The Heights March 1, 2018

Heights

The

The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College

EST. 1919

www.bcheights.com

Thursday, March 1, 2018

2018

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW Concerns Persist Over Federal Research Cuts BC increasingly gets research dollars from non-federal sources.

By Cole Dady News Editor

Keith Carroll / Heights Editor

With its 85-70 victory over Syracuse Wednesday, men’s basketball clinched its first winning season since 2010-11.

Newton Considers Pot Moratorium City Council will vote March 5 on temp. recreational ban.

By Colleen Martin Copy Editor The City Council of Newton has postponed voting on a temporary ban of recreational marijuana establishments, due to the absence of five city councillors at the Feb. 27 meeting.

The proposal calls for a halting of all license applications until the end of the calendar year, so that the Zoning and Planning Committee will have more time to complete an analysis and create a plan for guidelines regarding the location and opening of recreational marijuana shops.

This is in contrast to the state standard for proposals, as the Cannabis Control Commission will begin to accept applications for business licensing on April 1. The final regulations from the state regarding policies and possession laws, however, will not be released until March 15.

According to Karyn Dean, committee clerk for the Zoning and Planning

Committee in Newton, the release of the final regulations by the state is so close to the final deadline for licensing that it makes it a very difficult date to meet. The proposals have to go through the Zoning and Planning Committee, the City Council, and if passed, have to wait 20 days before they can go into effect. In order to do the research and analysis needed to create thoughtful and effective zoning coordinates, the committee said they need more time.

Approximately 90 other towns in Massachusetts have passed temporary moratoria on recreational establishments.

Some of the decisions they want to make, according to Newton Patch, were about establishing limits on the number of stores in Newton, having location and zoning regulations set in place, and having rules about cultivation or production facilities. A current medical marijuana distributor, Newton Garden Remedies, will be addressed at the City Council meeting in an amendment that will be introduced to exempt it from the temporary ban, Dean said.

The proposal has raised mixed

responses from residents: some are upset by the delay, while others support the need to take more time to create regulations. The citizens who criticized the temporary ban cited the need of the city to listen to the voice of the people.

The residents of Newton voted “yes” to question four on Nov. 8, 2016, which legalized recreational marijuana use for adults ages 21 and over, with 54.7 percent in favor and 45.3 percent not in favor, according to the Patch.

“Voters voted one way,” Bob Cavanaugh, a resident of Newton, told the Newton Patch. “They ought to be taken into consideration.”

Another resident told the Newton Patch that she understood why they were delaying the establishments, citing the “desire to provide a supportive environment with constructive activities” for children in Newton as the chief reason.

The temporary ban will be presented to the full council on March 5, when it will decide if the extended time for zoning regulations is warranted. If it passes, businesses will not be able to apply for licenses until Dec. 31, 2018. n

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump unveiled his proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2019, entitled “An American Budget: Major Savings and Reforms.” While private businesses and the proposed border wall would receive a larger share of funding from these savings, academics and scholars might not be so lucky.

Trump’s proposed plan entails a slew of cuts for federal agencies that fund research at Boston College. This trend isn’t an anomaly. As reported by The Heights last year, faculty feared that cuts to federal funding for key programs could have a significant impact at BC. Once again, these concerns rest in the humanities and in the earth and environmental sciences department. “​Cuts to federal research funding have been a reality for many years now,” said Sharon Comvalius-Goddard, the director of BC’s Office of Sponsored Programs, in an email.” BC has responded to that reality by diversifying our funding sources.”

BC’s funding data illustrates this trend.

Funding actions by federal sponsors at BC decreased from $35.8 million in fiscal year 2016 to $30.9 million in 2017, while

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funding actions by non-federal sponsors increased from $20.4 million in fiscal year 2016 to $23.4 million in 2017.

The fiscal year 2017 annual report for the Office of Sponsored Programs covers the period June 1, 2016 to May 31, 2017, and reflects the most recent numbers available.

“We now approach private sources of funding such as foundations and corporations to help fill the ​gap in federal funding caused by budget cuts,” Comvalius-Goddard said. “We’ve also seen that these private sources seem to be increasing the types of funding programs they have available.”

As reported by the Associated Press, Trump’s budget suggests significant reductions for the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, and would “begin” shutting down in 2019. While both are currently budgeted at around $150 million, the NEA would be cut down to $29 million, and the NEH to $42 million.

The agencies, longtime targets of conservatives, had their funding restored in 2017 in a wave of bipartisan support, despite an attempt by Trump to eliminate them.

Requesting grants from these agencies is commonplace at BC. In fiscal year 2017, proposed grants from the NEA totaled $150,000, and $120,000 in 2016. Grant proposals from the NEH totaled $60,612

See Federal Budget, A3

FUNDING ACTION BY FED. AND NON–FED. SPONSORS (IN MILLIONS) 35.8 30.7

30 25

23.4

20.4

20 15 10 5

NON–FED FY16

FED FY16

NON–FED FY17

FED FY17 Nicole Chan / Heights Editor

Ban Ki-moon Praises Global Citizenship The former U.N. Secretary General visited BC on Tuesday.

By Charlie Power Asst. News Editor

Celine Lim / Heights staff

Ban Ki-moon spoke to students and called for a renewal of young leadership.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

METRO: Union Rally

Workers, politicians, and citizens gathered in Boston to support worker’s rights.........A6

To his supporters, he was a calm, steady hand at the helm of one of the world’s most powerful intergovernmental organizations. He was arguably one of the most influential people on the planet, playing a direct role in some of the world’s most pressing issues in recent history: the conflict in Syria, South Sudan and Yemen, the Haiti cholera epidemic, and bettering standards of living for impoverished people around the world.

And for the Boston College com-

NEWS: Paul Farmer

Paul Farmer discusses his legacy in international health.........................................A2

munity, his leadership and diplomacy serves as an inspiration for citizenship that extends beyond the borders of one’s country.

Ban Ki-moon, the Honorable Former Secretary General of the United Nations, spoke in Robsham Theater Tuesday night. He offered a vigorous defense of international institutions in an age of rising nationalism, and impressed upon students his belief in the importance of fostering the values of global citizenship.

Ban began his remarks by exploring the perils and promise of technology.

“Nowadays, we find ourselves in the midst of a global era of change,” he said. “At the same time, that is why there is a general sense of uncertainty and insecurity fostered by the very

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technological progress we have been successful in achieving. The question is ‘How we can use it to advance opportunities for humankind?’”

Amidst this uncertainty, Ban is hopeful that mankind can successfully meet its most pressing challenges.

“I am confident that human resources and capacity will be able to work for the betterment of our common humanity,” he said. “At the same time I believe that much of this capacity is grounded in partnership to achieve our development goals.

Ban stressed the global nature of the challenges facing the international community, ranging from terrorism to climate change. These issues must be solved by partnership, for they are

Ban Ki-moon, A3

NEWS.........................A2 SCENE........................B1

Vol. XCIX, No. 7 OPINIONS................... A4 ARTS..........................B2 © 2018, The Heights, Inc. MAGAZINE..................A6 SPORTS PREVIEW.....C1 www.bchelghts.com 69

The Heights

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TOP

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things to do on campus this week

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Erika George, Samuel D. Thurman Professor of Law at the University of Utah, will give a lecture entitled “Protecting Human Rights Through Rankings and Reporting: Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Media Corporations.” The talk is scheduled for today from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in McGuinn Hall 334.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

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Sing it to the Heights will take place tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Robsham Theater. Ten students will participate in the competition, which is modeled on American Idol. Three judges will then decide the winner. All proceeds will benefit the St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton.

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On Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Hartmut Austen, a professor of studio art, will offer a gallery walk in Boston’s SoWa neighborhood. Those interested should meet at the Howard Yezerski Gallery at 460 Harrison Ave. The event is sponsored by the art, art history, and film department and is open to all faculty, staff, and students.

NEWS Farmer and Himes Discuss Friendship, Health Care BRIEFS

By Katlin Meeks

BC Ranks 6th in Theology

Boston College ranked sixth in theology, divinity, and religious studies in the 2018 QS World University Rankings. The rankings are based on academic and employer reputation, as well as published research.

“We are gratified to learn of our recent international ranking,” said Richard Gaillardetz, theology department chair and the Joseph Chair in Catholic Systematic Theology, to BC News.

BC is the highest-ranked Catholic university on the list. In 2017, BC ranked fifth.

Harvard University ranked first, followed by the University of Oxford, Durham University (Great Britain), University of Cambridge, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Boston College, University of Notre Dame, University of Toronto, KU Leuven University (Belgium), and the University of Chicago.

“Here at Boston College, we take great pride in the strength of our faculty and students in Theology and related disciplines, and in our scholars’ commitment to engaging a range of publics around Boston and around the globe,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley to BC News.

“The QS World Rankings offer helpful external validation of our community of theologians and the high esteem in which they are held by colleagues in the field,” Gaillardetz said.

“We have worked hard as a department to maintain, along with the School of Theology and Ministry, a world-class faculty that is committed to scholarship at the highest level, excellence in the classroom, and a concern for the welfare of our students.

“We hope to continue as a premier institution for students interested in pursuing advanced theological studies as we put our considerable intellectual resources to the service of the Church and world,” he added.

New Director for the LSRA Michael A. Harris joined the University as director of Learning Resources for Student-Athletes (LRSA) on Monday, according to The Chronicle.

A former college football player for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Harris has worked with student-athletes for more than a decade at several schools, including his alma mater.

Harris succeed interim director J. Joseph Burns, the associate vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs. The LRSA serves all of BC’s varsity athletes, providing counseling, advising, tutoring, learning disability services, and a supervised study center.

“I am thrilled that Michael will be joining BC as the next director of the LRSA,” said Akua Sarr, vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs, to The Chronicle. “He has over a decade of experience working in Division 1 athletic administration in the areas of academic support and student development. I’m confident that he will make a positive impact on the experience of our student-athletes while helping them prepare for life after BC.” After stints at Towson University and Western Carolina University, Harris served from 2011 to 2016 as assistant athletic director for academic services and career development at the University of Maryland, before switching to UNC in 2016. Harris cited the close connection between athletics and academics at BC and the work of Martin Jarmond as reasons for joining BC’s LRSA. “As academic support professionals, we have the ability make far-reaching impacts on the world around us by making a positive impact on the lives of the student-athletes we encounter,” Harris said to The Chronicle.

Photo Editor

On Tuesday evening, theology professor Rev. Ken Himes had a discussion with Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health and current chair of the department of global health and social medicine at Harvard University, at an event called “Accompaniment in Practice: a Conversation with Paul Farmer.” Organized by Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center, the event highlighted Farmer’s career in international health and his quest to provide universal health care to underprivileged people.

Partners in Health, founded by Farmer and college friend Todd McCormack in 1987, is an international non-profit organization that has provided health care services to underdeveloped countries around the world. Farmer revealed that while he has always had aspirations to become a doctor, he was unsure of how he wanted his future to look when he was beginning his medical studies. He was inspired to incite change after going on multiple services trip to rural Haiti while pursuing his undergraduate degree at Duke University.

“I knew I had wanted to go into medicine, [but] I had no idea why—Haiti made me know why,” Farmer said.

During one of his first trips to Haiti, he witnessed a woman die during childbirth.

This experience, along with others during his trips, prompted him to take action. He decided to raise money for a blood bank in an attempt to provide aid to Haitians in need. Farmer called upon his well-established friends and family to donate to the cause, and it got him thinking.

“What would it look like if [there was] a group of people in the United States and Haiti ... address[ing] health care problems of people facing both poverty and disease?” he said.

Kaitlin Meeks / Heights Editor

Partners in Health founder Paul Farmer spoke about the lessons he learned from working in international health care on Tuesday.

At age 23, Farmer was beginning to grasp the potential influence he could have over equalizing the field of health care.

Himes later prompted Farmer to discuss the role of partnership and friendship in his work, since these topics were the guiding themes of the C21 center this semester. He first declared that Partners in Health was born out of friendship, referencing McCormack’s involvement in the group.

The pair became inspired to promote change in the world of health care. Farmer stressed that the foundation’s beginnings revolved around friendship rather than a “strategic business plan.”

“We wanted [Partners in Health] to look different from standard aid and development work and other mission groups,” he said.

He noted that while these international aid organizations perform very rewarding work, he and McCormack had a vision for

solidarity to be at the heart of Partners in Health’s mission.

“The biggest threat to accompaniment and friendship is inequality,” Farmer said.

He explained the difficulty he experienced in forming deep relationships and friendships with the people he was trying to help, noting the “towering divide between a young American … who is going back and forth between Harvard and Haiti, a place where there is every imaginable thing that you might need, and then no electricity, no food, no water.”

Farmer stated that he has now learned that real friendships can be formed across such great divides—to form these meaningful and egalitarian friendships, he had to first understand that their experiences were not the same as his and that he had to listen to the narratives of the individuals who he was working with.

At the end of the discussion, Himes asked Farmer to extend advice to the

young people in the audience who want to make a difference in the world—the people that want to be like him in 25 years. Farmer humbly encouraged the audience members not to aspire to be him, but rather to “find [their] own path toward addressing the disparities that are so abundant” in local communities.

Farmer also related his younger self to the students in the audience, explaining that they are in the same place that he was years ago. At the time, he was introduced to worldly issues, which he experiences out in the field to this day. Ultimately, he hoped to stress that students make a change by connecting with others on an interpersonal level and establishing relationships with people who share similar goals.

“Friendship is critical—if you want to be partners with people living in poverty you have to figure out how to be friends across these divides,” he said. n

ALC Proposes Expanding MLE Floors to Newton

By Celia Carbone For The Heights The AHANA+ Leadership Council (ALC) of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College is proposing to expand the Multicultural Learning Experience (MLE) floors to Newton Campus, which ALC hopes will facilitate discussions on important issues between Newton and main campus.

A final proposal is currently in the works, according Jefferson Agyapong, a leader of the initiative and MCAS ’21. ALC is continuously drafting the document to reflect the voices of all advocates for the expansion. Based on the feedback in response to expanding MLE, there is a strong desire to enhance the program.

ALC is seeking to achieve approval of the program from ResLife to materialize its vision of offering MLE on

both residential campuses.

MLE offers a possible solution to the concern that living on Newton campus does not allow students to fully integrate into the social and academic opportunities BC has to offer, which are fostered primarily on main campus.

“It is like you are isolated from a community and within one, as well,” said Ibrahima Mbaye, a member of ALC, former resident of Newton Campus, and CSOM ’20, regarding the lack of outreach of organizations to Newton. “Having more living and learning communities on Newton will help destigmatize the campus as a place where it is not very enjoyable to live.”

ALC conducted a survey, which collected over 160 responses of Newton Campus residents, showing that the commute to main campus is often

seen as a barrier to becoming more involved in the community, inhibiting students from having a fully immersive BC experience.

“It is hard to be men and women for others when you do not see the other people you are supposed to be around,” Agyapong said.

The survey not only addressed issues of expanding MLE, but also gave students the opportunity to suggest improvement to the floors and ALC. Suggestions included placing more emphasis on the learning aspect of MLE, introducing a scholar lecture series, and requiring MLE students to take diversity-related courses.

Agyapong said the MLE floor provides students with the opportunity to open their minds to new experiences and narratives other than their own.

The MLE floors are one of several living and learning communities on

campus. According to ResLife, the hallmarks of these communities are collaboration, connection, and community—they are focused on creating a living experience that intentionally facilitates interaction between students, faculty, and staff throughout the University.

Mbaye said MLE serves the purpose of being a community grounded in its commitment to diversity, which is notable in the context of the racist incidents on campus last October.

It is open to first year students only and is situated in Xavier Hall on Upper Campus. There are currently two floors designated to the community, one for males and one for females.

“There’s a general desire for more intimate conversations or connections,” Mbaye said. “These kinds of spaces are very important for fostering those kinds of communication.” n

POLICE BLOTTER: 2/25/18 – 2/27/18 Sunday, Feb. 25

Tuesday, Feb. 27

1:07 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an underage intoxicated person on Upper Campus.

3:02 p.m. - a report was filed regarding a fire alarm in Stayer Hall.

6:34 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a medical incident at Alumni Stadium.

Monday, Feb. 26 3:37 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious circumstance at Botolph House.

4:27 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a larceny in Duchesne West.

9:45 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a fire alarm activation in McElroy Commons.

6:10 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a secret video/partial nudity in O’Neill Library.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

CORRECTIONS What are your plans for Spring Break?

“I’m going to the Dominican with my friends.”

—Emily Salomon, MCAS ’21

“I’m going to Punta Cana with my friends.”

—Phillip Lynch, MCAS ’18

“I’ll be working all break.”

—Ianick Pires, MCAS ’21

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

“I’m headed to Texas to visit my boyfriend.”

—Jackie Purmort LaBue, MCAS ’21

THE HEIGHTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

Sources Shift for Research Grants Federal Budget, from A1

STEVEN EVERETT / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Senator Argues UGBC Alienates Conservatives

BY SAMANTHA KARL Heights Staff James Noyes, CSOM ’19, presented a resolution to the Student Assembly (SA) of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College on Tuesday evening regarding safe lifting habits in the squat racks. But his speech to the SA had little to do with this topic.

After a few minutes, he began to make a statement on his viewpoint that conservative students are not being adequately represented on campus. He explained that although previous surveys of students have shown that conservative students feel persecuted for their views, UGBC hasn’t made any tangible effort to reach them, despite the organization’s claim to represent all students on campus.

“We all felt the injustice of seeing fellow students being told their lives don’t matter, but when conservative students face such backlash, there are not responses, no statements, no resolutions, or even mentions of it in our SA meetings,” Noyes said.

His response follows the resignation of two senators in the SA—Steve DiPietro, MCAS ’19, and Matt Batsinelas, CSOM ’19. Aneeb Sheikh, MCAS ’20, had called the SA to hold an emergency meeting regarding the Articles of Impeachment against DiPietro, an action that primarily stemmed from a social media post from DiPietro.

On Wednesday afternoon, UGBC sent an email regarding two open seats in the SA for the class of 2019.

Noyes noted that he was not “entirely against” the proposed action against DiPietro, but dislikes when conservative students are marginalized for their views.

“I see UGBC members, not necessarily SA members, liking such posts rather than

SSH Seeks Support

BY ABBY HUNT Copy Editor On this year’s election ballot for the Undergraduate Government of Boston College, 94 percent of students who voted on the referendum proposed by Students for Sexual Health (SSH) indicated that they were in favor of allowing the group to distribute contraceptives and hold meetings on BC’s campus, without receiving official recognition or funding from the University.

On Feb. 22, BC issued a response to The Heights expressing that it will continue to prohibit the public distribution of condoms on campus, citing the University’s respect for its commitments as a Jesuit, Catholic institution.

