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SUMMER PREVIEW

BIN LADEN dead WHAT TO LOOK FOR

the scene

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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.

TopFive

The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

things to do on campus this week

The Meaning of Dreams

1

Today Time: 6:15 p.m.

Location: Higgins 300

Attend a cross-disciplinary symposium on the topic of the “meaning” of dreams. Three speakers from various fields will offer their expert perspectives on what dreams can tell us.

Forensic Nursing

Thesis Films at the MFA

Friday Time: 9 a.m.

Location: Heights Room Participate in the third Annual Educational Conference, whose focus this year is on emerging careers for nurses, like that of becoming a forensic practitioner. Admission is $35.

Friday Time: 1:30 p.m.

Location: Museum of Fine Arts Enjoy 14 different thesis films by Boston College students being shown Friday afternoon at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Admission to the event is free.

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featured on campus

Maerowitz earns debate honors

By Tanner Edwards

4

Friday Time: 8 p.m.

Location: St. Mary’s

Stop by and bring your friends to the Madrigal Singers of Boston College’s third annual spring concert in St. Mary’s Chapel Friday night. Admission to the event is free.

Divine Liturgy Saturday Time: 10 a.m.

Location: Brighton Campus Experience the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is a Catholic Mass in the Byzantine rite for the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God. This is an annual event.

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IntheNews

Today

57° Showers 40°

Friday

65° Partly Cloudy 50°

Saturday

64° Few Showers

University President of ‘sham university’ indicted by a federal grand jury

Heights Staff

The Fulton Debating Society held its 119th annual Fulton Prize Debate in a packed Higgins Hall Tuesday night, deliberating the issue of whether “The United States should abandon the use of military force to support humanitarian intervention in the Middle East.” While the Society’s marquee event may have been forced out of its traditional Gasson 305, otherwise known as the Fulton Debate Room, venue for a year due to construction, it was clear that none of the intellect, humor, and rhetoric of the competition was lost in the transition.

Four debaters from the Society centered their arguments on the merits and drawbacks of U.S. intervention in Libya, with each engaging in a series of seven-minute constructive arguments, three-minute crossexaminations, and four-minute rebuttals. Grant Gendron and Daniel Berkowitz, both A&S ’11, argued in favor of abandoning military force to support humanitarian intervention, while Michael Maerowitz, A&S ’14, and Brendan Benedict, A&S ’12, argued the opposite.

The debate featured an entertaining blend of investigation, conversation, and wit meant to persuade the judging panel, composed of Stefan Bauschard, a former debate coach at Boston College, Dr. Charles E. Morris, BC ’91 and a professor in the communication department, and Kevin Walton, BC ’10, a former member of the Fulton Debating Society. Memorable moments amid the detailed analysis of both positions included a construct on the price of burritos to explain how cheap the military operation in Libya would be relative to the U.S. defense budget, accusations of the affirmative side being “heartless,” and comments on the idiosyncrasies of infamous Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

At the conclusion of an audience question-and-answer session, the debaters arguing for the negative were announced as the winners of the Fulton Prize Debate, with Maerowitz being named the top debater and winner of the prestigious Fulton Prize Medal. Maerowitz’s name will be inscribed on the wall of the Fulton Debate Room, joining a lengthy list of top debaters that

Madrigals: Music Mosaic

Four Day Weather Forecast

Susan Xiao-Ping Su, the president of Tri-Valley University, a “sham university” in Northern California that was created to grant foreign students visas but did not require the students to attend classes, was arrested on Monday after being indicted by a federal grand jury late last week, according to a report by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The institution, which was visited by federal agents in January, went from enrolling two international students in the spring of 2009 to over 1,500 in the fall of 2010.

50°

Sunday

62° Partly Cloudy 50°

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

Local News White powder found in envelopes in three government buildings

Alex trautwig/Heights Editor

Michael Maerowitz, A&S ’14, (pictured) was named the top debater at the 119th Annual Fulton Prize Debate on Tuesday night in Higgins Hall. dates back to the 1890s.

“It was an honor to even be selected to participate in the Fulton Prize Debate,” Maerowitz said in the wake of his victory. “The longstanding history behind this event makes it an extremely prestigious event in the BC debate community and I could not be more thrilled by the outcome.”

Maerowitz is just the latest member of an impressive debating pedigree to succeed at BC, with his brother Matthew, BC ’10, winning the Fulton Prize Medal in 2008. According to John Katsulas, Director of the Fulton Debating Society, Tuesday evening’s award ensured that the Maerowitz brothers would be the first siblings to ever win the award.

“One of my goals when I came here was to have my name written on the wall a few spots below my brother and accomplishing that goal my freshman year is certainly a big surprise,” Maerowitz said. “It will be exciting knowing that there will be something tangible I can look at when I visit BC years from now that lets me know I was able to leave my mark on this campus,” he said.

The Fulton Prize Debate is the capstone on the busy schedule of the members of the Fulton

Debate Society, who participated in competitions at numerous colleges and universities throughout the year and offered public debates at BC on issues ranging from the value of Wikileaks and the state of the Bowl Championship Series. Katsulas cited these public offerings, as well as the education of the broader BC community, as ways the Society can touch the lives of all BC students.

“Debate training has always been highly valued by Jesuits for its unique ability to teach the importance of diversity of thought and critical thinking skills,” Katsulas said.

The director, for his part, was also honored at the event, receiving the Fultonian of the Year Award recognizing his 25 years of dedication to the Fulton Debate Society as the longest-serving director in the organization’s history.

“Receiving this award means a great deal to me,” Katsulas said. “All the recipients share a common bond: over 20 years of working at BC and a strong affection for the debate society.

In my case, teaching debate to Boston College students is the most rewarding job that I could ever have,” he said. n

Emergency officials responded to reports of a powdery white substance found in envelopes at the offices of Attorney General Martha Coakley and U.S. Senator Scott Brown in downtown Boston around noon on Tuesday, according to a report in The Boston Globe. Initial tests indicated that the substance was not dangerous, and no one was harmed on the scene. A third case occurred at Greenfield District Court around 11:30 a.m., and the building was closed at 2:30 p.m. for testing. Tests came back negative on the powder.

On Campus Researchers report development of more efficient energy generator A team of researchers from Boston College and MIT reported that the use of nanotech materials in solar panels proved to be seven to eight times more effective than previous thermoelectric generators. The report appeared in the journal Nature Materials. Zhifeng Ren, a co-author of the paper and a professor in the physics department. The Solid State Solar-Thermal Energy Conversion Center, which is a center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and seeks to explore new energy frontiers, funded the research.

National Four men taken into custody for attacking an Oklahoma man DEL CITY, Okla. (AP) — Stetson Johnson, an 18-yearold Oklahoma man who suffers from learning disabilities, said attackers tattooed “RAPEST” on his forehead and beat him unconscious on April 17. Two men and two women were taken into custody but have not been formally charged. Del City police spokesman Jody Suit said the attackers told authorities they were trying to punish Johnson after one of the women accused him of trying to have sex with her. Johnson denied that claim, and Suit said there’s no evidence to support it. Johnson has tattooed over the word on his forehead.

Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 Marketplace 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 Taylour Kumpf, 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 Paul Sulzer, 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 Darren Ranck, 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 Michael Caprio, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@ bcheights.com.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Police Blotter

CORRECTIONS In the May 2 article “UGBC members sworn into positions for 2011-12 tenure,” the incoming ALC vice president was incorrectly named as Alicia Hernandez. Her name is Alicia Martinez.

In the May 2 article “CBLE Exam tests business students,” the test was incorrectly abbreviated as the “CBLE Exam.” It is instead the “CBL Exam.”

On Thursday, April 14, an article titled “Israeli Student Group Hopes for Healthy Dialogue on Current Conflict” incorrectly stated that Mikhail Dubov and David Laugier are CSOM ’12, they are CSOM ’11. The Heights also stated that the signs posted and wall constructed by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) were not approved. Both projects were approved by the Office of Student Programs.

However, the wall did remain in the dustbowl longer than SPO permitted and so it was promptly removed. The Student Programs Office also never informed the Student Coalition for Israel that they could not be a registered student organization because no opposing political group exists, which was also stated.

4/30/11 – 5/1/11 Saturday, April 30 1:03 a.m. - A report was filed regarding two underage intoxicated students committing vandalism. The subjects were transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser.

1:22 a.m. - A report was filed regarding two underage intoxicated subjects in O’Neill Library. The subjects were transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser.

Voices from the Dustbowl “What are your summer plans?”

“Working. I have a few potential jobs lined up.”

—Danny Genis, CSOM ’14

3:33 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an underage intoxicated subject who was in possession of a stolen item. The subject was transported to a medical facility by Armstrong Ambulance.

6:37 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a subject who left a medical facility without prior authorization. The subject was transported back to the medical facility in a police cruiser.

“I’m going to a lot of concerts.”

—Zach Frank, A&S ’14

Sunday, May 1 2:17 a.m. - A report was filed regarding subjects who were observed throwing objects from a window in Vanderslice Hall. The subjects were all identified and a report will be forwarded to ODSD for review.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

“I’m going to Rome to do art history research.”

—Shannon Pan,

A&S ’12

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) 2011. All rights reserved.

CORRECTIONS Please send corrections to editor@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.

The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

A3

Leadership Awards Ceremony to celebrate students and faculty

By Katherine McClurg Heights Editor

courtesy of media technology services

Seventeen students and faculty members were honored in the 33rd Annual Leadership Awards Ceremony tonight.

Members of the Boston College community will gather tonight at 5 p.m. in the Murray Room to recognize and celebrate some of the consummate leaders at the University in the 33rd Annual Leadership Awards Ceremony that will recognize 17 distinguished students, faculty, and their achievements.

“The awards are a very important way for BC to honor the students, faculty, staff, and administrators for hard work, effort, and commitment they have to service, collaboration, and community at BC,” said Mer Zovko, chair of the Leadership Awards Committee.

In all candidates the committee looks for spirit, drive, passion, determination, and strong values, but each of the 17 awards differs slightly. In particular, faculty member Stephen Pope is being recognized with the Rev. John R. Trzaska, S.J. Award, which acknowledges his expansion of BC students’ horizons, skills, and value system.

Many students honored are dedicated and devoted to enhancing student life both socially and academically. Some of these awards and recipients include Joelle Formato, CSOM ’11, and Kathleen Huston, LSOE ’11, dual winners of the Robert A. Sherwood Award for outstanding contributions in leadership, programs, and services to the University.

Additionally, Christopher Olmanson, A&S ’14, will receive the Nicholas H. Woods Leadership Award. This goes to the freshman who most noticeably demonstrates initiative, motivation, and potential for continued

student leadership at BC. The awards are less about honoring the most recognized names on campus and more concerned with showcasing students who may not have received the recognition they deserve. Many of this year’s winners do not have traditional title roles on campus, but instead have demonstrated their passion through non-positional leadership.

The Welles Remy Crowther Service Award, which is awarded by the Volunteer and Service Learning Center, recognizes the individual who demonstrates selfless sacrifice and determination in serving the needs of others. This year’s recipient is Alanna O’Grady, LSOE ’11.

This is Zovko’s first year as chair, but she has participated with the committee in the past and been a part of the BC community for 22 years.

Formed in December, the Leadership Award Committee is comprised of students, faculty, and administrators from different disciplines, including the Student Programs Office, athletics, and nursing department. “Since leadership is so widespread at BC, we want to have as many perspectives represented on the committee as we can so we recognize those who really deserve it,” Zovko said.

The nomination deadline was in mid-February and the award recipients were notified in March. The committee prefers to have a large pool to draw from and aimed for about 150 recommendations. Some awards naturally accumulate more nominations than others, but students were encouraged to nominate their peers however they saw appropriate.

The highly-selective nature and the limited number of awards mean

many deserving and talented people are turned down. But the committee tries not to let their leadership qualities go unnoticed. Honorable mentions are given out separately to those students who were nominated, but weren’t chosen in an effort to merit their endeavors.

The committee made other changes to the actual ceremony in an effort to reinforce the esteem of the awards. This year the ceremony will be a reception instead of dinner in order to save time, allow guests to mingle, and give them a better chance to get to know the recipients. Also, videos of each winner were made to give the audience a visual of who these leaders are and observe their hard work.

In addition to the videos of the awardees and reception, photos and displays with information about each award winner and information about the award they are receiving will be placed throughout the room. This will give the other friends and families of the honored, in addition to the BC faculty, staff, and administrators who will be attending, a better understanding of the recipients.

Not only are the Leadership Awards extremely meaningful to those who receive them, but they also inspire a positive outlook on BC student life and values. “Leadership on this campus is everywhere,” Zovko said. “Compared to other universities, BC’s leadership recognition is time honored and esteemed.

There are a lot of people doing great work without necessarily receiving recognition, but more acknowledgement and praise of leadership helps to continue and strengthen our tradition.” n

ResLife streamlines move-out process for students and staff alike

By Molly LaPoint Asst. News Editor

This year, the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) has made some changes to the move-out process to make the process less stressful for all parties.

“Closing along with finals is stressful,” George Arey, director of ResLife said. “We want to be able to make it less stressful for students.”

To alleviate stress, Arey encourages students to visit the website, www.bc.edu/ offices/reslife, to find out pertinent information, as well as connecting with resident assistants and resident directors for any questions. Checkout for underclassmen runs Saturday, May 13 to Monday, May 16 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday, May

17 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those not leaving during those times should contact their RA. Seniors are required to move out May 23, after commencement.

A new program, called BClean, is replacing the old Cleansweep program, in which volunteers helped residents move items out of their dorm that they wanted to donate. Now, students will be responsible for moving all of their belongings out of the dormitories. If items are left in rooms, students can receive up to $500 in fines.

“The fines have increased because of the fact that we’re no longer doing Cleansweep,” Arey said. “But there’s also an accountability piece to that.”

Arey said that in the past, there have been problems with students, particularly

Advertising and PR will be UN courses beginning fall 2012 B y D avid C ote Heights Editor

The communication department has announced that beginning in the fall of 2012, a number of advertising and public relations classes will be offered as general university courses. This change follows the movement of journalism classes out of the communication department beginning in fall 2011.

While there is no definitive list of classes that will be moved yet, Lisa Cuklanz, chair of the communication department, said, “Some public relations and/ or advertising classes currently in communication will likely be moved out of the department and offered as University courses starting in the fall 2012.”

In an e-mail sent to communication department professors in January, the department said that several classes might be moved due to an “ongoing process of department self-study, external review, and accompanying curricular adjustment.”

The motivations for why the public relations and advertising classes specifically are being moved is unclear, though Cuklanz did comment on the long -term goals of the department. “ The communication department is in the process of strengthening its course offerings in areas of our faculty’s research strengths in rhetoric, mass media, and interpersonal communication,” she said.

In order to strengthen the department in research areas, the communication department will be adding new course titles next year, such as Rhetorical Criticism, New Media and So-

ciety, and Communication in Families.

Many schools that Boston College has often been compared to, including Georgetown and Villanova, lack a formal communication department. However, they have specific majors in areas like journalism and advertising.

When asked if perhaps the

The communication department is in the process of strengthening its course offerings in areas of our faculty’s research strengths in rhetoric, mass media, and interpersonal communication.

—Lisa Cuklanz, Chair of the Communication Department BC administration was moving towards creating specific majors like their competitors, Cuklanz said that that was not the case.

“I do not think there are any plans at BC to add Communication-related majors in specific subjects such as Public Relations or Advertising,” she said in an e-email.

Because the classes that are eventually moved will no longer be taught in the department, they will be available to students in all College of Arts and Sciences major programs. n

seniors, leaving trash in the buildings. It took a staff of 60 people four and a half days to clean the buildings, he said.

“Students were not donating at the level they could, and not really living up to our [Jesuit] mission,” he said.

Having students clean up will make the job of Facilities Services staff easier.

“Having the students not clean up had a significant effect on Facilities,” said Mike Jednak, director of Facilities Services.

“We’ve had hallways packed with trash [in past years.]”

The end of the year is busy for Facilities.

In addition to cleaning up the dormitories after move out, they are working to clean the residence halls and ready them for alumni weekend and summer housing, as well as get them ready for the fall. Chang-

ing the policy will speed up the process for the staff, and allow them to focus more on readying them for future residents.

“We’re excited about this program,” Jednak said. “Carrying out the trash is something our crews didn’t like doing.”

Donations will instead be accepted at sites across campus May 14-19 and May 22 and 23. The Society of St. Vincent De Paul will accept non-perishable food items and clothing, and Household Goods Recycling of Massachusetts will accept furniture donations.

In addition, rather than College Boxes, ResLife has decided to use Piece by Piece Storage. In addition to storing belongings over the summer, the company also has programs to help with move-out and final cleaning. Arey said Piece by Piece was

chosen because they have agreed to lower rates and perform background checks on all of their employees.

“The biggest thing for me is that they’ve agreed to provide a service to our students, and that all their folks are going to be very professional,” he said.

Students may still use College Boxes, but the company will not be able to pick up on campus. Arey is not sure this change registered for students, he said. “That’s another thing I don’t think has resonated,” he said.

“The big thing I want to convey is that we want move-out to be less stressful,” Arey said. “We hope that this will create a less stressful move-out process, and a less stressful graduation day for seniors and their parents.” n

Allston-Brighton Crime Reports 4/5/11 – 4/16/11

Suspect resists arrest for disorderly conduct On April 15 at approximately 8:14 p.m., officers observed the suspect inside the Allston Market on Harvard Ave, about whom he had received several complaints from the store. The owner of the store stated that the suspect entered the store several times in the past two weeks during which he harassed customers and store merchandise. The owner then told the suspect that he was not allowed back into the store and had asked for the officers help in ensuring that the suspect would not return.

On this occasion when the officer observed the suspect inside the store, he entered and removed him from the premises.

The officer then went back into the store where he was told by the owner that when the suspect entered the store, he walked up to a female customer, interlocked her arm with his, and attempted to drag her out of the store. At this point, the officer walked back outside and placed the suspect under arrest after a brief struggle for trespassing, disorderly person, and resisting arrest. The suspect is a deaf mute. During booking, multiple attempts to obtain a sign language interpreter were made to no avail, however the officers wrote necessary information for the suspect to read, however he refused to acknowledge the officers’ presence. Officers have been able to communicate this way with the suspect in the past.

Suspect steals burrito, flees from officer At approximately 4 p.m. on April 16, an officer received a radio call regarding a report of a past shoplifting. Upon arrival, the officer spoke to the victim (the general manager of the food court) who stated that the suspect stole a burrito from the food court. The victim took the officer into his office where he showed him a surveillance video of the suspect taking a wrapped burrito from a food stand, concealing it in his jacket, and walk by the register without paying for the food. As the officer was leaving, the victim approached him and said that the suspect had returned to the food court. The officer called for backup, approached the suspect and asked to speak with him. The suspect became angry when the officer asked about the stolen food and ran. After a short pursuit, the officer placed the victim under arrest. The suspect was charged with shoplifting from the food court and merchandise found in his backpack from the convenience store without a receipt. During the booking process, the suspect gave an alias, however his real name was discovered at which point it was determined that he also had an outstanding arrest.

Additional DNA information links to criminal On October 18, 2010, officers investigated a breaking and entering that occurred at a resident in Brighton. Detectives retrieved evidence from the scene including fingerprint lifts, a white shade with a stain believed to be human blood and a window safety bar also believed to have human blood on it. On April 12, 2011, DNA information was received via the Boston Police Crime Laboratory Unit. The crime lab processed the forensic evidence from the above location and it was able to link it to a suspect in Massachusetts.

Break-in occurs while victim’s roommate is asleep At 3:30 a.m. on April 5, officers responded to a call for a breaking and entering in Allston. Upon arrival, officers spoke to the victim who stated that he was in his room at 2:30 a.m. when he decided to get something to eat. When he returned at 3:30 a.m., he found that someone had broken into his apartment and had stolen his flat screen TV, his laptop, his iPhone 4, and his Xbox 360. His roommate, who had been asleep in his room during the robbery, stated that he heard a car pull up and noise coming from outside the room, but he assumed that it was his roommate making noise and didn’t leave his room to check. He said he heard the car start up again and drive away and he said that he believed that there was more than one person in the house. The officer advised the victim of the T.R.A.C.E program and also that he should have his phone turned off.

iPhone stolen from woman’s back pocket On April 15 between 12:30 and 1:15 a.m., the victim stated to police that while at a tavern in Brighton, an unknown person stole her iPhone from her back pants pocket. The victim stated that she did not feel anyone go into her pockets.

- Courtesy of the Boston Police Department, District 14 Gathered by Adriana Mariella, Associate News Editor

The Heights

A4

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Master Plan recognizes need for open space as a priority Dustbowl, from A1

“While not outdoors, we have worked this year to provide students with open spaces by extending Chocolate Bar and Hillside hours,” said Patrick Rombalski, vice president of student affairs. “Students are interested in open space, areas where they are not required to make a reservation.”

“The availability of green and open spaces for student use as gathering and activity spaces is a priority in the campus planning process,” said Robert Pion, director of facilities management.

According to the IMP, BC has planned on

developing civic, spiritual and open space areas intended to foster a vibrant and engaged University community. The open spaces will be achieved through a series of greenways, quadrangles, and large civic spaces.

“The organizing element of the Master Plan is to have a campus that is linked by quadrangles and outdoor spaces,” Pion said. “These quadrangles go from Upper to Middle to Lower and to the Brighton Campus, with the goal of creating one campus.

The ratio of open space to building on the Middle

Campus is the guide used in planning other areas of the campus.” activist movements through the years. In the 1970s Lower Campus will be the site for most of the it served as the gathering site to protest for AHANA new open civic spaces on campus. It will provide rights and against the Kent State shootings. In April a location for high visibility events without the of 2005, the site, along with O’Neill Plaza hosted disruption of the Middle Campus academic enviover 1,000 students, professors, and administraronment. tors gathered in support of ending discrimination “There is a concern by some of the faculty about against members of the GLBT community at BC. the amplification of sound,” Rombalski said. “The As student organizers called for a University strike, space planned on Lower Campus in the future will hundreds of students opted not to attend classes, provide large space away from the academic buildwith dozens of professors expressing their ings that also allows for event visibility solidarity by canceling their sections. and traffic. We understand the imporColleges, centers of thought and contance of having open spaces intersect versation, often play host to social movewith crosswalks so students can naturally ments, and BC is no exception. bump into events.”

“Many times students have important A proposed plaza in front of Alumni roles in social revolutions,” said Charles Stadium, the plaza adjacent to the south Derber, a professor in the sociology deside of the University Center proposed in partment. “They have the free time to the IMP, and the proposed Lower Camresearch and think critically about issues pus quadrangle will replace the acres of of societal importance. There is much land occupied by the Mod Lot and Flynn student activism at BC. We have a bright Recreation Complex and give way to large student body that prides itself on morality. civic spaces administrators noted.

The students are not just technocrats, but For the foreseeable future, however, people with values.” students will have to make do with only Derber noted, however, the importance one large open civic space on campus: of open spaces in fostering conversation O’Neill Plaza. and affiliated movements and activism.

“The reality of living with a Master “Having the space to openly congrePlan is that we can’t develop it all at once,” gate to share ideas and inform others is Pion said. “It means not having the buildanother critical component,” Derber said. ings or the green spaces we would like to “Not only is space important, but the have now. In looking down the road, the space must be visible to draw attention Master Plan includes a number of planned to the cause.” green spaces.”

Campus planners and administrators “The Dustbowl holds great memories acknowledge the value of open spaces as for so many students and alums,” he described by Derber. They both recognize furthered. “The Master Plan includes the current lack of open space and have the opportunities to create new spaces photo courtesy of the office of news & public affairs for students to enjoy and become great incorporated open space needs in the Above is a projected image of Stokes Hall as seen from Carney and McGuinn halls. The image shows what will be the new campus green. memorable places.” n Institutional Master Plan (IMP).

Farewell address met with enthusiasm SOFC reevaluates fund distribution Cawthorne, from A1

sulting with his family and media services.

He decided he should share what he knows and what he believes. “I thought, ‘What do I know about me and what do I believe?’” he said. “That’s what I’m going to share with you tonight.”

He said he loved the Lynch School because it is accepting. “In the Lynch School people are asked to join us. No one is an ‘other,’” Cawthorne said.

Cawthorne also discussed the importance of being a moral person and said it has little to do with what church a person attends.

“It’s not about what faith you subscribe to or what church you go to,” he said. “Morality is about how you treat those around you.”

He gave the example of a Republican friend of his from college who opposed the end of segregation in the 1960s. “Just because I hated his politics didn’t mean I had to hate him,” Cawthorne said.

Cawthorne said he knew the importance of goodness. “Just because something’s the best doesn’t make something good. You could be the best apple in a barrel of rotten apples. The important thing is to be good.”

Cawthorne also said he knew that “time is the inexorable march toward freedom.” He tied this knowledge to the current strife in North Africa and the Middle East. “I was not saddened Osama bin Laden was killed,” Cawthorne said. “But what’s going on in Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria … that’s the important thing to cheer.”

Cawthorne told students that the world is

not perfect and students should feel some dissonance due to this. How students respond to this dissonance, though, is what is important.

“Accept that it’s not OK,” Cawthorne said.

“Then figure out what you can do to change a little piece of the world because if you try to change the world, you’ll end up cynical by the time you’re 40.”

He then discussed the importance of love.

Cawthorne said it is easy to love, but difficult to allow oneself to be loved. “I believe loving is easy. You’re the one making the decision,” he said. “It’s much more difficult to allow yourself to be loved. In that moment, when you allow someone to love you, you are absolutely not in control and [you are] completely vulnerable.”

Cawthorne shared with the audience that he really did not know how to be a dean when he started the job. “I told [them] that I didn’t know anything about being dean, but I did know how to be an elementary school principal and that’s how I was going to run this office,” Cawthorne said. “And that’s just how I ran that office. The dean’s job isn’t to be scary.”

His approach to being dean is what has made Cawthorne one of the most beloved members of the Lynch School. Students, parents, faculty, and staff alike feel a great deal of affection and respect for him.

Sean Johnson, GLSOE ’11 and BC ’10, commented on Cawthorne’s ability to fix problems seemingly with the wave of his hand.

