The Heights 05/03/2012

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The Heights will return on Sept. 6, 2012. Good luck with finals and have a good summer! Rushed out

summer in the city a pop culture summer

sports

metro

the scene

Montel Harris dismissed from team for multiple team violations, C10

Eight seasonal sensations that will pass through Boston as quickly as the good weather, D1

Taking a look at ways to burn time during the warmest months, C1

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Vol. XCIII, No. 25

Famous Fine House will be repurposed to townhouses By Darren Ranck Heights Senior Staff

For the past century, 45 Selkirk Road, known by the Brighton community as the Fine House, has served a number of purposes. It opened its doors as an elementary school for the blind in the late 1800s. In the mid-1900s, a new buyer added a few bathrooms and made several other renovations to turn it into a single family home. Its third buyer gave the house purpose in the Boston College community, where it has served as a popular off-campus housing option for the past decade. With yet another buyer, the house makes its fourth transition, which will become its most transformative yet, as the historical Fine House will undergo major repurposing to

Ticket prices raised for next academic year

become four townhomes. “We knew by December that we would be the last residents,” said Nate Gersten, one of the seven current residents of the Fine House and CSOM ’13. “We tried to open it up to as expansive an amount of people in the BC and Brighton community as possible. We wanted people to know that when they came here that it was a classy event.” Gersten and his roommates were made aware of the pending plans in August when they signed a nine-month lease. Originally, Gersten said, the house was no longer on the market, but discrepancies between proposed plans and the demands of both the zoning board of Brighton and Brighton-

See Fine House, A4

Athletics will provide $40 Superfan discount By Austin Tedesco Heights Editor

students to sign the petition. “By no means is the economy favorable, and actions must be done to make ends meet,” Fedor said in an e-mail. “I think most people would agree with that. However, I am against the new changes and thus signed the petition because I do not believe that such changes are a fair way for a business to break even. If real companies do not make enough revenue, they reassess and adjust their business model in an effort to regain those losses. This is what BCDS is attempting to do, but the burden is ultimately felt by students. Rather than cutting costs from the inside by better managing operations, BCDS is simply raising the costs of our mandatory meal plan.” Helen Wechsler, director of Dining

The Boston College Athletic Department announced recently that there will be changes to the prices of student season tickets next season for football, men’s basketball, and men’s ice hockey. A Superfan package, which has not been offered since 2000, will be reinstated and can now be purchased by students for next season. The package will provide students with season tickets to all three revenue sports with a $40 discount from the price of buying the three packages individually. The addition of this new package, as well as retaining the ability to purchase these tickets through a student’s online account on Agora, is seen as a major positive by the Athletic Department, especially for BC’s most avid student sports fans. “We’ve done the three sport packages in the past,” said Jamie DiLoreto, associate athletics director of external operations. “I’ve been here at BC for 20 years and from ’93 up to around 2000 we always gave an option to bill tickets to the student account and choose the three sport package. We really feel as though we want to reward our most loyal supporters of athletics and provide that opportunity with the discount. Our goal was to take a look at that and ask, ‘How do we create a Superfan package that covers all three sports?’ and our goal there would be that we can provide a discount to our most loyal supporters.” In addition to the new Superfan package, prices for football and men’s ice hockey

See Petition, A4

See Tickets, A5

graham beck / heights editor

The Fine House (above) will be renovated into four separate townhouses in the coming year.

Students start petition against proposed dining changes Hillside patrons are protesting BC Dining’s changes and price increase By Devon Sanford Heights Editor

To say Boston College students are not pleased about some of next year’s changes on campus is putting it somewhat mildly. In response to the recently announced adjustments to the mandatory residential dining plan, students are signing an online petition that calls for a stop “to the unreasonable increases and changes in the mandatory meal plan.” Next fall, BC Dining Services will be modifying the current “A La Carte” system. The mandatory residential dining plan will be raised to $4,818, compared

to this year’s $4,724 cost. Three new mini marts will be added to campus, located in the upper part of Corcoran Commons, in one half of the Chocolate Bar, and near the Stuart Dining Hall on Newton Campus. And, to many students’ dismay, Hillside Cafe will be removed from the list of locations on campus accepting mandatory residential plan funds. To compensate for the changes, BC Dining will move $100 from the mandatory residential plan to dining bucks to give students more discretionary buying power. Next year, students will have $350 to use at the Chocolate Bar, Mini Marts, Hillside Cafe, concessions, and vending machines.

After the announcement was released in Monday’s issue of The Heights, students began voicing their discontent on campus and online. The “BC Dining Services: Stop the Unreasonable Increases and Changes in the Mandatory Mealplan” petition was created on Monday afternoon. The petition calls on students to express their dissatisfaction of the changes. “By signing this petition, you’re saying that you want a better dining experience,” the petition reads. “You, the student, are demanding changes that benefit YOU, not the pockets of BC Dining. We’re tired of being charged exorbitant prices for food and a meal plan that is mandatory. We’re tired of not having a say in a better dining experience.” Since its release, the petition has reached more than 800 signatures. Collin Fedor, A&S ’15, was one of the first BC

Parents of Alex Grant sue nine men

Students on the move despite various injuries

Suit claims Grant was illegally provided alcohol

By Andrew Millette Assoc. News Editor

By David Cote

This is the final installment in a three part series on student disabilities at Boston College.

News Editor

The parents of Alex Grant, the Boston College student who drowned in an upstate New York creek last March, have filed a lawsuit against nine men they allege played a role in their son’s death by providing him and his childhood friend, Michael Perlow, with alcohol. The lawsuit was filed last Monday in Saratoga County Supreme Court and seeks $5 million to be paid to Grant’s parents, Kenneth and Deanna Grant, of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., for the loss of their son. The cause of action of the suit is listed as the wrongful death of Grant as the result of alcohol allegedly provided to him by the defendants. The defendants named in the suit are Seth Berger, Brendan Flynn, Ian Bain, Charles Sullivan, Brian Milazzo, Jonathan Hoeg, Bryan Connolly, Matthew Diaco and Nicholas Yedibalian, all identified as residents of Saratoga County. Grant visited Perlow at Skidmore College on Mar. 5, 2011. While there, he and Perlow attended an off-campus party. At the party, Grant and Perlow became separated, and Grant ended up lost on his way back to Perlow’s room. Surveillance cameras at a nearby train station showed Grant walking across the tracks in the early morning, and later footage showed him breaking into a small building and then leaving sometime later. After almost three days of searching, Grant was found dead in four feet of water. Police stated that hypothermia, combined with alcohol, may have explained Grant’s disorientation at the time of his

See Lawsuit, A4

natalie blardony / for the heights

Krystle Jiang (above) was awarded the Benigno and Corazon Aquino scholarship last night.

Jiang wins Aquino scholarship for academics and leadership By Brandon Stone Heights Staff

Last night the Benigno and Corazon Aquino scholarship was awarded to Krystle Jiang, A&S ’13. The ceremony took place in the Murray Function Room between 6 and 8:30 p.m. and featured Mario Lopez de Leon, Jr., Consul General at the Philippine Consulate in New York, as the keynote speaker. Boston College created the Asian American Scholarship (renamed the Aquino scholarship in 2010) in 1995 to recognize a college junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the AsianAmerican community. The scholarship was renamed to honor Benigno and Corazon Aquino, a Filipino husband and wife who led the struggle against dictatorship, repression, and injustice in their native Philippines. Benigno Aquino was elected as a senator in the Philippines before being

imprisoned and later exiled to the United States for his outspoken criticism of the authoritarian regime of Ferdinand Marcos. Benigno and his wife, Corazon, settled in Chestnut Hill before Benigno returned to the Philippines in 1983 to lead the fight for democracy. Tragically, Benigno was killed during the struggle. Upon her husband’s death, Corazon herself returned to the Philippines to lead the fight, and was elected as the Philippines first female president in 1983. She continued to advocate freedom and social justice until she passed away in 2009. The five finalists for the Aquino scholarship were: Krystle Jiang, A&S ’13; Jennifer Wanandi, A&S ’13; Terry Bustos, CSON ’13; Josh Li, CSOM ’13; and Ashley Nguyen, A&S ’13. The selection process includes application forms, essays, and interviews. As winner, Krystle Jiang will receive up to $20,000 toward her senior year tuition,

See Aquino, A4

No Boston College student is invincible. Accidents happen to everyone, which is evident by the number of casts and slings that can be seen around campus at various times. Though temporary disabilities are relatively short-lived for the students that have to deal with them, they still have a major impact on an injured student’s college experience. Paulette Durrett, assistant dean for students with disabilities in the Office of the Dean for Student Development (ODSD), is tasked with aiding students who have temporary disabilities as well as permanent disabilities. “People with temporary disabilities aren’t really covered under legislation, so what can you do if somebody comes in with a broken ankle?” she said. “It just makes sense to accommodate them, and it shouldn’t be that big a drain on resources because it’s a temporary disability.” BC students who have gone through the experience of being temporarily disabled agree that accommodations are necessary to help deal with some of the complications a temporary physical ailment can bring about. “From Edmond’s to the B-line, it seems like it’s right there, but when you’re on crutches it’s like a mile in your eyes,” said a junior who has recovered from a knee injury. Physical mobility is obviously an issue for students with temporary physical disabilities. Offering accommodations that target this issue is one of the major ways in which Durrett aids temporarily disabled students. “A person may come in with a broken

See Disabilities, A4 daniel lee / heights editor


TopTHREE

The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

things to do on campus this week

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BC Race to Educate Saturday Time: 11 a.m. Location: Yawkey Center

The second annual 5k BC Race to Educate, which will benefit the Saint Columbkille Partnership School, will take place on Saturday. The course starts at Doug Flutie’s statue, takes a tour of Newton, and ends up back on Lower Campus. The kid’s 1k fun run will start at 10:30 a.m.

Madrigal Singers Spring Concert

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Today Time: 8 p.m. Location: St. Mary’s Chapel

The Madrigal Singers of Boston College’s fourth annual Spring Concert will feature a mixture of sacred and secular works that honor spring.

bOp! Classic Open Recording Session

3

Saturday Time: 6 p.m. Location: Robsham Arts Center bOp! Classic, the alumni band of BC bOp!, will open their recording session to the public Saturday. A band of the children of bOp! alumni will also perform.

the

University

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Simons Foundation to create new computer center at Cal Berkeley The University of California at Berkeley has recently announced that it has won a $60 million grant from the Simons Foundation to create a new center for theoretical computer science. The center, which will be called Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, will give researchers the resources to study complex mathematical algorithms that could help solve problems in fields such as climate science, health care, and economics. The Simons Foundation selected Berkeley out of a field of three finalists. The insitute will host 70 visiting researchers at a time. It will begin its first programs in January.

On Campus School of Theology and Ministry professor named dean at Santa Clara University School of Theology and Ministry professor Thomas Massaro, S.J., has been appointed dean of the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. The provost of Santa Clara announced this appointment, which will start July 1, ealier this month. Santa Clara’s Jesuit School of Theology is a recognized international center of theological study located in Berkeley, Calif. The school educates Jesuits, as well as religious, ordained, and lay students from across the United States and from 40 countries. Massaro has written or edited five books, as well as written many articles and lectures. Massaro’s writings are concentrated in subjects such as welfare reform, globalization, peacemaking, environmental concern, and the ethics of voting and patriotism. Massaro joined the faculty of Weston Jesuit School of Theology in 1997, which combined with Boston College in 2008 to form the School of Theology and Ministry. Massaro recently finished a term on the Peace Commission of the City of Cambridge, which promotes social justice in the city.

Unknown man robs Newton jewlery store and is still at large An unknown man robbed a Newton jewlery store last Friday, successfully stealing two pearl necklaces and at least two pairs of golden earrings. According to employees, the man told employees he had a $20,000 price limit. When he was shown a specifc piece of jewlery, he asked an employee if he could get a better price for it. When this employee went to the back of the store to ask about the price, surveillance footage shows the man stealing jewlery from a display case that he somehow unlocked. The man had lef t the store by the time employees noticed the missing jewlery.

By Sara Doyle For The Heights

Matt Lieber / For The Heights

Audrey Friedman, associate professor in the Lynch School, delivered her hypothetical last lecture on Wednesday. “There is no wizard,” she said. “I’m not the wizard. We are the wizards.” Friedman talked about her own path in life, from wanting to be a research scientist in high school to becoming a teacher after her undergraduate education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “[Becoming a teacher] was probably one of the happiest

accidents of my life,” she said. “I struck gold. It was my yellow brick road, and gold can be discovered in the least likely places.” Throughout the lecture, the audience was engaged in activities such as answering questions on index cards , noting what they observed in the room upon first entering it, and interpreting images in

multiple ways. “I don’t lecture,” Friedman said. “I workshop.” Students were asked to interpret what was happening in several images to show how different interpretations can be. “We all have our biases,” Friedman said. “We have our own frame of references. We need to acknowledge it, put it on the table, and recognize how it changes our thinking. As you negotiate the dissonance, it is critical to be open-minded. That is harder than we imagine.” Friedman’s advice to students included facing fear and disturbances in life not on your own, but with the help of a mentor. “Asking for help is not equal to admitting failure,” she said. “I think it’s important, as we move along, that we understand who we are, what we need, and what we believe, so that if we need help, we know enough to ask for it.” Friedman also encouraged students not to avoid the disturbances in life. “Dissonance is a gift, and it’s important for us to embrace ambiguity and work through it,” she said. “That’s immensely difficult.” n

Police Blotter

Voices from the Dustbowl

4/30/12-5/1/12

“What would your summer vacation not be complete without?”

Monday, April 30

Tuesday, May 1

11:07 a.m. - A report was filed regarding assistance provided to a neighbor in the recovery of a lost dog off campus.

7:57 a.m. - A report was filed regarding numerous abandoned bicycles that were confiscated university-wide.

11:35 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an injured party at Gonzaga Hall who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

1:59 p.m. - A report was filed regarding an ill party who declined medical treatment at McGuinn Hall. A medical treatment release form was completed and signed by the party.

2:24 p.m.- A report was filed regarding a lost parking permit and transponder off-campus. 4:15 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a call from a party that said there was smoke in the lobby of McElroy Hall near the ATM machine. Officers responded and discovered that someone in a nearby office had burnt a bag of microwave popcorn. The smoke condition was light and the fire alarm system did not activate. 5:49 p.m. - A report was filed regarding found property. The owner was identified and notified to retrieve their property at Boston College Police Headquarters. 5:52 p.m. - A report was filed regarding an injured party at the Plex who was transported to a medical facility by a Boston College Police unit. 5:58 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious motor vehicle off- campus.

6:48 p.m. - A report was filed regarding an ill party at Voute Hall who was transported to a medical facility by a BCPD police unit. 6:58 p.m. - A report was filed regarding an injured party at 3 Lake Street who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

“Five days of no obligations.” —Katherine O’Keefe, A&S ’15

“Ice cream parties.” —Sean Babar, A&S ’15

7:31 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a fire alarm activation. Officers along with Newton Fire Department Engine 14 and Lt. Mancini in command responded to the O’Neill Library. The cause of the alarm activation was a result of burnt cooking in a lounge area. The area was ventilated, the alarm was silenced and cleared, and employees and patrons were allowed to re-enter the facility.

A&S ’15

Showers 51°

Friday

57° Showers 51°

Saturday

59° Cloudy 47° 67° Sunny 48°

Source: National Weather Service

A Guide to Your Newspaper The Heights Boston College – McElroy 113 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467 Editor-in-Chief (617) 552-2223 Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 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 David Cote, 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 Greg Joyce, Sports Editor, at (617) 552-0189, or e-mail sports@bcheights.com. Arts Events The Heights covers a multitude of events both on and off campus – including concerts, movies, theatrical performances, and more. Call Brennan Carley, 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 Taylour Kumpf, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@ bcheights.com. CUSTOMER SERVICE Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Dan Ottaunick, General Manager at (617) 552-0547. Advertising The Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the BC community. To submit a classified, display, or online advertisement, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.

The Heights is produced by BC undergraduates and is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by The Heights, Inc. (c) 2012. All rights reserved. “Seeing people at home.” —Justin Panno, A&S ’15

“People.” —Brian Limbo,

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

57°

Local News

Last lecture examines the winding path of life

In her lecture, Friedman discussed the ways to navigate dissonance in daily life and the acceptance that life sometimes takes unexpected turns. Using metaphors from The Wizard of Oz, she talked about the paths of life and the ways people can handle them. Friedman said that she does not have the answer, but rather that it will come from collaboration.

Today

Sunday

featured story

On Wednesday night in Higgins 300, the Americans for Informed Democrac y (AID) of Boston College presented a lecture from Audrey Friedman as BC’s eighth installment of “The Last Lecture Series.” Friedman is an associate professor and associate dean of undergraduates in the Lynch School of Education. “The Last Lecture Series” consists of biannual lectures that feature BC professors. These lectures are modeled after a book which was based on the real last lecture of Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon professor who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2007. The B C lectures are aimed at answering the question, “If you had the chance to give the last lecture of your life, what wisdom would you impart to your students?” Other lectures in the series have included Rev. Michael Himes, professor of theology, Paul Brienes, associate professor of history, and David McMenamin, director of the PULSE Program for Service Learning.

Four Day Weather Forecast

CORRECTIONS In the April 30 issue of The Heights, the article “Music and Dance Unite in Harmony” incorrectly referred to the BC dance group Presenting Africa to You (PATU) as BA2U.


The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A call to more action Sean Talia The world is a very different place in May 2012 than it was a mere 365 days ago. What’s different? Well, what was formerly Sudan is now two different countries. Muammar Qaddafi, who ruled Libya for more than four decades, was killed by the Libyan rebel army, effectively putting an end to the country’s civil war. The United States is no longer at war in Iraq. And of course, Osama bin Laden is dead. I remember the night he died quite clearly, mostly because of the way Americans across the country were reacting. On every major cable news network, you saw scenes of people gathering in the streets of Washington and New York. Everywhere you looked, you saw people waving American flags, hugging each other, celebrating because their country’s military had just killed the most wanted man in the world. Happy though I was that bin Laden was dead, I couldn’t help but wonder to myself whether or not there was something perverse about taking to the streets for such an occasion. And after wondering for a few milliseconds, I concluded that yes, indeed there was. Think about the United States for a moment. We are a nation whose education system is in total shambles. A nation whose citizens are appallingly unhealthy and whose children are getting fatter and dumber by the day. Whose political system has been hijacked by lobbyists and corporations. Who has funded wars that have done little besides drain our treasury and stir up resentment abroad. Whose defense budget is greater than those of China, the UK, France, Russia, Japan, and Germany combined. All the while, some 13 million remain unemployed and some 50 million can’t afford health insurance. Yet we don’t flood streets of Washington, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, L.A., San Francisco, and Chicago to protest these things en masse. Apparently we don’t mind these things, all of which clearly make our lives worse, or at least prevent them from being better. No, we prefer to passively sit on our asses and watch it all just happen. Only when a mass-murderer is killed during an early-morning raid on his Abbotabad compound do we feel compelled to get up and go outside. Not that I am one to lead by example. I’m just as guilty as the next person when it comes to apathy and disinterest. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get more involved with issues regarding social and environmental activism during my time here at Boston College. But rather than simply acknowledge that fact and move on with my life, I plan on doing something about it this summer when I go home to Detroit, a city that needs all the help it can get. One year from now, the world will be a very different place than it currently is. Whether or not it is better or worse will depend on what we as individuals and communities do to shape it. That is what bin Laden’s death and its consequences have taught me.

Sean Talia is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at news@bcheights. com.

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Civil disobedience more successful than violence By Samantha Costanzo Asst. News Editor

Erica Chenoweth, an assistant professor at Wesleyan University, admitted at the beginning of her lecture at Boston College on Tuesday that she was once very skeptical of nonviolence and civil disobedience. “My conception of nonviolence was that it was a form of passive resistance that operated by converting the opposition via self repression,” she said. After getting the opportunity to attend a free conference on the efficacy of passive resistance, however, she changed her mindset and began to see nonviolence as a more plausible way of toppling repressive regimes. In her talk “Why Civil Resistance Works: Unarmed Struggle in the Arab Spring and Beyond,” Chenoweth described her research on unarmed struggle and its applications in today’s world. She researched a total of 323 unarmed and armed resistance movements, with each struggle falling into one of three categories: anti-regime, anti-occupation, or secession. In order to become part of the study, each struggle had to have at least 1,000 participants or casualties and have taken place in a series of conflicts, not just one battle or demonstration. She based the success of a struggle on whether or not the combatants’ stated end goals were met at least six months after the peak of the movement. All in all, Chenoweth found that unarmed conflicts were twice as likely to succeed as armed ones and explained the most important characteristics of a successful campaign. “Nonviolent campaigns have a strategic edge in mobilizing diverse participants,” she said. “The physical demands of nonviolent protests are lower and the physical conditions are typically easier to withstand.” As a result, unarmed campaigns have been more successful than violent protests in attaining

the 10 to 15 percent population participation that almost guarantees success. The lower commitment level also contributes to nonviolent campaigns’ success. While joining a militant group requires a total change in lifestyle, a nonviolent struggle allows people to participate whenever they can. In addition, these participants do not have to get over their natural hesitation to kill another human. “Nonviolent campaigns rely on cooperation, obedience, and help from independent media, economic, and police elites ,” Chenoweth said. “They rely on a number of people to start cracks in the regime.” These elites, she said, must leave their jobs and cease cooperating with the government in order to begin weakening it. Civilians must also stop obeying, further weakening the regime’s structure. When it tries to crush this insubordination with violence, the regime will instead find that its plan will backfire and result in even more support for the peaceful protesters. “More people are morally outraged when a nonviolent campaign is opposed than when a violent campaign is because it’s easier for the regime to denounce a violent campaign as terrorist,” Chenoweth said. Repression can also prove very costly because successful nonviolent campaigns employ dispersion, in which each individual member of an opposition group creates a personal protest. She used the example of the Iranian oil workers’ strike from 1978-1979, during which the Shah ordered his security team to go door to door in search of protesting workers and take them back to the oil fields. Eventually, this process proved too costly to continue. Chenoweth found that monetary aid to nonviolent protests actually harmed the campaign

Robyn Kim / For The Heights

Erica Chenoweth explained why she now believes in nonviolence after having doubted its viability for much of her life. as a whole. Such contributions allowed participants to buy weapons, which significantly decreased their chances of success. “Traditional tools of international politics aren’t really the things driving success,” she said. “People interacting with people are.” Consequently, campaigns that had been in touch with non-governmental organizations and gained knowledge and skills

from them were more likely to succeed. “The way we fight defines how we rule after we win,” Chenoweth said. Only 28 percent of countries that used nonviolent campaigns relapsed into civil war 10 years later, while those that chose violence relapsed 43 percent of the time. Chenoweth found no formula to determine which populations were more likely to use

violence or nonviolence, saying that people under varying levels of repression have tried one or the other with no real preexisting conditions. She also spoke briefly about social media’s effect on the recent Arab Spring campaigns, saying that while it did help, it should not be relied upon. “More people on Twitter usually means fewer people in the street,” she said. n

‘Frozen Planet’ Screening

Speeches. Dining services, the libraries, and the Bookstore also had several environmental efforts throughout the week. Overall, the week served as a representation of the widespread support for sustainability efforts from the BC community. Thank you to everyone who came out to the events!

Reel Big Fish headlines Modstock By David Cote News Editor

Ska band Reel Big Fish will headline the UGBC’s annual outdoor Modstock concert this afternoon, May 3, beginning at 3:15 p.m. Opening acts will include Guy Dupont, LSOE ’13, aka ILO Productions, and The Dean’s List. The concert will also feature the winner of Boston College’s Battle of the Bands competition. “We wanted to keep the tradition of an entertaining live band at Modstock alive,” said Mike Cavoto, UGBC executive director of campus entertainment and A&S ’13. “We explored some other options, but ultimately Reel Big Fish was the artist we decided on. They have the right combination of musical talent and entertainment value that we think the Boston College community enjoys.” Following the annual Spring Concert, many worried that the UGBC might not have the funding left to put together a reputable Modstock act, and Cavoto

acknowledged that funding was a little tighter than in previous years. “We went all out for the Spring Concert to guarantee students had a great show,” Cavoto said. “It was a ‘welcome back’ of sorts after the Fall Concert was cancelled. Our budget was a little tight for Modstock, but because we sold out the spring show we had a pretty decent amount of funds.” The UGBC loses money on each show they put on for the student body to ensure that ticket costs stay as low as possible. This year, ticket prices for the Spring Concert were raised slightly from previous years in an effort to offset the cost of relatively expensive artists Nelly and Third Eye Blind. “We take a sizable loss on every show, and the artists were expensive for the Spring Concert, so that’s why we had to marginally increase ticket prices,” Cavoto said. The administration also put restrictions on the Spring Concert this year as a result of high num-

bers of medical transports in the past, including an earlier start time and an earlier doors-close time. Cavoto said there were also some restrictions on the selection of artists for Modstock. “The administration placed some loose restrictions on the type of artists we could have because of explicit lyrics,” Cavoto said. “The rationale behind this was that it is an outdoor show, and sometimes the music can be heard as far away as Cleveland Circle.” Despite the restrictions, Cavoto expressed his overall satisfaction with the artists chosen for this year’s performance. “I think that BC is going to truly enjoy this show,” Cavoto said. “The Dean’s List has a growing reputation, and Reel Big Fish is going to kill it.” Reel Big Fish is a ska band from Huntington Beach, Calif., best known for the 1997 single “Sell Out.” The band was at the height of its popularity throughout the middle to late ’90s. n

- EcoPledge and the Outdoor Club would like to thank everyone who came to the screening of Frozen Planet in celebration of Earth Day. Many people stopped by to tie-dye, sign a petition to stop drilling in the Arctic, and enjoy the show. Be sure to look for many more EcoPledge and Outdoor Club events in the future! A big thank you to everyone who made this event possible. The Semester in Review - This semester was a busy time for sustainability initiatives at Boston College. BC participated in several competitions to help promote sustainability on campus, including the NRG Games and Recyclemania. The NRG Games was an inter-residential hall competition to reduce energy consumption, and Edmond’s was recently declared the winner. Recyclemania, a national recycling competition among Universities, took place earlier in the semester. BC placed second nationally, the university’s best ranking yet. Congratulations! - Student environmental groups also held many events on campus this semester. Green Week, Mar. 19-23, highlighted several sustainability efforts currently happening between BC students, faculty, and staff. Events during the week included a student activism showcase, a green career night, and a concert by the Endangered

The Year Ahead -BC has made a lot of strides in the sustainability world, but there is still a long road ahead. As the master plan indicates, all new buildings on campus will be at minimum LEED Silver, including Stokes Hall. - This semester has demonstrated that sustainability efforts have come from multiple areas of the BC community, including students, facilities, dining, and residential life. In the coming semesters we hope to develop a more cohesive group that continues to help BC be a little greener. - During the 20122013 academic year, the Environmental Studies Program will be developing new courses and opportunities for BC undergraduate students interested in sustainability. Look for more information in the upcoming semester. - This summer, Real Food is looking for help with the garden on Brighton Campus. Contact Real Food or Mike Cermak at cermakm@bc.edu to sign up.


The Heights

A4

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Popular off-campus location will be altered by landowner Fine House, from A1

graham beck / heights editor

The Fine House (above) was originally a school for the blind, but has been rented for the past decade by BC students.

