The Heights, Feb. 28, 2022

OPINIONS

Columnist Alexa Piedra reflects on the pressure to change in college and how to stay true to yourself. A11

RAO / HEIGHTS STAFF

African Student Organization Hosts Annual Fashion Show

ARTS

Music Guild launches Tiny Dorm Series, showcasing student musicians performing in their dorms. A9

Budd To Speak at BC Law Commencement

By aLexis Thomas Heights Staff

Aspiring lawyers of the Boston College Law School Class of 2022 will have their final academic year capped with a commencement speech on May 27 from Kimberly S. Budd, chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC).

“She is very impressive,” Alexandra Levay, BC Law ’22, said. “She has a very diverse experience, especially in law firms and public interest work.

For law students, her story is inspirational for how we want to build our careers.”

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker nominated Budd to the Massachusetts SJC as an associate justice in 2016. In 2020, Baker nominated

Budd to be the court’s chief justice, and once confirmed, Budd became the first African American woman to serve in the position.

Osman Yasin, BC Law ’22, said Budd’s experience as a woman on the court is also a source of inspiration among law students.

“People talk about how women, especially in law, can never become partners or get too far,” Yasin said.

“Unfortunately, [women] aren’t valued as much compared to their potential male colleagues.”

According to Diane Ring, interim dean at BC Law, the law school looks for the brightest minds of the legal field when choosing a commencement speaker.

Love On The Heights Arranges Blind Dates

By GeorGina Lee Heights Staff

Finding love on the Heights can be a difficult task for many students at Boston College. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, many BC students may avoid the multitude of couples’ dedication posts on social media, wishing they had a special someone of their own to celebrate with.

This year, the headache of wanting to find the perfect match may come with a remedy—thanks to BC’s Love On The Heights.

Inspired by his parents’ blind-date love story, current Wake Forest University senior Ted Middleton sought to create Theia, an organization that would promote a positive dating culture on college campuses by organizing personalized and low-pressure double dates, according to its website.

Middleton and three other classmates launched Dating Deacons, Theia’s first affiliate, at Wake Forest

University in January 2020. Theia is now the parent company that has sparked the quest to find love through blind double dates at a total of nine college campuses across the country.

Its most recent affiliate? BC.

Looking to expand the Theia organization, Middleton was put in contact with Antonio Imbriano, CSOM ’23, through a mutual friend. When asked if he’d be interested in working with Theia and introducing blind double dates to BC, Imbriano quickly agreed.

Imbriano said that Love On The Heights uses a combination of both an algorithm and a human matchmaker to pair people together.

“Dating culture here is the worst, the absolute worst, and the idea is just to introduce a casual way to increase that dating community,” Imbriano said.

Eagles Defeat Syracuse in Regular Season Finale

ADITYA

Escape the stress of midterms at CAB’s on-campus escape room in the Vandy Cabaret Room on Tuesday at 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. Solve puzzles and navigate through clues to make your escape before time

Mathew Rosengart Talks Representing Britney Spears

By NaTalie arNdT Newsletter Editor

Mathew Rosengart said his time at Boston College Law School and his experiences in the law field greatly contributed to his success in representing Britney Spears in her conservatorship case.

“The things that I learned as a student at BC Law and everything that I had learned throughout my career helped me [represent] Britney,” Rosengart, BC Law ’87, said.

Rosengart, a partner in Greenberg Traurig, LLP, returned to BC Law to speak about his career as this year’s Dean’s Distinguished Lecture on Tuesday.

According to Diane Ring, the interim dean at BC Law, Rosengart has represented many high-profile clients, from public figures including Steven Spielberg and Keanu Reeves to widely known companies such as Facebook and Verizon.

Most recently, he garnered public attention by representing Spears in the battle to end her conservatorship.

The conservatorship appointed her father, Jamie Spears, in charge of her personal and financial affairs.

In July 2021, Spears replaced her court-appointed lawyer with Rosengart, according to BC Law Magazine.

Rosengart won Spears’ release from her conservatorship on Nov. 12.

In an email to The Heights , Rosengart said there were some questions he considered before taking on Spears’ case, but ulti -

mately, he felt compelled to take on the case and was extremely honored to represent Spears.

Rosengart wanted to ensure Spears had “an attorney and advocate to zealously represent her best interests,” he said.

“Why is it that even the most heinous criminals have the right to have their own attorney … [but] Britney Spears doesn’t?” he said.

Rosengart said he approached the case with the initial intent of suspending Spears’ father “affirmatively and aggressively” so that his team could gain access to the legal files her father held.

The media reacted negatively to the strategy to first suspend Spears’ father, according to Rosengart.

Many wanted him to terminate the conservatorship immediately, he said.

But, Rosengart said he proceeded with this strategy and blocked out this commentary.

Rosengart said he was both

he said.

Prior to representing Spears, Rosengart worked in various legal fields.

After he graduated from BC Law, Rosengart said he was determined to work in a federal clerkship position. But instead, he clerked for former Supreme Court Justice David Souter when Souter was a state judge in New Hampshire.

“I went with my heart and went with the state clerkship, and I had the best time a new lawyer could have,” he said.

After leaving his clerkship in New Hampshire, Rosengart said he started working as a federal prosecutor.

“My proudest moment as a federal prosecutor was achieving the Justice Department’s mission statement, which was to do justice, whatever that may mean [under the circumstances],” he said.

After years of being a prosecutor, Rosengart said he wanted to “make [his] own footprint,” and took the opportunity to move to Los Angeles, where he worked on his first high-profile case for Academy Award–winning writer and director Kenneth Lonergan.

Josh Ferraro, BC Law ’22, said he attended the lecture to hear about Rosengart’s impressive career path.

just great to hear more about his history [and] the things that he’s done.”

If BC Law students work hard and create strong relationships with the people they encounter, Rosengart said they can achieve success.

and every one of you will have the power to change a life,” he said.

Rosengart ended his lecture by reading part of BC Law’s mission statement.

humbled and proud that he was able to help Spears.

“The system does not always work, and you will have disappointments, but there is no greater feeling than using the system right and helping someone through it,”

“I really just appreciated the opportunity to hear about his professional history, especially his experience with BC and his experience working with Justice Souter when he was in New Hampshire,” Ferraro said, wearing a shirt with Rosengart’s face on it. “So it was

“Relationships matter, doing good work through relationships matters, and that can lead to a big break,” he said. “There is no direct road map, it’s doing the work and working hard, striving for excellence, and doing it with passion.”

Rosengart said law is important because it can help to make a difference in society as well as in individuals’ lives.

“Lawyers have the power to change peoples lives, and each

“We seek to train a diverse student body not merely to be good lawyers, but to be lawyers who lead good lives, and who will be prepared to seek and to find meaningful work in service to others that will enrich their communities,” the statement reads.

Rosengart said he hopes BC Law students will work toward fulfilling that mission.

“I’ve aspired to do that,” Rosengart said. “I still have a lot to do. I hope that you aspire to do that. I hope that you succeed. I know you can.” n

Sophomore Launches BC-Themed Version of Wordle

By gaBBy savo Heights Staff

Lyons. Upper. Vandy. Leahy. What do these words have in common? All were answers to BCWordle—the five-letter guessing game with terms unique to all things Boston College.

“I think the BC version of this Wordle is kind of just to bring BC people together over a common little game that people know about and that also can bring [alumni and] … parents in,” said Luke Stanise, creator of BCWordle and CSOM ’24.

Stanise launched the variation of Wordle, a daily online word puzzle, on Feb. 15, coming up with the idea in one of his classes where students get to experiment with various programming platforms.

“In one of my classes—it’s called Web Application Development—we have been using a platform called Glitch,” Stanise said.

Knowing how popular Wordle is, Stanise said he attempted to recreate his own version with the program.

“I know Wordle got super big— me and my friends would play and send it to each other every morn -

ing,” he said. “Then one day in class we were toying around with learning [the program], and I was just like, ‘Alright, I’m just going to make a tiny little Wordle on it.’”

Although other students encouraged him to pursue the idea, Stanise said he was not sure how to pull it off.

“I had background in Python and other [computer] languages, but I’ve never worked with the other languages before,” he said.

After coming up with the program two weeks into the second semester, Stanise said he set it aside for a week. But once he realized he had all of the tools in front of him, Stanise was off and running.

Although he created the program himself, Stanise has a team of BC students helping him choose the five-letter words. His team includes Chelsea Schwartz, CSOM ’24; Brian Lynch, MCAS ’24; Stephen Carroll, CSOM ’24; and Grace Marshall,

CSOM ’24.

“We have a bank of words that we have already thought up,” Stanise said. “We’ll look through them, [and] based on what we already did in the past couple of days, we’ll think of what we should do and how we should plan.”

and tell me if they are connected to a certain WiFi—most people are connected to BC WiFi—and [it] will also add one to the count [of users],” Stanise said.

On average, between 2,000 and 2,500 people play the game a day from all over, according to Stanise.

“I see a majority of the couple thousand is at Boston College, but then I see kids who are abroad at schools, like I see people in Madrid, in the UK,” he said. “I also see people’s parents [playing].

look forward to everyday.”

Charlie Davis, MCAS ’24, said he likes that playing BCWordle has become a regular part of his day.

“It’s a routine at this point,” Davis said. “Once it gets to midnight or when I wake up in the morning, I do all of the little games that have been reset. I [also like] seeing if I know all of the buildings on campus, [since] that’s mostly what it is.”

O’Friel said he would absolutely recommend the game to other people.

“I would definitely recommend it to people who already like playing Wordle and like a challenge and want something to do in the mornings to stimulate [their] brain,” O’Friel said.

Stanise said he is now able to see how many people are playing at a given time and where they are playing from.

“I went online and found this free version of a website called Leadfeeder, and basically, I put a script into my code [so that] everytime it runs, it will take [users’] computers info into this Leadfeeder

I also see Boston law enforcement, or I’ll see other schools, too. I see Northeastern, UPenn, or BU.”

Among the many BCWordle users is Brendan O’Friel, MCAS ’25, who said he enjoys playing everyday.

“I think [BCWordle] is really cool,” O’Friel said. “I really like the original Wordle, but having to guess words that are specific to BC is pretty neat, and it’s something to

Stanise said he wants everyone to have fun playing the BCWordle and that he hopes it becomes an easy conversation starter around campus.

“I think the main thing is just something fun to discuss in the morning that isn’t stress and school, or when you’re at breakfast talking about all of the work you have to do,” Stanise said. “It’s just a way to connect people more in the most minimal way possible but just in a fun way.” n

runs out!

Join former U.S. Senator and BC Law visiting professor Doug Jones for his lecture titled “Justice Delayed, Not Justice Denied: The Prosecutions of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing” on Monday at 3 p.m.

Tune in on Tuesday at 1 p.m. for a virtual webinar titled “Islam in the United States: Issues of Race and Diversity,” where distinguished scholars will explore anti-Muslim discrimination in the U.S.

IMAGE COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

GRAPHIC BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

BC Law alum Rosengart was selected to represent Spears in conservatorship case.

“ Why is it that even the most heinous criminals have the right to have their own attorney … [but] Britney Spears doesn’t? ”

Kudzai Kapurura Wins Annual MLK Jr. Scholarship

B y A my P A lmer Assoc. News Edtior

Kudzai Kapurura—this year’s recipient of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship—said she began to recognize the importance of the scholarship after being invited to be a student keynote speaker at its ceremony her freshman year.

