The Heights, Feb. 19, 2024

February 19, 2024

BC Dining Considers Discontinuing Bottled Drinks Due to recurring theft, BC Dining may remove bottled drinks from the dining halls, a UGBC Senator said.

By Jack Beckman Asst. News Editor

BC Dining is considering removing bottled drinks like Core Power from dining halls next year due to high levels of theft by students, said Lindsay Meier, MCAS ’26, at the UGBC Senate meeting on Tuesday night. “[BC Dining] said that next year, bottled drinks are pretty much going to be gone from the dining halls because stealing has

been such a big problem,” Meier, environmental and sustainability policy coordinator, shared in an update from her meeting with the dining advisory committee.

While BC Dining has yet to make a final decision on the matter, Meier said that stealing is a small part of a larger problem that bottled drinks present for BC Dining.

“There’s just so many problems with having [bottled drinks] there,” Meier said.

“There’s—without fail—complaints about the price of the Core Powers at meetings

[with BC Dining], so I think that’s just another reason for them to get rid of it.”

Meier said informing students of the possibility that bottled drinks may be removed from dining halls next year could cause them to see the consequences of theft from BC Dining.

“I feel like right now, people are like, ‘Oh, you can steal, there’s no consequences,’” Meier said. “But, if we let them know that there’s going to be consequences, that might deter them a little bit.”

Meier added that BC Dining is also facing chronic staff shortages and actively recruiting student workers—especially at Lower Live and Addie’s.

“That’s why there’s a lot of problems,” Meier said. “That’s why, in Lower, there’s not the rack that rotates for dishes, it’s just the trash cans, because right now they don’t have dishwashers. So we really, really need people to start working there.”

See Senate, A3

BC Welcomes Bill O’Brien

By Luke Evans Sports Editor Sourabh Gokarn Deputy Managing Editor

VICTOR STEFANESCU / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

Bill O’Brien knows winning. Having made stops at decorated programs like the New England Patriots and Alabama over his professional and collegiate coaching career, O’Brien’s seen it firsthand.

Boston College football’s newest head coach believes he can bring that winning

ethos to Chestnut Hill.

“You can win at a place like this,” O’Brien said. “This is a place where young men can come and play good football, get a great education, and give back to the community. I think that’s what Boston College is all about.”

On Thursday, BC director of athletics Blake James introduced O’Brien as the football program’s newest face.

See O’Brien, A11

Producing Records and Breaking Them

The Dynamics became the first BC a cappella group to advance to the ICCA Semifinals after placing second overall at quarterfinals on Feb. 10. If the group succeeds at semifinals, they advance to ICAA finals, the same a capella competition featured in Pitch Perfect.

See Hockey, A11

See CWBC, A3

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PHOTO COURTESY OF BETTY DAVIS

The Aftermath of the NTA’s 14-day-long Strike Education will be a key issue in the upcoming school committee election, according to a Newton educator.

By Genevieve Morrison Assoc. Newton Editor

Eagles Defeat Miami 85–77 CALLIE OXFORD / HEIGHTS EDITOR

By Sourabh Gokarn Deputy Managing Editor

Through the first two seasons of Earl Grant’s tenure as Boston College men’s basketball’s head coach, the Eagles were hardly equipped to win 3-point shootouts, especially against a team like Miami.

In both seasons, BC failed to finish higher than 14th in the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage.

That lackluster perimeter offense was particularly glaring in BC’s 88–72 blowout loss to the Hurricanes on Jan. 11, 2023, in which Miami notched 12 threes.

This season, however, has fared differently for the Eagles.

BC entered its Saturday afternoon matchup against Miami ranked eighth in the conference with a 35.7 3-point percentage—a nearly four-point uptick from a season ago.

And unlike that loss from a season ago, the Eagles (15–10, 6–8 Atlantic Coast) went shot-for-shot with the Hurricanes (15–11, 6–9), outlasting Miami 85–77.

"The makeup of our team obviously is a little different this year,” Mason Madsen said after the game. “And like I said, we needed every shot we made, and so it's not always what we've hung our hat on, but I think to be able to win games in different ways speaks volumes about this team."

See Basketball, A11

Two weeks after students returned to their classrooms due to a teachers’ strike that shuttered schools for 11 days, a Newton teacher and a Newton School Committee chair spoke on the future of schools in the city.

“We just gotta figure out a different way to have a totally different relationship between the administration, the school committee, and the union,” Newton School Committee Chair Chris Brezski said.

The transition back to school after the strike was jarring for teachers, according to Newton South High School teacher Ryan Normandin.

“One day, it felt like we were fighting for our lives, and then the next day we’re just supposed to be teaching the kids again,” Normandin said.

Despite fines against the Newton Teachers Association amounting to $625,000

Opinions

“Educators feel more united than they have, at least in the time I’ve been in the public schools,” Normandin said. “I think that the morale in the buildings was a problem for a really long time.”

See Newton Schools, A4

After Valentine's Day, BC students embody an array of attitudes. Assoc. Photo Editor Callie Oxford characterizes these different moods.

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“One day, it felt like we were fighting for our lives, and then the next day we’re just supposed to be teaching the kids again.”

Magazine

Assoc. Opinions Editor Makayla Hickey argues that the word "love" is severely restrictive given the breadth of emotions it often encapsulates.

INDEX

and being out of class for two full school weeks, Normandin said the strike brought teachers closer together.

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Monday, February 19, 2024

This Week’s Top 3 Events

1

The Heights

Join the Church in the 21st Century Center and Thomas Groome, a professor of theology and religious education, for the first installment of a three-part series, titled “Faith for the Heart.” The event will be held virtually from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Monday.

2

Hear from four Tibetan Buddhist scholar-monks, visiting from Gaden Shartse Monastery in South India, as they share the Buddhist ideal of compassion and offer prayers. Attend the event in St. Ignatius Parish on Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

3

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Attend a panel with current BC students interning in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Learn how to find, apply to, and complete STEM internships at the event hosted by the Career Center from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

BC to Name STM After Gloria and Chuck Clough

By Lucy Freeman News Editor The Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (STM) is being renamed the Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry after benefactors Gloria and Chuck Clough, who donated $25 million to the STM, according to a University release.

“The School of Theology and Ministry is providing the highest quality talent for the Catholic Church for the next 50 years,” Chuck Clough said in the release. “It attracts terrific young people who really want to serve the Church. That is a tremendous promise for the future, one that will help us to fulfill Pope John XXIII’s understanding of the Church as the people of God.” The Cloughs’ $25 million donation is the largest in the STM’s history, according to University Spokesman Jack Dunn.

“We are really excited about the news,” Dunn wrote in an email to The Heights.

Chuck Clough, BC ’64, is the chair and chief investment officer of Clough Capital Partners. He is also an ordained permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Boston and joined BC’s Board of Trustees in 1994, serving as its chair from 1999–2002, according to the release.

Chuck Clough also co-chaired BC’s “Light the World” campaign, which raised $1.6 billion for University advancement.

Gloria Clough, BC ’90 and ’96, is a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist. She established the chap-

laincy program at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass., serving as the hospital’s first Catholic chaplain, according to the release. She serves as chair of the hospital’s board of directors, as well as a board member and former chair of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a nonprofit organization serving homeless and high-risk youth.

“The STM is a place where Jesuits, religious, and laypeople are formed side by side in a vibrant, loving community,” Gloria Clough said in the release. “The School of Theology and Ministry gives me such hope for the Church and its future because of the critical work that goes on here.”

“The School of Theology and Ministry gives me such hope

and renewal; an understanding of the importance of theological education; and a personal experience of ecclesial ministry,” McCarthy said.

The Cloughs also established the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy at BC in 2008, which aims to reflect on and reimagine the study of constitutional democracy in the 21st century, according to its website.

The couple established the Clough Colloquium in the Carroll School of Management as well, which hosts speakers from different fields and backgrounds to share their insights in a biannual forum, according to its website.

“I got so much out of Boston College; I am happy to be able to give back,” Chuck Clough said in the release.

Hosffman Ospino, chair of the STM’s department of religious education and pastoral ministry,

said in the release that the Cloughs’ donation affirms the vital role of the STM in Catholic theological and ministerial formation.

“I got so much out of Boston College; I am happy to be able to give back.”

“As a professor and researcher focused on preparing the next generation of ecclesial ministers that truly understand what it means to serve in a diverse church and a complex world, I am grateful for this support and the trust to forge ahead with pioneering spirit,” Ospino said in the release.

Margaret Eletta Guider, O.S.F., an associate professor of missiology

and professora ordinaria at the STM, said the Cloughs embody what it means to be “persons for others.”

“In countless ways they have modeled what it means to be of service to the people of God—in the Church and in the world,” Guider said in the release. “Through their gift, the generosity, self-giving, and leadership that have characterized their lives now takes the form of a legacy of inspiration and support for the future of theology and ministry here in the United States and throughout the world.”

Gloria Clough said in the release that the two are honored to support the University and the STM through their donation.

“Boston College has played a special role in the life of our family,” she said. “We are honored to support BC and its outstanding School of Theology and Ministry.” n

for the Church and its future because of the critical work that goes on here.”

STM Dean Michael C. McCarthy, S.J., said in the release that having the STM named after the Cloughs is a blessing.

“In so many ways, Gloria and Chuck Clough represent everything the [STM] stands for: a deep faith; a commitment to the Catholic Church over so many years of change, crisis,

PHOTO COURTESY OF GABBY D’ANGELO

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOSTON COLLEGE UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

The Cloughs gave $25 million to the STM, which is the largest donation to the STM in University history.

Swimmer Speaks Out About Hazing Scandal, Suspension

By Lucy Freeman News Editor

Katrina Sommer thought she found a community when she committed to the Boston College swim and dive program for her fifth year of eligibility. That is, until her swim career was effectively canceled in an eight-minute meeting with Athletics Director Blake James, she said.

“I was just beyond shocked I think,” Sommer, WCAS ’24, said. “I have a lot of respect for the AD, and I have a lot of respect for ADs in general, but I think that really shook my respect for Boston because I just have never experienced anything like that.”

Sommer transferred to BC last summer as a fifth-year graduate student, after spending her first four seasons at UCLA. She came to Chestnut Hill ready to compete at the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships and break team records, she said.

But on Sept. 20, University administrators placed the men’s and women’s swimming and diving program on indefinite suspension after allegations of hazing surfaced.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m a graduate student or I wasn’t knowledgeable enough, but I just didn’t experience anything personally that I thought was hazing,” Sommer said.

Sommer recently became the first member of the swim and dive program to speak publicly about the hazing scandal in a Boston Globe article, detailing the investigation of the program and expressing frustration with BC Athletics.

“I think the real issue was that we were dragged on for months without a lot of communication,” Sommer said. “A lot of parents reached out, I reached out. We tried to make things work. We tried to figure out what was happening. So I was just very sad with the lack of transparency.”

According to Sommer, she and many of her teammates were brought into the hazing allegations without proof of their involvement.

“I was roped in without any proof, or with the only association being my name on the roster, along with a lot of other people,” Sommer said.

In a statement to The Heights, University Spokesman Jack Dunn said BC took an appropriate stand against hazing and student misconduct with their decision.

“The University took a strong and appropriate stand against hazing and a team culture of student misconduct, and is unaffected by team members who feel entitled to a different outcome,” Dunn wrote to The Heights.

One mother of a swim and dive program member, who wished to remain anonymous, said her son and several other junior boys from the team were suspended on Sept. 11 without further information.

“My son called me and he said, ‘Mom, all of us at [Kirkwood Rd.], all the junior boys just got suspended,’” she said. “‘And I don’t know why—we have no idea. They just brought us into the office and said we’re suspended from swim. We didn’t do anything.

We don’t know what happened. We really have no clue what’s going on.’”

A few days later, her son and his fellow team members discovered their suspension was related to hazing allegations, the mother said.

“A couple days later, he says, ‘They’re accusing us of hazing,’” she said. “‘We haven’t done any hazing.

We don’t know what they’re talking about.’”

The mother also said her son and his teammates were constantly taunted on campus and social media.

“On Herrd, they were brutal, absolutely brutal,” she said. “They’ve been through the trenches together.”

Sommer said she and another member of the swim and dive program met with James before Winter Break, hoping to receive clarity about the immediate future of the program.

But Sommer said she was unable to make headway with James during the meeting.

“I understand he’s a busy person and he’s doing his best,” Sommer said.

“But in the meeting, I think it was just very circular arguments where he was like, ‘Oh, it’s team culture,’ but I was like, ‘Well the punishment’s been given. So it’s like, I’m a victim, I’m innocent, the people who are the victims—who are innocent—should be cleared.’ And he was like, ‘Well,

you’re a part of the issue.’”