Kratz said that the group’s plans for the future are to continue meeting with administrators to organize sexual health dialogues and informational events on campus, and to connect students with a condom distribution program.

“After reviewing the university statement on the referendum and holding preliminary discussions with university administrators, we are dismayed to confirm that the University has no intention of allowing the Students For Sexual Health to distribute contraceptives on campus, despite the overwhelming student need and demand for these resources,” he said.

Kratz said that SSH hopes that administrators are willing to consider permitting the group to meet and organize dialogues on campus as it meets with them over the coming weeks.

Kratz said that SSH has discovered and is currently exploring a new condom delivery service operated by student volunteers off campus.

According to Kratz, students only need to provide their names and addresses, and condoms will be delivered directly to their campus mailbox on the first and 15th of each month. 

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mounting them,” Noyes said. “Such behavior is not acceptable, and I encourage those of you who engage in it to respectfully stop participating in this harassment.”

Following his speech, Sheikh and Akosua Achampong, UGBC president and MCAS ’18, explained that they they encourage conservative students to come to UGBC meetings to express their views and help them feel more represented.

The night also consisted of debating the definition of a conservative. Noyes explained it is a mindset of students on campus who do not feel like they are being properly represented in UGBC. Achampong suggested that the word “conservative” was being used as a term to conceal other types behavior that violates human rights and human dignity, and she also wondered if the term “conservative” was being used in terms of political or traditional view.

“We should not let the bystander effect let other students berate each other,” Achampong said. “We are advocates for everyone, and are trying to do that in every circle and every situation, and not turn a blind eye if that’s what anyone in this room has been doing.”

Achampong added that there is a Biased Incident Reporting Net that allows conservatives to report incidents that they feel violate the community standards of BC. She feels it is important that BC students have the ability report incidents like this and engage in conversations with administrators to talk about the language being used against conservatives.

“We need to start using conservative students as the basis for some of our activism, not all of it, but enough to assure such students that we do in fact represent them as the Undergraduate Government of Boston College,” Noyes said. 

in fiscal year 2016.

“Clearly it would not be good for Trump to eliminate either the NEA or NEH,” said Nancy Netzer, director of the McMullen Museum of Art. “The ripple effects throughout our society would be far reaching and have a negative impact on the cultural values of our country.”

Elizabeth Graver, a professor in the English department, expressed concerns of a similar perspective over the NEA in an email to The Heights last semester.

“The NEA supports the arts at BC on so many different levels,” she said. “Individuals [sic] faculty, including myself, have been able to take time off from teaching and dive deep into our creative projects with support from NEA Fellowships. We bring numerous writers, artists and performers to campus whose work is supported by the NEA. The NEA also does important work supporting arts and artistic creation in rural and underserved communities and encouraging new voices—goals many people in our department are also working on in various ways.”

Faculty in the sciences have also expressed concern over potential budget cuts in their fields. Funding levels for two major research donors at BC, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, would be roughly equivalent to

their current levels under Trump’s proposed budget. But other donors of research funds, namely the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the United States Geological Survey, and the Environmental Protection Agency, would see serious funding decreases.

Under Trump’s plan, the EPA’s funding would be dropped 24 percent, the USGS’s would lose 20.8 percent, and the NOAA’s would be cut by 19.6 percent. In fiscal year 2017, proposals to fund projects at BC under the USGS totaled $228,837, and $149,232 in 2016. It is important to note, however, that NSF proposals for funding came in at $38,633,554 in fiscal 2017, and funding actions at $3,733,917.

“These funding cuts may influence important long-term environmental monitoring, including water, ecological, weather and climate projects,” said Noah Snyder, an associate professor of the earth and environmental sciences department, in an email.

Ethan Baxter, the chairperson of the earth and environmental sciences department, explained in an email that many of the specific programs losing funding are within earth- and climate-observing science in the NOAA. He also observed that the cutback to the USGS would harm research that delves into the nation’s natural resources.

“Most of our funding currently comes

from NSF, but all these other programs fund earth and environmental science research and thus if they are shrunk, it puts a squeeze on options and resources for everyone,” he said. “A few of us have had plans for some USGS funded work, and that may now dry up. We’ll have to see what actually passes congress.”

While BC continues to receive grants for research in the face of potential budget cuts, it is becoming increasingly more challenging to achieve them, according to Comvalius-Goddard. The peer review process has become more stringent, and due to the shrinking budget, federal agencies have become less willing to take chances on innovative, higher-risk projects. This leaves a negative impact on new investigators who aren’t known as well-established researchers, preventing them from representing high risk projects.

“The cuts could have an negative impact to not only BC, but to research in the United States as a whole,” she said.

Congress will not approve a final version of the fiscal year 2019 budget until June. In the meantime, BC can only hope that cuts won’t be as significant as they appear to be.

“Do remember that the budget is a proposed one, so we very often see that the cuts to funding aren’t as severe in the final approved budget,” Comvalius-Goddard said. 

Ban Criticizes U.S. Exit from Paris Deal Ban Ki-moon, from A1 too complex to be handled by a single state, he explained.

Ban connected this to his advocacy for increased dialogue and partnership among the international community, asking for professors and students to bear heavier responsibilities as global citizens.

He spoke about some of the organizations dedicated to this goal,and addressed the critics of the UN who doubt the organization’s effectiveness and relevance in handling issues of global importance. He maintained that the organization’s tireless pursuit of human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security was made possible through partnership.

Despite the progress in reducing the number of people living in extreme poverty or dying from preventable diseases, Ban acknowledged the enormous challenges

that remain, including unprecedented refugee flows.

“Often people say you are going to be the leaders of tomorrow,” he said. “But many young people… have already taken leadership today. So you should be prepared to lead this world today, at the latest tomorrow. To take charge of this global leadership.”

According to Ban, the UN’s central challenge is to have a vision for all people and countries at various stages in development that is in harmony promoting the health of the planet.

“Some people have skepticism… whether we will be able to meet the targets,” he said. “We can do it, if we pursue a strong partnership among governments, international organizations, and civil society… it is most important that we work together.”

Ban then transitioned to a discussion of climate change. “I must express my deepest

concerns about what the U.S. administration is doing,” he said. “If the U.S. administration continues in this way, it will be standing on the wrong side of history.”

Ban recalled being a college freshman— coming from poor, underdeveloped Korea— meeting President John F. Kennedy at the White House in 1962. He remembers Kennedy telling them to look beyond the U.S., and beyond the Cold War. Most of all, Ban recalls him expressing his belief in them.

“He was talking about global vision, global citizenship, and I was very much inspired. Almost 60 years later, I am now talking about the same things, to young students.

“Despite the challenges we currently face, if we join together in strong partnerships, and move forward as global citizens, we can achieve our goals and create a brighter future.” 

The Heights

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EDITORIALS

Thursday, March 1, 2018

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Potential SSH Partnership is Effective Compromise

“Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away.”

- Frida Kahlo

This semester, Students for respect for our commitments gram, students are able to reSexual Health (SSH) has been as a Jesuit, Catholic university.” ceive the contraceptives in their urging the University to allow it, Despite the student body’s ex- mailboxes twice a month. Based as an externally funded organi- pressed interest in contracep- at an off-campus location, the zation, to distribute condoms on tive resources, shown through service would be completely free campus. According to the results an SSH survey as well as the of charge for BC students. of a referendum attached to the referendum, the administraSince the administration deUndergraduate Governcided to prevent the indement of Boston College pendently funded organipresidential election bal- zation from distributing “...partnering with this lot proposed by SSH, 94 contraceptives on campus, percent of voters support separate condom distribution this proposition could be the organization’s appeal service is a good alternative.” a pragmatic compromise to distribute contracepthat both heeds the comtives on campus without mitments of the Univerany funding from the Unisity and allows students to versity. tion remains committed to its receive the contraceptive care The University ’s response identity. they need to better practice safe to the referendum expressed To compromise, SSH is ex- sex. Since students have clearly continued disapproval of SSH’s amining the potential of a free expressed their desire for accesappeal. In an email, University condom delivery service, which sible contraceptive resources, Spokesman Jack Dunn said that would be funded by public health partnering with this separate the University would not change grants and run by BC student condom distribution service is its contraceptives policy “out of volunteers. Through the pro- a good alternative.

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The Heights

Thursday, March 1, 2018

A5

The Tragedy of BC’s Student Center Don’t Jump to Conclusions 69

69

Josh Behrens

Espresso - I would have ceased to exist long ago if I hadn’t taken up drinking single shots of espresso at 1 p.m. in order to make it through my afternoon classes. There are few things as undeniably tempting as that afternoon exhaustion that threatens to overtake your eyes while you sit in a lecture about Socrates or marginal costs or literally anything at all because this drowsiness does not care what you’re learning about—it just wants to take you down between approximately 1:13 p.m. and 2:37 p.m., or during the bulk of your afternoon classes. vance joy’s new album - I hate to be pathetic and say that this album was my primary source of joy (pun not intended, but I appreciate it) over the weekend, but it probably was. Vance Joy had been releasing singles every Friday from the album for a couple of weeks hyping up the release of Nation of Two. I do think it’s necessary to say that his songs don’t vary tremendously, so if you don’t usually like his music, you probably won’t like his new album. Even his most upbeat track on the album—probably “Lay It On Me”—is made up of primarily acoustic instruments. The addition of a horn section, however, really brings up the mood. Still, I find his acoustic and mellow melodies comfortable and easy to listen to.

If anything, it’s a good album to listen to if you just want to lay in the sun writing something only three people (including yourself ) are probably going to read.

69

“The building boom on the Heights is here to stay—keeping the University apace with major institutions of higher learning across the nation in expanding physical facilities to meet the problem of expanding enrollments … Among the buildings planned for construction in the near future is one in which students themselves can have a hand in planning. This is the Student Center.”

Sound familiar? While this quote could have been ripped straight from the lines of a Heights article about BC’s recent strategic planning initiatives, it’s actually from a 1959 Heights article entitled “Student Center: A Near Reality?”

Nearly 60 years ago, BC began discussing building a student center. We are still having that conversation. What follows is the long, tragic saga of a BC student center that may never be.

Back when The Heights was writing that a student center might be a near reality, BC was undergoing a radical transformation.

Emerging from its early days as a small, allmale, Irish-Catholic college, BC was growing into a prestigious, nationally-recognized university. Along with this newfound growth came a flood of money, which was invested in creating the campus we know today through a multitude of construction projects. Part of the plan to transform our humble college into an academic juggernaut was to construct a student center like our peers Notre Dame and Boston University already had.

BC started construction on McElroy in 1960 with the intention that the “modern Gothic” building would function as a student center for the burgeoning student body. Within a decade, however, BC discovered that McElroy did not function well as a student center, turned Mac into a dining hall, and retrofitted O’Connell House into a quasi-student center in 1969. O’Connell was still being used as a student center in the late ’70s despite a leaky roof. While BC had planned to build a student center in its

strategic plan in 1972, the administration reneged on this promise in 1977, saying, “There is no way that we are now planning a Student Center.”

In the mid-80s, the BC student body began rallying in support of a student center after a 1984 development plan to overhaul Lower Campus did not include any mention of a student center. In 1987, The Heights ran a front-page editorial in support of a student center on the same day as a pro-student center protest and continued to published numerous articles throughout the year with titles like, “Stop Stalling Student Center” and “Make Student Center Priority One.” The ’80s ended with no plans for construction of a student center despite immense student support for a central communal space.

Student activism didn’t die down, though. A letter was submitted to the Trustees in 1990 detailing the urgent need for more communal space and a petition was signed by over 3,000 students in 1991 in support of a student center. BC continued to climb in the ranks, but the lack of a student center haunted the Heights.

The 1991 said, “‘The one thing that B.C. is lacking is a student center.” The negative national attention and active student body finally pushed BC over the edge, and in 1995, BC announced that it would complete a student center in January 1997.

Of course it couldn’t be this simple—this is BC we’re talking about. The city of Newton halted the student center proposal in the approval process due to concerns about noise and traffic. These fears were fueled by a Marathon Monday party that got out of control earlier that spring. BC’s 40-year old desire for a student center was put on pause yet again. The case bounced around in courts for over a decade with no conclusion.

After purchasing Brighton Campus in the mid-2000’s, BC paid lip-service to the possibility of a student center. Executive Vice-President Pat Keating said in 2004, “If there is major construction to be done, the student center would be first.” A Heights poll in 2003 showed that 86 percent of students supported building a student center. In 2007, BC included plans for a student center in its $1.6 billion Strategic Plan. Apparently, the project reached the blueprint stage and then silently petered out with no explanation.

Last September, BC rejected putting formal plans for a student center in its strategic plan, but still reaffirmed that a student center remained on the horizon.

Vice President for Student Affairs Barb Jones stated, “The student center is still in the University’s master plan. It doesn’t mean that the student center isn’t still in the future.” Yet, the University continues to suffer from a lack of communal meeting space as numerous articles have stated in the past year. In 2018, we are still plagued with many of the same frustrations that the Eagles of the 20th century attempted to remedy.

Some lessons can be learned from this tragic chronology: First, throwing Marathon Monday parties rowdy enough to piss off the entire Newton community and its abundant legal resources is a bad idea.

More important, however, is that the BC administration has continually paid empty lip-service to the idea of a student center without actually committing to its promises. Time and time again, we as students are promised a space to call our own, but then our needs are cast aside in the pursuit of shiny amenities that look good on a brochure but do little to improve student life on campus. BC has rarely prioritized student needs for nearly 60 years. This cannot continue. If we band together to demand a student center like our alumni did in the early ’90s, we can fulfill the long struggle for communal space on campus.

A student center would be a great step forward in combating the alienation many students feel on this campus. It would allow for clubs to have meeting spaces and offices, and start to bridge connections between the various organizations that are very segregated in their tiny communities right now.

With student input, we could construct a building to suit our needs and not just another trendy café with $10 pizzas. Before we can even dream up what will be in this mythical student center, however, the first step is forcing BC to follow through on its promises. Like Eagle Debbie Knapman said in 1987, “There are so many things I’d like to see in the student center but there is no way it will be done before the year 2010.”

If only, Debbie, if only.

Josh Behrens is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

Discussing Diversity on Campus

days are only 24 hours - Every time I talk to my grandpa on the phone, he asks me how many extra hours I could use that day. He jokes, but I would be significantly less stressed all of the time if I had a few more hours to get everything done. I think 10 additional hours would be ideal—use the original 24 to do work well and those additional hours just for sleep—but three is probably sufficient. Or even if we could just round it up to 25, I would graciously accept an extra hour.

Booking your own flight - Remember when your mom handled all of your travel plans, and you didn’t have to do anything other than pack a bag and get on a plane?

Those were the times. Now, when I go home for break or visit my sister, I have to do all of that myself. I still don’t trust myself to type credit card information correctly on the first try—why should I be able to book a flight, check in the day before, and get to the airport with only sporadic email reminders from the airline to “book a hotel!” before I leave?

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Madeleine Hughes Diversity. The word has become so ambiguous and overused that it ends up having little meaning or impact. Sure, I know that diversity is often associated with race and reminds me of forced “diversity dialogues.” But the complexity of the subject—and my inability to fully grasp all layers of it—leaves me feeling lost. One thing I know for sure, Boston College struggles to embrace diversity just as much as I struggle to define it.

Over the past year, numerous appalling incidents of racism and insensitivity shocked BC’s campus. The defacement of Black Lives Matter signs, a racist snapchat, and the recent prejudiced Facebook post by a UGBC senator all send a clear and startling message: BC has a serious diversity problem. Not to mention the fact that minority professors remain highly underrepresented, the student body is 62 percent white, and LGBTQ+ students do not have a resource center on campus.

Last week, my PULSE class delved into an (often daunting) discussion about diversity and, most notably, BC’s lack of it.

Our conversation, however, was frighteningly incomplete. All too often, the meaning of diversity is weakened by its association with numbers. Most people argued that if BC simply admitted more minority students from diverse backgrounds into the student body, the path to inclusion would suddenly become clear. Decrease the number of white people, raise the percentage of minority students beyond 24 percent, have UGBC implement a diversity training program for freshmen. Poof! Problem solved. Well, not so fast.

As I walked out of class and headed to Eagle’s, I started to reflect on my own

relationship with diversity. I realized that even if BC ranked among the top universities for student diversity, as long as individuals remained in the same homogeneous social circles true diversity would never progress. When people are only friends with those who look just like them, spend their free time in the same wealthy Boston neighborhoods, or never attend a cultural show in Robsham, they are isolating themselves from the different people, cultures, and ideas that exist at BC. BC students often approach diversity in the wrong way. We distance ourselves from diversity, conceptualizing it as a percentage or number that is out of our control. It is not just the administrators and admissions officers that determine diversity at BC. Our campus will never be free of prejudice until each member of the student body fights for inclusion. This involves actively exposing oneself to people that are much different from you.

My very large and diverse public high school in Denver, Colo. had a minority enrollment of 55 percent. During passing periods the halls filled with multilingual students of various races, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds. When I filed into my AP and Honors classrooms, however, every student, for the most part, looked the same. My learning environment mainly consisted of white middle and upper class students.

Consequently, the friends I spent my days with—the ones that comprised my friend group and came over to my house after school—were extremely homogeneous.

Diversity in numbers alone is not enough.

True diversity reaches beyond statistics and demands individual accountability and action.

Thankfully, BC’s campus is brimming with the opportunity to engage with diverse people and ideas. Talk to the foreign exchange student that sits next to you in your econ class—get to know his story and how life in the U.S. differs from his home country. Take an Africa and

African Diaspora Studies class. Volunteer in a low-income neighborhood of Boston and learn about the issues poor people in the diverse city of Boston face. Spend time with and get to know people of different races. Don’t be afraid to talk (considerately and respectfully) to your friends from different political backgrounds about their opinions on hot-button issues. And of course, get a group of friends together and watch one of the amazing cultural dance shows in Robsham.

Watching one Indian dance group perform won’t suddenly inspire all BC students to hold hands, embrace one another, and sing kumbaya. But active participation encourages the seeds of diversity to root and flourish. It’s not enough to merely say you are an accepting person, yet remain ignorant of the struggles, opinions, and lives of the different students around you.

It is all too easy to fall into the comfortable pattern of spending time with people who are similar to you. I struggle with it every day. This serves as a reminder to you and I both that we look critically at the clubs, friends, and places that surround us, and be honest. Begin to think about the ways that seeking and accepting diversity can be a part of your everyday life.

College is so valuable because of the wealth of ideas, people, and cultures that live together on one campus. It is a waste of four years to remain trapped within an even more restrictive BC bubble by limiting yourself to one similar set of people.

The endeavor to increase numerical diversity is futile if we cannot appreciate the diversity that exists on campus now.

