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The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College
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Monday, October 6, 2014
Vol. XCV, No. 34
clothesline proj C B o t s ect return
JORDAN PENTALERI / HEIGHTS GRAPHIC
BY NATHAN MCGUIRE Asst. News Editor The Clothesline Project, a display of tshirts decorated with messages of support for survivors of sexual or domestic violence, will return to O’Neill Plaza this week as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Women’s Center at Boston College sponsors the project during October and as part of Concerned About Rape Education (C.A.R.E.) Week, which will be held the last week of March.
In the summer of 1990, a group of women, many of whom had experienced some form of sexual or domestic violence, came together in Cape Cod, Mass. to develop an education program that they hoped would raise awareness about violence against women. Rachel Carey-Haper, a visual artist and member of the coalition, was inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt, a project started in 1985 to remember those who had died from AIDS-related causes. The quilt, as of 2010 considered the largest piece of folk art in the world, is composed of panels memorializing
those affected by AIDS. The panels are very personalized and decorated with objects like clothing, stuffed animals, and other personal items that belonged to the person being remembered. CareyHaper suggested that the Cape Cod group use a similar visual display to raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence, and it was out of this that the Clothesline Project was borne. The project, like the AIDS quilt, was meant to be personal for those women affected by violence, but also served as a way for others to
show support by displaying messages of care and hope. Survivors were encouraged to tell their stories by decorating t-shirts with words and artwork, and then asked to display them in a public area. The project aims to raise awareness about the prevalence of violence against women; to empower those who have survived by providing them an outlet to share their stories; and to comfort those who are suffering in silence.
See Clothesline Project, A3
SWSG aims to empower local girls
University concludes search for new Dean of Students BC hires Villanova’s Thomas A. Mogan as new head of Dean of Students Office BY CONNOR FARLEY News Editor At the end of last week, the University announced that Thomas A. Mogan current director of the Office of Student Development at Villanova University, will be joining Boston College as the new Dean of Students beginning Jan. 5, 2015. In a statement made by Vice President for Student Affairs Barbara Jones, Mogan was named the new Dean of Students largely for his longstanding career in the Office of Student Development at Villanova University and more than 19 years of serving in the area of student affairs. After a search spanning this past summer and the first several months of the fall semester, Mogan follows the veteran direction of former Dean of Students Paul Chebator, who retired along with his wife Mer Zovko—then assistant director in the Student Programs Office and program overseer for the Emerging Leaders Program—after 34 years at BC. “We are very excited to have [Mogan] joining the Division of Student Affairs as associate vice president/dean of students,” Jones said in a statement to the Office of News and Public Affairs.
“Tom brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from his work at Villanova University, where he is a highly respected member of the campus community. His experience, combined with his commitment to the formation of students and the Jesuit, Catholic mission of the University, make him an ideal choice for this position. I look forward to working with him when he joins [BC] in January.” The Office of the Dean of Students (DOS) is a subdivision within the Office of Student Affairs, alongside other subdivisions such as University Counseling Services, the Career Center, and the Office of Residential Life, among others. Having been headed by Chebator for years, the DOS has been overseen by Senior Associate Dean of Students Carole Hughes, and Associate Dean for Student Conduct Richard DeCapua, who joined the University last semester, following a number of student affairs positions at various universities. Offering resources including onand off-campus activities and events, disability services, and help-seeking guidelines for students, the DOS has expanded its disability accessibility policies and resources for sexual as-
See Mogan, A3
BY SARA DOYLE Heights Staff
a success,” said Alisha Wright, manager of Diversity and Inclusion Programming for UGBC and A&S ’15. “We sold out … but the big thing we look for is we want a really diverse crowd, because we want to get a large group of students … We are diverse in race, gender and year.” Other members of Diversity and Inclusion Programming were also content
In Pittsburgh, South Florida, and Boston, “Strong Women, Strong Girls” has a mission to use positive examples of empowered female role models to encourage young girls to become strong women themselves. In Boston, many local colleges and universities including Boston College have students who mentor elementary-school girls in the program. The program is based on six core values: love and support; integrity and respect; discovery; balance; a diverse female community; and sparks, or the inspiration felt by all in the program. At BC, students involved in the program visit elementary schools in the Allston-Brighton neighborhoods. At the schools, they begin with “Peaks and Valleys,” a chance for the girls to talk about the good and bad points of the week. The girls also discuss a biography of a strong woman, either from history or currently living and from both the Boston area and around the world. They also participate in an activity designed to teach skills such as communication, good eating habits, stress management, and cultural sensitivity.
See Annual Boat Cruise, A3
See SWSG, A3
HUIFENG QIAN / HEIGHTS STAFF
This year’s Annual Boat Cruise reportedly sold out by 10 a.m. the day prior to the event.
More than 580 turn out for UGBC’s annual cruise BY YOLANDA BUSTILLO For The Heights
Filled with students in suits and semi-formal dresses, the UGBC Annual Boat Cruise was an event to remember. Touring around Boston Harbor, the cruise aimed to create an enjoyable atmosphere for students through a large dance floor, complimentary food, and panoramic views of downtown Boston. “I’m so happy about it … I consider it
Real Food BC seeks healthy dining options BY ALLISON OLIVIERI For The Heights Tw e n t y - f i v e u n i v e r s i t i e s a r e c ur rently involve d w ith the Re al Food Challenge and have signed the Real Food Challenge Commitment to purchase 20 percent of local Real Food supplies by 2020, and the numbers are only growing. Real Food sources, according to the organization’s definition, comprise food that respects human health, animals, social justice, and the environment. The Real Food notes that its program expresses concern for food producers,
consumers, the earth, and an extensive ne twork of ag r ic ultural dif ferent communities around the world. Boston College is one of the universities in the programs. One of the many goals of Real Food BC is to utilize its organic garden on Brighton Campus, as this is where most of the organization’s crops are grown. The Real Food BC Program seeks to allow students to bond over their similar interests and share their ideas in order to bring healthier options to the dining halls. Clara Son, A&S ’15, became involved with Real Food BC during the second
semester of her sophomore year. “I orig inally got involve d with Real Food BC because of my interest in cooking and gardening, but I was surprised to find out that there was a lot more to the group than just getting together to enjoy healthy food,” Son said. Real Food BC allows students to learn more about the problems with the current food in America and it also allows them to find ways in which they can make a difference. “This awareness sparked my desire
See Real Food BC, A3
EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Addie’s Loft is one of Real Food BC’s on-campus developments since its inception in 2007.
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Tonight at 8 p.m. in Devlin 008, UGBC’s Be Conscious initiative will culminate by unveiling photos taken over the six-day campaign by Ganesh Photography’s Steve Rosenfield. Students will share their stories about insecurities, struggles, and illnesses that they have not let define them.
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Monday, October 6, 2014
The Academic Advising Center will host a Professors & Pastries event Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Stokes 139S that will focus on life sciences and health professions. Faculty from across science-related departments will be present to discuss opportunities in these fields.
George Papandreou, the former prime minister of Greece, will speak in a Clough Colloquium event hosted by the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Robsham. A central figure in the global financial crisis, Papandreou can provide insight on the current state and future of the Eurozone.
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Mitt’s flirty Sudders granted funds for GSSW training strategy By Connor Farley News Editor
Chris Grimaldi If the 2016 Presidential Election was remade into the ’50s era movie musical Grease, Mitt Romney would be the perfect pick to play Sandy. We all remember how quiet, poodle skirt-wearing Sandy transforms into a leather-clad heartbreaker with big hair who finally steals Danny’s heart. I’m not endorsing the movie’s teaching that high heels and copious amounts of eyeliner form the path to true love. Let’s be real, guys, old-look Sandy was our first celebrity crush. But I do argue that it gives us an apt political analogy for Mitt’s most recent participation in the timeless game of hard-to-get. Close your eyes and visualize Mitt circa 2012—yep, that GOP candidate with the Gap Jeans and the smile that sings, “I’m going to lose, aren’t I?” His past successes in industry and the All-American image are endearing, but Danny (the American electorate) gets bored very quickly these days. How could we forget the Election Day breakup? You’re really great, Mitt, and you’re going to make someone really happy one day, but… this isn’t going to work. Now, the scorned-lover Romney could’ve sat home with his fortune, chuckled at the unnerving percentage of Americans who still believe his real first name is “Mittens,” and sunk into relative obscurity. But that’s not how Mitt responds to heartbreak. Rather, he’s adopted a strategy of flirtation that has the country asking him “Call Me, Maybe?” Think about it—Mitt releases a documentary that literally chronicles the failures of his 2012 campaign, and the American public is swept off of its feet by amorous nostalgia. If you thought Old Mitt wasn’t edgy enough, maybe you feel your heart skip a beat every time he casually plants an op-ed expressing his vision for America or makes a surprise appearance on cable news networks. And what’s more flirtatious than going from saying, “No, I’m not running for President again” to, “I’m monitoring the situation” in the span of a year? Some might label that #MiddleSchool, but I argue that it’s an ingenious example of political psychology. Slowly but surely, Mitt is making America feel like it made a regrettable mistake, and that he’s the one it wanted to dance with all along. And for now, it seems to be working. In actuality, there are many arguments to be made against Mitt’s subtle hints. When we’re speaking of political legacies, time always seems to heal wounds. Mitt’s drubbing of President Barack Obama in CNN’s most recent “What if?” poll can be as much a product of the president’s own growing unpopularity as it is a consequence of Mitt’s perceived reputation boost. Talk show appearances and editorials from former candidates are pretty commonplace. And Mitt’s recent refusal to declare a party affiliation on his Utah voter registration doesn’t necessarily lend credence to Third-Party Candidate conspiracy theories. Romney’s wooing of the American electorate could be a decoy or just the latest fad in a GOP field without a clear front-runner for 2016. But if Grease can serve as a viable indication, it can be much, much more than just some “Summer Loving.”
Chris Grimaldi is a senior staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at news@bcheights.com.
Awarded for her work in the field of health services and mental health advocacy, Boston College Associate Professor of Macro Practice—an area of study within the Graduate School of Social Work’s (GSSW) Health and Mental Health concentration—Marylou Sudders was named the recipient of a $664,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Distributed among individuals and institutions dedicated to advancing health and safety resources for underserved sections of the U.S. population, HRSA grants are allocated by field of study. For Sudders, the grant will translate to funding GSSW programs for more than 50 students learning to deliver primary care services. According to a press release through GSSW’s website, Sudders’ grant will be appropriated over the course of two to three years for 53 master’s-level GSSW students, and is scheduled to fund direct training for those students within the areas of behavioral health training in a primary care setting. “This grant is further proof as to how relevant BC Social Work is, and how we’re effectively working to address the major issues currently affecting our country,” Sudders said in a statement published on the GSSW website. “It will also help to ensure that our students graduate ready to meet the challenges that they will face as members of an evolving workforce, so that they can provide the right care, at the right time, and in the right ways.”
photo courtesy of the office of news and public affairs
GSSW professor Marylou Sudders received a federal grant of over $600,000. Prior to her joining BC as a full-time faculty member in 2012, Sudders served as the president and CEO of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) after being appointed to the position in February 2003. Under Sudders’ leadership, MSPCC— one of the largest providers of mental health services to children and founded in 1878—expanded its service to publishing policy papers on foster care and influencing state legislature on topics including juvenile courts and family services. Prior to her post as head of MSPCC, Sudders also served as Commissioner of Mental health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1996 to 2003, through which she acted as the leading spokesperson on mental health issues for the organization. In the same year of her stepping down as CEO of MSPCC
and joining BC full-time in 2012, Sudders was also appointed to the Commonwealth’s Health Policy Commission as a behavioral health expert—a board position charged with overseeing the organization’s expenses and its improvement of quality care. After graduating cum laude from Boston University with a degree in psychology and earning a master’s degree in social work two years later, Sudders began her career in health services reform as a mental health coordinator in both Waltham, Mass. and Concord, Mass. for 750 clients. It was not until 2007 when Sudders joined the University as part-time faculty in GSSW, where she instructed courses on mental health planning and financial management. In 2012, she was not only appointed an associate professor, but also named Chair of the Health and Mental Health Concentration
in GSSW. Now, with her research and policy advocacy being carried out at the national level, Sudders’ grant will focus on areas of primary care affected by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. According to Sudders, the programs and resources administered through the grant’s funding will address the increasing need for a larger primary care workforce by combining the services of social workers and medical practitioners. “Social workers are the connective tissue that is so critical to providing the kind of holistic care the Affordable Care Act requires,” Sudders said. “More and more, they play prominent roles in primary care settings, and as members of integrated care management teams that work to help individuals to recover and stay well, and then, to contribute to their communities once they’re feeling better.” The grant is intended to support local healthcare agencies as they continue to adjust their services to meet the mandates set forth by the ACA, and to further develop behavioral health educational resources for GSSW students, with a particular look at how those resources may be best suited for an evolving nation healthcare system. Sudders noted that she also believes the programming provided by the grant will help graduate-level students take on greater roles within the field of healthcare in the coming years. “This grant is a fantastic opportunity, both for BC and especially for our students, who will play a major role in the future of healthcare in the United States,” she said. n
Exhibit showcases Hispanic heritage photos
A Guide to Your Newspaper The Heights Boston College – McElroy 113 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467 Editor-in-Chief (617) 552-2223 Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 Metro Desk (617) 552-3548 Features Desk (617) 552-3548 Arts Desk (617) 552-0515 Photo (617) 552-1022 Fax (617) 552-4823 Business and Operations General Manager (617) 552-0169 Advertising (617) 552-2220 Business and Circulation (617) 552-0547 Classifieds and Collections (617) 552-0364 Fax (617) 552-1753 EDITORIAL RESOURCES News Tips Have a news tip or a good idea for a story? Call Connor Farley, News Editor, at (617) 552-0172, or email news@bcheights.com. For future events, email a detailed description of the event and contact information to the News Desk. Sports Scores Want to report the results of a game? Call Connor Mellas, Sports Editor, at (617) 552-0189, or email sports@ bcheights.com. Arts Events For future arts events, email a detailed description of the event and contact information to the Arts Desk.Call John Wiley, Arts and Review Editor, at (617) 552-0515, or email arts@bcheights.com. Clarifications / Corrections The Heights strives to provide its readers with complete, accurate, and balanced information. If you believe we have made a reporting error, have information that requires a clarification or correction, or questions about The Heights standards and practices, you may contact Eleanor Hildebrandt, Editor-inChief, at (617) 552-2223, or email eic@bcheights.com. CUSTOMER SERVICE Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Marc Francis, General Manager at (617) 552-0547. Advertising The Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the BC community. To submit a classified, display, or online advertisement, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.
The Heights is produced by BC undergraduates and is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by The Heights, Inc. (c) 2014. All rights reserved.
CORRECTIONS
Emily Fahey / Heights editor
Throughout October, the gallery on the first floor of O’Neill Library is featuring photos by Natalie Blardony, A&S ’15, to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The showcase focuses on linking cultures through cuisine, particularly highlighting a connection between Latin American countries and the Philippines.
Police Blotter Wednesday, October 1 9:31 a.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a Campus School student who was transported to a medical facility from Campion Hall. 2:19 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a BC employee who was transported to a medical facility by cruiser from 129 Lake St.
Thursday, October 2 3:22 p.m. - A report was filed re-
Please send corrections to eic@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.
10/1/14 - 10/3/14 garding a past assault and battery in McElroy Commons.
Friday, October 3 1:25 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious person at Stayer Hall. 2:27 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a noise complaint and civil possession of marijuana in Walsh Hall.
—Source: The Boston College Police Department
If you had to describe your personality in a shoe, what would it be? “Sperrys.” —Claire Jasper, A&S ’18
“Classic Adidas.” —Josh Segal, A&S ’17
“Timberlands.” —Mike McKie, CSOM ’16
“Snowshoes.” —Joey Szopinski, CSOM ’17
The Heights
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‘Clothesline’ returns to BC Clothesline Project, from A1 The first shirts—about 31 of them— were displayed in October 1990, on a village green in Hyannis, Mass. After local and then national media outlets reported on the project, it spread across the country. The organization now estimates that there are 500 projects in 41 U.S. states and five countries, with about 50,000 to 60,000 t-shirts being displayed. Today the World Health Organization estimates that about 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced some form of sexual violence and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. The Obama administration has taken steps in recent months to combat the problem of sexual violence. In May the White House Task Force to Protect
Students from Sexual Assault released a report that included broad guidelines for how colleges and universities can use prevention programs, support survivors, and investigate crimes. The University has recently created or expanded initiatives aimed at preventing sexual assault before it happens. This summer all incoming freshmen were required to complete the online program Haven, which covered issues related to the meaning of consent, the definition of “sexual assault,” and what constitutes a healthy relationship. Also occurring this year, the Bystander Intervention program will train all freshmen on how to recognize and prevent sexual violence. Those affected by sexual violence and seeking support can contact the University’s Sexual Assault Network (SANet) at (617) 552-2211. Trained advocates from the Boston College community staff the network. n
huifeng qian / Heights staff
Last Saturday’s Annual Boat Cruise was one of four main events held by UGBC’s Diversity and Inclusion Programming department each year.
UGBC Annual Boat Cruise tours harbor Annual Boat Cruise, from A1
Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
October marks the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness month on campus.
Mogan fills post as DOS Mogan, from A1 sault awareness in recent years under the mission of enhancing the quality of student life outside the classroom. Prior to his permanent arrival in January, Mogan is slated to meet with faculty members and student leaders during a visit to BC this month. Part of his decision to join BC full-time, Mogan noted, was due to University administrators’ degree of involvement in student affairs. “In my interviews with the senior leadership of Boston College, I came away impressed with their deep level of engagement in student affairs and their commitment to student formation,” he said in a statement to the Office of News and Public Affairs. “Furthermore, the students I met demonstrated a strong desire to serve Boston College and its surrounding communities. These meetings reinforced my desire to join such a thoughtful, caring community.”
