The Heights 09/17/12

BC Eagle date

affleck’s argo ’Cats drop eagles

features

ARTS & rEVIEW

sports

Two BC students enjoy delicious food at a local Irish Pub on a blind date this weekend, B9

Ben Affleck opens up about making of ‘Argo,’ his upcoming movie, A10

Lack of offensive execution leads to Northwestern win over BC, B1

Monday, September 17, 2012

Vol. XCIII, No. 29

bc opens sesquicentennial at fenway park

By Taylour Kumpf Editor-in-Chief

graham beck / heights editor

Boston College officially opened its Sesquicentennial Celebration with a mass at Fenway Park featuring a homily by Rev. Michael Himes (bottom right).

The Sesquicentennial Celebration officially began this past Saturday with a Mass at Fenway Park. Attracting nearly 20,000 guests—including student, faculty, staff, alumni, and their families—the historic Mass was concelebrated by 100 members of the Boston College Jesuit community and alumni priests. University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. celebrated the Mass, and Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, O.F.M. presided.

As the guests were still scrambling to find their seats, a spectacular rainbow of colors graced the infield at the ballpark, a delight for all in attendance to behold. The colors, sported by BC faculty, deans, and vice presidents in academic regalia, denoted their terminal degrees, the granting institution, and their field of study. The wearing of the robes is a tradition stretching back to the Middle Ages and was a symbolic way to recognize the scholarly attainments of those who wore them. Faculty and senior administrators of Boston College High School led the procession into the park, making way for the BC personnel. Trustees and trustee

associates of the two schools followed.

Beginning the Mass right on schedule, Leahy welcomed all in attendance and said, “I look out and it occurs to me that Red Sox Nation has become Jesuit land,” kicking off a theme that O’Malley would pick up on later.

Connecting each segment of the Mass together seamlessly, the University Chorale of BC, the Liturgy Arts Group, the Liturgical Choir of BC High, and the School of Theology and Ministry Liturgical Choir led the assembly in song.

Kathleen McGillycuddy, chair of the Board of Trustees, read the first reading, a passage from Isaiah, and the President of BC High, William Kemeza, read the second reading.

Rev. Michael J. Himes, professor of theology, gave the homily Saturday evening, reflecting on a reading from the Gospel of Mark. Himes said that the reading provoked a question, and subsequently a principle.

The question, “Who do you say that I am?” allowed Himes to discuss the interconnectedness of humanity and divinity. “Humanity and divinity are never separated, but they

See Fenway Mass, A4

Peer health coaches help 2016 welcomed at convocation students find a balance

By Sara Doyle For The Heights

This year, the Office of Health Promotion (OHP) welcomed 45 students as health coaches for the upcoming year. These students were trained and certified to meet with other students to discuss health related issues and help create plans to lead students to healthier lifestyles.

Elise Phillips, the director of OHP, says that the program is designed to work with students and to meet their own goals.

“As health coaches, we guide students to develop personal goals that are manageable and reachable for themselves,” Phillips said.

“We have a health conversation with the student to help them identify things they may want to change, and acknowledge things that are going well.”

The program started last year, and has

By Jonathan Wall

since grown into a wide range of resources for students, providing information about exercise, nutrition, relationships, alcohol and drugs, and any other areas of a student’s health. Programs are also offered in time and stress management, as well as a bystander intervention program that groups of students can request and a health coach will facilitate. These topics are also covered in an individual health plan.

After being selected, health coaches train for two days to become certified. Part of their training involves leading healthrelated programs on campus. The goal of these programs is to allow students to talk to other students about any areas they may wish to improve upon.

The health coaches have specialty areas within the Health Coaching program. Xijun

For The Heights

Boston College welcomed the Class of 2016 Thursday evening with the ninth annual First Year Academic Convocation.

The ceremony featured speaker Dan Barry, a columnist for The New York Times and author of Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball’s Longest Game.

Rev. Joseph Marchese, S.J., director of the First Year Experience, and University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. also addressed the newest members of the BC community.

As the Gasson bells rang at 6:15 p.m., the freshman class took its place along Linden Lane in order to accept the challenge being presented to them by faculty members and alumni. The challenge was to “learn to be attentive, reflective, and loving while at Boston College, and strive to become men and women who are wise,

See Health Coaches, A4

Collaboration vs. collusion: the fine line of cheating

By Anson Petrick For The Heights

Two weeks ago, Harvard University launched an investigation into allegations that 125 students cheated on a take-home final exam. The exam was given for the government course “Introduction to Congress” last spring and was intended as an open-book, open-note exam.

This investigation has sent shockwaves through the academic world, some of which have been felt among the faculty here at Boston College. David Quigley, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, said in an email, “I was first surprised by the extent of the alleged cheating and then by some of the details that were revealed about how students approached the course.”

The accused students claim to have not known the difference between collaborating and cheating on the exam. In spite of being explicitly told by the professor not to discuss the exam with classmates, the

students claim that they had been repeatedly encouraged to collaborate on other projects and assignments and simply concluded that the final was no different. This apparent confusion has led to what Jay M. Harris, Harvard’s dean of undergraduate education, calls incidents ranging from “inappropriate collaboration to outright plagiarism.”

“While faculty have a responsibility to lay out clear expectations and guidelines about all assignments, I have been troubled by several students’ statements which seem to indicate some muddled thinking about academic integrity and personal responsibility,” Quigley said. As a result, the administration is taking steps toward better educating students on the difference between cheating and collaboration.

Clare Dunsford, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of the A&S Academic Integrity Committee,

See Collaboration, A4

See Convocation, A4

robyn kim / heights staff

BC remains 31st in ‘U.S. News’ survey

By David Cote News Editor

Boston College was ranked 31st among national universities for the second consecutive year in the 2013 U.S. News and World Report rankings.

“Once again, Boston College has been ranked among the country’s best universities by U.S. News and World Report, and I am pleased that the accomplishments of our faculty and University community have been recognized,” said Cutberto Garza, provost and dean of faculties, in a release by the Office of News and Public Affairs.

BC received especially high marks in admission selectivity, with a fall 2011 admission rate of 28 percent. In addition, the University received a 4.5 out of 5 score from high school guidance counselors, who rank

the quality of an undergraduate education from various universities.

BC also boasted a high freshman retention rate of 95 percent, which U.S. News considers “an indicator of student satisfaction.” In addition, 24 percent of students at BC are involved in service learning, according to the U.S. News report, a number that far surpasses the average. BC’s general academic reputation also contributed significantly to the ranking.

“It is noteworthy that despite the fluctuations that have been part of the financial and higher education landscape of the last several years, BC has seen steady improvements in its academic reputation,” Garza said.

According to the report, 52 percent of BC’s classes have 20 or fewer students, and only 6 percent have more than 50. These

numbers are in part due to a specific effort to limit class size at BC. “Our collective commitment to increase the number of smaller classes at the University was key, and I congratulate all who were involved in this effort,” Garza said.

BC was also ranked 39th on the “Great Schools at Great Prices” list, and the Carroll School of Management remained 24th on the “Best Undergraduate Business Schools” list.

Garza was pleased with the University’s ranking and stated his hope that BC will continue to improve as a whole.

“We remain determined to press forward and serve our students with the energy and dedication they deserve, and we believe that families are responding as more and more of them seek to be a part of the BC experience,” Garza said. n

TopTHREE

The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

things to do on campus this week

..

1

the

Entrepreneur Week Today Time: All week Location: BC

Boston College’s first annual Entrepreneur Week will feature discussions, workshops, and social events, including a panel featuring speakers who will share insights on working in Silicon Valley. Participants can meet other students with similar interests and network with business professionals ,while gaining valuable entrepreneurial skills.

¿Quienes Somos? Photo Exhibition

2

Today Time: Ongoing Location: O’Neill Library

This photo exhibition features photographs, taken by BC students while on immersion trips to Latin America, that celebrate the essence of Hispanic culture.

Study Abroad Fair

3

Wednesday Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Conte Forum

Students can meet with advisers from the Office of International Programs, talk to students who have already studied abroad, and learn about opportunities abroad.

University

In s w e N

Study claims SAT is not biased against disadvantaged students A study financed by the College Board found no correlation between socioeconomic status and test results, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The study acknowledges that if admissions programs relied on the SAT tests heavily, students from low-income families would be at a disadvantage.

Based on current standards, however, such students make up the same percentage of applicants as they do accepted students.

The study concluded that socioeconomic status may prevent students from choosing to apply to college, not from performing well on tests.

On Campus Lynch School’s City Connects program awarded $400,000 grant The City Connects program, designed to support students in Boston’s public schools, was awarded $400,000 by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The grant will help City Connects further develop a research-based approach for helping students succeed in school. The program uses information about individual students’ academics; social, emotional, and physical health; and family to determine an individualized prevention, intervention, and enrichment plan.

“It is crucial that schools and districts are able to maintain systemic student support after the federal funding has run its course,” said Mary Walsh, executive director of City Connects and the Kearns Professor in the Lynch School of Education.

City Connects was developed at the Lynch School of Education in 2001 to address factors outside of school than affect children’s academic performance. It is in use in 16 public elementary and middle schools in Boston and six public schools in Springfield.

Local News Senator Brownsberger outlines possible routes for MBTA’s future In an open letter to the city of Boston, State Senator Will Brownsberger explained the options available to the financially troubled MBTA. One option is to resist future fare increases and defer necessary maintenance, which Brownsberger disapproves of. A second idea is to increase taxes slightly to cover infrastructural needs across the state, including the T. Brownsberger’s third suggestion is to increase fares without overburdening people who depend heavily on public transportation or introducing a fee on out-of-state drivers who benefit from the reduced traffic.

Hispanic Heritage Month opener celebrates identity

By Tanner Edwards For The Heights

Alex Gaynor/Heights Staff

Even Baldwin got into the act at the opening of Hispanic Heritage Month, which featured live mariachi music. part of the tapestry of the U.S.” The numerous culture club representatives ringing the Plaza attested to the diversity of that community, as tables celebrating groups ranging from the Brazilian Club to the Cuban-American Students Association were open to visitors throughout the evening. Group members, like the Philippine Society’s Brian Limbo, A&S ’15, took to the

stage to reflect on their cultural background through poetry.

Limbo’s reflections on identity made up just one of myriad expressions of the diversity of Hispanic culture. Daniel De Leon, A&S ’15, offered stirring thoughts on family and heritage in a spoken word performance of his own. Fuego del Corazon performed and led a Latin dance workshop. Traditional cuisine

was served to those in attendance, which included University students, professors, administrators, and a poncho-wearing, salsa-dancing Baldwin.

Erlinda Delacruz, a member of the Hispanic Heritage Month Steering Committee and A&S ’13, was impressed by the community spirit on display.

“I love the fact that it was an intercollegiate event, since we

had kids from BU and the University of Rochester performing,” Delacruz said. “Everyone seemed to have fun, especially with our bachata lessons.”

Delacruz wasn’t the only one pleased with the tone of the festival, though.

“I think the Hispanic Heritage Month Committee did a good job in showing the entire BC community that there is no one definition of what ‘Latino’ represents by displaying the many different cultures that the Hispanic community consists of,” said Nicholson Durand, A&S ’13.

Jasmine Uduma, A&S ’13, also lauded the night’s community spirit.

“I love the event this year,” Uduma said. “It’s just the type of event that BC should promote: people of all different cultures getting together to just have fun.”

Hispanic Heritage Month continues through mid-October on campus with a series of speakers, showcases, and meetings exploring and celebrating Hispanic culture. The celebration’s opening speaker, ¿Oiste? Executive Director Alejandra St. Guillen, will headline the month’s next event on Sept.

19th. n

Police Blotter

Voices from the Dustbowl

9/11/12-9/14/12

“If you could pick a new mascot for BC, what would you choose?”

Tuesday, September 11 3:42 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a Boston College student at Campion Hall who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

6:35 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding harassment reported by a BC student.

Wednesday, September 12 1:02 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding assistance provided to another police agency.

4:36 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

12:45 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student at Fitzpatrick Hall who was transported to a medical facility by cruiser.

1:59 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a suspicious circumstance occuring in Edmond’s Hall.

8:11 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student who was transported to a medical facility.

7:49 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a larceny from a non-residence building.

8:20 p.m. - An officer files a report on a found property.

“Why change it?”

—Max Gillen, A&S ’15

Friday, September 14

“A patriot.”

—Connor Ahern, A&S ’16

12:08 a.m. - An officer responded to the request for medical aid.

1:59 a.m. - An officer responded to the request for medical aid at Cushing Hall.

“The Sasquatch.”

—Jakub Frankowicz,

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

A&S ’16

75° Sunny 56°

Tuesday

75° Mostly Cloudy 58°

WEdnesday

70° Showers 52° 64° Mostly Cloudy 51°

Source: National Weather Service

A Guide to Your Newspaper The Heights Boston College – McElroy 113 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467 Editor-in-Chief (617) 552-2223 Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 Metro Desk (617) 552-3548 Features Desk (617) 552-3548 Arts Desk (617) 552-0515 Photo (617) 552-1022 Fax (617) 552-4823 Business and Operations General Manager (617) 552-0169 Advertising (617) 552-2220 Business and Circulation (617) 552-0547 Classifieds and Collections (617) 552-0364 Fax (617) 552-1753 EDITORIAL RESOURCES News Tips Have a news tip or a good idea for a story? Call David Cote, News Editor, at (617) 552-0172, or e-mail news@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the News Desk.

Sports Scores Want to report the results of a game? Call Greg Joyce, Sports Editor, at (617) 552-0189, or e-mail sports@bcheights.com.

Arts Events The Heights covers a multitude of events both on and off campus – including concerts, movies, theatrical performances, and more. Call Brennan Carley, Arts and Review Editor, at (617) 552-0515, or e-mail arts@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the Arts Desk.

Clarifications / Corrections The Heights strives to provide its readers with complete, accurate, and balanced information. If you believe we have made a reporting error, have information that requires a clarification or correction, or questions about The Heights standards and practices, you may contact Taylour Kumpf, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@ bcheights.com.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Dan Ottaunick, General Manager at (617) 552-0547.

Advertising The Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the BC community. To submit a classified, display, or online advertisement, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.

The Heights is produced by BC undergraduates and is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by The Heights, Inc. (c) 2012. All rights reserved.

9:23 p.m. - An officer filed a report on a sexual assault that occurred off campus.

3:19 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a fire alarm activation in Stayer Hall.

3:42 p.m. - An officer filed a report re- garding a traffic accident.

“A barracuda.”

—Brennan O’Boyle, CSOM ’16

Thursday, September 13

5:24 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student at Lyons Hall who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

Today

Thursday

featured story

The newly renovated O’Neill Plaza took on a Latin rhythm Friday night to kick off the fourth annual Hispanic Heritage Month at Boston College.

The Latin Soul Arts Festival, featuring spoken word performances, a photography exhibition, performances from Fuego del Corazon, and a mariachi band, marked the beginning of the month-long celebration of the Hispanic community at BC. As evidenced by the theme of “¿Quienes somos?,” this year’s festivities aim to highlight the diversity of the Latin community and encourage a deeper exploration of one’s identity in general.

Ines Maturana Sendoya, director of AHANA Student Programs, spoke to the celebration’s motif while addressing the crowd to begin the festival, emphasizing the importance of the largest AHANA community in the United States.

“When I saw the theme, I thought that this was a loaded question,” Sendoya said. “We are a diverse group of people.

To answer the question, we’re going to say that we’re a vibrant community and that we’re a

Four Day Weather Forecast

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

The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

A3

Avoiding real life at its finest

UGBC creates Policy Caucus

By Andrew Skaras Heights Staff

Andrew Skaras When I woke up nice and early Monday morning (read: 10 a.m.), I was completely ready to tackle the week ahead (read: I missed the weekend). After a little over a week of living the Vandy lifestyle, I had settled into my routines. I was thrilled to have my own bathroom across from my bedroom and enjoyed not having to rush to get ready in the morning. Needless to say, I was completely surprised when I walked into my bathroom to find a sink full of water and dark colored detritus on the counter. Not in any state to deal with it, I took my shower, filed a work order, and went off to class, assured that the problem would not be there upon my return in the evening.

Upon my return at midnight, I did not find a useable bathroom as I had hoped, but rather, a much bigger problem. The flooded sink had turned into a flooded bathroom, closet, and suite hallway, with water seeping out into the main hallway. The aforementioned detritus had expanded its range of occupation and had thoroughly ruined two rugs, a soap dispenser, hand and face towels, and other bathroom accouterments.

It goes without saying that we were ill-equipped to handle this situation. Thus, doing what any college student facing a seemingly insurmountable facilities problem in the middle of the night would do, we called the RA. Within 10 minutes, she had arrived in our room and assessed the situation as an “emergency.” Given that designation, she called BCPD and promptly returned to her slumber.

As we waited for the nighttime facilities crew to arrive, we watched as the water stains on the carpet spread further out from the initial area of incidence.

When facilities finally did arrive, they lugged in their water pump, vacuum, electric snake, and blower and made short work of the problem. After extricating a substantial amount of “gunk” (apparently a technical plumbing term) from the pipes, they thoroughly cleaned the bathroom and disposed of the detritus covered accouterments. They did all this and were out before 2 a.m.

My first response to this incident was extreme frustration.

Why couldn’t they have fixed this earlier in the day, when I put the work order in? It would have been a much smaller problem and far less damage would have been done. Plus, it wouldn’t have had to be left to the poor night shift.

On further reflection, however, I realized something else about the incident – I am glad that I was living in a residence hall on a college campus. I had to do nothing to get the problem fixed. I just called the BCPD and it cost me nothing. Had I been living in the real world, I would have had to find a good plumber at midnight, called him in, pay an exorbitant fee, and likely have to clean a huge mess myself.

In short, I am not living in the real world and I love it. While this seems like a self-evident truth, I think it is a little more complex than that. When freshmen arrive at college, all of the emphasis is on maturity and newfound freedom.

I felt like a self-sufficient adult who got to make all my decisions for myself. I could be back in my room at whatever time I wanted on Friday night and hang out with whomever I wanted. I got to choose what I wanted to study and could choose whether or not I would even go to class.

Certainly all of these things are true. What most freshman fail to realize is how protected they still are. As a sophomore, I am realizing and appreciating these things. I know it won’t last forever, but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts. So, here’s one to not being a real person.

Andrew Skaras is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at news@ bcheights.com.

Robyn Kim / Heights staff

Dan Barry, ‘New York Times’ columnist and author of ‘Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball’s Longest Game,’ was this year’s Convocation speaker.

Barry’s book explores true heroism, passion

By Samantha Costanzo Asst. News Editor

It’s hard to imagine that even the most competitive baseball players would tolerate playing for eight hours straight. It’s even harder to imagine that any fan would stay to watch them until 4 a.m. And yet, at the longest professional baseball game ever played, both did.

“I think at some point they realized that they were participants in something extraordinary, different, wonderful, historic, almost spiritual in a way,” said Dan Barry, this year’s Convocation speaker and author of Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball’s Longest Game.

The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings, the minor league affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, played for 33 innings on Holy Saturday in Pawtucket, R.I. in 1981. Umpires halted the tied game early Easter morning, and play resumed in June.

“The idea that these guys were playing in an old stadium, in a struggling mill city, on Easter Sunday morning, which means redemption, resurrection, life,

hope, aspiration … I just had a thought about, well, what is it about life’s pursuits, why would they do that, who were these guys?” Barry said.

“I think at some point they realized that they were participants in something extraordinary, different, wonderful, historic, almost spirtual in a way.”

—Dan Barry, 2012 Convocation speaker, author, and ‘Times’ Columnist He got the idea to tell the story using these familiar Easter themes after coming across a children’s book about the game.

“The hard part was trying to figure out whether anyone would

[care] about a minor league baseball game 30 years ago,” Barry said. “There’s not really a surprise, is there? Pawtucket wins. It’s a matter of record … So the tension couldn’t be found there. It had to be in the dramas of the individual players and the people who gathered in the stadium.”

Barry spoke with former managers, players, and umpires involved in the game, as well as seemingly minor characters such as the bat boy and handful of fans who stayed for the entire game.

“I’d always see, well, I’m going to be in northern California, are there any ballplayers from that game who were from there?”

Barry said. “And I found, oh yeah, there’s a guy, and I knocked on his door. It was like one story at a time.”

Two of these ballplayers, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Wade Boggs, made it to the major leagues and eventually the Hall of Fame. They were the exception, however, as most of the men involved in the historic game never did.

“They say you could buy a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in Pawtucket and by the time you got to Fenway the coffee would still be warm,” Barry said. “In New Eng-

land, it’s really that close and yet that far for a lot of these guys … their life is dedicated to trying to get to Fenway, which is just up 95, and they never get there.”

No one, especially a college freshman, wants to be told that they might fail. Barry, however, sees failure as something that should be embraced rather than avoided.

“The honor is, once you fail at an endeavor you’ve chosen, how do you respond to that failure?”

Barry said. “How do you overcome and how do you move on?”

Dave Koza, who bats in the winning run, never makes it to the major leagues, yet Barr y considers him one of the book’s heroes.

“He’s forgone college to pursue his passion—which is a big word on this campus, right? Passion. And it doesn’t go the way he had hoped … To me, Dave Koza is one of the central heroes of the book, not because he drove in the winning run of this silly game.

It’s precisely because he never made it to the major leagues, it’s precisely because he becomes a hero years after the game. He overcomes significant challenges and moves forward.” n

Five new members join BC Board of Trustees

By Brandon Stone Heights Staff As the Boston College undergraduate community welcomes the freshman Class of 2016 to its ranks, the Board of Trustees is also welcoming freshman members of its own. Five new members have joined the board for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Patrick Carney, B C ’70, is chairman and CEO of Claremont Companies. Carney founded the firm in 1968, which encompasses real estate investment, development, and asset management. He has served as chair of the Trustee Committee on Development, and he and his wife Lillian established the Frederick J. Adelmann, S.J., chair in the University’s department of philosophy.

Michael H. Devlin II, BC ’88,

is the managing director of the investment firm Curragh Capital Advisors in New York City.