Mahatma Gandhi argued that “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” BC students must begin to sew the threads of unity in the hope that if we take action to welcome the vibrancy in diversity, the administration will follow.

Madeleine Hughes is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

The opinions and commentaries of the op-ed columnists and cartoonists appearing on this page represent the views of the author or artist of that particular piece, and not necessarily the views of The Heights. Any of the columnists and artists for the Opinions section of The Heights can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

Marta Seitz

“She was a caring, devoted, and motivated woman,” Bill Weeks said of his sister, Hailey. “And she died in a jail cell.”

People like Hailey Weeks do not fit the image that comes to mind when you imagine a drug addict and criminal: She was a successful lawyer with a triple major in college who enjoyed competitive horseback riding on the side. Yet Hailey found herself in a jail cell with assault charges where she died four days later from withdrawal. Any stranger to her story would naturally jump to conclusions, but as the opioid crisis in the U.S. continues to target a greater demographic than ever before, these judgment-ridden labels have become increasingly outdated and destructive to our hope of finding solutions.

I recently reached out to Weeks, a professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth College, to get his input on the opioid crisis. He offered insights not only as an economist and psychiatrist, but as a brother who has been personally affected. His sister Hailey wasn’t a delinquent drug addict. She was a passionate horseback rider who was prescribed medication following a riding injury. When her physician of 14 years discontinued his practice, Hailey found herself alone in a health care system where other doctors refused to treat her. Trying in vain to wean herself from the medication she had been legally and legitimately prescribed, she sought treatment for her addiction. During a withdrawal episode, Hailey kicked one of the nurses restraining her and was imprisoned.

The point of the story is not to blame Hailey, her doctor, or the nurses that treated her, but to understand the complexity of the issue. Hailey’s story and others like it demonstrate that even responsible, intelligent, hard-working members of society can fall victim to a series of unfortunate circumstances. When it comes to addressing the crisis, Weeks pointed out that unfortunately, “Instead of alignment, there is conflict. Instead of taking responsibility, clinicians may blame previous providers.”

Patients in need are labeled as noncompliant drug addicts. “That labeling clouds our judgment and impairs the quality of the treatment we provide,” Weeks said.

I was particularly intrigued by one of the major disconnects within the health care system. Currently, there is no limit to the number of patients for which a doctor can prescribe medication. While the dosage of this medication is, in theory, carefully monitored by health care professionals, stories like Hailey’s demonstrate that there are too many cases slipping through the cracks and contributing to our nation’s current opioid crisis. Clearly patients have no trouble getting medication, but what happens when they seek clinical treatment for the subsequent drug dependence that develops as a result of irresponsible prescription practices? The answer is an overwhelming shortage of doctors available. Bill explains that most doctors blame patients’ previous providers and refuse responsibility for treating their mistakes.

When physicians are willing to treat opioid-related addictions, they are limited to treat a maximum of 275 patients per year even after extensive certification.

It seems the system is setting itself up for failure. The problem is perpetuated because prescribing more medication is not only easier, but even encouraged from a financial standpoint. Why would a doctor choose to go through the time-consuming, expensive process of treating long-term patients when he can simply cycle through patients quickly—and without limit—by writing them off with a prescription?

Even here at Boston College, we need to stop labeling and begin to understand the humanity behind this issue. It is not until the entire public understands the complexities of the circumstances from which addictions arise that we can begin to approach solutions and treatment with a sense of compassion. In addition to educating people about the problem growing right before us, Weeks suggests that medical authorities lift the 275-person cap on the number of patients physicians are able to treat, while implementing stricter controls on the number and dosage of opioids prescribed in order to address system disconnects.

Marta Seitz is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at opinions@bcheights.com.

The Heights

A6

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Nell Tells All: After 100 Years, Are We Modern Yet? Nell Wasserstrom tells us what we can glean from Modernism’s reaction to the sharp changes of the previous century.

By Steven Wagner

For The Heights

The world is changing. Sensibilities, thoughts, and the constructions on which people once relied are now in question.

In the past year, each has been confronted and inspected. And yet, has society progressed? Nell Wasserstrom, a member of Boston College’s doctoral program in English who received her M.A. in English from BC, lists one of her research interests as “European Modernism,” and taught a class in the fall titled “Apocalyptic Modernism.”

A course title that has the word “apocalyptic” in it is bound to catch the attention of any student browsing course listings hopelessly before registration, but it’s the “modernism” part that this piece is focused on.

“I thought it was awesome because you get to see how the shift between pre- and post- apocalypse mentalities preceding and following wars affects modernism, in what ways it might shift to postmodernism or some facet like cubism or the avant-garde,” Kristina Zamrowski, MCAS ’20, said.

Wasserstrom’s enthusiasm for the topic and for spreading it to others is immediately apparent. In class, her teaching is centered around the development of the student’s ideas, engaging everyone, and stimulating thought.

“I think Professor Wasserstrom was a really engaging professor,” said Michael Hanley, MCAS ’20. “Her own passion for the subject matter made it an exciting class and the reliance on class discussion made it feel like a learning community as opposed to a bland lecture.”

Upon sitting down for an intervie w, Wasserstrom energetically jumped into Modernism, all the while humbly saying she might not be the most suited person for the task (I disagree). She sums up the complicated topic succinctly: “A tradition of anti-tradition.”

Modernism is a reaction to the notion that humans progress by further developing their societal institutions.

Governments, religions, and corporations all operate on the promise of improvement, and Modernism questions the legitimacy of these improvements.

As stated in Wasserstrom’s course syllabus, “The concept of apocalypse signifies both a thinking of ‘the end’ and an uncovering, unveiling, or revelation.”

The catastrophe of World War I brought about this kind of thinking.

It exposed to the world the human appetite for destruction and the gut-wrenching capabilities of new technology. Modernism wondered what will replace establishments that, allowed war but had never before allowed such unprecedented human destruction. “[It’s a] reaction to discontent with notions of progress,” Wasserstrom said.

Modernism exists in two loose categories. The first is known as “Modernism Proper,” associated with the literary giants of the movement— James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Marcel Proust.

According to Wasserstrom, this side of the movement is distinct in that it purposefully generated a dissociation between itself and society.

Wasserstrom thinks that the goal of the “proper” Modernists was to criticize the world at large using the

sam zhai / heights staff

In the fall, Nell Wasserstrom taught a course titled “Apocalyptic Modernism.”

artificial span they created. While they sought to criticize the traditions and constructs of society, the proper Modernists never completely rejected the past. “[They manipulated] the conventions of the past,” Wasserstrom said.

Modern society utilizes the structures of past conventions: our system of government remains unchanged and the novel remains a mode of literary expression. Society maintains the same form, but its underlying impulses have radically changed.

America has been moving to reject the beliefs of the Cold War. Good versus evil, capitalism versus communism, black versus white are no longer explanations of society. In that way, the state of society reflects the second movement within Modernism: the avant-garde.

To Wasserstrom, the avant-garde is a radical form of Modernism that entirely rejected the past. Instead of exploiting the conventions like the Modernists proper, it sought to eradicate the precepts that had been traditionally employed by artists.

The past was renounced to create a new future.

And yet, the avant-garde was not an external movement. It was generated from within the rot of a post-war society. “[The avant-garde] emerged from the decay of institutions that everybody relied on,” Wasserstrom said.

Modern political discourse and rhetoric exhibits this decay. While maintaining the veneer of the formal institutions, the underlying attitude has changed. The days of the black and white, clear cut, good versus evil have dissolved. Capitalism, assumed dominant since World War II, has been questioned. A new wave of populism, both liberal and conservative, has consumed the country. The forgotten, the subaltern, the Other, is beginning to speak, and this emergence of previously voiceless groups challenges a conventional, phallogocentric manner of thought.

“In the absence of traditional ways, some solid ground, Modernists had to find a different truth,” said Wasserstrom Instead of seeking the new Truth in general society, the avant-garde finds it introspectively. There are consequences with this method, though.

By defining reality around internal projections, the characteristics of the self delineate people. Expressions of this internalization of Truth are seen in identity politics and the boom of

the personal essay—each valuing the personal over the collective.

Wasserstrom emphasizes that in the avant-garde, the only truth is a person’s subjective perspective on the world. The collection of individual experiences has replaced the experience of the collective. Such change is seen in speeches and debates today, as they rely on anecdotes, created facsimiles of sympathetic stories. In the modern world, the subjective narrative is our cultural ethos.

However the state of times is defined, the question remains whether or not society has really progressed. A subset of the avant-garde movement was the Futurists. They absolutely rejected the past, not only in an aesthetic sense but a historical one too.

Wasserstrom described their view of the past as a sort of nostalgic image that detracted from the march of progress. They were obsessed with the present and the future. “[ The y] embraced the future, technology, speed, machinery,” Wasserstrom said.

These facets , these perceived beautiful pieces of speed and momentum, she explained, were symbols of masculinity, of the strength of society. They demanded things in the immediate. “[The Futurists] raced off to war, to encounter their fate,” Wasserstrom said.

According to Wasserstrom, the Futurists see machinery as the embodiment of the perfectibility of humanity.

Yet the movement is not material.

The objects and symbols themselves do not matter. Instead, it is what they’re indicative of. “[The Futurists] see the best of ourselves in machine,” Wasserstrom said.

The Futurists, she said, saw the melding of man and machine as evidence of our progression. In spite of the futurist’s infatuation with transitory progress, there are true moments of advancement. “[Our] ‘salvation’ is through the past,” Wasserstrom said.

This salvation is not a religious or spiritual concept—it’s a redemption. Wasserstrom explains that we achieve this through the reclamation of groups that have been traditionally and repeatedly marginalized. There is only one method of achieving deliverance, according to Wasserstrom. The past and the present exist in a singular relationship—Wasserstrom specified that the two times are brought

together by violent moments, radical shifts. “[The moments are] not in continuity, not in empathy, [but are] revolutionary,” Wasserstrom said.

And yet, these moments are not unique. “[They are] another point in the chain,” she said.

They are repeated again and again as histor y achieves these violent outgrowths. The struggle is never over—the fight continues. The moments are repeated and are in reference to the past. They are expressed in sudden social movements.

Modernism can be a tough subject to grasp, based on historical analysis and not entirely subjective. But, the way Wasserstrom approaches the subject is marked by thoughtful consideration for the analysis of her students.

“I’m still not sure I understand [Modernism]. But I think that’s the point,” Zamrowski said.

In our day and age, we see the past redeemed in the Black Lives Matter movement, the #MeToo movement, the advancement of the LGBTQ community. They rupture our plane.

They have been generated in sudden moments, in which the only option is their genesis—there is opposition, change is resisted, but moments of potent instability give a chance for the marginalized to speak. The rupturing of the status quo presents an opportunity. The past is at least partly redeemed, the subaltern given a chance. We may never converge to perfection, but we may still shatter the conventional constructs.

The main difference between our present-day thinkers and the Modernists is this attitude. Wasserstrom framed this difference with a question: “How do we give ourselves meaning in the place of nonbelief?”

The Modernists supposed that our salvation and redemption can never be truly fulfilled.

“Moments of heightened life come with the recognition that they are finite,” Wasserstrom said.

In the eyes of Modernism, no one can achieve liberation, for our knowledge of salvation can only be succeeded by our loss of what we desire.

In Modernist writer Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, the narrator eats a madeleine and changes: “I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal.”

“You don’t want your existence to feel accidental,” Wasserstrom said. n

Hundreds Gathered in Boston for ‘Working People’s Day of Action’ On Monday afternoon, Sens. Warren and Markey and Mayor Walsh joined a rally in support of unions.

By Isabel Fenoglio Asst. Metro Editor It was lunchtime, but the lines to the food trucks in the Financial District were empty. Hard hats and neon yellow safety vests filled Purchase Street outside the Boston Firehouse, illuminating the gray sidewalk with reflective light. Bodies spilled onto the road, but the frequent car horns packed them closer.

Hundreds of workers, politicians, and citizens gathered on Monday to participate in the rally ‘Working People’s Day of Action,’ and pledged to continue to support and promote workers rights.

Speakers included Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey; Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, BC ’09; Lee A. Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), among others.

The rally coincided with the Supreme Court hearings on Janus vs.

AFSCME, a case challenging an Illinois law allowing unions representing government employees to collect “fair-share” fees from workers who do not wish to join.

Unions argue that the fees pay for collective bargaining and other work done on behalf of all employees, not just its members. But the plaintiff,

Photo Courtesy of Shira Schoenberg

The rally coincided with the Janus vs. AFSCME Supreme Court hearings on “fair-share.”

Mark Janus, a child support specialist for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, argues that the law is a violation of first amendment rights.

A similar case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, went before the Supreme Court in 2016, and it was predicted that the court would side against unions, but the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia resulted in a split 4-4 decision. President Trump’s most recent appointment of conservative justice Neil Gorsuch has caused many to believe that Janus has the 5th vote needed to win. A decision is expected in late June.

If the law is overturned, unions will suffer a huge cut in revenues and membership. The case also threatens the Democratic Party, which relies heavily on unions for funding and support in elections.

“Elections matter,” Walsh said.

“When you go to the polls in November, think about who you’re voting for. Let’s make sure the people that are elected into office understand the importance of working class people.

Let’s make sure they understand the importance of what we are fighting for today.”

Walsh went on to stress the City of Boston’s support of unions. “This is not a labor rally. It’s a rally about how to protect people’s rights. In Boston we believe all labor has dignity. I have a union book in my pocket. And I’m proud of that book.”

Markey echoed Walsh and urged

Isabel Fenoglio / Asst. metro editor

Unions argue that the “fair-share” fees pay for things done on behalf of all employees. protestors to become active in politics. “Republicans have turned against the union movement in an effort to undermine our progress,” he said. “We are going to stand up until we beat Donald Trump and beat the Republican party. We need change in our country. Let’s get started.”

Warren told rally-goers to remain united. She criticized what she called big corporations and special interests, and accused Republicans of supporting them.

“Corruptions and anti-union forces are doing everything they can to tilt the scales in their favor,” she said.

“We are here today to reaffirm the rights for all workers in America.

Unions built America’s middle class and unions will rebuild America’s

middle class.”

Warren’s fiery rhetoric was met with whoops of approval from the crowd. Signs waved in the air bearing messages reading, “We’re sticking with the union,” “#We Rise,” and “Unions Strengthen our Community.”

Rally officials passed out stickers and encouraged protesters to sign a petition against Janus vs. AFSCME. Nearing the end of the event, Saunders told protesters that union power lies in solidarity. “Now is the time to make our voices heard,” he said. “This is what the trade union movement is all about.”

His eyes gazed searchingly throughout the crowd. He brought the microphone up to his lips, and asked “Are you ready?” n

SCENE Thursday, March 1, 2018

Asst. Arts Editor Emily Himes

Music for the Weekend Little Saturday speaks about its experience as a BC band

Anna Tierney / Heights Editor

THE HEIGHTS

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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

NBC’s ‘Good Girls’ Is Too Clean for Its Content

BY SHANNON KELLY Heights Senior Staff Finally, supporting actresses get their chance to be the leads in Good Girls.

Starring Retta, best known as bougie bachelorette Donna Meagle on Parks and Recreation, Mae Whitman of Parenthood; and Christina Hendricks—Mad Men’s Joan Holloway—Good Girls gives its audience an exciting drama with plenty of humor sprinkled in. Set in a suburb of Detroit, Good Girls follows the three women—all moms and friends—as they take hold of their financial and personal problems.

Beth Boland (Hendricks) learns of her husband’s infidelity with a much younger employee, as well as his poor financial planning. Ruby’s (Retta) daughter has an illness that’s causing kidney failure, but the only thing that could delay a the need

for a transplant—an experimental drug that costs $10,000—is out of reach. And Annie (Whitman), Beth’s sister, could lose her child Sadie to her ex-husband and his new girlfriend in a custody battle. It all seems hopeless until Annie, a cashier, tells them about how easy it would be to rob the grocery store where she works.

Brandishing toy guns and ski masks, they grab everything in the safe, expecting it to be around $30,000, but the haul turns out to be closer to half a million.

The show brings a comedic aspect to all the antihero series we’ve seen crop up in the past 20 years—think a lighthearted Breaking Bad, but no less badass. Creator Jenna Bans learned from the best, with previous writing experience on Shonda Rhimes’s Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. It shows in Good Girls—these women are not to be trifled with, but they’re still complex. In

TELEVISION

GOOD GIRLS JENNA BANS DISTRIBUTED BY NBC TELEVISION RELEASE FEB. 26, 2018 OUR RATING

NBC

the holdup scene, Beth yells that she’ll start shooting people if they fail to cooperate, but the next second asks a little girl cowering in the corner with her mother if she watches Doc McStuffins. Similarly, Ruby breaks down when she sees how the money she stole has given her daughter a higher level of care from the doctors. As she sobs, the doctor asks someone to bring in cucumberinfused water. Ruby, through her tears, asks for some lemon too. Part of the fun of the show is spotting all of the other actors in the show from their previous roles. Matthew Lillard, probably best known for playing Shaggy in the live-action Scooby-Doo movies, shows up as Beth’s husband.

Good Girls also seems poised to deal with other heavier issues during its season.

Annie’s daughter Sadie is working through her gender identity. Her hair is cropped short and she wears bowties to school.

Annie’s ex feels that she should see a therapist, while Annie thinks she’s perfect the way she is. Toward the end of the episode, Annie’s boss forces himself on her. Beth yells that “every man in the world thinks he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.” (“Not all men!” you cry. Okay thanks, Todd.) It’s a nod to everything that’s happening in Hollywood and elsewhere right now, from #MeToo to #TimesUp, which will be interesting to explore in a small Midwestern town through the eyes of working mothers.

One problem with Good Girls is that it’s on network TV, unlike most of the shows in its genre (Breaking Bad aired on AMC, House of Cards was a Netflix original). How

to Get Away with Murder has successfully pulled off the high-intensity drama on ABC, but Good Girls seems like it was scrubbed squeaky clean for the FCC. No one swears, despite all of this nonsense worth cursing about, which makes the dialogue seem a little manufactured. It seems like there’s a question as to how far they’ll go in this season, because for now it’s a little muted, and the plot is cerebral so that it doesn’t feel rated more than PG-13 right now.

Retta’s and Hendricks’s characters are spot-on, in roles neither has really played before—especially for Retta, whose last character Donna hated the idea of settling down and would rather have another Benz than two kids. Annie’s character seems the weakest right now, possibly because of the rise in characters like her on TV already—the super-fun cool single mom doesn’t seem that genuine. But after the first episode, Annie could be on a different trajectory that could make her more three-dimensional.

By the end of the episode, the stakes have been raised for all three of the mothers, who now find themselves in more trouble than in the beginning. From this jumping-off point, Good Girls seems ready to make a name for itself in the next cycle of new shows that will premiere in the coming weeks.

