The Heights, Feb, 17, 2025

Protestors Demand Gaza Action on O'Neill Plaza

B

y n ikitA o sA dchiy Asst. News Editor

Boston College students and faculty gathered on O’Neill Plaza Thursday evening to protest the University’s suppression of activism, demand investment transparency, and condemn the violence experienced by Palestinians in Gaza.

“We demand that Boston College

deliver on its Jesuit values, and on its promises of commitment to service, the transmission of knowledge, and fostering of understanding,” said a speaker, who did not identify themselves. “In search of truth, we demand Boston College deliver on its promises to students’ free speech, open dialogue, and justice.

As students of a Jesuit university, we demand Boston College to live in service of others—for all people,

and for Palestine.”

As the sun set on O’Neill Plaza, protesters and observers stood in the snow while chants of “Free Palestine” and “Whose campus? Our campus!” echoed.

Five organizers spoke at the event, reading from a "demonstration of demands" and urging the University to take action.

See Protest, A2

“So, What Are We?”

Research Funding Faces Uncertainty

Recent Trump administration policies put BC's federally funded research in peril.

By cARinA MuRphy Assoc. News Editor

After the National Science Foundation (NSF) paused the approval and distribution of grants earlier this year, Boston College researchers voiced concerns about the potential long-term effects of disruptions in federal funding.

The NSF, which funds a range of scientific research across the U.S., halted its grant-reviewing process in late January to ensure compliance with an executive order from President Donald Trump.

The agency announced it would begin reviewing all funding activities, disrupting review panels and grant allocations.

Although the processes resumed earlier this month, the incident cast doubt on the future stability of research funding, according to Babak Momeni, an associate professor of biology and an NSF-funded researcher.

“I think the general reaction is some level of disappointment in itself,” Momeni said. “Their main job is to support basic science and train future scientists and engineers, and not having that support, I think for us, it has been a little bit disheartening.”

While his lab has not yet been affected by the NSF freeze, Momeni said the uncertainty has been unsettling for both researchers and students.

Funding Freeze, A2

Free T-Rides for Student Clinicals

By Reetu AgnihotRi Asst. News Editor

Starting this semester, UGBC and the Division of Student Affairs are providing free CharlieCards for Lynch School of Education and Human Development (LSEHD) and Connell School of Nursing (CSON) students with high financial need to cover transportation to practicum and clinical experiences.

Cami Kulbieda, UGBC academic affairs committee chair and LSEHD ’26, began working on the initiative after learning that she and her peers would have to pay out of pocket for their required LSEHD practicum experiences.

“I saw an injustice happening on campus,” Kulbieda said. “And I want what is required of students here to be easily accessible and something that everyone can participate in without having to stress about that financially.”

All elementary education, secondary education, and applied psychology and human development majors in LSEHD must

complete practicum experiences or student teaching to graduate, according to the LSEHD website.

Similarly, starting in their sophomore year, students in CSON must complete clinical experiences as a graduation requirement.

According to Du Pont, the Division of Student Affairs is funding the program and providing CharlieCards to students in the pilot. The program is specifically targeted toward those with high financial need, Du Pont added.

“Eligible students receive an invitation to participate in the program, along with a link to a Google Form where they can request their CharlieCard,” Du Pont wrote. “The form includes basic information to confirm their placement details and transportation needs.”

Practicums and clinical experiences take place in schools and hospitals across Boston, requiring students to arrange transportation to and from these locations.

Islamic Art Takes to McMullen

of 13th-century scholar Zakariyya al-Qazwini.

The McMullen Museum of Art has unveiled an extraordinary exhibition—Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World—which bridges centuries of Islamic intellectual achievement through the lens of “wonder,” a concept deeply rooted in the work

Born in Qazvin, Iran, al-Qazwini survived tumultuous times, eventually finding solace in scholarly pursuits that would produce his masterwork, The Wonders of Creation and Rarities of Existence

The exhibition frames wonder as al-Qazwini defined it: “a state of perplexity that comes over a human

being when he fails to understand the reason for a thing or how it affects him.”

This philosophical approach shapes the entire exhibition, which presents over 170 objects that showcase the intersection of Islamic art, science, and innovation across 12 centuries.

Despite the snow, spring break is right around the corner! Associate Video Editor Kaylee Dunleavy walks you through the best and cheapest travel options.

CONNOR O'BRIEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

McMullen, A9

MARy kozeny Heights Staff

SHANE SHEBEST / HEIGHTS STAFF

NEWS

This Week’s Top 3 Events

“For our trainees, I think they now will hesitate a little bit more considering going into careers that would overlap with NSF’s mission,” Momeni said.

Since 2020, external funding, including contributions from federal government agencies, has increased from $57 million to $73 million and was projected to reach $83 million in 2024, according to the Office of the Provost.

Possible future limits on NSF

funding could potentially hinder this momentum, said Kenneth Burch, chair of the physics department and an NSF-funded researcher.

“BC has been doing a really impressive job at increasing its research portfolio,” Burch said. “I’m proud to say that my department has played a substantial role in that. Whether that can continue, I don’t know.”

Although the NSF funding freeze was lifted, researchers discussed new guidelines imple -

1 2 3

Hear from Amrita Sooklal, BC ’22, as she discusses her career in prime brokerage capital introductions and sustainability solutions equity sales at Morgan Stanley. The Q&A session will take place Monday at 7 p.m. in Gasson 305. Join Greg Brown, head coach of the Boston College men’s hockey team, for a conversation with Rev. Mark Massa, S.J., director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. This event is on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Devlin 008.

NSF Pauses Raise Concern Among BC Researchers

mented by the NSF in response to Trump’s executive order on the language used in grant proposals, particularly regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

According to Sarah McMenamin, an associate professor of biology who previously received funding from the NSF, the new reviews have raised concerns about the future of efforts to promote diversity in scientific research.

“There are a lot of questions for the future and what this means

down the line, and especially for those of us who have educational missions and outreach missions and missions that promote inclusivity,” McMenamin said.”

Not only does this impact current grants, but researchers will also have to factor it in when applying for new ones, Burch said.

“At the time I heard about all this, I was in the middle of writing a grant for NSF,” Burch said. “We were considering diversifying, how we would help to diversify future engineers, and so on. We immediately rewrote that part of the grant before we submitted it because we didn’t think it would fly anymore.”

Beyond the NSF, researchers are closely watching developments at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Following the Trump administration’s call to cut medical research funding by $4 billion, The NIH issued a notice about capping indirect research costs– funds for supporting research infrastructure—the research environment rather than the project–that universities receive from NIH grants at 15 percent, as opposed to the previously negotiated rates that varied by institution.

A Massachusetts U.S. District Judge, Angel Kelley, issued a temporary restraining order on Feb.

10, stalling the research cuts from taking effect in 22 states that sued the Trump administration for the decision.

Momeni believes the potential impact of this cut would be substantial, especially for research conducted at universities.

As a potential solution, researchers have begun to explore alternative funding sources, such as private foundations and industry partnerships. Momeni pointed out that this would be challenging because these sources aren’t geared toward fundamental scientific research.

“They might be more interested in investing in cancer or investing in a disease that maybe some family member is affected by,” Momeni said. “There’s a lot more basic science that has to go into work to get to the point that something translational and relevant to patients comes out of it, and usually the governments pick up that part.”

While keeping up with developments from funding agencies, Burch said researchers are struggling to understand what the future holds.

“There was always a lot of uncertainty but at least you kind of knew how the system worked,” Burch said. “And now, nobody has a clue.” n

BC Community Calls on the University To Divest

None of the speakers identified themselves during their speeches.

Speakers shared examples of the violence in Gaza with grim, uncensored detail.

“Hospitals have been bombed, doctors shot and kidnapped,” said another speaker. “Children’s limbs have been torn apart. Mothers forced to give birth without aid, and in the colder months, newborns have frozen to death. Palestinians have been tormented by violence, yet they still muster the strength to live and to teach and inspire.”

The speaker said the scale and severity of the violence was not merely another episode in a long-standing conflict but a deliberate attempt to commit genocide against the Palestinian people.

“The violence visited upon [the Palestinian people] is disproportionate, prejudiced, unsanctioned, and evil,” a speaker said “This is not a war. There are no arguments for both sides. This is a genocide.”

Multiple speakers also directed their criticism inward, condemning BC’s silence on Gaza despite the University’s past role in student-led activism.

“Boston College has not always been the quiet campus it is today,” one speaker said. “Boston College students rallied against our school’s complicity in South African apartheid. Upon realizing that 17 percent of BC’s endowment was being invested in South Africa, organizations like the South African Liberation Support Group and the Boston College South Africa Freedom Committee demanded the University divest from companies that have ties to South Africa.”

Another speaker pointed out the contrast between BC’s past willingness to engage in divestment conversations and its current reluctance to even acknowledge student concerns. The speaker cited a 1984 quote from John Smith, former University vice president and treasurer.

“‘If Boston College’s investment advisor bought stock in a company in clear violation of

our ethical standards, we would dump it without questioning it,’” the speaker quoted. “Some stocks are just not worth it. Death is not worth it, destruction is not worth it, and Palestine is not worth giving up for money.”

Speakers argued that the University has failed to uphold its principles as a Catholic institution.

“We demand that Boston College disclose all of its ties to the Zionist entity, all of its ties to weapons manufacturing and war machinery, and all of its ties to systems of colonialism, apartheid, and death,” the speaker said. “As a private institution, it’s not obligated to disclose these things, however, as a Catholic institution it has the moral responsibility to truth and justice.”

Beyond demanding financial transparency, student speakers criticized BC’s broader attempts to curtail student activism, arguing that the University administration has repeatedly undermined student rights.

“As a student of Boston College,

you do not have the rights that you think you do, and it is your concern,” the speaker said. “If not in practice, then it should be in principle because our university should be in the business of protecting our rights, not violating them.”

A third speaker recounted his own experience, explaining that he was one of two BC students arrested last spring when the Boston Police Department forcibly dismantled an encampment at Emerson College, leading to over 100 arrests.

“We were charged with disorderly conduct and failure to comply,” the speaker said. “Both charges that the courts of Massachusetts were unable to pursue due to insufficient evidence. Let me repeat, following our arrest, we were both declared innocent by the law, yet BC pursued disciplinary action over the same alleged offenses.”

Shouts of “Shame!” erupted from the crowd.

At the end of the demonstra-

tion, the final speaker rejected the notion that student voices could be subdued by the University’s administration.

“This was not a disruption,” the speaker said. “This was hardly a demonstration or a protest. The campus stakeholders have agreed to the rules, guidelines, time, place, and manner in which we’ve gathered here today, and we listen, but we must remind the administration who the real campus stakeholders are. No matter how much they try to sabotage our movement, they cannot destroy the spirit of the students. We are the stakeholders that they should be worried about.”

Rachel Sontheimer, MCAS ’26, said she attended the demonstration out of frustration with what she saw as BC’s inaction and apathy.

“I have been just really disturbed by the political apathy on this campus and how little a Catholic school seems to care about the rest of the world,” Sontheimer said. “I was raised Catholic. I believe

that it is our duty as humans to care about what’s happening to each other, even when it’s on the other side of the world. I have been really frustrated by—as the speakers talked about—how Boston College has tried to stymie our right to protest.”

A speaker said the demonstration reflected a growing frustration among students over the University’s response to global crises, calling for accountability, transparency, and an end to administrative obstruction.

“Boston College repeatedly failed to be attentive to its community members, who sought to respond to the needs and the cries of the Palestinian people,” the final speaker said. “The administration asked us if the cease-fire agreement has affected the content of this demonstration, the answer is obviously f—king no. The ceasefire has no effect on the demands that we have for this university, the demands we have for you, students and faculty, and the demands we have for this world.” n

MOLLY BRUNS / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

Following the Trump administration’s exectuive orders, the NSF began reviews on grants for terminology related to DEI.

SHANE SHEBEST/ HEIGHTS STAFF

demonstrations with those protesting apartheid in the ‘80s.

Funding Freeze, from A1

Protest, from A1

UGBC Pilots New Transportation Subsidy

Charlie Cards, from A1

Kulbieda said she knew that a significant portion of students were paying out of pocket for these transportation costs, which created a significant financial burden for some.

“No one should be paying out of pocket for something that is a graduation requirement,” Kulbieda said. “It may seem like a small amount of money for some people, but for others, it’s not.”

A CSON senior participating in the pilot program said she was happy to see students’ requests being taken seriously.

“I think this is a great step in the right direction,” the student wrote in an anonymous statement to The Heights. “This is something we have been complaining about and begging for for years, so I am really glad to see something being done.”

Kulbieda was surprised that the issue remained unaddressed. She asked the deans of LSEHD and CSON whether anyone had tried to implement a solution in the past.

“Every cycle of students that comes in is looking to solve this problem,” Kulbieda said. “It’s a

problem that people have been noticing for over a decade.”

Looking to solve this long-standing problem, Kulbieda reached out to the Division of Student Affairs, which agreed to provide financial support for the project.

“Providing this support means that students can focus on their academic and professional growth without the added stress.”

“We were motivated to support this initiative because we recognize the additional financial burden that transportation costs can place on students with the greatest financial challenges,” Joe Du Pont, associate vice president of career services and integrated learning, wrote in a statement to The Heights.

Du Pont said he hopes the program will allow students to dedicate themselves to their coursework without the added stress of paying for transportation.

“Providing this support means that students can focus on their academic and professional growth without the added stress of transportation costs they may not have anticipated or be available to afford easily,” Du Pont wrote.

According to the student,

there is still work to be done with the program. For some students, public transportation is not the most efficient way to travel between campus and their clinical and practicum sites, the student said.