In addition to posts as an adjunct professor in the departments of history and communication at Villanova since 1992, Mogan was a member of the university’s Fulbright Review Committee and the institution’s partnership with Catholic Relief Services during his time there. According to Mogan, who graduated from the University of Delaware and later obtained his Ph.D. in history from Temple University, he looks forward to continuing the mission of the DOS by means of maintaining the University’s Jesuit, Catholic identity. “I am eager to begin to discover ways in which the Dean of Students Office can further the Jesuit, Catholic mission of the University while nurturing the growth and development of each BC student,” Mogan said. “I look forward to working with my Students Affairs colleagues and student leaders to craft a shared vision for our future together.” n
with the event. “Five hundred and eighty people showed up … so it was a good turnout,” said Jake Robinson, one of the coordinators for Diversity and Inclusion Programming for UGBC and A&S ’16. “We didn’t sell out last year, but this year we worked really hard to sell out,” Robinson said. “We sold out … by 10 a.m. on Friday morning, so it’s a good sign for the next couple of events. It got our name out, so that was good, too.” The boat cruise had approximately 580 attendees. Not only did the event sell out, but it also gave UGBC a better idea about how future events will look like, according to Wright. “It’s reflective of the success of them [future events],” Wright said. “We hope to continue to sell out and get a diverse group of people.” The Annual Boat Cruise is one of four main events, including the Annual Ball, Annual Gala, and Showdown, that the Diversity and Inclusion Programming Department hosts throughout the year. These upcoming events will likely reflect the department of Diversity and Inclusion Programming’s themes of unity, culture and integration. The variety of people who attended the Boat Cruise affirm their goal of representing different cultures, races, and genders at all events. “We hope to continue to sell out,” Wright said. “But, more importantly, to
cruise, Wright noted. “We’ve been good on behavior,” she said. “I think BCPD cracked down in the beginning, so we didn’t see it come all the way through. A lot of people have been really respectful about alcohol … It’s been a pretty slim year for behavior problems.” Not only did students frequent the dance floors and buffet, but they also had the opportunity to take pictures at the UGBC-sponsored photo booth. Accompanying the photo booth was a box filled with costumes and accessories that students could use to add some fun to their poses. Additionally, the photo booth had both color and black and white options for pictures. “A lot of people took pictures at the photo booth,” Robinson said. “Even I took some. I’m pretty sure most people stopped by for at least one set of pictures.” The Annual Boat Cruise welcomes students back to BC with music, pictures and food. Students stated that they enjoyed getting dressed up and taking photos with friends. Although ticket prices were the same as last year, this year’s Annual Boat Cruise sold out, indicating its success with the student population. “I’m really happy with the turnout,” Robinson said. “To me, the boat cruise was a complete success. I know that I had a ton of fun and just by looking around, you could tell that everyone else was having fun, too.” n
Real Food BC seeks to add dining ‘calculator’
SWSG aims to expand programs
Real Food BC, from A1
SWSG, from A1 At the end of the session, the girls have a journal prompt relating to the lesson, and give a cheer as a finale. Yolanda Botti-Lodovico, A&S ’15, currently serves as the chapter coordinator. In the past, she served as community liaison after joining SWSG her freshmen year. “We teach the girls about a lot of different things,” Botti-Lodovico said. “Loving their bodies, speaking out, communicating, just feeling comfortable with themselves … The mission is to start a movement where girls count on themselves and are confident with who they are.” Gina Mantica, A&S ’16, is the publicity chair and community liaison. After transferring from Smith College, an all-women’s college, she found that she wanted to find an organization with strong, independent women like she found at Smith. “Smith College is full of powerful, independent, outspoken women, and I was sad to leave that aspect of my first school behind,” Mantica said. “So, coming to BC, I was looking for an organization that embodied some of the typical ‘Smithie’ qualities. “At the activities fair of my sopho-
continue to get a really diverse set of people at every event.” Although the department of generally hosts four events, there may be a fifth event in the works, according to Wright. As students prepare for the upcoming events, the department has its own surprises ready for the student population. “We have the annual gala, the annual ball, and Showdown … and we are working on a fifth event,” she said. Students partook in three hours of live entertainment throughout the multiple levels on the ship. Alexander BouRhodes, A&S ’15, known on stage as DJ IDES, operated the disk jockey, provided by Spirit of Boston, on the second level. Students enjoyed his mixture of hip-hop, Latin, rhythm and blues, as well as rap. BC dance teams Sexual Chocolate and F.I.S.T.S. made a few appearances on the dance floor, showcasing choreography from last year’s performances. Throughout the night, the dance floors remained occupied with students dancing to DJ IDES’s music compilations. For dining, students visited the third and first floors of the boat, which provided eating spaces for guests. The buffetstyle dinner consisted of pizza, chicken fingers, carrots and celery, among other options, and drink booths hosted by Spirit Boat Cruise employees accompanied each floor. There were very few accounts of poor or inappropriate behavior during the
Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
A SWSG gallery in O’Neill last spring sought to empower females through leadership. more—but first—year at BC, I came across the SWSG table and after speaking with past president Abbie Rogers [BC ’14], I knew that I had to be a part of the organization.” According to Mantica, the program has allowed her a rewarding sense of empowerment, both for herself and the young students involved in the program. “The most rewarding part of the program for me is being able to speak my mind and feel empowered as a woman at BC,” Mantica said. “Women are faced with an incredible obstacle to express themselves and feel empowered in such an environment. Thanks to SWSG, I have been able to freely express my thoughts, feelings, and emotions in a positive way and I have found a group of women who help me feel “strong.” I think SWSG is important because it teaches the next generation of women skills that will allow them to develop professionally and personally to achieve gender equality in all aspects of life.”
Botti-Lodovio says that she sees a rewarding impact on the girls in the program. “You just realize how you become a part of their routine, and how they count on you to come every week,” she said. “They look forward to it. Also, when you see them start loving themselves for who they are, and not what they look like. When they start recognizing their own talents, it’s very rewarding.” Students who participate in the program as mentors meet once a week to discuss the agenda, logistics, and future events. A training session is offered every fall and spring. “Through the training and the experience mentoring girls in the Boston area, I have learned how to express myself in a positive manner and develop my professional skill set in an educational environment,” Mantica said. “I would recommend this program to all women at BC who want to feel empowered in any and every way.” n
to help bring food to BC that is not only healthy, but improves our food system by respecting the people that produce it and the environment that it comes from,” Son said. Real Food BC was founded seven years ago, and part-time professor of sociology Michael Cermak helped establish the BC Real Food Organic Garden. Real Food BC aims to harvest a variety of crops in the garden including radishes , parsley, chives , arugula , and lettuce, among an array of other foods. The goal in creating the garden was to have a place that would foster educational and research opportunities and to also to have a sense of community,” Son said. The garden was also funded by donations from both outside and within BC community. “Few students realize the advantage Boston College has in choosing to run a self-operated dining service,” Son said. One of the first notable accomplishments of the program was opening Addie’s Loft in the upstairs portion of Corcoran Commons, as this marks the most notable presence of Real Food on the University’s campus. Another milestone for the program was the adoption of cage-free eggs, or
eggs hatched in a free-range agricultural territory as opposed to a cage-confined space. Real Food BC is currently working with BC Dining Services to implement the Real Food Calculator, which is a tool that measures and analyzes the amount of money spent on the ethical and sustainable food that BCDS currently purchases. The organization is also continuing to partner with BCDS in creating healthier food options at the dining halls. “We have made strides to establish a relationship between our group as a body that represents student interest in sustainability, and BC Dining Services,” Son noted. Son noted that Real Food BC hopes that the program will eventually expand its presence across campus, including some form of impact throughout all of the dining halls. “The objective of Real Food BC is to help source foods that not only maintain this healthy standard for students , but also have a positive impact on the environment and the people who produce the food,” Son said. Son and the rest of the organization express that Real Food is a fresher and healthier alternative to traditional collegiate dining services, and continue to advocate for organic food sources at BC. n
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EDITORIALS
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Community support for GLBTQ students Today, National Coming Out Week (NCOW) at Boston College will commence with a kick-off barbeque on the Stokes Lawn. The week’s events, hosted by UGBC’s GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC), will include a number of activities on campus in the days following the barbeque. These include a “Gayme” night, Opening Boston’s Closet, Guess Who’s Gay, and a closing ceremony on Friday. For years, GLC has hosted NCOW to raise awareness of GLBTQ issues and promote dialogue on campus. By sponsoring such public events, GLC and UGBC offer a sign of solidarity with and support for those in the GLBTQ community who might feel alone or otherwise marginalized. That UGBC continued this tradition after the restructuring that brought GLC under the unified leadership structure is commendable. Given the University’s history on GLBTQ issues, it is at least re-
assuring that NCOW is allowed to proceed without obstruction. NCOW is just one example of the high activity level of GLC. Out of all the departments of UGBC, GLC historically has been the most active in advocating for the community which it represents. Although students are largely supportive and the administration tacitly accepting, that was not always the case. There was a time in the not too distant past when students were ambivalent, at best, and the University was hostile toward even the existence of a group for GLBTQ students. GLC should continue to host public events like NCOW that will draw in passersby who might not otherwise engage with GLBTQ issues. The support that these events provide to the GLBTQ community is instrumental to breaking down stereotypes and creating an environment at BC that is supportive of all students.
Dissecting donations to the Senior Class Gift The Senior Gift Committee has recently ramped up its fundraising efforts for the outgoing Class of 2015. As it stands, the Senior Class Gift exists more as a requested donation than a thoughtful contribution of the graduating class. Members of this year’s graduating class are given the option to donate to one of five categories: Student Financial Aid, an unrestricted Boston College fund, the Flynn Fund for Athletics, Spirituality and Student Activities, or Academic Excellence. Students also can specify where their donation will go with an “other” option, but it is then unclear how these donations—often as small as one dollar—can effectively go toward whatever the students want.
Rather than setting a monetary goal, the Senior Class Gift Committee encourages participation at all levels. With any size donation, students in the Class of 2014 were allowed to go to an open bar event on Brighton campus at the during senior week. The BC Board of Trustees has also taken to encouraging students to donate, setting a benchmark for the senior class’ participation. Drake Behrakis, a member of the board, founded a Legacy Grant initiative last year, offering $25,000 in project grants to BC undergraduates on the condition that a certain percentage of the senior class donates. For the Class of 2014, Behrakis asked 70 percent of seniors to donate, and for this year’s class, that number will be 73 percent, or 1,665 students. Suggesting a dollar minimum from graduating seniors seems harmless enough, and indeed, the return on investment here could potentially be quite high. Last semester, the senior class left BC with a $32,000 gift, a respectable contribution to the Uni-
versity by any standard. What is questionable, however, is the strong emphasis placed on what seems to be a superficial sense of giving. When the options for the senior class are as vague as “Spirituality and Student Activities” or “Academic Excellence,” there’s no tangible item the senior class is putting its money toward. “The point of it is to get you in the habit of giving to the school,” said Megan Dunn, co-chair of this year’s Senior Class Gift Committee and A&S ’15. Considering the substantial role BC alumni have played in the University’s growth over the last few decades, increasing its donor base is a worthy initiative, but does little good in itself. Giving back to BC ought to be a matter of what that money actually means to the University. Asking graduating seniors—many of whom are saddled with student debt—to “do their part” seems like a bold statement for a university with an endowment of over $2 billion to make, particularly when there’s no way for students to know specifically where their money is going. That’s not to say the senior gift should be so concrete as a bench or lamppost, but attaching a cause to the senior gift might actually serve to grow the tradition. The annual Pops on the Heights concert is a perfect example of how BC alumni can work together to address the demonstrated needs of BC students. In that case, giving has led to the creation of 210 scholarships in the event’s name, helping students with financial need attend BC. Making one’s first monetary donation to the University should be more than a matter of giving one dollar to get to an open bar, and becoming a part of BC’s donor base should not be driven by a sense of habit or guilt. The intention behind it makes all the difference—and the school has thrived in recent years because of thoughtful contributions made by alumni who have thought in a critical way about what could actually make the school better. The senior class, as a whole, should decide just what its first contribution to the University will be, and at the very least, be given a more absolute sense of to what that gift amounts.
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.
Making one’s first monetary donation to the University should be mroe than a matter of giving a dollar to get to an open bar, and becoming a part of BC’s donor base should not be driven by a sense of habit or guilt.
HEIGHTS
THE
The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 ELEANOR HILDEBRANDT, Editor-in-Chief MARC FRANCIS, General Manager JOSEPH CASTLEN, Managing Editor
Monday, October 6, 2014
EDITORIAL
KAYLA FAMOLARE, Copy Editor CONNOR FARLEY, News Editor CONNOR MELLAS, Sports Editor KENDRA KUMOR, Features Editor JOHN WILEY, Arts & Review Editor RYAN TOWEY, Metro Editor ANDREW SKARAS, Opinions Editor MARY ROSE FISSINGER, Special Projects Editor EMILY FAHEY, Photo Editor MAGGIE POWERS, Layout Editor
If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to seperate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918 - 2008), Russian novelist, dramatist, critic, and Nobel Literature Laureate
THE ONLINE BUZZ Printing reader comments from www.bcheights.com, the Online Buzz draws on the online community to contribute to the ongoing discussion. In response to “Confronting The Other ‘BC Lookaway,’” by John Wiley, which ran on 10/2/14: Nice article, very much in agreement. Has anyone noticed that construction at St. Mary’s led to the huge Christmas tree being taken out? I noticed a big emptiness in that area of the O’Neill Plaza a few weeks ago and really hope that it’s not permanent. The Christmas tree lighting ceremony every December is a really great BC tradition that we shouldn’t do without. Maybe they preserved the tree somewhere so that it can be replanted soon! —DANIEL CATTOLICA A&S ’15 In response to “Government’s Neglect To Punish Wall Street For 2008 Crisis Reflects Social Views On Crime, Says Taibbi,” by Carolyn Freeman, which ran on 10/2/14:
Suisse—not a TBTF U.S. Bank) has been held accountable for a role in the 2nd worst economic disaster in U.S. history. Federal bank regulators are a national disgrace. —J.R. WELLS In response to “Meet Sean Casey, Creator Of ‘Happy’ And ‘First Two Weeks,’” by Sean Keeley, which ran on 9/24/14: You do some terrific film work, Sean! Polished, professional, emotional and beautiful! Many years ago, I worked in PR/marketing communications and fundraising at BC; wish we had these kinds of YouTube video and social media tools in those “dark ages.” As a double-Eagle alum, I’m proud of our Alma Mater and really proud to post your gorgeous BC films everywhere (many times on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.). Keep at it, Sean! —RAY MITCHELL BC ’63, M.Ed. ’71
Thousands of bankers went to jail for their roles in the S&L Crisis, yet no bank and just one banker (from Credit
LETTER TO THE EDITOR The following letter is in response to “BC Ignites: Breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health,” an article by Carolyn Freeman, originally published on 9/25/14:
Disappointments from BC Ignites After the BC Ignites event on mental health last week, I left O’Neill Plaza feeling a wide array of very real emotions, but the most prevalent was that I was unsettled. The turn-out for the event was incredible, and the strength of the students who spoke so passionately about their struggles with mental health was both humbling and heartfelt. I felt admiration for those who spoke, for those who organized the event, and remain incredibly grateful for the conversation this event has singlehandedly created on our campus. However, I was disappointed that in a crowd of hundreds, I found only one faculty member in attendance. The only member of the Boston College administration in O’Neill Plaza that night was Thomas McGuinness, director of University Counseling Services (UCS), and the booked, expert speaker of the evening. Somehow, I had assumed there would be more “adult,” “representative,” or “expert” faces in the crowd. What I would like to emphasize is how impressed I was with those who contributed, whether it was those who spoke on their own issues with mental health, or those who worked tirelessly to create a space where those who had experienced such struggles would feel comfortable sharing their stories in order to reduce the tangible fog of stigma that surrounds mental health at BC. UGBC and other student groups have made these issues something that can no longer be ignored, and I am thankful and inspired by those who were brave enough to share a bit of themselves so that these tough conversations can become catalysts for realized change. I do not personally suffer from issues of mental health. However, I am far too familiar with the toll depression, self-harm, and suicide takes on families, friendships, and relationships. I have seen enough loss of life, I have known enough beautiful humans to lose this frustrating and stigmatized battle, that I left O’Neill Plaza last week wanting to walk straight up to a BC faculty member and ask, “How many students are you willing to lose?” Matt Hugo, A&S ’16, stated in his speech that “College campuses can be incubators of change.” He noted that if we choose silence, we only allow the stigma around mental health issues to permeate into every aspect of student life. The students have, finally, stepped up. They have put countless hours, an enormous amount of care and thought, and have put part of themselves and their lives on the line in order to make sure that we can start talking about mental health on this campus. But where are the teachers? Where are the
faculty advisors, the Jesuits, the administrators? Where are the people who are supposed to take our passions, our demand for change, and help us turn our needs into a reality for every student at BC? I consider myself realistic in that I am not expecting us to triple the size of our counseling services overnight or overthrow the system that is in place. Thankfully, the intelligent, bright, passionate members of UGBC and other student groups on this campus have started the Be Conscious campaign, and continue to offer creative outlets for those struggling with mental health issues to find a support system outside of UCS, including a developing peer counseling program. But what is stopping us from hiring a 24/7 certified counselor to be there for emergencies? For a 24/7 hotline that doesn’t direct us to Samaritans, but rather directs my friends in need to someone here, at BC, who understands the distinct pressures and triggers that live and fester and grow on our own campus? At the end of my freshman year, I watched those nearest to me feel absolute devastation, loss, and confusion when we lost a beloved BC sophomore to suicide. The conversation should have started then, and I lost faith these last three years that it would ever be ignited once more. The students did not settle for this, because we will not settle for any more loss of life on this campus. We will not settle for issues of mental health to be shoved under the rug of a campus so keen on preaching a philosophy of service that so clearly, in this case, fails to be practiced by the administration when the safety of our fellow students is of great concern. Please get out from behind your desk. Do not sit there in your cubicle, in your classroom, in your office in Stokes, and simply commend the hard work, dedication, and bravery of your students. Get up. Get out of your desk chair, your classroom, your office, and talk to the students and help them create real, visible, tangible change. Refuse to be an administration that disappoints such an active, compassionate student body that has shown growing concern about the students you are choosing to ignore. A stigma can be reduced by the conversations such courageous and caring students have started, but can only be eliminated when a true community at BC has been formed. We have taken incredible strides, but we need the administration to meet us there.
The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 400 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages. The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces submitted
to the newspaper. Submissions must be signed and should include the author’s connection to Boston College, address, and phone number. Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by email to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.
