on projects and exhibits, and her passion for science and ultimately “run a non-profit or socially conscious business that improves the way people live and interact in the world,” she said. Although she is still working out the details, Newmiller knows that the path she chooses will allow her to “leverage [her] passion for problem-solving, turn [her] thoughts into actions, and utilize [her] perseverance and love for innovation in order to contribute to the greater good.” “She’s going to be known in whatever realm she chooses,” Taghian said. “She’s going to be a name that is recognizable.” n
The Heights The Heights
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
B3 B3
Momentum Awards 2012-2013
lizzie jekanowski
Activist brings reproductive rights, sexual health at BC into national spotlight samantha costanzo | Heights Editor
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izzie Jekanowski, A&S ’13, doesn’t stop moving. She doesn’t just speak, she acts, using her hands just as much as her voice to tell her story. When she’s not answering a question, she’s grooving from her spot in O’Neill Plaza to the music coming from a nearby Arts Fest tent. “I like the social parts of campus,” she said, occasionally pausing to wave hello to friends passing by. Jekanowski, who grew up on a sheep farm in rural Massachusetts, has always been moving. When it came time to choose a college, the opportunity to explore was just as important to her as the quality of education she’d be getting. “I knew that if I went to a small rural school, I wouldn’t grow in myself at all,” she said. “I figured, this was four years in a new environment, and it would be a new way to learn about myself and really put myself out of my comfort zone … I knew it was going to be kind of a shock, but I figured I’d just throw myself into the deep end.” Despite this goal, Jekanowski has not forgotten her roots. While Boston College may have helped her branch out, her upbringing is still immediately visible. “My mom was a sheep farmer who is a total badass feminist,” Jekanowski said. “My dad works really hard to provide for me. I came from a really supportive family and a really strong-willed family. “The area where I grew up, it’s super gay, everyone’s really tatted and pierced out and has crazy hair. Really alternative … It’s a super social justice-y area too.” Jekanowski had had comprehensive sexual education in high school and was shocked that not only had many students at BC not had the same, but that they had very limited opportunities to learn about sexual decision-making in college. “This was my entryway into feminism and learning about the disadvantages that women face in this context, specifically in healthcare, and restrictions on their healthcare and sexuality and on their bodies, is really indicative of the larger social institution that marginalize women and other groups of people,” she said. “The more and more involved I got, the more I learned. And I learned a lot more about the specificities of GLBTQ issues, of race issues, of class issues.” This dedication to social justice led Jekanowski to BC Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) and ultimately, led a caravan of TV news vans and newspaper journalists to BC’s campus this year. Jekanowski has been an active advocate for women’s rights throughout her time on campus. She has helped raise much-needed funds for BCPD’s Rape Aggression Defense training, organize the annual Take Back the Night event, and, most notably, led BCSSH into the national spotlight. “Honestly, Lizzie has brought a force and passion to the women’s rights movement at BC,” said Joshua Tingley, A&S ’13 and Jekanowski’s longtime friend. “From teaching bystander education to reproductive justice, Lizzie has
Graham beck / Heights Editor
fought for women and all the rights they deserve. I am sure that 20 years from now, when women at BC look back, they will identify Lizzie as a pioneer.” While Jekanowski may indeed be a pioneer for women’s rights at BC, the issue is nothing new. “I got [an email] from an alum from back in ’74 who was like, ‘This was an issue then. I can’t believe it’s been 40 years, and this is still an issue,’” Jekanowski said. “Why haven’t things changed?” The fact that reproductive rights must still be fought for has driven Jekanowski to expand BCSSH and make it more visible on campus. This year, the group had two goals: to increase its membership, and to enact policy change on campus by making BCSSH a true movement. “Quite accidentally, that’s what this has become,” Jekanowski said. The accidental movement began on Mar. 15 of this year, when administrators sent members of BCSSH a warning that the organization’s “Safe Sites,” or dorm rooms in which students can get free male and female condoms and information about sexual health, went against BC’s Catholic ideals. After national news organizations picked the story up, both Jekanowski and BC have received both sharp criticism and strong praise for their respective actions. The negative responses, however, do not faze Jekanowski. “Institutions are saying no, you can’t have these medical procedures, no, you can’t have sex with this person, no, you can’t do this certain act with this person,” she said. “But this is my body! Literally, this is all I have in the world. I see freedom and control over the body as the fundamental basis of my work,