“Many of our clinicals are not at all T accessible (or would take over an hour to get to via T and therefore just are not realistic to use the T to get to), so it is not a perfect remedy,” the student

wrote. “But I am grateful for any compensation and that these conversations are finally being taken seriously.”

Du Pont said he hopes to find areas of improvement for the program and evaluate its effectiveness.

“Ultimately, we hope to secure sustainable funding and potentially expand the program to support more students in the future,” Du Pont wrote. n

Agape Latte Hosts Valentine’s Conversation

By Capra MCCorMiCk Heights Staff

Students sat down with faculty and administrators over dinner at Bapst Library Tuesday night for a special Valentine’s Day edition of Agape Latte, featuring conversations on love, faith, and life at Boston College.

“For this Agape Latte, we finally wanted to be creative with it and we decided to host this dinner series,” said Eileen Corkery, assistant director for programming at the BC Church in the 21st Century Center. “It is meant to put a lot of our former Agape Latte speakers in conversations with students to kind of talk about their faith with these faculty mentors.”

Students of various grade levels were placed at tables with conversation prompts and provided bagged sandwiches, chips, and fruit.

“I think students are really hungry for deeper relationships and having those deeper level connections with others, so we wanted to bring together a space that made it easy to do so,” Corkery said.

Corkery explained that Agape Latte aims to do something special for Valentine’s Day each year. In addition to the table-talk dinner, Agape Latte sponsors the “Spread the Love” campaign, which allows students to send Valentine’s cards to loved ones and friends.

“Agape, it is the Greek form

of unconditional love,” Corkery said. “And so Agape Latte, we’re all about that. We’re asking, ‘How do we spread love and recognize love in our lives?’ And that includes love with others on campus and all of its forms.”

Sheila Corkery, LSEHD ’26, who had attended previous Agape Latte events, said the open structure of the diner allowed students to be more involved as participants rather than just spectators.

Corkery added that she appreciated the structure and organization of the discussion.

“They had the questions to guide everything and the food was good and it was just, really nice, ” Sheila Corkery said. “They really wanted to break the ice with other

people, and this was the perfect way to do it.”

Tom Mogan, associate dean of the Morrissey College of Arts and Science, and Meghan Mogan, assistant dean of student services and academic advising in the Carroll School of Management, gave an Agape Latte talk two years ago on Valentine’s Day and were happy to participate in the event again this year.

“When they asked us to do this, we said, ‘Of course, anytime we can have these great conversations,’” Meghan Mogan said. Tom Mogan emphasized the importance of staying connected and engaging in meaningful conversations year-round, particularly around Valentine’s Day.

“It’s really nice to be able to have meaningful conversations around different concepts, important things, all year, but especially around Valentine’s Day,” said Tom Moghan.

Meghan Mogan expressed her appreciation for seeing BC students take the initiative to form these relationships.

“I’m so impressed by Boston College students in general, but the fact that you all came out, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, on a cold winter night to meet new people,” Mogan said. “Many of you came and didn’t know anybody here. And I’m hoping that, because of conversation, everyone’s met a few more people and made authentic connections.” n

CSOM Program Aids First-Gen Students

By Carina Murphy Assoc. News Editor

Molly Funk Heights Staff

A new program at the Carroll School of Management (CSOM) seeks to address the academic performance gap for first-generation students, focusing on challenges they have historically faced in core quantitative courses.

Andrew Barksdale, associate director of CSOM undergraduate

career advising, launched the initiative this past November after conducting an internal data study on students’ academic performance.

“After we kind of identified this data and these outliers, we were then saying, ‘How can we improve this? Is this something, you know, structurally, that we can do to help support these students?’”

Barksdale said.

To address these challenges for first-generation students, the

program provides extra academic support tailored to the CSOM curriculum.

Participants take one core quantitative class per semester, complemented by a supplemental seminar designed that offers oneon-one access to a professor and additional academic support.

Both the small cohort size and supplemental seminar aim to foster a tight-knit learning community and enhance students’ understanding of the material,

according to Barksdale.

Sydney Catalan, CSOM ’28 and a participant in the program, said having a designated time to receive assistance has allowed her to form closer relationships with her professors.

“I feel like this program has really helped me be able to come out of my shell and get to know faculty more than I probably would have without it,” Catalan said.

In addition to academic support, the program builds community through group outings and peer mentorship, pairing freshmen with upperclassmen mentors. Gabriel Galloza, CSOM ’28 and another participant, has found his peer mentor to be a valuable resource.

“He’s given me so many insights,” Galloza said. “Hearing it from somebody that is so similar to you, you do internalize the advice, and so it’s super helpful.”

Participants also enroll in the Career Bridge course, which aims to help students navigate unfamiliar internship and job recruitment cycles and expand their professional networks.

In the spring of their freshman year, students in the program enroll in a career accelerator course that focuses on networking and job search skills.

Barksdale emphasized the

close connection between career preparation and academic performance.

“Quite frankly, from a career perspective—I was a former career coach—it’s harder to work with a student who’s underperforming academically,” Barksdale said. “Their opportunity—the best firms that recruit here—may not be able to go for those firms because they just don’t have the performance that’s necessary to get there.”

Currently funded by the CSOM Dean’s Innovation Fund, the program supports a cohort of 20 students, according to Barksdale. While expanding depends on funding and available resources, Barksdale said he hopes to increase the program’s reach in the future.

“If I can grow that from 20 students in the freshman class to 40 students, we’re serving more students,” Barksdale said.

Barksdale said he hopes the program provides first-generation students with the tools they need to achieve their goals.

“We want all of our students who come into Carroll School to have the opportunity to do whatever they want and have, you know, kind of live the American dream and kind of shoot for whatever they feel like they can get,” Barksdale said. n

MADISON SARKA / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

LSEHD and CSON students will receive financial support for transportation to clinicals and practicums.

MOLLY BRUNS / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES Barksdale’s program for first-gen students in CSOM aims to provide community and academic support.

Concerns Over Newton Centre Plaza Build at Newton Economic Development Meeting

By Matthew antonnechia Heights Staff

The Newton Economic Development Commission (EDC) met Tuesday to discuss the Newton Centre Plaza pilot project, which Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced in her citywide newsletter on Jan. 16.

The proposal calls for replacing 51 parking spaces in the heart of Newton Centre’s business district with a community plaza adjacent to the existing Newton Centre Green. Additional parking would be made available elsewhere to compensate for the loss.

The project has already elicited concerns from local business owners worried about the loss of centrally located parking and its effect on their businesses.

Philip Plottel, a member of the EDC, expressed frustration that the commission was not adequately briefed about the proposal.

“I am really disappointed that we found out about this three days after an EDC meeting from the mayor’s

newsletter,” Plottel said “I don’t know how I feel, but it was … not words I can say in a public meeting.”

Ward 3 Councilor-at-Large

Pamela Wright commented on the impromptu nature of the project and the response it has generated from constituents.

“I just want to say the city council also found out in [Fuller’s] newsletter,” Wright said. “So we were blindsided also, and we’re getting the emails also.”

Hedy Jarras, a commission member and owner of Sweet Tomatoes Pizza in Newton Centre, also stated her dissatisfaction with the proposed plaza and questioned the viability of the replacement parking.

“All of these businesses are saying, ‘Wait a minute, you’re going to take 51 parking spots?’” Jarras said.

“And if you think that we’re going to be fooled by saying that we’re going to get back those parking spots … it’s not in the lot. It’s in secret spots or spots that nobody would know where to park.”

Jarras suggested other sites in Newton Centre which may be more

feasible for a public plaza.

“There’s so much green space in between the parking lot and Centre Street,” Jarras said. “Why can’t something be done there? What about the green space where Brookline Bank and Citizens Bank is?”

Lauren Berman, founder and president of local marketing firm All Over Newton, reported similar concerns from various small business owners.

Though there is support for a

public plaza, Berman advised it be built elsewhere.

“They want this,” Berman said. “They just don’t want to sacrifice those 51 parking spaces. I recommended moving it across Langley Road into some of that open space by Newtonville, so we wouldn’t take away those parking spaces.”

Jack Leader, chairman of the EDC, provided a brief history of the Newton Centre parking lot site.

“There used to be a school there,”

Leader said. “It was the Mason School, and it got torn down in ’59, ’60. It took up most of that parking lot all the way through.”

Leader acknowledged that present-day circumstances have necessitated a parking lot at that location.

“People walked then,” Leader said. “People walked far more than we do now. I can’t walk the way that I used to. Those parking spaces become incredibly important as some of us reach 70.” n

Newton Updates “Confusing” Law on Flood Maps

By Genevieve Morrison Newton Editor

Newton’s Zoning and Planning Committee passed new rules for defining floodplains to comply with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements in its meeting on Monday.

“This is a wonderful juncture, an opportunity to begin to actually tease out these two regulatory authorities and two distinct areas,” said Jennifer Steel, Newton’s chief environmental planner.

Currently, Newton’s ordinances on floodplains contain a “confusing” combination of factual errors, contradictory definitions, and a blend of rules taken from both local and national regulations, according to Steel.

The committee voted unanimously to pass the proposal, which affects two ordinances.

It will update Newton’s FEMA

flood ordinance to reflect the new federal maps. Simultaneously, Steel said the federal mandate served as an opportunity to add needed updates to Newton’s existing city-specific flood maps.

Steel said the central issue in the existing legislation is that Newton’s current ordinances contain two sets of designated flood areas—one drawn by local authorities and one drawn by FEMA—without a reliable way to tell which is which.

“Residents, applicants, even staff, don’t really understand the distinction between the federal floodplains and city-designated floodplains because they simply sort of appear as one,” Steel said.

Newton residents’ eligibility for flood insurance under FEMA depends on the city’s compliance with federal rules, and Newton must have updated floodplain laws in effect by July 8, 2025, in order to remain compliant with federal regulators.

“We are required to make the change to the FEMA section, and I don’t want to widow or leave hanging out as it currently does, with this awkward overlap than our existing ordinance,” Steel said.

FEMA’s new designated floodplains tweak the estimations for flood heights in certain parts of Newton. Some have been taken out of designated areas of risk, while others have been added.

Residents who live in areas with changed flooding designations should be notified by the city and their insurer, according to Ward 3 Councilor-at-Large Pamela Wright.

“I think what would be important is a letter going out to these people,” Wright said. “‘Now you’re in a 100-year floodplain if they weren’t before … because that will affect what they need for insurance.”

Steel agreed but added that most of the areas of change don’t include homes.

“In many, many of these areas of change there aren’t houses—there aren’t buildings,” Steel said. “These occur within areas of conservation or what have you, but there certainly are neighborhoods that will be affected.”

The new ordinance will also include an update to Newton’s default floodplain measuring system, according to Steel.

Newton’s current ordinances use an outdated measuring system to determine height in flooding instead of the North American Vertical Datum of 1988, or NAVD 88, the official measurement to judge vertical height as designated by the United States.

Steel said this discrepancy can be problematic for insurance consultants who haven’t worked in the city before.

“If it were on the City of Newton base, it might, for example, be 105.72 feet above sea level,” Steel said. “But as would be described

on—what everyone else in North America is now using, this NAVD 88—that same level would be described as being 100 feet above sea level.”

With the new ordinance, the city will publish maps detailing both federal and local outlines for floodplains so residents can understand what their risk is. According to Steel, the past ordinances were written, not drawn into maps, and therefore harder for residents to read.

“We didn’t publicize maps, and so those flood elevations didn’t correspond with the original maps,” Steel said. “It was terrible. There was this disconnect.”

Ward 7 Councilor Lisle Baker said that this ordinance was a step forward in making residents’ information more accessible to them.

“Now you can know what’s your scope of your responsibility very easily,” Lisle Baker said. “Before, you had to be an engineer.” n

Superintendent Presents on Multi-Level Classes

By DeBorah cruGer Heights Staff

Newton Public Schools (NPS)

Superintendent Anna Nolin presented a memo regarding the discrepancies within district-wide regulation at the NPS committee meeting on Monday.

Nolin began by addressing multi-level classes at the high school level, which were introduced in 2021 and have received significant backlash.

A multi-level class combines students of different learning levels into the same classroom with the goal of creating a more equitable learning

environment.

Both Newton North and South high schools offer college preparatory courses, advanced college preparatory courses, honors courses, and advanced placement courses.

Nolin is currently working with Gina Flanagan, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, and Gene Roundtree, assistant superintendent of secondary education, to develop the organization of these classes.

“We have actually worked extensively with the high school curriculum council,” Nolin said. “Our first move is

to work with those educators to define what rigor levels actually mean.”

In addition to organizing listening sessions at both Newton North and South, Nolin and her colleagues are running a K-12 math curriculum review for the first time in 25 years.

“The purpose of this is mapping the actual standards by grade level and by level of courses,” Nolin said. “So what distinguishes what is covered in an honors class versus an advanced class versus a college prep class, which there is not agreement about what that means.”

Presently, students are placed

into class levels based on their grades and teachers’ recommendations. As a result, different departments have their own expectations for student placement, explained Nolin.

“Given the lack of district-wide training, consistent central office leadership, vision related to curriculum assessment, and lack of curricular resources available to the average Newton teacher, they are running themselves ragged simply trying to meet the needs of all students, whether they are in single-level classes or multi-level ones,” Nolin said.

According to Nolin, there is a lack of standardization beyond the organization of students in multi-level classrooms, and a large concern has been the regulation of NPS’ new MultiTiered System of Support (MTSS).

According to Nolin, NPS adopted MTSS to offer specialized support to struggling students through tiered learning and data-driven decision-making.

