VENEZUELANS FOR CHANGE EXPLORING MARTELLO TOWER
WAY OF WADE? SPORTS
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ARTS & REVIEW
Football may head into Raleigh with Wade at QB, B8
Scores gather in Copley Square to call for release of political prisoners, A5
A virtual reality game brings James Joyce’s Ulysses to life, B3
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The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Thursday, October 27, 2016
Vol. XCVII, No. 41
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As this polarizing election season comes to a close, students and faculty engage in debate and prepare to elect a new president.
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t the first football game tailgate, a crowd of students surrounded Mod 33A, fixated on something—a large “Make America Great Again” sign in support of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, firmly planted in the patchy ground. A few days later, the Mod next door had put up signs supporting the presidential campaigns of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders. The senior housing, usually home to tailgates and wandering freshmen, had come to represent campus discourse on the upcoming presidential election. The 2016 election has been one of the most polarized and vitriolic in history. Based on approval ratings, Clinton and Trump are two of the least popular major-party nominees in history. At Boston College, students, faculty, and staff all eagerly await the Nov. 8 decision. The Heights received 617 responses to a political climate survey posted in class Facebook groups and sent out to students via email lists of majors. The results showed that 56.2 percent of respondents identified with the Democratic Party, 15.4 percent with the Republican Party, 23.9 percent were Independents, and
about 4 percent identified with “other” parties. While 15.4 percent of respondents indicated they were Republicans, only 8.4 percent of respondents indicated they were planning to vote for Republican nominee Donald Trump. On the other hand, while 56.2 percent of respondents identified as Democrats, 75 percent of respondents indicated they were planning to vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. “The political atmosphere on campus has a level of awareness that I haven’t seen in many years,” said Susan Michalczyk, the assistant director of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program and an associate professor. “What I am seeing today are students who are more aware of all the issues—the Supreme Court, civil rights, women’s rights, and climate change—but also a very strong awareness of student debt and the inequalities that are coming out of our society.” The faceoff between Senator Bernie Sanders and Clinton for the Democratic nomination inspired millennials, ages 19 to 36, a historically unengaged population, to participate. Sanders’s campaign in particular resonated with young voters, inspiring memes of the 75-year-old man gesticulating as he spoke. He also retains the unwavering support of a small but vocal “Bernie or Bust” movement that refuses to settle for anything less than “the Bern.” This election cycle, Trump’s tweets, Clinton’s
scandals, and the apparent tension between the two candidates have made the contest a pseudo-reality show. This time, however, the spotlight is on the future leader of the free world. rump’s divisive, simplified rhetoric and the political mishaps in Clinton’s past have led to a divide in the nation that is also apparent on BC’s campus. The debates between feeling, fact, and falsehood dominate campus as the election enters its final two weeks. “You can’t deny that both candidates are extensively characterized by scandal, personal character flaws on both sides,” said Patrick Doyle, a Trump supporter and MCAS ’19. “I think that’s [what is] kind of unique and sad about this election.” On campus, student organizations like the College Democrats of Boston College (CDBC) and the Boston College Republicans (BCR) are designed to facilitate discussion and create a friendly environment for students to explore their opinions. The two groups hosted a debate surrounding key topics on Oct. 6 to create a forum for open discussion surrounding issues. But there is a distinct difference between how the two groups operate on campus. CDBC is actively involved in Clinton’s campaign, organizing canvassing events, phone banking, vol-
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See Politics, A8
JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR
A Mod displays a sign in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It is one of many Mods that have made political statements with campaign signs in their windows.
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ments Rally.” CJBC believes BC is not committed to curbing the effects of climate change. It hopes the University will divest its funds away from fossil fuel-related companies and assets. Xinyan Liu, CJBC member and MCAS ’17, said that the rally will be CJBC’s largest action of the year. The demonstration comes after a talk Tuesday night from Laurie Zoloth, a professor from Northwestern Univer-
sity who spoke about the intersection of environmental concerns and theology. According to Liu, it is important to reflect on BC’s role as a Jesuit university and its responsibility to climate change and divestment. The demonstration follows a weeklong protest hosted by CJBC with the same goals as Friday’s rally. For the first three days, the protesters held posters on O’Neill Plaza and stood in silence. On the final day, they spoke
out about BC’s need to divest. Each protest lasted approximately 15 minutes. This week, CJBC will have a table on the Gasson Quad promoting Friday’s rally. It will also hold a photo campaign, which will allow students to explain why preventing climate change is important to them. “Climate change is the most important issue of our time, and we need to be doing everything we can to tackle it,” Liu said in an email.
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Boston College’s offices of News and Public Affairs and Marketing Communication will merge this semester. The new office will be called the Office of University Communications. According to University Spokesman Jack Dunn, the goal in restructuring the NPA and the OMC is to form a single office that will combine the University’s communication operations to work cooperatively and effectively. The new office will be located in the OMC’s current location at 3 Lake Street on the Brighton Campus. Dunn will take over the new office as the associate vice president for university communications. The Office of University Communications will integrate the responsibilities of the NPA and the OMC. The duties of the NPA currently include the publication of The Chronicle, conducting relations with the media, managing social media, creating promotional videos, and overseeing the redesign of the University’s website. The OMC is responsible for marketing communications, creating graphic designs, and managing other aspects of social media and promotional publications, as well as photography. The OMC also houses Boston College Magazine. “I think it can only be an improvement,” said Ben Birnbaum, the executive director of the OMC and editor of Boston College Magazine. Currently, the NPA deals more with external issues, while the OMC works internally within the University, Birnbaum said. He said that in the past, however, the offices’ job descriptions were more distinguished. The NPA used to be primarily concerned with public relations issues and dealing with the press. NPA representatives were responsible for encouraging news outlets to publish stories favorable to the University, Birnbaum said. Alternatively, OMC was focused on paper records, like pamphlets and magazines, that would promote the University’s mission. With the advent of social media, however, the offices’ job descriptions have become more aligned, Birnbaum said. In recent years, they have worked on similar projects, like working with University Admissions to promote BC to prospective students. “This is a much more complex business now,” Birnbaum said. The decision to merge the offices was made after Birnbaum requested to step down to a part-time position. He will now work as a senior adviser to Leahy. Birnbaum has worked in the OMC for 38 years, serving as executive director since 1992. Birnbaum has not been involved with the restructuring process thus far. Prior to 1992, BC had one Office of Communications that dealt with marketing and public relations on campus. When Doug Whiting, the director of the Office of Communications at the time, stepped down in 1991, Birnbaum was promoted to his position. According to The Heights’s archives, there was talk of restructuring the office into two separate departments, the NPA and the
See Merger, A3
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THE HEIGHTS
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Top
things to do on campus this week
The Academic Advising Center and the Career Center will hold an event on interdisciplinary studies as a part of its “Professors, Professions, & Pastries” series this afternoon at 3:30 in Stokes S140. Students will informally meet with staff while enjoying refreshments.
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Thursday, October 27, 2016
Eric H. Holder, former U.S. attorney general and the first African-American to serve in that position, will speak this afternoon at Robsham Theater at 4 p.m. Students must bring a government-issued photo ID to be checked in to the event.
Rev. David Neuhaus, S.J. will deliver the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning’s Fifth Annual John Paul II Lecture in ChristianJewish Relations on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Stokes S195. Neuhaus is the patriarchal vicar for Hebrewspeaking Catholics in Israel.
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8cldeX Fe Ê+' Le[\i +'Ë Anandita Makes, BC ’13, was recently featured in Prestige’s “40 Under 40” list. Makes has led the business development of the Plataran Group, a group that owns a number of hotels and resorts around the globe, particularly in Indonesia. After receiving her master’s from Prasetiya Mulya Business School, Jakarta, Makes joined Plataran Group. Makes has helped launch the Plataran Menjangan resort in West Bali National Park. She is also opening a luxury hotel in Borobudur, a lifestyle hotel in Labuan, and a high-end restaurant and venue in Menteng. “We’re expanding aggressively to meet customer demand, but throughout the process we always go back to our core value,” Makes said. “Our company aims to showcase the best of Indonesia, and to better the lives of Indonesians.” Makes is also involved in her family’s business, at a French bakery called Passionnée. Makes enjoys helping out at the bakery. “My parents trust me to balance the family business and my own, so I try to maximize my time and make the most of both,” she said. Makes has helped change real estate around the resorts, increasing the quality of life for the surrounding population. “When you see the positive impact of your business for the community, that’s the most rewarding part of the job,” she said.
L>9: I\c\Xj\j Jlim\p The Undergraduate Government of Boston College has released a survey to the student body asking for feedback on the effectiveness of UGBC and the quality of student engagement. The survey was created by UGBC’s Outreach Committee and sent to students via their BC email account. The 10-question poll asks questions relating to personal information like gender, ethnicity, and the respondents’ academic interests. Students’ responses are completely anonymous. UGBC asked whether students think the organization actively addresses issues of race, disability, religious ideology, and gender identity on campus. The survey also asked whether UGBC facilitates the development of student clubs and organizations. A large portion of the survey also focused on whether UGBC effectively communicates its initiatives and goals to the student body. UGBC is also offering a short follow-up interview with members of UGBC to further discuss issues on a more personal level. Students who take the survey are automatically eligible to win a $150 Uber gift card, and those who conduct an interview after are able to win an El Pelon or White Mountain gift card. UGBC plans to use the data gathered from the survey to more effectively address student concerns on campus, said Russell Simons, UGBC president and MCAS ’17.
Laurie Zoloth, a professor of religious studies and of bioethics and medical humanities at Northwestern University, began her lecture Tuesday night by discussing the implications of climate change. “[Climate change] is the single most important moral issue of our age,” Zoloth said. Despite its importance, she explained that people devote very little time, if any, to overarching concerns such as climate change. Zoloth provided her insight on the theological response to climate change as part of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life held its 16th annual Prophetic Voices lecture. Her lecture, “An Ethics for the Coming Storm: A Theological Reflection on Climate Change,” focused on the moral implications of climate change and how prophecy acts as a common factor that intertwines science and theology. Though it is often uncomfortable, Zoloth stressed the importance of interruption—allowing the farreaching problems to become reality instead of fleeing from the unsolved and focusing on trivialities. “A theology of interruption demands that we attend to the interruption in a different way, which is of course to say, to act as if the interruption were the real, and the other stuff of our lives the distraction,” Zoloth said. Zoloth considers this idea closely tied to the Jewish shabbat, to cease as on the day of the sabbath. She explained that it is a moral obligation of humans to cease, to allow interruption, and to integrate that interruption into their reality.
The conference room of 2150 Comm. Ave. pulsed with the sounds of Frank Ocean and Chance the Rapper. Students and faculty mingled around the room munching on cookies and drinking sparkling lemonade. Photographs of young black men were arranged in a semicircle on the beige walls, transforming the space into a photo gallery. The photographer, Malakhai Pearson, dressed in jean overalls and a green hoodie, effused the kind of effortless style most people struggle to attain. His gallery, “My Brother’s Black Body,” was brought to Boston College as part of the Women’s Center’s Love Your Body Week. This year ’s week , led by Marwa Eltahir, who works in the Women’s Center, is based upon the theme of creating spaces for intersectional identities. The issues of gender and race as social constructs are complex and deeply rooted in our society, and while Eltahir recognizes this, she still suggests there are
POLICE BLOTTER Monday, Oct. 24 3:49 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious incident in Roncalli Hall. 11:37 p.m. - A report was filed regarding confiscation of drugs and alcohol in Welch Hall.
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Laurie Zoloth discussed the climate change, its implications, and how it intersects with faith on Tuesday. “We are living in the last place,” Zoloth said. “There is no other world for us.” It is for this reason that interruption is so important, she said. While it is easy to push off the demands of environmental conservation when the consequences are not immediately perceptible, Zoloth believes it is vital now, more than ever, that people call upon themselves to prevent the repercussions of climate change from worsening. “We shouldn’t say that it can be turned around, because it can’t be turned around, but it can be slowed,” Zoloth said. “To make the future possible, we must stop.” According to Zoloth, science and theology—two realms that are often considered to be at odds—are united in their importance to the goals of environmental conservation. “It’s the duty of prophecy—to imagine and warn—that animates both science and theology,” Zoloth said.
many things students can do to dismantle different types of oppression in society. “Just having honest conversations with people and finding the right resources to be able to further that conversation, whether that be going to ... the Women’s Center, or finding different outlets to be able to talk about these things and push your own understanding a little further [is important],” Eltahir said. Pearson is a senior studying business at Bentley University. He finds art to be a provocative and poignant way of expressing both his inner creative drive and sense of social justice. “I found myself being really challenged, but I wasn’t getting that creative push that I needed and so I just picked up a camera,” Pearson said. What started off as simply photographing his “homies” has turned into a personal commentary on the perception of black males in society. “The exhibit is called ‘My Brother’s Black Body’ because I wanted people to be able to connect to that concept of these are your brothers, another human being, not just bod-
Scientists began giving warnings about climate change in 1957 and have become increasingly persistent in recent years. Still, according to Zoloth, these warnings are too often unheeded. “For scholars of religion, we hear this as prophecy,” Zoloth said. “A storm is coming ... and it’s been coming for years.” Zoloth discussed the prevalence of the prophecy of floods in religious texts. She referenced the story of Noah’s ark in the Bible and in the Qur’an. Floods are also mentioned in many other philosophical and theological texts, including those of Plato and of the Incas. In these texts, prophecy encourages the people to interrupt their desires and consumptions in favor of the order of the natural world. These texts suggest that there is hope for the future, that if people act now, they could salvage the future. The obvious necessity in this hope lies in action, however,
Zoloth said. “There is no doing nothing,” Zoloth said. “Doing nothing is doing something.” Zoloth said many people justify doing nothing about climate change by thinking that they can simply put it off for a later date. People tend to have trouble coming to terms with their own mortality—with imagining a life after themselves. For this reason, problems of climate change, which will primarily affect future generations, are put on the back burner. “ We think we have, if not forever, we have ‘later’ to solve this problem,” she said. “As if the good, American life will always be stable.” She said people also often disregard environmental action because they view their individual contributions to be insignificant. “Do not think for a minute that we are powerless,” she said. “The time is right now.”
ies,” Pearson said. Race and the perception of the black male have always been a part of Pearson’s life growing up on the south side of Framingham, Mass. “I grew up in a very diverse racial environment where my best friends were Brazillian and black and I am black and white myself,” he said. “I’ve always had this interesting split between races where you kind of don’t always fit or belong in a certain place being both black and white.” After moving to the north side of Framingham, Pearson noticed a change in the races of his friends. Instead of seeing a variety of races and ethnicities, the majority of his friends were white. “So I think that was the first instance where I was really like, ‘Woah, this issue of race actually matters,’ because in the south side I had white friends, black friends, Hispanic friends, everything,” Pearson said. Pearson’s experience with race culminated this past semester, when he studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa.
“I was exposed to so much in terms of racial issues and racial confrontation while I was there,” Pearson said. “I think coming back from that put things in perspective for me,” Pearson said. The exhibit highlights Pearson’s insights from not only this trip, but the experiences with race and ethnicity he had while growing up. While he does not have a specific takeaway message for students, he hopes that they gain a new appreciation for their fellow man. “Just appreciate the images for what they are and in the same way, appreciate people for what they are—black, white, Asian, or Hispanic—appreciate your brother,” Pearson said. The exhibit is a form of celebration, he said. “When you think about what it means to be black or a person of color today in America, sometimes you are laughed at, you’re looked at differently, people tell you that you can’t be things based on the way that you look,” he said. “So for me this is just a celebration of my brother.”
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CORRECTIONS
Please send corrections to eic@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.
10/24/16 - 10/26/16 1:47 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a trespass warning issued at Corcoran Commons. 3:58 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a party who was transported to a medical facility from Gasson Hall.
Tuesday, Oct. 25 5:02 a.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance provided to a student who was transported to a medical facility. 9:45 a.m. - A report was filed regarding lost property at 90 St. Thomas More.
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THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, October 27, 2016
A3
Gif]j% Gi\[`Zk Gfc`k`Zj 8]k\i Efm% / <c\Zk`fe By Andrea Ocasio For The Heights
DREW HOO / SENIOR STAFF
E\n Le`m\ij`kp F]ÔZ\ N`cc ?\X[ 8cc :fddle`ZXk`fej Merger, from A1 OMC, in 1991. When the University split the office into two departments, Birnbaum was given his current position, director of the Office of Marketing Communications. Robert Kaiser was given the position as the director of the Office of Public Affairs. Birnbaum said that the University’s reason for splitting the two offices in 1992 was to accommodate leadership positions for both Birnbaum and Kaiser. At Boston University, communications efforts are overseen by the larger department of External Affairs. BU’s offices of Public Relations, Marketing Communications, Government and Community Affairs, and Federal Relations all operate separately from one another, although they work cooperatively under External Affairs. Northeastern University divides its communication responsibilities between the offices of Marketing and Commu-
nications and Government Relations, which are also organized under the overarching title of External Affairs. Harvard University, according to Birnbaum, has a long tradition of distributing functions across the University. Harvard separates several departments into separate entities, including communications. Its office of Public Affairs and Communications is composed of its Office of Federal Relations, as well as its staff that focuses on community and state affairs and relations. All of Harvard’s individual schools also include their own communications offices. According to Birnbaum and Dunn, however, most universities across the country run with one combined office, rather than holding marketing and public relations in two separate departments. “The trend in higher education has been to integrate communications functions to achieve maximum productivity,” Dunn said in an email.
Instead of dissecting the presidential candidates’ policies and accentuating their differences, which is how the usual conversation goes in this political climate, R. Shep Melnick, the Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. professor of American politics in Boston College, focused his talk Wednesday night on the relationship between a likely Democratic president and Republican Congress. “I’m so sick of this election that I’d rather talk about what’s going to happen after,” Melnick said. The Eagle Political Society hosted the talk by Melnick and Martha Bayles, a professor in the Arts and Sciences Honors Program, in McGuinn 334. Melnick started the conversation by comparing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who refuses to accept the reality of the polls and continues to insist he will win the election, to the 1941 film Citizen Kane, about a newspaper publisher relentlessly pursuing power. “Real life does imitate art,” Melnick said. Melnick based his premise on the assumption that, with Clinton leading in most polls, she will win the election. Melnick still believes, however, that the Democrats are unlikely to win the House. This would make it difficult for important legislation to be passed through Congress during the Clinton administration. It would also be seemingly impossible to make appointments and pass executive orders crucial to policy making, Melnick said. He believes Clinton will have a tough time pushing nominees. Melnick believes that the 2016 election has de-legitimized American politics. He cited a New York Times poll that demonstrated that more than half of those polled believe that political in-
stitutions are majorly controlled by a select few with a lot of money. People are under the impression that their own vote holds very little weight. This, combined with claims by Trump in the most recent presidential debate that the electoral process is rigged, has destroyed the general public’s confidence in the current political system. Bayles took the audience back in time to understand how the political climate developed into its current state, particularly through the media.
