The Heights 09/24/12

The Heights will print on Friday, Sept. 28 rather than Thursday for this week only. election 2012

A fine fiasco

features

ARTS & rEVIEW

sports

A comparison of the goals of Obama and Romney for education reform in the U.S., D4

Lupe lights up Conte with stellar show, C1

Derrick Bouteng’s goal with 11 seconds left pushed BC past USF, C8

double ot thriller

Monday, September 24, 2012

Vol. XCIII, No. 31

‘show goes on’ in conte

CSOM posts high starting salaries for recent graduates NerdWallet ranks BC sixth among undergrad schools

By Julie Orenstein For The Heights

Daniel Lee / Heights Editor

After opening acts by student DJs, Timeflies and Lupe Fiasco performed for a nearly sold out Conte Forum at UGBC’s annual Fall Concert.

According to a recently released report, the Carroll School of Management (CSOM) ranks sixth among undergraduate business schools with the highest reported starting salaries among graduates.

The list, compiled by the education division of NerdWallet.com, a site that provides free resources to students and schools on finances and money management, reflected information from publicly available postgraduation reports and senior surveys from over 100 institutions nationwide. Included in the list are institutions for which more than

one year of data was available, so averages could be determined over at least two data points, according to John Gower, strategy analyst at NerdWallet.

CSOM, with an average starting salary of $55,500 between 2009 and 2011, ranked behind the business schools at the University of Pennsylvania ($63,273), Carnegie Mellon University ($60,970), Georgetown University ($58,971), Washington University in St. Louis ($58,417), and the University of Notre Dame ($55,753). Also placing in the top 10 were the University of Michigan, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, and the Florida Institute of Technology.

Richard Keeley, CSOM Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, while not surprised by Boston College’s high place on the list, noted that the NerdWallet list does not include several schools that would surpass

See Salary Rankings, A4

Timeflies, Lupe Fiasco fill Conte for the return of UGBC’s Fall Concert

By Charlotte Parish Heights Editor

The Fall Concert is back with a vengeance.

After the success of last spring’s concert, before which Boston College had gone a semester without a concert in Conte Forum, the concert this fall had to rewrite the legacy of the 2010 concert, which had about 40 medical transports.

“We aimed for an all around great show

that paired good performances with good music,” said Michael Cavoto, UGBC director of Campus Entertainment (CE) and A&S ’13. “It’s hard to come up with that kind of show and we were very happy with our choices.” Timeflies and Lupe Fiasco were chosen after a selection process that was three months in the making and involved the help of many students.

“All in all I would say that there were over 50 students who contributed in one way or another to the success of the

concert,” Cavoto said. “I would highlight Campus Entertainment’s deputy director Dan Rimm, our advisor Mark Miceli [associate director of the Student Programs Office], the Robsham box office manager Kim Principi, and all members of CE and the Event Management Team.”

Tickets went on sale on Sept. 10 and were sold up until the day of the concert.

Although tickets never sold out, the au-

See Fall Concert, A4

Silicon Valley alums return to the Heights E-Week continues with panel discussion

kylie montero / heights staff

UGBC’s Pub Series returned on Thursday, bringing 21+ students to the Rat for drinks and food.

Pub Series back for the fall with a new look and big plans

By Gianni Matera For The Heights

On Thursday, Boston College hosted a panel of five Silicon Valley-affiliated entrepreneurs and venture capitalists as part of BC’s first annual Entrepreneurship Week. The event was made possible by the BC Technology Council, the BC Entrepreneur Society, the BC Venture Competition (BCVC), and John Gallaugher, associate professor of information systems.

The five panelists, all BC alumni, included Bill Clerico, cofounder of WePay and BC ’07, James Reinhardt, cofounder of ThredUp, Pat Grady from Sequoia Capital, and Dan Nova and Peter Bell from Highland Capital. Their presence filled the Fulton Honors Library with a crowd of students and recent graduates.

“We have a very simple goal here today, and that’s to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs,” Nova said. “You’re never too young, you’re never too inexperienced, and I think what you’ll see and hear from the panelists tonight is that they had different dreams and different aspirations as they were students but, for a variety of reasons, their paths led them to entrepreneurship.”

See Silicon Valley, A4

emily fahey / heights staff

By Erin Mahoney

Over 600 members of the Boston College community attended Acappellafest Saturday night.

For The Heights

Acappellafest sells out Robsham, raises over $5,500 for charity

Last Thursday night, Sept. 20, UGBC hosted 21-plus students in the Rat for the first event in the year-long Pub Series.

With the theme “Welcome Back Eagles,” the makeshift watering hole served a wide selection of foreign and domestic beers, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages, in addition to All-American food like sliders and pigs in a blanket.

Mallory Horwitz, director of the Pub Series in UGBC and LSOE ’13, hoped that with more extensive promotion and the promise of free food, students would flock to Lyons. She noted that in years past the event hasn’t attracted crowds, but was optimistic on the eve of the event, with more than 600 people having RSVP’d “Going” on Facebook.

Horwitz cited the awkward timing, 7 p.m., the Career Fair, and the Middle Campus location as possible factors for a low attendance. In spite of this, record

By Devon Sanford Heights Editor

On Saturday night, the Robsham Theater hosted the 2012 Acappellafest in front of a sold-out crowd. Nearly 600 members of the Boston College community attended the event, which featured BC’s 10 a cappella groups: the Acoustics, Against the Current, B.E.A.T.S. (Black Experience of America Through Song), the Bostonians, the Dynamics, the Heightsmen, the Madrigals, Shaan, the Sharps, and Voices of Imani. The event, organized by the Acoustics, raised over $5,500 for the Morgan

Center, a preschool for children battling cancer. This was the first year the proceeds of Acappellafest went to a charity.

The Morgan Center was founded in 2003 in honor of Morgan Zuch, who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 2.

Morgan is now in high school and cancerfree. Last year, the Acoustics sang at the Morgan Center during their spring tour.

The a cappella group invited the Morgan Center’s founders, Rod Zuch and NancyLee Zuch, and their children Morgan and Trevor to this year’s Acappellafest.

See Acappellafest, A4

numbers showed up Thursday night. “I think it was the biggest Pub Night yet,” Horwitz said after the event. “I was kind of expecting a big turnout but this really exceeded expectations.”

At the event, Boston College saw a glimpse of the Rat as it may have looked during its glory days as a de facto pub on campus. The Rat, short for Rathskeller, a German word for a bar or restaurant in the cellar of a municipal building, is officially named Welch Dining Hall and opened in 1951 as BC’s first sit-down dining area.

Thursday night Pub Nights in the Lyons basement were once more frequent, giving the room its current nickname. Now, the dining hall is known for its great location for a grab-and-go lunch between classes.

Students in attendance on Thursday reacted positively to the transformed space.

“People walked in and were like ‘Wow, this is the Rat?!’” Horwitz said of the setup.

The door ran smoothly—many students

See Pub Series, A4

kylie montero / heights staff

See Alumni, A4

See Middlemarch, A4

Members of the popular on-campus dance group, Synergy, spread the word about next Saturday’s ALC Showdown, one of BC’s most widely attended events, in Conte Forum.

TopTHREE

The Heights

Monday, September 24, 2012

things to do on campus this week

1

New Journalist Program Today Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Fulton 511

The first event of The Heights’ New Journalist Program is a panel discussion featuring past and current journalists from The Boston Globe: Chris Gasper, sports columnist; Maureen Dezell, former arts reporter for The Globe and current senior editor in the BC Office of Marketing Communications; and Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Kurkjian, former senior metro editor of The Globe and founding member of its Investigative Spotlight Team.

Handing on the Faith in the 21st Century

2

Tuesday Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: Gasson 100

Fr. Robert Reed, president of CatholicTV, will interview professor Thomas Groome on the topic of Handing on the Faith in the 21st Century.

Global Environmental Constitutionalism

3

Wednesday Time: 5 p.m.

Location: Higgins 300 The Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy presents this panel. Panelists include sociology, law, and science professors.

the

University

In s w e N

17 indicted in California student financial aid fraud schemes

On Campus BC alum working to bring clean drinking water to villages of Uganda Emmanuel Mwerekande, BC ’06, has dedicated his ministry to bringing safe drinking water to the village of Mubende, Uganda. Mubende’s Our Lady of Fatima parish serves over 45,000 members.

Mwerekande, a Catholic priest, told The BC Chronicle that he began this project when he realized that people sick with HIV/AIDs were taking their medicine with dirty, bacteria-infested water that would only make them feel worse. Mwerekande was also concerned about the distance children had to walk to get clean water. Most of the wells are located 10 miles from the village, and children often walk there to get water instead of going to school.

Boston College’s Irish Famine Memorial Fund gave Mwerekande a grant that helped pay for 10,000-liter water tanks at some of the schools in the parish, books and school supplies and the establishment of a lunch program for school children, and 200-liter rain barrels so that families can collect rainwater from their roofs.

Federal officials announced that 17 individuals were indicted for their participation in six separate financial aid fraud schemes on Tuesday.

The defendants mostly targeted online programs at community colleges. They applied for financial aid using stolen identities or names of prison inmates to defraud the government of over $770,000.

Earlier this year, California’s government uncovered a similar fraud ring.

Many of the participants in these schemes did not have the high school diploma or valid GED required to obtain financial aid in the first place.

Brothers boycotting car dealership ordered to pay $1.5 million Adam and Jonathan Colter were fined $1.5 million for defamation of Clay Nissan in Norwood.

The brothers organized a boycott of the dealership via social media after their sister was fired from her job and claimed that she was fired because of her recent cancer diagnosis.

Judge Renee Dupuis ruled that the brothers jumped to conclusions regarding their sister’s firing and ignored facts that showed otherwise. Dupuis, citing $100,000 over normal losses for the company, ordered that the Colter brothers’ assets be seized as payment for the fine.

By Mujtaba Syed For The Heights

Kylie Montero / Heights Staff

Peter Bell gave advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and business people at this year’s first “Lunch with a Leader.” most students’ minds as they listened to his presentation—that all successful business ideas may already be taken.

“The great companies—their ideas, they don’t make sense,” he said, citing examples like Facebook and the iPad to indicate that many staples of modern society were drastic changes from the way things were done at the time they were introduced.

Using the uncanny nature of startup companies and the benefits of early involvement as a backdrop, Bell went on to a broader discussion of some strategies for young entrepreneurs with developed ideas.

Stating “people love hanging out with students,” he stressed the luxury of BC students’ proximity to a hub of established entrepreneurs and investors, urging

the audience to reach out and express their ideas to those who once walked the same path. He also emphasized the importance of using the BC alumni database, indicating that it is an underused resource by most of the student population.

Bell went on to articulate some of the nuances of the venture capital industry, which consists of funders and analysts who listen to presentations by entrepreneurs and decide whether to finance their ventures for a later return on their investment.

Although there are only five to 10 deals in the United States worth investing in every year, Bell emphasized that the venture capital industry is always a buyer’s market for the most innovative entrepreneurs.

While Bell went over some of the technical aspects of success for entrepreneurs in the context of venture capital, perhaps his most heartfelt and memorable advice came in the form of an all too familiar dialogue while discussing the importance of working relationships.

“It’s like your mother told you when you were a kid—she didn’t want you hanging around the wrong people. That’s the best advice you can get in business.” n

Police Blotter

Voices from the Dustbowl

9/19/12-9/21/12

“What’s one thing you’d have to have in your dream house?”

Wednesday, September 19 9:05 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a Boston College student who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

4:43 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a traffic accident on Commonwealth Avenue which resulted in minor injuries.

6:27 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student.

Thursday, September 20 1:07 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

10:10 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC employee.

8:45 p.m. - An officer responded to a request for medical aid near Gasson Hall.

Friday, September 21

1:49 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

“It would have to be a six story house with a firefighter pole going all the way through.”

—Joe Zuhusky, A&S ’16

“A pool table.”

—Raheem Bell, A&S ’15

5:27 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student near Bapst Library who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

“A pool.”

—Michaela Jaffe,

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

A&S ’16

Sunny 47°

Tuesday

72° Mostly Sunny 54°

Wednesday

71° Mostly Cloudy 52° 65° Sunny 46°

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.

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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.

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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.

3:37 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a suspicious motor vehicle.

1:09 p.m. - An Officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student at Roncalli Hall.

4:39 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a suspicious circumstance at Cushing Hall.

“A large garden.”

—Cat Piper, CSON ’16

9:43 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding stolen property at McElroy Commons.

1:26 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a BC student who was transported to a medical facility by ambulance.

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Local News

Bell urges entrepreneurs to start early, think creatively

tory segment of his speech, he offered advice for aspiring young entrepreneurs.

“As you think about your careers, if you’re going to join or start a startup, the cost goes up as you get older,” he said, asking the students present to get involved in their interests as soon as possible.

Bell went on to address a sentiment that was likely present in

Today

Thursday

featured story

“My view is: don’t wait,” said Peter Bell, general partner at Highland Capital and BC ’86.

“Waiting is a really bad thing in life. Time is one of your most precious resources.” Bell spoke to a crowd of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students interested in entrepreneurship last Thursday in the Fulton Honors Library. Bell was welcomed back to his alma mater as the first speaker for this fall’s “Lunch with a Leader” initiative, sponsored by the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics.

Graduating with a degree in accounting from Boston College, Bell briefly worked for PriceWaterhouseCooper before taking a job with Boston- and Bay Area-based startup EMC. After working for five years in San Mateo, Calif. with EMC, Bell attended Harvard Business School. Following the completion of his MBA, he founded a cloud computing based startup company that eventually went public. Since selling the company in 2002, Bell has taught advanced management courses and investing for the past 10 years. Following the introduc-

Four Day Weather Forecast

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

The Heights

Monday, September 24, 2012

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A window to collegiate utopia The ROTC program in the United States: The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a program designed to train future commisioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. The program is offered at over 1,000 colleges and universities across the U.S. ROTC students receive basic military training and officer training for their chosen branch of service throughout the academic year as well as during the summer. A large percentage of newly commisioned officers in the Department of Defense each year comes from collegiate ROTC programs, with 30 percent of all active duty officers in the Department of Defense commissioned during 2010 coming out of ROTC programs. The modern ROTC program was founded with the National Defense Act of 1916.

Andrew Skaras Last year, as the second semester was just beginning and everybody was barely settled into their classes, the one conversation topic that couldn’t be avoided was: “What are you doing for housing next year?” This inescapable topic caused much consternation amongst the freshmen and was surely the end to many friendships.

Luckily, I did not lose friends over the issue, but I was unsure what I wanted to do.

My (and every other freshman’s) greatest concern was the possibility of living on CoRo. It was a travesty to be avoided at all costs. In light of that, I thought my best bet would be to go for a triple in 66 with my two best friends.

Sure, it wasn’t an eight-man, but at least I would be on Lower. My best friend, also an Andrew, had other ideas. Growing up attending Boston College football games and having tailgated in the Mods as a 15-year-old, he has always had a really good take on the pulse of the BC culture. He understood better than anyone I’ve known here what the spirit of each dorm was. There was the Chevy basement stoner culture, the Kostka b—ches (sorry, ladies who live or lived in Kostka, it’s nothing personal), Mod-life, icky Iggy, and the Vandy lifestyle.

For him, there was nothing greater than Vandy life. It was what he dreamed of when he came to this school and he wanted nothing more than to live it up in Vandy for his sophomore year. I was not so convinced. He did lay out a compelling argument and eventually convinced me so well that I wondered why I ever doubted him.

He cited the spacious living rooms with plenty of room for activities, the personal bathrooms, the chance to live with your seven (or eight in our case) closest friends, the proximity of the Mods, and the opportunity to live with an enormous number of fellow sophomores.

Well, the dream turned out to be everything that he claimed it would be and more. The one thing that has really done it for me is the proximity to the Mods. Sure, it’s been convenient on Friday nights when I want to go out, but it is also much more that that. I am lucky enough to live on the Mod side of Vandy, and so my window has a beautiful view out to the backyard of Mods 32 and 34, as well as a view to several other Mods.

Over the course of the last several weeks, I have realized that I have a window into a microcosm of the American Dream. To outsiders, the Mods may seem like disgusting little red buildings of grime and filth (and it is possibly true that they are), but to their inhabitants, they are so much more.

They offer boundless possibilities for entertainment of all kind—and not just the sort that happens on Friday night, either.

Last Friday, I saw a casual game of croquet that I had to stop and watch for a little while (croquet is one of my favorite lazy afternoon pastimes). I’ve seen guys throwing around the old pigskin, tossing the disc, and playing corn-hole.

One afternoon, I saw three guys in the 32/34 backyard launching water-balloons at their unsuspecting fellow Mod-dwellers with a three-man slingshot.

The best example, I think, was last Monday. The fellows in Mod 30A brought their big screen TV outside, fired up their grill, and cracked open an ice cold 30 rack with their 10 closest friends. I watched as they ate hamburgers and watched Monday Night football and was struck by how American the whole scene seemed.

This, I think, is the beauty of college life—the unbounded opportunity to spend time with your closest friends any and all the time. And opportunity is what America is all about. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have a WoMBQ to attend in Mod 19B. Andrew Skaras is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at news@bcheights.com.

The ROTC program at Boston College: In 1870, Rev. Robert Fulton, S.J., the third president of Boston College, instituted military drill for all students as a form of exercise.

The students were instructed by a sergeant in the army and the rifles were provided by the state, since BC and the War Department were in no way formally aligned.

Jono Keedy / Heights staff

The Career Center invited 115 companies from a variety of industries to Conte Forum last Thursday for the Career Fair.

Eagles flock to 2012 Career Fair

By Anson Petrick For The Heights

On Sept. 20, Boston College held its annual Career Fair in Silvio O. Conte Forum from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. A total of 1,761 students, an increase of 350 students from last year’s event, attended the fair where 115 companies, BC graduate schools, and post-graduate programs had set up booths.

“We had companies trying to register [to come to the Career Fair] last night, but registration closed earlier this week,” said Louis Gaglini, associate director for employer relations.

Among the most prominently represented organizations were companies in marketing, finance, technology, television and entertainment, accounting , and non-profit, as well as volunteer opportunities.

Gaglini was the organizer of the Career Fair for the second year in a row. He expressed enthusiasm over the increase in attendance, the diversity of companies attending, and various services offered by the fair.

One of those services could be found on the cover of each pamphlet that was handed out to attendees as they walked into the fair. On the cover were a series

of helpful tips such as “practice your introductions” and “dress to impress.” These tips were intended to encourage student preparedness for the Fair.

“Last year, we conducted a survey of student input after the fair. They said they wish they could be better prepared,” Gaglini said. “Some of the ways we helped prepare them were workshops on how to make a good resume and the tips on dress to impress and presentation.”

Another prominent service being offered to students was the LinkedIn photo booth. LinkedIn is a professional networking site that is used by over 175 million people across the globe. This year’s fair was the first to feature the LinkedIn booth, and 321 students had their professional portraits taken there.

“The potential to get my LinkedIn picture got me in the door,” Luke van Houten, CSOM ’15, said.

“It’s important for companies to see you.”

It is that idea of getting the attention of major companies that compelled many students to come.

“It’s never too early to meet representatives from organizations even if you’re not applying,” Gaglini

said. “It’s great practice, and never too early to just start networking.”

Yet, at the same time, many older students were attracted to the fair to look for jobs and internships for the summer and for after graduation. Aaron McInnis, CSOM ’14, was looking for a job in accounting.

“I researched firms and really practiced my presentation,” he said. “I think I was really prepared.”

The organizations in attendance also knew what they were looking for in students. Liz Barney, LSOE ’10, represented City Year, a nonprofit organization. “We’re starting a presence in BC due to the Lynch School,” she said. The organization works with underprivileged elementary and middle schools as well as ninth and 10th graders in 24 U.S. cities.

Another popular booth was ICAP, an intermediary for stock buyers and sellers. BC is one of its top recruitment schools for an eight-week internship program in New York. “Each week we rotate you to different positions in the office and cater to what you like most,” ICAP representative Margaret DeLong said.

Van Houten was particularly attracted to the program. “I looked at it and I think it’s a great first step into business.” n

After the end of Wolrd War I, BC applied for a voluntary ROTC program. In February 1919 the program was created and 136 students enrolled. This program declined in between World Wars. In 1947, Army ROTC was started at BC under Colonel James M. Lewis. By 1950, there were 438 cadets in the program, and by the 1960s the program saw enrollment of over 1,200 cadets and was renamed the Boston College ROTC Brigade.

In the wake of dissent against the Vietnam War, the BC Board of Directors voted in Oct. 1970 to end ROTC at BC. The program was reinstated in 1984 as part of a cross-enrollment agreement with Northeastern University. This program still exists today.

emily fahey / Heights staff

Jeremy Waldron, professor of social and political theory at Oxford University, spoke about the separation of powers in U.S. government on Thursday.

Oxford professor touts complex government

By Gabby Tarini For The Heights

robyn kim / heights staff

The Forty Bravo Company honored prisoners of war and missing in action soldiers on the Burns Lawn Friday morning.

BC ROTC honors fallen soldiers

By John Schettino For The Heights

On Friday, Sept. 21, at 6:45 a.m., the Forty Bravo Company cadets stood in dignified silence while the sun crept up the horizon, slowly filling Burns Lawn with the light of daybreak. The ceremony, held each year on the third Friday of September to recognize the POW (prisoner of war) and MIA (missing in action) soldiers who fought for our country, commemorates the sacrifices of these men and women in accordance with national POW/MIA soldier day.

Rev. Paul McNellis, S.J., a veteran of the Vietnam War, initiated this year’s ceremony with a short, heartfelt prayer, requesting that all observers remember those in arms who never come home. After the prayer, one of the officers of the cadet company came forward and revealed a startling statistic: Over 140,000 American soldiers are MIA. The officer then humanized this statistic with a detailed account of a POW/ MIA soldier named Zambrini.

“[The ceremony] is a reminder of our tradition, where we come from,” said Cadet Company Commander Wes Lowenfeld. “The army is one big

“The army is one big family, and the POW/MIA ceremony is a reminder of how big that family is and how many amazing things it has done.”

—Wes Lowenfield, Cadet Company Commander family, and the POW/MIA ceremony is a reminder of how big that family is and how many amazing things it has done.”

The morning was not reserved

solely for remembrance. After the ceremony, the company assembled once again, this time to recognize the many accomplishments of the cadets. Cadets earned awards for academics, personal training, ROTC extracurricular achievement, and, for a select few, awards for LDAC (Leadership Development and Assessment Course).

Among the LDAC Award recipients, Cadet Kathryne Bauchspies, A&S ’13, earned special recognition for completing her LDAC first in her regiment.

Lt. Col. Blaise Gallahue, chair of the department of military science at Northeastern University who presided over the award ceremony, commented on the importance of recognition.

“It means a lot to me to be able to recognize [the cadets] because I want the cadets to feel like all the work they’re doing means something to somebody … because it really does mean something to somebody.” n

The Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy welcomed Jeremy Waldron, the Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at Oxford University and professor of law at New York University, to Boston College last Thursday. Waldron’s lecture was titled “The Separation of Powers in Thought and Practice,” and focused on the importance of the separation of the three branches of government in the United States, and its implications for our nation’s political process now and in the future.

Waldron is an international legal expert. He asks big questions that are often considered unanswerable.

For example, “What is the nature of political representation?” or “What are rights for and how can they meet our nation’s goals in the face of unrelenting bitter disagreement?”

During the lecture, Waldron gave bold answers that shine new light on the landscape of political and moral theory. Waldron emphasized that the principle of separation of powers needs to be understood as a political principle for evaluating the legal and constitutional arrangement of the state, though the Constitution itself makes no references to the principle.

“The fact that the separations of power is not a legal principle does not mean that we have to confine it to some shadowy realm of an ethical principle or a moral idea,” Waldron said. “In some sense it is a moral principle, but the point is that it has an important canonical place in the tradition in political thought.”

The separation of powers is one principle among many, such as the division of power, checks and balances, bicameralism and federalism.

These principles work as a package separately and together, but Waldron emphasized that the separation of powers has its own intrinsic value.

“[The separation of powers] must be given its due — it may convey important ideas about our constitution that are not conveyed by others. It may do some distinct work which is not done by others,” Waldron said.

Waldron explained that the normal picture of our society is one where its laws will be passed by our legislature, and then those laws will be passed onto the courts to be considered and interpreted in the context of disputes, and then the determination of the courts will be enforced, upheld, and implemented by the agencies of the executive branch.

“The image is rather like an assembly line, with various functional points on the assembly line,” Waldron said. “Enactment, adjudication, enforcement.”

Waldron’s major point was that America’s political process is not something that is compressed or undifferentiated in the exercise of power, but rather an articulated and laborious process.

This process is crucial to our democracy. When we act in a constitutional democracy, power is to be exercised in pages, by one agency after another. This process takes an incredible amount of effort and time.

Critics of Waldron say that in our modern age, we need a system that can rapidly create and implement laws. The process Waldron describes is often cited as outdated, or thought of as a nice idea, but something that is unpractical for our day and age.

Waldron disagrees. He stated that we need to be governed in a laborious sort of way. We need a place to debate and vote, to approve and reject legislation. The value in the articulated process must not be compromised.

“If we do not respect this laborious process,” Waldron said, “we risk the integrity of our American constitutional system.” n

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The Heights

Monday, September 24, 2012

Dean Keeley comments on CSOM’s high salary ranks Salary Rankings, from A1

daniel lee / heights editor

Timeflies (left) and Lupe Fiasco (bottom right) entertained students Friday night at UGBC’s annual Fall Concert, which returned this year after cancellation last fall.

Concert posts relatively low number of transports Fall Concert, from A1 dience size quickly swelled just before doors closed at 6:30 p.m., and student DJ Guy Dupont, head of ILO Productions and A&S ’13, had a large crowd to amp up during his hour-long set. The crowd responded well to Dupont, dancing in the seats and enthusiastically cheering for his combination of recent pop hits, familiar throwbacks, and unique remixes.

Timeflies took the stage at 6:50 p.m. and launched immediately into their recent tracks. Halfway into the

set, Chris Osnato, UGBC president and A&S ’13, brought lead singer Cal a BC Doug Flutie jersey and handed him a list of BC-oriented terms and phrases, such as building names, popular Hillside items, administrators, and local establishments around Cleveland Circle. Cal then proceeded to freestyle with all of these, circling around the verse twice in order to fit in everything Osnato had given him. The crowd responded with immense cheers both during and after the specialized song, and Timeflies finished their set at 7:45 p.m.

In the half hour it took to switch

over the stage to Lupe Fiasco, the students became frustrated, beginning a “We want Lupe” chant minutes before he finally took the stage.

He quickly regained audience’s favor, however, and played a set that lasted until about 9:30 p.m. as students quickly left Conte Forum during his final song.

