The Heights November 11, 2015

BIEBER IN BOSTON MCCANN’S THE MAN

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Holocaust survivor Rena Finder shares story of perserverance, A2

A mural in Jamaica Plain dedicated to the pop star connects Boston to other cities around the globe, A7

Comedian and BC alumnus Brian McCann discusses writing for Late Night With Conan O’Brien, B3

www.bcheights.com

The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College

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Thursday, November 12, 2015

Vol. XCVI, No. 42

ÊKILJK K?< GIF:<JJË BC men’s basketball takes steps towards rebuilding a winner, while the women’s team looks to shake up its culture and style of play, see page C1

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DANIELLA FASCIANO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Between O’Neill Library and Gasson Hall, signs calling attention to sexual assault statistics line the path. The statistics—provided by the White House—are part of a sexual assault awareness campaign at universities across the country.

Brianna Beaumont, president and founder of React to Film at Boston College and CSOM ’16, said that the signs are up for the entire week with the expectation that the first day will cause a shock, but by the end of the week, a conversation will have started around them.

React to Film is a chapter of the national nonprofit and previews documentaries covering social concerns on campus, followed by a public “reaction”—like a demonstration or a talk—addressing the issue presented in the film one to two weeks later. In response to the growing number of investigations of sexual assault at universities across the nation, the student organization React to Film held a screening of the documentary The Hunting Ground on Oct. 19. The signs were their reaction.

“We don’t just want to bring an issue to light and then shut up again,” Beaumont said. “We want to bring it to light and keep the conversation flowing.”

The Hunting Ground talks about the schools that have been investigated as a result of violating Title IX, a federal statute that protects people from genderbased discrimination, including sexual harassment, in educational programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.

“There are campuses who have basically found people guilty for rape, but keep the person on campus for some other reason,” Beaumont said. “People are going up against universities through Title IX because they’re not providing a safe environment for students.”

Summers Hammel, treasurer of React to Film and MCAS ’16, said that there are close to 170 universities that are now being investigated formally—BC was not one of them. After screening the film, React to Film posted signs on campus with statistics about sexual assault to keep conversation going. Beaumont noted that, though BC has done a lot of positive things for sexual assault on campus, it’s still an issue at BC because of the silence in reporting sexual assault.

Beaumont said that sexual assault is very underreported, citing the often repeated statistic that one in five women will be sexually assaulted during their time at a university. She explained that, though that’s the national average, even if BC were to vary slightly in their numbers there’s still a large disparity between the number of probable instances and the number of reports.

See React to Film, A10

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Eight years since its debut, the documentary Immigration Reflection was rescreened Tuesday afternoon by Dr. Susan Legere—who received both a master’s and Ph.D. from Boston College—as part of International Education Week at BC. The 12-day event, which began Monday, celebrates awareness of the world’s cultures, peoples, and languages, and seeks to affirm the critical role the international education plays at BC. Legere’s 2007 film focuses on the lives of three BC employees who immigrated from different countries around the world—Brigida “Vicky” Miranda, Jorge Chacon, and Manuel “Manny” Alves.

The documentary studies their transition into daily life in the United States and the struggles they faced as they integrated into American society.

“I think that screening the video eight years later shows there is an interest in the community in finding out about the people around us,” Legere said.

Miranda, a Guatemalan native, still works in BC Dining Services. Miranda’s mother came to the U.S. illegally when she was young, but became a legal citizen when she married Miranda’s stepfather.

Throughout her childhood, Miranda endured intense poverty, but worked her way up to working full-time at BC. She simultaneously studied as a part-time

See Documentary, A3

B`cYflie\ XkkXZbj X[j \ogcf`k`e^ ]\dXc\ Yf[p 9P JFG?@< I<8I;FE ?\`^_kj JkX]] On average, a person sees 3,000 advertisements a day. On Wednesday evening, Jean Kilbourne, a prominent voice on advertising and culture, asked students to think critically about the ads they see.

“Just as it’s difficult to be healthy in a toxic physical environment, so it’s difficult to be healthy and to raise healthy children in what I call a toxic culture environment,” Kilbourne said.

Kilbourne argued that today’s world is more concerned with profit than with health. She said that while many people say they tune out ads, the reality is that the mind consciously digests 8 percent

of an ad, while the rest is subconsciously digested. This means that any given audience is very much affected by ads, whether conscious of it or not, she said.

Kilbourne, who spoke as part of Love Your Body Week, was named one of the top three most popular speakers on college campuses by The New York Times Magazine. She has studied the portrayal of women in advertising since the 1960s, making her one of the pioneers in this field. Recently, Kilbourne was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame for her work.

Advertisements that promote achieving an unachievable ideal body contribute

See Kilbourne, A3

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS STAFF

9: KXcbj ZXemXjj\j c\jjfej `e c`]\# c\Xie`e^ E`e\ le[\i^iX[j jg\Xb kf k_\ mXcl\ f] \ogcfi`e^# Y\`e^ Xcfe\# Xe[ kXb`e^ fe\Ëj fne X[m`Z\ 9P :FEEFI DLIG?P =fi K_\ ?\`^_kj On Wednesday night in Corcoran Commons, a senior revealed how spending time alone changed his life. A sophomore from East Palo Alto told how the economic boom of the tech industry around him has started to destroy his city. A junior vented her frustrations at the lack of mental health services available to her autistic cousin in Pakistan. These students, and six others, gave short lectures as part of this semester’s installment of BC Talks.

Launched in 2011, BC Talks are modeled afters TEDTalks. Speakers have about 15 minutes to present their topic of choice, the idea being that the talks are long enough to communicate complex ideas but short enough that several can be viewed in one sitting.

Members of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College, the Women’s Center,

and other campus organizations nominated students who they felt should speak. Nominated students were notified via email and were asked to fill out a short form outlining their speeches. The students with the best outlines were asked to give lectures.

Danielle Rutigliano, MCAS ’18, John Warner, CSOM ’16, Nick Genovese, MCAS ’16, and Tucker Davey, MCAS ’16, each gave life advice.

Rutigliano, who earned her pilot’s license in July, told a story about when she flew with her father for the first time. When they landed, an airport worker assumed that her father was the pilot.

“Why would he expect that the 18-year-old girl, not the 47-year-old guy, was the pilot?” she said. “This is addressed mainly to the girls in the room: people will judge you. Don’t be offended—just prove them wrong.”

Warner talked about the BC lookaway,

drawing a distinction between the times when he is “Drunk John” and the times when he is “PULSE, Theology-Major John.” The BC lookaway is so pervasive, he argued, because the latter does not want to talk to people he met as the former.

“We look away because we’re afraid to admit that ‘Drunk John’ is a part of me right now, walking to class,” he said. “We don’t want to admit that to ourselves.”

Genovese discussed the value of solitude when he recounted his experiences studying abroad in Ecuador last spring.

Davey’s talk, “A Layman’s Wisdom,” focused on the average person’s inability to take their own advice, whether due to laziness or hypocrisy. Before his younger sister began college this year, he gave her some advice that he had never actually followed himself: explore the city, and take classes that interest you.

Jesse Mu, MCAS ’17, Bradford Gerber, MCAS ’16, and Isra Hussain, MCAS ’17, each talked about the social applications of their

See BC Talks, A3

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things to do on campus this week

Nancy Frates, mother of former baseball captain Pete Frates and co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, will be speaking Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Murray Function Room about Pete’s diagnosis with amyotrophic later sclerosis (ALS) and the Ice Bucket Challenge.

NEWS BRIEFS @dgifm`e^ L%J% jZ_ffcj

The United States needs to consider modeling its educational improvements after countries that are diverse, Lynch professor Dennis Shirley said in the Phi Delta Kappan, a professional education magazine.

Shirley, a regular contributor to the magazine, is also the editor-inchief of the Journal of Educational Change. Currently, he and Lynch professor Andy Hargreaves are working on a $500,000 grant to improve schools in the Pacific Northwest.

In the article, Shirley said that countries like Finland and Japan are popular places for educators to visit, but that educators cannot learn how to make the most of diversity.

Instead, the more-diverse Germany, where test scores have climbed steadily, is interesting to study.

Shirley points out that reform initiatives like charter schools and technological innovations in the U.S. have not actually increased test scores. Germany, unlike the U.S., restrains the pressure it puts on teachers—there are no public rankings of teachers or schools. Germany emphasizes building a solid educational platform for students.

There is good reason to analyze different teaching methods, especially when countries with diverse populations similar to American populations are making gains, he wrote.

“There are many arguments against international benchmarking in education,” Shirley wrote. “Some say countries are too different from one another for their schools to be compared usefully. Others worry that too great an emphasis on testing will lead to a narrowing of the curriculum. These are warnings we should heed. However, we should not retreat from analyzing how American students’ learning compares to their counterparts in other nations.”

:fdd`jj`fe kXgj Y`f Z_X`i Tom Chiles, the DeLuca Chair of Biology and vice provost for research at Boston College, was named to the Global Commission on Pollution, Health and Development, an initiative of The Lancet, the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with coordination from the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank.

The Commission was launched at the fourth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management in Geneva, Switzerland last month. The Commission consists of former heads of state, scientists, economists, a Nobel Laureate, and leaders from development agencies. The heads of the Commission are Philip Landrigan, dean for global health at Mount Sinai, and Richard Fuller, president of Pure Earth.

“The Commission comprises the world’s most influential leaders, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of pollution management, environmental health and sustainable development,” the announcement read. “The aim of the Commission is to reduce air, soil, and water pollution by communicating the extraordinary health and economic costs of pollution globally, providing actionable solutions to policy-makers and dispelling the myth of pollution’s inevitability.”

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Thursday, November 12, 2015

Boston College Emergency Medical Services is hosting “Med Talks” tonight at 8 p.m. in Devlin 008. Health organizations including Timmy Global Health, GlobeMed, and NETwork for Malaria will be presenting as a part of National Collegiate EMS week.

The Peace Islands Institute and the Islamic Civilization and Societies Program is hosting Dr. Noam Chomsky on Nov. 14 at 11:45 a.m. in Corcoran Commons. Chomsky will speak on “Freedom of the Press in the Middle East” as part of a daylong symposium on the topic.

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else, but he cut it off at that.

King chastised the media for embellishing how well the city handled the event. One crucial mistake that he pointed out was that the hospitals improvised tourniquets to prevent limbs from bleeding.

“Explain to me how a major metropolitan city in the richest country in the world put 27 improvised tourniquets on 29 people with exsanguinating limbs,” King said. “This is a major embarrassment for Boston.”

Although the media made it seem like the city handled the marathon bombing well, King identified integral areas where lack of tourniquets and practice were superseded by luck. He stressed the importance of preparation and practice prior to mass casualty events like the Boston Marathon.

“The plan of war never survives first contact with the enemy,” he said. “The same is true for mass casualty events.”

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By Raymond Mancini For The Heights David King was a combat surgeon for 14 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is currently a trauma and acute care surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital Trauma Center, as well as the regional presidential surgeon.

On the day of the 2013 Marathon Monday bombing, King ran in the marathon, then performed surgery for nine hours on the victims.

King spoke Tuesday in an event hosted by Boston College Emergency Medical Services as part of National Collegiate EMS Week.

King discussed the immediate response to the blast and how the loading officers handled the situation. It took about seven minutes to stop the race while ambulances were rushed to Boylston St., where both bombs went off.

Statistically, 41 percent of people in critical condition were trans-

ported in 30 minutes, 75 percent in 45 minutes, and 100 percent in an hour, he said.

“That is a travesty in Boston,” he said. “Just because everyone survived does not mean you did everything right, it means you got damn lucky.”

King said one big mistake was that some people were discharged too early because they were not closely examined. Many of the victims brought into the hospital were covered in blood. It was misleading because most of the blood on the victims was not their own. Such a situation leads nurses to wrongly triage some of the victims. As a result, those who need immediate care do not receive it right away, he said. At Mass General, the volume of the emergency department decreased from 97 patients to 39 in an hour and a half, he said.

Some people are going to die, King said, and therefore medical personnel do not transport them first. This is hard to evaluate in

a situation like this, he said, but went on to credit the loading officers in the situation.

“If I am forced to come up with somebody who was probably the most critical in making this event turn out the way it did … it’s the loading officers on the scene who had the foresight to make the right decision, which was to make an asymmetrical event turn into a symmetrical event,” he said, adding that nobody died in Mass General or Boston unless they did not make it to a hospital.

After clearing most of the patients, the doctors and nurses sat down to evaluate the patients.

King said that the media did not portray this well by saying that all patients are in the hospital and being treated. In reality, surgeons still had to review each patient to make sure that there were no untreated injuries.

Regarding perpetrators Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, King said that they received the same treatment as everyone

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By Alex Flores For The Heights This past Tuesday, on the 77th anniversary of the Kristallnacht— the “Night of Broken Glass”—a petite, 86-year-old woman named Rena Finder captivated hundreds of people in the Murray Function Room with her story of being a Holocaust survivor, and one of the 1,000 Jewish people saved by factory owner Oskar Schindler. This is the sixth consecutive year that Finder spoke at Boston College.

The talk was hosted by the Shaw Leadership Program, BC Hillel, the Emerging Leader Program, and the Sankofa Leadership Program.

Finder was born in Krakow, Poland in 1929, the only child to Rozia Windisch Ferber and Moses Ferber. Growing up in Krakow, she was vaguely aware of anti-semitism.

She recalled her first encounter with anti-semitic comments when she was a first grader. On the schoolyard, one of her classmates threw a stone at her and called her a “dirty Jew.” “I came home and asked my mother, ‘Why would she call me that?’” she said. “I took a shower this morning.”

When Finder was 10 years old, Germany invaded Poland and took a stronghold in Krakow.

To her, the Germans “looked like everybody else, so how could they be bad people?” Her view of the Germans drastically changed, however, when they forced all the Jews in Krakow into a ghetto in an old part of town.

“People can change so much when driven by hate,” she said. “The German soldiers looked at the Jewish people as inhuman.”

While in the ghetto, the Polish Jews made the most of the situation. They opened up shops and

employed the ghetto’s inhabitants, operating as much as their own entity as the Nazi soldiers would allow. Yet any remnants of Jewish autonomy soon dissolved as restrictions became harsher. Stripped of their civil rights and forced to wear white armbands with the Star of David, Jews in the ghetto began to be taken away.

“Everyone was told they were going to work on a farm,” Finder said.

Amon Goeth, the Nazi Officer placed in charge of Krakow, liquidated the ghetto and sent all its inhabitants to work in a camp in nearby Plaszow.

“Amon was the most sadistic human being, and I even use the term loosely,” she said. “He must have been the devil.”

Commandant Goeth loved to kill and had no regard for the life of a Jewish person, Finder said. While sitting with a friend one day, she heard footsteps approaching from behind her. Suddenly, her friend collapsed, and as she attempted to pick her up, she realized Amon had shot and killed the girl simply for sport.

In such a bleak situation, Finder mentioned one glimmer of hope: Oskar Schindler, a businessman who joined the Nazi party with aspirations of getting rich.

“Even though he wore the diamond swastika, Schindler did not have the heart of a Nazi,” Finder said.

