The Heights January 28, 2019 by The Heights

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Monday, January 28, 2019

15 Years of Synergy

take five SPORTS

Women’s hockey swept a home-and-home series with Providence to extend its win streak to five games.

ARTS

Synergy rings in its 15th year at BC with a show featuring current dancers and alumni.

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BC Implements New Early Decision Admissions Policy Applicants can now choose from Early Decision I or II. By Jack Goldman News Editor Boston College announced that the University is implementing an Early Decision (ED) admissions program to replace its Early Action (EA) program for Class of 2024 applicants. The change comes in response to a 14 percent increase in overall applications this admissions cycle, as well as a 54 percent increase in EA applications. The surge was prompted by an admissions policy change that previously barred students applying to other universities ED from applying early to BC. ED applicants will have to commit to attending the University if they are admitted and will not be allowed to consider other options after their admission. John Mahoney, vice provost for enrollment management, said in the University release that the Common Application provides students with an unprecedented ease in terms of applying to colleges. This creates issues for admissions offices at “competitive colleges,” where it becomes more dif-

ficult to sift through the sheer amount of applications. “Students are responding by beginning the college search earlier to reduce anxiety and uncertainty as much as possible,” Mahoney said. “The advantage of Early Decision for students is the opportunity to increase their chance for admission at their top college choice and reduce the overall number of applications they submit. The advantage for colleges is the opportunity to enroll more best-fit students, which should increase their satisfaction level and retention. For Boston College, Early Decision will allow us to attract the best students, knowing that we are their top choice.” The University release noted that 21 out of the top 40 national universities ranked by U.S. News and World Report utilize either an Early Decision I or II program. BC has opted to open up both the ED I and ED II options for prospective students. The website detailing the policy delineates the two options as being deadline related: If students apply ED I, they have to submit their application by Nov. 1 and will receive admissions decisions on Dec. 15. If they apply ED II, they have until Jan. 1 to apply and will receive their decisions on Feb. 15.

See Early Decision, A3

Comp. Sci. Resumes Major Enrollment After Pause Course registration took priority over new major acceptances. By Jack Miller Assoc. News Editor The computer science department will begin processing major and minor applications this week after pausing enrollment in the major last fall. The interruption of the major application review process came shortly after the registration for spring semester classes opened last fall as the department struggled to keep up with both major applications and course registration. “In large measure, the pause in processing is an administrative, bureaucratic matter,” Sergio Alvarez, chairperson of the Computer Science department, said. “It’s

simply due to the fact that we’re overtaken by students who are interested in taking our courses during registration period, and we have only one administrative assistant. “The decision was made with the best interests of our majors and students in general involved in mind, because everybody is interested in getting into courses and our ability to handle that is limited.” Currently, the computer science major and minor request form asks students to provide basic information, such as name and Eagle ID, as well as an open-ended question about the applicant’s “previous background in BC, or motivation.” Alvarez also pointed to Boston College’s course registration software, UIS, as a limiting factor in balancing enrollment and addressing prospective new majors. BC offers

See Computer Science, A3

Andrew Dye / The winston-Salem journal via Ap

Eagles Erase Second-Half Deficit, Beat Wake Forest

BC closes out second ACC win on a 9-0 run.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

jess rivilis / heights staff

DJs RL Grime and Audien Headline Final Plexapalooza

Both headliners sampled prominent radio hits in yearly EDM concert.

CSOM Introduces Grading Guidelines Professors can elect to implement proposed grade distributions. By Scott Baker Copy Editor Following two years of discussion, the Carroll School of Management (CSOM) has instituted new grading guidelines for core-level classes that are designed to combat grade inconsistency between classes and departments. The new guidelines recommend an approximate distribution of letter grades within each class. Some departments began instituting the policies in spring of 2018, while others began instituting them in the Fall 2018 semester. The guidelines suggest that no more than 35 percent of students receive an A or A-, and no more than 65 percent of students receive a B+ or higher, according to Ethan Sullivan, senior associate dean for under-

and Ronnie Sadka, senior associate dean for faculty and chairperson of the finance department, authored the report. Sadka said that the study came in response to faculty concerns of grading inconsistency between departments and professors. Administrators in CSOM declined to give The Heights access to the report, citing the privacy concerns inherent to releasing student grades. The report found a GPA increase of approximately 0.2 over 10 years, according to Sadka. He said that the main focus of the new guidelines is to resolve inconsistency between course sections, although it may limit grade inflation as well. “If you really want to battle grade inflation, you need to do much more than what we’re trying to do,” Sadka said. “It’s not really changing much overall, it’s just making things more consistent.”

See Grading Guidelines, A3

Moore, Lochhead on Diversity Issues In wake of racist incident, admins met with student leaders. By Abby Hunt Asst. News Editor Boston College interim Vice President of Student Affairs Joy Moore and Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead met with student leaders to discuss issues surrounding diversity and inclusion at BC Wednesday evening. Dean of Students Tom Mogan and Rev. Michael Davidson, S.J., director of the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, were also in attendance. The gathering featured discussions about how administrators and students respond to racist incidents and dealing with institutionalized racism, both within BC and on a national level. Students and the panelists also discussed whether or not communication lines between students, administrators, and trustees are open enough to deal with issues plaguing BC. Moore and Lochhead began by checking in with how the students had been doing since the racist incident occured in December, when Michael Sorkin, CSOM ’21,

FEATURES: Transfer Experience NEWS: MFC Recyles Denim

Transfer students share stories of coming to BC and fitting into a new school............A8

graduate programs in CSOM. Syllabi reviewed by The Heights indicate 5 to 15 percent of students would fall into the C range or below. The intended effect is to limit the number of students receiving higher grades in order to establish consistency between classes rather than an artificial bell curve. Sullivan said that the natural grade distributions across CSOM courses tend to fall into these proportions and doubts that grades will change that much in practice. The change suggests guidelines to professors teaching core classes in CSOM, although it is up to the individual professor whether they will adhere to the guidelines. While the guidelines are for the CSOM core, Sullivan added that they could also be useful for professors teaching other classes. The change comes after two years of discussion and the creation of a report tracking grades from 2006 to 2016. Sam Graves, the chairman of the operations management department,

vandalized Welch Hall with racist epithets. Sorkin is currently summarily suspended from the University. “It feels like everyone forgot that it happened,” one student said. Another said that people don’t acknowledge the institutionalized, historic, and systemic racism at BC and that it felt as if no one was addressing the problem. She said that while there is racism everywhere, racism at BC is different, because it seems like the student body finds the incident that happened in December to be acceptable. Change won’t happen unless there is a cultural shift, she said. “Unfortunately, racism is going to outlive us all,” Moore said in response, noting that students and faculty must nonetheless try to persevere in trying to make the world more just. Another student told Moore and Lochhead that when changes regarding diversity and inclusion—such as DiversityEdu and faculty diversification—are being made, she would like to hear about these adjustments as a part of proactive initiatives from the University rather than hearing about them as a part of a reaction to a major racist incident. “We do have more work to do on the

The charity Make Fashion Clean has turned old jeans into new bags...............................................A2

INDEX

communication side,” Lochhead said, acknowledging that the administration could find better ways to get information out to students and faculty. He said that part of the reason for the lack of communication was that when administrators are still in the phase of coming up with solutions, they don’t want to oversell or undersell them before they are put into place. Moore said when students and faculty talk about diversity, the people who should be in the room usually aren’t. She said that the diversity conversation should start at orientation. “We need to be much more upfront with freshmen and their parents about what this community accepts and doesn’t accept,” she said. Moore noted that there are some offenses, such as arson, that are grounds for expulsion even when it is a student’s first offense—she said, for her, racism and hatred are on the same level. Another student said that when incidents occur, he would like to see a statement from an administrator as high up as possible, adding that he knows this is a

See Community Gathering, A3

NEWS.........................A2 METRO..................... A5

The Heights

TOP

things to do on campus this week

Campus Ministry will be hosting “Reclaiming Dr. King and the Moral Imagination” Monday at 7 p.m. in Gasson 100. The event will feature Rev. Kaji Dousa, senior minister of Park Avenue Christian Church, and Anthony Smith, MCAS ’19. Participants will also enjoy gospel music and a reception to follow.

NEWS BRIEFS

BC Group Challenges Church Boston College’s Seminar on Priesthood and Ministry for the Contemporary Church has issued a statement calling for a serious reconsideration of the processes that prepare candidates for the priesthood, according to BC News. The statement, titled “To Serve the People of God: Renewing the Conversation on Priesthood and Ministry,” takes a stand against the secluded setting of seminaries, which separates potential priests from other lay and religious people preparing for ministry. “If … candidates for ordination study in universities and theological centers with others who are preparing for ministry, the shared learning is likely to contribute to a healthy future for ministry in the Church, a future in which collaboration and co-responsibility are typical,” the document says. “This change would introduce diocesan seminarians to the gifts and talents of those with whom they will work as ministers.” The report also calls for an uprooting of clerical culture and for priests to work more collaboratively with others, especially those who are volunteers or lay ecclesial ministers. The report does not address the issues of ordaining women or married men as priests. The report has been published in Origins, a media outlet produced by the Catholic News Service, sent to Pope Francis, and distributed to various bishops throughout the Catholic Church. “The best way to be universal is from your own backyard,” said Thomas Groome, a professor in the School of Theology and Ministry and one of the co-chairs of the seminar, per BC News. “We speak out of an American context, but we hope that this will have resonance with the whole Church.”

Report on Global Future for BC The Global Engagement Committee has released a report outlining strategies for enhanced global engagement at Boston College, according to BC News. The report was created in response to Ever to Excel, the University’s strategic plan released in 2017, which called for Boston College to increase its impact around the world. The report proposes that BC form more collaborations and alliances with other universities, such as as the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities, which BC joined in October. Other initiatives suggested include establishing “global learning outcomes” in each of BC’s graduate and undergraduate programs, supporting faculty members’ capacity to succeed in global settings, and helping international students increase their participation at BC. The committee met multiple times with University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., and Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley to receive guidance and make sure the work aligned with BC’s larger strategic plan, according to the report. The document offers a peek into what a hypothetical BC would look like in 2028—a campus in which 10 percent of the student body consists of international students, an increasing number of faculty members are part of prestigious international research collaborations, and BC has moved up in world university rankings such as the American Ranking of World Universities, QS, and Times Higher Education. “We are convinced that the heritage, mission, and academic distinction of Boston College position it to make unique contributions to the signs and challenges of our time, as a voice that contributes to the tradition and evolution of faith and culture,” Vice Provost for Global Engagement Alberto Godenzi said to BC News. “This is what the world needs Boston College to be.”

Monday, January 28, 2019

The Campus Activities Board will be showing ‘The Breakfast Club’ in the Heights Room in Lower on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Breakfast will be provided.

The Center for Human Rights and International Justice will be hosting a workshop exploring what rights immigrants in Massachusetts have to necessities, such as housing, food, health care, and education Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Stokes North N428.

Mental Health Service ‘Lean on Me’ Launches By Emily Browder Heights Staff

The Boston College chapter of the peer-to-peer texting support system Lean On Me officially launched on Jan. 21 and is now available for use by BC students. To use the service students text the hotline number are anonymously connected with a trained student supporter. There are currently nine supporters trained and ready to converse with those who need it, and there will be 35 more by the end of the three in-person training workshops conducted this week. “Any supporter that you would talk to on the end of this number is a trained BC student, so they’re familiar with anything you might be talking about,” said Reed Piercey, president of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College and

MCAS ’19. The Lean On Me phone number serves as an intermediary between the student reaching out and the supporter who picks up the conversation. Both the student and the supporter only ever see the hotline number and never the personal contact information of the other person. Whenever a text comes in, every active supporter gets a message just from the Lean On Me number notifying them of it, and if a supporter is available, he or she can claim the conversation. Lean on Me originated at MIT when a group of students decided to create a service to support mental health on campus after a series of suicides at the University. Piercey has been working with administrators and the national Lean On Me association to make the program a reality at BC since the spring of his sophomore year.

Piercey wrote and passed a resolution within the Student Assembly to create the BC chapter of Lean on Me in April 2017, but the conversation between the Boston College and Lean On Me legal staff elongated the process—the primary concern on the legal end was liability. “It was important for us to get that recognition because having that legitimacy from the school does mean that you can take advantage of the full resources that they have and appear fully legitimate to Boston College student,” Piercey said. “You want them to know that this is an official Boston College supported program and is here for them.” Piercey credits Craig Burns, director of University Counseling Services, as being a vital supporter of the program who helped pave the way for it to get approval at the administrative level.

Piercey said he hopes that Lean On Me will alleviate the present demand on University Counseling Services and provide an additional outlet for students who desire emotional support. It also aims to give first-year students an opportunity to use the service as a source of support amid the transition to college life. He said he noticed many students are willing to reflect on the struggles experienced during their freshman year, but not many reach out while they’re going through it. “I hear a lot of people talking about their freshman year in hindsight,” Piercey said. “My dream for [Lean on Me] is for it to be a go-to for anyone on campus who is feeling down, who feels like they don’t fit in, and who for whatever reason [doesn’t] think it’s appropriate to go to counseling. And I think a lot of people feel that, especially [during] their first year.” n

CSA Leaders Add Their Perspectives on Diversity By Rebecca Lee Heights Staff In the aftermath of the “Silence is Still Violence” protests that occured last year and the “die-in” from this past October, Boston College students have felt challenged to reflect upon issues of race within the community. Students of color and more specifically leaders of culture clubs on campus have felt compelled to consider their places in such protests and in such discussions. Although the “Silence is Still Violence” march was directly related to the Black Lives Matter movement, students of various minority groups attended and protested along their black peers. Andrew Chough, who is a senior and co-director of Freshman Formation Program, the freshman leadership group of Asian Caucus, attended the “Silence is Still Violence” March last year. “The demonstration was something that I needed to be a part of—at the very base level, just to support and just to be an ally,” Chough said. Kevin Fan, who is a senior and co-president of Chinese Students Association (CSA), also attended the march last year. “Solidarity is really important,” Fan said.

“Black Lives Matter focuses on African American issues, but there is a lot to be gained for every minority group. I felt like I should show support because they deserved it, but also because that movement benefits other minority groups.” This was a unique moment for many students who characterize the BC student body as segregated—Chough said that he’s noticed students at the University tend to stick with other students who share their identities. This applies particularly to groups associated with Asian Caucus, according to Dan Wu, CSOM ’19 and co-president of CSA. “It’s easy to see how segregated the school is,” he said. “It’s hard to break into different communities and it’s very comfortable to stay in your own. I think often, students that are Asian are able to say, ‘I don’t know what the white people do at BC.’ “That’s why I say BC is segregated. You can stay in your own community and have an amazing time and graduate feeling totally gratified, but not know other parts of the school.” Fan agreed, noting that though there is relatively large Asian American student

population at BC, it can be hard to immerse oneself inside that dynamic while also navigating living on a campus with a larger white presence. That said, over the course of research into the culture surrounding inclusivity at BC, marginalized students have identified culture clubs and other groups geared toward supporting marginalized members of the community as extremely important spaces created and run by students of color for students of color. “In my own experience, culture clubs are the cornerstone to AHANA+ students. For me personally, culture clubs have been the support that I have really needed,” Wu said. Chough, Wu, and Fan all mentioned that they, and other students they’ve interacted with in their leadership positions, feel that they haven’t received the support students are seeking. Wu added that though the release of DiversityEdu was well-intentioned, it was an inadequate measure. “I thought [DiversityEdu] was kind of BS,” Wu said. “You could have clicked through. It didn’t really force people to think about those issues.” Fan felt similarly—he said he believes

much more major steps need to be kept on the table in order to improve inclusivity on campus. Despite not agreeing with how administrators have reacted to incidents in the past, Chough said he does feel that there are efforts within the entire BC community—including the administration—being made to change the culture surrounding inclusivity on-campus. “I do think that BC does recognize that it has to be better. There are people that still really care. They recognize that something has to be done,” Chough said. Even so, Chough said he believes that nothing will improve unless the entire community—students, faculty, and administrators alike—work on opening up a dialogue built on pursuing change while avoiding toxicity. “[Students] have the right to be angry,” he said. “But I don’t think that solves anything. Then it’s just toxicity on both sides and people being angry at each other. I think people have done that so much in the past couple of years, and nothing is to show from that. I think we need to take a different approach.” n

MFC Turns Used Denim into Clean Fashion By Abby Hunt Asst. News Editor The nonprofit Make Fashion Clean (MFC), born out of a Boston College faculty-student research collaboration, is launching a Kickstarter on Monday for its “Blue Circle Bags.” The bags are made by Ghanaian artisans out of discarded American jeans and then sold back to consumers in the United States. MFC was founded by DL Lundberg, now a student in the Boston University School of Public Health and BC ’16; Julia DeVoy, now the associate dean for undergraduate student services in the Lynch School of Education; and Sarah Bibbey, a graduate of Colorado State University. As an undergraduate, Lundberg took a child development course taught by DeVoy,

in which DeVoy introduced Lundberg to ideas about behavior, society, and disability that influenced Lundberg’s worldview, according to the MFC website. When DeVoy later acted as Lundberg’s research mentor, the two worked together to try to better understand the systems that prevent people with disabilities from having equal access to employment in Ghana. While many assume that when they donate an old pair of jeans it will get reused by someone in their community, the reality is that as many as 70 to 80 percent of all secondhand clothes donated to collection bins or thrift stores in the United States are resold to trading companies that ship them overseas, according to an MFC press release. This phenomenon occurs because there is insufficient demand for gently used clothing among American consumers.

“Using African countries as a means of disposing unwanted American textiles is an iniquitous system,” the release said. “Not only do these textiles and their associated environmental impacts eventually go into landfills and open-air dumps in Africa, they also put many women who are employed as artisans and seamstresses out-of-work.” Upon receiving a grant to meet with and learn from the people affected by the Ghanaian disability rights movement, Lundberg, who uses the pronouns they and them, traveled to Accra, Ghana as an undergraduate student in 2013. After spending two of the next five years doing research in southern Ghana and supporting small pilot projects with local advocates, Lundberg concluded that a sustainable social enterprise model had the potential to address the lack of employment and

living wages in the population, the MFC website says. When Lundberg graduated from BC in 2016, they returned to Ghana to co-found the Matilda Flow Inclusion (MFI) Foundation with Matilda Lartey, a Ghanaian artisan Lundberg had formed a close relationship with during their travels. The MFI Foundation employs community members in the Greater Accra region, particularly women with disabilities and mothers of children with disabilities, to create fashion products out of recycled materials. MFC’s mission moving forward is to demonstrate that its nonprofit social enterprise model can be truly sustainable, according to the release. The real impact of MFC and the MFI Foundation, DeVoy explained, goes far beyond textiles. n

Friday, Jan. 25

Thursday, Jan. 24

2:18 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a crusier repair at Boston College Police Headquarters.

1:38 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a fire alarm activation at Connell Recreation Center.

8:15 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a drug law violation at Keyes South.

POLICE BLOTTER: 1/23/19 – 1/25/19 Wednesday, Jan. 23 8:18 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding vandalism to a residential building at Cheverus Hall. 3:58 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a suspicious circumstance at

Cadigan Alumni Center.