Despite the crowd’s excitement during Fiasco’s set, there was no issue of storming toward the stage as there was during the Akon concert in Fall 2009.

“The first 900 students were given wristbands to allow them to sit in floor seats,” Cavoto said.

“The number was up 100 from the past concerts. We are working with administration to allow for more students to be allowed to sit on the floor by changing up the seating plan.”

Students clearly appreciated this change, and some attempted to give their wristbands—which were used to make sure the floor never exceeded capacity—to other students who wanted to enter at a later time.

Besides this difficulty, TeamOps and Eagle EMS had few medical transports and no large-scale issues with student behavior. n

UGBC hopes Pub Series will continue to grow Pub Series, from A1 had validated their IDs in Student Services prior to the evening and so wait time was minimal. Once inside, however, lines for the two bar stations exceeded 10 minutes.

Horwitz hopes for additional staff at future events, stating of the busy bartenders, “I know they were really overwhelmed. It would’ve been great if we had a few more people.”

Another concern was that the appetizers ran out around 8:30 p.m., but Horwitz cited a limited budget as the cause. “Get here early if you want food,” suggested Siri Peterson, A&S ’13.

Students seemed to be enjoying themselves, clustered around the

cocktail tables and mingling among friends, but some said that the music was ill-fit for the environment.

“It’s not very pub-like,” said Claire Smith, A&S ’13, of the mostly hiphop tracks. In spite of this, students were eager to socialize over a beer on campus, some right from the Career Fair clad in business casual, a presence that foreshadowed postgraduate life.

Students can expect Horwitz, her co-director Joana Bueno, and the UGBC to be committed to hosting more Pub Nights, some with seasonal themes and other possible change-ups. The director divulged that they are discussing possibly finding a new venue on Lower Campus or even sponsoring an event at an off-campus location in Boston. n

kylie montero / heights staff

Students enjoyed food and modestly priced beverages at the Rat on Thursday.

CSOM solely due to their small size and the difficulty of acquiring their data.

“Other schools that you would expect to see, whose numbers would likely exceed us, would be places like MIT,” Keeley said. “It would be good to look at this kind of data in the context of more comprehensive places.”

To that effect, Keeley pointed to BusinessWeek as a more reliable source of data on this topic.

“The BusinessWeek rankings, which come out in May of each year, will show you for 100 to 120 schools what the average salaries are, and there you’ll find that we don’t come out sixth. We’re probably down around 10 or 12, so you have to be wary of the data in that regard.”

In BusinessWeek’s ranking of top undergraduate business schools for 2012, which includes graduates’ starting salaries in its criteria, CSOM ranked ninth, behind schools such as MIT, Cornell, Emory, and the University of Virginia that did not appear on NerdWallet’s list.

The high salaries that many CSOM graduates are reported to be earning are not only a result of their strong BC education, Keeley said, but also the nature of the market in which they are obtaining jobs.

“I think the school is a very strong school and that we prepare our students very well, but it’s not as if we’re being recognized for being extraordinary compared to other schools. [The salaries are] a function of the market,” he said.

Keeley noted that many CSOM students pursue careers in the lucrative fields of accounting and finance, and that the industry structure often leads to standardized starting salaries. If a graduate is going to work in Boston for one of the “Big Four” accounting firms (PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloitte, or Ernst & Young), for example, each company would likely sign him to the same $55,000 starting salary with a $3,000 bonus. As one ventures into the field of investment banking and into bigger markets such as New York, the salaries and bonuses only go up.

Keeley also expressed that CSOM students are “heavy users of Career Center services beginning very early on,” something that likely contributes, along with their work in the classroom, to successful forays into the business world.

According to BC’s post-graduation plans survey of the Class of 2011, the most recent data available, the median starting salary for CSOM grads was $56,000, as compared to the College of Arts & Sciences ($45,000), the Connell School of Nursing ($50,500), and the Lynch School of Education ($36,500). Eight

of the top 10 most lucrative jobs for BC grads in 2011 came in business fields, with investment banking topping the list, followed by consulting, accounting, auditing, financial/treasury analysis, and portfolio management.

Furthermore, 30 percent of 2011 CSOM grads reportedly received job offers before their senior year even began, with another 40 percent receiving offers during the first semester of senior year. Over half of the A&S Class of 2011 did not obtain jobs until second semester of their senior year.

Even with these helpful resources, though, many graduates, not just from CSOM or BC, are currently facing the daunting task of securing a job in the unsettled economic climate.

“Firms are feeling [the economy], and it’s certainly having a ripple effect for students as well,” Keeley said. “It’s a tough, tough market.”

An example of the heightened pressure on students would be the increased difficulty of gaining a job in banking. According to Keeley, there were previously two avenues students could take to getting a banking job: a summer internship or fall recruiting. Now, many firms are no longer doing fall recruiting and have fewer summer spots available as well. This change puts even more stress on students to get their foot in the door early so as not to get left behind come fall.

Ultimately, despite a true commitment to their field of study, there is bound to be disappointment among many dedicated students, since there are only so many positions available to new college graduates.

This is even more prevalent now, with more graduates going directly into the workforce rather than to graduate school: 86.1 percent of CSOM graduates planned to pursue full-time employment after graduation, according to the post-graduation plans survey. This number was up from 83.5 percent for the Class of 2010. For all BC undergraduate schools, nearly 60 percent of 2011 seniors said they were seeking jobs upon graduation rather than pursuing more advanced degrees, compared to 56 percent in 2010.

Keeley acknowledged that CSOM produces well-prepared students for high-powered business careers, but that, despite the large paychecks they will receive, what it boils down to is finding a field that one finds truly interesting.

“It’s certainly been my experience to see students who compete and compete successfully for some of these high-level and high-paying jobs who, three months into it, are miserable. We do well, but there’s something to be said about finding the kind of work you really enjoy doing, and as the cliche goes, the money will follow.” n

A cappella groups team up for charity Acapellafest, from A1 “We really wanted to continue a connection with the Zuchs and give something back to the family,” said Matthew Johnson, president of the Acoustics and A&S ’13.

“We also wanted to remain in line with the BC tradition of men and women for others.”

Morgan and her family sat among the BC community during Saturday’s Acappellafest. The Heightsmen, the only all-male a cappella group on campus, brought Morgan on stage and serenaded her to “My Girl” by The Temptations. Later, Morgan spoke to the audience about her experience as a cancer survivor.

“As you can see, I’m doing great,” Morgan said. “I’m so happy to be here and so glad to have the

Morgan Center so that children can have the experience that I couldn’t.”

Her father, Rod Zuch, thanked the BC community for their generosity and support. He also jokingly warned the Heightsmen.

“Hey Heightsmen!” Zuch said.

“She’s only in high school!”

The Acappellafest has been held in Robsham Theater as a non-ticketed event since 2008.

Last year, the festival had an unprecedented turnout. With over an hour until Acappellafest, there was a line stretching from the lobby of Robsham to the Mod parking lot. Johnson estimates there were around 1,300 to 1,500 students waiting for the show.

“We had an explosion in terms of attendance that we didn’t expect,” Johnson said. “Coming back this year, there were discussions

between myself, the Student Programs Office, and the Robsham staff about whether or not we could host it in Robsham again.”

In an effort to control the attendance of this year’s Acappellafest, the Acoustics and the staff of Robsham Theater chose to ticket the event and hire BCPD and TeamOps. The event proved to be a great success, showcasing the talents of every BC a cappella group. Although Johnson will soon be graduating, he hopes the Acoustics and Robsham staff will continue this fundraising tradition in the coming years.

“I do hope that the Acoustics, if they remain the future organizers of the show, will continue to make it a charity-oriented event,” Johnson said. “And I hope we can continue our relationship with the Morgan Center.” n

emily fahey / heights staff and daniel lee / heights editor

The 2012 Acappellafest featured performances by ten BC a cappella groups to raise money for the Morgan Center.

natalie blardony / heights staff

Five BC alumni returned to the Heights for a panel discussion about technology and entrepreneurship Thursday evening.

BC alums return to impart advice Silicon Valley, from A1 Bill Clerico graduated from BC with a degree in computer science.

He took a number of internships while at BC before cofounding WePay, a fast-growing online-payment company based in Palo Alto, Calif. One of his more influential internships at BC was with a startup company called Healthbase that sent people to India and Indonesia to get surgeries that they couldn’t afford in the U.S. “[Healthbase] was my first taste of raw entrepreneurship,” Clerico said. “It was only a couple of weeks, but there was this fire that was awakened in me. I actually loved that there were no boundaries, anything went, and I got to do all sorts of things that were super creative.”

After graduation, Clerico took a job at an investment bank. Although he learned a lot, he knew that he didn’t want to be in investment banking for the rest of his

career.

“A year into investment banking, I quit.” Clerico said. “I called up my freshman year roommate from BC, Rich, and we started brainstorming about startup ideas.

We came up with an idea about making payments really, really easy online.”

All of the panelists were eager to tell their personal stories and to give practical advice to rising entrepreneurs.

“One of the things we are big on is clarity of thought,” Grady said. “Clarity of thought means you should be able to articulate your business plan to your grandma in less than 10 seconds and have her understand what it means. Most people don’t fail because they can’t think deeply enough or because they can’t think hard enough. Most people fail because they don’t think simply enough.”

Nova and the other panelists were optimistic about the future of entrepreneurship at BC. “You are existing in a really

unique time and place,” Nova said.

“Time in the sense that what you could do with one hundred, two hundred, three thousand dollars today used to cost five to $10 million 10 years ago. With regard to place, you’re at Boston College. I judge business plans at MIT, Harvard, and we’re also judging at Stanford.

The quality of the business plans that are coming out of Boston College are equal if not better than those plans I see at Harvard, MIT, and Stanford.”

Nova, who moderated discussion, was also quick to laud the extensive networking opportunities that are available to BC graduates and students.

“You’ve got an alumni network through the Boston College Technology Council who is here for you,” Nova said. “We’re here for advice, we’re here for mentorship, we are available. There are over 900 alumni members, and these are members who have BC degrees and are existing in the technology world today.

So take advantage of that.” n

CLASSIFIEDS

The Heights

A5

Monday, September 24, 2012

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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.

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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: · Number can appear only once in each row · Number can appear only once in each column · Number can appear only once in each 3x3 box · The number should appear only once on row, column or area.

Monday, September 24 7 PM, Fulton 511 Boston Globe Sports Columnist:

Chris Gasper

Former Boston Globe Arts Reporter and current Senior Editor in the BC Office of Marketing Communications:

MaureEn Dezell

Former Boston Globe Senior Metro Editor and Pulitzer Prize winner:

Steve Kurkjian

A6

The Heights

Editorials

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Be a responsible citizen in the local community

Monday, September 24, 2012

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.

-Tenzin Gyatso, (1935-) The 14th Dalai Lama

Students living both on and off campus are reminded to be respectful of our Allston-Brighton neighbors As students are finally getting settled into their new off-campus digs, The Heights would like to ask those students to reflect on what it means to be a respectful Boston College citizen in the local community. Living off campus is an exciting new venture for most, one that is accompanied by unrivaled freedom, but also newfound responsibility.

Now residing outside the confines of residence halls and meal plans, offcampus students must remember that they are members of the Allston-Brighton community, and act as such. This includes keeping yards clean, maintaining a reasonable noise level, and most importantly, properly controlling social gatherings. Oftentimes, uncontrolled parties result in destruction and vandalism of property, undermining the value of the entire community.

The responsibility does not simply apply to our off-campus community, however, as students who choose to

make their way down Comm. Ave. on the weekends must also consider their behavior. Student parties and, even more so, groups of students wandering the local neighborhoods often create a hostile environment for those individuals who are full-time residents of the community. Retired couples and couples with young children live in this neighborhood and have done so for many years – well before students moved into these more residential surroundings.

The University has worked long and hard with these neighbors in recent years and has gained their cooperation and respect. The Heights challenges the student body to similarly gain the respect of our off-campus neighbors.

So, next weekend, and throughout the months to come, try not to make excessive noise when attending social gatherings, and be knowledgeable about your treatment of AllstonBrighton.

Revamped Pub Series a success for UGBC The Heights commends UGBC for listening to student complaints and improving the popular Rat event On Thursday evening, a swarm of seniors descended upon the Rat for the highly-anticipated “Welcome Back Eagles” Pub Series. Lines were short, spirits were high, and the event went off without a hitch.

The event, which ran from 7 to 10 p.m., was a relatively relaxed way to begin the evening, billed as more of a precursor to off-campus activities for the senior class. It supported a healthy social life on campus and, on all accounts, was a significant step up from last year’s somewhat unsuccessful Oktoberfest.

UGBC has responded to complaints about last year’s Pub Series with a

number of enhancements to the event, including additional food—all free, and quite substantial, including sliders, pigs in a blanket, and brownies—and a DJ that kept attendees engaged and bonding for the entirety of the three-hour long event. Seasonal and local brews were pouring all night long for the extremely affordable and appreciated price of $3.50, and students remained respectful and agreeable from start to finish.

Proper planning led to a positive and thoroughly enjoyable event. The Heights would like to commend UGBC on the success of the first Pub Night of 2012 and wish it luck with its upcoming iterations.

Career Center must diversify Career Fair For students whose career goals are not addressed at annnual Fair, Career Center should propose alternatives The Boston College Career Fair was held last Thursday in Conte Forum with over 100 companies in attendance. Many BC students printed out their resumes, practiced their elevator speeches, and donned their best suit or pencil skirt. Some students, however, did not bother to attend, despite constant news flashes about high unemployment rates and low job availability. There seemed to be a consensus among certain facets of the BC student body that

“There seemed to be a

consensus among certain facets of the BC student body that the Career Fair is useful solely to CSOM students.”

the Career Fair is useful solely to CSOM students, despite the Career Center’s insistence that all BC students and all majors are welcome.

The Heights would like to say there is a degree of truth to the students’ claim.

Although some companies present were relevant to students in all schools, the ma-

jority of companies seemed to be catered to students studying marketing, finance, accounting, or some sort of business major.

We understand that a large number of financial companies at the Career Fair is unavoidable, as those companies will pay the cost to have a table and will also hire multiple students for entry level positions.

However, we believe that the Career Center should work to fix this imbalance, as it is unfair to BC students who are not seeking employment in those fields. For example, there were only two or three tables that truly applied to students studying communication, the most popular major at BC. We know that a rapid diversifying of clients is easier said than done, so we also ask that if the Career Center hears of other career or internship fairs in the area, they let the students know. Between all the colleges and conventions in our area, there are plenty of opportunities for students to discover employers that are right for them.

We do, however, encourage those who are frustrated by the homogeneity of BC’s Career Fair not to completely disregard it. It may not have exactly what you are looking for, but you could be pleasantly surprised by a company you may have not even considered.

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

Suzanne Severance/ Heights Illustration

The Online buzz Reprinting reader comments from www.bcheights.com, The Online Buzz draws on the online community to contribute to the ongoing discussion.

In response to “Unearthing the past may danger the peace process,” by The Heights Editorial Board: Jean McConville’s family deserves some consideration here.

One parallel case at the moment is that of Whitey Bulger. As you will know whilst smuggling weapons for the IRA, Whitey engaged in several criminal activities. No one in America argued that Whitey’s involvement in IRA business provided immunity from prosecution. The FBI seemed to provide cover for his activities, but when Whitey eventually turned up he was prosecuted. So it seems he was a “top echelon” informant while engaging in both IRA activity and criminal activity, none of which should take away from the rights of families to seek justice.

There are many similar cases in Northern Ireland at present.

Being involved in war does not absolve anyone from crimes they commit and if we argue the Northern Ireland conflict was a war, and I believe it was, then we need to examine some of the war crimes that went on, if only to ensure we don’t repeat them.

I understand Irish America doesn’t want to face up to their part in the North of Ireland. My belief is you got involved to thwart communism. Noble aim from your point of view but many death squads operated with near immunity over the years here. It emerged that several

prolific shooters cooperated in one form or another with the intelligence services as agents. This narrative of brave and plucky natives taking on the might of the British Army is quite simplistic and untrue.

If you did wish to pressure for anything, at least you could pressure for a truth recovery process but the peace process is doomed without it.

Ask yourself this question, if someone raped or murdered your loved one would you ever let it lie to facilitate a “peace process”?

And for whom does this process create peace anyway?

Certainly not for relatives denied truth about what happened to their loved ones.

I should point out I had relatives shot by loyalists and one killed apparently accidentally by the security forces and I doubt any investigation will ever truthfully look into any of that. But where we can find out what was really behind the taking of thousands of lives we should, no matter who took them.

It strikes me this extrapolation of consequences is self serving, when has long-term peace ever developed out of a tissue of lies?

This is about protecting interests, as usual.

Anonymous

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The Heights

Monday, September 24, 2012

A7

Opinions

Thumbs Up Useful TAs- We’ve had some bad luck with TAs recently.

Some didn’t put any effort into their jobs, and others were simply not good at explaining the topic at hand. So when my religion core professor was absent and the TA took her place, we were ready for a class full of poor teaching. It was a nice surprise when our TA turned out to be quite dynamic and knowledgeable about the subject at hand. Theology department, thumbs up for good hiring practices.

Dogs and trampolines- The Youtube video of the week has to go to “Presenting … Mudd” which shows a pudgy English bulldog having the time of his life on a trampoline. He prances around, does barrel rolls, and barks when he gets too much air. It gives videos like “Sneezing Panda” a run for their money.

Healthapalooza- The Office of Health Promotion did an incredible job with Healthapalooza this year. O’Neill Plaza was packed with students at stations sponsored by Health Services, BCPD, and ResLife.

We didn’t have time to make it to all the tables (so jealous of all those who got t-shirts), but those we did, we loved.

Shout out to BC Dining, who surprised our expectations by serving three types of incredibly delicious veggie burgers.

Thumbs Down Waiting for Lupe- We sadly were not in attendance this weekend, but we heard rumors that there was a 45 minute gap between Timeflies and Lupe.

We can only imagine how long that felt—being forced to sit in Conte for 45 minutes with NOTHING else going on. What are you supposed to do, memorize all the dates on the athletic banners? Lupe, we know you’re famous and stuff, but put a little pep in your step.

One with the tiger- A New York man is in critical condition after jumping off a monorail into the tiger exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. He suffered multiple broken bones from the jump, and obviously, was then mauled by the tiger. Police reports say he was not drunk or crazy, just wanted to be “one with the tiger.” We are not sure how you can be “one with the tiger,” but we guess he achieved that when the tiger dug its claws into his back.

Scary Faces- We were watchi n g T h e Re al Ho u s e w i v e s of Miami when one of the housewives’ mothers came on screen. When we say that her face looked like she had taken a bath in a wasp’s nest and then spent two hours in a tanning booth, we are being quite kind. The woman has gotten so much plastic surgery that she is unable to speak on camera without having subtitles underneath. One of our roommates actually hid underneath a blanket to avoid the terror her face brings upon the general public.

Endless Summer- We love fall at Boston College, but we were not ready for boots and sweater-weather just yet. With the first day of autumn on Sept. 22 (sup, equinox), here’s our bittersweet farewell to a wonderful summer.

Like TU, TD? Follow us @BCTUTD

Oh my god I’m stuck in my iPhone

Bud O’Hara Me and my big-dawg homies are in a smoke stained car, and the floor mats are littered with garbage. There are four of us, and the three of them are wearing sunglasses because it’s Sunday morning (1 p.m.) and we are, for lack of a more inventive term, beat-to-sh—t hungover. We’re en route to a Tex-Mex restaurant on Cambridge Street in Brighton for “brunch,” the name of which escapes me because the place has no sign above its door.

There’s a point during mornings like this one where sustenance—namely, your first meal on a Sunday after a particularly grueling, 36-hour game of how many substances can I blur my consciousness with—becomes life’s sole concern. You’re feeling weak, maybe even shaking with hints of withdrawal, and while the stomach will protest, food will offer a much-needed step toward revival.

They (my friends) are talking about something: unfiltered cigarettes, the trials and tribulations of successful copulation in the booze-blurred labyrinth that is the Mods, or margaritas and Bloody Marys.

These are only educated guesses because I’m glued to my iPhone 4s, the screen of which displays Wikipedia’s manageable definition for the nation of Greenland.

I’m looking up Greenland. In a moment that’s both sudden and confounding, I become distantly self-aware. I know exactly where I am, geographically—back passenger seat of a familiar Jeep Wrangler driving approximately east on Cambridge Street in Brighton—so it’s not exactly one of these “where am I” moments. I’m thinking about the motion of the car—how my body is moving at approximately the same velocity, how the buildings whizzing by in the inten-

sity of the midday sun are as much mirage as reality. A human is collecting discarded cans, and a couple is holding hands eating custard from Abbott’s. And I’m holding this device in my hands. It’s granting me passage to Greenland.

I’m vaguely conscious of the reason I’m looking up Greenland, but why my mind is trying to wrap itself around a landmass three times the size of France, and inhabited by only 56,000 people when the focus of the company I’m with resides some 1,700 miles west, is beyond me.

I’m trying to listen, but not succeeding because this spectral feeling that I’m lost in has stolen the better half of my attention.

This current of reality in which I’m submerged—the one that circumscribes any and all volitional power—is dragging me along its wayward, infinite path. It doesn’t feel oppressive, inundating, or constricting—it just sort of is, and I’m okay with it, I think.

Reason takes over and I start to postulate that in all likelihood, it’s the iPhone in my hands that’s delivered me here to this mental place. It’s ushered me to a balcony seat above the linear stream that is my life, so that I can spectate bemusedly. And while I’m not convinced that the sustainability of the moment’s existential experience is exactly desirable, the phenomenon is worth noting, particularly if it’s a byproduct of what I think is an iPhone vortex.

IPhone vortices—a term I’ve not heard often, if at all—characterize those times that you cock your head down toward your iPhone—smart phone, whatever, I know you’re all Apple dependents—and first fire up Twitter, Angry Birds in Space, or whichever app it is you use twice an hour, and before you’ve realized what’s happened you’ve transitioned to three other apps, and have spent at least a half hour oblivious to your surrounding physical reality. The body goes catatonic, save the thumbs. You are sucked in to a space of 960 by 640 pixels.

Once you’ve come to reality, you experience some degree of confusion, and probably consternation because of that thing that you were supposed to be doing instead.

We tend to label these instances very generally as “bad” things that can happen to us—undesired consequences of our burgeoning relationship with technology, a deleterious effect of information overload.

It’s in moments like these that we realize the divide between worlds that computing/the Internet is creating.

But, instead of pointing anxiety toward this phenomenon, toward the future, maybe it’s time we submit to the wormhole. If it hasn’t happened already, there’s going to be a point in the very near future of our lives in which we become collectively aware that we’re spending as much, if not more time immersed in the virtual displays that entertain, inform, and connect us as we are interfacing with human beings, or staring at trees or some something. If anything, successfully navigating a multi-furcated existence is a testament to the power of the human brain—something we shouldn’t be afraid to put faith in. Our relationship with technology, specifically mobile devices, is only going to develop, after all. Let’s not fall victim to a classic case of fear of the unknown. Throughout the history of recorded time, the future has always been terrifying.

We however, as a species, tend to adapt quite well.

I’m at the brunch table, and I look up from my iPhone, and my friends are sucking on a round of “Bloody Marias,” all gazes engrossed in respective 3.5 inch screens.

I smile as I watch the waitress arrive with a plate of Huevos Rancheros and Jalapeno Corncakes. A scene from eight months earlier flashes across my mind stream: I’m sitting on a train in the London Underground in what was my formal re-introduction to the first world after a four month stay in the third-world. All seven people across from me are lost to the vortices of their mobile devices. It’s a foreign phenomenon to me at the time. I start laughing, no one hears me.

Bud O’Hara is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

What not to do while abroad Monica Sanchez Currently enrolled in the Parma program, I have had the privilege thus far of exploring the beautiful city of Florence, Italy. The genuine leather, or vera pelle, the countless churches such as the Duomo and Santa Croce, the tiny cars (Fiats abound), the delicious food and gelato … I could go on and on. This historic, picturesque city has so much to offer! But, as much as I would love to say everything has been magical and life-changing, I’d be lying to you. While the majority of my trip so far has been a wonderful experience, I’ve run into a few setbacks while traveling abroad.

So have my peers. I’ve learned a lot in just the past week about what not to do when traveling abroad—a lot that I wish someone had warned me ahead of time. To hopefully spare those planning to go abroad a load of stress and nail biting, here’s some advice: Do not assume your phone is internationally capable. Make sure to call your phone service provider prior to departure to verify that your phone is capable of making calls abroad and to unlock your phone so you can actually make those calls. Unlocking your phone also allows you to purchase a SIM card through an international provider so you don’t pile up expensive data charges. If by chance you forget to do so ….

NEVER use payphones at the airport. I arrived in Munich, Germany for an eighthour layover on my way to Italy. I don’t speak German, just Spanish. Moreover, I was traveling alone, for the first time, to a foreign country. Imagine how intimidated I was. Shaky about sitting in an airport alone for eight hours in a foreign country where English was not the status quo, I hoped to call my family and hear some words of encouragement. My phone wasn’t letting me dial out of the country. My service provider had told me at the time of

Bazoomie Wagon

purchase that my phone was internationally capable. What I didn’t know is that I had to ask them to unlock it before I went abroad.

Well, the next logical step would be to use a payphone, right? Wrong. The payphones at airports rip you off by failing to display their international call rates. They offer an option when you dial in to provide the rates, but that was, of course, in German. I called my family three times. The first call, no answer: $55.70. The second time, I spoke to my mom for one minute. The call dropped: $55.70. The third time, I spoke to my mom for six minutes: $55.70. The first I heard of all these charges? When I checked my bank account in Italy the next day. I still haven’t gotten my money back. Long story short, airport payphones are the work of the devil.

Do not exchange your money at airport currency exchanges or the exchanges on the streets of Europe. The currency exchanges take obscene percentages of your money.

Just use the ATM. For example, if you have Bank of America, find one of its sister banks like BNL in Italy. When you withdraw from whichever sister bank, the amount of money you get at the time of withdrawal is consistent with the current conversion rate, free of extra, ridiculous charges.

Do not wait until you get to your final destination to research how to use public transportation from the airport to your homestay/hostel/hotel. I was simply advised to take a taxi once outside of the Florence airport. Thinking that was simple enough, similar to the taxi line at Boston Logan, I flew into Italy without checking. Once I arrived, I had the pleasure of walking all over the place until an Italian gentleman noticed I was helpless and in distress. Barely speaking English, he advises me to take a bus instead. The bus takes me to the Central Station, which was nowhere near my hotel.

Again, I walked all over to figure out what to do. Again, an Italian gentleman advises me to take another bus. The bus drops me off two miles away from my destination.