According to Sommer, she was willing to have a dialogue with James about creating a hazing education program, but he shut her and her teammate down.

“I came to him, and I said, ‘You know, how can we work on this together to create a solution. Like, hazing’s the issue, you claim, but there are no programs for hazing.’”

Dunn said the University encourages everyone to recognize the seriousness of hazing.

“All of us must play a role in eradicating hazing from college sports,” Dunn wrote to The Heights. “Boston College, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Diane Freniere, and the BC students, parents, and alumni who have spoken out against the team’s culture have done their part. We welcome those who have refused to recognize the seriousness of this issue to do theirs.”

During Winter Break, Sommer and several of her teammates went to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado to prepare for their upcoming season. On Jan. 4, however, the team received an email informing them that their suspension had been extended through August.

“To be at this swim camp where I’m training for a season, and then to have that season so ripped away

from me over an email, I was just very emotional about that,” Sommer said.

Sommer said she and her teammates were trying to push through the suspension with the hopes of being able to compete in the spring, but their momentum felt like it “disappeared overnight.”

“There was an ethos of like, this is a punishment, but then, at the end of it, it’s going to be worth it, we’re gonna be able to play together as a team,” Sommer said. “So I think it was just a very hard experience. But I know in the world there’s harder things people experience, so I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining.”

Dunn said BC’s actions resulted from a thorough investigation into the program.

“The individual and team sanctions that Boston College issued to the swimming and diving program resulted from an extensive investigation that included interviews with student-athletes, coaches, and staff, and conduct hearings through the Office of the Dean of Students,” Dunn wrote in an email to The Heights.

Sommer said that while it was difficult to receive news that her swim career was over, she was able to get through it with the help of her teammates, who fostered a strong team culture.

Regardless, she said she felt bad for

others who lost their seasons as well.

“I really felt for the seniors and for the freshmen and for the juniors, and anyone else who had their season taken away,” Sommer said.

On the same day news broke of the swim and dive program’s suspension through August, BC announced that head coach Joe Brinkman and the team’s coaching staff were no longer with the program. Sommer said she was saddened by this because she committed to BC for the coaches, whom she knew better than the team at the time.

“I believe to the very depths of my soul that they’re wonderful coaches,” Sommer said. “And from my knowledge, I didn’t think they had any involvement with any of the allegations or knew anything.”

Sommer emphasized that she still loves Boston and the members of the BC community who have shown her kindness during the hazing allegations. She said she hopes to encourage other student-athletes to stand up for what they believe in.

“You can be brave and you can speak out about things you really care about,” Sommer said. “Hopefully, good things can come from that, but things won’t go perfectly in your college experience, and so we sort of have to make the best of those situations.” n

KAIT DEVIR / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

On Jan. 4, the University informed the swim and dive team that their suspension was extended through August 2024.

The Heights

Monday, February 19, 2024

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NEWS

BC Faculty Discuss the Role of AI at Universities

By Annika Engelbrecht Asst. News Editor Getting ahead of artificial intelligence (AI) and understanding the value of education is important in preventing total domination by AI, according to John FitzGibbon.

“If we can get out ahead of it … explaining to students about the value of history, the value of learning how to code, the value of economics, the value of theology, and communicate that, and then empower students to understand that before technology becomes pervasive, that’s where we have a huge opportunity,” Fitzgibbon said.

The Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences hosted a panel on Thursday to discuss the implications of AI on teaching, research, and learning in universities.

FitzGibbon, associate director of the Center for Digital Innovation in Learning, said professors should adapt to the presence of AI by changing their grading criteria and creating assignments that can’t be completed by AI. “Try ChatGPT out, see what it’s good at, see what it’s not good at, see what it’s missing, and that’s what you grade students on,” Fitz-

gibbon said. “[Students] have to answer the question asked, very specific questions that are answered. And you gotta have your own opinion and your own voice, and so generative AI cannot do any of it.”

AI can still be a tool for professors, according to Assistant Professor of Computer Science Nam Wook Kim, who said he uses ChatGPT in his research process to brainstorm ideas.

“In a way, my research process now like always starts with the brainstorming with ChatGPT,” Kim said. “So now I’m kind of— for all of the projects I’m doing right now—I’m always constantly thinking about how to orchestrate between these A.I.s and … human assistance.”

Professor of History Virginia Reinburg said she believes AI is another technology that humans will learn to work in tandem with.

“We’re looking at a theory of hybridity,” Reinburg said. “There’s not going to be a complete takeover of anything by this technology.”

Kim said that by using better judgment, humans can learn to use AI as a tool for amplifying their skills, and that while concerns

SEHO LEE / HEIGHTS STAFF

At the Dean’s Colloquium on Thursday, BC faculty spoke about the effects of AI on education at universities. about the impact of new technology are common, researchers are working to make AI more safe.

“Ever y time we have new technology, we have these issues, and it’s good that we are thinking about them,” Kim said. “But I think the future is bright, and I know that talented machine learning researchers are working on trying to give them more safe [performance management] systems.”

One of Kim’s fears when it comes to AI is that technology is

changing the expectations of how much work students should be able to produce.

“Now, with ChatGPT and many Ph.D. students, we are expecting Ph.D. students to produce more papers when they graduate,” Kim said. “We’re expecting undergrad students to have more things on their resume. Because we have this ChatGPT, our expectations also change as well.”

Reinburg said she uses AI to connect with her students who are

struggling to understand the computer system, and that struggling to understand AI is natural.

“I think it’s fine to struggle, and I want to see the students struggle, and I’m willing to expose my own struggles to them and to other people,” Reinburg said.

“That shows what’s human about what I’m doing, as opposed to something that is just a product that embraces all struggles, and produces a clear narrative of some kind.” n

BC Dining May Discontinue Bottled Drinks Senate, from A1 Later in the meeting, senators discussed ways to prevent breakins at students’ off-campus houses.

Meghan Heckelman, UGBC vice president and LSEHD ’25, said break-ins have been a consistent problem this year.

“BCPD gets involved and it seems like there’s not too much that the people who are living in a house can do because they’re breaking in,” Heckelman said. “It’s not really a matter of ‘lock your doors, lock your windows,’ because people are just breaking into the houses.”

Max Winkler, community relations committee chair and MCAS ’24, proposed collaborating with the Office of Off-Campus Student Living to compile a guidebook of advice from students who lived off-campus in previous years to

help rising juniors.

“I’m guessing most people that are living off-campus have never lived by themselves before, so I think some sort of collection of wisdom from people that were there last year, just to provide every year for people that are living off campus that year—I know a lot of people that will contribute to that,” Winkler said.

Senators also voiced support for organizing a UGBC Ring doorbell giveaway—potentially as part of a collaboration with BCPD or Student Affairs—that would seek to educate students about how to best protect their houses.

“I think it’s a great idea because a Ring doorbell isn’t necessarily cheap, so not everyone has the opportunity to purchase one to protect their off-campus house,” said Anika Rosengarten, student senator and MCAS ’24.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Jonah Kotzen, UGBC president and MCAS ’24, said students expressed concerns about funding clinicals and

practicums to University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., at a recent Alpha Sigma Nu event.

“We had a lunch with Father Leahy, and he asked us what were

some of our biggest concerns on campus and we brought up the practicum and clinical thing to him, so he’s aware of it,” Kotzen said. n

ALINA CHEN / HEIGHTS STAFF

The UGBC Senate discussed the potential removal of bottled drinks from BC dining halls on Tuesday evening.

Ng Writes About the Asian American Experience

By Ashley Hu Heights Staff Ashna Potluri For The Heights Author Celeste Ng recognizes that growing up in areas with very few Asian Americans played a critical role in shaping her perspective on the world.

“Sometimes people would see me and think, ‘She’s not from here,’” Ng said. “And I would think, ‘What do you mean? Like, this is where I was born.’ Thinking about that kind of disconnect, I think, is

fundamental to a lot of my writings.”

Ng, author of New York Times bestselling novels Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts, visited Boston College on Monday night as part of the Cornerstone Conversations series for first-year students.

Ng’s novel Little Fires Everywhere was adapted as a limited series on Hulu in 2020, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.

Ng’s novel Everything I Never Told You has been an integral

part of class discussions in the cornerstone seminar course, The Courage to Know, since its initial publication in 2014, according to Elizabethi Bracher, director of the cornerstone seminar program.

According to Ng, her purpose and writing style were critically shaped by her experience as a reader. Ng said she was a “voracious reader” throughout her early childhood and was especially drawn to books about places she had never been.

“Books that made me feel like I was traveling somewhere … taking

SEHO LEE / HEIGHTS STAFF

Ng said she shares her unique personal experiences as an Asian American through her narrative writing.

me to sort of foreign places that were different from the place that I was in,” she said.

But as she got older, Ng said her interest shifted toward books that she felt related to her personal experiences. However, the novels available during her formative years often lacked depictions of many cultures, particularly Asian culture, she said.

Due to this deficiency, she decided to integrate more of these cultural elements and conflicts into her writing by reflecting on her personal experiences and reaching out to those who were searching for similar representation, she said.

“I was learning about different ways of being Asian American, or how those two things go together,” Ng said. “It was actually a really formative experience, in some ways, of recognizing really positive ways in which Asian identity and ‘American identity’ could merge, and then other ways of recognizing that there was hostility in the world.”

Ng said one of her primary goals as a writer is to provide readers with fresh and nuanced perspectives.

In the process of writing her novel Everything I Never Told You, Ng said she underwent four drafts before settling on the opening sen-

tence, “Lydia is dead.”

“I like drama and messiness,” Ng said. “A lot of the story comes from trouble and figuring out how you are dealing with that, and so I like there to be trouble in the books that I read, and I want to write books that have that.”

Ng said she often opens her books with a blunt and revealing lede because she prefers to be direct with readers. Through just the first few sentences of her stories, readers can decide whether they wish to delve further into the narrative or not, she said.

“If that’s not your thing, no problem,” Ng said. “There’s a lot of other books out there. But I think that all of that comes from me being a reader and really just wanting the book to be enjoyable and interesting and pleasurable.”

Ng said another one of her largest goals is for readers to recognize their unique perspectives while also understanding the position of others. These varied viewpoints can offer deeper insights and foster a stronger connection to the realm of imagination, she said.

“The way that you experience things or what your opinions are are not necessarily what everybody else has, and people will recognize that they have different experiences and viewpoints,” Ng said. n

NEWTON Monday, February 19, 2024

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The Heights

Newton City Council, School Commitee Talk Budget, New Parent Communication Platform

By Brendan O’Friel Heights Staff

The Newton City Council and Newton School Committee discussed budgeting shortfalls and a new communication platform for parents in a joint meeting Monday night.

“We have some real issues that we need to address now,” Newton School Committee Chair Chris Brezski said.

Brezski explained the city will need to make up for some budgeting gaps.

“The growth of our student needs is exceeding the growth of city revenue,” Brezski said.

Brezski mentioned students’ needs have changed due to missing out on in-person learning during the pandemic, and said that must be factored in when discussing funding.

“Our kids weren’t in school for the better part of a year, and that had a really destructive force on how they developed,” Breszki said.

“This is part of the equation of how we have to think about funding.”

One of the ways to address this learning loss is to reduce class sizes and enhance individualized attention, according to Anna Nolin, Newton Public Schools (NPS)

superintendent.

Nolin explained the average class sizes range between 27 and 32 students across Newton North and Newton South High Schools.

“If there are 32 students in your class, and you have a 50-minute class period, how much personalized attention do you think students are receiving in those classrooms?”

Nolin said.

Nolin mentioned how large class sizes reduce the quality of students’ learning.

“In some of our lab classes, it’s almost impossible to execute the lab with that many young people in one class,” Nolin explained.

NPS will also launch a new method of communication with families as part of its goal of increased transparency and language accessibility, according to Nolin.

“We’re about to move to a different, multilingual, multi-resource parent communication platform, that has a social media–like interface, so it’s like Facebook,” Nolin said.

Nolin said the new platform will allow families to better communicate with teachers and administrators.

“People subscribe to it in their home language, and it makes it very easy for anyone to communicate

with families across the system,” she said.

Nolin emphasized the importance of improving the NPS’ communications with families.

“Newton parents need us to build trust with them, of how are their children doing on that continuum of learning and skill acquisition,” Nolin said. “We should be able to give real-time information about student progress over time, and we don’t have the tools currently in

place across all subject areas and within the system.”

Nolin stressed the importance of restoring school programs that had to be cut due to budgeting.