Devlin has served as a member of the University’s New York Campaign Leadership and Wall Street councils. Additionally, Devlin and his brother Matthew, BC ’90, established the Katharine B. and Robert M. Devlin Student-Athlete for Education Leadership Development Program at BC. Mario J. Gabelli, a graduate of Fordham University who holds an MBA from Columbia University, is chairman and chief executive officer of GAMCO Investors, having founded the institutional broker-dealer firm in 1977. Additionally, he serves as an overseer at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and on the boards of Roger Williams University and the Winston Churchill

Foundation of the United States.

Joseph “Jay” Hooley III, BC ’79, is the chairman and chief executive officer of State Street Corp., a Boston-based financial services holding company. Hooley is additionally a member of the Carroll School of Management’s Finance Advisor y B oard and chairman of the Center for Asset Management. He also serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston Financial Data Services, Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, and the President’s Council of the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Ralph Stayer, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, is the chairman and chief executive officer of Johnsonville Sausage, LLC, of Wisconsin. Stayer serves on the board of directors of Brunswick Corp., the Boys and Girls Clubs

in the Midwest Region, and the Boomer Esiason Foundation. He is also a past chairman of the Marian College Board of Trustees, and was recently recognized for his generosity by the dedication of Stayer Hall. Stayer was publically welcomed to the Board of Trustees at the event.

The news of new members of the board of trustees comes following negative publicity in April, when Rev. Bradley M. Schaeffer, S.J., resigned from the board of trustees in the face of mounting criticism of the role he played in supervising a former Jesuit priest who faced allegations of child molestation.

The five new members were welcomed to the Board for the 2012-2013 school year, bringing the total number of trustees to more than 55. n

One of the biggest problems facing any college g roup is institutional memory. Because there is a 100 percent turnover at the undergraduate level every four years, many student groups find it difficult to maintain momentum and continuity over different generations of college students. While this does give the opportunity to reinvent themselves to better serve the current population, it also poses problems when trying to effect changes outside of the group.

This problem is particularly pronounced within student government. As a group that not only programs events for the student body, but also tries to work with the administration to make changes to university policy, student government runs into the problem of constantly new officers working with seasoned administrators.

Acutely aware of this problem, UGBC is making an effort this year to coordinate and record policy initiatives in order to change the status quo. Under the leadership of Matthew Alonsozana, senator and A&S ’14, the UGBC Senate, Cabinet, ALC, and GLC are working together to create a Policy Caucus.

“The Policy Caucus is made up of representatives of all the different groups in UGBC working on policy,” Alonsozana said.

“The goal is to coordinate policy on campus between all the different groups. The administration and student leaders want consolidation and this requires team work on a lot of issues.”

Alonsozana outlined four major goals that the caucus is trying to achieve. These goals are based on the increased interest and involvement of the student body in the University and desire to continue the trend.

“We want to foster networking and dialogue between different groups working on policy at the undergraduate level,” Alonsozana explained. “We want to promote successful collaboration on a variety of policy issues.

We want to bridge the gap between student policy coordinators and the student body itself.

Finally, we want to develop and continue a policy agenda across a sustained amount of time.”

One of the most pressing needs that the student body has identified as needing action is dining.

After the changes last year to the dining plan, many students have expressed discontent with the new mini-marts and the reclassification of Hillside. One thing that has not been implemented yet, but is planned, is the restriction on Boston College RSOs to be required to use BC Catering.

“The AHANA groups, specifically the Asian Caucus, the AHANA caucus, and ALC policy, are groups concerned with the third part of the plan, as they represent culture groups,” Alonsozana said. “The Cabinet, specifically University Affairs and Student Life, and the Senate are concerned primarily with the already implemented changes.

The hope is that by the end of the year there will be a report to submit to the administration.”

Alonsozana stressed that there are a lot of groups on campus trying to do the same things on the same issues. With the same questions being asked by multiple people, he emphasized the frustration that administrators experience.

Alonsozana highlighted the effective division of labor that can harness the skills of each group to effect change that can occur under the umbrella of the Policy Caucus.

“A university student is involved in policy for at most three years,” Alonsozana said. “Few records are kept and networks die. The Caucus tries to meet the need of continuity. The Caucus will become increasingly important, as student leaders become more discerning. I think the policy explosion will change the face of student government and student initiatives on campus for the foreseeable future.” n

A4

The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

20,000 friends of BC fill Fenway bleachers Fenway Mass, from A1 are never in competition with one another,” Himes said. “We see the fullness of humanity revealing the fullness of divinity.”

The principle that followed was “If you really want to be like God, be as human as you can possibly be.

Whatever humanizes, divinizes.”

Expanding this principle further to encompass what it means to receive a Jesuit Catholic education, Himes said, “If education means humanization, then education is central to the Church’s mission.

All education makes us more like God.” “At the end of the passage [from Mark], Jesus says if you hold onto your life and try to preserve it, you will lose it,” Himes said. “But if you give it away it becomes everlasting.”

Himes encouraged graduates and the 4,000 BC students who attended to use their education to enrich others. “The reason to be educated is to teach someone else,” he said. “You never fully realize the fruits of your education until you pass it on to someone else. To be able to give away everything is what all of us are in training to do, and in doing to, we become a little more human, and a little more holy.”

In conclusion, Himes said, “What unites us with God is our humanity, and the way to be more human is to help others to be more human.”

The Prayer of the Faithful was jointly read by UGBC President

Administrators comment on academic integrity Collaboration, from A1

Chris Osnato, A&S ’13, Daniel Dougherty, president of the student body at BC High, and Tatiana Cortes, A&S ’14.

In his comments at the end of the Mass, O’Malley cited the University’s role in Boston’s Irish history. He praised BC for its role in the “Catholic emancipation,” a reference to the strong anti-Catholic sentiment faced by early Irish immigrants to Boston, such as BC’s founder, Rev. John McElroy, S.J. “In the days of Father McElroy, it wasn’t easy to be a Catholic or immigrant in Boston, and it isn’t easy today,” O’Malley said. “We still need the giants of Catholic education to help form new disciples in the church.

“The involvement of BC with the renewal of our Catholic schools has made a huge difference,” he continued. “BC has been a very important part in the history of our local church and we are all delighted to be a part of this magnificent celebration in Fenway Park.”

The Mass also celebrated the start of Boston College High School’s academic year. About 1,000 BC High students were in attendance.

Breezy and mild late-summer weather provided a perfect backdrop for the ceremony at Fenway Park, which is celebrating its own centennial this year.

The baseball-centric setting did not go unnoticed by O’Malley, who joked to Himes that he “hit it out of the park” and that “the Boston Red Sox should get you, they need you.” n

noted in an email that the incoming freshmen will be required to take the online academic integrity tutorial.

“There are at least a couple of questions that address this issue of collaboration vs. collusion, as we know that it can be difficult at times for students to distinguish between the two,” Dunsford said.

Both deans agreed when it came to how they want faculty to handle the issue. They emphasized the need for professors to be clear and concise about the directions for their assignments. Quigley went on to mention that the University plans to open a center for teaching excellence to provide professors with more resources on the subjects of cheating and collaboration.

As with the government class at Harvard, there are many courses at

BC that allow and encourage collaboration. Michael Moore, director of psychology undergraduate studies, teaches a seminar of The Courage to Know that encourages students to talk to one another about their assignments. Moore believes that the collaboration among his students allows them to reflect on their ideas more deeply.

He is quick to point out that the students must write their own papers, however. “It seems straightforward,” Moore said.

“You’re supposed to do your own work. Bottom line is it’s not the teacher’s fault.”

He said the scandal has not surprised him, but the reaction and debate over what is permissible for take-home work has. Moore said, “It’s not as simple as this, but if you’re doing something on an assignment that’s questionable, you should probably ask yourself, ‘Would I tell the professor about this?’” n

Students can work with peers to solve health issues Health Coaches, from A1

graham beck / heights editor

The Mass at Fenway Park was concelebrated by 100 members of the Boston College Jesuit community, Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., and Cardinal Sean O’Malley.

Zhu, A&S ’15, works with “Well, Why Not?” a program on general wellness, and “Choices,” an alcohol and drug program. “We’re trying to educate the students,” said Zhu, who says that the program informs rather than pushes the students.

“At the end of the day, the choice is theirs.” Zhu also stresses the holistic approach of the health coaches.

“We look at the overall health of the individual. The spiritual, the physical, the emotional … We look at everything,” she said.

Scott Thomas, A&S ’13, is the lead health coach. He joined the program at its inception last year.

“I started off in OHP, and they explained their whole program and what their vision was,” Thomas said.

“I thought it would be cool to see something from the beginning. It’s good to see the school can still grow and start new things.”

According to Thomas, the program is designed with the students in mind as the most important aspect. “We’re always here for the students, first and foremost,” he said.

Students can visit the Office of Health Promotion website, bc.edu/ healthpro, to set up a meeting with

a coach. The student takes a self-assessment about his or her lifestyle, called an IHP, or Individual Health Plan.

There are also many other events put on by the Office of Health Promotion around campus, including the “Be Well Series” and educational tabling events to be held in the Quad on Fridays until October.

“We try to guide students to create a balance in their lives with school work, service, work, and socializing, and that can help them feel more in control over their lives,” Phillips said.

Coming up soon from the OHP is “Healthapalooza,” which will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in O’Neill Plaza.

This event will feature food tastings, yoga, and 10 licensed massage therapists. This will kick off this year’s “Sweet Dreamzzz” campaign, aimed to help students on campus understand the importance of sleep and strategies for improving sleep hygiene.

“We’re doing it big,” Thomas said. “We’re in full swing.”

The OHP is currently recruiting for Health Coaches. Students can visit the website to apply to become a health coach, or request a program or individual health plan online. n

Barry challenges freshmen class to try Convocation, from A1 great-hearted, and ready to make a difference in the world. Go set the world aflame.” With these words, the Class of 2016 began its procession through campus to Conte Forum.

The ceremony began with the Liturgical Arts Group leading the hymn “All Are Welcome,” directly followed by Marchese’s welcoming address to the freshmen.

“What awaits you here is the possibility of growth, of new friendship, and enhanced capabilities in further advancements,” Marchese said. He went on to remind the students that their time here at BC should be used to contemplate the individual that each is, as well as the individual that they hope to become.

He then opened the floor to Leahy, who impressed upon the Class of

2016 the importance of giving of oneself to others as well as being open to accepting that which others have to offer.

“It is important that you wonder, that you listen to yourself, and also that you act, that you strive to help make Boston College better and better,” Leahy said. He welcomed the freshman class to BC and offered the podium to the convocation’s keynote speaker, Barry.

Barry has been a journalist for over 30 years, and his book, Bottom of the 33rd, chronicles the longest game in baseball history, a minor league game played in Pawtucket, R.I. on Holy Saturday and into Easter Sunday—however, the book is about more than just baseball.

“It’s about baseball, but it’s also about life,” Barry said. He went on to state that it is about the struggle that all humans must face. He quoted Mother Theresa, saying, “God

doesn’t require that we succeed, he only requires that we try.” This was Barry’s challenge to the Class of 2016. “What matters now is now.

You worked hard to get to Boston College … the last stop between life on your own … this is yours now, make the most of it, try.”

The novel’s primary focus, in the wake of the longest game, is a player who failed to make the Major Leagues, had been through a divorce, and was struggling with alcoholism.

This man ultimately decided that his life could be something better, started going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and tried to turn his life into something better. Barry’s message to the Class of 2016 was that failure will always come—the true measure of a person’s success is how he reacts to this failure, if he can rise above. The true measure of a person’s success is the extent to which he tries. n robyn kim / heights staff

robyn kim / heights staff

The Class of 2016 was welcomed to Boston College Thursday night with the ninth annual Academic Convocation ceremony.

CLASSIFIEDS

The Heights

A5

Monday, September 17, 2012

Community Help wanted Personal Assistant needed to organize and help. Basic computers skills needed, good with organization. We are ready to pay $650 per week to any interested person. Should contact wendell_willis@hotmail.com.

help wanted Study buddy needed. BC freshman looking for study companion for Literary Themes. Will take any available assistance, not particular. Open to help from freshmen to seniors. Inquiries may be sent to: jennlamonca@ yahoo.com.

help wanted Used bicycle wanted. Mild to moderate use preferred. A bright paint color is desired. Willing to pay variable price but will also take it off your hands for free. Please contact carljones@yahoo.com if interested.

Check out the B-Line at theb-line.tumblr.com

Directions: The Sudoku is played over a 9x9 grid. In each row there are 9 slots, some of which are empty and need to be filled.

Each row, column and 3x3 box should contain the numbers 1 to 9. You must follow these rules: 路 Number can appear only once in each row 路 Number can appear only once in each column 路 Number can appear only once in each 3x3 box 路 The number should appear only once on row, column or area.

A6

The Heights

Editorials

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Clarification needed on academic integrity

Monday, September 17, 2012

“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”

-Henry Kissinger (1923-), former Secretary of State

Professors should examine collaboration rules and more plainly articulate their guidelines In light of the recent cheating scandal at Harvard, The Heights would like to take this opportunity to encourage both students and faculty at Boston College to ensure that they understand the many facets of scholastic honesty.

Plagiarizing papers or copying the work of others during tests are blatant violations of academic integrity—and therefore both easy to catch and to avoid. Far harder to navigate are the moral gray spaces that often exist when the standards of scholarship differ from class to class. When professors simply ask their students to consult BC’s online Academic Integrity page–which in turn refers the student back to the professors’ own judgment –confusion will inevitably arise.

The Heights would like to encourage BC faculty to demystify academic integrity guidelines from the outset of each semester and make clear their stance on what constitutes collaboration, versus what they regard as collusion. Professors are responsible for setting out clear guidelines for what

does and does not amount to cheating in their respective courses.

For instance, in some classes, dense and confusing material makes collaborative learning helpful in processing material. If professors tolerate or even encourage cooperation in studying, they should set explicit parameters at the beginning of the class for what they do and do not find acceptable.

Likewise, if instructors insist that all work be strictly individual, they ought to make this expectation clear so that students are not caught off guard if accused of violating policy.

Furthermore, in classes that utilize teaching assistants, students and TAs alike should be clearly told the limits of what information the TAs are allowed to give out.

The Heights believes that the student body is more than capable of committing themselves to the practice of honest scholarship—however, plainly articulated guidelines tailored to each class would make adhering to such principles far less complicated.

Caucus a welcome step toward long-term change The Heights asks potential UGBC presidental candidates to retain the strong ideas of former administrations The Heights commends the effort of the UGBC in overseeing the formation of a UGBC Policy Caucus. We believe the Policy Caucus is a fantastic idea that will ensure that ideas brought in every year by new administrations will not be neglected. The rapid but necessary turnover of officers within the student government often leaves long-term plans, such as projects involving changes within BC Dining, only partially accomplished before the next administration comes in and begins implementing its own ideas.

While we recognize that new officers want to leave their own impression on the student body via some sort of posi-

tive change, their ambitions often result in equally-as-valuable initiatives from former officers falling by the wayside.

The Heights believes that the UGBC Policy Caucus will provide officers with a vehicle to ensure their plans are not neglected, and will ultimately result in a better-off student body.

The Heights would also like to remind future UGBC Cabinet presidential candidates that the mark of a great leader is not always coming up with a bold, new plan for change but also in continuing on the plans that were not fully achieved by past officers. Attention to the wants of the student body, old and new, is what distinguishes a leader as great.

Health coaches provide tailored health plan

Robin Miller/ Heights Illustration

Letter to the Editor The following letter is in response to ‘A culture of constant change’ by Andrew Skaras: As I read your article in The Heights on Monday, Sept. 10 issue, you reawaken my own childhood experience of growing up as well. Being born the first America generation of Cape Verde ancestry (key word “ancestry”), your article sparked a remembrance of my own experience growing up not only in an American city battling (at the time of being so naive) the ideologies of one culture while trying to assimilate within another culture. Being much older, your article also reminded me of a different set of acknowledgment for the dual cultural differences one has inherited. As our elders sang the songs of the motherland, as you referenced in the frozen times of their past, there was the urgency for their offspring to assimilate with their future.

It is sad that America’s influence across many nations is changing the cultural landscape. We know this all too well within our own American soils as we witness the constant political changes to curtail any more cultural enhancement. It is also sad that nations, ours included, do not value cultural differences. It is that difference which makes it so enriching.

I really enjoyed your article and hope to read many more. Thank you for giving me an insight as to what your generation is thinking about the cultural changes taking place not only at home but abroad.

The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 200 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages.

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

to the newspaper.

Submissions must be signed and should include the author’s connection to Boston College, address, and phone number. Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

Alice Baker Administrative Assistant Office of University Advancement

The Heights urges students to try OHP’s new Health Coach initiative to address unhealthy aspects of life The Heights would like to commend the Office of Health Promotion (OHP) on their expanded Health Coach program. The initiative, which was started last year, trains students to lead individual and group discussions on a variety of health issues, as well as create tailored health plans.

As college students, maintaining a “healthy” lifestyle is exceedingly difficult. When trying to juggle classes, extracurriculars, and a vibrant social life, our well-being usually suffers in some way—whether it is missing

“W hate ver facet of your life could use some extra guidance, the OHP has the resources and appropriate program to assist you.” sleep, eating a quick but unhealthy meal, skipping that workout, or accidentally drinking too much on a Saturday night. No one has the “perfect” balance.

The Heights believes, however, that the Health Coach program can help students come close. The coaches are trained to discuss a wide variety of health problems, such as nutritional health, sexual health, stress management, alcohol and drug use, and GLBTQ health issues. Whatever facet of your life could use some extra guidance, the OHP has the resources and appropriate program to assist you.

In addition, The Heights would like to acknowledge the structural strength of this program. All 45 of the Health Coaches are students, and therefore will probably better understand the specific needs of those they are advising. We also think that having peers run group discussions is beneficial, as fellow students will most likely feel more comfortable discussing issues with those who they believe identify with their predicaments.

We at The Heights urge students to look into a meeting with a Health Coach and support those who choose to attend their programs. Personal health is not a matter to ignore, and taking steps to address individual imbalances is an admirable choice indeed.

The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Taylour Kumpf, Editor-in-Chief Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager Lindsay Grossman, Managing Editor

Business and Operations

Editorial Eleanor Hildebrandt, Copy Editor David Cote, News Editor Greg Joyce, Sports Editor Therese Tully, Features Editor Brennan Carley, Arts & Review Editor Charlotte Parish, Metro Editor Elise Taylor, Opinions Editor Molly Lapoint, Special Projects Editor Jae Hyung (Daniel) Lee, Photo Editor Maggie Burdge, Layout Editor

Alex Manta, Graphics Editor Katie McClurg, Online Manager Michelle Tomassi, Assoc. Copy Editor Chris Grimaldi, Asst. Copy Editor Andrew Millette, Assoc. News Editor Sam Costanzo, Asst. News Editor Chris Marino, Assoc. Sports Editor Austin Tedesco, Asst. Sports Editor Alexandra Schaeffer, Asst. Features Editor Taylor Cavallo, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor

Dan Siering, Asst. Arts & Review Editor Marc Francis, Asst. Metro Editor Graham Beck, Asst. Photo Editor Mary Rose Fissinger, Asst. Layout Editor Joseph Castlen, Asst. Graphics Editor David Riemer, Asst. Online Manager Devon Sanford, Editorial Assistant Cathryn Woodruff, Executive Assistant

Jamie Ciocon, Business Manager James Gu, Advertising Manager Adriana Mariella, Outreach Coordinator Amy Hachigian, National Sales Manager Daniel Arnold, Local Sales Manager Natasha Ettensberger, Collections Manager DJ Terceiro, Asst. Local Sales Manager Christina Quinn, Project Coordinator

The Heights

Thursday, September 17, 2012

A7

Opinions

Reflecting on Aurora

Thumbs Up Genuflecting at the Green Monster- Thousands of students, faculty, and alumni made their way to Fenway for the Sesquicentennial Mass on Saturday. While we might have preferred watching a baseball game, Father Himes really did “hit it out of the park” with his thoughtful homily. And the best part?

We managed to stay awake through the entire mass.

Day off from Football - We love tailgating . We really do. But there is something so relaxing about not having to spend our entire day on Shea. This Saturday, we slept in, went to Johnny’s, watched some Hulu then slept some more. It was some much needed R&R before the game on Parents’ Weekend.

Not sure if our parents will want to participate in our Shea shenanigans or just be appalled by our general lifestyle… .

A little slice of history- It took us a while to realize they were there, but Boston College has put markers in front of all its historical buildings and major campus sites (such as Alumni) in honor of its 150th. We never really thought of BC as a school with a rich history, but these signs give us a glimpse into the people and places that made BC what it is today.

New discoveries- A new species of monkey, called the Lesula, was discovered in the depths of the Congo on We dne sday. In an age where it seems all has been discovered and put on Google Earth, it’s humbling to remember we still do not know everything about our amazing planet.

contemporary ethos to the same magnitude. No, lawmakers probably won’t risk provoking a debate about such a divisive topic with an election looming in the fall. And yes, just as with previous deadly shooting rampages like Columbine and Virginia Tech, this will remain a hot topic for the next couple of months as the shooter(s) occasionally appears in court

Matthew Auker When James Holmes went on a violent shooting spree in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. two months ago, killing 12 people and injuring 58, the national media swooped in with the same irresponsible news coverage it always indulges in with these kinds of horrific acts of violence, and, as always, we let it off the hook.

Incessant loops of the shooter’s background, inquiries into his mental history, and interviews with people who knew both the shooter and victims—the list goes on. While this is to be expected from today’s 24-hour news cycle that stands to profit off of every shot of a crying mother or suspect’s courtroom appearance, what should infuriate Americans is the question repeatedly posed by media outlets from the local news to Sunday morning talk shows. “Will this latest episode of gun violence ignite a debate about gun control policy in America?”

Subsequent shootings in the following weeks that made national news (if only briefly) added some marginal fuel to the fire, including a disgruntled former employee shooting a co-worker outside the Empire State Building, as well as a rampage at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin that resulted in six fatalities. Yet still, the same questions regarding a lurking policy debate were asked with little offered in the way of an answer.

The incident was poked, prodded, and assessed from every possible political angle, but in the end it won’t go further than that. What needs to happen, what the media in a democratic country owes the citizenry, is to be the entity that sparks that debate. No other institution is capable of supplementing the nation’s

Terrifying new discoveriesBiologists in Africa weren’t the only people to discover a new species this week. A new species of squirrel, called the Devil Reincarnate, was discovered on Gerald Road this weekend. No, they ’re not just the same ol’ squirrels you see around campus, because those squirrels don’t knock over your trashcan, drag all of its contents across your driveway, and take a bath in your discarded mac’ n cheese. No, that is not a regular squirrel.