I had to lug two suitcases on extremely narrow, cobblestone walkways, across busy streets and amongst traffic jams of pedestrians heading to work. The issue of walking leads to another piece of advice:

BY BEN VADNAL

Do not pack more than two suitcases.

This is not by virtue of my own personal experience, but that of my peers here in Florence with me. More luggage, more problems. As I said before, the walkways are extremely narrow. Pedestrians are constantly biking and walking up and down these walkways, making it a monumental feat to manage lugging baggage around. Moreover, when you go abroad, you’ll end up buying souvenirs. Pack lightly so you don’t get charged for another bag. I personally left half of a luggage empty for purchases and memorabilia I’ll be bringing back home.

Those extra baggage charges are not cheap by any means.

My last pieces of advice are very well the most important. Pickpocketing is notorious abroad, especially for study abroad students and persons who generally look like tourists. Do not carry large amounts of cash, and do not pull out your cash in public. For women, if you do use a purse, do not leave it hanging on your side. Keep your hand on it at all times and hold it close to your body.

I have heard of stories where thieves have either slyly pickpocketed a hanging purse or have cut off the strap of a purse and ran off with it. You know that phone that serves as your lifeline at Boston College? Do not leave your phone in your back pocket. Someone will walk right up to you and grab it without you even knowing it. Lastly, I know you all have probably heard this countless times from your parents and authority figures alike, but do not walk alone at night, especially in a strange city. Of the students in my program, I was the first to arrive. At about 6 p.m., I was starving and headed out onto the main street to grab a bite to eat.

An Italian male I had seen previously on the bus was outside of my hotel, lingering. I made no real mention of it. That is, until he started following me. I eventually lost him, heading back into my hotel, but the whole experience was uncomfortable to say the least. Long story short, stick to the buddy system.

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

The living earth Oluwaseyi Bolarwina She dances in real-time rhythm, just like every other planet, as gravity calls the tune. More so, she greets the tune with an ingenious elegance that every mother who supports intelligent life radiates. She hosts the pretty roses of the field, among other bright flowers with comely petals, just to refer to a few of the gorgeous ornaments that graciously carpet our verdant fields and forests. Yet, the unspoken criticism from the same intelligent life she had supported over millennia baffles me.

Mother Earth coughs and belches, and as she occasionally spills her gut, floating tephra and volcanic gasses thicken an appreciable patch of the sky, aerial traffic gets disrupted while the press amplifies this foothold into full-blown news. Then we, the audience, take the news in hook, line coupled with the sinker, as we inadvertently downplay Mother Earth’s legitimate activities. After all, we cough and belch, and at times, the uneasy feeling of nausea conditions us to throw up at the point of illness.

Who are we to deplore the Earth for

her just activities!

The deepest point ever reached through drilling by man stands at about 12 kilometers, yet we figured that the animated ball comprises of huge concentric layers: namely the outer crust, the enormous mantle, and the flaming core. Erudite seismologists will be quick to validate the actuality that this elegantly enumerated science about the earth would not have grazed their knowledge if the earth had not given away her pulse to be read by cute gizmos like the seismograph.

In the same vein, over the decades, news and discussions about earthquakes, among other natural disasters, has frequented the dailies and other mouthpieces of many local and international media for so long that earthquake is unarguably a household name over the world. Since the media, in general, airs the detrimental effect of earthquakes, just like the widely acclaimed notion, an earthquake is a nightmare that no one ever wants to happen. I share the general perspective about the detrimental hazards of earthquakes: I equally stand the risk of its hazards just like everyone around, but could Mother Earth be so mean?

Perhaps we would better understand the dynamics of existence if we can take a cue from as many mutually related views as can be reached.

One is the perspective of the innocent hardworking ants and insects that are often crushed while they stray into our path. To them, we are impossible giants that continually wreak mayhem in their should-be peaceful world.

As we go about our ‘’normal’’ daily activity, we are often oblivious to the reality that we continually impose negative impact on some other world.

But, the most prominent quality of a living entity is movement, and if we impact other worlds through our mobility, would it be fair to downplay the earth’s?

Again, just like almost everyone, if I could eat my cake and still have it intact, then I can also ride on wild wishes like a sturdy stallion: we mine the gold, diamonds, and the best grades of emerald that are originally forged deep in the ginormous belly of Mother Earth, but we do not want their natural companion, lava. These precious stones would never have been reached without the superhot fluid (magma) that conveys the precious pieces through pipes and crevices within Mother Earth. This is a hard reality, but one we have to live with.

The living earth supports the plants, the plants support the leaf-eating game and livestock that we feed on. Without energy from food, we are as good as the walking dead. The living alone can support some other living things. We are caught between this trade-off: If the earth literally stops living, can we really continue to exist?

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

A8

The Heights

Monday, September 24, 2012

The Heights

Thursday, November 11, 2010

THE HEIGHTS’ GUIDE TO off-campus MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

what neighborhood best fits your academic and social Needs? how to prepare for the unexpected, off-campus

Preparing for the five people you’ll meet off-campus Elise Taylor I’m a big fan of off-campus. As I sit here in my queen bed, in a single, surrounded by not one but two extension cords (take that, ResLife), I can’t help but feel newly liberated. The perks of living off campus truly are endless—bigger spaces, a slew of social activities, and best of all, having less limitation. Feel like pasta at 3 p.m.? Go right ahead, your kitchen awaits you. Feel like putting a lawn chair on top of your garage to work on your tan? There’s no one stopping you.

Earlier this week, my roommate raised an interesting notion while we were sitting outside on our patio, waiting for the night to begin. She compared living off campus to being in “college heaven.” We all laughed when she said this, and agreed that our lives were pretty perfect at the moment. I turned to look out to our backyard and the expanses of Gerald and Foster, ready to bask in my good fortune, when something

caught my eye: a stranger picking leaves off of one of our bushes.

“What the f— are you doing?” one of my roommates yelled. The boy looked up, and scampered away.

We all sighed. Just another random visitor in our own little slice of paradise.

In 2003, Mitch Albom wrote the book The Five People You Meet in Heaven about an elderly man who, after passing away, is visited by five people who affected his life on earth. The book ignited many questions—one being if this could be what actually happens in heaven. Well, I certainly can’t answer that question, but I can tell you, in off-campus heaven, this rings true. There are many randoms who will enter your life, some of them fleeting. But there are five people who will stay with you throughout your entire off-campus life. So I would like to propose a new twist to the classic story, or The Five People You Meet OffCampus.

1) The Can Lady - There will be a small woman who comes to raid your trash on Fridays and Sundays, and there is nothing you can do about it. She will rip holes in your trash bags, knock the cans over, and leave the remnants for various urban critters, and she will do this all with a darling smile, because even though you are yelling at her that you are going to call the police (it’s an empty threat, but she could at least close the lid, damnit), she doesn’t understand a word

of English. Or at least, pretends not to, which is a wise business strategy in the trash-raiding business. Think you can escape her just because you live in an apartment? Tough, because rumor is she will throw rocks at your window until you send down some cans.

2) Steve Montgomery - You might see the infamous “off-campus liason” breaking up at party in his red Ford Explorer. Immediately following, you will experience a stampede of Lion King proportions as underage kids try to escape his wrath. May the odds be ever in your favor.

3) A very drunk freshman who thinks you are having a party - Many freshmen believe that because you live off campus, you automatically have a social gathering every Friday and Saturday night. Some of those freshmen will even be ballsy enough to just take a gamble that you are and pound on your door for five minutes. And when you finally do answer, wondering who is interrupting your viewing of The Real Housewives, they will stand awkwardly and tell you that “Greg/Chris/Allie/insert popular name here” told them you were having people over. Close, but no cigar.

4) Random who parks in your driveway - One of the great advantages to living off campus is that you can park your car in your own driveway. Or in many cases, have someone you don’t know also park their car in your driveway. It’s most likely your neighbor’s brother’s girlfriend’s cousin’s vehicle who is visiting a

resources and people to know for off-campus students b3

friend at Bentley, so don’t fret. There will be way too many times when you are backing out of your own driveway only to find a Volvo station wagon with Ohio plates blocking you in. You will have to knock on the doors of three houses to find someone who knows the owner, and even then, they will not be able to reach him.

5) Trash Angel - The fifth person you meet off campus, if you are lucky, will make you cry with joy and in awe of his kindness. After the long, grueling day of moving in, complete with the realization that your realty office did not send a cleaning crew or move out all the discarded furniture like they promised, you will find yourself amidst a mountain of crap. We are talking trash, broken shoe racks, cardboard boxes, and abandoned air conditions. You will be brought to tears by the thought of moving this all to the front of your house. But then, a magical man in a white truck will drive in and offer to move all your trash for you for free. You will not know why he wants to do this and what payment he is seeking, but you drop to your knees and thank God for sending you this trash angel from heaven.

So there you have it, the five people that you will meet and never forget off campus.

Elise Taylor is the Opinions Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

a sophomore’s story of finding the right place early A guide to off-campus discipline b4

b4

B2

housing guide

choosing the right neighborhood As you prepare to search for your apartment or house offcampus, there are many decisions to be made, from what you envision your social life being to how far you’d like to trek to get to your classes. Here, The Heights provides an overview of what to expect in each neighborhood.

By: molly laPoint |special projects editor

Lake Street Though lacking in shuttle access, Lake Street residents have a relatively short (though uphill) walk to campus, if they are not too far down. The neighborhood is quiet and boasts great access to Brighton Campus, including the Theology Library and many grassy lawns to lounge on when the weather is nice. The streets themselves may be quieter, but the proximity to the on-campus action could make up for it. Residents are close to El Pelon and Crazy Dough’s, and all the shops Washington Street has to offer.

PROXIMITY TO BC 4.5/5 FOOD/DRINK 3.5/5 SOCIAL SCENE 2/5 HOUSING QUALITY 3.5/5

photos by david givler / former heights editor

city of newton

Manet rd., algonquin rd., Hammondswood rd., Hammond st., Crosby rd.

Students who decide to go the opposite direction up Commonwealth Avenue will find a much different, more suburban feel than those off-campus students in Brighton. Your neighbors are likely to be much quieter, as fewer BC students choose to live in the area, and your walk home will be quite short, which will make up for the lack of shuttle access. The proximity to necessary amenities, including restaurants and bars, leaves something to be desired. Those without access to cars should be cautioned that trips to the grocery store will be decidedly more difficult, given the limited public transit.

PROXIMITY TO BC 5/5 FOOD/DRINK 1.5/5 SOCIAL SCENE 3/5 HOUSING QUALITY 4/5

Reflecting on the ups and downs of a year spent off campus

Taylor Cavallo Living off campus is a staple of any student’s time at Boston College (or for those who only have three years of housing). Off-campus living is truly a great experience that makes you grow up in a lot of ways, fosters independence, and is a lot of fun in the meantime.

I lived on 16 South Street my junior year, in a charming blue house with white shutters, a front porch, large windows and a big tree in our front yard.

In the year I spent off campus, that little place (in need of multiple repairs) became my home, and by

the time May rolled around, I was really sad to leave.

First semester, we put a bright orange pumpkin on our porch for Halloween and felt like true Suzy home-makers. When we got around to it, cooking our own meals brought us a nice sense of pride. Second semester, once the weather got warmer, we laid out blankets in our front lawn to tan and wave to people we knew as they walked by. And we realized toward the end of the year that by crawling out our narrow kitchen window, we could sit atop the awning on our front porch, which quickly became our favorite thing to do on warm spring nights.

While this description is true but highly romanticized, living off campus presents challenges that you’re not faced with while living in dorms. One of the biggest issues I experienced was in the basic, logistical things that go into maintaining a home that I had never dealt with directly before. Setting up cable and wireless Internet, splitting up money and paying bills (it took me a while to really get a handle on Comcast and NStar as separate entities), making sure lights are turned off

when you leave because, guess what, now you pay for it when you lazily leave them on—it’s certainly evident next time you get the bill. Having to consciously remember to lock the door every time you leave—doors on houses don’t automatically lock when they close.

Little things like this take a while to get used to, but I promise you’ll get used to them quickly. Soon I enjoyed remembering these little tidbits—they made the place really feel like my own, and I took pride in that.

Another issue that we dealt with on a very frequent basis was our landlords. They drop in when they want, contact you about any concerns they have (whether they’re big or small), and are your go-to people with any questions about things functioning (or not) in your house. I’d advise establishing a good relationship with them from the get-go, since it’ll be a tedious task checking in and keeping up with them if you have problems. If something seems to be out of your control or you’re ever overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to turn to your parents for help. They have experience with these things in ways that you don’t (i.e., living in a house) and

trust me, if you ever feel like your landlord isn’t taking a request or concern of yours seriously, they’ll listen to your parents. I called up my parents any time there was an issue or question regarding bills or rent. Remember, you have rights too, and your landlord has to respect those.

This doesn’t mean that these challenges aren’t worth it. They teach you to grow up and also have fun. One of my favorite things about living off campus was walking back home after class (when it wasn’t raining), listening to my iPod, and thinking—the walk back lets you reflect on the day and gather your thoughts. It’s a nice change having home and school separate, even for one year.

Don’t get me wrong—now that I’m a senior, I’m glad to be back on campus. Those doors that lock every time they close are pretty convenient. The laundry room down the hall is great too, but sometimes I miss my little blue house with the white shutters.

Taylor Cavallo is Assoc. Arts & Review Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

Preparing for the unexpected issues of renting your first place

Maggie Burdge “Oh wow! I actually have $50!” As I checked my bank account online the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not overdrawn as I had thought, but had $50 left. As I have begun to realize from my short time off-campus, that is a fortune.

When deciding to move off campus, the things you will gain–freedom, independence, a full kitchen–and things you will lose–RAs (what a shame), cramped rooms, that lovely two-minute walk to a 9 a.m.—are the first things that come to mind. There are definitely unforeseen charges and roadblocks to owning your own place.

The first, and most regular, is the cost and time commitment to cooking your own food. Whether you are a foodie like me and spent hours furnishing your kitchen, or don’t even know how to make toast, taking the time to make your food and making things that are edible is a definite off-campus struggle. Watching the bag of celery you bought less than a week ago go bad or realizing that your last five meals have been pasta are common woes of the newly stranded student. Getting the $300 of groceries home alone, with or without a car, is a feat previously unknown.

The next trial on the wallets of those living off campus is the numerous bills that pile up. The nice standard email from Student Services letting you know that your statement is ready that you immediately delete knowing your parents will take care of it, is cake compared to the staggeringly bleak print of the bills egging you on, “Pay me now or you will regret this.”

Who knew that if you had service on more than one television in a house, you have to pay for both of them? Who knew that if you didn’t set up your Internet a week before you got to school that you would be

stuck in the library stalking Facebook during your free time? The many different companies and people who want to take your money as an off-campus student for anything that they can get their hands on cannot even be counted on two hands.

Beyond the purely fiscal, unexpected treats offcampus students get to deal with, there are some ever-more-tangible issues that crop up. The rodents that like to invite themselves to eat from your trash cans definitely choose the vulnerable house owners over the well-lit dorm depositories. Figuring out what day is trash day and getting your trash to the proper containers in time, realizing that it can’t be left out for too long because our furry raccoon friends will dig in, is the science many off-campus students have started studying.

The worst of all issues, touched upon in sophomore housing, yet not nearly to the level it reaches off-campus, is cleaning. From knowing the correct supplies to being willing to pay for them, cleaning an apartment or house is definite drama. The art of cleaning dishes by hand and risking an overflowing sink versus using the dishwasher and risking a continually full load,

either clean or dirty, is something that escapes us new homeowners.

All of these problems are just personal, but there is always the chance that something breaks. A gas leak in the stove seems impossible, yet can definitely happen and is deadly. Hot water, though less fatally important, is something new renters take for granted. And no matter how much you would like for a threatening email to your landlord to work, chances are you might be taking ice baths for a few days.

No matter how many unforeseen problems students encounter, there are always those who flock off campus every year, and no, they are not crazy. We are willing to put up with all of the trauma for nights spent with our friends, barbecues at off-campus houses, a sense of freedom, and a sneak peek into the real world. Although there are many issues none of us ever expected, you will find many a happy student, excited about the prospects their new houses will bring.

Maggie Burdge is the Layout Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at layout@bcheights.com.

housing guide

B3

A block off Commonwealth Avenue

Radnor rd., South st., Kirkwood rd., Foster st., strathmore rd., chestnut hill ave.

This neighborhood provides the most typical off-campus social scene, occasionally loud neighbors and all, and has good access to the BC shuttle and the B-line. In between Cleveland Circle and campus, the walk to both is bearable, giving residents here good social and dining options. Those who choose to call this area home should make sure to take advantage of their close proximity to the great food, nightly specials, and, for those of legal drinking age, dollar drafts at Moogy’s on Chestnut Hill Ave., and perhaps check out Fuel, the new cafe next door.

PROXIMITY TO BC 3/5 FOOD/DRINK 3/5 SOCIAL SCENE 4/5 HOUSING QUALITY 2/5

Bluestone Bistro

Commonwealth Ave., Chiswick rd., Wallingford rd.

This location boasts easy access to both the Chiswick stop on the B-line and the BC shuttle, which keeps the farther location from being completely inconvenient. It has a nice crop of small stores and eateries, including Yamato, a Japanese restaurant, Bluestone Bistro (of course), and more for those who venture a bit outside the BC Bubble and farther down Commonwealth Avenue.

PROXIMITY TO BC 1/5 FOOD/DRINK 4/5 SOCIAL SCENE 2.5/5 HOUSING QUALITY 3/5 2000 Commonwealth ave.

A much more aesthetically pleasing housing option than most of those off campus, the apartments themselves are nice, and the balconies some apartments have are definitely a plus. Though relatively close to campus and sporting a convenient shuttle stop right out front, the safety policies requiring students to check-in guests combined with the high number of BC student residents could make it feel a little more like an on-campus dorm.

PROXIMITY TO BC 3.5/5 FOOD/DRINK 2/5 SOCIAL SCENE 3.5/5 HOUSING QUALITY 5/5 Cleveland Circle Sutherland rd., orkney rd., ayr rd.

Students choosing to live here have great access to restaurants and bars, including Roggie’s, Eagle’s Deli, and Mary Ann’s, and easy access to the B, C, and D lines, creating a gateway to many attractions both nearby and farther downtown for the more adventurous spirits. The tradeoff is that it is quite a trek to campus, and waiting for the bus during the cold winters could become a hassle.

PROXIMITY TO BC 1/5 FOOD/DRINK 5/5 SOCIAL SCENE 4/5 HOUSING QUALITY 4/5

Various BC and city resources available for off-campus students

By Adriana Mariella Heights Editor

Living off-campus, despite the usually welcome adventure it brings, can sometimes leave students in situations they are unaccustomed to, having most likely lived on campus for their first two years at Boston College. Walking to class, grocery shopping, and dealing with a landlord are all things foreign to most off-campus students before they adjust to their new surroundings. Luckily, BC has resources just for off-campus students, resources that usually go untapped or unnoticed until that fateful step outside of the familiar BC gates.

For those just beginning to think about living off-campus, bc.edu/offcampus is the place to start.

This page, run by the Office of Residential Life, offers many resources for students not sure where to begin, including lease information, an off-campus roommate finder, moving advice, information about the different neighborhoods surrounding the campus, and off-campus listings. The Office also runs an Off-Campus Housing Fair to allow students to meet local rental agents. Students with questions should email offcampus@bc.edu.

Steve Montgomery, known by many students for his red Ford Explorer, serves as the Community Liaison for students in the neighborhoods surrounding BC. Montgomery coordinates the Community Assistance Program (CAP) and responds to calls from BCPD and the Boston Police forces and attempts to mediate those noise or party complaints and addresses disturbances caused by students in their communities. Montgomery patrols 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday. Although his job is too often breaking up student parties, Montgomery is also there for students. He is the first person to contact for all inquiries or concerns about living off-campus. Montgomery can be reached at 617552-4787.

The Dean of Students Office (DSO) also has valuable resources for students living off campus. Kristen O’Driscoll, the assistant dean for off campus student life and civic engagement, is the person to go to when there are issues with landlords or roommates, and provides a parent guide for parents looking for a timeline and information about their student moving

off campus. DSO handles disciplinary issues as well, both on and off campus. Students with questions should contact offcampushelp@bc.edu.

DSO also offers various programs, including the BC Breakfast Club, in which volunteers spend about an hour working on Sunday mornings after home football games and other large-scale neighborhood events, and receive a free meal from Eagle’s Deli, a pumpkin carving contest for Halloween, and the Lights Off The Heights holiday decorating competition. Students interested in the BC Breakfast Club or Lights Off The Heights can contact bcbreakfastclub@gmail.com or lightsofftheheights@gmail.com, respectively.

The Eagle Ambassadors are a group of approximately 15 student volunteers, mostly juniors living off campus, who have many responsibilities. They help the DSO with programming and help the staff better discern what they can do to improve the off-campus experience, and are available as a resource to students to help them with any issues they are having, including answering questions about off-campus policies and discipline to help students better understand the rules. They can be contacted through the DSO, and are just about to launch a Facebook page. “They are almost exclusively meant to be a resource to students,” O’Driscoll said. “They’re not meant to be at all a part of conduct.”

In the event of a problem regarding one’s housing or tenancy, the city of Boston has a variety of resources for students. While most tenant rights information can be found online, more immediate help can be reached via the MA Tenants Rights Organization Hotline (617-367-6260) and via the Rental Housing Resource Center (617-635-4200).

Emergency numbers, especially ones needed in an instant, should be kept accessible. The Boston Police can be reached at 617-247-4360 and the BCPD at 617-552-4444. For non-emergencies, the BCPD can be reached at 617-552-4440. In the event that a student feels unsafe, the BCPD runs an escort service that can be called if necessary. Students can reach the escort service via the BCPD non-emergency or emergency numbers, or at 617-552-8888. n Molly LaPoint, Special Projects Editor, contributed to this report.

resource guide A quick run-down of the emails and phone numbers to know for offcampus issues:

offcampus@bc.edu office of residential life

offcampushelp@bc.edu dean of students office

617-367-6260

MA Tenants rights organization hotline

617-552-4787

steve montgomery, community liaison

617-367-4200

rental housing resource center

617-247-4360 Boston police departmen t

b4

Housing guide

Balancing dreams, reality to find the right place Cathryn Woodruff I’ve toured the dazzling kitchens and seen the crisp white bedding in my mind. I have dreamt about living in my own place for as long as I can remember—yearning to design an apartment with black and white photographs and ruffled bedding.

I don’t think I am surprising anyone when I say college dorms are not the ideal living quarters.

Thus, when I was reminded that I was given only three years of on-campus housing and that I would need to find a place off campus to live for my junior year, I was overzealous about the search endeavor.

I could fulfill my lifelong dream of having my own place, decorated exactly how I have imagined it to be since my youth, all without even living in a huge

city and working a monotonous office job.

It sits quaintly on Foster Street—a diamond in the rough—and I could not be more ecstatic to spend my junior fall semester in it. Most of you probably think I’m crazy for already having made a down payment on a house that I will not be living in for another year, but a huge burden has been lifted off of my shoulders.

While on our way back from a trip to Eagle’s Deli one morning, my roommates and I began chatting about the stressful tornado we were about to run into as sophomores. Within the next couple of months, we would have to begin deciding if we were going abroad and where, as well as secure housing off campus for those of us who were not given four years of on-campus housing. On our stroll back, I decided to text one of my friends who lives on Foster Street to ask her if we could take a look at her house. She happily gave us a tour, and we immediately fell in love—surprising, considering the furniture was barely set up and most of their belongings were still in boxes. But there was something about the house (which is bi-level and technically two different apartments with separate

leases) that spoke to us.

I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that we didn’t even look at any other houses. Although that seems completely against every house hunting rule, we had found the perfect house and we were going to delve into some more research about how we could secure this house. Our first step was to go to Great Places Realty, an agency located on Commonwealth Avenue, next to Crazy Dough’s. We began the conversation about how the whole process works, and were told that the next step to take would be to get our parents on board and submit a down payment.

We had to convince our parents that yes, although they did drop us off at school three days prior, we were indeed already looking to make final arrangements for the following school year. Their concerns were just as we had imagined them to be: how will you get furniture, and how will you find sub-letters for the spring semester and the summer months? These are still concerns that we will address in the future, but eventually our parents agreed that without four years of on-campus housing, this seemed like the most logical plan. We were

also sure, considering Foster Street’s popularity, that we would need to secure the house pronto.

Once our parents acceded to our seemingly irrational desire for some random house so far from their grasp, we gave Great Places our down payments, and our next step is to sign the lease.

My idealistic aspirations for the house will most likely not fit what the actual house will look like.

Reality, which never factored into my dreams of a crisp, white, heavenly abode, set in eventually.

“We’ll get you a crappy bed frame and a dresser.

You shouldn’t need anything more than that,” said my mother. Although reality is reality and my apartment will simply never look like Carrie Bradshaw’s, I am anxious to make my own what meager furniture and decorations we do get.

I must end on a disclaimer: I am type A, as are most of my roommates. Just because we have already found a house, does not mean this is the norm. We’re just a few girls eager for independence.

Cathryn Woodruff is the Executive Assistant for The Heights. She can be reached at editor@bcheights.com.

BPD cracks down on underage drinking off campus Students living off campus, however, are still subject to University sanctions

By Molly LaPoint

Special Projects Editor

While living off campus may sometimes feel like a different world, students who call houses and apartments in the surrounding neighborhoods home are still subject to University sanctions, and are facing increased crackdowns on enabling underage drinking by the Boston Police.

The Boston College Student Guide states that students can be held responsible for any violation of code on or off campus. This could include behavior at BC, off campus, or at another university. The Off Campus Disturbance Policy recognizes gatherings on two scales—whether the party is small (under 30 people) or large, and whether there is underage drinking or not.

The University hires the Boston Police Department (BPD) to do a detail. They work with the BCPD, as well as Steve Montgomery, the University’s community liaison. Generally, they address issues that arise from neighbors’ complaints and calls, and residences where a disturbance is visible. “We actually support and pay for a detail so we aren’t taking away from regular police duty,” said Kristen O’Driscoll, assistant dean for off-campus student life and civic engagement.

Enforcement focuses on large gatherings, though small ones will be addressed if a disturbance is being created.

“The biggest concern is those large-scale parties with underage drinking,” O’Driscoll said. “That is where the most high-risk behavior occurs.”

At these large parties, O’Driscoll said, residents are often not in control of their house, and do not know who is there or who is drinking. Often, it just begins as the residents inviting a few friends over, and their friends inviting a few friends, until it becomes a much larger gathering than expected.

“We expect the students off campus to take every measure they can to keep their house under control,” she said.