2:16 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a medical incident in Duchesne East.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

CORRECTIONS What did you think of Plexapalooza? “RL Grime has been one of my favorite artists since I was 14 so I loved it.” — Asa Ackerly, MCAS ’22

“RL Grime put on a great show. ‘I Wanna Know’ was a great way to end it.” — Harry Sullivan, CSOM ’22

“It was a great show. I really liked the photo booth songs.” — Emily Koehne, MCAS ’22

“I liked the music and having fun with my friends. My favorite part was when Audien played ‘Kill the Lights.’” - Rebecca Redmond, MCAS ’20

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

THE HEIGHTS

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

Student to Full-Time Faculty Ratio

Admins Talk Inclusivity Community Gathering, from A1

2 students =

Communication

Computer Science

Psychology

Nursing

English IKRAM ALI / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Answers to Comp. Sci. Issues Unclear Computer Science, from A1 two computer science degrees: a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science. UIS allows departments to restrict their classes only to students of a certain major—but not two. This distinction makes it difficult to keep classes from filling up before the students who actually require them can enroll. “This is a purely technical issue related to antiquated software, which causes us to have to invest an enormous amount of time during registration to handle the flood of students,” Alvarez said. “And so because of that, our administrative assistant was limited in terms of individually vetting students to see whether they could get in, and whether they have prerequisites so on.” In recent semesters, some computer science courses have had sections restricted to Computer Science B.A. majors, while other sections of the same course have only been open to Computer Science B.S. majors. Biology, environmental studies, mathematics, psychology, and elementary and secondary education all offer both B.A. and B.S. degrees. During course registration for this semester, reports—including an internal faculty email—surfaced that the computer science department was focused on moving “more qualified” students off the waitlist for highly sought-after classes. Alvarez explained that these qualifications included considerations identical to those of previous years, such as major or minor status and completed prerequisite courses. He cited concerns that unqualified students would not only hurt their own education, but also take away the spot from those relying on certain courses to graduate in a timely manner. “This is a crucial point I want to make— certainly given the proper resources, we’d be happy to continue providing these opportunities to as many people as possible and in fact to increase the pool of people that can take our courses,” Alvarez said. “Not everyone who wants to get into Computer Science I is able to get in, which is something I feel terrible about.” While these policies reflect bandwidth problems stemming from the size of the computer science department’s administrative staff, they also reflect growing trends in

the popularity of the major as a whole. In recent years, the department has pointed to its relative lack of faculty as a concern, especially because class sizes have ballooned as student interest in computer science has increased. 2018 marks the department’s first time in the top 10 most popular majors at BC, with roughly 440 students, according to recent numbers provided by the computer science department. Similarly, the computer science minor cracked the top ten for the first time this year. Currently, there are seven tenure-track faculty in the department, which includes three tenured senior faculty and four junior faculty, who are yet to apply for tenure. Alvarez says that this group and the two nontenure-track faculty members make up the nine “core faculty” professors. There are also four visiting faculty members, who can only be hired for less than three years at a time. Of majors in the top 10—economics, finance, biology, political science, communication, psychology, nursing, applied psychology and human development, computer science, and English—computer science has the second-worst student-to-full-time-faculty ratio at 37:1, beating out only communication, which has a ratio of 47:1, according to information provided by the Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment. The communication department, however, has seven part-time faculty, while computer science has just one. Applied psychology and human development could not be included in this measure, as it has no defined department faculty list. “That’s a pretty high student to faculty ratio,” Alvarez said. “Well, pretty high is putting it moderately. And I mean that in comparison not only to other majors at BC, but also to other computer science departments across the country.” The upcoming Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, which is currently expected to be completed in 2021, will bring five new faculty positions for the department. The department will expand to a faculty of 18 as that project develops. “We’re running three different department faculty searches, which means we’re trying to hire faculty at several ranks,” Alvarez said. “Ideally, we would hire a senior faculty member. We haven’t done this to

my knowledge, and certainly not while I’ve been at BC ever.” They are also looking at bringing in a junior tenure-track faculty member and a full-time, non-tenure-track faculty member, who would focus primarily on instruction. The biggest stumbling block in these searches, according to Alvarez, has been the lack of a computer science graduate program at BC. The presence of graduate students can attract more research-oriented faculty to the program and allow undergraduate students to forge mentorstudent relationships with a younger group of experts of the field. Computer science is also the fastest-growing department in recent years. Since 2009, it has grown by 518 percent. Of all other departments, only three have seen growth in undergraduate major enrollment above 100 percent. The computer science department has taken notice of its recent surge in popularity, which has typically ebbed and flowed over the years. The major grew steadily during the 1990’s before peaking in 1999 at 202 students. It consistently fell down over the next seven years, bottoming out at 47 students, before another upswing took place. This time, however, Alvarez sees something unprecedented in the pattern of enrollment. “In the past, there have been cycles of enrollment and peaks and valleys as well,” he said. “Generally speaking, those have tended to follow overall economic conditions in the country and in the world. My sense is that based on the last few years—the last decade, almost—this is different. My sense is that the growth this time is beyond anything we’ve seen before, and my sense is that it does not obey solely economic factors. Alvarez sees the computer science education BC provides as integral to a new understanding of the topic, one that is rooted in more than technical understanding and hardware. “I think that to the extent that the liberal arts education here is about empowering people with the abilities and the skills that they need in order to navigate the contemporary world in an informed manner,” he said. “Computer science is an indispensable part of that. I think we’re going to stay at a pretty high level in terms of demand.” 

possibility because of the statement University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., released regarding potential taxes on the University in December 2017. Lochhead said that, although it may not be what students want to hear, Leahy’s view is that when Moore sends out an email, she is speaking for the University. The student responded that—while he recognizes Moore is there for the students—with certain incidents, it’s important to hear from the president himself. The students and administrators also discussed the fact that there isn’t a student representative on the Board of Trustees—the inclusion of one being part of the demands made by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College in response to the racist incident last semester. Students said that they would benefit from a student representative because they would know that their voices are being heard, but Lochhead emphasized that this is a decision that the trustees would have to make for themselves. Moore said that when the trustees decide to build a new recreation center or residence hall, students should see that these decisions are an example of the board listening to what students are asking for. Lochhead agreed, saying that although it may not be in a way that is as direct as students are requesting, the trustees are taking student voices into account. Lochhead later noted that the extent to which diversification can happen is not entirely up to BC—for top faculty and students of color, he said, there are many other schools ranked higher than BC that the University is competing against.

“That doesn’t mean that we aren’t working really hard to change that and try to get people to want to be a part of this community,” Lochhead said. One student brought up how diversity modules are too surface-level to solve the problem. Moore reiterated that DiversityEdu was never intended to be a be-all, end-all solution for diversity issues. One thing the administration has been looking at is a comprehensive four-year, co-curricular program related to diversity, she said. Lochhead said that, to some degree, DiversityEdu was a knee-jerk reaction to the racist incidents and demonstrations that took place last academic year. BC, he said, needs to take a step back and modify the program so that it is more BC-centric and that students don’t just pass the module by participating in it. He emphasized that it is the administration’s—not the students’— job to figure out a way to make a program that is more meaningful and effective. One student asked if BC would release a statement acknowledging that systems of oppression exist and saying that work is being done to combat them. Lochhead’s response was that he doesn’t expect there to be any sort of statement such as this—he said that the University was focusing more on using the resources and people they have to solve problems. The last issue discussed was how the University plans to invest funds in improving diversity-related issues. Lochhead said that the University is looking at increasing the budget for the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center and that, while it may not necessarily relate to issues of racial diversity, the University is working on using financial aid to ensure that there is socioeconomic diversity on campus. 

ALLY MOZELIAK / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Early Decision Change Early Decision, from A1 “This change in early admission at Boston College will help us to identify and focus on our best-fit applicants as we respond to a clear shift in the early admissions landscape,” Grant Gosselin, director of undergraduate admissions, said in the release. “While the change will likely suppress overall application volume, it will help to improve selectivity and yield by enabling students to commit to BC through the two rounds of binding Early Decision.” Gosselin indicated in a past interview with The Heights that his primary goal as ad-

missions director is to increase admissions yield, not application volume or admission rates. He referred to this year’s volume as requiring an “unsustainable” effort from the entire admissions office—the outcome of such pressure could make it difficult for the office to make decision deadlines promised to prospective students. Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, who oversees Mahoney and enrollment management, according to the release, noted that this change will not affect one element of the status quo: Regular decision will remain the main fashion in which students will be admitted to the University. 

CSOM Dean Doesn’t Think Guidelines Will Have Negative Effect Grading Guidelines, from A1 Both Sadka and Sullivan stressed that they want students to take classes that are interesting, rather than just easy. Sadka and Sullivan explained that grade inflation is unfair to both students and faculty and the changes are meant to make the system more fair and promote student excellence. “You might be picking the class, and you might be saying this professor is a more generous grader than that professor, therefore I am going to pick this professor,” said Sullivan. “So, it became apparent that students were making deci-

sions based on grades rather than based on content. “This, then, has two implications. One, it impacts the student and their learning, potentially. Two, it impacts the faculty members within the department.” Sullivan added that tougher professors could face negative consequences, because handing out lower grades could lead to poor course evaluations and affect their salaries or promotion opportunities. He said that this has led to professors grading more leniently, calling the effect a “race to the bottom.” Sullivan also mentioned the need for faculty autonomy. Following the guide-

lines is voluntary, so professors maintain complete discretion in determining the grades they hand out. This degree of faculty discretion is meant to combat the fear that the grading system could harm students in a class with a disproportionate amount of top-caliber students. When the report was compiled last spring, many CSOM professors expressed mixed opinions on its accuracy, with several noting that they had not personally seen inflation in their own classes. “I could imagine that in certain classes, it’s not a problem,” Sullivan said. “Probably because they’ve been operating under appropriate means. But, at BC, if

you looked at a history of grades at BC, especially since the 1960s, there’s a great amount of grade inflation.” Although some voices have raised concerns that the new guidelines will hurt BC students seeking highly competitive internships and jobs, Sullivan pointed out that prospective employers typically budget a certain number of slots for BC students, so inter-school competition is not a major factor. Ultimately, he doesn’t think the changes will negatively impact students. “I believe that there’s a culture of collaboration and care at BC, among students and among everyone here,” Sul-

livan said. “I don’t think it’s going to create some kind of unhealthy competition. … Maybe this helps people prepare a little bit for the world of jobs, where there’s a lot more competition. “None of us would work here if our goal was to harm students. Everything we do is with student interest in mind. So, one of the things we were very careful about is would this harm students? Would this harm students, for example, in the job process? And so, we talked to recruiters and employers and had a resounding no, this would not negatively impact students. In fact, they were all in support on this.” 

The Heights

Monday, January 28, 2019

‘This is my Place’ Without Convocation, First-Year Seminars, or 18-plus nights at Machine, transfer students still manage to find a home on campus.

By Maeve Reilly

Asst. Magazine Editor

ne week before move-in, transfer student Hannah Tucker, LSOE ’21, still hadn’t received her housing assignment. Worried that she would be placed in temporary housing, Tucker called a Boston College ResLife representative and asked point blank if she would be assigned to an overflow room. The ResLife representative assured her that wouldn’t be the case—she would have a comfortable bed and a place to live upon arrival. The next day, Tucker received an email that assigned her, along with 10 other sophomores, to live on the Newton Campus in a converted lounge with the prospect of guaranteed senior housing. Formerly a communal space for the residents of Keyes Hall, the lounges were furnished with couches and tables for reflecting and floor bonding. Tucker had applied to transfer to BC after winter break of her freshman year from Husson University in Bangor, Maine. The first time through the college process, she admits she knew she wasn’t making the right decision, and that her choice was swayed by her desire to continue playing field hockey. After her first week of preseason, Tucker knew she didn’t belong there and found herself ready to leave before classes had even begun. Almost 1,000 miles south and 15 degrees warmer, Autumn Hauser, MCAS ’21, was in a similar situation. Originally from New Hampshire, she flew down to UNC Wilmington, looking for a different experience in college, but found it overwhelmingly different—“superficial” and “surface level” were a few of the words she used to describe her experience. By Sept. 1, Hauser knew she wanted to move back to New England. So, Hauser and Tucker both packed their bags, said their goodbyes, and joined the 38 percent of college students that transfer schools at least once. Once an overlooked demographic, transfer students are receiving increased attention from universities across the country, as undergraduate enrollment declines for the sixth year in a row. While more people are willing to transfer, leaving a school and moving into a new unknown is daunting for any student. But the story of Hauser and Tucker shed light on the difficulties transfer students face after they’re accepted and moved on to their plan Bs. Meeting new friends at an unfamiliar school after missing out on the first year of campus acclimation is hard. It’s even harder when a new student is assigned to live in a freshmen community room turned bedroom 10 minutes from the closest person in his or her grade. Tucker spent the entirety of many weekends throughout the Fall 2018 semester sleeping on air mattresses in friends’ rooms on Upper Campus, making every possible effort to resist Newton isolation and build friendships . Surrounded by unfamiliar freshman faces on Newton, many of whom seemed to already be friends, Tucker and Hauser both thought BC should’ve handled the overflow housing process better. “On the Newton Campus, all the freshmen had their Welcome Weeks done, everything was scheduled for them, and all the upperclassmen already had their friends,” Hauser said. “So we were in this weird limbo where

there was nothing for us to do. I just hung out in my dorm and did nothing.” For 40 percent of BC’s freshman class, the initial difficulties of living on Newton make the transition to college life even more convoluted than it is for the average undergraduate. Thankfully, for many, Newton quickly begins to feel like home. Surrounded entirely by other freshmen, many who are placed on Newton their first year quickly develop pride and boast about its superiority to Upper Campus. But for a sophomore transfer student, Newton is the opposite of a cozy abode. As a transfer, anywhere on campus is uncharted territory—new classes, professors, and friends—but living on Newton presents yet another problem for incoming transfers. Hauser remembers spiraling into near panic as move-in day crept closer—and yet, she had no indication of where she would be living. While the majority of her fellow transfer students had received dorm assignments on Upper Campus a month ago, Hauser was left in the dark. When she was finally notified that she would be living in Keyes on Newton, Hauser was disappointed—but overall, felt relieved that she had somewhere to live. Director of Transfer Admissions, Mary French, admits that this year was a particularly unusual for transfer housing. French’s interactions with transfer students occur mostly during the application period and orientation. In fact, French wasn’t initially aware that certain transfer students had been placed in makeshift dorms in Keyes’ lounges, an indicator of the last minute nature of these overflow rooms. “I hadn’t heard anything about [students] being placed on Newton Campus until several weeks into the school year,” French said. “I didn’t know until a student told me.”

CoMMON APPLICATION

The

ALLYSON MOZELIAK / HEIGHTS EDITOR

lthough B C just started housing transfers on Ne w ton this year, the housing process has always been difficult for them. Molly Wolfe, MCAS ’19, transferred from Fordham University. Unlike Tucker and Hauser, Wolfe didn’t particularly dislike her freshman college experience—rather, it was a sense of too much familiarity that drove Wolfe to transfer, as she ended up being one of many from her high school at Fordham. Initially enthused by the prospect of switching schools, Wolfe’s housing process turned her first few weeks into a nightmare. Against her hopes, she was placed in Greycliff—shortly after hearing the news, she obtained a doctor’s note to be placed elsewhere due to her allergies, avoiding ever stepping foot in Greycliff. Despite recognizing that she had cheated the system, Wolfe never thought she would have

CELINE LIM / HEIGHTS EDITOR

From left to right: BC transfer students Grant Kalfus, MCAS ’19; Caitlin Mahoney, MCAS ’19; and Autumn Hauser, MCAS ’21. to go to those lengths to be placed in a different dorm. “Housing was a mess. … My friend said get out of [Greycliff ],” Wolfe said. “No offense to anyone who lives there, but I’m a social person.” She moved into 90 St. Thomas More Rd. with five international students who were all best friends. Transferring had been challenging enough, and rooming with an already established friend group left Wolfe feeling very overwhelmed. So, once again, she began the process of trying to move out. Eventually, Wolfe got her RAs involved to figure out a solution for her dilemma—but in the end, she was told there wasn’t a good enough reason for her to move. Wolfe’s mom ended up getting involved, calling almost everyday to try and help her daughter. Finally, after a combined effort from both Wolfe and her mom, she moved into 2000 Commonwealth Ave. with a friend who had also transferred. “I didn’t get help. I had to do it all myself,” she said. “And that’s most of the stories I’ve heard from other transfers that moved. We just all did it ourselves. If I was to say one thing about the housing process, I think it fails a lot of transfers.” Like Wolfe, Tucker felt cheated. She understands that BC had to deal with over-enrollment somehow and feels lucky that they were able to provide her with a place to live. She admits, however, that she doesn’t think BC handled the problem well by placing her on Newton Campus. “They isolated us. I feel so isolated on Newton,” she said. “It’s all freshmen, everybody knows each other, they all moved in a week before [the transfer students] did, and then we just showed up one day.” Tucker and Hausers’ optimistic attitudes have helped them both. Tucker believes she’s made the best of the Newton housing situation. She spent most of first semester crashing in her friends rooms on CoRo. Hauser says the silver lining is the guaranteed senior housing that those placed in overflow rooms receive. Both Tucker and Hauser will be given senior housing on campus, unlike other transfer students, who are only given one year of on-campus housing. Hauser, however, takes the term “guarantee” with a grain of salt. Chuckling, she questioned how accountable a promise of housing from ResLife really is. “We were guaranteed senior housing too, but we didn’t get it,” said Caitlyn Mahoney, MCAS ’19. “We got ‘space available’ and then we were [eventually] denied in July. I feel like ‘space available’ means ‘go find an apartment.’” Mahoney and her boyfriend, Grant Kalfus, MCAS ’19, both transferred to BC as sophomores. They decided to change colleges because neither was comfortable with the size of

each school’s student body—while Kalfus found Syracuse University too big, Mahoney felt suffocated by the smaller size of Lehigh University. Both had friends at BC, which ultimately swayed their respective decisions. Kalfus experienced his own heartache when it came to BC’s housing arrangements. For him, one of the most difficult things when he first transferred was living in 2000—this meant that he was surrounded by juniors and seniors as a sophomore. Mahoney considers herself lucky, as she was placed in Vanderslice with a few other spring transfers, making her move to BC slightly more manageable. For Kalfus, the help of the administration made his transition easier as time went on. According to him, his transfer adviser was a bit of a saving grace—in fact, he found that the majority of the administration was ready and eager to help when he reached out to them. Kalfus and Mahoney also credit French for her efforts to help transfers integrate themselves into life on campus. French’s role as an adviser has helped many transfers over the years. In an effort to help incoming transfers, though, she is mainly involved in the application process. French focuses on making sure they have all the tools and information they needed for the next phase and giving them a handshake into the University. She has made sure to discuss specific needs with transfer students. For example, when transfer students asked her if they could start a mentoring program, she helped start the transfer ambassador program and became the club’s adviser. or BC’s incoming freshmen, the immediate pressure to make new friends induces intimidation and dread. For incoming transfer students, however, it’s often even more daunting. Even with programs in place, such as the ambassador program, that attempt to help ease them into the BC community, making friends outside of the secluded group of transfers is no small task. Hauser described it as a transfer bubble. “Once you know a few transfers, they know a few transfers, and then your circle [inevitably] widens, but it’s kind of limited in a way,” Hauser explained. Similarly, Tucker found it hard to fit into pre-existing friend groups. The combination of living on Newton and coming to a new school—at a time where most students already have the comfort of set friend groups—made branching outside of the transfer community hard for Tucker and the other students she transferred with. As she described it, the people at BC are incredible, but when she is with non-transfer friend groups, it can feel as though she’s sticking her nose into a conversation that she doesn’t belong in. As for Mahoney, who came to BC

as a spring transfer, making friends was even more difficult—to her, everyone already blended seamlessly into the fabric of BC’s culture. While hundreds of students paraded with purpose across Stokes Lawn towards their classes, Mahoney was left in the dust, wondering where in the world Gasson was located. At first, she had a hard time asking for help. “I didn’t realize this when I first arrived here, [but] it’s weird to be a transfer,” Mahoney said. “I thought if I announced to the world that I’m a transfer, that would make everyone want to be my friend. Apparently, you’re supposed to keep that on the down-low.” Like Hauser, Wolfe remembers getting caught in the suffocating cycle of transfer students solely befriending other transfer students and still remembers struggling to meet people outside of the transfer community when she arrived at BC. Similar to her experience with the housing process, when it came to joining clubs, Wolfe felt as though she was on her own. Now, Wolfe loves her social circles. But, she acknowledged that most of her stress when it came to making friends stemmed from BC’s process to join clubs. She was shocked to find out that many of the University’s clubs were application based. After being rejected from a few service clubs, Wolfe worried about finding her place at BC. Everyone was telling her the answer to making new friends was to join clubs—but in Wolfe’s experience, there were barriers involved. Eventually, Wolfe joined Appalachia Volunteers because the service club didn’t have an application. “I joined it because it was the easiest one, and that ended up being my saving grace at BC,” she said. “I don’t think I would’ve lasted without having more options of things.” Though she’s forever grateful that the circumstances of BC’s extracurricular life landed her in Appa, she resents the unnecessary roadblocks she encountered. She found that whenever she asked for advice or voiced her concerns about making friends, people told her to get involved. She clarified, however, that no one provided any details about how or where to get involved, which can make social life at BC feel a little exclusive at times. Mahoney also found it difficult to get involved on campus. Along with the many other challenges that being a spring transfer presented, clubs weren’t actively recruiting in the spring like they were in the fall. By the time she went to the fall activities fair her junior year, she felt as though she was too far behind to start fresh. In the end, Mahoney, like Wolfe, joined Appa. And like Wolfe, it ended up being one of the most integral parts of her BC experience.

See Transfers, A8

The Heights

Monday, January 28, 2018

TOP

things to do in Boston this week

Every Tuesday night, Frog Pond at the Boston Common hosts college night, where students recieve half-price admission from 6 to 9 pm. Take a break from studying on the ice, just remember to bring your current college ID to gain admission. After, grab a cup of hot chocolate at the Frog Pond Cafe.

Every Wednesday night the MFA hosts “Drawing in the Galleries.” Visitors are invited to sketch from live models and objects in collections. Drawing instructors provide inights and instruction, and materials are provided. Participation is free with admission.

On Saturday, Milk Bar is opening its first location in Harvard Square. To celebrate, all customers can purchase a signature Cereal Milk Soft Serve with Cornflake Crunch for $1 and $5 pies all day. Hungry visitors are also encouraged to taste the Boston Cream Pie Milkquake.