Allston Historical Society delayed the repurposing. This delay allowed BC students to rent the house for one last school year. “Every time I sit on the deck, I feel like I’m living a bit of BC history as the last Fine House residents,” Gersten said. While BC students have rented the house for the past decade, the community still holds it in high esteem as one of its oldest standing homes. Gersten and his roommates offered to purchase a vintage sign that was hung in the house as a memento, but the Allston-Brighton Historical Society denied their request. “We offered money for it, but the owner said that as part of the house getting knocked down, the community wanted that sign,” Gersten said. “The historical committee had a huge say in what could and couldn’t be done to the property. It’s amazing they were allowed to build four townhomes on it at all.” The new owner, Ara Barsoumian of Tiba Investments, LLC, must comply with several restrictions created by the zoning board. Among them include a restriction against changing the exterior color of the house from its off-white and light blue trimmed color scheme, as well as a demand to keep the large staircase in the main foyer standing. The new plans for the property in-

volve refashioning the standing Fine House into two townhomes with the intention of adding two more townhomes to either side. Each home will have a garage as well. “[Barsoumian] wants them to be more focused on the high-earning professional who’s working in Boston but wants to live outside of it in a luxury, new, modern, remodeled townhome,” Gersten said. This change in ownership and market

While BC students have rented the house for the past decade, the community still holds it in high esteem as one of its oldest standing homes. marks a growing trend in neighborhoods that possess historic homes, such as the Brighton-Allston area. “In speaking with full-time neighbors that own their properties, they have seen an increase in properties being sold by what used to be full time residents to now absentee landlords that transition the property into rental units,” said Kristen O’Driscoll, assistant dean for off-campus student life and civic engagement in the Office of the Dean for Student Development. “I would anticipate that the community would prefer the historical

Grants sue for $5 million

ODSD helps injured Eagles Disabilities, from A1 ankle,” Durrett said. “I would work with BCPD and the Eagle Escort van to make sure they could pick them up here and take them to the library so they could study, or the Bookstore so they could buy books, because if you’re on crutches it’s hard to carry the books and walk on your crutches.” The junior, who wishes to remain anonymous, took advantage of this accommodation, but still felt constrained by her injury. “[Dean Durrett’s office] worked with Eagle Escort and BCPD to let them know that I was on the medical list and had a hard time moving,” she said. “That increased the amount of times I could call Eagle Escort. You should only use Eagle Escort twice a day, but sometimes they were a little more lenient. I’m the type of person that’s always on the go. From 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. I have meetings, meetings, meetings, so that was very hard.” The student also noted the problems that BC’s large population can create for students with temporary disabilities. “Eagle Escort was supposed to work only at the beginning of the day and the end of the day,” she said. “Once I got to middle campus, if I had time between classes and wanted to rest, I was supposed to go to the infirmary and wait there until my next class if I was tired, which you are with crutches. I could only go there if there was an available room, which they didn’t always have. That was a flaw in the system.” Offering handicapped parking to students with temporary disabilities is one other way in which Durrett’s office attempts to combat the issue of students’ decreased mobility “If you have frequent doctor’s appointments for physical therapy, or a follow-up from some kind of surgery, you might request a parking permit,” she said. “You would have to go through handicap parking, whether it’s temporary or permanent. If your doctor says you can only walk 100 yards, then you would be eligible for a spot closer to campus.” Though traveling long distances is a major problem for students with temporary disabilities, many of the problems they encounter limit their ability to engage in average daily tasks. “Getting food was very hard,” the junior said. “You have to go either with a bag or a friend. Showering was a little hard because we have a common bathroom, and you can’t just easily get over there. ” A temporarily disabled student’s academic life can be more or less negatively impacted depending on the nature of his or her injury. Those who have lost the ability to write can receive a variety of accommodations. “Some people come in for note takers because they have a temporary condition, like breaking their wrist or something like that,” Durrett said. If a student has the

proper medical documentation and is approved to have a note taker, he or she will receive notes for any class that he or she takes. “We also have scribes, people who actually write for students who have, say, a dislocated shoulder or some kind of wrist injury,” Durrett said. “Students can come to my office and take their exams with the aid of these scribes.” Although students also have the option of typing up exams on a computer in Durrett’s office if typing is easier for them, students who are unable to both write and type can dictate all of their answers on an exam to a scribe who will write their test for them. Other students, such as the junior with the knee injury, do not need accommodations such as these, but still see their academic lives affected. “I had to keep my leg elevated in class, so that meant that someone else couldn’t use that chair,” the junior said. “If I came later, people would have to leave their seats.” This student tried to deal with any academic issues caused by her injury by herself, but found that professors were willing to help. “I didn’t really tell my professors, I just made an effort to get to class on time,” she said. “One professor said that he could have people move from the front row if I came late, instead of me having to walk around looking for a seat.” This student found that other students were generally understanding of her ailment, but could still do more to help. “If you have a friend with a temporary disability, don’t belittle it,” she said. “Imagine yourself not being able to do the things you do in your daily routine and try to be understanding of that. People didn’t really make fun of it, but sometimes they just overlooked it.” Small actions of kindness may make a big impact on a temporarily disabled student’s day. “I would encourage people to try to help as much as possible,” she said. “Even though it’s temporary, it does impact your attitude during the time. Any help or words of motivation or encouragement are helpful—more than you may think.” The administration encourages any BC student with a disability, whether it be temporary or permanent, to seek out the resources that can be found on campus. Students with medical, physical, psychological, and temporary disabilities are encouraged to visit the Disability Services Office. Students with learning disabilities are encouraged to visit the Connors Family Learning Center, or contact Kathy Duggan, associate director for support services. The Learning Center can provide tutoring services to students with learning disabilities, as well as accommodations such as extra time on tests, the ability to take tests in the Learning Center, and access to audio versions of required readings. Samantha Costanzo, Asst. News Editor, contributed to this report. n

homes be owned and maintained by full-time residents instead of used as rental property, regardless of who the tenants are.” O’Driscoll does not believe this growing trend hinders the feasibility of obtaining off-campus housing in the future, however. “As long as there is a college and students that need to live off campus, there will be rental properties to accommodate them,” O’Driscoll said. “For some landlords, there is a major financial benefit to rent to college students, and each year you are almost guaranteed a client base.” While the Fine House served as a source of off-campus culture, BC administrators hope to find other ways of developing BC history and culture in its off-campus community. “We are trying to minimize the ‘learning’ part of the experience so that it doesn’t come at the expense of the non-student community,” O’Driscoll said. “I would love to hear from students what they think could help with the off-campus culture.” After dozens of years providing for the Brighton community and the off-campus community, though, the Fine House will now serve as a cultural memory when construction begins on June 1. “I think the Fine House is the one property on this side of Comm. Ave. that has been a staple of so many lives for so long,” Gersten said. “It feels like we’re putting it to rest.” n

Lawsuit, from A1

natalie blardony / for the heights

Administrators, faculty, and students gathered with the finalists of the Aquino scholarship last night in the Murray Room.

Jiang honored with annual scholarship Aquino, from A1 while the four runners up will each receive up to $3,000 toward their senior year tuitions. Additionally, all five finalists will receive $1,000 gift certificates to the BC Bookstore. Dean Joseph Burns delivered the opening remarks, in which he discussed the decision to rename the award. The Aquinos did “more than just being members of our community, they embodied the University’s motto: Ever to Excel.” After Burns’ comments, guests

were treated to a dinner of various Asian cuisines while enjoying a performance by Calvin Chin’s Martial Arts Academy. After dinner, keynote speaker Mario Lopez de Leon Jr. addressed the legacy of Banigno and Corazon Aquino as well as the importance of public service. De Leon is a career foreign service officer who has represented the Philippines in various countries, including the United Kingdom and South Africa. In describing the story of the Aquinos, de Leon emphasized that “to Filipinos, the names Banigno and Corazon will always be associated

with freedom.” He lauded praise on both husband and wife, saying that Bagnino “blazed a trail in Filipino politics that perhaps no other Filipino politician can ever match.” Before the winner was announced, all five finalists were introduced, and after a video of each finalist was shown explaining his or her background and commitment to Asian American culture. At last, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., took the podium to announce Jiang’s selection. He noted the difficulty of choosing between qualified candidates. n

Over 800 students have signed petition Petition, from A1 Services, explained the need for the changes in Monday’s article. As a self-sustaining service, BC Dining Services uses student meal plans to cover their operating cost, rent, facility maintenance, food cost, and labor. In addition, the BC Dining program includes broad hours of operation, uses a liberal “A La Carte” system, supports over a dozen service trips a year with meal plan donations, and pays its employees a living wage as part of the University’s mission of social justice. About taking Hillside off the mandatory residential plan, Wechsler said, “The overcrowding, therefore significantly diminished customer experience, is the most significant reason we took Hillside off the mandatory residential plan. Our customer counts have grown to just over 4,000 covers a day in a location that was built to service 1,200 per day, and there are simply

no expansion opportunities for this concept at this time.” Students have expressed their dissatisfaction with the changes and the justification. “Taking Hillside off the main plan restricts us to three principle places on main campus for dinner: Lower, Mac, and Addie’s,” said Alessandra Christiani, CSOM ’15. “There are already long lines at each of these places, and cutting Hillside means that students will now be at those three places more often. It isn’t practical. If they want to cut Hillside from the main plan, they need to provide better alternatives, like making the Rat a more legitimate dining hall and opening it for dinner. Mini marts around campus are not going to help with the dining problem.” “Don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for the services BCDS provides,” Fellor said. “The opportunities for its full-time employees are something to celebrate, especially at a Jesuit institu-

tion. And I always think to myself, ‘the food could be a lot worse.’ But this is not an issue of food quality, it is a matter of fairness. Students have a say as to how their money is spent in nearly all facets of life, their college’s dining hall should allow them to exercise that same right. Whether it be by allowing different levels of spending or maybe smarter spending, BCDS needs to reassess its own structure in order to break even. They have no right to manipulate students in an effort to make their own ends meet.” Since the announcement, BC Dining has received over 700 e-mails in petition format regarding the meal plan changes. Wechsler said she remains adamant about solving student’s concerns and hopes to further clarify the changes made to the dining plan. She said she plans to release a response to student concerns on the BC Dining website in the coming days. n

death. A police investigation undertaken after Grant’s death resulted in uncooperative witnesses and no criminal charges, despite Grant’s parents’ hope that any students involved would come forward. The nine men named as defendants in the lawsuit include four of Perlow’s roommates at the time of the events, four men who hosted the off-campus party, and one man who allegedly purchased the alcohol that Perlow and Grant consumed. Perlow is not named as a defendant. The lawsuit chronicles the events that allegedly occurred during Grant’s visit to Skidmore College, including the consumption of alcohol in Perlow’s dorm room that the lawsuit claims was provided by the defendants. The lawsuit also claims that on the bus to the party, Grant told Perlow that he was inebriated and unable to care for himself, and as a result Perlow assured Grant that he would return him to his room safely. The defendants are alleged to have provided Grant and Perlow with alcohol despite “full knowledge” that the two were not of the legal drinking age. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants are thus responsible for both Grant’s disoriented state, as observed on the security footage, and for Perlow’s inability to care for Grant and return him to his room. The first cause of action listed in the lawsuit cites General Obligations Law §11-110(1), which reads, “Any person who shall be injured in person, property, means of support or otherwise, by reason of the intoxication or impairment of ability of any person under the age of twenty-one years, whether resulting in his death or not, shall have a right of action to recover actual damages against any person who knowingly causes such intoxication or impairment of ability by unlawfully furnishing to or unlawfully assisting in procuring alcoholic beverages for such person with knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that such person was under the age of twenty-one years.” The second cause of action cites a wrongful death, claiming that the alleged provision of alcohol to Grant by the defendants was unlawful and directly resulted in his death. Albany-based attorney John Hoggan, who is representing Grant’s parents in this case, was contacted but was unavailable for comment. n


The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A5

BC senior Juliet Zawedde learns from world-renowned investor By Brigid Wright Heights Staff

The Smart Woman Securities (SWS) national organization recently sponsored its annual trip and mentorship program to visit with Warren Buffet in Omaha, Neb. SWS Boston College, founded in 2010 by six women on campus, sent Juliet Zawedde, A&S ’12, to learn from the brilliant entrepreneur and investor. Zawedde was the only BC student chosen, among 20 women from universities such as Harvard, the University of Virginia, and Yale. SWS, whose first branch was founded on Harvard’s campus in 2005, works to inform women of all academic backgrounds about investment strategies and knowledge for personal growth and financial strength for the future. Through a 10-week seminar and meetings with investors of all types, SWS strives to aid women in becoming more self-sufficient in their future financial endeavors. Zawedde, co-founder and chief development officer for BCSWS, applied for the opportunity and was chosen to participate in the mentoring program with which

Buffet has had a long-standing involvement. The trip, which took place from April 12-14, consisted of visits to local subsidiaries, large corporations based in Omaha, an evening with Omaha-based business executives, and a private question-and-answer session for the women to probe deeper into Buffet’s life and success. “I thought I was just going to be talking business, business, business, and we did learn about that … but also what I appreciated was that I learned a lot about life,” Zawedde said. Buffet discussed traditional topics such as what he values in a good business, his views on the financial crisis, good management, and his opinions on the U.S. over the years, but also commented on success being more than just monetary-based. “[Buffet] is an investor, but he’s very adamant on teaching young minds about life and being more of a mentor to us,” Zawedde explained. “He has a great passion for love and marriage, and his relationship with his dad, who was his mentor.” Zawedde also discussed Buffet as a person, and how she beat the initial intimidation factor of being

in the company of the man Forbes ranked third on the Richest People in the World survey in 2011. “I was very nervous about what to say … but the minute he sits down, it’s like you’re talking to a regular person,” Zawedde explained. “He was very down-toearth, very relatable.” Zawedde also described Buffet as getting onto the same level as the students, and not lecturing, but advising and mentoring. Zawedde, who hopes to pursue a career in the financial sector, was influenced and encouraged by Buffet’s talks and advice. She described herself as a self-starter, and with an interest in entrepreneurship. Buffet enhanced Zawedde’s ambitions, but also advised her to learn from the best. “I really wanted [Buffet’s] advice on what makes a good business,” Zawedde explained. “He really sparked that fire under me that I really can do this if I want, however, you also need to learn from the best. You need mentors.” Now armed with advice from a world-renowned investor, Zawedde plans to pursue a career in financial services. n

2012-2013 ugbc takes oath

photos courtesy of juliet zawedde

Juliet Zawedde, A&S ’12, was part of a delegation of 20 college students to meet with legendary investor Warren Buffett.

Athletics changes prices for the fall Tickets, from A1 have also increased slightly. Football prices have been raised from $120 last season to $125 for this upcoming year, and hockey prices have been raised from $90 last season to $100 this upcoming year. “I think it depends on year to year—number of games we have, that’s a big thing,” DiLoreto said about the price increases. “There’s an increase to the number of hockey games we’re looking at as a part of the home package. For football, we hadn’t adjusted the prices in a number of years. So when you look at the discounts of what students get versus the public, the student section is in E all the way through J. You’re looking at a $300 seat all the way down to a $180 seat, depending on when they arrive to the game, so it’s a significant discount, obviously. The $5 increase was just an adjustment for us from the standpoint that it hasn’t been raised in a while and a great home schedule this year too.” The home football schedule for next year includes high-profile games such as Miami, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech. One reason for the increase in prices for ice hockey season tickets is an expectation for more home hockey games next season compared to last. “I think we’re looking at that right now, we’re still confirming it because the Hockey East schedule

still needs to be worked out and so forth, but I think we are going to look at more games,” DiLoreto said. “It just depends on when they fall, and that’s one of our challenges of setting the pricing, and then waiting for the commitment of the schedule, but what we are looking at it looks like there will be more games, but then again it depends on student breaks too and when those games fall.” Besides the Athletic Department, the UGBC also played a role

Changes such as a paperless ticket system involving a student’s EagleOne card are still a possibility in years to come. in the changes to the system in order to make games more accessible and appealing to students. “We’re continuing dialogue with UGBC,” DiLoreto said. “We’re actually reviewing ACC processes for students right now. Our stage is exploratory and looking at all options. Every time we look at guidelines and procedures relative to students, we want to include UGBC and the athletic reps. We’ve collected information on all 12

ACC schools, and whatever we do wouldn’t be for 2012-2013 because we’re already committed for that year, it would be for 2013-2014 and we want to have dialogues about what improvements we want to make. There have been other discussions­—­whether it be rewards programs, club—those kinds of things are all being talked about.” Rewards programs or club seating could happen as early as next year. “We may have tweaks or additions in regards to rewards systems for clubs [for next year],” DiLoreto said. “We still have time before students return back to campus, and these wouldn’t be new since we’ve had a rewards program in the past. It’s a matter of how effective they are and we need to evaluate everything and see how effective it is. From our standpoint though, we do feel like billing it to the student account is where we are really pushing it to promote.” Changes such as a paperless ticket system involving a student’s Eagle-One card are still a possibility in years to come. “ We’re looking at it still,” DiLoreto said. “That’s a 2013-2014 thing. It wouldn’t be a commitment for this upcoming fall. We’re continuing to work with the company on what options are available relative to being integrated to our current system, which is separate from our ticketing system.” n

graham beck / heights editor

Newly elected and appointed members of the UGBC were sworn in at the UGBC inauguration on Monday, April 30.

daniel lee / heights editor

Tickets for athletic events will be more expensive next year, but the Athletics Department will offer a Superfan discount.


The Heights

A6

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Editorials

Students with disabilities need support At the conclusion of our disabilities series, The Heights asks the campus to consider the challenges some face daily Fifty years ago, students with mental and physical handicaps had difficulties succeeding in primary schools, much less a college environment. It is therefore worth commending the many Boston College students who have overcome both the stigmas and challenges surrounding such disabilities in order to excel in academic and social settings. BC, the Connors Family Learning Center, and the Office of the Dean for Student Development offer a variety of accommodations and resources that can help students succeed, but only if they ask for these resources. Students with disabilities should not feel uncomfortable going to the office and asking for the help they deserve. However, they will need the support of the rest of the BC community to feel confident in doing so. Students who do not need accommodations must realize that students who do need them are not getting special perks or advantages. A student with a disability might be allowed to use a laptop in a class in which no other student is allowed to use one, as this

results in a level playing field for learning. The students who are not allowed to use a laptop, register for classes early, or have other accommodations, have to understand that they are not being denied anything. Rather, their classmates are being given an equal opportunity to succeed. Professors must also be understanding of the unique challenges that students with disabilities face in the classroom. When a student explains his or her situation to professors, we encourage professors to be as cooperative as possible. Instead of seeing the situation as an extra burden, please be more aware of various disabilities and the ways in which the accommodations that accompany them can be the difference between success and failure. A student should never be afraid to meet with his or her professor, especially when the meeting relates to a disability that he or she has no control over. BC has a reputation for being a welcoming, safe environment. It is up to students and professors alike to make sure that this is true for every member of the community.

A call for mental health education

University should work to organize programs shedding light on mental illness This past Saturday, Boston University hosted “Stride Against Stigma,” an event held to raise awareness for depression and mental disorders. Organized by Brandeis student Leah Lurye and sponsored by the Families for Depression Awareness, “Stride Against Stigma” had each team of participants take 2 million steps to aid the cause. The Heights would like to commend Lurye and also Boston University for acknowledging the importance of mental health education. Over one in eight teenagers struggle with depression, and suicide is the third-leading cause of death amongst young people. Raising awareness about illnesses that are often swept under the rug will only help these numbers fall.

At Boston College, it has become imperative that our student body begin to understand more about depression and related mental diseases. Recent tragic deaths this year have shaken the campus to its core. The Heights believes that we should also begin to call attention to this cause, and follow the footsteps of students like Lurye by organizing similar programs. We have events for body image awareness and rape awareness, two prevalent) issues that affect our campus. Now that mental diseases have also become prominent, it is time to teach the student body about them as well. Maybe, if we organize such events, our campus will be able to better reach out to those suffering and lessen the stigma.

New England Classic: more than a sandwich The self-funded satirical publications plays a vital role on campus, which students should support Unlike traditional news sources, satirical publications bring a level of clarity and truth to issues that straight news often fails to deliver. Particularly on college campuses, where creativity, intelligence, and freewheeling enthusiasm is often met with bureaucracy, stuffiness, and arrogance, satire is an important vehicle for information. Boston College’s own satirical publication, The New England Classic, is now in its fifth year as a completely independent and selffunded endeavor. Recently, however, editors of the Classic have found themselves with empty pockets. The students who started the Classic did so on their own, without University funding, as an intellectual exercise. Since its inception in 2007, the Classic has been made possible with the help of advertisements from local businesses and the support from friends and classmates. However today, most of their funding comes from the editors’ own bank accounts. They are not receiving academic credit for their enterprise, and their clippings from the broadsheet will probably not end up in a resume packet. Yet, this is a model for any creative venture within a campus society,

and should receive the support of the student body. The Classic gives intelligent, thoughtful, and informed students the opportunity to anonymously critique the life and times of BC in a way that is both funny and revealing. It often initiates discussions about topics that may be considered inappropriate in any other setting. Back in 2009, The Heights wrote an editorial encouraging editors and writers of The New England Classic to remain independent from and unfunded by the University. We stand by this recommendation, but three years later, editors of the Classic have found themselves in a tight spot, and we feel the need to say something again. The New England Classic took our advice the last time around and initiated grassroots fundraising among the student body by selling Classic t-shirts and sponsoring soirees. They’ve tried it all, and still they struggle to stay afloat. If students recognize the value of a satirical news source on campus, they should actively support the Classic. The final issue comes out in the next couple of days. Look for it, pick it up, read it, and support The New England Classic.

The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Taylour Kumpf, Editor-in-Chief Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager Lindsay Grossman, Managing Editor

Patrick Hughes/ Heights Illustration

Letters to the Editor Take a hike

As a young alumnus and the founder of the still-infantile Outdoor Club at Boston College (OCBC) I was recently informed that the Student Programming Office (SPO) has reestablished its policy of friction to the club’s progression. Apparently, this spring saw the club’s activities unceremoniously frozen, pending further bureaucratic contemplation. I am forced to consider OCBC’s handicapped status both as its founder and, more broadly, as an alumnus of Boston College. I find the circumstances tremendously distressing through both lenses. The Outdoor Club should function as a unifier on campus. That is its potential, and I built the club’s structure with that utility in mind. It was meant to provide a venue for a disparate student body to find common ground in a broad interest. SPO consistently approves clubs that correspond to questions on the U.S. Census: race, religion, political party, and (future) occupation. These are central questions to all people, and there is a very real need for clubs that celebrate the delightful differences of humans. These clubs enable students to find others that are, in some specific way, like them. This is critical, and BC makes an earnest attempt to facilitate these demographic organizations. These clubs, though, can be simultaneously divisive. A campus should not solely subdivide itself by demographics. It should dedicate itself to catalyzing the discovery of odd, cross-cultural connections. This could be a function of OCBC. An interest in the outdoors is demographically transcendent; it’s so broad it’s unifying. Friendships are born of canoe trips and nights in tents. Students, who would never have come into contact with each other otherwise, would be thrust together, literally, by nature.

I don’t want it to sound like there’s a master plan here that evolves into wilderness communes and ends with Kool-Aid. Also, I understand that an outdoor club isn’t everyone’s bag, which is why I hope OCBC inspires the creation of other broadinterest clubs. Clubs that promote the pursuit of activities that are at least mildly appealing to a lot of people. These are usually not important things, and even I won’t cite inherent gravitas in a tromp up a mountain. But there can be profundity in the most basic and banal activities in life, especially if those activities bring people together. It’s also not my intention to imply that BC is culturally partitioned. But we could do better. We certainly could do better. So, to the Student Programming Office: figure this out. Act as an enabler rather than a barrier. If liability is the issue, and you find yourselves with visions of students plummeting from cliff-sides or drowning in whirlpools, let’s find a way to work it out. Every other school on the East Coast seems to have sussed out a viable solution. At the very least, work harder to make OCBC, and clubs like it, happen. I thought we’d worked this out before I graduated. To all of you still in Chestnut Hill: help OCBC become a reality. Help foster a community that thrives in its diversity by celebrating it together, not apart. Help BC be better, because great as we are, we have a long way to go. I haven’t been a graduate long enough to have forgotten that. . Benjamin Key BC ’11

A year from which to learn Death has been the sad theme of the past year at Boston College. As I reflect on the events that have occurred and the subsequent responses, I find myself wondering if there is something we can gain from these tragedies. It seems there could be more proactive ministry and support from the BC community. I hope these events can open doors to help faculty and administrators understand with a little more clarity the great social and academic pressures felt by many of

us students. Hopefully, light will be shed on the tolls these stresses take on our mental, spiritual, and physical health. I hope that instead of casting these deaths as unexpected and unrelated events, we can work to break down the stigma of depression and other struggles we may be going through. I hope that more faculty and administrators will encourage students on a larger scale to reach out for support and that feeling overwhelmed or sad or “off” is justified. We need

O’Neill Plaza should honor fallen grad Like many of my peers, I am delighted to hear that the University will be “greening” O’Neill Plaza for the upcoming academic year. My only suggestion is that Fr. Leahy and the Board of Trustees use this as an opportunity to honor one of the most courageous Boston College graduates— Welles Crowther. Many of you know Welles’ story: A Boston

College alum who was working at the World Trade Center on 9/11, Crowther saved countless lives brandishing a red bandana. While naming a building or the commons in what was the Dust Bowl might be too expensive, I do believe this is the perfect opportunity for Boston College to formally recognize a graduate who truly exemplified “men and women

for others.” A nice garden in between O’Neill and Devlin with a plaque of Welles would be an honorable way to remember a true hero. “Crowther Commons” would be a great place to enjoy friends and activities in the heart of BC’s campus. Andrew Mitten A&S ’12

Hillside change representative of unhealthy trend

Boston College’s plan to no longer allow use of the mandatory dining plan in Hillside is unfortunate and unnecessary. Yes, commodity prices are rising and the costs associated with food processing are becoming more expensive, but the University could have simply raised the amount that students contribute to the mandatory plan to offset the additional costs, akin to how the University raises tuition each year to cover increased

operating expenses or any adjustments in inflation. It appears that the University’s desire to maximize profits from its student base will never diminish. When I was a student at BC, the University proposed changing the amount of pages we could print using the University’s printers (from unlimited (yes, unlimited) to 500 per semester) due to concerns over the adverse affect of excess printing on the

The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 200 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages. The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces submitted

environment. But when students asked whether they could use both sides of the paper to get the most out of each page, the University balked at this notion and said toner costs were becoming prohibitive. Unfortunately, it seems the same illogical and somewhat misguided reasoning that BC exercised when I was a student is still in practice today. Joseph Burgess BC ’09

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 e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

Business and Operations

Editorial Eleanor Hildebrandt, Copy Editor David Cote, News Editor Greg Joyce, Sports Editor Therese Tully, Features Editor Brennan Carley, Arts & Review Editor Charlotte Parish, Metro Editor Elise Taylor, Opinions Editor Molly Lapoint, Special Projects Editor Jae Hyung (Daniel) Lee, Photo Editor Maggie Burdge, Layout Editor

to lift each other up. Concern for our friends and classmates is out of love and we should try to overcome the nervousness and apprehension of asking, “Are you doing okay?” I hope those times of higher stress including midterms, finals and holidays will be accompanied by a stronger feeling of support and love from the whole community, after all, we are one, we are BC. Anthony Ford A&S ’13

Woogeon Kim, Graphics Editor Katie McClurg, Online Manager Michelle Tomassi, Assoc. Copy Editor Chris Grimaldi, Asst. Copy Editor Andrew Millette, Assoc. News Editor Sam Costanzo, Asst. News Editor Chris Marino, Assoc. Sports Editor Austin Tedesco, Asst. Sports Editor Alexandra Schaeffer, Asst. Features Editor Taylor Cavallo, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor

Dan Siering, Asst. Arts & Review Editor Marc Francis, Asst. Metro Editor Graham Beck, Asst. Photo Editor Mary Rose Fissinger, Asst. Layout Editor Joseph Castlen, Asst. Graphics Editor David Riemer, Asst. Online Manager Devon Sanford, Editorial Assistant Cathryn Woodruff, Executive Assistant

Jamie Ciocon, Business Manager James Gu, Advertising Manager Adriana Mariella, Outreach Coordinator Amy Hachigian, National Sales Manager Daniel Arnold, Local Sales Manager Natasha Ettensberger, Collections Manager DJ Terceiro, Asst. Local Sales Manager Christina Quinn, Project Coordinator


The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A7

Opinions

Admission letter

Thumbs Up John Blakeslee Endless Summer- You’re not to even fathom this now, but the best season is almost here. Whether you’re interning in a city or going abroad, it’s time to put away your Bean Boots and Barbours and to break out your bikinis and boat shoes. BC, smell ya later. Going Green- Thumbs Up to O’Neill’s new green facelift for next semester. We may be in a “BC is the worst place ever” mindset due to finals week, but even amidst our angst we know we are excited for the new quad. Can’t say we’ll miss the concrete and smokers. Puppypalooza (maybe?)- So this is rumor and we have no idea where it came from or if it’s true, but apparently there may be puppies and free massages in O’Neill Plaza this week. This would probably be the most awesome thing, short of Marathon Monday, that has ever happened at B C. At this point in the school year, the only living thing that won’t get on our nerves (sorry, work makes us cranky) is a soft, golden retriever puppy.