JORDAN PENTALERI, Graphics Editor NICOLE SUOZZO, Blog Editor AUSTIN TEDESCO, Online Manager CORINNE DUFFY, Assoc. Copy Editor EVAN D. GATTI, Asst. Copy Editor JULIE ORENSTEIN, Assoc. News Editor NATHAN MCGUIRE, Asst. News Editor MARLY MORGUS, Assoc. Sports Editor ALEX FAIRCHILD, Asst. Sports Editor SAMANTHA COSTANZO, Asst. Features Editor
S AMANTHA M IDDLETON A&S ’15
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BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
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The Heights
Monday, October 6, 2014
A5
Dumb phone, dumb guy
Owen Lyons Joe Biden - Ah, ol’ Joe, how we love you. Our love for you, Gaffer-inChief, first began way back in 2010 with your infamous comment during the healthcare bill’s signing that it was a “big f—ing deal.” The most recent episode of Joe Biden “Foot-In-Mouth disease”—or a “Joe Bomb,” as one of his staffers has described it—occurred last Thursday at Har vard during a speech at the university’s Institute of Politics. In a response to a question from a student who described himself as the vice president of the student government, Biden quipped, “Isn’t that a bitch?” He then clarified that he was referring to “the vice president thing.” This is just a part of the persona that is Joe Biden. In fact, it is this persona that has spawned countless hilarious parodies on The Onion. Noted among them is the speech he should have given at the Democratic National Convention in 2012 about “that one ‘killer f—ing’ summer in 1987.” And back in 2010, Onion Biden had to lay low in Mexico for a bit because “the situation was getting ‘pretty f—ing dicey’ up in Washington.” Oh, Joe, regardless of the difference between the real you and the inspired-by-real-life-and-intensified-hundred-fold version of you, we just love that you are the vice president of the U.S. After all, our last one shot a guy—you’re just … spontaneous.
Something seemed off. As I read through the description of the new Gold Pass app a few weeks ago, I noticed that “checking in” to an event could be done completely electronically, and that students could check out new prizes and activities on their smartphones, as well as get more points for checking out if they stayed for the whole game. It seemed cool, until I realized that it didn’t say what to do if you didn’t have a smartphone. It was upon this realization that I looked at my LG Octane and sighed. It had happened again. Our campus, and—just like it—our world, is becoming tailored to smartphone owners. Although the unwritten rule seems to be that writers must include the phrases “Sperry-wearing” and “sweaty Mod” in their analyses of Boston College culture, I’ve deemed it necessary to give a brutally honest, cliche-free revelation of how the other half lives. Fine, other hundredth. First of all, it’s not a purely socioeconomic phenomenon. This summer, I saw patrons at a soup kitchen whip out Androids and iPhones while waiting in line—presumably to tweet about how bad the food was. The irony was so thick, you could cut it with a Razr. What I quickly realized is that owning these phones is not a matter of wealth, but rather a matter of priority. My family may eat nicer food than the guy at St. Francis House, but he has the superior phone. I used to think choosing better food was a no-brainer, but it’s certainly up for debate. But at BC, the majority of students can have their cake and Instagram it, too. Smartphone technology is truly extraordinary, and it often makes life far easier and more enjoyable. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve wished I could entertain myself with
Pandora or Fruit Ninja while on the T or waiting for a bus. I might check my email, too. Snapchat, Vine, and other forms of social media allow us to share our lives with our friends anytime and anywhere, and they offer us countless distractions every time we check our phones. When we let this technology into our lives, though, we must remember what we lose as well as what we gain. By eliminating boredom, we have made exciting moments less exciting and made boring things all the more arduous. Like any muscle or skill that’s rarely used, our imaginations get out of shape. It’s harder to get lost in our thoughts anymore. We can’t even sit through a quarter of a football game without taking seven Snapchats, a couple Instagram photos, and a selfie for good measure. Standing there with my dumbphone, I tell myself that I wouldn’t want to Snapchat or tweet about this game even if I could. I’m probably wrong though, as I look at people laughing, sharing, and discussing the event on this separate world of social media. Somehow, the new Walk of Shame has become the one over to the table with iPads to check into football games. The Gold Pass app works through our smartphones because that’s what we mostly look at during the actual event. I must admit, I like being the odd man out. As I see everyone on campus narrowly avoid bumping into each other because their gaze is glued on the devices in their hands, I take extra care to smell the flowers and enjoy the sights around campus. I even let people bump into me. Also, girls flirtingly comment on my phone whenever they give me their number. (Note: I haven’t actually ever gotten a girl’s number, but I imagine that’s how it would play out.) I often pretend that resisting the smartphone movement should be a source of pride, idiotic as it is. I don’t know, however, how much longer I will hold out, because doing so really is idiotic. Within five years, I’ll be respected about as much as the guy who said “horseless carriages”
were just a fad. Social media and smartphone technology are changing the world around us as the simple daily boredoms of waiting at a checkout line and staring out the window of a plane become inconveniences of the past. The world will be, and already partially is, connected on a level far beyond face-to-face interaction. Anyone continuing to reject that technology is—perhaps unwisely—refusing to engage in a significant part of the world, and I am aware that I fall into that category. It’s unfortunate, really. My best friends growing up—and to this day—are my cousins. The times every few months that all of our families got together for holidays or camping were unquestionably the best days of the year. When my dad commented on how lucky we were that we could all stay connected through social media between reunions, he misevaluated our relationship. My cousins and I rarely ever text each other. The essential part of those get-togethers was the presence of family and the things that could only be shared in that presence. Ghost stories, dumb pranks, and basketball games don’t translate well to Snapchat. It’s impossible to appreciate a moment unless both body and mind are there—social media in the palm of your hand creates a separation of the two. But maybe that’s why we’re drawn to it. We constantly need distractions. If our lives are too dull, we can check out what exciting things our friends are doing or kill some time with Flappy Bird. It’s ironic that the only cure for this iAddiction—imagination—is the very thing being stifled by it. So, I will continue to make that walk to the iPad table at the football games to check in, smartphone-free. You can call me stubborn, old-fashioned, simple, or cheap, but I think the best word for me is the one that also fits my phone—dumb.
Owen Lyons is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at opinions@ bcheights.com.
The power in negotiations Oversleeping - We fundamentally disagree with having mandatory class events on a Sunday. That being said, although we don’t want to be there, we recognize the importance of attendance. Oops. Wild Self-Des tructive Libertinism - The proceedings that ensue often lead one to a state of being in which oversleeping is unavoidable. hACKING - What is it with all of this hacking? First it was Home Depot and Target and now it’s J.P. Morgan Chase. You would think after two major retailers saw their systems hacked that corporations across industries would wake up and re-evaluate their entire security systems. But no, apparently that’s just too difficult. Well, now this is so much worse than a couple of retailers. It’s a bank! People put their money there to keep it safe! This should not be happening. Somebody, somewhere should probably be fired for this. Servers - While we are on the topic of technological problems, we would like to lament the incapacitation of our server. Yes, the problem is fixable, and yes, the server will live to see another day after a quick fix, but in the meantime, what a pain. The Bell That Doesn’t Toll - Why is it that one of the bells in Gasson tower does not ring? It leaves the quarter-hourly chimes that we have grown to love after all these years incomplete.
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Andrew Millette God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. When I look back at times in my life when I have been really surprised—other than the unfortunate diagnoses of medical ailments for loved ones or the pairing up of that couple that no one ever saw coming—I think of a moment in Higgins last year. A number of eager young Eagles were dressed to the nines with their best networking faces on, attending a presentation by Bank of America. The recruiter had just started on the first couple of PowerPoint slides, and notebooks had just begun to be scratched with silver pens. As we moved on to slide three, BAM! The back door opens up. A group of about five students wearing matching green shirts marches in. Disclaimer: This event transpired about a year ago, and in my old age my memory isn’t as sharp as it once was, so feel free to write in and correct me. From what I remember, however, these five students sat in the front row, and started to raise their hands. The presenter politely told them that questions could be asked after the presentation was finished. The students continued to raise their hands until called upon by the presenter. When the presenter yielded to their persistence, a student asked about the ethics of all of the equity that BofA holds in oil companies. At this point, the Eagles in business attire started to look at each other worriedly—they were a very confused convocation indeed. (Sidebar: A group of Eagles is called a convocation. Those Boston College administrators are pretty clever, aren’t they?) In my negotiation class this semester, we have been discussing the elements that give one party an advantage over
another in a negotiation setting. On the first day of class, I expected technique to be the most important element. As it turns out, the academics and professionals who are experts in the field believe that technique is the least important of the four elements that give one party an advantage. The most important element is power. The second is the quality of knowledge that each party holds. The third is trust, or the history of the relationship between the parties and past negotiations. Bringing up the rear, you have actual negotiation technique. At BC, we like to complain. There is nothing wrong with criticism–it is necessary to move society forward. While I will not reveal my opinion on whether I believe that the University should divest from oil, I would like to diagnose the climate of change creation on campus. It is great that BC students have passion and that they want to diagnose problems, discuss them, and push for a better University. I just think that we should think of the serenity prayer every once in a while. Power is the most important aspect in any negotiation. A better understanding of this fact may lead to less disappointment from a student perspective as well as more efficient use of energy and resources. A group of 20 students who have formed a club have very little power compared to 14,000 other students who may or may not agree with them, the administration, and the Board of Trustees that has been charged with the financial upkeep of the University. Planning one interruption of a corporate information session at one campus is not likely to change anything. The event will occur, the company will be upset, there will potentially be some discussion of the event on campus for a short time, and then we will all move on, and nothing will change. A coordinated effort with similar clubs at 20 notable universities around the nation that all decide to protest at info sessions for different companies on the same night, and the creation of a social media campaign to document the protests? That could get some discussion moving across the country.
Students at BC once understood the power dynamics of negotiation better than they do now. In the spring of 1970, BC students actually shut down the University over a tuition hike. Before setting the world aflame, those Eagles started with their own backyard. In order to bolster their power in negotiations with the University, students occupied the president’s office and boycotted classes until the University voted to cancel them. Academic buildings were locked, and classes were cancelled in May until an agreement was reached. The enlarged network of students tipped the power balance, and the students ended up receiving a better deal from the University. While I do not endorse extremism, this is one very telling example of the role of power in negotiations. Who would have thought students could actually say no to a tuition increase? These students certainly had the courage to change the things they could, even when they were told they couldn’t. There is still a place, though, for the serenity to accept the things that cannot be changed. Incessantly complaining about tailgating regulations on Shea isn’t going to change the city’s stance, and I don’t think this issue will ever be pertinent enough to inspire a network of Eagles young and old to protest in city hall. BC will always be a Catholic institution, and the efforts of student groups to change policies that cannot be changed unless the Pope decides to radically alter the course of the Catholic Church may inspire national conversation, but they will not inspire change on this campus as long as the U.S. continues to believe in the separation of church and state. There is a litany of other issues that passionate BC students try to change every week on campus. I love your passion—this is part of what makes BC BC. If you want to optimize your usage of time and energy, however, and maybe even sleep for once, think of the serenity prayer.
Andrew Millette is a senior staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.
The opinions and commentaries of the staff columnists and cartoonists appearing on this page represent the views of the author or artist of that particular piece, and not necessarily the views of The Heights. Any of the columnists and artists for the Opinions section of The Heights can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.
Support for speakers Delphina Gerber-Williams We, the 9,110 undergraduate students of Boston College, are a fortunate few. For four years, our job is to seek truth, stretch our minds, and discover what we can do for the world. We have the privilege of pursuing these goals at a Jesuit university, meaning that we are pushed to reflect on our worldviews and educate ourselves by “observing, wondering, opening [ourselves] to what is new, allowing the reality of people and things to enter one’s conscious on its own terms,” as is stated on the BC website. This openness is what Alissa Heller, A&S ’15, expected when she arrived at BC in 2011. Supplementing her classroom experiences, she attended as many on-campus lectures as possible. At these lectures, Heller noticed what most students who have ever attended a lecture at BC have undoubtedly observed— the lecture rooms are tiny, the seats are barely a third full, and most of the attendees are there by the will of some professor. The speakers that come to our campus every year can bring the world to us. While classes can touch on political campaigning or the Wall Street corruption of 2008, Matt Taibbi can tell you what it felt like to experience it. More importantly, speakers have the capacity to start discussions we might not have in the classroom with people with whom we might not normally have the opportunity to talk. Instead of discussing nuclear proliferation with the same 20 students you’ve studied beside for four years, you might find yourself sitting next to an economics major who can reveal a completely new dimension of the story. Determined to invigorate attendance for speakers, Heller set out to create a studentrun speaker series. She wasn’t the only one to attempt this. When Heller arrived in 2011, Alexander Hoffarth, BC ’13, had been working on the same project for two years. BC already invites speakers to campus, so what is the value of a student-run organization? According to Hoffarth, most speakers are brought by departments or specific groups, geared toward one line of study. None of these groups is “for students by students.” “Boston College should be bringing lecturers to campus to talk about how they connected their passions to their life path and career—answering those questions that Fr. Himes talks about all the time,” he said. BC argues in its strategic plan that its goal is to “produce graduates of Boston College who have a clear sense of how their talents match the world’s needs.” Speakers geared for the general undergraduate student body, talking about how they found their vocation, connecting their abilities to a meaningful career, could do just that—help match students’ talents and passions to the world’s needs. Heller agreed, adding, “There isn’t enough open debate [on campus].” Speakers can challenge our assumptions or present controversial ideas that might not be touched upon in class, generating a campus-wide discussion instead of a classroom discussion. “We all know what it means to be a Jesuit school, but we just don’t see it here,” Heller said. A student speaker series would encourage growth and possibly challenge ideologies. Last year, the Thomas More Society invited Ryan T. Anderson to speak on “A Case Against Gay Marriage.” The room was crowded, with some audience members in agreement, most booing. That started a discussion. What Heller, Hoffarth, and their supporters want is more of this type of conversation. Unfortunately, both Heller and Hoffarth received the administrative “dance,” and relayed the same story to me. “A lot of people gave me a yes, it was a good idea, but this or that administrative barrier prevented it,” Hoffarth explained. The feeling is “Oh, great idea, we definitely need this, and then they smiled and pushed me away,” Heller said. What is this administrative barrier? Is it money? Over $1 million is distrubted among many organizations on campus. Other Jesuit colleges have speaker series. Why don’t we? So, go to campus speakers and participate in discussion. Let’s follow our fellow Jesuit institutions, which have implemented programs such as the Georgetown Lecture Fund. Let’s “keep them coming, all of them—the radicals, the politicians, the leaders and whoever else can be roped into speaking here. To continue the Jesuit ideal of lifelong, comprehensive learning, our minds need to be challenged, inspired, and opened,” as The Hoya, Georgetown’s student newspaper, described it.
Delphina Gerber-Williams is a staff columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.
THE HEIGHTS
A6
Monday, October 6, 2014
‘All Is By My Side’ fails to deliver an electric biopic of Hendrix BY TYLER WILKINSON For The Heights
Jimi Hendrix is arguably one of the best rock guitarists of all time. He was known for his promotion of love, and with that, a somewhat apathetic attitude toward the world. Ironically, Jimi’s apathetic tone translates to general apathy for his new biopic, Jimi: All Is By My Side. The JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE film takes place over John Ridley roughly one year: June 1966 to June 1967. The film begins when Jimi (Andre Benjamin) is spotted playing guitar at the Cheetah Club by Linda Keith (Imogen Poots), the girlfriend of Rolling Stone’s Keith Richards. Jimi’s amazing riffs on the guitar overpower the dark, depleted club. Keith is absolutely mesmerized by his performance and by proxy asks him over to her apartment along with her friends. Keith, Hendrix, and their friends trip on acid and in this moment of weakness, the two begin their deeply intimate friendship. The two start a friendship, and Keith
feels compelled to let the world know about Hendrix’s chaotic genius. She attempts to bring music executives to his performances, but his indifference toward her efforts equates to lackluster performances on his part. The executives leave unimpressed. It is only by a chance encounter with Chas Chandler of The Animals that Richards is able to find a manager for Hendrix. Chandler, like Keith, understands that Hendrix has the ability to be a superstar and asks him to move out to London to start his career. On his first night in London, he meets Kathy Etchingham (Hayley Atwell), a fiery redhead and his future girlfriend, much to the dismay of Richards. Keith distances herself from Hendrix and the rest of the film focuses on his rise in the European music scene and his abusive relationship with Etchingham—leading up to his arrival to the American music scene with the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967. By only filming one year in Hendrix’s life, the biopic intends to go for a distinctive, more documentary feel than the average dramatized version of rock and roll life. Kudos to writer/director John Ridley for originality. This is an unorthodox method
for making a biopic, but is understandable, especially considering that the film lacks a coherent plot. Many people portrayed in the film, however, including Etchingham, claim that several main elements in the film are fictitious. The premise of the film is a look at Hendrix in the year leading up to his famous burning guitar at Monterey. It’s a false biopic, and this lack of authenticity makes its plot less believable, compelling. The editing and fancy camerawork is original, but only exemplifies the poor qualities of the film. Too many fade-to-blacks and montages of ’60s London pop culture shake up the movie, and they make the central plot seem all the more unreal. Ridley’s style might have shined on this film, if he had written a better story to match with the compelling historical context running through All Is By My Side. The film is poorly patched together, and it falls apart on multiple levels. The fact that the film could not receive the rights to have the bulk of Hendrix’s music played in the film should have been reason enough not to make it. A great biopic, like any film, should never have to be creatively restricted on account of an executive producer’s
PHOTO COURTESY OF DARKO ENTERTAINMENT
Although Andre Benjamin plays a believable Hendrix, ‘Jimi’ suffers from an inauthentic plot. unprofessional and dull attempt. Yes, a lot of Hendrix’s riffs and theatricality are good to watch and listen to, but the only song we hear Hendrix sing is “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” If there is no “Purple Haze” or “All Along the Watchtower” anywhere in the film, even as a background track, the film is just not worth it. The only redeeming aspects to this film are its unique visual style and
Benjamin, who gives a very convincing portrayal of Hendrix. One of Hendrix’s most famous adages goes: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” Sadly, the “power of love” does not make this film any better. The passion Benjamin puts into the role of Hendrix is drowned out by the shortcomings of a screenplay and the film’s ineffective style of storytelling.