“I was just beginning to understand how powerful the MLK Scholarship really was in terms of leadership, in terms of recognition of a student leader on campus,” Kapurura, MCAS ’23, said.

Kapurura was announced as the winner at the 40th anniversary celebration of the MLK Scholarship on Tuesday night.

The MLK Scholarship is awarded to a Boston College junior who excels in academics, extracurricular leadership, service, and involvement on and off campus with the African American community, according to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Committee website.

As the recipient, Kapurura will receive up to $19,000 toward her tuition senior year and a $1,000 gift certificate to the BC Bookstore. The four other finalists will receive a $3,000 tuition scholarship and a $1,000 gift certificate to the bookstore.

Over the past three years, Kapurura said she connected with many previous scholarship recipients, including Latifat Odetunde, MCAS ’22, and Shakalah Thompson, BC ’21. She said their simple but impactful words stood out to her the most.

“I always feel like whenever I would talk to the leaders, it was always the simplest words, but the most wise and the most deep,” she said.

Kapurura said these conversations, in addition to her own

Representatives Vote No to Bill Proposing Speaker of the SA

B y Natalie Arndt Newsletter Editor

After heated debate and multiple members storming out, the Student Assembly (SA) voted no to a bill that would have created a speaker of the SA, eliminating the Undergraduate Government of Boston College vice president’s power over the legislative body.

“I urge you all to vote no on this,” Chris Rizzo, chair of the GLBTQ Leadership Council and MCAS ’22, said. “If we want to do anything, and if we want to leave a legacy that actually matters, vote no.”

Currently, the UGBC vice president is the president of the SA. At the Wednesday night meeting, Dennis Wieboldt, chair of the Community Relations Committee and MCAS ’22, sponsored the bill that would have more starkly divided UGBC’s legislative and executive branches.

“This proposal would move the vice president solely to the executive branch so that they have the time to devote properly just to helping the president,” Wieboldt said. “The Student Assembly would then elect a speaker among themselves who would be responsible for procedural management.”

Several SA members vocalized strong opposition to Wieboldt’s bill.

“I think our capability as a student government is to promote ideals and policies that we think are reflective of the student body,” said Ted Park, SA representative and MCAS ’23. “And honestly, dividing

up the executive and legislative branch plays no helpful role in that.”

Wieboldt argued that the bill would democratize the SA nomination process.

“It makes the nomination process more democratic because now everyone who’s elected or appointed to a position has the right to nominate someone who they think would be best for that role,” Wielboldt said.

Wells Arkins, MCAS ’23, said he opposed the idea of taking responsibilities away from the vice president.

“Let’s consider having more collaboration between SA and the finance division instead of just creating more bureaucracy,” Arkins said. “Increasing bureaucracy

Rizzo stressed the potentially troubling effects of the bill, as there is already not enough collaboration among UGBC, he said.

“I think Student Assembly and all of UGBC needs to face up to the fact that we have no real power at Boston College,” Rizzo said. “We cannot force anyone to do anything. The only power that we have is when we work together.”

SA members raised their voices as the debate continued and grew more intense, and several members left early.

When it came time to vote on the bill, it was unclear whether two-thirds of the assembly—which is required to vote on a bill—were still present.

“The fact that we have to do roll for a vote is kind of annoying and disrespectful to the other people here,” said Joshua Golden, SA representative and MCAS ’25. “I find it disrespectful to people here who take time to write bills, to table, and really get a grasp on what it means to be in SA and UGBC.”

research on the power of the Civil Rights Movement and the power of King, prepared her to apply for the scholarship this year.

“By junior year, I felt very led to go ahead and apply for something like this regardless of the win or loss, understanding that the goal is just leadership and service,” she said.

Kapurura is involved with Courageous Conversations, a program that facilitates conversations on racial justice at BC.

She is also a second-year RA and an ambassador at the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center (BAIC).

This March, Kapurura will be a student leader on the Magis Civil Rights Immersion Trip hosted by the BAIC. The trip brings students to civil rights sites throughout the South, she said. One particular place Kapurura said she looks forward to visiting is Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama.

“He’s a very strong and righteous leader, and so to have gotten to visit his H.Q. in Montgomery, Ala. when I was a freshman was

very special, and to get to visit there again for the second time, and now to lead other students through that learning experience, I think will be very, very powerful,” she said.

Kapurura has also delivered two TED Talks—one in 2017 titled “We are We.” and one in 2021 titled “How to Live a Meaningful Life.”

Kapurura said she always tries to advance justice in whatever spaces she finds herself in.

“Any space that I get, I try to add that lens of ‘How are we thinking about justice [and] progress,’ regardless of whether or not that group or that space was originally intended for justice or progress,” she said.

For Kapurura, the MLK Scholarship recognizes leadership.

“The award to me means you have been recognized as a student leader on a great platform,” she said. “I think it’s just as important to remember those who are not recognized on that platform are also just as powerful leaders.”

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

doesn’t increase efficiency. … It’s an incredibly inefficient process— almost impossible to implement.”

Inefficiency was a common concern among several SA members who argued that further separating the legislative and executive branches would create less harmony within UGBC.

“I really struggle to see how disconnecting branches of student government from each other is going to actually help people collaborate more,” Rizzo said.

After over an hour of debate on the floor, the SA voted no to the bill with 11 yes votes, 12 no votes, and 5 people not present.

With the mounting tension near the meeting’s end, Vice President Gianna Russi, MCAS ’22, reminded SA members to respect one another.

“It’s definitely okay to disagree, especially in a body like this,” she said. “I think we all just need to take a step back and remember that our students treat each other with respect. Talk to each other like you’re peers.” n

Budd To Keynote BC Law Commencement

Budd, from A1

“We are generally looking for people holding leadership positions in the legal profession, preferably with a long and distinguished record of public service,” Ring said.

The process of choosing a commencement speaker is lengthy and industrious, with several factors going into the final decision, Ring said.

“We receive a number of recommendations from various sources in the BC Law community throughout the year, and through a series of meetings with various stakeholders at the law school and University, [we] narrow down our list to a preferred choice before extending the invitation,” Ring said.

According to a release from BC Law Magazine, Budd’s father, Wayne Budd, was the first African American U.S. attorney in Massachusetts.

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Budd worked in private practice at Mintz, Levin, Cohn,

Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. She then followed in her father’s footsteps, serving as an assistant U.S. attorney and then as an attorney for Harvard University. She also taught at New England Law and Harvard Law.

“I would like to know what made [Budd] pivot her career that way,” Levay said. “What made her make those decisions?”

Thomas Wesner, an associate professor at the Carroll School of Management, also praised Budd’s experience and reputation in the field, especially in her jurisprudence.

“Budd enjoys a superb reputation in Massachusetts and beyond in the way she administers court proceedings, as well as how she handles people,” Wesner said.

“She represents the law with great dignity and is a superb pick to speak at the commencement.”

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

IMAGE COURTESY OF FLAV DEBARROS

Kudzai Kapurura won the annual scholarship at the Tuesday night celebration.

IMAGE COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Budd is the current chief justice of the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court.

“If we want to do anything, and if we want to leave a legacy that actually matters, vote no. ”

By Julia Kiersznowski Projects Editor

The average price of a single-family home in the United States as of January 2022 is about $357,000, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

But for those interested in purchasing a single-family home in the City of Newton, they should be prepared to dish out at least another $243,000.

A $600,000 two-bedroom, onebath, 825-square-foot home on California Street in Nonantum is the cheapest home for sale in the city right now. Nonantum, along with Lower Falls, is one of the two formerly redlined areas of Newton.

The average single-family house in Newton costs $1.5 million, according to a report from the city’s Assessors Office released in November. And in Chestnut Hill, a neighborhood labeled “a choice location” in the 1930s, a nine-bedroom, 11-bathroom, 12,437-square-foot home will cost $8.5 million.

Such discrepancies in price are shaped by the city’s history of redlining and single-family zoning. Over a century after the Supreme Court declared racially biased zoning unconstitutional, the fight for fair housing in Newton continues to this day.

Beginnings in Newton

Redlining, which began in the United States in the 1930s, was a practice in which banks used resident demographics and income to decide how they allocated loans. This system was built, however, on discriminatory assumptions that intensified the racial segrgation already prominent in American cities and suburbs.

Following the housing market crash of the Great Depression, the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched the Home Owners’ Loan Cor poration (HOLC) in 1933 to address the crisis.

The HOLC created lending guidelines for banks based on maps that catego rized dis tricts of land in cities by “mortgage secu rity risk,” or how depend able HOLC believed the loan recipient to be. The corporation disproportionately marked African American and immigrant districts red, which made it more difficult for residents to obtain loans.

“The lowest designation was hazardous—any African American neighborhood would be designated hazardous,” said Robert Van Meter, an adjunct economics professor at Boston College and consultant on housing and community develop ment. “And those areas were out lined in red, so that’s the origin of the term redlining.”

Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America is a project led by a research team at the Uni versity of Richmond that, among other things, illustrates in detail how cities were redlined and de -

Redlining to Single-Family Zoning:

scribes how redlining quickly became a tool for racial segregation.

Based on data collected by the HOLC, bank lenders would refuse to make loans, or make very conservative loans, to potential or existing residents of more “hazardous” areas.

“Among that information was the neighborhood’s quality of housing, the recent history of sale and rent values, and, crucially, the racial and ethnic identity and class of residents that served as the basis of the neighbor hood’s grade,” the Mapping Inequality website reads.

The HOLC maps broke residential land into four categories, labeling Grade A “best,” Grade B “still de sirable,” Grade C “definite ly declining,” and Grade D “hazardous.”

Newton adopted these HOLC practices as early as 1935, according to Mapping Inequality.

The HOLC redlined, or des ignated “hazardous,” approximate ly three percent of Newton. Of the remaining residential land, they labeled 22 percent Grade A, 44 percent Grade B, and 32 percent Grade C.

The HOLC reported the Nonantum and Lower Fall’s in habitants to be 60 and 50 percent “foreign-born,” respectively, both with an annual income of $600 to $1,200 in the 1930s. One of the re ports lists “foreign concentration” in the regions’ section of “Detri mental Influences.”

“It’s the areas where there were immigrants a lot of overlap.

Zoning laws in the U.S. were

originally created to designate residential versus commercial land use, Van Meter said, though the policies quickly became used for racial segregation.

“Initially the movement for zoning came from progressives and

mayoral election, the city approved stricter zoning practices, which quickly became a tool for solidify -

“While pretty arcane, these zoning rules directly influenced how Newton’s built environment developed over the last century and, in turn, influenced greatly who can afford to live here today,” Fuller wrote.

The Zoning Debate Today

Though single-family zoning still dominates modern-day Newton, many local residents, politicians, and organizations are pushing for

In her 2020 zoning update, Fuller said Newton’s Zoning and Planning Committee is aiming to address a number of key questions regarding single-family zoning. One of these questions explores whether the city should allow developers to convert existing single-family homes to two or more unit resi-

“Zoning decisions have been inextricably linked to the level of income inequality and racial segregation we face in Newton and in Greater Boston,” Fuller’s update reads. “The City Council is rightly exploring a range of options for our updated zoning to

“Redlining was layered onto and reinforced the segregation that zoning, in some cases, created or cemented in place,” Van Meter

Since its popularization in the 1920s, single-family zoning in the U.S. has dominated the majority of modern-day zoning laws. As of 2019, it was illegal to build anything but a single-family home on 75 percent of residential land in American cities, according to The Boston is no exception. Seventy percent of municipalities, or towns, in the city don’t allow single-family homes on 80 percent of their land, according to The Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston.