Thumbs Down D i ni ng C hang e s - Gue ss Baja Chicken Mondays just became Baja Chicken Maybe Once a Month. BC Dining’s unpopular, but solidified, decision to switch Hillside off the mandatory meal plan is one of the more depressing choices we’ve experienced. Gone are all the days of ordering plates of frips and endless people watching now that the cafe will host half the usual crowd. Never thought we would say we’ll miss the chaotic dash to get tables after class. Finals Week- Not sure if there is anything to say here. As you struggle to find a seat in O’Neill, eat your weight in vending machine candy, and have midnight mental breakdowns, just remember that the end is near (thank goodness.) May the odds be ever in your favor. Sadly, knowing BC professors, they probably aren’t. Thanks guys! Montel Harris- BC’s star player has been dismissed for alleged rule violations. Although we haven’t seen much of the past two seasons, we can say that he will be sorely missed. Unless Chase Rettig finds a magic lamp and wishes to be a young Joe Montana, looks like next year is going to be the bleakest one yet. Three wins seems aggressive. Summer Hiatus- This is our last TU/TD for the semester, and we know all of our fans must be we eping (ok , so maybe a tinge of sadnesss? Maybe?). Anyway, we’ll miss writing our column and can’t wait to return next semester. See you all soon!

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Dear Boston College Senior: Congratulations! You have been accepted into the “Real World” for the term 2012–rest of your life. You should be particularly proud, as this year was especially competitive. Millions of college seniors hoped to enter the real world and some of them did not make it. Most of them did, though. Nevertheless, you should hold your head high and be proud of your accomplishment. As you conclude the “best four years of your life” and prepare for the next 50 years or so, we would like to provide you with a little guidance to ease your transition. Your freshman year in the real world will have its difficulties. You’ll be forced to make new friends and adapt to a totally new environment. Many of you will be moving away from BC for the first time. This might cause some initial shock to you, which we humbly request you stop complaining about and just deal with it. Don’t like our tone? Tough. If you don’t like it, you should have deferred your acceptance to the real world and applied to graduate school. Be prepared for people to hold your age against you. You are the new kid. As the new kid you will be expected to endure a series of snarky comments. We, in the real world, love snarky comments. We pretend they’re funny so the day will go by faster. I can almost guarantee you that at your first office party someone will see you holding a beer and they will make some comment about checking your ID. This joke will be received with uproarious laughter at the next six office functions. Yes, it is nauseating but there are two reasons for it. First, we are jealous of your youth. That’s right, the terrifying feeling you have right now of life being uncertain, we would kill for that. Do you understand how exciting it is to be unsure of what comes next? You should never

be afraid of not knowing what lies ahead. It is far more depressing when you know precisely what does. The second reason is because you’re a fool. That’s right. It turns out your fancy liberal arts education has left you almost entirely unprepared for the job you’re actually working. Don’t worry; your friends at vocational schools are even worse off. They were promised they would be prepared and they’re not. At least you read some good books. You will realize quickly that there is a vast amount of practical knowledge that you have to learn on the job. You’re going to make countless mistakes. So don’t walk in on day one like you’re the smartest person in the building. If you do, your co-workers will knock you down a peg. You’ll probably deserve it. Your professional embarrassment will spill over into other aspects of your life. At bars, you will be like a freshman at a Mod party all over again. At points you will think you are still in college and get drunk on a Tuesday night. You will pay the consequences the next morning when you realize that your body no longer tolerates that kind of behavior. You might miss college after you leave it, but I guarantee you, you will miss it a lot more if you spend all of your time acting like you’re still in it. There will be many boring moments ahead. In the real world you drink a lot of coffee and sign a lot of documents. This much is certain. For some of you those documents will be reports at work. For some, it will be a mortgage on your first home. Still others, it will be a plea bargain. Regardless, there will be documents and you will be well caffeinated while signing them. Are you sufficiently depressed yet? Most of this acceptance letter has been rather bleak. Imagine if your college acceptance letter included all of the embarrassments and hardships you went through in your first year of college. What if it described all the boring core classes you sat through? You probably would have been terrified to come here. Yet, four years later, you likely look back at that time with fondness and appreciation for the growth you underwent and the lessons you learned. There is still excitement ahead. I am cer-

tain that there will be a moment, sometime within the next 10 years, where for the first time you will know that you are an adult. It might come as soon as graduation day when they hand you your diploma. It might come when you move into your apartment or start your job. Maybe it will come when you get married, or perhaps, when your best friend gets married. It’s also possible it will come at a moment far less significant. But, I imagine the moment is one of great excitement and absolute terror. You will at once feel completely empowered and totally alone. Maybe this terrifies you. Or, maybe you can’t wait for it to happen. Either way, it should be exciting. Spend your last three weeks as an undergraduate taking it all in. Enjoy the last paper you have to write. Listen intently to that final lecture. Stop on your way to class and look around you. It’s a beautiful campus with beautiful people. Etch that image into your memory. Thank the professors that meant the most to you. Thank your friends. This doesn’t have to be a goodbye, just an occasion to show your appreciation. You don’t want to leave BC the day after commencement having wished you thanked certain people or had a nice dinner with your closest friends. There is nothing to be afraid of outside the confines of Chestnut Hill. In fact, there is a lot of excitement awaiting you. These next 10 years are going to be eventful. There will perhaps never be a time in your life where you are as in control of your future as you are now. Decide what really makes you happy and go and do it. There will be times where you will be miserable or bored or feel unfulfilled. That’s life. But don’t spend your time wishing the day would end or the weekend would come. You don’t want to spend precious days of your life wishing away time you can never have back. We’re only here for so long. Life isn’t easy, but you should enjoy it the best you can. Welcome to the real world. It’s a pleasure to have you. John Blakeslee is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

[This is the Headline for my Senior Swan Song]

William Mooney Sloneker [This is the Headline for my Senior Swan Song] By William Mooney Sloneker [This is the opening paragraph. Introduction of the forthcoming cliche. Acknowledgment that articles like these inevitably inundate college newspapers at this time each year. Accompanying admission that everything that can be said has already been said.] [This is the justification paragraph. Expression of willingness to take on the challenge of writing a swan song that does not conform to cliche. Rationalization that this article is either a necessary exercise for the author or bold assertion that this swan song is being approached in a fundamentally different manner than others.] [This is the wisdom paragraph. Concise explanation of the one or two most important lessons learned after four years as an undergraduate. Elaboration on the importance of the one or two lessons. Transition into anecdote about how author humbly yet elegantly reached this epiphany.] [This is the anecdote paragraph. Flashback to freshman year. Description of hardship that occurred after about six or eight weeks at college. Good hardships include sub-standard academic performance, bad experiences with alcohol, or intentional isolation triggered by the unfamiliar social dynamic of college.] [This is the application paragraph. Thematic connection of anecdote paragraph to wisdom paragraph. Discussion about how wisdom empowered author to improve his or her college experience. Demonstration about how college experience has progressively improved since freshman year.] [This is the present day paragraph.

Bazoomie Wagon

Walkthrough of the pinnacle of the college experience. Concrete examples about how late nights at Bapst and/or late nights at Mary Ann’s manifest the aforementioned lessons learned. Assertion that if underclassmen heed the author’s essential wisdom, they too will realize the fun and fulfilling college experience of which all students dream.] [This is the forecasting paragraph. Stark realization that graduation is drawing inexorably closer, marking the definitive end of the undergraduate experience. If author has resolved his or her postgraduate plans: discussion about how the drudgery of post-graduate plans will never measure up to experiences of last four years. If author has not resolved his or her post-graduate plans: discussion about how ambiguous future plans will never measure up to experiences of last four years.] [This is the questioning paragraph. Amplification of apprehensions expressed in the forecasting paragraph. Author may convey these doubts and worries in the form of a question. Some good questions include: What happens next? Where do we go from here? Is there really life after college? Who is our Commencement speaker, again?] [This is the inspiration paragraph. If author is creative: artful analogy or metaphor that reassures the reader that everything is going to be okay. If author is uncreative: reliance quote from salient work of literature or cinema. If author is especially uncreative: forced explanation of how a current chart-topping pop song encapsulates the college experience. Good songs for 2012 include “If This Was A Movie,” by Taylor Swift, “Countdown,” by Beyonce and “We Are Young,” by Fun.] [This is the concluding paragraph. It also may be called the “gratitude paragraph.” Thanksgiving to all those directly or indirectly responsible for author’s successful college career. Good recipients of thanks include: parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, professors, friends, spiritual leaders, mentors, disproportionately inspirational children, and one—but no more than one—signifi-

BY BEN VADNAL

cant other. Expression of love for entire Boston College community. Fond farewell. End of cliche.] *** This is the paragraph where the author abandons the structure of his ironic parody and reassumes his authentic writing style. As a Heights opinions columnist, I am expected to voice my criticisms about this University and its various component parts. Although this is my last column, today is no exception, and I hope the reader was amused by the first part of my final contribution to this newspaper. I love BC, and it will be hard for me to leave campus later this month with the knowledge that I will not be returning in the fall. There is an unavoidable heaviness that sets in at this time each year, and it is a heaviness that only has been compounded by the many tragedies that have befallen BC students in the past year. I do not know how to make all these untimely good-byes easier for the student body, but perhaps a re-appropriated quote from Matt Hamilton (A&S ’09) offers some solace, if only incidentally. “When illusions dissipate and the idols are shattered—if not on May [21], then further down the road: when sadness gives way to depression, when we lose a job or a parent dies, when our own child decides to make a mistake best described as ‘grave,’ when one’s wife files for divorce or you find yourself battling alcoholism, when the doctor informs you of kidney failure or tells you that the cancer has metastasized, when our time here at Boston College seems like a speck on the horizon of our past and death looms with a captor’s grip—in those momentous occasions where the earth ruptures, overwhelming us with fear, loneliness, and despair, remember that God is near.” This is my cliched but fond farewell to my Heights readers. God bless. William Mooney Sloneker is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

The point of college Marye Moran As the year comes to a close, everyone wonders for the seniors if Boston College really prepared them for the real world. Are the graduates set with jobs and the life skills to flourish in post-collegiate life? I don’t have the answer, but I don’t think that really matters. The question should not be asked—a college’s job is to teach students while they are there, not to ensure anything about their lives afterward. A recent New York Times article titled “The Imperiled Promise of College” notes that graduating from a university does not guarantee success, and that, when looking at unemployment figures, many liberal arts degrees do not better an individual’s job prospects. However, that is not the promise of a liberal arts school. As an English major, the professors of the English department guaranteed that they would help me write, analyze literature, and think deeply. I am here to take classes and learn about the subjects being taught. If I was on a specifically pre-professional track, like students in the Connell School of Nursing, Lynch School of Education, or Carroll School of Management, then I might have a right to expect my professors and academic advisors to prepare me for a certain career. But I’m in a college whose intention is not to prepare me for a job, but to teach me a subject. We have Successful Start, the Career Center, and almost every department’s website has a “what can I do with my (insert major here) degree” section. However, that is not the school’s focus. Still, when students are all scared by the Associated Press fact that over 50 percent of college graduates under the age of 25 are either unemployed or underemployed, implying that their degrees were not necessary for their current job status, they blame the schools. The Times article references philosophy majors working at Starbucks and anthropology students going on to sell clothes in a mall. This is stated as a negative, but why should your philosophy professor be involved in finding you a job? The point of majoring in that subject is to think deeply, so that no matter what you do, you have a better understanding of human nature and of yourself. In this case, it’s not the philosophy degree that made this individual become a barista. If they did not go to college, it’s true that they would have had the same prospect, but do most people think that taking only philosophy classes will find them a career? We’re not paying to find jobs, we’re paying to take classes in a university setting. Why is the fact that someone studied philosophy related to the fact that that person pours coffee for a living? If that would have been his career either way, why not be able to think interesting things along the way? Of course this raises the question about the monetary value of college, and if it is financially worth it. But is that what we’re really paying for? Does college have to be an entirely cost-efficient endeavor? Of course for many students, it is necessary to at least break even, to make enough after graduation to pay off loans. But the college experience can’t be entirely quantified. Most students leave school with a greater interest in learning, the experience of meeting new people, and with friends and out-of-theclassroom experiences that have defined them. Many people refer to their undergraduate years as the best four of their life, so even if that does not lead to a career, is it not worth it? Yes, 50 percent of graduates under 25 theoretically did not benefit financially from attending college. However, unemployment is high for those who did not attend as well. Even if college does not always prepare students for the real world, it is worth our time. And these figures are not the fault of BC or any other school: the decision about where to attend college should not be tied to the job-search process. If you want to be guaranteed a job, go pre-professional, and then if you fail, the school can be questioned. If you want a life-changing experience and the chance to learn more about what interests you, go to a liberal arts school. With the current post-graduate economic conditions, this experience may be financially unfeasible for many, but that does not eliminate its worth. Marye Moran is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.


CLASSIFIEDS

The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A8

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Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Heights

A9

Monday-Friday: 30 cent wing specials, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.


A10

The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012


The Heights

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Heights

Person of the Year 2011-2012

Rev. James A. woods

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e v. J a m e s A . Woods, S.J., has seen a lot after spending over four decades at Boston College. Since 1968, he has served as dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies (WCAS), formerly the Evening College of Arts, Sciences, and Business Administration, and he will be stepping down from his position this spring. Woods grew up in Neponset, a part of Quincy. His father was a milkman, who he often accompanied on milk runs. “My first teacher was my father, a role model who inspired me and others to do our best, to see what could be done,” he said. “We were the closest of friends.”

Photo courtesy of the office of news and public affairs

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is mother was an involved community member and parent, who offered him advice and support, and pushed him to make his dreams come true. “She taught me to ‘dream great dreams’ and to work with confidence to make them a reality,” Woods said. His parents’ philosophy on life sparked a mindset that has guided him since childho o d. “My parent s’ outlo ok sparked optimism and hope,” he said. Woods decided to become a Jesuit when he was a senior at Boston College High School, wishing to follow in the footsteps of those who had educated him. When he was 16, he went to Chestnut Hill for an interview, which took place where McGuinn Hall currently stands. “I was interviewed in the very spot where my office is today, but back then, it was an army barracks,” he said. “In front of the army barracks was an enormous pile of dirt, the forthcoming Fulton Hall. And then I saw the four other buildings that made up Boston College: Gasson, Bapst, St. Mary’s, and Devlin Hall.” In September, he began his studies at the Boston College of Liberal Studies at the Shadowbrook Jesuit Seminary in Lenox, Mass. After four years, he continued his studies at Weston College, which was a constituent college within BC at the time, where he studied philosophy and worked toward a master’s degree in teaching mathematics for three years. After three years teaching at an allboys boarding school, Cranwell, he returned to Weston College for theological studies, was ordained in 1961, and graduated in 1962. Before beginning his position as WCAS dean, he was Provincial Secretary for the New England Jesuits and concurrently began working at the University as registrar of the Schools of Liberal Arts, Philosophy, and Theology, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. In the 1970s, Woods was appointed University Registrar, and was part of a team that centralized student records, financial aid, and other information onto computers. “This was at a time when space was very limited on computers – as a result, to put in the entering freshman class, we had to delete one of the classes that graduated and do it all again the following year,” he said. This computer system is still in use at BC. “Due to the economic downturn a few years ago, the only thing that was cancelled at Boston College was a new computer system that was to replace the one developed in the early ’70s,” Woods said. “That new system is still on hold.” Woods had various other responsibilities and various other jobs over the course of his life, including starting Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River, Mass., and serving as Adult Education Advisor to former president Jimmy Carter. “I met monthly at the White House with a team of experts to

By Molly LaPoint | special projects editor facilitate the learning opportunities for a growing, diverse learner population,” he said. “This has been a lifelong commitment to each and [every] student eager and ready to begin their studies parttime.” In addition to his jobs, he had various “adventures in eminent domain,” he said. Millionairess Hetty Green’s estate in South Dartmouth, Mass. was the first of such adventures. It was on this estate that MIT had perfected radar technology during World War II, and in 1964, MIT sold it to the Society of Jesus of New England as a retreat. The town of Dartmouth, however, attempted to take it over after the purchase. “A court battle ensued, but the Jesuits prevailed after several years of litigation,” Woods said. They were not so lucky, however, with the portion of BC High’s land on which the University of Massachusetts, Boston wanted to build their entrance, and by eminent domain, UMass got the land. In 2002, WCAS received its name through a generous donation by Robert Devlin and his family. Devlin had been a student of Woods’ during his first year at Cranwell in 1955. “Being responsive to the academic, financial, and pastoral needs of the surrounding communities has been my responsibility these past 44 years,” Woods said. “Serving those students who dream of a Boston College education part-time in the Woods College of Advancing Studies and helping them make it happen has been extraordinarily meaningful for me.” Cheryl Wright, coordinator of student services for the WCAS, began 30 years ago as a temporary employee filling in for her mother, but stayed ever since. “He made this school what it is today,” she said. “It’s the love and respect that the students have for him that has made such a difference in their lives and in his life.” His commitment to the students is an accomplishment, Wright said. “His biggest accomplishment is the way he treats the whole student – it’s pastoral, it’s emotional, it’s academic.” Paul Nee, WCAS ’12, took two weekday classes and a Saturday class his first semester at BC. With two children and a full-time work schedule, he doubted his ability to handle such a full load when his Saturday class began a couple weeks after his other two. This day happened to fall on a football gameday, and as such, he was having trouble finding a place to park. “I thought, ‘Something’s telling me this is too much for me,’” he said. As Nee was driving home, however, he saw Woods standing out in the rain, waving a parking permit, looking for him. “Here’s the dean of the school,” he said, “and he could have anybody stand out there, but he was there himself. To me, that’s him in a nutshell. He pushed open all the doors, and all you had to do was go through them.” His abiilty to serve without judging is rare, Wright said. “He’s the most nonjudgmental person I’ve ever met. You could say that’s part of his devotion to his calling, but that’s not always true [with others].”

The values instilled in him by his parents are still very important to him, Woods said. “Guiding thousands through their educational, personal, and spiritual journey with compassion and kindness reflects a deep commitment to improving the human condition with a sense of justice and love of ‘other.’ It brings me back to what was instilled in me by my parents—the sense that there is something greater to be done­­—so just do it.” He has a way with students that is unique, Wright said. “He also knows almost intuitively what the student wants even if the student doesn’t know it.” Nee noted that when Woods first meets a student, he gets a sense for who they are and how to help them realize their academic potential. “You don’t realize he’s really feeling you out, then he’ll start suggesting classes to you,” he said. “He starts to get to know you as a student. He puts you in a situation where you’re out of your comfort zone, and you end up enjoying it.” Woods works to educate the whole person, including pastorally. “It’s the pastoral care that I think a lot of people need and want,” Wright said. Woods is the only employer who has thanked her for her work every night, she said, and he thanks his students similarly. “It makes a huge difference to know your worth.” Woods has built a strong staff around him, Nee said. “His staff is fantastic. They really work hard for him, and they work hard for the students, too.” Mike O’Connor, BC ’06, received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the WCAS. “His influence goes far beyond the classroom,” O’Connor said. “He has consistently served as a great source of inspiration and confidence.” Even since graduating, he has continued to seek Woods’ counsel. “It’s just been consistent,” O’Connor said. “I’ve known him for 13 years, and I’ve consistently gone back to him for advice and guidance. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be who I am personally, professionally, and spiritually without Father Woods.” Woods presides over many weddings, baptisms, and wakes for former students, Wright said. Among these former students is O’Connor, who was married by Woods. “I essentially planned my wedding around Father Woods’ availability,” O’Connor said. “The strength I draw from being part of something so worthwhile, daily restores me, invites me to grow, and reminds me each day that I have been extremely fortunate to have such an opportunity to serve,” Woods said. “The Jesuit and the entire Boston College community has inspired and invigorated me each day, giving shape to a vocation filled with great joy and the desire to share with all how ‘the world is charged with the grandeur of God.’ I am very grateful.” n


The Heights

B2

Momentum Awards

Thursday, May 3, 2011

2011-2012

Hanyin Cheng

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ou live for 80 years, but you really only experience six minutes of magic, and I think that’s true. The coming together of Splash was that moment that was really magical for me,” explained Hanyin Cheng, the man behind BC Splash, and the recently established organization Education for Students by Students (ESS). Cheng, A&S ’12, described by friends as the “Splash God,” said that the BC Splash story started when he was in high school. “I attended the MIT Splash program, and I really, really enjoyed it. I looked up to all of my teachers who were undergrads, because I think when you are a high school student, any older college-age student you meet is like your hero,” he said. “I just wanted to emulate them as a high school student.” The experience stuck with him, and he didn’t want it to end there, so he set out to bring Splash to Boston College. “It took a while for the idea to formulate in my mind and for me to find a platform to build it on. I just started talking,” Cheng said. “I was probably really annoying during that period because Splash is the only thing I talked about with everyone. I was obsessed.” This passion became a reality for Cheng during his sophomore year, when his status as a UGBC director gave him the platform to launch the inaugural BC Splash. “It was very successful that first semester, and from there, it’s just sort of grown,” he said. “It’s doubled every single time, growing from 250 students to over 800. The growth we’ve seen I think is a testament to how well the organization is run, and it’s just been amazing, an amazing ride.” A key component of BC Splash is using student interests to create a wide-ranging curriculum, but Cheng challenges students to be creative in this venture. “One thing I always tell my team when we’re recruiting for teachers is, we are asking students to think about if they could teach anything in the world, what would they teach? And I think when we ask students that question, we’re really asking, in an alternative way, what are you passionate about?” Cheng does not view passions as black and white, or even ordinary. He strives to create a community whose breadth of passions exhibit the bold and distinct personalities of BC students. “We sort of put a mask on every day when we wake up, in that we try to fit in with our friends and our social groups, but we’re not necessarily being who we actually are,” he said. “We might think, ‘Yeah, I have a special interest in math or chemistry or something, but I can’t really let my friends know because they will think I’m a nerd and it’s not cool.’ Splash is a day for students to take off that mask and really embrace their interests and passions.” Cheng’s primary concern during the early days of BC Splash was rushing through the vital growth period of the young club. He offered strong support and nurtured the group through its early stages to give it the strength it has today. “Among all of the universities who have offered Splash, we are the fastest growing one—we’re not the biggest yet, but we’re the fastest growing,” Cheng said. “We’re really focused on the quality more so than the quantity right now.” Striving to encourage his fellow students to share their passions with other people, Cheng wanted to expand this community of people who were truly interested in sharing ideas. BC Splash marked the beginning of this effort, but Cheng took it a step further as a founder of BC Talks. “BC Talks, which is awesome, its basically our own rendition of a TED Talk, putting the spotlight on students who have had amazing experiences here at BC or have done amazing research,” Cheng said. “Our vision with that is to create a huge online archive of students sharing their experiences. Imagine being able to go to a website and being able to watch BC students talking about what they love.”

Cheng’s passion for cultivating and spreading the ideas of students does not solely fuel his success. Ever since he entered BC as a freshman pursuing a double major in economics and computer science, he’s proven his leadership ability. A member of the Shaw Leadership program and Tech Trek alum, Cheng has worked closely with John Gallaugher, a professor in the Information Systems department. Gallaugher and Cheng’s mentor, who describes his protege as a “leader among leaders.” As a leader, Gallaugher said, “Hanyin has no ego in the game, which is rare in a driven, type-A personality. His clear interest in doing what’s right at all costs makes it easy for people to get behind him. He’s provided a platform for the excellence of others to shine.” With BC Splash and BC Talks flourishing and offering new opportunities for more projects in student thought, Cheng spearheaded a plan to create a new umbrella organization that catered exclusively to these projects. “Moving out of UGBC was a necessary move, because I didn’t really see Splash fitting into the existing structure at UGBC, and I wanted to be able to select our own leadership.” Comprehensive research of programs at other universities spawned the umbrella organization Education for Students by Students (ESS), in which Hanyin served as president. “I want people to think of ESS as, you know they run really awesome programs that have a lot of meaning. Something I always tell my team is, the why is more important than the how, which is more important than the what.” Cheng has laid the groundwork for ESS success and earned an award from ODSD in the process, but his legacy at BC is now for others to take over. He will be heading to New York after graduation to do investment

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banking for UBS, but he said that’s not his long-term vision. “I feel like I can learn a lot of skills from that job, but my long-term vision and how all of these things will come together is something I’m really passionate about, which is democratization of education.” Part of his own philosophy, this trend centers around that idea that people shouldn’t let schooling dictate their own education. “Everyone should be lifelong learners, and education should be an opportunity that everyone should enjoy,” he said. “I’d love to be combining my passion for education, my entrepreneurial spirit, and my love for technology, because I think technology is what’s going to make the democratization of education possible.” Despite his bright future, Cheng’s humility still shapes his communal thoughts on leadership. “When we think of leaders we always think someone who’s the decision maker, the boss, someone who’s at the helm, sort of heroic too, but we tend to forget that there wouldn’t be a leader unless there were the first followers.” Cheng’s mission to educate through personal passions will never be lost in his ambitions, though. He has left the BC community with a lasting means of turning work into play. “I would encourage the rest of the student body to find what they love, however they do that, and just go for it and start something on their own because, in looking back on my education here, that’s been the thing,” Cheng concluded. “I couldn’t imagine what my college life would have been like without Splash or without having tried to start this. Yes, at times it’s consumed my life in an unpleasant way, but I think it’s made my life really fulfilling.” n

daniel lee / Heights Editor

eagle ems president secures class 5 ambulance, builds ems family at boston college

hristopher Faherty, president of Eagle EMS and A&S ’13, has been riding ambulances for almost a third of his life. Growing up in Little Silver, New Jersey, he began volunteering in the local fire department at the age of 14 to fulfill his Confirmation class community service requirement, transitioned to Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and hasn’t looked back since. “I remember my first EMS call when I wasn’t an EMT yet. I was sitting around with some friends and the pagers went off for a call to another town, and they convinced me to go along,” Faherty said. “A man had fallen off the curb and cut up his face. It was the middle of summer, and I had this gut instinct when I was getting off the rig that I was finally realizing what I was involved in. This guy is hurt, he’s disoriented, and at one point I had this instinctual thought, ‘Oh Jeez, someone should call 911.’ And then it hit me and I had this realization: ‘Oh. I am 911.’” Although he was initially reluctant to join EMS because he didn’t want to deal with “blood and guts,” Faherty quickly realized the passion he had for the work. Now,

By taylour kumpf | editor-in-chief

he’s well-known in Little Silver for his work as an EMT. “I’m the EMS guy,” Faherty said. “I go home and people call me Doc. I’m usually in the top five responding EMTs back home, even when I’m living up in Boston.” When Faherty left for Boston in the fall of 2009, he joined Eagle EMS quickly, looking for a group of students that might be able to replicate the family atmosphere of his ambulance company back home. At the time, Eagle EMS had a small closet in Maloney Hall for storage of basic equipment, and a relatively low membership. The organization provided basic coverage at football games, basketball games, and large-scale concerts. Faherty became involved in Eagle EMS with his friend Kevin Wickersham, current vice president of Eagle EMS and A&S ’13, and the two volunteered to organize the annual National Collegiate EMS Week. Later in their freshman year, the director of operations at the time stepped down, and Faherty and Wickersham petitioned then-Eagle EMS president Katie Davis, BC ’10, with the idea of both of them serving as co-directors. “We went to Katie, and after some convincing, she made us co-directors of operations,” Faherty said. “The semester went on, and at the end of the year, Katie went out on a limb and picked me as president over some very qualified people.”

graham beck / Heights Editor

Chris Faherty By david cote | heights editor

Since being named president of Eagle EMS in the spring of 2010, Faherty has dedicated countless hours to the organization. As a result, Eagle EMS has exploded in size and scope, and has been recognized at both the national and University level. “With two years of Chris’ leadership, we have increased our physical footprint in the form of a larger office space, larger budget, and now a vehicle, but we have also started to branch out in ways that couldn’t have been imagined three years ago,” Wickersham said. “This is my second year as president and we’ve doubled, almost tripled in size,” Faherty said. “We cover almost every event on campus, we have a non-transporting Class 5 ambulance, we’re a private ambulance service, we teach hundreds of people CPR per year, we’re doing about 25 continuing education classes per year, three or four EMT classes per year, we have about 1 percent of Massachusetts EMTs working for us, we’ve gained significant recognition in the University, and we won a national collegiate EMS award last year.” To Faherty, these many achievements are a testament to the hard work of all of the members of Eagle EMS. But his friends won’t let him get off so modestly. “Chris is passionate about his work in EMS as well as all areas of his life, and does not accept anything less than the very best from himself,” said Gus Godley, Eagle EMS member services coordinator and A&S ’13. “Chris was the key player in Eagle EMS obtaining our ambulance this year, as well as key improvements to the office and equipment of Eagle EMS over the last two years.” “I have an immense amount of respect for Chris’s leadership abilities and dedication to the organization, and am honored to have been able to work alongside him for the past several years,” Wickersham said. Faherty often works with the BCPD and has developed strong relationships with officers throughout the organization. Officer Daniel Morris, who often works the weekend night shift, spoke highly of Faherty as a leader. “Chris played a fundamental role in accruing a Class 5 ambulance for Eagle EMS,” Morris said. “Chris’ leadership has allowed Eagle EMS to provide thousands of hours of EMS coverage for the Boston College community, and he has worked to build lasting relationships between Eagle EMS and many other departments.” Beyond his administrative abilities and dedication, Faherty’s co-workers commended him for his skills as an EMT, as well. “As an EMT, his skills are paralleled by few at BC, but he remains humble about his abilities even though he has multiple CPR saves with his volunteer company at home in New Jersey, and has changed the lives of many patients who he only sees for a matter of hours, or even minutes,” Godley said. Faherty cited the expansion of the office in the winter of 2010 as a key factor in the development of the organization while he served as president.