In addition to facing BC sanctions, students living off campus can also face arrests and receive summons to court. The University will always address disciplinary violations, but whether BPD addresses the disturbance with more than a warning depends on the case. This year, BPD has been cracking down on underage drinking citywide, especially near college campuses. “We have already seen some arrests; and we’ve seen some summons to court,” O’Driscoll said.

Certain behaviors make it more likely that you will end up facing more than just BC. “There are a few ways you’ll definitely end up at court,” O’Driscoll said. “The first one is that you’re uncooperative and not complying with what the police want you to do.

The second is if your guests are belligerent or overly intoxicated.”

In addition, this year it is less likely that a residence will receive more than one warning. In the past, residents would pass responsibility each time the police responded to a disturbance at their residence, but now, it only matters that the police show up to the same apartment or house more than once.

To make sure it is clear, BPD sends a community officer the next day to talk about where things stand.

Joseph Castlen/ Heights editor

Students who create noise disturbances face a variety of sanctions from the University depending on how many people there are at their gathering, whether or not there are underage students there, and if they have previously faced disciplinary action for their behavior off-campus. The Boston Police could also arrest residents, or issue them summons to court.

“It is rare that they will give multiple warnings,” O’Driscoll said. “If they come back, you will probably end up in court.”

In addition, BPD will be verifying that underage drinking is actually occurring at a gathering by randomly selecting attendees and checking their identification. “In the past, if the police showed up and you were a guest, you could just walk by,” O’Driscoll said. “Now it’s going to be a gamble.”

Attempting to present a fake identification or lying about one’s identity are inadvisable, as they add another layer to the disciplinary action that is already being taken. “I would recommend students don’t lie about who [they] are,” O’Driscoll said.

“The moment you hand over a fake ID, the chances of going to court are huge. It’s a felony offense in Massachusetts.”

Students who host gatherings at their house are termed “social hosts,” and are liable for all behavior of those who attend their gatherings, regardless of whether or not they actually consume alcohol at that residence, and regardless of whether the alcohol they consume at that residence was purchased by the residents or brought from somewhere else. “There’s a big misconception among students,” O’Driscoll said. “The policy is that all you have to do is provide the venue. So as a host, you’re responsible for every student drinking in your house.”

There is a community standards matrix for offcampus community disturbances, in addition to the alcohol and drug matrices that students living on campus are more familiar with.

“We do introduce it at the off-campus student meeting, but we’re pretty purposeful about being transparent about what would be the potential sanctions if you violate [the standards],” O’Driscoll said.

On a first violation, large parties with underage drinking can result in University Probation, a fine of $250 per host, and community restitution. Students on university probation may not be allowed to study abroad, and many students living off campus in the fall of junior year are planning to study abroad the next semester.

“We don’t want to take study abroad away from students,” O’Driscoll said.

A program called Friday Night Heights brings students who have violated policies together with members of the BPD, the Allston-Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force, and the Dean of Students Office. Students who attend the next workshop after facing sanctions can have their University Probation dropped to Housing Probation.

“It goes much more in-depth with policy so students really understand why we take this so seriously,” O’Driscoll said. “We want to guarantee that if

you violate policy once, you won’t violate it again.”

O’Driscoll said that students taking advantage of the help-seeking policy, in which they can seek medical attention for themselves or a friend without it being treated as a disciplinary incident, could have an effect on risky alcohol consumption being more out in the open than in the past.

“I think that we’re becoming more aware of seeking help for students who need assistance,” O’Driscoll said. “In the past, there were probably still those dangerous situations out there. It’s just that they were much more hidden. We don’t want to wait for a student death to try and make this a priority.”

A priority is seeing if they can prevent risky behavior in the first place. “Now we’re seeing if we can back up and be more proactive, and start to stop it at the intake,” O’Driscoll said.

“There are so many examples of people who drink responsibly, hang out with their friends, and are good neighbors,” O’Driscoll said. “There are plenty of people who have fun in a responsible and safe way.”

The most important thing is that students remain in control of their residences. “There are a lot of perks. I think students like it,” O’Driscoll said. “Large parties can become the Achilles heel. You have to be in control, that’s the bottom line.” n

Searching for sub-letters through different channels

Chris Marino One important aspect of off-campus housing that must not be forgotten is sub-letting. Some people may think that sub-letting is only useful for students studying abroad, but it can also be necessary for students staying for both semesters, yet are unable to live in their new pad for the summer. Remember, a lot of leases do not end until the end of August.

Mom and Dad will probably want to see some cash

back rather than pay a monthly bill for an empty bedroom. There are some tips that are useful for all first-time house leasers with regard to the art that is sub-letting.

If you are going abroad, my biggest suggestion would be to find friends who going in the opposite semester from you. This prevents you from renting out two places, and can keep the place within your friend group. This doesn’t always work out, however, and this is where the real advice comes in. If you are having a random sub-letter, remember that your name is on the lease. When Jonny Subletts breaks the bathroom sink, you will technically be responsible, even though you were hitting up a discotheque in Florence at the time. Find people who are somewhat responsible and will maintain the house as if it were their own.

Another important aspect in the search for a

sub-letter is the necessity in discussing the summer living situation. It would be really hard to fit two semesters’ worth of students in a house on Radnor, especially when it’s 90 degrees, there’s no air conditioning, and you have three queen beds in a room meant for one. Discuss who is going to be staying in Boston for the summer. For many groups, this will be a nonissue, but for others it will become a matter that goes untouched until everyone realizes that they had intended to take those internships at the Pru and stay at the apartment. Figure out a plan ahead of time, especially if you are one of the people on the lease.

One of the biggest things to remember is that you have time to find sub-letters. People tend to rush into finding someone to take their spots, without remembering that the first person to respond to their Facebook message is not necessarily the ideal

fit for your living situation. Stay calm and take your time. There are always people looking for someplace to live. Check out the sub-letting page on the Office of Residential Life website for more information on sub-letting listings. Even students abroad this fall or those students who are on campus and looking for somewhere to live this summer should take a look at the housing opportunities.

Sub-letting may seem like an annoying nuance of the housing process, but it is essential to a lot of situations. For some, it may be a good chance to make some new friends. For others, it’s a way to avoid paying for an apartment while studying in a foreign land.

No matter what, sub-letting is an important process that is a necessity for many off-campus dwellers.

Chris Marino is the Associate Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.

arts&review

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Monday, September 24, 2012

An Eye on Culture

‘Dark Side’ is influential

Lupe Fiasco and TimeFlies rock in Conte

Taylor Cavallo A few weeks ago, I engaged in a heated debate with some close friends: What is cooler, the moon or the sun? I was (as usual) alone in defending the moon as the superior celestial being. My friends came at me with utterly confused looks and random facts, pointing to the sun as “giving life,” something that “we’d all be lost without,” etc. But my stubborn mind wouldn’t give in.

That wasn’t the question. The question was what’s cooler, not more essential.

I’ve always been kind of obsessed with the moon. One of my favorite things about elementary school science, which I was not usually enthralled by, to say the least, was our brief introduction to the phases of the moon. I always thought it was cool that Islamic civilization uniquely followed a lunar calendar, and kind of wished we did the same. The moon efficiently and amazingly controls the tides. It’s dark, beautiful, and mysterious.

After the debate ended, I realized that maybe when I was a young, impressionable youth, I simply associated moon science with a pivotal moment in my childhood: listening to Dark Side of the Moon. Cheesy, I know, but that would be the psychoanalytic explanation for my seemingly random obsession: simple word association.

Last year in my Perspectives II class, my professor had “Breathe” passively playing in the background as we all trickled in. I was initially confused, but quickly realized the reason he was playing it. Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album, released in 1973, was greatly influenced by Miles Davis’ groundbreaking album Kind Of Blue. Sure, only a nerd like me would know that. But when the song ended, I was shocked to find out that only I, and one other person, knew what the song was.

I remember the first time I listened to Dark Side of the Moon on a CD (now I can ironically include the “back in my day ….” sprinkle on a story with this dated technology). I listened to the entire thing while lying on the floor. I was about 11 years old and not high, as many people feel the need to be while listening to the masterpiece. I was still entranced.

Some say the album, one of the best in music history, exposes the hidden truth about fame, but that is too exclusive an explanation for me. The concept album is about the human experience as a difficult journey, right from the opening heartbeat in “Speak to Me” to the climactic “Great Gig in the Sky.” The world sometimes makes it hard for people to exist, and Pink Floyd is expressing that in their magnum opus.

Both sides of the originally released record (I would kill to have been alive when it first debuted) is one uninterrupted piece of music, and express themes of greed, internal conflict, and coping with the unrelenting passage of time. It was immediately successful upon its release, which is rare with music now considered to be classic. Dark Side was a phenomenon. If your parents were around during its release, I guarantee they locked themselves in their room to get lost in it.

A captivating feature of Dark Side is one that might be overlooked. While it’s certainly not an album famous for its lyricism, the lyrics are necessarily poignant and thought-provoking. Quietly and strategically recorded over certain tracks are interviews with Pink Floyd’s members, crew, or philosophical quotes that add another dimension for a conscientious listener.

Some have compared Dark Side to Radiohead’s OK Computer, as they both express how individuals can tragically lose their individuality and get lost in the modern world. I’d say it’s a fair comparison, but you gotta love the original. If you think you’re the only one who worries about your immortality, listen to “Time.”

What’s so important about this album is what it did and meant for music during its time and beyond. Pink Floyd used the most advanced production technology for this album, including tape loops, multi-track/ multi-voice recording and analogue synthesizers. What would electro music today be without such techniques?

One of my close friends hadn’t ever heard this album. So naturally, we drove to the nearest public library and rented the CD. It was raining torrentially when we got back in the car. I pushed the disc into the player and turned up the volume. We weren’t high, but we were hooked.

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

By Brennan Carley Arts & Review Editor

From start to finish, UGBC’s Fall Concert, featuring the talents of Timeflies and Lupe Fiasco, proved to students that the organization had finally nailed the event from top to bottom. Complaints about fuzzy amplification and obscure songs aside, the event demonstrated a sincere step forward in the concert scene at Boston College.

Student DJ Guy Dupont, head of ILO Productions, kept audiences on their toes for the entirety of his remarkably masterful set. Unafraid to mix less-known tracks with jammers, Dupont worked songs like Dada Life’s “Kick Out The Epic” with One Direction’s “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful” in impressively nuanced mixes that flowed seamlessly from one song to the next. From “Hot Cheetos and Takis” to “Gangnam Style,” the set showcased students’ favorites alongside classic throwbacks like Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” mixed ingeniously with Avicii’s “Levels.”

Timeflies took to the stage after a brief gap, keeping the crowd’s surprisingly gigantic energy level pulsing with opener “We Found Love,” a smooth R&B rework of Rihanna’s hit of the same name. Rattling through acoustic versions of bubblegum hits (Sia’s “Wild Ones,” Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way), the duo—consisting of vocalist Cal Shapiro and producer/DJ Rob Resnick—faltered occasionally during their lengthy set.

As the hour-mark neared, Timeflies won back crowds with a BC-inspired rap to the tune of “Space Jam,” dropping references to popular mainstays like “chips and a pickle,”

See Lupe, C3

DANIEL LEE / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Acappellafest unites Robsham Singers and fans unite in song for a good cause

By Caitlin Mason For The Heights

Around 7 p.m. on Saturday, the Robsham Theater was bustling with crowds.

Students, alumni, and locals eagerly arrived for the highly anticipated Acappellafest.

Students waiting in line clutched their tickets, ready to walk through the door and accept their programs, taking their seats for the show. While people waited and ushers handed out programs, the 10 Boston College a cappella groups prepared for their performances.

Although it was a Saturday night and many people could have ben going out, many chose to attend. Acappellafest is a show featuring every a cappella group at

i nside Arts this issue

Boston College, including the Acoustics, Against the Current, B.E.A.T.S., the Bostonians, the Dynamics, the Heightsmen, the Madrigals, Shaan, the Sharps, and Voices of Imani. Each a cappella group has its own unique style, from the Renaissance music of the Madrigals to the gospel songs of Voices of Imani to the popular hits that the Bostonians sing.

But Acappellafest is about more than simply bringing together the a cappella groups in one large show. This year, the Acappellafest made over $5,500, but instead of this money going to the a cappella groups or to BC itself, it was donated to a nonprofit organization known as the Morgan Center in Hicksville, NY. The Morgan Center is a preschool on Long Island for children with cancer. Children with cancer are often unable to attend normal preschools due to their weakened immune systems from their treatments.

All-American Rejects bring the House down

By Charlotte Parish Heights Editor

Middle school is the place where most people pay attention and make individual choices about music for the first time.

Perhaps there are a few precocious folks who have their act together and know about bands

See Acappellafest, C3

ISG Museum exhibit highlights diversity

Raqs Media Collective show demonstrates forwardthinking curation and acceptance, C3

The Master captivates with curiosity

Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic manages to maintain an air of illusion throughout, C2

who aren’t on the local Top 40 radio or playing from their parent’s collection, but they are few and far between. So for this generation, nothing reminds me so strongly of that first foray into music as a concert by bands who are confused about their genre like the altrock or pop-rock or (what musicians’ dubbed themselves at the concert on Saturday, Sept.

22) rock n’ roll.

For co-headliners, the All-American Rejects and Boys Like Girls, the last distinction is a stretch. But all three sets—including the warm-up band, The Ready Set—attempted to channel the high energy and crowd interaction of rock n’ roll, even if their musical depth doesn’t match their performance styling.

Although they were a frustrating and unexplained half hour late to start the show, The Ready Set held their own in a short set,

See Rejects, C3

Bestsellers...............................C2 Box Office Report........................C2

The Heights

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Anderson, Phoenix make a bid for Oscar gold with ‘The Master’

By Dan Siering

Asst. Arts & Review Editor With big budgets and big egos, it is sometimes hard to remember that filmmaking is in fact an art. Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master is a crisp and stern reminder of such merits.

Composed of two striking lead performances , The Master: a stunning Paul Thomas string of viAnderson suals, and a The Weinstein methodically Company crafted storyline, The Master is a continuance of quality works from director Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights), who has made a living off providing challenging character studies for adult audiences.

Set during the doldrums of postwar America, the film centers around navy vet Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), an alcoholic and victim of post-traumatic stress. Quell quickly finds himself incapable of functioning within the lines of society, and chaotically bounces around various professions. The solider maintains his status as a drifter until his

A

drunken escapades lead him on board a lavish boat helmed by the cryptic Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman).

Dodd likens himself to a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, and a theoretical philosopher when Quell inquires, yet the vet soon realizes that Dodd is the leader of a growing spiritual movement that bears a loose resemblance to Scientology. The two men, on account of Dodd finding Quell to be a source of inspiration, begin to build a companionship that blurs the line between friendship and doctor-patient relations.

Quell, seeing the self-proclaimed “Master” as a paternal figure, soon becomes Dodd’s right-hand man and voluntarily takes on the role of enforcer against anyone who doubts Dodd’s teachings. In return, the Master, much to the dismay of his jealous wife (Amy Adams), brings Quell into his family, treating the recovering drunk like one of his own. The intentions of Dodd, however, quickly become obscured.

Quell begins to seem more like a test subject for experimental mysticisms rather than a legitimate friend of the spiritual leader.

Like his previous works, Anderson’s character-driven story demands strong performances for its leads, and the already legendary

director finds two suitable players in Phoenix and Hoffman. Phoenix, returning from nearly four years of obscurity, delivers a majestic tour de force as the deranged and booze-hungry Quell. Quell keeps the audience on edge, as his actions are as random as the words that spew out of the side of his mouth. Reportedly staying in character both on and off camera for nearly three months, Phoenix’s lead is the best performance of the year thus far and throws his hat into the Oscar race ring.

Hoffman, with a chilling portrayal of the charismatic yet sinister Lancaster Dodd, extends his formidable resume of notable performances. The seasoned Oscar-winner deviously teeters his spirituality between mastery and fraudulence. It is never clear whether Dodd is a religious genius or a welleducated crook, a diabolically deliberate move

by Anderson. Amy Adams rounds out the trio with a bolstering supporting performance as Dodd’s erratic wife, a feverish maternal figure who attempts to control her husband’s every move.

Aside from the impressive acting triad, Anderson’s visuals are the guiding artistic force in The Master. Teaming up for the first time with cinematographer Mihai Malaimare

Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com

Joaquin Phoenix gives a stunning lead performance as the alcoholic war vet Freddie Quell.

Jr., Anderson creates a vibrant world around his characters, which is established by vivid opening shots of Quell during his time as soldier. The clean contrast of colors places the audience in the sterile world of the early ’50s, where war veterans and housewives alike frantically search for deliverance.

This is not, by any means, Anderson’s first time dealing with the past, with previ-

ous films set in such eras as the American westward expansion and the dazzling days of disco, but this is the director’s finest period piece. Having been shut out of five Oscar nominations, Anderson’s latest offering might be the film that finally sways Academy votes in his favor. Nonetheless, The Master is the product of a master at work. n

‘Dredd’ provides mindless bloody fun

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Box office report title

Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com

While it won’t get great feedback from critics, ‘Dredd 3D’ succeeds in giving a storied franchise an exciting and visually appealing chapter.

By Matt Gruby For The Heights

As an initial heads-up, I’ve never read any of the Judge Dredd comics prior to seeing this movie—and until recently, I didn’t know they existed. So if any longtime obsessives of the franchise want to throw their authentically replicated Judge helmets in my face and scream that dredd 3d: I’m not doing it justice, Pete Travis DNA Films tough to enails. I was a newcomer to this nostalgia-blinded fanboy party—which, if this movie’s quality is anything to go by, may not be as pointless as I thought.

Dredd (or Dredd 3D, depending on how attached you are to your gimmicks) takes place in Mega City 1, a gigantic urban sprawl set smack in the middle of the barren postapocalyptic wasteland that used to be the U.S. of A. We’re never actually given context for this—no ominous hints about a nuclear war that shattered the planet, no mutant virus that decimated the population before you could say “hiccup”—just an irradiated desert that creates a setting and nothing more. They avoided any threadbare explanation of how the planet got screwed—but only by removing the explanation entirely.

But who cares, we’re here for pulse-poundings blood-splattering violence, right? And that’s where the Judges come in—elite police officers that act as heavily armed judges, juries,

B+ B

and executioners to the countless criminals infesting this walled hellhole. Karl Urban plays the best of the best, Judge Dredd, who, alongside a fresh-faced psychic recruit played

by Olivia Thirlby, must bring justice to a drugdealing warlord known as Ma-Ma. Unfortunately, Urban seems to be getting a little too “into” the role of a gritty action star. Dredd’s comically huge scowl looks like he implanted steel rods in his cheekbones and he seems to be channeling Christian Bale’s Batman, if he’d killed his inner Wayne and snapped his moral code over his knee. He’s very scary and intense, but the opaque helmet covering this man’s face for the entire duration of the movie has more personality than he does.

We get no explanation of why he chose to be a judge, or why he’s so dedicated—so really, he’s like Batman without the whole dead parent incident pushing the plotline. His only purpose in life is to march through the streets, getting into firefights and spitting out grave one-liners and analyses of whatever pickle happens to be confronting him at that precise moment. In fairness, Urban plays the part well, and I’m not opposed to the concept of a superhuman policeman crushing criminals into cookie crumbs. But without motivation, backstory, or any emotion besides smoldering rage, Dredd comes across as two-dimensional and uninteresting. Picture Saving Private Ryan if the characters did nothing but constantly bellow and shoot Nazis for two hours. That’s about as much depth as Dredd can push out around that absurd frown that decorates his mug 24/7.

The only human element in the movie is Dredd’s sidekick Anderson, who starts out as an eager trainee in way over her head and actually displays some character growth as the conflict intensifies (despite having a somewhat less-than intimidating moniker, especially compared to “Judge Dredd”). Her psychic powers provide some bizarre but excellent scenes inside the head of her hostage, and one of the best parts of the movie is when she confronts the family of one of the gang members she just killed. It’s a powerful statement about sentencing without hearing both sides of the story, and the importance of thinking very carefully before saying that anyone “deserves to die.” Yet, the gory firefights’ main purpose is to serve as the main component and draw of the movie—and honestly, the explosive excitement of each battle royal is enough to make me recommend the movie to any action lover. It’s just a tad disappointing because it could have been much more. Instead, the moral ambiguity and characters play second fiddle to the music of heavy ordinance blasting back and forth.

Dredd is a fast-paced thrill ride that manages to provide oodles of brutal action while never becoming a dumb movie. The moral issues at play, however briefly they appear, help preserve the sense of weight and importance that Dredd’s bland character comes so close to obliterating. It’s hardly a masterpiece, but if you’re eager to watch angry cops delivering justice via high-tech, high-powered weaponry, then know that this movie delivers in spades. n

weekend gross

weeks in release

1. end of watch

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2. house at the end of the street

13

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3. trouble with the curve

12.7

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4. finding nemo 3d

9.5

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5. resident evil: retribution

6.7

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6. dredd 3d

6.3

1

5

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8. the possession

2.6

4

9. lawless

2.3

4

10. paranorman

2.3

5

7. the master

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9 photos courtesy of allmoviephoto.com

bestsellers of hardcover fiction 1. wanted man Lee Child 2. time keeper Mitch Albom 3. delusion in death J.D. Robb 4. Zoo James Patterson 5. gone girl Gillian Flynn

6. Tombs Clive Cussler 7. telegraph avenue Michael Chabon 8. frozen heat Richard Castle 9. This is how you lose her Junot Diaz SOURCE: Publisher’s Weekly

Scares and twists are a dead ‘End’ in this mediocre thriller

By Carolina Del Busto Heights Staff

You’ve heard of The House of the Devil, and Last House on the Left, and now comes House at the End of the Street. The latter has nothing to do with the formers. They all just deal with a house, and it’s too easy to get one title confused with another.

Sorry for confusing you.

The title House at the end of of the film is the street: House at the Mark Tonderai En d o f t h e Relativity Media Street, so naturally it deals with a house that is located at the end of a street. Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) and her mom Sarah (Elizabeth Shue) move into the house right before the last one at the end of that street somewhere in the woods—already the location is pretty cheesy and cliche, wouldn’t you say? What’s wrong with that last house?

Well, apparently a horrible double murder happened there. The daughter went mad and killed her parents and then ran away in the woods. The police assumed her dead, but her body was never found and some say she is still out there in the woods … bum bum bum! Sound scary?

Yeah, that’s because it’s not.

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House at the End of the Street relies heavily on cheap thrills—the wide-angle shot with the actor standing on one end and then, wait for it, wait for it, boom —something pops up! That happened way too many times for the film to be tastefully done. Or the one where the

We’ve seen it all before, and yes those tricks do work, but gives us something more. actor in the scene has his back turned to a room, and the camera takes a close-up shot, and then-boom-something makes him jump. We’ve seen it all before, and yes those tricks do work, but give us something more.

Hollywood has been a big JLaw fan since her Oscar nomination back in 2011 for her role in Winter’s Bone, and when she landed the coveted role of Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games trilogy, her stardom only skyrocketed. Her character of Elissa is mostly flat and not too exciting—she’s your typical high school soft rebel who likes to get her mom upset, sings in a band, and always falls for the

bad boys. Only sprinkles of her Katniss attitude can be found.

The bad boy in this film was played

by Max Thieriot. When you see him, he’s going to look very familiar, and that’s because he was in the Disney Channel movie Catch That Kid with the then-sweet and innocent Kristen Stewart back in 2004.

Thieriot plays Ryan, who lives in the house at the end of the street. His story is a little complicated, so I won’t ruin it for you here.

Behind every rebellious child is a worrisome parent, or at least there should be. In so many of the classic horror films, the one thing that always seems to be missing is the role of the parents.

Having a mother figure in the film gave Lawrence’s character a bit more depth, and having that mother played by Shue made everything that much better. It is never clear throughout the film why their relationship is so rocky, however, and that is an aspect that I would have liked to see explored a bit more.

Sometimes horror/thriller films fall into predictable patterns, and when that happens, they become less interesting and most of the time not worthwhile to view. I’m conflicted with this one because yes, there were many cliches

and predictable moments in the film, but then again there was a nice twist at the end, and twists are always a good thing with scary movies (or any movie for that matter). But was this final twist enough to elevate the entire movie? I’m leaning more toward a yes, only because I enjoyed watching the film. Even during its slower moments, or its predictable

scenes, I didn’t mind them. It still kept me entertained.

If you’re a Jennifer Lawrence fan, this film will most likely convince you that it was scarier than it really was. If you’re looking for a horror film with minimal to no gore, experienced acting, and not too many scares, then House at the End of the Street is your type of movie. n

Courtesy of Allmoviephoto.com

Despite a top billing of Jennifer Lawrence, ‘End of the Street’ is a far from memorable thriller.

Monday, September 24, 2012

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The Heights

Lupe Fiasco thrills with electric show Lupe, from A10

Daniel lee / heights editor

Kyle Humphrey, CSON ’13, gives an emotional rendition of a song at this weekend’s well-attended Acappellafest.

Song comes to life in Robsham Acappellafest, from C1 Rod and Nancy Zuch founded the organization after their own daughter, Morgan, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two and was unable to go to preschool.

The money from this year’s Acappellafest will be donated to this organization and help fund the preschool. Acappellafest began at 7:30 p.m., starting out with the Acoustics. They performed Carrie Underwood’s country hit “Cowboy Casanova” before leaving the stage.

Next on were the Heightsmen, Boston College’s only all-male a cappella group, who sang “Black Balloon” by the Goo Goo Dolls.

They then stopped singing for a moment, and invited Morgan Zuch herself onto the stage.

While she stood there, they sang a rendition of the Temptations’ “My Girl” to her, even twirling her around and kneeling before her. They then finished their performance with “Kids” by MGMT. Third were the Madrigals, a group devoted to Renaissance music. They took the stage dressed in complete Renaissance attire, brightly colored and embroidered in golden threading. They performed three songs, one about springtime, another about love, and a final upbeat song in Italian.

When the y were finished,

B.E.A.T.S. went on. B.E.A.T.S. is a group that sings music that has shaped the black community, from jazz to hip hop. Their first song was “I Need a Dollar” by Aloe Blacc, followed by the Five Satins’ “In the Still of the Night.” They finished up, showing off their wide range of vocals in the traditional “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”

Next to take the stage were the Sharps, the only all-female a cappella group at BC. They performed three songs: “Eat” by Regina Spektor, “Because” by the Beatles, and Dusty Springfield’s “Song of a Preacher Man.” The Voices of Imani were the sixth group to perform. Voices of Imani is unlike the other a cappella groups in two ways—they sing gospel songs and they allow anyone to join. They performed the traditional “Go Down Moses,” as well as “Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land.”

After they finished, Morgan Zuch and her family made small speeches, describing the Morgan Center and thanking everyone for coming and donating to their foundation. The Acoustics had even traveled there and performed for all the children.