“Tiered instruction is a way of organizing school supports, but also guides how we communicate as grade-level teams, utilize student data, and center student belonging and connectedness alongside our academic data points,” reads the NPS website. Nolin explained that the system

works to meet students where they are and promote their advancement through the offered support levels.

“The idea is to push the supports in, not lower the rigor of the courses,” Nolin said. “We need defined levels and common assessments to ensure that we do not do that, that we have not called a course advanced that is no longer advanced.”

Ryan Normandin, a math and physics teacher at Newton South, expressed his disappointment in Nolin’s memo.

“The memo claims nobody has agreement on what levels mean, and nobody has common standards with which to make recommendations,” Normandin said. “In fact, we’ve recommended students successfully for decades, whether those placements were made in the tracked model or the multi-level model.”

Nolin plans to visit the neighboring Lexington Public School District to observe a different approach to higher-level courses.

“Our focus here is to build a strong, reliable future system where students receive the challenge level they want—and are ready for—in a systematic way so they can build their own goals and learning agency,” Nolin said. n

GENEVIEVE MORRISON / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The proposal calls for replacing 51 parking spaces in the heart of Newton Centre.

GENEVIEVE MORRISON / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Newton Public Schools introduced multi-level classes to its middle and high schools in 2021.

M AGAZINE

"What Are We?": Examining Hookup Culture at BC

B y K ate K issel

Assoc. Magazine Editor

V eronica P ierce

Magazine Editor

“So what are we?”

It’s a question many Boston College students find themselves asking as they try to decipher a “situationship.” From dinner dates to hookups, situationships leave a lot open to interpretation.

This brand of casual, if not messy, relationship has taken the dating scene by storm. These days, you’re more likely to find students checking if they got a Snap back than twirling linguine on a night out in the North End.

Traditional “dating” is quickly being replaced by this easier, low-commitment option—and neither students nor faculty are thrilled about it.

Four Years of Difference

Complicated and convoluted dating trends arise as soon as students start their freshman year at BC.

Bo Brainerd, MCAS ’25, experienced these trends firsthand and was not a fan.

“Freshman year, everyone is brand new to everyone,” Brainerd said. “Everyone’s hooking up—it’s giving the college experience. You’re on Snap, you’re on all the dating apps, you’re meeting people out at random parties and bars that you’re getting into.”

Some of the current BC freshmen feel the same way.

Megan Woods, MCAS ’28, and Ellie Poitras, LSEHD ’28, came into freshman year expecting a little bit more from the dating scene.

“I definitely thought it would be a bit better than it is,” Woods said. “We live on Newton, and we’ve heard a lot of people from Newton get married when they meet each other.”

Woods attributes the lack of relationships to students either not being ready to commit or still being caught up on their high school ex. By sophomore year, some BC students start to want more committed relationships.

Yet, many are met with the dif-

ficult reality that if they aren’t already in a relationship, they must revert to hooking up with peers.

“So, sophomore year, I was like, ‘OK, I want a boyfriend,’” Brainerd said. “And then I realized, it’s the same hookup culture, and it’s the same issue, and plus, you have all this cliquiness and all these groups that are adding so many different factors.”

Leo Frail, MCAS ’27, has sworn off situationship culture after giving it a try during his freshman year.

“I don’t like [situationships] very much, tried those out freshman year,” Frail said. “Freshman year, I just knew like first few months people kind of went kind of crazy.”

For Frail, situationships offer little more than a new person on campus to avoid.

“You don’t get the emotional aspect, like someone you can count on,” Frail said. “Usually you just get a campus opp.”

Between junior and senior year, Brainerd said students experience significant growth. Many students will study abroad and meet people outside of BC, making settling down all the more enticing.

“It was literally an extraordinary change,” Brainerd said. “And I guarantee you, it’s because you went abroad. Think about it—you see the world, you see more things outside of yourself.”

Some underclassmen are hoping that a change like this will occur, and soon. One of the problems they pointed to surrounding situationships is the question of exclusivity.

Abby McNeil, MCAS ’28, believes you have to define exclusivity outright—or risk realizing it doesn’t exist.

“You have to establish that they are or they won’t be,” McNeil said.

Nic Moran, MCAS ’27, sees situationships as not just emotionally harmful, but by definition, psychopathic because people use one another for short-term gain.

“Even if both partners are consenting in a situationship, there’s an implicit underlying truth to

that kind of organization that you guys are just doing it for the sex,” Moran said.

With this transactional relationship, Moran sees fallout for both parties. Instead, he believes everyone should try out traditional relationships.

“I’m pro-relationship,” Moran said. “I think you should get into a relationship, avoid the short-term hookups, go for meaningful stuff.”

Hookup History

Hookup culture, though, is far from a recent phenomenon on BC’s campus.

Elizabeth Bracher, director of the Courage to Know and Capstone Programs and BC ’91, said her own time at BC contained much of the hookup culture that exists today.

“I don’t think it was all that different from what it is now, from what I hear from my students,”

Bracher said. “We used different terms for things, but it was primarily a lot of hooking up, not being honest with your feelings and what you wanted from the relationship.”

Bracher recognized that though hookup culture is popular at BC, there is also a significant group of students who feel pressure to find “the one.”

Bracher attributes this pressure to the values held by the largely Catholic student body.

“I think that the fact that we are a Jesuit Catholic school says something about our Christian values around marriage and family,” Bracher said.

When she asks her students their thoughts, she is typically met with a unanimous response.

“I am never surprised that every semester, when I ask my students, ‘How many of you aspire to be in a marriage or at least a monogamous relationship for the majority of your adulthood?’ Every single student raises their hand,” Bracher said.

Brainerd agrees that most students crave monogamy, but said she also thinks it is the character of most BC students that plays into this phenomenon, not just religion.

“I think we’re all perfectionists,” Brainerd said. “We don’t like to take huge risks. We’re not a very risk-oriented school. We’re a lot more reserved.”

The Dating Assignment

Around 15 years ago, Kerry Cronin, associate professor of the practice of philosophy and assistant director of the Perspectives Program, took note of the strange norms at BC while teaching a Capstone course for seniors.

When she asked them about dating at BC, many of them had little to no experience.

“This group of seniors said to me, ‘Oh we're not dating anybody. We haven’t dated anybody at BC,’” Cronin said. She was shocked—and decided to do something about it.

“I asked them to do a lot of things,” Cronin said. “I asked them to read Dostoevsky. I asked them to read poetry. And then to go also to go on a date.”

“Low-stakes dating—dating where you’re just asking a romantic question of somebody,” Cronin said. “You’re not looking for 2.5 kids and a house in the Hamptons.”

After noticing the stir the dating assignment produced, Bracher decided to implement it into her section of Courage to Know. Cronin and Bracher both set some ground rules for the task.

“The date assignment is that they have to ask somebody out in person—they can’t DM them, they can’t text them,” Bracher said. “They have to ask them in person to go on a legitimate date that they make the plans for, they pay for.”

If a student is in a relationship, it doesn’t mean they’re off the hook for the assignment.

Bracher addressed these students by adding that anyone in a committed relationship can fulfill the assignment by going on a date with their partner and talking about the state of their relationship.

“If you’re going to be in a relationship, grow up and be a part of the relationship,” Bracher said. “Have an adult relationship, and if you want to get out of the hurt feelings and the BC lookaways, you’ve got to be able to talk about your feelings.”

Cronin has a similar viewpoint and said she urges students to take charge of their emotions and put themselves out there.

“‘Do you have the social courage to kind of express interest in somebody?’” Cronin said. “And just spend an hour with them asking who they are and trying to tell another person who you are.” Cronin hoped her assignment would instill this confidence in students.

Cronin and Bracher both attribute some of this difficulty to the challenges associated with COVID-19, which they believe manifested an unwillingness to

This was the first of many times Cronin would request her students to ask someone on a date for an assignment. In the first go-around, she didn’t make it a requirement—and quickly realized that a little push was needed. Despite the almost incessant discussion of it, only one student out of the 15 in the class completed the assignment. Although many did not fulfill the task, Cronin found that students were excited about trying “low-stakes dating.”

deal with difficult emotions.

Specifically, Bracher points to the fact that since COVID, dating apps have taken over college campuses, increasing casual relationships and students’ online presence.

“BC students really didn’t seem to be starting to use dating apps until COVID,” Bracher said. “And then COVID pushed us all online for everything, right? So, why doesn’t it make sense that it would push us online for dating apps?”

Complicated Definitions

Cronin sees BC students as occupying one of three groups: those involved in hookup culture, the people dating, and those who are “opting out.”

But what exactly is a hookup?

In her Courage to Know class, Bracher starts off each semester by asking her students this exact question.

“And they laugh at me at first,” Bracher said. “And I’m like, ‘Well, what is it?’ And we come to an agreed-upon opinion that it’s everything from kissing to sex, and everything in between, which means it could be relatively nothing or everything.”

The more elusive term is a situationship.

According to Cronin, a situationship is a mix of opting out and hooking up.

Students who opt out are completely uninvolved in the dating scene or view it as something they’re not interested in at the moment.

Situationships skip over some aspects of dating, Cronin said.

“You’re opting out of the discernment of a relationship,” Cronin said. “In a situationship, there’s no goalposts, right? I mean, its very name is ambiguous.”

As a result of this ambiguity, many students have different interpretations of what a situationship is.

Aidan Cassidy, MCAS ’28 agrees with Cronin’s definition of a situationship as something of a strange, in-between entity.

“I think it’s like a weird kind of talking stage, between a talking stage and a solid relationship,” Cassidy said.

McNeil gave a complex but slightly different definition.

“It’s like you’re not dating, but you’re not nothing, but you’re not really talking to other people, but you’re not fully committed to each other,” McNeil said.

Or, to sum it up more succinctly: “It’s just, it’s hell,” McNeil said.

“That’s what I would say it is. I would say it’s living f—king hell.”

Brainerd emphasized that this back-and-forth of commitment is not ideal.

“I get so upset because that’s just not what humanity is for. That’s not what humanity is,” Brainerd said.

“Our souls, our humanity as individual people, we deserve more than to be defined by when we give it all to someone.”

Though hookup culture is far from new, Cronin said the evolution of situationships occurred after she began teaching.

“Before, I think students would kind of hook up with different people and maybe have a couple regulars

in the mix,” Cronin said. “It’s what hookup culture used to be but with the same people.”

Emotional Turmoil

According to Cronin, situationships not only lack a label but also— at least in theory—lack feelings. She doesn’t see this as plausible.

“What hooking up is, it’s a physical or sexual encounter with no perceived emotional content,” Cronin said. “But of course, there is emotional content. Same with situationships, right? Like, to you there is emotional content there, but you’re not supposed to talk about it.”

Brainerd pointed out that romantic relationships help you understand your own emotions better.

“Yes, you kind of get to know yourself through your friends,” Brainerd said. “But you get to know yourself through the emotional vulnerability of a serious relationship or a romantic relationship.”

But Cronin doesn’t see situationships as entirely negative.

Although they might not provide all the learning opportunities of a relationship, they do offer a bit of practice.

“They tend to be relationships where it’s like you’re staying in a waiting pool trying to learn how to swim,” Cronin said. “It’s like you’re trying to do some emotional and relationship work and practice some skills, but the tests aren’t really there.”

These tests often take the form of emotional vulnerability, which occurs early in a relationship when one person asks another out. Hooking up never quite addresses that

vulnerability, according to Bracher. Cronin also sees this as a clear problem.

“You have to learn how to be rejected,” Cronin said. “You have to learn the joy of being accepted. Those are just great life experiences.”

Brainerd sees things a little differently. Instead of working to bring back the traditional in-person dating experience, she created her own dating website—Ophelia.

“We’re trying to revitalize traditional values, not necessarily the traditional experience,” Brainerd said. “But, we’re trying to maintain traditional values with the new updated experience.”

Maybe It’s Time Cronin said she often notices the confusion many prospective students have about dating culture at BC, especially when it comes to situationships.

“I do think a lot of students come here and find it all very mysterious, all the situationships and navigating all that,” Cronin said.

Navigating these complicated waters can be confusing for students, leading some to completely reject the idea of situationships.

“I hate situationships, they drive me insane,” McNeil said. “I would much rather be in a relationship where I know what’s going on.”

In comparison with other universities in the area, Brainerd believes the dating culture at BC stands out.

“It’s a very particular issue at BC,” Brainerd said. “Going to all these other Boston schools, BC seems very extreme, like there’s no in-between.

Northeastern, BU, Harvard—those three are really, really good at dating.”

Bracher believes that now is the time for BC students to start dating.

“If you get out of college and you haven’t gone on a date, it’s going to be harder,” Bracher said. “At least here at BC, you probably know the person by one or two degrees of separation.”

Brainerd echoed Bracher’s message, emphasizing that once we learn to understand the different parts of our identities, relationships naturally fall into place.

“Everyone is capable of getting a boyfriend and entering a relationship right now,” Brainerd said. “It’s whether or not you trust yourself and you know yourself enough to do so and take the leap.”

Cronin has found that students who didn’t take advantage of the BC community, instead resorting to hookup culture, felt the impact of doing so years later.

“I talked to young adults or young BC alums, they would just say, ‘Tell your students they must date while they’re at BC,’” Cronin said. “‘It’s the best opportunity. Now is the time to learn how to date.’”

If you really want to determine who “the one” is, Bracher suggests looking for one thing: whether they value you for who you truly are.