Artists in Their Studios Welcome Visitors to SoWa METRO BRIEFS By Colleen Martin Metro Editor

The wooden floor creaks when you walk down the hall and the paint on the walls in the staircase is chipped and looks like it’s been unattended for years. At the end of the long hall, painted in bright red letters, is “More Artists This Way,” with an arrow pointing haphazardly around the corner. Light from the rooms on either side shoots out, creating the illusion that you aren’t on the fourth floor of a building in the South End during the dead of winter, but rather a summer beach house with windows open wide. The first door on the left opens into the studio of Marcia Wise, an artist who has been painting her bright and colorful works in the building in the SoWa district for a little more than a year. She stands in front of three windows facing downtown Boston, holding her paintbrush and facing her easel. Her studio is open to visitors as part of a program put on by the United South End Artists. It might be surprising that so many artists would willingly welcome people into their office while they’re trying to work, but Wise was thrilled to have people come in and chat while she paints. “It is exciting, they’re trying to bring more people to the area and to inform that we’re here,” she said. “There’s hundreds of us.” The artists at 450 Harrison Ave. occupy the second, third, and fourth floors—

the halls that house the 84 artists twist and turn, going on for longer than the eye can see after stepping off the elevator. Owned by GTI Properties, the building has a long waitlist for artists trying to get one of the coveted rooms with painted white brick and bright natural light. Some, like Wise, have been there for only a few months to a year after waiting on the list for more than two and a half years. Others, like Patricia Busso, have been in their studios for 10 years. Busso is set up in a corner room, with a gallery when you walk in that has a small makeshift hall that blocks the view of her own workspace. Although Busso still has her gallery set up and was around for the Artists in their Studios event, she hasn’t seen too much of her space lately. The former math teacher has taken a break from teaching. She’s been living in Italy—painting and tutoring—since her husband’s job took them there three years ago. “Don’t hate me,” she said with a laugh after disclosing why she hasn’t been around much. Busso sat on the couch looking out on her paintings. She said that earlier in the day, she saw a family hovering outside of her door but they wouldn’t come in. Confused, she went over and asked if they wanted to take a look inside. They pointed out that her sign was turned to “closed.” Busso had some more luck with visitors after that and hoped to increase the volume of attendants by putting out

Governor Baker Proposes Budget

COLLEEN MARTIN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Marcia Wise points to the view outside of her studio on the fourth floor of a building in SoWa.

snacks: mini chocolate chip cookies and all-natural lollipops. Some of the artists lingered in their neighbors’ doorways—for those who have been there for years, there probably isn’t a stranger in the hall. Paul Pedulla sat on a stool on the far wall of his studio, in front of the window, talking with two artists from down the hall. A Boston College alum, Pedulla started off in his career as an advertising copywriter after graduating with an English degree. Now, he’s made painting his entire life—his work is in New York, Virginia, and Georgia to name a few. “It kind of happened by accident,” Pedulla said of his decision to become a full-time painter. “I woke up one morning and was like, ‘I have to paint.’” For some, visiting a gallery is as much about the artist as it is about the art. Wise said she’s realized that some

people are intimidated when they walk into the studio, so she tries to be as welcoming as possible without seeming pushy. “It gives them that ease and they start to get to know artists and they start to realize that we’re normal, we’re really normal people,” she said, although she noted that her husband might disagree with the assertion that she’s “normal.” Increasing the amount of people who know about SoWa and the art there is crucial, Wise said. People just don’t know how much there is to be seen in the South End. But once they come, Wise said she thinks they’ll keep coming back to see more. “Everybody’s who’s doing whatever their form of art is today is a reflection of who we are today,” she said. “And throughout history this is really important stuff to keep our culture alive.” n

House of Tandoor Brings Indian Flavor to Newton By Mary Wilkie Asst. Metro Editor

It’s easy to overlook some shops and restaurants on Newton Centre’s Union St. because of their compact storefronts, inconspicuous entrances, and small signage. Nestled neatly in the basement of 81 Union St., House of Tandoor is one of those places. If it weren’t for the sign draped over the iron railing above the stairs, pedestrians could easily walk right by. Nepalese owner Ram Dhital unlocked the doors of his second restaurant to Newton early in January. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m., the sole Indian restaurant in the area offers a fixed price weekday lunch buffet and weekend brunch. What’s the service like? House of Tandoor is a sit-down restaurant. It offers delivery (with a reasonably low delivery fee) and takeout, so when you walk in you may see a few patrons waiting near the hostess stand for their bags full of spicy Indian goodness that they can enjoy in their homes. Meanwhile, the wait staff mills about, attentive (my water glass was never empty) and uncertain (our waiter came back a few times after clearing our plates to offer dessert—he seemed bewildered that we

didn’t even want to look at the menu), but adequate, as a new restaurant would be in its first few weeks of business. How’s the atmosphere? The low lighting and red tablecloths make for a warm, cozy dining room. There is additional seating in a small back room—with only three tables, the seclusion ensures an even more intimate space. The buffet station was set up by the windows, copper trays lining the table in a neat row, in a display curious to an unknowing visitor but certainly not an obstruction to their dinner. A variety of groups comfortably filled the restaurant—some families, a few couples—while traditional Indian music filled any silence, playing loudly enough for customers to notice but softly enough for them to have a conversation. How’s the food? To start, our waiter brought a basket of papadum, an Indian crisp usually made from chickpea flour with an earthy flavor, and three chutneys, ranging from sweet and smooth to spicy and thick. The sauces generally were on the sweeter side, especially if they had a tomato base. Surprisingly sweet were the chicken chilli momos. Momos are Nepalese dumplings— they can be steamed, fried, served in broth, or sautéed with peppers and onions and covered in a sauce, called chilli. I’d never

had momos before, and I definitely didn’t know what to expect from chilli momos. I wasn’t necessarily disappointed by the dish—it tasted quite good. But it wasn’t spicy, and with a name like chili, that’s what I was expecting. Traditionally, it seems like momos are generally a pretty spicy dish, but House of Tandoor doesn’t present it that way. The chicken tikka masala (don’t get me wrong, it outdoes Lower’s infinitely), likewise, was a touch too sweet. Masala is a blend of spices has a lot of flavors that are often used in sweet dishes—cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom being a few—so it’s not surprising that a masala dish would be on the sweeter spectrum, but it needed rice or naan to absorb some of the sweetness. Speaking of, one order of naan—which is one massive piece—is absolutely shareable. A necessity at any Indian restaurant, House of Tandoor doesn’t miss the mark with its warm, leavened bread, which it makes 10 varieties of. Ordering a few, though, is ideal, since it’s the best vessel to soak up the excess sauce from the serving bowls. It’s a common theme to have so many variations under one general dish: The menu is quite a few pages of just that. The number of options borders on overwhelming, challenging diners to choose

wisely. Dishes generally were more oriented toward Indian fare, with a small section of the menu devoted to the cuisine of Nepal. Since Nepal borders northern India, the cultures share a lot of the same food-related influences. Yet, compared to the menu of Dhital’s first restaurant, Himalayan Bistro—located in West Roxbury—the menu lacks the flare that an increased number of uniquely Nepalese dishes could have given it. With only Momo and chow mien— traditionally a Chinese dish, but very popular in Nepal—in the “Nepali Corner,” Dhital, himself born in Nepal, missed an opportunity to introduce Newton to the food of his home country. What’s the verdict? House of Tandoor is a pretty typical Indian restaurant—there are plenty of options on the menu, the dishes are made to be shared. As the only Indian restaurant in Newton, even if it wasn’t the only Indian restaurant in Newton, it’s definitely not a bad choice. The sauces could be a bit more savory and contain a little more spice, but the dishes still taste very good and are nice and filling, especially for a chilly winter night. The Nepalese cuisine has a nice flavor but is surprising (and maybe not completely authentic). Just make sure you get a couple different kinds of naan. n

Baker Calls to Ban Handheld Phone Use While Driving By Colleen Martin Metro Editor

Governor Charlie Baker proposed a bill yesterday that will require all cell phone use while driving to be hands free. “Keeping the Commonwealth’s networks of roads as safe as possible for everyone using them is one of our administration’s top public safety priorities,” Baker said in a press release. “This bill includes common sense proposals to substantially reduce distracted driving, stiffen penalties associated with operating under the influence, improve safety requirements for certain trucks, and to begin establishing a regulatory framework for new forms of transportation.” The proposed bill says that phones will be required to be in hands-free mode and cannot be touched “except to perform a single tap or swipe to activate, deactivate, or initiate hands-free mode.” Texting and calling will be permitted as long as the

driver uses voice command. “I know as Boston Police Commissioner I supported the ban in Boston and I still do,” Boston College Chief of Police Bill Evans said in an email. “[There are] too many distractions with cell phones by both the driver and pedestrians. The more we can do to have drivers pay attention to the road the better.” Evans served as the Boston Police Commissioner from 2014 to 2018. He said that there have been too many pedestrian accidents in the city and the country. “Anything we can do such as eliminating handheld phones to make our roads safer is a good thing for our students at BC who cross some busy roadways with trolly cars in the mix,” Evans said. The long-anticipated bill, if passed, will join Massachusetts with all of its neighboring states which have already passed similar legislation. Sixteen states in the country ban handheld phone use while driving, and 47 have banned text messaging for drivers.

The bill, “An Act Relative to Improving Safety on the Roads of the Commonwealth,” also proposes that police be allowed to pull drivers over for not wearing a seatbelt. As the law currently stands, police can only issue a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt if the driver has already been pulled over for another offense. This bill has been resisted in previous years because of the fear that racial profiling could play a role. Byron Rushing, who served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019, opposed previous versions of the bill because he said they could not ensure that racial minorities would not be targeted. He wanted any bill that passed to also have a section that states all traffic stops should be “logged and analyzed for racial bias,” according to a Boston Globe article from May of last year. The bill also proposes that electric scooters be categorized with bikes.

Scooters are not currently in any category of vehicles. Under the proposal, scooter users would follow the same regulations as cyclists—if passed, they will be required to wear a helmet until age 16, yield to people walking, and not block any traffic on the road or sidewalk while parked. The use of an ignition interlock device—which requires drivers to blow into a breathalyzer before being able to turn on the vehicle—would be required for all first-time offenders applying for a hardship licence. It would also clarify the ability of the Registry of Motor Vehicles to penalize anyone who attempts to tamper with the device or drink after driving. Other sections state that fines would be doubled in work zone areas where speed limits are temporarily lowered while workers are present and trucks over 10,000 pounds would be required to have side guards, convex mirrors, and crossover mirrors after Jan. 1 of next year. n

Governor Charlie Baker outlined his proposal for the next state budget on Wednesday, which will go into effect on July 1. Baker called for the state to spend $42.7 billion, an increase in total spending by 1.5 percent. The budget features a number of significant reforms, specifically in regards to education. Baker hopes to address and repair the public school funding formula by increasing funding by $200 million. In addition to growing funding, Baker is also filing a separate education reform bill that will create a School Turnaround Trust Fund. The Fund will enable the state education commissioner to stimulate preventative and immediate change in underperforming schools. The goal of these proposals is to “increase funding for school districts to invest in a quality education for every child, regardless of their zip code, including a significant increase in funding for communities with the highest need,” Baker said during his speech. Additional budget proposals include a sales tax modernization designed to more efficiently collect sales tax from online purchases, an increase in funding to cover operating funds to the MBTA, the legalization of sports wagering with the creation of a Gaming Local Aid Fund, an increase in funding for substance abuse treatment and services, and an expansion of the cigarette excise tax to include vaping products. The specifics of these propositions are still being discussed.

Sushi Momento Joins Cleveland Circle On the ground floor of the new AC Marriott hotel in Cleveland Circle, a new Japanese restaurant has opened to meet the needs of Brookline’s sushi-hungry residents. From maki rolls to wagyu fried rice, Sushi Momento features a diverse selection of Japanese dishes created on a rotating menu by chef Kenji Wong, who previously worked at Pabu in downtown Boston. Sushi Momento is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 4:30 to 10:30 on Friday and Saturday.

Newton May Become Film Site Newton may become the site of an upcoming TV series based off the book Defending Jacob, written by Newton author William Landay. The book is an American crime novel surrounding the murder of a high school boy. Chris Evans, best known for his role as Captain America, will play the lead actor in the series. According to a statement from Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s office, discussions are still ongoing, and official approval has not been given to Paramount to begin filming just yet. If the show gets approved, filming will most likely occur sometime between April and July.

THE HEIGHTS

EDITORIALS

QUOTE OF THE DAY

New ED Policy Forces Students to Pick BC Over Competitors Boston College announced that it would replace its Early Action (EA) admission, used through the Class of 2023, with Early Decision (ED), which will be implemented beginning with the Class of 2024. After seeing a 54 percent jump in EA applications for the 2018-19 admissions cycle for the Class of 2023, the University is now aiming for a predetermined yield and selectivity rates over sheer volume of applications. Restricted EA means that students can apply to other schools EA, but they cannot apply ED. ED means that students cannot apply to other schools ED, and they must attend the school they applied to ED if admitted. EA means that a student may apply to other EA and ED schools, though attendance if admitted is not compulsory. Such a change will have significant effects on both who and how students apply to the University. According to the announcement post, BC states that the switch to ED will “attract a small, but competitive pool of applicants” and encourage applicants to demonstrate commitment. It also enhances “[BC’s] ability to enroll students interested in the Jesuit, Catholic approach to education, personal-growth, and service to others.” BC’s decision to admit based on ED instead of non-binding EA will result in the administration being able to more easily determine their class sizes and makeups. There is a danger that, as students are forced to choose between applying ED to BC or other top universities, the University will lose top applicants who are usually advised to apply ED to more traditional “reach” schools like Brown, Columbia, or Washington University in St. Louis. In doing so, it also forces applicants who are considering other non-ED Catholic schools like Georgetown and Notre Dame to actively pick BC over the two. The rapid switch from restricted

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

EA in 2017 to EA in 2018 to ED in 2019 is also confusing for some students, especially those from high schools that lack a robust college advising program, most of whom do not have access to college counselors who can keep up with the changes. The change could also impact the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program. Before the switch, Presidential Scholars had to apply Early Action in order to be considered. Starting with this year’s admissions cycle, applicants can apply either ED or regular decision (RD) as long as their application is submitted by the Nov. 1 deadline. In theory, top students could apply ED or EA to an Ivy League or other elite-level institution while also applying RD to BC, keeping themselves in consideration for the Presidential Scholars Program in case they are not admitted early elsewhere. Further, if they are admitted to another school, they must rescind their application to BC, causing the University to lose some of its top academic applicants. BC seems to be aiming to capture a larger percentage of students who are highly committed to the school, many of whom tend to be either legacies and those who attend Jesuit high schools. Those students tend to be overwhelmingly Catholic and wealthy, presenting a risk to the diversity BC has attempted to foster in recent years. The measure supports BC’s goal to become the top Jesuit, Catholic university in the world. Contenders for that title include other top institutions like Georgetown and Notre Dame. Both schools have significantly lower acceptance rates than BC, at 14.5 percent and 17.6 percent, respectively, for the Class of 2022. As a top U.S. university, BC attracts students who are looking to attend a prestigious school and are likely considering a number of other top 40 universities. Switching to ED makes BC mutually exclusive with many of

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these schools. As a Jesuit university, BC also attracts students who want to attend a Catholic school, a considerably smaller pool of schools. Of those two groups of students, the wording on BC’s website seems to indicate a preference for the latter. Though students can decline an ED acceptance for financial reasons, it is difficult to do so, and the prospect of being bound to an expensive commitment could scare away students for whom financial aid is a serious consideration. The University’s website encourages only students who have “confidence in [their] family’s ability to meet the full cost of attendance with or without need-based financial aid” to apply ED. Students may use a net price calculator, also on the website, to determine their expected financial aid award, which the University says should match what their actual award will be. According to the Wall Street Journal, first generation college students and financially underprivileged students are significantly less likely to apply EA or ED than other applicants. BC already has a significant wealth disparity, with more students coming from the top one percent of total family income than those in the bottom 60 percent. Of the 40 top U.S. colleges, 21 offer ED options. Overall, the decision risks alienating students for whom financial aid is a significant factor in their college choice, as well as students who attend lowresource high schools who do not have a counselor to keep up with rapid changes in BC’s admissions process. It may also lead to a more Catholic and wealthier university, limiting diversity and accessibility. The University must ensure that its push for more students who want to attend a Jesuit institution does not deter applicants from all socioeconomic backgrounds, high schools, and religious affiliations.

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The Heights

Monday, January 28, 2019

Is BC’s Hookup Culture For You? Clean Walsh 69

Dani Thomas PLE X APALOOZ A - The final one! Thank you CAB for putting on a great final Plexapalooza. The T-shirts were nice too. Who has to clean up all that confetti, though? That was a lot. Audien, the first DJ, was nice. The headliner, RL Grime, was fine. No one had heard of him, and I doubt we will again. On the other hand, Audien was good. Anyone who samples “September” is a legend. The lightshow was perfectly trippy. PB&J - I am from France. We do not have peanut butter in France. If we get hungry between lunch and dinner, we smoke a cigarette, pour a glass of red wine, and have a debate about the imminence of death to quench our hunger. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a game changer. Only in America would corn syrup-laced Concord grape jelly and crushed nuts on bread whiter than Mike Pence combine to make a perfect antidote to that inevitable 11 p.m. hunger. Consider me converted. 45-MINUTE SPIN - Plex spin classes are the Soulcycle of BC. Michelle Obama does soulcycle, so you basically become Michelle Obama after the successful completion of a spin class. Pretty dope. It is a rule that the first 10 minutes of a spin class will feel like your body is shutting down. Do not despair. That is your body sweating out your terrible taste in alcohol and whatever is included with chicken and two sides. After those 10 minutes, spin begins to feel like you’re cycling your way to heaven, and you emerge from class a new, fitter, Michelle Obama-esque angel.

At Boston College, there is a general understanding about the hookup and relationship culture. BC is simply a hookup college. Hardly ever do we see BC couples walking around holding hands. And if we do, they are not together long enough to see the sun in May… it’s cuffing season y’all. These rare glimpses of commitment got me thinking about the idea of love in college. Is college a time to search for a “good time” or a “long time”? That, ladies and gentlemen, is the only time I will ever quote Drake.

“These rare glimpses of commitment got me thinking about the idea of love in college. Is college a time to search for a ‘good time’ or a ‘long time’?” Through experiences and stories I’ve heard, I would say the only limit to your experience here at BC is you. In other words, do whatever you want. You have been on this earth for only 18 to 22 years. Do you even know who you are? What you like? As a senior, I would argue that by the time you are halfway through your 21st year of life, you have a pretty good idea of yourself. What I mean by this is you know whether or not hooking up is for you. Some people need emotion or dedication in order to have intimacy (off-campus, of course). There are three questions that will tell you whether or not the hookup culture at BC (occasionally branching out to nearby schools) is something for you. Note, meeting

and possibly venturing out with someone on the same night is not for everyone. Nor should it be. The following questions should be answered honestly. But if you choose to be dishonest, I would not blame you either. Question 1: Are you the kind of person who does not want obligation or devotion to another human being? If you answered “yes,” then the hookup culture at BC was made for you. There is no better place to enhance and strengthen your skills than in the opportunity-filled Mods, located in the middle of Lower Campus. It is important to remember your values and morals when entering this area. However, always remember what Hannah Montana said, “life’s what you make it, so let’s make it rock.” If you answered “no,” and you find loyalty and respect at the core of your morality, then congratulations. You, my dear friend, are on your heavenly way to a life of pure happiness. Do not feel pressure to stay in the yes or no state of mind. Morals and ethics change throughout your very long life (four years) here. Just do what feels right for you at the time. Question 2: Do you find yourself using dating/hookup apps and actually following through with the meet up? If your answer is a “no” and you prefer to get spiffed up and go out and see where the night takes you; then you probably are the King/Queen of the hookup scene by now. You own the night. Pick any club or bar to show off that new cut or fancy dress. Boston is a city of possibilities when you’re feeling confident. But please—handle yourself with class. There is nothing worse than a friend that needs to stay home. If your answer is a “yes”—I personally want to thank you for your bravery and dedication to making the digital age ever growing. You would rather meet “the one” sober and during this time of our lives, that is a RARITY. Apps like these seem to be one of the only ways to let us do that nowadays— thanks millennials. Question 3: When you hear the phrase

“Netflix and Chill” does your brain light up more when you hear “Netflix” or “Chill”? If you answered “Netflix,” I have deep respect for you. There’s nothing wrong with a little time with me, myself, and I on a Friday or Saturday night. Other times you just need to save that hard-earned cash for something more expensive than a shot of vodka. Side note: want to have a movie marathon? If you answered “Chill”—I’m sure we all know who you are, and/or have been approached in a manner by someone like you, with a simple question mark at the end of the three-word phrase. Hookups are your forte. You’re living your best life during the best years of life. Get your partying and fun out of the way before you are stuck trying to justify your binge drinking as an adult.