The Acoustics then retook the stage and performed Fun.’s popular song, “Some Nights,” before the Dynamics arrived on stage. The Dynamics sang several songs, including “Poison & Wine”

by the Civil Wars, and a mashup of “Without You” by David Guetta and “Give Me Everything”

by Pitbull.

Against the Current, the only Christian a cappella group, was next. They sang the traditional “This Little Light of Mine” and “My Redeemer Lives.”

Next, Shaan took the stage.

Shaan is a group focused on traditional South Asian music mixed with more contemporary styles. They sang several songs in other languages that incorporated South Asian styles, but with more pop flair.

Lastly, the Bostonians performed. The Bostonians are Boston College’s oldest a cappella group, and typically sing popular songs from a range of genres.

They performed “Domino” by Jessie J., “Not Over You” by Gavin DeGraw, and a mash-up of “Glad You Came” by the Wanted, “Wide Awake” by Katy Perry, “Starships”

by Nicki Minaj, “Titanium” by Sia, and “Lights” by Ellie Goulding.

Acappellafest finished off with a performance by the Acoustics of Josh Turner’s “Would You Go With Me.” The applause in the audience was deafening after each performance, and especially at the end. The night was an excellent way to see all the fantastic a cappella groups BC offers, as well as to support an important charity. n

Mary Ann’s, Jerry York, and how it sucks to BU—eliciting easily the biggest cheer of the evening. Blending a cover of Bloodhound Gang’s “Bad Touch” with a cheesy rendition of “No Diggity,” the duo overstayed their welcome, only briefly winning back the crowd upon its final song, a fluffy rap-cover of “Under the Sea.” Bounding onstage with hair like a mop and a grin plastered on his face, Fiasco—who played BC’s spring Concert in 2009—came armed with a four-piece band, an old-fashioned microphone stand, and an eager propensity for thought-provoking enjoyment. Kicking things off with “Words I Never Said,” a song from last year’s critically maligned Lasers complete with a Skylar Grey hook, the rapper quickly set the tone for the night as one curated by him, not by his hits.

Although many in attendance seemed to know most of the songs, Fiasco dug deep into his repertoire for some lesser-known tracks, but surprisingly managed to hold the crowd’s attention for the greater part of 90 minutes with his charismatic stage presence, his deeply introspective interludes, and a head-banging light show that often seemed more rock concert than rap show.

Blurring the line between genres and breaking the barriers between appropriate things to rap about seem to be Fiasco’s specialty, as he entertained crowds with stories about Malcolm X and self-respect.

Songs like “Go Go Gadget Flow” and the Kanye-reappropriated “Touch the Sky” frontloaded the set, keeping spirits high. Fiasco clearly fed off this energy, often riffing in his raps, encouraging his band members to do whatever they wanted, and slam-dancing across the stage as the Conte Forum lights flashed and fizzled.

Melding “Kick Push” with his new pensive single

“Bitch Bad,” the Chicago-based rapper slowed the beat down and shed newfound emphasis on his challenging and increasingly intellectual lyrics. He held such a tight grip on the audience at this moment that every audience member hung on each word.

“Lots of guys think this song is for them, but ladies, you know it’s for you,” the Chi-guy grinned before playing “Beautiful Lasers,” an MDMA-assisted cut that so perfectly highlights the rapper’s shortcomings. Oftentimes, listeners can get the sense that Fiasco himself is confused—a quality often found in musicians, but one can only release so many songs looking for answers.

His tracks in recent years have sparked some incredibly useful and overlooked discussion among those in the rap community, but you get the feeling that he believes whatever he believes and isn’t interested in budging anytime soon, even if he claims to be open to debates. It’s at times both frustrating and also incredibly refreshing.

“You are a,” the rapper said in the quietly lit spotlight, “superstar.” As the opening violins signified the arrival of the star’s most popular hit to date, the crowds cheered, some even going as far as to proclaim, “Finally, a song I know!” While a good pop song by any measure, “Superstar” is but a blip in a catalogue so deep and nuanced that it’s a shame many students seemed to know it and it alone.

Wrapping his tight performance up with “Out of My Head” (feat. Trey Songz), “Daydreamin” (feat. Jill Scott), and “Show Goes On,” Fiasco succinctly and eloquently concluded an evening of music unrivalled by anything recently produced by UGBC. It was illuminating, intellectually stimulating, and, at every moment a pure, visceral joy to watch, listen, and learn from Fiasco, who proved in turn that he had just as much to learn as he had to teach us. n

Pop rockers draw flocks to HOB Rejects, from C3 breaking into a minute of “Gangnam Style” with the singer jumping onto drums for the only cover of the night in all three sets.

Although they are touring together and have a very similar sound, the personalities of the All-American Rejects and Boys Like Girls are complete opposites, particularly in the way they interact with the crowd.

Case in point, both Tyson Ritter (of All-American Rejects) and Martin Johnson (of Boys Like Girls) jumped into the crowd. Johnson, with the help of security, perched himself on the front barricade, and reached into the crowd for half of “Hero / Heroine.”

Meanwhile, Ritter chose to climb the scaffolding stage left, getting up to the mezzanine level where fans reached out—which probably helped him stay on such thin boards—and halfway across to the balcony before apparently getting stuck and reversing. According to House of Blue personnel, this was a planned stunt, but Ritter’s seeming intoxication throughout the set made it appear incredibly dangerous.

Similarly, both bands interacted with the crowd between every song. Ritter dominated the microphone, barely taking note of his other band members, and making very odd statements like “little boys and little girls who are here tonight” in an almost whisper and saying that he had spent “more time in Boston than I have in any of my girlfriends.”

In contrast, Boys Like Girls took time to sing “Happy Birthday” to a fan they had talked with at the meet-andgreet, repeatedly said how much it meant to play in front of the House of Blues crowd in his home town (all of the

band members are from suburbs of Boston), and announced that instead of taking an encore, they were going to drop down in front of the barricade for pictures with fans. So while Ritter definitely enjoys a crowd, he takes it from a self-centered place and soaks up the limelight.

Johnson and Boys Like Girls’ banter (with each other and the crowd) was more indicative of a respect for the fans. In that sense, Ritter was right to call their music rock because he has a rock star attitude.

And it is not without some justification. The AllAmerican Rejects had a stellar set, leaning more heavily on their previous albums’ hits—kicking off with an odd “O Fortuna” clip that led into “Dirty Little Secret,” the band got in “Move Along,” “I Wanna,” “Gives You Hell,” and “It Ends Tonight” in about an hour-long set with still time for a few of their lesser known tracks, like “Heartbeats Slowing Down,” which Ritter said was the band’s favorite song they had ever written.

Boys Like Girls very heavily favored their first, eponymous album, as opposed to the 2009 Love Drunk.

Drawing on the crowd’s singing, Ritter had an interesting spin on their hit “Great Escape,” singing different harmonies on every chorus while the audience had the melody. And while it’s fairly easy to rile a crowd up to sing at the top of their lungs, the band also brought a quiet to the House of Blues, orchestrating a hushed chorus building into “Be Your Everything,” which sampled dubstep.

While there are plenty of aspects of middle school that are better left in the cobwebs, reliving your first album or first concert with throwback bands is one of the better memories, and both headliners delivered wonderful nostalgia this weekend. n

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum hosts Raqs Media Collective exhibit

By Ariana Igneri Heights Staff

Delving deeply into concentrations such as contemporary art, philosophical contemplation, technological research, and historical and cultural inquest, the interdisciplinary work of the Raqs Media Collective (Raqs), a New Delhi-based trio of “media practitioners,” offers viewers an experience that is rich, diverse, and intellectually profound. The members of Raqs—Jeebesh Bagchi, Monica Narula, and Shuddhabrata Sengupta—are collaborative and innovative. For the past two decades, they have worked with outstanding experts in a number of different fields, including directing, computer programming, writing, and architecture in order to create intriguing staged performances, inspired films, and stimulating exhibits.

Raq’s most recent project, The Great Bare Mat & Constellation, explains and exemplifies their distinctive approach toward

creation. Their methods here, as in their other works, are a central aspect of their efforts— their pieces are not just about the final creation, but are also about the process of creating, thus resulting in art that is fluid and continuous, constantly being recreated with each person that sees it. “And that’s how we work. That’s how the three of us work,” Sengupta said. “We found that this was an opportunity for us to take that method and make it work for our audience.”

Presented at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, The Great Bare Mat & Constellation, is a “changing” exhibit displayed in a museum that is, essentially, fixed and static.

According to Isabella Stewart Gardner’s last wishes, the museum remains as she had arranged it over a century ago before she died. This subtle yet thoughtful ideological contrast between permanence and change only further enhances the overall effect of the production.

The Great Bare Mat & Constellation consists of two separate but cleverly related

pieces. The first is an intricately woven, designed, and colored rug that rests beneath The Vinegar Tasters, a 17th century Japanese screen from the museum’s permanent collection. A team of skilled Bulgarian weavers of the Rodopski Kilim Carpet Factory crafted The Great Bare Mat. Streams of light blue, bright white, and deep maroon serve as the background for the stark black lines and dots depicted boldly on the rug’s corners.

The carpet is not just an arbitrary splattering of abstract design, though. The streaks are actually a pattern of real signals, essays, and discussions exchanged by the three personal computers of the Raqs members from when they visited the Gardner back in 2010. Moreover, the ebony lines and dark spots represent the constellation of the Great Bear. The Great Bare Mat, then, cleverly explores the ideas of universal conversation as intertwined with vast imagination.

In the adjoining gallery is the second facet of the installation. Dim and quiet, the room is organized with a looping video

projection on one side and a display of glass shadow reflections on the other. Images of strange, whimsical beasts and animals slowly evolve in a narrative collage on the video screen. Depictions of the moon, shining and luminous, morph in and out as the figures change. Directly across, similar images are reflected on to the wall from translucent plates painted black. Vague pictures of ominous faces, threatening hands, and odd creatures are thrown about the room as shadows that creep through the viewer’s now wild and animated mind.

The two parts of The Great Bare Mat & Constellation, combined, complement each other tremendously, as they both play with the concepts of imagination and conversation, but Raqs’ exhibition is not just conceptual—it is concrete and purposeful, in that it seeks to promote the practice of these ideas through the work itself. Therefore, Raqs, together with the Gardner museum, arranged for The Great Bare Mat to be the literal center of a series of four exchanges

or lectures, taking place through December and reflecting on inspired themes chosen by Raqs. Joined by a panel of various experts, Raqs will mediate these discussions, inviting those in attendance to gather around the carpet and share their perspectives on topics such as nostalgia, intelligence, accumulation, and music.

Clearly, Raqs’ exhibit is extensive and all-encompassing. It brings the viewer on an incredible journey, both emotionally and intellectually. The looping reel is provocative and unsettling, but the carpet is inviting— it beckons to viewers, calling them into a discussion in which they can share their confused thoughts and feelings of discomfort and, somehow, find ease and understanding through the interaction. “It’s like when you go for a picnic,” Sengupta said. “You spread your blanket out … and it’s almost natural that you would begin talking to each other … It’s very much in the spirit of that,” he said. “So come sit down, let’s talk.” n

‘Parks and Recreation’ returns from hiatus, this time to Washington, in truly fine form Joe Allen The fifth season of Parks and Recreation premiered this past Thursday on NBC. So how was the first episode, “Ms. Knope Goes to Washington?”

Last season left Leslie and the Parks gang on a bittersweet note. While Ben was briefly leaving Leslie for a job in Washington, D.C., Leslie rightly won her election, thus becoming the new city councilwoman. Back in May, the joy of the election result had overshadowed any sad feelings over Ben and Leslie’s break.

“Ms. Knope Goes to Washington” similarly begins on a high note: Leslie is outside of the Capitol! Politics must have been treating her well over the summer! Listening to her tell Andy that the Capitol is NOT the White House served as a great reminder that Parks and Rec is still one of the funniest shows on television. The meetings of Leslie/Ben and Andy/April (“We’re gonna go have sex”)

only reaffirmed this notion. We learn that April had been working for Ben over the summer, which consists of her slapping away his phone and serving him put-downs on a regular basis.

Yes, the jokes come fast in the first few minutes of the episode, but when Ben and Leslie have to go their separate ways after watching April and Andy run off together, we know something is amiss. The sad undercurrent grows as Leslie goes to submit a proposal to clean up Pawnee’s disgusting river to an official in the Department of Interior. Even though Leslie brings a proposal complete with sound effects, a receptionist tells her to just dump it in an overflowing stack of proposals and to be on her way.

The receptionist didn’t even know which Pawnee city Leslie was from. Just like that, Leslie and the viewers know just how unimportant Pawnee, Ind. is in the grand scheme of things.

While the jokes do keep coming in the episode’s A-plot (courtesy of April

and Andy, mostly), the sad realizations found in Leslie’s story give it a somewhat hopeless feel. Even though Leslie’s newly earned title seemed big last season, Ben’s D.C. job seems more important. He meets with Nos. four and 26 on Leslie’s List of Amazing Women. He socializes with smart, attractive women, who Leslie has combined into an imaginary superwoman named Hot Rebecca. And no one knows where Pawnee is. I get that this episode is going for something deeper than comedy with Leslie, but coming directly off a finale that applauded her, this premiere goes out of its way to kick her down.

I trust this show to use the disillusionment of Leslie as a means of propelling her into action in future episodes.

But the D.C. put-downs all happened a bit too fast, even if they did allow for a brief John McCain cameo. Leslie’s story sacrificed comedy for drama. Of course, it all led to a nice little concluding talk with Leslie and Andy, and to her cleaning

up the river on her own.

My problems with the main story aside, the episode had a great B-story with Ron Freakin’ Swanson put in charge of Leslie’s Grill Jam Fun-Splosion due to her absence. The event is supposed to reward the Parks department employees for their hard work, but Ron could do without the “Slip and Slide-A-Thon” and the one-woman show titled “Parks and Dolls.” Instead, he shows up for the event with nothing besides a grill and a live pig, hilariously named Tom. Ron intends to kill the pig in front of horrified attendees Tom, Donna, Chris, Jerry, and other adults and kids. Watching Ron argue with an official over something he clearly can’t do has proven to be an endless source of comedy on this show.

After coming back from Food and Stuff with legal grill food, Ron has to deal with the constant complaints from his department over then the meal will be ready. This all culminates in a hilarious sequence where Ron decides to stop

grilling and leave, driving away and dragging the grill with him.

The Ron story back in Pawnee was classic Parks in a way that Leslie’s story wasn’t. All the laughs were there, and we still got a revealing conversation between now-friends, but still boss-andemployee Chris and Ron. In the end, Ron cooks up a feast, complete with the vegetables he hates, for the department.

It may have been Pig Tom, but it’s still delicious. The Pawnee story got to have its ribs and eat them too, while the D.C. story had barely any food or comedy whatsoever.

Maybe I’m just a bit cranky that the whole gang isn’t back together yet. No matter what, the future episodes of Parks will be sure to feature much more Pawnee and a reunited cast. Overall, I’m just glad the show is back!

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

The Heights

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Night time soccer matches on Newton provide gratifying sense of community Kieran Hughes The first few weeks of college life for any freshman are often the most hectic.

Acclimating to the rigorous demands of schoolwork, a new dormitory lifestyle, and opportunities for social life make the days fly by one after the other. There rarely is a moment to catch your breath.

Time shadows your every move. You run from chemistry to Spanish, from College Democrats to 4Boston, from Gonzaga to the Plex without taking the time to stop and think. What was it about Boston College in the first place that attracted you to fill out that application? Have you found what you were searching for in your college experience yet? Have you even had a moment to try?

A couple weeks ago, I took a short stroll to the far end of Newton Campus.

On a damp and muggy Friday night, the BC men’s soccer team was hosting the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins. After thunderstorms had delayed the game for nearly an hour, kickoff got underway shortly after 8 p.m. Walking sluggishly from my dorm room, I half-expected the crowd to be sparse and detached from the action. I couldn’t even reason throwing on my golden Superfan shirt that sat tauntingly on my dresser.

Not even a few steps into the night, however, I began to perceive the faint echoes of chants resounding from the soccer complex. With every step, the shrills grew louder and louder. Had I missed a goal? Had the goalie just made

an incredible save? I could only wonder.

I quickly picked up my gait, even breaking out into a slight jog in lieu of the anticipation. I reached the field in light of a game that was just in its genesis.

The scoreboard in the corner read 42:00.

The score was 0-0. Great. Nothing had happened.

By now, I had pinpointed the source of the shouts and screams that were traversing the night air with a peculiar acuteness. Much to my surprise, a sea of gold had amassed in the far section of the bleachers, bellowing their own homemade medley of soccer-appropriate chants. I found my place toward the back of the choir and began to assimilate into the Superfan soccer tradition.

As the score ever so slightly began to tilt in favor of the Terrapins, however, I began to take note of the reaction from our very own Superfans. Certainly, I figured the lateness of the hour and the affinity for the first Friday night of the year would lure students out of the stadium. But such was not the case. As the score billowed from 1-0, to 2-0, and so on, the vivacity of the loyal Superfans only increased. The “Oles” grew louder, the fight song intensified, and the taunts toward the Terrapins became a little more hostile. There would be no denying the presence of the Superfan contingent for the entire 90 minutes. You wouldn’t dare to leave your place before the clock struck 0:00.

Despite the unfortunate defeat for the Eagles, I left the game and headed

back to my dorm with a particular degree of satisfaction—not so much for the soccer as for the display of the Superfans. Every chant, every ritual, every seemingly sadistic joke toward a Terrapin player highlighted the pillars of the BC community that had influenced my decision to attend. Just like our own team, the Superfans were never ready to capitulate their faith and allegiance.

Their energy and enthusiasm fueled a team that was facing an uphill battle for much of the game. On a night where every tackle seemed to fall the Terrapins’ way, Superfans provided that glimmer of hope—hope that the next moment would be ours.

For a night with such lowly expectations, it was such a gratifying feeling to have discovered this element of faith and community prevalent amidst a bunch of screaming hooligans. As if that was what I was looking for when I headed out my dormitory door. Leave it to a bunch of soccer fanatics to show you the way, I guess. Perhaps that is just it, though. You never know what you are destined to discover until you get out there on your own. It might only be the first few weeks of school, but the opportunities for exploration are abound. Take a moment and a give it a shot. Go for a stroll. Join in a Superfan rendition. Who knows what you will find.

Kieran Hughes is a guest columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

Graham Beck/ Heights editor

A men’s soccer game on Newton can be a great escape from the typical weekend night at BC.

Wake stalls BC offense

By Steven Principi Heights Staff

The No. 4 Boston College women’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday, losing to the No. 13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 2-0, in North Carolina. The Eagles were bested by two goals from Wake Forest junior Katie Stengel, who scored one goal in each half. The loss ended BC’s undefeated start and dropped the team to 1-1 in early season ACC play.

The early minutes of the game saw both teams playing a defensive style game without much flow or offensive chances. The Eagles kept Wake Forest at bay for the first 30 minutes, but were unable to create much for themselves during the same time.

Finally, in the 38th minute, Stengel managed to get by the BC defense and rip a shot from 20 yards out. The ball rocketed past goalie Alexa Gaul and settled into the net near the post. The game opened up significantly after the goal, with both teams finding their offensive prowess and pressuring the defenses. The Eagles ended the first half with eight shots to Wake Forest’s five, but neither team was able to find the back of the net after Stengel did, and

the teams went into the half with the Demon Deacons ahead 1-0.

The second half was more of the same for BC, who played well but was unable to crack the Wake Forest defense.

At one point, it appeared Stephanie McCaffrey had scored for the Eagles off a great cross from Kristie Mewis, but the goal was immediately called back for being offsides.

In the 68th minute, Stengel once again managed to work her way through the BC defense. She was much closer to the goal this time and again picked her spot right inside the near post. The goal essentially ended the game for the Eagles. They upped the offensive intensity in the last 20 minutes and had several promising build ups, but the defense of Wake Forest never broke and the Demon Deacons handed BC their first loss of the season.

The Eagles lost despite outshooting Wake Forest by a 14-10 margin. Gaul made three saves for BC while Wake Forest goalie Aubrey Bledsoe stopped all four of the shots on net. The loss dropped the Eagles to 7-1-2 overall on the young season and 1-1-0 to begin ACC play while Wake Forest improved to 8-2-1 overall and 2-1-0 in conference play. n

Graham Beck/ Heights editor

Wake Forest ended the Eagles’ winning streak on Thursday as the Deacons won 2-0.

Graham Beck/ Heights editor

A fast start to the 2012 season was stalled on Friday as the No. 7 Virginia Cavaliers defeated the field hockey squad at Newton 3-1.

Cavaliers shut down Eagles’ comeback hopes

By Ryan Dowd For The Heights

After a scorching 4-1 start to the year, the Boston College field hockey team (4-5, 0-2 ACC) has stumbled of late and dropped its fourth straight loss last Friday, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of No. 7 Virginia (8-2, 1-0 ACC).

The Eagles went toe to toe with their ACC rival but could not convert on enough offensive opportunities after falling behind 3-0.

On a brisk Newton night, the Eagles entered the second half already down by one after Virginia standout Michelle Vittese corked the first half’s only goal through earlier in the game. Then, just eight minutes into the second half, the Cavaliers extended their lead to three goals. Virginia swarmed and battered around BC keeper Leah Settipane until Cavalier midfielder Hadley Bell came up with two quick goals, her first on a centering deflection and the second on a point-blank rebound.

Up three with most of the second half still remaining, Virginia packed in its forwards and midfielders in a conservative formation, daring the Eagles to execute on offense.

“I thought [our team] did a great job today,” said head coach Ainslee Lamb. “I don’t feel like they looked at the scoreboard and felt the game was done when it was 3-0, and the proof of that

is the ball that they put in the net. I think the proof of that is the last 10 minutes of the game.

I was actually pleased with their response today, their fight for the whole 70 minutes.”

BC continued to attack the Virginia goal without anything to show for it until the 62nd minute, when freshman midfielder Romee Stiekema buried an open shot from a corner, assisted by Paige Norris and Emma Plasteras.

Yet in the end, the comeback was not to be. After two penalties in the final minutes, the Eagles found themselves down a woman to Virginia and, more importantly, still down two goals.

Despite the lone goal, BC had plenty of chances to put the ball in the back of the net.

In fact, Virginia only outshot the Eagles 12-9.

Each team had four corners and converted one goal from a corner. In the 26th minute, BC thought it had found an equalizer to Virginia’s first goal when junior Chapin Duke drove down the left flank and from the edge of the box unleashed a low backhand that appeared to find its way to the net. The officials, however, disagreed, ruling that the ball bounced off a BC player’s foot into the net. The Eagles would not score till late in the second half.

“I do think we have the right kids in there

to put the ball in the net,” Lamb said. “We just need to have a couple fall for us, and I think their confidence will grow a little bit.

“One of the questions for our team is what do we have to do to put the ball in the net. We certainly had some opportunities. I commend their goalie. Their goalie’s very good. But the opportunities to score, that we’re going to have, we’ve got to be more efficient with those opportunities, and it really just goes back to training it and practicing it and having that mentality to put the ball in the net.”

Virginia’s Vittese, an Olympic field hockey talent, controlled the midfield for most of the contest and even scored the Cavaliers’ first goal. The Eagles countered with their own talented midfielder, Plasteras, who leads the team with four assists, as she directed the BC attack from her central midfield position.

Now in the heart of the season, the Eagles must regroup if they want to reclaim their early-season promise.

“Adversity in the moment, in the present, is really tough, and you have to really grind through it, but in athletics when you do grind through it than the reward on the end is great,” Lamb said. “I’m confident that our kids will persevere through adversity, and I’m confident that in the end we’ll be better for it.” n

Graham Beck/ Heights editor

The Heights

Monday, September 24, 2012

C5

In his fifth year, Clancy takes advantage of opportunity Clancy, from C8 Once he decided that football was the sport he would play in college, Clancy had a number of schools to choose from.

His criteria were threefold: academics, athletics, and location. BC certainly fit that mold, as did Northwestern, which is located a little more than an hour from his hometown. But after an official visit to the Heights, Clancy knew BC was right for him.

“What set BC apart was this gut feeling I got,” Clancy said. “I just loved everything about the school. I walked off campus, looked at my dad, and said ‘I think BC’s the one.’”

It also helped that at the time the Eagles were the No. 2 team in the country.

Led by QB Matt Ryan and head coach Jeff Jagodzinski, the Eagles went 11-3 in 2007 and won a bowl game against Michigan State. In Clancy’s first year as a redshirt freshman, the Eagles went 8-5, were ranked as high as No. 17, and made it to the ACC Championship game. Despite the success, Jagodzinski would not continue as BC’s coach for the 2009 season.

The decision to hire the team’s defensive coordinator at the time, Frank Spaziani, was met with praise by most of the team, including Clancy. Although the two coaches have very different mentalities—Spaziani is much more old-school, which comes from his years coaching at Navy—hiring someone who the locker room could trust made a huge impact.

There was some anxiety amongst the players after Jagodzinski’s dismissal, especially those who had been recruited by the former coach. But once it was known that Spaziani, a 16-year veteran of the program, would be taking the helm, players exhaled.

For Clancy, having his defensive coordinator become his coach made for a smooth transition. But his star didn’t immediately take off. In his freshman year, Clancy recorded 17 tackles in 10 games, and had less tackles in his sophomore year. Last season, Clancy averaged 34 plays a game as a backup outside linebacker, but going into this year his career high for tackles in a game was still only seven.

After former BC middle linebacker Luke Kuechly headed ro the NFL, his old position was open. Clancy grabbed hold of the starting spot, and hasn’t looked back. He leads the nation with 14.3 tackles per game, and played 98 out of the 100 snaps in BC’s last game against

Northwestern. He’s become the defensive anchor BC players and fans have gotten used to with Kuechly in the position over the past three years.

“It feels great to finally be able to help our team and compete on a high level on every down, and not just coming in on every other series like I have in the past,” Clancy said. “I’d rather have no tackles, though, and a W than 24 and a loss.”

In the years that have ensued since Clancy first stepped foot on campus, the team has put up more losses than most players were used to. After going 17-10 during Clancy’s first two years at BC, the Eagles are just 12-16 since then. It’s been a bit of an adjustment for Clancy, who won a state championship in high school and went to an ACC championship game his

first year here.

“It’s tough,” Clancy said. “Tough searching for that winning edge. This year, especially, it’s frustrating because I know how much talent we have, and I feel so confident in our team this year to win games.”

A big reason there’s so much talent is because of the hard work Clancy put in during the offseason. His dream is to make it to the NFL, and that was the biggest factor in his decision to come back for a fifth year with the team. He didn’t answer at first when Spaziani asked him whether he’d like to play another year, but after some deliberation, Clancy knew he still desired to make it to the next level. Ever since he made that decision, he’s been all business.