“He’s like a wizard,” Johnson said.

Molly McCarthy, LSOE ’12, said Cawthorne would be missed for the priority he

gives to students. “I will miss John because he makes each and every Lynch School student feel like he has all the time in the world for them,” McCarthy said.

Faculty also expressed their regard for his treatment of undergraduates. “I am not sure I’ve seen someone care more about the mental and academic health of undergraduates than John,” said Mike Barnett, a professor in the Lynch School. “He fundamentally cares about them, which is not true of all deans.”

Cawthorne has also been a mentor to faculty members. Audrey Friedman, a professor in the Lynch School, expressed gratitude for his trusting her to do research and being there for her when she was in need. “John has been a mentor of mine since I started my doctoral program. What I value most is that he had immense faith in my ability to essentially run with the ball. He let me work and do research in the schools,” Friedman said.

“He’s always been there for me,” she said.

“I’m really sad he’s leaving, and it’s going to be tough to fill his shoes. He understands students, schools, and how people learn.

He knows how to help kids through periods of dissonance instead of temporizing and regressing.”

Cawthorne concluded his lecture by thanking everyone for attending and for making his time at BC as wonderful as it had been.

He then reminded the audience, “As Frank Sinatra said, ‘I did it my way.’”

At the conclusion of the question and answer session that followed the lecture, Cawthorne received at standing ovation from the audience that continued for over a minute. n

AID hopes to change Last Lecture model Bell, from A1 racism, Bell’s focus of the talk was to urge BC students to wake up, pay attention, and discover who they are. “ You are the only representative of Boston College that some young men and some young women will ever have. Represent Boston College well. You are the only representative of faith that some would be believers will ever have. Represent faith well. You are the only representative of love, that some of your peers, partners, and family members will ever have. Represent love well,” he said. “And my favorite, that gets me up in the morning and motivates me through the day: You are the only representative of your family that some folks will ever have. Represent your family well.

Nothing means more to me. Wake up!

Nothing. Even when I yell, some folks are still sleeping.”

Bell also asked each grade to stand up and gave them parting words of wisdom, focusing on the importance of building and leaving a legacy.

“You run this place. So the last thing is, run it. It is your university. You want it?

Make it happen.”

Then referencing his role as a both an acceptor and rejecter of student proposals, he said “in most instances, however, I will be the first person to tell you no.”

According to Tyler Martin, co-president of AID and A&S ’12, the decision to expand the periphery of the Last Lecture Series beyond the norm was fueled by a desire to continue the successful evolution of the series. “We tinkered with the format this year.

Typically it has been professors who are eloquent and deliver wisdom, and this was the criteria to me in the past. But since we

thought the series was four-years-old and had been wildly successful, we wanted to expand the series through other vehicles,” he said. “Last semester we wanted to see what it would be like to get wisdom from a parting student, and this semester we wanted to break tradition and see if we could get someone from the administration.”

Martin said he supported Bell since his attendance at the Progressive Leadership Summit, where Bell spoke. Martin said he was greatly impressed by Bell’s decision to enter academia.

Shelby Garber, student organization officer for AID and A&S ’13, said that although the Last Lecture was usually reserved for winding-down professors, it was never set to be only reserved for such individuals despite the trend of the last three years.

“The idea of the Last Lecture is to give the speech you would if it were your last.

For many, this means as if you were retiring.

However, the Lecture is usually not given by someone who is, in fact, giving their last.

It’s simply for the purpose of imparting the most important or meaningful information that you want to share,” she said.

When asked why AID has decided to go against the grain recently, Garber said it was not in any effort to change the profile of the lectures, but simply because they decided by branching out they would be able to provide more unique experiences to students.

“Karl Bell is obviously not planning on retiring any time soon, but we felt he would make a wonderful lecturer because he is energetic, charismatic, and has led a full life with many different experiences,” she said. “Riley’s lecture was focused on the BC senior class of 2010 because they had just closed a chapter of their lives. They were in

a pivotal moment and able to bring unique perspective to current undergraduates looking back on their own experiences. The age of our Lecturers is irrelevant to us.”

Martin also echoed similar sentiments regarding the provision of distinct experiences to BC students. “We have a unique experience every time. We always have very different professors as we’ve intentionally selected people that have come form different places in the background, life, and career. Now, we are doing different viewpoints.”

Ironically, while AID is slowly varying its program, a similar lecture emerged that closely resembled their previous formula.

Dubbed “The Final Lecture” and hosted by the LSOE Senate, the event centers around a speech by the prized and retiring John Hawthorne, associate dean of the Lynch School of Education. Hosted on the same day and during the same time period, the parallel between the two events are blatant: both boast the idea of final advice and remaining words, however it is apparent that this is more directly applicable in Hawthorne’s case. Martin and Garber said there was no coordination or communication between the two groups, and the scheduling and topics were a mere coincidence. “ We’re actually not af f iliate d w ith LSOE’s Last Lecture. We only found out about it when they started publicizing,” Gerber said. Martin pointed out that “The Final Lecture” was more of a prominent goodbye event rather than a hypothetical one. “They are commemorating an actual last lecture of a professor,” he said.

Both events were well attended. Rough estimates average that around eighty people attended Bell’s talk, whereas a little over two hundred attended Hawthorne’s. n

SOFC, from A1 On April 11, the committee gathered club representatives in Higgins 300 for its annual “town hall meeting” to discuss improvements for next year.

“In the past, clubs would submit their budget now for all of their events for all of next year,” White said. “This seemed backwards [so we decided] to break it down into two funding cycles, one semester at a time. The deadline is Aug. 25 for first semester, which gives clubs time to plan events over the summer. Clubs also have a couple months during first semester [to plan second semester events]. We hope it allows for more accurate budgets and more time to plan great events.”

In addition to a more precise budgeting system, the SOFC will play a more active role in the approval of club expenditures.

“When a club has to go buy something [or hold an event], they

“Each SOFC member will be responsible for around seven of the clubs registered with the Student Programs Office. They’ll have to have intimate knowledge of the clubs ....”

—Jeff White, Chairman of SOFC and CSOM ’12 have to send in approvals,” White said. “SOFC is going to see and track where this money goes. We’re pretty much going to be approving clubs’ expenses with the right to deny these reimbursements.”

Previously, clubs would be allowed to transfer expenditures approved in the original budget without further approval. This change, White said, will allow for the SOFC to now have an exact knowledge of how clubs are spending their money.

With this, each member of the committee will be assigned to a specific list of clubs in order to further ameliorate communication with RSO representatives.

“Each SOFC member will be responsible for around seven of the clubs registered with the Student Programs Office,” he said. “They’ll have to have intimate knowledge of the clubs so that [after initial budget approvals], when clubs are wondering about expenditure approvals, they’ll have someone to go to. That way it’s not just some room in Campanella [looking at these expenditure appeals].”

The committee has also developed a new website to publicly display its new policies and to clarify the steps that clubs need to take to receive more funding.

Despite the upgrades that the SOFC has made going into next year, White still emphasized the difficulties that the committee faces when distributing funds.

“There’s pretty much always the tension [that exists between clubs and the SOFC]. We’re asked for over $4 million [in total] and we have right around an eighth of that,” he said.

“If a club doesn’t like the funding that we gave them, they can go through an appeal process where we bring the club in and talk to them to understand better what they’re doing to add to BC’s campus.”

We just want to make sure that the money that we allocate is adding the most to BC.” n

CLASSIFIEDS

The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

A5

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A6

The Heights

Editorials

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In support of the culture shapers

Thursday, May 5, 2011

“Every human being on this earth is born with a tragedy, and it isn’t original sin.

He’s born with the tragedy that he has to grow up. That he has to leave the nest, the security, and go out to do battle. He has to lose everything that is lovely and fight for a new loveliness of his own making, and it’s a tragedy. A lot of people don’t have the courage to do it.” —Helen Hayes

This year’s recipients of the Person of the Year and Momentum awards have forever changed BC with their work Every so often, a student transforms Boston College in a way that forever alters the fabric of this University. All who follow these special few will not know BC in any other state, and those that exist alongside them would not have it any other way. These persons are wise beyond their years. Not only do they have the insight to discern the need for activism in some segment of the community, but they have the unfailing perserverance, the daunting determination, and keen understanding of human nature to gauge issues and form solutions.

This year, we have chosen Kelsey Gasseling, A&S ’11, as our Person of

These persons are wise beyond their years.

Not only do they have the insight to discern the need for activism in some segment of the community, but they have the unfailing perserverance ... to gauge issues and form solutions. the Year. For the past two years, Gasseling has served as the president of the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC).

In her tenure, she has brought GLBTQ issues to the forefront of campus-wide discussions.These conversations are being repeated nationwide at Catholic institutions, as GLBTQ students take on a more prominent place in student life. Gasseling demonstrates through example that being GLBTQ and being Catholic are not mutually exclusive. She speaks for students who align themselves with the ethics of the Church, disagreeing only with doctrine that excludes believers on the basis of the ones they love.

To have a figure like Gasseling on campus who possesses the courage to spark these discussions is a great benefit for the BC community. Not only has she offered herself as a voice for GLBTQ students, but she’s asked the remainder of the student body to consider issues that regard the deepest level of our humanity—our views of man’s treatment of his fellow man. Furthermore, Gasseling

has moderated these discussions with impeccable grace and welcoming, allowing dialogue to be free and questioning, as she feels this is the only tone that can produce consensus.

Those recipients of this year’s Momentum Awards have also helped to move BC’s achievements in a variety of fields forward.

The organizers of the Mile 21 campaign have responded to the transition period the BC campus is currently undergoing by offering programming that seeks to unite the campus over one of the most celebrated events of the year.

Their efforts have culminated in the development of a tradition that will extend far beyond their undergraduate careers.

Brooks Dyroff has distinguished himself as a student athlete on a nationalchampionship winning team, whose efforts off the ice are just as significant.

Creator of the non-profit CEO4Teens, Dyroff is an resource for those to whom he offers micro-finance services, and an example to his classmates to apply their abilities in a way that benefits others.

Joelle Formato, one of the best-known leaders on this campus, has personally distinguished herself by going off the beaten path of what is expected by students in each of BC’s four undergraduate colleges. An accounting major, Formato has exhibited a vested interest in teaching and views her training in business and leadership not as limiting what she will do with the rest of her life, but as a foundation to understanding and exploring multiple facets of the world.

Rev. Jeremy Clarke, S.J. and Chris Sheridan, A&S ’12, have moved BC forward in the arena of national scholarship, with Clarke producing an impressive amount of unique research this year, and Sheridan going outside of the box, looking at the mind from both a scientific and philosophical perspective. During his undergraduate career to date, he has dedicated his time and exceptional skill to undertaking focused research, earning a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.

Finally, Eric Nam, through organizing Kollaboration Boston, worked for cultural pride through the power of performing arts.

Though all of the award recipients will someday move on from BC, their contributions will forever remain at this institution, a constant reminder of what it means to fulfill our “Ever to Excel” motto.

Sentiments may vary, but effects are everlasting Though feelings on Sunday’s Osama rally are mixed, there is no denying it was a significant moment No more than four hours after Osama bin Laden was confirmed dead, Middle Campus was littered with beer cans and cigar butts—remants of a generation’s grand celebration.

In the early morning of May 2, a crowd of several hundred students stormed through the Mods, O’Neill Library, and Bapst Library before coming to a halt in Walsh Hall. The group charged about with American flags while singing in celebration of bin Laden’s death. The true impetus for the mob remains a mystery.

Perhaps it was inspired by the death of the Sept. 11 culprit, or maybe it was just a celebration of American military prowess. Perhaps it was just the weather.

Whatever the cause of the mob, U.S. colleges in every part of the country mirrored it. We think this is not coincidental. Most seniors were in 7th grade – the first leg of their teenage lives - when the

Twin Towers fell. The innocent age of their childhood was interrupted by the post-Sept. 11 world. Now, with less than a month until graduation, the villain of that world is dead, relegated forever to a position in the public memory. The Heights can’t say what this means for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we do see this outburst of emotion as a new-found optimism in America’s young people. Americans have collectively sought and found justice in their quest for bin Laden – a process that might just have picked up a generation and dusted off its millennial cynicism. Now, who can say what isn’t possible for this generation. Four days after bin Laden’s death, we can at least say that we were fortunate to have witnessed that event.

All anyone can do now is ask what comes next, and, more importantly, what they can do to help.

The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Michael Caprio, Editor-in-Chief Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager DJ Adams, Managing Editor

Editorial

Clara Kim, Copy Editor Taylour Kumpf, News Editor Paul Sulzer, Sports Editor Kristopher Robinson, Features Editor Darren Ranck, Arts & Review Editor David Cote, Marketplace Editor Ana Lopez, Opinions Editor Dan Tonkovich, Special Projects Editor Alex Trautwig, Photo Editor Lindsay Grossman, Layout Editor Mollie Kolosky, Graphics Editor

Mary Kate Mcadams / Heights Illustration

Letters to the Editor An open letter to the White community This letter was written in regards to a previous letter called “An Open Letter to the AHANA Community.” The piece calls for greater openness within the AHANA community and encourages reaching out to the White community, and vice versa. As White members of FACES, the only antiracist organization at Boston College, we want to elaborate on the ways the White community can address issues of race on campus. We also want to address what questions White students can ask themselves to better understand their responsibility in improving the racial climate at BC. Too often, the responsibility of bridging racial divisions falls on the AHANA community. Conversations about these racial divisions and misunderstandings inevitably lead students to blame culture clubs, deeming them too exclusive, and angrily question the need for required courses at BC that deal with issues of race, among other statements that most of us have heard. All of these arguments strive to ignore the uncomfortable topic of race and place the responsibility onto someone else. The question less often asked is what the role of White students is on this campus in addressing race and understanding the need for these conversations. Culture clubs may not have many White members. However, other organizations on campus, especially clubs that celebrate White ethnicities, many service organizations, and finance organizations are almost never questioned for their predominantly White racial membership. Why do these questions go unasked while the other questions are constantly present in our dialogue at BC? We do not intend to say that no one in the White community works to improve the racial climate at BC. It is absolutely important to recognize that a number of White students at Boston College are making efforts to bridge racial barriers and create a truly open and more understanding community. Yet, one look at the racial segregation in BC housing that tends to happen after freshman year tells us that more of this needs to happen. Further, it is not only student-to-student interactions that are problematic, but trends in inequity on the larger scale that are often harder

to see. Racial tension and division at BC are certainly seen in divided dining halls, overheard in casual racial slurs peppered throughout conversations, and felt in the explosions that occur over these issues every few years. But to stop there is to miss a crucial aspect of the way that racism operates on this ‘larger scale,’ here and elsewhere. AHANA faculty and administration make up just 16 percent of the total at BC. There are no institutionally required courses that focus primarily on racism and privilege, meaning we can potentially graduate without ever having discussed racism in depth in the classroom (the cultural diversity core does not count as talking about racism). Most of us know every detail of the alcohol matrix, yet would be at a loss if asked how to report hate crimes, which do occur.

Possibly most alarming is that according to the American Council on Education, just 7 percent of BC’s tenure-line professors are black or Hispanic. What does all of this mean for every member of the Boston College Community? It means that in becoming “Men and Women for Others” our growth is stunted by lacking the tools and the knowledge to have productive dialogue about race. As White students, we cannot discuss race effectively without first understanding what it has meant in our lives to be White.

We are not looking to criticize our peers but rather to encourage a renewed and sustained commitment to challenging racial inequality and division in the White community. We challenge not just White students in general, but especially those who are the leaders of clubs, in athletics and in other BC organizations to step up and show your peers that racial justice is not an AHANA issue, it is a BC issue.

Gabrielle Acierno, A&S ’11 Riley Collins, A&S ’12 Leigh Purcell, A&S ’13 Lauren Zajac, A&S ’12

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The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

A7

Opinions

Hard lives

Thumbs Up To end the year, TU/TD is recapping some of the best of 2010-2011.

Osama rally – Thank God everyone brought their spontaneous patriotic rally gear to campus this year! Pocket constitutions—don’t know where we’d be without you!

James Franco – Just because he graced MA’s with his presence doesn’t mean the glory’s going to rub off on you when you pass out against the bar.

Te a m VAG – G r o w t h i s good.

Mile 21 – Free stuff on Marathon Monday? Almost as genius as giving gifts on Christ’s birthday.

Sugar Ray – If you’re not in the Mod lot this afternoon to support the presence of Mark McGrath, you should re-examine your life choices.

Thumbs Down Charlie Sheen – A true #winner. However, we’d like to see his papers from Hogwarts to ensure he’s actually a legitimate warlock.

Japan – Our thoughts and prayers remain with the persons affected by the earthquake tragedy.

Benjamin Key Were this any other week, my column would doubtlessly be an honest attempt to understand something occurring in our world. It would likely have been a reflection on the death of that certain terrorist that will forever mark last weekend as historically significant. Or, perhaps, I would have mused over the relative understandability of the national bloodlust that followed. But, I will not be analyzing the shockwaves sent out from that corpse currently resting at the bottom of the Arabian Sea. And this is only partially because I think the world has had enough days to dwell on a death, and now it’s time to return to contemplating things that are still alive.

This week is different because, as I sit down and write, this, my final column, I am wrapping up yet another portion of my time at Boston College.

An editor at The Heights begged me not to do one of those “I’m-a-graduatingsenior-let’s-all-cry-about-it columns.”

I have no intentions of doing so, and I promise I’ll do my best to negotiate through the treacherous waters of the graduation reflection – steering clear of cliche and platitude if I can.

In the last month, the senior class has been divided. Half of us go through our day acting as if, on graduation day, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. passes out plastic cups of spiked Kool Aid and we all ritualistically kill ourselves. These people proclaim the end of all freedom and gladness, like haggard Doomsday proclaimers, and suggest a sudden disassociation with those relationships we currently hold dear. The other half acts as if nothing to this point has counted, as if everything through our college years has been some lucid, in utero, dream and on May 23 we’ll all be born anew.

Of course, both groups are off the mark. All things do not come to an end after college, but certainly there is an element of accountability that will soon be creeping into our day-to-days. And, similarly, everything up until now has

Hockey – Wait, since when do we lose 7-2 to Colorado?

Sure, they have mountains and John Denver, but we have Cleveland Circle. Non-competition. Who needs back-toback national championships anyway?

2000 Policy – Good to hear people have more than four friends, we were getting worried.

Football season – Unlike hockey, we could have seen that one coming.

Dustbowl – Or, should we say, the “campus green.” Either way, it’s gone and no amount of times of listening to “Big Yellow Taxi” will ease the blow.

Chobani – Chobani? What Chobani? I haven’t seen a well-stock fridge full of that tasty stuff round these parts in ages.

Winter – Endless. Horrid.

Red crosswalks – If the heads of BC undergrads weren’t big enough, now they can walk the red “carpet” every time they hit late night. Classic.

Screaming Eagle – Is it technically a tradition if none of us knew about it?

Gr adient to ol on p ower point – It’s not 1993. Stop.

You’re embarassing yourself.

Get a daily dose.

Follow Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down on Twitter. @BCTUTD

make no mistake; there is more work to be done.

I want to be understood: I’m not postulating here that we hamper our own material achievements. Go forth children, and by all means make millions. But I’m begging that we don’t stop there. Because that is too easy for us. I want to be part of a successful generation, but also one that produces. We have been given too much to not do something with our lives. Be creative, or innovative, or generous, or inventive, or self-sacrificing. The United States used to be a country that made things itself, a country that was innovative. We could be again. So too could this be an age marked by the problem solvers and the fixers. Because ours is a world in need of repair.

But these things are hard.

I apologize for being vague, for not offering up a directive beyond “make life hard.” I can’t be specific, because the spectrum of difficulties that can be conquered by us is limitless and glorious in its scope. But know that the world owes us nothing right now. On May 23 we graduate, and this is a triumph that should be celebrated. But the world owes us nothing, as yet. And as we go forth now and plunge into what will become our adult lives, our successes are inevitable. But think about what we want those victories to be. Follow the path you’ve set yourself on, if you all became social workers or engineers we’d have the same problem we do now, but make your path hard. Take it up mountains and deep into trenches, pursuing the utmost extent of what you can accomplish.

We are cursed by the option in front of us: the days ahead can be easy. But there is nothing honorable in a pleasant but idle life. Rage into the world and bludgeon your way through it. Be better than good. Live a life that is hard not because you have to, but because you should. Because we’ve been given much and because, more than any that have come before us; we are equipped to do great things. Let us be the generation who was given much by the world, but who gave it more. Let us do what is hard, because it is right.

I wish us all the best of luck.

Benjamin Key is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at bkey@bcheights.com.

Me no speak Italiano

Language departments – 愚蠢. If you don’t know what that says, your language program isn’t working.

Pudding cups – Who actually eats these? And if you do, don’t ever publicly admit it.

counted, it’s just that things are about to matter more. But first I’m approaching the first cliche that I need to dodge.

Cliche No. 1: College is hard.

Here’s the thing; I really don’t think it is. That’s not to say we haven’t shouldered a weighty workload, we absolutely have. But our acceptance into BC has established that we’re gifted academically, so we are well equipped to take those hits. When it really comes down to it, college is pretty safe. We pursue our chief interests, and experience the world in a sheltered manner. This is not a criticism, it’s the product of a generation bred to achieve success in school. From a national, relativistic, standpoint, most of us came in here privileged. And seen through a global lens each and every one of us is advantaged. That’s something we need to remember. Ours is a spoonfed generation and we are all the more so because we will be graduating with a degree from a university of substance.

Cliche No. 2: Life is hard.

I’m not so convinced of this one either. Not for us. Because I really don’t think waiting a few months to find a job is a hardship for most of us. Not because we’re all wealthy, but because, if it comes to it, each one of us CAN find a job, it just might not be the one we’re looking for. We all need some perspective here. All of us CAN make a living; it simply might not be the one we’ve become accustomed to right away. But within a year, most of us will be gainfully employed with good jobs that we wanted all along, and we’ll be on the road to success. And, to be clear, I am not equating workload with hardship. A job that works you 12 hours a day is challenging, but you are compensated, so your life is not truly hard. This is my main point.

We, the graduating class of 2011, need to make our lives hard.

My gravest concern for us is that we are simply too soft. I dread that we are the spoiled princes and princesses of monarchs who have done all the work for us. I see obvious success in our futures, but I fear that we will be taking the easy route. This is, to some degree, what we’ve been programmed to do. We all want the fast track. When guidance counselors asked us in middle school what we wanted to be when we grew up, too many of us said, “I want to be the boss.” But, and I say this with all due respect, none of us have ever done anything to deserve an easy life. And,

Janine Hanrahan At some point in our career as students at Boston College, there will probably be a moment when we wonder, “Why am I taking this class?” The subject matter is irrelevant to our major, our future careers, and our life. Worst of all, the offending class takes up time in the day and much needed room in our academic schedules. For some students, this is the case in a philosophy class, for others in mathematics, but for me, it is in Italian.

Under the misguided impression that it would help me on the SATs, I decided to take Latin in high school. After two years with Sister Esther, who once said to the class, “Some of you look like eight days of rain and if you had a dagger you’d throw it,” I decided enough was enough—Latin was not going to be a part of my senior year.

As a result, I entered the College of Arts and Sciences with the language requirement looming quite large. Sophomore year I bit the bullet and entered Elementary Italian. Two years later, I stand less than two weeks away from completing the God forsaken language requirement with absolutely no ability to have a conversation or read anything in Italian without the help of Google Translate (I pray my professor doesn’t see this before entering my grade).

Before I go on to excoriate the language requirement, let me make a few qualifications. First of all, my grievance is not with learning a foreign language. Speaking

Party Time

BY BEN VADNAL

another language is a valuable skill in our increasingly globalized world. Further, I think Italian is a very nice language, and if I wanted to read Machiavelli’s The Prince in its original form, Italian would be quite useful. Second, I am in no way intending to demean language professors. They do important work and my Italian professors have been fine educators. Third, I willingly admit that I have learned more about Italy than I otherwise would have without taking these classes. Intermediate Italian is specifically designed to teach students about Italian culture and life, and overall it has been interesting.

All of that being said, requiring students to take language classes is ill-advised. First of all, if a student is forced to begin at the elementary level, language courses will ultimately take up four spaces in her schedule.

This is more than manageable for students with one major that requires 10 courses, but most students at BC are double majors, and many have minors on top of that.

Personally, I have 28 required courses in addition to the core. Thanks to the language requirement, I am forced to overload senior year despite having declared both of my majors and minor during freshman year.

Second, unless a student goes abroad to a country in which the language they study is spoken, has prior knowledge of a similar language, or is a linguistic genius, there is no way that they will be able to speak or read the language in a meaningful way after completing the requirement. Of course, many students do go abroad and the language skills they learn serve them well.

It makes plenty of sense to require students who are studying abroad to have proficiency in a foreign language because it’s hard to imagine how one can learn anything

significant about a country without being able to speak its language. Furthermore, the last thing the American image needs is a bunch of ignorant, drunk students romping around foreign countries.

However, a substantial majority of students do not study abroad. Instead, we sit in a classroom in Chestnut Hill and learn a language we will probably never speak again, and, if the opportunity arises, we’ll probably only remember how to say things like “picnic in the countryside” or “evil eye” (yes, those were actual vocabulary words for my class.)

Finally, the likelihood that the language requirement will have any bearing on one’s major is slim, at best. According to BC’s webpage about the core curriculum, “Students also discover that the core courses introduce them to the kind of thinking that coordinates what they are learning in various disciplines and relates this learning to their personal lives.” Though language is not part of the core, it is a requirement, so one would assume it has similar benefits. In my studies of political science, philosophy, and women and gender studies, not once has Italian been even remotely relevant.

Frankly, I’d love to be fluent in a foreign language and I envy those who are. If most students were fluent in a language by the time they completed the requirement, I probably wouldn’t be writing this column.

But when I’m paying $41,480 a year for tuition (let’s pretend for the sake of argument that I’m the one actually paying.) and I can barely understand what the professor is saying in class after two years, that’s a problem.

Janine Hanrahan is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

Please, this is not Oz

Jocelyn Rousey Sunday night, I didn’t go out to join the “Ding-Dong! The Terrorist Is Dead!” revelry across campus. I watched President Barack Obama’s press conference, uttered a colorful approximation of “good riddance,” and went to bed.