“At the end of the day your college degree won’t be determined on what happens out of the classroom ... everyone has their own idea of fun.”

to leave. Eventually, the nurses insisted on me staying and I reluctantly gave in after coming to the realization that I was not fit to walk down the hall, much less all the way back to my dorm in the snow at 11 p.m. I am glad that I stayed, because the nurses and doctor took great care of me. It was nice to have people care for me like my mom would at home. I woke up in the middle of the night coughing and a nurse made me tea because it’s what she usually does to help her daughter when she’s sick. My stay at Health Services was beneficial and I have been doing much better since seeing them. However, I don’t think that Health Services should be the only part of the Boston College community that focuses on student health and well-being. Because to spend a night away from my dorm, a

a pretty good idea of what kind of person

friend of mine had to completely evacuate

you are on weekend nights. Now, these

campus in wake of the snowstorm, because

questions were not made to attack your

he physically could not stay in his dorm.

character in any way. If you have a problem

Back in November, he began experiencing

with your answers, I would advise you

symptoms that were very similar to those

to consider those thoughts. At the end

of allergies, but he had been tested when

of the day your college degree won’t be

he was a young child and wasn’t allergic

determined on what happens out of the

to anything major. For months, doctors

classroom (unless it’s illegal) and everyone

tried to get to the bottom of his symptoms

has their own idea of fun. Do you and let

and illness. He’d come to find out this past

others be themselves.

weekend that he was severely allergic to

Disclaimer: I am not selling you this way of life, I am simply trying to help my fellow students navigate this experimental time.

mold which infested the air vents and the bathroom in his Walsh Hall dorm. The mold had apparently been there for months, thriving in the humid tempera-

Dani Thomas is an op-ed columnist tures of the bathroom. This is not an ideal for The Heights. She can be reached at situation for anyone, allergic or not. The opinions@bcheights.com. dorms should be properly cleaned so that incidents like this don’t happen. My friend

A New Look at Mental Disorders There will always be deviant behavior

Vaughn Feighan While I was reading A Cathedral Within—a philosophic book focusing primarily on educational programs in America that

60-MINUTE SPIN - This is what dying feels like. You are no longer an angel, but instead a zombie. Your legs have shut down, and your heart rate is maxed out. Forty-five minutes is the maximum amount of time anyone can reasonably be expected to cycle without actually moving a single inch. Next time your friend tells you this class will be “like totally so much fun,” please direct them to the more reasonably-timed 45 minute class.

best to protest. I even tried multiple times

had to get the mold testing done on his

someone does not conform to our norm.

SALT - We have a lot of stairs. Salt is necessary. But must it be green? The snow goes from winter-wonderland to looking like it’s been sprayed with a bottle of nuclear fluid. We should try to dump a bunch of spiders on it to see if one of us can become the next Peter Parker. What if it, instead, it could be a nice shade of violet? Or, get this, what if it were gold and maroon to further capture that wonderful BC spirit? On further thought, purposefully turning the snow a color resembling yellow is probably a bad idea.

This weekend, I spent a night at Health Services. I did not want to stay and did my

while I was fortunate enough to only have These three questions should give you

COFFEE CUPS - The ones in Mac. They leak. Always. For some reason, the big ones don’t, but the small ones do. It’s like the universe is telling you to caffeinate more. We could all just switch to reusable cups, but that would be too logical and environmentally friendly. The coffee in Mac is akin to dirt juice. Do we really need it leaking everywhere too?

Rachel Bheecham

own and pay for his temporary relocation, and all of the medical bills for tests and doctor visits as he and his family tried to get to the bottom of his illness. After the friend complained to his Resident Director,

or care facilities? Speaking from experi-

BC facilities came and caulked where the

ence—growing up with families who had a

mold had been. Obviously, this wouldn’t

that the “average” population will attempt

member with Down syndrome, spending a have had to happen if the dorms had been

to categorize as different or wrong. This

full four years in high school with children

properly sanitized. And yes, I will admit

can be attributed to a curiosity, a misun-

with Down syndrome, and continuing that

that the students do have a certain degree

derstanding, or a rhetorical shortcut so

passion throughout college—people with

of responsibility for the cleanliness of their

people can say someone is “weird” and

Down syndrome require very little recip-

dorms and their bathrooms. But I think

move on. How we define what is deviant

rocation but are willing to give themselves

that, in this specific situation, it was out of

will come in different expressions of our

to anyone.

the students’ hands. They have no control

baseline of normal. Centuries of primary sources show us

The rhetoric behind what is different

over the air vents. During breaks, the air

needs to change. We need to learn to

vents should be properly cleaned, especial-

aim to bridge perceived learning gaps—I

this: Think Van Gogh, Tolstoy, Dickens,

adapt to differences and take a critical

ly with the change in the season as many

stumbled upon a section where the author,

Michelangelo, Newton, Beethoven, and

look at how we treat people with deviant

students get sick. It’s a preventative step

Bill Shore, was recounting a story about an

Churchill. They all displayed symptoms

behavior. An institution is not the answer

that keeps students healthy and safe.

inconsequential playdate with his son. It

of some type of modern-day psychiatric

and neither is leaving these people in the

was a mundane situation highlighting the

illness, but we use these figures as the

protective care of their parents for the rest

reputation as being a little gross because it

educational value of playing catch, in that

definitive cornerstones of their respective

of their lives. I believe that researching

is known as a “party dorm.” To be honest, I

playing catch helps to train the adolescent

fields.

difference is the first step, but there needs

wasn’t even grossed out when I learned of

to be an implementation and application

the mold because it’s Walsh. Kind of like

brain to focus on the ball. If Shore could

Dickens’ depression, originally thought

Everyone kind of accepts Walsh’s

have better taught his son to remain

to inhibit him from living a full life, instead

of the results which psychologists and neu- with the rumors of rats in Mac, you kind

focused on this inanimate object, his son

ushered in a new literary voice that was

rologists find.

would have achieved a greater progress.

intent on commenting on society as a

Maybe people with ASD do not pay

of just don’t think much of it, even after that Barstool video. But I guess it is a bit

At Boston College, I study the human-

whole. Michelangelo’s ASD allowed him to

attention to faces and rather give time

of a double-edged sword—the residents

istic and neuroscientific underpinnings of

paint the Sistine Chapel—his single-mind-

to inanimate objects—fine! Allow these

of Walsh get the convenience of the social

mental disorders, as well as how they are

ed routine adapted itself to producing

people to be strategists who focus on one

scenes, but they also suffer within the

represented in media and talked about in

something great. How else would he have

goal and one goal only. They might end up

subpar living quarters. I was scrolling

discourse. Upon reading this section of

completed the entire painting? You get the

painting the next Sistine Chapel. Maybe

through Facebook earlier and saw Walsh

Shore’s book, I immediately thought of

point.

people with Down syndrome cannot learn

residents complaining that it was so cold in

calculus—fine! Allow these people to

their dorms that ice was beginning to form

autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is

Still not convinced? Think of Down

generally a socially misunderstood dis-

syndrome. There is one thing which de-

spend their time with older senile people

on the inside of the windows. It’s unfair to

order. That being said, one of the criteria

fines us and something which everybody

who want to talk to someone and tell

these students that at the beginning and

of diagnosis is highly-restricted, fixated

hopes to have in their lives: love. You can

someone their story. As modern medicine

end of the academic year, they are sweating

interests that are abnormal in intensity or

scoff at this, but it is true despite its chees-

allows people to live longer, social services

profusely because the dorms do not have

focus.

iness. To be loved and to love, regardless

for the elderly are going to become in-

air conditioning, but during the winter

of which theoretical perspective you use, is

creasingly more important.

months they’re also freezing because the

Shore’s story perplexed me because the goal made total sense in context—base-

one thing that unites us all. I have not met

ball players need to focus on the baseball,

a single person with Down syndrome who

or too optimistic to consider. However,

work properly. Irregular air conditions and

salespeople need to focus on faces. To be

will not give you that desired, humanistic

next time you step up to the plate or

improper ventilation are what lead to the

successful in these given environments,

love. Genetically, they have an extra chro-

focus must be directed toward at a specific

mosome; physically, they look different;

target that is “not-human.” We see this as

socially, they lack the common set of char-

entirely normal because we have carved

acteristics we use to engage in discourse.

out an accepted space for each of these

But these people have a capacity to love

professions and have accepted these other

another human being without restraint.

ways of interacting. All people have potential to contribute to the world around them. Although some mental disorders are seen as detrimental to a human being’s way of life, the so-called

In loving you, they violate the set of rigid characteristics that is proper for the

modern American, but they do it nonethe-

less. However, their loving deviation from our “normal” baseline is not completely

detriment is actually non-existent. The

understood, so we decide that easy-to-do

only reasons these symptoms “disrupt a

manual labor is the best place for them

way of life” is because that is what we, as

in society. What if people with Down

society, say this is what happens when

syndrome could work in nursing homes

Maybe this is too Jesuit for your liking

onto the field, consider what the other

players’ faces look like. How did you have to train to succeed on that field, court, or classroom? Regardless of how mundane

this seems, I guarantee that you will not be

able to complete the task without utilizing attributes that define a whole series of people. Playing catch may seem like a simple task, but remember that the effort in doing so correlates to what we have learned from who we have defined as different.

heating system in the building does not

development of mold and other allergens, according to the outside company that tested the mold. Regardless, around 800 students live in Walsh Hall. They deserve to live in a healthy environment. BC should take preventative steps for all of the residence halls on campus. The entire campus should work to provide the best environment for students to grow academically and personally, and a part of that is having a “home” in which they are comfortable.

Vaughn Feighan is an op-ed columnist This incident should be something that BC for The Heights. He can be reached at learns from and takes initiative to prevent opinions@bcheights.com. from happening again. Allergic reactions are very serious and, thankfully, in the case of this student it wasn’t life-threatening,

The opinions and commentaries of the op-ed columnists appearing on this page represent but it could be for someone else. the views of the author of that particular piece, and not necessarily the views of The Heights. Any of the columnists for the Opinions section of The Heights can be reached Rachel Bheecham is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at at opinions@bcheights.com. opinions@bcheights.com.

The Heights

Monday, January 28, 2019

All on Their Own, Transfer Students Make BC Their Home Transfers, from A4 Back on Newton, Tucker also found it hard to balance her social life. At first, Tucker loved life at BC. She described her initial time on campus as “almost being on a high.” Coming from Husson, a small school in a small town, the University’s undergrad size and proximity to a big city was a revelation for her. With new experiences being thrown at her from every angle, she had a hard time keeping up with it all. “Initially, I was going out all the time and not paying attention in school,” she said. “I had no idea how to balance everything.” Tucker soon found herself coming down from the initial high when she went on Halftime, a retreat to Dover, Mass. that is open to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Tucker remembers soaking in the vulnerability of her peers. Being able to openly discuss her experience thus far, and compare it to other students, Tucker began to think about BC’s imperfections. Sheltered by the safety of Halftime, Tucker and her fellow students talked about what is and isn’t unique about BC. It was then that Tucker realized that college often boasts a shiny exterior that can hide a dull underbelly which most students avoid addressing. Her revelation lends truth to a much bigger issue: many college transfers feel obliged to always love their school, even if that’s not always the case.

“It’s weird for me, as a transfer, to come from a place where I was really unhappy and go to place where I expect myself to love it [all the time],” she said. “And to find out that’s not the case is strange.” Thankfully, for Tucker and Hauser, the Newton nightmare has finally come to an end. Two days before the start of the this semester, both girls found themselves moving into their new dorm together in Stayer on Lower Campus. Along with three other transfers, they took the space previously occupied by five juniors who are studying abroad this semester. Though the transition was a shift—and learning the new dynamics that come with moving into a dorm with three juniors who already lived there has been a slight challenge—both Tucker and Hauser believe it was for the best. “A lot of my transfer friends who weren’t on Newton are envious, because … say they were on CoRo, they’re still there, and this is there only year of housing,” Hauser said. “For me, I had one kind of crappy semester on Newton but now I’m guaranteed senior housing, and I’m in a really nice dorm now.” As for the impact living on Lower Campus has had on their day-to-day lives, both girls agree that the convenience has been the biggest shift for them. “I feel so much less stressed out … I feel more part of the community,” Tucker said. Hauser and Tucker aren’t the only ones experiencing change. All in their last

semester of college, Wolfe, Mahoney, and Kalfus have started looking toward the future. Kalfus is ready to tackle the world of marketing on New York City, and Mahoney is doing a year of service in Chicago before applying to medical school. They’re both preparing to head down vastly different career paths, yet they share the same sentiment for the future. As for younger transfers students, Kalfus and Mahoney encourage them to not be shy. Both of them agree young transfers should broaden their horizons, take risks, and say yes to every opportunity before it’s too late. “Talk to people in classes. If you mess up or say something dumb, no one’s judging,” Mahoney said. “You might feel like it, but they’re actually not. BC will start to feel like home.” In an education system that often ignores transfer students, giving them a voice to talk about rough transitions, complicated housing processes, and everything in between is crucial, especially at BC, the home of community-oriented students. Tucker, Hauser, Wolfe, Mahoney, and Kalfus all paint a detailed portrait of the complexities of being a transfer student, and how they’ve taken it upon themselves to find their place on campus. “By junior year, even though I had spent [more time] at Lehigh … I felt so at home,” Mahoney said. “These are my people. And this is my place.” n

celine lim / heights editor

Caitlin Mahoney, a Lehigh University transfer, found her old school too small.

Changes to Spring Career Fair Address Student Concerns The two-day affair was divided by industry cluster, allowing students more time to peruse multiple career fields. By Hayley Rieman Heights Staff and Aidan Byrne For The Heights The spring Boston College Career Fair spanned two days, with 54 employers each day speaking to an audience of approximately 1,073 students, the largest spring career fair to date. A broad array of industries were

represented in the Heights Room, giving students the opportunity to explore a variety of potential careers. It’s the first time the spring career fair has taken place over the course of two days. In the past, BC students have found the fair overwhelming and stressful, often reporting that they did not have a chance to truly see all the companies that they had wanted to explore. “We divided the career fair into

jonathan ye / heights editor

Each day, students have the chance to speak with 54 employers from many companies.

two seperate days grouped by industry cluster so students could decide whether to attend one or both days,” said Joseph Du Pont, associate vice president of Student Affairs and Career Services. Du Pont also highlighted the important role the spring career fair plays as a jumping off point for BC students who are just starting the process of finding a summer internship or a job, which can be confusing or overwhelming for first-timers. “We emphasize that this fair is truly a kickoff event to help promote all the other work we do so students realize we are here to help at any stage in their career education,” Du Pont said. “Getting a job or an internship is important. It is also important for students to know that BC is committed to helping them lead lives of meaning and purpose, and the Career Center can play a big role in helping students discern that.” Many employers were happy to see the fair was extended to two days, which allowed students who otherwise would have passed them by to survey their industries.

This year’s changes made it easier for students to seek out all their options and take time to have real conversations with all employers of choice. “We like coming to the career fair because it gives us a great opportunity to meet tons of new people, specifically this year when they separated it into two different days,” said Joseph Compagna, a production coordinator at a marketing agency called Cramer. “I know last year when we were here we were kind of flooded out by the sea of people going to Fidelity and business companies, but this year, now that it’s separated, gives us more opportunity to meet people who are into creative work and can help us out in that aspect.” Compagna also mentioned how important coming to BC is for Cramer. The company’s founder, Tom Martin, played for BC men’s hockey, and his number hangs from the rafters in Conte. Another of Compagna’s colleagues came to the company through an internship she held during her time at BC.

Many other employers also emphasized that they love coming to campus to recruit new talent, due to how well rounded BC students are and how successful alumni have been in making a tangible impact on their companies. “We like to come to BC because you guys are all very motivated students,” said Boston Beer Company’s Sabrina Rossi. “We have a lot of alumni in our company who have been very successful and were hoping to find more.” “I think the main reason why were so interested in coming to BC is the selection of students that you guys have,” said Kellie Rizzo, who works at Luxottica, an eyewear company. “They’re all well-rounded, just great students overall. “When looking for our internship opportunities, we’re really looking for people who have a collective experience, whether that’s majoring in something great, having that classwork experience, or maybe prior internship experience, and I think that the students at BC really embrace that as a whole, and they’re really involved in their community.” n

‘A Doll’s House Part 2’ Winds Clock, Values Back 100 Years Hnath’s ‘Part 2’ picks up the story 15 years after Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House,’ premiering onstage a century too late. By Steven Everett President and Timmy Facciola Assoc. Magazine Editor The grandfather clock and the family painting are gone. Of course they are—they belonged to Nora (Mary Beth Fisher), but Nora left 15 years ago. That’s when she left her husband Torvald (John Judd) and their three children, and she never went back. Her stubborn, almost petty knocking as the show opens, indicates she’s only back because she has to be. And she certainly won’t be back for long. Neither this stubbornness or the anticipation for reconnection subside throughout Lucas Hnath’s 90-minute intermission-less exploration of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, picking up 15 years after the classic ended over a century ago. Or so we were told, by a woman arriving next to us at the brazenly-titled A Doll’s House, Part 2. The stage features only two wood chairs, a wooden coat rack, a wooden side table, and overly fluorescent lights. “Looks like an Ibsen set, doesn’t it?” Perhaps. It was a random Tuesday night, but she and the other audience members arrived–orchestra seating only–all as eager as if Panera Bread was raising the senior discount from 10 to 15 percent. Had any other college students had heard of that night’s show? And if

so, were they willing to pay the closest parking fee of $42 for it? If they hadn’t, that’s truly a shame. What followed was an insightful continuation of Ibsen’s musings on a woman’s obligation to her husband and children when it comes into conflict with an autonomy no woman was given at the time. Ibsen allowed Nora to slam the door and exact her revenge on the ties that bound her to domestic life. But Hnath brings Nora back to reality, forcing her to move past rationalizing her untimely departure from her children and, if nothing else, face what remains. Nora arrives back home because of a problem she’s encountered as a scandalous, vaguely feminist author who writes under a pseudonym. Following the kind of rant about the banality of marriage most commonly attributed to a group of all-male freshmen who just spent the first week together in their dorm, Nora reveals to Anne Marie (Nancy E. Carroll), her former housekeeper and, thankfully, the only character present on her arrival, that a judge in her new town was abandoned by his wife after reading one of Nora’s books. The judge had dug into her history and discovers that, apparently, Nora is still married. She learns that even after exchanging their wedding rings, her husband Torvald never divorced her, keeping her “Nora Helmer” in the eyes of the law.

For the past 15 years, Nora lived as if she was single, without attention to laws for married women, signing contracts without her husband’s permission, and sleeping around at will. The judge threatens to out her as married unless she publishes a letter apologizing for her writings, so Nora finds herself once again at the mercy of the husband to whom she was certain she’d never return. She needs her husband to file the divorce so she can hang on to her new, successful career. Unlike men, women needed a demonstrable reason to divorce their husbands. She was willing to bribe the everfaithful Anne Marie to abandon Torvald. Nora explains that that offer is not conditional—she would give her the money just for leaving, not for her help, in a scene that couldn’t decide if it was praising a woman’s independence, or just Nora’s own manipulation. Nora waited impatiently for an answer and was met simply with a quiet, reserved “no.” It’s difficult to describe this “sequel”—with characters in 19th-century garb who curse with the intensity of accidentally sending a screenshot of an ex’s conversation to said ex—as feminist, or for that matter, as a critique of 2019 feminism. What occurs instead is a conversation that perhaps Nora should have had over a century ago, and one we should have today.

Photo Courtesy of Kevin berne / Huntington Theatre Company

Nora and Torvald struggle to reconcile their differences in a difficult marriage. Hnath’s sequel does not have Ibsen’s domineering Torvald, leaving Nora to initially appear entirely reckless. But when Torvald confronts Nora with lines from her fictionalized books (“they’re mostly about me,” she explained to Anne Marie), the critiques do not seem offensive or rude enough to warrant his anger. Torvald doesn’t offend the audience enough with a blind misogyny to make them abandon him, but he reveals enough of his own meekness to finally allow them to sympathize with Nora in the final scene. Such an end could’ve been reached 15 years earlier, perhaps, had Nora and Torvald replaced their stubborn absolutism with nuance or compromise.