Schindler employed hundreds of Jews in the Krakow ghetto, and befriended Goeth in order to make sure the commandant spared the factory workers during his unwarranted killing sprees. When Goeth transferred the Jews to the Plaszow camp, Schindler convinced Goeth to build a small barrack next to his factory for his workers.

POLICE BLOTTER Stuart Hall.

12:04 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a larceny from Lyons Hall.

2:05 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a student at Maloney Hall.

7:57 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious person in the Walsh Hall lot.

Tuesday, Nov. 10 12:17 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a Boston College employee from

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SARAH HODGENS / HEIGHTS STAFF

Finder spoke of her experience as a Polish Jew during the Holocaust.

“Oskar cared about us,” Finder said. “When he stood in front of us, I expected him to grow wings.”

As the war progressed and allied forces triumphed over Germany, the SS started to close concentration camps in its eastern territories, and Plaszow was one of them.

The inhabitants were sent west to places such as the infamous Auschwitz death camp. At this point for Schindler, monetary gains became secondary to the preservation of the Jewish people. He decided to build another factory in Brunnlitz, Czechoslovakia, and convinced Goeth to grant him 700 men and 300 women to be transported to the new factory. These 1,000 Jews would become “Schindler’s List.”

Finder remembered a friend of hers who fell ill before they boarded the train. An hour into the ride, she succumbed to scarlet fever.

She stressed that if her friend had fevered up during the transition from camp to train, all the women would have been deemed infected and sent to the gas chamber. As a result of a miscommunication, the two box cars of Schindler’s women

ended up in Auschwitz.

“When we arrived at Auschwitz, we all thought it was snowing,” she said. “We reached out our hands to try to catch the snow, but it was not snow—it was ashes from the crematorium.”

The women were forced to shave their heads, take a cold shower, and change clothes. Each subsequent task increased their uncertainty, and the women believed they would be placed in gas chambers soon.

Shortly after hearing his box cars had been misdirected, Oskar messaged Auschwitz demanding his workers to be redirected, and the 300 women found themselves on box cars finally headed for Brunnlitz.

Finder contended that she shared her story not for people to pity her but to bring about awareness to injustices and the value of life.

“Treat someone as you want to be treated, because we are all the same under our skin,” she said.

“I hope there will be more people like Oskar.”

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

11/09/15 - 11/11/15

Monday, Nov. 09

1:48 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a student at Gasson Hall.

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10:00 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a Police Service that was provided at an off-campus location.

11:12 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a student in Fitzpatrick Hall.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

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Thursday, November 12, 2015

THE HEIGHTS

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By Heidi Dong =fi K_\ ?\`^_kj What does the 6 percent of students who come to the University from international backgrounds?

To answer this question, BC is hosting International Education Week between Nov. 9 and Nov. 20.

The week-and-a-half initiative will include about 50 events around campus ranging from documentary and film screenings to racial theory lectures, all under the direction of the Office of International Students and Scholars and the Office of International Programs.

International Education Week

is a joint initiative of the United States Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State.

They encourage universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, and even community organizations to take a week—or in BC’s case, a week and a half—to celebrate all things international, promote a stronger international understanding, prepare participants for an increasingly globalized world, as well as attract those abroad to study in the U.S. The initiative began in 2000 and has since been celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Adrienne Nussbaum, the direc-

tor of the Office of International Students and Scholars, brought this event to campus five years ago.

This year’s theme is “A world on the move: Who we are and where are we going?” The theme aims to provide a platform on which students, faculty, and staff can build conversations surrounding issues like migration, diasporas, immigration, and refugees.

The purpose of International Education Week at BC, Nussbaum said, is to promote the celebration and education of all things international and spark personal interactions and conversations that many students may not otherwise have.

“I really like the way we do International Education Week because it’s a combination of academic and intellectual discourse, as well as fun and interesting cross cultural programs and it’s all students, faculty, staff,” Nussbaum said.

The week features educational programs including talks about U.S.-China relations, a panel focusing on the challenges facing Syrian refugees, career-centered events like an international careers networking event, a fashion show, and a Hispanic dance. There are also many programs—largely sponsored by the Career Center—designed to help students understand what studying

or working abroad entails.

Each year, there is a fashion show during International Education Week to celebrate the cultural diversity on campus. While last year there were only about five models, this year there will be around 30 models that represent about 20 different cultures worldwide. The event is sponsored by the AHANA Leadership Council and the BAIC Student Advisory Board, and will feature SLAM, a spoken word group on campus. The fashion show, titled “Fashion Fusion Cultures United,” is scheduled for Nov. 19, and will highlight some of the positive aspects of migration.

MC-ed by Andy Petigny, associate director of the Office of AHANA Student Programs, the show will pair countries up on the runway, then explain their migration stories and how those cultures have fused.

Dispersed between the walks will be performances by SLAM. “The fashion show is basically an effort to start conversation on campus, allow people from all different cultures to feel like they are a part of BC, and sort of represent their own cultures on campus and really create this inclusive environment on campus,” said Malynna Mam, a student coordinator for the fashion show and CSOM ’17.

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Chacon works in facility services on a variety of projects, ranging from removing snow after storms to maintaining the foliage on campus. He originally emigrated from Peru and worked a total of three jobs to support his wife and kids when he arrived in the U.S. Chacon’s son eventually graduated from the Carroll School of Management in 2007.

When he was only 10 years old, Alves moved to Boston from Cape Verde, a series of islands off of the coast of Northern Africa. Alves graduated from the University of Massachu-

setts at Amherst, and then became a campus shuttle bus coordinator for Boston Coach. He was later promoted to supervisor and continues to work at BC today. Alves, in addition to Legere, spoke at the screening on Tuesday and answered questions from students.

Within the documentary, Legere looks at the three immigrants’ lives before they left home, their reflections on their journeys, how they built a future in the U.S. and how they maintain their individual cultural identities by combining their origins and their new lives in the U.S. The film talks about the struggles they faced with language barriers, racism, and class struggles.

“A filmmaker’s power is considerable, and lies in decisions around what

is filmed, what is not, how shots are framed, the questions that are asked, the questions that are left unasked, which comments and footage are left in, and which are edited out, and more,” Legere said. “I reflected a lot about how I portrayed Manny, Vicky, and Jorge, and whether or not my portrayal of them did justice to these amazing individuals and the poignant and important stories they so kindly and generously shared with me.”

When Legere was a graduate student at BC, she volunteered with a BC Law professor to help his students create videos for their final projects.

He then suggested that Legere create a film of her own and she set out on her six-year project.

Legere came into contact with Alves through a mutual work associate, and then contacted Facilities Services to get in touch with Chacon.

After finding two subjects for her project, Legere approached Miranda in the dining hall and asked if she would be part of the project as well.

Although Legere was a novice filmmaker at the time, her documentary was accepted for screening at the Boston International Latino Film Festival shortly after its release.

“As I watched the film for the first time in many years, I once again had the sense that the scope of the film is too large, and blamed my sociology background,” Legere said. “If I had another crack at editing the film, I would

A\Xe B`cYflie\ fe d\[`X dXe`glcXk`fe Kilbourne, from A1 to depression, lower self-esteem, and eating disorders, Kilbourne said, and particularly in young women.

Cindy Crawford once said that she wished she could look like herself in ads. Kilbourne said this speaks to the unrealistic portrayal of women in advertising—made possible, in part, by the rise of Photoshop and the common practice of digitally manipulating photos.

In the movie Pretty Woman, Kilbourne said, Julia Roberts’ body was not her own. The movie poster and several of the nude scenes in the movie were shot using someone else’s body. This, she said, was a common practice in film.

The ideal body that ads portray is usually a thin, white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, Kilbourne said. She noted that advertisers even lighten Beyonce’s skin.

Women are often made into products in ads, she said. This objectification suggests that women are weak and submissive and meant to be controlled by men. In advertisements, women are not people, Kilbourne said, but spectacles and the object of men’s desires.

In Kilbourne’s view, the sexualiza-

tion of ads has become pornographic.

She showed ads for credit card companies and fishing companies that featured scantily clad women.

What is more alarming, Kilbourne said, are the ads produced for younger female audiences. These ads convey unrealistic beauty standards to girls in their formative, adolescent years.

She used an ad for a hair product as an example. It was comprised of a list of critiques a young girl may make about her breasts and concluded with, “But with Dep styling products, at least you can have your hair the way you want it.” This ad, Kilbourne said, was featured in a magazine for 12-year-old girls.

She said that through their objectification and hypersexualization of women, ads normalize violence and sexual abuse. In most product advertisements, the female is often pictured as frail and fragile, while the male is tough and powerful. While both of these images promote gender stereotypes, the positioning of the female is much more dangerous because she is victimized.

Another recent trend in advertising, Kilbourne said, is the “romantic stranger.” These ads often depict a woman walking alone in nature with a man lurking in the background.

“The idea is that a romance is about

reduce the running time considerably, and stick more closely to a few themes within the larger topic of leaving one location/culture in search of a new life in another.”

While finalizing the project, Legere had help from Eric Kaighin, a professional editor from Living Reel Productions. She also earned a $500 grant from BC for creating the film, in order to offset some of the costs of production. Theatre professor Patricia Riggin shows Legere’s documentary to her freshman topic seminar, The Play’s the Thing: Exploring the World of the Theatre, every year. The seminar explores the roots of theatre in storytelling.

“The issues [discussed in the film]

are still profoundly relevant,” Riggins said. “Dining Services has a huge immigrant population. If you take the time to talk to the workers here, you will hear amazing stories of resilience and triumph. The film encourages students to get to know the workers on campus, to treat them with respect, and to thank them for all they do.”

Although Legere has not done any work within the film industry since Immigration Reflection, she currently works at BC in the Lonergan Institute.

“I was talking today at the screening that it is sort of my dream to do an update of it someday,” Legere said. “I think that it is absolutely relevant today. People all have stories to tell.”

8k 9: KXcbj# X[m`Z\ fe `dd`^iXk`fe# Xm`Xk`fe BC Talks, from A1

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS STAFF

As part of Love Your Body Week, Jean Kilbourne discussed media’s effects. to take place,” Kilbourne said. “Now I think I speak for most women here when I say that when I’m outdoors alone and there’s a shadowy figure lurking in the background romance is the last thing on my mind. So what it really does is it eroticizes violence, which is the most dangerous thing you can do.”

Marketers are always finding new strategies, Kilbourne said. A shocking example that she learned of recently was that parents are auctioning off the rights to name their babies after prominent companies for advertising purposes.

“So we’ll have little Exxon going through life, permanently scarred be-

cause his parents are idiots,” she said.

Kilbourne stressed the need for a change in the cultural climate in order to make progressive steps for the representation of women in advertising.

The first step is to understand that ads affect all of us in unhealthy ways.

We then need to find ways to improve our cultural environment, Kilbourne said, as this is the only way to improve public health.

“The biggest thing that gives me hope is that I’m no longer alone,” Kilbourne said. “And that my radical ideas have become so mainstream.

I feel hope because so many young people are involved these days, young men as well as young women.”

scientific research.

Mu, a computer science major, the summer in Madrid, researching how algorithms can cluster data on Parkinson’s patients.

He demonstrated how machine learning—the same techniques used by Google and YouTube to reach users with targeted advertising—can be applied to a theoretically infinite number of variables to better understand the effects of and solutions for diseases.

Gerber, a biology major, discussed reaction-time experiments that demonstrate the human subconscious acting before thought.

Rather than worry that everything might be predetermined, Gerber argued that this theory can promote connectedness between all people.

Hussain argued for increased awareness of mental health issues on campus and in other countries.

“I’m not trying to be pessimistic here, but I just think it’s important to find what you love, and have your worldview crumbled by it,” she said. “Unless this generation starts thinking about sustainability solutions to [mental health issues], we’re going to have a lot of negative consequences.”

Andre Gomes, MCAS ’18, and Ninutsa Nadirashvili, MCAS ’19, reflected on their origins.

Gomes grew up in East Palo

Alto, Calif., two miles from Facebook’s headquarters. He discussed how the proliferation of tech companies in the Bay area has resulted in higher home prices that drive out longtime residents and change the culture and feel of whole neighborhoods.

The Ellis Act, a state law that allows landlords to evict tenants to make way for development, has accelerated the gentrification process.

“Once you’re evicted from S.F., it’s an exile,” he said. “There’s nowhere to go.”

The final talk was by Nadirashvili, who immigrated to the United States from Georgia five years ago. Her talk focused on her experience as an immigrant, and how children of immigrants face greater responsibilities and have more to lose than their American peers.

“I’ve fallen in love with this country for the last five years, but I’ve also noticed some flaws with it,” she said.

When she arrived in the U.S., she was shy and didn’t speak English. She gradually realized that in order to be successful, she had to come out of her shell. She took the hardest possible classes, eventually rising to the top of her class and singing the national anthem at her graduation ceremony.

“As an immigrant kid, independence is kind of shoved down your throat early,” she said.

“You’re ready for it when you get to college.”

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS STAFF

The speakers at this semester’s BC Talks discussed their research, experiences.

A4

THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, November 12, 2015

ÊN_`k\ fe N_`k\Ë f]]\ij n`e[fn `ekf E\n <e^cXe[Ëj gXjk 9P D8;<C<@E< ;Ë8E>C<F For The Heights Many of the small, white buildings nestled deep within the historic New England landscape are churches—remnants of a fading chapter in American history that provide glimpses into the past.

This week, these structures enter the city through the Boston Society of Architects’ (BSA) presentation of “White on White: Churches of Rural New England.” The exhibit, which was assembled

by Historic New England and runs from Nov. 9 until Jan. 31 of 2016, features the photography of Steve Rosenthal, as he captures the haunting beauty of these eye-catching white structures through 40 photographs.

The exhibit, located on the second floor of the BSA Space, sprawls throughout the gallery, with each image carefully hung on pristine white walls.

The calm and fluid atmosphere of the exhibition allows each image to fully impact viewers, impressing them not only with the intricacies of Rosenthal’s subjects, but also with the beauty and artistic merit of the photographs on their own terms. Given that the origins of the project began over 50 years ago, the photographs cover an impressive range of structures, some of which have even been lost to time since Rosenthal first took their picture before the project was even defined.

“When I started [shooting] in 1965 I was in the middle of architecture school at Harvard, and the whole time that I was in school I was not sure whether I wanted to go into photography or into architecture,” Rosenthal said in an interview with The Heights. “I was perusing the curriculum … but at the same time I was doing photography. In a way it was

kind of therapy … I just wanted to go out and do my own photography … and was photographing whatever interested me, but a lot of the interests that I had at the time were of course in architecture. So I photographed the churches and barns, and wish I’d done more because so many have disappeared in the meantime.”

In 2001, a curator of the Newton Historical Society suggested that Rosenthal organize his photographs into an exhibit.

After positive reviews from The Boston Globe, this led to a book published by Monacelli Press in 2009. In order to build up the body of work even more while preparing the book, Rosenthal tracked down more prospective subjects mainly through word of mouth.