“When I told Coach I wanted to come

back my fifth year, I just started working, trying to improve my body, started eating right,” Clancy said. “I started studying a lot of film, watching Luke play, memorizing plays, increasing my football IQ—doing everything I can to make that dream come true.”

Clancy was able to learn a lot from Kuechly, the ACC’s all-time leading tackler. The two were lifting partners and roommates in the summer, and became very close during their time together at BC. After Kuechly turned into the player that would eventually become the No. 9 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Clancy soon realized it was he who could learn a lot from Kuechly, instead of Kuechly learning from him.

“I picked up his preparation for the

daniel lee / heights editor

Nick Clancy has made the most of his fifth-year opportunity, averaging 14.3 tackles per game this season, good enough to lead the nation.

game,” Clancy said. “If there’s one thing in my career I lacked, [it] was that knack for studying the game. That’s what set him apart from competitors, the fact that he treated football as not just a game but more as a profession. He was constantly in the film room studying, always in his playbook, always preparing so well.”

Clancy has also echoed his leadership.

As one of the oldest and top players on the team, he’s looked to for guidance and gladly takes on that role. When Clancy was a freshman and didn’t have it all figured out, there were a number of seniors that showed him the ropes.

He now does the same for the younger players by taking them under his wing and showing them what to do and what not to do.

Perhaps the biggest adjustment from high school is the focus needed to succeed in practice. It takes a certain mentality to be successful, and Clancy comes out everyday with the necessary energy and enthusiasm. If need be, he’ll get on someone, but he notes that it’s important not to talk down to the person, but instead give them constructive criticism and encourage them to get after it on the next play.

That approach, combined with him leading by example, has made the transition to college much easier for many of the younger players on the team.

With Clancy now a graduate student who has classes at night, the dynamic is much different than how it was just a year ago. He usually strolls into practice at 11 or 12, while all the undergrads are rushing in from class at 1 or 1:15. That’s where a lot of his leadership comes into play as well: helping guys who haven’t completely figured out how to balance academics and athletics adjust.

“It’s funny looking back on it,” Clancy said. “Just a year ago, I was doing that: As soon as class is over, you rush to Hillside, get something to eat, and then you sprint over to Yawkey to get ready for practice. I definitely feel not old, but graduated.”

With his college career nearing its end, Clancy has two goals: to bring BC to a bowl game and to put himself in a position to make the NFL. He doesn’t want to make any predictions just yet, but Clancy is very confident in the team this year. For someone who’s dream is to play in the NFL, Clancy couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season.

But like a true Eagle, he would trade his individual success for the team to be 3-0. n

Eagles in dire need of win Column, from C8 since the Eagles have. How long can BC go without making its own? Only a few players on the current roster were a part of that 2008 team. That means the majority of the roster has never beaten a ranked opponent while on the Heights. It’s time for that to change.

Spaziani said in a conference call last week that he thought quarterback Chase Rettig was playing “very well.”

But he then went on to say he hasn’t done “some of the elite things, but he’s close.” I can’t speak for Spaz, but I bet he’d call Rettig elite if the Eagles got the W against Clemson. I’ve been one of Rettig’s biggest fans so far this season, and I think he has improved incredibly since last year, but he’s still lacking one thing: the big win. Many have been quick to shower Rettig with praise, and while a lot of that is deserved, it doesn’t mean anything unless his team is winning games. That’s what makes a quarterback elite. That’s what makes a good quarterback great.

And the Clemson game this Saturday is another chance for Rettig to be great.

By no means is this the nicest game to call a must-win. And you know I hate using those words. But if Spaziani and the Eagles have ever faced anything close to a must-win, this Saturday is it. Win, and they have another week to breathe, another week to improve, and another week with good vibes. Lose, and they’re 1-3, they’ll have lost to yet another ranked opponent, and frustration will only rise.

You thought emotions were high after the Northwestern loss? They’ll likely be on full display with a potential loss against Clemson.

If BC isn’t up to the task this Saturday against another ranked opponent, I’d be surprised if the next statement is coming not from the Eagles, but instead from the new AD. Greg Joyce is the Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.

daniel lee / heights editor

Chase Rettig and Frank Spaziani are in need of a win on Saturday, as the Eagles have not beaten a ranked team since the 2008 season.

With hockey nearing, football may fade Chris Grimaldi

daniel lee / heights editor

The National Championship trophy that hockey brought home last season is a welcome sight.

After a week off from Boston College football, Superfans can begin the countdown to Saturday when the No. 17 Clemson Tigers march into Alumni Stadium. Looking ahead to a tough start to the season and a scattering of David-and-Goliath matchups looming in the near future for the Eagles football squad, however, some BC fans might prefer to begin a countdown of their own—the countdown to hockey season.

Now you might think I’m getting ahead of myself by bringing up hockey when we haven’t even played Week Four of the football season, and that’s understandable.

Yet Jerry York’s Eagles begin the journey to defend their 2012 national title in only a few weeks, officially taking flight in an Oct. 13 regular season opener at Northeastern.

Despite losing key pieces from its championship run last season (can we have Chris Kreider back during the NHL lockout, at least?), BC will once again have high expectations under its legendary head coach.

So when the championship banner is hoisted above Kelley Rink before the Eagles’ first home game on Oct. 20, where will our football team be? Well, they’ll already have faced ACC powerhouse Clemson, traveled to Tallahassee to take on a legitimate

national title contender in FSU, and will be finishing up a three-game road trip that will make or break their season—all before gearing up to take on a dominant Notre Dame squad at home a couple of weeks later.

Sound daunting enough for you?

If things do go south for head coach Frank Spaziani’s team, fans will have the luxury of turning away and being comforted by the sight of Parker Milner and Johnny Gaudreau catalyzing BC on the ice. While BC football has had its share of struggles in recent years, hockey has always been a quick and dependable rebound for Superfans—we have our hearts broken one minute, and our faith in BC athletics restored the next.

Perhaps this point brings up a more vital question: Which sport is truly bigger on the Heights?

If we’re judging by recent success, then York’s team definitely has the upper hand.

Garnering two Hockey East banners, four Beanpot trophies, and three national championships in the last five years, the Eagles on ice have been one of the most prolific teams in all of college sports, let alone BC. Yet it always seemed that the mystique and awe of college football had the edge over hockey. Maybe it’s the tailgating, the NFL Draft aspirations we have for our favorite players, or the buzz around campus when a powerhouse program visits Alumni Stadium

for a nationally televised matchup. Regardless, BC football was always the golden child thrust into the spotlight despite its flaws.

But after a 4-8 campaign and earlyseason mediocrity so far in 2012, one can only wonder if the attendance at Alumni will grow sparser as the going gets tougher for Spaziani’s team. I, for one, hope this won’t be the case. A college football season is a marathon of ups-and-downs, and the Eagles have an opportunity to address their problems and restore Superfans’ faith in the program. A winning football team on the Heights would not only generate spirit amongst the student body, but also bring much-deserved attention to a top-notch University.

If this summer’s quick sellout of hockey season tickets is any indication of the collective Superfan psyche, however, the tide may be changing. It’s common sense—sports are about winning, and a winner can always depend on its fans. So which of BC’s teams is the “big man on campus”? I’m confident we’ll know our answer when the banner of our latest national champions is raised at Conte Forum next month.

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

The Heights

C6

Monday, September 24, 2012

In his first collegiate start, Kapp shows great potential for future

By Andrew Klokiw Heights Staff

Oct. 25, 2009. That evening nearly three full years ago was the last time that Boston College’s Justin Luthy watched the kickoff of one of his team’s matches from somewhere other than in front of his goal. The Eagles’ star goalkeeper was absent that night against the University of Virginia due to injury, but Saturday afternoon against San Francisco marked his first game missed for reasons unrelated to injury in his BC career.

Into his sizable shadow stepped freshman Alex Kapp, and the young goalkeeper made five saves on his way to his first career victory and the Eagles’ third victory of the season. The growing pains that accompany the transition to the collegiate level were evident at times, but Kapp did not let the nerves get the best of him.

“Going out there for your first career game for BC, obviously there are going to be some nerves there for any freshman,” Kapp said. “As the game went on, I felt myself get into my own element and play the way I know how to play. With Luthy there, you’re always going to have big shoes to fill. I just needed to go out there and play my game. As long as we all came together, I knew we’d be able to pull out a win.”

Kapp’s career on the Heights got off to an inauspicious start nearly eight and a half minutes into the match, as San Francisco’s Michael Shaddock was able to put his team on the board first.

The goal could hardly be considered Kapp’s fault, however. San Francisco’s Kyle MacLeod made a marauding run down the right sideline, drawing the BC defense out of position. With the backline in disarray, MacLeod slid the ball across the face of the goal, where Shaddock was able to hammer it home.

“The ball came across, and we just weren’t marking in front of their guys,” Kapp said of the goal. “One of them got in front of our defender and put it past me, but we didn’t let that bother us at all.

Right after they scored, we got back to our game and played the way we know how to play.”

Although he turned in a very solid and promising performance, Kapp had a few moments that reminded the crowd of his inexperience.

In the 49th minute, Kapp came off his line to clear a bouncing ball. The freshman caught the ball at a weird angle and shanked it to the feet of a San Francisco

graham beck / heights editor

Alex Kapp, making the first start of his college career on Saturday at home against San Francisco, helped his team secure the 2-1 double overtime win by holding strong after allowing an early goal. midfielder. The player took one touch and attempted to chip the out-of-position Kapp, missing the goal frame by a mere few feet.

With 10 minutes remaining, another San Francisco midfielder tested Kapp from 30 yards out. The Eagles keeper was caught a few steps further out than he should have been and almost paid for it, but instead made an impressive athletic play to tip the ball over.

But for each minor mistake made,

Kapp displayed flashes of brilliance that would point to the fact that head coach Ed Kelly has found his goalie for the future.

For the time being, however, the Eagles’ fortunes will ride on the shoulders of the temporarily displaced Luthy. The senior’s long list of soccer achievements include currently sitting second on both BC’s all-time career wins list (37) and career minutes played.

From what Kelly had to say, Kapp’s first start will not be enough to wrestle the full

time starting spot away from Luthy, whom the coach cited as simply needing a rest.

“Justin had a few bad games, along with everybody else,” Kelly said. “I think he just needs a break. I’m sure in his mind he thinks it’s because he’s not playing well, but we also want to get [Kapp] some games too, because he’s a top quality goalkeeper. Justin is a great keeper, and we won’t forget or disrespect what he’s done here and accomplished for us.

I may stick with Kapp for Tuesday, but I

think Justin needs to come back into the fray against North Carolina State. Justin just needed to be removed and watch the game a little.”

While it is clear that Luthy remains the starter in goal for Kelly’s team, Kapp absolutely did enough on Saturday afternoon to put nervous minds to rest regarding the Eagles’ future after Luthy. The New York native may find opportunities tough to come by for the rest of the season, but this win was definitely one for the future. n

Boateng strikes in final minute OT Thriller, from C8 The Dons’ tactical awareness and defensive discipline stifled the fluid Eagle offense at every turn.

BC had a great opportunity to score during the first overtime when Stefan Carter was maliciously brought down on the edge of the box, but Bekker’s free kick was turned away by the wall.

Kelly made his plan clear at the start of the second overtime: win or go home. Emerging in an ultra offensive 3-5-2 formation, Kelly dropped a defender so he could keep the electrifying Boateng in the lineup with attack-minded seniors Kevin Mejia and Charlie Rugg. This decision would prove vital for Kelly.

With the clock dwindling and hope fading, Rugg played Boateng the ball, and the speedy midfielder exploded out of the midfield, cut inside, and chipped the ball over the 6-foot-6 Roslund for the walkoff win.

It was a goal of SportsCenter quality, the perfect floating shot that makes coaches, fans, players, and referees alike wonder, “Did that just happen?” Boateng displayed the grace and confidence of a tremendously gifted athlete to hit that upper 90 shot, and when asked what was going through his head before he let it rip, he responded with the humility of a true team player as well.

“I just told myself, ‘Just kick it, it’s just 50/50. It could end up

in there, or it could not, but we need a win,’” Boateng said. “We’ve been losing most of our games and we have to win for coach and for the team, so it will boost our confidence.”

With young talents like Boateng mixing with senior excellence, the Eagles hope they can leave their early-season jitters behind them and use Saturday’s win to build on their 3-3-1 record.

“It ended with a special goal,” Kelly said. “So we’ll just take the win, move on. They must be brokenhearted.”

Still v isibly excite d f rom Boateng’s late heroics, he added with a chuckle, “I’m mentally exhausted from watching that game.” n

Ireland’s Abbott beginning to be comfortable on soccer pitch

By Chris Marino

Assoc. Sports Editor One look at this year’s Boston College men’s soccer team’s starting lineup will show a decent amount of unfamiliarity. This year’s squad has featured three freshman starters consistently, a very different scene from last year’s veteranladen squad. Class of 2016 member Jason Abbott has shown great leadership and quick learning during his young start in the BC midfield.

Abbott, a native of Cork, Ireland, has stepped into the role of a playmaker for the Eagles. Whenever asked about his role on the team, Abbott modestly says, “Probably to keep the ball moving.” As a new member of the highly competitive ACC, the Irishman has had to adjust to collegiate play fairly quickly, gaining experience as the season progresses. Adding even more difficulty to this adjustment is the fact that Abbott is no longer playing within the comfortable confines of his native land and teammates.

“It’s completely different,” he said. “I was just playing with people I knew all my life, but now, coming here, I didn’t know anybody and I had to start fitting in with a new team. It’s difficult at the start, but after the first couple of games we’ve begun fitting in and getting back to winning ways.”

The midfielder comes to the Heights with a strong background in the international soccer circuit. He’s been capped by his homeland of the Republic of Ireland for his performance at the U-16 and U-18 levels. Also, he represented his nation as

graham beck / heights editor

Abbott (center) came to Boston College from his hometown of Cork, Ireland, and has been an integral part of the team’s game plan so far this season. a member of Ireland’s national team in 2010 in Italy, 2011 in England, and 2012 in Ireland.

Abbott believes that his greatest athletic achievement, however, came at the national level.

“Winning the national cup with my local team,” he said. “I got the winning goal, and my dad was the manager for that game as well, so it was pretty nice.”

In May 2011, he led his team, Cork SL, as team captain in the U-16 all-Ire-

land tournament. His team came away with a medal in the nationwide event, an eventful accomplishment for such a young athlete.

Yet moving from the soccer of Ireland to U.S. college soccer has been a bit of a culture shock for the freshman.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “It’s completely different compared to Ireland. Just fitting into the new team. Just coming over to a new country, and fitting in with the lads is just completely different.”

One aspect of this year’s Eagles squad that excites Abbott is the addition of so much youth early on.

“When I came here on my recruitment trip, the seniors and juniors were mostly playing, but now there are so many freshmen playing and starting,” he said. “It’s completely different, so it’s good to see that there are younger players coming through in the school. It’s nice that we’re playing together.”

The rookie explained that being able

to step into a starting role from the start has helped him enormously in his development, especially in a league where the 5-foot-8, 155-pounder is one of the smaller players patrolling the midfield.

“Yeah, it’s helped a lot, because if I was sitting on the bench and then coming into games it would have been hard,” he said.

“It’s a totally different game, playing in Ireland. It’s much more physical, because a lot of these guys are bigger than me.”

Regardless of any size differences, Abbott has made an impact already with a goal and an assist in seven matches. One thing that he cites as being most crucial to his constant readjusting in the ACC has been the veteran leadership of the squad. When asked about what elements of his game have helped him play well, he immediately acknowledged his older teammates as being the ones behind his success.

“It’s not really my performance,” he said. “It’s the older lads helping me out all the time, and telling me where to go, and especially how the older lads keep talking to me during the game. That’s meant a lot.”

For Abbott, playing in a new country with a new team and new teammates is a source of constant excitement. He seems to be taking everything one step at a time and is more worried about working for tomorrow’s match than any lofty goals far down the road. Abbott knows the work necessary to fight for success at the end of the season.

“Hopefully, we can keep winning the winning streak going and see where it takes us.” n

Monday, September 24, 2012

The Heights

C7

Eagles show promise over summer Four Boston College baseball players took their talents to the Cape Cod Baseball League in hope of professional careers

By Eddie Lockhart For The Heights

Boston College was well-represented in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, as four players took part in the nation’s top collegiate summer league.

Juniors Tom Bourdon, John Hennessy, and Eric Stevens all played for the Chatham Anglers, while senior Matt McGovern played for the league’s runner-up, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Bourdon and Stevens were with the Anglers for the duration of the summer, making key contributions and leading the team to the playoffs.

Stevens, the Eagles’ only pitcher to play on the Cape this summer, started the season off strong when he pitched six innings of one-hit ball against the Brewster Whitecaps to earn his first win.

“It’s always great to have a good start,” Stevens said.

“It was fortunate that I threw well in the first game and started the year off right for the team. It will always stick with me.”

After that, Stevens had an up and down season, but recognizes that he was facing some of the top talent in the country on a nightly basis.

“It made you really focus and concentrate,” Stevens said of the top-notch competition. “You really have to step your game up because after a while, if you keep making the same mistakes, you’re just going to get hit around. You have to make adjustments.”

Bourdon also has fond memories of a game in which he played the part of hero for the Anglers. On July 15, in Falmouth, Bourdon hit a double in the top of the ninth, moving the go-ahead run to third. That runner would come in as the winning run after a wild pitch during the next at-bat.

“I came in and pinch hit,” Bourdon said. “I was able to go two for two to help the team win the game in the ninth inning. That was definitely one of my favorite moments.”

For Hennessy, the season was a bit shorter because he did not join his BC teammates in Chatham until Aug. 5.

Yet the abbreviated stay on the Cape did not diminish the experience for the Andover, Mass., native, who has been spending his summers on the Cape at his house in Harwich for much of his life.

“I had been to a lot of games, so it was great to finally be on the field and it was great for my parents to watch that,” Hennessy said.

With Bourdon and Stevens already on the roster, Hennessy had no trouble fitting in with his teammates.

“I had actually been up there for a few days before, and I met a few of the guys,” Hennessy said. “They saw me sitting in the dugout and they were all like, ‘Hey, weren’t we hanging with you last night?’ All the guys were great, and everyone in the whole Chatham program came up and introduced themselves to me, from the trainers to the PA guy.”

McGovern did not get to play with his BC teammates this summer, as he was with the Red Sox in Yarmouth-

Graham Beck / HEIGHTS EDITOR

BC outfielder Tom Bourdon made major improvements against some of the country’s best competition this summer.

Dennis, but he did enjoy playing against the Anglers and seeing his friends.

“It’s always fun to play against those guys,” McGovern said. “It always makes the game more exciting to watch them hit or talk to your coaches about how you think you should pitch them because you know them so well.”

McGovern also had the unique experience of being part of a team that made it all the way to the league championship, where Wareham bested the Red Sox in a three-game series.

“It was such a great experience,” McGovern said. “I made such great friends, and it was actually devastating when we lost because we were three outs away.”

All four players saw this summer as a great learning experience both on and off the field that will help them this year back at BC. “I learned a lot about myself as a hitter,” McGovern said.

“I can share some of the knowledge with other teammates.

And the way the team was run, we had great chemistry, and we have that here. The teams with the best chemistry usually go the farthest.”

“The level of competition we were playing at, that’s top-notch for amateur baseball,” Bourdon said. “We’ve seen it all. We’ve seen guys throwing up to 98, 99 mph and [Stevens] has faced hitters who have hit multiple home runs.”

“The competition pushes you a little bit more, and that’s something you can bring back to your college team and make everybody else a little bit better,” Stevens added.

It was a special summer for these players, who will look to take their experience and success and translate it onto the field when their season rolls around next spring. BC will look to continue the strong development of its players to prepare them for hopeful careers. n

Lindsay Grossman / HEIGHTS EDITOR

John Hennessy’s short stay was still a great experience.

Volleyball struggles to overcome Yellow Jackets, Tigers on roadtrip

By Marly Morgus For The Heights

It was another busy weekend for the Boston College volleyball team as it ventured south for road matches against Georgia Tech and Clemson. Friday night and Saturday found the Eagles in hostile gyms against their ACC foes, but despite strong individual performances, they were unable to capitalize on either match, dropping both 3-0.

Graham Beck / HEIGHTS EDITOR

SPORTS in SHORT

Chris Campbell’s squad couldn’t pull out any weekend wins.

The first match of the weekend was against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their own O’Keefe Gymnasium on Friday night in Atlanta. The first set had a rocky start, with the Eagles down 10-4 at one point, but with strong defense and improved hitting, they were able to push their way back. Libero Lauren Fields had seven digs, and setter Cagla Sen came away with 23 assists, six digs, three kills, and two block assists. The Eagles eventually tied the game 17-17, then traded points until Georgia Tech was finally able to win two in a row and close out the set 25-23.

BC came out fighting in the second set, fresh off of its very near miss and determined to improve on its strong performance from the end of the first set.

They held a steady lead until the 14-11 point, but despite five kills from freshman Katty Workman and seven assists from Sen, the Yellow Jackets took the following six points to build a 17-14 lead. The set ended with a 14-5 run from Georgia Tech.

After a disappointing end to the second set, the Eagles were able to test Georgia Tech once again in the beginning of the third, sticking close behind the Yellow Jackets, trailing only by three at 14-11.

They were not able to hold on as their opponents took a 7-0 run, however, setting up Georgia Tech’s 25-14 victory in the third and final set.

The Eagles’ weekend was not over after the tough loss to the ACC’s second-ranked (as of Sept. 22) volleyball program, Georgia Tech. The next day, the team found itself in Clemson’s Jervey Gymnasium facing yet another conference battle against a foe ranked second in the ACC preseason poll.

Fourteen ties and four lead changes in the first set echoed the previous night’s strong performance early on. Workman once again put in a strong showing, posting six of her career-high 17 kills, and Lauren Fields had seven digs. Once again the Eagles were unable to hold onto their 20-18 lead.

ACC Volleyball Standings Team

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

Conference 3-0 3-0 2-1 2-1 2-1 2-1 2-1 1-2 1-2 0-2 0-2 0-3

Overall 13-1 11-2 11-2 10-2 10-3 9-4 10-4 9-5 7-8 9-5 6-7 5-8

ALEX TRAUTWIG / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Courtney Castle and her teammates had a slow start against Georgia Tech and were unable to build any serious momentum.

The Tigers closed the set by winning seven of the last eight points.

BC came out swinging in the second set, staying with Clemson and trading the lead until the Tigers took control at 12-11 and managed to hold on through the end of the set, despite a close call when the Eagles squeezed their lead to only two at 20-18.

Sen pulled her total assists up to 22, and Workman had six more kills.

There was no loss of heart in the third set as the Eagles didn’t let Clemson run ahead, putting in a steady effort that found them trailing by just one at 16-15. Sophomore Courtney Castle registered four of her eight kills, but a 5-0 run by Clemson started a statement that ended with the Tigers taking nine of the last 11 points in the third and final set, with

Numbers to Know

11

The number of seconds left in Saturday’s double-overtime soccer match before Derrick Boateng scored the golden goal.

14.3

Linebacker Nick Clancy’s average number of tackles per game. He currently leads the nation in that category.

.146

The hitting percentage volleyball was able to hold Georgia Tech to, although the Eagles were unable to take the match.

the Eagles losing 25-17.

Despite strong early-set performances in both matches, the Eagles left their southern adventure with a pair of losses, dropping their ACC standing to ninth, and causing their record to dip just below .500 (7-8, 1-2 ACC).

A long weekend of travel and two disappointing matches leave the Eagles with a week of practice to fine-tune their play before they hold their first home matches since the BC Invitational Tournament in August this coming weekend. Thursday night, at 7 p.m., the University of Virginia comes to town for more conference play, and Sunday at 12 p.m., the Virginia Tech Hokies will test the Eagles once again.

The team will look to get back above .500 and regain some ground in the conference. n

Quote of the Week

“This year especially it’s frustrating because I know how much talent we have, and I feel so confident in our team this year to win games.”

— Linebacker Nick Clan-

cy on the recent lack of success for the football team

SPORTS The Heights

C8

Monday, September 24, 2012

Monday, September 24, 2012

Is it time to call a mustwin game?

LAST-SECOND THRILLER

Greg Joyce

graham beck / heights editor

Derrick Boateng (7) celebrates after scoring his game-winning goal with 11 seconds remaining in double overtime on Saturday, giving the Eagles the 2-1 victory over San Francisco.

Boateng nets the game-winner with 11 seconds left in double OT

By Connor Mellas For The Heights

The first 109 minutes of Boston College’s showdown against San Francisco on Saturday afternoon were boring, slow, and not so easy on the eyes. But that last minute changed everything.

Boston College 2 With 11 seconds left, bor1 San Francisco ing transformed into jawdroppingly gorgeous. It was a buzzer-beating wonder strike from freshman midfielder Derrick Boateng that clinched a 2-1 win over the Dons, and allowed every BC fan in attendance to shout with uninhibited joy.

Boateng’s game-winner injected a straight shot of life

into a talented Eagles team that has struggled early on in its season.

While the game ended with an adrenaline shot to the heart, it certainly didn’t begin that way.

“It was bad, the first half was shocking,” said head coach Ed Kelly. “It got better as it went on, and it was a little bit more exciting, but the first half was like watching paint dry.”

The BC defense may also have been watching paint dry, because in the eighth minute San Francisco tore down the wing, fired home a low cross, and snatched a 1-0 lead. Filling in for veteran goaltender Justin Luthy, who missed his first game after 54 consecutive starts, freshman keeper Alex Kapp had no chance on the play, and was unlucky to have his day started with a goal against.

The early goal failed to inspire either side, and with both teams unable to find their rhythm, the game declined into a tedious midfield battle. Droning on into

the second half, neither the Eagles nor the Dons were successful in finding a spark to change the game.

“Every time I tried to move somebody, it didn’t do anything,” Kelly said. “There was no energy.”

Finally, in the 72nd minute the Eagles found some inspiration. Lining up 35 yards out, senior midfielder Kyle Bekker drove a precise free kick into the heart of San Francisco’s penalty area. Unable to fully connect, the Dons’ colossus of a keeper Brendan Roslund muffed his punch, spilling the ball into the danger zone. Boateng was closest, and ripped a shot that deflected to the feet of senior Ryan Dunn, who blasted it into the net. The equalizer brought BC roaring back into the game, but lit a fire under San Francisco’s boots as well.

The rest of the match was a slugfest, with both teams surging on offense, and then retreating to hastily defend.

See OT Thriller, C6

women’s soccer

Clutch McCaffrey scores two late-game goals to lift BC Eagles bounce back in second half to get past Hokies

By Molly Connor For The Heights

After a tough loss loss on Thursday night against No. 14 Wake Forest, the Boston College women’s soccer team came ready to Boston College 2 play this SunVirginia Tech 1 day against No. 8 Virginia Tech. After fighting through over 80 minutes of failed attempts on goal and disappointment, the Eagles came back in the final seven minutes of play with two goals by sophomore for-

ward Stephanie McCaffrey, all that BC needed in the 2-1 decision.