Emmy—Nora’s now teenage daughter who she tries to win over for the first time in over a decade—appears as strong-willed as her mother but explained, in contrast, that she personally just wanted to “be somebody’s something.” Emmy refused to be spoken down to by someone who claims to know better than herself, and especially not by the parents whose assumptions from years earlier still define their own lives. Emmy’s short, poignant perspective demonstrates the compromise Nora and Torvald could have settled on 15 years ago. Nora, Torvald, and the audience, however, all remain unconvinced. n

Monday, January 28, 2019

SPORTS MEN’S BASKETBALL

BOSTON COLLEGE 65

WAKE FOREST 61

IN THE NICK OF TIME

@HeightsSports

Not So Special

Ky Bowman hit an incredible 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds left to lift BC to a win. By Peter Kim Assoc. Sports Editor In Ky Bowman, Boston College men’s basketball has a player who is capable of accomplishing anything on the offensive end of the court. The dynamic junior is equally as capable of catching fire from behind the 3point arc as he is of throwing down a thunderous dunk on the fastbreak. Most impressively, Bowman has come up big on the biggest stages throughout his career, whether it’s a 30-point double-double to help knock off then-No. 1 Duke in 2017-18, a 37point explosion last Sunday against then-No. 11 Florida State to help snap BC’s a five-game losing streak, or—most recently—a game-winning 3-pointer to upend Wake Forest on the road. Bowman struggled offensively for much of the game, but found the biggest shot of the game when the Eagles needed it. With 15.8 seconds to play, and just one second on the shot clock, the junior threw up an off-balance, heavily-contested 3-pointer and somehow knocked it down, providing BC with the only cushion it needed to escape with a 65-61 road win. For a time, it appeared the Eagles (11-7, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) wouldn’t need any Bowman heroics to defeat the Demon Deacons (8-11, 1-6). Nik Popovic found a cutting Bowman for the first two points of the game, excellent ball movement led to open triples from Chris Herren Jr. and Jordan Chatman, and BC seized an 8-0 lead just two minutes into the game. Wake Forest eventually got on the board, thanks to a pretty shot off the glass from Chaundee Brown. But as Bowman hit a fade-away jumper then received a pretty bounce pass

on the fast-break from Chris Herren Jr. and made a tough layup to put the Eagles on top, 12-4, five minutes into the game, it looked like BC could be primed for an offensive explosion similar to the one it manufactured in its upset over the Seminoles. Bowman’s fastbreak bucket, however, accounted for the last two points he would score in the first half, and when he went silent, the Demon Deacons slowly made their way back into the game. Jaylen Hoard, the team’s second leading scorer, rattled off three baskets in a row, the last of which was a shot from behind the arc that cut BC’s advantage to 20-18. Nik Popovic, who accounted for 10 of his team-high 21 points in the first half, managed to give the Eagles some breathing room. Nice baseline movement and a beautiful bounce pass from Steffon Mitchell led to a dunk that extended the lead back to four with seven minutes to play in the first half, but once that shot dropped, BC—much like Bowman—went quiet on the offensive end. Over the course of the next five minutes, the Eagles didn’t hit a single shot, settling for jumpers and heavily contested shots in the lane. Meanwhile, Wake Forest pounded the ball down low, scoring 10 consecutive points in the paint and taking a 33-27 lead with a little over one minutes to play in the half. BC looked lost after a hot offensive start and trailed, 35-31, going into the locker room. The Eagles, who were again missing their second-leading scorer in Wynston Tabbs due to injury, sorely needed a scoring spark coming out of the break, and got it from their three best players. Bowman broke free for

Peter Kim Four minutes into the third period of Boston College women’s hockey’s Saturday afternoon game against Providence, the Friars’ Sara Hjalmarsson was penalized for slashing with her team down a goal. A minute into the ensuing power play, the Eagles took advantage. Kali Flanagan swung the puck to Kelly Browne, who drove towards the net before firing a pass across the cage to an open Caitrin Lonergan, who redirected the pass home for an insurance goal that sealed a 4-2 Eagles victory. In and of itself, there was nothing special about the power-play goal, except for the fact that it was the first time that BC had scored on the one-man advantage in 25 tries, dating back to another Lonergan tally in a Dec. 7 contest against Merrimack. Meanwhile, Providence had no issues converting on one-man advantage on Saturday. The Friars scored both of their goals on power plays, further illustrating what has been a troubling reality for the Eagles all season long, even during their five-game win streak: If BC is to reach its potential, it simply has to improve both of its special teams units. Take a look at its penalty kill, for example. BC kills 81.15 percent of opponent power plays, which ranks eighth-worst among all Division I teams and secondworst in Hockey East, better than only Holy Cross, which is in its first season as a Division I program. What’s worse, the low kill percentage is amplified by an Eagles team that often crosses the line in terms of physicality. BC is tied for first in Hockey East with Maine in penalty minutes per game, as Eagles players spend 10.3 minutes per game in the box. In fact, BC has allowed the most power-play opportunities out of all

See MBB Vs. Wake, A12

ANDREW DYE/ THE WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL VIA AP

See Special Teams, A12

Four BC Players Foul Out in Narrow Road Defeat to Hurricanes By Marc Occhipinti Heights Staff With a four-point lead entering the fourth quarter against Miami, Boston College women’s 73 Boston College basketball Miami 76 fans held their breath. Four key Eagles players were sitting on four fouls, and BC knew that it would be a fight to the finish—but it was a fight that would not conclude without casualties. By the time the Eagles lined up for their final possession down by three points, Makayla Dickens, Taylor Soule, and Georgia Pineau had all fouled out. The final attempt from Milan Bolden-Morris ultimately summed up the Eagles’ upset bid: a valiant effort that came up just short. In a game that was dominated by

whistles—Miami alone attempted 49 free throws—the Eagles competed until the final buzzer but fell, 76-73. Not only would holding the lead have meant a big road victory over a Hurricanes (18-4, 6-1 Atlantic Coast) team that was ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll, but also against team that had dismantled No. 13 Syracuse earlier this week. BC (13-7, 2-5) was at a disadvantage inside and was unable to box out Miami forwards Beatrice Mompremier and Emese Hof, who combined for 30 points and greatly contributed to the Hurricanes’ 42-27 rebounding edge. Taylor Ortlepp was tireless in her pursuit for an Eagles victory, leading the team with 17 points and staying on the court for all but one minute of game action. Knowing it would need a deeply

focused and spirited effort to overcome the Hurricanes, BC came out firing in the first quarter. The Eagles somehow held an early advantage in the interior, as despite Miami’s height advantage, 14 of BC’s 22 first-quarter points came in the paint. Unselfish ball movement was apparent as well, as six of the Eagles’ eight baskets were complemented by assists. After Pineau picked up a pair of personal fouls on the same play, registering a shooting foul and subsequent technical, the Eagles looked to the bench for support. Soule and Sydney Lowery answered the call, tallying a combined 10 points in the frame. Miami turned up the heat on defense, pressing BC in the backcourt, which had mixed results. The Hurricanes forced a turnover, but the aggressive defense also resulted in two fouls that sent

the Eagles to the free-throw line. Miami’s physicality and willingness to attack the basket began to get to the Eagles early in the second quarter. The Hurricanes rode five makes at the charity stripe and a layup to a 7-0 run to open the frame, and another touch foul on the perimeter entered them into the bonus just two minutes in. After relying on interior scoring in the first quarter, Ortlepp found her stroke in the second. She buried a pair of triples en route to a 10-point quarter, and the back-and-forth affair kept swinging, with the Eagles closing the quarter on a 9-5 run to take a slim lead into the halftime break. Dickens was doing it all from the guard spot in the first half, notching six points, five rebounds, and four assists. The third quarter began for Miami

much as the second did—its ability to draw fouls was becoming the game’s deciding factor. The Hurricanes once again drew four quick fouls and arrived into the bonus with over seven minutes to play in the frame. With Emma Guy picking up her third foul early on, Hof and Mompremier capitalized with offensive rebounds over some of the Eagles’ shorter players. For the game, Miami was able to turn 13 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points, whereas BC was unable to muster a single point in that category. Despite the foul trouble, the Eagles found themselves running Miami up and down the floor in transition. Over the course of a three-minute stretch toward the end of the quarter, the Eagles

See WBB Vs. Miami, A12

Eagles Win Fifth Straight, Complete Series Sweep of Providence By Connor Thompson For The Heights Forty-five seconds into the latter half of Boston College women’s hockey and Providence’s home-and-home series, Eagles forward Boston College 4 Makenna Providence 2 Newkirk broke a scoreless deadlock and netted her 70th career goal. Scoring in the opening minutes quickly became a theme for BC, and with early goals in each of the three periods, it proved a winning recipe for the Eagles to extend their unbeaten streak to five games with a 4-2 victory over the hosting Friars. Newkirk’s goal, her ninth of the season for No. 9 BC (18-9, 15-7 Hockey East), was the only scoring action of the first

INSIDE SPORTS

period. Newkirk was set up by teammates Daryl Watts and Megan Keller. The duo would return just two minutes into the second period, with Watts and Keller each recording their second assists of the game, this time setting up Lindsay Agnew. The Eagles are undefeated in games in which Agnew—a transfer from Minnesota—has scored, and the early two-goal lead proved to be enough. Keller, who logged her 19th and 20th assists of the season, has been unstoppable of late. Coming into the weekend, Keller was tied for 16th in the country in assists per game and 13th in total assists on the season, and the senior defenseman only improved on that mark while extending her point streak to seven games. After the Eagles’ quick two goal lead,

though, the Friars (17-9, 11-8) bounced back late in the second period with two unanswered power play goals. Hayley Lunny scored the first goal for the Friars off assists from Whitney Dove, who played spectacularly over the weekend despite finding herself on the third forward line, and Cassidy MacPherson. Soon after, MacPherson tallied another assist, setting up Sara Hjalmarsson on the next one-man advantage. The struggles on the penalty kill continued to hamper BC—it gave up one to the Friars on Friday, too, and now has allowed one in six of its last seven games. The Eagles were able to pull away from Providence with two third-period goals.

See WHOK Vs. PC, A10

LIZZY BARRETT / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

Delaney Belinskas scored twice on Friday for BC, who is second in Hockey East play.

MHOK: Eagles Squander Lead in Lowell WBB: Bernabei-McNamee’s Road to BC

SPORTS IN SHORT............................A10 BC held three separate leads over the No. 19 River Hawks, The first-year head coach for the Eagles has taken a long, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL.........................A11 but ultimately skated to a frustrating draw................ A12 winding path to Chestnut Hill........................................ A11 WOMEN’S TENNIS...................................A11

The Heights

A10

Monday, January 28, 2019

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Newkirk, Agnew Shine in Sweep of Friars, Fifth Straight Victory By Connor Thompson For The Heights

Forty-five seconds into the latter half of Boston College women’s hockey and Providence’s home-and-home series, Eagles forward Makenna Boston College 4 Newkirk broke Providence 2 a scoreless deadlock and netted her 70th career goal. Scoring in the opening minutes quickly became a theme for BC, and with early goals in each of the three periods, it proved a winning recipe for the Eagles to extend their unbeaten streak to five games with a 4-2 victory over the hosting Friars. Newkirk’s goal, her ninth of the season for No. 9 BC (18-9, 15-7 Hockey East), was the only scoring action of the first period. Newkirk was set up by teammates Daryl Watts and Megan Keller. The duo would return just two minutes into the second period, with Watts and Keller each recording their second assists of the game, this time

setting up Lindsay Agnew. The Eagles are undefeated in games in which Agnew—a transfer from Minnesota—has scored, and the early two-goal lead proved to be enough. Keller, who logged her 19th and 20th assists of the season, has been unstoppable as of late. Coming into the weekend, Keller was tied for 16th in the country in assists per game and 13th in total assists on the season, and the senior defenseman only improved on that mark while extending her point streak to seven games. After the Eagles’ quick two goal lead, though, the Friars (17-9, 11-8) bounced back late in the second period with two unanswered power play goals. Hayley Lunny scored the first goal for the Friars off assists from Whitney Dove, who played spectacularly over the weekend despite finding herself on the third forward line, and Cassidy MacPherson. Soon after, MacPherson tallied another assist, setting up Sara Hjalmarsson on the next one-man advantage. The struggles on the penalty kill continued to

hamper BC—it gave up one to the Friars on Friday, too, and now has allowed one in six of its last seven games. The Eagles were able to pull away from Providence with two third-period goals. Agnew scored her second goal of the game just two minutes into the third period. The goal, assisted by Newkirk, was shorthanded and proved to be the game-winner. Caitrin Lonergan scored just minutes later in what proved to be an unnecessary insurance, assisted by Kelly Browne and Kali Flanagan. Lonergan is third on the team in scoring, having recorded her 12th goal, and has been quietly consistent for BC throughout the year. Coming out strong after intermissions was key for the Eagles to secure a pivotal weekend sweep in conference play. All four BC goals came within the first five minutes of the given period. The Eagles’ quick strikes allowed them to play comfortably with a lead for almost the entire game, even when the Friars found some momentum late in the

second period. Statistically, BC dominated possession of the puck. The Eagles outshot the Friars, 60-45, and also had more shots on goal, outshooting Providence, 31-24. Outside of shooting, however, the Friars kept up with and even outperformed the Eagles in most statistics. Providence won more than half the faceoffs, converted 50 percent of its power plays, and blocked more shots than the Eagles. Scoring is the most important aspect of the game, though, and the Eagles took an early lead in that department and never looked back. The Eagles’ high-powered offense wasn’t the only portion of the team that deserves credit—goaltender Maddy McArthur finished with 22 saves, giving her a .917 save percentage for the game. Meanwhile, four Eagles recorded two blocks on the defensive end, with the team piling up 12 in addition to all of McArthur’s saves. McArthur, whose save percentage coming into the game was .910, is 14th in the nation in goals against

average among goalies with more than 1,000 minutes played this season. Just a freshman, the BC goaltender has a bright career ahead of her. BC has just seven games left in the regular season before heading into the Hockey East Tournament, but its current play has the team boasting plenty of optimism entering a pivotal stretch. The Eagles’ next game will be home next Friday against Holy Cross, a team they’ve outscored by a decisive 10-1 margin in their two meetings this season. While BC has had a bumpy road at times this year, it is looking more and more like the contender many pegged it to be at the start of the season. The Eagles are on a five-game winning streak and just polished off a series sweep of a team just a few slots below them in the conference standings. Writing them off when they hit a winter break slide would’ve been a mistake, as they have the talent to make a run for the Hockey East crown, and that much has been evident the last few weeks. n

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Belinskas Fuels Eagles to Win Over Providence in Weekend Opener By Bradley Smart Sports Editor

Boston College women’s hockey forward Delaney Belinskas was a unanimous All-Hockey East Rookie Team selection two years ago, posting a 33-point campaign in her first year on the Heights and tying for the team lead in Providence 2 goals. Last seaBoston College 4 son, though, with the likes of Daryl Watts and teammate Caitrin Lonergan dominating chances, Belinskas spent much of the year on the third line and scored just three times. This season, with the return of the three Olympic athletes, including the current leading-scoring defenseman in the country, it seemed Belinskas was poised for a similar season, where she saw her production dip to just 14 points. The first 22 games gave every indication of that, with the junior managing just four points. The last four games, though, have seen her freshman self emerge, and it’s been instrumental in producing four-straight wins for an Eagles team desperate for momentum in the back

half of the year. On Friday afternoon, Belinskas scored twice, extending her points streak to four while guiding No. 9 BC to a convincing 4-2 win over rival Providence (17-8, 11-7 Hockey East) in the first game of a weekend home-and-home series. “It’s a nice win for us,” head coach Katie Crowley said. “Coming into this weekend, we knew it was a big weekend for us, and to get the first one in our building is great. When all six players are playing together on the ice, it really shows through how we can play and how good we can play.” The Eagles (17-9, 14-7), who limped into the second week of the new year with six losses in their last seven games, have responded with a strong push that has them within three points of first place and No. 3 Northeastern for the conference lead. Belinskas, meanwhile, now has six goals and an assist in her last four games, keeping pace with teammate Megan Keller, who was busy extending her points streak to six with a goal and an assist. Her first goal came just a minute and a half into the contest. Keller dug out the puck

behind the net and found the Port Orange, Fla. product streaking into the slot, where her prompt one-timer gave Providence goaltender Madison Myers no chance to save. Then, eight minutes into the second period of a tie game, Belinskas struck again. After strong defensive play from the Eagles forced an odd-man rush, Meagan Beres found Belinskas right outside the crease on Myers’ weak side. The centering pass was nearly broken up, but instead slipped through to Belinskas, who had no problem tucking the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal away. Keller added an insurance goal four minutes later, with the Eagles using Belinskas’ goal to firmly take control of the game for a stretch. Makenna Newkirk was there to scooped up a loose puck and found a wide-open Keller outside the crease. There, the senior captain one-timed it high past Myers. Providence’s opener came in the first period, with Meaghan Rickard needing just four minutes to answer the opener from Belinskas. This prompted a strong stretch of play for the Friars, with Rickard getting

a 2-on-1 chance just moments later, but McArthur and the Eagles defense didn’t crack. They were tested again on a power play near the end of the first, but Dove hit the right post—one of three shots in two minutes for the junior—and the game stayed tied. The rest of the way, though, BC was largely in control. It pushed its lead to three at the outset of the third period, with Lonergan needing just four minutes to score for the third time in two games. Beres put a puck on net from near the blue line and it was deflected to the waiting stick of Lonergan by Myers. By the third period, the Eagles were playing incredibly loose. Providence grew frustrated—hits after the whistle in front of both goals came in—but BC never lost its composure. One particularly egregious hit came when Friars’ forward Caroline Peterson—after a scrum in front of the net—cross-checked Watts into the goal. The ensuing power play resulted in nothing for BC, the 22nd man advantage in a row without a score for the Eagles. Peterson would find the back of the net in the waning

minutes after Belinskas went to the box for cross-checking in the final minute, running BC’s stretch of games in which it has allowed a power play goal to five of its last six. These struggles, both on the advantage and the kill, raise questions down the road—but BC still scored four goals against the conference’s second-best defense and looked firmly in control for the most part. “Honestly, I think we’re getting a little too lackadaisical on it,” Crowley said of the power play struggles. “We’ve switched it around here and there. We’ll keep working on that—obviously special teams are huge. We need to find a way to straighten that out.” It’s impossible to say the offense is firing on all cylinders with the aforementioned power play struggles that date back to early December, but the team has piled up 20 goals in its last four games and looks the part of a team that can challenge the Huskies up top. A tough road game in Rhode Island looms, but if BC plays the way it did against the Friars on Friday afternoon, it is closing in on being considered as back to near its full potential. n

Power-Play Issues are Preventing BC From Fulfilling its Potential Special Teams, from A9 out of all Division I teams in 2018-19. This, paired with the fact that the Eagles aren’t very good at defending with a skater down, has been a deadly combination that has already cost BC several games this season. Take a look at the Eagles’ 3-2 loss to New Hampshire at the beginning of January, for example. BC took seven penalties, including four in the third period alone, and allowed the game-tying goal to Taylor Wenczkowski while shorthanded. That’s not even as bad as it gets. In another 3-2 loss to No. 10 Boston University on Nov. 30, BC committed a season-high nine infractions, and the Terriers scored all three of their goals on the power play, including two in the third period, and the Eagles saw a seven-game unbeaten streak against its city rival end. One day later, once again against BU, a similar story ensued. BC saw a 1-0 lead disappear, thanks to two goals on the one-man advantage from Terriers forward Abby Cook 11 minutes

apart and never led again in a 4-2 defeat. That’s three of the Eagles’ nine losses on the season that can be directly attributed to struggles on special teams. BC’s difficulties trying to kill penalties have also been amplified by a power play that, of late, possibly couldn’t have even scored against the Eagles’ own penalty kill. The numbers are slightly kinder to BC when it’s a man up, as it ranks 18th out of 40 Division I teams in percentage of power plays converted and sixth out of 10 Hockey East teams, despite its recent futility, in large part because of an excellent start to the season. After 16 games played, BC was finding the back of the net on 23.4 percent of its power-play opportunities, the thirdbest mark in the country. Since then? The Eagles are 3-of-42 with an extra man on the ice, which would be third-worst out of all Division I teams if it was BC’s full-season percentage. Committing so many penalties emphasizes the fact that the Eagles need to convert when they outnumber opposing defenses, and lately they simply haven’t been able to get the

puck in the net. Add up the issues defending and scoring on special teams and you get a team that’s showed flashes of the special group it could be, but hasn’t been consistently dominant. BC managed to rebound from dropping its first two games with an eight-game win streak, but then lost of six of seven games, including the aforementioned three losses against BU (twice) and UNH before its latest fivegame win streak. It’s not like the Eagles don’t have the personnel to fix these problems either. Before the season started, it was clear that the Eagles once again boasted one of the most talented rosters in the country. Reigning Patty Kazmaier Award winner Daryl Watts headed an offensive line that also boasted Caitrin Lonergan—who received a U.S. national team call-up in August—and Makenna Newkirk. Not to mention, three defensemen—Megan Keller, Cayla Barnes, and Kali Flanagan—who participated in the 2018 Olympics returned to solidify a defensive line that also welcomed Canada

Under-18 national team goaltender Maddy McArthur to fill the hole left by Katie Burt. All told, the 2018-19 iteration of the Eagles is perhaps the most talented team that head coach Katie Crowley has ever had. That talent has translated into BC’s latest five-game win streak, but thus far, the top-quality offensive and defensive units simply haven’t consistently led to top-quality special teams. The positive side of this is that BC has still maintained a place in the national rankings and still is second in the Hockey East standings, trailing No. 3 Northeastern by six points despite all of the difficulties it has had and arguably can still challenge for yet another conference title if head coach Katie Crowley can find a way to translate talent into a high level of execution. Crowley definitely is capable of doing so. The 2017-18 Eagles had the thirdbest power-play conversion rate in the country and ranked 20th in penalty kill percentage, and the 2016-17 team was even better, boasting the best power-play conversion percentage and third-best

penalty kill rate in the nation. The negative side is one of caution. It is often said that winning solves everything, and for now it’s easy to forget the poor power play and penalty kill units when the Eagles are rattling off long winning streaks and overpowering opponents. Against better opponents like the No. 10 Terriers, however, a talent advantage won’t be enough to overcome poor execution, which severely limits the ceiling of a team that had aspirations of finally capturing a national championship entering the season after seeking one for a decade. While BC is likely to finish the season with a respectable record, regardless of its mid-season adjustments—it’s hard not to with stars like Watts and Keller—it probably won’t be able to reach its loftiest goals until it finds a way to at least curtail the severity of its special teams deficiency.

Peter Kim is the Assoc. Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached on Twitter @PeterKim_4.