In 1940, the Newton City Council established a new zoning plan, which specified areas of the city where only single-family homes could be built, according to a September 2020 update from Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller. The plan also introduced minimum lot sizes, which required that single-family homes only be built on lots of certain sizes, the report

The Newton City Council once again updated its zoning laws in 1953, this time increasing the minimum lot size requirements to build a home in Newton, the up -

As of September 2020, less than six percent of Newton’s housing was deemed affordable for low and moderate income households, the

gle-family homes,” she said. But after Childs lost the next

Aside from minor updates in 1987 and a reorganization effort by the city council in 2015, Newton essentially has the same zoning laws it had in 1953, the update said.

update said. Newton’s population is four percent African American and five percent Hispanic or Latino, according to the update, compared to a respective nine and 12 percent statewide

“Housing affordability and residential racial patterns are complicated and the link to zoning is complex,” the update reads. “Given today’s hyper housing market prices, solutions require a certain amount of change to zoning ordinances if we want housing affordable to more people in our almost fully built out City.”

As of September 2021, Newton reported that the median cost of a single-family house is $1.5 million.

“That puts it out of the reach of people who are not wealthy, unless you’re inheriting a house,” she said.

One important aspect of Newton’s zoning laws is the difference between by-right zoning and

“Redlining was layered onto and reinforced the segregation that zoning, in some cases, created or cemented in place.”

From

Exploring the Legacy of Exclusionary Housing in Newton

Today’s Conversations About Single-Family Zoning

Zoning, from A4

special permit zoning, according to Deb Crossley, a Newton city councilor and the chair of the Zoning and Planning Committee.

Building a house “by-right” means following the zoning rules—how many stories can be built, how big the building can be, and other regulations—as well as observing the state building codes, Crossley said. Building by special permit, however, means having to follow stricter condi tions and undergo review by New ton’s Planning and Develop ing Department.

Currently, New ton does not allow multi-family housing anywhere by-right, Crossley said.

“That’s a huge deterrent to build ing multi-family housing, especially where you want it, which is close to where goods and services and public transportation exists,” she said. “So clearly that’s a disincentive for the kind of development most of us think we need in village cen ters.”

Because of this, the approval process for multi-family housing projects is often drawn out, Cross ley said.

“The Austin Street project, which is three and four stories, and the Trio project, which is four and five stories … involved long, protracted battles with citizens who opposed the projects,” Cross ley said.

At the beginning of 2020, Crossley said, the committee re viewed all of the city’s zoning documents, a 2012 zoning reform group report, and different hous ing and zoning studies. It then

“We’re only building one kind of housing, for the most part—the giant single-family home or the giant two-unit condo. So there’s not ways for people of even modest means … to come here.”

came up with a set of goals to enact zoning reform in the city.

“We want to adopt housing that facilitates a greater diversity of housing types and of income earners,” she said. “It’s been a problem since the 1960s because of our very restrictive zoning in Newton. And it’s been at a critical stage since years ago, but housing prices have soared because we’re not building enough housing. And we’re only building one kind of housing, for the most part—the giant single-family home or the giant two-unit condo. So there’s not ways for people of even modest means … to come here.”

The Newton Planning and Development Department delivered a draft of an updated zoning ordinance to the committee, which

said the ordinance is still under review, according to Fuller’s update.

City council was planning to vote on this updated zoning ordinance in the fall or winter of 2021.

Crossley said the committee postponed the review of the draft because it is currently focused on

Planning Committee has begun looking into how the Commonwealth’s new “MBTA Communities” regulations apply to Newton and how they can be incorporated into Newton’s zoning laws, Crossley said.

As part of an economic development bill enacted last

These new guidelines require all of the communities to have at least one zoning district “of reasonable size” that allows multi-family housing if the cities want to remain eligible for certain state funding.

“And there were people right out of the gate on the city council who suggested we not comply with the new law because, in their words, the funding that we would then be ineligible for is not significant to a city that has half a billion dollar budget,” she said. “But that’s not how the majority of the city council feels. I don’t think Newton should lead by breaking the law.” Sweet said while she thinks most city councilors are passionate about the new regulations, some are still resistant to change.

“I think the majority of councilors are actually seeing it as an opportunity to do something about housing in Newton,” Sweet said. “But there are still some of the few people who are really opposed to any change, who keep talking about ‘Newton is the Garden City, and if we do this, we won’t be the Garden City any-

smaller-scale affordable housing projects.

“It allows [developers] to make the opportunity available for small-scale development for multi-family houses of three units or more by-right,” she said. “And if it’s by-right, that makes it much more economical for the developer, because if they have to go for a permit, it might be six months of hearings they have to go through. And that costs money.”

Van Meter emphasized that these new regulations lay the groundwork for the creation of more multi-family housing.

“This process has been going on for quite a long time, and it’s going to be going on for a while longer,” Sweet said.

In addition to focusing on village center zoning, the Zoning and

setts recently re leased new multi-family zoning regulations for all MBTA Communities—or cities and towns surrounding or nearby T-stops.

There have been some largescale, multi-family housing projects in Newton in recent years, according to Newton’s website, including the Riverside Project, the West Newton Armory, and the Northland Project. These projects will create another 102, 43, and 140 units of affordable housing, respectively, or 285 new units in total.

But Sweet said one of the biggest advantages of the MBTA Community regulations is that they create the opportunity for

“For a community as large as Newton, with the level of MBTA service that Newton has, it will be a fairly significant amount of housing that could be created,” he said. “Because of the Green Line, as well as the Commuter Rail, they have a fairly significant MBTA community obligation if they’re to remain eligible for some very important state grant programs.”

One of the biggest advantages of the new MBTA Community regulations is that they allow people who already work in the city to live here, too, Sweet said.

“We have people who work for the city—teachers, all kinds of city employees, employees of workplaces in Newton—who drive miles and miles and miles to get here. … It’s just not right,” Dorris said. “There needs to be more housing that’s not so out of reach for so many ordinary people.” n

Eliza Hernandez contributed to reporting.

ABBY HUNT / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

The City of Newton, also known as the Garden City, has a long history of redlining and exclusionary single-family zoning, dating back to the 1930s.

“But there are still some of the few people who are really opposed to any change, who keep talking about ‘Newton is the Garden City, and if we do this, we won’t be the Garden City anymore.’”

GRAPHICS BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Tension Builds Over Preservation of Newton Senior Center

By Gavin ZhanG Assoc. Metro Editor

Developers of the West Newton Armory and the Newton Center for Active Living (NewCAL) presented their designs to the Newton Historical Commission (NHC) at a meeting on Thursday, centering on the viability of preserving historical elements without compromising accessibility.

The meeting came after elderly people protested outside of the Newton Senior Center on Wednesday, calling for the city to build an entirely new NewCAL building instead of preserving parts of the current building.

Peter Dimond, chair of the NHC, thanked the developers of the West Newton Armory for reaching out to the NHC and for their decision to retain the historic headhouse while allowing full accessibility to the building.

“I’d like to say that I’m very impressed with the way the folks from the armory came to us early on and wanted to share their views about the history and get our historical Commission’s take on the building or what might be done,” Dimond said.

But Dimond also criticized the developers of the NewCAL for ignoring the NHC in its early stages of planning and said he hoped that the project did not have to resort to full demolition of the existing structure.

“Tonight I’m very disappointed,” Dimond said. “Because in my mind,

the current senior center is a magnificent public building, and it has terrific bones to it. … So I am hopeful that the folks who design the senior center can take a step back and say, ‘Well, let’s see how we can incorporate the existing building into a new structure that meets the needs of the senior population of Newton.’”

Doug Cornelius, an NHC member, said that Dimond’s comment on NewCAL’s designs does not represent the commission as a whole. He said that accessibility should be the designers’ top priority.

“I want to point out that the Americans with Disabilities Act is not a design law—it’s a civil rights law,” Cornelius said. “Those design requirements are merely a bare minimum that needs to be done to avoid violating the civil rights of those who won’t be able use [the building]. I think preserving the existing facade would be offensive for a public building like a senior center.”

The existing structure is difficult to repurpose due to its inherent accessibility issues, according to Dan Chen, a principal at Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype, Inc., the firm that will provide architectural designs for the new senior center.

“It’s always difficult for architects to suggest demolishing an existing building

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

By victor StefaneScu Metro Editor

Joan Belle Isle, the chair of the executive committee of the Council on Aging, said she thinks the Newton Senior Center is the reason she’s alive.

“This may sound a little weird, but I’m quite convinced that the senior center saved my life,” she said.

Belle Isle, who has lung cancer, said Tai Chi classes in the nearly 84-year-old building helped her stay active during treatment.

“I was recently diagnosed with lung cancer,” Belle Isle said. “And I’m

absolutely convinced that being involved, being connected, being part of that Tai Chi [class], doing something physical every day, contributed to my essentially being cancer free at this point.”

But Belle Isle—along with about 15 other elderly people demonstrating outside the center Wednesday afternoon—is calling for the City of Newton to tear down the current building and replace it with a new, more accessible facility.

Newton plans to preserve historic elements of the current structure at 345 Walnut St., such as its stained glass windows and elements of the

facade, in creating the Newton Center for Active Living (NewCAL), according to a project update.

The demonstrators, though, want the city to build an entirely new building. One of the protesters wielded a sign that said, “IT’S NOT HISTORICAL. WE ARE.”

The front facade of the senior center looks a little bit like a town hall. But the white paint above the center’s name is fading away, and the metal fixture above the door is rusty.

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City of Newton to Move Forward on Updating Seal

By Gavin ZhanG Assoc. Metro Editor

After almost a year and a half since the first convention of an Ad Hoc City Seal Working Group, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller requested for the Newton City Council to approve to proceed with the process of updating the Newton city seal.

“[Currently] pictured is a colonial authority telling a people that their ways of living and worshiping are wrong,” Fuller wrote in a mayor’s update on Feb. 17. “Certainly, most Newtonians would not want a symbol of cultural arrogance to represent their city made up of many faiths and

cultures.”

The Town of Newton adopted the seal in 1865, and Newton retained the seal when it established itself as a city in 1873. The seal depicts English missionary John Eliot proselytizing a group of Indigenous people, urging their conversion to Christianity and adoption of English customs.

Eliot achieved his first success in Cohannet, now known as Newton, when he established the Christian settlement he named Nonantum, the working group’s report read. Eliot, however, never lived there himself.

Newton’s decision to depict the scene in its seal was likely due to the post-Civil War popularity of

using images of Native Americans to embody an American identity or its representation of the city’s long history, according to the report.

A majority of Newtonians, however, consider the seal’s scene to be offensive and unfaithful to Newton’s self image, according to input gathered from online surveys, public meetings, and letters from community members, the report read.