of the movement, of all of these social justice movements.” This unwavering faith in her cause, the support and dedication of her fellow BCSSH activists, and the belief that criticism promotes dialogue have helped Jekanowski deal with the negative press. “It can be really frustrating,” she said. “They’re doing this in their spare time and they feel like they’re not getting anywhere, but to get national attention on how lives are fundamentally affected by these healthcare policies, it’s really invigorating for us … It’s definitely exhausting, but all social justice work is.” After graduation, Jekanowski will be spending a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps at a rape crisis center in San Jose, Calif., after which she is considering going into law school in order to affect women’s reproductive health policy through legislation. “She understands the world we live in … and how it interfaces with the Catholic Church and then the community and the legal system, clinical system,” said Jackie Lerner, a professor of developmental psychology at BC and BCSSH’s unofficial faculty advisor. “I think that that pushes their cause forward in a positive way because the people they’re trying to work with are seeing that it’s not just this student group who wants to get their way.” Whether Jekanowski chooses to promote reproductive rights in a legal arena or continue to pursue a more grassroots approach, she will continue moving—and everyone will know it. “I like causing a ruckus,” she said. “I think you need to.” n
larry scott
Professor’s research and guidance has helped chemistry department flourish
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david cote | editor-in-chief
lot has changed in the chemistry department since Lawrence Scott first came to Boston College. The current Louise and Jim Vanderslice and Family professor in chemistry arrived on the Heights in 1993, just after the construction of Merkert Hall, still the only academic building on campus dedicated to a single department. Until the early ’90s, T. Ross Kelly, currently the Margaret and Thomas Vanderslice professor in chemistry, ran essentially the only research group in organic chemistry, when there were only two or three graduate students in the organic program. In 1990, the department received 24 grants, totaling $2.2 million. During the early ’90s, the organic faculty began their meteoric rise with the addition of Amir Hoveyda, current department chair and Joseph T. and Patricia Vanderslice Millennium professor of chemistry, professor Marc Snapper, and Scott. Over the next 20 years, the department would grow enormously. Scott’s career in chemistry began long before BC, however, and his road to Merkert was a long one. It began with his first chemistry set and summers spent exploring the University of Illinois’ chemistry department as a child growing up within 10 blocks of the campus. After taking freshman chemistry at the university during his senior year in high school, his journey continued through his undergraduate years at Princeton—both his father’s and his grandfather’s alma mater, and now his own—where he spent long hours in research labs and discovered a passion for organic chemistry. Scott’s professional training continued at Harvard, where he obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry in four years under Nobel laureate and legendary organic chemist R.B. Woodward. After, he moved west to work as an assistant professor at the University of California-Los Angeles, where he stayed for five years before moving to his 18year professorship at the University of Nevada-Reno. “For me, the career path was always easy and never troublesome,” Scott said on his decision to become an educator. “I always knew pretty far in advance, at the next branch in the road, which branch I was going to take.” Scott spoke highly of his experience in Nevada, particularly commenting on the nice weather and the skiing. His more serious pursuits in academics and his growing research success, however, attracted notice from faculty across the country. In the summer of 1992, Scott received a letter from Kelly, inviting him to present at an organic chemistry symposium at BC in the fall. After giving a talk on his research at BC, Scott said he returned to Reno with no plans to change. Ten days after arriving home, however, Scott received a call from Kelly, asking him to fly back out to Boston to meet the rest of the faculty and consider joining BC’s
growing chemistry department. Scott was initially hesitant—he was happy with the life that he and his wife had established with their four daughters in Nevada—but Kelly promised that he could be happy in Boston too. “One thing led to another, and by the next summer, I was here,” Scott said. “That was in 1993, so this is my 20th year. And they were right—it’s a great department, good students that are fun to teach, and it’s Boston.” Twenty years later, Kelly is more than happy with his decision to reach out to Scott as an addition to the faculty. “He is truly a man of many talents and a great person to have as a colleague,” Kelly said. Since his move to BC in the early ’90s, Scott’s career in organic chemistry research, particularly with carbon rich materials, has been remarkably successful. In the early 2000s, his research group was the first in the world to develop a rational synthesis of buckminsterfullerene, a 60-carbon structure shaped like a soccer ball with potential applications in superconductors, HIV/AIDS research, and alternative fuels. In recent years, his group has also advanced the synthesis of electrically conductive carbon nanotubes and nanowires, which have the potential to decrease the size of common circuits and transistors—like those used in computers and smartphones—by several orders of magnitude. Kelly, who has been a chemistry professor at BC since 1969, spoke highly of Scott’s research over the last 20 years. “Scientifically, Larry has earned international recognition for himself and his students, for the chemistry