Overwhelmed immune systems- We’ve been here for two weeks and we have a sore throat, stuffy nose, and a slight headache. College truly is the ultimate germy cesspool.

Bomb threats- The University of Texas Austin, North Dakota State, and Hiram College in Ohio all received bomb threats last week— a ver y troubling series of events indeed. College is supposed to be a home away from home, not a subject of terrorism.

Mayer overdose- Recent superstar Frank Ocean debuted on SNL this week, and somehow John Mayer weaseled his way into the performance.

He’s just so creepy with his sullen face, slicked back hair, and serial dating record. We get it, you can play a guitar.

Like TU, TD? Follow us at @BCTUTD

and then fades from the spotlight, only to be replaced by the next act of violence grabbing viewers’ attention. But this will continue to be the case—gun violence will persist, the modern-day American populace will continue to remain largely apathetic, and the status quo will be maintained. And in an age when highpowered assault rifles can be purchased at a gun show with very little in the way of background checks, America needs this debate—our current gun policies simply aren’t working. How many more lives must be destroyed by some deranged lunatic with all the ammunition he can get his hands on before a mature and sensitive conversation about the role of guns in our society will take place?

Maddening as it is, the entirety of the blame for the absence of an open dialogue on the subject cannot be placed directly on the media. Politicians from both sides of the political spectrum have failed to accomplish any semblance of bipartisan cooperation on just about every issue

Matthew Auker is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

Tarantino: Putting a cap on it Clay Venetis

Thumbs Down

“It is absolutely true that millions of Americans have valid reasons for possessing guns. But the simple fact is that firearms are made for the specific function of inflicting harm.”

leading up to the election. Gun control policy also faces an uphill battle from a lobbying perspective. The pro-gun juggernaut National Rifle Association pulled in over $200 million in 2010 while its largest counterpart, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, received $3.3 million.

It is absolutely true that millions of Americans have valid reasons for possessing guns. But the simple fact is that firearms are made for the specific function of inflicting harm. Medications can be dangerous, appliances can be dangerous, and household chemicals can be dangerous, but the intended uses for these are not for the sake of lethal damage. Guns are made to kill, and as such they need to be regulated far more efficiently to prevent people like Holmes from being able to obtain them.

The media, instead of dancing around both sides of the argument and idly wondering if the real debate will ever happen, can and should be the catalyst for it. Good, demanding, non-partisan talk show hosts are a dying breed, and anyone that even brings up the notion of a gun control policy talk is immediately labeled by the NRA/Tea Party contingent as just another example of the liberal media up to its old tricks. So granted, any media entity that attempts this is in for an uphill battle, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it if the next massacre can be avoided.

If a serious and widespread debate about this is to take place, it will not start with the politicians and it will not start with interest groups. The opposition to even opening up the topic to discussion is simply too powerful. It must start with an engaged and accountable media that lives up to its obligations to the people, and I for one am holding out hope that we get one before we’re forced to meet the next James Holmes.

When you can look back on the kind of filmography that renowned do-it-his-own-way filmmaker Quentin Tarantino can, you might start asking yourself where to go next.

Have I written and directed my own scripts with my own production company? Yes. Have I established a personal style recognized by my last name with the suffix “esque” tagged on the end? Yes. Is every actor in Hollywood dying to work on my films in order to act out dialogue that is almost guaranteed to make them look brilliant on screen? Yes. And have I, as Orson Welles hoped to do, left the craft in which I am working better for having done what I did? Yes, arguably.

Tarantino does not need an Oscar or Palme d’Or to reflect his art’s worth, though. Now that even your corner grocery store is offering a prize for film submissions, a golden-coated hunk of metal is no longer conclusive. His opinion in film festival judging rooms holds enough weight for a committee of 25. What he needs cannot come from any more adornments. It can only come from the execution of a final master plan.

But before I delve into what I think that plan is, let us remember that Tarantino is the film student par excellence. Few others today seem to know and appreciate the history of motion picture as he does. His stories about his own movie making are legendary. His references to past films and television fly far over the “late night” audiences’ heads, but he is not an academic huddled in film anthology libraries. He is actively making the history he is so enamored with.

Robert Richardson, who shot so many

Bazoomie Wagon

of Martin Scorsese’s films, is a subject of rigorous study for any student of cinematography. Tarantino now gets to keep him close. The art and production design of J. Michael Riva pops up in every other hit film in the last decade. Tarantino uses him too.

But the salient mark of his commitment to film is the constant demand he makes of everyone on his set when opting for another take: “Why?” Tarantino asks rhetorically. “Because we love making movies!” shouts everyone in unison. It takes true zeal to keep the grizzled grip enthusiastic about that one.

Now, to the plan. If I were a student and competitive player of chess who has made a name for myself, I would wish to spend the back end of my career doing something nuanced and personally enriching with the game. I have studied the progression of typical strategies, players and famous moves. I have somehow won tournaments by my own decision-making processes. Why not start trying to win by using each historical style and my own finishing flare? I would take every strategy from chess class to its fruition and make novel moves as well, leaving everyone asking, “What could anyone do in chess after that?”

This, I believe, is just what Tarantino is doing in film. He is taking the most ingrained genres he grew up studying and trying to cap them off with a guttural bang. The path of the Ronin samurai in feudal Japan became a western norm through the handiwork of Kurosawa. Tarantino took it and threw in a blond bombshell, whose number of near-death experiences is exceeded only by her overall kill count (77 over two films).

With Inglourious Basterds, he made the World War II Nazi film to end all Nazi films. He killed Hitler, found actors who could speak every European language, and sent a band of JewishAmericans on a suicidal vendetta.

Tarantino was obviously fed up with

BY Ben Vadnal

films about world wars in which everyone spoke English, making the assumption that, if these American spies are really attending this German officer’s dinner party incognito, they must have acquired flawless and unerring accents at some point in their lives.

Soon he will release Django Unchained, a spaghetti western mapping the revenge of a newly freed slave.

It will have gun-slinging montages, bounties collected, and plenty of slave-driving bigots to be killed.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz will also be on the same screen.

And it will not lack the slow building, high-tension dialogue that mark Tarantino’s greatest achievements.

His antagonists are never short of wife murderers, sexual slavers, and Europe-ravagers. He could be making films just to annihilate the evil archetypes easiest to demonize, but I think he has a greater plan to retire motion picture’s archetypes themselves. If we see a trailer for a Tarantino prohibition-era mob film in a few summers, we’ll know.

Clay Venetis is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@ bcheights.com.

On dressing the part

Patricia Quintero During summer, I received an email about an amazing opportunity to write for The Heights—something I had always wanted to try, but had never gotten around to doing. I sent my writing sample, not because I had any real expectation that I would get it, but more so because of my new life motto that “you always regret more the things you don’t do than the ones you do.”

What the heck, right? Well, now you’re reading my very first column, and still, I can hardly believe it.

Along with my introduction to the world of news writing came the not-so-fun reality of deadlines.

While freaking out about what to write and recruiting my friends to help me with my brainstorming, one of them suggested via Facebook that I write about how everyone should try to be more like Spiderman and attached a meme of a man harnessed to a building cleaning the outside of its windows. It read: “Dress up for the job you want, not the one you have.” The man was dressed like Spiderman.

While it was very tempting to take her suggestion—and maybe I will for a future column, so hang on to your seats—it sparked another train of thought for me: can dressing a certain way really get us what we want? It’s undeniable that, here in BC as well as in our lives in general, our culture gives a fair amount of importance to the way you put yourself together—a big part of this being your clothing choices.

It’s commonly accepted that, when headed to a job interview or an important meeting, you should look professional and hopefully at your best. This idea is really about the impression you want to make, more so than about whether or not you have the competence to back up such an impression.

However, if we analyze our “Spidey” meme, we can come to the conclusion that the fact that the window cleaner guy is hanging from what looks like a pretty tall building makes him more like Spiderman than the Spiderman costume he’s wearing. It’s also more than reasonable to say that dressing like a CEO, a lawyer, an artist, or a doctor doesn’t make you any of those things. So why is it so important to dress the part?

I have never been too obsessed with the fashion decisions I make daily, but I do obsess over what I’m wearing to specific occasions, such as the first time I met my boyfriend’s parents. He still insists that they would have liked me no matter what I wore (boys … ) but I find it hard to believe that it would have been the case if I had worn something overtly inappropriate. There are other less obvious circumstances when you’re expected to dress in a specific way to enhance your chances of getting something that you want. If you’re a girl and you’ve ever tried to get into a club or bar that you’re not allowed in, you know exactly what I’m talking about: you have to dress the part (as in, wear the opposite of what you would wear to meet your boyfriend’s parents). The fact of the matter is, whether it should be that way and whether we like it or not, impressions matter. Dressing outside of these norms is definitely not wrong and it’s probably more fun, but it is also riskier.

It is sensible to conclude that while dressing the part is important, in the end you have to act the part too. Initially, you might get a job because you made a great physical impression, but you’re not going to keep it if your professional capabilities don’t follow through.

An impression is only as good as how long you can keep it up for (which is why it’s easier to get away with getting in a nightclub you’re not allowed into than working in a position that you’re not qualified for). To be even more blunt, our window-cleaning friend would have to acquire some serious super-villain butt-kicking skills to add to his awesome attire and his lack of fear of heights, before we can start considering him a superhero.

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

The Heights

A8

Monday, September 17, 2012

‘Sleepwalk’ depicts both real life laughs and relatable struggles

By Sebastian Gilbert For The Heights

The initial trailer for Sleepwalk With Me is peppered with stand-up comic Mike Birbiglia’s awkward droll, dry delivery, and most of all, witticisms about real life – like justifying serious relationships by satirizing them. Or is he? What this film does specifically Sleepwalk With Me: for the audience is show Mike Birbiglia Bedrocket Media independent filmgoers that Birbiglia can do more than just prepare a comedy routine for a televised special. Or, as his character Matt Pandamiglio learns (that’s right—this is the name Birbiglia chose for himself ), that you can successfully perform a half-hour set with only 11 minutes of material—even if you totally tank it. It can still be done, no matter how poorly executed it may be.

What’s eerily funny about this movie is that the audience sees how real a problem sleep deprivation is for comedians. Pissing away your money for gas on thousand-mile trips over a few days in a P.O.S. vehicle

B

to only get a chunk of change in return, in addition to the world’s worst plate of chicken fingers, isn’t glamorous. Quite frankly, it sucks. When all is said and done, the life of a comedian, for the most part, just isn’t always funny. It’s more or less the punchline of a joke.

Anyone can relate. Struggling to obtain that ever-so-hard-to-grasp American Dream—to become someone who isn’t struggling. Struggles cause stress, whether it’s feeling trapped in a relationship, avoiding your overbearing parents, comparing your life with your sister’s picture-perfect one, or even realizing your own loser status. These will always provide fodder for great comedic material because all you can do at the end of the day is laugh — or jump out a two-story window because your anxiety level reaches so high you actually enact your dreams where you jump out a window — which is funny. That is, when it’s Birbiglia, and not you.

Lauren Ambrose (Can’t Hardly Wait, Six Feet Under) has a quietly great performance as Pandamiglio’s long-term squeeze of eight years, playing the girl who is perfectly satisfied with not getting married

but completely insulted when Pandamiglio expresses the same “well, yeah, no I don’t want to get married either, do you?” sentiment. Stability seems to at first be the strength of their relationship, but it soon becomes the harbinger of something worse when being too comfortable turns out to be both their problems. One wonders whether or not Pandamiglio will be able to get his big break, fix his disorder, and get the girl all at once.

Pandamiglio’s judgmental father, played

by James Rebhorn (Scent of a Woman, Independence Day), also tactfully blends “dad humor” with “dad disappointment” The dynamic is strongest when pitted against Birbiglia’s apathetic character regarding the P.O.S. Volvo his dad lent him to travel across the northeast for gigs—it’s safe to say the EZ Pass still works, but it just may or may not still be in Pandamiglio’s dad’s name.

There are several other small comedian cameos in the film, including the The Daily Show’s Wyatt Cenac and Kristen Schaal, as well as comedienne Jesse Klein, who is in probably the funniest scene in the film involving a pizza blanket and sauce that is

Hardy helms a ‘Lawless’ adventure

Courtesy of Bedrocket Media

Comedian Mike Birbiglia stars in and directs this semi-autobiographical, sleep deprived tale. apparently just “way, way, way too hot.”

But Birbiglia’s autobiographically inspired, although apparently fictitious, account of his life does a good job of balancing the comedic undertones that unfortunately exist in the accurate portrayal of what it’s like to see a relationship slowly deconstruct itself until it implodes. It begs the question of how accurate the narrative is compared to Birbiglia’s life because it

hits so frighteningly close to home for an utterly mind-boggling quarter-life crisis.

If it is true, I guess the frustration and confusion swirling around Pandamiglio turns out to be funny, because writerdirector Birbiglia got the last laugh in the end. But if it isn’t true, well, then I guess Birbiglia can add successful screenwriter and director to his growing comedic resume. n

Box Office Report title

weekend gross

weeks in release

1 photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com

1. resident evil: retribution

21.1

1

2. finding nemo 3d

17.5

1

3. the possession

5.8

3

courtesy of pie films inc.

Set during the prohibition, ‘Lawless’ is filled with genuine depictions of relatable human experiences: love, honor, friendship, and family.

By Carolina Del Busto Heights Staff

The time of prohibition must have been a really bloody stain in our history. And after watching Lawless, you’ll think that the only reason the government lifted the ban on alcohol was because of the Bondurant brothers—and that’s probably partially true.

After all, the movie does boast that it’s based on a true story.

M o s t l y, lawless: Hollywood can’t be John Hillcoat trusted much Pie Films Inc. when they use the phrase “based on a true story” or “inspired by true events,” but in the case of Lawless, it was adapted from the novel titled The Wettest County in the World, which was written by Matt Bondurant, who is the grandchild of Jack Bondurant and grand nephew of Forrest and Howard Bondurant, the central characters in the film.

In an article published by The Daily Beast, Matt says that the discovery by his father of old newspaper stories about his grandfather and the great shooting on Maggodee Creek Bridge in 1930, inspired him to write the story of his grandfather and his brothers. It was also a way for him to make up for lost time. “I think of the missed opportunities, the chances I had to talk to my grandfather, and I get angry and filled with regret,” he said. But now, aside from the tangible book, Matt has Lawless to act as his visual connection to the past.

B+ B

The Bondurant brothers were famous in the 1930s in the town of Franklin County, Va., especially the eldest brother, Forrest.

People of the town greatly respected Forrest, and many told stories that he was nearly indestructible—as a child he was plagued with a disease that killed his parents, but he survived it, but he was stabbed and shot various times and came through alive and well. So naturally, all the Bondurant brothers thought of themselves as above the law and practically immortal.

The backdrop for the film is the town of Franklin County, and the central conflict is three brothers who are making and selling alcohol – “moonshine” as they called it – during prohibition. A corrupt man of the law from Chicago, played by the talented Guy Pearce, comes into town and offers to look the other way in exchange for a piece of the profits. But, as Forrest plainly puts it, “I’m a Bondurant.

We don’t lay down for nobody.” This doesn’t sit well with the officer from Chicago, Mr. Charlie Rakes, so then begins the fighting and shooting and name-calling and chasing and proud won’t-back-down moments that are essential to these western-style tales.

Jessica Chastain plays the quiet beauty Maggie, who gets a job working at the bar owned by the Bondurant brothers. Any other actress would have faded away in the background behind the three bothers, played

by Shia LaBeouf (Jack), Tom Hardy (Forrest), and Jason Clarke (Howard). The character of Maggie is smaller than a normal supporting role, but Chastain proved that there are no small roles (only small actors), and she nearly

stole every scene she was in.

Nothing bad can be said about the acting when it comes to Lawless—the chemistry between the three Bondurant brothers was great, and the distinction between the eldest and in-charge brother (Forrest), the righthand man and a bit of a drunk middle brother (Howard), and the youngest who is naive and messes up a lot (Jack) was spot-on. LaBeouf did remind me, however, of his old Even Stevens days when he played troublemaker and younger brother Louis Stevens. His character messed up a lot then also.

Veteran leading man Gary Oldman (and one of my personal favorite actors) was part of the cast as mob-man Floyd Banner. At first, when Oldman’s character appears on screen, it looks as if Banner will be a central character to the conflict, and when something bad happens, you want to think it’s his bidding, but alas, it isn’t. Oldman plays a much smaller supporting role than Chastain, but once again, his talent only helps the overall film for the better.

The story itself was interesting and engaging—however, there were moments when scenes lasted a bit longer than they should have, or it took too long to get to the point, or moments that were not central to the overall story. Yet, these moments were few, so don’t let this discourage you.

Lawless is a hefty tale about breaking the law, love, loyalty, friendship, and above all, family. If anything at all, I would say that Hardy’s performance is so genuine that aside from carrying the film, it makes it worth the trip to the theater. n

5

9

4. lawless

4.2

3

5. paranorman

3.0

5

6. the expendables 2

3.0

5

7. the words

2.8

2

8. the bourne legacy

2.8

6

9. the odd life of timothy green

2.5

5

10. the campaign

2.4

6

bestsellers of hardcover fiction 1. stolen prey John Sandford 2. 11th Hour James Patterson 3. Columbus Affair Steve Berry 4. Deadlocked Charlaine Harris 5. Calico Joe John Grisham

6. Innocent David Baldacci 7. In One person John Irving 8. Wind through the keyhole Stephen King 9. Bring Up the bodies Hilary Mantel SOURCE: Publisher’s Weekly

‘Robot and Frank’ provides an utterly charming friendship tale

By Allan Guzman Heights Staff

It’s a bit difficult to sort Robot & Frank into one solid genre. It’s science fiction, but there are no flying cars or meals in pill form.

It produces a generous amount of laughs, but it’s not really a comedy. And it revolves around serious themes, yet it doesn’t take itself too seriously to be a drama. Whatever genre Robot and Frank: it may land in–or hop Jake Schreier around–RoTBB Films bot & Frank is a lovely little film that is both pleasant and thoughtful.

The film is set sometime in the near future, where technology has continued to advance at a rapid pace, though not so much that we lose our grasp on it. Robots are a regular sight, found in homes and libraries.

Televisions and telephones are one and the same, while cell phones are hair-thin slices of glass, much like what we anticipated the iPhone 5 to look like.

Frank, portrayed by a praiseworthy Frank Langella, is a “retiree” with a colorful past in jewelry theft. Still attached to his former occupation, Frank occasionally shoplifts

B+ B

the odd porcelain dog or two from the local boutique. He also spends his time doing a fair amount of reading, which he partly uses as an excuse to visit Jennifer, played by Susan Sarandon, one of the few employees remaining at the aging and forgotten library. The venerable edifice can’t escape the advances of technology, however, as it is being repossessed by a 20-something yuppie named Jake (Jeremy Strong), who wishes to reimagine the “modern library experience.”

A divorcee of nearly 30 years, Frank lives alone in his largely disheveled house. He does keep in contact with his two children, though. Hunter, played by James Marsden, is a perpetually occupied businessman who is hardly able to spend time with his wife and children. He visits Frank every weekend—a habit that he’s becoming increasingly tired of, given that it’s a five-hour trip each way. Frank’s daughter Madison, portrayed by Liv Tyler, is the social justice-conscious, out-tosave-the-world type. She spends much of her time aiding disadvantaged people in Turkmenistan, a place she calls “beautiful … but so sad … but so beautiful.”

In addition to his disarranged family, Frank has an escalating problem: His memory is deteriorating – a fact that has his two children concerned for his well-being.

Particularly concerned about his father’s waning memory, and because Frank refuses to move to a “brain center” to aid his condition, Hunter purchases a robot assistant for Frank. The charming little machine is programmed to stimulate Frank’s daily routine through projects and a healthy diet.

As would be expected with any old-timer, though, Frank loathes the thing. The robot perseveres, however, and encourages Frank to wake up early, do exercise, and start a garden. Needless to say, the robot begins to grow on Frank. Before long, Frank realizes that he values the robot more than he cares to admit, especially when he decides to take his daily projects to an unexpected level: by going back to his old cat-burglarizing ways.

The cast is colorful and appealing, particularly the robot, voiced by Peter Sarsgaard. Although the technology is perhaps years away, the miniature automaton feels eerily believable. In fact, during the end credits, the audience is given a few glimpses at the progress that robots are making in the present day – and it is as fascinating as it is scary.

Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon form a lovely pair—like two teenagers from a lost generation, trying to adapt to the rapidly advancing and unforgiving future. Marsden and

Courtesy of TBB Films

Frank Langella plays the isolated protagonist with a robot friend in this charming film.

Tyler do a solid job as supporting characters, and Strong’s unnervingly obnoxious character simply begs you to hate him. Yet it is Langella’s performance that drives the film. He is authentic as an old codger who eventually comes to embrace his artificial assistant.

Some may find that the film drags a smidge, but director Jake Schreier is successful at keeping the audience entertained through a mix of genuinely funny comedy and drama. The film juggles various themes–chief among them the inevitable evolution of technology and how we as humans will be able to adapt to it—but more compelling is the role of memory. There is a

touching and unexpected scene well into the film that forces us to realize how truly precious memory can be, and at the same time how heart-wrenchingly awful its loss can become, especially when we’re powerless against it.

The film is undeniably charming and even those with ice in their veins and a heart three sizes too small will not be able to resist grinning at Frank’s antics with his robot. Even as they spend day after day planning elaborate heists, you can’t help but root for them. By the time the credits roll, moviegoers will be wishing for a robot of their own. n

A9

Monday, September 17, 2012

The Heights

Justin Vernon takes Boston by storm Bon Iver, from A10 bestowed upon the logic defying vocals. His falsetto wavered between deeply emotional—especially on crowd favorite “Skinny Love,” a song chanted by each and every audience member— and simply impressive, a combination of Michael Jackson’s highest-pitched wails and Mick Jagger’s swagger-laden squeals from the seventies.