Lame? Maybe. But a hell of a lot more appropriate than storming the library or dancing half-naked in the fountain outside Gasson chanting, “USA! USA!” I’m not about to devote an entire column to chastising college students for acting like opportunistic drunks. Boston College certainly wasn’t the only college campus to play host to a mob Sunday night. But the patriotic exuberance that’s been sweeping the nation over the past few days – across college campuses, at sporting events, even outside the White House in anticipation of Obama’s announcement – is entirely the wrong response.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy that bin Laden is dead. It’s high time we as a nation had a bit of closure after Sept. 11, and I can only imagine what a relief this news is to the immediate friends and family of Sept. 11 victims and of soldiers killed in the ensuing wars. I have the deepest respect for the men and women serving in the Armed Forces, and so it’s good to know that we accomplished at least one objective in an otherwise draining and drawn-out military engagement halfway around the world.

But in order to do them justice, to honor the sacrifices they have made on behalf of our safety and our ideals, we need to be realistic in our raucous celebrations. Bin Laden’s death doesn’t change the underlying political and economic conditions that gave rise to his brand of extremism. Taking out al-Qaida’s figurehead – who, it’s worth remembering, had been on dialysis for years and probably didn’t contribute much to the organization’s day-to-day operations – might have damaged terrorists’ morale, but it’s hardly going to shut down the network. More importantly, it’s not going to put an end to terrorism, because terrorism is, after all, simply an age-old reality of cultural interaction and discontent.

So when the national euphoria over bin Laden’s death dies down, we’ll still be left with a military quagmire. The fact that it took us ten years to find him highlights the absurdity of wasting so much time and effort in a region with no real strategic value.

Bin Laden’s death doesn’t change anything. Moreover, the excessively patriotic assertions of American strength and power do more to hinder our counterterrorism efforts than to help them. Because here’s the thing: For every discontented individual in the Middle East burning an American flag and shouting, “Down with the U.S.!” there’s some drunk American college student tying a flag around his neck like a cape and leading his friends in a cheer of, “USA! USA! All the way!”

It’s human nature to define ourselves in relation to others, to look at who is like us and who is not. But black and white simplifications, when taken to the extreme, result in hijacked planes and toppling towers. The extreme ideology of terrorism depends on being able to cast the opposition as some evil “other” in a deadly “us-versus-them” dichotomy. The giddy celebrations on campus and across the nation this past weekend were unnerving because while a terrorist propagating that rhetoric is one thing, it’s chilling to watch my peers and my fellow Americans support the flipside of that dichotomy.

The way you “win” the War on Terror isn’t by taking out the symbolic, illnessstricken head of a terrorist organization.

The only purpose bin Laden’s death served was to mete out justice and to partially quell our nation’s frustrations.

No, the way you defeat terrorism is to undermine that us-versus-them mentality upon which terrorists rely to justify their ruthlessness. There’s nothing wrong with being happy that a mass murderer is dead, so long as your celebration doesn’t play into his dead hands. We need to build bridges between cultures, not ideological walls.

All that said, I recognize that it’s also human nature to find new ways to divide ourselves just as quickly as we reconcile old differences. But the important thing is that we keep trying to overcome those divisions. I’m proud to be an American, despite my country’s many faults. But I would be even more proud if we did something constructive with this moment instead of reveling in our own greatness.

Jocelyn Rousey is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

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The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Heights

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Heights

Person of the Year

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2010-2011

hen Kelsey Gasseling, A&S ’11, matriculated into Boston College four years ago, she had something she wanted to share, but questioned whether it was the appropriate time. She did not want the concealed aspect of herself to define her as it had in high school. Starting anew nearly 3,000 miles from her home in Tacoma, Wash., she wanted to finish her adjustment to college life prior to sharing her secret. She was, as she put it, “queer.”

Kelsey Gasseling

Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor

Two-Term President of the Glc advances causes through Model Leadership: openness & diplomacy By daniel tonkovich | special projects editor Gasseling came to the realization about her sexual orientation during her junior year at the Jesuit Bellarmine Preparatory School. “It was a quick realization for me, but it was followed by months of distress.

I found it difficult at times to reconcile with my Catholic upbringing.

It was even more difficult to have it come to define me in the hypermasculine, hyper-feminine environment of high school.” She credits her mother, Lisa Allen, with providing her needed support.

A product of Catholic education since kindergarten, Kelsey appreciates the ethics and morals of the Catholic Church, but has taken issue with some Church doctrine. Numerous times she abandoned the Church, though always came back, further discerning her faith.

“Something about it just makes me feel comfortable,” she said.

That sense of comfort influenced her decision to enroll at BC. The Catholic emphasis on morality and justice appealed to her. Specifically, the Jesuit approach to personal formation and overcoming injustice was attractive. “I love the Jesuit concern for social justice and bringing about peace. I am passionate about serving others and overcoming injustices. I desired to further explore resolving social justice issues and I knew BC, as a Jesuit university, would be a perfect choice.”

Arriving on BC’s campus for orientation, her experience placed her almost immediately in a position to respond to the social issues she sought to learn to address during her college experience. “My orientation leader was openly gay as well as another member of my group, so I too decided to share, and from there it went.”

Her early public acknowledgement led to her quick assumption of leadership on campus, both formally and informally.

Gasseling was involved with the GLTBQ Council before the school year had begun, and her outspokenness encouraged others to acknowledge their sexual orientation. In her first semester, both a friend and her RA came out to her. “It was quite shocking, actually. I never expected to be placed in such a position, but for many, I was the first openly queer peer they had met.”

Gasseling’s support and care for her peers continued beyond her freshman year and defined her four years at BC. She has been involved as a Positive Bystander Education Program instructor, a Sexual Assault Network member, a resident assistant, and a GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) member. “Much of my work involves students just not taking care of themselves or others. My work is about ensuring an environment where students feel safe and respected.”

Her most notable work, however, has been with developing the GLC. In her junior year, she was elected as president of the GLC, a position she retained her senior year. During her tenure, she brought stability, direction, and progress to the organization, which struggled since its establishment in 2005.

“When I joined, GLC was a much smaller, less publicized organization with some animosity towards the administration. Some members were combative with a ‘fight against the man’ mentality. It turned me and others off to the organization,” she said.

Gasseling, inspired by the initial work of her predecessor Celso Perez, worked to change the formerly militant approach of the organization, and achieved considerable success. She increased the organization’s campus presence, brought about GLTBQ awareness through the Day of Silence campaign, and hosted the GLC Ball for a second consecutive year.

Many find her to be a model for leadership: a true diplomat who works to foster positive, progressive conversations on a myriad of human rights and self-identity issues, some of them sensitive.

“I have had Kelsey as a student for all of her four years here,” said Margaret Thomas, associate professor of Slavic and eastern languages.

“She is a natural leader who is self-professed and open minded. I do not think she has a dogmatic bone in her body. She has great personal warmth. She is perceptive and sympathetic, a true diplomat.”

“Kelsey carries herself in such a mature way,” said Patrick Rombalski, vice president for student affairs. “She is always respectful

of administrators, faculty, and peers. With Kelsey, it is like you are working with a colleague. She acknowledges and understands the perspectives of others. She works beyond her emotions, desiring to make progress.”

Gasseling’s diplomacy has been credited for her success during her two-year tenure as president of GLC during which she achieved significant growth of the organization and increased organizational awareness on campus. She continued the GLC Ball for a second consecutive year, and promoted the Day of Silence for GLTBQ awareness.

She also worked to foster conversation about larger issues such as identity, rights, and sexuality by collaborating with culture clubs for events such as the Organization for Latin American Affairs for “From Closet to Classroom.”

For Kelsey, however, her work is about more than providing support for members of the GLTBQ community, as is evident in not only her other activities, but through her major in linguistic studies. This drive is about addressing general human rights issues - sexuality being merely one of them. “I work toward basic human rights, including the right to live according to one’s sexual orientation.”

Though Gasseling shall depart from BC, her dedication to human rights will continue. She will spend the next year teaching in Madrid through the Spanish Ministry of Education. She then plans on pursuing involvement in the Peace Corp.

Reflecting on her work to overcome injustices during her time at BC, Gasseling admits that her experience could have easily been different had she denied her sexual orientation.

“I could have easily been comfortable inside of the bubble, not addressing my problems,” she said. “I think most people are in the bubble until hardship occurs. It can be troubling when that hardship occurs and you are faced with reality, especially if the reality is something over which you have no control. Once the bubble bursts, I find they work to positively change the world in which they are placed.”

The Heights

B2

Momentum Awards

Thursday, May 5, 2011

2010-2011

Joelle formato

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veryone has that person in their life who they both look to for guidance and wish to emulate – that person who encourages them to challenge themselves and strive for excellence.

A 48 Hours leader, two-time orientation leader, and an active member of the senior class, Joelle Formato, CSOM ’11, has had the opportunity to be that person in a range of settings.

“She is so talented in so many different facets,” describes Amy La Combe, a professor in the Carroll School and mentor to Joelle. “For a lot of people, that could be a burden if they don’t have the maturity. For Joelle, it has been a gift.”

Joelle’s influence with student formation and leadership has been far-reaching. Working extensively with First Year Experience, Joelle said that in addition to being a mentor in the orientation setting itself, she has continued fostering dialogue throughout the year for freshmen figuring out BC. Her work as a 48 Hours leader has similarly allowed Joelle to ask freshmen the important questions and share her own experiences with them. “I’m able to say, ‘I went through something just like that, too,’” she said, adding that it is exciting to see how much the freshmen have grown up even in that small amount of time.

Tackling mentoring in another context, Joelle was a teaching assistant this year for the University course Courage to Know. “Seeing a classroom setting, and being a mentor academically,” Joelle said she wanted to be “someone that freshmen could look to, someone who was there and who was willing to just talk.”

In this regard, Joelle said that she has drawn upon her own experiences and personal need for inspiring mentors.

“I really struggled when I was a freshman, especially coming from high school,” Joelle confessed. “I think I got rejected from eight to 10 clubs during the first month of school, and I didn’t know anyone.”

“My upperclassmen mentors meant everything to me,” she said. “They were the reason I wanted to try to be that for other people.”

During her freshmen year, Joelle met junior Michael Kindrat-Pratt, who came to be a role model in her life. “That relationship meant the world to me,” she said. “Having someone there when I was struggling – to listen to me and to point me in the right direction – pretty much solidified it that all I wanted to do was to be that role model for as many people as I possibly could.”

Growing into her own, Joelle has formed particularly close bonds with both La Combe and Elizabeth Bracher, associate director of FYE. Described by her mentors as someone who is constantly challenging herself, Joelle is not only a leader on campus, but in the classroom as well.

“Joelle is an incredible listener and has taken it all in,” Bracher said. “She is very observant. She’s not the first to speak up, but when she does speak, she’s clear and present and confident.”

Joelle, one of BC’s best-known leaders, has personally distinguished herself by going off the beaten path of what is expected by students on a business track. An accounting concentrator, Joelle has exhibited a vested interest in teaching and views her training in business and leadership not as limiting what she will do with the rest of her life, but as a

foundation to understanding and exploring multiple facets of the world.

“She’s never given up on CSOM,” La Combe said. “So many students follow their passions, but Joelle has incorporated a curiosity for learning. She has the ability to see value in the business school, and recognizes that CSOM’s not bad – you can still go and make the world a better place.”

Joelle’s academic journey has taken turns she herself would have never expected four years ago. Before heading into her second summer as an orientation leader, she was faced with a crucial decision. Top-four accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, had offered her a coveted internship position.

“I had been doing externships there, three-day things my sophomore summer, the first summer I was an OL,” she explained. “I just felt like I did this great job Sunday to Tuesday, and then I would go do accounting Wednesday to Friday. I liked it. I thought it was fine. I thought that’s what I expected of myself, but the decision to go to PwC had never really felt right, accounting itself had never really felt right.”

It was after having a conversation with her 48 Hours group about finding overlap between what you love and what you’re studying, that she knew the choice she would make. “I realized that almost every single activity I was doing had absolutely nothing to do with accounting,” she said “There was really no overlap in my life, and if I was going to be true to myself, then returning as an OL was really the right next step for me.”

“It was a really tough decision,” she confessed. “Especially in CSOM, accounting was the way.”

“Accounting firms wanted her,” La Combe reiterated.

“But she turned down the internship because she loved the mentoring process more than the business world.”

Both La Combe and Bracher commended Joelle’s process of self-discovery.

“Joelle strives to be an authentic person,” Bracher said.

“She’s always looking to be who she’s meant to be.”

“Her maturity allows her to see that doing well and doing good (for others) do not have to be mutually exclusive,” La Combe said. “So many people don’t have the insight and wisdom to see how the two points connect, but Joelle does.”

Overall, Joelle said that more than anything, people have defined her time here at BC. “I met my two best friends at orientation,” she said, “and I’ve been able to journey with them and always have them as a support when I come home and do have my meltdowns or am too stressed out. My roommates also are my saving grace.”

Joelle said she believes it is because of the meaningful relationships she’s had at BC, as well as the opportunities she has had working with younger students, that she’s made the decision to go to Washington, D.C. to teach math as part of the Teach for America program. Joelle credits her mentors and teachers for pushing her in the right direction. “I have absolutely no doubt that I would not be here without them,” she said. “That’s exactly what I want to go do in D.C. as a teacher.”

“I’m so excited she’s going to teach math,” La Combe said.

“She’s really pushed herself from an analytical standpoint.

She’s taken that leap of faith.”

“I’m really excited to hear about her next chapter,” Bracher said. “I don’t think it will be a straight line, but a new and incredible journey of stretching herself to be that contributing member of society, community, neighborhood, and profession.”

By taylour kumpf | heights editor

kevin hou / Heights Editor

Senior sacrifices time to support freshman formation

mile 21 campaign committee

group draws from experiences to capitalize on transition to create tradition By dara fang | heights editor For any student who has attended Admitted Eagles Day at Boston College, the one fact that perhaps never fails to be mentioned is how a stroll down Linden Lane will bring you straight to the Mile 21 marker of the Boston Marathon.

Marathon Monday has long been a strong BC tradition albeit an unorganized one. The BC community has taken advantage of its opportune location at the peak of Heartbreak Hill by gathering along the route every year, cheering on not only BC peers but every marathon runner as they truck through a pivotal point of course.

As BC progresses as an institution, overseeing instrumental changes in academics, student programs, and capital projects, the Mile21 campaign shows the promise of success and sustainability during this landmark period, much to the initiative, perseverance, and willpower of four visionary students: Matthew McCluskey, GLSOE ’11, Katrina Lufty, CSON ’12, Justin Pike, A&S ’11, and Cliff Baratta, A&S ’11.

“On Marathon Monday, [the four of us] were running around like chickens with their heads cut off,” McCluskey said. “But most of the work was leading up to the Marathon.”

Earlier in the semester, a dialogue began regarding the possibility of implementing programs on Marathon Monday, but few dared to take initiative. “Just kind of organically, Cliff, Katrina, Justin, and I started to have this conversation, and pulled together a big meeting at the Office of Residential Life in conjunction with George Arey,” McCluskey explained.

One of the most amazing aspects of the Mile21 Campaign was the speed at which everything came together. Between the preliminary meeting on February 1 and the Boston Marathon on April 18 was a period of two months during which the Mile21 organizers had to orchestrate the entire effort from scratch. For what McCluskey, Lufty, Pike and Baratta were reaching to do, two months was not enough time.

“I think what was most impressive about this campaign was the students’

drive, dedication, and enthusiasm” said Sharon Blumenstock, Student Programs Office director, in an e-mail. “These students had an excitement and love for this campaign that was contagious. I enjoyed all the time I got to work with them and was thrilled to see such great results on the day.”

Within two months of approaching administrators with their idea, “Mile21” pinnies and sweatshirts were ordered, photographers to shoot a panoramic photo of Commonwealth Ave. at Mile 21 were booked, security logistics were worked out with BCPD and the City of Newton, a blog was set up to provide updates and information on Campus School and other Marathon runners, and volunteers were gathered and organized into shifts. Outside Main Gate on Commonwealth Avenue, a blow-up “Heartbreak is Over” arch, demarcating Mile 21, was designed and tested with BC Grounds.

“A lot of what we were doing [on the day of the Marathon] was managing the sheer volume of people. Hundreds of people came swarming when we tweeted our locations,” Pike said, citing the overwhelming hype as a result of the huge build-up they created on the official Twitter page and blog. The tweets, messages, and status updates drew students out towards the Marathon route and to the Arch, dramatically increasing the Boston College student presence along Mile 21.

The crowds that gathered along Comm. Ave. on Marathon Monday were merely the immediate indicators of the success of the efforts put forth by the Mile21 team. During the days before and after the Marathon, the Mile21 team was flooded with e-mails and the subject of widespread media attention, including a Boston Globe report on the campaign, “BC stakes its claim on Mile 21.” Runners emailed Father Leahy congratulating him on how BC students “stepped it up.” NBC’s coverage of the Marathon applauded BC’s portion of the marathon multiple times. A friend of McCluskey’s informed him that a runner burst into tears upon seeing the Heartbreak Hill arch outside Main Gate. In response to the skeptics and critics who viewed the entire Mile21 Campaign as an official partying excuse for a “sauced mass” of BC kids, the

Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor

four point to the overwhelmingly positive responses to the event, especially the forums on the Runner’s World website valuing BC over Wellesley as the most meaningful part of the Marathon for people.

“BC is on Mile 21, yes. But we’re not staking a claim. We’re not saying, ‘OK, now we’re here and this is ours.’ We are here and we are giving it the respect it deserves by making this more a formation of students in support of the runners through old and new traditions,” McCluskey explained.

“The entire idea of going out and supporting everyone who are trying to accomplish this incredible 26.2 mile feat really manifests BC’s philosophy of ‘men and women for others’” Baratta said. “In that sense, it not only promotes University goals and but is why people love BC so much, making Marathon Monday a tradition that speaks to itself.”

For all the media attention and accolades they’ve received, the four founders of Mile 21 were most humbled by the runners, and the support from the administrators, described as the “dark forces behind the campaign.”

While BC is in a transitional phase of sorts, what makes the Mile 21 campaign unique has always been there. Between the administrators on board with the campaign to the student leaders who have contributed significantly to the implementation process, “it was truly a University-wide effort, ” Lutfy recounts.

“The people who are in the positions who could make this happen are doing it,” Pike said.

And those positions are by no means restricted. Here is a group of four fairly typical former and current BC students, inspired by their peers and the meaning behind the Boston Marathon so much so that they gathered together, with the support from administrators in taking the most difficult step to create this new tradition.

English teacher Matt McCluskey and BC class of 2010, was a former resident assistant and 48 Hours leader, and current peer advisor of the Lynch School freshman class. Aside from his RA duties in Walsh Hall and leading position of the Student Admissions Program, senior Justin Pike is the UGBC executive director of University Issues and an EMT for Eagle EMS. A Nursing and Theology major, Katrina Lutfy was the vice president of the Residence Hall Association and a member of the Navy/ROTC program at BC. A Jersey native, Cliff Baratta was a 48 Hours leader and chairperson of the Quality of Student Life Committee.

“We came together as a group of four from different ends of the campus, barely knew each other, became fast friends, and worked really hard. Before we knew it, we got every office of the University and the City of Newton involved. And every step along the way, you can tangibly show the progress we were making. That’s what kept us going,” said Lutfy. The four of them together represent a cross-section of the diverse student body eager to be a part of what they hope will become a wider, integrated event, including more clubs and organizations and uniting more students.

Patrick Rombalski, vice president of student affairs, an instrumental administrator in the planning of Mile21, describes as them as “well experienced students who were successful in their own individual programs that came together motivated to create a longstanding positive tradition. They took advantage of their individual expertise and relationships to make such a great, though complex event, become a reality in such a short period of time” At the end of the day, many schools can stake their claim on a part of the Boston Marathon, running through Babson, Bentley, and BU, but no one can capture the spirit better than BC. While the Mile 21 team credits administrators and the community at large, what they do not realize is that it takes even more initiative and willpower to make the first step, to reach out for the resources available to all students. Mile 21 is a campaign surrounding a very inspirational event, with the inspirational message at its very core.

The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

B3

Momentum Awards 2010-2011

brooks dyroff

Athlete invests time off the ice to increase access to education

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By dj adams | heights editor

thletic ability aside, being a Division I athlete demands visibility on a college campus.

For Brooks Dyroff, a sophomore member of the men’s hockey team, that presence on campus amounts to a recognizable, yet simplistic blue trucker hat rather than any overt athletic ability.

The hats themselves have raised $475 from sales for the non-profit organization CEO 4 Teens, founded by Dyroff and his best friend from high school, Kenny Haisfield, which has given over 40 impoverished Indonesian students post-secondary educational opportunities since its creation in 2007.

These caps, though cheaply made with a pesky snapback frame, have become perhaps the strongest symbol of unity among the athletice community and the rest of the undergraduate population in our University’s entire history.

CEO 4 Teens, which stands for Creating Educational Opportunities For Teens, started four years ago as the small hope of Dyroff and Haisfield to help children attend college. After Haisfield visited Indonesia and returned with countless stories, pictures, and experiences, the primary location for the program was cemented.

“Kenny and I had been working in our community in Boulder, Colorado, doing a variety of things,” Dyroff explained of the company’s origin. “We did some stuff for our school, like working at the local shelter, helping senior

citizens, even lower income families, and we had a great time doing that.

We came to love the idea of giving back, and at the same time we weren’t entirely satisfied. We wanted to step up our efforts to a new level, and so we combined our love for education and giving back.”

To many, the notion of starting such an organization is astounding, but it wasn’t until Dyroff’s first trip to Indonesia, to award the first of many scholarships that followed, that the entire magnitude of what he was helping disadvantaged children completely hit him.

“When we were able to go to the first house and interview that first student and say, ‘Congratulations, we are giving you a year’s worth of free education,’ and there were tears everywhere, that’s when my life was changed forever,” Dyroff said. “I couldn’t even hold back tears because I had no idea how much it meant to these people. I don’t need any more motivation than that.”

A love for education is obviously evident in Dyroff’s actions and words. The thought of someone being unable to learn as much as he has troubles him.

“One of my best friends summed up liberal education in a couple of words, and I’ll never forget this quote, he said, ‘I love learning because it enables me to participate in a bunch of different conversations.’ Knowing a lot of things, whether it’s math, science, or even the score of the Bruins game, it enables you to be a people person and engage with the public.

I think that’s the basis of knowledge, and that’s what is addicting about

Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor

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it. I think that applies to school, that’s where you go to learn things, and everything is connected in one way or another. I’ve just grown to love that aspect of learning, and I want to help other kids feel that same passion for knowledge.”

Aside from his interest in education, Dyroff is also an inspired filmmaker. What started as a childhood hobby of making home videos of sledding adventures in Colorado has transformed into a potential career for the sophomore. Two of his documentary films, A Drop in the Bucket and Change for Change, both of which detail the progress that CEO 4 Teens has made, have been nominated for and won several awards.

“It’s been awesome because it’s showed the people that are giving us donations that what they are supporting is real, and its helped us raise money as well,” Dyroff said of his films. “It just helps raise awareness, as we are able to get it in front of a large audience. It’s just crazy that it all stemmed from me and Kenny joking around when we were kids.”

On paper, Dyroff’s credentials create a resume with glossy shine, but even more impressive is his humble attitude that constantly amazes everyone he meets.

“Being friends and working with Brooks has been nothing but an unbelievable experience,” Haisfield, who currently attends the University of North Carolina, said of his best friend. “His devotion and enthusiasm to CEO 4 Teens is inspiring. However, what amazes me about Brooks goes beyond CEO 4 Teens. As an extremely well-rounded individual, it is his ability to give 100 percent to everything he is a part of that amazes me. Ask his teammates, classmates, family, or me, and I’m sure we will all respond in saying that Brooks amazes and inspires us to be the best we can be.”

Haisfield’s words were not uttered in vain, as Dyroff’s head coach, Jerry York, also had encouraging things to say about his sophomore role player.

“Brooks certainly adheres to the idea of a student athlete, because he works hard at school and works hard on the ice, so that phrase, when you talk about student athlete, really fits him,” York said. “And it goes way beyond that with his other endeavors in CEO 4 Teens. He’s just an amazing person, who has that ability to talk with everyone whether it’s professors, students, or teammates. He’s just a really positive role model for everyone.”

No matter how hard it will get as he earns a more demanding role on the team and begins to take more difficult courses, in Dyroff’s view, his work isn’t about being an athlete or a student.

“I’ve never really looked at myself, or at least I try to, not think of myself as being better than anyone else for any reason at all,” Dyroff said.

“It actually bothers me sometimes, some of these awards, I’m not really seeking attention or anything like that.

“I think athletes have a tremendous amount of responsibility on college campuses, and they just have to recognize that power, and work almost twice as hard to do things that either give back or just show people that ‘Hey, you aren’t any different than I am.’ There shouldn’t be any class or hierarchy. I want to continue playing hockey, but I also know that there is a lot to recognize outside of the sport, and so that’s just where I try to be the best person I can be in every aspect of my life.”

Dyroff, who now has a Momentum Award from The Heights to add to his seemingly infinite list of life accomplishments, is going to continue building his project, adding a United States portion to his work that will try and give disadvantaged Americans the opportunity to take their GED tests.

“I just try to tell people, I like giving more than I like receiving. And that goes for trying to help people, help our community, and help the world, too. Me and Kenny are just two college kids, no different from anyone else, but we’re trying to make a difference and keep CEO 4 Teens growing and developing.”

And he will do it, one electric blue hat at a time.

father jeremy clarke

By darren ranck | heights editor

pon first meeting Rev. Jeremy Clarke, S.J., one thing becomes immediately clear – this man hails from the land of Oz. Australian by birth, his traditional accent often initially distracts its listener, letting the ear become entranced by the unfamiliar dialect. Listen to the voice behind the accent, though. It has a knowing confidence from years of study of Chinese culture, language, and history. It bears warmth that appeals to his students and his mentees.

Then, evident in the subtle rasp, there lies just a hint of weariness, gained from his hard journey to bridge the gap between two countries separated by 5,173 miles.