“Post-modernist propoganda is not so much an information war as it is a war on information.É —Martha Bayles, professor in Boston College’s Arts and Sciences Honors Program
Bayles discussed the fanaticism of the election and how, by feeding off of the fodder and excitement surrounding the two candidates, the media has failed to report responsibly and accurately. “For almost two centuries, the circus of our politics has been accompanied by reasonable, rational reporting, with the downside of this being a lack in revenues,” Bayles said. She believes the election is now dominated by the opposite—a circus of politics accompanied by irresponsible reporting and great revenues. The debates and discord surrounding the election have increased TV ratings and ad views to new heights—the media is profiting highly from a political system
in shambles. “This new media has spurred a gulf between the old folks and the modern folks,” Bayles said. The last two generations have received their news in different forums and methods, and this consequently affects their perception of politics. Some news outlets that focus on scandalous headlines to attract more readers feed the political circus even more. These sources are driven entirely by profit, Bayles said. She argued that we can blame the corporate world for the poor media coverage. She furthered this argument by explaining that the current quality of media coverage is due to earlier sincere, albeit idealistic, efforts to free the media. “Under ‘rose-colored glasses’ it was assumed unfettered media would foster greater competition, debate, and greater transparency,” Bayles said. Bayles is concerned about the effect that uninformed voters, who rely on news sources she believes are biased, could have on the election. As a self-professed “old folk,” Bayles was interested in hearing what the millennials thought about this media divide. Students talked about the issue of people taking parody articles at face value. It was also commented that millennials take in information from at least five different news sources per day. While it means more information is coming in, the quality of said information is not always ideal—there is bias and a clear lack of source discernment. This launched a conversation about post-modernist propaganda and how the bias in reputable newspapers, such as The New York Times, will affect the election. “Post-modernist propaganda is not so much an information war as it is a war on information,” Bayles said.
Jkl[\ekj KXcb 9i\Xb`e^ ;fne JfZ`Xc# G_pj`ZXc 9Xii`\ij ]fi ;`jXYc\[ By Joan Kennedy For The Heights
As part of Love Your Body Week, students from across campus gathered at a roundtable discussion to talk about living with a disability and Boston College’s accessibility and accommodations. The conversation revolved around creating an environment free of physical and social barriers for those with disabilities. Megan Kelly, a student staff member with the Women’s Center and CSOM ’17, introduced Amy Boesky, an English professor and a director of the medical humanities minor. Boesky began by talking about Rick Guidotti, who began his career as a fashion photographer but soon became frustrated with the homogeneity of his subjects. Guidotti realized he was photographing the same image and the women he was photographing did not look like the women he knew. He began to photograph people with disabilities that are stigmatized in society, like albinism. Upon seeing their gorgeous photographs, those “disabled” were in awe, saying things such as, “I never thought of myself as being beautiful.” “What does it mean to live in a culture with very specific ideas of perfection?” Boesky asked the students. Then, the students and faculty present spoke about how catalogs and advertise-
ments bombard their viewers with a narrowly defined image of physical perfection. This narrowly defined image quickly becomes reality. As Tara Cotumaccio, chief of staff for the Council for Students with Disabilities (CSD) and MCAS ’17, pointed out, disability is often left out of conversations. “How does media representation of disabled people, or lack thereof, affect body image or your ability to feel confident with yourself?” she asked. Students discussed their experiences with media representation of disabled people, and they discovered that such exposure is often limited to the “token person in the wheelchair,” which is a limited image of what disability looks like. Emmett Narby, director of outreach for CSD and MCAS ’18, sees such representations as problematic. “The gap between representation and experience is impossible to represent in fullness,” Narby said. He explained that every person has a different experience with disability. Claire Chatellier, MCAS ’19, agreed. “The storyline can’t just be about disability, there is more to a person than their disability,” she said. Boesky then introduced the idea of visible disability versus invisible disability, saying that in our society visual disabilities are often overpraised while those with invisible disabilities
are left feeling invalidated. Another student contributed her insight to this conundrum, saying that physical disabilities reduce people to their disability, and that unseen disabilities are more difficult for people to understand. Boesky discussed what it is like to be a college student, specifically a student at BC, with a disability. She said that many students at BC are focused on image, which makes being a disabled student difficult. “[BC is a] microcosmic world with an emphasis on appearance and homogeneity,” she said. A college campus, especially one that constantly talks about “Ever to Excel,” promotes efficiency and tangible achievement, Boesky said. Djanan Kernizan, MCAS ’19, talked about her experience in such a pressurized system. “I need to do all this stuff all the time,” Kernizan said. “I go to BC. I need to do everything.” Kalie Paranzino, CSON ’19, brought up the importance of sharing stories in making change, which Boesky agreed was necessary before challenging the room to think about changing representation and making stories more varied. Narby said that the most difficult obstacle for him to overcome in order to love his body was accepting the fact that there are certain activities he can’t do.
JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Students and faculty talked about the ways in which disabilities are falsely portrayed in media. Cotumaccio said she doesn’t let her physical limitations alter her lifestyle. “My body has been through a lot, but I’m still living my life,” she said. Boesky, who started at BC in 1993, expressed her surprise at students’ willingness
to engage in conversation and overcome the obstacles they face due to their disabilities. “I cannot imagine having had this discussion when I first came to BC,” she said. “Now we are having so many important discussions at BC.”
=`ijk Fg\ecp KiXej^\e[\i DXe `e k_\ D`c`kXip KXcbj 8Zk`m`jk Nfib By Katherine Murphy For The Heights From the time he was 5 years old, Shane Ortega knew that he did not identify with the gender he was assigned at birth. His mother was a member of the National Community Church (NCC), which accepts individuals from the LGBTQ community, and a part of the LGBTQ community herself. These factors allowed him to be knowledgeable about the LGBTQ community starting from a young age. In addition, he spent summers with his grandmother, who is part of the Iroquois and Cherokee tribes and lives on a reservation. She recognized that he was a “two-spirit” person, a Cherokee word that means someone who does not fit into the traditional gender binary. As part of Love Your Body Week, the Women’s Center brought Ortega, the first openly transgender man in the military, to speak about his experiences in and out of the military. Ortega served 11 years in the United States Military and completed three combat tours,
two as a Marine and one in the Army. When he began his service, he was registered in the army as female. For the final two years of his service, Ortega was not allowed to participate in active duty because of the transgender ban. In July of this past summer, the ban that prohibited transgender people from serving in the military was lifted. Ortega was the public face and the private force behind the legislation that lifted the ban. With the help of Joshua Block, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney, he drafted a 400-page dissertation that was crucial in pushing forward the legislation. Ortega worked tirelessly for years, using all of his vacation days to meet with representatives and upper level military officials that would be able to help him. Ortega talked about the lengths he went to cultivate a public image that would positively contribute to getting the ban lifted. In order to show that he fit the mold that society thinks men should fit, he entered a bodybuilding competition. For his entire military service, Ortega
portrayed himself as a hyper-masculine person and connected this to his activist work. “When the trans military ban was lifted this previous July, it was the accomplishment of 11 years of effort, 11 years of perfection, and 11 years of being this super hyper-masculine person in order to move the ball down the court,” he said. He talked about how, in American society, men are expected to be tough, strong, and emotionless in order to properly embody the idea of masculinity. The concept and practice of hypermasculinity are toxic to both cisgender and transgender men and women. He explained how in his own experiences and others’ experiences that he has observed, either gaining or giving up masculinity is one of the hardest parts of transitioning. During the question-and-answer part of his talk, which lasted over an hour, Ortega was asked how he deals with people who ask rude, invasive, or ignorant questions. He responded saying that in these situations, he attempts to help that person find the root of his or her ignorant beliefs. He recounted times in his activist career
JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Shane Ortega was not allowed to participate in active duty because he was transgender. when he met different hardships. From a Ku Klux Klan member yelling slurs at him in an Arkansas McDonald’s, to being talked down to and insulted by a U.S. representative, he has seen it all. When he was asked if he is ever bothered by what people say to him and why he con-
tinues. Ortega said he does it for the people who need him to. “It’s how much suffering can I take for another person and why,” he said. “The reason I do what I do is because it creates opportunities for other people that would never have been created had anyone not stayed the path.”
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THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, October 27, 2016
K_\ :_\jkelk ?`cc JhlXi\ 8ik DXib\k kf J_fnZXj\ CfZXc 8ik`jkj By Duke Saunders For the Heights
MADELEINE D’ANGELO / HEIGHTS EDITOR
:fie`j_ GXjkp :fdgXep 9i`e^j JXmfip D\Xk G`\j kf 9XZb 9Xp By Madeleine D’Angelo Asst. Metro Editor
For many Americans, pie means only one thing: dessert. Be it apple, pumpkin, chocolate, or banana , Americans tend to love these sugar-filled masterpieces so much that they forget that just across the ocean lies the pie’s meat-filled cousin, the pasty. Thankfully, Cornish Pasty Co., one of the newest additions to the Back Bay restaurant scene, has arrived to remind Bostonians of just that. With the original Tempe, Ariz., location opened by the Cornwall native Dean Thomas in 2005, the Cornish Pasty Co.’s immediate success allowed for the opening of three more locations across Arizona and Nevada—each individually owned by someone passionate about pasties and his or her work for the company. When Brandon Volkenant, an employee of the original Cornish Pasty Co. for almost a decade, came to Boston for the first time in order to visit his wife’s family, he fell in love with the city. Seeing the potential success in the area, Volkenant became eager to bring the Cornish Pasty Co. concept to the East Coast and start a family branch in the city. After searching for the perfect location, and finally finding it last April, Volkenant began the process of renovating the storefront and getting permits—a process that, although challenging, slowly but surely resulted in the restaurant’s coming together and opening to a warm community reception. “[The first couple weeks] have b e en ver y re ce ptive,” Volkenant said. “I have had a lot of neighbors come in and tell their neighbors and everything; we’ve filled up the first few nights, and given that we’re on a skeleton crew [it was a little hard], but that’s a good problem to have … I got to meet a lot of locals in the area, and a lot of people have been coming in and spreading the word.” And with Cornish Pasty Co.’s
focus on such a unique menu item, the community certainly has a lot to talk about. Volkenant explained that traditionally, the Cornish pasty is a miner’s pie—an option that was easy to pack with protein and carry down into the mines to sustain miners during a hard day’s work. These large, hand-held pies—generally filled with meat and potatoes left over from the night before—were closed up with a large crimp of crust that served as a handle to allow miners to eat their pasty without having to leave the mine to wash their hands. As the Cornish miners moved to Michigan and other parts of the United States, they brought their pasties with them, and the food item became a cultural staple of the mining community. Although the pasties served at Cornish Pasty Co. have been slightly modernized—the large, handle-like crimp has become more of a decorative braided biscuit on top of the pie, for example—they are still made from scratch and are in constant production throughout the day. Some of the most popular menu items—all of which are affordably priced in order to appeal to the student population, as well as to the larger Boston community—include the Bangers and Mash pasty, which is filled with cheese and handmade pork sausage. Cornish Pasty Co. also offers pasties filled with a range of favors that draw inspiration from global cuisines. Volkenant also highlighted the popularity of the Lamb Vindaloo pasty and the Cajun Chicken pasty, both of which stray from the traditional flavors of Cornish cuisine. “There’s a little something for everyone,” Volkenant said. But it’s the traditional Oggie pasty that provides the perfect introduction to what a Cornish pasty is at heart. Filled with layered chunks of steak and thinly sliced potatoes, and served alongside decadent red wine gravy, the Oggie is most in line with what defines a
traditional Cornish pasty. The crust remains thin and crispy while securely containing the peppery pot-roastesque filling. Each bite is rich and butter y, and the f lavorful and comforting filling is in perfect proportion to the crust that surrounds it. But even this traditional pasty is anything but simple, and that complexity is part of what Volkenant values about the Cornish pasty. Volkenant explained his love for the laborious pasty making process, which takes time and careful attention. After carefully prepping all of the ingredients and measuring each one out to the gram, pasty makers arrange the fillings on the crust. Cooks then crimp and seal the pasties before placing them into the oven, where they are quickly baked before being brought straight to the customer’s table. Volkenant emphasized the unique opportunity that diners have to eat a pasty baked from top to bottom—with each component made completely from scratch—on site. But despite the detail required to construct each pasty, they only take about 10 minutes to make after a customer orders, as much of the prep work is done ahead of time. And when they arrive at the table, the comforting smell of the freshly baked dough is unforgettable and is already creating the community following around the Cornish Pasty Co. that Volkenant has hoped for. Since Cornish Pasty Co. Boston is an independentlyowned family shop, Volkenant explaind that they have worked to fill the restaurant with a friendly neighborhood vibe. “[Many] places ... have a certain dress code, or a certain demeanor requirement and everything, but we try to keep it professional casual,” Volkenant said. “So for alternative lifestyle individuals—it’s okay if they have tattoos or crazy hair or something along those lines— [this is] a spot for people to express their individuality.”
MADELEINE D’ANGELO / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Cornish Pasty Co. serves up meat-filled hand pies like the Oggie, which contains steak, potatoes, and onion.
Autumn is bringing a little something more than just apple picking and Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Chestnut Hill this year. This coming weekend, Chestnut Hill Square will see its first annual “Art in the Square” homemade arts market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The large parking lot, usually packed with the cars of customers shopping at Wegmans or eating at one of the nearby restaurants, will instead feature a diverse collection of about 20 artists and craftsmen from all over New England. Af ter pre p ar ing for this weekend since late August and early September of this year, the event’s coordinators wanted to add a special flare to this year’s “Art in the Square.” Although there has always been an annual “Art in the Square” during the fall in Chestnut Hill, event coordinators decided to break convention by altering its format, focusing on displaying homemade, marketable art as a means of engaging with the surrounding community as a whole. With the application process for the exhibition beginning in early September of this year, event coordinators selected those individuals who the y deemed would provide Chestnut Hill Square with a vibrant flare emanating from their creative exhibits. Rather than simply bringing artists who currently flood the conventional art market with paintings and photographs, the
20 artists who will be attending range from painters and sculptors to photographers and jewelers, with even handmade soap artists present. In the past, similarly organized art markets in Chestnut Hill Square have served a more expository purpose. “Art in the Square,” however, was developed to provide the surrounding art connoisseur community and the general public with an attainable, market-like atmosphere. With this goal of making the displayed works more accessible, event coordinators hope it will foster more engagement with community members of all types—not just art lovers. “With plenty of online support being shown through the festival’s Facebook event page, I’m expecting there to be a successful turnout, with the local shoppers and art vendors excited that the focus of making the exhibited artwork ‘accessible,’” said Jennifer Rotigliano, one of the event’s coordinators. “Last year’s ‘Art in the Square’ was more for exhibitional, and we’ve worked so this year’s market focuses on more attainable, handcrafted works, or in other words, ‘art for the people.’” Saturday’s festival will also include artists who have primarily showcased their work on Etsy.com. Etsy is a website with a similar concept to that of Amazon or Ebay in that artists can create a profile and list, display, and sell their pieces through a convenient management system. In adding this element to the festival, event coordinators hope to
both put a face to talented artists who live and work in the Boston area and encourage their Etsy followers to personally engage with one another in Chestnut Hill Square. Some of the works that will be both displayed and for sale include “Solid Roots,” which are the handmade, miniature concrete planters designed for the quaint, decorative succulents that are popular in family homes and dorm rooms alike for their low-maintenance nature. Work from “Sarah Kelly Ceramics” also encompasses functional pottery, and focuses on emphasizing the uniqueness of everyday items. While there were no logistical challenges in organizing “Art in the Square,” the original date of the event was planned for Oct. 22, but due to poor weather the event was rescheduled for this weekend. Luckily, this change in date will not result in any changes in the artist lineup. In addition to the presence of the local artists, shopkeepers and stores in and around Chestnut Hill Square also plan on setting up booths at the market with special giveaways and showcases of their products. “We want to keep ‘Art in the Square’ fresh and engage community members who normally shop at Chestnut Hill Square to come out and enjoy the creative displays and products,” Rotigliano said. “By bringing solely local artists who can put a unique touch on art markets, we’re really trying to advertise that Chestnut Hill Square isn’t just a shopping center but a community center.”
CHESTNUT HILL SQUARE
This weekend, Chestnut Hill’s ‘Art in the Square’ hopes to connect local artists with the surrounding community.
THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, October 27, 2016
A5
JUAN OLAVARRIA / HEIGHTS EDITOR
M\e\ql\cXe <ogXki`Xk\j ?fc[ Jfc`[Xi`kp ;\dfejkiXk`fe `e :fgc\p Jh% 9P AL8E FC8M8II@8 D\kif <[`kfi Scores of Venezuelan expatriates gathered in Copley Square on Wednesday night to show support and solidarity with those who are still in the country and are fighting for the restoration of the rule of law, freeing of political prisoners, and the respect of basic human rights. The event organizers picked the Copley location for its central-
JUAN OLAVARRIA / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Attendees hold up a flag with their signatures.
ized position, as it would maximize exposure, and its proximity to the Venezuelan consulate on Boylston Street. The event, which lasted from 5 to 7 p.m. and drew over 50 people, paralleled the sentiment of the masses that took to the streets in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, among other cities, and showcased the discontent the people have toward the current socialist regime led by President Nicolas Maduro, who became head of state after the death of former president Hugo Chávez in 2013. The situation in the country has spiraled out of control over the past few years, with the International Monetary Fund predicting inflation rates above 1,600 percent next year. Hyperinflation has then led to mass shortages of food, medicine, and other basic necessities, according to CNN. David Bonyuet, one of the coordinators of the demonstration, has been in touch with “Mesa Unidad Democratica” or MUD, the opposition coalition in Venezuela, in order to arrange events that raise awareness of the Venezuelan crisis abroad. He said that one of the main goals of those
@e :_\jkelk ?`cc# X =i\j_ KXjk\ f] ?fd\ D8;<C<@E< ;Ë8E><CF Toward the end of October, I tend to start feeling restless. The feeling probably has something to do with laziness, and a desire to escape the stress of midterm season and the work I have to do. Getting off campus—an activity that becomes more implausible as work accumulates into mountainous heaps—just doesn’t have the same freeing effect that it did when the semester began. No matter how many restaurants I visit, shops and museums I peruse, or how far I meander around the city streets, I cannot make myself forget the massive amounts of work waiting to welcome me with open arms upon my return to campus. You could also probably trace my restlessness back to a very obvious answer: homesickness. At this point in the semester, we’ve all been away from home long enough for the novelty of independence and adulthood to lose a bit of its shiny luster. Perhaps, if you’re like me, you, too, are beginning to miss the comforting buffer of your family—the reassuring presence provided by parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, not to mention dogs. Or maybe you miss more of the physical comfort of living in a relatively stable and familiar environment, one where you can bundle up in sheets that have a certain fresh smell (a smell that you can never coax out of the dorm dryers that infuse everything with the faint smell of burned cotton). A place where you can navigate the rooms and hallways with your eyes closed, and can make a fairly educated guess as to who might be in a certain room at a certain time. As exciting and necessary as change is, when you have a lot of other things competing for your attention on a daily basis, you yearn to return to a place where changing the way you fluff the pillows on the couch can seem like a radical redefinition of the life you’ve been leading. But by the end of October, you might have already given up on achieving this level of comfort any time soon. The end of November (or, for some of the poor souls among us, mid-December) seems impossibly distant as you open the textbook to begin reviewing for your next midterm, or create a
blank Word document in order to begin tapping out your next paper—even though you only finished the last one an hour ago. You might sigh and resign yourself to a few more weeks of existing in a shifting and transient setting, which, as wonderful as it is, can’t exactly be called ‘home.’ Which is why I was shocked to find a small bakery nestled within the shops surrounding Star Market while on a quest to buy a birthday cake for one of my friends. The bakery in question—a small, windowed storefront with a neon OPEN sign written in happy cursive lettering—is Rosie’s Bakery. This name might not have the same effect on you that it did on me—in fact, I would be shocked if it did. But Rosie’s Bakery is a name woven through the recipes of my childhood. Without a second of hesitation, I can picture the cookbook’s brightly colored cover emblazoned with Rosie’s Bakery in a looping cursive quite similar to the writing on the neon sign in its window. It is the cookbook (and bakery) from which the recipe for dense, fudgy brownies that are completely different from any other ones I’ve ever tasted originally came from. The cover and inner pages of our Rosie’s Cookbook are wrinkled and stained from contact with melted butter and chocolate, and if you give the tome a good thump on the kitchen table, grains of sugar fall out from in between the pages. It is one of those objects that is truly synonymous with being home. To be honest, it had never even occurred to me that Rosie’s Bakery actually had a physical location—the name had always been something more mythic, like the lost land of Atlantis or the fabled City of Gold. Yet here it was right in front of me, filled with gigantic and chewy peanut butter cookies, towering cakes covered in a smooth and airy buttercream icing (yes, they were perfect for a birthday), and most importantly, heaps of glistening brownies displayed just behind a gleaming glass case. When I finally got my hands on one of those brownies, I closed my eyes and took a tiny bite of the chewy corner. I savored the taste of dark chocolate that washed over my tastebuds. And for a second, while I was distracted by a flavor so familiar, I was home. I guess November is still far away, but in the meantime, Rosie’s Bakery is pretty close.
DX[\c\`e\ ;Ë8e^\cf `j k_\ Xjjk% d\kif \[`kfi ]fi K_\ ?\`^_kj% J_\ ZXe Y\ i\XZ_\[ fe kn`kk\i 7dX[jV/',%
in attendance, many of whom were either political refugees or had been exiled, was to show their loved ones that have stayed behind that they are not alone. “The Venezuelans of New England are uniting to express our support toward those that have stayed behind and to denounce the refusal [of the government] to allow for a constitutionally dictated recall referendum,” he said in an interview conducted in Spanish. “[The government] has brutally responded to these efforts … it is clear that [Maduro] has control of both the electoral college and the courts to avoid this process.” Over the past year, the opposition coalition has enjoyed several high-profile victories in the legislative arena, securing control of the National Assembly for the first time in 17 years, according to The New York Times. This has led to an increase in tensions between the government and the opposition, however, causing many to fall victim to a crackdown against dissent. One of the leaders of the coalition, Leopoldo Lopez, has been imprisoned for political
reasons since 2014, according to the U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. Political prisoners have become a hot-button issue in the country. “We support all measures that are for democracy, for the liberty of political prisoners, and for freedom of expression,” Bonyuet said. “The issues in Venezuela are [out of this world].” At many times during the march, the crowds intoned the words of the national anthem, calling for a return to more traditional constitutional values and normality. Several attendees were moved to tears at this moment, some out of hope for the future and some out of anger and despair due to the current situation. At other times they chanted for liberty, justice, and the respect of the constitution. “We are all here asking once more in front of the Venezuelan consulate for liberty for the people of the country and for the release of political prisoners,” said Ana Julia Jatar, the sister of the only journalist currently jailed for political reasons in the country, in an interview conducted in
Spanish. “Today has been significant, the call for the demonstrations has surpassed all expectations … the political leaders have a commitment to the Venezuelan people, [who] have been kidnapped by a totalitarian regime.” So far, Bonyuet has organized several events, all featuring attendance similar to the one on Wednesday, something he attributes to the unwavering commitment of the people involved as they try to support those who are embroiled in the struggle. As a result, many non-governmental organizations have begun working from abroad to alleviate the situation in the country in any way they can. Some of these, such as Venezuelan Women in Action, which works toward ending gender violence in the country, and Sin Mordaza—Against Censorship—which works to ensure that freedom of the press is upheld, are working within the city. The group noted that if the situation does not change in the near future, it will conduct further demonstrations to keep raising awareness.
?\X[ f] k_\ :_Xic\j 9i`e^j N`e[j# Cfjj\j 9P AFJ<G? =FEJ<:8 =fi k_\ ?\`^_kj The Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) came to a close this Sunday after two days of celebrating athletic prowess—and preppy fashion. The three-mile race, the largest two-day regatta in the world, has drawn thousands of spectators to the shores of the Charles River annually since its inception in 1965. In the spring, HOCR appointed Kathy Kirk as its new chairperson. She oversees a regatta with close to 11,000 competitors and an estimated 400,000 spectators. On Saturday, Boston College placed 21st in the women’s club eights, just .002 seconds behind Canisius College, and 25th in men’s club eights. Though watching the boats dart by, gliding down the river with impeccable grace, is an exhilarating experience, the races themselves are just a small part of what draws those spectators every year. Rowing fanatics are treated upon arrival to a festival of all things rowing. White tents, stocked with oars, boats, sunglasses, and, of course, the sport’s iconic neon spandex—called “trou”—line the Charles River Walkway, inviting spectators to join in on the festivities of the weekend. The largest of the tents—a massive Brooks Brothers pop-up shop, complete with mannequins sporting earth-colored vests and bright, collared shirts—is a hit with HOCR patrons. The shop, which is the only tent propped up on a platform, is packed with proud moms holding “Head of the Charles”-embroidered quarter-zip jackets up to their sons’ shoulders, and enthusiastic competitors in trou, making hurried purchases before running off to
LIZZY BARRRETT / HEIGHTS STAFF
LIZZY BARRETT / HEIGHTS STAFF
Despite the cold weather, spectators flocked to the 52nd annual Head of the Charles. their races. In addition to being a celebration of rowing, part of what makes the Head of the Charles so enjoyable, even to nonrowers, is the fact that it is also a celebration of fall. Spectators of the event can be seen donning long scarves and hunching over steaming cups of cider in an attempt to beat out the cool, October air. “I love the fall feel of it all,” Juli Ozmeral, MCAS ’19, said. “Everyone gets all dressed up in their boots and vests.” The athletes, however, are used to the cool temperatures from their countless mornings spent training on the water. BC’s Division I women’s rowing and men’s club rowing train year-round, both on the water and off. A typical week consists of about 25 hours of training, according to Michaela Karrash, CSOM ’18. This weekend was what they had been training for. Torrential downpours and a strong headwind affected the men’s performance, said Jake Catania, MCAS ’20. “We were past shivering,” he said. “Some of us were violently shaking because we were so cold.” Tough conditions tested even the most accomplished of rowers on Saturday, including the much-anticipated “dream team” boat, composed of two Olympic gold medalists. New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale and Norway’s Olaf Tufte set their rivalry aside to compete in the men’s championship doubles race, coming in third place behind the Philadelphia-based Penn Athletic Club and the Boucherville Club out of Canada. Strong headwinds proved an issue for competitors all weekend, due to the layout of the course. The three-mile-long race is known as a “coxswain’s race” due to its three tight turns, one through Weeks Bridge —notorious among Boston rowers as the “Weeks turn”—one through the Anderson Memorial Bridge, and one
just before the Eliot Bridge. Both require precise steering from the boat’s coxswain in order to avoid making wide turns that can prove detrimental to a boat’s finish time. A strong headwind can blow a boat off course and prevent tight turning. BC’s men’s team learned this the hard way in the collegiate eight on Sunday. After a strong start, BC’s boat got stuck between boats from Wesleyan and Holy Cross around the one-mile mark approaching the River Street Bridge. While under the bridge, BC and Holy Cross collided, resulting in a damaged steering mechanism for BC. Without proper steering the team was forced to row with only six people while two used their oars to steer, according to one of the rowers in the boat, Daniel Reilly, MCAS ’18. “Yeah, it wasn’t what we were hoping for, but this happens all the time at the Head of the Charles, as it is a very hectic regatta.” he said. “We are proud to represent Boston College at such a prestigious event and are headed in the right direction with our training.” Bad weather, however, seems to be a defining characteristic of the Head of the Charles. “No matter what, the Head of the Charles always has crazy weather,” Karrash said. “[Winning] is a matter of who can put forth the best race under the conditions.” Despite the intensity of the races and weather, what was most striking was the overwhelming positivity of the fans cheering on shore. Fans at the Head of the Charles do not hurl insults at the opposing competitors, as is customary in other sports, but rather cheer on almost every boat that goes by, regardless of affiliation. “Everyone is there in support and wants to see everyone do well,” Karrash said. “It’s a really positive atmosphere.”
THE HEIGHTS
A6
EDITORIALS
QUOTE OF THE DAY
K_`j Gi\j`[\ek`Xc <c\Zk`fe# Mfk\ =fi Gif^i\jj Roughly 16 months ago, the United States entered one of the most divisive and remarkable elections in recent memory. College students have been inundated with wide-ranging rhetoric from both sides and have absorbed the sometimes-vitriolic reactions of many to this political climate. In order to gauge how this political situation is affecting Boston College students and better understand where students stand on these issues,The Heights released a political climate survey for undergraduates earlier this month. Six hundred seventeen students responded to the survey, which was made available through Facebook and academic major listservs. According to the final result, 56.2 percent of respondents identified with the Democratic Party, 15.4 percent with the Republican Party, 23.9 percent were Independents, and roughly 4 percent chose “other.” Of these respondents, 8.4 percent responded that they would be voting for Republican nominee Donald Trump, and 75 percent responded that they would be voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Involvement, through just the simple act of voting, is paramount in every election. Considering recent polls that heavily predict a Clinton victory, BC students are in even more danger of slipping into the indifference that commonly characterizes 18 to 24-year-olds in an election year. Many students at BC come from historically blue states, which increases the probability of passive behavior on Election Day. The Heights fears that the expectation of a landslide election, combined with the general lack of enthusiasm for the Democratic presidential candidate, could lead to a low turnout. The Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) and the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) have both pushed for students to register through Turbovote. These programs demonstrate the importance of civic engagement among BC students, as both student and administrative groups push the issue. The political climate will be changed by this election no matter who wins, and those who would opine on politics in the future should participate in them now, or surrender their right to comment on future politically centered events.
:fej`[\i`e^ i\Z\ek gfccj k_Xk _\Xm`cp gi\[`Zk X :c`ekfe m`Zkfip# 9fjkfe :fcc\^\ jkl[\ekj Xi\ `e \m\e dfi\ [Xe^\i f] jc`gg`e^ `ekf k_\ `e[`]]\i\eZ\ k_Xk Zfddfecp Z_XiXZk\i`q\j (/ kf )+$p\Xi$fc[j `e Xe \c\Zk`fe p\Xi% BC students have already proven themselves to be politically aware and active, even if those interests are as locally confined as campus-wide policies. Recent demonstrations such as the “Silence is Violence” march in September and the activism of Eradicate Boston College Racism last year indicate a desire to improve inclusivity and
Thursday, October 27, 2016
“How does anyone ever know anything—the past is a fog that breathes out ghost after ghost, the present a freeway thunder run at 90 mph, which makes the future the ultimate black hole of futile speculation.” -Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
accessibility on campus. Events of previous years also indicate a wish for more openness on campus, such as the unsanctioned flyers promoting free speech and the Rights on the Heights demonstrations. These events demonstrate the kinds of values that must be reflected in a student’s civic engagement. BC students who care about these causes have to make a choice: to vote for a candidate who represents these ideals and whose policies promote inclusion, or to vote for a candidate whose rhetoric has continued to proudly endorse xenophobia and racism.
9: jkl[\ekj _Xm\ kf dXb\ X Z_f`Z\1 kf mfk\ ]fi X ZXe[`[Xk\ n_f i\gi\j\ekj k_\`i `[\Xcj Xe[ n_fj\ gfc`Z`\j gifdfk\ `eZclj`fe# fi kf mfk\ ]fi X ZXe[`[Xk\ n_fj\ i_\kfi`Z _Xj Zfek`el\[ kf \e[fij\ o\efg_fY`X Xe[ iXZ`jd% The Heights’ political climate survey gave students the option to select multiple reasons that they are voting for their chosen candidate. The survey reported that 26.9 percent of Trump voters were voting for Trump because they support him, while 69.2 percent were planning to vote for him in order to avoid a Clinton presidency. On the other hand, 57.2 percent of Clinton voters were voting out of support for her, while 81.2 were voting to avoid a Trump presidency. This kind of negative mentality could lead to students’ opting not to vote at all, but this is not what they should do. As members of a Jesuit community, students should consider what it means to be “men and women for others.” The ideals that BC students strive to excel in are, among others, leadership and service. View the right to vote as performing an act of community service, and the choice to watch an election to unfold without participating as an insult to people all around the world who are not granted the same opportunity to comment on their own political system. Vote to advance a candidate who does this, who advocates for the poor and neglected. Vote for the candidate who has continually strived for progress, not the candidate whose policies would set America on a backwards path. One-sided poll numbers and a season of electoral discontent and vitriol could lead to students’ making the decision not to vote at all. Nothing is assured on Election Day and no student should be content to look at the polls and assume that the election is finished. They must take part and should use their vote to promote the kind of progress that students have pushed for on campus. The only way to overcome the negativity of this election is to make a choice with your vote. Don’t let Nov. 8 go by without voting to preserve and advance inclusivity, Jesuit values, and progressive advocacy. The Heights urges students to be a part of the generation that cares, to be a part of a generation that stands up for freedom and progress, to be a part of a generation that shows up—decisions are only made by those who do.
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THE HEIGHTS Email opinions@bcheights. com for more information.
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 mem-
bers of the Editorial Board can be found at bcheights. com/opinions.
HEIGHTS
THE
The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College <jkXYc`j_\[ (0(0 :8IFCPE =I<<D8E# <[`kfi$`e$:_`\] Q8:? N@CE<I# >\e\iXc DXeX^\i D8>;8C<E JLCC@M8E# DXeX^`e^ <[`kfi
The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces submitted to the newspaper.
Letters and columns can be submitted online at www. bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.
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THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, October 27, 2016
A7
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E8K?8E ;8?C<E GETTING DARKER EARLIER - I was recently approached by someone who told me that I should toss a big fat Thumbs Down at how early it’s getting dark, to which I replied, “This stall is only meant for one person. Please leave.” For the sole purpose of spiting the guy who made that request, I am going to do the opposite. So there. Ha. Moral of the story: be a spiteful, bitter person. It will get you far in life. BAPST COFFEE VENDING MACHINE Have you ever seen Better Call Saul? There’s a montage in which Bob Odenkirk is a public defendant hustling around the courthouse trying to make a little money. Every morning he gets a cup of coffee from a vending machine. So when we punch 1A3 into the Seattle’s Best Vending Machine by the Bapst bathrooms and watch the little paper cup fill with what, for all intents and purposes, can be referred to as coffee, we feel a little bit like that morally ambiguous television attorney. Pretending to be television characters adds a small thrill to our lives, because we’re empty and lacking personality, a shell, a nothing person, a lonely, abandoned husk of humanity not worthy of the smallest slice of … *sniff* ... oh God, this got out of hand. Coffee vending machines are fun!!!!! COVERING UP SADNESS WITH EXCESSIVE EXCLAMATION POINTS - Nope. Not going down this road.
THE GUY WHO TRIES TO OUTSMART THE PROFESSOR - “So essentially Dante’s final circle is a frozen lake where all the treacherous sinners are trapped in ice,” your professor says. “This has to do with the idea of God’s love as warmth, meaning that the sinners are as far removed from this as possible—frozen.” “Bob,” the guy sitting next to you says, raising his hand. “I just think that your interpretation is, like, naïve? I mean really, you know, Dante was like, you know, like, so much more than like that? I think that really like Dante made the center of hell frozen as a reference to the slang term ‘cold’ which means like cool or good, you know? So like, Dante, I feel like, he’s like saying through this that he wants to be a really awesome hip-hop star. So like Dante is pretty much like a reincarnation of Kanye, but like with worse beats. Like, you know?” Your professor stares quietly for a moment. “No,” he says. “I do not know.” After class, the guy walks up to you and shakes his head. “Bob doesn’t even want to listen to his students,” he says. “He just like wants us to parrot what he says back to him like a bunch of sheep, you know?” “Wouldn’t we be parroting like parrots?” you say. “If you’re going to stick with an animal metaphor on this one?” The guy looks at you like you’re a 5-year-old who just asked if kittens go to heaven. He pats you on the head, adjusts his wide-frame glasses, and wanders off to wherever people like him spend their free time. Probably giggling to themselves about how stupid the rest of the world is.