The report also included opinions that the group solicited from Indigenous groups on the current seal de-

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Fuller Optimistic for the Future at State of City Address

By eliZaBeth Gray Heights Staff

Mayor Ruthanne Fuller spoke before the Newton City Council on Zoom Tuesday night to deliver her fifth State of the City address in which she reflected on the city’s successes and outlined her vision for its future.

“Tonight I reaffirm my commitment to building a greater, better, more beautiful Newton, and the core to that commitment is the spirit of working together with elected officials, civic organizations, and residents from all of our villages,” Fuller said. “By finding common cause, we will continue to move Newton forward together.”

Fuller began the address by highlighting city projects over the last four years. She talked about the city’s implementation of full-day kindergarten, the ride service NewMo, the purchase of the Webster Woods, the first Climate Action Plan, and the city’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fuller’s address emphasized the city’s commitment to Newton Public Schools (NPS). The NPS fiscal year 2023 budget of $262 million—a $9 million increase from 2022 according to the official budget—is one of the largest annual increases in Newton’s history, she said.

Fuller also committed an additional $2 million to NPS for technology upgrades and social and emotional

support for students.

But Fuller acknowledged the struggles the city is facing, too, including the death of 239 Newtonians as a result of COVID-19, rising housing prices, incidents of hate speech, and increased costs that are putting a strain on the city budget.

Despite the city’s challenges, Fuller expressed an optimistic outlook for the coming year.

“I can say confidently that the year ahead will be a banner one in so many ways, and we have much about which to be excited,” Fuller said.

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ANEESA WERMERS / HEIGHTS STAFF

A majority of Newtonians consider the current seal’s scene to be offensive.

VICTOR STEFANESCU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Demonstrators called for a new senior center at a Wednesday protest.

Commission members clashed over the design.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RUTHANNE FULLER

Fuller talked about NewMo, new housing developements, and more at her address.

Newton plans to preserve historic elements of the current structure at 345 Walnut St., such as its stained-glass windows.

Cafe Martin Honors Newton Community Member

By Margaret Doheny Heights Staff

Adrienne Martin opened Cafe Martin less than a month ago to honor her husband John Martin, a former NESN videographer who died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) three and a half years ago.

For 20 years, John Martin served as the sports voice of the community, covering everything from the Red Sox to the Bruins. After John Martin received his diagnosis, Newton and the region’s sports community built a system to support his family.

“People still talk about it—such unbelievable support,” Adrienne Martin said. “People started coming to our house in droves, like a party or hangout. His spirits were lifted.”

Cafe Martin aims to create a community where people can drink and eat with the people they know and love, according to Adrienne Martin.

When people came to the Martins’ home to catch up and eat, they started calling the house “Cafe Martin.” Adrienne Martin said they even made shirts and koozies with the name on them.

Cafe Martin came about as a re-

flection of Adrienne and John Martin’s joy from those experiences. In creating Cafe Martin, Adrienne Martin said she looked to give back to the community.

“How do we pay this forward? How do we create this energy we feel for other people?” Adrienne Martin said.

The dream had been in the works

MAGAZINE

for three and a half years since John Martin died. Adrienne Martin has decades of experience in the Boston restaurant business but was waiting for the right opportunity to open Cafe Martin.

The location of Cafe Martin at 7 West Street is important to Adrienne

Martin. When she heard that the building became available last year, she took the opportunity right away.

“I know this place. It’s a beloved watering hole for decades upon decades,” Adrienne Martin said. “I always thought it’d make the perfect Cafe Martin, but I never thought it’d be

available.”

When the property became available last year, she made the vision of Cafe Martin a reality.

That vision is alive from the moment you walk in. The staff greets customers with smiling faces. The hum of people dining and conversing with one another fills the air. The restaurant has cheerful energy.

Customers can enjoy classic bar foods such as nachos and burgers. On the night of the Feb. 25 snowstorm, much of her staff couldn’t make it into work, and Adrienne Martin said that she improvised a special pasta dish despite a short staff .

The cafe is the perfect place to chat with friends. At the bar, Ellie Formisano, Boston College ’21, said she had been coming into Cafe Martin at least once or twice a week since the restaurant opened. Formisano, who knew the cafe’s bartender at her old job on Cape Cod, said her favorites at the restaurant are the pretzel bites and chicken wings.

“It’s usually super crowded,” Formisano said. “Even though it’s only been open a month now, the bar is filled and the food is really good. It’s a great atmosphere.” n

Homemade on the Heights: Dorm Living Recipes

By Lauren aLcock Heights Staff

Whether you’re a freshman without a kitchen, someone who has been shipped off to Pine Manor and left to fend for yourself, or just can’t be bothered to turn on your oven, these easy dorm room recipes are sure to save the day or at least provide you with a satisfactory midnight snack.

With only a microwave, I’ve test ed and compiled these recipes using simple ingredients easily found on or near campus or already in your fridge. Each recipe is highly custom izable and easy to make in a larger batch. So, let’s get cooking!

DISH #1:

S’mores Banana Boat

INGREDIENTS:

1 banana

2–3 marshmallows, ¼ cup mini marshmallows, or approximately 3 tablespoons marshmallow fluff 1–2 tablespoons chocolate chips, chunks, or pieces

Optional toppings:

Graham crackers

Granola or cereal

Nut butter

Berries

Ice cream

Whipped cream

RECIPE:

Place the banana on a microwave-safe dish, center side up. Do not peel the banana.

Using a serrated knife, carefully

cut the banana down the center vertically. Make sure to cut it all the way through, but do not puncture the bottom skin. Separate the two halves to make room in the center, but do not pull the banana entirely apart.

Stuff the center of the banana with marshmallows. If you are using regular or large marshmallows, I suggest cutting them in half before stuffing.

Distribute the chocolate chips or chunks inside and on top of the ba

berry, or any fruit of your choice!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Filling: 1 apple ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon sweetener (sugar, maple syrup, honey, stevia, etc.)

Optional: Splash of orange or apple juice

For the Topping: 2 tablespoons rolled oats ¼ teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of salt (optional) 2 teaspoons nut butter 1–2 teaspoons of liquid (almond milk, fruit juice, oil, or butter) ½ tablespoon sweetener (if using liquid sweetener, which I recommend, you can use slightly less)

RECIPE:

ond intervals for approximately two minutes in total. Microwave intensities vary, so keep an eye on the banana and remove when the marshmallows become fully expanded and the chocolate is melted.

When sufficiently melted, carefully take the dish out of the microwave and let stand for at least one minute.

Top with nut butter, granola, or any other toppings of your choosing. Add ice cream to make a s’mores banana split or berries and whipped cream for a lighter take. Dig in with a spoon or graham crackers and enjoy!

DISH #2: (Accidentally Vegan!) Apple* Crumble in a Mug *can be substituted for pear, peach,

For the Topping

In a small bowl, combine oats, cinnamon, and salt.

Once mixed, add nut butter, sweetener, and around half of your liquid, and mix to combine. The mixture should be a similar texture to a cookie dough, but any additional liquid, sweetener, or oats may be necessary to fit the taste and texture to your preference.

For the Filling

Chop the apple into small pieces. The smaller the pieces are cut, the softer they will be. A good estimate is about one centimeter, but this is up to your preference.

In a microwave-safe mug or bowl, add the chopped apples, cinnamon, and other half of the liquid of your choice, and stir to combine, ensuring

all the apples are coated. Microwave for 30 to 60 seconds and stir.

Add about half of the crumble mixture to the mug or bowl, and break up the dough to distribute throughout the filling. I do not recommend stirring the topping too much because the juice from the apples will make it soggy.

Add the remaining topping on top of the apples to create a sort of crust.

Microwave on high in 30-second

DISH #3:

Five-Minute Ramen “al Limone”

INGREDIENTS:

1 package instant ramen (chicken or vegetable flavored)

1 teaspoon lemon juice (preferably fresh, available at Richdale or the Market)

¼ to ½ tablespoon butter (equal to a half-full pat of butter from the dining hall)

1 packet salt 1 packet pepper Water

Optional:

Italian seasoning

Garlic salt or powder

Parmesan cheese

intervals for around two minutes. Once apples are cooked all the way through, remove from the microwave and let stand for at least two minutes.

Optionally, top with whipped cream, vanilla yogurt, granola, berries, or more nut butter. Dig in!

Chicken, vegetables, or any other add-ins of your choice

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GRAPHIC BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

It takes only a few minutes to make these easy homemade microwavable dishes.

MARGARET DOHENY / HEIGHTS STAFF

Adrienne Martin said she envisions a restaurant for people to drink and eat with the people they love.

Love On The Heights Fosters BC Student Connections

Love, from A1

Originally getting involved just to do something fun and help out a friend, Imbriano later discovered through working with Middleton and Theia that there was a much larger purpose to what he was bringing to BC’s campus.

“People want to meet people, and I think that’s super evident given that BC actually has the most registrations out of all of the nine schools that are involved, and if I can help bring that to the school

“I just think the idea of blind dates for the blind works so well,” Imbriano said. “It’s well-intentioned all the way around, from the service aspect to where the money is actually going. And I think that’s really cool to be a part of.”

Although there was initially a mandatory registration fee of five dollars— which was directly donated to OneSight—Imbriano said that the fee has since been waived to encourage more people to register.

For over nine months now, Imbriano, currently the only BC student involved

Registration is designed to be as straightforward and stress-free as possible, Imbriano said. When you find a friend to register with, you fill out your and your friend’s information and complete a survey consisting of approximately 30 questions. These casual, light hearted, and sometimes silly questions ask your preferred music genre, your thoughts on tattoos, and whether or not you pee in the shower.

“It’s supposed to be funny,” Imbriano said. “It’s supposed to be trying to get people together on the very simplest level.”

The questions vary among the dif ferent Theia affiliates, Imbriano said, and Middleton constantly changes them around.

“I mean, he’ll call me up like, ‘What do you think about this question?’” Im briano said. “He’s just constantly adding stuff, changing it around.”

According to Imbriano, once a pair submits its questionnaire responses, the fate of your pairing lies in the hands of artificial intelligence and an algorithm— which Theia’s Chief Technology Officer Sheel Patel helped design—and a human matchmaker who works for Theia.

new people can be intimidating to some.

“That’s the whole aspect of these blind double dates,” he said. “It’s supposed to take the pressure off a little bit. If you and a friend are going together, then it’s a little bit easier than a one-on-

failure. It’s really just the fun of meeting new people.”

Now with over 500 registrations at BC, which equates to over 1,000 participants, the first batch of matches were released in the early evening of Feb. 14. A Theia matchmaker added matched pairs to a group chat and gave a suggested time and place for their double date.

“My roommate and I were freaking out,” Flint said. “We had no idea who these guys were. It was definitely a mixture of being excited, intrigued, and nervous all at the same time.”

Imbriano’s advice for those who are nervous about their upcoming date or hesitant about even registering is to be yourself.

come for most participants, the prospect of meeting two strangers who attend BC in a casual setting was what encouraged Natalie Flint, Lynch ’25, to sign up with her roommate.

then sure, but what has kept me with it is the charitable aspect of it all,” Imbriano said.

Theia is a partner of OneSight, an independent nonprofit which aims to provide access to eye exams and glasses to underserved communities worldwide.

According to Theia’s website, Middleton was inspired to partner with OneSight because he is legally blind himself.

in running and promoting the organization on campus, has worked closely with Middleton and his team at Theia to launch Love On The Heights. His main task was to promote the organization at BC through the Love On The Heights Instagram account which includes a series of lighthearted and goofy posts aimed to encourage individuals to spread the word and register with a friend.