Affleck, Pike kill it in ‘Gone Girl’ thriller
1 PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW REGENCY PICTURES
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE REPORT TITLE
PHOTO COURTESY OFNEW REGENCY PICTURES
Fincher’s ‘Gone Girl’ exhibits the director’s ability to handle dark themes and a complex screenplay, but doesn’t live up to ‘The Social Network.’ BY GRACE GODVIN For The Heights Gone Girl speaks to director David Fincher’s affinity for the dark. From The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to Se7en to Fight Club, Fincher repeatedly delves into the minds of psychopaths and serial killers. Based off of Gillian Flynn’s complex, haunting New York Times bestseller, Gone Girl keeps with Fincher’s morbid GONE GIRL themes. David Fincher The stor y revolves around a married couple, the perfectly cast Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy (Rosamund Pike), who have gone through some rough times. Nick loses his job and then his mother, meanwhile forcing his wife to relocate from New York to his rinky-dink hometown in Missouri. Amy, also suffering from a layoff, agrees to the move in part to get away from her manipulating psychiatrist parents. Upon arriving in Missouri, however, things only get worse. Nick refuses to find a job—in one scene, he is shown finding refuge in video games and Chinese takeout. Once he does find employment, it is through Amy’s trust fund, as she gives him the money to start his own bar. But bitterness divides the couple, and soon Nick turns to a hot young thing to keep his mind off of it. On Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding an-
niversary, Nick comes back to the house to find what seems to be a crime scene—someone has made a mess of his living room and has taken Amy. He immediately calls the police, and an investigation ensues. Although not told from Nick’s perspective, Fincher’s film sympathizes with the husband from the get-go. He clearly has a temper, he cheats on his wife, and all clues point to him. But, never for a moment do you think he did it. Even with Rosamund Pike’s haunting voiceover and Nick’s continued missteps, it’s almost impossible to align with any side but his. Fincher’s talent resides heavily in his ability to take a seemingly traditional story and make it anything but that. While technically in the murder-mystery genre, clues and investigation take a backseat to the media scrutiny surrounding Nick, deviating from the traditional whodunit. Fincher hires a lawyer, who focuses less on evidence and more on media interviews. Meanwhile, Amy, alive and well, heads to a motel, where she befriends some morally questionable residents and speaks with a terrible New Orleans drawl. Pike’s cold, beautiful exterior makes it easy to antagonize her, as does her psychopathic need to destroy her husband’s image. As the film progresses through its excessive two-and-a-half hour runtime, the distractions begin to add up. Tyler Perry stars as the lawyer famous for defending wife-killers, while Neil Patrick Harris ap-
pears as Amy’s former boyfriend. These jarring casting decisions distract from the tension Fincher meticulously builds up. And, as the plot begins to gain speed, Amy’s actions seem more humorously absurd than serious. Undeniable is the film’s precise editing and visionary cinematography. With a little help from familiar faces (he’s worked with cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth and editor Kirk Baxter many times before), Fincher plays on his strengths in Gone Girl. His precision is unparalleled, and in anyone else’s hands, the twists and turns of Flynn’s masterfully complex screenplay most likely would have been messy. Most exceptional is the unconventional score, which maintains the tension throughout the film using electronic beats and pulses. And, despite his casting mishaps, Fincher also showcases some talent in Kim Dickens as the strikingly aware head investigator, and Carrie Coons as Nick’s loyal sister. Despite almost all of Fincher’s films having the same dark, twisted nature about them, it is interesting to note that his best film, The Social Network, is also his lightest. Gone Girl is surely fun, but it’s only in the finale that Fincher finds something truly great. Fincher uses this film as his own take on the inner workings of relationships in this modern era. And what he finds—deception, connivery, and plenty of self-consciousness—does not bode well for our generation.
WEEKEND GROSS
WEEKS IN RELEASE
1. GONE GIRL
38.0
1
2. ANNABELLE
37.2
1
3. THE EQUALIZER
19.0
2
4. THE BOXTROLLS
12.4
2
5. THE MAZE RUNNER
12.0
3
6. LEFT BEHIND
6.9
1
7. THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU
4.0
3
8. DOLPHIN TALE 2
3.5
4
9. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
3.0
10
10. NO GOOD DEED
2.5
4
3
2 PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW LINE CINEMA
3 PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES
BESTSELLERS OF HARDCOVER FICTION 1. EDGE OF ETERNITY Ken Follett 2. PERSONAL Lee Child 3. SOMEWHERE SAFE WITH SOMEBODY GOOD Jan Karon 4. BONES NEVER LIE Kathy Reichs 5. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE Anthony Doerr
6. THE BONE CLOCKS David Mitchell 7. THE PAYING GUESTS Sarah Waters 8. THE CHILDREN ACT Ian McEwan 9. THE SECRET PLACE Tana French 10. THE GOLDFINCH Donna Tartt SOURCE: New York Times
Rapture remake movie with Nicolas Cage is better ‘Left Behind’ BY SANGWOO KIM For The Heights
The movie Left Behind is, ironically, far behind when it comes down to the most basic artistic and technical components of cinema. The film is a remake of 2000’s Left Behind: The Movie—a Christian flick with pretty much the same name—and is more broadly based on the Left Behind book series. The Nicolas Cage film revolves around the Rapture: the Biblical event LEFT BEHIND wherein Vic Armstrong God is said to bring all believers to heaven and leave behind a world of war and evil. The female protagonist, Chloe Steele (Cassi Thomson) must deal not only with the disappearing of millions of people, but also with family troubles—spurred by her mother’s recent passion for religion and the family’s lack of willingness to join in. The male protagonist, Rayford Steele (Nicolas Cage), faces an emergency situation. He is a pilot, and the fate of his passengers depends on him as he is flying a plane during the Rapture. The movie is plagued with anti-climactic moments
and clearly lacks a plot. It attempts to insert a love story and build up suspense at times, but it fails. A combination of poor acting, outdated visual effects, the absence of a plot, a nonexistent conclusion, and dull writing pairs with awkward, poorly read lines and sloppy transitions—leaving watchers to ask, “Why did I just watch this?” The supporting cast is simply horrid. The actors’ uncomfortable, almost frightened voices lack any synergy—leaving audiences in a state of embarrassment and discomfort. The whole ordeal is noticeably fake. The child actors in the movie are particularly weak, and they appear to lack a basic understanding of how to act, failing to realistically convey emotion—or at the very least, make appropriate expressions and looks responsively at the camera. The performances of several of the films leads—Cage, Chad Michael Murray as Cameron “Buck” Williams, Thomson, Jordin Sparks as Shasta Carvell, and Nicky Whelan as Hattie Durham—are to some extent decent, with a couple better than others. Overall, though, the acting is terrible, and it does not reflect the potential or skill of its relatively
well-known cast. The visuals are quite disappointing. Not only are the animated scenes noticeably very animated and lack any sense of realism, the action—if one could call it action—also lacks impact. In addition to the seemingly low-budget visuals, the transitions between scenes are out of place, leaving a sense of confusion. Probably the worst features of the movie, though, are its undefined plot and weak screenplay. The movie lacks even the beginnings of a plotline, and as a whole, it is little more than a pointless sequence of scenes, masquerading as a feature length film. After two hours of Cage, you deserve at least to be able to recognize the movie’s intended purpose or get some semblance of a story—but this movie does not even seem to understand what a movie is supposed to be. Furthermore, many scenes in Left Behind have altogether no purpose—making the film drag on a rough two hours when it could have been finished (with equal or better quality) in one. In addition to the shortcomings of the plot, the script is cliched and ignorant to the central tenets of Christian belief—stereotyping believers and robbing many of its characters of dimension.
PHOTO COURTESY OF STONEY LAKE ENTERTAINMENT
‘Left Behind’ crashes and burns, thanks to a bad cast, weak plot, and unrealistic special effects. The particularly sad thing about this movie, though, is that it fits into no category of cinema. It attempts to be a suspenseful action flick at times, but it is neither suspenseful nor full of action. It also attempts to be a tragedy with mildly better results. It is not action, mystery, romance, or adventure—so what exactly is it? Nothing. Although the movie has many negatives, there are some glimmers of light in the film. It has a few decent performances,
as well as some touching scenes (however basic they may be). There also are a couple of lines that are quite funny. It is safe to say that more laughter is initiated by how awkward and simply bad the acting is, however—lines that are actually intended as jokes are few and far between. Left Behind is disappointing, but not to the point where you would demand your money back. Maybe 80 percent of it, though.
The Heights
Monday, October 6, 2014
A7
Grammer comes to Robsham for acoustic show featuring Juice Andy Grammer, from A8 several covers with casual sing-alongs segments, including Frank Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids”—each cover came, fittingly, with an added splash of Juice. Juice ended its set with “Where I Wanna Be,” an original song which has become a staple for the band. This closing number had a much more energetic feel than the rest of the set, working up the crowd right before the headliner was introduced. There also was the absurd high note that lead singer Ben Stevens, CSOM ’17, hit during a cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You.” The pipes on this kid are unreal, and when he hit that high note (“some people need three dozen ro-o-o-o-oses”)—oh, baby. And he was sitting down, too, making it all the more impressive, considering the potential restrictions to his breathing. 8. “WAZUP” While audience members were checking their phones for Saturday night plans or making sure they had the perfect angle and lighting for the almost-mandatory Instagram shot, Grammer popped up on stage with a resounding “WAZUP.” This laid-back, college-age dialect continued for the majority of the night. He flaunted his potty mouth and talked about attractive girls in the crowd—it was the type of conversation someone would have post 2 a.m. in Late Night on a Saturday. 7. Grammer’s faces Every time he hit a high note, or broke down into beatbox mode, Grammer’s face would scrunch up and get all wrinkly. Think of Popeye the sailor man after eating a can of spinach, or Sylvester Stallone
in Rambo when he goes on a machete rampage. It happened frequently. He still looked good. 6. Andy the Mama’s Boy Grammer frequently referenced stories of his recently deceased mother throughout the performance, even playing a song he had written for her entitled “Ladies.” The stories complemented the casualty of his Robsham performance, allowing for a more intimate and authentic connection with his audience. He’s hot, he plays guitar, and he loves his mom? This, my friends, is a rarity. 5. The Front Row fangirls Fangirl (noun): A rabid breed of human female who is obsessed with either a fictional character, an actor, or a singer. Grammer introduces a song called “Honey, I’m Good” referring to how hard it was to perform at colleges because the girls are “so f—king hot” while he has a wife at home that he tries to be “true to.” Appropriately enough, a sign held by the girls in the front stated, “Honey, I’m good, come to 45 Radnor Road.” “Did you not just hear anything I said, girls?” Grammer said. “45 Radnor? All right, I’ll be there.” No word on the outcome of this invitation. 4. Keep Your Head Up It wasn’t too much of a surprise that Grammer closed with “Keep Your Head Up”—the perfect song for the college application process. Especially when that less-than-helpful college advisor says your essay sucks. (I’m not bitter.)
3. The “Keytar” For one song, Grammer whipped out this half-keyboard, half-guitar instrument that looked like it was straight out of Zenon: Girl of the 21st-Century. (Protazoa, is that you?) He subbed it in for the funky, electric bass part in “Holding Out.” To put it eloquently, it was sick. 2. Mixing Old and New Insert Grammer’s new album plug here, because he surprisingly did not do it himself. He had the classics, as well as some new songs from his recently released album Magazines or Novels that kept well in the spirit of his work. This fresh material kept with Grammer’s upbeat, happy, acoustic sound. He even tossed in a cover of Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” into the set, and for an encore, he covered Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars.” 1. Street Performer Roots For a majority of the concert, it almost felt like Grammer was lipsyncing, as he sounded exactly like he would on an iPod. He described to the audience his start as an LA street performer and all the characters he met along the way, ending with his song, “Biggest Man in Los Angeles.” His background as a fouryear street performer before landing his first record deal explains his mature and strong vocals—and even explains how easily he connected with the audience. Bonus: A review encompasses all those notions of the senses: the sound, the aura of the audience, and even the appearance of the performance, good or bad. Two words: leather jacket. n
emily sadeghian / heights editor
Grammer’s performance showed him off as a crude but ultimately relatable performer.
Problems with Netflix and most pumpkin-flavored items Netflix, from A8
emily sadeghian / heights editor
Students in the Musical Theatre Wing reinterpreted classic musical numbers for Friday’s ‘When I Grow Up’ fall cabaret show.
Theatre Wing hosts cabaret in Bonn When I Grow Up, from A8 A&S ’15, brought it back to childhood with her performance of “My Party Dress” from Henry & Mudge. With a sparkly pink dress and flouncy pigtails, Goober perfectly embodied the character of a little girl, alternating between shy whispers and the loud and proud declarations of a child prodigy with dreams to be in the FBI or CIA. Following Goober, some new talent arrived on stage: Noelle Scarlett, A&S ’18, took on the bold Roxie Hart from the musical Chicago. With a strong, sassy stage presence, Scarlett left us without a doubt that people will be “waiting in line to see Roxie”—and Scarlett’s own future performances, for that matter. Shukra Sabnis, LSOE ’16, put a twist on the traditional “happy marriage” by singing “Somewhere That’s Green” from the musical horror-comedy Little Shop of Horrors. As a couple sat at a table in
the corner of the stage, staring longingly into each other’s eyes, Sabnis’ lyrics provided a sadly comical contrast to the scene: “I know Seymour’s the greatest / But I’m dating a semi-sadist,” and “Between our frozen dinner / And our bedtime, 9:15 / We snuggle watchin’ Lucy / On our big, enormous 12-inch screen.” When Sabnis finished, the couple rose from the table and came to the front of the stage, showcasing the other side of marriage with a duet performance of “Therapy” from Tick…Tick…Boom! Kate Weidenman, LSOE ’16, and Jared Reinfeldt, A&S ’16, went back and forth with a fast-paced, circuitous argument about their feelings. Just one snippet of the song: “I’m saying I feel bad, that you feel bad / About me feeling bad, about you feeling bad / About what I said, about what you said / About me not being able to share a feeling.” Try saying that three times fast.
The cabaret concluded the way all great life-events should: with a grand old party. Julianne Quaas, A&S ’15, stepped out in her leather leggings and heels, commanding the room for her lively performance of “The Life of the Party.” With a carefree, seductive attitude, Quaas had the attention not only of the audience, but also of the three guys in robes hanging out behind the curtain. Soon enough, Quaas joins them backstage—leaving the action to imagination—and the boys later stepped out to embrace their inner Jersey Boys for the song “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night).” Audience members clapped and bopped along, as the performance blended seamlessly into the full-cast finale to Matilda’s “When I Grow Up.” Reverting back to children’s wardrobes, the cast members united for a celebration of youth—perhaps suggesting that maybe we don’t have to grow up just yet. n
it refused to partake in such an “experiment.” But there’s been some unease for a while. When you can shoot something on your cell phone or a $300 camera you bought from Radioshack (or more likely Amazon, as Radioshack recedes into the cave with old buddy Blockbuster) that looks pretty close to Friday Night Lights and can watch it on said cell phone, you have to admit that media is changing. You probably didn’t hear it here first. The days of going to the movies may be over. And that’s a shame. I’m not a purist. I’ve only been to Coolidge Corner a few times. A month’s Netflix may even cost less than going to the movies once. With all that out of the way, let me say the obligatory and admittedly vague “there’s something about going to the movies.” The popcorn, the giant screen, the previews, the teenagers making out in the back corner. It’s like going to a baseball game, or more so a concert—one of the events we communally acknowledge as “art.” Going to the movies gives 13-year-olds something reasonable to do on a Friday night—so long as they don’t loiter too much in the parking lot. We won’t stand for that. As someone who goes to the movies alone more than most (because I review them, not because I don’t have friends!), there’s something tangibly different about watching a movie in a big audience. I think everyone who saw Guardians of the Galaxy this summer experienced that. I think anyone who saw The Avengers a couple summers experienced that. Netflix has been so successful with television because television is such a friendly medium. Television is what’s on when you’re making dinner, eating dinner,
and thinking about what you want to eat next. It’s just there for your convenience, and Netflix made television more convenient. It’s what made television cool and amplified it. But what makes films different is that they demand your attention. Someone spent years of his or her life to build this two-hour experience for you so much so that he or she wants you to watch it on a giant screen, with surround sound, and a bunch of other people. That’s what’s best about films, and if Netflix starts releasing film straight to your phone for you to watch on your way to work, that takes away from what makes film awesome. It makes film television. There’s a right way to experience a movie, just as there’s a right way to experience a pumpkin. The way we do things is as important as what we’re doing. I understand Netflix’s urge to capture the market, and it’s right that a movie ticket shouldn’t cost $10. If it wants to finance Adam Sandler’s vacations for the next few years, fine. Let it. If Starbucks wants to make pumpkin spiced lattes for three months, I’ll live. I might start listening to more Bon Iver (I promise I’m not pretentious) than usual. The movie theater and its place in culture are really some of the few things I actually care about, along with proper pumpkin consumption. And I want my kid to grow up in a world where if he and his friends are bored on a Friday night, they can see a good movie in an actual theater, run by actual people—not some Netflix “cloud,” casting media into their brains.
Ryan Dowd is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@ bcheights.com
‘Dancing with the Scholars’ brings together 10 University dance crews Scholars, from A8 “crowd favorite” and “judges choice.” Adisa Duke, A&S ’16, and Arantxa Medina, a dancer from V.I.P and A&S ’17, finished first with the audience. DJ Fajana, A&S ’16, and Lakeisha Joy, a dancer from Presenting Africa To U (PATU) and A&S ’15, won over the panel. Here’s a breakdown of Friday’s 10 acts. DOBC (Rebecca Rogers, CSON ’16, and Alex Ojugbeli, A&S ’17) Dancing with the Scholars opened with a quick audio clip from Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda,” to be followed by a strong contemporary routine. Rogers and Ojugbeli were criticized by the judges for not including enough Cade Verdean music in their mix, but all in all, it was a strong start to the night. Ojugbeli was an adept partner, picking up the routine from Rogers quite well, and bringing that chemistry on stage. F.I.S.T.S. (Stephanie Delma, A&S ’16, and Jon Vaughn, A&S ’15)
It start with one of F.I.S.T.S.’ iconic step routines, and from there, Delma and Vaughn launched into a high-energy performance. The climax of this particular routine was a short strip segment, which gained strong vocal approval from the crowd and later, careful responses from the judge panel. PATU (Lakeisha Joy, A&S ’15, and DJ Fajana, A&S ’16) Merging modern style with traditional African movement, Joy and Fajana won a standing ovation from the crowd. Although not a part of a dance group himself, Fajana proved himself a dynamic partner, keeping up with Joy throughout their particularly fast-paced routine. UPrising (Adam Clegg, A&S ’15, and Jasmine Hill, A&S ’15) UPrising’s showing at Dancing with the Scholars was the second performance of the night opening with Minaj’s “Anaconda,” and this visitation of the summer hit did bring in a fair deal of Minaj’s dance interpretation of the song into the mix. Shaking it out to start, Clegg and Hill had a comic energy on stage,
and they did well playing off of each other’s facial expressions. Fuego del Corazon (Emily Wise, CSON ’15, and Alex Rhodes, A&S ’15) Fuego del Corazon won last semester’s Showdown in the dance category, so heading into Dancing with the Scholars, expectations were high for Wise and Rhodes. Incorporated into the routine were Fuego’s knack for acrobatics, with Rhodes impressively flipping Wise 360 degrees at one point in the act. Sexual Chocolate (Jerome Wright, A&S ’15, and Shayra Brown, CGSOM ’18) Starting the performance by throwing Hershey’s Kisses into the crowd, Wright and Brown kept their performance in the spirit of Sexual Chocolate, Wright’s dance crew. Brown, a member of the Women’s Basketball Team, matched with Wright, lacing up in Sexual Chocolate’s signature Timberland Boots. Stopping the music midway through to perform a short step routine, Wright and Brown brought all the flare of Sexual Chocolate’s Big Shows to the much smaller stage.