department, and for BC,” Kelly said. Snapper, who gravitated to Scott as a role model when they both arrived in the early ’90s, agreed with Kelly. “Professor Scott has been a wonderful, productive member of this department where he has shown us how to pursue cutting-edge research, have a strong commitment to excellence in teaching, and enjoy the position all along the way,” Snapper said. “Given his well thought out views and balanced opinions on all sorts of professional matters, I would often seek out his advice and guidance, which he was always happy to provide.” Scott’s achievements as a researcher and laboratory director have been lauded in the worldwide organic chemistry community. Since 2011, he has served on the editorial advisory board of The Journal of Organic Chemistry, the most cited journal in organic chemistry. Also in 2011, Scott received the George A. Olah Award for Hydrocarbon Chemistry, the area of organic chemistry on which his research centers. The book he compiled and edited, Fragments of Fullerenes and Carbon Nanotubes, received the Alpha Sigma Nu book award. Scott was also recently elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and this year serves as chairman of the division of organic chemistry within the ACS, the largest of the organization’s many divisions. As chair of the ACS, Scott has established awards for outstanding undergraduate students at every college and university in organic chemistry. As an instructor, Scott has taught both the main sophomore organic chemistry course and upper level graduate classes in organic chemistry, but much of his instruction, particularly in recent years, has focused on the honors chemistry track. In this program, Scott teaches two semesters of organic chemistry to the most qualified incoming students, beginning in the spring of the freshman year. While his research has earned him invitations to
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speak around the world, Scott remains humble, easily expressing complex concepts in layman’s terms. It is this ability to simplify complicated and intricate chemistry problems that has earned him such an outstanding reputation as a teacher. “As a teacher, I loved professor Scott,” said Ben Wilson, A&S ’14, who had Scott as an instructor for two semesters of honors organic chemistry and has worked in his lab doing undergraduate research. “He knows how to put the material in a way that’s understandable, especially for people taking organic chemistry.” Corleone Delaveris, A&S ’15, had Scott for honors organic chemistry a year later, and also spoke highly of Scott’s skill as an instructor. “[Professor Scott] is an excellent teacher and goes to great lengths to make sure that his students are able to understand the complex content,” Delaveris said. “He once told us organic synthesis is like chess—you need to be thinking five steps ahead and always consider the innumerable options available.” Dean of Students Paul Chebator didn’t speak to Scott’s academic accomplishments, but rather to his personality—the two have been friends for many years, and have plans to travel to Italy together with their families this summer. “[Larry’s] such a humble person, and it just blows me away when I read about his professional accomplishments and see the renown that he’s held in,” Chebator said. “You would never know it from talking to him.” Although many outsiders might assume that chemistry professors are an equal mix of intimidating and nerdy, Scott’s laidback yet intellectual attitude has resulted in many positive relationships with both students and colleagues. “[Larry’s] really a laidback, banjo-picking kind of guy—he does play the banjo,” Chebator said. “He’s a genuinely caring, warm human being, who will do anything for a friend and who really cares about people, cares about BC students.” Since Scott’s arrival in the early 1990s, the chemistry department at BC has seen tremendous growth. Today, there are more than 50 graduate students in organic chemistry, contributing to the chemistry department’s status as the largest doctoral graduate program at the University. The organic chemistry graduate program at BC is now tied with Yale University for 16th-best in the country, and the department-wide research grants total as high as $6 million annually. In light of his success and his contributions to the department, Scott looks back on his research and experiences at BC with a smile, but knows that at some point his career in chemistry will come to an end. “I’m not anxious to retire, but I realize that I should, at some point, retire,” Scott said. “I have friends who have continued on to 80, and I know people who keep going into their 90s. And some people are able to do that productively, but some people really should have retired earlier, sort of like boxers who can’t give it up. “I would keep doing it, but it’s time for somebody else to move into this office and take over my labs.” With recent developments in his group’s research, Scott hopes to end his career on an upward trajectory of success, and then spend a little more time with his banjo and guitar. n
The Heights The Heights
Thursday, January 17, 2013 B4
B3 Thursday, May 2, 2013
Momentum Awards 2012-2013
Mary joe hughes
Honors professor inspires students through own love of learning, teaching
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eleanor hildebrandt | Heights Editor