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Not much new can be written about this disgraceful election. Nevertheless, I’d like to address the large swath of voters that are either undecided, leaning toward a third-party candidate, considering a writein, or are simply so exasperated that they plan to stay home on Election Day. These voters will decide the outcome of the election on Nov. 8. In this topsy-turvy election season, we have become anesthetized to absurdities beyond belief. But in its final stretches, I implore those who may fall into one of these categories to not forget how gravely important it is that Hillary Clinton assumes the presidency, and not Donald Trump. This is in part due to Trump’s shallow, often preposterous policy positions, which I will address briefly. Trump’s economic plan is fiscally reckless and morally bankrupt. Corporate profits and incomes for the wealthy are at an all-time high, and yet middleclass incomes remain stagnant. More drastic cuts in the income and corporate tax rates will not create trickle-down solutions to these problems, they will simply explode the deficit and let corporations and high-income individuals reap even more. In contrast, Clinton will grow the economy from the middle out by closing tax loopholes and raising taxes on the wealthy, and then she’ll use that money to lower taxes for the middle class and invest in the rest of the United States. Trump’s trade rhetoric and proposals, which have included imposing tariffs as high as 40 percent on our trade partners, risk inciting a trade war, raising prices for all Americans, and stunting economic growth. Trump wants to repeal Obamacare, but he offers no credible plan to replace it. He wants to build an impenetrable wall on our southern border, make Mexico pay for it, and then employ a laughably infeasible, not to mention horrifying, “deportation force” to root out all 11 million undocumented immigrants. He once promised to ban all 1.6 billion Muslims from entering
the U.S. He believes “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive” and vows to renege on the Paris climate deal, which was endorsed by 190 countries in the shared fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the realm of foreign policy, I don’t think there has been a greater difference in knowledge and capability—“take the oil”?—between presidential candidates in recent memory. Despite the radical, absurd, infeasible dimensions of some of these policies, I believe that there is room in the forum for spirited and productive discourse about the broad thrust behind Clinton’s and Trump’s policy platforms. But—and this is what is important— even if you are vehemently opposed to Clinton’s policies, I believe that the wide gulfs in character, temperament, and experience between the two candidates are all of such great magnitude to impel voters of all ideological bents to cast their vote for Clinton. To suggest, as many people do, that the two candidates’ moral failings are of the same sordid nature, forcing the voter to decide between two equally monstrous evils, is a grave error. The dramatic turn in America’s view of Clinton is somewhat mystifying. Leaving her position as secretary of state, Clinton’s approval rating was 63 percent. Now it is almost as low as Trump’s. She should not have used a private server and it is highly suspect that she deleted thousands of emails. But hackers have since released over 30,000 emails from her private server, which revealed absolutely no evidence of illegal activity. They only confirmed what we already know about Clinton: that she is politically expedient and ruthlessly pragmatic. But we also know that for Clinton these characteristics are sublimated into a deeply held, overriding desire to make the U.S a better place for all of us, which she has been working toward her entire life. In her child advocacy work and legal career, during her time as first lady of Arkansas, U.S. senator, first lady of the United States, and finally secretary of state, Clinton has fought for what she believes is best for this country. Trump, in contrast, does not have the knowledge, character, temperament, or experience to be president. And the evidence need not be sought in email hacks; he produces it on a daily basis.
Many, including myself, thought that Trump would exert self-discipline after the primaries. That naiveté is almost comical now. Trump has absolutely no reverence for, or even a basic understanding of, America’s political tradition. Anyone who heard him say, when asked in the debate whether he will accept the results of the election, “I will look at it at the time,” should shudder in horror. His insistence on hawking a few campaign tropes in the same hyperbolic language only incites hysteria and demonstrates a profoundly shallow awareness of the numerous complex issues that face our country. The way he treats people, women and minorities in particular, is simply indefensible. It has to be a deal-breaker. Watch the Access Hollywood video again. In some of the most lewd and repulsive language imaginable, Trump brags about committing sexual assault. This is no anomaly—it is another pathetic data point in a larger pattern of personality. He calls women pigs and slobs. He offers his accusers’ looks as proof of his innocence. He picks petty fights on Twitter. He avows the utmost respect for our military, and then casually degrades the family of a fallen U.S. soldier and John McCain for being a prisoner of war. Racial tensions tear at the fabric of our country, yet he only sows division and inflames our lowest instincts. He ignores facts about other ethnicities in lieu of fear mongering. Even his initial rise to political prominence was fueled by his insistent peddling of the outrageous, offensive lie about Barack Obama’s country of birth. These examples, and countless others, are so reprehensible that they fall well outside the default excuse that Trump is not a “polished politician” or some valiant rebel against political correctness. A man like that simply cannot assume the most powerful position on earth. After this election, we must all come together to decide which policies are best for the future of our nation. In the meantime, we must avert calamity and do everything in our power to prevent this charlatan from assuming office. Clinton must win, and your vote matters.
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J8A8K I8998E@ Nearly every college campus in the United States tries to achieve diversity. They seek to diversify, and will usually advertise their diverse student bodies on their brochures and websites. One of the reasons this trend has taken place in the U.S. is a belief that the more diversity there is, the higher quality of work they will be able to achieve. With a more diverse student body, there will be more diverse experiences, ideas, and abilities, which creates a better learning environment. I cannot find any reason to disagree with this logic. I do disagree, however, with what people consider diversity to be. For example, whenever I listen to people talk about diversity, it is always racial, religious, and gender diversity. This, to me, has very little to do with diversity and everything to do with the appearance of having different colors of people on a college campus. There is very little diversity in a man and woman who both follow the same religion and support the same political parties. There is also little diversity in a student body that holds very similar beliefs about the world. When it comes to politics, for example, it is clear that many college students are liberal regardless of their race or gender. I then ask, where is the diversity of views? What possible conversation about politics could be had when people all hold similar beliefs? Furthermore, race is not a good starting point for creating diversity. This creates only the appearance of diversity and not the reality of it. We have used race to describe diversity,
and created “diversity” based on race, sometimes ignoring the importance of intellectual diversity. What is crucial here is not that racial diversity is meaningless, but that intellectual diversity is of the utmost importance. Often those who would use only race to create diversity divide the world based on race. The consequence of this has been that university campuses have more racial diversity and far less intellectual diversity in all aspects. Race and other forms of “diversity” have been put above that of intellectual debate.
N\ dljk j\\ k_\ mXcl\ f] `ek\cc\ZklXc [`m\ij`kp# Xe[ gcXZ\ X gi`fi`kp fe k_Xk Xjg\Zk f] X jkl[\ek Yf[p% This has been seen in the movement for safe spaces and trigger warnings, the disinvitation of public speakers, and the attempted termination at universities of staff members that held different views. This is a very dangerous road that we are on, especially as it destroys the very thing that it claims to create. Anything deemed offensive is silenced and branded as “racist” (a term which I think is used far too frequently and incorrectly). This, of course, if one is following the logic, has created student bodies that largely think alike but look different, whereas real diversity rests on differences in thoughts and beliefs. So how can we solve this situation? We must first begin to look beyond race as the defining characteristic of people. We must see the value of intellectual diversity, and place a priority on that aspect of a student body. This also allows for individuals to see themselves as
individuals and not making up a certain demographic of the student population. Diversity also evolves as people’s ideas change. But with the onslaught of liberals on campuses demanding that certain ideas be banned or professors be fired, this evolution of diversity is hindered. People’s ideas evolve and change as they become exposed to new ideas and arguments. This cannot happen if the priorities of college students and college administrations are skewed toward not offending people so much so that it violates the rights of some to appease the hurt feelings of another. This is cowardly in every way. It lacks the moral and intellectual courage that should be required of educated young adults. As a result, very little diversity exists on our college campuses currently. It is going to remain that way regardless of how many different colors and flags are represented on campuses, unless our definition of diversity changes. Furthermore, this view of diversity exacerbates the racial divide. How could it not when people’s understanding of difference is skin color? How can we hope to solve racial problems on campuses when race is put on such a high pedestal? With this environment on campuses, is it any surprise that “identity” has become such a crucial component of intellectual debate? I say we think of diversity not in terms of race or gender, but in terms of ability and intellect. Race and gender may inform our beliefs and viewpoints, but to start from one’s race or gender to create our viewpoint is erroneous. Unfortunately the latter has too often taken priority over the former on college campuses. As a result, we have far more gender and racial diversity and far less real diversity.
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B<CJ<P :FEEFIJ I was in my dorm lobby when I returned my mom’s call. While the news I received wasn’t incredibly unexpected, I felt tears well up in my eyes before she had even finished her sentence. “Gramp is dying, honey. They don’t expect him to make it through the night. I’m so sorry, baby.” It was nearly 8 p.m. on a Tuesday, and home was an hour away. To make my mom leave her father-in-law’s bedside to pick me up didn’t seem like the right thing, even though she was more than willing. I asked if I could say something to Gramp. When my dad got him onto the phone, though he was barely conscious, he managed to utter the words “I love you, Kelsey,” clear as a bell. When I hung up the phone, puffy-eyed and alone with my sadness, I caught the elevator to get to my room. To my dismay, two other girls entered the lobby and walked toward the elevator. Instinctively, I began to compose myself, wiping running makeup, blotting away tears, and avoiding their gazes once they got onto the elevator. Though I thought little of my actions at the time, my mind having been elsewhere, I now see how the need to hide grief is such a constant and conditioned phenomenon of the culture I live in. Cheryl Strayed writes, “We are allowed to be deeply into basketball, or Buddhism, or Star Trek, or jazz, but we are not allowed to be deeply sad. Grief is a thing that we are encouraged to ‘let go of,’ to ‘move on from,’ and we are told specifically how this should be done.” We have learned to welcome other sights that would once have been considered socially unusual on a college campus, or anywhere for that matter: belly shirts and low necklines, cursing, clear physical signs of alcohol and drug use, yelling and loud laughter—the list goes on and on. For some reason, though, when it comes to sadness, this must be a private affair, or done only with those with whom we are most comfortable. Even more interesting is the realization that I had not hidden my tears on that elevator for myself—I wasn’t keeping my emotion hidden for me, but rather I composed myself and held back tears to avoid making these strangers feel uncomfortable. Whether our reasons for concealing sadness and grief are selflessness or self-preservation, it is odd that this kind of emotion makes us so uncomfortable in public settings. My tears were fine, even expected when my family said a prayer together at the funeral home. It is as if we are expected to allow ourselves to mourn for those two days of rituals, but to leave our tears in the church and emerge back into the world of the living seamlessly. When kind friends, acquaintances, and even professors did check up on me and acknowledge my loss in person, it always amounted to a “How are you doing?” with a look that lingered a little longer than usual. But actually addressing the loss in public is almost never done. This, we feel, could make a sad person upset in public. Unthinkably, my cover would be blown and lots of people would be made uncomfortable because of me. All around us, every day, people are grieving something. It is often something much bigger and more heart-wrenching than what I’ve experienced, like the loss of a parent, sibling, or even a child. It may have happened last week or it may have happened five years ago, but pain has no time constraint. There are moments when a loss of years ago can feel as fresh as if it had occurred yesterday. When we avoid emotional expressions of grief, struggling people are left in solitude when what they may actually want is support. We need to stop being made so uncomfortable by public displays of emotion. Often, even in the presence of close friends, we hide pain and try to appear OK, putting on a composed face to protect our own vulnerability and others’ comfort. But we cannot always be OK, and we need to stop convincing others and ourselves that this is the case. It is OK to not be OK. We need to allow each other sadness, wherever and whenever we need to express it.
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THE HEIGHTS
A8
Thursday, October 27, 2016
With Election Day Close, divided Students Engage with Political conversation Politics, from A1
unteering at events, and even traveling up to New Hampshire to help Clinton’s campaign. The group has officially endorsed the candidate. “We have been on the Clinton train for a long time,” said Tyler Shelepak, co-president of CDBC and MCAS ’17. BCR has a different approach. In past elections, the group has not endorsed a presidential candidate, College Republicans of Boston College president Mariella Rutigliano said. This year is no exception. “No, we have not endorsed a candidate,” said Eric Sporel, BCR’s political director and MCAS ’18. “We will support the Republican nominee, but we do not consider that endorsing. We have a diverse array of ideas in College Republicans, and I think that’s a really good thing, and I think it helps us in terms of thoughts of who’s the best candidate, who has the best policy.” BCR’s hesitation to outright endorse Trump’s candidacy is not unique in this election—many prominent Republicans are vocal opponents of or have unendorsed their party’s nominee, and even Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, the Republicans’ highest elected official, has clashed with Trump, wavering publicly on whether to endorse him this past summer. This phenomenon is also seen on BC’s campus. In The Heights’s survey, the distinction between Trump supporter and Trump voter is clear. Only 26.9 percent of Trump voters responded that they are voting for Trump because they support him. Rather, 69.2 percent of Trump voters responded that they are voting for him because they do not want to see Clinton as president (respondents could check multiple answers to the question, so there may be some overlap between these groups). There is a similar but less pronounced trend among students voting for Clinton. Just 57.2 percent of Clinton voters responded that they are voting for her because they support her, while 81.2 percent responded that they are voting for Clinton to avoid a Trump presidency. This phenomenon of voting for the “lesser of two evils,” or voting for one candidate for fear of the other’s being elected, has become prominent in this election. Michalczyk has also noticed that students are concerned about the disconnect between politicians and the electorate. “This is a sad statement of our traditional political system, that Bernie brought to the forefront—the need to address the problems in the existing political structure,” Michalczyk said. “How do we get our politicians to connect closer to us?” This disconnect between the government and the needs of the citizens that Michalczyk brought up is a major concern for many Trump and Sanders supporters. Shelepak has noticed it, too. “There is a genuine disinterest and distaste in establishment politics,” he said. Doyle, who supports Trump, agrees. He characterized this election as a choice between establishment and anti-establishment, rather than between left and right politics. This characterization is telling, as it
explains how the Republican presidential nominee can have so many views that are historically out of line with his party. Charles Derber, a sociology professor, explained that Trump’s actual policy proposals on certain economic issues, such as public investment in infrastructure or disentan-
than the evil I do know in Hillary Clinton,” Sporel said. Individual students have also found ways to express their political beliefs outside of organized group discussions. One particularly noteworthy instance of student political expression is the political signage faceoff
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gling the U.S. from foreign wars, are not reflective of what the Republican Party has pushed for in the past. “I mean, he only recently became a conservative,” Derber said. “He doesn’t reflect traditional conservatism.” While the Republican nominee is deviating from traditional party lines, the same radicalism was reflected in the popular Democratic candidate Sanders, who identified himself as a Democratic Socialist. “Millennials are very energized by Bernie Sanders and his message,” Shelepak said. “Hillary Clinton is doing a very poor job reaching our generation.” Sanders’s message was overwhelmingly supported by a millennial base. He focused on what young Americans care about most—climate change, free public education, political reform, and social justice. “Now that [Sanders] is not in the race anymore, people do not feel that their opinions are represented in either of the two candidates remaining,” said Matt Sanborn, co-president of CDBC and MCAS ’17. “We need to change that.” Sanders endorsed Clinton shortly after dropping out of the race in July, but many Sanders supporters did not follow in his footsteps. Even after Clinton had publicly announced policies that were in line with the Sanders’s campaign, the “Bernie or Bust” movement emerged. “Hillary is putting forth a moderated version of a progressive domestic economic agenda,” Derber said. “There are many things that Senator Sanders spoke about that [the younger] generation has shown they are devoted to which she represents. Even though she has her own serious character flaws, she is presenting a clear policy proposal. She behaves like a politician that people recognize.” Clinton’s past—using her private email server to send government emails, her role in the Benghazi attacks, and Bill Clinton’s alleged sexual misconduct—have caused many to question the quality of her political career and her moral character. While many criticize Trump for his lack of specific policies and controversial rhetoric, they are more concerned with Clinton’s existing track record. “Right now the evil I don’t know in Donald Trump, I personally think is better
between Mods 35A/B, 33A/B, 22A/B, and 20A/B, a “Mod quad.” The battle of the political signage began in early September, when the men living in Mod 33A planted a large “Make America Great Again” sign behind their Mod. The women in Mod 35B, namely Megan Keenan, MCAS ’17, were not happy about it. “Immediately everyone was talking about it and freaking out about it,” she said. Students would constantly stop to take pictures of the sign while walking through the Mods, and the sign attracted crowds at tailgates. Keenan and her roommates responded to their neighbors’ Trump sign by ordering Clinton and Sanders signs. They displayed
competition.” The students who put up the Trump sign declined to comment. illennials can be hard to engage when it comes to politics. But there are many things that inspire young adults to take action. According to Derber, the best way that students can get involved in the realm of politics is to join social movements. There are certain issues that seem to matter most to students, including climate change and racial injustice. There have been several protests recently regarding these issues, including one by Climate Justice at Boston College (CJBC) and one by the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) and the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC). CJBC held a silent protest on Oct. 11 in solidarity with those protesting against the North Dakota Access Pipeline. Its members also held signs that read “BC: Whose Side Are You On?” calling for the University to divest from fossil fuels. The lack of discussion about climate change during the 2016 election has fostered a sense of urgency for CJBC to continue to speak out against climate injustice, according to Xinyan Liu, a member of CJBC and MCAS ’17. “[It] is honestly very disheartening and frustrating that the U.S., as arguably the most important voice in the matter, has not prioritized this issue enough that it’s not brought up during a presidential election,” Liu said. According to The Heights’s political survey, 81.8 percent of respondents believe climate change is a national security threat, and 86.9 percent believe that the government should increase environmental regulations to prevent climate change.