“Students often have open parts of their schedule because there are no electives available due to budget cuts for that slot to be filled,” she said. “I want those electives restored.”

Concluding the meeting, Ward 7 Councilor-at-Large Marc Laredo

briefly discussed the recent teacher strike and thanked the committee for its work during that time.

“I was incredibly proud of how this council handled the school strike situation,” he said. “I think we came together. I like to think we are quite supportive of our school committee, our school superintendent, the administration, and our understanding, at the same time, the legitimate concerns and needs of our teachers.” n

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

The meeting was delayed due to the Newton Teachers Association strike earlier this month.

School Committee Chair, NPS Teacher, Reflect on Strike Newton Schools, from A1

LANEY MCADEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Zoning and Planning Committee Discuss Building Preservation

By Laney McAden Asst. Newton Editor

Newton City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee discussed possible amendments to city zoning laws to enhance the preservation of existing homes across Newton on Thursday night.

This discussion comes after the previous City Council passed the Village Center Overlay District in December, which loosened restrictions on the construction of multi-family housing in certain areas.

“This is about eliciting a prioritization of understanding the loss of moderately priced homes,” said Newton Long Range Planner Zachery LeMel. “There is a goal to create an opportunity for either existing starter homes to be maintained as starter homes, or for the new development or construction of starter homes.”

Much of this issue stems from larger remodels that are both housing multiple families within a single tenement and becoming more expensive, making them marketable to only specific demographics, according to Ward 6 Councilor-at-Large Victoria Danberg.

“There are several houses that

have been torn down in my neighborhood and replaced with slightly larger homes, but instead of being a single-family home, there are three and sometimes four units,” Danberg said.

Ward 3 Councilor Julia Malakie explained that while residents are technically following the new zoning regulations, the system as it is now incentivizes demolishing older homes in Newton and replacing them with larger, more expensive developments, leading to the loss of moderately priced homes.

“Just the existence of zoning puts some limits on what you can do with your property,” Malakie said. “And in exchange, you get predictability and you get some benefits of not having crazy stuff go up next door to you. I don’t think the purpose of zoning is to maximize the resale value of their property.”

Malakie said the new developments also raise some environmental concerns. For example, bigger housing requires underground retainment systems and tanks to replace the natural stormwater containment, according to Malakie.

“We’re losing green space, we’re losing trees,” Malakie said.

“We’ve got builders maximizing the footprints of houses, instead of just

keeping the trees and the grass that we’ve got that people enjoy and that contribute all the other benefits in terms of cooling the air and getting rid of air pollution.”

According to Ward 7 Councilor R. Lisle Baker, the problem surrounding the preservation of existing homes across Newton is more complicated than merely sustaining the houses that already exist.

“There is the question of dimensional controls on what gets built … so that the larger, more expensive structures don’t get built to replace them,” Baker said.

Baker explained that before they can begin offering new construction options, they need to consider ways to limit the opportunity to demolish and renovate older homes.

“Otherwise, we’ve decided, instead of replacing the charters in Ward 8 with big, single-family structures, we’re replacing it with big, multi-family residences,” Baker said. “You’re going to end up with the same difficulty.”

The Committee voted 7–0 on a motion to hold from Ward 4 Councilor-at-Large Joshua Krintzman and will re-address the issue following communication with Newton’s Department of Planning and Development. n

Normandin emphasized that the school district’s central office, as well as city leadership, did not change after the strike.

“This battle is over, but the same people who were making these decisions are still on the school committee, and we still have the same superintendent, and we still have the same mayor,” Normandin said.

Brezski, whose school committee term began 18 days before the beginning of the strike, called for empathy on both sides of the issue.

“ T h i s b att l e i s over, but the same people who were making these decisions are still on the school committee.”

“You’re talking about a group of people who have devoted their careers to educating our kids,” Brezski said. “And on the other

side, you’re talking about, you know, a group of people who are effectively just volunteers, because they care about public education.”

All sitting school committee members ran unopposed in 2023, but Normandin said Ne w ton citizens are preparing to support new candidates for the next school committee election in 2025.

“There’s a huge amount of energy around doing this, so I don’t think they will be unopposed,” Normandin said. “I think that education and education spending will be at the forefront of the next election.”

Brezski hopes to mend the relationship between teachers, families, and school leadership through community engagement. “[Superintendendent Anna] Nolin and I are hosting next week and the week after some, like, larger scale, community events, where folks will have the opportunity to, you know, kind of ask us whatever they need to ask, get things off their chests,” Brezski said.

Even though the strike is over, there is still work to be done, Brezski said.

“You know, you have this very acute stress that has now been relieved, but I mean, it’s left a lot of damage in its wake,” Brezski said. n

GENEVIEVE MORRISON / HEIGHTS EDITOR

All school committee seats were uncontested in November’s elections.

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Eagles Down the Aisle: Some BC Alumni Return to Campus for Their Wedding Day

By Spencer Steppe Magazine Editor Lyla Walsh Assoc. Magazine Editor On Monday night, 4775 Boston College students received an email with the name of a fellow student who the Boston College Marriage Pact survey determined was their other half.

Of course, many of these students won’t so much as meet up for coffee, let alone walk down the aisle together some day.

But some people do find their other half at B C. And among that group, an even smaller portion return to BC to get married—there are six different BC-affiliated wedding locations to pick from.

For many alumni, getting married at BC is an obvious choice.

After growing up in a BC family and meeting her husband Robert at BC, Erin Linnoila knew she wanted to

staff separate from Campus Ministry, according to Ellen Modica, campus minister for Catechesis.

“We take care of the weddings that basically happen at Trinity Chapel, although occasionally we’ll do a wedding at the chapel at the School of Theology and Ministry,” Modica said.

In addition to these options, BC Events Management holds weddings at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue, The Connors Center, and The Dane Estate.

According to Modica, these weddings are not sacramental Catholic weddings and therefore aren’t organized by Campus Ministry. “ Yo u , a s a Catholic, could get married wherever you want, but it wouldn’t be considered to be a sacramental wedding,” Modica said. “So BC offers that possibility, but they’re not within the Catholic Church, so we don’t have any responsibility for that.”

For those who choose to marry in the Catholic church, they are required to first participate in a

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM PAGGI

Paggi proposed and, two years later, married his wife on the Heights. get married at St. Ignatius. marriage preparation course called “It's always been a very special Pre-Cana. Because of this, BC holds place to me and my family,” Erin, BC a marriage preparation program of ’11, said. “I knew especially because its own, led by Tony Penna, Associwe met at Boston College, that it was ate Vice President and Director of even more special. And I grew up Campus Ministry.

Catholic. So I really wanted to get “It’s open to members of St. married at St. Ignatius.”

Ignatius parish who are planning Adam Paggi, BC ’07, also mar- to marry and people who have an ried his wife, Kim Paggi, at St. Ig- affiliation in some way with Boston natius. He said the parish was very College,” Penna said. flexible during the planning process, According to Penna, two proallowing the couple to bring per- grams are held each year—one in the sonal elements into their ceremony. fall and one in the spring—each with “They were awesome with us 15 to 20 engaged couples preparing bringing in a couple of priests who to be married within the Catholic were close to us, and then Kim Church. had a nondenominational minister who came,” Paggi said. “They were just super accommodating, very, very open, and they managed to allow us to really customize the wedding to reflect the day we wanted it to be.”

The staff at St. Ignatius were helpful in the wedding planning process while still letting Paggi and During the program, Penna said his wife cater the wedding to their that engaged couples learn from families, he said. married couples who present on “We wanted it to be representing different topics such as finances, both our families and our story, and communication, sexuality, and BC was super on board with that, spirituality. which was great,” Paggi said.

“They take a theme and then St. Ignatius has its own wedding they reflect upon it, how they have

experienced living the theme in their own married life,” Penna said. “So they talk from their own personal experience. They tell their story and the engaged couples are invited to listen in.”

The program takes place at the 825 Centre Street building on Newton Campus, according to Penna.

Returning to BC for the marriage preparation classes is exciting for former students, he said.

“Many people were former students at BC, so it’s kind of like homecoming in a way, they’re kind of excited,” Penna said. “It brings them back to BC in a very wonderful way.”

Penna said preparation is a vital part of the marriage planning process.

“There is no greater thing that Boston College can do for a couple that’s thinking about marriage than to support them in their preparation for marriage,” he said.

Erin and her husband participated in BC’s marriage preparation workshop before their wedding.

Erin said it was a great experience that included group discussions and gave insight into how to have a successful marriage.

“They had real couples come in … who share their stories of common things you may run into from marriage and how to prepare to have a successful marriage,” Erin said. “It was just nice to hear from real people, real stories and their experiences.”

A lot of planning goes into having a sacramental wedding through Campus Ministry, Modica said.

“The first question would be whether they’re having a full Eucharistic liturgy—they’re having communion consecrated and receiving communion—or whether they’re having a wedding ceremony, which is considered to be a liturgy but is not a Eucharistic liturgy,” Modica said.

If the couple decides to have a Eucharistic liturgy, Modica said the next step is to plan out how many people will be receiving communion and what vessels to bring.

She also said she talks to the bride and groom about what paperwork needs to be done, what readings to prepare for the ceremony, and how the procession will go.

“What I want to do is, by the time the bride and groom get to the rehearsal, we have talked through all of the things that need to happen,” Modica said.

Maura Scheve, BC ’13, and her husband John had their ceremony through Campus Ministry in Trinity Chapel and their reception at 2101 Commonwealth. According to Scheve, they were the second couple to hold a reception at 2101 after hearing about the venue from a family friend.

“We just went to see it because obviously I knew that the campus was so pretty and I know the area so well, and it was beautiful,” Scheve said. “We got to put a tent right over that back lawn, so it was really cool. It was a really nice venue.”

Scheve and her husband were also able to book BC’s buses for transportation from their Trinity Chapel ceremony to their reception at 2101 Commonwealth.

“We were able to book the BC buses as our transport because the students were gone,” Scheve said.

“They weren’t really being used, and transportation is expensive, so we did the BC buses which was hilarious. That was so fun. Everyone loved that.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN LINNOILA.

Erin Linnoila always knew she wanted to get married at St. Ignatius.

When it came to the music for who met on campus. Paggi said the his ceremony, Paggi said the staff at memories he and his wife shared St. Ignatius was especially helpful, on campus made their BC wedding finding an organist and a trumpet even more special. player whose music ended up being “We had so many memories of one of the most memorable parts of how we started together there on the event. campus,” Paggi said. “So to have “It was very regal having Kim those memories and then be able to come down the aisle with the organ create these real new core memories and the trumpet,” Paggi said. in the same spot that was already so When she works at weddings, special to us, it was amazing.”

Modica said she helps prepare the Erin also said returning to cambride and groom to walk down pus for her wedding was a full-circle the aisle. moment for her and all her BC “I get to see the groom and wish alumni guests. him congratulations “We might’ve been only before I work with the one of the few that got bride at the back,” married back at BosModica said. “I see ton College, so it was the bride right beespecially fun for all fore she’s walking our friends,” Erin down the aisle, said. “It was really and I say ‘Are you fun to have an ready? You look excuse to come great.’” back to the colWatching lege. People went the excitement off and took picof the bride, tures in front of groom, and their Gasson.” families is one of Robert said his the best parts of wedding brought up her job, Modica many memories from said. his time at BC, making “I always the experience particustand in the larly special. back as “That was a huge experience,” Robert said. “We have all they’re walking down so I can look at these pictures around, with us and them and say, ‘Congratulations,’ and our friends in places that really I can see their parents who are very mean a lot to us specifically, which excited about all of this,” Modica I think is unique, not just a pretty said. “I’ve hopefully done my job well picture in a random city.” and made them feel comfortable, Erin and Robert both said that and they’ve just had a sacrament getting married at BC made their and they’ve just gotten married, and wedding more meaningful. that’s to be congratulated.”

“It’s such a special place to both Getting married at BC is a of us and just to be married there full-circle moment for couples was even more special," Erin said.n

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN LINNOILA

Erin and Robert Linnoila participated in BC's marriage preparation program.

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Students Transform Education With MLV Ignite

By Juliana Parisi Heights Staff

Most students have been there—sitting in a required high school course, asking themselves why they are there. Many students sit through classes they have no interest in, thinking, “Why do I have to memorize the quadratic equation?” Or, “Why do we have to discuss the significance of a green light in The Great Gatsby?”

One of the most difficult elements of high school is how few courses seem to inspire future careers or relate to skills that directly translate to the workforce, Dylan Kim, MCAS ’26 and Timothy Liu, CSOM ’26, said.