“When I talk to my students, this is what I want for them,” Bracher said. “I want them to be with someone who wants to jump up on a bench in the middle of Boston or in the middle of the quad and say, ‘Look who I’m with. I am so lucky to be with that person.’” n

Optimize Studying With These Homework Help Apps

By KaTherine Malloure Heights Staff

College life can be busy, chaotic, and often overwhelming. With constant deadlines, looming exams, assignments piling up, and nonstop club and social commitments, staying on top of everything can feel nearly impossible. The good news? Technology has your back. We all know the go-to apps like Google Calendar and Quizlet, but there are hundreds of lesser-known apps that can make your college experience easier, more productive, and even more fun. From staying focused to managing assignments, here are some underrated apps perfect for students looking to maximize time and minimize stress.

Forest: Stay Focused and Plant Trees

If you want to stay focused on your work, break your TikTok addiction, and help the environment all at once, the Forest app is for you. Simply open the app, set a timer, and start concentrating—your productivity (and the planet) will thank you.

This will plant a virtual tree, and as long as you stay o6ff your phone, the tree will grow. But, if you go on your phone or close the Forest app before the timer is up, your tree will die. The best part? Forest partners with an organization called Trees for the Future to plant real trees when you succeed in growing your virtual ones. At just $3.99 per month, it’s a small price to pay for the chance to help save the environment and boost your GPA.

Notion: One App for Your Whole Life

Notion has gained some popularity among college students—and for good reason. It’s an all-in-one workspace that is highly customizable, making it ideal for organizing notes, assignments, projects, and even your personal goals. With thousands of customizable templates, Notion helps you stay on top of whatever you need. Whether you need a to-do list, an assignment tracker, a calendar, or more, Notion has

it all. Its clean design and easy-to-use templates make it the perfect app for students who want to keep everything organized in one place.

Libby: A Library in Your Pocket Gone are the days of trekking to the campus library for reading materials and paying hundreds on textbooks every semester. Libby connects you to your library’s digital collection, giving you access to thousands of ebooks and audiobooks for free. It’s perfect for students who love to read for fun or need quick access to a textbook or reading for class. Best of all, it’s completely free with a valid Boston College library card.

Anki: Memorize and Master Any Subject

If you’re struggling to memorize key facts or vocabulary for exams, Anki is a must-have. This flashcard app uses spaced repetition, a scientifically proven method to help you retain information more effectively. Whether you’re studying for a biology test, prepping for a history exam, or learning a new language, Anki’s customizable flashcards help reinforce your memory over time. By presenting you flashcards right before you’re likely to forget them, Anki reinforces information in your long-

term memory. While it’s especially popular among medical students, it can be a lifesaver for anyone looking to improve their study habits or memorize large amounts of information.

Headspace: Meditation and Mindfulness To Relieve Stress

While academics are a key part of college life, prioritizing your wellness is just as important. Headspace is a meditation app that offers guided mindfulness exercises, ranging from quick three-minute sessions to longer, more in-depth practices. If you’re looking to destress before an exam, improve your sleep quality, or just practice mindfulness or meditation throughout your day, using Headspace is an easy way to do so.

Happify: Boost Your Mood and Mental Health Feeling sad, anxious, or overwhelmed? Happify is an app that offers science-based activities and games designed to improve your mood and mental health. The app uses positive psychology principles to help you overcome negative thoughts, manage stress, and build mental resilience. It’s a great tool for students who may be feeling stressed out, down, or defeated. n

CONNOR O’BRIEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

PHOTO COURTESY OF KABOOM PICS

Affordable, Last-Minute Spring Break Destinations

By Kaylee Dunleavy Assoc. Video Editor

If you’ve had enough of all the snow and ice, you’re not alone. Many Eagles are looking to escape the bitter temperatures and unwind in the sun.

Luckily, spring break is almost upon us.

With just two weeks to go, it’s now or never to lock down your dream vacation. But flying South can get expensive—especially when you plan last minute.

Here’s a guide to the best budget-friendly spring break destinations.

Panama City Beach, Fla.

Panama City Beach (PCB) is the perfect Florida vacation destination, offering white beaches, warm weather, and vibrant marine life.

Known by some as the Spring Break Capital, PCB is the ideal place to meet students from other colleges.

With plenty of fun activities to fill your day—from mini

golf and fishing to miles of pristine shoreline for tanning— you’ll never run out of things to do.

The nightlife won’t disappoint, either, with rowdy restaurants, beachside tiki bars, and bustling clubs.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

If you’re looking to travel far without having to find your passport, San Juan is the place for you.

Situated in the southern Atlantic ocean on Puerto Rico’s shore, San Juan provides the perfect Caribbean escape.

Beaches are packed with sunbathers, water sport enthusiasts, and nighttime stargazers, making them the perfect spot for a full day of activities.

Beyond picturesque beaches, Puerto Rico is also rich with culture and historical sites to explore.

Traditional Puerto Rican dishes, especially empanadillas and fresh fish, are must-tries. While flights may be pricier than to Florida, the cultural

experiences make it well worth the extra cost.

Sanibel Island, Fla.

For non-partiers looking for a relaxing, yet warm, vacation, Sanibel Island is the place for you.

Sanibel is a quaint spot packed with cute boutiques, oceanside restaurants, and white sand beaches.

The beaches are scattered with seashells for you to collect during your stay as a nice, free memento of your trip.

With plenty of biking and walking trails, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stay active between tanning and eating ice cream.

This spot will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the second half of the semester.

South Padre Island, Texas

South Padre has become a popular destination for college students, known for its party atmosphere and immaculate beaches.

With 24-hour beach bashes,

there’s no shortage of fun to be had here.

Between party days, you can also try out kiteboarding, deepsea fishing, or even beach yoga.

If you’re bored of the beach, you can head inland to explore major Texas cities like Houston and Dallas.

Savannah, Ga.

Savannah is a historic city full of exciting quirks and eccentricities.

True crime enthusiasts will love the ghost tours available day and night, while those inclined toward the supernatural can enjoy the many Southern-style restaurants and bars.

For affordable outdoor fun, you can kayak, swim, or paddleboard on the Savannah River.

While the beach isn’t as close as in other destinations, Tybee Island’s beaches are only a 20-minute drive away. n

The Priest Forging an Ethical Future With AI

By PayTon RoTh Heights Staff

Whether you’re an avid ChatGPT user or wary of artificial intelligence, there’s no denying that AI has thrust itself into the cultural spotlight.

Much about it remains a technological mystery, fueling fears of job loss and the decline of intellectualism.

Rev. Philip Larrey, a Catholic priest and professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, aims to quell these fears.

“We have to learn how we use it as part of God’s plan, which means for the benefit of humanity and not for the detriment of humanity,” Larrey said.

Larrey’s work centers around the development of artificial intelligence and education— seen through the unique lens of a Catholic perspective.

His interest in AI dates back to the 1990s, when he was living in Silicon Valley during Google’s early days.

Drawing from epistemology, the philosophy of knowledge, Larrey sought to explore how AI could be harnessed to benefit humanity.

Years later, after being ordained a priest in Rome and receiving his PhD in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Larrey has witnessed the changes he once wondered about become a reality.

“You look at almost any sector of society and it’s being touched by artificial intelligence, which I think is beneficial,” Larrey said.

Still, Larrey wants to continue to spark conversations about how to utilize AI in a positive, ethical way.

One major way he has done this is by founding and serving as chairman of the non-profit organization Humanity 2.0, which focuses on identifying impediments to human flourishing and investing in a solution.

Larrey’s definition of human flourishing is broad and expansive.

“What helps people thrive … what allows people to really become what they want to and fulfill their potential.” Larrey said. “It’s kind of a new idea, but it’s a way of measuring the wealth of a nation.”

With Humanity 2.0, Larrey set his sights high. According to Larrey, its major goals include developing new infrastructure, advancing education access, and promoting environmental justice.

Humanity 2.0 works in collaboration with the Vatican to enact change.

Larrey helps organize a forum that brings leaders together to discuss goals surrounding human flourishing.

Rev. Michael Baggot, a bioethics professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and chair in bioethics and

human rights for UNESCO, is grateful for the work Larrey has done for the organization.

“Father Larrey has managed to bring together a really impressive network of experts in different fields who care about human flourishing,” Baggot said. “This kind of constructive dialogue and collaboration is essential for these AI issues since we see AI affecting practically all aspects of our life.”

The event was a success in Larrey’s eyes as well.

“It was amazing,” Larrey said. “There were a lot of brilliant people there and I think we [have] some of the best minds in the church regarding artificial intelligence … as a Catholic priest, it’s great to be a part of that.”

Baggot views the impact of AI as nearly universal.

“Whether that’s education or health care, or family life, or warfare, or the environment, I think that having a broad dialogue that’s united around human flourishing and human wellbeing is absolutely essential for us to go forward,” Baggot said.

Another collaborator Larrey works with is Matthew Harvey Sanders, founder of Longbeard AI.

Sanders founded Magisterium AI, an educational platform designed to provide relevant and accurate information about the Catholic church.

When he founded Longbeard AI, Sanders considered the many implications his AI could have.

Users of ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and other popular AI models sometimes receive false or misleading information, based on incorrect assumptions and biased data.

Sanders explored methods to minimize these misleading answers—known as hallucinations—in his model.

“Could we find ways to prevent hallucinations?” Sanders said. “Could we find ways to be more transparent about where the generations are being derived from?”

To tackle these concerns, Sanders’ model draws on a repertoire of 5,700 official Church documents, aiming to establish a transparent and reliable knowledge base.

Sanders’ model garnered attention on social media and received praise from bishops, priests, and other religious figures.

“We launched that in July 2023 as a pilot project and it kind of went viral,” Sanders said. “And then we decided as a company to pivot 100 percent of the company’s capacity on development of Catholic AI.”

Despite his hope for AI’s potential to be used for good, Larrey still has his hesitations.

“A powerful AI in the hands of the wrong person could be very, very destructive,” Larrey said. “I don’t think, and many people in the sector in the industry say, that an AI would probably not destroy us on its own, but it would be instigated to do so by a malevolent actor.”

Larrey highlighted the circulation of AI-generated images, such as the 2023 fake photos of Pope Francis wearing a puffer coat, as an example of his reservations.

While he believes these images may not be inherently harmful, he expressed concern about what they represent and the potential harm AI could cause.

After the images went viral, Pope Francis weighed in on the situation. Larrey heeded and echoed his message.

“Please be careful, please be prudent, understand that this is not a game, this is a person’s life, it’s reality,” Larrey said. “I think we just need to increase our

awareness of the fact that fake images and videos are out there and we need to combat that in some way.”

Despite the potential concerns, Larrey and his colleagues remain hopeful for the future of AI.

“‘I’m also really excited, especially as an educator, as a university professor, with the possibilities that we already have to research more easily— and more deeply— the tremendous richness of the Catholic tradition and of the patrimony of knowledge from around the world,” Baggot said.

Beyond the Catholic tradition, AI also has the ability to synthesize information from places all around the world, according to Baggot.

“The ability that we already have with AI systems to study, analyze and incorporate the wisdom of libraries from around the world is spectacular and is really beneficial,” Baggot said.

Larrey said BC students should familiarize themselves with AI and learn how to stay ahead of it in the job market.

“What you have to do is prepare yourselves to be in a room with an AI,” Larrey said. “Prove that you’re better, prove that you’re smarter, prove that you have something that an AI doesn’t and you won’t be able to do that if you’re constantly using Chat GPT.”

Larrey believes there are ways to use AI in a way that supplements—rather than replaces—human thought.

“I’m not against GPT, I’m not against AI,” Larrey said. “We encourage people to use it, but use it in an intelligent way … not substituting it for your own richness, your own insights, your own growth, because you’re gonna need that in the future.”

Larrey believes students need to learn how to utilize AI effectively and responsibly—after all, it won’t be going away anytime soon.

“As a priest, I think I tend to be hopeful and optimistic,” Larrey said. “I think we’re going to work it out. Because there’s a lot of really smart people out there that are in charge of this. These are just getting better and better. And the more you know about it, the better off you’re gonna be.” n

COURTESY OF PHILLIP LARREY

CONNOR O’BRIEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR Larrey collaborates with the Vatican to study how to utilize AI to promote human flourishing.

OPINIONS

Maddie Mulligan Arts Editor

“Hockey season is better than football season.”

Emily Roberge Associate Sports Editor

“I don’t like steak.”

Zach LaTour Copy Editor

“Thin Mints are terrible.”

Nikita Osadchiy Assistant News Editor

“The dining halls should sell water.”

Owen Bienen Outreach Coordinator

“There should be minors in communications and political science.”

Aidan Gravina Deputy Managing Editor

“Investment banking students can be overly dramatic”

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

Courage To Date

I think we are the first generation where sex is less awkward to talk about than dating. In order to not further risk my chances of getting into heaven, I’ll be talking about the latter—I’m told Boston College priests read these articles every now and then. Strap in!

In case you didn’t know, Merriam-Webster defines date as “the brown, oblong edible fruit of a palm (Phoenix dactylifera).” But, scroll all the way down to what feels like an afterthought at 2.4b, and we finally get “a person with whom one has a usually romantic date.” Yes, a date is a scheduled time where two people agree to get to know each other in a way that pursues romance. Simple enough, right? Well, you’d be surprised by how complicated it can get. In fact, I’d even say that we don’t know how to date.

As BC students, we have all heard of Kerry Cronin’s famous Courage to Know dating assignment, but I think it is important to note why it started. Professor Cronin crafted the dating assignment years ago to counter “hookup culture.” Hookup culture is built on quick convenience and a detachment of our feelings from our physical selves. Apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble, and even local platforms such as the “BC Marriage Pact” or the “Senior 5” only enable this phenomenon. Ultimately, we’re left feeling even more unfulfilled than before. Short-term success isn’t long-term happiness.

