The Heights, Feb. 12, 2024

February 12, 2024

A New Path: Bill O’Brien Hired as Head Football Coach O’Brien, BC’s 37th head football coach, served as the Houston Texans’ head coach from 2014–20.

By Luke Evans Sports Editor

Boston College football has hired Bill O’Brien as its next head coach, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel and a press release from BC Athletics.

“I am thrilled to welcome Bill O’Brien, his wife Colleen, and his sons

Jack and Michael to Boston College,” Director of Athletics Blake James said in the release. “When we embarked on this search, we prioritized finding a coach who believes in our mission and vision, who has a plan for greatness on and off the field, and who will work tirelessly to elevate BC Football.”

O’Brien takes over the program just

nine days after former head coach Jeff Hafley left BC to become the Green Bay Packers’ next defensive coordinator.

Hafley’s final season with the Eagles ended with a 7–6 record and was capped off with a 23–14 win in the 2023 Fenway Bowl over No. 17 SMU.

See O’Brien, A12

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

BC Files Defense in Discrimination Suit

By Lucy Freeman News Editor

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COMMON TONES

Student Vocalists Go Viral The Common Tones’ “Carol of the Bells” TikTok has amassed over 70 million views. When the official Grammys’ TikTok page commented on the video and asked them to create a mashup, they obliged.

See A10

The Trustees of Boston College answered former BC professor Hristina Nikolova’s discrimination lawsuit against the University on Thursday, asserting that Nikolova failed to state claims for which relief could be granted.

“BC ’s denial of tenure was based on legitimate non-discriminatory and non-retaliatory reasons,” the docket reads.

Nikolova, a former assistant professor of marketing in the Carroll School of Management (CSOM), filed a lawsuit against BC’s trustees on Oct. 26, 2023 in the Suffolk County Superior Court, alleging she faced gender discrimination in her tenure application process during her maternity leave.

The lawsuit calls on the University to pay more than $1.7 million in damages.

Nikolova is suing BC on counts of breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, retaliation, in-

terference, sex and pregnancy discrimination, parental leave, and family and medical leave.

Nikolova came to BC in 2014 as an assistant professor of marketing on the tenure track. The lawsuit claims she exceeded BC’s tenure standards through her job performance and her publications. BC denied that Nikolova had done so.

“BC denies that Nikolova exceeded BC’s requirements for tenure and denies that BC promised to promote Nikolova with tenure,” the docket reads.

According to the suit, Nikolova was evaluated by CSOM’s “Fourth Year Tenure Review Committee,” which “lauded her accomplishments.” According to BC, the “Fourth Year Tenure Review Committee” does not exist.

“BC states that there is no ‘Fourth Year Tenure Review Committee,’ and further states that Fourth Year Review Committees are instructed that the review is ‘not a tenure review,’” the docket reads.

See Lawsuit, A2

Newton to Demolish Old Senior Center The existing building, which was constructed in 1938, is set to be replaced by the New Center for Active Living.

By Genevieve Morrison Assoc. Newton Editor

Ne w ton Public Buildings Commissioner Josh Morse said preparations are underway to demolish the building that was previously the Newton Senior Center, which is set to be replaced by the New Center for Active Living (NewCAL), at the project’s community meeting Tuesday.

“We’re making preparations to do the demolition of the building and that will be coming in the next couple of days, so we’re getting close,” Morse said.

The crew has already completed selective demolition on the existing building, removing certain features that date back to the

building’s original construction in 1938, including stained glass windows, according to Morse.

“The team did a great job getting those [windows] out of there,” Morse said. “They’re currently in the restoration process, no issues whatsoever."

According to Morse, the crew found a time capsule in a cornerstone of the building, which will be opened during the groundbreaking ceremony at the beginning of construction.

“It was transferred over to the Jackson Homestead historical folks,” Morse said. “They’re going to keep close watch on that until we open it as part of the groundbreaking ceremony.”

See Senior Center, A4

OWEN BIENEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

No. 2 Eagles Coast to 20-9 Win Luke Bellaud Heights Staff

With a little less than three minutes left in the first half, No. 2 Boston College lacrosse already appeared to be on the verge of victory, as it held a 10–2 lead. But junior Emma LoPinto was looking to put the icing on the cake.

LoPinto ran up from behind the net and rifled the ball behind her

back and into the open top corner past UMass goaltender Catrina Tobin.

“I kind of was at x and I drove up the right side and I felt her overplay me a little,” LoPinto said. “I was kind of just like, I’m just gonna whip this behind, hope it goes in, and it went in.”

In a commanding performance to open the season, BC (1–0) dominated No. 20 UMass (0–1) from start to finish en route to a 20–9 win at the

Opinions

Heights Editor Maddie Mulligan makes the case for why Barbie, the highest-grossing film of 2023, should have recieved more recognition this awards season.

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Vol. CVI, No. 3 © 2024, The Heights, Inc. Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Established 1919

See Lacrosse, A13

Arts

Detailing the pressure to keep up with ever-shortening microtrend cycles, columnist Katie Spillane reflects on what self-discovery means to Gen Z.

INDEX

Fish Field House on Friday afternoon.

The Eagles, led by Cassidy Weeks, started strong from the opening faceoff. Weeks scored the first goal less than three minutes in, and followed up with another goal halfway through the quarter on a free-position shot after a UMass holding penalty.

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Arts Editor’s Pick: Valentine’s Day Edition See A9

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NEWS........... A2 OPINIONS.. A7 NEWTON....... A4 A R T S . . . . . . . . A9 MAGAZINE.. A6 S P O R TS . . . . . A12

NEWS

Monday, February 12, 2024

This Week’s Top 3 Events

1

The Heights

Learn about documentary theater from award-winning Ukrainian playwright and director Sasha Denisova. She will also direct a staged reading of one of her plays, “The Gaaga.”

Join Denisova from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday in Higgins 310.

2

Celebrate the Lunar New Year with In Sun Cho, a Korean folk artist, at a hands-on painting workshop with a special reception.

Take part in the celebration on Thursday from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Andover Room of Connolly House.

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3

Join CAB for a Valentine’s Daythemed open mic featuring students’ performances while enjoying free food and table games.

Attend the event on Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the R​​at.

‘Spread the Love’ Campaign Brings Agape Spirit to BC

By Lucy Freeman News Editor

Madison Hoang Heights Staff

Agape is a Greek word for love that asks for nothing in return, according to Eileen Corkery, assistant director of programming at BC’s Church in the 21st Century (C21) Center. The spirit of agape is driving C21 and Campus Ministry’s “Spread the Love” Valentine’s campaign, she said.

“Just allowing students to spread love to other people in their lives— not just romantic partners, but also friends, roommates, professors, anyone that they just want to share love [with], send a note to, that's kind of what we're encouraging,” Corkery said.

Through the campaign, students can stop by a table at the Chocolate Bar to fill out valentines from now until Valentine’s Day, Corkery said.

“We have valentines all set up there, Sharpies, anyone can write out a Valentine's Day card and then address it in the envelope,” she explained. “We have a big mailbox there, and we'll send it to anyone on campus for you.”

According to Corkery, the “Spread the Love” campaign is sponsored by

Agape Latte, a student coffeehouse series centered on faith-oriented storytelling, hosted by C21 and Campus Ministry.

“Once a month we invite a professor, University staff member, [or] alum to come share a story of faith, a time when their faith helped them make an important decision that shaped their life or changed the way they looked at something,” Corkery said.

Corkery, who is also the program director for Agape Latte, said its mission is to spread unconditional love to others and to bring God’s love to students. “[Agape is] just a love that's all encompassing, unconditional, and it's essentially God's love for us,” Corkery said.

Agape Latte sponsored campaigns similar to “Spread the Love” before the COVID-19 pandemic, Corkery said, but C21 is excited to bring the initiative back to campus.

“We really wanted to bring this back to life [on] campus, and I think it was a success so far,” Corkery said.

“We're really looking forward to just kind of bringing the agape spirit and infusing it into campus.”

Thomas Pauloz, marketing intern

for C21 and CSOM ’24, said that while many students only know Agape Latte for its speaker events, it is actually an international movement to spread the love of God. “It's not just a speaker series—it's a message,” Pauloz said. “It's a movement on college campuses and high schools as well, and the ‘Spread the Love’ campaign is an embodiment of that

broader message.”

Corkery said the campaign has been popular so far and that the team recently ordered an additional 500 valentines after the first 700 were filled out.

“We've had a huge response to it so far,” Corkery said. “We emptied out the mailbox earlier today, just to do a first wave of mailings across campus, “and

so many, so many, so many letters.”

According to Pauloz, this positive engagement is representative of the Agape message and what it aims to achieve.

“It’s just those kind of little sparks of joy—those moments of unexpected kindness, just that one little opportunity to smile—that Agape is all about,” Pauloz said. n

SARAH FLEMING / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Students made valentines on Wednesday as part of Agape Latte’s “Spread the Love” campaign.

BC Files Defense in Lawsuit Made by Former Professor Lawsuit, from A1 Members of the Fourth Year Review Committee and Marketing Department Chair Adam Brasel encouraged Nikolova to pursue opportunities to demonstrate research independence from her co-authors, according to both the lawsuit and BC. “Brasel informed Nikolova that she must develop a stronger argument that she was the key driver of her research separate from her advisory committee and that she must demonstrate that she was engaged in independent scholarship, which he informed Nikolova was a ‘key theme’ at CSOM,” the docket reads.

The lawsuit alleges that Nikolova distinguished herself as a top marketing scholar in her cohort prior to having her first

child in 2019 and taking maternity leave—for which she was granted a one-year extension on her tenure clock. BC denies this allegation.

“BC denies that Nikolova had distinguished herself as one of the top marketing scholars in her cohort, and BC denies that Nikolova had exceeded every performance standard BC had set for her,” the docket reads.

During her second pregnancy in 2021, Nikolova applied to be an associate professor with tenure.

Nine members of BC’s marketing department voted unanimously that Nikolova should be promoted with tenure, according to the lawsuit.

The Promotion and Tenure Committee (PTC) then unanimously voted not to recommend Nikolova for promotion with tenure, according to BC.

SARAH FLEMING / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Nikolova filed the lawsuit in October in the Suffolk County Superior Court.

The PTC was not qualified to review Nikolova’s work because none of the PTC’s members were marketing scholars, had taught marketing courses, or had published in top marketing journals, the lawsuit alleges. BC denies this claim.

“BC states that all members of the PTC had the ability to determine the independence, quality, and impact of Nikolova’s research,” the docket reads.

University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., then wrote a letter to Nikolova in February 2022, informing her that her application for promotion with tenure was denied, according to both the lawsuit and BC’s docket.

According to the suit, in March of 2022, Nikolova met with the deans of CSOM, Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, and Leahy to discuss the denial of her application. During this meeting, Leahy implied that Nikolova “was (or should be) more committed to being a wife and mother than to her work,” the lawsuit alleges.

BC denies this allegation, saying that during the meeting, Nikolova indicated she had a strong commitment to her family and wished to remain at BC. “BC states that following their meeting Nikolova wrote an email to President Leahy, in which she thanked President Leahy for his ‘kindness, thoughtfulness, care and encouragement,’” the docket reads.

In April of 2022, Nikolova

submitted a complaint to the Faculty Review Panel (FRP) and Leahy regarding discrimination in her tenure application. After reviewing the claim, the FRP issued a report claiming it found several instances where the PTC failed to consistently review Nikolova’s tenure application, according to the lawsuit.

“BC states that it denies the accuracy of some of the FRP’s findings,” the docket reads. “President Leahy declined to follow the recommendation of the FRP.” Nikolova continued to excel in her field and on each of the metrics that BC uses to evaluate applications for tenure and reapplied for promotion with tenure in August 2022, the lawsuit alleges. BC denies these allegations.

“Provost Quigley, among other matters, stated that the PTC discussed its concerns about the quality, independence, and impact of Nikolova’s research and was concerned about Nikolova’s overreliance on papers with multiple authors and senior advisors,” the docket reads.

In February of 2023, Leahy once again denied Nikolova’s application for promotion with tenure. Nikolova then met with Leahy in March of 2023 while she was pregnant with her third child, according to the suit.

“At the beginning of this meeting, President Leahy pointed to her belly and said, ‘I see you’re taking good care of the family!’ or words

close to that effect,” the lawsuit reads.

BC denies these allegations.

“BC denies that President Leahy and Dean Boynton made any gender-stereotyped statements,” the docket reads.

Nikolova claims she was forced to leave BC in 2023 and that the University “threw her to the curb like a bag of trash,” the lawsuit states. BC denies these allegations and claims it provided her with one additional year of employment before she would be required to leave.

“When BC denied promotion with tenure, BC notified Nikolova that she would be required to leave BC following a terminal oneyear contract,” the docket reads.

“Answering further, BC offered Nikolova an additional year of employment with all the benefits of employment at BC.” According to the lawsuit, the University “acted in bad faith” when it failed to follow its own promotion and tenure standards and denied Nikolova promotion with tenure. BC denies these claims.

“BC acted in good faith with legitimate reasons at all times,” the docket reads.

As for the $1.7 million indamages the lawsuit calls on BC to pay, the University rejects claims that Nikolova is owed any compensation.

“BC denies that Nikolova is entitled to the relief she requests or any relief,” the docket reads. n

UGBC Senate Talks Potential New Public Policy Minor

By Jack Beckman Asst. News Editor The UGBC Senate discussed updates on an effort to create a new public policy minor during its meeting Tuesday night. According to student senator Andreas Pantazakos, the minor could be approved as early as Feb. 22—provided it garners enough support from faculty and administrators.

“We need faculty and administration to really take this project home,” said Pantazakos, MCAS ’24.

While the proposal for the new minor is still being tweaked, Pantazakos said the current iteration includes three required courses— one in economics, one in politics, and one quantitative and statistical

methods course.