“You still have to have that human touch, right?” Imbriano said. “Because A.I. and algorithms can only teach you so much based upon answers.”

Imbriano said he has no authority or insight over the actual matchmaking and pairing process. After a year that lacked human touch and interaction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Imbriano acknowledged that the idea of meeting

“I was originally apprehensive about doing this,” she said. “A friend had brought it to my attention, and my first response was ‘Absolutely not.’ But I gave it some more thought and figured, ‘What do I have to lose? If anything, I’ll make a potential friend or have an experience with a friend to look back on.’”

And that was exactly the goal, Imbriano said.

“It doesn’t even have to be romantic if you don’t want it to be,” he said. “The program’s called Love On The Heights, but if you don’t find love, it’s not like it’s a

“The people you’re getting matched with are probably feeling the same way,” he said. “Be yourself. Be goofy. Be fun. You don’t have to pretend to be perfect. I think that’s the issue with our dating culture nowadays—everyone wants to be this ‘perfect’ version of themselves. We’re all human. If the matchmaking works the way I think it will, I think you’ll find a lot of good responses to just being you.” Imbriano said.

Two days after the first round of matches were released, Love On The Heights announced on their Instagram that they would continue to accept registrations for their next round of double dates, which will be released on March 7, reassuring those who didn’t receive a match in the first round that love would once again be restored on the Heights in a couple of weeks.

“Sign up,” Imbriano said. “Try it out. Give love a chance.” n

GRAPHIC BY LIZ SCHWAB / HEIGHTS EDITOR

By Tommy Roche Copy Editor

By 2011, major tech companies had already made clear that the future was digital. But for a college-aged Tom Coburn, co-founder and CEO of Jebbit, a major gap appeared in the technology market.

On a golfing trip during his sophomore year, Coburn found himself inattentive to the poorly directed digital advertisements put in front of him. One particular ad that aired before a video he was watching made him realize the missing potential that would evolve into a multimillion-dollar business.

“I just realized the brand had totally wasted their money trying to teach me something,” Coburn, BC ’13, said. “My instant reaction was to ignore it.”

After this realization, Coburn spent years planning, team-building, and fundraising to create Jebbit, a unique data platform that helps digital companies connect with clients. By using Jebbit, large brands can ask users for feedback via interactive online experiences, all without the need to hire a developer or programmer. Customers voluntarily provide this data, and companies can then use it for further research and development.

Growing up in the neighboring town of Hopkinton, Mass.,Coburn was a huge supporter of Boston College football, he said.

His interests were STEM-oriented in high school, as he was involved in his school’s science fair and aspired to go to medical school after college. Coburn was also the president of his high school’s student council. Still, he found time to play golf, which he would continue to play in college. Even with all of

his activities, Coburn remained an Eagles Superfan.

“I went as a [BC] Superfan for Halloween,” Coburn said. “I knew if I [hadn’t gone to BC and] was watching a BC football game on TV, I would have been like ‘Man, knowing I could have been there, I would [have].’”

Coburn made his mark

Doyle said he saw Coburn’s innate entrepreneurial characteristics throughout his college years.

“[Tom’s] ability to figure things out on the fly, his leadership skills, his passion to work alongside others—those things haven’t changed,” Doyle said. “He’s just got that charisma that draws people in, and he’s always been like that.”

“I never took a business class,” Coburn said. “I wasn’t in a business school, and I never liked any class out of it. I remember freshman year going and watching Bill Clerico. … I just remember being like, ‘Wow, that’s so inspiring, he was just in my shoes a few years ago.’ It gave me confidence that I could do that.”

ly optional for a user to complete and presented in a quiz-style format. Still, this was only a blueprint for what his company would eventually become.

“The idea was, we were going to attach questions that would ask about the ad [you just watched],” Coburn said. “If you [users] answered the question correctly, you’d get paid … so the brand would know they’re only spending money when someone watched the ad with the learner’s permission, and consumers could just get paid to watch TV.”

This competition-winning plan eventually turned into Jebbit, a company that launched Coburn and his partner, Jonathan Lacoste, into the Forbes 2015 “30 Under 30” list by providing large companies with the opportunity to use unique interactive experiences to advertise their products. Coburn left BC during his senior year to pursue Jebbit full time alongside Lacoste, formerly BC ’15.

awarded a $10,000 prize every year to the best new company idea proposed and expanded upon by BC undergraduates.

Jere Doyle, executive director of the Shea Center and BC ’87, helped mentor Coburn during this early part of his career.

“I just gave him a lot of advice on how to start a company and how to get going,” Doyle said. “Advice on how to build a marketing plan, building his team, [and] raising money.”

Despite Coburn’s involvement in entrepreneurial organizations at BC, it was not in CSOM that he developed his business management skills. Until leaving BC in the middle of his senior year, Coburn was pursuing a biology and theology double major on the premed track.

It took an inspiring speech from Bill Clerico, co-founder and CEO of WePay and BC ’07, to introduce Coburn to the idea of starting his own business.

winning the competition in the future, he said.

Coburn’s second idea, which he came up with during his fated golf trip, ended up winning the competition his sophomore year.

At this time in 2011, Coburn planned to produce a digital advertising model that would only cost money to advertisers if users chose to answer a few short questions at the end of their ad.

Each question prompt would be ful-

“Jebbit is a platform that lets big brands create interactive experiences without needing to have any coding knowledge or design experience,” Coburn said. “You might go to L’Oréal’s website and see a quiz to find the right product for you … all of these quizzes and other interactive experiences are built on [Jebbit], and you can put them anywhere you want.”

Jebbit’s early success has continued and expanded since 2015. In January of this year alone, Jebbit received a $70 million strategic growth investment from a major tech-based investment banking firm.

GRAPHIC BY LIZ SCHWAB / HEIGHTS EDITOR

ASO Exhibits Fashion and Dance at Annual Show

By ryan Kruft Heights Staff

The Robsham Theater stage transformed into a runway for the Boston College African Student Organization’s (ASO) annual fashion show on Friday night. Students flaunted a variety of flowing gowns, colorful formalwear, and glimmering dresses in the masquerade ball–themed event.

Invigorating beats of songs like “Karolina” by Awilo Longomba filled the air as audience members took their seats, setting the energetic tone of the evening from the moment people entered the theater.

Despite a few technical difficulties with the microphone, Kwasi Opoku, a model and actor and the night’s emcee, took the stage and warmed up the crowd before introducing Edil Mohamed, Lynch ’22, and Bilguissa Barry, MCAS ’22, the co-presidents of ASO.

Mohamed and Barry thanked the crowd for showing up in formal at-

tire despite the night’s snowy weather. When the pair left the stage, the show got underway.

The masquerade theme carried throughout the show both in the fashion on display, including grand gowns and decorated masks, and in the form of a pre-recorded short film. The video told the story of the annual masquerade ball in the fictional Kingdom of Serenity.

In this present-day, Cinderella-esque story, Princess Angel, heir to the throne of the kingdom, was to find a suitable husband at the ball. Despite Angel’s many suitors, she wanted more to be a dancer or influencer than a princess.

Meanwhile, Amina, a peasant who worked in the kingdom, wanted to be beautiful and go to the ball dressed in a nice gown.

The tailor, who functioned as the story’s version of the fairy godmother, placed a spell on Amina that turned her rags into a beautiful gown until midnight, when they would promptly turn back into rags.

The narrative played in short ep -

isodes throughout the night, interspersed with live segments. The live components included the fashion show and a dance performance by the group Presenting Africa To You.

During one segment, guest performer Vartsy commanded the crowd with a performance of “Hrs and Hrs” by Muni Long.

The crowd reacted enthusiastically when members of ASO came out for the fashion show. Initially walking solo and later in pairs, the models walked confidently across the stage displaying a wide variety of styles from flowing gowns to twopiece suits.

The simple lighting on stage allowed for the eye-catching patterns and colors on the clothing to come alive. Every piece told a different story with unique, intricate designs

At the end of the show, a final video segment gave the audience a happily-ever-after ending to the immersive storyline ASO created. Amina found love and became a princess, while Angel went viral on Instagram Live for her dancing.

The

to a

ion.

Berklee College Honors Iconic Black Artists at Concert

By Connor SiEmiEn Asst. Metro Editor

Swinging, high-tempo jazz music, elegant dancing, and powerful singing performances filled the stage of the Berklee Performance Center on Thursday night.

The inaugural Berklee Legacy Award Concert on Thursday featured performances from Berklee students, faculty, and special guests that were dedicated to four Black artists whose creative work broke barriers.

The concert recognized violinist Joseph Douglass, dancer and actress Carmen de Lavallade, and musicians Duke Ellington and Sarah Vaughan for their artistic achievements.

According to Lacretia Johnson Flash, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Berklee College of Music, the artists’ legacies will live on at Berklee with spaces around campus named after them, including the Duke Ellington Caf and Sarah Vaughan Classroom.

After a quartet performance of “Lift Ev-

ery Voice and Sing,” Johnson Flash said that the spaces were dedicated to the artists in April 2021 to inspire future artists.

“In those spaces, the next generation of artists, our students, and so many others will grow and blossom and be nourished,” Johnson Flash said.

Johnson Flash said that the overarching principle at the center of the night’s celebration was the word ubuntu. The word originates from the Zulu people of southern Africa and means “I am, because we are,” according to the concert’s program.

Johnson Flash said that ubuntu is the mindset guiding Black history celebrations at Berklee. The events aim to honor the excellence of Black people and work toward creating a racially inclusive community.

The first of the night’s four tributes was a violin solo dedicated to Douglass, who the college honored in a building at 8 Fenway Park Way by renaming the lobby the Joseph Douglass Lobby.

Douglass, the grandson of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, studied at the Bos-

ton Conservatory, which is now associated with Berklee, from the late 1880s to the early 1890s, according to the program. The violin performance dedicated to Douglass was entitled “Louisiana Blues Strut,” and was performed by Malachi Provenzo.

After the final crescendo of the violin performance, Berklee faculty members and Grammy-nominated musician Tia Fuller took the stage to conduct student performances. Fuller, listed as the Legacy Band director in the concert’s program, also played alto saxophone, receiving a warm reception from the audience.

The night continued with a tribute to de Lavallade, who has appeared both on Broadway and on screen. Berklee honored the multi-talented artist with the dedication of its Carmen de Lavallade Dance Studio.

The tribute consisted of three dancers performing complex routines that shifted between subtle, slow movements in one moment and high leaps in the next.

Following de Lavallade’s tribute was a medley of several of Ellington’s most

well-known works. Ellington was the first recipient of an honorary degree from Berklee.

Berklee honored Ellington, one of the most well-known jazz musicians, by naming a popular student hub The Duke Ellington Caf.

The medley featured songs such as “Take the A Train” and “Caravan.” Marquis Hill, a composer who Berklee welcomed as a special guest for the concert,

garnered several rounds of applause throughout the set with his trumpet performance. The final set highlighted the work of Vaughan, a Grammy Hall of Fame–honored singer who was the first Black woman to receive an honorary degree from Berklee in 1978. The Sarah

Tiny Dorm Series Showcases Students’ Musical Talents

By Erin PEndEr Heights Staff

How someone decorates a dorm room can tell you a lot about that person, so watching your favorite Boston College musician perform in their dorm is the perfect way to get to know them better.