The Hokies set the tone for the game early on. Fifteen minutes into play, Virginia Tech’s Ashley Meier dished the ball to forward Shannon Mayrose, who connected seamlessly with the low far corner. BC attempted only two more shots on goal in the first period, and the Hokies held onto their lead.

The offense attempted to neutralize Virginia Tech’s seemingly impenetrable defense by drastically increasing its shots on goal in the second half. The stats speak

to the aggressive offensive strategy that the Eagles showed in the second half, with 13 attempts on goal compared to a meager two attempts by the Hokies.

Although BC’s strategic advances were undoubtedly a team effort, McCaffrey’s execution in the clutch was what eventually sealed the win for the Eagles. As the clock approached 84 minutes, BC forward/midfielder Rachel Davitt sent a low cross from the corner to McCaffrey, who flicked it into the goal. Less than two minutes later, McCaffrey battled her way up the field to score her second goal of the game and sixth for the season.

As head coach Alison Foley had predicted, the Hokies proved to be a challenging defensive opponent. Prior to this game, Tech goalkeeper Dayle Colpitts had allowed only two goals all season. For Colpitts and fellow Hokie goalkeeper Caroline Kelly, it is not unusual to post shutout games. Up until the last seven minutes of play, a shutout against BC seemed like a very likely possibility.

Yet the Virginia Tech defense was worn down and unable to keep up with BC’s potent offense. McCaffrey came through for her team, and BC prevailed in the end with a glorious 2-1 victory. n

I hate the term “must-win game.” It seems silly. If you think about it literally, no win is a must-win game unless it’s a do-or-die playoff. If it’s a regular season game, it’s probably an important game, but why must the team win?

What happens if it doesn’t?

I worked with a broadcaster a few summers ago, and I cringed every time he called a game a “must-win.” I swear, out of the 42 games in the season, he probably called at least half of them must-win games. I told myself after that summer I’d never use the term myself.

For that reason, Saturday’s football matchup against Clemson is not a must-win game. But it’s damn near close.

And that’s a scary thing to say about the No. 17 Tigers, who are one of the ACC’s best, just missing out on pulling off an upset against No. 4 Florida State on Saturday in Tallahassee. But that’s the corner that Boston College has backed itself into.

Everybody knows that a 1-3 record could be around the corner, and with a new athletic director likely coming in the next week or two, nobody truly knows how much time is left on the Frank Spaziani ticker. He could have weeks, till the end of the season, or maybe he’ll prove everyone wrong and be back next year.

But that all depends on this weekend, in my own opinion. It’s been forever since the Eagles beat a ranked team. Actually, they haven’t done it since 2008, when Jeff Jagodzinski was the head coach for whom Spaziani was the defensive coordinator. That year, BC got the best of No. 17 Virginia Tech at Alumni Stadium, and No. 19 Florida State on the road. Under Spaziani, the Eagles have yet to break through against any team in the Top 25. That fact speaks for itself.

Spaziani knows he needs a win.

More importantly, though, the team itself needs the win. Another loss could be a major blow to the morale of the team. Talking to the players, it still seems they are upbeat about their situation. But you wonder how much that could change with another loss at home and another 1-3 record to start the season.

A team can only go so long without making a statement. It’s been too long

See Must-Win?, C5

Eagles snap their threegame skid

With Kuechly’s shoes to fill, Clancy has stepped up

BC holds strong for full 70-minute effort in win

By Stephen Sikora

The Boston College field hockey team broke its three-game losing streak yesterday by defeating the Providence Friars 3-2 on the road.

Boston College 3 It brought the 2 Providence Eagles to 5-5 on the year, and gave them an important win before another tough matchup against an ACC opponent later this week.

“This was a great regional win for the team,” said head coach Ainslee Lamb.

“The entire team contributed to the performance and ultimately the win. We did a better job of creating threatening opportunities in the attacking circle and working hard to provide scoring chances.”

BC jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead 15 minutes into the game. Chapin Duke scored her third goal of the season at the 13:25 mark, a tip-in off a corner that was assisted by Jacqui Moorfield.

Just 71 seconds later, Virgynia Muma followed that with a score of her own.

graham beck / heights editor

Chapin Duke scored for the Eagles at Providence yesterday, helping them get the road win.

Katlyn Soucy made a nice cross right in front of the goal, and Muma one-timed it for her fourth goal of the season, which leads the team.

There was no scoring for the rest of the half, in which BC both outshot (4-3) and had more corners (4-1) than Providence.

The Friars would get one back 4:10 into the second period, as Providence capitalized after a corner.

BC proceeded to outshoot Providence 12-2 in the second half. That led to another goal for the Eagles with 16 minutes left, an

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unassisted score by Moorfield off of a corner. After that the game was never really in doubt, though the Friars did cut the deficit to one with a goal in the 62nd minute. Yet it was too little too late, as BC hung on for its first win since Sept. 9.

“As always, Providence played hard until the very end, and I felt our players did a good job of maintaining their composure and level of play throughout the game,” Lamb said.

BC will continue its ACC slate at No. 19 Duke this weekend. n

Volleyball swept on the road

Facing two tough matches on the road, the Eagles dropped both 3-0...........C7

Summer catch

Four members of the BC baseball team spent their summers playing in the prestigious Cape League........C7

editor

Heights Staff

Entering this past weekend of games, Boston College middle linebacker Nick Clancy led all of college football with 43 tackles. More than half of those were r a cke d u p i n l a s t Saturday ’s contest against Northwestern, where his 24tackle performance earned him ACC player of the week honors. But if it weren’t for an injury during Clancy’s junior year of high school, he might not have even played football in college.

The baseball diamond, not the gridiron, was the field Clancy enjoyed playing on the most when he was growing up. Baseball always came more naturally to him, and he had to work harder at football, especially in high school.

Clancy was a pitcher, so a tear of his ulnar collateral ligament his

height s

By Stephen Sikora

lee /

Heights Staff

junior year ended his season, and required intense rehabilitation to get back on the mound. He was then left with an important decision.

“At the time, I had a few offers for football when I was still playing baseball,” Clancy said. “It was either have the surgery on my elbow and sit out a few games for football—I hadn’t had any offers for baseball—and then be able to play my senior season for baseball, or just do rehab, not have the surgery, not miss any football games.”

After sitting down with his father, he ultimately decided on the latter, and chose to hang up his baseball cleats for good. It was a decision that followed in the footsteps of his older brother Chris, who Nick is very close with. The elder Clancy played football at Ball State, and served as a role model for Nick throughout his high school and college careers.

He owes a lot of his success to his brother. daniel

The linebacker leads the nation in tackles

See Clancy, C5

Numbers to Know......................C7 Then and Now..............................C4

features The Heights

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Monday, February 7, 2011

Monday, September 24, 2012

BC alumnae and students connect

By Cathryn Woodruff Heights Editor

Joseph Castlen / Heights photo Illustration

By Adeola Lawal For The Heights

As the 2012 presidential election approaches, voters across the nation are forced to assess how the political platforms of President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney will reshape our society. Although proponents of both campaigns have voiced partisan opinions regarding many issues, education stands as one of the most polemical topics that delineate the agendas of both candidates. College affordability and education reform are just a few of the matters that have initiated discussions comparing the president’s stance on education to that of Romney. Consequently, the election this November will not only determine the domestic and foreign policy aims of our country over the next four years, but it will also drastically impact schools, academia, and the educational opportunities of millions of students.

Education has undoubtedly been a primary focus of the Obama Administration. According to Democratic senator Tom Harkin’s “Forty Years and Counting: The Triumphs of Title IX,” which commemorates modern strides toward gender equality, providing equal access to all fields of study is necessary to combat discrimination in academics. Thus, the recent release of the U.S. Department of Education’s “Blueprint for Transforming Career and Technical Education” represents the president’s aims to promote equal academic opportunities for all students, especially in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

In the blueprint, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan states that, “every American should have access to at least one year of higher education or postsecondary training at an affordable cost.” As a figure who embodies the president’s strong pursuit of increased educational opportunities, Duncan also supports the need for “A world-class education system that

See Election, D4

Dads on Shea Field: their eyes sparkling with pride as they relive their glory days. They anxiously await the start of the football game, catching up with old friends, drinking beer, and reminiscing about their own crazy Mod tailgates.

There are many ways that Boston College alumni can connect with the school after they graduate. However, it seems that what a majority of alumni are able to unite over, mostly male alumni, is … well, BC football. Football is, of course, an event that attracts females, but it does seem to be an event, and a focal event of BC, that men are more enthralled in. It seems to be an easy and rewarding aspect of BC life to engage in for males, even after graduation.

Thus, in an effort to increase the involvement and influence of female alumni, The Council for Women of Boston College was founded in 2002. According to their website, the Council is dedicated to “furthering the role of women as leaders and active participants in the University,” as well as shaping the future of BC, via the power and influence of females. Mary Lou DeLong, senior staff liaison to the Council from the President’s Office, described the Council’s mission as twofold: “We are providing an opportunity for alumnae to reconnect, and for them to share their expertise with the University,” DeLong said.

“Very accomplished women with a wide range of talents can be a resource for the University, and at the same time, they can be given a chance to reconnect with BC and see what their school is like today.”

Kathleen McGillycuddy, the founding co-chair, and the current chair of the Council of the Board of Trustees, sees it as an accommodating forum to attract women back into leadership roles.

McGillycuddy’s involvement with the Council has allowed her to reflect on the rewarding benefits women receive.

“The kind of connection that the Council makes for women with the University is very powerful,” McGillycuddy said. “They feel the University has reached out to them in a dedicated and focused way and they value that. It gives them a very strong commitment to the University.”

The expectations for members of the Council are to volunteer time in a leadership capacity, as well as to financially support the University. Women are given the opportunity to lead groups, create programs, and sponsor events. The organization consists of 780 associate members and 140 full council members, and the members mirror the composition of the alumni group. They are always searching for diversity of geography, ethnicity, schools, and career tracts. Additionally, the Student Advisory Board, made up of 20 BC students, representing all four

See Council, D4

Joseph Castlen / Heights photo Illustration

Pickup basketball games at the Plex are a lesson in strategy for the competitors Austin Tedesco What follows is only a slight exaggeration of my experiences trying to get some good runs on the basketball courts at the Plex since moving to Lower.

“Who’s got next?”

Simple enough question, right? Wrong.

If you’re at the Plex between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., “Who’s got next?” just might be the toughest question you’ve ever asked, because no one ever knows.

“Uh, my boys should be showing up right when they get back from their EDM Superset. We’ve got next,” responds the dude in the throwback Charlotte Hornets jersey and ’95 Air Jordans.

“Huh?” “They all sync their iPod Classics to the same EDM playlists and get brolic with bicep curls,” shrugs the faux Larry Johnson.

“Nothing else, just bicep curls?”

“All you need on Saturday nights at the Mods, yo,” Johnson says as he whips out his phone to tweet his revelation with a #DeepPlexThoughts.

Okay, moving on. Standing on the other baseline is a group of four, and the one dribbling a ball says I can hop into the next game with them (It’d be so much easier if they just put up whiteboards behind the rims so people could sign up for the next game and then have some peace of mind). He actually

makes sure to clarify that I can join his team.

Oh boy, I know where this is going.

We’ll refer to this kid as Sprewell, because that’s what I’m calling him in my head during the whole game. I establish with the winning team that we’re going to 15 by ones and twos, win by two, and that’s greeted by nods. Ball in.

Sprewell pulls up for an NBA-range three on our team’s first possession. Well, let me clarify. He throws the ball behind his back twice, loses it off his ankle, chases it down, and then launches a one-footed leaner in the general direction of the rim.

Air ball. The other squad grabs the rebound and throws it down the court to a few guys snow-birding that are wide open because Sprewell is still holding his shooting hand up, looking in legitimate awe at the rim for somehow defying him and not electromagnetically pulling the ball into its nylon cylinder. I take a peek at the rest of his crew after I’m done unsuccessfully chasing the break on defense, and they’re giving him reassurance that the next one is going to fall. Uh huh, right. Let me clarify here that I’m not a great basketball player by any means. I played two years of varsity in high school, but mainly rode the bench acting as a cheerleader/unqualified assistant coach who would come in when the freshman point guard got overwhelmed so I could show him how the motion offense was supposed to work before returning to my seat,

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still warm and toasty. My greatest moment in four years of high school basketball was preventing a 7-foot-1 Texas Tech recruit from dunking on my face during a fast break by tackling him in a way that really should’ve warranted a flagrant foul, a 15-yard penalty, the loss of two timeouts, and a free-kick.

I am, however, capable of putting together a decent pick-up game if some of the other four guys on the court can understand that when I put my hand up and push my chest into their defender, I’m not getting to know the guy better so I can buy him dinner later and maybe call him once the three-day rule has passed, but instead I’m executing this cool new basketball innovation called a screen. Ask Steve Donahue about it, it’s pretty dope. Or maybe when I point at the rim someone can backdoor-cut the guy that’s overplaying him instead of chilling on the arc waiting to drain that jumper he’s been working on so often in NBA 2K10.

Alright, back to Sprewell. A few plays later, he bites on an in-and-out move and his man blows past him for an easy lay-up.

Unphased, Spre dribbles the ball up the court and attempts a runner in traffic that clanks off the rim. It may have been the rim one court over he was so far off, but I can’t confirm that. I was too busy running back on defense. The guy handling the ball for the other team almost assuredly trained with Usain Bolt in high school, because his scissor legs move right past me on his way

Graham Beck/Heights Editor

Sometimes the simplest pleasures, like pickup basketball, aren’t so simple to coordinate. to an easy score. And then Sprewell gets pissed.

“Hey man, if you’re not going to play any D, we’ll just sub you out.”

Smile and nod, I tell myself. We end up losing the game by five, and Sprewell shakes his head, refusing to shake hands with anyone, and muttering about how his shot has never been so off. It must have been all those extra reps he did today during his three upper body workouts messing with his rhythm.

Heights Through the Century A look at what was happening at BC in Septembers of the past century..................................................................................................... D3

I tell the guys on the other team that I’d be down to get a game in with them any time. They played D, communicated, ran some screens, and shared the ball. But they had their five, and they weren’t going to risk messing that up. Survival of the fittest and everything, you know.

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

Humor Column.................................D3 On-Campus Quirks.........................D1

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Professor Profile: Vanessa Rumble

A major professor behind the psychoanalytic studies minor

By Anthony Gigliotti For The Heights

Teaching as an associate professor within the philosophy department at Boston College, Vanessa Rumble may seem like your average instructor: she’s a mother of three who landscapes in her free time and enjoys the Mediterranean Hummus sandwich from Hillside for lunch. However, if given the chance to learn more about her life, one would find that she is far from your typical professor.

Rumble grew up on a farm in rural Georgia during the 1960s, a decade in which counterculture and social revolution permeated society. When she was 9 years old, the schools in her county finally integrated. “There was something gripping about seeing one’s everyday life, one’s school system, changed in basic ways by a demand from the U.S. Supreme Court for justice,” she said. Rumble stressed the significance this time had on her life, noting that, “as people become older … they focus more and more on the setting of their lives, the larger historical and social movements around them.”

Rumble’s parents came from contrasting backgrounds: her father was southern, born and bred, however he lived and worked far from the South, setting up radar equipment in North Africa and Europe for many years after World War II. Her mother, on the other hand, was a Danish citizen. She worked for the Danish embassy in London following the war, and eventually went on to work in Berlin and Washington, D.C. Rumble mentions

how her parents “were at least in some respects far removed in their beliefs and culture from much of what [I] encountered in a regular public school setting.” She stressed the eye-opening and sometimes isolating effect this had on her childhood, comparing it to “growing up in a foreign country.”

Not surprisingly, Rumble revealed that the setting of her adolescent life was “a ripe occasion for a kid to become a philosopher.” Putting aside the complexities of her social environment, Rumble expressed how grateful she was for having grown up on a farm. “[I’m grateful] for having the chance to see lightning bugs weaving around on summer evenings, fawns playing tag in the front yard in the spring, and whippoorwills offering up background music, night after night in August. It was something one could take for granted, the background to everything else—blessedly stable.”

When asked about the most influential moments in her life, Rumble quoted a line from the poet Edwin Muir (Franz Kafka’s translator): “When I try to find out what it is that influenced me I can only think of the years of childhood which I spent on my father’s farm, and the beauty I apprehended there, before I knew what beauty was.”

Later in life, Rumble studied as an undergraduate at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. It was during her graduate years at Emory University, however, that she first realized she wanted to teach. In 1989, after obtaining her degree and teaching at Emory for a while, Rumble began her

Annie Budnick / heights staff

Philosophy professor Vanessa Rumble also teaches within the psychoanalytic studies minor. career at BC, where she has remained for the past 23 years.

Over the past two decades, Rumble has taught hundreds of classes and thousands of students, which raises the question of what her most memorable classroom moments are. According to Rumble, the classroom moments that resonate with her most stem from situations where “students are really thinking and engaged.”

She references one specific event in which a student in her PULSE class, Justine Cintron, jumped up in the spur of the moment to defend her views (for those interested, Cintron is now a lawyer).

Rumble currently teaches a wide variety of classes within the philosophy department at BC. Her course list ranges from the well known and widely taken Arts & Science core, Philosophy of the Person, to lesser-known courses within the Psychoanalytic Studies Minor curriculum, such as Soren Kierkegaard, and Freud and Philosophy. Psychoanalytic Studies is a little-known minor at BC, but it’s also one which Rumble, as the program’s director, is extremely passionate about.

Rumble believes that all students who are fascinated by what motivates groups and individuals, “especially the underlying

reasons for seemingly irrational behavior,” would enjoy minoring in Psychoanalytic Studies. Among the current minor students are those who are pre-med and prelaw, as well as students in the humanities who “wish to use psychoanalytic theory as a tool for interpreting cultural or artistic phenomena.” Overall, she recommends the minor to anyone who wishes to gain further knowledge on how “their minds work, how people respond to trauma, etc.”

Last year the program hosted, with generous backing from the Institute for the Liberal Arts (ILA), an international conference on trauma, which garnered exceptional contributions from the program’s faculty, as well as numerous prestigious lecturers—both academics and clinicians—from the U.S. and abroad. In the future, Rumble hopes to organize “an academic course on central topics in analysis, with visiting lectures by psychoanalysts in the Boston community.”

When asked what her proudest life achievement was, Rumble maintained that it was being a mother, which she called her most humbling experience as well. She met her husband, Jorgen, in Denmark, and they now have three children: Rune, Henrik, and Signe. Rarely do students at BC get a chance to learn who their professors are outside the classroom, and Rumble is a perfect of example of why students should try harder to do so. The faculty at BC is extremely diverse. As a University, BC employs professors from all backgrounds, cultures, and experiences—students would be wise to get to know their instructors better. n

UnsunG Heroes: Wanda anderson

The nursing reference librarian is a hidden resource in O’Neill

By Kathleen Fahy For The Heights

Every day, countless members of the Boston College community walk through the doors of O’Neill Library. Some enter on a mission to be productive, with a quickened pace and a cup of coffee, while others wander in reluctantly, looking harder for a friend than an empty seat. Whenever Wanda Anderson enters O’Neill, she does so with a mission to help.

Anderson, the Nursing Reference Librarian here at BC, has a warm smile and a gentle presence that are immediately comforting. Her father was in the Navy, and since her birth in Key West, Fl., she has lived in six different states. She attended Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia where she majored in biology and had plans to be a biology teacher. “Since I did want to be a teacher,” she said, “I believe every moment is a teaching moment, and for a librarian

this is very true. Whether we meet someone at the desk, or formally in the classroom, if they stop by my office, or if I run into them on the T, I try to help the student in whatever way they need.”

Before she became a librarian, Anderson worked in a medical lab studying cells for cancer detection. She then took a position as the biology librarian at Boston University, where she worked for 11 years.

While working at BU, Anderson earned a master’s degree in health education, and when a job opened up at BC that offered her an opportunity to use all of her past experiences, she applied. This past July marked her 15th year working with BC’s Connell School of Nursing. Reflecting on memorable times at BC, Anderson said, “One thing I’ve noticed at this school is that everyone tries to help everyone else.

Wherever you go on campus, you can go and ask for assistance and people are glad to help you.” (Later, in an email, she recalled

a fond memory of when Baldwin visited O’Neill last fall and “both the students and the librarians were delighted.”) Reflecting on working specifically with nurses, she said, “Nurses in general are very dedicated people, people who care. It is very rewarding to get the nursing students started in their research because you know they will be making a great contribution in patient care. We put a lot of emphasis on providing access to the best research for the best patient care.”

Since the 1960s, the BC Nursing Library has been recognized as the premium nursing collection for the New England region.

“Mary Pekarski was the first nursing librarian at BC when the Connell School started in 1947. She had a vision of a very comprehensive nursing collection, so now we have the best collection in New England. My challenge is to keep up the quality,” Anderson explained. “Because our nursing library has such a good reputation, not thanks

to me but thanks to Mary Pekarski, we’re able to help and collaborate with people beyond our campus. For example, a couple days ago a librarian from the state department in D.C. was in the area and dropped in because a friend of his was working on her dissertation in Virginia. Or sometimes at the Connell School, we have visiting nurse scholars from different countries. I was helping one of the nurse scholars from University of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain, showing her our resources and showing her how I teach to the students, and she asked if I would go to Spain and show the librarians there how I interact with the students and work with the faculty, so I did.”

Asked if she speaks Spanish, Anderson said, “Un poco,” but she continued, “I would like to take a Medical Spanish course, because where I go to church there is a large Hispanic community. One time I talked to a faculty member at the school of nursing about a parish-nursing program at my

church. They serve a lot of different nationalities, and I wanted to see if I could find literature in various languages. This professor then talked to someone in the community health program, and for the past four years, BC nursing students have been helping with the parish-nursing program.” In describing ways that she has made contributions by helping others or helping the programs at BC improve, Anderson repeatedly deflects any of the credit. She ends her story of the parish-nursing program with, “It’s not something I started myself. I told someone who told someone. I just really enjoy the fact that there has been this connection between BC and the community.”

“The library is not just a building,” Anderson concluded. “It extends through the BC community, the New England community, the national, and the international community. We just want you all to recognize that we are here, and that we are here as a resource for all of you.” n

more usable space, so it is definitely worth checking out!

Third floor: This is for the casual studier. If you don’t mind a little bit of noise and quiet conversation, this is the place for you. I often visit the third floor in between classes to catch up on … I mean get ahead in some of my classes. But if you absolutely can’t stand your neighbors blasting their music so loud that heavy metal leaks out of their earphones, you should avoid the third floor.

Fourth and fifth floors: These are the “Bapst floors” of O’Neill. If you need a really quiet place to concentrate on writing that paper due for your 8 a.m. class, this is the spot for you. If you take advantage of the space, either at an individual desk by a window or a group table in the middle, you are sure to get work done.

Bapst: Oh my Harry Potter. The sheer beauty of the space is enough of a draw,

but if you are planning on eating potato chips while studying, be prepared to get some dirty looks. Bapst is packed during finals, but I find it a great place to go when you need a little extra motivation to complete your work—the environment will certainly push you to be productive.

Empty Classrooms: Here is a hidden gem I referenced earlier. Although seldom used outside of finals, this can be a great place to get away from the crowds. You get an entire room to yourself (and if you choose wisely, a chalkboard too) and you can be free to use the space how it fits best to your study habits and particular assignment.

Building libraries: If you have a lot of classes in Fulton or Gasson, those libraries are great places to sit and be productive before your next class.

Dining areas: A personal favorite of mine. I find that when I study on the

second floor of Lower, or in the Rat, I can concentrate and I won’t be able to use food as an excuse to stop working.

Lounges in your residence hall: For the time that you planned on doing work in your room but your roommate decided to watch the next episode of Modern Family, lounges are a great place to go. They are close (so you don’t have to walk out in the cold) and are essentially a replica of the third floor of O’Neill.

Sometimes it just takes a little bit of motivation to go on an adventure to find your perfect study space, and sometimes it will just fall right into your lap. Whichever area on campus becomes your own personal study niche, make it your own, and don’t be afraid to keep it a secret!

How-To

Find your perfect study niche Elizabeth LeRoux Freshman year, I was scattered all over campus when it came time for me to buckle down and write that Courage to Know paper or trudge my way through calculus homework. I am here to tell you that it helps if you find a couple of consistent spots where you know you will be the productive studier that we all so desperately desire to be.

Being at Boston College and getting to know so many different people has taught me one very important thing—everyone has drastically different study habits.

Whether your philosophy remains true to the “due tomorrow, do tomorrow” mantra, or you have every slot in your planner

completely filled, every student has different needs when it comes to finding a place to do homework. As a disclaimer, self-evaluation is key when looking for your perfect nook to crank out that research paper, and no one knows your habits better than you—or, possibly, your roommates. Sit down and think, how do I really study best? Where will I be most productive? Maybe it is in a library setting, or something far from that. Whatever it is, find the place that works best for you, not the people you decided to do homework with that day.

First floor of O’Neill: Try not to waste too much time waiting here for a booth—I’ve honestly never seen one empty, especially during finals. However, with the new renovation, there is a lot

Elizabeth LeRoux is a contributor to The Heights. She can be reached at houseka@bc.edu.

he said, she said I have developed a little bit of a crush on one of my guy friends, but I hooked up with his roommate last year! It was only one time, and it was no big deal. Does this make him off limits? Is it too weird? What do I do?

I

’ve got good news for you. I don’t think this is going to be nearly as much of a problem as you may think. BC isn’t too big of a school so it’s not uncommon to find yourself in situations where you’re interested in the friend or Alex Manta roommate of someone you have hooked up with in the past. It sounds like what happened last year was not a very big deal, and I’d almost guarantee that’s how your guy friend sees it as well. Guys tend to be very easygoing about scenarios such as this, and I can’t picture any of my guy friends feeling weird or uncomfortable to the point where they would not even consider giving the relationship a chance. If your crush is still roommates or friends with the guy you hooked up with last year, then there is the possibility there will be some jokes tossed around that friend group if anything does end up happening between you and your crush, but an innocent hook-up last year is no reason to hold back from pursuing someone you’re interested in this year. Situations end up being awkward when people decide they are awkward to begin with. Don’t start off with that kind of a mindset, and the chances of it being uncomfortable go down. One thing I would recommend is that if your crush is not aware that this hook-up happened last year, it’s probably better to get that out there early on before serious feelings start to develop. Overall though, you’ve going nothing to worry about here, so go ahead and make the first move.