To round out the minor, students would have the option of choosing from a variety of electives on topics such as immigration, welfare, civil rights, and employment, Pantazakos added.

“This is truly an interdisciplinary program,” Pantazakos said.

According to Pantazakos, widespread student support is crucial in making the minor a reality. Many courses across different academic departments could potentially count toward the minor, but the burden lies on students—both members of UGBC and the student body at large—to find such courses and compile them, he said.

“The more classes we find, the more classes that are eligible,” Pa-

tazakos said. “And the more people that reach out to me, the greater the chance that this program can get approved.”

Later in the meeting, Colleen Blascik, first-generation student representative and MCAS ’27, shared updates from a meeting she had with the Office of Undergraduate Admission to promote content of students from underrepresented backgrounds on BC’s social media.

“This is probably going to be more of a long-term initiative, but more short term is creating more [‘day in the life’ videos] and representation on the social media,” Blascik said. “Just making sure that all students are being seen on campus—especially for international students and students who don’t

have the ability to travel to BC as prospective students.”

For the second consecutive week, the Senate then entered executive session—temporarily closing the meeting to the public and press—to discuss a recent meeting with staff from the Connors Family Learning Center.

The Senate also discussed ongoing efforts to educate students about the potential downsides and risks of using generative AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, for academic assignments—an issue that student senator Cami Kulbieda said is especially significant in light of BC’s Jesuit values and liberal arts foundation.

“A lot of what we do here at BC is engaging in critical thinking,

dialogue, problem-solving, and sometimes the use of AI can limit those perspectives,” Kulbieda, LSEHD ’26, said.

“So we really want to push education about AI in such a way that is through the lens of Jesuit education.”

Kulbieda said a recent meeting with Margaret Cohen, head librarian for educational initiatives and research, yielded a number of concrete steps, including drafting a clause about acceptable AI usage to be included in professors’ syllabi across the University, or incorporating lessons on acceptable AI usage in freshman writing seminar courses.

Read the rest of this story at www.bcheights.com

The Heights

Monday, February 12, 2024

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NEWS

Donohue Investigates High-Conflict Parenting Classes

By Annika Engelbrecht Asst. News Editor When two victims of domestic violence told Claire Donohue they had been court-mandated to participate in a parenting program with their abusers, she took it upon herself to look into high-conflict parenting classes and compile research to raise awareness.

“I hoped—and I think it’s proving to be true—that it would be an invitation for people to look at the program and ask some of the questions that we had,” Donohue said.

Donohue, an assistant clinical professor at Boston College Law School as well as SSW and BC Law ’05, and a team of law students published a research report on the history and implications of court-ordered programs.

According to Donohue, the lack of understanding about what qualifies a couple as a high-conflict case can lead judges to make false assumptions about family dynamics. “[The parents] are presenting themselves as a party who is disagreeing, and yet that disagreement is weaponized against them,” Donohue said.

“They are assuming that the disagreement that is playing out in front of them is also playing out in front of the child.

And I think that’s a big assumption

because sometimes families do keep it together at home in a way that they don’t in court.”

One of these high-conflict parenting programs, run through William James College, is nine weeks, costs $900, and is a mix of therapeutic and educational experiences that focus on group discussions to target parental dynamics, according to Donohue.

“What I don’t think was there was any baseline education about childhood development, about childhood psychology, about children in conflict generally,” Donohue said. “Instead, there was this sort of discussion group, almost like a group therapy modality, talking about how damaging conflict is for children, asking people to really own the fact that they were these terrible parents who were fighting with one another.”

Donohue said the program created a rigid definition of what it means to be a good parent, and its assignments created an unsafe environment for anyone escaping an abusive relationship.

“It just seemed rather authoritarian to be like, ‘This is what good parenting looks like, and this is what is definitely good for kids, so you just have to do it’,” Donohue said. “And it becomes really problematic when you layer on that you might actually be asking this level of interpersonal intimacy … from

people who are actually in a regime of abuse.”

Margie Palladino, BC Law ’85 and co-founder of the Mass Family Advocate Coalition (MFAC), said her biggest concern about the program was how it affects domestic abuse survivors.

“The most alarming concern is that in high-conflict cases, they require both parents to attend the classes,” Palladino said. “In cases where one parent is alleged to be abusive, the victim, or the other parent, is required to be in the class with their alleged abuser.”

Meeting with survivors who had been forced into these programs with their abusers prompted Donohue to examine the program and its relationship with the Massachusetts family court system, she said.

“So, at first, we were quite interested to know what is this program about?”

Donohue said. “Why is it that courts have now developed—some courts—a real habit of ordering people to this program,” Donohue said.

After suffering setbacks in their original research plan, including stonewalling by William James College, Donohue and her team began to focus on comparing the various therapeutic and educational programs that already existed in the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court.

“I thought, okay, changing gears— let’s just take a look at how this program is situated within this larger movement of this ‘therapeutic movement’ that I see happening in courts,” Donohue said.

According to Donohue, the research findings made way for three recommendations to the Massachusetts family court system: increased transparency, evaluation of the programming and the court’s relationship with the programming, and better protocols to handle domestic violence cases.

“We had a case where one of the women who had contacted us, she had an active restraining order and an open investigation by the Department of Children and Families against her ex and was nonetheless ordered into the program,” Donohue said. “So that, to me, was shocking.”

Read the rest of this story at www.bcheights.com

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

Donohue researched high-conflict parenting classes with a team of law students.

BC Given Lowest Free Speech Rating

By Annika Engelbrecht Asst. News Editor

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Baum Receives 2023 American Economic Association Award

By Angelina Li Assoc. News Editor

Jake Jansen Heights Staff

Boston College Professor and Chair of the Economics Department Christopher F. Baum was presented with an American Economic Association (AEA) Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes his work in promoting increased accessibility within the field of economic research.

“It’s rewarding to see that when you do something, when you set up something, it receives praise from people who find it useful,” Baum said.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to individuals who have impacted the field of economics on a national level through their volunteer services, according to the AEA website.

Baum established the Statistical Software Components (SSC) archive over 25 years ago, which he modeled after the Research Papers in Economics (RePEc), an organization that shares working papers in the field of economics, he said.

“The original impetus for RePEc was to say, ‘Well, there are working paper series at a whole bunch of universities around the world, why don’t we figure out how to put these online and have a web interface where you can look for them?’”

According to Baum, one of RePEc’s main goals was to increase the accessibility of resourc-

es relating to economic research, especially for those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“One of the major goals of this whole program was to provide better access to economic research to people around the world—particularly in the third world, where they’re not likely to have … a well-stocked library like O’Neill with hundreds and hundreds of journals,” Baum said.

Baum first devised the idea for the SSC when he started to think about the models RePEc used to distribute working papers, he said.

“So what I thought about was, ‘Well, why can’t we distribute software this way?’” Baum said.

“Just like RePEc can distribute materials in metadata about working papers and articles, I can distribute software.”

According to Baum, the SSC is now widely used at BC and on a global scale.

“The SSC archive is also commonly known as the Boston College archive because that’s where it’s always lived for the past 25 years or so,” Baum said. “It is—these days—sort of the leading source of this material for people around the world.”

Baum said the SSC archive is used in the economics curriculum at BC, particularly in the statistics and econometrics courses, where students are required to use the programming language Stata.

“In essence then, the SSC archive has evolved as the spot for accessing materials not just

for Stata, but for some other languages as well,” Baum said.

Baum said it felt fulfilling to be notified he won the AEA award.

“It’s gratifying to realize that you can help a lot of researchers do better work—better, more reliable work in their own work,” Baum said. “You know, that’s rewarding.”

In addition to his work in economics, Baum is also a professor of social work at BC. For the past 10 years, he has collaborated with BC School of Social Work Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins on public health research.

“I do a lot of work looking at the impact of policies on women’s health,” Hawkins said. “[Baum] has an expertise in big data and, obviously, economics methods, so it was kind of this great partnership.”

Hawkins said Baum is particularly skilled at working with others.

“As a collaborator, he’s so patient, he explains things to people,” Hawkins said. “He’s kind of great at working with people across all levels of their career— everything from undergrads to graduate students to faculty members.”

Hawkins said she was especially pleased that Baum was recognized for his extensive career.

“I think it’s just so well deserved,” Hawkins said. “It just kind of highlights all that he’s done, which I think we’re all so proud of him for.” n

Boston College earned the lowest possible rating for campus free speech policies in a new report by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech and expression advocacy group.

Of the 489 schools that FIRE assessed, 20 percent earned the lowest possible rating—a “redlight,” as they refer to it—which indicates at least one policy or code that clearly restricts free speech or expression.

“A ‘clear’ restriction is one that unambiguously infringes on what is, or should be, protected expression,” FIRE’s website reads.

“In other words, the threat to free speech at a red light institution is obvious on the face of the policy and does not depend on how the policy is applied.”

speech or conduct motivated by bias toward a particular characteristic,” the report said. “While some of these policies exist only to support those impacted by such incidents , most impose vague consequences on those who engage in what is often constitutionally protected expression.”

FIRE declared BC a “red-light” school with regard to internet usage policies, a “yellow-light” for the University’s policies on sexual misconduct, flyer distribution, student demonstrations, discriminatory harassment, and bias-motivated incidents.

“The main contributor to red light ratings? Schools maintaining overbroad policies on “The threat to harassment that put free speech at a red protected speech at light institution is risk.” obvious on the face The University e ar ne d a of the policy and “green-light” for its Title IX harassment policy and student code does not depend on of conduct. addition to the speech how the policy is codesInranking, FIRE and College Pulse recently published their applied.”

“2024 College Free Speech Rank-

The most common reason for a school to receive a “red-light” rating is a lack of clarity in free speech policies, according to the report.

“The main contributor to the red light ratings? Schools maintaining overbroad policies on harassment that put protected speech at risk,” the report reads.

According to FIRE, the restricted speech codes often include policies surrounding harassment and bullying, civility, bias reporting, protest and demonstrations, technology usage, and posting and distribution.

“Most campuses have some form of a ‘bias incident’ reporting system: a mechanism for reporting

ings,” in which FIRE conducted student surveys to assess the quality of free speech at 254 colleges. BC placed 229th out of 248 colleges.

This is not the first time BC ranked among the lowest in FIRE’s free speech rankings—the University was 151st out of 154 schools in 2021.

Several of the anonymous survey respondents from BC expressed concerns about being shamed or censored by others on campus for their political views.

“I felt as though I couldn’t express my own political views in class due to a professor saying I’m wrong and giving me a bad grade on a paper,” one student said in the report. n

NEWTON Monday, February 12, 2024

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The Heights

2024–27 Newton Teachers Contract Highlights After over a year of tense contract negotiations and a teachers strike that lasted 11 school days, the Newton Teachers Association and the Newton School Committee agreed upon and ratified a new contract for the next three years. The new contract includes major changes from the 2020–23 contract, including a higher cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and the addition of several new support staff positions in Newton Public Schools (NPS). The Heights explores some major contract highlights below.

GRAPHIC BY SOFIA LABOY AND ELLA SONG / HEIGHTS EDITORS

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

Public Safety and Transportation Committee Talks Appeals Against No-Parking Zone, Bicycle-Only Access

By Laney McAden Asst. Newton Editor

Newton’s Public Safety and Transportation Committee (PST) addressed Newton residents’ appeals to get rid of a no-parking zone along Farwell Street and an appeal to restrict access to Centre Street to only bicycles.

David Koses, transportation coordinator for the Public Works Department and chair of the Traffic Council, explained that the cause for the no-parking zone was a video showing a school bus unable to drive through Farwell Street due to parking on both sides.

The Traffic Council initially re commende d star ting the no-parking zone at a point on Farwell Street, and extending the zone around the corner to North Street, according to Koses.

“Traffic Council voted to re-

strict the parking on the west side and around the curve, and it was appealed,” Koses said. “It came to PST in September of 2023. After a long discussion at PST, this committee voted to remand the item back to the Traffic Council for further review.”

After collecting data on the accessibility for larger vehicles, such as school buses and firetrucks, to pass through the street, the Traffic Council again voted in October to restrict parking, explained Koses.

“So in our test run, you could see that the fire engine, even the thinnest one, could not get through in ideal conditions with small vehicles and no snow on the street,” Koses said. “So it’s pretty clear that it’s not safe to have parking on both sides.”

Koses explained the decision to restrict parking on the west side was due to the utility poles that

could be used to post no-parking signs, as well as the fact that the sidewalk is on the east side of the street.

“I have support for the Traffic Council, who twice have had a unanimous decision on this,” Ward 8 Councilor-at-Large Rick Lipof said. “[The proposal] seems absolutely reasonable to me for overall public safety instead of the individual desires of the homeowners on this street.”

Due to these safety concerns, the committee unanimously voted to deny the appeal and uphold the decision of the Traffic Council to restrict parking down the west side of Farwell Street.

The next item open for discussion was an appeal on the denied request to restrict access to Centre Street to all vehicles except bicycles.

“We believe it is inappropriate

and would be extremely impactful to circulation in the area,” Koses said. “So we voted back in November to deny this item.”

Jesse Corey, Newton resident and petitioner for the appeal, explained he requested to block off Centre Street because traffic congestion at this intersection affects his commute.

“It is not a good thing when queues for one specific traffic light controlled intersection prominently back up beyond the previous traffic light,” Corey said. “I have been informed many times that MassDOT [Massachusetts Department of Transportation] is continuing to make adjustments to signal timings and sequencing.

Corey believes that despite MassDOT’s possible fixes to traffic light sequencing, the problem of commuter buildup will not be adequately addressed.

“I think this would be very, very disruptive,” Ward 3 Councilor-at-Large Pamela Wright said.

“We’re going to be putting so much more traffic on side streets, you know, residential streets versus main travel roads.”