On Feb. 14, the Boston College

Music Guild began releasing its Tiny Dorm series, highlighting its members’ musical talents on its Instagram account.

Music Guild co-presidents Stella Si, MCAS ’23, and Matthew Hogan, CSOM ’22, said that NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts inspired the project. NPR’s videos are known for showcasing major artists who have headlined iconic concert ven-

ues performing in the cozy corner of the NPR office. The Music Guild wanted to recreate the same intimate atmosphere for its own Tiny Dorm series.

“There’s a chance to take an artist from this really huge concert setting or just a record to a more intimate setting where it’s live … and get that kind of intimate feeling, and you really get the vibes of the artist better,” Si said.

The first Tiny Dorm concert of the semester featured Benjamin Crandall, CSOM ’23, singing and playing guitar for his cover of “June” by Briston Maroney.

The video opened with closeups of posters and a rack of guitars, giving the viewer a look into the intimate performance space. Green lights illuminated the familiar beige dorm walls behind Crandall, and plants framed the makeshift stage.

Crandall played at open mics and with a band before college. He joined the Music Guild as a freshman because he was friends with some members of the executive

board, and he is now the vice president of the organization. Crandall said he chose “June” since June is his birth month and because of his admiration for Maroney’s music.

“Yeah, I really admire him as a guitarist and a vocalist,” Crandall said. “[Those are] two things [I’m] always kind of trying to get better at, so I think a cool way to do that is by trying to emulate someone else.”

Melissa Mao, marketing director of the Music Guild and MCAS ’23, will soon be featured on the Tiny Dorm series to perform a few pieces, including one of her original songs.

Mao has a number of songs on Spotify, and she credited the Music Guild’s open mic nights with helping her become more comfortable with performing and developing her guitar and vocal skills.

Mao described her music as having a mellow sound that can serve as good study music.

“I like describing it as a hug to your ears from a stranger,” Mao said.

According to Si, the Tiny Dorm series is about featuring artists and their talent, as well as exposing students to new genres of music and creative performance styles. Just like the Music Guild’s open mic nights and the Battle of the Bands showcase an array of student artists, Si said that the Tiny Dorm series is another way to share the wealth of musical talent in the BC community.

Both Si and Mao joined the Music Guild during their freshman year in 2019. Mao stressed how it has been an integral part of her BC experience.

“I met some of my best friends through it,” Mao said. “It’s a huge community, and I have so many friends now.”

Si also spoke to the importance of these opportunities for students to share their creativity, and she noted how influential the Music Guild has been for students’ development as artists.

“Music Guild is my source of musical inspiration,” Si said.

Members of ASO strutted across the stage in gowns capturing the show’s theme. ADITYA RAO / HEIGHTS STAFF

Members of ASO took the stage one last time. With stage lights framing their silhouettes, each member walked out and struck a different pose onstage. The lights came up one final time to reveal the models, who all took one final walk.

night came

close after Opoku recognized each member of

ASO’s executive board. Mohamed and Barry thanked the crowd one last time for their continued support before inviting those in attendance to the Heights Room for a special performance by afrobeats singer-songwriter King Promise, capping off a night of fabulous fash

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Musicians played renditions of Duke Ellington’s and Sarah Vaughan’s work.

Documentary ‘jeen-yuhs’ Gives Insight Into Rise of Rap Star

By GraCe MCPhee Heights Staff

A KANYE TRILOGY’ COODIE SIMMONS AND CHIKE OZAH

To many, Kanye West is a musical genius and cultural icon. He is also a magnet for media turmoil as his drama unfolds on Twitter or in the tabloids. The rapper always seems to be in the news—for either good or bad reasons. Everything in his life these days seems to become a spectacle, whether it’s his ongoing public struggle with bipolar disorder or his high-profile marriage and divorce to Kim Kardashian.

Twenty years into his career, West has moved far beyond the pluckiness of his early days as an aspiring producer and rapper, but many people still reminisce about the humble and authentic West of years past.

That’s where jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy comes in. The first episode of the threepart, almost five-hour-long documentary series hit Netflix on Feb. 16 and chronicles the rise and not-quite-fall of the rapper.

Directed and shot by West’s longtime friend and collaborator Clarence “Coodie” Simmons Jr. over a period of more than two decades, jeen-yuhs is exactly what fans of the “Old Kanye” have been waiting on. Providing an intimate look inside of the humble beginnings of West’s career as a producer peddling beats to hip-hop’s greatest, the series examines what it was that morphed Kanye into the cultural icon that exists today.

The authentic, home-video style cinematography is perfect for the grass-roots vibe the documentary promotes—reveal-

ing the struggles and strivings of an artist trying to find his footing in the music industry. The first episode gives viewers the feeling that they are actually there in the early 2000s, waiting right beside West for his big break.

Simmons’ narration also contributes to the honesty of jeen-yuhs. West’s public celebration of his successes suggests that he wouldn’t be the most objective narrator. Having Simmons tell the tale as both an observer and a participant in the rapper’s rising career fosters a sense of trust between viewer and director.

The unfiltered light that the series

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Action Flick ‘Uncharted’ Flops With Puzzling Characters

By MaTThew Keller Heights Staff

The new Uncharted movie took 14 years to make, but the time that went into making the movie doesn’t show in its quality. You would expect over a decade of work to allow the creators to fine-tune every element of the film. Instead, Uncharted feels as lazy as every other cash grab in Hollywood today.

In the film, Tom Holland plays Nathan Drake, a crafty bartender, thief, and history buff, who is lured in by Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to help hunt for lost treasure. Sully claims that he has come close to finding Ferdinand Magellan’s gold, a treasure worth

billions of dollars. Sully recruits the help of Nathan and Chloe Frazer (Sophia Taylor Ali), another treasure hunter with a shady side.

To go into this movie expecting a cinematic masterpiece is a sign of delusion. But the movie also disappoints as a simple, entertaining action-adventure flick. The film is based on a popular video game of the same title, but the characters’ central mission isn’t interesting. Every choice the characters make is weighed down by confusing details meant to patch up plot holes.

The characters don’t offer any redeemable points for an audience to hang on to. They only stir up more questions. Much of Nathan’s past remains a

mystery to the audience, including his acrobatic skills. Holland seems to have channeled his Spider Man skills. The stakes of the heist are rarely mentioned in the film, taking away any sense of suspense.

There are some redeeming qualities to Uncharted, though, that make it a watchable film. Holland and Wahlberg don’t go above and beyond in their acting, but they do enough to be entertaining on screen. The movie’s grand sets and stunts are all visually stimulating, including a scene where Nathan freefalls toward earth from an aircraft.

Cash grabs sometimes produce very entertaining movies. But what misses the mark with this one is that it doesn’t have

MOVIE

enough

Relatable Characters Propel ‘The Worst Person in the World’

By Sofia TorreS Heights Staff

In his latest film, The Worst Person in the World, Norwegian film writer and director Joachim Trier constructs a character whose self-centeredness and pride make her an emblematic

young person trying to find her way in life.

Julie (Renate Reinsve) is constantly looking for the next popular thing. She’s looking for the latest hairstyle, career, love fling, and interest. For Julie, nothing is ever good enough. She exploits her freedom to the point of dissatisfaction. She is a passionate woman, captivated by everything and nothing. She is the protagonist and antagonist of The Worst Person in the World

Julie unemotionally complains that she feels like a spectator observing her own life before abandoning Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), a man who loves her despite her flaws. Although it’s labeled as a romantic dra-

ma, The Worst Person in the World is about forming an identity, following the story of an ambivalent woman navigating her 20s and 30s.

The movie is subtly beautiful, mainly through its delicate, jazzy soundtrack, unextravagant clothing, and natural performances.

Trier forms Julie into a simultaneously frustrating but compelling character. Her indecisiveness and indifference becomes infuriating as the right decision and non-destructive choice seems so clear to the viewer. But it is also impossible not to sympathize with her search for clarity, as well as her desire to understand what she should do with her life.

The movie is reminiscent of Noah

Baumbach’s 2012 movie Frances Ha, with its narrow focus on one confused protagonist’s life and its reliance on masterful acting. Trier wrote the script with Reinsve in mind to play the lead, and she went on to win the 2021 Cannes Best Actress Award for her role as Julie.

Reinsve’s magnetic presence makes the movie. She makes completely silent, disturbing, or even boring scenes visual masterpieces. Twice throughout the movie, Reinsve appears alone, staring contemplatively at the sunset. Although these scenes only show Julie’s face and the horizon, they are more than enough to convey Julie’s unspoken emotions through the actress’s silent gestures.

But the film fails to take advantage of Julie’s storytelling potential, and the lack of a character arc makes the story anticlimactic. Julie’s character remains static, as the same men move in and out of her life, posing romantic possibilities that never come to fruition.

Trier’s emphasis on the sexual life of his protagonist creates the sense that Julie’s identity is tied to her relationships with men. The limited development of the character communicates a shallow representation of a woman’s life. At times, it is fright-

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Beach House Disappoints With Monotonous New Album

By Charley Conroy Heights Staff

Beach House released its new album, Once Twice Melody, in four chapters over several months. The band didn’t explain why it chose this unique release schedule, and the release doesn’t seem to influence the emotional impact of the songs or say anything about the album’s structure.

But the strange release schedule ended up being the most interesting thing about this album.

Once Twice Melody retains the ethereal synth pop sound for which Beach House is known. The soaring synths

connect with delicate guitar to produce a floaty experience that is pleasant to have playing in the background. But Beach House did not depart much from its established sound. The indie pop-duo has never been known for messing with its formula for success. Lulling, softly sung lyrics layered over trailing instrumentals are the foundation of the band’s sound.

Lyrically, Once Twice Melody is unimpressive. Beach House doesn’t use its lyrics to create compelling or emotional storylines for its listeners.

The track “Another Go Around” becomes repetitive as lead singer Victoria Legrand sings “another go around” over

and over again. The rest of the album’s lyrics are only generic whispers of lost loves. Without distinct choruses and bridges, the songs feel one-note. The gorgeous melodies and synths become inconsequential, as all parts of the song blend together, making the music feel flat. Beach House keeps the listener waiting for a high point in each song and ultimately leaves them disappointed with an unmemorable album. There ware subtle changes to the Beach House formula here and there, but

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PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

PHOTO COURTESY OF XL

‘UNCHARTED’ RUBIN FLEISCHER DISTRIBUTED BY SONY PICTURES RELEASE FEB. 18, 2022 OUR RATING

‘JEEN-YUHS:

‘THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD’ JOACHIM TRIER DISTRIBUTED BY NEON OUR RATING

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEON

MOVIE

Am I This Person Forever?

because it’s safe.

Going back home for Winter Break made me feel like I had somehow failed at achieving the full college experience. My response to “How was college?” was not filled with crazy stories about parties in the Mods, exploring downtown Boston, or eye-opening experiences that somehow led me to the major of my dreams.

I wanted to be a new, polished person, yet I felt almost the same. I’ve always felt an expectation to change for the better as I grow older. My whole life I’ve been the responsible girl who studies all the time. Before I left for college, I think everyone was expecting me to change into someone who was more outgoing and rowdy. It felt like I was seen as a half-version of myself and the world was waiting for me to grow into a polished adult over the course of one semester. These ideas seem to be fueled by all of the articles and firsthand stories that people continue to tell about college being a life-changing, mind-altering experience.