“People suggested churches when they saw the exhibit, and I got some good suggestions from people and I got some suggestions that turned out to be duds,” Rosenthal said. “I didn’t photograph any churches that were covered in vinyl … because the siding emasculated the buildings, you couldn’t [see] the detail of the buildings. I was really interested in the craft of the buildings … how they were sited in the towns they were in, their proportions, and that they were built by people that really had no formal training in architecture and design.”

Par t of Rosenthal’s exhibition naturally lends itself to the question of preservation. Over the past few decades since Rosenthal began shooting, the number of these old churches in rural New England has rapidly declined. In many instances, the churches fell into disrepair because they were made of wood, a material that can only stand up to the harsh New England winters for so long without attention and maintenance. As many of these churches have also lost congregations over the years, their needs fall on surrounding com-

PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORIC NEW ENGLAND

The “Old First Church” is one of 40 black-and-white photographs in Rosenthal’s White on White exhibition at the BSA Space. munities who are sometimes unable to fully shoulder the task. In some cases, however, the communities band together to support and restore these defining landmarks.

“I didn’t even think about it as a project that I was pursuing, I was just photographing them,” he said. “And as I photographed more churches, I was drawn to them as a sort of theme, but

I never really thought of it as a body of work that I would put together, I just enjoyed them.”

Rosenthal embraces the aspect of preservation that his work lends itself to, particularly within the context of preserving part of the culture and physical character of New England. Yet he is also very aware of the impact his photographs have as individual pieces of art.

“These photographs are their own way of speaking,” Rosenthal said. “I think that in a lot of ways that photographs are a very powerful instrument for conveying something that you can’t easily put into words. Photographs have a tremendous power in them—an evocative photograph can really reach someone’s heart in a different way than the spoken word can.”

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BENNET JOHNSON I want to take a break this week from more serious column topics about Uber or how the City of Boston can improve student off-campus housing and talk about something all true Bostonians can appreciate—burgers and brotherly love.

We at The Heights made our second-annual Boston Food Guide last week, and as I sit here in Bapst Library thinking about a topic for this column, I realize I’m pretty damn hungry. As I scour through The Globe, BostInno, and Boston.com looking for anything that could possibly inspire a Metro-related column, I can’t help but think about burgers.

Two weeks ago, I went to the new Wahlburgers near Fenway, and wrote about the opening of Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg’s latest burger joint in one of Boston’s hottest neighborhoods. The idea of the restaurant is gold: burgers, sports, and the Wahlberg brothers. People regularly line up outside Wahlburgers’ doors for a chance to see Marky Mark gobble down his

signature Thanksgiving Day sandwich. It makes perfect sense that the restaurant is just three blocks from Fenway Park and merely a few miles away from the brothers’ original stomping grounds in Dorchester.

What was surprising about my visit to Wahlburgers on a Monday night was that a crowd of people huddled around the bar, bottles of Harpoon in hand, and eagerly watched the brothers’ A&E reality show playing on screens behind the bar. Everyone seemed to be watching intently, while I wondered what the heck was going on.

The reality show is also called Wahlburgers, and is an unscripted series about the Wahlberg family’s burger joint, overseen by their older sibling, Paul, and mother, Alma. It seemed very fitting that the show was playing on all of the TVs at the Fenway location, as patrons held burgers in one hand, and beers in the other.

Last night, I decided to see what Wahlburgers was really all about. In part to satisfy my craving for a good burger, I sat down and watched the pilot episode of the series. You can imagine that the show itself pretty much fulfills every Boston stereotype imaginable, and you immediately notice the thick Boston accents of every character on the show.

Even David Ortiz makes an appearance, and Rob Gronkowski gives fantasy advice

in return for a cooking class from Paul.

Some critics have torn Wahlburgers apart, arguing that the show, unlike the burgers, “consists of completely empty calories.” But I disagree. It’s easy to criticize the show for attempting to cash in on showing the celebrity brothers in unguarded territory. What most critics don’t understand is that Wahlburgers portrays a real, authentic look at one of Boston’s most well-known families.

The Wahlberg name used to be associated with court appearances and trouble. Now the family is world-famous.

Whether you’re watching one of Mark’s movies or eating one of Paul’s burgers, the Wahlbergs are all over New England.

To the millions of people that watch Wahlburgers, the family is incredibly important in portraying what Boston is all about The show regularly features the brothers reminiscing about the family’s up-from-nothing background. As Donnie and Paul drive through their old neighborhood, we learn about how the brothers grew up in Boston, and what they valued. Memories of Fenway Park, Carney Hospital, and the local courthouse come to life for us. We get a glimpse of the modest house where the brothers grew up, which always smelled like burgers, because that is all they could afford for their one meal together at dinner. The brothers constantly banter with

each other, and the show gives viewers an idea of what it is like to grow up in Dorchester and live in a small house with nine children.

Wahlburgers is madness. It’s fun. It’s entertaining. And it’s purely Boston. It’s all about one of Boston’s most famous families, with a lot of brotherly love. The show was nominated for an Emmy award last year, and the brothers have since opened five more restaurants, with an ad-

ditional 27 spots planned for the future.

After my experiment, I’ve decided to give the show a chance. I enjoyed watching the brothers banter on screen, but I can honestly say that I came away feeling hungrier. Next time I’ll head down to Fenway for a damn good burger.

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DANIELLA FASCIANO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Wahlberg brothers’ reality TV show gives a real look at Boston’s beloved family.

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SARAH MOORE I fumbled with the clasp on my worn, leather wallet and scanned its contents for the appropriate piece of plastic. It was cold, and the light raincoat that I had thought would keep me warm on a crisp November evening was far from ideal. Standing in the wind tunnel created by the open doors of the Green Line train I was holding up, I could feel an impatient line grumbling behind me. The impatient commuters were judging me either on my apparent lack of public transportation etiquette or the floral pants I was trying to get away with in late fall. I heard the steps of my friend’s riding boots click farther away into the car, quickly losing hope that she might fund my trip out

of pity or embarrassment.

But then, tucked behind a Target Red Card—with my mom’s name on, but don’t tell her that—was the little sliver of white and green that I had been looking for. As I grasped my Charlie Card and, finally, had the courage to look the MBTA driver in the eyes, I was greeted with a small chuckle and passing hand gesture. Just like that, my anxiety was replaced with an apologetic, yet grateful sense of relief, and I shuffled through the car to find my friends.

The T and I have a love-hate relationship.

Every Bostonian has their own views on the T, good or bad, and it’s that shared experience of our archaic but beloved public transportation system that justifies these opinions. We all really have some stake in the T—whether we like it or not, whether we ride it daily or just dodge its chaotic course in our Ubers. In late October, the MBTA saluted the Bostonian’s compulsion to offer opinions on the T by having the public select new exterior designs of the Red, Orange, and Green line rail cars through an online poll.

Was it a good idea? A nice gesture to all of those who have gone gloveless in January to swipe their Charlie Cards? Definitely. But this is the MBTA, so you know it’s never that simple.

On Tuesday, instead of celebrating the rail car designs that were announced that afternoon, the public transportation authority was hit with a negative slew of opinions, questioning the integrity of their public poll.

The latest MBTA scandal surrounds irregularity in voting patterns, specifically for the polls on the Red and Green line designs.

Where the Orange line polls showed a wider spread of votes over a more timely period, the Red and Green line polls were heavily skewed. Further, a majority of those votes can be traced back to the same computer.

MBTA spokesman, Joe Pesaturo, told The Boston Globe that the results would be held until the concerns were resolved—exhausting the transportation authority’s attempt at an innocent and festive experiment.

The T really can’t win.

Despite the unnecessary uproar over

this computer science controversy—which seems so strange and poorly executed that it most likely was done at the hand of some “code-blooded” MIT freshman—the T really doesn’t get the credit that it deserves.

Yes, it may seem inconvenient and antiquated, but it has its hidden gems. Riding the T is a fraction of the cost of riding the Metro in D.C., and its remarkably cleaner than New York’s Subway. Most of the T conductors will look the other way when you sneak into the side doors without paying, and frequently offer rides on the house just because. Yes, the T is a little rickety, but it is really a feat that someone designed a public transportation system that accommodates a city whose map looks like it was designed by a drunk.

I, like most, have had my fair share of missed trains and close calls while crossing the street. I am all too familiar with the awkwardness of, literally, breathing in a stranger’s face as you both silently pray that the crowds of rush hour will disperse by the Brookline Village Station. I know

that seeing the back lights of a Green Line car dim as it races away is plenty justification for a certain set of words—which should also probably be kept from my mom.

Everyone who has even approached the MBTA in some capacity knows that it isn’t always on-time, nor does it give adequate amounts of personal space. But despite all of that, some days I get smiling conductors, free train rides, and have even been known to, happily, accept to the chivalrous seat exchange on occasion. The MBTA does the best it can, and this poll gone wrong is just the latest example of the T falling victim to the angry Boston public.

It is an easy target that the city loves to hate, but in situations like this the public needs to remember the free rides instead of the missed trains and give the T a break.

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A7

9`\Y\i dliXc `j cXk\jk [`jgcXp f] glYc`Z Xik n`k_ X Êgligfj\Ë 9P C<JC@< J<CC<IJ For The Heights Turn right on S Huntington Ave. No, you’re not going to the South End. I said turn right. We’re Jamaica Plain-bound.

Okay, veer to the left up there. Take this roundabout and complete the circle about 315 degrees. If you’re quick, just put your hazards on and illegally park.

Ugi’s Pizza sits on a corner that juts out in the way that many Boston corners do: awkwardly. While the faded yellow siding can’t seem to make up its mind on whether it wants to actually be faded yellow or literally any shade on the gray scale, the brown stucco on the backside leaves much to be desired. The overall neutrality of the building, however, provides a backdrop that allows the graffiti to bounce off the sides of the structure into passerby’s eyes.

I’m talking bubble-gum pink with cranberry complements, electric blue-green and Pikachu yellow, blood red and metallized gray. One of those Wal-Mart smiley faces for price reduction won’t break eye contact with you, and your eyes keep

darting from it to the two yellow lightning bolts atop the horseshoe magnet, back and forth and back and forth. That red magnet won’t let you dart forever. It keeps pushing through this diagonal tension line and your eyes need a break.

Pull back.

You’re looking at one of 18 international murals commissioned by the resurfacing pop-star Justin Bieber. The mural’s Jamaica Plain home connects Boston to the other tagged metropolises around the globe, including London, Sydney, Paris, Berlin, and Toronto. Bieber has successfully built up anticipation for his fourth studio album Purpose by releasing a series of infectious singles, and more so, he has teased audiences, making them thirsty for more, and basically resuscitated his career.

He’s back.

The mural, fizzing with the energy of the pink boldface letters on the wall, is Double Bubble in nature—bubbles in bubblegum pink. Popping against the bluegreen background, the artists, Deme5 and Kem5, create continuity between the simmering circles of dark pink at the bottom,

the palest at the top, and the subdued, cool disks in the background. Tension is created again by the diagonal dimensionality of the letters with the central gray that plays with the perception of space.

Burning into your retina, the eye candy presents the palpable energy surrounding Bieber’s imminent release and radio infiltration. All of the marketing surrounding his return has been distinctively intentional, filled with anticipation and building awe. Unannounced before each one dropped, Bieber has unleashed four singles from the album with wild success, showcasing a new Bieber with a range of sounds.

He has been periodically punching into international ears, consistently capitalizing on the hype from the last release to make the next surprise even bigger. His tactics have successfully created suspense for Friday the 13th, unrelated to any urban legends. On Nov. 13, Purpose drops. As one of the final preparations, Bieber commissioned these 18 international murals, stirring up frenzy with the full release of track titles for the album. The people are

RAMSEY KHABBAZ / FOR THE HEIGHTS

The mural in Jamaica Plain is the latest public art display dedicated to the pop-star. perched on their toes.

His decision to take his audible art and make it physical with these murals was a decision to stamp his brand across the globe. He took what most people will be hearing privately through headphones and put it in the public’s eyes. Bieber is making his reemergence known and using this art form as a forecasting statement for his

impending global domination.

The fizzing of the painting, the electricity from the magnet, and the glaring of that smiley face say it all: something’s coming, and he knows it.

Bieber’s murals are intentional and international. They’re rebranding and recreating him. This is public art with a purpose.

:XdYi`[^\ jkXiklg [\m\cfgj Z_Xi^`e^ ZfXjk\i ]fi pfli g_fe\ 9P AF8EE8 PL<CPJ Heights Staff In an increasingly mobile society, having a dead battery can put your day on hold.

Lana Ibragimova wanted to change this and help people maintain their productivity on the go. Ibragimova is the CEO of the startup ChefCharger, which makes it possible for people to maintain their mobile phone access while they are away from home. Most bars do not offer plugs for customers, and ChefCharger allows bar-goers to create their own.

“People were asking about charging their phones 20 times per day at minimum,” Ibragimova said, referring to the complaints she constantly heard while working in the restaurant industry. “I started thinking that this would be a great opportunity.”

The main function of the products offered

by ChefCharger is to provide a battery source at the table in bars and restaurants without

inconveniencing other patrons or putting a person’s phone at risk charging at an unguarded outlet. The startup makes products that appear nearly identical to tabletop items in restaurants and bars, but include built-in USB ports and charging cables.

Ibragimova got the idea just prior to coming to the United States from Russia to attend the MIT Sloan School of Management, and was immediately ready to put her plan into action. At MIT, she found Alec Smetannikov who would become her partner. He quickly became a huge asset to ChefCharger, as Smetannikov focused more on the prototyping side of the business.

Smetannikov’s affinity for programming is essential to ChefCharger’s success, especially since a startup can have a hard time finding the capital to invest in good prototypes without contracting out the majority of the process.

“We used a few developers, of course it was just a span of two weeks, three weeks

participation—something like that because it is a startup and if you know the nature of startups, it’s all about keeping costs low,” Ibragimova said.

ChefCharger has been working hard to avoid the cold feel of the technology in its products.

“No one wants to see blinking electronics on the table, but everyone likes to see our designs,” Ibragimova said.

She has worked with some professional designers to perfect the products offered.

Currently the company’s website has three main product types: the candle holder, the salt & pepper holder, and the drink coaster, all of which allow patrons to surreptitiously charge their phones at the table. ChefCharger is also willing to customize products for different venues which fits with the company’s philosophy of truly integrating technological features rather than creating an intrusive influence.

Ibragimova believes in the depth of her

products. “I would say that ChefCharger is something like art meets technology,” she said.

Ibragimova wants to focus on the aesthetic beauty, which she tries to instill in each new design, working to create a product that is not merely focused on functionality but also contributes to the atmosphere of the dining establishment.

“I would definitely say that ChefCharger is unique because of all the designs and all the design solutions which are totally integrated in a restaurant environment,” Ibragimova said. “I think that’s our biggest thing and the biggest achievement is that all the devices are really indistinguishable from conventional tableware.”

Ibragimova feels that when people duck into a restaurant or a bar for a quick rest after a long day, they should not be burdened with worrying about their phone batteries. She recognizes that people rely on their phones to such a high degree, that this is just the next

step for facilitating a mobile lifestyle.