More than anything, however, Vernon proved himself to be more than capable of controlling a crowd despite the seemingly meek persona he’s built up on the band’s releases. He was funny and self-effacing, going into detail about the inspiration behind many of the band’s songs that fleshed them out and made their inclusion all the more worthwhile.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing to occur during the concert wasn’t actually on stage, but instead was the massexodus of people following the angelic performance of “Skinny Love.” At that point, the band was at nine songs out of its 15 song set list—hits like “The Wolves Act I and II” and “re: Stacks” were still to come, and the crowning glory of every Bon Iver concert, “For Emma,” hadn’t even been hinted at by the band. Why, then, did so many supposed “fans” flee after this song in particular?

Th e p h e n o m e n o n h i nt s at th e changing face of the musical culture at large. It goes without saying that listeners flock to singles en masse, forgoing the forgotten album format for their favorite track s , the singles that hit radio, and the songs given the music video treatment.

It’s destructive, and for albums like For Emma, Fo r e v e r Ag o and Bon Iver, it means the canonical exclusion of sleeper hits like “Hinnom, Tx .” f r o m the casual fan’s experience.

“Skinny Love” is a beautiful song, one covered to excess by artists only lightly touching upon the

greatness of the original’s majesty. Is it Bon Iver’s best? That’s clearly up for debate, but tracks like “Calgary” and “Beth/Rest,” played at the tail end of the consistently engaging show, truly deserve their moment to shine just as much as the record label’s chosen singles.

Vernon himself clearly understands the plight of the dedicated “true fans,” apologizing for the “crappy t-shirts on sale at the merchandise booth.” He has taken the music industry to task for its reliance upon the single and its dedication to Top 40 over any other genre. His concert proved to be a entirely visionar y ref lection of the old-world musical experience—his vocals vibrant and inspiring, his band all-inclusive and multidimensional, never once appearing anything less than classic. It was an experience from the past, for the ages. n

Courtesy of google images

Courtesy of NBC

Andrew Rannells stars alongside Justin Bartha in Ryan Murphy’s ‘The New Normal,’ a new NBC sitcom that has already shown some promise.

Turn on the television this fall for quality Fall TV, from A10 Ob/Gyn balances her personal and professional life, surrounded by quirky co-workers in a small office.” Not a very original concept, but one that has proven to work. The Mindy Project premieres Sept. 25 on FOX. Revolution, NBC, Mondays at 10 p.m.

For all the J.J. Abrams fans out there, Revolution just may cure your Lost woes.

Set in a time where all the electricity has been shut off like a switch, society has been thrust back into the dark ages–that means no electricity, no technology, even no TV. The show will star newcomer Tracy Spiridakos as Charlie, a girl whose father was killed by the militia, and now it’s up to her to save her brother, who was taken prisoner, and possibly even save the world from darkness. I can’t help but see a bit of Katniss Everdeen and The Hunger Games in the trailer for the series.

Revolution premieres tonight, Sept. 17 at 10 p.m. on NBC. Arrow, CW, Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

The plot description reads as if the character of Oliver Queen, whose superhero name is Arrow, is a cross between Batman and Robin Hood, but the show’s poster looks more like the latter. It’s been a while since there’s been a good superhero show on the air, and according to much hype, it looks as if Arrow is just the show to change that. The star of the show, who plays Queen/Arrow, Stephen Amell, is trained in the sport of parkour and archery allowing him to bring some authenticity to the character. Tune in on Oct. 10 for the series premiere and see if Arrow will be the next Smallville.

Beauty and the Beast, CW, Thursdays at 9 p.m.

Hollywood just can’t get enough of fairy tales these days. It’s one thing to make a bunch of movies with recycled stories, and it’s another to take those same

stories and put them in the blender and pour out serving after serving of new material. Well, that’s just what they’ve been doing. Last year, we were served some Once Upon A Time–which in itself is a giant cocktail of fairy tales blended into one show–and this year, it’s Beauty and the Beast’s turn. Don’t expect to see any dancing teacups or enchanted silverware in this show though, the plot has leaned more toward a CSI feel. Main character Cat, played by Smallville graduate Kristin Kreuk, is a homicide detective, who has someone–or something–watching over and protecting her. I’m not too sure that this show will last very long, but see for yourself on Oct. 11 at 9 p.m.

This is just a snippet of the many new and old-time favorites that will be on the air this fall season. Don’t forget to check your local listings to see if your favorites made it back for another season, and set up your DVR for series recordings. Happy viewing! n

Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com

The Boston-born actor directs his first “out of Beantown” flick in ‘Argo,’ a political thriller.

Actor talks directing ‘Argo’ ‘Argo,’ from A10 Harbor to Elizabethan England, his director’s chair hadn’t moved far from Comm. Ave. until now. Affleck directed Gone Baby Gone (2007) and The Town (2012), both set in the Boston area.

“I felt like I had something to prove because everyone just thought of me as ‘the Boston guy,’” Affleck said. “I thought, if it’s not good, then I really am going to only be able to do sequels to The Friends of Eddie Coyle … It was scary, it was hard, and I was nervous, just because I saw my future career kind of dictated by it.”

What weighed most heavily on Affleck, however, was the movie’s inherent reality.

“It’s their true lives, so if you change any little thing in it, now you’re like, s—, I’m lying,” Affleck said. “I kept Tony really close, the Houseguests really close, everything adhered to reality really closely. If it didn’t, it was sort of the spirit of the story … it was externalizing their internal pressure. Just shooting somebody for a while and saying, ‘Imagine they’re panicking!’ at a certain point doesn’t come across as much.”

Affleck was careful to give enough backstory at the beginning of the film, using storyboards to recount the events leading up to the hostage crisis.

“I had to go to the beginning and say, ‘I’m not trying to brainwash anybody, I’m not trying to do a political thing, I’m not trying to editorialize,’” he said.

Using storyboards also introduces the movie’s often-hilarious Hollywood scenes, which Affleck hopes will prevent audiences from rejecting the combination of witty and tense later in the story.

In the midst of these concerns, he found some security in three of his lead actors.

“I locked in Arkin, Goodman, and Cranston as my first choices,” he said. “I sort of thought, if I anchor it around these guys, I’ll feel safe.”

Affleck casted most of the Houseguests

based on their performances in other films: Rory Cochran (Lee Schatz) from Dazed and Confused, Kerry Bishe (Kathy Stafford) from Red State, and Clea DuVall (Cora Lijek) from Carnevale. Director Andrew Dominic recommended Scoot McNairy (Joe Stafford).

George Clooney and Grant Heslove, who share producer credits with Affleck, suggested Tate Donovan (Bob Anders).

“I got lucky with a lot of this. John Ford said directing is 90 percent casting. In this movie, that number is maybe even a little higher.”

Casting most of the other 112 speaking parts, Affleck said, was a different challenge.

“A lot of them were speaking Farsi, which was hard to audition because you’re like, he could be saying anything … A guy would show up and all of a sudden do the ’30s movie villain thing, and it’s like, you know what Ahmed, we’re going to go another way. Let’s put you outside, and maybe you’d be better with no talking. So I swapped out people as I was literally working.”

The stresses of getting the facts straight, leaving the comfort of Boston, and dealing with a very political theme could have understandably deterred Affleck from attempting the project.

“But it’s the fact that it was true and that Hollywood had worked with the CIA and had these opportunities to cast all these characters, and that I could do these different tones, and that it took place in the ’70s, which is my favorite era for film … I think it’s a fascinating story,” Affleck said.

His next project, a movie about Boston’s notorious gangster Whitey Bulger, will bring Affleck home.

“I’m really glad I made this movie, because I can go make a Boston movie now and not feel totally pigeonholed,” he said.

But pigeonholed is the last word that comes to mind. Affleck may have established himself as an actor and director in Boston, but Argo proves that he can do either of those well, no matter how far he ventures from Fenway. n

‘Modern Fam’ will sweep Emmy Preview, from A10 for his work. Jesse’s PTSD scenes in Bad were incredibly moving.

The last big drama series category, Best Supporting Actress, will reward Maggie Smith for her portrayal of Violet on Downton Abbey.

This is the first year that the Emmy favorite appears in the drama categories instead of the miniseries category, and the always-great Smith has some serious cred. But I’d rather see Christina Hendricks win for her performance in the stunning Mad Men episode, “The Other Woman.”

Moving onto comedy, we have The Big Bang Theory, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Girls, Modern Family, 30 Rock, and Veep all competing for the biggest award. This category is a bit of a toss-up.

Modern Family has been an Emmy favorite, and since the show hasn’t seen a major dip in quality, it will remain at the top next Sunday for its third consecutive year. What should beat it? HBO newbies Girls and Veep are equally deserving of the win. The latter has biting satire and non-stop laughs, the former showed surprising depth in its unflinching portrayal of a not-very-likeable young writer.

Veep should and will get some of the credit it deserves when Julia Louis-Dreyfus wins Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The category is

strong, with competitors like Amy Poehler, and Lena Dunham from Girls. And isn’t Zooey Deschanel in New Girl just the most adorkable thing you’ve ever seen? But this is a comedy category, and Louis-Dreyfus was the funniest.

In the Lead Actor-Comedy Series category, Jim Parsons will win again for The Big Bang Theory. I may not love the show, but Parsons is shaping up to be the new Alec Baldwin in Emmy voters’ eyes. Many critics will say that Louis C.K. should win for his convention-defying work on Louie, but I’d prefer to see Larry David win for his consistently hilarious portrayal of himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm. What’s funnier than watching David argue with Mad Dog over office cabinet space, for God’s sake?

Last but not least are the Supporting Actor/Actress comedy categories, so it’s time to talk Modern Family. It’s Ed O’Neill’s turn to win for his work as Jay Pritchett, and with no Nick Offerman in the mix, he deserves the win. Likewise, it’s Sofia Vergara’s year for her portrayal of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, but the Supporting Actress award should go to SNL’s Kristen Wiig. She will be missed on late-night television.

To speak briefly of snubs, check out the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series nominations for what the comedy categories should have looked like this year. n

‘Lincoln’ trailer premiere catalyzes Oscar chatter and speculation Sean Keeley This past Thursday, Steven Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt appeared together in a Google+ Hangout to premiere the trailer of their new film Lincoln and to chat with a few lucky fans. The event seems to be the first major advertising push for the movie, whose marketing, until now, has been limited to a few stills and a simple poster. Expect the movie’s advertising to only become more insistent in the weeks leading up to its Nov. 16 release, as DreamWorks begins to spread the word and set the movie up for Oscar success.

It’s easy to look at Lincoln and see the quintessential “Oscar bait” movie.

You could even make a checklist out of it, ticking off all the features that typically get the Academy excited. Explicitly “serious” subject matter? Check. A dramatic lead performance depicting a celebrated historical figure? Check.

A cast including big-name veterans (Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones), seasoned character actors (Sally Field, David Strathairn, John Hawkes) and upcoming stars (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) all working together? Check, check, and check. Not to mention the presence of perennial Oscar favorite Spielberg in the

director’s chair.

It’s undeniable that commercial calculation on the part of the studios plays a big role whenever Oscar season rolls around. Some films seem tailormade to push the Academy’s buttons and rake in awards, even if no one feels particularly passionate about them (I’m looking at you, The King’s Speech). All too often, such movies take recognition away from riskier efforts and serve as bland consensus picks. The whole situation reminds me of something that film critic Matthew Zoller Seitz said on Twitter back in February: “Best Picture should be renamed Well-Made Movie We Didn’t Hate.”

It’s quite possible that Lincoln will be merely another Well-Made Movie The Academy Didn’t Hate, but despite the warning signs, I remain optimistic for it to be something more. One thing that Spielberg stressed during the Google chat was his desire to depict Lincoln as a real man and a working president, not the idealized legend that he would become. To that end, the film focuses on a small section of Lincoln’s presidency: the struggle to pass the 13th Amendment during the final months of the Civil War. This tight focus is promising: Too many biopics attempt a sprawling overview of the subject’s life, and end up

feeling like CliffsNotes summaries rather than coherent visions. But by isolating the most trying period of Lincoln’s life, this film seems poised to offer a more detailed look at the trials of leadership.

Furthermore, if anyone can pull off the feat of making Lincoln a believably human character, surely it’s Daniel Day-Lewis. The man is the real deal: even disregarding his famously intense methods for total character immersion,

his performances speak for themselves.

From his breakthrough role playing a disabled artist in My Left Foot to his terrifying turn as an oil-and-milkshake hungry tyrant in There Will Be Blood, Day-Lewis has proven his reputation as one of our finest actors. Lincoln offers DDL the challenge of playing a man who has been researched and examined from every possible angle, a man who adorns our pennies and has become literally

Courtesy of Dreamworks

Sure to sweep the Oscars, ‘Lincoln’ features masterful actor Daniel Day-Lewis as the icon.

and figuratively a national monument.

He’s an endlessly fascinating and inexhaustible character, and I’m eager to see how Day-Lewis’s performance will cut to the core of Lincoln the man.

Finally, there’s Spielberg. I confess to having a sentimental attachment to his work, as 7-year-old me first fell in love with movies because of classics like Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. Many will argue that Spielberg is currently on a losing streak after the abysmal fourth Indiana Jones movie, the light Tintin and the forgettable War Horse. But Lincoln may just turn things around, engaging Spielberg with a narrative of historical magnitude and arguably the best ensemble cast he’s ever worked with—not to mention the script by the acclaimed playwright Tony Kushner, which is itself based on the superb Doris Kearns Goodwin book Team of Rivals.

The movie has quite the pedigree and the ingredients are all there: Let’s hope Spielberg can pull it all together. And if not? Well, maybe I’ll console myself by finally checking out Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Sean Keeley is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at arts@ bcheights.com.

A10

arts&review Monday, September 17, 2012

An Eye on Culture

Music can be home too Taylor Cavallo As I begin the first semester of my last year at Boston College and reflect on the time I spent here, one of the hardest things about the idea of college for me was coming to terms with leaving home. Not just the unmatchable NYC, but, more deeply, my home and my parents. Home is where the heart is, and I’m a homebody at heart. I’m an only child, so my parents and I formed a cute little trifecta in our cozy little place.

Place. It’s a word I’ve been hearing a lot lately. In my Memoir and Profile Writing class, we’re working on putting our subject in their proper “place,” using detailed descriptions of setting to articulate something profound about our subject, and how their surroundings either impact them or give us further insight into who they are. My philosophy classes throughout high school and college have always had the subtext of asking the deep, seemingly unanswerable question–what is my place in the world?

Music is beautiful because it is something that needs no place–you can bring an iPod anywhere and turn off your surrounding “place” and zone off. There is something truly magical, though, when music creates a connection with a specific place.

I can’t call myself a big Bruce Springsteen fan. There are about 10 songs in my Springsteen repertoire that I listen to semifrequently, but, as you all know because you’re conscious, breathing people living at and attending BC, some people really love their Springsteen.

My mom is one of these people. I remember listening to Darkness on the Edge of Town in her car, right around the time I was old enough to finally sit in the front seat. I stared at that CD for probably a combined 12 hours in my younger days, looking at the young Boss’s expressionless, pouty-lipped face in that crisp white t-shirt. I probably had a little crush at the time.

Clearly, his music has been around me for a long time, so this is what leads me to the question–why can I not call myself one of those head-bobbing “Glory Days” lovers who listens to any Bruce anytime, anywhere with the windows rolled down?

Then I noticed an overarching theme.

Most of these die-hard fans (excluding my mom) are from New Jersey. While I could spit a wide array of New York/New Jersey jokes right now, I’ll take the high road of respect. Even though Springsteen’s music might not be my cup of tea, I totally get the New Jersey obsession with him. All he talks about is place. The magic that must happen while listening to a superstar singing about all the places you hang out, riding the highways you take to work or school everyday is probably incredible. Just like a writer, this is how he cultivated an audience. He’s speaking to a very specific listener who understands what he’s saying and exactly where he’s coming from, right down to the street, the bar and the exit on the highway.

It’s not limited to The Boss. One of my close friends loves the beach, and even though her taste in music isn’t limited to songs that reference summer scenes, there is some sort of cohesive theme that unites these songs that comes back to the ideas of this place she loves so much: the sound or the occasional lyrical phrase.

Thinking more about this technique of evoking passion and feeling through place, I suddenly had a realization, an epiphany of sorts about something that had been plaguing me for quite some time—this is why country is so popular. While it’s torture to my ears, I see so many around me flock to country festivals, and turn up “Chicken Fried.” Even though it’s an entire genre, country artists do a great job of painting a picture similar to people’s experiences.

Clearly, since New York is far superior in every way (you must have known that was coming), I tried to rattle my brain for a similar artist. The closest I settled upon would have to be Simon & Garfunkel, whose love for NYC and descriptions of Queens neighborhoods, graffiti, and subway stations warm my heart and takes me back to the place I truly connect with.

Finding your place is a cliched phrase, but once you discover it in a song, album or artist, it’s something that should be cherished. You can bring your iPod wherever you go.

Taylor Cavallo is the Assistant Arts & Review editor of The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

courtesy of google images

The actor’s new directorial work tells an intensely moving story.

Affleck’s ‘argo’ poised for glory

By Sam Costanzo Heights Editor

In Boston, there is always time to talk about the Red Sox. All other conversation can be benched for a few minutes to shout about the ragtag bunch, even if that conversation was just moments ago centered on Ben Affleck’s latest directorial venture, Argo.

“Sometimes what happens is like the movies,” Affleck said about his hometown team during a roundtable interview last Monday. “You’re in a movie, you do your best, something f—ing blows up, and that may not be your fault, but you’ve got to eat it a little there. That’s part of

this game, of this life, where you’re depending on fans to buy tickets. They want good movies, they want winning baseball teams. Everybody can’t win.”

Audiences at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival are already calling Argo a winner—a Best Picture winner, that is.

The film tells the declassified story of how the CIA and Hollywood’s almost-elite collaborated to exfiltrate six Americans from Iran during the height of the 1979 revolution. The “Houseguests” hid in the Canadian ambassador’s house until CIA specialist Tony Mendez got them out by pretending they were a Canadian film crew researching locations for a science fiction movie.

“This would be the worst movie ever made if it wasn’t true,” Affleck said. “It would just seem completely absurd.”

Despite its absurdity, Affleck noted that current events in the Middle East have made the movie even more relevant.

Argo stars John Goodman (John Chambers), Bryan Cranston (Jack O’Donnell), Alan Arkin (Lester Siegel), and Affleck (Tony Mendez), who also produced and directed the film.

While Affleck’s acting career has taken him from Pearl

Fall TV is set to break new ground

Bon Iver has crowd in awe

By Brennan Carley Arts & Review Editor

For an awfully quiet, bearded little Wisconsin singer-songwriter, Bon Iver puts on an incredibly raucous live show.

The Grammy Award-winning band—led by Justin Vernon, who sings and plays guitar and piano—exploded onto the forefront of the cluttered music world with the release of its second full length self-titled album in 2011. The showman and his 10-piece band brought its blend of rock, soul, and folk to Boston for “the last time for a while,” according to Vernon, who claims the group’s current mini-tour will be its final one for some time.

Audiences settled in at the Bank of America Pavilion to the dulcet tones of Anais Mitchell, a folksy Joni Mitchell-type who surprised audiences with her crystalclear voice, a plucky ensemble of musicians backing her up, and some perfectly quirky charm. The 31-year-old singer, who hails from Vermont, rolled quietly through her hour-long set with a promised return to the Brighton Music Hall in December.

Although the band’s set was heavy with newer cuts, Bon Iver made sure to sprinkle in the older hits along the way, many reinterpreted, stripped down to their bare bones, which exposed their raw beauty.

Frontloaded with newer hits like “Perth,” “Minnesota, WI,” and the effervescent “Holocene,” the band riffed and improvised on

By Carolina Del Busto Heights Staff

its majority, pitted against Giancarlo Esposito’s seemingly unbeatable Gus Fring.

Seeing Walt suffer a complete breakdown was the finest display of acting on television this year. Jon Hamm had some stellar work on Mad Men, as did Damien Lewis on Homeland, but this one has to go to the Cranst-man.

Speaking of Breaking Bad, Esposito will win Best Supporting Actor for his sometimes-terrifying, always-awesome work in Season Four. He, along with the show’s writers, made Gus Fring into a larger-than-life character who at times won more sympathy from viewers than the show’s anti-hero, Walt. Aaron Paul also had a phenomenal season on Bad as the tortured Jesse Pinkman, and should win

Fall is a time when the leaves change colors, the weather gets nippy, and life is beautiful outdoors. But there’s one thing that you can’t find outdoors, and that’s television. There’s no need to pretend that TV isn’t an essential part of your daily regime.

Come on, we’re college students. So this fall–aside from enjoying the weather–when you’re indoors and don’t know what to watch on TV, we’ve got you covered.

The New Normal, NBC, Tuesdays at 9:30p.m.

Ryan Murphy’s latest creation is about a gay couple played by the darling Andrew Rannells (Bryan) and the dashing Justin Bartha (David) who just want to start a family. Insert the instantly lovable surrogate mother, played by Georgia King, and you’ve got a hit. The pilot episode was available online before the premiere of the show on Tuesday, Sept. 11th, so the series began on its normal time slot with its second episode. After just two episodes, The New Normal is going strong with no signs of slowing down.

American Horror Story, FX, Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

Another gem from the mind of Murphy, this show is so complex that you’ll feel like you’re watching a short movie every week–and the best part is, every season is like a completely new movie. Season One centered on a family and their new, haunted, home. This fall, Season Two relocates to a super creepy hospital in American Horror Story: Asylum. Also, you don’t want to miss Adam Levine, front man and lead signer for Maroon 5, make his acting debut. From the show’s teasers, he looks delectable. The only downside to this new season is that you have to wait until Oct. 17th for it to start.

The Mindy Project, FOX, Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m.

Mindy Kaling has been pretty busy this past year. First she writes a book, then she creates and stars in a new comedy series, and she still has time to continue her role as Kelly Kapoor in the final season of The Office. From the brief description given on the show’s IMDb page, it appears as if The Mindy Project is going to be very similar to The Office, just in a new office: “A young

See Emmy Preview, A9

See Fall TV, A9

courtesy of google images

Bringing a surprisingly packed stage full of musicians with him to the Bank of America Pavilion, Justin Vernon led Bon Iver through a breezy and deeply poetic ninety-minute set. extended intros and kept the tunes rolling along long past their expected length.