Wright explained that fixing the timings on the traffic lights following new construction often takes time.

“We have been in communication with MassDOT ever since these signals went in,” Isaac Prizant, Newton’s transportation engineer, said. “They do unfortunately move a little bit slow. I don’t have any anticipated timeline right now that MassDOT has shared but, from the city side, we’re just going to continue to encourage them to move ahead with it.”

The PST unanimously voted to deny the appeal to restrict Centre Street to bicycles. n

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Monday, February 12, 2024

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NEWTON Former Senior Center Scheduled for Demolition Senior Center, from A1 Morse said the capsule was buried in 1938, when the original senior center was constructed, and that it contains mostly paper and textile goods.

“I don’t know what condition and the materials will be in after the amount of time that has passed, but it will be exciting and fun nonetheless,” Morse said.

Contractors removed asbestos from the building, and Morse said the team took precautions to protect the air in the surrounding neighborhood from toxic chemicals. “ There is continuous air testing that’s done, so it’s done in a very safe way,” Morse said. “We use the same approach that we do for school projects, and everything went very, very smoothly.

Morse predicted the construction will break ground in four to six weeks, at which point

the city will announce the official name of the building.

“We’re going to be doing the groundbreaking and the time capsule opening all in one event and at that time, we’ll also be announcing the name of the facility, so that’ll be a big day,” Morse said.

Newton City Council voted unanimously in December to approve full funding for the senior center and reopen bidding on the project after several bidders pulled out and costs appeared higher than the city anticipated, Morse said.

“All but one of them pulled out last minute,” Morse said. “We had one single bidder bid on the project in the late summer-early fall, and that bid was significantly higher than what our estimates predicted.”

The decision to reopen bidding delayed the project , but Morse said it was worth it.

“We ended up saving, I think

just north of $6 million by rebidding it, so the delay was certainly something that we didn’t want, but it certainly paid dividends in the

end,” Morse said.

Community meetings on the project are scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month over the

duration of construction.

“As you’re interested in hearing from us, we’ll continue to have these meetings,” Morse said. n

VICTOR STEFANESCU / HEIGHTS STAFF

A new senior center, the New Center for Active Living, will replace the existing building constructed in 1938.

Newton City Council Invests $11 Million in City Infrastructure and School Facilities Improvements

By Ella Song Newton Editor Newton City Council unanimously voted to allocate over $11 million in available funding to improving city infrastructure and Newton Public Schools (NPS) at its meeting Monday

night.

“Over 5 million is for roads, traffic calming, and you can go anywhere Newton and see that we need that,” Ward 2 Councilor David Micley said.

The item appropriates about half of its $11,475,000 sum to improving Newton roads, the police headquar-

ters’ parking lot, and the heat pumps in Fire Station 2.

The other half will be devoted to improving various school facilities, including the air handling unit in the Newton North High School (NNHS) pool area, the bathrooms in various elementary and middle schools, and

NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

Councilors Grossman and Micley had initially abstained from voting on the item due to the teachers’ strike.

the roofs of two elementary schools, among others.

Ward 4 Councilor-at-Large Leonard Gentile noted that the investment in the NNHS air handling unit garnered a lot of attention from residents.

“I want to highlight there was a lot of attention paid to the air handling unit for the pool,” Gentile said. “We heard from a lot of folks that were concerned about that condition. So, glad to see that that was in there.”

Micley and Ward 7 Councilor-at-Large Becky Walker Grossman had abstained from voting on the item at their Finance Committee meeting on Jan. 22 due to the teachers’ strike occurring at the time.

“I did abstain and my reason was very simple—I did not feel comfortable approving this amount of an allocation from free cash when our kids were locked out of school … I’m thrilled that they’re back in school, I’m thrilled to support these investments in our infrastructure,” Grossman said.

Micley said he followed Grossman’s lead on the abstention due to

the urgency of settling on the teachers’ contract. The teachers’ strike ended Feb. 2, and the union ratified the new contract on Sunday, Feb. 4.

“The reason we have schools, the reason we have buildings, the reason we have roofs and all these things in the first place is for people to be learning in person together, teachers and students,” Micley said. “And as we were talking about all these issues with teacher pay, compensation, the needs of kids—it felt like we had to get that sorted before we sorted this.”

The council also approved the scheduling of a mayoral listening session regarding the FY25 budget and City Council priorities sometime before the end of the month. The session had initially been scheduled for Feb. 15.

“It is important if this is to work properly that we have an opportunity to have this listening session with the mayor in February, so the mayor and her team can do the appropriate budget planning before they present the budget in mid-April,” Ward 7 Councilor-at-Large Marc Laredo said. n

Community Sends Off Beloved Local Gift Shop

By Brendan O’friel Heights Staff Community members gathered Saturday afternoon to celebrate and bid farewell to Amy Shih, long-time owner of the iconic Auburndale gift shop Just Next Door, following her decision to close the business’s doors.

“We’ve always celebrated all of these events and milestones by going just next door to Just Next Door,” Lauren Berman, founder of ALL Over Newton, said in a speech to the crowd.

Berman helped host the cele-

bration at the Auburndale Community Library. A resident of Auburndale for 25 years, Berman had been a regular customer of Just Next Door.

Being the ideal place to shop to commemorate special occasions with loved ones, Just Next Door saddened the community when it announced its plans to close, according to Berman.

“When my kids were going away to camp, I would get things there,” Berman said. “When they went to high school, college. And we have all these different milestones that we associated with Just Next Door. So I think that just created

this emotional response … and we just love the connection that [Amy] created,” Berman said.

B er man empha si ze d how shocked the community was by Just Next Door’s closing.

“Amy announced it on a Saturday morning that it was closing, and by two hours later, the store was packed, maybe 100 people in it, all looped around because no one could really believe it,” Berman said.

Many people in the community feel saddened to see Shih leave behind her Auburndale store, which she has owned since 2005.

“I’m really going to miss her,”

BRENDAN O’FRIEL / HEIGHTS STAFF

Newton resident Amy Shih owned Just Next Door, a gift shop in the village of Auburndale, for 19 years.

Sharon Ware, an Auburndale resident, said.

Ware said she always went gift -shopping at Just Next Door, and emphasized how helpful Shih was whenever she went.

“I’m devastated,” Ware said.

“I knew I could always get a card, I could get a gift. If you went in there and you said to her, ‘I don’t know what to get them’ ... she would find something.”

While there are similar stores in Newton, many residents said they felt that nothing could replace Just Next Door and Shih’s hospitality.

“Just Next Door was one of those businesses that ties us all together,” Auburndale resident Tom Gagen said. “Most businesses do not. Just Next Door does.”

Just Next D o or carrie d a wide variety of goods to meet the community’s needs and practiced inclusivity by keeping its pricing affordable.

“One of the things that I loved about your shop is that everyone is welcomed there,” Berman said to Shih. “And it’s not just because you were welcoming and kind and generous and helpful, as well as your staff, but you’re so conscientious about bringing in merchandise that appealed to everyone and then also that everyone could afford.”

Shih said she was overwhelmed

and humbled by the community’s support, and that she’ll miss her interactions with customers at the store the most. Following the store’s closure, she said that she plans to take things easy for a while.

“I plan to have no plans for a good number of months here, just chill out, and then I’ll start to figure that out, keeping all of the options open,” Shih said.

Shih read aloud a letter from Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, who expressed exceptional gratitude for Shih’s presence in the community.

“Amy Shih has contributed to the Newton community in so many magnificent ways as the proprietor of Just Next Door since 2005 … Amy recognized the important role small businesses play in the fabric of the community and always gave her time and resources to make Newton a better place,” the letter read. “It is difficult to imagine Auburndale without Just Next Door and Amy behind the counter.”

Berman further emphasized how much the community will mourn the loss of such a beloved business.

“We’re going to miss you a lot, and we’re going to miss Just Next Door because you’ve created this small business that everyone wants to have in their neighborhood,” Berman said. n

M AGAZINE Monday, February 12, 2024

The Heights

A6

Making It To Spring Break

By Callie Oxford Assoc. Photo Editor Whether you have a countdown on your phone or you excitedly check each day of winter off your calendar, we are all eager for spring break to be here.

Some are looking forward to restful downtime with family and friends, while others are preparing to embark on a week-long adventure, but the anticipation is universal.

I frequently ask myself, “How will I make it through the seemingly endless freezing days?” But I know I can do it—here are some tips I rely on to help you get there too!

Romanticize the Cold For me, the freezing temperatures are associated with wintertime blues, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

Instead of dwelling on the bitterness of a 25-degree day, romanticize it.

Think of all of the delightful opportunities that summertime could never offer. Go skating on the Frog Pond or drink that piping hot coffee you woke up craving. Pull out the puffer and appreciate the way the snow falls. I mean, it does allow you to take the perfect Gasson gram!

Remember, just because the sun sets early doesn’t mean your day is over early too. Go cozy up with your friends in the dorms! Bring out the blankets, turn on the fairy lights, make hot chocolate, and most importantly, watch your favorite winter movie to end the perfect cold day.

Create an Upbeat Playlist When the time comes to hit pause on your favorite holiday tunes until next year, many people’s music tastes slip into the sadness of winter. Don’t let this be true for you! Rather, I encourage you to make a new playlist and spice it up.

Try not to focus on the dreary winter songs that we all fall captive to—pick some upbeat songs that add energy to your day instead. Not only will a new playlist give you something to look forward to on your walk to class, but it will also add liveliness to your everyday routine.

Don’t be afraid to add some energy to your playlist and start looking forward to venturing out of your bedroom!

Enjoy the Sunny Days If you’re anything like me, you get in a funk when you haven’t seen the sun in over a week. For that reason, you can’t afford to let a rare sunny day go to waste.

Even if the temperature tells you otherwise, don’t let anything stop you from getting outside when those rays are shining. Take yourself for a walk around the Res or on a stroll to Newton Centre.

These moments of fresh Vitamin D will propel you and your immune system through these next few months of frigid weather.

Start a Gratitude Journal I get it. Picking up a pen to write anything that you don’t have to isn’t easy. Trust me though, it’s worth it.

Taking 10 minutes out of your day to

write down what you’re grateful for really does make you appreciate all of the small things.

While winter isn’t my favorite time of year, reflecting on the positives has changed my outlook entirely. You can write about something good you ate, something you are looking forward to, a comment that made you smile, or even just the five minutes of extra sleep you got this morning—the pen is in your hands.

Just one rule: try to stay positive!

Go on a Monthly Excursion I know that waiting for the Green Line may not be as appealing as laying in your warm bed on a bitterly cold day, but let’s change that. The time has officially come for you to get out of the BC Bubble, if just for a few hours.

The options are endless. Whether it be exploring a new coffee shop or bakery, going to the movie theater to catch the latest blockbuster hit, strolling through the shops on Newbury Street, or having a delicious meal away from the dining hall, I urge you to get off campus at least once a month.

Take your mind away from the stress of school and fully live in the moment. I promise you, it will be more refreshing than the “rot in bed” time you thought you needed!

While the cold may seem daunting and dreary, it’s totally possible to turn your mindset around. With these tips, you can undoubtedly hang in there long enough to make it to Spring Break! n

Hurricane Cocktail

PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

By MC Claverie Heights Senior Staff My dad is from one of my favorite cities in the world—New Orleans.

Some of my earliest and fondest childhood memories are of walking through the French Quarter, catching beads on St. Charles Avenue during Mardi Gras, and eating warm, sugary beignets with my parents and grandparents on family trips to the city.

In honor of Mardi Gras on Tuesday, I wanted to make one of New Orleans’ strongest and most famous cocktails: the Hurricane.

Popularized by Pat O’Brien’s—an Iconic New Orleans restaurant and bar—the Hurricane is served in establishments all across the city. This rum-based cocktail is recognizable by its red-orange color, created by a combination of passion fruit juice, orange juice, and grenadine. Together, the light rum, dark rum, and mouth-watering juice blend create a

strong yet sweet cocktail, perfect for a night out on Bourbon Street or a Mardi Gras dorm room celebration.

DRINK: The Hurricane INGREDIENTS: For one serving 1 ½ oz white rum (I used Trader Joe’s brand) 1 ½ oz dark rum (I used Captain Morgan) ½ oz passion fruit juice 1 oz orange juice 1 oz lime juice ½ oz simple syrup 1 teaspoon grenadine INSTRUCTIONS: Add white rum, dark rum, passion fruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, simple syrup, and grenadine to a cocktail shaker with ice.

Shake until the outside of the shaker is cold to the touch—about 5 to 10 seconds.

Strain into a lowball glass with ice and enjoy. n

MC CLAVERIE / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF BROOKE GHALY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Celebrate Mardi Gras with this authentic New Orleans Cocktail.

Lewis Brothers Serve Their Home-Borough

By Annabelle Langford Heights Staff The Bronx is home to one of the largest nonprofit communities in the country—over 3,000 organizations.

It is also home to some of the highest rates of food insecurity, digital deserts, and affordable housing stocks.

Desmon and Derrick Lewis, BC ’05 and ’06, respectively, grew up in the Bronx and consider themselves products of local philanthropy. After spending their childhood benefitting from nonprofits, the brothers co-founded their own: The Bronx Community Foundation.

“They’re visionaries,” said Carlos Moreno, a board member of the Bronx Community Foundation. “They’re thinking several steps ahead, and not just what’s in front of them, but they’re always thinking about what might be.

What’s possible.”

While at BC, Desmon and Derrick were involved in the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, the Options Through Education Transitional Program, and Sexual Chocolate.

Though they did a variety of things on campus, the brothers said they were drawn to BC because of the school’s Jesuit affiliation and its emphasis on community service.

But after graduating from BC, the two said they didn’t feel fulfilled by their professional careers. In 2017, they turned their attention back to their roots and began talking to community foundation founders, non-profit leaders, and locals with insight on the systemic challenges that Bronxites face.

