SUMMER PREVIEW
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Jump headfirst into summer as The Scene reflects on the best of seasonal culture, C1
Daring U.S. Navy SEAL raid kills the infamous al-Qaida leader in Pakistan, D1
Thomas Claiborne is among the Boston College athletes to keep an eye on this summer, C8
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Vol. XCII, No. 25
Shan wins Aquino award By Adriana Mariella Assoc. News Editor
Gururaj Shan, president of the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) and A&S ’12, was awarded the Aquino Scholarship at the Second Annual Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship banquet on Monday night. In its 16th year at Boston College, this scholarship recognizes a college junior who demonstrates involvement in community service, leadership in extracurricular activities, as well as academic achievement and positive contributions to the Asian American community and concern for its issues both on and off campus. While the scholarship honoring a student for these achievements has existed at BC for 16 years, this is the second year in which the scholarship has been awarded in memoriam of Benigno and Corazon Aquino, who were a Filipino husband and wife who were crucial in combating political injustice in their
country of the Philippines. The scholarship awarded Shan with $15,000 toward his senior year tuition, and all finalists received up to $3,000. Both the Shan and the finalists received $1,000 BC Bookstore gift certificates. The banquet, which was attended by members of the Asian American community and members of the Aquino Scholarship Committee, began with opening remarks by Dean Joseph Burns and a speech by the guest speaker Randolf Bustamante, which were followed by dinner and the announcement of finalists. The other finalists were Kaisi Guo, A&S ’12, Jinah Kim, A&S ’12, Joo Yeon Koo, A&S ’12, and Lisa Mao, A&S ’12. After remarks by Jessica Chau, last year’s recipient and A&S ’11, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. presented the scholarship to Shan. Alex Kim, Asian Caucus president and CSOM ’12, also made closing remarks. n
SOFC plans to be more transparent in 2011-12 Changes to include more precise budgeting system and a more active, hands-on SOFC By Jacob Bajada For The Heights
kevin hou / heights editor
Gururaj Shan, A&S ’12, was awarded the second annual Aquino Scholarship for involvement in community service.
Green space considered
Each fall, Boston College students are given the opportunity to navigate their way through the Dustbowl as some 150 Registered Student Organizations (RSO) advertise, recruit, and inform. Many students, however, have little idea where the funding for each of these clubs originates. “We pretty much fly under the radar, that’s just the nature of what we do,” said Jeff White, chairman of the Student Organization Funding Committee (SOFC) and CSOM ’12. The SOFC is a committee of approximately 20 undergraduate students that allocates the $500,000 that this group is given by the administration, to the different clubs and student-run organiza-
tions across campus. “Basically how the breakdown works is that we split half of the activities fee with the UGBC,” White said. “They take theirs to pay for the spring concert, etc., we take our half and fund our 150 clubs.” The organization, whose budget is accounted for by the student activities fee that each undergraduate pays as a part of the BC tuition, has recently made strides to improve the process by which it distributes its funds. “We made a lot of changes going into next year [to try] to be as transparent as possible,” White said. “We brought in club leaders to make sure [their voices] were heard and to become aware of their club processes.”
See SOFC, A4
John Cawthorne delivers his final lecture to students By Joseph Pasquinelli Heights Staff
Andrew powell / heights staff
Middle Campus will soon become home to the 180,000 square foot Stokes Hall and a campus green considerably smaller than the Dustbowl.
Construction projects may temporarily jeopardize green space By Daniel Tonkovich Heights Editor
Throughout the history of Boston College, the Dustbowl hosted student gatherings, large and small. From the football games of years past to the Quidditch tournaments of recent memory, from student activities day to student rallies, it functioned as an open outdoor civic space for an array of various-sized activities.
The Middle Campus spot has received numerous makeovers over the decades. Just southwest of the Gasson Quadrangle, the site is currently a mess of dirt, concrete, and industrial equipment. It will soon become home to the 180,000 square foot Stokes Hall and a campus green considerably smaller than its predecessor. The site is a central part of BC’s history as an institution. In the shadow of the tower of Gasson Hall, from 1915
to 1957, it served as the the University’s first stadium, replaced in 1957 by Alumni Stadium on Lower Campus. Since that time until this past October, it served as a grassy open space for festivities as well as an afternoon relaxation destination. Less frequently, however, it was a place of student activism. The Dustbowl played host to many
See Dustbowl, A4
Last Lecture given by atypical speaker Karl Bell, assistant director of SPO, breaks trend of featuring older professors By Elise Taylor Heights Editor
Since its inception four years ago, The Last Lecture Series at Boston College hosted by Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) has met a multitude of success. With powerful and engag-
ing professors as speakers, the series has long been associated with offering poignant views on life, love, work, and everything in between. Traditionally, the Last Lecture’s purpose has been to give those professors who are close or about to enter retirement a symbolic “final chance”
sang lee / heights staff
Younger speakers such as Bell (pictured) represent successful evolution of the series.
to address the audience with words of advice and passion of their choosing. Past speakers have included Rev. Michael Himes, S.J., Paul Brienes, associate professor of history, and Mary Joe Hughes, adjunct professor of the Arts and Sciences Honors Program. However, recently the AID organizers have been playing with a new format of the lecture—instead of using the aforementioned maturing professors, they have branched out to atypical speakers in their last two formal lectures. In the fall, they chose Riley Diniaus, BC ’10, a fifth year senior who graduated this December. In the lecture, Dinius addressed a series of closing moments for the class of 2010, as well as gave peer advice to those attending undergraduates. Yesterday, Karl V. Bell, assistant director of Student Organizations, spoke in Devlin 008, breaking from the tried and true formula of older professors. Exceedingly dynamic and personable, Bell walked the aisles during his speech and even fostered audience participation by calling on students in the crowd. Discussing such poignant matters as his biggest failure, how he handles complicated situations (he avoids them), and
See Bell, A4
Last night John Cawthorne, associate undergraduate dean of the Lynch School of Education (LSOE), better known to those who roam the hallowed halls of Campion as John, delivered his final lecture to a Fulton 511 packed with Lynch School students and non-Lynch students alike. The event was sponsored by the LSOE Undergraduate Senate. Over 200 students were in attendance. Cawthorne has been affiliated with Boston College since 1988, when he began in the Lynch School as a researcher. He was a research professor for two years before assuming his current position as dean in 1995. Robyn Antonucci and Alyssa Rosenfeld, co-presidents of LSOE Senate and both LSOE ’11, began the evening by welcoming everyone and thanking the audience for coming. Rosenfeld gave a brief overview of Cawthorne’s achievements, including graduating from Harvard and being the former vice president of the Urban League, a civil rights organization dedicated to elevating the standard of living in traditionally underserved urban neighborhoods. Antonucci then introduced Caw-
pampan zhang / heights staff
thorne who was greeted with enthusiastic applause. He began by commenting on the irony of the event being called his final lecture. “This is the final lecture,” Cawthorne said. “I’ve never given a lecture. This means this is the alpha and the omega.” Cawthorne joked that he had initially planned to set his lecture to classic rock songs but decided against it after con-
See Cawthorne, A4
STM offers prayful response
Alex Trautwig / heights editor
Last night, the School of Theology and Ministry held a procession for peace and healing to offer a more reflective and prayful response to the recent death of Osama bin Laden.