And by giving these seasoned actresses—always the bridesmaids but never the brides—the starring roles that have been a long time coming, they don’t need to steal the show with some bit part. This time, they are the show. 

‘Woke-ish’ is Energetic, Entertaining, and Empathetic ‘

BY JACK GOLDMAN Copy Editor Here is a list of things Marlon Wayans covers at certain points of Woke-ish, his first comedy special: rap about mixing cocaine and baby aspirin, share his fears about scaring people when his knees pop in a club as his tries to stand up after dancing too low, essentially act out what he thinks it’s like for people to have their talents sucked up by the Kardashians, and jump over his stool to show people how he came to think O.J. Simpson is Khloe Kardashian’s father.

This special is far from 65 minutes of pure laughter stemming from comparing Desiigner’s sounds to having some sensitive parts of your body waxed. At times, Wayan’s quick jumps from funny to serious can be jarring, but as the special goes on, he settles into the pattern. The comedian radiates energy throughout, so when he starts to get serious, it really stands out.

Wayans goes from a ball of energy, sweating the entire special, frequently dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief—although he would probably laugh in my face for being the whitest of white men for calling it a handkerchief—to still, pausing for what feels like an eon at times to hammer home how much he means what he says.

The Obama section is a great example of this strategy: Wayans sincerely stops his act to explain to his audience how badly black

people just needed a win. A real win, a win that earned them leadership and respect from their compatriots. Even if some people would just end up being racist about it, black people still had the win, they still had a black president. Especially because I’m a white guy, watching how seriously this man—who has his legs up in the air in the most inappropriate sense very very shortly after he speaks on this matter—takes the struggles of his race is a really moving experience.

But Wayans is still funny: He qualifies this Obama take—that with his election black people got their first true win—by admitting that O.J. was the first win, but that black people totally knew the man did it. Not only did they know, but they all feel bad about it—that poor woman and that poor man got murdered and the white guy was just trying to get some action…

It’s quite the turn from how significant his words on the former president are, and Wayans makes plenty of those turns throughout. The title of the special, Wokeish, has to do with Wayans’s age and the difficulty he has seeing the changes coming to this world—because he finds it all funny.

It’s an interesting conundrum to think about. Wayans has a joke about how saying Caitlyn Jenner is beautiful is a step too far for him. He does an entire bit as a gay Martin Luther King Jr. and leans heavily on stereotypes throughout. Is that a bad thing?

I’m not sure—I laughed at times, thought

the sentiment came from a good place, but cringed a bit when he rolled up his shirt to look “gay.”

Comedy in the 21st century can be hard to parse when it comes to determining whether something is over the line, especially when you’re a white dude. There were multiple moments where Wayans has the crowd roaring, rapping, or singing along with him, nailing call and responses.

The thing is, although the audience probably experiences Woke-ish differently depending on race, sexuality, and gender, my takeaway from this special is that every one of those … every type of person should

watch the special. Black parenthood, black aging, and black perspective is seriously underrepresented just in general, and Wayans is confident enough to open the audience to his perspective.

I think we should be listening, even if this isn’t a comedy special that necessarily has you rolling on the floor laughing.

So come for the stories the veteran comedian tells about his children and parenthood, stay for his thoughts on circumcision.

Wayans will barrel you over with his energy, and you can’t help but empathize with him, even if you’re not always laughing. 

COMEDY

WOKE-ISH MARCUS RABOY DISTRIBUTED BY NETFLIX RELEASE FEB. 27, 2018 OUR RATING

NETFLIX

Vance Joy Brings It Home on ‘Nation of Two’

BY EMILY HIMES Asst. Arts Editor

Prior to the release of Vance Joy’s new album, Nation of Two, he was known for his sole hit “Riptide.” The Australian singersongwriter has truly branched out in his new music—Nation of Two has a distinct style to it, punctuated by offbeat rhythms and pierced by striking lyrics. Having said that, many of the songs have a repetitive sound.

While some are fresh and original, others sound just how you’d expect a Vance Joy song to sound—just like “Riptide.”

The album opens up with “Call If You Need Me,” a song with interesting background vocals and a simple guitar beat repeating throughout. Much of the song

doesn’t rhyme much, which makes it all the more captivating—somehow, the words fit together without a sonic connection, as if they were all pieces to one jigsaw puzzle.

Interestingly enough, one of the repeating lyrics of the song is “I’m thinking about coming home,” which is directly tied to the name of the third song titled “We’re Going Home.”

“We’re Going Home” has smarty, catchy lyrics and features an upbeat rhythm. The song has an Ed Sheeran-esque sound to it, as the words are witty and the instrumentation is simple. The piano gives the song a strong backbone, and it features quite a few horns—as do many other songs on the record such as “Lay It On Me”.

A notable mention in terms of variety is

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NATION OF TWO VANCE JOY PRODUCED BY ATLANTIC RECORDS RELEASE FEB. 23, 2018 OUR RATING

ATLANTIC RECORDS

“Saturday Sun.” The song is almost rap-like and contains fast and choppy music in the background. The song is fun and upbeat, and definitely not something you’d expect to hear on a Vance Joy album. “I’m With You” is defined by its unique rhythm changes and ways of illustrating the lyrics through song. Arguably one of the best lines on the album, “Sandy blonde hair, the way it came tumbling down,” is not anything to write home about in terms of words, but Joy adds interesting vocal inflections to reflect something “tumbling.” It is a fantastic example of musical text painting, and brings the song a deeper level. Tracks like “Take Your Time” are generic and boring. The lyrics are lackluster and the music repeats itself over and over in the background. The same goes for “Like Gold”—it is slow, repetitive, and sounds precisely like what you’d expect to hear from Vance Joy. One would think that variety is good for artists—keeping listeners on their toes, wondering what “x’s” new album will sound like is a sure way to keep selling music (that is, given the musical experimentation is done well). Songs like “Take Your Time” and “Like Gold” don’t do this very well. As a listener, it is easy to just roll your eyes and hit “next.”

The second half of the album contains an intriguing variety of songs—not all of them deserve praise, but most aren’t so predictable. “Alone With Me” has an erratic rhythm which was off-putting at first, but realistically, it made the song notable.

The strong drum beat dictated seemingly random changes in the rhythm, making the song unexpected and ever-changing.

“One of These Days” is utterly uplifting and motivating. The song is a call to simplicity, urging listeners to stop overthinking.

“The moment you stop looking/ You’ll be in the right place” is an example of the calming, simple lyrics that intersperse a lyrical standout on Nation of Two. “Bonnie and Clyde” is another lyrically dense song on the record—the story follows the lives of a couple as compared to the famous criminal couple, Bonnie and Clyde. Joy draws insightful comparisons between his life and that of the characters in a story-like fashion.

But all of these unique and keenly-written songs don’t add up to much—Nation of Two ends on a low note. The second-to-last song, “Little Boy,” is depressing and all too similar to “7 Years” by Lukas Graham. It has a somewhat-engaging folk sound to it, but nothing can outshine the overall dreariness of the song. The album ironically ends with “Where We Start,” which is clearly some attempt at being clever, but it didn’t work because the song itself was deficient in sound, variety, and lyrical quality. Nation of Two is filled with highs and lows: At its best, the album contains musical diversity that is captivating and unique. But at its worst, it is downright boring, repetitive, and colorless.

The album shows great potential for Joy, and definitely justifies him finally “bringing it home.” 

SINGLE REVIEW AUSTIN HORD

‘44 MORE’ LOGIC

Not many rappers try to instigate positive change in the world as much as Logic does. For example, in April of last year, he released his track “1-800273-8255,” which is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, in order to increase awareness for suicide prevention, and it now has over 544 million streams on Spotify. This was the song that Logic, along with Khalid and Alessia Cara, performed at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

Last week he released “44 More,” which also contains some social commentary.

This single is the first solo release by Logic since his album, Everybody, in May 2017.

He references the lavish lifestyles of many rappers, saying, “You in the club throwin’ dollars, but I’m savin’ mine so my kids go to college / Just as long as they never say ‘Daddy blew 20 million dollars / He had to flex to be acknowledged / He in the club throwin’ dollars and now cannot afford to send me to college.’” Logic’s newest release, “44 More” is the sequel to the artist’s hit song, “44 Bars,” on which the performer, unsurprisingly, raps 44 bars. The track is packed with meaningful lyrics, as he raps on it with high speed and precision. Logic weaves words over an engaging beat, full of hi-hats and 808s. This fast rapping style isn’t for everyone, but there’s no denying the talent it requires. 

MUSIC VIDEO JACOB SCHICK

‘MAKE ME FEEL’ JANELLE MONÁE

In preparation for her upcoming album, Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe released two songs, “Make Me Feel” and “Django Jane,” each accompanied by its own music video.

“Make Me Feel” is Monáe’s funkier song of the two, and the music video going along with the song features Monáe employing her signature brand of artistry.

“Make Me Feel” begins as Monáe and actress Tessa Thompson walk into a club. The video cuts around to different groups of people looking at them, in a move very reminiscent of the famous music videos of Michael Jackson. A backing bass and vocal click sound begin the beat of the song. A different version of Monáe is shown reclining in a chair, singing, as Thompson and Monáe interact with others around the club.

The music video, and the lyrics of the song, are both very sexually explicit. Lyrics like “It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender / An emotional, sexual bender / Mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better” and “Laying your body on a shag carpet” are combined with visuals of various versions of Monáe and background dancers moving together.

The video is very well done—each cut to a version of Monáe and other dancers flows very well, and each scene is all at once artistic and intimate. This is clearly what Monáe is trying to achieve in this video, as she dances underneath the legs of colorfully clothed women and opens her mouth for Thompson to place a clearly euphemistic lollipop on her tongue. While this may sound crass, “Make Me Feel” is a visually stunning video. Monáe employs disparate and extravagant costumes, along with talented dancing, to complement the funky guitar riffs and upbeat rhythms of the song.

The music video of “Make Me Feel,” along with the song itself, clearly display Monáe’s artistic vision for the upcoming album. When combined with the other pre-released song/video, “Django Jane,” it’s hard not to anticipate Dirty Computer and any music videos that Monáe releases along the way. 

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Audiences Will Remember Netflix’s ‘Forgotten’ Closer Look

BY STEPHANIE LIU For The Heights What would you do if your brother returns after an abduction and seems to be a completely different person? Forgotten, a Netflix original Korean mystery thriller, unravels the mystery behind the main character Jin-seok and his seemingly idyllic family. Laden with heart-pounding suspense, Forgotten takes audiences on a wild ride about family, struggle, and reality.

Forgotten begins when Jin-seok moves into a new house with his parents and older brother, Yoo-seok. Jin-seok, who suffers from anxiety, takes medication every day. He believes that he hears sounds coming from

a small room the previous owner instructed the family not to go into. Jin-seok also suffers from extremely vivid nightmares. One night, Jin-seok witnesses his brother getting kidnapped by a group of men. Nineteen days later, he returns with no recollection of what happened during those days. Jinseok becomes suspicious as Yoo-seok acts strange.

He becomes convinced that the man who came back is not his brother. Jin-seok begins to doubt the reality around him as his dreams become even more real and seeks to discover the truth.

The plot of Forgotten is surprisingly reasonable for a thriller. Character motivations make sense and their actions match

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FORGOTTEN JANG HANG-JUN DISTRIBUTED BY NETFLIX RELEASE FEB. 21, 2018 OUR RATING

NETFLIX

their motivations. Every single character has reasons for doing what they do and respond to situations in an understandable way. This is unlike many movies in the thriller genre that feature characters without common sense in order to further the plot.

The unreliability of the main character leads the viewer to question the reality of what he is seeing, but also provides enough to consider the potential that perhaps he is right.

The lack of excessive clichés and overused tropes really makes Forgotten a refreshing thriller movie.Particularly outstanding about Forgotten was the acting. The actors embody their characters and present the entire range of emotions that their characters would have felt.

Each character seems real and likeable, and the convincing acting—especially the later changes when the truth is revealed— show the breadth of the actors and their understanding of the characters.

The foreshadowing in Forgotten is also brilliant. Even miniscule details have later significance and that all eventually fit into the greater picture. Although the ending provides a surprising twist, as the explanation goes on, every single part of the puzzle made sense in the small details. A second viewing of the movie will reveal subtle hints that went unnoticed the first time.

Little bits and pieces of information add up to reveal the truth that the movie hides

discreetly and organically. The soundtrack and cinematography of the movie builds the intense suspension. The movie does not rely heavily on jump scares, but the few used are inserted in strategic positions that reset the tone of the film, allowing it to go on further.

The use of jump scares in Forgotten does not feel like cheap scare tactics, but really contributes to the ambiance and the flow of the film. Chase scenes have good tempo and have enough twists and turns to keep the audience interested. Much of the tension also comes from the knowledge of the protagonist’s instability, as the audiences are left unable to trust anything the movie shows.

The film ultimately triumphs in its unpredictability. Because of the unreliability established early on, the viewer does not really know what to expect. The ending is tragic, but understandably so. Although the viewer could empathize, the characters also ultimately suffer from their own faults. Since the main characters are dynamic and multifaceted, none feels like a generic trope.

The movie captivates audiences with a tight storyline, intense suspense, and an unexpected ending. Full of nail-biting scenes but also sentimental, heart-wrenching moments about family and love, Forgotten is the perfect blend of suspense and plot for thrill-seekers who love action as well as an interesting story. 

‘Final Space’ Backs Comedy With Sci-Fi Veneer

BY JACOB SCHICK Arts Editor TBS’s newest adult animated comedy is Final Space, a show by Olan Rogers, a relatively untested independent writer and director. Presumably, this is mainstream syndicated television’s answer to the cultural phenomena that is Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty. While Final Space does not reach the same comedic or conceptual heights as other animated science fiction comedies like Rick and Morty or Futurama, there is certainly enjoyment to be had from the first three episodes—all that has been released so far—as well as potential for growth into a more well-developed show.

Final Space begins in space (the final frontier). The main character, voiced

by Olan Rogers, is Gary Space— a little on the nose with the name, but regardless—who has been imprisoned alone on a spaceship for the last five years. His only source of companionship has been an annoying floating robot named KVN (Fred Armisen), a legion of nearly-silent helper robots, and the ship’s computer, HUE (Tom Kenny). Gary’s character is objectively annoying, but this characteristic is not really grating for the viewer.

Gary goes about his typical solitary day, clearly semi-insane with the combination of crushing loneliness, overbearing narcissism, romantic obsession, and general obliviousness. Gary is swiftly approaching the end of his sentence and, while on a space walk to repair

parts of the ship, is met by a floating green alien whom he affectionately names Mooncake (also Olan Rogers).

It is swiftly revealed that Mooncake has the ability to unleash incredibly powerful and deadly laserbeams and that he is wanted by the evil Lord Commander (David Tennant). Gary Space must team up with a humanoid cat-creature named Avocato (Coty Galloway)—who is on a quest of his own to save his son, Little Cato (Steven Yeun)—to protect Mooncake.

While all of this is happening, across the galaxy a woman named Quinn (Tika Sumpter) is investigating mysterious disturbances in the fabric of space.

Quinn is the reason that Gary was imprisoned. In an attempt to impress her, Gary stole a space military uniform and then destroyed dozens of space ships.

He has remained infatuated with her and sends her daily video messages from aboard his space prison.

In terms of quality, Final Space is a fairly run-of-the-mill animated comedy. What helps it a lot is the veneer of science fiction it establishes as its backdrop. It is interesting and fun to see the characters interact with spaceships and alien creatures with strange powers.

Science fiction also allows Final Space to get away with a lot of wackiness that would feel out of place on Earth.

The voice acting is generally enjoyable as well. It’s fun to hear Tennant do a “bad guy” voice, and Armisen and Kenny do great jobs as intentionally

vexing robots and computer systems, respectively. Rogers’ voice for Gary Space can become tiresome at times.

Often, it feels like Rogers is “turning up” the harsher aspects of Gary’s imperfect voice in order to mirror the jolts and stutters that populate Rick and Morty.

These instances are relatively few and far between, however, in the three episodes that have been released thus far, so this problem is only a minor issue.

What keeps Final Space from being as good a show as it might otherwise be is its humor. Final Space isn’t stupid enough to be utterly ridiculous like Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law, and it’s not funny or witty enough to be a show like Futurama or Rick and Morty.

Its brand of humor lies somewhere in

the middle for the first three episodes, trapping it in a limbo of potential. The plot of Final Space is almost much more linear and cohesive than these other shows, feeling like an attempt at weaving together a continuous story.

This practice might work better for a show released all at once, but on a weekto-week basis, Final Space relies too heavily on connections that are tenuous and weakened by the parts of the show focusing on comedy.

Final Space would be an enjoyable watch for most people when it is compiled together, either on Netflix or on TBS’s online streaming service, but there doesn’t seem to be quite enough to draw audiences back to their televisions every week. 

TELEVISION

FINAL SPACE OLAN ROGERS DISTRIBUTED BY TBS RELEASE FEB. 26, 2018 OUR RATING

TBS

Burns Library Showcases Donations in Exhibit

BY KAYLIE RAMIREZ Assoc. Arts Editor

Stationed among walls of modern classics and well-weathered leather bound books of the past in Boston College’s Burns Library is a collection titled Objects in the Archives.

The collection highlights eclectic pieces from the cozy library’s endless archives and features items that reflect the rich character of those who have generously donated to the Burns Library over the years.

The quaint collection is split between glass cases embedded in two adjacent walls in the hallway connected to the entrance of the private library. Supported by oak wood cabinets, the objects lie delicately on a bright green crushed velvet lining and are illuminated by spotlights.

The collection is divided into four categories: personal, leisure, professional, and sacred.

The case labeled “Personal Objects” houses locks of a man’s beard, a peculiar item by today’s standards but an important piece of personal history for affluent members of society in the 1800s. Locks of hair were kept as personal remembrances for the relatives of people who had passed. The golden hairs are stationed in front of a book titled Beards: Their Social Standing, Religious Involvement, Decorative Possibilities and Value in Offence and

Defence.

The personal objects collection also included wax letter seals, a shining silver champagne bowl and ladle, and the weathered passports of author Graham Greene, whose works were heavily influenced by his frequent travels according to the exhibit.

These objects represent much more than the daily activities of relatively average citizens—the selected pieces of individuals allow modern man to reflect on how daily life for Americans has changed and how it has remained the same.

Featured objects of leisure include many game pieces easily kept in the home, as might be expected for generations without ready access to technology.

An intricate Chinese chess set sat atop a stylish and well-preserved wooden table in the glass case, highlighting how leisure items were made more accessible by acting as permanent decorative pieces within the home. Celtic themed playing cards are also displayed, alluding to the importance of Irish heritage to those who donated to Burns Library in the early days of its existence.