Not to mention, with the absence of traditional dating, the initial phase of a relationship, dubbed the “talking phase,” now starts over text. Receiving a phone number means texting your

potential partner as a test run, not calling them to confirm an in-person date. You judge them on how quickly you receive texts back, how many exclamation points they use, whether or not they type out “thank you” or abbreviate it “ty” or “thx”—even how savvy they are with an emoji.

To me, it seems like added pressure after added pressure. We are not creatures born to be pen pals, especially not with our closest friends. So why would we be with our romantic interests? This itself is enough to cause loneliness. There’s no connection. There’s no eye contact. There’s no living in the present moment, since a single conversation can last two days via text thread. But let’s say you do conquer all these obstacles and get that actual date.

New problems arise—a date can’t just be a shot in the dark anymore. Often, we’re too afraid to admit that it’s a date. We try to act casual and say “it’s just coffee” or “it’s just lunch,” as if the minute it’s labeled as a date, it becomes taboo. No one wants to be the one who “came on too strong” or the one who was “too desperate” or “too upfront.”

‘And with that comes more unnecessary confusion that will probably lead to some unrequited When Harry Met Sally plot playing.

Yeah, add that too. With media and television, we have a fake idea of reality because of the scripted relationships that we watched growing up. (Sure, back in the day it was books that did this, but not to the same extent.)

And what makes this more interesting is that dating requires us to address feelings— which seems like something no one wants to do anymore. When you’re just “talking” over text, you might never have to talk to a former hookup ever again.

We do, however, have to talk to a potential partner we went on a date with again, because there might be a second “date.” This just becomes texting all over again. The “Hey!! I had a great time tonight. We should totally do this again!!!” is usually sent with a gratuitous amount of exclamation marks, followed by a joke or two, prompting a response. Hiding behind a screen,

that excitement often dwindles. Our minds tell us they “took too long to text back,” as if we ourselves aren’t juggling 162 unread messages upon our already busy day-to-day lives. And, if that’s not too much, we also have the ordinary pressures of dating to top it all off. As much as I try to forget them, these haunting words were the verbatim ones an ex’s roommate told me: “Now that you’re dating my roommate, you’re essentially going out with me, because I’m just as deserving of a boyfriend.” Acknowledging that this is an extreme example, it’s still not all wrong. To an extent, you do have to manage first impressions and winning over friends and family because the whole point of dating is bringing two people together. Yet today it starts to feel Sisyphean to a point where it’s not worth it. Everything is a test run. Relationships today never get out of that assessment rut, and thus we have people like Carina Hsieh who coin words like “situationship.” We no longer have the ability to communicate, and that’s why the traditional “date,” as our grandparents once understood it, is dying. We cannot properly connect with each other behind a phone, and we can barely check in with ourselves to communicate to our brains what we really think.

I can’t blame people for being too afraid to ask someone out—this crisis does not help our overall confidence. This lack of clear communication in an ever-judgemental world inhibits us from feeling both free and present. Not to mention that, yeah, a dating world is a world where our feelings are going to be hurt. But in the way we do it now, we just further repress our emotions with distractions like hookups, leaving us more vulnerable and hurt without an ability to acknowledge it.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have bad feelings than no feelings. Feeling down means you can only go up. And, maybe on that uptick, you can find the confidence to ask someone out on a date.

Connell is a columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at connellpn@bc.edu.

The Illusion of Perfection

At Boston College, the visions of a typical college—Maruchan ramen and red solo cups— quickly fade to something out of a Pinterest board. When I visited as a high school senior, I was not only left gasping at the staggering gothic architecture and perfectly manicured lawns, but also by the seemingly perfect students. They were abnormally attractive. Like the grounds, they didn’t have a hair out of place, and if their puffer wasn’t Canada Goose, it was Moncler.

This memory didn’t turn out to be an illusion. Once August came and went, I had the astounding realization that these kids truly weren’t your average college students. They wear heeled boots to their 9 a.m. discussion, opt for salads at lunch when fries are available, go out three times a week, hit the gym on Saturday mornings, and somehow have never gotten a C.

Sitting on O’Neill’s fifth floor, I don’t see a single person without the entire Apple ecosystem or wearing a ragged t-shirt. I can count six perfect slick-backed hair-dos, excluding my own.

The need to fit in, to be just another blade of grass in a perfectly manicured lawn, is overwhelming.

One thing about me, however, is that I’ve never met a challenge I can refuse.

So I, too, went out every night of the first week of school. I needed to make friends, of course. I ate crouton-less salads at noon. I hit the gym at 6 p.m. with a bottle of Glaceau SmartWater in hand—it feels like it’s the only brand they sell here. I did my makeup every morning. I highlighted and annotated every reading. I scrambled to raise my hand in class. And I, too, learned to run in heels to make it to my 9 a.m.

Every day when I finally made it back to my room, I’d rip off my boots as if they’d burned me.

My posture would slump, and I’d tear my hair from its binds. I would eat some chocolate in the safety of my dimmed desk light. I’d study for an exam that was month away, and if everything went according to schedule, I’d get a lovely six hours of sleep. The following morning I’d post on social media, and zip up my heeled boots. Someone will ask me how I do it all, and

I’ll ask them in return, “Do what?” Other days, three (or four) cups of coffee won’t be enough to pay my sleep debt. I’ll glance at the fries, or maybe a bagel—and give in. The gym will get one less visitor, and the words from the reading will dance on the screen to evade my attention. My comforter will hold me hostage, so it’s a pity I won’t make it to my discussion. My sneakers will simply look too appealing, and my footsteps will be silent. My hair will be on the verge of coming loose, and I’ll settle for sweatpants. On the same day, my classmate will walk into the lecture hall in a Reformation mini skirt and heels.

The same evening, when my mom asks what I want for Christmas, I’ll say, “I could use another pair of heeled boots.” Sometimes, I want to click down the halls, hoping everything might click into place. Fitting in is equal parts terrifying and exciting, and despite the pressure, I adore the sound of a powerful strut down Fulton.

I enjoy going out, drinking coffee, wearing pretty clothes, and studying. But I’d be a fool not to recognize that there are days when I crave the glamour of heels, and others when all I want is the comfort of flats.

Pat Connell

GRAPHICS BY ASHI JINDAL / FOR THE HEIGHTS

Pat

luCia

Islamic Art-Science Union at the McMullen

McMullen, from A1

Among the most powerful contemporary pieces is Issam Kourbaj’s “Dark Water, Burning World,” an installation of 20 boats made from repurposed bicycle steel mudguards and extinguished matches.

Created between 2016 and 2019, this haunting work transforms commonly discarded materials into miniature vessels carrying clusters of huddled figures, evoking the tragic stories of Syrian refugees. The work draws a poignant parallel between ancient cosmography and contemporary crises, speaking to both the timelessness of human migration and the current refugee crisis.

The exhibition’s exploration of astronomical innovation is exemplified by an astrolabe display that reveals the sophisticated fusion of science and craftsmanship in Islamic culture. These intricate instruments, which served multiple functions from timekeeping to finding the direction of Mecca, showcase how religious practices drove scientific advancement.

The astrolabe section of the exhibit also demonstrates how these

devices evolved into works of fine art while maintaining their practical applications—their makers often being accomplished polymaths who were simultaneously astronomers, mathematicians, poets, and courtiers.

Textile arts receive particular attention through pieces like the “Man’s coat (choga)” from Kashmir, dated 1803–56. This garment, with its intricate double interlocking twill tapestry weave and distinctive buta (paisley) motif, exemplifies the exhibition’s theme of technical mastery meeting artistic excellence. The coat’s journey, ending up in Oman with Sultan Sa’id, speaks to the Islamic World’s far-reaching trade networks and cultural exchanges.

Contemporary artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian’s “Muqarnas One” (2012) offers a stunning modern interpretation of traditional Islamic architectural elements through mirror fragments and reverse-painted glass. This kaleidoscopic composition demonstrates how geometric principles from Islamic architecture continue to inspire contemporary artists, creating works that play with light and challenge visual boundaries while

remaining grounded in centuries-old craft traditions.

These objects reflect Qazwini’s core belief that wonder aims at “defamiliarizing the familiar,” leading viewers toward higher states of knowledge through contemplation. The exhibition successfully makes complex scientific and artistic concepts accessible without sacrificing intellectual rigor, using Qazwini’s framework to create meaningful connections between objects separated by centuries and continents.

The timing of this exhibition is particularly significant, as it forms part of Getty’s PST ART: “Art & Science Collide” initiative. The McMullen’s contribution stands out for its historical depth and cultural specificity, offering visitors a nuanced understanding of how Islamic civilization fostered intellectual exchange across disciplines and geographical boundaries.

For Boston College students and the broader community, this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore the rich intellectual heritage of Islamic

civilization and its continuing influence on contemporary art and science. It stands as a powerful reminder of how wonder—both aesthetic and scientific—can bridge cultural and temporal distances, fostering a deeper understanding of our shared human pursuit of knowledge and beauty.

The exhibition will remain on view at the McMullen through June 1, 2025, presenting a compelling case for the enduring relevance of Islamic artistic and scientific traditions in contemporary discourse. n

Sexual Chocolate Big Show Brings the Force

B y V i V ienne W oodard For The Heights

Despite Valentine’s Day plans and a late-night hockey game against a Massachusetts rival, Friday night found Robsham Theater at full capacity for Sexual Chocolate’s annual Big Show.

This year’s show, which sold out in less than 24 hours, was themed “Step Wars: The Rhythm Awakens.” The dynamic troupe of steppers took the audience through skits spanning the entire plot of the first Star Wars movie.

Sexual Chocolate began its performance with a classic step routine to “tv off” by Kendrick Lamar, accentuated by a ’90s-style video montage projected on the stage’s backdrop. The dancers were clad in their standard SC shirts, blue jeans, and Timberland boots, a uniform the audience would not see again until much later.

The performance was complex and intricate, made possible through the heavy use of projected backdrops, costumes, wigs, pre -

Before the titular group took the stage, hip-hop team Synergy got the crowd going. Clad in red, black, and denim, Synergy brought the passion with complex choreography highlighted by small group movements and cheeky solo moments.

recorded skits, and many scene changes. The audience watched throughout the night as the story progressed through “Step-trooper forces” kidnapping Princess “Sleia” aboard the “Freak Star” and Darth Vader clashing with “Lord Pimpatine.” The 90-minute skit was packed full of humor, drama, and plenty of NSFW jokes.

A consistent source of comedic relief was “C-FreakyO,” played by Alessandro Cella, MCAS ’26, and an uncharacteristically exasperated R2D2, played by Jeremiah Alhassan, MCAS ’27, who motored around the stage on a blue scooter board.

The Star Wars ambiance was enhanced by periodic appearances by The Heightsmen, BC’s all-male a cappella group, who performed “Star Wars (Main Title)” and “Cantina Band,” as well as more modern hits like “Buy U A Drank” by T-Pain.

Truly no detail was spared, including videos of the characters venturing on the Comm. Ave. bus to Circle and a training montage showing Luke Skywalker and Yoda running sprints up and down the Million Dollar Stairs.

For Sexual Chocolate, the

work began over winter break, when they began drafting the show from scratch. Rehearsals ran five days a week with skit filming over the weekend.

“A lot of hard work … a lot of late practices, 3 a.m. practices, but it’s all worth it,” said Miki Sauska, MCAS ’25. The high-end production was interspersed with the dance team’s classic step routines. During a visit to “BBL City,” BC’s all-female step team, Females Incorporating Sisterhood Through Step, appeared on stage, playing a group of potential allies to help fight against the Empire. The two step teams engaged in a collaborative dance, as well as a solo from the women, inciting a passionate response from the audience.

The “Step Wars” plot concluded with a rousing lightsaber fight between Skywalker and Darth Vader and a Maury-style revelation of Skywalker’s parental lineage. After Kewrys Berroa, MCAS ’27, declared that Vader was the father, the team rushed into the audience and fled the auditorium, queuing yet another video montage that seemed to end the show.

The farewell was short as the

dancers retook the stage, dressed in their classic uniform once again, to perform four more step routines to songs like “You Got It” by Vedo and “Say It” by Tory Lanez. The performers danced on chairs, ripped off their shirts, and threw flower petals into the air while doing moves straight out of Magic Mike.

For the penultimate performance, Sexual Chocolate was accompanied on stage by female dancers from Vida de Intensa Pasión and the BC Golden Eagles. The coupled-up dancers performed steamy choreography in sync with a mashup of “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande and “Earned It” by The Weeknd.

The last dance of the night titled “The Force” featured the group’s signature rhythmic stomping, echoing the classic sounds of “The Imperial March” and closing out a show that was as rich with comedy as it was with dynamic dance. Sexual Chocolate’s “Step Wars: The Rhythm Awakens” show should be remembered as yet another ringing success for the team, living up to its “sexual” name and setting the bar high for performances to come. n

‘Love on the Sheights’ Charms the Crowd

B y n ick c remona Heights Staff

Love was in the air in Devlin 008, transformed from classroom to stage in a Valentine’s Day makeover. Pink and red balloons adorned the wall behind the performers alongside the event’s title, “Love on the Sheights.”

At showtime, the all-male a capella group, The Heightsmen, and the all-female a cappella group, The Sharps, took the stage to rapturous applause. The Sharps kept to the Valentine’s Day spirit by donning red dresses while the Heightsmen kept their signature look of khaki pants and red and white-striped ties, highlighted with pink boutonnières on their blue blazers.