VIP (Adisa Duke, A&S ’16, and Arantxa Medina, A&S ’17) VIP’s representative at Dancing with the Scholars was a crowd favorite. The recently formed Latin dance group made its first major appearance at BC at last semester’s Showdown, and if Duke and Medina had anything to show on Friday, it was that VIP is not afraid to engage in the intense acrobatics that once only Fuego del Corazon was willing to engage in. Smart and sexy, Duke and Medina’s routine showed off the hot chemistry between the couple, as well as a fair deal of preparation for the event. BCID (Megan Keating, A&S ’15, and Ronald Claude, A&S ’16) Irish dance and Cape Verdean music might sound incompatible, but Keating did amazing work adapting some of the country’s folk classics into an Irish step routine. Featuring one segment with a chair that at first appeared quite scandalous (but ultimately was relatively tame), this portion of the night had a lot of excited energy, and considering how specialized Irish dance is, Claude did remarkably well in following Keating’s lead.
Masti (Vebhav Garg, A&S ’15, and Patience Marks, CSON ’15) BC’s contemporary Indian dance crew Masti won top honors in the cultural category of Showdown last year, and Garg brought that fire on Friday. Marks and Garg played off of each other, and they were particularly dynamic partners in the sense that they both seemed to be pushing the other to give more. Phaymus (Colby Allen, A&S ’15, and Dennis Clifford, A&S ’15) The returning champions of last year’s Dancing with the Scholars, Allen and Clifford were a glorious combination. Clifford, a player on the men’s basketball team, stood at 7-foot-11, while Allen barely broke five. Bringing humor into the mix, the couple had a very strong presence on stage, and surprisingly, they worked together quite well in spite of the extreme height differential. Representing BC hip-hop dance crew Phaymus, Allen and Clifford ended the evening in style, setting high (or tall?) standards for next year’s Dancing with the Scholars. n
A8
ARTS&REVIEW MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014
THE FINER THINGS
Quitting the overcommitting
ANDY GRAMMER & JUICE AT ROBSHAM BY KAYLA FAMOLARE
ARIANA IGNERI
Heights Editor
At Boston College, we’re committed to overcommitting. One leadership position is never enough. Eighteen credits is always better than 15. Volunteering two hours a week doesn’t cut it—it has to be four, and having an unpaid internship isn’t as great as having a job, too. Somewhere in between the meeting, the mentoring, the working, and the learning, we find just enough time to eat, sleep, and, if we’re lucky, remember we’re only human. We’re constantly in motion, trying to keep promises that end up being as thin as the free time in our hectic schedules. Commitment has become paradoxical. The more things we dedicate ourselves to—whether it be to a club, a sport, or a program—the less we’re actually dedicated to any single one of them. We can’t concentrate in class, because we’re too busy sending emails. We can’t be attentive during group reflections, because we’re too preoccupied by the thought of the research paper we have to write. We can’t make it to practice, because, well, we have another practice with another group that we have to be at. Our compulsive need to be involved has inevitably forced us to become uninvolved. Most of us don’t even see it—and how would we? We don’t have the time to. Before day one of freshman year, BC students are told to find their passion. We’re told to set the world aflame, but we sometimes burn out in the process. Not only are we tired and stressed, but we’re also disillusioned—at least in part. If we took a step back and looked at everything our lives are filled with, would we really love it all? Would we find that passion is motivating our commitments, or would it be something else? Maybe it is possible to care about the tons of different things that we give our thoughts and energy to, but it’s impossible to give them all the attention they need and deserve. We fail to realize that time is finite, we’re limited, and there might just be another person for the job who is able to commit to it and be present in a fuller sense than we are. It often seems like we’re trying to fit into this mold of what a BC student should be—always being busy. Free afternoons, open evenings, or 10-minute gaps to do whatever we want come with guilt—and for what? Because we’re not doing as much as our peers are? It’s a never-ending cycle, and we’re all feeding the problem. Last Wednesday—the final day to drop a course without penalty—I found myself in the Dean’s office, fighting my own conscience. I filled out some paperwork, turned it in, and officially became an under-loader. I’m taking fewer credits than the average student, so when it comes to class time, I don’t have a whole lot of it. For once, there’s a small blank slot in my weekly calendar, and I don’t know how to handle it. After so many semesters of being too involved, it’s hard to accept, appreciate, and enjoy quiet moments. Lightening my load may seem like a cop-out, but I’m trying to look at it as giving myself more space to focus on doing what I actually love. At BC, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle—to think that our four years here are about having a loaded transcript, a long resume, and a packed planner. We overcommit, but then, we don’t know how to quite commit in the first place. We find our passion, but sometimes lose ourselves in the process. We pencil things in, but don’t always know what’s important.
Ariana Igneri is the Assoc. Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com
“It’s fine by me / If you never leave,” bellowed Andy Grammer at his Saturday night performance in Robsham Theatre—and by the looks of it, the crowd would have been fine with him never leaving, either. Presented by the Boston College Campus Activity Board (CAB), the concert featured Grammer, the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, in an intimate, acoustic setting. Last year’s BC Battle of the Bands winner Juice opened for Grammer, but with several of its band members missing, the small group identified itself as “Juice Box” for the night. If one were to take a snapshot of Robsham from the center aisle forward, it would have appeared that Grammer brought in a large, expansive crowd. Zoom out of that lens however, and entering the frame would be the almost empty back section of the theatre—with the staple Eagle EMS students as the only ones posting up in the back row. Even for casual fans of Grammar—who might have only been familiar with his more popular songs like “Keep Your Head Up”—Saturday’s performance had a fair deal to offer. So, for those who did not make it out to the back sections of Robsham, here are the top 9 moments from Saturday’s performance that you might have missed. 9. The “Juice Box” Makes It To Robsham Main Stage Juice began the night in more low-key style, opting for an acoustic vibe, and sitting in a semi-circle of sorts. The group performed
EMILY SADEGHIAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR
‘Keep Your Head Up’ singer Andy Grammer performed in Robsham on Saturday with Juice.
See Andy Grammer, A7
BY MICHELLE TOMASSI
Asst. Arts & Review Editor
WHEN I GROW UP CABARET
EMILY SADEGHIAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR
The Boston College Musical Theatre Wing took a comedic approach to the theme of growing up on Friday night.
Fill in the blank: when I grow up, I want to be … famous? A star? In movies? On Friday night, the Boston College Musical Theatre Wing provided its own comical array of responses, during the “When I Grow Up” fall cabaret show. Despite the show’s name, the Pussycat Dolls were nowhere to be found—rather, the show took a comedic approach to answering the question, since we’re not grown up just yet. Founded just last year, the Musical Theatre Wing provides opportunities for students interested in musical theatre to perform in various ways—from cabarets and shortened compilations to volunteer service performances and workshops. “We felt it was important to give those who love performing and love musicals a chance to do theatre on a lowcommitment basis,” said Karalyn Hutton, the group’s on-campus coordinator and A&S ’16, in an email. “That’s why our auditions are open for any student at BC, especially
those who may have done theatre in high school or who have never had the chance to sing.” Both new and seasoned performers took the stage at the Bonn Studio on Friday, drawing laughs and constant applause from the small but rambunctious audience. If you’re still wondering what you want to be when you grow up, take a break from LinkedIn and see what the students have to say—or rather, sing—about the future. The show began with a flashback to last year’s highly successful musical Avenue Q, but this time, sans puppets. Ryan Cooper, A&S ’16, opened the cabaret with a rendition of “What Do You Do With A B.A. In English?” but substituted English for theatre—more appropriate given the nature of the performance. The song hit a little too close to home, as Cooper sang about the “big, scary place” that is post-grad life, when paying bills is no longer something that just your parents do. Samantha Goober, president of the Musical Theatre Wing and
See When I Grow Up, A7
Direct to Netflix movies: coming soon to a smartphone near you RYAN DOWD
IRENE XU / FOR THE HEIGHTS
Representatives from CVSA danced with members from each of BC’s dance groups.
CVSA hosts ‘Dancing with the Scholars’ competition JOHN WILEY
Arts & Review Editor “I’ve been judging this competition for years, and based on what I’ve seen so far tonight, you’re guaranteed to win.” This was the phrase with which Karl Bell, assistant director of the Office of Student Involvement (OSI), concluded all his criticism on Friday evening in the Heights Room. Bell was part of a three-person panel, judging
INSIDE ARTS THIS ISSUE
Dancing with the Scholars—a dance competition based off of the popular ABC show of a very similar name. Hosted by the Cape Verdean Student Association (CVSA), the contest paired members of CVSA’s e-board with dancers from 10 of Boston College’s dance organizations. Each performing to a mix of popular songs and traditional Cape Verde music, the 10 couples competed for
See Scholars, A7
‘Jimi: All Is By My Side’
Ridley’s biopic of the ’60s rockstar struggles to capture Jimi Hendrix’s heart and soul, A6
It’s October in Boston. The world is getting progressively darker, and the cold has begun to seep into my bones. Meanwhile, Boston College continues to bombard us with pictures of pretty fall leaves—regardless of whether it is dreary and generally depressing out. And on comes the sick pervasion of pumpkin everything. Pumpkin spiced coffee. Pumpkin-flavored beer. Anything that could conceivably hold a pumpkin flavor can and will. “Who doesn’t like pumpkins?” shouts Big Brother aside a poster of Russell Crowe. But the truth, my friend, is that pumpkins don’t taste like this. If you cut up a pumpkin today, and scooped out a handful, and gave it the good old college try, it wouldn’t have the sugary spice of that coffee you love so much. They’re lying to us. Pumpkins are on this earth to be sat upon and to be carved, and, if you’re really hungry, to make bread. You could convince me to include pumpkin pie as well because even I
‘Left Behind’
The Christian Rapture flick starring Nicolas Cage doesn’t even have a prayer, A6
have weaknesses. Why the fuss, Ryan? Why not let people go their own way in life? You can. I won’t begrudge you the little things that get you through the day. (I listened to Bon Iver every night before I went to bed to get through last week.) So, if Adam Sandler wants to make four movies direct to Netflix, he can. It’s a win for him and an obvious loss for us. Yes, Netflix has entered the features game. After the rocking success of Emmy nominated House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, Netflix has reached deals with Sandler and the Weinstein Company, which will produce a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which made over $200 million in 2000. It’s a calculated step for the streaming giant. On its way to conquering television, Netflix now has its eyes set on film, conceivably targeting movie theaters. And that has caused some unease in the industry. Regal Cinema came out with a blustering statement about how
See Netflix, A7
Weekend Box Office Report.........................A6 Hardcover Bestsellers....................................A6 Movie Reviews................................................A6
SPORTS
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014
BC HITS THE ICE IN EXHIBITION
BY MICHAEL HOFF Heights Staff An alien would have known that Saturday night’s tilt between Boston College and the University of New Brunswick was an exhibi6 Boston College tion. Both New Brunswick 4 teams had too many penalties and blew a ton of defensive coverages. BC captain Michael Matheson and forward Destry Straight each came up lame at different points, but BC got what it wanted most out of Saturday: no injuries. “I think that was a good hockey game for both of us,” said BC head coach Jerry York. “It’s early in the season for the Reds and for ourselves. It was a good pace to the game. I was particularly pleased with some of our young players and how they played.” The biggest pluses came from three young players on the same line: sophomores Adam Gilmour and Chris Calnan, and freshman Alex Tuch. Each over 6-foot-2, the triumvirate dominated throughout the game by matching size and skill to hem UNB in its zone whenever they were on the ice. Gilmour fired a first period pass through the slot to no one—and that was the last time the big guys were out of sync. Their collective chemistry produced two second-period goals from Tuch, the big-
gest of the bigs at 6-foot-4. “For real early in the season, I thought they played well together,” York said. “I think all three benefited from good play from each other.” About five minutes into the second, York rolled out the trio on his first power play unit. Gilmour, working the left half wall, fed Tuch, who was posting up along the left post. In one motion, Tuch took the pass and brought it to his forehand side, sweeping the puck across the crease and depositing it for his first BC goal before UNB goalie David Shatnz could recover. “The power play, when [Alex] got where he stepped across the goalie, that was a pretty impressive goal for a young kid,” York said. Later in the period, Calnan took a feed from Gilmour, his former high school teammate, at the UNB blueline and redirected it right to Tuch. Tuch beat the defense before he got the puck, and sailed into the slot unencumbered, eventually ripping the top-shelf twine. “[Tuch]‘s gonna be a really good player,” York said. “Minnesota drafted him in the first round for some reasons. He’s big and he’s smart. He’s gonna be a good player for us.” Despite getting out-attempted by
See Exhibition, B3
M
EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR
istakes, flashes of brilliance, chippy play, and goals galore– classic preseason elements marked BC’s exhibition battle against New Brunswick on Saturday night.
Scattered preseason observations CONNOR MELLAS Believe it or not, the Boston College men’s hockey team played an exhibition game in Conte Forum on Saturday night. Quick disclaimer: a shrewd person might elect not to believe this, for I have lied in this column before and remain committed to pursuing my campaign of deception and misinformation in the future. But seeing as you were probably not in attendance—Kelley Rink saw a mid-season
BC basketball game level crowd, and odds are, you weren’t part of it—you’ll just have to place your faith in me. The Eagles beat New Brunswick 6-4 in their first game of the year, so now, to emulate BC’s chaotic, up-anddown performance, here is a series of observations varying in quality and usefulness. Either Kevin Hayes slipped into the BC locker room, locked Alex Tuch in a closet, threw on his old jersey, and hopped on the ice, or Tuch is—dare I say it—going to reach a level comparable to Hayes’ very quickly. Saturday provided a very small sample size, but Tuch emerged as a troll-sized brute
with a pair of hands softer than cotton candy—a combination that will serve BC head coach Jerry York very well. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound freshman scored twice, took five shots, and displayed a knack for finding space. Tuch is already freakishly strong and fast—it took Hayes four years to figure out how to use his body to its full potential, and if York’s new No. 12 can put it together quicker than that, he’ll be BC’s best player before long. Thatcher Demko got some new swag. Clearly an allusion to Neapolitan ice cream, the pads and blocker are broken into blocks of maroon,
See Column, B3
Women’s hockey starts season with style, burying Syracuse BY ARTHUR BAILIN For The Heights On Oct. 25, 2013, the Boston College women’s hockey team dropped a game to the Syracuse Orange 4-1. Eleven months and nine Boston College 10 d ay s l at e r, Syracuse 2 the Eagles left nothing to chance. BC rolled over Syracuse 10-2 at Kelley Rink on Saturday afternoon. “I thought we were able to finish on our opportunities,” said BC head coach Katie King Crowley. “And last year when we were out there, we had our opportunities but we didn’t finish. So I thought this was a great first game for us, great effort all around.” The Eagles’ efforts were helped in a big way by a hat trick from defender Lexi
Bender. “[Bender is] an offensive-defenseman, but hadn’t put that many in, especially in the first game, and she’s in a spot on the power-play where she’s got some kids who can move that puck around,” Crowley said. “And if she can find that open net when she gets that opportunity, then I think she can have a few down there. So I thought she did a good job offensively jumping up in the play when she should, and she was able to put those opportunities home when she got them, so I was happy with the way Lexi played.” Bender’s efforts were aided by Emily Pfalzer, who had a remarkable game in her own right, going plus-7, with five assists and a goal in her efforts on the blue line. “[Bender is] one of my best friends on the team,” Pfalzer said. “We just know
I NSIDE SPORTS THIS ISSUE
where each of us are going to be, and when she wants the puck I know she wants the puck, so I just give it to her.” Bender scored early in the first period on a shot that went off the goaltender Jean Gilligan, but somehow made its way into the net. The officials originally waved off the goal, but a review gave the Eagles the 1-0 lead. Moments later, an interference penalty on Bender yielded a redirect goal by Melissa Piacentini to knot the game at one. Piacentini put the puck past freshman Katie Burt, who was on the ice for the first official time in her collegiate career. With seven minutes left in the first period, Bender found some space near the faceoff dot and fired a shot past Gilligan for
See Opener, B3
Men’s Soccer: South Bend surprise Sophomore Isaac Normesinu’s strike sealed an upset of the No.1 team in the country.......B2
EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Junior Lexi Bender dominated for BC on Saturday, racking up a hat trick in the win.