His words, whether in lecture or through research presentation, speak to his greater goal of uniting the Boston College student body, but also honor the goals of higher education.

Clarke’s interest in Chinese culture began at the age of 13 in his Chinese language study course at a Jesuit high school in Sidney, Australia. “I thought doing Latin, music, and French was rather boring,” Clarke said. “When I was looking at a map and thinking to myself, ‘France or China,’ it was a no-brainer. China was just up the road, so it made more sense.”

His love of the language motivated him to travel to China on a school trip at the age of 16, and he recalled one particular experience that came to shape his view of cultural studies. While visiting a high school in Tangshan, China, a place struck by an earthquake 10 years before his trip, Clarke noticed a structure outside the school. “There were literally slab upon slab upon slab. They had crushed down on top of each other. It was left there as a memorial to the high school kids who had died.” Clarke viewed this monument as a stark contrast to the warm, friendly high school students he bonded with in Tangshan.

“The two really go hand-in-hand for me – the plight of the people and also just the sheer warmth and friendliness as the level of human interaction,” he said. With this personal experience and a growing understanding of China’s troubled infrastructure, Clarke developed a desire to get involved with promoting awareness of the Chinese culture. “I wanted to be part of my mates’ lives and part of maybe helping them make people understand China more but also help the Chinese people be free or have the opportunities that I have had.”

Arriving at BC only two years ago, Clarke brought these goals over seas and encouraged his students to open their minds to diversity. “I didn’t actually think I’d be a teacher at a U.S. university,” Clarke said.

“But I think of a great Chinese Jesuit called Xiang Bo, who was one of the first Shainghaise Jesuits in the 19th century. He eventually left the society because he said, “I didn’t learn French to help the French. I learned French to help the Chinese.” Clarke’s education equipped him to bring a new face to the Asian studies department at BC. “Having done all this

Chinese history, Chinese language, Chinese culture, BC being an institution that enables great exchange and great engagement with the minds of the future, teaching here seemed like a great place to be.”

This past year, with the help of undergraduates Lake Coreth, A&S ’11, and Caitlin Cain, A&S ’11, Clarke continued offering outreach through his research and organization of a rare book exhibition in the Burns Library called Binding Friendship: Ricci, China, and Jesuit Cultural Learnings. The exhibit brought together primary sources from the travels of Jesuit Matteo Ricci, a man given much credit for bringing Catholicism to the Chinese people, and explores his role in bridging the gap between the Catholic West and the Chinese. “[Ricci’s] brilliant,” Clarke said. “I know aspects of his story have not been told, and as a bridge builder, I envisage myself creating links between those aspects of the story. For someone who doesn’t know the story of East-West cultural exchange, for someone who doesn’t know the role the Jesuits played. I hope to facilitate such friendships because I think it’s through friendship that we reach that mutual understanding.”

The exhibit marked the heft of Clarke’s work during this school year, but he also created a multimedia project in the form of a documentary he created over the summer with his colleague Rev. Jim McDermott, S.J. The documentary, titled Beyond Ricci: Celebrating 400 Years of the Chinese Catholic Church followed the journeys of Clarke and McDermott in China as they retraced the steps of Ricci’s journey through China. Filming took 30 days as the duo travelled from Macau in Southeastern China to Beijing, where Ricci passed. Through the use of multimedia and interactive exhibits, Clarke aspires to reach those students who don’t recognize their own interest in the subject. “There needs to be a certain clarity and accessibility of message. It doesn’t matter how complex the material. It still has to be delivered in a way that invites engagement,” Clarke said. “If people feel they’re invited into a story, they can then engage in that story and pursue it deeper depending on their abilities and interest.”

As a professor, a Jesuit, a friend, and an advocate of culture, Clarke truly believes in his work not only as a researcher but as a visitor to the U.S., one with a unique perspective. “I do come from a minority,” Clarke said. “Everyday people talk about my accent, where I come from, so I’m actually quite sympathetic to being a stranger in a strange land.” With his outsider’s perspective, Clarke continues to work on publishing and exposing research that reflects the struggle of Asian nations and how relationships through cross-cultural exchange provide the necessary bond that can bridge the gap between two distinct cultures. “I think world peace, world harmony, because that’s all we want, it’s only through putting ourselves in another person’s shoes, or moccasins, or happy slippers, if you like, and therefore, I see my role as a bridge between different communities.”

Professor from down-Under closes cultural gap through accessible research

Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor

The Heights

B4

Momentum Awards

Thursday, May 5, 2011

2010-2011

christopher sheridan

Junior scholar’s contributions go beyond the classroom to advance the field

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t would be difficult to find a person more driven by questions than Chris Sheridan, A&S ’12. The recent recipient of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, awarded annually to students for outstanding excellence in science, has been following questions for as long as he can remember.

Growing up outside Baltimore, Md., Chris said he developed a passion for science early. “I was always good at science and I had a very analytical and empirical way of thinking about things,” he said. “I was very interested in architecture and engineering because I was really interested in that ‘take it apart, see how it works, then put it back together’ mentality.”

As his interest in science grew, Chris became interested in surgery, shadowing surgeons for several weeks during the summer. It was then that his interest in a future career first emerged.

“I absolutely loved it, and I had the feeling very concretely, ‘Wow, this is something I could see myself doing,’” he said. “That was the first time I had that feeling with any sort of job or profession.”

When it came time for Chris to choose a college to attend, his options came down to Harvard, Princeton, and Boston College. He chose BC for numerous reasons. He received a Presidential Scholarship. His dad attended the school and helped found the PULSE program. But most of all, Chris stressed the benefits he saw in a Jesuit education. “BC offered not just resources to excel academically, but also a kind of mentality and mission driven approach,” he said. “I knew I’d like who I would be after four years here.”

Over the course of his time at BC, Chris has been extensively involved in scientific research. When his budding interests in language and the philosophy of his mind began to collide with his scientific interests in chemistry and biology, he knew the brain was the area he wanted to study in college.

His philosophy and biochemistry course load at first seems strangely juxtaposed. How can a harsh discipline like chemistry compare with the study of fundamental problems like existence and ethics? To Chris, philosophy is the highest of thought: the way the brain works, the questions of ethics and the philosophy of the mind. At the bottom is chemistry and biology: the “nitty gritty” details and mechanics of how the brain works. Moving forward, Chris said, “I’d like to find the space in the middle where I really want to work and have the skills I need from both ends.”

As preparation to pursue his future plans in psychiatry and neurobiology, Chris has started research in Jianmin Gao’s, assistant professor of chemistry, lab. His sophomore year he worked extensively on a project to develop membrane peptides which can lyse pathogen membranes. “Our project has the potential

By david cote | heights editor to develop classes of antibiotics or anticancer agents that would be extremely effective in combating infection and disease,” he said. Chris has also worked on a second project in Gao’s lab, designing fluorescent probes for tumors and apoptotic cells, which he described as “right up his alley.”

Even with this extensive and time consuming dedication to research, Chris has managed to obtain a near perfect GPA. This summer, Chris earned a position in Dr. Jacob Hooker’s laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, researching new methods for neuroscience tests. He plans to develop new tracers to be used with PET scans and MRI contrast agents.

In August, Chris will be representing BC at a conference in the philosophy of the mind in Denmark sponsored by Danish philosopher Dan Zahavi. At the end of the busy summer, Chris will also be taking a special course at the marine biological laboratory at Woods Hole.

“The course teaches how to interpret and design filters and analyze data that’s derived from any sort of multiacquisition technique in neuroscience including MRI and PET,” he said. “It’s right up my alley, exactly what I want to do in the future.”

In pursuing his Goldwater Scholarship, Chris listed several reasons for his success. He said he spent much of his time over the summer both in and out of school reading research. “When I was finished reading a professor’s research, I would always try to reach out to them with questions,” Chris said.

By doing so, he was able to talk to prominent scientists at MIT and Harvard Medical School who helped further his knowledge and interest in the sciences. His experience in the research labs here at BC taught him to “think like a scientist and work like a dog.”

Gao commended Chris for such proactive learning.

“It is quite admirable for a college student to have such ambition and determination,” he said.

Chris’ interests, however, are far more diverse than just science. “Being in the A&S Honors Program has been very important to me,” Chris said. “In a lot of ways, it’s kept my brain alive.”

Mark O’Connor, Honors Program director, Chris’ professor in his sophomore year, similarly lauded his accomplishments.

“The one thing that stands out more than anything about Chris is that he does so many things well,” he said. “Nothing human; nothing humane is alien to Chris. He’s not just off the charts in chemistry, he’s also one of the best young poets I’ve ever seen and he’s incredibly good at things like textual exegesis, no matter the topic.” O’Connor went on to say that having Chris as a student was like “having another professor in the class, a person who was always looking to bring out the best in his peers around the table.”

Though he plans to pursue an MD-Ph.D. eventu-

eric nam

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ally, Chris said he’s always been more interested in the means rather than the end. “Every kid sort of has a progression from the totally unrealistic thing that’s just awesome, like astronaut, then the more realistic thing that’s like, rocket scientist, and then you sort of progress all the way up. I’ve always been much more interested in questions than in being X, Y or Z.” Regardless of his success, Chris remains looking to

the future. He described the Goldwater Scholarship as “humbling,” when many might see it as the exact opposite. As he has for many years, Chris continues to pursue the diverse and numerous questions that interest him. “I always try to think outside of the norm,” he said. “I hope to find the questions that I’ll want to wake up every morning for the rest of my life and try to answer.”

Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor

Asian-american from Atlanta seeks to promote cultural pride through artistic expression

By woogeon kim | heights editor

espite the bleak atmosphere, already two hours before the doors were scheduled to open, John Hancock Hall was already slowly being wrapped by a string of people. The gravity was palpable, and it was obvious in the atmosphere that something of importance was under way. Inside, Eric Nam, A&S ’11, diligently finalized preparations for the first ever Kollaboration Boston, an Asian-American talent show founded with the mission to empower through entertainment and media. Witnessing the scale of the event alone, it would be impossible to come to the conclusion that a college senior had singlehandedly brought the Kollaboration enterprise to the city of Boston.

Although Eric himself seems to be physically incapable of any type of boasting, the fact of the matter is that Eric alone sought out Kollaboration to come to Boston and created a city-wide show attended by 1,100 people, unified for one night under one single mission. The fact that the venue was sold out is a testament to the success of the event.

There is a calm, deliberate air to Eric that immediately inspires those around him into being more confident and comfortable with themselves.

Despite the fact that the interview was for him, he was the one who immediately started off with the questions. Eric Nam has a vested interest in the lives of others. Robert Capalbo, associate director of development and founder of the Shaw Leadership Program, best describes Eric as one who “has an air about him that instills confidence.” Capalbo continued, saying “I think it’s because he treats everyone as an equal. He accepts everyone for who they are and that’s rare.”

From talking to Eric, however, one would never get a really accurate understanding of the significance of Kollaboration. Perhaps what can best exemplify the significance is the fact that Kollaboration LA can actually be credited for jumpstarting the now successful career of the musical group, the Far East Movement. For Eric, bringing Kollaboration to Boston made perfect sense. “Growing up in Atlanta there was a good amount of Asian Americans but there was nothing that really pulled the community together. And as I left for college, that’s when Kollaboration Atlanta started, so I just missed it. I asked myself, why isn’t there one in Boston? There’s so much talent and so much diversity. So I got into contact with Kollaboration Atlanta and then they put me into contact with LA and they basically told me okay, go for it.”

After the approval was granted, Eric basically found himself spear-

Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor

heading the project alone. The prospect of creating and implementing a city-wide show for 1,100 people with the extensive support of large institutions would be intimidating for most, but for Eric, he felt comfortable taking charge of the project. “I didn’t want to ask the school for help because I understood that this had the potential to be something that could be for all the schools in Boston, as it should be.”

So with a team of 32, mostly college students, Eric undertook the daunting project that became a defining chapter of his senior year. Eventually securing 18 corporate sponsors, Kollaboration Boston successfully became a production large enough to honor the admirable mission it was championing: the empowerment of telented Asian Americans through the use of diverse entertainment, breaking down racial stereotypes perpetuated by Asian American’s themselves as well as the dominant media groups. Indeed, the inspiration to bring this show to his own college city stemmed from his personal grief and struggles that he faced as an Asian American passionate about dance and music. “I was frustrated because I know that the talent is there, but the dominant culture doesn’t provide an environment where Asian American’s have a viable option to showcase their talent.”

With this knowledge of the cultural climate in mind, it then becomes obvious that Eric was the most appropriate individual to establish Kollaboration in Boston because he lives by the mantra of sorts that one should never define oneself by the boundaries or definitions constructed by others. He hates the phrase, but he himself had to admit that he has an apparent “passion for life.” That passion is evidenced by his extensive achievements: a member of the Shaw Leadership Program, UGBC cabinet in his sophomore year, an intern at Deloitte Consulting his junior year, studying abroad in Beijing, and founding BCSWAG. Those who know Eric best understand that all that Eric inflicts upon himself great “physical and mental strain” as described by his roommate Andrew Miller, A&S ’11. Indeed, this characteristic of Eric marks all he does in the sense that many of his ambitious undertakings are ultimately dedicated to bettering society in some way, often at the expense of his own personal wellbeing. The common strain among his projects is that that they are all in some way imbued with an intrinsic altruism dedicated to enhancing the lives of those affected by his work.

At Boston College, the phrase “Men and women for others” is perhaps too often used, but Eric embodies the phrase and fully gives himself to all that he commits to.

“I don’t know where he gets the energy from. When you’re around him, he has this apparent and obvious energy that is wonderful to be around,” Capalbo said. Using the Latin phrase, “primus inter pares,” meaning the first among equals, Capalbo described Eric as one who easily emerged as a leader among leaders during his freshman stay in the Shaw House.

Asked to reflect where this impossible energy seems to stem from, Eric has an understanding and appreciation of his humble background.

He commented that his parents can be primarily credited as the driving force and inspiration in his life for all that he does and achieves. “It’s the typical immigrant story. They came to Atlanta, Ga., with very modest resources. Knowing that they were able to achieve all that they did with so relatively little always pushed me to be better. I was always expected to be great and I felt I had a responsibility to do so.”

It is perhaps this appreciation of his own past that provides him with the critical momentum to move forward and beyond BC. Deferring the outstanding opportunity to work at Deloitte Consulting, Eric will serve as an IDEX Social Media Fellow in India, assisting in school system reform.

As with Kollaboration, Eric is once again developing community.

on the session

editor’s column

the final session food for thought

finals study snacks

Kristin canfield plans your menu

page C4

‘rumours’

zak jason gives his final thoughts on how to remain classy at parties page B4

revisiting one of pop rock’s best albums by fleetwood mac

page C2

page C4

Thursday, may 5, 2011

play it again, Summer Lovin’ jon hamm! by darren ranck | arts & review editor, brennan carley | assoc. arts & review editor, charlotte parish | asst. arts & review editor

A look at The Heights’ favorite films, old and new

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ith summer comes fascinating freedom, a time where students return home to their friends, their cars, and jobs galore. Cheesy movies, deep-fried whatnots, lazy days spent lounging by the pool—Americans eat these types of things up every summer, and rightly so. These are staples for a reason, because they work, and because generation upon generation has perfected the keys to perfect summer happiness. For those seeking a different experience, however, there are plenty of rewarding experiences worth exploring.

Nothing can be called more magical than dancing the night away

inside: a modern casting call for ‘the wizard of oz,’ ‘mr. smith goes to washington’ and more

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to the sweet synthesized sounds of Empire of the Sun as the moon burns over Governor’s Island. Perhaps you’re looking for a calmer experience, in which we recommend brushing up on your young adult literature—hey, we’re all young at heart anyway. With the movie version of Suzanne Collins’ popular The Hunger Games gearing up for production, the sultry sluggish summer months are the perfect time to dive into the thrilling and all too brief series. What if you don’t have access to a beach at which you could bake in the sunlight? Well then, revisit the horror of Jaws and reassure yourself that you have it better snuggled up in your air conditioner. No matter your situation, The Scene has a summer solution for you.

See Summer, B3

By K r ist e n H o u s e | A rts & R evi ew E d it o r z ak jas o n | ass o c. A rts & R evi ew E d ito r a n d a l l is o n th e r r i e n | asst. A rts & R evi ew E d ito r

arey Mulligan, evoking nothing but doe-eyed mystique, looks into her neighbor Paul Varjak’s eyes and says, “I don’t want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I’m not sure where that is but I know what it is like. It’s like Tiffany’s.” She clutches Cat and lunges for her cigarette, perched elegantly on a long holder.

Yes, this is a reference to Breakfast at Tiffany’s, as re-imagined for the modern day. Hollywood is forever consumed with creating favorites and, later, resurrecting them to stun and captivate modern viewers. For every remake of a beloved classic, there is the daunting task of recasting characters over old-world fa-

vorites. Who could imagine a better pairing in Casablanca than Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman? But friends, we live in ever-changing times and a refreshing take can always breed unexpected glories that, in turn, may become new classics.

Perhaps it’s presumptuous of us to imagine these films being redone, but it’s certain that directors and writers all over Hollywood are bound to do it, too. Thus, we have picked actors and actresses that we think would be able to do justice to and perhaps even revolutionize the way we see these iconic films. From Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to A Philadelphia Story, we’ve taken a survey of the most adored classic films.

See Classic Films, B5

mollie Kolosky / heights photo illustration

The Heights

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Thursday, May 5, 2011

+Editor’s Corner

Keep on spreading ‘Rumours’

Darren Ranck I’m not one to give credit to Glee for, well, anything, but I must commend them for finding inspiration in one of the best albums ever recorded. If looking for the greatest representation of ’70s California pop-rock, one needs look no further than Fleetwood Mac’s landmark album Rumours. What makes Rumours so successful isn’t simply its breezy mix of acoustic and electric guitars, but the stories behind every song and the dramatic production process that pitted the band members against one another. Simply put, the album does what all others aspire to do – tell a cohesive, multi-faceted story through song.

Now it’s not as if Glee possessed the same candor of subject matter as its album du jour (the episode implemented the music from Rumours as the kids dealt with the rumors spreading within their own group. What genius!), but the story behind the music still speaks to the scandal-fueled society of youth. In Fleetwood Mac, everyone slept with everyone, to put it bluntly. Vocalist and keyboardist Christine McVie and bassist John McVie found love during the early days of the group in the 1960s but divorced in 1974, leaving them on non-speaking terms and being the cause of much bitter tension.

Vocalist Stevie Nicks and vocalist and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham entered the group in the early ’70s as a couple, but went through long periods of fighting and distress, further causing rifts in the band. Even Mick Fleetwood, the rock of the group, faced turmoil as his wife Jenny left him for his best friend. Fleetwood and Nicks eventually began their own secret tryst, and the McVies carried on a physical relationship way past their prime. In short, there was no shortage of drama.

The songs make for brief, musical therapy sessions, letting the three songwriters, Christine McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham, spill their troubles onto the page. Each one has a different musical style, each one seems to tackle different subject matter, but all three write songs as though they filled the role of diarist.

It all feels wonderfully honest. Christine McVie’s songs, while not necessarily the most well-known on the album, seem to marry the sophistication of her age (she was 33) with the giddiness of torrid seduction. Engaged in an affair of her own with a member of the band’s lighting crew, McVie wrote “You Make Loving Fun” as a way to praise her new beau and make John McVie seethe with jealousy.

Even more touching, though, McVie’s song “Oh Daddy” addressed Fleetwood, always considered the father of the group and the one who kept everyone together during the tough times. On the flip side, though, the optimistic, organ-driven “Don’t Stop” remains a hit even today, being used as the campaign song for former president Bill Clinton’s re-election.

McVie’s sound skews slightly older, though, particularly in comparison to Lindsay Buckingham’s more modern pop tunes. The Buckingham songs are, arguably, the most well known of the album. His impassioned and fervent plea “Go Your Own Way” was a massive hit, appealing to the masses with its harmonious desperation. Buckingham’s songs possessed the quality of sounding effervescently bright despite their troubled subject matter, providing a tension that really resounds with only the Buckingham originals.

The star of Rumours will remain Nicks, though. She only contributes three songs to the album, but those three offer the most wonderful musical experience.

“Dreams,” the group’s only No. 1 single, uses the most beautiful harmony to express Nicks’ regret and difficulty after the break up with Buckingham. The song directly contrasts “I Don’t Wanna Know,” which is full of angry passion. Neither lives up to the genius of “Gold Dust Woman,” a song indicative of Nicks’ drug addiction. The song almost works like a drug bender itself – it’s simultaneously frightening and exhilarating, building until you almost wish it could come back down.

It’s impossible for me to talk about each song’s intricacies, but the idea is still present: Rumours tells a multi-faceted story through song. It forces me to ask, “What is our Rumours?” Could it be Adele’s ode to a break up, 21? Consider this question a project to look into this summer and take a time to soak in the sun with this California super group.

Darren Ranck is the Arts & Review editor for The Heights. He can be reached at houseka@bc.edu.

an independent frame of mind

Radio singles by Matt Mazzari

The Muppets make a movie

Simple Plan (Feat.

Natasha Bedingfield) “Jet Lag”

Romeo (Featuring Sean Kingston) “Famous Girl”

David Guetta “Where them girls At?”

Weird Al “Perform this Way”

Remember Simple Plan?

What a saccharinely nostalgic joy it would be if this Canadian boy band resurfaced with newly updated sound! Well, they aren’t going to, so get over it. Their latest single release, “Jet Lag,” could not possibly be any more predictable or mundane. The insipid laments of love-struck young men going “out of [their] head[s]” are back, and it feels as if they never were never gone (maybe because no one missed them).

“Famous Girl” is the latest music release by everyone’s favorite commercialized sham, the artist formerly known as “Lil’ Romeo.” The “song” is a pathetically insecure demonstration of laughable immaturity.

His producers’ feeble attempt at musical accompaniment fails to even mildly conceal the nauseating wretchedness of Romeo’s pitiful selfaffirmation.

Didn’t Guetta already release this song? Doesn’t anyone remember “Sexy Chick?” Upon brief further investigation, my skepticism dissolved into a bitter rage tinged with crushing disappointment: The musical backings of both songs are exactly the same. Allow me to clarify the misconceptions about plagiarism, which apparently exist in the music industry, you simply cannot do that. Not ok, Guetta. Not ok.

The best single for this week comes from musical satirist Weird Al. Though I’m well aware of the brutal hopelessness of such a milestone, I’ve chosen to embrace it. “Perform this Way” makes cheeky, macabre commentary on Gaga’s zany outfit obsession. Though Yankovich’s patented chuckle-inducing formula isn’t particularly daring, at least its song that doesn’t feature a random imbecile to conceal its inadequacy.

high-rise bottom has also been having a comeback. Either type of suit is sure to receive the right kind of attention at the shore this summer.

These classic suits paired with a trendier cover-up make for the perfect beach outfit. A romper in a light breezy fabric, linen perhaps, in a soft pink, beige, white, or blue is the perfect compliment to a floral suit. Rompers not your thing? A long maxi skirt and airy tank might just do the trick.

Though putting on a long skirt at the beach seems counterintuitive, there are plenty offered in light fabrics. A maxi skirt is also the perfect option for a late afternoon or evening beach event, which could easily transition to a night out. Adding just a touch of jewelry, perhaps a beachy shell earrings or a long pendant will really transition your beach look from night to day.

Now that you are dressed to the nines for your day of sun, san, and relaxation no need to worry about a thing. Those lazy hours in the sand can of course be spent flipping through your favorite fashion magazine.

A few weeks ago, Disney (did you really think I was going to write my last column about anything else?) released the first official image for its upcoming The Muppets. Written by and starring Jason Segel of both How I Met Your Mother and Forgetting Sarah Marshall fame, the movie is chock full of the characters that have been embraced worldwide. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear all star alongside other sentimental favorites. The movie has already racked up an impressive amount of cameos from huge stars like Kathy Griffin, Katy Perry, Neil Patrick Harris (seriously, what isn’t he in?), Whoopi Goldberg, Ricky Gervais, among countless others. Even the queen of pop music herself, Lady Gaga, is rumored to appear in the flick.

The Walt Disney Company and I clearly agree that now is the right time for a Muppet comeback. Jim Henson’s furry creatures have long deserved a comeback after a string of poorly written features and direct-to-television pieces that, although wonderful in their own regards, have not lived up to the standard the legendary puppeteer set when he created his workshop.

It’s not like the Muppets really ever went away. In 2005, forgotten soul singer Ashanti starred in The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, a depressingly unfunny two-hour long mess. Soon afterward, a touring exhibit called Jim Henson’s Fantastic World toured the country, thanks to funding by the Smithsonian Institution Travelling Exhibit Service (I saw the tour in Washington, D.C. and it was like reliving my childhood). Puppets and artwork alike filled the space as patrons both young and old explored (or perhaps even discovered) the beauty of Henson’s masterful art. It was a smash success, and proved just the encouragement that Disney needed to revisit the franchise.

In the years that followed, Disney tested the waters for a Muppet comeback with a string of sporadically released videos on YouTube, the best of which features the cavalcade covering Queen’s hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The video was a smash viral success. Lady Gaga herself brought the Muppets back into the limelight in a famous interview during which she wore a smock and beret knitted entirely of Kermit the Frog heads (the amicable amphibian would later join her on the red carpet of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards).

I trust Segel wholeheartedly for the job. The Muppets are an institution, in my eyes. I remember watching Muppet Babies as a toddler and laughing hysterically at Muppet-Vision 3-D at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, although that still happened when I was 19, so I guess that love has never quite died. When I was six, I saw Kermit himself at a benefit dinner at FAO Schwarz in New York City, and when I was seven, I woke up from a deep nightmare in which the pink furred Animal had chased me all around my room while chanting his name. When it was announced that Segel would be taking the project on, I was thrilled—as a passionate puppeteer with years of experience under his belt, the actor has the perfect outlook both humorously and creatively.

His tear-inducing Dracula puppet show in Sarah Marshall was one of the best things about the movie.

