The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919
THE HEIGHTS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2010
Vol. XCI, No. 38
www.bcheights.com
Lecture series to diversify
SPECIAL REPORT
Assault statistics difficult to estimate
Federal study may void ‘1 in 4’ claim BY PATRICK GALLAGHER Assoc. News Editor
The following is the second part of a threepart series on the issue of sexual assult at Boston College ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Baby” by four members of the men’s basketball team, Vanilla Ice received a roaring response from the crowd when he performed the remainder of the song, at one point amending the chorus’ lyrics to “Ice Jam, Baby.” For some students, this guest performance provided sufficient incentive to attend. “[My friends and I] have been playing Vanilla Ice’s song on repeat for the past 24 hours,” said Brigid Riley, A&S ’11. However, some students were not aware
The commonly-quoted statistic that reports between 20 and 25 percent of women will be the victim of a sexual assault during their time at college may be outdated, according to information from the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC). A federal government study that was completed 10 years ago regarding the frequency of sexual assaults on college campuses concluded that for every 1,000 women attending a college or university, there could be roughly 35 rapes or attempted rapes in an academic year, said Peggy Barrett, director of community awareness and prevention services at BARCC. “That has held up over time,” Barrett said, despite the fact that the former statistic is more commonly referenced. However, she said that, for the latter study, “the data is thought to be more accurate.” She said that the study only projected
See Ice Jam, A4
See Statistics, A4
The men’s basketball team performed a slam-dunk exhibition at Tuesday night’s Ice Jam - an event the administration hopes to make a tradition. CECILIA PROVVEDINI / HEIGHTS STAFF
Eric Klinenberg, a professor at NYU, spoke as part of the Lowell Lecture Series Tuesday. BY BREANA MARCHWINSKI For The Heights
On Wednesday night, sociologist Eric Klinenberg spoke at Boston College in a lecture titled “Home, Free: The Extraordinary Rise of Living Alone.” This lecture was part of the continuing Lowell Humanities Series, which has a history of attracting influential speakers from several fields. The series was designed to enrich BC students’ as well as attract people from the University’s surrounding communities. Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at New York University, is the author of numerous award-winning books and scholarly articles. His book, Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, which analyzes the social impact of the 1995 Chicago heat wave, has been adapted for the stage, and is currently being made into a documentary. At the lecture on Wednesday, Klinenberg spoke about some ideas from his most recent work, an in-progress book about the sociological aspects of living alone – an issue that had appeal to college students, he said. “The book is, or will likely be, about you,” Klinenberg said. Klinenberg began his lecture by speaking about the World Kickball Association, and how the existence of such an organization shows the “second adolescence” that is starting to gain prominence. As young people extend their time in school and delay marriage in favor of more casual relationships, they are left with a lot of time with which to find themselves. Klinenberg spoke extensively about the importance
Winter sports kick off with Ice Jam Event featuring Bob Costas and Vanilla Ice draws spectators BY ADRIANA MARIELLA For The Heights
The campus celebrated Ice Jam in Conte Forum Tuesday night – an event that featured legendary sports commentator Bob Costas, Boston College football legend Doug Flutie, rapper Vanilla Ice, and the men’s and women’s hockey and basketball teams. Although this year marks the first Ice Jam for BC, the event was portrayed as the continuation of what the athletics department dubbed the “Legend of Amos Adams Lawrence,” after the Lawrence family farm that was located on the land
currently occupied by the University. Each team was introduced with an a video as well as an announcement of each player’s name and hometown and a short display of the team’s abilities. The coaches entered the arena – one entrance featured a BC Police Department car and another the BMW offered as a prize for studente who participated in a promotional scavenger hunt. Also featured were men’s versus women’s skills contests – trick-shot and slap-shot contests for hockey and slam-dunk and 3-pointer contests for basketball. After a short rendition of “Ice Ice
Volcker speaks on new bill Robsham panel also featured Sheila Bair, Barney Frank
See Lowell, A4
INSIDE SPORTS
ANDREW POWELL/ HEIGHTS STAFF
Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Fed, spoke on a panel in Robsham Tuesday night. Celebrities hit the Heights for firstever Ice Jam, A10
THE SCENE
been called the most far-reaching financial reforms since the Great Depression, and are designed – as suggested by the name – to include, above all, “very strong, independent consumer protection,” Frank said. “It says that if you lend money to people, you can’t lend money and then sell those loans and not BY PATRICK GALLAGHER worry about whether they Assoc. News Editor are repaid,” Frank, one of the act’s namesakes, said. “It On Monday, Robsham Thesays that financial instituater was filled to capacity as tions like AIG cannot get in people gathered to hear three over their heads.” of America’s foremost ecoUnder the act, the task of nomic policymakers discuss supporting unstable instituthe recently-passed financial tions would be removed from reform bill. the American taxpayer. Of For an hour and a half, U.S. chief concern for legislators Representative Barney Frank who were in support of the (D-MA), Sheila Bair, chairman act was pulling the plug on ANDREW POWELL / HEIGHTS STAFF the belief that some banks of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and Paul Volcker, are too big to fail. chairman of the Obama administration’s “Yes, the bill does abolish the doctrine Economic Recovery Board and former chair- ‘Too big to fail,’” Frank said. “It makes it man of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, much less likely that any institution will be fielded questions about the future of Wall at the failure point, and that’s very critical.” Street and changes to the rules that regulate He said that in the event that this should the American financial system. occur, no tax dollars will be used to prop up These changes, brought about by the a failing institution. recently-passed Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, have See Panel, A4
Law student’s letter to dean stirs discussion
OFFICE WORKS TO SUSTAIN ITSELF
BC Law student requests tuition refund Auto-tune: Ear candy of the future or audio dupe?, B1
MARKETPLACE
Locals and environmentalists are unhappy with BP’s cleanup, B10 Classifieds, A5 In the News, B10 Editorials, A6 Editors’ Picks, A9 Forecast on Washington, B8 On the Flip Side, B7 Police Blotter, A2 Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down, A7 TV Close-up, B2 Weather, A2
BY LOGAN GALLAGHER For The Heights
“I hate crybabies. BC is a good place for this whining loser,” and, “Well, welcome to the real world,” are two of the 220 comments generated by a Boston Herald piece about an open letter written by an anonymous law student at Boston College Law School (BC Law). The anonymous third-year law student submitted an open letter addressed to Interim Dean George Brown. The letter was posted on EagleiOnline, the online student-run newspaper at BC Law, and was picked up by The Boston Herald. ABC News, NECN, The Guardian, and others have since covered the story. The law student complained about his inability to secure a job upon graduation. He offered BC Law a deal. “I’d like to propose a solution to this problem: I am willing to leave law school, without a degree, at the end of this semester,” he wrote. “In return, I would like
a full refund of the tuition I’ve paid over the last two and a half years.” He continued his letter by reasoning that BC Law would benefit from releasing him in that it would avoid reporting him as an unemployment statistic. “In the short run, refunding my tuition might present a financial challenge to the law school, but in the long run, better US News rankings will help you far more than having yet another disgruntled and unemployed alumnus,” the author wrote. BC Law is currently ranked as the 28th best law school in the nation by the US News and World Report college rankings. Recent graduate employment plays a factor in the ranking of schools, along with qualities such as selectivity and “quality assessment” by fellow deans and individuals in the legal community. While Brown has declined to comment, BC Law has released a prepared response.
See Letter, A4
TAYLOUR KUMPF / HEIGHTS EDITOR
With the departure of the former director of sustainability, the office works together to maintain past programs and continue conservation and recycling programs. See Pg. A3.