ChefCharger is currently piloting its devices in various restaurants and bars in New York. For Bostonians, the company is currently working out terms in a confidential deal with a popular chain restaurant and hopes to be implementing its products in December. The service is intended to be totally free for patrons with costs for restaurants just being the initial purchasing price for the product.

“It’s like a glass of water—it’s your right to have your phone charged so it should be expected in every venue,” Ibragimova said.

ChefCharger is currently pursuing a few patents for new designs and ideas that will expand the functionality of its products beyond just battery life. Looking forward, Ibragimova has big plans for her chargers to be on tabletops everywhere.

“It’s not just a power bank,” she said. “It’s not just a battery. It’s integrated solutions for restaurants.”

THE HEIGHTS

A8

EDITORIALS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Starting at O’Neill Library, and moving through the Gasson Quad, students will find an unusual addition to their walks through campus: signs printed with sexual assault and rape statistics. Given their density, the sign’s data—provided by the White House—are hard to miss, and are aimed at capturing students’ attention, thereby starting a more prolonged dialogue. The signs are associated with the Boston College chapter of React to Film, a national nonprofit working to first preview documentaries concerned with social justice at universities, and, then, to stage a demonstration or talk for the following one or two weeks on the issue.

Shock value is the posters’ advantage. Trips to-and-from classes, libraries, and dining halls are usually nothing more than time to appreciate BC’s aesthetics and to have passing conversations with friends—they are not times in which students expect to be confronted with disturbing statistics of the prevalence of sexual assault in college environments. The only other notable example of using public space to distribute this information is the sexual assault and rape statistics on the back of bathroom stall doors in residence halls, posted by the Women’s Resource Center.

There is programming at BC tailored to these issues, but when performed in closed off spaces, and at singular times during the week, the chance to engage a broad swath of the student body is unlikely.

While these events are successful

at providing the necessary platform for discourse, they do not effectively produce more activists—base level interest is at least already present in the attendants. The expansion out into an area with the greatest levels of foot traffic, and therefore the greatest exposure is a powerful move. To solve the issues that it’s presenting, more students need to be engaged in the discussion. With the posters in the quad, no longer

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Seeing the quad littered with posters is reminiscent of the Gasson Quad as a hub of student activity before its renovation. While now more suitable looking for promotional brochures, the present-day quad is sterile—absent of student involvement. While it might compromise the optimistic vibe of a walk across campus for students, professors, and touring groups alike, the posters’ addition are nothing but positive. They act as a conversational catalyst for a topic that can no longer be ignored.

In the future, other groups should use public spaces in this way.

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This week , Dr. Susan Legere screened a documentary she made in 2007 about the workers in Boston College dining halls, Immigration Reflection. The documentary focused on three different employees who had immigrated from different countries—Brigida “Vicky ” Miranda, Jorge Chacon, and Manuel “Manny” Alves—and their transition into American society.

The movie was screened as part of International Education Week, a 12day program by the Office of International Program that emphasizes and celebrates the international diversity at BC. The documentary highlights the lives of dining workers, a population students often do not know personally.

All of the stories mentioned in the documentary are positive: Miranda endured poverty, but then got full-time work at BC. Chacon emigrated from Peru, and his son graduated from the Carroll School of Management in 2007; and Alves moved from Cape Verde and eventually graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and then became supervisor for the campus shuttle bus system. These stories all emphasize a narrative where Boston College supported and uplifted the workers, helping them create a new life.

“A filmmaker’s power is considerable, and lies in decisions around what is filmed, what is not, how shots are framed, the questions that are asked, the questions that are left unasked, which comments and footage are left in, and which are edited out, and more,” Legere said.

The impact of this lies in the fact that it showcases stories little known by students. Though students interact with the dining workers every day—in Mac, Lower, Hillside, the Rat, and The Chocolate Bar—it isn’t often that there are exchanges beyond pleasantries. This documentary opens students’ eyes to how the workers are treated, and how BC can impact their lives for the better.

Much of International Education Week focuses on the student experience, with a fashion show and an international careers network-

The views expressed in the above editorials represent the official position of The Heights, as discussed and written by the

Editorial Board. A list of the members of the Editorial Board can be found at bcheights. com/opinions.

K_\j\ jkfi`\j Xcc \dg_Xj`q\ X eXiiXk`m\ n_\i\ 9fjkfe :fcc\^\ jlggfik\[ Xe[ lgc`]k\[ k_\ nfib\ij# _\cg`e^ k_\d Zi\Xk\ X e\n c`]\% ing event. The focus of the week is to bring attention to the diversity at BC, and much of that diversity comes from those immigrants who work here.

For students to truly understand the diversity of the University, they need to be aware of all parts, not just the parts that are immediately apparent within the student body.

Immigration Reflection opens up a world not seen by many students.

It creates a productive dialogue around immigration and diversity among staff, and encourages students to get to know those that keep their day-to-day life going smoothly.

HEIGHTS

THE

The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College <jkXYc`j_\[ (0(0 AF?E N@C<P# <[`kfi$`e$:_`\] :?I@J JK8;KC<I# >\e\iXc DXeX^\i D8>>@< GFN<IJ# DXeX^`e^ <[`kfi

Thursday, November 12, 2015

A letter from the Provost Office and Student Affairs As administrators at Boston College, one of the joys of our professional experience is in working with students on issues of importance to the University and wider community.

Throughout the decades, we have learned a great deal from these interactions, and benefitted from the wisdom and insights of our students, including many students and student groups who have disagreed with the University’s policies.

During this time, there have been many substantive discussions on issues of race, diversity and inclusion that have helped to shape discourse and influence decisions in our collective efforts to make BC a more welcoming and inclusive community. As with most universities across the nation, we recognize that addressing these issues requires effort and evaluation. We have made the commitment to ongoing discussion, reflection, and action in the hopes of making BC the best University it can be.

As part of our ongoing commitment, we have infused new curriculum offerings in the training of student organizations on communication, race, and class; developed innovative seminars on race and gender; and offered programs and events to engage

students, faculty and staff about a range of perspectives on race and contemporary society. We have engaged with students in dialogue and focus groups, over dinner and in meetings. This academic year, we have convened a University committee on race to coordinate our many programs across divisions and administrative units. We are committed in our hiring and admission processes to support diversity and inclusion.

Issues about race and diversity require sustained dedication and hard work on the part of all members of this community, and sometimes may result in disagreements about strategy and progress.

However, these disagreements do not lessen our commitment to achieving larger long-term goals concerning race and diversity in our community. We know from our experience that most meaningful accomplishments result from people of goodwill working together for the common good and a more just society. We remain steadfast in our commitment to doing so here at BC. ;8M@; HL@HC<P# GIFMFJK 8E; ;<8E F= =8:LCK@<J 98I9 AFE<J# M@:< GI<J@;<EK# JKL;<EK 8==8@IJ

A letter from Eradicate #BostonCollegeRacism We recently read The Heights article “Administrators Criticize Tactics of Eradicate Boston College Racism” and were surprised and disappointed by the comments attributed to Dean Mogan, Provost Quigley, and University Spokesperson Dunn in the piece.

They contain erroneous claims about our group and also display a lack of understanding and concern about institutional racism as it affects students, faculty, and staff of color at BC. We found it particularly regretful that the administrators cited chose to frame us as disrespectful and uncivil in taking action against institutional racism within the University, rather than demonstrate respect themselves and take responsibility for ongoing racial injustice which students in our group and other groups have pointed out to them.

First, to correct the misstatements attributed in the article to Provost Quigley, Dean Mogan, and Mr. Dunn: Members of our group have never avoided meeting with these individuals or any other administrators of BC, and we have in fact held meetings with Dean Mogan on multiple occasions, most recently when CedrickMichael Simmons and Chad Olle met with him just a week before the article in question was published. We invite them to produce any evidence to the contrary and to share it with us and the readers of The Heights. During the summer, we were offered a meeting with Provost Quigley with one day’s notice and were unable to make it because of other commitments. However, we immediately responded with attempts to reschedule. We of course did reschedule, and Cedrick-Michael Simmons, Sriya Bhattacharyya, and Chad Olle met with the Provost as soon as he made yourself available to us. If this is the episode to which the article referred, we ask administrators to represent it accurately in the future. Mr. Dunn is quoted as saying that our group “make[s] it seem” as though we are the “only group that wants to combat racism.” This statement is inconsistent with our public praise and thanks to multiple student and faculty groups who have taken action against institutional racism at BC, both in our recent LTE in The Heights and on our website: among them, The Heights Editorial Board, the Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Climate Justice Boston College, FACES, the Undergraduate AHANA Leadership Council, the African and African Diaspora Studies Program, the Black Law Students Association, the Graduate Students of Color Association, the Black Student Forum, the ONE movement, and the TRUTH movement. We ask him in the future to familiarize himself with our actions and institutional relationships before making public claims regarding them.

Acknowledging these errors, we are more deeply concerned about Mr. Dunn’s misrepresentation of institutional racism at BC, and Provost Quigley, Dean Mogan, and Mr. Dunn’s collective failure to address what University leaders are doing to rectify it. Mr. Dunn went so far as to state: “The supposition that BC is an institutionally racist place is a difficult argument to make. [...] I think that’s a false assumption, an unfair assumption, and impugns the integrity of so

many good people on this campus who’ve joined this community precisely because they’re people of good will who oppose all elements of bigotry.”

These comments do serious disservice to the BC community and the readership of The Heights if they are intended to educate these groups about the nature of institutional racism and our group’s critiques of its existence at BC. Institutional racism refers to policies and practices that systematically generate unequal outcomes in an institution for people of color, regardless of individual sentiments or intent. Given the long and well-documented history of institutional racism in the U.S., in higher education, and at BC specifically, we find it surprising that anyone could so easily dismiss its present reality in the University. This is particularly true in light of the stark inequalities in representation of people of color among the faculty, administration, and board of trustees, the open Eurocentric bias of BC’s curricula, and other indicators of racial inequity publicly documented by our group and observed by the University itself.

Critiques of institutional racism are not indictments of individual character, and, despite Mr. Dunn’s comments, our group has never intended them as such. We believe we are all implicated in the continuation of institutional racism at BC and have the choice and power to act to end its existence, as we have publicly stated in The Heights and elsewhere. Institutional racism is our collective social inheritance and our responsibility to transform. Those in positions of institutional leadership, of course, hold unique responsibility and power to make these choices, and we ask Provost Quigley, Dean Mogan, Mr. Dunn, and other administrators to do so promptly and comprehensively at BC. People of color who attend and work within the University should never have had to face inequitable and unjust conditions, here or in any of the other countless institutions in this country in which these conditions persist. Every day that they continue is unacceptable. We speak publicly and take action with these convictions in mind, and we hope that BC leadership will do the same.

In an effort to continue dialogue about, not simply abhoring racism, but eradicating institutional racism at BC, we invite Dean Mogan, Provost Quigley, Mr. Dunn, and any other administrators to meet with us to discuss our group’s goals and tactics. We believe this should be a public meeting, open to the campus community, that is centered on discussing what institutional racism is and strategies that have historically created material change. We challenge the notion that dialogue alone dismantles white supremacy. However, we do believe that community discussion, informed by people who actually experience marginalization, can be valuable. We look forward to working with Provost Quigley, Dean Mogan, Mr. Dunn, and other administrators on organizing and publicizing this public meeting, which we hope to hold before the end of the semester. <I8;@:8K< 9FJKFE:FCC<><I8:@JD# :8DGLJ FI>8E@Q8K@FE

A letter from the Executive Council of UGBC This past winter, the Boston College community struggled to come together on the topic of racism. Boston College students, who staged an unapproved demonstration in St. Mary’s Hall, were disciplined after giving voice—or rather silence—to an issue that many of us care deeply about. The actions of our fellow students were rooted in the belief that their collective voice could contribute to a conversation about how to better Boston College. In doing so, these students were living out an idea that is essential to Boston College’s identity: to take our educations and values—discovered and explored in the traditions of Jesuit, Catholic education—to the world stage, and to trust that they mean something. The world we are taught to challenge, when necessary, does not exclude Boston College.

The punishing of students was hopefully an isolated incident.

Despite this initial response, our University was able to find a path to constructive discourse. In January, the Office of the Provost and the Jesuit Institute hosted the event, “Race in the U.S.A.: Expectations, Concerns, and Hopes in 2015”. In April, the UGBC held the “AHANA Faculty Diversity Panel and Dinner”. And in August, the Office of Student Affairs announced a new educational program, “Mosaic”, which introduced first-year students to topics of identity including race. While these efforts were not perfect, they presented opportunities for students, faculty, and administrators to engage in dialogue about how our society and University could be better.

We as the Executive Council of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College place a high value on the free expression of ideas and therefore applaud the intentions of our community in executing these programs. That being said, dialogue does not exist to provide a refuge from reality. Our collective failure to turn constructive conversation into constructive action is the reason we continue to work within a polarized framework; the administration is again threatening students with punishment, while many students are losing trust in their ability to make necessary change through University channels. Community members watching this public debate from the sidelines feel increasingly pressured to choose a side, effectively making this issue more about community politics than about the true issues at hand.

In the meantime, our University continues to exhibit evidence

of institutional racism, or at least institutional inequality. For instance: There is not a single AHANA Vice President, meaning that when top-level administrators meet to make institutional decisions, only white voices are heard As of the fall of 2014, of all 818 faculty members at Boston College only 125 (15.28%) identified as AHANA There are policies that hold back honest dialogue; members of Eradicate Racism were told that their group will face disciplinary action if they choose to demonstrate again without a permit, yet unregistered groups such as Eradicate Racism are not allowed to apply to demonstrate under BC’s free expression policies (Note: As of Monday, we were informed that the demonstration policy may be changed at some point in the future).

To address the above issues, as well as other race-related concerns, we call on the University to create a comprehensive action plan, much like Brown successfully did in 2006 and then revisited in 2015. We would like to see such a plan by the 19th of January as we begin our next semester. This plan should include timelines for both short and long-terms goals, as well as an explanation of BC’s financial commitment to this project, so that we as a community can hold ourselves accountable. While the Undergraduate Government of Boston College has proposed various solutions to these issues, we do not presume to have all the answers. To assist the University in creating an action plan, we will host a University-wide event to discuss what our community believes to be the gravest problems, as well as actionable solutions to those problems. We cannot execute this event alone; over the next few weeks, we will be reaching out to administrators, academic departments, individual professors, University offices, as well as our peers to jointly organize a public event that will allow this conversation to happen in a productive way. Together, we can forge a new path towards a stronger, more inclusive, and intellectually-enhanced community.

The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces submitted to the newspaper.

Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights. com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

02467.

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THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, November 12, 2015

A9

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THE LITTLE THINGS - You get on the T and the conductor tells you to enjoy the ride. You’re running for the Comm. Ave. bus and the driver actually, like, stops, and waits for you to get there, leaving the doors open the whole time. You come back to the apartment to find your roommate has taken care of the slovenly sink full of dirty dishes.

Little things: they keep you going through the week.