To address this issue, the pair co-founded MLV Ignite, an educational technology company offering summer and winter courses for high school students interested in entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

“We saw a problem in schools,” Kim said. “You don’t really use what you learn in high school for a job, maybe in college. So what we wanted to do was offer things like entrepreneurship education and financial literacy, things that I personally think really matter in helping students understand what they really want to do with their lives.”

MLV Ignite is based in Vietnam, Kim’s home country, where they offer summer and winter programs for high school students. This past winter, 110 students applied for the company’s inaugural seven-day program—10 were accepted.

MLV’s courses focus on reflection and project-based learning, Kim said. During the program, the students are facilitated through the process of creating their own companies.

“Teaching them by giving them homework and tests—we thought that just wasn’t the right approach,” Kim said. “What I told the students, the most important part about this program isn’t what you do during it, but what you do after the program.

We are just the starting point.”

Although Kim and Liu are only second-year college students, they are experienced entrepreneurs, as this is Kim’s third startup.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim co-founded an app that provided academic support to students struggling with online learning.

The platform gained interest from a company called Fiveable, and Kim sold his app to them for over six figures in his junior year of high school, he said “People who already excelled at school did even better, but I just felt like that was an injustice to those who were already struggling in person,” Kim said. “Without the guidance of a teacher constantly over them, they were bound to struggle even more.”

When Kim started college, he passed the company off to trusted colleagues so he could focus on becoming acclimated to college life and living in Boston.

In his first year at BC, Kim met Liu through BC’s Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship, and the two connected through their similar interests in education, social justice, and entrepreneurship.

“Like Dylan, I was interested in entrepreneurship because that was a childhood dream of owning a business,” said Liu. “Especially nowadays, because of social media … as long as you have a computer, you can start learning how to make a business and make money online.”

Liu works on the financial and banking side of MLV Ignite, which Kim said makes him a great partner. “[Liu is] very finance-minded, a logical-thinking guy, while I’m more creative,” Kim said. “If I say something super absurd and unfeasible for the next five years, he’s more like, ‘How do we get there,’ and we break it down into a yearly goal, which works perfectly.”

Kim’s role is similar to that of a CEO, Liu said.

For their inaugural winter program, Liu said he conducted market research to understand entrepreneurship and education in Vietnam,

PHOTO COURTESY OF DYLAN KIM

With MLV Ignite, Dylan Kim and Timothy Liu mentor high schoolers interested in creating their own startups. searching for sponsorships and I try to see opportunities where I participated in MLV Ignite’s winter companies focused on education can apply what I learn from reading program. He said the experience who might be interested in working books.” gave him unique and exciting opwith them.

Without the COVID-19 pan- portunities.

“It is more of a learning expe- demic, Kim said he might never “I’ve always had a passion for rience for me right now,” Liu said. have begun a start-up so early in entrepreneurship, not because I “Being a co-founder of a startup, life. In turn, his goal for MLV Ignite want to make a lot of money, but to you have to learn a lot. You give is to allow students to delve into make my dreams and projects come yourself a title—I’m CFO of fi- entrepreneurship. true,” Mau said. “When I found nance—but really, it’s about learn“When I was in high school, MLV, I thought it had a vision. I’m ing how to do different roles. Learn- I did have this opportunity,” Kim not the only one with this dream. ing how to do market research and said. “I want to give that to others MLV took the opportunity of this contact sponsors. How to do all of to see if they also are interested market in Vietnam and provided these things that are all applicable in following a similar path as me, the perfect course for it.” skills to any job. That’s the beauty building companies at an earlier During his time at MLV Ignite, of entrepreneurship.” age.”

Mau worked on developing an app Because Liu did not begin MLV This aim for accessibility can to connect high school students inIgnite with as much experience as be seen in MLV Ignite’s cost and terested in becoming International Kim, he described the startup as a financial aid practices. While it is Baccalaureate or Advanced Placemajor learning opportunity. a paid program, costing $200-$300, ment level tutors with students who “It’s an interesting dynamic,” Kim said similar programs typically are in need of academic assistance Liu said. “Our company is about cost about $6500. but might not have the money for teaching entrepreneurship, but at In the long term, MLV Ignite a private tutor. the same time, I was learning ev- also aims to work directly with Thanks to MLV Ignite, Mau said erything, learning as I go. Trying schools so students do not have to the startup is already underway. to learn everything I could about pay out of pocket.

“After the program, I have a entrepreneurship while building a “I told Tim that I don’t care if clear view of what starting a busistartup was awesome.” we are profit negative as long as we ness needs,” said Mau. “Dylan isn’t This process of learning by do- make an impact,” Kim said. “Money much older, but he has a very big ing reflects how Kim obtained the will always follow if you make an connection. He’s basically living skills that made his past startups impact. That said, we are heavily my dream. When I told him that, successful. relying on the generosity of a lot of he said I should aim higher. He “I feel like most of it was learn- sponsors who agree on our mission is a resource to me and is always ing by doing, which is what I really to help these students.” happy to introduce me to people advocate,” Kim said. “You have to Khoa Minh Nguyen Mau is one and help people who want to be actively do what you want to do. of the high school students who entrepreneurs reach their goals.” n

The Many Post-Valentine’s Day Moods of BC Students

By Callie Oxford Heights Editor

Here are the different types of BC students after Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is filled with love, heartache, budding relationships, and regret for letting the perfect one slip away. While the day has already come and gone, the Boston College campus is still buzzing with all of the feels.

I’ve noticed that BC students span an array of moods in the wake of their Feb. 14 festivities. Remember, no matter what category you fit into this year, we all have next year to hang on to.

On Cloud-9 If you found someone special to spend your Valentine’s Day with, congratulations! Most BC students are probably jealous of you right now.

Valentine’s Day this year was cold, but your day was filled with love and warmth, and now you can’t stop smiling as you walk through the Quad.

With any luck, you found your lifelong valentine and will contin-

ue to live in rom-com bliss—just make sure to leave some love for the rest of us!

Future Focused Now we have the optimists— the ones holding out for love like it’s their full-time j ob. For many of these folks, Valentine’s Day meant redownloading Tinder and swiping right with hopes of finding a big love story.

Or maybe the holiday made you

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

ready to level up your situationship and move things from casual to committed. Either way, you’re on the path to find your soulmate, and hopefully next year will be your year.

Hindsight Remorse Of course, we can’t forget ab out those feeling a bit of post-Valentine’s Day regret. The classic case of the “shoulda , coulda , woulda” is buzzing through campus right now. Perhaps you reached out to your BC Marriage Pact, and they ghosted you. Maybe you missed your chance with your campus crush. Maybe you even shot your shot with that gym crush in the Plex to no avail. So it didn’t work out … yet.

Even if you are a little bit embarrassed, don’t be too bummed—more chances will come!

Gloomy-Hearted If you have a case of the post-Valentine’s Day blues, don’t panic—I promise you aren’t the only one. Maybe you’re dealing with a breakup, or maybe the feeling of loneliness hit a little bit harder this year.

Scrolling through Instagram and seeing the countless story posts likely took a toll, so try taking a scroll through Herrd instead. It’s

sure to make you laugh.

If you see a couple cuddling in McElroy, just keep your head up and let them be—your fairytale ending will c o m e soon.

Content and Calm Finally, let’s not forget about those who are perfectly content with their Valentine’s Day situation—no matter what it may be.

Whether you’re flying solo this year, having a little Galentine’s brunch, or enjoying pizza and beer with the guys at The Circle, I admire you for making the best of your situation.

Clearly, y o u ’r e just a lover of life, and t h e r e ’s n o better way to be. Don’t let anyone ruin your serenity—the best things come when you least expect it!

No matter if you’re head over heels in love, watching a romcom with a box of tissues, or just hanging out with your friends, remember that this is all part of the journey.

I assure you, there’s plenty more love (and heartache) to come in your time at BC. n

OPINIONS

Monday, February 19, 2024

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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 (Limiting) Language of Love

Makayla Hickey I am a collector of words. I pull them from book pages and song lyrics, stashing them away for safekeeping.

I was recently scrolling through the never-ending list of words in my Notes app, scanning over hundreds of combinations of letters that meant something to me at one point or another in my life. Blandiloquent. Eunoia.

Apricity. I might not remember the exact conversations or pages of print that I’ve pulled these words from, but each and every one reminded me of the beauty in language—the ability to transform an emotion or a phenomenon into a singular word, understandable to an entire linguistic community.

Looking over the list of uniquities I’ve collected over the years, I started thinking about the more commonplace words that have worked their way into my permanent vocabulary—the ones not featured on my list but used to exhaustion each day.

One in particular stood out to me: love. A word that has become my default Instagram comment and woven its way into nearly every compliment I dole out. It ends phone calls with my parents and is exclaimed by my roommates on the daily. Despite the lack of romantic love in my life, the omnipresence of love in its more nontraditional forms piqued my interest. Naturally, the questions began flooding my brain.

If there are so many unique expressions of love, why do we use the same four letters to

denote each one of them?

Why can happiness be defined by exuberance or joy and anger by fury or indignation, yet love is given no synonyms of the sort?

Sure, there are words like lust and obsession, but no widely used terms exist to stand in love’s place, at least none that retain the same level of sincerity. Because love is supposed to be sincere, right?

So, rather than spend February dodging lovestruck couples and penning bitter journal entries, I decided to do what any logical language enthusiast would—take a deep dive into the origins of the language behind love and investigate its ambiguity.

Looking back at the etymology of “love,” the word is originally rooted in ideas of affection (from the Middle English lufu) and joy (from the Germanic lubo). Interestingly enough, these roots do not indicate the kind of reciprocity commonly associated with the version of love sought by so many today. These roots are more akin to ideas of care and happiness, something that can be gained through experience and interaction, stretching beyond the limits of romance.

Though the word “love,” as we understand it today, has its origins in 13th-century language, the concept of love has stood at the center of society for millennia. The ancient Greeks took a more targeted approach to capturing love, using eight different words to explain a broad range of obsessive or enduring phenomena. From “philia,” or friendship love, to “philautia,” self-love, the Greeks viewed each unique display of affection as a phenomenon unto itself, broadening the scope of love rather than confining it to a single four letters like we do today.

So how can love span both mutual and unreciprocated feelings, encompass romance and platonism, and be both given and felt? By using the word in such a variety of ways, we are simultaneously overgeneralizing and severely restricting love in our language.

The more I weighed my usage of the word,

To Feel Seen

Emmbrooke Flather This story starts at 5 a.m., though it easily could have begun much later. With a bus scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. from a station barely five minutes away from my hotel, a few more hours of sleep would’ve been the logical decision. Unfortunately, traveling makes me highly paranoid, so there I was, in a full-blown panic, rushing to make a bus that wouldn’t depart for another four hours.

There’s just one problem. The Megabus website was very clear—passengers are only allowed one large suitcase and one carry-on. Unfortunately, by the time I learned this crucial piece of information, I’d already hauled two giant duffel bags across the country, trying to reach Penn State for my freshman year of college. It was too late to do anything but arrive at the station with my two suitcases in tow, hoping the driver would somehow not notice.

Once I reached the front of the line to board the bus, I confidently gave the driver both bags, and he swung them into the luggage compartment without a word. I was in luck!

As I triumphantly marched onto the bus, glad to be free of that worry, I settled into my seat, ready for a nice long bus ride full of Slim Jims and dramatic daydreaming of what life might be like at Penn State. My daydreaming was interrupted, however, when the driver began talking over the loudspeaker.

Here’s the thing—I’ve heard dozens of these introductory bus speeches. It’s always a rather dull affair, the most memorable part of which warns about the perils of using the bus bathroom while driving over bumpy terrain. Other than the hilarious imagery of that possibility, I typically zone out the entire thing.

But this time was different. It was hands

down the most thoughtful speech I had ever listened to. The driver introduced himself as Martin and gave us all the usual, run-of-the-mill logistics, yet delivered them in a way that was anything but mundane. He repeatedly emphasized respect, courtesy, and kindness toward fellow passengers, as if he were presenting an anti-bullying speech at a school assembly.

He asked us to look around and keep track of everyone sitting nearby so no one would get left behind at the rest stop.

This was especially shocking because most drivers justifiably take the approach of “it’s your individual responsibility to make sure you don’t get left.” But Martin saw this trip as a communal experience and kept saying all of his policies were “for your safety and mine.” He did make sure to emphasize, however, that it was against Megabus policy for him to help us unload our luggage—we’d have to do that part ourselves.