From what I have heard thus far about the film’s plot, it seems that Segel and director James Bobin plan to take the series in a direction very similar to that of the best Muppet movies. According to multiple sources, The Muppets introduces a new human-like puppet, Walter, who is a huge fan of Kermit and pals. When he finds the theater that the Muppet troop in disarray, he goes on the hunt to collect all of the gang in an effort to rebuild the theater to its former glory. While similar to the plot of The Great Muppet Caper or The Muppets Take Manhattan in that its plot revolves around the reuniting of all of the main characters, the movie will serve as a wonderful introduction to the series for countless children around the globe. I know that my brother knows about the Muppets because of my fanboy-like obsession with all things Disney and Jim Henson, but without shows like Bear and the Big Blue House (a staple in my household in the late nineties), The Muppets is shaping up to be a brilliant return to form for the once great franchise. Hold on to your hats, though—with Ms. Piggy and Lady Gaga under the same roof, things are bound to get a little crazy.

Therese Tully is a columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at review@ bcheights.com.

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

photos courtesy of amazon.com

THis week on tv by Charlotte Parish

Tough times lead up to series finales

‘Chuck’

‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution’

‘Community’

Wedding bells are ringing for everyone’s favorite serial killer! Chuck and Sarah will say, ‘I do,’ a little over a week after the Royal Wedding, though the episode is sure to throw some twists into the already frantic wedding planning. With Morgan as a best man, how could there not be some wrinkles? Particularly, commercials have hinted that he and Vivian will tangle, inciting drama.

Jamie Oliver, chef extraordinaire, will continue his barrage on unhealthy school lunches. This week, he will travel to West Adams High, bringing a team of people who suffer serious physical ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure from bad nutrition habits.

One of the most socially conscious shows, Food Revolution is a worthwhile hour (even though you may feel guilty after for sitting on a couch).

The hilariously zany crew of Greendale Community College will be letting out for summer just as Boston College finals are wrapping up as well. However, everyone here should take a page out of the study group’s book for how to break finals stress: paintball war. Who knows what insanity will occur when Community is once again reunited with pellet guns and paint, but we can be sure that the finale of season two will surely not disappoint. photo courtesy of Creativecommons.org

Fashion Foward

photo courtesy of Creativecommons.org

Even for those not suffering from pale skin that burns easily, the floppy beach hat is essential for skin health and summer fashion too.

Retro suits and throwback hats hit the beach Therese Tully I don’t really like horses. They scare me, to be honest. But I do enjoy the Kentucky Derby, as any fashion lover might. This event is not only a reminder that spring has sprung, or a wonderful testament to the athleticism of both the horses and the jockeys, but truly is a fashion event that is both grand, and accessible. It appears that, as with the Royal Wedding, a woman dare not attend the event without a hat, and a substantial one at that. I could argue that these hats are both fashionable, fabulous, and functional, though I know not everyone is as pale and terrified of the sun as I am.

And there is no place where the sun is more likely to get me, and turn me an unfashionable shade of lobster red than at the beach. But I will take this risk, if only for my love of laid-back beach fashion. The perfect beach hat tops off any look, and protecting your skin is an absolute necessity. A hat allows you to make a statement that everyone sharing the sand with you will notice. A wide-brimmed straw hat in a classic sand color for the girl who loves classics, a fedora complete with contrasting ribbon for the chicest of

the chic, for the all-American girls who can pull off the straw cowboy hat, I envy you. And lastly for the free-spirited, a simple printed silk scarf can top off your beach look. I would suggest leaving the couture headgear, a la the Royal Wedding, to the Brits though, they sure know how to do it best.

Protecting yourself from a nasty burn doesn’t have to be unfortunate. There is a fashionable option for all.

Speaking of fashionable options, there has been a noticeable rise in popularity of one-piece swimsuits over the past few summers, and this trend is only skyrocketing from here. Many stores are updating their inventories to include chic one-piece suits that are a far cry from the tragic Speedo version many donned to swim practice in their summers passed, or the terribly boring one-pieces donned by our mothers.

Stores like J.Crew and Anthropologie are tinkering with these suits to make them more youthful. Some suits are retro-inspired featuring halter straps and polka dots, reminiscent of beach bunnies of the past. My personal favorite is the Ebony Garden one piece by Anthropologie that is hardly a frumpy floral, but rather features a grid of black seams to flatter any body type.

Also, two – piece swimwear featuring a

Brennan Carley

The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

What ‘Heights’ editors look forward to this summer...

Friends With Benefits, because Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis are so hot. Probably too hot to be legal in some states.

-Jamie Ciocon I’m most looking forward to the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, and the funk that we all know Flea is currently imbibing it with. Look what he said: “it’s a beautiful thing, a new thing, a warm thing, full of love and violence and deep funky grooves for humans.”

-David Cote The Outside Lands Music Festival.

-Molly LaPoint Harry Potter 7. Basically, it’s the end of an era. We grew up with these characters ... literally, and that’s what makes it so meaningful and nostalgic (at least to those who have read the series, and it still shocks me that there are people who haven’t) -Taylour Kumpf Transformers 3. Can’t wait to find out what really happened during the moon landings!!!

-James Gu Paul Walker’s Oscar-worthy performance in Fast Five -Matt Palazzolo I’m looking forward to the premiere of Breaking Bad’s fourth season - I need my fix.

-Dan Ottaunick Finally being able to see Color Me Obsessed, the video documentary about Minnesota’s own, the Replacements. Partially because it looks sick, and also because I wanted to look like I was really alternative.

-DJ Adams HAIR is coming back to Broadway. Three reasons for excitement: The legendary Darren Ranck can accompany me, they let you dance on the stage at the end, and I secretly wish I was in this show.

-Adrianna Mariella WE Fest, it’s a huge country music festival in Minnesota. It’s essentially spring break in Mexico minus the ocean -Katie McClurg The beach bringing out my inner country music fan -Greg Joyce I’m looking forward to concerts in Boston.

-David Riemer Never Say Never comes out on DVD in 3-D. -Woogeon Kim The string of superhero movie releases.

Thor, Captain America, Green Lantern, and X-Men? The comic book nerd in me might just have a heart attack.

-Kris Robinson The final season of Entourage.

I’m going to Lollapalooza.

-Zac Halpern

-Alex Manta

August 8: 21st Birthday with Britney Spears.

- Dan Tonkovitch I’m excited for Lil Wayne’s release of Tha Carter IV, because his last album was unbelievable and it has been reported that the new album will feature other great artists like Kanye West, T-Pain, Tech N9ne and Rick Ross.

-Chris Marino Harry Potter. I’m obsessed.

-Mollie Kolosky

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A Place in the Sun

“Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet.”

- Bob Marley

Who needs festivals? i’ve got new york If summer is good for anything other than a whole lot of rest and relaxation, it’s prime concert season, which is absolutely my bread and butter.

Over the past few weeks, seemingly endless amounts of concerts in my hometown have been announced.

My iCal is now filled to the brim with green-colored events (yes, I do indeed have a separate calendar for concerts alone). I usually like to keep my concert/live performance schedule diverse over the summer (although it usually veers more indie). I’ve already begun stocking up on tickets from artists like Animal Collective, Lykke Li, Phantogram, and Elvis Costello.

Where New York really shines in the summer, however, is in its abundance of free shows all over the glorious city. For instance, Central Park has its own mini amphitheater, which plays home to both paid and free events. I sprung at the chance to snatch up some Florence and the Machine tickets for the park because the opportunity to see the fiery-haired goddess of song in Central Park as the sun sets was just too enticing to pass up. On the free end of the spectrum, however, popular comedian Reggie Watts will be performing on the same stage just two nights prior to Florence. Rockabilly icon Wanda Jackson will share a bill with Imelda May in their free July show.

Just a few blocks west, soul singer and Grammy winner Mavis Staples will bring her worldwide tour to the Damrosch Park Bandshell at the end of July.

After witnessing the sheer power that Staples can harness in a single note alone at last year’s Life is Good Festival, there’s no conceivable way that I

would miss her stint in the park this summer. Finally, I’m extremely excited to check out Wavves’ set on one of the last days this summer in the East River Park. The band’s California beach vibe and laid backlaid-back rhythms provide the perfect summer soundtrack.

Manhattan isn’t the only borough sponsoring free concerts this summer, however. Both Prospect Park and Battery Park in Brooklyn are splendid places to soak up some rays while catching a show like that of the iconic Patti Smith, a pioneer in the 1970s who is enjoying newfound fame with the publication of her award-winning Just Kids. She joins performance artist Laurie Anderson as featured artists as part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors music series.

After last year’s disastrous M.I.A. concert on Governor’s Island (which also featured awesome performances by Rye Rye, Sleigh Bells, and Die Antwoord), I’m braving the ferry once again to see the inaugural Governor’s Ball. This one day festival features an eclectic lineup including Outkast’s Big Boi, Empire of the Sun, Pretty Lights, the recently announced Das Racist (a Brooklyn based rap group that is definitely worth a listen), and Girl Talk. Somebody please remind me to hydrate appropriately, because although beautiful, that island is sunlight city.

Though technically not a summer show, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals return to New York on September 24, a show that I have already planned to return home for. I guess it’s just an indication of how unwilling I am every fall to let go of a city and the concerts that make its summers so damn magical.

-BC

SUMMER OF MY FAVORITE THINGS That elusive beauty is nearer now than ever: summer. More than tanning, ice cream, and meandering car rides (which are all staples of my warm weather habits) summer to me symbolizes the few months of the year when I get to return to my true passions in life without any other responsibilities. Obviously, I am subject to the infamous, minimum wage job that supports my shopping habits – you can’t say no to sundresses or bathing suits, you should, but I can’t – but summer is the time when I make ambitious lists of all the fun projects and events that I want to check off in order to make up for nine months of being restricted by school and freezing temperatures. Being a list junkie, I have already outlined my city plans in this week’s column, but there are a few more things this summer that I am determined to make come to fruition.

One of the more decadent parts of summer is that every

day feels like a weekend. So, instead of restricting my movie-going to weekend nights when, the prices force me to smuggle water and snacks into the theatre in my Mary Poppin’s-esque purse to save money, I can go to six-dollar-Tuesday every week. Not everyone likes going to the movies when the weather is so nice, but I really love it. Yes, I have to forsake a few hours of sunshine, but it feels so decadent to be watching in a theatre on a Tuesday night without any homework looming overhead. And I’ll probably bring the contraband snacks anyway.

Speaking of movies (or rather a book that will hit the silver screen in a little less than a year), I also want to stop hearing my friends say sentences like “That’s like in The Hunger Games when … wait, sorry I forgot you haven’t read them.” The series might seem juvenile to some, but I have heard nothing but praises (and tantalizing, frustrating references) about Suzanne Collins’ hit series and cannot wait to read it before the movie next year. Plus, I am a big proponent of seeing movies only after having read the books, so this is necessary preparation.

In another form of literature, I am also contemplating starting a blog this summer – something that is too much of a time sink to even contemplate mid-semester. The blog fever has spread around my friends like crazy, beginning with the hilarious myrookiemistake. tumblr.com which is full of rookie (read: freshman year) mistakes.

This blog also holds a special place in my heart as the year ends.

For myself, considering the number of food blogs out there and my obsession with baking, blogging could be a very delicious endeavor this summer.

Boiled down to its essence, summer is about freedom. Just listen to any quintessential summer album (Beach Boys are my go-to) and it’s all about long roads with no plans or deadlines. And I intend to make full use of my freedom to indulge in everything I love best.

-CP

CINEMA’S FAVORITE HOTSPOT Oddly enough, one line in The Princess Bride sums up summer for me. Wesley, lovesick and poetic, tells his beloved Buttercup, “My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.”

A universe of beaches – does anything sound better? Even with the promise of sunburn and painful exfoliation from the pebbles of sand, nothing evokes summer more than a typical day at the beach. For decades, the beach has served as a muse for artists with its flurry of activity, its contrasting days of heat and fury with nights of serenity and whistful breeze, and its ever-youthful spirit.

Film always uses the beach as a classic setting for love stories. Ever since the iconic shot of Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (yes, the one where they kiss as waves crash over them), beaches became the place of summer love. Sandy and Danny from Grease met on a beach (as the song recollects they “made out under the do-ock”).

Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon met on a beach and found love in Beach Party, Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Beach Blanket Bingo, and, of course, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. Most importantly, Justin and Kelly met on a wet and wild journey to Ft. Lauderdale in From Justin to Kelly (that reference is for you, art house lovers). Of course it’s a romanticized view of beach fun, but what’s more fun than finding teen love at the beach?

I’ll tell you what’s not – shark attacks. Yes, the movie Jaws petrified a nation, one that suddenly feared the water, one that worried a great white could suddenly scrape the surface of the ocean and unceremoniously chew a person’s arm off. I might take the horror and excitement of a shark attack over the idea of being deserted on a beach, though.

While watching Cast Away, I found myself thinking, “The moment that you adopt a beach volleyball as your best friend marks the instance you completely separate yourself from sanity.” To take the motif of beach abandonment further back, consider Blue Lagoon, starring a young Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. Sure, it fulfilled the audience’s desire to watch young coeds fall in love, but the awkwardness of watching

two teens discover their sexuality makes you long for more one-on-ones with sports equipment. In short, certain dangers do lurk on cinematic beaches, but think of the beauty of it all.

The sun shines more brightly on film. The breeze blows stronger on the screen. Nothing offers more inspiration for artists looking to capture fun or the sparseness of human existence than the shores. As I age, I hope to surround myself with a universe of beaches and get in touch with my own creative. If that’s too lofty, I hope to at least get wasted on the beach this summer.

-DR

The Heights

scene and heard

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Thursday, May 5, 2011

By Christine zhao

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Kristie Alley

For The Heights

Gregory Peck Stamp

To Mockingbird fans everywhere, Atticus Finch can now be placed on any and all letters. Joining the likes of Cary Grant and Bette Davis, Gregory Peck is the 17th inductee in the United States Postal Service’s Forever stamp collection. Phil Jordan’s stamp features Peck in the role of Finch, and is a still from the Oscar-winning film. A representative for the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors praised Peck’s portrayal of the wise lawyer, and also commended Peck’s off-screen personality.

Michelle Obama dances

Michelle Obama has got it pretty good. For one thing, unlike many of her First Lady predecessors, she actually has style. In fact, she’s become something of an icon, as well as role model. Oh, and that girl can move. The First Lady showed off her Beyonce-esque moves in a YouTube video posted on Tuesday, set to the sounds of Beyonce’s “Move Your Body.” If your husband just succeeded in one of the most astounding military strikes in recent presidential history, hunting and killing the “most evil man on earth,” wouldn’t that make you want to dance too?

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Kirstie Alley has graced our televisions forever with commercials advertising Jenny Craig. However, the pressure of her latest antics, which include a spot on Dancing with the Stars, might be getting to her. When her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy told her to “move her a–” faster, Kirstie didn’t take it so well. She flailed around in frustration., but eventually she and Chmerkovskiy gave an entertaining performance complete with making-out.

Make-up dancing is the best kind.

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Miley butchers cobain

She’s done the Disney channel star thing, shot a controversial cover shoot for Vogue, rebelled via risque music videos choreographed by her dad, and now she’s gunning down other musician’s music. While in Ecuador, Miley Cyrus performed a cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as Kurt Cobain rolled over in his grave.

The four minutes of horror fe ature s Cy r us tr y ing de s perately to be edgy, but her countr y, childish tw ang is better suited to the sounds of mindless pop than old-school grunge. Meanwhile, her adoring and screaming fans probably just thought it was an original song. Oh well, as she puts so ingeniously herself, she’s just being Miley.

Serena Williams

When you’re as famous as Serena Williams, you have to be prepared to deal with certain things, like stalkers. The tennis star was forced to tweet clues so that the authorities could get Patenema Ouedraogo off her tail. The 40-year-old man was stopped by private security at Williams’ home in Palm Beach Gardens, and has been accused of trying to contact Serena on numerous occasions. The deranged man even went as far as tracking her down from Los Angeles to Florida. Later, cops found a letter that Ouedraogo had written to Tyrese Gibson where he called Serena his “dream soul mate.”

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Food for thought: Comfort Calories

on The Session

Final session, final lesson

While passing out from 10 rows back in the Alumni Stadium bleachers, domino-ing 10 rows of Superfan T-shirts over the banister and onto the field, and retelling a 15minute account of the story to everyone you encounter for the rest of the semester may seem existentially fulfilling, it hardly ever is.

Though not all of us have Zak Jason had this experience, the overwhelming majority of us have had a version of it: the time we drank too much and wreaked havoc on the campus. The time he drank the Dasani bottle full of Smirnoff and broke into Beans, Creams, and Dreams.

The time she threw her roommate’s George Foreman grill off the top of Edmond’s. The time you ate late nite mozzarella sticks out of the dumpster behind Corcoran Commons. Inherently pathetic, these stories must be passed among students in order for us to shed our embarrassment. It’s textbook cognitive dissonance: There’s nothing rewarding about urinating on the Vanderslice Cabaret Room door, so we must brag about such a feat to others so that you believe it’s rewarding. Ever to excel.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We have free will, and it’s time we employed it in our drinking sessions.

From September until now I’ve sought to prod students to a deluge of some of the most historic and engaging bars in the country (all located just beyond our neighborhood), to refine campus drinking tradition, and to eschew students from venturing to Mary Ann’s at all costs. If this column were a class and this piece was my last lecture, I would say that if you remember anything from this year, remember to avoid Mary Ann’s as you would avoid sitting on a toilet seat with a banner reading, “Guarantee to Contract Rabies, Lifelong Public Ridicule, and Insurmountable Debt Should You Sit in on This” on the lid. Ultimately, however, I don’t want you to follow the advice of a 22-year-old bar columnist (it would be like accepting restaurant reviews from a two-year-old food critic).

Above all, I hope you employ your own intellect, your creativity, your free will into your drinking lives.

Too often do students settle for the standard party

paradigm. Group X always hosts, supplying 30s of Natural Ice and handles of Svedka. Person Y always supplies the playlist of the Jason Derulo, Girl Talk, and pseudo-nostalgic new wave songs. Person Z always exposes his member somewhere between the eighth and 11th games of flip cup. Occasionally whoever organizes the event on Facebook will be daring enough to suggest a dress code, a “themed party.” So it’s considered a wild and unique event when you drink Natural Ice in games of flip cup while Jason Derulo blares through the iPod Home, only this time you’re in a Russian soldier outfit. There’s a Groundhog Day quality to the weekends on this campus that we have the power to abolish.

Earlier this week, my roommate invited a few close friends and a professor for drinks. Over white wine, craft beers, and chips and dip, the 10 of them sat in a circle discussed the nature of love, the state of the United States military, the possibility of peace in the Middle East, and much more. Try doing that sometime. Invite a professor you’re close with over for appetizers and drinks, and see how more engaging and probing the conversation becomes than if it was in the midst of a game of beer pong. Or how about instead of putting away all of your chairs so you can fit 115 people into 200 square feet, how about setting up your chairs in a circle and instead of inviting 200 “friends,” invite 20 friends?

And why confine your drinking to dorms? While you need to jump the legal hurdle of “drinking in public,” there are ways to safely establish a stargazing champagne picnic on Brighton Campus.

Sure, there’s something to be said for shot gunning back-to-back cans of Milwaukee’s Best. (1) College is the one time in our lives when it’s socially acceptable to do this, and (2) this action can prove to be one of the greatest releases from the trials of the week. But college is also about pushing boundaries, exploring new things. The Natural Ice – Jason Derulo – flip cup paradigm stunts that growth.

If we are as devoted and conscientious to our drinking lives as we are our academic lives, BC will become one hell of a party.

Zak Jason is a Heights columnist. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

Well, friends, it’s here – the end of the year. Finals season is upon us. O’Neill is open for 24 hours a day. The coffee line in Hillside has lengthened considerably and the amount of time spent in the library or studying for said final has started Kristin Canfield to masquerade as an acceptable conversation topic.

In my life, the biggest change, besides a slightly altered sleep schedule, has been with my diet. It happens slowly, of course. First, there’s the personal supply of chocolate in my bag. Then comes the late night quesadillas and before I know it, if I have vegetables on my pizza, it’s considered a nutritional success.

For me, I was lucky enough not to worry about the “freshman 15.” McElroy has nothing on my high school cafeteria where two buttery rolls and two pieces of dessert frequently became lunch. What I do worry about is the “finals 15.” In many ways, my changed eating habits, the insatiable desire for food at all hours, are both the best part and worst part of finals.

Comfort food, like goat cheese smothered pasta or coffee cake studded with chocolate chips, has a remarkable effect on my mood. It keeps me working on the final paper that has no end and lets me spend another hour awake when I can barely keep my eyes open. Most importantly, however, it keeps me from retreating into hermit mode for the last few weeks of school.

Everyone has their food weakness and finals give us the excuse to indulge. It’s too early in the game to even think about the after-finals detox. For now, the focus is getting through the

day and the week so that summer can finally make an appearance.

Nevertheless, I very big part of me is not ready for the year to be over. I’m lucky enough that I still have a year left at Boston College before getting sent into the real world, but lots of folks on campus can see graduation just around the corner. Wearily leaving the library late Sunday night, I was shocked to see the extent of jubilation at Osama bin Laden’s death.

Interestingly, college students seem to have been the biggest celebrators.

As I struggle to determine why that is, and as the mood has significantly sobered since Sunday night, I realized what a peculiar and formative place Sept. 11 has in our generation’s memory.

Within the first 11 years of my life, there are three events that stand out as truly altering the way I thought about the world. The first two are perhaps on this campus unique to me: the Oklahoma City Murrah Bombing and the day Timothy McVeigh was executed for it. The third one was Sept. 11.

On Sunday night, I didn’t feel the urge to rush to MA’s or storm Bapst. All I really wanted to do was eat a big bowl of mac and cheese or bake a cake. Days like Sunday make me realize how small and insignificant my life really is.

The stress I feel about getting my finals done the way I want them to be and packing up all of my stuff is nothing compared to what most people go through and that’s okay.

I’m remarkably lucky that all it takes is some of my favorite comfort food to make myself feel better. Feeling down? I’d suggest you sit down with whatever is yours and feel better too.

Kristin Canfield is a Heights columnist. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

C5

+Music

NEW RELEASES

Masters of hip-hop return with old school ‘Part 2’

By Kesley Damassa For The Heights

Few artists have been able to successfully take vintage sounds and recreate them for a modern audience without sounding trite or simply ridiculous. However, three band mates from NYC, known as the Beastie Boys, were able to do just that. Michael Diamond (Mike D), Adam Yauch (MCA), and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) released their eighth studio album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, causing their devoted fans to cheer with excitement and attracting new listeners with their bass-heavy backtracks and cleverly constructed rap battles. The Beastie Boys deserve all the acclaim they are receiving after a tough couple of years filled with album delays due to band member Yauch’s fight against cancer. Alas, all of their hard work has paid off.

They have become masters of hip-hop - writing and rapping for almost three decades. Their experience clearly manifests itself in all of their singles – with hypnotizing rhymes and powerfully metaphoric lyrics, their brand of hip-hop has proven to be timeless.

Before the Beasties even begin to rap, the funky ’80s beat engulfs the listener and causes uncontrollable foot tapping and head bobbing.

Masters of instrumentation, they succeed in creating a modern funk, rooted in techno and synthesizers. Their success stems from their ability to use these synthesizers, distortions, and robotic-sounding effects while still preserving their vocals. In no way does the band surrender to the demands of

Matthew Morrison Matthew Morrison

Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 Beastie Boys

Raphael Saadiq Stone rollin’

produced by Capitol Records released May 3, 2011 Our rating a -

Chart Toppers Singles courtesy of creativecommons.org

On this long-awaited comeback album from hip-hop pioneers the Beastie Boys, the group delivers infectious rhymes and highly successful guest appearances. popular music. Instead, they are doing what they do best and having fun while they do it, which shows in the first track, “Make Some Noise.” This track begins the album by showcasing The Beastie Boys return to form, combining a degree of freshness with their traditional sounds. The boys make their veteran presence known and garner respect on this track in the first 30 seconds – “I burn the competition like a flamethrower / My rhymes age like wine as I get older.”

However, the most notable tracks of the album appear later and feature some unexpected, yet surprisingly appropriate, collaborations. The boys draw attention with “Too Many Rappers,” featuring Reverend MC Nas. Besides being an awesome

pump-up track, like the majority of the Beastie Boys’ work, the blending of Nas with the band is seamless. Their rhymes and lyrics feed off one another, bringing back the idea of an old school MC. Continuing with their collaborations, Santigold makes an appearance on the track “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win.” Santigold’s exotic feminine vocals prove hypnotic when complimented by a lighter rap style perfectly executed by the boys. This slower song gives listeners an opportunity to catch their breath before the next hightempo, bass-blasting, and rapdropping track.

The boys never lose momentum throughout the 18 original tracks on Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Their en-

ergy is contagious, even on the slower tracks like “Tadlock’s Glasses.” They may no longer be in their youth, but they are definitely still able to own the mic and drop outrageous beats.

Furthermore, with lyrics less focused on partying, the album takes on a more age-appropriate feel and offers more innovative lyrics. Abandoning the themes presented in their past hits “Fight For Your Right” and “Girls,” has allowed the band to broaden their horizons and expand their material, adding to the freshness and novelty of the new album.

This refocusing of material will allow the hip-hop prodigies to remain relevant in an always changing and cutthroat industry, which is the band’s plan. As Diamond, Yauch, and

Horovitz rap in the final track of the album, “You can sleep tonight, it’s ok/B-Boys in the cut and we’re here to stay.”

With such an impressive body of work spanning from 1986 until today, The Beastie Boys clearly know how to make great music while making sure to please their loyal following.

After waiting four years for a new album, Beastie fans are beyond excited to get their hands on Hot Sauce Committee Part Two and the wait has proved to be worthwhile. The band’s chaotically catchy music is charming listeners throughout the world now more than ever.

The album is a masterful blend of old school beats and modern lyrics that can be summarized in no other way than a muchappreciated return to form. n

1 E.T. (ft. Kanye West) Katy Perry 2 Rolling in the Deep Adele 3 Till the World Ends Britney Spears 4 Just Can’t Get Enough Black Eyed Peas 5 The Lazy Song Bruno Mars Top Albums

1 21 Adele 2 Wasting Light Foo Fighters 3 Sigh No More Mumford & Sons 4 Femme Fatale Britney Spears 5 Lemonade Mouth Various Artists Source: Billboard.com

Emotional and nearly flawless, ‘Helplessness Blues’ shows maturity

By Katie Lee Heights Staff

After the widely acknowledged and unrivaled success of the Fleet Foxes’ debut and self-titled album, alternative music fans automatically devel-

oped high expectations for the release of the group’s sophomore album, Helplessness Blues.