“One of the toughest things about working with administrators is opening their eyes to the value of a student ambulance service, especially when they’re used to paid services,” Faherty said. “Dr. [Patrick] Rombalski [vice president for Student Affairs] recognized the benefit of it, and not even just for healthcare, but also for the purpose students feel as part of the organization.” After some convincing, the Eagle EMS closet was expanded into a full-sized office. The changes to the office brought a new wave of membership, a larger budget, and new equipment for the organization. After two years with Faherty as president, Eagle EMS now provides full medical coverage at football games and almost 300 events per year, including club sports, concerts, dances, Relay for Life, and many more. “There really isn’t much that we don’t cover anymore,” he said. “If there’s a legitimate gathering of people, we’re happy to cover it.” Now that membership has grown so extensively, Faherty said that Eagle EMS has been flourishing due to increased visibility. At the same time, the organization is turning internally to improve education for members. Rombalski spoke highly of Faherty and his dedication to the University and to Eagle EMS. “As a freshman, Chris immediately became involved in a leadership capacity in Eagle EMS and facilitated their move from a good student organization to one of the strongest, most well-run organizations on campus,” Rombalski said. Faherty is currently studying neuroscience in the pre-medical program at BC, and hopes to attend medical school. His love for EMS and his involvement in Eagle EMS has given him a “second passion,” however. “I love the energy of EMS, the split-second decisions,” Faherty said. “You’re on the third floor of a house and there’s a 50-year-old man having a heart attack—what do you do? It’s you, you, and you. You’re in that situation and everyone’s going to turn to you and say, what do we do?” Faherty will step down as president next year so that the organization can continue to develop and become sustainable without him, and Wickersham will take his place as president. Faherty will serve as vehicle operations coordinator, focusing on the development of the new Class 5 ambulance that was purchased this past spring. “I think it’s time to get someone with fresh ideas,” he said. “I don’t want the organization to stagnate.” It’s more than just the medical experience that keeps Faherty coming back for more. It’s also the relationships he builds—with patients, with administrators, and with fellow EMTs. Fostering relationships is a skill he has perfected as a Resident Assistant for the Office of Residential Life, and it’s one he has applied on his floor and to Eagle EMS. “Setting aside all the accomplishments, to build a family in Eagle EMS was my ultimate goal, and I think we’ve accomplished that,” Faherty said. n


Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Heights

B3

Momentum Awards 2011-2012

Bonnie Jefferson

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etirement. The very word has a stigma too it. We think of old age, of the slow-moving, of the culmination of careers. Retirement, we think, is the end of an era. The moment you walk into retiring professor Bonnie Jefferson’s office, however, you realize how very wrong you were. The 64-year-old is about as jolly and exuberant as they come. Surrounded by pictures of her grandchildren, tacky political paraphernalia (think a Lyndon Johnson bottle opener, a Sarah Palin Christmas ornament, and an Obama hand puppet) and a life-sized cutout of John Wayne wrapped in chili pepper lights, Jefferson welcomes everyone into her communication abode like they were old friends. She’ll chat about her daily coffee run, her latest trip to a communication conference, her children, really just about anything. With this kind of cheeriness, it comes as no surprise that Jefferson is friends with almost everyone. When talking with one of her oldest friends, Rita Rosenthal, a professor in the communication department, she gave over 10 names of close confidants in the department that should be contacted. It seems that everyone loves Bonnie.

And, to be certain, Bonnie loves everyone. Part of the reason she loves teaching at a university is that she gets to interact with people of all ages, which, she says, keeps her young. “A lot of my friends who are my age who aren’t academics live in these communities where everyone around them is 65 and all their friends are the same age,” she said. “I have friends that are 20 years younger than me that I go drinking with.” One could guess her joyful and open demeanor is partially a product of her small-town charm. A native of Waverly, W. Va. (population as of 2010: 395), Jefferson says that she’s “from the smallest town of anyone I’ve ever met.” She attended high school and then went to Marshall University, where she studied elementary education, speech, and theater. After a brief stint teaching the fifth grade, Jefferson went to Ohio University to get her master’s and then the rhetoric program at University of Pittsburgh to get her Ph.D. It was at the University of Pittsburgh that Jefferson met Ted Whint, who would be a main source of inspiration for her energetic teaching style at BC. Whint taught a class for 500 students about the presidency that was so well-loved that, Jefferson said, people would bring their friends. “He was extremely dramatic, and he taught this class with all these people before there was the ability to use

daniel lee / heights editor

Cam cronin

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By elise taylor | heights editor

any film clips … he taught completely on the power of his own personality,” she said. “He was really dynamic, but he was also very structured. So any time I thought about teaching in terms of large classes, he was always the person I thought of. I think there is an assumption that large classes have to be bad. They can be good. It just takes some thought, and he taught me that.” And, as any student of Jefferson could tell you, her classes definitely have a lot of thought. Winner of the Boston College Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award in 2010, the BC Teaching with New Media Award in 2007, and the Donald H. Ecroyd and Caroline Drummond Ecroyd Teaching Excellence Award in 2006, Jefferson has received universal praise for her teaching of Rhetorical Tradition, American Public Address (Jefferson is a self-proclaimed political geek), and Communication Criticism. Jefferson says she has a deep love for all her courses. “They’re all things that I love to teach and love to talk about,” she said. “I get to teach all these things I think are just a hoot.” Jefferson’s largest class, Rhetorical Tradition, has charmed students since she first began teaching it 15 years ago. Filled with film clips and even some personal demonstrations (in one class, she makes her TAs try on a dress sold on an infomercial), Jefferson is renowned for her ability to keep every student entertained and focused for the duration of class. “Her enthusiasm about her class and the Boston College communication department is inspiring,” said Page Hamilton, a former student of Jefferson’s and A&S ’14. “A lot of times, you can lose focus in a lecture class, but you really don’t in Jefferson’s.” Most impressive, however, is how Jefferson effortlessly connects with her students even if she does not have the ability to talk to them one-on-one. Jefferson, who says that she loves all her students, makes an effort to share personal anecdotes and stories to connect with her students. “Students are tons of fun,” she said. “It’s very rare that you have a student that is a true pain in the ass. Students that are your best students, students that are struggling–there is always something you like about that student.” “I love Bonnie because she loves sharing details about her family and hometown,” said Jasmine Wang, A&S ’14. “She is so open and honest, and it makes you feel like you have such a personal relationship with her even though you’re in a huge lecture classroom with at least a hundred or so other students.” No doubt this is the reason Jefferson has been selected to represent the communication department at Admitted Eagle Days. “I love Accepted Baby Eagles Day. I think they’re fun and you see students that are so excited to start their academic careers,” she said. Tara Alvarez, A&S ’14, said that Jefferson’s class on Admitted Eagle Day is what made her decide to be a

communication major. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study at BC, but when I heard Bonnie speak, I knew that’s the major I should be,” Alvarez said. “If it wasn’t for her, I’m not sure what I would have chosen.” These accolades even extend far beyond the students. Donald Fishman, assistant chairperson of the communication department, first hired Jefferson to teach at the University and said she is a “master teacher.” “In the Rhetorical Tradition course, one of the hardest units to teach deals with Kenneth Burke, one of the most challenging theorists in communication,” he said. “Bonnie’s summary of Kenneth Burke is superb, and she shows an excerpt from the film Lion King to explain the concept of ‘rebirth.’ Ten years after the course, students forget the technical details of Burkeian theory, but they invariably remember the day that The Lion King was shown in class.” Fishman also said Jefferson shines in American Public Address when discussing rhetoric in the Cold War, the topic of her Ph.D dissertation. “No one in our department has every handled the Cold War with more passion and insight than Bonnie Jefferson,” he said. Jefferson also teaches more than just her students. For many younger professors in the communication department, she has helped them adjust to the BC community and also been a mentor. “When I moved here, she painted old dressers to give my kids when we were new and needed furniture,” said Ashley Duggan, a professor in the communication department. “I have delighted in enjoying her summer garden, trips to the beach, conference trips, lots of great meals and glasses of wine with Bonnie. I am touched by the ways she shares her life with students far beyond the classroom as well. She is a friend and mentor who touches our souls.” Pamela Lannutti, a professor in the communication department, also said that Jefferson was vital in her first few years at BC. “I started at BC 10 years ago, straight out of grad school, and Dr. Jefferson took me under her wing,” she said. “She is a wonderful mentor to the students and professors alike. She is the best example of what teaching college is all about.” Rosenthal said Jefferson is “the wise one.” “Bonnie is the one person who everyone in the group looks to as the ‘wise one.’ She is amazing at planning and scheduling any event of any size,” she said, citing a trip to the Louvre in France that Jefferson had planned. “Bonnie has been a wonderful ‘wise one’ and guide to so many students, faculty, and friends, and she will be missed by so many.” So what is the next step for this forever-young wise one? Time, and a lot of time, with her daughters and grandchildren. She may move to be closer with family, or build on her father’s chicken farm in West Virginia. Wherever she, and John Wayne, end up, it is clear that she will never be forgotten. n

senior uses performing arts talents to impact students

By Chris marino | heights editor

have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was.” The crowd looked on as Bottom, the character from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, awoke from his inspirational slumber in this past weekend’s performance. As many in the audience knew, the actor playing the bombastic, whimsical man was Cam Cronin, LSOE ’12, soon to end his tenure at Boston College and wave farewell to the stage of Robsham Theatre. For Cronin, this final performance was the culmination of a career filled with many personal connections. His complete dedication to the theatre department has been the result of a lifelong passion for the arts, and love for connecting with his colleagues. “It’s something that I had always done before, and I wanted to keep doing it,” he said of performing in the theatre. “That’s what initially drew me to the program. Why I wanted to keep doing it was the people. I got a lot from the people. It’s one of the ways that I’ve always felt fulfilled. To me, it’s a way to be a little bit selfish in that I want to fulfill my own creative desire. The theatre program is something that has really done that for me. It’s been very personal in the sense that it’s something that I’ve felt very fulfilled by, but it’s also been about the relationships I’ve developed with the people, both the people I’ve acted with and people I’ve worked with on marketing a show and people I’ve worked on producing a show with. It’s top to bottom in that sense.” Cronin’s peers in the arts community respect this dedication and leadership in the performing arts. Luke Jorgensen, a professor in the theatre department, has directed him on stage in multiple roles, and professed great respect for his star actor. “Cam Cronin is a perfect example of a student who started out strong and just gained momentum over the years,” he said. “He has been in many Robsham productions, including Twelfth Night, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Threepenny Opera, and, of course, Midsummer Night’s Dream. I may be biased, but I think his best work was in Midsummer Night’s Dream. I think he always puts the importance and the necessities of a project before himself. He’s very intelligent, very hardworking, very professional, and he has taken a leadership position, both within our department and in different arts organizations and in Boston College in general.” Scott Cummings, chairperson of the theatre department, agreed that Cronin has made great strides throughout his career, and has made a significant impact on the department. “Cam takes his performance work very seriously, and approaches it very professionally,” he said. “In that regard, he’s a model for younger, less experienced students.” Hailing from nearby Wakefield, Mass., Cronin has been a staple in the BC community. Aside from his work in the theatre department, the St. John’s Prep alumnus has worked as a UGBC senator, Orientation Leader, and prospective teacher in the Lynch School. When asked how he is able to balance these positions, and acting as a modern day “renaissance man,” Cronin laughed, and said, “The term ‘renaissance man’ is very flattering to me. To be totally honest, it’s something that I take as a very big compliment, because the idea of multiple intelligences and the ability to do a lot of diverse thing is so important today. So, that I like a lot.” Peter Folan, assistant director at the Office of First Year Experience, has worked closely with Cronin over the last four years. Folan has mentored him through his summer as an Orientation Leader, as well as a 48Hours leader. The two have created a close bond over the years, and Folan has been extremely pleased with Cronin’s progression, especially in his ability to relate with people and think beyond his own needs. “I’ve known Cam since he was a freshman, so I’ve seen him over the four years grow in confidence, grow in ability, and grow in his commitment and care for his fellow peers at BC,” he said. “I think that his strength and the hallmark of Cam Cronin is his desire to work with BC students, so that they can maximize their time and experience here. That’s a gift that he has.

I think why he made such a great Orientation Leader and a great 48Hours leader was that ability to go the extra mile.” Cronin himself believes that this aspect of his development has been the most important in his respective commitments on campus. “I think it’s all about personal connections,” he said. “The first thing I can think of when I’m trying to find a link between acting, teaching and being an Orientation Leader is connecting with people.” This aspect of Cronin’s repertoire has been noticeable even on the stage, despite the fact that he is playing out the lives of made-up characters. For Cronin, portraying the role of someone else never strays too far from his own personality. He uses this, as well as his real-life relationships, to have an impact on the audience and bring the story to life. “The way I think about it is that every character that I play has a lot of me in it,” he said. “I have to draw on my own personal experiences in order to get into something. I can’t put something on from outside of me. It has to come from within. So when I did Twelfth Night, I’m kind of beat up on emotionally by people. I thought back to time, ‘When did that happen to me? What did that feel like? How did I respond? How would I respond up there?’ What I try to do is rely on experiences that I’ve had, and also the experiences that other people have had. It’s certainly not just a ‘me’ process, but rather how do I use my interactions with other people around me.” This desire to present himself truly and fully has brought him into the Lynch School, where he hopes to continue interacting with people, and use his own experiences to inspire young minds. While Cronin never saw himself as a teacher growing up, his willingess to help others and make connections has led him back to the classroom. He even sees the job as a way to utilize his skills on the stage in real life. “It’s like you’ve got five different audiences for an hour a day,” he said. “That’s something that appealed to me, and having to be on and playing a role, not necessarily being yourself, but kind of having a persona that takes over and is engaging. That was drawing to me, and also giving back. I like to talk about my experiences. I think that’s a good thing. Being able to give

that to students and give my personal story and letting them go with it. The teachers I found I liked the best, and people I would try to emulate to be like, were people who didn’t tell you the way it was but told you their story and then said do what you want with it. You take this and see how it works for you. If it works, great, and, if not, find something else, because it has to be personal.” Folan, who saw the dynamic nature of Cronin during Orientation last summer, recognizes the “genuine” nature of the senior. This ability to be comfortable in himself and truly care for the incoming students gave Cronin a great sense of how to connect. Folan notices this ability to remain authentic in his roles on stage “One of the qualities of a great actor is their ability to perform, and that performance piece in some ways can be hollow and it can’t be representative of who that person is,” he said. “I think why Cam is so successful on the stage is that he connects well with people because they sense that authenticity in him, even when he’s acting and performing in a part.” For Cronin, who is hoping to stay involved in the performing arts in some capacity, the biggest thing he has learned during his time at BC is to respect and appreciate the little things, from simple gestures to small interactions. “Every interaction that I have with people is a new and exciting thing for me,” he said. “That’s even as simple as holding a door for someone. Father Don gave this quote a while back about how BC, to him, is about walking from Hillside up through O’Neill to Gasson Hall, and holding the door for the same person four times, and each time saying thank you and you’re welcome. That is right on for me. That is what I really agree with. The small everyday interactions with people are what really matter. “I’m all about college being about the deep conversations with friends in a dorm room. That’s great, too, but if every single day I can affect someone in a small basis, that’s just as important to me. I try to do that in my everyday interactions and the groups I’m involved in and any new people that I meet in general.” n

Graham Beck | Heights editor


The Heights

B4

Momentum Awards

Thursday, May 3, 2012

2011-2012

Ariel Durgana & Ronnie Seeney

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duo successfully revamps Popular dance and cultural event, alC showdown By darren ranck | heights senior staff

When Ronnie Seeney, CSOM ’13, told members of the administration that she planned to start the popular ALC Showdown promptly at 7 p.m. and wrap it all up by 9:30 p.m. sharp, the group couldn’t hold back their amusement. “A lot of them sat there kind of like, ‘Okay, Ronnie, that’s nice for you to be ambitious, but it’s not going to happen,’” Seeney said. Seeney’s ambition and the similarly steadfast work of her colleague Ariel Durgana, A&S ’12, brought these goals to fruition, though. The co-directors of ALC programming took risks to deliver an efficient, familyfriendly show that brought together the excitement of a dance competition and the moral mission of the Boston College community. Durgana’s Showdown experience this past year put her behind the scenes, but her relationship to the event began as a dancer. She was a three-year member of MASTI and even served as its head choreographer her junior year, but a back injury sidelined her. Durgana forged a new road in Showdown history by taking the reigns on this year’s event. “Having the total opposite experience and going from dancing in Showdown to running it was overwhelming,” Durgana said. “A good overwhelming, though. If I couldn’t dance in it, I wanted to be running it. There was no way I wasn’t going to be involved in Showdown.” Seeney took a different route that began with mentorship in the AHANA Leadership Academy program. Assigned to the programming department, Seeney immersed herself and became assistant programming director of the ALC her sophomore year before stepping into the role of co-director of programming her junior year. She saw Showdown as one of the key events to increasing race relations. “When I came as a freshman, I immediately felt the difference between white and black, but I didn’t feel that when I went to an ALC event,” Seeney said. “Showdown is one of the biggest events that targets AHANA students and gets all of their friends involved, but it also brings the entire BC community all together.” Durgana credits Seeney’s sharp organization skills and attention to detail as a key to their success while Seeney praises Durgana’s endless creativity, but it’s the fusion of the two together that resulted in ALC programming’s success, said Guru Shan, ALC president and A&S ’12. “Both of them have the personality where they can take on everything without really showing it,” he said. “They are really good delegators, and everyone in the department took on some responsibility.” This became most apparent when the duo revamped ALC Showdown. Last year’s ALC looked to address the negative feedback regarding the show’s length and the rambling emcees. Durgana drew from pop culture to find a solution. Crediting dance shows such as America’s Best Dance Crew and Dancing with the Stars, Durgana proposed using video introductions with the dance teams in place of using emcees. “At first, the dance teams were

nervous about the videos because it’s different from being onstage,” Seeney said. “Some of them were really nervous being recorded.” “Some of them didn’t want to show off their moves,” Durgana said. “Showdown season gets very competitive and secretive, so they didn’t want to show too much.” Using the skills of Rob Maloof, BC ’10, highly professional videos bookended each performance, and the dance teams put the competition aside and put their personalities forward. Along with the videos, Seeney proposed putting a philanthropic twist on the event. An orientation leader the summer before, Seeney took to heart the philosophy she taught her freshmen. “All summer I was saying, ‘Men and women for others,’ so when it came time to start planning Showdown, I thought, ‘How can we be men and women for others?’” Seeney said. “It’s a common notion that if you’re going to do something at BC it should connect back to service, and we know that we lacked that in years past, so the best thing that I could think of was giving a charity check and having the teams’ dancers contribute to something they believe in.” Announcing the news to the dance groups resulted in little fanfare. As the group bios came in, however, Durgana and Seeney recognized that groups planned to donate money to PULSE placements and foundations that contributed research to illnesses with personal meaning. “A lot of the culture clubs that competed this year chose a

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the checks,” Seeney said. “One, we’re giving this money to people who will try to better themselves, and it was almost five months of work coming down to this. It was finally done.” Durgana and Seeney showed expert management in Showdown, but that success was shown in the ALC Boat Cruise and the Winter Ball, as well. “Ariel and Ronnie’s real success was creating such a strong department,” Shan said. “They faced a lot of hurdles and were able to handle them with ease.” The programming directors agree, though, that these events are nothing without their audience. “Everyone enjoyed themselves,” Durgana said. “I think that’s the biggest thing for an event planner. If everyone else is having a great time, you’re having a great time.” This experience had an even larger take-away for Durgana and Seeney, however. “This whole thing taught us not to be afraid of doing something different or taking risks,” Durgana said. “It could end up being for the better. It’s not just because they’re different. It’s because these changes were creative and insightful.” Seeney agreed. “I now think that you really need to stick to what you think is best,” she said. “A lot of people said, ‘Are you sure you want to do that? Is it for the best?’ It would have been easy to be like, ‘Fine, we’ll settle,’ but because we were gung-ho about it, we stuck to our plan.” And this duo has a breezy two-and-a-half hours worth of proof that it was for the best. n

daniel lee / Heights Editor

outdoor club

By Daniel Ottaunick | heights editor

n a tour of almost any major university in the United States, a question that inevitably gets asked is, “How can I get involved?” And at almost every university, prospective students are told not only about the clubs offered at that school, but also the opportunities for students to create their own clubs if none exist that meet their specific interests. As Keegan Dougherty, A&S ’13, Ben Key, BC ’11, Carl Ceraolo, A&S ’14, and the other leaders of the Outdoor Club of Boston College (OCBC) have learned throughout the past three years, that process can be a lot more challenging than some tour guides may lead you to believe. The idea of OCBC was conceived three years ago by a group of students who, according to current president and co-founder Dougherty, “saw a real need for an Outdoor Club on campus.” At the time, Dougherty, along with Key, former president and co-founder, attempted to begin the process of bringing that vision to realization. “The club was born, naturally, out of a desire for BC to facilitate trips into the woods for me,” Key said in an e-mail. “There has always been a wilderness

charity that had to do with their culture in that specific country,” Durgana said. “All of the dance teams were good about picking a charity that showed their personality as a team as well as something that showed them as men and women for others. I think by the end they really liked the idea.” The big day proved both exciting and stressful. Seeney spent much of her time calling cues and helping the disabled to their seats while Durgana managed the dance teams on the floor and dealt with the emotion of her final Showdown. Both described the event as “a blur,” but somehow Seeney’s bold goal of a 7 p.m. start time with a strict two-and-a-half hour runtime came to fruition. Sexual Chocolate won for dance performance while Uprising won for cultural performance, making the West End House of Boys and Girls Club and the Hawthorne Youth Community Center, respectively, each $500 richer. In Durgana and Seeney’s opinion, the best part was that the crowd stayed to see the talent rewarded and the charities given their due. “We have a picture that BCPD took of the whole crowd at 9:15, and you see everyone,” Seeney said. “It was an incredible experience because we knew that it went really well,” Durgana said. “We were getting compliments all over the place. BCPD called it the best Showdown they had ever seen, which is an honor coming from them.” “I almost cried on stage when we were presenting

after two years of fighting for recognition, the outdoor club finally makes it official

compulsion in me, and lacking an official club, I had to get sort of creative. I resorted to standing up in classes a few times and announcing I was going backpacking the next weekend, inviting anyone who was interested. I made a lot of friends that way, actually, once I’d been Facebook-vetted—but I don’t look like an ax murderer.” The reality that Key and Dougherty faced was that the entangled bureaucracy of the University made it challenging for them to start a club that could involve potential liabilities that it would have to absorb in order to insure some of the club’s excursions. The two were unfazed, however, and began the process of organizing the club, despite lacking official recognition by the University. Realizing that they needed a real organization behind them if they were going to convince BC of the necessity of having an Outdoor Club, and in spite of the University’s opposition to them even holding meetings, the two created a listserv, gathered members interested in what the club could offer, and petitioned Student Programs Office (SPO) on a weekly basis. “I realized that BC clubs were largely dedicated to campus demographics: race, religion, politics, and academic majors,” Key said. “Of course there are the comedy groups and a cappella, but if you’re not funny and have no desire to sing without musical accompaniment, you’re out of luck … I wanted a club

daniel lee / Heights Editor

in which kids from all the other [smaller and more specific clubs] could also be members, and get to know each other. I envisioned OCBC as a flagship in this regard, a group that would lead the way toward a new chapter for SPO in which the administration helped to facilitate unity across the full BC spectrum through broad organizations.” And that mission is still critical to the club today, as it continues to establish a foothold on campus and still pushes the University to allow them to broaden their offerings to students. This involves making sure that all students at BC can get involved with the club. “If you’re a BC student and you hear about one of our trips, you’re welcome to come,” Dougherty said. This is because the club wants to remain as open as possible to all students , which, Dougherty said, involves balancing the traditional structure of a club with their a more user-friendly organization. Part of making sure that the club is open to everyone involves finding students certified to lead its trips. This brings to the forefront another component of the club, its educational aspect. The club works with its members to help them get certified to lead trips. Ceraolo, who is involved with Eagle EMS, even helped organize a special class held by that organization specifically for the Outdoor Club, which focused on First Aid certification, hands-on CPR, and outdoor-related injuries, demonstrating that the Outdoor Club is as much dedicated to hosting events that everyone can attend as it is to making sure that students on their trips are prepared and safe. This is shown through the club’s three pillars: safety, leadership and community; experience, skills, education; and appreciation for the outdoors. While the club has unquestionably been successful in generating student interest, and has made significant progress by becoming an RSO, they still face difficulties while trying to organize events under the watch of the University, particularly because the club and the Student Programming Office have different visions of what the club is to become. While Dougherty and Ceraolo stressed the importance of having their events be student-led, the University has required them to book events through third parties in order to remove potential liabilities for the University. During this past semester, the group’s first as an Registered Student Organization (RSO), those differing visions almost prevented the club from hosting any events. While the club had held meetings in March where potential student event leaders pitched their ideas to the club and got over 150 members to sign up, the University told the club in April, just before these events were supposed to be held, that they could no longer have student-led events, effectively freezing their activities. Despite these difficulties, Dougherty, Ceraolo, and the club’s leadership, left with very little time to hold any events due to a delayed response from the University, still held two successful excursions this past weekend. Considering the challenges that still exist, the club has a difficult road ahead. “As much progress as we’ve made, this club is still in its infancy,” Dougherty said. “The only foundational aspect that’s missing is the full support of the administration.” Next year, under the leadership of Ceraolo, the club will continue to stay focused on its goals, just as it has for the past three years, as it has risen from an idea to an RSO. “Student-led trips have always been the focus of the OCBC,” Ceraolo said. In order to continue highlighting that point, the group wants students to be able to keep contributing ideas to the club as it looks to work with the University to host more events outside of Boston. A great amount of progress has been made through the hard work of the group’s members, and their members hope to continue dedicating their efforts toward bringing their visions for the club to fruition. n


interview

Joss whedon

‘the avengers’ director talks heroes with the scene, page C4 Star value

chloe moretz

the pint-sized starlet explores every genre, page B4

album review

‘Blown away’

Carrie underwood’s new album offers some hits but often falls short of her huge talent, c5

Thursday, May 3, 2012

T

his is it, folks, we’re in the home stretch. Summer is almost within our grasps. We’ve been so consumed with finals and projects that it’s entirely possible that pop culture goings on have completely missed our radar. The new season of Game of Thrones is already several episodes deep, but if you’ve been keeping up with your studies, it’s likely you haven’t been keeping up with the Lannisters. Similarly, new albums by Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple have been—or are about to be—released, perfect examples of beach-ready jams. With that, the Scene presents its definitive list of pop-culture musts, paired with the perfect situations. Looking for a good movie to watch on a rainy day? Find out the answer to that and more after the jump. By br e n na n carl ey | A rts & R ev i ew E d i t o r tay l o r cavall o | ass o c. A rts & R ev i ew E d i t o r da n s i e r i n g | asst. A rts & R ev i ew E d i t o r c h r i s m ar i n o | h e i g h ts e d i to r

Woogeon kim / heights photo illustration


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Blurring the line of hip hop and pop

The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Scene and Heard

BY: ALLAN Guzman

Brennan Carley I don’t think anybody would argue with me if I said that will.i.am. isn’t exactly a master lyricist. All it takes is a brief listen to his solo attempt “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever),” which I refuse to pronounce as anything other than “the,” to hear what the Pea considers witty. “This beat is the s—t / Feces,” he raps, comparing a thumping Euro-trance drum machine to a literal pile of waste—why you gotta hate on your own song like that, Mr. i.am? Then there’s the truly unforgettable line during which the Grammy-award winner (yes, I was surprised and appalled too) declares “I wake up in the morning / Hard like morning wood in the morning,” a line which he must have written after his kindergarten class discussed the different times of day. In case you want to overdose on stupidity, I’d also recommend watching the music video for the aforementioned song. It literally looks as if its star was too busy to shoot the flick, so they caught him walking around at awkward moments. At one point he’s seen at the cockpit of a spaceship, his face twisted in a laughable grimace that easily could have been filmed while he was on the toilet taking a “s—t / Feces.” I use will.i.am as an example of how hip-hop (arguable here, but justifiable, because really, what other genre does he fit in?) often fails to imitate pop. It’s a trend that shows no signs of stopping. There’s no use harping on Nicki Minaj’s album for its hip-pop tendencies—Spin magazine has already beaten that horse to death and back again—but a startling number of rappers have recently straddled the line between their genre of choice and radio-ready hits. Most notably, and perhaps most disappointingly, is Jay-Z’s Roc Nation labelmate Santigold, who five years ago released one of the most influential records of the past decade. Try and remember back to 2007, a time in which Lady Gaga wasn’t on the tip of anyone’s tongues, the Dixie Chicks had Grammy awards up the wazoo, and Hilary Duff was popping out records instead of babies. Santigold (then Santogold, a name-change that occurred as a result of legal concerns) basically came out of left field with her self-titled debut that spawned several successful singles (“LES Artistes” and “Lights Out” among them). Santogold showed the world that hip-hop was truly a fluid medium that didn’t need to fit conventions anymore. It was an album that returned the genre to its glory days, reminiscent of the work of Grandmaster Flash and even Biz Markie from the 1980s, arguably hip-hop’s most exciting era. It was part singing, part rapping, and all fuzzy electronic pleasure. Cohesively, it worked better than any other rap album in years, seamlessly blending hazy rap tracks (“Starstruck,” a personal favorite that has been in my iTunes top-10 most played tracks since its release) and numbers that showed Top-40s influence without ever conforming to the genre’s copy and paste format. Last year, however, one of the album’s producers did something disappointing that showed, more than anything else, a severe lack of creativity. Switch, one half of the popular Major Lazer, re-appropriated the group’s track “Pon De Floor” for Beyonce, crafting her middling comeback single “Girls (Run The World).” It showed that the fusion of hip-hop and poppy dance numbers was no longer one process—now, at least in Beyonce and Switch’s case, it had turned into a copy-and-paste maneuver that mocked the creativity it had once ushered in so excitingly. On her new album, Master of My Make-Believe, Santi seems unable to break past this new style of hip-pop conventionality. It’s disappointing to see one of the most talented and innovative artists of her generation flounder on a long-awaited album that doesn’t come close to touching its predecessor. She’s playing the Governor’s Ball in New York City in June, a concert I’m looking forward to. Let’s hope she goes back to the basics.