Undoubtedly, this speech went far beyond what he was obligated to do for his job and transformed the groggy bus environment into one that was warm and welcoming.

And then, right before signing off for the ride, he announced, “I do have one thing to add, and please know I truly don’t at all mean to disrespect anyone in any way, I really want to be courteous to all passengers, but just for future reference, only one suitcase is allowed on megabuses. Normally it would come with a fee, which I won’t charge, but just please know only one bag is allowed—there’s only so much weight the bus can carry. But it is okay, we’ve got the luggage secured. And again, I don’t mean at all to disrespect anyone.”

I was astonished. Not only was he kind enough not to charge anyone, but he hadn’t embarrassed me at all when putting the luggage on the bus earlier, opting instead to simply load it without a word.

Three hours later, the bus stopped to refuel, giving us a 20-minute break. As soon as we were allowed off, I approached Martin, apologized for loading the extra luggage, and thanked him for his compassion. Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out a giant pretzel Reese’s bar and a giant M&M’s bag, both of which I’d bought from the gas station. I then asked him to choose whichever one he preferred as a thank

the more I wondered whether it was losing its meaning each time I said it. For the sheer number of times the word “love” comes out of my mouth in a day, how often am I actually using it in its truest sense?

Telling my best friends I love them obviously carries more weight than expressing my love for Trader Joe’s. A quick observation of human behavior would reveal the clear distinction between saying “I love you” in a romantic context versus a platonic one—what might be said to someone you’ve been friends with for a week often takes months to be revealed in a relationship.

We are aware that the context in which “love” is used weighs heavily into its meaning.

And even though our subconscious knows the difference, the word “love” is still thrown around carelessly.

I’m not saying we need a complete upheaval of the English language, but I believe acknowledging the breadth of emotions and experiences encapsulated by the four letters of “love” is the only way to truly understand it.

Love weaves its way into each of our lives in countless forms, many of which we may not even realize. There’s platonic love, romantic love, materialistic love. And just because I have never been in love, in the traditional sense, does not mean that I have not felt love for so many people, places, and experiences throughout my life.

Love holds a unique meaning in the eyes of every beholder, and it’s time to begin recognizing love as a word without limits—something that is not strictly limited to romance but is instead an integral part of every sector of the human experience.

This may just be the beauty of an ongoing effort to cement the feeling of love into words.

Maybe love truly is a word that cannot be constrained to one definition as it encompasses multitudes in each of our lives.

Makayla Hickey is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at makayla.hickey@bcheights.com.

BC Performing Arts

From BCID’s “Eire’s Show” to SASA’s culture show, this past week has been jam-packed with performances from BC’s incredible arts groups. Sexual Chocolate’s 25th anniversary show drew an impressive crowd to Robsham, and campus is already filled with excitement for the much-anticipated ALC Showdown later this semester. We can hardly wait for the a cappella concerts, dance-offs, and culture shows to come!

Valentine’s Day

Last Wednesday marked one of the most controversial days of the year: Valentine’s Day. Whether your plans included a dinner date or a night in with friends, nobody can deny that love was in the air as candy-grams were delivered to dorm rooms and buckets overflowing with roses filled the quad. From pink and red garlands in eight-man windows to hearts adorning the library walls, Valentine’s Day is another excuse to deck out campus in decorations. Even if you don’t love Valentine’s Day itself, the halfoff chocolates in the days following are certainly a perk nobody can resist.

GRAPHICS BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

you for his kindness.

Then, even though I knew he must hear these sentiments all the time, I proceeded to express my genuine appreciation for his thoughtful introductory speech, despite knowing my gratitude might not faze him. Instead, he lit up at my words with a smile more radiant than the sun, telling me no one had ever appreciated or acknowledged all the effort he put into his speeches.

Later, as we pulled into the Walmart parking lot, the overhead speaker crackled and out came this: “Contrary to what I told you all earlier, I will be getting off the bus and helping everyone unload their luggage. You can all thank the person I met earlier today who showed me kindness and inspired me to do the same.”

The moral of this story is simple. We gladly inform others when they’re doing something wrong, but when they do something positive, we assume they must know they’re doing well, so we don’t bother to tell them. But people should be acknowledged often and without restraint, so that’s what I did. And Martin was so moved by this simple act of recognition that he paid it forward with his own act of kindness.

Yet, the implications of this lesson go even deeper. I believe one of the greatest endeavors any of us can embark on is discovering and putting into words exactly what makes our loved ones rare. Indeed, far more impactful than the words “I love you” is holding up a mirror to another person so they see everything you see in them—to give them the power to love themselves completely independent of you.

To feel genuinely seen and understood is perhaps the most meaningful part of the human experience. It’s a feeling that, whether through prose or paint, artists spanning millennia have spent their whole lives trying to capture. Yet the only tool that can truly capture this feeling is human connection.

So I invite you to embark on this journey, as I have, to discover and articulate exactly what makes your friends and family uniquely deserving of love. Believe me, it’s the ride of a lifetime.

Emmbrooke Flather is a columnist for The Heights.

She can be reached at emmbrooke.flather@bc.edu.

Marriage Pact

In the wake of Valentine’s Day and Marriage Pact match releases, love should be in the air. But, in a turn of events, it seems to be the complete opposite. After weeks of anticipating whether the names of class crushes would land in our inboxes on Monday night, campus seems to be filled with an overwhelming sense of disappointment post-Marriage Pact. While the algorithm might have favored a handful of us, an influx of outraged Herrd posts are enough to prove that Marriage Pact isn’t always the answer to love.

BC Dining

A month into second semester, we’ve reached the point where students are looking forward to two breaks: Spring Break and their break from dining hall dinners. Chicken and two sides gets old fast, and while BC Dining is trying its best to introduce new options, there’s only so much rice we can handle in a week. With threats to remove bottled drinks and never-ending lines during the 6 p.m. dinner rush, it’s safe to say that we could all use a few weeks away from the dining halls. All we can do now is hope that breakfast potatoes are awaiting us upon our return.

EDITORIAL The Heights

Monday, February 19, 2024

A8

BC Study Abroad Students Pay HomeTuition. BC Should Justify This Policy.

Two weeks ago, 1,033 Boston College students received their 2024-25 study abroad placements.

When considering the opportunity of studying abroad, a key factor for many of these students and their families is the financial burden. Students often must find their own housing in their program’s respective city, budget food costs, fund travel expenses, and more.

But above all these expenses is the glaring first cost of every abroad program: tuition.

No matter which program a student enrolls in, BC requires them to pay $33,205 in tuition, the same price they would pay for classes in Chestnut Hill.

Students who receive financial aid through the University receive the same aid packages while abroad.

Some abroad locations are considered “BC in” programs, at which BC has a direct partnership with the host university. The rest of the locations are at “approved external programs,” which have no direct BC affiliation.

Similar to BC, Duke University offers students the opportunity to study abroad through either an external program or a “Duke-In” program. Like at BC, “Duke-In” programs require students to pay home-university tuition. But the cost of external programs—which are the majority of the abroad locations offered by both BC and Duke—is a different story DIS Stockholm is an external program available to both BC and Duke students. BC requires students who attend this program to pay a full BC tuition of $33,205.

Duke only requires students who attend this program to pay the host-school’s tuition

of $22,050.

For the same experience, BC students pay $11,155 more.

Like DIS Stockholm, the majority of the external programs BC students are approved to study abroad at have lower tuition rates than BC. Larry Pickener, director of BC’s Office of Global Education (OGE), said BC’s home school tuition policy makes abroad more equitable by allowing students on financial aid to receive aid while abroad.

“By paying tuition directly to Boston College, students who are on financial aid may apply their financial aid to any program approved by the Office of Global Education,” Pickner wrote in a statement to The Heights.

“Home school tuition also allows OGE to better exercise its duty of care with all students who are abroad.”

While this may seem like a noble line of reason, why is a fairly priced tuition payment mutually exclusive with students’ ability to receive financial aid during their time abroad?

Duke, for instance, provides the same financial aid to students who study abroad at external programs. Regardless of whether a student is paying Duke tuition or the tuition of their host university, they can still receive financial aid.

BC also emphasizes the efforts it makes to provide vast services to students while abroad, which are factored into the tuition pricing. This ranges from resident directors to safety monitoring ensuring students avoid danger.

Does the expense of these services justify the additional cost that a full BC tuition creates?

Perhaps. Unfortunately, there’s no way

for students to know. In the case of DIS Stockholm, for example, where does the extra $11,155 go? The breakdown of where surplus funds from abroad tuition are being allocated must be issued transparently.

Of course, one could theorize that this surplus helps subsidize the attendance of international exchange students at BC. When international exchange students come to the Heights, they pay the tuition of their home university, which is often less than the tuition of BC. This prevents international students from being deterred by an increase in tuition cost.

But BC sends roughly 1,200 students abroad per year while only hosting roughly 200 international exchange students.

Does BC need to charge 1,200 of its students their home-tuition to cover the cost of attendance for 200 international exchange students?

Parents—who often bear a significant portion of the study-abroad financial burden—are also left in the dark on the whereabouts of this excess tuition.

“When you think of transparency, you know, if you marched into the finance office or whoever runs the pro forma for Boston College, I think it would be very very hard for them to do a sources and uses analysis of this,” one parent of a current BC student said to The Heights.

If BC forces students studying abroad to pay full home-tuition for external programs with lower tuition rates, the onus is on the University to justify this policy.

BC should publish a more in-depth breakdown or factsheet that directly addresses its abroad tuition policies. Students and families deserve to know what they’re paying for.

Photo

Gallery

SEHO LEE / HEIGHTS STAFF

PAUL CRIADO / HEIGHTS STAFF

SEHO LEE / HEIGHTS STAFF

PAUL CRIADO / HEIGHTS STAFF

SEHO LEE / HEIGHTS STAFF

PAUL CRIADO / HEIGHTS STAFF

Sexual Chocolate, Boston College’s all-men step team, performed for a sold-out crowd at their 25th Anniversary Big Show, titled “Total Chocolate Island,” in Robsham Theater on Friday. The team’s president, Levi Ngabirano, CSOM ’25, led the group through a reality TV–themed show, supported by a loud and receptive crowd.

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

Brooke Ghaly, Assoc. Graphics Editor Kathy Lu, Assoc. Podcast Editor Jack Beckman, Asst. News Editor Annika Engelbrecht, Asst. News Editor Maria Stefanoudakis, Asst. Sports Editor Veronica Pierce, Asst. Magazine Editor Laney McAden, Asst. Newton Editor Leah Stitzel, Asst. Arts Editor Sarah Fleming, Asst. Photo Editor Aidan Gravina, Copy Editor Addie Kinnaly, Copy Editor Maddie Mulligan, Copy Editor Carina Murphy, Editorial Assistant

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

The Heights

Monday, February 19, 2024

A9

¥$’ ‘VULTURES 1’ Was Worth the Wait

By Maddie Mulligan Copy Editor After multiple expected release dates coming and going, Kanye West released his new album VULTURES 1 with Ty Dolla $ign on Feb. 9 The debut album for the hiphop duo ¥$, composed of West and Ty Dolla $ign, VULTURES 1 has been teased since fall 2023, when Ty Dolla $ign confirmed the existence of a collaborative album with West. From hints and listening parties to delayed releases and tracklist alterations, fans of West have anxiously awaited the album’s release.

Now that it’s here, it’s easy to see why it was worth the wait.

With a range of uncredited features to back up West’s known producing skills, VULTURES 1 contains well-used sampling and a general trap sound that immediately hooks the listener. The opening track, “STARS,” takes the synthesized sound hip hop often uses and slows it down.

The combination of rhythmic, muted background vocals and slow rapping creates a sense of profundity to kick off the album, showing that, despite its release struggles,

this album is still worthy of a listen.

West also uses the first song to address some of the issues he has come under scrutiny for, most notably anti-semitic comments he has made in interviews and posted to social media.

“Keep a few Jews on the staff now / I cash out / We finna go where the stars at / And beyond that / This that rip up the contract,” raps West.

A significant reason for why this album was never a guaranteed release was due to West’s continued anti-semitic comments, beginning in 2022.

One song on the album was even meant to feature part of Ozzy Osbourne’s 1983 live performance of “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath, but Osbourne denied West permission due to his anti-semitic comments.

West seems to address this right away, not just alluding to his anti-semitism in his lyric of “Keep a few Jews on the staff now,” but also referencing how brands like Adidas and Balenciaga ended their relationships with West in wake of his controversial remarks.

While it is often difficult to listen to artists who make such blatantly hateful comments re-

garding certain groups, separating art from the artist can still reveal great albums.