The romantic atmosphere was demonstrated not only through the show’s decorations but also in the setlist, which featured a selection of recognizable

love songs. The show opened with a group performance of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” which had the crowd head over heels.

The Sharps ceded the stage to The Heightsmen first, but not before noting the recent holiday. The group urged those in attendance to embrace the spirit of Valentine’s Day and take the hand of whoever was seated beside them.

Once The Sharps concluded their pitch, The Heightsmen swept the crowd off their feet with “Natural Disaster” by Zac Brown Band. The rendition featured a solo from Jack Kehoe, MCAS ’28. Soloist Jared Aimone, MCAS ’26, followed with a performance of the Frank Sinatra classic “Fly Me to the Moon,” to the great excitement of the audience, which began cheering at the opening notes. Next, the crowd went wild for “Sara Smile” by Daryl Hall & John Oates. The song featured

a standout performance from soloist Finn McGurn, MCAS ’26, who wowed with his vocal runs.

Before welcoming The Sharps back on stage, The Heightsmen serenaded The Sharps with “My Girl” by The Temptations, which they dedicated to the group.

The Sharps retook the stage and began with “Oops!...I Did It Again” by Britney Spears. Soloist Megan Murphy, CSOM ’27, performed a powerful rendition of the 2000s classic to the enchanted crowd.

Lily Anderson, MCAS ’28, followed up by belting Paramore’s “Still Into You” in a high-powered performance. Soloist Julia Rousmaniere, MCAS ’26, slowed things down with her heartfelt version of “At Last” by Etta James.

The Sharps finished their set with a bouncy rendition of The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love,” featuring soloist Ashley Herlambang, CSON ’27. The Sharps then

redoubled their Valentine’s Day efforts, asking if those in attendance had made their move yet.

Both groups sang together in the show’s closer, “Lay All Your Love On Me” by ABBA. Cameron Matheson, MCAS ’25, and Brianna Skeen, CSOM ’26, dueted in a performance fitting for a finale. The duo’s innate chemistry was evident in their playful choreography, which perfectly complemented their impressive voices.

The song was met with enthusiastic applause from the enamored crowd. By the concert’s conclusion, it was clear that the audience couldn’t help falling in love with The Sharps and The Heightsmen. n

MARY KOZENY / HEIGHTS STAFF

MATTHEW MAO / HEIGHTS STAFF

Priddle: When Film Gets Romance Right

B y M ilo P riddle Asst. Arts Editor

The romance genre is unfortunately polluted with sappy, cliché-filled dramas that are often palatable but painfully predictable. For arguably the most compelling human emotion, Hollywood often presents love extremely simplistically while also giving life to harmful misconceptions. Despite this, the films that do manage to capture even a small aspect of love realistically and honestly turn out to be some of the most moving pieces of cinematography.

Whether you’re spending this Valentine’s Day coupled up, happily single, or feeling the Feb. 14 blues, this list exhibits the best of what the romance genre has to offer. These films are a series of thought-provoking watches that won’t serve to perpetuate any radical feelings but rather allow for a contemplative appreciation for any sort of relationship.

About Time

When I watched this movie for the first time three years ago, I was on a plane expecting a simple, feel-good rom-com to tide me over through the flight.

As it turned out, I was woefully underprepared.

What I now consider the pinnacle

of airplane movies, About Time, has it all. Along with all the suspense and plot twists of any good romance film, some of the film’s most touching moments depict Tim Lake’s (Domhnall Gleeson) relationship with his father, sister, and children.

The range of emotions to be experienced while watching is astounding, but the film also prompts more difficult, philosophical questions with its key motif: Lake’s ability to time travel. While this surreal feature could easily ruin the film’s verisimilitude, About Time incorporates it so naturally that you quickly forget it as an abnormality. Positing the notion of living every day as if you specially traveled back to it, the film is vitally appreciative of life as well as emotionally evocative.

Annie Hall

Unlike the rest of this list, Annie Hall lacks a typical happy ending—the boy meets the girl, but the relationship proceeds to crash and burn. Even though the romance isn’t successful, the back and forth between Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) shows the humorous aspect of something being missing in a relationship.

Throughout the film, Singer engages in a series of compelling reflections

‘Automatic’:

By MAry Mullen Heights Staff

Automatic, the newest album by The Lumineers released on Friday, kept a consistent sound that remains true to the band’s previous music. It is the duo’s fifth album, following their album Brightside, which was released in 2022.

Band members Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz promoted the album by posting what fans believed to be lyrics on television test cards. They announced the album on Jan. 8 and released the lead single, “Same

Old Song.”

on his childhood, as well as other moments of his life, which he believes have made him inept at finding love. Allen’s quick quips and spontaneous stream-of-consciousness rambles are both thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining as he navigates a truly messy affair—his tendency for both self-deprecation and arrogance creates a hilarious and relatable juxtaposition of character.

Arthur (1981)

Arthur follows an alcoholic, and grossly wealthy, New York socialite. Arthur Bach (Dudley Moore) poorly attempts to navigate a love triangle with the rich woman he is arranged to marry and the waitress he has fallen in love with over the course of the film.

More of a “com” than a “rom,” under Bach’s erratic actions and constant banter is a deeply flawed and complex character who develops extraordinarily throughout the film. Despite being loud and ostensibly abrasive, Bach has a childlike innocence that makes you sympathize with his situation, making his happily-ever-after moment extremely heartwarming when it comes.

The Before Trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight) After watching all three Before mov-

ies in one sitting, I was left staring out my window in the wee hours of the morning, unsure of how to feel.

Throughout the trilogy the emotional complexity just keeps on growing—the first film is fantastic, but the subsequent two really elicit serious reflection. The conversational style of the three films allows for remarkable realism and meaningful insight into the value of human connection.

The chemistry between Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) is palpable and transcends the screen, especially as their relationship matures. Beginning as a classic boy-meets-girl narrative, the trilogy evolves into the most authentic depiction of a relationship I’ve seen in film.

By the end of it, all you are faced with is a variety of questions about what love really looks like, including whether or not anger and resentment are inevitable, humane facets of it.

Truly, Madly, Deeply

This lesser-known British film emphasizes an understated—but extremely important—aspect of love: sacrifice. Similar to About Time, the movie uses a supernatural motif to convey real, human truths.

Instead of time travel, this film postulates the existence of ghosts, particularly that of Nina’s (Juliet Stevenson) deceased boyfriend from whom she struggles to move on. His spectral return is temporarily comforting but ultimately unsustainable.

Letting go is perhaps one of the most difficult parts of loving, and Truly, Madly, Deeply portrays that difficulty from both sides of the relationship.

As well as showing the struggle of being haunted by one’s past, the film also has an optimistic turn, introducing a sense of renewal and hope while depicting the excitement of beginning something new. n

Lumineers’ Take on Loneliness

This first track encapsulates the band’s trend of exploring darker themes with an upbeat melody.

“Same Old Song” is a fitting title because it’s about feeling disconnected from the world since everything feels the same, all the while sounding similar to the band’s hit song “Cleopatra.”

“We sing the same old, same sad song” is repeated throughout the chorus, encapsulating the feeling of tiresome repetitiveness with a catchy beat and stomp-and-holler sound that keeps listeners engaged.

The second track, “Asshole,” focuses on self-awareness and showcases a raw and emotional type of vulnerability that remains consistent throughout the album. Next is “Strings,” a 36-second instrumental track that allows a break for listeners to take in the music but admittedly feels a bit out of place.

The fourth and titular track, “Automatic,” uses the piano to create an emotional effect in this ballad-like song. The chorus of “Oh, my lover, is it ever gonna be enough?” brings a deep sadness and insecurity. Although released on Valentine’s Day, the album focuses on loneliness rather than love.

“You’re All I Got,” released as a single, has an acoustic melody and calls back to the band’s previous work. It is a beautiful and emotional song about an intense and deep connection with another person.

The sixth track, “Plasticine,” is about molding and adapting oneself to a particular situation, “plasticine”

meaning a soft modeling material. The lyrics call against digitization and emphasize the importance of being in the moment when it comes to having a real connection with someone.

“Everyone in a world so full of / Silent conversations / Can you promise not to fake it for us?” Schulz sings.

“Ativan” highlights the consistent emotional vulnerability shown throughout the album. This yearning for a struggling relationship through heartbreaking lyrics paired with a catchy tune provides a sound fitting the rest of The Lumineers’ discography.

“Keys on the Table,” another song repeating the phrase “You’re all I got,” further proves the repetitive nature of the album and ties together the themes of vulnerability and dependency. Another piano track, “Better Day,” brings a poetic touch to the album with deeply saddened lyrics, a common trend within the album.

“Say somethin’, I’m sorry, please / Can’t we scroll back and delete?” sings Schulz, conveying the feeling of a distance that exists with digital technology and the longing for a more personal connection.

The 10th track on the album is another instrumental track called “Sunflowers.” Unlike “Strings,” this track is a necessary addition to the album, and its sweet and simple piano melody gives listeners a break to take in and truly connect with the music. The final track, “So Long,” has a powerful ending to a tasteful album. The instrumentation, especially the tambourine, encompasses the folk-like sound for which the band is known.

Closing the album with this classic Lumineers sound truly ties it all together. While their music remains consistent, the sadness emulated through their lyrics is powerful and adds another dimension to this upbeat-sounding album and their discography as a whole. n

Britain’s Beloved Bear in ‘Paddington in Peru’

By AlexAndrine Bourlot Heights Staff

Few characters in modern cinema radiate as much warmth and charm as Paddington Bear. A longtime British icon, Paddington’s last big feature was in 2022 alongside the late queen in a sketch for her Platinum Jubilee, a feature which saw a resurgence in his popularity.

Now, with Paddington in Peru, the third installment in the muchloved franchise, director Dougal Wilson takes Paddington back to his ancestral roots. The film takes the bear on a journey filled with adventure, humor, and moving moments, making for a delightful continuation of the series.

What begins as a heartfelt reunion with an aging Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton)—Paddington’s Peruvian aunt living in the ‘Home for Retired Bears’—soon turns into an unexpected adventure involving singing nuns, an Am -

azonian River cruise, and many marmalade sandwiches.

It wouldn’t be a Paddington movie without a bit of his well-intentioned but destructive chaos, and this time, the bear’s antics lead to unexpected mayhem among the ruins of Machu Picchu. If you care deeply about World Heritage sites, it would be wise to look away during this scene.

Ben Whishaw continues to voice Paddington with the perfect blend of innocence and sincerity, bringing warmth and charm to every scene. The Brown family, with Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville at the forefront, remains as endearing as ever, although the franchise focus shifts away from them in this chapter of Paddington’s life. The subplot of the family being brought closer through the Peruvian excursion felt predictable but was necessary to complement the movie’s overall theme.

The film introduces an intriguing new character in the Reverend Mother of the Home for Retired Bears, played by Academy Award–winner Olivia Colman. Her portrayal of a guitar-strumming, bazooka-wielding nun adds a fresh dynamic to the story, keeping audiences both entertained and on edge.

Antonio Banderas plays the gold-hungry jungle guide, Hunter Cabot, whose only interest in Paddington is down to the belief that the bear will lead him to the legendary El Dorado. His performance felt slightly overembellished, but his acting decently fulfilled the anti-hero role in a children’s movie.

At its core, Paddington in Peru is a story about home, belonging, and the importance of kindness. The film balances its humor with emotional moments that pull at the heartstrings, reminding audiences why Paddington’s stories

resonate so deeply. Whether it’s a touching scene between Paddington and his bear family or a quiet moment of reflection from the Brown family, the film never loses sight of its emotional center.

Paddington in Peru is a worthy addition to the franchise, capturing the magic that made the first two films so beloved. When franchises can so often feel like money grabs by the third movie, this film rises above this pattern, establishing Paddington as a character with a solid background and identity.

The dialogue in a post-credit scene hints at a fourth Paddington

adventure, as the bear presents his brothers and sisters—all named after London train stations—to an incarcerated Hugh Grant.

With its charming humor, heartfelt storytelling, and stunning visuals, Paddington in Peru continues to uphold the bear’s legacy as one of British cinema’s most endearing characters. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the series, this is a film that will leave you smiling.

Old or young, grab your tissues and marmalade sandwiches: Paddington in Peru is in theaters now. n

GRAPHIC

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

SPORTS

THE CURSE CONTINUES

NO. 1 BC LOSES TO NO. 9 BU IN BEANPOT FINAL

Boston College men’s hockey lost to Boston University 4–1 in TD Garden on Monday night, stretching its Beanpot title drought to nine years.

By Maria StefanoudakiS Sports Editor

BOSTON, Mass. — Seventy seconds is less than 2 percent of total regulation in a hockey game, which really doesn’t sound like a lot.

The thing about sports, though, is that every last second counts for something. So 70 seconds—well, that’s practically an eternity.

In the 2025 men’s Beanpot final, 70 seconds was all it took for the game to completely change course, as No. 9 Boston University sent two pucks whizzing top-shelf into No. 1 Boston College men’s hockey’s net.

Just like that, a 1–0 lead for the Eagles became a 2–1 deficit.

Once again, the coveted Beanpot championship title ultimately evaded BC (21–5–1, 13–3–1 Hockey East) as the Terriers (16–10–1, 10–6–1) won the Beanpot final 4–1 at TD Garden on

Monday night.

“They were upset in the locker room,” BC head coach Greg Brown said. “The guys, especially the ones who it’s their last shot at it, they wanted it a lot. BU played a little better than us tonight. So you feel bad for those guys, but we can still do some things this season.”

The win marked BU’s record 32nd Beanpot win. BC has not won the tournament since 2016.