After careful consultation and deliberation, the brothers decided to launch the Bronx Community Foundation to bring together existing organizations across their borough.

“A community foundation is driven

PHOTO COURTESY OF DESMON AND DERRICK LEWIS

The Bronx Community Foundation addresses systemic issues in the Bronx.

to build collaboration and solve for a multitude of needs in a community,” Desmon said. “It’s a covener.”

Instead of having one focus within the community, the Bronx Community Foundation aids the community by offering grants, distributing resources, and collaborating with other community members and organizations.

“What we’re trying to do—which is slightly different from what most community foundations do, and we’re calling it a kind of community foundation 2.0—is we’re trying to also create solutions alongside existing nonprofits,” Desmon said.

The Lewis brothers said they were prepared to launch the Bronx Community Foundation in 2017 but were forced to quickly adapt when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“Some of the main aims of a nonprofit is to solve long term issues, but COVID showed us that we have to also have a very short term emergency relief type of model and strategy for the Foundation,” said Desmon.

While the pandemic was a stressful time to be starting a nonprofit, the brothers said they lived by the Winston Churchill quote, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

While the pandemic pushed them to fast-track the programs they had in the works, the efforts were met with support from the community, they said.

“We saw [the pandemic] as an

opportunity to push the boundaries of things that we would not have been able to accomplish,” said Desmon.

“Things like collaborations—bringing people into the room together who traditionally would have never thought to be in the room or would have never agreed to be in the room together.”

As the pandemic weaned, the Foundation needed to continue adapting to the Bronx’s changing needs by listening to local stakeholders, working with the community, and creating a sustainable plan, the brothers said.

“Although the systemic and institutional challenges persisted, the landscape of the Bronx with regards to the resources that were available started to shift,” said Derrick. “We wanted to take the opportunity to create a more recent strategic plan that will allow us to define what the next three to five years look like.”

The Foundation is currently in the middle of their strategic planning process—a long-term plan to take into account the needs of the community and the role the Foundation can play going forward.

“The long-term vision is to solve for each and every systemic challenge that the Bronx faces,” said Desmon. “From digital equity to environmental issues, health issues—this is a multi-decade plan.”

When creating the structure of their organization, the Foundation established four focus areas: commu-

nity, health, economic security, and equity & justice. With this structure, the brothers said they hope to tackle the more deeply ingrained issues of the Bronx and create long-lasting opportunities for the community.

“Our mission in the short term is to build an organization that can be sustained to solve long term systemic and institutional challenges,” said Desmon.

“We want to protect our assets and build community power—owning our community, our assets, our resources, and our future.”

Moreno, a long time friend of the brothers, has been a part of the Foundation from the get-go, they said.

As a Bronxite with a background in the nonprofit sector and as a teacher, Moreno said he immediately saw the need for the Foundation when the brothers proposed the idea to him.

“They have chosen to be servants of the community that they grew up in,” Moreno said.

Though they said the work can be emotionally and mentally taxing, the brothers also said it is rewarding to see the Foundation make a difference in people’s lives.

“We meet people, we’re out in the community, and we hear people say ‘thank you for your work,’” Desmon said.

Read the rest of this story at www.bcheights.com

OPINIONS

Monday, February 12, 2024

A7

The Heights

The opinions and commentaries of the op-ed columnists appearing on this page represent the views of the authors of those particular pieces and not necessarily the views of The Heights.

The Sophomore Oomph

Scanlon Mellowes Gaping dents, subtly growing rust, and a large monogrammed sticker adorn the outside of my family’s dark-gray 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. This was my high school set of wheels, and it witnessed the vast majority of my coming of age.

The 30-minute commute to and from my all-girls high school provided a space for constant laughter, music discovery, and introspection. I experienced frequent growing pains and simultaneous girl-bossing while confidently whipping around the mean streets of Milwaukee, Wis. I chauffeured underclassmen to practice and friends to functions. During the latter years of high school, my car was a consistent companion during frigid early mornings and curfew fiascos.

But returning to my car was a novel adjustment this past winter break because a freshly minted driver took its reins in my absence. My younger brother—a wannabe racecar driver—has uncaringly worn out the brakes of my former chariot during my time away at school. Each time I embarked on an errand during the break, I had to pump the brakes to ensure the car wouldn’t veer out of control.

Upon returning to familiar routes, anxious anticipation began to monopolize my internal dialogue as I drove the car.

Nerves surrounding my upcoming second semester at Boston College engulfed my commute to most outings. Petrified

thoughts of the infamous “sophomore slump” percolated into my peaceful think tank. My negativity resulted from anecdotes describing the inevitable patch of misery many sophomore students experience. The tales of stagnancy reach from troubling intermediate courses to outgrown friendships.

Yet, as I have begun to embark on semester four of my BC adventure, I’m not feeling slumped at all. In fact, I feel an eccentric sense of conviction and clarity. To encapsulate this sentiment, I am coining the phrase “Sophomore Oomph.”

An oomph is full of pizzazz and energy. I have curated straightforward day-to-day reminders and tactics to maximize your oomph in the coming months.

Pause & Reboot: All drivers despise speeding tickets, but most continue to hasten regardless of potential consequences. As the jam-packed weeks turn into fleeting months, it is vital to stop and give yourself a personal speeding ticket. Our time at BC is finite—there is no need for such a reckless pace.

Yet BC students are go-getters. Saying yes to tasks and nurturing endless to-do lists is an innate quality most people here possess. Nevertheless, you must take regular pauses. Ask yourself if your courses, relationships, and involvements align with the trajectory you’ve set for yourself. After this pause, allow yourself to start again. A proper and deliberate reboot will lead to beneficial new endeavors.

Open Your Eyes and Mind: Partially shell-shocked from the sudden and drastic transition to college life, I acknowledge my eyes were not always open freshman year. Following others was a reflexive instinct across the board. In high school, I forced myself to drive a different route to school when I needed an attitude

adjustment. These biweekly pivots resulted in newfound coffee shops, Google Maps malfunctions, and the welling of tears as Phoebe Bridgers rushed through the mesh of my speakers. These diversions didn’t tangibly change my life, but for a moment, I was able to chart a unique new course.

I implore you to look at posters, engage with TAs, and compliment people in the bathroom. If you listen to your surroundings, chances are they will surprise you.

Authenticity Is Power: Take it from someone who failed their driver’s test and crashed their car twice— you can’t be a phony on the road. In a period of our lives depicted by persistent and unwarranted comparison, don’t be a phony in routine. Orienting yourself to lead with genuineness in your choices and companionships has the most superb payout. Hold yourself accountable, just like the insurance company did to me! Be happy on purpose because you are the only one in command of your road map and whatever fantastic expeditions it takes you on.

Unproductive anticipation is something BC students excel at. Curating your junior year dream housemates in Stuart Dining Hall, losing sleep over internship rejections, and harboring apprehension for study abroad placements are inefficient pastimes.

It’s easy to relish in the cozy yet chaotic predictability of passing winter weeks, but being forced to ‘pump the brakes’ encapsulates the potential for a fresh maturation cycle.

If you feel out of control in school or on the highway, just pump the brakes.

Who knows, some mental brake pumping could potentially give you an exhilarating oomph!

Scanlon Mellowes is a columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at scanlon.mellowes@bc.edu.

City Strolls

The sunshine and gradual retirement of puffer coats means spring is almost here.

What better way to embrace the weather than heading into the city for a day out on the town? From the Common to Newbury Street, Boston is jam-packed with green spaces and cobblestone streets to explore. So round up your friends, grab your favorite tote bag, and cure your weekend boredom with a walk through the city.

Superbowl Sunday

Whether you’re rooting for the Chiefs or the 49ers, focusing on the renowned commercials, or just watching for Taylor Swift, Superbowl Sunday has something for everyone. While we at Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down are writing this before the champions have been announced, campus is sure to be buzzing with talk about celebrity cameos, unexpected interceptions, and halftime show critiques for days to come.

GRAPHICS BY BROOKE GHALY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Self-Discovery in the Microtrend Era

Katie Spillane Many things will define this generation. Our commitment to climate change, our consistent political action, and—according to the latest TikTok microtrend—our “mob wife” era.

Every other month there’s something new. Some new trend with a catchy name causing girls around the world to go hunting for the new uniform. There was coastal grandma, tomato girl, clean girl, and now mob wife.

As trend cycles become shorter, there’s increased pressure to keep up with them—to be on trend. Everyone is on the lookout for the newest thing and no one wants to be caught in last month’s SHEIN top.

Fast fashion companies like SHEIN are permanently intertwined with microtrends. There is no way to engage with microtrends without either being incredibly wealthy or using fast fashion to achieve a new look every other month. The price point of fast fashion allows people to live in excess. The average person can buy an absurd amount of clothes, post a flashy TikTok haul, and

cosplay as their favorite rich influencer.

And, of course, you can’t mention fast fashion without also discussing its impact on the environment. Fast fashion is responsible for somewhere between 2 and 8 percent of global carbon emissions, per the United Nations Environment Programme.

Clothing has become disposable.

Every second, a garbage truck’s worth of clothing is thrown into a landfill. Not only that, but these companies have been accused of almost every terrible labor practice you can think of.

Almost none of their workers make a living wage and child labor issues run rampant.

Microtrends and fast fashion clearly have negative consequences, so why can’t Gen Z escape their appeal? More often than not, it seems to be women falling victim to these microtrends. They find a new title or aesthetic that they let define them for the next month, and then they move on.

This desire to adopt—or more accurately, to be—an aesthetic is almost certainly a symptom of Gen Z’s internet usage.

People want to live out their highly cultivated Instagram and social media presences. They want their daily outward presentation to match whatever aesthetic the internet is currently obsessing over.

More often than not, these aesthetics are heavily tied to the past. People want to emulate the style of ’90s grunge artists or hippies from the ’60s. But these

weren’t simply aesthetics—they were entire subcultures.

To simply copy their fashion does a disservice to the impact of these subcultures. They brought people with mutual interests, beliefs, and ideas together during critical moments throughout history. People found sanctuary and connection through subculture.

That’s what Gen Z is missing. Clothing and fashion are often a way for people to connect with those of like mind or experience, but that kind of connection can’t be fostered when our trends change every other month.

The neverending appropriation of new aesthetics and styles is Gen Z’s desperate attempt to find itself.

Fashion and self presentation can be avenues to self-discovery, but self-discovery can never truly happen if people are only searching on the surface.When young girls get pressured by the internet to buy the newest, hottest item, they’re not actually learning anything about themselves or their personal style. They might get a short-term feeling of belonging, but they miss out on the long-term benefits of better understanding themselves.

Gen Z is a generation defined by its desire to feel connection. While the internet has streamlined our ability to communicate, it’s only furthered our feelings of isolation. Microtrends are a defining symptom of this isolation.

Katie Spillane is a columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at kathleen.spillane@bc.edu.

Midterm Season

Spring break is only three weeks away, and that means one thing for BC students—midterm season is upon us. We might be daydreaming about the sunny beaches of Cabo or the ski slopes in Vermont, but right now, our philosophy papers and accounting exams require our full attention. Go grab your favorite highlighters, print out your study guides, and get ready to spend one too many late nights in O’Neill before kicking back and enjoying the break.

Blazer Takeover

Wherever you look, groups of students in blazers are taking campus by storm.

We’ve reached the final scramble to secure summer internships or post-grad jobs, and the stress levels are at an annual peak. As worried as we might be about our futures, try to take a deep breath and keep your options open. Remember, there’s more to life than networking calls, information sessions, and investment banks.

The Heights

Monday, February 12, 2024

A8

OPINIONS

BC’s Divestment Stance: A Rejection of Catholicism Peter Swindal Boston College is a place of immense conflict for me. On one hand, I love BC. My parents met here, so BC always held a special place in my heart growing up. When I began my time here, it didn’t disappoint either—I’ve made lifelong friends, been challenged academically, and found a real purpose in life.

And as a Catholic, I love that there are so many opportunities for me to grow in my faith here, whether that’s through campus organizations like the Sons of St. Patrick, guided trips to walk the Camino de Santiago, or the brilliant theology and philosophy departments.

Yet, while BC seems so publicly driven by the Catholic faith, it is clear that the University’s administration does not place the faith first when it comes to fossil fuel divestment.

There are only a handful of readily available, official statements from BC spokespeople regarding their fossil fuel investments, including: 1. “The endowment exists to provide a permanent source of funding for financial aid, faculty chairs, and student programs, as well as the University’s academic and research initiatives, and is not a tool to promote social or political change, however desirable that change might be,” the University wrote in a statement to The Heights in 2020.

2. “As with most colleges and universities, Boston College is opposed to divestment from fossil fuel companies on the grounds that it is not an effective means of addressing climate change,” the University wrote in the same statement.

3. “Environmental, social, and governance considerations remain an important component of the University’s investment manager selection and review process,” University Spokesman Jack Dunn wrote in a statement to the National Catholic Reporter last spring.

4. In the same statement, Dunn said BC has become a leader in sustainability by using 100% renewable electricity on campus

and educating students to be leaders in sustainability.

This is the only justification BC has given for its fossil fuel investments: a few cryptic sentences through a spokesperson.

Aside from their discipline of pro-divestment clubs and censorship of talk about divestment, the University has remained almost entirely silent on the issue.

From this information, we can deduce two reasons why BC’s leaders choose to maintain fossil fuel investments: they believe the endowment should not be used as an instrument for social change and they believe divestment would be ineffective.

As for the first point, it is downright absurd to suggest that the University does not somehow consider social or political aims when they are making their investments. Dunn wouldn’t mention the importance of ESG considerations in investment management if they didn’t. But let’s go further.