Despite the fact that West should not be supported for his anti-semitic remarks, VULTURES 1 can be praised as a musical project.

Even after a late release, fans quickly picked out “BURN” as a standout on VULTURES 1, and for good reason. With a steady drum beat to support Ty Dolla $ign’s easygoing refrain, the song blends easily into the simple yet catchy chorus.

West, in the background of the chorus, questions, “Are you not entertained?,” slowly getting louder until the chorus turns into verse.

“Your love is, my love is, our love is / Burnin’ like a candlelight (Are you not entertained?) / Your love is dangerous / Your love is (Are you not entertained?),” sings Ty Dolla $ign, with exclamations from West.

West’s verse hits, and one can’t help but bop their head to the impossibly slick lyricism. The welltimed and melodic rapping is not confined to “BURN,” and is equally notable in “CARNIVAL.” While “BURN” is more old-school West, “CARNIVAL” embraces a newer

age of rap, featuring Playboi Carti and Rich The Kid. “CARNIVAL” adds range to the album, beginning with chanting before a powerful bass kicks in as background to Carti and Rich The Kid’s more intense rapping.

In contrast to “BURN,” the deeper bass and lack of lighter singing makes the song more intense, demonstrating the impressive variety West and Ty Dolla $ign were able to achieve.

One of the final tracks, “GOOD (DON’T DIE),” slows down, emulating “STARS.” With even, synthesized beats carried throughout and soft singing by both Ty Dolla $ign and West, this is one of the more seemingly heartfelt songs of VULTURES 1. As both artists lyricize about longing to see a woman’s smile, the dulcet singing

of a woman breaks through to add to the song’s loving nature.

“In the dark of night, thesе thoughts of mine keep me up all night / Got my heart on icе, don’t die, don’t die / (Ooh, I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive, ooh) / On this hopeless night, came a thousand miles to see you smile tonight,” sings West.

Based on a conversation between an unidentified woman and the duo behind VULTURES 1, “GOOD (DON’T DIE)” easily conveys emotion to the listener.

Tugging right at the heartstrings, it tops the album off with a sense of satisfaction.

With an impressive range in sound and numerous features to act as support, it’s easy to say that VULTURES 1 was worth the wait.n

ALBUM

‘VULTURES 1’ Released Feb. 9

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

‘Madame Web’ Is Not a Superhero Film

By Jack Weynand Assoc. Arts Editor Madame Web is not as bad as you may have heard. The film falls victim to the expectations of the superhero genre when it was only meant to be judged a psychological thriller.

When the audience accepts that Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson) is no more of a superhero than Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) in Back to the Future, Madame Web is both entertaining and intriguing.

The film follows Webb as she develops unique psychic powers.

One of them is a prophetic ability.

Webb starts living through traumatic events in her life before they happen.

After her prophetic visions, the clock resets and she can try to live through the events again, this time with the knowledge of how things would play out in that specific future.

According to the time travel rules in Madame Web, the future can be changed.

As a paramedic, Webb’s character has the instinct of a Good Samaritan wired inside of her. Her capability to see the future, however, puts her morals to the test.

While on the train, Webb sees a vision of three girls sitting nearby.

They’re attacked and murdered by a

MOVIE

‘Madame Web’ Released Feb. 14

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

super-powered masked man as the rest of the train passengers panic and watch in horror. The time then resets, and Webb is left to decide whether or not she helps the three teens escape their prophecy of death.

Webb’s prophecies are the focal point of the film and a useful plot device, making for some of Madame Web’s best scenes and action sequences. The audience gets to see the possible future and then sees how every minor action changes that future to create a wholly different one.

It’s not as if this trope hasn’t been done in films before, but Madame Web executes the concept well.

One of the most intense scenes comes when Webb loses track of the three girls she’s been protecting, and after a trek through the woods she finds them dancing at a diner to Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” By the time Webb arrives on the scene, so has the masked murderer. Webb and the girls put up a fight as best they can but all four are inevitably murdered by the killer.

Then, Webb is back in the middle of the woods for take two, and

she can hear from her car’s radio that “Toxic” has just started playing on the radio. What follows is a race against time to get to the diner before the song ends so she can save the girls from their deadly fate.

Notice how Webb actually dies the first time in the diner scene, though. She has the power to see a possible future, but she has no other real physical abilities for most of the film. Webb is not a fighter, but rather just an ordinary woman who is trying to do the right thing.

The title of Madame Web and the character’s Spider-Man connections lead the audience to think that Webb is a superhero. Yet, Webb is not even a superhero in Marvel comic books—she’s more of a third party character who gives the heroes advice on their adventures.

If Madame Web was truly meant to be a superhero movie, it is sorely out of place and needs a creative overhaul. The movie’s finished product feels much more like a psychological thriller that plays games with the audience’s, and Webb’s, minds.

While the concept of the movie is engaging and thought-provoking, some of the writing in Madame Web is less than stellar. Especially in the verbal arguments, cringe-worthy comments and awkward responses seemed to be the norm. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the actors, but rather the writing team’s mistake— they also wrote Morbius, so the poor writing isn’t all that surprising.

The movie is also lacking in the antagonist department. Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) serves as the mysterious masked murderer, but his motives are weak and he’s impossible to sympathize with. Sims is a rich and greedy murderer who is trying to prevent his own death by murdering the three girls. He never considers reasoning with them and he immediately chooses violence.

Madame Web suffers from bad writing and a lacking villain, but still gives a good story that entertains and finishes nicely. It might not be the superhero film that people are expecting, but Madame Web might surprise audiences if they just give it a chance. n

‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Explores Love and Human Nature

By Angeliki Ktoridi For The Heights

Enter a world where the vibrant hues of Lisa Frank’s iconic designs clash against the shadows of a twisted imagination. Welcome to the enchanting realm of Lisa Frankenstein.

Lisa Frankenstein, which premiered Feb. 9, emerges as a dazzling tribute to the ’80s, offering a fresh take on the classic Frankenstein tale.

Penned by Diablo Cody, the mastermind behind cult classics such as Juno and Jennifer’s Body, this ’80s pastiche ventures beyond mere homage to the book, drawing inspiration from the life of Mary Shelley herself.

The movie’s title is a play on Frank, and foreshadows this quirky horror-comedy film. It tells the story of Lisa (Kathryn Newton) and The Creature (Cole Sprouse) as they fall in love and go on a murderous rampage, cutting off various people’s body parts in order to reconstruct The Creature.

Lisa Frankenstein is a shy girl

turned confident babe, except this time she has a half-dead boyfriend and murderous intentions.

The film’s playful but graphic marketing made it hard to know what to expect. It turned out to be less a tale about Frankenstein’s wife Lisa, and more about Shelley, the author of the original novel.

Similar to Shelley, Lisa’s mom dies and she is forced to move in with her popular, but sweet, stepsister Taffy (Liza Soberano), and cruel and evil stepmother, Janet (Carla Gugino).

Unlike Lisa, however, Shelley didn’t kill her stepmother.

The tale kicks off with Lisa and Taffy preparing for a party. In the opening scenes, songs such as “The Promise” by When in Rome and other ’80s pop hits play in the background as viewers are led through a mesmerizing blend of neon-gothic aesthetics and whimsical nostalgia. From the start, the production feels like a Petra Collins photoshoot.

The retro ambiance was partially

curated by Newton’s total dedication to the role, giving the energy of a gothic Nancy Wheeler from Stranger Things, and whose hair color is reminiscent of ’80s icon Molly Ringwald.

As the girls get ready, Lisa’s heartthrob crush, Michael Trent (Henry Eikenberry), is introduced. Manager of her high school’s literary magazine, Eikenberry plays the role of a brooding, alternative literary genius.

While Taffy leads Lisa through her first high school party, the night promptly goes south. As Lisa begins talking to Michael, her drink is immediately laced with PCP and she spends the night fighting off an unsettling creep with bad intentions.

As the movie progresses, it becomes clear how audiences weren’t drawn to the film for its acting, but for the film’s overall energy. The plot grew predictable and some storylines were left underdeveloped, leaving questions unanswered. Audiences were left wondering why Lisa seemed not to care enough to find out who

killed her mother.

Despite plot weaknesses, the film was never boring and had enchanting visual effects. The film also included fun callbacks, with similarities to classic ’80s movies like Edward Scissorhands and Pretty in Pink.

The movie presented a variety of horror cliches, making it familiar with a playful twist. Although the audience knew what was going to happen, it was fun to watch nonetheless.

In one scene, The Creature creeps through Janet’s house, adding comic relief to an otherwise typical horror scene. He plays the piano and even

adds a live worm to her morning meal, keeping the audience on their toes wondering if he will get caught.

It felt like an A24 rendition of one of the Scary Movie films.

In the end, as we root for Lisa and The Creature, it’s Taffy’s character that adds a human touch to the story, questioning the boundaries of humanity and monstrousness. Reminiscent of Winona Ryder and Christian Slater in Heathers, Lisa Frankenstein offers a compelling exploration of comedy, love, and the darker facets of human nature, wrapped in a neon-lit package of nostalgia and charm. n

TV SHOW

‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Released Feb. 9

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Heights

Monday, February 19, 2024

A10

ARTS

Dynamics Advances to ICCA Semifinals B y L eah S titzel Asst. Arts Editor W hen most people pic t u re college a cappella, they think of the iconic Pitch Perfect riff-off scene or over-dramatic Glee mashups. The Boston College Dynamics prove that the reality isn’t far off, but is a little more serious.

The Internationa l Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) is one of the only global competitions dedicated to student a cappella. The Dynamics performed in the quarterfinals against nine other Boston schools on Feb. 10, placing second overall and earning a spot in the semifinals.

This is the first time an a cappel la group f rom BC has ever advanced to the semifinals, according to Dynamics.

Competing in semifinals gives the Dynamics a chance to advance to the ICCA finals in New York City in April, the same a capella competition feat u red in Pitch Perfect. According to Dynamics president Sam Deignan, MCAS ’24, the road to get here has not been easy.

“So this really started, like, last May,” Deignan said. “We voted as a group, like, this is something we want to do. We’re going to do it, we’re gonna really commit to it, invest heavily in choreography and arrangers and all that stuff.”

The process of putting together an ICCA set looks a little different from traditional a capella sets, according to Dynamics’ business manager Julia McCahill, CSOM ’24. It requires more planning and energy to develop.

“There are a lot more added elements for ICCAs specifically that we don’t have to think about for a normal process,” McCahill said.

Deignan added that the process of song selection began as early as

last summer, with the group collaborating on Spotify playlists with options and working from there.

Caroline Sloan, MCAS ’24 and Dynamics’ music director, then worked to teach song arrangements to the rest of the group.

“We prepared pretty heavily, so a lot of times it was music rehearsals and choreography rehearsals,” Sloan said. “But the week before, we were rehearsing every night, sometimes until 12 a.m., to get ready for it. But everybody’s just super passionate about the group.”

ICCA sets are scored not only on vocals, but on a variety of music and performance-based criteria, explained Sloan. A music section and visual performance section of scores are included, with music being weighed more heavily.

Judges consider musical criteria like intonation, dynamics, diction, and solo interpretation.

Visual performance judges cohesion and creativity, as well as the group’s overall professionalism, according to Sloan.

“We’ve really been working on putting a name out for ourselves, and being a professional group t hese pa st yea rs,” Sloa n sa id.

“Especially with the recording projects and the music videos.”

The group has had to balance

practicing for ICCAs with building a reputation as a professional group, which has its own challenges outside of competition.

The Dynamics is partially funded by the Student Organization Funding Committee (SOFC), but has to take on expenses itself, often in creative ways.

“There’s been a big push for us to do gigs and be kind of self-sustaining in terms of our funding this year,” Deignan said. “Because it’s just hard. Because a cappella is just generally expensive, because recording costs a lot, mics cost a lot, choreography costs a lot.”

One of the added elements of an ICCA performance is the expected choreography alongside the vocal performance. As a group with more vocal than dance background, this was difficult to incorporate, according to members.

Rather than outsourcing choreography for their ICCA set, which is often expensive, Dynamics publicity director Josh Cruz, CSOM ’25, became the group’s choreographer. Despite having no prior dance experience, Cruz faced the challenge enthusiastically, taking a nontraditional approach.

“The process in general was kind of just me in my bedroom,” Cruz said. “Kind of thinking what

would be good in my head, like seeing positions, mapping out stuff, dancing in my room, which was really embarrassing.”

His approach proved successful, however, and the Dynamics ended up earning top scores for choreography in the quarterfinals competition.