SPORTS in SHORT WOMEN’S HOCKEY EAST Standings Conference overall

Northeastern

17-2-2

19-3-3

Boston College

15-7-0

18-9-0

Boston University 11-5-5

14-6-6

Providence

11-8-0

17-9-0

Merrimack

10-8-2

14-9-4

UConn

8-10-2

13-12-2

Maine

7-10-3

14-10-3

New Hampshire

8-11-1

11-12-4

Vermont

5-13-2

7-16-4

Holy Cross

1-19-1

1-23-3

Numbers to know

Goals for David Cotton in 2018-19 after his scoring play against UMass Lowell, more than double any other Eagle’s season total.

-31

Free throw differential for women’s basketball in its 76-73 loss to Miami on Saturday.

10 6

Three-pointers made by Jordan Chatman in the past two games, after making eight total in the four games prior to that.

QUote of the week

“For being really, really sick Thursday, in doubt, Woll stood up and played another solid game for us in goal.” — Men’s hockey head coach

Jerry York, on the goaltender’s performance against UMass Lowell Friday.

The Heights

Monday, January 28, 2019

A11

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

no more child’s play Joanna Bernabei-McNamee took two years off coaching right as her career was taking off to raise twins, but still managed to return and quickly rise from the NAIA to the ACC.

BY BRADLEY SMART / SPORTS EDITOR

n the fall of 2009, new Boston College women’s basketball head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee was, by all accounts, taking the final step of an impressive ascent in the world of college basketball coaching. She was an assistant coach at West Virginia, her second stint at the school, and had spent the previous four years under the tutelage of Brenda Frese at Maryland, a perennial NCAA Tournament program. She seemed in line to land a job at a rising mid-major and continue her winning ways—just one of her prior 11 seasons with a team had ended with a sub-.500 record. But, as the adage goes, life happens. Bernabei-McNamee had what she affectionately calls “Irish twins,” Luke and Caden, with her husband Joe. The pair were born 11 months apart and while the decision was tough, she knew she wanted to take a break and raise them. “The decision to leave was difficult,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “I didn’t know I would get another opportunity to get back in. I had faith. But I knew as a mom that was the most important part of what my job needed to be at the time: raise my two boys.” The path to the helm of the Eagles, a program in college basketball’s most prestigious conference, wasn’t the most glorious. When she returned from her self-proclaimed “raising kids sabbatical,” Bernabei-McNamee didn’t quite pick up where she left off. Unlike her mentor Frese, who went from an assistant at Iowa State to a head coaching job at Ball State, Bernabei-McNamee landed in the small city of Pikeville, Kentucky and took the helm of the NAIA-level University of Pikeville. Five years later, after turning the woeful UPIKE program into a NAIA title contender, followed by a two-year pit stop heading up the University

CELINE LIM / HEIGHTS EDITOR

of Albany, an NCAA Tournament team, Bernabei-McNamee finally has a chance to build a D-I program from the ground up. hen Bernabei-McNamee was six years old, she was the youngest of four children. Her siblings were eight-plus years older, so, when they were playing basketball growing up, she was a mascot of sorts, constantly cheering on her siblings. She gazed longingly at the neighborhood kids playing on the basketball hoop across from her house, counting down the days until she could take part. Eventually, she grew up, but her interest in basketball didn’t fade away. Her high school of Weirton Madonna enjoyed impressive success with her running the point, going to three consecutive state basketball tournament appearances. Bernabei-McNamee’s senior season was her crowning moment as she guided a team to a 24-2 record and a state championship. College basketball followed, and the undersized point guard thrived. Playing at West Liberty State College, known today as West Liberty University, Bernabei-McNamee came within half of an assist of averaging a double-double over a 116-game career. She finished as the all-time NCAA D-II assist leader, presiding over a team that had four straight winning seasons and a West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) tournament title. Bernabei-McNamee was far from done with basketball, as it didn’t take long after the final buzzer for her to realize that she couldn’t just leave the sport. “It was basically the weeks after that last game, when I realized I didn’t have any more practice to go to,” she said, reflecting on her decision to look into

CELINE LIM / HEIGHTS EDITOR

coaching. “It was really that sad feeling that there was no more basketball.” She didn’t realize how quickly things would fall into place, though. ust a year removed from school, after a season at Eastern Kentucky as a graduate assistant on the coaching staff, Bernabei-McNamee found herself back in the WVIAC—this time as a head coach. In a peculiar twist, at the age of 23, she was coaching players she had played against. When the position at West Virginia Wesleyan opened up, one of the other coaches in the conference reached out and recommended she go for it. A year later, a team that had managed just nine wins in the previous two seasons achieved an impressive 18-10 record. W.V. Wesleyan improved on seemingly every facet of its game. It saw a seven-point bump in scoring average alongside a three-point drop in points allowed, a 10-point swing that resulted in a banner season for the program.

The previous coach, Lori Flaherty, had gone 32-51 over her final three seasons, so Bernabei-McNamee was a breath of fresh air. The season also served a greater purpose for the young coach, though—it solidified the fact that coaching was what she wanted to do. “It’s funny. I was coaching my players that played against me when they were freshmen and sophomores,” she said. “We had a great year, and the seniors that I coached that year was the first year they had a winning season at that school. It grew my love of what I wanted exactly, and that was to be a head coach at the highest level.” Her road to BC was winding after that season, though. She had stops in Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia, and New York. Bernabei-McNamee also took a risk—one that shouldn’t be considered a risk, but in the competitive world of college coaching, it is—by taking almost five years off to raise her kids.

“Coaching is the best job in the world, but it’s also very, very time consuming,” she said. “Being a mom of two little babies is also pretty time-consuming. I didn’t know how to do the latter and coach. It just felt like the right thing to do, especially because I was at the right point in my career—that I could maybe take a break from the coaching and concentrate on being a mom.” When she returned, her “normal route” was disrupted. Instead of getting a head coaching job at a mid-major school, like what most assistant coaches who’d help guide a team to a national championship would do, she found herself heading to Pikeville, Ky., to head up the University of Pikeville—a NAIA program almost 1/19th the size of Maryland. ikeville is a city with a population just under 7,000 and is situated in the easternmost county of the state. The city’s nicknamed “The City That Moves Mountains,” the result of one of the largest civil engineering products in the western hemisphere—the U.S. Army Civil Corps carved out 18 million cubic yards of soil and rock to put in a four-lane highway. Other than that notable fact, Pikeville’s just another of many small Kentucky cities. It’s also the home to the University of Pikeville and much of Joe’s extended family, so the move to the city wasn’t particularly difficult. With 11 nieces and nephews in the area, Bernabei-McNamee had no trouble adjusting—after all, moving around a lot as a coach limits chances to be with family. “So Pikeville is a very small town, but for my kids, who had just started kindergarten and first grade, moving there was like moving to Disneyworld—they had their cousins, aunts and uncles,” she said. “It was the first time I got to live in a place with family because the job makes you move around so much.” She adjusted quickly. The West Virginia product took the helm of a team that hadn’t been in the NAIA Tournament since 2003, and had gone 11-19 and 4-27 the previous two seasons. Her hiring was heralded by all, with athletic director Dr. Reginald F. Overton describing her as someone with “a career pedigree that is rivaled by few in women’s collegiate basketball.” While finishing her first year four games under .500, just the second time in her extensive career, Bernabei-McNamee quickly shifted gears. She brought in 10 of her own recruits and the positive impacts were immediate. The Bears entered the NAIA Top-25 Poll for the first time since December of 2005 on the strength of a 22-4 regular season. She was named Coach of the Year in her conference, again rewriting Pikeville’s record books. “That process was really fun—it was a program that hadn’t really had any success, ever,” she said. “I brought in 10 new players my second year. By my third year, everyone on the roster was basically kids that I had recruited. It was fun to see a transformation of a program.” After her team lost the conference championship on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, she came back and guided the Bears to another outstanding season, going all the way to the Final Four before losing by eight to the

second seed in the tournament. The impressive turnaround of the NAIA program showed, quite simply, that she was coaching way below her level—and Albany noticed. The Great Danes had gone to five straight NCAA Tournament’s under Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, so the program was no slouch on the national stage. So, it was surprising for Bernabei-McNamee to get the call, especially having just spent the last three years in the Mid South Conference, a far cry in relevance or skill than the America East. “They called me a little bit out of the blue,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “It seemed like a really good opportunity, and when I met the people at Albany, the administration was just really great people. Having two years of good basketball and success there enabled me to get a call here.” Bernabei-McNamee and her family were more than comfortable in Albany, N.Y., with a D-I head coaching job in

hand and a good city to live in. She describes herself as someone who, when offered a job, pictures herself there for life, really weighing every possible scenario. She got to work quickly at maintaining the Great Danes’ high level of play, as they returned to the NCAA Tournament in her first year and played in the NIT the next. Bernabei-McNamee found immediate success on the back of a pair of freshman point guards, while simultaneously implementing a hard-nosed defense that set a program record in blocks. This success—unexpected considering the jump from the NAIA—didn’t go unnoticed in the national circles, with her name quickly making its way into the future plans of the Eagles higher-ups. Still, when BC Athletic Director Martin Jarmond called her after Erik Johnson resigned following a tenure defined by struggles, she didn’t immediately think of it as something that was going to happen. After all, she’d been away from

“Coaching is the best job in the world, but it’s also very, very time consuming. Being a mom of two little babies is also pretty time consuming. I didn’t know how to do the latter and coach.” Joanna Bernabei-McNamee basketball for five years—something she thinks of often in terms of career chances—and her experience since was limited to three years at the NAIA level and two years manning the helm of a Great Danes program that had been in prime form for several years. Bernabei-McNamee felt she was just another name thrown into the coaching search, but quickly realized as the process continued that she was viewed as something more by Jarmond and the search committee. “I realized, wow, this is something I need to start considering,” she recalled, and started talking with Joe about the opportunity. “I asked myself is my family up for making another move? We both thought [Boston] was a no-brainer.” So, 18 years after her first head coaching job in D-III basketball, Bernabei-McNamee found herself in the same job at the highest level—a D-I program in the ACC. rit. Talk to Bernabei-McNamee about her vision for her basketball team for just a few minutes, and that word will likely come up. She preaches toughness, tenacity, fitness. She’s not the kind of coach that will take anything for granted, knows how to build a program, and will push players that weren’t hers to find new levels. That’s what she did at West Virginia Wesleyan and Pikeville—and what she now aims to do with the Eagles, who’ve been slumping in recent years. “You always start with controlling the things you can control,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “We can control building the best foundation for culture with the players we have. We can create an awesome competitive atmosphere.” Through her first 19 games, that atmosphere is evident, regardless of what category you look at. Bernabei-McNamee has quickly shaped the team in her style while bringing in players that fit

into her system. A perfect example is Makayla Dickens, who defected from Albany, her original commitment, and followed Bernabei-McNamee to Chestnut Hill. Dickens is averaging 11.3 points per game and already has an ACC Freshman of the Week honor under her belt. As a whole, the team is crashing the boards harder than years past, running the break effectively, and her up-tempo offensive style is evident. Last season, the Eagles were 327th of 351 teams in D-I basketball in rebounds per game, turned the ball over at a 22 percent rate, and managed just 84.1 points per 100 possessions, good for 291st. The increase in those stats has been nothing short of remarkable—BC is fifth in the country in offensive rebound, 35th overall, and scores almost 20 more points per 100 possessions, at 103.5. The team has also already equaled last year’s conference win total, and is poised to easily surpass that mark. Unburdened optimism in the energetic coach would not be misplaced. Bernabei-McNamee has been a prolific recruiter throughout her coaching years, and regardless of the end results of this season, the fact that there’s hope around a team that had little before she arrived speaks to the strengths of her coaching. This optimism many around the campus have in the coach is even more impressive when you consider that just four years ago, Bernabei-McNamee was at the helm of a little-known school with 1,600 undergraduates, and four years before that she was taking a break from the incredibly competitive world of coaching with no guarantee to get back in. If her tenure in Chestnut Hill ends up being anything like in Pikeville, Ky.—which all early indicators point to—then many college programs will likely be kicking themselves for not taking a chance on her, even as a relative unknown. n

Eagles Falter Down the Stretch in Tense, Sloppy Loss to Miami WBB vs. Miami, from A9 opened up a 9-1 run that was punctuated by Ortlepp’s third 3-pointer of the afternoon, extending BC’s largest lead of the day, an eight-point advantage. The run came at a cost, however. Miami was able to cut the deficit to four before the period expired, at which point Guy, Dickens, Pineau, and Soule had all picked up their fourth fouls. Eagles head coach Joanna Bern-

abei-McNamee tactically adjusted her team’s defense to begin the fourth quarter. Knowing that the referees were officiating very tightly and that a number of her players were in danger of fouling out, she shifted to a zone. The defensive scheme hinged on preventing the ball from getting underneath the basket, begging the Hurricanes to shoot from beyond the arc, where they had converted just 2-of-14 attempts in the first three quarters. The problem for the Eagles was

that Laura Cornelius and Mykea Gray nailed a pair of timely 3-pointers that shifted momentum back toward the Hurricane bench. BC’s unwillingness to go away despite lopsided foul totals kept it within striking distance, though. With 46 seconds left to play and the Eagles trailing by one, Dickens dribbled around a screen and fired from midrange. The shot dropped, and BC once again had the advantage. On the next play, though, the freshman

fouled out, and Miami regained the lead at the line. But BC would still get its share of opportunities. In the final 30 seconds, Marnelle Garraud had two chances from deep, the Eagles were called for a five-second inbounds violation, and Bolden-Morris missed a desperation 3-pointer as time expired. The fight that BC showed on the road against what will most likely be ranked a top-25 team this coming week is admirable and shows the strides

that the program has taken under Bernabei-McNamee in her first year on the Heights. While struggles from distance—the Eagles finished 3-of18 with nobody other than Ortlepp hitting one—and the inability to avoid fouls are notable issues, BC was in the game late, and in a road environment no less. The path gets slightly easier from here, too, as the Eagles are back home for two games and don’t hit the road again until Feb. 7. n

The Heights

A12

Monday, January 28, 2019

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Bowman Sinks Improbable 3-Pointer to Secure Road Win MBB Vs. Wake from A9 two fastbreak layups, Chatman continued his hot shooting by stepping into a pair of 3-pointers, and Popovic utilized a pretty drop step to power through two defenders for a layup and a foul as the Eagles managed to knot the game at 48 points a piece with 11 minutes to play. Wake Forest made the first winning push, as Isaiah Mucius swished a shot from downtown and Hoard—who led all scorers with 22 points—fought his way to two more baskets down low. Mitchell found

a pocket of space under the basket for an easy layup, but Brandon Childress—who shot just 3-of-16 from the floor despite entering the contest leading the Demon Deacons in scoring—responded with a contested free-throw line jumper to cap an 11-4 run and give Wake Forest its largest lead of the game at 59-52. Childress may have struggled to score the basketball, but he still made an impressive defensive impact on the game, tirelessly hounding Bowman and forcing the BC star to work for every shot he took. So instead, the Eagles turned to Popovic

for much of the offense down the stretch. The junior scored six consecutive points, courtesy of some nice footwork in the paint, before Chatman chipped in with a huge 3-pointer off a feed from Bowman to tie the contest at 61. The senior’s long-range basket came with 2:25 left in the game, and both teams came up empty on their next three offensive possessions, setting the stage for Bowman’s wild 3-pointer to give the Eagles their first lead of the half. That shot could have been a mere footnote if the Demon Deacons had staged a last-ditch rally, but

Mitchell forced a heavily contested attempt from Childress that was way off the mark on the ensuing Wake Forest possession. Fittingly, Bowman came up with the defensive rebound, and Jared Hamilton made 1-of-2 free throws to ice an ACC road win for BC. Bowman’s crazy 3-pointer provides a feel-good ending to a game that likely shouldn’t have been as close. The Demon Deacons turned the ball over 16 times to the Eagles’ seven, shot just 5-of-23 from downtown, and saw their leading scorer in Childress manage just eight points, and

yet took advantage of more inconsistency from BC to nearly leave the Joel Coliseum with a win. The Eagles looked stagnant on the offensive end for much of the game, and the possession that gave BC the lead with 15 seconds to play would have also appeared much worse had Bowman not made his wild shot. For now, an Eagles team that has historically struggled in conference play on the road under head coach Jim Christian will be happy to escape with a victory, but BC will simply have to find more offensive consistency to continue its win streak. n

Chatman, Popovic Help Pace Eagles Past Demon Deacons By Ben Thomas Heights Senior Staff

Saturday afternoon wasn’t the first time that Boston College men’s basketball had a game decided by the deep ball this season. Last month against Providence, A.J. Reeves tied it up in Conte Forum with zeroes on the clock. Weeks ago against Hartford, a Jordan Chatman foul on Jason Dunne led to three free throws and an eventual soul-crushing win for the Hawks. And we saw it again against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C.. This time though, it was Ky Bowman, on the road, taking and making an offbalance 25-foot jumper to give the Eagles (11-7, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) the lead and the win with just 15.8 seconds on the clock. The victory over the Demon Deacons (8-11, 1-6), although by the slimmest of margins, turns the Eagles’ five-game losing streak to start conference play earlier this month into a winning stretch of two. Three Up 1) Jordan Chatman While Bowman may have been the hero in the end, BC wouldn’t have even been in a position to win if it weren’t for a certain 25-year-old graduate student. As Bowman missed 3-pointer after 3-pointer for the first 39 minutes and 44 seconds of game time—he went just 1-of-6 on the game—it was Chatman who was lighting it up from deep. Now having made at least five triples in each of the Eagles’ past three games, Chatman has proved he is right back where he left off at the end of ACC play last season. After shooting 2-of-18 from behind the arc in BC’s first three conference games—all losses—Chatman has shot 16-of-25 since, making the biggest shots when they mat-

ter the most. And let’s not forget that the senior joined the 1,000 point club after another 3-pointer earlier in the half. Chatman has scored at least 17 points in three straight games and has shown no signs of slowing down. 2) Nik Popovic It’s hard to give individual accolades to Chatman without then passing them along to Popovic. The junior led his team in scoring for the fourth time this season, games in which BC is 3-1, and nabbed 11 rebounds over 30 minutes without turning the ball over once. Making double-digit field goals for the first time in his career, Popovic was a force on the offensive end of the floor, utilizing athletic post moves BC fans have grown accustomed to, allowing him to get by defenders and cash in at the rim. On the other end, Popovic led an interior defense that held Wake Forest to just four points in the paint over the first 10 minutes of the second half, permitting the BC offense to hop into the driver’s seat and mount a comeback. 3) Hot Start While time and time again BC gives up an early lead and has to play from behind the rest of the way, the team has been able to have strong opening starts to games. Nothing changed on Saturday, with the Eagles surging out of the gate. Although the Demon Deacons entered halftime with a four-point advantage, it was all BC early on. A Bowman layup on the game’s first possession sparked an 8-0 run from the visitors amid the game’s first three minutes. Five minutes and three Wake Forest turnovers later he would hit again on another layup, giving the Eagles a 12-4 lead.