BC struck first in the contest.

The nation’s leading scorer Ryan Leonard took on a passing role, delivering a tight dish to Gabe Perreault sitting just outside the crease. Perreault’s one-timer flew into BU’s net with ease.

For a while, it looked like BC would come out on top as it headed into the first intermission up 1–0. The Eagles were outshooting and out-hustling their opponent.

“We came out really strong in the first, moving our puck, supporting pucks really well, carried a lot of the play,” Brown said. “Weren’t able to get that second

goal—that’s always tough—but [I] liked the overall theme, tempo that we were playing at in the first.”

All that changed when Brandon Svoboda sent the puck flying right over BC netminder Jacob Fowler’s head 5:43 into the second period to tie the game 1–1.

“Our guys, they just find a way to respond—they have all year, and they did that in-game tonight,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said. “Once we got those two goals, just the energy level on our bench—you could feel it.”

Then at the 6:53 mark, Cole Hutson zipped another puck over Fowler’s shoulder to put the Terriers up a goal.

“The first goal really gave us energy,” Hutson said. “We kinda took over the game after we got that little energy boost.”

BC entered the third period down 2–1. But instead of coming out of the second intermission with the spark they had started the game with, BC looked lethargic—a sloppier, less composed version of

its first-period self.

“Second period, they made a great push, and we started to not be as detailed,” Brown said. “Turned over a few pucks that we didn’t need to turn over, got on the wrong side of pucks, didn’t win many faceoffs, so the momentum started to turn.”

It’s not often you catch the No. 1-ranked team in the country looking like that, and BU capitalized. The Terriers scored their third goal of the night when Cole Eiserman broke away with the puck, speeding toward Fowler while defenders tried to keep up.

“They were able to capitalize on a couple of our mistakes, and then we were chasing the game after that,” Brown said.

Eiserman beat Fowler in the 1-on-1 situation, scooping the puck to the side of Fowler and putting the game further out of reach for BC with just six minutes to play.

“He’s an unreal goalie, and it took 40 shots to beat him,” Hutson said. “They’re a really good team,

just lucky we came out on top.” Fowler came up with 40 saves as BC’s loss broke its nine-game win streak.

The Eagles were completely incapable of responding, as Mikhail Yegorov tallied five saves in the last six minutes to silence BC and keep the game in BU’s hands.

Yegorov ended the game with 43 saves. Throughout the tournament, he saved 69 of 71 shots sent his way, good for a .971 save percentage that puts him third overall in tournament history.

“He does not get caught up in the moment—he enjoys the moment and thrives in the moment,” Pandolfo said.

An empty-net goal from Gavin McCarthy with 1:42 remaining was merely the cherry on top for BU and its ecstatic student section.

“Tomorrow will be a rest and recover and regroup day,” Brown said “And then hopefully we hit the ice with a lot of intensity and anger on Wednesday, and get ready for the rest of the season.” n

CHRIS

No. 1 BC Snaps Wildcats’ 47-Game Home Win Streak

By eMily roBerge Assoc. Sports Editor

When asked about No. 1 Boston College lacrosse’s matchup against No. 2 Northwestern, BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein gave a surprising response.

“We told the girls before the game that this is not a rematch of last year—it’s two different teams, and it’s not a championship game but a regular season game,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We told them that they had to trust the new gameplan, the new players, and the new recipe to win today.”

While the BC lacrosse team that played in Evanston, Ill., on Saturday looks vastly different from that of the 2024 National Championship–winning squad, both achieved success— although in much different ways.

Defeating Northwestern on its home turf, BC did what no team has done in nearly five seasons—they ended a 47 home-game Wildcat winning streak.

“We just treated them as a normal opponent, and we have two different teams, as we graduated people and they graduated people, and we were just thinking about ourselves and how we can be the better team,” Molly Driscoll said about the preparation for the matchup.

Coming out the gate, the Eagles

could not be contained.

With a little under seven minutes to play in the first frame, Driscoll kicked off the Eagles’ scoring frenzy after a Wildcat turnover by Noel Cumberland.

Just over three minutes later, Kylee Colbert tacked on another goal after launching a rocket into the back of Northwestern’s net and above the reach of Delaney Sweitzer.

But she wasn’t done quite yet, as she fired in another goal several minutes later off a Rachel Clark assist.

While most of the time the dynamic duo of Clark and Emma LoPinto receive all the attention, Colbert and Driscoll had the spotlight against the Wildcats—both second-year players recorded hat tricks in the game.

“I’m just really proud of them, and they score a bajillion goals every day at practice, and I am just happy that they were ready for their moment, and now everyone else is going to see how good they are, and I’ve known that, and I’m proud of them,” Walker-Weinstein said.

BC only extended its dominance in the second frame, ravaging through the Wildcats’ defense as they ruthlessly fired shots on the net.

Just 26 seconds in, Clark recorded her 13th goal of the season off an Abbey Herod draw control.

Just two minutes later, within a 54-second span, the Eagles delivered two more goals from a LoPinto

free-position shot and another Driscoll goal.

It seemed like the game couldn’t have been off to a better start for the Eagles, but Northwestern eventually started to chip away at the Eagles’ defensive stronghold.

Before halftime, the Wildcats managed to turn a 6–0 BC lead into a four-goal deficit, as slowly but surely, Madison Taylor’s scoring capabilities became evident.

Nonetheless, BC’s defense, anchored by captain Shea Baker, persisted.

“We’ve got ridiculous athletes back there,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I mean, Shea Baker is probably one of the best athletes that I’ve ever coached in my life, and she is back there leading the team.”

The Eagles went scoreless for nearly 30 minutes, as Northwestern attempted to play a game of catchup.

Even though the Wildcats brought the score within two goals with the scoreboard reading 11–9 with 3:29 to play, BC’s defense held down the fort, giving BC its second consecutive win against its cross-conference rival.

“I think they were attacking the defense with confidence, and I just wished that we could have continued to extend the lead, but against Northwestern and against Kelly, you are unlikely to do that because they are so good,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I am so proud of our team for having a good start.” n

NC State Hands Eagles Fourth Straight Loss

By Maria StefanoudakiS Sports Editor

Every team builds habits—maybe because it’s sometimes easier to fall into a routine than to constantly reevaluate.

Some habits, like hustling for loose balls, make teams better. But unfortunately for Boston College men’s basketball, the habits it has built this season have left the Eagles with a real chance of missing the ACC Tournament as a bottom-three team in the conference.

Through wins and losses, the Eagles have made a routine out of inconsistency.

Their habit of falling behind, making surges, and giving up leads has handed them several losses. The most recent came on Saturday, when BC (10–15, 2–12 Atlantic Coast) fell to NC State (10–15, 3–11) 70–62.

The game was not as close as the score suggests. The Eagles hovered around a 10 to 15-point deficit for the majority of the game. But they were able to match the Wolfpack in the second half, even outscoring their

opponents 33–26.

“Look at the final score, and it’s a three-possession game, as bad as we started,” BC head coach Earl Grant said.

“So there was some frustration.”

But BC’s first-half struggles put it in such a deep hole that even a solid second half couldn’t save it. Bad in the first half, good in the second. Inconsistency.

“We played a great second half,” Grant said. “They scored 25 points. We only had two turnovers. But we need to do that for two halves.”

The Eagles fell behind early. It took them 3:16 to score their first bucket

of the game, which came from a pullup jumper from BC’s leading scorer Donald Hand Jr.

While BC stayed stagnant offensively, the Wolfpack surged ahead, taking advantage of 14 first-half turnovers from the Eagles. NC State scored 15 points off BC turnovers and gathered 12 steals.

“In the first four minutes, think they went on an 8–2 run, maybe a 10–2 run,” Grant said. “They didn’t earn the baskets, you know, it was all off turnovers. So we dug ourselves a hole in the first part of the game, was hard to recover, you know. You got to

take care of the ball, and we didn’t do it early.”

Joshua Beadle committed four of those turnovers quickly in the first half. He was sent to the bench about four minutes into the game and never checked back in.

Chas Kelley III went in for Beadle and finished the game with 10 points in 29 minutes. Although he was efficient, Kelley only put up six shots. The rest of BC’s offense looked hesitant to shoot, too.

NC State’s smothering defense didn’t help, as the looks BC got were highly contested and often turned into bad passes or forced takes.

Only Chad Venning and Hand shot more than six shots. They led the team with 22 and 14 points, respectively. Hand was also the only Eagle to make multiple 3-pointers.

The Eagles headed into halftime down 44–29, but were much more composed in the second half. Regardless, they failed to execute on both sides of the floor in crucial moments.

With about 10 minutes left, Jayden Hastings flew through the air and slammed the ball into the

backboard with an athletic block. Hastings ended the game with three blocks but only took one shot from the field, which he missed.

“He was athletic for us, blocked a lot of shots, rebounded the ball,” Grant said. “As he continues to grow and develop, he’ll be able to play good offense and defense. For right now, he just gave us great defensive energy.” Any momentum Hastings’ defense had generated for the Eagles was quickly erased when, moments later, the Wolfpack took off in transition. Trey Parker put up a lob, and Dennis Parker Jr. threw down the alley-oop to put NC State up 62–47.

A three from Hand put BC down single digits, as he cut the lead to 67–58 with three minutes left to play. But NC State ultimately pulled away, relying on the comfortable cushion it had built in the first half to break the Wolfpack’s nine-game losing streak.

The Eagles, meanwhile, stretched their losing streak to four games with the conference loss.

“Adversity does suck,” Grant said. “But it does develop something great in you if you don’t allow it to break you down.” n

CHRIS TICAS

SPORTS

No. 1 BC Bounces Back From Two-Game Losing Streak

The Eagles lost consecutive games for the first time since 2023 earlier this week, heading into Saturday’s game looking for a resurgence.

When Connor Joyce positioned himself in front of the net during a stretch of offensive-zone play in the first period against Massachusetts, he did so by shielding Michael Hrabal with his left elbow.

As the puck swung from the low zone to the point on a pass sequence from Michael Hagens to Mike Posma and finally to Eamon Powell, Joyce remained stuck in the mud just outside the crease, firmly planted like a cinder block.

Once Powell received the puck, Hrabal had no way of telling where the black dot on the ice was. That is until the goal horn rang.

Despite not touching the puck on Boston College men’s hockey’s first goal of Saturday’s matchup against the Minutemen, his simple action of screening Hrabal left an impactful mark that wouldn’t appear on the scoresheet.

Accumulating 20 shots in the first period to UMass’ three,

the No. 1 Eagles (22–6–1, 14–4–1 Hockey East) never took their foot off the gas and captured a 4–1 road win at Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass., over the No. 16 Minutemen (16–12–2, 7–9–2).

Four different players scored for BC, including Andre Gasseau, James Hagens, and Ryan Leonard, in addition to Powell.

“The guys dug in,” BC head coach Greg Brown said. “They were excited to get back on the ice. It’s not like we played terribly those [past] two games. We just didn’t score. We didn’t feel like we had to change a whole lot. Just had to be a little tighter, a little sharper.”

Early in the second period, Leonard put his entire body on the line while skating into UMass territory and used a between-thelegs dangle to cross into the middle of the ice. Just 3:13 into the frame, the Eagles had the same amount of juice they brought in the first, firing on all cylinders from an offensive standpoint.

While the Eagles’ sophomore assistant captain took a massive blow to the body—not the only major collision Leonard was in -

Minutemen

y SeBBy Fitzgerald

B

Asst. Sports Editor

No. 1 Boston College men’s hockey entered Friday night’s game with an unfamiliar label on its record: losers.

Sure, calling them losers after one game may be harsh, but the losing column is definitely not a territory BC has found itself in often this season.

The last thing the Eagles would have liked to do coming off its loss in the Beanpot championship was come out slow versus No. 16 Massachusetts.

But that’s just what happened. In fact, it only took 74 seconds for the Minutemen to strike first.

BC ended up conceding two more goals after that, including an empty-netter with 1:36 remaining, and the Minutemen (16–11–2, 7–8–2 Hockey East) stormed into Chestnut Hill and handed BC (21–6–1, 13–4–1) a 3–2 loss—the second half of the Eagles’ first back-to-back losses the season.

“UMass played very well—they played at a great pace,” BC head coach Greg Brown said. “They played north a lot, got heavy on the forecheck, which made it difficult for us.”

An already silent Conte Forum—relative to its usual levels—became even quieter when Jack Musa capitalized on a BC turnover to score his 14th goal for a 1–0 lead for the Minutemen just 1:14 into the game.

But the Eagles didn’t stay down for long, as Gabe Perreault scored a goal on the power play 11:28 into the frame, tying things up.

After a couple of bounce-backs from the pad of goaltender Michael Hrabal, Teddy Stiga fed Perreault near the goal line, who shoved it home. Both squads exchanged chances in their offensive zones, but neither could break through solid

volved in during the game—the puck managed to slide down to the right side of the crease, finding Gabe Perreault’s stick.

Perreault had an easy lane to maneuver the puck to Gasseau tucked in by the left post, and the wingers of BC’s top line connected to make it 2–0.

“I think one thing you have to really guard against is getting too passive and just trying to sit on the lead,” Brown said. “We do much better when we’re moving our feet and still attacking. In that attacking mindset, you definitely don’t want to give up anything for free, so you have to manage the puck, you know, make good decisions at the blue line. If we have speed, let’s carry it in and make a play.”

Leonard’s rowdiness was on display all night, and it wasn’t all super clean, either.

Despite scoring his 25th goal of the season—which increased his point total to 37 for the year—on an empty-netter late in the third frame, Leonard’s two penalties on the night and overall physicality were blatant.