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hen Mary Joe Hughes was an undergraduate student at Radcliffe College, in the years before it merged completely with Harvard University, she sat in on an MIT class about existentialism and literature. The lecturer was philosopher Hubert Dreyfus, whose courses a friend of hers had recommended, and Hughes had a habit of writing in the margins thoughts that she had while taking notes on the subject matter. “Years later I found my notebook from that class,” Hughes said. “I found that in the margins among my notes on his lectures, I had written, ‘I have to teach.’” While Hughes had known for some time that she was interested in an educational career—she recalled tutoring students while in high school, for example—that note put in plain terms her passion for teaching. Fortunately for Hughes and for those around her, her passion and her talents lined up exceptionally well. “What’s been great about being in her class is that she takes everything we read to heart—she sees the relevance in the material that we study for our own lives,” said Nicholas Spetko, A&S ’14, who is now finishing up his fourth semester in Hughes’ Honors seminars. “She’s very invested, she’s very engaging in class—she’ll be really animated when she talks about things that she’s passionate about, and I think that’s contagious for students in the class.” Spetko pointed in particular to his class’ study of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov last year, saying that they spent a month and a half on the novel. “I think that that book’s played an important role in her life—she’s studied it for a long time,” he said. “To see someone’s life be influenced by a book and to want to share that is very exciting … she really seems to believe in the ultimate message of that book, which I would summarize as being that life is about renewal and forgiveness and constant rebirth. She brought in compost for class one day, which to her symbolized, I guess, how out of death comes new life.” Christopher Constas, a professor in the Honors Program for over 20 years, was in Hughes’ sophomore seminar in 1985. “I was not, in sophomore year, a particularly motivated or high-performing student, and professor Hughes let it be known in my grades and on her comments for my essays that I was squandering my gifts and that this would not be acceptable,” Constas said. “She’s always told me—and something I’ve learned from her as a professor—is that you have to know where your students are, and you have to be able to judge which ones
will be able to benefit from a kick in the pants, and which ones won’t. I clearly benefited from the kick in the pants she gave me, just very frank assessments of the low quality of my work—in a way, really motivated me, sort of woke me up and made me take a hard look at what I was doing here, and so I’ll always owe a great debt to her.” Hughes spoke fondly of the Honors Program, in which she has taught for the past 35 years. At Radcliffe, she majored in English history and literature—“the result of changing my major five times,” Hughes said. “My problem was that I wanted to major in everything, and that’s why I’m so happy to have gotten to teach in the Honors Program, because now I can be a sort of jack of all trades, master of none.” One of the aspects of the Honors Program she loves best, Hughes said, is the challenge of bringing different disciplines together and finding ways to emphasize how disciplines enhance each other. “I think the University is too organized according to separate disciplines that can be kind of separate silos, and the Honors Program is one area where the interaction amongst the disciplines is most clear,” she said. “That’s exciting to me, and also something that I think I was looking for in college and couldn’t find.” David Quigley, dean of A&S and interim director of the Honors Program, noted that while he has only gotten to know Hughes within the past few years, her reputation as an excellent professor preceded her. “I think probably more than anything, it’s the commitment, the passion, the belief in what is possible in an undergraduate classroom,” Quigley said. “She really brought texts to life, threw herself into the work of teaching … and kind of exuded this belief, a contagious belief among many faculty, that what goes on in a sophomore seminar or a junior discussion about a classic text really matters, that much is at stake in the common conversation around those texts.” He observed that the Honors Program as it stands bears Hughes’ stamp and her vision of teaching and what it means to study classic texts. Quigley was not the only academic at Boston College to hear of Hughes’ work before meeting her in person. “Long before I met Mary Joe, I had ‘met’ Mary Joe,” said Mark O’Connor, a professor in and former director of the A&S Honors Program. His first employment at BC was as a TA in the history department, and his mentor, Thomas Perry, continually used stories about Hughes, who had been a TA for him years before O’Connor arrived, to model teaching. “I kept hearing about how she was the absolute paragon of anything that could be perfect about how you teach a course,” he said. “So you might imagine that after a while of hearing this, I was not only impatient to see her, I was also a little bit
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skeptical, how all this buildup had been too much. Well, in point of fact, professor Perry had been, if anything, understated. Any student who has ever had Mary Joe Hughes knows that.” Spetko spoke to that assessment, reflecting on the manner in which Hughes conducts her classes. “What I also like about her class, and just the dynamic of the way she teaches it—she seems as interested in learning, seeing new perspectives about the material from us, as she is in showing us what she sees as the real significance,” Spetko said. “She very much encourages us, when we write papers, to be exploring or considering new topics … original ideas are most encouraged.” Hughes stressed the importance, as she sees it, of a Great Books curriculum—classes that focus on canonical Western literature. “I think learning for its own sake is so easily crowded out by the need to be practical, to specialize, to do something that will lead to a career—and my hope for my own students, at least, is that they will have a lifelong love of learning that is for itself, and not just for its practical usefulness, but for the way it furnishes the mind,” Hughes said. Indeed, those who know Hughes well emphasized her commitment to students’ wellbeing, echoing her own words about the importance of learning for learning’s sake.
