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