When Fleet Foxes was released in 2008, the album became an instant alternative-folk classic.

As the release of the sophomore album drew near, anxious

fans of the Seattle-based band had the same question in mind: Could this upcoming and highly anticipated album live up to such immense expectations? The Fleet Foxes no doubt had exerted their undeniable talent in the first album, but

Helplessness Blues Fleet Foxes produced by Sub Pop released May 3, 2011 Our rating a

courtesy of creativecommons.org

Although it is a simple and mesmerizing album, there is something captivating about the fantastic ‘Helplessness Blues.’

how would the group be able to improve on near-flawless blend of lush melodies and vocal harmonies in Helplessness Blues?

Yet even after listening to the first few tracks of the album, it is clear that Robin Pecknold and his crew of flawlessly harmonized musicians, have seemingly achieved the impossible. Two years in the making, Helplessness Blues delivers an instantly enchanting blend of alternative and folk styles that is immediately accessible, yet surprisingly deep. Each of the tracks function as prominent pieces to a nearly perfect whole.

What is arguably best about this folk group is their artful mastery of simplicity. Their distinct and easily recognizable talent is at its best in laidback dynamics and restrained performances. Nothing is ever overdone or forced when it comes to the music of the Fleet Foxes. It is stripped down, simple, easy listening music. Yet despite this aspect of simplicity, there is something deeply captivating, something moving about every track. The Fleet Foxes create the type of music that lightens every mood, captivates every listener, and

will eventually take over every spot in your iTunes top 25 most played.

Helplessness Blues starts out with one of the strongest songs on the album that is titled “Montezuma.” Throughout the track the melancholy line, “oh man what I used to be / oh man oh my oh my” echoes over the group’s easily recognizable quiet traditions with a theme of reflective nostalgia. Adding to this nostalgic sound is the way in which “Montezuma” combines a delicate guitar with swelling harmonies. Right away, fans of the Fleet Foxes will notice a more contemplative and personal nature that is used throughout the album’s entirety. The lyrics seem to echo personal, deeply emotional experiences and cover more mature topics than their group’s debut piece.

Another track that captures this emotion is is the title track, “Helplessness Blues,” where Pecknold turns self reflective with lines such as: “After some thinking, I’d say I’d rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery, serving something beyond me / but I don’t know / I don’t know what that will

be.” In songs like these, Pecknold speaks of coming of age instances and maturing.

One track that takes a little bit of a different approach is “Bedouin Dress.” The song exemplifies that on this album the band’s sound tends to transcend its earlier influences. Although all of the tracks are strong and express the talents of the group in their own ways, some other notable tracks include: “The Cascades” with multiple interwoven acoustic guitars and the slower reflection on lost love and “Lorelai.” With such strong sounds and contemplative, mature lyrics, the Fleet Foxes leave little to be critiqued or ridiculed.

All in all, Helplessness Blues seems to be more than a pleasant surprise for those alternative music fans who may have had doubted the group’s sophomore efforts. Those who were not fans of the group before should still be sure to give Helplessness Blues the listen it deserves. The album is perhaps a flawless, instantaneous classic in the world of alternative music that just gets all the more rewarding with each additional listen. n

Music Nook

Legendary Russian opera points to artistic and patriotic pride Krysia Wazny With only a week of classes left, things seem to be going according to schedule. Pressure to see any and all remaining sites is seeping its way into everyday activities, while stress from finals looms. I won’t be pulling any of my customary free coffee-fueled all-nighters, but the familiar study routine has begun. Nevertheless, that easily recognizable finals week feeling (characterized by a constant gnawing hunger for freedom that one fruitlessly attempts to slake with baked goods) is inescapably punctuated by the many Russian curiosities that persist in following us into our last month abroad. For one, we were at the beach last week, and today it snowed. For another, a cashier smiled at me yesterday. Over the years, the Russians have adapted many clever ways of coping with their severe climate and social situation. The Tale of Prince Igor as portrayed in Alexander Borodin’s opera offers some clues

into the delicate composition that is the Russian mentality.

Prince Igor is closely tied to some of the oldest literature known in the Slavic world. However, it strays far from the original and hardly manages to hold a plot together (and that’s assuming the audience even speaks Russian). It does succeed, nevertheless, to highlight certain Russian peculiarities. An entire act is devoted to drunkenness, culminating in a man wearing a barrel and headscarf twirling across stage.

The Slavic propensity for drinking, particularly well noted in the Russian tradition cannot be escaped even in its earliest days.

Somewhat more unexpectedly is the prevalence of what can only be labeled “the power of dance.” Russia is well known for its outstanding ballet, and it truly is magnificent, but dance seems to play an even greater role in this society. No more than a week ago, while on the hunt for the former home of author Mikhail Zoshchenko, I happened to come across

an intense dance battle on the streets of Petersburg. That this battle was between two 14-year-olds in sleeveless T’s and inexplicably monitored by no less than ten police officers is beside the point. A forceful show in dance may be as important in some instances as a military defeat, just ask Prince Igor. In the third act, Prince Igor is seemingly intimidated into leaving the Polovtsian camp through an impressive show in song and dance. This unique scene brought vivacity to an art form that is usually lacking in outright excitement, and apparently brought peace to the prince who finally returns home to his queen.

Another element of traditional Russian pride is made painfully obvious in Prince Igor. Between scenes, a massive icon of Christ hung ominously at the fore of the stage. Igor’s courtiers enthusiastically chant “Slava!” or “Glory!” at several points throughout the production.

Undoubtedly this age old obsession with religion does not apply to

courtesy of Creativecommons.org

‘Sometimes one has no say in how their country expresses patriotism,’ as evidenced by all the Toby Keith love this week. all Russians in today’s society, but sometimes one has no say in how their country expresses patriotism. I, for one, was forced to listen to “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” by Toby Keith no less than eight times on Monday, an occurrence I generally avoid regardless of the occasion.

Obviously we all have national oddities that must be accepted for better

or worse.

After four months in this incredible country, I can honestly say I’ll be right there with the Beatles. The former USSR has become another home to me, and it seems impossible that we are leaving just when I can finally read all the directions on my microwavable blini. Prince Igor ends happily when the king returns

home to rule the roost. In “Back in the USSR” the Beatles express similar emotions. After experiencing it all for myself, it seems I’ll never wonder again why you might want to get back to the USSR.

Krysia Wazny is a columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

The Heights

C6

NBA DRAFT wheN

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS MLS ALL-STAR GAME wHAT

June 23

where

Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.

what

While the NBA playoffs will be wrapping up right as summer starts, the NBA’s offseason, collective bargaining nonsense not included, begins in earnest with the league’s draft on June 23 in Newark. The only Boston College player likely to get selected, All-ACC guard Reggie Jackson, has thrown his hat into the draft ring but has not hired an agent, giving him until Sunday to withdraw himself from draft eligibility. If Jackson decides to remain in the draft, as is widely expected, he will be an intriguing prospect for teams near the end of the first round, or the beginning of the second. While several mock drafts have Jackson being picked around the mid-20s of the first round, other draft experts don’t see him being selected at all (there are two rounds and 60 overall picks in the NBA draft). Jackson definitely has the athleticism to succeed at the next level, and his prodigious 2010-2011 campaign certainly proved that he has the ability to create his own shot both inside and outside of the key. Jackson is viewed as a player with an elite skill (scoring) who has the athleticism to compete at the NBA level, but who needs to work on the rest of his game to become a serviceable player in the league.

Specifically, teams are concerned about how effective a facilitator Jackson can be after spending several seasons playing in “system” audiences. Still, any Superfan who watched Jackson’s lethal shooting and electric finishes this season knows that he has the ability to contribute at the next level.

By Tim Jablonski

wh0

Reggie Jackson

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Darryl dyck / ap photo

who

Patrick Eaves, Detroit Red Wings. Benn Ferriero, San Jose Sharks. Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks.

Andrew Alberts, Vancouver Canucks.

what Coming into the first round of the 2011 NHL playoffs, 12 former Boston College hockey players could be found on the rosters of the 16 postseason teams. With eight teams eliminated only Vancouver Canucks goalie Cory Schneider and defenseman Andrew Alberts, Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Eaves, and San Jose Sharks forward Benn Ferriero remain.

Eight Eagles, including such established NHL stars as Pittsburgh Penguin Brooks Orpik, Buffalo Sabre Nathan Gerbe and Montreal Canadien Brian Gionta fell by the wayside in the first round.

For Eagles hockey fans, the quarterfinals series to watch is in the Western Conference between the Red Wings and Sharks. Detroit’s Eaves has had the most statistically successful playoffs of the enduring BC players.

He registered two goals in the Red Wings 6-3, first-round clinching win over the Phoenix Coyotes, and has played in all seven of Detroit’s playoff games this season.

The little-known Ferriero, who graduated BC in 2009, did not play at all in San Jose’s first round victory over the L.A. Kings. However, the forward who only has seven career NHL goals, scored the game-winner in overtime to beat Detroit in the series opener. Ferriero has played in all three games so far against the Wings, but has only registered a little more than 18 total minutes of ice time.

In the other Western Conference semifinal, the Canucks’ Schneider and Alberts are rostered, but only Alberts (once) has seen the ice against the Nashville Predators. The 6-foot-5 Alberts only played twice against Chicago in the first round, and is not a usual starter for the Canucks. Schneider on the other hand, figures to be kept on the bench by the hot play of Vancouver’s starting goaltender, Roberto Luongo, who has allowed only four goals in the first three games of the series.

By Andrew Klokiw

One of the top soccer teams in the world is coming to the United States in late July, and it looks like a former Boston College star is going to get a chance to suit up against them.

Charlie Davies, in his first full season since the horrific 2009 car accident that nearly took his life, is leading the MLS in goals this season with six for D.C. United. The 24-year-old striker has done so in seven games, starting just four times. By comparison, the next two leading scorers have a combined 14 starts this year.

If Davies maintains his current pace, he’s a lock to be selected by the fans for the league All-Star game, which pits the MLS’ best against Manchester United, the firstplace team in the English Premier League. Voting begins in mid-May and lasts through early June. The ballot, once it goes public, can be found on MLSSoccer.com.

Davies has come a long way since he left BC in 2006 as an All-American and a finalist for the Hermann Award, the college soccer equivalent of the Heisman trophy. He broke out as a member of the national team in the summer of 2009, partnering with Jozy Altidore to give the Americans a promising young scoring tandem.

That October, though, he put his career on the line when he got in a car with a drunk driver, who crashed the vehicle into a guard rail on a highway in northern Virginia.

Davies broke bones in his leg, arm, and head, and suffered a lacerated bladder. He has spent the past year and a half rehabilitating his injuries and regaining the speed that made him so lethal before the crash.

Now, it seems, he is on the verge of earning himself a chance at the spotlight again.

By Paul Sulzer

wheN

July 27, 8:30 p.m.

who

Charlie Davies, D.C. United

where

Detroit, San Jose, Vancouver

j. pat carter / ap photo

wheN

Alex trautwig / heights editor

where

Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.

Now through early June

NFL FREE AGENTS who

Mark Herzlich, Rich Lapham, Thomas Claiborne, Alex Albright, DeLeon Gause, James McCluskey

David givler / heights senior staff

wheN TBD

what In the aftermath of the 2011 NFL Draft, a few graduating Boston College football players will be looking to land NFL contracts via free agency after not being drafted. Those with the greatest aspirations of of latching on with a NFL team are linebacker Mark Herzlich, offensive tackle Rich Lapham, defensive end Alex Albright, offensive guard Thomas Claiborne, cornerback DeLeon Gause and fullback James McCluskey.

The most notable in this group is the draft invitee Herzlich, whose snub came as somewhat of a shock after being projected to go anywhere from the third to fifth rounds. The cancer survivor was selected Monday evening in the United Football League draft with the second-to-last pick (No. 51) by the Omaha Nighthawks. It is unlikely that Herzlich will report to Omaha, instead seeking a chance in an NFL camp. But, at the very least, it offers him another option to play professional football in 2011.

In addition to Herzlich and Anthony Castonzo, who was picked in the first round of the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, the third and final Eagle invited to the NFL combine was Lapham. The 6-foot8, 323-pound lineman definitely has NFL size, and should have no problem signing on with a team after the lockout is lifted.

The lockout itself and work stoppage that has descended on the NFL is a major variable for each of these players. Because of the lockout, free agency for the league has been postponed indefinitely until an agreement between the players and owners can be reached.

In the meantime, Herzlich, Lapham and the others can only work out on their own and cannot have any contact with NFL teams, therefore increasing the already uncertain nature of being an undrafted rookie.

By Andrew Klokiw

What to look for in summer 2011 heights staff report

SUMMER BASEBALL LEAGUES what Every summer, college baseball players take off to different parts of the country to spend the summer playing more baseball. In most leagues, batters use wooden bats for the first time in their college careers, and play in front of thousands of fans and multiple scouts each game. Players generally stay with host families and find jobs to work at while not playing baseball.

The most prestigious summer league is the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), where the likes of Nomar Garciaparra, Evan Longoria, Chase Utley and Mark Teixeira have all spent their summers. Currently, six members of the 2011 Boston College baseball team are locked in to spend their summers down the Cape. Matt Watson and Nate Bayuk will be playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, Matt Brazis and Brad Zapenas will play for the Chatham Anglers, while Andrew Lawrence and Anthony Melchionda are both penciled in to play in the CCBL, though their team is yet to be determined.

Staying in New England, four Eagles will be playing their summer ball in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. There are two sets of BC teammates in the league: Matt Alvarez and Matt McGovern are set to play for the North Shore Navigators, while Hunter Gordon and Tom Bourdon will be playing for the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide. Additionally, Eric Stevens will be a member of the Sanford Mariners.

Going down to the South, the Southern Collegiate Baseball League is played in the Carolinas and Eastern Tennessee. Steve Green and John Hennessy will be teammates on the Lake Norman Copperheads.

Also in the south is the Valley League in Virginia. This is where Jimmy Dowdell will be donning a Haymarket Senators jersey.

One of the newer leagues is the Hampton League in New York, where Nate LaPointe is set to play for the Sag Harbor Whalers.

Chris Pagliarulo will travel to the Florida Collegiate Summer League to play for the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.

Rounding up BC’s representation in summer leagues is Spenser Payne, who will be playing for the Neptune Beach Pearl in the Far West League, a league in its first year, located in California, Nevada, and Oregon.

By Greg Joyce

when

Early June through mid-August

where

New England, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Florida, and California

courtesy of flickr

LIBERTY MUTUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT COLLEGIATE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP when who June 4-5

Uplifting Athletes

what

Courtesy of jayme parker

when July 6

what

Although Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich will spend this summer trying to figure out where his football career will take him, he does know one thing for certain. Herzlich, along with NESN employee Jayme Parker, will be hosting a charity golf tournament on Wednesday, July 6 at Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth, Mass.

The tournament will benefit the BC chapter of Uplifting Athletes. Uplifting Athletes is a national nonprofit organization that works with college football players to raise money for further medical research on Ewing’s sarcoma, a rmalignant form of cancer, as well as other rare diseases. The BC chapter was started in Herzlich’s honor after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2009. The money raised by this organization then funds research on the disease through the Sarcoma Foundation of America.

Herzlich and Parker will be joined by a number of celebrities and famous athletes at this event. The current list of attendees includes Bobby Orr, Tedy Bruschi, Curt Schilling, Troy Brown, Jim Rice, Ray Bourque, Ken Hodge, and Max Lane. Each foursome in the event will be joined by one of the celebrity guests.

The tournament is currently looking for foursomes to play in the event as well as people to sponsor the holes. The donation per foursome to play in the event is $1,500 and a $500 donation sponsors a hole for the tournament.

Donations can be sent to Steven Zaniboni at 84 Sheppard Avenue, Braintree, Mass., 02184. People who have questions or want further information about the event can call Zaniboni at 781-864-5209 or contact Parker at jparker@ nesn.com.

By Alex Manta

who

where

Members of the 2011 Boston College baseball team.

Plymouth, Mass.

For the second straight year, the Boston College men’s rugby team was selected by USA Sevens to compete in the 2011 Collegiate Rugby Championship, held this summer at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. The 16-team event, intended to crown the best collegiate rugby program in the United States, was created just last year. The tournament, held on June 4-5, will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports and Versus national networks.

Rugby Sevens features seven players per team playing on the same size pitch as a traditional 15s match and offers more consistent, flowing action where speed, high scoring, and athletic play dominate the competition. The time format also differs from the more lengthy traditional rugby matches, with each match split into two seven-minute halves and a new match starting about every 20 minutes.

Seven teams will be making their debut at the 2011 games, while nine schools, including the Eagles squad, will return for the second consecutive competition.

The 16 teams are separated into four pools of four teams each for round-robin style format, and then the top two from each pool advance to the quarterfinals for single-elimination.

BC faces a particularly difficult group of competition in their pool, as it is composed of Dartmouth College, esteemed rival University of Notre Dame, and the returning 2010 champion University of Utah Utes.

The University of Arizona, Army, University of California, Central Washington University, Louisiana State University, Navy, University of North Carolina, The Ohio State University, University of Oklahoma, Penn State University, Temple University, and the University of Texas round out the competition.

By DJ Adams

where

PPL Park, Chester, Pa.

who

Men’s club rugby team

Alex trautwig / heights editor

The Heights

Editors’ Picks

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Week Ahead

Standings

Will Reggie Jackson get drafted this summer, or will he return to school?

Will Mark Herzlich be able to sign with an NFL team? Will there even be an NFL season next year? Who will win the Stanley Cup? And lastly, who will win the NBA Championship?

C7

Recap from Last

Greg Joyce

48-17

Paul Sulzer

47-18

DJ Adams

43-22

Heights staff

38-27

Boston University

Asst.Graphics Editor “Basketball and hockey playoff games every day of the week. What more could a sports fan ask for?”

Paul Sulzer Sports Editor

This Week’s Games

DJ Adams Managing Editor

Greg Joyce Assoc. Sports Editor

Alex Manta

Asst. Graphics Editor

NBA Draft: Will Reggie stay in the draft?

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

NFL: Will Mark Herzlich sign with a NFL team?

No

Yes

Yes

No

NFL: Will there be an NFL season?

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

NHL: Who will win the Stanley Cup?

Bruins

Lightning

Bruins

Canucks

Grizzlies

Bulls

Thunder - for Perk

Bulls

Smaller sports can steal our attention

Softball

A special thank you to the Lions, Pats, and Giants for all passing over Anthony Castonzo and giving the picks title to Greg. Baseball beat Virginia in extras, while softball got swept by Georgia Tech. The women’s lax team won its final regular season game.

Guest Editor: Alex Manta

NBA: Who will win the NBA Championship?

Series of the Week

DJ Adams is the Managing Editor of The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

Boston College

Today, the softball edition of the Comm. Ave rivalry comes to Shea Field. Boston University comes into the game with a record of 30-14, as opposed to the young Boston College team’s record of 14-30.

Though it has been somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Eagles, the power production has been unstoppable as of late. The team has hit a schoolrecord 54 home runs on the season, with Brittany Wilkins leading the way with 13. This will be BC’s last home game of the regular season before they look to make a run in the ACC tournament.

Thursday, 4 p.m.

Football players Hit ... all the right notes

BC battles for playoffs Baseball, from C8

Appreciation, from C8 heart for some shred of optimism on which to cling.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard to find as I thought. The inability of BC’s biggest sports to rise to the occasion taught me to focus on the less-attended, albeit more successful, programs. Though women’s soccer, women’s hockey, or even the track and field squads don’t attract thousands of Superfans through the gates, their success was refreshing and addictive.

The women’s soccer team reached its first Final Four in program history, and almost took down the eventual champion (Stanford) in a tough, contested battle. Though that night I was at Boston University in attendance for one of the intense match-ups between the two men’s hockey rivals, I found myself missing goals on the ice while persistently updating my Android for the latest score updates on our girls.

If that isn’t weird enough of a thought, don’t forget that soccer is my kryptonite; the one sport that I couldn’t care less about.

This trend of following uncharacteristic athletics continued for me as the seasons changed. Me and my roommate for next year, instead of discussing the likes of Cam Atkinson and Brian Gibbons, often found ourselves immersed in conversations detailing the nastiness of Kelli Stack and the surprise that was freshman Taylor Wasylk. Sure the men’s team was great all season long, but the girls’ postseason run was downright inspiring.

Lastly, I find myself contemplating this past spring. Baseball, my favorite sport, was primed for a good season with a new coach and fresh outlook.

And while the boys have certainly provided their highlights, such as the program-defining, 11-inning win over No. 1 Virginia on Saturday, the softball team’s stride this season has been the real story on the diamonds of Shea.

In 2010, softball didn’t win a single ACC game, and while this season has not seen them get much better, the team has five conference victories, has set a team record for home runs, and earned its first ever ACC-series sweep against North Carolina State. Tory Speer, the freshman star, can only get even better for next season.

Retrospectively, I guess, it wasn’t all that bad of a year sports-wise for BC. In fact, for everyone aside from the seniors who are leaving our campus for good in a few weeks (sorry guys, not exactly softening the blow, am I?) the disappointing seasons of the perennial contending Eagles teams opened up a small slit for other teams to gain a decent fan following.

They at least grabbed my attention, and even if football racks up 10 wins next fall or men’s hockey goes on to grab another NCAA title, I won’t forget the sports teams that made my sophomore year of college particularly enjoyable.

I have realized that school pride is always worth professing. Rather than cheering for a team based on its level of publicity or the number of fans it draws to the stands, we should concern ourselves as students with one thing only, the name on the front of every jersey: BC. By doing that, I have become a better sports fan, and a better Eagle, too. Hopefully next year, we can all fly together in that regard.

vs.

alex trautwig / heights editor

Members of the football team won the student-athlete talent show yesterday at Conte Forum for their a capella performance.

Kreider scores twice times for Team USA in hockey World Championship Roundup, from C8 In the second round match against Norway, the BC forward also picked up an assist with a pass to teammate Nick Palmieri, whose ensuing goal ignited a four-goal rally in the third period that gave Team USA a 4-2 comeback win.

Kreider, who scored 11 goals and tallied 13 assists in 32 games for the Eagles this past season, is the only returning player from the 2010 national squad that played in the 2010 World Championships in Germany.

Baseball and Softball Games Rained Out Heavy rain on Wednesday afternoon forced the baseball team to postpone its game against Central Connecticut State in the top of the fifth inning, with the score tied at one.

Freshman Nate LaPointe drilled the first pitch he saw out of the park to give the Eagles their lone run, while redshirt freshman Matt Alvarez pitched two scoreless innings.

The game will be rescheduled for a later date.

The Eagles are currently 16-26, 7-16 ACC, and have nine games remaining on the 2011 schedule, including three-game series against conference opponents Wake Forest and North Carolina State.

Meanwhile, in Amherst, the softball team’s doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday was canceled due to poor weather conditions.

Because of the games being so late in the Eagles’ schedule, they will not be rescheduled.

The squad’s final game of the season is scheduled to begin today at 4 p.m. when the Boston University Terriers come to Chestnut Hill.

Women’s Soccer Adds Four to Recruiting Class On Tuesday, women’s soccer head

And when we’re not, then we’re going to get rolled like we did on Friday night. It was a really, really good lesson and I think that the character of being able to play so poorly and fix it and say, ‘Alright, let’s come back and do what we want to do, boys,’ and play well Saturday and Sunday is great.”

In the first game of the series, the Eagles were outplayed on all levels. The home team was only able to get one hit off Dan Hultzen in seven innings of work.

On Saturday, BC battled back from a two-run deficit on a home run from freshman Nate LaPointe in the second inning.

The two teams traded runs throughout the first nine, heading into extra innings with a 4-4 tie. In the 11th, sophomore Matt McGovern started the inning with a single and was driven in by junior Anthony Melchionda for the win.

The rubber match of the series saw the Cavaliers win 4-0. Still, Gambino took many positives from his team’s performance.

“We played really well on Sunday,” he said. “I know we ended up losing the ballgame but we get a guy thrown out at the plate, bang-bang close call. They get a two-run double that hops right over the bag. An inch on either one of those things and instead of being 4-0, it’s 2-2 in the sixth.

So, I was pretty fired up. I think being able to rebound from Friday night with both of those games is something that’s going to carry us this weekend.”

Another aspect of last weekend Gambino is pleased with is the production from different players. While the team began the season expecting strong play from players like Garrett Smith and Melchionda, there were many question marks as to who would step up and for their new coach.

“It really is a pretty good mix,” he said.

“You’ve got guys like [John Leonard] and Garrett in that senior class and then some of our junior class, or redshirt junior class, [Kyle Prohovich], [Andrew Lawrence] and [Marc Perdios]. We can look all the way down to what Gov’s doing. It shows that we’re getting really good production in guys that are contributing throughout the classes, which really bodes for what we’ve got going on in the next couple of years. It also says a lot about guys like Nate LaPointe, [John] Hennessy, and Bourdon, who’s been playing in centerfield all year, but Nate LaPointe and [John] Hennessy had to come to practice every day unsure if they were going to get in there for a while, and the both of them get thrown in and are prepared. That just says a lot about how they work and prepare everyday.”

This full squad effort will be necessary for the Eagles, heading into this late-season surge. Gambino understands that his team will face many challenges, and respects the difficulties that his team will face starting this weekend.

“That’s the thing about this league,” he said. “All 12 teams have really good ball clubs. We just have to take it one day at a time.” n

Petr David Josek / ap photo

Chris Kreider has been a force on the international level, registering two goals and an assist. coach Alison Foley announced the addition of four recruits—three defenders and one goaltender—to the Boston College program.

Julie Campbell is a defender/midfielder from Ridgewood, N.J., who scored five goals in nine games after her senior season was cut short by injury.

Alexandra Johnson, a goalkeeper from Westwood, Mass., won two NEPSAC Class A titles while attending Noble & Greenough, and earned 50 shutouts in 79 games.