M
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these signs in their window in protest. The battle spread. A Mod across the way displayed a Gary Johnson sign soon after, and then another Mod put up a another Clinton sign. “I didn’t want this Mod quad to just have a Trump sign,” Keenan said. “Having that sign there misrepresented everyone else in the quad and what we stand for.” Caroline Ripetti, MCAS ’17, called the Clinton campaign, explained the Trump signage, and asked to be sent a Clinton sign. The campaign replied with an email that gave Ripetti information about its merchandise store. Ripetti ended up receiving a sign from CDBC and displayed it prominently in her window at Mod 22A. There has been some communication between the students who displayed the Trump sign and the students who live in the other Mods in the Mod quad. Keenan said that one of the men in Mod 33A described the displaying of different signs as “healthy
Michalczyk, like Derber, believes that protesting is a great way for millennials to voice their opinions and create change. “It’s OK to protest, it’s OK to question, it’s OK to enter into serious criticism … and disagree,” Michalczyk said. The disagreement throughout this election, however, has led to an undeniably polarized political atmosphere across the nation and on campus. Besides the obvious divide along party lines, the battle between Clinton and Sanders supporters during the primaries split the Democratic Party, while Trump’s candidacy led to controversy among the Republicans. While there still remains a small divide within the Democrats with the rise of the “Bernie or Bust” movement, Clinton has been mending the gap. “She’s bridging two worlds, the establishment centrist world that she has represented, and she has another foot in a fairly progressive world where she has many programs that are in line with parts of the
Sanders agenda,” Derber said. Trump, however, has seen major backlash from his party for his crude, candid, and divisive rhetoric. Scandals surrounding his tweets and audio tapes have led to even more tweets, as well as Republican elites’ speaking out in disapproval. While to some supporters his rhetoric may be refreshing, honest, and reflective of a greater America, other Trump supporters grudgingly tolerate his often offensive remarks in light of other factors. “I don’t think he’s a perfect person,” Doyle said. “I don’t think he’s a particularly tactful or graceful person at all, I don’t think he really has an idea on how to conduct himself or be an effective speaker.” But Doyle believes that Trump’s policy ideas, whether or not he actually has specific plans for them, are preferable to raising taxes, which some argue could continue stagnation and stymie innovation. Trump’s aggressive style of rhetoric has often turned headlines away from the policies he is proposing to focus on how he is speaking and tweeting. According to Doyle, this has created the stereotype that all Trump supporters are racist, sexist, uneducated, and hate immigrants—“a basket of deplorables,” as Clinton referred to them. He continued to explain how being a Trump supporter on BC’s campus is difficult. “There aren’t a lot of people who share the views, and a lot of people make stereotypes about what a Trump supporter might be instead of actually getting to know what each individual would believe,” Doyle said. “Do us the favor of getting to know us before you make blanket judgements, as you request we do of you.” Trump’s language has made it difficult to openly support Trump and also seems to undermine the more pressing question of how he will execute all of the huge plans he has for America. This election has become more about selling feelings and less about explaining policy proposals, according to Michalczyk. “As someone who is an economics and political science double major, I know that’s the one thing I wanted to hear more of from Donald Trump—more of the specifics,” Sporel said. Michalczyk believes millennials are key to the outcome of this election. She has noticed an increase in student awareness on political issues during this election, which she thinks shows a level of maturity and understanding among millennials. “I think you are finding your voice, you have a strong voice, and you are learning that coming together in a group is more productive,” she said. Fortunately, it seems that many students at BC plan to vote in this election—90.6 percent of students who responded to The Heights’s survey indicated that they are registered to vote, and 90.3 percent plan to vote. “If you stand together in solidarity, there’s less chance of being divided and conquered,” Michalczyk said. “That’s what I find admirable in the younger atmosphere.” And although the Trump sign in the Mods has been removed, the political tension remains as the nation awaits the Nov. 8 election decision.
KELSEY MCGEE / HEIGHTS EDITOR
REVIEW
‘ALONE’
PRETENDERS EXHIBIT THEIR COMFORT WITH THEIR AGING SOUND, PAGE B4
COLUMN
10 YEARS OF TAYLOR
A LOOK AT THE GROWTH OF THE POP STAR OVER THE LAST DECADE, PAGE B3
REVIEW
‘Nobody But Me’
BUBLÉ ATTEMPTS TO STEP OUTSIDE HIS COMFORT ZONE ON HIS LATEST ALBUM, Page B4
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 27, 2016
THE
ABBY PAULSON / HEIGHTS EDITOR
THE HEIGHTS
B2
Thursday, October 27, 2016
A FULLER PICTURE
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Well, I can’t do it any longer. I think I’ve contained myself long enough and, after watching RedLetterMedia’s review on YouTube of The Force Awakens and the future of the Star Wars franchise, I think it’s about time that I share my excitement over the latest entry in the Star Wars series, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. I only reference the RedLetterMedia review because I really appreciated its review of the Star Wars prequels, as it sophisticatedly pointed out the flaws and missed opportunities of the trilogy. Looking at Disney’s acquisition of the franchise and the most recent release in the series, The Force Awakens, however, the RedLetterMedia reviewer thinks that future Star Wars films will feel rather heartless and mechanical when compared to the original trilogy. To a certain degree, I couldn’t disagree more. To start, for those who aren’t aware, Rogue One follows a squad of Rebel fighters who steal the plans for the Death Star just before the start of the series’s first film, A New Hope. The RedLetterMedia reviewer feels that Rogue One is pretty pointless because the audience already knows the outcome of the movie—the Death Star plans are successfully delivered to the Rebel Alliance. I, on the other hand, feel that this aspect of the film, among others, actually gives Rogue One a chance to delineate from the typical formula that most adventure films follow. “It’s about the fact that God’s not coming to save us, and we’re on our own now,” director Gareth Edwards said. “The absence of the Jedi is omnipresent in the film. It hangs over the whole film.” Now, if you’re familiar with Star Wars films, this is in stark contrast to the messages relayed to audiences throughout most of the saga. Sure, some will point to Anakin Skywalker’s fall from grace and say, “Hey, that’s some pretty dense stuff to sort through,” but I’d remind them that Anakin, the main character of the first six movies, is ultimately redeemed. Evil is present and powerful in these films, but it is not the victor. With the way I see Rogue One playing out, however, the future of the cast of characters that assemble in this film looks pretty grim. It’s important to note that none of the characters that have appeared in the trailers for the film—characters that make up the film’s titular squad—is seen in any other media that is set chronologically after Rogue One. With this in mind, it’s hard for Star Wars fans, who are well aware of the Empire and Vader’s ruthlessness, to picture a happy ending for the band of soldiers that go on this ludicrous mission. At that same panel I mentioned earlier, Edwards called Rogue One a war film. When the panel’s moderator, Pablo Hidalgo, asked if films like Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down inspired his vision, Edwards didn’t back down: “It’s the reality of war,” Edwards said. “Good guys are bad. Bad guys are good. It’s complicated, layered; a rich scenario in which to set a movie.” And Edwards is right. Since the majority of us know how this movie will end, there’s a lot to play with in the journey leading to our end destination. Anything is game in Rogue One, especially considering the film’s inclusion of Darth Vader, who, as the film’s poster suggests, will be looming over everyone’s shoulders. The latest trailer depicts these large-scale battles set in these unprecedented settings for Star Wars films. Sure, we’ve been to icy planets, volcanic planets, and jungle planets, but the tropics? So, in my view, there are two ways Star Wars fans are looking at the future of our beloved series: the cynical view and the hopeful one. I for one, seeing as this is Star Wars we’re talking about, tend to stay on the hopeful side of things. Sure, there’s a lot to be said about the reuse of a lot of the series’s tropes in The Force Awakens, but I’d like to think that the film’s screenwriters, J.J. Abrams and Larry Kasdan, knew exactly what they were facing when they put together the script, and that the brain behind Episode VIII, Rian Johnson, is looking to take the remainder of the new trilogy in a new direction. In the meantime, we’ve got a war epic to look forward to.
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AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Ê8jjXjj`ejË 9i`e^ 9cff[j_\[ kf 9fee n`k_ JfdY\i Jd`c\j 9P A8:F9 J:?@:B ?\`^_kj JkX]] Apart from bloodied hands, murderers usually come away with nothing to show for their crimes. Assassins is a musical that opened off-Broadway in 1990. The music and lyrics were written by Stephen Sondheim along with a book by John Weidman. The Contemporary Theatre of Boston College presents Assassins The Musical from Oct. 27 through 29 in the Bonn Studio. This version of Assassins is staffed entirely by students, which is especially remarkable because the production really stands on its own, even in comparison to shows that are professionally directed and staffed. Directors Jenna Corcoran, MCAS ’17, and Joe McCarthy, CSOM ’17, provide a well-directed experience, complemented by good music direction by Conor Ancharski, MCAS ’20, and choreography by Meghan Hornblower, MCAS ’17. Assassins opens at the shooting gallery of an old-timey fairground in which The Proprietor (Anthony Underwood, MCAS ’17) leads the other characters, who even at first glance appear unhinged, in a song and dance that promises that all of their problems will be solved by killing a president of the United States. Famous successful and unsuccessful assassins from history mill about the space. Guns are distributed to those
present and the armed characters fire their guns in the air at the close of the song. From this first scene, it is already very apparent that this play is not like others. All of the main characters that the audience will see throughout the following scenes are not good people. They all have killed or have tried to kill a president of the United States. It is a credit to the direction and the acting that these characters can be humorous and even relatable. After this off-putting song about presidential assassination, the characters clear the stage and the audience sees John Wilkes Booth (Chris Losco, MCAS ’17) shoot into the crowd, killing an off-stage Abraham Lincoln, yelling the infamous line “Sic semper tyrannis!” The scene changes to Booth, pinned in a barn by Union soldiers, attempting to dictate and then write down his motives for killing the president. He claims that he killed Lincoln because the president had started the war and, in turn, destroyed the Union. His friend David Herold (Imogen Parry, MCAS ’17) deserts him, leaving him with The Balladeer (Jessica Shaw, MCAS ’19). The Balladeer, who later becomes the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, tells the audience the story of Booth and describes his vision—that he was a madman who only inspired other madmen. Assassins uses Booth as the inspiration for the actions of the rest of the cast. Booth reap-
pears later in the play, driving the murderous inclinations of other people in history. The other assassins featured in the play include Leon Czolgosz (Lauren Strauss, MCAS ’18), an anarchist and former factory worker who shot William McKinley; Giuseppe Zangara (Alex O’Connor, MCAS ’20), an Italian immigrant who attempted to kill Franklin D. Roosevelt but instead shot Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak; and John Hinckley (James Stevenson, MCAS ’20), famous for the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. There are a few other assassins played by other cast members who really steal every scene they are a part of. Charles Guiteau (Billy Conlan, CSOM ’20) bounces around stage, providing welcome levity and humor by making jokes at the other assassins’ expense. After killing James A. Garfield when he was told he couldn’t become ambassador to France, he gives a haunting rendition of “I Am Going to the Lordy,” accompanied by a back and forth with the Balladeer, who then hangs him. Samuel Byck (Brennan Boyle, MCAS ’17), who attempted to hijack an airplane and kill Richard Nixon by flying it into the White House, gave an excellent performance. Boyle presents a great portrayal of this obviously unhinged man. Finally, the two would-be assassins Lynette Fromme (Elizabeth Koennecke, MCAS ’19) and Sara Jane Moore (Gabrielle Esposito, MCAS ’18)
practically steal the show with every scene they appear in. These two women bond over their connection to cult leader and murderer Charles Manson and then plot to kill Gerald Ford. They
bring laughs to this dark story, and the chemistry between the two characters is visible from the audience seating. The other cast members, along with the music, props, scenery, and costumes, all help to make this play all it can be. Everyone is dressed in costumes that are quite appropriate for the time in which he or she lived and financial status he or she had obtained. Booth, an acclaimed actor, wears a nice suit befitting his status, while others like Czolgosz wears dirty clothing, a costume much more suitable to his status as a poor factory worker. The music in the background definitely supplements each scene, especially the sloweddown “Hail to the Chief” present in the more somber moments. The song sung by the assassins asking where their “prize” for killing their presidents is illustrates the pitiful despair that some of these obviously unstable people must have felt after they committed these atrocious acts. Assassins, while at times very funny and light-hearted, shows the audience the dark side of some parts of American history. It is very well done, with no small thanks due to the amazing staff and cast, and obvious hard work put in by everyone involved.
9fjkfe Dlj`Z`Xej >`m\ GXlc J`dfe ?`kj X AXqq DXb\fm\i 9P ;8EK< B<<C<I =fi K_\ ?\`^_kj On Monday night, the music of Paul Simon—Simon and Garfunkel—flowed in a relaxed and cool setting in Gasson 100, where four musicians, faculty members from colleges around Boston, played for a small crowd. Simon’s music was broken down to render it recognizable for the common music listener. This allowed space for the experimentation that jazz espouses. All the instruments—flute, piano, double bass, and guitar—shined through. The night was written by four musicians in their element, composed for a night of fun. Tom Oboe Lee, the head composer and frontman, teaches jazz at Boston College and played a breathy flute all night. Brad Hatfield, piano, is a full-time faculty member at Northeastern and has written Emmy award-winning music for films and TV shows, from Glee to Iron Man 2. Gustavo Assis-Brasil, from The Cambridge School of Weston, wielded a wicked
guitar without a headstock, and he played with smooth passion. Finally, John Lockwood, coming from the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory, rounded out the group finger-picking the double bass. The concert felt like every jazz musician’s dream: dark lighting, a small crowd that loved solos, and dark clothing for the musicians. All the players wore glasses and suits, save Lockwood who had on a long-sleeved shirt. Lee and Assis-Brasil wore sneakers with their suits, and Hatfield wore a mock turtleneck underneath his jacket. Lee and Hatfield have been playing together for over 20 years, which reflected in their style as they riffed off of each other at several points during the first half of the night. They were also having the most fun, as they got to smile and close their eyes while they played—Assis-Brasil and Lockwood were often hunched over looking at sheet music, their solos being their only chance to revel in the song. All four arranged the music for the night, and Lee said that his time
spent growing up in Brazil impacted the way he deconstructs and composes music. Seven of the 10 renditions stood out and engaged each other quite well. Lee warned about the two opening chords of “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright,” saying they reacted with “Whoa, what are you doing?” when they first deconstructed it. Lee also snipped at how strange the melody of “Mrs. Robinson” was, claiming that no other song was written like it. Also speculating about the composition of “A Most Peculiar Man,” Lee said that Simon might’ve been high when he wrote it. Most of the melodies had been lifted straight from the original song, save for “For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her,” which Lee said he deconstructed quite a bit. That rendition had a sense of building not exhibited by the other songs, as it had several low and quiet movements that layered on top of each other, getting louder as the song went on. “Old Friends,” a song predominantly featuring Assis-Brasil, also stood out. He experimented and
dabbled, playing and exploring in the creative space that jazz yearns for—other music hardly feels so freeing. For the two songs everyone knows, “Mrs. Robinson” and “Feelin’ Groovy,” the band created versions that made sense to the listener, yet didn’t sound like carbon copies of the original songs. The deconstruction allowed for an upbeat feel on “Feelin’ Groovy,” while Mrs. Robinson’s melody, as previously noted, is so recognizable it had to stay the same. And it was as infectious as it always was, bringing smiles to those in the crowd as they sat back and enjoyed. Overall, the night accomplished what it set out to do: it reduced the music of Paul Simon to relaxed jazz melodies, allowing the faculty and the crowd to listen to a night of popular music with a jazzy twist. It’s rarer and rarer to find such good music that’s so inventive unless there’s a price tag attached. Sometimes, all you need to know is what Lee said when he closed the night with “Song for the Asking:” “We’re just gonna play it, and, that’s it.”
AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR
THIS WEEKEND in arts
BY: HANNAH MCLAUGHLIN | ASST. ARTS & REVIEW EDITOR
‘BOO! A MADEA HALLOWEEN’ (NOW PLAYING)
IRISH WOMEN RISING (OCT. THROUGH MAR.)
This year, Tyler Perry blends horror with humor in his newest Madea film. The funny family matriarch finds herself helpless on Halloween, as she struggles to fend off a number of mischievous zombies, ghosts, and ghouls.
Complete with never-before-seen documents and artifacts related to the 1916 Easter Rising, this exhibit celebrates those women who made great sacrifices to help Ireland gain independence from British control in the face of blatant sexism.
EXPRESS YOURSELF (THURS. AT 7 P.M.) Hosted by the Boston College Women’s Center and in conjunction with Love Your Body Week, this event features song, dance, and spoken-word poetry. Head to the Rat on Thursday for performances by The Heightsmen, DOBC, Voices of Imani, and more.
JUICE HALLOWEEN BASH (FRI. AT 8 P.M.) Watch the funk-infused BC band perform at the Hard Rock Cafe this Friday. In addition to taking on an exciting new venue, the guys will share the stage with local, genre-blending bands Hadley and the Jackal, Hausermann, and Mad Yonder.
LIONSGATE
SEXUAL CHOCOLATE ROOKIE SHOWCASE (SAT. AT 7 P.M.)
Tom Hanks is world-famous symbologist Robert Langdon in this
a debilitating bout of amnesia.
This Saturday, head to the Heights Room to enjoy an exciting dance collaboration featuring everything from hip-hop to swing choreography. Hosted by Sexual Chocolate, this event will showcase the step team’s talented new dancers.
RY X (THURS. AT 8 P.M.)
TIMEFLIES (THURS. AT 8 P.M.)
The Institute of Contemporary Art has booked Australian singer-
The Paradise Rock Club will play host to high-energy American pop band Timeflies at its Boston show. The talented duo is sure to entertain with popular hits like “Once in a While” and “Monsters.”
‘INFERNO’ (OPEN FRI.) mystery-thriller film adaptation of author Dan Brown’s popular novel. The globe-trotting Langdon attempts to thwart evil despite
songwriter RY X to perform raw, emotionally heavy tracks off of his full-length debut album, Dawn. See this up-and-coming artist and experience music and contemporary art converging.