“She really models, in some ways, and sets an example of the intrinsic value of high intellectual purpose—that education in itself is valuable, and high intellectual purpose is in itself valuable and good for you,” Constas said. “Your life will be better, you’ll flourish better, if you are intellectually serious and if you are also open-minded and fearless about the things that you’re thinking about. You have to be willing to have your most cherished beliefs questioned, but you shouldn’t be afraid of that—and I learned that from her too .” He explained that Hughes’ practice of the concept of cura personalis—care of the whole person—shaped the way she interacted with her students both as a professor and as an advisor. “Everything about her is high integrity, as well as high intelligence,” O’Connor said. “And that’s why, for so many of us in the Honors Program, she’s been a model for so many years.” To him, O’Connor said, Hughes represents the gold standard of teaching. “Great writers, like Virginia Woolf, go up and down scales in ways that inform us,” O’Connor said. “Great professors like Mary Joe Hughes can then take that and connect you and I to it in ways that go beyond simply understanding the text. Somehow we understand ourselves better too. Only the really good professors can do that, and she can do it really, really well.” n
Conor Sullivan
Senior’s tenacity opened door to more opportunities for dialogue on campus Mary rose fissinger | Heights Editor
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hat do BC Splash, BC Talks, BC NESTS, and BC Ignites all have in common? The answer is a person: Conor Sullivan, LSOE ’13, played an instrumental role in bringing each of these programs to the Boston College campus. Through his involvement in both Education for Students by Students (ESS) and UGBC, Sullivan has established himself as someone who “gets stuff done,” according to professor Audrey Friedman, assistant dean of undergraduates in the Lynch School of Education and the director of Sullivan’s senior thesis. “I just get really excited about ideas,” Sullivan said, laughing. The BC community has shared in this excitement over Sullivan’s ideas— hundreds of students participate in BC Splash each semester, the BC Talks undergraduate lecture series consistently draws large crowds, and both the foreign language course series BC Nighttime Education: Students Teaching Students (BC NESTS) and the diversity forum series BC Ignites have seen
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impressive success in their first year. Despite all that Sullivan has brought to BC, however, he prefers to speak about the opportunities this University has given him, splitting his BC experience into what he calls his “three tracks”—extracurriculars, academics and research, and student formation. He jumped right into the first of the three not long after his arrival at BC. Through his participation in the Shaw Leadership Program, Sullivan met Hanyin Cheng, BC ’12, who approached Sullivan first semester to ask him if he would like to help bring the Splash program to BC. “The fact that he asked me to do that completely changed my entire BC experience, in that he saw some potential in me to be a student leader on campus and he was willing to have me help him with that,” Sullivan said. The two began meeting with administrators that spring, and they hosted the first BC Splash in the fall of 2011. The event was extremely successful, leading them to think that it could be something bigger than just an operation under UGBC. In order to make it into its own club, however, they had to have an idea for another program that the club would run. They came up with BC Talks, and ESS was born, with Cheng serving as president and Sullivan as the director of Splash. Sullivan remained heavily involved with the club until his second semester junior year, when he decided to leave his position in order to run for UGBC president. Although he eventually lost the election, he describes the campaign season as “by far the most formative experience” he’s had at BC. “It’s the first time when you are really able to interpret everything you’ve learned at BC and figure out different ways to actually improve the University,” he said. “I just appreciate the experience so much because it really opened up my mind to so many issues I hadn’t really experienced yet, like diversity issues on campus, which is what spawned BC Ignites, and all the different administrators that I got to talk to, and even dorm walks. I actually really liked them, despite how long they were. I just liked hearing students’ take on the issues at BC … I learned so much about myself.” After losing the election, Conor ran for president of ESS, and was elected co-president with Meghan Shein, A&S ’13. Together, the two developed BC NESTS and created