If they didn’t make such ethical considerations, would the University invest in the pornography business, a massively profitable industry to which the Catholic faith is opposed? How about companies using child labor or forced labor, which Pope Francis has specifically opposed? Would they invest in companies providing abortions?

If the endowment is merely a “permanent source of funding,” and “not a tool to promote social or political change,” it seems extremely odd that BC would not jump at the opportunity to profit off of these things.

Obviously, BC is not truly apolitical. Its true message is that divestment is merely a symbolic act—a political statement—and that the endowment is not intended for acts of advocacy. With this kind of mindset, BC can get away with merely “educating their students to be leaders.” They don’t need to entangle their billions of dollars withanything that can be labeled as activism.

While this stance might benefit the University’s financial interests, it’s not consistent with the Catholic faith. Here’s why.

According to Dunn, the consequences of divestment would not be positive, and

therefore it would not be good to divest.

This is a theory philosophers call consequentialism.

But Christian ethics, as recent popes have made clear, are not consequentialist.

We don’t know the consequences of our actions, only God does.

Basing morality on consequences tries to put us in the position of God—a big nono. This notion violates the first commandment: that God is God and nobody and nothing else is God. Instead, the morality of actions in Christian ethics are mostly based on a mixture of natural law theory, divine revelation, Scripture, tradition, and reason. So, when it comes to the subject of divestment, we must base our examination on these factors as well.

The point of Francis’ famous encyclical Laudato Si’ is to apply these factors to the question of environmental responsibility.

Again and again, Francis makes it absolutely clear that Catholic wallets are just as important as anything else when it comes to promoting environmental sustainability.

He stresses that it is extremely immoral to profit from the destruction of our environment.

A 2020 Vatican document (which BC explicitly rejected) addresses this more directly.

“Those who wish to make ethical

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

investments consonant with their religious beliefs can have recourse to filters and consulting, even though they may at times have to accept a lower profit,” the document reads.

The call to invest morally is central to Catholic theology. In Luke 18, a rich man refuses to sell all his possessions at Jesus’ command, which leads Jesus to comment that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Even with a generous interpretation, Jesus’ message here is that rich people prioritize their wealth over the faith. Seems familiar, right?

BC’s opposition to the Vatican is a fundamental defect in the way it views its investments. It reveals a consequentialist ethical framework, one specifically created—it seems—to cope with the unavoidable truth that Catholics should not invest in the fossil fuel industry.

For the sake of being charitable and defending the school I genuinely love, I am obliged to give a few generous accounts of why BC may maintain such investments.

Read the rest of this story at www.bcheights.com Peter Swindal is a junior at Boston College. He can be reached at peter.swindal@bc.edu.

Photo

Gallery CALLIE OXFORD / HEIGHTS EDITOR

KELLEN DAVIS / HEIGHTS STAFF

CALLIE OXFORD / HEIGHTS EDITOR

ADITYA RAO / HEIGHTS STAFF

CALLIE OXFORD / HEIGHTS EDITOR

KELLEN DAVIS / HEIGHTS STAFF

No. 1 Boston College suffered a 4–3 loss to No. 3 Boston University in the opening round of the 71st annual men’s Beanpot. The Eagles, led by captain Eamon Powell, lost to the Terriers for the first time this season, despite three goals scored by Will Smith, Gentry Shamburger, and Gabe Perreault. The Eagles will play in the consolation game at TD Garden on Feb. 12.

Editorial

The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Erin Flaherty, Editor-in-Chief Conor Richards, General Manager Will Martino, Managing Editor Sourabh Gokarn, Dept. Managing Editor

Paige Stein, Creative Director Karyl Clifford, Digital Director Lucy Freeman, News Editor Luke Evans, Sports Editor Spencer Steppe, Magazine Editor Ella Song, Newton Editor Sofia Torres, Arts Editor Connor Kilgallon, Opinions Editor Ernest Romero, Projects Editor Kate Kissel, Copy Chief Chris Ticas, Photo Editor Owen Bienen, Video Editor

Parker Leaf, Graphics Editor Elizabeth Dodman, Podcast Editor Alan Shipman, Online Manager Peyton Zaletsky, Social Media Director Ava Sjursen, Newsletter Editor Angelina Li, Assoc. News Editor Emily Roberge, Assoc. Sports Editor Lyla Walsh, Assoc. Magazine Editor Genevieve Morrison, Assoc. Newton Editor Jack Weynand, Assoc. Arts Editor Makayla Hickey, Assoc. Opinions Editor Callie Oxford, Assoc. Photo Editor Emily Ahern, Assoc. Video Editor

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Business and Operations Matt Najemy, Advertising Director Ben Haddad, Fundraising Director Sarah Vergura, Accoc. Advertising Director Sofia Laboy, Outreach and DEI Coordinator Graham Dietz, Alumni Director

ARTS

Monday, February 12, 2024

The Heights

A9

Torres: Love in the “Me” Decade Through Film

By Sofia Torres Arts Editor In 1976, novelist and journalist Tom Wolfe published an essay on a phenomenon that had been overtaking American society for years, inspired by his book titled The “Me” Decade and the Third Great Awakening.

“The new alchemical dream is: changing one’s personality—remaking, remodeling, elevating, and polishing one’s very self,” Wolfe wrote.

The “Me” Decade— an era overemphasizing the individual over society, which led to the practice of personal transformation over political or collective transformation.

Although assigned to the ’70s, Wolfe’s definition might as well be a definition of our times.

How does one find and keep love during a moment in history that seems to push us further into understanding ourselves, our desires, our fears, and our needs, instead of others’?

Despite being plagued by political messages, hard-to-like protagonists, and not-so-happy endings, the ’70s romantic movies have a lot to offer when answering this question.

New Hollywood’s honest portrayal of romantic and sexual dissatisfaction through a critical—and often comedic—lens demands us to look not only inwards, as we’re accustomed to, but outwards, for love.

I feel?” every few minutes and expressing it to your partner. Therefore, when Bob cheats on Carol and confesses it, Carol thanks him for having shared something so personal.

Bob and Carol force their new beliefs on their less liberal, married, and long-time friends Ted (Elliott Gould) and Alice (Dyan Cannon). Despite the film’s poster and the many foreshadowing scenes toward a foursome, Bob, Carol, Ted, and Alice never end up having the orgy the film seems to promise, a choice that received much criticism at the time of its release. And yet, the movie was never meant to celebrate the ideology Bob and Carol adopted in the retreat, but rather satirize their faux enlightenment.

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice will make you laugh just as much as it will make you consider the disillusionment and moral crisis that follows Bob’s initial mantra: “We’re supposed to experience everything!”

Five Easy Pieces (1970) Viewers have wrongly believed the title makes a misogynistic allusion to the protagonist’s encounters with multiple women, referring to them as the “five easy pieces.” In reality, the title is a subtle reference to a piano book composed of five basic songs that Bobby (Jack Nicholson) owned and mastered as a child, never daring

to learn anything else despite his early musical talent. This clue hints at the type of person our antihero Bobby is.

He goes through life fleeing at the slightest challenge or demand for growth, resulting in an irremediable alienation from life and others.

Rayette (Karen Black) is Bobby’s faithful girlfriend who sticks to him like glue despite his many efforts to push her away. He cheats, lies, humiliates her, manipulates, and then leaves her like she is nothing. He runs away from his family, friends, and talent. Yet he can never accomplish what he truly wants, which is, of course, to run away from himself.

Nicholson’s acting is superb as a man who struggles to find any type of connection between himself and others. But like any man, he still yearns for love. In a poignant dialogue between Bobby and one of his romantic interests, Catherine (Susan Anspach), Bobby faces the reality that he is undeserving of what he cannot give..

“If a person has no love for himself, no respect for himself, no love for his friends, family, work, something—how can he ask for love in return?” Catherine asks. “I mean, why should he ask for it?”

Shampoo (1975) If there exists a prototype for the “man-with-commitment-issues,” then it is Warren Beatty in his role as George

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) Or the orgy that couldn’t happen.

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice follows Bob (Robert Culp) and Carol Sanders’ (Natalie Wood) transformation as individuals and as a married couple after they attend a 24-hour retreat that is supposed to help attendees understand what love is all about.

Love, they decide, is being radically honest—it is asking yourself “What do

Roundy.

George is an L.A. hairdresser who sleeps with so many women throughout the movie that the average viewer may be unaware it takes place over the course of just 24 hours. Yet the movie is not about George’s skills as a ladies man, or the women’s reactions as they discover they have been juggled by the promiscuous hairdresser. It is about the intersection between sexual and political hypocrisy, according to co-writer, producer, and protagonist Beatty.

Shampoo takes place during the 1968 election. While George has dreams of opening up his own hair salon and criticizes those in power, he spends his day going from woman to woman, instead of participating in the political event that would result in Richard Nixon’s re-election.

He experiences a crucial moment in history that his character and others similar to him only understand moments too late.

Simultaneously, George is only a few hours too late to be with the woman he truly loves. When he finally makes up his mind about her, he rushes to propose to her, only to find out one of the powerful, wealthier, and more conservative men he criticized had done so first, moments ago.

The failures in George’s love life and political life go back to his inability to make a choice. A heartbreaking scene

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

in which his girlfriend, Jill (Goldie Hawn), finally confronts George about his multiple affairs captures the essence of this modern man: “I’m trying to get things moving,” he says, to which Jill screams back: “You never stop moving! You never go anywhere!”

Annie Hall (1977) The romantic comedy that revolutionized the genre and perhaps Woody Allen’s magnum opus features Alvy Singer (Allen), who tries to explain to himself, and us, why his relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) did not work.

“The, the other important joke for me is one that’s, uh, usually attributed to Groucho Marx, but I think it appears originally in Freud’s wit and its relation to the unconscious.” Alvy says as an introduction to himself. “And it goes like this—I’m paraphrasing: Uh … ‘I would never wanna belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member.’”

This joke sets the base for his character. He hates L.A., the sun, and non-intellects, to name a few. Annie, on the other hand, is an open-minded, less educated, and warmer character who depends on Alvy’s approval for most of the relationship.

Once Annie develops an identity of her own and decides she wants to move out of New York and develop her singing career in L.A., Alvy is left to question what went wrong.

Although centered in relationships, this semi-autobiographical movie—Allen started off as a stand-up comedian and was married to his co-star Keaton, among many other shared character traits—is deeply tied to its sociopolitical context. While Annie represents a younger, more open-minded generation, Alvy represents resistance to change—both sides are taken seriously, yet one is eventually outgrown by the other. n

Stitzel: A Playlist of Love Songs for Single People

By Leah Stitzel Asst. Arts Editor A quick Google search for “Valentine’s Day songs” comes up with playlists of cheesy Mot o w n h i t s , c l a s s i c r o m - co m soundtracks, and a few too many slow songs reminiscent of embarrassing middle school dances.

I’m looking at you, Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.”

If you add “for single people” to the end of that Google search, the song choices are limite d mo stly to breakup anthems, self-love songs, and a lot m o r e Ta y l o r Swift.

If songs aren’t about romantic love, they’re about the absence of it.

While iconic love—or anti-love—songs have the ability to perfectly capture how we feel about a person, not all of us are

going to have Heath Ledger singing Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” to us from the football stadium bleachers this Valentine’s Day. But we don’t have to cry about it, either.

Mu sic for sing le p e ople doesn’t have to be about being single. Spotify doesn’t have to suggest playlists called “Lonely Mix” and “Empowering Breakup Mix” when I search for “Single Mix” using its algorithm. Not only is it a little insulting, but it also insinuates that single people are defined by a lack of love in their lives.

Since Spotify’s AI can’t seem to get it right, I made my own playlist.

The songs are about love and breakups, but also everything in between.

They ’ll resonate whether you’re heartbroken, happy, confused, or so single you forgot Valentine’s Day was this week.

The first track on the playlist, David Bowie’s “Modern Love,” is not only catchy, but it’s the ultimate song for people who know exactly why they’re single.

Gre t a G er w ig ’s c aref re e dance through the streets of New York in Frances Ha to this song perfectly captures the feeling of knowing who you are without being defined by others.

“I know when to go out / I know when to stay in,” Bowie sings. “Get things done.”

Next, Mitski creates a sobering yet lighthearted track about knowing when love is over with “That’s Our Lamp.”

Although it’s a song about realizing someone doesn’t love you anymore, at least Mitski is honest with herself.

“Februar y Seven” by The Avett Brothers follows, and while the lyrics are brutally honest, they also promise a fresh start after heartbreak.

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

“I went on the search for something real / Traded what I know for how I feel,” they sing.

Being single isn’t about being alone. As these songs demonstrate, it’s about being honest with yourself when no one else will be.

But occasionally, it’s okay to let yourself be a little delusional.

“Something to Talk About”

by Bonnie Raitt and “Adult Diversion” by Alvvays are proof that making up romantic situations in your head is fine if you do it to a country or indie-pop song.

Delusional or not , it’s also healthy to let yourself be a romantic.

“I Will” by The Beatles and “Lovers Rock” by TV Girl put the “hopeless” in “hopeless romantic,” with sweet, sweeping instrumentals and yearning lyrics to match.

“For if I ever saw you / I didn’t catch your name / But it never really mattered / I will always feel the same,” The Beatles sing.

Bre ak ing aw ay f rom the traditional breakup song, Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own” and “There’s Your Trouble”

by The Chicks are two sides of the same coin.

Winehouse sings powerfully about the regret and growth that follows a breakup, while The Chicks’ song is a track about unrequited love, disguised as a breakup anthem.

“I don’t understand, why do I stress the man? / When there’s so many bigger things at hand,” Winehouse sings.

Next is Hozier’s “Someone New,” a hopeful but bittersweet

song about loving something in every person you meet.

Does it sound like the mindset of a desperate single person?

Maybe, but we can all find hope in loving the little things, single or not. Hozier’s melody creeps along, inviting the listener to identify with his lyrics.