B3
THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, October 27, 2016
discovering joyce in virtual reality
A MCLAUGHLIN MINUTE
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JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Prof. Joe Nugent’s class has taken James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ from the printed word to the virtual world. 9P :8IFCPE =I<<D8E <[`kfi$`e$:_`\]
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tep into the square taped onto the carpet. Put the giant black eyepiece over your head and adjust the elastic straps until it fits snugly. In each hand, you hold a gaming device. Open your eyes. You’re in the Martello Tower in Dublin. The year is 1904. The day is June 16. And today, you are the closest you will ever be to being inside James Joyce’s Ulysses. Happy Bloomsday. Welcome to the world of virtual reality. The blocky glasses aren’t comfortable, but you forget that soon enough, as you begin to explore the room around you. You’re in a small room. Behind you is a shelf with a mirror and a bottle of poison. To your right is a bright red ball. “Go ahead, pick up the ball,” the helpful student volunteer says. Pivot. See the ball on your right side. Squeeze the button in your right hand, lean over—don’t fall—and pick up the ball. Once you’ve got it, keep your finger on the trigger, in a sense, and walk to the other side of the room, where you can put it down. But be careful. Walk too far in any direction and a ghostly grid will pop up to warn you to stop. Ignore that and you’ll smash into a very real, not-virtual, brick-andmortar wall, and then, of course, the illusion will be completely shattered. This is the very beginning of Joyce’s essential story, retold through a virtual reality game called Joycestick by the 20-odd students—undergraduates, graduates, and students from Berklee and Northeastern—in Joe Nugent’s Analyzing Joyce class. Nugent has been teaching Ulysses in a seminar-style class at Boston College for the past seven years. His first year, he imagined a time when he could make the world of Dublin as real as possible for his students. That year, the most they could do was trace the movement of the characters along a map. This year, he is leading a team that is turning Ulysses into a virtual reality video game. This project has no precedent—not at BC or any university or museum. The class, in which Nugent takes a whole semester to teach Ulysses, has appeared in BC’s course catalogue since its inception. Starting last spring, Nugent began to recruit students to join the class, through word of mouth and with challenging fliers posted around campus. In May, several of the students and Nugent held their first meeting to discuss the potentials of virtual reality and Joyce. The class received funding from an Advanced Technology Innovation Grant from the Academic Technology Advisory Board and a Teaching and Mentoring Grant from the Office of the Provost. Right now, the game is set just in the Martello Tower, where the first chapter of the book takes place, but as the project continues into next semester, Nugent hopes to expand into a halfdozen locations with 100 objects. Each object will be tagged with a sound and lines from the book. Ideally, when you pick up the ball, it can explain its significance in the novel. The 100 objects will
be tools to understanding and traversing Dublin in 1904. This summer, Nugent traveled to Dublin with two students in the class, Ryan Reede, MCAS ’16, and Liam Weir, MCAS ’17, to get a 3D map of the Martello Tower to create the most historically accurate game. Nugent’s class has several familiar faces. There’s the editor-in-chief of Boston College’s satirical newspaper, The New England Classic. He’s scribbling on a white board labeled “game-ify.” The person behind one of BC’s most popular student Instagram accounts stares into his laptop. He’s on Photoshop, editing a photo of someone wearing the VR glasses. A former Heights photo editor sits with the development team in the back, whispering over lines of code. A campus musician, recognizable from the stage, is in front of a whiteboard with “soundtrack” written on it. With professor recommendations, Nugent handpicked the best of the best, he said, to complete this project. With these students, who encompass nearly a dozen majors and minors, Nugent believes that he can accomplish his original vision of recreating the world of Ulysses. But he didn’t start out believing that the class could get this far. “I had no notion that we were going to get to anywhere where we are,” he said. “If I had been asked, ‘Where is this going to go?’ I would have said that by the end of this semester we would have a vague sort of outline of a 3D thing with a few Joyceian things throughout it. But the enthusiasm of the students and determination and their inventiveness has been a huge surprise to me.” he class debuted the first version of the game—known as MVP 1, or Minimum Viable Product—at a conference in Stokes South on Oct. 15 that brought together gaming and virtual reality experts from up and down the East Coast. That product was still glitchy. Sounds didn’t line up exactly to objects and players could leave the environment the game is set in. But the class has time to fix those mistakes: On Nov. 12, it will debut MVP 2 at another conference. The Monday after the conference, during Nugent’s class, students gather around a whiteboard to write out the most obvious problems in the demonstration. There’s the headphone quality. The general presentation isn’t very artful. Then, one student goes up and writes “literally everything” above all of the other notes. Another student chimes in: “I have a question about the first comment? It’s not very productive.” Both students are right, sort of. The class is productive. The 20-odd students are split into six divisions: modeling, sound, text visualization, mapping, development, and gaming. There’s also an ad-hoc “gamification team” that hopes to define the specifics of the game of Joycestick, with members from all of the more formal teams. And so far, the class has done a lot—it hasfar outstripped any of Nugent’s expectations for this point in the semester. But it still has a lot of work to do. Beyond the technical work of identifying objects, creating a backing soundtrack, writing out descriptions,
and pulling it all together with Unity, the gaming engine, the class faces the prospect of determining what, exactly, is the point of recreating the classic book in this way, and who the project is for. Anthony Perasso, MCAS ’16, sees the game as a way to immerse readers in the story in a way that hasn’t been done with any novel before. He’s a member of the text visualization team—otherwise known as the English majors of the class. They are the ones who know the novel inside and out, helping free up the more technical teams to work on engineering the game. Perasso is also a member of the gamification team. It’s difficult to reinterpret this piece of literature as a game, he said. “One of the bigger challenges is not cheapening the work by making it Ulysses with neon lights,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s a crazy stream of consciousness.” And it’s hard to make a stream-of-consciousness, 18-chapter, 650-page book into an accessible video game with a specific plot arc. Perasso hopes that they will be able to subvert that by making each chapter into a level in the game with a specific task like picking up one of the 100 objects or reading an advertisement for a product of the period.
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JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR
To take the book and turn it into a game, everyone in the class does something different. Reede, the class TA, heads up the development team. This class is technically in the English department, so it’s unusual to see the row of computer science majors sitting in the back, hunched over laptops as Nugent moves excitedly in the front of class, the sleeves of his off-white shirt rolled up just above his wrists. Behind the dozen students underlining parts of the book, the developers are talking in low voices about code. Technically, it could take fewer lines of code to create Joycestick than it would to do a single computer science assignment. But that code has to be tighter, Reede said. In a comp sci course, it’s okay if an assignment has a few bugs. In Joycestick, every possible situation has to be managed. So, though there may be less code, the architecture of the program must be developed more specifically. “For a game, if you don’t manage every single case, then you’ll have users that end up outside the map or underneath the environment, which shouldn’t be the case,” he said. “So you could say, ‘Oh you need more code to fix that,’ but in reality you need less code.” Even from the development perspective, and even if the code is perfectly written, Reede sees that what they are doing is in no way a substitute for the novel. But, he said, if the class manages to accomplish even a fraction of what they have planned, this project will be impactful. In MVP 1, players can leave the environment and journey across the mountains outside the room where the game takes place. Players aren’t necessarily meant to leave that room, but this possibility for explora-
tion is what Reede thinks makes the game—and Ulysses—different for everyone. “[Virtual reality] is very personal,” Reede said. “It has to be because there’s a f—ing screen an inch in front of your face. If it’s not personal, you’re doing something wrong. So it should be your experience with Ulysses.” nd that experience depends on a game that capitalizes on motion, image, and sound. The sound team creates a noise that’s associated with each object, like a bounce to go with the ball players can pick up. Within the sound team is the music team, which consists of two students from the Berklee School of Music. These students use a combination of recordings—a friend of theirs from Berklee played the chords and a melody on the piano for them from the Vienna Symphonic Library to create a background score for the game. Elia Bishara, a senior at Berklee who’s part of the music team, noted that Joyce doesn’t hand the reader everything in a simple way. Instead, it’s the responsibility of the reader to really parse the text and get to know the characters. In order to create appropriate music and sound effects for the game, the team has to get inside the heads of the characters. “We have an opportunity to think not just evocatively, but also think symbolically and historically,” Bishara said. “We don’t want to get too far from being emotionally driven and evocative, but it’s a nice opportunity to be a little more intellectual.” The two Berklee students are hoping to push themselves with the music. But, Bishara said, the whole idea with the project is to bring the book to life. So, their experimentation is necessarily limited. Bishara’s musical decisions are inspired by the book, like the arrangement they did of “Love’s Old Sweet Song,” a melancholy song that’s a motif in Ulysses. When Nugent first started teaching the class seven years ago, he divided his students into five groups, one for each of the senses. The students were then required to go through the class and pick out places in the novel where the senses were being affected. In a sense, his class this year is doing something similar. The sound team picks up on hearing, the modeling team is vision. The students in the text team pick objects players can virtually touch. Development and gaming bring everything together into a single project. And gamification, then, is the sense of consciousness. That team gives the game a purpose. Nugent speaks in an Irish lilt. When he says Ulysses, as he’s bound to several times each class, he emphasizes the first syllable and draws out the last. He reads Joyce out loud more closely to the way Joyce would have read it than does anyone else at the University, with an accent that evokes the emerald-green hills, gray-white skies, and stone towers of Joyce’s Dublin. In class, he repeats the phrase “going forward” with increasing urgency, in what seems like a nod to his hope that the game will be done by June 16, 2017, at which point they would ideally present it in Dublin. As he speaks, his excitement growing exponentially and the Irish accent intensifying, it becomes hard to tell where Joyce’s words end and the words of technology and virtual reality begin. Maybe that’s the point. With virtual reality, and gamification, the class parallels the essential message in Joyce’s stream of consciousness. Last Monday, Nugent taught Chapter 17, “Ithaca,” in which the two main characters are chatting with each other in the style of Catholic catechism. “What Joyce is telling us is this: if you want to look at the modern world, you have to look at it from several viewpoints,” Nugent said in class about that chapter. And so perhaps what Joycestick is doing is this: if you want to understand Ulysses and understand James Joyce, you have to look at it from inside the game.
A
I feel old. Not physically decrepit—creaky, achy, or feeble in an ouch-there-goes-my-back kind of way—but old nonetheless. Interestingly enough, this foreboding feeling is completely unrelated to the nagging reminder that my third year of college is well underway. It’s not because of the realization that, with each passing week, the pressure of interviews and adding more things to the ’ol resumé is a clear indication that adulthood is not only nigh, but charging toward me at record pace. Shockingly, this sentiment is not even related to my imminent au-revoir to adolescence—the looming, seemingly inconceivable reality that I’ll turn 21 next month. While the thought of an impending postBoston College life and the swift, oncoming disappearance of my coveted youthful glow is sobering enough, none of the aforementioned realities have done more to bum me out than a photo on my Instagram feed the other day. The nostalgic sight I beheld on my phone screen dared me to hearken back to a time before needless celebrity relationship rumors, to an era when country lovers of yesteryear were first introduced to the unassuming singer who would eventually metamorphose into a major contemporary music mogul. Crouched awkwardly over a guitar, a teenage girl is dressed in the hottest haute couture of 2006—an electric blue hoodie from Victoria’s Secret PINK, light-wash jeans cuffed higher than any fashionista thought physically possible, and hair thrown up in a haphazard ponytail. For added spunk, the girl wears a pair of dangly silver earrings. The photo—a dark, unedited snapshot presumably from a digital, early 2000s-era Canon of limited capabilities—was posted by a very prominent name in the music industry today. I feel old. And I’m blaming Taylor Swift. Oct. 24, 2006 marked the release date of Swift’s first full-length and self-titled album. This was 10—count ’em—years ago, and I remember the hysteria vividly. I was almost 11, and the blond, curly-haired country singer was the girl everyone my age wanted to emulate. She was cute and talented, while her upbeat and honest anthems about young love were eaten up by girls with schoolyard crushes on boys who cared much more about their kickball game at recess than fraternizing with any female classmates. As her fans grew up, though, so did Swift and her music. In high school, Speak Now was an emotion-heavy album boasting indisputable gems like “Long Live” and “Better Than Revenge.” School talent shows were populated with guitar players and self-taught singers who impassionately performed hit songs off of her 2012, indie-infused album RED. In college, it was cool if you listened to Swift’s bold 1989, but even cooler if you pored over Ryan Adams’s cover of it instead. While it seems that Swift as a musician has, so far, successfully stood the test of time, fans are forced to remember the less favorable moments from the starlet. Swift has been criticized for her seemingly endless cycle of boyfriends. In conversation, her name almost always follows that of Kanye West and his wife Kim. I think this everincreasing myre of melodrama is just part of her current image. Now, I don’t consider myself a devout Swift fan. Sure, I’ve been to two of Swift’s concerts, downloaded at least three songs from each of her albums onto my iPhone, and at one time invested in a pretty fantastic Fearless tour T-shirt. Over this decade that I’ve come to know the charismatic countryturned-pop princess, however, I’ve always considered her a talented artist who really knows how to work a crowd. Though we’re already a decade into it, I think Swift’s story isn’t over yet. Seeing her image transform has been pretty exciting—one year she’s all curls and cowboy boots, the next she sports fedoras, ironic tees, and stick-straight bangs. I wonder what she has planned for this new phase in her career. Will she revert to the sugar-sweet style of her early days, or will there be an unexpected shift for the extreme? In the weeks leading up to her rumored album release, longtime fans are anxious to find out.
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THE HEIGHTS
B4
Thursday, October 27, 2016
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Amid the constantly evolving landscape of cable, network, and online news sources, it has become increasingly difficult for more skeptical viewers and readers to take anything that anyone says on most platforms as true. While many journalists and satirists have taken on a role exposing blatantly untruthful statements and claims made over the last few years, it’s hard for viewers across the nation, with their own biases and backgrounds, to reconcile their differences in opinion with what they
hear anywhere on TV. Sadly, HBO’s newest program, Vice News Tonight, does little to remedy this trend. While many of Vice’s online episodes and segments are rather informative, they’re clearly filmed and edited weeks or months before they air, so few episodes cover weekly news stories. Instead, as some of its episode titles suggest, Vice covers broader-scope topics like “The Future of Energy” and “The State of Surveillance,” and it does a pretty good job of reporting on these topics, filling the large majority of its segments with interviews with professional experts in various settings and collecting
first-hand footage and interviews from people personally involved in the situations and movements they’re covering. While Vice News Tonight advertises that it is “not the nightly news,” its nightly format and title suggest that that is just what it is trying to be. The show’s mix of current events updates, summed up in a few graphics and lines of text or speech, and broader, short documentary bits seem to augment its audience’s perception of what the program is really trying to be. Oct. 24’s episode of Vice News Tonight showcases this strange duality well. The episode opened with a few
TELEVISION
VICE NEWS TONIGHT HBO PRODUCED BY VICE ORIGINAL SERES RELEASE OCT. 10, 2016 OUR RATING
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blips of news stories from the day, like the attack on an E.U. asylum office in Lesbos, Greece, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report on the increased production of opium in Afghanistan in the past year. The show then jumps to Evan McMorris-Santoro, a Vice News Tonight correspondent, who has been following the DonaldTrump campaign around the country, giving a spiel about women voters and their possible sway on the presidential and congressional races ending next month. The episode later explores just how vulnerable our voting technology is, an update on Shia forces’ attempts to take back Mosul from ISIS, and finally a look at the sinking Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay. Interspersed between these five-minute segments are a summary of Sunday’s news that AT&T and Time Warner Cable will merge, and a segment featuring one of Vice’s news journalists on the phone with Robin Shahini, a dual AmericanIranian citizen and current prisoner of the Iranian government. At no point in the episode are any of the show’s bigger segments’ more technical details available to its viewers. There is no clear indication of when the segments in Iraq and Chesapeake Bay or the interview with Halderman were filmed and produced. This trend is not just part
of Monday’s episode. It is the case with most of Vice News Tonight’s segments thus far. While each is very well filmed and accompanied by neatly figured graphs that briefly cite their sources, the ambiguity as to these segments’ productions can be troubling. Regardless of Vice News Tonight’s YouTube advertisement stating that the program is “not a nightly-news program,” its airing five days a week and its interspersed daily news clips give the rest of the program an urgency that its individual components might not deserve. Also, it’s odd that the show’s firsthand documentaries, like Monday’s segment on Iraq, are put next to these more biased segments like McMorrisSantoro’s keeping up with the Trump campaign. In these segments throughout the last two weeks, McMorrisSantoro has exhibited a pretty evident dislike for the candidate. Melding objective reports and segments with more of an editorial voice is dangerous for any news organization. While HBO’s Vice seems to have found its footing on the network with its seasonal and weekly documentary segments, Vice News Tonight needs a makeover, or at least it needs to sell itself differently. The show’s format, inclusion of current events, and nightly airings throughout the week suggest to viewers that it is a nightly news show when it is not that at all.
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Good Morning America recently asked Michael Bublé what he learned while working on his latest album, Nobody But Me. “You leave your comfort zone, you grow,” he answered. It seems as though he may have ventured too far. The first album that Bublé has self-produced, Nobody But Me overreaches to be unique, while simultaneously reverting back to the same old, same old. The 10 tracks that comprise the record struggle to coexist. Each song either strives to break the mold in pop or, in some cases, rap, or settles into the comfortable pattern of covering other artists and performers. His original tracks, “I Believe in You,” “Someday” (feat. Meghan Trainor), “Nobody But Me,” and “Today is Yesterday’s Tomorrow,” all leave something to be desired. Each carries the cliche themes of love won, lost, and pined for, while also achieving new heights (or depths) of mindless pop sound. While Bublé’s vocals throughout the record, especially his surprisingly complementary harmonies with Trainor on “Someday,” speak to the album’s general quality, each song lacks substance and is void of any true emotion. The theme most explored is the search for the most perfect, beau-
tiful girl, which grows tired and a bit superficial just a few tracks into the album. His cover of Frank Sinatra’s “My Kind of Girl” speaks to this point with the lyrics, “A pretty little face, that face just knocks me off of my feet / Pretty little feet, she’s really sweet enough to eat / She looks like an angel looks / Baby, I’m hooked after just one look.” This theme is revisited again in the title song, “Nobody But Me” with Bublé crooning, “And I know when you got a lovely lady / It might drive the boys crazy / When she’s looking so fine, woah.” Ultimately, the overall sound is a mish-mosh of newfound pop and his classic, big-band tone. The majority of the songs included on the album are covers of legends such as Nat King Cole, Sinatra, and The Beach Boys, and Bublé continuously falls into the trap of delivering his strongest material in the form of someone else’s hit. Alternatively, Bublé’s original tracks attempt to break new ground for him as an artist, but they only prove that he has a ways to go. The track “I Believe in You” has a simple guitar rhythm that develops into overdone pop outfitted with empty lyrics. “Nobody But Me” tries to capture the essence of the whole album and finally brings both sounds together in one song, but fails miserably as it introduces samples of rap and hip-hop into the already chaotic
mix. Both seem out of place, disrupt the vintage sound of the song, and remind the listener that the whole album is just a bit off. Funky, fastpaced, catchy, “Today is Yesterday’s Tomorrow” is the perfect example of Bublé’s ability to effectively build up an original song, but let the chorus collapse into a heap of cliché pop tones and overplayed lyrics almost cutting the song’s magic off right as it’s getting good. The true highlight and gem of Nobody But Me is Bublé’s stripped cover of “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys. The rendition, done with
a slow, piano, allows the song’s message and Bublé’s voice to really shine. His unique take brings a strong and deep emotion that evokes the true, passionate message behind the song. His other covers, like “On an Evening in Roma” and “The Very Thought of You,” give the audience another taste of Bublé’s magnificent vocal range while some of his others, such as “My Baby Just Cares for Me” and “I Wanna Be Around,” do the same, but they’re nothing special in the grand scheme of things. Bublé seemingly used Nobody But Me for hopeful experimental gain.
Despite his eager attempts to craft unique mainstream songs, his efforts result in major error. Trying his hand at the hip-hop sound while twiddling with both the tones of overplayed pop and big-band jazz cause his downfall. His shining moments come at the hands of others’ masterpieces, which sadly demotes him from the position of artist to singer. There is no doubting Bublé’s vocal chops and his ability to revitalize an old-time melody, but in order to truly achieve the accolades as a songwriter that he longs for, he will have to get back to the drawing board.