ACTUALLY GETTING THE READING DONE FOR YOUR DISUCSSION SECTION - Although it sounds obvious, discussion sections are a complete waste of time when you haven’t done any of the reading. When you’re caught up, though, you don’t feel like you have to hide anymore—there’s no need to pray on not getting called on, or getting lost in your own thoughts in something else. You can be totally there with everything being talked about.

SATURDAYS ARE FREE - With football season over, we can look forward to open Saturdays, instead of having to debate whether or not waking up early for a tailgate/game will be worth our very precious time. Rest in peace, Boston College football hopes.

LOSING ALL THE NEW FRIENDS - So, it’s junior year, and half of your friend group leaves to go to a different country. You’re bummed about it—more than that, you’re alone. You come into the offcampus living situation, put more effort into meeting people in classes, and as the first semester goes along, you start getting those friendships that you’re looking for.

You find this whole host of people at BC that just weren’t around before, because they were lost in their friend groups and you were lost in yours. But, as November ticks on, you’re starting to realize that so many of these friends are going abroad in the spring semester. And you realize that even with the old friends coming back, you’re going into the next terms still missing a whole host of people.

RAIN - Please go away. It was just warm and it felt good to be outside.

Now we have to bundle up, and get soaked as we’re trying to make our way to class. Save the dreary weather for when we get back, when the snowstorms are going to hit. Let us enjoy the semester while we still can.

HILLSIDE SEATING - For such a popular place, you’d think a couple more tables would be in order.

Maybe it’s time the Lower bookstore is removed in favor of an expanded dining area. For the only place that regularly serves the New England Classic anymore, we just need to find more room.

Like Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down?

Follow us @BCTUTD

I shock myself as I write this: The most valuable aspect of a Boston College education is its Jesuit tradition. I am not religious.

I feel unsure about God’s existence. Until last year, the most I knew about the Jesuits was that they sometimes sport mysterious black robes on campus. And yet, as I approach my final semester at BC, I can say with conviction that I love what those darn Jesuits can do to give students a different perspective on the world—and I think the University can do even more to support their mission.

I see value in a Jesuit education where academic achievement and service to others unite. This mission is explicitly embodied in service opportunities like the popular PULSE course, but also quietly infiltrates into even the most unexpected of disciplines. As a freshman, I chose to be an economics major to best position myself for a high-paying career. Yet thanks to courses such as Professor Paul Cichello’s Evaluating Impact in Developing Countries, piling up money is no longer at the forefront of my post-grad goals. Becoming educated about the plight of the world and how my specific skillset can play a role in improving it is the most resonant lesson I have learned at BC. Though the evident intersection between course material and doing good was never explicitly stated as aligning with Jesuit ideals, it very much does.

Even in the Carroll School of Management, where God is spelled with six figures, courses are being offered that consider the role of business in bettering society. In Professor Laura Foote’s Social Entrepreneurship class, students learn how to build business models where earning profits and achieving social missions propel one another. Professor Mary Cronin is developing an interdisciplinary minor called Managing for Social Impact and the Public Good, where students learn “how corporations engage with social impact issues that are outside the conventional definitions of shareholder value and wealth creation.” I am sure the Jesuits are pleased by the heightened discussion about living a life of service. While

it is true that non-Jesuit universities offer courses to overcome the seeming mutual exclusivity of money-hungriness and global citizenship, they become even more effective in an environment where the theme of doing good is nearly ubiquitous.

In such courses, students and faculty are enacting solutions to problems like: How can we fulfill our own self-interest while also doing good for others? How can we harness the capitalist affluence of U.S. consumers in order to reduce domestic and global poverty?

How can we gentrify the world’s cities without displacing the poor? Such critical questions are occurring at a grassroots level here at BC. Yet despite the inscription in our mission “to educate a new generation of leaders … with a sense of calling, with concern for all of the human family,” the systemic operations of the University suggest that the administration is not holding up its end of the bargain. BC leaders should be enacting solutions to problems like: How can we uphold a reputation of academic excellence while actively including those who are historically marginalized from higher education and the Catholic Church? How can we provide a supportive environment for diversity in a predominantly white, high-income, straight community? But they aren’t.

Meanwhile, non-Jesuit universities are becoming more vocal in recognizing the need for increased access to and diversity across higher education. Coalition for Access, which represents more than 80 higher education institutions (including every Ivy League university), embodies a commitment to developing an online set of tools that supports students from underprivileged backgrounds whose excellence is not well represented through the Common Application process. Rather than focusing on standardized test scores, which often underrepresent low-income students’ aptitude, the Coalition has created an innovative online platform where high school students can upload achievements to their “lockers,” including videos of performances, pictures of science fair projects, and letters of recommendation. Granted, these schools cannot stop at admissions—once they increase access to low-income students, they need to continually support them in acclimating to the rigorous academic environment. Nonetheless, BC is not included in the list of members, and has remained relatively stagnant in addressing its lack of diversity.

A notable member of the BC administration who is forging discourse about topics in diversity is Vincent Rougeau, dean of the Law School. In his recent talk “Fighting Racism

by Modeling Inclusion: Reflections of an African-American Dean,” he spoke about the necessity of engendering a diverse population at BC. “We need diversity—it’s not a luxury,” he said. “If we are going to deal with issues in an authentic way, we need a variety of all these different voices working to craft a solution, people who can offer different perspectives and experiences, so that when we come up with solutions we know we’ve [thoroughly] thought about them.” While Dean Rougeau was referring specifically to race, I believe his words deserve to be transposed onto other marginalizing classifications as well, including sexual orientation and economic standing.

While I am overwhelmingly inspired by the classmate who choses to raise her hand and share that she is paying her own way through college, and the transgender student who struts across the quad, I can’t help but consider the root of my emotions. I respect the characteristics that such life circumstances and decisions entail regardless of environmental factors, but I must acknowledge that at least some of my regard stems from these individuals’ confidence in singling themselves out as minorities in the BC community. Increasing University-wide access and support for these groups epitomizes the Jesuit mission, and BC has a responsibility to do more.

As an opinions columnist, my critique of BC is made easy because what our University ought to value is inscribed in a 152-year long Jesuit tradition. When BC seeks to propel itself to new heights, our Jesuit principles put us in an excellent position to do so by including those who we aim to help—“the human family”—in the discourse itself. BC has the potential to shed its conservative demeanor and create a unique environment on campus by bridging traditional Jesuit ideals with 21st century notions of equality. The University should continue to encourage the infiltration of Jesuit ideals into every corner of its being in the most progressive and open-minded way possible: by reflecting marginalized groups in the student body itself.

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8eXcpq`e^ jk\i\fkpg\j# X jc`gg\ip jcfg\ ERIC ZHANG & CHRISTOPHE BERNIER Here we are. Christophe and Eric. Friends.

Roommates, actually.

Christophe: Eric is probably the person most like me at Boston College. We think in the same way, we laugh at the same things, we enjoy the same things. We both love The Office. Eric is Asian. I’m white. It’s not a big deal, I don’t see him differently. I see him as Eric, as cheesy as that sounds.

Eric: Yes, Christophe and I share similarities. But we’re also different. He’s a math and economics majors, and I’m a finance and entrepreneurship major. Throughout high school, he ran for the cross country team while I spent my time dedicated to my school’s basketball team. To this day, he runs around the Res at night while I search for pick up games in the Plex.

Christophe: Alright, yes we have differences. But we know that because we’ve spent a lot of time together. We know each other. I don’t know about Eric, but at this point in our friendship I never really make assumptions based on his race. I don’t need to. I know him.

Eric: But not everyone knows me, and not everyone knows Christophe. Let’s just say we’re both at the Plex one night, and teams are getting picked for a game of basketball. Standing with his lanky, white, 6 foot 2 frame, a lot of people might automatically assume that he’s a better basketball player than me and my 5 foot 10, asian frame. The hypothetical captains would probably pick him over me—because of stereotypes, because of what people generally think about basketball and race and players of certain races. Of course, they’d be making a terrible decision. Christophe’s one of the worst basketball players I’ve ever seen—all 6 foot 2 of him.

Christophe: Well. I don’t know if I would go that far. But yes, he has a point. He’s a lot better than me at basketball, even though there are more white guys than Asian guys in the NBA. Would you look at that: stereotypes don’t always apply. And I mean, if a random person on the street were given a picture of me and Eric and asked who was better at math, the person would probably say Eric. Because he’s Asian, and Asians are obviously good at math.

But I’m considerably better than him at math.

I would understand, though. I’m completing my B.S. in math, and half the students in my upper-level class are Asian. That’s very disproportionate to the BC population. But it’s a fact, and it’s hard to ignore.

Eric: Clearly, we both defy very common stereotypes. We’re both evidence that not everything you might see in movies or read about in books regarding people and the differences between people of varying races is necessarily true. Of course, this is not anything new.

Today, there are more and more discussions pertaining to the dangers of stereotypes, their inherently offensive nature, and often times, how we can try to avoid them in our everyday lives.

Christophe: But let’s say this. Say I had to guess between who did better on a math test, a white guy or an Asian guy. And say I get 1000 dollars if I guess correctly, and I lose the same amount if I’m wrong. The stakes are high, and the only piece of information I have is their respective races. Well, I myself often defy the stereotype as people incorrectly assume that all Asians are better at math than me. But now, I’m the one who has to make an assumption, one way or another. To be honest, I think I would choose the Asian person. That seems incredibly hypocritical, especially considering all the assumptions that are made about me.

And here, I am, doing the same thing. But the stakes are high. I would think of the statistics, and base myself on the only information I have.

Eric: I would’ve done the same thing if I were one of those hypothetical basketball captains at the Plex. I would’ve picked Christophe over myself, because of my experience from my years as a basketball player. If we’re really being honest, I would’ve picked the black kid in front of Christophe if there was one there.

Again, in my experience, I’ve generally found that more often than not, the black basketball players are some of the best on the court.

Statistically, the majority of both Division 1 and NBA basketball players are black. And there are many, many more white basketball players than Asian ones. A lot more Christophes than Erics. So if I were a captain picking teams, would I pick against myself? If I base the decision on statistics, on the information (or lack of) about the players that I have, I think I

ultimately would.

Christophe and Eric: We both suffer from stereotypes. Both of us feel like we have to prove ourselves. But when it’s our turn to make assumptions, we fall into the same patterns.

This might show why stereotypes are so deeply rooted in society. It could also show that we as humans will make assumptions based on whatever little information we have. Of course, the best solution in every case is to get to know every individual better, rendering stereotypes obsolete. But often times, we’re put in positions where we need to make an assumption.

Basketball captains can’t interview every player on the court and see what their past experiences are.

The examples and decisions we brought up might sound plausible and benign, but what about when we apply the same rationale regarding stereotypes on a larger scale, with higher stakes? Police brutality related to racial profiling has garnered national attention in the past few years. So are we to condone this use of stereotypes, this racial profiling many police officers practice when lives are on the line? Of course not. Many of these cases are instances of racism in its purest form. Furthermore, the wide majority of stereotypes are not even true.

But where is the line drawn? Are we being blatantly hypocritical by acting on even the slightest of racial stereotypes, while we condemn others? Is picking the white kid over the Asian in the Plex also a form of racism, or is it just the smart thing to do? There is undeniably a lot less at stake, as a simple basketball game is pretty insignificant. But this type of action shows the clear irony in the way we view racial profiling.

There is a line that divides these these two cases, as the basketball captain’s actions could be defended while the police officer’s cannot. But it’s tough to say exactly where that line is. One thing is for sure: stereotypes are a huge part of our daily lives, and it’s time to ask ourselves: are the little generalizations we make planting the seeds of a slippery, dangerous slope?

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DAN GAZZOLA

Having a question in class is terrifying.

The professor says something that you don’t understand, or that you missed for a legitimate reason, like checking your Instagram. Then you’re stuck in an awful situation. If you don’t ask, you risk missing out on what could be imperative information for the next test. Naturally, one would think that this is enough to motivate asking the question in mind. But we’re afraid of asking these questions because it might look “dumb,” which is silly. We pay approximately 60 grand a year for an education at a top tier University. We go to Boston College in order to learn. Why do so many of us frequently refrain from asking questions?

Apparently the self-imposed fear proves too much of a mental obstacle for us.

Although observed often in an inclass setting, the fear of putting ourselves out there doesn’t stop in the classroom. It’s all around us. It permeates our lives. This fear promotes the development of applications like Tinder, which save us the trouble of actually approaching someone we are interested in and striking up a conversation. Bumble takes it a step further and saves guys from the horror of initiating the conversation, a process which requires touching the screen of a phone three times.

God forbid you have to be the first one to say “hi”. Websites like GrubHub or Foodler, while more convenient than ordering over the phone, also mitigate the little human interaction involved in placing an order. It’s baffling how willing we are to reach out to each other through technology, providing comfort against the aforementioned fear.

The fear that comes with the thought of putting yourself out there is pretty common—it’s natural for us. While this might be the case, we can’t let it have such a large impact on how we live our lives. If we give this fear too much power over us, it hinders our lives. Being in college, we will likely be released into the workforce within the next few years. Employers will look through our resumes, read our transcripts, and decide which ones of us to offer jobs. If we are afraid to put ourselves out there, this restricts our success. People don’t want to hire graduates who perform mechanical tasks. Employers want someone who isn’t afraid to think in different ways. If we let our fear of the unknown take control, we won’t have the confidence to try something new. And even if we do take a risk and go out on a limb, failure isn’t as awful as we are led to believe through our schooling. The portable pacemaker was created because someone accidentally plugged a resistor of the wrong size into a circuit. The microwave was first thought of because a chocolate bar melted in a scientist’s pocket when exposed to the active radar he was working on. The weak adhesive sticky notes were developed by a guy trying and failing to create an incredibly strong adhesive. As Isaac Asimov, renowned author and biochemistry professor, said “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ but ‘That’s funny…’.”

Although the idea of a prospective job is in the distant future for some of us, this fear affects our lives at BC. There are a multitude of different clubs and ways to get involved on campus. Finding what you’re passionate about, and finding groups that you mesh with is highly emphasized in the college experience. Often times ignoring the fear and just going for it is the only way we can form our own opinions about these clubs. But this is difficult. It’s far easier to stay in our comfort zones. It’s easier to settle into friendships with those who share the same unique qualities of enjoying going out on weekends and the lifestyle of working hard and playing hard. It’s less intimidating to pass on the meetings these clubs have. Yet if we choose to do this, how do we know if we will ever find the club that truly interests us? If we wish to make the most out of our undergraduate experience, if we want to set ourselves up for the best job possible, we can’t succumb to the fear of going outside of our comfort zones. We have to consciously acknowledge that although it is scary, we can’t allow the fear to make decisions for us. We have to understand that a life spent without risk, and without challenging ourselves, is not a fulfilling one. And we have to ask questions in class.