Leisurely objects could be used for practical purposes beyond sheer enjoyment as well. A board game donning the title “Historical Pastime: A New Game of the History of England” sought to test the knowledge of

its players, while an artfully engraved silver cornet lying behind the glass once helped hone the musical talents of its owner. A seamstress’s sample book featuring a tiny cloth dress clinging to its page underscored the importance placed on young girls’ mastery of the craft. The intricacy of the stitching on the white dress demonstrates the pride the seamstress took in her work.

Professional objects highlight the progress of the medical industry by showcasing earlier versions of common and recognizable objects. A worn black leather case holds a set of delicate silver scissors and knives used for medical purposes.

The center of the case is filled by the shining faces of the St. Elizabeth’s Nursing School class of ’71 in their class photos, as well as a white nursing cap with black trim, cuff links, and a maroon cape with “B.C.” and “S.N.” embroidered in gold on both sides of the collar.

The cape resembles those worn by the handmaids of The Handmaid’s Tale television series and reflect the modesty expected from women in the workplace. Ornamental apothecary bottles filled with medicines unfamiliar to the modern consumer are featured, as well as the syringe used for the first insulin injection in New England.

Representations of the marketing

and book making fields are also displayed. A replica of a billboard created

by John Donnelly & Sons advertising company, a local business until 1978, depicts the grinning Miss America 1975. Meanwhile, a wood block with an ornate crucifix used in early book manufacturing and typography blocks are displayed to offer visitors a look at the painstaking process of book making in earlier years.

Sacred objects include obvious odes to Catholicism such as a gold crucifix and skillfully embroidered chasuble. The latter features threads of gold, green, pink, and blue hues to create a landscape full of birds, fountains, and leaves— reminiscent of the Garden of Eden.

A skullcap is stained by the sweat of the priest who once donned the liturgical vestment, a sign of the frequent use of the holy item.

Elizabeth Williams Hayward’s white chest that once held accounts of the burning of Ursuline Convent Academy in 1834 by anti-Catholics underlines the historical significance of some of the seemingly unimportant items.

Hayward was a student at the academy and the chest adds a deeply personal element to a historical event that is often observed through the lens of anti-catholic movements that defined immigration debates in the mid 1800s. 

at Home KAYLIE RAMIREZ

When I say I’m from California, people automatically assume I’m from Los Angeles. I imagine a mental map of California for those from the Northeast is composed of a massive southern portion labeled “L.A.,” a decent-sized chunk for San Francisco thrown haphazardly above L.A., and maybe a tiny dot for Sacramento somewhere in the northern region if I’m speaking to a true intellectual with a grip on state capitals. I was born and raised in the forgettable region of California—the Central Valley. Despite being located roughly two hours away from the city of angels, my hometown of Bakersfield seems as though it could be in a different state entirely.

Referred to as the armpit of California, it serves as the punchline of jokes for the elite California coast natives—Bakersfield is the origin of the porta-potty door that washes up in Cast Away and the place that Karl goes to buy drugs in Workaholics. I grew up despising Bakersfield for its blazing hot 100 degree days in summer and good ol’ Republican values. The entire city seems as though it was transplanted from the South and dropped between the Sierra Nevada Mountains with a surplus of cowboy boots and the occasional unfortunate Confederate flag. There was one aspect of the Bakersfield culture that I came to blame for all of the city’s unfavorable qualities: country music.

Bakersfield loves country music like Boston College loves “Mr. Brightside”— some drunk girl is bound to be pouring her heart and soul into singing it at every party. Contemporary country music stars take over my Snapchat feed when they make a stop in town, and there is always that friend who insists on listening to Thomas Rhett or Eli Young Band during every car ride. I found almost no redeeming qualities about the genre. When I listened to country music, I just heard tired guitar riffs and sexist undertones.

It wasn’t until I purchased The Rolling Stones’ Some Girls on vinyl at a rundown store full of boxes of underpriced vintage records in downtown Bakersfield that I began to see a different side of country music. I put the record on the Crosley turntable in the corner of my bedroom and reveled in the authentic sounds of “Miss You” and “Just My Imagination” before flipping to the B-side and hearing Mick Jagger croon the name of my hometown for the first time. I played it again, thinking I heard it wrong the first time, but the word didn’t change. Jagger opens “Far Away Eyes” singing “I was driving home early Sunday morning through Bakersfield” in an egregiously fake Southern accent against a pedal steel guitar and slow drum beat.

Despite being rock stars from the faraway land of Britain, The Stones get so much right about Bakersfield on the 1978 track. The rock-infused country music beat perfectly mimics the Bakersfield sound that still booms out of the city’s iconic honky-tonk bar and restaurant (Buck Owens Crystal Palace) today.

Jagger also touches on the simplicity and Christian values of Bakersfield when the preacher on the gospel radio station tells him, “You know, you always have the Lord by your side.” So, as any God-fearing Bakersfield local would, Jagger “ran 20 red lights in His honor,” saying “Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord” all the while. The lyrics are both hilarious and true—Bakersfield wouldn’t be the same without its megachurches led by millionaire pastors.

I had never realized what an essential role the sound I had so staunchly resented played in shaping the music of bands I idolized. Even Nashville, the mecca of country music, recognizes the impact of Bakersfield on the genre: While passing through on a road trip, I stopped at Bakersfield Tacos, a trendy restaurant inspired by the music and taco truck scene of my hometown located 2,000 miles away.

While you won’t see me listening to Buck Owens and Merle Haggard or line dancing at the Crystal Palace, I have grown to respect the brand of country music with which I share my own roots.

Quite frankly, if Bakersfield was charming enough for Mick Jagger to write a song about, it’s charming enough to call home.

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

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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

@BCHEIGHTSARTS

Little Saturday: Music for the Weekend

BY EMILY HIMES Asst. Arts Editor

Little Saturday, a student band at Boston College, has no problem defying any sort of classification. The group, made up of Zachary Pugliares, MCAS ’19; Alexander Eichler, MCAS ’20; Peter Toronto, MCAS ’20; Isaiah Rawlinson, MCAS ’18; Andrew Hammond, MCAS ’18; and Zachary Moelchert, MCAS ’21, is not confined by any walls whatsoever: The six members consider the band’s genre a mix of many, but eventually agreed on pop fusion.

“I always say we’re a bit of rock, pop, funk, jazz, fusion.” Eicher said.

“We transcend categorization,” Pugliares responded, resulting in the eruption of laughs from his bandmates.

Spending just a few minutes with the group, you can tell that its camaraderie is utterly unavoidable—even the way they met and formed a band was lighthearted.

Little Saturday formed as a result of a class they all took—in a rather unconventional way. It was a zero-credit class taught by Erik Kniffin called “Pop Styles Ensemble.”

Rawlinson was the first to start playing in the ensemble, and around that time it needed a bass player—Hammond was the solution.

Slowly but surely, the other band members trickled into the ensemble and eventually formed a cohesive group that would prove to be insanely collaborative in an unprecedented way. Toronto spoke about Little Saturday’s rapport.

“We just work really well together,” Toronto said. “It’s good energy.”

Collaboration is key for Little Saturday— in terms of songwriting, everyone usually writes their own parts. After they have worked individually, the group members bring them together at another time.

Often, they adapt to an improvisation, working piece-by-piece with a song—many

times the chord progression comes first and the group works around it. An idea turns into a riff, and then they experiment with it until they get it right. The group agreed that they like to leave the creative process to the individual, but incorporate everyone’s ideas into the final product. It truly is a team effort, but not without some experimentation. Usually, Pugliares plays rhythm guitar, Eichler plays the drums and sometimes trombone, Toronto does lead guitar and vocals, Rawlinson plays the saxophone, Hammond does both bass guitar and vocals, and Moelchert is on the keyboard and also plays the keytar and trumpet. They were quick to add, though, that it is not uncommon for them to switch around.

The group agreed that the one thing it argues most over is what songs to cover.

“I have so many covers that I want to do that nobody else is down for,” Eichler said.

“I always say, ‘We should do this song,’ and everyone says ‘maybe,’ but then it never happens.”

Little Saturday has covered all sorts of music, from Bruno Mars to Earth, Wind & Fire to Herbie Hancock, but they could all agree on their best and favorite cover: Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love.” They debuted this cover last weekend at Music Guild’s Winter Showcase and said it would surely be played again.

“It was just really fun to play,” Rawlinson said. “We had a blast. It was a dynamic piece.”

Each individual brings something diverse to Little Saturday. They all have unique tastes in music and draw inspiration from different artists and genres, which gives the band the unique and particularly uncategorizable sound it has. While Pugliares’s favorite musician is John Mayer, Hammond fills his playlists with electronic music such as Daft Punk. Toronto listens to a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers, but

Rawlinson prefers the jazz-like sound of Snarky Puppy. Moelchert is into Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles, while Eichler is a huge fan of Coldplay. Sure, it is easily noted that all of these artists reside in either the worlds of rock or jazz, but each has its own flair. This diversity in taste and influence brings the band together and helps vary its own style.

Being a part of Little Saturday has permeated each member’s experience at BC in profound ways. Eichler, for example, joined during his freshman year.

“I think for me at least, it was the biggest thing going on,” Eichler said. “Definitely the most exciting thing happening.”

It really picked up the pace in the spring, as its had many successive shows that led to high amounts of built-up energy.

Between Battle of the Bands rounds one and two, Music Guild Winter Showcase, Break the Bubble, and other shows played during the spring semester, the group unified greatly as a band during the progression of the year.

Little Saturday rehearses once a week on Monday nights, and it adds in rehearsals if needed before shows.

It also meets in Rawlinson’s dorm room sometimes to talk about the technical aspects of the band and songwriting.

Before shows, it’s not uncommon for the members to have band dinners, which they all proclaimed should definitely happen more often.

So far, their favorite shows have been Modstock and last weekend’s Music Guild Winter Showcase. They agreed that the sound was really good, they had great energy, and much to their excitement, “Crazy in Love” went great. Especially excited about the showcase was Moelchert, as it was his first big show with Little Saturday.

“It was the first full, non-acoustic gig I did with everyone there,” Moelchert said.

“It’d been awhile since I’ve played live.”

They were excited because so many people in the crowd were singing along to “Crazy in Love” word for word.

“Now we need to get them to do that with our songs,” Little Saturday said.

When asked if they have any methods to hype up the crowd, they looked at each other rather blankly.

“I tried jumping with a guitar in my hand at Modstock,” Pugliares said. “I was jumping with the beat, and the guitar started flying.”

In terms of Little Saturday’s future, the group doesn’t have any concrete plans.

Each band member muttered something to the degree of “I don’t want to think about that.” It grew quiet—usually the group was

at BC. The band hopes to venture out and play gigs in Boston, but it’s difficult to do.

Manging the schedules of six people isn’t easy.Perhaps the band’s sole freshman, Moelchert, can help finding management so they can branch out more—he frequently stepped in to announce, in a borderline comedic manner, his various connections in the music industry (including his high school advisor and English teacher, who apparently owns a recording studio in Virginia Beach, Va.).

“As long as the cost of getting to Virginia doesn’t negate this guy’s discount,” Pugliares joked, to which the others responded, “No, it’ll be a vacation!”

So far, the group has released two

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

Little Saturday jams out in the Vandy Cabaret room at the Winter Band Showcase. lively with spirit and excitement, but it was evident they weren’t sure what the future holds for them. They all graduate at different times (some have already graduated—they were quick to note Little Saturday alum Sunny Luo, BC ’17, who now lives in L.A.).

What matters now is making music.

“Best case scenario is that we’re all in Boston next year,” Rawlinson said. He paused a moment to think. “It’s possible.”

So far, Little Saturday just performs

singles, “Running” and “Sunny Nights,” available on any major streaming service or YouTube.

The group described “Running” as alternative pop, while “Sunny Nights” has a jazzy, weird, James Bond-esque sound. Fans can also find their live videos on Facebook and YouTube, and “Sunny Nights,” has a music video available on YouTube as well. 

Kelela Transforms The Royale Into Personal Performance Space

BY LUIS FIALHO For The Heights Walking into the nearly empty Royale only 15 minutes before the show began, it was difficult not to reflect on how small the crowd was, a sentiment seemingly shared by other people in the room, as audience members looked around at each other and the empty space. As such, the concert began

with an extremely personal atmosphere, as if one were about to watch a close friend do a big gig, rather than see an artist who has collaborations with Danny Brown and Gorillaz, as well as millions of listens on Spotify. As the night progressed, and the crowd grew denser and wider, that air of intimacy was preserved as both Kelela and Tiffany Gouché put on a show that was impressively performed, but even more

FRANCESCA VENEZIA / HEIGHTS STAFF

Kelela entertains the crowd with her incredible power and vocal control at the Royale.

impressively personal.

Gouché opened, and did so in a very unique way. With almost no lighting except for an uncolored spotlight, one could almost assume she was a stand-up comedian rather than the musical act. Only when she began to sing did one realize that she is most definitely a professional. With incredible control and power, Gouché sang with a soulfulness and emotion that seemed natural for the music she had both written and produced. Singing as well as rapping, her songs were varied and unique, while each being catchy at the same time. “On the Up” was an enthusiastic and fun song, her ad-libs giving the song a playful tone, while her song “Red Rum Melody” eased the crowd into a more relaxed tone. Gouché showed that with minimal backtrack (she simply sang over her own instrumental) and almost no light design, she could still carry a performance on her voice and stage presence alone. She pulled the crowd in and made it feel personally connected to the show, providing the perfect atmosphere for Kelela to follow into.

Kelela entered dressed in elegant white.

Kelela took that intimate atmosphere and continued it—while she wasn’t quite as familiar with the audience as Gouché was, she still would move and look around at all present. People around would whisper “Did she just look at me?” This question might have sounded weird, except for the fact that it really did seem like Kelela looked directly at each and every person. Adding to the personal vibe was Kelela’s voice itself, being both passionately emotional and tonally flawless. Her rises were incredibly controlled, and even her pitch shifts were consistently perfect.

Credit must be given to the sound mixers of the show, who did an incredible adjusting the levels of audio. The beats for Kelela’s music were almost industrial, with hard bass lines and grinding hi-hats like that of a classic EDM track. At some points, it sounded as if drills and metal were sampled for the beats, yet these harsh tones were paired perfectly, with the rich and mellow vocals Kelela provided. Even with Kelela singing with great changes in volume, sometimes holding the mic close, other times holding it an arm’s length away,

the levels were always mixed perfectly and her voice was never drowned out nor was it obnoxiously loud.

As a performance it was simple and elegant, yet never boring. The crowd loved her—every hair flip or smile brought cheers, and Kelela took that energy and used it well. As the night progressed, people in small groups began to slowly dance, and a crowd that once felt sparse and distant became close and welcoming. This wasn’t a performance that left one breathless with excitement or tired from dancing crazily.

Rather, it was a relaxing and soothing concert with just enough energy to constantly keep it moving. The vocals dominated the show, and for good reason. Attempting to go back and re-listen to some songs by Gouché or Kelela, it was easy to compare them to the concert. What was really impressive was that the live versions played at the concert were far superior.

In the end, Kelela put on a soulful and engaging performance that was as intimate as it was impressive, creating a comfortable and mellow atmosphere that made the night truly enjoyable. 

Toni Blackman Speaks to Mental Health in Hip-Hop Music

BY CANNON FEW Heights Staff The first sentence in the description for Tuesday night’s Undergraduate Government of Boston College event, “The Pursuit of Happiness: Mental Health in Hip Hop,” was a question: “Have you ever heard a rapper spit something so deep you needed to play the lyrics back?” As guest speaker Toni Blackman will tell you, the depth of hip-hop is such that anyone, if they really listen, should answer affirmatively.

Many consider The Message (1982) from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five as the birth of commercially successful conscious hip-hop. Ever since, countless artists have been using hip-hop as an outlet for their personal struggles and the struggles plaguing members of their families and communities. At “The Pursuit of Happiness: Mental Health in Hip Hop,” guest speakers Kimberly Ashby, LGSOE ’19, and Blackman led a discussion on the intersections of hiphop and mental health.

Ashby began by performing a cappella a song she wrote about depression and its

INSIDE SCENE

effects. She then provided introductory remarks on mental health in general and how it functions within and affects hip-hop.

Ashby noted that “for decades, hip-hop has given a voice to the voiceless, becoming a powerful global movement for self-expression.”

Next to lead the discussion was Blackman, the United States State Department’s first ambassador to hip-hop. She focused on the healing effects of hip-hop, particularly in how the freestyle cypher can invoke ritual and connection to facilitate growth.

Blackman has been running her Freestyle Union Cypher Workshop for many years, a program that brings different artists together in attempt to connect with the spiritual aspects of shared rhythm and spoken word. Blackman explained how many of the artists she works with deal with different levels of mental illness, and how her workshop functions to provide a meditative and therapeutic method for them to work through their issues.

Freestyle cyphers originated as a way for emcees to showcase their talents of rhyme and flow. Initially, they were saturated with

Object in the Archives Exhibit

boasts and confrontation, themes that continue to define many circles in hip hop today.

But Blackman, interested in the spiritual and communal element of cyphers, established rules in her workshop (i.e. no battling, no negative language) to sustain the positivity of the experience. For Blackman, cyphers serve as a form of connection—a way to build people up instead of tear them down.

Cyphers are circular—they’re about the completion of thought, about giving and exchanging information, energy, and ideas.

In short, they’re about community.

If you’ve ever partaken in a creative activity, you know what it’s like to feel in the “zone.” When engaged in a cypher, one can similarly become in tune with the rhythm during what Blackman aptly dubs “getting open.” “Getting open” is all about letting go of yourself in the moment, acting freely without conscious control of your movements or even what you’re saying. “Getting open” is the fullest example of what cyphers have to offer: the ability to let go of yourself and become a part of something larger.

But simply explaining the function of a cypher wasn’t enough for Blackman. She

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

Toni Blackman spoke about the conscious nature of popular hip-hop music. had attendees “warm up” by calling on them to name all the words they could think of that start with a certain letter. Then she asked for five volunteers to form a cypher of their own. Though choppy at first, the exercise gradually became more and more fluid and eventually progressed into the entire room coming together in a circle, sharing a common beat and adding different melodies, thoughts, lines, and words.

‘Final Space’ Television Review

The Burns Library displays the personal belongings of various TBS’s new animated science fiction comedy provides comedy donors over multiple decades....................................................B3 and interesting visuals, but lacks cohesion............................B3

Hip-hop, and particularly its application in cyphers, can serve to bring people together under a common thread as well as open up conversations about mental illness and personal struggles.

Anyone familiar with hip-hop, and perhaps even one who isn’t so familiar with it, should be aware of its power. Both speakers Tuesday night did a wonderful job presenting that power. 