“I thought that trying to do some stuff differently than, like, the classical ICCA sets would be great,” Cruz said. “So I didn’t want to take too much inspiration because what really sets people apart is, like, the uniqueness of the set.”

According to Sloan, adding in choreography while still preserving the vocal performance is crucial.

“Beforehand, it’s like you have pieces of the choreo, you have pieces of the song,” Sloan said. “But once it finally comes together, I think all of us started feeling a lot more confident, because we could see the full picture of it.”

The Dynamics’ full ICCA set is three songs, including solos from Anna Puglisi, LSEHD ’26, and Ty Mendez, CSOM ’26. The third song is a duet from Angelina Coles, MCAS ’24, and Henry Greiner, MCAS ’26.

The group will perform the same set for semifinals, but will

BETTY DAVIS / FOR THE HEIGHTS

Dynamics advances to the semifinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella .

spend time over the coming month work ing on improv ing the set based on their quarterfinals feedback.

“I see it as more of, li ke, a retooling period,” Deignan said.

“Rather than changing anything, just like, refining what worked and adapting with things that didn’t work.”

The process is challenging vocally and mentally, but McCahill said preventing burnout is key to keeping the set interesting, especially after months of development.

“Making sure we’re not, like, going too hard, and preserving our energy,” McCahill said. “And not getting tired of what we’re working on, so that it’s still fresh when we compete again.”

The Dynamics will move on to compete again in the Northeast region semifinals, held at Berklee College of Music, on March 23.

A lso competing will be teams from Northeastern, Quinnipiac, Connecticut, and the other top two groups from each remaining Northeast quarterfinal.

More important than the competition, however, is that the Dynamics will get a chance to build community with other a capella groups in the area, the groups’ members said.

No matter the outcome of the competition, seeing other groups perform outside of the “BC bubble” is an inspiring opportunity, according to Cruz.

“I think once we all go out into the community of a cappella, I think sometimes it just brings forces together and makes you realize that, like, a capella is a beautiful art form,” Cruz said. “And it kind of gives an appreciation to what a cappella at BC looks like, by experiencing, like, the beauty of other groups.” n

SASA Presents Vibrant 26th Annual Culture Show B y A lex andrine B ourlot Heights Staff The South Asian Student Association (SASA) held its annual culture show on Saturday evening at Robsham Theater. The theme wa s Shaad i Muba ra k, a H i nd i greeting that translates to “Happy Marriage.” The striking costumes, l ively mu sic, a nd out st a nd i ng choreog r aphy t h roug hout t he evening reflected the grandeur of its theme.

For the occasion, the entrance to the Robsham auditorium was decor ated w it h long ga rla nd s of marigolds, t ypically seen in celebratory South Asian events.

A large crowd made of parents, friends, and students packed Robsham for the celebratory event, and after every single performance, a cacophony of applause and cheers resounded through the auditorium.

Before the evening kicked off, t he aud ienc e w a s i nt ro duc e d to its two co-hosts, Sahil Saoji, MCAS ’25, and Manav Botadra,

MCAS ’25. Their wit, charisma, and comedic timing kept the audience engaged, as they navigated through the components of their idyllic South Asian wedding.

The show began with an energetic performance by Masti, set ting the evening of f w ith a brilliant start. Masti mastered the impressive jumps and complex formations that made up its choreography. Not only did the group appear synchronized and sleek through its dancing, but through its uniform costumes, which were black hoodies with “Masti” emblazoned on the front in colorful letters. The group’s unison and skill come as no surprise, however, with Masti winning last year’s ALC Showdown.

A f ter such a lively number, the audience was mellowed by the entrancing notes of Sancia Sehdev, MCAS ’25, and Meena Menon, MCAS ’25, who performed a medley of songs. Their ethereal vocal harmonies were accompanied by the sonorous notes of Amoggrajat Venkat’s, LSEHD ’26, violin. With

clearly f lowing voices and the steady pace of the violin, the ensemble created sparkling musical colors, which were complemented wonderfully by the trio’s traditional costumes. The melodically rich piece ended delicately, and after a moment of reflective silence, was rewarded with a roar of applause.

Following the absorbing number, a trio of actresses in traditional outfits took the stage, playing the role of the conniving “South A sian aunties.” The trio’s sk it made amusing references to iconic lines from the original Mean Girls movie, their haughtiness and superiority identical to that of the Plastics, which invited enthusiastic reactions from the audience.

The sketch not only served as a light-hearted pause in the evening’s repertoire, but also as an introduction to Shastriya Nritya, or in English, the classical dance.

The classical dance was prefaced by an educational video that expressed its significance, as well as its provenance. When the lights came up, flashes of gold and pink

SEHO LEE / HEIGHTS STAFF

SASA’s annual Culture Show, Shaadi Mubarak, featured traditional dance and musical performances.

from costumes accompanied by the chiming of ankle bells enhanced the beautiful silhouettes and formations choreographed by Angana Saha, MCAS ’24, Kalaimagal Nesarajah, MCAS ’25, and Trishna Condoor, MCAS ’27.

Later, af ter a brief pause to recognize Saheli, the Boston-based charit y the evening’s proceeds were donated to, it was time for the freshman dance, followed by the sophomore dance. The freshmen of SASA were cool in their streetwear outfits, dancing in time to a mashup of South Asian and Western tunes such as “Gallan Goodiyaan” and “Taki Taki,” while the sophomore members of SASA, with clever footwork, performed a nimble trick with sunglasses that had the audience erupting in cheers.

The audience, sti l l buzzing about the sophomore and freshman dances, were then charmed by the SASA Fashion Show. In pairs or trios, graduating members of SASA showed off their very best traditional South Asian outfits in a variety of colorful lehengas, sarees, and kurtas.

The second musical performance of the evening was the Carnatic ensemble. The culture show program defines Carnatic music as devotional and traditionally performed in places of worship, which this piece most certainly conveyed. The trio of singers paced themselves steadily, taking turns to sing lilting melodies while a violin and sitar provided harmonious backing, altogether creating a heavenly rendition.

It was right back to action when the Ca rnatic piece concluded, with the Bachelor Part y dance

storming the stage. They too were introduced by a v ideo, wh ich, accompanied by Flo Rida’s “Right Round,” conveyed the spontaneity and chaos of a bachelor’s night.

The actual dance, however, was anything but chaos. Despite the stage being somewhat crowded, the large group managed to keep in time with one another, making astonishing jumps and tricks which seemingly required a great amount of energy and practice.

Judging by the loud cheers, the Bachelor’s dance was perhaps one of the audience’s—largely made up of students—favorite part of the evening.

After a captivating “Komola Sundori” dance performance and a Bha ng ra da nce nu mber, t he show was topped off by the juniors dance, followed by the e-board dance.

Then, e-board members recognized choreographers and praised the hosts of the event. The audience was delighted to learn one more dance remained.

SASA’s seniors took to the stage to resounding cheers and applause, as the group screened a nostalgic video showing the seniors’ participation in the annual Culture Show over previous years. Their dance served as a beautiful act of farewell, and their dedication to the piece was evident through their good timing and assured expressions.

Overall, the 26th Annual Culture Show, coordinated by Alyssa Santos, LSEHD ’25, and Sriya Jampana, CSOM ’26, was a spectacular and enigmatic evening that educated the audience at Robsham on the special traditions that make up South Asian culture artistically. n

SPORTS

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The Heights

Monday, February 19, 2024

“You Can Win At A Place Like This.”

On Thursday, BC Director of Athletics Blake James introduced O’Brien as the football program’s newest face just over two weeks after BC launched a national search for the replacement of former head coach Jeff Hafley.

O’Brien, from A1 The official introduction comes just over two weeks after BC launched a national search for the replacement of former head coach, Jeff Hafley.

According to James, O’Brien stood out from the beginning.

“I talked with Father Jack [Butler] as we interviewed candidates in person, and he grabbed me and said, ‘Blake, this is the strongest pool of candidates we’ve ever had for the football head coaching position here at Boston College,”’ James said.

“But one candidate stood out from the rest.”

That candidate was O’Brien, who James hired just nine days after the head coaching position opened up.

“From the first conversation with Bill, I remember hanging up saying, ‘If it gets better than this, we’re gonna have an incredible coach,’ because Bill was impressive from the very start,” James said.

After James literally handed the ball off to O’Brien to speak, the Andover, Mass. native and St. John’s Prep alumnus addressed the BC community for the first time as the 37th head football coach of the Eagles.

“I always dreamed about being the head coach of Boston College,” O’Brien said. “My career has taken some twists and turns and taken me down roads I never could have imagined. But as I stand here today, I couldn’t be more grateful that the road has finally taken me back home to Boston College.”

Some of those twists and turns throughout O’Brien’s career included stints as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots, the head coach of the Houston Texans, and the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Alabama.

But despite O’Brien’s journey between NCAA and NFL programs throughout his lengthy career, he said Chestnut Hill was unquestionably his ideal job destination.

Bill

O’Brien

previously

“I can’t wait to get to work every day,” O’Brien said. “Can’t wait to be here, to be around these guys, to be with our coaching staff, to try to get this thing going in the right direction.”

As he turns toward the task of reshaping the program, O’Brien outlined a no-frills vision for his team.

“The vision is what I said—this will be a team that will play smart, will be tough, will be the physical team, will be a team that does the simple things well,” O’Brien said.

In an effort to realize this vision, O’Brien said he already met with 40 players and will meet with 60 more over the coming days.

Perhaps the most important of these players is starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

The Eagles’ signal-caller emerged

served

as

the

head

football

as dual-threat last season, compiling 2,248 yards in the air and 1,113 more on the ground.

O’Brien said he looks forward to harnessing the potential Castellanos showed off in 2023.

“One of the things that’s really important is if you have a guy that can make off-schedule plays,” O’Brien said. “Tommy’s a good passer. He obviously can run the ball, so we’re looking forward to working with him.”

With on-field results and a winning culture, O’Brien said a higher national profile and increased fan support will be natural byproducts.

“We have to do a good job marketing Boston College,” O’Brien said.

“We have to win. We have to do a good job of putting a good product on the field.”

coach

of

the

H o u s t o n Te x a n s

In today’s college football world, however, winning requires more than just strong recruiting or support from fans.

While his predecessor Hafley reportedly cited NIL compensation as a reason behind his departure from the collegiate coaching ranks, O’Brien said he is ready to embrace this element of coaching.

“That’s the way it is,” O’Brien said of NIL and the current state of college football. “You can either complain about it or embrace it. I think we need to embrace it.”

O’Brien specifically noted the necessity of making the team’s home field advantage last all four quarters of the game—not just the first half.

“One of the most important parts of this program is creating a home

from

2014–20.

field advantage, which obviously, the students are a huge part of,” O’Brien said. “And from what I’ve heard, the students come out very well to watch these football games. And like you said, we gotta keep them in the stands for four quarters, so they don’t head back to Shea Field and the tailgates.”

Notably, O’Brien refrained from issuing any lofty guarantees of hardware. But what the 54-year-old head coach did promise was to field a team characterized by discipline and grit.

“In keeping with the great tradition of Boston College, we’re going to be a smart, tough, physical football team,” O’Brien said. “We’ve already talked about that for five days. We might not win every game, but we will not be out-toughed. We will not be out-competed.” n

Eagles Complete Sweep of UMass With 6–4 Win

By Robert Brennan Heights Staff When Ryan Leonard was growing up in Amherst, Mass., he didn’t have to go very far to watch his brother John Leonard play for UMass Amherst. John had a great deal of success there, too, being named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2020.

But when it came time for Ryan to pick a college team, he chose not to follow in his brother’s footsteps, and he instead traveled across the state to play for Boston College men’s hockey.

Leonard was ultimately the difference maker for the Eagles in their Sunday matchup against UMass.

Leonard opened up the scoring for BC, tied the game up at four goals apiece, and potted the winning goal less than a minute after tying it up in the third.

“Yeah, I think just going home Friday in my hometown playing there for the first time in a while since my youth days meant a lot just to have a lot of people there and supporting me,” Leonard said. “But all weekend, all year, I can’t really score those goals without my two linemates.”

No. 1 BC (23–5–1, 15–3–1 Hockey East) defeated No. 11 UMass (16–9–3, 9-7–2) by a score of 6–4 thanks to Leonard’s hat trick and resilient play throughout the lineup.

BC’s win completed the sweep of the Minutemen.

Leonard got the game started when Gabe Perreault found him with a crisp feed in the slot. The Amherst native made no mistake finishing the opportunity with a sharp shot to the top shelf to register his third goal of the series against the Minutemen 6:44 into the contest.