Brennan Carley is the Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

1. OCTO IN TROUBLE Nadya Suleman, aka “Octomom,” has recently filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The famed mother of 14 made the announcement only a day after claiming she was making money and got a $520 haircut. Suleman reportedly has $50,000 in assets but is up to $1 million in debt. In addition, Octomom is currently on welfare and her California home is hitting the auction block.

2. SEGEL & CLINTON

Actor Jason Segel recently mentioned that he would like to work with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately for Segel, Clinton declined his invitation. In a letter to the actor, Clinton explained that “perhaps someday” she would help him “forget Sarah Marshall … again.” Clinton, however, did put forth a single demand if this collaboration were ever to happen: that there be Muppets involved.

3. HOBBIT SCARES Director Peter Jackson has announced that The Hobbit is being shot with high-definition 3D cameras at 48 frames per second, achieving footage closely resembles the human eye’s vision of 60 frames per second. Ten minutes of the film were recently screened at CinemaCon, to mixed reactions. Audience members complained that the film did not look realistic and felt more like it was shot with a high definition handheld camera. Could this mean that The Hobbit, already with huge expectations, is bound to disappoint?

4. SASSY RIHANNA

With paparazzi constantly following them like their own shadows, celebrities can eventually run out of patience—and options. Not so with Rihanna. The pop singer was recently hounded by photographers while vacationing at the beach, but instead of eluding them, she took their camera and managed to have some fun with them, snapping pictures with her friends and treating everyone to some drinks. It looks like for Rihanna the old saying “if you can’t beat them, join them” rings true.

5. THE RETURN OF KAHN Star Trek fans, rejoice! It appears that the villain for J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel, played by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, has been confirmed as Khan, one of the most memorable characters in the vast Star Trek universe. And as if that weren’t exciting enough, word has it that Leonard Nimoy, the original Dr. Spock, has signed on to return as the elder Spock Prime.

@nprmonkeysee (Linda Holmes, Writer, Npr.com)

Attend our Sunday meetings in McElroy 113 at 4:30 p.m. and try your hand at writing for the most fun section of the paper.

“my early viewing of ‘the bachelorette’ premiere screener suggests you could use it in a class called, ‘crafting the worst opener possible.’”

@angrybflay (angry bobby flay, twitter parody)

“most of a pomegranate’s health benefits actually come from the 6,000 calories you burn while trying to peel it.”

@paulbrittain3 (paul brittain, comedian)

“‘sheets of heaven,’ boasts this toilet paper package. religious types must be psyched about heaven being compared to super-soft s—t tickets.’” Submit your favorite tweets of the week for consideration at artseditors11@gmail.com.


The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Mapping out the Books to catch up on during your free time Leisure reading: a concept that doesn’t seem possible during the semester. With all the free time in the world (and beach lounging), the summer is a perfect time to pick up those books you’ve been waiting to read but didn’t have time to before. With the popularity of the TV show, the book series Game of Thrones would be tempting, but with all this free time, there’s also time to be unique. Classics like Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment could easily be completed, given the three months off from school, and that it is a book that needs to be read at some point during one’s life. Yet more contemporary authors such as Jonathan Franzen and David Foster Wallace, with their lyric prose and psychologically-based narratives, are great options for summer reading. Try Franzen’s Freedom or Wallace’s essay collection A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.

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Summer

Upcoming movies to see in thea ters While most summer activit ies

are dedicated to embracing favorable weather conditions vantage of the great outdoo and taking adrs, taking a break from the hot weather and going to the loca a friend or loved one sometim l movie theater with es is a good change of pace. With a combination of genre budget, the summer movie and wide range of season offers options for eve ry type of movie outing. For date movie, perhaps Rock of those looking for a first Ages, the popular Broadway ’80s rock romance. Nothing than watching a long-haired will break the ice better Tom Cruise crooning on stag e as rocker Stacee Jaxx. Guy to strengthen those ever-im s looking for a way portant bromance bonds, con sider Abraham Lincoln: Vam anticipated horror historical pire Hunter, the much book adaptation that depicts the famous president as a fier dead. As for ladies’ night, che ce slayer of the living ck out Bel Ami, an upper-clas s scandalous romance that as the charming writer Guy stars Robert Pattinson de Maupassant.

TElevision series t

o start watching

In the days lead ing up to Easte told me to wat r break, my ro ch Game of Thr ommates ince ones. My televi ssantly ited to Modern sion focus was Family and The typically limOffice (due to time of year)— the heavy wor however, they kload of this finally got to m hour out of m e, and I decide y schedule to d to take an watch the seri excursion into es’ first episod the world of th e. This one-ho e Seven Kingd voyage from W ur oms turned in interfell to Kin to a two-day g’s Landing an I was “hooked” d the ominous would be an un Wall. Saying derstatement. HBO has do ne a fantastic job of bringing tasy to life thro George R. R. M ugh perfect ca artin’s fansting, an amaz plots, and utili ing depiction zing just the ri of the novels’ ght amount of as Tyrion, the climactic surp imp, uses his w rise. Watching it to position or Ned Stark tr himself near th ies to secure ju e Iron Throne, stice in the co North, each ep rruption outsid isode leaves yo e of the u captivated un not to instantly til the next wee hate Joffrey Ba k. Also, try ra th eon. I dare yo Catching up u. to the start of the second seas hard part is no w being forced on was the easy to wait every w part. The beware, though eek for the ne . Winter is com xt episode. Do ing….

A movie to watch on a rainy day

What to listen to at your internship Maybe you’re stuck at work, plugging numbers into a computer or doing some other mindless task that requires only minimal attention. If your supervisor lets you listen to music on the job—consider yourself lucky—there’s nothing better than streaming WNYE’s stellar alternative morning show The Alternate Side on your computer. The program repeats its three-hour block throughout the day and offers awesome pick-me-ups like Morissey Mondays (a block of The Smiths? Color me intrigued) but more excitingly, plays smaller bands that might not normally get mainstream airplay. Yesterday the show played Sleigh Bells’ “Crush” and Washed Out’s “Eyes Be Closed” in the same block of programming, alongside Radiohead’s “I Might Be Wrong” and Arcade Fire’s “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).” It also plays little-heard Driving to the beach is a staple of a summer vacation for tracks like 2008’s NERD-Julian Casablancas (he of The Strokes many of us. The playlist in the car at this moment is obviously fame)-Santigold collaboration “My Drive Thru.” So if you’re crucial, as the tone of the ride depends on it. While you can never having a crappy Monday in the office inputting data, or are go wrong with the classic mix CD, which provides versatility and wasting away the hours on a Friday afternoon waiting for quitpersonality in ways that an album doesn’t, there is also something ting time, stream The Alternate Side to make it all better. special about listening to an entire album and having that be the soundtrack to your summer. Save the party songs for the mix CD. Regina Spektor’s new album What We Saw From the Cheap Seats, set to release on May 29 is timed perfectly for summer. Spektor’s unique voice and soothing melodies are a great and relaxed option for a summer soundtrack, especially while driving to the beach with the top down. Also, Fiona Apple’s new album, set to release in June is worth a listen, as it will hopefully provide more of what we love from the alternative singer—soulful jams perfect for summer nights.

Albums to listen to when driving to the beach

Much to the dismay, the summer season doesn’t bring flawless weather and cloudless skies every day. There will inevitably be those times that Mother Nature will flex her muscles and bring us rainy days. These days, however, give us the perfect excuse to settle ourselves on the couch, feast on microwavable meals, and indulge in some movie that we’ve been yearning to watch. If you find yourself searching for a cinematic adventure on a damp day, consider catching up on some of last year’s best. If you’re looking to match up your attitude with the dreary outside conditions, The Descendants, the stirring family drama starring a very fatherly George Clooney, is a perfect choice that seemed to be passed up by many college-goers. If you’re one who looks for a pick-me-up during a drizzly afternoon, Our Idiot Brother, an underrated family comedy starring the likes of Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and Zooey Deschanel, is just the flick to lift your spirits.


The Heights

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Thursday, May 3, 2012

THE MIGHTIEST AVENGER By Brennan Carley | Arts & Review Editor Q: What was your process in writing the film?

Q: Is there something from your childhood experi-

Did you already have a directorial vision when

ence with ‘The Avengers’ that especially resonated

you were penning the screenplay?

with you and that you’re bringing to this movie?

JOSS WHEDON: [Laughs]. This is so weird. Yes, I did. Half of writing a script is writing visually, is figuring out what you need it to look and feel like as much what they’re gonna say. The process, therefore, was pretty organic, particularly also because we had such a tight schedule, they needed some things to be worked on, set pieces and action sequences before I’d even written the script. So I was writing visual cues and action descriptions before I had finished structuring the story, since we knew where we were going. So all of that was happening all at the same time. So it was very difficult structurally to figure out how to make it work, but in terms of the process, very organic because it was all, everybody in the pool.

JOSS WHEDON: Well, the fact that the Avengers are all really, really messed-up people, I think is a fine reflection of me. You know, with The Avengers itself, the thing that I loved was that it was, one, the comic books, it was a little bit steeped in science fiction. Marvel was known for its gritty realism, and Spider Man was sort the template for, oh, they could just be people in New York. And even though the Avengers made their home in New York, they were so often out in that space and dealing with, you know, artificial intelligence and grand beings from another world, and gods and monsters. And I love that element. That’s definitely a part of the film.

Q: Because Marvel is attempting to create an interlocking

stories of all these established super heroes with an already

film universe, did you feel the need to maintain a directing

fervent backing?

style, an aesthetic similar to work of the other Marvel Studio

JOSS WHEDON: I am the fervent backing, so it wasn’t that hard to key in. I’ve done a lot of work for things that already exist, that I’ve worked on the X-Men, I wrote an alien movie, not necessarily the best one, but … and at working as a script doctor, you come in, you know, after things have been established. Even on a TV show, even if you’re the one who established them, every time you write a script, you’re dealing with an established universe. So, it’s not hard for me to fall into the cadences of these people. In fact, it’s a lot easier when you’ve already seen them being acted in the other movies.

directors?

Q: ‘The Avenger’s’ filmed in Cleveland. Why was Cleveland picked

JOSS WHEDON: There’s no way you could make a movie that looked like a Jon Favreau, Kenneth Brown, Joe Johnston, Louie Lettieri movie. You have to take from each of them the thing that is useful and will jive with the rest of them. I do think, you know, the DNA of the Marvel movie begins with Iron Man, and that’s very grounded in the real. I tend to be a tiny bit florid with my camera work and my dialogue, but hopefully in a way that feels like a realistic version of a comic book universe. So it is, you know, the way that I can reconcile the different styles. My own style is actually kind of smack dab in the middle of what all those guys do. Therefore, it plays.

Q: Did you have any combination of super heroes that

as a shooting location and what was it like shooting there?

you thought were the most interesting to see interact?

JOSS WHEDON: Cleveland had some financial advantages, rebate-wise, and that’s always a big thing for Marvel. And then they also were very, very accommodating in terms of letting us blow up their city. Filming there was actually a joy. Cleveland is a really cool place, and it has a lot of great culture, it has a lot of great restaurants—and I’d been in the desert for almost a year, and so by the time I got to Cleveland, it was like being in Versailles. It was so opulent and fun. And it had so many locations that worked beautifully for so many different places without, you know, hardly any dressing. You know, we found, particularly Stuttgart and New York were the two main places that it was replicating. But we were able to shoot so much practically because of that. It was very, very gratifying for us, and the people were really, really welcoming.

JOSS WHEDON: You know, the tragedy of the movie is that you don’t get to have scenes of everybody interacting because everybody is so interesting up against each other. I would say, you know, I love the Bruce Banner-Tony Stark relationship. Bruce Banner’s the first guy Tony Stark comes across who really operates on his level intellectually, who isn’t a villain. And the way Tony nudges him and Tony’s particular attitude about the Hulk is endearing and cool. But I also love Tony and Steve, and how much they can’t stand each other—and I’m very invested in Natasha and Hawkeye and their deep, deep friendship, so, you know, oh, I love them all. I hate this question.

Q: What advice would you give to any student with ambi-

FILM UNIVERSE

Q: How did you mentally prepare yourself to carry on the

Q: Both your father and grandfather were screenwriters. In what way do they influence your work?

JOSS WHEDON: My advice would be: sit down. Now you’re in the director’s chair. We live in an age where anybody can make a movie. If you have a phone, you can make a movie. Okay, maybe not a huge movie, maybe phone-sized, but it’s there. When I came up, you wrote a script, and you hoped and hoped. Or you raised enough money to make a short film. Things are different now, and the best way to get your work out there, not just, you know, as an offering to somebody else to hope they’ll make it, but to show yourself as a filmmaker, and to learn as a filmmaker is just make movies. You know, there’s no excuse not to now.

JOSS WHEDON: Well, they were both enormously funny men. They both worked extremely long hours to do, you know, to do their jobs. They are cold, and distant, and frightening like me— no, my dad’s actually a teddy bear. I learned a great deal about story from my dad. Sometimes just inadvertently by listening to him, or watching him, or reading what he did. Very often, he’d just throw down a little piece of advice, and I find that almost with exception, the things he said to me are the things I carry the most.

INVISIBILITY

tions of one day sitting in the director’s chair?

Q: How did you become attached to this project? Q: If you were going to insert yourself into a super hero movie, what powers would you have? JOSS WHEDON: I would have the power of invisibility, and then I wouldn’t have to show up for as many shooting days.

Q: College students have a lot of options this summer with movies to see during their summer break - why should college students have it first on their list to see ‘The Avengers?’ JOSS WHEDON: I think The Avengers is the kind of movie that I grew up wanting to make and thought they had stopped making. When I grew up, the summer movie was, literally, created as a concept, and all my life I wanted to do something like that, something like the first ‘Indiana Jones,’ something that was steeped in character, in love of the genre that it was portraying, had intelligence, had real acting, had a story that unfolded and wasn’t just a sort of big premise that you already knew going in, or isn’t based on, you know, Parcheesi or something just because it has a name. More and more, summer movies have felt a little cynical. There are very, very big exceptions to that, but that has, you know, been the case when people throw so much money down. They’re not interested in a story—they’re interested in just barraging you with excitement and imagery, and brand names. And Marvel doesn’t operate that way. They care about the people. That’s why they hire some of the best actors in the business to play their heroes, and this is an old-fashioned movie. It’s a little bit bigger than life, but it’s very human.

JOSS WHEDON: I’ve known Kevin for a while. I’ve known comics for a lot longer and, you know, I think Marvel has a great nose for a director who has a passionate vision, who’s not, you know, famous for turning out big-budget hits, but will bring something a little bit fresh to the concept of a hero movie, and it’s one of the things that I respect the most about them. And so it just seemed like a good fit. The only other movie I’ve made had a very similar problem. How do you structure a story that some people know very well, that other people don’t know at all? But you have, you know, eight main characters and they’re all friends already. So it seemed like a fit. I think they regret it now, but, too late [laughs].


The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

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‘Out of the Game’ doesn’t highlight Wainwright’s talent By Sean Keeley Heights Staff

Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of talk about a new “British soul invasion,” brought on by the likes of Adele, Leona Lewis, and Florence Welch. As these soulful ladies enjoy their time in the spotlight, it’s worth remembering other musicians who have been exploring the same territory without such recognition. One such artist is Rufus Wainwright, another Brit, who since 1998 has made a career out of lush, layered, soul-infused pop. On his latest release, Out of the Game, Wainwright serves up another helping. Unfortunately, it’s an inconsistent effort: despite some undeniably effective pop melodies and clever lyrics, the album suffers from songs that either play it too safe or are too inscrutable and odd for their own good. On its best tracks, however, Out of the Game strikes just the right balance. One such song is the opening track, which shares the album’s title. The song features an appealingly old-fashioned soul vibe combined with lyrics that are at once snarky and heartfelt. Wainwright says the song was inspired by “exhaustion” and his feeling of alienation from a new, younger generation of musicians. Both inspirations are evident in the song, as Wainwright sings, “I’m out of the game / I’ve been out for a long time” before building to a crescendo in the chorus, with Wainwright and his backup singers howling, “Look at

you, look at you, look at you / Suckers, does your mama know what you’re doing?” Wainwright keeps up the momentum with the next two tracks. “Jericho” is an enjoyable pop tune built around the metaphor of a lover as stubborn and unchanging as the walls of Jericho. The backing vocals are perfectly integrated with Wainwright’s voice, which soars to expressive highs. “Rashida” is distinguished by its jazzy undertones, self-referential lyrics, and sarcastic delivery. Wainwright sings, “I got the outfit for the party but you’ve taken away the invitation / And I’d like to thank you Rashida for doing this / And giving me a reason to write a song.” It’s also, apparently, addressed directly to the actress Rashida Jones, who was for a time the fiance of the album’s producer, Mark Ronson. This is just one instance in the album of Wainwright drawing very direct inspiration from real events and people in his life. But what works in “Rashida” is problematic elsewhere. The song “Barbara” is written for Wainwright’s publicist and friend of the same name, but its personal significance doesn’t translate into an effective song, due to trite lyrics and an unmemorable melody. “Montauk” may be the album’s biggest misfire. The song is addressed to Wainwright’s daughter and imagines her visiting his home in Montauk, but it’s too personal for its own good. With lyrics that are either too literal or too cryptic, it fails to achieve the

out of the game rufus wainwright produced by Decca/PolyDOR released mar. 1, 2012 Our rating C-

Chart Toppers Singles

1 Somebody That I Used to Know Gotye 2 Payphone Maroon 5 3 Call Me Maybe Carly Rae Jepsen 4 We Are Young fun. 5 Boyfriend Justin Bieber 6 Work Hard, Play Hard Wiz Khalifa 7 What Makes You Beautiful One Direction 8 Wild Ones Flo Rida ft. Sia 9 Starships Nicki Minaj 10 Glad You Came The Wanted Top Albums

courtesy of decca records

A truly inconsistent effort, Rufus Wainwright’s ‘Out of the Game’ can’t decide what kind of album it wants to be. sense of universality that truly affecting music demands. Moreover, the song is sleepy and repetitive, with extremely high but monotonous vocals that come off as more creepy than touching. Out of the Game is ultimately an album composed of parts of varying quality meshed together into an unseemly whole. On a typical stretch of the album, Wainwright goes from experimenting with pulsing

electronic keyboard strokes in the atypical “Bitter Tears” to the simple, slow, and forgettable “Respectable Dive” to the upbeat and catchy “Perfect Man.” There seems to be nothing stringing all this together, with little discernible connection between the album’s disparate parts. Thankfully, Wainwright closes things out on a high note with “Candles.” This nearly eight-minute song starts softly, Wainwright’s

voice tinged with sadness as he sings, “I tried to do all that I can / But the churches have run out of candles.” Slowly, the song builds up new layers of instrumentation, including accordion and bagpipes, without ever overpowering the sincere sentiment of the lyrics. It’s a reminder that Wainwright isn’t out of the game yet—but on his new album, he’s not exactly on his game either. n

1 Blunderbuss Jack White 2 21 Adele 3 Tuskegee Lionel Richie 4 Up All Night One Direction Source: Billboard.com

Carrie Underwood carries the ‘Idol’ crown well on ‘Blown Away’ By Nathan Rossi For The Heights

Ever since winning the fourth season of American Idol, Carrie Underwood has become one of the strongest female presences in country music. Despite her power-

ful voice, Underwood has struggled to grow as an artist. Her latest release, Blown Away, is intended to show the growth of an artist, but, the subject material really does not stray too far from things tackled on Underwood’s previous albums. The album is a pleasant listen with

a technically outstanding production. None of the songs are that groundbreaking, and in some ways Blown Away comes off as emotionally distant. The lead single, “Good Girl,” is one of Underwood’s best songs to date. Underwood’s fiery vocal per-

blown away carrie underwood produced by Artista Nashville released MAY 1, 2012 Our rating B-

courtesy of artista nashville

With songs like “Good Girl,” Underwood’s new country packs a punch but often comes up short, lacking in soul and heart.

formance is stronger on this track than anything from her previous albums. The song serves as a warning to all potential girlfriends of an ex: “Why you got to be so blind? / Won’t you open up your eyes? / It’s just a matter of time till you find / He’s no good, girl.” What helps this single stand out is Underwood’s conviction in her performance. The country-rock sound also fits into today’s country music scene with ease. Like many previous singles, the upbeat tone of the song also leaves it with the potential to cross over to mainstream radio as well. “Blown Away” is already lined up to be the second single from the album. This song definitely has more of a pop sound, right down to the interestingly autotuned bridge, where Underwood sings: “There’s not enough rain in Oklahoma to wash the sins out of that house.” Like the first single, Underwood sings the hell out of the track, especially on the chorus. It will be interesting to see if country radio accepts the song, because it definitely sounds like it would be more at home at Top 40 radio.

One of the worst songs on the album is “Thank God for Home Towns.” The track features lyrics such as, “Thank God for the county lines that welcomed you back in when you were dying to get out / Thank God for Church pews / And all the faces that won’t forget you.” The problem with this song and others like it (namely, “Forever Changed” and “See You Again”) is that they are fairly generic. While Underwood’s voice sounds great, she does not add any emotional depth to what she is singing. In other words, anyone could be singing them. Underwood has yet to emotionally “let go” on a track, like Miranda Lambert has on “The House that Built Me.” Basically, Underwood is like an actress, playing various roles on her new album—the angry exgirlfriend, the wife, the devoted Christian, etc. She gives a lot of different performances, but none are Oscar-worthy. The closest Underwood comes to truly connecting with a song is on “Two Black Cadillacs.” The track has a more folksy sound than the other songs on Blown Away, which

enables it to stand out. Tellingly, Underwood co-wrote the track about the funeral of a previous lover. Overall, this would have to be the best track on the album, because it does not rely on country music cliches and is rather inventive, compared to the rest of the record. Ultimately, Underwood has never sounded as vocally strong as she does on Blown Away. The trouble is that half of the tracks on the album have such generic lyrics that there is often not enough emotional depth for the listener to care about what Underwood is singing. Underwood is often compared to Taylor Swift, her fellow blond and contemporary country pop rival. The main difference between the two, which is utterly apparent on Underwood’s latest album, is that Swift brings a much stronger personal connection to her songs, while Underwood’s product, though beautifully sung, is much more manufactured. Underwood is the better singer, but she could learn a few things from Swift about being more emotionally connected to her craft. n

Start your summer off right with Harrison’s joyful ‘Early Takes’ Matt Mazzari As the school year draws to a close, it’s time for my final column. I’d been hoping for a subject this week that would end everything on an up-note and, as luck would have it, a new release was made just yesterday from literally one of my favorite people to ever exist: George Harrison. The compilation, Early Takes: Volume I, is a collection of unedited demo material recorded by Harrison post-Beatles, but never published until now. Almost all of the tracks are original, with the exception of the occasional Bob Dylan co-write and cover. The release is connected to the recent Martin Scorsese documentary on the guitarist’s life and work, George Harrison: Living in the Material World. It mostly features original takes from the making of Harrison’s first solo album, All Things Must Pass, which marked the most successful start to any of the Beatles’ post-band careers. Harrison lived one of the most objectively beautiful lives

in music: from being dubbed the shy and kindly “Quiet Beatle” and living more or less in the shadow of the raucous and witty Paul and John, he went on in his own unassuming way to effuse his work with a gorgeous passion for the Oriental culture, instrumentals, and philosophy that would colorfully and dramatically revolutionize the Western World. Music fans everywhere watched Harrison transform from a grinning Liverpudlian boy with moplike hair, the youngest member of a whole new craze, to the mysterious and immaterial young man who seized everybody’s attention with his blissful talk of peace and spiritual unification. George’s breed of rock and roll was new, exciting, and genuine to a degree not even the other Beatles could match. His later work is characterized not only by its charity but also by the distinctly untraveled path it took. Early Takes is the prettiest and most joyful piece I’ve heard since I honestly can’t remember when. George’s voice in its prime—soft, calm, and yet sublimely confident behind the rich, pure strumming and

picking strains—stands proudly unaccompanied. There truly is something moving and natural to the effortlessness of Harrison’s presentation, a sincerity in his voice and chords that makes for a light, noble clarity in every piece of this work . It begins with a minimal sound check, then launches uninhibitedly into an acoustic “My Sweet Lord,” played as swiftly and powerfully by George alone as in the studio version with a full chorus in the background and Phil Spector Wall-of-Sound. Listeners are welcomed to amble about the collection, expected, to a certain degree, to seek out those precious studio moments such as the grinning, flippant twang of “Woman Don’t You Cry For Me” and the brilliant lambaste of “All Things Must Pass” gracefully reduced to a single take. Yet in your wandering, there is one song that will inevitably stand out and will demand returning to: “Run of the Mill.” Even the drums fade away for this recording, leaving only you and George to wonder at the sad, ethereal strangeness of friendships lost, a looming, lonely

decision magnificently soaking in the whole of the horizon and the sky before you. Every part of this track is young, wonderful, sprawling, even naive to such an extent that it is set apart from the others by the sheer rawness of its thoughts and emotion.