Often, people can gloss over the in-betweens of how rough it can be to find yourself during your college years. When the going gets tough we have a tendency to overlook hardship because we’re told we will be different and better people for it.

Now that I’m here at Boston College I find myself constantly questioning whether I am making the right choices for this change. I want to remain responsible, but I also feel like I owe it to myself to

be open to new experiences. I’ve tied a tight knot between pressuring myself to do work and being responsible. Consequently, when I decide to attend a culture show or go to the Organization of Latin American Affairs’ Night Gala, I become clouded by anxiety because all of my choices that require me to do something other than school work must be worth it. Needless to say, I don’t live in the present. I’m so wrapped up in trying to make the best of it that I don’t appreciate it for what it is.

What adds more stress to this is that trying new things can leave you lost within yourself, because who even are you now? I have out of body experiences where I’m observing myself having conversations and questioning whether it is the real version of me. Ever have a moment where you’re laughing so hard and you internally ask yourself why you’re laughing so hard because it wasn’t even that funny?

It’s weird that we question our own joy.

It’s been quite exhausting always questioning my actions—whether they’re aligned with my values or aligned with who I was, who I’m becoming, and who I aspire to be. I don’t think I know who I really am anymore.

I’m not the person who’d stay quiet most of the time.

I’m the person who makes the effort to build connections.

I want to be the person who isn’t afraid of initiating conversations.

I’m not the person who avoids her emotions thinking it’s strength that allows her to do this.

I’m the person who takes quiet moments to contemplate whether something hurts.

I want to be the person who’s able to differentiate dwelling on versus processing emotions.

I’m not the person who stays in all the time

I’m the person who cautiously says yes to open up my view of what I actually enjoy.

I want to be the person who can enjoy the present without overanalyzing what this means for my character and who I’m becoming.

We want to be someone we’re proud of. I came to college to become a different person. I wanted to do a complete 180 from who I was, but in the best way possible. I don’t think it’s wrong to want to change, but it is flawed to want to constantly be making the “right” decisions.

Right decisions based on what? Because it’s certainly not experience. We often want to make the right decisions based on everyone else’s version of right decisions. I try to fit into these molds that everyone has of the perfect friend, perfect student, perfect acquaintance—the list goes on. This need to be the “right” version of myself in front of different people needs to stop. Feeding into what you believe others expect from you is what causes you to lose your identity.

I shouldn’t have taken the “almost” part lightly when “I felt almost the same.” College isn’t a salon that changes you instantly after you walk out of its doors. Will you be a changed person? Yes, BUT, change doesn’t look the same for everyone. Your change could reinforce your ideals, make you more structured, or possibly allow you to let go of structure that’s holding you back. The problem arises when we try to formulate our change. This process is never linear; your inconsistent, emotional, and trainwreck of a college experience gets a pass too when it comes to building your character.

Girl Scouts

Being a Girl Scout should mean automatic admission to CSOM. Those little vest-wearing, cookie-selling maniacs are businesswomen through and through. Watching them rope students into buying their boxes on the first floor of Mac is truly a sight to behold. And having Venmo QR codes for ease of payment? Genius. Besides their excellent cookie-hawking skills, the Girl Scouts truly do have the best boxed cookies of all time. Despite the changed names, the classic flavors are here to stay, and they sure do make the best study session snacks. If only they were here all year round!

Female Protagonists Deserve Better

the galaxy. He ultimately fails the exercise, as Yoda was trying to test his patience and teach him not to jump headfirst into anger.

I find it extremely necessary to start this off with the fact that I am a woman. This piece is not me trying to be sexist or say that women shouldn’t be protagonists. In fact, I want to prove to you that we deserve better female protagonists than Rey Skywalker.

A good protagonist is given to us with a lot of the traits us normal people have. They have likes, dislikes, skills, strengths, and weaknesses. They succumb to their desires sometimes, and sometimes they just plain old lose. Over the 100 or more years that movies have been made, we’ve gotten thousands of male protagonists with just that: Indiana Jones, Forrest Gump, Woody from Toy Story, and many more.

Luke Skywalker from Star Wars is the perfect example of a well-written protagonist. He makes mistakes, loses, learns new things, creates new bonds, but most importantly, he goes through a character arc. Luke is written in the way that Rey— the central protagonist of the Star Wars series since her first appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, should have been. We meet Luke in A New Hope as a kind of whiny brat who learns about his father and chooses to embark on a journey with his wise mentor Obi-Wan to learn about the Jedi Order. After he loses his mentor in The Empire Strikes Back, he eventually seeks out another mentor, Yoda, and has to learn even more. While training, Yoda shows Luke an image of Darth Vader, and he tries immediately to kill him because he hates the most powerful, murderous Sith Lord in

When Luke is faced with the image of his friends in danger, Yoda warns him that his training is not finished, and he shouldn’t rush. But, Luke goes anyway, and in battle with Darth Vader, he learns about his true past—that the formidable Sith Lord Darth Vader is his father—loses a hand, and almost dies. Luke didn’t heed the warning, made a mistake he was prone to, and suffered consequences because of it.

In the final battle of Return of the Jedi, Luke is finally able to learn his lesson, and he fights against his hatred, brings his father back from the dark side, and topples the leader of an empire. Over the course of three films, Luke learns a valuable lesson: patience is key in quelling hatred. But his path to learning that lesson is anything but straightforward. He loses a lot along the way.

Now let’s look at Rey’s character arc in comparison. Rey starts out with struggle—she is a scavenger whose parents abandoned her, an absolutely classic Disney narrative. She finds out about the Force rather quickly, since this is the sequel in the trilogy, and everyone already knows about the Force and Jedi. She is Force-sensitive, but the nail in the coffin is when she is presented with what was once Anakin’s, and then Luke’s, lightsaber. She goes through no training in The Force Awakens and immediately is able to master the Jedi mind trick to escape capture. In the final act, she defeats the most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy. And she does all of this with no training. In A New Hope Luke doesn’t use a lightsaber in combat, and in The Empire Strikes Back, he fights the strongest Sith Lord in the galaxy and loses horribly. Rey goes through no arc in the first film, and she doesn’t even begin an arc that could last three movies like Luke’s.

All we know about her is that she is nice, valiant, extremely skilled despite no prior experience, and

her parents are either special Force-wielders or irrelevant jerks.

In The Last Jedi, Rey finally goes to get some training from Luke Skywalker (I won’t discuss the destruction of his character by Rian Johnson and this movie) and finally learns a little. And even saying a little is generous, as most of the screen time on Luke’s island is spent listening to Luke’s exposition of his time with Ben Solo and why the Jedi suck. Rey hears the dark side of the island a kind of swampy hole call to her, and she immediately goes to it, only to be shown her reflection and, I guess, learn that her parents were junkers and nobodies. Afterwards, Luke destroys her hut when he learns that she has been talking to Kylo Ren, the strongest (and hottest) Sith Lord in the Galaxy. To her credit, Rey, influenced by the Dark side, does attack Luke in response, but when she pulls her lightsaber, Luke yields and uses the opportunity to develop exposition.

Rey is not held accountable for these actions, and they instead help Luke come to more realizations that develop his own character. Rey fixes everyone and everything without any prior experience to give her the knowledge to do these things. Eventually she leaves the planet, and confronts Snoke in the throne room. After she and Kylo defeat some red guys, Kylo asks her to join him but she says no. This decision is not impactful, because there are no character traits that Rey has that could make me think she’ll say yes or no. We have no basis for any of her decisions except for the fact that she’s the protagonist.

Crazy Dough’s Craziest Schedule

Boston College students are the luckiest in the world to have someone like the owner of Crazy Dough’s, who treks through snow and storm to keep his restaurant open until 1 a.m. Without his kindness, we would have been at a loss for a cure for our midnight cravings this weekend. And not to mention the rumor that he showed up to work at 8:30 on Friday so those odd birds who prefer fresh pizza in the morning (as opposed to the regular birds who eat leftover pizza like normal people) would have somewhere to take their weird food habits.

No Ice, Ice Baby

BC students are no strangers to the cold, but for those looking to keep extra cold this winter, they’ll have to make the trek to a dining hall. Ice machines in the dining hall was a great idea. Except for when they’re a) broken or b) out of ice. That jingle-jangle of ice in a metal water bottle is like music to the ears, but nothing can compare to the sadness that comes from wanting to fill your 32 oz. Hydro Flask to the brim with frozen cubes of water, only to hear that grinding crunch of an ice machine that is out of ice.

Broken Dryers

For those who spent the better part of their lives having laundry done for them, the laundry situation at BC will be a rude awakening. Deciding to do your laundry means picking a day devoid of all tasks, classes, and homework. Depending on how big your laundry load is, you could be spending anywhere from two hours to a whole day down in the darkest depths of your dorm’s laundry room. And honestly, it’s not even that the dryers are always completely broken, just that they will never get hot enough to dry all of your laundry at once. You’ll think that you’re on your final load, only to realize after lugging your whole load back to your room, that your massive towel is still damp. You’ll trek all the way back down to the laundry room, pay for one more load, and settle in once more, to wait and wait and wait.

AlexA PiedrA

evelyn Knouse

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

Alexa Piedra is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at alexa.piedra@bc.edu.

Evelyn Knouse is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at evelyn.knouse@bc.edu.

GRAPHIC BY LIZ SCHWAB \ HEIGHTS EDITOR

By roBert Brennan Heights Staff

When Boston College women’s basketball head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee came to the Heights in 2018, she inherited a program that had not made an NCAA tournament since 2006. BC, sitting as one of ESPN’s “Last Four In” for this year’s tournament, looked to pad its résumé in its regular season finale on Sunday.

The Eagles (19–10, 10–8 Atlantic Coast) came out firing from tipoff. BC started 5-for-5 from three to

jump out to a 21–4 lead that it never relinquished. The lead ballooned to as many as 36 points in the third quarter, and the Eagles walked away with a 91–75 win over Syracuse (11–17, 4–14).

“I think when we’re all playing together ... and everyone is firing and playing to the best of their individual ability but collectively as a whole, I don’t think there is much of a limit,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “I think we can be a really good ACC team and go on to the NCAA Tournament.”

Cameron Swartz was hot for the Eagles on Sunday, scoring a teamhigh 20 points. Swartz entered the

game with 995 career points and quickly reached the 1,000-point mark, surpassing it on her second 3-pointer of the game with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.

Swartz finished the game with three 3-pointers and 8-of-11 shooting from the field.

She joined teammates Taylor Soule and Makayla Dickens as the third member of BC’s senior class to total at least 1,000 career points.

“I feel like that's always a good milestone accomplishment,” Swartz said. “Having those three people do it in one year, I would say, [is] pretty amazing. … This shows how much

WELCOME TO THE CLUB

that we all contribute.”

Despite the Eagles shooting the lights out of the Carrier Dome, they struggled with the same turnover problems that have plagued them all year. BC committed 24 turnovers during the game, but a large lead acted as a cushion to soften the blow of these errors.

As BC continued to commit turnovers and Bernabei-McNamee rotated in some of the Eagles’ more inexperienced players, BC’s lead began to dwindle late in the third and fourth quarters.