Perreault got one of his own with 47 seconds left in the first period, beating UMass goaltender Michael Hrabal from an odd angle after the puck fell into his lap on a rebound from a shot

by Will Smith, giving BC a 2–0 lead going into the first intermission.

“They have that ability to see the plays and to execute them as well,” Brown said of Leonard, Perreault, and Smith.

The game would turn around quickly for the Minutemen, though.

The sequence started when Perreault and Smith entered the zone on a 2-on-1 chance, and Perreault passed the puck to Smith across the crease. Smith found a nearly completely open net to shoot at, but the puck never reached the net, as UMass defenseman Aaron Bohlinger blocked the shot, sprawling on the ice to deny Smith 7:35 into the frame.

This shifted the momentum as just 1:13 later, Kenny Connors beat Jacob Fowler through the five-hole to get the Minutemen on the board and make it a 2–1 game.

“They came down and scored and then their momentum [switched],”

Brown said. “They all grew a few inches and started to play great. Full credit to them.”

Aydar Suniev then scored two goals in 29 seconds, potting one at the 11:31 mark as he scored off his own rebound. Suniev originally put the puck on Fowler on a 2-on-1, forcing Fowler to move across the crease and make a stretching save. Fowler couldn’t regain his positioning as Suniev wrapped it around, putting the puck into an open net to tie the game up.

He gave the Minutemen the lead at 12:00 on a cross-crease feed from Lucas Mercuri that launched UMass ahead after the Eagles’ dominant start.

Jamie Armstrong was able to

tip in a shot from Lukas Gustafsson with 4:43 left in the second to tie the game up, making the third period the deciding one in the contest.

“I thought Jamie Armstrong’s goal was a big turning point for us to get us back going,” Brown said.

But Dans Locmelis put BC in another hole 7:56 into the third that Leonard dug the Eagles out of.

BC’s response started with backto-back penalties against UMass. Cole O’Hara was called for hooking and Mercuri for goaltender interference in a span of 25 seconds.

But Leonard responded and scored 25 seconds later at 10:03, tying the game up on a feed from

Smith. Smith found him again 58 seconds later, and Leonard buried it, completing the hat trick, retaking the lead, and giving him five goals in the series.

“I mean, we have so much chemistry,” Leonard said. “We’ve played together the last two years, two-anda-half years now. We know where each other are. It’s so much fun playing with those guys.”

Cutter Gauthier found an empty net with 1:35 left in the game and ensured BC’s win.

“Yeah, I think if we want to be a tremendous team at the end of the year, we got to find ways to win when adversity is at us,” Leonard said. n

HENRY HURD / HEIGHTS STAFF

R y a n L e o n a r d , p i c t u r e d , t a l l i e d f i v e g o a l s i n B C ’s t w o g a m e s a g a i n s t U M a s s A m h e r s t .

The Heights

Monday, February 19, 2024

A12

SPORTS

No. 2 Eagles Trample Bulls in First Road Game

By Emily Roberge Assoc. Sports Editor The last time Boston College lacrosse played Jacksonville was in 2010, when the then-No. 21 Eagles defeated the Boston College 17 Dolphins Jacksonville 3 18–6.

Sunday morning’s matchup 14 years later told a similar story, as BC dominated Jacksonville 17–3. The No. 2 Eagles (3–0) trampled the Dolphins (0–3) in their first away game of the season in Jacksonville, Fla. It wasn’t until 8:03 into the first quarter when the first goal was scored.

On the first four possessions of the game, Jacksonville had stopped BC from attacking the net. Then BC’s offense began to heat up—starting with draw control.

“I was really impressed with Ryan Smith on the draw,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “I attribute that a lot to our scout team … and when our defense gets into gameday, they are equipped and ready for the moment.”

Rachel Clark was the kick-starter the Eagles needed. After receiving a pass from Mckenna Davis, Clark juked by her defender and fired a shot past Jacksonville’s goaltender Paige Pagano and into the upper right corner of the net. Clark’s first goal set the pace for a dominant performance, and she finished the afternoon with five goals.

The other leading scorers for BC were Kayla Martello, who scored four goals, and Belle Smith, who picked up three.

“Those guys shot very well today, but those points are a product of the team’s offense,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I was really happy with how we moved the ball and shared the ball, and I think those guys when they had those opportunities, they were able to finish and capitalize on the entire play.”

After the opening score, the Eagles continued to increase their lead over Jacksonville.

Following two late first quarter goals by Belle Smith and Martello, the Eagles extended their lead to

three goals by the conclusion of the first frame.

BC’s attack struck early in the second quarter as Cassidy Weeks caught a pass from Davis and nailed a shot into Jacksonville’s net.

But the Eagles were not done yet.

They picked up two more goals and secured a 6–1 lead going into halftime.

Throughout the first half, the Eagles posted nine shots on goal compared to Jacksonville’s three shots on the net, only one of which went in.

Shea Dolce tallied three saves within the first 30 minutes of play.

“I think our defense was really aggressive, and they were competing at a high level and following our game plan,” Walker-Weinstein said.

In the next 15 minutes of play, the Eagles delivered three more goals.

BC’s relentless defense limited the Dolphins to one goal on three shots on net, and Jacksonville committed five turnovers in the period.

The Eagles’ dominance only intensified in the fourth quarter. Less than a minute in, Clark launched the ball into the left-hand corner of the net

for a man-up goal.

Less than 30 seconds later, Clark scored again on a free-position shot.

The Eagles added six more goals to their lead before the game was over.

BC players embraced each other in a sea of maroon and gold as the Eagles celebrated their first road win of the season and third straight win overall.

“I think one takeaway is continuing to put all of the pieces together,” Walker-Weinstein said. “There is so much that goes into putting a winning

product on the field, and I think it starts with our defense and with Shea in the net, and then improving on our ride, improving on the clear, and then playing a really good cohesive team offense.”

Walker-Weinstein described what the first road win meant for the Eagles.

“I think it was great,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We go on a stretch of away games here, and I think we set the tone the way we would have liked to.” n

OWEN BIENEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

I n i t s w i n , B C s co re d e i g ht g o a l s i n t h e fo u r t h q u a r te r.

Mason Madsen’s Miami Moment Basketball, from A1 Madsen was front and center in the Eagles’ 3-point barrage, knocking down seven of BC’s 15 threes. The senior guard posted a caMiami 77 reer-high Boston College 85 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, a particularly special milestone given his health struggles over the past few seasons.

“Just the ups and downs in my career and sometimes questioning, ‘Is this really worth it?’”

Madsen said. “Because, obviously, there was a time where I was in pain everyday. I don’t really have words to give you, but it’s really

awesome.”

The Eagles raced out to an 18–7 start, led by 3-pointers from Madsen, Quinten Post, and Jaeden Zackery—a sign of the blistering 3-point performance that would soon follow.

Given the Eagles’ recent slew of slow starts, BC’s early advantage marked a welcome improvement, according to Post.

“We talked two days ago with just the team,” Post said. “We talked about how we need to progress in the season. We need to finish out strong, and one of the points was starting out stronger, and I think we did that.”

While the Eagles’ 3-point offense has progressed significantly

since last season, their perimeter defense has consistently lagged behind. BC entered Saturday’s game ranked 13th in the conference in opponent 3-point percentage, and it showed for much of the game.

The Hurricanes drained eight 3-pointers of their own in the first half to pull even by halftime, 41–41.

“Miami didn’t go away,” Grant said. “They got loose with some open threes–that’s very typical of them. They make a lot of threes, and when a game gets up-tempo fast, they really want to convert.”

Both offenses chugged along as the second half kicked off, but Miami claimed a 73–68 lead with

SARAH FLEMING / HEIGHTS STAFF

Mason Madsen, pictured, scored seven 3-pointers in the Eagles’ matchup against Miami.

just over five minutes to play.

But instead of folding, BC exploded for an 11–0 run and held the Hurricanes to only four points and a single field goal in the final five minutes.

“We switched our defense to an Amoeba,” Grant said. “We went to a matchup zone, 2-2-1, back to the Amoeba, and I thought we got three or four critical stops backto-back-to-back. They lost some of their rhythm.”

Madsen capped off the game for the Eagles with a pair of made free throws, leading the energized Conte Forum crowd to erupt in “MVP” chants.

“The people that come—they come every game, and they’re really passionate, and I think that that means a lot to us,” Madsen said. “We have a core of like 20 people who are really solid. We appreciate that for sure.”

The win moved the Eagles a few rungs up in the ACC’s congested middle class.

Grant, however, said he is unbothered by the standings, and is focused only on what he and the team can control.

“I don’t want to start looking at it and start counting and trying to talk about results,” Grant said. “I want to continue to work on the process of becoming a good team.

We said we want to be our best in March. We got two more weeks to get better. So that’s our goal—play our best basketball in March.” n

No. 13 Huskies Complete Weekend Sweep of No. 15 BC

By Isabella Calise Heights Staff Trailing by four goals in the second period, Sidney Fess raced down the ice with Katie Pyne leading on her left.The defender5 Northeastern turned-forBoston College 1 ward passed the puck to Pyne, who went on her backhand to move Northeastern goaltender Gwyneth Philips out of position and put Boston College women’s hockey on the board in the second period with 12:03 to play in the frame.

Unfortunately for BC, this was its only score on Saturday afternoon.

No. 15 BC (14–11–7, 13–7–5) crossed town to face off against No. 13 Northeastern (23–9–2, 16–7–2) in Matthews Arena on Saturday.

After a 3–2 overtime loss on Friday, the Eagles sat just a point behind the Huskies in the Hockey East standings.

Northeastern held BC scoreless during two periods to grasp a 5–1 victory and

notch its eighth straight win against the Eagles.

The Huskies skated into the opening period with confidence from their win on Friday afternoon, while the Eagles appeared to drag their feet.

Just over five minutes into the play, Northeastern received the first power play of the afternoon when BC’s Kiley Erickson was sent to the box for tripping. Northeastern’s Katy Knoll found Megan Carter waiting in the same spot as the game before, ready to fire a wrist shot past Grace Campbell for the first goal of the game.

Carter’s quick score ignited a spark in the home team. At the 12:04 mark, Lily Yovetich sent a shot from the blue line that traveled through the traffic in front of Campbell and off Skylar Irving to extend the lead to 2–0 for Northeastern.

Before BC could catch its breath, Tory Mariano put the Huskies up by three. Creeping in from the point for a shot, Mariano found the back of the

net at the 14:12 mark to secure a 3–0 Northeastern lead.

After three unanswered goals, Campbell was pulled from the crease and replaced by freshman netminder Bailey Callaway. Saturday marked Callaway’s third game played this season.

BC found an opportunity to change the tide of the game with a power play at the 17:39 mark.

Of the three shots on net, none lit up the board as the Eagles advanced to the second period scoreless.

The ice changed in strength by the start of the third period, but did not change in action. At 2:40, dual minor penalties against Northeastern’s Mia Langlois and BC’s Molly Jordan changed the strength on the ice to 4-on-4.

Knoll took the chance to get past Callaway at 3:25, collecting a bouncing pass from Irving and stuffing home the rebound to make the game 4–0.

By 7:56, Pyne answered the call for the Eagles. Off a pass from Fess, Pyne

swept past defender Abbey Marohn and moved Phillips out of position with a backhand shot, finally putting the Eagles on the board at 4–1.

The energy of the Eagles and the action on the ice only picked up from there.

At the 8:57 mark, Carter took to the box and gave BC a second chance on the power play. That advantage was heightened when Jules Constantinople joined Carter after a penalty for handling the puck.

Now with 5-on-3 strength, Sammy Smigliani, Jordan, and Abby Newhook peppered Phillips with shots—none of which could find the back of the net. Despite tallying 12 shots, both BC advantages expired without a goal.

While BC was able to add a number next to its name earlier in the period, another response from the Huskies soon followed.

With just 1:07 left in the second period, Northeastern established a fourgoal margin once again. Yovetich sent

the puck through the layers from the point. The puck found Allie Lalonde crashing to the net for the rebound, furthering the home team’s lead 5–1.

BC had its last power play at the 2:59 mark, but the momentum was short-lived when the strength on the ice evened as Newhook took to the box for tripping.

Matters continued to get worse from there for BC. At the 7:27 mark, Annaka Mettler was ejected from the game by officials for a major penalty for slew footing. The move also cost the team a five-minute penalty on the ice. Caroline Goffredo served the time in the box for Mettler.

Northeastern was handed a non-releasable, five-minute power play that the Eagles successfully killed off.

Despite outshooting their rival 45 to 26 on Saturday, the Eagles couldn’t add to their single goal, and the third period concluded scoreless for both sides. n