Linzy Rakestraw is a defender from Tampa, Fla., and currently plays for the

Clearwater Chargers. With her help, the club team has advanced to the semifinals at the Disney Showcase for the past two years.

Mariah Winters is from Burbank, Calif., and plays defense for the Crescenta Valley club team. The senior is currently No. 87 on Top Drawer Soccer’s 2011 Top 100 players to watch list.

The four new arrivals join Emily Hoffend from Frisco, Texas; Stephanie McCaffrey from Winchester, Mass.; and Casey Morrison from York, Pa., bringing the number of the 2011 recruiting class to seven committed student-athletes. n

alex trautwig / heights editor

John Leonard has been BC’s best stopper.

The Heights

Editors’ Picks

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Week Ahead

Standings

Will Reggie Jackson get drafted this summer, or will he return to school?

Will Mark Herzlich be able to sign with an NFL team? Will there even be an NFL season next year? Who will win the Stanley Cup? And lastly, who will win the NBA Championship?

C7

Recap from Last

Greg Joyce

48-17

Paul Sulzer

47-18

DJ Adams

43-22

Heights staff

38-27

Boston University

Asst.Graphics Editor “Basketball and hockey playoff games every day of the week. What more could a sports fan ask for?”

Paul Sulzer Sports Editor

This Week’s Games

DJ Adams Managing Editor

Greg Joyce Assoc. Sports Editor

Alex Manta

Asst. Graphics Editor

NBA Draft: Will Reggie stay in the draft?

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

NFL: Will Mark Herzlich sign with a NFL team?

No

Yes

Yes

No

NFL: Will there be an NFL season?

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

NHL: Who will win the Stanley Cup?

Bruins

Lightning

Bruins

Canucks

Grizzlies

Bulls

Thunder - for Perk

Bulls

Smaller sports can steal our attention

Softball

A special thank you to the Lions, Pats, and Giants for all passing over Anthony Castonzo and giving the picks title to Greg. Baseball beat Virginia in extras, while softball got swept by Georgia Tech. The women’s lax team won its final regular season game.

Guest Editor: Alex Manta

NBA: Who will win the NBA Championship?

Game of the Week

DJ Adams is the Managing Editor of The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

Boston College

Today, the softball edition of the Comm. Ave rivalry comes to Shea Field. Boston University comes into the game with a record of 30-14, as opposed to the young Boston College team’s record of 14-30.

Though it has been somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Eagles, the power production has been unstoppable as of late. The team has hit a schoolrecord 54 home runs on the season, with Brittany Wilkins leading the way with 13. This will be BC’s last home game of the regular season before they look to make a run in the ACC tournament.

Thursday, 4 p.m.

Football players Hit ... all the right notes

BC battles for playoffs Baseball, from C8

Appreciation, from C8 heart for some shred of optimism on which to cling.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard to find as I thought. The inability of BC’s biggest sports to rise to the occasion taught me to focus on the less-attended, albeit more successful, programs. Though women’s soccer, women’s hockey, or even the track and field squads don’t attract thousands of Superfans through the gates, their success was refreshing and addictive.

The women’s soccer team reached its first Final Four in program history, and almost took down the eventual champion (Stanford) in a tough, contested battle. Though that night I was at Boston University in attendance for one of the intense match-ups between the two men’s hockey rivals, I found myself missing goals on the ice while persistently updating my Android for the latest score updates on our girls.

If that isn’t weird enough of a thought, don’t forget that soccer is my kryptonite; the one sport that I couldn’t care less about.

This trend of following uncharacteristic athletics continued for me as the seasons changed. Me and my roommate for next year, instead of discussing the likes of Cam Atkinson and Brian Gibbons, often found ourselves immersed in conversations detailing the nastiness of Kelli Stack and the surprise that was freshman Taylor Wasylk. Sure the men’s team was great all season long, but the girls’ postseason run was downright inspiring.

Lastly, I find myself contemplating this past spring. Baseball, my favorite sport, was primed for a good season with a new coach and fresh outlook.

And while the boys have certainly provided their highlights, such as the program-defining, 11-inning win over No. 1 Virginia on Saturday, the softball team’s stride this season has been the real story on the diamonds of Shea.

In 2010, softball didn’t win a single ACC game, and while this season has not seen them get much better, the team has five conference victories, has set a team record for home runs, and earned its first ever ACC-series sweep against North Carolina State. Tory Speer, the freshman star, can only get even better for next season.

Retrospectively, I guess, it wasn’t all that bad of a year sports-wise for BC. In fact, for everyone aside from the seniors who are leaving our campus for good in a few weeks (sorry guys, not exactly softening the blow, am I?) the disappointing seasons of the perennial contending Eagles teams opened up a small slit for other teams to gain a decent fan following.

They at least grabbed my attention, and even if football racks up 10 wins next fall or men’s hockey goes on to grab another NCAA title, I won’t forget the sports teams that made my sophomore year of college particularly enjoyable.

I have realized that school pride is always worth professing. Rather than cheering for a team based on its level of publicity or the number of fans it draws to the stands, we should concern ourselves as students with one thing only, the name on the front of every jersey: BC. By doing that, I have become a better sports fan, and a better Eagle, too. Hopefully next year, we can all fly together in that regard.

vs.

alex trautwig / heights editor

Members of the football team won the student-athlete talent show yesterday at Conte Forum for their a capella performance.

Kreider scores twice times for Team USA in hockey World Championship Roundup, from C8 In the second round match against Norway, the BC forward also picked up an assist with a pass to teammate Nick Palmieri, whose ensuing goal ignited a four-goal rally in the third period that gave Team USA a 4-2 comeback win.

Kreider, who scored 11 goals and tallied 13 assists in 32 games for the Eagles this past season, is the only returning player from the 2010 national squad that played in the 2010 World Championships in Germany.

Baseball and Softball Games Rained Out Heavy rain on Wednesday afternoon forced the baseball team to postpone its game against Central Connecticut State in the top of the fifth inning, with the score tied at one.

Freshman Nate LaPointe drilled the first pitch he saw out of the park to give the Eagles their lone run, while redshirt freshman Matt Alvarez pitched two scoreless innings.

The game will be rescheduled for a later date.

The Eagles are currently 16-26, 7-16 ACC, and have nine games remaining on the 2011 schedule, including three-game series against conference opponents Wake Forest and North Carolina State.

Meanwhile, in Amherst, the softball team’s doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday was canceled due to poor weather conditions.

Because of the games being so late in the Eagles’ schedule, they will not be rescheduled.

The squad’s final game of the season is scheduled to begin today at 4 p.m. when the Boston University Terriers come to Chestnut Hill.

Women’s Soccer Adds Four to Recruiting Class On Tuesday, women’s soccer head

And when we’re not, then we’re going to get rolled like we did on Friday night. It was a really, really good lesson and I think that the character of being able to play so poorly and fix it and say, ‘Alright, let’s come back and do what we want to do, boys,’ and play well Saturday and Sunday is great.”

In the first game of the series, the Eagles were outplayed on all levels. The home team was only able to get one hit off Dan Hultzen in seven innings of work.

On Saturday, BC battled back from a two-run deficit on a home run from freshman Nate LaPointe in the second inning.

The two teams traded runs throughout the first nine, heading into extra innings with a 4-4 tie. In the 11th, sophomore Matt McGovern started the inning with a single and was driven in by junior Anthony Melchionda for the win.

The rubber match of the series saw the Cavaliers win 4-0. Still, Gambino took many positives from his team’s performance.

“We played really well on Sunday,” he said. “I know we ended up losing the ballgame but we get a guy thrown out at the plate, bang-bang close call. They get a two-run double that hops right over the bag. An inch on either one of those things and instead of being 4-0, it’s 2-2 in the sixth.

So, I was pretty fired up. I think being able to rebound from Friday night with both of those games is something that’s going to carry us this weekend.”

Another aspect of last weekend Gambino is pleased with is the production from different players. While the team began the season expecting strong play from players like Garrett Smith and Melchionda, there were many question marks as to who would step up and for their new coach.

“It really is a pretty good mix,” he said.

“You’ve got guys like [John Leonard] and Garrett in that senior class and then some of our junior class, or redshirt junior class, [Kyle Prohovich], [Andrew Lawrence] and [Marc Perdios]. We can look all the way down to what Gov’s doing. It shows that we’re getting really good production in guys that are contributing throughout the classes, which really bodes for what we’ve got going on in the next couple of years. It also says a lot about guys like Nate LaPointe, [John] Hennessy, and Bourdon, who’s been playing in centerfield all year, but Nate LaPointe and [John] Hennessy had to come to practice every day unsure if they were going to get in there for a while, and the both of them get thrown in and are prepared. That just says a lot about how they work and prepare everyday.”

This full squad effort will be necessary for the Eagles, heading into this late-season surge. Gambino understands that his team will face many challenges, and respects the difficulties that his team will face starting this weekend.

“That’s the thing about this league,” he said. “All 12 teams have really good ball clubs. We just have to take it one day at a time.” n

Petr David Josek / ap photo

Chris Kreider has been a force on the international level, registering two goals and an assist. coach Alison Foley announced the addition of four recruits—three defenders and one goaltender—to the Boston College program.

Julie Campbell is a defender/midfielder from Ridgewood, N.J., who scored five goals in nine games after her senior season was cut short by injury.

Alexandra Johnson, a goalkeeper from Westwood, Mass., won two NEPSAC Class A titles while attending Noble & Greenough, and earned 50 shutouts in 79 games.

Linzy Rakestraw is a defender from Tampa, Fla., and currently plays for the

Clearwater Chargers. With her help, the club team has advanced to the semifinals at the Disney Showcase for the past two years.

Mariah Winters is from Burbank, Calif., and plays defense for the Crescenta Valley club team. The senior is currently No. 87 on Top Drawer Soccer’s 2011 Top 100 players to watch list.

The four new arrivals join Emily Hoffend from Frisco, Texas; Stephanie McCaffrey from Winchester, Mass.; and Casey Morrison from York, Pa., bringing the number of the 2011 recruiting class to seven committed student-athletes. n

alex trautwig / heights editor

John Leonard has been BC’s best stopper.

SPORTS The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

c8

Thursday, May 5, 2011

SPORTS SUMMER PREVIEW To fill the lull between semesters, check out the BC storylines to watch this summer

T

heights staff report

he summer is typically down time for Boston College sports. Athletes are on campus training with their respective teams, but the atmosphere is much more subdued around the program, at least in comparison to the academic year. Fans are typically left counting down the days until football season kicks off. That’s not the case this summer.

BC athletes are competing for the Stanley Cup and a club rugby championship. They are

pondering their professional futures in basketball, baseball, and football. And, perhaps most importantly, they are raising money in a charity golf tournament and working their way back to the limelight after a terrifying car crash.

Take a look at our summer preview and familiarize yourself with the storylines to watch concerning your favorite BC stars and some lesser-known, but nonetheless interesting, players.

With this guide, you’ll be prepared for everything that goes on between now and students’ return to campus in September. Turn to page C6, and enjoy.

See Page C6 for What to watch for Stanley Cup Playoffs, Now through early June Summer baseball leagues, June to August Club rugby championship, June 4-5 nba draft, June 23 Uplifting athletes golf tournament, July 6 mls all-star game, July 27 nfl undrafted free agents, To be determined

alex trautwig / Heights editor

Appreciating successful smaller teams

Midweek roundup

Baseball

Herzlich selected in UFL draft

By Robert T. Balint Heights Staff

DJ Adams Well, everyone, we made it. The end of the year is finally here. But before finals kick in and effectively destroy all the remaining brain cells that somehow survived two semesters of rowdy weekends, I would like to reflect on this school year in a variety of ways.

There are endless possible outlets for doing so. For example, those of you looking for someone to tell you what to do “When It’s Over” today should head down to the Mods for a little ’90s throwback jam. As for me, though, I broke down my sophomore year at Boston College into a few different important categories, each of which was given time for deep thought.

For the most part, BC instilled me with some good fortune this past academic season. My grades turned out fine, pending some finals horror story yet to occur, and I have grown to know several new friends along the way.

However, when I thought about Eagles athletics, I cringed a bit. 2010-11 was not the best overall season for our athletes. The men’s hockey team was upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Despite great starts, our men’s and women’s basketball teams sputtered to the finish, both “earning” NIT bids instead of Big Dance appearances. And who can forget Eagles football, which won just seven games despite facing one of their easier schedules in recent memory?

Normally I am a pessimistic sports fan, but when you combine BC’s mediocrity with the daily misery I faced this past year as a Minnesota sports fan, I was desperately perusing my

See Appreciation, C7

alex trautwig / Heights editor

Freshman catcher Nate LaPointe is heating up as BC makes a late push for inclusion in the ACC tournament. Only the top eight teams qualify.

The dash to the ACC tournament is on

By Chris Marino Asst. Sports Editor

The Boston College baseball team is in the hunt. Heading into the latter portion of the 2011 season, the Eagles (16-26, 716 ACC) find themselves in a race for one of the last playoff spots in the eight-team ACC championship. Despite this, head coach Mike Gambino and his team haven’t changed their approach.

“We know we want to play in the postseason but you can’t look to that, and it sounds so cliche, but we have six ACC games left, so the way you handle it is focus on Friday night,” he said. “That’s it.

And then you’ve got one Saturday. And it wouldn’t matter if we were fighting for the eighth spot, fighting for the fifth spot or fighting for the first spot. You still want to handle it the same way and go about your

i nside S ports this issue

NBA draft

business the same way.”

Regardless of the day-to-day focus, the team has set the goal of a playoff on its agenda.

“We talk about making that ACC tournament,” the first-year head coach said. “That’s the first thing you’ve got to do. We know we’re right in the mix. We know we’re in a playoff hunt, which is always fun. So yeah, it’s something we talk about every day.”

This upcoming weekend will be a true test for the Eagles, as they face ACC foe Wake Forest (17-26, 7-14) in WinstonSalem, N.C. Both teams are looking to secure those final spots, and the Demon Deacons currently sit a game ahead of BC in the standings.

“I think it’s going to be a really good weekend,” Gambino said. “We’re both fighting for that playoff spot. They know

If he stays in the draft, Reggie Jackson should be a first round pick.............C6

that. We know that. But it really doesn’t change what we want to do there. It doesn’t matter if it’s Game 1 or Game 25. You want to go in there and win the ballgame.

So right now, what we’re trying to do is win Friday night. I know it sounds like a cliche but it’s really what we’re trying to do. It’s how we’re trying to handle a weekend like this.”

Last weekend, the Eagles faced off against the nation’s No.1 team, Virginia.

Despite losing the series, 2-1, Gambino said the team has taken a lot away from the series.

“It was a really good lesson for us,” he explained. “I think if we play the way we want to play and do the things that we want to do and be the team that we want to be, we can beat anyone in the country.

See Baseball C7

MLS All-Star game

Ca n f o r m e r Ea g l e C h a r l i e Dav i e s e a r n a spot in the contest?....................................C6

Eagles linebacker Mark Herzlich was drafted by the Omaha Nighthawks, a team in the United Football League, on Monday night. The league conducted its draft via Twitter.

Herzlich was passed over in the NFL draft over the weekend, but was selected by the Nighthawks as the 51st pick of the draft.

The UFL consists of five teams, and began play in 2009.

Herzlich was a surefire first-round pick after being voted ACC defensive player of the year in 2008, but a battle with Ewing’s sarcoma between his junior and senior years caused the linebacker to miss the 2009 season.

After he recovered from treatment, he returned for the 2010 campaign, but saw his numbers dip. He still made the top three for the team in tackles (65) and unassisted tackles (50), however, and also pulled down four interceptions and forced two fumbles.

The Nighthawks ended the 2010 season with a 3-5 record, and were coached by former Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski.

Kreider Scores on Team USA Forward Chris Kreider of the men’s hockey team was named to the U.S. national Team in April, which is now competing in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Slovakia, and has proven to be an effective scoring weapon so far in the tournament.

In a tune-up game against Austria before the first round, Kreider had a third-period steal from a defender and scored from the front of the net on goaltender Jurgen Penker’s stick side, tying the game 2-2, as Team USA went on to win 3-2.

Kreider scored the first goal in the team’s 5-1 win over Austria in the first round of tournament play.

See Roundup, C7

Editors’ Picks..............................C7 Game of the Week.......................C7

marketplace The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

D1

Thursday, May 5, 2011

‘Justice has been done’

Politics Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum formed a presidential exploratory committee this week.

Santorum has visited early primary states Iowa and New Hampshire several times.

A collegiate response to good news

The New Hampshire Democratic Party filed a complaint against Mitt Romney this week. The complaint alleges that he illegally used money raised by political action committees.

Clara Kim

Rhode Island Democrats abandoned their continued attempts to legalize gay marriage this year. Only five states in the Union, like California, currently recognize gay marriages.

Economics Google received the top spot in a recent Harris Interactive Poll of the most reputable companies. The weakening insurance giant AIG finished last, while BP finished next to last.

The U.S. government filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Deutsche Bank. The Justice Department claims that Deutsche lied about risky mortgages so they could qualify for assistance.

BP agreed to pay a $25 million fine for two oil spills in Alaska in 2006. The company will also spend $60 million to upgrade its oversight of deteriorating pipelines in Alaska.

The ‘TIME’ cover mirrors the one used after Hitler’s death (left). The compound where bin Laden was found (top left) and students celebrating outside the White House.

Science & technology

Al-Qaida leader and mastermind of Sept. 11 killed by US military

AT&T placed a cap on maximum bandwidth for broadband users. Users who exceed 250 GB per month will be charged an additional fee, much like AT&T mobile users.

Mobile application store revenues are expected to grow by 77 percent to at least $3.8 billion by the end of the year. Apple continues to be the leading seller of mobile apps.

Amazon placed an order for roughly one million devices from Tablet producer Quanta. Amazon is expected to release a Tablet to compete with Apple’s iPad in late 2011.

in numbers

10 billion people who are expected to live on Earth by 2100. Growth will occur primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

charles dharapak, anjum naveed, nasdaq omx group / ap photo

By David Cote

Marketplace Editor “ Ju stice ha s b e en done,” announced President Barack Obama Sunday night. During a raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, United States Navy SEAL(s) killed long-sought al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, ending the near 10-year manhunt that began after the attacks of Sept. 11.

The raid took place at about 1 a.m. local time. Four Chinook and Bl ack hawk helicopters landed 24 soldiers on the compound, with a total of 40 men involved in the assault. The terrorist leader was killed by a bullet to the head. There were no American casualties during the raid.

Though there have been numerous leads about bin Laden’s

arrested by British police near a nuclear power plant.

They were arrested on suspicion of terrorism.

killed in a coal mine explosion in northern Mexico. Eleven other workers are currently trapped beneath the rubble.

in quotes

“Bin Laden was then shot

and killed. He was not armed.

”

– Press Secretary Jay Carney, describing the Navy SEAL operation against bin Laden.

“

This is assistance that is in both Pakistan’s ... interests as well as the United States’ national interests.

”

– U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, describing foreign aid to Pakistan.

Laden has been al-Qaida’s leader and symbol,” he said. “The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaida.”

To celebrate the death of America’s most hated enemy since Adolf Hitler, thousands poured to places of national importance like Ground Zero, the White House, and Times Square. Across college campuses , students took to the streets to celebrate bin Laden’s death and the success of the U.S. military.

Despite the great success of Sunday afternoon, Obama stressed that Americans must stay alert and stay focused.

Threat levels have gone up since the action in Pakistan, in anticipation of possible counter attacks by terrorist elements. “[Osama’s] death does not mark the end of our effort,” Obama said. “We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad.” n

David Cote I think Osama bin Laden’s death matters. It seems obvious, doesn’t it? How could it not?

But just days after his death, news agencies, political analysts, terrorist experts, and any number of well qualified people have said it might not matter as much as we, as Americans, all want it to. They say that bin Laden had lost his central role as leader of al-Qaida. They say his money will move on without him. They say that there are any number of people to take his place, and he was already struggling with health problems due to an enlarged heart anyway. All of these things might be true, but there are still reasons to disagree with the experts.

For 10 years, the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan. Unlike previous wars, this war doesn’t have a very tangible

enemy. There aren’t Nazis, Vietcong, or North Koreans. There is al-Qaida, yes, but when Hitler died in World War II, it essentially ended the war in Europe.

Bin Laden’s death won’t win us the War in Afghanistan. In fact, we could probably remain in Afghanistan another 20 years without “winning” the war. So why are we there?

We invaded Afghanistan after Sept. 11 for four very specific reasons: to remove the Taliban regime, to destabilize al-Qaida, to end Afghanistan’s use as a terrorist base, and to create a “viable democratic state.” Two of these have essentially been accomplished. The Taliban regime has been removed as the governing political force in Afghanistan, and al-Qaida has been destabilized and uprooted. There are several problems with the other two goals. While we have limited the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate terrorism from the region completely. And what exactly is a “viable democratic state?” A democratic government under Hamid Karzai has

i nside Marke tp l a c e

this issue

Politico of the week

Problems coincide with wedding

By Michela Gacioch Heights Staff

the run in the desert. Why should we care so much? The casualties pouring in every day and the perceived lack of progress were wearing on the American psyche.

If bin Laden’s death won’t win us the war or accomplish either of our two remaining objectives, why is it so meaningful?

More than anything, the U.S. military strategists knew what bin Laden’s death would mean to the American people. The answer to

See Bin Laden, D4

See Britain, D2

jason decrow / ap photo

New Yorkers celebrate next to Ground Zero, nearly 10 years after the towers fell. been established since December of 2001. Does that not count?

While it might not be the most stable area in the world, stabilizing Afghanistan would involve stabilizing the entire Middle East, a goal insurmountable even for the U.S. military and their $685.1 billion budget.

Furthermore, the U.S. government has spent the last ten years chasing bin Laden from cave to cave, compound to compound.

Many have questioned the strategy: he’s a diseased old man on

See Response, D2

The world watched Friday as Prince William wed Catherine Middleton in London’s Westminster Abbey. With 22.8 million viewers in the United States alone, about two billion viewers, nearly a third of the world’s population, tuned in to watch Princess Catherine make the five minute walk down Westminster’s center aisle. Souvenir mugs and towels had been made. Even refrigerators boasting the flawless faces of the royal couple were purchased worldwide. However, amid the magnificent excitement of the event, critics were royally upset by the affair.

“Britain no longer exists. It is a trace of what it used to be,” Muammar Gaddafi recently told reporters.

While he may have spoke too soon, as evidenced by British military action against him, many Brits believe he may be onto something.

Presently, the country is facing the biggest squeeze in living standards since the 1920s. Government budgets have been cut immensely.

This year hundreds of thousands of public-sector employees will lose their jobs, all while inflation, tax increases, and a steep reduction in welfare benefits diminish the household incomes of nearly every citizen. From military airfields to public libraries, a myriad of public institutions are closing or being sold off for profit. The HMS Ark Royal, the last aircraft carrier of the fading British Navy, can now be purchased on the Ministry of Defence’s version of eBay. The country is no stranger to the idea of national decline: “declinism” became a part of the British

Why does Osama Bin Laden’s death matter?

5 people

3 people

whereabouts since the worldwide manhunt began almost 10 years ago, he was able to escape several times. Reports say he was wounded by shrapnel during an attack by U.S. and coalition forces at Tora Bora, Afghanistan in 2001. Amid rumors of health problems, bin Laden was said to have fled to Pakistan.

U.S. relations with Pakistan, however, have been shaky at best. While Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari stressed that numerous years of cooperation between Pakistan and the U.S. led to the eventual location of bin Laden, he also said that “the killing of Osama bin Laden was not a joint operation with Pakistan.” In fact, Zardari called the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty “unacceptable.” Pakistan had scrambled jets in response

to the unknown presence of helicopters in their territory, just two hours from the capital, Islamabad.

John Brennan, the assistant to the president for Homeland Security, said that Pakistan was not informed of the raid to avoid any potential tip offs.

The information about a potential compound in Pakistan had come across Obama’s desk as long ago as August of 2010.

“I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan,” Obama said. “Finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.”

With public support of the war in Afghanistan falling off, Obama considered the recent developments a great success.

“For over two decades, bin

Sunday, May 1, was a great night to be an American college student. At 11:30 p.m. the world was silent and held its breath as they waited to hear the confirmation of the rumor that furiously circulated Twitter that Osama bin Laden had been killed. And 10 minutes later, as President Barack Obama walked away from the speech that might define his presidency, college students across the country ditched their Organic Chemistry textbooks, forgot about Sunday night deadlines, and dissipated their mentality of finals “mode” as celebrations spontaneously broke out.

At Penn State University, an estimated 5,000 flocked to Beaver Canyon, shooting off fireworks, waving an American flag, throwing confetti and toilet paper, while shouting, “USA! USA!” At West Virginia University, students lit a couch on fire, while also chanting, “USA! USA!” and singing the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Ground Zero was full of cheering students from the Manhattan-area, including Columbia University and NYU. Georgetown, George Washington, and American University students gathered around the

This week ‘Politico of the Week’ will explore the life and political career of Donald Trump............................................................................D3

Political Belief....................................................D3 International Insights..................................D4

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The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Difficult times plague Britain Britain, from D1

Dan ottaunick / heights editor

Students celebrated in the Tree of Life Fountain Monday morning after learning of the death of terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Students across the US celebrate Response, from D1 White House, climbing poles to fly American flags immediately after Obama’s announcement.

And in our own 02467 zip code, the Mods were crammed with hundreds, maybe thousands of students, as they made their way from Lower to Gargan Hall in Bapst Library, then the fountain outside of Gasson Hall, and finally using the emergency exits to enter O’Neill Library, all the while patriotically cheering, “USA! USA!” proudly singing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” and flying American flags. And for this one night, academic and athletic rivalries were put aside and we were one, united.

Some experts on behavior would question why we were so impassioned the night May 1 and into the early morning of May 2.

Ten years ago, most of us would have still been in elementary school and some of us beginning middle school when bin Laden’s name became known to us for the first time. It’s safe to say that our view or perspective of the world was significantly impacted by the events of Sept. 11. We grew up with the idea that ‘bad’ existed and that the world simply didn’t work like a classic Disney movie where there are happy endings for all. Bin Laden, to us, was a cold-blooded mass murderer who selfishly took from us family members and friends. For

the first time in decades, we were vulnerable.