Unfortunately, loving everyone isn’t always sustainable, and U2’s “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World” is a sad but hopeful track reminding the listener to slow down. You don’t have to do everything, especially if you’re doing it alone. Despite the melancholy, eerie sound of the track, it has a pretty simple message.

“And a woman needs a man / Like a fish needs a bicycle,” U2 sings.

For those who aren’t convinced by this playlist that single life is for them, Swift’s “How You Get The Girl” serves as an instruction manual for anyone looking for love.

Rounding out the playlist is “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield, a classic rom-com soundtrack choice that’s not actually about romantic love at all, but rather the possibilities to love yourself.

While you don’t n e e d t o literally feel the rain on your skin to appreciate the openness life has to offer, it’s true that “no one else can feel it for you,” single, taken, or in between. n

The Heights

Monday, February 12, 2024

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ARTS

Weynand: Albums Are Meant to be Listened To

PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

B y J ack W e y na n d Assoc. Arts Editor Music plays an important role in the lives of college students. We listen to music on the way to class.

Music plays in the background as we study for our exams. Have you ever seen a student at the Plex who wasn’t wearing earbuds or headphones?

I think I speak for everyone when I say we wouldn’t get through life without music in our ears.

I was the type of kid who grew up listening to my mother’s radio selections in the car. My musical life was a mix of Z100 New York, 103.5 KTU, and the now defunct 102.7 FM. Our constant radio use meant I didn’t switch to streaming until high school. I hadn’t known a better way to listen to music existed until we cashed in on three months of Apple Music for free back in 2019, but it wasn’t all that life-changing

at first.

I’m ashamed to say at first, I only used Apple Music to download the songs that would play on the radio.

My library was a jumble of the most popular songs from the most popular artists, even though I had the entirety of music at my fingertips.

I was listening to individual songs when I should have been listening to full albums.

I had only just grazed the surface of what music could really be.

Over time, I slowly began to rediscover that, shockingly enough, artists would put out more than just their songs that played on the radio. Yes, even Taylor Swift had songs that didn’t get love from radio stations. I never committed to a full album listen-through, though, because ignorance was bliss.

With rare exceptions, I assumed the radio knew an artist’s best music. Why would they play anything else? They found the good songs, and brought them straight to me.

It wasn’t until I received a record player one Christmas that I was essentially forced to listen to an entire album. I figured my parents knew me well enough, so when I asked for a record player for Christmas, I also asked to be surprised by the albums they chose to accompany it with.

Manic by Halsey was not what I was talking about… (thank you, Mom.) Still, there were a few albums that I didn’t return, among them being The Highlights, a collection

by The Weeknd. One night shortly after Christmas, I sat down and took out the glowing red vinyl and placed it on the record player. Music hasn’t been the same since.

The great thing about The Highlights is that I now think it’s a no-skips album, and I only knew maybe a quarter of the tracks on the record before I listened through.

The songs came from all corners of The Weeknd’s discography—After Hours, Starboy, My Dear Melancholy, and even House of Balloons got some attention. I didn’t have any of these albums on vinyl, but I had them all available in seconds through streaming.

Finally, I’d discovered the beauty of an entire album.

Artists, or at least good ones, don’t stick a bunch of singles on an album and expect them to be a coherent and developed collection of music. Most of the time, artists purposefully and carefully choose which songs fit into the theme of an album.

I think there are two distinct layers to what makes an album special enough to stand alone. Lyrics usually share connections across songs, but the collective sounds of an album’s songs are almost always consistent and share a vibe.

Recently, I gave Tory Lanez’s album Alone at Prom a chance. Yes, he’s the same guy who shot Megan Thee Stallion in the foot, but he also put together a masterpiece with Alone at Prom, which is an ’80s-themed, loose concept album released in 2021. The album is most well-known for its single hit “The Color Violet,” but should be recognized for its well-rounded musical genius.

The loose concept plays out through the album’s narrative of being alone at prom, literally. Our lyrical protagonist only mentions his tragic ordeal in track seven, “Lady of Namek,” but the themes of heartbreak and hurt permeate the album. If someone was left alone at prom, this is how they’d feel. The various ’80s samples on the album really help to take the listener back in time, and work well to complement the album’s theme.

Alone at Prom is a mix of songs that, for the most part, have nearly the exact same energy. If you aren’t a fan of that specific energy, a listen-through of the album might be a waste of time. Other albums might have greater variety in their song structure and still maintain the integrit y of a complete and whole theme.

Superache is a col lection of hea r tbrea k s ong s f rom C on a n Gray, fitting a loose concept about the pitfalls of adolescence. Radios only know Gray for his 2019 hit “Heather.”

Superache is a perfect example of digging deeper into an artist’s discography only to discover they’re so much more complex than their radio hits.

The best thing about Superache is that it’s a mixture of heart-breaking ballads and upbeat tragedies, cha ng i ng i n tone but never i n t he me . It ’s a bre a k-up a l bu m through and through.

Despite the emotional whiplash caused by the transition between “Disaster” on track three and “Astronomy” on track five with only “Best Friend” as an interlude, all of the songs on Superache share a common theme. The songs can stand alone, but they work better together.

This coherence is the reason why listening through albums is more important than ever. TikTok a nd socia l med ia replaced t he radio’s job, and tend to dominate which music breaks through our screens and into our earbuds, but most artists have so much more great content than you probably already know.

I can still enjoy the radio when I ride in my mom’s car, but I can only truly appreciate a song once I hear it in the context of the album—the way it was meant to be heard. n

BCID Hosts ‘Éire’s Show’ For Annual Show B y Pay ton Z a l e tsk y Social Media Director

The lights dimmed, the sound of an Irish fiddle filled the air, and cheers radiated from the crowd as Boston College Irish Dance (BCID) began the first of 16 dances for its annual showcase.

BCID held its 17th annual showcase, this year named the “Éire’s Show” as a play on Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour,” in Robsham Theater on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. The showcase featured 16 BCID dance numbers and three guest performances by the Dance Organization of Boston College (DOBC), Synergy, and BC Dance Ensemble (BCDE).

The showcase was an overall high-energy experience, with dances choreographed to energetic songs like Alex Newell & DJ Cassidy’s “Kill The Lights,” Lady Gaga’s “The Edge Of Glory,” and, of course, Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” “Kill The Lights,” choreographed

by Sarah Keefe, MCAS ’24 and Meghan Drew, MCAS ’24, got the audience into

the spirit of the show. BCID performed intricate choreography, while staying in sync, and the audience clapped along to the beat of the well-known song, occasionally cheering out in support of their friends.

Another notable dance, “You Belong With Me,” was choreographed

by Alexa Barrett, CSOM ’24, and stayed true to BCID’s overall Taylor Swift showcase pun. The dance was set beautifully and skillfully, and lived up to the reputation of such a well-known song. The choreography displayed how pop music can be set to Irish step dance, and allowed the audience to appreciate it in a new way.

BCID also performed its annual routine to “I’m Shipping up to Boston,”

by Dropkick Murphys, which this year was choreographed by Margaret Hunt, MCAS ’24 and Emma Stolpe, MCAS ’24. Doing a routine to “Shipping” is a tradition for BCID, and this routine, coupled with its costume choice of wearing shirts displaying various Boston sports teams, was a fantastic way to continue the tradition and excite the

audience for act two.

Another notable routine was BCID’s well-known “a cappella” dance tradition, which was choreographed

by Keefe and Barrett this year. While the routine started with about 30 seconds of music, the only noise was the in-sync steps of BCID once the music shut off.

The audience was captivated, watching every perfectly coordinated step. Each dance was engaging, but this one demonstrated the high caliber of BCID. The three guest performances from DOBC, Synergy, and BCDE each brought unique styles to the stage.

Their inclusion in the showcase was a wonderful way to add some unexpected, but welcome, surprises to the show. Each of the groups, beyond their talent, contributed a different type of energy and passion that radiated to the audience.

Near the end of the showcase, the BCID seniors performed a special dance choreographed by Stolpe. It showed how impactful BCID has been

for each of the seniors on the team, and it was an emotional moment for both the dancers and audience to be able to witness these girls performing with one another in their final showcase.

The finale, which was to “Carousel” by Beoga and was choreographed

by Hunt and Stolpe, featured the entire BCID team, and was a fresh blend of traditional Irish dancing with modern choreography, something BCID is

known for. It delivered a strong end to a spirited showcase.

BCID’s “Éires Show” was an energetic and exciting performance to see and combined traditional dance with engaging songs. Whether it was the intricacy of the dances, the spirited song choices, or the pure joy the dancers showed onstage with one another, it was a performance that proved how relevant, and purely fun, Irish dance can be. n

ALBUM

‘Something To Give Each Other’ Released Oct. 13 CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Emerson: Winteractive is Not Worth Your Walk B y L i ly E m er son Heights Staff

This winter, Downtown Boston installed 16 art installations around the Business Improvement District.

Inspired and supported by several arts organizations from Quebec, the installations borrowed from the Canadian tradition of winter festivals that offer a sense of community and culture amid a frozen winter.

Being from the frozen state of Minnesota, I understand Boston’s attempt to encourage light and activity in the cold and depressing months that begin the new year.

Still, I think Winteractive serves as a disorganized and ineffective initiative that missed its intended mark.

I started my journey to Boston Common on Hammond Street, just outside McElroy Commons, heading toward the Chestnut Hill T stop. After a relatively brief ride, I disembarked the T on Park Street, which was my first mistake.

In order to avoid retracing your steps to see the more northern exhibits, like I eventually did, I’d recommend getting off the T at the Boylston station and walking north on Washington Street, so you can pop by the exhibition titled “Bird House,” if you’d like to see a small red birdhouse affixed to a street lamp. This artwork was whimsical, but I didn’t feel that I had justified the $2.40 T ride quite yet.

Continuing north, there are a smattering of untitled works by an artist named Mark Jenkins. The pieces consisted of various mannequins, faceless human figures and clothing articles hung in strange and fascinating ways.

I came across the first of these installations while pursuing a small and sweet looking bookstore called Brattle Book Shop. Imagine my surprise when I pulled out my map of the exhibits and realized the clothesline above my head was in fact not real, and included a pair of

pants hanging on the wire accompanied by both legs and feet. It was delightful, and with my optimism still intact at this point, I appreciated the fact that while sifting through piles of secondhand books, I could pause for a minute and contemplate the artwork I hadn’t initially noticed.

In addition to the first “Untitled” work, four other untitled pieces were located nearby. While they added an element of surprise in an otherwise urban landscape, the figures felt disturbing at times. The faceless figures either hung limply, with stringy hair covering their features, or upside down, sticking to the brick walls of downtown Boston with Spiderman-like strength.

Mathieu Valade’s piece titled Myth and Evidence was also somewhat off-putting. The large white box containing the semblance of a unicorn’s silhouette was intriguing, sure, but frankly sad. To see a favorite childhood animal all boxed up like that made me upset, but I

kept trudging along, hoping to find something that could brighten my mood.

That’s when I came upon the clowns. Instead of a childhood favorite, a childhood fear stared down at little old me from across Washington Street. Nope! No thanks, I’ll pass.

I walked up to Summer Street next to see three installations, one being the “Photo Frame”—a

photo opportunity to promote the Winteractive event. The other two

exhibitions were a row of interactive bicycles and a mural of two deer kissing. After taking in these sights, I decided I needed to pick up coffee at Caffè Nero to collect my thoughts and reflect on the experience so far.

Read the rest of this story at www.bcheights.com

LILY EMERSON / HEIGHTS STAFF

The Heights

Monday, February 12, 2024

A11

ARTS Common Tones Rise to Fame

By Leah Stitzel Asst. Arts Editor When Boston College’s a cappella group, Common Tones, posted a TikTok of them singing an a cappella arrangement of “Carol of the Bells” in a stairwell one December morning on a whim, the last thing programming director Annabel Lee, MCAS ’25, expected was for the video to go viral.

“That was kind of just, like, out of the blue,” Lee said. “We were like, super tired on a Sunday morning and we were like, ‘Oh, let’s sing “Carol of the Bells,”’ and it just so happened to go viral.”

The video, which has amassed 73.8 million views and 12.6 million likes on TikTok, drew increasing attention to the group as the official Grammys’ TikTok page commented on the video.

“Can you do a mashup of the songs nominated for Song Of The Year at the GRAMMYs?” reads the comment.

“I think we just kind of ran with it ,” Rachel Prendergast , CSON ’24, said. “Just because we were like, ‘Of course we have to respond to that. That’s so cool.’

And then when BC reached out, we were like, ‘Of course we have to do it.’”

C o m m o n To n e s w o r k e d with professional video, audio, and lighting organized by BC after University Communications reached out to them asking if they would be interested in creating a video for the requested mashup.

This meant the group would have to make and learn a vocal arrangement of the eight nominees for Song of the Year in just a few weeks.

Jacob Walker, MCAS ’25, is one of the group’s three arrangers. He said the time crunch was difficult to work with, but the final product was worth it.

“We never really have done that before,” Walker said. “We made our own album last year, student-made, so it took us, like, the whole semester just to record, then mix. So having them record us in one day, and that was it, and then they got it out in less than a week.”

The process of arranging, learning, and then memorizing music typically takes months.

Walker explained the three ar rangers worke d over Winter Break to make the nearly eight-minute long mashup, and then the rest of the group had to learn it in just a week once they returned to campus.

Natalie Bartell, MCAS ’27, said the process of learning the music was a little stressful, but paid off.

“I have no idea how they did it,” Bartell said. “If somebody asked me to do that I would’ve cried, and they did an amazing job. And it was difficult, we had some longer rehearsals, and some ‘Do it on your own time, figure it out.’ But it went smooth, I think it went as smooth as it could’ve possibly gone, and I think it’s because everybody was really interested in doing it.”