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THE HEIGHTS

A10

Thursday, November 12, 2015

9L ^iX[j m\ekli\ fec`e\ kf \Xj\ jkl[\ek jlYc\kk`e^ gifZ\jj JlY$@k X`dj kf gifm`[\ gfikXc ]fi Yl`c[`e^ e\knfib f] gfk\ek`Xc jlYc\kk\ij# Ôe[`e^ jX]\ e\`^_Yfi_ff[ 9P =I8E:@E< 8CD<;8 =fi K_\ ?\`^_kj When Mara Onita Lenco received a text from a subletter saying, “My mother hasn’t loaded enough money on my card. I’ll pay the rent soon,” she knew there had to be a better option. With nearly 250,000 students flooding the streets of Boston each year, Joanna Kimszal and Onita Lenco saw an opportunity to change the way young adults enter the housing market.

Randomly paired as roommates in Warren Tower at Boston University freshman year, Onita Lenco and Kimszal were sheltered from the challenges of subletting until the summer after their sophomore year, when they both moved off campus, and where they remained every subsequent summer. After cycling through unresponsive landlords, shady Craigslist listings, and questionable money transfers, both recognized the need for an effective platform to make housing a safe and smooth process.

“Mara brought up the idea that maybe we should create a website that will help us sublet since we couldn’t find anything out there, and it simply took off,” Kimszal said.

“We both have personalities which are very open to new ideas, and that’s what makes us such a great team.”

The girls drew from personal experiences and the stories of others to shape their idea.

They were inspired by a personal struggle of a close friend who had just moved to Boston from Morocco for an internship and was struggling to find a comfortable living situation for the summer. After using Craigslist to sublet a room, their friend ended up in a home filled with people of all ages and backgrounds

and was robbed multiple times. Onita Lenco and Kimszal became driven to not only create a website for students, but to also build a safe network and community to prevent situations like this from occurring.

“Boston is such an amazing city, and we want students to feel comfortable and have the best experience here as possible,” Onita Lenco said. “For those who come abroad, this can be especially challenging. Many are unfamiliar with the culture and neighborhoods of the city, which can land some in a potentially dangerous situation.”

Onita Lenco and Kimszal began drawing up the initial plan to build a website, but they faced the daunting task of diving into the business world as neuroscience majors.

“The most challenging aspect of bringing this idea to life was learning the language of business,” Kimszal said. “It forces you to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, whereas science demands a very technical mind. However, we have learned to blend the two worlds, and build from the strengths of both.”

With little experience in the visual, logistical, and technical aspects of making their idea a reality, Onita Lenco and Kimszal were fortunate enough to find multiple resources on BU’s campus to help guide them in the right direction during their preliminary designs.

Onita Lenco mentioned the idea to professor Erik Molander at the BU Questrom School of Business who then encouraged them to enroll in the New Venture Competition at BU. Professor Ian Mashiter, who coordinates the BuzzLab, a startup incubator at BU, helped us develop the idea further. Over the course of summer 2015, Onita Lenco and Kimszal entered the BuzzLab Summer Startup Accel-

erator which gave them insight into business, operations, and marketing.

“There are so many aspects to designing a website which I never took into account,” Kimszal said. “Understanding how far a person scrolls down, where they click, what colors are appealing, are all elements which seem trivial, but play a huge role in user experience.

I had to learn all of this from scratch.”

Many late nights and long hours led to their first draft of their website, Sub-It. Sub-It is unique in its ability to cater toward the population who are most in need and most vulnerable: students. To create an account, one must enter a valid university email address. This reduces risk of encountering unsavory characters and restricts potential roommates to a certain demographic.

Students can search apartments and rooms and make transactions through the website itself, eliminating flaky payments or lastminute excuses.

Sub-It gained traction after winning third place in a recent New Venture Competition at BU, beating out over 20 other startups in the preliminary round. The New Venture Competition demanded intense practice and preparation. During the first round called “Pitch and Pizza,” a one-minute pitch was made to a panel of judges, comprised of lawyers, CEO’s, and professors, who then chose their top choices. Kimszal and Lenco made it past this round and competed against six other startups where they presented to a panel of venture capitalists and judges. The final round narrowed down to five startups,

and presentations were made to an equally competitive panel of judges. Since the beginning of their journey with Sub-It, the two students have changed their career path toward business and are now in graduate school at BU, allowing them to build and expand this project in which they have already invested so much time.

“We are really creating a website which caters entirely to the student experience,” Kimszal said. “Because of that, we are still very much a work in progress and relying heavily on student feedback and personal stories to gain insight into how to make Sub-It the best it can be. We are aiming to have a complete rough product within the year, and know this has the ability to create a huge impact—even if in just a small way.”

GOSUBIT.COM

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DREW HOO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Signs across Middle Campus illustrated multiple statistics on campus sexual assault.

“You can push the statistics one way or another and they don’t shift much,” Beaumont said. “Does it seem like that many people are being expelled from our school compared to the rape statistics that are out there? No.” Beaumont said that 42 percent of women who are raped don’t report it. One of the reasons for underreporting is the fear that the individual will be silenced, she said. She then spoke of her own experience with this as a sophomore at BC in the spring of 2014. She explained that after an incident where she was sexually assaulted, Beaumont went to a counselor at BC to talk about what had happened.

“The response that I got was, ‘Well, did you drink too much? Were you leading that person on up until the point that they raped you?’” Beaumont said. “It was sort of deflecting it back on me. Basically, like, ‘What fault did you have in this? What did you do wrong to make this happen?’”

Beaumont said that the questions were never reversed. She said that she left and University Counseling Services never scheduled another appointment. Accord-

ing to BC’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, students who are victims of sexual misconduct are encouraged to talk to a counselor to receive the support they need, so the University can respond appropriately.

“That was the end of the conversation,” she said. “I should never walk into a counseling office and have them question me about what I did to get sexually assaulted.”

Hammel noted that Beaumont’s experience touches on two facets of the problem.

The first is that a high number of people who are sexually assaulted never report it in the first place. This is seen as a violation of Title IX when it results from people not feeling safe to the point where they can report an assault. The second facet is that the small number of people who do report it are rarely encouraged and supported to take action.

Hammel pointed out that this problem may not be the worst at BC, but it still affects individuals and, thus, stands as a flaw within the University. Beaumont said that the counselor she approached at BC was one of the first two people she ever told about her experience.

“After the conversation with this coun-

selor, I completely shut up about it,” Beaumont said. “It just shuts you up immediately.”

Because React to Film is a national organization, other campuses across the country showed The Hunting Ground around the same time and are creating reactions now as well. Hammel explained that as a result, the screening is sparking a national dialogue with the hope of creating a ripple effect and sparking a larger movement.

Hammel said that the projects each group used as reactions varied throughout the United States. She said that BC’s chapter chose to present the statistics in order to catch people’s attention. Beaumont said that the shock-factor was a part of the reason for how they created the reaction on campus. By providing these statistics, React to Film wants to shed light on the magnitude of the problem and help promote change through open dialogue.

“It makes it easier to talk about because people don’t want to bring up the subject,” Beaumont said. “It’s not that they can’t talk about it, it’s just how do you start a conversation about sexual assault? [The signs] are a starting point.”

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ARCHER PARQUETTE Most of my days are spent sitting on the roof of Walsh Hall, staring at the blood-red sky as a lonely guitar plays a chilling yet hopeful melody in the background. That was where I was yesterday, perched on the edge of the roof, the Prudential and Hancock Towers visible over the horizon past the reservoir.

“Boston,” the air whispered like a creepy neighbor. My hair swayed gently in the breeze, and my face glowed with the fire of the night.

It had been a hard few weeks since Halloween. I had decided not to dress up and to just stay in and study on Halloween. I spent most of the day in the lounge where I was repeatedly accused of insensitivity for dressing like a homeless person. People had taken to calling me Bologna as though that was my name for no apparent reason. My hair was growing scraggly and unruly.

“Then why don’t you get a haircut?”

Ben, my personal guitar player called from behind me.

“Ben,” I said, my voice calm and cool, like Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, and Richard Arlen combined to create some deformed voice-baby. “I pay you to play dramatic guitar songs while I stare at things, not to comment on my personal appearance.”

“But you were talking to yourself.”

“You know who else talked to himself?

George Washington, that’s who. Do you hate America, Ben? Is that what this is?

Now get back to playing the guitar.”

As Ben began to strum the guitar, I squinted at the sunset and grunted in a very awesome way. I’m just too loyal to my Milwaukee barber to get a haircut here. It wouldn’t be right. But the mop of greasy, black vomit on my head was making me sweat, blurring my vision, destroying my ability to write life-illuminating columns. I knew I had to come up with something Boston-tastic for my penultimate column.

“Dark have been my dreams of late,” I said. “What is to be done?”

“I read an article that said Boston was ranked the number one city to survive a zombie apocalypse,” Ben said, from the

other side of the roof.

“Really?” I said.

“Yup,” he said. “It was mostly because of all of the medical and biological scientists who’d be able to hole up and research a cure.”

“That makes sense, Benjamin,” I said.

“Boston is full of specialized medical professionals because it’s a great city and only truly fantastic people are allowed to write columns about it. Thank the Lord above that you told me that must-know factoid about Boston surviving a zombie apocalypse. That’s really practical and useful in my day-to-day life.”

“New York got last place.”

“Ha,” I said, not actually laughing, but literally saying “ha” phonetically one time and then stopping.

“So,” Ben said. “My hour’s up. I can do another if you’re willing to pay me, Bologna.”

“That is not my name,” I said before climbing down the ladder I had placed on the side of the eight-story Walsh dormitory. Once I reached street level I looked around and wondered if all these cherryfaced little college students knew that they were living in the city most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse.

I also wondered if I really cared. I

quickly decided that I didn’t. What did it matter? In a strange coup d’etat of my mind, I realized that, as I neared the end of my penultimate column, I no longer really wanted to live in the city.

For the past year I’ve been writing columns about how fantastic the city is.

I’ve experienced many facets of what the city has to offer and then wrote completely ridiculous accounts that had very little in common with the actual experience except for maybe general sentiment.

A fictionalized Archer did a lot of crazy and weird things while real Archer didn’t do very many exciting things, except for occasionally writing about himself in third person.

Now, for my penultimate column, after reading about a zombie apocalypse in this fine city and staring at some gigantic metal towers, I realized that I had somehow backed myself into the antithesis of what a Metro column is supposed to be. I don’t really want to live in the city. Almost definitely not after I graduate. After spending over a year here, I don’t know why anybody would ever want to live in the city, not just Boston, any city. It’s expensive, unpleasant, loud, smelly, and despair-inducing. Last week I saw a man wearing a tattered pair

of jeans and a grey hoodie with smeared, greasy clown paint on his face walking around the Common. It was terrifying and weird and something I don’t want to see anymore. There’s a lot of interesting stuff that’s great to visit and talk about but that’s only because I can escape back to the cloistered BC campus afterward.

Maybe Boston would keep you safe in a zombie apocalypse, but why even bother thinking about something so stupid and unpleasant?

After my four years are up, I plan to return to good old Nowhere, a place where I can wear my trademark, absurdly-large pantaloons in peace and stare at things pensively for hours on end. I don’t mean to dissuade you from enjoying city life. I’ve been writing about how you should enjoy it for almost a whole year now, but I also know that it’s not right for everyone. This may be a very un-Metro moment, but just remember that an entire country exists between the two coasts, a country that might not be well equipped for a zombie apocalypse but also might be the better place to live.

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TV REVIEW

‘MASTER OF NONE’

THE NETFLIX ORIGINAL FROM ANSARI EXPLORES MILLENNIALISM, PAGE B4 COLUMN

THEATER REVIEW

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RECENT MEMORY, COUNTRY RULES THE CHARTS, PAGE B2

THE GOOD TIMES ROLL ON IN THIS CONTEMPLATIVE BONN STUDIO PRODUCTION,PAGE B2

COUNTRY MUSIC MOSES

‘Vanya & Sonya & Masha & Spike’

BRECK WILLS / HEIGHTS GRAPHICS

THE HEIGHTS

B2

Thursday, November 12, 2015

REASONABLE DOWD

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RYAN DOWD

“How long has it been since country albums made up the Billboard 200s top 3?”

Maura Johnston—Boston College professor, Globe correspondent, and generally the best redheaded music writer in our great states—tweeted at 12:36 p.m. on Monday, when Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, and Eric Church came in at first, second, third. And I wondered. And I looked it up.

Man, did Garth Brooks own the ’90s.

That guy has friends in all kinds of places.

Garth and the gang (Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Reba) came close, but Michael Jackson, Nirvana, and Ice T were always getting in the way. They came closest on Dec. 28, 2002, when Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks came in at one and two, and Tim McGraw came in at four. The haters said country was dead after Taylor Swift left and took her legions of star-crossed lovers with her. It hasn’t been the case. The Billboard top three albums of reference—Chris Stapleton’s Traveler, Carrie Underwood’s Storyteller, and Eric Church’s surprise-release Mr. Misunderstood—made it to the top in the wake of the Country Music Association Awards (CMAs) and the week before Justin Bieber premieres Purpose. But for now, country is king.

This is all on the back of “country music’s biggest night.” The CMAs are basically the Oscars of country music (a trade federation dishing out stamps of approval). Outside of maybe the Fourth of July, it’s the biggest night in America. It’s also one of the weirdest, fittingly. But it’s a night that gets a lot of things right, rewards the right folks.

The Oscars gave Best Picture Awards to The King’s Speech and Forest Gump. The Grammy’s gave an award to Macklemore instead of Kendrick Lamar. When it comes to celebrating the right people last Wednesday, the CMAs hit all the right notes, showering Chris Stapleton with statues and continuing the reign of Miranda Lambert.

Stapleton honorably thanked all his “cousins in Kentucky.” Sure, there were hiccups. The Star Wars-themed opening came off too opportunistic. Disney/Lucasfilm doesn’t need free advertising. There’s the hokey, “aw shucks” sense of humor that sort of says “anything that’s not country is cray-cray.”

And apparently, Priceline hasn’t been paying WIlliam Shatner enough.

At the start of the (long) show, John Mellencamp performed “Pink Houses” strumming to the words “ain’t that America” alongside Keith Urban, who’s ironically Australian. Urban name-checks Mellencamp in his harmless “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.” But, as many critics have noted the past few days, it’s Eric Church’s Mr. Misunderstood that sounds a lot like Mellencamp.

Church released his new album the day of the big show. He’s clever and cagey, that one.

It’s a far cry from The Outsiders, stylistically though not wholly in substance.

I saw Church at the Garden last spring.

Even way back in the nosebleeds and a few weeks shy of a good night sleep, it was awesome. But the giant inflatable devil and scorching horde of guitars was a little much.

He doesn’t need much showmanship to tell a story. So if you wanted a Church album where “Talladega” meets “Carolina,” Mr. Misunderstood is it. Church has moved from screaming and shouting from outside, to whispering to the audience inside.

While lots of the CMA performances like “Mr. Misunderstood” and Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” made Nashville the place to be, there are just as many “Strip It Down”s and “Beautiful Drug”s that make you scratch your head at the way people mindlessly nod along. Hold your liberal applause for Little Big Town’s winning “Girl Crush.”

It’s not “I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It.” It’s “I’m Jealous of the Girl Kissing My Man.” But even with the duds and toe-dipping liberalism, the CMA’s were/are fun.