Whatever your journey may be, and whatever part of it you are on, the “Run of the Mill” demo will make you want to cry. I can hardly even tell you strongly enough to listen to this album. George Harrison’s bold, poetic life yielded an extraordi-

nary style and soul that stood among the giants of classic rock and roll music as one of the greatest of all. The “baby brother” of the Beatles has a perspective that is sure to move you, and this is a release that can’t be missed. Happy end of year, everyone! n

courtesy of google images

With a new demo compilation, the quietest Beatle reminds us how talented the musician was during his musical career.

Radio singles by ariana igneri The Offspring “Days Go By”

Akon feat. French Montana “Hurt Somebody” Despite the fact that this is the first track off their ninth album, it’s pretty clear that The Offspring haven’t lost their knack for crafting catchy punk-rock tunes. With distorted power chords, electric rifts, and a commanding drum rhythm driving its irresistible melody, this release will bring you back to the days of ’90s rock. It’s the perfect scream-at-the-top-of-yourlungs anthem for the summer months ahead.

Though it’s been a while since Akon has released anything, “Hurt Somebody” will give fans a preview of what to expect from his September release, Stadium. The track relies more on rap than is typical of the R&B artist, but with Akon’s vocals and an appearance by rapper French Montana to complement the song’s insistent chorus, this track won’t be one you’ll be able to get out of your head easily.

Milo Greene “Don’t You Give Up On Me” Milo Greene is an LA based quintet whose sound is characterized by rich, textured instrumentation and intricate harmonies. The delicate, complementing male and female vocals on the track make the lyrics genuine, and with its bright yet soft guitar intro, pounding piano chords, and bouncing bass, it will have new listeners eager to hear more from the band when it releases its debut record on July 17.


The Heights

C6

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Star value by Carolina Del busto

Chloe Moretz surely has Oscar night in her sights At age 15, Chloe Grace Moretz has accomplished more as an actress than those twice her age. Moretz has been in the business a mere eight years, and already she has worked with big talents, like Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey in 30 Rock, Martin Scorsese and Jude Law in Hugo, and most recently Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter in Dark Shadows. And she has appeared in over 36 titles, including film and television. Aside from her variety of titles, Moretz seems to have a propensity for horror films. The 2005 remake of The Amittyville Horror really put her on the map, and soon after that she starred in Wicked Little Things, Hallowed Grounds, and Let Me In. In 2013 she will play the title role in the remake of Stephen King’s horror story Carrie. Moretz has already proved that she can successfully do drama, horror, comedy, and children’s stories—there really is no genre she cannot conquer. Moretz is a prime example of the next generation of great Hollywood actors.

Keeping with the current

Life through a new kind of lens

Dan Siering

Photos courtesy of google images

Fashion Forward

Summer fashion provides a great break Accessories and basics like tees offer an enjoyable respite

Therese Tully It’s the end of another semester, the most bittersweet time of year. It is right about now that my nostalgia for the past year starts to kick in, and I wonder how I will survive this summer away from Boston College, and so many people and places that I love. I will miss Monday night dinners at Hillside, Sunday night productions, Fin’s, Newbury street … I will even miss living in Welch. But let’s not get too wrapped up in the closing of another year, it is in fact the end of a difficult, busy year. These first few weeks of summer mean decompressing, unwinding, relaxing, lounging, and the shore, of course. So in the spirit of celebrating the end, not mourning the passing of another year, here is my list of the top five things about summer fashions that I love: 1. In the summer, it will not take you hours and hours to get ready in the morning. Bundling up in the fall and nonexistent winter this year in Chestnut Hill is a special skill that must be finely honed. Coordinating layers upon layers, with accessories and outwear, is a huge, time-consuming hassle when you are in a rush to get out the door in the morning. Here is to summer sundresses that you can just throw on, simple shorts and t-shirt pairings, and my Rainbow flip flops that accompany me on almost any adventure I will have during the summer months. 2. While I move out of the classroom and into the sunshine, there is a floppy sun hat to protect me from the sun’s rays. Every year, the Kentucky Derby ushers in sunhat season. I recently added a large straw hat with pink accents to my steadily growing sunhat collection, and I can’t wait for its big debut—emphasis on the word big, this hat is huge—on the Cape or at the shore this summer. Not only do these hats complete any outfit and make a statement, but they provide quite the shady spot. 3. After wearing grey pretty much exclusively for the past six months—heck, I am wearing grey as I write this—it will be nice to step out in a bolder, brighter, summer palette. Whether you choose to don the truly bright a la Lilly Pulitzer or just add a hint of color against a blue jeaned white t-shirt backdrop, a little color can go a long way toward lifting your mood. This summer is especially exciting, with neon pinks, yellows, greens, and oranges found in almost every single store you can imagine. Snag a pair of brightly colored denim to pair with a simple, gauzy white top, or chambray shirt as a tribute to fashion’s biggest trend of the moment. But steer away from mint green denim if you don’t want to match everyone else. 4. Summer accessories are simply more fun. Finding the perfect pair, or pairs, of summer shades trumps any

project I had to do this year. Then there is jewelry. I tend to throw on my rope bracelet from Cape Cod that I have had since I was nine years old, a few fun friendship bracelets that I made on lazy days on the beach, or with the kids I babysit for, and leave them on almost all summer, letting the saltwater and the sun soften them so I forget they are even there. Pair with a more sophisticated pair of shell, starfish, or other beach-inspired earrings, and you can’t miss. 5. If you are looking to switch out of your Rainbows for a brief moment, summer shoes are adorable and allow that fresh pedicure to be seen. From gladiator sandals in metallic colors, to brightly colored jellies for adults that harken back to our days on the playground—yes, they make those—summer footwear is fun and free. Espadrilles or wedges, the perfect dressed-up summer shoe, are not only adorable, but the most comfortable high heel you will ever wear in your life. Even summer fancy is comfortable. No matter what you don during these summer months, everyone just feels more beautiful in the summer. With a hint of a tan, or a sprinkling of freckles, skin glows. Rich summer produce inspires healthier eating, and long days of swimming, surfing, and playing wiffle ball feel more like fun than exercise, but will get the job done just the same. And in the summer, long naps in the warm sand renew.

Therese Tully is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

Photos courtesy of google images

Summer fashion offers people the chance to escape the grey doldrums of fall and winter by tossing aside their layers and embracing accessories like rope bracelets and basic, colorful tees. It’s a season that allows you to flee from the cold winds of Chestnut Hill, trading in boots and scarves for rainbow flip flops and friendship bracelets. Just try to avoid anything in mint green, since it seems to be the color of the season and almost assuredly everyone will be wearing it whenever they can.

Like This? Try That! by allan guzman Since the birth of American Idol, music competition shows have been immensely popular. Idol continues to draw viewers, but the craze currently revolves around another show: NBC’s The Voice. With an innovative system where contestants join celebrity judges’ teams and contend for the final spot in the competition, it’s easy to see what makes the show popular. This spring, ABC will air Duets, a new show set to compete with The Voice. This new musical tournament features a similar system to that of The Voice: celebrity judges will mentor pairs of contestants who will compete against other teams. The victor will be awarded a recording contract with Hollywood Records. What sets Duets apart from other shows, however, is that the celebrity mentors will perform alongside the contestants—hence the name of the program. The judges will be Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, John Legend, and Robin Thicke. The fact that the judges will be doing some singing of their own provides an interesting incentive to watch. So if you’re a fan of The Voice and American Idol and are looking for something new and innovative, be sure to check out Duets, which will air on May 24.

Photos courtesy of google images

On Tuesday night, after I had logged several hours in a remote fourth-floor O’Neill cubby to complete my screenwriting final paper, I hopped on the last bus home at 2 a.m. to return to my off-campus abode. Since I live close to the Bluestone Bistro stop, I sit on the bus for nearly the entire route, and, having taken the bus at this time several times before, I know that I’m bound to encounter a few entertaining seniors coming down from a night at Cityside or MA’s when the bus reaches the Bank of America stop. Yet before we reached the infamous stop two nights ago, the bus driver took a moment to park and wait at Reservoir. Being the only remaining passenger on the night bus and barely able to keep my eyes open, I was a tad irritated by this temporary halt. Yet what I soon found out was that the driver wasn’t resting at all. He was in fact preparing for what was to come. By the time we crossed Beacon Street, I saw it—a massive, pulsating mob of students eagerly awaiting the last bus from Cleveland Circle. My tranquil bus ride was immediately turned on its head once the doors swung open. The riotous pack, equipped with glazed-over eyes and Roggie’s pizza slices, packed the seats around me. After I pushed my way through the mass and began walking toward my house, I began to appreciate the hilarity of the situation. Maybe it was the fact that I had been analyzing scripts for hours, but the scenario I had just encountered on the bus seemed to be directly ripped from a movie. This then got me to thinking—what other college occurrences could I relate to film? One thing I’ve learned during my film studies is that almost all popular movies follow a similar three-act structure: a hero begins in a comfortable normal world, then is forced to enter an obscure world and overcome obstacles until he finally arrives at a new world and a higher state of being. With a little creativity, I was able to apply this structure to the college experience. It may sound a bit farfetched, but let me support my claim by breaking it down by year. Freshmen, as you near the end of your first year in the collegiate world, you are still settling into your normal world and meeting all the characters in your life. You are enjoying yourself in your present state, but you know there is more fun to be had. Once you enter your second year, your world will experience a jolt, by way of new party invitations (especially for you, freshman males), new friends, and new opportunities. Sophomores, having adjusted to the initial jolt, you are about to enter Act Two of your film. You are gearing up for your third year, in which you will be vaulted into an obscure universe, be it turning 21, studying abroad, or living off campus, where you will face new challenges. Juniors, you are steamrolling toward the climax of your production. You have fended off all the trials of Act Two and, with your ability to haul 30s around campus and kick unruly freshman out of Mod parties, are about to have the most power of your journey. But be wary, your climax will descend quickly and suddenly. And, finally, seniors. Burdened by nostalgia and plans for the future, you are about to enter the third and final act. You nearing the Obligatory Scene, in which you must finally stare down and overcome your adversarial force, in the form of walking to the stage to accept your degree and the fact that your journey is over. It is time in the voyage to tie up any loose ends and settle any debts you have left unsettled. The film might be soon ending, but the audience feels that you have equipped yourself with enough skills to face further challenges and are therefore comfortable leaving you in this new world. For those that aren’t undergoing the unfortunate experience of graduating, summer will serve as a momentary hiatus from your collegiate journey. Take this break to do something that you feel will ready you for future obstacles. This may be tying up loose ends from previous journeys, consulting a former mentor, or pursuing a previous love interest. As, for me, I will embark on a new three-act expedition in New York City. So, take care, all you cinematic heroes, and I’ll see you all in September for the next act.

Dan Siering is the Asst. Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.


The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Shedding light on Lou Montgomery Montgomery, from C10 sit out the game, which the Eagles lost 7-0. The game was the only regular season loss that Leahy had in his time at BC. The same scenario happened just weeks later, when Auburn University traveled to play at BC. Montgomery was once again sidelined for the game.

“I propose the Alumni Stadium be renamed Lou Montgomery Stadium, and further, that a statue of Lightning/Hula Lou be placed right out there in front of it, next to that of Doug Flutie. And there should be a plaque right there on, or close to the statue, that tells Lou’s story—both the good and the bad parts.” -Mark Dullea BC ’62 In the games he played in that season, Montgomery rushed for 9.7 yards per carry, while the Eagles finished with a regular season record of 9-1. BC was invited to play in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas on Jan. 1, 1940 against Clemson, which marked BC’s first postseason game. According to Dullea, “BC was told that its lone black player wasn’t welcome, but chose to accept the invitation nonetheless.” The Eagles went on to lose the bowl game 6-3. Following the loss, Leahy told Montgomery, “Lou, if they had let us bring you along, we wouldn’t have lost.” “For the third time that season, BC threw principle to the wind in order to increase its prestige in the world of college football,” Dullea said. Montgomery faced the same struggles during the 1940 season, but on an even larger scale. The second game of the season was at Tulane, and not only was Montgomery not allowed to play, but he was not even allowed to eat meals or stay with his own team. Dullea said that Montgomery was forced to stay and eat in facilities at Xavier University,

an all-black Catholic institution. Montgomery missed another home game later in the season, when Auburn again visited Boston. At the end of the regular season, the Eagles were 10-0, and had attained the No. 5 ranking in the country in the AP poll. Once again, BC was invited to play in a bowl game in the south, this one the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans against the University of Tennessee. “BC accepted the Sugar Bowl bid, fully knowing once again that Lou Montgomery, despite his own high-level contributions to his team’s success, would not be allowed to participate in what should have been the game of his life,” Dullea writes in his report. After the decision was made that Montgomery would be kept out of playing in the game, The Heights wrote about the impact he would have to have from the sideline. “Hula-Lou may not be able to play in the big game on Jan. 1, but his spirit will be right down on the field with the boys. His indomitable fight will undoubtedly be a great help to the rest of the team in this most important of games. During his stay at the Heights, Lou has shown everyone this commendable team spirit and will to win … At the game high above the field, Lou will act as a spotter for the broadcasters, but with every play he will be tackling, blocking and running with Charley [O’Rourke], Gene [Goodreault], and Toz [captain Frank Toczylowski].” Montgomery was forced to watch the Sugar Bowl from the press box, where he served as a spotter for the broadcasting crew. Overall, Dullea has taken issue with the fact that BC, as a Jesuit institution, continued to partake in games they knew that Montgomery would not be allowed to play in, and never took responsibility for it. “BC found itself in a position to call attention to the severe injustices that were taking place, not just in the south, but pretty much everywhere else in the country as well,” Dullea wrote. “They could have shown that they practiced what they preached in the classroom and the pulpit. But instead they blamed others—the hardened Jim Crow attitudes of southern institutions—rather than ‘manning up’ and doing the right thing.” Montgomery died in 1994, and was posthumously inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1997. But for Dullea, that was not enough, and he has proposed his own solution. “I propose the Alumni Stadium be

renamed Lou Montgomery Stadium, and further, that a statue of Lightning/Hula Lou be placed right out there in front of it, next to that of Doug Flutie,” Dullea wrote. “And there should be a plaque right there on, or close to the statue, that tells Lou’s story—both the good and the bad parts.” In the meantime, athletic director Gene DeFilippo has decided to retire Montgomery’s number, 21, during the season-opener on Sept. 1 against Miami. “It’s a nice gesture, but it’s a little too close to tokenism,’’ Dullea told The Boston Globe in response to the announcement. “The more significant, the more visible the action that BC takes, the better they will look in the eyes of fair-minded people.’’ Reid Oslin, associate director for the Office of News and Public Affairs and former director of media relations for athletics, called Montgomery “one of many weapons” in a loaded BC backfield at the time, and “a pioneer in the sport of college football.” This is the rationale behind retiring Montgomery’s number, which will be just the eighth retired jersey in the history of the program. In regards to Dullea’s proposal to make it Lou Montgomery Stadium, Oslin said that BC is not considering this because of the meaning behind the name Alumni Stadium. Oslin explained that in 1957, the Eagles needed to find a new home after Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey decided he didn’t want BC to play at Fenway Park any longer because it was tearing up the pristine grass.

“Football was saved because the alumni contributed. The stadium is named after alumni.” -Reid Oslin Associate Director for the Office of News and Public Affairs The school needed to raise funds quickly for a new stadium on the Chestnut Hill campus. Over the next seven months, alumni came together to raise over $350,000 to go toward building a stadium. “Football was saved because the alumni contributed,” Oslin said. “The stadium is named after all alumni.” Oslin noted that America in the 1940s was a “different era,” though he said that was absolutely no excuse for the way Montgomery was treated while at BC. n

C7 Softball

daniel lee / heights editor

Horowitz lasted five innings, letting up four runs, including a three-run home run in the fifth.

Providence downs Eagles with comeback walkoff By Steven Principi Heights Staff

The Boston College softball team lost in heartbreaking fashion on Wednesday afternoon, falling 7-6 to the Providence Friars. The Eagles 7 Providence led for nearly Boston College 6 the entire game as they got contributions from the entire lineup, but a three-run bottom of the seventh from Providence was enough to send the Eagles home with a loss. The bats were working on Wednesday for the Eagles, who picked up 10 hits over the course of the game. Right fielder Bree Tanke went 3-for-4 on the day, while Brittany Wilkins and Andrea Filler both managed two hits of their own. BC jumped ahead early with a run in the top of the first before Providence tied it in the bottom of the frame. After a scoreless second, the Eagles managed to push a run across in each of the next five innings. Tanke and Wilkins each had two RBI to lead the offense, while Ali Lynette-Krech and Chelsea LoBue each scored twice. Unfortunately, the big day at the plate that many of the players had was all for naught, as the BC pitching staff let them down in the end. Amanda Horowitz started the game for BC and, after letting up a run in the first inning, looked dominant as she shut down the Friars for the next three innings. In the fifth, however, she ran into some trouble

when she let up a single and hit a batter before serving up a three-run home run to Stephanie Kiesel that tied the game at four apiece. Horowitz managed to get through the inning without any more damage, but her day in the circle was done, and she was removed from the game to be replaced by Morgan Kidd. The Eagles added a run in the sixth and another in the seventh to retake the lead 64. Kidd got through the sixth without any trouble, but ran into issues immediately in the seventh. She let up a leadoff double before hitting a batter to put two runners on. Another double scored one run and left runners on second and third before Marie Flego ripped a single into center field that scored both runners and gave Providence the win. Kidd was the losing pitcher for the Eagles, dropping to 3-5 on the season. The loss extended the Eagles’ current losing streak to five games, and leaves them with just two wins in their last 13 games. BC remains in the cellar of the ACC with the loss dropping them to 2228 on the season and 2-16 in conference play. The Eagles will wrap up their regular season schedule this weekend when they welcome North Carolina to Chestnut Hill for a three-game series. The Tar Heels are currently second in the ACC, and boast an impressive 38-11 overall record. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday before finishing the series with one game on Sunday. n


The Heights

C8 NOV. 20, 2010 Harris goes down against Virginia on the final play of the third quarter, grabbing his left knee

JAN. 9, 2011 Despite thinking he’d play entering the game, Harris sits out the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl after straining a leg muscle in the final practice

SEPT. 5, 2011 Harris returns to practice on a limited basis

Thursday, May 3, 2012 OCT. 1, 2011 Harris breaks the BC record for career rushing yards. Later, he goes down holding his left knee

FEB. 21, 2012 BC announces that Harris will sit out spring football after reaggravating his left knee injury

SEPT. 6, 2008 Montel Harris makes his collegiate debut vs. Georgia Tech, rushing for 22 yards on five carries

NOV. 22 2010 Harris undergoes arthroscopic surgery for a torn left lateral meniscus at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center

AUG. 17, 2011 After a strong summer of workouts, Harris gets his left knee scoped. Doctors find another lateral torn meniscus

SEPT. 24, 2011 After missing the first three games of the season, Harris makes his debut against UMass

DEC. 16, 2011 ACC informs BC that Harris has received medical hardship for a fifth year of eligibility

MAY 1, 2012 Harris is dismissed from the team after ‘a repeated violation of team rules’

Spaz dismisses Harris

alex trautwig / heights senior staff; joseph castlen / heights photo illustration

Harris Dismissed, from C10

nick rellas / heights staff

Harris’ knee has caused him issues multiple times over the past year and a half. The last time he was on the field was against Wake Forest (above).

two or three times before.” Meanwhile, Harris told the Globe that his knee was improving, and that he could be ready to play again in the fall. “It’s pretty close to 100 percent now,” Harris told the Globe. “I know I’m ready to play again.” In his three-plus seasons on the Heights, Harris ran for 3,735 yards, and if he had been able to play this fall, he could have had the chance to break Ted Brown’s ACC rushing record. “Montel’s accomplishments speak for themselves,” Spaziani said. “He’s the all-time leading rusher. His enthusiasm for football, his work ethic, and certainly his productivity were at the top of the food chain. You can’t take that away from him. His accomplishments are his accomplishments. Certainly, we didn’t see all of it because of this situation. But he

was a great football player for BC, there’s no doubt about it.” A combination of Deuce Finch, Andre Williams, and Tahj Kimble will now be depended upon heavily in the backfield for BC this coming fall, as they were for much of last season when Harris was out with the injury. The three gained plenty of experience while Harris was sidelined due to issues with his knee, and Spaziani will be looking to them to step up in Harris’ spot in a leadership position. “You can never stockpile enough experience. So yeah, we’ll miss [Harris’ leadership], because he was a very experienced player. He’s been around and has some of those qualities we needed,” Spaziani said. “But we have other guys that have to step up. There’s leadership. There’s guys that have plenty of time and experience, and they will lend themselves.” n

Looking for accountability in Harris’ sudden dismissal from BC Chris Marino On Tuesday, fans of Boston College were hit with a strange reality: Montel Harris, the school’s all-time leading rusher, will never suit up for the Eagles again. Head coach Frank Spaziani announced that his former star was dismissed “due to a repeated violation of team rules.” It’s odd that, after waiting for upwards of two seasons, No. 2 will never again excite crowds at Alumni Stadium. Rumors have swept the campus that Harris stopped being committed to the team after his most recent setback, while others have suggested that he may have had some off-field troubles. I’m not a huge fan of assumptions and speculations in matters like a person’s character. Maybe that makes me a bad sports journalist, but I feel that Harris should have the right to clear his name of any unjust accusations. The last time we had a member of the football program leave, many were left scratching their heads at the sudden departure of offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers for medical reasons. We still don’t know what truly happened with that situation. All we know is that Rogers is now the quarterback coach at Temple. And apparently is in good health. Rather than focus on why Harris was dismissed form the team, I would like to take this column in a different direction. One of the first things that came to my head when I heard of the decision was Ifeanyi Momah. It sounds strange, but there was a good reason behind it. Momah, who requested a sixth year of eli-

alex trautwig / heights senior staff

Montel Harris carved through openings for three-plus years on the Heights, but gone are the days of No. 2 suiting up for the maroon and gold. gibility, was turned down by the NCAA. Many argued that the wide out deserved a shot after suffering a knee injury in BC’s first game of the 2011 season. While I’m not certain as to what exactly led to Harris’ dismissal from the team, I can assure you that Momah would have done everything in his power to return to the team, abide by team regulations, and act as a leader for this young squad. Momah did everything he could to return to the field. He’s been a model citizen, not only in the locker room, but also around campus. He deserved a sixth year, but was robbed of the opportunity. Harris, on the

other hand, has seemingly thrown away his final chance at finishing his time at BC free from injury. Maybe being with this team for so long has become too mundane for the running back. Maybe he and Spaziani have started to butt heads over the new offense. Five years would have to be a long time in one place, especially when you’re the program’s best runner and sharing your carries with three other backs. Harris’ recent knee aggravation may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Once again, I don’t want to be the one to pin this on Harris, but

it makes sense that his frustration in his own medical condition could pour out in some form. If anything else, Tuesday left me disappointed for two reasons. One was that Harris, one of my favorite college athletes growing up near BC, is leaving with his name stained. It reminds me of when former Eagle basketball player Sean Williams was dismissed during his junior season. Williams was a staple on the Heights for his intense shot blocking and defensive abilities—however, problems off the court ruined his legacy. Although we’re unaware of Harris’ violations, people will

always question why he was dismissed. People will question his commitment to the team and his love for the game. I’d like to think it wasn’t anything too bad, but it’s hard to shake the fact that he clearly did something to deserve being dismissed. My second reason for being upset by this is, as mentioned before, the fact that Momah could have had this opportunity. Instead of preparing for his final season with the Eagles, Momah is preparing to workout for NFL teams. He hasn’t even had the chance to showcase his talents on collegiate gridirons, although he has the heart and determination to prove his worth to professional scouts. He deserved this extra season to sharpen his skill set and earn a chance to be drafted. Instead, he is forced to float through free agency and remain uncertain of his future. The NCAA needs to reevaluate its system, so student-athletes like Momah have a fair chance of playing. While it pains me to say it, the Montel Harris era of BC football is finally over. It’s been a good ride, and he has given us many highlights to remember for years. I just hope that he can give us some form of closure in his dismissal. He means too much to our school and program to leave on such bad terms. We’ve stayed with him through these last few tenuous seasons. We’ll continue to support him as an Eagle. But hopefully there is some justification in his sudden break from the team. Chris Marino is the Assoc. Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

Fast-forwarding to a year from now can bring much-needed optimism Column, from C10 touchdowns while Finch runs for one of his own. Both guys are propelled by an offensive line that is finally finding some consistency, creating holes for Finch, and giving Rettig time to throw.Kaleb Ramsey provides pressure on the Miami quarterback, something Superfans haven’t seen in a long time, and CJ Jones returns to the secondary, shutting down the Hurricane receivers along with help from Al-Louis Jean. The Eagles seal the victory, and there are smiles all around. Sept. 29, 2012 - After using the momentum from the Miami victory to propel themselves to wins over Maine and Northwestern (Finch rattles off 150 rushing yards and two TDs over the Wildcats), the Eagles are brought back down to earth against Clemson by the explosive combination of Sammy Watkins and Tajh Boyd. Nov. 3, 2012 – BC responds to the Clemson loss by taking care of business against Army, but is torched by EJ Manuel and Florida State in Tallahassee.

The Eagles then lose a nail-biter on the road to Georgia Tech the next week on a last-second field goal from the left hash mark (middle shmiddle, right?). Backto-back wins over Maryland and Wake Forest, though, restore the Eagles to a 5-4 record after dropping below .500. Rettig is firing on all cylinders yet again, throwing for a combined 600 yards in the two wins over the Terps and Demon Deacons heading into the Notre Dame game. Nov. 18, 2012 – A raucous home crowd and a huge game from Finch lead to a thrilling 10-point victory over Notre Dame, and although the Eagles can’t keep their streak up against Virginia Tech the next week, Superfans still have plenty to cheer about. The basketball team, after winning their first three tune-up games, reaches the finals of the Charleston Classic before losing to Baylor on a last-second 3-pointer. It’s a tough loss, but the team finally looks like they are in sync on the offensive and defensive ends after a whole summer mastering Donahue’s complex system. Ryan Anderson is named to the all-tournament team after

scoreboard

Baseball

BC WF

Chestnut Hill, Mass. 4/ 27

6 1

Chestnut hill, MAss 4/26 Softball

4 6

Filler 2-4 2 rbi BC Clendenny 3-4 3 rbi MD

yet again, head coach Jerry York (now the winningest coach in history) and BC put it together at the Garden, topping BU in the Beanpot. After shocking a young and talented UNC squad at Conte Forum in a twopoint win early in conference play, the basketball team steals a win over Duke at Cameron on a Lonnie Jackson and-one 3pointer in overtime. The student section in Conte is full for the remainder of the season, and Donahue’s Disciples finally get the chance to have some of those cheers catch on. Mar. 21, 2013 – BC loses to UNC in the semifinals of the ACC tournament in a revenge game for the Tar Heels, but makes it to March Madness as a No. 10 seed with a fourth place finish in the conference. A first-round loss is soothed by the fact that the Eagles open the tournament in Austin, Texas, and this reporter gets to enjoy queso and BBQ post-game. April 7, 2013 – The Eagles win back-to-back National Championships in hockey behind sophomore sensation Johnny Gaudreau and star goaltender

Chestnut Hill, Mass. 4/ 28 Baseball

Baseball

1 Gordon 7 ip 2 h 0 er 5 so BC 0 Cooney 8 ip 4 h 1 er 8 so WF

Softball

BC BU

averaging 18 points and eight rebounds in his three games. Dec. 31, 2012 – BC finishes the football season at 7-5, making it to the Music City Bowl in Nashville on New Year’s Eve against Texas A&M. Spaz leads the team to a toppling of those pesky Aggies, and retires the next day on top of the world (you know, relatively). When students return to the Heights, Spaz is honored by athletic director Gene DeFilippo in an awkward but sweet ceremony in the new O’Neill Plaza, celebrating “the incredible impact he has had on the program.” Meanwhile, the basketball team closes out their non-conference schedule by finally beating Harvard. They enter conference play with only three losses, led by freshman Olivier Hanlan at point guard and a strong frontcourt consisting of Anderson, a rejuvenated Patrick Heckmann, and a confident Dennis Clifford. Feb. 11, 2013 – How could I forget hockey? Probably because I’m from Texas, it’s almost summer, and hockey is the furthest thing from my mind. Anyway, after slumping through January

Perdios 2-4 3 rbi BC Blair 0-3 1 rbi WF D’argento 2-3 2 rbi BC McLaughlin 1-4 1 RBI MD

Austin Tedesco is the Asst. Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.