Although it was the second half where BC made its most impactful run, if it weren’t for a strong start, the Eagles would have had to find a way to pull off a much larger comeback. Three Down 1) Out of Gas No matter how impressive their start to the first half was, it didn’t mean much when the Eagles faltered at the end of the period. As BC missed seven consecutive 3pointers on one end, the Demon Deacons found ways to score on the other, turning a five-point deficit into a four-point lead over the final seven minutes of the half. As bad as Wake Forest looked to start the game, BC looked far worse just 15 minutes later. Back-to-back turnovers from Luka Kraljevic and Chatman took the air out of the Eagles’ sails with four minutes to go in the half, as BC managed just four points over the final 6:46 of game time. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ defense seemed almost non-existent, as five different Wake Forest players combined to make 11-of-14 shots to end the first half. To quote ACC Network commentator Eric Collins, “that’s hard to do in an empty gym.” 2) Free Throw Shooting Despite escaping with a come-frombehind win, BC head coach Jim Christian can not be pleased with how his team fared at the charity stripe. The Eagles finished with an inexcusably low 4-of-10 mark from the free throw line, with no player making more than one shot, or finishing with an individual mark over 50 percent for the game. Aside from a Ky Bowman 3-point opportunity—he missed the and-one, by the way—BC didn’t have a single attempt from the free throw line in the first half. It’s the first time all season the Eagles

ANDREW DYE/THE WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL VIA AP

To Jairus Hamilton’s excitement, Ky Bowman’s late 3-pointer gave BC its second ACC win.

haven’t made a free throw in a whole half of gameplay, and one has to wonder when the last time was that any team was able to pull a win out of its hat with such a statistic attached to its name. Despite their heroics, Chatman, Popovic, and Bowman shot a combined 3-of-8 from the line, and each was lucky to avoid having to go to stripe in crunch time, defaulting to Jared Hamilton with four seconds to play. And even though Hamilton made the second-most important shot of the game—the front end of a one-andone—he missed the second shot, sealing the team’s lowest mark from the line this year. 3) Unable to Capitalize Just looking at the box score, you’d wonder why the Eagles’ ability to force turnovers didn’t end up in the “three up” section. Wake Forest lost the ball nine

times in the first half, with Chris Herren Jr. tallying three steals, but the problem was that BC couldn’t make the Demon Deacons pay for it. Wake Forest finished with 16 turnovers, but the Eagles managed just 11 points off of them. In fact, the first five times the Demon Deacons lost the ball, BC failed to score. This all happened in a pivotal stretch at the beginning of the first half, when Wake Forest was able to claw its way back into the game. Although the Eagles recorded their own lowest turnover total of the season with just seven, the accomplishment was overshadowed by their inability to turn the Demon Deacons’ mistakes into points. By the end of the game, though, none of it mattered when Bowman found twine, allowing the Eagles to come home for a date with Syracuse with a winning streak in hand. n

MEN’S HOCKEY

BC Blows Two-Goal Lead, Ties UMass Lowell in Weekend Finale By Lukas McCourt Heights Staff

After the first period of Saturday’s clash between Boston College men’s hockey and No. 19 Massachusetts Lowell, it looked like the Eagles 4 Boston College were well on UMass Lowell 4 their way to a much-needed victory, one that would even the weekend series. BC owned a 2-0 lead and had completely dominated the first 20 minutes of action. Yet, the game would consist of many more twists and turns, ultimately resulting in a 4-4 tie. Just under five minutes into the contest, UMass Lowell (14-8-2, 8-4-2 Hockey East) forward Charlie Levesque picked up a five-minute major for hitting David Cotton from behind. The Eagles (8-12-3,

8-4-3) immediately took advantage when Oliver Wahlstrom netted his sixth goal of the season on a feed from Ben Finkelstein, the first point of his BC career. The Eagles carried that positive momentum with them for the rest of the period, eventually doubling their lead with a Cotton scoring play. The star junior picked up his 15th goal of the season, as the rebound of Logan Hutsko’s initial shot fell directly into the path of Cotton. The second period was a completely different story, though. Three minutes into the frame, Kenny Hausinger slotted his ninth goal of the season, beating BC netminder Joseph Woll on a breakaway. Woll didn’t get much of a break, as the River Hawks peppered the BC goal, outshooting their opponents, 13-1, at one point in the period. Fortunately for the Eagles,

Woll remained strong and they were able to restore their two-goal lead late in the period. Once again, BC took advantage of a power play, as Christopher Brown found the back of the net for the sixth time in as many games. At the outset of the third period, though, it once again did not take long for UMass Lowell to notch a goal. One minute into the final frame, Ryan Dmowski calmly fired in a wrist shot right front of the cage. Unlike the second period, the Eagles were unable to respond and slow down the River Hawks. A little over a minute after Dmowski’s goal, UMass Lowell tied the game. Chase Blackmun powered in a shot from the right point that beat a screened Woll, finally erasing the potential for what had once been a game headed toward a

lopsided score. Although the River Hawks stayed on the front foot, Woll kept the Eagles in the game, making a series of impressive saves. Slowly, BC got more involved in the third period. With a little over five minutes remaining in the contest, Cotton possessed a golden opportunity to retake the lead, but was denied by UMass Lowell goaltender Christoffer Hernberg. Yet, just 30 seconds later, it looked like the Eagles might steal the game at the end. J.D. Dudek blasted a shot into the roof of the net on a great feed from Wahlstrom. The lead did not last, however. Graham McPhee was called for a roughing penalty after the whistle, and Dmowski tucked in his second goal of the period on a power play. Both teams exchanged good scoring chances in overtime, but neither could

find the back of the net. UMass Lowell nearly won it in the dying seconds of the contest, but Woll made one last heroic save to preserve the point for the Eagles. In many ways, Saturday’s contest was a microcosm of BC’s season as a whole. There were flashes of brilliance from the tremendous talent that exists on the roster, but also long stretches of poor play and sloppy errors. The inconsistency that has defined this year’s team was evident in BC’s squandering of three separate leads. Ultimately, a tie on the road against a strong UMass Lowell squad is not a bad result for the Eagles, but the manner in which it took place is sure to leave Jerry York and his team frustrated. In order for BC to get anything out of the remainder of its season, it will need to turn these ties into wins. n

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Eagles Continue Hot Start, Pass Difficult Test Against Yale By Luke Pichini Asst. Sports Editor

For the first four matches of the season, Boston College women’s tennis enjoyed relatively smooth sailing. The Eagles started off 4-0 and defeated all of their opponents in comfortable fashion. The waters became a bit choppier when Yale visited Chestnut Hill on Sunday. The Bulldogs were a far different opponent than the Eagles’ past competitors, giving them a run for their money in both doubles and singles. During the singles matches, only BC’s Yufei Long was in command of her match in the early going. There was serious doubt whether the Eagles could keep their winning streak intact—the other singles matchups were decidedly in Yale’s favor or in a dead heat. Eventually, the Eagles persevered, and after a marathon matchup that lasted for nearly four hours, they came out on top, 5-2. From the get-go, it was clear that the Eagles (5-0) would be in for a stiff test.

BC’s star doubles team—Kylie Wilcox and and Jackie Urbinati—encountered its first setback of the season in a 6-4 defeat to Samantha Martinelli and Jessie Gong. While the Eagles’ duo was arguably more skilled than Yale’s (1-1) pair, the Bulldogs stayed consistent in all facets of the game, returning nearly everything it had to offer while also capitalizing on unforced errors. With BC’s No. 1 doubles team down and out, the attention turned to the other two doubles matches. Newcomers Long—an Iowa transfer—and freshman Laura Lopez found themselves in a tight set with Raissa Lou and Caroline Dunleavy. But this time, the Eagles held the edge. While the Bulldogs put up a strong fight, Long and Lopez controlled the match with deep groundstrokes and excellent netplay, picking up a big 7-5 victory. Now, Natasha Irani and Dasha Possokhova were the only Eagles duking it out on the doubles court. Despite trailing, 3-1, in the set, the two battled back against Caroline Amos and Kathy Wang.

The Eagles narrowed the deficit to 6-5 and by this point, both teams were gathered around the court and cheering on their respective teammates. Irani and Possokhova, feeding off the energy, stepped up their play. With their strong communication and palpable enthusiasm, they forced a tiebreaker. The momentum was clearly in the Eagles’ hands, and that was fully evident in the tiebreaker, as Irani and Possokhova blanked the Bulldogs, 7-0, to secure the doubles point and put BC up 1-0 overall in the contest. After a brief intermission, head coach Nigel Bentley sent out his top-four singles players—Wilcox, Long, Urbinati, and Irani—to square off against Yale’s respective lineup. The Eagles’ chances of pulling out a victory looked quite grim after the first sets of these matches concluded. Only Long secured a win—a convincing 6-1 set over Dunleavy—meanwhile, Wilcox, Urbinati, and Irani dropped their sets, 6-4, 7-6, and 6-0, respectively. Facing more opposition in the fol-

lowing set, Long sealed her match with a 6-3 performance in the second frame, but Irani fell in her second set, 6-4. The most surprising performance came from BC’s star player, Wilcox. The Greenwich, Conn. native was unable to bounce back from her first set, and she suffered an even tougher loss in the second set, 6-2. Urbinati, who had forced a tiebreaker after a strong effort in the first set, appeared to be heading for a disappointing loss. The senior was down, 4-1, in the second set, as Raissa Lou maintained firm control. Incredibly, she battled back against the adversity and rattled off five unanswered games to take the second set, 6-4. Possokhova and Lopez stepped up as the No. 5 and No. 6 singles players, respectively. Possokhova fared better than her doubles partner, managing a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Kathy Wang. Lopez—who won her first set, 6-4—and Urbinati were the only Eagles left on the court, and with BC up 3-2 overall on Yale, it needed just one player to defeat a Bulldog to secure

the win. The Eagles got that victory in the form of Urbinati. The senior parlayed her momentum from the second set into a 5-1 lead. The match appeared to be in the bag, but Lou would not back down, winning two more games. Urbinati did not lose control of the match, though, closing out a decisive set in the ninth game, 6-3, one that gave BC the necessary four points to achieve its fifth-straight victory. While the overall score shows a 5-2 win, it was much closer than that, as the Eagles found themselves on the brink of defeat numerous times. But, in the end, Bentley’s team displayed an incredible amount of fortitude to pull out this win. Battles like this one against Yale ultimately build the character that BC will need against teams in the ACC, a powerhouse in women’s tennis. The Eagles still have four more non-conference games remaining, and if they can continue to pile up wins, they will enter conference play with ample confidence. n

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McConaughey, Hathaway Carry Dull ‘Serenity’ Plot BY MEGAN TRAUDT For The Heights Serenity, a neo-noir thriller written and directed by Steven Knight, builds enough intrigue with compelling cinematography and exceptional performances for the first half of the film to create palpable tension but fails to deliver a satisfying enough conclusion to make up for the convoluted and numerous plot lines. The film opens with Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey), assisted by his First Mate (Djimon Hounsou), taking two tourists out to sea on his boat to go tuna fishing. Dill owns and operates the boat on an ambiguously placed tropical island and takes tourists out to have an “authentic” fishing experience to make money to

buy gas for his boat Serenity, the movie’s namesake. The opening shot quickly turns from relaxing to rabid in a matter of seconds, however, when Dill tries to catch an unreasonably large tuna and pulls a knife on the tourists when they attempt to interrupt him. Dill is unable to catch the tuna, and it remains unexplained as to why he was so desperate for it in the first place, which becomes the film’s first mystery. The second is the introduction of a slender, suit-clad man who continually attempts to speak to Dill, only to be a few minutes late to every location to which he arrives. Upon returning to shore, the audience is privy to the scene of a small tropical island. Every moment of Dill’s existence reeks of habit and familiarity. Every person

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he comes across already knows about his attempted attack of the tourists and, even more suspiciously, his failed fifth attempt to hook the large tuna. The monotony of his lifestyle immediately feels too odd for someone who lives paycheck-to-paycheck. He fishes during the day, goes to the bar by the docks after work, periodically sleeps with a woman named Constance (Diane Lane) when he needs extra cash, and otherwise lives out of a converted storage unit. Yet this routine changes when Karen (Anne Hathaway) walks into his local bar wearing an immaculate white silk outfit and slides an $100 bill to the bartender for her ice water. Hathaway is impeccable in the role, contrasting McConaughey’s enigmatic hermitude with her candid seduction. As it turns out, Karen is Dill’s ex-wife who has arrived to proposition Dill so he can solve his financial woes. Through their conversation, the audience learns Dill was a soldier in Iran and, while deployed, Karen fell for another man (Jason Clarke). Karen’s new husband becomes abusive not only to her, but also to Dill and Karen’s son, Patrick (Rafael Sayegh). Karen fears for her life but, after an attempt to leave him, is blocked by her husband’s powerful connections. She proposes Dill take her husband out on the boat and throw him to the sharks for $10 million in cash. Dill initially rejects the offer and refuses to take him out on the boat,

but Karen ignores his contempt. While one would assume this offer (and the movie) would allow Dill to take a philosophical look at morality, it quickly goes down a much more odd and complex route. Dill becomes progressively more erratic and desperate to catch the fish, as well as suspicious of his surroundings. Karen reminds Dill of their son and how he’s affected by the abuse. She makes an odd comment about their connection, specifically saying how Patrick can hear Dill when he speaks. With the return and reveal of the suitclad man’s reason for finding Dill, the film descends into chaos and questions of a Plymouth’s inhabitants and of the island itself. It becomes increasingly unclear as to what is real and what is a figment of Dill’s imagination. The plot is busy, with too many elements to look away for even a second—this makes for an exciting entire first half that keeps up the mystery into a good portion of the second half. The ending, although surprising, provides both a surface level explanation of Dill’s actions but also reveals too many holes to serve as a satisfying conclusion. Overall, the acting, especially on McConaughey’s part, is well done, and the general plot is exciting enough to hold the audience’s attention for the first half of the production. The conclusion, on the other hand, is neither unique nor well-executed enough to actually have an impact on viewers. 

FIDLAR Feels Growing Pains on ‘Almost Free’ BY KAYLIE RAMIREZ Arts Editor

FIDLAR has remained on the fringes of popular rock music since 2012, when the band released its self-titled debut album, a 14-song ode to getting drunk, getting high, catching waves, and occasionally doing all three at the same time. Four years after their sophomore album, Too, FIDLAR finds itself in a precarious situation: On Almost Free, the Los Angelesbased band sways between adulthood— crooning about heartbreak on “Called You Twice” and sobriety on “By Myself”—and adolescence—singing about superficiality on “Can’t You See” and substance abuse on “Alcohol.” Distant apocalyptic sirens ring in the 13-song album, right from the opening track, “Get Off My Rock,” a territorial diatribe that takes listeners through a Beck-ian convergence of hard rock drumming and irreverent riffs. FIDLAR continues the life on the run it established for itself in its first two albums through frontman Zach Carper’s lyrical rampages, such as “F—k it, I need a cigarette / I need a bag of ice, I need some Heineken.” Singles “Can’t You See” and “By Myself” continue to build momentum for the album following “Get Off My Rock.” Although “Can’t You See” presents a sonic foil to its predecessor, the track grounds itself in the pre-established theme of territory, this

time criticizing the L.A. hipster stereotype. A slick guitar-and-drum combo provide a simple backdrop for the superficial sarcasm of Carper, who rips off lyrics such as “Oh gluten-free, it’s killing me” and “And baby I get paid / ’Cause I’m a DJ.” “By Myself,” then, arrives with a twinge of irony: The rock band rattles off a carefree beat laden with LCD Soundsystem influences on the three-and-a-half-minute track. Overproduction reigns king on the track, with eccentric sounds popping in between lyrical ramblings about a deplorable, selfindulgent lifestyle. Although atypical for FIDLAR, the upbeat, airy sound of the two tracks comes wrapped in radio readiness as if they were manufactured for non-stop airtime on KROQ, L.A.’s well-circulated alternative radio station. “Flake” returns FIDLAR to its usual hard-rock sound with heavy guitar riffs and lyrics rebuking flakes with venomous delivery, courtesy of guitarist Elvis Kuehn. Staying at the surface level, FIDLAR follows with “Alcohol,” a track that embodies the blatant spirit of its name. FIDLAR appears to stack the album’s foremost tracks at the top of the tracklist, perhaps to the backend of the album’s detriment: The second half of the album is where thematic conformity is laid to rest in favor of chaotically disjointed track-by-track ricocheting. The enjoyably cheesy ’80s trumpet-heavy beat of “Scam Likely” disguises uninspired

attacks on wealth inequality, a topic that is a bit too big for FIDLAR to chew. Growing pains persist in “Called You Twice,” a heartbroken love song that enlists female vocalist K.Flay. The track opens with a guitar riff eerily similar to that of Bush’s “Glycerine.” Unfortunately for FIDLAR, the 2019 rendition of the track fails to reach the same level of sincerity as the 1994 original, with empty lines such as “Smiling as I look back / Wondering why you took so long to see.” A quick tempo change occurs with the following two tracks, “Nuke” and “Too Real”—both heavy songs that feature screaming vocals from Carper. “Too Real,” however, is the saving grace of the back half of the album with its ample discontented

rage and clever lyricism. Having received nods from major music publications in September for the track’s dystopian montage featuring clips from The Andy Griffith Show and possessed Care Bears, the song is able to capture the disillusionment of the Trump-era event without visual aids. The breathlessly sprinting beat and lyrical snarl give FIDLAR its teeth back just before the close of Almost Free. The surf rockers’ third album occasionally succeeds in producing a fresh, original sound but makes too many attempts to hang on to its earlier image in the process. Much less an album and more an amalgamation of songs with no particular theme or tempo, Almost Free is hardly free of imperfections. 

For The Heights

For many young people not familiar with the history of American economics, the term “Black Monday” will probably solicit furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes. So, to clarify, no, Black Monday is not related to Black Friday, and no, it does not describe the grungy start to your week. Black Monday refers to the global stock market crash on Oct. 19, 1987. At the first mention of a show about a stock market crash, one might envision a documentary-style series. After overviewing the cast and crew, which includes names like Seth Rogen, Don Cheadle, and Regina Hall, the show becomes more promising for good entertainment. Showtime aired the pilot of Black Monday for free via YouTube in late December, although the show officially premiered on

Jan. 20. The show attempts to offer a comedic, personable account of events leading to the stock market crash through the eyes of Wall Street traders, starting one year before the devastation. Black Monday insists that, until now, no one had known who or what caused the the crash. Luckily, the show has come to the rescue of contemporary brokers, as it claims that it’s among the first to truly solve the mystery. Whether Black Monday intends to creatively unfold factual events is unclear, but Black Monday may not be here to incite deep reflection and conversation about finance and economics. The series is only slotted for 10 episodes, but the dynamic personalities of the characters are certain to draw viewers and ensure their weekly return. The show does not have a central narrator—instead it sometimes relies on various inserts of written text to carry the plot or inform the audience. While the text-infused

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SINGLE REVIEW GIO LAVOILE

‘HARMONY HALL’

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

Vampire We ekend, the Ne w York-based band fronted by Ezra Koenig , returned with two new singles after what was practically a 6-year hiatus. The singles, “Harmony Hall” and “2021,” serve as the first from their new album Father of the Bride, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2013 album Modern Vampires of the City. In a recent Instagram post, Koenig explained the band’s plan to release two singles for the next two months before releasing the album. The first of the two new songs, “Harmony Hall”—a reference to the hall of the same name at Columbia University, where the band members met—is a warm song reminiscent of spring and much brighter than any of the songs from their last album. Koenig’s lyrics, layered as ever, range from topics such as wealth, power, political discontent, the rise of hate groups, as well as the passage of time and its effects. The band utilizes acoustic guitars and a piano groove to create a folk-song vibe and even interpolate a line, “I don’t wanna live like this / But I don’t wanna die,” from “Finger Back,” a song off their last album. 

MUSIC VIDEO CASSANDRA PEREZ

‘BLACKJACK’ AMINE

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ALMOST FREE FIDLAR PRODUCED BY MOM + POP MUSIC RELEASE JAN. 25, 2018 OUR RATING

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Decades-Long Mystery Solved in ‘Black Monday’ BY TONIE CHASE

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

frames might not always be blatant, paying attention to these inserts will help give insight into the characters. The first instance of the inclusion of text inside a scene—and not explicitly on a blank background—reads “Yuppies Lost” on a graffitied pillar. The lack of movement in the vignette frame sets a serious tone that is actually not consistent with the rest of the episode. In this scene, there is no sound except the sobbing of a man and the spray can. The vandal and her companion are not rushing to make their statement. The show tries to balance solemnity with comedy, which makes deciphering the direction of the show more difficult.This may have foreshadowed the introduction of Blair (Andrew Rannells), who has the upward trajectory of the typical yuppie: A recent Wharton graduate, Blair moves to the Big Apple in hopes that his innovation will change the financial world and make him rich. His first steps through the Stock Exchange, which seem to be his first steps out of the coddled environment in which yuppies were raised, leave him in amazement. Between learning to be more assertive on Wall Street and his love interest, Blair appears to be a riveting character to watch. From a glance, Mo (Don Cheadle)—a black man from an underprivileged background who now works as an executive in one of the top 11 trading firms on Wall Street—is an inspiration to the underdogs. From the moment he turns to ask his robot named Kyle, however, to indulge in cocaine with him, it becomes clear that Mo may not be the hometown hero people once

imagined. While the opening scenes of Blair and Mo involve love interests, Dawn (Regina Hall) is introduced alone in her apartment, submerged in paperwork, and in the middle of a phone conversation in another language. Some might be tempted to paint Dawn as an “angry black woman” based off her loud tone and grand gestures while on the phone, but this passion should be lauded. Too often black women are overlooked for their tenacity and hard work. Considering black women like Dawn face multiple forms of discrimination, being both black and a woman, flamboyance should not undermine their character. Reticence and complacency do not help marginalized people make social or economic gains. In the same token, black women are just as entitled to emotions as anyone else, and Dawn’s inundation does not make her any less of a hard worker—it makes her human. Of course, Dawn’s assertiveness and extravagant style captures the attention of Mo, and the end of the episode foreshadows a past romantic history or an ensuing one. Black Monday’s comedy might fall short, but the storyline of the main characters makes the show worth the watch. It may only be the pilot, but the show parallels many aspects of contemporary society and offers various points of discussion. Black Monday is not overwhelmed with incomprehensible finance jargon and offers a dramatized, entertaining investigation of the root of the ’87 crash. 

Aminé’s ONEPOINTFIVE, a selfdescribed “EP/LP/Mixtape/Album,” offers more of the bass-rattling, intelligent rap people have come to expect from the Portland native after his debut Good For You (2017), with the new album serving as an outsider standout of 2018. On Wednesday, Jan. 23, the “Caroline” breakout star released the music video for his single “BLACKJACK.” The “BLACKJACK” music video takes the rapper’s audience through the halls of Aminé’s “School of Rap”—a clear homage to Jack Black’s School of Rock—where he is, naturally, the coolest kid in school. The video follows Aminé and the rest of his uniform-clad crew as they goof off in class, dance through the hallways , and generally wreak havoc in their small private school. The video opens with the sound of a school bell and a close-up of a jacket emblazoned with the school’s coat of arms, a yellow badge with the school’s initials framed by a microphone and a solo cup. The scene then cuts to a classroom where Aminé and his friends misbehave as their disgruntled teacher, played by Internet personality Ricky Thompson, looks on in disgust. In the same vein, the rest of the video is made up of alternating clips of Aminé and his crew dancing in an empty classroom, giving speeches to themselves in the auditorium, getting their heads dunked into toilets, and stirring up mischief in the lunchroom.In a final scene that is sure to draw laughs, Aminé interacts with his disgruntled stepfather in the car—also played by himself—after a long day at school. Asked how school was, Aminé responds that “it was okay” in the noncommittal way most teenagers do, hoping to downplay the severity of his rebellious behavior. He is immediately called out for “acting out,” however, and has to endure a rant that is equal parts entertaining and hilarious. Aminé’s content is always fresh and creative, and his recent music video is no different. Despite a lack of plot, “BLACKJACK” is full of the fun comedy that makes Aminé so likeable and keeps his fans excited for what’s to come. 