Band members like S. Carey—whose intensely simple but spectacular solo albums are mini-masterpieces in their own right—were granted ample time in the spotlight, with Vernon ceding the stage and attention for some saxophone and guitar solos that, while a nice gesture, often

bordered on gratuitous.

The audience was there to hear Vernon’s voice above all else, and the flannel-wearing front man delivered in every way possible.

“Towers” evolved into an all-encompassing masterpiece that brought a reverent hush over all in attendance, complete focus

See Bon Iver, A9

Emmy hopes for ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Homeland’

By Joe Allen Heights Staff

With the Emmy Awards less than one week away, it’s time to stop being angry about the many comedy snubs and start guessing the winners. The two big questions: Who will win next Sunday night?

And who should win?

Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Mad Men. Of the great options to choose from for Outstanding Drama Series, I think that Mad Men will take home its fifth consecutive Emmy win. The show is still top-notch and arguably more ambitious than ever, and Emmy voters like sticking with a good thing. Breaking Bad, however, should be taking home the statuette. Critics and fans have repeatedly

i nside Arts this issue

See ‘Argo,’ A9

hailed Bad as the best show on television, and anyone who gives it a chance will see why. New show Homeland also deserves a win, but fans of the show shouldn’t worry, because: Claire Danes should and will win for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Homeland. Emmy voters have shown love for Danes in the past for her role in the TV movie Temple Grandin.

Dane’s portrayal of mentally unhealthy CIA officer Carrie Mathison in Homeland is her best dramatic work to date and will be recognized. Elizabeth Moss will have to wait another year.

Bryan Cranston has more competition than ever in the Drama Series-Lead Actor category, but come on, he’s still going to win! Season four of the show saw Walter White in a state of silent impotence for

Robot And Frank charms silver screen

Frank Langella stars in the heart-warming tale about a retiree and his robot friend, A8

Lincoln will shake up the Oscar season

Steven Speilberg and Daniel Day-Lewis’ epic wartime tale gets its first trailer, A9

Bestsellers...............................A8 Box Office Report........................A8

SPORTS The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

B1

Monday, September 17, 2012

Week three Boston College 13

22 Northwestern

A statement game comes up short again

JUST NOT ENOUGH

1-0-0 ACC) took an early 1-0 lead over Harvard just four minutes into the game by way of Mewis’ first goal. Harvard (32-1) was quick to respond in the seventh minute, but it would prove to be the Crimson’s first and only response.

Mewis grabbed the lead again for BC in the 17th minute with her second goal.

BC, in the last 15 minutes of the first half, relentlessly attacked the Harvard goal, notching three more goals before the halftime whistle. Freshmen midfielders McKenzie Meehan and Jana Jeffrey both netted goals, and junior midfielder and captain Gabby Wagner struck home a penalty kick.

Well, there it was. The possibility for a Boston College win at Northwestern was right there. You could point to a million different things that could have swayed the game in the Eagles’ favor, but at the end of the day, BC was flying back to Chestnut Hill with yet another loss.

It wasn’t the ideal scenario, but when the Eagles got the ball at their own oneyard line with under five minutes to go in the game, I must have been drinking the Kool-Aid because I saw that situation with comeback written all over it. It was no doubt a challenging situation for the offense to handle, especially on the road, but that’s what makes good teams great.

Instead, a quick three-and-out made a good BC team look bad. And frustrated.

And overall, just straight up defeated.

Chase Rettig can’t be Greg Jennings and put the team on his back. He tried, and nearly did it all, but he came up short.

It really seems like Rettig is on his way to becoming a big-time quarterback, but you have to wonder if anyone outside of Chestnut Hill will notice if the current woes of the program continue.

It’s certainly been a trying time for the players and coaches alike. Everybody just wants to win. And every time you think they’re ready to seal the deal and make a statement win, the Eagles come up just short. Nothing could be more frustrating.

So who’s to blame?

You could point to the defense. Or can you? On the outset, if you only looked at the stat sheet and saw the 560 yards the Eagles D let up, you’d likely think BC got crushed. Somehow, it wasn’t that way, thanks to a stout red zone defense from the Eagles. Nick Clancy’s 24 tackles are Luke Kuechly numbers, though maybe it was just because—with the Wildcats running 100 plays—someone had to make the tackles. You could blame the defense for this loss, but a defense that lets up just five field goals (that touchdown was in garbage time) is a defense I want out on the field every Saturday.

You could point to the running backs.

Deuce Finch, Andre Williams, and Tahj Kimble combined for 25 yards on the ground on 17 carries. That’s pretty ugly.

When you factor in Finch’s fumble on Northwestern’s four-yard line just as BC was ready to punch the ball in for the touchdown, you could put even more blame on the running backs. The fumbling has become a theme all too familiar with the Eagles’ halfbacks. But does the loss get put on the shoulders of Finch, Williams,

See Women’s Soccer, B5

See Column, B4

BC lacks red zone efficiency and ball security in loss

By Austin Tedesco Heights Staff

EVANSTON, Ill. – The defense took a step forward and began to execute while the offense took a step backward as Boston College fell 22 Northwestern to Northwestern Boston College 13 22-13 on the road Saturday afternoon.

“It was one of those games where you hate to see the team lose. That’s how I look at it,” said head coach Frank Spaziani. “Our kids fought hard, but [Northwestern] made more plays than we did. They deserved to win. Congratulations.”

The offensive struggles were by no means the fault of quarterback Chase Rettig, who threw for 291 yards on 24for-44 passing and no interceptions. That 55-percent completion rate should have been even higher, but drops plagued BC all day.

On the first drive of the game, after the defense held Northwestern to a field goal, Rettig led the Eagles down the field with

poised and confident throws, setting up a first and goal. Running back Deuce Finch ran right into his linemen for no gain on first down, and then on the next play Rettig found a wide open Alex Amidon falling into the end zone, but Amidon let the ball slip through his hands. The Eagles couldn’t convert on third down, and missed opportunities for the offense would continue for the rest of the afternoon.

“It’s kind of like I said all week—the game’s going to come down to scoring touchdowns, not field goals,” Rettig said.

Nate Freese connected on a field goal to bring the score to 3-3. The Wildcats drove down the field next, but once again the Eagle defense made a red zone stand, forcing a Northwestern field goal that made its way through the uprights.

The next drive for the Eagles, on third and one at their own 22, sophomore Andy Gallik snapped the ball well over the head of Rettig, ending the drive and forcing a punt. Rettig kept calm and reassured

See Football, B3

daniel lee / heights editor

Women’s soccer

Eagles dominate Harvard Mewis becomes all-time points leader in the win

By Ryan Dowd For The Heights

graham beck / heights editor

Kristie Mewis recorded a hat trick on Saturday, lifting her to the top of the all-time points lead at BC.

On a historic day for senior midfielder Kriste Mewis, No. 5 Boston College flew up and over cross-town rival Harvard en route to an Boston College 8 8-1 victor y on 1 Harvard Saturday night in Cambridge. Thanks to her first career hat trick, Mewis broke the school record for points scored with 96 during her four years on the Heights.

“Tonight [Mewis] showed why she is the best player to date to wear a BC uniform,’’ said head coach Alison Foley.

In their final tune up before entering the heart of ACC play, the Eagles (7-0-2,

Field hockey suffers OT heartbreaker

Returning health helps BC improve with a road tie

By Kevin Gendron For The Heights

The Boston College men’s soccer team (2-2-1, 0-1-1 ACC) showed plenty of improvement on Friday night in its game at Virginia Boston College 1 Tech (3-2-1, 0Virginia Tech 1 1-1), as it left Blacksburg with a 1-1 tie. The Eagles’ lone goal came from Charlie Rugg, who made his first start of the season after battling a knee injury since the beginning of the year.

“It was a very good performance and a good turnaround from where we were last week,” said head coach Ed Kelly.

“We are still trying to figure out how everyone plays with each other, but all in all, it was a successful game.”

BC started the game strong, dominating the first half. Kyle Bekker, who co-led the Eagles in goals scored in 2011, hit a rocket from 35 yards out in the

10th minute that ricocheted off the post.

Overall, Bekker played an impressive game for the Eagles, leading the offense from his wide left position.

The BC offense maintained possession and kept up the pressure throughout the half, but came away emptyhanded, as Virginia Tech goalie Kyle Renfro came up with six saves to keep the scoreboard blank at the end of the half, despite the Eagles outshooting the Hokies 13-3.

At the beginning of the second half, Rugg made his presence known, putting away his first goal of the season on a cross from Bekker. Bekker sent in a low cross that Rugg slid into the back of the net to put the Eagles ahead 1-0.

The pressure continued for the Eagles as they maintained possession, while the Hokies focused on a kick-and-run type of offense. The Hokies’ back line

See Men’s Soccer, B5

i nside S ports this issue

Greg Joyce

By Stephen Sikora Heights Staff

The Boston College field hockey team traveled to Maryland’s Field Hockey Complex this James Madison 2 weekend to take Boston College 1 on the Terrapins Friday and the James Madison Dukes on Sunday. The Eagles came away with two losses, bringing their record to 4-4 after having begun the season 3-0.

Yesterday was BC’s first double overtime game of the year, and it ended in heartbreaking fashion.

“This was an unfortunate loss with good preparation to compete against James Madison,” head coach Ainslee graham beck / heights editor

The Eagles were dropped by James Madison in double overtime yesterday, ending a tough road trip.

Volleyball struggles in tourney

BC only managed to win one game in its weekend tournament at Northeastern......B2

Cross country has big weekend

The women won the UMass Invitational, while the men placed second at Iona’s Meet of Champions........B2

See Field Hockey, B5

Quote of the Week.....................B2 Then and Now...............................B5

The Heights

B2

Monday, September 17, 2012

Eagle Roundup

Crowther honored by cross country team

By Andrew Klokiw Heights Staff

There are many ways to honor someone, and sports just happens to be one of the most effective outlets to do so. The story of Welles Crowther, also known as “The Man in the Red Bandanna,” is well-known not only on the Heights, but across the United States as well.

“We wanted to honor Welles and everything he stood for,” said junior runner Daniel Kane. “He is a true American hero, and everyone on the team was really inspired by his story. It is people like Welles that make us feel proud to be Eagles.”

At Iona College’s Meet of Champions, the Boston College men’s cross country squad saw a fitting opportunity to pay homage to the heroic Crowther by donning his trademark red bandanna. The meet, held this past Saturday at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, NY, allowed the Eagle runners a subtle chance to ensure that the memory of one of BC’s finest would not be forgotten.

“Saturday was a really special day for our team,” Kane said. “The red bandanas were a humbling reminder of how lucky we all are, and how we can never take anything for granted.”

The event featured 14 teams, and BC, perhaps spurred on by the memory of Crowther, finished second only to Brown University.

“We opened up the 2012 cross country season with a bang,” Kane said. “With a

team composed of almost all upperclassmen, we really feel this is our year to make some history. Expectations were met on Saturday, but it is really only the start to what promises to be an exceptional year.”

Senior Jordan Hamm was the first Eagle runner across the finish line of the 8K course, as he finished an impressive second overall out of 141 total runners.

Hamm’s time of 25:26.94 fell just four seconds short of the winner, Michael Heller of Kent State.

BC’s top five finishers were rounded out by Louis Serafini (fourth overall), Tyler King (11th), Anthony Bellitti (20th) and Jack Linehan (32nd). For the day, the performances earned head coach Matt Kerr’s squad 69 points. Brown won the meet with a low score of 44.

Most importantly, the strong finish for BC came in their opening meet of the still-young fall cross country season.

They will look to improve on this performance on Sept. 28, when they will visit Bethlehem, Penn., for the Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh University.

“We are also looking forward to running the Red Bandanna 5K in a couple weeks as a team,” Kane said. “As members of the Boston College community, we are all trying to keep the Jesuit tradition of ‘men and women for others’ alive in our own locker room as well.”

Women’s Cross Country Gets First The No. 14 BC women’s cross country squad did even better on Saturday,

dominating and winning the UMass Invitational in Amherst, Mass. The Eagles placed five runners in the top seven, and 13 in the top 15 runners overall. BC registered a team score of 19, which was 59 points ahead of second-place Stonehill.

Jillian King led the Eagles, winning the meet for the second year in a row. King finished the race with a time of 17:53.05, giving the senior back-to-back first place finishes at the Invitational.

Elizabeth Hynes placed second, as she finished eight seconds behind King.

Redshirt sophomore Madeleine Davidson recorded a fourth-place finish in her BC debut, running a time of 18:20.93. Allison Stasiuk finished two seconds after Davidson, giving her fifth place.

A runner from Colgate finished in sixth place, after which nine straight Eagles crossed the finish line, placing seventh through 15th. Those runners were Morgan Mueller, Moira Kenny, Brittany Winslow, Alanna Poretta, Katherine O’Keefe, Elizabeth Predmore, Danielle Winslow, Margaret Mullins, and Sarah Lord.

Golf Competes in South Carolina Another of BC’s unheralded sports was in action this past week, as the women’s golf team traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to compete in the Golfweek Program Challenge. The Eagles fared well in the three-day event, finishing fourth out of 12 teams with a score of 914, 62 shots over par.

Isabel Southard, a freshman for BC,

photo Courtesy of Daniel Kane

The men’s cross country squad honored Welles Crowther with red bandanas at its meet at Iona. led the Eagles as she shot a plus-7 with a score of 220. Southard finished tied for seventh overall out of the 60 participants in the match.

The other top finishers for BC were Cristina McQuiston (226, plus-13), Katia Joo (230, plus-17), Vinh-Hoa Ngo (238, plus-25), and Kaela Klune (266, plus-53).

Campbell University won the three-day Challenge, finishing with a team score of 860, good for plus-8. Central Arkansas (900, plus-48) and James Madison (906, plus-54) came in at second and third, followed by BC. Meanwhile, the men’s golf team par-

ticipated in the same Golfweek Program Challenge in Myrtle Beach. The threeday match saw the Eagles place ninth out of 12 teams, with an overall score of 880, good enough for 16 over par. The top three finishing teams were Central Arkansas (862, minus-2), Jacksonville State (864, E), and Troy University (866, plus-2).

BC was paced by senior Luke Feehan, who finished 18th overall with a threeday score of 218 (plus-2). The team’s other finishers were Nick Pandelena (220, plus-4), John Jackopsic (221, plus-5) and Andy Mai (222, plus-6). n

Win over Harvard closes out New England Challenge for volleyball

By Marly Morgus For The Heights The Boston College volleyball team had a busy weekend at the New England Challenge Tournament, hosted at Northeastern University. The Eagles played three games over the course of Friday night and Saturday, which included losses to Northeastern and Connecticut, but also a decisive win over crosstown foe Harvard to finish the weekend.

Going into a tournament such as the New England Challenge requires slightly different preparation than going into normal ACC gameplay. With less than 24 hours between matches and the next opponent being determined on site, the team had to be flexible with its play in order to adapt the different styles of volleyball displayed by its competitors.

The first game against Northeastern on Friday night started out slow for the Eagles,

who lost the first two sets 25-18 and 25-20.

As head coach Chris Campbell put it, “We knew what we had to do to be successful after the first set. It just took us to the third to actually do it.”

With strong outside hitters on the Northeastern side, blocking and passing were important to BC as it pushed its way back into the match in the third set.

“They have strong players that are going to score points,” Campbell said. “We just

Graham beck / HEIGHTS EDITOR

After falling to Northeastern and Connecticut in the first two games of the Challenge, the Eagles rebounded on Saturday to defeat Harvard 3-0.

can’t let them score easy points.”

In that way, defense becomes essential to the team’s success. Freshman Franny Hock, the defensive specialist or libero for the Eagles, had 15 digs. Other younger Eagles came up big as well. Sophomore Courtney Castle had 16 digs along with 22 kills, and freshman Katty Workman had 11 kills and contributed six digs to the Eagle defense.

Improved defense and strong-hitting allowed BC to take the third set 25-20, but Northeastern countered in the fourth to walk away with a 3-1 victory.

On Saturday, the Eagles found themselves back on Solomon Court at Northeastern, this time taking on the UConn Huskies. With little time to prepare for their fast-tempoed opponent, the Eagles once again focused on limiting the productivity of Connecticut’s strong outside hitters.

Workman was a big contributor with her 16 kills and 12 digs, and again Castle posted a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs.

Despite all the effort, however, the Eagles fell short, failing to capitalize on a 5-0 start in the first set to drop that one 25-20. The second set was close in the beginning, with the Eagles trailing by just one at 14-13. But Campbell noted that the team “didn’t serve tough enough, and didn’t pass well enough to run off the way we wanted to.”

The third set came down to the wire, actually going into extra points, but the team’s mantra of “make the easy plays easy” wasn’t executed in the end, and the Eagles dropped the set 27-25.

“We got a little nervous down the

stretch, and towards the last couple points we made the easy plays hard,” Campbell explained.

After a disappointing 3-0 loss, BC still had one more match to round out the day against Harvard. Motivating a team for another game so shortly after a loss can be difficult, but in that area, Campbell is thankful for his young team.

“One of the difficulties is that they’re new to high pressure situations,” Campbell said. “But one of the advantages is that they recover pretty quickly. Motivation wasn’t a challenge.”

After a small adjustment to the rotation, the Eagles came back onto the court fighting, and improved passing and serving allowed them to soar past the Crimson in three decisive sets, defeating them for the sixth straight time. For the third time in the tournament, Castle registered a doubledouble and Calga Sen posted 39 assists as they led BC to 25-18, 25-19, and 25-17 set victories.

The team ended the weekend on a high note, and now is looking forward to road matches against Georgia Tech and Clemson next weekend. The Eagles’ win against Harvard reinforced the importance of executing their serving and serve receive.

Though ACC play holds a slightly different tone to tournament play, Campbell said he knows that BC will have more time to prepare for these upcoming matches.

“As a whole, we know what we need to get better at when we’re going in and want to be successful in their gyms.” n

SPORTS in SHORT

Alex Manta/ Heights Graphic

ACC Women’s Soccer Standings Team

Florida State Maryland Virginia Virginia Tech Boston College Duke Wake Forest North Carolina Clemson Miami NC State

Conference 2-0-0 2-0-0 1-0-1 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 1-1-0 0-0-1 0-2-0 0-2-0 0-2-0

Overall 8-0-0 6-2-1 8-1-1 9-0-0 7-0-2 7-2-0 7-2-1 4-2-2 5-3-2 4-4-1 5-5-0

Quote of the Week

Numbers to Know

96

Career points by women’s soccer player Kristen Mewis, a school record set against Harvard on Saturday.

7

Wins by the volleyball team so far this season through 13 games, which ties their total from 2011.

100

Offensive plays that Northwestern ran against BC on Saturday in the Wildcats’ 22-13 win.

“To the average person watching, it’s kind of like they’re just going to let them walk down the field and then they’re going to turn it on in the red zone—that’s not what we’re doing.”

Nick Clancy on the BC defense against Northwestern —

The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

B3

Coming up Short

daniel lee / heights editor

key stats

quote of the game

24 yards let up by the BC 560 Total defense. games in which a BC 3 Straight running back has fumbled.

Tackles made by middle linebacker Nick Clancy.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda, we didn’t make enough plays, and that’s what it comes down to. It was one of those games where you hate to see the team lose.

Our kids fought hard, but [Northwestern] made more plays than we did.

- Frank Spaziani Head football coach

key performers

game-changing play Midway through the third quarter, BC had the ball first and goal from the 5-yard line. Deuce Finch took the hand off and ran straight into Northwestern defenders, fumbling the ball and turning it over. The Wildcats took advantage with a 94-yard drive over the next 6:23.

it was over when... daniel lee / heights editor

daniel lee / heights editor

Chase Rettig (left) threw for 291 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough. Likewise, Nick Clancy’s (right) 24 tackles came up short in the loss.

football notebook

In the red zone, defense was able to hold strong

By Austin Tedesco Asst. Sports Editor

ning backs. Northwestern had the benefit of using interchangeable QBs throughout the game, which allowed them to keep up their extremely fast pace for four quarters.

Although the Eagle defense only gave up 22 points, it also allowed 560 yards of offense, and no one on the BC side could explain what was different in the red zone, except that the difference in that part of the field compared to the area in between the 20s was incredibly exasperating.

“It’s extremely frustrating, it’s kind of hard to put into words,” Clancy said. “To the average person watching, it’s kind of like they’re just going to let them walk down the field and then they’re going to turn it on in the red zone—that’s not what we’re doing.”

The Wildcats mainly found success by entirely avoiding Pierre-Louis’ side of the ball. Time and time again on third down, Northwestern would attack Steele Divitto, running or passing as far away from KPL as possible. Pierre-Louis refused to let that keep him from being a factor in the game.

He made his way into the backfield disrupting plays and ran across the field to bring down wide receivers and running backs on his way to 17 tackles.

EVANSTON, Ill. – Although the offense struggled to put up points against Northwestern on Saturday, junior weakside linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis and senior middle linebacker Nick Clancy both had impressive outings against the Wildcats.

NU accumulated 293 yards on the ground and 267 yards through the air, but only put up 22 points, with seven of those coming on a late touchdown when the game was out of reach. The reason for the limited scoring from Northwestern was Boston College’s red zone defense, which was championed

by KPL and Clancy.

“We always do well with our backs against the wall,” Pierre-Louis said. “That is one thing we excel on. However, we couldn’t stop them from getting to the red zone. We know we can stop teams in the red zone. The next step for our defense is not let them get into the red zone in the first place.”

The Northwestern offense drove up the field by using a mix of zone reads, bubble screens, halfback screens, and quick passing routes to take advantage of the Eagles’ defense. Clancy was in charge of containing the zone reads once they got past the defen- Time to regroup BC has a bye week before facing a topsive line, and racked up 24 tackles chasing around the Wildcat quarterbacks and run- ranked Clemson squad the following week.

Clemson will be coming off a huge game against Florida State, and the Eagles already sound confident about the matchup with such a high-quality team.

“It’s nice having this bye week. Just get this bad taste out of our mouth and start preparing for next week. Just to forget about what just happened, but learn from it and learn from our mistakes,” Clancy said.

“We’ll try to get this out of our system as fast as possible,” Pierre-Louis said. “Clemson is going to be ready for us, and we’re definitely going to be ready for Clemson. We have two weeks to focus on them and make sure everything is right. It’s going to be a good game, I promise you that.”