Chestnut Hill, Mass. 4/ 29 Baseball

9 5

Chestnut Hill, mass 4/28 Softball

3 4

Parker Milner … for the school’s second National Championship of the year. That’s right—three weeks earlier, a surging women’s hockey team defeats Wisconsin for its own national title. Death, taxes, and BC hockey trophies remain the only sure things in the world. A couple hours ago, before I wrote this column, I never would’ve believed all of this could happen next year, but now that I’m done, it’s starting to look pretty appealing. My confidence in Donahue and his players probably has me overreaching even a best-case scenario for that squad, back-to-back titles for hockey is a challenge no matter how good a program is, and the state of the football program still remains a mystery. But hey, it never hurts to have a little faith. We’ve got about three months until the fun starts up again. Let’s get our minds in the right place. I think it’s going to be a good year. We are BC.

Butera 3-4 2 rbi BC Morgan 1-2 3 rbi NU

Chestnut Hill, Mass. 4/ 28 Softball

1 4

Wilkins 1-3 1 rbi BC Acosta 1-3 1 rbi MD

Brookline. Mass. 5/ 1

12 6

Perdios 3-4 5 rbi Miller 2-4 3 rbi Chestnut Hill, Mass. 4/ 29

0 Horowitz 4 ip 8 h 2 er 11 Knight 5 ip 2 h 0 er 6 so


The Heights

Editors’ Picks

Thursday, May 3, 2012 Over the Summer

Final Standings

Baseball and softball both face North Carolina on the road as they near the end of the regular season. Baseball is on the verge of qualifying for the ACC Tournament. The NBA Finals are in June, and hopefully someone beats the Heat. Tampa Bay currently leads the AL East, with the Red Sox 4.5 games back.

C9

Recap from Last Week

Greg Joyce

41-24

Chris Marino

40-23

Heights Staff

35-30

Austin Tedesco

33-32

Baseball swept Wake, and then topped Northeastern on Tuesday. Softball was swept by Maryland. Lacrosse defeated Yale on Senior Day. Luke Kuechly was drafted No. 9 to Carolina. Sports Editor Greg Joyce won picks for this semester by one game over Assoc. Sports Editor Chris Marino.

Guest Editor: Devon Sanford

Series of the Week Baseball

UNC

Editorial Assistant

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Greg Joyce Sports Editor

This Week’s Games

Chris Marino Assoc. Sports Editor

Austin Tedesco Asst. Sports Editor

Devon Sanford

Editorial Assistant

Baseball: BC at No. 10 North Carolina

UNC

UNC

BC

UNC

Softball: BC at No. 20 North Carolina

UNC

UNC

UNC

UNC

Baseball: Will baseball make the ACC Tournament?

Yes

No

Yes

No

Who will win the NBA Finals?

Thunder

Thunder

Grizzlies

Celtics

Who will top the AL East when next semester begins?

Orioles

Red Sox

Rays

Yankees

vs.

Boston College

The Eagles hit the road this weekend for a challenging series against the No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels. Boston College has an outside shot at making the ACC Tournament, currently sitting ninth in the conference. Only the top eight teams make the postseason tournament, so this weekend’s series with UNC could be key for BC’s tournament chances. With six ACC games remaining, the Eagles need all the wins they can get. No win will be easy this weekend against the Tar Heels, but if BC can steal a win or two, it would put itself in good shape heading into the final weekend.

Friday 6 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.

bourdon set for center stage By Stephen Sikora Heights Staff

As Tom B ourdon departs the athletic media suite, it’s clear that in most regards , the sophomore from Simsbury, Conn. is just like any other student at Boston College. He’s friendly, well-dressed, and has a composed confidence to him, both in the moment and concerning his future career prospects. He echoes the common campus sentiment that one of the best parts about BC is its people, and speaks about the many good friends he’s made. An economics major who’s involved in community service, he also enjoys being taught by the brilliant professors on campus. But there’s one entity that makes him unique: Tom Bourdon is one of the best baseball players on the Heights. Bourdon is batting .330 on the year, which leads the Eagles. So do his 18 doubles, nine homeruns, 31 RBIs and .558 slugging percentage. He may be even better on defense, as he plays the centerfield position flawlessly and has a strong arm that’s led to three outfield assists. He’s batted first and second in the lineup this year before settling in at the three-spot, typically reserved for a team’s best hitter. He has almost 30 more at-bats than any other player, and is second on the team in runs. And he’s doing all this as a sophomore. Bourdon’s journey to BC began when he was a kid, as his favorite sport growing up was always baseball. His father played college baseball, and instilled the sport in each of his four boys. Although he coached Little League for 12 years—from the oldest brother, Mike, all the way through Bourdon—the sport was never forced. “He was always really helpful,” Bourdon said. “He never pushed us to actually play. We always wanted to.” Mr. B ourdon must have done something right, as all four of his sons grew up to play college baseball. Mike Bourdon went on to play in the Tampa Bay Rays organization after catching at Tampa University. Tim won a Division III baseball championship at Trinity College, and Pete played baseball at Middlebury College. It was after a great sophomore year in high school that Tom realized he would have a

chance to follow in his brothers’ footsteps, a result certainly helped by the encouragement of his siblings. “The most beneficial part of having three older brothers who played sports just like me is that growing up, we were always really competitive,” Bourdon said. “They would always push me to my full extent. I grew to expect that out of myself the rest of my life.” Tom carried that expectation not only in baseball but also in football and basketball, as he played those sports in high school in addition to starring in his favorite sport. He set the Northwest Catholic record for hits in a year, as well as hits and games played in a career. But while many top college baseball recruits look to play the sport year round, Bourdon did not. “I always liked playing basketball and football too,” B ourdon said, “because if you get too much of one thing, you get burned out a little bit. I’d go into those seasons, and it would help me, and I’d want to get back into baseball.” When it came time to make a choice on where to play in college, BC was an easy pick. In addition to the top-flight academics, it also afforded Bourdon the opportunity to play in the ACC, a talented league that no other Northeast schools courting him could offer. But Bourdon never got the chance to play for the man who recruited him, as former BC coach Mik Aoki left for Notre Dame right before Bourdon arrived on campus. His transition to playing for the current leader of the BC baseball program, Mike Gambino, could not have gone more smoothly All of Gambino’s players speak fondly of the 1999 BC grad, as he has created a culture where players are loose, confident, and focused in late-game pressure situations. The chemistry of the team has never been better, with Bourdon noting that his teammates are so close that it feels like family. Bourdon started his BC career with a solid freshman campaign that saw him take hold of the centerfield position and never look back. He hit .286 with seven doubles and a home run to go along with 17 RBIs, and his .298 batting average in ACC play was second on the team. Highlights of his season included a four-RBI day at

Duke, and a six-game hitting streak in the beginning of April. Even with this success, his first year wasn’t all rosy. Bourdon admitted that at times the adjustment to the college game was trying. The speed of the ACC is much more advanced than what Bourdon faced in high school, as well as the quality of the players. Bourdon worked hard in the offseason to improve, and the results speak for themselves—he leads the team in the majority of their offensive categories. “I think [the improvement] is having a year of experience,” Bourdon said. “That first year can get a little frustrating, but now, going into this year I knew what to expect.” Gambino was more specific. “One of the things that troubled [Bourdon] last year was that he was impatient at times,” Gambino said. “He’s shown much more discipline at the plate, and he’s shown that if you make a mistake, he’s going to hammer it.” Hammer it he does, as he leads the team 18 doubles and nine home runs. But Bourdon doesn’t see himself as a power hitter, preferring to be known as a doubles hitter who works the gaps. Obviously he’s content with home runs, but knows that when he starts thinking about the long ball, he’ll start pulling off and missing balls. And while you could make the case that he’s the best player on the team, Bourdon still has respect for the players in the classes above him. There are a number of guys in the program that he looks up to and sees as leaders, and he’s fortunate to have those teammates show him the road of being a sophomore. Bourdon tries to emulate what they do with the younger kids on the team, and sees himself as a leader in that regard. The camaraderie between teammates is undoubtedly strong, as contributions from all ages have led BC to a solid season. The team’s record stands at 20-26 for the year, and with nine wins in ACC play, the Eagles are only one game out of qualifying for the conference tournament. The feeling from both Bourdon and his coach is that the team likes the position they’re in. Their goal at the beginning of the year, according to Bourdon, was to

be playing the best possible baseball going into the home stretch of the year. After a three-game sweep of Wake Forest this past weekend, that objective seems to be coming true. If the team keeps playing Gambino’s brand of fundamental baseball while also staying loose and having fun, Bourdon thinks they’ll be in a spot to make a run for it. While the Eagles fight for that playoff berth, they also play for another reason. When asked if his goal is to reach the MLB, Bourdon responds with enthusiam. “Absolutely,” he said. “Along with everyone on our team, we want to play at the highest possible level we can—that’s why we came here.” If he can’t make it in the pros, Bourdon has thought about either going into coaching or the business world. He notes the importance of a backup plan, which BC’s high-quality education provides. Sports fans at BC have recently been treated to past Eagles having success at the professional level. Luke Kuechly, the former Eagles linebacker, was drafted ninth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Chris Kreider, part of the 2010 and 2012 hockey NCAA Championship teams, has scored two goals for the New York Rangers in their playoff run. Most students have probably seen these athletes at work during their tenure at BC, as hockey and football represent the two most popular sports on campus. What many people don’t know, though, is that Bourdon has the potential to be next on that list. The sophomore centerfielder is content with the amount of attention the baseball team gets, but admits that the players strive to get to the point where “everyone is stopping by and seeing, ‘Wow, the baseball team is doing really well.’” But it shouldn’t take the team winning for fans to notice them. When the 2014 MLB Draft takes place, Bourdon’s name will likely be called. You certainly don’t want to be the BC student who never got a chance to see him play at Shea Field. The well-mannered kid from Connecticut won’t ask for your attention, but his play demands it. n

daniel lee / heights editor

Beanpot consolation game ends in comfortable win for the Eagles Baseball, from A10 Hill, they were technically the home team in the contest. Northeastern took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after they capitalized on a two-out error by BC’s third baseman Spenser Payne. After the miscue, Rob Fonseca doubled, driving in the runner from first. The Huskies tacked on two more runs in the third to make it 3-0. John Puttress walked with two outs, and No. 3 hitter Matt Miller followed with a home run. Eagles starter Steve Green then pitched a scoreless fourth and fifth innings, which featured three strikeouts, giving him a final line of five innings pitched with two earned runs.

The Eagles broke out in a big way in the bottom of the fifth, an inning that ultimately propelled them to victory and gave Green his first win of the season. BC loaded the bases with one out after a walk by Andrew Lawrence, a hit-bypitch to Nate LaPointe, and a single by Tyler Hinchliffe. Perdios, who is on fire of late, continued his hitting tear with a grand slam that gave the Eagles a 4-3 lead. A month ago, the fifth-year senior was barely playing and his batting average hovered around .210. By the end of Tuesday’s game, Perdios was all the way up to .299. The Eagles continued to rally after Perdios cleared the bases, as Blake Butera walked, advanced to second

on a wild pitch, and scored on Tom Bourdon’s single. After Bourdon swiped second base, he scored on Rob Moir’s double to give BC a 6-3 lead. Northeastern cut the deficit to one in the top of the sixth. Fonseca singled to right center and later came around to score when DH Jon Leroux hit Northeastern’s second home run of the day. But it wouldn’t stay close for long, as the Eagles struck back in the bottom of the inning. Payne answered with his fourth home run of the year, and was the first of five consecutive Eagles to reach base. LaPointe followed with a single, Hinchliffe walked, and Perdios singled through the left side to drive in LaPointe

for his fifth RBI of the day. Butera then walked to load the bases, and while Bourdon grounded into a double play, it got a run across as BC took a 9-5 lead. The Huskies got one back in the seventh after leadoff hitter Aaron Barbosa walked and Miller drove him in with a double. But BC put the game away in the bottom of the inning. This time, the Eagles’ first four batters got on base, starting with a Hinchliffe single and Perdios double. After Butera walked to load the bases, Bourdon doubled to center, driving in two runs. Once Moir hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it 12-6, the game was out of reach. Matt Brazis and Hinchliffe pitched scoreless eighth and ninth in-

nings for the Eagles, who brought their record to 20-26. BC has two ACC series left to attempt to qualify for the league tournament. This weekend’s opponent, UNC, is one of the top teams in the country and will carry a 13-8 ACC record and 30 overall wins into the contests. On the other hand, the Eagles’ final opponent, Duke, is currently last in the ACC standings. Given the difficult challenge BC faces this weekend, a win or two would also go a long way toward claiming that postseason spot. The Eagles are on a four-game winning streak for the first time all year, and they would like to see it continue. n


SPORTS The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

C10

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Recapping the best of BC for 2012-2013

Harris dismissed from team

Austin Tedesco So, the news about Montel Harris being kicked off of the football team sucks, but it would be irrational to have expected him to put up any serious production next season anyway, given all of his recent injuries. Between Deuce Finch (the likely starter), Andre Williams, and Tahj Kimble, the Boston College backfield should be fine. There are definitely issues with how the athletic department handled releasing its all-time leading rusher, but that’s not what this column is going to be about. This is my last column of the school year, and I think we could all use something to look forward to. What follows is essentially a best-case scenario for football, men’s basketball, and men’s hockey (hey, it’s the last week of classes, I couldn’t get around to every sport), while still being as reasonable as possible. No, I don’t have every team winning its conference or a national title (I’m optimistic, but I’m not crazy), but let’s try to look on the bright side and consider how good next year could actually be for the big three BC sports. Sept. 1, 2012 - On a Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill, the football team opens up the season against a Miami squad in total flux. The Hurricane offense ends up looking anemic compared to the Eagle attack, led by new offensive coordinator Doug Martin. Quarterback Chase Rettig is allowed to air the ball out for the first time in his career and throws two

See Column, C8

alex trautwig / heights senior staff

‘Repeated violation of team rules’ leads to departure By Greg Joyce Sports Editor

Boston College’s all-time leading rusher, Montel Harris, will not be suiting up in the maroon and gold next fall, as he was permanently dismissed from the football team on Tuesday. Head coach Frank Spaziani made the announcement in a statement. “Montel Harris has been permanently dismissed from our football team due to a repeated violation of team rules,” Spaziani said. “We are grateful for his contributions the past four seasons and will support him in completing his degree requirements and in his future pursuits.”

“They told me not to say anything,” Harris told The Boston Globe. “So I won’t. But I know I want to play football next season and fulfill my goal of playing in the National Football League.” Reached by phone on Tuesday, Spaziani would not go any further into the details of the dismissal, other than saying that Harris had violated the team rules. “It was about team rules, and that statement, I think, speaks for itself,” Spaziani said. “I can’t get into anything more than that.” Harris’ status for the fall was up in the air, after his battle with a reoccurring knee injury. The Jacksonville native had been sidelined for the entirety of spring football, trying to avoid another setback with his left knee. Harris underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last August to try to repair his knee, but went down just a month later after he re-aggravated his injury. Spaziani said that Harris had been feeling fine this

spring, but he had heard that sentiment before too. “This was Montel’s situation: when he first got hurt, we were counting on him playing in that bowl game five or six weeks later. And that never happened,” Spaziani said. “Then there was a setback, then he missed some time in the spring, and there was a setback and he missed some time in the summer. And then we didn’t think he was ready for the fall, and then he looked like he was ready, and he wound up playing two games and then had a setback. “So it was a precarious injury at best. We were hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. After a while, we were hoping that he was going to be there, but the injury kept reoccurring and we just couldn’t count on him. That’s where the injury was. He was feeling fine—as far as he was now—but he’s felt fine

See Harris Dismissed, C8

Lightning Lou: Breaking tackles and breaking barriers Shedding light on the struggles faced by Montgomery, BC’s first black athlete By Greg Joyce Sports Editor

bc archives

Montgomery, as BC left for the Cotton Bowl.

His name is not one of the first that comes to mind when you think of Boston College football lore, but maybe it should be. Lou Montgomery, the first black athlete in any sport at BC, was that good. He just never got a full chance to show it. Montgomery was a native of Brockton, Mass., and played his first season for the Eagles in 1937. After playing his first year on the freshman team, he moved up to the varsity squad as a sophomore in 1938, where he saw little action. In 1939, though, legendary head coach Frank Leahy took over at BC, and utilized an exciting offense, of which Montgomery was an important part. That year, The Heights wrote that Montgomery was “the best broken-field runner on the

team.” While the team went 20-2 in 1939 and 1940, in part thanks to Montgomery’s play, the star running back was held out of many games played in the South, and even some at BC. According to Mark Dullea, BC ’62, who is leading a campaign with his own telling of Montgomery’s story and trying to get the school to rename Alumni Stadium after Montgomery, “Lightning Lou” was subjected to a “Gentlemen’s Agreement” in many games, forcing him to sit on the sideline. “For a long time, there had been something best described as a ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ between and among officials of northern and southern colleges and universities in the scheduling of athletic events with each other’s schools,” writes Dullea in

his 40-page proposal. “This agreement was basically an understanding that if the Northern (or Midwestern, or Western) school had any non-white players, it would agree not to bring them to play in any athletic contests in the South.” Even some southern schools tried to impose this agreement when they played in the North against northern schools. This first happened in 1939, in the third game of the season, when the University of Florida came to play BC. The game was set to be played at Fenway Park, and according to Dullea, “BC administrators had agreed to placing a clause in the game contract that allowed Florida to cancel the game without financial penalty so as to avoid having to play against a black player.” Montgomery was forced to

See Montgomery, C7

bc archives

Montgomery averaged 9.7 yards per carry.

Perdios’ five RBI push BC past NU

Eagles end season on high note with win over UNH

By Stephen Sikora

The No. 18 Boston College women’s lacrosse team defeated the University of New Hampshire Wildcats 11-6 out on the Newton Boston College 11 Campus Tues6 UNH day afternoon. The win, which concludes the regular season for the Eagles, pushes them to 10-8 on the year, giving them their third straight winning season. In her last home game for BC, senior captain Sam Taylor led the Eagles with four points, contributing two assists and two goals on just three shots. Fellow senior captains Brittany Wilton and Kristin Igoe also finished on a good note, as Wilton accumulated two assists and Igoe scored three goals. A strong first-half run ended up propelling the Eagles to their victory over the Wildcats. Taylor notched her 25th goal of the season three minutes into the contest, and then four minutes later, junior Brooke Blue scored her 36th goal. UNH answered quickly with a goal of its own, but another score from Blue and

By Austin Tedesco Asst. Sports Editor

Heights Staff

The last time the Boston College baseball team played the Northeastern Huskies, they saw their four-run ninth inning lead vanish Boston College 12 when the Hus6 Northeastern kies came from behind to score five runs in the bottom of the ninth and win 12-11. The Eagles made sure that didn’t happen when they played on Tuesday, exacting revenge on Northeastern by dropping them, 12-6. Marc Perdios led the way with five RBIs for the Eagles, as they won their midweek game in a final tune-up before a crucial series at UNC this weekend. The Beanpot consolation game was originally scheduled to be played at Shea Field, but because of the rain, it was moved to Northeastern’s park and its artificial turf-covered field. So although the Eagles weren’t playing in Chestnut

See Baseball, C9

alex trautwig / heights senior staff

Perdios continued to have a hot bat on Tuesday, driving in five runs in the Eagles’ win over NU.

i nside S ports this issue

Bourdon quietly a star

In his sophomore campaign, Tom Bourdon has established himself on Shea Field...C9

Softball drops heartbreaker at PC

The Eagles entered the seventh inning with the lead, but lost on a walkoff...................C7

two more from Igoe, adding to her total as the school’s career scoring leader, gave the Eagles a 5-1 lead heading into halftime. Blue increased the BC advantage by netting a goal to start the second half off of a Taylor assist. After allowing the Wildcats to find the net five minutes later, the Eagles went on another scoring run. Igoe, Cali Ceglarski, Moira Barry, and Kelly McNelis all contributed to a 4-0 unanswered rout by the Eagles. BC’s tough play in the net, which had held the Wildcats to just two goals in 57 minutes of play, began to flounder in the final minutes, though. UNH rattled off four goals in just two minutes, with freshman goalie Emily Mata coming in to replace senior Catherine Conway during the run. Although the Wildcats finally found a way to attack the Eagle defense, the BC lead was never truly in jeopardy because of the big advantage it had jumped out to in the first half. Taylor closed the game on an unassisted goal, her 26th of the season, giving the Eagles a five-goal win. BC outshout New Hampshire by a margin of 25-16. n

Editors’ Picks..............................C9 Series of the Week........................C9


metro The Heights

Thursday, December 8, 2011

D1

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Basking in a Boston Summer

Wicked Cultured

Defining a metropolis

By Charlotte Parish and Marc Francis

Boston comes alive in the summertime, hosting an impressive variety of seasonal shows, activities, events, and dining options. With extra time to enjoy the sand and spray, the only question is how to best take advantage of all that Boston has to offer. Whether summer is a time for new adventures–like the high-speed Codzilla–or annual spectacles–such as Navy Week and the 4th of July–there are daily ways to explore the nooks and crannies of Boston that are hidden underneath snowbanks for much of the year. To narrow down the plethora of new options, here is The Heights’ guide to the best of the season:

Charlotte Parish “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only; fashion is something in the air. It’s the wind that blows in the new fashion; you feel it coming, you smell it. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Coco Chanel was quite a lady—articulate, iconic, and business-savvy. She knew her identity without a doubt, and her fashion was an essential part of that sense of self. You can hate or love the fashion industry, but it’s undeniable that clothes and appearances are the first things we notice about one another when walking down the street. So what do the streets of Boston say about us? If Coco is right (and I certainly agree with the poetry she finds in fabric), then the styles around us are about ideas, ways of life, and personality. Those are the same things that define us as a city and community. Boston becomes more and more metropolitan every year, and while we used to pride ourselves on being a tight-knit, exclusive city (either you were Boston born-and-raised or you were an outsider), our industry and education opportunities and general living appeal have made Boston a city that people aspire to move to, bringing with them experiences and styles from their prior lives. With this influx of people, we now have to ask what defines a Bostonian. Walking down the street, a dozen dif-

See Summer, D3

“Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

- Coco Channel

ferent ethnicities and styles are present, so how does Boston unite itself in a cohesive identity? One set of mystery Facebook users are attempting to answer the question of identity pictorially, having started Humans of Boston (sassily nicknamed HONY). They only have a small following thus far, but the photos they have posted absolutely capture “the flourishing, luxuriantly sustainable bastion of creativity ... the Bostonian.” On the Common, personalities range from two sweet, elderly ladies in high-tea garb to sombrero-wearing friends (who sport incredibly cute leather satchels) to five boys who could be the grown up version of One Direction. There’s humor in each photograph, but more importantly, there’s a piece of what makes up Boston. My inspiration for this column, though, was not from the spontaneous photos that HONY captured—it was from the incredibly stylish and artistic folks on lookbook.nu. Hint: don’t get distracted by new websites coming up on the end of semester. Am I behind on the times in discovering this gem of a website? If so, forgive me, I only gave in to Twitter about a week ago, so I am clearly not the most reliable source for novel Internet sensations. But, alas, Lookbook entranced me for hours last night as I scrolled through pages and pages of ensembles. And they really have to be called ensembles, since the photos are more than pieces of clothing thrown together—they are stories woven together to form an eyecatching experience. You can search by any number of categories, one of which is location. Boston has quite a solid representation on the website, and seeing the endless variations of colors, cloths, and cuts was an overwhelming experience. This is how I define Boston: a mirage of vivid people, demonstrating their love for the city posing in some of the most recognizable sites. After all, “today every principle of identity is affected by fashion.”

Charlotte Parish is the Metro Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.

Joseph Castlen \ Heights Editor

Students fight mental health stigma

National rallies focus on women’s rights

BU Stride-a-thon event fosters suicide awareness

By Natalie Blardony For The Heights

By Tricia Tiedt Heights Staff

Last Saturday, April 28, Strides Against Stigma, a “stride-a-thon,” took place at Boston University. The event’s slogan, ‘Taking Steps to End the Stigma of Depression,” embodies their goal to raise awareness of depression and mental disorders in the college community. Hosted by Families for Depression Awareness, the event challenged each team of participants to stride two million steps in the aid against depression. Families for Depression Awareness is a national non profit organization composed of those who have lost a family member due to suicide as a result of depression. The event has currently raised 60 percent of their $50,000 goal. Stigma, defined as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person, has a monumental effect on suicides. Strides Against Stigma aims to erase the stigma about depression. As stated on the event’s webpage: “Depression affects one in every eight teenagers, and 20 million adults in the U.S. every year. Suicide is the third leading cause of

See Strides, D2

i nside Metro this issue

Courtesy of Google Images

Chihuly’s glass sculptures get paired with plant life this weekend at Art in Bloom event.

MFA art paired with botony By Lauren Totino For The Heights

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, celebrated the last weekend of April in colorful and fragrant fashion with its 36th annual Art in Bloom event. This “celebration of fine art and fresh flowers,” which kicked off Saturday and ran through Monday, showcased 70 floral arrangements inspired by and designed to accompany various works of art throughout the museum’s 53 galleries. Stylistically, this year’s exhibition emphasized modern arrangements, drawing visitors to the MFA’s new Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art. Local garden clubs and professional floral designers worked diligently to create arrangements to complement their

On the Flip Side

assigned art piece, which was a time consuming, constant process. Participants needed to frequently check on and freshen their arrangements so the flowers would endure the day. Nonetheless, participants enjoyed their role in sprucing up the MFA’s galleries, viewing their peers’ creations and picking up tips along the way. Art in Bloom began on Saturday, April 28, with Family Day, which featured art-making programs and activities for kids. Young visitors were also treated to a visit from “Sidewalk Sam,” the moniker bestowed upon Robert Guillemin, the famous local sidewalk artist and Boston College undergraduate student of art (1958-1959). Guillemin surely inspired the

The abuse of antipsychotic drugs in hospitals and nursing homes becomes the center of a heated debate......................................................................... D3

See MFA, D2

On April 28, 2012, men and women across the United States protested “Enough is enough!” as they marched in front of government buildings in their respective cities. In Boston, the Rally Against the War on Women began near the Boston Common and progressed to the city hall as young and old alike walked together, bound by a passion for their cause. The “We are Women March” occurred concurrently in Washington, D.C. Both groups espouse a similar mission—the D.C. group specifically states that, “all Americans have the right to make decisions about their bodies, including contraception, without interference from the government, business or religious institutions.” Overall, however, they simply demand that, “every person be guaranteed equal opportunities, rights, and representation.” With those common goals in mind, women of all ages came out in support. Esteemed speakers also graced the protestors in Boston. Some of those were Jaclyn Friedman, the executive director of Women Action and the Media (aka WAM!) and published author;

See Rally, D2

Restaurant Review : Yamato....................................................D4 Person to Watch: Andrew Krivak ...................................................D2


D2

The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Annual ‘Art in Falling in Bloom’ exhibit love with a enlivens museum new town Subway Series

MFA, from D1

Marc Francis So, it is my last Metro column of my freshman year at Boston College. As I sat thinking about what would make for a fitting final piece, I called to mind one of the first questions my editor asked me when I initially expressed interest in joining Metro: “What is your favorite thing about Boston?” I responded, “Oh, you know, that pretty park … thing—the garden next to all the shopping!” She responded, “You mean the Boston Public Garden?” I have to admit, my lack of knowledge about Boston was utterly embarrassing. But now, looking back on the last six months as the assistant editor, I have not just learned more about this quaint city, but have come to appreciate it for all its quirks and beauties. Although I am eager to return to my hometown of New York City, there is a whole lot I am going to miss about Beantown—the first being the Public Garden. I never thought that I would leave Boston at the end of freshman year expressing my love for a garden. Ten months ago, I had imagined myself missing all the stores and eateries, but never something as commonplace as a landfill of flowers and trees. Yet, America’s first botanical garden is the first unique thing I noticed about Boston. Every city has its fair share of stores and fantastically strange street-roamers, but not every urban metropolis can maintain a balance with nature. I have spent a fair share of my columns ranting about how much more interesting, beautiful, and exciting New York is than Boston, but I can honestly admit that the Boston Public Garden captures an aura that not even Central Park has achieved—an

My New York familywill surely be surprised at my newfound kindness. aura that combines both tradition and modernity. As soon as I arrived at BC, I immediately began to look for some element of the city that reminded me of home— and then I took my first trip to Harvard University. The college students I had encountered did bear some resemblance to New Yorkers in terms of eccentricity, but what reminded me of New York far more was the Cambridge nightlife. Embodying an attitude similar to that of downtown Brooklyn, Cambridge remains wide awake at every hour of the night. Lying at the center of college life, Cambridge is a center for tourist attractions but also a cultural hub. Many travel to Massachusetts to experience the college culture, but Cambridge provides its guests with a taste of both college life as well as Boston culture. Another aspect of my time at BC that I have come to appreciate is its wildlife—I have seen far more wild animals living in Newton than in my 18 years in New York. Just the other day, I woke up in my dorm to see a creature lingering under my windowsill. Initially, I had thought it was another student playing a prank, but as I approached the window, a giant turkey stood up and gazed right into my eyes. I was thoroughly amused, sharing the story with almost everyone in my dorm. Sure, no other student could understand why I was so amused, but living in an urban environment for so long has deprived me of any sort of true nature. Lastly, I will return back to my home a much nicer person. Bostonians have continuously shocked me with their ongoing concern for others—my New York family will surely be surprised at my newfound kindheartedness. As I wrap up my first year at BC and with The Heights, I am so grateful for spending these last months in such a center of culture and entertainment. I hope that other outsiders have had similar experiences living in Boston and will continue to explore all of its hidden secrets. I look forward to my next three years in the city as I plan to take advantage of the many opportunities Boston has to offer.