Originally intended as a Chrissie Hynde solo album, Pretenders’ Alone is a welcome addition to the band’s catalogue that spans over 30 years. Hynde’s story begins after leaving Akron, Ohio in the early 1970s for the U.K., where she worked in London doing odd jobs and playing at clubs. With the advent of punk, she gained the confidence to start a band, which
would eventually become Pretenders. The band’s first single, a cover of the Kink’s’“Stop Your Sobbing,” was released in Jan. 1979. Hynde, who grew up in “the greatest time to be a rock fan,” the 1960s, has always had a fangirl-like reverence for acts such as The Kinks and The Who. Pretenders have undeniably always been Hynde’s band, but no event in the history of the band solidified this role more than the
TOP SINGLES
1 Closer The Chainsmokers 2 Starboy Weeknd ft. Daft Punk 3 Heathens twenty one pilots 4 Let Me Love You DJ Snake ft. JB 5 Broccoli D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty 6 24K Magic Bruno Mars 7 Cold Water Major Lazer ft. JB, MO 8 Side to Side Ariana Grande ft. NM
TOP ALBUMS
1 WALLS Kings of Leon 2 Views Drake 3 Suicide Squad Soundtrack 4 1992 The Game 5 Blurryface twenty one pilots Source: Billboard.com
MUSIC VIDEO CHANDLER FORD
“SAY GOODBYE” GREEN DAY
MUSIC
NOBODY BUT ME MICHAEL BUBLE PRODUCED BY REPRISE RECORDS RELEASE OCT. 21, 2016 OUR RATING
REPRISE RECORDS
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CHART TOPPERS
death of founding members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon in 1982. With two of the four original Pretenders gone, the lineup consistently changed. Perhaps, it’s no surprise that the latest release is called Alone. On the album’s opening, titular track, Hynde sings, “I like being alone / What are you going to do about it?” The answer is, well, not much. At 65, one can safely say Hynde has had a successful career. Within rock’s history, however, she
MUSIC
ALONE THE PRETENDERS PRODUCED BY BMG RELEASE OCT. 21, 2016 OUR RATING
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has not been afforded anywhere near the same respect as many of her male collaborators and contemporaries such as Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, or Joe Strummer. While the aforementioned artists steered toward edginess in their careers, and ultimately received more attention, Hynde’s songwriting was more straightforward. Though Hynde shouts she can “do what she wants,” on Alone, her reliance on producers and collaborators has been notable lately. On what was only her first solo album, Stockholm, which was released in 2014, Hynde worked with Peter Bjorn and Bjorn Yttling, whose Scandinavian, folk-electronic influence is present throughout the album. Musically, Stockholm was Hynde’s most interesting album, but Alone doesn’t fall short comparatively. Still, one cannot help but wonder how the new songs would stand up acoustically. Sharing both playing and producing duties, Dan Auerbach’s influence is immediately recognizable. Like any producer, Auerbach has a ‘sound,’ in this case reminiscent of ’60s textures of guitars and organs. Bluesy Black Keys’ guitar dominates the opening track, “Alone,” which features a
Lou Reed-like vocal delivery from Hynde. Hynde gets sentimental on tracks such as “The Man You Are” and “Death Is Not Enough,” and it is here that she is at her strongest. With Auerbach’s emotive ’60s guitar swirls backing Hynde’s voice, “Death Is Not Enough” is undoubtedly the most somber track on the album. Not even self-deprecation, however, can save a song like “I Hate Myself,” which touts nihilism with lackluster humor. Pretenders have never sounded better, which makes for a pleasurable 46 minutes of music—a point of contention for any album of this length in 2016. Hynde has abandoned the country-folk arrangements for a more layered, nuanced sound. Hynde has always been a self-described fangirl of early rock, and with Auerbach on guitar, she seized the opportunity to make a true rock record. In some ways, Hynde has never been more badass—or self-aware. On “One More Day,” she sings, “I can’t keep up with the beat like I should,” a subtle reminder of how the aging rockstar has been putting out good albums for over 30 years. Even though she can’t keep up like she used to, at least she’s still trying.
Three weeks ago, Green Day released its newest attempt to mature its sound, Revolution Radio. Without question, the album faltered in many ways, but it still managed to pound out enough of its classic American angst to garner a spot on the list of most-listened-to albums of October 2016, according to Billboard 100. On the heels of this commercial success, Green Day has released its newest Revolution Radio music video, a lyric video for the song “Say Goodbye.” In much the same way that Revolution Radio rode the status quo to completion, so did this latest Green Day music video. Nearly everything about the “Say Goodbye” music video is absorbed by its own “Green Day-ness,” a term recently coined by those who are somewhat disappointed in the recent phoning-in of the outsider frame of mind the band became famous. Truly, nothing here is objectively bad. The art style, drawn mostly in black and white with harsh lines and images, is well done. And credit must be given where credit is due—certain shots, such as a bullet tearing through the palm of a hand as it envelops another hand in prayer, are poignant. The musical mastery is as solid as ever, but this is no surprise given that “Say Goodbye” was one of the strongest pieces on Revolution Radio. The entirety of the video, however, still feels lazy. It’s easy to see why the music (and the video) has achieved commercial success. Even with the latest music video release, Green Day still has not pressed itself into exploring new sounds or ideas. This week’s “Say Goodbye” music video is classic Green Day—whether that’s for better or for worse is difficult to say.
SINGLE REVIEWS BY CAROLINE MCCORMACK PHARRELL WILLIAMS “Runnin’”
ICONA POP “Brightside”
KENNY CHESNEY “Rich and Miserable” Pharrell Williams will be “Runnin’” to the top of the charts with his newest single. Transporting listeners to a different time with jazzy sounds, this track is a great addition to the soundtrack of the new movie, Hidden Figures. Williams highlights his versatility within this piece and leaves listeners in suspense for what is next.
“Rich and Miserable” has the classic country feel featured in almost all of Chesney’s songs. This track features an interesting message about how, “Enough is never enough / The American Dream is never enough.” Chesney asks listeners to notice that the American Dream does not necessarily lead to happiness.
Icona Pop sounds fresh and young in its latest hit. Using auto-tuning and interesting electronic music in the back track, the single is something new and provocative that will be attractive to its young audience. “Brightside” gives listeners a reason to look forward to future works from the duo.
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THE HEIGHTS
B6
Thursday, October 27, 2016
MEN’S SOCCER
<X^c\j <Xie Dlck`$>fXc >Xd\# 9cfn CXk\ C\X[ kf Cfn\cc 9P 9I@8E D8CFE<P =fi K_\ ?\`^_kj When Boston College men’s soccer arrived at the field for its Tuesday night match against the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the Eagles had not scored or won in four games. At least they broke one of these streaks. The Eagles dropped what looked like a sure victory in overtime to the visiting River Hawks. After leading 2-0 until the 73rd minute, the Eagles surrendered two goals in regulation and the golden goal in overtime to lose their fourth game out of their last five, 3-2. BC (6-7-2, 2-3-2 Atlantic Coast) had played exactly 406 minutes of soccer before it could find the back of the net for the first time since its matchup against Pitt on Oct. 7. To put that in perspective, you could watch the entirety of the Star Wars original trilogy, with 30 minutes built in for bathroom breaks, in the amount of game time it took for the Eagles to score. But in the 15th minute, midfielder Mohammed Moro swung a beautifully bent cross into the box from 40 yards out directly to the head of 6-foot-2 German forward Maximilian SchulzeGeisthovel. With a masterful flick, Schulze-Geisthovel directed the ball into the top-left corner of the goal, and BC finally got the scoring
monkey off of its back. Action resided almost entirely in the Lowell (11-1-2, 3-1-1 America East) offensive end for the first half of the game as BC kept the pressure up. The Eagles’ efforts paid off in the 38th minute, giving them their first multi-goal game since Sept. 20. Freshman Callum Johnson notched his second goal of the season as a low, hard shot just inside the 18-yard box deflected off of the leg of a Lowell defender. Zach Rowell, the River Hawks’ goaltender, had already committed to his right, and could do nothing but raise his arms in disgust as the ball slowly bounced by him to the left. In response to the deficit, Lowell inserted its leading goal scorer Wuilito Fernandes, and its leading point scorer, Ivan Abramovic, to start the second half. Up 2-0, however, the Eagles appeared to be in control of the match. With a seemingly secure lead, the Eagles played more conservatively, content to park the bus and remain strong at the back rather than risking attack. For the first 25 minutes, the strategy seemed to be working fine, as Lowell had trouble putting shots on goal. As the half went on, Lowell seemed to be getting closer and closer to putting itself on the board. In the 68th minute, Fernandes
handled a long pass and flicked a chip up over the head of Saladin. But before the ball could reach the net, BC freshman defender Fintan Devlin came to the rescue to clear the ball out of bounds and keep the margin at two. The first breakthrough for the River Hawks came in the 73rd minute, when Dario Jovanovski led Fernandes with a precise ball into the box. Fernandes punished the net with a screaming finish to give his team its first goal and a renewed sense of hope. The reaction from the bench was startling as it erupted in cheer, while the BC bench looked on with a sense of discomfort. The Eagles became more aggressive, trying to take the fight back to Lowell’s side of the field. While possession became more balanced, the River Hawks only needed nine more minutes to find the equalizer in the 82nd minute. It occurred when a long ball from outside the box found its way to the front of the net where it bounced dangerously in a huddle of players from both teams. The chaos persisted for only a second or two before Fernandes freed the ball from the pack and directed it right to the feet of Abramovic. Standing in front of a wide-open net at point-blank range, Abramovic could relish the moment as he tapped the ball into the net and
STEVE EBERT / HEIGHTS STAFF
Maximilian Schulze-Geisthovel (12) attempts to cut in front of Lowell’s Jacob Fitzgerald (6) and take the ball away.
JlZZ\jj `j 8_\X[ ]fi k_\ <X^c\j Men’s Basketball, from B8 half of the team is completely new to the program. Four freshmen and three transfers have joined what remains of last year’s roster after its two leading scorers, Clifford and Eli Carter, graduated. Several other promising players, like Matt Milon, opted to transfer to different schools. You might think that basketball would face the same struggles as football when it comes to recruiting. But the Eagles are used to making the most of the talent they have on their roster—they’ve been doing it since before they joined the ACC. It would be easy to think that an almost completely new roster will have growing pains and struggle this season. But even though the team doesn’t have a lot of experience together, the atmosphere is already much better than last year. Open practices have been going on for about a month now, even though the season opener isn’t until Nov. 11. And Christian has loved what he’s seen from his team—the hard work, the grit, and the dedication to building chemistry before the season officially starts. His players are happy and confident together. “I think our team is fitting really well together,” he told BCEagles.com earlier this month. He also praised his players’ coachability. This team wants to improve, and it is listening to coaches and making the right adjustments to maximize its potential. It’s easy to talk about improving and meeting potential before the season actually starts. What fans want are answers. They want to know what kind of potential this team actually has. Well, if you look at the roster, the Eagles are certainly a talented team. You can’t make it to Division I without being talented, though. So BC has to find a way to distinguish itself from its competitors. The Eagles are an undersized team this year. Johncarlos Reyes is 6-foot-10, and Nik Popovic stands one inch taller. They are the tallest members of the team, but neither has a lot of experience playing at the college level, and neither will start this year. Without an established
threat at center—and without centers and forwards who will be significantly taller than the competition—the Eagles cannot rely on an inside presence to carry their offense. What’s more, while there are several forwards, Reyes is the only player listed as a center on the roster itself. Connar Tava and Mo Jeffers, two transfers to BC this year, will probably play on the inside. As older players on a very young team, they will step up and provide leadership and guidance for teammates. The Eagles are looking a lot better in the guard position. Freshman Ky Bowman has looked confident at the point guard position so far in the preseason. It is likely that his classmate Ty Graves will develop into a more serious threat as the season goes on and will factor heavily into the game in future years. Jerome Robinson is returning for his sophomore season, and will benefit from having Bowman running the point and opening up the offense. They might not have been the highest-ranked, most elite recruits, but they’d be high-profile targets in free agency today. Besides, you can’t rely on outside shooting to win all the time—unless you want to blow a 3-1 lead to LeBron in the Finals, that is. All of this means that BC will almost certainly struggle through another tough season if it tries to live and die by a set offense. Slowing everything down and relying almost exclusively on guards will not result in any sort of success for the Eagles. After considering the team’s talent, it’s easy to see what the Eagles’ method should be this season. BC has the potential to run its opponents ragged. Christian has already praised his team’s speed. “We have a lot of fast, athletic guys,” he said. “It’s a strength and it’s something that we have to play towards.” The best way to effectively use speed is to prioritize the transition offense. If the Eagles can play shutdown defense and force their opponents into stupid mistakes, they can beat their opponents down the court and make transition points a huge part of their success. Of course, this means more than just shutdown defense by their own basket. Imple-
menting a stranglehold of a press will also go a long way in shutting other teams down and providing fast-break opportunities for BC. Think about VCU. Under former head coach Shaka Smart, the Rams rode the havoc defense all the way to the Final Four in 2011. VCU didn’t do anything radical or new. It just pressured the hell out of its opponents with a stifling full-court press. When the opponents inevitably turned the ball over, the Rams capitalized on the mistakes with transition points. Like BC, VCU never had the best players in the country, but it had the best strategy. Christian can do that, too. This strategy will only work if BC is the fittest team on the court every single game. The Eagles can’t rely on a set offense, so they need to emphasize the transition. But if they run out of steam halfway through games, they can’t succeed. Fitness will have to be a huge component this year. It can make or break games for BC. It isn’t long now until the basketball season starts. Next Thursday, the Eagles play an exhibition game against Stonehill College. A week and a day after BC takes on the Skyhawks, its regular season will officially begin when it plays Nicholls State. The Eagles don’t start conference play until the new year—they will face Syracuse on Jan. 1 to kick off the ACC slate—but the first part of the season will be a good indicator of how BC will manage the tougher stretch of the schedule. It can also help boost the team’s confidence and build more chemistry. Yes, football and men’s basketball struggled last year. Yes, it looks increasingly likely that football will go winless in the conference again this year. But things are definitely looking up for men’s basketball. With a happier, more confident attitude surrounding the team, Christian’s squad is ready to prove that it will break the conference curse and bring success back to Conte Forum.
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STEVE EBERT / HEIGHTS STAFF
Joshua Forbes (23) stays close behind Lowell’s Stanley Alves (19) at the edge of BC’s box, applying the pressure. elicited a roar from the now fullyresurrected Lowell bench. From that moment on, the desperation from both sides was plainly evident. The play was reckless and aggressive as both sides searched frantically for the goal that would send them home the victors. BC earned a foul at the top of the box in the 87th minute when senior Zeiko Lewis nicked the ball swiftly from the defense and was fouled just before he could storm the box. Heated jawing ensued, which only added to the drama of the late free kick that might have saved the Eagles from a loss. Lewis scalded the ball with tight horizontal spin, but the surely aching defensive wall prematurely cut it down before it could do any damage. With under a minute remaining BC made one last spirited break for goal. With three attackers bearing down on goal it appeared to the small crowd on hand that the Eagles might escape their similarly avian foe. However, with a man open in the box, senior Isaac Normesinu chose instead to take a shot on goal that went well wide of its mark and doomed the teams to overtime. Overtime was furious in pace and contact, as the phrase “battling
it out” became more and more appropriate. The referees allowed play to continue through hard contact as the teams swung to the sides of the field with fervor. The rough play led to one last chance for BC as it was rewarded yet another free kick just outside the box. Normesinu took the free kick with visions of redemption. While he got the shot on target, he couldn’t best Rowell, who dove quickly to his right to make a game saving stop. With time winding down in the first overtime period, Fernandes brought the ball to the goal line just outside the 18-yard box. He sent a bouncing cross through the heart of the BC defense to his partner in crime Abramovic. In a nifty maneuver, Abramovic beat Saladin with his back to goal, expertly flicking the ball by the unsuspecting keeper, cementing the comeback win. Frustration covered the face of BC players. Some dropped to the ground in anguish as Lowell celebrated on its home field. Muffled grunts squeaked through pursed lips, as BC was forced to deal with its second overtime loss in a week. With two players out on card accumulation, in addition to inju-
ries that have removed key pieces from a team that was once ranked, a lack of starting personnel certainly didn’t help the Eagle cause. When asked what the team would focus on as it prepares to take on conference opponent North Carolina State in the regular-season finale, head coach Ed Kelly stressed needing to get back to full strength. “We just have a lot of guys out,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to get these guys back.” While circumstances have not been fortunate by any standards, BC has failed to take advantage of opportunities for wins on many occasions in the past month. It is not unreasonable to imagine that a number of recent outcomes could be reversed if the Eagles could simply make one or two more plays. Kelly wasn’t looking to make excuses, however. He lamented the missed opportunities, terrible fouls, and lack of composure that allowed Lowell a way back into the game. And with one game left before the ACC playoffs, Kelly believes his team will need to shake its recent plagues and recollect itself in a hurry. “When the going got tough, we didn’t have the leadership,” Kelly said. “We did not play well… it was a bad day for the good guys.”
THE HEIGHTS
Thursday, October 27, 2016
B7
FOOTBALL
;Xi`lj NX[\ DXp JkXik 8^X`ejk E: JkXk\ Darius Wade, from B8 he was getting when the 2013 Delaware Gatorade Player of the Year committed to play at BC three years ago. Of course, it’s hard to gauge exactly how much he has progressed in his time here under Addazio. Wade has seen limited playing time in nine total games as an Eagle, three in each year he has been on the team. This season, Wade’s action has typically come at the tail end of blowouts, save for the late-game fill-in for Towles in the most recent 28-20 loss to the Orange. Wade completed three passes for 19 yards in the fourth quarter as BC tried to piece together a game-tying drive in the waning minutes. Although he looked solid—alb eit timid—b oth in and out of the pocket, Wade also took a huge sack that es-
sentially erased any hopes of a touchdown. Against Clemson, he tossed a pick-six on his lone pass of the night. As unfair as it is to expect Wade to transition back into the starting role without a little rust, that’s exactly what the expectations will be because of his history. “Every week, I go into it like I have an opportunity to play,” Wade said. “I always have to be ready because football is just like that—you never know what can happen at any moment. This week, it’s just a little more apparent that this could be my week. So I just gotta make sure I step up and I’m ready for the challenge.” Though Wade does not have a proven rapport with wide receivers Jeff Smith and Charlie Callinan, he certainly does with tight end Tommy Sweeney. In February’s spring scrimmage, Wade connected with Sweeney
for 57 yards on four catches. Look for Sweeney to be a frequent target at Carter-Finley Stadium, especially against a Wolfpack defense which has stunted rushing attacks all year. To combat NC State’s lethal front-seven, the Eagles might also rely on end-arounds with Smith and play-action passes that allow Wade to show off his athleticism rolling out of the pocket. But in order for play-action schemes to be effective, Addazio will first need to establish a respectable rushing attack. Despite the recent emergence of Davon Jones, who has added explosiveness to the backfield, BC’s running game ranks among the worst in the Power Five. Another storyline to watch for is how much Addazio utilizes Wade in the ground game. As enticing as a Wade-Jones readoption package might appear, it
is important to remember who is behind Wade if he goes down again with an injury—which increases in likelihood with every tackle absorbed. Addazio told reporters on Monday that, given Towles’s injury, freshman Anthony Brown is also preparing for possible game time on Saturday. Yet that decision could affect his redshirt eligibility, which should be absolutely paramount for this program at the moment. Ever since BC learned who he was last September, Wade has dealt with uncertainty. Even now, as he studies NC State’s defensive patterns in preparation for this weekend’s ACC showdown, there’s a chance he doesn’t get the start. But if he does, he has an incredible opportunity to surprise people and win a conference bout that the program so desperately needs—and maybe the starting job for good, too.