the Communications Department of ESS. Determined to act on all that he had learned while running for president, Sullivan created the diversity forum BC Ignites in order to generate discussions around topics that he—and many students he met on dorm walks—believes to be extremely important but too seldom talked about. “We always talk about on campus how we need more of that kind of dialogue, but no one has been willing or able, or with enough forethought, to actually think of a way to engage the greater population in doing so, and I think he came up with a way, and it’s a way that works,” Assistant Director of the Student Programs Office Mark Miceli said. Miceli also spoke to Conor’s qualities that enable him to “get stuff done” so successfully: “his tenacity, his willingness to work with people to get stuff done, to look bureaucracy in the face and say, ‘I can overcome this,’ which, as you can imagine at BC, can be a challenge. I just couldn’t imagine if he had actually become UGBC president, what change he would have been able to initiate, in that role, just given what he has done without having that sort of leadership position.” The change that Sullivan has enacted has also extended past the borders of BC’s campus. Very early in his freshman year, he became involved in a program called Friends of the Children of Boston, which required him to travel into Dorchester twice a week, for 20 hours total, to be a mentor for a
fourth grader. “I went to his classes, I took him on outings around the city—I was basically a liaison between his teachers, his guidance counselors, school nurse, parent,” he said. In this role, Sullivan dealt with issues ranging from anger management to child abuse, opening his eyes to the fact that failed education is not necessarily a result of only unsatisfactory schools, but rather the cycle of poverty in general. “It made me realize how many issues there actually are in education, and that spawned an interest in educational policy, so that’s where I am right now,” Sullivan said. To further this interest, Sullivan has assisted in the research conducted at the Timss and Pirls International Studies Center where worldwide educational assessments are created and evaluated. “Anytime you ever hear about the U.S. lagging behind Finland, for example, in reading and math, they’re the ones doing that study,” Sullivan said. He also decided to voluntarily write a senior thesis on full-service education under Friedman’s direction. “I met Conor his sophomore year,” Friedman said. “He took secondary Methods of Curriculum Instruction with me on-site of Brighton High School. He just sort of, like cream, rose to the top. Phenomenal student, delightful, very interested in policy, articulate, and just did phenomenal work.” In addition, she spoke of how Sullivan’s input on the Lynch Honors Program led her to make corresponding changes to its structure. “He was able to sit down with me and really articulate those things which he feels are valuable about an Honors Program. When someone like Conor shares some constructive criticism, it’s usually immensely valuable,” she said. Friedman was also involved with the Lynch mentor program that Sullivan has mentored in since his sophomore year, when he was assigned Alexis Cox, A&S ’14, as his mentee. Cox has since become involved with ESS, and was recently elected president for the 2013-14 school year. “He’s a very inspiring person. I wouldn’t be where I am now without him,” Cox said. This mentorship role, as well as several others, falls under his “Student Formation” branch. Sullivan has also been an RA in a freshman area for the past two years, he led a Freshman Leadership Program retreat, and just this semester, he led Kairos, all in an effort, as he puts it, to take the immense opportunities to which he has been exposed at BC and “pay it forward.” Next year, Sullivan will be entering a fifth year Lynch Masters’ program in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, and after that will be involved in the Teach for America program in Connecticut. Everyone who has met him, however, agrees that Sullivan’s presence will be felt long after he leaves the BC campus. “He’s a great addition to the campus,” Miceli said. “He clearly has left a strong mark. You always look back and think of people who have done good things, and he’ll definitely be one of those people I remember for some time.” “He demonstrates the capacity to get things done without having to have all the resources in place,” Friedman said. “He’s the perfect example of a student who’s not only academically talented but also demonstrates superb leadership and initiative and truly takes advantage of the campus college, and I think that if more students avail themselves of these opportunities, they would get so much more out of their college years … I’ll miss him.” n