Marc Francis is the Metro Assistant Edtior for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.

budding artists in attendance, just as he inspires the pedestrians of Boston’s well-traveled streets with his artistic talents. The weekend-long event included tours, demonstrations, and classes, in addition to an “Elegant Tea” setup in the Art of Europe wing. Guided tours ran each day, one of which specifically focused on the sculpture and gardens surrounding the MFA. This outdoor walking tour not only made stops at the MFA’s serene Japanese Garden and the neighboring Back Bay fens, but also highlighted the architecture of the museum building itself and the sculptures that dot the grounds around it. Floral design demonstrations held throughout the MFA catered to both beginner and novice arrangers. The Ikebana Floral Demonstration taught the strict and formal art of Japanese flower arrangement according the Ohara, Ikenobo, and Sogestu schools of Ikebana. For those who were looking for something more casual, the Home Floral Demonstration simply encouraged participants to brighten up their homes with various flower arrangements and designs. Those interested in getting an early start could purchase flowers and plants from the MFA’s flower cart. World-renowned British floral designer Paula Pryke headlined the demonstrations that attracted the biggest crowds. Her innovative and elaborate designs have caught the attention of celebrities, film set designers, and even royalty. Since 1994, Pryke has run an internationally recognized flower school, and she was the head judge at this year’s Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, Calif. She has written 14 best-selling books on her field. The “Paula Pryke Master Class,” a two-hour hands-on floral arranging class, held both Saturday and Sunday, sold out instantly with tickets priced at $200. On Monday, Pryke instructed another sold-out class, titled “Cutting Edge Floral Design,” which was appropriate for novice and expert-level floral arrangers. Pryke later held a book signing to celebrate the release of her newest book, Flowers Every Day, published in February 2012. Pryke’s guest appearance certainly helped make the MFA’s spring tradition a success. n

Courtesy of Google images

Arrangements had to be changed frequently to preserve freshness.

Suicide and depression rates reach staggering heights Strides, from D1 death for young people, and depression is the leading cause of suicide.” On average, a person commits suicide every 15 minutes in the United States. One in 12 college students actually have a suicide plan laid out. Michael Gannon, the student who passed away this Saturday, has been confirmed to have taken his own life. A Boston University graduate student and Ph.D. candidate took her life this past month. In the past weeks, college students of Boston have particularly felt the strong effects of the tragedy of suicide, representative of how prominent the issue is across the nation. Str ide s Ag ainst Stigma desires to assure college students that depression is treatable, accepted, and nothing to be ashamed of. In today’s

high stakes environment, college students face pressures from all aspects of life: academic, social, emotional, and physical. Families for Depression Awareness publicize the need to discuss these pressures and seek professional help when necessary. Participants at Saturday ’s event wore pedometers as they walked the track at BU’s Nickerson Field. Each team member was encouraged to set his or her stride goal at 8,000 steps, roughly the equivalent of a four-mile walk . Educational activities, interactive games, and special performances entertained the audience and those walking. First L ady of Massachusetts Diane Patrick was in attendance to receive a Distinguished Service in Mental Health Advocacy Award. Honorar y committee members included Attorney General Martha Coakley, Greg

Stiemsma of the Boston Celtics, and journalist Jane Pauley. All money raised from Strides Against Stigma went toward Families for Depression Awareness’ own programs. Donations are still being accepted via the event’s website, stridesagainststigma.org. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students in the United States. Strides Against Stigma chose not only to publicize this sad information, but also to take a stand against the negative connotations surrounding depression. Depression is a treatable disease, noteworthy of recognition and support from the community for those suffering. For more information on Families for Depression Awareness or opportunities to volunteer, please visit their website at familyaware.org. n

‘Unite Against the War on Women’ draws massive crowds Rally, from D1 professor Caroline Light, Director of Studies in the Committee on Degrees in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University; Leah Dennis, singer and former president of Harvard Students for Choice; June Tsang, program associate: Global Initiative & OBOS 2011 Editorial Team at Our Bodies Ourselves; new up and coming diverse band Run, Gazelle, Run; and several more well-respected men and women who are dedicated to their cause. The emcees for the day were Valerie Stephens, (award winning multi-talented performing artist who is not only a female blues singer, but also a 2011 Boston

NAACP Image Award winner; and Jen Deaderick, a writer in Cambridge who founded the Equal Rights Amendment page on Facebook and the hashtag on Twitter, Usethe19theactivist. With this impressive line-up, the crowd continued to gather as they showed “both state and federal legislative bodies” that they “won’t stand silently by as they propose and pass laws that will impact women’s choices, health, and wellbeing.” The City Hall plaza was thus abuzz from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with great fervor and excitement. Social media helped spread the word and gather such a large turnout. The website www.meetup. com dedicated a page to the efforts, called “New Wave—Young Boston Feminisits,” that was aimed at those of

“all genders, races, and socio-economic statuses.” Another site, www.sojust. org, also promoted the rally as “Unite Against the War on Women—Day of Action.” Facebook also played a role, with the event page totaling over 700 attendees. With messages upon messages of encouragement and anticipation for the event on the page’s wall, the energy for this movement was high in anticipation of taking action against what they believe is an unfair and unjust system of laws. Bostonians rallied behind Elizabeth Warren’s Senate campaign as well as Planned Parenthood at their protest, as Mike Pascucci exclaimed his happiness at seeing and hearing all the people advocate the senate candidate

Person to Watch Boston College’s faculty is frequently lauded for its members’ impressive achievements. The Arts & Sciences Honors department is proud to boast a number of remarkable individuals, including professor Andrew Krivak. The author

Who: Andrew Krivak, Boston College professor in the Arts & Sciences Honors deprtment What: Krivak’s latest novel, The Sojurn, has recieved incredible praise, including the Chautauqua Prize, The Washington Post’s Notable Book award, NPR’s Top 5 Book Club Pick, and has been shortlisted for the National Book Award. Why it matters: Not only did Krivak receive personal accolades for The Sojurn, but the coming-of-age story also was chosen as the junior year honors seminar common text.

of the junior year honors seminar’s common text, The Sojourn (Bellevue Literary Press), Krivak was shortlisted for the National Book Award in 2011. Last week, he was awarded the first ever Chautauqua Prize. From the website, this prize is “…a new national prize that celebrates a book of fiction or literary/narrative nonfiction that provides a richly rewarding reading experience and honors the author for a significant contribution to the literary arts.” It was presented to him by the Chautauqua Institute, a non-profit adult education center located in Chautauqua, N.Y. A reviewer on Amazon calls The Sojourn a “high recommended addition to a library of World War I literature,” and praises Krivak’s “precision and beauty” in his writing. It is a coming-of-age story that contains fragments from the professor’s own family history. The story follows a young boy, Josef Vinich (which means “the vine” in Slovak), who sneaks his way into the army with an altered identification card in order to join his cousin Zlee as a sharpshooter. The two boys forge a strong brotherly bond that makes them a formidable pair of marksmen. The young Josef ’s past is haunted by tragedies, and as he grows up in the midst of a war, it becomes apparent that this is no fairy

on the wall, writing, “Elizabeth Warren for the 99 percent. The 99 percent for Elizabeth Warren.” It seemed to garner a respective turnout of all types of people coming together to defend “women’s rights and pursuit of equality.” As those in Boston came together, the universal tie and comfort that people across all 50 states felt was what seemed to push them onwards. The knowledge that they were all walking and standing up for what they believed in, together, was what seemed to resonate with those in attendance. With both men and women in attendance and guest speakers who ranged from professors to singers, the day could be noted as nothing short of a success. n

By: Christine By: Arjun Zhao Gajulapalli

tale. It’s a harrowing story about the tough stuff in life, but it’s also about family, love, and trudging forward. After the war, Josef must learn to start over and return to everyday life. Along with the Chautauqua Prize, the book was also chosen as Washington Post’s Notable Book of the Year for 2011 and National Public Radio’s Top 5 Book Club Pick. As a debut novel, it has done incredibly well, and is already considered a must-read by many. The Sojourn is Professor Krivak’s first novel, but not his first book—he is also the author of A Long Retreat: In Search of a Religious Life, which is a much-lauded memoir about his time in the Jesuit Order. He spent eight years with the Society of Jesus before making the difficult decision to leave. He is now married with three children and lives in Massachusetts. He holds multiple degrees, including an MFA from Columbia University. In addition to BC, Krivak has taught at Harvard and the College of the Holy Cross. He has also written for The New York Times, DoubleTake, and Boston College Magazine. Currently, he teaches his sophomore honors seminar about the many faces of Nature and Romanticism, from Keats’ odes to Moby Dick. n


The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

D3

Throughout the city, summer offers unique events Summer, from D1 Codzilla Cruise Boston Harbor Cruises offers several different boat options for its customers, but its most thrilling cruise is Codzilla. The Codzilla cruise zips across the Boston Harbor faster than any other of its kind as its passengers are watered down by the oncoming waves. It is highly recommended to make reservations on a high-temperature summer afternoon for this cruise experience, which includes a comedic show for the boat’s passengers and nonstop feel-good music. This 40 mile-perhour entertaining ride through Boston is an experience on the water that should be on all adventurists’ summer agenda. Food Truck Festival This has been a victorious year for mobile food stations, especially since the Cleveland Circle food truck stop has expanded its volume and Boston College students can get an even greater variety of deliciousness. The only thing better than your food coming to you, though, is having all of these food trucks parked in one location and being allowed to get anything you want from them. On Sunday, June 10, a General Admission ticket to the event (located at UMass Boston) for $30 will get you an item from every single food truck at the event, the list for which is over 30 trucks long, and includes sweets like C-Cups Cupcakes, The Whoo(pie) Wagon, and Cool Cow Ice Cream, and savory treats like Firefly’s BBQ, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, and Beantown Franks ‘n Spuds, as well as cultural fare like Paris Creperie, Mijos Tacos, and Bon Me. Staff Meal, one of the only food trucks to ever be reviewed in comparison to brick-and-mortar restaurants, will also be there with their high-end dishes. Bank of America Pavillion What is a summer without outdoor concerts? Not a very good one, but luckily for Bostonians, the Bank of America Paviion is one of the most energized outdoor arenas. The list of artists coming to the Pavillion speaks for itself and has something for every taste: Passion Pit, Childish Gambino, Foster the People, Two Door Cinema Club,

Courtesy of Google images

Musicals and fireworks are two of the spectacles that Bostonians look forward to in warm months. The Beach Boys, Stevie Nicks, O.A.R., and Santana, to name a few. Ticket prices at the Pavillion are higher than other venues in the city (averaging $30 to $40), but the experience more than makes it worthwhile. Egyptian Exhibit Beginning May 27 at Boston’s Museum of Science, an exhibit titled “Lost Egypt: Ancient Secrets, Modern Science” will be open for the public. The artifacts on loan from the Brooklyn Museum and the Academy of Natural Sciences provide further insight into the builders of the world’s first skyscrapers and how archaeologists go about uncovering such hidden secrets. The interactive exhibit highlights the research of Egyptology researchers and includes a real human mummy, animal mummies, and arts and artifacts from the Egyptian funeral culture. Unique to this exhibit are the life-size prototypes that display the mummy in various stages of unwrapping—a highly regarded educational and cultural experience. Restaurant Week Boston’s Restaurant Week makes a return this summer from Aug. 19 to 24 and from

Aug. 26 to 31. Some of the most popular and well-regarded area restaurants design special three-course prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner at incredibly affordable prices—a three-course lunch clocks in at $20.12. Restaurant Week covers over 200 eateries across Cambridge, Boston, and beyond. The event offers food lovers a wallet-friendly opportunity to explore cuisines they have never sampled, as well as return to some of their favorite restaurants. While no tickets are required, it is highly recommended to make reservations in advance due to the massive popularity of the semi-annual event. Beauty and the Beast In the past few years, Broadway Across America has put on a number of astounding performances at the strikingly renovated Boston Opera House. This summer season, the childhood classic Beauty and the Beast will be the first show, coming to town from May 29 to June 3. Everyone cannot help but love this Disney classic, especially when it is brought to life with the vibrancy and color of a Broadway musical. Plus, any BC students still in the area this

summer can relive their childhood favorite on a budget since the Opera House offers day-of, student rush tickets that are usually half-price and begin selling one hour before doors open (call the box office to ensure that tickets are available—for Les Miserables the expected popularity caused the pre-emptive decision to not offer student tickets). If Chip and Belle are not your cup of tea, Mamma Mia and Billy Elliot will also be coming to Boston. Fisherman’s Feast The 102nd North End Italian Fisherman’s Feast will be held from Aug. 9 to Aug. 12. This traditional feast has its roots in Sicily and is based on the fishermen’s devotion to Our Lady of Help. Decorative lights cover the North End during this time of year and the smell of fresh Italian food is further accentuated. The feast is organized by the ancestors of the original fishermen immigrants, and still includes a procession of the Madonna throughout the North End. With a DJ, live band, and fantastic Italian cuisines, this four-day festival allows all its attendees to have an enjoyable cultural experience. Navy Week From June 29 to July 6, Boston will be celebrating its naval history in conjunction with the bicentennial celebration of the War of 1812. While such an academic topic might not be high on one’s priority list while the sun is blazing, Navy Week is more than worth the time with special exhibits, tours, and demonstrations. The astounding Tall Ships will be returning to Boston this summer, along with the U.S.S. Constitution, and special tours of our resident Old Ironsides. Outside of the water, the unbelievably fast Blue Angels, the “Leap Frogs” (Navy parachute team), and the Navy Band will entertain Boston residents throughout the weeklong festivities. These additions will make for an even more hectic Fourth of July celebration, for which the traditional Pops show will feature songstress Martina McBride and host Michael Chiklis, in addition to the annual six-plus tons of fireworks over the Charles. n

THE ISSUE:

Recent controversy has struck hospitals and nursing homes throughout Boston concerning the use of antipsychotic drugs on patients. Many nursing home residents have not set personal constraints on the amount of sedatives they can consume, allowing for many abusive situations. Several homes and hospitals have been accused of administering such drugs to patients solely for the purpose of subduing them, thus creating a dangerous health situation as well as a moral dilemma. The current debate hones in on the two sides of the argument—do the benefits of antipsychotic drugs outweigh the opportunities for abuse?

Courtesy of Google images

Maintaining hospital safety Abusing health remedies Molly Shea While the Nashoba Valley nursing home at the center of The Boston Globe article has found success in its nonsedative approach to treating dementia patients, the majority of nursing home facilities are financially and logistically unable to provide the level of support necessary to stop the use of sedatives. A program so personalized requires time, money, and resources that most nursing homes do not have access to. Private insurance companies pay over $400 per day for patient care, while Medicare provides only $184 for the same services. Nursing homes with high numbers of privately insured patients are therefore able to afford more personalized treatments, often without the use of sedatives, while homes where the majority of patients are funded by Medicare do not have the financial means to provide the same services. Higher funding allows for a larger staff and more comprehensive training, both of which are essential to providing the level of care and focus necessary for drug-free treatment of dementia patients. It also allows nursing homes the luxury of turning away patients they deem potentially dangerous, leaving them to nursing homes that are financially unable to be so selective. The trial and error method of developing a patient care plan relies on a personalized approach to

each individual patient, which is simply unrealistic for the many understaffed, underfunded nursing homes currently using sedatives. While nursing homes that are able to provide individualized, sedative-free care to their patients should take advantage of this opportunity, nursing homes with fewer resources should continue to use sedatives on patients with dementia. As The Boston Globe reported, “Industry leaders say that the drugs must be used at times to protect residents and staff, and that many of the nondrug approaches being tried require specialized training that far too few nursing home workers have received, and often more staffing.” The side effects of sedatives are a small price to pay for the results they offer. Dementia patients who are prone to violent outbursts or devastating bouts of confusion and fear should not have to suffer when sedatives provide a solution. Most nursing homes do not have the luxury to employ such a large staff and choose patients as selectively as the Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley. They should not have to risk the safety of their patients and staff by stopping the use of sedatives.

Molly Shea is writer for The Heights. She can be reached at metro@ bcheights.com.

Graham Beck This is a matter of medical ethics. While it giving sedatives to patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s syndrome may help some caretakers and make ill patient less resistant or agressive toward to treatment, the fact of the matter is that patients themselves should have the final say on whether or not they want to be given sedatives. The idea of drugging a frail 70plus individual so that a caretaker can more easily manipulate them for treatment is just as wrong as injecting a baby with tranquilizers on a plane to stop them from crying and screaming. The convenience of the caretaker is taken as more important than the welfare and human condition of the patient, and this excuse does not suffice when the result is human beings who are little more than drugged-up puppets. In an interview with the daughter of a patient, Patty Sinnett, and Globe writer Kay Lazar, Sinnett commented that when her mother was off her powerful sedatives, her mother “‘started explaining the whole movie to me, like a normal person would,’ Sinnett said. ‘It was the first time I had had a conversation with her in a year. It was incredible.’’’ This demonstrates that not all patient on sedatives are in

need of them. There are many practical uses for medical sedatives, and they do much good. For exmaple, sedation is crutial when patients are being taken to the operating room for surgery. However, the prescription of powerful sedatives to elderly patients crosses the line between helping and hurting the patient. The scariest aspect about the risks of sedatives is that no similar medications exist to subdue psychotic breakdowns. As reported by Lazar, “Physicians are allowed to prescribe antipsychotics ‘off-label’ for conditions other than what they were designed for: serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.” A doctor’s ability to prescribe medication to patients should not be questioned in this case. What should be questioned is if dosing patients up with drugs is really necessary at all. The comparatively small issue of wanton use of powerful antipsychotics and general sedatives shines a light on the larger issue of extreme use of medication to “fix people.” While there’s a pill for mostly everything in modern society, not everything requires a pill.

Graham Beck is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@ bcheights.com.

MassEDchusetts

Paul Toner promotes merit pay

Jacqueline Parisi On Thursday, April 19, I heard Paul Toner, president of the Massachusetts Teacher Association (MTA), speak at Harvard University about his role in the union and his opinion on the Great Teachers Great Schools (GTGS) campaign. Toner commented in his introduction that he’s “very happy to see young people in college, whether you’re going into education or not, so interested in making a difference in education policy. I just want to make sure you have the facts, that you know that there are people in the teacher union movement and teachers in the classroom who have the best interest of their students in heart, and we should be involved in an open dialogue and discussion about that.” But his next comments surprised me, since they were a stark depature from the usual opinion of ateacher’s union: “As president of MTA, I’ve done my best to represent my members, but also to bring about change,” Toner said during his introduction, referring to his contentious proposal to use student performance in evaluating teachers and to make MCAS scores one of these performance measures. Paul Toner also brought along with him Jessica Tang, a union member and teacher at the Boston Public Schools. Chris Buttimer, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, also spoke as a panelist. “You guys probably look at me as the old union guy, and I wanted to have a couple of younger people who are more closely associated with the classroom to help answer any questions you might have,” Toner said. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to ask many questions after the three of them finished speaking. The moderator’s first question was about the leadership structure of the union and how Toner balances his own opinions with those of the union. Additionally, the panel was asked to comment on their opinion of the GTGS campaign, which, according to Stand for Children’s website, aims to ensure that public schools emphasize performance when deciding teacher retention, to create clear and consistent guidelines across Massachusetts for the staffing and retention, and to empower schools to close the achievement gap. Toner spoke for about 15 minutes before passing it on to Tang and Buttimer, who had opposite views on several issues. They both spoke not only about why they were opposed to the GTGS campaign, but also about Stand for Children. “Stand has been in Massachusetts for nine or 10 years,” Toner said. “For the first five years, we worked well together and I encouraged people to join Stand. At that point, they were advocating for support for more resources for public education, for supports for teachers, etc. A few years ago, Stand started to take some positions that, in my opinion, they didn’t need to take.” When speaking about a specific piece of legislation, Toner added that if, in their pending ballot initiative, Stand simply included a “look at performance first and seniority as a tie-breaker, I would probably have some difficult arguing against that because I think we all agree that people should be doing their job well.” Tang also spoke about her opposition to the specific piece of legislation when she added, “What’s crazy to me is that the governor himself, the legislators, the principals association, teachers association, Parent Teachers Association, and anyone who works directly with kids and students in schools is against it, and the only person still pushing for it is Stand for Children which, to me, is so un-collaborative. It makes me feel that it’s not about children anymore.” July 2 is the final day that Stand can remove the ballot initiative. If there is no compromise on the bill, Stand will likely go ahead on that date with the initiative instead. In my opinion, this is not the right thing to do, because a bill can be amended, whereas a ballot initiative cannot. A compromise must be made. Whether or not the panelists would agree with this is irrelevant because they went about informing us of their views by using polarizing language in a lecture-like meeting that was not conducive to any sort of productive discussion. I cannot say for certain whether a compromise between Stand for Children and the Massachusetts Teacher Association will come to fruition. After seeing so many college students genuinely interested in hearing both sides of the issue at hand, however, I feel confident that there is reason for hope regarding the future of education. Jacqueline Parisi is a staff columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.


The Heights

Thursday, May 3, 2012

D4

BY CHARLOTTE PARISH

Back Bay experiments with vintage flair at SoWa outdoor bazaar and live jazz eatery The Beehive Sunshine is a rare commodity in the Bay State, so all excursions into the city in the glorious springtime must involve soaking in as much vitamin D as possible. Another seasonal benefit is that SoWa Open Market–“Boston’s original art and indie design market”–will open on May 6. Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4

p.m., the Back Bay is filled with artisans, fashion designers, farmers, craftsmen, food truck chefs, and the hundreds of Bostonians who peruse the market fairs. There are four distinct sections to SoWa (named because it is south of Washington Street): the vintage market, open market, famer’s market, and food truck

Courtesy of Google images

The Beehive combines music and food, providing a full experience that exceeds other locales.

court. The avant-garde food court features 21 different food trucks, ranging from BBQ Smith, to Boston Speed Dog, to the FroYo Truck, to Staff Meal trucks. The difficulty isn’t finding something to eat, it’s choosing just one plate (or three) to munch on while browsing. SoWa is a truly unique venture in Boston that has been expanding since its conception in 2003, now being easily the largest outdoor shopping venue (also named one of the best in all of New England by Yankee Magazine) and also one dedicated to promoting new and upcoming artists, organic foods, and fledgling businesses. To demonstrate this dedication to quality and a smallbusiness model, SoWa mandates in their farmer’s market that every vendor “will grow or process at least 80 percent of saleable items” and “will sell processed foods only from an approved licensed facility.” The second best place to visit in the Back Bay (especially if walking around the SoWa tent city works up an appetite) is the boho-styled, scrumptious Beehive. Since SoWa is only open on Sundays, a trip to Beehive that same morning means that visitors will indulge in the restaurant’s live jazz Sunday brunch. Not only is Beehive’s food critically acclaimed and its atmosphere a modernized speakeasy, but also their jazz musicians are praised by The Boston Globe, The New York Times, Boston Magazine, and Downbeat Magazine. Because it is tucked away from the main streets of Boston (about a 15-minute walk from Copley, though only a few blocks from SoWa via Peter Park and Dwight Street), walk-in diners can still get a table at prime brunch hour with only about a 15-minute wait. Sweet and savory items nearly torture the palate (and certainly test stomach

Courtesy of Google images

Flocks of Bostonians are expected to visit on the summer session opening day, May 6. capacities) with classics like perfectly crisp challah French toast and new inventions like eggs Benedict with short rib. Although executive chef Rebecca Newell has experience at many other impressive restaurants

in Boston (Aquitaine Bis and Union Bar and Grill, in particular), Beehive is her first head chef position, and she absolutely succeeds in creating a dinning experience that is “like a dance.” n

Courtesy of Google images

SoWa cultivates local artists, providing an inexpensive and populated selling location.

Restaurant review

Sushi buffet challenges patrons

Courtesy of Google images

By Jae Shin

For The Heights Yamato,a Japanese restaurant located on the Commonwealth Avenue bus stop, is very convenient for Boston College students, as they don’t have to venture out on the T to gorge themselves on Yamato’s delicious fair. The unique gimmick of this sushi restaurant is their all-you-can-eat sushi buffet. However, the catch of this $20 per person deal is that if your party fails to eat absolutely everything on the table, the items will be individually charged at the normal menu prices. A few key appetizers truly stand out: the steamed gyoza and the shrimp shumai. Both are dipped in wasabi and soy sauce, and are cooked to tantalizing perfection. The steamed gyoza includes wonton wrappers filled with a meat and veggie mixture. It is perfectly steamed—the wrapper is firm, but just soft enough to work well with the juicy meat inside. The shrimp shumai is a half of a wonton wrapper filled with a mixture of breadcrumbs and shrimp, shaped in a tiny bowl form. It is pleasantly surprising to find that the shrimp are in rather large pieces, embedded for added texture. Other delectable starter plates include the sweet potato maki roll and the spicy crabstick maki roll. The sweet potato maki roll has a thin layer of rice and seaweed on the outside and a sweet potato blend with tempura coating. The tempura is just noticeable and delightful to the point where it provides a slight crunch, introducing patrons to the perfectly mixed blend of cinnamon, sugar, and sweet potato on the inside. The spicy crabstick maki roll is made from imitation crabmeat. It has generally the same composition as the sweet potato roll except the mixture is, to great delight, a chunky blend of large pieces of the “meat” and a slight hint of mayonnaise. A few outstanding entrees are the Chicken Katsu, Spicy Beef Noodle in Soup, Beef Teriyaki, Crazy Maki, Philadelphia Maki, and Boston Maki. The Chicken Katsu is batter-coated chicken served with brown sauce, along with miso soup, salad, and rice. The crunchy exterior of the fried batter competes with the slightly sweet yet tangy brown sauce to send anyone who likes Japanese infused American cuisine to hog heaven.

Perfect for a cold and blustery day, the spicy beef noodle in soup is soul-warming. The beef has the slightest bit of red when it comes out, allowing it to cook to more inside of the soup. The noodles, too, are perfectly plump and ready to slurp. Other delicious varieties of beef include the traLocation: 117 Chiswick Road, Brighton Cuisine: Sushi Signature Dish: Philadelphia Maki Atmosphere: 6/ 10 Price: $$ Overall Experience: B+

ditional beef teriyaki, smothered with a thick brown sauce and infused with sesame seeds and rice on the side. The beef is cooked to the ultimate tenderness, and combined with the sauce, it gives true meaning to the word “umami.” Diving into their sushi, the crazy maki features all the usual ingredients—shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, and tobiko—and is thickly drizzled with spicy mayonnaise. The richness of the mayonnaise and the avocado, combined with the crispiness of the shrimp battered in tempura, along with the freshness of the cucumber, will leave anyone sighing in delight. Meanwhile the Philadelphia Maki, with uncooked salmon and cream cheese, is reminiscent of a bagel with lox and chives. Finally, the Boston Maki is for the less adventurous—a cooked shrimp roll with avocado that’ll be the perfect mouth-popper for a final cooldown bite. Yamato has a very diverse menu ranging from salads, to sashimi, to vegetarian rolls, to soups. It will please anyone searching out quality Japanese cuisine. n


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