Both his drive to attack and his mindset of hunting down op-

performances from Hrabal and Jacob Fowler.

“Felt like the momentum never was massively in either side’s favor,” Brown said. “Was kind of back and forth, both goalies made some great saves.”

The second period was special teams heavy, with BC totaling four penalties alone in the frame.

It seemed the two teams would head into intermission gridlocked 1–1 once again, but 1.1 seconds proved all the difference.

After a missed opportunity on the offensive end for Perreault, Musa picked up the pace with just seven

ponents for the sake of gaining dominance have played a factor in Leonard’s playstyle all year.

He leads the Eagles in total penalties with 18 after Saturday’s contest—seven more than the next player, Teddy Stiga.

“Ryan’s competitiveness, toughness, as you know, are huge staples for our team,” Brown said.

“Of course, he gets notoriety for the offensive output, but he’s so competitive, and he makes sure everyone’s in the fight. So it’s not only his goal scoring, it’s his whole attitude.”

UMass freshman Cole O’Hara recorded a goal with 4:28 remaining in the second frame, but BC had already established a three-goal lead by then thanks to a breakaway goal from Hagens nearly 10 minutes earlier.

Hagens swiftly entered the zone off a feed from Leonard after a Minutemen turnover.

He didn’t deke or attempt to fake out Hrabal once, instead firing the puck into the lower-middle section of the net.

Hagens’ nine goals on the year might not have been expected by

seconds to spare. After crossing the blue line, he dropped the puck to Cole O’Hara, who lasered a top-left shot that beat Fowler and the buzzer.

“That’s sometimes the way it goes,” Brown said. “But yeah, we had a good chance right before that. They were able to score right at the end of the period, just a little bit of a dagger.”

Looking at the track history, the Eagles probably would’ve wished to have those dwindling seconds back—they are 4–6–0 when trailing after the second compared to 17–0–1 when leading or tied.

UMass conceded two penalties

those who assumed he would light up the college ranks as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but Brown has seen nothing but great things out of the rookie.

“I mean, he should be a senior in high school,” Brown said. “He’s playing against everybody older than him.”

The Eagles entered the road game after doing something they hadn’t done since Nov. 11, 2023: playing back-to-back games and not winning either of them. That two-game losing streak, consisting of a loss to Boston University in the Beanpot on Monday and a home loss to UMass on Friday night, seemed to have little effect on Brown and co.

BC outshot the Minutemen 45–22 on the night, which willed the Eagles to the win alongside Jacob Fowler’s steadiness in net.

“The talk in the locker room by the guys was excellent, just to stay focused, stay with our game plan, and make sure we don’t have a let-up or don’t get too eager and take risks, because we only had one goal after the first,” Brown said.n

early in the third frame, but its ability to stay level-headed from then on forced BC to create chances while even strength.

“You have to find a way, whether it’s getting more traffic, more second chance goals,” Brown said.

The Eagles posted 19 shots in the third frame alone, but some bad hops and UMass’ top-notch shot-blocking ability kept the puck out of the net.

The Minutemen remained strong defensively behind Hrabal’s play, and the Eagles couldn’t secure the game-tying goal.

“[Hrabal] played outstanding,” UMass head coach Greg Carvel said. “I challenged him for the game, I said, ‘Keep in two or less, we’ll score three.’ That’s how it played out.”

UMass’ Kenny Connors’ empty-net goal with 1:36 remaining was a stab in the heart for BC as “Let’s go, UMass” chants reigned down from Amherst fans.

Ryan Leonard’s 24th goal of the year came with just 26 seconds remaining after Fowler was pulled.

But it was not enough as UMass handed BC its sixth loss of the season.

“It wasn’t terrible hockey, it’s not like we got killed,” Brown said. “But it’s hard to win if you don’t score.” n

UMass Boston College 3 2

YAMARI SANTILLAN/ HEIGHTS STAFF

B y graham dietz Heights Senior Staff

Eagles Trade Wins Against South Carolina Upstate

By Brett lundgren Heights Staff

Boston College baseball came out on fire in its Sunday afternoon game, hoping to earn a win after finding itself in the losing column on Thursday in its season opener.

The Eagles (1–1) scored a run in each of the first four innings, including a four-run fourth. Just like that, the Eagles got the first win of their young season with an 11–9 win over South Carolina Upstate (1–1), splitting the weekend series.

During their fast start, the Eagles did most of their damage in the top of the fourth, which included a two-RBI single from Patrick Roche and a two-run homer from Kyle Wolff that extended BC’s lead to 7–2.

“I felt like that four-run inning really … gave our offense confidence, because we do feel that we have a really good offense,” BC head coach Todd Interdonato said. “Putting a four spot up was really good.”

Even with a six-run deficit going

into the bottom of the sixth inning, though, the Spartans wouldn’t go down without a fight.

In the bottom half of the sixth inning, the Spartans’ Alex Ritzer blasted a three-run shot over the right-field fence to cut the Eagles’ lead in half.

In the next inning, after a scoreless top of the seventh from BC, third baseman Jake Armsey added another three-run homer to tie up the game 8–8.

The Spartans briefly took the lead in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to an infield RBI single from Ritzer.

The Eagles didn’t waste any time responding to the deficit, though, recovering some of the firepower they had during the early innings of the matchup.

Wolff continued his big day with another two-run homer that flew over the center-field fence, scoring both himself and Sam McNulty to go up 10–9.

“I feel like he gets overlooked— even in our own clubhouse—how

good of a hitter he is,” Interdonato said.

To kick off the top of the ninth, Nick Wang hit an insurance home run over the left-field fence to extend the Eagles’ lead to two.

Joey Ryan retired the side to close out the Eagles’ first victory of 2025.

In the first game of the series, the story was much different, as the Eagles fell 10–7. BC started out strong, controlling the game through the first six-and-a-half innings and holding a three-run advantage going into the bottom of the inning.

Senior Eric Schroeder got the start on the bump for the Eagles, holding the Spartans scoreless in his three innings of work.

In the ensuing innings, though, the Spartans broke out. They scored 10 runs, scoring three in the sixth, four in the seventh, and three in the eighth. The scoring outburst included three home runs on three consecutive pitches in the seventh inning. Scott Newman tacked on a three-run home run in the bottom

of the eighth to give the Spartans a cushion on their way to victory.

Despite dropping their opening-day matchup, the Eagles did have a bright spot, as Holy Cross transfer Jack Toomey drove in the first three runs of the game, recording two hits in his first three at-bats in his debut as an Eagle.

The Eagles also opened up the season aggressively on the base paths, totaling eight stolen bases. Due to rain, the second game between the Eagles and Spartans

was canceled. Originally, the game was rescheduled to be a Sunday doubleheader starting at 10 a.m., but it ended up being canceled Sunday morning.

“There is going to be some things we can’t control … but we feel like we can really control our mode of operation and how tight we are with our operation,” Interdonato said. “Through two games, our operation was a 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10, and that will serve us well moving forward.”n

Eagles Split Saturday Slate in Florida

By SeBBy Fitzgerald

Asst. Sports Editor

Coming off a five-inning mercy loss to No. 14 Duke the day before, Boston College softball entered the final inning of its Saturday morning game against Providence down three runs.

The Eagles had only put one runner on base before the seventh inning—their lone run had come after Emma Jackson scored on a passed ball in the second inning.

Jackson’s triple in the second stood as the only hit, as BC’s offense struggled to produce much fire, but things would change very quickly.

BC (5–4) rattled off five runs in the top of the seventh inning and shut down the bottom half versus the winless Friars (0–7) to avoid consecutive losses.

After a leadoff single from Providence’s Elisa Smith in the bottom of

the first, she was pushed to third on a couple of groundouts. Hanna Aldrich’s single brought Smith home for the Friars’ first runs of the Bubly Invitational and a 1–0 lead over the Eagles.

But BC had an answer of its own.

Soon after, Jackson reached home on a passed ball to tie it up in the top of the second.

Providence’s Julia Renny, who reached on an error, was sent to third base after a single and a fielder’s choice in the second inning.

Becca Weaver went in to pinch run for Renny, and with Rachael Petrarca stealing second after her fielder’s choice, Smith’s two-RBI single brought both runners home to give the Friars a 3–1 lead.

Both runs conceded by BC pitcher Shannon MacLeod in the second inning were unearned, but she was pulled after only 1.2 innings for Kelly Colleran.

Colleran would dominate the

mound until the last inning, pitching 4.1 innings with only one earned run and four hits allowed.

The Eagles would go 1-2-3 for the next three innings, but Providence’s Cameron Dunn’s leadoff home run in the fourth was the only pressure the Friars would apply to BC’s defense.

Down 4–1 with only one hit on the board, BC entered the final inning with some work to do.

And after only posting four runs in its past 18 innings, it was vital for the offense to get rolling.

With a leadoff single from Hannah Slike and a four-pitch walk from Maycee Hilt the next at-bat, the Eagles were ready to do some damage.

But a strikeout and a fielder’s choice the next two at-bats threw BC’s seven-inning comeback up in the air—until the Eagles rattled off four straight base knocks.

Jordan Stephens’ double to left-center brought BC within one run, driving home Jackson and Tavye Borders.

Then, Janis Espinoza, Kali Case, and Gator Robinson cracked three straight singles to earn a two-run cushion.

Bailey Kendziorski was handed the save opportunity and delivered, retiring three Friars with ease for her second save of the season.

BC kicked off its last game of the Bubly Invitational versus the tournament’s host—No. 2 Florida—right after the conclusion of its win over Providence.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, their

fiery seventh-inning offense didn’t carry over to their matchup versus the undefeated Gators (12–0), as they suffered a 3–0 loss on Saturday afternoon.

BC had an opportunity to strike first early, with Hilt leading off the second inning with a single through the left side.

After a single from Espinoza, Stephens’ groundout advanced the two runners to second and third, but Meghan Schouten was punched out on three straight strikes to send both teams to the dugout scoreless.

Kendziorski retired six straight to start the game, but the Gators eventually got the best of her with Rylee Holtorf’s double, bringing Mia Williams home from first base for a 1–0 lead in the top of the third.

The Eagles had another leadoff single in the fourth inning thanks to Slike. But that momentum quickly died when Hilt grounded into a double play in the next at-bat.

After a scoreless bottom of the fourth, Florida still held its 1–0 lead, and the Eagles hoped to get back on offense without going down any more runs.

But three straight singles from the Gators led to two more runs off Kendra Falby’s RBI single and Korbe Otis’ sacrifice fly, giving them a 3–0 lead.

Kendziorski would hold down the fort for the remainder of the game.

But BC couldn’t respond facing an impressive Gators’ pitching staff that hadn’t allowed a run in their past two games, and the Eagles came away with a 3–0 loss. n

BC Drops Ranked Games, Goes 1–2 at Invitational

four runs in the top of the fourth thanks to doubles from Kairi Rodriguez and Aminah Vega.

Following a trend that has plagued it throughout the season, Boston College softball opened its game against No. 14 Duke down big following a three-run first inning from the Blue Devils.

Duke’s offensive domination set the game’s tone early as Duke (4–2) defeated BC (4–4) 9–1 in five innings in Gainesville, Fla., on Friday afternoon to begin the Bubly Invitational Tournament 1–2.

After a quiet second inning for the Blue Devils, thanks to a quick 1-2-3 performance from starting freshman pitcher Bailey Kendziorski, the Eagles’ bats finally got going in the bottom of the third, as BC scored off consecutive singles from Zoe Hines and Hannah Slike.

The Blue Devils responded immediately, however, as they scored

BC’s day worsened as the damage continued in the fourth inning, during which Duke loaded the bases and scored four runs off a defensive error in the infield and a double to left field from first baseman KK Mathis, bringing the score to 9–1.

BC, needing at least one run to avoid being mercy-ruled in the top of the fifth inning, looked to the top of its lineup to keep the game going.

What they got, however, was two full-count strikeouts from Gator Robinson and Hines and a quick pop-up from Slike to end the game for the Eagles.

Earlier on Friday, BC shut out Binghamton (3–3) 2–0 in a tightly contested pitching duel. Sophomore pitcher Kelly Colleran

pitched 5.1 innings and allowed only one hit in her outing, while

though, registering only three hits and zero earned runs off Bingham-

BC gave up five runs in the first inning to Florida at the invitational.

pitcher Kendziorski blanked the Bearcats at the plate over the remaining 1.2 innings, allowing no baserunners and earning her first collegiate career save.

The Eagles struggled on offense,

ton pitcher Olivia Kennedy. Small-ball and defensive errors from the Bearcat infield ultimately allowed the Eagles to squeak past Binghamton, as Hines and Robinson both scored thanks to

an error in the fifth inning to put BC up 2–0.

In their first game of the tournament, the Eagles faced off against the hosting No. 2 University of Florida (9–0), ultimately falling 12–7 on Thursday.

BC held its own in an intense offensive battle, outhitting the undefeated Gators 12–11.

It was big plays at the plate, however, including three doubles and a home run, which lifted Florida past BC.

Over the first three innings, both the Gators and Eagles scored at least one run, though Florida’s explosive five-run first inning gave them a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Silent fourth and fifth innings from the Gators allowed BC to keep battling, but the Eagles ultimately found themselves in the losing column to start the weekend. n

ELLIE EL-FISHAWY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Eagles went 0–2 in their games against Florida this weekend.

PAUL CRIADO / HEIGHTS STAFF

The Eagles scored a run in each of the first four innings against the Spartans.

B y Davi D Peregosky Heights Staff

KELLEN DAVIS / HEIGHTS STAFF