Volleyball: BC sweeps Syracuse
The Eagles took down the Orange in straight sets to move to 2-1 in conference play.......B4
Roundup...................................B2 Sports in Short.........................B2
THE HEIGHTS
B2
Monday, October 6, 2014
BC avoids costly mistakes in upset of No. 1 Notre Dame BY ALEX FAIRCHILD Asst. Sports Editor
Two weeks ago on a chilly Friday evening, the men’s soccer team huddled up after losing in overtime to No. 9 Louisville. As1 Boston College sociate 0 Notre Dame head coach John Murphy joined the team and turned to head coach Ed Kelly. “Do you wanna talk to these guys?” Murphy said. Kelly looked at the team, eyes wide, and said, “No.” Murphy looked back to the players, told them when to arrive for practice the following morning, and as the team put their hands in, said, “Family,” and left. Everyone wanted to get away from the Newton Campus Soccer Field that evening to escape an omnipresent tension caused by frustration—not between the coaching staff and the players—but a mutual one that arose from dropping three straight matches, and back-to-back games in overtime. At that point in time, nothing was going right for Boston College. Poor decision-making led to the Cardinals’ game-winner. The team travelled to No. 23 Duke and lost 1-0, off a free kick resulting from a questionable foul call and a shoddy wall. Heading into blustery, rainy, and cold South Bend, Ill. on Friday night against No. 1 Notre Dame, the Eagles needed a bit of help. Someone else had to make a mistake, not BC. When Henry Balf played a long ball up the pitch for Isaac Normesinu to scamper onto, a Fighting Irish center back failed to read it correctly, and the sophomore kept running. The defender failed to play it back to goalkeeper Patrick Wall, and Normesinu took a one-time shot from 14 yards to put BC up 1-0. “He’s so fast, so we brought Ike [Normesinu] in to run in behind, and we haven’t done enough running in behind,” Kelly said. BC would be able to hang on and
win, but at the time, the Eagles still had a problem: there were still 75 minutes of soccer left to play, and BC would have to be mistake-free for the entire hour and 15 minutes. “We can’t make mistakes,” said Kelly, whose team has been marred by error in recent weeks. For the most part, the Eagles were disciplined, and even and if there was an error, it was not costly. Notre Dame had chances—19 of them, in fact—while the Eagles had just three, including Normesinu’s goal. All of BC’s shots came in the first half, which is when the Eagles set the tone by cutting off the Fighting Irish’s supply chain. “Zeiko did a great part on their No. 8, in the early parts of the game.” Kelly said. “He’s their kind of playmaker.” Notre Dame’s No. 8 is Nick Besler, the brother of the United States men’s national team’s Matt. When opponents think about Notre Dame’s team, you think about four players—Leon Brown, the drop forward, Vince Cicciarelli, the target man, Patrick Hodan, the tricky winger, and Besler. By taking Besler out the game, the senior was kept from feeding Brown and Hodan, so the ball rarely got to Cicciarelli in areas the hosts could exploit. The younger Besler is an intelligent center midfielder built straight out of the mold of his older brother, who also played at Notre Dame. Kelly has also turned away from the diamond midfield that he used through the team’s 2-0 loss to Clemson. “We were getting a little stretched out, because Henry is a freshman, who ended up being a holding guy, and then we’ve got to get the full back thing sorted out,” said Kelly. “It’s too much for Henry as a freshman to stick with the diamond.” A change of tactics means the Eagles have gone back to the 4-4-1-1 of yesteryear. Frano now partners Balf in a sturdy midfield. The full back problem existed because Matt Wendelken is the only natural right back in the squad, and he just returned to the lineup for the clash with Notre Dame. BC was getting ripped
GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF
Isaac Normesinu’s goal on 15 minutes was the difference in the men’s soccer team’s victory over No. 1 Notre Dame on Friday night. apart on the wings, as four different players, including Frano, were filling in the role with varying success. “We have, like, an entirely new defense out there this year, so it takes a little bit of time to make it gel to play against these teams,” Kelly said. Freshmen litter the lineup as well. Balf has established himself as a starter, which has been “a huge plus,” according to Kelly. Mohammed Moro is the first choice left back, Len Zeugner is a top center back, and Idrissa Bangura is a versatile substitute. ` Balf has been the standout. The center midfielder is not a typical ACC soccer player, because he is not big, strong, and athletic, but instead deceivingly quiet and smart. His game is based around finding creative players with short passes, and
sending the occasional long ball over the top. He is not afraid to break up play and tackle an opponent either, and that is the most underrated part of his game. Against the Fighting Irish, Balf got stuck-in on multiple occasions, and his tackles not only took the opponent out of possession, but also kick-started BC’s attack. With protection from Frano and Balf, the back four excelled on Friday night. They received cover in the second half when the team slipped into two banks of four, as nine players were behind the ball at all times with Nick Butler isolated up top as a target for clearances. Even though those two lines bent, they did not break. Notre Dame had chances, which extended from a botched header from
Eagles fail to finish on the road in defeat to conference foe Syracuse BY KEATON MCAULIFFE For The Heights
SPORTS in SHORT
The Boston College women’s soccer team traveled to Syracuse to take on the Orange on Saturday night, with the ACC matchup ending in a 3-0 defeat for the 0 Eagles. Boston College 3 Syracuse The Eagles were able to keep the Syracuse women at bay for the majority of the game, maintaining the game at 0-0 for 73 minutes. With 16 minutes left to play, Alana O’Neill, a forward for Syracuse, took a pass from Maya Pitts and fired a shot from 18 yards out to find the back of the net. Five minutes later, it was O’Neill again who headed the ball into the back of the goal off of a corner kick from teammate Jackie Firenze. A 2-0 deficit with less than five minutes remaining seemed to drain all hope from BC, and then Syracuse scored a third time, solidifying the win over Eagles. Syracuse’s Stephanie Skilton found the Eagles’ net and scored a third goal in the 89th minute.
Although the scoreboard appeared to say otherwise, the Eagles played a fairly strong game. BC was able to get a total of 17 shots on goal, with Syracuse’s total at only 10. In the first half, the Eagles outshot the Orange 9-2, with senior captain forward Stephanie McCaffrey leading that number with three shots and sophomore forward Hayley Dowd following up with two. McCaffrey had a game-high seven shots, and in the 58th minute of the match, she had BC’s best opportunity of the game after she received the ball on a pass from Dowd. A big save from Syracuse goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan kept the Eagles scoreless. BC came out of the gates strong. A shot from Coco Woeltz was saved by the Syracuse keeper seven minutes in. Just two minutes later, Dowd had a great run and was fouled just outside the box, giving McCaffrey a free kick, which was blocked. The Orange tried to counter in the 10th minute, but freshman defender Alyson Swaby was there to stop the cross, and BC keeper Darien Dunham was there to collect.
ACC Atlantic Men’s Soccer Standings Team
Conference
Overall
The BC offense, specifically McCaffrey and Dowd, kept up constant pressure on the Syracuse defense. Twentyeight minutes in, McCaffrey had her first great opportunity and a shot on goal that was deflected wide for a BC corner. The Orange tried to respond to this chance with one of its own in the 31st minute, but Dunham was able to read the play, coming out of the box and clearing the ball to prevent the goal. BC regained possession and was able to advance back into Orange territory, with Woeltz sailing a cross over to Dowd, who got the shot off her foot only to be saved once again by Brosnan. The first half came to a draw after a free kick from Meg MacDonald soared over the top of the goal, leaving the scoreboard at 0-0. BC also opened the second half strong, with two shots from sophomore midfielder Rosie DeMartino, one of which was saved and the other that just missed wide after a shot off a BC corner. Play continued with constant pressure from the Eagles until Syracuse’s first goal with just 16 minutes left to play in the match.
ROUND U P BY ALEX FAIRCHILD | ASST. SPORTS EDITOR AND JOHN PUGH | FOR THE HEIGHTS
W. TENNIS The women’s tennis team travelled to New Jersey for the Princeton Invitational over the weekend. In the first day of play on Friday, Katya Vasilyev defeated Katrine Steffensen of Princeton, 7-5, 7-2. The junior partnered with Emily Safron for a doubles match that came about later in the day, in which the pair beat Emily Hahn and Dorothy Tang of Princeton 8-2. Vasilyev’s only defeat of the day came when the junior lost to Kana Daniel of Penn in a single match, 7-5, 6-1. Safron beat Daniel’s teammate Sonya Latycheva, 7-5, 6-7 (1), (10-7). On Saturday, Safron was defeated by Rima Asatrian of Columbia 6-1, 6-2.
Numbers to Know
5
9-1-0
3-1-0
Louisville
5-3-1
3-1-0
3
Wake Forest
6-4-0
2-2-0
Clemson
New Brunswick’s pair of goaltenders combined to make three more stops than BC’s trio.
5-5-0
2-2-0
NC State
4-4-2
1-2-1
4-4-1
1-3-0
SAILING Erika Reineke won the NEISA Women’s Singlehanded Championship on Sunday, totaling a mere 14 points to beat out Dana Rhode of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The junior sailor won the conference championship regatta on Long Island Sound under conditions of 18-22 knots. As a team, the Eagles finished in fifth place at the Danmark Trophy interconference regatta over the weekend. Yale won the meet, as Vermont and College of Charleston edged BC from a topthree finish. The Eagles also failed to place at the Hewitt Trophy in-conference regatta, as Yale, Rhode Island, and Boston University all finished ahead of BC. The Eagles did win the George Warren Smith Trophy, though, beating out MIT and Tufts for the victory.
Quote of the Week
“Zeiko [Lewis] did a great part on their No. 8, in the early parts of the game. He’s their kind of playmaker.”
The number of goals Isaac Normesinu EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR has scored this season. Emily Fahey / Heights EditorCupicatuidet L. Fulessedo, querfecta, nihilicii ineri fic
Syracuse
Boston College
six yards out after the break to a Max Lachowecki pot shot that trickled past Alex Kapp only to sputter off the far post 16 minutes from time. The Fighting Irish tried to work the ball deeper into the box to pin BC’s center backs against Kapp, but the Eagles would not relent. Ampadu and Zeugner cleared their lines with help from a retreating midfield, and they ultimately made no mistakes. With a confidence from beating the nation’s top dog in hand and the tension gone, one of the ACC’s most talented squads knows that it can play with the swagger it is capable of, yet have the discipline to limit errors. But can the win spur the Eagles on to a successful season? “It has to,” said Kelly.
20 The number of goals women’s hockey has scored in its first two outings of the season.
— Men’s soccer head coach
Ed Kelly after the team beat No. 1 Notre Dame
The Heights
Monday, October 6, 2014
B3
Bender’s hat trick fuels BC beatdown From Opener, B1 her second of the game, taking the lead back for the Eagles. Minutes later, a Syracuse turnover yielded the third Eagles goal of the game, as Hayley Skarupa found some space in front of the goal, and laced it into the net. Five minutes into the second period, Kristyn Capizzano received a feed from Skarupa from behind the net. Capizzano beat Gilligan glove side to give the Eagles the 4-1 lead. Bender received a pass from Pfalzer a few moments later in the Orange zone. She took the pass and shot the puck past Gilligan to complete the hat trick, giving the Eagles a 5-1 lead. Soon after, Haley McLean received a feed from Kenzie Kent, and she took a shot a few feet from Gilligan. The puck trickled by Gilligan for the Eagles’ sixth goal of the game. After the McLean goal, Syra-
cuse bounced back, as Stephanie Grossi ripped a shot past Burt to get the Orange within four. A few minutes after the Grossi goal, a costly turnover by Orange defender Nicole Renault set up an Eagles onslaught. Skarupa found the puck on her stick off a net-mouth-scramble, and she shot the puck past the preoccupied Gilligan to answer the Orange goal. Into the third, a costly turnover in the Orange end put the puck on Capizzano’s stick. Capizzano sent the puck in front to Alex Carpenter who put the puck in the net to make it 8-2. A few seconds later, Carpenter found the puck on her stick in front of the net, yet again. She beat Gilligan to make it 9-2. In the waning seconds of the game, Pfalzer ripped a shot past Gilligan, putting an exclamation point on a game that could only be described as maddening in tempo. n
Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
Senior defenseman Emily Pfalzer had quite the day against Syracuse, scoring a goal, recording five assists, and finishing the game plus-7.
Tuch emerges as a force in exhibition From Exhibition, B1 UNB and g iv ing up se veral breakaways, BC increased its lead in the second on the backs of Tuch and goalie Brad Barone. Starter Thatcher Demko, Brian Billett, and Barone each got a period of playing time—Barone faced the biggest onslaught, but rose up to a rare challenge. B arone stone d UNB forward Peter Trainor twice on an early breakaway, and only let
up a power play goal during his service time. Billett let up two goals in the third on six shots, including a soft, five-hole backhander from point blank range. York and his staff will rely on Demko when it matters—that much is evident after last season—but they have yet to establish a clear top line. Gilmour, Tuch and Calnan looked as much like a first line as any trio could in exhibition season—but that season is over. n
Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
Assistant captain Quinn Smith (No. 27) picked up an assist on Saturday against the Varsity Reds, as did junior defenseman Teddy Doherty (No. 4).
Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
Fitz transitions, Demko rocks new pads, and Conte’s music is rough From Column, B1 white, and gold. What does this mean? Are they infused with the life forces of Parker Milner and Cory Schneider? Is the switch related to the inch he grew? Where are the old pads? I don’t know. But I will do everything in my power to find out. Speaking of goaltenders, Brad Barone played like, well, in-form Demko in his second period cameo. Making 10 saves—including a phenomenal double stop—and letting up one goal, Barone was BC’s best goalie on the night. Ryan Fitzgerald’s transition from wing to center will not be without growing pains and defensive miscues. The Zach SanfordFitzgerald-Austin Cangelosi line struggled to get anything going. An offensive lightning rod last season, Fitzgerald had 13 goals and 29 points as a rookie winger. Transitioning to a more important two-way role is going to take time and experience to get right. Fitzgerald’s bad positioning opened the door on the Reds’ fourth goal. The steady two-way presence of Bill Arnold and Patrick Brown at center will be missed. Someone in the stands wore a Quinn Smith jersey to the game. Michael Matheson and Scott
Savage seem poised to torture fans once again by reuniting on the blue line—their pairing is arguably known best for its collective moments of gutsy brilliance and subsequent spirals into utter insanity. Since his freshman year, Matheson’s been pegged as the guy who goes through beautiful highs and head shaking lows. When he’s on, Matheson is the best player on the team, and for the most part, he looked it on Saturday. Early on, it seems unlikely that BC’s penalty kill will operate with anything close to last season’s .899 kill efficiency. Loaded with hulking defenseman—only junior Teddy Doherty is shorter than 6-foot-1—BC will be targeted by Hockey East refs all year, and the Eagles didn’t pave the way for any goodwill on Saturday. BC committed six penalties, including a bench infraction and a five-minute major by Ian McCoshen, and gave up two power play goals. BC struggled to clear the puck and collapsed into a shell around the crease, failing to cut down shooting lanes. Conte Forum’s music remains reassuringly awful. Turn down for what? Not preseason hockey, apparently. Get ready for “Cop Car,” because nothing says Keith Urban
like a sport played on ice. A UNB defenseman rocked Destry Straight into the boards during the first period, and the senior went down hard. Straight got up slowly and skated off on his own power, but with Brendan Silk already suffering from a concussion, the scene illuminated the fragility of BC’s forward depth—one longterm injury and BC is in trouble. Two injuries and BC is looking at a mere 12 healthy forwards. Three injuries, I’m suiting up. I’d heard Noah Hanifin was a demigod who breathed fire and bent iPhones before it was easy to bend them. Hanifin blended in with the rest of the defence, which is actually a ringing endorsement, given the immense quantity of talent on BC’s blue line. Cam Spiro played in one lonely game last year, but he showed off a deceivingly deadly pair of hands against the Reds and nearly scored on a crease cutting breakaway. Spiro and Michael Sit were the best seniors on the ice, and I’d wager the Smith-Sit-Straight triple SSS crew won’t survive the year unchanged.
Connor Mellas is the Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.
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BC dismisses Syracuse in ACC home opener By Jack Stedman For The Heights In its first ACC home game of the year, the Boston College volleyball team beat Syracuse in three straight sets. Despite having 25 asBoston College 3 sisted blocks to BC’s two, Syracuse 0 the Orange couldn’t stop the powerful hitting trio of junior Katty Workman, sophomore Julia Topor, and freshman Sol Cavete, who combined for 42 kills. In the first set, Syracuse’s blockers were unable to prevent Topor from tallying four kills during the Eagles’ first 10 points, but the Orange was able to hang on thanks to a stretch of three straight BC errors. Leading 10-8, the Eagles then made a 8-4 run, with four kills from freshman Sol Cavete this time. With a comfortable 18-12 lead, the Eagles cruised to a first set victory. The second set was much more tightly contested. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, again thanks to Topor’s kills. Syracuse then rallied off four straight points, but BC matched its comeback with its own four -point run. The back and forth set continued, and another string of errors for BC allowed Syracuse back into the game yet again, which tied the game at 10. From here up until the final point, neither team was able to gain more than a two-point lead, as big blocks by the Orange were continuously negated by thunderous kills from Workman and company. With the set tied at 22, the Eagles took the lead on yet another kill by Topor, who had a game-high 15. Defensive specialist Lauren Fields then came on to serve—a frequent
theme throughout the game—and she was able to force two attacking errors off of good serves to finish off the set. “All match it was our serving that really helped us, and we got them out of system a lot,” said head coach Chris Campbell. “Syracuse is a good team, and they are especially dangerous when they are in system, so that was one of our gameplans.” Syracuse started quickly in the third set, jumping out to a 8-4 lead with big kills from sophomore Valeriya Shaipova and freshman Lucie Guttakovskaia. Utilizing its strong net presence, the Orange took control of the third set with a 19-15 lead. The Eagles were never out of the game, however. Freshman Britanny Pavich played tremendously as the Eagles battled back to tie the set at 20, contributing two big kills during the stretch. From then on, the Orange and the Eagles traded points. BC had the match point, up 24-22 after another Pavich kill, but a costly service error gave Syracuse a lifeline. Barnum continued to assist Workman, Topor, and sophomore Anna Skold, but these kills were all negated by BC attacking errors. With the game tied at 28, and the energy on the court palpable on both ends, libero Courtney Castle came up with a clutch service ace. On the next point, Workman, who has been BC’s best offensive player this year, won the match for the Eagles on a kill, floating the ball over two blockers and avoiding the outstretched arms of a Syracuse player. “A lot of players stepped up to the service line, and that helped right up through the end,” Campbell said. “Their ability to stay focused in a pretty tense environment and still execute is great.” n
Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
No. 12 Kellie Barnum had 38 assists in the straight set win over Syracuse, while No. 9 Katty Workman led the team in kills with nine.
Eagles lose a close one to Northeastern for second loss of weekend By Marly Morgus Assoc. Sports Editor
Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
No. 14 Romee Stiekema assisted Plasteras’s go-ahead goal, but the Eagles couldn’t hold on.