Freese still solid Lost in the lack of execution by the offense and the copious amount of yards allowed by the defense was the continued excellence of kicker Nate Freese. The junior connected on field goals from 21 and 34 yards to remain a perfect 7-for-7 on the year.

More importantly, he took Northwestern’s Venric Mark out of the return game entirely.

Mark was only allowed one return for 17 yards. It’s been one year since Freese missed a kick against Duke that would’ve won the game for BC, but since then he has proven himself as a steady and reliable force for the special teams unit. n

After a BC three-and-out, Mike Trumpy capped off a Northwestern drive with a 27yard touchdown run with 1:37 left in the game, making it 22-13.

BC unable to make enough plays Football, from B1 his center after the errant snap, and it wouldn’t be the last time his leadership shone through on Saturday.

Trailing 9-3 late in the second quarter, Rettig really showed what he can do. Coming out of a timeout on second down, Rettig ran a hard delayed play action that fooled the defense and then threw a 31-yard bomb to Johnathan Coleman that hit him perfectly in the end zone, putting the Eagles up 10-9.

It looked like the BC offense had things figured out going into halftime, and the same spark that occurred in the second half against Maine seemed ready to happen again. Then the execution completely fell apart.

“Woulda, coulda, shoulda, we didn’t make enough plays, and that’s what it comes down to,” Spaziani said. “We’ve got to go back and keep looking and figure it out.”

BC began the second half with the ball, and a drop from Spiffy Evans on an easy comeback route forced a threeand-out and a punt. The defense then came up with a big play, forcing a fumble in Northwestern territory to give the offense a prime opportunity to put up points.

Rettig once again willed BC into the red zone, but then the wheels came off.

Finch took a handoff up the middle

and a Northwestern linebacker drove his helmet into Finch’s arm, forcing the ball loose and into the hands of the Wildcats.

Finch wouldn’t make it back into the game, and sat alone on the sideline after his fumble.

“Let me say this, Deuce wasn’t too excited about it,” Spaziani said. “I’m not sure what we do with Deuce, to be honest with you, other than that he sits around and waits his turn.”

Although the running game was the main thing holding the BC offense back with the turnover and only 25 yards, Rettig refused to let his teammate sulk alone. He went over and grabbed Finch, bringing him back into the sideline meeting with his teammates.

From that point on, the lack of a running game made it nearly impossible for BC to find the end zone. The defense continued to stand strong in the red zone, forcing field goals and punts, but the Northwestern defense began only leaving six men in the box, giving Rettig even less room to complete passes.

A late touchdown from the Wildcats sealed the victory, dropping BC to 1-2 on the season.

“Rettig’s a good quarterback,” Spaziani said. “We’ve got to run the ball, though. We can’t win like that. We’ve got to score when we have our chance.

It wasn’t good enough.” n

The Heights

B4

Monday, September 17, 2012

Eagles are floating in between bad and good Chris Grimaldi As the Boston College football team heads into a much-needed bye week, Superfans have already endured an unpredictable rollercoaster ride to kick off the 2012 season. The small yet telling sample size that head coach Frank Spaziani’s squad has provided thus far isn’t without its highlightreel moments and breakout performances, but a 1-2 record through three winnable contests can’t help but awaken the dormant frustration surrounding this team.

Now let me set the record straight—I’m not out to be a Debbie Downer and crush the Eagles’ hopes in the middle of September. A guy like me, who predicts a World Series title for the New York Mets every year and inexplicably rooted for the Detroit Lions during their winless season, is not in the business of writing off his school’s football team after three turbulent weeks.

Realistically speaking, the early stages of any sports campaign is time to work the kinks out, develop cohesion, and improve for a successful stretch run. During Saturday’s 22-13 loss to Northwestern, however, BC was haunted once again by an onslaught of uncorrected flaws.

Any cynic would say that you can summarize the Eagles’ first three games with a

short laundry list of critiques: solid performance by Rettig, hard-fought effort by a defense that struggles making the big stop, and … where was the running game? Spaziani hasn’t had to expand upon his consistent “we did some good things, we did some not so good things” critique of BC’s play because he hits the nail right on the head every time.

This string of eerily similar performances makes me wonder if the Groundhog Day effect has reached the gridiron. The Eagles haven’t been “bad,” but they haven’t exactly reached the strata of “good” quite yet either.

Despite the mediocrity, the bye week might be their biggest asset to address two major voids: the defense and the running game.

The game at Northwestern was the D’s chance to continue its positive momentum from a valiant effort against Maine after being torn apart by Miami. While Kevin Pierre-Louis and company did hold the Wildcats to 22 points off of five field goals (yep, that’s been our luck so far), they also surrendered 560 yards of total offense.

As much as Superfans sing the praises in memory of Luke Kuechly’s presence on the Heights—and deservedly so—he’s not coming back. Success for the Eagles will depend on improving their current personnel, and if KPL can serve as the defensive anchor he’s proving himself to be, there’s no reason why the Eagles can’t right the ship in this area.

And then there’s the running game.

Other than several untimely fumbles, the Eagles’ backs have been virtually absent in the early stages of 2012, and perhaps reached their lowest point after gaining a mere 25 yards combined at Northwestern.

After watching the progression of Rettig and the rushing attack’s inability to secure the football, I’m intrigued by the idea of penetrating opposing defenses primarily through the air, but this is not a feasible solution for any competitive college football team. Consistent success demands complete efforts on both sides of the ball, week in and week out. A productive BC backfield is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.

If the Eagles think that quick improvement in these two areas will guarantee them a win against Clemson in Week Four, they might be getting ahead of themselves. Yet a 1-3 record doesn’t sound so terrible if there are complete performances to back it up. For now, Superfans must buy into Tug McGraw’s famous “Ya Gotta Believe” maxim and trust that the current growing pains facing their team are signs of better days to come.

Chris Grimaldi is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

daniel lee / heights editor

Deuce Finch coughed up the ball on the five-yard line, but the loss can’t be put on his shoulders.

No one to blame but the team Column, from B1 and Kimble? No. Finch’s fumble was momentum-killing, but it didn’t singlehandedly lose the game for BC. It may be a while until we see Finch taking carries again given his untimely fumbles in the last two games, but it’s impossible to pinpoint the loss on Finch’s shoulders.

You could point to the coaching staff.

The team has not come ready to play a full 60-minute game of what they like to call “BC football,” and that ultimately starts with the coaches. Head coach Frank Spaziani even took blame for the loss after the game. “It’s my job to make them play better,” Spaz said. Whether that’s just what he’s supposed to say or he actually meant it, that’s up to you to decide. I don’t know what Spaz and the coaching staff can do about the fumbles, other than glue the ball to the running backs’ hands. But the readiness to come out and win a big game does lie in part on the shoulders of the coaches.

It may seem desperate, but I think it’s realistic to say that time is running out

for the Eagles to save their season, their coach, and the outlook of the program. It seems like at the end of most losses over the past two years, we’ve been able to analyze the game closely and point to a few key plays that could have turned a loss into a win.

That’s starting to matter less and less.

When you focus in on Saturday’s loss, one more catch, one less fumble, or one more tackle could have brought BC home with a win. But when you zoom out and look at the big picture, none of that really matters.

The reality is that BC has just not been good enough. You can’t blame that all on one person. The blame falls on the entire team and program. And if they’re really going to turn the program around like the Kool-Aid makes you believe, they’re going to have start winning the statement games. Fast.

Greg Joyce is the Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

daniel lee / heights editor

Chase Rettig nearly led his offense to an upset win on the road, but when it came down to it, the Eagles were unable to correct reoccurring flaws.

The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

B5

Women’s soccer dominates ACC-rival Clemson behind complete team effort

By Connor Mellas For The Heights

The No. 5 Boston College women’s soccer team found its wings on Thursday night, taking an overmatched Clemson squad to task in a 5-1 beat down. With a true team effort on display, goals came from veterans and rookies alike with senior Maddie Payne and junior Zoe Lombard finding the net, and freshman McKenzie Meehan continuing her fantastic season with another goal. While she has yet to find the goal herself, the speedy winger Victoria DiMartino contributed two assists, and the unstoppable Kristie Mewis added to her tally by grabbing two goals and an assist.

It was utter domination from start to finish for BC. Clearly fired up and ready to tame the Tigers, the Eagles emerged playing fluid, aesthetic soccer, moving the ball with sublime passes, cheeky through balls, and lightning-quick runs down the wings.

Although they were in over their heads, the Tigers weren’t completely without bite, and they attempted to throw BC off its rhythm by relentlessly fouling the Eagles in the midfield, and looked to capitalize on counter attacks.

Coming off of a rough game against UCF, BC’s defense looked vastly improved against Clemson. The defense neutralized nearly all of the attacks that the Tigers managed to scrape together, causing a frustrated Clemson to throw

more forwards up top. This proved fatal for the Tigers.

The first goal came in the 23rd minute off of center back Casey Morrison’s superbly lofted free kick. Landing just outside of Clemson goalie Hunter Rittgers’ jurisdiction, Mewis battled through a scrum of players and was at the right place at the right time when the ball was deflected toward her. Just like that, it was 1-0 BC. When Payne found the other end of DiMartino’s cross seven minutes later and increased the Eagles’ lead to 2-0, it became very clear that anyone wearing orange was about to have a very bad night.

Thanks to the heroics of Rittgers and an unfriendly post and crossbar, Clemson escaped down by a mere two goals at halftime. Unfortunately for the Tigers, BC had other ideas for the second half. Over the next 45 minutes, the Eagles were utterly dominant, and put on a performance that produced impressive game stats. BC took a high number of shots, outshooting Clemson 26-3.

Equally lopsided, BC took 12 corners, while Clemson only mustered three.

Mewis’ second goal of the night came off a penalty kick in the 54th minute.

Calmly finding the bottom left corner of the net on a penalty kick, Mewis slotted the ball home and sent the keeper in the wrong direction. With the lead secure, Mewis was subbed out for freshman Jana Jeffrey, who stepped into the attacking midfield role for the rest of the night. Jef-

frey played excellently, instantly adapting to the tempo of the game and linking the midfield and offense together. ”She’s an enforcer,” said head coach Alison Foley of Jeffrey. “She’s a great player both ways. With the ball she’s dangerous. She can pass, she can shoot, she’s a great defender, and athletic.”

Unwilling to settle for three goals, the Eagles continued to pour it on and in the 57th minute, junior Zoe Lombard leapt in the air—crashing through a pile of defenders—and managed to get her head on a bouncing rebound for the fourth goal of the night. Hurt on the play, Lombard was forced to exit the game with a minor back injury.

In the 74th minute, Clemson’s goalkeeper fumbled Rachel Davitt’s long ball over the top, and McKenzie Meehan was there to clean up the mess for her fifth goal of the season.

Less than a minute later, BC gave up a sloppy foul in the box and Clemson scored on the ensuing penalty kick, making the final score 5-1.

Now 1-0 in conference play, the Eagles seem to have found their rhythm and look ready to go on a tear. The joyful ease at which BC dissected a solid Clemson squad hints at the extent of its potential, which has yet to be reached.

Young talent has mixed with senior experience to produce excellent dividends so far this season, and as BC prepares for a challenging road trip, look for the Eagles to continue to light up the scoreboard. n

Graham Beck/ Heights editor

Mewis placed herself at the top of the women’s soccer program as the scoring leader on Saturday.

BC rolls through Crimson Women’s Soccer, from B1 “I thought we had a lot of players that moved the ball really well for us,” Foley said.

Just minutes into the second half, Mewis tipped her proverbial cap with her third and final goal of the contest. The senior extended her points streak to nine games, now just two games short of tying her own record set at 11, which she set as a sophomore. Mewis, a 5-foot-9 attacking midfielder from Massachusetts, now stands alone as the most accomplished goal scorer to ever put on the BC jersey, surpassing Sarah Rahko’s 2003 record. With 96 career points, Mewis could put the record out of reach with another prodigious season at the top of the Eagle attack.

The Eagle defense stymied Harvard for most the game, allowing just four shots in the first half and 15 total.

Senior Victoria DiMartino converted a penalty kick five minutes into the second half, and later Meehan booted in her second

goal of the night and final goal for BC. Anchoring the Eagles’ defense and making sure Harvard could only score once was defender Casey Morrison, who earned praise from her coach following the game.

“Casey Morrison was an incredible leader in the back and truly was a treat for people to watch her play,” Foley said.

So far, the Eagles have been led by veterans such as Mewis, DiMartino, and Wagner, but have received a key boost from freshmen like Meehan and Jeffery, in addition to sophomore forward Stephanie McCaffrey. Mewis leads the team with nine goals, but Meehan, McCaffrey, and Jeffery trail with six, four, and three respectively.

The Eagles have outscored their opponents 20-4 in their last five games. Mewis alone has eight goals the past five games.

The Eagles will need all hands on deck as they embark on their first real ACC test, a two-game road trip to No. 14 Wake Forest (3-1-2, 0-0-2 ACC) on Thursday and No. 9 Virginia Tech (3-2-1, 0-1-1 ACC) on Sunday. n

Eagles tie solid Hokie squad Men’s Soccer, from B1 would send the ball deep into BC’s defensive third, hoping that they could manufacture some offense off of a long throw in.

As the second half continued, the Eagles’ back four played stout defense. Isaac Taylor and Matt Wendelken drew praise from Kelly for their performances at outside fullback.

Taylor especially had a great game in his first start at fullback in two years. He and Wendelken joined Chris Ager and Ryan Dunn on the backline that limited the Hokies to only four shots on goal.

With the defense playing strong and the offense possessing the ball well, the Eagles appeared to be heading to a victory. To add to their advantage, in the 51st minute, Hokie defender Devante Dubose took down BC’s Derrick Boateng. Dubose received a red card and was sent off, leaving Virginia Tech shorthanded for the remainder of the game.

With more space available, BC nearly extended its lead, as sophomore Diego

Medina-Mendez struck the post in the 60th minute. Despite being down a man, Tech had to continue its attack since it was still losing. The Hokies’ offensive push eventually paid off, as in the 83rd minute, David Fiorello scored the equalizer on an unusual goal, launching a shot from 35 yards out. The ball took a Hokie bounce, as it deflected off of a BC defender and just out of the reach of goalkeeper Justin Luthy, sailing into the back of the net to knot up the game at one apiece.

The game proceeded to go into overtime, but neither team was able to score as the match ended in a 1-1 tie, even as BC outshot Virginia Tech 24-9.

The game was a good turnaround for the Eagles, who showed promise that they are returning to their old selves. With most of their players now healthy, their success should continue throughout the season.

“It was a positive result,” Kelly said. “We should have sealed the game before overtime, as we had some good opportunities that we just couldn’t put away.” n

Graham Beck/ Heights editor

The Eagles’ record has dropped to 4-4, after starting the season 3-0. The contest with Maryland saw a two-goal effort from Katlyn Soucy (24).

Field hockey drops two straight on road Field Hockey, from B1

Graham Beck/ Heights editor

BC goalkeeper Justin Luthy was solid between the pipes on Friday, making three saves.

Lamb said. “Our players showed tremendous character to come back and tie it up with the kicking back in place. We have made significant improvements with playing in the overtime session. We clearly need to finish our opportunities when they are afforded to us.”

Neither team scored in the first half, during which JMU had more shots (105) and corners (5-3) than the Eagles.

65:47 into the game, the Dukes’ Bethany Ashworth broke a scoreless tie with her second goal of the season, a tip-in following a corner. But BC didn’t

let JMU have the lead for long, as Jacqui Moorfield scored just 112 seconds later, also off of a corner.

Those were the last points for the next 25 minutes. Each team managed only two shots in the first overtime period, which was played 7-on-7 instead of the usual 11 players per team.

Seven minutes into the second OT period, JMU’s Taylor West scored on an unassisted tip-in, as the Dukes raised their season record to 5-2.

On Friday night, the Eagles got off to a hot start against one of the best teams in the nation: defending champions and No. 4 Maryland. BC scored three goals in the first 26 minutes, including two by

sophomore Katlyn Soucy.

Maryland would fire back though, and rattled off seven unanswered scores.

It was the most points the Eagles have allowed this season. Out of the 16 shots Maryland had throughout the game, they connected on almost half of them.

Alyssa Parker pulled off a hat trick for Maryland, and Ali McEvoy added two goals. In a span of 12 minutes beginning 57:12 into the game, the Terps scored four goals to bring the score from 3-3 to 7-3. BC’s Nicole Shuster then scored with just under a minute remaining in the contest, but it was a matter of too little, too late. n

Graham Beck/ Heights editor

B6

The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

By Alex Sarabia For The Heights

As college students, we have a relentless focus on our personal future, but as Americans, we have a shared responsibility for the future of this nation. That citizenship begins by educating yourself on the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow. That’s where we come in—the purpose of this feature will be to highlight those issues that directly affect students and our future. This is merely an introduction.

Today, 46 million young people, ages 18-29 years old, are eligible to vote. That’s seven million more youth than seniors, making up 24 percent of the voting eligible population. Yet, the youth of America is a voting block mostly ignored due to the fact that only one in two actually vote, even in 2008.

For those students who call Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, or

Ohio home, your vote could decide the election. Don’t forget that Bush-Gore was decided by a mere 537-vote margin.

You have the choice to enter the conversation, voice your convictions, and advocate for a better tomorrow. You have the power to move this country forward and become America’s comeback team. You can demand that business and government work together to promote growth, confidence, and ensure prosperity.

If you have yet to register, please visit RockTheVote.org, and for out-of-state students, you can request an absentee ballot at LongDistanceVoter.org.

The challenges our country faces are not simple. And there are no quick fixes.

America is only a decade removed from the longest peacetime economic expansion in the history of the United States, but our public servants have managed to rack up more than $16 trillion in debt by funding two full-scale wars, cutting taxes for the wealthy, suffer-

ing through a financial meltdown and the Great Recession. That may be our parents’ and grandparents’ debt, but it is our burden. The expenditures charged on America’s credit card will have long-term economic impacts, and will be paid for by our generation.

The government’s fiscal irresponsibility is not the only burden taken on by college graduates, however. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported that debt from student loans exceeds $1 trillion, surpassing credit card debt for the first time in history. The harsh reality for many students is that six months after graduation they must start “paying back some of their loans and build for the future,” said Mitt Romney, Republican nominee for president.

Furthermore, a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said the United States has fallen from 12th to 16th in the share of adults ages 25 to 34 finishing their higher

B7

education. The investments we make in our human capital will determine the ability of the American worker to be competitive in a 21st-century global economy.

Because we all know that “you can’t be pro-business unless you’re pro-education,” said Julian Castro, mayor of San Antonio, Texas and keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.

I know it is easy to allow the political gridlock and partisan bickering of Washington to discourage even the most optimistic. But we must keep faith, and have hope in the face of adversity because we are blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on earth. It is your democratic duty to unearth the truth as it gets buried under an avalanche of money and negative advertising and to discover for yourself the core of each candidate’s platform.

Register to vote, request an absentee ballot, take a friend with you to the polls and cast your ballot as a proud American! n

More mobility for those who bring their car to campus Cars, from B10 able to carry things like food, cleaning supplies or furniture. I didn’t think it would be this important.”

McShane has his own driveway. Yet, some students have gone as far as engineering their own parking systems so that they can bring a car to BC, some before their “Junior Migration” into Newton and Brighton.

Ashley Francis, from Canton, Mass. and LSOE ’14, brought her car to BC as a second-semester sophomore on College Road. She was able to do so by searching for legal parking spots on secluded residential streets in Newton. She cannot imagine life at BC without a car.

This year, she keeps it close by on her off-campus driveway. “I love it,” she said.

“I think it’s so much better than paying the hundreds of dollars to pay for a spot on-campus or hiding it in Newton.”

According to the Office of Transportation and Parking website, to apply for a resident undergraduate student parking permit, several criteria need to be met. Students need to show that

they are either a junior or senior year student. They also have to be “enrolled in a Boston College sponsored field practicum or three credit internship.”

This field practicum or internship also has to be located outside the range of public transportation. If accepted, the permit costs $534 per semester.

Francis hated not having a car during her first three semesters at BC. “Everything was so much more limited … everything was such a hassle,” she said.

“The T is great and all, but having to be on it for like an hour to go to a restaurant isn’t worth it. I just felt stuck on campus.

I mean, that’s why I snuck my car [in Newton] last semester last year. Once we had it, I couldn’t get enough of using it, it was so much better.”

There is another way for students who don’t fit the criteria for on-campus resident parking to get access to a car.

ZipCar, a service that allows you to reserve locally parked cars for hourly and daily use, has cars available in the BC area. Applicants for the service need to be 21 years of age or older.

In BC’s 10-Year Institutional Master

courtesy of creativecommons.com

Students who have cars on campus remark on the ease of tasks such as grocery shopping.

Plan, there are provisions for more oncampus parking facilities, including the expansion of the current Beacon Street Garage. This should alleviate parking congestion in the surrounding community and possibly allow more undergraduates to park their cars on campus.

Students have varying levels of patience when it comes to transportation.

Those who are satisfied with the T and its economical price seem to be the

majority. Students returning to campus this semester, however, will find that the T Subway fare, with a reloadable CharlieCard, has increased from $1.70 to $2. Those who are not satisfied and crave mobility must navigate a maze of parking policies in order to gain the convenience that most only find in the driveways of their own homes.

Paul Cappadona, BC’s Transportation and Parking manager, was unable to be reached for this article. n

A guide to the off campus streets this year, their perks, and which are this semester’s ‘place to be’ An insider’s look at this year’s off-campus streets’ varying personalities

By Josh Forte For The Heights

It is a Friday night. Everyone from a freshman living on Newton to the most knowledgeable senior is hoping for an exciting and necessary reprieve from a long, grueling week of classes and homework. Some, namely upperclassmen, have options aplenty. They could go to their friend’s Mod, a friend of a friend’s off-campus house, or use their ID—their actual ID—to hit Mary Ann’s or Cityside, among other area bars. But for some, such as that inexperienced Newtonian freshman who is far removed from the real world, weekend nights can be a struggle. In a school without the luxury of frats, the party scene can be discouraging. Fear not, fellow Boston College students. Registered “sweatboxes” in the Mods or Stayer Hall are not the only options.