Even Justin Timberlake—rebranded for a night as “a son of Memphis”—got in on it, Performing with Stapleton, who looks and sounds like a Country Music Zeus, “Drink You Away.”

The boys—Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan—still stole a few awards. But last week, Bro Country finally took a boot to the ass. So crack a cold one in celebration, here’s to more than trucks, beer, and girls in jeans.

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DREW HOO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

‘Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike’ is a play full of pointless, petty arguments that in the end culminate in clever Chekhovian drama that’ll make the audience laugh in the Bonn.

:fd\[p Xe[ [iXdX Xe[ X^\ Xe[ pflk_ `e k_\ 9fee Jkl[`f 9P ?8EE8? D:C8L>?C@E ?\`^_kj JkX]] “WE LICKED POSTAGE STAMPS!” exclaims the exasperated old man, by this time a little more than halfway through his emotional tirade. Seems about right.

Our old man, Vanya (played by Michael Joseph, MCAS ’18), paces hurriedly across the stage, his voice intensifying with each new word of the nostalgialoaded monologue. Without the grandeur of Robsham Theater’s elevated stage, portrait frame, and 600-or-so upholstered chairs, the Bonn Studio Theater establishes a palpable intimacy perfect for this scene—and all others—in this charming adaptation of the Christopher Durang comedy.

Director Maisie Laud, MCAS ’16, brings Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike to Boston College this weekend, with the show running from Nov. 12 to 15. A contemporary comedy that meshes characters and themes from some of Anton Chekhov’s most popular plays, Durang’s script spurs decidedly

depressing aspects of old age and spins them into a humorous dialogue filled with witty jokes and sarcastic banter. A weekend in the life of three unmarried 50-somethings whose sibling rivalries and long-held grudges threaten the family reunion, the play’s characters are both realistic and relatable. Laud gives great attention to Durang’s original piece, as her version doesn’t stray far from the script or tangle itself in unnecessary alterations to the story.

Set predominantly in the living room of their childhood home, Vanya and his adopted sister Sonia (Erica Fallon, CSOM ’18) open the play with a meaningless argument about coffee. The play is flooded with insignificant fights like this one—actually, the vast majority of the characters’ problems stem from trivial issues that the dialogue makes fit for the stage. From fights over appropriate running attire to controversy over which character’s costumes is best, the actors comically portray the tragically monotonous lives of their characters through self-aware side comments and

deliberate overreaction.

Vanya’s unassuming persona and Sonia’s woe-is-me worrying are met with the bragadocious bravado of sister and hollywood star Masha (Marybeth Dull, LSOE ’17). Toting around her younger beau Spike (played by Michael Quinn, MCAS ’19), Masha gleefully announces her decision to sell the beloved family home for the sole purpose of acquiring the hefty sum she was promised. Together, this cast of wildly cantankerous characters makes for an entertaining take on the typical family dynamic.

Finally, after a few scathing comments and some mild sexual innuendos are exchanged, an element of drama ensues after the self-absorbed Spike meets the beautiful Nina (Caitlin Ferris, CSOM ’19)—an old-fashioned film fanatic whose intelligence, relative youth, and pep threaten Masha’s strong hold on the young stud Spike. The actors entangled in the love triangle play their parts perfectly, as Masha’s seething jealousy juxtaposed with Nina’s sickeningly sweet persona provides the audience with a hilarious

one-sided competition for Spike’s affection. Arguably, the best part of the play is Cassandra, the clairvoyant housekeeper (played by Jessie Shaw, MCAS ’19). Shaw is responsible for most of the play’s laughs, as the odd antics and cartoonish gestures of a smart-mouthed psychic are performed perfectly by Shaw.

Despite the show’s hilarity, Durang’s story doesn’t shy away from the stark realities of life. Shrouded in a tone of melancholy, the play constantly switches from light-hearted gaiety to introspective anxiety about death and how we sometimes waste our lives away. Though the difficulty of representing both aspects of Durang’s complex piece, Laud ties the opposing moods together expertly. The result is an appropriate balance—a comedy that is interrupted by a harsh slap of reality whenever it seems the audience is having too much fun.

Thanks to some corny jokes and great stage direction, the BC Dramatics Society’s adaptation of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a performance worth watching.

DREW HOO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

THIS WEEKEND in arts

BY: HANNAH MCLAUGHLIN | HEIGHTS STAFF

JAMES BAY (MONDAY, 7 P.M.)

‘THE 33’ (OPENS FRIDAY)

English singer-songwriter James Bay is bringing his signature fusion of folk and indie rock to the House of Blues Boston this Monday night. Be there to hear him perform hit singles like “Let it Go,” “Hold Back the River,” and other original tracks off his album, Chaos and the Calm.

Based on a true story, this film follows a group of 33 miners in a gold and copper mine. As a rescue team works for 69 days to free the workers from this beneath the rubble, the trapped miners must overcome harrowing hardships to survive.

‘LOVE THE COOPERS’ (OPENS FRIDAY) Celebrate the winter season early with the release of “Love The Coopers’”–a family-friendly Christmas comedy that is sure to provide some entertaining holiday hijinks. This weekend, watch Amanda Seyfried, Ed Helms, John Goodman, and others in this star-studded film.

CLARIUS ENTERTAINMENT

‘MY ALL AMERICAN’ (OPENS FRIDAY)

UNIVERSITY CHORALE FALL CONCERT (FRIDAY, 8:00 P.M.)

After being rejected from some of the biggest college teams in the nation, football phenom Freddie Steinmark is finally discovered by a coach who sees potential in the young player.

Be sure to watch the University Chorale of Boston College perform at their annual fall concert at Trinity Chapel on BC’s Newton Campus. Hear the group sing Dvorak’s “Mass in D” and “Ave Maria,” arranged by Andrew Gaffney, MCAS ’16.

MY MOTHER’S FLEABAG (FRIDAY-SATURDAY, 7:00 P.M.)

ODESZA (SATURDAY 6:00 P.M.)

VANYA & SONIA & MASHA & SPIKE (THURSDAY—SATURDAY, 7:30 P.M.)

Join My Mother’s Fleabag in the this weekend for its highly anticipated Fall BIG show. The improv comedy group will perform at 7 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the Vanderslice Cabaret Room.

Head to the House of Blues Boston on Saturday to hear Odesza play energetic electronic music. Since the band’s formation, Odesza has released two studio albums, including their highly rated sophomore release In Return.

Watch the Boston College Dramatics Society perform this entertaining modern comedy in the Bonn Studio Theater. Following a day in the life of three siblings, the play is a mix of sarcastic comedy and raw emotion.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

THE HEIGHTS

B3

Brian McCann, BC’87 personality extraoridnaire Twenty years of late night (and all the ridiculous characters along the way) 9P :?I@J =LCC<I 8jjfZ% 8ikj I\m`\n <[`kfi

Wild applause rang thunderously throughout the New York studio. Brian McCann, BC ’87, had just finished a stand-up appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The tall, gangly, redheaded comedian hustled over to McCann, shook his hand, thanked him for his set, and signed off for the night.

The show cut to a commercial.

Conan leaned into McCann and whispered, “We’ve got to get you on the show full-time.”

McCann wasn’t shocked. He had met Conan in Chicago and been on Late Night a few times, but it quickly set in that he had just been offered a spot at one of most coveted television programs of the early ’90s. This was an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.

McCann was at Boston College from the fall of ’83 to the spring of ’87. “When I was back on campus everything about the atmosphere felt very similar,” McCann said, having visited a few weeks ago.

“I was surprised Mary Ann’s was still a thing. The only thing that really seemed different was there was more trouble trying to get to various tailgates.”

He had a small group of friends that he roomed with and went out with on the weekends. They greatly enjoyed and appreci-

ated each other’s company. They didn’t see much of a reason to break their bubble.

While McCann wrote a comic strip for The Heights, he never gave much thought to practicing comedy while he was here. “I auditioned my freshman year for My Mother’s Fleabag, but that wasn’t my cup of tea and nor was I their cup of tea and, once that didn’t happen, I really gave it no more thought,” McCann said. “I enjoyed hanging out with my friends, and I did a semester abroad over in England, but I didn’t start working in comedy until after college.”

McCann wasn’t focused on what he considered to be more frivolous activities at school. He wanted to have a good time with his small group of friends and graduate with good job prospects.

That’s all that really mattered to him.

McCann began as a psychology major. “That lasted all of one semester. Then I double majored in communications and English. At the time I didn’t know what I was doing with an English degree, but right out of college I saw that when you’re applying for a job, everybody loves an English major.”

After graduating from BC in ’87 and before being offered a spot at Late Night in ’94, McCann moved to Chicago, a few miles away from his hometown, hoping to launch a daily comic strip. He would send his strips to several Chicagobased newspapers and they were often published. Soon McCann found a new calling.

“I started taking Improv classes and doing standup just to work on my comedic writing skills and all of that took off for me,” McCann said. “I let the comic strip idea

go. I went with what was working, which was performing.”

While working in Chicago, McCann met and got to know Andy Richter, a comedian who would soon go onto be Conan O’Brien’s right-hand man and announcer.

“Andy and I hung out together and performed together a lot, and that’s how I got in with Conan,”

“It’s work, work, and work-writing nonstop, every single day.”

McCann said. “I met Conan right after he got picked for Late Night.

He came into Chicago and he was looking for writers and he came to one of my shows and we spoke after. He was really nice, but there wasn’t a place for me, or my sensibility, on his staff at that time. He had me on the show a couple times and finally offered me a spot on his writing staff.”

While McCann was grateful and thrilled with his new post on Late Night in New York, he acknowledges that working at 30 Rockefeller wasn’t all rainbows and peacocks.

“It could get very stressful,” he said. “There’re always 12 to 14 hour days. Any show like that is run by the host’s mood, and Conan put a lot of pressure on himself. When he was stressed, the whole operation would feel pretty stressful. But when we felt like we were in a groove, those were probably some of the most fun, most productive, and probably best times for viewers and staff alike. There’s a lot of truth to the idea that if you’re having a lot of fun, it shows.”

Throughout his career at Late Night, McCann created some of

the most memorable and hysterical characters the show had ever seen.

McCann thought up and played Preparation-H Raymond, the Bulletproof Legs Guy, Dave Yarvolo (the world’s oldest stuntman), the 19th-centur y douchebag , and most notably the Fed Ex pope.

Any minute description of any of these characters would fail to do them justice. They are holistically emblematic of McCann’s humor and of what made Conan O’Brien’s Late Show unique and successful. All late night programs had a monologue and guests, but they never encapsulated such a wide spectrum of characters and stories as Late Night did. McCann was essential to this aspect of Late Night and the prominence of his characters on the program prove it. Each of his characters is wacky and hilarious in their own respect and undoubtedly deserve a browsing through at teamcoco. com/mccann.

When Conan moved out to Los Angeles in ’08 to start his doomed stint at The Tonight Show, McCann

“There’s a lot of truth to the idea that if you’re having a lot of fun, it shows.” decided that he wouldn’t move out to L.A. butwould instead fly out every week to work on the show. McCann’s girlfriend and his daughter stayed in New York and McCann decided that he would eventually stop flying out to L.A. “I told myself from the beginning that I’d only be flying out for three years,” McCann said. “That was my limit. That’s no way to live a life. I decided I would need to move on and continue to work in

New York.”

Conan’s time on The Tonight Show was famously short. NBC decided it wanted to put Jay Leno back at 11:30, the allotted time-slot for Tonight Show. Conan refused. After several months of negotiations, Conan and his staff walked.

“The whole Tonight Show episode was stressful from the get-go and it got worse until it collapsed,” McCann remembers. “Conan didn’t want any characters that worked so well at Late Night. In his mind, they couldn’t exist at that time slot.

When The Tonight Show ended it was simultaneously disastrous and hilarious.”

O’Brien started Conan on TBS and a few years later, at the end of his three-year obligation, McCann left Conan and started working primarily in New York. “Now I write and produce shows in New York,” McCann said. “Up-and-comers are being given late night shows left and right, and I try to work with them and give them the best opportunity possible to see their vision. When I’m not writing for TV shows, I’ve been doing improv and stand-up around town and voice-overs for commercials.”

McCann notices how much things have changed since he entered the late-night business almost 20 years ago. “The expansion for late night has been insane,” he said. “If you count them, there’s like 17 or 18 shows.

When I got into it, there were the coveted three programs,

and it was an honor to be working at any of them. With the explosion of networks and the Internet, there’s an endless stream of programs now.”

While this change may appear overwhelming, McCann feels that it is a positive change for the industry.

“I think it bodes well for anyone who wants to get into the business, he said.

“I don’t think it’s nearly as lucrative a prospect as it used to be. There’s more opportunity to do whatever you want, wherever you want. I didn’t see it coming, but I think it’s a promotion of creativity.”

With 20 years in Late Night and comedy under his belt, McCann has some more-than-credible advice for anyone wanting to join comedy.

“Young writers need to practice every day and try to perform for people, even if they’re not a performer, he said. “They need to find a vehicle to channel their writing and to get real feedback from real people. It’s work, work, and work—writing non-stop, every single day. There’s a lot of truth to that formula.”

Brian McCann should know— he built a 20-year long career off of it. And he’s still at it.

A FULLER PICTURE

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CHRIS FULLER There’s only one person’s movie recommendation I’ll take without question—my father’s. He never gives a great explanation for why I should watch something. When I saw him last weekend, he strongly recommended that I see Jason Segel’s End of the Tour. I asked him why I should see it, and all I got in reply was, “It’s great.

The dialogue’s pretty sophisticated.” This is all I can really expect from him when we discuss movies, but his small critiques and praises pack quite a punch. If John Fuller asks me to watch a movie, you’d better be certain I’m going to see it.

Last weekend I asked him if he wanted to see Spectre while he was in town. I got us our tickets, and on our way to the movie theater we shared some of our favorite scenes of the British spy. For me, there was the scene at the opera in Quantum of Solace and my Dad shot back with the underwater sequence in Connery’s Thunderball. The sheer density of the theater we squeezed into ratcheted our excitement.

Luckily, we got there early and found a good spot. By the time Spectre started, there wasn’t an empty seat in the house.

The opening day-of-thedead sequence didn’t disappoint. This scene exuded the essence of Bond superbly.

There were glamorous women, exotic costumes, and an ambiguous whiff of evil that belonged nowhere else but in a James Bond film. Then there were the stylized opening credits featuring a playful and ominous octopus and Sam Smith’s surprisingly excellent Bond theme, “Writing’s On The Wall.” It looked like Spectre was on its way to putting its wildly successful predecessor, Skyfall, to shame. Then everything went

to absolute s—t.

Spectre was by far the worst of Daniel Craig’s Bond films.

Aside from the opening scene, Spectre abandoned the thrilling essence that it had initially captured. About half an hour in, I looked over to see what my dad’s reaction was. He was asleep. He fell asleep during a James Bond movie. But I wasn’t outraged or perplexed. Hell, I was nodding off myself. Almost everything about Spectre added up to a cookie-cutter James Bond plot that lacked anything like the tense action or the sophisticated Bond character for which Craig’s other films are highly praised.