“Playing the younger players gave them a great opportunity to get ACC

experience,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “They just have to learn to play a little bit harder because they’re very talented.”

With 19 wins on the year, Bernabei-McNamee is close to securing 20 total wins for the second time in her four years on the Heights, a feat that only Sylvia Crawley has achieved as a BC head coach. Bernabei-McNamee reiterated that her main focus is on making the NCAA tournament.

“We’re definitely one game at a time right now, but that has been our goal for the last four years,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “You can’t look too far ahead.” n

Eagles Take Down Indiana State in 10–2 Victory

By Katherine Whelan Heights Staff

Boston College softball left Birmingham, Ala. on Sunday with three wins under its belt after sweeping its games in the Samford Tournament.

After the Eagles (8–5) won their doubleheader on Saturday, defeating Samford (8–3) and Indiana State (7–4), they were set to face the same teams on Sunday. Officials canceled BC’s first game against Samford because of rain, but the Eagles played Indiana State and came out with a 10–2 win after five innings.

Indiana State scored the first two runs of Sunday’s game in the bottom of the second inning. BC right hander Peyton Schnackenberg gave up two walks and a hit to start the inning. Danielle Henning’s flyout allowed one runner to score. The second runner scored on a groundout in the next at-bat.

From there, Schnackenberg found her rhythm, committing two errors and allowing four hits for the remainder of the game, earning her fourth win of the season.

In the top of the third inning, BC’s offense broke out, scoring six runs and erasing Samford’s tworun lead.

BC’s six-run third inning began with an Ellie Mataya single to right field. Hannah Slike slid a single through the right side to send Mataya to second. Darien McDonough followed Slike’s hit with a three-run homer to left-center field, bringing home Slike and Mataya.

Up 3–2 after McDonough’s homer, the Eagles were not finished. Indiana State’s Cassi Newbanks hit Abigail Knight with a pitch, sending her to first. Nicole Giery followed with a flyout to first, and Djhane Valido singled down the middle. With two on base, Gianna Boccagno stepped up to the plate and hit a homer to left field, bringing in another

three runs.

After Boccagno’s homer, Indiana State substituted Hailey Griffin for Newbanks. Griffin walked Kennedy Labshere, and Erika Andal lined out to end the inning with the Eagles on top 6–2.

Both teams had quiet third and fourth innings, but the Eagles pulled away even further in the top of the fifth. After a single to start the inning, pinch runner Kali Case showed her speed as she stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Valido then hit a single to left field, which brought Case home.

With the bases loaded later in

the inning, Mataya hit a sac fly, allowing Zoe Hines to advance to second, Maddy Carpe to third, and Valido home. Slike finished the inning off by singling to left field and bringing in Hines and Carpe for the last runs of the game. After Indiana State failed to score in the bottom of the fifth, BC walked home a run-rule win.

The Eagles’ bats exploded on Sunday for 11 total hits, and four Eagles recorded multi-hit games. Mataya led the team with three hits, while Slike, Valido, and Boccagno each recorded two. Boccagno and McDonough led the team with three RBIs each. n

Boston College Syracuse 91 75

Cameron Swartz surpassed 1,000 career points during Boston College women’s basketball’s final game of the regular season on Sunday, becoming the third member of BC’s senior class to reach the milestone.

LEO WANG / HEIGHTS STAFF

By olivia StroNg Heights Staff

Boston College lacrosse has lived up to its No. 1 ranking all year, rolling over each opponent that has come its way. This trend continued in the Eagles’ matchup against Brown (1–2), where BC (5–0, 1–0 Atlantic Coast) took home a 15–9 victory.

Brown briefly held a one-goal lead in the first quarter before the Eagles found their footing and ended the period up 4–2.

Against an offense that has defeated each of its opponents by at least seven goals, Brown looked to limit the Eagles’ scoring opportunities. BC’s lineup was deep with attackers including Charlotte North (5 goals), Jenn Medjid (3 goals), and Caitlynn Mossman (2 goals).

Despite its attempts to limit BC’s

attack and keep the ball out of the Eagles’ hands, Brown found little success. After establishing a lead at the end of the first period, the Eagles ripped apart the Bears’ defense. Brown scored two goals in the first, but BC logged seven more goals before the Bears could even get a single shot in.

North dominated the second period, scoring three of the Eagles’ four goals, and BC entered halftime with an 8–3 lead.

As the second half picked up, the Bears’ game of keepaway held strong, as they won draw controls and shot effectively to bring the score to 8–5.

But the Eagles came back strong, reminding Brown why they are ranked No. 1 in the NCAA. Each time the momentum seemed to shift in Brown’s direction, the Eagles would come back and strike with their offense lineup. The third period ended with the Eagles leading 12–6.

The Eagles continued to keep up the

pressure into the fourth quarter, scoring the first three goals to take a nine-goal lead.

Four BC players scored multiple goals, including North, Medjid, and Mossman, as well as Cassidy Weeks, who scored a hat trick. Belle Smith rounded

out the scoring with one goal.

Despite the Bears’ best efforts, BC’s offense couldn’t be stopped, and as the final whistle blew, the Eagles remained undefeated on the season.

Brown proved to be more successful at keeping the ball out of the Eagles’

hands than the rest of BC’s opponents so far this season and held the Eagles scoreless for the final 13:10 of the game— the longest stretch without a BC goal all season. The Bears held BC to 15 goals and 32 shots, its lowest totals in both categories all season. n

Eagles Fall to BU in Battle of Comm. Ave.

By Nicole cho Heights Staff

Undefeated against Boston University in Agganis Arena since 2017, Boston College men’s hockey looked to extend its win streak in the 286th Battle of Comm. Ave. on Saturday night.

Marc McLaughlin and Jack McBain, BC’s top two scorers, were back on the ice together for the first time since New Year’s Eve Saturday. McLaughlin and McBain were absent for over two weeks to play in the 2022 Winter Olympics, and McBain missed time before heading to Beijing with an upper-body injury. Despite two goals from McBain, No. 13 BU spearheaded the offensive battle to defeat the Eagles (11–17–5, 6–12–3

Hockey East) 6–3.

A quiet first half of the opening frame spiraled into an early threegoal lead for the Terriers (18–10–3, 12–6–3), as Luke Tuch’s slap shot off a faceoff ignited the Terriers’ momentum in the 11th minute.

In the 18th minute, Nick Zabaneh rushed past the Eagles’ defense and passed to Dylan Peterson, who poked the puck past BC goaltender Eric Dop. Less than 30 seconds later, Wilmer Skoog scored on a backhand shot on a breakaway to give BU a 3–0 lead.

Intensity escalated in the middle frame, but both teams failed to capitalize on power-play opportunities.

In the seventh minute, McBain’s left-handed shot off the faceoff beat BU goaltender Vinny Duplessis through his five-hole for BC’s first goal of the night.

Just 30 seconds later, an interfer-

ence penalty put BC on the power play, but the Terriers’ defense stopped all six of BC’s shots. In the 10th minute, back at even strength and amid a frenzy in front of Dop, Peterson poked home the loose puck to restore BU’s three-goal advantage.

Halfway through a BC power play, a tripping call on Marshall Warren sent the game to 4-on-4 play. In the 13th minute, the Terriers returned to the power play, and Tuch’s low shot beat Dop for his second goal of the night and to extend BU’s lead to four.

With five minutes left in the second period, the Eagles responded with a power play goal. Jack St. Ivany’s shot-pass landed in front of McBain, who scored for the second time in his first game back from the Olympics to bring the score to 5–2.

In the second minute of the final frame, BU fans erupted as Brian Car-

rabes redirected a shot for the Terriers’ sixth goal of the night. Although Casey Carreau scored a short-handed goal in the 14th minute of the final period, the three-goal deficit proved too challenging to overcome, and BU cruised to a 6–3 win.

The Terriers outshot BC 42–31 on the night, and the Eagles’ 21 blocked shots were not enough to hold down BU’s relentless offense. Dop stopped 36 shots to post a .857 save percentage.

An intense, physical battle characterized the opening game between the rivals, culminating in a combined 13 penalties on the night. BU’s Robert Mastrosimone received a 10-minute misconduct in the 17th minute of the second frame, and BC’s Nikita Nesterenko left the rink following a spearing penalty in the final minutes of the game. n

Eagles Stay Undefeated With Victory Over Brown BC

By JohN Scrimgeour Heights Staff

Boston College men’s basketball nearly secured its second comeback win over Clemson this season on Saturday, but a few missed layups and defensive lapses from BC late in the game allowed the Tigers to escape Conte Forum with a 70–60 win.

The last time the two teams met, BC (11–17, 6–12 Atlantic Coast) erased a 23-point deficit to earn a win at Clemson (14–15, 6–12). Twenty-three points is the largest comeback in Division I this season and is tied for the largest in the history of the ACC. But despite its heroics in its last meeting with Clemson, BC fell short Saturday.

The Tigers outrebounded the Eagles 40–30. BC shot 20.7 percent from behind the arc and 36.2 percent from the field. BC head coach Earl Grant said after the game that on a lot of possessions, particularly in the first half, his players should have made an extra pass or two.

“They beat us to some balls,” Grant

said. “Loose balls, offensive rebounds, all the little tough, extra-effort plays. I thought they had the edge on us today.”

Despite its shooting struggles, BC stayed within reach all game. With two and a half minutes to play, the Eagles were down by 10, and the game very well could have been put out of reach with a few Clemson scores. A minute later, though, a steal and a layup from DeMarr Langford Jr. cut the Tigers’ lead to six.

After getting a stop on the next possession, Langford Jr. slashed to the rim again but missed his layup, and the Eagles missed out on their comeback chances.

Had BC completed its comeback, the Eagles would have had their first win streak—defined by at least three straight wins—in ACC play since the 2014–15 season.

The loss came on BC’s Senior Day, with James Karnik, Makai Ashton-Langford, and Brevin Galloway playing their last game in Conte Forum.

“Makai’s been a warrior for us, and James has been really good,” Grant said. “And they helped themselves this season for their future. They’ve played good basketball.”

On Saturday, Karnik finished with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Ashton-Langford and Galloway finished with 10 and 11 points respectively, and each player missed six 3-pointers. Ashton-Langford went 0 of 6 from deep, and Galloway shot 3 of 9.

After two years at Providence, Ashton-Langford transferred to BC to play with his younger half-brother DeMarr. Since arriving in Chestnut Hill, the explo-

sive guard has been a key contributor for the Eagles. This season, Ashton-Langford leads the Eagles in points with 332 and assists with 96.

Karnik transferred to BC from Lehigh. This season, Karnik used his extra year of NCAA eligibility to play another year with the Eagles. The crafty center is averaging 9.4 points per game and has recorded two 20-plus point games this season, most notably his career-high 26-point game in

a win over Virginia Tech.

Galloway was also a transfer who came with Grant from the College of Charleston. In the 2020–21 season, the guard averaged 15 points per game before suffering a season-ending injury in mid-December.

“He’s given everything he’s got playing with a leg and a half,” Grant said. “He’s done a great job helping us move the program forward.” n

BC kept its undefeated season alive with a 15–9 win over Brown on Saturday for their fifth win of the season.

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS STAFF

With a 70–60 win over BC, Clemson snapped the Eagles’ two-game win streak in the final leg of their season.

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS STAFF

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