At this point, it would seem as though nothing is coming easily for the Boston College field hockey team. Yes, the Eagles entered last weekend as the eighth ranked 2 team in the Boston College country, Northeastern 3 but their path to that position was not as simple as following the yellow brick road. The Eagles have played 12 games so far this season. Of those 12, four have been against top-20 opponents, three of those coming against top-five squads. As if that was not enough, of their 12 games, the Eagles have taken their opponents to overtime in six of them. This was the case yet again when the Eagles traveled down the road into Boston to face off with the 9-2 Northeastern Huskies. The game would be a long-fought battle, extending into not one but two overtimes. The Huskies would eventually gain the edge though, downing the Eagles by a final score of 3-2. The first half was on the slow side offensively, neither team capitalizing on any of its scoring efforts. The Eagles took
just four shots in the first frame while Northeastern took only three. On top of capturing the advantage in the shot differential, the Eagles were more efficient with their effort, challenging goalkeeper Becky Garner to make three saves as three of BC’s shots went on goal. On the other end, Leah Settipane encountered only one shot on goal, and saved it. One area where the Huskies did have the advantage in the first half was on corners, as BC took two penalties within the scoring arc, which resulted in two unsuccessful opportunities for Northeastern. During the second half, both offenses picked up in their own way. Northeastern more than doubled its shot count from the first half, firing off eight attempts with four on goal. The Eagles, while their shot count actually decreased, made more of their attempts count. BC got on the board first with a stroke from Kelcie Hrominsin, assisted by AshLeigh Sebia, that beat Garner to take the game to 1-0 in the 39th minute of play. Northeastern was quick to respond, though, striking less than two minutes later. After that rapid succession of goals, the offense calmed for about 15 minutes
until BC once again made a go-ahead goal, this time coming from Emma Plasteras assisted by Romee Stiekema. While the Eagles held onto their lead a bit longer this time, they couldn’t hold it through the end of the last period of regulation, with the Huskies coming back with under three minutes to play to send it into the first overtime. For overtime, the NCAA plays a 15minute, sudden death format. In the first 15-minute period, though, neither team was able to score. The Eagles once again put more shots on goal than the Huskies, registering two to Northeastern’s zero, but Garner stayed steady in net. When the teams came out for the second overtime, though, the Huskies finally managed to put a cap on the game, with Emma Lamison scoring on the first and only shot just over five minutes into the second overtime to give Northeastern the win after 90 minutes and 39 seconds of playing time. The win marked Northeastern’s second victory over a ranked opponent on the year, having recently defeated then No. 20 Boston University on Friday, Sept. 26. With their second overtime loss of the season, the Eagles dropped to 8-4. n
BC overcome in overtime for ACC loss to No. 16 Wake Forest By Victoria Johnson For The Heights As drizzle fell on a damp fall afternoon, the No. 8 Boston College field hockey team took on No. 16 Wake Forest at the NewBoston College 3 ton CamWake Forest 4 pus . B oth teams, having weathered tough ACC conference games, were hungry for a league win. With high intensity and energy right off the bat, it was evident that it was going to be a hard fought game. The Demon Deacons battled the hardest and beat the Eagles 4-3 with a golden goal in overtime play. When the starting whistle blew, BC flew out of the gates and maintained possession as they pressed Wake’s defense. Ten minutes into the game, the Eagles were rewarded for their industrious work and received an attack penalty corner. Emily Plasteras passed the ball to Eryn McCoy who was able to find the back of the goal and send the Eagles up one. With 13 minutes remaining in the half, the Demon Deacons’ Jess Newark was carded, giving BC a one-player advantage. This did not discourage Wake, however. Thirty seconds later, Anna Kozniuk scored, tying the game, and giving Wake a burst of energy. Their
pressure paid off when Krysta Wangerin scored, giving the Demon Deacons a 1-2 advantage going into halftime. The fight continued when the second half began. Girls were diving for steals and dangerous high balls were flying. Neither team was able to break through the other’s defense for the first 13 minutes, until Tyra Clemmenson netted a ball. This increased her team’s lead by two and caused BC to call a timeout. Two minutes later, Wake’s Emily Conroe received a green card, giving the Eagles another one-player advantage. BC head coach Ainslee Lamb decided to pull the goalie and replace her with a kickback, giving her team the ability to apply more pressure on Wake’s defense. “We pulled the goalie with about six minutes left so it definitely put some wind in their sails and they really went after it,” Lamb said. The 11-on-9 setup paid off when Emily McCoy was able to score an attack penalty corner goal to bring the team within one. This goal gave the Eagles the hope and energy they needed. With the goalie still out and the kickback in place, Kelcie Hromisin was able to tie the game with the assistance of AshLeigh Sebia. BC converted its only two shots on goal in the second half to send the game into overtime tied at 3-3. “To have the opportunity to score the
first goal was exciting, but then to stay committed to it and score the second goal was fantastic,” Lamb said. Wake won the coin toss and received possession first. With each team having seven players on the field and 15 minutes on the clock, the sudden-death overtime began. The change in mentality was apparent. Both teams slowed the pace and worked on careful passes, knowing that one mistake could cost the game. Five minutes into overtime, an injury timeout for BC’s Brittany Sheenan changed both team’s mentalities. When play resumed, the Eagles and Demon Deacons picked up speed and increased their aggression. Three minutes later, Wake’s Kozniuk scored her second goal of the game with a powerful drive from the top of the circle clinching the game. Even after a disappointing loss, the Eagles are focusing on the positives. They were able to successfully use the kickback and score two goals off attack penalty corners, and they did not give up any defensive penalty corners. Lamb commended the competitive nature of conference after the game. “We’re No. 8 in the country, they’re 16 in the country, and it was a toss-up game,” Lamb said. “That’s absolutely amazing. I think for the overall conference, that’s the way it is. Anyone can win any given game right now.” n
Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
Emily McCoy scored off a corner against Wake Forest for her sixth goal of the season.
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PROFESSOR PROFILE
Herczynski adds another dimension to art with fluid physics BY AIREN SURZYN For The Heights Andrzej Herczynski and Claude Cernuschi’s chance friendship is the sort which sometimes occurs between professors whose personal interests extend beyond the boundaries of their professional fields. Cernuschi, an art history professor and specialist in Abstract Expressionism and author of several books and essays on Jackson Pollock, and Herczynski, an expert on fluid dynamics from Boston College’s physics department, would normally be considered strange intellectual bedfellows.
“It seems to me to be a folly to disregard this training and this set of tools ...just because you’re looking at a painting rather than a particle accelerator.” - Andrzej Herczynski Physics Professor Their work found common ground, however, following an otherwise benign comment from Cernuschi during a discussion of Jackson Pollock’s painting Autumn Rhythms. Cernuschi remarked to Herczynski that the paint on Pollock’s canvas seemed as if it was in fact, “freed from gravity.” To Herczynski, a dynamic fluid specialist in the physics department, this comment carried more weight than
Cernuschi perhaps had intended. “As many things in life that end up being important to us … this was in large part accidental,” Herczynski said. The offhand comment that caught the fluid dynamics professor’s attention was not only an aesthetic observation, but a veritable principle of fluid dynamics. Further, the entire painting seemed, to Herczynski, to exhibit an array of dynamic f luid me chanics . The curiosity and willingness to examine and study the paintings followed and resulted in academic papers on a physics-based consideration of Pollock’s paintings. Each professor, though viewing the painting in the same light and at the same distance, observed Pollock’s work through different lenses. “I can’t help but bring a certain physics sensitivity to things,” Herczynski said. While the colors, negative space, and textures of the canvas were most apparent to one professor, the other was instantly drawn to flow rate, coiling effects, and lateral deflection. For example, what can be observed in many of Pollock’s paintings are “quasi-sinusoidal” patterns, or long strokes of paint that resemble sine waves. To the untrained eye, it may look as though Pollock had merely wiggled his brush as he dripped paint over his canvas. But to the physicist, this was an instantly recognizable result of principle of fluid dynamics called the “liquid rope coiling effect.” With the help of various equations instilled in the mind of any decent fluid physicist, Herczynski (in collaboration with Cernuschi and Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan from Harvard University) was able to deduce many things, within a reasonable margin of error, about particular strokes in
WHO: Andrzej Herczynski TEACHES: Introduction to Physics and Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics EXPERIENCE: Mathematics M.S. from Warsaw University, M.S. and Ph. D. in Physics from Lehigh University
EMILY SADEGHIAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Pollock’s paintings. The right combination of variables and fluid principles and the academic trio could determine the viscosity of the paint, whether Pollock’s hand was speeding up or slowing down during the stroke, and the height at which he was dropping paint onto the canvas. But more importantly, their studies have revealed much in relation to the method of Pollock’s painting. “Pollock has discovered this coiling effect … and this is very central to his art-making … so, in this sense its not just measuring certain physical attributes or properties, but it’s connected with his whole attitude … It is insight that is central to the artistic process, or the meaning of the work,” Herczynski said. Pollock not only stumbled upon these principles of fluid dynamics, but also “indulged” in them, making them significant parts of his artwork. Herczynski and Cernuschi have written four academic articles together explaining their research on Polllock and Abstract Expressionism in general since that initial discussion.
FUN FACTS: Herczynski will lead a month-long study abroad class entitled “The Art of Physics” in Parma, Italy.
Herczynski stresses the universal applicability of physics, likening it to a toolbox from which one can draw alternate perspectives to his or her own area of study, even art history. Studying and understanding physics requires a “certain childishness,” he said. One must ask, “Why does this happen?” for every observable event, he said. Herczynski merely applied what had become natural to him through years of musings on mechanical motion. But through the lens of physics, he came away with truly unique observations on what may seem to some an exhausted figure of the artistic canon. “It seems to me to be folly to disregard this training and this set of tools … just because you’re looking at a painting rather than a particle accelerator,” he said. With this in mind, Herzcynski will be leading a monthlong study abroad trip to Parma, Italy this coming summer. The program, entitled “The Art of Physics,” will expose students to the methods, principles, and philosophy
of the field. It will ask students to consider how the study of physics fits in to that of liberal arts and, engage them in conversations with scientists to help them better understand technological advances, and help them develop practical skills, according to BC’s international programs webpage, This knowledge, Herczynski believes, will help to broaden the perspective of those who may have avoided Higgins Hall during their BC tenure and give them a chance to explore physics and science in a new way. The course will also give students a chance to explore locations important to both artistic and scientific development in Italy during the month-long seminar. “I hope it invites considerations on the power and beauty of physics and its place among the study of liberal arts,” he said of the new summer course. Inspired by an accidental f luid dynamics student—Pollock—Herczynski hopes to help students reconsider the multidisciplinary applicability of physics.
Flat Breads duo creates landmark lunch spot for BC community From Flat Breads, B10 “I don’t know what we would do if you guys didn’t come in here,” Acampora told one customer as he gave her lunch on Thursday. Recinos is equally engaging—whenever a customer asks how his day is going, his hands could just as easily express his smiling response: “Busy, busy.” Each day, Recinos gives Acampora an update about the store and subsequently documents his observations. When Acampora could not work for a few months, Recinos ran the store on his own. “This place ran like a well-oiled machine,” Acampora said. Should business ever be slow, however, the two men turn to what they always do—their deep faith. A product of a Jesuit education at Fordham University, Acampora said that faith carried
him through troubled times, and both men frequently allude to God in their language. During a couple weeks of slow business, Acampora was leaving work, saying a customary prayer to himself, asking God to make the next day a better one. He was headed to his car when Recinos dashed out of the cafe, saying there was a phone call—a catering order had just come in for $4,000. Some would call it coincidence, but, in that moment, these two men knew better. “That’s the hand of God,” Recinos said. In a manner consistent with his meticulous mind, Recinos can play the saxophone by ear. He remembers watching saxophonists at church in Guatemela and wanting to be able to play like them. Once in the States, he went to a music store, where a salesman let him
try out a few different saxophones—but Recinos could barely produce a sound with any of them. “You’re wasting my time,” Recinos recalled the salesman telling him. “Go buy one of the used ones.” But Recinos was persistent, and he purchased one of the good ones anyway. Now, if someone shows him what note he or she is playing on a piano or another instrument, he can easily replicate it on the saxophone. Acampora, meanwhile, laughs at his own musical ineptitude: “I couldn’t play an accordion with the one thousand dollar instrument my father bought me—I was tone deaf.” Recinos cannot say how he does it. When he tries to explain, he starts with words, but then moves his hand up and down his torso, as if searching for the right ingredient on one of the counters at Flat Breads. The meaning is clear. He just feels it.
EMILY SADEGHIAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Mynor Recinos serves customers with his characteristic speed and good humor.
CLUB SERIES
FEATURING BC’S STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
BC Smash Club creates community through intercollegiate and local video game tournaments BY KATHRYN SEWALL For The Heights
Students looking to join an unconventional club might consider the Boston College Smash Club (BCSC). While it is still in the process of becoming a registered student organization (RSO), the group hopes to get approval soon. Currently, BCSC is a group of 40 people who get together and play the SuperSmash Bros. Melee GameCube video game competitively. Group members compete in tournaments all over New England. The group practices one to three times per week, or every day for a few hours if there is a tournament coming. Casual weekly walk-in group meetings take place on Monday nights and are posted on the group’s Facebook page. BCSC also gets together with students from Northeastern, UMass Amherst, and the Boston University Video Gaming Society, which hosts “casual smash Fridays” every week. The group chose SuperSmash Bros. as its sole videogame due to the wide range of
people to which the game appeals. “SuperSmash Bros. is a game that is very accessible,” said Ryan Romanos, BCSC president and CSOM ’17. “It appeals to people who may not play video games that much but can still bring in people who are more … into that sort of thing.” Members of BCSC participate in off-campus tournaments against other schools one or two times per month. The group mostly competes in “Crew Battle” style tournaments. These are either seven vs. seven or eight vs. eight person competitions, and one member from each team plays a competitor individually. The winning player moves on to the next person, and the team that runs out of people first loses. Teams compete in a best-of-three game set, and the winning team advances in the tournament to the next bracket. The overall winner of each tournament receives a cash prize. Group members enjoy the community and the face-to-face interactions that the SuperSmash Bros. Melee video game encourages. Since the game can only be played in
person–not online–the members of BCSC have met and befriended many players from around New England. “There are a bunch of nice people who go to tournaments every week that you wouldn’t have known otherwise,” said A.J. Ty, BCSC vice president and CSOM ’16. “You get to know them, and can ask them for advice or to play with you. Smash players are some of the nicest people I have ever met.” Tournaments that the group competes in include “Game Over” every Tuesday night in Somerville at the East End Grille; the “Northeastern Smash Attack” (NSA), which draws over 250 attendees each year; and the currently ongoing Intercollegiate Melee Tournament. On Tuesday, Oct. 7, BCSC is playing against BU. BCSC will be co-hosting an event on Monday, Oct. 6 from 7 to 11 p.m. in 141N Stokes alongside the Anime Club of Boston College (ABC). The event is in honor of the new Smash Bros. video game that came out on Friday, and there will be a small tournament for anyone who wants to play. The grand prize for the tournament winner is a free copy of
the new game. Once it becomes an official club on campus, BCSC is hoping to add a charity aspect in order to give back to the New England community. “One of the biggest things that we are hoping to expand about our club would be to find a charity aspect, whether we could host tournaments where the funds go to charity, or get our membership out playing video games with kids in local hospitals, or something along those lines,” Romanos said. The club is also hoping to get mentorship once it becomes an official club, which would be similar to a little-big system. Romanos and Ty believe that a mentorship program would support the group’s family-like feel and would help members get to know each other better. BCSC is looking for new students to join their club, and anyone interested in SuperSmash Bros. is highly encouraged to join. “As long as you play Smash, and as long as you love Smash, we welcome you here,” Ty said. “Also, if there’s a girl out there who plays Smash Bros., please join.”