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

S

ituations that involve roommates are always a little sticky—people’s feelings can get hurt or things could get a little awkward. From what it sounds like though, this hook-up with you and the roommate was a one-time, random, inconsequential thing that didn’t amount to anything afterward. It’s not off limits since you’re actually friends with the Taylor Cavallo person you’re crushing on now—I don’t think that hooking up with his roommate randomly is a big deal at all. Unless he’s harboring secret feelings for you, he most likely won’t care and it doesn’t seem like your guy friend will be weird about it since the two of you have a friendship of your own.

One thing I do have to warn you about is just the general idea of starting any romantic endeavor with a friend. You have to figure out whether you like him enough to cross the barrier from friendship to romance, because it could cost you the entire friendship. But, if you’re close friends, you should be able to communicate openly in order to avoid problems. I would suggest talking to your friend about the feelings you’re starting to have. You could even precede the conversation acknowledging the roommate issue, just so it’s all out on the table before you tell him about the developments of your crush. Maybe he’s feeling it too. You never know unless you try, and I’ve found it’s always better to be bold.

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

Submit your own questions for Alex and Taylor at theb-line.tumblr.com

The Heights

Monday, September 24, 2012

editor’s column

THE HEIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURY A look at what was happening on the Heights in Septembers of the past

The beauty of mentors

By Therese Tully Features Editor

“The past is glorious in the labors and triumphs of our beloved founders, whose faith and foresight have been rewarded by the position of honor and esteem that we now enjoy. The future will be great, fostered by the devotion and achievement of men whose spirit and purpose has not varied from that of their predecessors. It is this constancy of spirit and purpose that must serve as a guide and inspiration for us whose privilege and fortune it is to walk in the footsteps and share in the success of Boston College men,” stated The Heights when describing BC’s Diamond Jubilee (that’s the 75th anniversary of BC). It’s no secret that BC is currently celebrating its Sesquicentennial this year. That’s 150 years of rich history to look back on. What better way to do so than to peruse some past Heights issues? The Heights has often served as the voice of BC’s student population, and though some things may be different, other things never change.

It’s funny to think that at one point, BC was all male. Yup, just the guys walking around.

Could you imagine? After the change was implemented, the topic of women in the classroom apparently became a popular humor column theme. “If the rest of you fellows want to swallow this new girl angle in English classrooms, it’s all right, but they are not going to pull the wool over my eyes. A girl is a girl and she has no place in an English class at Boston College,” wrote Westbrook Somy, BC ’38 (Yes, you read that correctly, 1938), in his column, “In One Ear….” Funny. Today it seems that English classes are overrun with girls. In that same column, Westbrook discusses going to the lunchroom for a “smoke and a sandwich.”

Yes, I’ll have a New England Classic and a pack of Marlboro Lights please! BCPD would be on you so fast your head would spin if you tried to light up in the dining halls today. If only

Therese Tully is the Features Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at features@bcheights.com.

Westbrook was here at BC now.

BC has always been conscious of having well-rounded students. In a section called “Tower to Town,” The Heights takes an almost BC-to-Boston approach to enlightening students to popular activities off campus to keep them occupied. And what did 1958 hold in the entertainment department, you may ask?

Stag dances, with admission running between 50 cents and $1, campus dances, advertised as the Navy Victory dance with singing waiters to be working the event, the popular restaurant Durgan Parks for a good (and apparently cheap) meal, and Boston Symphony Tuesday night student tickets. Later on in the paper, a list of “Extra Curricular Activities on Campus,” which is much shorter than our current list of student activities, showed some familiar faces, such as Stylus and Sub Turri. But where has the Rod and Gun Club gone? What is it?

And why doesn’t it exist anymore? Sounds interesting at least. A long list of honor societies and fraternities trick the reader into believing that BC once hosted traditional style frats and sororities on campus.

It seems that sports were always an important aspect of BC culture. The cheering section was discussed in many old Heights issues, whether lauding it or admonishing it, though writers were quick to forgive freshmen for not yet knowing all the cheers. While student ticket prices were a hotly contested issue at BC last year and editorialized on by The Heights in 2012, it seems this is not a new issue or topic of conversation. “A new program concerning the purchasing price of football ducats for the Boston College home games is being given serious consideration by Fr. Collins, S.J. and Mr. Curley, the head of the Athletic Department.

The proposed plan calls for a reduction in the price of seas from $1.10 to 55 cents.

“The seats at this price will be limited, one ticket to each holder of a Student’s Activity Book.” Oh, 1938, how we long for your simpler times and cheap football tickets. Sports

rivalries that we have come to know and love seem to run deep as well. In 1924, the Heights editors couldn’t help but add two boxes both proclaiming “BEAT HOLY CROSS!” to the nameplate of the paper. Some things just never change.

It is in this 1924 issue as well, on the very first page, that the headline reads, “Annual Pops Concert Custom is Revived.” With Parents Weekend right around the corner, tons of BC students will be sitting through a show very similar to the one their BC counterparts from the past listened to nearly 90 years before. You can’t make up stories like this, and you can only be in awe at BC’s rich history of tradition.

But these BC “men” of the past did not know it all. A 1924 drawing of “Boston College of the Future” pictures a campus much different from our own today. With Gasson Tower as the central point of campus, buildings flank it to the right and left in a straight line.

The buildings included in this sketch were: gymnasium (projected), science building, administrative building (being Gasson), chapel (projected), and St. Mary’s Hall–library.

If these men could see BC today, we can only hope they would wonder in amazement at the wonderful way BC has sprawled out and expanded to make room for many new Eagles to come and receive a BC education.

Someday in the future, BC students will pull out this issue of the Heights, not from a dusty archive, but from an Internet archive most likely, and will have a good chuckle at our way of life. What is Chobani and why were they all so obsessed with it? They didn’t have air conditioning in the Plex—how archaic!

The students really lugged around all of those physical, paper textbooks? Their poor backs!

But hopefully, some things will never change, like students running around the beautiful reservoir, Che-Chi’s staking out on weekend nights, Gasson’s bright lights shining all night, and of course, the Mods will still be standing thousands of years from now. n

/H Burdge Maggie

EIGHTS

Illustr

ation

Therese Tully Freshman year, I scurried into the Chocolate Bar (yes, freshmen, that was once a real place) super early for a meeting. I sat by the window with my latte, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my mentor. She was a current Heights editor, and was assigned to a random freshman, me, to take under her wing for the first semester, and she really did. I was nervous, confused, afraid, and hoping to make some new friends.

I had signed up for the FLIP program after stopping by The Heights’ table at the Student Involvement Fair, as many new freshmen did this year. Quickly, my mentor soothed my every fear, and sold me on the organization.

Looking back, I see that it was less about what she said, than how she said it that sold me on The Heights (Okay, maybe the mention of fun parties and new friends didn’t hurt her case). She was passionate about the organization, self-assured, confident, and happy in her allotted place at Boston College.

That was what attracted me, that feeling of fitting in, and thriving. It was this first mentoring relationship that really helped me through my freshman year.

Sometimes, just grabbing coffee with my senior “friend” and her friends made BC feel more like home.

That is the power of finding a mentor, no matter who they may be. The ability to take BC, which as a freshman can feel huge and scary, and shrink it down, is so important to enjoying your time here. Suddenly, campus isn’t so big and confusing, the faces you pass in the Quad aren’t all brand new, your professors know your name from semester to semester, and at the end of a long day, you can retreat to a dorm or apartment that starts to feel like your own home.

This is what inspired me to sign up to be a mentor myself for The Heights this year and last. Now, I don’t think I screwed up my first mentoring role too badly. My own little FLIP is now a copy editor, and is more together and driven than I am for sure. I have yet to meet my FLIP this year, but I am sure that she will be just as wonderful. Before long, my FLIP didn’t really need me. This was such a bittersweet moment for me, but so inevitable. It is so great to see your mentee succeed, but so sad to see them go.

Last year I saw a flyer for a Big Sister & Little Sister program at BC, and ended up applying to help freshman women adjust to college life. During the interview process, I learned that women at BC are, overall, more qualified to be here than their male counterparts—although, as the years progress, BC men become more confident in their abilities, while BC women’s confidence wanes. After this study was done, the group emerged. I wanted to help some freshman girl through a difficult time, I thought. So once again, I signed up, and made it through the interview process.

But I worried—had they done enough investigating, and were they sure I was capable of doing this?

I don’t know if it’s my own confidence waning as statistics prove it will (here’s to hoping it doesn’t!), but I never really felt qualified to guide anyone, especially as a sophomore last year.

What did I really know about BC? Or being a good role model, for that matter? This all lead me to some serious self-reflection. At the beginning of each relationship, I thought about the kind of BC woman I wanted to present myself as. I surely don’t have all of the answers.

And really, let’s get serious, it’s hard to self reflect when the week hardly leaves time for eating and sleeping (especially with suite-style living making me want to just blow off my homework and watch Crazy, Stupid, Love on a Tuesday night … whoops).

But maybe it’s just forming the relationship that is most important. Making that time for a weekly cup of coffee with someone from your high school, or someone matched with you through an actual organization. As a freshman, I was so lucky to have a wonderful mentor, and I think that was so important to my year.

Even if I am only a familiar face to a new member of BC, maybe that’s enough.

I can’t solve all my own problems, so I surely can’t solve hers, but maybe, just maybe, I can help someone make the most of these four magical years.

D3

A sketch from the 1924 issue of ‘The Heights,’ which projected what BC would look like in the future, is just a little off we might say.

Humor

Our Pandora/Netflix relationships Taylor Cavallo “The question therefore is not so much whether we are the masters or the slaves of our machines, but whether the machines still serve the world and its things, or if, on the contrary, they and the automatic motion of their processes have begun to rule and even destroy the world and things” (Arendt, The Human Condition, 151).

In my senior year high school philosophy class, we studied philosopher Hanna Arendt, quoted above, who feared the technology of her time, famously urging us simply to “think what we’re doing.” In conjunction with the reading of Arendt, we watched Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, a truly eerie, yet fantastic classic film, which sparked interesting post-viewing discussion in my class. Naturally, after watching the film, neurotic me was horrified.

While the film, at its most basic level, is

meant to express the indestructible spirit and free will of the human person and that’s all fine and good, I could not get over the creepy Hal computer who just would not listen to the commands of his astronaut human friend. My mind wandered—what if this happened to our society? What if all our technology, that we developed ourselves as an advanced society, started to have a mind of its own, and talked to us in a monotonous, sassy voice like Hal? Well my friends, I’m sorry to break it to you in this way, but it already has.

While Arendt was referring to the concerning new development of the atomic bomb, there are clearly more pressing, relevant issues at hand in our day to day lives at Boston College where we are not excluded from this issue of technology.

These issues beg pressing, never-ending questions similar to, “Why will I like Something’s Gotta Give because I have been known to enjoy The Graduate?” “Why, after

hearing ‘Heart Shaped Box’ by Nirvana am I suddenly listening to ‘Here Without You’ by 3 Doors Down against my will?”

Our atomic bomb is Netflix, and its evil cousin, Pandora. These are essentially robots that we utilize in our everyday lives that have a mind of their own and assume they know the things we will like and dislike. But of course, the hoi polloi don’t care.

They don’t realize the threat here.

Anyway, yes, I use Pandora and Netflix.

Music and movies are beautiful bits of art that make our cultural lives voluminous and profound. They are issues close to my heart (I divide my time between the Features section and Arts & Review), so I hate to think of them as being commodified or quantified somehow by these two malicious robots who presume to make pretty significant judgment calls about what we, as humans, will adore or detest.

Netflix and Pandora, back off.

Pandora, don’t assume that my love for The Velvet Underground means that I equally love Muse. Hole’s Courtney Love and Amy Winehouse are not one and the same. Making a Tyler, the Creator of Odd

Future Pandora station doesn’t somehow translate to me liking Wiz Khalifa, and they should not ever be played on the same station. They’re completely different. Maybe those associations fly in the robot world, but not in mine. Lana del Rey isn’t Nelly Furtado.

Netflix, don’t demean me by labeling me simply as a girl who enjoys “Witty Independent Dramas with a Strong Female Lead,” “Critically Acclaimed Visually Striking Dark Movies ” or “Cerebral Independent Films.”

I’m more than that. Don’t put me in a box.

Sometimes I might just want to watch old episodes of Teen Mom. You can’t predict my every move.

I guess that’s what Kubrick was trying to article in 2001, kind of … it’s very human of me to get a sick pleasure from thumbs downing on Pandora or boldly clicking “Not Interested” to my No. 1 computer-calculated movie suggestion on Netflix.

Take that, Hal.

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

Campus Chronicles

There’s no wrong decision for where to study abroad Kevin Toomey I spent my junior year studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, and, to answer the three most typical questions right off the bat: yes, it was a whole year; yes, I miss it; and yes, it’s great to be back at Boston College. Looking back, it can seem like my time spent in Cape Town was a strange cocktail mix of unforgettable travel, steady adjustments to everyday life in a foreign city, studying, volunteering, and, well, cocktails.

When I came home, I was sure that I had had the best study-abroad experience possible. I had lived in the best house and been a part of the best program in the world’s best city. Nowhere could match Cape Town’s natural beauty and eclectic mix of culture and language. Yeah sure, I had friends who had been all over Europe, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, but my experience was the best. I was positive. In fact, I was expecting some sort of audience—eager friends waiting to hear tales of Victoria Falls swimming holes, road trips to Mozambique, and Cape Town taxi rides

that I had barely survived. But instead of jaw-dropped “oohs” and “ahhs,” my stories were met mostly with “Yup, I had something like that happen to me in ….”

Despite the vast geographical differences in BC’s countless internal and external study-abroad programs, there are a few things I know that each of my classmates who spent time abroad last year have in common. First, it is the unwavering opinion that their study abroad experience was the best, and that they wouldn’t change a single thing about it—except maybe a few late night binges on somewhat sketchy street-cart food. Second, it is the urge to share nostalgia-ridden abroad stories with anyone and everyone who will listen. The urge may be controlled, confined by everyday conversations on classes, plans for the weekend, and “hey do you remember when I saw you last night?”

But once in a while, it breaks free. Maybe we ask ridiculously leading questions: “This song reminds me of Maputo! Have you ever been to Maputo?” Or maybe you run into a friend from your program: “Dude, do you remember what we were doing this time last year?” Either way, we

can’t help it. There’s a need to reflect on all of these perspective-altering experiences, a need to share them with friends who may have fallen out of touch while you were gone, and, yes, a need to impress peers with your awesome worldliness.

There is certainly a badge of honor that comes with spending a substantial period of time as a stranger in a foreign land—be it a summer, a semester, or a year. Whether you had some crazy nights club-hopping in European capitals, or somehow got scuba certified despite a wicked hangover from overpriced Australian bagged wine, each experience feels so personally unique and amazing that it can be difficult, when asked about it, not to gush (and for the record, there is no better bar in the world than Champ’s Sports Pub in Mowbray, Cape Town. That’s not gushing. That’s a fact.)

Of all the people I have asked casually about their time abroad, not one would tell an underclassman not to do exactly what they did. And I mean exactly.

It’s obvious why a fierce loyalty to every abroad program develops: Your program placement is your home. It’s a strange and

satisfying sensation to feel so deeply rooted in a place that has such vast geographic, national, and cultural difference compared to BC. The somewhat ridiculous notion that your study-abroad program was the best, then, is not a preference for one city, one country, or even one continent over another. It’s the undying devotion that comes from discovering yet another home.

So if you’re thinking about studying abroad and don’t know where to choose, just pick something. It doesn’t matter if you’ve wanted to go there since you can remember or if you simply spun a globe and stuck your finger somewhere.

Nowhere you go will be exactly what you expect and nowhere you go will disappoint. The only advice I have to prospective study-abroad students is to forget any anxieties and expectations and just go. I promise you will have an amazing time.

If you still can’t decide, go to Cape Town. It’s obviously the best program.

Kevin Toomey is a contributor to The Heights. He can be reached at features@bcheights.com.

The Heights

D4

Monday, September 24, 2012

Some choose BC as their own abroad destination

By Alex Cuschieri For The Heights

Courtesy of bc.edu

BC students find a wealth of networking and career advice from female alumnae Council, from D1 undergraduate years and all four schools, is relied upon to provide input for programming, and marketing events to fellow students.

Perhaps the easiest and most rewarding avenue to explore for an average BC student eager to get involved in the Council, or to reap the benefits of the programs they have designed, is to attend Council events. McGillycuddy and DeLong stressed just how vital these programs are for young women interested in leadership roles, or simply looking to network. Through the Council and its events, they can interact with very accomplished and powerful women, form relationships, and learn about certain fields they are interested in. At the same time, Council members benefit from engaging with powerful students eager to be tomorrow’s leaders. “It’s good for the students, and great for the alumni as well,” DeLong said.

“If a student is interested in banking, for instance, we can connect her with a Council member successful in that field.”

The programs the Council puts on throughout the year facilitate this reciprocal relationship between student and member.

The Journey Series is a set of programs geared toward undergraduates and alumni, addressing everything from finding new opportunities in the workplace to assessing life as a middle-aged woman. The “Preparing for the Journey” program is offered to undergraduate women and features discussions with accomplished alumnae in a variety of for-profit and non-profit industries.

Alumnae convene and offer their expertise on career choices, networking strategies, interviewing, and internships.

Additionally, the “On the Job Career Exploration” program is extremely unique in its hands-on approach to helping undergraduates. This program is designed to provide students with direct exposure to various companies and industries through a day “on the job,” sponsored by a Council member. This allows students to experience a workplace environment, as they start to assess where they may want to begin their own careers post graduation. In the past,

participating firms and organizations have included Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Harvard Medical International, and WBZ television.

Alissa Rothman, CSOM ’15, just recently learned about the opportunities available through The Council for Women. “After learning about what the Council does and how they can help me to discover more about what I want to do for a career, I am eager to attend the Preparing for the Journey program in October,” Rothman said.

McGillycuddy and DeLong, both Newton College graduates, have infused much of the wisdom they received from their time as undergraduates into the Council for Women.

“I learned at Newton how important it was for women to support other women and help them become a bigger and better force in the world in general,” McGillycuddy said. “It is incredibly powerful to see how women respond to this support that they may not get in the workforce, and how they can use this support to build and develop careers.” n

Candidates outline their education goals Election, from D1 provides high-quality job-training opportunities” before drawing a correlation between an innovative American education system and economic growth.

According to the Education Blueprint, however, Obama’s newest education goal is for the United States to once again generate the highest number of college graduates by 2020. The publication of the president’s education related goals in the blueprint, nevertheless, has prompted voters to analyze education policies favored

by Romney. In a September blog post by journalist Elle Moxley, findings from online journal Education Next show that independent voters are more likely to support

education initiatives, like “private school choice,” that are backed by Romney. Based on quotations pulled from a CNN Arizona Republican presidential debate in February, Romney argues that “Education has to be held at the local and state level, not at the federal level.”

After advocating for the separation of education and the federal government, the Republican candidate commendably endorsed smaller classroom sizes and stressed the need for “great teachers” who are paid properly. Although the former governor of Massachusetts has taken a stance on education that is contrary to Obama’s, he praised Duncan’s assertion that teachers should “get evaluated ... [so] that schools have the opportunity to see

which teachers are exceeding and which ones are failing....” Ultimately, however, both candidates will be forced to address what blogger Megan McArdle has dubbed “the college bubble.”

Articles like McArdle’s “Is College a Lousy Investment?” and Anne Tergesen’s “School debts may thwart retirement savings” indicate that rising college tuition rates and student unemployment may triumph over voters’ education related concerns and influence polling numbers this November. As voters and members of the Boston College community, we will soon be forced to ask ourselves how our votes will affect us individually and collectively within the BC population, this fall and over the next four years. n

From the city lights of London, green fields of Ireland, skyscrapers of China to the city of Boston—home of the Red Sox and unpredictable New England weather. Every year hundreds of students leave home-lands of Harry Potter, Guinness, and good food–choosing to take a semester or year abroad to study here in New England’s finest city.

Why do these students choose Boston College, of all the universities available to them? The most popular opinion, aside from living on the East Coast, seems to be the beautiful buildings and the breathtaking scenery of the historic city of Boston. Julia Mitchell, a finance and accounting major from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, says she was attracted to Boston because of the large student population, as well as the beautiful city. Cindy Chen, a communication major from the Philippines, and Ali Chan, an international student from England, both agree that the campus is spectacular and offers great courses for their chosen subjects.

Students starting school in a new country not only face cultural differences such as a friendlier population, the distinctive Boston accent, and figuring out when the best time to tailgate is, but also differences in the classroom.

For Mitchell, the biggest difference between BC and her home university is the classroom size. She was surprised at the intimacy of the learning environment here, compared to classroom sizes of up to five hundred in South Africa, where no marks were awarded for attendance or participation. Naomi Thrower, a history major from Royal Holloway, University of London, was shocked at the amount of work assigned for each subject, especially as exchange students have to take one extra module than they would back home.

Of course one of the more exciting differences for international students here at BC is the football games and the hype surrounding them. For Aiofe Carroll and Ailish McGovern, two exchange students from Ireland, the football games and team spirit top their list of favorite things about the University.

They enjoy the buzz before and after the games, especially pre-drinking, or “tailgating.”

Mitchell describes the experience as “so American.” She too is excited about the hype that includes cheerleaders, pom squad, and the marching band.

“Even though I don’t understand why everyone stands on the bleachers the entire game, it’s still a blast!” she said.

Chen was taken aback by the breathtaking stadium, school spirit and the support shown. “It is just so positive and I love it, but they won’t let me sit!” she said. Attending a BC football game is such a typical American experience, one definitely not to be missed.

Studying abroad is not just about doing well in class and making friends at school, but also having the chance to visit places, eat great food, and meet people you would otherwise never have the chance to meet. Boston is a beautiful city full of history, with something for everyone to enjoy, from walking the Freedom Trail to getting ice cream at the Boston Common. Chan tells of how Legal Seafoods is one of her favorite places to eat in the city, recommending the clam chowder, a New England favorite. Mitchell’s favorite so far are the “absolutely heavenly” cannolis from Mike’s Pastries in the North End. “Thank goodness the bakery isn’t closer otherwise they’d have to roll me onto the plane back to South Africa!” she said.

For international students currently studying at BC, Mitchell advises to “do at least one tourist thing a week,” as it gives a great opportunity to make friends and discover new places. Popular opinions of tourist must-sees include a Red Sox game at Fenway, walking the Freedom Trail, trying every type of food at Quincy Market, taking a boat tour of the Harbor and seeing the sea lions at the aquarium. For students with a little extra time, why not try a weekend in New York City, or a beach break on the Cape?

If you are a BC student thinking about studying abroad for a semester or year, it is definitely encouraged. It has the potential to be the greatest time of your life. Thrower recommends researching your chosen university properly, giving the example of her own university.

“Royal Holloway, University of London isn’t actually in London which seems to come as a surprise to a lot of the students once they arrive,” she said. “Other than that, I would say go for it!” Mitchell advises that although there is a lot of hard work and paperwork involved, it is worth every moment, adding, “No one can take the incredible memories away from you.” People always say that your school years are the best years of your life. If given the opportunity, why not spend one in a foreign country? n

On-campus quirks

Has anyone ever noticed the relish situation at BC? Me either.

Juliette San Fillipo Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, yet students at Boston College are treated to committing this sin every time they eat at Corcoran Commons.

Getting the chance to indulge in so many condiments—and in that much quantity—at all times of the day is as close to sinful eating as one can get without entering chocolate cheesecake territory. The presence of so many condiments in Corcoran Commons is something that BC students have always been fond of but have probably never questioned.

“You’d be surprised,” said Sharyl Thompson, assistant general manager of Lower Live. “We have 14 different sauces available every day.” A student’s mind boggles at the number, but if one were to go around Lower and take note of everything available besides those lovely pump stations outside the food area, he or she would see that there is a sauce for everything being offered. “We have ketchup, honey mustard, Tabasco, different types of soy sauce, honey, guacamole,

barbecue sauce, ranch, blue cheese,” Thompson said. The list goes on.

Most students laud the BC food fare, and it seems that condiments might be playing a key role in why the University’s food tastes so appealing. “Personally, and I think in the food industry, on a college campus so many kids use condiments because they grew up eating their mothers’ cooking, and the condiments always covered up the flavor. And in the food industry, condiments are used as a sauce or a base in a lot of things, so I think people recognize that in cooking and then want to put it on top of their food,” Thompson said. It’s genius: cook the food in a condiment, and then offer more of said condiment afterward. It’s food enhancement at its finest, and it’s big at BC. “But now, condiments are absolutely everywhere you go,” remarked Thompson. In fact, Hillside Cafe is another culprit of the condiment binge. At all times, they have ketchup and mustard pumps, and even mayo packets. But the eatery also has pickle relish literally everyday, when no hot dogs are ever served other than football game days. Operations

manager of Hillside Cafe, Colleen Barton, claims that on game days, customers consume several cases of pickle relish in a day, but otherwise she calls pickle relish an “overlooked condiment.”

“It is sad to imagine that the only legitimate reason people would eat relish is for the rarely eaten hot dog,” Barton said. “Hillside also serves Wolfe’s Neck all-natural beef burgers four nights a week and I guarantee you I am not the only one who likes relish on [a] burger.”

In order to allay some students’ inquiries about the presence of this pickle relish in the absence of things to put it on, Barton offers students some other ways to relish this relish on campus.

“My personal favorite is to mix relish in with tuna fish for a tuna sandwich,” Barton said. “This was a standard in my family. I have a friend whose mother made homemade pickle relish and we often ate the relish with fried eggs and toast for breakfast. One of my co-workers just explained a chopped ham and relish sandwich that he is fond of.”

Even though students would

probably never dream of tampering with the Tuna Delight sandwich, it’s food for thought. And what do the students think of the condiment selection?

“I would say it is the most complete array without being excessive.

It’s always stocked and it’s always clean,” said Charlie Rechtiene, CSOM ’13. Others have more critical views of the condiment bar.

“If I had one thing to say about the condiment selection on campus I’d probably say this: It’s pretty obvious that the person who decides what goes in those industrial pumps at Lower is not a religious person. The fact that chipotle mayo is not in that lineup is pure blasphemy. And yes, the 15-foot walk into the serving area is inhumane. I mean, what if someone tries to text me while I’m in there?” said Joe Casson, A&S ’13.

When asked about the chipotle mayo crime, Thompson blames the lack of space in Corcoran Commons. “It’s a space restraint. If we had more space, my goodness, I’m sure we could add more. [But the mayo] would be hard to pump, and it wouldn’t be cleaned up properly,”

she said.

Blasphemous, sinful, or the best thing ever–regardless, BC is on top of its condiments.

(The pun was just too easy).

Juliette San Fillipo is a contributor to The Heights. She welcomes comments at features@bcheights.com.