The project was sparked by a TikTok comment, but according to the members of Common Tones, it was a labor of love.

Prendergast explained Common Tones is a service-based a cappella group, so its performances are not only technically skilled but also have deep emotional meaning for the group.

“It provides, like, a different kind of joy and support to people than, like, helping people medically or emotionally supporting them,” Prendergast said. “Literally just going and singing and, like, interacting with people and talking to them … it’s so special.”

The group puts on live performances at BC, but other BC students don’t typically see the service Common Tones does outside of campus.

They travel to perform for groups at places such as Rosie’s Place, a women’s shelter, and Veronica B. Smith Senior Center, which offers a number of programs that are open to the elderly community.

These opportunities build community within the group and the people they perform for, said Christopher Cheek , Common Tones member and MCAS ’25.

“People who live normal lives, unless they’re going to see, like, a

concert, don’t really get presented with a lot of opportunities,” Cheek said. “They have to seek out live music. So just to be able to come into a place and provide, like, pretty good live music that’s entertaining and interactive is super important.”

A l t h o u g h t h e G r a m my s mashup video was sparked by a social media trend, the group is not planning to become influencers anytime soon.

Lee admitted that although it was a fun and creative experience, it didn’t necessarily represent the core values of the group.

“Tones is super special,” Lee said. “I think it does manifest itself in how our group works, in that we’re not that competitive. We’re just singing to have fun and to build community, and you can really feel it when we’re singing together. It’s like a lot of love that’s circulating within the group.”

Prendergast also saw the mashup as an opportunity to have fun and create something that typically would not have been possible for the group because of the time and production level involved.

Prendergast emphasized that the most valuable part of the experience was that Common Tones did it together.

“I’m definitely happy that we’re getting, like, a little bit more visibility, and people are kind of knowing our group a little bit more now,” she said. “Because I feel like it stands for some really good things, and that’s why I’m in it.”

Walker said the video, although not a typical representation of the group’s projects, was a great opportunity for Common Tones to share their values outside of singing technically complex music.

The process, from start to finish, bonded the already tightknit group even further.

“It was just so exciting because Tones is my found family on campus,” Walker said. “So being able to create this giant thing that we can share with people, we’re able to share that music and love with people now, through the video.” n

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Mulligan: Barbie Is Underappreciated

By Maddie Mulligan Copy Editor Despite the Barbie phenomenon, moments throughout this awards season have shown that the message of Greta Gerwig’s movie has yet to truly sink in.

In a complicated year for movies given the SAG-AFTRA and WAG strikes, Barbie took the spot of highest-grossing film of 2023. While the quality of this movie can be highly debated—I personally don’t think it was a particularly outstanding film— its depiction of what it means to be a woman in today’s society marked a significant moment on the big screen.

As many flocked to the theaters to celebrate the new heart of pop culture, the theme of gender inequality began permeating throughout our lives. In a time where many, especially children, learn of social issues through media such as movies, it has become ever more pressing that people are exposed to discussions on these injustices.

As a summer camp counselor, I saw firsthand the importance of what films like Barbie can teach kids about themselves. Seeing my 11-year-olds greeting each other with “Hi Barbie!” and displaying high confidence in their girlhood is exactly what Barbie aims to do.

Even though, artistically, the film may have been mediocre, with its basic cinematography and moments of lacking dialogue, what should matter above all is what Barbie has managed to convey to the general public. Seeing these young girls knowing they can be whoever they want to be, I know Barbie deserves recognition for its significant theme. So then why has this message been overlooked throughout this awards season?

The first major award show of the season for film was the Golden Globes, which featured famed moments like Taylor Swift’s snub and Lily Gladstone becoming the first Native American woman to win Best Lead Actress. But one of the most memorable aspects of the 81st Golden Globes was the absolute fumble by host Jo Koy. Delivering unimpressive jokes and even blaming his writers for his failed attempts at being funny, Koy capped off his appalling hosting gig by taking a swing at Barbie. And boy, did he miss.

“Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize–winning book about the Manhattan Project, and Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies,” he said. “The key moment in Barbie is when she goes from perfect beauty to bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet. Or what casting directors call ‘character actor!’”

Despite the point of Barbie being the empowering of women and showing young girls they never have to place restrictions on their lives, Koy manages to overlook that for a cheap, misogynistic joke. While I would never classify Barbie as one of the best feminist works of our time in any sense, what it certainly does not deserve is being reduced to a movie about, as Koy puts it, “big boobies.”

The entire point of Barbie was to battle gender inequality and deservingly give recognition to a woman’s role in society. What Koy did in his monologue showed exactly why this message needs to be spread. His neglect of the film’s significance is ironic, to say the least.

Read the rest of this story at www.bcheights.com

Irausquin: The Best of the Grammys Red Carpet

By A lexandra Irausquin Heights Staff The 66th A nnua l Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, Feb. 4, with show-stopping performances, heartwarming acceptance speeches, and of course, the red carpet. This year’s red carpet was full of looks reminiscent of the “old Hollywood” style with a twist featuring some modern touches.

The color scheme this year was clearly black and white, with the majority of attendees wearing very simple, monotone looks. The plain color palette meshed well w it h t he se cond trend that was evident on the carpet this year—archival fashion.

The combination of vintage pieces with the black and white theme of the evening resulted in a red carpet filled with looks rem iniscent of 1950s Hollywood glamor. Although many of the night’s looks shared a color palette, certain celebrities stood out a mong t he crowd.

Bebe Rexha wore a stunning black Robert Wun gown, showing off mesh gloves and two long trains.

Album of the year nominee Janelle Monáe wore a custom Giorgio Armani Privé gown to embody a look she described as “futuristic” and “timeless.” With its sequin details, floral centerpiece, and plunging neckline, this gown was one of the night’s stand outs.

Olivia Rodrigo arrived on the carpet wearing an archival Versace gown from 1995. Last worn by Linda Evangelista, the white, floor length gown with intricate beading perfectly embodied the glamorous old Hollywood style that appeared to be the night’s theme.

While Rodrigo’s look was not necessarily inventive, the young artist seemed to embrace a more mature look as she breaks free of her Disney roots and moves from her teenage years into her early 20s.

Menswear similarly reflected the vintage trends, with John Legend sporting an all-black ensemble with a unique silk tie that accentuated the look’s exaggerated neckline. The simple yet elegant outfit was a perfect example of how to make an all black look memorable.

In one of the

most creative looks of the evening, Lenny Kravitz arrived in a futuristic mesh top paired with black leather sleeves. Accessorized with a pair of black sunglasses, Kravitz effortlessly pulled off a formal outfit that embodied his effortlessly cool persona.

21 Savage brought a unique twist to the classic all-black tux, wearing a sleek suit with golden detailing along the hems, adding an elevated, modern touch.

I think it is impossible to discuss the black and white looks of the night without mentioning Taylor Swift’s custom white Schiaparelli gown, paired with armlength black gloves and several diamond necklaces.

Sw i f t ’s l o o k served as a red herring to fans who suspected it would serve as a nod to the upcom ing re-recording of her sixth album, reputation.

T h e black

GRAPHICS BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

and white color scheme of Swift’s outfit instead represented the color scheme of her upcoming 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, which she announced after winning the Grammy for “Best Pop Vocal Album” later that night.

Apart from the heavy use of black and white, the red carpet featured a number of metallic looks, making for some of the evening’s best looks.

Dua Lipa wore a chainmail gown that she said felt “a bit Joan of Arc.” The outfit not only connected her to a strong woman, but also helped Dua Lipa capitalize on female empowerment in the spirit of Barbie.

Miley Cyrus wore a custom Maison Margiela ensemble made entirely of gold safety pins, creating a nearly nude effect. This statement outfit was paired with a voluminous hairstyle that made Cyrus’ hair appear like a crown.

Cyrus went on to sport other metallic looks throughout the evening, including a gorgeous bronze gown when she accepted her first ever Grammy.

She also showcased a silver fringe dress for her performance of “Flowers,” which had just won the Grammy for “Best Pop Solo Perform a nce.”

All of her looks allowed Cyrus’ loud and carefree personality to shine through.

On the other end of the metallic-inspired spectrum, Jon Batiste wore a silver outfit, which was from Versace. His high collared jacket and silver kilt were one of the most unique looks of the evening, and really leaned into the more futuristic and modern elements that many other looks shared undertones of.

While plenty of artists were well-dressed, my favorite look of the evening belonged to Chloe Bailey’s stunning bronze gown. With its elegant shape and perfectly placed cut out, the gown encapsulated the glamor of old Hollywood while incorporating modern touches that made it the standout look of the night.

This year’s red c a r p et w a s f i l le d with many memorable fashion moments that set the tone for an evening of celebrating an extremely memorable year for music. The looks both took some inspiration from the past and simultaneously proved the music industry has a bright future. n

SPORTS

Monday, February 12, 2024

A12

The Heights

Out With the Old, In With the New

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HEIGHTS ARCHIVES AND BOBJONES88

Just nine days after former BC head coach Jeff Hafley left the Heights to join the Green Bay Packers, BC Athletics announced the hiring of BC football’s 37th head coach, Bill O’Brien.

O’Brien, from A1 “Bill is a gifted leader who has had a tremendous amount of success as a head coach and coordinator at both the collegiate and NFL levels,” James said. “His passion for teaching football and developing young men make him a great fit to lead Boston College to greater heights.”

Hafley leaves O’Brien with the nation’s 69th-ranked recruiting class and the 44th-ranked transfer portal class ahead of the upcoming 2024 season, according to 247Sports.

O’Brien comes to the Heights with a high-level NCAA resume.

O’Brien started his coaching career in 1993 at Brown, his alma mater, as a tight ends coach.

After a string of other college football coaching stints, including offensive coaching roles at Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Duke, O’Brien ultimately made the jump to the NFL in 2007.

O’Brien, an Andover, Mass. native and St. John’s Prep alumnus, joined the New England Patriots in 2007. He served as an offensive assistant on the Patriots squad that finished the regular season with an undefeated 16–0 record en route to a Super Bowl appearance. In 2008, O’Brien became the wide receivers

coach, before shifting roles once again in 2009 when he became the quarterbacks coach. In 2010, O’Brien served as the offensive coordinator, in addition to the quarterbacks coach, on another Patriots team destined for the Super Bowl.

Following the conclusion of the 2011 season, O’Brien left the NFL and returned to college football to take over a disheveled Penn State program.

In the 2012 and 2013 seasons, O’Brien led the Nittany Lions to a 15–9 record before again making the leap to the NFL to take over as the Houston Texans’ head coach, a position he held from 2014–20.

Over his first six full seasons, O’Brien coached the Texans to a 52–44 overall record and four playoff appearances. After Week Four of the 2020 NFL season, O’Brien was fired by the Texans as both head coach and general manager after an 0–4 start.

In 2021, O’Brien teamed up with former Alabama head coach Nick Saban as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, helping Alabama make a national championship appearance in 2021 and earn a Sugar Bowl win in 2022.

O’Brien returned to the Patriots after over a decade of time apart

as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Under his command, however, the Patriots ranked among the worst offenses in the NFL. Most recently, O’Brien joined Ohio State as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in January 2024. O’Brien, however, never called a play for the Buckeyes.

A skilled offensive schemer, O’Brien brings serious potential to attract offensive talent from across the country, especially given his experience working with NFL players such as Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, and Bryce Young. n

Ott: Assessing BC Football’s Future Under O’Brien

By Ethan Ott Senior Staff Four years ago, former Boston College football head coach Jeff Hafley walked out onto the ice during a BC men’s hockey game and asked a sold-out Conte Forum to “get in.”

Four seasons, 22 wins, and 26 losses later, Hafley got out. Good riddance.

Hafley’s unexpected, late off– season departure left BC scrambling . Traditionally, departing NCAA head coaches are harbingers of player and staff exodus, and the evening of Hafley’s departure, BC fans braced themselves for a bumpy week.

But the day after the head-coaching shakeup, quarterback Thomas Castellanos took to social media to announce his intention to remain at BC. Nearly the rest of the team followed suit. Only two Eagles have entered the transfer portal since the end of Hafley’s tenure.

Almost exactly four years after Hafley introduced himself to BC fans at Conte Forum, a new face walked out onto the ice Friday night. Bill O’Brien is BC football’s new head coach, and if seven years of NFL head-coaching experience, side-by-side work with some of the biggest names in football, and all of Conte Forum on its feet in applause is any indication, that’s a good thing.

Coaching Outlook O’Brien has succeeded as a head coach before. He is one of the most prominent offensive minds of the generation, and he will likely be a better all-around coach than Hafley.

His most relevant experience

came with the Houston Texans, where O’Brien posted a winning record in five of his six full seasons.

He made the playoffs in four of those seasons and left with a .520 all-time winning percentage. The Texans did not make the playoffs in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 seasons following his departure.

Despite his success, O’Brien did not leave Houston on his own terms.

Still, his termination was not a result of poor coaching. Instead, it came after he was given general manager powers in 2020. With full control over the organization, O’Brien made a series of retrospectively poor decisions that led to his firing. If O’Brien had never become an NFL general manager, he likely would still be an NFL head coach.

The most immediately intriguing effect of O’Brien’s coaching will be on Castellanos’ play in 2024. The BC quarterback rushed for 1,113 yards in 2023, good for second in the NCAA among quarterbacks.

Though he brought the team to highs like the Fenway Bowl victory over No. 17 SMU, Castellanos’ resume is not perfect.

Though he makes up for it with his legs, Castellanos has yet to prove whether his arm talent is up to par with the rest of the NCAA. In 2023, he was only the 89th most efficient passer in the NCAA. Similarly, he was 82nd in passing yards per game and tied for fourth most interceptions in college football. Though not ideal under Hafley, these numbers represent the perfect project for O’Brien.