The Heights

Monday, January 28, 2019

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DJs RL Grime, Audien Close Out Plexapalooza To Infinity

By Kaylie Ramirez

Arts Editor

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted its final Plexapalooza concert on Jan. 26. Dubbing the 2019 installment “The Last Plexapalooza,” due to the Flynn Recreation Complex’s impending replacement with the Margot Connell Recreation Center next semester, CAB welcomed DJs RL Grime and Audien as the final performers for a night of popular party hits and reinspired remixes. Since its inception, Plexapalooza has been somewhat of an oddity. Boston College students convene in a dated recreation center usually reserved for the health-conscious to listen to EDM—a burgeoning genre of music that had been considered a fringe movement until the 2000s—while risking their hearing and potential hypothermia in the process. Nonetheless, Plexapalooza is a BC tradition as ingrained in the collective consciousness as the Red Bandana Run or Marathon Monday, arriving each January to relieve students of their early semester stress like clockwork. This year, Audien was first to take the Plex basketball court makeshift stage, bringing with him a queue of smooth transitions between hits like Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer,” The Killer’s “When You Were Young,” and even RL Grime’s “UCLA.” The Connecticut-born musician provided the perfect playlist to get the massive

crowd of students in the mood for Grime’s set. Grime took the stage to the sound of loud applause and screams from the crowd. Rambunctious and ready to release bouts of energy on the dance floor, the crowd surged for the first few minutes of the DJ’s set. Utilizing bright colorful backdrops, smoke effects, and shots of confetti, Grime created an immersive experience for the expectant Plex-goers. Grime was sure to utilize wellknown tracks that the crowd could easily sing along to throughout the night, but also mixed in a number of his originals such as “Stay For It” and the smash hit “UCLA.” The crowd reciprocated Grime’s bubbly energy: While the DJ hopped around the stage from behind the elevated booth, crowd members danced, moshed, chanted, and even climbed onto others’ shoulders to get a better view. The Los Angeles-based DJ hit a high note in the beginning of his set with a heavily remixed version of Kanye West’s “Power,” during which the crowd chanted along with the “Ahh hey” opening. Grime kept the momentum going with fan favorite “SICKO MODE.” Although playing popular, easily recognizable radio hits certainly worked to his advantage early in the set, Grime ventured into his own catalogue and got a little more experimental toward the end of his set.

“UCLA,” Grime’s most recent party hit, was certainly the height of the set. Confetti filled the hazy air of the Plex, as the crowd yelled the lyrics “She just moved to LA / Go to UCLA” back to the artist.

To round out the night, Grime set out to slowly bring the energy level down from its apex, mixing in slower, albeit well-known tracks like “Mo Bamba” and samples from “Circle of Life,” the Lion King theme song. n

and Beyond Kaylie Ramirez

With massive corporations unapologetically coming clean about watching your every move, the most influential country being hijacked by a maniac with bad hair and a hotel chain, and a nuclear capable madman threatening to just blow the whole thing up, 2018 truly left us with no place to hide. Rock music got to do what we all wished we could in 2018: It packed its bags and left Earth in the rearview. 2018 saw the meteoric rise of “space rock.” Space rock is most easily identified by abstract, tech-driven futuristic instrumentals that sound as though they could find a place among the stars, at least in modern music. Space is hardly a new topic for rock music: Lest we forget the critical and commercial success of David Bowie’s 1969 calls to Major Tom on “Space Oddity” or his total adoption of the instantly iconic Ziggy Stardust persona. Pink Floyd undoubtedly lamented space rock’s indelible influence on the entire genre with 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon.” The enduring prism poster that is still found in middle-aged man-caves and grimy college dorms (and newspaper offices) alike 46 years later serves as more JESS RIVILIS / HEIGHTS STAFF Audien (top) and RL Grime (bottom) shuffled through popular hits at Plexapalooza. than just a badge of musical pretentiousness, but a reminder that more than just decor can be passed down from generation to generation. MGMT kicked off space rock’s second coming with the Feb. 9-released Little of any typical teenage girl’s room, with with jaded adulthood, doesn’t play out as Dark Age, an album that fearlessly insports trophies displayed, photos of friends one might expect. Claire and Robert are dulged the indie rockers’ space age imagplastered on the walls, and a childish color pushed together somewhat unwillingly, but inations. From irreverent rocketship resischeme. But the innocent setting makes the the chemistry that develops between them dency in “When You Die,” the starry-eyed scene even more striking: The girls wait for is a heart-rending, disturbing development. flourishes of a classic love ballad in “Hand Claire’s mother to leave for a date before After all, she’s a 15-year-old girl. He’s a full- It Over,” MGMT took rock music to a new getting their hands on a bottle of wine grown man. Yet, as they grow comfortable frontier and showcased the light years of and dressing up for a night at a grimy club in the dark, dingy club, talking together sound that lie beyond “Life on Mars.” and dates with two much older men. Both like old friends, the audience can’t help Quite literally building on MGMT’s actresses excel at mimicking the emotions softening, wondering if maybe this doesn’t momentum, Arctic Monkeys constructed of adolescence. Wallkey, as Claire, is the have to end badly. But the loss of innocence a moon-based residency titled Tranquility picture of naivety and relatable anxiety, is always painful, and what comes next is Base Hotel + Casino. Although not as sucwhile Lardner’s portrayal of Emmy displays both entirely expected and utterly shocking. cessful as past albums, Arctic Monkeys’ a familiar overconfidence and queen bee Jailbait tells the tale of what happens commitment to making a concept space malice mixed with increasing glimpses of over one fateful night, condensing what album in the era of six-second videos and vulnerability as the night progresses. everyone experiences throughout their 140-character screaming matches exuded The girls’ counterparts exhibit mirror adolescence years into this timeframe. an unmatched courageousness. personalities. While Robert (Miki Peiffer, Friendship, sexuality, innocence, and guilt From kissing “underneath the moon’s MCAS ’19) is lovelorn, sloppy and brood- are all treated frankly and without compro- sideboob” in “Tranquility Base Hotel + Caing, his swaggering buddy from high school mise. The two men are nowhere near being sino” to watching their space community Mark (Peter Dunn, MCAS ’19) presents a the villains of the story, just as the girls are quickly become gentrified with “cute new false veneer of machismo. Both prove to not without fault. What occurs among places popping up” on the lunar surface be in over their heads as the true identity them is not the corruption of innocence, in “Four Out of Five,” Arctic Monkeys of the girls is revealed, and they must face but a metaphor for the inevitable transition integrated Bowie’s on-theme lyricism with their mistakes, as well as reckon with the that must occur between childhood and Pink Floyd’s exploratory musicality. choices they’ve made throughout their lives. adulthood. Whether we like it or not, we If MGMT laid the foundation and The collision of these forces, naive youth all have to grow up someday. n Arctic Monkeys built a grandiose Winchester-like mansion on top of it, The 1975 figured out how to sell the house: The unquestionable song of 2018 “Love It If We Made It” is a space rock diatribe dedicated to Earth and all of its ailments. The final number was from UPrising, swagger-filled hip-hop number. Frontman Matty Healy strings togethwhich premiered a new dance. The number The UPrising showcase of Waves II er the nonsensical lines “Fossil fuelling was funky and upbeat, featuring a lot of celebrated not only hip-hop but also many / Masturbation / Immigration / Liberal partner work. The vibe of the dance was dance styles that weaved in and out through kitsch” that embody the tidal nature of dicute and romantic until all the dancers the showcase. The stage was a melting pot saster in the news as of recent, and the line assembled into a V formation and shifted of styles, all of which enriched the hip-hop “Thank you Kanye, very cool” is directly the tone from lighthearted to a high-energy, genre and the BC community. n pulled from Donald Trump’s Twitter. All of this chaos unravels over sparkling flourishes bookended by a lift-off sounding beginning and end. While space rock may be a revival of an old movement, the latest iteration of the genre has made one important contribution to the overall rock genre. In recent years, rockers have struggled to adjust their usually rugged sound to listeners’ increasingly electronic music taste. The 1975 demonstrated how synth can be integrated into rock music without robbing the genre of its more rigid personality traits. Although the beat is somewhat calmed by the addition of electronic elements, “Love It If We Made It” still manages to deliver one unapologetic middle finger to the Trump administration in line with rock’s usually rambunctious, unapologetic terms. Space rock’s recent resurface on Earth is a reaction to the political climate of today: When things on Earth get tough, rock takes off for the stars. If the current space rock movement is anything like the last, it isn’t here to stay for long. For now, the best thing rock fans can do is strap in and enjoy the momentary breaks from the many Earthly ailments of today.

BC Theatre’s ‘Jailbait’ Candidly Matures on Stage By Jillian Ran Asst. Arts Editor

Like its provocative title, Boston College Theatre’s latest production, Jailbait, refuses to spare any of the gritty details of growing up. Revolving around two underage girls’ misadventures at a Boston nightclub, the play’s broad spectrum of emotions is brought to life by the cast. From the petty,

subtle competition that accompanies female friendships to the pain of breakups and the joy of newfound love, the stage is the site of equal parts innocence and debauchery. This strange contradiction is present from the very beginning. The play opens with high school friends Claire (Isabelle Wallkey, MCAS ’21) and Emmy (Ally Lardner, MCAS ’21) hanging out in Claire’s bedroom. The set is a flawless imitation

MAGGIE DIPATRI / HEIGHTS EDITOR

BC Theatre’s ‘Jailbait’ honestly explored the common struggles of adolescence.

UPrising Ups the Energy at Waves II Dance Show By Stephanie Liu Copy Editor

On Saturday night, Boston College dance crew UPrising put on their third-annual dance showcase, Waves II, featuring its own choreography and other guest performers from both BC and the Boston area. Waves II began with a fiery performance from UPrising, all dressed in red sweatshirts dancing to O.T. Genasis’ “Everybody Mad” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.” Their urban hip-hop background really shined through as the members weaved in and out of formations, bopping to the music. UPrising closed off the opening act by dropping coins in a mic drop to the roars of the crowd. Next, the first of the guest performers AEROdynamiK (AeroK) brought its dance number, inspired by Korean dance forms, that began with hip-hop bounce to Chris Brown’s “F—k It Off,” but then shifted to a more lyrical mood to Logic’s “1-800-2738255” and Shawn Mendes’ “In My Blood.” AeroK’s performance featured partner work to the touching lyrics of “1-800-2738255,” and ended its performance with everyone throwing their plaid shirts up into the air. Phaymus then came on stage wearing camo pants and white tops, dancing to Drake’s “In My Feelings” and Tinashe’s “Throw A Fit.” In true Phaymus style, its dance number was filled with swagger as it shifted the audience’s mood from that of emotional reflection to high-energy dance. Synergy Dance Company performed next to Tyler, the Creator’s “I Ain’t Got Time.” Its dance brought the energy in the

room to a boil, as the audience chanted their friends’ names and encouraged the dancers to give their all on the stage. Following the BC guest performers was UPrising’s rookie showcase, where the new members of the group presented their own choreographed piece as their induction to the BC dance community. Dressed in a black, white, and pink sweatshirt, the rookies were uniform and consistent in their dance to “Unlock the Swag” by Rae Sremmurd featuring Jace of Two-9. The event then turned to the audience, where three audience members volunteered to go on stage for a freestyle battle. The participants turned it up onstage, dancing to a random track and showing off their moves. Guest performances from groups outside BC came next, with DanceWorks Boston, a dance group with non-professional dancers who want to continue dancing and choreographing into their adult life. DanceWorks brought a delightful show with headstands and flips that stunned the crowd. Movementality from MIT came next, with a performance that blended meme culture with hip-hop. Featuring dances from Fortnite and a death-drop moment, Movementality kept its hip-hop fresh and current, relatable to all in the crowd. The next group featured was QWAM, a group of dancers looking to explore and challenge the conventions of masculinity and femininity through dance. QWAM came on with a dance that had elements of wacking and urban hip-hop. The highlight of the set was when a member dropped into the splits and brought the energy to a high.

JONATHAN YE / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Hip-hop company UPrising enlisted a number of BC dance groups for its Waves II show.

Kaylie Ramirez is the arts editor for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@ bcheights.com.

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Monday, January 28, 2019

SYNERGY CALLS UPON PAST AND FUTURE AMID 15-YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW

By Emily Himes Assoc. Arts Editor

After an extremely rigorous and difficult practice season, Synergy Hip Hop Dance Company took the stage at 2018 Showdown. The competition was fierce and the stakes were high, but the group’s long hours and hard work paid off—the 23 person team won the massive competition against the odds. Synergy is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary and Mariah Davis, Synergy’s Outreach Coordinator and MCAS ’20, attributes the group’s longevity to its strong traditions. Like most groups on campus, Synergy has a strong sense of heritage that gets handed down year after year. “We are so fortunate that a lot of the things do get passed down [to us],” Davis said. “We have 15 years of alumni working with us.” About 20 of the alumni made an appearance during Friday night’s All Aboard Syn Express performance, the group’s 15th anniversary show. Alumni from the Boston and New York areas came together to collaborate on a never-before-seen performance, one that was even a surprise to current Synergy members. The group’s founder even traveled all the way from California with her family to see the show. Alumni involvement is especially important to Synergy. The close-knit family continues to grow and thrive even after graduation, and it really shapes the group’s social dynamic year after year. “Our alumni love to come and visit us,” Davis said. “They’re always reaching out, they want to meet the new members.” There’s no doubt that every member of Synergy is giving this season their all. Team members have to set aside time to choose songs and a theme, choreograph the sets, and rehearse. The group practiced every single day this semester, including weekends, to make sure the show turned out perfect. “Everyone plays a part,” Davis said. “Some people are writing the script, others editing, it’s a group effort. It really takes all 23 of us to be on our top game to get the job done.” This collaborative spirit that fuels Synergy forward is mirrored in the BC dance community as a whole. Dance Organization of Boston College (DOBC), Boston College Dance Ensemble (BCDE), Females Incorporating Sisterhood Through Step (F.I.S.T.S.), and Fuego Del Corazón all made appearances at Friday night’s show. “It was cool to meet and work with members of a different team,” said Elena Akins, the social media coordinator of Fuego Del Corazón and MCAS ’19, in a text message. “It was also cool to try out a different style of dance—while definitely challenging, it was really rewarding when it started to come together.” While the dance community at BC is often extremely competitive, espe-

CELINE LIM / HEIGHTS EDITOR

“It’s nice to be around people who understand what we go through as dancers and learn something from them,” Davis said. “And it’s always interesting seeing our dancers performing in a different style from another team.” Collaboration and partnership is always important, but winning is too. Showdown is a hallmark event in BC’s arts community, and teams put their blood, sweat, and tears into preparation for the massive competition. “Every year our goal is to win,” Davis said. “We are always thinking about what people want to see, what they’re not going to be expecting, what’s trendy or what will make a statement, but it’s always something that everyone at BC can relate to.” One of the most integral parts of a team is its evolution. Every year, a spirited group of new dancers has the opportunity to define the team’s success. As soon as the school year starts, the group works hard to attract BC’s best, targeting freshmen and upperclassmen who have yet to join

cially around Showdown, it’s important to remember that the dancers are all friends with people from opposing teams and often have something to learn from them as well. Some of the most interesting performances of the show were the collaborations between Synergy and the other groups, which encapsulated the diverse nature of the groups’ abilities. When the various groups performed together, there was a tangible electricity in the air—it was clear everyone onstage was excited to be doing something different, and had fun doing it. Synergy commands the respect of BC’s dance teams, especially after winning Showdown in 2018. “Synergy is definitely a big name in the BC dance community,” Akins said. “They put together great sets that are really fun to watch and are so good at what they do.” The sense of family not only within Synergy but among all the dance teams is an important one. We all gravitate toward those who are relatable, and the dance community is no different.

a dance team. The recruiting process begins over the summer, when Synergy members create an audition video, fliers, and posters. They hang a big banner near the entrance to Upper Campus and try to get the word out at activity fairs. Even though the team is freshman-heavy, it still attracts upperclassmen as well. “We try to have a balance,” Davis said. “But sometimes we get new juniors, even seniors.” This all ties back into the group’s uniqueness and diversity. Members try out different dance styles and collaborate with other teams and are always open to trying something new. Even though Synergy is a hip-hop group, some members are lyrical or tap dancers. Some are even first-time dancers. This inclusivity of different skill levels, backgrounds, and experiences is what makes Synergy stand out. “We have a great relationship with other dance groups,” Davis said. “The dance community is so close-knit and tight. It’s a really great network to have, and we get really excited when we get to showcase our work with other teams.” While the broader community is important to the team, this weekend’s show was a reminder that the members of Synergy are truly a self-described family (they call themselves the “Syn-fam”). Their love for each other and passion for dance shines through in every moment of their performances—it is evident that they enjoy every dance they share. This love of dance does not die after graduation, however, as the alumni looked like they were having an especially great time onstage. “We spend a lot of time together grinding every day, so we really become a family working and laughing together,” Davis said. “We always have 22 other people on our side—it can be hard to find a big, loving family with no exceptions or exclusions.” The group is excited about the future and cherishes the time they have together now. They are passionate about dance and performing together. “This show was more to me than just a performance for the Boston College community,” said Nghi Ho, MCAS ’19. “It felt like something that was truly for us, for my teammates: both present and future.” A lot can change in 15 years, but then again, a lot can stay the same. When asked what Synergy’s 30 year anniversary will look like, Davis had to think for a second. Definitely some more Showdown wins under their belt, and maybe incorporate more collaborations as BC’s dance community grows closer. But in terms of the bigger picture, Synergy has big plans. “I hope Synergy continues to blossom,” Davis said. “I hope the 30th anniversary is 30 times as great as this one, and that the alumni community will continue to grow into all the corners of the world. I hope we’ll be united for our love for our Syn-fam and our love for dance.” n

Synergy Show Features Colorful Collabs, Alum Performances

By Emily Himes

Assoc. Arts Editor

Synergy’s 15th Anniversary show, All Aboard Syn Express, featured an impressive array of talent, passion, and solidarity. The whole performance was colorful and energetic, including costume changes and guest appearances. While most parts of the show were fast-paced and incorporated typical hip-hop moves, some of the night’s best moments occured during slower songs and collaborations. Dance Organization of Boston College (DOBC), Boston College Dance Ensemble (BCDE), Fuego Del Corazón, and Females Incorporating Sisterhood Through Step (F.I.S.T.S.) all made appearances, often performing their own set and then joining Synergy for one of theirs. The coordination among

INSIDE ARTS

the teams was truly spectacular, as it was clear everyone had to go out of their comfort zone to try a new style of dance. The clear sense of teamwork and community between the teams was fantastic to see. Synergy was even able to poke fun at the other teams with some light-hearted jokes—at one point between dances, during a short skit, one Synergy member exclaimed, “It could be worse, we could be in those DOBC bodysuits!” It’s obvious that Synergy is on a hunt to defend its 2018 Showdown title—and while the competition is fierce, the hiphop group has had its share of iconic dances throughout the years. At one point in the show, the group recreated some of its favorite and popular dances to remind the audience of its skill. Since it was the anniversary show,

‘Plexapalooza’

about 20 Synergy alumni also performed a a number that the current team had never seen before. It was evident that the alumni were so excited to be back on the Robsham stage and are still passionate about Synergy and dance as a whole. Since the show had a train theme, between each set a few members performed a short skit hinting at what would come next, which tied the songs together nicely. Before Fuego Del Corazón performed, it pretended the train was on “fuego” and proceeded to stop, drop, and roll, evoking chuckles from the audience. The collaboration with the popular Latin dance group included some hip-hop styles, as well as a fair amount of more traditional hispanic moves. Cheers erupted throughout the

‘Jailbait’

audience when the group performed a collaboration with F.I.S.T.S titled “female power,” which included dances to “God is a Woman,” “Future is Female,” and “BBO.”

Synergy is on track to have another successful year, and with emphasis on collaboration and teamwork with other teams, the group is a great example for all others to follow. n

CELINE LIM / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Synergy performed in a number of different dance styles at its 15th anniversary show.

RL Grime and Audien took the stage on Jan. 26 for the final Boston College Theatre Department stunned the audience CAB-sponsored Plexapalooza EDM concert........................... A15 with its inspired performance of ‘Jailbait’.............................A15

‘Serenity’...............................................A14 ‘Almost Free’..........................................A14 ‘Black Monday’..........................................A14