This off-campus guide will help you navigate through the maze of streets off of Commonwealth Avenue, and provide insight on the best places to live off campus junior year.

It is no mystery that the Foster, Radnor, Gerald, and Kirkwood block of roads is the best area to find parties. But wait, it gets even better. Gerald Road and Foster Street are less

than a 10-minute walk from campus. Or, if a Comm Ave bus happens to be around, then upon getting off at the “graveyard” stop, both are under a two-minute walk from the cemetery. Gerald houses many BC juniors, and could very well host the best parties on any given weekend night. If Gerald is dead, then not to worry, Foster Street is right next door. Foster is essentially the outlet to most off -campus fun. Optimistic students may find the party of their dreams right on this very street, or have the option of venturing onto the aforementioned Radnor or Kirkwood. This year in particular, these three streets (Foster, Radnor, and Kirkwood) have more potential than Chase Rettig. The extraordinarily high number of BC juniors living within this area ensures that each of these streets will be alive every weekend of the 2012-2013 school year.

But where should aspiring students expect to find the best parties, and where should future juniors look to live? In other words, which is the best off-campus street? Well, everyone has his own opinion. Pat Lenehan, a current resident of Kirkwood Road and CSOM ’14, believes his spot to be the best of any junior at BC. “It’s been a great experience so far,” Lenehan said. “The location is perfect

because it is within walking distance of Lower Campus, and from my porch, I can see down the rest of Kirkwood Road and down all of Radnor Road.” Although full of pride for his road, Lenehan did add his belief that Foster Street is the best place to find parties, in part because of its length and the higher volume of students.

Junior Shane Cranmore, who is currently living on campus, has spent much of the first two weeks of school at the houses of many of his off-campus friends. “Although I do enjoy living on campus, as a junior, it is much better to live off campus because the majority of your class is also off campus,” Cranmore said.

Cranmore also had some words of advice for prospective off campus residents. “Upcoming juniors should certainly consider living off-campus,” he said. “It is not a hassle or inconvenient as some people may think because most streets are within walking distance of main campus.” He also couldn’t forget to add his belief that Kirkwood Road is the best place to find parties.

Residents of 2000 Commonwealth Avenue, such as junior Regina Belizzi, do not want to be forgotten. “It is too early for me to say what the best street for partying will be

this year, but my apartment is boss!” Belizzi declared. She did add a vote for Foster as the best street in general, though. “A lot of my friends live on that street [Foster]—it’s close to where I live and very walkable from campus,” Belizzi said.

Navigating off-campus is extremely straightforward. In general, it is best to explore. Although it may be too early in the year to determine which street will have the best party scene, it is a pretty safe bet you will have a good time in the historically party-rich neighborhood headlined by Foster Street. The more daring students may endeavor further into Brighton, to streets such as Strathmore, Sutherland, Chiswick, Orkney, and South.

The fact that BC students do not reside in these areas with as much frequency as they do in the Foster Street neighborhood makes streets closer to Foster prime for finding plenty of weekend action. Because authorities, such as the off-campus RA, patrol the Foster Street neighborhood constantly, these streets are able to party with a little less hesitation than those closer to campus. All in all, BC students cannot go wrong when deciding to spend their Friday or Saturday night off campus. n

On-campus quirks

The faces on BC’s campus few students can recognize Erin Hodge Walking down to Cushing Hall at 7 p.m. is terrifying. Not because there are eyes in the bushes, or wind in the trees—because, in the slight darkness, walking past Fulton Hall, there are faces. Four men and one woman’s stark white, blank expressions stare down.

During the day, they’re not nearly as frightening. In fact, they’re almost peaceful. High enough to make happening upon them uncommon, they’re easily overlooked by droves of students wrapped up in conversation or games of Scramble With Friends.

Once seen, however, it’s impossible not to look up every time you pass by. Freshmen notice them a few days into classes, and by second semester everyone is aware of the strange faces on the sides of Fulton Hall. But who are they, and why are they there?

Unsurprisingly, many students

at Boston College don’t know the answer to either of these questions.

They assume, and rightly so, that the faces have something to do with the school’s religious affiliation. So maybe the woman is Mary, and the four men are other well-known saints (though possibly not recognizable). But let’s face it, after a few minutes, we all lose focus and move on—content that someone probably knows.

The faces first appeared in 1995, long before any of us came to BC. Fulton Hall had just been refurbished, made to look more like the Gothic style of Gasson and Devlin. The faces were a callback to a tradition of Gothic cathedrals where local clergy members were used as models to depict saints. So those five faces were real people who once walked around this campus, maybe even worked here. Why don’t we know for sure?

Barry Svigals, the architect behind the new and improved Fulton Hall, won’t tell us. Perhaps he be-

lieves, understandably, that as these faces were supposed to be those of saints, they should remain ungrounded. Elevating the ecclesiastic models to that status might ruin the illusion he worked so hard to create. And that mystery has earned them a piece in The Heights, so maybe he was on to something. He has you wondering now, doesn’t he?

So all of those students rushing through the Quad, glancing up just long enough to make sure they won’t slam into someone while they text, they’re missing out. No matter how well-versed you are on scripture or sculpture, those faces are mysterious. Your best guess would be based on who the clergy members were on campus back in 1995, and even then your chances are slim. But hey, good luck!

They’re certainly unique, and mysterious by any definition of the word.

So if you’re walking through the

Quad just after it gets dark, appreciate them instead of fearing them.

Or, you know, try not to make eye contact. Just in case.

Erin Hodge is a contributor to The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.

How do you measure up?

Finances, from B10 you don’t want to do. I’ve noticed that students who take jobs and gain experience in college are less likely to take time off after college to find themselves because they already know what they want to do.”

Indeed, work experience is valuable in any circumstance. For many students this is done through the process of internships during college or immediately after, as well as on-campus and off-campus part time jobs. “Students should find a way to earn some money over the summer, whatever their capabilities might be,” said Christopher Baum, an economics professor.

Louis Gaglini, associate director for employer relations at the career center, additionally explained, “One of the most important things students can do now is establish themselves in the marketplace, whether it be through volunteer work, internships, or a basic job.”

Baum also commented on the importance and benefits of work-study. “I certainly think that students should have an on-campus job, and it may be required of them as work-study in a financial aid package,” she said. “When my son was a BC student, he gained some very valuable experience.”

In general, though, graduating with a strong degree is ultimately one of the most important things for students entering a competitive economy. During a seminar presentation by professor Lisa Lynch last year, she discussed the importance of a college degree and how the unemployment rate today is much, much lower for those with a college degree, especially from an excellent, selective university like BC. Does this mean students will immediately find themselves in an economic situation similar to the one they experienced on the Heights?

“Perhaps not, but that’s part of growing up,” said Baum. “They probably won’t have the same labor-leisure trade-off that they enjoyed as an undergraduate, if they have a serious and demanding job. But the value in the marketplace of a college education, regardless of major or course of study, is very sizable.”

Baum also commented on the common debate of whether a certain school or area of study provides students with a more secure future.

“I don’t see a meaningful difference between the job prospects of A&S economics majors in the top of their class and CSOM finance concentrators in the top of their class,” she said.

“Students in both cohorts have some excellent job prospects, but ultimately it depends upon them, and the impression they can make when they apply for a job.”

He even suggests that those students who choose to write an honors thesis are arguably ahead of the game, as they have something concrete to discuss in future interviews. “Interviewers are often very impressed, as many students have told me, by a recent graduate’s ability to discuss their own research on a substantive topic. It isn’t all about GPA, although good grades are obviously important, but taking challenging courses and doing well is much more important.”

After college, many students struggle with the toss-up of going to graduate school and obtaining a master’s degree or gaining additional work knowledge, whether it be in their desired career field or not. This too tends to be a personal decision and one largely based on a student’s major and area of interest, as certain jobs require a specific level of education. “Work experience is more valuable,” Ferrera said. “It’s hard to invest that type of money after you already spent so much on your undergraduate education.”

“Graduate school is a good option for students who know what they want to do as opposed to those who are still unsure of what they want to do,” Gaglini said. “Grad school enables you to focus and move towards a specific career path but should not be a fall back to not getting a desired job.”

As for now, Ferrera, along with many other students, turn their focus to finishing up their resumes, getting in touch with contacts from the summer and reaching out to professionals with whom they have formed strong relationships.

Furthermore, it is also important to spend time researching one’s intended career field and finding out the path that those with similar majors and degrees took.

In addition to that research, it is also essential to know how to navigate financially in the real world. This may include understanding how to prepare your own taxes, knowing what benefits you are entitled to at your future job, and understanding the advantage of a 401K as well as health insurance if offered through your employer. Although these may seem far in the future, knowing what each of these concepts entails is often important upon signing your first official contract at a job.

A useful resource for students who are looking to become more financially literate is $uccessful Start. The program helps prepare current students for financial management during and after college by offering a number of workshops and even pairing students with a peer money mentor. Those from $uccessful Start believe managing money is part of personal growth, and their workshops are beneficial in providing students with a “successful start” on their financial future.

One of the most important things a student can ultimately do is “never lose sight of the end goal,” Cox said. “The main peril of a bad labor marker is it tends to shrink a person’s motivation and causes them to settle for something that pays the bills.” He is certainly right in that although it may be easy to abandon your bigger plans, it is crucial to obtain a certain level of self-motivation and confidence when it comes to your future goals. Whether or not we see it now, holding onto our end goal may just, in fact, be the key to our financial success. n

The Heights

B8

Monday, September 17, 2012

How-to

Unsung HEroes: WAlsh Hall security guards

The friendly faces at the Walsh security desk

By Daniel Chu For The Heights

Walsh Hall is undeniably one of the most unique residence halls at Boston College.

From the warm sense of community to the rambunctious social scene, Walsh is a sacred part of the sophomore identity. Yet there is a distinctive aspect of this residence hall that is not found anywhere else on campus: front desk attendants.

Ricardo Mazul and Mich Witty, pronounced like Michigan, are the watchful observers that ensure the safety of the Walsh residents. The BC Police Department and Residential Life implemented the Walsh Front Desk Pilot Project in order to increase the levels of security in the residence hall.

The primary concerns of the security officers are the protection of the residents and the prevention of any unauthorized access. The two security officers at the front desk confirm

that the sophomores who enter are Walsh residents, and that all guests are systematically checked in with valid identification.

Although the front desk is a fairly new addition to the building, it has become an essential part of the distinctive atmosphere of Walsh. This is due largely to the fact that the characters manning the front desk amplify the individuality of the building. Sophomores refer to Ricardo and Mich by their first names, yet this was not always the case. “Students were resistant at first, but they came to embrace us,” Ricardo said.

Sophomores greatly appreciate the presence of both Ricardo and Mich, especially during the late night hours. Mich recalls the thanks he received from students who were up late doing laundry or from students who valued the absence of unwanted strangers in the hallways. The existence of a front desk is not to intimidate sophomores and make them

Daniel lee / heights editor

Though we are all familiar with the Walsh Security desk, how familiar are we with the guards?

feel as if they were going through airport security, but rather to provide a sense of comfort to students. Ricardo and Mich have been members of the close-knit Walsh community for the past two and three years, respectively, and have seamlessly integrated themselves within the population of sophomores. Greetings are constantly exchanged between the sophomores and security guards starting with the commotion at 5 p.m. into the peacefulness of a new morning at 5 a.m.

After a long night of celebrating the end of the school week, students are usually eager to return to their dorms. There are times in which students must wait a couple of minutes before being able to enter the residence hall, however. “When it’s late and people want to go through the ropes, I respect students who are patient enough to be checked in,” Mich said.

While authority is not something that college students necessarily want to deal with on a daily basis, Ricardo and Mich are different.

Students are not daunted by the presence of security officers, but rather they are eager to interact with them. Once the initial barrier of awkwardness is broken, the students have the opportunity to relate to two very interesting characters.

Ricardo is originally from Guatemala, but he has spent the majority of his life living in Boston. His interests are as diverse as the students that he sees on a daily basis. “I have a very, very broad taste in music. My top-two favorite artists are Eminem and Steve Aoki,” Ricardo said. Although his position as Walsh security officer is quite sedentary, Ricardo is currently training for the Boston Marathon.

Running through Mile 21 will surely be a wonderful experience for Ricardo, as he is held dear by countless upperclassmen.

Accomplishing this incredible feat requires much dedication and discipline, and while past students have generously offered Ricardo mozzarella sticks from Late Night at Corcoran Commons, he will be more appreciative

of healthier alternatives. “If students bring me anything, it’s not like I will reject it. I definitely appreciate it when students bring me something,” Ricardo said.

Mich is fond of all the visits that previous sophomores make during his late night shifts at the Walsh front desk. “I can’t forget about the past students who come by here to show us the love they gave us back when they were Walsh residents,” Mich said. While he enjoys reminiscing with the students of previous years, he is also open to getting to know the current sophomores. “The conversations that I have with the students in this hall are great.

Although it’s brief, just talking to us and the fact that they acknowledge us makes this job that much more enjoyable,” Mich said.

During the quiet hours of the night, Mich appreciates reading books that residents offer to lend him. “Outside of work, I enjoy being out in the social scene, playing pool, but what really does it for me is spending time with my daughter,” Mich said.

Having spent so much time interacting with the sophomores of Walsh, the security officers may have the most natural and insightful understanding of the sophomore population. Walsh residents are enthusiastic about interacting with the security guards since they are not constrained by the formality of a classroom setting. “Now that they are used to the campus, they know what’s going on, and they seem a lot more open. They aren’t as timid to have a conversation with us. It makes it easier to open up to students, and it makes our job easier,” Ricardo said.

Over the past three years, a very special bond has been formed between the residents of Walsh and the security guards.

Sophomores can confide in Ricardo and Mich knowing that the two genuinely care.

An almost paternal relationship between the security officers and the sophomores is the reason why so many juniors and seniors return to Walsh to chat with Ricardo and Mich. n

Weekly farmer’s market offers BC fresh, local food From garlic cloves to fresh baked pies, the surprises are endless at BC’s farmer’s market

By Caroline Kirkwood For The Heights

On Thursday afternoon, as Boston College students are nearing the end of a long week of classes with many hours spent in the chemistry lab or holed up in O’Neill Library writing that first long paper of the year, students can take a break from the rigorous academic schedule, as well as experience a little taste of that local hometown feel that is often missing on a college campus, through the local farmer’s market outside of Corcoran Commons from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The variety of items students can purchase using their residential dining bucks includes fruits that one could find in any of the normal dining halls, such as apples, peaches, and pears— with the difference that these produce items come from local New England farmers as opposed to the fruit found in any of the dining halls, which comes from large food distributors that get their produce from around the country.

The farmer’s markets also include more interesting and exotic produce

items that may not usually be found in the typical college student’s dorm, such as garlic, eggplant, sun gold cherry tomatoes, whole squash, romaine lettuce, and corn on the cob. For the carb-loaders, one can find French bread and herb focaccia from local Charlestown, Mass. bakery Biga Breads, along with some BC Dining pies and breads, including blueberry and apple pie.

When the farmer’s market was introduced five years ago, it was set up with the goal of providing fresh local produce to BC students with the opportunity to use their residential dining dollars. The produce at the market comes from BC Dining’s produce vendor, Costa Fruit and Produce. Within Costa’s business there is a branch that deals specifically with local farmers and their produce, which is where BC’s farmer’s market produce comes from. Because of BC Dining’s business relationship with Costa, when it comes to choosing the items for the farmer’s market, “We reach out to Costa and their local farm produce and take what we want,” said Derrick Cripps, general manager of Corcoran Commons.

“It is a true farmer’s market in the

way that when a certain produce is out for the season, it’s out. We no longer have it at the market,” he said.

The items found at the market, as well as the prices, rely on the harvest of the fall season. With the recent hot, dry summer, along with the unusually warm fall, certain items, like the apples in the farmer’s market, look slightly less juicy and plump than those one would find in the dining halls as a result of them being truly local produce.

Cripps also sees the farmer’s market as an opportunity to show students what local produce is available in New England. “I know students are intimidated to cook certain items found in the market, like a full eggplant or corn on the cob, especially if they don’t have a kitchen. We have it out there so students can see, hey this is what you can get.” In the case of the produce that is not sold, it all ends up being used in the dishes served at Corcoran Commons.

Although the farmer’s market has been at BC for five years, the general consensus from students was that they didn’t really know about it, due to the minimal advertising about the weekly program, aside from a banner outside of Corcoran Commons.

Megan Clark, A&S ’15, upon her second visit to the farmer’s market said, “As a freshman living on Upper Campus

last year I had no idea about it. But now living on Lower Campus I am going to make a weekly visit. I love that I can use my residential dining bucks on the program, since I always have money left over every semester.”

Kevin Decusatis, A&S ’13, who lives in Edmond’s Hall with a full kitchen, commented on the price of items, stating, “The produce here is typically more expensive than one would find in a normal grocery store—but that is almost always the case when it comes direct from the source, like with the farmer’s market. But I have also found peppers [at the market] cheaper than at Trader Joe’s.”

Many of the students at the market enjoyed the idea of helping out local farmers. Sydney West, A&S ’13, said, “ I like that fact that I am supporting local initiatives by purchasing produce at the farmer’s market, as well as the fact that I can use my meal plan money.”

Whether it be an inspiration to cook a homemade meal in your new kitchen in Edmond’s, an excuse to use up your residential dining bucks, or an aim to support local initiatives, everyone should find a reason to come down to Corcoran Plaza on Thursdays during September and October from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. to explore BC Dining’s very own farmer’s market. n

he said, she said I’m a junior who is all signed up for studying abroad next semester, but I’m having such a great time at BC this semester that I’m starting to doubt my decision. Will I regret it if I go? Will I regret it if I don’t?

I

G

was in your exact shoes a year ago, so I know it can be a very stressful decision. I chose to go abroad to Sydney, Australia, and I do not regret it in the slightest. Plain and simple, it will be one of the most memorable and life-changing experiences you will have in college. You never hear anybody come back from abroad and say, “I didn’t really like it that much—I wish I would not have gone and just stayed at Boston College for the semester.” There’s a reason for that, and that reason is because studying abroad Alex Manta is a phenomenal opportunity that is perfect for people our age. I was talking to a friend about it this summer, and they pointed out that there will probably never be another time in our lives where we have the chance to travel to anywhere in the world that we want and spend a semester exploring all it has to offer with no major worries or responsibilities to slow us down. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity in the purest form. Who knows what situation we will be in 10, 20, or 40 years from now? Don’t wait on something you want to do and hope it works out down the road—grab the opportunity while you can and enjoy it to the fullest. BC will still be here when you get back, and missing one semester out of eight is totally worth the tradeoff. I went skydiving, bungee jumping, scuba diving, snorkeling, ice glacier climbing, jet boating, hiking, surfing, caving, zip lining, and touring through some of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever seen. Would I do the trip again? Undoubtedly I would. But will I have the chance to do it ever again? That’s not a bet I’d want to take. Play it smart, go abroad, and I promise you will not regret it.

oing abroad is undoubtedly a great experience. You meet great new people and get to live in a new, foreign place. A lot of people get jitters as the semester abroad lift-off date gets closer, and you should remember that’s totally normal. You’re getting yourself into a situation where you’re surrounded by the unexpected, but this novelty should be embraced. You’ll probably miss home, your friends, and your family for a while. You probably won’t know the people in your Taylor Cavallo group, and if you’re in an external program, the chances of knowing someone are even slimmer.

But you also need to remember the perks: once you get settled into your new European/African/South American location, you’ll more likely than not have an absolutely great time. I’ve heard of only very few people who didn’t enjoy their experience abroad. However, there are also other equally exciting options. Boston College has great summer programs, and you can always go abroad at another point later in your life when you don’t have the stress of course credit transfers. I personally didn’t go abroad because of issues with my majors and minor, but I participated in a class abroad in Venice that was absolutely fantastic. Don’t decide not to go just because you’re realizing you’re nervous and scared at this point. Anticipating something is always worse than doing it. I’ve had friends study abroad everywhere from Spain to Tanzania, and every one of them came back raving about the time spent there. Going abroad could be a great chance for you to be independent, conquer your initial fears of change, and have some incomparable experiences—and pretty unreal stories.

Alex Manta is an editor for The Heights. He can be reached at features@ bcheights.com.

Taylor Cavallo is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.

Survive Living Off Campus Erin Mahoney This one’s for you, you newly-minted upperclassmen, the ghosts on campus, the meal-plan moochers. I’m certain you are all TransLoc devotees by now and have had your fair share of housewarming parties (and maybe even had a run-in with a certain maroon SUV).

But before the year zips by, which it undoubtedly will, here’s some advice on making the most of your year—or semester—off-campus. Although my days stalking the streets of Brighton have ended, albeit recently, I already feel a creeping sense of nostalgia for my time on Gerald Road. (Don’t worry, juniors—I won’t be crashing on any of your futons anytime soon). But, in part to indulge my own tendency to reminisce, I’ve compiled a list of things to keep in mind while you all play “house” down Comm. Ave. 1. Learn to Cook … Something. My friends can attest to the fact that my kitchen prowess was fairly limited to whipping up a mean bowl of cereal or, my personal favorite, a scoop of peanut butter right from the spoon. While I still break out the cereal for dinner more often than I’m comfortable admitting, I definitely added to my kitchen repertoire this past year. As a vegetarian, or something like it, for the better part of 10 years, my now carnivorous self was completely confounded when it came to preparing meat (“Salmonella, who’s that?”). But here I am, one year later, and I haven’t poisoned myself yet.

Seriously, though, whether it’s mastering scrambled eggs or getting creative with the George Foreman, you’ll relish those meals that required a little more than opening a box and firing up the microwave.

2. Work Orders No More. There’s a good chance Mr. Landlord won’t care too much about a little thing we call upkeep.

Why? During your house tours, did you inspect the insulation or ensure the hot water heater wasn’t leaky? Did you ask about the efficiency of the appliances or the house’s quirks? Didn’t think so. Your landlord has probably noticed we students aren’t the most scrutinizing bunch.

There is going to be a point where the dishwasher reveals itself to be a very loud, very energy-inefficient noisemaker.

Or the dryer breaks and stays that way for months. When that happens, don’t expect much in the way of repairs that last. As of now, unbeknownst to you, your house has a long list of things that could use repair. And that could have used repair last year. And probably the year before. You’ll love the freedom living off-campus allows you, but trust me, you’ll return to campus with a whole new appreciation for working appliances or those lovely things called work orders.