‘Good Girls’................................................ B6 ‘Marlon Wayans: Woke-Ish’............................ B6 ‘Nation of Two’................................................ B6

2 | KAILEEN HART | SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

MARCH 1, 2018 | THE HEIGHTS

7 KEITH CARROLL / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Kaileen Hart picked up lacrosse later than most and was relatively unknown her first two years on the Heights, but broke out her junior year and is ready for more.

Charlie Sommers | Heights Staff

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or many, the attraction to sports is formulaic.

It’s the appeal of rooting for someone that is an underdog by nature, who is only in the situation that he or she is in because of countless hours of practice and repetition. A dedication of this sort requires maturity beyond the athlete’s years, because the foundation of becoming a great athlete is constructed at a young age—a time when it is uncommon to have a strong sense of foresight.

Kaileen Hart, from the beginning, found herself making up for lost time.

The Boston College lacrosse attacker didn’t participate in organized sports until fourth or fifth grade and was automatically at a disadvantage when she stepped on the field for the first time.

“My friends were like, ‘Oh, you should join the soccer team ... and the lacrosse team too,’” Hart said. “I remember being really, really bad … but I still had a lot of fun so I kept playing.”

One of the friends who helped convince her is currently a star attacker for Northwestern, one of the most storied women’s lacrosse programs in the nation. Shelby Fredericks met Hart in first grade, and the two have remained best friends to this day. redericks has always been a stellar athlete, one that Hart found herself looking up to on the field quite frequently. In ninth grade, the inseparable tandem joined the Long Island Top Guns, a local club team coached by Shannon Smith, a Northwestern player at the time. “[Smith] was my biggest inspiration,” Hart said. “She was the one that took my lacrosse [career] and completely turned it around … She made me into such a good lacrosse player.”

All of a sudden, Hart realized that she could be a difference maker on the field for the first time in her life—it was now up to her to put in the work to make this possible. Almost immediately, Smith’s impact on Hart was noticeable. Fredericks saw her friend develop an insatiable work ethic at this time, one that made the sky the limit. “[Hart] decided ‘this is what I want to do, and I’m going to work very hard at this’ ... once that happened, it came very quickly for her,” Fredericks said.

Hart and Fredericks worked handin-hand as they grew in talent and experience. After school, they would grab their sticks and practice until their parents called them home for dinner.

They pushed each other to be the best players they could be, drawing them even closer than they were before. To top it all off, they shared captainship responsibilities for three years, from 10th through 12th grade, at Babylon

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High School.

Since their high school was small, they were constantly viewed as the underdog when they were underclassmen. They were a positive influence on the program and by their senior season they finally felt like they had put a competitive group of women on the field. Because of this, confidence was at an all-time high heading into a playoff game against Shoreham-Wading River.

“When I was in [in my first year of high school], [Shoreham-Wading River] beat us by 20,” Fredericks. “Every year we were inching closer and closer.”

The rival high school was bigger, and always had a better lacrosse program than Babylon. It was Hart and Fredericks’ last game against them, and they were determined to beat them for the first time in school history. The co-captains went into the game with the mentality that they needed to play a perfect game if they wanted to leave victorious.

It started off according to plan.

What happened in this game would go on to be the most formative experience of Hart’s development as a lacrosse player: In the first half of the game against Shoreham-Wading River, Fredericks fell to the ground while holding her knee and wincing in pain.

She had torn her ACL. For the first time in Hart’s playing career, she did not have her best friend by her side.

“I didn’t even really score any of the goals in high school. She scored all of the goals, and I was just, like, her buddy,” Hart said. “[When she tore her ACL] I was like ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do?’”

Hart didn’t know what she had in her: The New York native spearheaded the team’s brilliant second-half effort.

When the clock hit zero, Babylon found itself on top of Shoreham-Wading River, 8-7. “[That win] was a testament to Kaileen having the mental toughness to not get shook by me going down, and to hold everyone together and give them belief,” Fredericks said. “That’s 100 percent why we won that game. It wasn’t because we were the better team, it was because she let the team believe that we could win.” ye ar b efore that , Har t was an 11th grade r w h o w a s co mp l e te ly unsure about her future.

Before a summer league game, her coach told her that BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein wanted to talk to her on the phone. Prior to being told this, Hart had not put much thought into pursuing college lacrosse. She had never talked to a college coach before, and was extremely nervous about this spur-of-the-moment conversation.

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Hart was pleasantly surprised when Walker-Weinstein made her feel at home from the moment their phone conversation started, which made Hart more comfortable through the process.

Walker-Weinstein invited Hart to join her upcoming summer camp. In the month of July, heading into her senior season, Har t made the trip from Long Island to the Heights.

She loved the attention that Walker-Weinstein gave her in camp, and sensed that she wanted her on her team.

After talking it over with her father, she decided to commit to BC following the camp’s conclusion, never even considering another school.

As a freshman and sophomore at BC, Hart had a lot of adjusting to do. For the first time in her life, she was away from home. She also had to learn to adapt to a new schedule.

Her typical day during the offseason started with a 5:30 a.m. workout, which lasted until the first of her three daily classes. All of these combined factors proved to be difficult for her at times.

Playing time was few and far between at first, and when she did get in the game she was overcome with nerves. After recording just a total of six goals as a freshman and sophomore, Hart decided to focus on the cerebral side of her game as she headed into her junior season.

“I think 90-percent of your game is mental, and every time I would go in [as a freshman and sophomore] I would shake,” Hart said. “Junior year I came to the realization, ‘Why was I so nervous all this time?’ I think I really just changed my mindset.”

A renewed feeling of confidence helped Hart make great leaps as a junior. She became a go-to attacker for the Eagles, scoring 49 goals and recording 75 points. To the outside eye, her breakout season was a complete surprise. But Smith, who watched her develop as a player, expected this all along. She always knew that Hart could be tremendous, and thinks she took her game to the next level by playing with a more aggressive style junior year. ast year, the Eagles were 6-2 leading up to a March 8 road game at No. 1 Mar yland, the eventual undefeated national champions. This game proved to be a significant midseason test for BC,

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which, at the time, was still trying to establish an identity. The Eagles trailed, 8-5, in the waning minutes of the first half. Hart kept BC alive by scoring

pionship where it faced a familiar foe: No. 1 Maryland. Hart was in a position that she nev- er expected to find herself in. To Walker-Weinstein, it was expected all along, dating back to when she made h e r r e c r u i t - ing call to Hart

two goals before halftime.

Though Hart would score a then-career high four goals, the Eagles were not able to stick with the Terrapins in the second half, falling, 21-13. The game was a microcosm of the team’s regular season: It was good enough to compete with anyone, but was never going to be the favorite over top-ranked opponents.

Nevertheless, flash forward two months, and the Eagles were in the NCAA Tournament. As the stakes got higher, and every decision on the field mattered more than ever, Hart had to take herself back to the days of playing club lacrosse with Fredericks to keep things in perspective.

“When I start to get nervous in a game … I try to take a deep breath and say in my mind, ‘It’s just lacrosse,’” Hart said. “[In those moments] you just have to be confident in your skill set and not choke under the pressure of people watching you.”

Throughout the tournament, every BC player seemed to be playing up to the peak of her ability. The Eagles were able to roll through Canisius and No. 9 Syracuse, clinching a berth in the Elite Eight against No. 7 Southern California—a matchup that would be played in Newton and serve as the showcase for Hart’s best performance of her three-year career. She tallied a career-high seven points, propelling the Eagles to the Final Four for the first time in school history. he Eagles went on to defeat Navy in the semifinals to earn a spot in the National Cham-

when she was a junior in high school. “[Walker-Weinstein] told me, ‘We want to win a national championship,’ and at that point, BC wasn’t even on the map,” Hart said.

“I was like, ‘This lady’s insane but I believe her.’ [When we got to the national championship] I was like ‘she told me we were going to get here,’ which was pretty crazy.”

Even though the Eagles lost to Maryland and finished as national runner-up, Hart’s faith in Walker-Weinstein’s vision has not withered. This year, the Eagles are 6-0, and are ranked No. 2 in the nation. Unlike the time when Walker-Weinstein first talked on the phone with Hart, the Eagles are officially on the map.

“I don’t even think most of the people in the locker room know we’re [No. 2] right now,” Hart said. “That’s our expectation now … we say before the games, ‘Now, we’re the team to beat’ ... we can’t have the underdog mentality anymore, which I personally love to have.”

By this point, Hart—a late bloomer by definition—has shed the underdog tag. Over the weekend, she tallied a career-high 10 points against Brown, becoming the 25th member of BC’s 100-point club. A lot has changed since she received a call from her coach that changed her life.

As a senior captain once again, she is looking to deliver a win that is a program-first, like she did when she beat Shoreham-Wading River. Only this time, she’s seeking a national championship. n

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THE HEIGHTS | March 1, 2018

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW | ELIZABETH MILLER | 3

KEITH CARROLL / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Elizabeth Miller won three out of her four state finals in high school, but is still searching for a championship at the national level.

Ben Thomas | Asst. Sports Editor

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lizabeth Miller is no stranger to championship appearances. Last year, the Boston College lacrosse defender was a key factor in her squad’s stunning postseason run. Although the Eagles fell short in their final game against No. 1 Maryland, Miller accomplished an impressive feat just by stepping on the field. The game marked the fifth championship appearance of her lacrosse career.

Throughout high school, Miller never finished any of her four seasons with the New Canaan Red Rams without appearing in the Connecticut Class M state championship. Her three titles are certainly due to the play of her team as a whole, but also serve as a testament to her individual skills—it’s not easy to play on one of the region’s top teams as a freshman, and it’s even more impressive to be named captain for two years.

Miller’s success, however, did not come by chance.

In elementary school, Miller was already hooked on lacrosse. Her father, Joel, had been a two-time AllECC player at Lehigh, and got a stick into the hands of each of his four children as soon as they were fit to play.

As Elizabeth puts it, “Lacrosse was bred in us.”

Miller proved to get a good grasp of the game at a young age, and early on, Joel saw great potential in his daughter.

“I personally kne w she could make it to the next level even then,” he recalled. ew Canaan head coach Kristin Woods, who worked with her in middle school, also saw the young star had passion and a real future in the game.

In fact, Miller’s intensity may have even gotten the best of her at times. Woods notes that her aggression paid dividends at a young age, but had to be reeled in before she made the next steps to the high school level in order to avoid racking up too many yellow cards.

Instead, Miller began to take control of her most dangerous

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weapon: her feet. Through training with Woods, Miller’s speed and agility improved tremendously, and by the time high school rolled around, she had become a pure all-around athlete.

Miller eventually became a captain for her school’s basketball and field hockey teams, in addition to lacrosse. She believes her success as a defender—a position she didn’t even play until her senior year of high school—stemmed from her constant ball-hawking nature in those fall and winter sports.

Throughout her time as a midfielder and a point guard, Miller learned how to guard cutters, fight through picks, and simply see how people played on offense. These skills carried over into the spring, where she became a captain for New Canaan at the start of her junior year.

Miller always knew she wanted to play a sport in college—the problem was that she didn’t know which one to choose. Joel and Elizabeth’s mother, Judy, both agree that she may have been as good, if not better, at field hockey, and their claim certainly isn’t far off the mark. Miller’s field hockey career consisted of multiple Fairfield County Conference awards, and even a state championship in her senior year. One thing her parents are sure of, though, is that it was the aspect of being part of a team that really got her to love both sports.

“More than anything in sports,” Judy affirmed, “she really just wants the whole team to be successful.”

It’s true. While every coach emphasizes the message of being a team player, Miller embodies it .

On defense, she may not be racking up the most points for the Eagles, but it’s clear that’s never been at the forefront of her mind. More than anything, Miller loves helping her peers get better on the field. She said that “it’s awesome” whenever she is able answer any questions her teammates have.

“I love to help them out and help them become better on the field because as a unit on defense if one person isn’t playing well the whole group suffers,” Miller said. “I feel like helping my teammates is the best way I can lead.”

Woods, too, can attest to Miller’s selflessness. Now in her 11th season with the Red Rams, she has seen few athletes have such a positive influence on teammates and those around them as Miller.

“As a defender you don’t get much recognition, but it doesn’t matter to her,” she said.

“Whatever the team does as a whole is all she cares about.” Woods explained. “She leads by example, and just her intensity alone is so contagious.”

Miller said the one reason she loved BC so much before commiting to the school was the authentic feel she got from coaches and players, and that the energetic and fun atmosphere was something she knew she wanted to be a part of. As much as her teammates value her own presence as a leader, Miller praises her head coach, Acacia Walker-Weinstein as the reason for her team’s success.

“She believes in you as a person

and as a player and I think that her trust in us—pushing us in ways that help us become better people on and off the field has helped me a lot, and I know at the end of the day I can go to her for anything,” she said.

Whether it was the warm welcome from her team or simply her talent, Miller has appeared to make a seamless transition into Chestnut Hill. Miller has played in every game for the Eagles since stepping foot on campus, and her sophomore season

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espite all these accolades, Miller may be most impressive in the classroom.

In both her year’s at BC she has received the Athletic Director’s Award for Academic Achievement, and was a two-time Academic All-American in high school, which supplemented her three first-team All-State honors. Having recently completed an internship this past summer with Edgewood Management, Miller—a Carroll School of Management stu-

She leads by example, and just her intensity alone is so contagious.

-Kristin Woods, New Canaan High Coach was a breakout year for both herself and the team. Recording a team-high 43 ground balls last season, Miller received second-team All-ACC honors, and helped seal BC’s trip to Gillette Stadium for its first-ever national title game. lthough the junior’s loyalties lie with Eli Manning’s Giants, the 25-mile trip to One Patriot Place was one to remember. Because the team didn’t even have to leave the state of Massachusetts, Eagles faithful were able to fill up the stadium to see their team compete on the biggest stage.

“It was crazy playing in there,” Miller remembers. “We were on the field yelling to each other, but you couldn’t hear anyone because the fans were so loud.”

Still, Miller’s ex- perience in big games allowed her to keep a level head throughout the battle, and although the team that had made it to the championship game in six of the past seven years prevailed, the closely contested game capped t h e m o s t successful season in Eagles history.

Miller headed up a defense that held top-25 opponents to 10 or fewer goals a total of four times.

Her 3 1 c a u s e d turnovers that season were a career high, and she truly put her name on the map after a game against Yale last March in which she recorded eight draw controls, tied for the fifth-most in a single game in Eagles history.

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dent with concentrations in finance and entrepreneurship—has a bright future ahead of her. Even then, her lacrosse career is far from over.

Perhaps it is the support Miller has received from friends and family over the years that has allowed her to compete at such a high level. Both parents try to make it to as many games as possible, and Elizabeth recognizes the two certainly have different forms of input on her game.

“My mom always tells me to have fun and not worry about the X’s and O’s,” she said. “While it almost seems like my dad can get more into it than me. He’s a diehard BC fan.”

Joel wouldn’t be the only one. Elizabeth expressed her amazement at the fact that so many former players make it to BC lacrosse games on a regular basis, and that their dedication in both home and away games has made an impact on the team as a whole.

Fans and alumni alike that have been able to bear witness to the Eagles’ play this season can tell you just how much potential the team has. Now 6-0 with three wins over top-25 opponents, Miller and the Eagles are well on their way back to the postseason.

She reminisces about the energy and adrenaline rush of that final game last season, as just getting the taste of a championship possibility was enough motivation for the team to keep powering through its schedule.

While Miller has already hoisted her fair share of trophies, the coveted National Championship her team desires is once again within reach, and she’s more than ready to put last year’s game in the rearview mirror.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said, before quickly adding, “well … hopefully not really once-ina-lifetime.” n

4 | TESS CHANDLER | SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

57 MARCH 1, 2018 | THE HEIGHTS

Late Bloomer

HER LAST LEG

JULIANNA GLAFKIDES / HEIGHTS STAFF

After tearing her ACL and meniscus, spraining her MCL, and bruising her femur last year, redshirt senior Tess Chandler is back for one final ride.

Andy Backstrom | Sports Editor

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ess Chandler screamed like she never had before.

Seconds after pivoting her foot inside the eight-meter arc and being pushed to the ground by Boston University midfielder Kaitlin Belval, the Boston College lacrosse attacker shouted in uncontrollable pain, cradling her knee.

Everyone else on the field knew what had happened, as did her parents, David and Jerrie. Without hesitation, the two hopped the fence bordering the Newton Campus Lacrosse Field and sprinted alongside the team’s medical trainer, Mercedes Cunningham. Overwhelmed with concern, they reached their daughter, only to hear the words, “Mr. and Mrs. Chandler, please take a step back.”

Cunningham approached Tess, who immediately blurted out one of the most gut-wrenching phrases in all of sports.

“I heard it, I heard it pop. I heard it.”

Cunningham told her to take a breath, but the trainer had already confirmed her suspicion: Tess had torn her ACL. Not only that, but she later determined that Tess had sprained her MCL, torn her meniscus, and bruised her femur. The 6-foot dodger was carried off the field knowing very well that, four games into her senior season, her lacrosse career could be over.

Her teammates couldn’t bear to watch as their two-time captain’s season withered away before it really even began. Kate Weeks and co-captain Mary Kate O’Neill fought back tears for the rest of the game, edging BU in the second half to preserve the Eagles’ undefeated non-conference mark. But the loss of their leader broke them. Minutes later, the two sobbed alone in the team van on their way back to main campus.

“Without a doubt, when Tess tore her ACL, that was by far the worst athletic day I’ve ever had,” Weeks said.

After four years and 63 games, the girls’ run was over—they thought they were never going to play with Tess again, at least not at the collegiate level.

The senior was one year removed from recording a career-high 30 goals and was off to the best season start of her career—she logged 16 points in the first week and a half of the season, including eight in the opener against Holy Cross. But it didn’t matter.

For the first time in her life, Tess Chan-

dler headed to the sideline without a timetable for return. At the absolute worst time possible, she was entering uncharted territory. hroughout her childhood, Chandler juggled one sport each season: volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse. And, according to Hopkinton (Mass.) High School lacrosse coach Jodi Dolan, she could have gone Division I in all three of them.

“I just retired after 17 years, and she’s hands-down the best lacrosse player I ever coached, and probably one of Hopkinton’s best athletes,” Dolan said.

The longtime coach is a pretty credible source. Not only was she a two-sport letterman at Tufts, but she’s also known Chandler since she was in third grade. Dolan volunteered at the youth level for 25-plus years, coaching Hopkinton’s best young lacrosse talent. For a long time, her high school teams were competitive, but never championship caliber. Everything changed the year girls like Chandler and Brooke Rudden joined the program.

One day, Dolan turned to the group of third- and fourth-graders and asked them what year it’d be by the time they were all sophomores and juniors at Hopkinton High. After doing the math in their heads, the kids collectively replied, “2011.” Dolan called her shot. She promised, right then and there, that the aforementioned date would be when they’d guide Hopkinton to its first Division II state title.