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albeit with limited mobility. As a result, unlike the dual-threat Brissett, he can’t bolster the rushing attack. The change in quarterbacking styles has led the Wolfpack to alter its offense a bit this season. Doeren mixes spread passing concepts with pro-style running plays. The team has had to remove nearly all of its read option and triple option concepts, limiting the number of players who can get involved in the ground game. Running plays getting speedy receivers or backup running backs to the edge have dropped in number, a large reason why the Wolfpack has rushed for nearly 40 fewer yards per game than last year’s unit, which racked up over 200 yards per game. Senior running back Matthew Dayes has played the role of a true feature back this season. He has accounted for a whopping 45.6 percent of the team’s rushing attempts, up from 24.8
percent last season. With 682 rushing yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, Dayes gives the offense a dependable option on early downs and in the red zone, combining decent speed with a powerful 5-foot-9, 203-pound frame. Unfortunately for Dayes, he has been getting inconsistent help from his offensive line. On standard-down rushing plays, defined as plays that are first downs, second-and-7 or fewer, third-and-4 or fewer or fourthand-4 or fewer, the Wolfpack averages just 2.72 yards per carry, 103rd nationally. In addition, per Football Outsiders, NC State ranks 107th in efficiency on third- or fourth-down short-yardage rushes. These early-down and short-yardage struggles have contributed to the Wolfpack’s ranking of 122nd in the percentage of drives that earn at least one first down. Thanks to an explosive set of receivers, however, the team ranks 29th in percentage of drives that gain at least one first
ETHAN HYMAN / THE NEWS AND OBSERVER VIA AP
Running back Matthew Dayes (21) will be a formidable threat this weekend.
down and score a touchdown, per Football Outsiders. Sophomore receiver Stephen Louis has tallied 407 receiving yards on just 19 receptions, averaging 21.4 yards per catch.Jaylen Samuels, a fullback-tight end hybrid, has continued steady involvement in the aerial attack despite a decreased role in the ground game, leading the team with 33 receptions and running routes from a variety of positions in the offense. Continuing the theme of versatility, backup running back Nyheim Hines also plays a huge role in the passing game. The Wolfpack likes to take advantage of Hines’s blazing speed on routes in which he is matched up against slow-footed linebackers. On Saturday afternoon, look for NC State to try to exploit BC’s linebackers in coverage, especially with Connor Strachan, the Eagles’ best coverage linebacker, either sidelined or limited. The defense must scheme ways to keep Samuels and Hines, among others, from breaking open in the middle of the field. It also must avoid oneon-one coverage breakdowns that would allow Louis open space deep down the field. Eliminating these aspects of the passing game should help the Eagles stay close in this game, as they figure to have success containing the pro-style run game of Dayes, as it lacks the tempo and spread concepts that have troubled them in recent weeks. On the defensive side of the football, though it surrendered 54 points in the loss to Louisville, NC State possesses the 19th-best defense in the country per Football Outsiders S&P rankings. The front seven is disruptive and adept at getting deep into the opposing backfield, led by defensive end Bradley Chubb, brother of Georgia running back Nick Chubb, who has 11 tackles for loss and six sacks. Jared Fernandez and Airius Moore serve as aggressive, run-stopping linebackers. With these players, the Wolfpack ranks 21st in Football
Outsiders’ havoc rate, which measures a defense’s ability to generate tackles for loss and pass breakups. This front seven has allowed the Wolfpack to stuff most rushing attempts, allowing just 2.31 yards per carry on run plays on standard downs, 10th in the country. NC State also limits explosive plays very well, ranking 11th in Football Outsiders’ ISOPPP allowed metric, which tracks a defense’s ability to limit chunk plays. The team forces turnovers at the 28th-best rate in the nation, forcing eight fumbles already. With an offense that heavily features the run, struggles to score on drives that don’t contain explosive plays, a fails to secure the ball well, this trio of numbers does not bode well for the Eagles on Saturday. The offensive line must improve upon its ability to create running lanes for Davon Jones and Jonathan Hilliman, allowing the team to have success on early downs. With the Wolfpack’s pass rush and ability to limit downfield pass plays, it will be crucial for BC to keep third downs to manageable lengths of 5 yards or less, especially given the fact that Darius Wade may be the starting quarterback because of Patrick Towles’s pulled hamstring. An accurate short passing game that involves Tommy Sweeney and the running backs should help the beleaguered offense extend drives. S i n ce B C hy p o th e t i c a l l y matches well with NC State’s style of play, which uses less of the up-tempo emphasis shared by Clemson and Syracuse, the Eagles may find themselves in a close contest on Saturday afternoon. Hanging tough in a back-and-forth game, avoiding any mental lapses, would offer a sure sign of progress for this team. With any luck, it’ll get the chance to prove that Addazio wasn’t just engaging in coachspeak during his press conference.
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Sports Editor This is an absolute nightmare situation for the Eagles. Not only did they not win against the only ACC team they were predicted to beat for the remainder of the season, not only do they have to go on the road against a strong North Carolina State team, but they may not have their starting quarterback. Patrick Towles has not played particularly well this year, but bringing in a backup could be disastrous for BC.
Prediction: NC State 27, BC 6 RILEY OVEREND
Assoc. Sports Editor Even with tough matchups against Clemson and Louisville, NC State ranks in the top 25 defending against the run. That means BC will have to move the ball effectively through the air—possibly without Patrick Towles. But Darius Wade, a dual-threat quarterback, could wreak havoc with read-option, play-action, and other play schemes. The defense will have to play out of its mind to ensure a victory, but we all know the front seven is capable of doing so.
Prediction: BC 21, NC State 17 ANNABEL STEELE
MEN’S HOCKEY
NXii`fij =fiZ\ K`\ N`k_ 9`^ K_`i[ G\i`f[ Men’s Hockey, from B8 has been so far.” The celebration wouldn’t last long , though, as Case y Fitzgerald gave the Eagles another penalty for interference with only 15 seconds left in the period. At the end of the second period BC was leading the Warriors 2-0, but Merrimack started the third period with 1:45 of a power play. Merrimack finally capitalized on its power play opportunities, with Logan Coomes scoring the first Warriors goal of the game only one minute into the beginning of the third period. Mer-
rimack was able to get another power-play goal as Fitzgerald went into the box again for hooking, tying up the score at 2. After going into the third period with a two-goal lead, the Eagles had to be careful about penalties and capitalize on power plays in order to end the game with a win. After a Merrimack penalty with seven minutes left in the period ended without a point for the Eagles, Brown called the Eagles’ only time out of the game. The attempt to give the players a breather didn’t work, as the Eagles failed to make another goal by the end of the period.
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Woll made sure the game went into overtime when he barely made a save by tipping the puck with his stick 30 seconds before the end of the period. The Eagles headed aggressively into the five-minute sudden-death overtime, taking shot after shot on Vogler, but weren’t able to get the puck in the back of the net. BC had to settle for a tie when neither team could score. Throughout the game, the Eagles had a problem with penalties, a common theme this season, as they put players in the box eight times to Merrimack’s four.
Hamden, CT 10/22 NEWKIRK G A BAUMGARDT G
Winston-Salem, N.C. 10/22 SALADIN 7 SVS BAKERO G
M. Hockey BC HC
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Field Hockey BC 2 PROV 1
“We took a couple penalties all game but the penalties in the third period were tough and we weren’t able to kill them off,” Brown said. “We’ve talked about it all year—we really need to figure out how to limit our penalties.” As the season continues in full swing, the Eagles need to be careful about how many penalties they receive in a game. The absence of White definitely hurt them against Merrimack since he’s always right there to kill off the power plays, but he’ll be back for Friday’s second home game of the season against Providence College.
Worcester, MA 10/22 W. Soccer C. FITZGERALD 2 G BC SKELLY G UVA
BC’s offense is a big question mark right now. Who will start at quarterback? Nobody k nows now, and nob o dy w ill k now until Saturday. It’s a safe bet that Darius Wade will get the start, though, because it doesn’t se em like Patr ick Towle s w ill b e he althy before then. Wade hasn’t seen significant time since he broke his ankle against Florida State last year, so he’s sure to be rusty. The offense probably won’t have a big day, then. Me anwhile, the Wolf p ack remains undefeated at home. It doesn’t seem likely that the Eagles will be able to pull out the win here.
Prediction: NC State 24, BC 10
Charlottesville, VA 10/23 2 3
Providence, R.I. 10/23 Volleyball 1 LYTLE 2 G BC MILLER G NCST 3
Asst. Sports Editor
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Raleigh, nc 10/23 OEMCKE 20 A SPEAKS 39 A
Newton, MA 11/11 10/251Boston, Ma
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Newton, MA North Andover, MA11/09 10/25
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ABRAMOVIC 2 G JOHNSON G
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R. FITZGERALD G FOGET G
SPORTS
B8
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016
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FOOTBALL
WADE’S WORLD?
LIZZY BARRETT / HEIGHTS STAFF
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Who is Darius Wade? First, he was the southpaw savior in charge of leading Boston College football during a rebuilding year last season. A month later, he was merely a spectator, forced to watch his struggling team from the sidelines after a broken ankle against Florida State kept him out for the season. Then, Wade was relegated to backup quarterback duties following Patrick Towles’s transfer during the offseason. On Saturday, he is likely to step in as the starter when the Eagles (3-4, 0-4 Atlantic Coast) fly to Raleigh, N.C., to take on a North Carolina State (4-3, 1-2) squad fresh off back-to-back matchups with Clemson and Louisville. Towles, who sat out practice on Tuesday but is officially listed as day-to-day, is doubtful to play with a pulled hamstring suffered in last weekend’s loss to Syracuse. “I’ve been through both phases, being the backup and being the starter,” said Wade, who received a redshirt status because of his season-ending injury last year. “It’s tough because you have to be ready at any moment. So it’s hard not getting all the first-team reps but still having to be ready to be with the first-team at any given moment. It’s a mental game, trying to exude some leadership while you’re not necessarily ‘the guy.’” The other mental game at play is thead coach Steve Addazio’s not naming his starter to throw off the Wolfpack’s preparation. There’s a chance that a hobbled Towles could still take the field on Saturday, but he would probably be reduced to a pocket passer full-time, rather than the scrambling role he has undertaken thus far. Unless the Kentucky transfer can make an impact with his legs, as well, then Wade becomes the clear No. 1 option against NC State and its 19th-ranked defensive unit. But if BC is to pick up its first conference win in about 700 days, Wade must be the dual-threat quarterback of the future that Addazio thought
Approaching the podium on Monday afternoon, Boston College football (3-4, 0-4 Atlantic Coast) head coach Steve Addazio tried to remain upbeat about his team’s progress in the face of mounting pressure. “We’ve got a great attitude,” Addazio said. “We’re growing, we’re developing, and you know, I’d say … I like the development of our team.” But in the wake of BC’s 28-20 loss last Saturday to Syracuse (4-3, 12), its 12th-straight conference loss, it’s becoming harder to distinguish honesty from coach-speak. With its passing game declining in efficiency and its defense looking less like Don Brown’s dominant unit by the week, there appear to be few areas of definable progress. And if that progress occurs behind the scenes, yet to announce its presence in a game setting, it seems quite unlikely that it will show during this Saturday’s game. After a disappointing end to their month-long homestead, the Eagles head to Raleigh, N.C. as 15-point underdogs for a matchup against North Carolina State (4-3, 1-2), a team that has risen above expectations this season and boasts a perfect 4-0 record at home, with wins against Wake Forest and Notre Dame. Head coach Dave Doeren’s Wolfpack has handled the departure of quarterback and team leader Jacoby Brissett much better than expected. Under the direction of redshirt sophomore Ryan Finley, the passing game has actually eclipsed last year’s unit, averaging 37 more yards per game. Finley has thrown for 1,508 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions in his first seven games of the season. But these numbers may be a bit misleading. Over the last two weeks, in losses against ACC powerhouses Clemson and Louisville, Finley has thrown all four of his interceptions and has completed just 50.7 percent of his passes, compared to 69.5 percent over his first five games. Yet Finley offers Doeren a strong-armed, traditional pocket passer,
See Darius Wade, B7
See NC State Preview, B7
MEN’S HOCKEY
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In its first conference game of the season, Boston College men’s hockey had high hopes against Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., but had to settle for a 2-2 tie in overtime—its first overtime and tie of the year. The Eagles were without Jerry York due to an eye operation and Colin White for an upper-body injury sustained in the game against Holy Cross on Oct. 22. BC (4-2-1) had a tough start to the game, with Scott Savage taking the first penalty 1:32 into the game for interference. Merrimack (2-3-1) took an early shot that got past goalkeeper Joe Woll, but Connor Moore got his stick in fast to keep the puck out of the goal. The Eagles had a hard time keeping the puck out of their zone due to the small rink size causing all missed shots to end up back on their side of the ice. This didn’t seem to faze Savage, who ripped the puck past goalkeeper Drew Vogler to get the first point of the game, and his first of the season. The goal came 27 seconds into a BC power play, its fourth power-play goal of the season. The first period came
to an end with the Eagles leading 1-0, despite taking only four shots compared to Merrimack’s 10. The beginning of the second period had a similar theme to the first, as Ryan Fitzgerald headed to the box for hooking four minutes in. Austin Cangelosi was then called for tripping, giving the Warriors a 5-on-3 power play for six seconds. The Warriors couldn’t find the back of the net even with the advantage as they failed to make fast plays to take on the physicality of the BC players. Fitzgerald responded to his penalty by taking a shot on Vogler that was initially saved, but he caught the rebound and pushed it past the goal line. The Warriors tried to respond by shooting the puck between Woll’s elbow and body, but he blocked the puck and robbed Merrimack of a goal. Woll has been a star this season, and has begun to make his mark on the hockey team as someone to watch. “He’s been fantastic all year,” associate head coach Greg Brown told BCEagles.com after the game. “He’s the lead goalie and just a young freshman, but he’s got all the abilities and the mental makeup to be outstanding and
8EE89<C JK<<C< On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Indians hosted the Chicago Cubs in the first game of the World Series. When you get past the whole “this is the biggest award these baseball players can get in their lifetimes” thing, you get to the pretty cool fact that no matter who wins, this will be an historic World Series. The last time the Tribe won it all was back in 1948. And you need to look back even farther to find the Cubs’ last World Series victory—to 1908, the year the 46th star was added to the American flag, the sacrifice fly was adopted, and my great-great-grandfather Cornelius Carmody placed No. 25 out of 64 in a poll of the most popular D.C.-area grocers. Entire generations of fans of both teams have grown up without ever seeing a World Series. In Chicago’s case, fans have literally lived and died by the Cubs without ever getting the satisfaction of a World Series victory. And odds are, if you’re reading this, you can sympathize. It isn’t exactly a secret that Boston College football and men’s basketball struggled last year, with losses in every single conference game. Sure, hockey gave students, alumni, and fans a shining beacon of hope for most of the season—but neither team claimed the ultimate prize, an NCAA championship trophy. Birdball exceeded its expectations, but didn’t give fans any hardware to celebrate. And in most of the country, hockey is secondary, an afterthought. The same goes for college baseball in Boston. Football and basketball, though? Those are the most popular college sports throughout most of the United States—and BC was just plain bad in each. To put it mildly, fans didn’t have a ton to celebrate last year. And so football season rolled around this year, and fans hoped that the Eagles would break the ACC streak. But Georgia Tech eluded BC. And then Virginia Tech throttled BC. And it didn’t take long for fans to resign themselves to the potential of another wasted season for the Eagles. Just last weekend, BC dropped its best remaining chance of winning an ACC game when it lost to Syracuse. Now, with the remaining ACC games against North Carolina State, Louisville, Florida State, and Wake Forest, it seems pretty unlikely that football is going to break the conference loss streak. After all, all of these teams have winning records, and Louisville and Florida State are ranked No. 5 and No. 12, respectively. What about men’s basketball, though? Should fans expect another dismal season from Jim Christian’s squad? After all, the last memory most people have of BC men’s basketball is Dennis Clifford tearfully saying that he will miss going out to eat most of all. That isn’t exactly the best way to remember the team, people, and BC was ridiculed for it. Fortunately for all BC fans, men’s basketball is not going to go the same way as football this year. In fact, I expect that it will be the complete opposite. Football isn’t good now, and I’m concerned about its future. Given the current state of recruiting, it doesn’t look like the Eagles will snag any top prospects any time soon. Meanwhile, other teams in the ACC are transforming into powerful programs, leaving BC by the wayside. The Eagles haven’t always been a bad team—even as recently as the mid-2000s, they were great and brought in talents like Matt Ryan and Luke Kuechly, who developed well even if they weren’t highly ranked—but now they are sinking into a rut that will be tough to escape. And with Patrick Towles departing at the end of the year, the Eagles will play a new quarterback, whether it be Anthony Brown or Darius Wade. The defense will also lose such key players as Truman Gutapfel, John Johnson, and Matt Milano. It may be tough to determine when the rebuilding process will end. Men’s basketball, meanwhile, is on a very different path. BC basketball has never been a national threat, but it uses the talent it has to create success. What’s more, the Eagles were more competitive in conference play on the hardwood than the gridiron last year. With the right adjustments, BC will enjoy some success in the ACC this season and beyond. This may seem odd—after all, more than
STEVE EBERT / HEIGHTS STAFF
See Men’s Hockey, B7
INSIDE SPORTS THIS ISSUE
Jerry York had an eye procedure and missed Tuesday’s game, leaving Greg Brown in charge.
Men’s Soccer: Eagles End One Drought, But Lose Despite notching their first multi-goal game since Sept. 20, the Eagles fell to UMass Lowell with three late goals...B7
See Men’s Basketball, B6
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