3. Play Columbus. Take this opportunity to discover the city that surrounds you. When I decided to attend Boston College more than three years ago, I heard “Wow! Boston is a great city!” about 87 million times. But for some reason, the gate that surrounds BC is particularly effective in keeping us from truly getting out there. And that trip into Cambridge on Thursday night doesn’t count. Take advantage of the South Street T stop, or even trek to Reservoir, at any chance you get. Head to the MFA or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for a little arts education. Read in the Boston Public Library. See a Red Sox or Bruins game. Or get funky in Jamaica Plain or Somerville (Did you know you can take a tour of a chocolate factory there? Nom). Whatever you do, explore, explore, explore.

4. Stay The Summer. You’ve signed the lease, save yourself the annoyance of finding a sub-letter. Find an internship or a job or maybe even take a class—that W on your transcript from your brief fling with pre-med has to be filled somewhere! Aside from the obvious people-watching opportunities, there’s something kind of alluring about putting on your best business casual and taking the T to work (“Look at me being a real person!”). So stay. Stay for the job, stay for the experience. You know those painful weeks in May when it’s beautiful but exams and essays loom menacingly?

Summer in the city means grilling in the yard, weekends down the Cape, picnics in the Common, and trivia nights before the crowds come back—all without the pressure of school. Summer in Boston is the cat’s pajamas. Just invest in an AC unit.

5. Lastly, just a heads up: A little old woman will rifle through your trash bins to collect cans at 7 a.m. on Saturday mornings … be nice.

I’m sure there are other things you’ll find essential, but I only have so much time for this, being a super busy senior job-hunting and whatnot. So take my advice and have the best year yet. Pretty soon More Hall will be More Housing and BC won’t have to kick juniors off campus, so savor it, kiddies.

Erin Mahoney is a contributor to The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.

The Heights

Monday, September 17, 2012

B9

Editor’s Column Eagle Dates

HUmor

School will always take some work

RIP: the Dustbowl and all that it meant to students

MEET THE DATERS:

—

Taylor Cavallo

Alexandra Schaeffer Thus begins another year at Boston College. As a junior this year, I spent the greater majority of my summer longing to return to campus. Sophomore year had ended really well, and I was looking forward to getting out of my parents’ consistent line of eyesight and getting back to school. One of the things I love most about being here is the way that anything is possible on any given day. You never know who you’re going to run into, what you will end up doing, or where you may find yourself. This spontaneity is out of character for me. I’m the type that likes to make a “To-Do” list for the next day before I go to bed, and plot out my schedule to the hour. I think that’s why I like the flexibility that college offers. Students can take a class that they’re genuinely interested in just because it’s there. We can choose to spend a semester in some country we’ve only ever read about in books, or simply choose what we want to make for dinner. As cliche as it is, college offers freedom more than any other time in one’s life.

For freshmen coming in, I understand that this can actually be a difficult concept to grasp. Yes, you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, but let’s be honest. You don’t really have that much space to roam. The rooms are ridiculously small and cramped, and there’s no real lounge area. Newton residents are fairly restricted to a bus schedule, and few freshmen even have cars so the restrictions of the T come into play as well.

Most freshmen don’t have much choice regarding classes because they’re advised, and rightly so, to start knocking their core requirements out of the way. Even in social situations, we all know that the freshman is relatively limited and often finds it difficult to break out of his or her immediate friend circle.

I think all upperclassmen can appreciate my sentiment, however, in saying, “It only gets better.” Yes, there are always struggles in college, and the idealized version of BC I created while away for the summer was exaggerated. Firstly, it’s still school. That means work and stress. Secondly, it’s a never-ending social situation, which, even as a junior, has its awkward and uncomfortable moments. Thirdly, it’s impossible not to have a semester-long cold here. I woke up the other night feeling the first ache in my throat, and it has yet to subside. But BC is great. Every semester, the dynamic changes slightly, you figure out an improved daily routine, the group of people you hang out with always varies slightly, you continually become more comfortable, and you have freedom with classes as you progress.

So for anyone who’s feeling the first initial excitement of being back at school wearing off, as you spend your Saturday in the library doing work, remember those summer months spent longing to be back here, and take advantage of the opportunities here while you can. It just keeps getting better—but it doesn’t last forever.

NAME: Sara Doyle YEAR: 2015 MAJOR: English and Biology FAVORITE HILLSIDE SANDWICH: Breakfast Sandwiches FAVORITE MOVIE: The Last ‘Harry Potter’ Movie

NAME: Andrew Schweiger YEAR: 2014 MAJOR: Economics FAVORITE HILLSIDE SANDWICH: Boston Beef FAVORITE MOVIE: ‘Casablanca’

Courses of filet mignon and shepherd’s pie provide the main points of conversation for this date at O’Hara’s Irish Pub in Newton Center Heights: How did you feel before your date began?

Heights: Where did you have dinner?

Sara: Pretty excited, I guess. It’s something different so I didn’t know what to expect. But he seemed pretty nice from our emails, so I thought it was going to be fun. I guess it’s always a little nerve-wracking when you don’t know the person, but mostly I was excited.

ANDREW: O’Hara’s Irish Pub in Newton Center. Delicious. You can go for 40 bucks—we made sure we got the full 40 bucks.

heights: How did your date begin?

ANDREW: I was not nervous. I dressed up, I tried to make myself look nice. I actually borrowed a friend’s car and met in the Vandy parking lot and we drove from there.

Sara: Umm, it was good. He was in the parking lot of Vandy and the Gate. And he was waiting by the car so I knew it was him right away. We introduced ourselves and got ready to go.

Heights: Where did you go to eat?

Sara: We went to O’Hara’s. I hadn’t been there before. He picked it. He had a bunch of places, but I said I was open to anything, and he said that this was suggested to him by a friend.

Heights: How was the conversation? What did you guys talk about? sara: It was mostly smooth. It was a little choppy at first while we were driving and trying to figure out where the place was. Once in the restaurant the conversation flowed smoothly. We talked about BC and what our interests were. We talked about the food and about the kinds of food we like. I’m Healthy Living so we talked about that. Even though I am in Healthy Living, I still like to splurge on foods.

heights: Were you nervous at all?

Heights: How did the conversation go?

ANDREW: It was good, it was nice. Not particularly exciting. I have a really dry sense of humor and I made a lot of dry humor-type jokes that she didn’t really pick up on. She didn’t laugh at my self-deprecating humor really. We just didn’t really have any chemistry. She did take up my suggestion that she try the shepherd’s pie though, and we talked about the food a lot.

Heights: What was the most surprising thing you learned?

ANDREW: She writes for The Heights. It sounds like a conflict of interest.

Heights: How did you end the date?

Heights: Were there any awkward moments?

ANDREW: I dropped her off at Edmond’s and thanked her for going on the date, and having such a nice time and getting a free dinner out of the evening. We then both went our own ways and did our own things for the rest of the night.

Sara: Not really, no. It all came pretty naturally.

HEIGHTS: What does the future hold for you two?

HEIGHTS: Were there any interesting discoveries?

ANDREW: We’re both in Irish Society, so we’ll definitely run into each other at Irish Society events.

Sara: He was into sound, which I actually didn’t really expect. I don’t know why. I just didn’t get that kind of a vibe form him. He didn’t seem like a techie kind of person. He does a lot of work with acoustics.

HEIGHTS: Was this your first blind date? What did you think?

Sara: I had never been set up on a completely blind date before. It was fun. It was like what you would imagine it to be.

Want to go on your own Eagle Date?

Contact Features@bcheights.com

Alexandra Schaeffer is Asst. Features Editor for The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.

RATE YOUR DATES NAME: Sara Doyle

RATE THE DATE ON A SCALE OF 1-5 (5 BEING BEST)

4

NAME: Andrew Schweiger

RATE THE DATE ON A SCALE OF 1-5 (5 BEING BEST)

4

Campus Chronicles

The coin toss to decide where she’ll be in the spring Bridget Norris If you asked me in middle school, I would have told you I didn’t know what you meant. If you asked me in high school, I would have told you I wanted to wait until college to decide. If you asked me during my first year as an undergrad, I would have said absolutely because everyone else is doing it and it seems like fun.

Now that I’m a junior at Boston College, when someone asks me, “Are you going abroad?” I finally have an answer.

As it is with most things in life, making the decision to go abroad is nowhere near as easy as advertised. Yes, the videos they show at Orientation that feature smiling BC undergrads just like you exploring the history and nightlife of Europe may fill you with an immediate need to catch the next plane out of Boston. Yes, stalking the colorful and cultural Facebook albums of your friend in Barcelona may make you indescribably jealous of her worldly adventures. The thing that no one presents in a slideshow or posts a status about, however, is how comfortable it is to simply stay at BC. By the time you make it to junior year, you finally start to feel like you know what’s up. You’ve mapped out the

best tailgates on Shea, you’ve decorated your off-campus apartment to perfection and graduated from a Twin XL to a Full bed, you’ve mastered the science of avoiding lines at Hillside, and you’re closer with your friends than ever before. Sounds like the perfect time to up and move to London for four months, right?

The harsh reality of studying abroad at BC includes everything they leave out during your first meeting at the Hovey House. Not everyone is going.

Not everyone will encourage you to go.

You will miss out on a full semester of memories at BC. It’s not easy.

And so begins the debate. Some days it seems so abstract: Why would you uproot your life from a place where you are already so happy? Some days it seems so clear: When else would you get the chance to live in an exciting new place with the purpose of an education and with the comfort of knowing you can return home when it’s over?

The latter is an unanswerable question. Everyone stereotypes college as the time to try things out, but for a good reason. BC offers students so much flexibility with campus-life entities, like the different academic courses, living styles, and extracurricular activities. The opportunity to study abroad is merely

an extreme and extended version of that same flexibility.

From the rolling hills of Cork to the southern shores of Cape Town to the bustling city of Tokyo, BC’s extensive list of internal programs is sure to spark students’ interest. Not impressed? BC features an entire list of approved external programs through similar institutions, such as Boston University and Fairfield University, allowing more specialized programs in more unique locations.

For students like me who need a more tangible feel for each program, BC hosts the annual Study Abroad Fair each fall. The whole arena fills with international excitement. Tables upon tables line the floor of Conte Forum, stacked high with colorful fliers and free paraphernalia. Representatives from the programs and exchange students native to that program who are currently studying at BC manage the tables, answering questions and providing advice.

What better way to get a taste of Australia than chatting with two rugby-clad locals about a typical day in beachside Queensland?

Like most students, I returned from the Fair whirling with excitement about places like France and Italy, but that initial buzz faded in a few days when I woke up from my foreign fantasy and

snuggled back into my life at BC, leaving me with nothing but a pile of fliers.

It wasn’t until I started clicking around on the Florence University of the Arts course listings that I thought about studying abroad again. Fashion Marketing. Food, Culture, and Society in Italy.

Global Perspectives of Journalism. These are not your typical Jesuit-taught classes.

I couldn’t help but wonder what else Florence had to offer besides interesting academics. Yet once again, my wandering thoughts about going abroad were dampened by the sounds of my friends expressing their loss of interest in leaving BC. All in all, the hardest part is making the decision to go. Some students strongly surge forward in the adventure abroad. Others come across a range of reasons to remain in Chestnut Hill. For me, the months of mental debating, plethora of phone calls, and lengthy “Pro vs. Con” list came down to the simple flip of a quarter. Heads: go to Florence.

Tails: stay at BC. As the quarter twisted in circles on the floor of the Chocolate Bar, my stomach twisted in knots.

Finally, it dropped: heads.

Bridget Norris is a staff writer for The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.

Maybe this column is a little late, but I needed time for all the sudden and overwhelming change to sink in.

It’s overdone, but yes, we all know that we all miss the dustbowl. RIP Dustbowl. Where’s our green space?

Why is there a massive construction site blocking my view of College Road and McElroy? Blah blah blah, we know. The dustbowl is the ex-location of the Student Activities Fair, and on a random sunny day, the hotspot for shirtless bros throwing around a football and bikini-clad girls lounging around tanning. There were even plugs in the ground so that in case we wanted to ruin the nature experience and whip out our computer to Facebook stalk, we as a student body were accommodated and able to do that.

Personally, I think the uproar was truly heard on campus mourning the green space when people realized they had to walk around the scenic Stokes construction sight to get to McElroy (everyone’s favorite dining hall now that Hillside has been eliminated from many of our dining options) as opposed to walking right through the black concrete path smack dab in the middle of the green, green grass, but maybe that’s just me. This corner in particular has proven to be an area of major backup thanks to the students stumbling over each other on their way to Eagle’s Nest in an attempt to beat the half-hour long Tuscan Chicken line.

In response to these cries of disappointment and rage from the student body, the higher-ups at our lovely institution were kind enough to smack some grass back on campus. The once eerily cosmic, flat, plain, ugly (the list of mundane adjectives goes on) O’Neill Plaza now sports some lush grass. The Dustbowl’s ugly cousin. While this is all fair and good and certainly enhances our experience walking from the library, slaving over work, to class—where we get more work to slave over—I can’t help but find myself seeing the negative in the positive.

Does anyone else feel strange or stupid walking down one aisle with approximately 300 other people rushing to class, where there was once—while it was extremely ugly—a lot of open space?

Maybe I overly identify with animals, but when I walk down that aisle lugging myself to class with a 20pound bag on my back, walking next to my peers with a similar burden, I feel like cattle being herded from one cage to another. I get that here at Boston College, the Lord is our shepherd, but during those moments when I’m rushing to get to class on time after waiting in line to print something at the library, the theological analogy becomes too literal. Is this some diabolical landscape designer’s way of controlling us? The institution’s way of tightening its reigns of jurisdiction over the student body popular? Herding us like sheep in the direction they want us to go? Could this be more than JUST a peaceful grass offering?

While something we all used to hate about O’Neill Plaza was just how open and empty it was, I guess that design was probably intentional, and was something that the new grass-inclusion-makes-students-happy design ignored. O’Neill Plaza is one of the busiest areas on campus during those annoying 10 minute breaks between classes and probably the last area on campus that should feature a tight aisle with restricted movement.

Why can’t we just walk on the grass? The posts obviously restrict us from doing so, but we could walk on the grass in the dustbowl to our hearts’ content. And throw around a football and tan as we pleased. I can’t wait for the day when that fateful first person decides to whip off his or her shirt, lay down a towel and just bask in the sun right in the crucial centrally located area.

Maybe next Monday I’ll scapegoat myself as a martyr for a cause and take one step for the student body and exercise my free will to walk through the grass to class instead of on the oppressive pathway. It’s interesting how people just automatically abide by pathway guidelines that arise randomly. We’re a group of students used to listening to the rules. But I’ve had enough of the oppression. We already can’t access certain tabs in Agora past midnight.

Totally kidding BC, we love you and are appreciative of the plentiful grass.

There are generations of BC students to come who will not even know what they missed out on. But still, RIP Dustbowl.

Never forget.

Taylor Cavallo is an editor for The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.

B4

B10

features The Heights

Monday, February 7, 2011

Monday, September 17, 2012

By Jennifer Lavoie For The Heights College is unique in that for four years, students obtain the liberty to live life with a few single focuses. Our minds, for the greater part, revolve around schoolwork, friends, sports, and numerous activities. However, for those entering their senior year, the stress may just be beginning in regards to life post graduation.

Although it may not seem possible, the real world is lingering close by for upperclassmen, and preparation is quickly becoming a necessity. While we may not be able to predict what our lives will be like 10 years from now, there are a number of things students can do in the

MONEY SENSE

TWO ¢ENTS ABOUT

AJ Ferrera, A&S ’13, agrees that, “students should have some stream of income, as it allows students to learn how to properly spend.”

Learning to plan in advance and save money is also a skill many college students become familiar with due to the numerous expenses that arise over the four years.

For many students, learning how to spend is often done with the use of a credit card. By obtaining a credit card in college, students are able to build up credit. This prepares them for major purchases (such as a house or car) later on in life where good credit is required, while additionally giving students a level of responsibility. However, the shiny silver card does come with a degree of caution, as it is

By Gianni Matera For The Heights

just as easy to destroy your credit as it is to build it. Many agree that using your card for the basics, such as food and personal items, is often the best case, as it is easy to manage.

Instilling the thought of saving and maintaining a degree of discipline is often a noteworthy key to financial success.

Whether or not students should be putting aside money for after college is really up to the student. Ultimately the key thing to focus on is “making money on your own and in a way that you can gain some type of knowledge,” said Donald Cox, chair of the economics department. “If anything this allows you to learn what

For many students at Boston College, the start of the fall semester means reviving dormant friendships. But there’s a relationship that’s often cut off by the start of the academic year—the relationship between student and car.

Most students don’t have a car on campus. They rely on the MBTA subway line, commonly referred to as the T, and taxi service for their transportation.

Those who have cars are mostly junior and senior year students that live off campus. For parking, they’re either fortunate enough to be renting a property with a driveway, or have enough cash to lease a spot from a neighbor.

Alyssa Rizzini, A&S ’15, from East Providence, R.I. doesn’t have access to a car on campus. She relies solely on the T to get around Boston. “The T is great because of the price but it has [its] pros and cons,” she said. “It’s sometimes not worth it because it takes so long.”

There are a handful of T stops within a reasonable distance of the BC Shuttle bus, with the Reservoir stop on the D-line being the most used. However, when you take into account the time required to get on a shuttle bus, get on the T and finally make it downtown, the final travel time can sometimes get excessive. Also, according to the most recent MBTA ScoreCard of July 2012, the Green Line, which the D-line is a part of, had the lowest average distance between breakdowns of any line at 2,901 miles. The MBTA’s goal for the Green Line is 5,500 miles—it was the only subway line to not make its goal. These breakdowns inevitably increase travel time and interrupt commutes.

Julia Redgate, CSON ’15, is from Boylston, Mass. She drives a lot when she is at home but she sees the T as a good option while at school. At least, she says, until she needs to go into the city more often. “I think it’s fine because, honestly, I wouldn’t want to drive in Boston,” she said. “It kind of freaks me out. The only problem with the T is that it does take a long time. When I do clinicals that will be kind of hard [without a car].”

However, not everyone on campus is as content with life without the ultimate form of mobility, especially those who experience life with a car during their junior year off campus.

“It’s key to off-campus life,” said Thomas McShane, from Yonkers, N.Y. and A&S ’14, regarding his car. “Trips to Target, Star Market, and Home Depot would be much more difficult without the speed of a car and the space avail-

See Finances, B7

See Cars, B7

Joseph Castlen/Heights editor

moment to prepare themselves financially for life after Boston College.

Many would agree money is a large indicator of personal independence. Having enough income to support a person’s own needs is certainly crucial in any situation. In college, this may range from money for one’s own personal spending to money for supporting one’s living and eating funds. Naturally, this shifts dramatically after graduation as students take on numerous responsibilities and financial straits.

College arguably serves as a platform for learning about finances as students learn to become accountable for their own money and spending, whether it is in a large or small way.

Learning to live carless: a student dilemma

A glimpse of adventures that await students abroad A

vietnam

Courtesy of Kellie Barnum

By Kaitlyn Votta For The Heights

W

ant to stun your friends with your radical summer plans? Kellie Barnum did that by participating in the ACC’s “Coach for College” program, where athletes from the Atlantic Coast Conference schools go to Thuang Hung, Vietnam, to coach and teach at a summer camp. “You do everything outdoors, and there are no luxuries anywhere. We usually washed our clothes in wash bins in our rooms, and showered in cold water,” Barnum said. American coaches come to coach and teach, and they bring in Vietnamese college students studying English to act as translators.

“My Vietnamese counterpart was my best friend on the trip besides my roommate. I learned so much in using body language and signals to get across my meaning,” said Barnum. Out in the sweltering heat of the Mekong Delta without air conditioning, what drove these students to dedicate themselves to this program? “The kids. They are unlike any kids I know from home. They adore school, and come hours early to camp every day since it’s the most exciting thing going on in their lives. They’re tough, and get up laughing after a fall that would cause most American kids to cry. The way we were all sobbing at the end of the camp is one of the most powerful memories I will hold onto.”

i nside FE ATURES this issue

ttention all overworked pre-med students and stressed out nurses-to-be: there is a program out there for you that does indeed allow you to leave the refines of your study corner, yet still be immersed in the ever-fascinating world of medicine. Centered in Quito, Ecuador, the seminar “Global Health Perspectives” does an overview of healthcare systems around the world with a focus on policy, current issues, and the legal and ethical problems accompanying this hot topic. As a biology major among mostly nursing students, the faux-nurse Ellen Keenan explained how the people on the trip each stayed with a different host family living in the city. So did this require much Spanish experience? “Not at all,” she answered, “There were some people on the trip who spoke excellent Spanish, and others, like me, requested to be put in a family where at least one person spoke English.” The travelers were not restricted to the city limits, either, spending one of their weekends out in the countryside to get a better feel for the rural life in Ecuador. “My favorite part of the class was when we had a doctor from Quito come to explain to us what the local healthcare was like,” she said. Finally, what was the craziest thing that happened abroad? “Definitely eating guinea pigs.

They roast them on spits there like we would with a pig!”

ecuador

Courtesy of Jessica Fortin

The Corcoran Plaza farmer’s market

london

F

Courtesy of Alexandra Schaeffer

or all of the English nerds who grew up on Harry Potter, fell in love with Jane Austen, and laughed out loud at Oscar Wilde, Boston College offers the trip of a lifetime. Traveling to the city of London, the group reads works by English authors around the city where they are centered. The students who went on this trip expressed the unreality of the whole experience of reading works that took place in the city they were staying in. The class spent a lot of their time getting a feel for the city where the novels themselves were set.

Apart from living in the midst of the city, the group took weekend trips to Chaucer’s house and to Bath, where Jane Austen lived. Being able to experience the city first hand, and travel to the very places the writers wrote about, enriched the experience for many BC students on the trip. So for anyone who was born in the wrong century, loves fish and chips, and can correctly place the phrase “any man ... must be in want of a wife,” literary London is calling your name.

The weekly farmer’s market on Corcoran Plaza, with its wide variety of offerings, is a big hit for both students with and without kitchens.............................................................. B8

Humor Column.................................B9 On Campus Quirks.........................B7