Following four straight South Section Finals losses, the Hillers got over the hump and defeated Winchester, 18-15, in large part thanks to Chandler, who scored a team-leading seven goals. Prior to the game, all eyes were on Rudden—after all, the senior captain entered the contest with 100 goals on the year, and after tallying four more in the championship, eclipsed the 250-mark for her career. In that moment, Chandler was the best player on the field, and everyone took notice, including then-BC head coach Bowen Holden.

From that point forward, Chandler had a target on her back. She was a state champion, an established offensive threat, and a BC recruit. But the extra attention didn’t stop her from setting the school scoring record or being elected captain her senior year.

Dolan used all 6-feet of her superstar in every which way,

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frequently posting her up near the net, just like she was still on the court. Because of her height advantage, Chandler could catch the ball, land, turn, and score in one fluid motion, making her practically unguardable.

She rarely spent a minute on the bench. In fact, the only thing stopping Chandler from playing was the trainers themselves.

During her senior year, Chandler sustained an ankle injury in the tail end of her basketball season—one that would linger into the spring, forcing her to miss a lacrosse game here and there. Otherwise injury-free, the time off gave her a taste of what it was like to be on the sidelines. Little did she know that four years later, she’d be back again, only this time she couldn’t play through the pain. agles head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein, who suffered an ACL tear of her own back in the day, told Chandler that she had 24 hours to be upset about the injury—after that, she had to find her new role on the team. Unfortunately, that quick of a turnaround was impossible, not because Chandler couldn’t put her ACL in the rearview mirror, but because she wasn’t even in the same state as her teammates.

Days after playing BU, BC departed for a two-game road trip, leaving Chandler at home with a huge chunk of her support system out of reach. Her teammates sent her letters, which were much appreciated, but the feeling wasn’t the same. Less than a week into recovery, and Chandler was already craving the sport of her childhood.

“You don’t appreciate the sport until it’s literally taken away from you for a year,” she said.

It was just the start of a long road back— well not exactly.

Chandler had to do six weeks of prehab before she could even get surgery. Since she had a significant amount of swelling from the tear, doctors needed her MCL to scar and heal before they could reconstruct the ACL. In order to expedite the process, Cunningham helped Chandler generate quad motion, thereby pulling the swelling out.

After the operation, the real fun started: One hour of intensive rehab, every day of the week for the next month, followed by another five months of two-hour sessions.

Serving as both her emotional supporter and her medical trainer, Cunningham began guiding Chandler through the process of both regaining range of motion and, eventually, strengthening her entire leg.

An inevitable conversation eased the initial pain: Walker-Weinstein offered Chandler a redshirt, giving her the opportunity to use her fifth year of eligibility for the 2018 season. Deep down, Chandler’s teammates, namely Weeks, knew that she would return for one more year on the Heights, but the decision wasn’t that easy. She’d be coming back to BC without her graduating class and would have to pursue a master’s degree—a career path that sounds even less appealing to a second semester se-

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nior.

Chandler talked to her teammates, family, and, of course, her old high school coach. Dolan conceded that completing her rehab in time for the coming year would be an ordeal, but, above all else, she pointed out that there’s no reason to be so anxious to grow up.

“You only get this opportunity once,” she said. “Once you’re an adult, you can play pickup lacrosse or get involved in leagues, but this team that’s created for you in this venue of high-level lacrosse, is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity.”

As expected, Chandler took it.

“She got a do-over, and that’s pretty awesome,” Jerrie said. nowing that she was working toward another season of lacrosse motivated Chandler day-in and day-out, but it didn’t make her recovery any easier.

Amid the thick of the regimen, the senior had to undergo tissue work, complete strength exercises—including but not limited to 10-straight single leg squats and two-minute planks—and take the field to participate in non-running activities, just to measure progress.

At one point, Chandler wasn’t even sure if she was improving. While her team, revitalized offense and all, was climbing the rankings, Chandler had hit a wall. Cunningham recalls a day in which the two couldn’t do their typical routine—Chandler was growing frustrated with her apparent lack of development and broke down emotionally.

The two spent the entire session just talking things out.

“I knew that if I could just get to her in the right way or say something in the right way, I could steer her in the right direction,” Cunningham remarked.

Whatever she said rang true with Chandler. Following undergraduate commencement, the redshirt began the most rigorous portion of her recovery. For the first time in months, she was on her own—no teammates, no coaches, and sometimes no Cunningham. Because of their summer availability, the medical trainers at BC had alternative schedules, meaning that Chandler had to adapt on the fly. The process was transformative to say the least.

In a matter of months, she had discovered just how much fire she has for the sport and excavated a newfound inner-strength, all while coaching her team to a National Championship—that’s right, coaching. ll her career, Chandler had been a quiet leader.

If someone was out of line, she’d take the necessary measures to pull them aside and right their wrong. But for the most part, she let her actions do the talking. By her senior year, Chandler was the good cop to Weeks’ bad cop, holding the team together with her calming sense of self.

But when she tore her ACL, she had to make a change, or else she could have very well made a home for herself on the end of the bench—and there was no way she was going to let that happen. Gradually, Chandler started to voice her opinions on the sideline.

Of course, there’s something odd about critiquing the play of your teammates.

They’re the same girls she was running up and down the field with just a few weeks prior. At least she thought so, as would most.

Yet, soon enough, Chandler’s teammates

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came to her and pleaded for her thoughts— they wanted to know what she had to say.

In her mind, that was her right of passage. It wasn’t long before Chandler was watching film and giving players pointers, finding that new role Walker-Weinstein wanted her to have: assistant coach. As the season progressed and her rehab unfolded, she kept coming to practice with the mindset that she was still very much part of the team. There was no doubt that her teammates thought so too.

“We couldn’t have made it to the National Championship without Tess,” Weeks said.

Chandler was a motivator and a teacher, but more than anything, she was a supporter.

During the heart of the Eagles’ postseason push, emotions were running higher than ever before. When things got out of control, she kept everything in check, just as if she was on the field.

Weeks distinctly remembers going to Chandler on the sideline to unload her midgame anxiety. Even when Weeks was on her game, stringing together a handful of goals, Chander would always give her the same look, signaling, “Hey, you’re not done yet.”

Just like the rest of the team, albeit in a different way, Chandler came into her own down the stretch, as BC booked its first trip to both the Final Four and National Championship. Although the Eagles lost to undefeated No. 1 Maryland in the title game, Chandler affirms that the tournament run was one to remember—the best part was, she was coming back for one more ride. ebruary is over, and Chandler has already played more games than she did all of last year. In her season debut, she scored against No. 15 Notre Dame. One week later, she stripped Belval, the same girl that cut Chandler’s season short just a year ago. Day by day, the redshirt senior is getting back to where she once was.

But she’ll never be the same.

The brace on her left leg is a constant reminder of what she had to go through to get back on the field, not to mention her corresponding limitations. She’s no longer a dodger nor a go-to option on the offensive end of the field. Since suffering her injury, Sam Apuzzo and Kaileen Hart have blossomed into two of the nation’s top three scorers. Now, her role lies in the middle of the attack. An inside scorer, her job is to fight through contact and catch and shoot at will from inside the eight—an art that her best friend perfected.

“I want to be like Kate Weeks,” she said confidently.

Weeks, who racked up 76 goals and 106 total points last season, knows that Chandler will peak when it matters most—the games against the Southern Californias and North Carolinas of the world. At the moment, she just has to be patient. Compared to the kind of wait she had just to get a stick back in her hand, this one’s hardly a nuisance. Besides, she’s back with her teammates and stronger than ever—maybe not physically, but mentally.

“Once you you’ve done this, and you’ve rehabbed and come back to play D1, you can do anything,” her mother said.

Chandler developed as an on-the-field leader as a junior and as an off-the-field leader as a senior. A third-year captain, she’s been through it all. But there are no more do-overs from here on out—she’s on her last leg. n

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SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW | GIAN MARTELLINI | 5

THE HEIGHTS | March 1, 2018

‘HE’S THAT GUY’

2

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

A more calculated hitter, a better defensive catcher, and a capable team leader, Gian Martellini is now the face of Birdball.

Michael Sullivan | Heights Senior Staff

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ian Martellini steps into the box for his first at-bat as a member of Boston College baseball. Barely 200 people sit in the stands in the dry but cool 76 degree heat of spacious Camelback Ranch, the spring training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. It’s a full two weeks before spring training games will begin, but the Eagles are ready to go against Northern Illinois.

The scene’s not exactly how he might’ve planned it. The only sounds are the crack of the bat and Greg Sullivan yelling from the dugout. Roaring home crowds against a tough ACC opponent would’ve done the trick—but that’s the curse of playing ball in Chestnut Hill on a field that turns into a waterbed if the forecast even threatens rain. Still, his head coach, Mike Gambino, shows a lot of confidence in his bat. Gambino penciled Martellini in as the starting designated hitter, sixth in the order, ahead of the man whose job he’ll one day take: catcher Nick Sciortino. Against a team like this—college or not—Martellini feels confident that this is a good way to start his career.

But then, that first at-bat really doesn’t go how he planned.

Bottom of the second: Martellini gets under a fastball from starter Joe Hawks, lifting a short fly ball to right field. Just missed it, he thinks to himself. But it’s a can of corn—it’ll hang up there for a tad before falling safely into the mitt, barring a Jose Canseco off-the-head type disaster.

Frustrated, Martellini put the bat down and began jogging over to first base before making a right toward the dugout.

It’s not the kind of jog you do around the Res to stay toned or when you’re heading out to field your position. Martellini’s really dogging it.

Gambino, the now eighth-year skipper who minds the third base coach’s box when his team is at bat, isn’t having it. Especially not from a freshman. He doesn’t yell. He doesn’t publicly reprimand. But as he’s walking back to the dugout, he takes his pencil and lineup card out of his back pocket and begins to search for a different name. It’s the second inning, but Gambino’s ready to quietly pull hi s

soon-to-be star catcher for not hustling.

Right as he’s entering the dugout steps, Martellini sees Gambino approaching.

Oh man, he thinks, that was stupid. artellini grew up in Johnston, R.I., just 40 minutes from Chestnut Hill. As you might expect, his Italian family was tightknit. His father, Paul, is a second-in-command in the Rhode Island Division of Sheriffs. He and his wife, Gina, emphasized to their son that he needed to give back to his community. Throughout high school at Bishop Hendricken, one of the state’s best feeders for baseball talent—including former BC ace Mike King and associate head coach Jim Foster—Martellini participated in Habitat for Humanity and Hendricken’s peer-mentoring program.

But he didn’t exactly translate that charity over to the plate.

“Gian was, offensively, kind of a gorilla in high school,” Gambino said in his office last week, reflecting on the scouting reports from when he recruited Martellini. “He had power, he could hit the ball far, but he didn’t really know how to hit and didn’t know what it meant. And he could outstrength and out-talent that level, but needed to know what it meant, and didn’t.”

Initially, he didn’t take that same attitude to the field. In fact, when his coaches at Hendricken suggested he make the switch to catcher from third base, Martellini didn’t hesitate. He credits that move as a big reason why he earned any attention from scouts.

Still, we’re talking Rhode Island high school baseball for a guy bound for the ACC. He could pass just fine on his athleticism alone. Hitting was all he focused on. It paid off—like King before him, Martellini won back-to-back Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year Awards, and of course got the scholarship from BC. He quickly learned that you can’t just outmuscle your way to success at the college level. Unfortunately for Martellini, other pitchers learned him even quicker.

In the days of ESPN3 at virtually every college

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baseball game, especially ACC ones, Gambino notes that the book can get out on you faster than ever. And Martellini was very pitchable. Though he still had all the tools, pitchers realized they could pitch him backward—start him with the breaking ball, move to the speed later in the count, and baffle Martellini.

“He couldn’t understand early in his freshman year, all of a sudden five weeks, first ACC weekend, and they’re going first pitch strike to a breaking ball,” Gambino said. “And he’s like, ‘Why are they throwing me breaking ball first pitch?’ And well, it’s in the report, dude, it’s out there, so how are you gonna make the adjustment?”

Martellini struggled to make that adjustment. Playing mostly DH, he slumped down to a .224/.294/.327 slashline. With the left hand-hitting Scott Braren getting hot and the Eagles in the thick of what would later be a magical run to the Super Regional, Gambino pulled Martellini from the starting lineup. He didn’t like it, but he understood why.

“I started to struggle and Scott was hot, and we needed someone in that role that was ready to hit,” Martellini said last week. “At the end of the day, it’s all that matters.”

Luckily for him, he had some help. ambino has always given a lot of leeway to his guys. He’ll listen to them if they have the right feel about something, whether it’s the right pitch to hit or if they think they can grab that extra base. Lack of effort, however, he won’t tolerate. And when Martellini popped that ball up in his first at-bat, he saw a perfect opportunity to teach a young, cocky kid a lesson.

Nick Sciortino, however, didn’t see want to see it come down to that. The team captain stopped Gambino before he got to the dugout.

“I’ve got it,” Sciortino said.

“You want him in the game?” Gambino said. Sciortino nodded.

He then turned to Martellini and put him into a headlock, tight around the neck and shoulders, and started talking in his ear.

Just run. Just hustle.

“And that was the end of that,” Martellini later said. t’s no secret that BC can’t get recruits the way its ACC rivals can. No one will be ready to start day

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one. After all, the Eagles have produced two first-round picks under Gambino.

One, San Francisco Giants 1B/OF prospect Chris Shaw, hit just .164/.266/.305 his freshman year, before maturing as a sophomore and breaking out to a .319/.411/.611 slashline as a junior with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs. Another, New York Mets pitching prospect Justin Dunn, had a 1-1 record with a 7.30 ERA as a freshman in four starts and 4-4 record with a 4.94 ERA in 20 appearances (three starts) as a sophomore, before dominating his way to the Super Regional with a 4-2, 2.06 ERA, 72 strikeout to 18 walk junior year.

That’s all to say: it takes time here.

They’re not ready to start, but they usually have to, especially when adjusting to the recruiting cycle Gambino inherited.

Martellini is one of the first players under Gambino who wasn’t forced to stay in the lineup before he was ready.

Unlike Sciortino, who came in as a blank slate behind the plate, Martellini had to unlearn some of the habits he built as a high school catcher, according to Gambino. Over the season, Martellini learned that catching was more mental than athleticism. Working with Foster, Sciortino, and current pitching coach Alex Trezza, Martellini developed the art of calling the game. He began to understand how to be a therapist to his pitchers and how best to communicate with them.

It wasn’t necessarily enough to get him back into the starting lineup consistently for that Super Regional run.

But Gambino refused to just give up on him. In Game One against Miami starter Michael Mediavilla, who had dominating numbers against lefties like Braren, Gambino opted to load his lineup with righties—including Martellini at DH. He’d stay in until the Hurricanes went to a righty in the bullpen, then Braren would take over.

Martellini didn’t get it done. He went 0-for-3 in the 12-7 opening-game loss.

(Braren, however, hit a three-run home run in his only at-bat.)

“But you could still trust him enough to give him an at-bat in the Super Regional,” Gambino said, because of the work Martellini put in. “It’s all part of the growth and development.”

That continued support boosted Martellini’s confidence. And, in retrospect, Martellini thinks that not only seeing how the team operates, but seeing the team win—and win big—without him added to his motivation to get serious about his game.

“It was good to learn from that, being on the bench and listening to what’s going on in the dugout and seeing what’s going on in the field,” Martellini said.

“Like okay, this is what it takes, and this is how I need to act toward the pitchers and take care of business on the field. I took that, learned from it, and took that into last year and learned from it again.”

With Sciortino departing the program for the Lowell Spinners—he couldn’t comment on this story because

he’s down in Fort Myers at spring training right now—Martellini knew his time was now. He spent the whole summer using everything Sciortino had taught him to improve his game defensively. He abandoned the “selfishness” of trying to hit a ball as hard or as far as possible, and adopted the mindset that, if he put his work into his defense, then his offense could be his “down time.”

The strategy paid massive dividends for the Eagles. As a sophomore who most often took up the three-hole in the lineup, Martellini hit a markedly improved .302/.364/.474—far and away the most well-rounded on the team—with five home runs and 35 RBIs. More impressively, to Gambino at least, Martellini made just one error in 307 chanes, caught eight runners, and picked off another four. Not quite Sciortino numbers, but dominant nonetheless.

“I had umpires at the end of last year come up to me during the game and say, ‘I can’t believe how much better Gian has gotten,’” Gambino said.

The overall improvements led Gambino, who confirmed that Martellini will be in the lineup every game, to make a bold claim.

“When Gian’s right, you can’t throw it by him with a bazooka,” Gambino said.

“He’s gonna be in the conversation to be the best offensive catcher in the ACC, and if you’re gonna be the best offensive catcher in the ACC, you can be the best offensive catcher in the country.” artellini took the words Sciortino said to heart. He continuously hammered home his defense. He fixed his hitting simply by ignoring it. And yes, he runs out every single ball regardless of how easy it’ll be for the fielder.

But he also took that advice right in that moment.

Given new life in the lineup, Martellini stepped to the plate with one out and two men on in a still scoreless game in the fourth. The DH who almost came out of the game blasted a 400-foot shot down the left-field line, more than enough in a 5-1 opening day victory. Martellini may not have factored as much later in the season, but he was the first win in that 35-22 campaign of 2016.

Gambino knew from that swing what he had in his No. 3 hitter. He had an idea that he’d have that in Martellini anyway: a guy expected to hit over .300, with slight-to-pull home run power and 15-plus doubles. Nothing he can do is a surprise.

And, by the way Martellini reacted to the sentiment by Sciortino, Gambino also knew in that moment he’d have him not only as a catcher, but as a leader. He started showing it last year by fixing the problems at the plate and in the field.

It’s his team—and his responsibility—to lead Birdball back to the NCAA Tournament. With the lessons he’s learned, there’s no reason he wouldn’t be.

“Gian will be that this year,” Gambino said. “Now he’s that guy.” n

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6 | JAKE ALU & JACOB YISH | SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

MARCH 1, 2018 | THE HEIGHTS

Bradley Smart Asst. Sports Editor

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Jake Alu and Jacob Yish have played all over the diamond throughout their baseball careers, and paired with breakout seasons at the plate last year, their utility roles are increasingly valuable.

Bradley Smart | Assoc. Sports Editor

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f you were to clone Boston College baseball’s Jacob Yish and Jake Alu to create a team of equally experienced players, the roster would cover every position except first base, the only position that the two haven’t spent time at since their senior year of high school.

Yish can catch and play the outfield—he was recruited as a catcher, played center field in high school, and now plays the corner outfield positions. Alu, meanwhile, is gearing up to play both third base and left field this season, as well as boasting plenty of experience up the middle, in addition to time on the mound.