Seniors give back to BC From Senior Gift Committee, B10 $5,000 of the $25,000 total.” So far, the effect of the Senior Gift Committee on Boston College has been significant and lasting. The University Trustees’ funding, namely that provided by Drake Behrakis, allows the Committee to supply Legacy Grants every semester. Students who choose to apply for the grants are eligible to receive up to $2,500 to fund a new program, or one already in existence. Not only are the Legacy Grants beneficial to the school, but they benefit the soon-to-be alumni as well. “Now, not only can seniors give back to the program or area of the University that impacted their experience here the most, but in doing so their participation helps to impact the undergraduate experiences for friends and classmates, as well,” Claflin said. Beyond the satisfaction of making contributions to the welfare of BC, the seniors’ decisions to donate also provide them with many perks. “Our role as a whole organization is to try to get as much involvement out of the senior class as we can through events,” Solazzo said. “If you make your donation beforehand, you can go to ... every event throughout the year.” On Thursday, Oct. 2, the Senior Gift Committee held its kickoff, hosting a seniors-only grilled cheese event. Although the members are still processing gifts, at the end of the kickoff, the Committee received 296 donations. Although the Committee is still planning future events to assist in fundraising and spreading awareness, there are a few events that are only ensured by the reaching of its 73 percent participation goal. These events include the senior class day party, put on by University Advancement on the lawn of Brighton Campus, as well as the Senior Toast held on Bapst Lawn. The Committee is determined to reach its goal and willing to go all out in order to get attention and donations from the seniors. Last year, the Committee held Mod500, a tricycle race around the Mods, to maximize attention from the senior class. “We have a really good team,” Solazzo said. “Everyone on the committee is very excited and very creative, so we are definitely going to put on a lot of fun events for the senior class. If people give, they can attend every single one, so that’s definitely the perk to giving.” If seniors are interested in donating, the committee is easy to find. “Every Monday through Friday, we are next to the Hillside Cafe urging people to donate,” Dunn said. “Also, every person who donates gets a free t-shirt.” The Senior Gift Committee is prepared and excited to help the graduating class of 2015 leave a lasting mark on the BC community, as well as assist in developing long-lasting charitable habits that make future active and engaged alumni. n
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The Heights throughout the century Agape Latte at Boston College
the last cycle’s deadline is Jan. 30, 2015. Once the students’ applications have been accepted, they may be invited to complete a 30-minute phone interview. The next two steps consist of an online activity, and, if invited, the fourth step is a final interview. “What’s really cool about the final interview is that it involves individual and group interviews throughout the course of the day,” said Deacon, who just completed his application for the Oct. 24 cycle. “You and other TFA Corps member candidates get the chance to show off your teaching skill in creating and executing your own lesson plan in front of the admissions directors and fellow applicants.” “I think one of the great things about Teach for America is it’s a very reflective organization,” Hastie said. “We are constantly trying to grow to become better and do more for our students, and so each application process looks different—my application process four years ago is much different than it is now.” Historically, the TFA program has low acceptance rates of around 15 percent. When reviewing applications, TFA looks for several specific qualities based on current corps members whose students make exceptional academic strides during their time in the TFA program. Some of these qualities include belief in the potential of all kids, a commitment to do whatever it takes, perseverance, critical thinking skills, respect for indi-
The broken BC bubble
Agape Latte has been serving up conversations about faith, community, and love at BC since 2006 By Julia Bogiages For The Heights As described in the Oct. 5, 2006 issue of The Heights, “warm apple pie, chocolate covered palmier cookies, and creamy whipped topping,” were all present at the Agape Latte event. Almost 10 years later, Agape Latte is still providing similarly delicious desserts and even better discussion. Launched in 2006, Agape Latte is a program sponsored by the Church in the 21st Century (C21) and Campus Ministry and is a monthly lecture and discussion series. “The Agape Latte series provides a form of intellectual conversation around issues related to the church in a relaxed, non-classroom atmosphere,” said Tim Muldoon, director of C21, in the same Heights article. Students, like Chiara Rivas-Morello, BC ’10, said similar things in this article: “I’m looking for ways to tie my faith into everyday life, a hard thing to do in our secularized society, and I thought connecting religious symbolism to popular culture could be a means for the two to converge.” The first lecture was a success. Around 150 students crowded into Hillside on a Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. to hear Muldoon kick off the series with his lecture, entitled, “I’m Spiritual. Who Needs Religion? Mediations on Spirituality, Faith, and the Church.” Muldoon covered the difference between spirituality and religion, used clips from American Beauty and excerpts from Thoreau’s Walden, and discussed the church’s view on modern issues, like gender roles and homosexuality. Agape Latte has had many distinguished speakers follow Muldoon. These speakers have helped establish the program firmly in Boston College’s culture. Kerry Cronin, associate director of the Lonergan Institute within the philosophy department, spoke at the second Agape Latte, as the Nov. 9, 2006 issue of The Heights reported, and she discussed the role of Mass in her lecture: “Mass appeal: Why do we go, and what do we do?” Cronin shared her own experiences in Mass and encouraged students to use Mass as a time of self-reflection and renewal. Rev. Jack Butler, S. J., was also a guest speaker, according to the Dec. 7, 2006 issue of The Heights. Butler spoke about three things: “the history of religious life, his definition of certain related terms, and why people
choose to enter a religious life.” He also discussed his own journey to a life devoted to his religion. In the sixth installment of Agape Latte, Marina McCoy, an associate professor within the philosophy department came to speak in a lecture entitled, “Choosing the Church: My Story of Conversion and Faith”, as written in the April 12, 2007 issue of The Heights. In her lecture, McCoy shared her journey to Catholicism from her childhood religion of Lutheranism. “Conversion,” she said, “is a lifelong experience of God bringing us closer to Him. It is a greater expression of freedom.” The Feb. 7, 2008 edition of The Heights featured Francis Kilcoyne, a professor within the theology department, and his time at Agape Latte. Kilcoyne talked about the several archaeological expeditions of which he has been a part and sites he and his group have discovered. He also discussed the experiences students have when they experience another culture and emphasized “an understanding of educational travel that goes beyond ‘cultural tourism.’” He encouraged students, when they travel abroad, to engage in the cultures and countries as much as they could. “The presumption that we are in the center of the universe,” Kilcoyne said, “is unhealthy and cripples how we relate to the rest of the world.” In 2011, Cronin returned to Agape Latte, as documented by a February 4, 2011, edition of The Heights. In this Agape Latte, she gave her now-famous lecture, “The Imperfect Art of Dating,” a program in which she talks about the three levels of dating. “Dating”, she said in the lecture, “demands honesty, showing that you care even if it’s a risk.” Recently, Agape Latte began its 2014 season, kicking off with the upbeat “Shake It Off ” music video, which featured many groups on campus—Sexual Chocolate, the marching band, the Emerging Leaders Program, several a cappella groups, and Cronin herself. The first speakers of this academic year were two speakers from the Jesuit Post, and they addressed a crowded room. “Agape,” as a Greek word meaning “love that seeks nothing in return,” falls into place with BC’s mantras of “Men and Women for Others” and “Ever to Excel.” In all the speakers and events that Agape Latte has held in the past, these ideas clearly have been present. With such a well-attended start to the program this year, these ideas will remain at the forefront of the BC community. n
Teach for America continues strong recruiting at BC From Teach for America, B10
Editor’s Column
viduals’ diverse experiences, organizational ability, long-term committment and remarkable interpersonal skills. “Those are the things we can build upon in our training process to make you an excellent teacher,” Hastie said. “Yes, we are a selective organization, and we do set a high bar, but it is because our kids deserve it.” “The first and most important quality that we look for in TFA teachers is their belief that all kids are bright and capable and their passion to ameliorate educational inequity,” Deacon said. For the recent graduates accepted into TFA, the lifelong support system begins in the training process during the summer before they begin at their placements and continues throughout the rest of their professional careers. “What sets us apart is the professional development and the continuous leadership growth and just the support system that is in place for your two years,” Hastie said. She explained that all TFA teachers are assigned a coach who observes them in the classroom, providing them with feedback and pushing them to do better and grow as an educator. Hastie also said her principal provided feedback during her time in the program. “I have the privilege of receiving support and instruction feedback from other Corps Members, TFA-Milwaukee staff, Marquette University instructors, and my school’s teachers and principal,” Brindis said. “TFA provides us with a Manager of Teacher Leader Develop-
ment (MTLD) that supports Corps Members at an individual level.” “As a TFA Corps member, you have access to a wide range of resources to support your goals in the classroom in addition to all the resources a public school teacher would have,” Deacon said. With a projected total of 37,000 alumni after the 2014-15 school year, up 9,000 alumns from 28,000 after the 201213 school year, professional support is not the only encouragement TFA corps members receive during their journey through the program. “Doing this with a network of people who are all going through this together is one of the biggest support systems provided, and it doesn’t stop at the end of your two years,” Hastie said. Despite the constant support, corps members still must overcome personal challenges. Both Hastie and Brindis referenced the same struggle. “My biggest challenge when I was a teacher was finding balance for myself … and realizing I also need to be healthy to give my kids what they need,” Hastie said. “The two words you will hear over and over again from TFA grads are ‘challenging’ and ‘rewarding.’” “A challenge I am encountering is balancing my work and personal life—what most intrigues me is the seamless connection between both,” Brindis said. Although TFA is traditionally a twoyear commitment, Hastie stresses the long-term goals of the organization. Sixty-three percent of TFA graduates
remain in the education system in some capacity after graduation, and 775 of those are principals. TFA encourages its graduates to venture outside of the field of education, however, while still having an impact on children. “We need lawyers who are going to be advocates for our kids, and we need doctors who are going to ensure our kids have access to adequate health care so that they can be in the seats to do the learning,” Hastie said. Although BC is the fifth largest contributor to TFA among schools with 3,000 to 9,999 undergraduates, Deacon and Hastie seek to plan new recruiting initiatives this year to get even more applicants to the program. “Some ideas we have in the making are movie screenings, a night at CitySide where we’d give a panel on TFA, and some visuals on campus to spread awareness of educational inequity in the U.S.,” Deacon said. Those involved in TFA are not surprised at BC’s high level of involvement in the organization. Brindis and Hastie cite the constant theme of men and women for others as the reason so many undergraduates commit to TFA. “The dedication to service at BC is so strong that students, myself included, have often found service opportunities through BC to be very competitive,” Deacon said. “But I think it’s an incredibly good thing … I think it’s really great proof that BC students don’t stop trying to help others after they graduate.” n
Kendra Kumor Last weekend the Boston College Bubble popped right before my eyes. No longer is the stretch of Comm. Ave. between Lake and Sutherland Streets a safe haven. No longer can I be assured of my safety because Gasson Hall is in view. I awoke Sunday morning to a text asking if I had seen my friend Sarah, whose name I have changed to protect her privacy. Of course, I thought Sarah was sleeping in her dorm, having come home safely after her night off campus with friends. Hours later, still no one had heard from Sarah. Through an RA that I had befriended last year, I learned that Sarah had been transported from her dorm to St. Elizabeth’s around 2 a.m. the night before. Confused and anxious, my friends and I waited for her arrival back to campus. We were even more confused and then scared when she finally arrived and had scratches and bruises on her face, arms, and legs, and a moderate concussion. Sarah doesn’t remember much from last Saturday night. She does remember meeting a group of boys while she was out. She also remembers having three to four drinks in her three-hour outing. She says the last thing she remembers from that night is deciding to go home. While Sarah has been able to fill in some blanks, unfortunately, there are several important questions that will permanently remain unanswered. Sarah’s saving grace was a BC student walking down Comm. Ave. at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning who saw her struggling against a man who was trying to lead her away from BC. He stepped in and insisted on helping Sarah back to the nearest dorm building, where he called the police under the help-seeking policy. When they arrived on the scene, an ambulance was called immediately. At the hospital, Sarah was not given a blood alcohol test. Sarah was not tested for drugs such as roofies or other sedatives. Sarah did not receive a CAT scan, despite the injuries to her face and head. She was treated like any other underage drunken BC student, even though her case was—hopefully—very unique. During her meeting with the Resident Director (RD), Sarah expressed her concerns about the lack of attention she received from the hospital and police officers. She also expressed her fears about the lack of answers she will ever receive about what happened to her that night. The RD admitted that she was accustomed to handling underage students whose excuses for being out of control are that BC won the USC game or that they needed to unwind after a long week of classes. Instead of resolving the matter, Sarah, like all other students who are documented under the help-seeking policy, was referred to alcohol consumption counseling. Sarah will probably never receive all of the answers about last Saturday night. Her story, however, can be used as an example of the limits of the BC Bubble. Admittedly, this column was written in the hopes that Sarah can obtain some closure about her experience in knowing that her story was told, and could possibly prevent other students from facing the same feelings of unease she now carries with her. It was also written to send two messages to all students: If you see something that looks wrong, say something. Be the student who walks a struggling girl back to her dorm, rather than the one who looks away, because evil prevails when good people do nothing about it. Secondly, if you are out by yourself, the BC Bubble is not as safe as you might think it is. Sarah was in view of Gasson Hall, but that would not have kept her from being taken somewhere she didn’t want to go. The safety of the BC Bubble depends on the people who are in it, not on your distance from campus.
Kendra Kumor is the Features Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.
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FEATURES
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014
seniorgiftcommittee The committe seeks to achieve its new goal of 1,655 senior donors.
BY ANNE BIGLER For The Heights
Although it is only October, graduation for the class of 2015 is rapidly approaching. While the senior class’ educational experience at Boston College is coming to a close, the their roles as Eagles are far from over. Indeed, their duty as alumni will just begin, and the Senior Gift Committee is determined to assist the seniors in their transition from students to graduates. For years, the Senior Gift Committee has been developing and expanding its role on the BC campus, not only introducing seniors to the idea of donating to their school, but also helping the senior class to make a significant impact on
BC. The Senior Gift Committee is run through Annual Giving in the office of University Advancement. The Alumni Center then brings on current students to form the Committee. Headed this year by co-chairs Megan Dunn, A&S ’15, and Nick Solazzo, CSOM ’15, the committee has 50 members, five of whom compose the e-board, and the rest are divided between the three sub-committees for fundraising, marketing, and event coordination. “The point of it is to get you in the habit of giving to the school,” Dunn said. Solazzo agreed, “As seniors, we’re going to graduate and be alumni soon,” he said. “They want to get us thinking to give back. As alumni, a big part of BC is giving back and staying
involved.” Although the Senior Gift Committee has long been in existence, the structure has undergone a recent change. “The Senior Class Gift, as it is currently structured, came into play in 2013 during the Sesquicentennial class of graduates,” said Colleen Claflin, assistant director of Annual Giving, in an email. “Since 2013, Senior Gift has functioned in the form of a challenge, with a University trustee—for the past three years it has been Drake Behrakis—challenging the class to hit their participation goal.” “Essentially, for the challenge, we pick a goal for participation,” Dunn said. “We don’t have an amount of money that we have to
raise, it’s really about the amount of students getting involved. You can give anywhere from a dollar to however much you want to give.” Last year, the Committee surpassed its goal of 70 percent participation, and ended up raising over $32,000 dollars. The goal for this year’s participation is 73 percent of the senior class, or 1,655 participants. The reward for reaching this goal percentage is $25,000 in Legacy Grant funding. “This reward is achieved through a series of milestones that mark 20 percent increments towards the participation goal,” Claflin said. “For each 20 percent increment, the class secures
See Senior Gift Committee, B9
Flat Breads team relies on faith, teamwork for years of success BY RYAN TOWEY Heights Editor
Walk into Flat Breads Cafe, and Mynor Recinos will make sure you never wait long for lunch. He looks down at his workspace behind the counter for a moment—reminding himself of the order—and then his hands know where they are going, rapidly pulling a pita wrap from a rack, layering it with meats and cheeses, rifling through clear containers for the finishing ingredients, rolling it together with scurrying fingers, and handing the wrap to John Acampora, the eatery’s 72-year-old owner, a gregarious Italian-American man with a penchant for kindly reaching out and touching people’s arms when he wants to make a connection with them. Acampora places the wrap in a white bag , labeling it in his neat , penciled cursive with the name of the order. On Thursday, a regular customer walked in—Acampora automatically
told Recinos the man’s usual order, and smiled. “Now, how did I know that?” he joked. In the background, Recinos was already halfway done putting it together. Sitting in White Mountain Creamery just a couple doors down from his own establishment, Acampora—wearing his glasses and a black sweater over his customary white collar—recalled when Recinos came to work for him in 1997—not long after Flat Breads first opened in 1993. “This guy was all over the place,” Acampora said. “Doing the work of three people.” Originally from Guatemala, Recinos had saved money for years to make his way to the States. Acampora himself grew up understanding how difficult it can be to immigrate, having shared a bedroom with his immigrant grandfather in the Bronx. “He always used to tell me, ‘If there’s anything you can do in life, it’s help people like me,’” Acampora said.
One of the proudest days of Acampora’s life was watching Recinos become an American citizen from the balcony in Worcester’s Mechanics Hall, the young man with dark black hair amid a sea of people roaring in joy and waving American flags. Acampora found himself wishing his children could be there to witness the great display of pride that is often not exhibited by those born on American soil. Flat Breads itself, meanwhile, seems almost to have been born of America’s deepest nostalgic dream—a small business with a black and white checkered floor, fresh fruits cradled in white bowls, bags of chips presented neatly on racks in the window. Although Acampora spent 27 years working in the corporate world, he has an old-fashioned touch that translates well to the intimate establishment, where customers are treated like friends, old and new.
See Flat Breads, B8
EMILY SADEGHIAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Flat Breads Cafe has remained a staple among the BC community since it opened in 1993.
TEACH FOR AMERICA SETS LONG-TERM GOALS BY KENDRA KUMOR Features Editor Currently, 29 Boston College alumni are participating in the Teach for America (TFA) program, a national teacher recruitmant program placing qualified, recent college graduates in public and charter schools across the U.S. in an effort to eliminate educational inquity. Despite TFA’s popularity among BC students, the program is still surrounded by misconceptions held by the majority of the community. “I think one of the biggest misconceptions that I hear, especially when talking to BC students, is about the way we place our teachers,” TFA manager and recruiter Elizabeth Hastie said. “I think a lot of people think there are these Teach for America spots open at each school, and once your two years are up you’re out and someone else is in, but you’re hired just like any other teacher.” Hastie is a California native who came to Boston to attend Northeastern University, studying business alongside law and policy. She was the first TFA campus campaign coordinator at Northeastern as a senior. Her first two years, she taught eighth grade science in Lawrence, Mass. (Her eighth-graders are now seniors in high school, getting ready to apply for college.) Her third and final year as a teacher, she taught sixth-grade science and was able to help open up a new school in Lawrence. She went on to receive her master’s degree through the TFA program. “Through my law and policy classes, my eyes were opened more to the ideas of educational inequity and the ways that it’s playing out for students across the country, and through that was able to start piecing together the ways that I can see educational inequity play out in my own life,” Hastie said. Grady Deacon, a current campus campaign coordinator and A&S ’15, explains some pushback he has
heard in the past. “Critics will look at the two-year program and often think of it as a mission trip or a service opportunity for college graduates before they go off into some other career,” he said in an email. “Part of what sets TFA apart from this idea of a service trip is that it prepares its Corps members for a lifetime commitment to service and dedication to service.” Deacon became interested in TFA through his older brother, who was a 2011 graduate of the Baltimore program. Hearing his brother’s experiences and seeing his tangible effect on the children’s lives inspired him to pursue the same path. “I believe that a great misconception that people have about TFA is that it is a resume builder,” Octavio Brindis, current Milwaukee-based corps member and BC ’14, said in an email. “The application process is thorough, and while it is not perfect, I do believe their recruitment strategies are purposeful.” Brindis’ awareness of educational inequality in the U.S. also began at school when he participated in PULSE classes, Students for Educational Reform, and the Arrupe International Immersion Program. Like Hastie, and like Deacon, he was a campus campaign coordinator for TFA and decided to apply for the early deadline cycle in his junior year. “I missed out on Macklemore’s Modstock concert in order to better prepare for my interview,” Brindis said. “I recall gluing the finishing pieces to my presentation poster in O’Neill Library while listening to the distant cheering. While Macklemore is great, I much more enjoy listening to the voices of my students today.” The application process is rigorous and changes from year to year. TFA has five deadlines to apply online, with the third and coming up on Oct. 24, and
I NSIDE FEATUR E S THIS ISSUE
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GET SCHOOLED Post-TFA Employment: 64% Education 15% Other 6% Full-time Grad Student 5% Business 4% Law 3% Advocacy, Government, Politics, Policy 3% Health
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BC is the fifth-largest contributor to TFA among schools with 3,000 to 9,999 undergraduates. 29 recent grads are participating this year.
TFA’s alumni network continues to grow with a projected 37,000 alums around the U.S. at the end of the 2014-15 school year.
Fewer than 10% of students growing up in poverty will graduate from college by age 25.
20,000 28,000
37,000
’10 - ’11
’12 - ’13 ’14 - ’15 (PROJECTED)
INFORMATION FROM TEACH FOR AMERICA I MAGGIE POWERS / HEIGHTS GRAPHICS
Heights Through the Centuries Agape Latte has brewed up eight years of conversation about spirituality on campus.................................................... B9
Editor’s Column............................B9 Club Series.................................B8