Hafley’s specialty was defense.

O’Brien’s specialty is offense. Spe-

cifically, he specializes in quarterbacks. In New England, he worked one-on-one to develop Tom Brady as quarterback coach. In Houston, he oversaw Deshaun Watson’s introduction to the NFL and development into one of its most talented quarterbacks.

Castellanos will undoubtedly be approaching this offseason with the goal of working on his passing. He is already an elite runner. If O’Brien can turn him into an elite passer, it is not an exaggeration to say that Castellanos’ name will be in Heisman conversations.

Recruiting Outlook In the modern era with the rise of NIL and the transfer portal, the mantle of head coach increasingly means recruiter first, play-caller second. O’Brien has been around college football programs enough in recent years to realize this, serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama from 2021–23. Still, recruiting at BC is not recruiting at Alabama. The Eagles do not have the resources, money, or reputation O’Brien benefited from while with the Crimson Tide.

Hafley didn’t prove much while with the Eagles, but, in his early years, he did show that the school is not impossible to draw recruits to. His recruiting classes grew increasingly worse across his years, but the 2021 class was solid, all things considered. Ranked at No. 37 in the nation, Hafley brought in three four-star recruits and multiple three-stars. It was just one year, but it’s proof BC isn’t the least desirable place to play football.

O’Brien may have limited experience as a recruiter, but he does have name recognition. He has had a successful career as a coach and mentored a slew of the most talented people to ever play the game.

O’Brien is a coach people want to play for. This will be his biggest asset in recruiting. The non-exodus in the transfer portal may in fact be a sign BC players are looking forward to playing for O’Brien. Few high school quarterback prospects would pass up the opportunity to play under the man who helped blaze the path for Brady early in his career. If he struggles to win at BC, O’Brien will struggle to recruit. Early on, however, he should have no problem attracting talent.

Long-Term Outlook The one major red flag mark surrounding O’Brien’s hiring has nothing to do with how well he will do as head coach. Instead, it is unclear how long he will do it for.

Traditionally, young rising coaching stars have used programs like BC as launchpads for their careers.

A few winning seasons for a head coach at a mid-tier program proves to the world that you have what it takes.

Hafley didn’t quite prove this, but even he left BC for what could be considered a promotion. BC is not a school where ambitious head coaches traditionally hunker down for long, winning careers. Under normal circumstances, O’Brien could be expected to see one-totwo winning seasons at BC, max. If he was 20 years younger than he is and lacked ties to the New England

area, there would be no reason to think his tenure would surpass that.

Fortunately for the Eagles, there’s reason to believe he might be in it for the long haul.

O’Brien is 54 years old. That isn’t quite retirement territory, but it might be past career-reinvention age. O’Brien is not a young coach looking to prove himself at BC—he has already done that. If he wanted the job solely because he planned to jump to the NFL at the first opportunity, he could have stayed at Ohio State in the prestigious offensive coordinator position.

Coaching in Boston is also a conscious choice for O’Brien. He was born in Boston and grew up in Massachusetts. Further, he has two sons living in the Boston area. One son, Michael, committed to Tufts in 2023 to play baseball. His other son, Jack, is reportedly receiving treatment for a neurological condition in Boston.

It is not far-fetched to say that his children are part of why he accepted the offensive coordinator position with the Patriots last year and the job with BC this year.

O’Brien wants to be in Boston, his home, with his two kids.

He has already proved that he can win in both college and the NFL, so odds are he can win at BC, too. Of everyone who reportedly interviewed for the BC job, O’Brien was far-and-away the best, most qualified candidate.

O’Brien will bring offensive firepower to BC that the school has not seen since Matt Ryan’s time. With some luck, the Eagles will be ranked within the next three years. n

ADITYA RAO / HEIGHTS STAFF

The Heights

Monday, February 12, 2024

A13

SPORTS

No. 2 Eagles Crush UMass 20–9 in Season Opener Lacrosse, from A1 “They came out and had a really great start,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “They handled the pressure of a really good UMass UMass 9 team. I’m Boston College 20 really happy with them.”

After a third BC goal put the Eagles up 3–1 with 6:36 left in the first, UMass turned up the pressure.

Fiona McGowan passed it to Charlotte Wilmoth, who cut through BC’s defense from the side and fired a shot past Eagles’ goaltender Shea Dolce to narrow the Eagles’ lead to one.

But in the last two minutes of the first quarter, the Eagles scored twice to gain a decisive lead. Mckenna Davis found LoPinto cutting from behind the net, and then Andrea Reynolds on a man-up play to bring the score to 5–2 to end the 1st quarter.

Davis and LoPinto’s chemistry was on display early. The pair combined for three goals in the first half.

“In the fall, I think we noticed we love to play behind [the net] and I think we clicked super well,” LoPinto said. “I think we read each other really well so, you know, I’m always knowing where she is, she’s knowing where I’m at, so it’s been awesome.”

Davis followed up her strong first quarter just three minutes into the second. She overpowered her defender and pushed her way into the middle of the arch to fire a shot past Tobin, allowing the Eagles to take a 6–2 lead.

The trio of Ryan Smith, Shea Baker, and Weeks in the faceoffs proved vital for the Eagles. Multiple times in the second quarter, Ryan Smith shot the ball up in the air on the draw for either Baker or Weeks to collect, leading to goals from Baker at 11:53 and Lopinto at 5:59 to balloon the BC lead to 10–2.

“I am really happy with, you know, the amount of depth that we were able to show,” Walker-Weinstein said. “People coming off the sideline and going in and doing really good things, so I’m really proud of that.”

The Minutewomen made a push with two goals in 40 seconds at the end of first half, but the Eagles answered right back when Kayla Martello and Reynolds both scored in the final 25 seconds to head into halftime leading 13–4.

At the start of the third quarter, Belle Smith proved why she was named USA Lacrosse Preseason Midfielder of the Year.

Belle Smith caused a UMass turnover, and on the next possession, she received the ball in front of the net and weaved between three Minutewomen defenders before finding a cutting Martello, who slotted the ball past Tobin to take the Eagles lead up to 14–4.

BC matched its stellar offensive play with an equal tenacity on defense. The Eagles registered nine caused turnovers, 15-of-17 clears, and 17 ground balls.

Practicing gametime situations is what made the defense so cohesive, according to senior Hunter Roman.

“I definitely think that our coaches have done a really good job trying

to make our practices feel like game day,” Roman said. “And I think as a unit we just executed today and we did a really good job so it was exciting.”

The Eagles full pressed on defense at the start of the fourth quarter despite leading 15–7.

“I was just really excited to see that they were able to, you know, dump all their energy into it late in the game and be able to do a high pressure ride,” Walker-Weinstein

said. “I think it speaks to the fact that the girls stay focused and they’re conditioned.”

The Eagles closed the game out with five more goals, including another from Belle Smith and LoPinto, as well as freshman Molly Driscoll, to take a 20–9 win over the Minutewomen.

“I think we played awesome,” Lopinto said. “I just had so much fun. I love my teammates, so it was awesome.” n

OWEN BIENEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Emma LoPinto tallied four goals in BC’s first game of the season.

Eagles Remain Winless in Cameron

By Sourabh Gokarn

first half, taking a 28–27 lead with under five minutes left in the frame behind back-to-back Quinten Post was searching for threes from Claudell Harris Jr., his first field goal with less than a who made his return to the startminute remaining in the opening ing lineup after a four-game stint half. After coming off the bench. But the Boston College 65 pump-fakgame unraveled quickly in the Duke 80 ing past his start of the second half. defender near the rim, Boston “The biggest segment we didn’t College men’s basketball’s 7-footer win in the game was the first seemingly secured it. four minutes of the second half,” But Duke’s Kyle Filipowski Grant said. “I think the biggest would have none of it. Smacking difference was in the first half, we Post’s shot attempt away, Filipreally took care of the ball. We had owski held Duke’s halftime lead great offensive maturity. We were at 36–32 in a sequence that would working for the right shots. In the epitomize BC’s struggles throughstart of the second half, it went out the rest of the game. from four to 12 pretty quick, and it stayed 12. So that was the separation. That was pretty much it.”

The Blue Devils pieced together a 7–0 run to establish its first double-digit lead of the game— one that the Eagles never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

While BC struggled to stop Duke’s offense—which finished the game shooting 47.6 percent from the field—Mason Madsen kept the game from collapsing into a complete Duke blowout.

In his second start of the season, the senior guard totaled a team-high 15 points off 6-of-11 shooting.

“You definitely want to go to the hot hand as much as you can,” Grant said. “And [Madsen] took the second-most shots on

HENRY HURD / HEIGHTS STAFF On Saturday, Mason Madsen scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. the team.”

Deputy Managing Editor

In the battle between the two teams’ best players, Filipowski had his way—a disparity that made all the difference in No. 9 Duke’s (18–5, 9–3 Atlantic Coast) 80–65 victory over the Eagles (13–10, 4–8). Post finished with four points from the field and four free throws, while the projected NBA lottery pick Filipowski recorded 16 points off 7-of-15 shooting.

“Where he hurt us the most was his passing,” BC head coach Earl Grant said. “He really did a good job finding his teammates on the weak side, and it just seemed like every time he found them, they made a shot.”

The Eagles held strong in the

Post continued to struggle amid a steady stream of double-teams, preventing the Eagles from generating enough momentum to fuel a comeback. Primarily defended by Mark Mitchell, BC’s leading scorer just couldn’t get to his spots and only put up five shot attempts en route to an eightpoint performance.

“That’s something we’ve been seeing all year,” Grant said. “They put the smaller guy on, try to have a more mobile guy—and they did a good job. They fronted him in the post, were physical with him.”

Grant, however, praised Post’s passing.

“I thought QP did an excellent job of getting the ball out of the double team and passing it to the weak side,” Grant said. “That’s some of the reasons we were getting good shots. So he didn’t force it. He had to surrender his own scoring for the betterment of the team.”

Despite Post opening up quality perimeter looks, the Eagles made only five 3-pointers and shot 19.2 percent from deep. BC has still yet to ever defeat Duke on the road, with its latest bid ultimately stymied by the way the Eagles opened the second half, according to Grant.

“It was just that first part of the second half that really flipped the game in their favor, and it stayed even pretty much the rest of the game after that,” Grant said. n

No. 1 BC Dominates No. 17 New Hampshire 6–1

By Robert Brennan Heights Staff If there was ever a way to rebound from No. 1 Boston College men’s hockey’s Beanpot Semifinal loss to No. 3 Boston New Hampshire 1 University, Boston College 6 the Eagles found it in their Friday night tilt against No. 17 New Hampshire.

The Eagles came out firing, putting three past the Wildcats’ netminder Jakob Hellsten in the first 4:35 of play.

“Yeah, I think a lot of guys were pretty juiced up to get back on the ice after that loss,” BC forward Cutter Gauthier said. “You know, and when our team is going like that, it’s a pretty hard team to stop.”

The Eagles’ electric start—coupled with newly hired BC football head coach Bill O’Brien’s introduction during the first intermission of the game—energized the Conte Forum crowd.

“I could hear from the locker room,

I could hear the crowd go crazy between periods,” BC head coach Greg Brown said.

BC (20–5–1, 13–3–1 Hockey East) ultimately defeated UNH (14–10–1, 7–7–1) by a score of 6–1 thanks to two goals each from Gauthier and Jack Malone, as well as a 30-save performance from Jacob Fowler.

Gauthier got the action started 1:07 into the game, when he completed a 150-foot give-and-go with Oskar Jellvik. Gauthier, standing in his own zone, bounced a pass off the boards to a streaking Jellvik, who ended up receiving the puck below UNH’s goal line. He returned Gauthier’s favor with a precision dish back out in front of Hellsten, which Gauthier buried, giving BC a 1–0 lead.

Just more than a minute later, Malone fired the puck into traffic on the power play, and it managed to find its way past Hellsten, deflecting off a few Wildcat skates on its way into the net.

Malone’s goal gave BC a 2–0 lead just

2:36 into the game. “[Malone] gives us so much every day,” Brown said. “Off the ice, in the locker room, he’s a real stable voice. He’s had great experience, so when he speaks the guys are listening. And then on the ice does so many little things well.”

Wildcat forward Stiven Sardarian sent BC’s power play back onto the ice after he was banished to the box for tripping at 4:19, which proved to be costly for his team. Ryan Leonard made the Wildcats pay this time, burying a rebound off a Gauthier shot.

Fowler settled the game down, making some tough saves going from post-to-post, denying any sort of response from New Hampshire.

“Fowler was equal to the task on every shot but that great shot off the faceoff—so good to see him sharp,” Brown said.

Will Smith added one on the power play when he buried a one-timer top shelf 11:47 into the second—BC’s third power-play goal of the contest, and

Smith’s 15th on the season.

The Wildcats took until 15:05 was left in the game to get their first and only goal of the game, when Harrison Blaisdell fired a piping-hot wrister past Fowler directly off a faceoff. Malone responded just 51 seconds later, though, when he tipped in a Jellvik shot—his first shift since taking a tough blocked shot that left him writhing in pain.

“He was the birthday boy yesterday, so for him to, you know, have a huge game for us like that, it was awesome, especially to see the grit that he showed,” Gauthier said.

Things got chippy late, with BC’s Drew Fortescue and UNH’s Marty Lavins each picking up game misconducts for fighting after a donnybrook in which Lavins dropped his gloves and threw a punch at Fortescue. Another scrum ended in another BC power play, in which Gauthier converted his second goal of the game and nation-leading 23rd of the season with 3:20 left in the game.

“I didn’t like the frustration that we showed towards the end of the game, but kids are competing on both sides,” UNH head coach Mike Souza said. n

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

I n F r i d a y ’s m a t c h u p , J a c o b F o w l e r r e c o r d e d 3 0 s a v e s .