For many college students, the death of bin Laden was a form of closure. In a poll that CNN took, Sept. 11 was the most defining moment in the lives of American citizens under the age of 30. College students of our generation are children of the men and women who were killed on Sept. 11. Whether or not we were personally affected by the events of that day, we’ve all adjusted to a life with a substantial missing chunk that was unfairly taken from us. So what do we label bin Laden’s death? Justice?

Vengeance? Maybe. But certainly we can call it peace of heart.

Yet for other students across the country who weren’t as personally impacted by the events of Sept. 11, it was an historic day that one would want to be a part of. Fortunately, I did not know anyone who was killed on Sept.

11, but I was still a witness to the half mast flags that flew the next couple of months, the stories of “my firefighter dad is flying [from California] to Ground Zero to help out,” and the dramatic pictures that flooded the Internet and TV in the following weeks.

And 10 years later, had I missed the celebrations that took place on campus, I might have kicked myself the following morning.

It’s one of those moments that you look forward to telling your children as they study for their

United States history test that, “Yes! I remember that night perfectly.” To be a part of history in the making is a moment that is incapable of reliving, because it’s all about living in the moment.

And for this one night, we had a pretty darn good excuse to be rowdy college students. With a mix of emotions, shock, and an adrenaline rush to be a part of the college ‘riots,’ it was an historic night.

Still, in a much graver light, bin Laden tainted the world our generation lived in. Matthew Segal tells the Huffington Post that, “this is obviously a huge moment for us. We’ve grown up with Osama bin Laden as the defining villain, the central antagonist of our generation.”

For nearly half of our existence on Earth, his actions have forced us to experience emotions that no child should ever feel. And now, we express in Americanstyle celebration, that what goes around, comes around.

We are the next American generation to define America’s prosperity. We are going to bring the change that continues to glorify America. We are ready to confidently and proudly march into the future. We are the United States of America. We are BC. Clara Kim is a Heights editor. She welcomes comments at marketplace@bcheights.com.

historical curriculum years ago.

Today, the country lies in a state of fear as it ruminates two particularly devastating decades, the 1970s and 1980s. The politically conservative, including the coalition government, summons a period of labor strikes ending with an International Monetary Fund (IMF), bailout when it says “we mustn’t go back to the ’70s.” The British radicals rebut by bringing up the 1980s, a time when Margaret Thatcher remade Britain as a largely postindustrial society.

Parts of the economy were privatized, union power was abolished, and manufacturing was eliminated.

However, the difficulties of such times did not threaten the country as vehemently as the debt exposed by the banking crash and the present government’s strategy to restore economic security by cutting public programs.

Thirty years ago, when Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married, Britain was a country much undisturbed since the queen’s coronation in 1953. Crowds lined the royal route from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Some families waited for days to catch even the shortest-lived glimpse of the royals. Following the ceremony, Charles and Diana set off on their honeymoon in the royal train and continued their trip on the royal yacht, Britannia, with a crew of 220 seamen, 20 officers, and the royal couple as the only cargo.

Such grandeur died with the coming of the new century. Britannia is now a museum, and the royal train is rarely used. At the time of the marriage, British coal pits still employed 250,000 miners. British shipyards actually launched ships.

British factories produced steel, cars, confectionary, clothes, and beer. Today, mining, shipbuilding, and textiles, industries once booming in the country, have almost completely vanished. Presently, every British chocolate bar is produced in either Switzerland or the U.S., London’s water supply is owned in Germany, electricity comes from France, and British steel mills are controlled by headquarters in Mumbai and Bangkok.

This is not to say that 1981, the year of Charles and Diana’s wedding, was perfect. In reality, the celebration of the marriage came as a relief to a country plagued by

Clarence House / Ap photo

Prince William and Catherine Middleton wed April 29, as two billion watched. social division and unrest. That summer, Irish Republican Army prisoners in Northern Ireland were dying from hunger strikes. Riots between young blacks and police were rampant. Unemployment was moving upwards to a postwar record of 12.9 percent. The employment rate would not see a number below 11 until 1987. By 1983, so much manufacturing and production had ceased in Britain that, for the first time, the country became a net importer of goods Oil from the North Sea began to make a significant contribution to the economy in the ’80s. By the middle of the decade it was providing a one-tenth of tax revenue and helping to fund welfare payments.

However, oil is limited. Today, North Sea oil is well past peak production.

The chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, believes the only viable option for the country to boost its economy and potentially avoid future cuts is manufacturing.

He closed his budget speech last month saying, “We want the words ‘made in Britain,’ ‘created in Britain,’ ‘designed in Britain,’ ‘invented in Britain’ to drive our nation forward.

A Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers.” Besides this procla-

mation, no plan seems to be laid out for the country as it moves toward the future. Rather, the government’s hopes rest on the belief that when the public sector shrinks, private enterprise will grow to “take up the slack.” In the deindustrialized north, a part of the country in which the public sector makes up 40 percent of available jobs, much slack will be left to take.

As the country has experienced more problems, the public has grown increasingly angrier. Charles and Camilla had their car attacked by protestors in London last December. While the monarchy is accustomed to demonstrations by Republicans in Australia, British royals have not encountered an attack by an English mob since the 18th century. In late March, nearly 150 young people were arrested in London’s West End in a violent supplement to a peaceful demonstration against public cuts which involved 250,000 citizens.

The window of a Porsche showroom was shattered, the Ritz Carlton was marked by thrown paint, Fortnum & Mason was occupied by a sit-in, and it became clear that England is not all smiling queens and royal carriages. n

NATO sanctioned airstrike kills Libyan dictator Gaddafi’s son NATO denies accusations that the attack was aimed to kill Gaddafi B y J ohn M orrison Heights Staff

Though their actions may have been overshadowed by the news of Osama bin Laden’s death and its worldwide response in the past 48 hours, NATO bombed a government held compound in the Libyan capital city of Tripoli. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is said to have survived the attack, but according to the Libyan government Gaddafi lost a son and three grandchildren.

A Libyan official cited that the airstrike was “a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country” and was a blatantly illegal act according to international law. The New York Times reported that crowds loyal to Gaddafi burned and vandalized the closed United States, British, and Italian embassies in response to NATO’s acts. They also raided the United Nations buildings two days after UN peacekeepers were removed from the area.

Moussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman, gave reporters information on the events that took place Saturday before and after the bombings, “The attack resulted in the martyrdom of brother Saif al-Arab Muammar Gaddafi, 29-years-old, and three of the leader’s grandchildren.

The leader with his wife was there in the house with other friends and relatives. The leader himself is in good health.” Gaddafi’s wife was also uninjured in the attack.

The burial procession for Gaddafi’s son sparked fervent responses from loyalists of the Gaddafi regime. Thousands of supporters gathered in memory for Gaddafi who they are calling a martyr for Libya. They honored his death by shooting rifles in the air and chanting

various chants including “Revenge, revenge for you, Libya.”

Colonel Gaddafi was not present at the funeral and has not been seen since before the attacks late Saturday evening.

NATO officials defended the airstrikes by saying that they targete d leg itimate militar y targets and were designed to stifle specific military apparatuses. They also noted that the airstrikes were not intending to kill Gaddafi or his family. British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters of the BBC that the military operation was “in line with the UN resolution” issued earlier this month to stop

Gaddafi. He furthered his idea stating that the use of force “is about preventing a loss of civilian life by targeting Gaddafi’s war-making machine.”

Lt. General Charles Bouchard, NATO’s operational commander, defended the bombings stating, “All NATO’s targets are military in nature and have been clearly linked to the Gaddafi regime’s systematic attacks on the Libyan population and populated areas.

We do not target individuals.”

The Obama administration and the UN have been silent on the airstrikes, but the Obama administration issued a statement saying that the Libyan peoples attack on foreign embassies and the UN building was unwarranted.

The Russian government defiantly condemned NATO’s ac-

Bernat Armangue / ap photo

A Libyan rebel takes a smoke break after intense fighting in Misrata, Libya.

tion. In a statement the Russian government said that the attack raised “serious doubts about coalition members’ statement that the strikes in Libya do not have the goal of physically annihilating Gaddafi and members of his family.”

Several other countries took a similar position to Russia. South African officials denounced the airstrikes citing that the “attacks on leaders and officials can only result in the escalation of tensions ... and make future reconciliation difficult.” China also restated its policy of nonaggression towards Libya.

Micah Zenko, a fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations in Washington D.C. stated to The New York Times that the NATO administrators have been “telegraphing it pretty openly” that

the bombings were to include Gaddafi’s command posts as well as other military operating facilities. He also expressed his opinion that these strikes on command posts directly go beyond the mandate of the Security Council Resolution issued by the UN. However, according to him NATO supports these acts as a quick and efficient strategy to end conflict in the region as quickly as possible.

Various Democrats and Republicans have taken a stand on the issue in the days after the attacks. Former president George W. Bush’s national security advisor Stephen J. Hadley told CNN, “The narrative we want to come out of this is that the Libyan people overthrew a dictator, not that we came in and toppled a despot … the problem with going

after command and control if it results in the death of Gaddafi, because what we really want him to do is for him to leave or to die at a Libyan hand, not an American hand.”

Others, including Senator John McCain (R-Az), had a different perspective on whether Gaddafi should be targeted or killed by NATO bombings. He told reporters of CBS news, “We should be taking out his command and control, and if he is killed or injured because of that, that’s fine.”

As fighting rages on, NATO forces have continued to be a presence in the air. According to reporters of The Wall Street Journal tanks approaching Mistrata, the rebel stronghold in Western Libya, were stopped by NATO planes flying overhead. n

The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

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David Cote

Matt Palazzolo

Paul Sulzer

Will Osama bin Laden’s death help President Barack Obama get reelected?

The American public will probably forget about this long before the election.

Only if he campaigns with him Weekend At Bernies style.

If by “help” you mean “guarantee,” then yes.

It certainly does, but very soon the economy and gas prices will dominate again.

It will certainly help him on his national security credentials.

Should the U.S. government release photos of the deceased bin Laden?

If conspiracy theories start to gain traction, yes. But people shouldn’t be doubting that he’s dead.

Julian Assange already has them, as well as Obama’s college transcript.

No. They’re probably too graphic for the press to publish.

No one in their right mind really doubts that bin Laden is dead.

No. It would embolden other terrorists to seek revenge.

Was it smart for Obama to release his birth certificate?

I guess, it made the birther accusations seem even more ridiculous than they already did.

It took him two years to photoshop it correctly.

Yes. Somebody had to shut Donald Trump up.

Obama’s bankrupting economic policies leave him far more vulnerable than any birther claim.

Yes. Issue is now closed.

When will the War in Afghanistan end?

Hopefully soon. Before the elections in 2016, definitely.

When a Charlie Wilson’s War sequel is filmed.

Not soon enough. AlQaida’s basically gone. No need to be there anymore.

When we come up with an appropriate definition for what “winning” is....

This question is impossible to answer in 10 words.

Marketplace Editor

Tomas Castella

Sports Editor

Asst. Marketplace Editor

President, College Republicans

Kristoffer Munden President, College Democrats

Political Belief

Trump’s financial expertise may qualify him to seek Republican nomination

Olena Savytska Donald Trump, following in the footsteps of his father, started out in real estate. He diversified to include casinos in his holdings, married, got divorced, had children, entered show business … and now he is feeling out the field of 2012 presidential candidates. His qualifications? Trump assures us that his finances are in order, that he has no mortgages, and his enterprises are highly liquid and minimally leveraged. He tells us that President Barack Obama got it wrong, very wrong, and that he, Trump, author of Trump Tower: Where Everyone has a Secret and host of The Apprentice, has quick and effective solutions for any number of domestic and foreign policy issues he is asked about, including a peace between Israel and Palestine.

He does not disclose specifics when pressed, answering that it is much too early in the campaign for that. Trump proposed, at a recent Florida Tea Party outing, that the United States should only become involved in cases such as Libya if we go home with the country’s oil. Every good investment includes a return, right? Other than that, Trump’s platform is simple: he is anti-abortion, against gun regulations, and against healthcare reform. He is confident of his success in a presidential bid, and may

soon be looking for campaign contributions.

This sounds like the preface to the script for a television series. But Trump really is starting to campaign for the presidency, and by the looks of it, he is very serious about his bid for the Republican nomination. Trump says, in his defense, that no one took Reagan seriously, either. He reminds us that he is the heir to a group of celebrity politicians and men of wealth in politics, people for whom public office is a secondary pursuit rather than a primary one, simply one more step in their bid for fame and success. Among Trump’s predecessors are men such as Nelson Rockefeller, governor of New York City who ran for the presidency against John F. Kennedy; Arnold Schwarzenegger, former movie star and current governor of California; and, of course, Ronald Reagan, perhaps the least intellectual yet the most successful of this cadre. What is it about these men that appeals, however fleetingly, to the public imagination, elevating them to key political positions?

Perhaps most significantly, we Americans inhabit a celebrity culture – like it or not, we are showered with news about actors’ personal lives, financiers’ legal feuds, and athletes’ latest violent outbursts at games. We ‘like’ our favorite designers on Facebook and we follow our favorite musicians on Twitter. There is no escape from the celebrity cult. Political figures are catching onto this cultural trend, not entirely out of sync with the American political tradition, of creating a

popular following. What such a celebrity syndrome creates, ultimately, is a meter for rising politicians: a meter of their star quality. If JFK’s defeat of Nixon in 1960 was cemented by his photogenic appearance, the Obama family’s ability to flaunt its style, poise, and fresh youthfulness was absolutely crucial to Obama’s victory in 2008, as young voters lined up before and after school to cast a ballot for the president who plays basketball with his fellow politicians. An actual celebrity in the Oval Office, then, is material for the perfect reality show.

On the other hand, the Trumps and Reagans of the world, and even the Rockefeller clan at its outset, represent self-made men who had the perseverance and determination to get to the positions of prominence in which they found themselves when running for office. Reagan’s childhood in the midst of the Great Depression, with an alcoholic father, stands in sharp contrast to his swank Hollywood lifestyle. Trump has been through ups and downs in his real estate business, and claims to be constantly active, getting only a few hours of sleep each

night. The eldest Rockefeller made his fortune in part by starting to work and save pennies in his childhood and in part by maintaining extremely tight family finances, to the point of having his younger children wear hand-me-downs from the older ones. Hard workers who make their own way in life have an immense appeal to the American public – they are the examples many Americans want to follow, and they demonstrate that any American has the potential to make it to the top and, one day, stand in their place.

But back to Trump – here

is, perhaps, the most convincing argument for why we should like him: the man is, despite slight exaggerations, a billionaire. It hasn’t always been this way, but he does have his finances in order. He’s had some budget deficits of his own in the late eighties, but with his knowledge of business and investment he may just be the candidate most qualified to pull America’s economy back on track. Who knows?

Olena Savytska is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at marketplace@bcheights. com.

Jim Cole / ap photo

Self-made man and billionaire, Donald Trump, speaks at the Pease International Tradeport in New Hampshire on April 27 in hopes of securing a 2012 nomination.

Donald Trump

By Matt Palazzolo

Asst. Marketplace Editor

Alex Manta / Heights graphic

Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in Queens, New York, N.Y. Even at an early age, Trump was outgoing and assertive. He excelled at the New York Military Academy, earning academic honors and captaining several varsity sports teams. After high school, Trump enrolled in Fordham University, but later transferred to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a degree in economics.

Trump began working at his father’s company, the Trump Organization, immediately after graduating from college. His first project was a recently foreclosed apartment complex in Cincinnati. Within two years, Trump restored residency in the complex from 33 percent to 100 percent, and later sold it for a $1 million profit. Benefiting from New York City tax credits, Trump purchased the old Penn Central Yards and the Commodore Hotel, renovated them, and then sold them for a profit.

By the late 1980s, Trump was in dire financial straits. He was forced to declare

bankruptcy on his Taj Mahal Casino and the Trump Plaza Hotel. However, he avoided personal bankruptcy, and investors allowed him to continue to manage his assets in order to avoid prevent further financial losses. By 1994, Trump had paid off the majority of his business debt and once again began to invest in real estate ventures. He completed construction of the 861-foot tall, $300 million Trump World Tower in 2001. He also launched his own TV show, The Apprentice, in 2004, which is currently airing its 11th season.

Trump has hinted at a possible presidential run multiple times. He considered running as a reform party candidate in 2000. Though then a registered member of the Democratic Party, Trump considered running as a Republican candidate in the 2004 and 2008 election. After switching allegiance to the Republican Party in 2009, Trump has begun exploring a 2012 presidential run in earnest. He spoke at CPAC in February, and was a leading advocate of the birther conspiracy theory before President Barack Obama released his birth certificate.

Trump has not yet announced if he will run for president. n

The Heights

Thursday, May 5, 2011

D4

Finance At A Glance

The summer might promote laziness, but the stock market won’t allow it Alexander Dripchak U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Joshua Treadwell / ap photo

General Petraeus, left, recently met with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in Afghanistan to discuss war strategy.

International Insights

Obama shakes up national security Binh Nguyen Last Wednesday, United States officials said that President Barack Obama will appoint General David H. Petraeus to replace Leon Panetta as CIA director.

Panetta is slated to be the new secretary of defense after Robert Gates steps down. Obama’s long-anticipated shake up of the country’s national security team presents political implications, both domestic and international.

According to administration officials familiar with internal deliberations, Obama is also predicted to announce a new ambassador to Afghanistan. Ryan C. Crocker, a five-time ambassador who retired in 2009 after wartime service in Iraq, is the strongest contender to be named into the position. The expected shake up would briefly reunite him with Petraeus, who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq during Crocker’s tenure there. Both Crocker and Petraeus were widely recognized as a “dream team” that turned around the Iraq War beginning in 2007, when former president George W. Bush ordered a “surge” in U.S. forces as a sectarian civil strife plagued Iraq. Both men have been described as popular in Washington.

If Panetta, 72, succeeds Gates, he would be the oldest incoming secretary of defense. As head of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration, current CIA Director Leon Panetta aided in the negotiation of the 1993 budget bill. Panetta’s move will cause a series of changes. Petraeus, who in Afghanistan has carried on the close collaboration with the CIA that he began in Iraq, emerged last month as a contender for the CIA director position and confirmed that he was interested. Marine Lieutenant General John R. Allen, deputy of the U.S. Central command, will

succeed Patraeus as commander of U.S., NATO, and coalition forces in Afghanistan.

These changes come at a critical moment for Obama’s foreign policy: in the midst of turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East, a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq by the end of the year and a make-or-break summer in Afghanistan. A shift in the national security team reflects a new trajectory in Obama’s foreign policy focus, and a potential conflict between soon-to-be CIA director Petraeus and Pakistan.

Petraeus and Panetta’s new appointments reflect Obama’s security concerns. Relocating Petraeus, America’s most prominent general, from Iraq to Afghanistan and now to the CIA demonstrates how Obama is altering his focus in fighting America’s most serious perceived threat. The intelligence community should probably have been the pointy end of the war on terror.

With Petraeus in charge, the emphasis in its operational efforts will most evidently be in the regions and with the enemies he knows best. When Obama hired Gates as Secretary of Defense, he was clearly being chosen to assure continuity on the top priority issue of managing the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Panetta, former budget hawk in Congress and Bill Clinton’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget, is going to continue the defense procurement and budget reforms Gates has begun.

This new focus is a result of a more experienced president with over two years of guiding U.S. foreign policy. Obama also has established relationships with both Petraeus and Panetta, even though he is not incredibly close to either. They also know him and how to work with him. However, having more experience does not necessarily mean there is no more room for improvement. It usually takes past presidents who have no national security experience, W. Bush, Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, almost four years to become proficient at the basic

elements of the process. Obama still seems to lack a clear vision and a voice in Afghanistan and Pakistan, across the Middle East, in terms of the rise of new powers and in terms of confronting America’s dangerous dependencies and weaknesses.

Second, the appointment of Petraeus as director of the CIA puts him into more conflict with Pakistan. The country’s military leadership is not friendly with him. The leader of the Pakistani Army, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, calls Petraeus a political general. In addition, the fact that Petraeus will now have direct control over the armed drone campaign that the Pakistani military says it wants stopped does not help. Officials on both sides comment that as the U.S. and Pakistan organize the endgame in Afghanistan, where both countries have deep and conflicting security interests, the relationship will become more averse.

A former Pakistani general who speaks to General Kayani told reporters that the Pakistan Army’s leader had decided that the drone campaign should stop because it hurt the army’s reputation among the Pakistani public.

Usually, the victims of the drones are of midlevel or even lesser importance. On the other hand, the Americans argue that the drones are more important than ever as a tool to halt the flow of Taliban foot soldiers coming across the border to fight American and NATO forces.

As Obama internalizes the lessons of his more than two years in office and redirects U.S. national security policy, the new national security team has to adjust to the learning curve as they try to resolve America’s longstanding issues. Announcements about members of the team are well and good, but more importantly, we are waiting to see how they will act.

Binh Nguyen is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at marketplace@bcheights. com.

Bin Laden’s death may usher new era Bin Laden, from D1 why his death matters is simple: public opinion. We all saw the mobs outside (and inside) O’Neill Library Sunday night. People, especially college-aged people, went crazy around the country.

The shock of Sept. 11 might have faded over the years, but constant reminders have brought it back frequently since then.

Bin Laden’s death is symbolic.

It is vindicating of all those who died on Sept. 11. It represents a decisive victory in a war that few people have supported lately.

Hopefully, it will provide a sense of closure to those still suffering the grief of a lost family member or friend. While it might not have as much practical significance as we all expect, its importance to the American people cannot be understated.

As was expected, conspiracy theories have already flooded the Internet. They should be quenched by the government as soon as possible. While this might involve releasing graphic images or somewhat classified data, it is imperative for the American people to know with absolute certainty that

U.S. Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte / ap photo

Afghani volunteers (above) can train at the Afghanistan National Police Academy.

the person they’ve hated so much for 10 years is dead.

Since Sunday night, many have called for the end of the War in Afghanistan. Rep. Ron Paul (RTX) recently said, “If we got him, it’s time to come home.” This idea at first appears foolish. Leaving Afghanistan now could lead to more attacks, a resurge of angry Islamic jihadists after the fall of their leader, and renewed Taliban influence in Afghanistan – the same things we were attempting to stop when we invaded in the first place. But at the same time, perhaps there is validity to leaving Afghanistan now. We would end the war on an upsurge of public opinion, leaving behind a legitimately elected government headed by Karzai, with the end goal of reducing terrorism generally accomplished. We would avoid falling into another Vietnam, as many political critics have called the War in Afghanistan. We could take the several million dollars spent on Afghanistan every year to focus on pressing issues like the deficit.

Most importantly, we could prevent the further loss of human life. It is key for citizens to realize that there will probably never be a day where we can definitively say, “We have won the War in Afghanistan.” May 1 might be as close as we’ll ever come.

David Cote is the Marketplace Editor for The Heights. He welcomes comments at marketplace@ bcheights.com.

“Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer….” Oh, sorry a bit premature of an announcement. As we endure the finals, papers, presentations, and all else the last few weeks of school have to throw at us, we must press pause on old Nat King Cole’s song.

However, the play button is calling and before you know it, the aforementioned lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer will be here and neither we students nor the stock market will be immune to their presence.

What is important about the summer is to make sure that you do not fall victim to the laziness that is often correlated to summer as there is much to keep an eye on in the market.

As I’m sure just about everyone knows (especially those in Bapst Library on Sunday night) the death of Osama bin Laden marked the end of terror brought about by one of, if not the world’s leading terrorist. However, while we students celebrated along with most of the free world, the stock market did not do its share of somersaults. As a matter of fact, the market failed to even give a high-five or a sustained round of applause to the death of the long sought after bin Laden. Early in the day, the market began its applause and started to give its commendations, but the rally fizzled late in the day and the Dow Jones closed down three points. Down three points may seem relatively insignificant, but when a rally of 200 points was assumed by various prognosticators, it is slightly disappointing. What

may be even more disappointing are the soft numbers of April.

Last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke came out with many of the Fed’s predictions and expectations as to economic recovery. Bernanke made the ever difficult announcement that the economic growth was slowing and that higher commodity costs were a result of inflation. While Bernanke said these costs would be “transitory” the lack of conviction Bernanke had throughout the report seemed to suggest a not-so-transitory period of higher costs. Many analysts made little of the announcements and many investors agreed with these analysts as the Dow Jones finished up 96 points and subsequently eclipsed a two year high citing good unemployment numbers.

While there was not much certainty in anything Bernanke said or insinuated, one thing Bernanke made apparent was that the market is not where investors want it to be.

One other point of concern for investors entering the summer months is oil. Oil has risen 7 percent in the month of April alone. Moreover, crude oil has risen for the past eight months and that marks the longest span of rising oil prices since the introduction of the New York Mercantile Exchange in 1983. As most of us will “hit up” the highways when we return home for summer, the question remains, what kind of a hit will our wallets take?

With no immediate answer available at hand, this problem could worsen as the months continue.

Additional indicators that investors are overly optimistic in the market are earnings reports. Companies and industry leaders like Caterpillar, Chevron, and Goldman Sachs all reported earnings figures that

far exceeded the expectations of analysts. However, these leaders among others have not been able to boost the market as much as they should have with these numbers as soft sales in the auto industry and larger financial issues loom.

To give my advice for the months ahead, I would steer clear of the market in May. There is too much uncertainty and not enough driven off of positive results. This indicates that the market is currently overvalued and overpriced. In short, focus your attention on your finals, as the market may tumult during the month of May. June could be a good time to re-enter the market, but the rise of oil needs to be kept in check and eventually turned around. This whole process could take a significant amount of time and therefore June may be a difficult time to get back into the market in any sort of full-fledged attempt. My advice would be to enter the market again in late June or July as reports should indicate a rising growth in the market and the economy as a whole.

If July does not look good enough, by August, I think it may be a wise decision to re-enter the market. However, keep in mind the September effect and the usual downturn in the market that denotes the end of summer. All things considered, summer is ensured to be a hazy and crazy time that will be marked by many opportunities and potential problems. The key here will be to stay on top of the reports and to try and play the hop-scotch game of “when do I get in” and when do I get out. Good luck and more importantly, I wish you good timing.

Alex Dripchak is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at marketplace@bcheights. com.