That’s what made Skyfall so great. We got to see MI6’s indestructible agent torn physically and emotionally to shreds throughout the film. Several aspects of Casino Royale worked to the same effect.

Neither of these films sacrificed style for substance either.

And even if there wasn’t an engaging scene between Bond and his cohorts, there was an excellent landscape or action sequence to keep viewers entertained.

For all the crap it gets, Quantum of Solace probably has the best car and foot chases of any of Craig’s (and by extension, all) Bond films. These films took the campy spy that Brosnan had degraded Bond to and made him this beast of a man who, though pretty durable, could be shattered both physically and mentally.

Spectre seemed to forget that the previous installments in Craig’s stint had gone to such efforts to flesh out these qualities.

It forgot about Skyfall’s attention to Bond’s vulnerability. It brought back the indestructible womanizer that fulfills the classic—now unbelievable—Bond stereotype that doesn’t belong in modern spy films.

Some people might point to the film’s resolution and say, “But Chris, the end of the film puts a lot of your issues to rest.” If they didn’t understand the implications that the ending is setting up for Craig’s Bond, I suggest they go see Spectre again and notice

who all would still be around for the next film.

Aside from the unsophisticated character, the action was mundane and the plot was unbelievably predictable. Skyfall had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, wondering what would happen next. Spectre never had me fooled for a second.

While the opening sequence was one of the most engaging action sequences in any Bond film, this scene was the only example of daring ambition in Spectre.

One scene does not a whole movie make. In fact, the only scene that could’ve made the whole film more engrossing (the Spectre boardroom meeting) was completely defueled by trailers’ relentless use of it. The lighting looked amazing there was a tense stillness to the scene and that extremely unsettling. This scene would have been amazing to see for the first time in the theater, but some marketing executive decided it would be best to give it away before audiences got to the theater.

German actor Christoph Waltz’s character was horrendously underused, overdone, and unmenacing. Compared with Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva in Skyfall, Waltz’s motivations seemed both forced and unengaing. It was hard to understand what he was actually up to or how dangerous he and his organization actually were. For me, Waltz was the selling-point of the film and, appearing in Spectre for less than 30 minutes of screen time, I couldn’t have been more disappointed with how Sam Mendes decided to use his character.

When my dad and I walked out of the theater, I asked him what he thought of it.

“It was good,” he said.

“Yeah,” I quietly replied.

This time, his limited language wasn’t masking a sophisticated interpretation or appreciation for Spectre. We were both just trying to convince ourselves that we liked it. Days later, I realized we couldn’t.

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THE HEIGHTS

B4

Thursday, November 12, 2015

JkXi JXf`ij\ IfeXe ZcX`dj X Zfj\p _fd\ `e Ê9iffbcpeË 9P D<C@JJ8 89@ A8FL;< =fi K_\ ?\`^_kj Based on the 2009 novel by Colm Toibin, Brooklyn is a beautifully rendered film that immediately captures its audience and simply refuses to let it go. While in many ways it’s a straightforward, coming-of-age story about a young Irish girl, Ellis, making

her way to America. The way the film portrays this transatlantic journey is so utterly relatable that one cannot help but share in Eilis’ (Saoirse Ronan) experience and emotions. Brooklyn engages in a clear, profound form of nostalgia that is equally empathetic as it is captivating.

Born in a small town in 1950s Ireland with few opportunities,

Eilis Lacey moves away to Brooklyn to start a new life. There, she slowly begins to acclimate to the drastic changes that she faces, begins to realize new dreams, falls in love, and finds a new home.

It is a shining reminder of what New York stood for in the past, and to an extent still does—a shining beacon for new

FILM

BROOKLYN JOHN CROWLEY PRODUCED BY LIONSGATE PICTURES RELEASE NOV. 4, 2015 OUR RATING

LIONSGATE PICTURES

dreams and finding yourself.

It is difficult to find someone today who is setting sail to a new land, without the expectation of going back home. It’s quite common, though, for one to move away, feel some early pangs of homesickness, but then go on to discover new things and start forming a new home for herself.

It is almost inherently part of growing up in whatever society one grows up in. It’s this essential experience that Brooklyn so deeply engages in, the lives we continually leave behind and the choices we make along the way that irrevocably separate us from them.

The screenplay, written by Nick Hornby (Wild), moves se amle ssly f rom Ireland to America. The set and costume designs bring you fully into authentic world. Still, the film is strongest in its actors, and in particular Saoirse Ronan.

Already an established child actor, Saoirse Ronan shines in this film and brings new layers to the character. She’s equally

likable, stirring, and relatable.

Already an emotionally wrought film, it is Ronan’s subtle, nuanced portrayal that brings in the audiences , even moving them to tears.

While Ronan’s performance is standout, that is not to say that it was the only one. Julie Walters as Mrs. Kehoe, the stern-butkind owner of the boarding house Ellie finds her footing in Brooklyn, is wonderful as is Emory Cohen, who plays Tony, an Italian plumber and Eilis’ love interest.

Really, the entire cast was terrific. Between such a cast and a gorgeously scripted film, it is easy to fall in love with the characters and the world that director John Crowley crafts.

A story about finding a place for yourself where you belong, Brooklyn is a well-cast, wellproduced film that will stay with you long after you have left the theater.

Sometimes heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, and consistently engaging—it is a breezy, uplifting film.

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Last Friday, Netflix released the first season of Aziz Ansari’s much-anticipated new series, Master of None. The series has been met with wide critical acclaim. The New York Times called it “the year’s best comedy.” The season consists of 10 episodes, with each revolving around a certain subject facing millennials today. In one episode, Aziz’s Dev—a struggling actor—faces a common dilemma: where to go for lunch. He spends hours researching the most delicious, trendy, location-convenient taco shop on his laptop. When he finally chooses a place, what do you know—they’re out of tacos.

Ansari pays close attention to every aspect of Master of None—from diversity to character development to the cinematography. The first and third episodes were directed by James Ponsoldt, who comes straight from the critical acclaims of The Spectacular Now and The End of the Tour. His direction sets the tone for the eight following episodes. The show is a far cry from the inauthentic feel of a sitcom and is shot more like a film.

Ansari cast his real parents, and his dad might be the real star of the show. He constantly struggles with his iPad, torturing Dev with trivial requests to fix it. In one scene, Dev’s father

brags to Dev about the photos he took on a recent trip, but his wife quips, “No, you just took one long video.” He looks at his wife and says, “Hey, that’s the whole trip, man. You see everything!”

Ansari’s Dev and Kelvin Yu’s Brian spend “Parents” exploring the generational divide between immigrant parents and their millennial children. In the story both Dev and his Taiwanese friend Brian ignore their fathers, choosing instead to see the new X-Men film.

Dev’s relative remarks later in the episode that had Dev’s parents chosen to stay in India, Dev might be working at the horrid zipper factory where his father had previously worked. In response, Brian tells the relative, “Instead, Dev lives in America, where his biggest problem is that the Wifi in his apartment is messed up.”

Ansari and Yu also deal with the lack of diversity on television in an episode aptly titled, “Indians on TV.” Dev auditions for the lead in a sitcom but doesn’t get the role. When he inquires to a network executive about the rejection, he claims that they hired an Indian for a lead role and that there “can’t be two.” The episode evolves into a satirical take on Holly wo o d’s discrimination against Indian people and its use of brownface so that white actors can play Indians. In one scene, Dev tells his friend, “If Paula Deen had said, ‘I don’t want to

serve Indian people,’ nobody would care—they’d just go back to eating the biscuits.”

But the jokes don’t land every time. Some of his lines are also taken directly from his standup special, Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden. In an episode titled “Hot Ticket,” Dev complains about a girl not texting him back after he tried to make plans, a story almost word-for-word from his special.

In another episode, a conversation centers on creepy dudes.

Ansari tells the same story of having to “wait in a pet shop for 30 minutes” both in the show and onstage. If you’ve seen the special, you might want to fast-

forward through this scene.

Perhaps Master of None has been so critically acclaimed because of Ansari’s ability to veer away from formulaic storytelling. In almost every show on television, the main characters of the show are visible in every single episode. Rather than contrive stories for these characters, Ansari just uses them when they naturally enter the storyline.

In “Mornings,” besides a brief appearance from Dev’s parents, the only two characters that appear in the episode are Dev and his girlfriend Rachel. It would have taken away from the focus of the episode to feature another character, as the story

revolves around their growing relationship. Also—what group of friends eats out every day together? Ansari doesn’t underestimate the attention span or intelligence of its viewers—and it’s refreshing.

On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this week, Colbert asked Ansari about the title, Master of None. Ansari responds, “[The show] is about this guy who really feels like he’s a developed adult … but he’s still learning a lot about life and what not, so he’s kind of a ‘Master of None.’ With the talent on display in these episodes, Ansari certainly doesn’t have that problem.

TELEVISION

MASTER OF NONE AZIZ ANSARI PRODUCED BY UNIVERSAL TELEVISION RELEASE NOV. 6, 2015 OUR RATING

UNIVERSAL TELEVISION

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Where do you look for the next great musical these days?

Perhaps you should take a look at What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress, Sara Bareilles’ original score to her recent musical exploit, Waitress, based on the 2007 comedy-drama film of the same name about a pie-making waitress and her tumultuous love life. What more

could you want from her fifth studio album?

For Bareilles, known for both her bold, personal songs, What’s Inside represents a natural evolution of her previous work. While the album reveals her stunning vocal range, it’s also a chance to work with broad and intimate themes in a range of emotions and complexities.

It concerns love and personal criticism holistically, the subject of the songs evolving from carefreeness to insecurity

and resilience again.

Do those themes sound familiar?

They should, if you can recall her 2013 single “Brave” or her original hit “Love Song” from 2007, which represent, respectively, a triumph over personal insecurity and an empowered response to her rebuffing a romance.

The set opens with its titular track, “What’s Inside,” a soft-voiced meditation over the main character’s pies, where she lists her ingredients methodi-

ALBUM

WHAT’S INSIDE: SONGS FROM ‘WAITRESS’ SARA BAREILLES PRODUCED EPIC RECORDS RELEASE NOV. 6, 2015 OUR RATING

EPIC RECORDS

cally. The album’s structure, to match its original musical, actually helps to convey some of her recurrent musical and lyric motifs, like this opening list of “sugar, butter, flour.” The same theme in the final track brings the album to a circular close.

To contrast the album opener, most of the album has a powerful, upbeat feel. “Opening Up,” about the start of the restaurant day, sounds like a jaunty ’50s jukebox jam. Perhaps as a nod to this nostalgia, Bareilles croons, “It’s comforting how some things never change,” with “never change” echoing for several lines after.

You likely remember Bareilles for her driving, powerful beats in “King of Anything” and recent hit “Brave,” but her new album explores an array of unconventional backbeats and piano movements. “Door Number Three” and “When He Sees Me,” the next songs on the album, use unexpected chords, piano harmony, and even musical count. “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me,” what I consider one of the most inventive songs of the album, uses its piano to convey a jazzy, rhythmic feel, and “Bad Idea” with Jason Mraz even turns a little arrhythmic over its waltz timing.

Bareilles explores the full power of her instrument of choice.

Some of the tracks, however, instead echo the forms of her earlier work. “I Didn’t Plan It” has a lot of the same riffs as “Love Song.” “She Used to Be Mine,” the album’s lead single, has the same message and instruments as 2013 single “Brave.”

Motifs from Bareilles’ 2009 single “Gravity” especially figure into her score. “You Matter to Me,” also featuring Jason Mraz, features an acoustic piano waltz paired with sparse violin accents and “Gravity’s” musical pattern, with a large musical break after the bridge, although Mraz and Bareilles’ two-part overlapping chorus makes the former song less lonely than the latter.

“Everything Changes” also has some of the same note sequences as “Gravity,” but they are endowed with a newer, more hopeful context.

What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress is an interesting next step for Bareilles.

It does not mark her transition into pure theater work but rather that her music and original themes can be used ubiquitously and can be contextualized in new ways. But more importantly, the emergence of new themes, instruments, and experimental musical sequences in her work shows her capacity for change and even after four albums her originality has not run out.

CHART TOPPERS TOP SINGLES

1 Hello Adele 2 Hotline Bling Drake 3 The Hills The Weeknd 4 Sorry Justin Bieber 5 What Do You Mean?

Justin Bieber 6 Stitches Shawn Mendes 7 Focus Ariana Grande 8 Wildest Dreams Taylor Swift

TOP ALBUMS

1 Traveller Chris Stapleton 2 Storyteller Carrie Underwood 3 Mr. Misunderstood Eric Church 4 Now 56 Various Artists 5 Beauty Behind The Madness The Weeknd Source: Billboard.com

MUSIC VIDEO CHANDLER FORD

“FELL IN THE SUN” BIG BOI

Hip-hop artist Big Boi takes a substantial risk with his latest music video release, and it seems that his wager has paid off. The music video for “Fell in the Sun” exhibits a side of Big Boi we rarely get to see. “Fell in the Sun” pushes the boundaries of what we’ve come to expect from the generic party rapper.

The video (a collaboration between Big Boi and Phantogram, together forming Big Grams) begins with a bang: flashing colors, dancing lights, and images of the whole dang universe fade in and out as Big Boi utters the first lines of his song. As the first verse starts, he comes into vie w of the camera , dressed in a black windbreaker and baseball cap.

The entire video, whether it be the cool color palette, Big Boi’s wardrobe choice, or the psychedelic imagery, gives off an air of freedom, relaxation, and even perhaps tranquility.

The usage of this visual style puts Big Boi and Phantogram in somewhat of an interesting pre dicament .

Despite the mellow lyrics commonly found in today’s hip-hop music, the visuals of “Fell in the Sun” are much more reminiscent of ’90s-era hip-hop.

Harkening back to that generation of hip-hop is undoubtedly a risky choice. In the days of “Hotline Bling” and Kanye West’s expansive, sometimes abrasive visual palate, the move back to a retro aesthetic moves against the current grain. Big Boi does it quite effectively, however, rather than detract from his work, the psychedelics of the music video set him apart creatively. While it may not be the right choice for every hip-hop artist, Big Boi’s call to the past will likely net him musical success today.

SINGLE REVIEWS BY BAILEY FLYNN ONE DIRECTION “History”

COLDPLAY “Adventure of a Lifetime”

GOOD CHARLOTTE “Makeshift Love” Though the newest single from One Direction is yet another lyrically-challenged expression of yearning, this guitar-led, unpretentious track yields a level of earnestness from the feelgood beat that draws you in. For fans and the uninterested alike, this song is one that can be VXQJ DORQJ WR ZLWK FRQÀ GHQFH DQG HQWKXVLDVP

“Makeshift Love” is sent straight from the early 2000s nostalgia of millennials everywhere. The single keeps away from overproduction, retaining an element of the golden age of pop-punk. The effort may lack a memorable hook, but it marks a solid new beginning nonetheless.

Chris Martin slides into pop vocals in the opening words of this expansive track. The song sinks into a heartbeat groove before punching back into a synth chorus that is worth the listen alone. It’s a jangling dance song that feels intriguingly laid back and somehow manages to avoid forcing itself into the eclectic.