Put simply, BC head coach Mike Gambino has plenty of options between the two. He also has the benefit of both players coming off breakout seasons. For Alu, it was his first full year after watching from the bench as a freshman, while Yish earned plenty of playing time, thriving in his first year on the Heights. n basketball, a guard can potentially play at small forward, but would never battle it out in the frontcourt.

In hockey, defensemen and forwards skate up and down the ice together, but when it comes down to it, they have clearly defined roles. In soccer, a forward doesn’t have the same stamina as a midfielder, or comparable awareness within the 18-yard box as a defender.

In baseball, though, great teams are often defined by a utility player. Versatility can be a blessing to a manager, especially as seasons drag on and players slump or need breaks. Just ask Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch if having Marwin Gonzalez— who played every position except center field and catcher last season—helped the team win Major League Baseball’s World Series.

For the Eagles, Alu serves that role.

“Whatever role the team needs, he

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ALU/YISH

does ALU it,” Gambino said.

ALU “Jake Alu is in the lineup every day.

Most guys who are in the lineup every day don’t have to check that they’re in the lineup every day.

“He has to check the lineup every day because he has to check to see what glove he needs to grab.”

Last season, Alu played in 48 games,

The junior, from Hamilton, N.J., relished in the Philadelphia Eagles triumph over the hometown Patriots in this past Super Bowl. starting in 45 of them. After failing to win Rest assured that Alu, who has spent the the second baseman starting job over Jake past few weeks walking through campus Palomaki, he moved around constantly, with a Super Bowl champions flat brim hat, playing second base, shortstop, left field, didn’t back down when the majority of his designated hitter, and serving as a reliever. teammates were rooting against him.

Having not started a game as a freshman, “I kind of love it,” Alu said of wearing the any playing time was welcome. hat around campus, a trademark grin steal“[Gambino] said the only way you’re ing across his face. “Obviously it would’ve getting on the field is if you be that versatile been nice to be in Philly, but it’s good to get guy, the guy who can go in anywhere and the dirty looks walking around it.”

Utility guys are usually not the flashiest give us help wherever we need it,” Alu said.

“That’s how I was going to get in the lineup.” players in baseball. Alu, however, quickly Moving around was nothing new for flipped the script by establishing himself the junior. His pure desire to be in the game as one of the more dangerous hitters in has long outweighed picking and choosing the Eagle’s lineup. Learning from positions, dating all the way back to Little watching the likes of JohnLeague. Alu has always hated sitting, so ny Adams as a freshman, much so that when his loaded Little League Alu brought a smart team was cruising to big wins, he wouldn’t offensive approach come off the field—instead picking the and a short, quick place that nobody would run to, and taking swing that served him well. His bat- ting it as his own.

That pure desire to be in for every pitch, average, on-base perregardless of position, stuck with him as centage, and slugging his baseball career continued. Despite percentage stat line of being an everyday shortstop for four years .331/.386/.384 was stel- lar at Princeton Day School in New Jersey, he as a sophomore—the average showcased his versatility on the travel team was tops on the team, ahead circuit under the watchful eye of former of future MLB draftees in Major Leaguer Dave Gallagher. Gallagher, Adams and Donovan Casey. He who spent nine years bouncing around the hit as high as .342 in conference play, good pros, playing all three outfield positions, enough for eighth in the ACC. Part of the success he had can be saw a high schooler who could make his attributed to the mentality he brings to coaching job easier.

“He has attributes that lend him to have the plate.

“I don’t like pitchers, I never have,” success from a lot of different places on the field,” Gallagher said. “That versatility allows Alu said, a cocky but measured tone the head coach to get more guys into the coming through. “Seeing those guys with lineup to help the team win. They can get big names across their chests and the top into the game if you have one guy to bounce prospects you hear about all over. You get a hit off those guys, and it’s something you around. It’s a huge asset to help have the rest of your life—but it’s also like, the team.” how good are they?

Regardless “I love being one-on-one against someof the body else and seeing who gets the better.”

Alu pieced together a nine-game hitYISH (HS) ting streak near the end of the season, hitting well when it was needed most, which didn’t surprise Gallagher.

The oft-revered clutchness runs in his veins, it seems.

YISH (HS) “He plays in tight spots as if he’s playing in a pickup softball game with his friends,” the MLB veteran said on the indeALU scribable quality. “The game comes to him very relaxed. He doesn’t tense up, and that’s a huge quality that he brings.” round the same time Alu was ALU breaking out, Yish was coming position he into his own—despite being plays , Alu two years younger. Described by Gambino has the same as a freshman who “didn’t know that freshman aren’t supposed to come in here and demeanor—brash YISH (HS) but calculated—and it hit .300,” Yish’s strength isn’t necessarily his shines through in his per- ability to play all three outfield spots and sonality on a daily basis. catch—if needed—it’s his approach at the

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plate that draws the highest praise.

Described in an early recruiting report as a player with “above-average speed on the base path and a big, open-stance swing that generates a lot of power, the ceiling is projected high,” Yish has shown what the ceiling looks like.

Like Alu, he elevated his game when it was needed most. In conference play, the freshman finished third on the team with an average just four points shy of .300, a more-than respectable mark that earned plenty of attention from Gambino and the BC coaching staff.

“The kid can just swing,” the Eagles coach said, admirably. “His at-bats last

year as a freshman didn’t look like freshman at-bats.”

It didn’t come as a surprise to Yish’s coach in high school, Dan Letarte of St. John’s Prep in nearby Danvers, Mass.

Letarte saw him come up big, time and time again, a crucial piece of the team’s run to back-to-back Super Eight finals, Massachusetts’s eight-team, double-elimination tournament for the top schools in the state.

When he first saw Yish, he was playing catcher. He quickly moved to outfield and flourished there, where Letarte described him as a smart player who made all the right reads and helped carry his team. Yish took over the center field starting spot for St. John’s, and didn’t relinquish it.

Meanwhile, he was sorting out what he wanted to do with his collegiate career.

After all, he was a two-year starter at safety on the football team—showcasing his speed, range, and defensive skills in the fall and spring.

One highlight from his career on the gridiron was an interception and a fumble recovery in his final high school game, a 14-0 loss at Fenway Park to rival Xaverian Brothers the day before Thanksgiving.

The stellar play drew high praise from head coach Brian St. Pierre afterward. It was fitting, then, that just a year later, he was going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs in an 8-3 win over North Carolina State in the historic ballpark—some things just never change.

Eventually, choosing between the

sports that he’d started playing from age 7 reached its culmination—and he committed to play baseball for BC. His move to outfield was influenced by the need to have a better chance to get into the Eagles lineup, per Letarte. With three outfield spots, Yish had the bat to be in the lineup every day, but would benefit from more than one shot as a catcher.

Now, Gambino can use him in either of the corner spots or opt to use him as a designated hitter.

“There’s three sticks in the lineup in outfield in college, and he needed to develop reps there,” Letarte said of the change.

“He was already a good catcher. For us, he patrolled center field for three seasons, and was very coachable and a great teammate.”

Described by Letarte as a threetool player, the “hitting tool”

was more than on display in his debut season at BC. Yish credited the success to just trying to do everything he could as he sought to find a role on the team, and find it he has. To keep it up this season, don’t expect the approach of somebody who’s already been around the block.

“I just have to keep working hard and focus on the little things,” Yish said. “If I get ahead of myself and try to better last year, that’s when things start to fall into a slump.” n the season opener against Santa Clara, Alu started in left while Yish was the designated hitter. The next day, Alu was at third and Yish entered later in as a pinch-hitter. Two games later, Yish started in left field.

For BC fans, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Alu’s familiar No. 1 bouncing around the field. You might see him start at third and end up in left, or enter late as a reliever, or even spend a few innings at his favorite middle infield position.

It’s likely to be more of the same for Yish, as the sophomore will probably also bounce around. If his bat begins to heat up like last season, though, he’ll find a way to consistently be in the lineup.

Either way, Gambino is dealing with an embarrassment of riches—two players capable of playing multiple positions, both coming off strong campaigns, ready to make the most of whatever opportunities they get. Like Alu stressed many times, playing for the Eagles is simply about being the guy that goes to the spot where they need the help. n

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25

THE HEIGHTS | March 1, 2018

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW | JESSICA DRESWICK | 7

QUEEN OF THE HILL

CELINE LIM / HEIGHTS STAFF

Jessica Dreswick didn’t let a stress fracture stop her last year and, now healthy, she is prepared to shut down her competition one more time.

Jack Goldman | Copy Editor

J

essica Dreswick thinks she sounds like a basic white chick.

“I used to say like all the time and now it’s definitely,” she said. “I feel like a basic white chick, like ‘DEFINITELY! Definitely ...’ see I can’t be serious for too long, that was going down a serious route and I had to…”

You’ll have to count how many times she says definitely on your own, but if you look beyond the likes and definitely’s—there aren’t as quite as many as she claims, even though it’s time basic white chicks got some media coverage anyway—what you will find is one of the best college softball players in the country.

Wait, not just one of the best college softball players in the country, one of the best softball players in the country even though she pitched the entire season with a stress fracture in her right foot.

That’s right. She played softball on one foot. For a whole year. How did that year go?

In 2017, Jessica Dreswick was at the top of her game. She set school records in starts with 39 and wins with 22, while also leading Boston College softball in total appearances with 45, innings pitched with 235, and strikeouts with 166.

Let’s take a breath for a second— there’s more to go through.

Dre s w ick thre w 18 comple te games last season, two of which were shutouts, surrendering a measly 89 earned runs on the entire season.

She set career bests in ERA (2.65), wins, appearances, starts, strikeouts, and tied her career best in saves with three.

In a development surprising to nobody, she made All-ACC first team, which came after throwing BC’s second no-hitter in team history against North Carolina State in 2016—the first since the Eagles joined the ACC. On top of all that, she was doing it all on one foot—one good foot, that is.

With each pitch she threw, the senior could feel the crack in her foot getting worse, and by the end of the season the bone had snapped completely. But regardless of the severity of the injury, she was not going to let it get in the way of her taking the field.

“I came to [BC to] play, and I wasn’t about to allow a foot injury keep me from playing,” Dreswick said.

In a sense, as she laughs through some of her description of what it was like to fight through her experience, how she approached her injury is the best example of how Dreswick approaches her life. She doesn’t take things too seriously, she sees obstacles

as an opportunity rather than a bane, and she approaches those obstacles with a good—but intense—attitude. nsurprisingly, the knock never dissuaded her from taking the ball. To Dreswick, her innings count was never under any threat from how hurt she was. Being out on the field and achieving her goals was too important to her.

“A lot of last year was [head coach Ashley Obrest] going, ‘Hey, can you go again?’ Absolutely, let’s see what I can do,” she said. “It is funny, because people will say to me, ‘Hey, you pitched 200 innings last year,’ and it still wasn’t enough for me. There’s a lot of times where I think I could’ve done better, I think I could’ve stayed in, I bet I could’ve thrown another game against this team, or we could’ve gone farther in postseason.”

After going 31-22 last season and putting up a 14-9 conference record, BC softball entered the postseason with high hopes, but Notre Dame defeated the Eagles in three out of the season’s final four games, closing the series with a win in the quarterfinals of the ACC championship that brought the BC season to a close.

Dreswick surrendered a home run with two outs in the seventh inning to the Fighting Irish. The bomb tied the game up, sending it to extra innings, where BC ultimately fell, 9-5.

“That one kind of stings a little bit because everyone was like ‘You worked really hard last year for your team,’ but that game I just feel like I completely let down my team,” she said.

She pitched seven and a third before the Irish chased her in the eighth—the Eagles came up just short, and the loss left Dreswick motivated to reach a new level of excellence. As successful as 2017 was, the senior and her teammates had gotten a whiff of what further success could look like and came up short. Now, all any of them have been thinking about in the off-season is getting better in order to make a prolonged tournament run in an attempt to avoid a repeat of this past year. hu s , D r e s w i c k w e nt t o work in the off-season. She worked on spin and her breaking pitches, understanding that the best teams in the country see the speed at which she throws in plenty of opposing pitchers, so the senior decided working on her movement was the key to increased success this season. She completely recovered from her foot injury and concentrated on perfecting her off-season routines to ensure a good start to this season.

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“I think about that weekend all the time,” Dreswick said. “All summer when I was on crutches, all fall when I would pitch, and I just think about how I need to be better to beat that team.”

Yet, she isn’t taking things too seriously as her time on the Heights begins to wind down.

“I definitely want to enjoy this year, so not freak out, not put a ton of pressure on myself only to flush it …

I’ve really told myself that no matter what happens, to just really be really grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given the last four years and just to take this last year … I’ve got nothing to lose,” she said.

If you had told Dreswick 10 years ago that she’d be one of the best pitchers in the ACC, she would’ve been extremely confused because she wasn’t even playing softball at the time. Her entire family played sports, both her brothers played sports, and Dreswick played baseball until she was 13.

“Eventually I switched to softball, and I remember I was horrible,” she said.

Dreswick played volleyball, basketball, and softball through middle scho ol, and as she starte d high school, she began pitching. It was a late transition to the circle from playing first base and catcher. Dreswick played high school ball in New Jersey through her junior year before departing for Montverde Academy in Florida, a prep school that boasts graduates Joel Embiid, Francisco Lindor, D’Angelo Russell, and Ben Simmons.

The level of athletic excellence surrounding her took Dreswick to another level.

“It was just one of those places where everyone was really competitive, hard-working, and motivated, and you just kind of joined along with it,” she said. reswick cites her family as her inspiration. Her father was a lefty pitcher, her brothers all played baseball, and her early commitment to the smaller round ball with seams comes from her closest relatives. She admits her family, whether it’s her dad or her aunts and uncles or any other member of her extended family, can be very critical, but serve as her biggest and most important supporters. Without them, she doesn’t believe she’d be at BC. She also draws motivation from those who doubted her in the past who have not been as supportive.

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Throughout her high school career, various people claimed she would never get to a D1 school, never mind play ACC softball.

“People are like, ‘Oh you’re going to Boston College? Well, Florida State is ahead of you,’ or UNC or whatever, and we just see it as a challenge,” she said. “You want to say we can’t compete in the ACC? No. Watch us.”

When Dreswick reflects further on 2017, she’s struck by how much of a team effort it was.

“The 235 innings didn’t come just from me on the mound, it was every single inning I had a defense behind me and an offense to score runs,” she said. “It was not about me in that sense whatsoever, I didn’t even realize the innings were racking up.”

The senior thinks this year will just be a continuation of the progress the team made last year. BC doesn’t take non-conference play as an opportunity to play lower level teams, so the early portion of the season has brought a lot of difficult matchups. The Eagles have gone up against the likes of No. 6 Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Indiana, and Michigan State.

Personally, Dreswick is off to an excellent start. Currently boasting a 2.33 ERA, the 6-foot-2 righty has a 4-3 record with nine starts and three relief appearances. She’s pitched four complete games, notched two shutouts—already matching her total from last year—earned a save, and already has 57 innings under her belt. In just a month, she’s had more strikeouts than she had her entire freshman season.

A lot has changed in four years.

Nobody knows about that better than her fellow captain, Chloe Sharabba.

“These last 4 years with her have been awesome,” Sharabba said in an email. “It’s been so fun to watch and be a part of. Dres has grown and learned so much since our freshman year, her competitive drive is unmatched, and I’ve always felt so confident out there with her on mound. We always feel like we have a good shot to win, but with her out there, it just feels like our chances go up

that much higher. Off the field, she’s become one of my closest friends.

Dres, Ally [Frei], and I have a lot of fun together and I’d say I’m pretty lucky to be on the field and playing with two of the best pitchers in the ACC.” How close have the three captains grown? Close enough that Dreswick and Sharabba teamed up to play an April Fools prank on Obrest. The two, using glue and makeup, made it look like Dreswick had shaved off one of Sharraba’s eyebrows. The success the three have had hasn’t diluted how happy they are just to get to play with each other, but Dreswick is intensely aware of how much she’s changed over the course of her college career.

“I am an extremely different person than I was my freshman year,” she said. “Still just as weird, but I think it’s just trusting myself and being okay and believing in yourself. My freshman year I saw every challenge as just this overwhelming obstacle, and I saw the pressures around me just adding to that, and I saw it all as just an impossible feat.” reswick believes the biggest lesson she’s learned from Obrest is to take a challenge and turn it into an opportunity.

Now more than ever, the senior is ready to seize that opportunity.

To Dreswick, 235 innings was just the beginning. One hundred percent healthy and back in the circle, the senior captain has one more season to prove she is a pitcher to be reckoned with, thanks to her speed, her break, her personality, and all she’s learned during her college career.

Against Central Connecticut on Feb. 25, Dreswick threw a complete game, struck out 11, and gave up just four hits.

Another day, another win, another dominant performance. The New Jersey native could very well eclipse 250 innings this year, who knows. One thing’s for sure: she won’t be counting—after all, she’s already cemented her legacy on the mound. n

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8 | SCHEDULE | SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

MARCH 1, 2018 | THE HEIGHTS

BASEBALL

at North Carolina State (ACC)

MAR 9-11

vs. Holy Cross

MAR 13

at No. 19 Virginia (ACC)

MAR 16-18

at Virginia Tech (ACC)

MAR 23-25

at No. 14 Clemson (ACC)

MAR 29-31

at Harvard (Beanpot)

APR 3

vs. Pittsburgh (ACC)

APR 6-8

Beanpot Consolation/Final

APR 10

vs. Wake Forest (ACC)

APR 20-22

vs. No. 4 Florida State (ACC)

APR 13-15

at Notre Dame (ACC)

APR 27-29

vs. Louisville (ACC)

MAY 4-6

at Miami (ACC)

MAY 17-19

SOFTBALL FEB 9-11

Aggie Classic

FEB 16-18

ACC/Big Ten Challenge

FEB 23-35

FIU Classic

MAR 9-11

Easton Crimson Classic

MAR 16-18

at Duke (ACC)

MAR 23-25

vs. Virginia (ACC)

MAR-APR

29-1

at Syracuse (ACC)

APR 6-8

at North Carolina State (ACC)

APR 13-15

vs. No. 13 Florida State (ACC)

APR 20-22

vs. Notre Dame (ACC)

APR 27-29

at Louisville (ACC)

MAY 4-6

vs. Georgia Tech (ACC)

LACROSSE SCHEDULE

FEB

FEB

NOTRE DAME

MASSACHUSETTS

FEB

MAR

10 21 27 07 NAVY

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

MAR

MAR

MAR

LOUISVILLE

YALE

UNC

20 24

17

MAR APR

APR APR

31 07 14 19 VIRGINIA

DUKE

VIGINIA TECH

SYRACUSE